Newspaper Page Text
VOL. 111. NO 50.
E, J, SWEAT OF
AMBROSE JAILED
Charged with stealing a Chevrolet
automobile belonging to I. H. Marks,
of Monticello, E. J. Sweat, of Am
brose, is in the Bibb county jail, and
police of Georgia and Florida are
searching for Frank Stephens, al
leged partner in the crime.
The two men stole the car Satur
day afternoon from E. D. Marks, son
of I. H. Marks, who came to Macon
to do some shopping, and was on his
way back home. Marks picked the
two men up as he was leaving Macon,
volunteering to give them a ride.
“Five miles out from Macon.”
Mr. Marks told Sheriff Jim Hicks
yesterday, “some one suggested that
I was on the wrong road to go to
Monticello. I stopped the car, leav
ing the two men in it, and started
off toward a house about 200 yards
from the road. When I had gotten
away from the car, one of the two
men seated himself at the wheel and
started off. I ran after him, but
there was no chance to catch him.
SWEAT IS IN JAIL.
The matter was reported to the
city detectives, Rachels and New
berry, yesterday morning. ‘Learning
that Sweat lived at Ambrose, Detec
tive Rachels wired the police at that
place to look out for the car. At II
o’clock yesterday morning he receiv
ed a wire to the effect that Sweat
was in jail at Ambrose, and that
Stephens had taken the car and start
ed on back to Macon. The detective
expressed the opinion that he was
headed for Jacksonville, however,
and wired the authorities there to
begin a search for the men. He also
wired o,ther points.
Mr. Marks had the car, which was
stolen for two weeks, having pur
chased it here. He was not acquaint
ed with the road between here and
Monticello, and when one of the two
men now' charged with the theft of
the car suggested tnat he was on the
wrong road, he thought their inten
tions were good.
A deputy sheriff w T as sent to Am
brose for Sweat.
CORN CLUB CONTEST
THURSDAY OCT. 19TH
Farmers And Business Men Meet
Same Day
Thursday, October 19th will be an
important day in Douglas and Coffee
County. The Boys Corn Club con
test will be held here on that day.
Every member of the club is request
ed to be here and to bring twenty
select ears for exhibition purposes.
Handle the corn carefully and see to
it that it gets here in good condition.
At a meeting of the Chamber Com
merce, Tuesday night a resolution
was adopted requesting that a mass
meeting of farmers and business
men be called and it has since been
decided to hold this meeting at the
court house on the same day begin
ning at t< n o’clock.
The coming of the boll-weevil
makes it imperative that steps be
taken now to diversify our crops, at
this meeting there will be important
discussions an growing and market
ing, tobacco,, sugar cane, melons
cantaloupes etc. An effort will be
made to close the business houses
for two hours during the meeting
that the merchants, bankers and
professional men may attend and
take part in the meeting.
G. B. Eunice,
County Farm Demonstrator.
Mass Meeting At McDonald
A Mass Mt eting of the Citizens of
the McDonald District is hereby
called for Saturday October 21st. for
the purpose of selecting and nomi
nating a suitable person for County
Commissioner for the McDonald Dis
trict, to be elected in the November
Election.
Many Citizens.
€affte djctwfjj
SINGING CONVENTION
AT NiCHOLS SUNDAY
Over Two Thousand People in
Nichols Last Sunday
The W iregrass Singing Convention
held its annual convention at Nichols
last Sunday, and there w*ere more
people and better singing there than
at any previous convention, and that
is saying a good deal.
President Vinson opened the pro
ceedings ak9:45, and after a prayer
and a few songs, the classes were en
rolled. But before the singing be
gan, it was announced thateach class
would be allowed to sing from three
to five songs, to suit their desires,
still only one or two of them used
more than three songs. The names
of the classes participating, with
their leaders are as follows.
Friendship Class, T. L. Wade,
leader. Walkerville class, J. N. Sin
clair. Mrs. Hayden’s class, of Alma
composed of thirteen little girls,
from eight to fourteen years of age,
one of their number twelve years of
age at the piano. This class, on ac
count of their pretty singing, nice
behavior, on and off the stage, cap
tured the convention and established
their sight as “general favorites.”
The Nichols class, composed of
about a dozen young people of Nich
olls, wu'th Miss Fannie Mae Davis,
the efficient music teacher of the
Nichols High School, did some good
wmrk, but saved their best for the
afternoon. “The Penitent’s Plea,”
are the refrain, in low sympathetic
tones, “Jesus Lover of My Soul,”
was rendered in a realistic and af
fective style. “The Penitent,” a
pretty gifted soloist, of Nichols,
brought sympathise tears to a thous
and eyes. She has a Sweet, tre
mendous voice, adopted to the piece
of music. It is hoped her prayer
will be answ'erod.
The Alma Cottage Class, J. R. Hol
ton leader. New Forest Class Mel
vin Eight, leader.
AFTERNOON
Convention called to order at 2
o’clock.
The old officers of the convention
were re-elected as follows: Vinson
president, Meeks, secretary, with an
assistant secretary.
Prof. Wheeler, of the Vaughn
Publishing house led a mixed class,
rendering some fine music.
The classes sang in the afternoon,
as they did in the morning.
There was no “dinner on the
ground” as some expected, and went
there for that purpose, but the citi
zens were at the auditorium and
carried all who would go to their
homes, and taken care of them.
Taking it all in all the day was
“red lettered,” the crowd of 2,300
people were orderly and good humor
ed, and Nichols scored a success.
“Uncle Jim.”
Service At Presbyterian
There will be services at the morn
ing and evening hour at the Presby
terian church next Sunday. Rev. V.
M. Kennedy, of Tampa, Fla. The
public is invited and urged to at
tend.
NOTICE
TAX COLLECTOR’S FIRST ROUND
I will be at the following places to
collect state and county taxes:
Douglas Saturday Oct. 1.
Broxton Monday 8 A. M. to 12.
Oct, 16.
Ambrose Monday 2 P. M. to 4.
Oct. 16.
Nicholls Tuesday 8 A. M. to 12.
Oct. 17.
West Green Tuesday 2 P. M. to 4.
Oct. 17.
McDonald Wednesday 9 A. M. to
12. Oct. 18.
Pearson Wednesday 2 P. M. to 4.
Oct. 18.
Wiliacoochee Thursday 9 A. M. to
1. Oct. 19.
Mora Thursday 2 P. M. to 4 Octo
ber 19.
Redp’t., Daniel Vickers. T. G.
DOUGLAS, GEORGIA, WEDNESDAY. OCTOBER 11. 1916.
STEWART-PAULK RACE
TO BE RUN OVER
The contest of Rep. C. E. Stewart
was taken up by the State Executive
Committee Wednesday and referred
to a sub-committee who ruled that
the race must be run over at the
general election and the primary en
tirely ignored.
The grounds upon which the com
mittee took this action was not stat
ed, but a resolution criticising the
action of some county committee for
not adhering as strictly to the rules
adopted by the state committee was
introduced and in (his connection it
is presumed that this is probably the
basis upon which the second race
was ordered, as the Coffee county
committee extended the time limit
for which candidate could pay as
sessments several days after the
date set for the close by the state
committee, and it was during this
extention that one of the candidates
qualified.
Mr. Paulk was in the city today
and while saying little regarding the
oncoming race, seemed to think his
position secure and that he will be
chosen at the November election by
a still larger majority than claimed
before. Mr. Stewarts friends are
numerous and are grooming them
selves for a winning fight. It is the
contention of some that hundred of
voters stayed at home last time think
ing that Stewart was a winner, who
would have supported “him had they
voted.
Mr. Paulk, Judge C. A. Ward,
Judge J. W. Quincy and Rep.
Stewart w'ere in attendance upon
the committee meeting from Coffee.
LIVE MEETING OF
CHAMBER COMMERCE
About thirty of the most active
business men of Douglas attended a
meeting at the Chamber of Com
merce last night in the interest of
promoting the tobacco industry in
this territory another year. The A.
B. & A. R. R. has agreed to furnish
an expert demonstrator and pay his
salary contingent upon pledges from
the business men of Douglas and the
other towns of the county that they
will get behind the movement and
encourage the farmers to plant one
thousand acres next year. This
acreage must be pledged in writing
within the next ten days so it be
hooves every body to get “on the
job” and see to it that the required
acreage is secured without delay lest
this important offer on the part ot
the rail-road pass to some other
point in another county.
A committee of ten was appointed
to take the matter in hand and se
cure the pledges as fast as possible,
The following’were named to serve
on the committee: 0. Peterson, O.
F. Deen, J. L. Young, J. M Dent,
F. F. Preston, J. F. Overstreet, J.
L. Shelton, G. M. Staton, J. B. Exum,
and Daniel Gaskin, Sr.
G B. Eunice, Levi Osteen, C. E.
Baker, E. L. Tanner, Thos. Nolan,
W. H. Bone, S. J. Stubbs, C. C.
Floyd and Melvin Tanner volunteer
ed to co-operate with the above com
mittee insecuring the pledges. All
farmers .interested should not wait
to be consulted, but should report to
one of the above and sign up at once
as the rail-road wishes to know with
in the next ten days whether the
necessary acreage will be secured.
The boll-weevil having already in
vaded this territory, and tobacco
having been throughly tested out
on the lands of Coffee County, and
it having been demonstrated that it
can be grown here at great profit,
there should be no delav r*n the part
of the farmes and business men in
t iking hold of the proposition.
Among other things considered at
the meeting was the establishment
of a cane mill provided a sufficient
acreage can be planted. This also
promises to become an important in
dustry at this point and should be
promoted in time for busides next
season. A pickle or bringing plant
SHERIFF AND DEPUTIES
CAPTURE WHISKEY
About forty gallons of whiskey be
longing to J. W. Knight, of Rebecca,
was captured Tuesday night about
ten o’clock by Sheriff Ricketson and
Deputies Ira Ricketson and J. P.
Strickland. Knight, with his com
panion, C. I. Harrelson, of the same
place was arrested and placed in jail
in this city w T here they spent the
night. Early Wednesday n orning
the both plead guilty to having in
their possession more of the contra
band article than is allowed by the
Georgia law and Knight was given
12 months on the gang or $450.00
and Harrelson 12 months on the gang
or $250.00. The fines w’ere paid.
From what could be learned of the
facts King who seems to be a re
spected citizen of his community
was on his way from Jacksonville
with the whiskey, consisting of
several kegs and three or four cases
of ordinary blind tiger when his car
ran into a ditch there or four miles
from Douglas and a wheel was
broken down. This was in the after
noon Monday and during the night
the whiskey was brought to Douglas
and secreted in the negro section of
the city. Another car driven by
Harrelson arrived in the city Tues
day night for the purpose of taking
the shipment on to Rebecca and it
was while they were making arrange
ments to proceed that the sheriff and
hjs deputies got busy and captured
the whole lot.
Judge Bryan gave both a severe
lecture and stated that he intended
to break up the transporting of
whiskey in this manner if in his
power and told the parties that
another offense would mean a
straight sentence.
A number of t he friends of both
parties werte in the city and pleded
with the judge to be as light as pos
sible on them.
MONEY A PLENTY
IN COFFEE COUNTY
That there is more money in Cof
fee county than ever before in the
history of the county was shown in
the statements of the various banks
last week. More than a million dol
lars on deposit was shown and every
bank in the countv showed a most
remarkable statement. At the time
the statements were made thousands
of dollars had been .checked out on
account of the large number of notes
maturing at this season of the year
and ordinarily the banks would have
shown considerably more on deposit.
The condition of the banks is the
best in sight into real condition
throughout the section and such an
era of prosperity, (outside the week
ly newspaper business) has seldom
ever been seen here. Old obligations
of long standing have been met by
the farmers, new businesses estab
lished and there is everywhere evi
dence of the high prices of cotton.
MARRIED SUNDAY
A marriage of interest to their
friends at Nicholls occurred last
Sunday, the constracting parties be
ing Mrs. Shepard and Mr. J. Gordon
Shivers, both of Nicholls. The
marriage occurred at Waycross, it
being deemed wise to keep their
plans a secret until it was all over on
account of objection by relatives.
Mrs. Shivers is the daughter of
Mr. W. M. Brown and Mr. Shivers
is employed by the A. B. & A. at
Sessoms. They will make their
home in Nicholls.
Miss Allie Lott of Ocilla spent Sun
day here. \
was also discussed with asurance of
success provided the farmers can be
induced to grow cucumbers and
other products’in sufficient quantities
to supply the demands of a moderate
sized plant.
DOUGLAS HOSPITAL
GLOSES IT DOORS
After seven years operation the
Douglas Hospital closed its doors
Sunday and will remain closed|until
other arrangements have been made
whereby it can be operated on a
more self sustaining basis.
The hospital has been run
under the management of Dr. C. W.
Roberts for a long time and when
seen by a representative of the Pro
gress, gave in text the following
reason for declining further to con
tinue to operate.
The hospital is privately owned by
parties whose sole interest in it is to
see it operated in Douglas for the
people of not only Douglas and Cof
fee county but for a section covering
several counties. It has not been a
source of income to the owners of
the property, neither to those opera
ting it, but rather, a losing proposi
tion all the time.
It is the claim of those in position
to know that a hospital of this nature
cannot be operated on a self-sustain
ing basis but must be maintained by
donations from individuls, towns or
counties. The records of the hospiti 1
here show that more patients have
registered there than has ever been
the case before up until this time of
the year. In fact each year has
shown an increase in patronage and
today he local hospital is considered
the equal of any in the cities and
superior in many ways to those
operate in towns the size of Doug
las. A majority of the patients have
come from other towns and counties.
This does not mean that the hospital
has not been patronized at home,
only that it is recognized by other
sections.
Just what effort will be made to
reopen the hospital has not been as
certained, but there is hardly a doubt
that a strong one will be reopen and
run it after some tangible plan has
been arranged.
For the present it is understood
that Drs. Roberts and Coleman who
have been running it will remain
in Douglas with offices in the hospital
building.
We regret to announce the con
tinued illness of Mrs. J. J. Dubose,
at her home on Madison Ave.
E. D, A. S. ROMPS
ON PIEDMONT
The Douglas “Aggies” walloped
Piedmont here Monday in a hotly
contested game by a score of 24 to
6. The boys played a clean, hard j
game, and very little peeved because !
the Aggies held them for first down
with only four yards to go to make
a goal. They also got a little “het
up” on account of the different of
opinion in interpreting the rules of
the game. Few penalties were made,
Piedmont was penalized once or
twice for persisting in getting off
side.
The features of the game were the
catching of forward passes by
“Skinny” Williams, the line plung
ing of Sharpe and Griffin and end
runs by Day and Capt. Simms.
Whelchel played a great game at
center by opening up holes in the
Piedmont line for bucks that came
over him. On the defensive Simms,
Taylor and Anderson did fine work.
In fact, it is hard to pick out any in
dividual stars for the whole tear,,
played an excellent game.
Piedmont’s only touchdown was
made by a long forward pass. Park
er and Pierce were the stars of the
opponents team. Clark also made
several good gains off tackle
Next Monday the Aggies tackle
tire heavy Norman Park team. Pied
mont was defeated by Norman Park
1 last Monday week by a score of G to
0. The Aggies are going for the
championship this year in earnest.
They have a good team, they have
grit and determination. They are
going to make all the South Georgia
teams play hard if they beat us out
of the Championship this year.
Official Organ of Coffee County
COFEEE GO, LIQUOR
CASE NOT ASSIGNED
Because Judge Emory Speer, now
out of the city, had original juris
diction in the case. Judge W. W.
Lambdin, of United States district
court yesterday refused to assign
the Qcilla liquor case, involving the
disposition of two car loads of liquor
valued.at $39,000, for trial at this
term of court. An agreement had
been reached by Judge Lambdin and
Judge Speer that neither would pass
upon a cise in which the other had
original jurisdiction.
The expenses of guarding the
liquor, it being necessary to keep
two guards over it continously, in
addition to paying storage, are fast
eating up anything the liquor might
bring at a sale, and it was on this ac
count that a hearing upon the liquor
case was asked for this term.
The whiskey was seized on May 3
by Sheriff Dave Ricketson, of Coffee
county, who claimed that it was
shipped into his county for distribu
tion and sale. The whiskey w; s
marked “household goods.” After
several legal steps had been taken,
Judge Speer ordered the iiquor
brought to Macon.
The government intervened under
the statute giving it power to seize
liquor improperly marked.
The court of appeals of this circuit
has decided that the Georgia liquor
law is constitutional, Roland Ellis,
counsel for Wiley Williams and Geo.
Divs having attacked it.
VALDOSTA FAIR
WILL OPEN SOON
The Georgia-Florida Fair at Val
dosta, beginning Tuesday. October
24th, according to reports will be
the best fair ever held in that city.
We are informed that the live
stock show will be even better than
the magnificent exhibition last year.
The entries this year are said to be
of larger and more perfect animals.
All the popular breeds of swine and
beef cattle will be shown.
The agricultural and other exhib
its will doubtless surpass former dis
plays as the fair management and
the exhibitors have now had several
years experience and, naturally, both
should know better what to collect
for an exhibit and how to prepare
same for an attractive display.
The amusement features promise
to be exceptionally good. The first
day is Children’s Day and all chil
dren under fifteen years will be ad
mitted free. A patriotic program in
eluding daylight fireworks has been
provided. Thousands of novel pres
ents will be showered down from the
sky on the crowds of children and a
magnificent piece entitled “Saluting
the Flag,” and with Old Glory and
other national flags floating high in
the air the national salute of twenty
•one guns will be fired. This will
give many an opportunity never be
fore had.
Beginning Wednesday, which is
Woodmen of the World Day, there
will be a parade of Woodmen and
competitive drills by degree teams
for three iarge cash prizes, followed
by harness races and a running race.
The races will be held each day for
the remainder of the week. A num
ber of fast horsts have been entered
and the race feature will be conduct
ed under the National Trotting Asso
ciation. Two very amusing free acts
will be given twice daily. The shows
will be furnished by the Great Do
minion Shows, a new organization of
the latest show features, collected
under one management to play the
largest fairs in the South. The
shows began their southern trip at
Louisville and play Nashville, Mem
phis, Birmingham, Atlanta and Val
dosta.
Visitors to the fair at Valdosta
this year should get all the informa
tion on stock and other subjects de
sired and at the same time enjoy the
amusements provided for their en
tertainment.