Carolina’s Only TABloid NEWSpaper
The Roanoke Rapids Herald
VOLUME NINETEEN_ ROANOKE RAPIDS, N. C., THURSDAY, June 22nd, 1933 NUMBER TEN
$10000 BOND WJK
CANNON MURDER CtSE
UP AND DOWN
Tshe Avenue
WITH THE EDITOR
Last week’s issue of the Her
ald carried 10,024 agate lines
of advertising, and by actual
count, there were 2,371 names
of local people who figured
in the week’s news, recorded in
that issue. The continued out
look for advertising (both lo
cal and national) is BRIGHT!
As to news, well, remember,
it is men on the outside.
not the men on the inside that
make the news.
The Editor wires from Charlotte:
“Attending the Annual Phar
maceutical Convention in Charlotte
this week are local druggists C. E.
Matthews, Octavius Griffin, W. P.
Taylor and A. N. Martin. Also in
Charlotte Tuesday was W. L. Man
ning, president of Rosemary Manu
facturing Co., attending a special
meeting of damask mill presidents,
called to outline a program to pre
sent to President Roosevelt.
Tuesday also saw in Charlotte,
U. S. Senator Robert R. Reynolds,
who, after a couple days with his
family in Asheville, headed for
Washington via air route.”
**********
John Anderson, of Guilford Col
lege, who will be remembered as
a former coach at Roanoke Rapids
High School, was in the city Wed
nesday, calling on C. W. Davis,
and other acquaintances here.
Mr. and Mrs. Johnnie C. Bridg
mont announce the birth of an
eight-pound, three-ounce son, born
at Roanoke Rapids Hospital Sat
urday, June 17th. The young man
has been christened James Mar
shall Charles.
Glenn Thompson, 2nd-year cadet
at West Poiitf, son of Mr. and Mrs.
W. O. Thompson, is here on fur
lough until June 25th. He will
spend the rest of his leave in
charge of a boys camp in New
Hampshire.
After July 1st, the Roanoke
Bank and Trust Company an
nounces their Roanoke Rapids
branch will be consolidated
with the South ward, Uptown
or “Rosemary” branch. All
business will be transacted at
that branch.
(Continued three pages over)
To Address Institute Of Government
Among those who will explain and interpret the legislation passed
by the 1933 General Assembly to city and county officials at the ses
sions of the Institute of Government to be held at the University of
North Carolina next Friday and Saturday, June 23 and 24, are (pictur
ed above, left to right) Charles M. Johnson, Chairman of the Local
Government Commission; W. E. Easterling, Secretary of the Commis
sion; A. J. Maxwell, Commissioner of Revenue; Dennis G. Brummitt,
Attorney General; and A. A. F. Seawell, Assistant Attorney General.
NEGRO IS
DROWNED
IN RIVER
Unclothed, Unidentified Body
Negro Youth Found Near
Caledonia Farm
IS MYSTERY
The body of an unidentified
Negro youth, apparently about 18
years old, was discovered by an
employee of Caledonia State Prison
Farm about 30-ft. from the Hali
fax county shore of the Roanoke
River, when he went to read the
water meter Monday morning,
June 19th.
The body had evidently been in
the water for several days. There
was not one single mark about
the man by which he could be
(Continued three pages over)
3 NEGRO
MEN ARE
KILLED
Three Thrown From Speeding
Truck In Scotland Neck
Monday Morning
DIE INSTANTLY
An accident that cost the lives
of three Negro men occurred in
Scotland Neck last Monday morn
ing when a truck speeding thru
the town threw the three men from
the truck bed, on which they were
riding, instantly killing two, and
the third died a few minutes later.
The dead are: Ben Massenburg
and John Williams, who were in
stantly killed, and James Ingram,
died a few minutes later from in
juries sustained when his body hit
(Continued three pages over)
Free On Bond
John D. Cannon, Roanoke Rap
ds youth, who breathed his first
air outside of jail last Tuesday
night, when he was released on
bond of $10,000 in connection with
the murder of his four relatives
at their farm home near La Crosse,
Va., on the night of March 31st.
Fitts Is Appointed
Beetle Bug Fighter
By “Fed” Gov’t
Henry Fitts, well-known, pio
neer citizen of Roanoke Rap
ids, has been appointed official
“beetle bug fighter” by the
federal government, and has al
ready assumed his duties, it was
leirned today.
The job consists of waging
open war1 against the Japanese
beetles and European corn
borers, with whiich Halifax
county is particularly infested
this year. The insects are dead
ly foes of certain crops, and it
is decidedly to the advantage of
all to have them wiped out.
Henry’s activities will cover
Halifax, and perhaps adjoining
counties.
City Salesman Has
Splendid Chance To
Win Out In Contest
The last report of the Vepco
Spring Sweepstakes, salesmanship
contest conducted by the Virginia
Electric and Power Co., shows Ted
Speight of Roanoke Rapids only
(Continued Three Pages Over)
New Complications
Added To Case By
Late Developments
John D. Cannon, 20-year
old city textile worker is walk
ing the streets of Roanoke
Rapids today, free on a $10,
000 bond in connection with
Southside Virginia’s most
brutal massacre, the killing of
four recluse farmers on the
night of March 31, for which
crime he has been held in the
Mecklenburg County jail at
Boydton, Va., since early in
May. His father, John Can
non, Sr., of this city, and an
uncle, Walter Morris of La
Crosse, Va., went his bond, it
is understood.
Altho still implicated in the
case, it would appear that the webb
of circumstantial evidence built a
round his possible complicity by
the untiring efforts of F. D. Bed
dinger, Commonwealth’s attorney,
and special detectives working on
the case, is about to crumble.
At the first hearing of the Roa
noke Rapids youth, soon after his
arrest some thirty-days ago, his
bond was set at $25,000 and he
and his friends were unable to
make it at that time. Judge Turn
bull, in a more recent hearing re
duced the bond to $10,000 and
Young Cannon walked out of the
jail that had been his home for al
most two months, Tuesday night
at nine o’clock.
This is but one more develop
ment in a murder case that with
every new move appears to be fur
ther from any tangible solution.
Edward Holmes, also of this
city, arrested about the same time
as Young Cannon, was released
several weeks ago, tho it is thought
he may be recalled from time to
time as a material witness in the
case.
John D. Cannon was represented
by the local law firm of Long and
Crew, in addition to special coun
sel of South Hill, Va.
The brutal killing of the four
farmers, Ben L. Cannon, 77, and
his brother, Willis Cannon, 82, and
their two nephews, Thomas W.
Cannon, 56, and Bill Cannon, 28,
at their home near LeCrosse, Va.,
has attracted unprecedented local
interest because of the great num
ber of relatives of the murdered
men living in Roanoke Rapids.
Every step of the unusual case
has been watched with great in
terest locally, particularly since
the arrest of Young Cannon and
Holmes in this city.