The Ashburn Advance
Friday, October 15, 1897
Mrs. J. P. Belvin was quite ill this week.
J. W. Evans went to Macon on business Monday.
Sheriff Story was in Ashburn serving papers Monday.
Col. Bass attended superior court at Albany this week.
E. J. Story went to Macon on a business trip Wednesday.
W. A. Ryals brought a load of fine cane to town Tuesday.
J. S. Betts and wife returned from Hawkinsville Wednesday.
Betts & Co. have purchased another engine to use on the tram road.
Clifford Hay is now the Worth Local's correspondent from this place.
W. J. and W. A. Hall of Oakfield have just completed a nice new residence.
Mrs. M. A. Bunch of Leary is here on a visit to her step-daughter, Mrs.
C. C. Barbre.
R. T. Davis of this place and J. L. Bunch of Shellman made a trip to
Poulan Wednesday.
Little Janie Varnedoe, Hon. W. L. Story's granddaughter, age 10 years,
died on the 6th.
Albert Hogue of Garden Valley was here this week looking for a business
location.
Dan Bridges and Oscar Smith of Sumner were guests of J. T. Altman one
night this week.
Jim Bohannon got a couple of his fingers badly mashed at the mill Saturday
while coupling cars.
J. S. Betts & Co. will pay $1,129 taxes this year, exclusive of
individual assessments of members of the firm.
Capt. Belvin went to Fitzgerald Wednesday, and will remain there if
there is a sufficency of water to run the mill.
Rev. W. E. Mumford failed to fill his appointment here last Sunday,
but writes that he will be certain to be here next Sunday.
Charles Renew of Irwin was in town Tuesday. He says all the farmers
on this side of the river favor Fitzgerald for the county site.
R. A. Whidby has gone to Oglethorpe on a visit to relatives and friends,
and his son, Lee, has charge of the jewelry store in his absence.
Granite City News: Henry Smith and George Butler are making the
Ashburn Advance one of the brightest weeklies in the State.
We understand that Miss Ola Smith will have charge of the central telephone
office after Jan. 1st, and Porter Hudson will attend school.
W. M. Dale of the firm of Story Bros. & Co. will move his family
from Arabi to Ashburn next week, and will occupy rooms in the rear part
of the store.
John G. McPhaul of Poulan is the largest individual tax payer in Worth
county. Of the firms J. S. Betts & Co. of this place stand first
and Alfred & Sloan of Willingham next.
An exciting runaway of a horse to a wagon with Mrs. M. Powell and children
was a scene in Sycamore Saturday evening. All were thrown out, but
none seriously injured.
Judge Richard Johnson, commissioner of pensions, has completed his payroll
for 1897, and of the State pension fund Worth county gets $1, 755; Irwin
$1,115; Wilcox $1,965. (the numbers are a little blurred and these numbers
are my best guess-- zg)
Miss Susie Cockrell of Sycamore spent Saturday with her sister,
Mrs. G. K. Wilcox. Geo. K. and Mrs. Wilcox accompanied her home Sunday
morning, and spent the day in the country.
School Wanted. -- J. C. Thompson, of Cameron, Ga., a competent,
experienced teacher, will pay $10 for information leading to his employment.
Languages and higher mathematics.
Maj. Brimberry of Albany, a leading Republican of this State, was here
Saturday. It is rumored that he wanted to find a Republican here
to recommend for postmaster of Ashburn, but they are as scarce as hen's
teeth in this neck of the woods.
The 4th quarterly conference for the Ashburn circuit will convene at
the Methodist church in Ashburn Saturday, Oct. 16th. Presiding Elder
Stubbs will preach at 10:30 and hold the conference immediately after.
It has been twelve years since a man has been legally hung in Worth
county, but from the looks of things now it won't be twelve months before
Sheriff Story will be called upon to break Lewis King's neck.
The central telephone office was moved from the Advance building Wednesday
to its new and cozy quarters near the residence of J. W. Walker, and Ye
Local ejaculated vehemently, if not reverently, the first two words of
the doxology.
Emanuel Arnel (name is my best guess, zg.), col., was arrested Saturday
by Special Bailiff, Bob Law for stealing $27.25 from G. L. McRae of Worth.
The negro was kept in the calaboose here until Monday when Mr. McRae, who
had recovered his money, declined to prosecute, and the prisoner was released.
Our readers will be sure to notice the mammoth advertisement of W. A.
Murray's, on the opposite page. Mr. Murray has an immense stock of
goods on hand, purchased before the tariff went into effect, and he purposes
to go ever further than simply allowing his customers the benefit of his
shrewd purchases, and divide profits with . No one could make a more
liberal offer. Be sure and call on him whenever you need anything
in his line.
Sim Aiken, col., lives in the negro quarters at the mill, and in his
house lives a step-daughter who was confined last week, and a daughter
ten years old, both of who occupy the same room. Early Monday morning
all in the family except the two mentioned went elsewhere to work, when
a coffee-colored nigger known as Kid Moore entered the house and attempted
to assault the oldest girl but was repulsed, when he made a like attempt
on the younger one, and the elder girl got up out of bed and drove the
would be assailant away with a club. "Kid" immediately skipped for
parts unknown, and when the father returned home at night he swore out
a warrant before 'Squire McArthur, charging Moore with attempted rape.
He will be tried for that crime if ever caught.
Mrs. J. C. Durham died at her home here early home here early Sunday
night of nervous prostration. She had just moved here from Snow,
Ga., the first of the month, and her sudden death was a shock to all who
knew her, although she had been a sufferer for years. Her remains
were taken to Snow Monday for burial. Mr. Durham has the sympathy
of the entire community in his affliction.
The residence of T. Z. Ennis, near Worth, burned last night, and the
inmates only saved the clothes they had on. Mrs. Ennis was badly
burned. Mr. Ennis is away from home. The family is left in straitened
circumstances, and contributions of women's clothing, shoes, provisions
and money would be welcomed by them. Bert Wright brought the news
here this morning, and was circulating a subscription paper.
John Miller, col., was working for James Fitzgerald of Wilcox, up to
week before last, when he stole from his employer a Winchester rifle, a
lot of calico, pair of shoes, three pairs of pants and a piece of jeans,
and then lit out for Irwin county, where he got a job working for Charles
Renew. Last week Mr. Renew had occasion to visit Mr. Fitzgerald of
Wilcox, who informed him of his loss and described the negro, who was none
other than the one he had employed a few days before. When he returned
home he arrested the negro, who acknowledge the crime, and the stolen goods
were recovered. Mr. Renew then chained the thief and took him to
Abbeville, where the authorities placed him in jail.
J. A. M. Smith of Luke came to Ashburn Saturday and had printed at this
office some circulars for Henry Murphy, who offers a reward for $50 for
the arrest of a certain negro named Steve Hancock, described as follows:
Six feet six inches high, very black, one or more front teeth out, the
white of one eye somewhat red. He is wanted for an assault with attempt
to murder. It seems that Hancock has proven himself to be a bad negro,
and in attempt to capture him one night last week, a number of citizens
surrounded him and fired several rounds at him, but he elected to escape.
The people seem determined to capture him and are not caring much if they
capture him dead or alive.
J. S. Shingler is a hustler in everything he does, and wants everybody
else to hustle that does anything for him. The other night he entered
the barber shop at 7:5? and wanted Bob Law to shave him before the Shoofly
arrived at 7:57, as he was going to Valdosta. Bob declared that he
couldn't do it, but Mr. Shingler insisted that he could if he got a hustle
on himself, for the train would probably be a little late so he went to
work. Bob lathered his subject and took a couple of quarter section
swaths on the left cheek, but before he could make the third swipe with
his razor the train pulled into the depot. The last seem of Jim Shingler
he was cooling himself with his left hand, his right hand was engaged in
scraping off lather and his body was burning the wind at a (can't read)
gait. He caught the Shoofly, however, but if he wants to avoid such
occurrences hereafter he will either have to turn Populist and raise whiskers,
or by him a safety razor that shaves on the run.
Rev. J. C. Flanders preached a powerful sermon on temperance last Sunday,
which has since been very favorably commented upon by his congregation.
Among the points made we note the following, his text being from Isaiah
55:2. "Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread."
"I don't know anything that has so retarded the spread of the gospel and
hindered the christianization of the world as the whiskey traffic.
It is directly opposed to every interest of humanity and the kingdom of
God. It is against us as a nation. It corrupts politics.
It often defeats the ends of justice in courts. It is against our
financial interest, as we spend $1,080,000,000 for drink every year, and
80 per cent of this comes out of the laboring class of people. In
Georgia we pay $1,500,000 for all church purposes while we pay $12,000,000
for intoxicants. It is against our physical development, our educational
interest and our morals. Under the first head the law of heredity
is only to be considered, and the awful statement is recognized.
In the second place, whatever is detrimental to the physical is detrimental
to the mental. In the third place, physical and mental dissipation
results in moral wreck and ruin. Lastly, it is against our spiritual
and eternal welfare. It destroys the will power, benumbs the conscience,
damns the soul. Every third home must furnish a subject to keep the
dramshops going. More than 42,000 drunkards die yearly. Look
at the vast throng, men, women, and children."
From Sheriff Story and the Albany Herald we glean the following particulars
of a shocking tragedy that occurred in this county Sunday afternoon: On
the plantation of Messrs. Hall and Price, right on the line of Dougherty
and Worth lived a negro tenant named Lewis King. He and his wife
occupied a cabin in the negro quarter, but the course of their married
life never ran smoothly. King did not bear the best reputation in
the world, and his temper was at times unduly violent. Sunday afternoon
he and his wife became involved in a quarrel, and soon the husband's wrath
reached that point where it was beyond his control, and King seized a chair
with which he dealt his wife one or more blows, crushing her head and breaking
her neck, death being almost instantaneous. King was caught by Mr.
Price and carried to Isabella, where he was lodged in jail. From
what we can learn from the affair, King stands a very good chance for being
hung.
The section of country lying contiguous to the line of Dougherty and
Worth counties and settled by some of the most (can't read) …derling country
folks in this part of the State, has been infested with a band of incendiaries
for several years, says the Albany Herald, and it has been impossible to
bring them to justice or even find a clue that seems likely to lead to
the identy of any of the guilty miscreants. Within six or seven years
there have not been less than forty or fifty incendiary fires in the region
described, and the loss to farmers has been exceedingly heavy. After
several months of inactivity these fiends have resumed operations again.
About 1 o'clock Sunday morning, Thos. A. James who lives about ten miles
from Albany, discovered his dwelling in a blaze. He only had time
to remove a few personal effects before the heat and smoke drove him from
the building which was completely destroyed. Another discovery of
fire in the cotton house was made just in the nick of time, but prompt
work smothered the flames. It was discovered that the incendiaries
had climbed to the top of the building and poured kerosene down on the
cotton and sides of the walls. Both buildings were undoubtedly fired
by incendiaries. Mr. James loss was about half covered by insurance.
About 8 o'clock Sunday night H. Nelms' stockade was discovered on fire.
The stockade was a large building recently erected and the flames enveloped
it in a incredibly short time. Fifteen hundred bushels of oats were
stored in the loft, and all these together with other grain, some farming
equipment, etc., were destroyed. The stockade was not insured. Mr.
Nelms has been hit hard by the incendiaries. Two years ago his stockade
was burned and he has lost two gin houses by fire during recent years.
It is needless to say that the people of East Dougherty and West Worth
ever get their hands on the party or parties who have put the torch to
thousands of dollars worth of property during the past few years, and no
room for doubt is left, there will be a rope stretching in these parts
without a moment's unnecessary delay.
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SYCAMORE SPECIALS
---
A. C. Lawton of our town is visiting in Florida for a short time.
Sheriff Story of Worth county visited his brother, Dr. W. L. Story,
of this place, last Tuesday.
We are glad to note that little Ola McMurrian is able to be out again
after a recent illness.
Mrs. Stephens of Arabi spent a few days last week with her brother,
J. W. Smith.
Col. Hawkins of Cordele was in the city one day this week.
Mrs. R. R. Hayes visited our little town one day last week.
Mrs. A. C. Lawton is expected home next week after a long visit
to Florida.
Miss Alice Swearingen is visiting at H. W. Bussey's this week.
S. J. Clements visited Ocilla this week.
We are glad to note that J. J. Jackson returned home after a long visit
to Social Circle.
Dr. W. L. Story went to Macon Tuesday to see the steam engines fight.
Go it, doctor, with both heels up.
Miss Carrie Jackson left here Tuesday for Isabella, where she will teach
school for the rest of the year.
Prof. Bates would have sent the Local Editor that gopher, but it got
away. SCHOLASTIOUS
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