Carolina’s Only TABloid NEWSpaper
The Roanoke Rapids Herald
VOLUME NINETEEN_ ROANOKE RAPIDS, N. C., THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16th. 1933 NUMBER THIRTY-ONE
THROAT CUT TONIGHT
UP AND DOWN
Ij>he Avenue
WITH THE EDITOR
Many Roanoke Rapids cit
leens attended the funeral of E.
L. Travis, Jr., at Halifax, Tues
day afternoon.
At the Nurses Subscription
Bridge Party held on Friday even
ing at the Nurses Home, there
were sixteen tables playing, the
highest score for contract was won
by Mrs. W. S. Dean and low score
contract Mr. Ned Manning, high
auction Mr. Rowe and low auction
Mrs. Faison. Sandwiches, cookies
and coffee were served for refresh
ments.
Charles L. Jones, 45, rail
road engineer, died at Weldon
Tuesday from pneumonia.
Burial was in Raleigh Wed
nesday.
A correction in the write up for
the meeting of the Woman’s Club
last week: the soloist was given
as Miss Otelia Vaughan, this
should have been Miss Ella Lee
Taylor.
The first Citizenship Hon
or Roll of the present school
semester is reprinted in this
issue. May look like a lot of
meaningless names to the av
erage reader, but those young
sters anxiously await seeing
their names “in the HER
ALD” as an award of merit.
City dry goods, clothing, depart
ment and general stores will open
for business every morning at 8:39
now, instead of 9-o’clock, as has
been the custom since adoption of
the NRA retail codes.
It was found at Wednesday’s
merchant’s meeting that a store
must be open 63-hours per week in
order to work individual employ
ees a maximum of 48-hours under
the retailer’s code. Hence, the
change in store hours.
AQ merchants present at
Wednesday’s meeting voted
unanimously to close for busi
ness all day Thanksgiving. It
is supposed that these plans
will go through, however, a
canvass of the grocerymen will
be made to insure that the
closing will be uniform at all
store*.
General stores will be open
evenings until 8 o’clock the first
four days of the week, and on
(Continued on back page)
Joe R. Jones, 69-year-old resi
dent of 89 Jackson St. is in Roan
oke Rapids Hospital in critical
condition, the results of many
wounds inflicted on his body,
face, arms and throat with a raz
or, weilded by Wilmer Gurganus,
youthful mill worker of this city
who was a boarder at the Jones
home.
Gurganus is also in the hospital
with a slashed arm. Officers are
investigating the affray, but no
arrests had been made at press
time.
The cutting of the aged man
occurred at the Jones home ab
out 8 P. M. Thursday night and
was the result of a quarrel after
Gurganus had been refused the
loan of 25 cents, according to
Mrs. Jones.
After eating he joined Mr. and
Mrs. Jones, and their 13 year old
son LeRoy at the fireside, where
he renewed his request for the
loan of a quarter. Mrs. Jones told
him she did not have any change,
and perhaps remonstrated with
him about spending any more
money for whiskey. When he was
unable to procure the small loan
from the elder Jones, he cursed
him and ran up stairs to his bed
room and returned with his
straight edge razor, and at
tacked the old men, according to
Mrs. Jones.
No one was in the house at the
time of the attack but Mrs.
Jones and the young boy. They
screamed for help. After cutting
the old man, Gurganus rushed
out of the back door of the house,
telling Mrs. Jones that “he was
sorry”, said Mrs. Jones.
Neighbors, reaching the scene
of the crime were terror stricken
at the gruesome sight of the trag
edy. There were two large pools
of blood, in the front room, and
the adjoining room, where Mr.
Jones had been taken awaiting
the arrival of an ambulance.
Mrs. Jones, grief stricken, ex
plained the tragedy to a. Herald
reporter between sobs. “We
had been like a mother and fath
er to Wilmer,’ she said, “and
treated him like a mmember of
our own househould.” She said
she had known him since child
hood, and was well acquainted
with his parents. Gurganus was
born and raised near Greenville.
4 LOCAL
M N HURT
1 CRASH
Four Roanoke Rapids men were
injured, one seriously, when their
car struck a truck at Anderson’s
Cross Roads Saturday morning.
(Continued on back page)
Remember the Issue
WtARE NOT ft
I 60IM6 THROUGH (
ANOTHER WINTER'
I EIRE THE LAST
lnoo««nv*
«—Courtesy St. Louia Post DitpatcS
GRAY AND
MATTHEWS
EN ROUTE
A telegram was received here
Tuesday from deputy sheriff G. F.
Gray that he was on his way home
and everything was all right.
He did not say if he had his
prisoner with him but this was
assumed from the tone of the
telegram. He left last week for
Los Angeles, Cal., to bring back
E. A. Matthews, Roanoke Rapids
attorney, charged with embezzle
ment, who disappeared from here
six years ago and who was ar
rested in Honolulu last month.
Deputy Sheriff Gray was to wire
Attorney General Brummit in case
he met any trouble in extraditing
Matthews from California. Yes
terday the attorney general had
heard nothing.
Therefore, it is agreed that
Gray and his prisoner are on their
way and their arrival in Halifax
County is expected the last of
this week or the first of next
week. 'Gray left Roanoke Rapids
last Tuesday and arrived in Cal
ifornia on Saturday. He made the
trip straight thru but will be long
er returning as he must stop over
nights for sleep. At these stop
overs he places the prisoner in jail
for the night.
CLERK TO
BE PICKED
SATURD’Y
The successor to E. L. Travis,
Jr., Clerk of the Superior Court
who died Sunday, will be appoint
ed by Judge R. Hunt Parker at
Halifax Saturday morning.
Judge Parker has announced he
will hold a public hearing at the
Court House at 10 o’clock Satur
day morning and after hearing all
candidates for the vacancy, will
appoint the new clerk who will
fill the unexpired term.
The term expires this year and
will be filled at the general coun
ty election this fall, with the pri
mary in June. In case of vacancy,
appointment is made by the resi
dent judge.
Those who have been mentioned
for appointment are Quentin Gre
gory of Halifax, Leonidas Hux of
Halifax, Moss Atkinson of En
field, and Newton Sheperd, of
Weldon.
N. A. Riddick, of Scotland Neck,
is being mentioned prominently
for the post of chairman of the
County Democratic Executive
Committee, which was held by the
deceased.
Jacques Ccemelle of Genoa pro
vided funds in his will to hire four
bands to play “lively airs” at his
funeral. '
ROBBERY
EPIDEMIC
IN CITY
Police Recover Some Of Loot;
Three Jobs By Same
Gang
Store breaking, which has been
on the decline in Roanoke Rapids
for several months, broke out a
new over the week-end when three
places of business were enterd Sat
urday night and one last bight.
The latest robbery was report
ed this morning by the Seaboard
Air Line officials. Last night
thieves broke in the freight depot
and made away with a shipment
of shirts en rouote to F. If. Co
bum. An early check-up this morn
ing did not show what else was
missing.
The shirt shipment was in a
large carton which, on account of
its bulky size, was carried away
in the rear of a large car or on a
truck. Railroad detectives have
been called in on the cane.
A gang broke into three plaees
Saturday night, starting with The
Herald Printing Co. Evidently they
thought they were breaking into
Stedman Stores Co. A window was
broken out in The Herald building
next to the store. They found noth
ing but ton printing presses.
Unable to get in Stedman Stores
via the rear, they prized open the
front door and then locked it be
hind them. A large quantity of to
bacco products were stolen: ciga
rettes, cigars, chewing tobacco, and
snuff; five 100 pound bags of
sugar and a few dollars in change.
.H. T. Moore, manager of the
store, left at 11 p. m. About 12:45
a. m. officer Lewter tried the door
and found it locked. But he saw
where a staple had been pulled
out and thought thieves had been
scared away before entering. He
watched the store for some time
and then called Mr. Moore. They
entered and found the store had
been robbed and the thieves had
left by the side door.
Going from Stedman Stores to
Nash Motro Co., they entered that
building by breaking out a win
dow pane and unlocking a big
window. Their intention was to
steal a truck with which to haul
away the goods stolen from the
grocery store. But a wrecked car
blocked the door on the alley.
The thieves then went to the
cash box and took several dollars
| in cash, $600 in checks and notes.
They also took a pair of field
"lasses brought from Germany by
Mr. Nash, which he prized very
(Continued on back page)