Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-04-02
SENTENCED FOR LIFE
BURGLAR MERRITT FOUND GUILTY
IN THE CITY OF RALEIGH.
HE HAS RICH RELATIVES.
An Escaped Convict Captured-sea-
board AIRLINE Fined One Thou
North Carolina Legislators.

| RALEIGH, N. c., April 1.-(Special.)-
| The trial Of Merritt alias Gettings alias
Young, the young man who burglarized
| the house of Fred. Woolcott here, was
| held In the Superior Court to-day. Mer-
rift is from Newark, NJ j. His uncle is
rich, but refuses TO help him. His mother
Is poor and does not. II was dead case
against Merritt. Woolcott testified that
Merritt has confessed the burglary, and
| that he went through the house with a
| revolver in one hand and a candle in the
other. a jeweler stated that Merritt had
sold him some of the stolen property the
next day. Merritt made a personal plea
to the court, asking that the trial be
postponed until July; that he had friend
from Richmond. a travelling man, now I'm
Florida, who knew he was not in Wool
colts house that night. The Judge de-
clined to delay, and he was convicted
and sentenced to the penitentiary for
life. Merritt is a most repulsive-looking
criminal-a typical degenerate"
George Blue. a convict from Cumber-
land county, who, i'm some way got
suit of citizens clothes and escaped from
a stone quarry near here yesterday after
noon, was recaptured at o'clock this
morning on an engine in a railway-yard
here. He was tracked by bloOdhOunds
yesterday, but got in wagon and rode
to the railway, and then walked back
to Raleigh
FINED ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS.
In the Superior Court here this after
noon, Judge Undertake imposed the mini
mum penalty, $1,000, upon the South
ern and Seaboard Airline railways for
issuing free passes to members of the
Legislature last year. Solicitor Pou said
the minimum fine is too large. The Judge
stated that he also regretted It. Solicitor
Pou declared he did not believe the rail
ways deserved this punishment He
added that Governor Russell, who in
Stituted these proceedings. had said few
months ago il was not considered a vio-
lation of law and that at that time the
Governor was riding on a free pass. He
said he did not attack the Governor but
thought he did right to test the case. He
states that there is similar suit against
the Atlantic-Coast Line. The Southern
and Seaboard Airline will appeal 10 the
Supreme Court.
a PAIR OF BLACKMAILERS
a pair Of backmailers, who worked
this city several weeks have departed
They walked out of the city, 1t is sup
posed to conceal their destination, but
are probably now at Durham or Asheville
The man is> from Boston, and, it is said,
stole $1,000 there and fled, deserving his
wife and baby only 2 weeks old. The
woman who is now with him, says she is
In fear of him.
Members of the Chamber of Commerce
committee on the proposed army post
here, will go TO Atlanta to see the fine
post there-McPherson barracks. There
are some fine tracts Of land near here.
General Hoke considers as the most suit
able one that of which the State Fair
Grounds form part
OF MILITARY INTEREST.
The colonel of the Fourth Regiment OF
the State Guard has perfected all ar
rangements to have 1900 men in his regi- |
ment in twenty-four hours.
1t was said by the Secretary of State |
last night that in case Of "a call on the |
Governor for troops by the President, he |
did not think it would be necessary TO /
convene the Legislature; that funds could |
very probably be secured in other ways.
OF course, the government would reim-
burse the State for its expenditures.
GENERAL NEWS NOTES.
Inc BaptlStS are greatly pleased with |
the zeal with which their leading preach
ers in this State have rendered their SER
vices for the new volunteer missionary
corps" movement.
1t is now understood that Garrett, the
desperate convict. who was sent to the
on the Sth Of March, and
who escaped on the Goth from one of the
farms on the Roanoke. got a repeating
rifle, which was State property. He will
be taken, dead or alive.
The State Superintendent of Public In.
struction gives notice that the examina-
tons for the ten vacant scholarships at
the Peabody Normal University will be
held in each county I'm the State July 21st
and 22d by county supervisors.
The State charters the Southern Ice
Company. Of Tarboro'. capital, 200;
r. Worth, j. W. Hines,
and John S. Armstrong.
Secretary of-State Thompson to-day
prepared the list Of licensed insurance
and says they have been
than heretofore la renewing.
There was frost here this morning. The
temperature was 81 degrees