FTT PUBLISHED TWICE A WEEK TUESDAYS AND FRIDAYS. SINGLE (DOPY 3 CENTS. GASTONIA IS A BUSY TOWN. fl-SO A TEAR IN ADVANC3 VOL. XXXII. GASTONIA,xN. C. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15, 1011. NO. 109 BELMONT MAN KILLED DASTARDLY MURDER DONE V.."- STUB WORK ON DEPOT. Intel-urban Station at Lowell . Being Pushed to Completion Mr. R, F. Rankin the Contractor 1 Big Fill at South Fork Nearly Completed Live Lowell Locals. , - Correspondence of The Gazette.' ' ' LOWELL, Dec. 14. Work on the new interurban depot la progressing nicely now. Mr. R. F. Rankin has the contract. Mr. Posing, of Hender son vi He, Is foreman. The big fill at tbe South Fork bridge Is about .com pleted and the steam Bhovel will be through -work here in about another month. r . '- Miss Nina Patrick Tislted in Mat thews Friday, returning Sunday. Mr. Sam Wilson; youngest brother of Mr.. Jim Wilson, came la the other day from ,'a six-years stay in the northwest. He , will return - after Christmas. Mr.' and Mrs. J. L. Thompson made a visit last week to Mr. Thompson's oldf home at Wil liams ton,' S. C. Mrs. Thomas. Ford arrived here Monday from her old home .near Whltmlre. 8, C, where she had gone on. a visit about two months ago and was detained on ac count of a, case of typhoid fever she developed while visiting there. Her friends here are extremely glad to see her here once more. - Mr. Qulnn Ford was at home a few days the first of the month and left about the 30th for Mobile, Ala. ' The first quarterly conference of the Lowell and Dallas circuits will be held next Saturday at 10 o'clock. All members are- urged to be present. Rev. E. N.'Crowder, the Methodist nastor here, has Just purchased a new nbrse and buggy. There will be a Christmas tree at the Methodist church Saturday night, the 23rd. Hugh . Parks' Miller spent Sunday here with his parents. Rev. and -Mrs. R. A. Miller. The only child of Mr. and Mrs. Nell Teague died Monday at their home near the school building. I. it ' . . Dallas, Route 1, News. Correspondence of The Gazette. DALLAS; R. F. D. 1, Dec. 14. Mr. J. A. Aderholdt is putting a new roof on his- dwelling house and mak- rtr st Vt ap ranofra .Maisri Toanaf and George . Ratchford spent the week-end visiting at the home of their brother, Mr. -J. J. Ratchford, In Catawba county. Mr. and Mrs. Geo. 1AIU1, VI' VHIlMi IID11VU BV IUQ of Mrs. Sarah Pasour Sunday after noon. Miss Eunice Allen was the guest of Mn and Mrs. R. L. White Friday night. Mr. and Mrs. G. E. C. Pasour visited at tbe home of Mr. W. A. Thomas in the Pisgah neighbor hood Wednesday. 'Mr. and Mrs. F. C. Ratchford were guests Sunday at the home of Mr. H. L. Rhyne. near Bessemer City. Mesdames Christie and R. L. Jenkins visited Mrs. C. R. : Pasour one 'day last week. Mr. M. D. Clemmer spent the week-end in North Gaston as the guest of his daughter, Mrs. Michael Riser. The Sunday school of T owell Methodist church will give a Christ mas tree and a treat to the children ' on Saturday night before Christmas. ? A Real ; , FOUR PAPERS FOR ABOUT THE PRICE OF ONE . ; -r- ; .. -., OUR GREAT FALL NEWSPAPER OFFER IS . ';, NOW ON. IT INCLUDES V The Gastonia Gazette Gaston County's Leading Newspaper , Georgian's Weekly News Briefs ( The dean newspaper for tie farmer and family with ; "Kr ! condensed news for the week 1 Spare Moments Magazine " ' A The Great Family Story Magazine ; - I , The Gentlewoman y - , A monthly magazine deroted to all that is dear to women ' " 1 J ' ' These four great newspapers and magazines will be supplied for a snort time only.- All at the ow price of $1.75. Send in your order today! T This offer open to old as v EIGHTY-FIVE YEARS OLD. Mr.; Zemsr , Klser Will . Celebrate Eighty-Fifth Birthday December . 28th at Home on Bessemer City Route Two Served Through Civil War Still Spry at Advanced Age. Correspondence of The Gazette. - BESSEMER CITY, .R. F. D. 2. On Tuesday, December 26th, there will be a reunion at the home of Mr. Zemsl Klser to celebrate his 85th birthday. This has been an annual affair for. some years.. Mr. Klser was one of North Carolina's brave young sons who entered the Confederate army In the struggle between the States. He was always noted for his promptness and bravery. Since the war he has been a resident of Oaston couuty and Is among Its most highly esteemed citizens. Mr. Klser Is considered very spry for 'bis age and still enjoys games with the boys of his community. He enlisted In the Thirty-fourtn North Carolina Regiment, Co. E. Nothing would please him more than for all of the old soldiers that can Join In and aid in the celebration of his birthday to -come. Everybody is cordially invited to come and bring well-filled baskets. So let us all Join in and, celebrate this day with the man who , marched through the swamp and left the stain of blood when be would put his foot down. He always has a good time and en Joys the day very much.- Mrs. Mae- Payne and Mrs. Barbara Klser were shoppers in Cherry vllle Monday. Mr. D. A. Stroup killed- a hog last week that was nine months old and weighed dressed three hun dred pounds, Mr. C. Moore and fam ily spent a few days with relatives in Waco the first oV the week. -; ARIZONA IS DEMOCRATIC. Two Senators and a Representative to Swell Vote In Congress. Phoenix, Ariz., Dec. 13. The Dem ocrats . of Arizona will place two members in the United States Sen ate and one member in the House of Representatives, a Governor .In the State Capitol at Phoenix and If pres ent Indications are not materially changed, will make a clean sweep of the State ticket as a result of the first State election. The legislature from preset' t Indi cations will be more than three fourths Democratic, insuring the election of Henry F. Ashurst or Prescott and Mark A. Tucson to tne United States Senate. Carl Hayden of Phoenix was elected to Congress. George W. P. Hunt of Globe was elect ed Covernof. Democratic State Chairman J. B. Blrdno issued a statement tonight, claiming the election of the Demo cratic candidates by majorities rang ing from 1500 to 2000. ... Secretary Hayes of the Republican State committee conceded victory to the Democrats. , Prices 'drop at Settlemjer's Satur day morning and stay down till Jan uary 1st. HI well as new snhscrihers MASONIC LECTURER. y Mr. Patton at Bessemer City Ba , saar Given by Civic League a Suc cess Dredging ..Boat at . Work Breezy Briefs from Bessemer City. Correspondence of The Gazette. BESSEMER CITY, Dec. 14. Mr. Patton,' of Eton College,' is in Besse mer City this week.. Itev. Mr. Patton is grand lecturer for the Masonic or der for the State and your corres pondent Is informed that he lectures three times each day. ; The Civic League cleared about $35 dollars at the bazaar last Satur day, night. The ladles spared no time or pains to make the affair a de cided success. The room was beauti fully decorated with a few potted plants, Christmas bells and a large Japanese umbrella. - There . was a unique arrangement ' called a fish pond. -It was a tub filled with saw dust in which were hidden vmany small articles to which was attached a string thereby . catching ' his "fish." , ' x '.Miss Arrowood, of Shelby, Is spending" a few days at the home of her father near town and also with her sister, Mrs. T. R. E. Oates, on CrowdeTs Creek. The dredging boat has begun Its work and many persons have visited and are still visiting the scene of its operations. -Mr. Vernon Harrelson and Miss Maggie Hall, of Cherryville, were guests the first of the week at the home of Rev. and Mrs. J. P. Harrel son. Mr. T. A. Stewart, whose 1IU ness was noted last week, went to Charlotte where he underwent an ex amination with an X-ray machine and It was discovered that be is suffering from an abscess near the heart. ' It has been discharging very freely ana Mr. Stewart is much better. Some work Is being done around our depot in tbe way of repairs on the surrounding floors. Rev. and Mrs'. Harrelson spent Wednesday in Cherryville with relatives. -Mrs. E. L. Froneberger .and Bister, Mrs. Nell Mason, were -at the county seat Wednesday on business. itev. R. R. Caldwell Js in Charlotte today on business. This is trying weather on the pork killers. We understand that some are losing their pork on ac count of the warm weather. AT GOLDSBORO NEMV Baptist State Convention Selects Place for NextV Meeting Report of Statistical Secretary, E. I Middle ton,' Shows That There Are 1,050 Churches and 230,322 Members in North Carolina Growth Has Been Wonderful. Winston alem dispatch, 7th. Goldsboro was selected at the ev ening session of the convention as the place for holding the session of 1912. Rev. L. E. Davis, of Winston, was named as preacher of the intrducto ry sermon and Rev. J. C. Turner, or Greensboro, as alternate. Statistical Secretary E. L. 'Middle ton has in hand detail reports from 54 of tbe 62 associations that consti tute the State convention with es tmates from the missing associations based on last year's reports. The year proves to have been one of tbe most successful in the history of the denomination comprising 1.100 min isters and 1,700 superintendents of Sunday schools. There are 1,950 churches and230,322 menfbers, a gain of 45 in number of churches and 9,500 in the membership. There have been 12.950 baptisms reported already and there were real ly not less than 13,500 exceeding by 500 and more the highest record of any previous year. In the Sunday scnool worK tne de nomination has advance from 1,809 schools with an enrollment of 166,- 636 shown for last year, to 1,851 schools this year and 173,609 pupils, with numbers of schools yet to be heard from. . More than 100 new Sunday schools have been organized through Secre tary, Mlddleton's office, with net gain, however, of only 40 In the to tal schools. There were 30 fewer branch schools reported this year than last, numbers of omissions be ing due to oversight it is believed. There are upwards of 500 Sunday schools in the State that have larger memberships than the churches that control them, and if all could be brought to this ratloUae enrollment could advance by upwards of 60,000. Secretary Mlddleton says this is an Ideal new record before tbe general Sunday school workers. The finan cial side of the report shows upwards of $150,000 raised during the year for missions, .orphanage and minis terial relief, -the showing for the "year being the best in the history pf tne denomination. ."Little Joe" Brown "Comes Back," ' The " Democratic gubernatorial primary in Georgia Thursday to se lect a successor .to Hon. Hoke Smith, who resigned as Governor to become- United States Senator,' re sulted in a sweeping victory for ex Gov. Jo. Brown, who defeated two other candidates.4'-urown served one term and was defeated f or. renomln atlon by Smith. . . - ; - Mr. Walter Neagle Comes la Contact With Live Wire Carrying 2300 Volts Never Regained Conscious new bat Lived About Twenty Hoars Belmont School Closed Till After Holidays on Account or Scarlet Fever. . ;V Correspondence of The Gazette. BELMONT, Dec.1 14.V-TBW most serious, and practically the. first ac cident that has occurred In the his tory of the Majestic Manufacturing Company, happened this morning at 11 o'clock when Mr. Walter Neagle, an employe' of the mill, came in con tact with a live wire and received the whole' force of 2300 volts of elec tricity: At 4 o'clock this afternoon he had just begun to regain conscious and some hope, though slight, Is he)d out for bis recovery. Mr, Neagle, in company with several other men, was engaged in the Installation of a mo tor which was up on a platform or scaffolding 12 feet above the floor. In some way several wires Just at tbe point of contact with the motor had been left uninsulated. Mr. Neagle and a"Mr. Hurley were testing tne motor preparatory to tbe final plac ing Into position when the former, leaning over the motor to tighten a bolt, touched one of the live wires with his shoulder. ' The entire cur rent of 2209 volts knocked his body against the . motor and he was se verely burned about the neck and ears. Several employes staidlng r ear rushed to the switchboard close at hand and cut off the current. His bbdy thus released fell to the floor a dibtajcc of K feet. His head strucs icnio of ibe mill machinery, a severe gash beitg cut In his head and his sluill probably fractured. Drs. Orr and Taylor vere immediately sum moned and stayed with the injure man the entire afternoon. Examina tion showed several- severe burns on different parts of the body. Small hopes are entertained for hiu lecov ery. The distressing accident in dee;y deplored, and by no oq more tnan the mill officials. Mr. Xeacle 13 married and has one child. He is a brother of Messrs. Andrew and Will Neagle, of this place, auJ of Mrs. JiPtus Armstrong, o' Lie riauth Point section. ' Owing to the appearance of two cases of scarlet fever In town tbe sthool authorities have suspended the work of the school from the first to the fourth grades, taught by Misses Ethel Sfowe. Mary Hall and Mellabel Crawford. The sick children are Vir ginia Armstrong, the eight-year-old daughter of Mr. J. W. Armstrong, and a three-year-old son of Police man J. A. Wagstaff. Both cases are of a mild form and it is believed that with the proper precautionary and quarantine measures, the epidemic, if it can be so termed, can be sup pressed within the next week. The suspension of the primary grades will be in force until after the Christmad holidays, the beginning of which was only a little more than a week distant. This enforced holiday will doubtless be enjoyed by both teachers and pupils. y Following the action taken (yes terday by tbe school authorities in closing the primary department of the Belmont public school, the board met this (Friday) mqrnlng and ordered all departments of tbe school closed till after the holidays: There are only two or three cases or fever but this precaution was deem ed advisable. Belmont citizens generally were in terested in tbe statements of the sev eral county banks carried In Tues day Gazette. As shown by the cashier's statement the Bank of Bel mont ranked third In the county be ing outclassed only by the First Na tional and Citizens National, of Gas tonia. Not only as regards better banking facilities but from a stand point of general progresslveness and amount of business transacted, does Belmont claim the distinction of be ing the second town in the county. , MR. NEAGLE DEAD. . A telephone message to The Ga zette at noon today from its Belmont correspondent states that Mr. Neagle died at 7 o'clock this morning with out ever havjng' regained conscious-" nesi. That he lived as long as he did after being subjected to a current or 2300 volts of electricity Is a matter which causes much wondei. Funeral arrangements have not been complet ed yet but burial will take place In the cemetery there sometime tomor row. Surviving are his widow, who was a Miss Duncan, and one child f" his mother, Mrs. M. A. Neagle, of Bel mont; three sisters, .Mrs. ' R. - M. Gouger, of Jackson Springs; Mrs. Justus Armstrong, of South Point, and Miss Jane Neagle, of Gastonia; four brothers, Messrs. Andy and Will Neagle, of Belmont; Robert Neagle, of Tennessee, and Joe Neagle, of Texas. ' . -: - Mr. Neagle V body was severely mutilated by the shock, his skull be ing fractured and several holes be ing burned through his body. ' ORev. S. B. Turrentlne,' presiding elder of the Shelby district, will preach at , the Lowell Methodist church tomorrow . morning at 10 o'clock and Sunday mornlnir. at 11 Quarterly conference will be held Immediately following the morning service. Dr. Turrentlne will - also conduct a tfuarterly conference at I West End church, Gastoula, .on Sat Mr. John Dixon and His Wife, a Sis ter of Mr. V. A. Cline, of Gastonia, Brutally Murdered With an Axe at . Home -in Cleveland County Tues day Night Three Negroes Sus pects ; In Jail Coroner's Inquest to be Continued To-Day. ( One of the most horrible and das tardly murders ever committed In tbe State was done some time Tuesday night in Cleveland county when Mr. John Dixon and his wife were club bed to death at tbelr home between Lawndale and Fallston by unknown men believed to have been negroea. Mr. Dixon was killed outright but his wife, left for dead by the murderers, lived a few hours and regained con sciousness sufficiently to tell some-' thing about the horrible deed.' Mrs. Dixon was a sister of our townsman, Mr. D. A. Cllne, of the Albion Grocery Company, who was summoned to Shelby early Wednes day morning and went Immediately, making the trip through the country, accompanied by his wife and child. She was a niece of Mrs. W. J. Clif ford and was known to quite a num ber of Gastonia people, having at tended school at Llnwood College and during her stay there visited In Gas tonia frequently. Because of these facts much interest in the case has been shown by Gastonia people whose sympathies - go out to the relatives of the unfortunate couple. According to the Information con tained in press dispatches sent out yesterday from Shelby it seems thai about midnight Tuesday night two men knocked at the door of Mr. Dix on's home. On responding to the call the men told Mr. Dixon that their horse was stuck In the ditch nearby and they wanted him to come and help them get him out. Dressing and taking a lantern Mr. Dixon went out. He was never seen alive again, his lifeless body, brutally mutilated with an axe, was discovered Wednesday morning In the barn lot near the house. Having1 killed the husband the 'men evidently returned to the bouse and attacked Mrs. Dixon as she lay asleep in bed with her little year-old child. Thinking they had put an end to her life also they departed. Just after day light passersby heard groans within the house and an In vestigation revealed the facts aa above given. Mrs. Dixon, it is stat ed, called two negro woodchoppers, so they testified, and told them that two men had committed the crime. She did. not know where her hus band was and inquired of them. Orfe of the men went to Mr, Dixon's fatn er, Mr. Thomas Dixon's house, a quarter of a mile away and gave the alarm. When neighbors arrived Mrs. Dixon was dead. The child was unharmed. Early reports stated that the mur der was perpetrated In order that the murderers might commit robbery as it was Known tnat Mr. Dixon bad sold his cotton the day before. Later re ports, however, are to the effect that there were only $40 In. cash in tne house and it was undisturbed. Hack Ross and John Ross, two ne groes, brothers, are suspected of tbe crime. They were arrested, togeth er with Major Stroud, another ne gro, and placed in jail pendlns; de velopments. Sentiment is strong against Hack Ross, who is said to have threatened to kill Dixon, and if the coroner's Jury places the guilt on him at its sitting today there is strong probability of an attempt to lyncn nlm. Hack Ross owed Mr. Dixon for a pig, the latter having a mortgage on it. The day before the crime Ross, unable to pay for the pig, brought It back though it is be lieved now this act of seeming hon esty was but to cloak the awful con templated grime. When arrested Hack Ross' overalls had some blood on, them. Tracks in the nelghbor- nood or tne Dixon home, leading to Ross' cabin, exactly fitted his shoe. The evidence is apparently pretty strong against him. Then, too, his reputation is bad. When questioned the negroes told a story about seeing two strange white men at the barn when they came by the house Just after day light. The officers, however, put very little credence in these stories. The three negroes are confined In separate cells In the Cleveland coun ty jail. Hack and John) Ross are be lieved to be the perpetrators of the fiendish deed. Major Stroud bears a good .reputation and the officers think he will, tell the whole story or as much as he knows about it. .No crime has been committed In this section of the country In years. pernaps never before, which has stir red public sentiment so strongly against tbe criminals as has this one. Mr. and Mrs. Dixon belonged ' to prominent families and were among the best" people In Cleveland county. Tftey bad a happy home. They were married about two years ' ago and were both young. Their tragic end calls forth expressions of the deepest sympathy and distress from thous ands of 'hearts throughout all , this section of country.,, ' ' . V .... A Washington dispatch yesterday states that the Navy Department has exonerated Ensign R. S. Young, or Concord, of the charges preferred a galnst him for deserting his post last .summer. , it win be recalled tnat Young overstald ' leave, of 'absence from T bis ship , in Brooklyn . navy yard and then . mysteriously- disap peared. . After days and days of searching he was found by his father and' before the public knew of his having been found he was In a prl vate :sanltoriumat . Morganton for treatment for ' a. mental ' trouble HELD FOR JTURDER Coroner's Jury Returns Verdict ; aft , Shelby Four Negroea Held One ; or More of Whom Are Believed to ' Have Murdered Mr, and Mrs. Dix-. , ' on Governor Orders Special , Term of Court. A telephone message from Shelby to The Gazette at 2 o'clock this at- ' ternoon, Just before going to preas, brings the information that tha -Cleveland county coroner' Jury ', ; which this morning resumed' Its inr ' vestigatlon Into the murder of Mr. , and Mrs. John Dixon on Tuesday- . ', night, an account of which appears v in, another column on this page, re- turned a verdict shortly before noon . to the effect that Mr. and Mrs. Dix on met death at the hands of one or more of four negroes, now in cua- . tod7' '.'&,r' The negroes are Hack, John anaV'v' V Will Ross and Cull Mull. Will Roan ' ; and Mull were arrested last night or this morning. The coroner's Jury. 1 believing that some one or more of this crowd might be innocent, ren dered an Indefinite verdict and or dered all four of the men committed to ajil to await trial. Governor Kltchin today ordered a special term of Cleveland Superior Court to be held the first of January to try these men. CITY COUNCIL MEETS. Important Health Ordinance Passed Matters of Routine Business Transacted. The regular meeting of the city council was held In the city hall Tuesday night with all members pres ent and Mayor T. L. Craig presiding. The treasurer was Instructed to -refund $2 poll tax to W. W. Clary on account of physical infirmities. The matter of placing lights on North Oakland street and. Walnut av enue and on East Main between Broad and Avon streets was referred to the Water and Light commute with power to act. Action on the petition for tho placing of a fire hydrant on Colum bia street at Second avenue was de ferred for the present. The street committee was Instruct- ed to establish the best grade possi ble on South York street from Frank lin to Third avenue and proceed to complete the work at once. v ; The mayor and city attorney 'were Instructed to draft a suitable letter of recommendation of the North Car olina Interurban Railway Company. Bills to the amount of 13,751.74 were referred to the finance commit tee for payment. The street committee was In structed to reset all curbing disturb- . ed by the work now being done at the Intersection of York street and Franklin avenue. The report of the city physician for the month of November was read and accepted. . ,. An Important health ordinance was passed requiring the occupants of a house in which a death from tu berculosis occurred to have the room, or rooms used by the deceased per sons thoroughly fumigated under the. supervision of the city health au thorities and proper certificate of such fumigation filed with the city clerk or health officer. The High Cost of Dying. A contributor to the December Woman's Home Companion makes the following Interesting comment: "It has occurred to me, while) reading articles on the high cost ot living that apparently no one has thought of the terribly high cost ot . dying. Does it seem fair that a casket should cost so many times' Its In trinsic value, because of the pressing; need? Should liverymen charge don- , ble of treble for conveyances at such ; a time? Can you not undertake to show the. actual robbery that exists and thrives on the forced purchasing -that often leaves a family almoBt bankrupt? That, too, at a time per- . : haps when its support is taken away. I hope that you may be able to start a crusade against such rank Injustice. This will strike a responsive chord In the breasts of those who have to settle funeral bills In towns. In fact the man of small means can hardly afford to die In town If he is to bo-K, burled in respectable style. . .. Sheriff J. D. B. McLean la la Lowell today on his round as tax collector. He will be in bis office, . here tomorrow, at McAdenville Mon- , day. Belmont Tuesday and at Par- ham's store near Crowders Creek Wednesday. After that date he win be-in bis office at the court house for the remainder of the month. The Gazette 1 learns upon good authority that a number, of eases ot typhoid fever in various parts of tno town have been directly traced to In fected milk coming from a dalrv be- . lng conducted by two negro families living on the town farm south of town. We are Informed that there ts a case of typhoid In each of these v families, and that all vessels in whlcn milk Is carried are washed In water from a well-situated only about 25 feet from the sewerage outlet, mak- ' ing about as unsanitary, and danger ous a situation as could, be imagined. " The public health would seem to. de mand that some steps be taken by the city - or county health authorities looking toward an Improvement la. this particular Instance. 'V ,

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