The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-12-07
OUR BAPTIST BRETHREN
FIGURES FROM ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE SECRETARY
Another Penitentjary Scandal - Russell
Backing Buffers Newspaper - Securing
Right of Way for Durham and Charlotte
Railroad To Establish Another Bank at
MorgAnton-To Increase Output OF Castle
Haynes Phosphate Mines Colonel Kl;chin
Democrat Again
Raleigh, N. c.. December 4.
Messenger Bureau,

Raleigh, N. c., December f.
The Baptist state convention will meet
ia It's sixty-seventh annual session De-
Gambler 9th with the church at Oxford, N
c. DR.. A. G. Barron, of Charlotte. n. c.,
VIII preach the annual sermon. Rev. J.
e. White, corresponding secretary, gives
out the following statement: Reports in
hand show: Churches. 1,4Oo; membership.
10000; preachers, 700: baptized during the
year. $500 Financial statistics. Missions.
state, home and foreign, $50, 900; educa-
ton Of ministers, s2.4Oo; orphanage. s15,-
600 These figures do not include the
Western North Carolina convention
which reports 81 900 members.
1t appears that there will be only four
delegates from this state to the cotton
growers convention at Atlanta December
14th j. S. Sossamon, M. T. Leach, w. P.
EatoheIor and II. T. Jones.
The business manager of The Morning
Post left for New York today to get the
Mergenthaler machines, to be delivered
January 1St.
Ii Is asserted positively that one of the
penitentiary officials has installed in d
house here as his mistress a white wo-
man who served six months as a convict
and who was quite recently discharged.
The brick work on the Capital Club
building here has begun.
Otho Wilson declares that Governor
Russell is the associate and chief hacker
of Senator Buffers paper"
The right-of-Way for the Durham and
Charlotte railway Is being secured be-
tween Gulf and Durham. This is an in
dependent road, the Southern having
nothing to do with 1t.
Hickory capitalists have gone to Nor
canton to establish bank to take the
place of the one which has failed. 1t ap-
pears that the failure was not unexpect-
ed in that part Of the state.
Monday seventy-six convictS will be
Sent from the completed extension Of the
Carthage railway to Elrod, to grade the
branch Of the Atlantic Coast Line. The
best mechanics at the various farms are
TO be sent at once to the Castle Haynes
phosphate mines to put things in shape
for work on an extensive scale. Superin-
tendent Smith says the penitentiary has
bought and paid cash for this Castle
Haynes property and that it did this out
OF money ii made out of cotton sales. He
says $50 convicts will be put to work
mining, and that contracts are made for
a large output 500 tons for the Cara
leigh mills a Raleigh, 5000 tons at Char
lOtte, etc. He says it is found that this
particular phosphate mixed with Ten
nesSee rock, makes perfect fertilizer,
and that large quantities of the latter
rock are also being bought.
1t appears that ex-Congressman Buck
kftchin is again back to his first love
the democratic party.
At Shaw university here there is an
African prince. He is d grandson of
King Khama, Of South Africa now dead.
The present king is King William. The
princes name is Alfred Impey. His faith
er was Impey khama, his mother was
named Balise. He speaks quite good En-
glish and is a Methodist. as is also King
William. Alfred is studying theology and
medicine.
TheCpilus White. chief shell fish COM
missioner for this state. reports to the
Tabor bureau that nearly all the North
Carolina oysters are taken with hand
tongs; That about 5000 persons are engag-
ed in this industry: that the capital in
vested is comparatively small; that from
the waters of Pamico sound and it's trb-
utartes there were sold during the year
ending May 1st last. 6oO. 600 bushels, the
price ranging from 10 to 40 cents a bushel.
these being from the natural beds; cult-
waited oysters selling from 60 to so cents.
The labor employed commands good
wages. The supply of oysters is almost
ineNhaustible. White says all there is
needed is a market which will induce
buyers to come to the state, and this re-
quires that dredging, now forbidden, be
allowed.