“Our Raleigh
Letter” from the Henderson Gold Leaf, Thursday, June 18, 1903
Wilcox Safely
Landed in Penitentiary…Trinity College Commencement…Combining Business and
Pleasure…Who Will Be Next Governor of North Carolina?...Pertinent Paragraphs
“Jim” Wilcox, the
murderer of Nellie Cropsey, is at last safely landed in the State penitentiary
here—for 30 years. The Supreme Court last Thursday decided his appeal against
him, whereupon the Pasquotank county authorities brought him to the State’s
prison—probably for life—and this is the final act in one of the hardest fought
criminal cases that has figured in the courts and statute books of North
Carolina.
Eruditio Et Religio
With a score or more
of the most distinguished and useful men in North Carolina occupying seats upon
the rostrum and each of them an alumnus of that great institution, including
both of our United States Senators, Trinity College last week concluded the
greatest “commencement” in the history of that grand old storehouse of
learning, and sent out a large class of graduates (including six young women)
equipped with a Christian education not to be surpassed by any college of the
South.
Of course Rev. Dr.
J.C. Kilgro, under whose able and brilliant administration has come the
remarkable growth and great good fortunes of the college, was re-elected
president, and equally of course was Hon. J.H. Southgate again chosen president
of the Board of Trustees—he to whom the success and prosperity of the
institution is also largely due.
No institution has
ever had, or will ever have, more efficient, devoted and successful officers
filling these two most important positions.
And the splendid
faculty, magnificent and unsurpassed, remains the same—each one of the more
than a score of the ablest and most practical and useful educators in the land
having been unanimously re-elected.
Trinity has for a
number of years been surpassing itself each scholastic year, and brilliant and
successful as was the one just closed, the next one (which begins Sept. 9th)
will be even more successful and brilliant. When the low price of tuition (only
$50) and other expenses are considered (being only $168 to $231 a year,
including tuition) and with these reduced to $118 to $181 in many cases,
everything included, surely the young men of North Carolina are indeed
fortunate in having such a grand and advantageous opportunity to secure the
best education to be had. And of course all this is largely due to Trinity’s noble
benefactors, chief among whom are Mr. Washington Duke and his sons.
Combining Business and Pleasure
“Greensboro is the
outgrowingest place I ever seed!” declared a bucolic acquaintance of mine some
time ago.
After a personal
investigation I now fully endorse the strong statement embodied in the above
expressive words. It does beat everything how that town has grown and continues
to grow of late. If it keeps up the present lick a few years longer it will
pass Raleigh, Charlotte and Wilmington and become the largest city in North
Carolina.
“There is the
finest ‘summer resort’ in the State for hundreds and thousands of men who are
‘run down’ like I was last summer,” said my companion, as we were walking out
East Washington street. He was pointing to the large and picturesque brick and
stone building, with its perfectly large lawn of several acres, so long known
as the “Governor Morehead mansion,” but which now bears over its front portals
the words: “Keeley Institute.”
We crossed the
street and went up the green, breeze-swept, shady and cool grounds into the
large, generously proportioned main building; into the former reception room of
the rich old Governor, know the club room of the Institute; thence through the
business office and the modern-improved dining hall, physician’s laboratory and
the bed-rooms, with their new appointments and furniture.
We met that genial,
whole-souled man who established it, Col. W.H. Osborn, still its president, and
now Mayor of Greensboro as well; the obliging and competent manager, Mr. C.D.
Cunningham; Dr. Williams, the chief physician, who has been here nearly ten
years, and the patients, then numbering some thirty odd—nice, gentlemanly men,
all of them, many of them fine looking and of extraordinary ability—lawyers,
doctors, politicians, merchants, business men and farmers.
And everybody so
cool and comfortable. Domiciled in the first-class summer resort and at the
same time being cured of their physical appetite and ailments—and all much
satisfied with the happy idea that has enabled them to kill two birds with one
stone.
Said my friend: “I
did that way last summer. I came to Keeley and built myself up during the
hottest part of the summer—instead of dissipating the time away and ruining my
constitution at the usual ‘summer resort’—and that is why you see me looking
and feeling so well now. And I enjoyed myself here as much as if I had been at
any of the other places.”
Our Next Governor and Lieutenant Governor
Within twelve
months the next Governor of North Carolina will be practically named, and yet
we have heard and read very little discussion of the subject, so far. Who will
he be?
As it is more than
probable that the Democratic nominee will be a “Western man” this time, I have
been looking into the matter lately and judging by the expressions of scores of
representative citizens of the West, I find that Lieut.-Gov. Wilfred D. Turner
of Iredell, and ex-Lieut.-Gov. Charles M. Steadman of Guilford are the two
most-talked of gentlemen for the position up to this time—and either of them
would make us a splendid Chief Magistrate. But others have their friends also,
of course, and not infrequently you will meetup with those who champion Col.
John S. Cunningham of Person, Hon. R.B. Glenn of Forsythe, Hon. Theo. F.
Davidson of Buncombe, et al. It seems to be understood that Gen. Julian S. Carr
and Hon. Cy. B. Watson will not enter the race.
For
Lieutenant-Governor an Eastern man will be named, if the usual course is
pursued, and there are two men who seem to stand head and shoulders above all
others, so far, for this honor—two of our leading State Senators, viz., Hon.
J.E. Woodard of Wilson and Hon. Joseph A. Brown of Columbus county (the latter
being the present pro tem. of the Senate) and there is no better material in
the State. Indeed, either of them is highly qualified and would make a
first-class Governor of North Carolina, if the mantle of that office should
fall upon his intellectually broad and patriotic shoulders.
Pertinent Paragraphs
Chas. F. McKesson
will edit the Free Lance, a new newspaper to be established at Morganton. It
will, therefore, be a very readable sheet, for “Charlie” McKesson is as fluent
with his pencil as with his tongue and he announces in advance the names of
some of those for home he intends to make it warm—State chairman Rollins and
other Republican leaders being among the number, and including also the
directorate of the institution for the deaf and dumb at Morganton.
The press and
people of the State generally seem to agree in denouncing the recovery, be Seawell,
the Republican-Populist spellbinder, from a railroad company, of several
thousand dollars because some bad boys of Shelby “rotten egged” him while on
the platform or premises of the railroad company. It was the Seaboard that was
muleted this time and even the severest critics of corporations declare that
this decision, rendered by the Supreme Court last week, is “the limit,” and
that “the law is a ass”—if this is law.
Today the special
term of Wilson court begins, and it is understood that the slayers of Percy
Jones will be put on trial this week. The case attracts almost as much
attention and general interest throughout the State as the Haywood-Skinner
homicide.
The
Virginia-Carolina Chemical Co. has decided to erect a big fertilizer
manufacturing plant in Raleigh to cost about $200,000.
If President
Venable of the State University should be choses president of the faculty of
the University of Virginia, at the election to be held July 28th, as
some seem to regard as possible, many are already demanding that our
“Educational Governor” shall take charge of the University of North Carolina.
But what about the unexpired term of 1 ½ years of the governorship? Will Gov.
Aycock be willing to relinquish that? If so, Lieut. Gov. Turner would step into
the Executive Office—and, in that case, others would find it up-hill work to
defeat him for the nomination next year.
The matter of
“merging” our North Carolina cotton mills is again revived and a meeting has
been called for Thursday, June 18th, at Charlotte. New York
capitalists asked for the meeting.
An anti-saloon
league will be formed here tomorrow and Raleigh will vote on the dispensary
question some time this year. The retail liquor dealers have formed a separate
organization (State) for fight dispensary projects. So the campaign is likely
to be a warm one.
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