Cleburne County AlArchives News.....Newspaper Abstracts for MAY 1924 May 1924 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/al/alfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Candace Gravelle tealtree@comcast.net February 14, 2005, 6:40 pm The Cleburne News NEWSPAPER ABSTRACTS FROM "THE CLEBURNE NEWS", Heflin, Cleburne County, Alabama for MAY 1924 NEWSPAPER issue of Thursday, May 1, 1924 WOMAN DROWNS IN WELL Thrown into the bottom of a 75 foot well by the breaking of rotton curbing, Mrs. William Harris Jr., who had lived for many years on the eastern boundary of Cleburne County, was dead before the accident was discovered. The death of Mrs. Harris occurred on Thursday, according to information brought to Heflin this week. The farm on which Mrs. Harris lived belonged to Perryman Bros. of Heflin and the owners had directed the tenants to repair the well curbing. Mr. Harris was engaged in his usual duties on the farm at the time his wife fell into the well and attracted by the condition of the curbing, investigated and found his wife dead beneath ten feet of water. Mrs. Harris had started the noon meal before going to the well, the husband starting an immediate search for his wife when he found her absent and the dinner material burned. Besides her husband Mrs. Harris is survived by two small children and many relatives in the community. The funeral service was held at the church near her home last Saturday. ____ MRS. ANNIE GAINES' FUNERAL HELD SUNDAY News of the death of Mrs. Annie Gaines, age 30, wife of A.J. Gaines, spread quickly into the Lebanon community. She was a daughter of W.F. Jacobs and was born and reared in this community. Funeral services were held at the Ai Baptist Church on Sunday afternoon by Rev. W.M. Barr. Hundreds of her girlhoood friends assembled at the church to pay their last respects to the splendid young woman whose tragic death brought sadness into their hearts. Mrs. Gaines, who had been diseased for the past year or so and was despondent over failing health, died as a result of self inflicted injuries from a razor, dying an hour afterward. ___ J. W. LAMBERT DEAD J.W. Lambert, aged about 70, and one of the highly respected and widely known citizens of the Ai community, died at his home there last week, being survived by his wife and eight children. Funeral services for the Cleburne pioneer were held on Friday at Harmony church by Rev. W.M. Barr, the interment being made in the family lot there. The surviving children are: W.J. Lambert and Mrs. J.R. Chupp, both of this county; Edward, Homer, Thomas and Earl Lambert and Mrs. Reese Prichard of Birmingham. (Note from transcriber; although 8 children are indicated, only seven are named.) ___ HEPSABAH News Mr. and Mrs. D.L. Collins of Anniston spent last week with the latter's parents, Mr. and Mrs. P.L. Currie. ___ LOCAL News Mrs. E.A. Lane left this week for a visit to relatives and friends in Birmingham. Mrs. Lane will be joined in Birmingham by her brother and sister for a short time and afterward she will spend several weeks in south Alabama after which she expects to return to Heflin to reside. ___ FEDERAL COURT Case Mrs. Evelyn Sue Rickner, the young woman who is charged with shooting her husband to death at Camp McClellan in June, will be tried at the May term of the court. ___ 84th BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION of "UNCLE" BILL SEARS A number of Heflin and central Cleburne county friends are planning to go next Saturday to Micaville to assist in the celebration of the 84th birthday of "Uncle" Bill Sears, one of the oldest and best known Confederate Veterans in that section of the county. "Uncle Billy" has been rather feeble at his home since a stroke of paralysis several months ago, but he has been slowly improving for a few weeks. The friends from this section expect to enjoy the day at the home of their friend. The old veteran has been active all through his life until the stroke came, and his friends are hopeful he will be spared to them for many more birthdays. ____ Mr. and Mrs. Sam Fields, who have been visiting relatives at Blue Mountain, have returned to their home in this county. __ NEWSPAPER issue of Thursday, May 15, 1924 LOCAL News George W. Thrower of Heflin Route 3 was in town on Wednesday, accompanied by his mother, Mrs. John Thrower, who will visit here for several days. Grandmother Thrower is 84 and still active. ___ "Uncle" Jack Baber, who has been ill at his home here for the past few weeks, was able to be on the streets for the first time Friday and Saturday. He is regaining his strength satisfactorily after suffering over a month. Mr. Baber is about 85 years old. ___ Heflin, Hopewell and Edwardsville members of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan will attend the public ceremonial to be held in Anniston on Thursday and Friday. The members of the Invisible Empire have arranged a program of two days in which a big parade through the streets of Anniston will be a feature. ____ F.L. Wager of Sargents, GA has returned to his home there after a visit to his brothers, G.W. and J.J. Wager and their families in Heflin. Mr. Wager was accompanied on his visit here by Mr. and Mrs. Reid Wager of the same place. ___ E.S. Howell has gone to Augusta to visit his oldest brother who has been seriously ill for several weeks. He will visit at his old home in St. George, S.C. before returning home. ____ Joe Motes, a well known citizen of the White Plains section was buried at that place on Monday, his death having occurred at Jacksonville on Sunday. The funeral services were conducted by Rev. J.C. Francis of Heflin. ___ NEWSPAPER Issue of Thursday, May 22, 1924 LOCAL News Mrs. E.H. Lawson of Ensley has arrived in Heflin for a visit of some time with her parents, Prof. and Mrs. M.A. Vickers. __ Mrs. L.K. Yonce (nee Gladys Merrill) of Richmond, has arrived in Heflin for a visit to her parents, Col. and Mrs. W.B. Merrill. She visited in Birmingham before coming here. __ RANBURNE MEN ON JURY Levi Langley, William Nunnelly, S.B. Estes, J.M. English, Sam and John Otwell, I.M. Woodward and Bob Pullen of Ranburne were among the Cleburne men who went to Anniston on Tuesday to serve as jurors in the federal court session which began there Wednesday morning. ___ MRS. HUGHIE BETTER Mrs. G.P. Hughie of Almon street, who fell and hurt herself last week is recovering rapidly. Her brother, S.A. Higginbotham, who lives at Chulafinnee, has returned to his home there after visiting his sister in Heflin. Miss Clyde Johnson of Chulafinnee, a niece of Mrs. Hughie, is visting at her home this week and is enjoying her trip to Heflin immensely. ____ CLEBURNE COUNTY AND ITS RESOURCES, by W.A. Porter The geographical and historical account of the county from it's organization down to now. The county is bounded on the south by Cherokee County, Alabama, on the east by Polk, Haralson and Heard counties in Georgia and is 67 miles long and on the south by Clay and Randolph counties, on the west by Talladega and Calhoun counties. Its greatest width is 17 miles. Its mountains, the Appalachian escarpment and the Turkey Heaven Mountains on the east and on the west by Blue Mountain, an offshoot of the Blue Ridge and its dividing water shed is the line between Cleburne and Calhoun counties. Its principal streams are Terrapin creek in the north, Muscadine, Cane and Shoal creeks in the central part and Wise and Cedar creeks on the south and Kyhulga creek on the west. Tallapoosa River enters the county near Tallapoosa, Georgia and runs 43 miles through this county to Randolph and has been surveyed and chartered as a navigable stream. There are a number of smaller creeks in the county. About 66 percent of the land in the county is areable and the remainder is mountainous but is fine timber and grazing lands and most of it is adapted to growing apples, peaches, grapes, plums and strawberries. There is a large percentage of branch, creek and river bottom land which yields large crops of grain, potatoes and hay. Fine watermelons and musk melons are produced here in abundance. Huckeberries, hackberries and raspberries grow to perfection on well chosen lands. Sweet and irish potatoes produce abundantly. There is no reason why fruit and truck growing should not prosper here to the extent of a fine shipping point to nearby towns. Cattle, hogs, sheep and goats can be raised here as in any other part of the country. ______ BIG RAID LANDS SIX MEN AND DESTROYS WHISKEY A raid near the Georgia line proved to be fruitful in results. Sheriff H.A. Jackson and State Officer John Draper established a new record for raiding activities in this county last week by landing six men in jail, cutting up several stills, pouring out great quantities of beer and capturing sixty one gallons of whiskey all ready for the market. The raiders captured Ed Holcomb and James Sigler at a still which was in full operation. At another place the officers caught Thomas Lorren and Alfred Morris at work digging a pit for a furnace and destroyed all the paraphenalia they found there. The two raiders went to the home of P.W. and Jinks Porter and found 36 gallons of whiskey in and under the house, making cases of violating the liquor law against both of the men. The series of raids were conducted at points near the Georgia line, the raiders being accompanied by Sheriff Richards and a deputy from Haralson county. Sheriff Jackson and Officer Draper secured the names of several other men who ran off from one of the stills at their approach and will bring them before the courts under charges of illicit distilling. _____ Mr. and Mrs. Martin Harris who have been in Birmingham and Bessemer for the past few months, have returned to Heflin to make their home. Friends of the Heflin people will be pleased to know that they have both improved greatly in their health during their absence and they are both in good physical shape. Mr. Harris is the oldest citizen of Heflin, in point of continuous residence, now living here. He became ill more than two years ago and went to Birmingham for treatment. Mr. and Mrs. Harris were guests in the home of their daughter Mrs. L.B. Sparks at Bessemer while they were away. ____ HEPSABAH News Mrs. Mitchell and children of Lineville spent Sunday with her daughter Mrs. Guy Howle. __ Mr. and Mrs. Sam Morris of Anniston are visiting relatives here. __ PLEASANT HILL News Frank Willingham and family of Gadsden visited their parents here Saturday and Sunday. __ Mr. and Mrs. Aaron Webb and little son were the guests of Mr. and Mrs. Mack Morris on Sunday. __ Mrs. Clarence Price of Oxford visited her parents Mr. and Mrs. G.W. Willingham on Sunday. __ LOCAL News Mr. and Mrs. Arlan Fowler and son of Hightower were the Sunday guests of Mr. and Mrs. J.B. Robertson. ___ Mr. and Mrs. Sam Polytinsky of Hartselle arrived in the city the first of the week by automobile for a visit to the latter's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Rutenberg. ___ Ed S. Howell, who went to Augusta, GA several days ago to visit his oldest brother, John J. Howell, has returned to his home in Heflin. Mr. Howell's brother is 77 years of age and has been seriously ill since a stroke of paralysis came on him about a month ago while he was visiting his daughter in Augusta. ___ NEWSPAPER issue of Thursday, May 29, 1924 BEN BENNEFIELD KILLED SELF WITH PISTOL SHOT IN HEART NEAR HIGHTOWER A bullet from a new 32 caliber pistol, fired into his heart, last Sunday afternoon, ended the life of Ben Bennefield, a young married man of the Hightower section of the county. Mrs. Bennefield, with a baby in her arms, rushed into the dining room at the sound of the shot and in time to see her husband sink to the floor, a corpse. Mr. and Mrs. Bennefield and their baby had returned to their home only a short time before the killing from the decoration service at Macedonia. Mrs. Bennefield's attention was attracted to her husband by the sound of a pistol shot in the kitchen a moment or two before Mr. Bennefield's death, the young man telling her that he had fired his pistol at a dog in the yard. At the sound of the second shot from the pistol, Mrs. Bennefield heard an exclamation from her husband and running into the room saw him topple over on the floor, the pistol flying from his right hand. The bullet entered at the center and ranged directly toward the heart, death being instantaneous. Mrs. Bennefield's report of the killing of her husband was that after they entered their home we spoke of wanting lunch and she suggested that he could find plenty to eat in the basket which they had brought back from the all day service at Macedonia. When the neighbors were notified and arrived at the house, Bennefield's mouth was half filled with food and that circumstances created the belief in the minds of some people that he had killed himself by accident. Justice Jas. M. Beggs viewed the body and decided that the young man had killed himself and no inquest was held. Funeral services were held at Macedonia on Monday and the body buried there just before noon. Young Bennefield was a son of Rich Bennefield who with his two brothers, figured in a triple killing in the same neighborhood about 18 years ago, the three men being killed in a gun fight between them. The story of the triple killing was that Alf Bennefield killed the mule on which Rich Bennefield was mounted and that Rich Bennefield in turn shot Alf and Whack Bennefield to death after being fatally wounded himself. ________ LOCAL News A.W. Coker, who has been operating a taxi between Heflin and Anniston, has moved his family to Heflin and is occupying one of the Duke cottages. ___ Mrs. Fred Vaughan is visiting her mother at Munford. __ JACKSON FAMILY REUNION HELD; Large Gathering at Macedonia Decoration Enjoyed One of the interesting features observed Sunday at the annual decoration services at the Macedonia Baptist church about ten miles south of Heflin, was the reunion of the Jackson family, all of the members except a brother, S.T. Jackson, who lives below Bowdon, in attendance. Rev. D.W. Kight, who was a pastor of the church at Macedonia for 16 years, delivered the annual sermon at 11 o'clock and an address being made also by Rev. A.T. Warmack. T.A. Martin of Cullman, Mr. Eason and several other Cleburne people made short talks during the day which were thoroughly enjoyed. An unusually large number of people from the surrounding territory assembled at Macedonia for the annual service on Sunday, the serving of a basket dinner at the noon hour being one of the enjoyable features of the occasion. The members of the Jackson family who were at Macedonia on Sunday were: J.L. Jackson of Beat 9 J.A. Jackson of Carroll County D.I. Jackson of Bowdon Sheriff H.A. Jackson of Heflin Robert F. Jackson of Haleyville J.E. and L.T. Jackson Mrs. Lenora Couch Mrs. Bulah Ballenger Tuesday the members of the family were all together at the home of D.I. Jackson in Bowdon and on Thursday they were to come to Heflin to be the guests of Sheriff Jackson and family. The seasons of reunion with the family has been one of unusual pleasure, it being the first time they have been together in several years. _____ "Uncle" Will Owen of Bell Mills, one of Cleburne's best known and most highly respected citizens, was in Heflin on Wednesday morning looking after business matters. Mr. Owen will celebrate his 89th birthday tomorrow, May 30th, and has spent his long life in Cleburne (formerly Benton and Calhoun) county, except four years he gave to the south in the war between the states. ____ George Washington Lee, known familiarly among his neighbors as "Daddy" Lee, who recently established a store on the top of "Pulltight", about four miles north of Hightower, is doing a thriving business among his friends in that section of the county. Mr. and Mrs. Lee attended the decoration service Sunday at Macedonia and were accompanied home by their daughter Miss Minnie Lee who is making her home in Tallapoosa. Miss Lee was accompanied by her friend Dewey Albright of Anniston. ____ An act of neighborly kindness of the type of long ago was reported this week from the Hightower section, farmers and others in that section having gone to the farm of James Gore and helped him finish his spring crops. Mr. Gore and four of his children were attacked by measles several weeks ago and have suffered extremely since the first of their illness. Mrs. Gore was the only member of the family to escape the attack. Neighbors found time in their busy season to furnish hands and teams to keep up the sick man's work of planting and his crop is about in the same shape that the others enjoy in the same neighborhood despite the fact that Mr. Gore has been down for several weeks and still unable to do much work. ____ Mr. and Mrs. Lindsey Thompson who live north of Hightower are being congratulated on the arrival of a fine son, the young man having arrived this week to brighten and bless their home. The child is the first baby of the proud parents and also the first grandchild of T.P. Thompson, one of the leading farmers in that part of Cleburne county. ___ Mrs. Robert Sessions and children of Birmingham have arrived in Heflin for a visit to the former's parents, Mr. and MRs. Simon Stricklen. Mr. Stricklen has been seriously ill at his home here for the last few days and his friends will be hoping for a good report form him during the next week. ___ MEMORIAL SINGING FOR "UNCLE" JOHN THROWER NEXT MONTH The memory of "Uncle" John Thrower, who died at his home in Chulafinnee about six months ago after a long and useful life among the people of Cleburne county, will be fittingly honored by his friends on the third Sunday in June, an all day memorial singing to be held at the Baptist chuch on that day. Singers who loved the lamented citizen during his lifetime will travel many miles that day to attend the memorial in tribute to his memory and a committee has been named to entertain the large number of visitors expected at the service. One of the outstanding features of the day will be a memorial lesson conducted in the afternoon by J.M. Duffy, who is one of the best known singers of East Alabama. Dinner will be served on the church lawn at the noon hour by the thrifty housewives of the Chulafinnee section and it is expected that a large number of friends of the late Mr. Thrower will take advantage of the opportunity to attend the service. ___ S.W. HINGSON BURIED S.W. Hingson, a former citizen of Cleburne county, but who has been living at Oxford for many years, was buried at Hepsabah Cemetery on Tuesday afternoon, the services being conducted by Rev. E.W. Hagood, pastor of the Oxford Baptist Church. Mr. Hingson served on eterm as Sheriff of Randolph County several years ago, moving afterward to this county and later to Oxford. He is survived by two sons, John H. and Robert A. Hingson and two daughters, Mrs. Elia Yoe and Mrs. Dora Turnipseed, all of Oxford. A large number of old friends of the family assembled at the Hepsibah cemetery for the funeral service. Mr. HIngson was a Confederate soldier and a member of the Masonic fraternity. ____ EDMONDSON FUNERAL Funeral services for Mrs. A.J. Edmondson, who died at her home near Chulafinnee on Thursday after an illness of a week, were held from the late home Friday, the burial being made in the family lot there. Mrs. Edmondson was about 60 years of age and was widely known in the southern part of Cleburne county. She was the daughter of Harmon Perryman of Oxford and is survived by her husband and several children. ____ LOCAL News Mr. and Mrs. Paul J. Robinson and daughter Vivian, have arrived from Atlanta for a visit to their Heflin relatives. Mr. Robinson is a city fireman in Atlanta and is taking his annual vacation of twenty days, most of which time will be spent in Heflin and relatives in the county. Mrs. Robinson is the daughter of C.F. Dodson, of the Cleburne News. ___ Mrs. Isaac Wheeler and daughter Miss Sarah Wheeler have gone to Esom Hill for a visit of two weeks with relatives at that place. __ Mrs. W.H. Ector of West Point, GA is visiting her parents, Mayor and Mrs. A.J. Haley. She will go from here to Birmingham to visit her sister Mrs. C.H. Coggin. ___ Mr. and Mrs. Roy Groover of Mississippi spent part of this week with Mrs. Albert Jones. They made the trip by automobile. ___ Prof. and Mrs. Gurley left last week for Hartselle for a visit to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. John J. Gurley, after which they will go to Camp Bragg, N.C. where Prof. Gurley will be an instructor with the rank of First Lieutenant in the Reserve Officers training camp to be held there this summer. ____ "Uncle" Charlie Coggin, one of the best known and most generally beloved citizens of Heflin has been carried to Birmingham for treatment following a sudden stroke several days ago. Friends of this estimable citizen will hope for a favorable report from him. ____ L.R. Dunn, who lives about four miles north of Edwardsville was among the visitors to Heflin last week. __ File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/al/cleburne/newspapers/gnw316newspape.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/alfiles/ File size: 21.7 Kb