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BUTTS COUNTY PROGRESS VOLUME 33. WOULD PLACE TREASURER ON A STRAIGHT SALARY Grand Jury Makes A Number of Interesting Recommendations Suggest That Court House Square Be Improved, That Committee Examine County’s Financial Standing, That A White Janitor Be Employed at The Court House, That Farm Demonstrator Be Retained And Vacancies in Offices Are Filled—All County Of ficers Are Warmly Complimented by The Jury We, the grand jury, empaneled for this term of court after com pleting our duties as per our oath, take pleasure in submitting as the result of our labors and de liberations the following general presentments: Criminals We have endeavored conscien tiously underour oaths to examine impartially and deliberately into each case brought to our attention for investigation, and have ren dered our verdict in accordance with the evidence in the case, without favor or malice to any one. No case brought before us has escaped our attention and there is very little—if any —un- finished business on the docket. Reports Every committee appointed to look into the various matters of the county have performed their duties to the best of their ability and from these reports—hereto attached—we beg leave to make the following recommendations: First, we believe that we have the best interest of the whole county at heart, and that being true, our first recommendation would be that our recommenda tions be carried out and not for gotten lie till resurrected or re peated by our successors, which is so often the case. Bublic Buildings This committee reports that they find the court house and jail in good condition and make the following recommendations: Court House That the porches on the east and west side be tiled. That an awning be placed over the vault window in Ordinary’s office and that curtains or screens be placed over the shelving of the records for protection from dust and air, also- repairs in the cage, and that the annex to the Ordinary’s of fice be made a ladies toilet, as at present there is no adequate ac commodation for lady employees or visitors in the court house. We find that the bailiff is making a storage room of the Tax Collec tor’s office and we recommend that same be discontinued. We urge upon the Commissioner of Roads that he take the road force and break and grade the court house square. We find the jail in good sani tary condition, with 15 colored and 1 white prisoners. Recom mend that the well in jail yard be filled with dirt We feel that we cannot be too lavish ii our praise nor too sin cere in our thanks to the good la dies of the Civic League, whose beautifying touches are conspic ouusiy present all about the court house. We think that the entire county is due them a rousing vote of thanks. Clerk and Ordinary’s Office The committee to examine these offices report that they found both offices neatly and cor rectly kept and desire especially to commend the officers for their accuracy and system and for the clear and legible hand in which their records are written up. Every record and all matters per taining to these offices appear to be kept jam up.' Tax Receiver & Tax Collector We, your committee appointed to examine these two offices, find same to be kept neatly and ac cording to law. Collector’s re port attached herewith. The books of the County Com missioner were examined and found to be neatly and correctly kept. Numbers and vochers cor respond with all warrants issued. Also his report was rendered and herewith attached. The J. P. and N. P. books were all before us, examined and found kept according to law. Al so the books in the Sheriff’s of fice were found to be correct and neatly kept. Convict Camp We find the convict camp in a sanitary condition and the fol lowing property on hand, besides 12 misdemeanor convicts and 16 felonies, total convicts 28: Property 19 mules and harness for same. 3 mule piachines and 5 wheel scrapes. 3 dump wagons, 5 two-horse wagons. 8 drag scrapes, 3 six-horse plows. 1 four-horse plow, 1 gas engine. 3 heavy road machines, 1 scar ifier. 6 heavy dump wagons, 2 steel cars. 1 wooden car, 2 cars for guards. 1 dining car, 4 tents, 1 carload of timothy hay, 9 barrels cylin der oil. 2 barrels axle grease. 30 bunks with springs, 7 head of hogs av erage 100 lbs. each. Pauper Farm At this home we find 6 inmates, all colored. The following prop erty: 2 mules, 3 cows, 2 calves, 3 shoats, 4 pigs, 150 bushels of corn. 1,500 bundles fodder, H tons hay. 35 gallons syrup, 45 (Continued on page 6) JACKSON, GEORGIA, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 1915. NEW FOREST SCHOOL FOUNDED Will Be Located in Greene County PROF.AKERMAN AT HEAD New School Will Be Open ed in The Summer And Will Have Broad Field of Service And Usefulness Announcement that Prof. Al fred Akerman, for eight years head of the School of Forestry in the University of Georgia, will establish a forest school near Greensboro, Greene county, will be of wide interest throughout the South. Mr. Akerman is par ticularly well known in Butts county through The Progress which he owned for several years. Prof. Akerman is a graduate of the University of Georgia, the Yale Forest School and has stud ied in Germany. He is the au thor of several text books on for estry and is perhaps the best in formed student on this important subject in the South. He for merly worked for the federal government in the forest service and had charge of the Biltmore forest reserve. Previous to that time he was state forester of Massachusetts, wAich position he resigned to teach in the State University at Athens. He is a native Georgian, having been born at Cartersville, and is a member of the well known Aker man family., The study of forestry is a very important one. Georgia formerly had some of the finest timber in the world but the supply has been rapidy depleted in the past few years. Much of it was wasted through fires and otherwise. The shortage of first class building material will be a serious one in the near future. It is to correct these abuses and to conserve the timber supply of the state that Mr. Akerman proposes to estab lish a school of forestry, which will be made as practical as pos sible. In the preliminary announce ment Prof. Akerman says: ‘ ‘lt has been one of my cher ished amibitions to serve my na tive State by promoting the study and practice of forestry. > With this end in view we are planning to found a school of forestry with the Shamrock tract as its head quarters, and we hope to be in a position to open the school next summer. The plan is to make the instruction intensely practi cal by setting the students to work on the problems of making the timbered parts of this tract productive. The course is to be broadened by trips to the hard wood region of North Georgia and to South Georgia where the longleaf pine and turpentine in dustry can be studied. “The plan to carry the school into the woods is the product of several years of experience. Six years ago, when teaching fores try at the State College of Agri culture, I asked that summer terms be added to the course. These terms were spent either in camp in the woods or the stu- NEW SEAL WILL BE MADE FOR GEORGIA Atlanta, Ga.. Feb. 25.—Gov ernor John M. Slaton is looking for a Georgia artist who can en grave the new seal of the state and do it justice, and bids for the work with proof of qualifica tions probably will soon be asked. The old silver seal has been in use 116 years and is worn smooth. The governor and secretary of state have found the funds to pay for anew one. which should last three times as long as its prede cessor, which was almost worn out 100 years ago in sealing the thousand of land warrants so plentiful in those days. The seal is but seldom used now. “I’d like to see it made by a Georgia artist,” said the govern or. “And I have no doubt there are many engravers in the state amply qualified to handle the work.” CRIMINAL CASES UP THIS WEEK A Number of Important Matters For Court GRAND JUrTTHROUGH Murder, Burglary And Mis demeanor Charges Will Keep Court Grinding Nearly Whole Week Facing a large number of crim inal matters, the second week of Butts superior court began here Monday and will be in session the greater of the week. Several of the cases are of considerable im portance and will be followed with keen interest. * At the beginning of the week there were a good many prison ers in jail. The grand jury has returned quite a number of in dictments at this term and these cases will be ready for a hearing. Among the important cases to be heard during the week are those of Bonesie Brownlee, mur der, and Toomas Aiken, burglary. Aiken has been tried twice be fore and was given anew trial each time. He has been in jail for many months. The grand jury finished its de liberations Tuesday afternoon and after returning the general presentments into court was dis missed for the term by Judge Daniel. dents were placed with some lum berman and required to make a study of and write a report on his operations. The benefits de rived from bringing the students into contact with problems in the woods was so marked that I continued to require either a camping period or a first-hand investigation of some lumbering operation as long as I remained in connection with that institu tion. The new school will carry this idea further, affording the student better opportunities to accustom himself to study, work, and live in the woods.” SUDDEN WAS MR. THORNTON’S DEATH Stricken With Fatal Illness Saturday Night WAS ESTEEMED CITIZEN Funeral Was Held Monday Morning at Macedonia Church-He Was Sixty- Seven Years ot Age Coming almost without warn ing, the death of Mr. R. A. Thornton at his home in this city Saturday night was a great shock to his family and a large circle of friends. In the afternoon he planned to accompany Mrs. S. E. Jones, his daughter, home for a visit but complained of not feel ing well and did not make the trip. About 8 o’clock Saturday night he was taken critically ill and expired before medical aid could be summoned. Death was due to paralysis of the heart. Mr. Thornton was one of the best known and most highly es teemed citizens in the county. He numbered his friends by the thousands and many expressions of sorrow were received at his passing. Though it was known his health was failing, the fami ly and friends were not prepared for the tragic ending of his last illness. Born February 13, 1846 at Hal ifax, Pennsylvania county, Vir ginia, Mr. Thornton was 67 years old his last birthday. He had been a resident of Butts county for many years and was well and favorably known throughout the county. His honesty and inte grity was appreciated by all who knew him. He served in the civil war as a member of Cos. G. Third Georgia regiment. Mr. Thornton was a member of the Baptist church and belonged to a large and prominent family of this county. The surviving relatives are three daughters, Mrs. J. T. Wil liamson, Mrs. S. E. Jones, Miss Estelle Thornton; three sons, Messrs. James Thornton, of Jas per county, Chas. H. and D. M. Thornton; five brothers, Messrs. C. H. and G. W. Thornton, of Butts county, Walter Thornton, Sparta, James and Joe Thornton, Tallapoosa; five sisters, Mrs. C. W. Buchanan and Miss B. Thorn ton, Jackson, Mrs. J. 0. Beau champ, Harlem, Mrs. S. E. An drews, Atlanta, and Mrs. J. E. Lane, Charlottesville, Va. The funeral was held at Mace donia church at 11 o'clock Mon day morning and was attended by a large number of relatives and friends. Rev. Olin King conducted the services and paid Mr. Thornton a beautiful tribute. Civil Business Was Completed Friday The following cases, in addi tion to those already reported, were tried before the adjourn ment of court Friday night; J. H. Holloway vs Butts coun ty, mistrial. L. A. Maddox vs N. C. Wil liamson, verdict for plaintiff. Buttrill Bros, vs F. Z. Curry, mistrial. David Rothchilds & Cos. vs J. Arenson & Cos., mistrial. NUMBER 9.