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j GEORGIA. $
Brief Summary of Doings
Throughout the State.
Court Cost Pile of Money.
At the session of the United States
court recently held at Valdosta, it is
reported that between $4,000 and $5,
000 was paid out to witnesses ? ;nd ju¬
rors. Of this amount a woman wit¬
ness from Chicago received $93.40
for mileage, having come the distance
of 9S4 miles.
* * *
Cotton Conference of Bankers.
The cotton conference of bankers,
insurance men and others who figure
in the plan for storing and holding
cotton for a minimum price of 10
cents has been called to meet at the
Piedmont hotel, in Atlanta, on Jan¬
uary 24th.
* * *
Compulsory Vaccination Ordered.
A meeting of the county commis¬
sioners of Putnam county and the
board of education was held at Eaton
ton recently at which compulsory
vaccination has been ordered for the
schools of Putnam county. A few
mild cases of variola appeared among
the white citizens recently, creating
some alarm and precautionary meas¬
ures were adopted at once.
Plant Estate in Good Shape,
^Receiver N. B. Corbin, of the estaite
of the late R. H. Plant, head of two
"banks in Macon, who committed sui¬
cide when the institutions failed, has
made a report showing that $769,000
is now on hand. The Idle Hour farm,
belonging to the estate, has been self
supporting, and some improvements
"have been made on the premises. The
, -Ldle Hour nurseries have j been oper
“ "“363 atlrprof^-— t:
Negro Granted a ResjftEe.
Governor Terrell has granted a re¬
spite until Friday, January 13, to
Whitley Williford, colored, who was
sentenced to be hanged Tuesday, the
27th, in Mitchell county for the mur¬
der of a young white man named Har¬
mon West.
The reason for granting the respite
was to give the prison commission an
opportunity to investigate the case
with a view to determining whether
or not Williford’s punishment should
he commuted to life imprisonment.
* * *
<5. A. R. Men Honor Gordon.
One of the best known grand army
posts. in the country, Hannibal Ham¬
lin post, No. 165, of Bangor, Me., 'at
a recent meeting adopted resolutions
paying warm tribute to the memory
of the late General John B. Gordon,
and at the same time appointing a
committee to raise funds to aid in
the erection of the proposed monu¬
ment to the south’s great hero.
* * #
Taylor Appointed Minute Clerk.
W. H. Taylor, of Griffin, has been
appointed by Governor Terrell min¬
ute clerk in the executive department
to succeed Benton Odum, state sena¬
tor from the ninth district, who re¬
signed upon his election to the sen¬
ate .
Mr, Taylor is a well-known young
lawyer of Griffin, and will take charge
of his new position on January 2.
* * *
Tragedy at Minticello.
West Cook shot and killed Sam
Reese and Auguset L. Brooks Mon
ticello on Christmas eve. Reese is a
negro. Brooks was an innocent by¬
stander and is a man well thought of.
The trouble arose between Cook
and the negro. The negro was shot
three times ,once through the leg and
twice through the body. Brooks was
shot through the neck. Both died in¬
stantly.
J. H. Elliott, an aged citizen, who
was standing near tne scene, received
a flesh wound from a stray bullet. A
negro and his mule were also hurt.
Cook was jailed.
Farmers Meet in Hawkinsville.
A rousing meeting of farmers from
all points of the compass was held in
Hawkinsville last Saturday, and they
discussed the present cotton problem.
Interesting talks were made by
many leading citizens, all taking the
point of view that the cotton acre¬
age must be reduced and that more
attention must be paid to raising
more foodstuffs.
It was manifested that what unsold
cotton there Is in the section will be
held indefinitely for a rise in price
and that less will be planted next
year. They will meet January 16th
to complete the organization.
Winter School of Agriculture.
The winter school of agriculture in
the University of Georgia will open
its session January 2. The outlook
for a large attendance upon this
branch of the university .j very flat¬
tering, and the authorities of the uni¬
versity have made preparations for a
better course of study this year than
ever before.
Since the visit of the university
trustees to the University of Wiscon¬
sin, the intention of the trustees has
bee n more than ever fixed to make
this short winter course in agricul¬
ture one of the most attractive and
most beneficial parts of the university
course of study.
* * *
Packing Hous e Tax Cases.
The famous packing house tax case
comes lip in the United States su¬
preme court early in January, and At¬
torney General John C. Hart is pre¬
paring to make an argument before
that court in the state’s behalf. This
case went up on certiorari from the
state supreme court, which held that
the $200 ipeciflc tax on packing h^rose
packing houses contend that the tax
violates the constitution of the United
agencies was valid and binding. The
States, in that it is class legislation,
the claim being made that no similar
tax is put on agencies in Georgia of
other foregn corporations.
* » *
Killed Blind Negro.
R. W. Collier, a member of a prom¬
inent Terrell county family living
near Sasser, has been placed in a
cell of the Dougherty county jail at
Albany, charged with murder.
Although the victim was a negro,
the crime has aroused a great deal of
indignation because the victim, who
was about 24 years old, had been
blind from birth. The killing occur¬
red in the extreme eastern portion of
the county and is said to have been
totally unprovoked. Collier was un¬
der the influence of whiskey.
* * *
Preferred Crime to Vaccination.
At Sandersville, Boss Garrett shot
and killed Spuecial Officer Gideon
Matthews while resisting arrest be¬
cause of refusing to submit to com¬
pulsory vaccination.
Garrett escaped, hut a strong posse
of citizens was immediately formed
and started in pursuit. The fleeing
man was overtaken one mile north of
town. He attempted further flight
and was shot through the thigh by
Deputy Marshal Wilson, arrested and
lodged in the county jail.
Garrett also sustained a serious
wound in the right side, inflicted by
Special Officer Matthews,
* * *
Many Families Migrating.
Eight or ten white families, well
to-do farmers residing near Machen,
in Jasper county, have recently pulled
out for South Georgia. They have
purchased farms in Pulaski and Lau¬
rens counties, in the vicinity of Dex¬
ter, where a settlement was started
last year by several Jasper county
farmers. It is stated by those who
have gone from 1 th ..section that the
farms in that locality ars very fer¬
tile, producing a bale of cotton to the
acre, and are being sold at very rea¬
sonable prices. Many others, it fs
said, from Jasper county and the east¬
ern part of Newton county contem¬
plate locating in this south Georgia
section.
* * *
Judges Take Oath of Office.
Four justices of the supreme court
of Georgia were sworn in by Governor
Joseph M. Terrell Friday. Two of
the justices begin new terms of six
years each, while two of the justices
were sworn in for unexpired terms.
Chief Justice Thomas J. Simmons
and Assistant Justice William R. Fish
were sworn in for terms of six years
each, which Justice Lamar took the
oath for four-years.
These four judges will get the ben¬
efit of the bill recently passed*hy the
legislature raising the salaries of su¬
preme court judges to $4,000 a year.
Justice Candler, who is now in the
bench, will not get an increase until
1907, and Justice Cobb until 1909, as
the constitution of the state provides
that the salary of an officer cannot be
raised during his term.
* * *
Annual Inspection of Troops.
Annual inspection of all the troops
in the Georgia state militia for 1905,
will begin on February 1, next, and
will be .concluded on April 16.
The dates for the inspection of
each company and cavalry troop in
the state have been announced- in or¬
ders from headquarters of the Atlan¬
tic Division, United States Army,
signed by Colonel H, O. S. Heistand,
assistant adjutant general, copies of
which have been received at the of¬
fice of Adjutant General S. W. Harris
at Atlanta.
These orders detail certain regular
army officers to accompany Colonel
William G. Obear, inspector general,
Georgia state troops, on the annual
tour of, inspection of the stat;e militia.
This year five United States army
officers have been detailed for this
duty, instead of one as heretofore.
MOTION TO QUASH DENIED.
Trial of White Woman and Negro at
Jacksonville, Fla., Set for Jan. 9.
Judge Call, in the circuit court at
Jacksonville, Fla., Thursday morning
denied the motion to quash the indict¬
ment against Nellie Plummer, white,
and Jake Bradford, a negro, for the
killing of John Plummer, husband of
the accused woman. The defendants
were arraigned and pleaded not sruilt.y.
The trial was set for the 9th of Jan¬
uary.
RUSSIAN BREAKS PAROLE.
Commander if Torpedo Boat Destroyer
Tires of Detention in Shanghai.
There seems to be no doubt that the
commander of the Russian torpedo
boat destroyer Grozovoi, who has been
Interned at Shanghai since his ves¬
sel’s arrival after the battle between
the Japanese and Rusian fleets oh
Port Arthur, on August 10, took pas¬
sage on the steamer Nigretia, bound
for Vladivostoclc. The commander
carried valuable charts and docuia.ee ts,
BELL BOYS AS ROBBERS.
Organized Band Discovered in Chica¬
go With Boodle in Possession.
A gang of bell boys organized to
steal the property of guests in the
down town hotels in Chicago has been
discovered by the police and money
and jewelry amounting to nearly $1,
000 has been found in their posses¬
sion.
The discovery was the result of the
theft of $180 and two gold watches
from Edward Combess.
So-Called Peonage Ca* e Before High
Court Attracts Much Attention.
A Washington special says: The
importance to the southern states of
the so-called peonage case now pend¬
ing before, the supreme court qf the
United States can hardly be overesti¬
mated. The case has attracted very
considerable attention in Washington,
both because it marked the first ap¬
pearance before the court of Attorney
General Moody in his official charac¬
ter and because, by southern men and
lawyers in particular, the far-reaching
effect of the court’s decision is under¬
stood and appreciated.
The case is one coming from Judge
Swayne’s court in Florida, the plain¬
tiff being one Clyatt, who was con¬
victed upon a peonage charge Mr.
Clyatt and his Interests are, however,
mere incidents to the broad question
raised; this is the right of the federal
government to invade the jurisdiction
of the state courts in a class of cases
which it is claimed belong distinctly
to the state courts.
MORE JAPANESE VICTORIES.
Two Important Positions Near Port
Arthur Taken on Christmas Day.
The following report was received
in Tokio from the besiegers at Port
Arthur Christmas morning:
“Our right wing surprised the
enemy at Housanytantun (Housan
yentaos?) and Slaofuntun, (the latter
about six and a half miles northwest
of Port Arthur) at ten o’clock Satur¬
day night and occupied the village
and, subsequently dislodging the dne
my, occupied the whole of Taliuchia
tun (about five miles northwest, of
Port Arthur) at 2:55 o’clock Sunday
morning.
“Our repeated attacks during -the
past few days were uniformly .suc¬
cessful and now the whole of the
enemy’s advanced positions front¬
ing our right wing are in our
hands.”.........
DETECTIVES KIDNAP INC!
After Twenty-Five Years of Immun¬
ity Letcher Comes to Grief.
A San Francisco dispatch says:
George E. Letcher, of San Jose, who
is wanted by the Ohio authorities on
the -Large of arson committed in
that state 25 years ago, and who has
been resisting, by legal expedients,
extradition, has been kidnaped -by de¬
tectives and is now out of the juris¬
diction of the courts of California.
SUSPENSION BRIDGE COLLAPSES.
Two People Killed and Others Hurt
in Crash of Ancient Structure.
Two persons were killed and five
others seriously injured Thursday by
the collapse of the ancient suspension
bridge across the Elk river, which
connects east and west Charleston, W.
Va. On the bridge when it went
down were six children on their way
to school, and a number of other pe¬
destrians, together with six teams.
GIFT DOES DEADLY WORK.
Woman Blown to Atoms by Navy Car¬
tridge Sent By Her Brother.
At Detroit, Mich., Thursday, Mrs.
Thomas E. Barnes, aged 21 years,
was blown to pieces by a cartridge
that had been sent her by a brother,,
a sailor in the United States navy.
The cartridge, which is said to have
been about 1 1-2 inches in diameter
and 3 or 4 inches long, was sent to
Mrs. Barnes as a souvenir. It is sup¬
posed that she was walking from the
sitting room into her parlor with the
cartridge in her hand and that in
passing a coal stove struck it against
the stove in such a manner that it ex¬
ploded.
Her two little children, aged 1 and
3 years, were found uninjured in t&A
kitchen.