The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-01-10
A DEATH SENTENCE COMMITTED
A Murderer's Punishment Mfhgated
to Life Iraprfsonment-An About
the State Farm ON Roanoke River.


ANOLI "a AA@
Raleigh. N. c., January z.
Governor Aycock today committed the
death sentence OF Drew Vaughan. col
-ored. to life Imprisonment in the peni-
Tertiary at hard labor. Vaughan was
to be hanged at Winton, Hartford
county. tomorrow. He was convicted OF
the murder of John Barton. another
negro. The governor had twice respitei
him. His exceIlency says the evidence
was entirely circumstantial, and was SO
unsatisfactory to his mind that he
could not permit Vaughan to be hang
e All OF the jury asked for coInmuta-
ton.
Today the physicians made a special
examination Of the lungs OF General
Toon. state superintendent OF public
Instruction. General Toon says his
left lung was not healed.
The p~enitentiary directorate met ar
the state farm yesterday in special ses-
sion to consider the loss by last weeks
flood in the Roanoke and h break
ing of the dikes. 1t found hat the
bikes were as badly broken as they
were by the May freshet: that the loss
to the. crops is only about $1,000. while
last May it was about SIS. 900; that the
labor of 100 convicts for the past three
or four months in rebuilding the dikes
was all wasted: but Notwithstanding all
these losses the directors express he
belief that the ~penitentiary will meet
it's expenses during the fiscal year,
which will end April Isl. The dikes
will not be rebuilt. The sentiment OF
the board is TO cultivate the uplands
This will be the course psSsued. There
are now two camps OF convicts. or 2oO,
on this farm. They will be consolidated
in one camp. 1t will require all this
force to cultivate the 4.O00 acres OF up-
lands. There are 1900 acres subject TO
overflow at any time, and LOU acres
subject to overflow only at extreme
high water. The scene presented since
the breaking of the dikes is one OF de-
vastation. hundred of acres are four
feet deep in sand. In other places
great holes are torn in the earth. The
largest trees are torn up and piled mere
and there in wild confusion. An idea OF
the size of the dixie and of the labor
and cost may be had from the stat ment
that 1t is 80 feet wide at the bottom. II
feet wide at the top, and is 36 feet in
height. The washout is 500 feet in
length. The total length of the dixie is
about three miles. The total loss to
crops and labor by the May flood and
that of last week is $4,000, and this,
the d re ors say, s a very low
If the farm could be sold for $500 o (the
state paid $50. 900 and spent $4,000 on i'll
it would be disposed of in a minute. So
saws one of the directors. When the
state bought the farm. interested per-
sons made the assertion that 1t would
bring 500. 900. and the late directorate
kept up this delusiOn. The new direc-
torate sees what a fake the statement
was. and would be glad to sell at half
that figure. THE state got a gold
brick, it appears. 1t is not the first
one worked off on it.
John G. Drewry, of Raleigh, grand
secretary of the grand lodge of masons,
will be married on the 22nd instant to
Miss Kittie Wharton, daughter of Mr..
and Mrs. L. Banks Holt, of
county. They will be at home here after
February 4th.
Judge Edward Hatch, of the New
York supreme court, is here, and will
lecture Thursday evening at the Olivia
Raney free library for the benefit OF
the library fund.
ne docket of the criminal court, IN
session here, is the heaviest on record.
There are 139 cases. Only one is a cap
ital case, the defendant being one Ferry.
charged with murder near Wakeheld.