Wednesday, June 27, 2012

From Days Gone By June 26,1913

June 26, 1913.
    Miss Sadie Brantley, an orphan girl, 16 years old, was killed near Harrison this morning by the southbound W. & T. train. She was picking berries with other children and sat down on the track near some bushes and hearing the train coming attempted to cross the track and was struck by the engine and killed instantly. She made her home with Mr. Lord's family near Harrison.
    While playing little Louis, the 4 year old son of Postmaster Renfroe had the misfortune to run a tine of a pitch fork into the fleshy part of his leg, making an incision one and a half inch deep. Dr. Erle Brinson attended to the little fellow, dressed his wound and nothing serious has resulted.
    Monday, while some of the town urchins were going through some baseball manuvers on Bradford street, the ball glanced from a hydrant and crashed into one of the large glass windows of the Peoples' Hardware Store doing considerable damage.
   R. L. Stephens left for Baltimore working for the well known Straus Brothers in their special line of clothing. Mr. H. C. Tompkins, proprietor of H. C. Tompkins Department Stores returned from Virginia where he was looking after his merchantile interests in Roanoke. Peter Mathis, a worthy colored man and expert mattress maker from Tennille is here to repair your mattresses and he also reseats chairs.
    Mr. James W. Smith, a prominent, wealthy and well known businessman of Tennille, died at Rawlings Sanitarium where he had been for some time suffering from cancer of the stomach. A Mrs. Marsh, a tennent on Dr. S. M. Johnson's farm died of malaria. Her husband, James Marsh preceded her to the grave about two months earlier.
   The directors of the Wrightsville & Tennille Railroad held their annual meeting in Dublin. The semi-annual dividend of 2 per cent was ordered paid. The railroad is in good shape and the board was well pleased with all the business conducted.
    On the public road between Wrightsville and Adrian, Mr. L. B. Lightfoot lost a medium sized leather grip. A liberal reward will be paid for its return. Mrs. W. H. Harrison residing near Beulah Church owned a hen of the ordinary stock of chickens that was remarkable for longevity, if not for laying eggs. This hen had lived to be 16 years old, and died a few days ago. She was indeed a "game old hen" to have lived so long.

Thursday, June 21, 2012

From Days Gone By June 19, 1913

June 19, 1913.
   Mr. Henry J. Claxton, postmaster of Kite, was dangerously, perhaps fatally shot at Kite Tuesday morning about 7, by Eldridge Price. It seems the shooting was the culmination of a row on Saturday previous. The Marshal arrested Jim Gatlin and Price interferred, causing his arrest and having to appear before the mayor on Monday. It is alledged that he had a pistol, but this he denied, and on Tuesday morning he was waiting at the post office when Mr. Claxton came down to open up.
    They were talking and Price, it is said, used some epithets that Claxton resented, advancing toward Price, and when they were about six feet of each other Price drew his 32-calibre pistol and shot him in the left side, the bullet entering just below the heart and ranging downward. Price was arrested and Sheriff Rowland and Deputy Ausbon brought him here and lodged him in jail. Mr. Claxton was carried to Rawlings Sanitarium where he was operated on. The bullet was located under the ribs against the spine, which the doctors thought best not to remove it yet. Both parties to the unfortunate affair are young men with families.
   Mr. Lee Rogers who was confined in the county jail, on account of his mental condition has improved to such an extent that he was permitted to return to his home in the country. The sick list includes Mrs. Otho Tanner, Mrs. Elizabeth Kennedy, Captain & Mrs. W. P. Tribble, Mrs. W. E. Price, Evlyn Pease and Dr. S. M. Johnson. Mrs. Mary Fortner, wife of Mr. Quincy Fortner died at her home near Kite after a long illness of dropsy resulting in paralysis. She was buried at Gumlog. She was the daughter of Mr. & Mrs. G. W. Schwals and survived by her husband and four children.
    B. H. Moye, Johnson County's representative is on his way to Atlanta to serve us in the General Assembly. Dr. Curtis Robinson has fitted up a dental parlor in the Robinson building on the north side of the square. Mr. Wade Bedingfield, former Warthen College graduate is now a student at Mercer taking literary and law courses.
    Maurice Acree has the first ripe peaches of the season. John Robbins, a negro cropper on Mr. Jordan Stokes place brought in the first cotton bloom of the season. J. W. Franks, who farms the Shurling place brought in the second bloom. Jack Henderson just missed out on the first bloom. He is the oversearer of the Tanner Farm.

Thursday, June 14, 2012

From Days Gone By June 12, 1913

June 12, 1913.
    Several went from Wrightsville to the picnic at Idylwild and met with friends from Wadley. The Summer School now in session at Warthen College has a very good attendance in all branches. Prof. E. L. Faircloth will conduct an all day singing at Beulah Church.
    That portion of Railroad Avenue leading from the foot of East Elm Street to the W. & T. depot is being repaired and put in excellent condition. This is a much used thoroughfare which has been ruff for pedestrians and vehicles. Judge William Faircloth whose property borders the entire length of the street has spent a considerable sum of his own money for the improvements, with the assistance of the city.
    Mr. & Mrs. Hitchcock are now boarding at the Dickens House. Mr. & Mrs. Freeman Hataway announce the birth of a son on June 10th. C. D. Kavakos is expecting a consignment of fine Georgia raised watermelons at the Kandy Kitchen. The interior of the building occupied by the Wrightsville Drug Co. has been repaired and re-arranged and put on a firmer foundation as the floor was in a sad state of repair. The First National Bank of Wrightsville's statement of condition was $167,902.40.
    Councilman Thomas L. Martin, chairman of the water and light committee has been confined to home on account of sickness. Mr. J. B. Harrison is now able to be up on crutches and is out looking after his duties as city electrician.
    Mr. Lee Rogers on returning from the reunion in Chattanooga arrived at Tennille in a demented condition. Sheriff Hamilton of Washington County was sent to take charge of him, and he wired Sheriff Rowland that he was bringing him home. Once home he seemed mentally alright. Later he suddenly became insane and grew desperate, his violent conduct causing the family great alarm. Sheriff Rowland was sent for and transferred him to the jail, as the only alternative, where he will remain until a trial for lunacy will be held soon. It was said he went to the reunion with over $100 and was hit and robbed while in Chattanooga.
    The "dismantled" stoves and "relegated" wraps were much in demand yesterday and the day before. Those two days especially were "coolish" and out of season, and for the time the ice man was knocked out and the coal man in demand.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

From Days Gone By June 5, 1913

June 5, 1913.
    After an illness of several months of cancer, Dr. James Washington Flanders died at his home in Wrightsville last wednesday night, May 28th, surrounded by his immediate family. While his death was not unexpected by those who looked after him for so long, it was a surprise to many to learn that he was dead. Dr. Flanders was a native of Johnson County and one of the oldest and prominent citizens of Wrightsville. He was of strong character and honorable in his dealings with his fellow man. In the science of surgery and medicine he was a scholar of the old school and stood high in his profession.
    He was a surgeon in the Confederate army under Gen. Bragg in Western Tennessee and was captured with his command at the seige of Vicksburg. After four years of serving his country and helping the suffering soldier, he came home to start anew. He retired from practice 20 years ago. He was 74 years old at his death and survived by his wife and three daughters, Mrs. Perkins, Mrs. H. Burch and Mrs. Geo. Cochran; four sons, J., John, A. D., and A. F. Flanders. He was buried at Westview.
   We had quite a wind storm here on saturday afternoon, with more or less rain. On H. T. Downs' place the hail was pretty heavy and did serious damage to his young cotton and corn. On June 12th Mr. W. O. Russell of Texas will speak at the courthouse in the interest of Southern States Cotton Association, and its plan of selling cotton. Orianna High School held their closing exercises on May 30th. Wadley has a picnic at Idylwild today and Vidalia will hold a big event on the 10th.
    There will be an interesting ballgame held between the New Home Peaches and the Locus Grove team on next saturday p. m. Clarke will pitch for the Peaches and at the same time Page will receive the game in great style. The Locus Grove pitcher has not been announced. Billie Johnson and Frank Sinquefield went fishing at Sumners bridge and Billie says he caught more fish with hook and line than he ever caught before at one time.
    Mrs. R. R. Frost died at her home in the eastern part of the county on the 23rd and was buried at New Home. She was survived by her husband and several children. On the sick list is Mrs. D. G. Blount, Mrs. Kennedy, Mrs. B.B. Powell and Miss Bessie Burns.
    Veterans J. T. Snell and J. W. Snell attended the reunion of the Blue and Gray at Chattanooga. Jack Robinson owns and drives the sprightliest horse in this town. S. M. Johnson, Wrightsville's popular physician sustained quite a loss in the death of his valuable buggy horse, which had carried him many, many miles. Last monday the doctor was called to an out-of-town patient. While there the horse became suddenly ill and died "in harness" before anything could be done to relieve him. He regrets the loss of his faithful animal.