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MAIN SHEET-Part II. ■■ > 1 SUR THIS SECTION CONTAINS SPORTING and AUTOMOBILE NEWS ■'Sji ★ ★★★ ATLANTA. (iA.. Sl’N’DAV, DEC KM ME It 14, 1013. TO Executive Declares Any Clemency He Extends Will Be on Merits of Cases, and Not Just Because of the Nearness of Christmas. Scores Practice as Fallacy, and Declares It Shall Not Prevail While He Is Governor of Geor gia—Deluged With Petitions. Governor Slaton let it be known in emphatic language Saturday that no body is to have a pardon during this Christmas season, merely because it is the holiday time of the year. The Governor returned from his trip East Friday, to find that a veritable avalanche of applications for clernen- y had descended upon the Executive »ffices during his absence, and a very large percentage of them based their arguments upon the ground that “it is nearly Christmas” and that, there fore, for some reason or other, the Governor is supposed to view these .•leniency matters a little more len iently than ordinarily “I do not understand why someone -hould expect a pardon at Christmas rime any more than at some other time. These matters must stand or fall upon their merits entirely.” said the Governor. Wil! Not Overstep Prerogative. ‘‘Here is a man convicted of mur der. He thinks I should send him home Christmas ‘to be with his wife and children.’ I should like to do that —if it can be shown that he is enti tled to it. When, however, I am asked to do thus and so for the per petrator of some frightful crime 1 never hear anybody suggesting how 1 am to make up things to the family of the victim. “The prerogative of clemency is not at all personal to the Governor—it is an Executive function tnat should be exercised with great care and dis crimination. and absolutely as exact justice shall seem to suggest. “I am not going to pardon or parole anybody simply and solely because it is Christmas, and parties who are coming before me limping heavily on that crutch may well save themselves time by noe coming. Wiil Decide on Merits. “This business of swamping the Gov ernor’s office every Christmas with clemency petitions, based upon the more or less maudlin plea that ‘it is Christmas* and that the Governor may lay aside his conscience for the time being, hi something of a nuisance— and it (s not going to produce results while I am Governor. “I am giad to hear petitions for clemency when there is real merit in them, hut not otherwise. If there is merit in them they are welcomed on Christmas or the Fourth of July, or at any other time. The time of peti tioning makes no difference whatever, so far as my action is concerned.” Diogenes’OwnTown, Cordele, Halves Its Cotton Crop Claims — Refuses to Brag cf 200,000 Bales When It Has 100,000. Even Though it Was Misprint. ! Editor Hearst’s Bunday American, Atlanta: We wish to thank you very much for the excellent write-up of our city In yesterday’s Sunday American. We wish, however, to call attention to one error, which 1 am sure was accidental. In your article you stated that Cor dele had 200.000 bales of cotton this year, where you should have stated that Cordele had 100,000 bales. Desiring that our city have no mis leading figures placed before the pos sible hyme-seeker. we desire to make this correction. The bare facts regarding Cordele and Crisp County are marvelous enough and almost beyond belief. We are receiving a great many new citizens through correct ’publicity, and wish to keep “on the square” as well as “on the firing line.” Thanking you, I am. very sincerely yours, , LOUIS SPENCER DANIEL. Secretary Cordele Chamber of Com merce, Cordele, Oa. Fairfax Harrison, New President of Southern, Pleased With Con ditions in His Territory. IS. KEEFER IS 1ST SEEKING i upur ‘I’m Neither Rich Nor Eccentric,’ She Declares as She Tells of Financial Woes. MILL REPORTS NOTEWORTHY ! HAS TWO BOOKS ON PRESS 1 Sim unity'Doctor; AtIailta ^Ut 17, Is Playwright Salary Pa.d by Tax ^ Jq ^ piayed We( J nesday Manufacturers in Most Lines Have Demand for Products—Run on Full Time. Volunteers to Die on Scaffold for Woman NEW HAVEN, CONN.. Dec. 13.— A letter was received here to-day from W. T. S. McC. Leary, of Tole do. in which he offers to take the place of Mrs. Bessie Wakefield on the scaffold if the woman is denied a new trial, so she might return to her children. In his letter he said: “If thqy must hang someone, if they will let Bessie go to her babies and tell me what day they want me to come there, I will close my busi ness and come and take her place on .the scaffold with a smile on my face, for she tyis something to live for and 1 have not.” Municipal Christmas Tree for Asheville ASHEVILLE, N. C., Dec. 13.—Ashe ville is to have a municipal Christmas tree this year by decision of the Board of Aldermen. The tree is to be a giant cedar erected on Pack Square and will be ablaze with myriad col ored electric bulbs. All of the city churches will participate in the mid winter carnival that is planned. All of the presents placed on th-? tree will be turned over to the As sociated Chariteis and the Salvation Army for distribution. Turnverein’s Santa To Appear on Dec. 31 The fortieth Christmas tree anni versary” of the Atlanta Turn Verein will be celebrated the evening of De cember 31 at No. 26 1-2 North Pryor street. Santa Claus will appear at 8 o’clock, and will begin distributing presents to children under 15 years of age. The entertainment, as usual, will be limited strictly to members of the or ganization and their immediate fami lies. WASHINGTON. Dec. 13.—Fairfax Harrison, the new president of the * Southern Railway Company, speaking to-day of the business outlook in the South, said: “Conditions throughout the terri tory traversed by Southern Railway lines are generally favorable. The farmers of the Southeast, except in restricted localities where they suf fered from drouth, have had a highly prosperous year. The ginning reports of the' United States Census Bureau indicate that the cotton* crop of the States east of the Mississippi River will exceed that of last year, and cur rent prices are above those of a year Hgo. “WHile the estimate of the total corn crop of the United States, recently issued by the United States Depart ment of Agriculture, shows a falling off. compared with ’ t year, of 861,- 729.000 bushels, the crop in the nine Southeastern States traversed by the Southern Railway is within 21,000,000 bushels as large as last year, the only Southeastern States showing de creased yields on account of the drouth being Kentucky and Tennes see. "Other crops, including forage, have turned out well, and. taking the territory as a whole, 1 doubt whether the farmers of the Southeast have ever had a more favaaable year. "Largely growing out of the pros perous condition of the farmers, wholesale and retail trade throughout the Southeast is generally in good condition. "Manufacturers in most lines are enjoying a good demand for their products, and their establishments are running on full time, though some slackening of production is to be ex pected during the holiday season. Tha reports of cotton mill and knitting mill development are particularly noteworthy.” Slayer Confesses as Trial Is Concluded FAF1KMOUNT, AT. VA„ Dec. 13.— Vincenzo Angelina confessed the mur der of Policeman James Otis Shaver, of Monongah in the Circuit Court to day after the State had rested its ease. He was sentenced to life im- ju'isonment. Shaver was killed July 21. 1912, while escorting Angelina's brother, whom he had arrested, to jail. An gelina was tried and sentenced to hang. The West Virginia Court of Appeals granted a new trial which ivas concluded to-day. Daughter Signer of New Carnegie Trust Special Cable to The American. EDINBURGH. Dec. 13 —The deed creating the Carnegie United King dom Trust, aggregating $10,000,000, has been deposited with the Regis trar of Edinburgh. It is signed by Mr. and Mr*. Car negie, Miss Carnegie and Miss Es telle Whitfield. Deeds creating other Carnegie rusts here are signed by Mr, and Mrs. Carnegie. Breechette Inventor Has New Tango Gown WASHINGTON, Dec. 13.—Miss Margaret Britton, "the titlan-haired debutante,” who originated the breechette. a comfortable walking and riding costume for belles, ha* solved the problem of a graceful and at the same time convenient tango costumq. Mias Britton’s costume is made of chiffon, the ruffies of which are caught together in such fashion as to give absolute freedom for the tango steps. Foreign Nations Now Want Paintings Back — % NEW YORK, Dec. 13.—Herman VanSlochem, a Fifth avenue art deal er, has just arrived from Paris, bring ing with him six priceless paintings of Flemish, Dutch and Italian mas ters. He said that European govern ments and owners of private galleries were sorry now that they had sold so many masterpieces to collectors u this country, and were extremely anx ious to get them back. "This desire on their part.” lie said, "will cause a natural boom in the exchange of these pictures, but as American collectors are much richer than those of Europe, there will be great difficulty in taking them back to Europe.” Fulton Employee in Surprise Wdding Miss Berta Key, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. W. D. Key, of Rock Springs, and E. L. Bryant, of Ben Hill, sur prised their friends Saturday night by quietly getting married at the par sonage of the Rev. Linton Johnson, pastor of the Rock Springs Presby terian Church. Mr. Bryant is an employee of Ful ton County. They will make their home In Atalnta. Women of Orient Taking Up Suffrage WASHINGTON, Dec. 13.—An in teresting feature of to-day’s session of the Suffrage School was an ad dress by Madame Lydia Montford, of Syria, on "The Position of Women in the Orient.” Madame Montford is visiting in America and has become greatly in terested in the woman suffrage move ment. She said to-day that Oriental women were waking up and taking part iu new departures of iho da.> Spencer Loses Fight To Escape Gallows CHICAGO. Dec. 13.—Henry D. Spencer, confessed murderer o? Mrs. Mildred Alllson-Rexroat, the tango teacher, will hang Friday unless the State Supreme Court grants a writ of supersedeas. Judge Mazzini Slusser this after noon at Wheaton overruled the de fense's motions for a vacation of judgment and a stay of execution, and ordered that the "hammer man” be executed. Spencer expressed no concern when the court refused to in tercede in his behalf. Preparations for carrying out the verdict have al ready begun. Compromise Likely For Inland Vessels WASHINGTON, Dec. 13.—Adoption of a compromise amendment to the LaFollette seamen’s bill, exempting from its requirements as to the num ber of lifeboats and able seamen all vessels navigating only the upper waters of Chesapeake Bay and sim ilar inland waters, was the prospect when hearings on the bill were sus pended to-night by the House Com mittee on Merchant Marine and Fish eries. The exemption will not extend, however, to vessels going several miles from lana Asserts That She Pawned Jewels to Have Her Literary Works Published. Mrs. David II. Keefer ’ desires it well understood that a wrong impres sion has been gained of her from the publicity given her recent efforts to elevate the sanitary conditions of Atlanta restaurants by inspecting their Inner workings from the role of dishwasher. "1 am said to be rich and eccen tric.” Mrs. Keefer explained Saturdav. "I am neither. Simply unfortunate. In attempting to give the people of Atlanta an apartment of real value, I have become involved in financial dif ficulties. ‘‘It is from that web I am seeking to escape by my own efforts, unaided by the man by tfrhose name I sun called. "I designed and built that apart ment myself. I was the architect, and tiie superintendent, and the fore man. 1 saw every plank placed and every stone set. Looks to Her Books. “The Income from that little place will keep me nicely, I think, and u ! the meantime 1 have my two books— ‘Psalm 119.’ a Masonic work, already : on sale at the bookstores here, and ‘Sanders Square,’ now ready for the | press in New York.” Mrs. Keefer, a slender, nervous lit tle woman, spoke with evident feeling of her books. "I let my diamonds go to get the money to publish ‘Psalm 119,’” soe said, but there was no hint of a sacri fice in her voice. "I didn’t mind let ting them go; 1 didn’t care for them sentimentally, and I had no desire for display, and that’s about all jewels are good for. “I have a card here from Elia Wheeler Wilcox,” she went on. taking it from her handbag. ‘‘1 sent her i a copy of my littl° book, and she says some very kind things of it.” So she did, all in the weird, strag gly Wilcox hand that most of the world knows. Knows the Rockefellers. “Oh, I’m not exactly restricted in my friendships and acquaintances,” Mrs. Keefer said, smiling a little. "I know the Rockefellers and the Mc Cormicks. and—but that’s all on one side. Here I am, in Atlanta, plas tered with a great deal of notoriety, and looking for employment—looking for employment, until the remnant of my little fortune, in the shape of the apartment hat I built, shall begin to support me.” And as to Mr. Keefer "I condoned a previous divorce suit, instituted in New York, to save his purse from the lawyers, thereby prac tically shattering the faith of the en tire legal profession in myself.” Mrs. J Keefer explained. "He gave it out when we were married that I was a ‘two-million-dollar bride,’ and he used most of what he had, and much cf my money, makin" the display to bear out his boast. Well, he prospered on that sort of advertising, and now I suppose he must be worth half a mil lion dollars. I know' he stops at the best hotels, has his own motor car, and entertains lavishly.” Mrs. Keefer snapped shut the Dig handbag. "And I—well, I am still Mrs. David H. Keefer; the mime means much to me. I have learned so much since I have had it. 1 am not rich and eccen tric. I am just looking for employ ment until what is left of my little fortune shall begin to support me.” Physician Keeps 200 Citizens in Good Health and Each Family Pays Fixed Amount. XKWBEllN, X. C., Dec. 13.—Knotts Island, Currituck County, wlrteh Is in* habited by about 200 persons, employs one physician to minister to the ills and ailments of every ‘Citizen. This physician Is paid a salary of something more than $1,000 and every family is assessed according to the' number in the household to pay the salary. There are seasons during the year when the lone physician has little to do, but at other times, when some epidemic strikes the town, he is kept busy from morning until far Into the night. | Occasionally, when there are several members of a family ill at one time, a trained nurse is .emp'oyed, but this is a rarity and to the credit of the doctor it j can be said that he has remarkable success in keeping the members of that community free from all disease. Author Herself Will Take Role Miss Mildred Sault, the Atlanta jfirl who, at 17. has writ ten a sketch to be produced in “Society Vaudeville” this week. • / Shoots Ex-Wife, Kills Two Others and Self CHICAGO, Dec. 13.—Angered be cause his wife had divorced him three months ago and because friends had afterward assisted her in purchasing a candy store whereby she could make a living, Emanuel Hamer, a railway mail clerk, this afternoon shot and killed Mr. and Mrs. Leo F. Niemann, wounded his former wife, and then committed suicide in an apartment building where all lived. A corset steel deflected the bullet fired at Mrs. Hamer, and she will re cover. Joliet, in War on Vice, Cites Atlanta Police Chief Beavers and the At lanta vice war form the subject of a double-column editorial in The Joliet News, of Joliet, Ill. The Atlanta situation is shown to | be one of especial interest in Joliet because of a vigorous clean-up cam paign now being waged in that city The News pays high tribute to Chief Beavers and his courage.in leading tiie war against vice in Atlanta, and quotes extensively from ihe Chief’s signed article on vice conditions as it appeared in the recent special At lanta edition of The Detective, the Chicago publication devoted to the in terests of the police departments of the nation. The News editorially also quotes the Men and Religion bulletin on "The Policeman ' which appeared some time ago Max Figman Burned In Lamp Explosion Max Figman, who plays the* role of the newspaper man in "Fine Feath ers,” suffered a j*ainful accident just as he was preparing for his appear ance at ihe Atlanta Theater Saturday night when a spirit lamp in his dress ing room exploded and covered his face with a mass 6f burning oil. Mr. Figman, by the quick applica tion of a towel, extinguished the flames oefore assistance reached him. Physicians attended the burns, and the actor made his appearance, not withstanding the pain. Boys Rescue Girls As Dormitory Burns RALEIGH, N. C., Dec. 13.—Fire which destroyed the girls' dormitory of the Industrial Christian College at Dawson. N. C., injured several pu pils and prompted several heroic res cues by young men. Miss Bessie Koonce, of Statelino, Pa., and Earl Hooks, of Havelock, N. C., leaped from the second story of the wooden building and were unin jured. Miss Mattie Bone, of Spring Hro*>. fell down a flight of stairs and bj&taindd broken collar bone. Pretty Head Is Set on Career of Stage Writing and Acting. Miss Mildred Sault, of No. 66 St. Charles avenue, announces, without hesitation and without the slightest doubt in her fair head, that she is go ing to be a playwright when she grows a little older and has more time to spend in working out her career. Already the girl is well started to ward the fulfillment of her ambition. Here she is only 17 years old, but with one of the drama-children of her brain about to be produced on the public stage. Miss Sault is the author of "For the Love of Marie,” a sketch of con siderable promise, that will have a part in the society vaudeville of the S. V. D. Fraternity Wednesday night. It is not her first dramatic venture, and certainly not her last, she de clares. "I have been trying to write ever since I could handle a pen. I think,” she said yesterday. "And it was just as natural for me to hanker after a writing career as it was for me to grow up. "But writing plays is not the only thing. I should like to take part in them myself, and to direct them—as Thomas Dixon does, you know, in his plays. I should like to write plays, too, that have, like his, a real pur pose.” Altogether, there are rather vault ing ambitions being cherished in the heart of this pretty girl. And, deter mined to start right, she will play the leading role In her own sketch this week. The society vaudeville, to be staged at the Grand Theater, will be held for the benefit of the Home for t ie Blind. London Court Rules Woman Is Not* Person' Special Cable to The American. LONDON, Dec. 13.—The appeal of Miss Gwyneth Marjorie Bebb from the decision of the Incorporated Law Society barring her from admission to the bar because of her sex was re jected by the high court. The court adhered to the view that j a woman is not a "person within the meaning of the solicitors' act of 1843.” Would-be Doctors In U. S, Decreasing WASHINGTON, Dec. 13.—Decrease in medical schools and in their stu dent attendance In the United States was reported to-day by the Federal Bureau of Education for 1913. Figures show that there were four teen less schools, a decrease of 1,200 students and 500 less graduates this year than aJat. U. S. Rushes Aid to Texas Flood Victims WASHINGTON, Dec. 13.—Appeal for aid for the destitute of the flood ed Texas districts was made to the Treasury Department by a relief committee from Galveston to-day. Hundreds of persons are starving and dying in Texas, says the petition, which asks the co-operation of the revenue cutter service in bringing re lief to the inundated area. The department ordered the reve nue cutter Windom, now at Galves ton, to co-operate with the relief committee. BUFORD BOY DIES HERE. Howard Thomas, the 12-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. T. S. Thomas, of Buford, Ga., died Saturday* in an At lanta private sanitarium The body was sent to Buford. Is Confident, He Declares, That Smoother Pavements Will Be a Source of Tremendous Income to City in Business Increase. Taxable Values Higher as a Result of Present Improvements, and Possible 20 Per Cent Gain He Regards as Likely by the Plan, By DR. GEORGE F. PAYNE. Atlanta should have more viaducts over the railroads, better paid school teachers, better paid policemen, bet ter paid firemen, more schools, wider streets, better kept parks, but last, and most Important, to enable her to keep up these things she needs provide for an improved income. As a business proposition, Atlanta's greatest need Is better graded streets, with smoother pavements. The mat ter of regrading and repaving many of her streets is the most businesslike proposition which now confronts us It can <ije handled in such a manner as to be the source of a tremendous income to the city and enable us to secure many other things which .ire much needed. We should Invest, r? far as practicable, in income-produc ing Improvements, that we can have other Improvements that do not pro duce Incomes supported by such re turns. If we should put a large amount into any proposition which does not produce an income, but requires funds to support it, it can not well be sup ported In any way, except by an in crease in taxation, unless by invest ing money in better graded streets with smoother pavements, we lr crease the taxpaying capacity of the property along such streets. Many Object Lessons. We have had so many splendid ob ject lessons along this line that It would seem every business man must ,feel deeply Impressed with the im portance of such work. It has been said that the city spent $2,500 In re grading Forsyth street and the ad jacent property, and that the county bore the balance of the expense, and that on account of these improve ments the taxable values have been raised in that section $1,400,000 bringing to the city of Atlanta, a year ly Income of over $14,000. This illustrates what a splendid business propoiif m regrading and smoothly paving our streets is to the city. The doubling of values on In street by the recent regrading is an other illustration of the value to th»* city of such work. We heard onr capitalist remark, in a speech before Council in favor of the Whitehall street regrading, that "he would un dertake to do the work himself If th*' city would agree to give him half oT its increased income resulting from the work.” Of course, such ^ thing would be impracticable, but it empha sizes the business side of such a dt velopment. Would Bring Business. There are many small businesses which would come to Atlanta, but have not the capital to rent 6tores or Peachtree or on Whitehall streets, and if they attempt to rent on most of our other streets they are confronted with rough, poorly-graded and poor ly-paved streets. Think of the con dition of West Peachtree and Spring streets west of Peachtree and east of it, and, as an illustration, take Court- land street, between Ponce DeLeon avenue and the Washington street viaduct. It Is just a succession of hills and hollows, the whole length of it, and the belgian blocks have been taken up and replaced again sc many, many times that there is prob ably not a rougher street In the whole city. Yet this street Is 60 feet wide and extends, with its prolongation of Juniper street, on one end, and Wash ington street on the other, from Pied mont Park to Washington Heights and should be a smooth, fine drive way. Besides relieving unnecessary con gestion on Peachtree street, the; would add to Peachtree values, as natural feeders in the northwestern portion of the city, which is building up faster with homes than any othei part of Atlanta. The whole popula- 6 \