Woodmkk County News.
VOL. VIII.
McCRORY, ARKANSAS, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1908.
NO, 2.
the topics
OF A WEEK
\n ostrich farm and a snake farm
are two new and unusual industries
just started at San Antonio, Tex.
The ostrich ranch has gotten under
wav on the banks of the San Antonio
river, south of the city. It has 15
or lb of the big birds on its pre
serves. The snake farm is just be
ing started. It will be conducted
hy George Ellis, a veteran showman,
formerly of Detroit, assisted by Lulu
Leeman, who was a snake charmer
for many years with a circus. They
propose to raise and propagate all
varieties of snakes that have com
mercial value. Already San Antonio
lias the largest snake broker in the
United States. The promoters of
the snake farm expect to supply
skins to manufacturers, circuses, etc.
Their farm will stocked with
2,000 different varieties.
“Fighting Bob-’ Evans is to be
come a builder of railroads and a
developer of harbor waterways. This
became known Thursday when it
was announced that lie had been
chosen chairman of the directorate
of the Los Angles Harbor Company,
which is building a railway system
from San Pedro harbor to points
in southern California. Lieut. Gen.
Chaffee, now a city official of Los
Angeles, and other army and naval
friends of Admiral Evans urged
him C' go to California after his
retii'i'inent from active service. Of
ficials for the harbor company state
that Admiral Evans is expected there
to assume his duties before April 1.
Hiding ahead of an angry crowd
of people, bent on violence at .Mem
phis Thursday, an unknown man,
standing with a rifle to his shoulder,
while a negro driver urged his horse
to greater speed, took deliberate aim
and killed llainey Hill, a one-armed
negro, and generally known as “a
bad man,” who liatl just shot and
fatally wouhded Gertrude Robinson,
a negivss. Who fired the shot that
killed llill is not known, as the
stranger calmly replaced his gun in
the buggy and drove away.
The feeling entertained by the late
Ceoijge 1). Wolff of Sommerdalo,
ha., toward Charles W. Wenzel I, his
son-in-law, is shown in the follow
ing paragraph in his will, which was
admitted to probate Wednesday:
‘fifty cents to he paid to my son
in-law, Charles W. Wenzell, a native
°1 Huntingdon, Pa., to enable him
to Iniy a good stout rope with which
to hang himself.” The deceased left
an estate valued at $10,500.
1 lie newspapers of St. Petersburg
Ihursday announced the institution
a special railroad passenger tra
il0 f°i' Jews emigrating to America
or °ther countries not in Europe as
laborers. On the railroads of Asiatic
lai>sia this new fare is approximate
ly half the existing third-class rate.
ihe National Grange, Patrons of
Husbandry, which has been in ses
sion at Washington for a week, ad
journed Thursday to meet next year
at a place and time to be desig
nated by the 'Executive Committee.
An official census of Berlin and
',s Suburbs show that there are today
hi this territory 40,1^4 persons with
0l>t employment. Of this number
onlv El Hi are women.
E. 1\ Heed of Clay Center, Ivas.,
Joltls the record thus for for the
Held from a single apple tree. He
picked 41 bushels of Geneton apples
I’oni one tree, and says there were
fix or seven bushels of windfalls.
1 be first divorce suit since the
f'cnt of statehood by negro appli
cants has been filed at Chickasaw,
J'bla. The plaintiff, Sarah Pinks, al
H'es that her husband, H. Finks,
deserted her several months ago.
stato Auditor E. J. Smith sent tfe
hie counties of Mississippi warrants
f"i distribution of the pension fund.
Hhe amount this year is $,'100,000.
ai1 increase of $50,000. The total
uumler of pensioners is 8323.
In his Thanksgiving proclamation,
issued Tuesday, Governor Patterson
made the following references to the
troubles that now vex Nashville,
Tenn., and state: “But in the
midst of our prosperity there are
clouds which darken and cast
theii shadwos athwart our way.
h<et us hope that these will
presently pass away, and that the
same divine hand which has gather
ed them will scatter them again and
the warning has been taken and all
our people learn again the lesson
which some forget, that in law is our
surest hope, and that only in obedi
ence to its eternal commands can
we live in social order, enduring
peace and fulfill the high mission of
civilized life. Let us so live that
good will and gentle peace may come
down from heaven to bless us all,
that justice shall reign among us,
that we are saved from intolerance,
dissensions and suspicion and from
the evils which flow therefrom to
vex the state and divide the people.
Let us pray that mercy will bring
her balm of healing and bind up
the wounds of bleeding hearts,
wherever they may be, that inno
cence will not suffer, that our land
be washed of bloody stains, that we
may have hope and charity and not
forget the gentle Son of God taught
that charity is the greatest of these.’'
The trans-continental balloon race
between the two big balloons, Ameri
ca and United States which started
Monday from Los Angeles, Cal.,
ended where it started. The United
States was brought in from Corona
Tuesday in an automobile. The big
gas bag was the plaything of variable
winds all Monday night and the oc
cupants of the basket gave up the
struggle to get over the mountains
Tuesday. They descended, secured
an automobile, packed the deflated
bag in the tonneau and drove to
Ijos Angeles.
While more than $100,000 chang
ed hands in Spokane, Wash., on the
result of the national election, the
highest price, physically, probably
was paid by Archibald W. Faton, a
conductor on a street car line, who
agreed with J. A. Ileeves, a fellow
employe, that in the event of Bryan's
defeat he would use his nose in
rolling a peanut a half-block in a
public thoroughfare. Faton was
game and he did his little stunt
while thousands of pedestrians fol
lowed his course.
Hanging by one foot for several
hours, Peter Smith, aged 75 years
and wealthy, nearly lost his life at
his farm near Columbiana, Ohio,
Monday. He was in a tree picking
apples when he lost his balance and
fell. It was only by sheer luck that
a daughter came along and found
him. With other members of the
family she succeeded in getting him
from the prong in the tree where he
was caught. 11c is in a serious con
dition.
The simplified spelling system has
been given an impetus in the South
west through its adoption in the
Houston, (Tex.) public schools.
Superintendent 1*. W. Horn asked
the School Board for authority to
teach the new system, and announce
ment was made Friday that the
board had granted the request.
Gene Doudel a 16-year-old negro,
of Hamilton, Ga., confessed to kill
ing Ernest Walsh, 12 years old, also
colored, beating him on the head
with a rock and throwing the body
into a creek after robbing it of $2.
The murdered boy was enticed into
the woods.
Fire originated in a marsh near
the plant of the Florence Pump and
Lumber Company at Mob lie, Ala.,
Tuesday, destroyed the plant, causing
a loss estimated at $80,000, partially
covered by insurance.
S. Locke Breaux and others,
claiming to represent the rice
growers of Arkansas, Texas and
Louisiana, Thursday before the
Ways and Means Committee at
Washington, appealed for the re
tention of the duty of two cents on
rice. They argued that the reduc
tion or the removal of the duty
would cripple the Southern plant
ers and rob that region of much
prosperity.
Tse Hsi An, the dowager empress
of China, the autocratic head of the
government, which she directed with
out successful interference since
18(>1 and without protest since 1881,
died at 2 o'clock Sunday afternoon.
The announcement of the dowager
empress’ death was official and fol
lowed close]}- upon the announcmeni
that Kuang Hsu, the emperor, had
died Saturday at 5 o'clock in the
afternoon, hut it is believed the
deaths of both the emperor and
dowager empress occurred a consid
erable time before that set down
in the official statement. An
edict issued at 6 o'clock Sunda}
morning, placed on the throne Pu
Yi, the 3-year-old son of Prince
Chun, the regent of the empire, in
accordance with a promise given by
the dowager empress soon after the
•marriage of Prince Chun in 1903.
An edict issued on Friday made Pu
Yi heir presumptive.
The British attitude toward the
new rule in China is one of hopeful
expectancy. It is recognized that the
empire's future progress depend;
upon what person or faction secure;
control of the new administration,
The real management of affairs, it is
believed, probably will come intc
older hands than Prince Chun's. lit
is considered progressively inclined
Those best acquainted with Chins
hope that Yaun Shi Ivai will be tlu
power behind the throne. Among
commercial houses having Chinese
interests, it is a period of anxiety
lest the Chinese revolutionists should
consider the time ripe for rising
against the Manshu dynasty, but the
general feeling in London is opti
mistic.
A. P. Sims, a liquor dealer, oi
Hatches, Miss., is arranging to ineei
the prohibition law on Jan. 1, 1009
He will have a place in Yandalia
La., across the river, and will secure
a charter for the Sims Express and
Telegraph Co. The company wil
issue and sell express money orders
and run rail, electric, gasoline boats
or barges as may be necessary in the
conduct of the business.
The objection of the Japanese tc
the circular note sent by China tc
the representatives of the powers in
Pekin at the end of September, deal
ing with the restriction of morphia
importations into China, has been
withdrawn and measures intending
to suppress the traffic in morphia
will be commenced by the customs
officers on January 1, 1909.
Mrs. Irvine, of Poplar Hill, Ivy.,
hearing an unusual noise, got up to
see what was the matter. She dis
covered the house on lire and part
of the roof falling in. She and her
oldest child fan out, but it was im
possible for her to save the two re
maining children, and they were
burned to death.
As result of a shooting affray near
Alliance, Neb., Lizzie Braner was
fatally wounded, and her brother,
Charles Braner, who did the shoot
ing, and her sweetheart, Frank Au
gustine were put in the county jail.
Braner objected to the attentions of
Augustine to his sister.
The Board of Supervisors of Ilar
riston, Miss., has appropriated $250
with the stipulation that a like sum
be raised by popular subscription to
defray the expenses of a representa
tive from each of the live districts
to visit Texas for the purpose of
studying the boll weevil.
Bather than face his father after
spending two weeks in dissipation
in Memphis, Leslie Vance, a member
of a prominent family of Pittsboro,
Miss., swallowed laudanum, death
ensuing shortly afterward. The sui
cide left a note stating, *‘i am not
crazy.”
While climbing out of the boat in
which he had been hunting ducks,
Ben B. Burnett shot and instantly
killed himself near Paris, Tenn. The
hammer of the gun caught when he
made a misstep and the ball pene
trated his heart.
At Belleplaine, Ivy., Teddy Pax
ton, 12 years old, accidentally shot
and killed his brother, liobert, 9.
The shot blew the top of the younger
boye’s head completely oil.
^ NEWS ^
The question of prohibiting the
sale of whiskey within three miles
of the school house in Washington,
Hempstead county, was settled in
favor of those opposed to license to
operate a saloon in Washington and
circulated a petition among the peo
ple who lived within three miles
of the school house. The prohibi
tionists circulated a counter petition.
It was supposed by many interested
that the petition for license was
more numerously signed than the
other and that license would be
granted. When the case came up in
court such a great number of wit
nesses appeared against license that
Wilson withdrew his petition and
Judge Briant decided against license.
Wilson paid the Sheriff's costs and
the prohibitionists paid all other
costs.
The little six-year- old daughter
of Mr. and Mrs. Kenner Heed of
near Yellville, met death by smother
ing to death in a cotton pen., The
OF
ARKANSAS
3
mother left her three small children
at the cotton pen to play while she
was picking, and when she returned
to the pen to empty the cotton she
had picked she found the two
smaller ones on the ground bv the
side of the pen asleep, and looking
in the pen she saw the feet of the
older one protruding from the cot
ton. She lifted the child out and
found she was dead.
Kanej- and Butler of Chanute,
Kan., have just unloaded a car of
machinery at Monte Xe and are put
ting it in place 100 feet east of the
Monte Xe depot, to drill a hole, if
necessary, 2,500 feet deep, prospect
ing for oil, gas and zinc. Geologi
cally this well will be one of great
interest in disclosing the formation
in the Ozark mountains. Geologi
cally they will start in formation,
according to geologists that is 2,000
feet lower than Fort Smith. It jvill
be the first deep hole to go down in
the Ozark region.
Charles Austin, aged 22, former
cashier of the Bank of Mineral
Springs, surrendered to the officers
at Hope Thursday after having been
a fugitive for nearly a year, lie dis
appeared after locking the doors of
the vault which, upon being opened,
revealed that $5,000 was missing.
He made bond after his arrest of
$1,000. His reason for surrender
ing was that he is tired of dodging
officers.
James Jones, a farmer living near
Bethesda, left his home Sunday
morning to look for some hogs which
had strayed. When he had gone
some hours, his family became
alarmed and search was instituted.
Xo trace has boon found of the miss
mg Tanner ana it is 1 eared that lie
has met with some serious accident
or has been foully dealt with.
The organization of an industrial
home in Fort Smith for the pur
pose of aiding in shaping to use
fulness the lives of the youth of that
city who have no natural protectors,
is being perfected. A nucleus has
been raised for the necessary funds,
statistics are being gathered and
details of the organization perfected.
Appleton is the name of a new
town to be located in Boone county
at the junction of the Missouri Pa
cific and Harrison and Mineral Belt
road. The first important enterprise
to be established in the new town
is a canning factory with a daily
capacity of 1,000 cans.
The first term of Circuit Court
ever held at Fordyee convened Mon
day, with Judge H. W. Wills pre
siding. Rev. if. \\. Ms Kay, former
ly pastor of Winnfield Memorial
Church, Little Rock, delivered an
invocation. The prosecuting at
torney for tha/ district is Paul
Matlock. The county seat of Dal
las county was recently removed
from Princeton. No court house
has been built yet.
Anent the report that measures
will be introduced in the next gener
al assembly providing for the crea
tion of the office of commissioner of
insurance, it is interesting to note
that such a creation would rest only
in a constitutional amendment, since
the constitution provides that the
state auditor shall be also the state
insurance commissioner. A legis
lative enactment looking to the es
tablishment of such a position as in
surance commissioner would there
fore be in violation of the constitu
tion. However it is within the pro
vince of the legislature to create a
new department, or rather to extend
the state auditor's department, in
the creation of other deputies for
that department; and such a deputy
might take over the insurance de
partment, always, of course, under
the supervision of the state auditor
or subject to his supervision. This
would accomplish the same end as
that of creating a commissioner of
insurance, the only difference being
that the auditor would have the duty
of selecting the deputy for this de
partment.
J. E. Metcalf, a prominent farmer
and mill operator of Evening Shade,
Sharp county was in Little Itock
Monday and left at the agricultural
department a sack of flour and a
sack of wheat. The wheat was grown
oil jir. -uoicaii s nu in aim tiiu irmi
was made in his mill. The wheat is
of excellent quality and the flour is
of superior grade. Mr. Metcalf's
mill is located near Evening Shade
and is operated by water power. The
nearest railroad is 23 miles from the
mill, which is being operated night
and day. its capacity in 24 hours be
ing 35 barrels. All of this flour
is consumed in Sharp county, the
customers going to the mill for it.
Mr. Metcalf has been operating the
mill several years, during which time
he has never had to employ an agent
to sell his flour nor has he ever
shipped any of it outside his county.
Transcript in the case of Lon
Johnson vs. the State, appealed
from the Greene Circuit Court, was
filed in the Supreme Court at Little
Hock Tuesday morning. The charge
against Johnson was that of first de
gree murder, but on the trial of the
case the jury reduced the penalty to
15 years in State prison. Johnson
was tried under an indictment
charging him with having shot and
killed Terrence Foley, in Paragould
last June. Johnson entered the plea
of self-defense alleging that Foley
was about to enter his yard in a
very threatening manner at the time
he fired the fatal shot, and that he
did not intend to kill him but to pre
vent him from making an attack up
on the occupants of the house. Both
men lived in Paragould.
Business men of Robinson. Savoy
and neighboring towns and farmers
of Benton county met at Robinson
recently and listened to the proposi
tions of the promoters of the propos
ml in+Arnrhan lino which is to run
through the principal town of Ben
ton county met at Robinson recently
and listened to the propositions of
the promoters of the proposed inter
urban line, which is to run through
the principal towns of Benton,
Washington and Madison counties.
All the property owners present
agreed to subscribe liberally to the
enterprise and use their influence
in securing rights of way for the
road.
Ray Gill, secretary and general
manager of the Arkansas State Fair,
has removed from Hot Springs and
is now located with his family at SIS
East Fifteenth street, Little Rock.
Mr. Gill was recently appointed to
a position by State Superintendent
of Public Instruction George W.
Cook.
The Heber Construction Com
pany's warehouse was destroyed by
tire Tuesday night. The fire is sup
posed to have originated from sparks
blown into the building from fires
that were kept burning in a near-by
shed, where concrete blocks were be
ing dired. The loss was $700.
Frank Grayson of Prescott, while
swinging ou a rope Sunday, fell a
distance of 10 feet an his arm vat
broken near- the wrist
Business men and property own
ers of Crawford county and Upper
township, Sebastian county, are in
favor of the construction of a free
bridge across the Arkansas river to
connect Fort Smith with Van Buren,
preliminary steps having already
been taken with that end in view. It
has been decided that the only way
in which the movement could be
successful was through special state
legislation and a committee of six,
three from Upper township, Sebas
tian county and three from Craw
ford county were appointed to look
after the legislation necessary to car
ry out the project. The committee
lias been instructed to give public
notice in the newspapers in Sebas
tian and Crawford counties notify
ing property owners in the two
counties of the action that would
be taken in seeking to secure a spe
cial act by the next legislature pro
viding for the creation of an im
provement district, with the con
struction of the bridge as its object.
An act of Congress, granting a fran
chise for the construction of the
bridge, will also have to be secured.
Alleging that it is in violation of
the federal law prohibiting the op
eration of lotteries, Prosecuting At
torney Horsley has instructed the
merchants of Springdale tnat they
must discontinue the custom of hold
ing monthly drawings in which va
rious articles of merchandise are of
fered as prizes. Business men in
other towns in Washington county
are said to have complained of the
system in vogue in Springdale, which
attracted crowds to that town and
increased the business of its mer
chants, to the detriment of those of
the other towns. It is stated threats
wore made that the attention of the
Grand Jury would be called to the
alleged violation of the law unless
the drawings were abandoned. The
merchants of Springdale who have
been conducting drawings claim to
have been entirely innocent of know
ingly violating the law, but upon the *
advice of the prosecuting attorney
have agreed, so it is staled, to dis
continue the drawings.
The Lone Star Baptist Associa
tion will meet at Pine Grove church
near Benton Thursday, November
26. The welcome address will be de
livered by W. F. Busby. The fol
lowing will be the subjects discussed:
“An explanation of the Unjust
Steward”—Luke 16:1-13, Ilev. ltobt.
51. Smallwood; “How and What
Ought Ministers to Preach,” John
V. Raney; “Explanation of the Para
ble of the Good Samaritan,” Gus
Knabe; "Parable of the Talent,”
Rev. T. W. Wheeler; “The Tempta
tion of Christ,” E. E. Williams;
“How Many Works of Grace Are
Mentioned in the Bible and What
Are the Works of Grace,” Jesse Bry
an ; “What Lesson Did Our Lord
Teach in Mark 9:35-3??” L. C.
Wood.
Upon the death of her father, Gus
tave Huhn, which occurred recent
ly at Versailles, Mo., .Mrs. xul Uii
lihan of Sylamore, Izard county,
monies into the possession of an es
tate valued at $15,000. The estate
consists of a stock of goods, some
real estate and two life insurance
policies. Mrs. Gillihan's mother
:lied when she was but nine months
aid and she was placed in the care
jf and adopted by Mr. and Mrs.
Ben Bailey, who at the time resided
it Yersailes, but later moved to
Izard county, where the child grew
to womanhood, hearing little or
aothing from her father until noti
fied by telegraph of his death and
that she was the only living heir.
John Breen was accidently shot
n the side at a rooming house in
Fort Smith Sunday. The wound
s painful but not serious.
James Hall, a farmer living near
Dardanelle, while crossing the rail
road track on his wav home, was
struck by a train and his left leg was
jrokcn below the knee, and his head
ind back was bady bruised.
Lon Livingston, an employee of
:he Ouita Goal Mining Company,
it Coal Hill, was injured while at
work recently in the mine, heavy
rock falling on him, breaking his
right leg in two places.