JTew Bern Public Library
New Bern’s law abiding cit
izens could hardly think ofany-
thlng worse than spending the
hot days of summer In Jail.
It seems to be different with
the criminal element. Autumn
for them Is the awful time to be
behind bars, and a high percent
age of the habitual lawbreakers
manage to stay free when the
frost is on the pumpkin and the
corn (shelled corn that Is) has
been stored In the bln.
It would be nice to think that
folks who make a habit of stray
ing from the straight and nar
row are turning over a new
leaf--a fall leaf so to speak. Or
maybe in this harvest season
they are doubly aware that what
a man sows he is bound to reap.
No one seems able to explain
why breaking the law runs in
cycles. For reasons beyond the
comprehension of otherwise
discerning mortals, robberies,
assaults and even murders
come In bunches. As the saying
goes, when it rains, it pours.
Autumn just happens to be one
of those fortunate dry spells,
from a mayhem point of view,
but a cloudburst could come any
time now.
Boredom gets lots of New
Bernians in trouble, and it’s that
way in the rural areas too. Ap
parently, it’s hard to get bored
when autumn arrives, even
though so-called normal human
beings who never have to face a
judge are invariably malancholy
during September, October and
November.
Law enforcement officers
subscribe almost unanimously
to the theory that the moon not
only controls the ocean’s tide,
but Impels the potential
criminal to act up.
Ordinarily, they’re amply
supported in this contention by
crime statistics, but we’ve had
plenty of wonderful moonlight
lately with very little mis
behavior of a type that gets
persons Incarcerated.
All this is in sharp contract,
of course, to doings on the in
ternational scene. While New
Bernians. addicted to thieving,
violence and general dis-
orderliness are behaving like
approximate Little LordFaunt-
leroys, folks far off are calling
each other rather strong names
and backing up their language
with bloodshed.
Contrary to popular opinion,
there’s no such thing as having
the look of a criminal. During
the span of a third of a cen
tury, we’ve sat within inches of
dozens of killers on trial be
fore the bar of justice. Most of
them didn’t look the part.
One of the most vicious, cold
blooded murders ever com
mitted in Craven county had as
its ambush slayer a meek look
ing teen ager who didn’t ap
pear sinister enough to harm a
flea. Even when you talked with
him, in his jail cell, it was
hard to picture him as a
brutal killer.
It’s a matter of record that
quite a few mortals who per
petrate homicide have been
fairly law abiding through the
years, until they take another’s
life. By the same token, count
less humans are deliberate law
breakers for most oftheiradult
days, but could hardly be re
garded as a likely prospect to
commit a capital offense.
Only a small percentage of the
killings in Craven county can be
classified as murder in the first
degree. Usually, the element of
(Continued oa I%ge> 8)
The NEW BERN
WEEKLY
'ART OF
5 Per Cw
VOLUME 8
NEW BERN, N. C., FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 1963
NUMBER 28
WORKING TOGETHER—New Bern’s Business and
Professional Women’s Club is one of the most active
organizations in our community, and pictured here are
some of the members largely responsible for its suc
cess.‘During recent days they have been promoting
National Business Women’s Week, but they’re far from
idle the remainder of the year. No doubt you’ll hear
more from the grouo, as various projects are pushed
with limitless energy and enthusiasm.—Photo by John
R. Baxter.
WORTH REPEATING—Five years ago we ran this pic
ture of David Turner and Ann Disosway. Hundreds of
photos later, with another Halloween at hand, we’re
still convinced that it’s just about the cutest thing
we’ve ever published. Billy Benn.ers was wielding the
camera, when David came iip with a wisecrack that con
vulsed Ann with laughtef and even made the Jack-o-
Lantern sonUe, Gould any photo be more natnral?