The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1904-06-14
RALEIGH NEWS LETTER.
INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THE
STATE PENITENTTARY
An Interview With Director Hackett-
Second Days Session of the Dioces-
an COnvention-Sudden Death OF
Hon. HI. G. Turner-Prominent New
Workers i'm the City.
Messenger Bureau.

The board of penitentiary directors
was in session to-day, and in an inter-
view with Director Hackett some
interesting facts were gathered. The
acreage Of the state farm on the
Roanoke in cultivation this year is
$500 acres. OF this amount, 1900
acres are in cotton, an increase Of
about 400 over last e There are
500 acres in peanuts, this being also
an increase. The remainder, 2,200
acres, is in corn, oats, etc. More Of
the lowland vas planted this year
than in two years past. This lewland
is subject to overflow and has been
put in corn. AT this time of year, If
the penitentiary pays expenses, it is
thought to be doing well, but its
expenses in May were only $500,
while the income from the labor Of
convicts and the brick made at the
pe%nitentiary was $4,000. 1t used TO
cost the Fusionists SIC, 600 a month to
operate the penitentiary, but Mr..
Hackett says they were not good buy
ers. He says Superintendent Mann is
the best buyer and Clerk Arlington
the best collector he ever saw. Ar
rlngton says he has not failed to COL
lect a dollar of debts due the peni-
tertiary under the present admins
tration. The board of directors has
made a report to the governor, show
ing assets on hand amounting TO
$4,000. The penitentiary does not
owe a dollar to any one. Secretary
Arlington said yesterday that the
number of state convicts had, for the
first time in over 80 years, fallen un-
der 700. Director Hackett spoke about
this matter, and said that if the
judges would send some ~able-bodied
men to the penitentiary instead of
sending mainly the crippled and the
sick, the institution would max
much more honey He says he will
advocate a law providing that persons
sentenced to terms of more than w
years shall be sent to the penitenti-
airy, counties which desire it to be
entitled to the others. He added that
if the penitentiary had plenty of able
bodied men, it could after a while
pay the entire state debt. The matter
of sinking artesian wells at the pen
intentiary farm n also at the priS-
on here came up. but the cost being
$500 the matter was deferred. The
water at h farm is now taken from
wells IS feet deep, and Director Hack
EFT says is very good indeed. The
health of the convicts on the farm
he considers very good considering
the class of convictS, many being dis
eased. There are two convict camps
on the farm, these being a mile apart.
The directors have ordered that the
cement floors, shower baths to be
specially provided for summer use.
Major w. A. Guthrie, of Durham,
who is attending the Episcopal con-
vention of this diocese here, says tx
cellent ogr is being made on the
new union passenger station there,
| and that the walls have reached the
| second story. 1t will be a very beauti-
| full station, unlike any in this state,
He say that work will begin this
week on h postofice building at
Durham, which is to cost 100000
The site was bought from the city
for $4,000, and about this purchase
there is a curious fact, that the city
sold it to the government at a price
below that offered by private individ-
uals. Major Guthrie says his h
/ probably the only instance where the
government succeeded in doing such
a thing.
A number Of Christian Science peo-
pie are here, headed by Miss Mary
Hatch, of New Bern.
Mr.. George Foster Peabody and DR.
Nash, of New York: Rev. Mr.. Melish
rector of Holy Trinity church, Brook
Ign, and other gentlemen were a
Durham yesterday at the commence.
ment of Trinity College, where they
make speeches. 1t is learned tina
they will come here tomorrow or
their private car and will from here
go to Athens. Ga, and theme to Gin
cinnati, where DR.. Melish will preach
the commencement sermon before. thu
college of which DR.. Charles w. Dab
ny is president.
Sheriff Kearney. Of Franklin coun
ty, brought to the p~enitentiary to-da!
a negro named Aston, who gets a tel
year sentence for the murder of an
other negro near Louisburg Christina!
eve. Aston was run down with blood
hounds.
A charter is granted to the j. H
E;dgerton Company, of Smithfield
to manufacture a leather ~preservative
the capital stock being $4,000.
His physicians say to-day that tn
condition of Captain w. H. Day ha:
improved considerably. He has talked
a little and he took a watch from hi!
nurse and looked at it.
Commissioner of Agriculture Pat
terson left to-day for his home il
Caldwell county, where ne has no
been since Christmas. He will remain
there a fortnight. His work has beer
very arduous and has kept him yer,
closely at his desk for months, tn
fertilizer trade having been immens'
and the office work greatly increased
He expected to issue the crops repor
for the state this week. but finds tina
the returns from correspondents arr
not so complete and satisfactory a!
he desired, and hence has held up tn,
report and does not give out any fig
ures. Possibly there may be no repor
until July.
James Alexander. colored, n wa!
serving 81 years in the penitentiar!
for murder, committed in Castor
county,, has died there, after a Ions
illness, of cancer Of the head.
The attendance increased at tn
Episcopal convention in Christ
to-day. at which Rev. DR.. Matthew M
Marshall is presiding. The feature o
the morning session was the address
of Bishop Cheshire, which Shove
gratifying progress in the churel
work in the diocese. AT noon tner'
was a special prayer service for mis-
sions. This afternoon the special or