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VOL. XXI.
PLYMOUTH, N, C. FRIDAY, OCTOBEE 21, 1910,
NO.
trouble.'
a Yet r. In Advaoc. " FOR QOD, FOR COUNTRY AND FOR TRUTH. " - Um& Cm
LONG, LIVING DEATH
'Lifelong Imprisonment in The
Penitentiary
DEATH NOT WORSE PUNISHMENT
The Eternal Solitude and Silencs
Crashes Like an Iron Weight
Hopeless, Painful Years Stretch
Out Forever and in Agony,
Chicago Life imprisonment in the
penitentiary was declared by Judge
Marcus Kavahaugh to be a more ter
rible punishment than hanging. The
jurist in a remarkable K pinion hand
ed down in sentencing Joseph Wel
come to life imprisonment for mur
der, contrasted death with the tor
tured soul of 'a life convict in his
solitary cell and told the prisoner
that it is not correct to regard the
death penalty as the most severe
punishment that can be inflicted.
Welcome pleaded guilty to having
murdered Mrs. Mary McLean, March
"22, 1910, in a boarding house she
conducted. The prisoner changed his
plea from "not guilty" after eight
jurors "were chosen. Mrs. McLean
was shot and killed while attempting
to save Mrs. Welcome.
In sentencing Welcome Judge Ka
vanaugh said: ' C't:
"Welcome, you committed a ter
rible crime. Your punishment is to
be more terrible still.
"The instinctive, unreasoning hor
ror of mankind regards the death
1 sentence as a severe punishment. This
idea is not correct. You are fiow to
receive a sterner punishment.- Your
victim died but once. You will die
a hundred times; you will suffer
more the day you put on your. pris
on clothes than she did in her death.
After that there will be only the
hopeless, painful years from day to
day, from month to month, stretching
out forever and in agony.
"In four or five years the eternal
solitude and silence will begin to
crush in upon you . like an iron
weight. -You hear that street bell
ringing in the street as it passes now.
'You will remember it in after years
as the most exquisite music. It Avill
mean hurrying crowds that go where
they like and do as they please; it
will mean the greatest of all pleas-,
ures Freedom.
"You can only dream of it by day
and by night and your dream will be
torture unspeakable."
Stork Won, But Two May Die.
New York. An automobile racing,
with the stork on the Bowery, ran
down sind fatally injured Nathan
Rossberg, a tailor.
In the crash the stork won the race
for inside the vehicle a baby boy was
hoin to Mrs. Aniue Bell. Physicians
say she can hardly survive.
Third Wreck in Three Weeks.
Asheville. Passenger train No. 20,
between Murphy and Asheville on the
Murphy division of the Southern,
was wrecked at a point about 12
miles this side of Murphy. The en
gine, tender, baggage and mail car
and one coach, the full equipment,
turned over and rolled down an em
bankment. A passenger train has been wrecked
on this division once ever ji-week for
three weeks. In each instance the
train was derailed and turned over.
It is understood there that the Cor
poration Commission has investigat
ed the wreck of a week or more ago
and that bad trackage is alleged to
have been responsible for the dis
aster. Battleship South Carolina Wins.
Washington. Scores for elemen
tary fire during spring practice of
the'ships of the United States navy
announced show the new battleship
South Carolina was the trophy win
ner in her class. The report snows
the relative efficiency in methods of
- training f or the development of gun
pointers under short range conditions
and when firing guns singly.
The Charleston won the cruiser
trophy, the Mayflower that for gun
boits and the Reid that for torpedo
boats.
President Going to Panama Nov. 10.
Beverly, Mass. President Taft
will sail for the Isthmus of Panama
on November 10 from Charleston.
He will make the trip on the armor
ed cruiser North Carolina and will be
conveyed by the sister ship, the Mon
tana. These are the same vessels
used by Mr. Taft in his Panama trip
just before his inauguration.
The President will be gone about
12 days. A The North Carolina and
Montana can make the journey in
each direction in four days.
TRAINS CRASH HEAD-ON.
Operator's Forgetfulness Responsible
For Fatal Wreck Near McCor
mick S. C 5 Dead; 17 Injured.
Augusta, - Ga. Five were killed
and seventeen injured when two ,
drains on the Charleston & West
ern Carolina crashed together at full
speed (two . miles, south of McCor
mick, S. C. All of the dead and
seven of the injured were members
of the train crew. It is said that the
operator at McCormick failed to de
liver "meet orders" for the south
bound train.
Both locomotives were completely
demolished and the baggage cars of
both trains were telescoped. The
dead are. Engineer Arizona Rovers,
Augusta, Ga.; Fireman Jim Sprow-
yer, colored, Augusta, Ga. ; Mail Clerk
W. T. Aker, Anderson, S. C. ; Hoard
Searles, ' colored-- porter, of Augusta,
Ga. tN
The injured trainmen are: R. L.
Hartley, Elberton, Ga.; leg and ankle
broken; A. S. McNeal, baggage mas
ter, Augusta, chest and shoulder
crushed, condition serious; Engineer
F. S. Hughes, Augusta, fatally injur
ed; J. G. Stillmell, Augusta, road
master; - Conductor Joseph Hernlon,
severely bruised; Baggage master II.
K. Burns, of Augusta, Ga., slightly
hurt.
The following passengers were in
jured :
W. F. Smith, Hartsville, S. C; W.
E. Cutliff, Albany, Ga.; B. N. Sego,
Greenwood, S. C; R. D. Beigler of
McCormick, S. C; Miss Alma Wil
liams, Greenwood, S. C; Lorenzo
Rivers, Augusta, son of Engineer
Rivers; Jennie Payne, Greenwood, S.
C. ; Ross Dawson and Peter Lynch.
All of the injured passengers were
en route to Greenwood and were sent
to the city in charge of a physician.
Shortly after the wreck, Operator
Browden at McCormick, it is said,
telegraphed the Augusta office of the
wreck and stated that he was so busy
selling tickets that he forgot to show
the signal to stop the southbound
train for Augusta for orders. This
train registered at McCormick and
left at once. Conductor E. L. Foster
of the southbound escaped injury
and walked back to McCormick with
the news of the wreck. .
Champion Pugilist Killed.
Spring-field, Mo. Walter A. Hurtz,
who shot and killed Stanley Ketchell,
world's middleweight champion pugi
list, was captured at . the home of
Thomas Haggard, one mile from
Niangua, Mo. Hurtz was taken to
the Webster county jail at Marsh
field, where he is . being closely
guarded. '
Hurtz, in telling the story of the
killing, asserts that Ketchell made in
sulting .remarks to Goldie Smith, a
cook employed at the farm. He says
words passed between Ketchell and
himself and he then demanded that
the prize fighter throw up his hands.
When the- champion refused to do
this, he said, he was so frightened,
kxiowing Ketchell carried a revolver,
that he fired, and, without hardly
realizing what he had done, fled.
Looking For Economy in Government
Washington. The appointment by
Postmaster General Hitchcock of a
committee to co-operate with Dr.
Frederick A. Cleveland, of New York,
who was recently appointed by Pres
ident Taft to devise some plan by
which the business of the executive
departments eould be conducted with
greater efficiency and economy will
serve to determine whether or not
Senator Aldrich was bluffig when he
said last winter that if he were run
nings the government as his private
business he would save $300,000,000
Cigar Makers' Strike Broken.
Tampa, Fla. Thirty-six cigar fac
tories of the 38 belonging to the
manufacturers' association have
opened to all cigar makers Avilling to
work on the terms of the manufac
turers. This is the twelfth week of
the general tie-up. Suffering among
families of the- employes has reached
an acute stage.
The manufacturers belive the ma
jority of cigar makers are ready to
return to work and that only the
speeches of agitators have kept them
in line. -
Atlantic Fleet Will Dodge Cholera.
Washington. The Atlantic battle
ship fleet will visit only English and
French ports on the English channel
during the forthcoming winter cruise.
Announcement of a definite decision
to eliminate all Mediterranean ports
from the fleet's itinerary was made
at '.he navy department.
lie change in plans was necessi
tated by the outbreak of cholera at
several of the ports of the Mediterranean.
OVER THE DEEP SEA
A Crewe of Five in Air Craft
to England.
SEND MESSAGES BY WIRELESS.
History Making Trip of the World
Columbus 40C Years Ago Came in
Unsafe Ships Voyage in Air Nhw.
Atlantic City, N. J. Sailing into a
thick fog that hung low over the, At
lantic ocean, Walter Wellman, with a
crew of five men, is on an epoch-making
voyage to Europe in the huge
eigar-shaped airship America. t .
Starting from the beach near the
inlet the big air craft was soon out
of sight of the cheering crowd.
Since then no one, with the exception
of ships at sea, has seen the strange
craft and the only word from her
came by means of the wireless tele
graph. Her eourse has been along the
steamship lines and as no word to
the contrary has been received the
assumption is that Mr. WTellman, with
fifty days' fuel and fifty days provi
sions aboard, is adhering to his plan
of crossing the Atlantic and landing
on the British Isles. It is likely that
no further wireless word from the
airship will be received here but a
dozen or more liners fitted with wire
less will be En her zone.
When last heard from during the
sscond day 12:45 p. m., the Ameri
ca had been in the air just 18 min
utes less than 29 hours and having
covered approximiately 300 miles
must have averaged in forward pro
gress between 10 and 11 miles an
hour."
GROWTH OF CITIES.
Wilmington's Population 25,748
Charlotte Leads Them All.
Washington. Population statis
tics are made public by the census
bureau for the following cities:
Montgomery, Ala., 38,136, an in
crease of 7,790 or 25.7 per cent over
30,346 in 1900.
Austin, Texas, A 29,860, an increase
of 7.602 -.or 34.2 per cent over 22,
258 in 1900.
Waco, Texas, 26,425,' an increase of
4,739 or 27.7 per eent over 20,686 in
1900.
Newark, O., 25.404, an increase of
7,247 or 39.8 per cent over 18,157 in
1900.
Elizabeth, N. J., 73,409, in increase
of 21,279, or 40.8 per cent over 52,
130 in 1900.
Lewiston, Me., 26,247, an increase
of 2,486 or 1.5 over 23,761 in 1900.
Wilmington. N. C, 25,748, an in
crease of 4,772 or 22.7 per cent over
20,976 in 1900.
Hamilton, Ohio, 35,279, an increase
of 11.365 or 47.5 per cent over 22,
914 in 1900.
Madison, Wis., 25,531, an increase
of 6,367 or 63.2. per cent over 19,164
in 1900. . .'
Austin, Texas, 29,860, an increase
of 7,602 of 34.2 per cent over 22,258
in 1900.
Bloomington, 111., 25,768, an in
crease of 2,482 or 10.7 per cent over
23.286 in 1900.
President Approves Wrecking Plans.
Beverly, Mass. President Taft has
finally approved plans for raising
the wreck of the battleship Maine
from Habanan harbor, which call for
the completion of the work on or be
fore the 13th anniversary of the de
struction of the war vessel, Febru
arp 15, next. The work is to be done
according to plans made by army
engineers and is to be under the di
rection of an engineer officer.
America Getting Foreign Trade.
Washington. Americans are go
ing after the foreign trade harder
than ever before and they are get
ting it. During September there was
a distinct upward movement, the
total value of exports being larger
than in any previous September in
the history of the export trade. This
marked advance was largely due to
heavy exports of cotton at unusually
high prices, the cotton exports for
the month amounting to 399,000,000
pounds, valtted at $55,000,000, an
average of 13.7 cents a pound.
One Penny Sells For $101.
New York. The Gilbert collec
tion of cents issued in 1894 was sold
at auction by Thomas L. Elder, the
63 coins realizing $1,630.
These coins, which were produced
in the second year of the history of
American pennies, are always classi
fied according to the Hays collection.
Hays No. 40 brought $101. Hays No.
19 brought $51, the record price for
that particular coin. Hays No. 25
brought $75. Old and rare pennies
are very valuable.
MISSOURI RATE CAUSE.
In United Slates Supreme Court
Involves Question of Interfer
ence With State Regulations.
Washington. Stubbornly contest
ing every point, attorneys for the
State of Missorui and the railroads
therein, made argument before the
Supreme Court of the United States
as to the validity of the 2-cent pas
senger rate and maximum freight
rate laws of that State passed in
1D07. So important did the court
consider the case that it extended
the time for argument so as to in
clude practically all of the court's'
time the second day.
It is clainjed' by counsel in the ase
that the issues in controversy will
affect State legislation regarding rail
roads in nearly every State of the
Union. The case includes questions
of jurisdiction of Federal courts over
State, legislation in regard 16 the rail
roads, and the proper basis of arriv
ing at the remuneration guaranteed
the railroads under the Fedeal con
stitution, v The circuit court for the
western district of Missouri held the
laws were unremunerative and en
joined their enforcement.
EFFORT TO TAX COTTON.
Conference of American and Foreign
Bankers Would Put 6 Cents on Bale
New Orleans. General opposition
throughout the South manifested it
self when announcement was made in
New York of the plan to organize a
foreign company to guarantee cotton
bills of lading. ,
Although the proposed charge for
guranteeing is only six or seven cents
a bale. Southern cotton men contend
that in the aggregate such a scheme
would place a heavy burden on the
planter, broker and merchant, and
that the reputable firms of the South
should not be made to suffer for the
alleged frauds of concerns who have
been pretending for several years to
sell vast quantities of a staple com
modity at bargain counter prices.
Such a plan "is an insult to the
reputable cotton firms of the South''
is the gist of a resolution passed by
the Memphis cotton exchange, while
prominent Atlanta business men are
quoted as declaring that whatever is
done, "it will come out pf the far
mer's pocket."
Resolutions passed by the Hous
ton cotton exchange declare it "an
unjust tax" and similar resolutions
have been passed by the cotton ex
change at Dallas, while the resolu
tions of the New Orleans exchange
assert 'that "the proposed guarantee
proposition would single cotton out
from all other products and make it
the peculiar object of discrimination
and burdensome conditions."
The resolutions of the Southern ex
changes were telegraphed to William
A. Nash, who is presiding at the con
ference of representatives of Ameri
can banks and foreign banks and for
eign buyers in New York.
Rich Customs Evaders Arrested.
New York. The entire Fifth ave
nue establishment of , Duveen Bros.,
known the world over as dealers in
arts and antiques, was seized by fed
eral officers, and Benj. J. Duveen, the
only member of the firm in the city,
and Henry J. Duveen, who came in
from Europe, were arrested, charged
with conspiracy to defraud the gov
ernment of customs dues.
Everybody Guard Againsfl Cholera.
New York. The health authorities
of every city and town in the United
States where immigrants coming.from
the infected districts of Russia and
Italy take up their residence will be
asked by the federal immigration
authorities to assist in preventing
cholera from gaining a foothold in
this country.
Dixon's Leading Actor Drowned.
Wilmington. Robert Barton Pahr,
aged 23 years, leading man in Thom
as Dixon's latest play, "The Sins of
The Father," was drowned at
Wrightsville Beach -while in surf
bathing. It may be days before the
body is washed in by the tide.
Mr. Dixon stated that he would
take the part in the play played by
Mr. Pahr until a new man can be se
cured. .
Earnings of the Southern.
Atlanta. A gain of $1,921,603.33
in net revenues for the fiscal year
ended June 30, 1910, is shown by the.
sixteenth annual report of the South
ern Railway, justmade public. The
operating income was $16,698,020.03,
a gain of $1,858,631.65 for the year.
The report also shows that 355 new
industrial, plants were constructed
during the year along the line3 oper
ated by the company with 72 more in
course of construction.
SOUTHERN LAB0R LAWS.
United States Government Testing
Validity of Contract Labor
Laws Before Supreme Court. -
Washington. Believing that
hundreds of Southern negroes are
being deprived of their liberty by
big -planters under forms of law,
the Federal government will en
deavor to induce the Supreme Sourt
of the United State to strike a tell
ing blow at the alleged evil. This
it will do by asking the court to
declare unconstitutional the so
:alled Alabama "labor contract"
law. Similar laws have been pass
ed by several of the Southern States
and the decision is expected to ap
ply to them all.
The treatment . of negro farm
hands under this law is interpreted
by the Department of Justice as
the reduction of these laborers to
l state of peonage. ; Compulsory
service in satisfaction of debt is
taken by Attorney General Wick
srsham as the object to be accom
plished by the legislation.
The State of Alabama will, appear
in court to defend its enactment.
The case comes to the court on
the appeal of a negro, Alonzo Bail
By, from the decision of the Su
preme Court of Alabama, which
held the law constitutional and
punished Bailey for violating it by
assessing a fine equivalent to 133
days' hard labor for the county.
Attorney General Wickersham
lays stress particularly upon the
argument that the natural and
reasonable effect of the statute was
not to stop fraudulent practices but
to impose compulsory services on
negroes, who made up the bulk of
farm labor in the Slate, in satis
faction of debt.
STORM IN FLORIDA AND CUBA.
Fruit Damaged Waves Leap Over
Morra Castte Wreck Oufit Gone.
Tampa, Fla. With communica
tion with all points south of here
Dut off, wireless stations out of
Bommission, Tampa and all that ter
ritory between -Tampa and the
Florida keys ' is storm-swept by a
50-mile an hour gale.
, Untold damage is done to the or
anges, which gave promise of a
bumper crop. The trees are loaded
with fruit. It is unusually heavy
and high winds did irreparable
damage.
At Havana at the height of the
storm the great waves reached
clean over the ramparts of Morro
Castle. They rolled with terrific
speed up the harbor, tumbling over
the sea walls, inundating the streets
in the lower part of the city, carry
ing away many of the small craft
along the. shores and swamping
many lighters. All the steamers in
Ihe harbor remained at anchor, the
engines working and holding their
ground.
The jail at the foot of the Prado
svas completely surrounded by
cvater and the prisoners, mad with
fear clung to the barred windows
clamorously demanding to be re
moved to a place of safety. It wTas
feared for a tinirt that the prison
prs would break loose, but armed
guards held them in check with
rifles until the waters began to
recede.
The barge containing all the out
fit of the divers working on the
wreck of the old battleship Maine
was carried away and .stranded on
the rocks of Morro Castle. Later
the soldiers of the fortress succeed
ed in saving considerable of the ap
paratus but all of the divers buoys,
stakes and other marks around the
Maine were swept away, which
probably will seriously delay the
work of raising the wreck..
"Unknown Tongue" Rampant.
Goldsboro, N. C. Several days ago
three preachers pitched a small
tent, near the post office in this city
and have been preaching a doctrine
known as the "unknown tongue"
religion, in which they babble in a
language that words cannot inter
pret, and as a result of their preach
ing three women who have been at
tending the meeting were pronounc
ed crazy. Others have danced and
shouted at the meeting until they
fainted.
Cotton Operator Collapses.
New York. On the exchange no
tice has been posted that by order
of the supervisory committee of
the exchange the failure of Solo
mon Cone of Greensboro, N. C, to
meet his obligations has been an
nounced. Cone was formerly a member of
the firm of Cone & Hrdgepeth of
Greensboro. He has bee.i operating
independently since July 1.
He is now in a Greensboro hos
pital as a result of an attempt to
commit suicide over a week ago.
: 1 to in,.
TAR HEEL PUBLIC iter
' Relief.
Cream of Current County il9
Clipped and Condensed " . .'
in a column. -
AN INTERESTING REPORT.
Commissioner of Labor Shipman on
Farm Conditions.
A summary of the chapter of ths
report of the Department of Labor
and Printing devoted to farms and
farm labor is just issued by Commis
sioner of Labor and Printing M. L,
Shipman and contains many features
of special interest, the report being
made up from special reports pro
cured by the department form every
locality in the State.'
f The reports indicate -slight differ
ence in wages or in cost of producing
the various crops, in different -sections
of the State. It is ascertained
that, sixty-seven counties produce cot
ton at a cost of $33.37 per bale ; that
eighty-one counties produce wheat at
a cost of 72 cents per bushel; ninety
seven grow corn at 52 cents per bush
el; ninety-five grow oats at 35 cents
per bushel; fifty-tree grow tobacco at
an average cost of $7.40 per hundred
pounds.'
Increase in farm wages is reported
in thirty-three counties, a decrease
in one county and no change in the
others. The highest average wages
paid men for farm work is $25.11
and lowest $15.28, this being an in
crease of $1.00 per month and 49
cents per month respectively. The
highest average for women is found
to be $15.53 . and lowest average
$10.11, an increase of 62 cents per
month over the averages for last
year's reports. Children are report
ed to have average wages of $8.76, an
increase , of 32 cents per month over
last year. -" c
As to the financial condition' of the
working people the reports from
seventeen counties show them to be
good, thirty-three fair, twenty-one
poor and one bad, with no report
from another. Ninety-two counties
report improvement in this respect.
The reports from ninety-three
counties show change toward greater
diveristy of crops and ninety-eight
report improvement in methods of
cultivation. Every county reports
increase in the cost of living. In
crease in the value of lands is re
ported from ninety-three counties
and the fertility of lands maintained
in ninety-three, with general ten
dency toward smaller farms. Labor
is reported scarce in ninety-fivo
counties and negro labor unreliable
in ninety-five counties and reliable in
two. '
Reports show road improvements
through taxation strongly favored in
ninety-two counties and not favored
in six counties. '
Low Rates to Mecklenburg Fair.
All the railpoads within 100 miles
of Charlotte, including this year for
the first time all branch lines, will
give rates of only one and a thtyd...
fares for the round trip to Charlotte
during the big Mecklenburg fair, ac
cording to an announcement just
made by Railroad Commissioner
Fitzgerald. Besides giving the re
duced rates from points on branch,
lines as well as on the main lines, re
duct'ons will be allowed this 5Tear
from as far as Wilmington, Green
ville and Columbia, S. C, on these
respective lines. Tickets will go on.
sale Monday, October 24 and be good
for the return trip as late as Satur
day, the 29th.
Approximately 3,000 16-cadle pow
er incandescent lamps and about 100
arc lights of the street lighting type
will be used in the various buildings
and on the grounds.
More than 500 -merchants, manu-.
facturers and other business men and
employes have signed., an agreement
to close at noon on Wednesday, Octo
ber 26th, which is Charlotte day.
Patents Granted.
Washington patent attorneys, re
port the grant, this week4.to citizens
of the following patents; G. C Bagus,
Fletcher, speed indicator; P. W.- Esk
ridge, Rutherfordton, fire alarm
switch; J. Fletcher, Brick school, ad
justable bench dog; H. ' Rotha,
Waynesville, pnlly block; F, P,
White, Shallotte, combined can and
cookeer. .
Condemnation proceedings with a
view to compelling owners of prop
erty adjoining the present postofilce
building at Winsion-Sialem to sell
eertain land 4o the gwvemrnment a
a site for a larger postoflice building
has been started, by District Attor
ney A. E. Holton in the United States
district court at Greensboro.
The Carolina & Northwestern
railroad people regard with a favor
able eye the Ridgeview cotton miT
propetry at Newton as a location f
the new shops of the railroad.