Sunday, September 25, 2016

FROM DAYS GONE BY SEPT. 20, 1918

September 20, 1918.
The management the Johnson County Fair Association are encouraged over the prospect that the first fair will be bigger and better than anticipated. On every hand people are signing up for booth space to show their articles and property. Everything from colts to steers and all sorts of 4 legged and feathered stock will be on hand. So will all matters of needle work, oddities, vegetables, canning and cooking. Manager Bridges is signing booths up every day.
Only 1330 boys and men registered last Thursday in the county. This was 400 under government estimates. The numbers registered by precinct were: Powell 91, Price 45, Ivey 64, Pullen 99, Adrian 95,Smith 103, Spann 9, Bray 96, Ring Jaw 46, Wrightsville 429, Kite 172. Messrs. Remus Fulford and Marvin Snell left for Atlanta where they volunteered for the navy. Willie Lindsey and Walter Frost returned home having been rejected on account of disability.
Provost Marshal Crowder makes call to fill up camps. Georgia is to send 2,235 white men to Camp McClelland and 248 to Camp Greenleaf. The colored men to go will be 1500 to Camp Wheeler. Johnson County now has a strong Y. M. C. A. organization here. Dr. James Gordon Brantley is chairman and Col. Hillard T. Hicks is secretary. They will begin work very soon.
The order in which Class One boys and men will be called for duty will be as follows: A- single man without dependent relatives. B- married man with or without children or father of motherless children who has habitually failed to support his family. C- married man dependent on wife for support. D- married man, children or not, not usefully engaged, family supported by income independent of his labor. E- unskilled or not a necessary farm laboror. F- unskilled or not a necessary industrial laborer. G- registrant by or in respect of whom no deferred classification is claimed. H- registrant who fails to submit questionare and in respect of whom no deferred classification is claimed. I- registrant not deferred and not included in any of the above divisions.
Mrs. W. B. Barfield sold her 60 acres near town to George H. Prescott. The W. H. Chivers property was sold by J. H. Rowland, administrator. The house and lot sold high but the other property did not sell very well. The Union Grocery Company is going out of business here. Otis Sumner and D. O. Young opened Wrightsville's newest and largest auto repair shop and fully equipped garage in the old Wood-Walden place.
Mr. James A. Hall has lost his left eye, it being removed by doctors in Augusta. While doing some nailing at his job with Hayes Bros. store a piece of steel from either the nail or the hammer flew into his eye giving him great pain for several days. It was until he couldn't stand the pain anymore, by that time there was no saving it. Mail carrier Silas L. Powell broke his right wrist trying to crank his Ford.
On Saturday night at Justice Z. A. Anderson's Mr. Oscar Howell and Miss Vidie Schwalls were married. He is a son of Mr. Sam Howell of Dublin and she is the daughter of Mr. C. M. Schwalls of Kite. Then Sunday morning also at Justice Anderson's, Mr. J. C. Cooper of Glascock County and Miss Minnie Copeland of Johnson County were married. Her father is Mr. J. E. Copeland. Miss Clarice Kent, daughter of Judge & Mrs. John Luther Kent married Mr. Raymond Rowland son of Mr. & Mrs. J. H. Rowland in Augusta.

Sunday, September 18, 2016

FROM DAYS GONE BY Sept. 13, 1918

SEPTEMBER 13, 1918.

The election passed off quietly and only a small vote was polled in the county due to the open cotton in the fields and the absence of many voters in the army. Col. C. S. Claxton beat out Col. Ben Hill Moye for Solicitor 594 to 479. For Representative W. D. Sumer beat S. A. Scott 668 to 411.
The Fair Association arranges to have a small midway. Only 2 or 3 features will be allowed to enter. Mr. Clifford's Show, The Old Plantation, his merry-go round, a snake or two and a few other harmless attractions will be allowed. There will also be a real live Baby Show, for infants under 18 months of age.
A decision was reached by the Cotton States Official Advisory Board to be carried out by each county pledging our farmers not to market more than 20 percent of their cotton crop in any one month and to retire from the market at least every third bale of cotton raised by each farmer. This is the plan. The rainy spell put a stop to cotton picking and consequently the ginners have had little to do along the first of the week, but the last few days have been open ones and the gathering, picking and selling have been moving smoothly on. Pickers are scarce and but few available.
His bugship has arrived, and although his arrival is somewhat belated, he is on the job in Johnson County. The weevilology which was variously disseminated in 1916 throughout this part of the state may now become a practical proposition to all of our farmers. The weevil bug has put his appearance in many cotton patches over the county, an object-lesson to what is coming next year. He has come, but he hasn't come as early as was in 1916 predicted. We were told voluminously told that the next year, 1917, he would ravage every cotton patch in the county, but he didn't, and even this year has injured only a few. It is figured in the next 2 years they will be more numorous than "Carter had oats".
Registration for military duty is today for those 18 to 45. Seventeen whites go to Camp Gordon Friday, one left Tuesday, 4 coloreds to go Tuesday also. Those whites are : Willie Asbury Lindsey, Ernest Prescott West, T. B. Lord, Willie Arthur Smith, Walter Frost, Lewis Morris, Johnnie Curl, Charlie Moye Smith, Thomas Watkins, Elzie Lee Trotter, Alex Stephens Martin, Oslie M. Sumner, Otis K. Davis, Leaston E. Powell, Eugene J. Rowland, Henry Grady Wicker, Andrew Turner Clarke. Those colored are Thomas Harvey, Benjamin Curry, Moddie Bigham, Fellow Harden. The news has reached here that Grady L. Jenkins of Stuckey, son of Mark Jenkins is missing in action.
An aged Negro, Charlie Clover, was killed and robbed at his home on the place of Mr. B. P. Lake Sunday afternoon by two Negroes Will Linder and Cluck Kinsey. Linder is in jail, having conceded he took the money, but Kinsey has left for parts unknown. A Negro woman was present when the killing took place, and her statement is that the two came up to the house while Clover was counting his money, $230 in all. She said that she told him to put it back in his pocket, which he did, remarking that he did not think any of the men there would try to take it from him. Kinsey is said to have made some slighting remark in reply, and a dispute arose between the three. In a few minutes Kinsey had cut Clover in several places and also struck him on the jaw with a fence paling, smashing the old man's jawbone. While the old man was writhing in his last agonies, Linder stooped over and got the money from Clover's pocket, left him to die, which he did in just a few minutes. He was 69 years old.
Linder was arrested and brought to jail Sunday night. On the way to jail, he told Mr. Lake, after some questioning, of taking the money, and where he had hid a portion of it. Investigation of this place revealed $180 of the money, the balance having been done away with.
Mrs. Lonnie Webb died very suddenly at the home of her brother, Henry Ward, in Washington County. She was a daughter of Mr. & Mrs. H. A. Garnto and was 25 years old. She left a husband and two small children. News came of the accidental death of G. H. Williams, Jr. at the home of his parents, Hon. & Mrs. G. H. Williams on Bellevue Ave. in Dublin. He was cleaning a pistol he thought was empty but it went off, a ball passing clear through the head. His father, Hon. G. H. Williams just won his election the day before for the next term.

Sunday, September 11, 2016

FROM DAYS GONE BY September 6, 1918

September 6, 1918.

The Man-Power Bill is now law, the President has signed it and September 12th is the day for National Registration. All men from 18 to 45 inclusive in the United States, except those in the army and navy already registered, have been summoned by President Wilson to register for military service on this date.
It is estimated that at least 12,778,758 men will register this time, compared with 10,000,000 on the first registration of men from 21 to 31 that took place last year. All registrants called into this army will be in France next June 30th swelling the American Expeditionary forces to more than the four million men expected to win the war in 1919. The last to be called will be the youths in their 18th year. Johnson County is expected to register 1700 on this day.
The government is building a big picric acid plant in Brunswick and labor is scarce. Eight men were recruited from Johnson County to go as labor. They were Merida R. Pritchard, Horace Spell, Harman Hattaway, Will Gilbert, McKinley Thomas, Ben Jones, and Johnnie Bell. Four more men left for Camp Wheeler this week. Messrs. Willie E. Parker, John F. Pool, James W. Johnson and W. E. Rawlings.
The Nineth Divison of the Ancient Order of Odd Fellows will hold their annual convention in Wrightsville on September 18th. This lodge has the most members of any lodge in the entire Nineth Divison. Mr. H. T. Downs is Divison Master.
W. D. Sumner who announced he was a candidate for Representative has stated that due to sickness he hasn't been able to get around to see everyone. He has been sick some himself and also his wife has been ill. But the worst was his father. After he made this announcement his father got worse and death came to Mr. Wright Sumner. He died at his home near Spann about midnight Monday night after a short illness.
He was buried in the Sumner graveyard after a funeral at Maple Springs. He was 74 years old and one of the county's most respected citizens. He had four brothers and three sisters living. They were Soney, W. D., J. H., and Charlie Sumner, and Mesdames, Fred, Thomas and Sylvanus Carter. He was survived by four children, W. D., J. P., John Sumner and Mrs. C. W. Brantley.
Mr. & Mrs. Jim Tapley suddenly lost their 8 year old daughter who had only been sick for a very short time. Mr. Jos. F. Carter died at Pembroke. He was a brother of Thomas and Sylvanus Carter. Mr. Will Cook's little daughter died Friday at Rockledge. She was brought back here and buried in the Anthony Cemetery.
Mr. E. R. Frost is now with the Johnson County Auto Sales Company as sales manager. Mr. Jack F. Henderson bought the big farm of Mr. D. M. Heath located about six miles east of Wrightsville. It sold for $45 per acre. On August 29th Mr. & Mrs. J. Frank Jackson had a bright little son born. Miss Lily McDaniel of Dublin married Mr. Horace E. Ethridge of Wrightsville and it is here where they will make their home.

Thursday, September 1, 2016

FROM DAYS GONE BY Aug 30, 1918

August 30, 1918.
The Johnson County local board registered 21 men for the army from the county. These were men who have turned 21 since last registration. Those of both colors who registered were: Carl C. Carter, Thos. Lee Hampton, Jno. Willie Moorman, Robert Hudson, Willie T. West, Thos. B. Jackson, A. B. Salter, W. O. Davis, Jesse James, Horace Mills, Geo. L. Hutcheson, Geo. H. Bray, Carlton B. Rowland, Grover C. Bennett, Vernon Hutcheson, Herbert R. Williams, Griffin Bradshaw, Otis Lee Kight, Robert Pierce, Albert Lewis, W. F. Smith.
Twenty-one will go to training now from the colored draft. They are: Joe Goff, Willie Williams, Tom Harvey, Harris Gundy, E. Gerome Usher, Lucus McCullen, Alfred Seals, Fred Irwin, Harry Twiggs, Clifford Williams, Henry Harman, Arthur Wright, Tom Williams, Julius Britt, Walter Bentley, Jas Odom, Jim Jones, Lewis Youngblood, Raymond Powell, Irwin Knight, and David Stanford.
The Wrightsville School will open its doors next week. All of the teachers will be present and the trustees desire as full attendance as possible. The entrances for the September 11th political races closed last Saturday. They are Wash W. Larson, Congress; G. H. Williams, State Senator; W. D. Sumner and S. A. Scott, representatives; B. H. Moye and Chas S. Claxton for Solicitor.
Dr. J. G. Brantley, fuel administrator for this county asked the State to let the gins run the last two Saturdays of this month, but the State ruled they must shut down two Mondays in September to make up for the two Saturdays they run. Johnson County farmers are selling their cotton as fast as it is being ginned and its being ginned as fast as its being picked but the picking does not go along as fast as the cotton opens, as this latter process takes place down here, when it starts, in a hurry and labor is scarce. The price is good and green cotton doesn't keep well, so farmers are selling it.
Mr. James T. Miller has decided he had rather insure people against accidents than to have accidents happen to him like the one which swept away part of his mill dam the other week. Jim owned the Downs Mill Pond and along came the big rain and the waters swelled the creek so rapidly that it filled the long dry pond, dry for a long time, to its utmost capacity and the dam broke and away went several hundred dollars worth of good dirt, etc., down stream. So Jim decided he had best get rid of the whole dam, mill and all. So he sold out last week to Mr. Ben Wilson at a pretty fair price.
The Ebenezer Fortner place, this side of Gumlog, was sold by W. M. Shurling, dealer in real estate, last Thursday to Mr. J. L. Harrison. The place belonged to Mr. H. B. Nasworthy, contained around 535 acres, and the consideration was in the neighborhood of $13,000.
Tom Gainor was caught at noon Sunday at Raines Bridge, running away from his pursuers in an automobile. Tom was sent up by the recent city court for stealing Mr. Will Snell's meat and was turned over to Capt. Kemp for his gang. Tom escaped pretty soon by cutting his chains into by making a file out of a Case knife.
Marshal Oliver discovered Tom's absence in the city, dressed up as a woman, going around in woman's apparel. Mr. Oliver tried to locate him, but with the assistance of Chief Walker, failed to apprehend him in the city after an all night's search Saturday night. Sunday at noon Oliver learned that Tom was fixing to flee the country in an automobile and informed Sheriff Willis Rowland, who with Chief Joe Walker, Deputy Sheriff Isaac Walden and Bailiff Tom Mixon went in the direction Tom and a friend were driving. Upon overtaking them they drove around Tom's car, halted and tried to capture Tom. But he flew the track. A pistol or two were fired by the arresting officers and one bullet took effect in Tom's body, bringing him to a standstill and he is now resting safely in the county jail. There are other warrants against Tom.