VOLUME 40
SMITHFIELD, N. C., TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 1921
NUMBER 27
FARMERS HERE IN
LARGE NUMBERS
Present Petition to County
Commissioners Asking
For 50 Per Cent Cut
Somebody said yesterday “I have
seen more people in Smithfield today
than at any time since the County
Fair.” They came from all quarters
to see about a revision of re-valuation.
They met in the Farmers Tobacco
Warehouse and in convention as
sembled decided to ask for a cut of
50 per cent in values. Mr. A. J. Fitz
gerald was asked to carry the petition
to the county commissioners. The peti
tion was presented to the commiss
ioners who agreed to give the matter
consideration today. It is not known
what will he done about this matter
but it certainly a matter of impor
tance.
Car of Powder Explodes
Fredericksburg, Va., April 3.—Two
men were injured, at least six freight
cars were destroyed and traffic on the
R. F. and P. railroad'was blocked for
hours this afternoon when 40,000 lbs.
of black powder in a car exploded in
the freight yards near here. The in
jured are A. W. Johnson, conductor,
and A. R. Brown, brakeman.
The blast could be heard ten or
fifteen miles distant. Glass windows
and plasterings in homes and stores
throughput Fredericksburg were
damaged. The extent of damage could
not be estimated tonight, but it is
thought the total will be high
intense excitement was caused here
and throughout the surrounding coun
try. Hundreds rushed to the scene of
the blast. Several freight cars were
splintered by the explosion, which set
three other cars on fire. The Fred
ericksburg fire department after a
hard fight, prevented the flames from
spreading. For a time it was feared
other cars of explosives might be on
the train, but this was dispelled by
the authorities of the railroad.
Two water tanks in the immediate
vicinity were destroyed by the blast,
and two cows in a nearby field were
killed.—Associated Press.
Children Honor Burroughs
All the school children in the hamlet
of West Park where John Burroughs,
the famous naturalist, lived and stud
ied for half a century, marched to his
funeral Saturady carrying flowers
picked in the school yard. Sunday
would have been his 84th**birthday,
and the children would have carried
them to his home, Riverby, on that
occasion.
J. G. Lassiter Dead
Wilson, April 2.—J. G. Lassiter,
vice president of the R. G. Lassiter
Contracting Company, of Norfolk,
Va,, died at 2:30 o’clock this morning
from a bullet wound said by relative's
to have been accidentally* self-inflict
ed. Mr. Lassiter was found in an
unconscious condition about 11 o’clock
last night in his room at the home
of C. E. Blount with a bullet wound
in his forehead. His pistol was
found nearby. From the position of
the body and the wound physicians
and police, who were called in to in
vestigate, expressed the belief that
Mr. Lassiter acidentally shot himself
while cleaning his revolver.
Good Guesser
“Nora, me jewel, see if yez can
guess this: If a man was born in
Lapland and lived in Finland and
died in Poland, what was he?”
“A carpse.”
“Ah. Some one must have told
yez.”—Lutheran Young Folks.
A Pointer
Teacher. “William, what is income
tax?”
Willie. “It is when you sit on a
tack.” ♦
Teacher. “No; I’m afraid you don’t
see the point.”
Willie. “You don’t sir; you feel
it.”—Boy’s Life.
THE FUNERAL OF
WILLIAM C. BARBOUR
Body Was Brought From
Overseas and Laid to
Rest at Rehobeth
The body of Private First Class
William Clarence Barbour, arrived in
Smithfield Saturday morning from
Hoboken, N. J., enroute from the bat
tle fields of France to its last resting
place near town. The body lay in
the undertaking parlors of Cotter
Underwood Company until Sunday af
ternoon, April 3rd, 1921, at one o’
clock when it was taken to Rehobeth
church w’here it was buried.
At the appointed hour, 3 o’clock,
the church was well filled and about
three times as many people were
standing on the outside. The Pastor,
William Stephenson, after consulting
with a few of the crowd, decided to
have the services outside in order
that the people might see and hear.
About 1000 people crowded around
the casket, which was draped by the
United States flag, and Rev. William
Stephenson preached a very impres
sive and solemn sermon after which
Rev. W. M. Monsees led in prayer and
pronounced the benediction.
Lieut. Maurice C. Waddell, B. L.
Talton, R. B. Wiggs, R. M. Oneal,
Ernest Gordon, James Narron, Roy
Johnson and J. Z. Clifton, members of
Co. C, 119th Infantry and comrades
of the deceased, except J. Z. Clifton,
who was a member of Supply Divi
sion 343, 90th Division, acted as pall
bearers, and gently laid in the mother
earth the remains of their comrade.
Private William Clarence Barbour
was killed on the battle fields of
France on October 9th, 1918, shortly
after the famous Hindenburg line had
been broken and the American troops
were advancing. His Company was
engaged in a skirmish on the outside
of a little patch of woods and Private
Barbour with another soldier were
acting as stretcher bearers and had
gone to render first aid to a fallen
comrade when both he and his com
panion were shot down. Private Bar
bour lingered for possibly two days
and died in the hospital. At this
stage of the war the Germans re
spected neither the stretcher bearers
or Red Cross nurses, but shot down
everybody in sight.
His comrades of Company C are
unstinted in their praise of Private
Barbour, stating that he was a he
roic and courageous young fellow,
afraid of nothing and willing to do
all that he could for the defense of
his country.
A large concourse of friends as
sembled yesterday afternoon to pay
their last respect of memory to him
which shows the esteem that the peo
ple of Johnston County hold for the
memory of the gallant young men
who have fallen on the foreign fields
in behalf of their country.
The floral tributes were many and
beautiful, especially the large and
handsome easel design which was giv
en by the boys of Smithfield who took
part in the great world war.
Death of Mr. Gibson Fitzgerald
Mr. Gibson Fitzgerald died at his
home near Pine Level Sunday, April
3rd, 1921. He was buried in the fam
ily graveyard yesterday afternoon. He
had been in poor health for sometime.
He was a successful farmer and a
good business man. It will be re
membered that he sold horses and
mules in Smithfield for a year or two
several years ago. He had many
friends. He took much interest in ev
erything for the welfare of the peo
ple. In his death Johnston loses one
of her best citizens.
Members of his family who survive
him besides his wife are four sons, A.
E. Fitzgerald of the Fitzgerald Motor
Co., of Pine Level, R. L. Fitzgerald, a
farmer, of Pine Level, C. B. Fitzger
ald, who holds a position with the
Seaboard railroad company at Ral
eigh, and Dr. Herbert Fitzgerald of
Philadelphia and three daughters, Mrs
Ida Blackman, of Pine Level, Mrs. H.
B. Pearce, of Selma and Mrs. Parker,
who teaches in the Pine Level school.
Mrs. Fitzgerald is now very ill and
has not at this writing been informed
of her husband’s death.
c
REVIVAL AT SELMA
BAPTIST CHURCH
Native Johnstonian, Dr. H,
T. Stevens, Home Board
Evangelist, To Preach
A revival will begin at the Seims
Baptist church next Sunday, April 10
Dr. H. T. Stevens, Homt Board Evan
gelist will do the preaching and Mr
A. E. Lynch, will be the gospel singer
These men will arrive in Seims
Saturday, April 9, ready for the firs!
service Sunday at 11 o’clock and again
at night at 7:30 o’clock.
Everybody is invited to come and
have a part in these services.
Dr. Stevens was reared in Johnston
County, his home being near Wilson’s
Mills, and he will feel at home among
us. He was educated at Wake Forest
College, afterwards attending the
Theological Seminary at Louisville,
Ky. After completing his course
and entering the active ministry, he
has held important pastorates in some
of our larger cities. Some time ago
he gave up the work of the pastorate
to become Evangelist to the Home
Board of the Southern Baptist Con
vention.
The people of Selma and surround
ing country will have an unusual op
portunity in having Dr. Stevens con
duct these services in their midst. His
native county gives him a cordial wel
come.
Who Will Help?
This week has been set apart in
North Carolina as “Clean up Week.”
Our mayor, Mr. H. L. Skinner, has
issued a proclamation to the effect
that Smithfield cooperate in the State
wide campaign. The Woman’s Club,
through its civic department, is lend
ing its aid to this movement. The
Lyric theatre is helping by a special
offer for tin cans. It now remains
for each individual to lend his sup
port to the work by cleaning up the
home premises.
In addition to looking after the
front and back yards, there are va
cant lots, owned in some instances
by persons living away from the
town. The question arises who shall
collect the tin cans and waste matter
from these premises. If we have a
clean town some one must be patri
otic enough to look after such alley
ways and vacant lots. The town
promises to haul off trash collected,
and it is now up to some one to or
ganize a brigade to help clean vp
some of these neglected spots in cur
midst.
Those putting on the campaign are
anxious to have all of Smithfield clean
at one time. This can be accomplish
ed if no one puts it off but everybody
gets busy this week, making a whirl
wind drive for a more sanitary city.
Cotton Seed At 21 Cents
Last Saturday a two horse wagon
load of cotton seed were sold in Johns
ton county to an oil mill for 21 cents
per bushel. *
CITY CLEANING CAMPAIGN
See that all rubbish is remov
ed from your cellar, back yards,
and areaway. Have it placed in
suitable receptacles where the
Street Cleaning Department can
readily remove it.
Vntilate damp cellars.
Report all neighborhood nuis
ances, such as stagnant pools
and ill-smelling refuse piles, to
the Health Department.
Ask your landlord to repair
leaky roofs, and to repair dirty,
broken walls and ceilings.
If there is a vacant lot adjoin
ing your house see that it is
cleaned of all decaying and re
fuse material.
AND REMEMBER, that a
cheerful compliance with these
suggestions, and with every
other effort of the Health De
partment will help to make
your city a more healthful one
to live in.
YOU SHOULD BE GLAD TO
DO IT!
SUNDAY SCHOOL
CONVENTION MEET
i
—
Will Be Held April 12, 13,
And 14 in Raleigh—
Prominent Speakers
Many Sunday School leaders of
North Carolina are on the program
for the State Sunday School Conven
tion which will be in session in Ral
eigh, April 12, 13, 14. Prominent
among them are: Gilbert T. Stephen
son, Winston-Salem; J. M. Broughton,
Raleigh; E. B. Crow, Raleigh; D. H.
Dixon, Goldsboro; John A. Park, Ral
eigh; J. A. Brown, Chadboum; Hugh
Parks, Franklinville; Joseph G.
Brown, Raleigh; W. A. Withers, Ral
eigh; Mrs. Chas. L. VanNoppen,
Greensboro; Mrs. Martha Dozier
Flagge, Jamestown; Rev. Daniel
Iverson, Charlotte; W. B. Cooper,
Wilmington.
One outstanding feature of the
program will be a parade of Sunday
School men on the last evening of the
Convention. E. B. Crow, teacher of
the Vanguard Bible Class of the First
Presbyterian Sunday School of Ral
eigh, is Chairman of the Parade Com
mittee. Effort is being made to get
all members of men’s Bible Classes
of Raleigh to be in the line of march,
also all men who are delegates to the
Convention.
Another feature of the Convention
which is expected to be one of the
most helpful is the Divisional Con
ferences on the afternoons of April
13 and 14, at which time the Conven
tion wjll divide into four sections,
for the Children’s, Young People’s,
Adult and Administrative Division
workers.
The program for the main sessions
of the Convention is said to be very
strong. Among the specialists who
will speak are Dr. Wm. A. Brown of
Chicago, 111., of the International
Sunday School Association; Dr. Jos
eph Broughton, Atlanta, Ga., Super
intendent Tabernacle Baptist Sunday
School, Dr. Gilbert Glass, Richmond,
Va., Superintendent of Sunday School
and Young People’s Department,
Presbyterian Committee of Publica
tion; Prof. H. H. Harris, Professor
Religious Pedagogy, Candler School
of Theology, Emory University, Ga.;
Mrs. Maude J. Baldwin, Chicago, 111.,
Children’s Division Superintendent,
International Sunday School Associa
tion.
Communications are being sent out
by the Raleigh Committee on Ar
rangements assuring the Church and
Sunday School workers of the State
that Raleigh can take care of all who
attend the Convention, for besides
the hotel accommodations, the com
mittee has secured lodging at the
rate of $1.00 per night for delegates
in more than 700 homes of the city.
The local committee has arranged to
meet all incoming trains during the
Convention. Delegates on arriving in
Raleigh can register and be assigned
homes from either the Station or
Convention Church.
The railroads of the State have
granted a special rate of one and one
half fare, certificate plan, provided
as many as 350 certificates are pre
sented for validation.
According to a communication from
the headquarters of the Convention in
Raleigh, 6,000 programs of the Con
vention are being mailed to S. S.
leaders throughout the State. Infor
mation is also received indicating a
large number of workers over the
State are planning to make the trip
to the Convention in automobiles.
The Federal Land Bank Loans
Again the Federal Land Bank As
sociation is receiving applications
Trom farmers for loans. A number
of farmers have been in to see me and
made out applications.
It is not known just how soon loans
will be made. This will be done as
fast as possible. Applications that
were made when the bank slopped
work last year will be taken care of
first. Then the other loans will be
taken care of.
We will be glad to help you get the
loan through as quickly as possible.
L. T. ROY ALL, See.
PLANS FOR GIVING
THE FARMERS RELIEF
Cotton Men See Harding;
Conference Covered Other
Crops; Optimistic
Washington, April 2.—President
Harding today told a committee rep
resenting the American Cotton associ
ation and other farm organizations
that the administration was deeply in
terested in and concerned about the
present crisis in the agricultural in
dustry, and that the administration
was behind a program for relief.
The details of the program, the
President indicated would be worked
out by the war finance corporation and
the secretary of commerce, Herbert
Hoover, but the general principle of
assistance for agriculture was unre
servedly indorsed by the executive.
Primarily the conference at the
White House related to the slump in
the cotton market and the inability of
farmers to Sell at even an approximate
cost of production. But the conference
also covered other farm products—
the wheat and tobacco grown in North
Carolina and other states and the corn
produced in the corn belt of the middle
west.
The committee conferring with the
President, included former Senator
Hoke Smith, of Georgia; Harvey Jor
dan, secretary of the American Cot
ton association; former Senator Mar
ion Butler, of North Carolina; Rep
resentatives Upshaw, Lankford and
Overstreet, of Georgia; former Sena
tor Sanders, of Tennessee; Represent
ative Lowry, of Mississipp, and Wal
ter B. Brown, editor of the New York
Commercial.
This committee presentee! to the
President thru an address made by
former Senator Smith a detailed ac
count of the conditions existing in the
agricultural industry today. The slow
ing down of exports, the inability of
farmers to obtain prices for their pro
ducts approaching production costs,
the embarrassment of banks carry
ing agricultural loans, and the need
of stimulated markets at home and
abroad were vividly presented to the
President.
In reply Mr. Harding assured the
delegation that the new administration
was vitally concerned about the pre
sent situation and was undertaking
action to remedy it in some way. He
was optimistic over the prospect that
something would be accomplished ov
er conferences to be held here next
week with Director Eugene Meyer
and members of the war finance cor
poration and Mr. Hoover.
On Monday the war finance corpora
tion and Secretary Hoover will hold
a conference with a large number of
representative southern bankers who
have been called to Washington to
discuss the financing of exports of ag
ricultural products. The President
said today tha the was hopeful that
out of these conferences would come
a concrete plan which‘the administra
tion would further for the relief of the
distressed agriculture industry.
In meeting the delegation from the
American cotton association today the
President broke his recently establish
ed rule to hold no business confer,
ences except on Mondays, Wednes
days and Fridays. According to
those who were admitted to the office
of the President he showed a desire
of the new administration to be of as
sistance in solving the agricultural
problem thru the broadening of mar
kets and the extension of credits that
will relieve the existing stagnation
and distress in the farming communi
ties.
Mr. Jordan told the President the
two great problems in the cotton sit
uation were the extension of credits,
at home and abroad, and the reduction
of discount rates by the federal re
serve banks. Mr. Jordan also informed
the President that a satisfactory con
ference on the general market sit
uation had just been held with the sec
retary of commerce, Herbert Hoover.
A written memorandum discussing the
cotton situation in the south which
ranged from information regarding
bank loans to the discouragement of
farmers over their inability to meet
their debts or to sell their products
at a price approximating even cost
of production, was left with the Pres
ident by Mr. Jordan.
It is understood here that the ten
tative plans of the Harding adminis
tration look to the formation of dis
tributing agencies among producers
rjvmKamsassj •*
PRINCETON TEAM
TO CHAPEL HILL
Sanford Wins In the Dunn
Smithfield-Sanfrod Tri
anglar Debate
The Sanford high school debaters
in the Sanford-Smithfield-Dunn tri
angular debate won the unanimous de
cision of the judges both in Sanford
and Dunn Friday night. Smithrield’s
affirmative debated Dunn’s negative
in the school auditorium here, Dunr
winning. Smithfield received one vote
and Smithfield’s negative team went
to Sanford. The debate here Friday
evening was well attended and the de
baters on both sides did well.
Two other Johnston county towns
were involved in a triangle, Prince
ton and Pine Level, both of Prince
ton’s teams winning out.
To a large audience in the aud
itorium of the Princeton school build
ing on Friday night, the first of tp
ril, the triangular debate query about
collective bargaining was ably dis
cussed. The affirmative side of ihe
question was represented by Misses
Eula Boyette and Evely Edwards of
the Princeton school, while the nega
tive was represented by Misses Flon
nie Westbrook and Rosalie Hales of
the Pine Level school.
The debate started at 8:45 and
lasted about an hour. The judges
were Mr. E. L. Eddinger, Miss Mary
E. Wells and Miss Minnie Lee Garri
son, all of Smithfield. All of the
speakers acquitted themselves credit
ably, and worthy of special mention
is the spirited manner in which Miss
Eula Boyette for the affirmative de
livered her speech and the originality
displayed by Miss Rosalie Hales for
the negative in her rebuttal. The
judges, by the announced rules of the
debate, sat apart during the discus- >'J
sion of the subject and each made his
decision before conferring with any
one in the audience. They were una
nimous in their decision for the af
firmative.
By the time the debate at Prince
ton had closed, news of the Pine Level
contest had reached Princeton, which
was that Princeton had won for the
negative in the Pine Level debate.
This put Princeton in line for the big
scrap at Chapel Hill.
Music at the County Hon e
The inmates ;.f the County Home
were entertained in one of the cotta
ges in the grounds last Saturday
night by a number of musicians. Those
participating in the entertainment
were Messrs Percy Smith and Otho
Mundin, violinists; Messrs Tommie
Keene and Walter Benson with gui
tars and Mrs. Rose Thompson pianist.
The music seemed to greatly delight
all the old people at the home. The
superintendent, Mr. Stephenson, said ,
that it was the first entertainment of
the kind that had ever been given to
the inmates since he has had charge
of the home. He as arranged for and
had religious services on several Sun
day afternons. Mr. Stephenson was
very cordial to the entertainers and
was hearty in his thanks to them in
behalf of the old people.
A woman has flown across the An
des, for the first.time. Madame Boe
land, French Aviatrix has performed
the feat in four hours.
A1 G. Fields Dies At Age of 72
Columbus, Ohio, April 3.—Alfred
Griffin “A1 G.” Fields, premier of
American ministrels, died at his home
here today, his death resulting from
Bright’s disease.
Bom seventy-two years ago in
Lesburg, Va., Mr. Field was educat
ed in the common schools of Browns
ville and Pitsburg, Pa., later becom
ing interested in banking and farm
ing. In 1886 he entered the theatrical
business, organizing a minstrel show
which has operated continuously
since that time.
Mr. Field was a former high na
tional officer of the Elks and wide
ly-known in Masonic circles. The
funeral will be held here Tuesday af
ternoon.
of cotton and other farm products
which will act in concert with export
ers, the war finance corporation and
Edge law exporting agencies.