The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1905-12-15
MISSISSIPPI MATTERS:
Contest Over convict co...

otate oy securing an injunction from
the supreme court enjoining the hnaaa
Of control from leasing the Saslu
Bayou plantation, belonging n S.ay
Senator McLaurin. This action ~
taken after a majority of the boara h W
voted to accept the proposition mada s ~
senator McLaurin to pay the State s2S..
goo a year for working his place. Tbs
governor protested against this action
claiming that the board of control bsa
no authority under the law to lease ana
place or work any convicts or any IL,
the States lands. Commissioner McNo;.
voted with the governor, but Attmnev'
General Williams and Commissiono,s
Bradley and Kincannon voted for H
lease. The writ of Injunction was t.
sued by Chief Justice Whitfield, hut !,
was not served until after the majority
members and Senator McLaurin IA
signed up the papers. A fight in Ina
courts will follow.
There are about 1000 acres IN tba
Sandy Bayou plantation, and it takes X
or 80 convicts to work it.
The biggest and strongest land com,
pany in the State is in ourse of forma.
ton in jackson, and will be organized
and begin active business the LIST Il
January. The company is to be formed
by home and Eastern capital, of which
there will be an unlimited supply. 81
that the very largest tracts of pine and
delta lands may be bought for cash and
sold on time payments. The COMPANY
has already purchased $40, 900 acres Of
pine and hardwood timber lands, and
by the first of the year will be ready
for the biggest business in that line Ii
the State.
There were / ,123 names on the States
prison rolls on Nov. 80, a gain OF thir
teen over the month previous. During
the month of November twenty-five
were discharged; there was one death,
two pardons and two escapes. A death
rate OF one for more than 1000 speaks
well for the management of the Missis-
sippi convict farms, and it is doubtful
II there is another State in the Union
that can make such a showing.
A citizen OF the Delta country has
written the railroad commission to
know whether or not the railroads have
a right to charge 4 cents fare where the
passenger does not have a ticket. That
has been the impression for some years.
The commission insists on it, and so do
the railroad companies. The idea is to
encourage passengers to pay their
money to the company's agents and not
20 the conductors, the latter objeeting
to being bothered with cash fares.
Lauderdale county citizens were the
winners of nearly all the first prizes
offered at the Jackson fair for Poland.
China and Berkshire hogs and Ply.
mouth Rock chickens. w. S. White
OF Zero entered six Poland Chinas and
carried off six blue ribbons, and his one
Plymouth Rock entry secured the bonus
and the ribbon. A. III. Harrington Of
Daleville entered five Berkshires and
received four first and one second prize.
J. B. Sale has been found not guilty.
Of the charge OF numbering j.. B. Bell.
This brings to a close one of the most
important criminal cases ever heard in
this State. Sale and Bell met one af-
ternoon last July, on the streets Of
Aberdeen and engaged in a pistol duel,
in which Bell was killed and Sale
wounded. The trouble was the out.
of a business correspondence be.
tween Sales mother and Bell involving
the rental Of a house. Both families
are exceedingly prominent and wealthy.
The dead body of a well-dressed mar
of IS or 60 years of age "a found on
the public highway near Gloster. On
the dead man were found letters ad.
dressed to Rev. John Moody and mail
ed at Ocala, North Carolina. Other
letters bear recommendations from the
pastor of the Baptist Church at Ocala,
that Rev, Moody was a minister
in good standing. The dead man wore
a Confederate badge. The remains
were inferred in the Baptist cemetery
at Gloster, members of that congrega-
ton taking charge OF the funeral ar
engagements.
Will Horn was convicted at Gulfport
last week of the murder of j. G. Smith
Hattiesburg.
One of the saddest tragedies in the
history of Arcola occurred in the
of Mr.. and Mrs Robert Poague,
when their little 9-month-old boy met
an untimely death from the explosion
of a lamp. Mrs. Poague lighted the
lamp and placed it on the machine, and
stepped out of the room for a moment
when the little fellow, trying to pull up
by the scarf covering the machine, up
set the lamp with the above result.
Representative Gambler of Mississippi
has introduced a bill in congress in aid
Of the Common schools in Mississippi.
This bill provides that all public land
in the State shall be disposed of by sale
laws to be enacted by the legis-
allure of Mississippi and the proceeds
o be used for the common schools OF
,he State.
Lewis Scott, a desperate negro, was
ynched hear Cleveland last week. He
vas being taken to Jail On the charge
Of obtaining goods under false pre-
jenses and shooting an officer when q
mob overpowered the officers, took the
prisoner from them and hung him.
New Hope Presbytery of the Cum.
,erland Presbyterian Church, embrace
ng a number of East Mississippi coun
les, convened at Alderman with about
.hirty-five ministers and laymen in at
enhance.