The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-05-12
THE SELMA WATER
 COMPANY QUITS
Organized in 1885 It Passes
 Into History
CITY OWNS 997 SHARES
Young Negroes Sentenced By Judge Toulmln for Conspiracy to Rob Postoffice Roxes-Grand
 Jury Discharged.

Selma, May n.-(speclal.)-The Selma Water company is no more. There will have to be a publ alton made of the dissolution of the company, as required by law, but with the filing in the probate court of Dallas county Saturday of a paper, declaring the corporation dissolved, the company passed out of existence.
 Friday afternoon there was held meet ing of the stockholders of the company. At this meeting it was shown that the city of Selma owned 997 shares of stock, that C. C. Grayson, N J. Meyer and R. II, Agee each owned one share. The resignation ofthe old officers of the com pany having been accepted, c. C. Gray son was elected president, M. J. Meyer vice president and M. L. worrell, secre- tary and treasurer.
 The paper declaring the water com pany dissolved was signed by V. B. At kins for the city of Selma, the owner of | 997 shares and by Grayson, Meyer and Agee, and was further signed by c. c. 1 Grayson, as president of the Selma Wa | ter company.
 Thus passes into history the Selma Wa | ter company, organized in 1885, and hay | ing charter with a franchise for the use of Selma's streets for thirty years from that date
 l Negroes Sentenced.
 In the United States court Saturday ] Willis N. Higgins and Emile Blevins, the former about 2S years of age, and l the latter B years of age, both being ne groes, entered pleas of guilty and were sentenced by Judge Toulmin. The charges against both negroes were having keys l in their possession with intent to un- l lawfully enter postoffice boxes and con spiraey to rob postoffice boxes There was a case against Huggins charging him with delaying the mails, which was | mol pressed. The sentence as to Huggins l was two years in the penitentiary at l Atlanta. in each case, but to run concur renty, hence he will have to serve only two years. The sentence aginst Bleyins was eighteen months in the reform atory for colored juveniles at Cheltenham, | Md, in each case. also to run concur rently. Both negroes got off light con- l sidering the gravity of the offense.
 The case of Higgins was one that at tracted considerable attention about the time of his arrest November 25 1906. He l was night mailing clerk in the Selma postoffiee and one day other clerks in the office found a sack of mail down in the cellar, where the negro had put it to keep from working it out. It was found that l he made a practice of hiding the mails until he could find 1t convenient to work | it. The postmaster suspended him and in about a week there came peremptory order from the department at Washing | ton to put the negro back to work. He was put back to work and the matter was reported to the United States grand jury and an indictment found, whereupon l Huggins was let out at the postoifice.
 Postoffices Robbed.
 While Higgins was out on bond for the offense of delaying the mails several post office boxes were found to have been robbed one Sunday. Mall eontaing checks and important letters were found strewn over the street. There was no clue to | the perpetrators. The following Sunday afternoon Messrs. Voltz and Griffin, clerks l in the postoffice detected Emile l Blevns, tine young negro boy in the act of entering the boxes at the postoffice and found bunch of six postoffice keys, which it was proven Higgins had given the boy and told him to rob the boxes ] Huggins was arrested and the verdict passed Saturday will be a warning to others about tampering with Uncle Sans mail.
 | There was another case of pleading guilty Of tampering with the mails adjndi- l cated Saturday. This was the ease 1 against Ernest Vanderpool, who was star route carrier between Demopolis and lief l ferson in Marengo county. Nanderpool | opened | letter and took check for about S31, belonging to the Cawthon-cole- man Co. He was arrested and on plead- ing guilty was sentenced 10 two years in the Atlanta penitentiary. Vanderpool | ssta United States revenue cutter Winonna. He deserted from the cutter at Mobile and went up the Tombigbee river on a steamboat to Demopolis He had not been there long before he got the job carrying the mail on the star route.
 The grand jury of the court made it's final report, having found fourteen indlct- ments, and were discharged Court then adjourned until Monday morning at 10 o'clock.
 Will Have cean-Up Days.
 Mayor Atkins mas announced that he will soon issue a proclamation setting aside Wednesday and Thursday, May 29 and 30 as Cleaning up Days for Selma. There will be a committee of five appoint ed from each ward consisting of the two members of the Civic Improvement asso- ciation, two citizens and one member of the council The mayor, president of the council. chief of the fire department and chief of police will be ex-officio members of the joint committees from the five wards of the city. There will be appointed a committee on exploitation of three mem- bers whose duties will be to attend to arousng the people to the necessity of cleaning up their premises and taking more pride in civic affairs.
 It will be two great days in Selma, and the first day of June will find this l naturally beautiful city fairer than any city in the state.
 Social Events In Selma.
 Socially Selma Las been somewhat dull | during the mast fMn OF three Weks but 1