The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-03-03
WORKING HARD FOR
 B|G REGISTRATION Aldermanic Candidates Will
 Meet Tonight ONLY 382 HAVE QUALIFIED Benefit Concert a suocess-J. s. Cliff ton, a Prominent Citizen, Is Dead. Missionary Society
 Elects Officers.
ONLY 382 HAVE QUALIFIED

Bessemer, March 2.-(special.) )-The sew eral candidates for board of aldermen in the coming election on March 20 are mak- ing strenuous effort to have al the eligible voters of Bessemer to register for the primary. Looking to this end they have signed a call for a meeting of the aldermanic candidates to be held Fri day night at the armory
 With just two more days left in which to register only 3S2 voters have qualified. As the books will be closed next Satur- day night at 9 o'clock the aldermanic aspirants have decided to work in con cert to get more voters to qualify.
 It Is expected that every one of the IS candidates for aldermen will attend the meeting tomorrow night and that some plan will be adopted whereby ev- cry voter who has not registered will be persuaded to do so.
 Benefit Concert a Success.
 The benefit concert for the widows and orphans of the Virginia mines victims at Library hall tonight was by far one of the best musical treats that the people of this city have heard in some time. The proceeds were about $1OO, all of which will be turned over to the relief commit tee.
 The programme was arranged under the direction of Prof. Fred Grambs and MT Michaelson, and those who took part in the concert comprised some of the best musical talent of Birmingham.
 Prominent Citizen Dead.
 J. L. Clifton. aged 30 years. and for sev- eral years bookkeeper for the Krebs Manufacturing company, died this after noon at 3:3O o'clock after a few days illness with pneumonia. MT. Clifton was a fine specimen of manhood but when stricken about two weeks ago with the fell disease, his condition grew steadily worse and when pneumonia developed in both lungs, it was soon seen that his chances for recovery were small.
 The funeral lservices will be held Fri day morning lat 1O:so o'clock from the First Presbyterian church and the re- mains will bel carried to Brownsville for interment
 MT. Clifton was universally liked by all who knew him and his death has N1NoSA piOAOuiiu BIitl. ne IS SuIVlVeQ by wife and one daughter.
 Officers Elected.
 At a meeting of the Woman's Foreign Missionary society of the First Metho- dist church the following officers were elected for the ensuing term: Mrs l. A. Lewis, president; Mrs J. L. Britain. first vice president; Mrs. J. H. Fulton second vice president; Mrs G. D. Ben ton, recording secretary; Mrs. w. D. Brown, corresponding secretary; Mrs. G. A. Gillette, treasurer; Mrs. J. L. Brit tain, manager of the junior society; Mrs w. D. Lanier, assistant manager of the junior society.
 Quiet at Virginia.
 No bodies have been recovered from Virginia mines since last Monday The old pumps, which were so badly dam aged by the explosion, have been re- placed by new ones, and as soon as they get to working, the work of drain- ing the mine of water will be resumed It will possibly be Saturday morning before the conditions will be so the other bodies estimated at between four and eight, can be gotten out.
 The permanent repair work is progress ing rapidly A number of men, most of whom are strangers, are doing the re- pairing.
 Ths grief-stricken families of the dead mine workers are removing from Vir- ginia City as rapidly as they can obtain houses, and by the last of the week there will be very few of the old settlers left in that camp.
 The Bessemer relief committee Is still besieged with applications for assistance from the widows of the dead men. The headquarters are in Jerry Fountains of flee and the committee has many knotty problems to solve
 Some of the families of the dead men whose bodies have not yet oeen recov- cred from the mine, are in need, and have come to the committee for aid. When it Is established beyond any doubt that the men are among those still at the bottom of the mine, they are promptly given aid.
 The committee Is fortunate in having MT. Fountain, who knows most of the Virginia people. as member. Still one or two efforts have been made to take advantage of the occasion. Three negro women have appeared before the commit tee, each claiming to be the widow of dead negro miner, named Hawkins.
 Today an old negro, the father of one of the dead men. came from Selma, under the impression that he would be given some aid on account of the loss of his son. As the mans son did not leave a wife or any children, he was not given any funds.
 DareopaI and GnnaraI