BUY AND SELL IN ROCKY MOUNT, TRADE CENTER OF EASTERN CAROLINA
VOLUME 1, NO. 42
Attempt To Rob Bank Fails
Officers Surprise Robbers.
Five Captured Amid Hail
Of Bullets
The plans of what appears to
have been a gang ol rank amateur
bank robbers went badly awry
here at three thirty
morning when five of the six i
gangsters were captured after a 1
veritable hail of lead had been let
loose by the officers. According'
to reports the return fire from the!
robbers seems to have been rather |
weak, as evidence could be found,
of only three shots, one of which
hit a glass door in the City Cafe,:
where officers were hidden, caus- j
ing a slight cut on the hand of;
Deputy Sheriff Hodge, who nar-.
rowly missed being hit by the bul-'
let. This was, so far as could be 1
learned, the only injury sustained.!
Officers Watching
Officers had been watching the,
gang for some time, as they wait-!
Ed for the crowd that had gathered
near for a dance to disperse.
About three thirty the gang tried
to force the back door of the bank,
and, failing, boosted a man
through an open transom over the
door.
Arrested after the firing were
Lawton B. (Crip) Wilson, now on
parole; J. A. Waller, 35, who runs a j
garage in Raleigh; J. E. Johnson,;
55, Raleigh merchant; Eugene Al
bright, of Salisbury, railroad em
ployee, and "Red" Fowler, 32, ex
convict of Raleigh. • Wilson, who
was sitting in the car at the time
the firing began, narrowly escaped
death.
Equipped with an acetylene
torch, purchased in Raleigh, Fri
day, and other tools, the gang
came to Wendell early in the
morning Saturday, and officers on
the watch for them spotted them
as they hung around waiting for
the dance to be over. Deputies
Clyde Weathers and Woody Mad
drey stationed themselves in the
town office, diagonally across the
street from the bank, Deputies
Saunders, Hodge and Guy Massey
were stationed in the City Cafe,
while Philip R. Whitley took his
place" in the office of C. A. Bla
lock, dentist, across the street
from the bank and upstairs, thus
covering a good portion of Main
and Third Streets.
When the thieves thought the
■coast was clear, about three thirty
A. M., they parked their car, a
new Ford coach, at the curb near
the Bank, running the hose from
oxygen and acetylene tanks left in
the car through a window into the
bank, and starting to work on the
massive vault door. When the of
ficers opened fire they had burned
a small hole in the outside sheath
of this door, and had partly burn
.ed off one hinge. Wilson was cap
tured quickly, as he slid to the
floor of the car and out on the
sidewalk, while Fowler and Wal
ler were captured in the bank.
Three other men were stationed
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as look-outs, and fled when the
firing began. While officers were
patrolling the highway a half hour
later they picked up Albright, who
had tried to thumb a ride into
town with the officers. After be-,
ing handcuffed, he was accommo
dated with the desired ride. John
son was caught on the Highway
near Watkins Bros., filling station,
and denies any connection with the
robbery, but Deputy Saunders
says he can positively identify him.
J. C. Johnson, at one time special
officer in Raleigh, is being sought
as the sixth man in the gang,
while later developments in the
matter lead to the belief that
more men may be implicated.
The Ford, which was riddled with
bullets and shot, was listed at the
License Bureau under the name of
Rudolph Waller, brother o2 one of
the men captured, but Sheriff Tur
ner states that John Jones, reput
ed to be a Raleigh bootlegger, ac
tually bought the car. The sec
ond car used in the attempted rob
bery was the property of J. A.
Waller.
Tuesday morning at ten o'clock
the five men captured were ar
raigned before Judge W. A.
Brame in recorders court here,
Each entered a plea of not guilty,
| but probable cause was found fIT
, each case and the five men were
I bound over for superior court.
Attorneys Parrish, Crawley, and
Hatch of the Raleigh Bar, repre
sented the accused men, and they
argued at some lertgth for smaller
bonds than those under which the
men were originally held. However,
Judge Brame held each of the
prisoners for court under $7,500
bond.
CIVIL SERVICE
EXAMINATIONS
The United States Civil Service-
Commission has announced open
competitive examinations as fel
lows:
Principal marketing specialist,
$5,600 to $6,400; senior marketing
specialist, $4,600 to $5,400; mar
keting specialist, $3,800 to $4,600;
associate marketing socialist, $3,-
200 to $3,800; assistant marketing
specialist, $2,600 to $3,200 a year,
Bureau of Agricultural Economics,
Department of Agriculture. Clos
ing date, November 15, 1934.
Agronomist (single variety com
munity cotton improvement), $3,-
800 a year, Bureau of Plant In
dustry, Department of Agriculture.
Closing date, November 19, 1934.
Senior agronomist (cotton gene
tics and breeding), $4,600 a year,
Bureau of Plant Industry, Depart
ment of Agriculture. Closing date
November 19, 1934.
Household equipment specialist,
$3,200 a year, Bureau of Home
Economics, Department of Agri
culture. Closing date, November
19, 1934.
Agent for home economics, $4,-
600; special agent for home econ
omics education (special groups),
$3,800 a year, Office of Education
Department of the Interior. Clos
ing date, November 19, 1934.
The salaries named are subject
to a deduction of not to exceed 5
percent during the fiscal year end
ing June 30, 1935, as a measure of
economy, and also to a deduction
of 3 1-2 percent toward a retire
ment annuity.
All States except lowa, Ver
mont, Virginia, Maryland, Rhode
Island, and the District of Colum
bia hare received less than their
quota of appointments in the ap
portioned departmental service in
Washington, D. C.
Full information may be obtain
ed from the Secretary of the Unit
ed States Civil Service Board of
Examiners at the post office or
customhouse in any city which has
a post office of the first or.second
class, or from the United States
Civil Service Commission, Wash
ington, D. C.
DUPREE CONVALESCES
FOLLOWING OPERATION
Friends of J. L. Dupree will be
pleased to know that he is conval
escing . nicely following a recent
j operation. He has been remov
j .ed to his home on Cokey Road
from the Rocky Mount Sanitar
j ium, where the operation was re
j cently performed.
Wide use of aerial tactics fea
, tured football games.
ROCKY MOUNT, NORTH CAROLINA, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 1934
Cotton Acreage
To Be Increased
By R. L. KLUTZ
Raleigh.—Cotton allotments for
1935, under the adjustment con
tracts, will be 25 per cent larger
than they were this year.
This year a grower who had a
base of 10 acres was alloted six
acres to plant. Next year he prob
ably will be alloted seven and a
half acres, according to Dean I.
0. Schaub of State Coliege.
The increase in allottments 10
be allowed is due largely to the
fact that the cotton program has
removed most of the surplus cotton
that was responsible for the low
prices of 1932 and growers can
now start producing as much cot
ton as is consumed each year, the
dean explained.
The exact size of the allotments
will not be announced, Schaub add
ed, until the AAA cotton scetion
finishes its study of the cotton
situation, including both domestic
and .foreign markets.
Growers who have already sign
ed contracts will keep the con
tracts they have, while non-sign
ers will be given another chance
to join the program and partici
pate in the rental and benefit pay
ments.
Schaub pointed out that the re
ferendum to be conducted on the
Bankhead act will in no way effect
the AAA adjustment program,
since the contracts were signed for
a two-year period, with the pro
vision that the secretary of agri
culture could terminate them at
the end of one year if necessary.
When the referndum is conduct
ed, the growers will have a chance
to make known their wishes in re
gard to whether those who have
signed contracts wish to be pro
tected by the Bankhead Act from
growers who do not sign, he ob
served.
Unless the act is continued, he
said, non-signers will be able to
increase their production as much
as they wish and offset much of
the work done by the signers in
eliminating the surplus and bring
ing prices back to fairer level.
RED CROSS DRIVE
HERE POSTPONED
The annual roll call of the Rocky
Mount- Nash county chapter of
the American Red Cross has been
postponed until the week of No
vember 26 local officials of the
unit announced today.
In makinng the announcement,
Lynwood Edmore, roll call chair
man and A. J. Berres, representa
tive of the national office, said that
the chapter sought to cooperate
with plans of the community chest
authorities who are planning their
annual campaign on November 6-7.
Mr. Elmore said that the list of
chairmen of the various divisions
has been completed and will be an
nounced early next week.
The Red Cross drive originally
was scheduled for November 11.
LOCAL BOY NOMINATED
FOR FRESHMAN OFFICE
M. W. Henry Is Candidate At
Wake Forest
Wake Forest, Oct. 27.—M. W.
Henry, of Rocky Mount, was listed
as one of the eight candidates for
vice-president of the freshman
class at Wake Forest college Fri
day night.
In the meeting which resulted in
the nominations, a total of 34
freshmen were named as nomi
nees for the offices of president,
vice-president, secretary and treas
urer. This was an all-time record
for nominees in any election
class or campus, held here since
the founding of the college in
1834.
Elections will be held Monday
' October 29, and several run-off:
! will probably be necessary before
' anyone is elected by a clear ma
jority.
Loans by Reserve membe:
banks rose sharply in September.
Cora for feed lacking, farmer
are selling lightweight hogs.
Aircraft experts warn of men
ance of war bombing.
Should Not Your Election Officials
Be Elected Rather Than Appointed?
Corruption in elections is the most undermining influence
to a Democracy and unless the willful frauds and corruptions
are eliminated in our elections it will ultimately destroy the
public confidence in our Government.
If a man steals a chicken then he is prosecuted and in
all probability sent to the roads or the Penitentiary by the
Judge but if a man steals an election through fraud most
of the time there is nothing done about it and if, and when
an investigation is made and these evil practices are found
to be true then they are called irregularities by our election
officials and still, there is nothing done about it. The
practice has become so flagrant and so common in North
Carolina that the Editor of the Biblical Recorder, the leading
Baptist Church paper, in the interest of civic righteousness,
has called the attention of the people and those in authority
to these flagrant violations and asks that something be done
to remedy the condition. He recommends that severe penal
ties should be placed upon election officials who carelessly
and wilfully violate their oaths in permitting a condition
of this sort to exist and go unchallenged.
The State Board of Elections in North Carolina is ap
pointed by the Governor and if it is not possible for hmi
to appoint a State Board of Elections to correct these evels,
then the next Legislature should make these offices elective
and let the people try their hand at the job. We feel quite
sure that they could bring about an improvement. Governor
Gardner appointed Judge Biggs, his Campaign Manager,
as Chairman of the Board of Elections to run the elections
while he was Governor, and Governor Ehringhaus has ap
pointed Major McLendon, his Campaign Manager, to run
the elections during his term of office. Now, we would -not
intimate when stating these facts that these two gentlemen
are not qualified to hold the elections but it was once stated
when speaking of Ceaser's wife that she must not only be
virtuous but that she must be above suspicion. Now, our
elections should not only be fair and conducted so as to
eliminate fraud and corruption but they should be like
Ceaser's wife.
REPUBLICANS MUST GET SLOGAN OTHER THAN
BALANCED BUDGET
The old Campaign slogan of the Republican party, "Full
Dinner Pail," has been discarded by the leaders of the Re
publican party and they have selected them a new slogan
entitled "Balanced Budget/' Now, if the Republican party
had selected the slogan "Balanced Diet," which was so much
needed under the Hoover Administration and which Mr.
Roosevelt has been trying to give to the people, then we feel
that this slogan would have been so much more appropriate.
The slogan "Balanced Budget" is in line with the policy
of the Republican party and just as cold as steel itself. What
father would undertake to balance a budget when his chil
dren are crying with hunger and cold from the want of
clothes. The Committee in New York, when advocating
Mr. Hoover's election, stated that if Mr. Hoover was elected
that he would put a car in every garage and two chickens
in every pot, but when Mr. Roosevelt came into office there
were no new cars and the old ones practically worn out. As
for the two chickens in every pot there were not even one
chicken in most instances, according to a recent statement
of a movie actor, they didn't even have the pots.
The Republican party is now making a great effort to re
gain the confidence of the people but we feel before they are
h able to ingratiate themselves into public confidence again they
will have to bring forward a different slogan than balanced
budget. There has been some criticism because the Pres
dent is feeding the Hungry and making mattresses to distri
bute to the infirm and old. The Republican party subsidized
with its high protecteve tariff wall and with its large gifts
for a big portion of the special interests of this country of
fered.not one word of criticism that the Government was be
coming too paternal yet when our President is making efforts
to feed the hungry and provide employment for the unployed
then they say that our Government is becoming paternalistic.
SIO,OOO Fire
At Nashville
Nashville—Fire of underterm
ined origin late today destroyed
two residences and two store build
ings and $1,400 worth of cotton,
and damaged two residences. The
residences burned were those of
Will Clark and Jack Langley. The
houses damaged were the old J.
D. Barnes house and the Robert
Gupton house. The store buildings
were owned by Will Clark. The
property damage was estimated at
SIO,OOO. Four firemen were ren- 1
dered unconscious for a time by
the fire and smoke. A fire fight
ing unit from Rocky Mount aided
the local fire department in con
trolling the fire.
o
LOCAL AGENTS ATTEND
SESSION IN RICHMOND
Alford and Roberts Go To
Harvest Sale Congress
Harvey Roberts and Dallas Al
ford, local insurance agents, at
tended the session of the Harvest
Sales congress, sponsored by the
i Richmond Virginnia Association of
Life Underwriters and held Friday
in the John Marshall hotel in
Richmond.
During the meeting they heard
ißiil Pension
Bill Illegal
Washington.—The railway re
tirement act was held unconstitu
tional Wednesday in a ruling hand
ed down by District Supreme Court
Justice Alfred A. Wheat. The
opinion holds Congress went be
| yond its powers, in the light of the
' interstate commerce clause in the
Constitution. The 136 major rail
ways were compelled under the
| act to deduct 2 per cent of salar
j ies of employes and to add twice
I as much from the railway's funds
to set U P a retirement system.
prominent insurance company lead
ers, among them Bradford H.
Walker, president of the Life In
surance Company of Virginia, Al
vin T. Haley, general agent, Mass
- 1: achusetts Mutual Life Insurance
I company of Greensboro, the gov
1j ernor of Virginia, Honorable Geo.
C. Peery, and Theodore M. Heihle
: president of the National Associa
' j tion of Life Underwriters.
The two local agents had return
[ cd to the city today after attend
' ing the morning and afternoon ses
sions.
r
o
I I
' Fletcher says Digest poll shows
1 swing to Republican pariy.
PARAGRAPHS
PROBLEMS AT
Legion Demands
Bonus Payment
Frank N. Belgrano, Jr., Of
San Francisco Elected Na
tional Commander. Uni
versal Draft Advocated
After demanding the bonus by
an overwhelming vote of 987 to
183 the American Legion Conven
tion adjourned at Miami, Fla.,
Thursday, October 25, to meet
next year at St. Louis, Mo.
Frank N. Belgrano, Jr., was
unanimously elected National
Commander for the coming year
without opposition.
A progressive legislative pro
gram was adopted which included,
besides the bonus: A Universal
Draft law, conscripting capital, la
bor industry, and manpower in
case of war. Registration of all
aliens, and deportation at once of
criminal aliens. The making of
Armistice Day, November 11, a
National Holiday. Barring com
munistic literature from the mails
and .candidates of the communist
party from state and national
electoral ballots.
The legion, in passing the bon
us resolution and asking for the
remission of interest on loans al
ready made, stated that the pres
ent administration is committed to
a spending program to restore
prosperity, and that the payment
of the bonus would prove the
greatest stimulus to business that
could be suggested, and that it
would relieve distress and lighten
the relief burdens of states and
cities.
REV. S. T. HABEL
JR. RESIGNS
Rev. S. T. Habel, Jr., has resign
ed his pastorate of the First Bap
tist Church of Nashville to become
pastor of the Enfield Baptist
Church.
The young pastor, who is only
twenty-five years old, has served
the Nashville church, his only
pastorate, for four years.
Mr. Habel is very popular in
Nashville, with all denominations
The pastor's farewell sermcn
was preached to his congregation
on the fourth Sunday in Octobei
when both churches united theu
services as a tribute to him.
On Monday night a farewell par
ty was given in honor of Mr. anc
Mrs. Habel. They were preseatec
with a parting gift of 5250.00 anc
a complete set of silver, glassware
and china.
Mr. Habel is a Virginian and i
cousin of Congressman Harold D
Cooley.
f WILLIFORD NEWS °
Miss Mattie Williford
o C
Friends of Mrs. E. C. Sextoi
will be glad to know she and th
baby are doing nicely.
Mrs. Lula Tyree returned homi
Monday after a two weeks visi
with her sister, Mrs. B. B. Willi
ford.
Friends of Mrs. Frank Cockrel
will be sorry to know she is sick
DukS Sheron was home las
week-end.
Dr. John Tyree of Richmond
Va., and three of his friends vis
ited Mr. and and Mrs. B. B. Willi
ford last Saturday night.
NOTICE
Those desiring to subscribe to The Rocky Mount
Herald may do so by sending SI.OO with name and
address to The Rocky Mount Herald, Rocky Mount,
N. C.
Town State Route No.
SI.OO PER YEAIi
ON NATIONAL
WASHINGTON
ELECTION NEXT WEEK
OFF-YEAR LOSS USUAL
TO ENDORSE NEW DEAL
DEMOCRATS FACE DANGER
ROOSEVELT MAY GET HARD
DRIVING FOR THE BONUS
HOUSING PROJECTS START
CAMPAIGN TO BE ENLARGED
By Hugo Sims, Gold Leaf Farmer
Special Washington Correspondent
The citizens of forty-eight states
will go to the i oils on Tuesday,
to select thirty-three governors,
thirty-four'senators, and 432 mem
bers of the House. A tabulation
by the Associated Press records
1420 candidates for the 509 posi
tions.
Figures from previous years in
dicate that off-year election.*) are
participated in by about seventy
per cent of those who voted in (he
preceding presidential election. As
something like 40,000,000 voted in
1982, this would indicate a turn
out of about 28,000,000 voter*.
Thus it is probable that less than
one-fourth of the people in the na
tion will pass judgment upon the
policies of the New Deal.
Records of past off-year elec
tions show that the party in power
has lost strength in the lower
house without exception since the
administration of President Buch
anan. Some reduction in Demo
cratic strength in the House would
be in line with the experience of
the past, which shows that, as a
rule, the strength of the party in
power in the House, on the aver
age, has dropped from sixty to
forty-eight per cent in off-year
elections.
Unless there is a great change
of public sentiment, President
Roosevelt and # his New Deal poli
cies will record a victory without
precedent in off-year elections.
This is the considered opinion of
practically ail observers. They
foresee a minimum gain of four
seats in the Senate and probably
the holding of the enormous n»a
, jority in the House which was not
| expected a month ago. In fact,
i some go so far as to expect a loss
i to the Republican party in •■he
• House where it has only 115 out of
• 435 members.
r Readers should understand that
I it is not the business of this col
[ umn to take sides in national po
-1 litical affair. At the same time,
; if it is to be worth reading, it must
give an honest report of the state
L of affairs in the nation, together
. with something like an intelligent
interpretation of the facts we goem.
to expect.
>
With this in view, let us point
I out that such a triumph for the
) Democrats or the Administration
will present a serious threat in it
self. Lacking effective and mili
tant opposition, the Democrats
e are liable to split up into factions,
t with a consequent invitation to the
Republican to step forward in 1936.
and take advantage of the family
j row.
Charges Republicans that prac
ticall all candidates in the
I presents vote-getting drive have
[ taken advantage of the spend
ing policeis of the Adminis
(Please turn to page eight)