The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1906-08-09
The OLD DOMINON.
Latest News Cleaned From All Over the
State.


peaputS. A reliable man who has recent
~ travelled extensively through the couu-
ties Of Surrey, Sussex. Isle of Wight,
Dinwiddie and Prince George says-t that
IN each Of the counties named not more
tnan one-half crop OF peanuts or corn
WIT-DJ harvested The shortage is due
to heavy and frequent rains.
There IS great deal of building going
on IN Petersburg, but contractors say
that they experience much difficulty in
getting brickmasons.
August 10 is the date set sor letting
the contract for the construction Of 3S
miles of the South and Western railway
i'll East Tennessee. The route by way
of the reservation OF the National Sol
diers' Home two miles wcet of Johnson
City, Tenn, has been adopted In point
Of grade the new coal-carrying road is
TO be probably the best in the South
At 6.3o o'clock A. NJ, the trap was
sprung and William Wilcher's body shot
through the trap door falling Six feet.
Ills neck was broken After f5-ininutes
the medical examiners. pronounced him
dead, but his body was allowed TO hang
until I o'clock Wilcher IS the first
white man to pay the death. periaitr III
Lockbridge since it was made a county
Nilcher was convicted OF numbering
Henry ]. Smith in that county last Au-
gust.
lwo negroes were arrested at Rocky
Mount. charged with the murder and
robbery of Brakeman A. B. Richardson
at Ferrum, Franklin County. and with
placing his body on the railroad tracks.
Richardson was run over and mangled
stated that he had been attacked and his
body placed i'll front OF the train. The
railroad watch worn by Richardson was
found on one of the negroes. but nc
claimed he purchased it from another,
whose name he did not know The pair
were. captured by Detective William
Wright, OF Roanoke.
Tidewater Virginia is TO have an
agricultural experiment station located
close to Norfolk. under the Joint man
agcment OF the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture.S the State Board of
Agriculture and representative agricul-
turists of this section. This was deter
mined at conference in Washington
F; between + r Babcock. of Princess
Anne; w Coleman. OF Norfolk. and ].
w Eberwinc. of Nansemond. The State
q
.tire have reached definite understand
''ngtin the matter. The station will oc-
>upy 4 site of not less than so acres and
VIII be the exponent OF the most ad-
Vanced ideas in agriculture 1t will be
IN charge OF a board OF control, yet to
be appointed.
+ Having determined to get out of the
world. Mrs"Rosa White DiggS. wife of
Police QHesr Diggs, Of Portsmouth, has
made three efforts to commit suicide.
SNiIng"if Mayor nc T. office after the
adjournment OF court she ;swaIIoweti a
large quantity. of laudanum. But she
was seen in the act. and Drs. Cooks and
Bl+sedy s6tFts work on her With a sfom-
'ch pump, and her flight to another world
was arrested. At night she threw herself
en.the @trackS'in front OF rapidly NOV
I l}g Seah9hr1t train, but her husband
4uIckly gagged her out of danger.
OiggS married her III Norfolk less than
':.wo mouths ago.
Ihe,jurxin> the case. of Frank Sprouse.
Who has been AN trial in the Circuit
court at Staunfon, for eight days,
'lrarged with nhrdering Conrad Boyd
on gune. . last, gave him IS years in the
penItentiary, His counsel will ask for
} All appcaE" Sprouse is a notorious deS-
/ Dorado of .s'SprouSe Hollow" near the
|. immense cement works at Foodwick
conrad Boyd was a foreman in the
works. SprouSe had been working at
! !he cement plant, but had been discharg-
! ed. On the morning of the shooting
| NprouSe rode by the commiSsarv on his
wheel. Boyd, who was sitting on the
platform eating strawberries. remarked
That he had a notion to thOw them in
! Sprouse's face. SprouSe remarked, You
will have to show me-" He then went
! 10 the store, bought FIVE 38-caliber cart
/ ridges and returned. There were some
hot words, aid Boyd caught Sprousc
by the collar and led him to the platform
and told him to go on home Sprousc
started off, and loaded his revolver
! When he was a short distance from the
! platform Boyd rushed at him and lump
! ed on his back. when SpruSe began to
/ shoot. Boyd was shot three times in
/ the abdomen and died in a few. minutes.
! \ few minutes before the shooting there
I was a lively stone battle between the
! two. After SprouSe had emptied every
chamber in his revolver he started 10
run, and was pursued by posse. which,
Gs SprouSe himself said, shot ut me on
+ every jump | made" Finally some one
ran out with shotgun loaded with
buckshot and wounded Sprouse in three
/ places. The first man of the posse TO
reach Sprouse after he fell ran up to
aim and stood on his neck until the
others arrived. He was arrested. aud
but for the timely arrival Of the Sheriff
i from Stauntop- he. would have been
8. lynched SprouSc has twice broken out
pf the Augusta County jail at Stauutou
Jfand remarked on the witness stand w
4 smile. that it was an easy Job to
ont. The last time he broke Ja
had only eight days to serve and ...r
returned and served the remain icr II.
his time. Boyd was a powerfo I'm.
and it was testified to in court thatths.
had killed one man and severely cut
Ill., a,,L as Snrn.,-.. .-------uuxUx[