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^ /*?h ; QL - BMInlrai Report* About the UM Flro •VU tlM Real Colprlt It- Dr. Strep Rlllope' Condition—Import ant Hows From tke Macon * Aik oat Railroad, m%c~, •«. Sunday the senior editor of this paptr derided that he woaM drive over to Watkinsville, and see what ia being done . by oar neighbors. Itis no pleasant ride between hate and Oconee's capital. If - there is a moss wretched atrip of dirt ' road on oar continent we have.no arabi- . tio4,to mil Even In the incorporate limits of Athens it ia a succesaion of ridges and washes, and the further you travel onward the worse the highway gets. It is a reflection on the Classic City and the counties of both Clarkt; and Oconee that this important thoroughfare is not put in better repair. It is one of the most important commercial arteries of Athens, and yet there is scarcely a mill road in the country hut what is a turnpike compared to it. We are convinced that the only way to keep owr roads in decent repair 1s to levy a tax to have them worked, and then let a squad of hands, under a competent over seer, that understands the business, be kept constantly employed on them. We hope that our next grand jury will take some steps tending this way. On the last day of this month King Alcohol yields up his sceptre in Oconee, and Prohibition will spread her protect ing wings over the county. How far she will protect depends on the agility and ferocity of the blind tigers. The liqnor men, however, have fought to th • last ditch, and will perish at the bar of the Supreme Court of Georgia It will be next fall before «he> ofit in a h aring. Mr. F »srJer will inov»* to Athens and merchandise in th* Latterly store; Mr Ridgeway will move his distillery near Jug tavern, in lacks »n coun: ,and con * tinue the manufacture of w.dsWy. M* Waliie Booth will remain in Watkinsville, and we sincerely trust will find some pleasant and lucrative occupation He is an honest and a clevei man, ami has the good will and conlidence • f all who know hun. The first issue of ih*- Oconee Knter prise appeared >atur . y, a d is a inns’ creditable h th ,»•:* •. pu •!I"’ —» >•> M Ih; Who trieu to o »••.*** • « 'lainpt II S’..re III .title. S in* i .} V» ..111 find t»»e real in* emu * te.s Amnioi • ’ evid ni e has si me come >*u» »i.owing c »• clusivel toat Or .\nioli* s si • was robbefl he pooo k*r^peing sei on ur , for Or »mi Mrs h. ' rollup- *-i ar used in the night by some on * k*. -eking over furniture in the building, ** if stumbling around in tin- dark. I he thieves were then at work. We are gl »d to report that Or. Billups is much better, and will soon be able to resume bis practice in Athens. The Doctor requests that his patrons delay their work until ht 1 returns to his office, Wai.cIi he hopes WI 1 be soon. Or. Bil lups is one of the l>est dentists in the Stite, and is besides, one of the kindest, most genial and accommodating gentle men we ever knew. And right here we will add that Mrs. Billups gave us one of the nicest dinners we ever set down to. She called it a cold snack, but it was a meal highly enjoyed by us all. This is the best kept village hotel in the South ern States. Kverything is so neat and clean and nicely prepared. Drop in when you will at the Watkinsville hotel and you are sure to get something good to eat. We found our Watkinsville friends ra*.her blue over the prospects of the Macon & Athens road. It seems from what Mr. Aahford tells us that several days ago a couple of reliable gentlemen from Ocmn—, who were deeply intere&t- vu in the completion of the Macon road, decided that il the niounUin would not come to Mahomet that Mahomet would go to the mountain. So they hitched up a team and rode over to Madison to learn how the road was getting on. That city reached, they found that the sound of the pick and shovel had not as yet disturbed the quirt of the place. In fact, there was some doubt expressed about r r**a«i coming to Madison at all. The -*. .id .»own weary of even talking ... V i*ilr ad, <n > had relapsed into » a i .f .a* • •. N 't deterred, howev- r. ib. g. n»lemeii started in the direc tion that common report said the railroad was coming from, expecting each mo ment toemue upon the gradeis at w«»rk. For f*»ur long hours they arove briskly on, and still no sign* of the railroad. At last, at a point said to be fourteen miles distant fr*uu Madison—but the gentle man thought it much further—they came to the vanguard of the railroad hand*?, where a few convicts were at work breaking dirt. From this point on to Montu-c.lo these investigators found oc- ca*i)nal squads of hands at work, hot li.ey were not moving so fast as they ex pected to see, and one of the contractor* silted that if the grading was finished t • U'ison by next June it would be a surprise A number of bands went over to get employment on the road, but they were refused, as there don’t seem to be %nv haste about completing the road. Mr. Ashford said that these gentlemen came home sick and faint at heart over the rail read outlook, and decided that • they would not buy any futures on the Macon & Athens road just >et. There was also a report in Watkinsville that Messrs. Powell A Davenport had signed a contract last Saturday to grade the road from Madison to Athens, and that they would at once set a large force of hands to work on this end of the line. It lacks confirmation, however. Judge Thomas, however, expresses every continence in the completion of this road to Athens. He says that as soon as the trouble in New York among the projectors of the enterprise is settled, which will be in March, that the grading will be pushed to completion as fast as men and money can do the work. J udge Thomas is as well posted as any man m Georgia about this road, and he ridicules — tho idea of its not being finished as agreed on. Cd Machen, he says, is stilt sick, but his condition will not interfere with the prospects of the road. THoBanner- Watchmajv will, in a few days, send a reporter over into Morgan, who will go into Monticello and let our readers know the exact number of hands at work, where they are grading, and all other informa tion touching this new railroad. We feel not a shadow of doubt but that the road will be built to Athens, but whether in time to move the next cotton crop, is a matter of doubt Mayor Hodgson says he feels no fear about our city getting the Macon road, as it has gone too far now to turn back. Wnoorpfo Cough.—This disease is an epidemic in our cily, and ia quite vio lent Dr. Hunnicutt has a little child who has taken it the second time, and the second attack is always the most se vere. Fihf. is Klderton—The residence of Col. J. H. Jones was destroyed by tire Sunday mOrning with all the furniture in the second story. The loss is about $5,000. Insured for $2,000 in the Phoenix. No one injured. As Oi.u Coin.—Mr. Whitney paid Mr. Myer.Stern $6 for a $1 silver American coin, dated 1701). Mr. Whitney has quite a collection of rare coins. l*ieces that will sell for many times their value are in daily circulation in our city. Meai>ers—Telford.—Married, on Thursday evening, Feb. 10th, at the house of the bride's father, by the Rev. G. H. Cartledge, Mr. C. W. Meaderc and Miss Frances Elizabeth, daughter of Geo. B. Telford, Ksq., all of Banks county, Gr. A Sad Death.—A dispatch reached Athens yesterday r rom Brunswick, Ga., ienouncing the death jf Mrs. Amy Cal vin, wife of Mr G. W. Calvin and daugh ter of Mr. Headrick Beusse. Mrs. Cal vin was born and raised in this city, where she has a number of warm friends. The bereaved family have our deepest sympathy. A Prosperous School.—The Lucy Cobb Institute is so full that Miss Ruth- erfjrd, the principal, lias notified the pub lic that every seat in the school is full »nd all applications received from this time forth will Ih* filed in ilie order re ived and will be answered after Sep- ii.her the tiret. (Ifso Fautoridl—The competition V*we n manufacturers of fertilizers is - • great that only about one i l!ir a ton profit is left, so we learn, his i< good on farmers, but hard on h ent* rp.ising genii men who have in- *• -led their money in the busi:.ess. h re are rival fertilizer factories in Kl- • rton. and they arc slaughtering prices oarfully. ACGUftTA’S GREAT FIRE THE OPERA HOUSE AND A NAR ROW ESCAPE. Another Report From The Tramp Corres pondent—A Fiction Without the Basis of Propabillty—A. Vagrant C.Respondent who Should he Suppressed. The great Atlanta daily has a corres pondent in this section w ho travels about on foot, sleeping in jails poor-houses, and under haystacks, who is the most in defatigable news gatherer in the state. A Scare Two Week*. Before the Fire —A VIotinee Lein Out in Tirae-The Ulusonic Theatre a Disappoint* ment— Augusta’* Chance to Build a Sew Theatre—Banager Cohen. August*. Keb. 15.—[Special.]—The He is perfectly unreliable, untrustworthy, burning of Saturday night suggests what an “ 80 ^ ar ^ s we are concerned we would a holocaust had been made had the fire . tru *’t him with a nickel. The follow- broken out half an hour earlier. Scarcely j is the so-called special he sent to the had the stream of ladies and children Constitution day before yesterday which from the matinee emptied itself upon the . P ve ent *re and which we brand as streets, when the fire which ate up Ma- ! J^olly false. An inquiry at the Western sonic Hall and theatre, fastened itself Union office shows that no such despatch A Lost Note.—A young blood in this y the other day sent a note to a dusky usel, but the carrier lost the missive 1 it was found by one of our bad citi zens. who was yesterday engaged in read ing the note to crowds on the street cor ners. Trouble is threatened over the matter. The name of the sender is now- in every one’s mouth. His friends ad vise him to exodust to Liberia. Tiif. Southern Mutual’s Losses.— It would be a very difficult for Augusta to have a large fire without the Southern Mutual Insurance Company getting caught. The late Phinizy fire cost them mething over one thousand dollars. The fire Saturday evening got them for a um, as they had $13,01)0 on one of the burned buildings. The Southern Mutual promptly settles its losses, and and the courts are not called upon to help adjust the matter. • Him License.— F.x-Senator Barrow says hr thinks the best solution of the Prohibition question is high license by the quart, and place the traffic in the hards of reliable and bonded men only. Mr. G. II. Arnold, a strong prohibitionist of Lexington, says ho would not be sur prised that at the next election Ogle thorpe county voted back liquor; that public sentiment is undergoing a great change. J'ixk G ran its.'—Jackson con®»y is now building* fine granite jail, with a house for the Sheriff in front of it, at a cost of $7,4*M). The stone for the jail is now being delivered, and is taken from an inexhaustahle quarry about a mile and a half above town, and on the railroad. Wo saw slabs split out four by seven feet, and some of them were very smooth. Hock masons says this is the finest gran ite they ever quarried, and is suscepta- ble to a fine polish. If the Athens & Jefferson road is ever built we can re build our city of this stone. The Klberton Railroad.—We have it from good authority that it has been de- j jjj ea an( j 0 fd curtain of Lake Como tennined to make the Klberton Air-Line • f e |j forever. One night there were railroad a broad guage. We are also in- | i wo shows in town and both opera formed thvi if th<* people of Hartwell . houses were in full blast. The boys would use the proper exer- j Wore so tickled with the unusual and tion the road would be run by our town metropolitan occurrence that they would from Bowersville and connecting again j alternate between the two theatres and a» Koyslon. This would be an advant- \ take in the novel experience. - age to the railroad as well as to our j Theatre fires have been the most terri- town, cutting off the expenses of rolling | hie in the history of conllagration. The stock, etc., used on the Hartwell railroad | Brooklyn lire is comparatively fresh in upon a lly behind the curtain. Some of this crowd had not vet reached home when the sky was red with conflagration. Two weeks ago a large and fashionable audience were waiting between the acts for the fourth scene of Comedy of Er rors, in this same opera house. Robson and Crane had draw-n out on this Friday night one of the most fashionable gath erings of the season. Those sitting near est the stage heard a commotion behind the curtain and there were audible cries of “cut the rope!” The gallery gods smelled fire and gave the alarm. In a twinkling the whole audience was on its feet and a stampede was barely averted. Well bred men and women turned pale in the orchestra chairs but kept their places. Fashionable young misses in the balcony suppressed their screams and clutched the arms of their escorts. Tho rope was cut—the scene fell to the stage in a Haute and was put out. A few words from the manager calmed the audi ence and the play went on. This occasion was still warm in the minds of the people when the theatre tire lit up the air. A stampede of ladies and children would have been awful. There is ample time to escape, but grown people seldom reflect and generally stamp two or three to death in forcing an egress—and some perish from fright. 1 recall that the Northern schools have regular “fire drills,” in which the pupils, at the tap of the gong, fall into line and double quick to the stairs. 1 doubt not that Prof. Branson has seen these drills. One of the schools here had an “earth quake drill” last fall. The drill worked splendidly until the shocks returned, and the usual stampede ensued. Theatre drills are hardly practicable, but fire escapes and emergency exits are. The theatre just burned was probably no worse oil* in it-* escapes than the average public building, but it was no better. 1 understand that one of our insurance men long ago pronounced it a lire trap. I re member that the fire wardens and archi tects, after it was built, ordered new braces ami bolts to bo put in the Ma sonic Hall, on Broad street. Probably the public did not know what danger did confront them. Mr. William W. Thomas, who has* drawn the plans of the Athens Opera House, told me only the other day that he thought the Augusta Theatre one of the poorest arranged in the South. Of course, Augusta will now proceed to put up a finer and a better opera house. The Masonic Theatre, just burned, was always a disappointment. Architectu rally it was an eye-sore. It never ap proached in symmetry ami statue the old building which was torn down to give way to it. There was a display of parti colored bricks, which made the Broad street view look like a toy house, and the side view was not imposing. I hear that arrangements are already making for a new opera house. A ugusta furnishes as tine a\iuiences as any Southern city, and ranks WitfrChartesf&tfanfiTNeif* Or leans in dramatic appreciation. unlay night in the spring of 1883. Smoke was found at midnight boiling from the back door of a bar-room underneath. The fire burned until three o’clock, and was two hours in forcing itself through the opera house flooring. This was upon the site of the old Concert Hall, which itself ha«l been burned down once be fore. The Augusta Opera House was cozy and comfortable, and brought peo ple together in a magnetic sort of way. it was,never rebuilt, as the Masonic theatre had the swing. After the new theatre opened the old one folded its went over their lines. .Athens, Ga., February 14.—(Special.) —It is intimated by a friend, close in confidence that preparations are be ing made to bring out a new political paper in this growing city. The pros pective prosperity of the city is assuring the reason for this new- move, but a knowing friend says that the new paper will- be backed by strong political influ ence, and that the new deal will divide things generally. In other words, that there will be a race between two news papers for the various “fluences” in this section for the- future. The pro prietor of the new paper, it is said, was a former citizen of your city, now do ing a lucrative business in this place. It has leaked out through the most carefully guarded and secretive move ments, that there will soon be a most important change in 0he Banner-Watch man oflice of this place. For several days the movement has been going for ward and the preliminary steps are now nearly consummated. Mr. H. H. Phini- z\\ it is said, w ill be the new addition to the force of the Banner Watchman as one of its proprietors. Mr. Phinizy is well-known as former proprietor of the Athens Chronicle and a writer of extra ability. The new firm, it is reported wil enlarge the paper, take the daily dispatches, and add a job printing oflice to its mechanical and art appbances.” There is not even any idle talk of a new newspaper here. The city lias two now, and it any one else wants to try their hand at the business no obstacle will be thrown in their way. Mr. II. II. Phinizy is not one of the proprietors cf the Banner-Watchman but is a paid editorial Writer who gives perfect satis faction to the proprietors. We believe Mr. Phinizy is satisfied. The proprie tors of the Banner-Watchman are not anxious to sell their paper, nor are they eager to increase the number of owners. STREET WORK- Wrrtrhcd ('oiiiliiion of ttir .Muiu Avenue* of Our City. The public—and tho merchants and country people especially—have a just right to complain of the wretched condi tion in which the main thoroughfares leading into the city are left. Through these roads pour the commercial life blood of our city, and it is of the most vital importance that they should be kept in good repair. On the contrary, they have been neglected that a few prominent and fashionable avenues should be smoothed up and straightened out, and the denizens of our city given pleasant walks and level drives, lake for instance the street leading to Wat kinsville, and over which comes fully one-fourth of the wagon trade of Athens. If there is a worse strip of dirt road in the state, we have no desire to traverse it. From the time you leave Broad street until the precincts of Blairsvillc , are reached, it is a long succesaion lof ridges and washes. *In one mud hole a half A ROMANTIC STORY GLEANED IN JACKSON COUNTY. The Land Gram to Count d’Eatauf -iflf ISeport* About the Gailaut l'reiich.\oMeman-.That Diineu- I bermeut of the Burrell Gang of Free boo ter«. offs of from six to eighteen inches re peatedly encountered. And this.street is no exception, for all the other thor oughfares are in equally as bad a condi tion. We earnestly trust that Committee man Smith and Superintendent Stanley will give this matter their earnest atten tion, and that before another lick of work is put on the fashionable drives or sidewalks. This Utter class of work can be put off, but to delay longer re pairing our principal streets is to drive away business. Mr. Stanley thoroughly understands street working, ami now if he will devote some of his attention to more practical matters, our business mei and country friends will rise up and call him blessed. A PERTINENT QUESTION- Ancle Peter Culp Put* In u Centre Shot und VIuke* u Direct Point. Dear Bannrr-Wakcuman>— Does the aud would give us better freight rates, j the minds of the people. It occurred | ^ ^, an J'1* * °t w!*k»i Let our enterprising business men look I about ten years ago.btit there are hearts * 1 *'— *—-* * A «~«*—*»* * *« into thi*» matter ami se«* what is in it.— j H ti1l seared and homes still in mourning Ha.twell Sun. j in the city of tabernacles. The burning i of the Vienna Theatre made a grave for An Unpleasant Report.—The n.me i scores of people in that great metropolis of a well known merchant, who h..s a j 0 f the music ami the drama. I venture store near Athens, and who in additi u j to say that more lives have been lost be- to bis mercantile business preaches oc- f ore the footlights in this way, than in casionallv, is connected with a scandal j the hotel fires of the country, that is so unfit for publication, that the j remember once to have stood in the Police Gazette would hesitate before I vestibule of Monumental Church in publishing it. The matter is the talk of i Richmond, Va, and looked at the tomb bis immediate neighborhood, and has even gotten abroad in the city. We hope for the sake of the man’s family and friends, that he will be able to clear his skirts of this ugly business. Hodgson Brothers.—We call atten- erected as a memorial to the dead who perished on that very spot in a theatre fire several years before. The sanctuary rose upon the ruins of the Thespian Temple. If the recent fire in Augusta be the means then of furnishing that city tion this morning to the notice of this | with a new opera house of elegant audi- sterling houSe, which renews its an- ; torium; modern fire escapes and safety Death or T. Sam Tant. Esq.,—News was received in the city yesterday from Gair*«vil!e announcing the death of T. Sara Tant, Esq. The many friends of Mr. Tant were verv much shocked to hear of his death, tfe had been very sick for quite awhile, but seemed in a fair way to recover. Mr. Tant thought his disease was cancer of the stomach. The remains reach ed the city yesterday on the noon train of the North-Eastern Railroad and were tranafered to the Georgia Railroad and went down to Augusta last evening. Mr. Tant bad not been in Athens a long while but had made many friends during his stay who are sorry to learn of his sudden demise. Mr. Tant’s remains will ho buried in Grovetown near Augusta and not in Aug usta as stated above. Mr. A. B. C. Dor sey accompanied the remains from Gaines villa. Garden aed FooWKR Seeds.—We mr« under obligations to that old reliable grower James Vick, of Rochester, N. \\ for a supply of his vegetable and flower a«*ed. Vick's seeds have always stood at the head of the fiat for reliability, ami practical gardeners will plant none other. Ua has all manner of seeds and plants, and makes a specialty of flowers. Send for a eatal igue, and order what you want direct from headquarters, where you will get the beat and freshest seeds grown. Vick'a seeds are not sold in Athena, hut jr<m can get them by tending an order nouncement to the readers of the Ban ner-Watchman in Athens and North east Georgia. They have done a splendid business this fall and their spring trade in produce and provisions is an excellent one. They are handling large quanti ties of meat and grain, and their ware house season has been heavier and more satisfactory than ever before. Hodgson Brothers is made up of a strong team; they are all workers and arc men of lib eral means, broad ideas and enterprising methods. They have done much to make Athens the vigorous and progress ive place that it has come to be, and the stand of Hodgson Brothers is reecognized a< one of the busiest comers in bustling Athens. A Miserable Theft.—Mrs. Cooper, a worthy widow who lives in Oglethorpe couuty, and has two little children, en tirely dependent on her individual ef forts for a support, succeeded last year in raising two nice hogs, that she killed and salted down in her smoke-house, and which would have furnished her with plenty of meat for the year. Some nights since a thief broke into the house where this meat was kept and stole the last piece of it. It was indeed a severe loss to Mrs. Cooper, who with her own hands raised the corn to fatten the hog9. She rents land from Rev. J. G. Gibson, and with the help of her little boy, 13 years old, works it. Lynohing would be too good for the thief, who is supposed to be one of a band of idle negroes that infest the neighborhood. Cruel Treatment.—Emma Florence yesterday filed a suit with the Clerk of the Superior Court for a total divorce from her husband, George Florence. She states in her petition that she married Florence in the month of January, 1881, in Oconee c**unty. They lived very hap pily together for several years. In the summer of 1884* her husband’s manner toward her underwent an entire change. From Ihe affectionate considerate bus- band he was changed into an overbearing, cruel man. He inalireatod her most shamefully, she alleges, and she found it a living death to remain in his house. About the middle of July, 1880, after bearing his inhumane treatment as long as she cauld, a separation took place Since then he has not contributed to her support Upon the above allegations she bases her suit for total divorce. George 8. ThomAs is her attorney.—Con stitution. The Watkinsville liquor men are rap idly dosing out the remnants of their stock. precautions; cf real architectural beauty, it will not be the calamity which at first impended. The drama is too great an institution to be decried. It is an influ ence which cannot be ignored any more than the press ami the pulpit. It has its home in the hearts of the people and its effects can be traced in the actions of men every day. It has its temples and its habitation in every well ordered city, and the conveniences for gatherings of the people before the stage cannot be ignored. Ancient or modern, the drama has exerted its sway, whether in the great tragedy of the Greeks or further back, in the classic ages of the Hebrews. It w’ill not do to build a moral too rigidly upon the ruins of the theatre. I am glad to note that Manager San ford II. Cohen is working up a company to put up a new opera house. He was one of th'e lessees who in 1882 took the new theatre for five years. He has worked hard in the business and has succeeded in attracting several combina- tijns southward which we never had lie- fore. Severrl times he has had to guar antee ruinous prices in order to get them started this way, and once or twice he was compelled to travel with them the w’hole Southern ciacuit of which he was guarantor. He has worked untiringly for the business and had made such stars as Rhea, O’Neill,Clara Morris,Aimee and others feel at home in the South. It is not a secret here that M’lle Rhea writes to him all the year round, and that Fer dinand Ward tried to get him to travel with him last season as his manager. If this fire has interferred with the business of my friend Sandford Cohen. I shall regret te know it I am assured however that with his tireless energy and his influence with press and people, he will be a strong factor in the rehab ilitation. P* A. S. fulfil their part of the contract with the city of Athens in relation to the exten sion of the N. K. R. R? It seems to ine that they don’t regard their obligation at all as binding. They gobbl** 1 up our hundred thousand dollars :ri stock—ex tended the road as far as suited, and now seem to bid defiance to us. If railroads are generally conduced on such terms I don’t wonder that the people are making complaint. In my younger days the old Jackson Democracy said corporations had no souiS, and indeed it looks a little that way now, if they all regard their obliga- tiyns so lightly. 1 thought such obliga tions were sacred, but it seems the R. & 1). don’t view it in that light. If they don’t comply with their obligation .it looks to me like they should be shaken up. Theie is a way to reach every case if pi oper steps are taken. Athens certainly will not be bamboozled out af her one hundred thousand dollars without some effort to obtain her rights. 1 shall wait and see. Very truly yours, Peter Cut KKTi iiMMi Thanks. The Unsavory Scandal.—Considera ble curiosity was manifested yesterday by our people to find out who were the parties implicated in the unsavory scan dal reported in yesterday’s paper. Every one was satisfied before he gave up his inquiries. The merchant-preacher does not seem to jnind his unpleasant notorie ty at all, as he goes in and out among the people as usual. The negro husband of the injured woman intends reporting the case before the next grand iury and have him indictedjfor indecency by that body. It seems that this is all that he can do. From what we learned yesterday it is plain that the negro’s object was to ex* tort blsck mail, but the white man’s skin is so thick that he prefers the. publicity to the money he would have to pay. Whereas, on the 14th day of Novem ber, 188fl, Corinth Church had its build ing burned down, and, whereas, by the generous aid of many brethren and s is- ters and friends, through the Providence of God, we have been enabled to build our house of worship. Resolved,that as a church we xre grate ful lo our Heavenly Father for his ever watchfnl and kindly care over us, and we can lovingly testify to His faithful ness and to his promise to be a help to us in every time of need. Resolved, That we also tender our heartfelt thanks to the good # brethren, sisters ajid friends who so generously and nobly came to our Assistance in our dire extremity and aided us so heartily in rebuilding our house of worship, which is now about completed, aud that we humbly pray that the Giver of all good may suitably reward them for their generous aid to us in their time of need. -Resolved, That a copy of the of these resolutions be forwarded to the Athens Banner-Watchman, the Christian In dex and the Oglethorpe Echo for publi cation. J. F. Cheney, Mod. J^B. Crowley, C. C. Crawford, Feb. 13, 1886. After a Tiiief.—Lait fall Mr. R. E. Branch, of Oconee county, hired a horse to a man who was traveling through the country repairing sewing machines. This was tho last seen of the horse until a few days ago when Mr. Branch re ceived notice that a horse answering to the description advertised had been sold near Sparta, Ga Mr. Branch went to Sparta but could get but very little in formation in regard to the horse or who was theo in possession of him. After great deal of trouble he fouud out where the horse was, and that in all probability the horse' would be run of£* and after night went to the man's house who had purchased him and got bis horse. The thief is still at large, but the officers are on his track and if caught will get a full term in the Penitentiary. While on a late visit to Jackson coun ty, we learned' quite a romantic add in teresting addenda to its history. In the early settlement of Georgia that entire strip of country extending from the southern boundaries of Wilkes to the Blue Ridge renge in Habersham was embraced in the the territory of Wilkes county, with the town of Wash ington as its capital It was only the southern part, however, that was under the domination of the pale face, for from the Cherokee Corner, now in Ogle thorpe, north wr.rd, was governed by the Indians. But gradually t^e onward inarch of civilization thinned out and drove- back the red men,'' and at last' enough foothold and population _ was gained in the wilderness to authorize the creatiou of another county, named Frank lin, aud with Carnesville as its court house. The new county embraced all that part of Wilkes lying north of a fine running from the confluence of Broad and Savannah rivers to Cherokee Corner, afterwards other dismemberments took place, resulting in the creation of the counties of Elbert, Jackson, Habersham, Banks and Hart, the two latter being the newest counties. Jackson was made a county in 1790, at least the first court was held that year The county site was near Ahe Tallassee shoals, on the Oconee river, but was af terwards moved to <ho centre of the county—th** present thriving little city of Jefferson. The third court-house is now standing in Jefferson. The first was of logs, ami the other two of brick. This place was selected for the county town from the fact that from time immemorial it has been a favorite reso t with the Indians, who held tlieir war and green corn dances around the town spring, under a big oak, and after the invasion of the whites it was a trading post. But to return to our narrative. Among the gallaul French officers who came over ith LuFayyctte to assist us to battle for American independence was the Count d’Kstang. The * oilnCCetonged to a noble family, but he was wild and adventurous itud if report be credited his career 'was far from a spotless one. It was said that he was the captain of a band of pir.ites that ravaged the coasts both of Europe and America, and that he was as cruel and daring as brave. The noble name of d’Kstang, however, was his protection, for it would have been a dangerous declaration to barge with crime a man of such promi nence anil power. The patriotic and daring project of Marquis d Lafayette exactly suited the adventurous and roving disposition of d’Kstang. It is n matter of doubi, however, whether he was ac-» tuated l»y the same noble sentiments that made Lifayeltc take up arms in de fense of a brave people struggling for in dependence's by a thirst for excitement and adventure. Be it as it may, there was not a more gallant officer in the American army than Cupt.d Kstange, and at the battle of Yorktown he command ed the French troops audio theirvalliant services ou that day is the great victory largely attributable. In recognition of their services, at the close of the war a grateful people Jhaving no uvinej; or . during?ivs^hquflFS'wir which to reward the lierdlU who came to their assistance* aave _ n? f kwlii -i^i tof fcnafo"' re - ning in what is now Clarke count*, aud including Habersham, Jackson, Banks, Franklin, Hart and the upper portion of l.lhert. Tho grant to this land should be now on file at Washing ton, Ga., an*l tracts chopped from it are recorded in nearly all the counties nam ed. This land then had little financial val ue, but Count d’ Kstange portioned a part of it out among his friends and kin dred, who moved to Georgia and sett’ed thereon. These new comers belonged to the best families of France, and to tlieir presence is attributed the exal ted and enviable position that this sec tion of Georgia so rapidly assumed and has always maintained, both in war and peace. Many of the descendants of these people are still among us, and while by intermarriage their names are chang ed, you can see in their faces to this day unmistakable evidences of the presence of French blood. Tho DeLaperri ers, of Jackson county, is one of the few family names left to us, but there are hundreds of others living in Clarke, Oconee, Jack- son and Franklin, in whose veins flow the same blood as this' brave French. ad« venturer. Mrs. Reese, of this city, is a liueal descendant of Count d’Estange, as likewise many others we can name. But on the cessation of hostilities the restless spirit of tho Count c«£Ulduot be stilled, and if ancient rumors can be credited he embarked in a career even as bloody and lawless as when be com manded a fleet of pirates on the Spanish Main. It has always been charged— and it is said with good grounds, too— that Count d’Kstange was the head cen tre of Murrell’s band of murderers and freebooters, that for so long a time .kept in terror the states south of and includ ing Kentucky. In every state and coun ty were branches of this band of outlaws, and there was a strong organization of them in Clarke and Jackson counties, Ga. In fact, Murrell’s capture was ef fected by a man from Jackson county, who joined the band, took the prescribed oaths, got into the confidence of the chief and then betrayed hun. The initi ation into this hand was that the appli cant for membership should stain his hands with human blood, but somehow the Jackson county detective got that part of the ceremony omitted. The above story we gleaned from the older citizens of Jackson county last week. Of course there is nothing au thentic to fix any connection with the Murrell band on Count d’Estange save vague reports, that are now hoary with age. That this brave French officer once owned our entire belt of country, and that he won it by unsheathing his sword in aid of a brave and patriotic peo ple struggling for tlieir independence, is matter of record. PAUTICULARRS OP ¥HE BANKS CuUNTY OUTRAGEOFSUNDAY. A Plot to waylay aud Burder Tom Armour-Sequel to tike Stealing of a Wagon and Team in South Car olina—The Wounded Ban Doing Well, But the Would-Be Aasasaina at Large. About a month ago the Banner- Watchman published an account of Bill Armour stealing four mules and a wag on in South Carolina, and that the ani mals were scld in Athens. The mules belonged to Dr. Hopkins, who followed Armour to Georgia and recovered his property. Among the crowt! in Banks county who turned out and hunted up the thief was one of Bill Armour’s cousin. Tom Armour, son of Taylor Armour, who bought the place of CapL D. C. Oliver, in Banks county. This acton the part of Tom Armour enraged the friends of the thief, and they resolved on his death. So last Sunday evening about sundown, Paul Armour, brother of Bill, and Bill Posey, brother- in-law of the Armours, hid out on the roadside for him just in front of W. 0. Thomas* gate, in Bushville district. Tom Armour, unconscious of the trap set for him, passed the spot where the would-be murderers lay concealed. At this instant the concealed parties stepped from their hiding places and confronted Tom Armour. “Are you notsorry you have met us?” one of the men asked. “Why?” was the retort Bill Posey replied by drawing a pistol Tom Armour was unarmed, and had two desperate men against him. He un dertook to ride around the men. remark ing that he iliil not want any difficulty. Paul grabbed at his mule’s bridle, that gave the animal a fright, and it tnrned completely in the road. Bill Pasey by this time had his pistol leveled on Tom, who put spurs to his mule and tried to get out of the wav. .1 ust as he started Paul Armour fired his pistol at Tom, the shot taking effect just above the waist band of his pants, on the left side. The b..ll ranged along the last rib for five inches and then lodged. After this act the two would-be assas sins left for parts unknown, and Tom Armour went to the house of Mr. W. S. Mize, brother-in-law to Mr. C. 1). Mc- Kie, of this city. He asked Mr. Mize to send after a Doctor, as he was shot. He then walked in the house without saying anything more. Taking down Mr. Mize’s gun he smarted back. It happened that Mr. Mize had been out hunting S.tturdav evening and had shot out all of his load ed shells. Mr. Mize, after some trouble, prevailed on Armour to lie down, whon lie sent after Dr. Quillian. The Doctor made an examination of tl.e wound, and found it by no means serious, but had the hall not struck the rib and ranged around the shot would have proved fa tal. Mr. Armour, at last accounts, was doing well, although he has not as yet been moved from Mr. Mize's house. Paul Armour and Bill Posey have both left the county, it is thought, aud are still at large. sout¥carolina. MR T00MER WRITES AN INTER ESTING LETTER. Signs •! the Biff Earthquake—'The Deep Fissurcs-Destract ion off Crtfps and Destiti * “ ” tor* nAll»2M w J[ j cnU3jL fcere in 'the old P*ln£*j{pSute, where the sound of the ocean'h] «,eard iu the distance as it casts its billows on the white s.inds of the shore, and the light house of Cape Rouiain is flashing its light fur out over the dark waves of the broad Atlantic, 1 find myself reflecting on the little city of Athens, and compar ing our state with this state and her noble people, that have suffered so much, surely enough to have crushed out the hope from even the goddess of hope, what less than poor mortals. The whole roadside is lined with small geysers that cast up water and white sand, and to pass up the road it would make you im agine you were passing imtneuse ant hills. These geysers are often only few feetapa t, and it is easy to count 20 or more at one glance. 1 came across deep holes some 100 feet in circumference ami 8 or 10 feet deep, with large piles of sand around them, that must have happened hundreds of years ago in some previous earthquake. Earthquakes are surely no new thing to this country, only history is not old enough to tell the tale. The total destruction of the rice crop and the poor cotton crop has left.this country i With trembling lips my lovo bade me farewell A burning ldss she press’d upon my brow— The stamp of lore. My temples even now Throb o’er the spot her lips sought but to dwell In one’s heartfelt .caress. My pulses swell And tears fall fast aa t recall her vow: “I’ll loyal be, thou’ true or faithless thou. Till stars of love from twilight sties dispel:”. I drew her form unto my bursting heart And crowned the Eros of our misting dreams With lasting wreaths and strong, imitassioned art. While flowing swift came thought in mighty streams: “I’ll loyal be till life and soul depart Aud shades of love blot out the spirit’s beams!** —William Wallace Cook. THE NAUTCH GIRLS’ DANCE. A Performance Artistic and Decorous. Bicyclist Stevens’ Description. I luul been wondering whether an op portunity to see the famous dance would occur during my tour through India, and so, when four or five of the prettiest of these dusky damsels gathered around me, smiled at me winsomely, ogled me with with their bewitching black eyes, smiled again, smiled sejxirately, smiled unani mously, smiled jill over their semi ma hogany-but nevertheless not unluindsome faces, and every time displaying «se."s of pearly teeth, what could I* do? What could one have done but smile in return? There Is no language more eloquent or more easily understood, under certain cir cumstance, than the language of facial expression. No verbal qut -st it >n or answer was necessary. I interpreted the winsom, smiles of the Nautcli dancers right anil they interpreted very quickly the per mission to go ahead that revealed itself in the smile they had forced from me. Eight of tho twelve were commonplace girls of from 14 to 18 and the other four were quite handsome, as handsome-goes among the Hindoos. Tlieir arms were bare of anything save bracelets and the upj»er portion of the body was but scantily clothed, after the manner and custom of all Hindoo females; hut an ample skirt of calico reached to the ankles. Rings were on every toe and massive silver anklets, with tiny bells attached, made music when they 'walked or danced. They wore a profusion of bracelets, necklaces of rubies, head ornaments, ear rings and ]>eudaiiU juhI a massive gold or brass ring hi the left nostril. The nostril was relieved of its burden by a string that de scended from a head ornament mid took up the weight. The Naulch girls arranged themselves into a half circle, tlieir scarlet costumes forming a bright credent, terminating at either end in a mass of sjjecmtors, whose half nuked bodies, varying in color from pale olive to mahogany, were arrayed in costumes scarcely less showy Ilian the ilancers. The cliajieroue tom-toms an appropriate Nautcli accouijxuiiment on a drum with his lingers, mid four prettv girls advance from the half circle, and, favoring me with a quartette of killing smiles and a quartette of coquettish glances from their bright dark eyes, they commence to dance. An idea 'seems to prevail in occidental minds that the In dian Nautcli dance is a very naughty thing, but nothing is further from the truth. Of course it can be made naugh ty, and no doubt often is, hut then so can many another form of innocent amusement. The proper Nautcli dance is a decorous and artistic performance when properly danced; tho graceful mo tions and elegant proportions of the hu man form, as revealed by lithe and grace ful dancers, are to lie reviewed with an eye as purely artistic and critical as a Venus or other production of the sculp tor’s studio. Only the ‘‘British matron” would consider a Nautch its . the ____ ™ into tip* . most on a level with the sh< mantle of transparent muslin, fringed with silver spangles, is wqrn about the head and shoulder? in the same indescrib ably graceful manner as the mantilla of the Sjianish sonorita. Raising a portion of this aloft in the left liand and keeping the “fan” intact with the right the danc ers twirl around mid change positions with each other, their supple figures meanwhile assuming a variety of grace ful motions and postures from time to time. Now they imitate the spiral move ments of the servient, climbing around and upward on an imaginary pple; again they assume a cliariuing jxisture, tlieir dusky countenances half liiddon in seem ing coquetry Ixiiind the muslin mantle, the large red fan waved gently to and fro, the feet unmoving, but the undulat ing motions of the IhhIv mul the trem bling of the limbs sufticing to jingle tho tiny ankle bells. A Great Slave Hunting llegi The country between the Zambesi river and the lake regions of central Africa is one of the great slave hunting grounds of R bad fix. The* country is fertile, * the | that dark continent. An English trav- timber inexhaustible, aud yet the coun- I cler who recently journeyed through the try is getting poorer every day. It j country says that every village shows the would make you sad to see the desolate familiar sight of the slave in the yoke look of this whole country along the sea- awaiting the departure of a caravan, coast, from Savannah to Georgetown; a Th* s yoke is made from the forked Oblij NEIGHBORS. ■ sqaaa yesterday-^ news from the towns AROUND US. JEFFEUSOK JOTTINGS- Court In Session—Pi irate Theatricals—Pe culiarities of the Bar--Personals. Jefferson, Feb. 16.—[Special.]—Su perior court in session, and Col. E. T. Brown, the handsome and winning So licitor-General is doing good work for ^ e88e ® an ^ good government. Three felonies and three misdemeanors have fallen victims to the power and en ergy ol the Solicitor and State’s wit nesses. The case against Armstead Camp, charged with murder is now being tried here. “She Stoops to Conquer’’ was repeated at the Martin Institute last night to an intelligent aud appreciative audience. W. T. Bennett, the efficient Clerk of Jack- son superior court, who played the role of Mr. Hardcasile, did so exceedingly well his friends are urging him to leave tho dull, monotonous routine of the court h^use, and go at once upon the stage where honor, renown and fortune all call him, in the event of his consent ing to the wish of friends of fortune. The superior court will lose its best officer, and the stage will gain a star which will give more light to the stage than the milky-way gives to earth. A petition is now in circulation asking him not to leave us. \\ ill write you his decision and the success of his friends in a short while. M rs, I lard castle (Miss India Hunter) was perhaps the most perfect in acting. As a young lady she is pretty - and fasci nating, and as an old lady (in the play) she is just perfectly bewitching. Miss Ada McKlhannon (Miss Hard- castle) did her part well and won the ad miration of the entire audience and the hearts of all the boys nr.d young men, and your correspondent bespeaks for her a bright and brilliant future. Miss Neville (Miss Lizzie Dixon] was a great favorite, and one of whom we are justly proud, and the play would have been incomplete had she not been the corstance of the play; and so natural was her affection for Hastings (I meau in the play) that the audience with one ac cord, said, “that will he a match.” As to the young men they all did splen didly. Some of the Jefferson bar carry a glass and comb in their pockets, and take great pride in keeping tlieir Uiiet Adonis-like. 4 ol. Stevens Thomas, jr., of your city, is in town. lie took in the entertain ment last night and pronounced it a suc cess. '1 he Athens bar is represented this week by Senator Barrow, Geo. C. Thom as. J no. D. Moll and K. T. Brown. A young gentleman from Athens re marked to-day that of one thing he was certain, and that was he intended to get a wife in Jefferson, if he could. Judge Hutchins is too good a judge and has too much work to do for the pay he gets, to be worried with 15 or 20 law yers for eight months in the year is worth at least $8,000, beside* the work that is required of him. Madam Rumor says that Ihe handsom est doctor in Jackson county will soon lead to the altar one of the beautifi belles tf iho old North State. She wil do -amt we dare say h< muolj better. rT5~Twii rX3m LmJU ' ir *P e! UNIVERSITY OFdaEORGlA LIBRARY UNION POINT NOTES. Umos Point, Feb. 11.—[Special., Ti.i« town i* the mojt tlioroo-M. worked by life insurnnee ui«n of any own in the SuUr. They can discount ■ook agents an d lightning rod aieu a lundred^iur cent.. Union Point, has a negro won.on 41 yosrs old, who is Um mother >fl4 herithy liejng children, and she looks ntt r riM i m6rc ' T I, ?& luive tU UxroN Point, Fob. R-p^UU- I here is an uld tradition tbnt if the be»r 1 comes out on the 14th of Feb. and sees . »h«dow, he will go back for six mouths, but if he docs ijpt sce.it the " i'r 'rramarVu. goons in GreencsborotStho tbbo closed with an oyster supper at the Com- inercial and a hop at Zimmerman’s Hall. Union Point, Keb. lG.-[Special.J_ Col. Junes M. Smith, of the convict farm, in Oglethorpe, pass, d here to-day on his way to Athens. Mr. J. I!. MeLvughlin, railroad agent's son, went up to tl.e Oslo City yesteruay lie couldn't go to college with his gid' but ho went as far as he coiilH. Miss Perkins, an accomplished music, teacher from Xashvi.le, Tennessee, nr rived her to-day to take charge of the music department of Prof. Newton s school. J. JoneirGardfier, one of tl.e politest boys on the road, is among our merchants to-dny. IVVNIKI.SVII.I.I; \,|T|. S . [Social.] given here to- 1>aniki.svi:.i.k, A rainbow party is to be ; night. l>r. Ed. Kinnebrew. of North CareP •. formerly of Athens, (hi., is visitin ' his brother here. The Doctor came tl.n... •!. on horseback, and rides a splendid stetst- lie speaks ol returning to Athens. There will be a suit tiled to the next term of our Superior Court in favor of M. V. Roberta vs. T. A. li.lt f or ] 103vv damages for stabbing. There was an enjoyable singing ocra- sion, largely attended, conducted by prof. CanweR, at tile residence of J. K. Sun ders, Esq., on th.; evening of the l'Jth. Hutu mioai.s m:\v.s. Hi'iii Shoals, Feb. 14.—[Speeial.l-Mr. . unis i owell, fro... Oreone, .s too. in - to High Shoals to live while her husband is working on the railroad. There are two cases of ineasies in town. Miss Mary Powell and Mrs. Dr. Gwyn spent two days it. Athens this week Mr. Garrison lias bought Mrs. Close's house and lot, and will move into Oconee. Another loint stock company is in forma tion here. A pleasant party at Frazier's last night. Him. Shoals, l-’ch. If,.—[Special.1— President Hinton ordered a called meet ing of the High Shoals Manufacturin' Co., for yesterday, hut l.aji weather pre vented tlieir coming togetliej. 1 Prof. Moore lias a prosperous siii’dii'- class in town. •lodge I.eji and wife are beautify.:. ' their front yard with flowers, over-re,-ns' etc* Air. Allen is erecting a new reeidem-e on Hill street. S Alr-.lohn Frazer, the h.g shot ,,f town killed *J5 birds at three or four shots' Saturday. inMr. John llattaway will not leave this place before fall. C'ltAWt'OItU VOTES. l'rof. Oh enev’s school increases evert week. He now has forty-live schoh;r>. ’ Short Bros, have a contract to Vmailil a large barn for D, Stevens near Snmlv Cross. " ) Vatki, ' s has of cotton m (Qll Ins last year’s crop on hand yet P " a y our farmers are haulin~ arfky guano, we think tjiere will be a deal 9f it used this yeaiyi,- -JwfeCtoa wttwv&rffc 16:--^-“™" ; the Frifjt , : vU and th6 ir, talking c ERSON, Among notable visitors‘tiuFur towi^l, week, was War Cloud, chief of the Kaw who was Gen. Custer’s old friend and guide. He addressed the citizens at the Martin Institute Chapel. He was dress ed as he was when he visited Washing ton City, 17 years ago. The little folks were very much excited at the sight of a sure enough Indian. We thank Col. Gantt for his impartial account of our famous horse swapping brigade, and did not rob Clarke county of her portion of the honor of contribut ing some of the elegant stock to the nu merable assortment of stock they have semi-annually at our courts. WATKINSV1LLE \VA 1FS. hotel and! R splehdid business. There was? a gentleman in our town yesterday looking for a location for a newspaper, and from the encouragement he received we think Crawford will have an organ of her own in the near future. J. F. Cheney will be a candidate for V^ountv school commissioner. Hope the t^ard will elect him, as lie is well quali fies} for the place. non 1-16 HITS. Tiif. G C. A' N. Road.—Tho engineer ing corps at work on the Klberton end of this projected railroad is now at work between Winterville and Pleasant Hill, and their camp is pitched at lion. James M. Smith’s place. Major Morrison yes terday rode over tho line run, which is a very good one. They are now running on an air-line, hut may diverge a little to the right or left, as tho topography of the country demands. country once the garden spot of the state; the home of the aristocracy of the South; a country where hospitality and chivalry, with immense wealth, was the ordi’r of the day, now desolate and a home mostly of negroes, that five from hand to mouth. What a change in twenty-six years! On the the train from Port Royal to Charleston, l traveled with Small,the ne gro ex-congressman. It Reeins a disgrace that the nclde old state of South Caroli na should have e.ver been represented by such a looking creature. On the same train 1 met Mr. Rice, the school superintendent of the state—a noble looking and pleasant gentleman. Th? great difference between him and Smull was enough to have cured the worst Eastern radical from ever meddling with the South and her people. But 1 am glad to say Small has seen his last day in congress and will be aucceeded by a true blue blood Caroliniau by tho name of Gen. Elliott. Charleston is recovering so fast from the effects of the earthquake that one is apt, after all be has read, to think the days of horror were over, drawn at a first glance, hut by looking closely he will soon find that most of the damaged houses have been patched up. But old SL Phillip’s church shows the visitor what sn awful thing an earthquake is. There she stands oiacked from top to bottom with half of her steeple shaken down, her roof in ruins, her elegant plastering completely ruined. As 1 stood in front of her at the tomb of John C. Calhoun, the moon was casting branches of a tree ; alxrat five or six feet long—some are much longer—and from tlireo to four inches in diameter at the thickest part. Through each prong of the fork a hole is bored for the reception of an iron pin. This ready, a soft fibrous Ixuk is wrapped around until the whole forms a thick collar of kirk, making a sort of pad much rougher than a horse’s collar. It is ofieu allowed to remain upon a slave for nine months or a year, night and day, without being once taken off. When a '•araviui is ready to stmt the men are coupled by the yoke l>cing lashed so as to form a rigid |x»le, binding the pair from neck to neck together. With loads on tlieir liemls. they then turn their faces to the eastward and leave their homes forever.—Pittsburg Commercial Gazette. Fowler to the Front*—Mr. J. A. Fowler, who run a bar-room in Oconee county, just over the Clarke .linv being voted out of business at his old stand, has bought s lot in Jackson county, about half a mile from Gum Spring and five and a half -ailes of Athens, where he will open out again, if the county don’t go dry »n the meantime. He w j putting up his house. Important Sale.—Mr. M. B.McGinty has sold a two-thirds interest in his plan ing and wo id shop, situated near the N. E. depot, to a strong company of capital ists with Dr. E. S. Lyndon at the head, who will enlarge the same. This is an important purchase. Jackson on Pbohiiition.—On the 14th of March Jackson county will hold anoth er election on the Prohihibition ques tion, and this time try to abolish even the gallon liquor license. Some T rchibition- ists in that county talked with expressed doubts as to the wisdom of the move, as it is doubtfuljf liquor will he voted out The STOok Law.—A gentleman from Oglethorpe county tells us that oyen the j fence leaders, who held out so long and manfully against the stock law,, are at last tqpuingsway their fenoes from around .their fields and acknowledge that it is a good thing. The only opposition is m Pleasant Hill district, near the Madison line. For Roy* and Girin. President D. C. Gilman, of Johns IIoji- kin« university, says that for a girl or a boy there is notiling lietter than tho needle and scissors, and, particularly for a boy. the jackk nife; that still more fundamental Is the iiencii, which enalJes one to delineate with more precision than tiie pen what one w ishes to express, and tliat a man is a better thinker ami a more accurate worker if he can repro duce* with his liand what lie has thought with his brain.—Harper's Bazar. Watkinsville, Feb. 16.—[Special.]— We have had but little farming weather for the last two months. Cotton season over at last, and Orr & Hunter’s wagons have begun to lay down their cids and guanos for this year at the farmer’s doers. Messrs. Powell & and Davenport have contracted for the remainder of un finished road beyond Madison and also closed the contract from Madison to Athens. They will taxe charge of Jim Smith’s convicts to-day and will have about 60 of their own, in all 150 able- bodied hands, while they may have enough free labor to count 2U0 hands. Mr. Powell says he can finish it Athens by Oct. 1st, hut has until May 1st,’8#. Mr. Isaac Thrasher has sold out his Salom \ place and will leave soon for Campbell county, where he has a large contract for sawing cross-ties. Our county seems to bo full of horses and mules going to lower markets. Mr. J T Hale is among the happy, but says his baby is deformed as it has no teeth. l)r. While is sick in bed. The measles are raging in and around Watkinsville. J. T. Marshal is sawing lumber to re build his store recently burnt down. John is an energetic fellow, and if thieves and incendiaries w’illdet him alone he will soon recover from the damage done him Miss Nellie Stillman, a charming young lady of Starksville, Miss, is on a visit to relatives of this place. We hear she will take a school at Joe Klders’s. W K Harris is repairing the NichClsoii house and lot in this plac**, and it greatly helps the looks of Water street Zach Alexander, one of Oconee’s lead- ng negro politicians, is quite sick and not expected to five. How to Live a Full Century. Professor Humphry, of Cambridge, has prepared u series of tables which con tain somo interesting information about centenarians. Of fifty-two |iersons whom ho mentions, at least eleven—two males of the tombs showing that they had | J? 118 1U8 jears, died in 1341. To my back stood the the alleged age o 10 . ruins of the old Circular church, burned in 1861. There seemed a spell upon me and memory swiftly flew over the many events that liad happened in this noble old city since the first gun boomed after secession was neralded' over the Southern Confederacy. Toomeb. IIomf.r, Fob. 14.—[Special.]The many friends of Mrs. G. T. King will regret to learn of her sickness. Tom Armour was way lay ed by his , cousin, Bill Atinour, on the night of the 13th. The wound is not serious. Sher iff Henderson is in pursuit of the intend ed murderer. Miss Lizzie Telford, of the Grove .»vel neighborhood, and Mr. Charlie Meadows, of Maysville, were married on the 10th inst. We wish the happy cou ple much joy. Homer, Feb. 16.—[Special.]—Mr. T. J. Clements left on yesterday for Chat tanooga. Mrs. J. E. Stephens has been employed by Prof. J. Y. Walker to assist him in his school. J. E. Stephens gave the young Indies a corn shucking to-day. They all enjoyed themselves very much, and more espe cially did they enjoy the dinner. Mrs. Cantrell, the mother of the young man now in jail, has failed to make bond for his appearance at the March term of the Superior Court. ELBKUTOX NKWS. Twelve of tho fifty-two centenarians were discovered to have been tho eldest children of their parents. This fact* adds Mr. Humphry, does not agree with popu lar notions tliat first children inherit a fceblencness of constitution, nor with the opinion of racing stables, which is de cidedly against the idea that “firstlings’* ore to bo depended on for good perform ance on the course. The centenarians generally regarded were of spare build. Gout and rlieumatism were, as a rule, , absent. “It seems,” says Professor ! Humphry, “that tho frame which isdes ‘ tined to great age needs no such ngppliyl the The Covington & Macon.—Mr. A. Craig Palmer, in addition to his other du ties, has been appointed general freight and passenger agent of the Covington & Macon Railroad. The travel and freight business of the road is gradually increas ing, making it necessary to have an agent | actics, and engenders none of the pco- Mr. Palmer will be found always ready . cant humors for which tho finger joints to extend any accommodation to the pub I (as in gout) may find a vent.” fie.—Macon Telegraph. Of the fifty-two aged people, twenty- ! four only hail no teeth, the average num- Aw Aged Trunk.—Cspt. John Yens- 1 ber at teeth remaining being four or five, t. _r n.i.u*iii. h.. iJT hi. MMUHuian , long hours of deep were notable among hie, of GsinesTlile, has in his possession | - _ - . , n trunk that has been in the Vensble fsm- these old people, tho period of repose ily for two hundred y emrs. It w»s brought from EngUnd full of gold. This ancient trunk has been hsnded down to all of the John Vensbles. Not Fbom Banks.—The good citixens of Banks county wish it distinctly under stood that BiU Armour, the horse thief who stole four mules iu South Carolina, is not s citizen of - Banks county, but hails from Franklin county. averaging nine hours; while out of door exercise in plenty and early rising arc to be noted among the factors of a prolonged life. One of the centenarians “drank to excess on festive occasions;” another was a “free beer drinker,” and “drank like a fish during his whole life,” Twelvo had been total abstainers for life, or nearly so, and mostly all were £ small meat eaters,” —St, James’ Gazette. Klberton, Feb. 14-—[Special.]—The measles, mumps ami whooping cough have been taking tl.e rounds in our coun ty. No deaths have resulted that we know of. It is ascertained to-day that the resi dence ofMajor John It. Jones, destroyed totally yesterday by tire, was insured for two thousai.il dollars, and that the policy had not expired The loss beyond the insurance is considerable. Last night at th- Baptist chnrch an in teresting and Unusual service was an nounced for next Sabbath afternoon— the ordination of.several deacons, at which secvice, in addition to the pastor, Rev. E. R. Carwell, Jr., Rev. T. C., Boy kin and possibly the Rev. E. R. Carswell, Sr., and other members, will be present It is almost as dull here now as in August The merchants are selling very little except on time, -The farmers do not cotue to town much. The doctors are doing something as the people will get sick sometimes in spite of their poverty, but the lawyers are doing nothing. Klbebtox, Feb. 10.—[Special]—Mr.J M. Hundley, who is now in Klberton re presenting the Equitable Life Assurance Gontpany deserves a premium for bein^ the man can talk lifo insurance and be entertaining. * I.ieut-Col.. Thomas M. Swift, of the Governors staff, is expecting to accompa ny the Governor’s staff to Savannah, on the 22d. The male academy has been very re cently repaired for the spring term. On last Sunday when the residence of Maj. Jones was burning, the academy, distant one hundred and fifty yards, caught, and the damage done the house and furni ture in .taking sash out, etc., to save them, necessitates an appeal to the town coun cil for one hundred dollars for repairs. PERSONAL AND MINOR ITEMS. Mr. lienrv \V. Grady will be invited to visit Athens and deliever an a ’dress. Rev. John Calvin Johnson still con tinues unwell, though confined to his room lie is improving. Tl.e Y. M. C. A. arc talking about building next to tl.e BaNNER-Watcu- man oflice, on Jackson street. Capt. J. 1-1. Randolph lias a splendid guano factory in operation in Jefferson, in connection with his planing mill. Mr. E, K. I sumkin 1ms been confined to his home for some days; he was threat ened with pneumonia, hut is well again. The measles and whooping cough are not epidemic in Athens, being confined only to a few families, ami are very mild types. The draytnen will he glad to know that the street railroad track to the 4 ieur- gia depot w ill be taken up. It’s a great nuisance. Mr. Win. A. Harper, the missing car riage painter from Klberton, has not as yet been heard from, llis wife is ne irly distracted, so we learn. We are glad to learn that Mr. J. II. Smith, who has been confined at homo for the last ten days with pneumonia, is now able to walk over the room. We noticed more cribs of corn and stacks of fodder iu Jaekson than any county we have visited. It is a sure sign of agricultural prosperity. Maj. A. D. Willis, prominent fanner of Oglethorpe county, was in*the city yes terday. The year before last ho made twenty-flve.bales of cotton to one mule. Mr. R. C. Latimer, one of the best dry 'oods men in the state, is now with Co- »*en, McMahan & Co. 11c is a valuable iddition to tho force of that splendid house. Messrs. L. J.and A. W. Hill, thehMik- ?rs, have bought a lot on Perchtree street, 150x250, paying therefor $20,000. They will build two handsome residences upon the lot and live there. Dr. Geo. Eberhart has determined to .*eturn to Hartwell, ^here hewillengage in the practice of his profession, lie will remove from Harmony Grove to Hartwell by next court week. Mr. Lemuel*Swann, an old resident of Clarke county who was paralyzed some nonths ago, has never been able to re move from his bed. His physicians have .10 hopes oj his restoration to health. At.'.rnh Bible Society—Auxiliary to the / ierican Bible Society, liibles and restiments, in various styles, can be pur chased from Mr. Cobb Lamkin, the De- oositarv, at his store on Luinkin Street. ■ / Young L. G. Hams. Athens Feb. 17.1887. President.