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I BRIGHT ANO BREEZY S
1$ "AU The Newt.” J
£ North Georgia's Great J
(Daily. *
Only 50 Cents a Month. *
ESTABLISHED 1887.
HERE BAN ARGUMENT
, THAT IS UNANSWERABLE
’ Why the Tax Levy of Floyd County Must Re
main at 7.29 Mills.
k *
Complete statement of county finances
»
Chairman Featherstone of the Board
of County Commissioners Shows
Thattt Could be Made no Less.
Editor of The Tribune:
The recent tax levy by the county
board has elicited much comment and at
least some complaint, in view of which,
■and of the fact that the people of the
-county are entitled to full information
-on so important a subjicc, the following
statement in behalf of the board is
deemed proper:
' It is hardly necessary to say the mem
bers of the board took no pleasure in
making this large levy. They fully ap
preciate its burden to all, and the serious
i distress it will bring to many. Besiaes,
-each of them must pay his full share of
this levy, and will feel its burden as
fully, at, least, as the average. But the
county is in debt. That condition is
■fixed, and we cannot escape its .conse
quences, Delay in payment will simply
add'to the debt’s volume and its burden.
The board, before making this levy,
devoted much time to investigating the
county finances for some years back,
some results of which are as follows:
Prior to about 1892, and when times
were good and the digest showed taxa
ble property of nine millions and over, a
levy of something over one half of one
per cent, making, with the state levy,
about one per cent, was sufficiei.t to
meet the county expenses. But since
that time such a levy has not been suffi
cient, for two reasons: one, the falling
off in the digest resulting from the gen
( eral decline in values, and the other, an
increase m expenses. It was peculiarly
unfortunate that the two should happen
together. The result has been an annual
-.deficit, the accumulation of which now
amounts, or by the end of this year will
amount, to probably fifty thousand dol
lars and over, outstanding in reg:stered
warrants drawing seven per cent interest.
The impression prevails that this
•“floating” debt resulted from build
ing the court house. But this is a mis
take. The board made four seperate
special tax levies to pay for the court
bouse, and collected by those levies
something over $68,000, or about
three thousand more than the entire
cost of the court house and furniture.
The first of these levies was made in
the fall of 1891, when the whole levy,
State, county, and special, was a frac
tion over 1.40; the second in|lß92, the
whole levy being 1.10; the third in
1894, whole levy 1.10; and the fourth
in 1895, when whole levey was 1.25. It
is true that nearly S7OOO of the court
bouse debt is still unpaid, but not be
cause the tax was not collected to pay
*dt in fall, but because of w the urgent
need of the money so collected for.
and its application to. ordinary
expenses. And this not with
standing the fact that besides these
special levies for court house. the
levies for ordinary county expenses
in the same years, and in every year
since 1890, and the collee tions on
those levies, were considerable larger
than usual for the years proceeding.
Ho it is clear the floatinging debt
hes not resulted from building the
court house, but has resulted from
an annual deficiency of taxes to meet
the county’s annual expenses.
All agree that this course of things
must be stopped, hard times or good
times. Obviously expenses must be
reduced, or taxes Increased, or both
must concur, until and equilibrium is
reached between taxes and expenses.
To reduce expenses is plainly, the
more desirable and the efforts of the
'board have been stenuously exerted
,to that end, and with some success.
But the work is difficult and has
•been bitterly fought by those who
THE ROITE TRIBUNE.
are the recipients of those expenses
and their friends. Besides, fully half
the county expenses, and perhaps
more, are beyond the board’s control,
towit, the expenses of the Superior
and City courts and Wees and salaries
fixed by law. Moreover, the legisla
ture in recent years sums to be lend
ing its aid to add to the burden of
county expenses. From the beginning
of our state government to this year
elections were held without any ex
pense to a county. But under the re
cent law an election for Floyd county
will cost the county not less than
one thousand dollars. The fence elec
tion for the Rome district alone last
spring cost the county nearly three
hundred dollars.
Many services of public officers now
liberally paid for, were formerly re
quired without pay and as part of
the burden of the office. And to add
to the misfortune of the situation, an
unusual number of bridges in the
county have this year given out,
along with the chaingang’s equip
ment of mules ]and machines, besides
other unusual expenses.
But, notwithstanding this condition
of things, considerable reductions in
expenses have been made, the amount
of which, however cannot be calcu
lated upon with certainty till the end
of the year. These reductions have
been allowed for in the tax levy, as
will appear later but not to the ex
tent it is hoped they will amount to,
for the board cannot take much risk
of another deficit, and the experience
of their predecessors is a warning they
dare not disregard.
In making estimates for next year
the board are guided by two things,
one the average amount of the coun
ty's expenses in each department for
each of the past five years, and the
other an estimate of bow much, if
any, the expenses in that department
may be reduced by the board.
Thus guided, they found that the
chaingang had cost an annual average
of nearly $13,000. They levid instead
of that sum $lO 000. The alms bouse
has cost $4,000 and over a year con
siderable more for the last two years,
that they reduced to $1,850. The
jail has averaged about $4,500, they
levied for that $3,000. The general
fund has averaged about $17,500; this
f undis made up lagely of court exposes
and other matters beyond the board's
control, but the levy for it was put at
$15,000. The average for the jury
fund has been about $6,900. and the
levy was so made, because' the board
has no controll whatever of that ex
pense, but they made a mistake in do
ing so. overlooking the fact that near
ly $8,500 was paid for juries last year
and that over $7,000 has already been
paid this year, with the fall courts
still to be held—in other words that
that expenses is largely increasing
and is costing now much more than
the average for five years, and this is
true of all other court expense. The
amount for the bond debt of Course is
fixed. The levy for bridges $5,000 is
scant for the work that must be done.
It is evident that none of these levies
could bs safely lowered, and it is proba
ble that some Os them ought to be high
er. The body or individual that under
takes to check the flow of money from
the county treasury cannot well overesti
mate the difficulties of the Work, and it
is unsafe for the present board to as
sume that they will succeed in this work
so much better than their predecessors.
They may not succeed as well. The ex
perience of the board last year, 1896, is
(Continued on Eighth Page.)
ROME. GA., THURSDAY. S-EFTEMBtCK 9 1897.
HIS NECK
IS BROKEN
r . •
Perry Dies With a Lie
on Bis Lins.
IN TWELVE MINUTES
After Drop Which Fell at 11:43 kH.
He Was Dead.
MAKES A SPEECH ON THE SCAFFOLD
Same Old Lie About Protecting
His Wife.
GOOD RIDDANCE FOR GEORGIA
Cruel. Cold flooded and Diabolical Crime
Committed in a Most Cow
ardly Manner.
• ’
Atlanta, Sept. 8 —H. S. Perry was
hanged for the murder of Bely Lanier
at Decatur. The execution tpok place
on a gallows in the yard of the DeKalb
county jail. The doomed inqn was pale
but cool and collected to the last. On
the scaffold he declared his innocence
of murder and reiterated his statement
that he killed Lanier to protect the
sanctity of his home. The drop fell at
11:43 a. m.
Horace Stephen Perry was conduct
ing a small grocery business in Atlanta
when he committed the crime for wipch
he paid the penalty on the gallows. To
supplement the family’s income Mrs.
Perry took boarders at their home on
Piedmont avenue and among these was
Bely Laneir, a young theological stu
dent. The domestic relations of the
Perrys were not happy. Perry had be
come infatuated with a woman of ques
tionable character. In the troubles that
arose from his liaison, Laneir became in
volved and as a result Perry shot and
mortally wounded him in the court
house at Decatur on Monday, March 8.
After lingering for a few days Lanier
died from the effects of the wound.
Both men were under arrest when the
shooting occurred, having been taken
into custody at Ingleside, to which place
Perry had followed Lanier for the
avowed purpose of avenging an insult
to his wife.
Though both were searched, Perry
succeeded in concealing a pistol, and no
sooner had the party entered the court
house at Decatur than he fired at La
nier. After the shooting Perry said
that his only regret was the fear that
Lanier might live. He declared that
Lanier had outraged Mrs. Perry. La
nier strenuously denied that he had
committed the assault, and before bis
death made a statement in which he
said Perry was angry Decause he, La
nier, had told Mrs. Perry of Perry’s al
leged relations with another woman.
Perry was placed on trial for his life
at a special term of the DeKalb supe
rior court at Decatur on Tuesday, Avril
27, and convicted. The case was 'ap
pealed to the state supreme court,
which refused to grant a new trial.
Strong pressure was then brought to
bear on Governor Atkinson to save the
condemned man, but after granting a
respite, to allow himself time to inves
tigate the case, the governor refused to
interfere. Tli» sole plea of the defense
throughout wus that Perry killed La
nier to avenge an outrage upon his
wife.
A BRASH COUPLE.
Prominent Georgia Connie go to Macon an I
Represent Tbenselvee as Married.
Macon, Sept. 8 —J. C. Warnock,
of Savannah, and Miss Marie Lamar,
of Milledgeville came here last night,
and stopped at the Ellis house
They said they were going to be
married, and went out. They return
ed shortly, and reported that Dr.
Monk had made them man and wife,
They spent the night together at the
hotel.
TodUy Dr. Monk denies having
married them. Both belong to good
families and are prominent in society
circles.
iMTe Are by kind l)og<.
Candler, Gn., Sept. 8 —The wildest
excitement prevails here because of the
fear of hydrophobia. The people are
going armed to their work and the
schools are almost entirely without stu
dents. There have been five parties
bitten in this immediate settlement, as
follows: Peurl Baden, aged 11; Wil
burn Allen, aged 10; W. D. Ford, aged
86; Joseph, son of Dr. M. V. McAfee,
ageci 6; Clarence Allen, aged 5. A num
ber'of dpgs and some stock were also
bitten. No cases of hydrophobia among
(he bitten persons have been reported
CONSUL LEE
ON CUBA
The General Arrives in
New York. .
THE CISNEROS CASE
Stories of Her 11l Treatment Very Knelt
Exaggerated.
SAYS END OF WAR IS NOT IN WT
Fourteen Hundred Americans
Well Cared For.
GOOD DEAL OF SUFFERING THERE
Much Worse in Cuba Now Than When Cal
houn Was There—More Testimony
About the Cisneros Lie.
New York, Sept B.—General Fitz
hugh Lee, consul general of the United
States at Havana, has arrived here. He
is accompanied by his son, Geqrge Fish
back and R. O. Oliver, United States
consul at Merida.
When asked as to whether he would
return to Cuba or not, the general shook
his head and said:
"I cannot answer that and I would,
rather not talk on Cuban affairs until I
make my report in Washington.”
In speaking of the case of Evangelina
Oos'sio .Cisneros, the general said:
"The young woman is now confined
in Casa Recohidas. She has never been
tried and I do not- think that it was ever
intended that she should be banished.
The stories of her ill treatment are very
much exaggerated, and were it not for
the hubbub which has been raised about
her the girl would probably have been
released long ago. In fact. I was given
to understand that her name was on the
pardon list. She has comfortable quar
ters and is treated as well as possible
under the circumstances. There was a
good deal of suffering in Cuba, but the
Americans, numbering about 1.400. are
being cared for from the fund of $50,000
which was appropriated for that pur
pose. They receive relief daily and up
to the present time about $15,000 has
been expended.”
“Is there any sign of business im
proving or a change for the better in
Cuba?” asked the reporter.
"No, I am sorry to say there is not,”
said the consul general. "And there
will,'be no improvement until the war
is ended.”
“When will that be, general?”
To this last question General Lee re-'
plied in Spanish, a free translation of
which is “that is too much for me; I
cannot say.”
Among the other passengers on board
were Robert O. Oliver, United States
consul at Merida, Mex., and George W.
Fish back of this city, who was said to
have been sent to Havana on business
for the United States government. Mr.
Fishback said that his trip to Havana
was purely on private business. Mr.
Fishback said that there was a good
deal of suffering all over Cuba and that
the condition was worse than when he
was there last as secretary to Commis
sioner Oalhouu. when the latter was in
vestigating the Rais case. He saw- Miss
Cisneros at Cosa Recohidas and said re
ports concerning her treatment were
grossly exaggerated and that the young
woman was fairly well treated and did
not complain when he was speaking to
her.
BERTIRIA AND THE BARON.
She Loves Poycllolfllng Unto Desperation
Soe Says,
Baltimore, Sept. B.—Miss Bertina
White, formerly of Atlanta, is the
leading character in a very romantic
love story here.
The girl met Baron Poyciloifling, a
foreign nobleman who is a newspa
per man here. became
very much enamoured of each other.
Miss White was finally sent to college
at Frederickstown, but the baron
wrote to her. This became known,
and the girl was brought, back here
by her mother. Miss White swears
that she will yet inarry her lover.
NATIONAL LEAGUE.
Washington, Sept. B.—The games to
day did not change the situation among
the leaders. The scores:
Boston 17. St. Louis 5.
Philadelphia 5, Chicago 6.
Brooklyn 2. Cincinnati 4
Washingtonß, Cleveland 7, let game.
Washington 9, Cleveland 0,2 d game.
New York 8, Pittsburg 7.
Baltimore 5, Louisville 1,
OUR CONVICT PROBLEM
VIEWED BYEX-CONYICT
Intelligent and Widely Traveled New England
er’s Experience In a Georgia Chaingang.
HE WAS GUILTY OF NO MORAL TURPITUDE
Sent to the Chaingang Through a
Technicality For One Year—En
dorses the Penal Island Plan.
The Tribune presents to its readers
today one of the most intensely in
teresting stories relative to the 6on
viet question ever printed in a Geor
gia newspaper.
It comes from a man of education,
undeniable honesty and Who has not
only been in every state in the union
but has circumnavigated the globe
four times. The man is William N.
McNamara, of Providence, R. 1., who
has just completed a years sentence
in the Floyd county ehaingang—yet
who is guilty of no moral turpitude,
only the unwitting victim of a legal
technicality.
He came into The Tribune office
yesterday morning, a square set.
rather low figure, dressed neatly and
bearing the unmistakable air of a
man of no little refinement and edu
cation.- His face is a strong one,
with a clear steady gaze in which
there was no cringing or shifting
lights the t betray always the hardened
criminal or unprincipaled character.
He talks straight to the point without;
hesitancy, and his language is excel
lent. His opinions come of an abso
lute knowledge.of the subject die
cussed, and a keen and intelligent
comprehensiveness of grasp. Such a
man’s views carry weight with them.
He first told the story of the unfortu
nate combination of circumstances
that placed a criminal’s stripe on his
back, but which should leave no stain
on his good name.
Story of Hie Sentence
“I was in the employ of the Provi
dence Tool Company, of Providence,
R. 1.,” he began, “and with four other
men had been sent to Yokohoma, Japan
to put up some machinery. We lauded
in Savannah, and my four companions
went on home. Bat 1 wished to see
some of the South and started from
Savannah towards the northern part of
the state.
*‘l landed one day in the little town
of Rockmart. There is where mv trouble
began. A gentleman in that place hired
me to sell a sewing .machine for him, a
business I had had some experience in.
He agreed to give me $5 commission on
the sale, and I perfected it in about half
an hour receiving the money in cash for
the machine. When 1 went to the party
to turn over the amount I retained my
$5 commission saying at the same time.
‘lt is alright for me to retain this, is
it?’
‘‘He replied, ‘you aint going to
charge me $5 for half an hours work are
you?’
“I said, ‘That was our agreement, be
sides I’m working on. commission, not
time?
“We had some more words about it,
and be finally became angry and said
I could get fl and no more. When I re
fused to turn over the bill, he threatened |
to have me arrested. I went away with
the money because it was justly mine.
I did not know there was a law in Geor
gia requiring parties working on com
mission to turn all moneys collected
over to the employer, who pays back
the commission. I had no idea that I
was guilty of a technical crime, and
certainly was not guilty of any moral
wrong. I had sold machines many
times before, retaining my commission
in each instance and there had been no
trouble. I had done the same thing in
Anniston only a short while before.
“But I was arrested, placed in jail
and the grand jury found a true bill
ag ilnst me. I will say, however, that
the gentleman with whom I had the
transaction made every effort to have
the case quashed, but the great ma-
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chinery of law had been set in motion
and had to be sated even though an
innocent man, in every moral sense,
should be deprived of his liberty.
All thought my sentence would be fl
and costs, the minimum.
“It was a terrible shock when I was
sentenced to one year in the chain
gang,but I was a stranger in .a strange
land and had no recourse. In the
eyes of the law I was a
“Just ten months-and ten days ago
I began my experience' as a Georgia
convict in the Floyd county chain
gang, having been sent here from
Polk under the hiring out system in
vogue in this section. It is an ex
perience that I shall never forget, but
lam proud to say my case has been
investigated by many good people
here, and at home, They know I was
the victim of a technicality.”
His Views of Convict System.
McNamara stated that his talk printed
below had no specific reference to the
camp here, and that the convicts were
treated humanely by Superintendent
Hackney. He stated that the food was
clean and wholesome, and particular at
tention was paid to the cleanliness of
the camp. The straw in the beds is
changed once a month, and the ticking
washed. There is no vermin in the
camps whatever. McNamara said in re*
ply to a question as to what he thought
of the plan of working convicts on the
road:
“I do not think the plan a good one
at all as it is now. There is no appeal
whatever for a prisoner who may be
abused either through personal spite or
otherwise by brutal guards or bosses.
There should be some head to the sys
tem, some one to whom a convict with a
grievance might appeal. The power of
the superintendent is absolute, and in
most instances he will sustain the guard
in anything he does, it matters not how
much in fault he may be.
“A guard who is paid S3O per month
can make any statement he chooses
about a prisoner, and there is no appeal
whatever for the poor convict. Such
conditions breed brutality in. the guards
and to this is due so many of the har
rowing abases recently reported to the
governor.
“But this whipping business is a ter
rible thing, apd I believe accomplishes no
other result than being an outlet for the
passions of the whipping bosses. You
can do far more with a negro plac
ing him in solitary confinement in a
darkened room. They are an intensely
superstitions race, and for most of them
the dungeon is peopled with awful
shapes. Whip one of them and he for
gets it in a short while. Confine him
in darkness and when released he will
be good for months.
“To whip a white man who has any
sense of pride left is keenest degrada
tion. The stripes were never laid on
me, and I believe I would have died
had they done so.
“There is another wrong thatjneeds
correction. There should be some
regulation of hours for working con
victs. Now they get up at 8 o’clock,
having nothing but a piece of cold
corn bread, washed down with water,
to sustain them in the arduous work
until dinner—about eight hours.
They work from day light to dark,
and it is too much. There should be
some system about it.
“I will remain here a few days do
ing some work and then go to Provi
dence, where my old place is open for
me.’’
McNamara is from Maine, but has
lived a great deal of the time In Mas-
(Contlnued on Page Two.)