m jh
j i93q census iein :m*;L w;‘ J 31 PER-CENT;
J Roanoke Rapids Township | - -■ [ | Of Halifax County Population |
_ I OF THE TWIN CITIES-ROANOKE RAPIDS-ROSEMARY IN1HIS TOWNSH,p j
VOLUME 16. ROANOKE RAPIDS-ROSEMARY, N. C., THCKSDAY, OCTOBER 16th. 1930._NUMBER 27.
WRECK VICTIMS AWARDED $27,100
SENSATIONAL SUIT
ABSORBS FOUR DAYS
IS THIRD
LARGEST
VERDICT
In History of County
Daimn Suiu Shows
Negligence
The third largest verdict ev
er rendered in a damage suit in,
Halifax County was given Sat
urday night in the case of Mary j
V. Moore and Frank Moore,
plaintiffs, against the Atlantic
CoastXme R. R. Co.
Mrs. Moore was awarded $12,
100 for *the loss of her husband, |
J. R. Moore, killed in a railroad *
accident near here on January
24, 1929, and Frank Moore, son
of the deceased, was awarded
$15,000 damages for injuries re
ceived in the same accident.
In addition, the New iBakery was
awarded $800 for a truck in which
the two men were riding, which was
demolished when struck by the tram.
The case consumed all of four days,
the jury receiving the case .after four
full days of testimony at 6:30 Satur
day aftennoon and returning two
hours later with the vcrdkt outlined
above. More than sixty witnesses
were heard, among them the entire:
train crew of Northbound No. 34 on
the date of the accident and a half;
dozen expert witnesses of several rail
road companies.
The Moores were represented by
Parker and Allsbrook of this city arid
Saunders & Hutton of Suffolk. The
New Bakeiy was represented by Kel
ly Jenkins of this city. Dunn and
Johnson of Enfield represented the
railroad company.
Attorneys for the plaintiffs sought
to prove negligence on the part of the
railroad by showing failure to give
proper warning signals at a (crossing
and an unsafe crossing cause*;! by ob
structions. The defendants tried to
prove due caution and the uiter im
possibility of Stopping a train travel
ing 60 miles an hour on down grade
in less than SOO yards or thereabouts.
The accident occurred on January
24 of last year at a neighborhood
crossing known as Grizzard’s cross
ing near Pleasant Hill. The two .men
were delivering baKery product* in
the truck of the New Bakery of this
■city. They hail left Garysburg and
were proceeding toward Pleasant
Kill. Frank Moore was driving the
■truck.
They left the main road and started
over the crossing. Du*v according to
testimony, to obstructions at tlhe
creasing, the truck stalled on the
<xossyig. Several times the driver
stepped on the starter.
Running sixty miles a» hour on a
straightaway track, !Nq. 3# was bear
ing down on .the stalled ear. Plain
tiff testimony was that -no whistle
waa blown, no bell rung, no brakes
applied. It is claimed that the truck
was only on th etrack 15 seconds be
fore being struck by the train. It was
estimated the train was a half mile
away when the truck stopped on the
rails.
Mr. Moore did not *-ee the tram
until it was about 200 feet away. He
screamed and jumped from the truck
int othe path of the engine just be
fore it struck the truck on his side.
His body was hurled through the air
for 150 feet, and was horribly mu
tilated. Death was instantaneous.
The son, beneath the driver's seat
had no time to escape. Paralyzed by
the oncoming certain death, with on
ly a second’s warning, he was doom
ed to a horible experience. The rush
ing engine caught th etruck in the
center, doubled it up and swept on
for a thousand feet with the crumpled
truck dragging the ties beneath the
front wheels and the cowcatcher.
And in the truck, caught under the
steering wheel and encompassed in
the crumpled body, was Frank Moore.
He was carried for a thousand feet
beneath the engine. Both his legs
were broken, a finger was perma
nently injured and hia body was cut
and mangled. But he was conscious
(Continued on back page)
STRAIGHT
SHOOTING
By OLD TIMER
OUR WISEST ROAD IS TO HE
IRE-OPENED.
Than remain -a tew old -throws who;
remember the old road. The man who;
married ithe first white girl ito move \
to Roanoke Rapids remembws and:
may he “Captain Billy” has the facts
well in mind—and there are, perhaps,
one or two others, but they certainly
can be counted on the fingers of one
hand. The road leading to The new
bridge, now being built ucrsss the
Roanoke River, is not a new road—
there was once an old roafl in the
i same. place.
The machinery for the firdt mill in
Hoanoke Rapids was hauled over this
■road. The mill was then the United
Industrial Company, and nowftlie Roa
noke Fibre Board Company. The ma
chinery was unloaded from freight
cars at Weldon and then loaded on
flat boats and ferried up the Old Ca
nal to a point where the Highway
Bridge ' crosses the candl, Jhen un
loaded and hauled, rolled and skidded
:pp to fcbe mill.
To the west of the road -are the re
mains of the Old Brick Yard—when
once it closed it never re-opened.
Years ago to Town’s slogan was not
*‘‘We need a hotel,” but “We need
some-one to re-open a good hmckyard.'1
—but for thirty years this someone
was not found, regardless of the
fact that the clay was of the best. At
this brickyard were made the brick
used in th econstrnction of the United
Industrial Company’s mill. The lower
canal ended at the back door of the
mill at. that time, so the hat!I of the
mill was short and labor was cheap.
Getting back on the road again, it
^ as once a place to take a Sunday af
ternoon walk with your best girl. The
trees on both sides, overhead, shook
hands and the path was cool and
pkjasant. In springtime here were to
be found the first white lililes pop
ping up out of the ground and thru
the leaves and underbrush. Once in
awhile a rattler was killed, but the
road was used too much to mi.ke it
[ comfortable for these creeping crea
tures:.
At the end of the road, on the hill,
lived old Joe and Lucy, two negroes,
who lived, washed, cooked, raised bogs
and chickens. These two Negroes and
the ones who had a log shack on the
spot where Mrs. B. Marks now makes
her home had the distinctive honor
of “living near town,” for at that
time Negroes, in general, were not al
lowed in .town after sundown. At that
time ther,e were no homes on Roanoke
Avenue, and beyond Third Street, t*n
the South, was consumed ‘in the
country.’ The only building between
the Town Pump and Roanoke Junction
wan the Patterson Store Company at
Rosemary..
Old Joe and Lucy served as shock
absorbers for the ‘upp(er tea.’ If un
expected company came for a visit
and a meal, Lacy always had thp ex
tra chicken to sell. Joe was always
redy to chop wvod during a rain, a
snow storm—or ibecause the regular
•wood-chopper failed to appear. For
a very small tip Old Joe kept you sup
plied with wet goods from the Town
Dispensary, he was often soen carry
ing a burlap bag over his back in
which were two dozen bottles of beer!
The old road was an interesting
spot—we are glad it can’t tell all it
knows! We hope no more Indian
graves will be disturbed and that the
bridge and new road will last for
ever.
Man Killed By Train
Kings Mountain.—KomiaH H. Mor
row, 56 year old white man, was found
dead on tho Southern railway tracks
near the Dilling Mills in Kings Moun
tain Saturday morning. It was thot
he sat down on the end of the cross
ties and fell asleep.
meeting postponed
The regular meeting of the Men of
the Church of tho Presbyterian
Church, to have been held this Friday
night, has been postponed until next
Friday night, October 24.
WELDON
NAMED
AS^SEAT
Of Proposed Consolida
tion of Halifax and*
Northampton
(Spink! Tb Ike Herald)
Raleigh, Oct. 16.—-Sentirilent to
ward consolidating several North
Carolina counties, two Mnadl, a largo
and a small, or three small counties
for a reduction to 76 W 75 counties
in the State, has come to the point
that some of the State officials have
been asked* to work out 'Wggbbtbd
combinations, as suitable according to
kinds and interests of people, lack
of natural barrier* such as mdtmfkin
ranges or sounds and rivers, loca
tions of cotihty teats and other fac
tors.
Excellent roads and automobiles,
except in isolated cases, have tafdUght
the people closer together, so even
with suggested combinations no citi
zen would he more than two hours
from his cotfhty scat. One official, not
wishing his name announced, becauso
of objection *to the plan from county
seats or counties, that will or might
lose their identity, has wo&ed out a
set of combinations and given prob
able county seats, along with popula
tions, property valuations mnd school
population of the proposed combina
tions. Hfe plan follows:
Mountain area: Cherokee and Clay, j
Murphy as county seat; IMacon and
Jackson, Sylvia as seat; Graham and
Swain, Bryson City as sett; Hendei>
son and Transylvania, H;endierson
ville as seat; Rutherford and Polk,
Rutherlordton as seat; flSitcheU and
Yancey, Burnsville as seat; Alle
gheny and Ashe, Jefferson as seat.
. Piedmont section: Ired dll and Alex
ander, Statesville as sefcC; Surry and
Yadkin, Dobson as seat; Forsyth and
Stokes, Winston-Salem a s seat;
Orange and Alamance, Hfcurlington as
scat; Caswell and Persor^ Roxboro as
seat.
Central section: Scotland and Hoke,
LauriMmrg as seat; Moare and Lee,
Carthage as seat; Wilson and Greene,
Wilson as seat; Nash and Edgecombe,
Rocky Mount as seat; Vance and War
ren ,Henderson as seat; Halifax and
Northampton, Weldon a?- seat.
Coastal area: Currituck, Camden
and Pasquotank, Eliza hi th City as
seat; Gates, Perquimans and Chowan,
Edcnton as seat; Hertfujal and BeT
tie, Ahoskie or Aulander as seat; Mar
tin arid 1’itt, Greenville as--*eat; Wash
ington and Tyrrel, Plymouth as seat;
Craven and Pamlico, New Bern as
seat; Lenoir and Jones, Kinston as
seat; New Hanover arid Brunswick,
Wilmington as seaL
This p5an would leave 7 counties
for the State, 46 of the pre»mt coun-!
ties remaining undisturbed, and 34!
combined with one or men others
to form 2t» new counties.
Any sucfc plan would be expected to
meet with strenuous oppositirn from
the citizens of th ecosnties be ab
sorbed.
Fiddlers Convention
An old time fiddlers convention will
be held at Aurelian Springs sthwdl on
Friday night, October 24. The pro
gram will start at 8 o’clock. Gush
prises will be given for the best in
the following Classes: harp solo, ban
jo sdlo, giiitar *olo, negro «stunt, Tid
dlers *olo, whistler’s duet, e&og dance,
string band, quartet .instrumental
duet.
VIVIAN LOUISE HOLLEMAN
Vivian Louise Holleman, seven
months old daughter of Mr and Mrs.
Clyde Holleman^. S)04 Cedar Street,
died last Thursday from ileocolitis. (
Funeral services were held Friday at
Roanoke Rapids cemetery with Rev.
J. E. Kirk officiating.
Mrs. J. W. Ross and Miss Carrie
Faulkner were joint hostesses to the
Teacher’s Bridge Club Friday even
ing at the home of Mrs. Ross. Three
tables for players were arranged in
the living room and an interesting
game was enjoyed. Miss Margaret
Clark won high score and was award
ed a bracelet. A salad course was
served at the conclusion of the game.
Those playing, Misses Martha Crad
dock, Hart Sheridan, Ada Edwards,
Vernie Eddins, Maud Hunter, Emma
Davis, Virginia Blount, Julia Blount,
Frances McClary, Elizabeth Tate and
Margaret Clark.
FAIR DRAWS
BIG CRbWDS
AFTEI|£AIN
First Day ty Blank But
Record C«W* Turn
Out Yewirday
Thb seventh iTindhlHalifax Coun
ty Fair opened 1%cdUv morning with I
a drizzling rain id make the first day
races and free exhibit* impossible but
Sunshine Wednesday brought out a
large crowd, while today's crowd will
probably break all attendance records.
A parade and band concert by Vic
tor’s band of New York was held on
Wednesday in Weldon, Rosemary and
Roanoke Rapids. Marshals and la
dies on horseback rode the principal
streets.
Secretary Joyner believes he has
the biggest fair of his career. The
farm, poultry, live stock, school and
community exhibits are more numer
ous than ever, probably due to the
large 'amount of premiums offered.
Hundreds witnessed the football
game yesterday afternoon between
Weldon and Scotland Neck, while a
huge *crowd is expected to see the
game Triday afternoon between Roa
noke Tapids and Greenville.
The free acts and fireworks in front
of the grandstand are of greater va
riety than ever before, white the
horn- races are attracting big-crowds
of racing fans. Thdbe race* which
were postponed on account of rain the
first day will be run in addition to
the regular card on lifter afternoons.
The midway is much larger than be
fore. Glick’s Shows, here for'the first
time, have made a hit with amuse
marit seekers because of tr.ie great
number of rides and shows. These
shows usually mckq,- only the large
fairs and it is unusual fin- -"a fair of
this size to boast of such a big mid
way.
"The fair continues every afternoon
and evening until Saturday night.
Wm. H. Deberry
Dies at 71 After
Paralytic Stroke
'William H. Deberry, 71, died Mon
day at the local hospital after suf
fering a stroke from which he failed
to recover. He was ill for -only a few
days. Until a few weeks ago he had
hern employed for many years by the
Rosemary Manufacturing’’do.
Funeral services were held at the
home on Roanoke Avenue opposite
Rosemary Park, and burial was in
the Davis Cemetery in Northampton
Comity. Mr. Deberry rtaime here from
Northampton County about fifteen
years ago.
Surviving are several sons and dau
ghters. James Ed Deberry,1 George
Deberry, Mark Deberry* Pate Deber
ry, and Everett Deberry. Pallbearers
| at the funeral were J. T.. Garner, W. J.
Hasty, F. A. Kidd, W. J. Pulley, O. D.
WoiSkiam and R. H. Newton.
Deer Hunters Return
In Disgusted Mood
Messrs Frank Nash, Dave Trayn
ham, J<ihn Matthews, J. N. Bynum,
Jess Bdbbins and J. L. Cobb returned
this wetik from a deer hnntmg trip
near Lewistone. They hnnteb all
week-end according to reports, with
out sighting a deer until finally the
beaters started a fine looking buck.
He headed istraigh1 for Mr. Cobb and
passed within fifteen feet of the hunt
er who unloaded both barrels at th*
approaching animal. He missed. That
was the only deer seen. The party re
turned without any -venison and Mr.
Cobb was minis his gkirt-tail. It was
the best way one of the indignant
party could find to express his senti
ment.
HANGING OUT THE WASH
Hanging Out The Wash will be pre
sented at the High School at 8 p. m.
Friday, October 24, by St. Mary’s
Guild of All Saints Episcopal Church.
Admission will be twenty-five and ten
cents.
ROSEMARY METHODIST CHURCH
Rev. A. W. Oaks, superintendent of
the Weldon Schools will preach at
11 o'clock. The pastor. Rev. C. T.
Thrift will preach at 7 p. m. His sub
ject will be **3baro/’ Special music
by the choir.
500 ATTEND
BAPTIST
MEETING
Roanoke Association
Brings 500 Delegates
And Ministers Here
Five hundred delegates and minis
ters from sixty-six Baptist churches
in seven Eastern Carolina counties at
tended the 23rd annual meeting of the
Roanoke Baptist Association here on
Tuesday and Wednesday of this week.
Moderator John T. Coley of Rocky
Mount presided at the conference
which opened Tuesday morning at the
Roanoke Rapids Baptist Church. J. R.
Allsbrook, local attorney, gave the ad
dress of welcome to a crowded audi
torium. The response was by Mr. W.J.
Bone after which new pastors and
visitors were presented.
The W .M. U. Report was given
by Mrs. E. Bruce Beasley, followed by
an address by Mrs. W. N. Jones of
Raleigh. The Associational sermon
was preached by Rev. A. Paul Bagby.
Lunch was served Tuesday noon in
the basement of the church to more
than 340 persons. Those on the af
ternoon program included Leslie New
man, C. H. "Dickey on Religious Lit
erature, Ford A. Burns on State Mis
sions, John W. House on Foreign Mis
sions, and C. E. Maddry, secretary of
State missions, giving the missionary
address. Special music for all scr-*
vices was furnished by a combined
choir of Roanoke Rapids and Rose
mary Baptist churches.
Tuesday evening saw the devotion
als led by Rev. A. P. Mustian of the
local church, reports by Messrs C .R. j
Daniel, R. D. Covington and T. E. |
Walters and the address of the ev-'
ening by Dr. 'Hrurman D. Kitchin,
president of Wake Forest College.
Wednesday was given over to much
business with report of the executive
committee and talks o* B. Y. P. U.,
Laymen’s Work, Ministerial Relief,
and Sunday School Work, by Rever
ends R.N. Childress, L. T. Vaughan,
J. W. Kincholoe, W. A .Bulluck and
T -A. At era. The conference adjourn
ed at noon yesterday.
i
Credit Association
Is Being Formed Here
Plans are under way for the or
ganization df a retail merchant’s Cre
dit Association in the Twin Cities. As
st*on as contracts are signed and the
work underway, aSull account »f the
purposes of the organization and the
way it win be win ked will be made
public.
It is reported that more thar half
tra; retail stores doing a credit busi- ,
ness haw hern signed up to date. The ;
organiz^iwn lias hren talked uf for i
several years but this is the first time
any actual work has- been done i f the
project.
New Road Rapidly
Nearing Completion
Work is (progressing at a rapid rate
of speed or. the new road to the new
bridge. The preliminary work on this
side lias been xnzmpldted,- while on ;the
other side oi* the river, begun first,
the big fill as nearing completion.
' Good -weather and continued low wa
ter has also aided the bridge contra -
tor to speed work with most of the
false wark finished amd(concrete ready
to be poured in the first piers.
Squirrel Season
Squirrel season official opened in
North Carolina Wednesday, and local
huntsmen did not fail to take advan
tage of the opportunity te> roam the
woods in hu?it of game. A group com
posed of Sam Young, M. R. Hedge
peth, Lofton Aloody, F. M. Cobum,
and Ed Woodruff, of Roanoke Rapids,
and Clarence Grimmer ,of Rosemary,
enjoyed the opening of the season by
hunting near WiUiamston, N. C.
NATIONAL PHARMACY WEEK
This is National Pharmacy Week;
and Twin City Druggists are show
ing their alertness by fixing special
windows and doing special advertising
for the occasion. We call your atten
tion to their joint message in the ad
vertising columns of this issue.
It is said that Chicago will spend
33 million dolars on its centennial
world’s fair in 1932.
SOLUTION OF THE
FARM PROBLEM
AT AURELIAN SPRINGS
I e. k VZTTZTi
Agricultural Teacher
Mother Attends Burial
Of Suffocated Child
And Flees Country
Mary Lavinia Rook, colored, went
tc her child’s funeral and has not re
turned. Officials who gave her per
n scion to attend the fi reral before
starting a 30 day sentence in jail are
well satisfied with resints.
The negro woman has long been a
source of trouble to local officers and
to the Weldon officials, causing much
disturbance at times in the thickly
settled colored section of the latter
•city.
Recently, officers were called to her
house 'j find her seven months old
child was dead. The coroner’s verdict
was that the child died of suffoca
tion. The mother had put the baby
to bed with another woman. Late in
the night, she returned drunk and it
is assumed that the baby was smoth
ered to death between the two bodies.
There was no evidence to charge
manslaughter so a fine of $10 and a
sentence of 30 days was imposed by
Magistrate Carter of Weldon, on a
charge of drunkeness. The woman
was permitted to leave and attend the
child’s funeral. She kept going and
the officers hope she will never stop.
65 At High School
P. T. A. Meeting
The first meeting of the High
School Parent - Teacher Association
for this year was held at the High
School last Thursday afternoon with
65 members present. This was an un
usually large number for the first
meeting and was very encouraging to
the new officers. Mrs. J. E. Kirk
presided. Sopt. C. W. Davis spoke on
“What Has The School a Right To
Expect From The Parents,” which
was followed by a talk from Mrs. J.
N. Bynum, on “What The Parents Ex
pect of the 'School. Miss Clara Hearne I
spoke on “Some Objects of Elemen
tary Education.” A social hour fol
lowed the program. i
Arrest Man With 3
Pints At Fair Grounds
K. G. Gay, -of Roanoke Rapids, more
familiarly known as Kennel Gay, is
an inmate of the Halifax county jail
as the result of attending the Halifax
County Fair, in session this week,
with contrabrand whiskey in his pos
session.
Tuesday night, the first night of the j
fair. Gay went to the fair grounds ,
While there he was arrested by De- 1
puty Sheriff G. F. Gray and three j
pints of liquor were found in his pos- '
session. Wednesday Gay was arraign- j
ed before Magistrate R. L. Martin
and in default of a $200 band was
placed in the Halifax County jail to
await the next meeting of the grand
jury, when he will explain why he at
tended the fair with unlawful liquid.
SAFETY FIRST COMING
“Safety First” is the title of a three
act comedy which will be presented in
the auditorium at the Roanoke Rapids
High School, Tuesday night, October
28. An excellent cast has been se
lected from local talent and rehear
sals are being held regularly.
ANSWER
IS FOUND
AT HOME
We are Convinced Coun
try’s Largest Industry
Is Safe
(By Carroll Wilson)
All I know about farming is what
I read in the newspapers and when
we received an invitation from E. K.
Veach, agricultural teacher at Aure
lian Springs, to come out and see his
class of boys in action, we decided this
was a Chance to find out first hand
about crop rotation, surplus, coope
rative buying and selling, the ills of
the farmer, and a hundred other
things which we read every day in
the papers and promptly forget.
In company with Alfred Nicodem
us Martin, we journeyed out to Au
relian Springs Tuesday. Say, folks,
there is a spot in Halifax County to
be proud of. We don’t know wheth
er the community made the school
or the school made the community,
but its a darned good job that one
of the two has done.
Nicely painted home, attractive
yards, chickens galore, livestock, well
kept fields, waterproof barns, and a
wonderful school building to top it all.
And the people out there are in keep -
ing with their homes and school build
ings.
Mr. Matthews, the principal and
Mr. Veach were there to meet us and
in a jiffy had lined up a snappy look
ing bunch of young fellows in the ag
ricultual room. We just sat around
and talked. We would ask a question
and no sooner out than answered by
some live-wire farmer. Those boys
know more about downright, practical,
old-fashioned dirt farming right now
than some older farmers will ever
know. And they know plenty about
some of these so-called new-fangled
ideas, too.
We’ve been kinda worried about the
future of this farming industry. You
know, where were we townfolks go
ing to got our eggs, butter, vege
tables; where industry is to get its
corn, grain, tobacco, cotton and all;
where this great class, larger than
any ether in the world, is to get the
money to buy from us townfolks.
There’s been so much talk about the
plight of the farmer, low crop prices,
etc., that it has the best heads in
Washington worried sick. No one de
nies we face a national crisis. No
body has found a solution to the prob
lem. That is, not until Tuesday. Be
cause now, we know that the future
of farming is safe. And here’s the an
I swer. N
I The salvation of thd farmer lies in
I! the hands of the coming generation.
In firm, stable, competent, well-train*
ed hands.
We asked them some pretty mean
questions and here is what we receiv
ed in reply. Most of the older boys
are going to be farmers. That’s the
first thing that worried us. The mi
gration from farm to city has been
tremendous in the past few yefirs.
Were these fine young fellows being
trained up in the proper way, only
later to seek their fortunes in mill or
city office? No. These boys know ex
actly what the farmer faces today, but
they have faith in themselves and in
the future of their natural calling.
You could see it in their eyes,
in some way out there at Aurelian
I Springs, there have been instilled an
! interest in and a love of nature and
| the thmgs of the farm. They seem to
; sense the needs and possibilities of
rural life with an intelligent under
standing of their surroundings. They
are being taught Nature’s processes
and have found it fascinating stuff.
Get ’em to talking sometime. You’ll
get what we mean.
There are more than forty boys in
that class of Vocational Agriculture.
It sounds like a big name—but it ap
pears to be working plenty of magic.
One of the boys told it was the only
class of its kind in the county. We
need more, then. They are making
real business men out of those farm
ers.
Leo Pittard told us about his pea
nuts. he has been specialising in pea
(Continued on back page)