Newport iaily Indepen »ent.
I VOLUME XVIII NO. 251. NEWPORT, ARKANSAS WEDNESDAY, FER. 19, 1919 PRICE FIVE CENTS
MEXICA1 KILLER
■ DIES OF WINDS
j
Louis Costello, Who Cut Another
Mexican to Death, Succumbed in
Jail Tuesday Night.
Louis Costello, a Mexican, who
cut to death another Mexican named
Francisco Martinez during a drunk
en row in a boarding car at Swifton
early last Saturday morning, died
Tuesday night in the county jail here,
succumbing to the wounds which the
man he killed inflicted. The’ remains
of Costello are being held at an un
dertaker’s establishment awaiting the
arrival of his wife from Little Rock.
During the knife duel, which was
of a most bloody character, Costello
was slashed by "Martinez about the
face and head and was stabbed three
times in the back. It appeared Sun
day and Monday that the Mexican
would recover, but it developed that
he had received internal injuries,
which produced death. It is said that
during the fight Martinez kicked Cos
tello heavily in the stomach before
Martinez dropped dead from his
wounds.
Papers found in the clothing of
Costello showed that he had killed a
man in Burleson county, Texas, sen
tenced to the penitentiary, and was
pardoned by Governor Hobby January
25, 1918.
Both Mexicans were about 30 years
old and worked as members of an
extra gang for the Missouri-Pacific
railroad at Swifton. It is alleged
that Georgy Smith, a Newport ne
gro, sold whiskey to the Mexicans.
Smith is under arrest.
ENTERTAIN WITH
DINNER DANCE.
One of the most attractive evening
parties for several months was the
dinner-dance given last evening by
Mr. and Mrs. O. D. Watson, which
took place at their home and was at
tended by several couples of friends
to meet their guest, Mrs. Gaylord
Warner of Minneapolis, also as a
special courtesy to Mrs. John W.
Stayton of our city, who as also a
member of their house party. Sev
eral covers were laid and an exquisite
vase of pink roses formed a center
1 effect and candles with pink silken
shades were also effectively used. A
dinner of several courses was nicely
served and after dinner quite a num
ber came in for dancing which began
at ten o’clock. At the dinner table
were Mr. and Mrs. Watson, Mr. and
Mrs. John W. Stayton, Mr. and Mrs.
P. H. Van Dyke, Dr. and Mrs. H. 0.
Walker, Mr. and Mrs. Claude M. Er
win, Mr. and Mrs. T. J. Gregg, Mrs.
Gaylord Warner, Miss Bessie Watson
and Little Ladye Elizabeth Watson.
Coming in after dinner were Mr. and
Mrs. W. A. Billingsley, Mr. and Mrs.
J. A .Gregory, Dr. and Mrs. Geo. K.
Stephens, Austin R. Campbell and
Breckinridge Campbell, the latter of
Little Rock.
Mr. and Mrs. C. W. Muirhead and
baby daughter were up fiom Oly
phant today on business and visiting
r relatives. They have finished their
pretty new home and enjoy all the
conveniences of homelife. They ex
press themselves as very well pleased
with their new home, having only re
cently moved there from Weldon.
***♦♦♦+ ♦♦♦ ♦♦♦♦♦
I\/|ADALIN E THEATRE
A ♦
X THE HOUSE OF GLASS; +
X ♦
A Clara Kimball Young +
X #
▲ Five Reel—SELECT. ^
t - !
▲ BEE’S IN HIS BONNET. +
x ♦
^ A good Lonesome Luke +
♦ X
X ♦
^ One Reel—PATHE ♦
X *
♦ — X
♦ *
▲ Admission 10 and 15 Cents.
« ♦
♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦
j ED HOPPER IS FINED
ON WHISKEY CHARGE
IN CIRCUIT COURT.
| - !
i Ed Hopper, who conducts a livery
stable on Beech street and a hotel on
Third street, plead guilty to a charge
i of transporting whiskey into New
j port and was fined $100 and the costs
| in circuit court Tuesday. Another
j case for the same offense was nolle
i prossed.
_&_.
THE SWIFTON KILLING.
| Special to Independent.
Swifton, Feb. 15.—A drunken row,
1 probably caused by bootleg whiskey,
caused a duel to the death Friday
j night between two Mexican laborers
on a Missouri-Pacific work train
| near the Swifton depot. Shortly af
! ter midnight when Deputy Sheriff Ira
Bush was-notified he found Francisco
Martinez dead from a number of
I knife wounds and Louis Costello bad
ly cut in a number of places. Depu
! ty Sheriff Dan Hogan and Coroner
Henry Grant were called from New
port Saturday morning. Costello was
held to the grand jury without bail
j and was taken to Newport Saturday
j evening and placed in the county jail.
The two Mexicans, Martinez and Cos
tello were members of an extra work
; train which has been at Swifton for
] nearly a month.
j When searched by Deputy Sheriff
l Bush, papers were found on Costello
! showing that he was sent to the Tex
as penitentiary for five years from
Burelson county, for murder. Among
, the papers was a pardon issued by
Gov. Wm. Hobby on Jan. 23, 1918. It
, developed that, more or less whiskey
; had been furnished the Mexicans and
j a negro named Ed Smith was arrested
i and taken to Newport along with Cos
tello.
I ' _
HELGOLAND TO
BE DESTROYED
--
Famous Forts, Together With Kiel
: Canal and German Ships, Are To
Be Demolished.
London, Feb. 18.—The final armis
tice conditions which the supreme
Council is considering will be made
public before the end of the month,
according to various newspapers, and
they will include among the naval con
ditions the demolition of the forts on
Helgoland and the Kiel canal, the sur
render for purposes of destruction of
the German warships now interned
and the opening of the Kiel canal for
civil transports. It is stated that
Germany will be left with a fleet
large enough for defensive purposes.
Berlin, Monday, Feb. 17.—The Ger
man government’s reasons for accept
ing the stringent terms of the renewal
of the armistice, as outlined in a
Weimar dispetch to the Nord Deuts
che Allgemeine Zeitung is that a re
newal of military operations follow
ing refusal to sign would lead to the
complete moral collapse of the Ger
man people. The absolute conviction
prevailed that refusal to sign, or di
l/vf -fcVw* rirrmnRala
would meet with an immediate ad
J vance of the allied armies beyond the
Rhine, involving the occupation of the
most important and indispensable in
dustrial districts of west Germany,
i The representatives of the parties
I who participated in the cabinet delib
erations agreed unanimously that the
people as a whole would neither un
derstand nor approve such an out
come, and that therefore there was no
alternative except to sign under pro
test.
| The Berlin papers generally come
to the same conclusion.
The Independent regrets omitting
from its issue of last week the death
at Kenyon of J. C. Craig, aged 79.
He was one of the county’s oldest and
best citizens and for a long number
of years had been one of the leading
citizens of Bird township and a mer
chant at Kenyon. He is survived
by his wife and two children, a son
and daughter, Gus Craig, who has
charge of the business, and Mrs. W.
B. Strawbie, all most excellent peo
ple of that section.
Outlook For Good Roads
In Jackson County Good
Sentiment in favor of better roads ,
in Jackson county continues to grow,
which is most gratifying, because as |
a developer of a community better .
roads take first rank. It is a matter
of history that no town or county can !
progress very far and make much of;
their advantages, no matter how val- j
uable and attractive, with bad roads.1
At this time there are three dis
tricts in operation in the county. Dis
trict No. One, extending from Diaz
to Grubbs, a distance of ten miles,
will be completed1 within a short time,
work having been resumed since the
end of the war.
District No. 2 represents forty
miles of roadway, extending from
Newport to Grubbs via Stegall to the
county line, via Johnstown to Ama
gon; Newport to Beedeville via
Washburn’s bridge. The contract foj
the building of these roads will be let
on the last day of March, the bonds to .
be sold.in April. The district will.
cost something near $400,000.
District No. 3 recently was knocked j
out by the supreme court, but G. A.
Hillhouse has introduced a bill in the
legislature to amend the decision of
the court. The mileage of this dis
trict is 20*'miles, the road running
from Newport to . Tupelo, via Au
vergne, Shoffner and Weldon
District No. 4, embracing 29 miles,
is in fine shape, work having already
started on the road, which extends
from Newport to Tuckerman.
District No. 5 is in process of for- j
mation, and the road would run from j
Newport to Elgin.
Prospets for the building of the j
Arkansas-Missouri highway from j
Little Rock to Missouri are splendid.
The road would come through Brad
ford, Russell,- Newport, Tuckerman j
and Swifton.
In fact, prospects for the building I
- I
of about 158 miles of good roads in
Jackson county are most encouraging, j
The $30,000,000 road bill prepared
by a good roads committee appointed
by the Board of Commerce, of which !
D. K. Hawthorne is chairman, was
introduced before the senate yester-1
day afternoon by Senator C. A. Walls j
of Lonoke county. It was read twice j
and referred to the Committee on j
Roads and Highways, which meets j
Thursday night. J. F. Loughborough, |
W. B. Smith and C. A. Walls assisted
Mr. Hawthorne in drawing up the bill.
The bill provides for a system of
highway Commission, to connect the
principal cities and towns and the
county seats of Arkansas. A tax of
214 mills on the dollar is to be levied
on all the property in the state, which
shall be paid into a sinking fund for
the payment of principal and inter
est of bonds amounting to $30,000,000
which may be issued under the pro
visions of the bill.
In addition to the general tax, there
is also an automobile license tax of
$20 per annum, levied on all automo
biles and motor vehicles used on the
roads of the state. Of this amount
$10 is paid into the sinking fund and
$10 into the Highway Improvement
fund. Half of the proceeds of the
$30,000,000 bond issue will be appor
tioned to the counties of the state in
the ratio of the population of each
county to the population of the state,
according to the census next preced
ing the allotment. Half of the pro
ceeds of the bond sales will be subject
to the disposal of the Highway Com
mission for use in constructing the
principal roads of the state, and in
furnishing state and in securing fed
eral aid for the county roads and im
provement districts in the various
counties.
SENATE SAVES THE
ACTUARIAL BUREAU.
After about three hours’ discus
sion, at times somewhat exciting, the
senate yesterday put a quietus upon
the house bill by Representative
Beard for the repeal of the act creat
ing the Actuarial Bureau.
The bill was called up by Senator
Woods about 11 o’clock at the morn
ing session and as soon as Secretary
Langley had read the title Senator
Collins moved that the measure be
indefinitely postponed.
The debate was at once begun, Sen
ators McFarlin andi Godwin being
the principal champions of the bill.
Mrs. J. E. McElwee is up from
Little Rock this week, the guest of
her many Newport friends, who are
always glad to see her. Mr. McEl
wee came in on the noon train today,
joining his wife and looking after his
grocery trade. Mrs. McElwee has
just returned from a pleasant visit
with friends at Harrison.
HUMAN LIFE LONGER.
I the years 1348-50, 25,000,000
deaths from the plague or “black
death” occurred, which was one
fourth of the entire population of the
world at that time. In the year 1761,
50 per cent of the English nation died
before reaching the age of 20 years.
The average length of life in the six
teenth century was only 21 years
while in this, the twentieth century,
the average life is 45 years. In India,
however, the average life today is
only 24 years.
We are enabled to see what the
science of medicine is accomplishing
in our more civilized countries, where
ignorance and superstition do not pre
vail to any very great extent.
If you need (Stake) go to the
butcher shop; If you need your
watch fixed go to a jeweler; If you
need printing done, go to a printer;
But, if you need music in your home
call on Z. B. Reid. 29d3t wit
Subscribe for the Independent.
r---*“*' —! I
j ARKANSAS
I BANK Q
I TRUST
j COMPANY
j Gj NEWPORT, ARK..
» Our Business is to Please You
§| The only way in which any Business _
can succeed is by pleasing its pa- :
§= trons—that fact is obvious. S !
The Arkansas Bank & Trust Com-* ||j j
g pany has always recognized this l
i g basic principle and has maintained g j
a character of service and safety
= i which has won the confidence and g j
|= good-will of the people of this com- g !
SB munity. = j
= Our assets now amount to well
i = over a MILLION DOLLARS and this
evidence of public approval indicates ,
g our ability to serve YOU to your ad
g vantage. = j
H MAKE OUR BANK YOUR BANK. g |
Li Safety-Satisfactory Service |^J |
1 ' 1
CENTRAL CHRISTIAN
CHURCH PLANS EVAN
GELISTIC CAMPAIGN.
Through the agency of their pastor,
Mr. Bridenthal, the official board of
the'Central Christian Church have
secured the services of Dr. Clyde Lee
Fife, one of the most widely known
of America’s successful evangelists.
Dr. Fife will conduct this big evan
gelistic campaign, beginning Sunday,
March 16, and will continue as long
as required to do the work which is
planned.
Bear the date in mind. All Chris
tians are invited to take part in evan
gelizing Newport.
BILL VOTED DOWN.
Special to Independent.
Little Rock, Feb. 18.—Senator
Evans’ measure for the creation of a
State Defense Fund for the support
of the Arkansas National Guard
through a per capita tax of $1 on all
males between the ages of 18 and 45,
was defeated on the floor of the Sen-}
ate late yesterday afternoon following
an extended debate upon its provis
ions. The vote by which the measure
was killed was 11 for and 18 against ,
it. Senator Evans gave notice that
at some future time he would move a ,
reconsideration of the bill, which was
said to have embodied the ideas of (
the adjutant-general’s office on the ,
proper way of providing for the .
Guard in the future. ,
Among the reasons urged against :
the bill by senators who said they ,
were for supporting the Guard liber
ally but not under the Evans’ plan,
were that a tax on youths between 18
and 21 would be a species of “taxa
tion without representation,” since
the vote is not given to them, and that
the Guard be supported by the proper
ty interests which it protects, instead *
af through a per capita tax.
__ i
MUIOER'TRIHL IS j
SET FOR THURSDAY
<
-- (
Will Davis, Charged With Killing 1
John Barton Near Amagon 1
Months Ago, Will Be Tried. 1
_ <
The trial of Will Davis, charged 1
with first degree murder in connec- 1
tion with the killing of John Barton <
along the road between Amagon and i
Baleh a few months ago, will begin 1
in circuit court Thursday. Since the 1
killing Davis has been out on bond. ■
No explanation of the killing has
ever been made, but it is said the
trouble grew out of a business dis
agreement.
EDUCATIONAL BOARD.
Special to Independent.
Little Rock, Feb. 18.— Senator
Wilson’s bill for the creation of a
uniform system of county boards of
education in the State which has been
much-discussed in the Senate recent
ly, met further obstacles yesterday
when it was called up by Senator Wil
son for final passage. It was pointed
>ut by Senator Caldwell that it con
tamed no specmc provision ior a me
thod of nominating members of the
proposed boards. The bill was sent '
back to the committee on Education,
and late yesterday was brought out |
again and the necessary provisions
for applying the rules governing <
jther county officials to the county
board were embodied in an amend
ment adopted. The bill was then
sent to the Engrossing committee. i
SUNDAY SCHOOL HAS .
LARGE ENROLLMENT.
Special to Independent.
Swifton, Feb. 17.—The Sunday
school at the Swifton Methodist Epis
copal church, South, has the largest ]
enrollment and attendance in the his- ,
tory of the church. Under the leader- ,
ship of Prof. J. F. Wiles the interest
in the school has caused the attend- .
ince to grow until the school fills the
church building.
FOR SALE.
Thirty Jersey milk cows Cheap, ]
with calves and heavy springers. ,
D. J. Owen,
400 Malcolm Avenue, >
247dl0t Newport, Ark. j,
^Si
ELKS PUN FIB 1
MI1ISTREL SHOW
[ncrea
Tali
I
At
Iuesd
irranj
ince 1
nontli
lounc
put tl
nade
Bren,
.vho h
n the
odge
iates
le has
ng a
A c
Black’
3aeng
VTaddi
Wilke:
Etuler
with
:an bi
•angei
irgani
The
)f the
:onsid
ibly n
:essfu
s a r
lever
JTTLE ItOCK BOARD JgH
OF COMMERCE AND THE
CLIMBER MOTOR COMPANY
Recently the Newport Chamber o£s| j
Commerce Hjade inquiny of the Littbt 3
loock Board concern-J
ng the <’limber Motor
•esentatives of which are - se!Iinfe3[
dock in Arkansas for the tm&|)|||H
if a n automobile factory in LitfcHj
Following is the. reply receivedi'S'M^ *.
“The Climber Motor Company
ame to the Little Rock Boar^
Commerce and laid out their pla*®l rl
or building an automobile factory'
his city. * * * We made but aa&M ,
•equest, that he submit a copy of hia )|
Farter, of his articles of incorpora*’*.;
ion under which he expected to owaN* |
ite. * * * Mr. Drake said ha
lo this in ten or fifteen days when a f |
neeting was to be held to pass upon ; j
iis credentials. Instead of waiting|
'or the meeting, he appeared in tfcafjS ::
Vikansas Gazette with a double
td, stating that the Little Rock Boirdlf ;
>f Commerce had endorsed hia d
isition. This made it necessary
is to follow with a counter ad that
vc did not endorse the proposition and »
Fat we could not until we knew morfk* ; d
ibout same. * * * The only infor
mation we have developed so far 48|||
Fat we Fave received from the ■
;ary of state of Oklahoma a certtff^:||::;;;
■opy of articles of incorporation, .
which says the company is incoipj^
ited for $100,000 made up in 10,000
shares at $10 a share. Further, We4§|;
!48d4