Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1900-03-10
GENERAL SOUTHERN NEWS.

Raleigh, March Ia prominent cot
ton buyer here says cotton will be so
scarce in North Carolina this year that
he expects to see many mills forced to
shut down for lack of it.
Richmond, March 6.-John Wester-
welt, his wife and 6-year-old daughter
were burned to death In the destruction
by hre or their home on Chafine bluff,
six or seven miles from Richmond.
early In the morning. A 12-year-old
son was the only member OF the family
that escaped. Mr.. Westervelt was orig
inally from New Jersey, where he has
father and brother still living.
Fredericksburg, Va, March AT a
called meeting of the city council today
Messrs. M. G. Willis, John T. knight
and e. ID. Cole, committee, reported
that after a conference with General
Horatio G. King May 25 and 26 had
been selected as the dates for the meet
ing of the Army of the Potomac In this
city, and Mayor Rowe appointed a
committee of Is, five councilmen and
ten citizens, on arrangements and en-
tertainment.
Memphis, March 6.-H. A. Stephen-
son, travelling representative of the
St Louis Globe-Democrat, was shot
and seriously wounded yesterday af-
ternoon in the rotunda of the Pea
body hotel by Frank Williamson, a
deputy sheriff of Crittenden county.
Ark. The injured man was taken to
st. Joseph hospital. Stephenson had a
difficulty with M. E. Brey, an old Mem
phis citizen, and Williamson interfered
in the melee. Williamson was arrested.
Newport News, Va, March 4.-The
decision in the case of Hobbs VS.. Caffee
yesterday in favor of the defendant
ends unique case. Some time ago
Holly Hobbs, well known Pythian of
Hinton, w. Va, was killed in the yards
OF the Chesapeake and Ohio railway in
this city. The body was embalmed by
j. II. Caf1ee IL Son, and shipped to
West Virginia. According to the COM
plant set forth In the bill of the plain
tin, the body was improperly embalm-
! ed and decomposed before it reached
the home of his mother, who was
thereby. damaged to the extent OF
$4,000 by failure to look upon the feat
/ ures of her son.
Releigh, March &c. w. Battle.
, negro, postmaster at Battleboro. was
arrested yesterday and lodged in jail
at Halifax, charged with embezzle-
| ment of money order funds Jan. 15.
He took $400. He also failed to de-
post postoffice funds. white man
named Stokes succeeds him. The white
Republicans are thoroughly disguised
with negro poStmasters in the Second
/; district. They say the negro congress-
! man, George White, secured their ap-
pointment. So far five OF these negro
postmasters have come to grief, all in
the same way. The others are Hargett
. OF Rocky Mount, Pittman OF Tillery,
Baker of Lewiston and Young OF Rose
, meath.
Norfolk, Va, March George w.
| T. Miller, a baker, who works at New
. port News. and his wife were assault
ed by burglar while asleep at their
; home in Brambleton, a suburb of this
| city, and so seriously injured that 1t is
/ feared one or both Of them may die.
/ The burglars entrance awakened Mil
ler's 12-year-old son, who slept in the
/ same room, but was too frightened to
! make an cutlery. When the burglar.
who, according to the boy, was a negro,
! discovered the boy was awake, he
| sprang at the sleeping parents and
beat them with club until they were
| senseless, and he concluded they were
! dead. He then took all the money in
the house and escaped.
London, KY, March s. Willard
Hughes was killed and Henry Blevins
and others were injured Saturday
night at dance at SmaIlwood's re-
sort near East Bornstadt, a mining
town. During the dance Leonard
Smallwood, Hamp Gragg and others
attacked Millard Hughes on account
OF an old grudge. During the fusil-
lade Hughes head was shot off and
Blevins and others were hit with stray
shots. The shooting ended the dane
ing. Smallwood then went to sleep in
the room with his victims body. At
ter the coroner's inquest yesterday
Leonard Smallwood and Hamp Gragg
were arrested as principals. Edward
Smallwood, father of Leonard, and his
daughter, Lizzie, were arrested as ac-
! committees