The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1914-12-03
Mr.. Billiard Writes
Interesting Article

Of this county.
A short time ago yonr columns
contained the news Of the arrest in
Albany OF negro, one General
Banks BY name, while trying to sell
at 10 cents per pound some fine PEI
cans stolen from tie orchard Of Mrs
Ramsey in Lee county Ihave since
learned that he squealed on other
negroes who were in the game with
him and that they are all now in.
Jail at Leesburg. On behalf Of the
pecan industry Of this section /
hope they will get straight chain
gang sentences to the limit Of the
law.
This thieving Of pecans is going
to be a menace to,the grower; it is
now a menace and as the large or
chards hereabouts come more into
hearing the incentive for stealing
these fine nuts will be considerably
increased unless there is the proper
effort made to stop it. And who
can give the most aid in stopping
this nefarious practice? The store-
keeper, the fruit Sandman and the
individuals who buy them readily
because they are both cheap and
good.
It will be conceded without dis
sent that the negroes, as q class,
are not engaged in the pecan bust
ness. Therefore when Il fellow,
and especially IN INDECENT one like
this culprit Banks w9s, brings to
the open market large quantity
o. the finer nuts and offers them
for sale at even the market price
for such nuts tile presumption is
almost conclusive that he came by
them dishonesty; but when he
offers them at the ridiculously low
price Of 10 cents per pound then
the circumstances are sufficient to-
put the wooden Indian in front of
the cigar store on notice" that
something is wrong. 1t was at
least the moral duty Of every man
approached and who ha any know
ledge Of nut values 10 have notified
the police at once.
Let US look at the case for mo-
ment: Here was negro whose
every appearance bore the ear
marks of being an INDECENT fellow;
/ know this to be true because ]
saw him in Jail few minutes after
his arrest. He had sack Of $50
pounds or more offine nuts which
the grower is selling wholesale for
40 cents and more a pound; this
fellow hawked them around at re-
tail at 10 cents a pound, and prob
ably would have succeeded in dis
posing OF all them if some pecan
man had not caught up with him
and tipped him off to the police.
l am told that only a few days pre-
yious Banks had sold a half bushel
at one place and a large lot at a
fruit stand in Albany at IL IL
cents pound. And if the culprit
in such cases claims to have gotten
them with his crop then yon take
it from me that he is not telling
the trnth because the paper shell
pecan is not cropped out that way
am informed that during the
nut season some fruit stands have
offered for sale fine pecans at lower
prices than the growers were get
ting Wholesale. And yet these yen-
doris might feel insulted if some
one made the suggestion that pos.
sibly they had aided in a common
crime in buying those nuts; that
possibly. they had received stolen
gsods, and possibly under some
ouch circumstances as this Banks
case which shodld have put any
reasonable man on notice, the dis
regard of which brings one close to
the danger line Of criminal liability
All the indications are that thil
is going to be a hard winter. In
fact the rigors Of financial stress
are already felt on every hand
The stimulus to petty thieves il