The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1915-11-05
.PELLA6RA CAUSE
BELIEVED FOUND


Neo0U rAu6 10 VVeWeU
Exhibits VIII Show Agricultural Prog
ress Among Race In M~ississippi.
News Notes Of Interest from
jackson.
jackson.
Eleven convicts at the Rankin. Miss.
state prison farm-seven of them serve
Ing life sentences have been grantee
full pardons by Gov. Brewer as a re-
ward for submitting to prescribed tess
by United States public health author
tiles to determine the cause of and
the cure for pellagra. A twelfth mem.
Der Of the prison ''pellagra squad" was
released a few months ago because of
q physical breakdown.
The granting of freedom to the elev-
en- prisoners followers an official an
nouncement by the Mississippi state
board of health that experiments con-
Quoted at the convict farm under d.
rection of DR.. Joseph Goldberger and
his assistants had demonstrated pella-
gra is produced. by an unbalanced .ra-
ton, and that DR.. Golberger was cob.
WINGED the disease could be cured IL the
patients were given proper food. The
results Of the experiment are consid-
cred by prominent physicians as Of ex-
ceptional importance in the prevention.
and treatment of the disease. which, in
recent years, it is declared, has beer
increasing the death rate in Mississip-
pi> and several other southern states.
Physicians stated steps will be taken
to introduce the diet treatment for pei
lagra into various sections where the
disease is prevalent.
The experiment was begun Feb. Is.
1915. with twelve prisoners. each of
whom was promised a pardon IL he
would follow during a stated period q
diet prescribed by DR.. Goldberger. The
diet excluded milk, fresh lean meat,
eggs. peas and beans. A diagnosis con-
Quoted by DR.. Goldberger and -four
Jackson physicians showed, It was an
nounced, that six of the prisoners in
the squad have pellagra in a %pronounc-
ed form and that two others show the
Sy Su68CSlSNC VI lAC uASCdoS.
In issuing the pardons Gov. Brewb
told the prisoners they were free y
leave the convict farm IL they desired.
| but he urged them TO remain several
weeks and be nursed back to health.
Those submitting to the test and re-
ceiving pardons we're: Ernest Akin
| son and Woodson Atkinson. from Lin
coin county; Ira d. Wray. from Sun
flower county: John Brock. from La
mar county; D.. W. Pitts. from ITALIA
hatchie county: C. Edward Pickering.
from Copiah county; w. M. English,
from Bolivar county; John Shows.
from Simpson county; Alex Gambles
from Webster county, and Guy James,
from Leflore county. y.
Negro State Fair.
| The Mississippi Negro. State Fair
opened here Nov. 2 toelast shree days.
The opening day was we'll attended by
the most desirable cciorei citizens of
the state. The president of the negro
fair is p. w. Howard, while w. J. La-
than is secretary. These, are two of
the most prominent colored lawyers In
| the state. Their idea in getting up a
fair is to show negroes over the state
what others OF their a C are doing on
the farm.
covineton County Wins.
The feature event of the corn club
division Of the State Fair this year, as
was the case in 1919 and 1914, was the
contest for the automobile donated by
| the fair association to the county SUI
~perintendent whose record Of efficien.
cy in the corn club work is best dem
| onstrated, by contest, actual exhibit
and by record. In order to qualify a
minimum. enrolment. of so boys be-
tween the ages of 10 and Is years and
an exhibit of not less than 10 nor more
than 20 10-ear exhibits must be shown.
It was officially decided that Bura
Hilburn. superintendent of education
for Covington county, was the winner.
Fights Privilege. Tax.
The case Of the Penn Mutual Insur
ance Company We. T. NJ. Henry, insrr
ance commissioner. involving construc-
ton Of an act of the legislature impos
ing a two and q quarter e cent priv
ilege tax on premiums on lie insur-
ance business, has been taken up by
the supreme court. Counsel for the ap,
.pellants presented the material facts
In the case. There was no argument
for the state, Assistant Attorney-Gen'
eral Easterling submitting the views OF
the state on brief and on the record
and the close of the appellants argu'
ment the court was declared adjourned
for the week.
Postmistress Given Sentence.
Miss Fannie Cullum, formerly post
mistress at Phoenix, Miss, has been
sentenced in federal court here to fcrr