The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-08-09

and a business man said Friday that he
| believed The farmers in Macon's territory
were losing $4,000 a day on account of the
extreme heat and lack OF rain. Cotton
especially Is suffering. Il was estimated
! hy cotton men that this years yield
would be 100000 bales but if Old Sol
repeats his recent capers there Is no tell
ing how much these figures may be
changed. Cotton is opening rapidly and
many fields in Blob are carpeted with
the white staple but the plant shows
signs of blight and the leaves are she'd
ding so rapidly that the ground is cover
ed with them.
The condition of Dr. w. b. Armstrong
OF Atlanta whose Illness was announced
"a few DAYS ago. continues TO grow worse
and DR.. Eli Griffin, who has been attend
ing him announces that all hope has gone
lie has been suffering from paralysis in
his legs for about six weeks 1t gradually
spread upward and so affected his hands
that he has since been unable to move
them. II is the attack in his throat, how
ever. that Is ending his life, as 1t has rem
dered swallowing an impossibilty. All Of
the cords and muscles have been affected,
and Or. Armstrong cannot even make an
attempt 70 swallow ana can only make a
gurgIinG sound when he attempts to talk
He is being FED arudcialy, and would
have been dead some days ago had not
this been resorted to.
The case of the state vs.. j. A. Mason
will be heard at Decatur this week. The
charge is ombezzlement ana is one that if
the defendant is found guilty it will go
very hard with him. The warrant has been
issued al the instance of the county from
which he misappropriated the funds. The
case is an interesting one and has been
before the courts in some form for sever
al years Mason was treasurer of the
county for number Of years preceding
1894. when he was defeated for reelection
and succeeded by Or. johnson. During
MasOu's term of office the accounts Of the
county became mixed and 1t is said that
he not being accustomed TO keeping such
vast sums of money ana numerous and in
tricate transactions. became mixed in his
accounts and when the final balancing OF
the county's finances came he was found
short in the sum Of $4,000.
The petitions which are now being cir
culated by the people of DeKalb to pre-
vent the legislature from moving the
county seat from Decatur to Stone Noun
tain met with much success. They have
received hundreds Of names up to date
aud are gaining more each day. They are
meeting with more opposition however
ihan was expected in the vicinity Of the
county around Decatur, and their rapid
progress will soon be checked. Ii was
thought that the names of all registered
voters in the western portion of the coun-
~ could be got without any hesitancy
on the part of the signers. This, how
ever, has not proven the case and it IS
found that many of these people favor
Stone Mountain. Those who claim to be
progressive say that to move the county
seat would tend to open that part of the
county to which IL is moved and raise
values thereby increasing the wealth Of
the county. Many think that if the capt
tol is moved to Stone Mountain the At
lanta Railway Company viii extend their
lines TO the latter place.
Fun particulars of the tragic suicide of
the unknown negro at Chula day or two
ago have been received by the officials Of
the Georgia Southern and Florida rail-
road at Macon. Before the arrival of Con-
ductor T.. Flournoy's train. the negro, who
was a stranger in the community, told sew
eral people that he would either get a
free ride on that train when IL left Chula
or he would kill himself No one paid any
attention TO the remark at the time, but
those at the station "a few minutes later
saw one of the most awful tragedies of
their lives. When the train started away
from the station the negro attempt to
jump on the blind end of the baggage
car. but was knocked down small en-
bankment by the platform rail. lie was
not hurt, however, and recovered himself
I'm time 20 run up the embankment and
deliberately place his neck on the rail.
In another instant his head was com
pletely severed from his body and there
was not another scratch on him. Death
came instantaneously, there not being
| even a parOXysm of pain.