The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-09-07

Good at COlieEeS-Pecultar
State of Affairs Produced By Employ
snent of Special Counsel by tho Governor.
Charlotte twelfth Cotton Mill-Con-
Nvicts for Wcrk on Wilmington and Wei.
. don Branch Roads-New Departure at
the Penitsntiary
Messenger Bureau, Park Hotel,
Raleigh, N. c., September 3.
The numbe of students present at
Wake Forest college is 200 and about
sixty more are expected.
The Agricultural and Mechanical coll
1ege here opens on ahe 9Th instant, and
will tsave many new students, thanks
to the most active of the state
even made in it's interest.
Barnes Bros, printers to the council
of state" today occupied their new Of
fec here. They will print enato But
1srs paper and also the Press-Visitor.
Guy Barnes, Of the firm, when asked
If he considered himself the public
printer replied, mo. The council of
state is the public printer. / nave a
contract from it," The fact is, Barnes
appears to have beaten Stewart Bros,
of Winston, at the latter's own game.
The governor appointed lawyers to
fight the lease Of the North Carolina
railway to the Southern, yet when the
new directors of the North Carolina
railway met they voted these attor-
~neys 5000 for this. The former board
a paid attorneys 81, 900 to defend the
lease.
There is now trouble about the gov
ernor's stepping in and employing four
lawyers to represent the state in the
case of the Western Union Telegraph
Company against the railway commits
sion. The attorney general had asked
for legal assistance, but had asked 1t
of the railway commission and not Of
the governor. But the latter directly
employs counsel and that without con-
sultation with the railway commission
which is itself a court and really a CO.
ordinate branch Of the government.
The governor thanks the Vance
Guards, Of Henderson,, for their excel
lent work in guard duty at the execu-
tion of George Brodie at Henderson.
More rain fell last night; very little
here, but considerable near here. Ev-
cry drop was needed by the crops.
The negro organ is putting out the
statement that if the democrats get the
legislature next year they will disfran-
chise 80 per cent. of the negro vote.
Charlotte's twelfth cotton mill, the
Louise, began operations yesterday. In
number of cotton mills Charlotte leads.
1t is said that forty Indians from the
+ Cherokee reservation in this state are
now at the government school at Car
Isle, Pa.
A court officer makes the quite
startling assertion that 40 per cent. of
the adult males in the state, or certain
ly in his section, carry pistols. This
must surely be a gross overestimate.
The trustees of the blind and deaf
mute institutions here last night elect
ed Rev. Joseph Perry, colored, superin-
tendent Of the negro department. The
other aspirant was named PatillO.
Neither he nor Perry knows anything
about teaching deal mutes. 1t used to
be the rule that experience was requir-
ed, but a trustee avs the board has
changed that. The same trustee says
one of the rules is that an examina-
ton must be passed, but that as no
penalty is provided in case of failure
there are no examinations.
One hundred cOnvictS are being Sc
lected from one Of the state farms on
the Roanoke to go to Wilmington next
Monday to build a road connecting the
Atlantic Coast Line and it's new pur-
cldSe, the new Bern anu wilmington
AS soon as this link is built the
%convicts will go to Robson county to
grade a branc of the Coast Line.
Superintendent Smith. of the peni-
Tertiary, makes a new departure. He
said to me today: There are 1913 con-
victs in the p~enitentiary. I will take
$50 of these next week to the farms on
the Roanoke, to pick cotton. I will
really leave in the penitentiary only
those in hospital or too feeble to work.
The laundry will be shut down and all
,the women will be taken to the farms,
to pick cotton. I will have 200 cOnvicts
grading railways and this will give me
money enough to pay for gathering the
crops" When asked if the life term
%,convicts would be taken from the pen
itentiary to the farms he said yes.
There are about eighty of these.
State Treasurer Worth, who has been
sick since August Goth, was out today.
The republican state organ is max
ling heavy hits at the populists. It says
that Senator Butler and Auditor Aver
nov both nav relief" Chat is office,
but that this is not enough and that
Senator Buffers paper, The Caucasian,
will now know how government pap
tastes.
It is said that Senator Pritchard had
endorsed Patillo for superintendent of
t negro deaf mute and bling institu-
ton. Governor Russell was for Perry.
III and .Pritchard never agree.
CS-lH T--A No.