Newspaper Page Text
The Fitzgerald Leader c
Vol. XV
Lamp Exploded And
House Is Burned
The residence of Mr. B.O. Cook
on east Altamaha street was de¬
stroyed by lire Friday night, last,
the conflagration originating with
the explosion of a kerosene lamp
which was overturned by a dog in
an upstairs room while all thefam-
ily were on the front porch, una¬
ware of the flames that were gain-
ing such alarming headway in an¬
other part of the house.
When discovered, the entire up¬
per story of the house was in
flames. The fire department an¬
swered the call promptly, but were
unable to save the Cook building,
the house and practically all the
furniture being a total loss. The
heroic work of the Department in
preventing the flames from spread¬
ing to adjoining houses was really
miraculous. The home of Mr. M.
E. Plopper was less than twenty
feet trom the burning building and
th tt it was not consumed is indeed
next to a miracle, and to save it
required skillful maneuvering on
the part of the fire department.
The loss is estimated at about
$2,000 or $2,500 with insurance of
$1,250 on building and furniture.
The house was the property of
Mr.Plopper, ancj the loss falls very
heavily on him.
HagersF aulk
One of the prettiest home wed¬
dings of the summer was that of
Miss Nellie Hager and Mr. John
H. Faulk, which was solemnized
Sunday evening, June 2flth at the
home of the bride’s parents, Mr.
and Mrs. Hager, 318 north Grant
street.
The ceremony was performed
by Rev. W. S. Harden, pastor of
the Presbyterian church, and was
witnessed only by the immediate
friends and relatives of the con¬
tracting parties.
The house was lavishly decorat¬
ed in white and green, palms and
cut flowers being used in profusion,
and in the dining room, where a
sumptuous repast was partaken of
after the ceremony, green and
" white from
streamers were drawn
the four corners of the table to the
chandeliers, which with the other
decorations combined to form a
most pleasing effect.
Among those who witnessed the
ceremony were Mr. and Mrs.
Chas. Brubaker, Miss Gladys
Brubaker, Mr. and Mrs. T. H.
Mr. and Mrs. Albertson,
Mrs. Alex Schmitz, Mr. FTank
Schmitz, Mr. Harry Beauchamp,
Miss Yernice Beauchamp, Mr.
Geo. L. Mills, Mrs. H. Chapel,
Miss Ella Chapel, Mrs. A. A.
Harvey, Miss Mattie Harvey, Miss
Hazel Shaw, and Mrs. BertMosher.
The bride is the lovely daughter
of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Hager,
and is a young woman of many
charming traits of character that
wins for her hosts of friends
wherever known. She has spent
practically all of her life in Fitz¬
gerald and is very popular with a
large circle of friends.
The groom was formerly a resi¬
dent of Fitzgerald but for the
past year has been situated at
Columbia, South Carolina, where
he holds an excellent position
with the Southern Railroad. He
is a young man of sterling worth
and ability.
Mr. and Mrs. F^aulk left Sunday
on the mid-night train for a trip
to Atlanta and Boston, Mass.,
after which they will be at home
in Columbia.
The Leader joins the many
friends of the young couple in ex¬
tending congratulations and wishes
them long andhappy married lives,
Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Georgia, Friday, July 1, 1910.
Bloodshed and Rioting Accompany
The Capture Of Desperado
Irwin County Is Shaken From Center To Circumference By Fierce Riotin°
Occasioned By W. H. BostwicK’s Resisting Arrest Last Saturday, Killing
Three Hen and Seriously Wounding Three Others
After resisting arrest and
ing at bay, two posses for thirty-
six hours during which time six
men were the victims of the deadly
aim of the desperate man, W. H.
Bostwick, a desperado, who had
barricaded himself and six children
in his house in the western part of
Irwin county, was shot to death
Monday morning by the Fitzger¬
ald and Albany malitia, who had
been ordered out the preceeding
night by Governor Brown.
The men who lost their lives in
the effort to arrest Bostwick are:
J. P. Mclnnis, sheriff of Irwin
county, Stephen Davis, chief of
police of Ocilla, and Tim Sheffield j
deputy sheriff of Irwin county.
Those wounded are: James Gill,
who will not recover, T. C. Bass,
deputy sheriff of Irwin county,
and Wyatt Tucker, sheriff-elect of
Irwin county.
The battle grew out of a family
feud of long standing, it being al¬
leged that Bostwick for years hod
not been on good terms with the
family of his wife, and some time
ago he shot his brother-in-law, C.
G. Fletcher, in the leg. Bostwick
was put under a peace bond, but
his bondsman became dissatisfied
and instructed the sheriff to arrest
him, as he wished .o be released
from the bond. Accordingly on
Saturday afternoon, June 25th,
deputy sheriff McGraw appeared
at the Bostwick home and stated
his mission.
It was then that Bostwick be¬
came desperate and procuring a
gun informed the officer that lie
would not submit to arrest, and
requested the deputy to state to
the sheriff that he would give bat¬
tle in the event that the author¬
ities endeavored to overpower him.
Bostwick is also alleged to have
told the deputy that he would give
himself up in several days but not
until one of his children who had
typhoid fever was improved.
The second move was made on
the house about three-thirty o’clock
Sunday afternoon, when Sheriff
Mclnnis, Deputy Bass, Chief of
Police Davis, and Sheriff-elect
Tucker approached the place,
hoping to be able to persuade
Bostwick to surrender himself, but
b e f ore an y words passed between
^} ierilj the man in the house opened
g re without warning, instantly
ki uj ng Davis an d wounding Tuck-
er and Bass. Realizing that he
was fighting against fearful odds,
Sheriff Mclnnis retreated from the
scene of battle and returned later
with reinforcements. Sheriff
Mclnnis is quoted as having stated
at this time that it was not advis-
able that they should make an at¬
tack on the barricaded house, as
they were entirely at the mercy of
the man on the inside, who by this
time had reached such a state of
desperation that he spared neither
f r [end nor foe, but that as an ofti-
cer 0 f the law he would not flinch
from his duty. This, the third
attack, was made by Sheriff Mcln¬
nis, Tim Sheffield, Wyatt Tucker
and Judge Jas. Clements, but be¬
fore the house could be reached,
Bostwick felled all of them except
the last named, Judge Clements,
dangerously wounding Tucker,
killing Sheffield and mortally
wounding Mclnnis. f
The entire county was
ly aroused by this time and
500 men from Ocilla and this city
gathered in the little town
Irwinville, which is a distance of
four miles from the scene of battle,
The sheriff, who was in a dying
condition but thoroughly con-
scious, realizing the excited state
of mind of the fast increasing
crowd of incensed citizens, and
fearing that they might employ
desperate means to obtain posses¬
sion of the body of the desperado,
thereby endangering the lives of
the defenseless children in the
house with him, requested Col.
Walker to communicate with
Governor Brown with a view to
having the National Guards order¬
ed out, in oider that in the event
of Bostwick’s arrest he would be
protected from the mob of enraged
citizens who were pouring in from
every direction and who were
eager for the life of the man who
in such a brief period had killed
two of their number and wounded
three. Governor Brown conferr¬
ed with Adjutant General A J.
Scott and instructed him to take
whatever measures he thought
advisable to uphold the law. Ad-
jutant General Scott accordingly
ordered out two infantry com-
panies, one from Fitzgerald and
the other from Albany. The Fitz¬
gerald Malitia received the call at
midnight Sunday, and one hour
later Captain DeLang with thirty
men left on a special train for the
scene of the conflict.
After the arrival of the military
company, only one man, James
Gill, was shot by Bostwick,who was
on guard and the moment Gill
ventured from behind a stump the
report of a shot gun rang out and
Gill fell with five buck shots in
his body.
Being unable te see the sheriff,
Captain LeLang on arrivalreported
to the senior deputy, Geo. Moore
for instructions, and is said to
have received orders from him in
the presence of R. L. Henderson
to take the man, Bostwick, dead
or alive. With these orders, the
Captain stationed his men around
the house, and states that before
firing lie ashed the desperado to
surrender, telling him that the
military company would protect
him. but receiving no response,
he requested him to send his six
children out of the house. Still
no response, he ordered his, men
to lire a volley into the top row of
shingles. There was no word
from the inside and the company
was ordered to fire the second
volley six inches lower than the
first. Crash! the shingles shatter¬
ed and the six children ran from
the main body of the house to the
kitchen, a distance of several
yards. Captain DeLang states
that he then called to them to come
to him, that he was going to blow
up that house and that they would
be safe with him, whereupon three
of the children returned to the
main body of the house. They
tarried only a few minutes and all
six of them filed out to the fence
and turned themselves over to the
military company. On being
questioned, the children stated
that their father was in the house
but they did not know where, that
had not seen him for
hours. An effort was made to
persuade the eldest daughter, a
child pf twelve, to return to the
house and carry a note to her
father asking him to surrender to
^ ie authorities, but she firmly re¬
fused > appealing to those near to
onl y protect her and convey them
to a P lace of safety, which was
done,
His wife and eldest son having
deserted him on Saturday morning
before the deadly conflict had be¬
gun and with the departure of the
children, the man driven to des-
peartion was now left to share his
inevitable fate alone. His deadly
work, however was already done,
as only one of his shots took effect
after this time.
Bostwick was given several
more opportunities t.o give himself
up, and failing to do so, volley
after volley was poured into the
little house, the Albany troops
firing the last one, immediately
following which, both companies
closed in and broke down the door ,
finding Bostwick dead. He had
two bullet holes in his head and
one in the back, and the concensus
of °P inion is that death resulted
f 1-0111 the drC ol the Malitia,
although it has been hinted that
ho died by his own hand.
Bostwick is said by those who
best knew him to have been a
peaceable man, but that his do¬
mestic troubles had reached the
point where the pressure was over¬
bearing, hence the desperate and
deplorable course he chose in get¬
ting revenge—for it was revenge
pure and simple that he sought,as
it is a noticeable fact that those
who fell under his deadly ami were
principally those who were antago¬
nistic to him.
Besides operating a small farm,
Bostwick was a minister of the
gospel adhering to the Baptist
doctrine, although he had never
been ordained. He seems to have
been a very unpopular man in the
vicinity where he resided, and
notwithstanding the fact that his
last two days on earth were horri¬
ble, none of his neighbors have
been heard to say that they sym¬
pathize with him, but on the other
hand have been heard to say that
they feel a greater sense of secur¬
ity and comfort since his demise.
The tragedy is one of the bloodi¬
est that has ever been recorded in
the history of South Georgia, and
a great sacrifice of life was made
in order to capture the one man.
Sheriff Mclnnis survived the
wounds inflicted by Bostwick’s gun
for a period of about twenty hours.
He was one of the bravest officers
in the state besides being a man
who was exceedingly popular with
all who knew him. He was only
20 years of age and was unmarried.
At the time of his death he was
filling his third term as sheriff'.
Sheriff Mclnnis died Monday
afternoon and was buried Tuesday
afternoon at the family burying
plot near Ocilla, the Elks Lodge
of this city, of which he was a
member, having charge of the
funeral service.
Chief of Police Stephen Davis,
of Ocilla, was also a young man,
and in his death Ocilla lost one of
the best officers she has ever had.
was unmarried and had
in Ocilla only a short while,
ing gone there from Buena Vista,
where his parents and several
brothers and sisters reside.
was also a brother of Dr. Jesse
Davis of the City Drug Store
Ocilla.
Tim Sheffield held no official
position with the county, having
been sworn as a deputy only for
the purpose of arresting Bostwick,
which was also the case with James
Gill.
Deputy H. C. Bass, who was
also wounded and not expected to
recover, has for several years
been jailer of Irwin County, and
has a wife and children. He is a
man of about fifty years of age.
Deputy Wyatt Tucker, who will
recover from his wounds, is
prominently connected in this
section and at the recent primary
was nominated sheriff' of Irwin
county.
Obituary
In the deatli of Mr. C. A. Oliver
at the Central Avenue Sanitarium
on Sunday last, Fitzgerald lost
one of its most renresentative
citizens and leading business men.
Mr. Oliver came here from
Minnesota in early colony days,
and lias been closely identified
with the life of the town since.
In fact, he was an excellent sam¬
ple of that type of manhood which
has made the city what it is.
He was a strong man in public
and private life. A member of
the .Johnson Hardware Company,
lie had been connected with the
concern since its organization, and
was at the time of his death its
president. Under his supervision
the company has made rapjd and
substantial growth. He was a
stock-holder in the Third National
Bank, and in the Cotton Oil Mill;
also a prominent member of the
G. A. R. By his associates, in
every capacity he was regarded as
a wise counsellor.
He was a kind father and a
faithful friend. He bore his af¬
flictions genially, never impressing
them upon others. He found no
pleasure in seeing others’ faults,
nor can any be found who will say
that lie was ever guilty of a mean
or little thing.
He was a soldier in the Union
army during the Civil War, en¬
listing in Minnesota in ’61 when
27 years of age and serving thru
the greater part of the war. He
was twice married, and leayes to
mourn his demise three daughters
—one in Minnesota, one in Massa¬
chusetts, and one here.
The funeral services were held
at the First M. E. church on Mon¬
day afternoon, but the body was
taken north, accompanied by his
daughter, Miss Alice, and Mr.
John Glover, manager of the
Johnson Hardware Co. Interment
will be in the family plot at Lake¬
land, Minnesota.
Mr. Jas. I. Campbell has great¬
ly improved the appearance of his
grocery store this week by having
the wooden awning removed, and
it would really not be a bad idea if
some others of the Pine street
merchants would follow suit.
Number 41
Preparation M^de
For Encampment
Chattanooga, Tenn., June 25.—
A new departure will be noticed in
the method of arranging the camps
at Chickamauga park for the bien¬
nial army manuevers this year,
and instead of having the forces
quartered in different sections of
the old Chickamauga reservation,
nearly all of the camps are locat¬
ed on- the Fort Oglethorpe ad¬
dition just north of the park prop-
er.
Recently there were cleared, in
anticipation of the advent of the
troops for the manuevers, about
500 acres of timber land lying with¬
in the boundary of the general
manuever camp, east of the post.
To care for the troops the gov¬
ernment has gone to considerable
expense thit year. A telephone
system with “central” at general
headquarters is being installed.
Two new wells were sunk at Cloud
Springs and two others on the 500-
acre tract mentioned.
These wells go as deep as 500 feet,
and those on the new tract are lo¬
cated on a ridge. The pumping
station at Cloud Springs has been
bettered by the addition of several
boilers, which will be used to force
the water from the well at Cloud
Springs to the post and militia
camps. Even water in wells locat¬
ed some distance away on the 500-
acre tract will be forced through
the pipes by means of compressed
air generated at Cloud Springs
pumping station. Miles of pipe
lines have been laid and the size of
these pipes range from 2 to flinch¬
es, the larger being used as the
mains and the smaller to the indi¬
vidual camps.
Every precaution to protect the
health of the troops has been made
by the government.
DATES OF MANUEVERS
The regular army troops will go
into camp before Julyl, and remain
until after the manuevers are con¬
cluded, August 2. The militia
troops will be in camp in three de¬
tails for ten-day periods, thus aver¬
aging about 4,000 militiamen and
2,000 regulars at all times.
From July 1 to 10 East Tennes¬
see, .Mississippi and Florida mili¬
tiamen will be in camp.
Troops from North Carolina,
South Carolina and Georgia will
play the war game from July 11
to 20 inclusive.
From July 20 to July 30 Ala¬
bama, Georgia and Tennessee
troops will be on hand.
RATES TO CHATTANOOGA
As the manuevers will occur at
a time when people throughout
the south are taking their summer
vacations, thousands of visitors are
expected to come to Chattanooga
and see the militiamen from their
home states and cities in action.
Anticipating this the Southern
Passenger Association announced
round-trip rates from all points in
the southern to Chattanooga and
Chickamauga park of one fare plus
25 cents. Dates of sale will be
June 30 and July 1, July 10 and 11
and July 20 and 21. All tickets
will have fifteen days’ return limit.
It will be noted that these are the
dates the three detachments of
troops go into camp, thus permit¬
ting visitors to remain in Chatta¬
nooga the full time the troops
from their home are there.
First Baptist Church
The subject Pastor Thos. M.
Callaway of the First Baptist
Church will dicuss Sunday morn¬
ing is “Serving the Lord,” and at
night, “For or Against.”
A cordial invitation is extend¬
ed to all to attend these services.
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