The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-04-04
Imprisoned in the State
P~enitentiary.
HALF MILLION DOLLAR THIEF
the Federal PrisOners-One
Lawyer Among the COnv1cts-Omcial
Announcement Of Extension Of the
southern to ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Delay In Investigation OF a Suspected
Case Of smaIIpOx-Efforts to Secure
Funds for the P~enitent1ary
Messenger Bureau,
Raleigh, N. c., March 80

In the course of a visit to the peni-
Tertiary yesterday it was learned that
after this week the shirt factory will
shut down The factory has made no
money, but has only about met ex-
penses. AS many as eighty convicts
have been employed, but.now only for
ty are there, finishing the last of the
work Owing to the unsettled status
of the p~enitentiary, no ~brickmaking has
yet begun. The clay on the state Ian
neal here is exhausted. There are now
271 state and federal prisoners in the
penitentiary. Among the latter the
two most notorious are Morse, who is
serving ten years from Louisiana, for
counterfeiting and who was captured
after a long chase extending over much
of Europe, n Moore, who was sent
from Virginia, and who is an expert
safe opener, working the "combina-
TONS It is said he has secured $780,
900 during his long criminal life. He
is a native of Ohio. There are now
thirty-one persons in the criminal in
sane department. OF these eighteen
are white males. There was one white
woman, but last week she was remoy-
ed to the insane asylum here. One ne
gro federal prisoner has no legs, but
a pair has been made for him in the
prison and he gets around very we'll.
He stole a m~oonshine outfit, wagon and
yoke of oxen, in Georgia. The first
convict seen in the prison was Thomas
Lacey, who was sent up for two years
from Richmond, for embezzlement of
postoffice funds. He is a check clerk in
the office and does light work. His
wife went to Washington lately to get
a pardon for him, but failed. Andy
Wycoff, who has been in the prison
twenty-three ears and who helped
uild it, was told the other day he was
to be sent to the state farms. He cried
and begged to be allowed to stay in
the hous he had helped build, and his
prayer was successful. There is only
one lawyer convict, a negro from
Memphis, Tenn.
1t is officially stated here by Southern
railway people that they will build a
new road from Columbia to Savannah.
This puts at rest any doubts ON that
question.
Dr.. Rem, of this city, who volunteer
ed to take charge of smallpox case, says
a very suspicious case has developed.
He reported 1t to the city superintend-
ent Of health yesterday morning, but
Ap " lHlS LlOIIllLS ludL OI1Cldl ndQ
made no inspection of 1t. DR.. Rem has
discharged one smallpox patient and
eight who had varioloid. AL were in
the same house. The eight were vac
cinated and q~uarantined as soon as
the original case was discovered.
In the course of interviews with
some leading cotton merchants here it
is learned that for once there will &C
tually be a reduction Of cotton acreage
in this section. They say this is due
to two causes; first, the bad weather,
and second, the inability of the cotton
growers in a small way to get sup
plies. Merchants will not furnish these
because so many farmers did
not pay up last year, and because it
is known that they cannot possibly do
so this year. Merchants say that to a
certain extent his will do away with
the small cropper and that it is not a
bad thing.
w. H. Day and w. H. Osborne, one
n fusion superintendent and the 9TH
er a member of the new executive
board of the penitentiary, went to see
n state treasurer in regard to the
getting of $40, 900 of the $50, 900 appro- |
priated by the legislature to meet the
expenses of the penitentiary- The S1O,-
600 is wanted to buy mules. Yesterday |
Senator Travis, of the new board. tried
TO get it but failed, as the treasurer |
went to see the attorney general, who |
advised that no money be paid out I'M
till the courts decide who is legally in |
charge of the penitentiary. Your cor |
respondent was in the treasurer's office. |
Day said that the mules, 100 of them. |
are needed at once, that prices are
rising, and that if they were not bought
curing the next twenty days it would |
De useless to buy them at all. Os-
Dorne said Travis had made a demand
Tor the money. Treasurer Worth said:
L Will turn over the money upon a
voucher signed by Travis and Os-
borne, of the new board, and by Day.
All L want is protection. I have the
money and merely need to be made
safe in ~disbursing it. When both sides
l 1t is absolutely correct, as no
matter how the law suit goes one side
or the other will get control of the
money"
~Iheophflus White, who during the
1uslon regime, was chief oyster COM
missioner, wants to hold on n he is
mere to see about quo warranto pro-
ceeolngs. The old she'll fish law is re-
pea!ed. He will use all his efforts to
hold or