Newspaper Page Text
REVENUE OF CITY
OP 5300,635 lil
MIW
Council Will Have Extra $450.-
900 to Spend if It Antici
pates 1913 Increase.
Tue city's revenue increased just
t.:• ■■..833.78 in 1912, according to figures
implied today by Graham West, chief
•■rk to the comptroller.
On these figures the 1913 city budget
,111 be based. The total actual reve
j .j s $2,838,011.05.
approximately one-half of this
jiount was anticipated and appropri
ited when the 1912 budget was made
last January. The remainder was
portioned later in tlie year.
If the finance committee of the new
milnlslration anticipates an equal in
...,se in revenue for 1913 —and city of
generally agree that there will
... u equal increase—the new council
have $450,000 more money to spend
in w,.s available last January.
Treasury May Be Strained.
Mayor-elect James G. Woodward has
..uiiouneed, however, that he wUT op
anticipating any revenue. If he
. ar.-les his point, the treasury .-.ill lie
sorely strained.
Comparative figures of the city's
■cvenue are as follows:
1912. 1911.
Taxes $2,053,939.33 $1,809,019.84
Licenses.. .. 216,400.28 218,861.13
.Vater 430,022.96 373.219.3 ti
Police coin... 82,654.96 $1,406.45
.Xar-beer li-
censes .. .. 55,000.00 54,675.00
Total:.. ..$2,838,017.53 $2,537,181.80
The tax assessors said today there
mill be a large increase in assess
• nts in 1913, but they would not haz
ard a guess. The officials expect a gain
approximating the $19,000,000 gain of
tills yel l'.
Tin- water department will show an
imreuse in revenue equal to the gain of
111- y t a:. $56,803.57.
No Other Marked Increases.
T other departments show no ap
{■l ec'.jiblt* increases.
While the 1913 budget will contain
appropriations totaling more than $5.-
OOO.OuO. the actual money to be up
•>..r;ioned is the amount stated above.
T.ie difference is mafic up by bond
■ney. the expenditure of which is ,il
r- :dy specified, and placing assess
ments for street and set er work on
both sides of the finance sheet. The
total figures are thus gieatly increased.
Councilman W. G. Humphrey, of the
Eighth ward, is expected to be the new
chairman of the finance committee,
succeeding Aiderman John S. Candler.
But Councilman Humphrey’ nor any one
!>■<■ is absolutely sure whom Mayor
Woodward will appoint, and Mayor
.Voodward won’t tell.
AUSTELL THORNTON
TO BUILD COUNTRY
HOME AT ASHEVILLE
ASHEVILLE, N. C„ Dec. 31.—Aus
tell A. Thornton, formerly of Atlanta,
C.i.. who has resided tier -for the past
everal months, i nuounces that lie will
build a modern country home on the
arm of 100 acres near here, which lie
r cently purchased from Governor
■ ieet Locke Craig and Garland A. Thom
•• <m. of this city. Mi:. Thornton owns
* uiisiderable property in Atlanta, and
' HI spend a portion of his lime there,
lihough he will call Ashevill • Iris liomi
hereafter.
Mr. and Mrs. Thornton are admirers
of good horses, and it is understood
iiat they will maintain large stables in
connection with their country honm. At
the recent Asheville horse show their
animals won many valuable cash prizes
• ml premiums,
UNDERWOOD CONFERS
WITH WILSON TODAY
ON SPECIAL SESSION
TRENTON, N. J.. Dee. 31—Impor
tant announcements concerning the ex
tra session of congress are expected as
result of today's conference between
President-elect Wilson and Representa
tive Underwood, the majority leader in
be house.
Tlie meeting took place at 2:30
■'clock, the morning being devoted by
-Mr. Wilson to state business.
John Maynard Harlan, of Chicago,
son of the late Justice Harlan, of the
supreme court, visited
the governor today. He is an old
friend.
AUTOMOBILE CRASHES
INTO WAGON IN FOG
The dense smoke-fog today was tlie
■ ause of an accident. Dr. Dan Y. Sage,
of 431 Washington street, was going
north in an automobile on the Wash
ington street viaduct in front of New
som's stable. The coast seemed clear,
but he heard a rasping noise and felt a
Jolt. A wagon belonging to Walker
Brothers, wholesale grocers at 2 Wash
ington street, had blocked a narrow
Passage and Dr. Sage had taken off one
of Its wheels. The automobile lost a
tire and a fender.
KILLS MOTHER-IN-LAW:
SLEEPS PEACEFULLY
KENDALLVILLE, IND., Dec. 31.—F2d
ward Hart shot and killed Sarah Mc-
Bride, ig mother-in-law, and fatally
wounded his wife, Reana, at their homo in
LaGrange. Hart slept peacefully In the
home where the tragedy was enacted and
was arrested after a posse sea-re bed six
hours for him.
PLOTTED HUSBAND'S DEATH
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.drs. Katherine King, who planned the death of her husband.
CHATSWORTH II
ram
Secretary of State Makes Deci
sion in the Bitter Contro
versy in Murray.
Phil Cook, .secretary of state, today
deckled the famous Murray county seat
controversy In favor of Chatsworth.
In ruling in favor of Chatsworth and
against Spring Place. th< s'eretary
thr<-\v out entirely tlie 427 v-' .'.st in
favor of Eton, on the ground that Eten
was not included in the oriiinarj s caV
for a county seat removal election, and
that all votes cast for it. therefore, were
merely no votes at all.
In the original call for this election,
it was Stipulated that the contest
should be between Spring Place, the
present county seat, and Chatsworth, a
new town on the Louisville and Nash
ville railroad, which traverses the coun
ty. Afterward, however. Eton was In
jected into the light, and the vote given
Eton, if counted, would have deprived
Chatsworth of the required two-thirds
of the vote east.
The vote was divided as follows:
Cliatsworth 862. Eton 127. ami Spring
Place 155- Secretary Cook holds that
only J,017 of these votes are legal and.
in that view, Chatsworth received 862
against Spring Place’s 155—0 r a clear
two-thirds and over In favor of Chats
worth.
This case lias attracted no end of
attention throughout north Georgia, and
feeling hi Murray and Whitfield coun
ties has run wry high because of it.
It was appealed io Secretary < ook some
two months ago, all three sides to the
controversy being represented by able
counsel at the hearing.
The case may be appealed to the leg
islature, but the impression is that Sec
retary Cook's ruling means that Chats
worth will be the county seat eventual
ly, if not immediately. Since the case
was appealed, a large number of those
who voted for Eton have assured the
seer tary of state that, as between
Chatsworth and Spring Place, they
much prefer Chatsw orth.
RAIN IS FORECAST.
The new year will have a baptism
of rain. The weather map portepds
nothing else but showers on the first
day of 1913, and thr promise of rain
tonight and probably Wednesday has
been posted,
THE ATLANTA GEORGIAS AND NEWS. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 1912
R. R. CHIEFS CHARGED
WITH MANSLAUGHTER
FQR DEATHS IN WRECK
BRIDGEPORT, CONN., Dec. 31.
Bench warrants were Issued by Judge
Case in the criminal superior court to
dav at the Instance of the state’s at
torney. Stiles Judson, for Henry J.
Horn, of Boston, vice president; Ben-
I jam in R. Pollock, general manager, and
i harks N. Woodward, general super
intendent of the New Haven, officials
of rhe New York, New Haven and
Hartford Railroad Company.
The men are charged with man
slaughter in causing the death of pas
sengers who lost their lives in the
wreck of the Springfield-New York ex
press on the Now Haven road, which
was derailed and wrecked while taking
the short cross over at Westport bridge,
October 3 last.
More Officials Indicted.
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., Dec. 31.
Sweeping indictments of all the "men
higher up’’ In the C. H. and D, Railroad
Company were returned by the Marion
county grand jury today. The indict
ments were returned with a view to
bringing legal punishment upon the of
ficials for tolerating such conditions as
brought about the recent C„ H. and D.
wreck at Irvington, in which 16 lives
wore sacrificed.
In addition to the officials. Engineer
Willis York and Brakeman Carl Gross
were indicted. It is understood the in
dictments charge involuntary man
slaughter.
BANK CLEARINGS OF
YEAR SHOW HEALTHY
INCREASE OVER 1911
Increase in the volume of Atlanta’s
business for 1912 over that of 1911 may
be measured by the comparative clear
ing house figures, which for 1912 show
an increase of $38,810,833.85 over 1911’;,
total. The increase is approximately
6 per cent.
Clearings for the period of twelve
months which ended at noon today
amounted to $691,941,254.20, at which
figure the r ords of the Atlanta Clear
ing House association for the year w ere
closed. For the twelve months of 1911.
the figures were $653,130,420.35.
The figures reveal that during the
last two months of the year clearings
were less than in the final months of
1911, the shortage in December amount
ing to nearly $3,000,000. However, in
every other season of the year, except
the late fall, the 1912 figures are far and
away above those of the preceding year.
JUDGE C. J. WELBORN RESIGNS.
The governor lias received the resig
nation of Judge C. J. Welborn, of the
county court of Jeff Davis, to take ef
fect immediately.
2 INDICTED FDR
Veterinary and Undertaker of
Indianapolis Held for Killing
Woman Physician.
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., Dee. 31.—Dr.
'W. B. Craig, of the Indiana Veterinary
college, and A. M. Ragsdale, prominent
Indianapolis undertak-r, were indicted
for the murder more than a year ago
of Dr. Helen Knabe, former state pa
thologist, by the Marion county grand
jury, which reported today.
The indictment of Dr. Craig for the
crime itself and of Ragsdale as an ac
cessory closed a historical session of
the grand jury, the secrets of which
were carefully guarded, bitt which
probed deep for facts.
Undertaker Her Administrator.
Surprise was occasioned by the in
dictment of Ragsdale, the undertaker
who was the administrator and settled
up the affairs of the lone physician
who was found on the bed in her apart
ment in the Delaware fiats on the
morning of October 23, 1911, with her
throat slashed in a manner that in
dicated the hand of an expert with sur
gical instruments.
Tile police, after exhaustive work on
the ease, declared it one of suicide,
while the coroner insisted that bis in
vestigations conii elied him to decide on
murder.
A silken kimono is said to figure
strongly in the evidence before the
grand jury which returned the new in
dictments. Some pillow slips are also
involved, being articles that did not fig
ure in o' were overlooked by former in
vest igat ions.
Blood on Kimono.
Part of the evidence before the grand
jury is said to be the finding of human
blood, by chemical analysis, in certain
of the garments of Dr. Knabe, even
aftei/they had been washed.
Tne discovery of the blood spots on
the kimono might be taken to indicate
that Dr. Knabe wore the kimono at the
time of her death, but the witness who
found her says it was not on her at the
time. Many new witnesses were ex
amined by the grand jury which re
turned the indictments today.
MOVING DAY IN VIDALIA.
VIDALIA, GA., Dec. 31. This is mov
ing day in this place, fully seventy-five
families having moved in and out of town
today. Most of the movers, however, are
farmers moving to their new locations for
the coming season. Several of the mer
chants have nlso secured new quarters for
the coming year
DYNAMITERS OFF
FOR U. St PRISON
Special Train Takes Convicted
Labor Men From Indianapo
lis to Leavenworth, Kan.
i
i
i
I INDIANAPOLIS. IND.. Dec. 31.
I Thirty-three union labor leaders con
victed of complicity In the McNamara
dynamite plots are now on their way to
the Federal, prison at Fort Leaven
worth, Kans., where they will serve
their terms. The “dynamite special”
carrying the prisoners left Indianapolis
at 11:35 a. m. over the Pennsylvania
railroad.
The train was made up of two
coaches, one carrying sixteen prisoners
and the other seventeen, and a diner
and a baggage car.
The prisoners seemed in n cheerfu'
frame of mind and they spoke cheering
words to one another.
Attorneys for the men filed a writ of
error and a writ of supersedeas today,
but both matters were put over until
Thursday by Judge Anderson.
Guard For Each Man.
Each of the prisoners was accompa
nied by a guard on the way from the
Mu-ion county jail to the train. How
ever, the trip was made without inci
dent.
In the party on the "dynamite spe
cial" were some of the best known la
bor men in the country. Among them
were Frank M. Ryan, president of the
International Association of Bridge
and Structural Iron Workers; Herbert
S. Hockin, formerly secretary of that
body; John T. Butler, vice president of
the organization, and Olaf Tveitmoe,
secretary of the California Building
Trades council.
Some called it the "dynamite special.'
others the "Leavenworth limited." and
still others the "arsenal train.”
The wives of the dynamiters stood
in the dusk of the train sheds clasping
their hands tightly until the last whis
tle shrilled its good-bye.
Then they turned back—alone.
Tearful Scene at Station.
Deputy United States Marshal Ed
Schmidt said he feared no trouble.
I There is a guard for each man, who
| never leaves the prisoner. They sit in
I double seats, the prisoner in front, the
I guard facing him. Never for a moment
• will this vigil relax’until the somber
I gate at Leavenworth swallows its new
| est consignment of lives.
| It was a tearful scene—that parting
lat the station. Hundreds of spectators
crowded to the gates to watch. Both
the convicted men and their wives bore
up bravely, however, and many dashed
away the tears and tried to smile. Some
of the smiles were wan and some of tlie
faces were pale with grief. The women
were attractively dressed and some of
them in extremely fashionable mode.
The convicted conspirators, many of
them at least, looked like prosperous
business men off on a trade journey.
The manacled wrists told a different
story.
GIRL COUGHS UP NEEDLE
IMBEDDED IN GOOSE
&T. IX)UIS, Dec. 31. —Miss Margaret
Bux, a telephone operator of Belleville,
was on goose at her home last
I night when she fell a pain in her throat.
; She coughed so violently ihat her mother,
j Mrs. William Jenks, sent a hurry call for
! a doctor. Before the physician arrived,
however, Miss Bux had succeeded in
! taking from her throat the cause of irri
| tation, a large needle.
How the needlv came to be in the goose,
j Mrs. Jenks, who cooked the fowl, cun not
■ understand. The needle must have been
: in the bird’s thigh while it was living, she
believes.
LEAP YEAR FALLS SHORT
ON MARRIAGE LICENSES
DALTON, GA., Dec. 31.—Leap year
has pmved a severe disappointment to
I Cupid in Whitfield county, for tlie sale
| of marriage licenses shows fewer is
! sued during the past twelve months
than for any other similar period in
seven years. Just 176 marriage licenses
were Issued here, as compared to 186 hi
1911, 199 in 1910. 187 In 1909, 189 in
1908, and 209 in 1907.
WOMAN KILLED IN FUN;
GLASS PIERCES NECK
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 31. —Falling on the
ragged edges of a glass door broken in a
playful bout with a guest over a box of
cigarettes, Mrs. Ortance Koetsch, a wid
ow, was almost instantly killed in her
home in West Sixteenth street, when one
of the Jong slivers of glass pierced her
neck. So unusual and dramatic was her
sudden death that several of her women
guests became hysterical and fainted.
FIND GRAIN SPECULATOR
DEAD IN ROOM FROM GAS
CHICAGO, Dec. 31. -Charles Thiop",
a grain speculator, was found asphyx
iated in a rooming house at 661 Dear
born avenue. His death is believed to
have been accidental.
TWO SURVEYORS DIE
WHEN MINE EXPLODES
VINCENNES, IND., Dec. 31.—A gas
explosion in a mine at Bicknell killed
Frank Stewart, county surveyor-elect,
and fatally injured A. J. Frey. The
men were surveying the mine. Both of
Stewart’s hands were burned off.
'TWO BILLIONS U.S. EXPORTS
FOR PAST ELEVEN MONTHS
WASHINGTON, Dec. 31.—The value of
the total imports into the United States
for eleven months, ending with November,
1912, aggregate $8,664,270,806, according to
a bulletin by the bureau of for
eign an«l domestic commerce and labor.
IThe value of exports from this country to
all parts of the world for the same period
amounted to $2,148,617,616.
EXPERT SANDS ON HOW
TO MAKE CITY STREET
DEPARTMENTEFFECTIVE
By Herbert R. Sands
Efficient administration of the office of chief of construction
demands that it be filled by a high-grade business executive se
lected solely on merit. It would be better were he to have a
technical engineering training also, but this is not essential.
When men such as this position needs can be persuaded to serve
the people in such an office the position must usually come to
them by appointment without the strife, and often taint, of politi
cal contest. The head of the department chargd with building
and maintaining the city's streets should be bound by no cam
paign obligations and have no political fences to tend. And yet
this is an elective office in Atlanta.
Such work can not he mixed with politics without just such
a result as Atlanta has experienced. It is logieallj’ to be expect
ed. The chief of construction should be appointive and the best
man available in Atlanta or anywhere else in the Y’nited States
should be eligible for appointment.
Bolstering Up an Illogical Structure
The two main functions of the department comprise the con
struction and repair of streets, and the construction and repair
of sewers and operation of sewage disposal plants. A recent or
dinance intended as a basis for reorganization of the department
provided for an assistant chief of construction, an engineer in
charge of streets and another in charge of sexvers. The latter
two positions are necessary, but assuming the head of the depart
ment to be efficient it does not seem that as a matter of organi
zation an assistant chief of construction is necessary. Such inter
nal reorganization can at best but bolster up an illogical struc
ture. As indicated above changes are basic.
The men at the head of the bureau of streets and the bu
reau of sewers should be men of experience and recognized
standing in street and sewer construction respectively. If they
are also graduate engineers so much the better, but the prime
requisite should he experience. They might be designated re
spectively as superintendent of streets and superintendent of sew
ers. (The present position of superintendent of streets should be
abolished.) Salaries should be provided for these positions ade
quate to attract competent men, ami they should be continued in
office under civil service regulations. The farmer would have
supervision of all street work, both new work and repairing and
including sidewalks and curbs. The latter would have supervision
of all eons!ruction and repair of sewers. Other construction and
repair work such as sewage disposal plants, crematory, etc.,
might be assigned to either of these two bureaus, according to the
judgment of the chief of construction, or retained under his per
sonal direction. *
Should Be Strictly Accountable
The superintendents of streets and sewers should be held
strictly accountable for results, and they ought, therefore, to be
allowed to nominate lheir subordinates, appointments being made
by the head of the department after a test of qualifications.
Pending establishment of a civil service commission such tests
might be conducted under temporary civil service regulations.
The city, through this department, is following a policy of
changing many street grades. Before approving plans for fur
ther changes of this character it would he wise to await the de
velopment of the plans of the newly created Atlanta city planning
commission. Xo grades should be changed hereafter; without the.
approval of that commission, because only in that way can all
public projects co-ordinate in the development ami beautification
of the city .
The old adage a "stitch in time" is pgrtieularly apt when
applied to street pavements. A rut or hole in a pavement, if re
paired when it first appears, takes but little time, and may be
done at a minimum cost ; if such hole* are allowed to remain,
however, vehicles continually drop into them, and not only en
large the hole each day. but rebounding, strike the pavement
beyond with such impact as to start a second depression, and
thus a series of depressions result which become very expensive
to repair, flood economy, therefore, demands that a sufficient
appropriation be made available each year to repair breaks in
pavement at once they appear.
COSA4OPOLITAN LIFE
TO BE REORGANIZED
FOR BUSINESS FEB. 1
Reorganization of the Cosmopolitan Life
Insurance Company wifi be effected as
soon as the necessary details, including
a decrease of the $1,900,000 capital
stock,’ and an addition of a substantial
sum to the surplus, are arranged.
Heretofore known officially as the "Cos
mopolitan Lite Insurance Company," the
rehabilitated concern will be called "The
Cosmopolitan Life Insurance Company,"
with an addition of the article as the
only change of title.
The step toward a change of organiza
tion was made as a result of the litiga
tion into which the affairs of the com
pany have been plunged. Every indica
tion as regards the volume and extent of
business done is flattering, the stockhold
er.- announced ala meeting held yester
day With $2,500,990 insurance written
before the receivership suit was filed last
fall, with business hi sight to swell the
volume to $4,009,000, and with a new lease
on life which the reorganization will give,
the company will prosper, the stockhold
ers believe. The newly organized con
cern will be ready for business Febru
ary J.
The decision to reorganize, with other
details connected with the proposition,
was made at Monday's meeting of the
stockholders.
HUNDREDS OF CATTLE
BURN IN PRAIRIE FIRE
CENTER. N. D., Dec. 31.—Prairie
fires are unusual in North Dakota at
this season, but one burned a strip
from one to three miles in width from
Sanger, this county, to the Missouri
river. There was a heavy wind and the
flames jumped over all the ordinary
"fire breaks."
Thousands of tons of hay were burn
ed and several hundred head of cattle
perished. The ranch of Tlmnuis Hall,
recently elected secretary of state, was
in the path of the tire, and he lost
heavily.
QUAKER OATS CO. IS
PROBED BY U. S. IN
SEARCH FOR TRUST
CHICAGO, Dec. 31.—A Federal grand
jury Investigation of tii«.j4uaker Oats
Company, regarding certain transac
tions which the government believes
were violations of the Sherman anti
trust Jaw. is under way here today.
The purchase of the Great Western
Cereal Company about a year ago by
the oats company is the point under
examination. It is the belief of lha
district attorney tiiat the transaction
virtually made the Quaker Oat* Com
pany >■ cereal trust.
SAILOFMN U.S. NAVY
NOW WORTH $250,000
WEST HAMPTON, N. T._ Dec. 31.
Knight Wheeler, son of the late Fred
erick M. Wheeler, and worth about
$250,000, has for the last five years
been an < nlisted man in the United
States navy. His duties have been so
well performed that his friends are ex
pecting any day to hour of his winning
a commission as ensign. He is visiting
his mother and sisters at the magnifi
cent Wheeler estate. He rose through
lite various grades until now he Is chief
machinist on the Albatross.
BONITA MAKES HIT
WITH BIG COMEDY
DURING THIS WEEK
The Bonita, 32 Peachtree street,
scored another big success on Mon
day when the initial performance of
“The Demented Wife” was presented to
standing room only, and the lobbj’
packed to the sidewalk.
This is truly one of the best comedies
seen In Atlanta this season.
On Thursday .the bill will change to a
rattling coon comedy entitled ‘Razor
Jim." Beautiful new motion pictures
as usual. vAdvt.)
5