The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-12-22
Messenger Bureau,
Raleigh, n. c., December 16.
Especial Correspondence.)

dress on early times in Raleigh, which
was delivered when Tucker hall was
opened, in 1866, was re-read, and the
writer's attention was attracted by
the governors reference to the only oil
painting of the old capitol, which was
burned. 1t was found that the paint
ing was in the possession of DR..
Fabius J. Haywood, Of Raleigh, who
consented that it should be placed in
the state library. 1t was found that
the painting had been placed tempo
rarily in a building in which the CELL
ing had fallen. There was not a trace
of any painting; there seemed merely
a piece of Uncovered cloth. But
water, oil and Varnish in the deft hands
of w. G. Randall, the artist, wrought
a great transformation. The painting
in all it's details came put clearly. 1t
was painted about 1917 by Jacob MARI
ing, an artist of ability and of much
repute in that day, and Randall pro-
nounees it an excellent piece of work.
1t is the season for hunting stories
and here is one which tells how not
to shoot; in other words, it is a tale
of the exploits in the hunting field of
a party Of a dozen New Workers., men
who adore the dogs at the bench
shows and ave over the performances
of their own pointers and settlers. This
particular party came to Piedmont,
North Carolina, in a private car, one
OF them has a preserve in this state
and on it were literally scores Of dogs.
Ten dogs were taken out in the field.
Bye and bye one found a covey of
partridges, or as the New Workers
would no doubt have said, "a bevy of
quail" The delight of the dog owner
and of his guests was intense; so in
tense in fact that all hands 'spliced
the mainbrace," or in North Carolina
lingo, took a big drink The they
admired the dogs for about a quarter
of an hour az the trainers brought
them up and they "backstood" the one
which had found. The next step tax
en- was a decision to shoot. The gun
bearers were called up and the guns
were put together and loaded. All be-
ing in readiness the dog was sent in.
The big cOVey rose with a Whirl and
the entire outfit fired into it, when the
birds a hardly left the ground. But,
to use the language of the North Caro-
lima partridge killer who was present
and saw it all, they didn't get a d
feather" After he had seen this per-
Torrance repeated he left, satisfied
that particular collection of dog fan
ciers couldn't hit a Cow with wings"
y \
Ten years ago a large part of the
grounds of the insane asylum here
were to the last degree unkempt. There
is a great change now. All the tangle
of weeds and brush and briarS is clear
ed away, and broad acres seeded in
grass stretch away. The improve
ments in the building are as great.
The time was when caring for the in
sane was regarded as folly, for these
nfnrt1I n foe ,n n1yo1 ryifI wiz
nails, kept in jails or else in o%uthouses
or in the care of the merciful in a spe-
cial room in a dwelling. The story is
no doubt we'll known of the man who
in an eastern county along in the '40's
kept his crazy wife locked in an out
building for several years, until final
ly becoming desperate at her prOlong-
ed life he beat her to death. 1t is
pleasant to know that the brute was
hanged for his horrid crime.
When the insane asylum here was
built it was regarded as the largest
building on earth; certainly the long
est. Before the foundation was laid
or any excavation made the legislature
went out to see the site. A man step
ped off the distance. They watched
him as he walked and when he had
reached the distance he stopped. Some
members said: Can such a big house
be built? We won't need it all in a
thousand years" But, oh, how short
sighted he was. For now he would
see three great asylums, all filled to
Overlooking and with a constant and
ever increasing call for more room!
more room! He would see an asylum
for the negroes, while in the days when
he lived and wondered an insane ne
gro was so great a rarity as to be a
curiosity.
Te the building here a female annex
was added. Later one for males was
built. Then the pressure for applica-
tons for admission of women became
so great that two floors of the male an
mex had to be devoted to them. They
are in this annex completely separated
from the males. Active exercise, out
doors, has worked wonders in the i'm
provement of the male patients. En-
ployment is now being given the wo-
men. They crave it as much as the
men do. For the majority of the wo-
men came from the farms. and have
been used to work. They do not like
the sweets of idleness."
To get more room a part of the old
passageway etwee the kitchen and
main building has been built up, and
sixteen good rooms secured. In these
the white employees will live and the
rooms they Vacate in the main building
sixteen good rooms secured. In the
rooms they vacate in the main building
these the white employees will live and
the rooms in the main building locate
will be changed into a hospital. The
drinking and cooking water is from a
well, air tight, seventy-eight feet deep
and is excellent. The water for other
uses is from three artesian wells about
$50 feet deep, in front of the main
building. 1t is pumped by motive pow
err into a 425, 900 gallon reservoir and
thence distributed. A new dynamo
for lights was put in this week. There
are now two, and besides a dynamo
for the pumps.
The cold-storage plant is a treasure.
1t makes 1000 pounds of ice a day and
keeps all the meats, poultry and but
ter. The temperature in the meat room
is about "a, while in the poultry room
it is IS degrees. There are hundreds
of dressed chicken, frozen as hard as
can be. 1t is the plan to buy them
when cheap and plentiful and put them
in ooh-storage. There is no expense
in fAA1i~r fa SOW nnthinO of the loss