News From Across North Carolina in the Henderson Gold Leaf, 1903

“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. 9^th) 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 28^th, 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 18^th, 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.