From Days Gone By Feb 17, 1917

Febuary 17, 1917.

    Mr. William Jackson of Donovan was in the city Saturday and while in conversation the editor of the paper stated, "Amen", to the articles in favor of a Farm Demonstration Agent. He said, "I am in favor of one and wanted him now, and I'm also in favor of the tick eradication work and a County Canning Club Agent. I know we can't have all three at once, but the Demonstration Agent was the most important. There has never been and never will be a greater need for assistance on the farms than this year will see."

    J. H. Mills, President of State Farmers Union was here giving speeches on better marketing plan for farmers to market their produce. The system is working in Tennessee, and should work here also. E. Lee Worsham, State Entomologist of Atlanta will be in Wrightsville on the 28th to discuss preparing and eradicating the boll weevil.

    The first term of city court ended after a three day session. The jury was used two days. Judge Blount presided well as did Col. Brinson in the interest of the county and state. George Gregory, white, was up for simple larceny, the jury mistrialed and he went back to jail as the only occupant of Sheriff Rowland's boarding house. A lot of convictions were had. The liquor cases were all nollied after one defendant was acquitted. There were 20 of those cases.

    In the mayor's court, Mayor T. L. Harris handled the principal things, that being with the white folks building houses without permits, but the mayor dismissed them all. A couple were up for conducting business without a license and drew small fines.

    At a called meeting by the Board of Directors of the Exchange Bank, Dr. P. B. Bedingfield was elected to fill the unexpired term as bank president, and the farmer and prominent physician accepted. He finishes the term of Mr. C. T. Bray who recently died. Dr. Bedingfield possesses a large estate of farming lands in this and Washington counties and a man of considerable financial backing.

    On next Tuesday night the Vivola Theatre will present the attraction "The Sultana", staring Ruth Roland in a 5 reel comedy and shown in Pathecolor.

    Mr. T. J. Luck is in Sandersville Sanatorium for his foot. Mr. Flem Hall had to have his right leg amputated. He had been on crutches for awhile but the doctors had to remove the afflicted limb. Mr. M. G. Smith stated Rev. J. A. Stephens was seriously burned at his home in Ohoopee. Others sick are Miss Irma Brantley, Raiford Harrision, Miss Missouri Powell, Mrs. E. P. Lamb, Wilma and Ray Meeks, W. E. Scott, Mrs. C. A. Beall.

    Mrs. W. B. Greenway died at her home near Adrian. Besides her husband she had several children. Burial was at the family burial grounds on the east side of the county. Mr. & Mrs. L. M. McAfee had a fine boy on Febuary 11th and Mr. & Mrs. M. H. Smith have a fine girl.

    In Scott, B. D. Carter & Co. have moved back to their old building which has been repainted and looks like new. The town councilmen are to be complemented on the well kept streets. Nothing in a town is more attractive than well kept streets.

From Days Gone By Feb. 10, 1917

Febuary 10, 1017.

    Right on the heels of three of the worst days the county has ever had came snow Sunday night riding in on a high gale which sent the bulb of the thermometer sizzing down to 10 below freezing point Monday morning. Thursday night the weather took a change from moderate warm to severe cold and Friday through Sunday was uncomfortable except by a fire. All of Georgia to the Florida line the snow fell. The water and light system of Wrightsville suffered with busted pipes and reservoirs with much loss.

    At the home of Mr. Ben Moye, when a large reservoir on back of the wood stove froze up, and when Mrs. Moye made a fire the heat created a steam with no escape and caused an explosion wrecking the stove completely. Panes of glass flew out and pieces of the stove scattered. One piece entered the window sill 8 - 10 inches deep. Mrs. Moye barely escaped injury except for the hot water scalding her eyes.

    Mr. W. C. Tompkins tells his cold storage tale that Sunday morning upon going out to the barn to feed his stock, he discovered a dead rat upon the outside water pipe, which was dead from freezing. He thinks while the rat was on the frozen pipe sipping water from an icicle it froze.

    The recent cold weather however will greatly help the fruit crop which signs show to be a bumper crop year. The boll weevil experts will be in Wrightsville and Kite on the 15th to speak to the farmers. There are some people in this county yet who do not really believe that there is any such thing as a boll weevil, and if there is, that it will not do any harm to amount to anything when it gets here. They think all these newspaper reports are printed for fun and to try to scare someone. The scare will come a year after the pest gets here. The scare is due about the time the man who planted all cotton tries to get something to eat on credit.

    The Johnson County Board of Education met Tuesday. It had been planned that the county would be able to run a six months' free school this year but only five months of funds are available. So the schools will close the first of April.

    Mrs. Elton, grandmother of Mr. Tom Elton died at Alamo. She was 92 years old. To everyone's surprise death came to Mr. Floyd Price. His death was from serious head trouble. He left a wife and one child. On the sick list this week from measles and other ailments are Mrs. Rome Lord, Miss Lena Russell, Mr. Willie Allen, and brother James, A. T. Clark, Miss Verrenia Powell, Postmaster R. P. Hicks, and the little son of Mr. Jesse Anderson. Mr. & Mrs. W. I. Renfroe have a new son.

    The Laurens County Grand Jury requested representatives to defeat any attempt to form James County at Adrian. Johnson County feels the same way as it would take too much territory from both counties.

    Miss Nettie Purvis and Mr. D. Gideon Smith of Scott were married at the Baptist parsonage in Wrightsville on Wednesday afternoon, Rev. J. Calla Midyett officiating.

From Days Gone By Feb. 3, 1916, 1917

Febuary 3, 1916, 1917.

    1916- A petition was filed to Phillp Cook, Secretary of State, to charter a railroad corporation to be called The Atlantic and Northwestern Railway Co. The length of the road would be estimated at 190 miles and will run from Johnson Co. south to Brunswick, and northerly direction to Milledgeville. It would run through the counties of Johnson, Emanuel, Toombs, Tatnall, Liberty, Wayne, Glynn, Washington and Baldwin. The proposed capital stock is $100,000 in $100 shares with the priviledge to increase to $500,000. The petitioners were J. H. Rowland, William Faircloth, C. S. Claxton, E. J. Sumner, F. J. Garbutt, C. R. Williams, M. E. Burts, W. C. Oliver, G. W. Lankford, and I. E. Aaron.

    More men have jumped into the local races with some fields becoming very crowded. Tax Receiver, J. Wesley Meadows, John M. Meeks, E. W. Carter; Tax Collector, J. Nat Riner, A. S. Mayo, C. C. Wheeler; School Superintendant, R. L. Sumner, Luther Lillard; Clerk Superior Court, Green B. Harrison, J. Lovett Anderson; Solicitor City Court, W. C. Brinson, A. L. Hatcher; Ordinary, J. M. Hightower, J. C. Wiggins; Sheriff, W. D. Rowland.

    Mr. & Mrs. T. L. Martin moved next to Col. Kent until their new house on East Elm is finished. The Dublin High School basketball team played Warthen College but the score went in favor of Dublin 28 to 10.

    Last Sunday afternoon at the Methodist parsonage, Mrs. Sara Hatcher Smith and Mr. Lymon Moore were married. Mr. Moore is son of Mr. & Mrs. Ira Moore of Dublin and nephew of H. C. Moore of Wrightsville.

    After a brief illness of diphtheria, Mrs. Johnnie Wilson died last Friday evening. She was a mere girl, only married a short time and the circumstances surrounding her death were peculiarly pathetic. Her parents, Mr. & Mrs. Bateman of Gordon was with her as was her young husband. She was buried at Westview.

    William LeGrande Bryan died Saturday at Wesley Memorial in Atlanta of pneumonia. It came on rapidly beginning on Thursday but by Saturday he had expired. Will as he was called was a young man who graduated with honors from Emory College and the U. G. A. Law School. He was survived by his mother, Mrs. R. B. Bryan, Sr., five brothers, Pauel E., Walter S., Joe M., J. M., and R. B.; two sisters, Mrs. R. M. Mason, and Mrs. Mabel Blount.

    Mr. Silas L. Fortner died on December 31st. He was born Feb. 1854 in Emanuel Co., joined Rehobeth in 1874 and 1878 moved his letter to Mt. Pleasant. He was licensed to preach in 1875. He was a Master Mason in 1898 with the Kite Lodge. He married in 1875 to Miss Venie Davis and were married for 40 years. He was buried at Gumlog.

    1917- Mr. A. T. Clark was stricken Sunday after church and is in serious condition. Mrs. Mollie Dent of Arline's Chapel, a much loved and respected widow, passed away. She had been sick for many months and left three children, grandchildren and brothers and sisters. She was buried at the family burying grounds near her home.

    Miss Mabel Mosely and Mr. Floyd Hattaway were married Sunday afternoon in Wrightsville. She is the daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Leander Mosely and the groom is a businessman from Perkins, Ga. On January 24th Mrs. Berkie Powell and Mr. John Stephens were married at the home of Mrs. J. B. Harrison. They will make their home at Rehobeth.

    Mr. John Johnson of the Wrightsville Grocery Co. sold out to R. E. and J. J. Butterly and will change to Butterly Bros. Mr. Johnson is planning on moving to Vidalia to open a wholesale business. There were 14,810 bales of cotton ginned for 1916, compared with 15,629 for 1915. Mr. J. H. Rowland, representative of the Standard Oil Co. filled the large storage tanks here for the very first time.

    Wrightsville's Concert Band was organized with James Luck, R. H. Rowland, T. E. Jenkins, H. E. Montford, Fred Daley, Jim Spell, A. B. Rowland, Harlie Fulford, Roy Rowland, Emory Rowland, Louie Johnson, Stacy Johnson, Olin Smith, and Neil Blount.

From Days Gone By, Jan. 27, 1917

January 27, 1917.

    The patrons of the Southern Express Company office signed a petition for it to remain uptown. Ninety-seven citizens and businesses of Wrightsville signed the petition to be delivered to the Wrightsville & Tennille Railroad. The people aren't against a new or renovated depot but do not want the express office removed from the business section of town to the depot.

    Johnson County conditions demand action. Progressive as the business men and intelligent as its farmers are, believe they all need the assistance of a Farm Demonstration Agent as all the neighboring counties have. The cost is little compared to the great and lasting results obtained. It is hoped that the next Grand Jury makes this recommendation.

    Ordinary J. C. Wiggins has going on some needed court house improvements. Mr. T. L. Chester, contractor and builder, is at work with a crew of hands tearing out a back room on the first floor where will be placed additional accomodations for men. Other improvements around the building will likely be made at this time also.

    Mr. W. G. Burns who lives here but was doing business in Rentz, had the misfortune to lose his entire stock of goods on Monday night by fire. The building in which he kept store belonged to Mr. A. W. Davidson of that place and was insured for $600. Mr. Burns carried $3000 insurance on his merchandise but this did not cover his losses.

    The Morrow Brothers Male Quartet, who were here Saturday night, did not have as large an audience as expected on account of numbers going over to Dublin to see Birth Of A Nation, and the weather and the time also figured against the attraction. The show just had a twenty dollar house.

    The Wrightsville & Tennille Railroad will give prizes for best crops by boys this year. Every boy between 10 and 18 who lives in a county served by the W. & T. can get into this club. He can register with his county's Demonstration Agent. Each boy will be required to plant corn and velvet beans on one acre and keep records of his work. The prizes will be in the form of livestock, which are purebred, as they believed that would be more appreciated. First prize will be a pure bred Short Horn Bull. The second prize will be a pair of registered Duroc-Jersey  hogs. There will be other prizes.

    A concerned citizen made the statement that there is no place in the country that needs to have hard-surfaced street crossings than does Wrightsville. You bog down almost over your shoe quarters in crossing any of the principal streets in the city. It would not require much outlay of money and time to fix at least the crossings. What say you, City Council?