Madison County AlArchives News.....Items from The Huntsville Weekly Democrat December 6, 1882 ************************************************ 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: Kenneth Stacy klstacyfamily@aol.com January 11, 2007, 6:28 pm Microfilm At Huntsville Library December 6, 1882 PERSONAL MENTION Mr. John T. Patterson has been confined at home by pneumonia for 10 or 12 days. We are glad to hear he is getting better. Mr. and Mrs. John G. Taylor and child, of Silverton, Colorado, are visiting relatives here. Dr. J. Munro Banister, U. A. A, his mother-in-law, Mrs. White, of Pulaski, Tenn., and his infant daughter, after a short visit to Rev. Dr. Banister and family, left on Monday last. Dr. Munro Banister is Surgeon, is now on White river, Colorado. Returned: From Mobile—Capt. Ed. I. Mastin; from Montgomery—Capt. Milton Humes, Capt. Dan. Coleman, Frank Coleman, and Nich. Davis; from Memphis—Mrs. Sue Todd. Mr. Henry B. Dillard is back from New York, whither he went to consult an oculist. We are sorry to learn that he has experienced no immediate benefit from the treatment received, but hope his eyes will, ultimately, be cured. Miss Susie Matthews has returned from New York. Mrs. Geo. Steele left, to-day, to visit her daughters in Mississippi. Mr. and Mrs. Reuben Chapman have returned from their bridal trip to New Orleans. Mr. Geo. B. VandeVenter was engaged, last week, on the Tennessee river getting staves for the New Orleans market. Mr. Faust, formerly of Pulaski, Tenn., now of New York, is in our city. LOCAL ITEMS Colored Normal School ---------------------------- Senator Shelby and Representative Williams, of Madison County, have introduced a bill to abolish the Normal School for the education of colored teachers. In the name of justice to colored children, we solemnly protest against the abolition of this school. It is designed is give colored children teachers of their own race, and the Normal School here, under the control of Prof. Councill and competent assistants, has done noble work. We cannot imagine any object that Senator Shelby and the negro Representative Williams, could have in offering such a bill, except that Prof. Councill has sense enough to be, and courage enough to proclaim himself, a Democrat. In so saying, we believe that we express the general intelligent sentiments here. W. J. Powell, East Marshfield, Mass., has been exhibiting, in our city, a Cotton Picker, patented by him, this year. By invitation of Mr. Albert H. Jones, we witnessed its operation on stalks of cotton at Jas. E. Seat’s Store, and it seemed to us what planters want. The machine is very simple in construction. There are two chambers, one above the other. A revolving fan in the lower chamber, operated by a man at a wheel, moved by hand and treadle, one or both, exhausts the air in the upper chamber, while 12 or 15 feet of India rubber hose with a nozzle, having crooked wires at its mouth, is applied to each boll of cotton. By pneumatic pressure the cotton is instantly, into the hose, and thence, into the chamber, which has been exhausted of air by the revolving fan. Of course, leaves and other trash may be drawn in, but not more we think, than hand pickers would have in their baskets. The machine is adapted for two sections of hose, so that two hands can work at the same time. Thus the cotton can be plucked from three rows of cotton, on each on each side of the machine at the same time with three hands—one turning the wheel, the others operating the two sections of hose. We are not a planter, but we know something of cotton picking and believe this a valuable labor-saving machine. ALABAMA ITEMS Last week, we announced that Paul L. Jones received 12 votes for U. S. Senator, and Gen. Morgan 113, all the other votes cast. Nearly all of Jones’s votes were from the 8th Congressional District—in the Senate, Jackson, of Colbert, Shelby, of Madison; in the House, Branch and Clarke, of Lawrence, Glover and Hunt, of Jackson, Underwood, of Colbert, Haden and Williams, of Madison; Goree, Ingle and Tingle, from Southern counties. So 9 of the 12 votes belong to this District. Bibb and Raisler, of Limestone; and Cochran, of Madison, voted for Morgan. U.S. NEWS U. S. Congress ------------------ The 47th Congress met in its second session on Monday last. In the House, several members, to fill vacancies, were sworn in, among them was Hon. Chas. M. Shelley, of Alabama. Calkins, of Indiana presented a memorial against the swearing of Shelley in, but asked no action beyond reference to the Committee on Elections. We received the President’s message to-day, too late for note or comment. To-morrow, Dec. 7, is the day appointed for the Democratic Convention of the 8th Congressional District of Alabama to be held at Decatur to nominate a candidate to fill the vacancy in Congress, caused by the death of Wm. M. Lowe. On Saturday last, the Democracy of Madison County met in convention in Huntsville, and appointed representative men from every precinct in the county. We do not think that we have ever had a better selection of delegates, and are satisfied they will do their duty. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/al/madison/newspapers/itemsfro1260gnw.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/alfiles/ File size: 5.6 Kb