North Carolina Newspapers

AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS IN CLEVELAND LAST YEAR TOTALLED PAID-UP CIRCULATION Of This Papfer Is Greater Than The Population Given Shelby In The 1920 Census flic OVER NINE MILLION DOI LARS—FIRST IN BUTTER; FOURTH IN COTTON. Iet>elan& tar RELIABLE HOME PAPER Of Shelby And The State’s Fertile Farming Section. ftitatlern Job Department. VOL. XXXII, No. 53 THE CLEVELAND STAR, SHELBY, N. C. TUESDAY, JULY 1. 1924. $2.00 A YEAR IN ADVANCE M100 LENS WITH SMITH SECOND ON SIXTH BILLOT IT DEMOCRATIC MEETING BALLOTING SMS MONDAY MOONING McAdoo Gains Strength Faster Than Smith From First to Sixth Bal lot, With Davis Next. Balloting for a Democratic presi dential nominee started Monday morn ing, the sixth day after the convention assembled In Madison Square Garden New York city and on the sixth bal lot IVn. G. McAdoo was in the lead with 433 votes f with Governor A1 Smith of New York following, having 2fil votes to his credit. Information was being received yesterday over H. and B. Beer’s market wire at the local cotton office, the sixth ballot baing an nounced about two o’clock. On the second ballot McAdoo had 395 Smith 251, Underwood 42, Davis 47, with a dozen other candidates re ceiving the vote of their respective j states aa a compliment and in the hope that one might be picked as a dark horse. On the fourth ballot McAdoo re reived 437, Smith 253. Indications were that Smith followers were stick ing firmly to their candidate. A dead lock looks probable when a dark horse looms up. To nominate requires two-thirds of 1,087 or 725 votes. Split over Issues. New York, June 29.—Emerging wearily from a titanic struggle over its platform the Democratic national convention prepared today to plunge into another over candidates. Balloting for nomine for the Presi dency will begin tomorrow. A dead lock is in prospect, and tonight the supporters of a dozen candidates re newed their predictions of victory. The platform was perfected at two o’clock this morning, when amid scenes of confusion seldom paralleled in party history a plank condemning the Ku Klux klan by name was pro nounced rejected by the narrow mar gin of a single vote. Another serious contest had been decided previously by adoption of a plank re-affirming in general terms only the party’s faith In the league of nations. Smlth-McAdoo Defeat Predicted. The convention action on the all absorbing question of the klan appar ently had no effect on the relative standing of the candidates except as it provided a further argument for use by those who are predicting that neither McAdoo nor Smith can be nom inated. The out and out anti-klan plank, according to Permanent Chair man Walsh’s anouncement, received 641 votes, with the active supporters of Governor Smith and others friend ly to him voting for it, while 542 votes were announced as against it, largely from the states that are giv ing their support to Mr. McAdoo. The totals of the vote as actually cast by states and territqries, how ever, and as verified on recapitula tion today shows that 546 and 15-100 votes were case against singling ouf the klan by name and that 541 and 85.100 votes were cast in favor of it. This actually increases the majority to four and 30-100 votes instead of j one single vote as given in the official announcement. The Smith people declared the total recorded snowed conclusively the in ability of McAdoo to muster the two thirds "e»essary for a nomination, and the McAdoo supporters said the votes cast on the ot>>er side meant the elimination of Smith. The managers for the other candidates agreed with both of them. As a result of the only discernible trend of opinion among the leaders as they weighted the outcome of yes terday and laid their plans for the battle that begins tomorrow was a further sifting over of available? to which the party can turn if the two men now at the top of the list are both eliminated. Almost as a unit the anti-klan ele ments of the party expressed their willingness tq remain content with their defeat in the platform contest, despite the narrow margin by which it was attained. There was one sugtres tion that a resolution might be offer ed interpreting the religious liberty Plank adopted as in effect, a condem nation of the klan. but the move had no indication of wide-spread support. Bryan Jeered and Applauded. The convention’s floor fight over ♦ he league issue had ben accompan ied by an unusual display of passion, >ut it became olorless and almost un interesting in contrast to the battle waged over the klan plank through the midnight hours and into the early morning of the Sabbath. In two hours of Intensive debate several of these outstanding features i *be Democracy, past and present. Played upon the emotions of the vast assemblage until delegates and spec Has Cotton Blooms In Thirteen Rows No matter how “hard" the time*, how depressing the outlook for the cotton crop or how injurious the storms there are always cotton blooms before July 4. In olden days it was a matter of much pride to have the first cotton bloom in the community and a right good boost for all the farmers who exhibited blooms before the grand and glorious Fourth. Now adays with farming on a systematic basis and farmers looking more for results than anything else the race for first blooms is not so heated. How. ever, they still report first blooms and The Star has recorded several farm ers among the first to exhibit blooms I sually a colored man is as shy of the number “13” as a superstitious white man is of a black cat, but Dave Tur ner, typical South Carolina colored man, now' farming on Max Gardner’s Moreperacre Seed Farm, does not have any Qualms about thirteen rows of cotton. He was in the office Monday exhibiting a bloom that was plucked from a “patch” of 13 rows. Dave is a native of South Carolina that migrated here just in advance of the weevil and for years has planted some cotton on the first day of April, “jes as a ‘speriment’.’’ he says Usu ally he plants enough for a bale, but they stopped him this year because it was thought too early and he only got 13 rows planted. “Th’ thurteen didn’t keep me fruni havin’ blooms kase I got several of dem scattered over th’ thurteen rows now,’’ Dave stated. The patch where the early blooms are is “new ground,” being cleared and ploughed for the first time this year. Dave hails from Ridgeway, S. C., but says Cleveland is “uh mighty good place ter live.’’ Local Club To Play Loray On July 4 Shelby Defeated Fast Clover Team Here Saturday. Old Stars to Play on Friday. Baseball followers will be afforded a good attraction here Friday July 4, when the newly organized town club meets the speedy outfit from Loray mill, Gastonia. The Loray club as in former years has been playing some fast ball with a good record of victor ies th's season over other independent clubs in the section. In the line-up will be a number of former college stare and well-known semi-pros. The pro ceeds will be used in paying the hos pital bill of Max Connor, high school player, and the local club will be made up of high school stars and a number of local boys who have played professional and semi-pro ball. Tom my Harrill “Shorty’ Long, Johnny Hudson, “Lefty” Robinson and Dick Gurley will appear in the local line-up. The game is expected to be hard fought and the attendance large as local business houses will be closed during the day. Shutout Clover Team. Playing here Saturday the local easily glanked Clover (S. C.) dubs 9 to 0. Given exceptional support Mc Kee, former high school southpaw, held the South Carolina visitors to three scattered hits, only one Clover player reaching second base. Ritch was touched for 12 safeties by Shelby. Harrill, Cline Lee, Dixon and Hennes sa furnished fielding features, while Lee and Harrill led the hitting. It is a wise drinking man who mov es to a house near a hospital. No man is boss in his own home un til the family takes a vacation. tators had reached a pitch of nervous excitement rendering futile all fur ther attempts at orderly procedure. Bainbridee Colby, secretary of state under Wilson, challenged his party in a fighting speech to condemn the klan openly, and William Jennings Bryan closed the argument for the opposi tion with an old-time show of dash and fire that was ^net alternately with jeers and applause from floor and gallery. Then, for two hours and a half, the convention sought in a confusion bor dering on hysteria, to determine its own mind. Time and again the roll call was interrupted by delegates who sought to challenge the accuracy of the vote of their states as cast by their delegation chairman, back and forth swung the advantage as the voting approached its conclusion and lead ers of the opposing forces tried des perately to win over the handful of votes they know would determine the verdict. As the roll was ended an angry growl of disputation swept over the convention hall in rising volume, chairs were overturned, two or three state standards were wrecked, and there were several personal encoun ters on the floor and the speaker’s platform. "CLEAN TULKING" !S Two Paxton* And Attorney Diacuaa 1'h« Of Slander, Profanity And Suggestive Language. “A Clean Mouth”—free of profane, slanderous and suggestive language— was the entertaining and beneficial subject of the Kiwanis program con ducted Thursday evening nt Cleveland Springs by William Lincbprger in charge of the program for the month of June. Three apeakers, Revs. A. L. Stanford, R. L. lemons and Attorney D. Z. Newton, handled the subject from a different viewpoint. Mr. Stan ford on “Profanity,” Mr. Newton on “Slander” and Mr. Lemons on "Sug gestirenees.” Following the formal program 0. M Mull, president of the rlub, appoint'd a committee, compos ed of Max Washburn, Mai Spangler and Rush Hamrick, to confer with the merchants of the town in regards to closing the stores, banks and busi ness houses of Shelby on Thursday af ternoons during the months of July and August A petition has already been presented the merchants by the Woman’s club, the club also present ing the matter to the Kiwanians. In diacusing profanity and blas phemy Rer. Mr. Stanford made a fer vent appeal for cleaner speech. "Pro fanity is tha most unnecessary sin of sins,” he declared. “There is no in stance on record where profanity in creased anyone’s credit at the bank, made new customers for a store, add ed paying clients to a lawyer’s patron age, or in any way helped any em ployer, business or professional man. Profanity is utterly useless, yet it opllutes the conversation of our people on the streets, in our stores and offic es, at ball games, and even in our homes.” Mr. Newton in a brief but eloquent denunciation of slanderous tongues said in part: blander is no respecter of persons. It steals ita way into tha homes of the rich, the palace* of kings, the huts of the poor and hovels of the slave; into the prisons of hate and in to the gardens of love; into the churches of God and into the dens of vice. Ita slimy trail leads from Eden's bower*; winds around th# cross and goes down and down and down. Its venomous sting turns brimming foun tains of gladness into stagnant pools of mfaery and makes home sweet home into a waste of horrors. “And what is this monster we call slander? For my purpose it is any false statement that brings into dis repote the good name of a person. And what is its source? Selfishness, jealousy, envy, hatred, sometimes. But more often it is careless, indifferent, idle conversation, arising from “They say,” “It is rumored,” "I’m told.” Here are the incubators, the harbingers and the broadcasters of slander. Who is they ? I dont know or I promised not to give them away. “Ah, well you know how a little re mark will sometimes undermine the reputation of a good man and bring about his downfall; how one idle word may forever blight the bloom on a maiden's cheek and cause her to be spurned by society, only to fade away like a wilting flower. “A good name is about all some of us may ever hope to have. And a Good name in man or woman Is the immediate jewel of th$ir sopl. Wo steals my purse steals trash; rtis something, nothing; Twas mine, ’tis his, and has been slave to thousands; But he that filches from me by good name, Robs me of that which enriches him not And makes me poor indeed.” “Would it not be well therefore nev er to say or repeat anything that is derogatory or disparaging to a per son s name, unless we know it is true and unless it is necessary. Indeed there is so much good in the worst of us and so much had in the best of us that it does not become any of us to talk about the rest of us. “I would that as the lights and shadows come and go we might look with withering scorn upon those cow ardly, subtle, venomous, hellish “They Says,” “It is rumored,” “I’m told,” and realize the sanctity and conse quences of our words.’ Dr. Lemons in a talk of only a few minutes considered “Suggestiveness of Conversation” perhaps more evil and wielding a worse influence than either slander or profanity. “As the clear crystal surface of a lake is marred and polluted with mud follow ing a rain so is the clean mirror-like conversation of many of our people pollutted with suggestiveness and In timations. It is the morbid something that the mind is left to grasp, the hint at something sordid that corrupts and destroys the morals of our youth.” Incidents of the effect of suggestive conversation of street corner gather ings were mentioned in an urgent ap peal and hope that daily conversation be purged, that it leave clean the conversation and thoughts of the com ing generation. It was the first program of such a f—.■" ..- '■■■. STORES TO CLOSE IN SHELBY JULY 4th. The stores will b«t closed on July 4th, Independence Day. Remember this will be Friday of this week. While there is no celeration plan ned for Shelby on this occasion with the exception of a ball name Friday afternoon, jthe merchants feel that it is a day that should be observed and it has been their cus tcn to observe It for a nnmber of years, therefore, they will close on Friday of this week. A movement is on foot to close all stores in Shelby each Thursday afternoon during t!ie months of July and August. This him been the custom for several years in order to give the sales people a needed vacation during the hot summer months. A petition Is now in cir- j culation and is being signed freely by the merchants agreeing to clor.e their doors each Thursday after noon during July and August and some announcement will be made in a Buburciuent issue of The Star SUMMER SCHOOL Oil SECOND WEK JULY Around 100 County Tractors Aro El- \ pected to Attend. School for Student* Conditioned The Cleveland eounty summer school for teachers will open Monday morn ing July 7 at the Central school building with probably a larger at tendance than ever before, according to Prof J. H. Grigg, principal of the Shelby high school, who with Prof. Lawton Blanton and Miss Agnes Mc Brayer make up the summer school faculty for teachers. The summer school for high school and elementary students conditioned on last years work will open at tha same time with Mr. W. S. Buchanan and Miss Alma PeepleB in charge of the high school students, Mrs. Jessie Ramseur and Mjsa Bessie Clark the elementary stu dents. According to Mr. Grigg a number of teachers from South Carolina and from Rutherford college desire to at tend the summer school here, haring already made application, and it i* at least- certain that aoma will at-; tend from both places. With the large number of Cleveland county teachers who will attend it is expected that the total attendance will be around 100. It has not yet been determined as to whether there will be two sessions or one. Last year only one session was held. City -Students Shelby boys and girls who were con ditioned on their work last year will make up the city summer school stu dent body. Quite a number will through this plan be enabled to advance a grade or secure enough units for grad uation. The course of study will in clude all grades above the third. Stu dents desiring to make up work may do so by paying only one-half tuition as the city school board has agreed to weeks is $15, the student to pay one half or $7.50. This is a saving to par ents as otherwise the student might have to return for one entire school year to make up the work. Credits Offered Teachers The following certificates may be secured by completing one unit of work in a county summer school in 1924 and by securing the superinten dent’s recommendation: 1. Provisional B. certificates mav be secured by: (a) Applicants who meet either entrance requirement. 2. Provisional A. certificates may; be secured by: (a) Holders of provis ional B certificates, (b) Graduates of non-standard four year high schools. 3. One year temporary certificate may be secured by (a) Holders of provisional A certificates, (b) Hold ers of one year temporary certificates ! may secure extension for one year, j 4. Elementary certificate class B* may be secured by; (a) Graduates of Standard high schools, (b) Applicants who secure academic credits by state examination, (c) Holders of provis ional elementary certificates. Course of Study The course of study consists of subject matter and methods courses. The subjects are arranged in units, one unit of work to be completed each summer. A unit of work consists of four courses to be taken five times a week for six weeks the recitation periods being 45 minutes in length. To secure credit, one must enter not later than the third day, must show twenty-five days attendance, and must make a passing grade of 75 per cent on each subject. The man who says he will try any thing once may try it once too often. nature ever conducted by the club and much interest was taken in the brief talks by those present. The de structiveness of an unclean mouth in each of the three important phases as presented briefly by the speakers seemed to make an impression on the hearers. BIG PAVING WORK AT RUTHERFORQTON Two and n Half Mile* of Streets to be Improved. Near Seriou Auto bile Wreck. Rutherfordton, June 28.—The town council let a contract Thursday to the Wilson Construction company of this place to Jo 30,000 square yards of street paving or twoand one-half miles within the next year. There were 11 bids for the work. The next lowest hid was $2,000 under that of Wilson Con struction company. The total cost of this improvement will he about $104,. 000. The town will soon complete $25, 000 worth of new water mains on the streets soon to be paved. The town np'o wdl soon complete th“ new reser voir which will give fresh pure water and nearly a million gallons storage for emergencies. It is hoped by the city fathers to turn on the lights on the white way by the. night of July 4th. A new hall containing offices for the town offl. cials and an up-to-date fire depart ment will be erected thia year. Court lasted Monday only. Judge Webb sent the cases hack to Hender son coonty for trial. Most of the day Monday was consumed by the attor ney* arguing the case. Over 1,000 people attended the fu neral of Rev. H. R. Freeman at Mt. View church Sunday afternoon. He was killed last Friday in an automo bile wreck near Badin. Cicero C. Lovelace, one of the coun ty’s best farmers and citizens died suddenly Monday and was burled at Pleasant Hill Baptist church Tuee day. He had been in ill health for three years. He was 62 years old and was a deacon of the church for many vears. He is the father of Prof A. C. Lovelace, superintendent of the Hen rietta public schools. A successful revival closed at the Baptist church Thursday night. Rev. F. A. Bower, of Morganton, did the preaching while Earl L. Wolslagle, of Oklahoma, was the singer. Both Bow er and Wolslagle made many friends while here. About 30 joined the church. The boys and men were bap tized Sunday night while the remain-, der were baptised Sunday night. What came near being a serious automobile wreck occurred Thursday at noon on the highway at the edge of town in front of the residence of Dr. Matt McBrayer when a stripped down Cadillac driven by W. J. McEntire, garage man, collided with a Ford truck driven by Charles Flynn. Th® cars started to pass each other and hit at an angle of 45 degrees. Mr. Mc Entire was bruised and cut seriously. His occupant, Curtis Hardin, escaped injury. Mrs. Cynthia Connor, 75 old ladv of Uree, who was in the truck with Flynn suffered a fractured arm, nose and hand and is seriously ill at the hospital. Flynn was unhurt but the cars were damaged. Spindale is planning for a great fuorth of July celebration. The day’s events open with a golf tournament and tennis match, which will be fol lowed with the Old Fiddler’s conven. tion. A better babies contest will be held. At 10:30 a. m. there will be an address by Dr. D. W. Daniel of Clem son college. Lincoln Fair Has Been Reorganized Lincoln County News. The Lincoln county fair has been reorganized, and put on a cash basis and hopes to have the biggest and best fair this fall that they have ever had. The following officers were elect ed: Mr. J. L. Lineberger, president: Mr. Fred Ramsaur, vice president: Mr. C. D. Stroupe, secretary; Mr. J. W. Hoover, treasurer. Knowing that each fair has been better than the one before and that Lincoln county needs a county fair these men have put the fair on a sound financial basis and are asking every person in the county to co-op-, erate to give Lincoln county the big gest and best fair this fall that has ever been held in the county. Seven Year Old Boy Dies Of Paralysis Herman Beam Poston, son of Mrs. John Poston of No. 5 township, died Friday June 27th following a two days illness with paralysis of the throat. The young fellow was only seven years, ten months and 11 days old, a gentlemanly, promising young man whose death is a source of great sor row to his many friends and relatives. The funeral was conducted by Eev. Mr. Brown and interment took place at New Prospect church Sunday amid a great crowd of sorrowing friends. Prayer Meeting Central Methodist. Prayer meeting at Central Metho dist church Wednesday night at 8 o’clock. All are cordially invited. THREE NEGROES KILLED WHEN STRUCK Or II PASSENGER TIN NEAR GROVER lone storm visits coip One Barn Burned—Others Blown Down--Mule Killed—Strong \\ ind and Some Hail. Another hail, wind and electric storm visited the county aguin Sun day overling and added lu the damage which had been done in several pre ceding electric > terms. Light nil struck Roy (JriggD barn mi Dick Cov ington’s plantation in the lh.uble SnritC'H cmi.e art.' • . | cDutruved t Also the lightning truck tin fiarn of S\. Simon Davh i i t vi giir corttratin ity, killed a ir.ii'e. hat ♦ ham was not hurried. The lightning, rain ant wind were heavy, doing Considerable damage to the crops. The path of this cloud was very nearly the same that two other previous clouds took across the county from Lattimore and New House sections across by Double Springs, Zion, New Bethel and on into Gaston and Lincoln counties. This time the storm reached some higher, doing right considerable damage it. the Fallston community. A path was cut through Capt Ed Dixons fine tim ber and it will require a day or two to get the roads cleared up, according to information received in Shelby Monday. A crib and outbuildings be longing to Tom Stamey were blown down. There was some hail in Sun day night’s cloud, but the damage was ■light from this. Telephone lines are out of order in many directions and timber and crops have suffered greatly ‘•om the high winds and heavy, ruins, the bulk of the storm damage being confined in three in stances to a path across the county north of Shelby. (Vuto Turned Turtle At Cleveland Springs W. C. Floyd, a well known young attorney of Gastonia was painfully in jured Thursday evening shortly be fore 7 o’clock when the Chevrolet coupe he was driving turned turtle off the new state highway opposite Cleve land Springs hotel. A young lady of Gastonia was in the car with Floyd, but was apparently uninjured from the plunge of 16 or 20 feet from the road way to one of the springs in the dale between the highway and the hotel. They were en route to the Springs for dinner and Mr. Floyd had passed the hotel entrance and for some rea son, probably because a car in front of him slowed up, put on his brakes suddenly with the result that on the wet pavement due to rain the car skidded to the side and hurtled off the fill. The car turned over one or more times, landing on its top about 20 feet below1, near one of the springs. The fact that it was a closed car with a heavy top probably saved the lives of the two young people, it being con sidered remarkable that they escaped with only slight injuries. Mr. Floyd received several painful cuts about the face and was given medical treatment at the hotel. The radiator and front end of the car were badly damaged, while the w'indshieid and glass por tions of the body were broken. Paxton Child Buried At Elizabeth Church Ina Lucile, the ope year old child of Mr. and Mrs. Wm. G. Pan ton died Saturday night about midnight and was buried Sunday afternoon at. Eli zabeth Baptist church, the funeral services being conducted by Rev. G. P. Abernethy. The little child had been sick for some time, but had responded to treatment and was sick only a few hours when the end came. The Pax tons live on O. M. Mull’s farm on the Shelby-Fallston road. Mr. Paxton lost his father on May 30th. His father J. C. Paxton died at the age of 72 years. He was a well known and esteemed citizen of the county and his passing followed by the death of the Paxton child makes a double sorrow in the home. His wife died about 12 years ago Remains were buried at Elizabeth church on June 1st. Lightning Strikes And Kills Goforth’s Dog During the thunderstorm Sunday evening in which the rain, wind and electric flashes were heavy, tthe light ning struck the home of W. L. Go forth on the Shelby-Kings Mountain road, near Kings Mountain and shock ed Mr. Goforth. A dog on the rear porch was killed by the shock, but no damage of any material consequence was done to the residence. Mr. Go'? forth soon recoveerd from his shock. UNIQUE TRAGEDY OH SUNDAY NIGHT Tho.ipht to Have Been Asleep on Tr.'ick. Heads Crushed by Im part. Coroner Investigates T'i • mutilated forms of three col r d r.ien stretched out under two ‘ -1* “r« by the main line railroad (r u t within one-half mile of Grwver .•re nv.( ■ evidences of a triple tragedy t !• -ppt-ned late Sunday night. Just h >•> th ■ three negroes eeme to their end wiM probably never he known, but 'he t indeed • r more p-'ople who stood silently around Monday morning of fer- 1 fever.a I opinions as to how the tri > di"d and the one mentioned most and similar to the verdict of the cor oner’s jury was that a fast passenger train had swept around the curve and down upon them after they had fal len asleep while sitting on the end of the rranstieM. The dead are: Rederick 8crukits, ago about 25; Jim Degree, about lfi, and “Klrt" Mitchell, also about 25. Degree and Sctukks are na tives of the Grover section,.... while Mitchell is said to live In Rutherford county. Found by Engineer. It came out at the inquest Monday morning that the engineer on No. 35 southbound pasenger train stated that he noticed the bodies as his train pass ed through Grover between 11 and 12 o’clock Sunday night, the train stop ped and members of the train crew notified citizens of the village. Some have the opinion, however, that it was No. 35 that hit the three negroes. The engineer is said to have stated also that in his opinion No. 135, south bound, must have hit the men as the bodies were already stiffening when he found them. Although opinions dif fer ifr is a certainty that the three were struck by a train. When found, the bodies were side by side parallel with the track in the path at the side of the tracks. Mitchell aparentlv was struck first, there being a small hole in the right side of his head, which was badly crushed by the impact. De gree, the youngest of the trio, who was in the middle, had one side of his face practically knocked off and a par tion of his brains wa sscattered ahotit Scruggs, hit last, was badly mutilated. Nearly all of one side of his head was knocked off and the portion remaining on the body was empty, all of hie brains being scattered around his body. With the exception of cuts and bruises on the right hands and arms there were no other injuries, it seem ed, and from the fact that all were struck in the head it seems as if they must have been sitting on the end of the crossties or were asleep with their heads on the rail. Tt appeared as if Mitchell was struck by the step on the cowcatcher and that the others re ceived the full impact of the passen ) ger steps or the side of the train. Details are Puzzling. 1 It is the first instance on record, according to those at the scene Mon j day morning, where three were killed in such a manner. Frequently one i person falls asleep on the tracks and I is killed, hut that three would die in 1 such a tragic manner seemed puzaling. Mar> conjectures were made. Some ; we- inclined to think that the negroes were perhaps killed in some other man ! uer end their bodies placed there as :> Mind. Another was that they were d or killed by abolt of lightning: ' remit' ? dowri the steel rail and were ,--.truck afterwards by the train. The ; evidence heard by Coroner-T. C. Esk ; ridge and his jury, however, was more definite and left the impression that ; the trio must have been struck while asleep on the track. There were no marks of violence other than those made by the train, as far as could be determined. No. 135 ran about one hour or so ahead of No. 35 and one witness heard by the coroner was pos itive that he saw them after 135 pass ed through Grover. Died at Mother’s Door. Scruggs,'who lived on a farm only a short distance from where he was killed, met death almost at his moth er’s door. The home where his mother lived being only a few feet from the tracks on a high bank beside the rail- ) road, and the negro’s body lay in the path where members of the family passed up and down the bank and across the tracks. He was a farm hand for Caleb Phillips and married. Degree, the son of Jim Degree who lives about two miles frqp Grover, it will be remembered was in recorder’s court here with his brother not so long ago for entering the store of Webb Brothers here. A .38 calibre plsi tol, said to be the property of one of the others, was taken from his cloth ing by the coroner. Mitchell, who is also married, lives in Rutherford and (Continued on page three.)