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<F)u? gu’flusu a.. 3vr. o. jR/crssE'JLiL.. Editor & Proprietor. ttmMin ViMtu, Marinin Go.. Ciiv. WEDNESDAY MOHNXNCI, Al’lUL. Si. 1577. MAY FESTIVAL. There will he a largo party g'wn at the Court I louse on Tuesday night, the Ist ol' May. The supper will bo furnished by the ladies, for tho benefit of the Meth odist Church. No pains will be spar ed to make tho supper u success. All who attend are promised a pleas ant evening. Price lor admission to the supper tabic: 50ctS. coy. m iTT or mi rang emkx ts . Mrs. Col. K. M. Butt, Miss Lit creti a Bullock, and Miss Virginia Butt. Cause of tiio Delay; The Argus lias not made its ap pearance in two weeks. The failure to come cut was unavoidable. Yfo . ordered our customary supply of pa- : per on the 4th of April, accompanied by the amount necessary to pay for it. Tho order was received on the sth by the manufacturers, who re plied under that date, ' ‘Wo ship your paper to-day.” Belying on this statement that the pupa - had been sent, we did not order again uniil it was too bite to remedy the evil. Our second order not did arrive until last Saturday night. This is our expla nation and our apology, FATAL ACCIDENT—SAD EE 4.TH. Our community was shocked and grieved, when the intelligence came on the litli inst., that Mr. Robert Williams bad been accidentally kill ed. Investigation verified tire cor rectness of tiio rumor. On Saturday evening t,hc 14th hist. Mr, Robert Williams, who was work ing with his father, Mr. It Marion ■Williams, was engaged in moving some house logs, Mr. Milton Robin son assisting bin!. While attenpting to dodge a log, balanced on the wheel and being thrown into the wagon, he struck his head violently against another I6g lying in the wag ton. The concussion fractured the skull and caused some interior inju ries to the head, from the effects of Which ho soon after died.* Oil Sunday evening ensuing, at 3 o'clock, Rev. J. P. Ward] aw preached Robert William’s funeral to a very large assemblage of sym pathizing friends. The burial tool: place immediately after the funeral in the Methodist cemetery. Bobbie Williams was liked and re spected by the entire community, and his untimelypleaUi was the sub ject of general sorrow. He was a member of the Buena Vista Metho dist Church and a good boy, against whom none could charge the perpe tration of intentional wrong. He was the pride and idol of his brothers and sisters, as well as the joy and hope of his parents. Peace to iiis ashes. SUPERIOR COURT CONVENTION wi-EECHE*. Last week was a stirring one in Buena Vista. Judge Crawford or ganized the spring term of the Supe rior Court, which continued in ses sion until Friday night. Considera ble business was disposed of. Monday noon Col. Port..lngram delivered a speech in favor of calling a Constitutional Convention. Tuesday noon, Col. Peabody, of Columbus, also delivered a stirring speech on the f-anie subject and on the same side of the question. Tuesday night, Col. Pen, of Colum bus, spoke eloquently in favor of a Convention. "Wednesday noon, Col. Mark Bland iord, thrilled a largo audience in fa vor of a Convention. Thursday noon, Col. E. M. Butt delivered an eloquent speech in oppo sition to a Convention. Friday noon. Col. B. B. Hinton delivered a telling speech in favor of Convention. Our limited space forbids any elab orative report of the speeches. They were all good. Cos). E. *M. Butt. Col. Carey Thornton, Hon. Allen Fort, are the only speakers, out of a thou sand and one orators, who have tak en (lie buskins against the calling ol a Convention. —A fine stock of Ready Made Cloth ing as Lowe .a Uesiun . . —aOS>.c Statement of Shepperd, tried for Sup posed Murder of Ms Wife. From the Columbus Tiuiu*, Boxer Ga., April 5,1577. FJHor Times'. Thinking that a statement from Win. Shepherd, charged with tho killing of his wife, January 20tli, and whoso tria 1 is set for to-day, would bo of inter est to the readers of tiio Times. I this morning sought and obtained an introduction to him. lie is a ’ small man, about live I*. et six inches, rather florid complexion, blue eyes, and hair inclined to be dark, ilo seemed glad to meet me and anxious to have a hearing before the people. Ho is about 45 ’’ears of age, has been marrh and three times; his first wife died and lie was divorced from ins sec ond fast spring, and married, about a month afterwards, the tmtortnuafe* woman with whose death he is i charged. 6'he was about 34 years <>f ii'i'o and they had been married 10. , , ! about eig >t months. in answer to my request to state I ’ne all ha knew concerning her death , he said ; HIS STATEMENT. About one month before her death she became, poor, (she expected to be a mother) she said to u. j Mr. j Shepperd, ii I knew 1 had to stay in j this fix I wouldn't live. At that.; t.me she began to take tens and mod-1 icings to rid lmi-self of child preina- j tur'elv. File often remarked to me j that,” “if 1 don’t get better I will hang myself.” About this time sbe j began making mo a. large lot of cloth-1 in g, and I asked her why she nasi making up so much. She answer* .1 ‘•it may be a long time before I make I you any more. I shall never have I a child.” She made lids remark j many times. At two different times shortly before she killed herself, she came near dying at night, and I lour ed she had taken some rat poison which she had. I then took it out oi her trunk and buried it. She had taken something, I didn't knowwliut. Abo it three days before her death she told me, “l have eaten ail that camnhorgumfshe had about an ounce) in a day and a half.” On Thursday evening, before her death, I asked her to walk out with me to look at ilie fattening hog.- in the pens. Sbe remarked “the two in that pen arenas many as you want ttiere is as much moat in the smoke house as I will want.” (There were only two small pieces in there ) I said, “Oh, you'll get hearty again | and feel like eating.” She repeated, “That.is as much as I will ever want.” Last fall, she had asked me for and I set aside a little piece of ground, about an acre and a half, in front of the house, for a cotton paten for her own use. The Friday before her death, I was talking about hauling out lot manure and preparing it for her, and said: “Rover mind—l will never work nary mother day.” I was having a house torn down, and had torn doVvn all the shed-rooms, leaving the main body of it (which was built of logs) at dinner time Saturday, ! when she asked me to quit. She seenie'd sO anxious about it that I told tiio men to quit. They then proposed going, a-fishing, and asked me where my fishing-lines were. I said they were down on the creek—l could not tell exactly where they were —I would go and show them after dinner. My wife asked me to go with them. I told her i would not be gone more than 25 minutes. She told mo to stay and fish. I returned about sundown. We went to bed about B.’, o'clock that night. About 9 o’clock sbe got Up, 1 asked her what was the matter, and she said she felt restless and went out doors. Sue returned in a short while and said, darling, are you asleep. I re plied pretty near. She lay down by | me and put her arm around me and I laid my arm across her. That is the last thing I remember till I was awakened, after midnight by a noire of some kind —do not know what. I saw a light in the old kitchen and got up 'and went out there. The door was shut with a chair against it, t pushed it open and found my wife ly ing near the hearth with the gun ly ing across her, bleeding from a wound in the head. The blood had run about two feet. She was breath ing hal'd but could not Speak. As soon as I found her I began to halloo and went for Mr. McGJamery, who lived two hundred yards off. We had never had any cross words or bard feelings towards each other had lived happily together. I know ol no cause for the act except her condition which seemed to prey on. her mind. While speaking of his wife, the old man’s eyes were moist with tears, and it is not easy to listen to him and believe Him guilty of the horrible crime with Which he stands charged. CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION. NT MU ICR FOL’U. Mr. Editor: Having promised to giro oilier reasons in support of u Constitutional Convention, we avail mir-elves ol the few leisure moments at our disposal to comply wit. our obligation. Ilcrotufoye wo have been exam Mg tho present Constitution, with relfor enco to the number of members com posing tho Legislature, the irecpiomw of the meeting of tho sumo; the locift ity of tho Capitol, Ac., Ac. Wo now prdposo to speak of an other evil not, guarded against by the present Constitution, anti which evil is so monstrous, in the ighl experi ence lias thrown upon it, that its re moval ought not to be delayed. Wc have reference to that class Y legislation known as Local. Min - ten ill of the bills passed comprise matter in which only a Very small port ion of the citizens are interested, and still a much larger proportion of Urn mat er introduced is ot such a worthless nature, t hat it never conies to the 1 gilt ol public scrutiny. Wo do not. charge that tho Consti- It ion requires tliis class of legiSla ,ion, wo only ray that it docs not i prohibit, and since under its opera- I rials '.he practice is indulged in to a i very great extent, it follows that it j is wanting in that iu does not pre j vent the evil. We will state while on this subject 1 that bad legislation is as expensive I as die best, and the most worthless : often time is attended wiili a double I -xpense. Ist, in the lime oousuincd jin ,tho passage of the same. 2d. in ! the time employed in the repealing. Wc are asked, can this wrong be j corrected: we answer, yes: A short I clause in the Constitution restricting i the jurisdiction of the Legislature to | such matters and things as relate to i the citizens of tho wlolc State would • effectually check it, and when once j prevented the number of clerks could bo reduced since nineteen-twentieths of the business upon which the'fclcr i ical force is employed would be swept away. This is not the only reason ; why this clause should be inserted, j It would reduce the time oi' the Leg j islatnre from forty to perhaps fifteen | days, thereby reducing the pxnendi turesof that branch of the govorn j merit two-thirds; a saving to the Suite annually oi SIOO,OOO. 7 his il would teem ought to cause all tax : navel's to favor such reform. i 1 Rut there is sti'l another reason I which wo might offer with jrreftt pro priety, viz: The laws ot ditch dwunjiy in the State of Georgia, are so dis similar now that one iceis as though they wore passing; out oi one nation ; ality into another, when passing lmm I ohe county into another, Tins destroy: tiie homogeneousiiess of Our ] cople, and severs to ii greet extent that ! harmony in habit uir.i praclic ; which should prevail among citizen's of oar commonwealth. We say let tis have a Constitution i which will by a prohibatory clause ; cut off this unnecessary outlay of i money, aval by dcnyiinr the power of* Local legislation, produ -e Immoin ; in the habits and practices ot oar 1 people makiugjus, as wo should tic, j commonwealth, and not a community I of governments in our State. We now pass to another provision j of the Constitution, and propose to j call the attention of the people to it. We refer to the Horn stand. In approaching this subject we know that we are treading on tick lish ground and were we content to play ti e roll of the politician, would have avoided it altogether. Still it is a matter which should be discussed with candor and fairness. The people of Georgia are, per haps. more divided upon this ques tion than any otinr, and that divis ion embraces extremes which are hard to harmonize. There is a class who contend that, there should be no exemptions; even the clothing of tk'e debtor ought to be sold. Others again believe that the present liberal allowance not too great, hence it will he seen that t!*> difference vibrates between naught on the one hand, and $3,000 on the other. May it not be that both ex tremes are dangerous ? And that a permanent homestead, so secured by the constitution that .it cannot be waived would be safer lor the fami . lies of the debtor than the present large one not so protected, even if reduced onehalf, and might it no; he "better for the creditor class since it would increase the field of their op erations? These are grave questions which should be well considered be fore final action has been taken upon it. H r e arc satisfied that the principle of a homestead has not been we’.l understood by the many who oppose it. Without mature reflection it would seem to be simply a hiding place fffr the dishonest, but a more careful investigation w.ll. discover that it is humane in its objects aa well as in its protections. Does net every man when ho leads your daughters to the floor to unite her destiny with his own for life, be come a dcotor by the laws of the ,S'tuto us well as tho moral law, to tho extent of supplying her actual com forts and wants? Does nut the la A' impose upon him tho obligation 10 educate and maintain tho fruits of their marriage ? If so, wo would like to know how it is that any other obligation can be cither more bind ing or more •sacred, certainly not promise to pay alter tho marriage can claim to bo since the vow at tu time of tli*j union is older, uud may it. not Im said not less sacred. II then in the whirl ol events a man should bo placed in a condition in which lie cannot pay his debts and l'ulfi 1 Ins original obligation to his wife and children, do you think >t either strange or dishonest, for hiiii to pre fer his wife and children to strangers in the payment of his debts. 'Treating them both as creditors ‘.he law allows him to prefer the one to the exclusion of tho other. It strikes our mind that this view of tiie question will rob it of much of the odium which has been heaped upon it. • There is still another light in which it might bo scon. Is it not belli r for a government to protect, its ei'izciH in a homestead, than that they sm uld lie made paupers to be cured for entirely by its bounty? You will remember, that we have only been going the aiguineuts ol others in favor of, and again t, the homestead, without intimating an opinion of our own, For ourselves wo believe all ex tremes dangerous, and in this mat ter, aS well as in till other, tiie true theory perhaps might lie found in ill ■ middle of tiie vibration. We are not. however, so much in terest in tiio amount as in the man ner in which tiie amount, whatever it may he shall be secured. It, is known now to all that tiie present homestead although large enough to cover many acres does in fact simply cover for a brief time the use. le vmg the fee at any time sub ject to to be sold. It is not a home stead, but simply the privilege of us ing for a short while a little or l uge piece of land, as the case May be, subject to bo sold upon tiie happen ing of any one of many contingencies. Indeed, so uncertain the terms by which it is held that no man ot pru dence would feel that they were act- ing wisely to improve it. Oiir idea of a Homestead is that it should hot be a use simply, but a permanent abode, subject to i>e trans mitted from parent to child for any number of generations. So that when once established, it. shall bo come a place of attraction, and each succeeding year find additional im provements and increased admira tion. In short, we would bo ntader ! stood to fa vor tiie idea that whether ! die homestead lie left as it now is as ■; o amount or diminished to a smaller, it. should b ■ so protected by. the Con stitution that it should be more ■ than a mere camping place, j Under the ruling!! of the Supreme’ | Court, of Georgia now any one may ! waive bis right to Homestead and ! this waiver operates as a bar to the: j right of tiio wife and-children, lienee. !it follows that a few days ol hunger j or in a fit of. dis. ipatioii the husband I uitvy defeal the object of ihe presen' l provision of the Constitution amt leave i his wife and children lunncies-. j We do hot wish to be understood j that wo are opposed to tha payuien: ■ t debts upon the country, we think lit, the duty of all to pay debts for i which value received has been had. We simply say* that we want a home stead, whatever it may be in point of value; so protected that it cannot be alien a ed. 'Creditors are then put upon notice, & n d it they do a credit business to their injury they can only blame themselves. One other thought upon this sub jeot. We would suggest that whatever action the Convention may take upon this question it would be well to submit it specially to the people; we mean when the Constitu tion is referred to the people as a whole at the same election ; let the votes say whether this particular feature is object enable or accepta ble. Tnua it can even seem that this ■question is not such 'a dangerous one alter all. We have not the least doubt, but what a Convention will so frame a clause upon that subject as to make a vast improvement upon the pres ent, and perhaps reconciling ail the conflicting opinions, CITIZEN. MARION SHERIFF SALES. Will bo sold before the Court House door m the town of line tin Vista, Ga-, on tho first Tuesday in May next, the following property, to-wit : Lot of Sand no 107, in the fifli district of, originally Muscogee, now Marion county. Known as the Tigner place, levied on by virtue of a tax li. fa., 1875 cfc 187(1 for State and . County. Owner not known. Property pointed by Frank Rushin, Tax Collector of Marion County, this the 2nd day of April, 1877. A. W. HA V IS, Alien IT. Application for Dismission. ('t EORGlA— Marion County. J Whereas, Robert Cranford, A dm’r, Ac, of Cyrus W. Ross, dec’d, has applied for dis mission from said estate. All persons inter ested are hereby notified of the above appli cation. Witness my hand, Dec. 13. 18 70. decls-3m * Jas M. Lowe, Ordy SPRING AND SUMMER GOODS! JUST RECIEVED AT MCMIOHM-L & STmiS, Our purchases exceeds that of any season past, and we feel confident that Our Stock Can’t BE EXCELLED in town in variety ** Wc solicit an early call from the people of tho county, As we will do our best to please in Trices, &c. McMieliaeX & Stevens. iftMioi, cud turn & t’*.• a ev* jvo. TUG'S R. LUMPKIN is ready to take your orders for the same. CJRTIFICATES FARTJKsIn OF THIS COUNTY, Who U:ed. it Last Year. The best I bare ever used. Jas. L. Baker. Wilcox, (Tibbs A Co.'s Guano increased my crop ot cotton fully ono-thir or more last year. Henry ft. Jackson. I used Wilcox, Gibbs k Co.’S Guano last year with very decided ben. tit. Tuns. L. Rogers. I used 100(k pounds ot Wilcox, Gibbs A Co.’s Gtiaqo last year on 5 1 2 acres of poor pine land, which I am confident Would not have made 250 pounds ot lint notion (the 5 1-2 acres) without tiie" Guano, and I gathered 1085 pounds of lint coiton. G. W. Pool. GREAT SACRIFICE OF DRY GOODS The Only Place to Get; Yoiir Mono Back! • * JUST LOOK AT THIS EAOLt' and PUENIX CHECKS 10 CENTS -tVy /J- 4-4 SIIIIETINO, 8 CENT'S -6-T. ,Zs3~ f-S SUIiITINHSr CENTS London corn, y cents y.v. BEST CALICOES, 0 CENTS "&Si COATS’ i-rdoi, COTTON, JO.C)*NTS TSV. y.- A GOOD HEMSTiCIIkn HANDKERCHIEF, 5 CENTS j- fjy PARASOLS, SO CENTS 7-,r- JEAN*-AND COTTON ADES, 12J to 63 CENTS 'Si Ji",7 Glove*, in (lark ehadin, at 'amt liss than coil. Ml ESS GOODS, Cheaper than ever. CASSLUHRES AND Pant LINENS at the vc*>j bottom -figures. AH Uassts of Goofs Marked Lm imti hr Cent*. Now is Hie time to g.-t Bargains. jISIiAXCHARO & HILL, 123 BROAD St., Columbus, Ga. A. M. BRANNON, ► ~-a, “.p's \fT Ct**- .It* ’ST (£3 jCT II tJ W W h* & 9 135 Broad Street, Columbus, Ga. THE OLD ANU WELL-KNOWN *p@ State* Vl, :3vVC £: - N <*& 1, M. Srannon, Proprietor, Which :i,s b .-a dispensing medicine for th<> manyillsdf mankind for the last tweni.V V- is still continues to solicit t’u.: patronage of its many friends. It is unnecessary to enumerate the many indheeuumts to buy from mo, “unflioiont to.say/’it, will mitkoitto xOUi. interest to buy whatever vou wish from a l’T ItsT-CliAss DRUG STOUR, come and see me at 107 or 13S MKOAD STHEET, r.*' ■-.,> lainPrtiMutil now to Otto t tinnTwo- lniliii'orneiiU to . no.ft.ro> COH.vrRV JtIMUCUANTS than ever Btrore. Very Kespectfully, dec witt mm si.iL Always on hand at E. G. Ivey a Bro’s Gris Mill We have now and will keep constant ly on band at Mill. Fresh water grouud meal for sale cheap in any quantities to suit customers. The siVppiy will be kept up all through the Spring, Sum mer and Fall. Do not haul your bread corn from the city during (lie busy sea son, but come to us for it ready ground into meal. E. G. IV EY & BRO., mch72m Marion County. >k /~\ Can’t be Vha&G by every agent every II II I mouth la the business we furnish, but a\ 'JU those willing to work can easily earn a \JJ/ C/ dozen dollars a day right in tbftir own iocalitiee. Have no room to exulafu bore. Humucss pleasant and honorable. TVomfcu, and boys and gills *i >as well as men. Wo will furnish you a oomph to On tilt’free. The business pays hotter than anything else. We wjti bear expense ofstitr.ing you. Partic ulars free. Write and sec. Fahners and mechanics, their sons and dH glitere. and all classes in t eed of paying work at homo, should write to us and lcarna’tl admit The Work at <mcor Now is the time, Doni belay. Address TRUE A; CO., A iiffuata, Maine'. GEORGIA. —Marion County. Whereas John W. {Slaughter, Aamin’r of Sarah Slaughter, has applied lor dismission —All persons interested ere hereby, notified ot the above application and required to tile their objections within the time specified Ivy law. Witness my hand. Jas. M. Lowi:, Jus-3m Ordinary.