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About Schley County news. (Ellaville, Ga.) 1889-1939 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 14, 1897)
I TAKEN FROM HER HUSBAND AND BRUTALLY TREATED. ELEVEN OF THE GANG ARRESTED. Shocking Crime Committed On the High way In Kentucky--Pen alty is Death. All -day Thursday the jail at New port, Ky., across the river from Cin cinnati, was surrounded by a mob. Wednesday night Thomas Gler.son, a lineman living in Covington, rushed *nto the Newport police station shout ing that his wife had been abducted. Three months ago Gleason married Bertha Raridon, aged eighteen. They had started Wednesday evening for Alexandria pike, back of Newport, to visit a friend. A little later four men rushed up. One man pointed a pisto^ at Gleason and ordered him to return to Newport, while the others dragged the woman to a hillside where eight other men joined them and the victim was repeatedly assaulted. She man aged to reach the Keller residence,not far away. Gleason had been turned loose and threatened with death if he returned. Eleven suspects were arrested and one by one identified by Mrs. Gleason* The men are: Harry and Matt Minor, Harry and Richard Busckmiller, Johu Dudoffi, Hubert Mittler, Ed Hending, William Schorle, John Shannon, Geo. Greer and William Duranll. Thursday morning crowds began to assemble about the jail. By 2 o’clock 2,000 men had assembled. Gleason, the victim’s husband, was called for by the crowd, desiring him to lead them, but the police kept him away. Jttdge Helm had a special jury im panelled. The offense in Kentucky has the penalty of death. The crowd was informed the men would be tried at once, but this bad no effect. A special train was ordered on the Ches apeake and Ohio railroad and at 3 o’clock two furniture cars backed up and the eleven prisoners ■were hustled to the depot. The crowd followed shoutiug, “Lynch them!” and at the depot 3,000 people gather ed. The crowd became more and more demonstrative, but the train thundered up. The prisoners were hurried aboard and the start was made without any violence. They were taken to the Maysville jail. Eli route to Maysville “Dad” Minor said he would confess everything. He said seven of the prisoners were inno cent and the rest guilty and that seve ral of the guilty ones had not been ar rested. It developed that Covington and Newport people devised a well laid plan to lynch the eleven men, and that, they would have carried it out had not the prisoners been removed. Official advices received by wire from Maysville, Ky., are that ten identified men arrived there safely, and were securely jailed. The sheriff t»f Campbell county, with deputies and several Newport policemen, are at Maysville. BRANX IN MORE TROUBLE. This Time the Editor Is Assaulted and Badly Beaten. W. C. Braun, editor of The Icono clast, at Waco, Texas, is again in trouble as a result of his scurrilous publication reflecting on Baylor uni versity. Wednesday afternoon lie was attacked and publicly beaten by Judge J. B. Scarborough, George Scarbvi rough and R. H. Hamilton. Braun was assaulted in the Provident build ing by the three men and the fight continued for half a block on the street, until The Iconoclast editor fell bleeding upon the ground. Braun’s assailants were arrested. Judge Scarborough is a trustee of Baylor university and has a daughter in the university. He says Braun’s recent attack in his paper on the uni versity is the whole cause of the trouble. Young Scarborough and Hamilton ai’e students at the institu tion and say that Braun’s attack was beyond endurance. FIRE LOSS WAS HEAVY. Careful Estimates Place the Figures In Detroit Blaze At *040,000. A special dispatch from Detroit, Mich., says: Careful estimates of the losses caused by Thursday morning’s great fire place the total figures at $640,000, with $535,000 insurance. Most of the burned structures will be rebuilt. Newspaper Man Honored. The president has appointed W. W. Ashby, of Norfolk, Va., to be United States consul at Colon. Mr. Ashby is Washington correspondent of the Nor folk Landmark. bank OFFICERS in trouble. President, C»' .hi«r and n Director Churg '^lih Embezzlement. A special f r om Asheville, N. C., says: “Wiliam E. Breeze, president; W. H. Phenland, cashier, and J. C. H ickinson, a director of the defunct First National bank, of Asheville, were arrested Thursday morning on indictments from the United States court, in session at Greenesboro, charging them with embezzlement and conspiracy. “Thirteen thousand dollars hail was required in each case, which was given. “They have all been under $5,000 bonds since July 31st for violating the national banking act. Since then Na tional Bank Examiner Maxey has been in Asheville and has made some start ling discoveries. t i One of these discoveries is alleged to be Ike fact that $250,000 of ‘accom modation notes’ signed by insolvent persons and filled out by the officials, and some forged papers are in the bank. Some of the insolvent notes had been rediscounted in other banks. “C. B. Leonard, the man who is supposed to have secured the npte signers, comprising janitors, street car motorinen, plasterers, carpenters and others of no financial standing, lias fled to Mexico.” SENORA CISNEROS ESCAPES. Was In Spanish .Tull Charged With Con spirucy—Had Outside Help. Advices from Havana state that the beautiful young Cuban patriot, Senora Cisneros, heroine of the sensational adventure with the Spanish governor of the Isle of Pines, has escaped from the Casa de Recogdas (house of scrap ings), where she # had been confined for several months on a charge of con spiracy against the crown of Spain and of an attempt upon the life of Governor Bertz, governor of the Isle of Piues. According to the statements of the jailers or attendants, she made her es cape some time Wednesday night. At Thursday morning’s roll call she was missing and when search was made for her the attendants found one of the iron bars of the room in which she Lad been confined had been filed and bent outward. The bar could not have been moved except by a great outlay of strength, and all the circumstances go to prove the co-operation of outsiders in her escape. The authorities have not yet secured any clew as to the whereabouts of Se norita Evangeliua. Several of the employes of the estab lishment have been arrested. LESSEES STOOD FIRM. The Georgia Convict Law Failed In This Test Against The Lessees. The county authorities of Worth county, Ga., struck a snag when they undertook to remove twenty-seven misdemeanor convicts from the two 1 rivate camps of Tatum and Greer brothers. Sheriff H. T. Story went to the camps armed with au order from county Judge J. J.McDowell, authoriz ing the removal of the convicts to the county jail, but he departed without the prisoners. Greer brothers refused to release the men, and so did Tatum when the sheriff went to that camp. The reason given was that they had paid the fines of the men, thus complying with the sen tences, and that this ended the rela tions of the prisoners v’ith the court and the sheriff. The point seemed to be weH taken, and though a fortnight has elapsed, the county authorities have made no further effort to take the convicts to jail. DROUGHT DAMAGES COTTON. Five Stales Beport the Result of Dry Season as Very Serious. Reports from all sections of Tennes see, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana indicate a state of af fairs as tbe result of tbe long continued want of rain that is generally serious and in several particulars deplorable. The drought has been general through out these states. The protracted drought has injured cotton materially, destroying all hopes of a top crop and causing the plant to open piematurely. Reports tell of the irish potato crop being a total failure. The fall plant ing, it is estimated, will not produce the seed potatoes that were planted. The sweet potato crop has been simi larly affected, but not so generally as the irish potatoes. QUARANTINES GALVESTON. Several Places In Texas Enforce Hernia tions Against That City. Several places in Texas have quar antined against Galveston because of the report that yellow fever exists there. Beaumont the county board of health quarantined against both Galveston and Houston, and all communication is cut off between Beaumout and those cities. Rigid quarantine lias been re-estab lished in Bryau and that county against the gulf city. The Marshal board of health has quarantined against Gal veston, Houston, Beaumont and San Antonio. SCHLEY COUNTY NEWS. THROUGH GEORGIA. Judge Newman, at Atlanta, has reu dered a decree in the case of the Ma rietta and Norrth Georgia railroad sustaining the claim of Messrs. Hoke Smith and John T. Glenn for $8,800 fees and the claim of Messrs. King – Spalding for $5,000 as preferred leins upon the amount duo upon the bonds held by the Penu Mutual bondholders’ committee. * * * Columbus citizens will make an ef fort to have the Central railroad shops, recently burned at Mac on, rebuilt at Columbus. They will offer one hun dred acres of land and other induce ments, but Macon people are not afraid of the shops being removed. Work has already been commenced clearing away the rubbish to begin work on the new shops. * * * Old man Taylor Pelk, now under sentence of death for the murder of Sheriff Gwynn, speaks with hope of the order of Judge Marcus Beck which granted him a change of venue from Pike to Henry county. For the first time Bince his arrest the old man now believes that he will be given a fair trial. He ha3 been tried three times iu a few months for the murder of Pike county’s sheriff and each time was convicted and sentenced to die. * * * Brunswick citizens have called a meeting to form a Glynn county good government club to oppose the pres ent administration of count}- and local affairs. Its general object will be to better the political situation in Glynn. Efforts will be made to secure a change in legislation whereby Glynn’s jury commissioners shall be elected by the votes of each militia district, such dis tricts to have one representative each on the board. The first instance of a new colony capturing a county organization in one of the old thirteen states will be wit nessed if the county site of Irwin should be removed to Fitzgerald. When first the new colonists began to pour into Irwin county the older citi zens looked on with wonder and were amazed to see the work which a couple of years might work. But greater still was their wonder when these new comers, by a year’s residence, became voters, and asked for the influence which always goes to the majority. This has reached its culmination in the present struggle for the removal of the county site from Irwinville to Fitzgerald. * * * Sheriff L. O. Wright, of Newton county, has offered a reward of $25 for the arrest’and detention of Russell R. Black, a well known young man of Newton county. Advertisements tel ling of the reward have been printed in different papers, together with a picture of the young man, who is de scribed as being twenty-two years old, five feet aud eleven inches high and weighing 145 pounds, with dark com plexion and hair, blue eyes and prom inent front teeth. Along with this reward for Black there is no intima tion of what the crime he charged with is, though from the tone of the circular it seems he is badly wanted. * * * Governor Atkinson has given to the press advance proofs of that portion of his annual message which treats of the penitentiary problem. It is a well considered and elaborate discussion, covering five newspaper columns, and w r ill rank among the strongest of his state papers. His recommendation is for a gradual transfer of convicts from hire to work on public account, to tbe end that the transition may not be burdensome to the taxpayers, but be insists on absolute control of prison ers by the state through its own offi cers, guards and physicians, tbe state only selling the labor of convicts, and for a period not longer than five years. * * * In nearly every county in Georgia tlie county commissioners have by this time fixed the local tax rate, and the returns filed bv tbe tax collectors with Comptroller General Wright show a variation in figures that is remarka ble. The county tax rate varies from $2 on $1,000, in some counties to $35 in others, and the difference tells a story of public improvements which is interesting to the entire state. The average rate is higher this year than formerly, but the counties have a good deal to show as the result of the in crease. New courthouses and new jails have been built, and tbe roads and bridges of the state put in proper repair. * * * The fight for the county seat of De Kalb county threatens to become a battle of affidavits. Tbe supporters of Stone Mountain are gathering many affidavits from people all over the county, saying the petitions that have been circulated for Decatur are in a great number of instances being fraud ulently signed. As tbe time approaches for tbe legislature to meet they are get ting more affidavits, and when the time comes for the general assembly to act, there will be many of them. They will cover a large scope. They will not touch only on the petitions, but on other proof which the people of Deca tur are advancing to show that the courthouse should remain in their town. DISCUSSES GHOSTS, THOUGH HE DOESN’T BELIEVE IN THEM. SOME REMARKABLE EXPERIENCES. Former Schoolmate Kccltea a Story—Wil liam Is Acquainted With a Modern “Old Mortality/' 4 » Old Mortality” was one of Walter Scott’s most interesting characters. This long-bearded, venerable man spent all tlie latter years of his life in going about from cemetery to cemetery in reckriseling and remnrkiag the marble slabs that covered the graves of the dead. Not only that, but lie clean ed them of the mould and stain and set them up square and level and did it out of respect for his dead kindred and friends. Nearly fifty years ago I visited Laurel Hill, the beautiful home of the dead of Philadelphia, and the first thing that greeted me at the en trance was a brown-stone statue of Old Mortality working on a weather beaten marble slab. A little dried up, spectacled old gentleman with a pea jacket on and the big pockets filled with chisels and mallets and brushes and old rags. Maybe be is there yet. I don’t know, but I thought of him the other day as I was wandering through the silent city of the dead in Myrtle Hill at Rome, Ga. It has been about forty years since I helped to lay off that cemetery, aud people have been moving there ever since and a good motto to place over the gate would ’be “For men may come aud men may go, but I go on forever.” An old time friend was ivith me, and I can’t- help but think of him as “Old Mortality,” for he has been nursing and cherishing that graveyard for over thirty years and has made it a place of beauty and a joy forever. He lias long since made reputation as au able law yer aud a learned judge, but I know that he never took as much interests or real pleasure in anything as in beautify ing and adorning that lovely and ro mantic place. He has spent hundreds of dollars there out ofjhis own pocket. His own lot, with its Italian marble monument to the memory of his wife, is a marvel of exquisite beauty. I saw where he bad righted up and placed a new’ foundation under the monument of the wife of a far distant friend, Within the last year or two he has been to Macon and reformed and re newed the monuments that mark his parents graves. He has been to Eaton ton and worked on those of bis broth ers and sisters who died in the long ago, and has placed tombstones over the graves of his grand parents, He talked to me feelingly about some ne glected graves of our friends who sleep in the old graveyard at Rome that nobody cares for and is well nigh abandoned. . t When I get through with them,” he said, “I shall feel sat isfied and take a rest from this busi ness and endeavor to be ready for my own funeral.” If be is not Old Mor tality now he will be if lie liveR long YVell, I like that. We all like it; that is to say, all kind-hearted, re flective people. Some people are afraid of a graveyard, especially young people, who have a horror of death, but it is a foolish fear aud wears off as we get older. When I was a youth at a country school there was a braggart sort of a boy named Baldwin who said he wasn’t afraid of -ghosts. Jim Lin ton bet him a dollar that he wouldn’t go down to thei rocky field that night and cut a sassafras bush that was near an old grave and bring it to tlie house. The money was put up. Just about dark Jim slipped around and hid be hind a rock pile that was near the bushes that had grown around the grave. When Baldwin got there and was about to cut the sassafras Linton said solemnly in a deep bass voice, i i Beware! that’s my grave,” and Bald win ran homo with Jim after him aud like to have fainted at the door. When I was the little mill boy aud bad to pass a country graveyard on tlie way and happened to be late in get ting my grist from the miller it was a strain on my youthful courage to go slow by the sacred mysterious place. But go fast you can’t on an old sway back mare with a bag of meal under you. For three or four years I was mi tho lookout for a ghost in the twi light, but I never saw one and I reckon it helped me later on, for my wife lived near the village graveyard and when I was courting her and kneeling at her shrine I had to pass near it every night or two and it was a test of my love and my devotion, for neither rain nor darkness intimi dated me, which proves that i love is stronger than fear. Some moonlight nights when I was a little premature I have walked inside of that time-honor - ed place and sat upon the tombstones and perused the epitaphs and the epltnffy for it is a redeeming trait in orn- humanity to speak well of the dead, especially upon their tombs. I don’t believe in visible ghosts, but some strange things have happened since the Witch of Endor called up the ghost of Samuel. One night in Florida a number of us were gi vj onr experience when my old,. u ‘ n friend, McKay, took his turn ei8 too old to prevaricate or ftvn He „ ate. traveled in Europe wife and educated his children \i ^ and for eight years lived in “* r e the cities lt a ] 7 J . Q ' among the Medit m 'un staying sometimes several months ■’ one place. On arriving at Dresden U sought for pleasant house > e a to l ent found one on a hill in the suh,.v|" U(1 large, the olden massive, time. rock-built He mansion ’ ) and his wife daughter were pleased With the room! piac and rented two rooms. The were high a*l>out and large and had a heavy cornice four feet below the ceil ing. On this cornice and just over tbe mantel was a portrait of a man. p was an old oil painting and the ive frame was fastened to a hook in the ceiling. There was a piano in the front room and a set of fine old-fash ioned furniture. The landlady was a sad featured old woman. The first night of their domicile Mr. McK ay and his wife and daughter sat up quite late and the piano was tried aud found to be in perfect order. When they retired the lamp was shaded and left dimly burning. About midnight there was a racket up about that por trait and'it was seen to break loose from the ceiling and turn over edge ways along the cornice to the coiner of tho room aud then came down with a crash. Why gravity didn’t make it fall down by the mantel was the mys tery. Next morning the servant came and removed the portrait. Next night after they had retired a heavy screen that was between the bed and the window galloped around to the foot of the bed and fell with a crash. The landlady came in the morning and re moved it and said but little m expla nation. Slie seemed troubled. The next night Miss McKay, who was gifted in music, played till quite late and after she had closed the piano ana joined in the conversation with her parents there was an awful crash in the piano behind them. It sounded like everything had been violently broken by blows from heavy bludgeons and the blows were several times repeated and with crushing force. For some minutes Mr. McKay and his wife and daughter looked and won dered and said nothing. Then he got up aud approached the piano and in spected it closely. Then he ventured to open it and found every string and every key in order. The next night about midnight there was a pitiful vail of a child crying in the room. Tlie lamp was turned up and a search for the child was made. Sometimes it was in one corner, then in another, then up on tbe cornice and then out in the hall and away oft', but its cry was distressing, as though in great anguish. The landlady was rung for and came and when asked about the child said there was no child iu the house, nor did her neighbor have any children. “Madam, did you ever hear the crying of a child in this room be fore?” She said she had, but it was a long time ago, and be learned from her that during the war with Napoleon the inmates of the house were all murdered for harboring some traitors. The man w hose portrait fell and his wife and son and a little child. She thought that maybe the haunts had left the house by this time or she would not have rented it. “Now,” said my friend, “this all happened just as I tell you aud my little wife will say to you that I have not exaggerated it. ” We looked at the little woman and she said “it w as just that way. ” Of course they moved the next day. Do I believe it? Yes, I believe Mr. and Mrs. McKay; more than that my mind is not satisfied.— Bill Arp, Atlanta Constitution. BIG STRIKE IN LONDON, Drought About by Struggle of Engineers Against Employers. Advices from London state that the secretary of the Federated trades, comprising thirty important industries, announces that the executive commit tee lias definitely decided to call out all its members in sympathy with the struggle of the engineers against their employers. It is estimated that a total of 400,000 men will be out ot work on account of the dispute. ORDER RESCINDED And Nashville Hus No Quarantine I’ e * strictlons Now. The Tennessee state board of health has removed the restrictions against yellow fever districts and relying established up on the inspection service on tbe railroads, issued the following order: board “That tbe former order of this requiring the maintenance of surveil lance over refugees be and the same is hereby rescinded.” COUNCIL STOOD FIRM. Original Package Dealers Make l nsuf eessful Fight In Greenville. S. C. Greenville, S. C., original packag* men made an unsuccessful attempt t° get the council to revoke the ordinal taxing their business, that fli< The ground of appeal interstate^ was (, on^ liquor is protected by !aXli !” merce law and the ordinance them and not taxing dispensaries discriminative and out of power to enforce.
