%\yt ^witjjfielb Jlrralft.
Mll T( - X
VOL. 29 SMITHFIELD, N. C., FRIDAY, MAY *3, 1910 Number 11
COME TO THE JOHNSTON COUNTY HOME COMING AT SMITHF1ELD, N. C., MAY 16-21, 1910.
QUAKE DEATH ROLL 1500.
Many More Persons Injured in An
cient Capital of Central American
Republic. Another Town Believed
To Have Been Destroyed by The
Same Disturbance.
San Jose, Costa Rico, May 7.?The
list of dead at Cartago now numbers
not less than 1500. The city was de
stroyed by a single earthquake, which
lasted four seconds. It was a tre
mendous movement, which followed a
few minor shocks during the course
of the day. It occurred at 7 o'clock
Wednesday evening, and no one had
time to run out of th houss, which
fell crashing to the streets. Had the
great shock come during the sleep
ing hours hardly any could have es
caped.
At least 1000 more were injured,
and the only buildings left standing
were two wooden houses. The work
Of removing the bodies is impeded
by the heavy character of the fallen
walls, combined with unsanitary con
ditions resulting from the rapid de
composition of the corpses.
Whole families perished while din
ing or engaged in their ordinary vo
caions. The excavators tell pathet
ic stories. The ruins of homes when
explored reveal parents clasping in
lifeless arm the bodies of their little
ones.
The devastated territory, as well
as this city and the smaller towns
nearby, has been rocking like a cra
dle for nearly a month, until the
nerves of the people are thoroughly
unstrung. Hysteria has seized many
and is accompanied by the usual man
ifestations. The superstitious find a
relation between the seismic disturb
ance and the appearance of Halley's
Comet.
Immense crevaces have opened in
the earth at Oshomogo. Although
San Jose suffered slightly as com
pared with Cartago and the small
neighboring towns, the people here
are very nervous.
Dr. Becanegra, Guatemalan Magis
trate to the Central American Court
Of Arbitration, escaped with three of
his children, but his wife and their
youngest child perished. The demol
ished buildings include ten churches
and the municipal palace, in addition
to the Pesce Palace.
Parties headed by President Viquez
and President- elect Jimenez are
working valiantly but under tremen
dous difficulties to restore the in
jured and recover the bodies of the
dead.
EIGHTY-FIVE DEAD AT PALOS.
Beventy-Seven Have Been Removed
Six More Located.
Palos, Ala., May 9.?The number of
dead in Palos mines disaster is now
definitely established at eighty-three
Instead of one hundred and thirty-five
as first reported. Seventy-seven
have been removed and. six more lo
cated from Sunday noon until three
O'clock this morning. Half of the
whole number of bodies were taken
from the mine and it was necessary
to bury them practically as fast as
they were gotten to the surface.
ENTHRONEMENT IS PROCLAIMED
George V to the Throne of England
Announced in Ever/ City.
London, May 9.?With medieval
rites uhaped by a thousand years of
precedent, the accession of George
V was to-day proclaimed to the em
igre. The chief ceremony was in
London, heart of the empire but in
every large city of Great Britain and
Ireland and in the main centers of
tho colonies, in every clime, the proc
lamation announcing the death of
Edward VII and the succession of his
?on "The Sailor Prince" was herald
fed.
King George V was formally pro
claimed as successor to the throne at
4 o'clock Saturday afternoon. The
ceremony was an impressive one oc
curring in the throne room in the
P'esence of the privy council under
the presidency of the Earl of Crewe.
The proclamation of kingship was
R sonorous document conferring upon
the new soverlgn all the attributes of
? ruler which his fathep had possess
ed. The response of King George was
marked by deep emotion as he sol
emnly affirmed his purpose to fulfil to
the best of his abilities the great
trust reposed him.
In 300 balloon ascents there Is, on
?o average, one fatal accident.
STATE NEWS NOTES.
Burlington has voted $60,000 of
bonds for street and sidewalk im- J
provements.
The next session of the North Car
olina Association of Funeral Direc-j
tors will be held in High Point in i
1911. I
The board of aldermen of the town |
of Dunn have raised the near-beer li
cense to two thousand dollars a
year.
Lieut. Gov. Newland announces |
that he will likely be a candidate for
the Democratic nomination for Gov
ernor two years hence.
Work has begun on the Federal
postoffice building at Henderson.
The contract price is $54,450 and the
work is to be completed by next Feb
ruary.
John K. Tew, a policeman who
killed George Jones at Clinton, Samp
son county, while trying to make an
arrest, was acquitted in Sampson Su
perior Court last week.
At Granite Falls, a village in Cald
well county, the issue in the munici
pal campaign last week was "pool
room" or "no pool room," and the
"no pool room" folks won.
Governor Kitchin has appointed
Henry C. Brown corporation commis
sioner to succeed the late B. F. Ay
cock. Mr. Brown has been clerk to
' the commission for 18 years.
Alexander Thompson, a farmer of
Clay county, committed suicide last]
week by banging himself. His mind
was impaired and he had planned
self-destruction for some time.
There are in Guilford County 129
automobiles according to the State
registration law which applies to
all counties except New Hanover.
There are 1420 registered in the en
tire State.
Andrew Carnegie has agreed to
give $825 for a pipe organ for the
Morgantown Methodist church when
the congregation raises a similar
amount. The congregation has $300
1 to start on.
It is reported from Waynesville that
James Ward shot and probably fatal
ly wounded his cousin, Perry Ward,
near Waynesville a few days ago.
Cause: Whiskey and a discussion of
the stock law.
Richard Bivens, who killed Vassar
Fowler in Granville County some
time ago, was tried at Oxford last
week and submitted to manslaughter
and was sentenced to a term of five
years in the penitentiary.
In Greensboro last week Mr. John
A. Young sold a herd of registered
thoroughbred Jersey cattle?80 cows,
heifers, calves and bulls?and prices
ranged from $12 for calves to $185
for cows. The herd brought $5,000,
an average of $62 per head.
Judge Jones held his last court in
Charlotte last weeft, his resignation
' as Superior Court judge taking ef
fect Saturday, 7th. Judge Pell, his
successor, took the oath of office in
Winston Saturday and began a term
of Cabarrus Superior Court Mon
day.
A special to the Wilmington Star
says that a cyclone passed through
the Taylor's section of Sampson coun
ty at a late hour Sunday afternoon,
demolishing the residence of Pres
ton Hryant, a white farmer, seriously
injuring his wife, and doing consider
able ^damage to standing timber and
crops.
The Democratic congressional con
vention of the fifth district has been
called to meet, at Greensboro July
5th. Four or five candidates are in
the field for the nomination?among
the number Dr. Mebane of Rocking
ham county, Judge Jones of Forsyth,
Col. Royster of Granville, and Major
Stedman of Guilford.
The Governor has commuted the
sentence of John Shepherd, of Wilkes
county, under a sentence of a year on
th.e roads for selling liquor, to a fine
of $50 and costs. In stating his
reasons for the commutation the
Governor notes that $350 had already
been paid in Shepherd's case on ac
count of a bond forfeiture.
A 500 pound blast of stone from
an overcharge of dynamite used In
blasting at the Evans quarry, 6 miles
from Murphry, on the Louisville and
Nashville railroad, landed on the
roof of Charles Guthries' dwelling
Thursday, crashed through the light
roof and instantly killed Mrs. Guth
rie and her 8 year old child.
Rome. May 8.?Mgr. Bevilacqua has
discovered a diary In the archives
of the cathedral at Viterbo contain
ing an entry dated April 5, 1066, re
' cording the appearance of a comet.
i
ENGLAND'S KING IS DEAD.
Edward VII. Died at Buckingham Pal
ace Last Friday Night. Was Sick i
Only a Few Days. Sketch of the
King's Life.
London, May 7.?King Edward VII.,
who returned to England from a va
cation a few days ago In the best of
health, died at 11:45 o'clock last
night in the presence of his family
after an illness of less than a week,
which was serious hardly more than
three days.
The Prince of Wales succeeded to
the crown immediately, according to
the laws of the kingdom, without of
ficial ceremony. His first official act
' was to dispatch to the Lord Mayor
the announcement of his father's
death, in pursuance of custom.
Pneumonia, following bronchitis, is
believed to have been the cause of
death, but the doctors thus far have
refused to make a statement. Some
of the King's friends are convinced
that worry over the critical political
situation which confronted him, with
sleepless nights, aggravated if it did
not cause the fatal illness.
Besides the nearest relatives in
England, the Duke of Fife and the
Archbishop of Canterbury were in
the death chamber. The King's bro
ther, the Duke of Connaught, with
his family, is at Suez, hastening home
from Africa. The King's daughter.
Queen Maud of Norway, will start for
England tomorrow.
vviimn a lew minutes aner tne
death of the King the Home Office
was telegraphing the intelligence to
the heads of other governments and
the British diplomats and colonial of
fices throughout the world. All who
knew the King anticipated that his
death would be sudden, and it would
not have caused great surprise if it
had occurred without warning at som
social function, as a result of heart
trouble. Almost to the end he refus
ed to take to his bed, and was sit
ting up yesterday in a large chair, so
the palace stories go, corroborating
the description of him as an unruly
patient, which Dr. Ott gave to a
Vienna interviewer last evening. One
of the last utterances attributed to
King Edward was:
"Well, it is all over, but I think 1
have done my duty."
He seemed then to have reached
a full realization that his end was
fast approaching.
Sketch of King Edward.
Born in Buckingham Palace on No
vember 9, 1841.
Christened in St. George's Chapel
on January 25, 1842, and baptized Al
Ibert Edward.
Created Prince of Wales and Earl
of Dublin when four weeks old.
Studied at Edinburg University, Ox
ford, and Cambridge.
Visited Canada and the United
States in 1860.
Betrothed to Princess Alexandria of
Denmark on September 9, 1862; mar
ried on March 10, 1863, in St.
George's Chapel, Windsor.
Ascended the throne on the death
of Queen Victoria on January 22, 1901,
and was crowned in Westminster Ab
bey on August 9, 1902.
Diqd on May 6,1910.
Reigned nine^ years, three months,
and fourteen days.
Negro Sees Comet and Dies.
Views the Wonderful Wanderer in
The Heavens and Then Drops. Dead.
Elizabeth City, May 10.?Much ex
citement and consternation was caus
ed among superstitious and ignorant
negroes In the lower part of the coun
ty, about four miles from the city, by
the sudden and so-called mysterious
death of Henry Johnson, aged and
highly-respected negro. This morning
at 3:30 o'clock Johnson arose to
view Halley's comet about which he
had read and studied considerably of
late. After gazing at the wonderful
spectacle for a few moments he turn
| ed to go back In the house and fell
j dead.?Charlotte Observer.
Father of Forty-Six Children.
Charlotte Court House, Va., May S.
Abraham Brown, a negro, seventy
j six years old, who Is the father of
forty-six children, and who has lost
j rount of his grandchildren, has ap
plied to the county clerk here for a
license to marry his fourth wife, who
Is thirty-five years old. The cost of
the license was defrayed by citizens
present.
/* I
HALLEY'S COMET IN HISTORY.
Some of the World's Events That
Happened Along With the Recur
ring Visits of the Wonderful Wan
derer of the Skies.
Halley's comet has a history which
is Intimately related not only to the
history of Astronomy, but also to the
history of civilization itself. In these
twentieth century days it is difficult
Indeed to realize how fear-inspiring
was this famous wanderer in the sky.
In B. C. XI, it hung suspended over
the citjc of Rome, and the startled
populace interpreted Its apparition as
a warning of the impending death of
Agrlppa. Josephus saw it like the
luminous blade of a gigantic sword,
held menacingly over the doomed city
of Jerusalem in (iti A. D. When it
flared up again in 141 A. I)., a plague
was decimating China and also Eu
rope. In Naples alone four hundred
thousand perished from the scourge.
In 218 A. D., Halley's comet was
again a badge of war, for it marked
the murder of Emperor Macrinus of
Rome, whose death had been fore
told so accurately by the augurs, be
cause of the comet, that their hand
In the assassination was only too ap
parent. Dion Cassius saw the comet
in that year and described it "as
a very fearful star with a tail stretch
ing from west toward the east."
Attila, self-styled "Scourge of God."
must have seen Halley's comet In 4.">1
A. D., and marvelled at its meaning,
Just before that famous battle of Cha
lons in which his headlong career of
destruction through Central Europe
was cnecnea uy me ttomans. Mernn,
the famous wizard of King Arthur's
court, was inspired by the comet in
530 to prophesy the succession of Uter
to the throne occupied by Ambrosius.
Moreover he saw In certain rays that
were thrown off by the comet signs
of the birth of a mighty Prince and
of a mighty Princess. ?
When the comet flared up in 684,
the Black Plague was ravaging the
world. In France, the appearance of
Halley's comet in 837 was firmly be
lieved to have presaged the death of
Louis le Debonnair. The king him
self was of the same opinion for, ac
cording to Eginard, when he first saw
the com^t he said to the historian;
"go up on the terrace of the palace
and look. Then come back at once
and teli me what thou hast seen? . .
To William of Normandy Halley's
comet blazed like a guiding star, a
harbinger of the victory with which
his invasion of England in 106G was
to be crowned. Perhaps the oldest
picture of any celestial apparition is
that of Halley's comet embroidered
by Matilda, William's Queen, and her
ladies, on that Bayeux tapestry which
is the pictorial record of the Norman
triumphs. Thus the comet ushered
in a new era for England. In 1845,
1222, 1301, 1378 Halley's comet alarm
ed humanity, for it seemed to have
some connection with the disasters
of those years.
Most startling must its appearance
have been in 145(i during the terrfble
war which raged between the Turks
and Christendom. The Moslems saw
it in the sky, a luminous sclmeter,
whose crescent shape augured 'well
ror the Mohammedan cause, cnris
tianity was so alarmed that the Pope
C Jixtus ordered prayers to be said
and bells to ^>e tolled. It flashed on
the world in 1607 when Jamestown
was settled, and thus ushered in the
birth of a mighty nation. Shakes
peare and Galileo must have beheld
it and wondered at it in their differ
ent ways.
Whenever it appeared, nations were
at war, plagues were disseminating
mankind, prices were dying and floods
were raging. Is It any wonder that
Its past history has been a history of
blood, pestilence, famine and death?
If the comet holds no terror for
us now, If, as we now know, there is
absolutely no connection whatever be
tween Its past appearances and the
terrible events with which they were
associated, it Is because Edmund Hal
ley subjected it to the rigorous test
of the law of gravitation. When he
discovered that the comet of the
comet whiclv^we now call by his name
had also made its appearance in 1607
and 1531, he dispelled forever the
frightful divinity with which comets
had been hedged and added a new
class of bodies to the solar system.
Since his day comets have become
the objects of dispassionate scientific
study, and their movements present
noat problems for the solution of the
mathematical astronomer.?Wa d' mat
Kaeupffert.
J Ji k A ,
GENERAJ. NEWS ITEMS.
i President Taft will deliver an ad
dress before the National Educational
Association in Boston on July Fourth. !
Speaker Joe Cannon celebrated his
74th birthday last Saturday. The
members of the Illinois delegation
presented him with 74 American
lleautles, one for each year of his
life.
Representatives of more than 800,
000 club women of the world are hoU
ing their biennial session In Cinclnna
! ii this week. Kvery state Is repre
sented and there are many delegates
from foreign lands.
Estimating that the population of
the United States on May 2 was 90,
123,000, the Treasury Department
figures that the per capita circulation
of money on that date was $34.45.
Amount of money in circulation May
2 was $2,104,547,273.
John Huff, of Letcher county, Ky.,
a hopeless paralytic, unable to move
j hand or foot, has been committed to
'the Kentucky penitentiary to serve
eight years for manslaughter. Huff
was partially paralyzed during the
trial at which Jie was convicted and
later suffered a second stroke, which
rendered him helpless.
An explosion which late Sunday
j afternoon wrecked the plant of the
j General Explosives Company of Can
ada, situated a mile from Hull,
Quebec, and four miles from Ottawa,
Out., killed lf> persons and injured
I .'i0 others. The force of the explo
| Mon was terrific. The country for
miles around was laid waste.
The United States Steel Corpora
I tion announces that it has estab- j
lished a fund of $8,000,000 for pen
! sion purposes and will consolidate
this fund with the $4,000,000 fund
heretofore created by Andrew Carne
gie. This Joint fund will be adminis
tered for the benefit of employes by
a board selected jointly by the cor
poration and Mr. Carnegie.
A bronze statue of Samuel Spen
cer, the first president of the Sou
i thern Railway, will be unveiled at
Atlanta, Ga., on the? 21 ?t of May. The
statue is the gift of thirty thousand
employees of the Southern Hallway,
and is the work of Daniel Chester
French, perhaps the most famous of
I the living American sculptors. The
' statue will be placed in the great
station at Atlanta.
Irving Hanchett, a fifteen year
old Connecticut boy, was hanged at
' l)e Land, Fla., last week for the mur
der of a twelve year old girl. The
boy was an Inmate of a reformatory
and getting away from there he came
South and murdered the girl for
which crime he paid the extreme
penalty. He went to his death with
no concern and those who had charge
of Mm during his last days were con
vinced that he was a moral degener
ate.
Last Saturday morning near Sha
ron, Fa., Samuel Wlnterburn got up1
early to see the comet. He soon dis
, covered that he was not the only in
mate of the house up early. His 17
year old daughter was getting ready
to take her departure, having her
suitcase packed. At first she would
not tell her father what her inten
tions were. About this time a faint
"hello*' from outdoors revealed her
lover who had come for her. Of
course the old man put a stop to
the whole proceedings and thanked
the comet for being able to prevent
his daughter from eloping. What
the love-lorn couple thought of the
comet was not ascertained.
GAY BIRTHDAY PARTY AT 109.
Feature of Revels is Phonograph
Concert by Lad of 101.
New York, May 8.?Mendel Dia
mond, known to the Inmates of the
home of the Daughters of Jacob on
Kast Broadway as "General Bull"
and "Santa Claus," to-day celebrated
the one hundred and ninth anniver
sary of his birth.
The aged Inmates of the home all
gathered for dinner, and a cake occu
pied the center of the table. It had
been planned to havo lighted candles
' on the cake, but it was found at the
last minute that if 109 wax candles
w<'re pushed through* the frosting
there would not be any cake. Still,
| the centenarian" enjoyed the party.
A lad of 101 years worked a phono
graph and all Joined in songs.?Phila
delphia Record.
Salt works employes are said to
? be immune from cholera and scarlet
j fever.
PRINCETON COMMENCEMENT.
Very Intereiting Programs Were Ren
dered. Prof. Carlyle Delivered Lit
erary Address.
Princeton, May 10.?Annual Com
mencement of Princeton school was
held on May 3 and 4. A ball game
was played by Princeton and Rose
wood on the afternoon of the 3rd,
Princeton boys as usual, coming out
ahead 7 to 8. Batteries:?Crumple?
and Edwards for Princeton, Bass and
Edwards for Rosewood.
On Tuesday evening the music re
cital was held in the hall of school
building, opening with a chorus by
the pupils,?morning song?then the
following pieces were beautifully ren
dered.
Instrumental Solo?Lena Woodard.
Instrumental Duet?Flossie and
Pearl Edwards.
Reading, "My Big Sister"?Lissle
Woodard.
Instrumental Solo?Myrtle Edwards.
Play, "Woman's Rights"?Addle
nines. Myrtle May Holt and Jasper
Stuckey.
Vocal Duet?Flossie Edwards and
Julie Grantham.
Instrumental Solo?Myrtle May
Holt.
Instrumental Duet?Myrtle Edwards
and Patrick Barnes.
Vocal Solo?Hazel Edwards.
Instrumental Solo?Llssie Woodard.
Vocal Duet?Clara Finlayson and
nwnnit- iiuauilKS.
Instrumental Solo?Flossie Edwards
Reading, "My First Engagement"?
Clara Flnlaysan.
Instrumental Duet?Maude Hinton
and Ethel liakor.
Instrumental So!o?Hazel Edwards.
Instrumental Duet?Myde Woodard
and Kochell Hinton.
Instrumental Sclo?Llda Holt.
Instrumental Duet?Llla Stuckey
and Myrtle Howell.
Instrumental Solo?Elsie Holt.
Pantomlne, "The I.ast Hymn"?Ros
sle Hastings.
The above recital was carried out
to perfection by each pupil, showing
that they had been trained properly
by their teacher, Miss Neta Penny.
On May 4, at 10:30 A. M., was
held a love feast of good things op
ening with: Song, "America" by the
school.
Prayer, Rev. Jas M. Daniels, Selrna,
N. C.
Introduction, Geo. F. Woodard,
Princeton.
Address by Prof. J. B. Carlyle,
Wake Forest, N. C.
Selection by Kenly band.
Bible presentation by J. H. Kirby,
Kenly, N. C.
Bible received' by Superintendent
J. P. Canaday.
Selection, "Nearer My God to
Thee," by Kenly band.
Flag presentation by Dr. J. C. Gra
dy, Kenly. (
Flag received by S. S. Holt, Smith
field.
Selection, 'Star Spangled Banner,"
by Kenly band.
Address on Principles of the Jr. O.
U.A . M. by Hon. O. P. Dickinson, of
I Wilson.
Selection, "Dixie," by Kenly band.
Raising of flag, band playing Red,
White and Blue.
weanesaay tvening.
Literary Department Wednesday
evening at 8 o'clock opening with
Tableaux, "The Old North State,"
Song, "Come to the Gay Feast
Song."
The play, "Striking Oil," was well
gotten up and was highly enjoyed by
those present. The following took
part: Charley Gurley, John Taylor,
Hortense Edwards, Sallie Wellons,
Ora Smith, Lena Woodar'd, Iola Jones,
Paul Boyett, Jasper Stuckey, Jlmmle
Joyner, Pat Raiford and Nerus Holt.
Following this was, Instrumental
Solo by Pearl Edwards.
Reading, "My Toboggan," by Maude
Hinton.
The play "Jumbo Jum," was said
to be by all the most laughable part
given. The following pupils took
part: Paul Boyett, Jasper Stuckey,
John Taylor, Charley Gurley, Lela
Benton, Flossie Edwards, Janafy' To
| ler, Jimmle Joyner, Patrick Raiford
, and Nerus Holt.
The past session, from what we
have seen, has been the most pros
perous in the advancement of educa
' tion of any school ever taught here.
The teachers, Misses Pearl Aycock,
Neta Penny, Mrs. Strachan and
daughter. Miss Minnie,?not any too
much praise can be said of them.
They have done their duty and done
It well.