From Days Gone By Jan. 25,1924

 January 25,1924.

    The State Treasurer mailed out checks to Georgia counties totaling $231,178.48, representing one-third of the amount collected under the new gasoline tax of three cents per gallon on the first quarter of the law's operation. One third of the tax goes to the counties to be used on road construction, one third to the State highway department and the other third for the retirement of the L. & N. rental warrants. Johnson County's check was $605.52. Emanuel drew the largest check of any, $4,081.66. That county having 109.2 state highway road milage. This puts Johnson not on the bottom but among the 11 lowest ones. Johnson is 11th from the smallest road milage counties in Georgia.                At Hazelhurst last week Warren Waters was found guilty of murder in the first degree and sentenced to hang for killing Tom J. Kersey, Chief of Hazelhurst police on Dec. 9th. Kersey went to arrest Waters and was shot down in the yard. March 14th was set by Judge J. P. Highsmith as the day of execution. A motion for a new trial was filed by W. B. Kent of Alamo, Lovett Harrell of McRae and Russell Ross of Eastman, his attorneys. The hearing will take place March 8th.                                                             The local basketball fans have obtained a good and convenient place to play their games and this week they have been busy fixing it up. The new court is in the Union Warehouse and will be one of the best in this territory anywhere. Seats will be put in and it will be made quite sufficient for a tournament which Prof. Anthony states they will likely have this season. A game will be played in the new court this evening.               School has been running one day and stopping one day on account of water and heat being scarce. It is hoped to have it all arranged within a short period.                                                     Sheriff elect Lovett J. Claxton became grandfather again on the same day he was elected, the 16th. Chief & Mrs. J. Carl Claxton had a baby son born that day. The infant daughter of Mr. & Mrs. J. W. Andrew's died on the 14th and was buried at Piney Mount.                   Farming here is getting underway and the prospects look mighty good although the inclement and tremendous cold weather of this week and of two weeks ago have set things back a little. Breaking land has started. Much grain was sown and much suffered severely from cold and some killed entirely. It has not been concluded yet if the freeze has swept the boll weevil away but they are preparing to fight him again this summer.                                                 Mr. J. T. Fulford gives the data of the 5 acre patch of cotton from last year. "I broke my land deep with a 2-horse plow. I used 700 lbs fertilizer per acre, 400 lbs of 9-2-2 guano and 300 lbs of nitrate soda. I put 300 lbs of guano in furrow and bedded on it, and when I planted I put 200 lbs guano with the seed; after I chopped it I put 100 lbs soda per acre. In the middle of July I put 100 lbs soda in the middle of the row making 700 lbs per acre. I plowed it once to twice a week until I went to picking. I had it looked over for 3 weeks when it began to bunch and had 2000 weevils caught. Then I put syrup and arsenate on the top, and in 10 days I put more on it. The first of August I put the dry arsenate on it and the 10th of August I put my last poison on it. I made 2983 lbs of lint cotton and sold it at 30 cents. It brought $894.60, my expense was $201.00 ($138.72 per acre). I have my seed to pay for picking."