Newspaper Page Text
VOL X
COLONIZE
CONVICTS
Representative Hartsfield
Wants to Put Them
On Island.
THINKS SAPELO THE PLACE.
A Description of the Island
And its Advantages—
It is Healthful.
One of the most vital questions
before the people of Georgia today
is the convict problem, and it will
make the next session of the legis
lature one of the most interesting
and important that has been held
in years.
There have been many schemes
and plans suggested looking to
wards the solution of the matter.
Hon. Joseph Mansfield the popu
lar and able representative from
Mclntos 1 ; county lias given this
question his special study, and has
arrived at what hedeems the prop
er solution.
He will propose to the next leg
islature that the state purchase
Sapelo island and use it for con
vict purposes. Capt. Mansfield
says that on an island prisoners
can be much more easily cared for
than on the mainland, and that if
the state will buy Sapelo island
the convicts can be made self-sup
porting.
In conversing upon the matter,
Capt. Mansfield says:
“Sapelo is naturally one of the
richest spots on the face of the
earth, and there was no land in
the South which grew such magni
ficent cotton as was grown on this
island before the war. That was
when cotton was cultivated by
slave labor, but since the war the
growing of cotton as an industry
has greatly lessened on the islands
of the coast on account of the
trouble with labor. With convict
labor old time conditions can be
re-established in the growing of
sea island cotton. This will inter
fere with nobody, and it will not
come in competition with free la
bor, because there is so little sea
island cotton grown that, even if
the Georgia crop were increased
ten times it would not interfere
with the price of the staple ”
It is well known that most of
the convicts are negroes; and in
stead of injuring them, confine
ment on one of the coast islands
would be perfectly healthy for ne
groes or whites; and, in the next
place, it is a well known fact that
the negro specially thrives in such
climate conditions as surround
Sapelo. lam informed that many
of the negroes who are confined in
the coal camps of north Georgia
die of consumption, which is the
worst enemy of negro convicts.
There would be no trouble of this
kind at Sapelo. Not only that,
but the convicts could live under
conditions for which they are best
suited by being kept in open air
while engaged in what would be
not only a self supporting industry
but also a source of actual profit
to the state.”
Mr. Mansfield will have the sup
port of prominent representatives
in the effort to make a penal col
ony of Sapelo island.
Sapelo is'and is one of the larg
est islands on the coast of Georgia
It is upward of twelve miles long,
by three and one-half miles wide-
It is without doubt the best drain
ed and (with the exception of
Cumberland) the highest island
on the Georgia coast. Its reputa
tion for health is unsurpassed, the
climate being delightful both win
ter and summer. The lauds on
the island have always ranked
THE SUMMERVILLE NEW
very high ; they are thoroughly
situated for cultivation of almost
any crop which can be grown in
this latitude. Previous to the war
it was the finest and largest sea is
land cotton plantation in Georgia.
Truck of all kinds does well, also
all kinds of small grain and grass
es. The natural pasturage of the
island is unsurpassed; in fact,
these pasture lands are finer than
any lands this side of Kentucky or
Texas. In all seasons of the year
these pastures continue in fine '
condition. Horses, cattle and all
kinds of stock do well. Wells
and springs on this island are es
pecially fine. Artesian wells can
be driven on this island at almost
nominal cost.
There are first-class deep water
landingsand wharves, also safe
harbors for yachts at various
points on the island. At the
south end the Doboy bar, and at
the north end the unsurpassed Sa
pelo inlet, are finer than any bar
or port south of Norfolk. This is
land has also one of the finest
beaches on the coast.
This island contains about 40,-
000 acres of land as follows:
Twenty thousand acres of high
land, 20,000 acres of salt marsh.
The high land is divided as fol
lows :
Ten thousand acres of uncleared
oak and pine, 5,000 acres open
land suitable for cotton, 5,000 a
cres of savannah land suitable for
corn, cotton and truck. Almost
all of the uncleared oak and pine
land would make the very finest
sea island cotton, and much of the
salt marsh could also be reclaimed
and would make the best sea is
land land. Previous to the war
the finest sea island was reclaimed
marsh.
Another very important and
fertile island that would probably
be much better than Sapelo is Os
sabaw off the caast near Savannah.
Ossabaw has 30,000 acres of the
richest land, almost every acre of
which could be cultivated to ad
vantage. It can easily be reached
from Savannah over the Central
railroad, and its situation would
be peculiarly adapted for a penal
colony. It is cut off from the
mainland by the sound and could
be guarded easily by two men.
It could be purchased for $20,-
000 or $25,000 and would be a
most valuable purchase . The is
land has been in cu'tivation for
over half a century and always
yields abundant crops.
Dr. Tichner’s Antiseptic is the
most wonderful healing compound
offered the public. For abrasion
of the skin, laceration of the flesh ;
burns by flame or steam, hot me
tal, rope-burn, sun-burn; ring
worm, “poison oak,” etc., it is pre
eminently superior to anything.
Only 50c a bottle by all “up to !
date” druggists.
After meals you should have sim
ply a feeling of comfort and satis
faction. You should not feel any
special indications that digested it
going on. If you do, you have in
digestion. which means not-diges
tion. This may be the beginning
of so many dangerous diseases, that
it is best to take it in hand at once
and treat it with Shaker Digestive
Cordial. For you know that indi
gestion makes poison, which causes
pain and sickness. And that Sha
ker Digestive Cordial helps digest
ion and cures indigestion. Shaker
Digestive Cordial does this by pro
viding the digestive materials in
which the sick stomach is wanting.
It also tones up and strengthens
the digestive organs and makes
' them perfectly L healthy. This is
I the rationale of its method of cure,
as the doctors would say. Sold by
druggists, price 10 cents to SI.OO
per bottle.
SUMMERVILLE, CHATTOOGA COUNTY, GEORGIA, SEPTEMBER 15, 1897.
STATE
STORIES.
Short Items of State And
General News.
BATCH OF PASSING EVENTS.
What The Busy World Is Do
ing—Short Paragraphs of
Interest.
Sheriff E. W. Clemantt, of Polk
county, is dead.
Hon Patrick Welch is a candi
date for mayor of Augusta.
Five people were bitten by a mad
dog at Candler, Ga., last Tuesday.
John R. Comer, of Screven coun
ty, was kicked by his horse Wednes
day and instantly killed.
In the local option election held
at Sparta the prohibitionists
won by a majority of about 200.
Floyd county’s tax rate has been
fixed at $1.25 on the one hundred
dollars.
Tyler Peeples, editor of the
Gwinnett Herald, may oppose Car
ter Tate for congress in the JNinth
district.
The Mayor and council of the
city of Americus have been enjoin
ed by the court to orevent them
issuing bonds for public improve
ments.
William Cornett was shot and
killed at his home near Chipley,
Harris county, on the night of
the 4th. Edgar Stripling
the deed, and gave himself up to
the Sheriff.
The Presbyterian Synod of
Georgia will meet in Rome No
vember 10th. There will be more
than 100 members present. The
opening sermon will be preach
ed by Rev. Dr. S. L. Morris, of Ma
con.
The investigation of the causes
that lead to the explosion of the
boiler which killed Howell Cobb a
few days ago indicates that Mr.
Cobb fastened down the safety
valve, and that his steam gauge
was probably defective and did
not show him the pressure genera
ted.
It was bruited about political
circles yesterday that Colonel
Leonidas Livingston would shake
off his congressional desires and
line up with the candidates for
governor. The Conyers congress
man, it was said, had been faced
with this problem for some time
and has had the question under
careful deliberation. It was re
ported that the decision had been
made and said that he would get
into the gubernatorial game. Ear
ly in the morning the colonel left
for his home in Conyers, after
stopping over a day in this city on
! his way from the Nashville expos
i ition. He could not be seen, but
■ one his close friends gave emphat
lic denial to the report. “It is a
I mistake,” he said. “I know that
: Colonel Livingston has never de
cided to make the race for gover
nor. He has been approached by
several, but has declined to con
-1 sider the proposition. Until he
comes out in an open declaration
I you can put him down for con-
I gross.”—Constitution.
Free Pills.
Send your address to H. E
Bucklen & Co., Chicago, and get a
free sample box of Dr. King’s New-
Life Pills. A trial will convince
you of their merits. These pills
are easy in action and ardparticu
larly effective in the oure of Con
stipation and Sick Headache. For
Malaria and Liver troubles they
have been proved invaluable. They
are guaranteed to be perfectly free
from every deleterious substance
and to be purely vegetable. They
do not weaken by their action, but
by giving tone to stomach and
bowels greatly invigorate the sys
tem. Regular size 25c per bo x
Sold by H. H. Arrington Druggist
AUXILIARY CRUISERS.
Thirty-Six First Class Vessels
That Can Be Converted Into
Warships at Short
Notice.
Washintgon, Sept. 6.—ln the e
vent that this covntry should go to
war with any power, it will have
at its disposal thirty-six first class
auxiliary cruisers upon which the
navy cculd depend to assist in pro
tecting the cost line and preying
upon the commerce of the enemy
Many of these vessels are of the
highest speed and capable of cruis
ing for almost an indefinite period,
owing to their large coal-carrying
capacity. Lately the experts of
the Navy Department have been
engaged in drawing plans and pre
paring designs whereby all of these
vessels could be converted into for
midable fighting machines upon
short notice. Ships of the Paris,
New York, St. Louis,’land St. Paul
types, which are now included in
the list of auxiliary cruisers, many
plying in the coastwise traffic, and
all the best ships in the lake trade
can, under the designs worked out
by the department, be converted
into auxiliary cruisers, mounting
heavy batteries, carrying a large
supply of ammunition, and with
their vitals w-ell protected by im
provised coal bunkers, in less than
three weeks from the time orders
are received from Washington.
The constructors of the navy
have been on this work for months
past and expect to be busily occu
pied on other ships for upward of
four years. The larger vessels were
first considered and plans drawn
by which the government could
quickly make use of these ships in
war time. The smaller vessels are
now being studied with a view to
their conversion into fighting ships
some time, and as fast as new A- •
merican vessels are built the navy
will perfect plans of a similar char
acter.
Altogether the navy now has on '
its list of auxiliary cruisers about
thirty-six vessels, and each year 1
adds several to the number. The
larger vessels will carry six-inch '
guns, those of the St. Paul type as
many as thirteen, others of less )
tonnage five-inch, and these on the
lakes and in the coastwise traffic 1
four-inch, mounted broadside and .
the forecastle and poop. Protec
tion will be given to their machin
ery by built-up coal bunkers and 1
partitions, and so far as vulnera
bility is concerned, it is contended
by the experts that these vessels
would be as formidable in harrass
ing the commerce of the enemy as
vessels of the Minneapolis or Cin
cinnati! class.
Guns for these vessels are now
being constructed at the Washing
ton Navy Yard, under an appro
priation made one year ago. In all
over 100 will be assembled and stor
ed away at navy yards convenient
for installation on shipboard on
forty-eight hours’ notice. Car
riages and all the parts neccessary
for mounting them will be provid
ed, and by working day and night
on a vessel like the Paris or St.
Louis, Constructor Hichborn says
he could get her ready for war with
in three weeks’ time, fully armed,
well protected, and thoroughly e
quipped for a long cruise.
A Kentucky Phenomenon
Versailles, Ky., Sept. 7.—A
strange phenomenon is reported
from the country southwest of here
in Woodford county. Every elm
tree within a radius of many miles
has died down to the roots this
summer. Old trees, whose trunk g
are two and three feet in diameter,
that have stood for 100 years, and
vonng bushes and sapplings have
alike perished. Other varieties of
trees in the same territory are
green and vigorous, the elms trees
1 alone being effected.
HIGH PRICED MULES.
They Were Employ edin Freight
ing Over the Sierra Nevada.
“The frieghting that was done
over the Sierra Nevada mountains
in 1861 was on a gigantic scale,”)
said Senator Stewart, of Nevada,
in conversation with friends at
Chamberlain’s. “Five enormous
wagons, laden with all sorts of
wares, would be drawn over the |
hights by twenty-feur picked mules,
and it was a sight for men and gods
to see these patient beasts pull.
When they started to move at the ,
signal of the driver they seemed en
d owed with human intelligenc,
for Ido not believe that number
of men could start off with such
simultaneous action. These mules
were brought out there from Ken
tucky and Missouri, and were the
hugest in size I ever saw. Scarce
ly any commanded a less price than
SSOO, and it was no uncommon
thing for them to bring $1,500
There was paid out for freighting ;
by these mule teams in ’6l the sum
of $10,000,000. There is nothing
in the history of the world to match
it.”
In those days Senator Stewart :
was himself a great driver and rid
er. He never saw the bucking <
horse he was afraid to mount, and I
he has a record of having ridden 1
horseback a distance of 175 miles ‘
within two days, though he had sev- 1
eral different mounts on the jour- ’
ney.—Washington Post. I
A Victim Os Clondike
I thought you said you were
never coming back unless you came *
with a fortune?” There was some- ‘
thing of a sneer in the old gentle- '
man’s tone. 1
“So I did,” replied the husky (
young man whose face showed that 1
he was tired and whose clothes (
looked as if they had been slept in 1
“Have all the sports with me you
can. I deserve it for thinking that
I knew more than all my friends
put together. I’m back broke and
traveled the last few hundred miles
on a freight train, but I have a col
lection of experiences that may 1
prove valuable.”
“I told you you’d never get there
and that you wouldn’t get back if 1
you did.” 1
“That’s right. Just what you said. 1
I got through to Seattle in good
shape, but there’s where I struck 1
the snags. I met two nice looking
fellow's there bright and full of bus
iness. They were going righ t through
to the Klondike, had engaged pas
sage on the next steamer and would 1
be glad to have him join them.
We cou’d look after each other in
case of danger or sickness, and
then we would reduce expenses by
pooling our interests. I was about '
to close with them when a hand
some, fatherly appearing old man
called me aside to put me on my
guard. ‘Young man’ he said, ‘we
are overrun here with sharks and
gamblers trying to catch victims
as they come and go to the dig
gings. Don’t take up with any
strangers. Keep from gambling
dens and see that your money is
secure all the time.’ I told him
it was sewed inside my drawers
and anyone who got it would have
to get me first. He commended
my prudence and shook my hand
as I thanked him. That night the
money was stolen from my person
while I was asleep. The hotel keep
er furnished me with transporta
tion to Denver. 1 don’t know
whether I was robbed by the old
i man, the two young men or by
someone else. The thief knew
where to look for that roll of bills
and it’s gone. That’s all I know
about it except that the Klondike
’ craze cost me every dollar I had on
i earth and I neyer got out of the
states.
s.
Royal makes the food pure,
wholesome and delicious.
Ol
&AkiHo
POWDER
Absolutely Pure
ROYAL BAKING POWDER CO., NEW YORK.
CONQUERED BY CUPID.
The Distinguished Gen. Long*
street and Miss Ellen Dortch
Married-
Atlanta, Sept. B—Gon.8 —Gon. James
Longstreet, lieutenant-general in
the Confederate army, United
States minister to Turkey and
prospective commissioner of rail
roads, to succeed Gen. Wade Hamp
ton. was married at the executive
mansion on Peachtree street at
3:30 o’clock tnis afternoon to Miss
Ellen Dortch, assistant librarian
of the state of Georgia. Gov. and
Mrs. Atkinson had issued a limited
number of invitations to state offi
cials and intimate friends of the
bride and groom. These formed
a distinguished party, which filled
the “blue room” of the mansion,
where the ceremony was perform
ed. Rev. Father Shadewell, of the
Church of the Immaculate Concep
tion, officiated. Judge J. B. Gas
ton, mayor of Gainesville, Gen.
Longstreet’s home, was best man,
ai.d the bride entered on the arm
of Gov. Atkinson, who gave her
away, in the absence of her broth
er, who is in Texas. Gen. and
Mrs. Longstreet will spend two
weeks at Porter Springs, Ga., after
which they will return to Atlanta,
where Mrs. Longstreet will resume
her duties at the state library. It
is understood that she will net re
tire from the race lor the librarian
ship, which she entered several
months ago.
A striking coincidence was sup
plied in the fact that today is the
anniversary of the battle of Moli
na del Rev, in the Mexican war,
where Gen. Longstreet won his ti
tle as major.
Napoleon’s Will.
The giving up of the log of the
Mayflower to the United States
and the suggested return to us of
the recently discovered Parliamen
tary journal from New York call
to mind what was probably the
most interesting former occasion
of similar international courtesy.
Napoleon’s will, which was made
at St. Helena, was proved in Lon
don shortly after his decease, and
for a long time remained in the
fireproof room of the registry of
the Prerogative Court of Cantre
bury, where it was a standing ob
ject for the inspection of the cur
ious. After the restoration of the
empire, and in the 5 ear of the Na
poleon-Eugenie marriage, the
French made application for it
and it was handed over to them
by Lord Russell. For formal pur
poses an official notarial copy of
it was made for preservation in
England in place of the original.—
Westminister Gazette.
A Cure for Bilious Colic.
Resource, Screven Co., Ga. I
have been subject to attacks of biL
lions colic for several years.
Chamberlain’s Colic, Cholera and
Diarrhoea Remedy is the only sqrp
, relief. It acts like a charm. One
[ dose of it gives relief when all
, other remedies fail.—G. D. Sharp.
For said by H. H. Arrington.
No. 28