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e rous Town With art Intelligent and Thrifty
^ Community Behind It.
our pleasure to spend
L v evening in the thriving
. Dcna ]sonvi]le, and to note
“dences of prosperity and
ent among the people in
There are hundreds
ection-
goods,
kt heir trading in Donalson-
Ly sell their produce at the
market price, they pur-
and deposit their
the Bank of Donalson-
institution which has
iremarkable showing since
iblishment. Cashier Thnr-
jntorms us that the major
of the deposits is nwm d
{rs thereabout.
Stovall is again in charge
Academy at Donalsonville
njoys the largest attend*
the course of its existence.
Stovall has been taking
training for the school
u d is thoroughly equipped
important work before him.
jtion to the regular public
there is also a splendid
school in Donalsonville,
imbued with the import*
thoroughly training their
i have the people become,
ecan see a roseate future
that community. In fact,
nr acquaintance with that
i began years ago, they have
ihad good schools and good
The Bainbridge Search Light
BAINBRIDOE, DECATUR COUNTY, QEORQIA, FRIDAY. OCTOBER^, 1904.
4 1
NUMBER 4H.
$1.00 YEAR IN ADVANCE
OFFICIAL ORGAN OFJDECATUR COUNTY AND CITY OF BAINBRIDOE.
THRIVING donalsonville.
for many
mites around
lengers on the trains remark
the splendid buildings occu
lt 1 the merchants. Hand
large, modern storehouses,
Wed of brick in most cases.
Is town an imposing appear-
You don't fino many towns
site, whose merchants have
uck to undertake the erec-
*1 such excellent business
Perhaps the largest of
(lores and the most txpen*
ithat of Benton, Shingler &
lay, who do an immense
business in addition to their
iccounts. But there are al-
* score of these large, at*
is stores, and we haven’t the
upon them sepa-
time to pass
rately.
When one sees so good a town,
prosperous and progressive as this
one, he must know that there is
backing somewhere behind it all.
And so there is. The section sur
rounding Donalsonville is dotted
by some of the best farms of
southwest Georgia. As an evi
dence, one but has to visit the
homes of the farmers themselves,
oplendid barns filled with every
description of forage, yards alive
with poultry, f*t hogs in the pen,
herds of Jersey cows, and firesides
lowing with comfort and happi
ness, the farming conditions of
that section are par excellence.
They ship watermelons, carry hay
to market, sell bacon, eggs and
vegetables. Then is it a wonder
that their bank accounts are fat
ones, and their homes glow with
contentment made possible by
thrift and the bounteous yield of
their broad acres.
Donalsonville is located 21 miles
west of Bainbirdge, and a little
less distant from Blakely and Col
quitt. She is therefore situated
in the midst of a vast territory
which must do its trading, and
which does not care to go tJ dis
tant markets, when such may be
secured at home. The merchants
cf Donalsonville realize this and
they are putting forward their
strongest efforts to bring trade
and thereby better their condi
tion.
In so short an article we have
not assumed to do these good peo
pie justice, we have only hoped to
call attention to the tact that
prosperity reigns over that way
and that in that section are to be
f*>und the warmest-hearttd, th-
most hospitable, and the most gen
erous of people. It is always a
treat to mingle with them in their
joys, and if they have sorrows,
why we hope these will be swa)
lowed up in the glowing prospects
that confront them on etary hand
Baiobridge the Mecca.
nidge, of all other places
diwtst Georgia, is the ideal
fo trade. From necessaries
rics our merchants are lo-.d-
,n with the best that the
affords, and they are sell—
® ou ' at the lowest prices
ent with first class goods,
bridge by reason of her
'"d railway competition is
® t0 secure better freight
other places hereabout,
course the cheaper the
come to the merchant, the
r he is enabled to price
'“'he public. If you live on
r °ad you can often save
l) " roaa fare, and more by
I'° Bainbridge. If you are
away in the country, it
’dea to hitch up before
, , t ' r ' ve into market. Be-
health-giving just to go
“ Bainbridge occasionally,
^ the best town in Geor-
1 walk
•idewal
on the handsomest
Death of Postmaster General Payne.
Henry C. Payne, postmaster
general of the United States, died
on Tuesday night in Washington,
D. C\, after an illness of some
length. His death was not unex
pected, as his condition had been
considered critical for several days
Mr. Payne had been in ill health
for some years, and had frequently
considered resigning his position
on this account, but owing to the
investigations being made in his
department, he had postponed
tendering his resignation until the
investigation should be concluded
The remains will lie in state in
Washington until this afternoon
when they will be carried on a
special train to Milwaukee, where
they will be interred in the family
vault.
The death of Mr. Payne removes
a prominent factor from the polit
ical arena of the country, and will
have important bearing upon fu
ture events. He was one
Sterling Arrested )■ Mecca.
h. D. Sterling, a young white
man, was arrested and detained in
Macon yesterday until an officer
could come from Bainbridge. The
charge against him was cheating
and swindling.
Sheriff Fordham, of Decatur
county, was in the city yesterday
afternoon to take the prisoner back
to Bainbridge for trial. It was
stated that Sterling had been en
gaged in selling a pati-nted ma
chine for J. N. Hollingsworth, of
Bainbridge It was charged that
he had disposed of some of the
the machines and could not ac
count for them when the owner
asked for a settlement. It was
also charged that Sterling was
short in his accounts with the
owner of the patent in the sum of
%\6o
Sterling had acted as agent and
is said to have been engaged in
the sale of the machine for some
time. He was detained in Macon
on instructions for his arrest from
the sheriff of Decatur county. De
tective Jenkins arrested him at
the Union station on one of the
incoming trains.
When arrested by the detective
Sterling had little to say of the af
fair and stated that he would come
out safely at the hearing i" Bain
bridge. He left with Sheriff
Foidham last night.—Macon Tel-
graph.
Sheriff Fordham returned from
Macon on Monday with Mr Ster
ling, who remained in custody un
til Thursday afternoon, when Mr.
Hollingsworth withdrew his pro is
ecution, stating that he did not
think Mr Sterling guilty of any
intentional wrong doing.
The differences between the
men were settled amicably and
Mr. Sterling was given his liberty.
Both men are well known here,
Mr. Hollingsworth having resided
in this city for several months,
while Mr. Sterling during this
time acted as his agent in this
communiiy.
of the
Ks this side of
—ge sidewalks
*Vat St>
Ma-
beat
Louis.
Ci *> Tax Notice.
'wok'
ht
5 ire now open fot the
tlx is at the office
Pooner, opposite the
hui'ding.
R Newsome,
City Treasurer.
the Republican party and a
close friend and a partisan of
Theodore Roosevelt.
George Bruce Corteiyou, pres
ent chairman of the RepubBca"
national committee, and f ° r ™ er
secretary of commerce and labor,
will succeed as postmaster gen
eial, this tact having been duer
mined upon by the president some
months since when there was talk
of Mr. Payne resigning.
An Editorial Hallocloatloa.
Our esteemed contemporary,
the Thomasville Press, in a recent
article belabors itself greatly on
the subject of low freight rates for
that town, and winds uo with the
remarkable statement that Thom
asville enjoys a better freight rate
than Moultrie, Bainbridge and
other points in south Georgia.
This is a broad assertion, and
will be taken as expressive only of
the over-enthusiasm that has taken
possession of the able manipula
tor of the editorial tripod of our
esteemed contemporary.
The idea of Thomasville having
a lower freight rate than Bain
bridge is news to us; and no doubt
the announcement to this effect
will send a thrill of surprise down
the “marrer bones” of the railway
authorities of this section. Upou
what basis should Thomasville
hope to secure better rate* than
Bainbridge ? Everyone knows that
the fact that Bainbridge is the
head of navigation on the Flint
river, gives her an advantage that
no inland town could hope to sc
cure. Besides this our com
netmg railway connections are
qui s as good, or even better than
Thoroasvile now has or will have
for a few fortnights to come.
It is always excusable for news
papers to encourage their mer
chants in the belief that they are
enjoying the best conveniences of
any town around; but they should
draw the line just a little before
they overstep the limit.
School Tens Choates.
The Board of Education of De«
catur county met in this city on
Monday for the purpose of effect
ing a change in the term of the
public schools throughout the coun
ty. The matter has been under 1
consideration for some time, andi
the consensus of opinion being in
favor of the change, it was resolv
ed at this meeting to adopt the
new rule, putting it into effect in
January of next year.
According to the method adopt
ed, the public schools will com
mence on the first Monday in Jan
uary, beginning in 1905, and will
last three months, closing the last
of March; they will then suspend
until September 15th and continue
through December 31st This will
make a six months' term in the
winter ami eerly spring, when the
health of the children is bette- and
they are in better condition to
study. There are several advan
tages gained by the new arrange
ment, the principal one being the
fact that it will enable the Board
to meet the teachers salaries as
they fall due. Furthermore, in
many sections of the county the
boys and frequently the girls have
work to do and duties to perform
during the summer months, and
now they are either forced to neg
lect their work or their school,
while with the new arrangement
they can assist in the farm and
home work, and yet get, the bene
fit of the full school term
Commissioner Merritt, who sug
gested the change, states that aev
eral counties are operating the
new way and those schools that
have tried it, have found it most
satisfactory.
The arrangement will not inter
fere with the long term schools,
but all short term schools in the
county will be obliged to conform
to the new order of things and in
stead of being allowed to select
the months in which to separate,
the schools throughout the coun
try, must, beginning with January
adopt tlje method agreed upon by
Board of Education, and after the
first year, the commissioners state
that the plan will work splendidly,
and they believe the people of the
county generally will be pleased
with the change.
WEDNESDAY * S ELECTION.
State and County Officers Ejected—Constitutional
Amendments Ratified.
Last Wednesday’s election pass
ed off more quietly than usual,
there being cast but 586 votes in
the entire county. The ticket
which was a long one, must have
brought bewilderment to many,
who have been accustomed to vote
tickets of ordinary length.
There was no opposition to
either the state or county ticket
and for this reason no manifest
interest was displayed. In some
districts the constitutional amend
ments went one way and in the
neighboring precinct the result
w.<s the reverse; showing that the
question cf the amendments had
not been given much thought,
in this coniity the amendment to
mit the advaloret* t*x rate to
five mills was pas-edby a good ma
rity; while the new county
amendments and the one to au
thorize tax levy for school pur-
p ises, went down under a decisive
vote.
However, as we go to press, the
returns from the state at large
seem to indicate that sli four of
these amendments have oeen car
ried. In short order it might be
well to state tne effect of the tali-
fication of these amendments The
first was the limi ationof the state
tax to five mills. The importance
of this is to curb the legislature in
their appropriations, and secondly
to encourage capital to come with
in the state for investment. The
second amendment authorizing
communities to tax themselves if
they see fit to do so. merely gives
rural districts the same lights and
opportunities that are now held by
incorporated towns and cities. In
other words, if a country commu
nity wishes to tax themselves to
build lip as good a school as the
city has, why this amendment
gives them the right to do so. The
third amendment authorizes the
legislature to lay out and establish
a certain 1 number of additional
counties in the state should they
see fit to do so, The mat
ter is also referred to the peo
ple affected before any new coun-
Whltecsppers Bound Over.
Charles Cloud, Green Bennett
and Will Bates, three young white
men living in Kendricks district,
a short distance from Bainbridge,
were given a commitment trial
Saturday afternoon before Judge
Tonge on a charge of riot and
bound over to the higher courts
under a $500 dollar bond for each
The evidence for the state de
veloped that on Tuesday night of
last week, a little after midnight,
a crov.d of masked men went to
the home of J. T. Earnest, who
lives on the west side of the river,
about five miles below Bainbridge,
and'called him to the door on the
pretext of asking him the way to
town. As soon as Earnest ap
peared at the door he was siezed
from behind and dragged to the
yard. He struggled with the men
but was finally overpowered and
carried into the woods about 200
yards from the house. Here he
was thrown down and held while
each of the eight men struck biu>|
ten licks with a strap. After
shooting off their pistols the men
released him and disappeared into
the woods
Earnest testified that he identi
fied the three men on trial posi
tively, having seen the faces of
two of them and recognizing the
ty is made, and.they will hatre to
vote ou it. The fourth amend
ment is the companion oif the
third and only provides fer repre- -
actuation for new counties, -
should such be formed.
Aside from the<0 constitutional
amendments about the only other
interest the people had in the elec
tion, was to express themselves on
the proposition as to whether the
county board of commissioners
should be elected by the qualified',
voters of the county, or continue,
to be appointed as at present, by
the judge of the superior court. It
will be remembered that the last
legislature passed a bill providing
for the election by the people, and
this was only for tbe ratification
by the voters. As shown at the
consolidation the vote stood in the
county, 391 for election by tbe
people, as against 118 against elec
tion by (he people. Beichers’s
Higdon's and Spring Hill were
the only districts in the county
that gave majorities against the
elec ion by tbe people.
Considered generally the elec
tion was the most quiet ever held
in Georgia, while in some sections,
where local camp eg ns for city offi
cers wery held on the same date
and at the same place interest ran
high. This was especially '.rue in
Atlanta, where five active candi
dates for the mayoralty locked
horns.
At Bainbridge precinct an elec-'
tion was held for the naming of a
board of trustees for the Georgia
Southern Military College. There
were seven candidates proposed,
but the following board was elect
ed: K J. Willis, one year term; fe.
B. Bower, ona year term; W, W.
Wright, two year ternf; H.' B.
Ehrlich, two year term; J. D. Cha-
son, two year term. This is the
same board that is at present ad
ministering the affairs of the in
stitution, the people expressing
their satisfaction in the faithful
work performed by the board y
in the past.
M
voice and walk of the third. He
said their faces were covered with
white cloth with holes cut for the
eyes. He was unable to identify
any of the others. When asked
as to the reason gived by the mob
for the beating lie stated that the
leader of the h»ob told him that
they were going to teach him how
to feed his wife. No other reason
was assigned. It is surmised by
some of the neighbors of Earnest
that it is possible that there is a
personal grudge on the part of
some of the mob and that their
friends were assisting them to
take vengeance by this method.
Earnest is said by most of his
neighbors to be a hard-working
and inoffensive fellow and much
sympathy is expressed for him.
The cases will go to the Decem
ber term of the city court for trial
and it is expected that there will
be interesting developments. The
bonds assessed at f $oo each were
given. The defendants protest
their innocence and declare that
they will prove it on the trial.
Imfmtaat Meeting of Connell.
An important meeting of city
council was he'd Monday night at
which, besides the regular routine
of business, an electric light com
mittee was named, and a water in
spector for the city was appointed.
To this latter position, Mr. L. L.
Ingram wss elected, and he has
been invested with police power
to enter property and inspect at
any and all times all water mains,
or pipes, etc. Mr. Ingram has al
ready made a partial tour of the
city.
The light committee named
was J. D. Harrell, Gordon Cbason
and D. C. Gurley. These gentle
men will have full power to regu
late and control the light situation
in the city. They will begin at
once to improve the system. It
will be remembered that the city
has only recently assumed contrdl
of the electric lights.
iaSber Early Maze.
Another fire which might have
prove more serious occurred early
Wednesday morning. Thomason’s
ginhouse was discovered on fire,
and but for the dronaptest work,
the entire building and contents
would have bees destroyed.
Storehouse and Lot for Sal*.
I will sell my storehouse and lot
in Climax, Ga., situated next door
to postoffice, fronting A. C. L.
depot I have a good stock of
genera) merchandise that I would
sell with the store, if purchaser so
desires. This is tbe most desira
ble place for a hotel in town, for
anyone wishing to engage in that
business. I will sell on easy terms;
half ca*h r balance in 12 months.
Write or call on me.
C. P. Mills,
! Climax, (Ga.
'
*
