The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1912-12-10

Mar Leech, daughter Of Col
Joseph Leech, Of thar town .
young lady, whose amiabIe char
deter and beautiful person added
70 an extensive fortune. promise
nauch felicity TO this worthy
TAR. fPage eli,
ne magazine being printed in octn-
80 - f~hlladeiphla, it is impractieahl-
70 state whether his marriage .r-
Cured prior to the Uillsborn .nT..n-
tion or subsequent thereto. Also, il
IS impossible to state whether Colonel
1oseph Lecch was the Identical I.etyh
VINO, with Governor Spaight and three
olhers, were the representatives Of
craven county in that convention. hut
as p~roplnqulty Is i valuable aGiunct
10 matrimOny, that conclusion can y.
Drawn. Similarly it IS Impossible to
state whether this is the same COL
oIel Joseph Leech Who in 1857 had
a dispute with Richard Spaight. the
Aalher OF the subject of this sketch.
about the entry OF the tract Of land
On ~atchelO creek, vet it is 4 rea-
sonable conclusion TO believe tina they
We're the same people. Here W. have
one generation engaged in coatcn-
tons and strife about business mat
'efs' n the next generation uniting
lnelr lives. Truly Man but
God disposes.''
OF his union there were born sev-
tral children, namely. CD Richard
loobbs Spaight, Jr, born 1876, and III
1884 elected Governor of the state.
thls being the one instance in the
history Of North Carolina where ia
ther and son had each held the guber-
Material chair; (2) Charles 3. Spaight.
born in 1900, and (3) Miss Margaret
Spalght, who married Hon. John r.
Donnell. afterwards a judge Of the
Superior Court. Neither Of Governor
Spalghts sons were ever married, SO
the only descendants of his now liy-
ing are those of his daughter, Mrs.
Donnell, several OF whom live in New
Bern.
In November, 1889, the assembly
met at Fayetteville, at which time
VIC find Chapter % chartering the
University Of North Carolina names
Colonel SpaiSht as one Of its board
OF truStees; likewise by chapter 81
he n eight others are named as
wardens for the Episcopal church at
New Bern to hold property for that
body. On November "a eleven names
were placed in nomination for United
States Senator, the successful candi-
dates being Samuel Johnston and Ben
jamin Hawkins. Colonel Spaight was
placed in nomination, but his name.
like that OF James White, was with
drawn before the balloting.
In 1888. when the General Assem-
bly, met at Fayetteville, we find that
Oh November "a Colonel Spaight was
one Of eleven placed IN nomination
to be named for United States Sena-
tor. the others being the two success
full candidates, Governor Samuel
Johnston and Colonel Benjamin Haw-
kins, the other eight being Colonel
Joseph Mcdowell, Honorable Timothy
BlcOdworth, Thomas Person. William
Blount, John Williams, William Lee
noir, William Pope, and James White.
Later the ane OF Colonel Spaight
and James White were withdrawn.
In February Of that same year he
resigned as colonel Of artillery. II is
stated that at this time he was en-
feebled from disease, II hence his
enforced inactivity FOR the years l1s9,
1870, and 1871.
In 1892 he again enters the General
assembly. being returned as the mem
Der Of the louise of Commons for
the town of New Bern, which assem-
bly, met in that city on November Is.
On November 20 we find placed in
nomination for Governor William LIE
noir, General Williams, Richard
Dobbs Spaight, Judge Samuel Spencer,
and John Macon, while later the
names Of Judge Samuel Ashe and
General Benjamin Smith were added
tbCAo4 "a -
Judge Ashe, and Genera Smiths
names were withdraun). The assem-
bly, balloted for four days without an
election, and on Wednesday, Decem-
Der II, General Spaight was elected,
and accepted the following day. Fri
day. December IA, he was inaugurated
Governor. His first message was de
livered December 5, 1898. when the
assembly met at Fayetteville. and con-
tains little of interest to the present
time. He refers to h violation OF
the neutrality law by a sloop at Will
mington which had seized a Spanish
brig. Also the correspondence with
Governor Moultrie, OF South Carolina
on the subject Of the dividing line be
twe the two states. Mentions the
!, residential fever existing in Phlla-
delphia, and recommends the proper
person vested by law to take proper
steps to prevent the Introduction into
this State. The special message or