FORD DECLARES
FAVOR COOLIDGE
Republicans Delighted; Demo
crats Satisfied With Matter
Cleared Up
Detroit, Dec. 19.—Henry Ford to
day declared he, “like a great ma
jority of the American people,”
feels that the country is “safe with
Coolidge” and that he himself would
never consider running against Mr.
Coolidge on any ticket.
“I believe it is the wise and nat
ural thing for the people to agree
on the nomination and election of
Mr. Coolidge,” Mr. Ford said. “I am
satisfied that ninety per cent of the
people feel perfectly saft with Cool
idge and I feel, too, that the country
is perfectly safe with him. And if
this is the feeling of the country,
why change?
“Mr. Coolidge has shown in these
months of service a great many
qualities that should please his coun
try men. I think they all feel that
Mr. Coolidge means to do right. And
when a man means to do right, so
far as I have observed, it is usually
quite easy for him to find the way
to do right.
“Some people seem disturbed over
the conditions which business will
face during the Presidential election
year. But there is no reason why
business should be disturbed by it.
if the people by common consent
agree they will hold to a good man
while they have him. Public senti
ment can be so formed long before
the election that there should be no
doubt about the election.
In addition to considering the in
terests of the people, we should con
sider the interests of the President
as head of the American government.
President Coolidge has a position of
the highest responsibility. He should
not feel compelled to take any of
his time or strength for any sort of
political campaigning, and for the
sake of the country as well as for his
own sake, he should not have to do
so."
Asked concerning the use of his
own name in connection with the
Presidency, Mr. Ford said:
“No man has a right to say he
(Continued in page four)
Burton Tucker and
Wife Will Remain in
Southern Pines
Southern Pines, N. C., Dec. 19.—
(By Associated Press.)—Mr. and
Mrs. Burton S. Tucker are still in
Southern Pines and they intend to re
mai nhere “until they get good and
ready to leave,” they declared here
today. Both freely discussed their
marriage and the publicity which has
been centered on them as a result
of their indictment in New Jersey
on charges of conspiracy of violate
the marriage law and perjury. Tuck
er is said to be 17 years old and Mrs.
Tucker 51.
Mr. and Mrs. Tucker earlier in the
day had been reported to have check
ed out at a hotel in which they had
been stopping since their arrival here
several days ago.
Body of Mr. Hugh
Peacock Expected
to Arrive Today
Mr- W. L. Fuller received a tele
gram Wednesday stating that the
body of Mr. Hugh Peacock, who died
in Chicago Monday afternoon, left
that city Wednesday and is expect
ed to arrive here today.
COMMUNITY TREE
CHRISTMAS DAY
Will Be Held In Court House;
About 100 Will Receive
Gifts; Good Program
Plans are about complete for
Smithfield’s second Community
Christmas tree to be held this year
in the court house. Mr. T. C. Young
heads the committee again, and with
the aid of his helpers, Messrs. E. S.
Edmundson, E. L. Woodall, and Chas.
Davis, from the Kiwanis Club, the
tree will undoubtedly be a success.
These Kiwanians have called on sev
eral ladies to give assitance, Miss
Irene Myatt, having charge of the
program, and Mrs. H. L. Skinner
and Mrs. J. J. Broadhurst constitut
ing the purchasing committee.
The tree was held last year on
the court yard square, but weather
conditions being uncertain, it was de
cided to have the tree indoors this
time. Mr. E. L. Woodall has charge
of decorating the trees, which will
be lighted with colored electric bulbs.
Everybody in the community is in
vited to the tree, but special invi
tations will be given to those who will
receive presents, and front seats will
be reserved for these. About one
hundred persons will be recipients of
gifts on this occasion. The program
which will begin at 5:30 o’clock
Christmas afternoon will be appro
priate to the occasion, and a large
crowd is expected to be present.
New Coal And Wood Yard Open
A new coal and wood yard is being
opened up here by T. S. Ragsdale, Jr.,
and company. It is located in the
southern part of town near the old
veneer plant. Look up the ad about
it in this issue.
Officers Capture Two
Copper Stills in
County This Week
Wednesday morning, December
19th, Deputy Sheriff P. L. Wood,
assisted by Federal Officer J. J. Bat
ten. captured a fifty gallon capacity
copper still with complete outfit in
the western part of the county in
Cleveland township. Several hun
dred gallons of mash were seized and
destroyed.
Yesterday morning Mr. J. L. Ellis,
ex-policeman, of Clayton, assisted by
Federal Officer J. J. Batten and Mr.
R. L. Flowers, of Benson, captured
a forty-gallon copper still and com
plete outfit two miles north of Clay
ton, in this county. Several barrels
of mash were destroyed from this
still. No arrests were made.
Wm. G. McAdoo
Formally Announces
His Candidacy
Los Angeles, Cal., Dec. 17.—Wil
liam Gibbs McAdoo formally an
nounced tonight his candidacy for
the Democratic Presidential nomina
tion in a telegram to W. W. Howes,
I Democratic State Chairman, Pierre,
S. D.
Mr. McAdoo’s formal acceptance of
, the platform adopted by the Demo
cratic proposal convention already is
in the mail an en route to Pierre.
FORD WILL CHANGE MIND
Robert B. Pointer, of Dearborn,
who organized the Ford-for-president
conference said their plans would go
on despite Mr. Ford’s decision, not
to enter the presidential race
Secretary Hughes Refuses
to Negotiate with Russians
Washington, Dec. 18.—Russian So
viet efforts to open negotiations with
the United States were rejected today
by the Washington government.
Foreign Minister Tchitcherin was in
formed by Secretary Hughes that
there could be no negotiations until
propaganda against American insti
tutions “directed from Moscow” had
been abandoned.
The communication, forwarded
through American Consul Quarton at
Reval, was made public immediately
after the regular Tuesday cabinet
meeting. It was prepared by Mr.
Hughes in reply to the proposals tele
graphed to President Coolidge by
Tchitcherin on December 16 that a
reciprocal Russian-American claims
convention be negotiated.
©fye ®fatn lEiitlc jsHocbmgs
SARA KEABLES HUNT.
The two little stockings hung side by side,
Close to the fireplace broad and wide.
“Two?” said Saint Nick, and down he came,
Loaded with toys and many a game.
“Ho! ho!” said he with a laugh of fun,
“I’ll have no cheating, my pretty one;
I know who dwells in this house, my dear;
There’s only one little girl lives here.”
So he crept up close to the chimney place,
And measured a sock with a sober face.
Just then a wee little note fell out,
And fluttered low, like a bird about;
“Aha! what's this?” said he in surprise,
As he pushed his specks up close to his eyes,
And read the address, in a child’s rough plan.
“Dear Saint Nicholas,” so it began,
“The other stocking you see on the wall
I have hung for a child named Clara Hall.
She’s a poor little girl, but very good,
So I thought perhaps you kindly would
Fill up her stockings, too, tonight,
And help to make her Christmas bright.
If you’ve not enough for both stockings there,
Please put all in Clara’s; I shall not care.”
Saint Nicholas brushed a tear from his eye,
“God bless you, darling,” he said with a sigh.
Then softly he blew through the chimney high,
A note like a bird’s when it soars on high.
When down came two of the funniest mortals
That ever were seen this side earth’s portals.
“Hurry up,” said Saint Nick, “and prepare
All a little girl wants where money is rare.”
Then, oh, what a scene there was in that room!
Away went the elves, but down from the gloom
Of the sooty old chimney comes tumbling low
A child’s whole wardrobe, from head to toe.
How Santa laughed as he gathered them in
And fastened each one to the sock with a pin!
Right to the toe he hung a blue dress.
“She’ll think it came from the sky, I guess,”
Said Saint Nicholas, smoothing the folds of blue,
And tying the hood to the stockings too.
When all the warm clothes were fastened on,
And both little socks were filled and done,
Then Santa tucked a toy here and there,
And hurried away through the frosty air,
Saying, “God pity the por, and bless the dear child
Who pities them, too, on this night so wild!”
The wind caught the words and bore them on high
Till they died away in the midnight sky,
While Saint Nicholas flew through the icy air,
Bringing “peace and good will with him every
where.”
Believes Josephus
Daniels is Bryan’s
“Dark Horse”
Washington, Dec. 18.—“The dark
horse from Dixie” who is being
groomed by William Jennings Bryan
for the Democratic Presdential nom
inational is believed to be former
Secretary of the Navy Josephus
Daniels of North Carolina. At least,
Mr. Daniels is the guess of several
usually well informed Southern Sena
tors, who argue that the former Sec
retary is about the only public man
in the South who measures up to the
Bryan standard especially in the
matter of prohibition. Of all the
bone drys in America, they declare,
none is more so than Mr. Daniels.
Besides, the former Secretary and
the Commoner have been the closest
of friends for years.
Mr. Daniels’ friends, however, be
lieve he will not become a candidate
even at the solicitation of his old
friend, Mr. Bryan. He is believed
to favor McAdoo, and if Mr. Daniels
entered the race it might embarrass
Mr. McAdoo and probably lose him
some Southern delegates. North
Carolina is one of the Southern statee
claimed by the McAdoo machine.
NO MERRY CHRISTMAS
AT JONES COUNTY JAIL
Kinston, Dec. 19.—There will be no
merry Christmas at the Jones coun
ty jail. That diminutive bastile at
Trenton “is on the blink,” according
to Joseph Westbrook, the sheriff.
“Unless somebody gets in before
Santa Claus comes, it is going to be
about as cheerful as a mausoleum in
a grove of weeping willows,” West
brook stated today. “There isn’t a
soul in the jail.”
Mellon Says Trade
Outlook Indicates
a Steady Revival
Washington, Dec. 17.—Secretary
Mellon expressed the opinion today,
when asked about the industrial and
business outlook, that recent deveop
ments apparently have given support
to the statement made 'n h:s annual
report that “the factors which lave
been most influential in the revival
that has taken place are likly to re
main effective, at least in a con
siderable degree.”
It was pointed out by Secretary
Mellon that there is always a period
of comparative dullness after the
Christmas holidays when activities in
mills and many factories are cut
down and inventories of stock taken
This slackening will be again experi
enced early in 1924, but he was satis
fied that there would be a quick re
vival.
COOPS SELL 1922 LONG
STAPLE COTTON CROP
Raleigh, Dec. 20.—The North Caro
lina Cotton Growers’ Cooperative As
sociation has finally sold its stock
of long staple cotton of the 1922 crop
and just as soon as the accounting de
partment can make up the statements
a final settlement for this cotton will
be made with every member who de
livered long staple cotton last season.
Approximately 10,000 bales of long
staple was handled nad much of it
was of low grade staple making the
sale of this grade very slow. Final
settlement was made on short staple
cotton of the 1922 crop some time ago
W. D. AVERA FARM
SOLD GOOD PRICE
L. G. Patterson Purchases The
Home Place; R. R. Barbour
Wins Automobile
The biggest crowd ever known to
attend a land sale in this section was
present at the W. D. Avera farm near
town yesterday when 909 acres of
unusually good farm land was dis
posed of at a total price of $85,016.82
Fully two thousand people, according
to an estimate of one present, follow
ed the brass band and auctioneers
as they moved from tract to tract.
Nor did the crowd disperse until ev
ery one of the twnety-eight plats
were sold, after which a Ford tour
ing car was given away to the one
whose name was drawn. Mr. R. R.
Barbour, who has been livnig on
Mr. Avera’s farm, was the lucky
person receiving the car.
This farm, which had been sub
divided by the Union Auction Com
pany, is located near Smithfield, and
every farm fronts on a highway,
which facts no doubt were factors
in making the good sales which were
consummated. The land ranged in
price from $30 to $176 per acre.
About 500 acres are cleared and
there are tenant houses upon fifteen
of the tracts. The home place, which
is a modern country home in every
respect, equipped with water and
lights, was purchased by Mr. L. G.
Patterson of this city. Other pur
chasers wefe Albert Johnson, C. F.
Johnson, G. R. Southerland, R. H.
Higgins. Mrs. M. H. Barbour, John
L. Johnson, J. W. Gay, R. C. Gil
lett, J. M. Ogburn, F. H. Brooks,
and W. H. Austin, and William G.
Sanders, colored.
The music for the day was furn
ished by a brass band from Fort
Bragg. ,
King George Departs
From Greece and
the Tumult Dies
Athens, Dec. 19.—(By Associateed
Press.)—King George, in accordance
with his note to the government that
he would comply with its request to
leave Greece, departed from the royal
landing stage at Piraeusth in a naval
launch to the Daphne, which will car
ry him and his party to Rumania.
The launch was in midstream when
the harbor forts fired a royal salute.
The King was accompanied by Queen
Elizabeth and a guard of picked ma
rines. Only a small group of friends
witnessed the departure of the mon
arch.
The "official gazette” publishes a
decree appointing Admiral Coun
dourits, regent. He will take the
oath before the cabinet tomorrow.
Rice Growers Pay
$100 Fines For
Attack on Editor
Stuttgart, Ark-, Dec. 19.—Pleading
guilty to rioting and malicious mis
chief, 11 rice growers who were in
dicted in connection with the attack
recently upon the plant of the Free
Press, local weekly newspaper during
which the editors of the paper, R. A.
Berry and T. F. Lawson were beaten,
paid fines of $100 each in circuit
court today.
_
BRITTON KAYOES KAPLAN
New, York, Dec. 18.—Jack Britton
former welterweight boxing champ
ion, decisively outpointed Phil Kap
lan of New York in a ten-round
bout tonight.
LEON HILL FOUND
GUILTY BY JURY
Seduction Case Consumes Week
In Court; Splendid Array
Of Counsel
The entire week in the Criminal
term of Superior Court, up to late
yesterday afternoon, was taken up
with trying the case of the State vs.
Leon Hill charged with seduction un
der promise of marriage, Miss Mary
Foster of Smithfield township being
the prosecuting witness. Monday
morning was spent in getting a jury
Monday afternoon, Miss Foster was
put on the stand and it took all aft
ternoon to hear her testimony. Tues
day morning Miss Foster was called
on redirect examination, and was on
the stand for about an hour and a
half longer. After her evidence, a
bout a dozen witnesses for the state
including a number of character wit
nesses were put on the stand, the
chief witnesses being Dr J. B. Preston
Dr. George D. Vick and Mrs. Annie
Barefoot, sister of the prosecuting
witness.
The defense then heard the testi
mony of Leon Hill, the defendant, it
taking about two hours for his evi
dence. Other witnesses for the de
fense were Dr. I. W. Mayerberg, of
Selma, Miss Sadie Pate, of Wayne
County, who taguht school with the
prosecuting witness last year, Mrs.
Coor, of Wayne, with whom these
teachers boarded while they were
teaching, and James Hill, a cousin
of the defendant. By 2:20 o’clock
Wednesday afternoon, all the evi
dence was in, and the splendid array
of counsel began to argue the case
Mr. S. S- Holt opened for the prose
cution, other lawyers making speech
es 'Wednesday afternoon included
Messrs. F. H. Brooks and James
Raynor for the prosecution, and Mr
L. G. Stevens for the defense. Thurs
day morning Mr. E- S. Abell plead
for the defense, and Solicitor C. L.
Williams for the state closed the ar
gument. Judge Daniels then deliver
ed his charge to the jury, after which
the jury returned and after being
out about twenty minutes came back
to the court room with a verdict of
guilty. At this writing no sentence
has been passed.
Wilson Leaf Market
Sets World Record
for Tobacco Sales
Wilson, Dec. 19.—The Wilson to
bacco market today surpassed the
I world’s record for seasonal tobacco
sales which was established in 1920,
when 62,242,066 pounds of the week
were sold from the floors of local
warehouses, the sales today, the last
before the Christmas holiday bring
ing the total thus far from the sea
son to 62,387,024 pounds. Tobacco
nists predict sales of over 70,000,000
pounds for the entire season, which
does not close until about the middle
of February.
Gypsies in Six Cars
Arrested at Raeford
on Larceny Charge
Raeford, Dec. 19—Six automobile
loads of Gypsies en route to northern
1 parts of the state, were arrested here
i after advices from towns south that
; some were wanted for stealing large
j sums of money from two or three
different persons along their jour
i
ney.
j The entire outfit was placed under
$300 bond for appearance at Record
er’s Court.
Ways and Means Committee
Denies Bonus Right of way
Washington, Dec. 19—Soldiers
bonus legislation received a setback
today with the refusal of the house
ways and means committee to give
it right of way over administrative
provisions of the treasury’s tar bill. !
The committee declined, howe\fer,'
1 to sidetrack it until a decision is
' reached as to what changes should
be made in tax rates.
The bonus was given another jolt
by Secretary Mellon who declared in
a letter to Representative Andrew,
republican, Mass., that if the com
pensation measure vetoed by Presi
dent Harding were enacted the di
rect cost would total $5,402,562,444,
and would average $225,000,000 for
the first four years.