The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1888-04-10
daughter picked some of the seed:
She had information that the seed
sold as Zephyr" were Peterkin

sold as Zephyr" were Pet e IN
| seed.
L. l.. Polk was next called. Pro
duced copyof file of The PROGRESSIVE
FARMER and read local of January
18th relating to Stone and the cotton
inserted six weeks before he had
heard of Stones methods or prlces);
stated that the local was brought to
his Office by Stones book-keeper with
request from Stone to publish. In
answer to questions, said that editors
frequently inserted notices of men
and their business written by the men
themselves, when they regarded these
men as truthful and honorable. He
SO regarded Stone, and while the ar
ticle was in a certain sense an adver-
tisement, yet as the editor of an agrl-
cultural journal, he felt that be should
publish it as a matter of news and OF
interest to the farmers of the State.
Did not scrutinize it very closely, but
saw that it was predicated on the as
sumption that Stone was an honorable
man. He thought any honorable
editor would regard himself as re-
sponsible for any article which ap-
peared as original matter in his local
or editorial columns. That it was no
unusual thing for fancy or new names
to be adopted and applied to new dis
coveries, or inventions, or manufac-
tured or other articles of sale.
On cross examination, he was ques-
toned as to his remedy for diphtheria,
and stated that be gave it the name
"Polk's Diphtheria Cure" to fix, as
nearly as possible, his identity and the
true character of the remedy, as could
be done by a name. When asked if
he regarded it as a humbug, or swindle,
he said he did not in any sense, and
that he was proud Of an opportunity
of saying this on his oath. He pro-
duced the letter of Stone in which
Stone sent him $25, which was read,
but his answer to this letter was not
permitted to be read, o was he per-
mitted to state what he did with the
money. (Stone's letter and Folks
reply were published in this paper on
the 29th ult) He stated that Stone
was running an eighty-dollar adver-
tisement of his furniture house in his
paper, but that Stone had never adj
vertised, or Offered to advertise, any
cotton seed in his paper, nor had he
ever seen such an advertisement in
any paper. He had one interview
with Stone, and that was on Friday
before Mr.. Hearn was arrested. He
had just received the copy of the An
son Alliance resolutions, and as he
intended to publish them, he asked
Stone if he had anything to say.
Stone assured him that legal proceed
ings would be instituted against Mr..
Hearn before the next issue of his
paper, and he withheld them, as he
felt that it would be improper to pub
fish anything which might influence
public opinion On a matter that had
gone into the courts.
The next witness, Mr.. j. J. Dunlap,
of Arson county: Was a farmer, had
been all his life, and had represented
his county in the legislature. Was
familiar with Peterkin cotton. It was
we'll known in his section of the
county, and had been four or five
years. Had paid Peterkin as high as
So per bushel for the seed, but he had
bought them during the past fall at
his gin for 10 cents per bushel. It
produces no more in pounds of seed
cotton per acre than ordinary cotton,
and his experience was that it was of
no greater value per acre. If he
wanted to improve cotton he would
never undertake to find the best
variety by selecting seed from the
pile, but he would look for it in the
field and judge it by the stalk while
growing. sv
Rev. Mr.. Webb, of Richmond
county: Bought one of the boxes
from n of Stones agents. Repre-
sented 1t as a new and very fine
variety of cotton which Stone had i'm
ported from Egypt. Agent, showed
him small white seed, but when he
opened the box found it to contain
mixed seed. Signed a note for S25,
but did not read,it.
Scipio Richardson, an old colored
man from Arson, bought a box from
agent who met him in the road; could
not read. Agent told him it would
make a third more than any other
cotton; off it didn't, it.would surprise
him much Told him he would be
"shore to git one of them prizes, and
was gwine to tend the ground for that
palmer, shore"
VIM, Bivens, colored, from Arson: