Newspaper Page Text
THE
VOL. V.
TRIBUNE.
CLAYTON. RABUN COUNTY. GA?. THURSDAY. JULY 31. 1902.
NO. 28.
BIGGERS AWARDED
ACQUITTAL VERDICT
Declared “Not Guilty” of
Simpson’s Murder.
JURY WAS OUT TWENTY HOURS
Damaging Statements Concern*
ing Female Relatives of the
Led to Mailman’s Death.
Willis R. Biggers, who wag tried for
his life before Judge Foster In the
criminal division of the Fulton supe
rior court at Atlanta, Ga., charged with
the murder of Mail Carrier William
Simpson, was declared not guilty by
the jury Wednesday afternoon at 3:45
o’clock.
» The jury was out twenty hours and
forty-five minutes and was charged
twice by the court. The first charge
was delivered at 6:30 o’clock Tuesday
‘evening and the jury was recharged at
3:35 o’clock Wednesday afternoon, the
members having requested the court
to give them again that part of the
charge relative to self-defense. Judge
Foster repeated his entire charge of
the previous day and the jury was out
only ten minutes before rendering a
verdict.
As soon as the verdict was read Big
gers was surrounded by a crowd of
friends, who showed their pleasure by
shaking his hands and patting him on
the back. He had a smile and a pleas
ant word for every one. After leaving
• the court room he held a levee In the
hall, where hundreds grasped his
hands, spoke to him or else were con
sent to stand by and witness the pro
ceedings.
The young man's wife, mother, moth
er-indaw and other members of the im
mediate family were all In tears and
apparently were besides themselves
with Joy over the acquittal. He re
mained at the court house for probably
an hour after the verdict was rendered,
and then, after visiting the jail for a
short while, went home, where a - fam
ily reunion was held.
Now that Biggers, who was the prin
cipal in the case, has been acquitted, It
is expected that the cast against H- I-
Sterne, the young man’s brother-in-law,
t who was indicted as an accessory with
jlK, will be nol prossed. Sterne, who
, consumptive. Is thought to be in a
ecarlous condition.
VBiggers, in his statement to the jury,
pleaded self-defense. He said - that
31m pto I fired the first shot and that
he kllledr-the mail carrier In order to
save; bit own life. He asserted that
Simpson hatjf- circulated damaging re
ports concerning several female mem
bers of the BJjjgers family and that he
had gone to meet the man to request
him to cease making any more such
statements., He: said th. mail carrier
v.i had grossly insulted his wife and his
nother-ln-law and that when he called
n on several occasions to remoa-
iwlth him Simpson met him at
Joor with a pistol and challenged
do anything*.,
trial "of the case attracted a
amount of interest, the court
being crowded dally. -
Fanagement nut affected.
Death of Mackajr Makes Vo Change in
Cable Company Affairs.
A London dispatch says: George C.
, the vice president and general
ger of the Commercial Cable
any, was asked Wednesday by a
entative of the Associated Press
ct the death of John W. Mack-
ild have upon the business of the
ty. He replied:
i not know who will succeed Mr.
T as president. ’That Is entirely
ands of the board of directors,
however, that there will
of policy: The progress
i company? and particularly Mr.
y’a plans, will be faithfully car-
The contracts for the Pa-
able have been lot, and the, enter-
'will proceed precisely as though
aefcay’s death had not occurr-
“HARMONY” TALKS
Made to New England Democrats
by nessrs. Bryan, Shepard
and Carmack at Boston.
Nearly 4,000 democrats gathered at
Nantasket, Mass., Thursday and parti-'
cipated In the "harmony” meeting ar
ranged by the New England Democrat
lc League, the new political organisa
tion which is expected to develop its
strength in the fall campaign. Mayor
P. A. Collins, of Boston, was “moder
ator,” as ho expressed it, and pre
sented In order Edward M. Shepard, of
New York; Senator Edward W. Car
mack, of Tennessee, and William J.
Bryan, of Nebraska, who expounded
and discussed the issues .of this cam
paign to marked satisfacton of the au
dience.
Colonel W. A. Gaston and Charles
S. Hamlin, rival candidates for the
democratic gubernatorial nomination
in Massachusetts, were both present,
while Lewis Nixon, of New York, and
Congressmen Wilson, of that state, and
John R. Thayer, of Massachusetts,
were conspicuous amon#jthe guests.
The weather of the morning was
cloudy and threatening, but at noon
the sun appeared, and as a result the
afternoon boats to the beach were
crowded.
Hon. Henry F. Hollis, secretary of
the league, who was the active spirit
in arranging the meeting, marshaled
his forces at the boat, leaving for Nan
tasket shortly after 11 o'clock, the par
ty including all the organization's
guests. It took an hour to make the
run down the harbor, and on arrival
the party was escorted to the Rock
land house, where a meeting of tho
league was held. •
A reception by Mr. Bryan, Mr. Shep
ard and Mr. Carmack followed, anl
then, at 1:16 o’clock, three hundred
members of the league sat down to a
banquet In the great dining room of
the hotel. Among those at the dinner
was Miss Ruth Bryan, who is accom
panying her father on tl)ls trip. At the
conclusion of the dinner, the crowd
repaired to the mamnuMfe tent on the
lawn in front of the hotel. In a few
minutes every seat was taken, and
the canvas at the sides was removed
In order that hundreds who were una
ble to get in might see and hear.
Mayor Collins promptly introduced
Edward M. Shepard, of New York, as
the first speaker..
Senator Carmack followed, and for
nearly an hour and a half held the
attention of his hearers. His discus
sion of the trust issue brought forth
applause, which was repeated fre
quently during his argument on the
Philippine question.
The presentation of Mr. Bryan de
veloped great enthusiasm. Cheers
greeted' him as he stepped to the front
of the platform, and he was several
times interrupted by demonstrations of
approval.
Mr. Bryan left Thursday night for
Maine, accompanied by Senator Car
mack and Charles S. Hamlin.
Friday night they appeared at Rock
land. Early In the afternoon addresses
were made in Augusta, and later In the
afternoon they attended another meet
ing In Bangor.
BILL ARP’S LETTER
Bartow Philosopher Recalls Last
WordB of Great Men.
AS FOR HIMSELF HE “STILL LIVES.”
Last Remarks of Daniel Webster,
When on- His Death Bed, Im
presses William With
.Great Force.
GORE IN WAGON BODY.
Tracker’s Mysterious Disappearance
Baffles Atlanta Police
A bloody wagon-bed and a missing
man make up the features ofa mystery
which is engaging the attention of both
the Atlanta, Ga., city officials and Ful
ton county poliee, as well as a posse of
citizens who began searching the
woods' along the road between Hemp
hill, a town in the Adamsvllle district,
and Atlanta. '
The missing man is Felix Pitts, a
white man who was employed on the
farm of George Gloer, near Mableton.
Pitts left Gleer’s place Wednesday
morning with a load of produce. He
Is known to have arrived In Atlanta
and to have disposed of his stock. He
was last heard from on Peters street
about 2 o'clock.
It has been discovered that Pit
lected about >5 Wednesday an
disposed of his produce,
mated to have brought
making the total amour
his possession scare
“I still live,” * I was ruminating
about the'last words of great men, and
those of Daniel Webster always im
press me with peculiar force. On the
vgry confines of eternity, on the brink
of the everlasting change that he knew
was at hand, his great mind seemed to
be studying and waiting tat the mo
ment of his departure—waiting and
watching for ! the separation•" of the
soul from the body, and wondering
how he would pass the crisis. There
was no fear, no dread, as he calmly
whispered, “I still live,” and immedi
ately died. His body died, and what
was the next vision of his great soul
the world would like to knew, but it is
forbidden. I thought of all this not
long ago as I seemed to be drawfng
near the end and approached the con
fines of that undiscovered country
from whose bourne no traveled re
turns. I was seriqus and solemn with
expectation, byt ,Mps not alarmed, for
my'faith is that my Maker will take
care of me and of all others who love
Him and try to do right. All that trou
bled me was the separation from those
I love and their grief at my departure.
Two months la a long time to be a
child again without vital force enough
to walk alone. But I have passed the
crisis, and though weak and nervous
am on the up-grade, and can walk
about the garden and carry the little
grandchild in my arms and give him
flowers and feast on his smiles and
caresses.
Well, that is enough on that line.
You readers can find sermons and
prosy commentaries on sickness and
death on another page. “Carpe diem.”
Let us enjoy the day and be thankfut
thatVe still live. But to drop rever
ently from the sublime to the ridicu
lous, I recall that when I was young a
number of us were quoting the last
words of great men such as Seneca
and Plato and Calvin and Luther, and
one said: “Well, yop know what Dan
iel Webster said?” No, we did not re
member and he replied “Why, he
opened his great big eyes and looked
at his friends who were weeping
around him and whispered, ‘Boys,
don’t cry; l am not dead yet.’ ”
Forty-one years ago last Suhday the
battle of Manassas was fought. It was
the first battle of the civil war and
made a deeper Impression upon those
engaged in It than any other. Com
pared with the great battles that came
after It, it was almost insignificant, for
there were only four hundred nd seven
ty federals killed and three hundred
and seventeen confederates. The
federal account gives sixteen hun
dred of their army as missing.
That is tk mistake,. tor' J>y four
o'clock they were all missing. Our cav
alry couldn’t find them, though they
followed their trail of dlscarged guns
and haversacks for miles and miles.
There never was such a rout and such
a panic during tho war. We didn’t
have enough wagons next day to gath
er up the scattered munitions of war,
and it-took McDowell a month to call
In his army of twenty-seven thousand
men and reorganize. But In the long
run they got even with us and a little
ahead, and the Grand.. Army is stilt
bragging how four of them-whipped
ope of us In four years. That’s all
right. We are satisfied with our' rec
ord, and It grows brighter as the years
rollon. Anno domlnl will tell. The
other day my doctor said I must take
aUme exercise and be took his mother
and me up the river road for a few
miles to the ruins of the Cooper Iron
works. It was a wild, weird, ghootly
place on the' banks of the Etowah,
whe^e once were rolling mills and
foundry and, furnaces and flour mills
and tan yards and hundreds of cot
tages. where happy laborers aud me
chanics lived. But Sherman’s army
burned and destroyed everything, and
since then most of the crumbling walls
have fallen and the trees have grown
up in their midst and wild vines have
climbed the trees and nothing is visi
ble but ruins and the sad spectacle of
a cruel and bitter war. But this is one
burning that, according to the rules
and usages of war, was justified, for
these iron works were making cannon
Cream of News
“T
vs. |
Brief Summary of Most
Important Events
of Each Day.
—Harve Story, a life convict, e8 .
capes from Georgia state farm near
for the confederacy. It was the lone- j Milledgeville after being shot by guard
some chimneys of the poor all along | —Major MIcah Jenkins
his line of march that marked his bru
tality and proved his assertion that
“War is hell.”
But no more of this. While viewing
these ruins my memory went back to
the time when Joe Brown was gover
nor and ordered that 5,000 pikes be
made with a spear point and a side
blade curved downward like a reap
hook and a long handle In a socket, so
that our boys might take ’em coming
and goiug. If they didn’t run we were
discharges
Deputy Collector George Washington
Murray, the former pegro congressman
from South Carolina.
—Adjutant general representative of
Governor Aycock, of North Carolina
went to Wrightsvllle Thursday to re
view Georgia troops.
—Rev. I. Sykes, a Christian minis
ter, has been arrested in Texas on
charge of bigamy, it being claimed he
has six living wives.
to overtake ’em and and hook ’em ! —President Roosevelt was given
back. That’s what old man Lewis told
me, and he was the master mechanic
who made them, and he still lives near
here and Is in his 88th year. I saw
him today, and lie steps light and
springy. He is an Englishman. "Mr.
Lidwis,” said I, "why didn’t the Geor
gia boys use their pikes?” "Well, you
see,” said he, “the old army officers
who were drilling our boys at Big
Shanty looked at these pikes, and said
to the governor: ‘What will the ene
my be doing With their guns while our
boys are rushing on them with these
pikes? They will shoot our boys down
before they can get. to them,’ and they
madfe so much fun over the pikes that
they were refused. West Point
wouldn’t have anything that was not
made at West Point.” And so the fur
ther manufacture of pikes was stop
ped and those that were made are now
scattered all over the country as curio3
for museums. A sister of mine says
she saw one of them not long, ago in a
museum in Boston. But still I don’t
see why spears are any more out of
oi'der than bayonets when a desperate
charge Is to be made. “Charge bayo
nets!” is in the West Point tactics,
and why not “Charge pikes?” They are
an awful looking weapon, and If they
were coming at me and my gun was
to miss fire, I would drop it and run
like a turkey. I had rather be bored
with a bullet than stuck like a hog.
But It Is all over now, and we have
beaten our spears Into pruning hooks,
according to scripture, and will not
learn war any more, except when the
mulattoes and niggers refuse to give
up their lands to us. We want more
land for territory and more niggers for
subjects.
But I hear the dinner bell and must
go—not to partake of the feast, but to
say grace and preside and inhale the
savory odor of roast lamb and green
corn pudding and look at the peaches
and cream for dessert. They let m6
do that and give me nothing but soup-
and rice for my share. My tomatoes
are now in their prime, and It pleases
me to gather them In the early morn.
My largest weighed two pounds, lack
ing two ounces, and was a beauty. It
was working them In the hot sun and
then filling up with ice water that
laid me up.—Bill Arp, in Atlanta Con
stitution.
FATHER’S ADVICE FOLLOUKD.
Body of Ashley < ocke Burled Beside
Paternal Ancestor.
The body of Ashley Cocke, who was
hanged at Greenville, Miss., was buried
la Elmwood cemetery, Memphis,
Tenn., Wednesday, beside the remains
of his father. Captain W. G. Cocke.
The father died twenty years ago of
wounds received In a personal encoun
ter. On his d&ath ljed he'admonished
his sons to live like men, never to
brook Insult and die game.
LEMONADE Wa;* POISONED.
Tartaric Acid and Zinc Vessel Came
Undoing of i orty People.
Forty persons were poisoned at
Maryville, Tenn., Thursday by drink
ing lemonade which had been over
charged with .tartaric acid.
J. Warren' Carr, a merchant, dis
pensed the lemonade from a zinc ves
sel into which he had poured enough'
acid to charge fi|& gallons instead of
the two Which fbe vessel hold.
Carr’was tht> first victim taken slcft
add fee wiU ^-obablv.“die.
great ovation and sincere'welcome by
the people of New Jersey Thursday.
—Judge Jackson renders decision In
injunction cases against striking min
ers at Parkersburg, W. Va. One given
ninety days and five sixty days in Jail,
but “Mother” Jones escapes.
—Hon. W. J, Bryan, E. M. Shepard
and Senator E. W. Carmack spoke at
harmony banquet in Boston, Mass.,
Thursday.
—Syndicate, with Andrfew Carnegie
at its head, has been organized to pur
chase all cotton cpmpresses in the
south.
—J. Pierpont Morgan was the guest
of honor at a dinner, given in the house
of commons (London) Thursday. Pre
mier Balfour was present ajjd he and
Morgan proved hall fellows well met.
—Captain Strong'has arrlvddln Lon
don. He stoutly denies that he rob
bed May Yohe, and gays hey never
spent a dollar of her money.
—During a bitter debate In the house
of commons on the Irish question
Thursday, William O’Brien declared
that the Irish would aid any nation en
gaged In war vlth England.
—Jury In Biggers case, at Atlanta,
Ga., after being recharged by,the court,
returned a verdict acqulttfik# the de
fendant. ' ■
—Internal Revenue Agent D. A.
Gates sahmltB his annual report show
ing a decided decrease in illicit distill
ing for the past year In the states of
Georgia, Alabama and Florida.’
—Cemetery committee of Atlanta
city council Is called to investigate
rumors of mismanagement at j
cemetery,
—In a three-cornered flight
ton county, Ga., one man is kM
two dangerously woundetL>T* v W
—In Americus, Ga., Wednesday a
Negro shot-hie wife and dajMhter to
death. ; •
—Ohio capitalists will‘hire for oil
near Asheville, N. C., arid ftfelMsure of
success. i i.'.vrrJ :
—American financiers aaeniannlng
the establishment of a gregt;^interna
tional bank, with capital of tOoO.OOO.
—Three Americans held' up\ train
on the Mexican Central raftPcftft Wed
nesday and secured 153,006. MM?
—Riots in Paris and, other. French
cities continue be^^upe , tjje, ,-f govern
ment Is enforcing the law against re
ligious associations. H tiffin ft have
been arrested; 1 ’ " ”*
—Emperor'^iBlan# NaS.been Svarned
that he may be attpcked- M 6# visits
Posen, oviflng y> the blttiy ^hatred
which the Poles entertain for/* *
e Ger
mans.
—In the hohdei of ’ctdnfchsl'^ednes-
day John Redmond -made An attack on
Mr. Wynflham, ctylqf £0,<ffp^||PH/or Ire
land, and moved a reduction ot his ssl-
—Monument to WinUHtt tt T. Wal
ker Is unwind . at, <n the-
presence of J.000 ^Jij^t^peeta-
tors. Major J. B. Gumming and'Presi
dent Julius t: BiWit dinivejf^&otable
addresses. >vi*G 4.
ijoblf McGhee, on, tidal flit ( Floyd
county for murder, commits;u|fide la
jell at Rome. ' '
• ■ ‘ | hi! I sag
—Senator Bacon'spring; surprise la
Macon, Ga., street car deal In shape of
contract with- Metropolitan notopany.
•Boiay Bryant,
Marshal -Hyer
A teased
