The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-08-17
ESCAPE OF CONYICrS.
FIvEGEr AWAY BY GROSS CARE.
LESSNESS OF A GUARD.

surprising that More do not EseapeThs
Wreck on she Carolina Centrai-Hsavy
Shipment OF Gr.pes-Home Mills o..
suming all our Whsat-Confessioa - sAs
Bostian Bridge Train Mrecksrs-Wea
derful Fruitage OF Cotton Plants.
Messenger Bureau, Park Hotel
Raleigh, n. c.. August II.
Five negro convicts. guarded by .
negro, escaped from the penitentiary
Thursday night, by cutting through the
bars of a window in the hospital wing.
letting themselves down by a thirty
foot chain and then getting over the
stockade by means Of ladder. They
are John Halliburton. life prisoner;
John Johnson, ten years; John Rich
ardson, one year; Yathe Simmons, one
year; Rufus Gibson, seven years. This
morning Halliburton and Johnson were
recaptured in Durham county by two
young white men and returned to the
penitentiary.
The guard who let these men escape
was dismissed. They got away either
ny tIc SIOSSSSl hlId VI lSShSCHNC Va
by criminal carelessness. A female hos
pital attendant saw them walking
across the grounds about IL O'Clock p.
m. The wonder is that under the pres
-ent management convicts do not get
away by scores. The authorities Of the
prison will have trouble after Septem-
Der 1st, when the last of the veteran
employees leaves. They do not rise to
Iot t~h4 80 t1n -;t Nhnvy d<N
not appreciate the danger that menaces
every hour.
Yesterday afternoon through
freight train, southbound, on the Sea-
board Air Line. was derailed near
Rockingham and Willis Taylor, colored.
a brakeman, was killed. Six cars were
utterly wrecked. Early this morning
q wrecking train of five cars left here
for the scene. Near Osgood the caboose
left the track and went down an en-
bankment. Conductor Davis was in
the caboose and was so badly brised he
had to return here.
Whiting Bros, grape growers here.
have shipped 1000 crates entirely OF
Delaware grapes, and H. Bilyeu has
shipped 500 of the same grape. They
are now making unfermented grape
Juice by a new process.
Joseph G.. Brown, president OF the
Citizens National bank. Of Raleigh.
left for Detroit today to attend the an
nual meeting of the American Bankers
Association.
Judge Purnell. who has been at Ashe-
vile for nearly two months, returned
here today.
Senator Butler announces that dur
ing the remainder of the year he will
personally edit his paper here.
There is a notably large increase in
the number cf roller Touring mills in
this state. These are using every
bushel of wheat grown in the state.
In the matter Of the finding Of a true
bill against the two white convicts who
confess they caused the Bostian bridge
wreck in 1891, no less than five wit
nesses were examined. two Of them
two of their fellow convicts, whose
terms had nearly expired, so they
could get the money they had taken
from persons on the wrecked train and
had hidden.
The Governors Guard goes to Ocean
View tomorrow, remaining until Tues
day. 1t will not, owing to it's late sad
experience, take part in the sham bat
tie there.
To more cases Of outrage by negroes
are reported today, both of negro
case is near Hendersonville, the other
near Durham.
Preparations for the state fair here
in October are very active. All indica-
tiOns are that it will be a notably good
one from an agricultural point Of view.
This is a wonderfully prosperous year
and the people are in the humor for
such things as fairs and other gath
erings.
United States deputy marshals Of the
class known as office deputies are with
the civil service law. Judge Jackson in
West Virginia holds that an Injunction
will lie to prevent their removal.
The Cumnock coal mines during july
sold 1900 tons of coal, most Of II to the
Seaboard Air Line. This month Il
will sell more.
Ed. H. Lee, a large cotton dealer
was asked today his. opinion Of the
cotton crop. He says he never saw q
finer one; that the plants will actually
have to shed One-half the fruit now on
them in order that the remainder may
mature; that it can shed two-thirda
and yet be big crop. He says that q
little later there will be a cry that cot.
ton is shedding, but that no one neei
fear.
The funeral of ex-Chief Of Polic<
Charles D. Heartt was held this morn.
ing. The Odd Fellows were In charge
Your correspondent desires to make
special acknowledgment Of the many
courtesies shown him by Private Sec
retary Alexander while making the ex
tracts from the Vance letter books
These extract have been received Wit
marked favor all over the state.
Governor Russell left this mornin
for Wrightsville, to remain until Mon
day. He tells me he will not be abI
to go to Ocean View and Old Poin
next week.
| Ringer on the Track