THE
0
VOL. II.
RALEIGH, N. C.; THURSDAY, JULY 27, 1905.
NO. 15
Enterprise.,
BILKINS IN RICHMOND.
Outwits Mrs. Bllkins and Escapes
From the Springs Incidents of the
Trip Richmond and How That City
Impressed Major Bllkins About to
Get Into Trouble With the "F. F.
Correspondence of the Enterprise.
I reckon you will be sirprized ter
hear frum me erway up here at
Richmond. I escaped frum Fuquay
Springs Tuesday mornin' at eight
thirty. . '
I writ you last week erbout play
in' off the henpecked husband till
Betsy wuz purty nigh distrackted
outin' ov her hed. By Sunday I
thought she wuz punished enuff an'
I changed tackticks. I am bound
ter say that I didn't create much
ov a sensashun at Fuquay Springs,
fer they ackted like henpecked hus
bands wuz thick az peas thar,
an' that made me mad. So a-Monday
I went out in the woods an' sit down
on a big log an' done sum thinkin'.
A gude gineral awlways plans hiz
battle before the fite. Tuesday morn
in' I wuz up soon, an' after brake
fast I went down ter the Spring.
Purty soon I rushed back an' tole
Betsy that I had jist got a tillygraff
callin' me ter Washington by the
first male. "Land sakes," sed Betsy,
"whut air we cumin' to? Let me
read hit.".. "Can't," sez I, 'fer hit
cum by tillyphone an' "hit iz rite
strate frum the Preserdent himself.
He must a-got up before brakefast
an' called me over whut they call
the grate distance tillyphone." "Mer
sy on us !" sed Betsy, "the Preser
dent must a hearn erbout you bein'
a magistrate an' wants ter appoint
you Judge."
"Can't say, my dear, but hit iz a
feather in my cap ov sum sort. The
Preserdent lays awake at nite think
in' up things ter do an' I can't tell
whether he wants me ter go up an'
fix up a bear hunt or o an' dig the
Panamaw Canal."
"Dear, don't talk that," sed Betsy,
"fer I can't give up fer you ter go
ter them forin countries an' git kill
ed by the Inguns."
"That iz awl rite," sez I. "The
Preserdent kin put eny offis on me
he hez in hiz portofollyo, purvidin'
hit iz in the United States, but I
won't cro outside an' catch sea-sick
ness an' malary. I'll look out fer
mvself an' von will be the first lady
in the land an' wear ten pound dy-
monds if I km git hit that way."
"Go on then," sez Betsy, "an' hur
ry back, fer I'll be powerful lone
snme without VOU."
So I bustled eround an' packed
my haversack in erbout fourminits
an made the train for Kaleigh an'
hrmtrht. ft ticket ter Richmond, fer I
concluded ter stop thar an' spend a
dav or two even if the Preserdent iz
wflitin' I'm a-croin' ter see sum ov
the wurld or bust the traces. In
fackt.i'm a-coin' ter turn this busi
ness trip inter the longest picknick
on the reckords.
I left Raleigh at 11 o'clock. When
tpa trnt. mit ft little neece the con
ducktor cum ter git my ticket. I
axed him if we would git ter Kich
nnrtA in timA fer dinner. He sed
auvaau - . . -
hit would be sorter late, but 'lowed
that a feller kin git dinner in Rich
mond eny time a dav or nite. "But,"
now Via "if xrrm Air ffittin' honsrry 111
OVA UU; t-i -- -
pee if the ingineer can't cut off three
or four hours frum the regular
skedule." 1 thanked him an' told
him I had a snack with me that
would keep me frum collapsin' a day
or two.
When we srot ter Henderson I look
ed out an' seed so meny houses I
thought maybe hit wuz Richmond.
Soon az I seed two or three ter
backer warehouses I got my haver
sack an' started fer the door. The
conducktor axed me whut I wuz un
to. "I'm ffittin' off." sed I. He
pushed me back in the car an' sed hit
wuz more n a hundred miles ter
Richmond yit. After awhile we got
ter Norliny an' sum ov the folks on
the train went inter the tavern thar
an' et dinner an' sum ov 'em stood
eround an' picked their teeth instid
ov goin in ter eat.
After leavin' Norliny we rode er-
long a hour or so an' crossed the
Virginy line. The land looks so poor
m Vircrinv that I wanted ter take
up a colleckshun fer hit, but I kept
quiet. After sum time we got ter
another bier town. I axed a drummer
if hit wuz Richmond. He sed no
hit wuz Petersburg. My grand-
daddv useter hawl terbacker ter that
town an' that made hit look sorter
familiar like ter me.
After leavin' Petersburg hit didnt
take long ter git ter Richmond an'
I hain't bin still a minit smse. lhis
iz a biereer town than Durham an
Hillsboro both tied tergether.
Richmond iz located on the river
.Tim RRventv-fivft miles frum Weldon
an' ten miles frum Asheland. Hit
struck me that they iz more rocks
than water in the river Jim. But
they tole me that hit iz different
down the river a piece, there bein
more water than rocks. They start
ed a shipyard here sum years ergo
an' depended on a big freshet ter git
the ships down the river. The fresh
et. W11Z delaved an' the thing busted
with a lot ov ships on hand.
Richmond iz very historickicai.
first settled by the Ingins
an' Pokahontus wuz Mayor. Later
on sum time the Purytans cum here
an' driv the Ineruns erway an' set
tled in Richmond, but they never set
tled for the land.
The. nrinsinle. nroducks razed in
Richmond air Old Virginy Smokers
an' Old Henry Drinkers, lhey air
puttin' a new roof on the capitol
building, which looked like hit wuz
fished outin' ov a junk pile before
they started to fix hit up. The most
hysterical places erbout Richmond
air the Jefferson Hotel an' the battle
rvir Seven Pines. I didn't stop but
two minits at the Jefferson, but I
atvel at Seven Pines half a day.
TViot W a ftnp.red snot, the bones ov
thousands ov soldiers bein burned
thar.
T wP.nt ter see a feller that they
call "Justis John." I tole him I wuz
strnt.fi down in North Caro
lina ati' offered ter bet him that I
could hand out more justis in an
hour than he could deal out in a
week. He sed he wuz readv ter ar
i-anira o mate., env time.
I met up with a feller on Broad
fifract on' cmt ter talkin' with him.
He axed me if I had got erquainted
with any ov the "F. F. V.'s" yit. l
Tin that. I didn't drmk a
IV1U 11 AAA.
drop nowadays. He looked sorter
scared an' axed me it diant Know
"F. F. V.'' I tole him
no, but I guessed that hit wuz sum
sort ov harmless bar-room !fl79Wf
sed hit meant "the First Families in
Virginia." I apollygized an' tole
him that down in North Carolina we
hev the B. T.'s an' the "G. M. I.'s,"
the first meanin' "Blind Tiger" an'
the other bein' the dispensarys or
the "Great Moral Institushuns," an'
that I thought he meant sumpthin'
ov that sort. By inquirin' on a little
I found that most ov the remains ov
the "First Families" air keepin'
boardin' houses in Richmond an'
sprayin' the family trees betwixt
meals ter keep the moths out ov the
trees. ' v . :' ;
I will close my letter an' will write
you soon frum Washington.
Az before,
ZEKE BILKINS.
Wake School Board.
The Wake County School Board
held a snecial session Friday to con
sider petitions for building and re
pairing school-houses All the .board.
Thomas Johns. B. S. Franklin and J.
L. Foster, were present. Supt. Z. V.
Judd was secretary. Twelve petitions
were granted and five were deterred
until a meeting August 4th.
J. M. Turner petitioned for the
consolidation of Districts Nos. 1, 2
and 3 in Panther Branch. Action on
the petition was postponed until Au
gust 4th.
A nlan was accented for a school-;
Viniiae ; nt, Funuav Snrings to cost
$750. W. J. Ballentihe presented th
matter to the Board.
CI. V. Norwood asked the consoli
dation of Districts 3 and 4 in Neusf-
Tnwnshin. It. was ocnosed bv J. T.
Brown. Simt. Judd was instructed
to investigate the matter and report
to the Board.
L. T). Merritt. colored, urged to.e
Tlnnrrl to have an industrial depari-
ndHed to the school at Foredt-
ville. He was told that the Board
had no authority to do anything of
tTio Vinrl
" A new school-house was decided
upon for New Hill in Buckhorii
Tnwnshin. Sunt. Judd will examine
the Christian church there with a
view to buying it for the school.
AnoT aphnn wfls ffranten renairs Vj
tKe. n mount, of $540. Dr. H. G. Uth'
and Representative P. J. Olive recom
mended it to the Board.
Swift Creek, No. 7, near Inwood,
was granted a new house, the cot
not to exceed $350. The committee
wn instructed to sell the old house.
Runt Jndd and Commissioner
PrnnVlin. nftcr investigating the
grounds in Districts 4 and 6 in Holly
Springs Township reported to the
"Rnorrl TVie Boftrd decided to locate
tno sr.Knnl-house on the north side of
A. T. Stephens' home, near the Holly
Springs road.
The question of consolidating Dis
tripts 4- nnd 5 in Middle Creek Town
ship was deferred to the meeting of
the Board on August 4th.
Rally Near McCullers.
TiMk Twill Vo an Adncational rally
XUIU TV AAA ' "
at Catawba Springs, near McCullers
Station, the first Saturday in August.
Supt. Z. V. Judd and others will
sneak on this occasion. Mr. o. jvlh-
ton Banks is chairman of the com
mUfon molrinir on Arrangements.
lUitwc uiu'n n
TnAA Twill er-.eolr nt. ft SnndaV-
kjUMu. U UUU AAA - , "
school picnic at Macedonia church,
in Swift Creek Township, next
: Thursday.
Clayton News.
Correspondence of the Enterprise.
Miss Minnie Moring, of Raleigh,
is visiting Mrs. Cadmus T. Young.
Miss Mav Perry and Mr. Robert
Branton are visiting Mrs. B. M.
Robertson.
Miss Pauline Branham. of Benson,
N. C, left for her home Wednesday
after a few days' visit to Mrs. John
S. Barnes.
Mr. Dewood Austin had the mis
fortune of losing a fine gold watch
on Tuesday night. He thinks he
Howell's, near Raleigh, and Clayton,
N. C. Mr. Austin will give a suita
ble reward for its return.
The voung men of Clayton gave a
delightful melon party at the Acad
emy Hall Wednesday evening in
honor of the visiting young ladies.
On next Tuesday evening there
will be a concert given at Clayton
High School auditorium under the
auspices of our home ladies, lhere
will be a grand exhibition of local
talent and visiting talent. Miss
Blanche Barnes, who recently re
ceived high honors at the Conserva
tory of Music, Durham, N. C, will
play several of her charming selec
tions.
There was a flood of cotton on our
streets Wednesday. The price was
as hifh as eleven cents for some
bales. "NO-ONE."
Clayton, N. C, July 26th.
News from Garner.
Correspondence of the Enterprise.
Miss Callie Ford, near Auburn,
who has been very sick for the past
few days, is improving.
A revival is in progress at tne
Christian church here this wee. Rev.
Geo. Underwood is pastor.
The County Home and f arm, undor
control of Supt. W. F. Black, is m
a verv fine condition. He has the
finest crop of corn and cotton I ever
saw, I think. Mr. Black is the right
man for that position.
One case before the mayor; fined
$10 and cost for being disorderly.
Heavv rains continue to visit this
section, doing much damage to the
crops.
For the past few days there has
been several car-loads of melons ship
ped from this place by J. B. Wilson,
and others.
Mr. N. W. Powell has gone to
Asheville on business.
C, 11. W.
Garner, N. C, July 26th.
Mr. Bllkins Goes North.
Maior. also 'Squire. Constable and
T?nnrl Snrervisor Bilkins. has es
caped from Fuquay Springs; and
writes from Richmond, lie intimates
that he will visit the National capi
tal and a number of the great cities
North. If he) digs up anything
worth writing about he will give it
to our readers in his usual quaint
style. :
Those who are fond of that kind
nf literature should see that their
renewal is sent in promptly or they
will miss the paper and the Bilkins
letters.
When you see the blue cross mark
that means that VOU will not get the
next issue of the paper unless you
get busy and send in your renewal.
The mails are cheap and convenient,
and there is no need of waiting for
your paper to be cut off, for it will
be done,