From Days Gone By January 29, 1921

January 29, 1921.

    The dead body of Lt. John Clayton Rowland is expected to arrive in the county today for internment at Piney Mount cemetery. J. C. Rowland is a son of the late J. Thomas Rowland and his wife, who is still living in Adrian and he was about 36 years old. Nearly 10 years ago he joined the army. He went to the Philipine Islands and served time there. He did valiant service in the World War. Since the Armistice he has been in the states and at the time of his death was at Fort Oglethorpe working as a veternarian surgeon with the rank of Lieutenant.
    On January 5th Clayton was in a room with some other soldiers when a pistol in the hands of a friend was accidentally discharged as the gun was being placed in the holster. The bullet cut a finger off from the hand of the owner, glanced from the floor and struck Clayton in the neck, he dying from the wound on January 23rd. He has four brother's, five sisters besides his mother.
    A large Curtis aeroplane visited Wrightsville for two days creating a good deal of interest and excitement. The merchants of the city made up a sum of about $65 to pay them to come to Wrightsville as an advertising scheme for one day but remained two, then returning to Tennille.
    The landing place was in Judge J. L. Kent's field east of town. A Lt. Williams was the driver, and Lt. R. C. Shaw. It was owned by Roger Q. Williams famous flyer. Passage on the plane was $7.50 per person and a lot of folks took an air ride over the countryside. Lt. Shaw did the parachute act leaping from the plane while it was 2000 feet in the air, landing safely and soundly. This was the most dangerous and exciting stunt pulled during the visit of the air machine to the city. While carrying passengers Lt. Williams played a lot of hair-raising tricks.
    The Johnson County Singing Convention was organized at Rehobeth church, with Mr. S. F. Smith, president; Mr. F. M. Tapley, vice president and Mr. C. D. Roundtree sec_treas. The next session will be held at Bay Springs. Billie Carter gave up the Dixie Theatre turning it back over to Mr. E. A. W. Johnson. Mr. & Mrs. B. B. Hayes announced the birth of a 10 pound son on the 19th.
    Mr. C. S. Blankenship has sold out his grocery and fruit store to Thompson & Riner.
    Farmers are planting other crops for profit other than cotton. Corn, syrup and potatoes are being planted on a much larger scale, but pork is making the greatest strides as far as diversified farming goes. Most any farmer can raise pork profitably.
    While an accurate account of hog-killings in this county cannot be obtained, a lot of hogs were butchered in the last two months. One lot of hogs were butchered on the Jackson Farms at Donovan the lot numbering weighed 2,845 pounds, an average of 316 which is a good average considering that six of these were only a year old. The heaviest weighed 526 and the lightest 216 and they were of the Duroc breed. Jackson Farms usually butchers about 40 head of hogs. They have their own refrigerating plant.