The Johnstonian-Sun
Johnston Republicans
To Hold Convention
County Chairman Clyde Standi
Calls County Convention To
Meet Saturday, March 7th, To
Name Delegates To Congres-
siional Convention In Raleigh.
Republican County Chairman Clyde
Stancil has mailed notices to all
township committeemen in Johnston
county, calling on them to hold town
ship meetings not later than Friday,
March 6th, and elect delegates to .the
county convention to be held in the
County Commissioners Room in the
courthouse in Smithfield at 11
Saturday morning, 'March 7.th, War
Time. ,
Chairman Stancil also suggests
that at these towmship meetings, or
primaries, a township organization be
set up and a township ticket nomm-
The convention to be held in Smith-
field Saturday, March 7th, is primari
ly for the purpose of electing dele
gates to the Congressional Conven
tion, which meets in Raleigh on Sat
urday, March 14th at 3 o’clock p. rn..
to nominate a Republican ^ndidate
from the 4th Congressional District.
It is usually customary to make
the same delegates .that are^ elected
to the Congressional ConvOTtion also
the delegates to go to the
State Convention to be held later,
but that is a matter for the conven
tion in Smithfield to decide.
The State convention will be hem
in Raleigh this year.
There will be another county con
vention held later in the spring to
nominate a county ticket.
Selma Youth Recovering
In Marine Hospital
George L. Tucker, 21-year-old son
of of Mr. and Mrs. H. H. Tucker of
Selma, who joined the Marines on
Monday before Christmas imP^w
ing in .the Marine hospital at Pans
Island. Young Tucker was taken ill a
few days after arriving at Paris Isl
and His father tells us that his son
■■'-Will be able to return to-his home
about March 15th if he continues to
improve.
Needed at once Central btoth
Carolina plant - 900 Production Wor
kers machine shop. Plenty of over
time. Your local United States Em
ployment Service office has the de
tails.
Heavy Going for American Convoy
DRAFTS BOARDS RcCOrdcd
SEND MORE MEN ^OUrl Hearb IVCLUlucu
This official photograph, released by ffie Sh
vessels of an Iceland-bound convoy making heavy
Atlantic gale. Though rolling seas like this ^^ed^a’S.
also cut submarine activity to a minimum. A had gale wrecked
destroyer and a supply ship on the Newfoundland coast.
Organize County To
Save Waste Material
C. E. Bingham of Smithfield jg£j^jyj^ FARMER IS
Heads County Unit—Commit- —.. * wTn
tees In Various
Are Named.
t—Uommii- *-TfTirv
Townships KILLED BY AUTO
Seen and Heard Along
THE MAINDRAG
:By H. H. L.
Tuesday afternoon in the Selma
Drug Store DAVID BALL
his assistants, WILLIE LEE ROSE
and GRAHAM MORGAN, were busy
folding papers for delivery, when a
lady walked up and asked Lthc
latest news-DAVID ,1°
give the news by headlines from his
paper thus: -“Grim struggle for
Java pushes hack Jap forces; Eariy
rationing of gasoline seen, 16 JaP
bombers destroyed by bold U. S. N
val forces;” “Doubling of income tax
proposed;’’ “Over 100 U. S. —
lost in sinking of
shell Philipmo cities, Goldsboro
prison Supt. hits Negro, causing him
to go blind”-“Young, man you don t
need to sell papers,” said e’^’^ooLer
R E SURER, “you should he a news
announcer over some NBC hookup -
“f—
War Savings Stamps
kind were for sale now— no, replied
DAVID, “we sell nothing less than the
25c variety”—“most people buy the
$25 for $18.75,” he continued-JO-
SEPH GLENN WIGGS, son of MR.
j^MRS T O. WIGGS, was on a
sWplund for home when the^omh-
ina- of Pearl Harbor took place J
X had served two years and eigh ,
months in the Navy stationed in Ha
wail, left Pearl Harbor just SIX day^
h..fore the bombing-JOE is now
helning his father in his store here
helping n
awaiting _ aWRENCE DEANS,
''ho is^fS ^course in Aeronauti-
S En^lLerfng at State College was
^^^tL Maindrag Wednesday night—
week-come again, J^udge, f"^™er pt
ICER, dropped^mtojee
day at the ^r-
young man southern
camps-Xn asked by his former
l^inted:"XerI
taf’l2^%ars old I promised my
rrandmother that I would never
touch whisky, beer f
this day I have never touched either
“75 per cent of the soldiers in wr
' camp do not indulge in strong drink ,
he stated.
The Johnston County Salvage com
mittee, under the leadership of C. E.
Bingham as chairman, went forward
this- week with the job of organizing
the county into an efficient setup for
collecting all available scrap materi
als for national defense.
In every incorporated town a com
mittee is being formed for the pur
pose of diverting scrap goods into
channels of defense industry. By the
end of the week the entire county-
will be on an operative basis.
“Our job,” said Chairman Bingham,
“is to see that every piece of scrap
goods that will aid our country to
win this war is salvaged and put to
use.” Metal, rubber and paper are
especially needed, he pointed out.
The county-wide committee tor
the vital salvage work has been
named as follows, representatives
having been chosen from varied fields
of activity; , ,,
Chairman—C. E. Bingham; the
mayor of each .town; James R. Pool,
Chairman Civilian Defense; M. A.
Morgan, County Farm Agent; C. W.
Warrick, Agriculture War Board,
George Johnson and Edmund Aycock,
county 4-H clubs; Smithfield Herald,
representing newspapers; H. B- “ar
row, county schools, and A. J. Whit
ley, Johnston Farm Club.
Smithfield, Benson, Clayton _ and
Micro have already sent in their or
ganizational reports and the other
towns are expected to report on their
local setups within a day or .two.
Following are the committees -cho
sen for the towns reported:
Smithfield
Chairman—M. B. Strickland;
Mayor—W. J. Huntley;
Chairman Civilian Defense .
Creech;
Fire Chief—E. L. Woodall, ■
Police Chief—J. A. Massey;
Representative Chamber of Com
merce—M. B. Wilson, -kt -i.
Boy Scouts—Rev. W. -C. Neil,
Girl Scouts—Mrs. W. C- Bowen; ^
American Legion—W. M. ^askm,
American Legion Auxiliary-“Mrs.
B. F. Owens;
Newspaper—Smithfield Herald,
• Masonic Club—J. P. Bogers,
Kiwanis Club-Edmund Aycock,
Supt. City Schools—A -G- Glenn,
Supt. Colored Schools—W. R. Col-
''Power Company—A. M. Lyon;
B. and P. W. Club—Miss Juanita
Hunsucker.
Benson
Chairman—J. Ed Johnson,
Mayor—J. Ed Johnson,
Chairman Civilian Defense—N. L.
Duncan;
Fire Chief—H. O. Dixon,
Police Chief-T. T. WoodalU
County Farm Agent—M. A. Mor
gan, Smithfield; r w,
^ Representative Chamber of Com
merce—E. A. Parker,
Boy Scouts—C. I. Calcote;
Girl Scouts—Mrs. Gladys Johnson,^
American Legion— W. H. Slocumb,
Newspaper—J. B. Benton;
Parent-Teachers Association —
J Barefoot, for white and colored;
■ Masonic Club-W. J. Barefoot; _
Business Men’s Club—E. A. Parker,
(Continued on page eagnt)
John Bunch Dies
When Sti-uck by Auto While
Walking AlomrWhway Near
Selina—Car Driven by Brax
ton Lynch, Also of Selma.
John Bunch, 53-year-old Johnston
county farmer, was instantly killed
Wednesday at 11 o’clock when he was
struck by an automobile driven by
Braxton Lynch, 30, of Selma, Rt. 1.
The accident occurred near the res
idence of James Earp, seven miles
northwest of Selma.
Bunch who was walking on the
dirt road, evidently started to cross
the road , and walked in the path ot
the automobile. The car, traveling at
a moderate rate of speed knocked
■the farmer down, fractured his skull
and other injuries were suffered. He
was carrying a jug of molasses at the
time of the accident. In his Pockets
were $75.03. Patrolman H. C. Bobbitt
and Deputy Frank Hood investigated
the accident and ruled it to be una
voidable. . , T, 1.
Bunch was a son of Patrick Bunch,
Sr., of -Wilson, and a brother of Pat
rick Bunch, Jr., of near Clayton.
Criminal Term Superior
Court Opened Monday
A two weeks term of Johnston
county criminal court convened in
Smithfield Monday, with Judge Cjaw-
son Williams of Sanford presiding,
instead of Judge Luther B. Hamilton
of Morehead City, who was original y
scheduled to preside during this week.
One of the outstanding cases to
come before the court this week is
that of James Joseph Ellis, the 23-
year-old youth of New Jersey, who is
charged with the murder of Mrs. Bes
sie Brewer, Salvation Army matron,
at Smithfield about two months ago.
Mrs. Florence Ellis, of Jersey Gitj^
New Jersey, mother of the alleged
murderer, arrived in Smithfield Sun
day to attend the trial of her son.
Mrs Ellis is reported to be deeply
o-rieved over the tragedy, and when
questioned about the matter she said
she was very sorry it happened and
was badly hurt over it.
Railroad Detective
Suffers Bad Injuries
Mr. R. Britt, police officer for the
Southern Railway, stationed in Selma,
was seriously injured on last Thurs
day night about 9 o’clock when he at
tempted to arrest a Negro on the
railroad yards in Raleigh. The Negro
struck .the officer across the fore-'
head inflicting a severe injury, ra-
I quiring ten stitches to sew up the
wound. He also suffered other injuries,
about the face. . t. ,
Mr. Britt gave .the officers in Ral
eigh a good description of his assail
ant and he was arrested soon after
the attack. The wounded man was
taken to Rex Hospital where he re
mained until Sunday when he was
brought to Selma by Mrs. Britt and
their daughter. He is being treated
here by Dr. W. C. Lassiter.
Johnston County’s Two Drafts
Boards Inducted Large Num
ber lof Young Men luto Selec
tive Service Training Tuesday
of This Week.
Draft Board N». 1
The following is a list of white
men inducted into the Army by
Draft Board No. at Smithfield this
W66k *
Carl Hocutt Williams, Four Oaks,
Rt. 1; James Roy Langdon,
Rt. 2; Claude Wade Jones, Smithfield,
Rt. 1; John Shelton Holmes, Benson,
Rt. 1; Hubert Almond Moore, Smith-
field, Rt. 1; E. Jasper Hudson, Four
Oaks, Rt. 2; Henry Wailon Twigg,
Dixon; Rupert Johnson, Smithfield,
Rt. 1; Andrew Jackson Peed, A.ngier;
Jesse Lovis Allen, Wilson’s Mills;
Cicero B. Tart, Dunn, Rt. 2; Willis
Elbert McLamb, Benson; Clarence
Evans, Halifax; William Pink AUen,
Benson; Willie Valton Raynor, Ben
son, Rt. 2; Joe Lathan Boyette, Four
Oaks, Rt. 2; Paul Wilson Moore, Four
Oaks; Samuel Aubrey Austin, lour
Oaks; Emmitt Andrew Johnson, Jr.,
Sjiiithfield; Cecil Bryant Whitehurst,
Washington, D. C.;
.Nathan Washington Benson, Ben
son Rt. 2; Norman Adlie Johnson,
Smithfield, Rt. 2; Hugh Braxton San
ders, Smithfield; Thomas Lawrence
Eason, Benson, Rt. U Jefferson Lee
Davis, Lillington, Rt. 1; Daniel James
Hill, Benson; Unest Herman Denning,
Pour Oaks, Rt. 1; John Joe Adams,
Four Oaks, Rt. 2; Earl Smith Ben
son, Rt. 2; Edward Allen Myers,
Goldsboro, Rt. 1; Nawbert Ray Crock
er, Clayton, Rt. 2;
Ambrose Sherwood Lee, Bei^on,
Rt. 2; Howard Robert Norris, Ben
son, Rt. 1; Joseph Allen Garden
Dunn, Rt. 2; Walter Louis Barefoot,
Four Oaks, Rt. 2; Vess Malton Bar
bour, Four Oaks, Rt. 3; Devoe Jones,
Willow Springs, Rt. 1; Utley Coats,
Angler, Rt. 1; Albert Massengill,
Poiir Oaks, Rt. 3; Robert Junior
Woodall, Four Oaks, Rt. 3; John Wes
ley Wood, Benson, Rt. 2; Walter
Reuben Turnage, Smithfield, Rt. 1;
William Lloyd Lee, Four^Oaks^^ Rt.
’^'’ Wiliam Smithfield,
Rt !■ Ira Rudolph Langston, Four
Oaks, Rt. 2; Joseph Howard Lee,
Smithfield, Rt. 1; Harold Wilson Las
siter, Four Oaks, Rt. 2; Needham Al
ton Adams, Four Oaks, Rt. 2; Ray
mond Darden, Dunn, Rt. 2; John Wil
liam Ballance, Kenly, Rt. 2; Edwin
Robertson Perkins, Smithfield.
Confession In Trial of
Smithfield Slaying Case
New Jersey Youth Who Is On Trial F(^ His
Life Charged With the Murder of Mrs. Bessie
Brewer Had To Face Court This Week With
His Own Recorded Words of Guilt Used by
The State.
Smithfield, March 4.—The trial of Joseph Ellis,
Jersey youth, charged with the hammer slaying of Mrs. Bessie
Brewer manager of the Smithfield Salvation Army home, got un
der way in Johnston County Superior Court today with the ex-
jiTTiiTiiitioii of witriGSSGS foF the SfRtG. . . 1 J
Nellie Peele, 16, who resides at the Salvation Army home pd
who was the first to find the body of Mrs. Brewer, was the first
person to testify in the case.
Solicitor C. C. Canaday is asking the death penalty.
The Peele °'irl told of coming home from school apund 2:30 and
finding Mrs.Yrewer lying on the floor by the dining room table.
^ — * She said she immediately called
Dr. Watson Wharton, who ar-
Draft Board No. 2
Ondus Rose, Kenly, route 2; Nor
man Rogers Creech, Kenly, route 2;
Dock Pollard, Selma; Paul '^r'on
Narron, Middlesex, route 1;
Howard Fitzgerald, Smithfield;
.lames Roland Bailey, Selma, route 1;
Rom Linwood Moore, Clayton; James
Theodore Richardson, Wendell, route
1; Richard Henry Howell, Princeton,
route 1; Eddie Uria Moore, Selma,
route 2; D. H. Holland, Kenly, route
1; James Alton Lamm, Princeton;
Austin Douglas Parrish, 108
street, Durham; Luther Millard Earp,
Selma, route 2; Russell Hqffer Ba..-
ten, Selma, route 2; Moses Aaron
Narron, Kenly, route 2; Jmmie Lm
coin Pittman, Selma, route 2, Cecil
Thomas Rae, Pine Level; Oran Joseph
Liles, Wendell, route 1; Willard Sa-
fonza Mooneyham, Clayton; Ralph
Pittman, Selma, route 2; William
Ithel Ellis, Middlesex, route 1; Pre.-
ton Bagley Chamblee, Zebulon, route
2- Charlie Thurman ’ Renfrew, 13 bt.
Phillip St., Charleston, S. G-; George]
Milton Pope, Kenly, route 3; Wilbert
D. Edgerton, Kenly, J ’ „
Oliver Godwin, Kenly, route 2,
ham Mack Batten, Wendell, route 1,
Wilbert Austin Gower, Selma, rmte
2; James Leslie Doughtry Selma,
Tommie Hubert Rogers, Pripeton,
route 2; Wilbert Franklin Mas®ey^
Princeton, route 1; Raymond Clodes
Batten, Selma; Chester Lonza D™
Smithfield, route 2; Leamon Frank
Rose Selma; Richard Lewis Price
Selm’a; William h^r’cfenn
Princeton, route
Watson, PHneeton; Walter Evander
Phillips, Kenly, route 2; Oscar Frank
Talton, Kenly, route 1; David Glenn
Adams, Clayton; Wilhani A Crocter,
Kenly; James Elbert Wall, Selrna.
route 2; Milford Wilkerson Kenly,
route 2; Samual Coy Ellis Jr- Cl^-
ton, route 1; Otis Columbus Batten,
Selma; Vernon Hill, Keffiy,
Carl Hardy Durham, Kenly, route 2,
Raymond Creech, Selma; James
Brooks Allen, Selma, route ^ Jam^
Felton Millard, Durham; Wpdrow
Griffin Jones, Clayton, route 2; Lin
wood Ruppert Shehdan, Clayton, Wil
liam Hampton Cousins, Wendell,
route 1; Berman James Godwin,
Smithfield, route 2; Leslie Harry
Garner, Pine Level; Leon Sanders
Thompson, Smithfield; Benjamin El
bert Batten, Kenly, route 2; James
Clarence Sellers, Smi.thfield route 2
Europe Wesley O’Neal, Wendell route
1- Joe Davis Richardson, Jr., Selma,
Henry Person Eason, Clayton, route
2; Gordon Childers, Carolina Beach;
Andres Godwin, Smithfield, route 2,
Fletcher Blythe Hales, Kenly.
Selectees Will Be
Inducted On Day
Of Examination
Selectees who are ordered
into the Army will be induct
ed the same day they are giv
en Army physical examina
tion, providing they are found
physically fit, Selective Ser
vice headquarters announced.
Previously, induction at
Army reception centers has
followed about ten days after
examinations. Selective ser
vice officials said the War De
partment had assured them
that under the new system,
in many cases where im
mediate induction would cause
undue hardship, the regis
trant would be given an im
mediate furlough to adjust
his civilian affairs.
Local boards will continue
to give “screening” examina
tions, rejecting the obviously
physically unfit men. But to
speed up the induction pio-
cedure to meet the Army s
heeds, men rated as acceptable
for service, in place of getting
a notice to report for physical
examination by the armed
forces, will be notified to re
port for induction.
Under the new procedure,
officials said, registrants will
have the same rights of ap
peal and of personal appear
ance before their local boards,
as they have at present.
SMITHFIELD NEGRO
KILLS CHILDREN AND
THEN KILLS HIMSELF
When the 19-year old wife of Em
manuel Sanders returned to her home
on the Robert Higgins farm near
Smithfield Wednesday, after going to
a nearby store for something, she
was startled to find her husband and
two children had been killed. A1
appeared to have died instantly from
gun shot. Sanders is believed to have
shot Leonard Lee Sanders, 19-months
old, and Doris Lee Sanders, 8-month
old child, and then committed suicide
by shoo.ting himself. He was 25 years
old Both of the children had been oner, ana ur. vvaison
shot through the heart, and were ly- ipe Ellis in jail that night.
• „ nallpt and her husband lay Mrs. Ellis, mother of th
rived in about three minutes,
and that he caiied Chief of
Poiice J. A. Massey. She fur
ther testified that Eliis had been
there about two weeks, and that
he went sometimes with Mrs.
Brewer to soiicit contributions,
heiping around the home doing
odd jobs, and that they aii seem
ed “very friendiy.”
She said Mrs. Brewer had told El
lis the Wednesday before that he
would have to leave and that he said
he would leave Monday morning.
When she left for school Monday,
Ellis told her goodbye, saying he was
leaving.
The girl said Ellis, had told Mrs.
Brewer .that his mother thought he
was at work in New Jersey and was
off “on a bum.” She said they looked
for Ellis’ registration card but failed
to find it. Major Jones, Salvation Ar
my officer from Goldsboro, who w^s
the next Alness, said TKe "card wad
later found torn in pieces in a stove.
Policeman J. V. Peterson, the third
witness examined by the State, told
of Ellis’ confession in Raleigh, and
that the same confession was repeat
ed in the office of the county jail and
recorded on a phonograph which was
played back to Ellis and which he ad
mitted was correct. The confession,
was made in the presence of the
jailer, the sheriff, the SBI men, dep
uty sheriffs and others, said Peterson.
Peterson told of Ellis saying that
he took morphine tablets about 12:10
and that while Mrs. Brewer was eat
ing “all of a sudden something got
in me and I picked up a hammer and
hit her on the head and she fell over.”
Officers said he admitted going
ick into Mrs. Brewer’s bedroom,
getting the money and car keys out
of her pocketbook, and driving right
through Smithfield and on to Raleigh.
He parked his car in Raleigh, walked
some distance and met a Negro,
“that looked like a preacher.” He
said his conscience began to hurt him,
testified the officer, and he asked the
Negro if he had a telephone, saying
he wanted .to call the officers as he
had “killed a woman in Smithfield.”
Peterson brought Ellis back to
Smithfield and heard him confess
again in the jail office before the
clerk of court, the sheriff, SBI offi
cers and others, he said.
Chief of Police J. A. Massey who
was the next State witness, testified
in substance the same as Petersom
He identified a hammer that he found
on the table in the Salvation Army
home with blood on It, and told of
having Dr. E. N. Booker, county cor
oner, and Dr. Watson Wharton exam-
UgU -
pallet and her husband lay
12-gauge shot gun close at
ing on a
nearby,
hand.
The young Negro wife hurried to
notify officers, and Sheriff Knrby L.
Rose, and Deputies Merton Whitley
investigated the tragedy, and it was
their belief that Sanders was respon
sible for .the triple killings.
Sanders’ wife told officers that she
could give no explanation for the
shooting except that her husband was
“worried about a job.” Sanders had
been working on the Higgins farm
Yor only a short time and -was said
to have been dissatisfied. His young
widow said she had never heard him
express any intention of kdling him
self.
Want Sewing Machines
For Red Cross Work
Anyone who is willing to do sew
ing for the Red Cross, please attend
.the meeting at the Selma Woman s
Club building on Monday afternoon,
March 9th, at 3 o’clock. Also anyone ,
who has a sewing machine |key can 1 -was voluntary and
The Navy operates abdut 30 large meeting or get in touch ^ having been played to him a£-
Mrs. Ellis, mother of the defend
ant, sat by him in the courtroom. He
was dressed in a dark blue lumber
jacket with leather trimming in front,
blue trousers, white shirt, loose at
neck, .tie and brown shoes.
State witnesses in the case exam- ,
ined Wednesday afternoon included
O. G. Jordan and H. L. Peebles of the
Raleigh police force, who went to the,
Negro home for Ellis, after he had
notified the department by telephone
that he thought he had killed a
Smithfield woman”; H. L. ^
J. W. Powell of the SBI, Sheriff K.
L. Rose, Fred Blackman, operator of
a filling station near the Salva.ion
Army home and Lee Smith, who saw
Ellis in the filling station shortly be
fore the murder and Patrolman H. L.
Bobbitt who heard part of the alleg
ed confession. _
During the afternoon session the
phonograph record containing Ellis
confession made in the jail office was
played before the jury. The making
of the record had been discussed
while the jury was out and defense
lawyers had heard it played in ano.th-
er room. . , ^
Statements from Ellis that the re-