The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-09-19

1a0 nOtnlnS 10 do Win u heavlS was
a usurper and was acting without au-
thority. It made no difference il Pritch-
ards convention did ignore his
(Moore's) delegates; 1t was but another
case of "one man power which he did
not propose 10 stand, nor would he De
bound by anything the Greensboro con-
vention a or did.
Wadesboro Observation-Disclosures:
A large crowd heard the speech OF Hon.
Robert N Page, our nominee for con-
gress, in the court house Tuesday at
ternoon- This was the first time Mr..
Page had appeared before al Arson
county audience, and it is only the
truth to say that he made a nos favor
able impression On our people. He
made a strong, sensible speech. holding
the close attention Of his audience for
more than an hour.-PerSons owning
property in Wadesboro will have to pay
just twice as much tax on 1t :he present
fiscal year as they did the fiscal year
recently ended. The tax last year was
80 cents on the 800 worth of property.
This year it has been placed at S1.OO on
the 800 worth Of property The total
value of the taxable property of the
town is in round numbers some $3.50. 600,
which is less than it was last year. The
increase in the rate Of taxation is made
to meet a debt OF about 5000 owing on
the water and light plants of the town.
we are llIOTIIlSu IndE WHPn lnlS ueDI
is paid the town can be rur on h so
cent rate.
Charlotte Observer: An interesting
sight on the streets yesterday was a
wagon in which were two darkies from
CASTOR county One of the negroes was
totally blind and the other had both
of his arms cut off at the elbows. The
blind negro was driving the mule which
was hitched to the wagon, while the
handless negro would direct him how
to pull the reins. They had a loa of
produce to sell. These two negroes
live together and are we'll known har
acters in CASTOR. The sightless negro
performs all kind Of manual labor while
the one with no lands lands by his
side to direct him. They are not re-
lated, but neither could get along with
out the other.-The passenger train
on the Seaboard Air Line road from
Portsmouth came into Charlotte yes
terday morning fifty minutes late. The
time was lost at Indian Trail fifteen
miles east of Charlotte. and the cause
was rather odd. AT that place the en-
gineer our the rack b]ocked by a
house. 1t was a large two-story dwell
ing. 1t seems that the house was being
moved from one part of Indian Trail
to another n the route was across
the railroad track. The contractor had
timed his job n would have cleared
the rack in time for the passage of
the train, but Just as he had the house
we'll on the track some Of his moving
apparatus broke down.. Before repairs
could be made the Charlotte bound
passenger train came up. The paSsen-
gers swarmed out and gave the contrac-
tor plenty of advice. However. he went
about his business AMI had the track
cleared after a delay Of exactly fifty
minutes.
Kinston Free Press: The direct result
of the a strike has reached Kinston
and Messrs. Oettinger Bros. publish a
very significant and suggestive an
nouncement in the special column to-
day to the effect that they will not be
able to supply any demand for coal
during the coming season. This means
some hardship and great annoyance in
Kinston next winter, but Kinston, with
its exhaustless supply of wood, will get
especially in the north. where there
will be actual and terrible suffering
among the pOor.-Mr. j. w KoOnce
and Mr.. Thigpen, father OF Joe Thig-
pen, one Of the young men who died
from poisoning at Dover Monday night,
called at The Free Press. The elder
Thigpen married Mr.. Koonce's daugh-
ter and all live together. MI. Koonce
did the talking and stated his emphatic
belief that so far as Thigpen is concern
ed it was not a case of suicide. He
said there was not the slightest cause
to suggest deliberate Self-killing. Joe,
he said, was a young man of exem-
plary habits, rarely ever took a drink,
had no love entanglements, and while
not averse to women vas not in any
degree a ladies man." He was of a
quite but cheerful disposition, had a
good job, did not wv d dollar and Vas
respected by all as an industrious and
steady worker. Joe and Griffin were
like Damon and Pythias, bosom friends
and constant companions, and if it was
suicide at all MI. Koonce thinks Joe
was influenced by his friend. But Mr..
Koonce is of the opinion that the deaths
of the young men were the result of a
mistake. They We're together with a
party of young people Sunday night and
Mr.. Koonce thinks they might have
got a dose intended for some one else.
He says Joe was sick Monday morning
and went to DIR. Pollock for a dose of
calomel and salts. He could not keep
the salts on his stomach, and soon
after throwing them up lapsed into
unconsciousness, from which he never
recovered sufficiently to give any sug-
gestion of the cause of his illness. Both
young men were about e years old.