Compulsory Smallpox Vaccinations and Other News From Across N.C., 1904

News from around North Carolina as published in the Wilmington Messenger, Friday, April 22, 1904

 

Durham Sun--A willing obedience to the compulsory vaccination law, which goes into effect tomorrow, will greatly relieve the strain of the situation in Durham, and aid materially in checking and stamping out the disease which has caused so much talk in our city. The situation is brightening. It is pretty well in hand and physicians are more hopeful. Let all work together for the last round in boxing up the smallpox and getting it out of our community. The law is to be enforced--and everyone who is opposing vaccination might as well make up their mind to join in cheerfully.

 

Durham Herald--There were 18 cases before the mayor yesterday morning charged with failing to vaccinate. Only three of these were convicted, the others proving that they have complied with the laws and inoculated themselves with the viruses. Today there will be about 40 cases, Chief Woodall being busy with most of yesterday making out warrants and removing from the list the names of those who appeared before him with certificates. He said that he would have close to 40 cases this morning. On the list of those not vaccinated are near 500 names. These will all be arrested and carried before the court unless they prove that they have complied with the law, and did it prior to the time when the limit has expired.

 

Mooresville Enterprise--Just as we go to press The Enterprise is informed that several families are moving to town from Concord in order to escape the compulsory vaccination that is in vogue there. We print the information as a new item, without suggestion.

 

Tarboro Southerner--Monday morning Eli Felton, who superintends the Howell farm, was attacked by a vicious mad dog. The fierce canine desperately attempted to bite Mr. Felton, and having no weapon nearby with which to kill the dog, he was compelled to use his fist. Mr. Felton succeeded in keeping the dog off, and finally procured his shotgun and sent his canineship to the "happy hunting ground."

 

Wadesboro Messenger-Intelligencer--Joe Bennett Brasington, the 4-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. W.T. Brasington, died Monday afternoon under circumstances more than ordinarily sad. Just two weeks before his death the little fellow stuck a nail in his food, but the wound apparently healed in a few days, and his parents felt no alarm at all until last Thursday night, at which time the child complained of his foot paining him, and a physician was sent for, but blood poison had already set in and he grew rapidly worse until his death.

 

Raleigh Times--Yesterday we took a little trip to the country. On the farm of Mr. P.H. Mangum, which, by the way, is probably the best managed of any other in the entire state, were 20 hands picking out cotton, and the field was as white as if it had been November. On the farm of Dr. H.H. Harris, which adjoins that of Mr. Mangum, were at least a dozen picking out the last of the doctor's cotton crop. By the way, most of Dr. Harris' last crop is yet unginned, showing he must possess great faith in the continued high price of cotton.

 

Wadesboro Messenger-Intelligencer--It will be a source of great satisfaction to every citizen of Wadesboro to learn that the Wadesboro cotton mill will not be sold. It will be remembered that the mill was recently placed in the hands of Mr. W.C. Hardison as receiver, and it was thought that the property would have to be sold. But after the receiver took charge a number of gentlemen came to the rescue of the mill, and a proposition was made to the court Tuesday. The court will make an order in accordance with the proposition. All persons connected with the mill are glad of this move.

 

The Robesonian--At his home near Ashpole on Monday Mr. Alex Andrews, one of our country's most honored citizens, passed away after three months of suffering in the 86th year of his age. He had been in a critical condition for a long while and his death was not unexpected.

 

Newton Enterprise--In Hickory on Wednesday of last week, Mrs. Perry Baker, who was engaged in some work in the garden or yard, missed her little girl, about two years old, and went into the house to look for her. She found her lying on the floor, burned to death. It is supposed that the child set her clothes afire with matches.

 

Greensboro Record--A visit to the plantation of Farmer Tate, two miles from the city, is interesting. He has 200 acres and raises general crops but just now is turning his attention to chickens, hatching them by the incubator process, in which he has been wonderfully successful. He has a hundred or two little fellows in the brood house at present, with 20 dozen in the incubators, due to come off soon. Mr. Tate has a hundred or more fine chickens about a year old and hopes by June to have half a thousand or more. He is also raising turkeys on a small scale.

 

Wadesboro Messenger-Intelligencer--Mr. Jas. T. Moore of McFarlan raised a laugh in the court house Tuesday while being examined by Mr. John  T. Bennett as to his ability to read writing. The old gentleman, after being energetically pressed for some time, finally admitted that he could not decipher the writing of lawyers but that he could make out to read that of other people.

 

Charlotte Chronicle--The Raleigh Times asks the pertinent question: "Is the betting on baseball gambling? If so, why are people allowed to carry it on without so much notice being taken of it by the officers of the law? It is a fact that some of the biggest gambling ever done in Charlotte has been done on the baseball ground and this sort of gambling is done openly and before the eyes of all people. Is it gambling? Of course. It is of the evening dress sort and is immune from arrest."

 

Elm City Elevator--The shipment of trucks from the section south of Goldsboro an from the territory along the Atlantic & N.C. railroad is becoming quite heavy now. Train No. 48 on the Atlantic Coast Line has to be run in two sections nearly every day to handle the extra express.

 

Newton Enterprise--Judge Shaw at Morganton court Tuesday issued a bench warrant for Sheriff Killian and Jailer Holler on account of the escape of Charlie Campbell. The preliminary hearing will perhaps be in Morganton this week. If they are bound over to court, the case will be tried in this county. Since Campbell is dead, it would be better to let the matter drop. The officers, if guilty of anything, are only guilty of showing mercy ot a man on the brink of the grave. We hope the case will not cause Messrs. Killian and Holler any inconvenience.

 

Burlington Herald--An exchange suggests that the mob spirit got heady and attempted to lynch a negro in Hickory Saturday night demonstrated itself at the close of a carnival week in that town. It is said one carnival at a time is all a town can afford.

 

Laurinburg Exchange--Mr. Jno. F. McNair and family, now residing in Laurinburg, finding it necessary to have their church membership transferred from Laurel Hill church to Laurinburg, have shown in a very substantial way their affection for the old mother church and pastor in that Mr. McNair has donated to said church the sum of $2,500. The interest accruing from this sum keeps up his annual subscription to the pastor's salary, and in addition gives a liberal annual contribution to the pastor as an individual. The balance of interest is to be divided among the various benevolent causes of the church.

 

Lumberton Argus--Judge J.M. Hill, son of the late General D.H. Hill, has been nominated by the Democrats of Arkansas for chief justice of the supreme court of that state. This Judge Hill is Joseph Morrison Hill of Charlotte. He was one of the youngest children of General Hill, the intrepid warrior and the post-bellum editor of "The Land We Love." He is a resident of Fort Smith, Arkansas, and about 37 years old.

 

Monroe Enquirer--Milk or butter that is fit to use in this section is from cows that stand in barn yards or stables and do not go in pasture. The wild onion, which flourishes like the green bay tree and grows more plentiful year by year is a fine thing for cows and makes them give lots of milk and butter of a kind--but the kind is something terrible. The wild onion is spreading so rapidly that it is getting to be a great nuisance. Milk and butter are not the only commodities for which the wild onion ruins, for a great deal of flour is made unfit for table use by it.

 

Charlotte Chronicle--For several weeks past there has been more war between certain North Carolina newspapers than there has been between Russia and Japan. Now we are concerned to see that Editor Bailey of The Biblical Recorder and Editor Furman of The Raleigh Post are making moves that indicate a reaching for their respective guns, and all on account of the Watts law. This is just about as poor a thing as they could spill ink over at the present time, for law is law, and we beg them to desist.

 

News and Courier--Here it is again! The Rev. Dr. E. Benjamin Andrews, chancellor of the Nebraska state university at Lincoln, delivered a lecture to the students of the Medical college some days ago in which he took issue with President Roosevelt on the race suicide issue. In the opinion of Dr. Andrews 10 children are too many for a person of ordinary means, but it is the duty of the well-to-do to raise large families of children. We are not so sure about that. It might be well for the president to recommend in a special message to Congress the passage of a law offering large bounty to families having more than 10 children in them. If a business is to be made of it, it deserves encouragement from the government on the ground that for the last 100 years the government has stretched its powers in aid of infant industries.

 

The Exchange--There is a bright side even to sorrows that are real, unless, indeed, our folly convinces us that hope has fled the world. The troubles and misfortunes that do not chasten are ever and always the children of folly. Whatever is chastening is for our good, and well for us if it should lead to humility. The world is very bright to those beautiful souls that go through it without pride or vain-glory. Poverty, illness, affliction, the misfortunes that swarm about is, the failures that invest us,t he losses that come to us now and again, lose all their keenness if we keep in view the duties we owe to others. To the mind rightly tunes to the vexatious affairs of this world, even sorrow moulds itself into a form of happiness.

 

Greensboro Record--Strikes were not unknown in this locality as far back as 1850, for in overhauling the papers in the clerk's office a case was found where the hands, some 12 or 15, at Fentress mine, went out on a strike for eight hours a day. The men presented a demand in writing, telling the company what they wanted and informing them that if their demands were not granted, they expected to close up the mine, whereupon they were indicted for conspiracy, convicted and fined, after which peace seems to have reigned, for work went on. Strikes and lockouts are deemed of rather recent date in this country at least, but the court records show differently.