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Prif On* Dollar Per Year "TRUE TO OURSELVES, OUR COUNTRY AND OUR OOD." Single Coplea Flv? Cente.
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VOL. 29 SMITHFIELD, N. C, FRIDAY, MARCH 25, 1910 Number 4
FOSS' POLITICAL MIRACLE.
Democratic Candidate for Congress
At Special Election in Old Colony
District, a Republican Stronghold,
Overturned a Republican Plurality
Of 14,000 and Converted It into a
Democratic Majority of Over 5,000
?Elements in the Contest?The
Old Bay State Sounds The Bugle of
This DemocraticYear.
Brockton, Mass., March 22.?The
national political weather-cock turn
ed democratward In' Massachusetts to
day- when the old colony section, one
of the Republican strongholds of the
State, placed Eugene N. Foss, of Bos
ton, one of the country's leading ex-'
ponents of reciprocity with Canada,
In the congressional seat of the late
Wm. C. Covering.
Mr. Foss accomplished what was
regarded as almost a political miracle,
turning a Republican plurality of 14,
250 into a Democratic victory of 5,- J
640.
The vote to-day was: Eugene N. (
R. Buchanan, of Brockton, (Rep.)
Foss, of Boston, (Dem.) 14,980. Wm.
9,340.
It was the most overwhelming de
feat that the Republicans have met
in Massachusetts since Governor
Bates was overthrown by Wm. L.
Douglas six years ago.
The result is considered of more
than State-wide importance, for Mr.
Foss stumped the Fourteenth district
on national questions and the people
backed him up with a whoop.
it was the first contest to be de
cided by the voters since the Payne
Aldrich tariff bill became operative
and had a peculiar interest on that
account. Mr. Foss, who has figured
in several campaigns, first as a Re
publican and latterly as a Democrat
with moderate protectionist leanings,
left the Republican party last year
on the issue of Canadian reciprocity
and became the Democratic candidate
for Lieutenant Governor. He failed
by only 8,000 votes to carry tho State
pt that time.
Another subject which was discuss
ed in the campaign was the high cost
of living. The Democratic campaign
ers charged the Pavne-Aldrich tariff
bill and the failure of the Republi
can party to properly supervise the
trusts, with being mainly responsible
for the high cost of living.
The Fourteenth district has been
the most consistently Republican dis
trict in Massachusetts and has never
before elected a Democrat to Con
gress.
The remarkable shift of votes
to-day is difficult to analyze. The
Republican leaders admit that their
party in the district was divided.
Twenty-five thousand ballots were
cast to-day, which is about four-fifths
of the average vote in the past three
Congressional elections.
Congressman-elect Foss is a promi
nent manufacturer, banker and capi
talist of Boston. He had been twice
defeated for Congress in the Eleventh
district. He is a brother of Congress
man Foss, of Illinois.
NO MORE WORK ON SUNDAY.
Carnegie Steel Company Puts New j
Rule in Effect.
Pittsburg, Pa., March 20.?The
plants of the Carnegie Steel Com
pany in Pennsylvania and Ohio were
practically closed down to-day for the
first time in years, and will hereafter
be on Sunday. An order of President
Alvah C. Dinkey, of the company, is
that Sunday labor must be reduced
to an absolute minimum, and that the
repair work which has been done ver
generally on Sunday, employing sev
eral thousand must hereafter be done
during the secular week.
' HAS SIXTEEN SOLDIER SONS.
Mrs. Brandon Contributed to Both j
Sides in Civil War.
MoundsviUe, W. Va., March 22.?
Mrs Sarah Brandon, of this city, aged
109, holds the United States record
as the mother of the largest number
of civil war soldiers. No less than
sixteen of her boys served in the
battl s of that war, fourteen on the
Union side and two with the Confed
erates, while her total family was
twenty-three.
Her twenty-three children are also
the parents of large families. The
eldest, Hiram, is eighty-nine years
old, while the youngest. Evan Bran
don. Is seventy-two years of ige and
works daily in a coal taine.
letters by telegraph.
Western Union to Inaugurate a New
Service Known at Night Letter, at'
Nominal rates.
Announcement Is made by the Wes
tern Union Telegraph Company that
it will shortly be prepared to handle
long night messages at the rates cus-1
tomarilycharged for ten-word dav'
messages.
It appears that the Western Union
has a large employed mileage of wire 1
at night which is not earning Any
thing. These wires must be main
tained in any event to take care of:
the regular day business, and It is
apparently the idea of the new inter- i
ests in the Telegraph Company to
let the public have the benefit of
them. The announcement states that!
A special Night Letter service will ;
be established as soon as practicable.!
The charge of this service will be
the standard day rate for ten words, [
for the transmission of fifty words or
less, and one-fifth of such standard
day rate vwill be charged for each ad
ditional ten words or less." . !
To be taken at these rates, "Night
Letters" must be written in plain En
glish language, that is to say, code
words or communications written in
foreign languages will not be accept
ed. The messages will be taken at
any hour up to midnight and trans
mitted at the company's convenience
during the night for delivery the fol
lowing morning. For the present, the
new service is confined to Western
Union offices in the United States.
The tariffs charged for Night Letters
are so low, it is expected that the
new service will be largely availed
of by business concerns and others to
quicken their correspondence by us
ing the Telegraph instead of the
mails. A nigh letter sent by tele
graph, will reach its destination at
the opening of business hours the
following morning, thus saving as
much as three or four days when
long distances are involved.
DEATH OF J. A. STEVENS.
Passed Away After a Brief Illness
Tuesday Morning.
The Argus chronicles with extreme
regret the death of Mr. J. A. Stevens,
more familiarly known throughout
the county, which he one time repre
sented in the Legislature, as "Tobe"
Stevens, which occurred this morning
at 9:10 o'clock, at his home in this
city, corner of Virginia and West
H alnut streets, after a prostration,
whicn befell him at his farm, beyond
the river, yesterday, whither he had
gone in the morning, as was his cus
tom, in apparent good health. He
was found in an unconscious) condition
and removed to his home here, but
never regained consciousness, nor
could the attending physician divine
his trouble.
He is survived by his devoted wife
and five children, three sons and two
daughters, two sisters, Mrs. John A.
Toler and Miss Amy Stevens, two
brothers, Mr. W. S. Stevens, of
Smithiield, clerk of the superior) court
of Johnston county, and Sheriff E.
A. Stevens, of this city, a wide cir
cle of near relatives and a host of
friends.
Mr. Stevens had not been well for
months, being troubled with a com
plication of ailments, and his death,
more or less sudden, came not entire
ly unexpected.
He was a. member of St. Paul M.
E. Church, of this city, and Neuse
Lodge of Odd Fellows, and his funer
al. under the auspices of this lodge,
will be held from the home tomorrow
afternoon at three o'clock, conducted
by Rev. D. II. Tuttle, his pastor, and
the Interment will be made in Willow
Hale Cemetery.?Tuesday's Goldsboro
Argus.
USED DYNAMITE TO BREAK LAND
Palmetto Farmer's Plan of Tilling
His Farm Blasts Things.
Spartanburg, S. C? March 22.?.1.
Henry Caldwell, a farmer living near
here this afternoon broke up an acre
of land with eight hundred chages of
dynamite, the explosive being used
for breaking the land for cultivation
Instead of the plow.
Mr. Caldwoll claims that blasting
land with dynamite Is the best me
thod for sub-soiling and that It can
be done more cheaply than with a
plow. Many persona from the city
and the county were present to wit
ness the novel method.
SALES FALL NEARLY ONE HALF.
"Meat it Higher Now Than I Have
Evar Known it to Be Before," Said
A Local Dealer, Who Had Suspend
ed Business Because His Sales Had
Decreased?Said Poor Could Not
Buy Meat at Present Prices.
Ia going through the city market
yesterday afternoon. It was observed
that three of the stalls were vacaat;
and, upon inquiry. It was learned that
the occupants had suspended business
on account of the present high price
of meat.
Discussing the situation, one of the
meat dealers said:
"Meat Is higher now than I have
ever known it to be before, 1 usually i
suspend business for a short time in
the summer months, but I am doing
so this year a month earlier than
usual. During the past month or so
sales have fallen off nearly one-half.
Nearly all my customers are work
ing people and they can not buy meat
at the present high prices."
"Do you make as great a profit'
j when meat is as high as it Is at the
present time?" was asked. "Well, 1
do if I can sell," said the dealer, "but
at the present prices many of the pec>
pie have almost stopped buying, es-!
pecially the poorer class."
Of the other two dealers, one had \
never before suspended business, not J
' even in the summer months, while j
the remaining one had only been 4n j
the city market for a comparatively
j short while.
It xis understood that the dealers
J will resume business next fall, whfen
they do not have to use so much Ide,
but at the present high prices, they j
do not find It profitable to keep^ on
selling meat, as the sales have greatl ]
decreased.
Much has been said about the high
prices of meats, but never before have
any local dealers found it necessaryj
to suspend business on account of
them.?Wednesday News and Obser-1
ver.
TAUGHT HOW TO BE WIVES.
Girls in Boston Begin Course in
Matrimony School.
Boston, Mass., March 20.?A school
of matripiony, in which the prime
essentials of instruction in successful'
wedded happiness are now being I
taught, is the latest innovation among'
Boston's modern training institutions.
In this school a group of girls, in
cluding some from many of the best
fairilies In the city, are being train
ed five days weekly in the arts
which will equip them to ecome ideal
wives, mothers and homemakers.
HOOKWORM NOW IN NEW YORK.
Southerner Operated on for Appendi
citis Furnishes Surprise.
Utica, N. Y., March 21.?The hook
worm has been discovered In Chenan-!
go county. The victim is a native of |
the South, who recently moved to
Afton from Alabama. When taken
sick he was operated upon for appen-!
dlcltls. His appendix was found to
be In good condition, but suspicious-1
looking worms were removed from:
the intestinal tract. They were sent j
to Binghamton for examination and
promptly pronounced by the bacterl
ologlsts as hookworms. "
Death for 44 as Jolt Wrecks Train.
Marshalltown, Iowa. March 21.?
More than two score persons were
killed and almost as many more were
Injured to-day In the wrecking at
Green Mountain of two Hock Island
trains running over the Chicago Great
Western tracks from Cedar Rapids
to Waterloo. Several of the Injured
may die. Several of the dead are
so horribly mangled that Identifica
tion may be impossible.
Report Shows 10,363,240 Bale* Ginned
Washington, March 21.?The cen
sus cotton report shows the crop of {
1909 to be 10,363,240 bales, counting 1
round as half bales and Including lint
era, compared with 13,432,131 for
1908. *
Cotton estimated by glnners as re- (
mainlng to be ginned and Included In
the statistics for 1909 is 49.4S8 bales. 1
The average gros? weight for the
crop counting round as half bale,
and Including Unters, Is 496.5 pounds,
compared with 605.8 for 1908.
I The number of ginneries operated
for 1909 crop was 26,660, compared
( with 27.598 for 190?.
CONGRESSIONAL REVOLT WINS.
Power Taken fromSpeakerCannon?
The House Will Name the Rule*
Committee and the Speaker Will
Not Be a Member of the Commit
tee?Houie Refused to Oust the
Speaker.
The revolt in the house of repre
sentatives which began early last
week culminated last Saturday af
ternoon when the combined vote of
the Democrats and the insurgent Re
publicans accomplished the purpose
for which the fight was begun.
When the House met at 12 noon
Thursday no one foresaw exactly
what was coming. Representative
Norrls, of Nebraska, saw that the
time was ripe for ousting Speaker
Cannon from the Rules Committee.
Accordingly he introduced a resolu
tion which in its amended form is
as follows:
"There shall be a committee on
rules, elected by the House (hither
to the committee of five, like nil oth
er House committees, has been ap
pointed by the Speaker), consisting
of ten members, si* of whom shall be
members of the majority party and
four of whom shall be members of thu
minority party. The Speaker shall
not be a member of the committee,
and the committees shall elect Its oui
chairman from Its own membership.
"Resolved, further, That within ten
days after the adoption of this reso
lution there shall be an election uf
this committee, and immediately up
on Its election the present committee
on rules shall be dissolved."
This frightened the regular Repub
licans and placed Mr. Cannon in a
position where he must either rule tlui
the resolution was out of order and ,
then be overuled by the House, or
allow a filibuster in order that the
evil day might be put off as long as
possible. Motions to adjourn were
made and voted down and the House
kept in continued session from Thurs
day noon till Friday afternoon at two.
A recess of two hours was then ta
ken and later adjournment was made
till Saturday noon.
In the meantime each side had
planned to go into the fight to win,
with the result that the Norrls reso
lution above mentioned passed by a
vote of 191 to 155.
Upon the announcement of the
result Speaker Cannon dared the
House to Declare the Speaker's chair
vacant, whereupon Representative
Burleson, Democrat, of Texas, of
fered a resolution to that effect. But
this was the time when Insurgents
"fell down." They refused to vote
with the Democrats, with the except
ion of nine, and the resolution was
lost by a vote of 191 to 155. So
Speaker Cannon Is retained but is
shorn of his jiower at the head of the
Rules Committee.
Death Near Benson.
Mr. Curtis Reaves died at his home
near Benson on Wednesday of last
week. He was an old man and some
time ago had a severe cold for a
week or two. Then he seemed to
lose his mind and it is said did not
eat anything for seventeen days be
fore his death. During that time
he spoke few words and took but
two or three drinks of water. He re
fused to take medicine. His remains
were Interred at Hodge's Chapel Free '
Will Baptist church.
Dr. Stiles Will Make His Home Ral
eigh
Raleigh, March 21.?In an address
before the Raleigh division of the
medical department of the University I
of North Carolina last evening. Dr.
CharleB W. Stiles, now chief of the
division of zoology of the United
States department of public health,
and head of the Rockefeller million
dollar sanitary commission for the
eradication of the hookworm, de
clared his purpose to make Raleigh
his home for the future. That is,
while he and his family will spend
much of their time in Washington,
they will hare Raleigh as their place
of legal residence. In fact, the ac- I
tual transferring Is now being made.
Mine Preserves Dead Over Year.
Mount Vernon. 111., March 19.?The
bodies of four miners entombed in
the West Frankford mine a year ago
last February by an explosion were
recovered to-day. The corpses were
well preserved and easily Identified.
TWO EYES JABBED OUT.
Women With Long Hatpins Danger
ous at Times?Two Men Blind
ed By Them.
Ijifayette, Ind., March 15.?Dr.
James D. Hillis, city health officer.
Is In St. Elizabeth's Hospital suffer
ing from an injury caused by a hat
pin that may cost him an eye.
Dr. Hillis visited a local vaudeville
theater, and in the crowd he was
shoved against a large hat worn by
a woman in front of him. She turn
ed quickly and the point of a hat pin
caught the physician squarely in the
left eye, tearing the eyeball.
Brussels, March 15.?A court here
has awarded $2,000 to a man who was
blinded in one eye by a woman's hat
pin. He was standing on the platforn
of a street car which stopped sudden
ly with a jerk, which caused the hat
pin to pierce his eye. The damages
were assessed equally against the
woman and the car company, each be
ing condemned to pay $1,000. Thus
ended a case of unique interest in
local court annals.
Musical Entertainment,
Tonight at 8:30 o'clock in the Op
era House at Selnia will be given a
musical entertainment for the bene
fit of the Methodist and Baptist
churches of that place.
A most enjoyable program has
been arragned and all who attend are
promised a great treat. Admission,
adults, 25 cents, children 15 cents.
Dies as he Enters Church.
York, Pa., March 21.?As he placed
his foot upon the sill to enter the
Free People's Church, at Long Level,
to attend the Sunday evening service,
George Olewilre, an aged canal boat
man, was stricken dead from heart
trouble.
LYNCHED MEN "SUICIDES."
So Says Arkansas Coroner in Verdict
On Negroes.
Marion, Ark., March 19.?According
to the verdict of the Coroner, Bob
Austin and Charley Richardson the
negroes lynched here yesterday for
aiding and abetting a recent jail de
livery, "came to their death by sui
cide."
The Coroner in his verdict made
no mention of the facts leading uj>
to the "suicides." These facts in
cluded the breaking open of the jail
by several hundred men and taking
the two negroes out of the jail to the
Court-house square, where they were
hanged.
HUNDREDS DIE IN STORM.
Fifty Fishing Boats Reported Lost on
Japanese Coast.
Tokyo, March 19.?Many fishing
boats have been lost in the recent
storm along the coast. It is report
ed that not less than 59 of these craft
have been sunk and 800 fishermen
drowned.
JOHNSON'S WIDOW AIDED.
Fund Raised in Minnesota to Make
Her Life Happy.
St. Paul, March 22.?A fund of $22,
000 has been raised in tKis State to
provide a permaneut income for the
widow of Gov. John A. Johnson for
the remainder of her life.
Gov. Johnson left an estate estima
ted to be worth about $37,000. His
old friends believed the'income from
this not enough to pay for his wi
! dow's necessities and allow her any
? money for pleasures or luxuries.
Boy Hangs Himself.
Hanover, Pa., March 20.?The body
of Ralph Wildasin, seventeen years
old, was found suspended from a raf
| ter in a barn yesterday by his father.
The cause is not known.
Change of Appointments.
Rev. Thomas J. Hood has changed
his appointment at Paulino Baptist
church from the third to the first
Sunday. He will preach there the
first Sunday In April. He expects to
preach the third Sunday in April at
Sardls and Woodard school house. He
will preach Saturday night also at
t Sardis.
i ? *'
| TEACHER NOW A MILLIONAIRE.
RJSES from $40 a Month to Income
Of $140,000 a Year. Now Own* 100
Mile* Square of Oregon Land, Em
bracing Portion* of Threa Counties.
A OneThousand Dollar Cigar.
From a country school teacher at
$40 a month to an annual income of
$140,000 a year seems a long step.
| True. It took twenty-seven years to
accomplish It. but that is the record
of "Bill" Brown. Central Oregon'*
eccentric sheep king.
Bill controls 100 miles square of
Central Oregon. He owns 9.600 acre*,
so located that this land includes the
water holes and springs, making a
territory 100 miles east and west and
the same distance north and south,
where he is monarch of all he sur
veys. The land covers portions of
Harney, Lake, and Crook counties,
each of which is larger than many
Eastern States.
Brown started at the grass roots,
and after teaching school a while he.
with two brothers, got a small band
of sheep and herded them themselves.
They located on the eastern slope of
Wagon Tire Mountain. In 1889 "Bill"
bought out his brothers and has since
gone it alone. With a bunch of rai
sins and a loaf of "sour dough" bread
In his pockets he would start from
his cabin and graze his sheep across
the Central Oregon plains, sleeping
on the ground, sometimes with a
sheepskin for cover, oftener with
nothing. He would kill a sheep when
ever necessary to give his dogs meat'
and would roast a haunch of mut
ton for himself over a fire.
He was as much alone as Robinson
Crusoe for months at a time. Only
the coyotes howling at the moon, his
dogs, and the sheep kept him com
pany. Even now, when herders leave
"Bill" takes their places till others
can be found. He has often herded
bands of 6,000 and 7,000 sheep for
weeks under these circumstances. He
owns, as nearly as he can tell himself
about 6,000 horses and 1,000 head
of cattle. He has 18,000 sheep, and
he branded 5,600 lambs last spring.
His income last year was about as
follows: Six hundred horses, sold at
$70 per head, $42,000; 4,000 weathers
at $3.50, $14,000; 4,000 at $3.25, $13,
000; 18,000 fleeces of wool at $2. $38,
000; cattle and other items make the
total up to about $150,000 for one
year's work.
Bill ' Brown is a bachelor and re
ligious. Many churches and schools
are Indebted to him for donations. He
is a Methodist, and abhors tobacco.
Recently he was in an Eastern Ore
gon town where the Methodists want
ed to build a church. He decided to
give them $1,000. Soon after a man
with a cigar In his mouth came up
to "Bill" and introduced himself as
the pastor of fhe flock. Did he get
the money? Nary a cent. That cigar
was an expensive one, for it cost the
congregation a cool thousand.?Wash
ington Herald.
CANAL'S GREATEST FEBRUARY.
More Dirt Removed From Big Ditch
Than In Any Second Month.
Washington, D. C? March, 21.?
Work on the Panama Canal Is boom
ing. The last edition of the Canal
Record shows that more material was
taken out of the Culebra cut last
month than in any other February
since ground first was broken for
the canal. The total was 1,259,413
cubic yards; the daily average was
54,767, and Steam Shovel No. 214
also broke all records for the daily
average of 220S yards, while on ono
day Shovel No. 213 made another re
cord by taking out 4009 cubic yards
of rock and earth.
Pinchot to Meet Roosevelt.
Washington, March 22.?In re
| sponse to a telegram from former
I President Roosevelt It became known
here to-day that Gifford Pinchot, late
chief forester of the United States,
sailed from New York Saturday on
the steamer President Grant and will
meet Mr. Roosevelt when the latter
reaches London.
Three Kliled and Twelve Hurt.
Lexington, Ky., March 22.?Three
persons were killed and 12 others in
i Jured in a collision between two
freight trains on the Kentucky cen
i tral division of the Louisville &
. Nashville Railroad at White station
near Berea, Ky., early to-day.