davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Perth Amboy evening news., 1921-02-11
At the Strand

Having waited for nearly a year
since the presentation of The Vir-
gin of Stamboul," for another pic
ture starring Priscilla Dean, the au-
dience at the Strand theatre last
night was in a rather e~xpectant
mood as it awaited for "Outside the
Law" to be shown. 1t must be
frankly stated that after the feature
had been screened the audience was
not only fully satisfied, but there
were many who declared "Outside
the Law" t ODE the best crook play
in many years, the acting of Pris-
ella Dean to be a revelation and the
supporting company as leaving
nothtIg further TO be desired.
Tod Browning, who directed
many of Priscilla Deans big sue
cesses, not only guided the players
through Outside the Law" but he
also wrote the story, which was
adapted for the screen by Lucien
Hubbard. While it may be called
IN underworld story, it differs in al
most every way from the usual
crook drama. There are no Crook
ed" police, no villainous Chinese
and no bribe-seeking pliticians: n
does the author try to preach the
oft-used fallacy about there being
honor among thieves. His charac-
ters run true to type, and they are
enmeshed in q series of situation
and climaxes that hold the interest
in q vise-like grasp and at times
make ones nerves Jingle and ones
breath almost to stop.
The acting is unusually good.
Priscilla Dean has never appeared
to such splendid advantage, as in
the role of silky Moll,' who finds
going straight irksome to her adven-
turous soul; Lon Clancy s marvel
Gus as BLACK Mike" Silva. leader
of the San Francisco gangsters;
Wheeler Oakman is finished as the
dapper young crook. Bill Ballard:
Ralph Lewis, as Silent Madden; f.
A. Warren. as Chang 10, the Chi
nese sage: Wilton Taylor, as the po-
lice inspector: Melbourne MacDow-
ell, as the banker. and little Stanley
Cocktails, as that kid" comprise a
list of principal players hard to
equal.
Perth Amboy evening news., 1921-02-11
nir HoIIdnr Bin Al crescent

1t is. indeed. seldom hat a inca
tire management offers on the same
program. such stars as Ethel Clay
ton and Douglas Fairbanks. but that
is Just what the management of the
Crescent theatre has done for today
and tomorrow. Everyone who saw
the show last night was loud in then
praise of both pictures, claiming the
performance to be the best in tho
city. Fairbanks is hsown in n re-
vival of THE Americana" This Is
a picture concerning the life of an
American business man in a little
European republic. There's a laugh
in every scene.
Ethel Clayton scored a triumph
as an emotional actress in "A City
Sparrow" The picture, which is
,ased on a story by Kate Jordan, is
a love drama filed with genuine
Perth Amboy evening news., 1921-02-11
THEATRES
At the Majestic

OF all the attractions on the CO.
lumbia Wheel this eason none VIII
be found as funny as Barney Ger
ards Girls de Looks" with Joseph
X. Watson and Will II. Cohan. This
laughing sensation will be seen at the
Majestic Theatre Monday next. and
is well remembered for the big hit
scored here last season.
The book in which these clever
men will be seen is one of the fun
niest ever written, being from the
pens of Barney Gerard and JOS. X.
Watson. Slitkin and Slotkin. for
merly seen as refined lawyers are
now bankers and brokers. Their
business methods are so ludicrous
that they keep the audience in a con-
tiuuous roar of laughter. Their
Perth Amboy evening news., 1921-02-11

heart throbs, and an ideal vehicle
for the popular star.
1t tells the story of a city vaude-
vile dancer who. after an accident.
is informed by her doctor that she
can never have ans children of her
own. She goes to the country to re-
cuperate. and there she accepts the
proposal of David Muir.
As the marriage draws near. how
ever. she notices his ardent love for
children. and fearing that she can
not make him happy as a wife. she
leaves Cor the city. David over-
takes rel and when he learns the
truth. they come to a ~felicitous I'M
Outstanding. :
The program also includes a News
Weekly and others.
Perth Amboy evening news., 1921-02-11

buying ana selling OF stocks, their
actions at the stock ticker and their
disposing of valuable stock which
they believe worthless for a mere
song. are scenes that must be seen
to be appreciated.
Mr.. Gerard has engaged one OF
the best casts he could cur and
a beauty chorus of twenty under
twenty
Particular attention has been
given to the mounting Of the show,
Mr.. Gerard realizing that the eye
must be entertained as well a. the
ear. There are six elaborate stage
settings which hespeak the last word
in the scene painters art. while the
costuming will undoubtedly prove n
revelation. Kao and kalama. a
Hawaiian duo of exceptional merit
is one of the highly touted special
features.
Polk County news. [volume] (Benton, Tenn.) 191?-1983, 1921-06-09
Prominent Man Killed When
Auto PIunges Into River
Frank Whisenant Crushed aud Ehrown into River, But
His Family Escape Unhurt

tie meeting place being on the
fifst turn up the river from the
waler trough spring where the
road enters the mountain, Ham
mons car being left standing with
one wheel up OH the upper bank
81 the road. In making the turn
to avoid the. standing car, alter
HatAmons had motlonad him to
stop, Whisenant lost control OF
hisear, it going over the wall side
wise John Higginbotham with
his3amily were in a car behind
HqH1mons, and went to the near
est felephone and called DR., Much
OILS While Hammons got the. body
oufpf the river.
When DR.. Nuchols arrived at
sce1a of the accident, Mr. Whia-
enaht Was still breathing but lived
onI few minutes. The body Of
the dead man was carried back to
his bono. where only few hours
belose he left with his family for
JOY rde, and prepared for burial
Tie remains were placed on the
late evening train Monday night,
andklfipped to his former home in
North Carolina. Mrs, Whisenant
and eldest daughter accompanied
the femains.
Polk County news. [volume] (Benton, Tenn.) 191?-1983, 1921-06-09

Frank Whisenant, foreman OF
the Prrndergast Cotton Mills, az
ed about 50, and driving his car
containing his wife and four OF
his five children, and two grand
children, in attempting 10 pass an
other car which had stopped to
make the passing in the narrow
road, overturned his car down a
thirty foot wall, and was thrown
across the old road against a tree,
and ten feet out into Hiwassee
river, and died about all honr
atterWard, Sunday afternoon,
The car, in turning, dumped his
wife and children out on the first
turnover, leaving them unhurt
about ten feet below the road, but
on the second turnover Mr.. Whis-
enant was hurled against a tree
leaning over the river, and on in
to the river ten feet rom the bank
His chest was crushed, apparent
" by the steering wheel, and his
hip fractured, together with eight
ribs broken loose from vertebra
where.the force of the fall against
the tree struck.
n. B. Hammons, of the Prender
gast store, had stopped his car to
allow Whisenant to get by safely,
Polk County news. [volume] (Benton, Tenn.) 191?-1983, 1921-06-09
Deputy Sheriff Bound
To Court On Charge
Of Transporting
MCMinn Officer Didn't Get
By Sheriff Bell

Sheriff II. n. Bell, whose ol7
factory nerves are as acute when
it comes to smelling bootleg
riauor, as an old sOWs 5 in smell
ing slop. was sitting in his auto,
near Reliance, Sunday evening
when Deputy Sheriff John Raser,
of ktoWah, accompanied by "A. Is.
Queener, passed Dy the Sheriff
going in the direction of EtOWah
The Sheriff smeIltd a mouse, as
the saying is, and followed the two
for short distance. His susplc-
ions increased, and Just as the
Deputy Sheriff and his friend got
on the river bridge, which crossed
Hiwassee river, the Sheriff ran his
car past the McMinn officer and
stopped him and told him that he
would have to search his car. The
deputy informed the Sheriff that
he didn't have any of the stuff
for which he was looking. The
back part of the car was searched
but nothing of a liquid was found.
Finally Sheriff Bell went around
to the front part of the car and
went to raise the hood and the
deputy stated there was nothing
under the hood except the engine
and some cylinder oil. However.
the sheriff was from Missouri, and
he raised the hood and under
heath, tied with good cord, re-
posed A gallon tcan. The can was
detached, opened and contents eN
amined, The arrest of the Deputy
followed, and when searched he
had half man in one hi
pocket and a pistol in the other
Both men were carried before Esq
S. l.. Higdon, waived examination
and made bonds for their appear
ance before the grand jury on the
3rd, Monday of next month, eact
one being charged with transport
ing and the Deputy sheriff witt
carrying a pistol.
Polk County news. [volume] (Benton, Tenn.) 191?-1983, 1921-06-09
The Sense of Fear

Henry Ford. in an interview
with a magazine writer not long
ago said the impelling motive with
most men is the sense of fear. Men
fear they will lose their money, or
their positions, or their health, or
the esteem of friends-any or all
OF these and other things-and
their fears make them timld and
inefficient,
The idea is not 4 new one We
once heard a minister preach ser
mon on The Sin of Fear. He
argued that if a man lived the
right life he would have nothing
to fear. and that therefore fear was
sin, or the result of sin,
People who have this sense OF
fear so highly developed in their
make up are to be piticd, although
they may not wholly deserve 1t.
Most of our fears are groundlesS;
the dangers we fear do not exist,
Our expected troubles are never
As great as we think they will be;
our misfortunes as a rule could be
much greater.
There is nothing and nobody to
fear except the Almighty, and him
only when we have disobeyed him.
Polk County news. [volume] (Benton, Tenn.) 191?-1983, 1921-06-09
CIVIL WAR EXPERIENCES
OF |. B. NORMAN
Written BY James II. williamson
No. IL

| al good meals at his house. His
family showed me greatest kind
ness. The country was oyerrun
with gangs of thievss, robbers, etc,
i often went out after these men.
There was a man by the name of
| Fitzgerald who had gang of bad
men, He claimed to be for the
South but was not very particular
about it, bul was recognozed as
Southern. There was man named
Hampton who also had gang of
outlaws. He Killed everv Southern
man he met or could reach. was
sent along with six Others to 90
with the Fitzgerald caoud and arr
est Ilamyton. We went about 7 or
s miles and came to house. We
rode up and heard some men leav-
ing the house. We fired into them
but never hit them that we knew
of. We searched the house but
found NJ men theae, but there was
a woman with four or five little
children in bed. That fellow Fitz-
gerald took up the fire shovel took
a shovel of live Goals and threw
them into the beds the children
were in. l don't think l ever saw
meaner man than that man Fitz
gerald unless Hampton was match
for bun. The mother began scream
ing and taking on over her chill
ren. helped her put out the fire
and keep the house from burning.
The chiltren we're not hurt but the
bed clothing was badly burned.
None of oufsoroa9 helped ms put
out the fire, The woman thanked
me and Sald She WOULD always re-
member there was one good man
in the croud and would never for
get me for my kindness.
We went on twelve or fourteen
miles from Jonesborough. l was
never over the road but once.
There was two places that Fitz-
gerald said Hampton would be
that NIGHT. Goodson Flemming,
half brother of DR.. Flemming,
was Lieutenant and was in COM
mand of my croud while Fitzgerald
commanded his Croud of outlaws.
Continued next week
Polk County news. [volume] (Benton, Tenn.) 191?-1983, 1921-06-09

Washington county, Arkansas,
where he served as Deputy Sheriff,
Justice of the Peace, andCounty
Judge, with honor to himself and
benefit to the community. He WIS
held in such esteem by public oil r.
iciaIs that the Circuit Court which
was in session at Fayetteville, ad-
iourned and the Judge and men,
bcrs of the bar came by private
conveyance II miles to be present
at his funeral, and to pay tribute
to his character. A prominent law
yer remarked that the most repre-
sentative assembly that he had ever
seen in the county was present at
Judge Hannah 5 funeral.
The Christian life and character
of Judge Hannah, his devotion to
truth and right, will be cherish
ed memory among us. For all
these these things we are thankful
He was our friend and we loved
him, our comrade and we honored
him. He is gone let us be sub
missive to the will Of god, Whc
doeth all things well, and as he
always strived to do Let II, do ouI
duty and carry on "
+, G. Mccormick,
Honorary Member, Chm.
w, X. Wallace,
A Allen, Committee,
Prairie Grove Camp u, c. v
Prairie Grove (ArkO Herald
Polk County news. [volume] (Benton, Tenn.) 191?-1983, 1921-06-09
In Memoriam
R .EtAanah .

Prairie Grove Camp of Confed p
crate Veterans is again called upon
to mourn the departure of one Of
its most valued members, Jadge
Robert Owen Harnah, for more
than twenty years the commander
Of this camp. After attending sun
day school and church on SUNDAY,
May 8th, he returned home and at
half past three o clock the same
afternoon was suddenly called to a
higher and holier service in the
presence of his Lord.
Judge Hannah was a man in the
highest sense of the word, faithful
in all relations of lite. In his private
life and public service he never
'sacraficed principle. When he had
answered the question Is it right
for himself, that answer became
his guide and nothing could move
him from his position. 1t was SAID
OF him 1T his funeral, by a proil1i-
nent lawyer who had known him
intimately for nearly a hall century,
warm as his hand was, cold as ii
is now, that hand never took a dis
honest penny.
He was devoted to bis family, tC
his country, to his lodge, to his
church, in which he was a faithful
Elder, who never failed to be pres
ent at the meeting of the Session.
ana above all, to his God.
Judge Hannah was born at Ben.
on, Polk county, Tenn, Nov. |
1884, He volunteered for service il
the Confederate army in October
1862, and served through the wal
from thot date. He was in the
battles of Chicamauga, Missionary
Ridge, Lookout Mountain, an(
others. In 1868 he was captured
while on special duty, and sent tc
Rock Island prison, where he re-
mained for more than d year He
was paroled and sent to Richmond
Va. from there he returned to hl'
Tennessee home When Genera
Lee surrendered, r. O, HANNAH
surrendered and became with Gen
eral Lee a loyal citizen of the I'm
tied Stares. He was a true soIele
of the Contederacy, a faithful pub
ie servant and most useful citizen
Most of his public lite was spent il
Polk County news. [volume] (Benton, Tenn.) 191?-1983, 1921-06-09

A cold spell came OH US. 1t was
very cold, wind blowing out of the
North. Some artillery had stalled
above one end. We had to camp
in the cold wind. There was a
thicket of pines near our camp.
We made log heaps out of them.
They burned fine but on one side
you would burn up or smoke to
death whileon the other side the
wind would freeze you to death, |
went to my wagon where my Capt
ain had placed a two gallon jug OF
apple brandy. | sampled this free
ly, Others smelling my breath
tracked it up. 1t all went that night
keg and ALL | lay in my wagon bed
covered up with a blanket and
slept good. The next morning there
was about three inches Of snow all
over me and everything. | came
out of bed sweating. We came
on over the Blue Ridge next NOR
ming thru the snow to our Cammand
OH the East Tennessee, Virginia
and Georgia railroad. Ny horse
being wounded | went into the
odds and ends leaving the 3rd
Tennessee because of the wound
ing of my horse, Major Ray had
charge Of some powder works, |
went thru these works. They cut
and burnt ash wood and mixed it
with sulphur and saltpeter and
made powder for the army.
Nv job was to act in keeping
people from doing wrong, arresting
5e0plewisrll srslefed q ssp se i55y
Major Ray. There were people
sympathizing with the North and
South both sides having their
friends. Trouble was continually
going on,
There lived an old man named
Shipley. He lived about half mile
nom JonesborouRh, Tenn, He
was a Union man but a fine old
fellow. we had to arrest him sever
al times. | was detailed to &uald
him. | went home with him while
he was under arrest The first time
I ate dinner with him | laid my
gun on my lap but l soon learned
to love and trust him. ] got sever
Polk County news. [volume] (Benton, Tenn.) 191?-1983, 1921-06-09
Story of Old Time Suicide
Recalled by Judges Death
Pioneer Bachelor Takes His Own Life, Perhaps FIRST
Recorded Suicide i'm Polk COunty-Buried uOId
And Freed His Slaves

The news OF the death OF Judge
r. o. Human at his home II
Pairie Grove, Ark, calls to mine
the first suicide in Polk County,
A few wears before the remova
of the Chcrokees from this country
a young man by the name OF James
Pettitt came from North Carolina
and established a large stock stand
along the old federal road near the
present Old Fort station. BY the
wear 1872. being two years alter the
formation of Polk county, he mad
accumulated small tOrtune, bat
had nevHrmarried Legally, under
the whitemen laws and WAS r"co%
nized as a bachelor.
Itwa, on the morning of Feb, IL
1872, that one OF Pettltt' 5 negro
slaves found his master lying dEad
IN his kitchen. Pettitt had d large
hole blown into his forehead be -
tween his ewes, his gun lying be-
side him. His relatives were uutlil-
ed and when his cousins, who
lived at Ross Landing now Chatta-
nooga, arrived at the Petttt home
and made an investigation, they
found a will which had been writ
ten bv Pettitt, providing among
other things, that ut his death his
slaves should ~all be tree. This
clause of the will, coupled with the
fact that no whites lived near,
caused his relatives to suspect that
some one OF the slaves had killed
him in order to be free. The next
X day after Pettitt death an ing
uest was held by Coroner a. Cole
man, with the white nelghbors as
Iurors, but a. no evidence was OBJ
tainabIe, except that of the slaves,
the Jury found that petutt rdd
killed himself with his own gun.
However,. soon after the return Oi
the verdict of the jury OF inquest
rumor spread that the negroes had
KILLED. Pettitt in order to obtain
;heir freedom, and - SO strong be-
came this belief that 1t grew INTO
popular demand for the raising OF
the body, and the holding OF an
other inquest. A petition to this ct
feet was presented to the county
court, and the court ordered Sheriff
John Shamblin to summons 1ufN
of good citizens from the county
seat district, together with Drs.
I. NJ. Alexander and K. n, Elem
mings, and exhume, the body OF
Pettitt and hold second inquest,
50 OH Aug. 8, 1912, the body OF
Pettitt was dug up and examined
by the two physsciaps and their
testimony given. The jury COM
posed of A. r. Stephenson, r. IL,
Mcconnell James Denton, Samuel
Parks, X. S. Stubblefield, James
B. Cromwell, John Williams father
of our present Clerk and Master
A. j. Williams. JOHN Austin, Ste
phen Blankinship, James Parks,
Elisha Williams and John +, Han
nah Gather of Judge K, q. Han
nah), had the slaves all examined,
one brought at time, the others
being under rule. After all the cvi-
dence had been given the jury re-
Polk County news. [volume] (Benton, Tenn.) 191?-1983, 1921-06-09
Star Seen
AT Mid day

For several days this week the
planet Venus was plainly visible
to the unaided eye. You didn' t
have to be in the Ducktown mines
nor the Colorado canyons either
to see the star.
Thursday, owing to the planet
Polk County news. [volume] (Benton, Tenn.) 191?-1983, 1921-06-09

being apparently near the moon, it
was easily located. Owing to the
upper atmosphere being clearer
and rarer, the star shown bright
est in the zenith, or from 10 a, m.
to 2 p. m, Several of the country
folks near Benton saw the star.
Did you?
Polk County news. [volume] (Benton, Tenn.) 191?-1983, 1921-06-09

tired to decide as to whether
murder would out, or if public
opinion was wrong. While the
jury was out, the Croud was
strangely silent They had heard
the evidence as well as the jury,
and as all the slaves had told pract-
ically the same story they had
made up their minds, but doubted
their judgement.
The second jury returned a YER
dict similar to the first one, but
more peculiarly worded. 1t was as
follows:
Said James Pettitt did upon the
10th day OF February, 1912, not
having the fear of God before his
eyes, but instigated bv the devil,
did telOniously and willtully kill
himself with a certain rifle gun,
his own personal property, by
placing the muzzle of the same
centerably between his eyes and
disCharging the contents of the
same in his forhead.'
The remains of Pettitt were in
tered near chestnut tree just on
the outer edge of the family burial
plot, it being against the custom
in thosAdavs to inter a suicide
upon consecrated ground, The re-
mains are there today under
rock pile beside the grave OF one.
OF his slaves His thousancs of gold
his hords of slaves and all that he
held dear are scattered and gone,
and even the name of Pettitt is al
most unknown in the vicinity OF
Pettitt's stoCkroad stand.
The account of this terrible trag-
edv, with the mystery of why the
rich bachelor committed suicide, as
we'll as the unusual occurrence of d
second .inqnest several months
later, would be incomplete with
out a relation of a reported grue-
some result of the first inquest, in
volving a horrible prenatal conse-
uuenCc of the maternal viewing OF
pettitt with the bullet hole through
his head. Among the hundreds
who viewed the remains of Pettitt
was, so it is reported, young
farmers bride of the preceding
summer, and when her first child
was born it was stillbOrn with a
hole through its head exactly
where the bullet hole had been
through Pettitt's head.
The Pettitt stock stand was To-
Gated in one of the most historical
spots in this county. 1t was located
on the west side of the old federal
road. A shirt distance northwest,
stood the old fort, which is still
standing and is being used for a
smoke, house by the Higgins
family; few miles east is the
famous Minnewauga springs, and
few hundred yards south, and on
the side of the same road as the
Pettitt stand, is tie noted brick
residenc known as the McNair
home, and few wards from the
residence and on opposite side OF
the federal road, repose the ashes
of noted Indian and his wife.
Polk County news. [volume] (Benton, Tenn.) 191?-1983, 1921-06-09

As shown by the recent census
Japan has fourteen cities OF over
100, 600 inhabitants. The laegest
is Tokyo, the capital with a pop
ulation of 2, ,173,l ,lo2.
Polk County news. [volume] (Benton, Tenn.) 191?-1983, 1921-06-09

The total value OF the table aud
bed linen in Buckingham Palace
is estimated at S35, 900,
Polk County news. [volume] (Benton, Tenn.) 191?-1983, 1921-06-09

If you like our paper tell other,
if not, tell us, we can settle the
difference.