Athens weekly banner. (Athens, Ga.) 1889-1891, June 25, 1889, Image 1

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.vy-1-iii'pe. .1 . ■ - ’ :*. •’* . ATHENS, GEORGIA, TUESDAY MORNING JUNE 25, 1889. iPUt Reduction in City Taxes 10- His Year. SUITS SETTLED. jj|U Biods and Permanent Street w improvements. liver? 8 Pressing Necessity—Proposition ,*g u i'd Them Without Cost to the City. All til V k<t i |ly l' 1 a ml not on a Arm i>ni certainty in healthy finan- mlitie'ii to receive the new boom .(1,0111 t" Durst, upon us ; ,lant tii" ( lassie (_ ity ami manufacturing foumln- Irntrowler it one of the most im- irlint business points in Georgia. In the fat '- of the fai t that we have urr.'la heavy expense in buiid- #i>i:isniiH cel ' t new academies and es- ,]}«hing one of the best public school steins in America, so rapid lias been rrrowth of the city and economical ailmini'-tration of its local affairs, at our council was this year enabled to Lee the city tax to one per cent and L year it is hoped to make a still fur- 1,.,. reduction. Heretofore it has from 110 to 115. This in itself wikcs volumes for the growth of Atli K ami should encourage capitalists to ivest here. # I Hoi). J. A. Hunnieutt, our efficient oyor, tells Tuk Banner that be has tiled and paid off the last damage tit against the city, except that of the tale of Mr. James Carlton, and will ■hitrate anil settle that case in a short me. There arc two other trival snits lie city will then he entirely lew of litigation, anu Mayor llunpi- itt says that lie intends to keep it so as mg as he is office, for lie will not move wilier shovel of dirt in front - of. pri te property without a legal and writ- a consent from the owners, hi spite of the fact that our streets ire been fully as well worked as liere- ifore, ami considerable sums of money vc been expended for damage suits, uly half of the usual amount has been fut on tiie streets this year. The reduction in taxes does not mean a idneed appvopriati^i ’for street work, work, one without the expenditure of a dollar by the city. % ’Ji'his week Mayor Hunnieutt received a letter from Mr. P.?K. Yates, engineer of the Natchez’ Water and Sewer Com pany, of Nathez, Miss., in. which he proposes for his company to build a first-class system of sewers in Athens, at their own expense—placing them wherever needed—charging those that connect a reasonable amount per year. Mr. Yates further proposes to give the city the right at any time to buy the setters, by the appointment of three appraisers—the company and the city each to appoint one, nml the two to ap point a third. Then-these appraisers will meet and decide on the value of the ewers, and the city has the right to buy or not at the price named. At a first glance this seems certainly a fair proposition, and will doubtless receive the earnest consideration of our City Fathers. The other plan is -for the city to build its own sewers, and then charge parties that connect with them a resonable ren tal. This sum will more than pay the interest on the bonds, and so Athens will be only lendii^ to its credit. We believe that the tax payers will en/tforse this proposition, for it makes those who are benefited bear the burthen. With the G., C. & N. assured, it now behooves our city to shake preparations for. the great work of improvement and progress hovering over us. A C OOD MAIT GONE. Mr. Thos. J. Lester Died of Paralysis Yesterday. Mr. Thos. .T. Lester, of this county, died yesterday afternoon at 4 o’clock. He was a son of the late Louis Lester,of this county, and nearly seventy years of age. Mr. Lester had always lived near Athena, and was considered one of the most prosperous farmers in tills section. lie owns several plantations in this and Jackson counties. He was a wholesouled honest old gentleman and numbered liis friends by the hundreds. Mr. Lester was wonderfully well preserved for an okl man, and enjoyed-fine health up to the time lie Was striked* with paralysis, which caused his death. lie leaves a wife and two adopted cluldren to mourn his death. He was ki member of the Primitive Baptist church, -and a de voted Christian. His funeral will take place this afternoon at 2 o’clock from his home three miles,from the city. Sir. 1£. MeLevoy will officiate. The body will bfe laid at rest,in.the family bury ing ground. BRANCH COLLEGES. PROFANITY UNFASHIONABLE; >r the usual amount lias been appro- fmteil for this important depart- ll-nt. iKt: loo much praise cannot be accorded s .vor Hunnieutt and his efficient Hard of eounoilnicn for the splendid wk they arc doing for the city and ^-payers. There are two things that Athens ‘tb and must have: I he first is, bonds enough must he "lied to pave our business thorough res " itu Belgian blocks and put the her avenues and sidewalks in perfect * u ' r ’ These bonds, Mayor Ilunni- •t thinks, can be floated at 4}£. per nt * it will take $100,000 to dp liis work, and a less amount will an- for the property owners bene- tu l w ill have to pay tlieir pro rata ' u> * lhe annual interest on this ni is $4,;»00. We are now expending t'veen $9,000 and $12,000 per annum hiking dust tliat the first heavy rain ^lies off. .. ., '' dlit not be ecohomy to-invest a | 1,0,1 °f this sum in permanent street " r y and let the remainder be used for ‘ M| f! and opening new streets? We el assurred that all of our clear-headed II ‘ * llc * s men " ill agree with ns. — 1,111,0 see< >nd place, every one must 111,1 tllat before Athens can he a great • die must have a sewerage, system. ‘i pressing necessity. It will be a I ‘*.'h waste of money to lay Belgian u l JOn °ur streets, and then to take them up again to build . Un ’’ So before anything is done in ( liue ’ 0Ur city autherities must first "tract a thorough system of uuder 0l, t»d drainage, particularly through ! | r business section. A Degrading Habit Cominglnto Contempt —A Markod Improvement In Mankind. Meeting Mr. Sam Hunter yesterday morning, we entered into a short con versation with him. Among other things Mr.Hunter said: l)o you know that cursing is going out of fashion?” “Do you think so?” “I do. My attention was first called to the matter by Capt. J. 11. ltuckcr- a very quiet gentleman, hut a close ob server—and since then I have been in vestigating the subject myself. A few years ago it was an hourly occurrence to^ear profanity litewHy ; i,|Our from the lips of many men, while certain parties could not utter the most conunonrplace sentence without interweaving it with oaths. I venture the assertion that you can to-day stop and talk to every man you meet, and it is the rarest thing to hear one use profane words. Even those professional cursers are breaking themselves of the bad habit, and if an occasional bad word comes out it is a slip of the tongue, ami 1 don’t think it will be charged up against them.” Mr. Hunter is correct. We have our selves noticed this great improvement in the language, of men, and there is no doubt about the fact that cursing is going out of fashion. For this conduct there is no possible excuse. It is not necessary for a gen- man to use strong language to strength en his declarations,' and profanity, too, is a very poor ventilator for anger, as it only fans the blaze of evil passions. No gentlepian would, utter a profane word, in the- presence of ladies and children, but when the bad habit is acquired, constant breaks must be kept upon one’s tongue, le«t he give ex pression to words that would mantle his cheeks with shame. This old world of our’s is constantly growing better. Mankind is improving. Civilization and Christianity have made wonderful stride's in the past few years A few years ago whisky drinking was a common habit, and* gdrunken naan an every-day spectacle. Now" it is the rarest thing to see a man who has any pride and self-respect, under the in fluence of liquor. A great many con firmed drunkards have reformed. This does not only apply to Athens, but also to every other place in the South we have visited. Let the One in the Ninth District be Lo cated in Elberton. DASTARDLY ATTEMPT. A Little White Girl In sulted by a Negro. HORRIBLE PROPOSITION TO A CHILD. ARREST OF THE FIEND Who Confesses His Crime and is Placed in Jail. THE CHILD’S STORY. Interview With, the Pris oner. The bill to devote the remaining half of the rental of the State Railroad to higher education in Georgia, and pro posing to.endow with $5,000 and estab lish :t branch college in. every congres sional district in Heorgia, will in all probability become a law, as there seems to be a popular uprising through out the State in Favor of the bill. In the event of its passage, we would like to see the college for this district located in the thriving city of Elberton, for that point presents advan tages superior to any other point that we know. Every other section has a branch,college except Elberton, Ga., and there is no plaec in the district where such a wide range could be given without invading the territory of an other similar institution. We mentioned this matter to several of the. Board of Trustees of our State University, and they at once acknowl edged the importance of Elbertou's claim. Let our friends in Elberton begin to stir themselves, and we believe that they can capture this handsome prize. Ath ens- and The Banner are ready to help them. NO FEARS OF LYNCH LAW. IT WILL BE BUILT. The Augusta and Chattanooga Railroad fto be Announced in SO Days. Uhless all signs hud promises fail, the construction of the Augusta and Cha tta nooga rai 1 road in ay be regard ed a certainty. This great line i« a neces sity to a wide belt of country. Capi talists reeognize this to be true; they see that the road will be a good invest ment and arc willing-to put their mon ey Into it..- 4 ' A well-informed gentleman said on yesterday that if work was not com menced on the road within the next thirty days proposals would be solicited and work begun as_ soon as contracts can be made to Augusta - and Chat tanooga, to the intermediate country, as well rA the country beyond the pro posed western terminus This road is of the highest importance. Its con struction will mark a new era in the de velopment of the country and in the advancement of the manufacturing-and commercial enterprises of the two cities named above.—Augusta Chronicle. In conversation with • Judge Gibson this week, he informed us that this road will certainly be built, and that it will come bv Athens. Every day shows more'plainly that we are to be a great railroad centre. JUTE BAGGING. 'flier, e are two Ways to do do this A Criticism of Mr. Graves’ Address. Fe w orators who have ever spoken at the University have been listened to with more delight than was Mr; John Temple Graves, -on Tuesday of . this week. And yet his address,otherwise so excellent, was marred by one blem ish—felt to be such by those who,apart from this, awarded his effort their sin- cerest praise. I refer to the use, in his address, of quotations from the Bible in connections which deep reverence for their sacredness would scarcely warrant. What a pity that words so full of wise counsel to the young, as they listened eagerly to the truths which fell ; from, such eloquent lips, should yet have set an example to them of careless handling Of holy things. Mr. Graves is a man of too much abili ty to be dependent upon means like this to give point—if such they ’’do—to a witicism, ora felicitous rounding to his periods. “Harmless mirth is the best cordial against the. consumption of th© spirits^ but jest not with the-two- edged sword of God’s Word. Will nothing please thee to wash thy hands input the font? Or, to drink healths in-but the church; chalice ? ' Athens, June 22d. ; M. The Farmer's Boycott Determined On— • Will Use Cotton Bagging. THE Baxxek has. recently seen and conversed with a number of representa tive fanners in various sections of the State, and without an exception they announce that their people are deter mined in their fight against the jute bagging trust, and will not use a yard of it if given to them free of cost. No only will the farmers refuse to use jute bagging, but they have resolved to boy cott any merchant who offers it for sale, or the ginner who packs a bale of .cotton in prescribed bagging. The planter that refuses to join in the fight on the jute bagging trusts,Mall be ostracised by. his neighbors, and looked upon as an enemy to the interests of his people The cotton planters, who are not able to give a negotiable paper for cotton bagging, have arranged with the mer chants they deal with to purchase it for them. Asa general thing, however, the Alliance are anxious to plump out the middle man, and negotiate Math the bagging manufacturers direct, vrnr liPtwoPH Alllil The war between the Alliance and this powerful trust Mill be Matched with great interest. A Through Wire. A through M'ire has been put up on the line of the C. &M. road between Athens and Macon. This was done on account of the large amount of tele graphic business being carried on lie tweeji the two places. Now if the Western Union would only give Athens a night-operator our telegraphic facili ties M'ould be second to none in the State. On Thursday about 5:30 o’clock one of the most dastardly outrages that can possibly be perpetrated was attempt ed upon the person of a little uiiite girl named Mary Archibald, only li) years old, living in East Alliens, in the rear of Mr. Peter Culp’s. This little'girl hiid been on a visit to Mrs. Gunter, and M-as returning home along a secluded path near a dense thick et of young pines. She noticed in front of her a negro boy sitting upon a rock M ho appeared to be eyeing her closely and suspiciously. The child not suspecting anything Mrong passed directly by this negro some four or five steps, M-hen he hailed her. Thoroughly frightened the child obeyed, when the negro made a most outrageous and* insulting proposal to the little girl, illustrating his desire and intent by an indecent exposure of his person. The little girl ran Math all her might to her home about 150 yards distant,and notified her mother of-the conduct of the negro. Mrs. Archibald at once sent M'ord to the police, the chilitgiving a description of her assailant, and every officer ini the city, with all the extra and night force have been in search for the fiend eVer since. Little LMary Archibald stated that the negro M-ore a check shirt and black pantaloons, with a slouch hat pulled doMui over his eyes. That he M'as smooth faced, and very black. Capt. Oliver decided, for prudential reasons,- to keep the affair a secret from the public, leSt the negro might get M ind of their intent and make liis es cape. Up to Friday morfling' no negro an swering the description of the Avould be-rapist could be found. But this morning Niglit Watchman , B. O. W Rase, of the Georgia Railroad depot— M ho, bv the M-ay, is a most vigilant oft! cer—discovered on Broad street,near the Check Factory, a negro very closely answering the description of the assail ant of little Mary Archibald. He has tened after him, motioning to Mr. Tom Baker, M*ho M as' standing at the Check Factory, to stop the negro if he attempted to escape. When Mr. Rose came up to the negro.he Avas pealing a peach, and as soon as he saw the officer, evidently suspected something, for he appeared nervous and excited. He made no at tempt. however, to resist arrest, and at. ter Mr. Rose had deprived him of his knife he turned his prisoner over to Chief Oliver, Avho locked him up m cell in the calaboose. Mr. Rose lost no time in getting the negro out East Athens, as the factory ys began quickly to collectboound ar him, and he kneM* that they Mere in no humor to bear an insult to one of their girls. The negro arrested proved to he Wm Jackson, M ho M as born and reared in Athens, M'ho lias served a short time on thechaingang for stealing cotton, and afterM'ard had his fine paid by Mr. Hi ram Peeler, M’ho secured himself by taking a deed to a little house owned by Jackson’s mother in East Athens. The negro says he is 17 years old, but is stout and well groMoi, fully a man in size. He has heretofore bo.e a very bad reputation, being looked upon as thief and an idler. Before Jackson’s arrest Mr. Rose had carried Mary Archibald to a place M’here a number of hands Avere grading a track to Lucas & Benedict’s ware house, opposite Rucker’s compress, to see if she could identify any of the ne groes there as her assailant. The child looking through the sqnad, said that the felloM* M'ho insulted her was not there. As soon as Jackson was locked in the calaboose, Capt. Oliver sent for little Mary Archibald to see is she could identify him. The child soon arrived, accompanied by her mother. She is a pretty littl^brown eyed girl, Avith a weet. ami l^qocent face and a very bright and intelligent expression. She seemed’collected and firm, and Avithout hesitation entered the calaboose and Avas the first at the cage Avhen the door was unlocked. The prisoner was standing about the middle of the floor, with a stubborn and defiant expression on his face. For an instant the child eyed him from head to foot, when in a most emphatic manner she exclaimed: “That’s the very boy, I would know him anyAvhere. Yes, that’s the very boy that insulted me,” reiterated tlie little girl. The negro did not seem at all abashed by this identification,and asked“ Wliat’s I been doing?” Mary did not reply to. him, for her nerves '.vere evidently giving away at the presence of her assailant, and tear sprung to her eyes. The negro Mas evidently inclined to broAA'beat and insult the child, antPhe continued: What you done: noAv tell ein Avhat you done.” Capt. Oliver ordered him to close hi mouth, and told Mrs. Archibald *aud lief daughter they might return home Both mother and daughter Avere seeVi by The Banker representative* aiid told her story in such a straight forward manner that it carried truth and conviction with it. She stilted that the negro did not lay any hands of vio lence upon her, neither did he attempt to follow her home after she broke and ran; but confirmed the truth - of the grose insults oft’ered her. Mrs. Architald, the mother, is a lady of education and fine sense. She say she was born in the West of Ireland, but was married in Illinois, from which state she moved to Athens to work at the factory here. She has four singl* daughters and one son, her husband be ing dead. Her son is named Alexander Archibald, is a painter and lives in Atlanta. All of her daughters are em ployed in the factory here. Her oldest daughter, 17 years old, is now on a visit to her brother, so Mrs. Archibald and her ti.ree younger ehildred w r ere alone at the time 6f the attempted outrage. This lady, in speaking of her son says that she dreaded to have him hear of the-insult to his. little sister, as he is a very hot-headed man, and she knows that lie will seek dire-vengenee. Mrs. Archibald tells us that slie be lieves the prisoner, Wm. Jfacksou is the same negro hoy who. some three or four months ago met in the Georgia railroad cut, near her house, her youngest daughter, ten "years old, and tells James Hughes, of East Athens, aged 11 years, and ottered these little girls, gross . in sults. The children she says came home nearly frightened out of their wits. While telling their sad story both mother and daughter burst into tears, the' Child’s firmness having entirely broken down. She was assured by Capt. Oliver and other parties present that she M'ould be prptected from fu ture insults. After Mrs. Archibald and Mary had left the calaboose Chief Oliver and The Banner representatives went to the cell of Will Jackson to hear his story. At first the negro denied all the little girl had said, but acknowledged that he had been in the chaingang for stealing cotton. After The negro’s crim*! w- ,a *’© blackest that can he possibly attempted. nak itc «uv> not can v out ms tieogllS •vas no fault of his, for only fear and be hear proximity of others; deterred him.. He merits and will most nssnrd- lv receive the full penalty of the Ium*. We i«> nor blame onn people for being outraged and indignant. The person of m innocent girl- or woman is sacred, and the man, be he vvhitc or black,who lays the. bund of violence upon one of th‘*m. e irries h»e life in liis own bands. Tliis is an unwritten law injthe South, so strong is Uic protection of ffimai virtue in the South that only a few months ago, the Democratic governor of South Carolina pardoned some negroes who had lynched a white man for "out raging a colored girl. 'Hie tree is yetuniting atthe end of the Ga. Railroad cut, just this side of Dr. McCeskey’s place, u, on which the last negro lynched for ail out rage upon the person of a white woman in Clarke county was ex ecuted, and even the limb upon which lie was swung is still shown. This was in the, early part of tin* war. and Mr. Prlilgfeoil, who recently rendered him self famous by preaching his own fune ral sermon,* is said to have headed the squad of lynclu r*, but in this instance—in times of perfect, peace—there is no possible excuse lor mob violence, asthe-lan's of oiir State prescribe a severe penalty for the crime of rape, or even an attempt to commit it, and we have the machinery to en force it. The Banner, thererore, ad vises < ur indignant and outr.-.ged people to obey the laws, and curb their angry. passions and lea ye this matter ami the prisoner in the hands of the officers of the law. THE FIRST SPiHH. Track Laying Being Pushed on the U, P. ■ & VV.P. R. R. At half past ten o’clock on Tuesday morning, June IS, 1S89, Miss Jennie Sibley, of Union Point, drove the first formal spike of the Union Point and. White Plains railroad pear Union Point, in the presence of a numerous assem blage of ladies and gentlemen and amid the plaudits of all who witnessed the act. Later upon the same day Master Hart Sibley opened the switch for the first locomotive (No. 35) which ever spun upon the new rails, the regular engin- cer ’beingthe popular and efficient V.T_ Newsom. NEIGHBORING NEWS. some cross questioning, however, the ne gro remarked: “Well, gentlemen I am going to tell the Avhole truth even if it gets mie into trouble. I Avas sitting on a log near the street Avhen that girl passed. She stopped in front of me and squatted doAvn. I then made the proposal, she said. I didn’t touch her or follow'her.” After this confession the prisoner Avas turned oyer tq Sheriff Weir, and carried to our county jail, where he is securely confined. He repeated his confession in the jail before several Avitnesses. . A large number of factory operatives congregated around the calaboose. They made no threats, hut Ave never saAv such determined faces*. No effort was.made to touch the prisoner or interfere with the officers in charge of him, but as one of the lookers-on re marked, “ The hoys are SAveating under their collars like steam pipes.” Be it said to the Credit of the colored people of Athens that not a single Avcrd - Avas heard from one of them in the defertse of extenuation of Will Jackson’s outrageous conduct. A large number of these people are working on the Bishop building opposite the calaboose, but they evidently had neither sympa thy or countenance for a member of their race A\'ho would he guilty of such dastardly and outrageous conduct, This certainly speak well for them, for it shoAvsthe colored people of Athens are good and laAv-abiding citizens. We do not believe that any attempt will be made to lynch this negro, as our people do not endorse mob violence and knoAVthat the court, as administer ed in our county are fully able to - puuisli violators of the law, —Peaches are plentiful in Gainesville from 10 to 15 cents a peck. —Mr. Echols, who was acquitted of killing Thomas at Covington,has moved Wes out West. —On August 30t,h Morgan county will haA'c a colt show and a fair. There are some complaint of boll AA'orm in Morgan county, —-There is talk of building a summer hotel at Price’s Park, Farmington. —Miss Nellie Langford, of Watkins- ville, is recovering from her recent se vere illness. —Rev.Simon Peter Richardson’s resi dence at Watkiusville has been com pleted. —Prof. Cecil Porter lias been elected ■principal of the Union Pome academy. —Dr. E. S. Billups tells us that he has all the vigor of a 10-year-cld boy. liis friends all over Georgia will be glad to know that he has entirely regained ins health.—Enterprise. —Gainesville, has sustained a A't-ry se rious loss in the death of Adoniram J ud- son Jewell, one of her most loved, re spected, and promising young men. —Dr. J. I. Robinson, o'Walton coun ty, has an acre and a half planted in on ions, for AVhich he refused $80. —•The only occupant of the Walton jail is Charley Cooper, held for mur der. —lion. Ben Terrell, lecturer of the National Farmers’ Alliance, wall ad dress the Jackson county Alliances at Jefierscn on July 5). —A negro man was accidentally shot in the ieg by the careless handling of a pistol in the hands of another colored individual on Mr. Janie9 Veal’s planta tion near Watkinsville. —A dummy line between Watkius- ville and Barnett Shoals, the embryo manufacturing centre of the South, is being agitated by our people. —Watkinsville is on the biggest kind of a building boom, so we Ave see from the Enterprise—which, by the Avay, is an enterprising paper. —Mr. Wesley Blair’s home at High Shoals Avas struck by lightning on Sat urday evening last. The lightning struck a chimney and went doAvn in a room Avhere his family Avere gathered and tore, upjtlie flooring and also a stove all to pieces. His .family was badly frightened, but strange to say, escaped unhurt. Sheats—Lester. Mr. W.H. Sheats, of Oconee,was mar ried to Miss Francina Lester a few nights ago. The ceremony was per formed by Mr. McElroy. After the marriage the guests were invited into the dining room, and Invited to partake of a , generous supper AA'hich had been pro- Aaded for tlie occasion. . Mr. and Mrs. Sheats have our best AA'ishes for long life and liapinfcss. hand of Ei^tor —The fine Italian Gantt is making itself felt on The Ath ens Banner. Mr. Gantt has very wise- lv amputated the cumbersome hyphen and Watchman from the title-head of tlie paper.—HartAvell Sun. r.H.l