Newspaper Page Text
THE WEATHER
Forecast: Showers today and to
morrow. Temperatures: 8 a. m„ 73
degrees: 10 a. 73 degrees: 12 no°n,
75 degrees: 2 p, m., 78 degrees.
VOL. XL NO. 32.
■MH
MDKIILED
FORSLUR
OlflFE
Dr. A. Lee Curtis Goes to Mis
sissippi Town to Help His
Relative at Trial.
_ I
VICTIM WAS ACCUSED
OF DEFAMING WOMAN 1
'
Slayer. Former Atlantan, De
clares He Shot Book Dealer
1
in Self-Defense.
i
i
Di, A. Lee Curtis, proprietor of sev
eral drug stores, and a former councils ■
man. left today for Jackson. Miss., to
aid his brother. W. H. Curtis, who is
held in jail there for killing J. H. Hel
:on last Sunday. Young Curtis shot
Helton dead with an automatic pistol, ,
and then surrenderee] to the police. The ,
kil’ing was the aftermath of a fight be- ’
tween the two men, and the trouble f
grew out of alleged remarks by Helton *
r< fleeting on Curtis’ wife. I
W. H. Curtis was well known in At- j
lanta. where he lived untfl a few_ years (
ago Two brothers reside here—A. L. j
and H. C. Curtis —both druggists. For j
two years XV. fl Curtis has been living
in Jackson. ;
Dispatches from Jackson say that .
Helton was sitting in the office of Dr. ,
A. S. Applewhite when Curtis came in. ,
The doctor heard Helton make an ex ■ ,
Carnation. and turned to see him facing <
the door, with a pistol in his hand. >
Then a shot was heard, but by this
time the physician had taken to his
heels. Turning back at the foot of the i
-■tairs. he saw Curtis coming dow> with ;
a revolver in his hand.
Helton Is Struck
By Six Bullets.
The place was soon filled with men
drawn by the shots, and it was found
that Helton had been struck by six bul
lets. Curtis had used a rapid-fire au
tomatic pistol, and had emptied it into
Helton's body. The slayer went to the
police station and gave himself up aft
er the tragedy.
Curtis will enter t plea of self-de- '
sense. it is reported, but he steadily has ■
refused to discuss the case with news- :
paper men or officials. His relatives
say that when he entered the physi
(inn's office, he saw Helton draw his
pistol, and fired first. (
The dispatches state that the shoot
ing followed an encounter of several
weeks ago. when Helton was badl)
beaten by Curtis and L. A’. Sykes, the
father of Mrs. Curtis. It was asserted
then that Helton had made remarks
reflecting on Mrs. Curtis’ character. (
Some time previous Helton had sued (
Curtis and Sykes for SIO,OOO damages. ,
alleging defamation of character, and (
it is alleged that he wrote Mrs. Curtis ? .
letter agreeing to withdraw the suit. .
provided she would meet him for an.
interview. It is alleged that she gave 1
this letter to her husband, and the beat,
ing followed.
Mrs. Curtis and her father have vis
ited Curtis in jail, and their meetings
cere affectionate, but all refuse to dis
uss the case further than to say everv
thing will come out at the trial. ,
Curtis and Sykes arc engaged in ,
building ami contracting .work, while i
Helton "as in the book business. Ho '
was a young man. and went to Missis
sippi from Kentucky several years ago. ’
I
REFORMATORY fight
IS TAKEN INTO COURT -
BY RICHMOND BOARD ;
AUGUSTA. GA., Sept. 10. —The Rich- 1
mond county commissioners are suing !
ihe Richmond county reformatory for (
*60.000, which the county has expend
ed on the latter institution since its ■
existence of twenty years. As long (
as Judge W. F. Eve was commissioner 1
of roads and revenues the reformatory .
"ns unmolested, but when E. F. Ver- 1
'i’-ry was made chairman of the board
of five commissioners the trouble start
ed.
I he county commissioners have been
the enemies of the reformatory, hold
ing that it is a useless institution. '
However, 26 consecutive grand juries !
hate indorsed the institution.
Ihe commissioners want to thro" '
J 1 ’’ < foi niatory in bankruptcy by get-
!i ~ a judgment of $60,000 against it. ,
neeting of the commission' rs (
G H Nixon made a motion
io drop the suit until after the 2d of!’
when the peoplt of Richmond!'
ounty will vote on whether or not thei I
' ant a reformatory The motion was,*
1 thrt” i,, two. and the ease "ill .
' -'i' H-.tu-r’ay before Judgtl;
«tnrj c Hamnwry
• ? »
The Atlanta Georgian
Read For Profit—GEORGIAN WANT ADS—Use For Results.
Women of Savannah
Plan League to Solve
The Servant Problem
Only Good Negroes Will Be Al
lowed to Register—None But
These Will Be Hired.
SA\ ANNAH, GA.. Sept. Hl. At a
meeting at the armory September 15
to organize the Housekeepers Protec
tive league, it is probable there wi<!
be present not only a majority of the
housekeepers of Savannah, but a num
ber from other Georgia cities.
Since the announcement of the fact
that local housekeepers have decided to
inaugurate an active campaign for an
adjustment of the “servant problem,’’
interest in the project has spread with
remarkable apidily. Among those who
have written commending the scheme
are a number of south Georgia house
keepers.
It is the purpose of those back of the
movement to have all th? housekeep
ers of Savannah join in a protective
association and establish a central em
ployment bureau, under the supervision
of the league, with an experienced man
ager in charge. All the good servants
will be registered at this bureau. The
members of the league will be pledged
to employ no servants who are not so
registered. The fact that worthless ne
groes could no longer obtain employ
ment would be calculated to have a dis
tinct beneficial effect upon the race
ALEXANDER SPENT
$2,259 IN CAMPAIGN.
H. H. PERRY $10,367
Hooper Alexander's expenses in his
race for the Democratic nomination for
governor were $2,259.42, according to a
statement filed with the comptroller
general today.
Os this amount, the candidate ex
pended $683.42 of his own money. $1,411
from friends in Atlanta and elsewhere
throughout the state. $162 from friends
in Waycross and $63 from friends in
Rome.
By fat” the larges’ amount 'spent by
any one of the unsuccessful candidates,
and the second largest amount spent in
the entire state campaign, win or loge,
was that distributed by H. H. Perry,
of Gainesville, unsuccessful candidate
for the United States senate against
Senator Bacon.
Colonel Peryy spent $10.36182
The Alexander items covered railroad
fate, clerk hire, hand bills-and a small
amount of newspaper advertising.
The Perry items covered a large
amount of newspaper advertising, rail
road expenses and clerk hire.
FATHER GIVEN 10-DAY
JAIL SENTENCE FOR
“STEALING” HIS SON
Rudolph Getter, recently arrested in
Macon and brought to Atlanta to an
swer a charge of kidnaping his three
year-old son. Theodore, was given a
sentence of ten days in the county jail
by Judge George Bell, in superior court,
today for "stealing” the child from its
mother.
The child, who was with Getter’s sis
ter. Mrs. R. R. Smarr, at Griffin, was
in court and announced that he had
rather be with his mother than his
father. He was given to Mrs. Getter,
who took him to her home at No. 9
Nesbit street
Mr. Oetter recently took Theodore
from the child's mother and took him
to Mrs. Smarr’s home, at Griffin. He
left the child there, then went to Ma
con. where tie vas found several days
later by the police. He surrendered
and was returned to Atlanta
EAST S IDE SUBURBS
BEGIN CAMPAIGN FOR
GOOD ROADS TO CITY
Citizens of Kirkwood. East Lake. Lake
view and west central DeKalb county will
meet Thursday night. September 19, to
protest against the fact that they pay
taxes without getting anything in the
way of returns in road improvement.
They will gather at the Kirkwood audi
torium to organize an improvement club.
A name has not been selected, but it is
likely that the organization will be called
the West DeKalb Improvement club.
At a meeting held last night at the
residence of Stephen A Hook, at La Re
view, a committee of five was appointed
to draw up a constitution and by-laws.
This committee will meet tomorrow’ at
noon at the office of H. Clay Moore and
start work on the constitution
The new organization will encourage
the building of a direct paved road from
East Lake, through Lakeview and Kirk
wood to Atlanta. It is planned to work
on the Boulevard DeKalb and to get It
connected with Moreland avenue.
ITALIAN WARSHIPS
BOMBARD TURKISH
SEAPORT SUDDENLY
CONSTANTINOPLE. Sept 10 Italian
warships off the coast of Asia Minor re
sumed their activity today, bombarding
the port city of Scalanova, 50 miles south
of Smyrna.
According to advices received here, an
Italian fleet appeared suddenly off the
city, at the sight of which many real
dents fled It was thought that the batle
ships were looking for Turkish merchant
men. but suddenly the ItaUan ships
opened fire and later steamed away
ft is reported that several were killed
and wounded and that a number of build
ings were demolished. The island of
Samos lies * fT Scalaio The city lies
a few miles south of Uie famous ruins •
of Ephesua
PARDLENOW
IN SIGHT FOR
31-YEAR
CONVICT
Sentenced for Mysterious Mur
der, Jolly’s Plea Refused by
Six Governors.
WOMAN’S DEATH KEPT
SECRET FOR 2 YEARS
Brown Inclined to Free Him.
But Insists He Must Not
Seek Pardon.
Governor Joseph M. Brown has prac
tically dele'mined to parole James Jol
ly. a white man convicted of the murder
of a woman in DeKalb county more
than 31 years ago. and who has served
the state as a convict ever since in a
most exemplar) manner.
Jolly was sent up for life for murder
ing Victoria Norris, under most pecu
liar circumstances, and his petition for
clemency has been passed upon ad
versely by no less than six governors
preceding Brown, and once by Blown
himself.
The governor today made up his
mind to parole Jolly, if it can be done
with an understanding that (he parole
is not to be used as a stepping stone to
a pardon. The present governor will not
pardon Jolly.
Jolly is now over 62 years of age.
He began his term of service in April,
1881, four years after the crime for
which he was sent up wa_s committed.
Dedared Excitement
Killed the Woman.
The murder took place in 1877, so
long ago that there are now no rec
ords of it to be found.
The trial was held in DeKalb, under
Judge George Hillyer the present rail
road commissioner, and Judge Ben Hill,
of the present court of appeals, was
the solicitor general handling the state's
case. Railroad Commissioner Murphy
Candler's father was one of the attor
neys for the defense.
According to a statement filed with
the governor by Jolly, he was con
victed of killing the woman, purely on
circumstantial evidence. She was found
dead in a wagon. When last seen alive
by witnesses, she was riding toward
town in that wagon with Jolly.
Jolly says he never killed the roman,
but that he did insult her. and in
resenting the insult, became excited and
fell from the wagon, breaking her neck.
Death Concealed
For Two Years.
Jolly for fear he would be suspect
ed of murder, took the body into the
woods and buried it. For several years
after the death of the woman Jolly
wrote, or caused to be written, letters
to the woman's people In Alabama, tell
ing of her supposed iife in DeKalb, and
assuring her kinsmen that she was get
ting along all right.
Finally something aroused the suspi
cions of the woman’s people back in
Alabama and investigation disclosed
the woman’s death, more than two
years back.
Jolly was arrested, and told his side
of the story . He led a searching party
to the woman's grave, deep in the
woods, and the body was exhumed. De
spite its total decomposition, it was
identified by certain pieces of cheap
jewelry found with it.
Jolly was tried and convicted of
murdering Victoria Norris, and for
more than tirty years he has served in
the Georgia penitentiary in atonement
of his alleged crime.
During all these years Jolly has stout
ly maintained his innocence. He Im
pressed many of his penitentiary asso
ciates with the justness of his conten
tion —that he really had not murdered
the woman. James W. English, then
employing Jolly in the Chattahoochee
brickyards, wrote the governor at one
time interceding for Jolly, but without
avail.
Governor Brown is not convinced of
the entire truth of Jolly’s story, but ho
inclines to parole him. upon the recom
mendation of Judge Ben Hill and for
, mer Judge Hillyer. Both these officials
’ heretofore have refused to recommend
clemency, but yesterday they reversed
their former attitudes, and the governor
accepted their recommendations in good
faith.
Governor Brown thinks that Jolly has
perhaps been confined at hard labor as
long a“ humanity and a due regard for
the law and the fitness of things de
mand. He will release Jolly on parole
because of his good conduct and faith
ful work as a convict.
Jolly has long been a “trusty” in con
vict camps, and might have escaped
dozens of times, had he eared to,
If the governor finds that he can le
gally parole .Toll,', with a condition at
tached that he is not to apply for a full
pardon, the parole "ill issue. If the
1 govcrnoi finds otherwise, it may or
may not issue,
i
ATLANTA, GA., TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10. 1912.
I RUSH OF HOMECOMERS
[BREAKS R. R. RECORDS | Himself: Nicks His Ear
M ACON. GA., Sept. 10. -Charles I.
«ier Macon man. came
anta last night and
tade his wife to return
dm. but she refused.
h“ bought a pistol. sat
mirror and tired three
>rt to kill himself One
n ear. another cut off a
nd the third tore the
hat. Policemen then
irrested him for shoot
limits.
rs that upon his release
nish the job.
utes his bad aim to
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A pretty homecomer at the Union station and just a few of the trunks the baggage men
are wrestling with these days as the last vacationists hurry back to Atlanta.
• ..J,
IS INDICTED FOR
SEILING VOTES
More True Bills Are Expected
From Morgan County Grand
Jury Investigation.
MADISON. GA., Sept. 10 -Fourteen
men have now been indicted on charges
of selling their votes and one, Glover
Walker, on charges of buying votes by
the Morgan county grand jury in ses
sion here. Twelve men were indicted
yesterday and three were added today.
Bench warrants have been served on
all th defendants.
The men under charges are all farm
ers of Morgan county and some of them
prominent men. There remain a num
ber of witnesses to be examined and
many other indictments are expected.
The grand jury is working slowly but
painstakingly and seeming without re
gard to personal feeling or political
connections.
The following men are under indict
ment for selling their votes in the coun
ty primary last May;
U. T. Almand.
G. T. Adams
E. M. Hooper
J. M. Hooper.
G. L. Hooper.
J. H. Hooper.
M. B. Moody.
E. F'. Heater.
Daws Ruarks.
P. C. Ruarks.
W. W. Harper.
W. H. Harper
Berry Farmer.
Bud Haynes.
The grand Jury reconvened at 9
o'clock this morning and resumed the
examination of the few remaining wit
nesses to be called. Other indictments
are expected.
It is generally understood that the
actions now being brought are aimed
not so much to punish for past offenses
as to prevent repetition of the corrupt
practices.
The movement "as put under way
because of public Sentiment aroused by
the flagrant and open corruption in the
county primary. The foreman of the
grand jury is Hon. Grant l> f»< it y. a
1 wealthy plAntet and -cnatoi-cleet from
•the Twenty-eighth di trict.
I-
Railroad Employees Kept Hus
tling by Rush- School Open
ing Closes Vacation.
Trunks piled to the ceiling of the
baggage room, leaving aisles so nar
row a fat man could not pass through;
rumbling trucks bringing a dozen more
so; the stack; the great elevator creak
ing up with a heavy load; more trucks
beside the tracks below with negroes
snatching baggage from the train just
arrived; wagons clattering up the sta
tion and bearing away cargoes which
make’the horses strain at their collars;
a horde of men and women, dusty from
the train and tanned dark brown from
exposure clamoring to be waited on.
That’s the scene at me Terminal sta
tion these first days of September.
"De mo’ dey come, de wuss dey git
My back’s done broke smashin' bag
gage," grumbled Eph Wiggins, one of
the husky roustabouts. “Hit looks to
mo like eve'ybody in Gawgy done tuk a
notion to < omo home f’um de springs
de same day."
Surely all Atlanta, has been away on
a vacation, to judge from the scones at
the station. Th« trains have been
bringing them home forth- past ten
days in such number that extra cars
have been required to transport them.
The Terminal station has handled
from 3.000 to 4,000 pieces of incoming
baggage a day. One train from the
East b'Ollght in UDO pieces a day or two
ago.
“It’s the opening of school.” said the
veteran baggageman. “Everybody
wanted to get home in time to buy the
kids some new duds and send them off
to school today. Most everybody’s back
now.”
He stopped to explain to a pretty
girl with a bag of golf dubs that the
big trunk with R. A. J. in white letters
on the end really had not come in.
Then lie insisted that the three truhks
and a bird cage for I'mpsty-Steen
West Peachtree had started on their
way two hours before.
“Folks are unreasonable." he con
tinued. "They can't expect the trans
fer companies to keep < nough teams
and wagons to handle the traffic in an
hour whin a rush like this is on
There's b6und to be. some delay.
"It's the biggest season we > u-i ha '
Atlanta folks mu-t be prosm -ou- hum
the way they’re traveling this tea
They’re going East to the lashionabu
resorts and out to tip fa Northwest
in the fishing <oim: Tin- . a., a lot
of I units coming - auh Eut-pean iu
dels on them, too.”
CUMMING NEGRO
CAUGHTBTPOSSE
Black Said to Have Confessed
Complicity in Girl’s Death.
Town Aroused.
i .
, CUMMING, GA.. Sept. 10.—The eap
i ture today of another negro, charged
with being accessory to the murder of
a young girl eight miles northeast of
Cumming yesterday, has stirred to
fever heat the community which had
become quiet with the safe imprison
ment in Atlanta of the man who con
' fessed the crime. The streets are fill
ed with men from the surrounding
hills, bearing shotguns and pistols.
The negro was caught near the scene
of the crime by citizens, and news came
to Cumming that he had ■ confessed
complicity rhe sheriff and a party
of men bit at once for the scene in
- automobiles, but nothing has been
heard from them. The telephone wires
ate working badly and nothing can be
learned from the point where the ne
gro wa,s eaught. Whether he was lynch
ed before the arrival of the sheriff -Is
uncertain.
Although Ernest Cox, the confessed
slayer of an 18-year-old girl, locked
safely in the Atlanta Tower, and the
six negroes charged with previous
crimes held in jail at M irietta, the lit
tle town of t’ujnming. in Forsyth coun
ty, is far from quiet, today, although
. none of tin- negroes is within reach of
. violence. Feeling in the county is such
that the authorities refused to take the
( six n- groes from Marietta to Cumming
i today to face a preliminary investiga
tion, and they w ill r< main in Marietta
until they have been indicted and their
trial called.
A preliminatv homing at Cumming
has be* n set for next week but prob
i able it will be abandoned, as the sher- j
iff believes it would mean the negro’s
eei tain d nth if he wer taken back Into
Forsyth county so soon after his crime.
Ilipiiieie- from Cumming today sa..
i th- town seething witli bittirness
against tile negroes, but there was no
disorder during the night. Twenty
special deputies, arnmd w ith rifles, pa-
I rolled the tow n all night but there
wa- no effort b\ the people to vent |
Hu i- w r till on iinvie nt negroes, and no ,
trouble was reported.
HOMt
imhoS
2 CENTS EVERYWHERE
CANBLES FOR
HIGHERTM
umioiio
SCHOOLS
Acting Mayor Urges Jump
From 1.25 to 1.50 to Re
lieve Situation.
“EVERY BOARD SEES
ONLY ITS OWN NEEDS”
New Teachers Needed, and
Crowded Condition Reported
in Many Schools.
Replying to the appeal of the schools
department for more money than tg
provided in the budget. John S. Cand
ler, acting mayor, declared today that
the tax rate of Atlanta should be in
creased from 1.25 per cent to 1.50 ppi
cent.
"Every department In the eftv Is suf
fering from a lack of money,” he said
“With our present income, we can not
do what is expected to he done and
what ought to be done.
"The more I study the workings of )
our system, with Its many hoards the
nearer I am convinced that one board
should supervise all the city depart
ments." continued Aiderman Candler.
“Without meaning any reflection on the
members of the boards, the situation
is simply that any one board does not
see further than Its department.”
I New Teachers
Needed At Once.
A committee of the school hoard re
ported to the mayor today that a num
ber of new teachers were needed im
mediately. Though no appropriation
has been made for the salaries of addi
tional teachers. Alderman Candler ad
vised that the teachers be hired.
In a number of the schools there are
from 30 to 40 pupils more than can he
taught by the present corps of teach
ers. The need of two new teachers for
each of the Fair Street and English
Avenue schools is imperative Many of
the school buildings are terribly over-
• crowded.
Acording to Superintendent SHaton’s
report. Summit Avenue school, a negro
school has twice as many pupils as
there is teaching capacity and school
room for. The negro schools all over
the city are overflowing.
Aiderman Candler said the Indica
tions were that there would be an in-
I crease of 2,0n0 In school children this
year.
official figures at the office of the su-
I nerintendent of schools show the first
day's attendance to have been 20,337
exclusive of the Glenn Street white
school, the Virginia Avenue negro
school and the four night schools. Ac
cording to Superintendent IV. M. Sla
ton. the opening attendance means 23,-
000 pupils for Atlanta schools for the
year of
The matter of transfers, which has
■ caused crowding In some instances, will
, be settled this afternoon at a meeting
of principals held in the superintend
ent s office. It will be necessary to
'■all a board meeting to arrange addi
tional quarters for the students of the
Boys Technological High school In Ma
rietta street. Yesterday’s attendance
was a distinct surprise and the quar
ters provided by the board were found
to he inadequate.
Dr Robert G. Stephens, chief medi
cal Inspector, today will begin exam
ining pupils said to have gained en
trance with tht vaccination certificates
which do not comply wiyi the All
children not properly vaccinated will be
dismissed.
Superintendent Slaton said that the
board was in need of eight supernu
merary teachers at once. A compe
tent instructor for the deaf and dumb
department, which is to be established
at the Ashby Street school, also is
sought.
ARKANSAS VOTES TO
REMAIN WET A WHILE
LITTLE ROCK, ARK., Sept. 10.—
State-wide prohibition has been de
feated, according to returns up to noon
today from yesterday’s special election.
The Democrats rolled up a large ma
jority for the state ticket. The result
of the vote on the grandfather clause
la v is in doula, but indications are it
has been defeated.
•SAYS CArTeRK INJURED
STOMACH: ASKS 530.00 C
MA<’<>N. i;\, Sept. in.—Doclarinj
his stomach was dislocated by a stree
ear turnirfk a sharp curve at a rapic
talc Lucius D. Johnson, a local insur
am- man, has brought suit against the
Mfieon Railway and Light Company for
I $36,000 damages.