Newspaper Page Text
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Judge W M Jo “ e ‘^,
.Hnb Soutb (BeorQla jprooiess..
THOMASVILLK TIMES. VOL. *)
i THOMASVILLK ENTERPRISE. VOL. 47.
THOMASVIIXE, GEORGIA, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 1904.
New Series, Vol XV—No. 4.
BEFORE DAY CLUB.
! HAS NORTH FLORIDA ORGANIZ
ED BANDS OF NEGROES.
Startling Story of Prominent Resident
of the Miccosukie. Fie., Neighbor**
hood who camn to Thomasvllle Tues-
terday to Purchase Arms and Am
munition. Epps Muiderer Con
fesses Existence of Murderous
Clubs. Excitement in Florida.
The story of the murder by unknown
; parties of N. W. Epps, of Bradfordvilie,
Fla., as told in yesterday’s Times-En-
terpriae was followed by developments
of a startling nature yesterday, ^welt
known resident of the Miccosukie, Fla.,
I neighborhood came to town yesterday
for the purpose of purchasing arms and
ammunition for himself, his family and
neighbors. He soys his community is
much alarmed ove^recent deeds o£ vio
lence . He fearn more in the future, aud
says that the citizen* of the community
all go armed and do not venture out of
doors after nightfall. For fear of fu
ture consequence he requested o Times-
Enterprise reporter not to make bis
name pub ic, aud gave the following
startliug story of recent events justify
ing his forebodings of future trouble.
A STARTLING SEQUEL.
His story was that Mr. Epps was idiot
from behind, on Saturday evening while
driving homo from Tallahassee to Brad
fordvilie. The crime occurred H miles
from the former city and 2 from the
latter. The horse made its way home
ward with the bloeding corpse in the
, bottom of the buggy. The trail of gore
was followed by the officer* to the spot
; where tho shooting occurred. Here they
j discovered a pair of shoe* hidden by the
[$. Dogs were put on the trail
‘d to the house of Isom Edwards,
an old negro. After threats and per-
•uusion from the officer* Edwards con
fess! d the crime and implicated his son
Isom Edward-, Jr.
THE NEGRO’S CONCESSION.
The negro said he was a member of a
“Before Day” club, and that there wore
others all over the country. Twenty
negroes or more belonged to the “Florida
Ctab” wliioli met at Mt. Zion church.
I Their object was murder and robbery,
j the motive he did not know. Eight
white citizens had been marked for
aUughter. Those named were all promi
cent in the community. They were
Mr. Epps, Jim Felkel, Will Roberts,
Dick Johnsou, Bill Johnson and three
Others whom he did not know. Of this
number Mr. Felkel had been shot from
ambush several months ago. The old
negro had nothing against Mr. Epps,
and did not want to kill him, but had to
do it or be killed by others of the Before
Day Club. This was a rule of the or
ganization. His heart failed him and
1>e hired his son to assist him ia the
awful deed. The old man and the boy
laid in wait for Mr. Epps and the old
man held him while his son shot.
' These facts were developed in the in
guest over Mr. Epps body at Bradford*
vUle, Fla.
A STR1GHT STORY.
The Miccosukie man who tells the
Story is a gentleman of more
than the usual education and ability.
He heard the facts direct from those
present at the Bradfordvilie inquest.
News dispatches bear out his story iu
every particular, though this is the first
complete account of the exciting events
and the negro’s confession. He returned
to his home Tuesday afternoon, taxing
with him a good supply of ammunition
and weapons, and many assurances of
help U ever needed.
r THE EFFECT IN THOMASVILLE.
• ■ The story did not become generally
% known in Thomasville yesterday but
created great interest among the few
\ who heard it. They were naturally
? concerned, for the neighborhood, is less
than a score of miles from here, across
the Florida liue, aud many citizens of
this place have friends or relatives there.
There were 1 foolish rumors afloat yes
terday .evening to the effect that a
“Be'ore Pay C’ch.” existed in Thomas-
ville, and old stories of agitators aud or
ganizers who had been here were re-
vived. But in this immediate vicinity
no senous trouble between the
races has taken place since reconstruc
tiondays. The negroes are poacoable
ana quiet, and reports tOj the contrary
do both the negroes and 'the communi
ty an injustice. f
CONSPIRACY IMPROBABLE.
3efore Day Clubs are the fashion. It
is true that the story from Bradford-*
ville sounds pretty straight, but in the
light of.common sense it bears the ear-
marks of A fable The more statement
from the negro murderer that he was a
Before Day Club man means little or
nothing, the “confession” was probably
wrung from him by suggestion. Misery
always likes company, and Isom Ed
wards, being very miserable in his proxi
mity to death, wanted other negroes to
share his load.
Edwards says that he held Mr. Eppes
while Edwards, Jr., shot him. Now If
he did, he has a different kind of nerve
from any other negro. The placing of
the death penalty by a band of negroes
ANOTHER CONTEST.
MAGNIFICENT PIANO AND TRIP TC£ST.
LOUIS GIVEN AWAY.
PIANO GIVEN TO PERSON WHO COMES. NEAREST COUNTING
I NUMBER OF “AN&i” IN AN l&UE OF THE
. WEEKLY TIMES-ENTERPRISE—ST. 10UIS
TRIP TO MOST POPULAR
YOUNG LADY.
The Times-Enterprise is going to
conduct another prize contest. This
bare announcement will arouse a lot
of iuterest over al south Georgia.
The memory of oar famops “dot”
contest, and the splendid prizes given
away in ir, is still fra-h in the minds
of everybody. The dots will be ai rain
drops to fish ponds, compared with what
is now in store for Times-Enterprise
readers. •
By the expenditnie of a great deal of
energy and hard money the Times-En-
on themselves, is highly improbable, and I terprise has been enabled to^ offer its
the idea of banding together to commit friends such a prize proposition as was
aimless ranrder is against all the rnles
of human natnre.
There may be a Before Day Club
around Bradfordvilie, but better arra
nt will Jjave to be produced to prove
such a thing,
<)na and Mary Turner, two Maters of
Midville, Ga.. have catered the Vashti
Home, making thirteen in all. Four
others are booked forjrimits^iu.
PATS AND LEANS.
Plans for Big Picnic Day Includa
Burlesque Ball Game. v
Every day some new feature isplau-
ned for tho nmupemeut of the thousands
of people who are to be Thomasville'
guests on September 23. It will be a
day of pleasure that will long be re
membered in South Georgia. Every
body will be well entertained. * *'
Among the amusements there will be
a base ball game between the fats and
the leans. Staid citizens of the town
and county, will Him up according to
their size, on one side or the other, and
the result will be a morn interesting
g»w* than the National league could
pat np. Other amusements will include
s sack race, three legged race potato
race, colt show, mole race, prizes for
the prettiest baby, the tallest man, the
ugliest man, and others too numerous to
mention.
ueyer before dreamed of.
/ HERE IS THE PLAN.
To the person who comes nearest to
estimating the number of “auds” that
in a few weeks aud everybody can then
6e<- for themselves what a magnificent
gift is in store for somebody.
The trip to St. Louis is not (ho kind
that is usually given as a prize includ
ing only railroad fare. The young lady
who is elected will be furnished, not
only with a railroad ticket, good for
thirty days, bnt she will be furnished
with entertainment in St. Loois for a
week, and with passes into tho exposi
tion grounds, into the Philippine exhib
its and into various other side attrac
tion*.
The voting will be done on coupons
that will appear each day in the paper.
A strict record will be kept of all votes
cast. The first coupon will * appear in
to-day’s papdr.
wlUbelli the Weekly Timcs-Eit.rjirise j The'weekly of Dee.. 80th wii;bo
of Friday, Deo, 80tb, the Times-Euter- like ot hor weekly. It will contain
Mr. T. S.;Vinson has moved his
wlioloaale and jobbing business from
the old Jones store on Jackson street
to the Grantham blook on lower Jack-
prise will givo the first prize, a magni
ficent Lnddon & Bates piano. In case
of a tie, tlie guoss first sent in will get
the piai o.
AuotVij^irizo, hardly leas desirable
will be .riven to tho young Jady living
in Thomas county who shall bo votiil
the most popular. This prizo will bi
nothing less than a complimentary trip
to the great St. L,.-ts fair.
Every cent pahloa subscription to tho
daily or weekly Times-Eutorprist ho-
tween Saturday September tho 10th aud
Wednesday, Nov. 9th, at 8 o’clock p.
m., will entitle anybody to one vote for
the most popular young lady.
Every dollar paid on subscription to
the daily or wrokly Times-Enterprise
between Saturday, September 10 h and
Wednesday Dee. 28th at 8 o'clock p. in ,
will entitle anybody to one guess at the
nnmberof ‘'ends ’that will appear in
the Weekly Timi e-Eaterprlse of Friday
Deo. noth.
/
The piano ti nt will be given away la
the ueweat aud beat and biggest member
of the famous Lnddon & Bates make
that haa ever been put on the market.
The regular price of it known every
where ia $350.00, and it will come here
direotiy from the factory. The pro>er<
bially reliable firm of Garter and JDor-
ongh at Valdosta' are the producers of
the Ludden and Bates; this instrument
that will be given away goes ont under
Carter and Dorough’s thorough guaran
tee. It will be on exhibition here with-
twelve pages just us it does today, and
of course uo Iverson on oarrh can say
how many times tho word "and" will
unpear ill it until sf er it is printed. j\
committee of thoroughly roll itle gentle-
u.en will bo asked to do the .counting
aud to announce the result Of coarse,
any person who will count the number
of times the word “aud" appears in this
week’s paper edn form an approximate
ide i of how many times it will probably
appear at any other timb.
The proposition is plain! There is no
entoh about, it anywhere. Ally uumar-
i led lady in Thomas county is eligibln to
the voting contest and any person, any
where, to the piano contest.
A dollvr will carry yonr subscription
just as long as it ever would, twelve
months on tbe weekly and two mouths
on the drily. If yon pay yonr snpeerip-
tion betweeu now and Nor. 9th., yon
can get both, a count it the “andt” and
votes for the lady, If you wait until
after Nov. 9th„ von can still conpt the
ands.” Remember, though, that in
oise of a tie tbe count first recorded will
win the piano.
Everybody can vote jnst as many
times a, they want, bnt not more than
five counts at the “ands” will be allow
ed one person.
The contest oosts yon abeolntely noth
ing. Jump in and win.
GRAND PRIZE AND VOTING CONTEST.
This BUnlc Must be Used In sll Cases.
KDITOK TIMF.S KNTBRPRISR, Thomasville, Ca.:
o apply on my Autiecriptlon to The
My Guess at the “ands”
for the I’iano is
2
3
4- ---;---’
5- -.-V--—
One guo>i.s allowed for each dollar
paid. No one person to have over
five yuesBes.
(siaie whether Daily or Weekly.)
As The Host Popular Young Lady, to be given a trip to St. Louis, I cast
. Timxs Kntrrpri.sk
-Votes for Miss
Ond vote allowed for c
Name of Voter .
Are you taking the paper now?
Boston Column.
(By H. O. Jordan )
A. G. Steele, of Brooks county, was in
Boston last Wodnesda^ transacting bus
iness and circumrotatiug generally.
Hon. J. B. Rountree, of Barwick,
was in our city last Wednesday spying
out the situation with a view of locating.
Boston’s gates are never closed against;
such citizenship and we welcome au,
good citizens.
Miss Alma Roberts, who has been on
a protracted visit to friends and relatives
in Decatur county, returned home last
Wednesday.
J. W. Nimmo, the jeweler, who has
been occupying a room in J. B. Way’*
one story brick building, has removed
to the rear of the Oulpepper building.
Dr. M. R Mallette, of Thomasville,
was here last Thursday transacting bus
iness. The Doctor was a citizen so long
of Boston, that we can’t yet realize that
he ia a Thomasville citizen. We wish
he would move back. ^
Jno. G. Burney reoieved a letter a few
days ago from Ids cousin, J. J. Fore
man, who onced lived at P»r#, bnt is
now u citizen of Oolifornia and connec
ted with Uncle Sum’s army and belongs
to the Pay Master Department and
ranks as 2nd Lieutenant. We congra*
folate onr friend Foreman on his pro
motion and hope to see him in command
of a corps in the U. S. army.
Jno. Baum, a citizen of Dnolin, and
B. Baum, of Wayoroes, were here lost
Thursday oalled hither by the death of
their Bister, Mrs. J. B; Brooks.
Miss Winn, of Brunswick, and an old
class-mate of Mrs. W. H. Geiger is vis
iting the latterather homo in Ilayview.
Mrs. J. A. Horn visited her parents,
Mr. and Mrs 8. G. Covington, cf
Tkcmasville, since our last opistlo.
Mrs. Abner Averitt, of Decatur coun
ty, is- here to see her daughter, Mrs. J.
B. Roberts, who is confined to her bed
on account of fever.
O. Nelms agent at this place for the
A. 0. L. railroad, is at) Eldorado, Ark,
visiting his father and mother.
We are glad to chronicle the return of
Mrs. J. R. Carson, who has been spend
ing the summer at Roekton, S. 0.. witli
tier parents. Our ex-widower (Ray) has
put off thote graveyard looks aid his
pliyLique presents a bundle of smiles.
\P. W. Leak Jr., who was formerly
with onr leading hardware merchant,
J. G. Burney, haa accepted a situation
with the Comfort Trading Company.
Mr. and Mrs. Hnglt Moore, of the
Prospect district, were in Boston last
Friday shopping, selling cotton and
shaking hands with their numerous
coterie of fnends.
Marion Little, of Savannah, Ga,
cousin of Mrs. F. 0. Ivey, is visitingt he
latter at her home on|BaUroedXetreet.
Mrs. J. B. Roberts is, we arejsorry to
write, very sick at her home on Main
street. We trouts by good nursing and
the skill of her attending physiolan she
may soon be restored to health.
Rev. J. W. Arnold’s daughter, Ruth,
of Wayoroes, is visiting Dr. B. A.
Vann’s ^daughters, -Marie and Jessie.
Ruth has e large number of friends here
who are delight^ to tee her in onr city.
Our toyrn is in great sympathy with
Mr. Frefi Norton, who met with inch a
terrible oocident last Friday, in which
he lost his left arm. Mutilations caused
by gins tlironghont onr cotton belt are
numerous.
The death angel has again visited onr
little city and carried off one of Boston's
most lovable ladies, in the person of
Mrs. J. B. Brooks, Which sad event took
place last Saturday^, m. at 3 o'clock.
Mrs. Brooks has been sick probably two
weeks aud from the begiuiug of her
sickness very little hope was entertain
ed us regurds to iter recovery. She
leaves several brothers aud sisters, be
sides a devoted and loving husband and
little daughter to mourn their great loss.
Mrs. Brooks was a consistent member of
tlto Methodist- church, df which com
munion sne had' been a member for
many years. The church not only loses
an exemplary member, but our town a
MOTHER AND DAUGHTER DIE
Dr. Ramsey Goes to Macon to Attend
Funeral of Slater and Niece.
/
Dr H. 0. Ramsey was oalled very
suddenly to Macon WeduSaday afternoon
aud his raissi n was an exo-ed’ugly sad
one. Dr. Ramsey’s only sister, Mia. R.
O. Thomas and tier daughter Luta both
died within twelve h-urs of each other,
tho lattor on Tuesday aiternoou sod the
former on Tuesday night. They were
visiting in Son’ll Caroliua at the lime,
but their bod es have boon brought to
Macon, aud they were buried there
Thursday.
Dr. R imsuy did not even know of tho
serious illness of either, nud the double
blow strikes very heavily on him.
A Court Houy Compliment.
Drs. Westmoreland and Harris < f the
State Board of Health are. now in Bain-
b idge. Before their departure they
paidali gh though unwitting compU-
pliment to Thomas county’s court hduae.
They were in searoh of that bnilding,
and were told the direction to take.
When they strived at what they thought
ought to be the placo they went away
again “This large building, with iti
well-kept grounds and flowers most be
some clnb-honse” they sail. They went
away again and wure sent to tho same
place, and could nsrdly believe the
bnilding to be really a court house. .
They unite iu saying it is tho prettiest
sp t in Georgia for a court house site.
Mr. Duron Buys Homo.
Mr. T. B. Daren lias purchased the
Moore homo place on Broad street. He
will improve the property and move hia
family to that desirable location in the
hoar future. The deal was man*
through J S, Montgomery.
Mr. and Mrs. Frank Smith aud ohild
came homo Wednesday afternoon from
Montgomery where tbey have been
spending several weeks.withrelatives.
model citizon and her brothers and sla
ters au affectionate sister. The funeral
took placo last £|a$arday p. m. at S
o'clock. Rev. H.T3. Jones, pastor of the
Methodist olraroh, officiated at the ob
sequies, a large oait|ioqrse of relatival
aud citizensl>eU|hpMpent.
Duo West, 8. U., was represented in
our city lgst week ih the person of Mr.
R. L. Clamp! a prominent citizen at,
said oity.
Mr. W. 0. Williams, a decorator and
sign pointer, who jias visited every port
of the habitable globe was in onr oity
stnoe my last budget doing some work
for some of onr citizens.
Ed. Stone, of Valdosta, wee here Inst
Sunday the guest of his sister, Mrs. W»
Z, Brantley.
lire P.'A. McIntosh and daughter.
Miss Nellie, of Loraville, Fla., an hero
the guests of Mr. and Mn. V. 0. Ivy.
.Miss ^Nellie comes to enter Boston's
graded school, she .having been a pupU
of aaid school auroral previous sessions.
lbs. Mary H. Stephens and son Cal
dwell, who have been visiting Miss
Helen Stephens at Waycroaa returned
home Hat Monday.
Master John Roberta, one of Boston’s
beet little boys, has accepted a position,
with the FOetal Telegraph Co., aa meat
eager boy. They oould not have made
a better selection.
Mrs. H. B. McOormas and Miia
Velinar McRae left last Sunday fer
White Springs Fla , and will be abeens
about two weeks. ^
Mrs. J. J. i’arramore left last Tuesday
a. a. for White Springs Fla., for rest
aud recuperation.
Mrs. Jones and daughter of Savannah
also Miss Mattie McDonald of Monti-
cello Fla., a niece of tho farmer wero
the guests of Mr. nud Mrs. J. C, Ned
siqce my last letter.
Alien Amanda Neel of Thomasville
who has been the guest of Mn nnd Mrs.
Neel for several days left last
Wednesday for her homo accompanied
by Miss Uhctta Neel.
Mr. G. Chestnut, the wide awake And
ileft representative of the Times-Enter- .
prise wns in our city last Tnesdayin the
merest of the paper.
