VOLUME 37.
THE SMITHFIELD HERALD, TUESDAY, NOV. 19, 1918.
Number 93
ARTHUR PEEDIN
MISSES THE CHAIR
Governor Commutes Death Sentence
Upon Strong Recommendation—
Prisoner Convicted First Degree
Murder—In Any Aspect of Case,
Governor Says, Element of Premed
itation is Lacking.
(News and Observer, 17th.)
Holding that in any aspect of the
case the element of premeditation is
lack:ng, Governor Bickett yesterday
commuted the sente* passed upon
Arthur Pecdin, of Johnston county, in
August, 1918, upon his conviction of
murder in the first degree.
The commutation of the sentence
of death imposed upon Arthur Peedin
was recommended by Judge Frank
Daniels, the trial judge. Explaining
his reasons for the commutation,
Governor Bickett said:
“Judge Frank A. Daniels, who tried
the case, writes an exceedingly strong
letter in behalf of the prisoner, say
ing that in his opinion the case is one
in which executive clemency would be
wisely exercised. Six of the jurors
who tried the case join in a petition
for commutation, and about five hun
dred of the good citizens of Johnston
county sign the petition, and many
write me personal letters in behalf of
the prisoner. A protest is filed by
about one hundred good citizens of
Johnston county. The prisoner was
the only eye-witness to the killing,
and he maintains that it was a case of
self-defense, but I am not impressed
with his testimony to this effect. It
appears that the prisoner and the de
ceased were bosom friends, that they
met and went out into the woods to
engage in a game of cards. Some
days thereafter the body of the de
ceased was found buried, and for a
whi’e it was not known who did the
killing, but before the coroner’s jury
the prisoner confessed. Two theories
of the homicide are advanced. The
first is, that the defendant deliberately
and with premeditation killed the de
ceased in order to rob him of forty
five dollars. It appears to me that
the mother of the prisoner was sent
to the Hospital for the Insane in Ral
eigh when the prisoner was about ten
years of age, and remained there for
twelve years. The judge, in his letter,
says that during the trial the prisoner
impressed him as having a very low
order of mind. If the prisoner de
liberately killed the deceased for for
ty-five dollars then I am satisfied that
this unnatural—this wholly unnatural
and horrible conduct on his part must
be attributed to a weakened mind in
herited from his mother. No normal
man would deliberately kill a good
friend for forty-five dollars.
“On the other hand, if the homicide
was the result of a sudden quarrel
that arose from a game of cards it
would not be murder in the first de
gree, but murder in the second, or
manslaughter.
“Therefore, in either aspect of the
case there was lacking the element of
premeditation essential to murder in
the first degree. I do not think that
capital punishment ought to be abol
ished, but I think it ought to be im
posed only when it clearly appears
that the crime was cold-blooded, wil
ful and deliberate.
“For these reasons the death sen
tencence of the prisoner is commuted
to life imprisonment in the State’s
Prison.”
STUDENT ARMY ABOLISHED.
Nearly A11 North Carolina Colleges
Co'leges Have Been Approved
as Training Camps.
Washington, Nov. 17.—The War De
partment will gradually abandon the
students’ army training corps at the
various colleges, taking into consid
eration the status of military train
ing at each institution individually.
This is announced by Secretary of
War Eaker, who says the government
wants the colleges to return as quick
ly as possible to their purely academ
ic courses but that it is not intended
to disrup these educational institu
tions by forcing a hurried change.
The statement of the secretary of
war concerns educational institutions
and their students in all sections of
the country. Practically every college
and university had qualified for a stu
dents’ army co^ps and military train
ig is now in full swing in dozens of
’hese institutions.
Nearly all colleges in North Caro
5na, for instance, were approved
some months ago by the War Depart
ment, and Mr. Baker’s announcement
ffeots similar schools in almost in
■ 'most every State. The statement
• f *the secretary of war also answers i
< lestions of students and educators j
which have been asked for members
of Congress and public officials sinee
the armistice was signed.—Theodore
Tiller in Greensboro News. i
INFLUENZA CASES TOTAL 128,538
Pneumonia Patients Numbered 19.891.
Epidemic Took 20,000 Lives in
New York City.
“There is at present no Spanish in
fluenza epidemic in Greater New
York,” Dr. Royal S. Copeland, Health
Commisisoner, said yesterday after
noon. “The epidemic staple is pass
ed, although conditions brought about
by the outbreak will continue for a
short time.”
As in previous epidemics the fifth
week saw the peak in new cases,
which have new fallen off to aljnost
normal. There were 128,5"8 cases of
influenza and 19,091 cases of pneu
monia reported with 20,086 deaths
from the two causes.
No new cases of grip were reported
in the Borough of Richmond yesterday
and only three influenza in Queens.
Reports show a total of 241 new cases
in Greater New Y'ork and 106 deaths.
This is a substantial decrease com
pared with the previous day.—New
York Sun, 17th.
GERMANY CAN FEED HERSELF
Hoover Says Raising of Blockade
Alone Necessary—Food Adminis
trator Sails for Europe to Work Out
America’s Part in Feeding Plans.
Herbert C. Hoover, United States
Food Administrator, who will sail for
Europe this afternoon on the White
Star liner Olympic, to work out Arne -
ica’s part in the inter-Allied program
for feeding the people of northern
France, Belgium, Central Europe,
and the near East, said today that
there had been unnecessary commo
tion in this country over the miscon
ception that the program contempla
ted the hurrying of food to Germany.
The Germans would be able to feed
themselves, Mr. Hoover said, if the
blockade was sufficiently modified to
enable them to import certain sup
plies needed to help out with what
the country already contains or can
produce.
“I am going to Europe,” Mr. Hoo
ver said at the Biltmore Hotel this
morning, “to discuss the further food
measures that must be organized as
a result of the cessation of hostili
ties. The food problem in Europe to
day is one of extreme complexity. Of
their 420,000,000 people, practically
only three ai'eas—south Russia, Hun
gary, and Denmark—eompr'sing, say,
40.000,000, have sufficient food sup
plies to last until next harvest with
out imports. Some must have imme
diate relief.”—New Y’ork Evening
Post, 16th.
BRITISH SUBMARINES
SANK 315 FOE SHIPS.
Wonderful Work of Subsea Craft Re
vealed by Admiralty—All Crews
Saved and No Vessel Torpedoed on
Sight.
Details can now be given of the
part which British submarines played
during the war. This service destroy
ed the following enemy ships:
Two battleships, two armed cruis
ers, two light cruisers, seven destroy
ers, five gunboats, twenty submarines
and five armed auxiliary vessels.
One Zeppelin, three battleships and
one light cruiser were torpedoed but
reached port badly damaged.
Other enemy craft destroyed were:
Fourteen transports, six ammuni
tion and supply ships, two store ships,
fifty-three steamships and 197 sailing
ships.
In no case was a merchant ship
sunk at sight. Care was taken to see
that the crews of all vessels got safely
away.
In addition to carrying out these
attacks on enemy warcraft the sub
marines' played an important part in
convoy work.
In the third year of the war one of
the British submarine commanders
carried out twenty-four cruises, total
ling 22,000 miles, which probably con
stitutes a record for any submarine.
In the first and second years of the
war seven British submarine com
manders carried out a total of 120
cruises, extending for 350 days all of
which were actually spent in the en
emy theatre.—London dispatch.
Immowal Glory Won, Foch Tells His
Armies.
Paris, Nov. 16.—Marshal Foch,
Commander-in-Chief. has addressed
the following message to the allied
armies:
Officers, non-commissioners and sol
diers of the allied armies—After hav
ing resolutely stopped the enemy, you
have for months fought him with
faith and indefatigable energy, with
out respite. You have won the great
est battle in history and saved the
most sacred cause—the liberty of the
world.
Be proud. You have adorned your
flags with immortal glory. Posterity
preserves for you its recognition.
FIVE ARE KILLED
IN WINSTON RIOT
Negro Assaults White Woman and
Shoots Her Husband—Jail Stormed
by Mob and Fight With Home
Guards Follows With Fatal Results.
The News and Observer and other
State papers yesterday morning car
ried a story of crime, disorder, and
riot in the city of Winston-Salem.
About seven o’clock Saturday night
Mr. Jim Childress and his wife from
the Inverness Mills, started to a store
in front of Piedmont Park to do some
shopping.
As they neared the Southern Rail
way trest’e which crosses the Inver
ness road at that point, a negro step
ped out before them, holding them up
at the point of a revolver.
The negro forced them to leave the
road and then shot Childress. He
then made an asault on the woman
and robbed her and left. A negro an
swering the description given by Mrs.
Childress was arrested and put in
jail.
The story of the riot Sunday is told
briefly in the following accounts:
Winston-Salem, Nov. 17—The death
toll in the riot here tonight which
followed efforts of a mob to storm the
city jail and lynch a negro prisoner
had been increased at midnight to five
—a girl spectator, a city fireman and
three negroes. The police believe that
a detailed search tomorrow will show
that at least seven persons and may
be more were killed.
Upwards of a score of persons are
believed to have been injured, five or
six of them seriously. They are most
ly white persons and include two
members of the Home Guard, which
was called out when the mob made its
second visit to the jail after shooting
a negro and accidentally wounding a
white prisoner in the afternoon.
Winston-Salem, Nov. 17.—A mob
is assembled in front of the City Hall
here tonight intent upon lynching the
negro who shot J. E. Childress, attack
ed his wife and shot Sheriff G. E.
Flynt.
The city tonight is in the hands of
a mob, at least three citizens have
been shot and excitement runs high.
About 5 o’clock a mob of several
thousand people stormed the jail and
are said to have shot to death a negro
charged with having committed an
assault last night on a white woman.
Later it was said the negro shot in
the jail was not the right man and
the mob again formed In front of the
City Hall. The mayor addressed them
and implored the citizens that they
disperse. The fire alarm was rung
and the companies responded.
A line of hose was run out and the
water was turned on the crowd. In
discriminate shooting then ensued.
One young member of the Home
Guards fell, shot through the breast,
and a young girl also was seriously
wounded.
BOVS COMING FROM CAMP.
General March Says That Gradual
Disbanding Soon to Regin—Thirty
Thousand to Be Released Daily.
Orders have been issued, General
March announced today, for the grad
ual demobilization of all troops now in
this country.
Demobilization will be in the fol
lowing order:
(1) Development battalions, sev
enty-one in number, and comprising
98,199 men.
(2) Conscientious objectors not un
der arrest.
(3) Spruce Production Division.
(4) Central training schools for of
ficers, with some modifications.
(5) United States Guards, now
numbering 135,000 men.
(6) Railway units.
(7) Depot brigades.
(8) Replacement units.
(9) Combat divisions.
There are now in the United States
1.790.000 men under arms, General
March said. Orders, which will result
in the immediate demobilization of'
200.000 men, are already issued, and
these men will be at their homes in
the next two weeks.
As an example, he said, the England
soldiers might be brought to Camp
Devens and parade in Boston and
other cities.
When the reduction plan is under
full operation, the Chief-of-Staff ex
plained, 30,000 men each day wrill be
released from the army.—Washing
ton dispatch, 16th.
Construction on the North Columbia
cantonment at Columbia, S. C., which
was planned as a duplication of Camp
Jackson, has been stopped by orders
of the War Department. Eight mil
lion feet of lumber is estimated to
have been used when the work was
stopped. The contract for the canton
ment called for an expenditure of ap
proximately $7,000,000.
INFLUENZA DEMANDS
HEAVY SACRIFICES
Caused More Deaths Than Occurred in
Our Army in France—Epidemic
Took Toll of 82,306 Lives in 46
American Cities in Two Months.
An Associated Press dispatch from
Washington dated Sunday sr.ys:
The recent epidemic of influenza in
the United States caused more deaths
than occurred among the American
expeditionary forces ficm all causes
from the time the first unit landed in
France until hostilities ceased.
This announcement today by the
census bureau was based on unofficial
estimates of the total casualties
among the overseas forces and reports
from 46 cities having a combined pop
ulation of 23,000,000, which showed
82,306 deaths from influenza and
pneumonia from September 9 to No
vember 9.
Normally these cities would have
had 4,000 deaths from these causes
during this period, it was said, leav
ing approximately 78,000 as the num
ber properly chargeable to the epi
demic.
“The total casualties in the Ameri
can expeditionary forces,” said the
announcement, “have recently been
unofficially estimated at 100,000. On
the basis of the number thus far re
ported, it may be assumed that the
deaths from all causes, including dis
eases and accidents, are probably less
than 45 per cent and may not bo more
than 40 per cent of the total casual
ties. On this assumption, the loss of
life in the American expeditionary
forces to date is about 40,000 of 45,
000.”
The total of deaths due to the in
fluenza epidemic in this country is
not known, the announcement said, as
only 46 cities for which figures were
given report vital statistics to the cen
sus bureau. The greatest mortality
due to the epidemic, in proportion to
population, was 7.4 per thousand in
Philadelphia and the next greatest 6.7
per thousand was reported from Bal
timore.
330 NAVY MUTINEERS PERISH.
Fleeing German Waships Torpedoed
by Revolutionists.
Berne, Nov. 16.—The German war
ship Wiesbaden refused to surrender
to the revolutionists and tried to es
cape to neutral waters. It was pur
sued and torpedoed by revolutionary
battleships, and the entire crew of
330 men .including many cadets, per
ished. according to the Lokal Anzei
ger of Berlin.
The Weisbaden was supposed to
have been sunk during the Jutland
battle, May 31 and June 1. 1916. She
was a light cruiser of 4,900 tons and
was built in 1914.
SAGE MILLIONS TO CHARITE
Value of $50,000,000 Placed on Mrs.
Sage Estate—Largest Single Gift,
$5,600,444 to Russell Sage Founda
tion.
The will of Mrs. Margaret Olivia
Sage, filed for probate in the Surro
gate’s office, disposes of an estate es
timated at $50,000,000. More than
$40,000,000 is to be distributed among
charities, educational and religious in
stitutions, and hospitals. The Russell
Sage Foundation, which Mrs. Sage es
tablisbed in 1907, is to receive $5,600,
000. This is the largest single bequest
made in the will.
It was said that since the death of
her husband, Mrs. Sage had given be
tween $35,000,000 and $40,000,000 to
various institutions and charities, as
well as the income, of the Sage estate
in these benefactions, thus reducing
the $64,153,800 which she should have
received on the death of her husband.
The largest bequest to an individual
is $8,000,000, to her brother Joseph
Jermian Slocum. This is to be held
in trust during his life and distributed
among his children at his death.—New
York Evening Post.
Stamps for Promissory Notes.
Promissory notes of all kinds,
whether under seal or not, require
stamps to be affixed to the value of
two cents on the $100 or fractional
part thereof. The fact that the prom
issory note is secured by a mortgage
deed or deed of trust in no way affects
this ruling. J. W. Bailey, Collector
Congratulations and expressions of
the nation’s proud esteem were cabled
to General Pershing for the Ameri
can Army in France Friday by Sec
retary Baker, with a promise that,
now a respite has come, the War De
partment will do all i nits powTer to
expedite the early return of the Ex
peditionary Force, so that the country
may welcome its soldiers home.
PROBLEM OF THE EX-KAISER.
M hat to Do With the War Lord a
Question—Suggested That He
Be Exiled to Helgoland.
What fate the Peace Congress wi!
mete out to the ex-Emperor of Ger
many and his family or whether the
Peace Congress will consider them at
a 1 are questions upon which no pre
cise official light can lie thrown upon
in Washington, but the best available
information is to the effect that Wil
liam Ilohenzollern and his eldest so i
will be required to reside at some
point far remote from Germany and
no a -mber of the Ilohenzollern fam
ily will be permitted to live in Ge
many.
So far as can be ascertained ir,
Washington there appears to be no
disposition on the part of the govern
ments which have been at war with
Germany to administer any unusual
punishment upon the Kaiser and the
Crown Prince, but that there is a de
termination to make it impossible for
them to carry on intrigue against the
democratization of Germany and to
recover their imperial power seems
certain.
Ore novel proposal advanced to
day was that the Entente Powers and
the United States impose upon the
two arch conspirators against civiliza
tion a sentence of perpetual exile, to
be executed on the Island of Helgo
land, which would be occupied by Al
lied troops as police guards. It was
declared that, guarded by America,
France, England and Italy, the Hohen
zollerns would be actually as remote
from Germany as if they were at St.
Helena, although at the very gates of
Germany, and their confinement there
would be a spectacle for the whole
world and remove the possibility of
the erection of a halo of martyrdom
around them if they were placed in
some remote corner of the globe.
There is declared to be precedent
and warrant for any treatement of the
Ilohenzollerns which might be pre
scribed by the Allies, and for the
stipulation in the treaty of peace to
be signed by Germany a condition
that no male member of the Ilohenzol
lern dynasty shall be permitted to
make his residence in Germany.—
Washington dispatch to Baltimore
Sun.
THE BIG BREAK IN COTTON.
Last Week's Decline, and Earlier War
Time Vicissitudes
This week’s sensational decline in
cotton nrices representing an extreme
loss of $10 a bale on two successive
days, was in “future” contracts; that
is, in contracts calling for actual de
livery of cotton at some fixed future
date. Recently large supplies of cot
ton has been accumulated on the the
ory that after peace had been declared
prices would continue to advance on
heavy European buying.
On September 3 last, the price of
of future cotton contracts was
at the highest level in forty-three
years. That same day the price of
“spot” cotton—that is, cotton for im
mediate delivery—made a high re
cord at 38 1-4 cents, the highest level
reached since 1866, when 52 cents was
touched. During 1805 spot cotton
sold at $1.20 a pound and in 18G4 at
$1.90.
So far this year the price of spot
cotton has not been below the price
25 3-4 cents of last May. Last year’s
high price was 31 3-4 cents with
20 7-8 the high for 191G, and 12 5-8
for 1915. Spot cotton was ruling
around 13 cents just before the war
broke out August 1, 1914. It dropped
to 7 1-4 before the advance to 38 1-4
cents began. On top of the war the
immediate result of which was an ab
rupt ending of exports due to derang
ed shipping, there was a heavy sur
plus of cotton carried over from the
previous year. Then came the record
breaking 1914 crop of more than 16,
000,000 bales. The country-wide “buy
a bale of cotton” campaign followed.
—New York Evening Post.
THE WORLD'S WHEAT SUPPLIES
Total on November 1 Largest on Re
cord—Increase During October 106,
000,000 Bushels.
Chicago, Nov. 16.—World’s supplies
of wheat on November 1 were the
largest on record 490,000,000 bushels
compared with 264,823,000 bushels
last year. An increase of 106,410,000
bushels was made in October, mainly
in Australia. In September the ac
cumulation was 64,325,000 bushe’s,
and in October last year it was 28,
949.000 bushels. Australian supplies
are 179,000,000 bushels, an increase
of 44 000.000 bushels last month, and
compare with 110,000,000 last year.
Stocks in the United States increased
24.103.000 bushels, against 9,960,000
bushels last year. Canadian accumu
lations were 34,047,000 bushels,
against 23,619,000 bushels last year.—
New York Evening Post.
THANKSGIVING
PROCLAMATION
The President Sets Apart Thursday,
November Twenty-eight as a Day
of Thanksgiving to Almighty God.
The following is the Thanksgiving
Proclamlation of the President of the
United States:
It has long been our custom to turn
in tho autumn of the year in praise
:;nd thanksgiving to Almighty God for
His many blessings and mercies to us
as a nation. This year we have spe
cial cause to be grateful and to re
joice. God has in His good pleasure
given us peace. It has not come as a
cessation of arms, a mere relief from
the strain and tragedy of war. It has
come as a great triumph of right.
Complete victory has brought us, not
peace alone, but the confident promise
of a new day as well, in which justice
shall replace force and jealous in
trigue among the nations. Our gallant
armies have participated in a triumph
which is not marred or stained by any
purpose of selfish aggression.
In a righteous cause they have won
immortal glory and have nobly served
their nation in serving mankind. God
has indeed been gracious. We have
cause for such rejoicing as revives and
strengthens in us all the best tradi
tions of our national history. A new
day shines about us in which our
take new courage and look forward
with new hope to new and greater
duties.
While we render thanks for these
things let us not forget to seek the
divine guidance in the performance
of those duties and divine mercy ahd
forgiveness for all errors of act or
purpose, and pray that in all that we
do we shall strengthen the ties of
friendship and mutual respect upon
which we must assist to build the new
structure of peace and good will
among the nations.
Thursday, November 28, Designated.
Wherefore, I, Woodrow Wilson,
President of the United States of
America, do hereby designate Thurs
day, the twenty-eighth day of No
vember next as a day of thanksgiv
ing and prayer and invite the people
throughout the land to cease upon
that lay from their ordinary occupa
tions and in their several homes and
place / of worship to lender thanks to
God, the Ruler of Nations.
In iVitness whereof, I have hereun
to sei my hand and caused the seal of
the 15 nited States to be affixed.
Doi c in the District of Columbia,
this, uixteenth day of November in
the year of our Lord one thousand,
nine h andred and eighteen and of the
indepe idence of the United States of
Ameri a the one hundred and forty
third.
WOODROW WILSON.
By thi President:
Robert Lansing, Secretary of State.
Hurley to Sent! Men Home.
New York, Nov. 15.—Edward N.
Hu ley, chairman of the United States
Shipping Board, announced here to
night on the event of his departure
for Europe, that the Government in
tends to return to this countrv
speedily a large part of the American
Expeditionary Forces. The purpose of
Mr. Hurley’s trip to Europe is to ar
range the details for their transporta
tion.
To offset the loss of transport ton
nage through the withdrawal of Brit
ish ships hitherto engaged in carry
ing American soldiers overseas, Mr.
Hurley hopes to utilize 25 or 30 Ge~ •
man and Austrian liners, with accom
modations for 4,000 men each. I i
compensation for the loan of these
vessels, he said, food wou’d be sent to
the people of Central Europe on their
return voyages.
Mr. Hurley said the Shippin v
Board would be able to bring troops
back at the rate of 300,000 a month
“if the War Department wants them
returned as fast as that.” He would
meet General Pershing at American
Field Headquarters, he added, to dis
cuss the details of their home com
ing.
Mrs. Teinpie Richardson Dead.
Mrs. Tempie A. Richardson, widow
of the late J. A. Richardson, died at
Wendell Sunday within a few days of
her eightieth birthday. She was a
sister of Dr. Albert Anderson, of Ral
eigh; Mr. C. H. Anderson, of Raleigh;
Dr. W. S. Anderson, of Wilson; Mrs. J.
A. Hood, of Durham; and Mrs. L .L.
Doub, of Knightdale. She leaves four
daughters and three sons; Mrs. W. H.
Chamblee, Wakefield; Mrs. G. M. Bell,
Wakefield; Mrs. M. A. Griffin, Wen
dell; Mrs. C. M. Nowell, Wendell; and
Messrs. C. V., E. V., and J. P. Rich
ardson, of Wendell.
Minnesota’s prohibition amendment
failed by about 1.000, acording to the
Secretary of State’s office. A few fig
ures are still missing.