The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-02-14
DRIVEN INSANE
BY HIS ARREST
Patterson's Wife Unable
to Bear the Trouble.
"A HISTORIC WEAPON
The Rifle That Ended the Career oil
Mayor Ferguson at Kings Noun
tain. SaIisburys Uniqe Dis
tinction. Editor Owns
Base Ball Team.

tinction. Editor Owns a
Base Ball Team.
Washington. d. c., Feb 13.-Ben-
iamin F. Patterson. who is now in
| jail here awaiting trial next week for
sccrrinog mney on worthless checks has
an interesting history. He is a Pennsyl-
van!an. though he has relatives in Eastern
served in the Federal army. coming out
Of ii with the rank of captain. and is
now drawing a good pension.
| Wien arrested he was sitting OF a table
| in Washington, n. c.. with the directors Of
| a proposed road that was to extend from
Washington, n. c., TO Auraro, n. c. He had
| conceived this enterprise and interested
men with money. The board of directors
| had just elected him vice epresident and
general manager at salary OF $2,5OO
! year. when the telegram arrived instruct
ing the constable to arrest him. He was
| brought here and put in Jail, where he
now is awaiting trial.
The shock of the arrest was so great
that his wife, who is of fraii constitution,
was made i'll by it and later became insane
and is now in an institution here for in
sane persons.
Patterson is a man of about ifty-five or
sixty.
| Commissioner Eugene F. Ware. of the
Pension Bureau, has recently come into
possession of an old flint lock rifle that
saw service In the Revolutionary War. He
| has placed the rita}.a conspicuous
| place in his office at the Pension Bureau,
witE a card telling where it came from
ald TO whom it belonged.
! The weapon was the property of Oar
! ling Jones' who was born in 1884 AT
the age OF sixteen years he entered the
Continental army and served for nine
months, part of which time he was with
/ Coz. S2lby's North Carolina regiment and
| part Of the time with Col. John Sewers
East Tennessee regiment. lie was present
a, the battle of Kings Mountain, and il
is claimed shot and killed Major Fergu-
son, the British commander, with the
rifle now in the Pension Office.
| The battle of Kings Mountain was the
| turning point in the war in the South
and the death of Major Ferguson, it is
claimed, was the turning point in the bat
tie. so. it may be said, the old rifle was
| largely instrumental in bringing about the
| inue pendence OF the American colonies.
! Darling Jones named mis- gun Sweet
| LIPS" it being the custom in those days
/ TO give names to rifles He died in 1910
| al Jonesboro. Tenn, which he had mad
/ his home ever since the Revolu tonary
| War. He had seven SONS three of whom
| l.. 81
He drew a pension from the government
up to the time of his death and bis wife,
WHO died only two years ago. also drew
| a pension.
! The rifle was given by Jones to his SON
in-law William Duncan, who, in turr,
gave it TO his friend, Frank Montcastle.
son of Judge Montcastle of Tennessee.
Tie rifle was in the keeping of the Mont.
castle family for fifty Years General
Wilder, OF Tennessee, obtained it and pr,-
sented it TO Commissioner Ware
The gun is fully five and half fee.
long It's barrel is about four feet in
length, and is octagonal 1t mas a COM
| on a stand over the FIRE place in the D..
fica of the Commissioner OF Pensions, by
whom it is highly priced
Mr. Kluttz has introduced in the House
till changing the time Tor the Federal
Court at Wilkesboro from the second
Monday in July and November to the
/ fourth Monday in May and November, and
providing further that "the Circuit Dis
| trict Judges shall appoint a clerk. who
shall reside and have his office at wilkes
boro. North Carolina, and who shall b
the clerk of both the Circuit and District
Court of the United States at that place"
The editor of the News and Observer
useG to say that if he were a millionaire
OF, of his extravagances would be the
ownership of a baseball team That is
l. Just what Editor John r. MacLean. of the
Cincinnati Enquirer has done. He will
own the Washington baseball club next
/ season. The contract was signed today.
and the consideration was something owe:
$25, ,ooO
| Commenting on the recent announce
ment of Representative Kluttz that he
| would not be a candidate for re- election
the Washington Post recalls the tact that
Mr. Kluttz's home town. Salisbury, has
| the unique distinction of having had four
Of its citizens decline election. 1t says
"In 1914 Francis Locke was elected
United States Senator and resigned ir
1915 without taking his seat. Mr.. Locke
said that he ''did not propose to ride &c
Washington in the mud referring to the
ba i roads and crude mode oil travel at
that time.
I'm 1929 John Giles was elected to Con-
gresg and declined TO serve, preferring to