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FORTY-FOURTH YEAR.—NO. 96
RAIL UNIONS ORDER STRIKE BALLOT
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NEW PROPOSAL
TO USE SHOALS
PLANT RECEIVED
Would Let U- S. Retain Title,
But Convey Power Conti act
For 25 Years
WASHINGTON, April 22.—(8y
Associated Press.)— Proposals for the
use of power developed by govern
ment built projects at Muscle Shoals
for manufacture of aluminum and
fertilizers, with the government re
taining ownership of the projects, al
though not spending any more money
on them were presented today to
war department officials by R. R.
Grant, of Wilmington, De., president
of the American Non-Ferrous Corpor
ation and of the Aluminum Wheel
Company of America.
The plans of Grant, said by him to
be tentative, contemplate an offer
which will enable the government to
retain ownership, but which would
allow the Non-Ferrous Corporation a
contract for 25 years. During such a
period, under the proposal, a sinking
fund would pay off the cost of the
project at the rate of five per cent
y< arly, with five years allowed at the
outside for completion of the proper
ties.
O’NEAL SPEAKER AT
MACON FORD MEET
MACON, Aprii f>;>,—Former Gov
was the principal speaker at the
statewide mass meeting here today
in .support of Tenry Ford’s offer for
the Muscle Shoals projects. Hun
dreds of visitors are here from all
parts of Georgia and nearby Alabama.
PLEASANT GROVE SCHOOL
TO GIVE PROGRAM AURIL 25
The Pleasant Grove consolidated
schools will give an interesting and
entertaining program at the school
building on Tuesday evening, April
25, at 8 o'clock. The program fol
lows:
Song, “Dear Old Schcool We Love
So Well.”
, Song, “Vacation.”
“The March of the Pinks.”
“That Water Millyon.” Operetta.
“My Fortune.” Dialogue.
“Kentucky Belle,’’ play by the high
school.
“My Old Kentucky Home,” Panto
mine.
“Axing Her Father.” Dialogue by
two boys and three girls.
All patrons and friends of the
school are requested to be present,
and by their presence encourage the
pupils.
LEVEE BREAKS, FLOODING
LAND NEAR NEW ORLEANS
NEW April 22.—The
levee on the west bank of the Mis
sissippi at Myrtle Grove, thirty miles
south of here, broke today, neighbor
ing plantations being covered by
flood waters. About sixty feet of the
embankment washed away.
FORD BUTTONS SOON TO
BE WORN IN GEORGIA
ATLANTA, April 22.—“1 want
Ford to get Muscle Shoals” is the in
scription on round celluloid buttons
that women are distributing in Ten
nessee and which will soon be seen
everywhere in Georgia. Business
leaders here are practically unanim
ous in endorsing the Ford offer and
the campaign under way in the inter
est of the Detroit manufacturer has
assumed large proportions.
IST BAPTIST TO
OPEN REVIVAL
Dr. J. M. Haymore, of Decatur,
To Do Preaching Beginning
April 30
A series of evangelistic services
will open in the First Baptist church
April 30, Dr. Carl W. Minor, the pas
tor, announced today. Dr. J- M-
Haymore, pastor of the First Bap
tist church of Decatur, a suburb of
Atlanta, will do the preaching.
Dr. Haymore has been with the
Decatur church only five months and
has made a remarkable record there,
having added 219 members to the
church in that time, and having had
89 accessions in the last two weeks.
He is a powerful preacher in the
evangelistic sense, it is said, and
great I things are expected of him
in Americus.
CAPT. R. N. WESTBROOK,
ALBANY EX-CHIEF, DIES
ALBANY, April 22.—Capt. R. N.
Westbrook, former chief of police
here, died at his Broad street home
Thursday night, following a long ill
ness. Funeral services were held at
St. Paul’s Episcopal church Saturday
afternoon. Capt. Westbrook was
once one of the leading figures in
South Georgia, and during the more
than thirty years he was at the head
of the police department here was a
leader in local politics, being accused
by some of being the political czar
of the community. He retired volun
tarily several years ago and lived in
retirement afterwards, being a man
of considerable means. He leaves
two sons, Cruger Westbrook, of Al
bany; and Parker Westbrook, of Wil
mington, N. C. His only grandchild
is Richard Tift, a student at the Uni
versity of Georgia, and a son of. Capt.
Westbrook's only daughter, who died
some time ago.
CORDELE MINISTER
TO GO TO ALABAMA
CORDELE, April 22. At the
close of the Macon Presbytery ses
sions in Macon Rev. H. L. Benn this
week asked for a transfer certifi
cate permitting him to go to the
Tuscaloosa Presbytery in Alabama,
and he plans to leave the Cordele
Presbyterian church for a new charge
in Uniontown, Ala. The local con
gregation is working to retain him,
but his plans call for taking up the
new charge May 1.
THE TIMESHRECORDER
lgg| PUBLISHED IN DIX,E~|Wi
CITY MANAGER
OF COLUMBUS IS
WAYLAID IN DARK
Three Men Attack Him With
Blackjack In Dark But He
Escapes
dOLUUMBUS, April 22.—An at
tack was made upon H. Gordon Hin
kle, city manager of Columbus, at
8:30 o’clock last night by three un
identified men, one of whom struck
him on the head with a black jack,
and whom he eluded only by run
ning at top speed. He was not se
riously injured. 4
The attack, which has stirred the
people of Columbus, follows that
Mr. Hinkle says have been recent
threats received by him to run him
out of town. The attack occurred
on First avenue above Twelfth
street. He had juts left his car in
a nearby garage and was walking to
his hotel. The street is shaded there
and the street was rather dark. He
saw three men get out of a Ford car
as he was walking along and they
approached him. One of them hit
him over the head but did not knock
him down. Realizing that he was
unable to defend himself against
three, Mr. Hinkle started to run, and
one of them pursued him a short dis
tance, then abandoned the chase.
Mr. Hinkle came here the first of
the year from Pennsylvania as the
l ist city manager under the change
of system of government to the com
mission form. The change followed a
bitter fight and many of the old crowd
still resent it. The attack on Mr.
Hinkle is laid to this feeling.
It is said the next municipal elec
tion will see another determined fight
over the commission-manager form of
government. j. Jgj
RURAL SCHOOL PUPILS
OFERED ESSAY PRIZES
ATLANTA, April 22. Ror the
best essays written by rural school
pupils of Georgia on the subject,
“How Can the Cities and Rural Dis
tricts of Georgia Co-operate for Their
Mutual Advantage?” the Atlanta
Chamber of Commerce is offering
S2OO in four prizes, it was announc
ed here by B. S. Barker, secretary of
the chamber.
School children of the grammar
grades from the fifth to the tenth,
who live in rural sections or in com
munities of legs than 5,000 popula
4ion, are eligible. The papers must
be in the office of the secretary not
later than June 5. They will be
judged by a committee of Atlanta
business men. First prize will be
$100; second, S6O; third, $25, and
fourth sls.
Profs. John Prance, J. E. Owen,
W. H. Hatfield and Miss Martha Kerr
of the A. & M. college, are in Colum
bus attending the State Educational
meeting. They were expected home
toda y s
AMERICUS. GEORGIA, SATURDAY AFTERNOON. APRIL 22. 1922.
COURT HOUSE
FIRE LAID TO
LAWBREAKERS
*
Accused ‘Bad Actors’ Suspected
—All Indictments And Re
cords Os Court Burned
LUMPKIN, April 22.—That the
Stewart county court house, which
was completely destroyed by fire ear
ly Friday morning, was set afire by
some one interested in the destruc
tion of court records is the belief of
practically every citizen here. How
ever, no definite charges have been
made.
Superior court had been in session
all week, and the grand jury had re
turned a number of indictments, sev
eral of them against notorious liquor
violators. Ofrtjje entire batch of new
and old indictments only about eight
had been disposed of, and the entire
lot, with all court records, dockets,
etc., which were in the court room
where the clerk and other officers
had been at work, were completely
destroyed. All judgments and other
orders of the court passed during the
week also were lost.
The list of the accused contained
some “bad actors” from the vicinity
of Seale and other sections outlying
from Lumpkin. One notorious moon
shiner who was indicted is said to
operate a still which is protected by
charges of dynamite planted in the
ground on all sides of it like ground
mines in the war, which can be fired
in case of a raid by the pressing of
an electric button. He is said to op
erate on a large scale and ship his
product to Columbus, Macon and
other large consuming centers.
The fire in the court house is as
certained to have started near the
clock tower in the upper part of the
structure, above the court room. The
electric current is cut off each night
at 11 o clock, :u defective wiring is
not blamed, the fire coming at 4 a. m.
There was no fire in the court house
stoves in the afternoon, and several
who were in the court room told of
touching the stove late in the after
noon leaving the court house and find
ing it cold.
Public opinion is pretty well cen
tered in its suspicions, but because of
lack of evidence, no arrests can be
forecast.
RESERVE STATEMENT
SHOWS STABILITY
ATLANTA, April’ 22.—Continued
soundness in basic economic condi
tions is reflected in the report of
the Atlanta Federal Reserve bank as
of April 19, showing p total gold re
serve of $123,293,349.39 or a ratio
oi total reserves to deposit and fed
eral reserve note liability combined
of 76.7 against 77.9 a week ago. The
combined report of all reserve banks
hows a ratio of 77.3 against 77.7 a
week ago, the decrease in percentage
being negligible.
'I he figures show the same healthy
conditions of the Sixth reserve dis
trict and the country at large as was
indicated in the previous report of
the banks and again give concrete
evidence that the individual partic
ularly in the country districts, is able
to get along without borrowing.
The heavy gold reserve in the
hands of the federal banks means
that there is plenty of money for
legitimate enterprises and that banks
throughout the nation are in a sound
position financially.
The slight change i;i the compara
tive ratio of the reserves indicate a
more even and balanced situation in
the economic world and better than
anything else gives evidence of the
determination of the small borrower
to get along with bare necessities
while he looks to next season’s crops
to take care of him in the future.
2 INDICTED FOR THOMAS
NEGRO TAXI MURDER
THOMASVILLE, April 22.—Two
Thomas county white men, Dave Cone
and Frank Heisler, have been indict
ed for murder in a joint charge and
for assault with intent to murder in
separate indictments. These charges
grew out of the murder of g negro
taxicab driver, who was killed and
his companion wounded by two white
wen, who hired the care in Thomas
ville three weeks ago. These cases
are expected to come up for trial
next week. Three other white men
held in connection with the affair are
expected to be detained as material
witnesses. Ail have made written
statements and all appeared before
the grand jury.
AMERICUS SPOT COTTON
Good Middling 17c.
NFW YORK FUTURES
(American Exchange.)
May July Oct.
I’rev. Close 17 91 17.58 17.58
[Ovn 17.67 17.57 17.54
[10:36 am 17.82 17.64 17.65
111.00 17.83 17.63 17.65
[11:30 17.88 17.66 17.67
[Close 17.85 17.67 17.68
■ x- .-4. J
Muscogee Grand Jury
Still Out of Jail; Gives
Recommendations
Tense Situation At Columbus As Judge Monro Re
fuses to Accept Presentments Commenting
On Court or Permit Them To Be Read
COl UMBUS, April 22. situa
tion between Superior Judge George
P Monro and the Muscogua county
grard jury over the presentments of
the grand jury which are believed
to have criticized the couir ami which
Judge Monro refused to receive or
permit to be made nubli; hud sub
sided today following the publica
tion a local paper this me i rang of a
statement from the grand jury which
set forth the main recommendations
contained 411 thp presentments. The
statement contained not a word of
criticism of any court, and Judge
Monro has made no report upon it
for publication. A statement from
Jiim during the day is said to be pos
sible.
What caused th.e breach between
the grand jury and the court is not
known positively, but it believed that
the grand jury ought to comment on
the handling of liquor cases ih this
county. The statement of the grand
jury as published stated that a rec
ommendation of chain gang senten
ces for liquor violators had been
made and that a separate court for
Muscogee county outside of the city
of Columbus also had been recom
mended. It also said it had recom
mended more diligent pursuit of
bootleggers by officers and stern
handling of pistol toters. It also rec
ommended abolition of the fee sys
tem.
After being discharged yesterday
by Judge Monro the grand jurors
met outside the courthouse and de
cided to publish their statement. It
was expected they would publish that
portion of their presentments which
Judge Monro had forbidden and [
thereby place themselves in contempt
of court. In view of the expressed 1
determination of the court in a talk
to the grand jurors when he sent
them back to their room for delib
eration after refusing to accept their
report it was expected that the whole ]
grand jury would find itself ordered j
-to jail today after the publication of j
the objectionable matter. Inasmuch j
as this did not appear, however, no
such a contingency arose.
Judge’s Veiled Threat.
The feeling of Judge Monro was
expressed to the grand jury in the
following language as he sent them
back to their room:
“Your body shall not intrude upon
my prerogatives and the respect a id
dignity of my court. You shall let
me perform my duty as I s<>? it and
you shall perform jours undi 1 the
laws as I give th? -i ■> you as jurors.
I am calm and ’1 >terr:f.<••!, but deter
mined, gentlemen. If the worst
comes you will have brought it upon
yourselves. You may go to your
room, gentlemen.”
The grand jury was in their room
perhaps 20 minutes. Upon return
ing to the court room, the judge ask
ed the foreman If the body was ready
to make report,whereupon Mt. Dud
ley proceeded. “If your honor
please, after due and deliberate con
sideration and careful investigation
and in view of existing conditions,
we feel disposed to co-operate with
the court in every way we can and
we have prepared a presentment and
would like to read it in open court,
whereupon the judge’s reply was “no
I sir” and leaving the bench he call
[ed W. H. Dismukes presentments
! chairman, into the conference room;
a few minutes later the other jurors
were called in and Judge Monroe ap
peared somewhat agitated as did
some of the jiirors. It was evident
that his request to expunge had not
been comlpied wiljh. A couple of
minutes elapsed and Judge Monro
entered the consultation room with
the jurors as referred to in the be
ginning of this report.
Court In Disorder.
At this juncture the court was
thrown somewhat into disqquiet, most
everybody apparently feeling privil
eged to stand and talk at will. Thom
ss H. Shanks, as president of the lo
cal bar association, mounted the ros
trum, called attention to the fact that
court was in session and at his'sug
' gestion that there be order, quiet was
1 somewhat restored.
1 Nearly every lawyer in the city
and some 200 business and profes
sional men were present when Judge
Monro convened court.
The judge re charged the jury, ex
plaining his position in regard to the
presentments and( then the grand
jury retired. Subsequently Judge
Munroe held a conference of some
length with the grand jurors in their
room. The net result was that the
grand jury refused to strike from the
presentments that section to which
PRICE FIVE CENTS.
the judge took exception. The pudge’s
position was that it was not within
the jurisdiction of the grand jury to
tell how the court should be run.
Judge Munro refused to accept the
presentments when the grand jury
declined to alter them and began
signing an order. Many thought that
it was an order committing the grand
jury to jail for contempt of court, as
it had been reported that the entire
grand jury probably would be sent
"to jail for contempt. The document
however, was simply an order dis
charging the jury and the late jurors
and the crowd of citizens informal
ly left the court room.
“The grand jury was dishonorably
discharged” was the street expres
sion in commenting on the action of
the court.
In re-charging the jury Judge
Munro dwelt at some length on the
duties of grand juries and the pow
ers and limitations of grand jurors.
Ditcretion Without Limit.
He said in part:
“Your discretion is without limit
and 1 would not dare interfere with
a grand juror in the discharge of
his duty. I would not interefere or
attempt to dictate to you, gentle
men, as to your discretion. The
discretion of the judge is the most
important prerogative he has to ex
ercise under the oat he takes and no
one has a right to interfere with
that discretion.”
He read from the code definition
of misdemeanor punishment for
crime in defining the duties of the
jurors and in his own words defined
discretion as “freedom to act one’s
own judgment.”
He asked, “Have you a right to
question the wisdom of my judg
ment, my discretion? Shouldn’t I
be allowed to do my duty as I see
it. 1 am addressing you now and
here, gentlemen, as a citizen. As
the lawgiver, i instruct you that a
juror has no right to make any sug
gestion or to attempt to dictate as’
to my discretion. Haven’t my acts
from this bench demonstrated that J
have used my discretion with disdom,
without bias as in large measure
without error.
“We cannot afford to permit our
jurors and courts to put their ears
to tile ground and listen to the vox
populi. it is not one of your duties,
it is not requqired of you to inter
fere with my discretion. As the law
giver I am the Moses and you must
take the law as I give it to you.
“I ask no quarters, there is enough
power and dynamite ■in me to control
my courts upon a dignified plane and
I will,” he declared as he proceeded
to give instances of the rapidity and
dispatch with which he has conducted
the courts over the circuit, the speed
of which he likened in one of his
characteristic remarks to that of
‘greased lightning.’ He maintained
that he had disposed of twice as much
business within the same length of
time as some of the preceding courts.
“I am master of the situation in
the running of my court and you as
grand jurors have no right to defy
the authority of this court,” he de
clared. Continuing, he asked, “why
all this heralding and trumpeting
through the newspapers?” As he
read the law with reference to the
secrecy to which grand jurors arc
sworn. “Why did all these things get
out when you took the oath to se
crecy?”
Judge Munro made it clear that he
had no criticism for the press, but
maintained they have certain rights
and pirvileges to criticize, also that
speakers had a right to criticise the
courts hut that jurors are nto so
“unbridled.”
JUDGE MUNRO WELL
KNOWN IN AMERICUS.
Judge Munroe is very well known
in Americus. His home was in Buena
Vista prior to his elevation to the
bench, and he was formerly a fre
quent visitor here as a member of
the bar and as trustee of the Third
District agricultural school from Ma
rion county. He now makes his home
at Columbus.
FILLING STATION FIRE
RESULTS IN 5 DEATHS
LOS ANGELES, April 22.—Five
death- were reported early today in
hospitals at Downey and Artesia, near
: here as a result of an explosion of
a gasoline tank and tank wagon while
scores were fighting a fire in a gaso
line filling station at Downey. Five
others were seriously burned and are
[reported in a critica Icondition.
STATE
1
TAKING OF VOTE
BY 6000,000 MEN
OTTER MOVE’
Railway Employes’ Department
Os A. F, of L. See Effort
To Crush. Organization
CHICAGO, April 22.—Grievaa..cs
centering about the contract system
employed by some railroads in handl
ing repair work has resulted in a vole
for the distribution of strike ballots
to 600,000 members of the railway
employes’ department of the Ameri
can Federation of Labor.
Authorization for the strike ballot;!
was voted yesterday at a convention
of the department here.
Officers declared it was a counter
move to “an effort to crush our or
ganization completely.”
SEABOARDMEN
TO HAVE TEAM
Squad Os 18 At Prictice—-Hope
To Play Ball On irst Thurs
day Holiday
The Seaoard railroad employes in
Americus—shopmen, trainmen and
yardmen—are organizing a baseball
team and the indications are that
they will give Americus fans many
exhibitions of the national pastime
on the home grounds throughout the
summer. Under the leadership of G.
A. Boatwright, Harry Crawford and
Ben Seigler a squad of about 18 men
has begun practice work, and from
this squad the most promising men
men will be picked to compose the
team. All have had baseball experi
ence and some them have played
considerable semi-professional and
city league baseball, there, being more
than a sufficient number of those to
constitute a team.
The squad began practice work
early this week and on the second
day out won a practice game with
the Aggie team 11-4. They are work
ing out both at the Playground and
at the Aggie field. They hope to
be able to begin playing with visit
ing teams by the end ol the coming
week or the middle of the following'
week, and are planning on a game
here on the first Thursday afternqon
in May, the opening of the half-holi
day season. It is their plan to sched
ule about two games a week, prac
tically all of them at home. M. E.
Purvis is business manager for the
team.
Among the members of the squad
who have reported for practice are
G. A. Boatwright, formerly a Ten
nille player; Harry Crawford, E. L.
Gilstrap, D. R. Wright and Ben Seig
ler, formerly of the Savannah city
league; Chas. Ford, formerly of Mc-
Rae team; H. O. Coleman, who play
ed in Cordele; C. R. Chipman, once
of the Columbus city league; C. W.
Ferguson, who has played in the
North and Chas. Bostwick, Carey
Harden and Harry Smith, who h:iv»
had baseball experience on Ameri
cus teams. >
PUBLIC ASKED TO HELP
DISABLED NEGRO WOMAN
The attention of the Times-Rc
corder has been called to the piti
able condition of a worthy negro wo
man of this community who stands
in need of immediate assistance. The
woman, afflicted with cancer, is in
bed at her home, with only two small
children, 7 and 9, to attend her needs.
She has recently recovered from an
attack of influenza, and is greatly
debilitated.
Foods and other necessities have
been contributed by one of the
churches, but the crying need at this
time is for sheets, pillow cases and
bedding.
Mrs. George Oliver will receive
any contributions that may be giv
en, and see that they are taken im
mediately into the home of need. This
is a worthy case, according to Mrs.
Oliver, one who has not asked chari
ty generally, having been attended
by a few sympathizers, but the ne
cessity has arisen to appeal for pub
lic assistance,
CURB MARKET SUPPORT
BY WOMEN DROPS OFF
Patronage of the curb market
rather smaller than usual today, ths
housewives apparently neglecting to
come out and buy. Many farm wag
ons were on hand with good supplies
of fresh vegetables of many kinds,but
the demand was net up to expecta
tions. As a matter of public inter
est, the housewives are asked by the
leaders fostering the market not to
forget the days Wednesday and
Saturday - and not neglect to give
it their patronage regularly.