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VOL. 72.
ESTABLISHED 1842.
EBERHARDT BOUND OVER FOR
INVOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER
Jury Returns Verdict
In 30 Minutes
Family of Dead Man Incensed
Over Evidence. Determine to
Uncover All. The Coroner and
Jury Conducted the Work
at Their Own Expense.
After being out for only thirty
minutes the coroner's jury returned
a verdict of “Involuntary manslaugh
ter” in the case of T. V. Eberhardt,
who was under probation on account
of the sudden death of Charles Par
tridge, a convict, who died in Ever-
hardt's camp near Hogansville Sun
day.
When the body of Partridge
brought to LaGrange Sunday after
noon, the relatives of the dead man
declared there was evidence of vio
lence on his body. This circumstan
tial evidence wus corroborated by
testimonial evidence of two citizens
of Hogansville and the family notified
Coroner Spinks that an investigation
vas desirable.
Immediately after the family of
FRIDAY MORNING, JUNE 19, 1914.
Crumpled Bow of the Storstad
And Photo of Empress of Ireland
No Sensational Developments.
No sensational developments oc
curred in the examination of these
men, all of whom swore about the
same, which is in substance us fol
lows:
Charles Partridge, a young white
man, 24 years of age, came to the
convict camp, Tuesday, June 14. He
had been sentenced to three months
in the gang for whipping his wife.
Upon his arrival at the camp he stat
ed that he had no appetite and until
the day of his death which was fol
lowing Sunday he had eaten nothing
save a little gruel. He complained of
being sick, soon after his initiation
in the road gang and Saturday, the
day before his death, Dr. I. H. I.ane
had been called. Dr. Lane, who is
county physician, stated that nothing
seemed to be wrong with Partridge,
that he showed no signs of disease or
wa ' 3 organic trouble and that his tempera
ture and pulse were normal. When
Dr. Lane came again Sunday Par
tridge was dead and the physician ex
pressed surprise and stated that there
had been something unusual to take
i place, probably heart trouble. It was
sworn that Dr. Lane had prescribed,
on Saturday, a dose of calomel and
oil and a good whipping.
Undertaker’s Testimony.
the dead man demanded an investiga-
tion of the affair, Coroner B. S. Mr. G. II. Turner who is an under-
Spinks and his jurymen, J. T. Hunt, taker at Hogansville, and who has
W. R. Campbell, Almand Cleaveland,
R. M. Young and Dick Hutchinson,
began vigorous activities toward
bringing to light anything which
might prove that Partridge came to
his death by unnatural causes.
Paid Own Expenses.
Although the county’s allowance
for expenses was only a dollar for
each man, this jury hired cars and
paid railroad fare out of their own
pockets to give the matter every pos
sible consideration. Tuesday morn
ing at ten o’clock the coroner and his
jury held court and the first sworn
testimony was given.
Hay and Denny Create Sensation.
The testimony given was contradic
been in this businew for twelve years,
testified that he had been given or
ders, upon the death of Partridge, to
prepare a coffin and that this had
been the most expensive coffin the
county had ever ortered from him for
a convict.
Mr. Turner declared that the coffin
was sent to the camp Sunday after
noon in a wagon and that he, in com
pany with J. B. Plant, had preceded
the wagon in an automobile.
When the two men arrived they
found Captain Eberhardt, Ben Jones,
and a number of guards gathered
about a shanty and that a solemn at
mosphere prevailed at the camp.
The body of Pur.tidge was stretch-
tory. The statements of the two | ed out under a shack a few rods above
visitors to the camp, H. G. Hay and , them. Captain Eberhardt stated
D. A. Denny, of Hogansville, that, here, that the death was probably due
they 1 had seen Captain T. V. Eber-, to heart failure and that an exces-
hardt, the warden, strike* Partridge] sive drinking of water, which had
with a club, was denied by Captain
Eberhardt and his witnesses,the coun
ty blacksmith, the county physician,
two county guards and two convicts.
Hay and Denny stated that just
as they approached the camp Sunday,
about thirty feet from them they
heard a blow, and when they turned
were startled to see a young man of
a very soiled appearance fall, and to
see standing by him Captain Eber
hardt with his walking stick in hand.
The man, who had fallen, they learn
ed to be Charles Partridge. They
swore that the man on the ground
looked weak and sick and that his
mouth was open in a half gasp, say
ing in a mumbled voice, “Don’t hit,
cap.”
The captain, they said, explained to
them that the man was either crazy
or mighty bad off and used some
strong curse words and stated that
the man had been playing off ever
since he had been sent to camp. Hay
and Denny both stated that they
understood the prisoner to ask for wa
ter that he might bathe his wounds,
but that he was refused and Eber
hardt again struck him on the body
and head, cursing him and telling him
to go to the bushes.
In obeying these orders Partridge
is stated to have fallen several times
in a half dazed condition while the
other convicts laughed.
Hold Trial Again Thursday.
Late Tuesday afternoon the court
adjourned until further investigation
could be made and all day Wednes-
been done, was likely the cause.
Did Not Examine Bodv For Fear of
Being Called to Court.
Turner swore that, aside from as
sisting in putting the body in the
coffin, he had not examined it and
was unable to stale whether it bore
any marks of violence.
Judge R. M. Young then asked him
why he had failed to examine the
body and Turner replied that owing
to the unusual manner in which the
man had died, he was afraid of be
ing called in court.
Jury Found Back and Legs Blue.
It is understood that upon the in
vestigation of the dead man’s body
by the jury last Monday that his
back and legs were blue as if blood
had clotted near the surface.
Turner was asked if this was natu
ral in the case of a dead man and he
replied, “Sometime.”
In an effort to ascertain whether
these blue spots were caused from
coagulation of the alood, Col. Arthur
Greer asked Turner what was the
usual time for blood to coagulate in
dead bodies and if coagulation was
faster in the summer than in winter,
Turner stated that it was usually
from four to ten hours before coagula
tion set in and that it was faster in
winter as the body grew cold faster,
It was sworn that blue spots were
found on the body of Partridge at
three-thirty, Sunday afternoon, which
was three hours after his death.
The death scene of Partridge as
described by one of the witnesses yes-
FIVE CENTS A COPY.
Hon. Clem Rainey
Here Thursday
Hon. Clem Rainey, of Dawson, und
a member of the Prison Commission
of Georgia, was in LaGrange Thurs
day representing the commission in
the investigation of the death lust
week of Charles Partridge at the
county convict camp. Judge Ruiney
naturally did not feel free to make
any statement as to the probable ac
tion of the Prison Commission in the
matter, but indicated that they would
await the verdict of the coroner’s jury
and endeavor to see that justice is
done after the full facts arc known.
Judg<^ Rainey is editor of the Daw
son News, one of the most live and
interesting newspapers of the rich
South Georgia section and is a gentle
man of marked ability and pleasant
address. He is offering for re-elec
tion as Prison Commissioner and has
no opposition in the race so far.
NUMBER 51
WILL HAVE
MEN’S MEETING
Rev. D. H. Coman
to Preach
i ,
„ fjM
Photos copyright, 1»14, by American Proas Association.
NE of the worst disasters of the sen In (lie world's history was the col
lision of the s ten mot's Empress of Ireland and (he Storstad In the lower
waters of the St. Lawrence river. The Empress of Ireland, hit in a
fog by the Norwegian collier, snnk with the loss of over 1,000 lives.
The Illustration shows (at topi the smashes) bows of the Storstad after the
collision and the Empress of Ireland us she appeared the day she sailed from
Quebec to her unfortunate fate. The Canadian government is conductlug a
rigid Investigation of the catastrophe.
0
JUDGE HARRIS
TO SPEAK HERE
Will Arrive in LaGrange at Noon
or op the 4:25 Train, in the
Interest of His Candidacy.
Judge Nat E. Harris, of Macon,
candidate for governor, expects to
reach LaGrange today, Friday, and
his friends here have arranged for
him to speak to the voters in the af
ternoon at the court house. The ex
act hour of the speaking could not be
announced, as it is lot known wheth
er Judge Harris will arrive at noon or
on the 4:25 train. The time of meet
ing will probably be announced by
the good old-fashioned method of the
“town crier,” with this function per
formed by some lusty lunged citizen;
and no doubt there will be a general
desire to hear this able and worthy
son of Georgia.
Judge Harris was a gallant con
federate soldier and has since been
one of Georgia’s foremost citizens
along lines of peaceful upbuilding and
development. Among his services
was the founding of the Georgia
School of Technology and he is still
chairman of the board of trustees. He
is also a trustee of Wesleyan Female
College and of University of Georgia.
Large Audience of Men of Every
Denomination Are Expected
Out Sunday to Hear Noted
Evangelist—Much Enthusiasm
Over Protracted Services.
MILLS TO HAVE
SWIMMING POOL
40 by 80 Feet Will Be the Size
of the Pool Which Will Be
Completed in Two Weeks.
TO HIVE RACES
ON JULYFOURTH
Work is Already Being Done on
the Track and Everything
Will Soon Be Ready.
Speed fiends in this section of the
state will get all they want and then
some here on the fourth of July next,
when some of the hottest races you
ever saw will be pulled off between
perfectly good horse blood and per
fectly good mechanism.
It will be a race by horses and auto
mobiles. . No, the horses will not race
with the automobiles, but the horses
and automobiles will be allowed free
rein, or opened wide, as the saying
goes and if predictions amount to
much there will be a few records
"broken.
Work is already being done on the
track and everything looks pretty
good. Considerable smoothing will
have to be done yet before the danger
of a burst tire will be eliminated, but
the men behind the fair movement
are hard at work and they will do
all in their power to make of the lit
tle fair in July as much a success as
the big one,, which will be given here
in October.
The management of the Unity Cot
ton Mills, Unity Spinning Mills and
Elm City Cotton Mills are building a
large swimming pool for the free use
of employees and their families. The
pool, which is located just below Elm
City, is being constructed in the best
manner with' concrete sides and bot
tom and of depth ranging from two
feet to seven feet. There will be
a building on the east side,
ranged with dressing rooms for the
bathers. The pool will be 40 by 80
feet, enclosed .on all sides and a con
crete walk will be' made the entire
length on one side. Water will be
supplied by gravity from the Elm
City pond. The work is being done
by Mr. Otis Cleaveland and will prob
ably be completed within two weeks.
This latest act of thoughtfulness on
the part of the mill officers is in
keeping with the altruistic spirit of
these splendid and successful enter
prises and no doubt will be ap
preciated by the fortunate people who
will have access to the pool. Messrs
Fuller Callaway, Neal Truitt, Roy
Dallis, Yates Austin, William Turner
and Ira Grimes, who compose the ac
tive management, are showing that
best results can be attained through
a sincerely co-operative spirit between
all factors in the organization. In
the Unity and Elm City communities
are many of as good citizens as there
are in LaGrange, and the general
standard is notably high.
A Contest for The
Prettiest Store
PRIMITIVE BAPTISTS ARGUE
ORIGIN OF NEW CHURCH
day was spent in searching out newterday was gruesome in every detail
witnesses and probing into the cir
cumstances in an effort to bring out
further testimony.
Yesterday afternoon at one-thirty
o’clock, coroner B. S. Spinks again
called session of his court and before
a packed house new witnesses were
questioned and cross examined by the
jury.
Witneses introduced yesterday
■were: Will Levens, John Nall, George
Turner, Ben Jones, J. B. Plant, Nor
wood Darden, of .Hogansville; and
county deputy Hayes, of this city.
and the story partly reveals the man
ner in which convicts are handled.
Ben Jones testified, “Jimmy Mc-
Michael, one of the guards, said Par
tridge was sitting out under a tree a
short distance from the rest. One of
the “trustees” carried him a dish of
gruel. The “trustee” soon realized
something unusual about the man and
he called for aid. The others ran to
assist Partridge, who had fallen
faint like. He was dead in a moment.
Jimmy said he tried to cut the shack
les off before he died.”
In a news account sent to The Re
porter last Monday by some of the
members of the Primitive Baptist
church, of this city, it was stated that
the church, whose building has just
been completed on South Greenwood
street, was originated in 1902 on
Cherry street.
Now comes a correction from Mrs.
G. M. Edwards stating that this is a
mistake and that the church originat
ed in 1902 is the same as the church,
which is now conducted by Rev. J. T.
Satterwhite, of LaFayette, Ala.
Mrs. Edwards’ statement in full is
as follows:
“In the last issue of The Reporter,
there was quite an error in regard to
the new church house on South Green
wood street. “Some of the members”
stated that this church originated in
1902 on Cherry street.
“The LaGrange Primitive Baptist
church was constituted in 1902 on the
corner of Ghoran and Fannin 'streets,
and after the division, which took
place over two years ago, the Primi
tive Baptists bought a church house
and lot on Cherry street, where they
still hold services every second Sun
day and Saturday before in each
month. Elder J. T. Satterwhite, of
LaFayette, Ala., is the pastor.
“This is the church that Elder A. B.
Whatley was serving, when he died,
and is recognized by the Primitive
Baptists throughout the United States
and Canada as The LaGjrange Primi
tive Baptist church.”
There is a contest on between the
two local jewelers as to who shall
have the best looking store, and both
are determined to make as good show
ing as the other.
Mr. Laramore has just completed
some interior work of installing ma
hogany fixtures and Mr. Lehmann is
having extensive work done on both
the inside and out of his store.
People of LaGrange may decide for
themselves which of the two stores is
prettier.
Dr. Morgan' ; Buys
A Ford Roadster
Dr. D. E. Morgan, a prominent
physician of LaGrange, has just
purchased a Ford roadster. This
makes two cars owned by Dr. Mor
gan. He states that he bought the
smaller machine with the idea of sav
ing his big touring ear. Thi3 sale of
the Ford is only one of a number,
which have been placed recently by
J. A. & Cline Bagwell.
Rev. D. H. Coman, one of the
prominent evangelists of the south,
who has been conducting a series of
meetings nt the Presbyterian church,
at this city, hus consented to prolong
his stay in LaGrange until next
Sunday night.
It was Rev. Coman’s original plan
to terminate the meetings last Wed
nesday night, but upon the insistence
of a large number of LaGrange peo
ple, who have been greatly interested
by his sermons, he made this change
in his program.
A meeting for men only will be
held at the court house Sunday after
noon and it is the desire of the eyan-
gelist that as many as possible at
tend. People, who have heard his
sermons, declare that Coman has a
wonderfully appealing power to men
and the male members of every de
nomination are expected out next
Sunday afternoon.
Since the first of the Coman ser
mons, which was delivered in La
Grange a little over a week ago, the
Presbyterian church has been packed
almost to its full capacity at every
meeting.
More interest has been aroused in
Christianity at these meetings than
LaGrange has known in many years.
Coman is a hard student, a deep
thinker, and a man of wonderful en
thusiasm and force. He impresses his
congregation with his sincerety, his
determination and his practical doc
trines.
He is not a man to force his con
gregation into a paroxysm of enthus
iastic Bhouting, he does not transform,
in one brilliant flight of divine in
spiration, the dyed In the wool sinner
to the snow capped saint, but he ap
proaches his man on the ground of
reason and if he does not get him the
first time he forces him to think and
thus prepare the way for a second
appeal.
No doubt Rev. Coman’s work in La
Grange will have a survival value and
that he will long be remembered by
people, who have not been heretofore,
especially interested in the church.
And rews& Meadows
vs. The Finny Tribe
Col. A. J. Andrews, who is associat
ed with Col. M. U. Mooty, of this
city, and Col. Meadows, who is as
sociated with Col. E. A. Jones, left
a few days ago for a fishing frolic
over near LaFayette, Ala.
The many friends of these two
young members of the local bar wish
for the greatest of luck and sincerely
hope that they will catch a big un.
Olympia Doing
Thriving Business
The Olympia Cafe, which was open
ed a short time ago under the
management of Poolos & Pappas is
doing a thriving business according
to Mr. Poolos and trade is increasing
daily.
The people have a pretty place,
neatly fitted up on the interior and
electric fans and good eats go a long
way toward drawing their crowds.
Attends Funeral
Directors Meeting
Mr. R. 0. Pharr, of Pharr Bros &
Childs, left LaGrange Wednesday
morning for a few days visit in At
lanta. Mr. Pharr will attend the
Georgia Funeral Directors’ conven
tion, which will be held in Atlanta
this week.