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BETH CITY, NORTH CAROLINA. FRIDAY MORNING, AUG. 3. 1923. EIGHT PAGES. NO. 178.
VOL. XIII. ........ v-- vug*:
X -
Dies of Stroke j
Of Apoplexy
End Came In Early Evening Without Warn
ing With Nobody But Mrs. Harding And
Nurses At His Bedside
(By The Associated Press.)
Presidential Headquarters, San Francisco, August 2.?
The President is dead.
Warren G. Harding died at 7:15 tonight (10:37 Eastern
Ihrof, without a moment's warning, of apoplexy, which
struck him down in his weakened condition, after an illness
of exactly a week.
The Chief Executive of the nation, and hy virtue of his
office a personality, and one of the world's leaders, he
passed at the prime of life when his physicians, his wife
and family, and the people of the United States thought
that medical skill, hope, and prayer liud won the hatilo
against disease.
The disease hhd heen conquereil. The fire was out. But
seven days of silent though great suffering hud left their
marks, and the stroke of apoplexy canic without an in
stant's warning and before physicians could he called, mem
bers of his party summoned or warned, or remedial meas
ures taken.
He passed from life's stage after having for nearly two
and a half years served the nation, and for many more
years his native state, Ohio.
A third official statement issued at 8:45 announced that
Vice President Calvin (>K?lidgc, the next man who occupies
the first position of the land, had been notified of the Pres
ident's death.
With the passing of Mr. Harding, the office of President
devolves upon Calvin Coulidge, Vice President of the United
States, a man retiring hi nature, hut demonstrated as string
in emergencies. He wus notified of the death of Mr. Hard
ing at his home at Plymouth, Vermont.
The suddenness with which the end. came is shown in
the fact tliat only Mrs. Harding and two nurses were in the
room at the time. Mrs. Harding, with her characteristic
faithfulness and constant tenderness was reading to the
President.
Then without a moment's warning, a slight shudder
passed through the President's frame. He collapsed, and
the end came. Immediately when the indications of dis
tress showed itself, Mrs. Harding ran to the door and called
for Lieut. Commander Boone and the other physicians who
v came quickly. The hour was 7:15 Pacific time, which is
tfri37 Eastern time.
Warren G. Harding brought to the.
Prealdency an* Infinite patience and
kindness in dealing with public ques
tions and men, which enabled him to
handle the problem* of government j
without the stress and worry which !
had handicapped many of hla pre
decessors.
Whatever elae historian* may say
of hint there probably will be little
diHpute that few chief executive*
came to office In peace time faring
problem* more complex in their na
ture or greater In number. All |n-,
t< rnatlonal affalra were unbalanced
a* never before, with many principal
settlement* of the Great War still to
b< effectuated. At home the work of
reconstruction had only Just begun,j
.r ith bu*lne?* depressed, agriculture
prostrate and uretnploymenc general.
How Mr. Harding measured up to j
the task before him mu*t be left to
tli< historian, but his friends *ald
that coming to the Presidency a* he |
did with an open mind, a de*lrp for
counsel and an Intimate knowledge 1
of the processes of government ac- j
quired In his services In the genste.
he wa* the type of man needed for
the Job at such a time.
Preaching upon every occasion the
doctrine of Americanism, he set hla
face resolutely against "Kntangflng!
Alliances." While thus adhering to [
what he was pleased to t*rm the;
principles of the founding fathers, he'
nevertheless lent the moral assist
ance of the government In the effortsj
to bind up the wounds of the world. |
That Influence was once declared
by him to be not Inconsiderable, and1
*o America under his guidance had
a part, silent though It was In the
main, In effecting the settlements of
many vexing world questions. Its,
chief contribution was the Washing-:
ton Arms Conference at which the
principal powers covenanted to limit
the site of their navies and thus lift
from tax weary peoples the burden
of maintaining the race for naval su
premacy.
Along with the proffer of counsel
In effecting world settlements went
an Inslstsnce that American rig'its
i. recognised. In poliwhod pbrtn,
but with a directness of expression
that was not to be misconstrued, the
world was given to understand from
the very, flrjt of the Harding Admin
istration that the Tnlted States, free
ly respecting the rights of the other
nation*, asked for herself only that
to which she was entitled In simple
Justice, and that she could accept
nothing less
While In his dealings with Con*
gress Mr. Harding preferred the role
of counsellor rather than dictator,
he speedily removed any doubt that
hla gift of patience denoted any lack
of purpoae one elie had charted a
course. Thus he kold Congress thatl
soldiers' bonus (legislation either
should carry the means of financing
or be postponed. And when the legis
lators put astfp his advice he
promptly vetoed/the bill they aenti
him. I
His tenacity Lt purpose was fur-;
th?r exempllflfl In hJa continual1
pounding t?jf #?nomy In py>llc >*-,
penditures and again In his insist
ence that Congress pass the merch
ant marine aid hill with a view to
curtailing the continual drain which
the operation of the war-built com
mercial fleet had become upon the
Treasury. His greatest single effort
In the field of domestic legislation
was in behalf of this measure.
? Not infrequently Mr. Harding was
called upon to play the role of peace
maker In governmental affairs. He
intervened in a dispute between Con
gress and the Treasury a* to the form
general tax revision was to take, and
the program he approved was car
ried out in the main with a reduc
tion of more than half a billion in
the nation's tax burden.
Likewise, his counsel settled the
[ long controversy between the House
;and Senate on the question of Amer
ican valuation in the tarifT law. He
proposed An its place a flexible tariff
arrangement under which the TarifT
> Commission was given authority
with his approval to increase or low
!er rates within prescribed limita
tions. lTpon signing the bill, the
President declared It constituted the
greatest tariff reform In American
history. ? ?
Mr. Harding came of hardy plon
|eer stock. He was born at Bloom
ing C.rove, Morrow Countv, Ohio.
,November 2. 1RG5, the son of a coun
try doctor. Oieorge T. Harding. Like
rroost country boys ho went to coun
! try school between morning and
night chores and^latcr attended col
| lege at neria, Ohio. He tried school
(teaching for a year, but having had
a smell of printers' ink while stick
ing type for .his college paper, the
lure drew him into the newspaper
flcld.
His family meantime had moved to
I Marion, in an adjoining county,
where he obtained his flrst newspa
per Job. and where his life Interests
J were centered thereafter. Mr. Hard
ing's ambition was to bcome a pub
lisher, and it was realized at the age
jof 19 when he bid in the Marion Star
at a sheriff's sale. The paper was
I purchased under a heavy mortgage
land his friends have often said that
;the struggles and hardships which
were his in making this paper a suc
cess had much to do in fashioning
his characterm'nd developing a broad
! patience and tolerance which were
his chief characteristics.
Whatever his other attainments.
Mr. Harding's greatest pride was In
his professional accomplishments
and training as printer, editor and
1 publisher. Nor did the Interests and
exacting duties of his high ofTice
I serve to dull his delight In potter
ing about a composing room. On his
first trip back home after his Inaug
uration. he went to the Star office,
pulled ofT his coat, rolled up his
nleeves^borrowed a chew of tobacco
and helped, "make up" the paper. His
luck charm was a printer's rule, car
ried always In a vest pocket.
As his ambition had carried him
I Into the ranks of publishers, so his
fancy took him Into the realm of pol
itics. From the first he was an ar
dent partisan, and his Insistence up
on wearing a "stove pipe" hat. the
I badge of support of James O. Illalne.
while a reporter on a Democratic
newspaper brought him a sharp rep
rimand from his chief, who held it
to be Inconsistent for a worker on a
Democratic paper to so prominently
display the symbol of his Republi
canism.
The future President's ability as a
stump speaker won him early recog
nition from his local party leaders.
Marlon County then was In the Dem
ocratic column and he undertook to
switch It to the Republican partv,
but his flrst effort at office on his
party ticket resulted In a defeat,
though he commanded an unexpected
vote.
Mr. Harding's first political ofTice
was that of Ohio State Senator, to
which he was elected at the age of
34. He served two terms and later
was elected Lieutenant Governor of
his state. In 1910 he sought the
governorship. buMWas defeated. Four
years later he was elected to the
I'nlted States Senate, where he
served six years, much of the time
as a member of the Important For
eign Relations Committee. From this
place he was eleVated to the Presi
dency, the flrst Senator to be elected
Chief Executive.
Early In hla jtearf'or political ser
vice he mot WWllam McKlnley, to
whom his eloae friend* hare moat of
ten likened him, and with whom he
had in common a predominant pas
sion for obliteration of class and sec
tional line*. A friendship sprang up
between the two hien. Mr. Harding
?Iso was close in later days to Theo
dore Roosertlt, Senators Foraker
gjt ?- m.-. . . v .5
SNAPSHOT OF PRESIDENT HARDING
ON RECENT ALASKAN TRIP
Four specialists wore railed to the President'* bedside in San
Francisco just after his arrival from his Alaskan and Canadian
trip. His illness b?'gan with ptomaine poisoning on the IT. S. S
H?-nderson from eating crabs, but was not considered serious, un
? til a relapse followed, and later bronchial pneumonia set in.
Defense Begins To
Call Its Witnesses
(By The AHH<K>lnte<l Prrm)
Cumberland Courthouse, Auk. 2.
?The prosecution In th*1 trial of
Larkln Garrett, charged with murder
of Rev. Edward Sylvester Pierre,
rested shortly before noon, and the
defense began Immediately to call its
witnesses.
J. M. Sheppard. the principal wit
ness at the morning session, said
that he saw I^arkin Are a shot in the
light in front of the Baptist parson
age and "Next I saw Robert Clarrett
put the pistol practically in the,
;breast of Mr. Pierce and fire. I saw
Robert Are again and again Into the
body of Pierce."
He- told of a meeting four years
ago at which he said David Stewart
I proposed that Robert Garret be
] killed.
Allen Chandler, who was shot
I from ambush on May 3, testified
[that Pierce viriited him In a Rlch
, inond hospital and told him that the
man who shot him "pulled the
wrong trigger, that he had number
four shot In one barrel and bird shot
In the other and that the number
four shot were intended for Robert
?Garrett and the blrdshot for me if
I interfered."
Chandler was the second defense
; witness.
and Penrose and others high In his
: party counsels.
The President was a life-long Rap
jtlst and was a trustee of his home
i church In Marion. He also had been
a member of the Elk and Moose fra
ternities for years. and after his elec
tion as President he became a thirty
second degree Mason and a Shriner.
Golf was his favorite recreation,
but he also liked to fish, although
his opportunities for that sport were
limited after he came to the White
House. He played hard and pos
sessed the faculty of putting all his
worries behind him during his recre
ation hours.
Calvin Coolidge, although by pro
fession a lawyer, entered the public
nervlce almost immediately upon
leaving college.
First elected * .member of the c4iy
council of Northhampton, Mass., the
city which had been his home since
he became a voter, he progressed
Fteadlly upward through the offlrjw
of city solicitor, mayor, membership
in the House of Reprcn ntutives and
of the Senate of Ma?*achus9fU, serv
ing as president of tha latter bodv,
and then aa lieutenaa: governor un
til elected Governor and In IPSO
Vice-President of the United States.
In the more than 20 years he gave
to these duties his time was almost
i xcluslvely devoted to the problems
of public affairs. Only incidentally
?I d he turn to th?? law, although
always maintained an office with an
associate at Northhampton.
He was born In the village of Ply
mouth. Vt . On July 4, 1872 of Purl
itan ancestors who came to this toun
;try and settftd In Watertown, Mass.,
in 1630.
He left the farm In 189*1 for Am
herat College and graduated with
honors in 1896. Immediately upon
leaving college he went to North
nmpton to atudy lew and Anally set -
tied there.
I It was Mr. Cooltdge'a common
?ease, hta insight Into leflahlttv# tec-1
KXC.UKSION ON KIVEK
I FOK FIKST METHODIST
The FtnitMcthodiit Sunday school
. hfl" planmy a l>lu day for Friday,
j August 3rd. The Steamer Annie L.
I Vansclver has been chartered to take
mcmbera of the Sunday Bchool and
'their friends for a combined basket
picnic and boat excursion.
Those going will meet at the foot
of Main street Instead of at the
church as was first planned. 'fhe
steamer leaves at 2 p. m. for the pic
nic grounds at Shantilla Reach, land
1 Ing at the wharf where there will be
no danger for small children.
(lames and amusements have been
arranged for children, for young
people and for adults, including
bathing. After supper the crowd
will leave the beach about 0:30 for
a two hours' ride on the river, ar
riving at Elizabeth City" about 8:30.
xkw tiu'kt m n.m\<; has
liAIU.KST HANKING ROOM
i Cleveland. August 2.?The f'nlon
Trust building, Cleveland's largest,
; Is nenrini* completion at the corner
of Euclid Avenue and* Ksst 0th
'streot, In the heart of the downtown
district. The structure technically Is
23 stories high and Is believed to
have the largest banking room In the
world.
Marble columns rise to the full
five-r-tory. height of the main bank
ing room, which Is "L" shaped, giv
ing the savings department and com
mercial departments each a wing.
Around the room are two balconies,
l>ned with office rooms. The savings
room Is long enough for a 100-yard
dash.
Four and one-hnlf floors of thej
building will be occupied by the.
bank. Deslde the offices there will be
:? cafeteria and kitchen, a complete]
hospital with private rooms and two
' ards, rest rooms for employes and j
v veral private dining and luncheon >
r winfi for conference-dinners.
t'cs and his mentality which first st-j
11 acted to him the attention of po
1 tirnl leaders. The late Senator i
W, Murray Crane, who was a real- j
d >nt of Coolidge'* congressional <1 Is- ?
t 'let, was among the first to note
tliese qualities, and he resolved to
i Mllze the first opportunity to pro
J rt Mr. Coolidge Into the national
I olltlcal arena.
Ily hard work and stesdy progress
.Mr. Coolidge eontlnued his rise un
til he could >be considered for high i
rfflce and then It was that Senator
t'rane and other lenders exerted
their powers to have him nominated
for Lieutenant-Governorship. He
was elected In the first campaign
won by the Republicans in Massa
chusetts for several years, due to fhe
Progressive party split. There
after It was but logical for him to;
succeed to the governorship, an of
fice which he held for two terms and
which he left for the vice presidency.
Th* dramatic events of the Ilos
ton police strike, in which the gov
ernor took a firm and unyielding
stand for law and order, focussed
upon him in 1919 national attention
and made of him almost overnight
a national figure. Por a while he
was talked of prominently as a
Presidential possibility.
As Vlee-Presldfnt he became e#
regular attendant at the President's
cabinet meetings, a custom estab
lished for the first time In hla case.
| ( Mr. Coolidge msrrled Miss Grace
Goodhue, whom he first met In
.Northampton as a teacher, In 1905,
'and they have two sons.
RACE PROGRAMS
ARE NOW READY
Twenty-five Hundred Dol
lurx Offered in l'ur?eg (or
Alhemurle Dirtrirt-^ Fair
Races?Many Enlrie*
Kn tries for the home races at the
Albemarle District Fair clone on Oc
tober 2. Race programs were Issued
on Thursday by Secretary Duck
worth Glover.
All rnc?'H will be mile heats and
the races will be run on the three
h?iat plan. One-thirty Is the hour set
for the races to start on each of the
four days of the Fair.
Over $2,500 have been offered In
purses and with programs iHready
out. It Is expected that there will be
a larger number of entries than at
any previous fair held here.
Following Is the program for each
day's races:
? Tuesday, Oct. 9th
2:30 trot and pace?$150.00.
I This is a district race for horses
;owned in the Albemarle fair district
GO days prior to date of race.
2:15 pace?$300.00.
2:20 trot ? $300.00.
Wednesday. Oct. 10th
2:14 trot?$300.00.
2:10 pace?$300.00.
Thursday, Oct. 11th
' 2:17 trot?$300.00.
2:24 pare?$300.00.
Friday, Oct. 12th
Free-for-all !rot and pace?$300.
| 2:24 trot?$300.00.
TWO MEN ARRESTED
FOII EMBEZZLEMENT
i Harrlsburc, Pa., August 2. -7- A
|shortage of $78,500 In the accounts
of the Bethlehem Trust Company at
IBethlehem has been discovered and
Elmer Henner andttoward Rehrlg.
lasHlstant treasurer, "who confessed to
speculation, have been arrested, Het
rlg Cameron, secretary of the bank
jannounced today.
1 BANDITS STEAL FIVE
TRUCK lyOADS BEER
New York. August 2.?Two auto
mobile loads of bandits flourishing
revolvers today stole Ave trucks con
taining 350 kegs of legal beer at
Concord, Statcn Island, and escaped
to Manhattan with two trucks after
abandoning the others.
IIASTY CONCLUSION MA)SRH
FAT PKK TO PAHIH DOCTOR
Paris, August 2.?A Paris surgeon
Is felling a good story against hlm^
| self. He was called In to operate on
,an American woman for appendici
tis, and when the cure was complete
j the pntlent. seeking to show her ?ra
Itlfude In some way that was not too
icoihmon place, embroidered a cigar
case and took it to the surgeon.
Cnfortunstely the surgeon had1
lust had a run of patients who had
paid for his services by presents of
little intrinsic value, so he could not
help saying', "No, really, Madame,
take away such rubbish; a thousand
franc note would be much more ac
ceptable."
"All right," said tho American
woman, and opening the cigar case
she drew a thousand franc bill from
It. laid It on the table, and said cooly,
"There were five others like It in
the case."
IW(I Prrcinun Stones
In Building ?>f Huinrt
N?>w York, AuRunt i.?In Arlmnn
Can Htlll bo noon remain* of build
ings prwt^diby the i?ar1y American
Indiana, built nut of stone containing
opal, agate and chalcedony. These
stones were taken from the petrified
forests In the neighborhood of Ad
ainana. Arizona.
Prehistoric builder* never uncd
more beautiful stone* for their hab
itations than the trunks of those
trees which flourished apes before
man appeared on the earth, says C.
F. Talman in The Mentor for Aug
ust.
HKI'U)HE FAILIJHE IN
HANDLING LYNCHING
Ashevflle, August 2.-- Resolutions
deploring what Is termed the failure
of state governments to handle prop
erly the lynching problem were
unanimously adopted here today by
the Commission on Inter-Haclftl Co
operation.
<*OTTO* MAICKKT
New York, Aug. 2.?Spot cotton,
closed quiet. Middling 23.50, a de
rllne of lfi points. Futures, closed at
the following levels: Oct. 22.25, Dec.
22.12, Jan. 21.99. March 22 05. Maf
?22.00.
Now York, August 2.?Cotton fu
tures opened here todaf at ths fol
lowing leevls: October 22.48, De
cember 22.44, January 12.30, March
>22.30, May 22.30.