THE HO ME NEWS
EDITED !N THE INTEREST OF McCRORY AND WOODRUFF COUNTY
VOLUME 3
McCRORY, ARKANSAS, JULY 5, 1918.
NUMBER 50
HELENA DISTRICT
CONFERENCE MEETS
The Helena District Confer
ence of the Methodist Church
met in the beautiful new
Methodist Church of McCrory
Thursday, June 27, Rev. W. F.
Evans, Presiding Elder, presid
ing. The Rev. John Score of
Parkin was elected Secretary.
While the Conference was
not as well attended as we had
hoped, yet quite a number of
preachers and delegates were
present, and from, beginning
to close on Sunday night, much
interest was manifested, and
when the last word was spok
en, all pronounced it one of
the best district conferences
for many years. Dr. Evans
directed the affairs of the Con
ference with such skill that
there was not a single hitch,
and in it all the spiritual tide
ran high.
reports irom me uisirici in
dicated that progress had been
made along all lines of church
'Trork, and the outlook is that
this will be one of the banner
years for the district. Sunday
was a great day, devoted to the
layman’s work. Hon. T. B.
King delivered the address at
11 a. m. and it was indeed a
great deliverance.
Sunday evening Rev. B. L.
Harris, a former pastor of Mc
Crory, preached to the delight
of all present, and the closing
service was one of the best.
The people of McCrory did
themselvs honor in the enter
tainment of the Conference
Many horns were opened that
could not be supplied with
delegates. To all we express
our thanks.
Mr. W. E. Jelks of McCrory
was elected one of the dele
gates to the annual Conference
which meets in Clarksville in
November.
J. R. NELSON.
W.'A. White and family are
home from an overland trip to
Lonoke.
Mrs. R. Burford and children
of Levesque were guests of
Mrs. R. C. Thompson Sunday.
Miss Willie Cain of Little
Rock is the guest of friends and
relatives in this city this week.
Miss Margaret Hargis who
successfully underwent an op
eration in Memphis last week,
is home much to the delight of
her many friends.
Jacob Gold of Memphis is
the guest of his uncle and aunt,
Mr. and Mrs. H. Arnof this
week.
Mrs. Cleo Devo of Judsonia,
is the guest of her brother and
sister, Mr. and Mrs. W. N.
Hougelin.
Messrs Ted Cobb and Ralph
Gossett of Wynne were ming
ling with the fair sex of this
city Sunday.
Mr. U. S. Bratton, Jr., of Lit
tle Rock was visiting relatives
and friends in this city the
first of the week.
DRAINAGE MEETING
! -
; The meeting which was call
' ed by the commissioners, F. W.
Beede and J. F. Shue of Bayou
DeView Drainage District No.
One, was held in McCrory to
day, Friday, and about 30 in
, terested citizens attended.
Although the commissioners,
| the attorney, the contractor,
1 and the engineer were notified
of the meeting, only three at
tended, namely, Messrs. Shue,
Beede and Coleman.
The tax payers were repre
sented by Atty. Roy D. Camp
bell of Cotton Plant, who ask
ed several questions concern
I ing the bond, contract, etc., but
, little information was obtained
of a definite nature.
Mr. Joe Coleman, repersent
i ing and a member of Coleman
Bros., the contractors, of Hick
ory Ridge, was present but
j could give but very little defi
! nite information concerning
the work. . ..
When asked by Mr. Camp
bell how much the amount of
Coleman Bros’, bond he did not
know, but thought it was $20,
000. The attorney asked him
when the contract was made
and when the work was to be
! gin and he replied that he did
not remember. His replies to
other questions wTere just about
as intelligent as those mention
ed above.
Mr. Shue stated that the re
cords were kept by Mr4. Beede,
the secretary of the board, and
when asked some questions
concerning the contract and
bond he could not give the peo
ple the information sought.
Mr. Beede arrived about the
time the meeting was ready to
adjourn and in reply to some
questions asked by Mr. Camp
bell said that the contractors’
bond was for $25,000 which
was $5,000 greater than that
stated by Mr. Coleman and
that the bond was signed by
Coleman Brothers and that he
thought they were good for the
amount.
Mr. Beede stated further
that the $3,500 forfeit from the
original contractors had been
paid out in part for attorney’s
fees and freight. When ask
ed as to what time Coleman
Brothers were to begin work
he said that he would not be
sure but that he thought May
15, 1917. He concluded his re
marks by saying: “I believe
the Coleman Brothers will have
the dredge boat completed in
due time and that they will dig
the ditch.”
At the close of the meeting
Mr. Campbell asked that all
those present who believed the
present contractors would dig
the ditch to please stand up,
only three men arose, viz:
Messrs. Beede, Shue and John
son.
The Home News has never
dug any drainage canals, but
we assisted very materially in
helping to prevent one being
dug in recent years which em
braced a part of Woodruff and
Monroe Counties. We were
against the above ditch because
we thought it was being
wrongfully created, which
proved true and the courts kill
ed it.
We favor drainage and other
like improvements and have
endorsed the Bayou DeView
District No. One as a good
proposition. But we cannot j
say that it is being satisfactor- j
ily conducted when there is I
so much dissention among the ■
tax payers who have already
paid a ditch tax for two years j
and not as much as a boat on
hand to do the work.
The contractor, Mr. Cole-;
man, certainly must think he j
has an easy thing or a past
time job by the manner in j
which he answered the ques- j
tions thisafternoon. Any per
son who will contract a job in
which there is more than $100
000.00 involved and cannot
tell the amount of his bond, the
date he was to begin work or
when he made the contract as
stupendous as this, is not the
man to be in charge of such
work.
r rom tne scattering remarks
it was found that Coleman
Brothers are at the “mercy”
of one, Mr. Dennis, who op
erates a saw mill when his |
crop and other business will j
permit. Some of the timbers !
to be used.in building the boat
are to be furnished by Mr. Den- ;
nis which he will no doubt do
whenever the crops and the
weather will permit.
With the $150,000.00 worth1
of bonds drawing interest and
Coleman Brothers having had
the contract for about a year
and a half and haven’t as much
as constructed a boat much less
begun to move any dirt, they
should be made to either dig
the ditch or forfeit their con
tract, the latter of which no
doubt would please them best.
Another meeting will be held
in McCrory Friday, July 12, at
two o’clock and all tax payers
are invited. Mr. Beede prom
ised to have Mr. Burr, the at
torney, and the contract and
records present at said meet
ing.
Miss Della Jeffries, a viva
cious young lady of this city,
was a visitor in Cotton Plant
Brinkley and Wheatley this
week.
An official telegram was re
ceived today, Friday, from
Washington stating that Lee
C&udle who volunteered from
Tip with Company “A” has
been killed in France.
Elmer Wilder of Camp Beau
regard, La., came in the first of
the week to visit his parents
and other relatives and many
friends for a few days. Elmo
is the picture of health and he
says he is enjoying army life
but that he is very anxious to
get across and get a shot at
the Huns.
CARRAWAY TO VISIT
ENGLAND AND FRANCE
Washington, D. C., June 29.
Mr. Walter Raney,
McCrory, Ark.
Dear sir:
A committee of members of
Congress of which I shall be
one are sailing next week for
France. It is our expectation
while abroad to visit England,
Scotland, Ireland, France Italy
and Switzerland and if possi
ble, the fighting front in
Greece. It is the belief that
we should have first hand in
formation of the conditions as
they actually exist. I myself,
hope that it shall prove both
interesting and instructive in
future legislation.
I am persuaded that great
economic and social changes
must come to us reason of this
war. Those countries which
have been long engaged have
to a certain extent already un
dergone those changes. I feel
sure similar changes must come
to us. Whether they will be
beneficial or hurtful depends
upon the spirit in which we
meet them. A knowledge of
what they are will doubtless
help us solve them wisely.
Another question of vital
concern is the re-education and
rehabilitation of our soldiers
and sailors who shall come
back to us maimed beyond the
possibility of resuming their
former occupations. They must
be re-educated and re-trained
to pursue some calling suited
to their conditions, since no one
can be happy unless employed.
I know the government has
made and will make provisions
for their maintenance in a fin
ancial way, yet they will be
better citizens and happier
men if fitted for some gainful
and useful employment. Eng
land and France have already
made wonderful strides along
this line. I want to observe at
first hand their methods.
I shall also feel amply re
paid for the time and expense
and risk incurred if I shall be
able to bring to the mothers
and fathers of the boys over
there a reassuring message of
the. conditions under which
their sons serve our country.
If before I sail I can be of
service to you, command me
The office will be open in my
absence for all departmental
business.
With best wishes, I am,
Sincerely your friend,
T. H. CARAWAY
Uncle Wesley Hargis came
in Tuesday morning after hav
ing spent a few weeks in Ten
nessee where -he was the guest
of relatives and friens.
Geo. Crail, who has spent a
ten days furlough here the
guest of his mother, left Tues
day night for Camp Beaure
gard to resume his duties in
the army there.