CZZ—l , ant and overhauling the machinery. Life Saving School • ^mer>can Red Cross life saving asses will he iield at the Rosemary 1 1,001 every day next week at 2:30 ■ m. and 6:30 p. m. The age limit of « junior course is from 12 to 17 *r« and the senior course from 17 . 8 up' 7™ hours of instruction is assary in order to pass the course, who are interested are request , k've their names to the life in charge of the pool. kiftS A' B- Sanford and children, 1 kou r*turne<1 to their home in Al t i • "»■, after spending two weeks t: ’““‘o* Mrs. E. A. Elmore. BOARD DENIES PART IN CHANGE Store Breakers Quickly Caught MATKINS ROBBERY SOLVED Two In Jail, Officers Seeking Third Cigarette Looter DOBBINS SHERLOCK Garland Umphrey and Fred West, local young men are in the Halifax County jail in default of $500 bonds, and a third party, Hunter Coggsdale, who also hails from these parts, is being sought as a result of the rob bery last Friday night of the J. H. Matkins Grocery Store when some $30.00 worth of cigarettes were stol en. Entrance to the Avenue store was gained through the back door, by cut ting a small hole enabling the cul prits to lift the large latch on the door. Although apparently unmolest ed during the robbery, which sup posedly took place during the early morning hours, the thieves did not at tempt to take anything but cigarettes. The theft of the fags was discover ed early Saturday morning and promptly reported to Officer H. E. Dobbins. In the absence of any tan gible clues to the store robbery, which I is the first to take place in recent months, Mr. Dobbins started an in vestigation in the hopes of finding where the robbers had sought to dis pose of the stolen goods, and was soon rewarded by finding where Um-; phrey had sold four cartons of the • igarettes at little more than half their value to the proprietor of an Avenue “pop shop.” Umphrey, who is married and has a family is regularly employed by the iiosemary Supply Co., and had sold the cigarettes to the hot dog mer chant, allegedly under the pretense that they had come from his firm. Soon evidence was introduced that led to the arrest of young West, who also has a family, after a thrilling chase of West in which he was fired upon by Officer Dobbins. After West was arrested he impli cated Coggsdale, whom it seems had taken a great interest in the chase of the criminals and who had appear ed to be abnormally nervous throgh out Saturday to both associates and officers, but bv that time the third young man had fled and has not been heard of since. Coggsdale, as well as his eo-part ners in crime are all well known lo cally, he being employed on a part t;me basis for the- R. I. Starke Gro cery, it seems, while West is said to have loafed around the uptown gro cery much of his time. West and Umphrey waived preli minary hearing and were automati cally placed in the county jail at Ha lifax in default of bond in the amount of $500.00 each to await the action of the Superior court in Au gust. A total of 25 cartons of cigarettes were stolen, and all but four cartons were recovered by local police thru the ingenuity of Officer Dobbins, who led the investigation. Dinks Beat Boykins The Rinky Dinks journeyed down to Boykins last Saturday and handed the Boykins-Severn outfit a 2-1 de feat behind the 2-hit pitching o f Lewis (Jutland. Hobgood’s running catch in left field featured while the whole Rinky Dink team played error less ball. Boykins-Severn ploys the Rinky Dinks on their own ground this Saturday. Pajama Girls Win The Pajama Girls baseball club played the Bloomer GirlB at the High School last Friday night. The score was 6 to 9 in favor of the Pajamas. I.ois Stansbury pitched and Annie Maud Jones caught for the Pajamas while Edna Stainback pitched and 01 lie Keeter caught for the Bloomers. F M. Coburn has returned from • market trip to Baltimore. | PICTURE OF LEGGETT-BELK DEPT. STORE TO OPEN HERE SOON Photo by Vries Studio This will be the home of the Leggett’s Department Store, which will open here for business in the near future. The huge building is being re modeled thruout. The new fixtures will be installed next week. The location is at the corner of Roanoke Avenue and 11th Street. $200 LOOT OF STORE UNSOLVED No Clue to Robbery of South Rosemary Store Last Week GLASS CRASHED A total of about $200.00 in mer chandise was taken from the South Rosemary Store of Max Franks last Thursday night in a daring burglary, in which entrance was made through breaking in the glass of the front door of the store. Officers working on the case are absolutely in the dark as to clues. Although no evidence has been un earthed in this case, either as to the stealing or disposal of the merchan dise, the robbery was undoubtedly ac complished by more than one man. The glass in the front door of the store was smashed with an old auto mobile bumper, and judging from ac counts of nearby neighbors residing less than 100’yards, was timed most perfectly. One resident of a house across the street said he heard the noise of a car turning the corner at a terriffic rate of speed sometime during the night of the robbery, and it seemed to him that a crash of shattered glass followed. Upon looking out of his window however, he could not see where an automobile had ran into anything, and thinking he was mis taken went back to sleep. It is thought that the glass in the front door of the ransacked store was shattered at this time as the noise of the crash would have surely awaken ed nearby residents at any other time Only the merchandise, and no cash, was obtained by the burglars. Mrs. R. T. Edmondson Given Surprise Party On 85th Birthday On Thursday, July 16, the children of Mrs. R. T. Edmondson of this city, gave her a surprise birthday party at the home of heF daughter, Mrs. Sam Young. besides a delightful dinner there was a huge birthday cake. The spirit of youth prevailed at this gathering of mother and chil dren, so instead of the cake bearing 85 candles, one for each year of her I well-spent life, it bore only 16. Mrs. Edmondson has lived for many years in this community and has a host of friends to congratulate her*and wish her many more birthdays. Those present were Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Tay lor, Mr. and Mrs. Sam Young, Mrs. Hal Ross, T. M. Edmondson, Mrs. t letcher Dickens, Miss Blonnie Tay lor, Miss Ella Lee Taylor, T. B. Browning, Mrs. Nannie Peele, Vir ginia and Mary Frances .Taylor, and Mrs. G. W. Stinson of Rocky Mount. LOCAL POLICE ARE STILL PUZZLED BY THIS CASE Whether it was the intensive heat; the result of robbers—or a practical joker, or merely a strong desire to “get back to nature" prompted and aided by alcoholic spirits, that result ed in a local couple being picked up on a nearby country road early last Sunday morning minus several im portant items of wearing apparel it will perhaps long remain a mystery in local police circles. At any rate Officer Dobbins was informed at 4 a. m. last Sunday by a party who had seen the couple,, that a man and woman were driving around in a Ford roadster on the road leading from Tillman’s Cross Roads to Hornertown clothed in little more FIGHTERS TO CLASH FRIDAY Outland - Creedle Will Headline; Good Card Arranged For Lo cal Fans MILLS-SHAW AGAIN The three local fighters who will go in the ring Friday flight at the Sim mons gymnasium are in fine trim and will give their local backers some thing to talk about when action starts. Fans are still talking about the last fights that were staged at Simmons gym by the local Boy Scout Troops and this coming Friday night they will see a better program. Wilmer “Scrapper” Outland, who is to fight the main bout is in perfect trim. In a fast workout last night, he showed perfect condition and was lightning fast on his feet. In Kiki Creedle, Outland will go up against one of the best fighters to ever in vade Roanoke Rapids. Creedle is well known in Norfolk, where he is rated one of the best in his class. Fight fans of this section will get their money’s worth when thse two fast boys stage their six round act. In the semi-final, Freddie Mills, local High School leather pusher, will fight a return bout with Battling Shaw of Suffolk. It will be remem bered that Mills and Shaw fought a fast and furious slugging draw on the last program. Both of these boys are rearing to get at each other. In the preliminary Lester Edmondson and Young Bryan of Suffolk will go four rounds. Lester is well known among the local fight fans and they can reft assured that when he steps in the ring the fur will fly- Edmondson has recently returned to the ring after a long lay-off. Bryan will be remem bered as the man who dusted off (Continued on back page) 4 than Mother Nature had provided them. Investigation led to the arrest of the two, who it is understood are 16 '•al lesidcnts. Th« man and woman claimed to be at'a less to understand where their clothing had disappeared, and an intensive search of the near by country by officers failed to re* veal anything more When arr»srod. officers say% the man was clad only in his underclothes a shirt and his shoes, while his girl friend had lost her shoes, hose—and lingerie. Ti e couple were remande 1 to the local jail and booked on a charge of using an autmobile for im moral purposes, but were found not guilty by Judge Daniel in Recorder s Court. MAN SUING POWER CO. FOUNDDEAD Mabry Hart, Tarboro Mill President, Dies of Asphyxiation -at Raleigh FIRE IN HOTEL B. Mabry Hart, textile manufactur er of Tarboro, principal witness in a case of the Hart & Fountain Mills \ersus the Virginia Electric & Pow er Co., before the Corporation' Com mission, was found dead in the bath room of his room in a Raleigh hotel early Friday morning of last week. The coroners jury returned a ver dict of death by asphyxiation. This was after testimony relating to a party held in Hart's room until about two o’clock after which Hart was left alone. It is thought he went to sleep with a lighted cigarette, set ting fire to the bed or carpet, and awoke to find the room full of smoke. Dazed and frightened, he is thought to have tried to escape and ran into the bathroom where he stumbled and fell into the tub, his head striking a faucet. Doctors testified to finding smoke in his lungs. The fire was discovered by a bell boy who notified the night clerk. They sent for the fire department and fought the fire until the department •Arrived. The body was in the bath room and the door was closed at the time and the gruesome find was made by the fire chief after the fire had been put out. ' Friends of the dead man from Tar boro and Raleigh, at the party, were questioned at the inquest. The case before the Corporation Commission was concerning power rates charged the Hart mills by the Power Co. J. T. Chase, Carolina manager of the Power Co., was the | (Continued on back page) ABOLISH 3 COUNTY SCHOOLS State Consolidation Does Away With Til lery, Hawkins, Heaths ville TEACHERS LOADED “All economies consistent with ef ficiency” have been made effective by the State Board of Equalization in its allotment of teachers in the public schools of the State for the next year, according to a statement issued by LeRoy Martin, secretary. Halifax County, the records show, was alloted a total of 307 teachers, 48 in high and 259 i n elementary schools. Of these 153 are for white schools, 39 high and 114 elementary, and 154 are for colored schools, nine high and 145 elementary. Notices are being sent as rapidly as possible to county officials notifying them of the number of teachers allotted to the individual schools in their res pective counties, Mr. Martin said. Halifax had only three schools abolished by consolidation, Tilery, with Halifax and Hawkins Chapel and Heathsvilty with Aurelian Springs. The board alloted a total of 21,894 teachers for next year, or 1,933 less rthan the 23,827 employed by all units last year, or 684 less than those em ployed and allowed by the State for participation in the equalizing fund. Local authorities employed 1,249 teachers last year, the record shows. The decrease in teachers was made possible through the increased teach er load provided in the new law, the consolidations brought about by the board, and by the fact that the in crease in average daily attendance for the past year was not equal to the increase of recent years. The board found that there were 152 high schools operated last year with a daily average attendance of less than 50 pupils, most of them with three teachers and many with four, and found 651 elementary schools operating with less than 22 pupils,o the law requiring their elimi nation and consolidation unless such schools can be more economically ope lated. The board eliminated 52 high schools by consolidation, and 143 ele mentary schools by the same method, although all were not under the 50 and 22 pupil class. Consolidation was provided only in schools where room and equipment were already avail able, so as not to require erection of new buildings at this time. Misses Nita Turner and Ophelia Daniel, Mrs. W. A. Daniel and Mrs. Carson Mills and children, spent Thursday in Goldsboro and Rocky Mount. John L. Guest of Richmond, Va., was a recent Roanoke Rapida visitor. ACTING UNDER ORDERS From Washington In Changing Federal Highway 17-1 They Say BLAME SHIFTED The North Carolina State High way Department sheds any and all responsibility in the changing of Fed eral Highway 17-1 from this city to the new Garysburg Road. The new j department states that'.the change was made effective prior to the date it took charge. In a telegram sent yesterday to ritate Highway Engineer L. R. Ames, the city officials, the Merchant’s Association and the Kiwanis Club ask ior a hearing at the August meet ing of the State Highway Commis sion. In the meantime, those local bodies will be busy seeing those whom the new Highway Department claim are responsible for the change: namely and foremost, the United States As sociation of State Highway Depart ments. It appears that on the recom mendation of that association sev eral months ago, the change was ordered. It is also apparent that the N .C. Commission, recently ousted, must have had something to say about it. Surely the national association would do nothing against the will of the de partment in whose state such a change was contemplated. The bureau of roads, the Depart ment of Agriculture at Washington, and the War Department each has something to say about the Federal roads, to say nothing of those i n whose charge is the spending of Fed eral money on Federal Highways in the various states. Each of these will be seen prior to the next meeting of the State Highway Department. It will also be determined how much Federal money has been spent on Federal Highway 17-1 in the area in question. It is possible, several as sert, that Federal money was spent on highways which were not Federal I Highways. It is also clearly recalled here that the former State Highway Commis sioner from this district promised j that the road from Camps Store to Pleasant Hill would be surfaced ex actly as the new road from Weldon to Pleasant Hill. That is concrete. This road should be concrete, unless the new commission has no idea of ful filling contracts made by the old com mission. Since the changing of the Federal route, our prediction of more changes to be demanded, with such a prece dent set, seems likely. Several citiqp having what they consider a shorter and better road, are planning to have Federal Highways changed if they can work up the necessary pressure. The city authorities received a let ter day before yesterday from State Engineer Ames, stating the Commis sion, in session yesterday, would see a delegation from here. Lacking all the information desired, and in view of letters from Chairman Jeffress and district engineer Gardner several days before, shifting the blame to t h e Washington authorities, it was thought best to delay appearing be fore the State authorities until the meeting next month. A delegation to Washington is planning to leave here at an early date to take up the 17-1 matter with the proper authorities. Moonlite Jubilee Will Not Be Held The moonlight jubilee, which was to be held here by Strong Man Al bert Ritchie, on the last of this month, has been called off. At a meeting held the latter part of last week, it was decided by a group of merchants, all of whom were possible, contribu tors to the event, that the time of the year was bad for the occasipn. Not enough interest has been shown by enough contributors to de fray the exDenses of the jubilee, and there was much divided opinion on the possible success of the entertain ment. Mrs. Ida Whidby is a patient la the Roanoke Rapida HoapUaL }