The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1902-01-16
The EDIToaS'5 LEISURE HOURS.
Points and Paragraphs Of Things
PRESENT, Past and Future.


and we'll posted lawyer and banker in
our presence some days ago. And In
deed it does look like this will be a
hard year but there Is no need OF TAX
ing up trouble before We get to it.
People just need to economize little
more closely and in the end things will
come out all right. Indeed despite
low prices for short crops the people
generally are In good spirits.
The State penitentiary has been q
problem Tor long time and since the
State has been engaged in farming
with convict labor there has been un-
certainty about the final results. The
| late disaster by the floods in the Roa-
noke river calls forth the following by
the Charlotte Observer:
"The more is known OF it the great
er problem the pentl,entiary becomes.
Yesterdays news was that the freshets
of last May and last weak cost it
$4,000. OF course this means large
loss On the ears operations and large
deficit. The State has failed as a
farmer. If it had other lands, such as
are not 80 liabe to overflow, the case
might be different, but this is doubtful,
for they would then be less productive
or there would be a drawback of some
other sort. It looks as if the peniten-
tiary will have to retire fom agricui.
ture. The convicts can do much bet
service for the State at WORK on the
county roads. Every county cannot
have chain-gang of Its own, but the
conylcts guilty of the lesser crimes
could be distributed among the coun-
ties which haye, while the deeper and
more desperate class might be impris-
oned in the central prison at Raleigh
and m mainta1usd at s',ch ,nse as was
necessary to be incurred, some sort Of
employment being devised for at least
a part of them. Almost anything is
better than the present system, which
has been experimental with long
enough for its unfruitfulness to have
been fully demonstrated. As for the
disposition of the State farms, that
would be a matter for after-considers-
ton"
Referring to the Nellie Cropsey
mystery at Elizabeth City, the Rich
mond Dispatch says that the fact that
she was a first class swimmer is against
the suicide theory. It further makes
the following sensible observations
con some Important points upon
which the trial of Wilcox in March
will turn the reports are not full and
complete as yet. Particularly Is shis
true OF the Injury on the left side OF
the head, the only one on the body.
The post-mortem reports have not as
yet authoritatlvely established this az
bruise. It Is not stated that small
blood clots, which are indicative OF
bruised tissue, were found. The body
hal been In the water over thirty days.
Post-inortem changes often take place
which are very hard to distinguish
from bruises. The body may have
been lying on some rock on the river
bottom, and the blood would have
naturally settled to the lowest part o1
the head. The thinnesss of the skull
Just above the ear, the location OF the
supposed brulse, and its ease OF frac.
ture also operate against the theory
tnat this injury was the result OF 9
blow.
"Another factor in the problem and
an important one Is the promptnes<
with which the post -mortem was held
after the removal of the body from the
water. A body in the water this mum
ber of days enters upon series OF post
mortem decomposition changes with
surprising suddenness after removal
from the water. 1t has not been stated
| how soon the post-mortem was held.
! "Nnr has it been stated what was
found in the girls hands or what ar
examination of her finger nails dis
closed. In Lillian Madison's hands the
reservoir mud showed that she was alive
when thrown in and was drowned.
"rhe minute particles of skin o.
hair found under the fnger-nalls which
are ottentimes visible only under tht
microscope, have in many instances
cleared up what was otherwise mys
terry, by showing that struggle hae
taken place."
FOR OVER FIFTY YEARS.
Mrs. Wlnslow's Soothing Syrup ha'