In The Year Of Our Lord
A Christmas Thought By Rev. L. B.
Hayes, Central M. E. Church.
Only one event in the history of
the world Is gi eat enough to reckon
time by. Christ has captured the
centuries and stamped His name on
the brow of the h irrying ages. Be -
tore he came, and since, ambitious
men and great epochs have b**en
ehosen to calendar the passages of
time and chronical Imperishable
dates. They have failed,
i History is strewn thick with these
half-forgotten markers of time.
Greek Olympiads. Roman Consul
ates, Egyptian Pharaohs and Baby
lonian Eponyms have faded irom
the thought of the world For sev
eral centuries the mystic words
“A. U. C.” (A durbe condlta* were
used to measure time from iiie
founding or the Eternal City on the
tlber. But Rome lost both empire
and fame—the Catacombs conquer
ed the Caesars and A. D. supplanted
A, U. C. All civilized time dates ti
the Babe cf Bethlehem. Each day.
' as it arrives, is baptized into the
~ name of Christ. Each letter and
\ cheque, paper and periodical pub
lished bears His birth mark. Even
these who write to oppose the N'hz
1 aorine must due their attacks i-cn
His or? die.
Alexander and Caesar had cal
endars dated after themselves but
no sword had cut deep enough into
the world to leave a lasting scir.
time lies healed the wounds of the
world's worst conquerors, while the
: imperialism ord pomp cf every wn
Iperor passes quickly into the limbo
of things that were. "Plato taught
on a larger' trr.le, belonged to a
more Imperial race and spoke a
richer language than the carpen
ter's Son of Nazareth. Socrates
drank the cup of hemlock to an ac
companiment of philosophic ciis
1 course such us never was hearu in
I Galilean villages—bui the world
-
does not date Its lime from Plato
or Socrates. It measures time by
the timeless One, *he Lord ol the
ages. Jesus: "The same today, yes
terday and forever."
What! Must all time bear the
signature and silent witness to this
Jewish peasant who wrote no oock.
invented no philosophy; made no
discovery;; built no temple and
who died; as men count years, be
fore he has reached His prime—
and died the death of n criminal9
Yet the glory of this One Is; that
living In an obscur^ province 'u a
far-off age, coming from among the
weeds and brambles of obscurity
and meriting only the “short and
simple annals of the poor" he
should by the love he bore and the
service he rendered be able to brand
the rolling years with His name.
And no man has known how it was
done. Five centuries passed before
he wrote "Anno Domlne" above our
letters—time enough for this Jew
to have been forgotten—others more
pretentious have passed sooner. Put
time whlclf reveals the weakness ' f
men and covers them with a ta:v
gueless oblivion only adds to the
l lustre of “The Name that is above
every Name.' ^
! So, somehow-by universal mid
| common concent, unaided by any
; man, save possibly. Constantine
} the years are labelled. “The years
of our Lord." Slowly and as rc
j statics.sly as the tide rises God
moved in mysterious ways for this
j linking up of His world with the
! manger Child over whom the hn
! gct.j sang. The Father who gave
Kim to the world designed that ;n ■
world must witness to Him as loir
as time last:. Courage then! This Is
the empire and year of Grace. Never
was Ills Star more ascendant; “1 he
Lord reigneth. let the people re -
| Jotec."
Bank Bandit, Once In Shelby, Is
I Caretaker For Governor Gardner
At Raleigh Mansion; Is Trusted
(Continued from page one.)
I “Portland Ned," whose real name is
I Edward Howard, along with a pal
| puffed the sale of a bank at Con
B way, in Northampton county, and
took therefrom $5,000 in cash and
approximately 530.000 in liberty
bonds. There was a chance slip in
; their getaway and the two bandits
/were captured. "Portland Ned," due
to Iris desperate reputation the
| country ever received a sentence vi
from 11 to 11 years in lire state pen
itentiary at Ra'.si&h. While he
: ground away the years in the rusti
red brick buildings surrounded oy
tire desclute gray walls the brain
Which had thought its r oy to scores
of Sttccrt.rul bank and postofttce
; robberies began a philosophical
study of life.
I "la a year ci two t-r thinking bauc
over the pa.t l recalled that nor a
Ione of my pals who had made bis
hauls ever prospered on their loot
The oprn.cn came to tire that hr tiro
general scheme of things (that
phrase Is Neds religion) it was not
intended that man should prosper
unless he earned his prosperity," the
former yegg declared while discuss
ing his career. “It was then that I
. decided that after all honesty is
the best policy."
In Raleigh after “Portland Ned '
had put In several years time thci;
was a citizen who had always in
r: terested himself >n the silent men.
garbed in striped suits, who walked
and worked behind the prison walls,
TUL; man was attracted by the lor
mer bank robber because of the
latter's acquaintance with prac
tlcally every state in the union, be
cause cf liis entertaining conversa
; tioual talent and his newly found
philosophy of life. He talked long
and often with Ned, and, then, one
day he visited the office of Gover
nor McLean :o see :f there was any
hope of getting the nationally kn a n
yegg out on parole. The governor
informed that there was little pros
pect of doing so; Ned s past was too
checkered to permit his being giv
en his freedom on his word of hon
er.
i “You know," the Raleigh man
;* pal and there is no record of his
ever having betrayed a confidence
Governor, if you'll give him chance
I’ll put up a bond of $10,000 for
him. I believe in him.'*
“Portland Ned" got his parole,
has never violated it, and says that
he can think of nothing more de
spicable than to go back on a friend
’Who never knew him until he was
Wearing stripes.
“I'm on the straight and narrow, j
have been on it. and am there to |
stay,” he reiterates.
Goes To Mansion.
, Not long after he received his pa- j
role, brought his wife to Raleigh I
and began keeping house in a little ■
( home on a sidestreet, there became
a need up at the executive mansion
.for a caretaker for the expansive
Ifljrubbery-covered grounds sur
rounding. Ned had a way with flow
ers and shrubs raid was a hare
worker, and Ned became caretaker
lit. the mansion and is still caretak
er. Seme cf these days his. parole
will become a pardon and his year1 i
of longing to be a full-fledged citl
■ssiii again will be realized.
"I would be willing to leave the
keys to everything in the mansion
with Ned and g > away a month, ’
Governor Gardner says. “And i
would not worry a minute while
away. Ned's a real man now."
Whereupon Ned grins from car to
ear. Governor Gartner is the second
governor in Ned's life who placed
confidence in him because he be
lieves there is a bit of good in ail
and also believes every cno should
have the opportunity cf coming back
with that resurrected Inner urge as
u basis. Tills time Ned Is determin
ed that "the Cuv'iror" will not be
disappointed.
Manned Shelby Robbery.
When Governor Gardner first
took office Ned met him on the
grounds one day and said “Clover -
no-, I can tell you something about
your home-town that you do not
know."
The Governor, interested in the
odd prisoner about whom he had
heard from Governor McLean and
his friend, the Raleigh man, why
signed the $10,000 bond, stopped to
listen.
Accut au >ears ego i came into
your town early erne morning to get
the lay of the land with the idea oi
cracking the safe in the post office
that night. It was u little tank town
then. Guvnor, and the post of He,
was a little wooden building.” (The
postofflee in those days was located
where Pendleton’s music store now
is.'
•'Well, did you blow up our post
office that night?” Governor Gard
ner .asked,
“Nossir, I had a bad break in
your town. On the night before the
morning I c%me to Shelby the po
lice chief there (Chief Shelt Jones)
was killed and was too much to-do
and excitement about town. Every
body in town was iooklng for the
slayer and a stranger wasn’t overly
welcome that day. It would have
been too dangerous to have tried
your postofflee that night—and I
don’t guess it would have been much
of a haul.” Ned replied.
On Pacific Ceast.
Ned got his name of “Portland
Ned” while "working" the Pacific
coast. In his career of crime he had
staged robberies in nearly every
state and in police courts over the
country he has 40 or more aliases,
he says.
"The dicks fa dick to a criminal
is an officer! always like to get sev
eral aliases for a fellow they catch.”
Ned said. "Often they make them
up for us because it makes it hard
er on us in court.”
Ned hasn't worked Chicago sine*
lire World Fair and is not acquaint
ed with "Scarface Al" Capone and
the modem criminals there.
“That idea of being too careless
with human life wasn't my style
anyway,” Ned says. “Crime never
pays and it don't differ how you go
at it, but I never was tough enough
to bump 'em off to make my hauls.'
Refuses Big Bribe.
One of the known- honest trails
about Ned is that it is definitely
known that since being in this
State lie has three, times refused a
big bribe to lie about a man promi
nent in life who once refused him.
Years ago Ned was a prisoner in
another state prison. He was up for
a pardon and the Governor of that
state intended to give it to him
Federal officers were wanting
"Portland Ned for postoffice rob
beries and when they heard of the
expected pardon they flocked about
the office of the governor to nan
Ned once lie walked out the door
The governor wanted to give Ned -i
chance to redeem himself in life
and did not want the Federal of
ficers to get him. Ned, as he tells it
was in the governor's inner ofiicc,
the Federal officers were in the out
er office. As the governor walked
out the front door to the outer of
fice he pointed so that Ned migiU
sec to a door leading out the back
way. Then he told the Federal men
that Ned was inside. They made a
dash for the room, but Ned was
missing. The governor, whose name
will not be recorded here, is still in
politics and on three occasions since
political enemies have visited Ned
in this state to offer his a bribe,
running in the thousands, to swear
that he had bribed the governor to
let him slip out the back door.
“No. I didn’t take it," Ned said.
“What you think I am? I'll stay in
my little shack here in Raleigh and
keep up somebody’s yard, I guess,
but I’ll never lie on the man ' ho
| played that square with me. I
I didn't bribe him; he just played
I white with me."
Other Prisoners.
"Portland Ned isn't the only pa
roled prisoner employed at the
mansion. In fact, nearly every time
Mrs. Gardner pushes a call but
ton it is a reformed bandit or killer
| who answers. The chauffeur of the
I mansion car is an attractive youtjr
I iellow who became involved in the
! killing of his buddy in the ruui
j running racket. There were several
things indicating that the killing
was accidental but the business he
was in went hard with him in the
court room anti he drew a stiff sen
tence. Not long after going to Ra
leigh Governor Gardner gave Iran
his chance and today he has the
freedom of the mansion and. is trust
ed to tlie utmost by every one there.
The servant second in charge to
Uncle Dave, who has bossed the
mansion servants for 36 years and
for nine governors, is an intelli
gent young negro who used an
"owl-head*’ with disastrous results
on a rival who "crowded him" while
he was calling on his "lady friend."
His line record in the prison and
since he has been employed on pa
role at the mansion will entitle him
some day to a pardon, but he it, so
adept and able at keeping the of
ficial household in order that Gov
ernor Gardner may hand him his
pardon just about the time the
Governor himself moves out. The
assistant major-domos name la
"Wonderful." He says "I guess my
ma called me that because I were
jus' that to her."
The chef at the mansion, an cx
| pert in the culinary arts, is another
; colored fellow who handled his
. shooting iron with too much aban
don.
Sculptor In Prison.
| An array cf artistic talent is to bp
found among tire convicts still with
in the prison walls. At a choice lo
cation in the library of the mansion
| is a striking bust of Max. Junior,
which can be immediately recogniz
ed by anyone who has ever seen
the youngest child of the Governor
The bust was made by an -.emcee -
i zler at the prison who has now
! gained nation-wide attention by his
I sculptural arts. His unusual story
! has already received several bl;:
j magazine articles, and after the
i holidays he hopes to start moulding
’a bust of the Governor. On visiting
l days at the prison he makes quite a
bit of money selling two of his fav
! orite works to the visitors.
Throughout the prison all the
prisoners, white, black, young and
old, are very fond of the big fellow
who comes down from the mansion
every week to char, with them and
give them cigarettes. In these chats
he has discovered the spark of honr
esty in the prisoners he has moved
up to the mansion as servants. Very
popular, also, with the prisoners is
the First Lary who visits the prison
with the governor or on other oc
casions with friends, because she is
very sympathetic to listening to the
appeals they make to her husband
through her.
Otto Wood, the most widely
known criminal in the prison, re
cently declared that there are aivre
honest people "in here than on the
outside,” and its a certainty chat
| Governor Gardner and Mrs. Gard
ner are just as popular with the si
lent people who populate the State
Prison as they are with those on the
outside.
A black bear was used as the first
oayment on a motor car by MUfred
Englebert of Williamsburg. Iowa
E. h. Makibben. the automobile deal
er who accepted the bear in lieu of
cash turned it over to the town zoo 1
Death Mystery U -opens Dot King Inquiry
The mysterious death in a (all at Washington and deathbed statement of Mrs. Aurelia Dreyfus,
has reopened the inquiry into the slaying in 1923 of Dot King, Broadway butterfly. (Upper
left) District Attorney Leo Rover of Washington, who, on insistence of Mrs. Dreyfus's family,
has reopened the investigation of her death. (Center) Diagram showing the death scene of Mrs.
Dreyfus. Albert Guimares, one of the principal figures in the slaying of Dot King, is again in
the limelight. Mrs. Aurelia Dreyfus, blonde divorcee, who fell to her death during a dance at
the exclusive Potomac Boat Club in October. (Lower) Dot King, Broadway butterfly, mysteri
ously strangled and chloroformed in her New York apartment in 1923. (Lower left) John Mit
chell, Philadelphia millionaire, who was revealed as the mysterious “John Marshall.” Edmund
McBrien, escort of Mrs. Dreyfus at the exclusive boat club when she either fell or was thrown
from the balcony.
Oaternattenal Newsreel)
The code ot the underworld is
fairly elastic. Hut there is one
offence for which, regardless of
the circumstances,’ the punishment
is always death, a death that comes
swifter than almost nny other man
made retribution. That offence is
known as “squealing.” It is gen
erally believed that it cost the life
of Dot Kin*, gay beauty of the
Great White Way, six years ago.
And now the police aro proceeding
on die theor y t hat it may'supply
the motive for the mysterious
death of yet another butterfly,
Mrs Aurelia Fischer Dreyfus, who
was killed by a fall from the bal
cony of the fashionable Potomac
Boat Club, at the conclusion of a
dance held there on October 20
last. Mrs. Dreyfus, it has been
revealed, wu an intimate of Dot
King and her crowd in the days
when her jeweled figure in a night
club was the signal for sudden si
lence and then a bu*z of comment
and gossip. For. despite Dot’s ef
forts nt secrecy, it was known that
a fortune was being lavished on
her by u famous millionaire.
Was Mrs. Dreyfus, the mysteri
ous blonde,” a key figure in the
alibi of Albert Guimarcs, who was
arrested as a suspect in the mur
der of Dot King, found in bed in
Fifty - seventh street apartment,
with a bottle of chloroform at
he;- side, and her jewels missing?
It will be recalled that an Edmund
McBrfen, Guimarcs’ roommate, and
! an unknown blonde supported the
alibi offered by Guimarcs and he
was subsequently released. Mc
llrien refused to reveal the name
of the '‘blonde” then implicated on
the ground that “it would break
tip her home life.” It has since
1 been learned that at that time
I Mrs. Dreyfus was the wife of Hcr
| bert Dreyfus, prominent New
York business man. She was later
divorced, McBrien being named as
the co-respondent. Since then the
couple have been frequently seen
together, although they did not
marry after the decree was
grunted. It "-as with McBrien that
Mrs. Dreyfus spent her last days
in Washington, visiting her family,
a visit that was terminated by her
sudden death.
According to affidavits, sworn
bv the family of Mrs. Dreyfus, she
is said to have frequently stated
that she was forced to make mis
statements in the testimony offered
by her in support of the alibi of
Guimares. And individual mem
bers of her family say that she
had acquainted them with the real
facts. If the police can establish
that Mrs. Dreyfus met her death
for squealing, they may yet estab
lish the motive and find the slayer
of Dot King.
World’s Greatest Grab Bag
In United States Postoffice
Collection From Dead Letter Ottior
Has Everything 111 It. Heats
General Stoic.
Docs any cut need a hula skirt,
fourteen volumes >f Elbert Hub
bard, some slightly damaged snuff,
a broken radio set or some hc.se
coftar pads? Does baby need shoes?
And, speaking of shoes, bow about
ships and sealing wax, and cabbages
and kings?
The postmaster general at Wash
ington has no cabbages, but he
stands ready to supply any of 'he
other needs listed above. In fact, lie
will be tickled to death to perform
this little service,.
The question naturally arise, at
this point: What is the postmaster
general doing with a hula skirt, not
to mention some $40,000 worth of
miscellany along these same gen
eral lines'? Well, it all happened tab
way:
During the last six months hun
dreds of parcels have been drop
ped into the mails without proper
addresses, and in many cases with
out any addresses at all. Following
the usual routine, they lia\e peer,
taken to the dead letter office and
left there tor the required pern .1
That office, undergoing its semi
annual cleanup, has sorted the con
tents ot this weird collection ol
parcels into 007 lots which were of
fered at public auction in the con
ference room at the pootoffice, .ays
the postoffice department building
in Washington.
lieu or man uenerai store.
Neither in the old-fashioned ;m
eral store of long ago nor in the
drug store of the future could any
one expect to find so general and
varied an assortment of merchan
dise as that which lay In the little
piles or was d: imped in boxes around
the edges of the conference room
at the postoffice, says the Wash
ington correspondent of the New
York Sun.
There were 280 men's shirts of all
sizes and descriptions. 2,525 hand
kerchiefs, 206 pairs of men's socks
and 581 pairs of women s stocking-,,
along with nearly 100 pairs of men's
and women's garters. Then, too,
there were 178 dresses varying in
size from 7 to 42; 360 neckties, many
of whfch had been damaged end
others of which ought to have been.
Little piles of women's underwear
were scattered in great profusion
through the collection, together with
a quantity of gloves, scarfs, blouses,
rubber aprons, sweaters, skirts, ki
monos, dressing gowns, nightwear,
brassieres, bloomers, fur coats an I
neckpieces.
There are men's suits, overcoats
and mufflers and cver^ known item
of children's clothing up to and in
cluding boys' lumber Jackets. Mu '.
of the nferchandise offered - had
never been worn o. used and * ov
of it presented.’ excellent opportune
ties fox- the thrifty Christmas shop
per Most of the women’s dresses, to
be sure, would serve best at a r.vas
querade party. Prospective mas
querades had a choice too of a pea*!
embroidered headdress, enough
beads to clothe several queens of
Sheba, and, of course; the hula j
skirt. Unfortunately the postmaster
general was not prepared to com
plete the hula costume. It would be
necessary for the purchaser to ac
quire elsewhere a lei, a uklele and
i a deep coat of tan.
The sale offered a rare oppor
tunity for a one legged man Among
other things, there was one lot oi
shoes, all of which were new, but
none of which were mates. Then
too. there was one pair of ,vp
patently new crutches.
All kinds of household necessities,
such as uapery, bedding, shelf and
wallpaper, carpels, linoleum, silver
ware, candlesticks, vases, curtains,
clocks, toilet articles, kitchenware
glass and chinawarr, electrical ap
pliances, washtubs, brooms and mops
were available.
In addition to ail this there were
gifts suggestions to fit every possible
need. For the wife there was an
assortment of wrist watches, or.» of
which was undamaged; dressmak
ing supplies and hundreds of-paper
patterns, perfumes, cosmetics, hut
Wishing
FOR ALL
A .MERRY CHRISTM; S
AND
A ?PY AND PROSPEROUS
NEW YEAR.
For last minute shoppers we have many
choice suitable Gifts to select from.
Norris and Whitman Candy in Gift
Packages. Beautiful and Tasty.
Stephenson Drug Co.
PHONE NO. 2. SHELBY, N. C.
boxes, purses and handbags, cam
eras, stationery and a choice ol 241
rings.
For dad there was a choice of bill
folds, cigars, snuff and tobacco,
ileaf and drapper), and damaged;
bedroom slippers, a fountain pen
and pencil set, cigarette holders
pipes, lighters and shaving supplies,
including a choice of twelve stra.gnt
razors, all damaged, two electric
water heaters, and book ends.
For baby, a Jot of large-oized
safety pins, dolls (mostly broken),
hundreds of toys and games, a
sled, a sailboat, pocket knives and
tools of all kinds.
For the literary friend there were
in addition to the temes by Hub
bard, a volume of Margaret Sanger,
a biography of Herbert Hoover, >ne
bock of the “Floral Art of Japan.’’
seven Bibles, all but one of which
are damaged Button’s Cyclop* din,
a history of Freemasonry, the Li
brary of Health, the Human Inter
ests Library and some real, snappy
fiction.
For the distant neighbor the auc
tion suggested any of a number of
damaged radios, portable talking
machines, sheet music and records
and various other musical instru
ments, including a clarinet, a brok
en violin and a strange thing call
ed a ukeline, which no one on -- th
could play.
Sporting Goods Offered.
The sportsman had choice oi a
fishing rod, a shotgun, a pair of
skiis, a golf bag and clubs, batinne,
suits and caps, and playing cards.
For the scoff law there were live
Corbin locks with keys to match.
numerous he top:. thrc -five gal
lon cans and a copper washboiler—
the closest thing to a bathtub that
can be sent by mail
The automobllist was particularly
fortunate. For him there were forty
tires, a camp stove, auto gears .and
accessories, polish, tire cement, in
ner tubes, auto awnings, jacks, 'ms,
chains, luggage carriers and wheels.
There was plenty too, for the un
relieved fanner—implement parts,
plow points, sizing, glue, garden
hose, a hay knife, a two-man saw:
one lot of wagon trees, the horse
collar pads, five canvas elevators for
threshing machines axes, spades,
pitchforks, post-hole diggers, lawn
mower handles, hedge clippers, de
horners, a blow torch and a full
set of shoemaking supplies, includ
ing lasts, in case the senate retains
the duty on shoes and leather goods,
Lastly, for the girl friend Ibe’C
were two rings, both wrought of
white gold and set with real dia
monds.
Then, just in case some one had
been overlooked, there were stacks
of cards bearing greetings not only
for the Christmas season, but for ail
occasions. There were also station
ery supplies of all kinds, Christmas
ribbon and wrapping papier and eve.i
some last year’s tuberculosis seals.
The whole collection would put to
shame the most variegated con
glomeration to be found on the
pushcarts of Orchard street, yet the
postoffice department last year re
ceived $81,376 from the sale of the
contents of dead parcels like lh<*se.
Mountain Cotton.
Charlotte Observer
It might be said that Cleveland
county's right to the belt as cham
i plon cotton grower of North Caro
lina, fenced on the north as it it
. by mountains, is now unchalleng*
: ed. The big '•ounties in the old bell
i have been given a back seat. Cleve
i land operates 43 gins and had pro
‘ duced, up to December 1, 47,496
I bales. Robeson, down in the origi
nal belt, operates 62 gins, and had
produced up to December 1, 28,064
: bales. The next nearest approach
j to Cleveland is by Johnston, with
I 73 gins and 33,593 bales. Little Polk
county, all mountain, has produced
this year 3.916 bales, a fact that
shows the possibility of cotton
growing, even in the mountains of
the state.
What A Fight!
Down in Arkansas a man was
tried for assault and battery with
intent to kill. The state produced
as evidence the weapons us-d -a
rail, a gun, saw and rifle. The de
fendant’s counsel exhibited as the
other man's weapons a scythe blade,
pitchfork, pistol, dog, razor and hoe.
After being out several hours, the
Jury gave their verdict:
‘ We, the jury, would have given
a dollar to see the fight.”
Try Star Wants Ads
$5.00 FOR
Single Barrel Shot Gun
CLEVELAND HDWE CO.
Washburn’s
GLADNESS IS THE MESSAGE
EVERY CHRISTMAS BRINGS.
For This Christmas We Hope the Mes
sage Multiplies Immeasurably.
A
Merry
Christmas
To You
Wright - Baker
Company