The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-05-24

i"SiHS the largest crocodile ever cap
tured in that section of the state. meas
uring sixteen feet from tip of nose TO the
UP OF his tail. Hundreds of people visited
the dock, at the foot of Avenue d, to get
sight of the monster This is the second
large crocodile that has been captured
within the past few weeks. Alligator Joe
Will ship this one North.
considerable excitement extends
throughout Nassau county over some affl-
davits which have been sent 10 Tallahas-
see, making damaging charges Of gross
malfeasance in Office against Sheriff Hig-
ginbotham of that county. These aftida-
Wits were sent TO Senator Williams who
Will no doubt lay the matter before the
Governor, who, II is expected will take
Immediate action in the premises,
The big fair at Lakeland Thursday. Fri
day and Saturday Of this week, under the
auspices of the Polk County Fair Asso-
citation, will be attended by thousands of
people from Tampa and surrounding cities
and towns. Elaborate preparations have
been made. and a most interesting pro-
gramme has been prepared. The railroads
nave made special low rate of one and
one-fourth fare for the round trip, tickets
good to return until May %.
Lake Worth News: In a strictly dollar
and cents sense the Florida State Board of
Health has saved dozens of times its cost
to the people of the slate, to say nothing
about the lives also saved, and the extra
reputation it has given the state for
healthfulness and freedom from epidemcs
and every Floridian should demand that
the state not only continue the board in
power, but give il all the financial back
ing required to keep its work up to the
present state of efficiency.
st. Petersburg is stin growing. Thirty
new buildings are in course of construc-
ton, from cottages to blocks of stores. A
large number of pineries have bten start
ed during the past year, and land is be-
Ing purchased for others. Several valua-
BILE orange groves have changed hands
lately. II is said that the members of the
Grand Army post and some of the ex-
Confederate soldiers are to erect twin
monuments in the cemetery there, one for
the Blue and one for the Gray.
At recent meeting of the st. Augustine
Rifles the election of officers resulted as
follows;r Captain, ]. c. r. Foster; first
lieutenant, II. NJ. Snow, Jr.; second lieu
tenant, j. G. MacGonigle. Capt. F. ].
Howatt and Lieut.. e. w. Howatt both
declined a reelection. Lieut.. MacGonigle
was chosen treasurer and w. f. Brown
secretary. The meeting was an enthusi-
astic one from start to finish, and proved
conclusively that the interest of the vol
unteers, particularly in this instance had
by no means Jagged.
The shipments of pineapples from the
Florida keys continue to increase. On
Tbursda,r Yba rauro,a aa-....,..
out 2,093 crates. The key growers have
taken the right steps this year. and are
not sending any of their stock forward
on consignment. Commission men want
ing pines are obliged 10 purchase them
and pay for them, either at the planta-
ton or at the dock This is a vast i'm
provement over the consignment plan.
both for the shipper and the commission
men. Many of the truck growers are in
favor of adopting this plan next season.
Friday night about II o'clock, on the out
skirts of Punta Gorda, Durrant Merritt
and Fern Riggs had a fight Merritt is
26 or 81 years Old while Riggs is about 49,
Both seem to have been drinking Dur
rant Merritt had punished Riggs consider
ably, having him down, and a pool of
blood showing the effects of the pounding
on Riggs. Finally Riggs told Merritt to
let him up and he would not bother him,
upon which Merritt allowed Riggs to get
up, when Riggs fired three Shots. one of
them taking effect and causing Merritt's
almost instant death. Merritt was orig
inally from Sumter county. He has been
living in Punta Gorda a number of years.
Riggs is fisherman from North Caro-
lima.
In spite of strikes and troubles Incl
dental thereto, the cigar industry at
Tampa for the past week has been live
one. The business done was enormous, and
the largest for months past The showing
is one that is extremely gratifying to
the residents of this city and to the
manufacturers. The shipments for the
past week amount to SOB cases of cigars,
against 4f9 for the week previous. This
Is an increase of S4 cases, snug bit of
business. For the corresponding week
last year there were 425 cases shipped
thus last week shows an increase of IS
cases over that same period, which is
satisfactory in the extreme, as the repu-
tatjon for a steady increase is kept up,
even to this point. The shipments for
last week. when averaged represent O.
SIS Goo cigars, a large output that repre-
sents an immense amount of money, as
they are of high grade and very costly.
The shipments went into thirty-three
states of the union by direct address.
-<-eS-s-------