THE
HOME
f
NEWS
EDITED IN THE INTEREST OF McCRORY AND WOODRUFF COUNTY
VOLUME 1.
McCRORY, ARKANSAS, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 1916
NUMBER 31
Officer Kills Negro
Friday night of last week rob
bers broke into the store of G.
Stark at DeView and carried
away some $200.00 worth of mer
chandise. Bloodhounds were
sent for and arrived at noon Sat
urday from Memphis in charge
of Messrs Carter & Carter of
that city. The dogs trailed the
robbers to the home of Ace
Pickens (col) who resides on T.
A. Jeffries’ farm one mile * south
of town.
While Officer Neeley Carter of
Memphis was questioning Pick
ens’ wife as to what time her
husband, Dan Claybrooks and
Nolen Gorden, two other negro
men who stay at the same house,
came home the night before,
William Pickens, Ace’s father,
remarked to the woman that the
least she had to say about the
matter the better it would be.
His discouraging the woman in
telling what she knew met with
the officer’s rebuke and William
was quickly informed that he
must not be giving any advice
while the woman was being
questioned. The negro repeated
his remark and the officer told
him that if he said anything
more in a discouraging way that
he (the officer) would “bust his
jaw,” following which the officer
immediately retired from the
house and went to the barn where
the other Mr. Carter was keeping
the dogs.
When Mr. Carter left the room
the old negro man was heard to
remark while whittling with his
knife that he (Pickens) was not
afraid of him and that he (Car
ter) was in the wrong place to
start anything like that. Mr.
Carter told his partner at the
barn that Pickens was trying to
Keep tne woman rrom telling
what she knew about the matter
and that he was going to get the
old man, take him and stand him
out in the road to himself, taking
his partner’s pistol with him,
tearing that the old man would
try to cause trouble.
When the officer went into the
house the old man had gone up
the road a short distance and was
talking to others of his race when
it is said Carter approached him
and asked, “Why are you so in
terested in this matter?” Pick
ens, it is said, replied in some
what of an impudent manner
that he was not especially inter
ested, but that he just wanted to
loll the woman that the least she
bad to say the better it would be.
Mr. Carter then ordered the
negro to get on up the road and
Morton News
A. D. Cain was in Augusta on
business Friday.
A. D. Cain attended court in
Augusta this week.
Henry Simmons of McCrory
was here on business Saturday.
Mrs. Thad Ashcraft left Satur
day for her future home in Little
Rock.
Geo. W. Haynes returned from
a business trip to Clarendon
Sunday.
Mrs. Ben Welch of Hamlin is
| visiting her mother, Mrs. Geo.
Haynes, this week.
Miss Williams of McCrory was
the guest of Miss Lottie Johnson
Sunday and Monday.
Walter W. Raney, our news
paper man, was here on business
a few hours Monday.
Charlie Anderson, Bryant
Smith and Ed Materna were in
Augusta Wednesday attending
court.
told him that they did not need
him there. Pickens replied that
he guessed he would stay and
the officer kicked him, stepping
back and placing his hand to his
gun which was in his scabbard.
When the old man recovered from
the kick he placed his hand in
his pocket and started toward
Carter who backed away from
the negro several steps and or
dered him to not advance fur
ther. Although he was ordered
to stop the second time, the ne
gro continued to advance on the
officer whereupon Carter drew
his gun and fired, the bullet
striking the victim near his heart
and causing his death some thirty
minutes later. A pocket knife
was removed from Pickens’
pocket in which he placed his
hand when he advanced toward
the officer.
At a preliminary trial neia in
Esq. A. J. Stapp’s court Saturday
afternoon several witnesses were
examined and the court held that
Mr. Carter was justifiable in
shooting the negro. None of the
stolen goods were found at thej
Pickens’ home. This being the j
first time bloodhounds were ever
used here, many people were at
tracted by them to the scene of
the killing and some 150 people
were at the house where the
shooting occurred. The dogs
were those used in running down
the negro who broke into the
postoffice at Augusta a few
months ago and who later con
fessed to the crime.
Caution!
With a shortage of ships to
move our cotton to foreign shores
with no indication of the end of
the war; with the Nation stirred
on preparedness for eventualities
with the buying power of the en
tire World gradually lessening
day by day, it becomes our duty
to issue this formal warning as
the time of planting cotton is at
hand.
L/et everyone encourage the
farmer to be on the safe side by
raising plenty of feed and food
for the comunity as well as for
himself, his family, and his live
stock. (A calf, a pig, chickens,
and a garden often mean the dif
ference between want and mon
ey ahead.) Economical and safe
living for all as well as “safe
farming” must be the rule if
prosperity is to abide with us.
Six-cent cotton this fall would
spell disaster in the cotton States.
Low price follows over-supply as
certainly as the night the day.
High prices and prosperity over
the South this year prove what
voluntary reduction of cotton
acreage does. Any marked in
crease in acreage over last year
is going to result in a great loss
to Southern cotton producers,
merchants, and bankers, and will
similarly affect all allied busi
ness and professions.
Conference Of Cotton
States Bankers.
Candidate’s Assessments
Following will be required of
candidates for the defraying of
cost of holding elections. The
assessment against each county
office is taken in toto, which will
be pro-rated among the number
of candidates who qualify for each
office.
State Senator.$ 9.00
Representative. 9.00
County Judge. 27.00
Sheriff. 108.00
Circuit Clerk. 33.00
County Clerk. 33.00
Treasurer.. 48.00
Assessor. 33.00
Parker, the Photographer, of
Newport will make his final visit
to McCrory, March 1. Adv
L. G. Jones has resigned his
job as jitney driver for Riggs
Brothers and has been succeeded
by Elma Wilder. Mr. Jones
went to Memphis Wednesday to
purchase new tires and other
equipment for his machine and
will convert it into a bus. He in
tends to fix it up to carry eight
or ten passengers and will oper
ate between this city and Jelks
exclusively.
Howell Items
J. W. Reneau is in Memphis
this week.
Mrs. Dan Keith spent Tuesday
with Mrs. Kelley at Wiville.
Raleigh Eldridge of Brinkley
was a visitor in our town Sunday.
We are glad to note that Mrs.
Sallie Reneau is improving. She
has been ill for some weeks.
E. A. Corley, salesman for the
Howell Mercantile Co., is spend
ing a few days in Memphis this
week.
Mesdames J. N. and E. W.
Chaney were over from Tip last
week and spent a couple of days
with Mrs. Woodruff.
Miss Susie Harris and two lit
tle children of Bon Aqua, Tenn.,
are here for a few week's visit
to her sister, Mrs. C. E. Hines.
P. J. Kelley and family of Lit
tle Rock came over Saturday and
spent until Sunday visiting with
the home ^olk here and at Wi
ville.
Married: Feb. 16, 1916, at the'
home of the brides father, Mr.
E. W. Keath and Miss Hethie
Beard. Their many friends
wish for them many years of
happy life.
Messrs. N. E. and M. K.
Wherry, Lester Lewis, “Bill”
McCain and Elmo C. Marsh of
McCrory motored to our town
Sunday and spent a few hours
visiting with some of the fair
sex.
Election Returns.
The Home News will publish
next week the complete election
returns of Woodruff County two
years ago. In our issue of
March, 31, we will also give the
complete returns by precincts of
the coming primary election
March, 29. If you want to know
who’s who and what’s what, you
should send in your dollar for a
year’s subscription to The Home
News, the ALL HOME PRINT
PAPER. Watch our next weeks
issue for the list of accounts
against the county allowed by
the county court from Oct. 2,
1915, to Jan. 1, 1916..
Roy Mitchel For Treasurer.
We call attention this week of
our readers to the authorized an
nouncement of Mr. Roy Mitchell,
one of Hunters leading and most
prominent young men, who is a
candidate for county treasurer.
A more extensive writeup will
appear next week.