COMMISSIONERS AS
EQUALIZATION BO’RD
Board Kept Busy Practically
All Day Reducing Taxes
Of Applicants
Yesterday a goodly number from
different parts of the county were
here to meet the County Commission
ers who sat as a board of equalization
the purpose of which are set forth in
section 26 of the Machinery Act
which reads as follows:
Section 26. The board of county
commissioners shall constitute the
board of equalization in each county,
and shall meet the second Monday in
July in each year. Said board shall
equalize the valuation so that each
tract or lot of land or article of per
sonal property shall be entered on the
tax list at its true value in money and
for this purpose they shall observe
the following rules: (1) They shall
raise the valuation of such tracts or
lots of real or articles of personal
property, including stocks, bonds, and
shares in all incbrporated companies,
except such as are specifically exempt
by law, as in their opinion have been
returned below their true value, to
such price or sum as they may believe
to be the true value thereof; (2) they
shall reduce the valuation of such
tracts and lots or articles of personal
property as in their opinion have been
returned above their true value, as
compared with the average valuation
of real and personal property, includ
ing stocks, bonds and shares of all in
corporated companies of such county.
In regard to real property, they shall
have due regard to the relative situa
tion, quality of soil improvements,
natural and artificial advantages pos
sessed by each tract or lot. The clerk
of said board of county commission
ers shall be the clerk of the board of
equalization, and shall within five
days after adjournment of said board
furnish the State Tax Commission
with a copy of all proceedings of the
county board of equalization with re
spect to any and all changes made by
such board of valuations made and
returned by the township list takers
and assessors. The clerk of the board
shall also furnish the State Tax Com
mission, within five days after ad
journment of the county board of
equalization, on blanks to be furnish
ed by the commission, statement from
the returns made by the township list
takers and assessors of aggregate val
ue of real and personal property by
townships and as a whole for the
county and average value per unit of
land acreage and of the several class
es of live stock.
The board was in session practical
ly all day and reduced the taxes of
quite a number of applicants.
__41
Liberty Hell May Go Vtest.
PHILADELPHIA, July 6.—The
monster petition signed by school
children in the middle West request
ing that the Liberty Bell be sent to
Chicago for the pageant of progress
arrived here today in the care of a
committee, including three schoolboys
who acted as a guard of honor. The
petition will be presented to city
council.
Some patriotic societies are on
record as opposed to the famous relic
being taken from the city, but it is
said city council may grant the re
quest.
Penniless But Wanting to Wed.
GENEVA, Switzerland, July 7 —
Two royal princesses, sisters, aged 23
and 26, desire friendship and event
ually marriage after mutual tests
with English or American gentle
men, who must be young, wealthy
and handsome, especially not up
starts” or newly rich reads an ad
vertisement in an Innesbrook newspa
per.
The princesses who belong to the
old royalty are accomplished but
very poor. The gentlemen must give
references.
It may be recalled that an Aus
trian archduchess advertised in t
similar manner about a year ago
and it is believed found a suitable
«
husband.
Miss Hattie McCuilers of Burling
ton spent yesterday in the city with
Miss Cora Belle Ives. j
FIGHT POISON FUMES IN
A NEW YORK SUBWAY
One Hundred Overcome But no Fa
talities—Fifteen in Hospital—
Escape A Miracle
A subway express of the Lexington
avenue line was slipping northward
yesterday at 11:17 A. M., the first of
its string of ten steel cars flashing
past the fifty-third street marker,
when there came from the motorbox
of the fifth, or middle car a sudden,
terrifying report. Instantly blinding
flame, white, yellow, blue-green, shot
out of the vestibule, a noxious odor
of burning rubber spread through the
car and train and heavy smoke added
its oppressiveness to the confined air
of the tube.
For a few seconds the train sped
onward, then came to a stop with a
recoil that threw many persons a
mong the 400 aboard headlong from
their seats. All the lights went out
except the dim spots at each end of
every car, which get their power from
storage batteries. There was semi
darkness; startlement quickly succeed
ed by terror, shouts, shrieks, groans,
prayers, the noise of breaking glass
—panic!
The voices of men of sense and
nerve were heard entreating people to
stay where they were, that there had
been short circuiting and a blowout,
but that it was nothing serious. These
voices crying in the darkness through
fumes growing harder and harder to
endure in that close atmosphere did
little good.
The crashing of glass continued as
men and women clawed at one anoth
er in their furious effort to reach win
dows and break through them. Pres
ently a string of gasping, coughing
people, some holding hands, some run
ning and others walking fearfully be
cause of the remembered third rail,
were making their way north and
south toward emergency exits rising
sheer as clifs for sixty feet.
Some made the climb alone. Others
were helped by sturdier ones from be
low. In a little while rescuers, fire
men, police and volunteers from
Bloomingdale’s department store came
to help out manfully and to make
sure that none had been forgotten in
the abandoned train through which
fumes as bad as poison gas were drift
ing.
There has scarcely been an occasion
of danger in New York so weird as
this—-hundreds of men and women and
some children, too, horribly oppressed
by the terror of their surroundings,
the depth under ground, the darkness,
the vile air that was taking their
breath away and making them sick at
the stomach, the dread of what might
come upon them unexpectedly. For
ten or fifteen minutes most of the in
herited or acquired protective assur
ances of civilization fell away from
these people, and they struggled des
perately to win clean air and sunlight
and the sight of other human beings;
fought on in stark terror.
In the few minutes that the strug
gle lasted the wonder is that dozens
were not trampled, to death in the
surge from the poisonous train and in
the dim, smoke obscured tube, or that
dozens, also, did not come to a shock
ing death from the menace of the
third rail. The firemen and the police,
knowing how irrationally human be
ings behave in the extremity of dan
ger and fright cannot understand how
not a single person was killed or even
seriously injured by fumes or flight.
But that is the extraordinary fact.
Of the 400 persons riding 1n a com
pactly filled train at the beginning of
the noon rush, less than 100 suffered
seriously enough form partial asphyx
iation to require medical attention,
and of these comparatively few need
ed hospital care. !n fact there were
only fifteen in the hospital last night,
and none of these was in really a seri
ous condition.—N. Y. Herald, July 7.
Carrier Pigeon Takes Up
Mr. Joseph E. Creech who lives on
Sniilhfleld, Route Xo. 2, was in town j
Saturday and told us of a pigeon
which he thinks is a carrier pig son,
that came to his house Saturday
mroning. The bird is quite tame and
allowed his children to catch it. A
gold band was found on one leg and
a silver band on the other.
M,3s l izzie Wellor.s is spending
sv:ie t:roe with her sister, Mrs. W.
K. Johnson at Rose Hill.
BUSINESS SHOWS
AN UPWARD TREND
One Sign of Stability Furn
ished by Firmness Of
Commodity Prices
New York, July 9.—While the holi
days have served to obscure the trend
in business and finance during the
last week, the available evidence in
dicates a continuation of the improve
ment in general business. The secu
rities markets have continued to show
considerable irregularity, but the ten
dency has been, on the whole, toward
higher prices. Call money has been
a variable factor and the reserve ra
tio of the combined federal reserve
system has fallen for the second con
secutive week. The normally heavy
demand for currency in connection
with the early July holidays, however,
caused the latest decline in the ratio
and the real tendency of money rates
during the month remains to be dis
closed.
No falling off is discernible, mean
while, in the demand for steel, de
spite the fact that pig ii-on output for
June set a new high record for the
year, a daily average of 78,700 tons
comparing with 74,400 tons in May
and 53,100 tons in January. Loadings
of railroad cars have also risen to a
new high record. Thus for the week
ending June 24, the total is 878,000
cars, or 17,000 more than in tht pre
vious week and 51,000 more than in
the week immediately preceding the
coal strike, although loadings of coal
cars in that week ran 108,000 higher
than in the one ending June 24.
Other signs of increasing stability
in business are furnished by firmness
in the general level of commodity
prices and a continuation of the fall
ing off in the volume of business fail
ures. Dun’s index of wholesale pric
es rose 2.2 per cent during June, with
all seven groups of constituent com
modities participating in the advance.
Commercial failures as reported by
the same agency declined to 1.740,
which is 220 less than in any month
of the year. Liabilities involved fell
off in similar measure. These facts
illustrated apparently the growing
safety of doing business and explain
the increase in confidence lately ap
parent.
Although existing strikes continue
to supply an element of uncertainty
most quarters consider that the events
of the week have justified optimistic
views as to the effect of the rail walk
out. The textile strike is dragging on
with mixed results so far as one side
or the other is concerned, but the sus
pension of coal mining is regarded as
the most important of the country’s I
industrial disputes. It is too early to
estimate the probable success if the
negotiations now going on at Wash- ;
ington to end the strike, but nothing j
has transpired so far which is inter- !
preted as being prejudicial to a set- !
tlement. Crop news is little changed. ;
Wheat prices after a tentative rally,
softened under the influence of fair
weather reports. Cotton, on the oth
er hand, rallied sharply on the gov
ernment’s crop estimate which placed
the condition as of June 25 at 72.1
and the probable yield at slightly
more than 11,000,000 bales. Such a
crop will be approximately one m'.lion
bales short of last year’s taking and
will be added, furthermore, to a sub
normal carry-over. With the possi
ble damage by the boll weevil still to
be developed, the trade expects prices
to remain reasonably firm. Monday’s
sharp rally called for the profit tak*
ing, but most of the gain was retained
during subsequent trading.
Foreign developments were not as
favoi’able as those in the domestic
field, the German mark breaking
sharply to a new low price and the
French, Belgium and Italian curren
cies showing sympathetic weakness.
The political situation in Germany
was generally considered to be re
sponsible for the declines.—Associat
ed Pre3s.
ADD BASEBALL COLUMN 0
WENDELL LOSES TO BENSON
Benson avenged the defeat handed
them by Wendell at Wendell Thurs- {
clay by defeating them 5 to 1 at Ben- !
son Friday afternoon. This sends
Wendell to the bottom place in the
standing of the clubs. j
WEDDING POPULAR
YOUNG COUPLE
Miss Sallie Sanders of Four
Oaks Becomes Bride of
Mr. F. O. Bowman
Thursday, July 6th, at high noon,
in the little church Antioch, nesting
in a grove of oak trees six miles
southwest of Four Oaks, beautifully
oeccrated with long leaf pine, south
ern smilax, and blue Hydrangeas
gathered from the fields about it,
Frederick Oscar Bowman and Sally
Sanders were married in the presence
of a great company of friends.
The assembled crowd grew quiet as
Miss Sadie Puckett, of Smithfield,
accompanied Miss Mary Louise Ben
der, of Jacksonville, who beautifully
sang “Believe Me If All Those En
dearing Young Charms,” and “Oh
Promise Me.”
Then to the strains of Lohengrin’s
Bridal Chorus, entered the grooms
men: Mr. Snead Sanders and Mr. Ru
fus Sanders of Four Oaks, and Mr.
Frank Ray and Mr. Arthur Narron,
of Smithfield, and took their places
about the altar; followed by the brides
maids: Miss Gladys Sanders of Smith
field and Miss Jessie Eason of Wilson,
and Miss Pauline Sanders of Four
Oaks and Miss Inez Sanders of Wil
son, gowned in light blue organdy
with cream lace trimmings and tulle
sashes, wearing black lace hats and
carrying pink gladioli; followed by
the maid of honor, Miss Norma San
ders, sister of the bride, wearing
pink organdy with cream lace trim
mings, black lace hat, and carrying
pink gladioli; followed by the flower
girls: Miss Evelyn Gray Sanders, lit
tle niece of the bride, and Miss Annie
Walker Slaughter of Tarboro, daintily
attired in pink organdy, scattering
rose petals, followed by the ring
bearer: Master Kenneth Sanders, ne
phew of the bride, in a white linen
suit, carrying the ring on a silver
tray.
The bride, beautiful in navy’ blue
poiret twill with gray accessories,
carrying a bouquet of bride’s roses
showered with valley lillies, entered
on the arm of her brother: J. Marvin
Sanders, who gave her in marriage,
and was met at the altar by the groom
with his best man: J. O. Bowman,
brother, of Clinton. They were mar
ried by Rev. E. B. Slaughter, pastor
of St. James Methodist church, Tar
boro, using the ring ceremony’, while
Miss Sadie Puckett softly and beau
tifully’ rendered MacDowell’s “To a
Wild Rose.” Mendelssohn’s wedding
march was used as a recessional.
The bride is the daughter of Mrs.
Annie B. Sanders, of Four Oaks, and
the late John Sanders, and grand
daughter of the late Thomas D.
Snead. She was a student at Turl
ington Graded School, Smithfield, a
Graduate of the Greenville Training
School, a student at the North Caro
lina College for Women. She taught
for a year in the schools of Cranberry
N\ C., and for the past year and a
half she has been living in Tarboro.
Of refined presence and wonderful
personal charm, she has been loved
as the favorite of the community
which quit its work to gather about
her on her wedding day and send her
on with deeply felt evidences of its
affection for her.
The groom was born in Bakersville,
N. C.. and prepared for college at
Fuivvman’s Academy. He graduated
from Berea College in Kentucky, .in
1914, was Superintendent of Schools
al Cranberry, N. C., until he entered
the army in 1917. On being discharg
ed from the army he entered the Law
School of the University of North
Carolina in 1919 and received the de
gree of L. L. B. in June 1920. Since
graduation he has been employed as
General Attorney for the Noi’th Car
olina Pharmaceutical Association with
headquarters at Chapel Hill, and is
well known by the druggists of the
state for his splendid work in their
behalf.
Immediately after the ceremony the
bride and groom left on a wedding
tour which will include Asheville, and
points in Kentucky, including the
High Bridge and the Mammoth Cave. |
They will be at home in Chapel Hill, 1
after August 1st.
Enjoyable pre-nuptial entertain
ments for the bridal party included
a gypsy tea at Holt’s Lake on th’
evening of July 4th. and an informal
reception on Wednesday evening,
WOMAN, BABE IN ARM,
BATTLES BLACKSNAKE
Kills Six-Foot Reptile With a Hoe
as It Springs To
ward Her.
WINCHESTER, Va., July 6.—
Holding her baby under her arm with
one hand and a hoe in the other, Mrs.
J. F. Allen, of Greenspring, battled
desperately last evening with a fe
rocious blacksnake until she hacked
it in two. Mrs. Allen was sitting
at one end of the porch rocking her
baby, with other children playing
around her crair. One of the saw
the snake poke its head above the oth
er end of the porch floor and then
crawl and coil itself around a corner
post, at the same time lashing the
balustrade with its tail as if anger
ed.
As the children ran into the house
and shut the door, Mrs. Allen jump
ed from the porch, with her baby un
der one arm, and seizing the garden,
hoe nearby, struck at the serpent.
The first blow missed and the snake
sprang toward her. As it did so Mrs.
Allen dealt it several blows, finally
cutting t)h(.» snake in two. Each
half squirmed and flopped about like
a beheaded chicken, but became ap
parently lifeless, except at intervals
until sundown. The two pieces of the
snake were laid together and meas
ured 6 feet 9 inches.
The blacksnake has no poison
fangs, but is not slow to bite. How
ever, its usual method of attack is to
coil itself about a person so tightly
as to eaus" serious injury, if not
death, by sqeezing. The severity of
the lashing it is capable of with its
tail is said to be equal to that ad
ministered with a cowhide or horse
whip.—Washington Post.
Give Mother a Vacation.
A paper of our state recently car
ried an editorial on the subject of
‘‘giving mother a vacation,” pointing
out the fact that many mothers have
not had vacations for years while
daughters go to school or teach in
the winter months and frolic in the
> summer. If those girls would be
more thoughtful of their mother’s
comfort and take the brunt of the
work for a while in order that she
might rest and visit friends, ih
would be a great thing for the moth
ers of our country. Just because our
mothers have worked and slaved for
us for years uncomplainingly is no
reason why they should continue to
do so until the end of the chapter.
Housework is irksome in the hot
weather, with canning, cooking, iron
ing and all sorts of hot jobs. Let
mother go to the “swimmisg hole,’ or
pool. Fix the old folks a nice picnic
lunch and send them to the woods for
an outing. It will prolong their lives
and add many happy thoughts to their
sunset of their lives. Then in truth
will the poem come true
“Grow old along with me, the best is
yet to be
The last of life, for which the first
was made.”
—Asheboro Courier.
Eleven Sentenced to Die.
MOSCOW, July 6.—(By Associated
Press.)—Eleven persons, including
the Petrograd Metropolitan, Benja
min, have been sentenced to death by
the Petrograd revolutionary tribunal,
for interfering with seizure of church
treasures. Fifty-three others have
been sentenced to various terms of
imprisonment. Twenty-two were ac
quitted.
July 5th, at *the home of the bride,
Mr. Rufus Sanders and Miss Mary
Louise Bender presided over the
punch bowl, and cream and cake were
served by Miss Jessie Eason, of Wil- j
son ,Miss Pauline Sanders of Four ‘
Oaks, and Miss Sadie Puckett, cf;
Smithfield.
Out-of-town guests included: Mrs. i
G. P. Hood, Elizabeth City; Mr. and j
Mrs. J. 0. Bowman, Clinton; Rev. and j
Mrs. B. B. Slaughter and little daugh- •
ter, Annie Walker, of Tarboro; Mr. J
and Mrs. Rufus Sanders, Wilson; ;
Mr. and Mrs. J. M. Sanders, Jones- '
boro; Miss Ballard Bunn, Tarboro; i
Mr. and Mrs. E. J. Wellons, Mrs. J.
W. Wellons, Mfs Nellie Wellons, Mr. i
and Mrs. Frank Ray. Mr. and Mrs.
J. A. Narron, and Mr. Albert Coates,
of Smithfield.
ROAD BUILDING
CONTRACTS BE LET
Project Extending From the
Wake County Line to
Smithfield be Let
With the letting scheduled for July
25th, including 20 projects for a total
of 179.65 miles of gravel and hard sur
faced roads, at an approximate cost
of nearly three million dollars, the
North Carolina Highway Commission
will have passed the 2,500 mile mark
in new construction since Frank Page
was made Highway Commissioner by
Governor Bickett in 1919.
Contracts to be awarded on that day
will bring the “1,000 miles in 1922”
program to within less than 100 miles
of achievement, and the authorized ex
penditures for construction to approx
imately $15,000,000, as compared with
an estimated 18 miles for that milea
ge when the thousand mile program
was adopted in January. Including
the July letting, the mileage since
January 1 will total 901.10 miles.
Of the total of 2,509.1G miles under
construction, under contract or com
pleted during the three year period,
844.79 miles is hard surfaced road,
and 1,664.54 miles is of other types.
New work let since January 1, 1922,
the mileage for hard surface has been
436.31 and for gravel and other types,
4(34.79. Hard surfaced contacts for
letting in August will bring the total
mileage for this type beyond 500 miles
for the year.
In addition to this mileage, but in
cluded in the general total of expen
diture and amounting to about one
fifth of the total are several hundred
bridges ranging from small crossings
over ditches to the tremendous under
taking at Williamston costing more
than $400,000, and the Swift Island
bridge on the Raleigh-Charlotte road
near Albemarle. The Williamston
bridge will be opened for traffic with
much ceremony on Labor Day.
One of the most important links in
the Central Highway will be let this
month in Project 236, extending from
the Wake county line to Smithfield
and with the completion of that work,
it will be possible to ride from 30
miles east of Raleigh to Statesville,
165 miles to the west without leaving
a paved road. This will be one of the
longest stretches of hard surfaced
road in th ecountry. The end of next
summer will see the completion' of the
entire Central Highway from More
head City to Murphy, a distance of
606 miles.
Three links of the north-south Na
tional Highway, with a total of 34
miles will also be let including a nine
mile section of the road between Ral
eigh and Wake Forest. Original
plans were to connect Raleigh with
the Franklin county line beyond Wake
Forest in one project, but difficulties
over the elimination of grade cross
ings beyond the Neuse river have held
up that end of the work for some
time. The new road will be from Ral
eigh to the Neuse river.—News and
Observer, July 9.
Lons Life.
Wan may not be able, by taking
thought, to add cubits to his height,
but, according to a popular lecturer,
he can add aeons to his life. “Death is
a matter of psychology and mental
ity,” says this exponent of deathless
living. All that is needed to insure
everlasting life is banishment of the
fear and expectation of death. Tell
that to the lightning and the reck
less driven automobile and heart dis
ease and cannon and rifle and fam
ine and cholera and bootleg liquor
and the gallows!
The thought is evidently intended
to be comforting, but it has several
disturbing slants. Most of those who
reach the allotted limit of life are
ready to yield the ghost. Life, when
long endured, grows wearisome to the
average man. The thought of out
Melhusatehing Methusaleh would be
unbearable to many who have found
that it largely consists of bearing
the slings and arrows of outrageous
fortune. Perhaps it is well that man
can not prolong his life inordinately.
-Washington Post.
Miss Stnlma Eoyett of Ahoskie is
now visiting at the home cf Rev. and
Mrs. Fred T. Coliins.