Newspaper Page Text
CRAZY CRANKS
CHOKE MAILS
With Millions of Chain-Letters and
Postals Containing Silly Prayer.
OFFICIALS ARE WORRIED
Unde Sam Inaugurates Fight Against
the Craze—Postals Thrown Out hut
Sealed Letters Cannot be Reached.
According to a Washington dis
patch the “chain letter’’ epidemic has
again broken out. This time it ap
pears that all the religious cranks
in the country have been set to writ
ing prayrs.
The more prayer letters, the more
imprecations from postal clerks and
carriers. The thing seems to have
taken a tenacious hold upon the super
stitious in widely separated communi
ties, and their name is legion. The
innocent cause of the trouDle has
sought to stem the tide and entirely
disclaims responsibility for the scheme
whifch has loaded the mails with these
prayer letters. Ministers have de
nounced the fake and urged tneir con
gregations to burn the missives and
pay no attention to the threats they
contain, but still the letters multiply
and are seriously overloading the
mails. It seems that nothing but com
mon sense will serve to break up the
chain. The letter is as "follows:
“Dear Friend and Christian: Below
is a prayer chain just as it was sent
to me, so I send it out to others, for
I do not want it broken in my hands.
May God bless you and others to keep
it going:
“ ‘Oh, Lord Jesus, we implore thee,
O Eternal God, to have mercy on all
mankind; keep us from all sin, and
take us to live with thee eternally.
Amen.’
“This prayer was dictated by Bish
op Lawrence. He commands it to be
written and sent to nine other per
sons. He who will not do it will be
afflicted by some misfortune, and per
sons who pay no attention to it 'will
meet with a terrible accident. He who
will write this prayer for nine days
and send it to nine others, commenc
ing the day you receive this (only one
each day), will after nine days ex
perience some great joy. At Jerusa
lem, at the feast, it was said he who
would write this prayer would be de
livered from every calamity. Please
do not let this drop in your hands. I
have written this just as I received it.
Now, please send it to others. Sin
cerely, CHRISTIAN."
Through fear of being overtaken by
some dire calamity, as predicted in the
letter, the superstitious recipients have
invariably set down and complied with
the instructions to write a letter each
day for nine days. Asa consequence,
millions of prayers have been writ
ten and sent through the mails in
the form of letters and postal cards.
Postal cards are thrown out by the
clerks and carriers under instructions
from headquarters, but of course the
seated letters are usually sent through
to their destination, since there is no
way of telling from the outstde what
they contain.
In speaking of the matter an official
of the postal department said:
“The Bishop Lawrence referred to
in the letter indignantly denies that hs
ever commanded or authorized anyone
to uSe his name in such a matter. He
thinks the originator is either a prac
tical joker or some religious enthu
siast, possibly possessing more piety
than common sense. *he bishop
asserts that the originator of the
“chain” was not a good Christian or
he could not have incorporated the
falsehood in his original letter, sewing
forth the bishop’s supposed connec
tion.”
A newspaper correspondent called
at the assistant attorney general’s of
fice in the postoffice department and
was shown the card reproduced above.
ITie assistant attorney was asked un
der what law this matter could be ex
cluded from the mails. He referred
to the act of September 26th, 1868,
which refers to “scurrilous matter.”
CONIRGVEKBY OVtR IHRCt IBLANDS.
Canal Zone Properly Claimed by llncle
sam ;8 iild by Others.
Richard Rogers, general counsel
for the Isthmian canal commission,
who started for Panama with secre
tary Taft and his party, will investi
gate the titles to the tnree Rock Is
lands in Panama harbor and recom
mend what steps shall oe taken for
their acquisition.
The Pacific Mail’s Company are
using® one of the islands anu claims
title to the property.
OTHERS WANT PARDONS
As Result of Alabama Goveruor's Pub
lished Views ou the Un
written Law.
Governor B. B. Comer of Alabama
may have more of the unwritten law
on his hands than he bargained for,
as a result of a statement made by him
several days ago, when he pardoned
W. E. Shill. Shill had killed a man
for betraying his young daughter, and
the governor emphatically stated that
he pardoned him on the ground that
a man had the right to protect his
own home. Others who were serving
time for this class of killing are com
ing to the front and asking for re
lease.
The latest man to seek release is
Gilbert Jarvis, a well-to-do white man
of Mobile, who took the life of the
man who betrayed his niece some
years ago. The governor has been no
tified that there will be a delegation
on hand to present the case, which is
very like that of Shill. There is opposi
tion to clemency, it is stated, and
there is prospect of a contest. But the
fact seems to be that the position
taken by the governor is about to open
the floodgates and he will lie swamp
ed with applications cf men who de
sire to be let out of the penitentiary.
NICARAGUANS WIN BIG VICTORY.
The Allied Forces of Salvador and Hondu •
ras Get ticking.
The state department received the
following dispatch Friday from Jose
D'Olivres, the American consul at
Managua, Nicaragua:
“This government reports that on
March IS an army of 5,000 Salvado
rans and 1,000 Hondurans, command
ed by General Presa, a Salvadoran,
attacked the Nicaraguan- vanguard
near Namsique, Honduras.
The battle lasted three days, result
ing in the complete rout of the Sal
vadorans, who lost 3,0-GO killed. Nica
ragua has 20,000 troops at the front,
and will commence an immediate at
tack on Chaluteca and Tegucigalpa.”
Senor Corea, the Nicaraguan min
ister at Washington, has received a
cablegram from his government con
firming the press report to the effect
that the Nicarguan navy has captured
the important Honduran Caribbean
port of Ceiba
fIENDIbH BRUIT 81 ILL AT LARGE.
All Negroes Arrested lor feirmount Crime
Istiibllsh I heir Innocence.
After a frightful experience when
cries of “Lynch him!” “Burn him!”
reached his ears, the negro held for
assault and murder of an infant at
the Tolbert home, in Fairmount, Ga.,
proved an alibi and was given his lib
erty.
Several other n*?groes have been
taken in custody, but in each instance
they proved to be innocent of the
crime.
GRAND JURORS INDICI IHIMSELVES.
Novel Result of a Meth Hist Revive! in
Mississippi County.
Every member of the grand jury
in the circuit court at Rolling Fork,
Miss., indicted himself for violating
the Sunday liquor law, and each .tj
peared before Judge Booth and was
fined $lO, with a lecture from the
bench. The self-indicted grand jury
men also returned bills against sev
eral petit jurors for the same of
fene. A religious wave, following a
Methodist revival recently, swept
over Sharkey county, and people o'
high and low degree are purging
themselves
BUR ION NOW eur Of JAIL.
fx-Senator from Kansas Completes Sen
tence of Bix Months.
Joseph Ralph Burton, who, until his
conviction in the federal court, was
United States senator from Kansas,
was Friday morning released from the
county jail at fronton. Mo., having
completed his sentence of six months,
imposed for appearing before a gov
ernmental department as the paid rep
resentative of an alleged “get-rich
quick” concern of St. Louis.
“CLANSMAN” B*RREO BY COUNCIL.
Dixon’s Play Prohibited in Americus Be
cause ol Apprehen -.ton.
The presentation of “The Clans
man,’' dated at the theater in Ameri
cus, Ga., has been prohibited by the
council at the request of local col
ored preachers, >vho were doubtless
apprehensive, in view of the murder
of I’olice Officer Moris by a negro,
Bill Reese, recently, and the shooting
to death of Reese by a posse after
wards.
Georgia Cuilings
Curtailed Items of Interest
Gathered at Random.
Reward Offered for Murderer.
Governor Terrell has offered a re
ward of $250 for the arrest and de
livery to the sheriff of Gordon county
of the negro fiend who attempted to
assault Mrs. James Tolbert at Fair
mount, and murdered her 2-months-oid
child. The reward was offered in re
sponse to requests from Gordon
county.
* * •
Savannah Still Holds Palm.
The close of the naval stores year
comes ou Marcit 31. As it approaches
it is apparent "hat Savannah’s supre
macy as the greatest naval stores mar
ket of the world remains unthreaten
ed. Thus far receipts are short only
about 14,000 casks of spirits and 33,
000 barrels of rosin.
Despite the fact that Savannah ter
ritory is being thinned out in turpeu-
Wne-bearing timber, its business in
naval stores holds good.
* * *
Expert to Examine Roa<f.
After discussing for practically an
entire day the evidence introduced in
relation to Bowdre Phinizy’s charges
that the property of the Georgia rail
road and Banking Company is in a
rundown and unsafe condition, the
railroad commission decided to ap
point an expert to make minute ex
amination of that road and its rolling
stock, and report his findings to the
commission.
Gen Evans Declines Honor.
Gen. C. A. Evans has announced
positively that he would not accept
the proffer of the position of adjutant
general of Georgia. This means that
Col. A. J. Scott, now assistant adju
tant general, will be the next adju
tant general.
When the offer was first made Gen
eral Evans, he declined, after consid
ering the matter two weeks. He was
requested to reconsider, and give his
answer later.
He did so, but now states positive
ly and finally that he will not accept
General Evans is deeply appreciative
of the high compliment thus paid aim
* * *
Troup County Prohibition Fight.
The prohibition fight is now on in
earnest and will be waged to a finish
in Troup county. Committees are cir
culating petitions for signatures re
questing the ordinary to call an elec
tion under what is known as the Buch
anan law, and the information is that
the petiitions are being numerously
signed, and the required signatures of
one-third of the qualified voters will
be secured within a few days. The
prohibitionists are showing considera
ble enthusiasm. It is claimed that
they will carry the county overwhelm
ingly. So far there has been no ef
fort to organize the friends of the dis
pensary system for & fight in its be
half.
* * *
Not Right Kinds of Immigrants.
A letter from James A. Strachan,
who is now in Scotland, representing
Georgia in the matter of securing im
migrants, just received by Commis
sioner of Agriculture T. G. Hudson,
announces that he has sent another
party of seven Scotchmen to Savan
nah. It is expected they will arrive
there within a few days. Three :;t
these are carpenters and the others
are painters and machinists.
Commissioner Hudson has written
to Mr. Strachan urging him to turn
his attention to the matter of secur
ing laborers for farms, mills and fac
tories, as we already have skilled la
bor in abundance, comparatively
speaking, though there is plenty of
room for all of this class who wish
to come.
Georgia Holds the Record.
Announcement was made in a dis
patch from Montgomery, Ala., a day
or two ago that Alabama had leased
100 convicts, able-bodied of course, to
a lumber company in that state at $43
per month per convict, and it waa
commented that this was thought to
be the highest price evei paid for
convict labor.
But Georgia can furnish an instance
surpassing that, though it is not the
state that is receiving the price. Un
der a subcontract recently made by
Hamby & Toomer, lessees of 5<W
Georgia convicts, this firm sublet the
labor of 100 able-bodied convicts at
$47.50 per month each, which is in ex
cess of $lO per week for common la
bor. And yet the subcontractors ex
pect to, and doubtless will, make
money out of their deal. In view ci
the Alabama assertion it may be con
sidered quite probable that Georgia
STOP AT THE
ZETTLER HOUSE.
The best SI.OO a day house in the
c:ty.
2f,3 FOURTH ST., MACON. G<L,
Mrs. A. L. Zeltler, Proprietress.
now holds the record for the price ot
convict labor.
The state, in the meantime, is re
ceiving an average of only $225 a year
for its able-bodied convicts, or less
than $lO pei month, hence there is a
profit of about s2C.st> per mouth per
convict to the lessees.
* *
Will Hold Cotton School.
Plans were agreed upon at the con
vention, held in Bartlesville dunng the
past week, of the Farmers’ Union, lor
the establishment of a cotton school
to be held at Barnesvilie during July
and August, and every arrangement
will be made for making it a great
success. Experts on cotton will be se
cured for giving lectures for the pur
pose of instructing farmers in the
handling of cotton. These lectures bv
experts will cover grading, marketing
and the handling of cotton in all its
phases and conditions.
President Duckworth and the other
state officials are quite enthusiastic
over the movement and expect hun
dreds of farmers from all over the
state to be in attendance on the
school. It is asserted that the instruc
tions given at that time will be of
the greatest practical value to cotton
growers.
The Agriculture.l Contests.
Interest in the agricultural contests
among school children increases each
week. The demand for bulletins de
scribing the contest*! and giving sug
gestions for study of corn and cottcu
comes from all parts of the state. W o
have sent out about four thousand
copies during the past week. The boy
who reads and thinks and works wt-.l
be the success!ul man. It is the far
mer who practices diversified farming
that is independent. Th6se contests
are offered in order to make the far
mer boys study their crops and plan
how to increase the yield of each and
the profit of the farm.
Two farmers in Coweta county were
talking last week about their year s
work. It happened that each had used
seven mules. The younger said he
made 9-5 hales of cotton. The older
said he raised 85 bales. The listen
ers laughed at him for allowing the
younger to beat him. “Hold on,” said
he, “let’s see if he beat me. 1 raised
sixteen hundred bushels of corn. How
many did he raise?” “Two humped
bushels,” was the reply. In this wuy
it was shown that the older farmer
had raised, besides his 85 bales of
cotton, 1,600 bushels of corn, 500 bush
els of oats, 200 bushels of wheat, 150
loads of hay, 20 hogs, 15 beeves, had
8 gallons of milk a day and 4 pounds
of butter, and kept 120 hens, from
which he received 80) dozen eggs. His
neighbor raised 95 bales of cotton, 2uo
bushels of corn, no wheat, a little fod
der, no hay, and did no* keep sufficient
hogs .cattle and hens to supply his
own family. It does not, take a blind
man to see which was the better far
mer. Now, what this farmer does we
want every young farmer to do.— J. S
STEWART, Athens, Ga.
PARUON SPURNED BY BUR ION.
L’onv ctcd Senator Alleges that Roosevelt
Ottered to Release Him.
Former United States Senator Bur
ton, after delivering the speech which
he had prepared in advance, made the
statement at Abilene, Kansas, Satur
day night that the president offered
him a pardon. He said: ‘Five days
after 1 was in jaii the president of
fered me a pardon. It came to me per
sonally at Ironton. I never answered
it. I would not answer it. I would
not accept a pardon from him under
any conditions. He is the one that
should have the pardon.”
PKESIULNI BONILLA aKIiUOOS.
Llvef Ixecutive ot Honduras forced to
i lee lor ins me
Santos Ramirez, director general of
telegraphs in Nicaragua makes the
following statement:
“The Nicaraguan forces have cap
tured Choiuteca, Honduras, which was
leld by the Honduran and Salvadoraa
iroops, and President Bonilla has lied
by boat. Steamer:: will pursue the
fugitive president. J. believe the war
* ended ”
Blanchard Disapproves of Move.
Governor Blanchard Declines.
Governor Blanchard of Louisiana
has declined to appoint a commis
sion of three from that state to study
the race question.
GUN NUMBER 1
ARE CONFUSr
j
Many Errors in the Evidl
Brownsville “Shooting U
i
CORRECTIONS FROM f
Secretary of War Sends a Sopi l "
ary Report to Senate Coma
ot Investigation.
Secretary Taft B'riday
to the senate committee oiA l *y
affairs in session at Washing re "
port of General Crozicr, chim'd"
nance, with reference to th^ 01 ' 8
of guns assigned to the nagders
of company B,- C and D o^ 111
infantry on the night of At i ast
when Brownsville, Texas, ‘‘ s bot
up.’’
It appeared from ihe let
eral Crozier (hat on the L *ie
lists of guns, as forward ,he
commanders of the comp diere
were certain errors, aridi°* ja bly
from mistakes in transef from
the property books of thp an * ca
The effect of this is to *- doubt
whether two of the guns ex "
pert examination at thdrgfiold
arsenal of shells picked j stro^i- 8
of Brownsville to have used in
the affray, were in aA e3ts
company B, under luckily* an< *
not issued to soldiers, indi
cated by the former > scnt - 10
the committee by the ,auce de
partment of the army.M® le-Lter,
transmitting General C* s supple
mentary report, Sceretfu-’f says:
“it will be observed does
not affect in the slight o conclu
sions of Lieutenant HM S < ex "
pert who examined t s ' ie " s
made further tests at Springfield
arsenal, as to the nun of sunsf
from which the shells on
the streets of Brow® were ( ' !S "
charged. The lists c® S un uum-
bers as assigned to t^ en were no *
sent to Lieutenant ff ns an< * wc “ re
never in his possess) matler
only affects the ques as to f;US '
tody of those* gumfl 'he names
of the enlisted mei: ie company
to whom they were fched, to all3r
of them.”
In order to remov e possibility of
error Secretary Tab's ordered the
property boohs of i irea companies
sent to the war Jrtmeut and he
has notified the sej committee that
the books will arrj n a or two
He says it will pfl-bly be possible
from them to cof errors ap
parent on the lisp pointed out o
the upplementarpP ort oC General
Crozier.
Another report Pin ie ordnance
bureau of the ai sent to the
committee by Sf-’Hiry laft., which
shows that theP mu ' IltlU!1 or
new Springfield i e cannot be used
In any other gulexcept the Mauser
and Schmidt, fer the caliber or
the fact that tlfepringfleld ammuni
tion uses a case, excluding,
all other arms*
When the c<fittee convened FrH
day morning b?-tor Foraker called
to the stand TUtenant Hawkins aty
began an exe/nutlov of '* ie
concerning 0 reports of tests ranY
at the Sprinkld arsenal ol the cj
tridge in the streets/
Brownsville. /
During thfdtting of the cominjf
a request w received from the si
tilry of w for the retuin orf
three bull* taken irom "'h
houses in (Townsville and
to the eimittee as an ei.hjT
the. reporof the assistant dT
general, i rd y- / to
The wf department 3enf gr
have the? bullets analyzed L rm y
to detei-ne if possible
guns wtft used in dirchar d nB
and if * the numbers of
In viev/of this request, tjf aro j na .
tee decldd to postpone 1 y to
tlon of tie export wltnef
adjourt u itil Monday. /
i/o-moky mi\n\tih uUU
And twenty-four Peraun/i JI '- d ®*
'JWMjry.four [jcrsaii/' l ' inJ “ ’
Jo seriously, auj #•“" ““*
lal occupied by a cked at
m vlng pictures, vjf aa
ufecnfteld, led., mJ*
efplosion of natural/* 18 - ui ~ u
tie building. In thiame that follow
tfl, men, women a/ children r
)or the doors andfranipled m/e
Another. That note was Wile
right is consider (j nothing
a miracle. /