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LIGHT THROWN
ON BUTCHERY
Mystery of Wholesale Murder in
Florida Alleged 10 Be Cleared*
TWO MEN ARE JAILED
Ackerman Family of Nine Persons Were
Done to Death a Year Ago and
Home Was Burned Down Over
Their Bodies.
Although a year has elapsed since
the Ackerman family, composed of
husband and wife and seven children,
was murdered and then burned in
Santa Rosa county, Fla., near Pensa
cola. detectives have just procured
information which on last Monday
caused the arrest of two white men,
Joe Stanley and William C. Smith,
who are charged with having com
mitted the crime. Stanley was ar
rested in Geneva, Ala., while Smith
was found at Gonzales, Fla., and car
ried to Milton, the county site of
Santa Rosa county.
When it was discovered that the
house in which the Ackerman fam
ily resided had been burned, an in
vestigation ensued, and, while it was
at first thought that the entire fam
ily had become suffocated and, thus
unable to leave the building, it was
later discovered that several of the
older members, particularly the fath
er, wife and older son, had been
struck on the head, the skulls being
crushed. It was also found that the
father had arisen from the bed and
had evidently seized his shotgun to
fight for the lives of his family, as
the gun was found lying near his
charred body, with one hand resting
upon it.
The jury could not fix the crime
upon any one, and shortly afterwards
both Stanley and Smith lgft that
county. Rewards amounting to near
ly twenty-five hundred dollars were
offered, and detectives were induced
to work up the case, and, while it
required a year to do so, they now
claim that they have strong informa
tion against the two men.
WELL KNOWN AUTHOR DEAD.
Dr. John Watson, “lan McLaren,” Falls
Victim to Blood Poisoning.
Dr, John Watson (lan MacLaren)
died Monday morning at Mount Pleas
ant., la. The cause was blood pois
oning, the result of tonsilitis. He was
taken ill at Mount Pleasant April 25.
The Rev. John Watson (lan Mao-
Laren) was born at Morning Tree,
Essex, England, November 3, 1850. He
received his education at Edinburgh
University and in Germany; was or
dained a minister in 1875. He was
appointed Lyman Beecher lecturer
at Yale University in 1896, and was
made minister of Sefton Park Presby
terian church > Liverpool, in 1880, re
taining that position until 1905.
Among the publications of lan Mac-
Laren, were, besides the “Bonnie Bri
ar Brush,” ‘‘The Days of Auld Lang
Syne,” “A Doctor of the Old School,”
etc.; and among the work signed
John Watson are ‘‘The Mind of the
Master,” “The Cure of Souls,” ‘ The
Potter’s Wheel,” “Companions of the
Sorrowful Way,” “The Life of the
Master,” “Doctrines of Grace,” “The
Homely Virtues,” and “The Inspira
tion of Faith.”
THIRTY-FIVE NAMES ON LIST.
Grand Jury, Probing Lottery Conspiracy
Cases, Finishes Work.
The federal grand jury, which has
been sitting in Mobile, Ala,, since
April 1, has just made its final re
port. The lottery conspiracy indict
ments include a list of thirty-five
names, of which twenty-three have al
ready been printed. Five of the
names are still withheld, the per
sons not having been arrested. All
except twelve of the persons indicted
have been arrested and four of them
have entered pleas of guilty and have
secured suspensions of sentence until
May 27.
NO CHARGES WERE MADE.
Malicious Lie Published by Jamaican Pa
pers Promptly Nailed. |
Congressman J. Hampton Moore, *
Philadelphia, gave out a letter Sat#
day night from Secretary Taft
which the secretary denies the
ports printed in Jamaica andjPJl*^
SCORE ARE KILLED.
Wall of Mammoth Dam Gives Way and
Twenty Mexican Workmen are
Crushed Under Debris.
A special of Friday from Chihuahua,
Mexico, says:
Without an instant’s warning the
great walls of the Chiuvuscar dam
gave way Thursday, engulfing nearly
forty men under the enormous weight
of masonry and water, between fifteen
and twenty of whom are dead, and
thirteen injured and others unaccount
ed for. Soma of the injured will die.
All of the victims are Mexicans.
Meager details of the affair reached
San Antonio, Texas, early Friday
morning, when the judicial authori
ties and several surgeons departed
immediately for the scene.
The disaster is only the last of a
large number which have recently
claimed nearly 200 victims in that
section, and mostly in the neighbor
hood of Chihuahua.
The authorities are making a thor
ough investigation into the present
catastrophe and will severely punish
those upon whom they place the
blame.
According to one version of the af
fair the men were working on a
foundation close to the foot of the
main rampart of the dam, which had
already been constructed. The main
wall was weak and gave out under the
water pressure.
Tho dam was being put in for irri
gation and stock watering purposes,
and was a large enterprise. The loss
will be heavy.
ON ANCIENT INDICTMENT.
Aged Man Arrested tor Murder Committed
Thirty Years Ago.
William G. Graham, an old man
of 70 years, who was indicted in Mad
ison county, Georgia, at the March,
1877, term of the superior court for
the murder of William King, but who
made his escape from the scene of
the crime immediately after its com
mission, was last Friday morning
placed under arest, ten miles north
west of Gainesville, Ga., at Holding’s
mill, in the upper part of Hall coun
ty, by Sheriff Orr, of Dawson county,
to whom the warrant was sent by the
Madison county sheriff a few days
ago.
The facts of the killing are, of
course, meagre, but few of the pres
ent day remembering them. However,
it is said by a former citizen of Mad
ison county, who is now living in
Gainesville, that a difficulty arose be
tween Graham and King, as they came
out of a stream or pond, where they
had been in swimming. It is said that
King came at Graham with an open
knife, when the laiter brained King
with a stick, inflicting such serious
injuries that King died shortly there
after. It is also understood that Gra
ham left Madison county on the night
that the sheriff went, to his house to
arrest him on a warrant charging him
with murder.
Graham went to Hall county, and
j located near where he was arrested.
He has conducted hiufsclf properly
since he has resided there, and is held
in estem by the people of that com
munity. Graham has a wife, who is
older than himself, and she is nearly
blind. The old man took his arrest
calmly.
His neighbors never suspected he
was wanted for murder, and his ar
rest caused much discussion. The
crime ha3 been well nigh forgotten
in Madison county, owing to time
elapsed since its commission.
STATE FAIR FOR ATLANTA.
Contract is Signed on Completion of Guar
tee Fund of $15,000.
The final plans for holding the Geor
gia State Fair in Atlanta next Oc
tober were perfected Friday when a
contract was signed by the Georgia
State Agricultural Society and the At
lanta Fair Association on the comple
tion of the guarantee fund of $15,000
I required.
Under the contract the date of the
fair will be from October 10 to 26,
which will give two weeks for the
1 fair,
EXCHANGE DENIES CHARGES.
Pleads Not Guilty -to Accusation Brought
by Theodore Price.
The New York cotton exchange,
kthrough its superintendent, W. V.
(■King, has made public a statement
v the charges made by The-
Price of improper classllica
.Jk
Watemcnt avers that the claesl-
is performing its
..
Bt
Bt
I
&
LOOP-HOLES
IN EXCUSES
I
Penalizing of Railroads Has Many
Strings Attached.
FEW FINES COLLECTED
Mail-Carrying Trains Accorded Many Ave
nues in Escaping Payment for
Alleged Breach of Contract.
A Washington special says: Declar
ing it to be his - purpose to have no
concealment in connection with the
fines levied against transportation
companies carrying the mails, Second
Assistant Postmaster General McClea
ry Friday gave out some figures in
connection with the Southern rail
way and the Ceutral of Georgia rail
way, which are interesting.
These figures show that fines for
delays are being regularly levied. It
is declared moreover, that they will
be collected. Still the railroads are
given an opportunity to show cause
why they should not be penalized for
late arrivals of trains, which cause
delays in the delivery of mail. Fail
ure to perform satisfactory mail ser
vice according to contract has recent
ly subjected the Southern to a single
fine of $4,000, it is announced.
For the quarter ending December
31, 1906, during which so many seri
ous and protracted delays occurred on
trains entering Atlanta, the South
ern road was due to earn for the
transportation of mail matter and rent
of postal cars, a total of $241,225.70,
Against this it is announced that lines
were levied aggregating $18,328.26. On
the main line of the Southern be
tween Washington and Danville, the
fines for ‘delinquencies’” as the de
partment designates delays, and fail
ure to perform satisfactory its serv
ice as mail carrier, fines levied
amounted to 10 per cent of the total
pay due the road.
Ou the Central of Georgia railroad
between Atlanta and Savannah, and
on the Atlanta, Albany, Montgomery,
Ala., and Columbia, Ala., line the
amount due to be earned was $32,-
168.80, and the total of fines levied
on these lines l'or the quarter was
$703.59.
The work of the division of inspec
tion of the postoffice department
which has charge of tabulating the
fines against transportation compa
nies and keeping the accounts, is al
ways three months behind In Us
work. For instance the roads are
required to make an affidavit of the
failures in mail train service at the
end of each quarter. The department
works over these figures during the
next quarter and at the beginning of
second quarter following cast3 up its
seevond quarter following casts up its
accounts and the roads are permitted
to submit applications for remission
of fines.
Even broken-down and worn-out
equipment, which very frequently
causes delays, will not subject the
roads to punishment, if, when such
delays occur, it is shown that the
equipment was properly inspected and
found to be in satisfactory condition
when the train pulled out for the
run.
When a settlement is finally reach
ed it is fully possible, in view of tho
excuses accepted by the department,
that fully 50 per cent of the fines may
be remitted.
The following excuses for late ar
rivals are held to be satisfactory.
1. Waiting for mail connection.
A railread cannot escape fines for
delays caused by waiting for a connec
tion unless such is a mail
train from which ruail3 are to be re
ceived.
2. Breakage of machinery, hot box
es and trains breaking in two after
proper inspection; provided the equip
ment was in good condition at the
time of such inspection.
3. Repairs or damage to bridges.
4. Wrecks, slow track, soft track
and slippery rails, when satisfactorily
explained.
RURAL ROUTES ARE INCREASED.
Operation of Service Up to First of May
is Subject of Report.
The report on the operations of the
rural delivery service up to May 1,
last, made public at Washington Mon
day by the fourth assistant postmas
ter general, shows that the total num
ber of petitions for the service re
ceived up to that date were 54,837,
upon which 15,537 adverse reports
have been made. There are now la
operation 37,597 rural routes.
STOP AT THE
ZETTLER HOUSE
The best SI.OO a day house in the
city.
253 FOURTH ST., MACON, G&.,
Mrs. A. L. Zettler, Proprietress.
ENJOINS EXCHANGE.
Theodore Price Alleges That Classification
of Cotton is Done by Improper Stand
ard and Buyer is Favored.
Upon application of Theodore H.
Price, Justice Bischoff at New York,
Thursday, granted a temporary injunc
tion restraining the clasisiication com
mittee of the New York cotton ex
change from classifying cotton by
what are alleged improper standards.
Under the order of Justice ltischoff,
the exchange is enjoined from classi
fying cotton by samples drawn from
bales so long before the time of clas
sification as to enable them to become
bleached, trom classifying samples un
less the bale from which they were
taken can be identified, unless they
are compared with proper grades, or
without aifording an opportunity for
comparison with standards of every
grade, or from classifying cotton
which is unmerchantable occuuse oi
sand and dirt.
The order also requires the classi
fication committee of ihe exchange to
deliver to members of the exchange
a set of the type of standards used
by it iu certifying and classiiying
cotton.
Mr. Price declared iu his petition
that the classiiying committee classi
fied samples which are not tagged so
as to identify the bale from which
it was taken, that ihe classification
is made by improper standards and
that the committee is influenced by
undue pressure to produce an over
classification in favor of the seller.
He asks that the injunction be made
permanent.
Kate Thursday night, Henry W.
r i aft, representing the New York cot
ton exchange, secured from Judge Bis
choff a modification of the temporary
injunction, it was represented to
Judge Bischoff that the injunction
might seriously interfere with curr: nt
contracts to the injury of the mem
bers of the exchange. Judge Bischoff
accordingly modified the injunction so
that it would not take effect pending
a hearing iu the matter Monday.
NEW RECORD PRICE FOR CONVICTS.
State of Alabama Receives $45.25 Per
Montu Each lor 175 Lieu.
The making of a contract for 175
convicts at $15.25 each per month,
which has been closed by the state of
sets anew pace in the mat
ter of service on the part of the wards
of the commonwealth, while it serves
to indicate the great demand for re
liable labor on the part of live indus
tries of the section. The contract was
with tlie Henderson-Boyd Lumber
company at Riehburg. There was one
bid of exactly the same amount, but
for 100 men instead of 175.
The best contract other than this
one was that made witli the Hand
Lumber company at Bay Minette, some
days ago, for $43, up to that time the
most remunerative ever made, it was
for 100 men.
There is a bad shortage of labor
with the lumber mills at this time,
caused by the farming people rushing
back to the farms for the spring plant
ing.
* VICTIMS ’ACCOUNTED FOR.
Bodies of Eleven Dead are Taken from
Explosion-Wrecked Miue-
The bodies of eleven dead have
been recovered from the Whipple mine
near Charleston, W. Va., where an ex
plosion of gas occurred late Wednes
day, and this was thought to be the
full extent of the fatalities.
The number of injured is five. The
mine was very slightly damaged, and
tho cause of the explosion is yet un
known.
COLD LEAD FOR HOME-WRECKER.
Husband Returned Unexpectedly and Found
Doctor in Wife’s Room.
Dr. Wayne McCoy, physician at
South Point, Ohio, was shot and in
stantly killed Thursday night by Cap
tain John Davis of the Portsmouth
ferryboat. Captain Davis had return
ed unexpectedly at midnight and found
Dr. McCoy in his wife’s room.
Hamburg is said to have a fire rec
ord larger than that of any other city
in the world.
There would be no more races to
mony is concluded.
ZONE OF WAR j
TAKES A SHIFT
Mexico and Guatemala arc No*
Engaged in a Quarrel.
OUTLOOK IS OMINOUS
Trouble Brought About by Guatemala'*
Refusal to Honor Mexico’s Requi
sition for Alleged Assassin.
The strained relations between;
Mexico and Guatemala arising from
the failuro of the latter to surrender*
under extradition proceedings for trial
in Mexico, General Lima, charged with;
complicity in the assassination ofj
President Barrillas, is a matter of se-t
rious concern to the officials iu Wash
ington. They are sincerely desirous of,
the maintenance of peace in all of;
the three American republics, pending
the meeting and conclusion of the soc- ;
oud Hague conference, otherwise thoj
presentation of ceraim subjects to tho;
conference by the United States would
tose much of its force.
With this m view the state depart-l
iuent lias gone to unusual lengtns in'
its efforts to tormuuue tfie war be
tween Nicaragua and Honduras
prevent its spread to otlie-r Ceutral■)
American countries, and also to guard
against further troubles in the tu- 1
Lure by providing lor a permanent i
peace commission to meet in In lcara- j
gua. The details of this last arrange- j
ment, particularly as to time and |
place, are expected to be disclosed in
the treaty of Amalapa, when the text j
of that, recently negotiated convention
reaches Washington.
Hence the officials view with appre
hension the increasing friction be
tween Mexico and Guatemala and
there are frequent conferences at the
state department, tho last being Thurs
day between Secretary Root, Assistant
Secretary Bacon and Ambassador
Creel of Mexico, in tho pursuit of a
common purpose to avoid a fresh out
break of war. As the situation stands
now, it may be stated on authority
that the Mexican government does not
believe it will be necessaiy to go to
the length of actual hostilities. It
does feel that it has a right to de
mand of Guatemala the surrender of
fugitives who have committed tho
greatest of crimes bn Mexican soil. It
Is feared that tfie demand for Jose
Lima will ultimately bo refused by
Guatemala, if for no other reason than
because Lima ir, regarded as the right
hand man of President Cabrera, in
whose interest he in charged with
having connived at tfie as assiuation
of Barrillas.
But in that event war might not fol
low according to this authority. The
Mexican troops (hat have mobilized
on the Guatemalan frontier to the
number of ton thousand would be re
tained there and diplomatic relations
of tlie two countries would bo termi
nated, but there would be no declara
tion of war and no hostile acts on the
part of Mexico so long as there was
no fresh provocation by Guatemala.
Such a situation would be unpleas
ant, but not Intolerable and might b
terminated In one or two ways, either
by the breaking out of a revolution di
rectly against Cabrera’s government
or by the decision of the latter to
yield to the Jdexlcan demand for Li
ma’s extradition. The Guatemalans as
sert. tHat a very active junta exists In
Mexico with the object of financing
and starting a revolution in Guatemala
against the existing government and It
Is pointed out that Central Barrlllas
was. assassinated because he wan the
head of that junta. Natural 1 ” • the
strained relations between Mexico ,
Guatemala, resulting from a termina
tion of all diplomatic interchanges,
It might be supposed that the Mexican
government would not be particularly
diligent and earnest in Its efforts to
curb the activity of this junta in the
matter of getting arms arm men
r-ross the border iuto Guatemala;
hence the belief that an active revolu
tion may bo expected.
STATUE OF GENERAL M’CLELLAN
Unveiled with Appropriate Ceremony at
Wasniugton-Rooseveit Speaks.
With civic and military ceremonies,
and in the presence of a distinguiau
ed audience the historic equestrian
statue iu bronze of General George
B. McClellan erected under the aus
pices of the Army of the I‘o omac,
was unveiled at Washington Thursday.
President Roosevelt mads the princi
pal speech.
Romance is a sort of maiden name
| that Is lost when the marriage cere-