The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1901-08-15
OUR RALEIGH LETTER.
LEWIS COUNCIL, THE NEGRO RAPiST,
AGAIN RESPITED BY GOV. AYCOCK.
The Insurance Department Nice
Source of Revenue = The State
Prison Elephant -Reorganized Fac
ulty at A. & NJ. College-Other Mat
tiers of Interest.
From Our Regular Correspondent.
RALEIGH, n. c., August

From Our Regular Correspondent.
RALEIGH, n. C., August II, 1901
Lewis Council, the negro in jail at
Fayetteville convicted of rape. and who
was to have been hanged today Mon
day. has, for the fourth time, secured a
postponenent OF the day of his execution,
and is now likely to secure a new trial, il
he does not escape the gallows alto
gether.
The legal process by which these devel-
opments have been reached are such as
are certain to make this case ''cele-
brated'' one.
Governor Aycock, after twice respiting
Council and eXhausting every means to
allow the convict and his friends to prove
his innocence, could not bring himself to
believe he should commute the sentence
to Imprisonment, and recently gave out
the ultimatum that, SO far as he was con-
cerned, the negro must hang on August
18th. This. after the Governor had per-
sonally sent a Raleigh lawyer to Fayette-
vile to examine into alleged ew develop
ments and evidence in Coun ellis favor,
the lawyer on his return lvising the
Governor not to interfere further.
ALL PRECEDENT OVERTURNED.
Council gets his respite through the
judicial act OF Justice Douglass, OF the
Supreme Court, who. upon the applca-
ton of attorney +. *. Bryan employed
by certain white citizens OF Fayetteville
who believe in Councll's innocence), has
ordered the case docketed for q rehearing
in the Supreme Court-where he was re-
Gently denied new trial-thus overturn-
ing all precedent in that Court, which
has never before allowed Il re-heal'ing in
a criminal case.
Justice Douglass referred to this fact III
his opinion. but observes that there is no
good reason why a re-hearing OF u case
where Il human life is involved may not
| be had as we'll as in civil cases. Governor
Aycock has stated that unless the Su-
preme Court had the case dOcketed again
| Council must hang on Monday, but il
docketed he would again respite him.
| This has now been done, the date OF his
execution being fixed for November LIST
| 1t is Il queer case-the Superior Court
Judge and Jury that tried Council and
| the prosecuting solicitor all having eX
| pressed doubts OF his guilt, 50 it is al
legged
NICE SOURCE OF REVENUE.
| The Insurance Department, created less
| than three years ago, is now proving tC
| be q source of much revenue to the State
treasury. greater than was expected anC
al a time when it is most needed to meet
! the increased expenses OF the State GOV
| eminent. because of the large apprOpria
tons for public schools. the charitable in
situations and Confederate veterans pen
sions. Commissioner Young recently
paid $50, 800 to Treasurer Lacy in one
| lump.
! During the first two years the receipts
| We're not as large, by some $4,000 tC
| $4,000, as they will be this year, be
cause the burdenSOme provisions OF thu
Craig law caused q number OF the lif'
companies to withdraw, among then
being most OF the best companies in TIN
| country, some of them doing Il large
! business than those that remained. Blu
the best of these companies have now re
turned. For instance, the big old North
| western Mutual Life, of which Mr. T. A
Cary of Richmond is general agent TO
Virginia and North Carolina which did /
large business here up to two years ago
has now returned and the State tax OF
the renewals and new business of tina
company and Others returned will ado
very materially to the receipts OF the In
surance Department. Mr.. Cary alone ha
just paid in 81 200 to the Commissioner
and is now engaging district and loca
agents all over the State, and his com
pany will soon be in full swing her
again, and we'll up towards the head 0
the procession, For, as in other lines O
trade, people will buy the best insuranc
they eau get, and the big strong com
panies like the Northwestern Away
command and receive the lions share O
the best peoples business.
Commissioner Young will. on accoun
OF the return OF such companies, be abb
| to pay into the State treasury from
100000 to $4,000 as the result O
this years business. And now we are al
wondering how we ever got along with
out an Insurance Department and thi
100000 a year of revenue collected
through it.
STATE PRISON ELEPHANT.
1t is now said that it will be a montl
Yet before the public is given an insigh
to the late management or mismanage
ment of the penitentiary-whi Governo
| Russelfs Democratic Superintendent
Capt Bill Day, General Manager Falc
Arendell, Warden Green, ct al, hat
charge-the reform administrator
that succeeded the Captain John Smitl
regime, which it was claimed at tina
| time was the worst on record
But if the suspicious and hints tina
have been bobbing up, off and on, eve
since Day and his lieutenants wer
bounced, prove prophetic, Superintendent
Bits administration will push Captain
Johns regime pretty close for frs
place. But those now at work on then
say the books OF the last crowd must b
.'untangled'' first, and although month
have been spent on them, it will take
month more to complets the untangling
I'm alvin e-a-s-yI has apparent,
been familiar old song among peniten
tiary officials and employees for man.
years-while the convicts caught til