Newspaper Page Text
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D L Heddsnon ||
VOL XXII NO 50
VIENNA, GA. THURSDAY, JULY 28 1904
sass
81 V'^EAK IN ADVANCE
ELTON GRA^ HANGED.
The noon hour Tuesday dosed the
life oi Elton Gray and be is gone,
■ accori mg to his expeotions, where all
good : egroes go. He was taken from
his ce 1 at 12 o’olook, and dropped
through the trap at 12:20 and was
■ dead in 15 minutes. He never lost
his nerve, never denied killing his
■ wife and never gave up hope of
heaven. .
He bad two preachers in the cell
. with Inm Tuesday morning who did
full t nty to,the occasion and their
• pleading for his soul was loud and
earnest, lie said he'had seen peace
severol'weeks before and, like all
negroes who are hanged, said he was
' prepared to die. He confessed to
the killing of his wife and said he
• had been forgiven for that and all
^otber sins.
At high noon he was taken from
the cell to the scaffold in the jail
hall'and Sheriff Sheppard exeouted
the orders of the Court in orderly
way. Elton made a little talk in the
ordinary language of his race with
out making reference to the crime,
’ bht had confessed in the jail. He
said, he was there before .them all to
pay the debt. That he was trusting
in tin Lord and was nqt afraid. He
roundly scored the editor of this
paper for a remark that was made
ahoui him several weeks ago whioh
seemed to weigh on his mind. The
' remaiVappeared June 16, and reads
•as fo ows.
‘ ‘V>hen yfe last talked to the oon-
demi • 1 man he said he was putting
his ft ust in the; Lord. That is much
better than putting his iruot in a
shot ;:un as he did when be got mad
with his wife the last time and slew
Sjleaking in reply to this he - said
the iV nti who wrote that would - bet
ter he running for his soul and that
f his ), uSe was built On.the sand. His
talk isted only a few minutes. Then
the rope was placed about his neck,
the blank cap adjusted, the levor
pulled and he dropped into eternity,
lie was dead in 15 minutes^ the rope
was cut and he was lowered into his
coffin. Then the door was opened and
, ns many crowed in to see as the hall
would hold, and a hundred or two
persons failed to see him. He was
buried at tne expence of the county
in the colored cemetary near town,
within a fcw hours after his execu
tion.
Elton was hanged for the murder
of his wife in Cordele last January.
He was about 26 years olcl and
she was about 20. They had .been
'separated and he came back home
and spent the day with her, after
supp- r that night he got jealous of
her, so it is said, and he went up
town, rented a shot gun, went back to
her house and shot her dead. He
skipped the country and went all the
way to Coflee county, a distance of
about 50 miles, where he kicked up
other mischief and got into the chain
gang. The murder of his. wife being
the greater crime, he was taken^iack
to'Dooly during the spring term of
court, tried, convicted and sentenced
to : hang in April. His caso was ap
pealed and carried to supreme court
as all such cases are now-a-daye,
and the case affirmed. He had no rel
atives to take charge of his body.and
it was buried at the expense of the
county;'
Previous' to leaving the cell he
made arondom statement that he had
Committed seven murders’in his life,
one thing white a ilian that he killed
by mistake. He. said he was after a
mulatto who had won his money in
a game, and did not know he had
killed the .wrong man until after he
had shot. He said he tied a gin
wheel to the man’s neck and put him
in a river.
THE NEW COUNTIES.
Thobill to allow eight more coun
ties in Georgia has passed the legisla
ture and lias been signed by the gov
ernor. So far it has not made if bob
ble, but it mast go through some
close plaoes before new counties are
made. Being an amendment to the
constitution, it must be voted on by
the people in ,thc general oiection
next November. If the bill gets a
majority of the votes m the state,
thats another step. Then the gov
ernor will appoint a commission of
eleven men to lay out the new coun-
‘ ties and looate the county seats. This
boing done, another session of the
legislature will take up the matter,
turn it about and look wise and vote
on all of the proceedings up to that
time. • Getting a majority there the
governor will order an elections of
officers for the new counties.
Going through all these plaoes
without striking a stump will make
the hew counties; but if there is a
hitoh anywhere, the ground must
be gone over Again or the thing is off.
The shortest; possible time in which
the now counties can he made is in
the fall of next year. 1
, THE MAD DOG.
John P. Haines, president of the
New York ( Society for the Pre
vention of \ Cruelty to Animals,
makes this declaration:
1. It is supposed that a mad
dog dreads water. It ib not so.
The mad dog is very likely to plunge
its head to the eyes in water, though
he cannot swallow it and laps it with
difficulty.
,2. It is supposed that a mad dog
runs about,' with evidences of
intense excitement. It is not so.
The mad dog never runs about in
agitation, he never; gallops; he is
always alone, usually in a strange
place, where ho jogs along slowly.
If he approached by a dog or man ho
shows no sign of excitement, bnt
when the dog or man Is near enough
he snaps and resufnes his solitary
trot.
3. If a dog barks, yelps, whines
or growls that dbg is not mad.
The only sound a mad dog is ever
known to emit is \ a hoarse howl,
and that seldom^ Even blows will
not bring an outer jjJ from a mad dog.
Therefore, if any 'dog, under any
circumstances, utters ' any sound
other than that of a hoarse howl
that dog is not mad.
4. It is supposed that a mad
dog froths at the mouth.’ This is
not so. If a dog's jaws are covered
or fleeked with white frotn, that
dog is not mad., The sgrest of all
signsthat adog.ia njaJ^^s a thick,
ropy, brown mucus clinging to ink
ing about his jaws and throat.' If
he can, he will probably stray away
from home and trot slowly ana
mournfully along the highway or
aoross oountry, meddling neither
with man nor beast, unless they
approaoh hnn, and then giving a
single snap. The only exception to
this behavior • ooours in ferooious
dogs, which during, the earlier
stages of exoitement may attaox any
living object in sight.
• —— .w-'-*..’, . ..
There is no part of Doply county
that shows more improvements du-1 lips, whioh he often trios vainly to
ring the pastten years than the 14th tear away with water.
district. Only a few years ago there
was a little farm here and there, but
now the whole face of the earth is
almost covered with farnjs. The
people are not ready for the
stock law, but it-will Hot be many
years before they will need to
5. If your dog should be bitten
by any other dog, watch him care
fully. Ifho is infected by rabic
you wili.discover signs of it possibly
in.lrotn six to ten days. Then he
will be restless, often getting up,
orily to lie down, ohanging his
turn out farms and shut in the stock I position, impatiently turning from
it the land keeps on being cleared side to side and constantly licking
up, The farmers there have learned or scratching some particular part
lots of things about farming. Where of his head, limbs or body,
they used to make one basket of corn j He will be irritable and inclined
tney are now making two, and where i to dash at,other animals and he will
cotton once looked spindling it now sometimes snap at objects which he|., na king her own expenses all the
covers the ground. They have good I imagines to be near him. i time,
crops, drive fat horses, 1.vein good [ He will be excessively thirsty,
AN OBJECT OF CHARITY
TO THE GIRLS WHO WANT
TO HELP THEMSELVES
First, let me tell you of a girl
whom I knew who wanted tq help
nerself, and parents as well. This
is no horesay. I am acquainted
with this same girl, of whom I am
going to toll you:
For weeks and months she was
planning how she would got through
with a business course. Her par
ents boing poor, she knew very well
that they oould not givo her this
one thing she so much needed and
must havo. Then oame the battle.
She must go without the oourso or
must ask some friend to help her,
so after many long and thoughtful
hours she made up her mind, “Spot
ted her man” and went to work
Only four letters passed between
them (the last one containing a oheok
sufficient to complete the Oeurse)
and the young lady found herself in
the busy whir and stir of a Business
College, with a light heart and
determined mind. Her good friend
had beou kind enough to lend her
the money to complete her course
and she must get to work to return
it so that some otuer girl who
wished, might nave the benefit of
the same money.
Time passed by, she completed
her course, then went home for
short visit, only to return to the
same town to take a position with
splendid law firm, and by their
patience, is to-day fast coming to
the front as a business woman, and
will soon he able to repay tl e loan
made, by the kind friend, besides
Sweet oharity is the cream and
sugar of human kindness whether it
comes from homes of purple and
fine linen or from the hovel where
heat and cold ' are endured by force
of circumstances; to give is a pleas
ure not enjoyed by somo beoauso the
spirit of giving has nevor dawned
upon them. Not the amount of
wealth that wo pile up about us that
makes us happy but the way wo use
To drop a orumn to a bird or a
worm to a fish gives greater ploasure
to a ohild than catohing the bird or
fish for selfish use. Then for man to
to be oharitable to man is a grentor
pleasurq when tho proper spirit
prompts tho deed.
This oame to our mind Monday
whpn Mr. Jasper Gunter was hauled
to town on a bed to given fresh air
and to break tho monotony of seeing
nothing but tho inside walls of a
room at his brother's house whore ho
is siok' unto doath from paralysis.
For throo^years Jasper has been an
invalid with' nti use of his body bp-
low the ribs. He heired a portion of
his father’s estate and is living on it
but it will soon'be gone; then chair-
ity will be his only bank account, Ho
is now oared for by his brother Lovi
who is living,on. rented land and has
a large family to support. Levi is
not asking for help to support his
invalid brother, but that is no evi
dence that be should not ho assisted.
The next grand-jury is oxpeotqd.;
to appropriate a. sum to the support
of this unfortunate man, and a no
ble deod it will be.
Mr. Gunter was raised in this
county It takes lots of medicine to
keep him up, ana there is no hope of
his final recovery. For sweet ohainty
this is a worthjr object.
houses and seem to know nothing I lapping water eagerly and often. ! one y Not fifty in the state of
about the weight of a mortgage. j Then there will be glandular swell- j Georgia, I will venture to say.
ii. i | Why? They are afraid to take
THE LARGETT BUILDING
The Capitol building at Washing
ton, D. C., is the largest building in
the United States. The corner sto no
was Taid December, 1.703, by Pros.
Washington assisted by other Ma
sons. It was partially destroyed
by the British in 1814. The present
How loony girl, ho,, wo line M, | f 0 ™" ,s “ •*»*
Ginning Notice
The Vienna Cotton Oil Company will run both
t^he up town and down town Gins this season. The
Management has taken the trouble to put both
these plants in first-class condition. The one down
town will pac'< both round and square bales, while
the up town gin will pack square bales only.
riessrs. A. J. Shell and C. A. Joiner, both well
known by the people of this section, will f have
charge of these gibs, Mir. Shell having the manage
ment of the up town and Mr Joiner the down town
gin. v i r; fv-v; -
We propose to give first class service in every re
spect and we wish to notify the public that we will
not gin any wet cottoli knowingly as it wifi not only
gives a poor sample, but interferes with the opera*
tion of the gin, thereby, causing our patrons to wait
an i|i^nece^ary tipie to get tjheir cottop and a use
less fex$ense to ksep the gins in repair, therefore,
parties bringing such cotton to the gin and causing
us to shut down on this account, will be charged the
actual cost of time lost.
Thanking you for past patronage and asking for a
continuance of same, we remain,
Very truly yours,
VIENNA
OIL CO.
such a responsibility upon them
selves. They had rather marry
some ‘ ‘dude’’, or if he is'nt a* ‘dude. ”
it dos'nt matter, just so they can
marry. That is no responsibility,
you will hear one say, bnt Dear
Girls, in my mind there is no
greater responsibility, for in quite a
■number of cases you are putting
yourself in a position to take oare of
yourself and husband too, if it is
done at all. Which is the easier,
to take care of one or two? I leaye
the, question for you to answer for
your self, but will make the request
that you answer from your heart
I know quite a number of girls
who dress and go up town, and walk
around until Mother gers a meal
ready, while they are out trying to
catch some fellow, and if they
caught him, I am afraid he would
oon say . she was sorry that she
caught him, for that was all she
knew.-
Girls j let’s get out of ( this sloth
ful don’t care way apd try to make
‘•ourselves useful aq well as orna-
smental”, what say -you? There i 8
most surely a chance and a place
, for every girl who wants to and will
try to help herself, UNO.
1863. The flag of the United
States floated from it December 12 th
1863. The cost of the entire build
ing has been something over $1 3,-
000,090 Its lqiigth is 715 feet, 4
inches; width, 324 feet. It covers
3 1-2 acres of ground. Thedistanco
from the ground to the top of tho
dome 146 1-2 feet making fifths as
to size with the greatest domes of
the world.
There seems to be a general de
sire for the legal hangings to be
public. The crowd standing around
the jail Tuesday indicated the public
desire to witness thescene. Fully 200
were there to see the body when it
was brought out. But none saw it ex
cept those who crowded in the hall
after the door was open and the body
pht in. the coffin. Let our representa
tives introduce such a hill and make
thimselyes famous.
1 he sheriff of Irwin county is ad
vertised for tax sales over l,*00o par
cels of land. The legal sales notioes
in the Irwinville Courier covers
8 pages. A complaint comes from
Fitzgerald that the tax has been paid
but not a proper description of the
land given.
| Dr. D. F. MoCrimmon, of Ro-.
‘chelle, died July 15th-