Carolina’s Only TABloid NEWSpaper
The Roanoke Rapps Herald
VOLUME NINETEEN_ ROANOKE RAPIDS, N. C„ THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 1st, 1934 NUMBER FORTY-TWo!
UP AND DOWN
Ghe Avenue
WITH THE EDIVOR
James Whittaker, former resi
dent of Roanoke Rapids, died
Tuesday in Hopewell, Va., from
pneumonia. Funeral services were
held at the Williams Funeral
Home here this afternoon.
Mr. and Mrs. Frank Sherry
are receiving congratulations on
the arrival of a son on Satur
day morning. The young man
weighed in at 7 pounds 9 ounc
es and has been named Charles
Albert.
Along with thousands of other
cities and towns, Roanoke Rapids
celebrated the 52nd birthday of
President Roosevelt with a dance
at the Chockoyotte Country Club
Tuesday night and will be able to
send about fifty dollars to the
Roosevelt Foundation for Warm
Springs Fund for infantile para
lysis sufferers. Intensely cold
weather cut down the size of the
crowd, many preferring to stay
home by the. fire and listen to the
radio programs of the various
Balls and the President’s speech
at 11:15 p. m.
On our editorial page in this
issue we point out' the growth
of crime among the youngsters
and advise With officers, parents
and others as to the best way to
handle this most serious situa
tion. As we write this we do not
have all the facts, but on the
street today we hear from those
coming back from Halifax where
Superior Court is in session that
four of these boys have been
tried and the court’s record is
as follows: Two acquitted for
lack of evidence; two found
guilty and their sentences sus
pended.
In short, we have all four of
the boys back with us, none the
worse for wear and tear, with
plenty of exciting tales to relate to
their gangs. A suspended sentence_
means nothing in their.young lives.
All they know is that they have
come in conflict with the. Law and
have come forth free, with per
haps the same kind of lecture that
their parents, teachers or preach
ers have given them so many
times in the past.
We do not wish to punish
these boys and all the others who
are running wild. We want to
help them. But we seriously
doubt if it will be done this way.
They were charged with seri
ous crimes. Others are occur
(Continued on back page)
YOUNG GANG
TERRORIZES
- i
5 HOMES
ENTERED
BY BOYS
Wave Of Crime Among Youth
As Four Escape
Punishment
Five homes were broken in
last week and four young boy3
were arrested in an epidemic
of housebrtiaking, most of which
bore the earmarks of youthful
gangs.
Two of the four boys were
given suspended sentences in
Superior Court this week and
two others were released be
cause of lack of evidence.
Page Allen was caught as he
entered the servant’s home of Mr.
and Mrs. Job Taylor one night
last week. The place had been en
tered and ransacked before and
the, place was watched. Allen
broke out a window and entered
the building, being caught in the
act.
tte tola police the names oi two |
other boys who were, with him but
who had escaped. These boys were
arrested but in court the Allen
boy refused to. testify against
them and they were released. Al
len was given a two year sen
tence, suspended, with an order to
report at each term of court to
show his good behavior. Another
charge against him during that
period is supposed to make the
serving of the sentence manda
tory.
Saturday night, Johnny Crutch
field heard someone cutting a
screen in one of the downstairs
windows. He and his brother ran
out, saw and caught Maxie Can
non, who claimed to be 17 years
old, but looks about 14. He said he
lived near the Holiness Church and
told a glib story of just playing
around. This was after eleven o’
clock at night.
On a charge of tresspassing in
Superior Court, prayer for judg
ment was continued for two years
on condition that the boy appear
at each term of court and show
good behavior and upon payment
of all costs before August term
of court.
While, Mr. and Mrs. Bill Bat
ton, who live on Third Street,
were out visiting early in the
evening, a gang broke into a
back door by pushing the key out
(Continued on back page)
Wafford Killer
Found Guilty
~— ■■ ..—— ■■■■ — I
Mae (Herself) West
LOS ANGELES . . . Glamorous
Mae West’s appearance in court to
testify against Edward Friedman,'
alleged to have “done her wrong”
in theft of jewels and cash amount
ing to some $15,000, was the oc
casion for picture fans to pay her
high personal tribute.
4 TO 8
FOR CAR
KILLER
Negro Guilty Manslaughter
In Death of T. W.
Wafford, Here
Percy Willis, alias Percy
Whittaker, Negro hit and run
driver who killed T. W. Wafford
here just before Christmas, was
found guilty of manslaughter in
Superior Court Monday and sen
tenced to from. four to eight
years in prison.
Willis entered a submission cn
the manslaughter charge but plead
not guilty to the hit and run
charge. He was found guilty.
Mr. Wlafford was instantly kill
ed Sunday night, Dec. 17, when
struck by a car driven by Willis
on Hamilton Street. The Negro
and a companion, Lester Lee, did
not stop and were not arrested un
til the following day.
The car had struck Mr. Waf
ford with such force, that every
major bone in his body was brok
en.
Woman’s Assailant
Gets Two Years
Seaboard Funeral
Thad Stevenson, 54, brother of
D. B. Stevenson, of this city, who
died in Portsmouth, was buried
in Seaboard Wednesday afternoon.
He was a popular bookkeeper
for the Seaboard Air Line and
special services were held at
Portsmouth before the body was
placed in a special car for Sea
board.
He is survived by his mother,
Mrs. Cornelius Stevenson of Sea
board, two brothers, D. B., and
L. G. Stevenson, and two sisters.
Mrs. Duval Murry has returned
from a visit to her father, J. H.
Pearce, in Colerain.
John Walker, 38 year old
white man of this city, was
found guilty of attempt to
commit rape and sentenced to
two years in jail in Superior
Court this week.
He plead not guilty but was
found guilty after trial and when
sentenced was assigned to work his
two years out on the roads.
He was charged with assaulting
Miss Maude Rook at her home in
Patterson Mills village two weeks
ago. He, knocked her down, beat
her and otherwise mistreated her
until police arrived in time to
cause him to flee. He was caught
after a chase and said he remem
bered nothing. He had been dirnk
ing.
END OF
6 YEAR
T R AIL
Lawyer Guilty of Embezzle- *
ment Must Pay Penalty •
In Prison. 1
- t
E. A. Matthews, former Roa
noke Rapids lawyer, was sen- ...
tenced to from four to eight
years in the penitentiary on em- ;
bezzlement charges in Halifax
Superior Court this afternoon.
A large number of Roanoke Rap- .
ids citizens who knew the attor- •
ney when he lived here six years '
ago were summoned to court to
testify as to his good character
and reputation prior to the time
when he fled the State and the
United States six years ago. 1
xv w«a men jluuiiu mat fie natl
embezzled sums of money from
clients who had been borrowing
from finance and mortgage, com- *
panies which Matthews had rep- '
resented.
Matthews disappeared and was
not heard from until last Septem
ber. An indictment had been re-‘
turned against him in 1929 eharg- '
ing embezzlement.
In September of last year, Mat- '
thews was arrested in Honolulu,
Hawaii, after being recognized by
former residents of this county
who were serving in the army. He
had been in Honolulu for about
three years and for three years
was living in California under an
assumed name.
There were many legal tangles
involved and some delay before
Matthews was returned to Halifax
County. Question of expense arose
and county and state argued as
which was responsible. It was fin
ally settled with the county ad
vancing the money and the State *
agreeing to pay back on arrival
and trial.
ROBBERY
ARREST
IS MADE
Paul Todd was arrested last
night by local officers charged
with being one of a gang which
broke in the store of G. N. Stan
ley on Tuesday night. He was
placed in jail. '
Total loot of more than $100 '
was taken including ten dollars • •
in money and a quantity of ciga- *
rettes, tobacco, canned goods and ‘
confections. •
The Yale lock had been forded
by prizing the two front doors1 a- ;
part. The time of the robbery was . ■*
set at about 10:15 Tuesday night.
The Stanley store is located' on'
Second ^Street. ...
The. police acted qdiddy hr’the
case. Others are suspected. ' ■*