The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-12-15
Bureau,

McsStuSeI ouNcdus
Raleigh, n. c., December IL.
The state superintendent is not "a
isfied with the answers Of the attorney
general to his inquiries regarding the
force of the supreme courts recent
opinions as TO the county school
boards-that is. whether the old or
fusion boards or the new or democratic
boards hold office. The attorney gen
eral said. sweepingly. that the old
boards were entitled to office, but that
any and all acts of the new boards
were valid. The state superintendent
Knowing that the supreme court had
decided in several cases (notably the
Summers case, fifty years ago or more)
that the failure TO make a contest for
an office was abandonment, today
wrote the following letter 10 the at
torney general:
u wish your opinion upon the fol-
lowing cases which have come under
my notice within the last few days.
The information / wish is in regard
to abandonment OF office. The three
following cases will practically
all the cases in regard to the county
boards and / wish to have YOU opin-
ion today before 1 issue my letter:
IL. Where county boards place on rec
ord a protest before turning the office
over to the board appointed by the
Legislature. but entered no suit in the
courts to test their rights which is
the legal board?
-. Where a county board die not
enter protest on the record. but mere
ly made verbal protest and withdrew.
leaving the school offices in the hands
of the board appointed by the legisla-
ture, which is the legal board?"
IS. Where no protest at all was made
| and where the old board did not even
| appear at the office and the supervisor
urned over the records. books, etc,
to the board elected by the Legislature.
which is the board?
Il also wish to ask a question III re-
gard to certificates issued in one or
two counties by two superintendent.
One of these was elected by he old
board and the other by the new board.
Are the certificates issued by both OF
these legal? If not, which had author
ity to issue certificates"
The state treasurer today made up
the following statement showing the
payments made this yea on account
of the penitentiary: APPROPRIATIONS
S55, Ala, earnings returned $751; 39. old
debts SOB, 769, interest OF old debt
bonds $4,000, payment for Caledonia
farm $50, 499; total $780, 72.
The state today chartered the Ruffin
high school,, at Ruffin, Rockingham
county. and the Piedmont Lumber
Company, of Charlotte, 10000.
Today the work of roofing the ex-
tensive annex to the state museum
was begun. 1t is said the work, now
much delayed, will be rushed.
Mrs. Holt, relict of the late Govern
or Thomas NJ. Holt, died late Satur-
day night at Burlington, when she had
zone to see a sick sister. Her death
was very sudden and was due to neu-
ralgia of the heart. The funeral was
held today at Haw River. Her maiden
name was Moore, and her family is
prominent in the Piedmont section.
| Her beautiful home at Haw River was
noted for the elegance and warmth OF
it's hospitality.
Rev. DR.. A. NJ. Simms, yesterday
by letter, resigned the pastorate of the
Baptist tabernacle here. Rev. T. III.
Leavitt read the letter, DIR. SimmS
being at Asheville attending the Bap-
fist state convention. DR.. Simms is a
native of West Virginia, but came here
from Texas six years ago In the res
ignation he said he thought the time
had come for some one else to- take
charge.
Rev. w. G.. Barrett has resigned the
pastorate of the Fayetteville Street
Baptist church, and Rev. DR.. Carter
that of the First Baptist church, n
thus, strange to say, the pulpits of the
three leading Baptist churches are vir-
tually vacant.
To date eleven of the students of the
State Normal and Industrial college at
Greensboro have died-nine in the hos
pital there and two at home.
The oyster dredging fleet, which went
out from New Bern for a six day
cruise, has returned. G. L.. Stevens,
of The New Bern Journal. who was
here today, says the trip was a fail
ure and hat there is a great disap-
pointment. Instead Of taking 500
bushels a day to the boat, they got
only fifty for the whole six days. He
! says some of the ~canneries will have
| to shut down for lack of oysters. There
are perhaps a dozen new canneries.
Mud and sand, mainly black sand,
buried the oysters. This was the work
Of the great August storm. So say he
oystermen at Beaufort IND New Bern.
K. S. Finch, of Charlotte, has an op-
ton on all the swamp lands owned by
the tate, until February 1902-perhaps
1000, 900 acres.
Twenty-eight new sewing machines
have been put IN the shirt factory at
the ~penitentiary, making seventy
eight in all. At present 300 dozen
shirts are being shipped each week.
Lieutenant Settle, United States
Army, has formally turned over to
Captain Zebulon B. Vance, United
States Army, the recruiting office here,
and today left for his new station,
Governors Island, New York harbor.
A charter is granted the Southern
Hardware Company, Of Charlotte,
capital 5000.
Robert O.. Dunn and Peter Marshall
Brown, of Charlotte, were today ad-
mitted to membership in the North
Carolina Chapter OF the Sons Of the
Revolution.
There are 10000 orphans in North
Carolina Only 1000 Of them are in