North Carolina Newspapers

m ui in it j n jl mm r-w riw ij is s ri in ri i Will' Year, la AdwK. "FOR OOD, FOR COUNTRY AND FOR TRUTH." VOL. XX. PLYMOUTH, N, C. FRIDAY. SEPTEMBER 3, 1909. r X- Escaped Negro Kills One and Wounds Four Pursuers Lynching and f: Burning Follows. Soperton, Ga., Special. Two no groes lynched and a posse in pursuit of the wife of one of the victims ; the killing of a prominent planter, a member of the posse; the probable fatal injury of the sheriff of Mont gomery county and the wounding of four other members of the posse summarizes the result of one of the most exciting man-hunts this section has ever known. ' Ben Clark, an escaped convict from the Bibb county chaingang, was shot to death after a fierce battle early Friday morning and his body burned. The negro threatened to kill Nicho las Adams, a merchant, of Kibbe, "and a hundred others." John Sweeny, who horbored the ex-convict, was taken from a pas senger train a mile from Tarrytown Friday night and lynched., The posse then set out in search of Sweeney's wife, who, it is said, was in the neighborhood. Intense ex citement prevails thrughout this section. PEONAGE CHARGES AGAINST STEEL CAR. COMPANY. Pittsburg, Special. The first tes timony offered in the federal govern ment investigation into the charges of peonage against officials of the Pressed Steel Car company in Scho enville, whose 3,500 employes are on strike, in which, it was alleged, force was used to compel imported work ingmen to work, developed late' Thursday. The Pressed Steel Car company's attorney attempted to hold the man who testified that h. was made to work against his will, but this was preventer by the Austro Hugarian consul attorney and the as sistant federal district attorney. All testimony was taken Thursday in the form of affidavits. From the first dozen witnesses called, little in formation upon which to base peon age charges was elicited, the wit nesses for the greater part declaring that their food had been bad and their treatment rough, but citing no definite persons as being responsible. Alexander Friedman, a Hungar ian of New York, was the witness who made the sensational charges of the dav. He said he was brought here 15 davs auro with 100 other men from New York pk! alleges they were brought tinder false impressions. He said the workmen were givetj to un derstand there was no strike at the works of the Pressed Steel Car com pany. He said he wns in the plant before he learned of the strike. Freid- ENGLISH AVIATOR. BREAKS Rheims, By Cable Henry Farman, the English aviator, a hitherto un known quantity in the aviation con tests, in a biplane of his own design, broke t he world's record " duration of flight and distance in a heavier-than-air machine Friday and won the grand prix de la Champagne the en durance test by a remarkable flight officially recorded as 180 kilometres (111.78 miles), in 3 hours, 4 minutes, 56 2-5 seconds. He actually covered an extra ten kilometres and remained in the air ten minutes after 7:30 o'clock in the afternoon, the hour that the time keepers, under the rules, ceased to keep a rcord "of the flight. Although Farman 's brilliant record as an aeroplanist should have warned GULF STORM DOES DAMAGE Brownsville, Tex., Special. After spending the night at the quarantine station at Tarpon beach, refugees brought to the mainland Friday by the life-saving crew from Brazos de Santiago, tell of damage to the Pedo and Brazos islands as a result of the gulf storm, which swept inland Thursday night. At Tarpon beach COLORED KNIGHTS AVERT Kansas City, Mo., Special. Swing ing their swords above the heads of the belligerents" and declaring that unless the trouble ceased they would use them, a .company of negro Knights of Pythias Friday prevent ed what promised to be a race riot during a parade of the Supreme Lodge of the Knights of Pythias. The trouble began when W. S. Jar boe, a laundryman, accompanied by his wife, wrove 'through the parade of 5,000 negro Knights, at Twelfth and Central streets. Several negroes James Durden, a prominent planter and member of the possee which captured Clark, was shot and in stantly killed. The other members of the posse who were shot by Clark were: Shariff James Lester, Walter Simmons and three others unknown. The officer received an ugly wound in the breast. The posse found Clark by going into Sweeny's' house. Sweeny's wife was at home, but Sweeny was absent. The sheriff called on Clark to sur render. For answer he ree"ived a 44-calibre bullet fired from a rapid fire gun. Durden was shot and other mem bers of the posse fell before the torrent of lead dealt by the negro, lie continued to fire until his ammu nition was exhausted. lie was then overpowered and his body riddled with bullets. He wore a steel breast plate that turned Winchester bullets. A pile of logs was covered with crude turpentine and the body cremated. Sweeny was caught near here Fri day afternoon. He was carried aboard a northbound train to ' a se cluded yood near Tarrytown, where his body was riddled with bullets after being swung to a sapling. man alleged that the car company picked out the strongest looking im ported workingmen and made guards of them. He testified these guards handled . the men in a rough manner. Friedman stated that he had n at work in the plant a few days when he was asked if he did not ' want to make some overtime money, and when he replied affirmatively, he wa- taken to the kitchen and told to work there. ' Friedman said he refused. After so doing, he stated, he was roughly handled by the workingmen guards. Friedman said the workmen guards then took him before company offi cials and asserted the officials said they should compel him to work in the kitchen. This they succeeded in doing, according to the witness, who was also told that his pay for the hours ' enforced work would be his supper. Freidman did not claim .e had been forced to stay inside of the car plant, but stated he could point out men who had i been compelled to re main at work against their wills. United States District Attorney Jordan refused to comment on the disclosures, but it . - now sp.id by those in a position toiknow that suit in peonage charges will more than likely be filed against minor officials of the car plant within the next ten days. THE RECORD AT RHEIMS the sharps that he was a dangerous competitor, his victory was a com plete surprise. He had been prepar ing his machine secretly and had not appeared upon the field until Fridav except for a fe practice flights, and had been almost forgotten. Indeed, after he started about 4:30 p. m., keeping close to the ground, while Lenham and others were soar ing in Spectacular fashion high in the air;' Farman attracted no atten tion unt.r he had flown 80 kilometres. Then- suddenly the watchers woke up and began to make inquiries, only to discover that he had gone out carry ing petrol enough for a 5-hour flight, and equipped with a self-cooling re volving motor built by the Gnome Company after bis own design. ; PEOPLE BARELY ESCAPE every building except the lighthourse and quarantine station were either damaged or destroyed But, so far as ascertainable, no lives were lost. The greater damage, it is stated, was the result of the high waves, the wind not attaining a violent velocity. Fur niture and wreckage of buildings washed ashore at Point Isabel, Fri day, three miles across the bay. RIOT WITH DRAWN SWORDS not in the line of march, seized the bridle of the horse. ''You can't pass here," they shouted. Mrs. Jar boe seized a whip and struck at the men. Instantly a hundrod excited negroes crowded about the wagon. One wrested the whip from the wo man, striking her a number of times and inflicting painful bruises. Many white men rushed to the aid of the laundrytnan. A riot call was sent to the police headquarters, but before the police arrived, the armed Knights had restored order. 1,200 MDRQWID Great Loss of Life By Flood in Mexico. MEXICAN RIVER ON A RAMPAGE Deluge of Eain, Descending Fcr Forty-Eight Hours, Causes Overflow of the Santa Catarina River, and Pos sibly Three Hundred Lives Are Sacrificed, Monterey, Mexico, Special Twelve hundred persons drowned, 15,000 homeless and property damage to the extent of $12,000,000, is the result of a flood which struck this city between 1 and 2 o'clock Saturday morning. . Word from Laredo, Texas, reached this city late in, the afternoon of ono of the most disastrous floods that has eTer been experienced in northern Mexico caused by the overflow of the Santa Catarina river. According tb rumors there has been great loss of life, estimated at 100 to 300, and the financial damage is estimated at any where from $1,000,000 to $2,000,000. For the past 96 hours a varitable de luge of -rain fell, which together with the flow of water from the adjacent' . A i 1 1 f i SI i luuumains mio me oania aranna river, so swelled the stream that it reached a width of a mile and a half and completely overflowed certain portions of the city of Monterey, and wrecking houses, and causing loss of life as it rampaged on its mad course. Reports state that the current in the river was so swift that it appeared to the stricken families who lived in the vicinity to be a miniature Niagara. L- Information reaching here through reliable sources states that so severe was the flood that the inhabitants m the vicinity of the flooded stream barely had time to flee for their lives; that the onrush of waters carried away their homes and 'lattles and in many cases drowned the occupants the Jaeales or small huts used by the natives. It is said that a chaotic con dition exists and that the plazas are crowded with the poor homeless na tives who were providentially allowed to escape with their lives. Saturday night every effort was made bv the kind-hearted citizens to shelter the women and chiljren. Their homes were thrown open to the suf ferers; the police station, many of the hotels and private clubs as well as the rooms of several organizations were placed at the disposition of the authorities and for the greater part the women and children were cared for. However, many of the men were compelled to sleep in the open in the various plazas. Many women had been separated from their husbands, mothers from their children, without knowledge of the whereabouts of one another, and scenes of the most pro found grief are witnessed on all hands. While as yet there is no scarcity of food and the citv is amply able to care for its destitute, there is fear of a shortagle in the near future. There have been several washouts along the line of the National Rail way between Laredo and Saltillo, Mex., and not a train has entered the city of Monterery for the past 72 hours. There has thus far been no attempt t-o inter the dead. They are being placed along the banks of the river, where an impoverished morgue has been constructed, and here await identification. The bodies are guard ed by soldiers. Automobile Party Killed. St. Louis, Special. Five persons were killed Sunday when an automo bile in which they were riding was struck by a fast passenger train of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway west of Vigues station, St. Louis county. All were residents of St. Louis. The dead: Theodore F. Witte, Theodore F. Witte, Jr., aged 3 years, Krs. Carl Klinge, Miss Hal cyon Campbell, Frederick O. Witte. The men were brothers and officials of the Witte Hardware Company. Mrs. Klinge was their sister-in-law. The party had been at Creve Coeur lake, a resort 12 miles west of the city and were speeding homeward when killed. Dynamite Explosion Fatal. Key West, Fla., Special As a re sult of the explosion of 700 pounds of dynamite at Bccachicn, 12 mile? from Key West on the Florida East Coast Railway, ten men are dead and ten ethers pntaVly fatally wounded. The cxplcsion was caused by a mem ber o fthc railroad construction force carehssly throwhc: a lighted cigar ette into a box cf fu?es. Nino of the workmen met in?.fp:it death and the tenth died while being brought to th houpiial hrre. The men were hurled high into the sir and the bodies of the dead wtro almost beyond ro-cogni-tion. MEXICO'SMUMITY Number of Dead May Reach 2,000 800 Are FoundRiver Subsided and Desolation Visible Relief For the Suffereing Diaz Sends $30,000. Laredo, Tex., Special! While con ditions are gradually being brought back to normal, it will be many days before Monterey will resume its wonted tranquility. The various organized relief corps are busy and committees and sub committees are engaged in seeing to the various details of rescue and re lief work. Committees are endeav oring to secure identification of the lead bodies, while other committees ire charged with the onerous duty pf seeing to the sheltering and feed ing of the thousands of uncomplain ing homeless, who wander distracted about the scenes of the flood, hoping against hope that they may be able :o encounter missing loved ones or it least recover their bodies and give tbem Christian burials. Too much cannot be said in com mendation of the authorities for the prompt steps they have taken to overcome the- chaotic conditions that ?xisted for fully two days. It is necessarily almost impossible -.o accurately state -the number of lead at this time. Thus far it is accurately known that slightly over eight hundred bodies have been re covered. Of this number about 30 per cent have been identified and ivere interred during the morning and late afternoon. The others will be interred by the city authorities if apt identified soon. Press reports have estimated the loss of life at anywhere from 400 to 1,2000 lives, but private individuals venture figures even more astounding. A. prominent capitalist in Monterey, Pedro Trevino, says the death roll will1 eventually reach 2,000. There are several little pueblocitos, )r small villages, containing from 50 :o 100 inhabitants, located along the oanks of the river to the south of Monterey and it is reported that :hese have been completely" wiped out ind the inhabitants drowned. It is on this ground that Mr. Tre vino places his estimate of the loss of life at a higher figure than has yet been stated. A Monterey dispatch Sunday night ays with . eight hundred bodies re covered and buried in Monterey up to nightfall, two thousand is now the estimate of the city authorities of ;hose who lost their lives throughout the valley of San Catarina river. The number of homeless, many destitute, is placed at 15,000 and 20,000. The river has now gone down and the danger is over. Ten thousand persons are being fed on bread, coffee and soup by the mu nicipal authorities, and the American consulate is giving food to all who apply. Thousands of persons have taken refuge in the cathedral and the shurehes. ., The greatest loss of life is said to have been caused by the giving away of the reservoir dam. Monterey is situated in a cup-like vallev and is surrounded on - three sides by mountains. The water rush ed into this valley down the bed of the Santa Catarina river. This stream is ordinarily 150 yards wide, but with the advent of the flood its banks were fully three-quarters of a mile apart. It is estimated that eighteen inches of rain fell. The Federal authorities here' are busy with the organization of relief measures. Theatrical performances nnd other means are being planned. Subscription places have been opened all over Mexico City and the other cities of the republic are responding to the call for assistance. President Diaz telegraphed $30,000 to Monterey. Vive President Corral has contributed $2,000 and Ambassa dor Thompson $1,000 to the fund. Others are contributing liberally, a public subscription list having been opened in all parts of the republic. American Schooner Wrecked. Galveston, Tex., Special The Brit ish steamer Lugane arrived at this port Sunday bringing Capt. W. Q. Waldemar and six members of the crew of the American schooner Isaac T. Campbell, from Port of Spain, Trinidad, 10 Galveston with asphalt, which was wrecked in the gulf last Thursdav by the tropical hurricane, that later veered inland over Mexico. Never Ate Uorn Products. Atlanta. Ga.. Special. A case of pellagra, the victim of which tlatms she had never eaten cornbread or any corn products, was revealed Sunday in the death ot Mrs. Kate liarto. ur. Frank Eskridre. who claims to have treatpil iimnv cases of the disease, savs he doubled his own diagnosis nnd thought she might be a victim i.f .-"sprue, " a disease known to the 1ropic;i, with symptoms resembling those of pellagra, lie called in a physician who had had years of ex perience in the tropics and found that his original diagnosis was correct. "I am convinced now," he says, "it does not come fro musty coin." KILLED IN SELF DEFENSE Lad of 17 Shoots Man Found Rum imaging in His Father's House. Asheville, Special. Ben. W. Mor ris, Jr., son of B. W. Morris, a youth about 17 years of age and well con nected in the county, who Wednes day night shot and killed Joe Capps, a white man, whom he found rum maging in the Morris homestead about five miles from the city was ecquitted by a coroner's jury on the grounds that he shot in self de fense. There were no witnesses to the affair except Morris1, who testified that he was out at the barn at his place, there being no others at home, and hearing anoise at the house, he started there and found a man, un known to him, in the house destroy ing the furniture and chinaware, part of which he was throwing out of the window. Capps, who appeared to be either drunk or in a frenzy, threatened to kill him if j he entered the house, Morris secured the shot gun from a neighbor, entered by the front door and was met in the hall by Capps, who had worked through the house. A scuffle ensued. After some min utes Morris was able to throw Cajps off him out of the house. Capps tried to enter again, making threats and 'holding an open razor in his hand, a razor he had got in ran sacking the house, and would not heed warning of Morris, to have the place, when Morris leveled the gun and fired, Capps falling over and died shortly. The house was badly ransacked and things thrown into confusion. Een Morris Arrested. Asheville, Special. A warrant was sworn out Saturday afternoon by John Capps, father of . Joseph T. Capps, who was killed by Ben. W Morris, Jr., late Wednesday evening, charging Morris with the murder of Capps. Morris who was the only wit ness before the coroner, made it a case of selft-defense, but other wit nesses are to be examined. Mattamuskeet Railroad. Washington, Special. rA large delegation of citizens left here Wed nesday morning for Swan Quarter to be present when the Governor and Council of State are making their in vestigation in Hyde county ani dis cussing the advisability of continu ing the Mattamuskeet Railroad, which the State is now building be tween Fairfield, Hyde county and Belhaven, from Belhaven to this city, instead of stopping the road at Bel haven. The continuing of the road to Washington and making this city its terminal means much to Washing ton and her various commercial in terests and every pressure will be brought to bear on the State officials and every inducement offered by our citizens to get this road. "Near-Beer" Was Plain Beer. Durham, Special. W. T. Rigsbee, the richest young man in Durham, was fined $500 Tuesday for retailing liquor. Other cases against him were nol-prossed. Rigsbee owned a near beer stand, whereat Detective May field, of Roanoke, bought drinks, which analysis showed to be commer cial beer. There was a conference with City Attorney Everett, who agreed to accept the settlement men tioned. In the trial of the case, Fernie Foster, a negro, had made affidavit that he was promised im munity for turning State's evidence. Attorney W. B. Guthrie, represent ing him, asked for his release. As sociate Counsel Holton, for the State, interposed a remark which provoked hot words, with the result that Guthrie struck Holton and spat in his face. - Youth Shot by Accident. Hamlet, Special. Halbert Stewart, a young man about 18 years of age, was accidentally shot and painfully but not seriously injured Sunday night. The accident occurred in the" .-ah" of Conductor F. B. Hall, of the Seaboard, while the revolver was in his coat pocket. It is sup posed the hammer of the gun became entangled i nthe lining of the pocket arid was discharged. Counterfeiting Charged. Winston-Salem, Special. Counter feiting, although on a small scale, perhaps, is charged against E. R. Butner, of Tobaccoville, this county; also W. G. Lane, his brother-in-law, is in the toils, suspected of being an accomplice. Butner is charged with trving to pass a crudely "raised" $1 bill to $10. When Butner was search ed another bill was found upon him which had been "lifted" from $10 to $20. Clippings from Confederate bills had been used to turn the trick. Butner claims to be a cattle dealer while Lane savs he is a laborer. - 1 j! Items of State Interest and Told fn Brlef - CONFEDERATE BEUNlCw Two Days of Greeting and Mi in Joyous Reunion of North C lina Veterans of the Lost Cause Charlotte, Special. Veterans gan to arrive Tuesday night for th State Confederate Reunion held net- on Wadnesday and Thursday. Genj Cnrr nn1 cfoff Jutant -Gen. London., was . especi. active and skillful m executing program as published. ' At the morning session, in t Academy of Music the packed hou: was spell-bound with the speeches o Chief Justice Clark and ex-Governo Jarvis, not to mention the happy greetings in the welcome addresses and the responses. At the afternoon session the for mer officers were all re-elected by ac clamation. A motion was carried to appoint a committee to see to the wrk of securing a slab at the grave of each Boldier buried at the Soldiers Home at Raleigh. Also the commit tee was continued that has in charge the work looking to suitable monu ment to the memory of the women of the State, who bore so much of the burden of the great Civil War. .At 8 o'clock the veterans and their families wer admitted tn Vnncsf j'Park and enjoyed a treat of music, recitations and refreshments. On Thursday morning mustered for the last time on Charlotte soil to march to the notes of "Dixie' and the roll of drums, in the wake of -tattered banners eloquent of martial conflict, 1,085 Confederate soldiers fell into line behind their mounted leaders astride spirited chargers and treated a large crowd to' an unusual spectacle, eliciting cheers from men and hand-clapping and 'kerchief waving from ladies onlooking. y : With General Carr was his staff, on the left being Brigadier General H. A. London, of, Pittsboro, and on the right Col. W. H. H. Gregory, of Statesville; Major Ashley Home, of Clayton; Col.'J. H. Currie, of Fay etteville Major George H. Hall, of Red Springs ; Major ..Shakespaara Harris, of Concord, who "rode with little Miss Ruth Portex-, who was dressed in the Confederate uniform and colors, and Major "J. Y. Ygung, of Winston. 1 ' By actual count jthere were 1,085 veterans in the parade, many not participating. In the First . Brigada were 382 men, in the Second were 453, in the Third 88, in the Fourth 70 and in carriages 92 infirm. 1 Among the big features of the re union was the great barbecue given near Latta Park after the march un doubtedly ranks high. A crowd esti mated at 4,000 persons, not all et erans, partook of dinner there. Tables were spread in the grove. After much work of preparation food for this large assemblage was got togeth; er, cooked and served, much of the work being done by the ladies inter ested in the cause. . Just as a matter of mathematical curiosity, how much do you suppose was eaten at that barbecue? Twenty-one hogs, averaging 70 pounds each, 7 beeves weighing about 400 each and three goats. The guests did full justice to the repast. Equally interesting in this connec tion, are the figures of Capt. W. B. Taylor, who, in .charge of the com missary department ,toiled early and late to provide for the material wants of the . visitors. He furnished food Tuesday afternoon for 700 man. Wednesday morning for 800 men. Wednesday noon for 1,200 to 1,600 ; men, Wednesday evening for 800 men, Thursday morning for 800 and Thursday afternoon for 250. Thus it would appear that approximately 5, 000 meals were served free. Drowned in' Lumber River. Maxton, Special Mr. ' R. M. Forbes while swimming in Lumber river Thursday afternoon was drown ed about 5 o'clock. Mr. Nolan White, who was with him at the time, was unable to account for the unfortunate man 's accident, as Forbes had told him he could swim. He was a Scotch man and had just arrived recently to make lis home with Mr. James' McBnde f )d to learn tanning. i Frejgfcffesk Near Gibsonville. Durham, Special. The eastboimd passenger train between Asheville and GoTdsboro was delayed five hours Wednesday evening owing to the wreck of a freight headed to wards Goldsboro nc-ar Gibsonville in the afternoon. Eighteen cars piled themselves in pairs along the tracks, the wreck being caused -by broken trucks. Barrels of flour were scattered by the way and the t was badly 'orn up. One brakeina-u whose nine was not learned, ;;.: bruised badly. - 1 V h I I . I I