Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1899-05-14
OUR RALEIGH
NEWS BUDGET
Suicide Of a Merchant at Warren
Plains.
FOUND IN MILL POND
Tho sInstndon Fnkc Exposed harg ON
of brutality in Treatment OF Feds
ernI Convtcts Investigated he,
partmcnt or Justicc-shertT Jones
AccOunts-ORte For Srntc Fur
Fixed.
FOUND IN MILL POND

Clements, conductor of the Seaboard
Air Line train, which arrived here last
afternoon from Portsmouth, brought
the information Of sad suicide by
Drowning at Warren Plains, Warren
county, n. G..
The suicide was Mr. Nat Parkinson,
q merchant and farmer of large busl-
ness interests ut Warren Plains for
many years. Several months ago he
failed in business, and, the matter prey
ing on his mind he had been very mo-
rose and discouraged since. so much SO
that his friends of late had become
alarmed at his condition.
While no one fully anticipated the
rash act when he was missed Thurs
day night and it was asccrtaincd that
he had no; left on any of the trains, and
his horse and and buggy being in the
stable, it was ut once feared that he
had committed the rash act discovered
yesterday.
After vainly searching for him else
where the mill pond. located within
about Il half mile Of his residence. was
drawn off, and as some of his friends
and searchers feared, his body was
found there.
kinson was Il brother-in-law of Mr.. T.
r. Terrell. of Raleigh. to whom n let
ter giving the above facts was deiv-
cred yesterday evening. after the ar
rival of Capt. Clements train. Mr..
Terrell will attend the funeral, which
will occur this morning.
Mr.. Parkinson, Capt. Clements tells
The Post. was gentleman highly es-
tcemed by his neighbors and general
ncqualntances. and his sad end Is de-
plorcd by all.
THE MASTADON FAKE
The alleged discovery of the bones of
prehistoric mastodon' at the mouth
of New River turns out TO be n fake.
The humorous part of the incident
is that the curator of the State Mus
cum. Mr.. Brimly, was trapped into go
ing down to Onslow county by the pub
1ication OF the story. Instead OF finding
the bones of Il mastodon. Mr. Brimley
found part of the skull of n large whale.
The curator returned from his wild
goose chase yesterday afternoon.
MIR. Brimley says the skull measures
eight feet across and weighs about 500
pounds. Continuing. he said: II found
the people somewhat excited over the
lind" They really believed the bone
to be that of mastodon and some of
them think so yet. 1t is undoubted
the skull of a whale. which was proba-
by hftyfve feet in length. The bone
Is not fossiiZed. The man who discov-
cred it was fencing it in and building
q shed over it when L arrived. He
proposes to charge an admission fee
to see 1t.
1T Is Il fact that, through some I'M
known cause, the land in this vicinity
has been rapidly washing away for
some time. or the sea is making alarm
Ing entertainments OH the beach near
and at the mouth of New River AT
n -
no doubt belonged to n prehistoric age
and went down with the primeval for
est. as there is every indication of a
dense forest that is submerged Mt half
tide. The skeleton OF the dinotherium,
or whatever name the animal has, Is n
most remarkable sight. 1t did not wash
up. but was solidly imbedded in the
soil and required the strength of six
men to prize it up"
CHARGES OF BRUTALITY.
The charges OF brutality preferred
against the management of the State
Prison by Federal convicts have been
fully investigated by special represen-
tatives of the Department OF Justice
who have been in the city for two days
The investigation has been made by
Major Frank Strong. the general agent
OF the Department of Justice, and his
assistant, Mr.. r. ]. w. Brewster, who
arrived in the city Wednesday last.
These gentlemen completed their task
last evening and left this morning on
the Seaboard vestibule train for Wash
1ngton, where they will submit the re-
port of their investigation to the At
torney General.
The prison officials do not deny that
they have worked convicts outside of
the prison, nor do they deny having
punished them by whipping. A large
squad Of Federal convicts have been
worked Mt the penitentiary mud pits
some eight miles south of the city. on
the Raleigh and Cape Fear road They
are carried back to prison each night.
The manager of the Central Prison
states that special permission was OBJ
tanned from the department at Wash
ington to work Federal cOnvicts at the
mud pits, with the understanding that
they were not to stay out of the build
ing at night. AS to hogging Federal
prisoners. the penitentiary officials say
that the rules and regulations for the
government of Federal prisons permit
such punishment.
SHERIFF JONES ACCOUNT.
The County Commissioners are still
unable to say exactly how much be-
hind Sheriff Jones is in his accounts.
we know he is several thousand dol
lars behind" said one of them yester-
day. but just how much we will not
be able to say before next tuesday.
BY that time we will have verified our
figures and made calculations of sched-
uies.''
Mr.. w. w Collins of the Fidelity
md Deposit Company of Maryland. Is
here looking into the matter. This is
the company in which Sheriff Jones
bond is given.
DATE FOR THE STATE FAIR.
The Executive Committee of the
North Carolina Agricultural Society