From Days Gone By, March 31, 1932

 March 31, 1932.

    The Associated Charities of Johnson County is hosting a program April 16 with guest, "Smiling Ed McConnell", the world's highest paid radio entertainer and he will be here in person. He is coming for no other reason than to help those that are down and out. He will be paid his expenses, and all above that will go to the Johnson County charities for those brought down by the depression.

    Miss Para Lynn Harrison and Mr. Eulie B. Mixon wed on Valentines's Day at Edgefield, South Carolina. She is a daughter of Mrs. Green B. Harrison and sister of Clerk C. B. Harrison. He is a son of Rev. & Mrs. w. A. Mixon of Kite and a salesman at Sims Store. Mr. C. T. Swinson, long time merchant has sold his store to Mr. J. W. Vanlandingham effective April first.

    Hartwell G. Archer, lumberman and farmer of Sparta was fatally injured when he was struck on the Sandersville Road near Galilee negro church. He was standing between the trailer wheels of his lumber truck to let the oncoming truck pass when the collision happened. The other truck loaded with hogs occupied by two white men, Goss Smith and Dave Membis of Commerce were slightly injured as their truck turned over and burned, scattering hogs in every direction. Archer is survived by his wife, father, Flavius Archer; brother Cleo, and sister Mrs. Dewitte Brinson. Smith and Membis are in Sheriff Jackson's jail at Sparta charged with murder.

    The small two and a half year old son of Mr. & Mrs. Ben D. Smith died at home near Meeks about 10 hours after a fatal burning. He was in the field where some of the family was working. A stump was burning near by and the little fellow walked up to it, picked up some corn stalks and began playing in the fire. His mother heard the child screaming and they had to work hard to put out the child's clothes but the child was fatally burned. He was buried at Corinth.

    Ben Haynes, colored man of the Kite area, died Tuesday morning while plowing in his corn field on the plantation of Bryce Anderson. His body fell across the plow stock and was discovered by the landlord, Dewey Stephens. Haynes ploughed a large plow pulled by two mules, barring off corn rows over a flat broken field. No struggle appeared anywhere in the last furrow he had made, and whatever struck him that caused his death happened at the spot, judging by the sign of the six-inch curve in the furrow from his plow. His feet were in the furrow, his body across the plow handles and his head over the beam. Coroner L. R. Clayton called an inquest with jurists H. T. Brantley, W. M., W. L., B. A., E. L. and J. M. Anderson. The verdict was death from unknown cause.

    Mr. Sam D. Smith died in Macon Tuesday morning and his body brought here and entered in Westview. Mr. T. B. Hicks of Dublin died Tuesday morning at his home. He was 72 and a pioneer citizen of Dublin. He was a businessman, civic leader, charter member of the Christian Church there and President of Hicks Drug Company. He is survived by his wife, daughter Mrs. L. L. Porter, sons, Rowe, Henry, Charles; brothers, Judge Jim B., Prof. T. M., R. P. Hicks and sister Mrs. B. G. Warthen.

    The Hallie Clayton Huff Chapter of U.D.C. now have 60 members. Applied for markers for 17 graves in the county. The chapter is named for Mrs. Huff at the suggestion of Mrs. E. A. Lovett. Mrs. Huff was wife of John M. Huff, late owner and editor of the Wrightsville Headlight. She was a daughter of George Roets Clayton of Virginia and Harriett Rives Williamson of South Carolina, granddaughter of George R. Clayton, first treasurer of the state of Georgia when Milledgeville was the capital and is buried there.

    Mrs. Huff was born in Macon in 1845, spent her childhood in Americus and graduated at the old Female College there. During the war of the sixties with her mother visited the sick and wounded soldiers in the hospitals. She had a couple of brothers who served, George R. Clayton, 4th Ga, killed at Sharpsburg and Sparks Clayton, a courier on Gen. A. S. Cutt's staff Army Northern Virginia.

    In Griffin and Sandersville she spent her early married life organizing the Ladies Memorial Association which merged into the U. D. C. She was a resident of Wrightsville for many years and in February 1903 organized the Johnson County U. D. C. at the home of Mrs. W. W. Cook. After several years the chapter became extinct about the time of her death in January 1916. Her husband died a few weeks later. A daughter survives, Mrs. W. L. Burns and brother, Coroner Loring R. Clayton.