The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1898-10-06
I etters From H. E. G.. Bryant,
Staff Correspondent, to the
Charlotte observer, Giving the
Result Of His Personal Obser-
walton and investigation in
That Section Of the State
Where the Negro is in the Ma
jority and Rules.

earth cracks open and swallows about
l 600 negroes.
LOOKS LIKE A NEGRO WRITING
SCHOOL.
Come and go with me to the county
court house of Craven and see what is
there to be seen any day in the week.
To glance at the place as whole you
would at first take it to be a negro
writing school. The first office to the
right belongs to the sheriff and his
crew of deputies Joseph l.. Hahn, a
white man with a black heart, is the
sheriff. BY his side are four negro ce-
putty sheriffs: Northern A. Cobb, who is
also the jailer: J. H. Fisher, Wallis
Pettipher, J. f. Payne and G. e. Ply
sic. There are other negro deputies
throughout the county. Not a white
man is on the list.
THE NEGRO "PRESSING THE BUT
TON"
Two doors below the sheriffs office,
and to the left, is the register of deeds
John 3. Willis, colored. He has for
his clerks two negroes-A. w. Wether-
ingtOn and one of his own brothers.
Wetherington is the negro that made
bonn baStic speech in the Republican
convention here the other day. Being
elated over the progress the negro has
made in Craven county within the last
few years he pictured in glowing terms
what the negro was now able to Go
Among other things, he said:
In 1896, we pressed the button and
behold John B. Willis. register of deeds.
came forth. Again we pressed the
button and Robt. Moseley, county COM
missioner come forth. We pressed the
button and deputy sheriffs came forth!
We pressed the button and magistrates
came forth,
And now, in this convention, we
have again pressed the button, and a.
hold, c. G. Roach. for county treasurer,
is before you, and with the past ana
present before us, what SHALL the future
give to uS?'
This was meant for a cut at the white
Republicans. The negroes want all.
They should have ali the Republican
party can get here, for there are but
about 63 white Republicans in the
county.
AS a special force to list the taxes for
the register are three negro bucks on
he second floor of the court house, pre-
pairing the tax list.
! Hahn and Willis are candidates for
sheriff and register respectively, in this
campaign.
| THE CANDIDATES FOR CLERK.
| In the Republican convention held
! here few weeks ago the following
| ticket was nominated:
For clerk of the Superior Court, F.
W. Carpenter, a white man. | would
rather be any negro in Craven county.
than to be Mr. Carpenter. He is an old
seasoned carpet-ba gger. OF all the can
ddates in the field he is the most de.
! graded. For years he has lived with a
negro woman and today she has a
! house full of childrne that every good
man in the county who knows him and
his career would say are his. 1t is a
notorious fact. In former days Car
penter was a pension agent. But he
has been dsbarred from the practice
| before the Pension Department on ac-
| count of fraudulent practices. He now
acts as agent through a negro named
F. u. Cox This is the character of the
imam who is going to be elected to the
office of clerk of the court in this
county.
( Or. w. l.. Lassiter, a negro, is the
! present corOrer of Craven county, and
he was nominated the other day for
prediction.
| CHRIST0PHER COLUMBUS ROACH
! The man Christopher Columbus
| Roach. referred to in the speech of
! Wetherngton as being nominated for
treasurer e the county, is a saloon
! keeper. He is a thoroughbred negro.
| The white lady school teachers that
teach in Craven county next year will
Gave to draw their pay from Roach
He is going 10 be elected.
| The standars-keeperO of the county is
James Dudley. 2Olored. And for county
surveyor nobody was nominated. There
is not Republican IN the county that
is capable Of being surveyor +. p. Will
Hams John Rddle and Bob Moseley
colored, are the commissioners of the
! county This town has ten cOuncilmen.
seven Of whom are white and three
colored. Five Of the white men were
Aappointed by Coy. RUSSELL and the
,rats -fN7r-a-were elected by me -,
were eIec,ed 97fs-;z.s-LI>e three neg 81,
} herd. drayman; Williar:n.,o 1ohrso,
q bartender. who has been SSIlu'o =,
court for selling whiskey on Su>AH
, and Elias Hayes, \ carpenter. r. Z
. Williamson. rolored. now a candidae
. Tor solicitor Of the second judicial dis
: trtct for the Criminal and Superio