The Fort Valley Leader
VOL. XIX.
NEW METHODIST MIN
ISTER FOR FT VALLEY
The South Georgia Conference,
which hsis b°on in session at
•Quit mail S'TH'H i» •dnesday last,
adjourned Monday nighi, when
the appointments were announ
ced By,Bishop Galloway
Rev K. Read was appointed
Presiding Elder for this district.
Rev. C R Jenkins, who has been
with Wesleyan College, will till
the Fort Valley pulpit. Rev T G
Lang will go to Blakely.
Did you know there was
a great sale now on in Ft
Valley at Miller’s Store
in fact the greatest sale
this known? country If has^ did ever not
you
know it, we are surprised,
for you are the first per¬
son we have heard of who
did not know. Hundreds
of people from all sections
are daily carrying off loads
of choice dry goods for a
mere song.
Episcopal Church Notes
Sunday School 9.45 a. m.
Service 7 p. m. Cordial invi¬
tation.
There will be no sersices at the
morning hoar.
Rev LGH Williams and Mr
Geo Harrison are delegates to
Episcopal Convention in Atlanta.
The magnificent stock
of Dry Goods, Shoes, Mil=
linery, Ladies’ Suits,
Cloaks, etc., of W. F. Mil¬
ler, at Fort Valley, has
been turned over to the
Chicago & St Louis Sales
and Auction Co., for
sale. the stock has been
turned upside .down and
marked at figures that
will startle you. Bargains
are here galore and if you
want a share of them you
must come at once==you
can’t afford to delay.
K. P. Elect Officers.
At the regular convention of K
of P’s last Monday night the
following officers were elected
for ensuing term.
C. T Eberhardt, C C, J W Hill, V
c Rev LGH Williams, Prelate,
TMAntboin, MofW.H ONeil,
Mat A, JE Bledsoe, K of RandS.
W L Snow, IG, Abe Glass, 0 G,
L P Gray, Trustee, C E Martin,
M of Ex.
The gossips are after the boys
at the little Boarding
around the corner. “They say’
that one of them is a Born Dancer.
another is a poker player, and
that the oldest rat in the barn
has been seeretely married
the last eighteen years, The
boys bring it up at the table and
take great delight in (i
each other,” at their six o’clock
dinners. They mix it up with
their dining room ediquettin the
following manner. The “secretly
married man,” would thank the
■it poker player? 11 for the gravy,
it The Born Dancer tt will please
pass the pepper to the
player, 11 The “Born Dancer 11
would thank the “secretly mar¬
ried man” for the salt. Even
cat under the table laughs.
Mr Edwin Martin spent
days in Atlanta this week.
PORT VALLEY. HOUSTON COUNTY. GEORGIA,“FRIDAY. DECEMBER ,ll 1908.
FOR SALE OR RENT
House and lot on Miller St-,
for sale or rent. Good offer.
R. M. Reynolds.
Mr AlexPhar of Marshallville
was in the city Tuesday.
Mr and Mrs W R Brown has
gone to Atlanta to attend the
marriage of Miss Allice Landrum
daughter of Rev W W Landrum
Pastor of the First Baptist
church of Atlanta.
•----
50 brand new coat
for ladies just received and
marked up for the sale
absolute factory cost. Ev*
ery color and material.
Ail sizes. If you have not
bought your suit this is a
chance you can’t ignore.
Miller’s Store, Ft Valley.
Mr W K Eubanks and family
have moved to Fort Valley. They
have a cordial welcome to our
town.
Mr C L Shepard has returned
home from Florida where he has
been some time-
3 Rooms for rent. Apply
to Mrs. M. A. Brown.
50 brand new sample
coat suits for ladies were
delayed in shipping. They
have just reached us, and
we are going to pass them
I on to you at exactly what
they cost. Don’t fail to
see them. V
Miller’s Store, Ft. Valley.
Mr J M Jor/es, Louis Prater,
Fred Shepard, Dr M S Brown
and Sim went on a big squirrel
hunt last Tuesday,
Miss Stella Glass leaves Tues
day for an extended trip to Cali I -
fornia. Her many friends wish
fyer a pleasant trip and a safe
return home,
MrNashMurph of Marshall¬
ville visited our city Tuesday.
A TIP
Take a tip from those on
the inside==“It will pay
you to spend every dollar
you can raise, beg or borry
in the sale now going on
at Miller’s Store at Fort
j Valley. These goods are
now selling cheap==very
cheap-cheaper than mer
chants can buy them at
wholesale today. 1 he op¬
portunity is yours and it
is an oppportunity that
comes but once in many
years.
The many friends of Mr OH
Sammons regret to learn that he
expects to leave Fort Valley as he
has accepted the Agency” at
Oglethorpe”.
MrsL M Pau l'arid'littl6'da ugli
ter of Perry visited her cousin,
Mrs M S Brown in the city last
week.
Dr M S Brown visited Atlanta
this week.
FOR SALE CHEAP
One residtpee lot on church
Street. Four residence lots
on College Street.
A. D. Skellie.
Sergant G E Martin was elec¬
ted 1st Lieutenant of the Perry
rifles to succeed Lieut. R. L.
Marchman, resigned.
Condemned to Die
*
In Suoerior court last Tuesday
Fletcher Willis, a negro ex
penitentiarv convict, was convic¬
ted of murder and sentenced to
be hung privately in the jail yard
at Perry on Monday, the 28th of
December, 1909.
As our readers know, Mr
.Tames H Hal! was killed Friday
night. November Pith, 1908, at
his-store, just across the public
road from his home, near Small
Academy, about 5 1-2 miles west
Perry on ihe Marshallville
road,
A special term of Houston
Superior court was conveyed last
Monday morning to investigate
this murder,
After the jurors had been
empanelled and Judge Felton had
charged the grand jury, and in¬
sisted that decently and order
the law should take its course,
the court and grand jury was
obliged to wait until Solicitor
Brunson could examine the wit¬
nesses and prepare an indict¬
ment.
At about 1:15 an indictment
was plaeed before the grand jury,
and within an hour a true bill
charging Fletcher Willis with the
murder of Mr James H Hall was
returned to the court. Tho grand
jury was then discharged until 9
o’clock Tuesday morning.
The actual trial began at about
2.80 p. m. and the sentence was
pronounced at about 1. p. m.
Tuesday.
The testimony of the state’s
witnesses was substantially as
follow:
At about 7 o’clock Friday even¬
; ing, November loth last, a man
called Mr James Hall at his home
and asked him to go to the store,
just across the public road, A
few minutes later a gunshot was
heard and Mrs Hall was very
much frightened, The night
was exceptionally dark and rain
had been falling. She called her
husband and recelvnig no reply,
went to a cabin nr the house
and called Scott Jones, an old
negro man, to go with her to the
store. Scott entered, with a lamp,
and saw Mr Hall on the floor,
dead. Then they went to the
home of her father, Mr James E
Cheek, and told him of the
murder.
Neighbors and Sheriff Cooper
were notified, and fin inquest was
held. The store had been robbed
of money and goods.
Next morning a money drawer
was found in a field, with tracks
leading to and from the spot.
Fletcher Willis was arrested,and
in the house was a pair of of old
muddy shoes, belonging to Willis.
These shoes fitted the tracks
perfectly.
The prisoner had come to Mr J j
J Culler’s place, where his
parents lived, Tuesday of tha f
week, with a woman. This woman
testified that early Friday night
Willis left her at the c’owpen, say¬
ing he was going to Mr Hall’s
store, and he carried a single
barrelled shot gun with him.
About an hour later a gun shot
was heard in the direction of the
store. About 9 o’clock Willis
returned to the house where the
woman was but didn’t have agun.
He had no money when he left to
go to the store, but he had $2 00
when he returned. He said that
Mr Hall had been killed, that two
other negroes,Henry and George,
were with him, and that he got
part of the money and some
4 *#' '•
goods, naming the articles, say¬
ing he had hidden them. Next
morning this woman saw Willis
burn the articles named in the
room of his parents
By other witnesses it
shown that on the road from
the northwest border of Houston
the man and woman had been
seen by five or six white persons,
and that the man had a single
barrel shot gun was within less
than 8 miles of Mr Culler’s farm.
The statement of defendant
was a denial that he did the shoot¬
ing, that he did not go to the
store that night, or at any other
recent time, that he did not have
a gun, and that he was at the
home of his parents when the
gun shot was heard.
Harry Willis, father of the
defendant, said that his son was
within his sight when the shot
was heard. In answer to
questions he contradicted himself
and contradicted statement of
the defendant.
The jury returned a verdict
within about 45 minutes and the
sentence followed directly. The
result of the verdict was received
quietly.
During Monday afternoon
Solicitor Brunson was notified by
telephone that his daughter, Miss
Bessie, was critically ill with
appendicitis, and that night he
went to Macon.
Tuesday morning Mr JP Dun¬
can was appointed solicicitor pro
tern, and Mr Jule Felton, already
associated in the case for the
state, conducted the evidence.—
Perry Home Journal.
Miss Electra Weeks of Atlanta
is expected to spend the Xmas
holidays with her sister, Mrs O
M Houser.
Mrs Ell is, Mrs John Baird and
little daughter spout Monday and
Tuesday in Macon.
Masters Fred Withoft and
Harris McArthur spent Saturday
in Macon with their friend
Master Fred Crandall.
Mr and Mrs NH Massey, Dr
and Mr* Martin of Marshallville
were in the city Monday shop¬
ping.
Mr W W Henderson is in
Americas this week on business.
We are all delighted to have as
our new pastor, Mr C H Jenkins
of Macon.
An Appreciation
I will write a fuller appreci¬
ation of the substantial and kind¬
ly people of Fort Valley at my
earliest convenience. At this
time I will express only two re¬
grets. One is that I have not
served thorn better. The other
is that by reason of the time
limit I can not serve them longer.
I have enjoyed every month of
the four years spent among them
and leave them without any sense
of personal unpleasantness.
While a bird of passage by reason
of itinerancy, still by whatever
force of character I may possess
I abide with the people whom I
serve. I am hanpy to have lived
among you long enough to see a
spirit of material progress in
these parts, a forward movement
in your educational interest, and,
in the church, the wine of a new
life bursting dead limitations.
And may this spirit live among
you. May your young men see
visions and your old men dream
dreams of e verlasting better
ment. ,,
T. G. Lang.
NO. 42
Mr Earl Sammons of Marshall
ville 1ms acce l .ted a position here
with the Central road
Mr Amt s Murray of Dawson
has accepted a position here with
his uncle, Mr W D Murray.
Mr Leighton Deuer was in the
city Sunday.
Mr and Mrs Dawson Kendrick
of Minna were in the city Mon¬
day the guests of Mr and Mrs
W R Brown.
A Great Sale now on at
Miller s Store, Fort Valley
(la., is attracting the blg»
gest crowds that have ev¬
er come together in Hous¬
ton county.
Mrs McArthur and Miss Kate
McArthur have returned from
Atlanta.
Mr Charlie Rountree met the
Southern train Fr day night.
Mrs Felder Frederick of
Marshallville was in the city
Tuesday.
No man or woman with¬
in 20 miles of Fort Valley
can afford to miss the
great sale at Miller’s store
Thousands of people are
daily carrying off loads of
fine Dry Goods, Shoes, etc.
at prices that were here¬
tofore unheard of.
Mrs Dr White spent the day
Saturday in Macon.
Miss Ola Harwt 11 has returned
from a pleasant visit to Macon.
Mrs John Everett left Monday
for Waycross.
Mr Stonewall Hose of Perry
who has been very ill for some
time is slowly recoverin r < r > '
WANTED
Four or five room house
in Apply good locality by Jan 1st.
to Leader Office.
The Baptist Church
The Pastor who has been away
from his pulpit for two Sundays
will be present Sunday and
preach at both tho morning and
evening hour. The subject for
the If o’clock service, A dead
church. Text thou hast a name
to live and art dead.
Subject at 7 p. m. Is there any
difference in the life of one who is
a Christian and one who is not } a
Christian, These two subjects
will be of unusual interest to the
people of our town at this time.
All are most cordially invited
to both of these services.
The Great Forced Sale
now on at Miller’s Store,
Fort Valley, is in the
hands of the Chicago and
St Louis Sales and Auction
Co. Nothing to compare
to the redicuious low pric¬
es has ever been known in
this section.
Miss Marie Parham of Stinson
is the guest of her sister, Mrs
Dawson Kendrick at Miona.
Misses Bessie Singleton and
Mansfield spent Sunday in
Marshallville.
Presbyterian Chuich
Next Sabbath Dec. 13, is the
regular day for preaching at onr
church at 11 a. m. and 7 p. m.
Prayer meeting Tuesdays 7:lo p.
m. Sunday School 3 p. m., ..
