From Days Gone By Sept. 15, 1917

September 15, 1917.

    Acting under a call from the War Department six young Johnson men left Wednesday morning for Camp Gordon at Atlanta to go into training. They were Hershel Bray, L. K. Stephens, Tom Tharpe, J. Wesley Brantley, G. T. Lee and Claude Deal. A large crowd went down to the depot to see them off, shake hands and give them their best wishes. It was a sad departure. As soon as thoroughly trained they will be sent to France to fight. Each one responded to the call of duty nobly. These were the first to go away under the conscription act.

    Dr. I. H. Archer, Wrightsville's dentist, received notice of being drafted and has to report to Camp Wheeler on Monday. He took the exam for the dental corps in Ohio, passing he was commissioned 1st LT. He promises to come back to Wrightsville when released from the service. A 1st Lt. gets $166.66 per month, but dentists have to furnish their own clothes.

    There were 2546 bales of cotton ginned in Johnson County up to August 31st. Mr. J. D. Johnson is now with Dixie Grocery Co., Mr. Henry Heath left Dixie Grocery to work for  M. S. Duggan. Mr. Jimmie Spell left Hayes Cash Store for Rowland Grain & Seed. Mr. J. I. Singletary no longer cuts whiskers at Gannon's barbershop.  Carl Roundtree is with the City Market. Marcs Stephens left Rowland Grain & Seed to go back to driving Fords for Lovett Garage. The Busy Bee Café is paying 35 cents a dozen for fresh eggs.

    About 200 children attended the opening day of the Wrightsville District School. More are expected once things get caught up on the farms. Wrightsville is now entering a new day educationally. Her school has passed from the hands of part of her people to the care and support and custody of all her people. For many years the Methodist have supported education through Warthen College and have done a great job. But now a necessary change has been made for the future of education in Johnson County. Now everyone has to share in the burden of supporting  school.

    At a colored meeting at a church near Mr. C. T. Bray's home Sunday afternoon two colored men and one colored woman ran amuck and scared the whole congregation from their seats with a big row right by the corner of the building. Pig Linder, a man named Martin and this woman had gone out of the church and in an argument the fuss started. It is said that there was plenty of "white lightning" on hand and Pig and his pals had been imbibing quite freely.

    The report is trouble arose over the woman. One of the men said he had just paid $7 for her dress and "she was his 'oman." From this the row began right and both pistols and knives figured very conspicuously in it. No one was hurt except Pig who got an ugly cut on his cranium, which he said was too high for serious injury.

    Sheriff W. D. Rowland and Deputy Jim Tapley were reached over the telephone by interested church members and they went to the scene at once. Pig, Marti and the woman was landed in jail.

    Mrs. I. J. Hitchcock was laid to rest at Westview Monday morning. She had been ill for some time. This family a lived here for 20 years. She had three children with the eldest and youngest are dead. The only child left is Mr. E. N. Hitchcock, manager of the Union Grocery Company. They had adopted a young girl, Marie, who is still with them.

From Days Gone By Sept 8, 1917

September 8, 1917.

    The county-wide Sunday services attendance promotion by the Headlight was a disappointment from what was expected. Reports were that it was a small percentage attending everywhere. The weather was fair but the people chose to keep cool at home. The churches that turned in their attendance figures were: Wrightsville Methodist 51, Wrightsville Baptist 45, Brantley's Chapel 96, Minton's Chapel 87, Union Hill 90, Kite Baptist 79. Church-going seems to be at a low ebb everywhere.

    The Board of Trustees of the Wrightsville School District are ready to open school Monday in what was once Warthen College. Teachers secured for this inaugural term were Prof. W. H. Sasser of Kentucky, Mrs. Millard Daley of Wrightsville, Miss Annie Blackshear of Dublin, Miss Cora Gumm of Macon and Miss Opal Camp of Senoia. Tuition for pupils inside the district is $2.50 and outside the district is $5.

    The city of Wrightsville has been in darkness for several days owing to the scaricity and cost of wood to burn in the furnace. The contract for furnishing the city with wood expired the first day of this month and since that time there has been only enough wood obtainable to keep the tank full of water. But the council is at work trying to get lights right away. They aim at changing the motive power and instead of burning wood use kerosene, gasoline or some other fuel. They are sending a committee to Davisboro, Wadley, Bartow and Louisville to investigate those places light and water plants with a view to making a change quickly.

    The Adrian Grain Co. began business this week under management of Mr. R. L. Stephens. He has a line of feed stuff and seed grain and produce of every description. Mr. George W. Gordy has retired and sold his Ice Cream Parlor in Wrightsville to Mr. Ed H. Henderson.

    Mr. W. G. Kersey, section foreman of the W. & T. Ry, through the loss of his daughter two weeks ago and his wife last Monday night, and the lengthy illness of the two deceased, and the younger one still lingering, was in actual need of funds for sustenaces of those alive and the burial of those dying. On Tuesday morning with the solicitation of the Headlight, in just 30 minutes enough money was raised to pay for the coffin expense and some applied to the doctor's bill. Mr. Kersey is heartbroken and saddened, but he says the good people of Wrightsville have done a great deal more for him than he deserved and he doesn't know how to thank them for their kindness. Out at New Home little Fred Mixon, the 3 year old son of Mr. & Mrs. Will Mixon died.

    Six whites and thirty-eight coloreds were certified in the first examination and will soon be called for service. White- Herschel Bray, H. T. Tharp, Claud Deal, G. T. Lee, L. K. Stephens, D. W. Brantley and D. F. M. Sheppard.

    Colored- Tom Bennett, Alfred Little, Tom Dudley, Emmett Davis, Ed Brantley, Amos Thomas, Jr., Dock Wright, William Snell, Levi Ivey, Irby Teams, James Dockins, Perry Cody, Jonas Morgan, Thomas Roberson, Benjamin Jackson, Fonnie Hooks, Arthur Wright, Henry Story, James Kemp, Robt Smith, Joe Burnett, Will Andrews, Solomon Ridle, Robt Snell, C. H. Howell, Thomas Scott, Eugene Moorman, Ben Warthen, Joe Goff, Cleveland Perry, Otis Harmon, Homer Daniel, Frank Macklin, Nathan Haines, Frank Norris, Ed Linder, and Willie Wadley.

From Day Gone By Sept 1, 1917

September 1, 1917.

    Sunday will be a county-wide church going with the largest possible attendance wanted. The Headlight started this move to have the largest total attendance n a single day. There are no strings to it whatever. No matter what denomination you belong to, or whether your on a membership roll or not, take your wife, your son, your daughter, or your "intended" out Sunday and enjoy the day at church.

    The Board of Trustees of the Wrightsville School District are doing all they can to make sure enough teachers are in place for school on Monday. The Board met with the Board of Warthen College and entered into a contract to rent the college building for the term with a view to purchasing it.

    The Johnson-Washington Singing Convention will meet at Pleasant Hill on the 8th and 9th, so issued the president of the convention, G. F. Sumner. Dr. T. L. Harris is erecting an office building on Bradford near the corner of Court street. It will be one story.

    The Southern Gin & Warehouse Co. is now operating three big ginneries Thy have one in Rockledge, Wrightsville and Kite. Mr. C. H. Moore is manager. The cotton season is open in full blast and gins everywhere are running in full time. The farmers are having it ginned as fast as they get It picked out. The price has been much above twenty cents and as long as it stays there they will sell the major part of it.

    Mr. William Jackson of Donovan is devoting much time to the raising of stock. He has a large stock farm now and is deriving considerable benefits from it already. He says he aims to add to it until he gets a large herd of milk cows and increase the output of his dairy. He has probably erected the only silo in this county. It is made out of tiling and is 40 feet high. He is demonstrating that more can be profitably done than just cotton raising.

    The War Department has drafted the legal services of Judge A. Lee Hatcher to represent the exemption board in Johnson County. Last Wednesday afternoon 3 to 6 girls entertained the boys who are expected to leave for military service with a picnic at Downs Mill, with fishing, swimming and boat riding. Mr. Laudice D. Lovett writes home from San Antonio, Texas that he is with the 99th squadron.

    Death came suddenly and unexpectedly to Mr. Tom Hudson at the home of his sister, Mrs. C. T. Mixon right after dinner Saturday. He had gone out to the lot, and Mrs. Mixon thinking he was gone too long discovered him lying in the lot, there were no signs of a struggle. He was buried in Westview.  Mr. T. J. James of Adrian is bad sick.

    Mr. & Mrs. Linton Holt had a daughter on the 11th. Mr. Eugene Tharpe and Miss Alleane Valandingham were married Sunday afternoon.

    The Fall of a Nation, the mightiest picture of world conflict that the brain of man has yet conceived and realized, is coming to the Vivola Theatre. Mr. O. A. Kennedy ran across a big rattlesnake near Mr. E. L. Smith's tenant house. The auto wheel did not seem to injure his majesty and it took considerable lamming with a big scantling to kill the 4 foot monster.

    The newspaper stated, "We are happy because we live in the town of Wrightsville, in the county of Johnson, and the state of Georgia, and if Uncle Sam needs us to shoot Germans we will be darn happy to do that too."