The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1901-08-24

nATTERS.
BY F. sullens, Jackson.

i'm Jackson with a negro whose
real name has not yet been learned
owing to the apparently endless
confusion of aliases, but who
claimed that he was an escaped
convict from the Oakley farm.
The negro gave his name as
simmons when he was turned
over to the secretary, and he
talked quite volubly concerning
affairs on the various convict
Farms, to all appearances evincing
q agenuine joy over getting back to
the gay and giddy pleasures of
prison life.
eThe research made by the secre-
tnry showed, however, that there
was no such person on the prison
books, nor could description of
any escaped convict be found to
81 him. The sergeant of the
Vakley place was sent for and he
promptly declared that he had
never seen the negro before,
greatly to the disappointment of
the darkey. The Cophiah sheriff
was notified that he would have
TO take his prisoner back, as the
State did not want him. The ne
gro had been arrested by the She
riff for stealing, and it is thought
that he concocted tho story of be-
ing an escaped convict with the
hope that after serving a short
time the falsehood would be dis
covered shortly afterwards, and
his release thereby secured.
-.
Reports from the various coun-
ties where tho boards of SUPER
|visors were sitting as boards of
equalization last week indicate
that the estimate of $5, 900, 900 to
$8,0O0.000 increase in the perso-
nal assessment roll Of the State
this year will not be very far
|amiss. In quite u number or
counties the boards made large In
Creases on the rclIs turned in by
the assessors. In the city of Hat
tiesburg, for instance, the ASSESS
ment turned in amounted TO $606,
$40, and the board increased this
by $4,000. The Montgomery
county assessment was raised s39,
200, most of the increase being in
the town of Winona. The Tippah
county board also made consi-
derable increase and reports to-
tai personally valuation of 1904 :
324, which is the largest in the
history of that county.
1t is noticeable in assessments
this year that many of them are
on the property of new manufac-
turing establishments which were
not on the rolls last year. From
now on the assessment rolls will
arrive in steady srteam at the
office of the State Auditor, where
they will be checked up and the
recapitulation prepared. Reports
on county levys will not be receiv-
ed until after the meetings of the
board of supervisors in Septem-
ber.
The recent Gulf coast storm
played a peculiar prank at Gulf
port, where dredging is in pro-
gress for a deep water harbor.
and gave striking illustration of
the truth of the adage that it is
"an i'll wind which blows nobody
good" 1t was greatly feared that
the tidal wave would fill the big
ditch to the Gulf with sand and
mud, and the construction COM
pany was much astonished to find
after the storm had subsided that
the channel had been washed out
nearly four feet for almost the en-
tire distance, saving the company
thousands of dollars and giving
more than adequate recompense
for the damage inifiction to, the
big dredgeboats. The dredging
work will be rushed as rapidly as
possible from now on and conf
dence is felt that within a few
months it will be deep enough ia
admit the passage of the largest
ocean freighters.
-"
Hon. j. P. Walworth, late col.
lector of customs for the coast
district, and who recently swap
ped jobs with Judge Turley there.
by securing the postmastership
at Natchez, is evidently not pleas
ed with is new position. for it is
stated that his friends are now in.
dustriously circulating a petition
asking the president to appoint
him to the United States attorney.
ship for the southern district OF
Mississippi, the position now held
by Hon. A. M. Lea and who ha:
succeeded in pulling through
heretofore without an opponent
1t is anticipated that this will
make a very pretty fight, as both
men have been prominent for sew
eral years in party affairs in Mis-.
sissippi, and both have strong
backing.
The wool making season ha.
opened up on the Gulf coast anc
several large export shipmentl