Weather
Partly cU?iy and continued
warm today and Wadnaaday.
Low today, <4; hljh, 89.
The
Published Every Tuesday & Thursday
Times
Serving Alt Of Franklin County
Comment
There la no bualneaa any
where that cannot be Improved
by attention and hard work.
Tal. 0Y 6-3283
Ten Cants
Louisburg. N. C.. Tuesday. August 30. 1966
(Six Pages Today)
97th Vaar? Number 5B
Local Storekeeper Murdered
Scene Of Murder
Controversy Rages
Over Franklinton
School Decision
The possibility of further
desegregation of Franklinton
City Schools through com
pliance to recent Office of
Education requests brought
on a heated public meeting
in the school auditorium late
Saturday afternoon.
Orer 300 Franklinton Town
ship citizens gathered In the
school building at 4:30 p.m.
Saturday, following disclosure
that the School Board was to
have a special meeting at that
time to vote on moving the
seventh grades from B. F.
Person-Albion Negro School
to the predominantly white
Franklinton High School.
The trouble started earlier
In the week when a four
man team irom the U. S.
ASC Election
Ballots Sent
Community committee elec
tion ballots were mailed to all
known eligible voters In the
county Friday, August 26,
1966. Ballots must be re
turned to the county office
not later than September 9,
1966. Also, producers are re
minded to sign the certifi
cation on the reverse side
of the envelope addressed to
the county office. If the cer
tification Is not signed, the
ballot will not be tabulated.
Producers who are not sure
about which community they
are eligible to vote In should
contact the County ASCS Of
fice so that a determination
can be made.
Maps showing community
boundaries have been placed
at the following establish
ments throughout llie county
to assist producers In know
ing which community they are
eligible to cast their vote:
Cedar Rock, Sam Wood's
Store; Cypress Creek, A. G
Stalllngs' Store; Dunn, J. W.
Perry's Store; Franklinton,
Dorsey's Grocery; Gold
Mine, E. M. Manning's
Store; Harris, Cart Harris'
Store; HayesvlUe, Rocky Ford
Orocery; Lou Is burg, Ronald
Tharrlncton'a.
Sandy Creek, H. T. Edward's
Store; Youngsvllle, J. H.
Winston (Youncsvllle Milling'
Co.)
Ballots must be returned
to the County ASCS Office In
Loulsburg by September ?,
IBM.
Office of Education arrived
In Frankllnton to "aid the
school board" In formu
lating a plan which would
meet federal approval. The
team was headed by Dewey
D. Dodds and consisted of
three other members, Anne
Lasslter, A. J. Howell and
John Bowman.
The team originally , re
portedly, recommended that
B F. Person-Albion be made
an elementkry school to
accomodate children of both
races and thatthe Franklln
ton High School be made a
high school for both races.
Several meetings were re
portedly held between the
Board and the HEW officials.
The Board reportedly held a
special meeting, one of
several during the week, on
Friday hlght followed by
?another on Saturday morning.
the minutes show that at
Saturday's meeting, the Board
first voted 4 to 2 to accept
the HEW recommendation to
move two seventh grade
classes from the Negro school
to the Frankllnton High School.
The minutes show that Board
members Brodle Green and
"Rupert Pearce voted against
the proposal. The Board or
dered Superintendent Fred
Rogers to send a wire to
Washington verifying that the
group was accepting the
watered-down requirement.
Immediately following the
adjournment at 11:50 a.m.,
Chairman John Moore In
structed Supt. Rogers towlth
hold sending the wlre'"untll
the entire Board could be pre
sent In order to be sure that
each member will have voted
on this very Important ac
tion."
As soon as word of this
action reached the street, a
petition was circulated and by
the 4:30 p.m. meeting 584
persons hal slgn?J the piper
calling for the School Board to
reject the HEW requests. A
spokesman for the group later
pointed out that signers were
secured In the relatively short
tlma of two hours and that
scores more wpuld have
signed had they been con
tacted. Among the signers,
according to spokesman for
the petitioners, were several
Negro citizens voicing their
opposition to the new require
ments.
In the Saturday afternoon
meeting, Chairman John
Moore and attorney for the
Board, W. P. Pearce, explain
ed the 1984 Civil Rights Act
and brought the group up to
date on the visit by the Wash
ington team. Moore alsc
touched on the ESEA funds of
$80, MO which will be tost
unless the school plan
accepted an! the recent Heaii
Start program at the FranV-\
Union School \
Moore, at one point said,
"This has been very diffi
cult. We appreciate the way
See FRANKLINTON page 2
Schools Open Wednesday
CVer 6,000 Franklin County
school students are expected
to report (or orientation and
assignments tomorrow, Wed
nesday with the first full day
of school slated for Thursday.
Speculation earlier that the
opening might be postponed
due to the lateness of the to
bacco crop was dispelled last
week when the Oounty School
Board announced a policy of
no delay but curtailed the at
tendance hours to ( A.M. to
1 P.M. to aid In the crop situa
tion. The short schedule la to
continue through September It.
A threat coming out of Sat
urday's mass meeting of
Frankllnton citizens that
school opening in the Frank
llnton City aystem might be
forthcoming was also dispell
ed Monday aa teachers and
school personnel were busy
preparing for the start on
Wednesday and Thursday.
In the county system, Supt.
Warren Smith announced the
following schedule and fees)
Monday, September 5, la
slated as a holiday with
schools closed. Teachers are
to report on Monday, August
29. The last day of school for
the students In the 1968-67
school term Is slated as
May 31, 1967. The teachers
complete their work on June
2, 1867.
Unless altered by unusual
weather, other holidays are
scheduled as Thanksgiving,
November 24 and 25; Christ
mas, December 22 through
January 1 ( seven schooldays )
and Easter, Wednesday,
March 22 .through Monday,
March 27.
A one-day holiday Is sche
duled (or sometime on Octo
ber due to a statewide teach
er's meeting.
Fees for the opening of the
1866-67 term of school In the
Franklin County system have
been announced by the school
office here. All fees remain
the same as those paid for
the 1965-66 term except a 25?
Increase In Insurance, which
Is optional.
Fees set are as follows:
Elemsntary Schools: $2.00
General School Supply Fee,
?2.00 N. D. E. A., $2.25 In
surance ( optional ).
Supplementary Reader Fees:
No supplementary reader fees
will be collected. The Gen
eral Assembly made an appro
priation to provide these ma
terials.
High School Fees for all
students: $2.00 General
School Supply Fee, $2.00 N.
D. E. A., $2.25 Insurant*
(optional), 15.00 Book Rental
Tlx following f??a apply to
high school students taking
courses that are listed: $13.50
Typing, $2.p0 Home Eco
nomics, $2^50 Agriculture,
$1.00 Science.
Negro Held
In Saturday
Murder
Benny Fogg, 43-year-old
New York Negro is being held
In Franklin County jail with
out bond, In the Saturday night
slaying of Haywood Crudup,
Tt -year-old Bunn Negro.
The Incident reportedly took
place Saturday night around
9:30 p.m. at a Negro night
spot near Frankllnton No
details of the murder were
reported.
Fogg reportedly left the
scene and eluded officers un
til he turned himself In Sun
day around 12:30 p.m. to She
riffs officers. Fogg had re
portedly been Injured when he
gave himself up and was taken
to Franklin Memorial Hospi
tal for treatment and later
JaUed.
. Local officers, assisted by; a team of top. State Bureau of Investigation experts, are
continuing their investigation of the brutal murder of a Loulsburg grocerman Mon
day afternoon. " . ' ?
. The killing of W. G. Shearon, 62-year-old South Main Street storekeeper by an
unknown assailant or assailants around 2 p.m. Monday has been described by one
veteran police officer as "the worse crime I've ever seen.' '
Shearon was alone In the
store at the u mo of the attack.
Indications are that the elderly
man ran from his assailant
Id an attempt to save his life.
His body was horribly mntl
lateti. Robbery was estab
lished as a possible motive
In the crime. Shearon's poc
kets were turned Inside out
and his billfold was missing
along with paper money from
the cash registers. No dis
closure was made of the
amount of money taken.
Officers theorized that Shea
ron had gone to a drink box tb
obtain a carton of milk when
he was flr?t struck. From
there traces of blood show
that he ran In a circle through
the small moat market, finally
being trapped between wall
shelving and the counter where'
he was brutally hacked with a
cleaver-type knife. Deputy
Sheriff Tom Powell found the
mirder weapon Just outside
a side door at the rear of the
Mitldlng where apparently the
murderer had thrown It under
a bush as he ran out of the
building.
Bloodhounds were called
soon after the discovery of
the crtmn and began searching
for traces, but this proved to
no avail, although the dogs
continued to work Into ? the
night.
State Troopers, Sheriffs
department officers, and all
off duty Loulsburg Police
were called In to assist tn
the manhunt throughout the
afternoon. At least two Ne
gro teenagers were picked
up for questioning but both
were later released. One was
questioned about several ar
tides of candy found In his
possession and traces of
blc?1 fount on his forearms.
The unidentified youth ex
plained that the candy had
been purchased at a downtown
store and the blood proved
to be a result of his having
scratched his arm.
Officers Jumped quickly on
a trail of blood found a few
yards from the scene of the
murder, but later found these
to have been put there by an
qlght-year-old Negro boy hav
lhg cut his foot.
The heinous murder was dis
covered by Eugene Riace, Ne
gro driver for The Henderson
Grocery Cempany when he
arrived around 2:30 p.m w'.th
the weekly delivery. Peace ran
to a nearby store and told
that he had seen the man with
blood on his face. The Louis
burg Rescue Service and local
Murder Weapon
W G Shear on
police were notified. Sheriff
Joe Champion, acting in the
absence 1 or coroner james
Edwards, set the time of death
at about forty minutes prior
to the discovery of the body
by the Henderson Negro. Later
Sheriff Champion said he es
timated the time of death as
2:15 p.m. The ala'rm was
sounded at 2:35 p.m.
Chief William Dement of the
Louis burg Police Department
led the search for the killer
which sent officers through
a heavily wooded area near
the Taylor-Thayer Lumber
Company and across Blckett
Blvd. near the M. E. Joyner
Mfg. Company to the Bunn
highway.
An autopsy was ordered
early this morning by Inves
tigating officers after having
worked past midnight, finger
printing and taking lab sam
ples Inside- the store. On*
Loulsbjrg Police officer, re
ported this morning that they
are expected to continue today.
Many leads and clues were
hurriedly checked out by the
many officers present at the
scene, but none proved of any
valut..
It was reported that Shearon
had planned to sell the busi
ness and retire and a "For
Sale" sign was attached to the
building. A grandson re
portedly helping In the store
was not there Monday and
officers iwere attempting to
discover the Identity of two
Negro youngsters who also
"hung around" the store most
of the time helping take out
groceries.
A search was also reported
See MURDER page 4
Market Opening Set Sept. i8th
The local tobacco market
will open a week from Thurs
day, on September 8. The date
was set In a meeting of the
Middle ftlt Association In
Raleigh last Saturday. ~i
Some speculation had It that
the Middle Itolt markets might
be delayed due to the late
ness of the crops, but officials
dispelled this by setting the
opening date for September 8.
Fred Royster, director of the
Bright Belt Warehouse Asso
ciation said, "We expect full
\ or near-full sales during the
first twelve days of loose
leaf sales. Probably there will
be some reduction after that."
He added, "We have some
drought in the belt, but the
rains began on July 31 and
the crop staged a miracu
lous recovery. It will be of
excellent quality and yields
will I* above 1965."
The local harvest of
crop Is well underway. How
ever, much leaf still remains
In the fields. Some growers
have estimated the crop to be
as much as two weeks behind
last year In Its present stages.
Included In tlx Middle Belt
are Loulsburg, Aberdeen,
Carthage, Durham, Ellerbe,
Fuquay-Varlna, Henderson,
Oxford, Sandord and Warren
ton.
Three local warehouses will
operate here this (all. Ford's
Warehouse on Industry Drive,
now repairing' damage to an
addition suffered last week by
heavy rains toppling a wall
and some portion of the rbof;
See MARKET page ^
Where Victim Was Believed First Struck