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eighth year
smoke xtra good and rebel
1 MAN BRUTE
Terrible Charges Preferred
Against An
OGLETHORPE CO. FARMER
By Nsgfroe 3 Hold in Bondage
Worse Than Slavery.
Atlanta, April 21 —William
Eberhardt, of Oglethorpe coun
ty, is probably the first man in
the United States to be indicted
un the charge of peonage. He is
certainly the first man who has
ever been arrested on the charge
in Seorgia, and if all the charges
in the indictment can be proven
on him, the full penalty provid
ed by the law would be mild
punishment for the crime.
Peonage is a very unusual
crime and section 552 G of the
revised statutes of the United
States provides for the punish
ment of (the crime as follows:
Every person who holds, ar
rests or causes to be held or ar
rested in any manner, or aids in
the arrestor return of any per
son to a condition of peonage
shall be punished by a fine of
not less than SI,OOO or more
than $5,000, or by imprison
ment not less than one year or
more than five years, or both.”
The indictment of Eberhart
is one of the most sensational
papers ever filed in the United
States court. Eberhart remarked
to a party in Atlanta that if all
the indictment stated was true
that lie would kill himself. It
appears from the indictment
that Eberhardt would lend ne
groes money and have them
bind their children and them
selves out to him for a term of
years to work the loan out. It
is charged he had men, women
and children hound out to him,
and he is accused of being cruel
in the extreme to them. The in
dictment states that he beat
them in the most barbarous fash
ion and in one instance he com
peJed a father to hold his son
on the ground in a nude stat
while he Eberhart, beat him
with sticks until he made the
blood How.
Jhe first count in the indie 4 '
men! declares that a negro by
the name of Mose Siips was
compelled to bind his £ve chil
dren oat to Eberhart until they
slh-ald become of age, and
-'f them was an infant two
il g® lie is accused of Seating I
these children. an( j treating them
cruelly.
fl' I *
>e second count states that ]
Pliillv s Johnson, a negro worn- (
an, bound herself out to Eber- |
hardt and while under servitude j
to him he employed a party by
the name of Km Erwin to beat
H6r. i
The third and most terrible (
count in the indictment states
that Charley Calloway and his
wife bound themselves to Eber
hart and that while they was
Working for him he forcibly took
the woman to his house and
with a pistol at her head assault
ed her and beat her.
Charley Calloway was made
to hold his own son flat on the
ground, says the indictment,
While Eberhardt beat him wth
with sticks until he cut the
Wood from his back.
THE ROME HUSTIiER-COMMHHCai.
WOODFORD WALKS,
American Given His Pass
ports Today-
HE HAS QUIT MADRID
Leaving American Interests in
Hands of B-jtlsh Consul,
Madrid April 21.—General
Woodford, the United State' 4 min
ister atthe Madrid, was this morn
ing furnished with his passpoit;
and has turned over his office t< ,
the British Ambassador and quo -
ted the Spanish realm.
The ladies of the American leg
islation left Spain last night for
Paris and will be joined there by
Minister Woodford.
This action by the Spanish ad
ministration has been expected,
General Woodford anticipating
tne event and sending 'he ladies
out of danger yesterday. The
furnishing of passp rts to the
United States representatives are
an indication of what the reply
to President McKinley’s ultima
tum will be.
All cla 4 ses of Spaniards are w ; ld
with excitement and the fires of|
patriotism are burning tierce all
over the kingdom today. Spain
n a get licked in the wur that is
now inevitable But her soldiers
and mariners proposes to die like
patriots sacrificing their liv s fur
the honor ol their coun'ry.
Atlanta, April 21. (Special to
Hustler Commercial over long dis
tance tel< phone)— Bulletins p et
ed in Atlanta state that Spanish
Government furnished Minister
Woodforu his passports this m jrn
ing before the Minister hud an
opportunity to deliver President’s
ult.ma’ uni.
President today requested con
gress to declare war at once but
congressmen felt that sue 1 a
course was unnecessary no ’hey
construed Spain’s ac tU,) ns 0
declaration of war.
Mm and munit 3118 art) being
rushed to Flor'' 11, indicates
that Cuba i<-'° invaded.
q’l r fourth couut states that
yj,.iro Neely be«’-owed $65 from
Eberhardt a>«d bound his son out
for a term of five years V) p a ,
the amount. It further states
that the money was several
times tendered Eberhardt, but
that he would not accept it
preferring to keep the boy i r lq
state of peonage . quiteL
The indictment
and goP- ■'’ t » tbe .'Zt V
revoltin details- H a ’ t
Eberhardt wm enabled to t
these people bound out brotber .
by the of the
in ‘ laW ’ w "e would have them ar-
pe ’ed on some trumped up (
charge, it. is alleged, ’and force f
(hem to bind their children and ,
themselves to him.
Eberhart is a wealthy planter
of Oglethorpe county and he
had no trouble whatever in giv
ing $5,000 bond under which he
was placed. He swore that he
was worth over and above sb;>,-
01 Hi, case will be set for trial
at the October term of the fed
eral court. _______
, Getting drunk is a sure way
to get a-head.
ROME GEORGIA, THURSDAY EVENING. APRIL 21. IB9s'
GOVERNOR APPOINT
Hillis Army Bill Has Be
come A Law
AFTER SOME DISCUSSION-
The Bill Was Parsed Without
Any Division.
Washington, April 20. —The
house yesterday parsed as ar
emergency war measure the bill
empowering the precedent to call
out the volunteer forces and pro
viding for their organization. Both
the president and Secretary Alg r
had urged the imperative necessity
of the passage of the bill and
Chairman Hull, of the military
committee, drove it through under
whip and spur.
The bill was drafted at the war
department, introduced in the
house and considered and reporh-d
by the committee. No such ex
pedi’ion could have be in possible
except under the stress of waj
pressure. Tbe bill is permanent ir|
its character.
There was a tremendous demon
stration in tbe house after thn
reading of the journal, when Majo
Pruden. the president’s executiv
clerk announced the president'
approval of the Cuban resolu’mil
The house th.n went into com
mittee of tbe who!' to consider th*'
biH authorizing the pnsideri 1
call for volunteers.
Mr. Hu 1 ixpb ined that thi
Committee had u:u.l .mousl}
agr»-ed that past precedents should
be followed and the governors it
sUt< s -hould retain the power to|
appoint all region nt officers,
Tl.e j.,int resolution p>.s d bv
congress ai.thoriz ng the pru-iden
to emp’oy the militia force of th
United S ates he said would n>t
meet the present si uation. Ie
felt au'.horiz d to say that if we
w-ne to sigh hi- war it would be
with the volun'rers an! not the
ilitia form s. 1
Scetjo 13 was amended
to provide that the govc.in**®
states instead of the pesiu
noght appoint < sliceu 2 of 1
regular army in the grade'
< slicers in the voluntes “ n 811
“‘i upon t!
aijointmentsK e r} d(/ f
c--tofth % . , wit)ot
The Li b at 5.,-
H V Adjourned.
1 1111 * —r— —
GUN 1
ory- Her Terri.. /
Satis* jectiles-
1 Newport, R, 1.. April
The pneumatic gunboat \ 1 1
vius underwent successful t/|
y e jterdav morn : -~g and nifj
, fdil to join the squadron i
southern waters nt ay mome4«
The guns cf tl Vesuvjs’
were never beforethoroughH
tested. Yesterday irning sb/
went out in the ba and fire/
three shots in sucsion, 01
from eich gun.
I Two w?re evidenfluinnjie!
but the thrd, from port gi>
was a serv»e orojle,
plowed its wa : thr* z e •>/
with a hissing .oisuW.ckl
the water and
the water 150 fees e air >
opening out like a a as j
,it fell. Everyon? jsl
satisfied that the WI I
' make a good hist
Frebh snap 1 fancy |
aspar*g ua at Ide
- L /y N
it |l JI Jlj QJ J MJIIm Jlffl J □
f iheres a dash, a high ar t about our millin-
) ery that makes it a legal tender this coun
try over. I his is especially true of the great
lot just received. They are new as new ’ can
be and ought to be seen by everv woman
iK£"* “> bea fashion instead of am" r"
PARASOLS? -
; We have a few left of our open .\
A*-- and will clear them out
it prices unheard of before.
xLce dlis amount f °‘ $2 ' 25 a " d they are worth fu “
RAINY WEATHER?
JmT?. Sii ’’ - lls S'ood for ducks. Rain or
hl nV lIOW ! S a good ti,ne to bu y white
b’a.k or colored duck for skirts. We are
all e'er the house clr^b- d , vak . !es in th em. and in fact
to Berest. ' ,d at prices
, jlics, Misses and Children’s Hosiery
; Lar f?e Stock and Small prices.
; adßlack,s, 10 Is tS fefE
bibbed hose. or 4F
1 rl-'lf 8 P'? ture handkerdhief ic
‘ wU/ F h 'r S , pri!lted border handkerchief . •
/vute and black, worth i s c, for handkerc hiefs,
h K. d s .
He hX is 1 ;,;,”,,"' 1 ; “»j •«<;
pto $1.50. '’-’3-0. 10: i 5, 25 and XUgjJF
j JL More Than Ever sl,,r ‘ K in
.v- *h- |)i " k * & re
liii i s®
IO CENTS PER WEEK