From Days Gone By, June 30, 1911

June 30, 1911.
The handsome two-story brick building on Marcus Street is nearly completed. It is a decided ornament to Wrightsville. It is the property of E. A. W. Johnson and was built, and will be finished by Contractor W. C. Chester. The entire lower floor will be occupied by the Wrightsville Furniture Company, while the second story contains an auditorium and several nice offices. Just over the main entrance a marble slab bears the inscription "The Vivola", in large letters. This name was suggested by a lady some months ago, and is a combination of the names of Mr. Johnson's only daughters, Misses Vivian and Ola.
Ordinary Wiggins has installed a pump at the old artesian well in the court house yard, and the purest, and best of artesian water is now flowing free for all. Come and drink without money or price. Thanks to Judge Wiggins for the restoration of the old well.
W. T. Pournelle has moved his repair and blacksmith shop from near Cedar Creek into the city and is now located in business with his son, Lawson Pournelle near the W. & T. Railroad. Lawson has a well equiped garage, and is prepared to do all kinds of automobile and bicycle repairing, as well as various other mechanical work. He is a sober, industrious young man, and deserves the liberal patronage he receives. W. T. will continue to do blacksmith work and buggy and wagon repair at satisfactory prices.
Ben Shinholser, a black convict, who was serving a 5 year sentence in the Johnson County gang for killing another blackman about 4 years earlier on Mr. E. Smith's place near Kittrell, succeeded in making his escape from the gang several weeks ago. He was still at large until one day last week when he was located in Laurens County by Sheriff Flanders and his deputy, B. W. Raffield. Superintendent Kemp of the Johnson County gang was notified of his arrest and went to Dublin and brought his prisoner back, paying a reward of $35 for his recovery. Shinholser had a fraction over a year to serve at the time he made his escape and was a trusty.
Early monday morning a Gretna Green wedding took place in the city at the parlor of the Lovett Hotel. The parties of the elopement marriage were Miss Mattie Flanders, the adopted daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Flanders of Adrian, and Mr. J. W. Thompson of Scott. Judge J. C. Wiggins, Ordinary officiated.
Mrs. Julia Walker happened to a painful accident on wednesday night. As she was applying linement to her eye through a mistake, thinking it was the eye water she had been using for several days. In some way the bottles had been moved and she had not noticed this and applied the linement instead. Her eye is painfully injured and it is hoped will not permanently damage her sight.
Captain John L. Martin had a painful accident while driving a nail in a plank. The nail flew back and struck him in the eye, and he came near losing his sight.
Mr. Henry Montford is very ill with asthma. Miss Annie Rowland, sister of J. H. and W. D. was taken to Sandersville to be operated on for appendicitis at Rawlings Sanitarium. Mrs. J. M. Blackshear was also carried there for surgery.
W. C. Allen, former editor of the Wrightsville Chronicle, but now with the paper at Columbus, visited Wrightsville this week. Rev. Leland Moore was promoted to the pastorate of the Louisville methodist church. He was a pupil at Nannie Lou Warthen and a graduate of Emory College and took a special course at Vanderbilt. He is a grandson of Rev. Charles Moore of Wrightsville.
It was a big day at the new island resort of Tybee. It is estimated that nearly 5,000 people visited Tybee last sunday and is figured to be the largest crowd ever to be on the island. Every train carried extra coaches packed from the country and surrounding towns came hordes of excursionists.