Woodrukk County News.
VOL. VII.
McCRORY, ARKANSAS, THURSDAY, DECEMBER IT, 1908.
NO 5.
NEWS OF THE WEEK
THE LATEST NEWS OF THE
WORLD BRIEFLY TOLD.
north, east, south, west
Foreign Lands, Throughout the Na
tion, and Particularly from the
Great Southwest.
CONGRESSIONAL
Insurgents planning a fight on
Speaker Cannon and the rules will
meet to discuss the outlook. Repre
sentatives Murdock of Kansas, Hayes
of California and Townsend of Mich
igan will attend the meeting, and
other insurgents have been invited.
At an early executive session of the
senate Thursday afternoon six treaties
with small European, Central and
South American countries were rati
fied. This was the first real business
of this session in the senate, barring
the action of the senate in confirming
Mrs. Longstreet, wife of the Confed
erate general, as a postmistrees in
the south. The treaties dealt with
questions of naturalization and arbi
tration.
Gen. Henry G. Worthington, a for
mer member of congress from Nevada,
the only living pallbearer at the fu
neral of Abraham Lincoln, was strick
en with apoplexy on the floor of the
house shortly after noon Thursday.
Because of his fourscore- years, Gen.
Worthington’s friends view his iilness
with alarm.
Distinguished witnesses testified be
fore the house committee on agricul
ture Wednesday in favor of the fed
eral government establishing forest
reserves in the White mountains and
in the southern Appalachians. It
marked ihe opening of the fight in this
session of congress for the creation of
these reserves to protect the navi
gability of navigable streams, a pur
pose which the committee concedes is
constitutional.
Senator Curtis Wednesday reintro
duced a bill which he presented in the
last session of congress, providing for
the organization, regulation and con
trol of corporations and kindred asso
ciations doing business in interstate
commerce. The object of reintroduc
ing the bill is to give it an enlarged
scope under an additional section and
modifications of other sections of the
bill, so that the proposed act shall be
effective as applying to all interstate
commerce as well as to the District
of Columbia and the territories, which
are comprehended in Mr. Curtis’ orig
inal bill.
Vice-President Fairbanks, as presid
ing officer of the senate, Wednsday
announced the appointment of Senator
Hopkins to the vacancy on the mone
tary commission caused by the death
of Senator Allison of Iowa. This is
an important place for the junior Illi
nois senator, and is recognition of
the ability he has shown as a member
of the finance committee of the senate.
The dismissal of Cadets William T.
Rossell, Jr., and Harry G. Weaver
from the military academy for hazing
was the subject of a speech in the
senate Wednesday by Senator Johnson
of Alabama. He insisted that the pun
ishment meted out to these cadets was
excessive.
GENERAL NEWS
Patrick Calhoun, president of the
United Railroads of San Francisco,
probably will be the next indicted man
to go to trial in the campaig against
the men accused of bribing supervis
ors. This was the statement of Dis
trict Attorney William Langdon.
The combination of the big lumber
interests of the country which has
ben reported as imminent for some
time is believed to be near consum
mation. Edward T. Hines, Frederick
Weyerhauser and representatives of
the Duluth and Northern Minnesota
lumber interests are in conference in
Duluth.
Out of the dream period of aerial
navigation has come the first practical
evidence of the commercial phase of
the situation with the intrduction in
Now York of dirigible balloons as a
Purchasable luxury.
German court circles were shocked
"'hen it became known that Crown
Princess Cecilia had sold the diamond
diadem which was given to her by the
emperor as a wedding gift, in order to
obtain a large sum to contribute to the
fund for the relief of the widows and
orphans of the Hamm Colliery ex
plosion several weeks ago.
The physicians at Chicago attending
Idr. Sarah Hachett Stevenson, aband
oned hope of saving her life. She is
one of the best known women
Physicians in the United States.
Peace” was the keynote of the last
session of the federal council of the
Protestant churches in Philadelphia,
"hen the delegates, who, for a week,
have debated every question agitating
the religious worlds, and 'Godspeed”
'o each other.
Twenty persons were injured and a
panic started in a convent in New
York, when a bomb wrecked a five
story Italian tenement on East Sixty
third street. Five of the victims of the
black hand outrage are In a hospital
suffering from serious injuries.
Gov. C. S. Deneen is to become a
student of the agricultural college at
the state university of Illinois. He
will attend the state school during the
short course which begins in January
and will seek special instruction in
cattle and corn judging.
An order for the arrest of P. H.
Keiran, head of the Fidelity Funding
company of New York, was issued, but
Keiran had disappeared when officers
arrived at his hotel, the New Willard.
•He had packed his trunk and .left the
hotel.
William Nelson Cromwell in a 2,000
word statement makes sweeping de
nial of all charges of graft and crook
edness in Panama canal deal.
A transaction involving millions of
dollars has just been closed in New
York City, whereby the United States
Steel Corporation takes over the
Standard Steel Car company, with
plants at Butler and Newcastle, Pa.,
and Hammond, Ind., and the Pressed
Steel Car company, with plants at Mc
Kees Rocks and the lower North Side
Pittsburg.
President-elect Taft and Speaker
Cannon had an hour and a half con
ference Wednesday morning. At its
conclusion Judge Taft said that both
had agreed not to disclose the details
at this time.
Richard Davis, once a prominent
druggist of Cleveland, Ohio., tried to
elicit sympathy in Judge Reiland’s
court at East Chicago when arraigned
for dunkenness by declaring that he
had voted three times for Bryan and
that Bryan successive defeats had
driven him to drink.
Robert Bruce Kelly, native of Ma
coupin county, 111., Union Army
veteran of the Forty-first Illinois In
fantry, was killed by an electric car
in South Dallas, Tex. He was 72
years old.
The Dutch commander of the fleet
now off the shores of Venezuela has
been given full discretionary powers
in the matter of opening fire on
Venezuela according to a statement
issued by Dutch court officials.
President-elect Taft declared in
favor of an educational qualification
for suffrage in the southern states in
order to free them from the domina
tion of ignorant classes, white or
black, in his speech at the annual
banquet of the North Carolina society.
The secretary of treasury in the
book of estimates advises the appropri
ation for the new St. Louis postoffice
be increased from less than $400,000
to $500,000, that the building may be
faced with stone instead of brick.
When the contract was let, provision
was made for the proposed change.
Francisco Martinez, who murdered
four members of the Garcia family at
Tecolte, Las Animas county, and
then kidnaped Margaret Garcia and
fled, murdered the girl and committed
suicide in a lonely cabin twent-six
miles from Tecolte when overtaken
by an armed posse.
Justice Stafford at Washington im
posed a sentence of two years’ im
prisonment and $10,000 fine on Fred
erick A. Hyde, millionaire real estate
operator of San Francisco, and one
year and two months and $1,000 on
Joost T. Schneider of Tucson, Ariz.,
convicted of frauds. Bonds were given
by the defendants to carry the case to
the appellate court.
The Chicago city pure food ordin
ance for condemnation of food found
to be deleterious to the public health,
was upheld as constitutional by the
supreme court, of the United States.
The case came to the highest court
through appeal by the North American
Cold Storage company.
Mrs. Emma R. Chesebrough one of
the best known society women of
Rhode Island and chum of Mrs. John
D. Rockefeller, Jr., committed suicide
by shooting herself through the head
with a small-caliber revolver. She was
so determined to die that when the
first shot didn’t kill her instantly, she
fired another in almost the same
place.
Plans are said to nave Deen ai*
ranged In Nebraska whereby Gov
ernor Sheldon will be pitted against
Bryan for the senatorship two years
hence, which means the retirement of
Senator Burkett.
Mysterious movements by Deim
ocrats in Indiana lead Republicans to
believe that a contest of the entire
state ticket is planend, but Republi
cans assert no serious errors exist In
the returns.
Senator Isaac Stephenson of Wis
consin while in Chicago declared him
self in favor of radical cuts or re
moval of the tariffs on raw materials.
Rear Admiral J. B. Coghlan, com
mander of the Raleigh at the battle
of Manila Bay and famed for his re
citation of "Hoch der Kaiser,” dies.
Testimony in behalf of C. E. Davis
tends to impeach that of Mrs. Abbie
Rice, star witness for the prosecution
in the Rustin murder case.
NEWS OF
ARKANSAS
Child Accidentally Shot.
Sitting at play in an empty dry
goods box, which concealed her from
view, Jewell Meeks, the 8 year-old
daughter of Mrs. Frances Meeks of
Roden’s Mill, was accidentally shot
by George Carter, a boy 12 years of
age. The little girl’s injuries are se
rious, but she is expected to recover.
Young Carter, with another boy, was
passing the Meeks residence, about
10 miles east of Texarkana, and see
ing the box in which the girl was sit
ting, fired with his shotgun at it as
a target. Several of the shot pierced
the boards and entered the girl's face,
and the fact that they were small
saved her life.
Package $500 Shy.
A package of money consigned by
the Bank of Winthrop at Winthrop,
Ark., to the City Natonal bank of Tex
arkana by Wells-Fargo Express, said
to contain $2,000, when opened was
found to contain only $1,500. The
package was marked $2,000 and the
seal was intact.
An investigation is being made by
the express company.
Winthrop is 40 miles north of Tex
arkana, on the Kansas City Southern
Railway.
Camden-Monroe Boat Line.
The steamer Handy, jointly owned
by citizens of Camden and Monroe,
has been fully repaired and refitted
at New Orleans and is now at Mon
roe loading for the upper Ouachita
trade. The Handy will make regular
weekly trips between Camden and
Monroe as long as the stage of water
will permit. This marks the opening
of a determined fight that Camden
shippers are making to reduce the
freight rate assessed by the railways.
Leg Broken by Fall.
After falling 20 feet and striking
head first on the concrete pavement
beside the Park hotel at Hot Springs,
Joe Welch is in a sanitarium hover
ing between life and death.
Welcft is a painter and had been
employed on a roof where he was at
work when he fell. Fellow-workmen
saw the painter strike head first and
expected to pick him up dead. A leg
was broken, but there is doubt as to
whether his skull is fractured.
Two Bodies Are Recovered.
The bodies of J. J. Mahoney and
J P. Rice were found Wednesday in
the Ouachita river below Champag
nolle not far from where they were
drowned on November 25 last. Both
men were working at Lock No. 8
further down the river. An inquest
was held Wednesday and a verdict of
accidental drowning returned by the
coroner's jury. The bodies were bur
ied in the cemetery at Champag
nolle.
ren Times Enough Poison to Kill a
Man.
Dr. William Krauss at Memphis
rhursday completed the examination
,f the stomachs of the McBroom girls,
vho died recently at Marked Tree,
Uk and announced that he found
ive grains of strychnine in each stom
ich, ten times enough to kill a man.
McBroom is now in jail at Jones
>oro, charged with poisoning his two
■hildren.
Killed by Flying Timber.
Will Fleming, a young man, was in
anity killed Thursday morning m a
iwmill at Dierks. He was working
a rip saw when a heavy piece of
mber was in some manner hurled
ickward, striking him over the heart
ith such force as to cause instant
Conway Burglar Takes $130.
Entering his residence at Conway
through a rear door, which had been
left unlocked, a burglar stole $130 in
currency from J. R. Saunders, taking
the money from his trousers pocket.
Nothing else was disturbed.
Contract Let for New Church.
The Building Committee of the First
Baptist church of Camden met Thurs
day morning and let the contract for
the erection of a South Camden Bap
tist mission church at a cost of $1,250.
Stranger Struck by Car.
An unknown w'hite man was run
over by an electric street car on the
College Hill line at Texarkana Thurs
day afternoon and fatally hurt. He
has been unconscious since he was
struck.
The injured man had no papers of
any kind and the only articles in his
pockets were a small testament and
another small book the title of which
is "A Trip to Hell.” He is appar
ently about 40 years old ant' is dressed
as a laborer.
Another insane Asylum Is Asked.
The Board of Trustees of the State
Charitable Institutions concluded its
meeting at Little Rock Tuesday, after
adopting the biennial report in re
gard to the State Hospital for Ner
vous Diseases and awarding the con
tracts for the month’s supplies for the
charitable institutions.
In its biennial report the board rec
ommends that the law providing for
the lighting of the State Hospital for
Nervous Diseases by the plant operat
ed at the penitentiary be repealed;
that a central heating plant be in
stalled at the institution with suffi
cient power to operate an electric
lighting plant. The board states that
for the year ending September 30,
1907, the amount paid to the pen
itentiary for lighting the institution
was $3,255.80, and for the year end
ing September 30, 1908, the amount
paid was $5,228.81, a total for the two
years of $8,484.01. The necessity for
some relief in this direction is pointed
out by the board by recalling the fact
that the items of fuel and heat for the
intitution for the past two years have
amounted to $40,596.95.
Attention is called to the crowded
condition of the institution and the
neccessity for the establishment of
another asylum. The board recom
mends additions to the present institu
tion or the establishment of a new
one in some other portion of the state.
The board suggests that another in
stitution in some healthful locality,
built on the cottage plan, with sev
eral hundred acres of good agricul
tural land adjoining, to which could
be assigned the chronic insane and the
epileptic, might be made largely self
supporting, and at the same time be
greatly beneficial to the patient.
In view of the prevalence of tuber
culosis among the cows from which
the supply of milk for the institution
has been obtained, the board recom
mends that the legislature appro
priate $5,000 for the purchase of a new
herd of cows of the very best class,
all to be examined thoroughly by a
competent veterinarian and subject to
the tuberculin test before they are
paid for. The destruction of the -old
barn is recommended and that the
premises be thoroughly disinfected
before the new herd of cows is placed
upon them.
Fruit Industry in Union.
In only a few years the fruit in
dustry will add .materially to the
wealth of Union county. Nuresry
men are in the county this week de
livering fruit trees sold this summer,
principally Elberta and Early Wheeler
peaches, and more than 200,000 trees
are now being delivered. Last year
there were shipped from El Dorado
about five cars, while this year the
crop, principally Elbertas, has furnish
ed something over 20 cars for the
Northern and Eastern markets, and
the outlook for the future is very
bright.
Fake Burns Fool Public.
Two small boys traveling with two
men caused the arrest of the latter
at Helena Tuesday, by revealing a
swindle which they said had netted
them heavy profits at Helena and
other places. The men burned their
hands and faces with a tincture and
then told a story of having been blown
up in a gasoline launch explosion, and
generally getting liberal financial aid.
Former Slaves Are Fleeced.
Some two or three months ago a
fakir went through the negro commu
nities south of Hampton and told
many former slaves that the govern
ment intended to give them a pension,
but they would have to pay him $1
to get it. By this means, he picked
up several dollars, and now the poor
negroes are inquiring in vain at the
clerk's office for their pensions.
Mother and Child Dead.
Mrs. Ben Chism and infant child
died at the home of the woman’s
father near Holly Grove Sunday from
the effects of an overdose of a poison
ous drug. It is believed that the
woman, because of ill health, was
temporarily bereft of reason, and after
administering the poison to the child
swallowed a quantity herself.
Crazed Girl Burns to Death.
Miss Martha McCullough was burn
ed to death in her brother’s home
near Paragould and Orville Thompson
and Will McDonald were seriously
injured trying to save her. The house
caught fire and Miss McCullough
lost her reason through fright.
New City Well Is Accepted.
The new 10-inch city well recently
begun at Monticello, is completed and
was accepted by the Town Council
Saturlay night. The tests made show
that the well will furnish about 800,
000 gallons of water per 24 hours, or
about three times as much as wfas
furnished by the old well. The con
tractors had guaranteed only 600,000
gallons The water is identical with
the old city water, which is noted for
its purity and is one of Monticello’s
most valuable assets.
278 Convicts Were Pardoned in 2
Years.
After four months of painstaking
work, Superintendent Pitcock, with
the assistance of Chief Clerk Payne,
of the penitentiary, has practically
completed the biennial report of the
institution for the period beginning
October 31, 1906, and emsing October
31, 1908. The report is one of the
most interesting in connection with
any department of the State govern
ment, but its preparation is very
tedious, because of the large amount
of detailed work required under the
various subdivisions, in all of which
the greatest care and discrimination
must be observed.
The report in brief shows that for
the biennial period there have been
handled at the State penitentiary a
total of 2,000 prisoners, of whom
1,002 have been received since the
period opened. The institution “be
gan business” in October 1906, with
847 convicts, and at the end of the
period there were 783, showing a net
decrease of 64. Pardons have been
issued in the case of 278 prisoners,
214 have escaped, 91 have been re
captured, three paroled, 51 transferred
to the reform school, three transferred
to the asylum for the insane, 573
have been released and 95 have died.
That, in brief, is the summary as
to the disposition of the convicts for
the two years.
A comparison of the pardon lists for
this biennial period with that of the
preceding period shows that the for
mer contains 75 names more than
the latter. For the biennial period
of 1904 to 1906 there were issued 203
pardons, against 278 for the period
just closed.
Of the pardons granted during the
period just closed 17 were for con
victs in which the sentence was for
21 years or greater, including one
life sentence. Of course, in many in
stances, the pardons were granted
where the men had already served a
large portion of the term. The
majority of pardons were in cases
where the offense was of a minor
nature.
The records show that tnere is only
one Indian under sentence, he hav
ing been convicted in Sebastian
County. At the beginning of the
biennial term the distribution of pris
oners, as to sex, nationality, etc.,
was as follows: White, 224 men,
no women, 585 negro men, 18 negro
women. At the close of the period
the distribution is as follows: 212
white men, no white women, 544 ne
gro men, 26 negro women, 1 Indian.
There are in the Arkansas Penitenti
ary men of the following nativity: One
Austalian, one Canadian, one Dane,
one Hungarian, one Nova Scotian,
two Englishmen and three Germans.
Among the States outside of Arkan
sas Mississippi furnishes nativity to
the largest number of our convicts:
there being 63 who claim Mississippi
as their birthplace now doing time
under our penal laws; Tennessee has
44, and Louisiana and Texas tie for
third place with 33 each. Georgia
furnishes 21, Alabama 22, Arizona 1,
California 2, Illinois 9, Iindiana 7,
Iowa 4, Kansas 2, Kentucky 15,
Michigan 1. Missouri 26, Nebraska 1,
New York 2, North Carolina 13, Ohio
2, Oklahoma 7, Pennsylvania 5, South
Carolina 10, South Dakota 2, and Vir
ginia 4.
As to counties Sebastain heads the
list for the number convicted in her
courts, the number now held being
72. Pulaski County has credit for 60,
and Jefferson is signed up for 63.
Lee County has 36 and Phillips Coun
ty 33, Hempstead 22, Jackson 21, and
Miller and Mississippi Counties have
each sent up 23. Calhoun, Cleburne,
Faulkner, Izard, Marion and Sharp
have no convicts to their credit, and
only one each is posted opposite the
names of the following counties:
Clay, Conway, Fulton, Grant, Mont
gomery, Newton, Polk, Stone and Van
Buren. Marion County has not had
a convict in the penitentiary for the
past two years.
Five Prisoners Gain Liberty.
Five prisoners escaped from the city
jail at Helena Monday. Three of
them were under sentence and left
adorned with balls and chains. The
negro who has been feeding the pri
soners left at the same time.
Big Catch of Fish Nets $200.
J. A. Coleman of Bunker Hill caught
400 pounds of fish one day last week.
The next day he caught 250 pounds,
making a total of 600 pounds in two
days. They brought over $200.
Nick Burdine Killed Near Magnolia.
Nick Burdine, a carpenter, was shot
and instantly killed about 9 o'clock
Sunday morning, two miles west of
Magnolia. Fred and Jat Davis, 19 and
17 years old, respectively, are in jail,
and have admitted, the officers say,
that they did the shooting. They will
make no statement as to the cause,
nor what their defense will be. There
were no other witnesses to the trage
dy. The shooting occurred in front
of the house on the farm where the
Davis brothers and their mother lire.
Water Is Within Half a Block of This
Thoroughfare on Which There
Are Street Car Tracks.
The Arkansas river began caving
again early Wednesday morning along
the river front north of Second avenue,
between Georgia and Virginia streets,
al Pine Bluff, and now the falling
stream is within a half block of East
Second avenue, which was recently
paved and upon which run the rails of
the Citizens’ Light and Transit Com
pany. A small cottage, until recently
occupied by Jake Heisinberg and own
ed by Joe Krumpner, who has lost
considerable property in the recent
caving there, was swept away dur
ing Tuesday night. Other cottages be
tween Second avenue and what was
formerly East Barraque street were
torn down.
The Cctton Belt officials believe that
unless the caving is stopped at the
foot of Vrginia street, where the rivet
threatens to enter the mouth of Hard
ing's drain, commonly known as “the
ravine,” their big car and machine
shops, roundhouse, many miles of
trackage and other property in the
eastern suburbs may sustain damage.
The river has cut Into Louisiana
street and played havoc with property
in that neighborhood. More than a
half of block of property between
Louisiana and Missouri streets has
fallen into the river and the water
has already crossed the alley on the
south, just a half block north of Sec
ond avenue. Matt Schovan, whose big
two-story residence at No. 627 East
Second avenue, is in immediate dan
ger, is moving his house, in an effort
to save it. Charles Bland has moved
from No. 719 East Second avenue. His
baby girl, who is very sick with diph
theria, had to be carried to their new
home in an ambulance. The house
was under quarantine at the time.
Michael Schnable, who owns several
cottages east of the Bland home, is
preparing to move them. Frank Walk
er and family moved from No. 623
East Second avenue, and Sidney L. El
lis of No. 621 East Second avenue
is moving his house farther south to
ward the street. All these houses face
East Second avenue, which is one of
the most tihicklv settled residence
j streets in the city. Many of the resi
| dents living on this street lost heavily
. in the big East End fire two years
ago. Charles Smith, who lives in one
of the Schnable cottages, is also mov
I ing his house. A number of cottages
■ in the rear of these residences have
| either been torn down or moved away.
| The ground upon which they stood
has been swept down stream.
| It is a difficult matter to estimate
I the great amount of damage and loss
j from the caving. The actual losses
i sustained, so far as it is possible to
j estimate them, are as follows:
! Jefferson county, destructon of court
| house annex and loss of ground, $125,
! 000.
I W. N. Trulock, quarter block of
I ground in rear of Hotel Jefferson and
: storage buildings, $30,000.
S. Bluthenthal & Co., brick ware
| house and quarter block of ground,
j $25,000.
R. M. Knox Compny, three brick
warehouses and strip of ground quar
, ter block in length and 135 feet in
! width, $35,000.
Charles Weil, 60 feet of ground at
! the foot of Chestnut street, $2,000.
E. B. Bloom, cottage and lot on
! Pullen street, $1,000.
Berlin Bros., two lots and two big
brick stables, with fixtures, $15,000.
City of Pine Bluff, part of Pullen
! street, $5,000.
American Excelsior Laundry Com
pany, part of building and loss ot
real estate, $20,000.
Charles Pruden, stable, $3,000.
J. B. Avery & Son, stable, $3,000.
A. C. Freeman and Patillo, black
smith shop, $1,000.
C. G. Brockway, seven residences,
two of them two stories, and a barn,
$35,000.
Pine Bluff Arkansas River Packet
Company, damage to warehouse and
real estate, $1,000.
Pine Bluff North Land Company, on
opposite side of river, 100 acres of '
land and tenant houses, $2,000.
Government dykes and revetment,
$50,000.
Government river guage, $100.
On east Barraque street, between
Texas and Louisiana streets, 200 feet
of ground and buildings, altogether
valued at $25,000.
Effort to Save Court House Annex.
In the absence of County Judge
James Gould, who is in Washington
in an effort to get an immediate ap
propriation for river work at Pine
Bluff, Sheriff C. M. Philpot has as
sumed charge of the affairs of Jef
ferson county, and he is preparing to
repair the river bank in the rear of
the Jefferson county court house and
its big annex. An effort will be made
to save the annex, although Engineer
Parkin told Sheriff Philpot that he
thought it useless to attempt to save
the structure.