The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-01-28

Increased Attendance on Annual
Cenvention-Question as to Control
of County Surveyors-The Respite
tn and Ramsey-How Keith
and Skinner Got Their Appoints
ments.
Messenger Bureau.

Raleigh, N. c., January q.
The attendance at the annual onven
ton Of superintendent of city schools,
now in session here. increased today.
Among the arrivals was Alex. Graham,
Superintendent Of h Charlotte schools.
The state board of education has re-
ferred to Secretary of State Grimes the
question whether the county surveyors
and all other surveyors in counties in
which there are state lands shall be
under the direction of state engineer j.
eleven counties. so far as known. No
doubt there are such lands in other
counties.
William Moncure, of this city, who
until two months g was a prominent
official of the Seaboard Air Line, is TOW
building the Charlotte, Monroe and Co
lumbia railway, which is to shorten the
distance between Charlotte n Column
bia sixty miles. He says good progress
is being made.
The respite by the governor of j. A.
Gorham and r. G. Ramsey. former law
agents of the Southern railway, who
were convicted at Statesyille Of tam
perfng with a jury, is until March 18th.
This will be after the next term Of
court at Statesville and will allow the
respondents to make a full statement
Of their case. They are making their
fight to keep out of Jail
A young white man named Rollins is
now in Jail at New Bern. He was quiTe
recently pardoned by the governor. The
latter says the pardon was granted on
the ground Of i'll health. DR.. Furguson,
n Of the penitentiary physicians, said
- liz bod lTrno ~ Tha ~ /
judge and solicitor recommended the
pardon
Inquiry was made directly of republi-
cans here as to how on earth Harry
Skinner came to be appointed district
attorney. They say that not only had
Senator Pritchard promised Skinner the
place. but the late President Mckinley
had done the same thing. Mckinley
knew Skinner in congress and took a
fancy to him. He formed q high opin-
ion of kline and had also promised
him the place. He a told Skinner
the populist party was dead and that
the thing for him to do was to get in
the republican n Skinner needed
no urging.
Inquiry was also made as to how
Keith got the relationship, when
Pritchard wanted Slocomb to have il.
1t was said in reply that the president
let it be o hat a Wilmington man
must have the place; that he had Two
or three times been rasped by the press
for not following this rule. Then the
fight was between Keith and D.. l..
Gore and Keith got a great number Of
endorsements as against Gore.
The committee which is trying to get
$40. 900 in subscriptions to the fund Tor
re-establishing the leaf tobacco trade
here. makes pitifully slow progress.
Last Saturday it called On Charles M.
Busbee. as the representative of the
subscribers to the auditorium, and sug-
gested that the 1000 auditorium fund
be placed to the credit of the tobacco
market fund, it being very evident that
there will be no auditorium. The sub
subscribers to the latter fund are callad
to meet February Bird, to see what they
will do. The auditorium was particu-
larly desired for conventions. It is
widely believed that the next state
convention will be held at Greensboro,