The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-11-04
Half Century OF North Carolina Life
Portrayed In DR.. Battles New Book

by boys dressed like sailors, hang
ing in the rigging. Franklin County
had a real log cabin, with man,
painted and dressed like an Indian
and brandishing a tomahawk, seat
ed on top"
In the same year he saw the 10.
connective, the Tornado, puff into
Raleigh with flying sparks, amid
''boundless enthusiasm" Many
felt like the old lady in Goldsbor-
ough who said on her first sight
Of the locomotive, Verify the power
Of God is great but the ingenuity
lof man is greater 3"
In Chapel Hill there were pun
ming parties, debates, Commence
ments, and the tax-collection gath
erings at the northwest corner OF
Columbia and Franklin streets,
where people came from far and
near, where watermelons, cider
hard and soft, and whiskey were
consumed in large quantities, and
where political candidates har-
angued the crowd from "a large
rock with flat top"
AS a lawyer in Raleigh, as plan
tation owner in Edgecombe, as pol
itician and stump speaker in ante
itician and stump speaker in ante
bellum days, as member of the Sc
cession convention, as president of
the Chatham railroad, as many
times trusted public servant, Kemp
Plummer Battle comments on his
times, with amusing anecdotes and
interesting sidelights.
President Battle describes his
first law case in Wake county,
which he lost. Hinton Franklin
struck newly imported Irishman,
name unknown to the witnesses.
There were two counts in the pill
of indictment, one giving the name
of the man struck, the other for
striking man unknown. There
were six witnesses endorsed on the
bill. I called five, who said they
saw the blow, but didn't know the
name Of the man struck. I did not
call the sixth. The lawyer for
Franklin was one of the ablest men
at the bar, Henry w. Miller. He
sent for Archbold on Evidence and
showed that the jury could not say
the mans name was unknown be-
cause the sixth witness might have
known it. I had not the right of
reply and the jury said, "Not
guilty!
To increase my modification
the foreman of the jury said, when
l met him afterwards, The Jury
blamed the State in this case.' I
was never caught in such a slip
afterwards. I ought to have asked
the court to call in the last wit
ness, but I had announced that nv
case was closed and the Justices
would have refused. If Mr.. Badger
had then been chairman he would
himself have called in the sixth
Witness
President Battle gives a vivid de-
scription of the old-time treatment
of criminals. 1.-THE day of exec,1-
ton is a general holiday and the
town was full Of ardent sightseers ,,
he says. 'As the grog shops were
all open and drinking spirituous
liquors was common, there was dis
graceful drunkenness. Woman were
present in numbers. Indeed in
Granville County a newly married
couple once made their bridal tour
to the scene Of execution. Bows
were carried by parents in the be-
lief that it would aid their moral
training; it showed the youthful
mind the punishment Of crime.
1T is an indication of public sen.
timent on the subject that some
well raised refined school girls At
Louisburg started to join the con-
cnlIran f,1$ ,,yt n,a $l,>,,