SELMA
HAS A $20,000
WEEKLY PAY-ROLL
THE JOHNSTONIAN-
THE JOHNSTONIAN AND JOHNSTON COUNTY SUN CONSOLIDATED
SELMA
OFFERS YOU MANY
OPPORTUNITIES
VOLUME 15.
SELMA, N. C., THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29, 1932.
Dr. Mike Roberson Is
Held On Murder Charg(
Promises Must Be
Fulfilled To Hold
Democrats Have Taken On A Large
Sized Order But It Must Be Ac-
coinpolished If The Party Is To
Retain Control.
Durham Physician and Mrs. E. E.
Forsyth Charged With Capital
Crime On Miss Myrtle Gardner
Four Oaks School Teacher.
(New.s and Obsei'vsr, Dec. 28.)
_^harged vcith first degree murder,
Dr. Mike Roberson, 45, Durham
physician, wa.s lodged in Wake
county Jail yesterday afternoon in
. connection w'th the death of Miss
Myrtle Gardner, 29-year-old school
teacher, who died in Mary Eliza
beth Hospital Monday night of
’rood poisoning induced by a crim-
’.lal operation.
Prior to his arrest the charge
against Mr-. E. E. Forsyth, of Ral
eigh, who was arrested shortly aft-
c ■ midnight Tuesday, was changed
to first degree murder, and George
D. Clifton, of Coats, brother-in-law
'■f the dead woman, was charged
with being an accessory before and
a'ter the fact. Both, upon their ar-
lest, were charged with being ac
cessories before the fact.
Clifton’s bond was hoisted from
.$5,000 to $10,000 The other two are
n it allowed the privilege of bail.
Miss Gardner, who taught in 'a
-■■'our Oaks school, was the daugh
ter of Mr. and Mrs. Everett H.
Gardner, of Angier. In an oral
statement made shortly before her
death, she charged “Dr. Roberson,
of Durham” v.dth performing the
criminal operation and named Mrs.
Forsyth as an accomplice.
Clifton, who married Miss Gard-
■oer’s si.ster, told officers that he
..;et the school teacher here and ac-
c-.mpanied her to Mrs. Forsyth’s
i"‘Use, on the corner of South and
Person Streets, last Saturday. There
they took lodging, he said, as “Mr.
and Mrs. George D. Clifton,” and
Hiss Gardner was entered in Mary
Elizabeth Hospital as “Mr.s. Clif-
The brother-in-law said his pur
pose was to Help the young woman
i ‘ her predicament.
Miss Gardner, who was carried to
the hospital Monday afternoon about
1 o’clock, succumbed at 8:30, sev
eral hours after an emergency op
eration was performed on her by
Dr. P. G. Fox, on whose advice she
wa.s removed from the Forsythe
house
The warrants against Dr. Rob-
ctsonson and Mrs. Forsythe charge
that they “did kill and murder one
Myrtle Gardner, causing her death
by unlawfully and feloniously com-
. iitting an abortion on the said
Myrtle Gardner, from which she
ded.”
Both have been implicated in pre
vious alleg'ed criminal operations,
The present case being the third in
which they have been involved to
gether during the past several
years. Mrs. Forsythe now is under
D,000 bond, awaiting trial in Wake
Superior Court for allegedly aiding
a.nd abetting in a criminal operation
reputedly performed last spring on
Fliss Daphne Conn, a former seb-
ulon girl, by Dr. Roberson, who al
so is awaiting trial in the case.
Several , years ago they were
charged with performing a criminal
operation upon Miss Irma Loui.-:e
Robinson, of Goldsboro, teacher in
the Boy Ian Heights School here. In
this' action Dr. Roberson was con
victed by a Durham County jury
and sentenced to prison for five to
seven years. He appealed to the Su
preme Court, which granted him a
new trial on a technicality. The
charge was nol pressed with leave
when the principal witness, a man
charg^ed with procuring the abor
tion, disappeared.
In another action the jury hear
ing of Dr. Roberson’s case couldn’t
agree on a verdict and the princi
pal witnesses couldn’t be located for
the new trial. The alleged operation
■was performed on a Harnett county
girl. Mrs. Forsythe wasn’t involved
in this case.
It was said last night was the
first that Dr. Roberson had spent
Jail despite the several actions
lief that the death, if it -was the
result of a criminal operation, could
be construed a= “murder in an at
tempt to commit a felony.”
Miss Gardner made her death
bed statement in the presence of Dr.
Fox, Dr. Harold Glascock and Miss
Gladys Lambert, a nurse. She was
told of the seriousness of her con
dition and advised to tell all imme
diately after being brought to the
hospital.
Shortly afterward fhe received
treatment in the operating room in
an effort to save her life. She suc
cumbed several hours afterward,
carrying into death the secret of
the name of the man responsible
for tire predicament which led her
to the fatal resort.
Her. body was taken home yes
terday.
Clifton, who kept in touch with
his sister-in-law Sunday, went to
her home Monday afternoon, re-
I turning to Raleigli with two of her
sisters. They arrived two hours af
ter Miss Gardner died, as did her
parents. It was then that Clifton
was arrested.
Dr. Roberson was arre.sted in his
Durham office by Wake County
Deputies W G. Maddry and Clyde
Whitaker, ■who were accompanied by
Sergeant Leary of the Durham po
lice department. The physician was
incarcerated here at 3:45 p. m.
Exceeding reticent, he said he
knew nothing about the case.
Mis. Forsythe was taken in cus
tody after a half-mile chase by
Deputy Maddrey and city officers.
They were w^aiting for her at her
house when the woman diove up,
spied them and sped away.
The sheriff’s office, which has
been in complete charge of the case,
reported yesterday that other infor
mation concerning it was in their
hands but that they couldn’t di
vulge it at the pre ent. However,
Sheriff Turner declared there
would be no further arrests in the
case.
Warrants for arrest of the trio
were sworn out by Coroner L. M
Waring, who is ill at his home.
Sheriff Turner is acting coroner.
Last night he was unable to say
when a, preliminary hearing would
be held.
which have been brought against
him.
R. 0. Everett of Durham, Dr.
Roberson’s attorney, held a confer
ence with members of his client’s
family last night. He said he would
.seek a writ of habeas corpus to se
cure Dr. Roberson’s release on bond,
possibly today.
The charge of murder was brought
against Dr. Roberson and Mrs. For
sythe at the suggestion o'f Solicitor
Little, who u.stified the fir.st
pressing _the be-
William D. Avera
Died Monday Night
Smithfield, Dec. 28.—William
David Avera, prominent farmer of
Smithfield Township, died in Rex
Hospital at Raleigh Monday night
at 7:30 o’clock in his 63rd year.
Mr. Avera married Miss Carrie
Allen, November 5, 1895. She sur
vives him with the following chil
dren: John W., and David S. Avera,
Winston-Salem; Nick Allen Avera,
Patteison, N. J.; W. D. Avera, Jr.,
Smithfield; Wait.still Avera, Norfolk,
Va.; Thomas Avera, Smithfield; Mrs.
R. Keith Compton, Jr., Richmond,
■Va.; Mrs. Franklin L. Davis, Au
burn, Ala.; Mrs. J. Roy Pearson,
Raleigh; Miss Caroline Avera, of
Smithfield. He also leaves one sis
ter, Mrs. W. A. Wynn, Raleigh.
Mr. Avera was born in John>ton
county and spent his boyhood in
Raleigh. He was educated at Davis
School in Raleigh. He was promin
ent in the Masonic fraternity and
a member of the Methodist church.
He was master of the Masonic lodge
at Smithfield and was a member of
the Scottish and York Rite bodies.
The funeral was conducted at 3:30
p. m., Tuesday from the home of
his sister, Mrs. W. A. Wynne, 1302
Hillsboro Street, Raleigh, by Rev.
Mr. Brown, Mr. Avera’s pastor, as
sisted by Rev. Eugene C. Few, pas
tor of Edenton Street Methodist
church, Raleigh.. Interment was in
Oakwood cemetery at Raleigh.
Mr. Avera had served as Justice
of the peace for several years,
spending much time in the court
house at, Smithfield, and was one of
the most active justices in the en
tire county.
By FRANK p. LITSCHERT
Word comes from Albany to the
effect that the Democrats will lose
no time in starting to rebuild an
effective party organization. Short
ly after the New Year, it is said.
Chairman Failey will journey to
Washington to make plans and ex
tend the work of the Democratic
National Committee. The dispatch
es continue that both Presiden-elect
Roosevelt and Farley are convinced
that with the proper ?ort of organi
zation the Democratic paity can
hold much of the sweeping gains 'it
made in the recent election, mostly,
of course, in Republican states like
loiva and Michigan.
This once more brings to mind the
popular fallacy that it is political
machinery -which wins political cam
paigns. Yet the truth is that such
machinery plays a minor part in the
result, especially in a campaign like
the one through which we have ju t
passed. It is necessary of course to
have political organization and well
supplemented political publicity. But
at the same time it must be admit
ted that Farley’s organization play
ed a minor part in bringing about
the election of Roosevelt in Novemb
er. . The result was due neither to
any of the Democratic bosses nor
to any possible mistake.s on the part
if the Republican organization clui
ng the campaig-n. The Democratic
landslide was due almost solely to
economic conditions—in short to the
depression. The Democrats would
have won without a national chair
man, and even if Governor Roose
velt had not stirred nutside albany
during the campaign. The Republi-
can.s would have lost had they pos
sessed a dozen national organizations
with a corresponding number of na
tional chairmen. Anyone who took
the trouble to go out into the coun
try during- the campaig-n and to talk
to the people, to get their mental
reactions, knows that this is true.
There was no special enthusiasm for
Roosevelt among the mass of voters.
The people were distressed. They
knew that they had lost money, that
their business or their income was
depleted or that they lacked jobs.
They were not sure whether a
change would do any good or not,
but they were willing- to try any
thing in an effort to get things to
running better—just as the sujier-
stitious gambler will cut the cards or
walk around his chair to change
the run of luck.
If the Democrats under Roosevelt
want to retain the sweeping gains
they have made in Republican terri
tory there is only one way they can
do it, and that is to restore pros
perity to the American people. If
they do thi.s and can convince the
people that their policies brought
about the return of normalcy ,then
they have a chance to retain power
until such time as factional differ
ences disrupt the party again. But
if the promises they made in the
last campaign are not fulfilled, if
they do not restore prosperity, then
a dozen chairmen in Washington
and an equal number of efficient
Charlie Michelsons sending out pub
licity will not be availing.
A great many political observer.-
:e giving credit for the Demo-
Protest Addr^s
of Mrs. Roosevelt
Talk From Next First Lady Of The
Land Has Put Severe vStrain Upon
Loyalty Of Countless American
Women.
number .52
Mr.s. Franklin D. Rosevelt’s re
puted assertion that “the average
girl of today faces the problem of
learning very young how much she
can drink of such things as whisky
and gin and sticking to the proper
quantity” has brought a “.-hock
ed protest” from a group of wom
en leaders at Topeka, Kansas.
Fifty of them from many of the
leading women’s organizations in
the city instructed a committee to
inform the wife of President-elect
Roosevelt her recent address on the
subject “has put a severe strain
upon the loyalty of countle.-.s Amer
ican women.”
“Lest your astonishing state
ment,” said a letter of protest by
the group, “should pass unques
tioned in America and Europe as
representing the opinion of Ameri
can womanhood, we wish in the
name of the hundreds of thousands
of American women of all polit
ical parties to register a shocked
protest against this statement.”
“To advocate that an open door
to the use of intoxicants may be
safely entered by a judicious
knowledge of the amounts so young
girl may imbibe with impunity
the most astonishing statement yet
made by a woman whose husband
has been elected to the highest of
fice in the gift of the people. The
plea that this education is neces
sary among girls of our country
in order that they may escape be
ing- classed as ‘prigs’ is an insult
to the American girl.
“The majority of the young
women of our country are so in
dividual and personal in, character
that the fear of being called a pig
has no terror for them. The state
inent that they need to be protect
_ed from ridicule if they ab-tain
from intoxicants does not apply to
the present generation.
“It is our sincere wish always
to respect and honor the First
Lady of the Land, but your ad
dress has put a severe strain upon
the loyalty of countless American
women.
We believe that ours is only
one of a vast avalanche of protests
that your task has choked in the
hearts of your countrywomen. We
shall welcome heartily a future ad
dress from you which we can ap
plaud and honor.”
The committee named to forward
the protest to Mrs. Roosevelt was
imposed of Mrs. S. S. Estey, Mrs.
Maragaret Hill McCarter, Mrs. Ben
son M. Powell and Mrs. Charles
M. Sheldon.'
Selma’s Trade Campaign
Proves A Big Success
Jonas Is Thanked
By the President
Hoover Writes Personal Letter To
F’ormer Ninth District Representa
tive And Extols Party Principles.
Former Representative Charles A.
,Jonas, of Lincolnton, has received
a fine personal letter from the
President which reads' as follows:
My Dear Mr. Jonas;
I wish to convey to you my ap
preciation of your effective leader-
frip in the campaig-n—a campaign
against great odds. The election re
sult should, I believe, be taken not
as a discouragement to the Republi
can Party but rather as a challenge
to continued zealous and aggressive
Thousands of People Throng Selma
Streets For Hours Waiting Fbr-
Announcement of Prize Winners—
Austin Car Won by Miss Linda
Cobb.
The big trade campaign, put ewa
by the various merchants and pro
fessional men of Selma a few week.s
ago, came to a successful close here
last Saturday afternoon when one
of the largest crowds ever seen in
Selma thonged the streets for hours
waiting to learn who would be
awarded the various prizes as a
Christmas gift by the merchants
and iirofessional men of Selma.
A loud speaker apparatus was
procured from the head office of
WPTF at Raleigh, and by the use
of these powerful magaphones the
people were enabled to understand
Game Warden Falls
From Grace Himself
Quinn Anderson Dies in Tampa Fla.
Friends in Selma will regre.t to
learn of the death of Quinn Ander
son which occurred in Tampa, Fla.,
Monday from d.ouble pneumonia. His
family lived in Selma at one time.
He i^ servived' by his widow who
was Miss Berths Creech of Sllma
and a seven year-'oTd^ son, his par
ents and several brotIi«srs and sist-
cratic victory to the organization
which Raskob built up at Washing
ton- immediately after the election
of 1928 with Jouett Shouse in
change and Charles Michelson han
dling the publicity. Credit is due
these two gentlemen for their ef
fective work. Perhaps none could
have done it better. But if there
had been no depression, or if we
had pulled out of the slump as it
looked like we were going to early
in 1931 before the fresh series; of
European disasters descended upon
us. President Hoover would have
been hailed as a great and succes-
ful leader and would in all likeli
hood have been re-elected in spite
of the barbed shafts released against
him by his adversaries, . ,
So while it is ri^t and proper
for the Democrats to revamp their
organization at Washington and
start their publicity all over again
as they did after the 1928 election,
let them not forget that the only
way to keep on winning is to do
what they promised to do in the
1932 campaign. It is a large sized
order but it must be accomplished
if the party is to retain control.
If they do so their machine may
run smoothly and their publicity run
true. But if they don’t, the engine’
The tables were turned on Game
Warden, I. M. Earp, when he ap
peared in the recorder’s court at
Wendell, Wake. County, the past
week to prosecute nine young men
for hunting without license.
Evidence was produced in court
that the game warden himself
hunted without license prior to his
appointment as game warden and
further evidence introduced tend
ed to detract from the credibility of
the game warden’s evidence. Follow
ing this evidence County Game War
den Young, who was present of
ficially, personally swore out a war
rant for Earp, and he was tried and
convicted for a violation of the very
laws he was sworn to enforce.
Judge Branie followed the custom
in taxing- him ^ith the cost of the
case, but riggH-ed in a very caustic
manner to the official conduct of
the warden. He made it plain that
he expected the officers of the law
to come into court with clean hands.
At last account Earp was still hold-
i'lg' do'wn his job; He is probably
a local Democratic worker and the
powers that be are afraid to fire
him.
Mr. Easom In Hospital
Mr. Jim Easom of near Selma,
who has been suffering with an at
tack of influenza, became suddenly
worse Monday when complications
set in, and it was deemed best to
take him to Duke hospital. He was
accompanied by his son. Dr. Her
man Easom, who is a member of
the medical staff at the State Sani-
torium.
will start knocking anti the" news re
leases will sound like wails \^f an
guish by the time the next; elec
tion rolls around.
work in behalf of its sound and en-
during- principles. I wish to thank the various announcements as the
you personally for your able and un- program proceeded. As Selma peo-
selfi?h work in behalf of the Party
and myself.
Yours faithfully,
HERBERT HOOVER.
Mr. Jonas dispatched the follow
ing reply to the President’s letter:
My Dear Mr. president:
I thank you sincerely for your
fine presonal letter. I shall preserve
it as one of my prized possessions.
Your uniform kindness to me dur
ing your administration and the
many evidences of your personal
friendship will always be held in
grateful rememberance.
The people in the last election
voted not against you nor against
the Republican Party, nor for the
Democratic Party or its candidate
for President. They voted against
the depression and for a change,
without and special reason. Your
magnificent leadersliip and demon
strated lofty statesmanship in the
Nation’s most severe peacetime
crisis, is an inspiration to every in
telligent, partiotic American citizen,
and is the most stabilizing- influence
in the world today.
The unseemly haste on the part
of the sponsors of the “new deal”
to drown the ti-oubles of the people
:n an unrestricted supply of legal
ized beer and whiskey at the ex
pense of proper regard for the fun
damental law of the land, should
receive no encouragement from an
admini'tration which has conitently
encouraged respect for the Constitu
tion and our American traditions. I
believe this program of demoraliza
tion will not receive your encourage
ment or approval.
You have my most sincere good
wishes in all your future undertak
ings and I earnestly hope for an op
portunity again to be of service to
you.
Cordially and faithfully yours,
CHARLES A. JONAS.
Auto Thieves Active
In Town of Smithfield
pie were permitted to speak into
the receiver to the magaphone.s
they were made to feel that they
could for once speak with great
volume of voice a? they heard
each word go resountling through
out Selma’s great trade center.
The crowd has been variously es
timated at from 5,000 to 7,000 peo
ple. At any rate, there wei-e lots
of people in Selma Saturday.
The prizes which were awarded
are as follows
Austin car—Miss Linda Cobb.
Jersey. Milk Cow—W. T. Daugh
try, mill village.
Two Rugs, given by Smith' &
Cameron—William Batten affid Mr.
Moseley.
The Lee Store gave five prizes:
fst Estelle Godwin; 2—Raymon
Rose; 3—No. 110639; 4—Stella Cur
tis; 5—Charlie Campbell.
The Curtis Airplane, given by
Wood’s Drug Store, was- awarded
to Sam Edwards.
The prize given by Cleam-M-
Right was awarded to Miss Rena
Grant.
Romie Davis, 9-year-old colored
boy, was awarded a 42-piece china
set by the Selma Drug Company.
Mr. Charlie Jacobs, was given a
Stetson Hat by the Selma Clothing
& Shoe Company.
The Home Pride Tea Company
gave Mr. Robert L. McRae a bushel
box of apples.
The Sanitary Grocery Company
gave Jos. Lassiter, M. C. Tuck, and
Mr. Maulesley and Mr. H. E. Bass
$5 in cash each.
The Dun Furniture Co gave H. J.
Brantley a nice felt mattress.
'Geo. N. Siler gave Mrs. Stanley
Armitage a barrel of fancy flour.
The Hardware Store give Mi.ss
Thelma Ward an Aladdin lamp.
Smithfield, Dec. 28.—Last Satur
day night Mr. 'Clarence Langdon,
of the Hopewell section, parked
his car near the Methodist church
here and walked across Market
Street to speak with some one at
the Sanders Theatre, and when he
returned a few minutes later his
car had been stolen. The car was
later found in a ditch near Prince
ton.
Lart night, the Ford sedan of
Mr. J. L. Dupree was taken from
the garage at his home 6 miles
west of Smithfield, .and so far, all
efforts to locate it have failed. The
theft was discovered early this
morning, and they were able to fol
low the tire tracks for several
miles, but lost the trail in Eleva
tion Township, owing to the in
crease in traffic.
Mr. Rufus Johnson, a near neigh
bor of Mr. Dupree, says that his
dog aroused him at 1:00 o’clock this
morning, and he thinks that was
the time that the car was stolen. ■
Tonight about 3:30 o’clock some
one stole Mr. D; U. Thompson’s car,
which was parked in front of the
Smithfield Hardware store, and so
far he has no clue a.s to who got
it or which way it went.
BIRTH ANNOUNCE.MENT
Mr. and Mrs. David Liles an
nounce the birth of a son, Charles
Clemmens Liles, on Saturday, Dec.
24th, 1932. ■ ■
Kiwanians Attend
Christmas Party
President C. L. Richard.son, Rev.
L. T. Singleton, Dr. R. M. Black
man, George F. Brietz and John
Jeffereys of the local Kiwanis club,
attended a “Christmas Party” given
by the 6th and 7th Kiwanis Di
visions to the boy.s at Eastern Caro
lina Training School for Boys at
Rocky Mount Tuesday r.iglA. Upon
arrival each Kiwanian was given a
slip showing the dormitaory where
they were to be served. The meals
were prepared- and served by the
boys of the institution. At each
Kiwanian’s plate was a souvenir of
a rolling pin or high-back chair
carved by the boy.s. After the din
ner was served the guests w'ere
entertained in the main building
which was attractively decorated
wit ha large Christmas tree. On
this tree there were gifts for each
boy in the institution. ■ The school
orchestra rendered several very en
joyable selections.
Intererting talks were made by
Lieutenant Governors Owen H.
Page and Bill Montgomery of the
6th and 7th districts respectively.
Talks on education, punishment,
■Playi etc., were, made by- the boys.
Samuel Leonard, superintendent of
the school, married Miss Julia
Etheredge, daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. W. H. Etheredge, of Selma.
\
\
NOTICE TO FARMERS OF
PLEASANT GROVE 'TOWNSHIP
I will be at M. .B.’ Pleasant’s
Store, Pleasant Grove Township, on
Friday afternoon, January .'6th, to
clean tobacco .^eed for farmers in
that section. Thi:^ service is ’'fr§
.the. farmers of the co.i^ty:. '
J. 'B. SLAClU County