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VOLUME 39
SMITHFIELD, N. C., TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 1920.
Number 24
COUNTY DEMOCRATIC
CONVENTION TO MEET
Will Be Held in the Court House Next
Saturday April Third and Select
Delegates to the State Convention
Which Meets in Raleigh Next Week.
Every Democrat Who Attends Will
Have a Voice in the Convention.
This is a Presidential election year
and the interest in politics is general
ly greater when a President is to be
chosen than it is in the off-years. -A
governor is also to be elected and all
county officers will be chosen again
this year with the exception of Clerk
of the Court. While there is not much
enthusiasm in matters political, the
question is beginning to take on new
life, and the next few weeks will see
a lively interest manifested.
Under the Democratic plan of or
ganization all the counties in the
State will hold their regular county
conventions next Saturday, April 3rdi
This convention is called for the pur
pose of selecting delegates to the
State convention which meets in Ral
eigh April 8, at 12 o’clock noon. The
State convention will elect two Elec
tors-at-Large and four delegates and
four alternates to the National con
vention which meets in San Francisco
on June 28. At the State convention
there will also be chosVn first select
ed by the delegates from each Con
gressional District) two delegates and
two alternates to the National con
vention and an Elector from each
Congressional District.
The precinct meetings which were
appointed to meet last Saturday were
asked to name a Township Executive
Committee of five, and select a chair
man. These township chairmen are
to constitute the County Democratic
Executive Committee. The members
of this committee are to meet here
next Saturday and name a County
Chairman. This is the plan for the
organization as outlined in a letter to
the party officials here from Hon.
Thos. D. Warren, Chairman of the
State Democratic Executive Commit
tee.
Under the plan practiced by John
ston County Democrats for the past
twenty years every Democrat in good
standing may attend the convention
an 1 have a voice in its deliberations.
Every Democrat in the county has an
invitation to the convention here Sat
urday and if present he may have his
proportionate part of a vote counted.
Under the Democratic plan of or
ganization each county in the State
shall be entitled to elect to the State
convention one delegate and one al
ternate for every 150 Democratic votes
and one delegate and one alternate
for fractions over 75 Democratic
votes cast therein for Governor at the
last preceding gubernatorial election.
Mr. Bickett received 3227 votes in the
election of 1916 and this entitles
Johnston county to 22 votes in the
State convention.
The convention will meet in the
court house at 12 o’clock next Satur
day, April 3. It is hoped that the
Democrats will turn out in full force
and show to the enemy, the Republi
cans, that the party is in full fighting
trim.
MR. RIGLER NOW IN ALABAMA.
State Secretary in the County Work
Of the Y. M. C. A. With Headquar
ters at Birmingham.
Mr. C. P. Rigler, who led the way in
the organization of the Y. M. C. A.
work for the boys in Johnston county,
is now in Birmingham, Ala., where he
has accepted the State Secretaryship
of the County Y. M. C. A. work and
began his work there last week. Mr.
Rigler writes that the work is very
satisfactory and a work he has been
looking for. He has been in the Y.
M. C. A. work for several years and is
a hard and energetic worker.
Mr. Rigler is the Y. M. C. A. Sec
retary who worked for several weeks
in Johnston county organizing the
County Work. While in this county he
made many friends who will be glad to
learn of his promotion and wish him
abundant success in his larger work.
Lumberton Forms a Gardner Club.
A “Gardner for Governor Club” was
organized in Lumberton Saturday
night with a membership of 1,417
signed members-, Thomas L. Johnson
is Gardner’s campaign manager for
Robeson county.
COUNTY SECRETARY
OF THE Y.M.C.A. WORK
The Executive Committee Has Select
ed J. O. Bowman, Principal of Selma
High School, to Have Charge W
Work. Mr. Bowman Trained At
Chicago.
One evening last week the County
Executive Committee of the Y. M. C.
A. met in the office of the County
Superintendent of Public Instruction,
for the purpose of electing a County
Y. M. C. A. Secretary. The Execu
tive Committee invited the ministers
of Smithfield as an advisory commit
tee to be present at this meeting.
Rev. Mr. Murray was out of the city,
but both Rev. Mr. Cotton and Rev.
Mr. Baucom were present. Mr. S. K.
Hunt, State Secretary of the Y. M.
C. A., was present at the meeting.
Mr. Hunt recommended Prof. J. O.
Bowman, Principal of the Selma High
School, for the positron as Secretary
of the Y. M. C. A. of Johnston County
PROF. J. O. BOWMAN
for the ensuing' year. Mr. Hunt pre
sented to the Executive Committee
Mr. Bowman’s training and qualifica
tions, which were as follows: Prof. J.
O. Bowman is a graduate of Berea
College, Kentucky. He served three
years as athletic director of Berea
College. One year as athletic director
and assistant secretary of the Y. M.
C. A. at Frankfort, Kentucky. Mr.
Bowman was a public school teacher
for many years and also served as
principal of high schools for six years.
He began teaching when he was very
young. He attended summer school
at the University of N. C. at Chapel
Hill last summer, and in addition has
also attended several summer schools
at Berea College. In these summer
schools he has taken training in the
best methods of teaching and super
vision, and in addition ,to summer
school work he spent two summers in
Chautauqua work. He also traveled
for Berea College two summers doing
educational extension work for the
college.
Mr. Bowman has always been very
much interested in the Y. M. C. A.
He took special training at the Chi
cago Training School in Y. M. C. A.
work. He was athletic director for
Camp Daniel Boone, a boys’ summer
training camp in Kentucky, under the
auspices of the Y. M. C. A.
The Executive Committee and the
ministers present consider the county
very fortunate to secure the services
of Mr. Bowman for another year. He
is admirably fitted for the great work
which is to be done in the county
through the medium of the Y. M. C.
A. Mr. Bowman possesses a pleaes
ing personality. He is an attractive
speaker and a consecrated Christian
gentleman. The Executive Commit
tee bespeaks the co-operation of the
people of the county with Mr. Bow
man in all of his undertakings to de
velop a strong, pure and upright
young manhood in the county.
Mr. Bowman stands ready to serve
at any time the towns that have con
tributed so liberally to the Y. M. C.
A. work. He will visit these com
munities at an early date and under
take to organize the boys of the com
munities, and discover a leadership
among the citizens of each communi
ty that will aid him in safe-guarding
the moral, intellectual and physical
.development of the boys of these com
munities. kt is the hope of the Exe
cutive Committee that the citizens of
these towns will extend Mr. Bowman
a sense of sincere appreciation of his
work and give him a hearty co-opera
tion in all of his work among the
boys.
MAX GARDNER CLUB
IS FORMED HERE
Mr. J. W. Stephenson, Who Will Be
Mr. Gardner's Manager for the
County, Chosen President. Meeting
Well Attended and Enthusiastic in
Its Endorsement of Gardner.
An enthusiastic bunch of Max Gard
ner’s supporters met in the court
house here Friday night and organiz
ed a Gardner-for-Govemor-Club. Mr.
J. W. Stephenson was chosen as Pres
ident of the club. He is also to be
the manager of Mr. Gardner’s cam
paign in this county. Messrs. C. A.
Creech and T. J. Lassiter were elect
ed as secretaries of the club with Mr.
F. K. Broadhurst treasurer.
Several members of an executive
and advisory committee were named
and the President empowered to com
plete the committee by naming addi*
tional members. Among those named
at the meeting Friday night were
Messrs. Sam T. Honeycutt, Dr. George
D. Vick, Wade H. Royal and John 0.
Ellington.
The club started off with an enroll
ment of about a hundred which will
increase very rapidly as the matter
is presented to the voters Repurts
from various parts of the county and
state indicate that Mr. Gardner is
strong with the people and his friends
confidently expect his nomination in
the June primary.
MISS MAMIE SUE JONES LEADER
Salvation Army Home Service Fund
Organized in Johnston County.
Mr. J. S. Helsdon, District Manager
of the Salvation Army Home Service
Fund, with headquarters in Raleigh,
was in the city yestereday and orga
nized the work in Johnston county. It
is the purpose of the Salvation Army
to put on a campaign May 10th to
20th to raise money for the Home Ser
vice Fund. Gov. T. W. Bickett is
chairman for the state. The work of
the Salvation Army needs no explana
tion. Its prominence during the war
has justified to the world the existence
of the organization and without doubt
the amount needed will be raised.
Johnston county’s quota is $2,650.
The following officers were appointed
by Mr. Helsdon Yesterday to carry
out the plans in Johnston: County
Chairman, Miss Mamie Sue Jones;
Treasurer, Mr. R. P. Holding; Chair
man of Publicity, Mr. T. J. Lassiter;
Chairman of Transportation, Mr. Ry
al Woodall. The county depository is
the First National Bank.
Mr. Helsdon, who is a native of
Georgia and who has been working
there recently, said he found the spir
it for the Salvation Army at high tide
in his native state, but must confess
while not a Carolinian, the spirit here
is more pronounced.
J. I. Blackman Dead.
Mr. J. I. Blackman was bora Jan
uary 4, 1875 and died March 16, 1920,
making his stay on earth 45 years, 2
months and 12 days. Mr. Blackman
had been a great sufferer for about
one year. Many doctors did their
best for him but it seemed that the
death angel drew nearer and nearer
until he finally claimed him as his
own and gently bore his spirit to God
who gave it. He confessed Jesus
C hrist and joined the Baptist church
when about 16 years old. He was a
member of Carter’s Chapel Baptist
church.
Mr. Blackman was very kind to lit
tle children, having no children of his
own he took three orphan children
and cared for them as his own. They
are Mrs. Hubert Barbour, now of Ral
eigh, and Mr. Andrew and Mr. Ernest
Blackman who lived with him until
his death. He was married to Miss
Frances Pittman January 1, 1895, who
also survives him. May God comfort
her in her sad hour of bereavement
and may she meet her dear husband
where there will be no partings or
tears or pain. His funeral was preach
ed by Rev. J. H. Worley.
A NEICE.
Chautauqua Committee to Organize.
Miss L. Jennette Totten, advance
organizer for the Community Chau
tauqua, will be in Smithfield Monday,
April 5th for the purpose of laying
plans for producing the chautauqua
here this summer. She will probably
call a meeting of the committee dur
ing her stay here.
FATHER AND SON
KILLED BY TRAIN
J. B. Cuddington and His Son Rob
C uddington Meet Death Near Kenly
Mhen They Attempt to Cross the
Railroad in An Automobile and
Mere Hit by a Fast Coast Line
Train.
Parties in Smithfield yesterday af
ternoon from Kenly told us of a most
horrible accident in which Mr. J. B.
Cuddington and his son Rob met their
death Monday morning by being hit
by a fast Coast Line train just a short
distance south of Kenly. It was train
No. 87 which was running a few hours
late that snuffed out the lives of the
two men about nine o’clock. The ac
cident took place just near a deep cut
and the men could not see the coming
train until it was right on them. They
were riding in a Dort car which was
demolished by the impact of the train.
The two men were horribly mangled,
their remains being strewed along the
railroad track for some distance.
Arms and legs were cut off and thrown
in different directions and the brains
of the older man were spilled along
the track. The remains were gathered
up in fragments and put together and
taken to Kenly where they were pre
pared for burial.
The older man had just recovered
from an attack of pneumonia. Wc
understand that his wife and another
son are now sick with pneumonia.
It is said that two sons of Mr. Cud
dington witnessed the horrible acci
dent. They were traveling the same
direction in a wogan and the father
and the brother had just passed them
when they were struck by the fast
train.
Death of Mrs. J. S. Talton, of Oneals
Last Wednesday afternoon, while
engaged in the usual routine of home
dutief, ?;rs. J. S. Talton was stricken
with appop!exy’v prior to which she
was in good health. The seriousness
of the attack was scon evident. The
family physician and a trained nurse
were summoned as„quickly as possible
and they, with every effort of the fam
ily and friends, could do nothing to
relieve her condition. She grew stead
ily worse and at seven o’clock Thurs
day evening, March 25th, the Angel
of Death claimed her spirit.
Mrs. Talton was one of the most
devout Christian ladies of our com
munity having been a consistent mem
ber of Antioch church since childhood.
She was an ardent church worker, ex
emplifying the Golden Rule, good to
all with whom she came in contact
and will be greatly missed by her
many friends.
Mrs. Talton was forty-one years of
age at the time of her death. Before
marriage she was Miss Florence
Creech, the youngest daughter of the
late Mr. Hayward Creech, sister to
Leroy, Charlie and Luther Creech, and
Mrs. Daniel Eason, deceased. She
is survived by her husband, Mr. J. S.
Talton, one daughter, Mrs. Olie Bran
non, two sons, Ransom and Joseph
Talton, two sisters, Mrs. John Cor
bett and Mrs. Milton Richardson, and
one brother, Walter Creech, of Clay
ton.
The funeral services were conduct
ed by Rev. A. A. Pippin, of Wakefield
on Friday afternoon, and as the sun
was about to close the day, all that
was mortal of this memorable char
acter was tenderly laid to rest in the
yard of her church, amidst a host of
friends and loved ones. The flowers
were in profusion and very beautiful.
The teacher and classmates of the
younger son, covered the newly-built
mound with wreaths as the twilight
forced the bereaved aching hearts'to
return empty to their homes.
Our deepest sympathy goes out es
pecially to the devoted husband and
children in this trying hour. We
commend them to the Higher Power
who doeth all things well. Truly,
“God moves in a mysterious way, his
wonders to perform.”
March 29, 1920. A FRIEND.
Searching for Liquor.
On night of March 24th W. C. Dixon
deputy marshall, and A. Perry, chief
of police of Benson, raided Darry Al
len’s house and found about one gal
lon liquor and 30 gallon barrel empty
concealed under a fish box. A 4-gal
lon jug buried with a fish box over it
and another 4-gallon jug buried. All
empty but evidence was that the jugs
had recently contained liquor.
SOMETHING OF LOW
PRICES YEARS AGO
Flour at $2.50 Per Barrel—Meat by
The Box at Four Cents a Pound—
A Bale of Cotton of 452 Pounds
Sold for Less Than Eighteen Dollars
Mr. H. L. Graves, Sr., who has been
resting for the past fourteen months
on account of his health is traveling
again iR part of his old territory for
the Dunlop Flour Mills. Long ago
before Mt. Airy had a railroad he
clerked there and most of the trade
done then was by exchange of pro
duce as there was then very little
money to be had. He remembers buy
ing large fine Buckingham apples at
ten cents per bushel. He began do
ing brokerage business at Greensboro
thirty eight years ago. The first box
of meat about 500 pounds he sold
came from W. S. Forbes & Company,
Richmond, Va., and cost less than
twenty dollars. He sold and delivered
at Selma to Mr. Jack Rains of Selma
five boxes of meat at four cents per
pound. He has known meat to retail
for four cents per pound. One winter
Mr. Graves was fattening two hogs
for his own meat and they got tired
eating corn. To give them a change
he bought a cart load of fine potatoes
at fifteen cents per bushel for them.
Mr. Graves sold to Mr. W. H. Mc
C ullers at ( layton a car load of good
Hour at $2.50 per barrel. This was
just before the great Leiter Wheat
campaign which carried flour to what
was considered very high then. IGour
rose from $2.50 per barrel to $2.65,
next to $2.85 and $3.00 and on up to
$6.50 in thirty days time. Mr. Graves
sold Cel, i). W. Fuller a car load of
shipp stuff at $9.00 per ton. About
that time the Dunlop Mills had to
dump wheat bran into the James riv
er to get it out of their way. Mr.
Graves offered for sale a bale of 452
pounds of cotton one afternoon and
the price then ran it up a little over
eighteen dollars for the whole bale.
Next morning lie sold the cotton but
the bale then brought him less than
eighteen dollars.
Big Still Captured.
Last week Messrs. W. C. Dixon,
deputy marshall, U. S. Page, chief
of police of Dunn, R. P. Jernigan, dep
uty sheriff of Harnett county, Ed Par
ker, deputy sheriff in Johnston county,
captured a 65-gallon still 15 miles
southeast of Benson on a Mr. Wilson’s
land. Twenty six barrels containing
55 gallons each of beer or 1430 gal
lons of beer, were seized and destroy
ed. Still not in operation. No liquor
found.
New Rules for Sanitary Kissing.
According to a New York physician
kissing is sanitary after the lips have
been sterilized by sunshine and fresh
air. He tells of an experiment in dis
covering this fact. A pretty young
woman with tuberculosis kissed a
sterile dish. In the morning germs
were found, but in the afternoon and
evening it was a pretty healthy risk.
Oldest Graduate of Harvard is Dead.
Newton, Mass., March 26.—Charles
French, who was the oldest living
graduate of Harvard College, died at
his home here last night. He was
graduated with the Class of 1848 and
was 93 years old. He had charge of
a private preparatory school in Bos
ton, where among his early pupils
was President Emeritus Charles W.
Eliot. By his death Dr. Horatio R.
Storer, of Newport, R. I., graduate in
the class of 1850, now becomes the
oldest living graduate.
School Finds a Friend.
The schools of Franklinton have
found a friend that means much to
them. It is announced that Mr. S. C.
Mann, a wealthy man and Franklin
ton’s foremost citizen, has offered to
give $100,000 for the purpose of erect
ing a modern high school building for
the town. There is hope for the
schools when such men as Mr. Vann
come to their rescue.
Shoots Youth for Marrying Daughter.
A. B. Weaver, of near Dunn, an
nounced in Fayetteville Monday that
he had shot Ernest Moore for marry
ing his 12 year old daughter. The
young man was shot through the hand
and ^as not seriously wounded.
TORNADO SWEEPS
SEVERAL CITIES
Many Killed and Injured and Great
Property Loss at Elgin, Illinois—
Milrose Park, a Suburb of Chicago,
Suffered Heavy Losses With Several
Killed.
Chicago, March 28.—A score of per
sons were killed and a hundred or
more injured today by a tornado that
swept the country and a number of
towns north and west of Chicago, and
ravaged some of the city’s northwest
ern suburbs.
The property damage ran into mil
lions of dollars, including the demoli
tion of many buildings and the razing
of telegraph and telephone lines. Com
munication with rural regions was for
a time cut off.
Six persons were killed and a score
injured when the tornado swept
through the center of Elgin, 111., about
30 miles west of Chicago, causing
$4,000,000 damage to property. Mel
rose park, a suburb of Chicago, re
ported six dead, and Dunning, another
suburb, and Wilmette, a north shore
town, each reported two dead.
From Elgin the storm passed on to
the northeast. Half a dozen busi
ness buildings, two churches and 20
residences were demolished in Elgin.
Meager reports brought in by farmers
indicated local damage in a widespread
rural region. Falling telegraph and
telephone poles cut off communica
tion, and many trbes uprooted by the
twisting wind, so tangled the wires
that restoration of communication
presented a difficult problem.
The Elgin company of the state
militia was placed on duty to guard
property, laid open to the public by
the unroofing and upsetting of stores.
At Melrose Park, on the western
edge of Chicago, 60 houses were de
stroyed, the devastated area covering
four blocks. The tornado followed
in the wake of a severe hailstorm.
Tonight six dead had been identifi
ed at Melrose Park, and it was pre
dicted the fatality list would reach 12.
Scores were injured. — Associated
Press.
Services at Episcopal Church Friday.
Good Friday services at the Epis
copal church on Friday morning at
10 o’clock.
Tornado Sweeps Several Cities.
Messages received at Montgomery,
Alabama, from West Point, Ga., an
nounced the death of two, the injury
of several persons, and the destruction
of the northwestern part of the town
Sunday by a tornado which came from
the southwest. Damage to the extent
of $125,000 were reported at Wash
ington, Ga. The First Baptist church,
court house and high school were un
roofed. It was also reported that the
town of Edgerton, Ind., was complete
ly wiped out. A storm of cyclone in
tensity struck Macon, Ga., Sunday
evening causing heavy damage
throughout the city.
EDITOR WAY PASSES AWAY.
Henderson Newspaper Man Made
Notable Success As Publisher
Henderson, March 26—Preston Tay
lor Way, editor and manager and
principal owner of the Henderson
Daily Dispatch and the Henderson
Gold Leaf, died at a local hospital at
5:30 o’clock this afternoon following
a stroke of paralysis he suffered Wed
nesday of last week. He never re
gained consciousness except for a
moment at a time. He was 50 years
old.
He came to Henderson nine years
ago and with several Henderson busi
ness men bought The Gold Leaf then
the weekly from the late Thad R.
Mapning. He soon expanded The
Gold Leaf into a semi-weekly and in
1914 started the daily paper in addi
tion. His efforts met with such suc
cess that the daily paper has grown
to a day leased wire service of the
Associated Press, which begins next
Monday.
He was one of the founders of the
North Carolina association of after
noon papers and for two years wras its
president. He began his newspaper
career in Jonesboro 27 years ago. An
interval of several years in which he
taught school followed, after which
he bought and edited the Waxhaw
Enterprise in Union county and made
a wonderful success of it.—News aad
Observer.