110-year-old news highlights from The Monroe Journal from July 1906

Alabama Gov. William D. Jelks

The Monroe Journal newspaper in Monroeville, Ala., under the direction of editor and proprietor Q. Salter, published four editions 110 years ago during the month of July 1906. Those issues, which were dated July 5, July 12, July 19 and July 26, can be found on microfilm at the Monroe County Library in Monroeville, Ala. What follows are a few news highlights from those four editions. Enjoy.

JULY 5, 1906

Masonic Officers: The following officers have been appointed for the ensuing Masonic year for Alabama Lodge No. 3, A.F.&A.M.: J.F. Gaillard, Worshipful Master; Reubin Perry, Senior Warden; H.J. Coxwell, Junior Warden; W.E. Broughton, Treasurer; J.W. Wilkinson, Secretary; Jas. A. Marshall, Senior Deacon; S.F. Busey, Junior Deacon; L.J. Frye, Tyler.

McWILLIAMS: Miss Maggie Nettles will start a school here on the second Monday in July for the benefit of the younger children.

MANISTEE: Our town is still on the boom. New houses continue to go up and new machinery to go in. The plan has been made for a new church at this place which will go up in the near future and prove a great benefit to the community, which we feel sure it will.

Miss Anna Bell Murphy is teaching a flourishing school at the Grimes school house. She visited the capitol this week attending the teachers examination.

BUENA VISTA: Messrs. J.J. Finklea and Sons will soon have their commodious and neatly built gin completed. We understand that they expect to gin 20 bales per day.

Confederate Soldiers: Take notice that the undersigned County Board of pension examiners will meet in the office of Dr. T.M. McMillan in Monroeville, Ala. on the 2^nd day of July, next for the purpose of hearing applications of Confederate soldiers for pensions. Such office will be open from nine o’clock a.m. to four o’clock p.m. each day for 10 days not including Sunday. This June 11^th, 1906. – T.M. McMillan, Thomas S. Wiggins, Pension Examiners for County.

Monroe County Masonic Conference: The annual session of the Monroe County Masonic Conference will convene with Tunnel City Lodge, Tunnel Springs, Ala., on the 7^th, 8^th and 9^th of August. All lodges in the county are urged to send full delegations. Visiting brethren will be cordially welcomed. – R.E. Barnes, Secy., Monroeville, Ala.

Sheriff Fountain and Marshal Hunter made a business trip to Brewton last week.

A typographical error was made in printing the letter from Excel last week. The new principal of the school is Mr. Marvin E. Rooks, instead of Booker.

Lightning struck the kitchen chimney of Mr. J.C. Manning’s place, four miles southwest of town on June 25, shocking members of the family and playing havoc among the crockery. It is said that not a piece was left unbroken.

ENTHUSIASTIC SCHOOL MEETING: Prof. L.K. Benson Employed as Principal of the Monroeville Institute: An enthusiastic meeting composed of representative citizens and patrons of the Monroeville school was held in the courthouse last Saturday morning and unusual interest manifested in the establishment of an up-to-date school.

Prof. L.K. Benson was present by invitation and addressed the meeting in a brief but pointed and impressive manner. At a subsequent meeting of the board of trustees, Prof. Benson was unanimously elected principal.

JULY 12, 1906

Three new passenger stations will be built on the Mobile and Montgomery division of the Louisville and Nashville railroad, costing in the aggregate $36,500. Those buildings will be erected at Brewton, Flomaton and Tyson. The new station at Flomaton will cost $28,000 and will be modern in every respect.

BUENA VISTA: Our hearts go out in Christian sympathy to Mr. N.F. Moore, his sweet wife, and to the sorrowing brothers and sisters, on learning of the death of their son, Mr. Allen Moore. Mr. Moore, at the time of his death, was in business in Dallas County. The remains were interred at Reeves’ Chapel graveyard, several miles from Buena Vista.

HARP: Our merchant, J.L. Tatum, accompanied by his sister, Miss Lucy, have just returned home from the picnic at Poplar Springs. Both report a nice time.

PETERMAN: Mr. J.S. Buford, a leading merchant of this place, is building a new store house much larger than his old one, where he expects in a few weeks to be comfortably situated for serving the public.

FLOMATON: W.P. Powell has bought the G.A. Ivey property opposite the L&N depot and will lay it off into building lots. We are glad William has acquired this property, for he is an enterprising citizen and will afford an opportunity to desirable people to buy building sites which they have never had before. Mr. Powell has already opened a new hotel, the Flocambia. Powell is an old Monroe boy and the readers of The Journal will be glad to know that he is prospering.

W.H. Tucker, postmaster and merchant at Jones Mill, was at the capital Saturday.

Tax Collector J.L. Marshall has returned from a visit to his daughter, Mrs. J.L. Sowell, in Marion County.

Coker’s Sentence Commuted: Gov. Jelks, acting under the recommendations of the State Pardon Board, has commuted the death sentence of Sonnie Coker, a young negro of Monroe County, to imprisonment for 99 years. Had clemency been denied, Coker would have been hanged tomorrow.

Coker was tried and convicted in the circuit court last July for criminal assault on a negro girl.

Fred L. Hancock, the murderer of Prof. Jesse Troutman, was escaped from jail last May and was recently recaptured in Kansas City, committed suicide in his cell in Brewton jail last Saturday night by swallowing an ounce of carbolic acid.

He left a note in which he said he was going to a place where he would receive a just trial, where only the truth was told and where he would not be tried by prejudiced people.

PINEVILLE: Two specimens of the reptilian kingdom, in other words two hideous snakes, were killed at our front door a few days ago. Little Jim Allen Sanders was sitting in the piazza and saw it winding its sinuous length up a tree in front of the door. He secured a hoe, instanter, brought it down and killed it. The next day the children were playing under the house and came upon another just like the first. Jim Allen killed that one too.

JULY 19, 1906

Capt. Luck Wainwright, the oldest river steamboatman in Alabama, died at Jackson last week.

The rainfall has been heavy in most parts of the county during the past week or 10 days, and there is already complaint in some sections of too much moisture.

JONES MILL AND SNIDER: Mr. Clay Hybart’s new house is nearing completion.

Mr. I.A. Weaver, who is pleasantly remembered by many Monroeville friends as principal of the Monroe Institute during the last session, is now editor of the Lineville Headlight, published at his hometown.

Sonnie Coker, the young negro whose death sentence was recently commuted by the governor to life imprisonment, was taken in charge by an agent of the state convict department on Monday and removed to his destined place of employment.

PINEVILLE: Miss Gennie Burns has commenced teaching a school at Cuba, near Livingston.

MONDAY ITEMS: Mr. E.T. Blackburn is teaching a flourishing school near here.

WESLEY CHAPEL: Most of the farmers are behind with their work on account of so much rain but not so much rain but not so much as they have been.

Capt. C.M. Marriott was up from Homewood last week attending the commissioners court.

JULY 26, 1906

PINEAPPLE R.F.D. NO. 1: Miss Etta Norred of Pineapple is teaching school at the Owens school house.

PINEVILLE: The reunion of Confederate veterans at Captain Riley’s took place on Friday. Thirteen veterans and other visitors were present. They had a fine dinner, watermelons, fruit, ices, lemonade, etc. and enjoyed the occasion immensely.

REPTON: Mr. Stephens is moving to Selma. Mr. Davis has moved to Mr. Stephens’ home and is the railroad foreman here now.

NERO: The picnic at Hunter Old Mill was as nice a one as anybody ever witnessed.

PETERMAN: Mr. Kennedy, the hardwood mill man, has moved his family back to Kentucky, their old home. Mr. Kennedy is still here running his mill.

CHESTNUT: For the past two weeks we have had lots of rain. The water got high enough for a man to swim in Mr. B.C. Dawson’s corn field. Crops are nearly ruined but grass is looking fine.

An Important Capture: An important capture was effected by Mr. C.E. Hunter, our efficient and ever watchful city marshal, last Thursday afternoon. On the train between Monroe and Peterman he overheard a conversation between two white men occupying seats near him, and from remarks made by one of them concerning a recent shooting affray in a nearby county, he strongly suspected the man to be a fugitive from justice. Acting on this belief, he placed the man under arrest and lodged him in jail here, having in the meantime wired the authorities of Covington County.

Advice was promptly received and the suspect proved to be C.S. Bowen, wanted for shooting and fatally wounding Charles Revill at Opp, Covington County, on July 12, and for whose capture a reward of $150 had been offered. Mr. Hunter left Friday with his prisoner whom he delivered to the sheriff of Covington and collected his reward.

PERDUE HILL: One of the most enjoyable events of the season was the dance given by the young men of Perdue Hill, Monday night, July 16. Beside the regular music provided for the evening, Mr. and Mrs. E.L. Baggett favored the crowd with a few selections on the mandolin and piano, delighted the crowd with a number of jolly rag time selections. Monroeville, Manistee, Mt. Pleasant, Claiborne, Mobile and Pensacola were well represented at the evening’s entertainment.

DEATH OF JOHN F. DEER: After a painful illness extending over many months, Mr. John F. Deer died at his home in Monroeville at noon on Wednesday, July 25, 1906. The interment will take place at the Baptist cemetery this forenoon with Masonic honors.

Mr. Deer was one of our best and most universally esteemed citizens. He was twice elected to the office of County Treasurer, but was forced by ill health to resign just before the close of his second term. On the advice of his physician, he removed to New Mexico where he remained several months but the fatal malady with which he was afflicted had gained too firm a hold upon him, and he returned home without material improvement, resigned to die in the bosom of his family.