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BUTTS COUNTY PROGRESS.
VOLUME 27
INJUNCTION PROCEEDINGS FILED
Against Central Georgia Power Company
Case May be Settled Out of Court. Will be Heard
in Macon Before Judge Felton.
A suit attacking the Central
Georgia Power Company on both
constitutional and private
grounds has just been filed in
the superior court here, and the
date has been set for the hear
ing by Judge Felton. The suit,
if won, and if a permanent in
junction is granted, may have
the effect to stop all work upon
the big dam that is being built
across the river at Lloyd’s shoals
and would entail the loss of at
least a million dollars.
The suit against the Central
Georgia Power Company is
brought by Elizabeth C. Nolan,
et. al. The first paragraph sets
forth that she is the owner of
142 acres of land that are located
just north of the dam. The land
in question lies in Newton, Butts
and Jasper counties and part of
i,t lies between the Yellow, the
Mhcovy and Ocmulgee rivers.
Some time ago officers of the
Central Georgia Power Company
served papers upon Elizabeth
Nolan which set forth that the
property in question had been
condemned under powers grant
ed to the company by the supe
rior court of Bibb county. The
petition points out that the com
pany had tried to purchase the
land but no satisfactory price
had ever been offered in return
for the tract. The next thing to
happen was the presentation of
the notice showing that the com
pany had condemned the proper
ty because it wishsd to make use
• of the land.
A direct answer is made by
the Nolans to this procedure, and
the authority of the company to
act in such a way is disputed.
Through their attorneys, Messrs.
Dorsey, Brewster & Howell, of
Atlanta, the petitioners set forth
that the Central Georgia Power
Company has no authority to
condemn the land under the
power of eminent domain, and
£he superior court has no right
to grant a charter to a private
corporation that will allow the
corporation the right to exercise
the right of eminent domain.
The location of the Nolan prop
erty is just north of the place
where the new big dam is be
ginning to stop the rush of the
waters of the Ocmulgee river.
Within a year’s time the large
expanse of territory north of the
dam will be converted into a wide
sheet of water. The Nolans say
their property will be covered
with this water and for this rea
son they have appealed to the
superior court with a request for
a temporary injunction.
Judge Felton read over the pe
tition Saturday afternoon last
and after making a careful study
of the same he set the third Mon
day in April as a date for a hear
ing.
The petitioners ask the court
to enjoin the Central Georgia
Power Company from proceeding
with the work on the dam until
this hearing can be held, but
Judge Felton declined- to grant
this point. He had that portion
of the prayer stricken from the
proposed order and then affixed
his name to the paper.
If the work upon the dam were
to be stopped short at present as
the Nolans asked to be done con
siderable expense would be occa
sioned and the work would nec
essarily be delayed. Over 350
persons are working at the dam
and a night shift is always on
duty. Another large gang is at
work clearing away the rubbish
and underbrush in the large
stretch of bottom land above the
dam. In this sink the basin will
be found after the dam has been
completed.
The attorneys for the Central
Georgia Power Company may
take up with the Nolans the
causes for a complaint and
it is possible that an adjustment
can be reached before the date
set for the trial. Nothing is said
in the petition as to the value of
the land in question but it does
say that the parties in the case
had been unable to agree upon
terms. It was then that the land
was ordered condemned by the
company. —Macon News.
BURGLAR GETS IN HIS WORK.
Pepperton Visited by Burglars
Last Monday Night.
A burglar entered the house
of Mr. J. L. Barney at Pepper
ton Monday night and took about
$25 in cash, a watch and a pistol
belonging to Mr. Barney. The
burglar is supposed to have en
tered the house about 3 o’clock
in the morning. The party or
parties entered the house through
one of the rear windows.
The money was in a box in a
trunk. This was taken outside
and broken open and left in the
road. Mr. Barney was able to
track the burglar as far as the
road where all traces were lost.
The matter was reported to
the authorities, who are at work
on the case. It is said there is
no clue as to identity of the per
son committing the offense Sev
eral pieces of the money consist
ed of rare coins and curios and
in this way it is thought that the
burglar can be taken in custody,
should he attempt to pass the
money in or around Jackson.
It is believed that the work
was done by one acquainted with
the surroundings and with the
fact that Mr. Barney had the
money in his possession.
Two other houses at Pepper
ton were entered by burglars the
same night.
Bad roads cost a great deal
more than good roads.
JACKSON, GEORGIA, FRIDAY, MARCH 26, 1909.
LODGF OF KNIGHTS OF
PYTHIAS INSTITUTED
KNIGHTS FROM JACKSON ATOND
New Lodge at McDonough _has
Large Membership. Banquet
was Enjoyed.
McDonough lodge No. 253
Knights of Pythias was institu
ted at McDonough Thursday
night by Acting Deputy Grand
Chancellor W. H. Mallett assisted
by the officers of Jackson lodge
No. 131. The new lodge has a
membership of about forty and
was instituted under the most
favorable conditions
About thirty members of the
Jackson lodge went up to Mc-
Donough to take in the ceremo
nies. Many members of the or
der from this section were in at
tendance upon the exercises.
Grand Chancellor of Knights of
Pythias in Georgia John P. Ross
of Macon was among the prom
visitors present.
After the business session a
banquet was enjoyed by those
present. This proved one of the
most pleasant features of a de
lightful occasion.
The following officers were
elected and installed:
E. M. Smith, C. C; J. G. Smith,
V. C; E. M. Copeland, Prelate;
T. A. Sloan. M. W; H. J. Turner,
M. Ex; E.D. Tolleson, K. R. & S;
D. T. Carmichael, M. A; J. E.
Hooten, I. G; H. G. Hightower,
0. G; E. M. Smith, representa
tive to grand lodge; J. M. Car
michael, T. J; Brown and R. L.
Johnson, trustees.
WILL BLAKE DROWNED
AT THE POWER PLANT
NEGRO FALLS OFF THE TRESTLE
Into Surging Waters and is Swept
Away. The Body has not Been
Recovered.
Will Blake, colored, was drown
ed in the Ocmulgee river at the
power plant of the Central Geor
gia Power Company Saturday
night. It is reported that he
was walking across the trestle
and fell off into the surging wa
ters and was instantly swept
away. Just how the accident
happened no one seems to know.
Some say he might have been
murdered and thrown into the
river or may have accidentally
fallen off the trestle.
The body has not been recov
ered, though efforts have been
made to bring the lifeless form
to the surface. At the point
where the body disappeared the
water is very swift and ,it may
have been swept down the river
several hundred yards by the
current. The river was dragged
in an effort to find the body, but
this attempt has proved unsuc
cessful.
But little is known of the af
fair even by those at the power
plant. It was some time after
dark when the negro was report
ed to have disappeared. What
happened prior to that time and
after seems veiled in mystery.
GOOD ROADS IN BUTTS COUNTY
Little Has Been Done in Hundred Vears
To Improve Highways Says Correspondent. Dis
cusses Cotton Situation.
Editor Progress —In last weeks
issue of your paper in the column
headed “Stroller” the statement
is made that there yet remains
unsold six thousand bales of cot
ton out of fourteen thousand
bales grown in Butts county last
year. Now, Mr. Editor, this was
no doubt an unintentional mis
statement but anyone who is at
all familiar with conditions in our
county knows that this can not
be true and we doubt if any such
proportion of the last year's cot
ton crop is still owned by the
producers in any county in the
cotton belt. We happen to know
that there is not much cotton in
Butts county all told and what
proportion belongs to the farmers
there is no way of telling defi
nitely but we venture the asser
tion that there is not over fifteen
hundred bales, or about one-tenth
of the 1908 crop, still owned by
the farmers of Butts county.
The receipts show there has
been received at the ports since
September Ist., about eight and
half million bales and added to
this the stock held at interior
points show that only a small pro
portion of last year’s crop still
remains unsold or in the hands
of the producers.
They could very logically reason
that if one half the crop is yet
unsold that amount added to the
nine or ten millions that has been
sold would make something like
eighteen million bales for last
year’s crop which would, of
course, be very misleading.
We wish to commend your ef
forts, Mr. Editor, in giving us
a wide-awake, progressive paper
and your efforts in the up-build
ing of Jackson and our entire
county but Jackson and Butts
county’s prosperity must rest at
last upon the prosperity of those
who actually till the soil.
We wish it were true that the
farmers still owned one-half of
last year’s crop and we long to
see the time come and feel sure
it is coming when the farmer
will hold his cotton off the mar
ket until the manufacturer actu
ally needs it and is anxious to pay;
enough for it to pay the farmer
a price that will give the man and
his family who toil practically
the whole year in making this
valuable staple a profit something
like that now enjoyed by the
manufacturer. And we know of
no better way for the farmer to
hasten that day than to keep out
of debt and make his' farm self
sustaining.
And again, Mr. Editor, do we
wish to commend your noble ef
forts to educate our people to re
alize the importance of better
roads. No other one thing we
can think of will advance the
prosperity of our noble county
like first-class roads.
| In the community where I live
’ are roads which my grandfather
helped to blaze through the wil
derness nearly a hundred years
ago and it is with feelings of re
gret and almost shame when I
ride over these roads and realize
that in spite of our advances and
progress along so many other
lines that these roads for all prac
tical purposes are no better than
they were when they were first
marked across the hills and val
leys from one early settler’s hut
to another. Now, shall wo go
along in the same old ruts liter
ally and figuratively another cen
tury? We hope not.
Yours for progress all along
the line and especially for some
plan to give us better roads.
S. *K. Smith
Flovilla, Ga., March 15th., 1908.
TEACHERS HOLD MEETING
A Number of Good Papers Were
Read and Discussed. Dr.
Mays Made Talk.
An interesting meeting of the
Butts County Teachers’ Institute
was held here on Saturday, a
large number of the members
being present in spite of the un
favorable weather conditions.
Several good papers were read
and discussed. The program was
a very interesting one and the
session one of the most enthusi
astic yet held.
Mr. T. P. Atkinson of the Flo
villa school made a good talk on
“The Proper Forms of Punish
ment,’’while Miss Bessie Wal
drop of the Jackson school read
a most excellent paper on “Sto
ry Telling.” “Long Division”
was the subject of discussion, a
number of teachrs taking part.
Dr. R. W. Mays was present
and made a very interesting talk
to the teachers, interspersing
sound advice and humor in his re
marks.
The next meeting will be held
on the third Saturday in April.
Will Have Recital.
Miss Exie Ham will give a
piano recital at the school au
ditorium in about a month. An
interesting program is being ar
ranged for the occasion which
will be one of the most enjoyable
of the season.
Miss Ham, who is the pupil of
Mrs. Lillian B. Worley of the de
partment of music In the city
schools and a teacher of exper
ience and skill, is a talented mu
sician and her friends are ex
pecting great things of her.
She will doubtless continue her
studies in music in some of the
well known conservatories or un
der a teacher of her choice, next
year.
There will be other numbers on
the program but Miss Ham will
play the leading role in the reci
tal.
NUMBER 12