1920 Calhoun Monitor

Submitted by Rose Diamond

Pittsboro, Mississippi 
(April 15, 1920) New Plan On Road Working

The Board of Supervisors of Calhoun County is going to try an experiment in the way of (?)

As will be remembered, they have the two big trucks which were given them by the State and Federal Highway departments. These trucks are still in Jackson, but will be brought out this week.

(?) with Mr. Leland Spraddling [sic] to take charge of these two trucks and proceed to go to working the roads. Mr. Stacy Gabbert will be Mr. Spraddling’s helper, and will drive the other truck. Other day labor will be hired as needed.

The trucks will be used to pull a grader, a three-way drag, and to haul sand and other material as needed.

Each member of the board will have Mr. Spraddling for a certain length of time in his Beat and then he will pass on to the other beat.

This arrangement will continue for two months and then the Board will count up the cost and estimate the amount of work done, and the good it amount too, and see whether or not it will pay to continue to carry on the experiment.

The Board is to pay all costs and expenses such as gasoline, oil, etc. and is to pay Mr. Spraddling $150 a month, he to bear his personal expense.

Each member of the Board which has a number of roads which are not under contract, and which they cannot get worked for the money, they can pay. Too, they want to do some extra work on some of those main roads which already are under contract.

This way they can certainly get their roads worked. The only question is whether or not it will prove too expensive.

We rather think that the Board is on the right track. Certainly they have secured a man who is a good man for the job. Leland Spradling is honest, energetic, and above all has had a whole lot of experience in the matter of road work.

{Note: this article has numerous typos that were corrected; I’ve noticed during all the 1920 papers, their typesetter is very careless.}

No: 3030, Effie Parker vs Clarence Parker, colored

Clarence Parker, whose post office address is unknown: you are commanded to appear before the Honorable Chancery Court of Calhoun County, Mississippi at a term thereof to ...in the Courthouse in the town of Pittsboro, Miss. on the ?th day of  May, A. D. 1920..and there plead, and or demur to a bill filed by Effie Parker, colored, where as you are the defendant...      [Left side of paper missing]No: 3017, Austin Woodward vs. Ethel Woodward

To Ethel Woodward whose post office address is Little Rock, Ark.

You are hereby cited and ... on the 17th day of May, A. D. 1920. ... or demur to a bill of compl?? filed by Austin Woodward, wherein you are defendant....[Right side not copied]

(May 6 1920) - Executive Committee Meeting 

[Excerpts]The Democratic Executive Committee of Calhoun Co. met at the Courthouse on last Monday where the following business was transacted: N. R. Lamar was elected Secretary.
On motion, Wed. May 12 at 10 o’clock a.m. to be set as the date for the precinct meetings to select delegates to the county Convention and each precinct be allowed the following number of Delegates to said Convention:

Pittsboro -4
Calhoun City -3
Big Creek -2S
arepta -3
Reynolds -1
Pitts -1
Poplar Springs -3
Banner -2
Ellard -2
Herron -1
Pine Ridge -1
Sabougla -2S
late Springs -3
Bentley -2
Derma -3
Vardaman -3
New Liberty -2O

n motion, Friday May 14 was set as the date for the County Convention to be held in the Courthouse at Pittsboro

In selecting the delegates, the method to be used according to law is to vote for the persons by secret ballot.  Just received a new line of Young Men's swell shirts, the shirt that makes you feel and know thatyou are well dressed and gives you confidence.  We can fit you.    Sims & Criss    Calhoun City, Miss.Men's Overalls $2.45 per pair; Men's Wash Pants 50c per pair: Dress Ginghams 23 c to 35c per yard; Wool serge x5c per yard; Tennis slippers from 55c up; Ball thread 50c per pound; J. & P. Coats thread 5c; Voiles, Organdies, Flowered Lawns from 12 1/2 c a yard up.                         

Wallace & Boyd    Hollis, MissWho Said Overalls?If Overalls are to be worn this season instead of spring suits we can serve you. Selling overalls is not a side line with us.  Its just as much a part of our business as selling clothes of other descriptions.  Overall Clubs are sweeping the county like a prairie fire. We are well fixed to supply the demand as we have now on hand about five hundred pair of Overalls. We are willing to do our part to help the cause along, so we have decided to reduce our prices during the month of May your choice of any of our best grad of Overalls per pair - $2.25  The Boland Company

(May 13, 1920) An Interesting Old Newspaper We received on Tuesday with the compliments of our friend L. P. Peden of Belen, Miss. a very interesting paper. It was a copy of the Democratic Banner, published at Pittsboro by Messrs. W. E. Bostwick and J. R. McGregor and dated on February 26, 1886, or just six weeks after the date when the Senior Editor of this paper was born. This old paper contained many items that are of interest to us, among them a long poem written by Miss Dottie Moore, of Sarepta, on the murder of Detective Wise, for which crime Dock Bishop was hanged on July 4th of that same year. This poem is a description of the murder and is a splendid piece of verse. Among the locals is one about the death of an infant of our friend, Major Benning, another about our friend, B. D. Nabors of Sabougla, one about Capt. T. T. Enochs of Benela etc. At the head of the advertising column is an ad for the “Iron Front Saloon,” with W. E. Moring Proprietor, at Coffeeville, Miss. with a “Full and complete line of Liquors, Wines, Brandies etc.” Verity the times have changed.

(May 20, 1920) Saplin Grove

As we haven’t seen any news from this place, will send in a few lines.

Health is very good at this writing.

The farmers are looking mighty blue over this rainy weather but let us trust in God.

A large crowd of our young folks went to Union Grove Sunday afternoon to singing. All reported a fine singing.

Ivy Philpot and Pauline Poteete visited Mamie Springer Monday afternoon.

Mr. and Mrs. Tom Maxey were in these parts Monday.

Miss Ivy Philpot and Lillian Dees took a nice little walk over to Duncan Hill Saturday.

Mrs. Benson and daughter, Mamie Springer, visited relatives near Woodland from Friday till Sunday.

Miss Ora Philpot of Houston will be home Saturday, to the [sic] has been going to school there. Signed: Boucner

(May 27, 1920)       

Dr. Boswell In Calhoun (excerpts) Dr. Henry Boswell, Superintendent of the State Tuberculosis Sanatorium at Magee, Miss., will be in Calhoun County and will speak at the following places on the dates named:

Calhoun City – 10 a.m. Sunday May 30 – Baptist Church
Vardaman – 4 p.m. Sunday May 30 – Baptist Church
Dr. Boswell has consecrated his life to the suppression of the dread disease, Tuberculosis, and is himself, a living testimonial to the fact that Consumption can be cured. …

Atlanta

Well, as we know the rain to come, so as the fellow who stepped on the business end of a tack said, “We won’t dwell long on that point.”

(?) attended the Memorial at Rhodes Chapel, Sunday. Mr. Ashley McCluskey is out on a visit from the oil field in Texas.

We notice (with regret) the continued illness of Mr. Forrest Spratlin. We hope he will be (?)

Mr. A. D. Bingham lost his house and all the contents thereof, by fire last Sunday.

Mr. and Mrs. J. A. Mosley motored to Houston last Monday to have some dental work done.

What has become of Uncle Eli Perkins? … Signed: Jerry

Saplin Grove … Rev. Caldwell filled his regular appointment here Sunday, [sic] Pittsboro also Miss Ruby, Jewel and Pearl Maxey of the Pine Ridge community, were pleasant visitors in these parts Sunday.

Mr. Will Liscomb of Union Grove community was here Sunday.

Petition for Pardon

To the Governor And Board of Pardons, Jackson, Mississippi
Gentlemen:
We, the undersigned qualified electors in and for the County of Calhoun, respectfully ask you to grant unto J. A. Pitts, sentenced from Calhoun County to the penitentiary for four years, a full and complete pardon.

Pitts has served some three years of his sentence, has been a model prisioner, is in wretched health from tuberculosis and has performed meritorious service for the State that we are informed by the officials justified his release.
Respectfully: J. A. Pitt, Joe Willie Davis, W. E. Coleman, W. W. Winters, and others.

(July 1, 1920)
State of Mississippi To N. C. Reeves, Whose Post Office Address is Box 299, Paris Island, S. C.
You are commanded to appear before the Chancery Court of the county of Calhoun in said state on the 9th day of August, the second Monday of said month, A. D., 1920 at Rules, to defend the suit in said court of S. W. Wardlaw, Member of the State Board of Bank Examiners in Charge of the First Bank of Pittsboro for liquidation succeeding S. S. Harris, resigned, wherein you are a defendant.  This the 8th day of June, A. D. 1920.  Signed: C. D. Ellard, Clerk

(July 8, 1920)
State of Mississippi To Geo C. Brown and Co., Whose Post Office Address is Memphis, Tennessee.
You are commanded to appear before the Chancery Court of the county of Calhoun in said state on the, the 2nd Monday of August, A. D., 1920, to defend the suit in said court of Mrs. Margie Hannah,  wherein you are a defendant.  This the 23rd day of June, A. D. 1920.  Signed: C. D. Ellard, Clerk

For Sale: 200 acres of land at Hanna's crossing on Scoona River. 160 acres level and 40 acres in hill. About 40 acres in cotton. Will sell at a bargain.  Small cash payment balance on good terms. Thre is not better land in Mississippi.  A. G. Hamilton, Coffeeville, Mississippi

For Sale: One hundred and fifty bales good Lespedeza Hay.  See me at Pittsboro.  James F. Carter
Sept. 7, 1920Notice Baptists:
As there were several churches not represented at the Calhoun Baptist Association and as I was elected clerk I asked and received permission of the Association to write you through the paper and ask that your letter be sent me at Pittsboro, Miss., so that you may be represented in the Minutes.

I will not hand the Minutes to the printer for ten days, and if you wish to be represented you may comply with this request within that time.  Leslie E. Roane, Your Friend. For Sale: - A farm consisting of 130 acres with 60 acres in cultivation, creek bottom land, 8 miles west of Houlka, $25.00 per acre, one fifth cash, balance on good terms. J. E. Young, Houlka, Miss., R. 2
The swappers brigade was very much in evidence here this week. More stock and sorrier seemed to be the idea.

We have no sale, but list a few prices. 
10 lb bucket pure lard ..$2.60 
Chum salmons pr. can ...  .15 
Domino Granulated sugar, 5 lb ... 1.00 
5 lb. good roasted coffee .. 1.00 
24 lb. sack, Camp Springs Special flour .. 1.90 
24 lb. sack, Southern Pride Cream Meal .. 1.15  Wallace & Boyd, Hollis, Miss.
For Sale: Three mules, one 2 3/4 James & Grayham Wagon same as new, rigged for logging; one horse, 5 years old; buggy and harness same as new. For sale cheap, for cash or part cash an good note.  J. L. Powell, Derma, Miss. Found: One man's dress coat on the Big Creek and Calhoun City and near the Ross place. If owner will bring 40c to pay for this ad to Monitor office, he can get the coat.
All kinds of caseing and tube vulcanizing done promptly. Cooner's Garage

PROVIDENCE:

We are having some pretty weather now.
A large crowd from here attended the preaching at Spring Creek.
Some few from this place attended the singing at Water Valley today.
Mr. Duie Ballenger and Miss Vesta Thompson were happily married Saturday. We wish them a happy life.

A large crowd attended preaching Saturday night and were not disappointed. Signed: Brown Eyes

A Gretna Green affair occurred at Pittsboro last Sunday, when Mr. Calvin McCormick and Miss Velma Arnold drove into town, procured marriage license and were married by Rev. S. H. Shepherd.  Mr. McCormick has been in the Delta for several years, where he has been successfully engaged in the farming business, but he is a native Calhounite - the son of Mr. Henry McCormick, who was one of the County's most popular men - and is a man who is widely and favorably known.  The bride is the daughter of Mr. Joe Arnold, of the Lantrip neighborhood and is one of Calhoun's most popular and talented young ladies. We wish them much happiness.

PINE RIDGE:
Health is very good in this.

Everybody seems to be picking cotton and making molasses.

Mr. and Mrs. J. T. Blaylock are the proud parents of a fine baby boy.

Mr. Ruble and Miss Adell Stewart, who have been attending school at Derma, visited homefolks last week.

Mr. and Mrs. Joe Lucas visited Mr. N. H. Parker and family Saturday night and Sunday.

Lee and Irene Mitchell attended preaching at Old Town last Sunday.

uite a crowd from macedonia attended singing at Pine Ridge Sunday. Signed: Blue Eyes (University, Miss. 9-25-20)

$375.00 will take a 1919 Ford, with practically new tires all-round.  Ford Harrelson, Pittsboro, Miss.

November 25, 1920A Bit of History About the First Calhoun Village -- Oldtown Sunday afternoon we spent in the neighborhood of Old Town, visiting old familiar haunts and looking over the ground on which we, our father and his fathr spent a great many of our days. Old Town was an old town when the white people first settled in Calhoun County in this section in 1828.
For possibly hundreds of years it had been a village occupied by the fierce and warlike Indians. Its first inhabitants were the Chocchumas, a little tribe of Indians who occupied the little strip of territory between the great Choctaw and Chickasaw tribes. The Chocchumas were on the territory which extended from about Bellefountain [sic] in Webster County to somewhere about the Calhoun-Pontotoc county lines. They were a small tribe and were continually warred upon by the big neighbor tribes. At a last and final battle at Bellfountain [sic] back in the 17th Century the tribe was exterminated by the Choctaws; all the men were killed and the women and children were taken into the Choctaw tribe.

After the passing of the Chocchumas, the Chickasaws occupied the territory and they had a village at Old Town on Schoona River.

Every tribe and Indian village had its arrow maker, a man who used his time in making arrow heads of blocks of flint rock. Very few of the boys who now in strolling across the fields, find and pick up the pieces of flint rock, know that all this rock was brought by the Indians from way up North, down into this section by boat, or by trail with it thrown across their backs in buckskin bags. Flint rock is not native to this section and the Indians went after it to the big flint belts just north of the Ohio River. It was brought here in pieces about the size of an ordinary brick and then by the arrow makers, chipped off in pieces till they had the finished arrow heads.
When the Indians left here in about 1830, the white settlers came in rapidly from Tennessee and other points. A number of them settled in and around Old Town. A flourishing village grew up.
Keel boats and Flat boats ran the Scoona [sic] River down to Greenwood and even as far as New Orleans, carrying cotton and the other products of the land. There were a number of stores at Old Town.

The first church was at “The Old Burnt Meetin’ House place,” a mile North of where the present church is. It burned down in 1845. Then there was a big Camp Ground about two hundreds yards North of the present church. A Methodist church was built just across the road from the present Enochs house place and was used for many years.
Some of the first settlers were the Enochs, Murphrees, Swoffords, Reagans, Maxeys and others.
In 1852, Calhoun County was organized. The vote on the new county was 414 for it, and 38 against. The first courts and meetings of the Board were held at Old Town, or as it was then called “Hartford.”

The first meeting of the Board of Supervisors was held in the Methodist Church at Old Town on the 23rd day of June, 1852. It fell on the Board of Supervisors to locate the County site. There were Albert G. Hallum, Lawrence Brasher, Sydney P. Brantley, John Dowdy and Hiram Hall.
Brasher and Brantley being from North of Scoona [sic] favored the location of the County site at Old Town. Dowdy and Hall being from South of Yalobusha favored the location of the County site in the center of the County.

The center was finally decided upon as being at Camp Springs just North of Pittsboro. Ebenezer Gaston offered to give the Board 160 acres of land and Hallum, the member from this section cast the deciding vote and located the County site at Pittsboro.
The act of Legislature which created the new county appointed Porter Davis, William DuBerry, Martin Murphree, Christopher Orr, John Hunter and James McCrowry [sic] as Commissioners to organize the new County.

After the removal of the County site, Old Town, as a village, gradually declined. Though always, as now, there has been a mighty good high class, intelligent citizenship there and a live, progressive patriotic neighborhood.

There is more romance and history around and about Old Town than any other place in Calhoun County.

R. H. "Bob" Hickey writes letter ... Carrolton, Alabama., 11-8-1920...Superintend Marvin Chapel High School...school system different from Miss. and salaries are much better...near Tuscaloosa on the Warrior River... spent some time last year at old home in Vardaman.

(April 15 1920)
Charles H. Ivy
4-7-1855 --- 7-20-1920
Charles H. Ivy To Be Hanged[left side of paper torn, missing parts]
The Mississippi Supreme Court on last Monday handed down their decision in the …Charlie Ivy case which .. up from this county. …ey said that the verdict of the lower court was a just verdict and that Charlie Ivy must be hanged by the neck until he was dead.
The date set was Friday, May the 28th, 1920.

Unless something unforeseen happens, or unless Mr. Ivy’s lawyers can fall on some other … to stay the execution, he will be hung in the jail at Pittsboro on the day and date set out …
This case is well remembered in this county. The killing occurred about one year ago in the northern part of the county. According to the testimony, Mr. Ivy met Messrs Love Bagwell and John Carter on a ... which ran through his ... in the woods, and, after warning Bagwell that he was going to kill him because Bagwell had cursed him several days before and after telling ... who had begun to work for Bagwell, that he would kill him (Carter) too. He raised his gun and shot Bagwell in the head. Carter … on the stand that he … from the wagon after … turned his gun on him shot off his hat, and ran …Ivy following him, that … shot again and shot him … that he crawled off through the woods, as as he crawled off through the woods, he heard another shot. The …’s theory was that Ivy returned to the wagon and shot Bagwell again, practically blowing his head off.

Practically the only witness for the defense was Ivy himself. He swore that he shot Bagwell because Bagwell told ... that he was going to kill him and reached for his gun, Ivy also swore that he did [had] not shot Carter.


(May 6, 1920) Ivy's Sentence Not Commuted  

Lieutenant Governor Casteel, acting as Governor of Mississippi in the place of Governor Russell, who was absent, finally decided that instead of commuting the sentence of death which has been affirmed on Mr. Charles H. Ivy, he would reprieve him and extend it over until after the State Pardoning Board met and have them pass on the matter and recommend to the governor whether or not the commutation should be had. This news came from Atty. John Falkner, who helped to prosecute the Ivy case.
The Pardon Board will meet and take the matter up for consideration.
In the meantime, sons of Love Bagwell and friends of his and of John Carter, who was also shot by Mr. Ivy, are carrying petitions over Calhoun county reciting the facts in the case and praying the Pardoning Board not to interfere in this case. These petitions are being signed by the populace. Fact, we are told that hardly a man to whom it has been presented has refused to sign.
Just what course will be taken by the Board cannot of course be conjectured.
What the Governor would do in case the board should recommend the commutation cannot be foretold. The Governor is in no wise bound save morally to the action of the Board. The board simply recommends and then the Governor acts on his own discretion in the matter.
Anyway, Mr. Ivy has a respite for the some two months before the Board meets.

(May 20, 1920)
Ivy Case in Peculiar ShapeJ

ackson, Miss. May 14 –
It appears that Chas. H. Ivy, an elderly white man of Calhoun County, who was convicted some months ago of a cold-blooded murder and sentenced to the gallows, which said finding was affirmed by the Supreme Court, may not hang on the day set for execution, May 28, Ivy is now held in the penitentiary, though on what warrant it is difficult to ascertain. The case was before the pardon board at the April meeting to secure a recommendation to commutation which, however, was futile. Following this, while Gov. Russell was absent from the state, the case was laid before Liet. Gov. Casteel, who was acting Governor. The acting governor was heard to express himself in favor of extending clemency but there is no record in the governor’s office that such an order was made.

At any rate the name of Chas. H. Ivy is entered on the convict register as a life termer commuted from death sentence. He was being held for safekeeping in the Union County jail at New Albany, and the first thing that Traveling Sergt. Taylor, of the penitentiary knew he had a message from the sheriff of Union County to “come and get Ivy.” He went and carried his man to Camp 11, Parchman, where the other white convicts are held.
Apparently there has been a misdeal somewhere, but it will probably straighten itself out when the pardon board again meets.

There was quite a wave of protest in Calhoun County against clemency for Ivy, as the reports and records here indicated – Commercial Appeal.
The above from the Commercial Appeal of Saturday explains, or rather fails to explain the disposition of the Ivy Commutation. Gov. Casteel claims so we have heard, that he did nothing except turn the matter over to Governor Russell. Just how the sentence should have been commuted without somebody being responsible for it, is more than we can understand. There is something about this matter which has not been published.

(May 27, 1920)
Russell Stays Ivy’s Sentence

Governor Lee M. Russell says that Chas. H. Ivy will not be hanged at Pittsboro on Friday, May the 28th, 1920.
And Governor Lee M. Russell knows that he is the only man in the State of Mississippi who had the power to stop the legal execution of this man on this date.
Sheriff Charley R. Young had made all preparations. Of course it was not a pleasant thing, but his duty was laid upon him when he was elected by the people of this county and took the oath of office and he did not intend to shirk. He expected to start to New Albany after Mr. Ivy on Wednesday.
On Tuesday Morning of this week, Mr. Young received the following telegram:
Durant, Miss. May 25, 1920
Hon. C. R. Young, Sheriff, Pittsboro, Miss.
Charles H. Ivy sentence commuted until July 20th. Necessary orders will follow - Lee M. Russell, Governor.
Presumably, this means that Mr. Ivy’s case will be sent over to the State Pardon Board which meets in July and let them pass upon this case and recommend to the Governor their findings.
Should they recommend that the sentence be commuted to life imprisonment, or should they fail to … recommend, the power will still remain in the hands of the Governor.
Just what will happen in this instance, only the future can tell.

(July 1, 1920) Another Phase of Ivy Case

A few weeks ago the daily papers were full of write-ups concerning the probably fate of Mr. Charley H. Ivy, of this county who was convicted of the murder of Love Bagwell and sentenced to be hanged.

The Supreme Court, it will be remembered, decided against Mr. Ivy and set a date for his execution. Then it was that the stories began to appear in the newspapers. Ivy has been kept in the jail at New Albany for quite a while and is there at present.
The first story that appeared was that Lieutenant Governor Casteel had decided to commute the sentence of Mr. Ivy from death to life imprisonment in the penitentiary. This article did not say that it had been done, but that Casteel had decided to do it.
Several petitions were circulated asking that this not be done and they were sent down to Jackson.

The next story that appeared in the Commercial Appeal was that there had been a mistake and that the sheriff of Union county had telegraphed the Traveling Sergeant of the Penitentiary to “Come and get Ivy,” thinking that his sentence had been commuted. It also stated that the Sergeant had gone after Mr. Ivy and carried him to the Penitentiary and that Governor Russell had found out that the sentence had not been commuted and had ordered him back to New Albany jail.

Later, Governor Russell himself, sent Sheriff Young here a stay of sentence to the 20th of July, ostensibly that he might have a chance to present his claims to the Pardon Board for a recommendation.

There has been much wonder and speculation concerning just what kind of curious things were happening about this matter, many folks predicting that Mr. Ivy will never be executed and that all this jockeying back and forth was a blind. Of this, of course, we cannot say what is true.
The latest developments however, in the matter come to us in the shape of the New Albany Sheriff’s side of the matter. Mr. Will Wright, former sheriff of Calhoun county was in New Albany recently and talked with the sheriff of that county and he tells us that the sheriff there is somewhat aggravated over the stories that have been sent out which implied that he, the New Albany man, had made a blunder in the matter. He claims that the necessary orders and papers from Jackson commuting the Ivy sentence and ordering him sent to the Penitentiary were sent him by the Governor and that the reason he sent Ivy to the penitentiary was because he was duly ordered to. Then later, he claims the fellows at Jackson decided to reverse what they had done, and bring Mr. Ivy back and that they then wrote the Union Sheriff to return to them the other set of papers. But he was too sharp for that and refused to return to them the other papers. He still had the papers, and Mr. Wright tells us that he himself saw them.
If it is true that the papers were duly signed commuting the Ivy sentence, then it is a certainty that Mr. Ivy will not be legally executed. Because, so learned lawyers tell us, the Supreme Court of the United States over a hundred years ago, definitely decided this very question and held that whenever any such paper had been duly signed and sealed, even though it was not delivered, yet it could not be undone.

In this case, if these contentions are true, the papers were not only signed and sealed, but delivered, and not only that, but the prisoner was actually delivered at the place designated. Then, certainly under the Supreme Court’s decision, this could not be undone.
Doubtless Mr. Ivy’s Counsel are looking after this and will when it is necessary, move toward taking steps to stop the execution should the Pardon Board fail to recommend his reprieve.

(July 8 1920)  More Dope on Ivy Case

Following the story in last week’s Monitor about the Charles H. Ivy case, and the orders which the sheriff of Union county had received from Jackson for the transporting of the prisoner to the State Penitentiary, we have received from reliable sources, what is purported to be an exact copy of the order sent … sheriff of Union County. We publish it verbatim below:
“Office of the Board of Trustees of the Mississippi State Penitentiary.”
Jackson, Miss. 5-620

To the Sheriff of Union Co: Notice having been received at this office that you have confined in your jail certain prisoners that have been sentenced … the Penitentiary, life term to wit: C. H. Toy, to (C. H. Ivy changed name by order of J. J. Coman, Secretary of Board of Trustees of the Penitentiary, witnessed by Traveling Sargeant Taylor, he having called Taylor over the phone, and I, Rad Liddell, talked to him the 8th day of May, 1920.)
You will therefore deliver the above prisoners to the Traveling Sargeant, by him to be conveyed to the Mississippi State Penitentiary.
Mississippi State Penitentiary,
W. A. Montgomery, L. Q. Stone, J. F. Thamse, Trustees
J. J. Coman, Secretary Board of Trustees.
To the average reader, the above notice is a rather jumbled affair. The Editor of this paper admits its inability to get it entirely clear. From the best conclusion that we can arrive, it says that the Board of Trustees of the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Jackson served notice from somewhere that the Sheriff of Union County jail had in jail a man named C. H. Toy who was sentenced to the State Penitentiary. That when the Traveling Sargeant Taylor arrived at New Albany to take charge of Toy, the Sheriff not having any man named Toy, called up the Secretary of the Board of Trustees at Jackson and that the Secretary authorized him to change the name of “C. H. Toy” to C. H. Ivy”. That then the Board of Trustees ordered Sheriff Liddell of New Albany to deliver the man named to the Traveling Sargeant Taylor to be carried to the State penitentiary. That this order came from the Board of Trustees by the Secretary J. J. Coman, who stays in the office of the Board in the Capitol at Jackson, Mississippi.

Having arrived at the above conclusion from the reading of the notice or order, the next question which naturally suggests itself is, “Where did the Notice to the Board of Trustees come from?” “Who gave them notice that a prisoner was confined in New Albany jail?” Evidently it came, or should have come, from someone in authority. Surely, the people of the office of the Board of Trustees are not in the habit of handing out such notices and sending the Traveling Sargeant of the Penitentiary with them unless they have some authority rather than mere gossip or newspaper report.

The, why is “C. H. Toy” in the original changed by the Secretary J. J. Coman at Jackson to “C. H. Ivy.” He must have had some record or some authority himself before he would make or attempt to authorize the making of such a change. It is a rather delicate proposition to change names on a man when the change involves a life sentence in the Penitentiary, and the ordinary man will not do it, unless he knows what he is about.

Taken all in all, the reading of this order instead of clearing up the proposition simply adds to the confusion. We are free to admit that we do not know nor can guess what really has happened.
The State Pardon Board will meet Wednesday of this week and will then consider this case. We take it that representative of both sides will be there and present their pleas and we further imagine that some light will be thrown on the subject at that time.

[NOTE: Issues of paper missing, next issue is August 12, 1920. The tombstone for Charles Ivy at Ivy Cemetery in Calhoun County shows a death date of July 20, 1920]


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