Thursday, December 25, 2014

From Days Gone By Dec. 30, 1915

December 30, 1915.
    The Wrightsville city election passed off quietly the voting continuing till 5 pm. Dr. T. L. Harris elected mayor. Councilmen elected were W. C. Tompkins, R. M. Daley, G. H. Prescott, H. P. Hicks and E. E. Sanders, all for two year terms. The mass meeting held last week elected W. C. Brinson, B. H. Moye, W. D. Rowland, R. R. Douglas and B. B. Blount as executive committee for next two years.
    A disastrous fire occurred last Saturday evening about 6 in the eastern part of town. The residence and contents of Mr. & Mrs. Don Kent were entirely destroyed. The origin of the fire was not known. Mr. & Mrs. Kent were spending Christmas Day with Judge and Mrs. J. L. Kent.
    Again, early Monday just after daylight a small tenant house on the McWhorter place, just outside of town was burned. The property just recently purchased by Mr. A. J. M. Robinson and was occupied by colored people who had been away for several days.
    Col. & Mrs. W. T. Martin of Tampa, Florida announced the birth of a daughter, Victoria, on December 26th. Little Miss Ethel Downs celebrated her 5th birthday at her home with a party.
    Mr. T. L. Martin has recently purchased the residence of Mrs. J. F. Norris on the corner of Elm and Valley streets. Dr. & Mrs. Jas T. Dent will move to the T. L. Martin home on West Tribly street.
    The farmers of Johnson County and the business men of Wrightsville are urgently requested to meet at the court house at 10 am on Saturday, January 8th. C. M. Dent and W. H. Raley says its important for all that can to attend. C. S. Blankenship's market is considered the best when it comes to meat. He sells fine beef, steak, pork, also has souse, sausage and ham. The souse is said to be suited to the Queen's test. The market is always kept very clean and sanitary.
    L. M. Burns has for sale two new self-playing pianos, at less than half price. Also has one 1915 Regal Roadster for $500, good as new and run less than 5000 miles. C. D. Kavakos of the Busy Bee CafĂ© has one fine milk cow for sale, in good condition now giving 2 1/2 to 3 gallons rich milk per day. He must sell as he has no place to keep her.
    Bessie Webb, guardian, applied for leave to sell land of Thomas and Juila Belle Beasley. Mrs. M. B. Rogers administratrix with will annexed of S. W. Rogers represents her petition to be discharged from the will of S. W. Rogers having fully administed her duties.

From Days Gone By Dec. 23, 1915

December 23, 1915.
   Mr. L. N. Batchelor, one of the old men of Washington County, died at his home seven miles south of Tennille on November 1st. He was stricken with paralysis two weeks and his condition became critical. He was originally from Putnam County where he enlisted in the 59th Ga. Regiment in the War Between the States serving until 1865. After the war he moved to Johnson County and later to Washington County.
    The custom of burning candles on the Christmas tree comes from two sources. The Romans burned candles at the Feast of Saturn as a sign of good cheer, while the Jews burned candles during the Feast of the Dedication, which happened to fall about the same time as that of Saturn in the Roman calendar. It is quite possible that for this reason there would have been many candles burning all over Palestine about the time of the birth of Christ, and from this comes the term Feast of Light, which is the name used in the Greek church for Christmas day.
    Having pleaded guilty to the charge of forgery in two cases, T. B. Martin, a white man, was given the minimum sentence of two years in each case yesterday morning by Judge Matthews in the Superior Court. Martin in his plea to the judge, stated that whiskey had been responsible for his down fall, causing him to pose a good position and to drift further away from his northern home until he reached Macon, where becoming desperate, he forged two checks.
    It was charged that he visited two local furnature stores and purchased from each a portmanteau, giving a check far in advance of the price, and receiving change thereof. Martin left town immediately after forging the checks and was caught in Savannah. Since that time he has been in the county jail where he founded a paper the "War-Whoop", which chronicled the happenings in the jail. The paper showed that the writer was a man of no mean ability in writing and in illustrating as he added a touch to his stories by illustrating them.
    The manager of a factory recently engaged a new man and gave instructions to the foreman in instruct him in his duties. A few day afterwards the manager inquired whether the new man was progressing with his work. The foreman, who had not agreed very well with the man in question exclaimed angrily, "Progressing! There's been a lot of progress. I have taught him everything I know and he is still an ignorant fool."
    At the risk of pun it may be said that the quail does not make the boll weevil, because the weevil is not on this fine bird's bill of fare.
    Mrs. Lillie Hutcheson, aged 22, wife of P. C. Hutcheson died at Adrian after a short illness. Besides her husband she is survived by her parents, Mr. & Mrs. Y. L. Hall; six brothers, L. L. Hall, Dr. E. J. Hall, A. J. Hall, Albert Comer and Y. L. Jr. One sister, Florrie Hall. Internment was in Adrian cemetery.

Monday, December 15, 2014

From Days Gone By Dec. 16, 1915.

December 16, 1915.
    The Savannah News states that judging from the number of moonshine cases in federal courts in Georgia and the number of stills found by "revenouers", prohibition isn't making much more of a success of prohibiting the making of whiskey than it is of prohibiting the selling of it.
    Also the Savannah News states there are a few policemen in nearly every city who are too ready with their pistols. There are frequent stories that some policeman or other has shot somebody, not intentionally, but because he merely wanted to scare a fugitive. In Atlanta a policeman sot a negro boy in the back, probably fatally wounding him. His only excuse was that when he went to arrest several boys, they ran and he fired to scare the boy he hit.
    Officers of the law, of all men, should be most careful to avoid making the streets dangerous. They should know when not to use their pistols, as well as when to use them. The best policeman is he who does not draw his pistol until it is absolutely necessary. There certainly was no necessity for that Atlanta policeman to shoot.
    An American won the long hair record who's tresses measured 8 1/2 feet long . The weight of this aboundance of hair does not seem to cause the possessor any inconvience, and the tresses are so thick that a certain manufacturer remarked that the hair could be woven into sufficient fabric to make a gown for the contestant.
    The record of this lady beats by 2 1/2 feet that of the lady who was supposed to posses the longest hair in this country. Instances of ladies' hair measuring 5 to 5 1/2 feet have often been recorded. But it might be mentioned that the longest hair in the world was that grown by Robert Latter of Tunbridge Wells, whose beard measured no less than 16 feet and necessitated his wearing it around his waist.
    Instances are known of business being disorganized through war conditions, but it remained for a former Oil City, Texas man to report that it has even interfered with the rattlesnake business. Peter Gruber, better known in print as "Rattlesnake Pete", writes the following to his nephew, Harry Gruber.
    "My snake crop has gone away down. I have only three rattlers left. The others have died off, and it is difficult to get any from Texas on account of the war with Mexico. The fellows are afrid of going into the hills for the snakes for fear of being ambushed by the 'greasers'. I have had an order in for 100 pounds for two months now and have not gotton a single one. They have told me they will ship just as soon as it is safe to venture into the hills to look for them".
    About one thousand years ago Sadi wrote: "A man had sore eyes. He went to a horse doctor, who applied to his eyes what he used for his horses. The man became blind. He took the case before the judge, who said: "No damages; if this fellow were not an ass he would not have gone to a farrier."