The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-03-05

| they had the Jail" said Col. Mclean.
| Maxton was like the dog in the manager.
/ She could not get the court house, and
so wanted to take it away from Lumber
ton and put it down in a mud hole.
| Col. Mclean then went on to speak of
| the excellence of Lumberton as town.
| As for its not being in the center of the
| county he had never known that CAPT
| tai need be in the center. Washington
| was nearly on the eastern coast Of this
| country. Raleigh was not in the center
| Of Wake II this bill should pass. we
might expect to see a bill to remove the
cCunty-seat of Wake to Rhamkatte, be-
cause it was the center of the county.
As a matter of fact Pembroke was not in
| the center of the county of Robson.
Mr.. Mccormick had stated there were
| $50 people in Pembroke, but had admitted
there were only four or FIVE houses. III
there were twenty-five people there, he
would go back home and send word to
the Legislature that all opposition was
Withdrawn.
The Seaboard Air Line did not even
have a station there. There was an
agent there whose principal business was
| to deal out very bad quality of corn
| whiskey to the Croatan Indians who lived
around the town. There were not half
| a dozen white families within a radius
| of six miles of Pembroke. Here was
| where the Lowry gang had lived and
theid descendants arc there to this day.
Moreover, the town was between
swamps. There was a great mill-pond
there which bred malaria. Let US not
at least expose our prisoners to that
| - ,Hhi i'm al
| nc good roads. IT would be an enormous
expense TO the county to build those
roads
The county chairman of the Demo
cratic Executive Committee was pres
ent, opposing the bill with all his might.
Col Mclean read a number of tele-
grams from prominent citizens of Robe
son asking the representatives to do all
they could to prevent the removal of the
! court house 1t was stated in letter
| from A. l.. Shaw that a number had
signed the petition under a misappre-
| henson.
| But they say, at least let the peo-
| pie vote on it. That made his head
| hang in shame, as resident of Robson
| county. Within a few hours a petition
had lieen signed by 1,6O0 white men
| asking that the question be not submit
| ted to vote. Burt on the other petition
were white men, women and children,
| Croatan men, women and children and
| negro men, women and children. He then
mentioned the names of several negroes
who had signed, calling upon the other
side to deny that they were on it.
This movement, declared Col. Nc
Lean, had it's origin in a movement
against the Democratic party"
| He knew his people. They were Scotch.
And a Scotchman, when he goes to bed
at night, prays: 20 Lord! Take care
of me during the night, and give me
| strength when l get up in the morning
to spite my enemy, if / should meet
him.
An election on this subject would cause
the greatest bitterness. Brother would
| be against brother. family against fam
| lily, friend against friend
1t was stated in the petition that it
was the purpose of the county commits
soners to build a new court house That
was absolutely not true There had been
some talk of a new jail. and that was
the only point in its favor, for most of
the birds came from the neighbor-
hood of Pembroke
! a question elected the fact that there
were five Croatan prisoners now in one
cell in the Jail.
| Mr.. Mccormick said they had brought
four or five kilograms and asked the
committee to be guided by them. But
these gentlemen here in favor of the
bill had spent their money to actually
cCme here in person. Moreover, nearly
| all these gentlemen sending kilograms
| had large business interests in Lumber
| ten,
| 1t had been stated that this matter
had been sprung suddenly, but why did
they ask Mr.. Hall the question, if they
did not know about it?
| Mr.. Mccormick declared that not once
had Col, Mclean touched upon the main
| question, that of allowing the people to
vote on the matter.
| He called to mind that part of the
| county had been cut off since the es-
| adjustment of the court house, thereby
leaving it far to the east.
lie denied that not any negroes were
counted on the petition. There We're l.
Gao without them.
How about the Croatans?" was asked.
| Il say that you have as many Croa-
\ tSA'o VII NOui ptllCiOli as We NAVE
| Mr.. Mccormick said he had information
| that the railroads were going to put up
a union depot at Pembroke. He denied
| that the place was unhealthy, and that
there We're more people from Pembroke
in Jail than any others that Sheriff Nc
| Leod knew that those five prisoners he
spoke of We're arrested nearer Maxton
| than Pembroke
Mr.. stephen Mcintyre denied that peo-
| pie were present from every other part
of Robson except Lumberton. He de-
| fled them TO show one person from east
OF the railroad Then he said there was
only one man of those sending kilograms
| who had property in Lumberton
lie declared there was but one road
| leading to Pembroke. They had never
had an election; never had mayor. The
town was not even down in the Year
Book. Only about twenty five white peo-
| PIE lived there.
II was entirely impractieable to move
| the county-seat. Even Mr. McRae had not
said he would vote for it, Then why do
a vain thing? Why submit this ques-
tiCn TO a vote when it would create tho