The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-03-02
BACK TAXES PAID
BY LAND COMPA
State of Mississippi Is Gamer
to Tune of S33,600
LONG FIGHT IN COURTS
Sorsby Murder Trial viii Soon Come
Up In Circuit Court and Bitter
Fight Is Expected Between
the attorneys.
LONG FIGHT IN COURTS

Jackson. Miss, March 1.-(special.)-
| State Revenue Agent Writ has at last
had the satisfaction of receipting the Del
Ia and Pine Land company for back
| taxes amounting to something over $685.,
| 600. The Delta and Pine Land company
| formerly owned vast landed interests in
| this state the stockholders and officers
| of the company being citizens of Chicago
| and other northern cities, but with a
| resident president and secretary in this
| place. They sold a great deal of land
much of it on credit and deferred pay
ments extending over a term of years.
with vendors lien to secure payment
The state revenue agent discovered that
none of these mortgages had been listed
with the assessors for taxes and that no
taxes had ever been paid by the com
pany to state, county or municipality.
Five or six years ago the state
demanded back taxes of the company
which was refused and suit was entered
The case has been in the courts con-
tinuously ever since and the fight has
been one of the most logged ever ex-
perienced bfore the supreme court of this
attorneys to defend their suit but every
ruling of the courts was against them
and they were finally forced into a cor
ner where they were at the mercy of
the revenue agent. The remainder of the
lands belonging to the company was at
tached and ordered sold to satisfy the
claim of the state. The sale was to
have been made next Monday, but yes
terday the president of the land COM
pany, DR.. Ward of Chicago, came down
to Jackson and settled the claim, hav-
ing the sale stopped By long distance
telephone message from the revenue
agent
This settlement however, is only for
the taxes that accrued between the years
1895 and 1904 The taxes for the years
1905 to date are yet to be settled but it
is not believed the company will go TO
court again in an effort to get out of
paying them.
In the meantime the revenue agent is
after other big fish, devoting his time
and attention very largely to the Singer
Sewing Machine company, which has been
selling in this state for years and has
never paid any taxes on its hundreds of
thousands of dollars worth of solvent
| credits
The spring term of circuit court con-
| vened here today, Judge Wiley HI. Pot
| ter presiding, and District Attorney Nc
| Neill looking after the interests of the
state Judge Potters charge to the grand
jury was in line with his previous ut
| terances against all forms of lawless-
ness and calling attention to the sacred
ness of the duty imposed on the jury
man.
Three or four murder cases are to be
| investigated. but only one is of more
than local interest-that against Will
Sorsby charged with the murder of Post
office Inspector Charles Fitzgerald at the
Clinton depot last September Sorsby has
employed able attorneys to defend him
and every possible loophole will be tried
In the effort to save the prisoners neck
The district attorney has already stated
that there will be no temporizing and
no compromise in this case. and the fight
will be one to finish. This trial, which
is scheduled to begin on the third week
of court, is not of so great national
interest as Is the Cooper trial at Nash
vile, but tits of a great deal more in
terest to jackson and Mississippians gem
orally, the man killed by Sorsby having
been one of the most popular and most
widely known in the state.
The persons arrested yesterday as sus-
pected of completely in the mail pouch
robbery, had preliminary hearing early
in the night before Commissioner Nose
ley at the federal building, and all were
| discharged. there being no evidence that
they had anything to do with the actual
stealing. They had, however, found the
sack and the mutilated letters and said
nothing about it. That was attributed to
| ignorance on the part of the suspects, all
of whom were negro women and chill
| dren.
| sticn in the street south of the tele-
| phone poles.