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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