Carolina’s Only TABloid NEWSpaper
The Roanoke Rapids Herald
VOLUME TWENTY ROANOKE RAPIDS, N. C., THURSDAY, AUG. 16th., 1934 NUMBER EIGHTEEN
UGHTNER GETS 26 YRS.
2 Of Hog Gang
Found Guilty
Pleads Guilty
To 2nd Degree
26 years in the State prison was the sentence meted to
Howard Lightner by Judge Small in Superior Court Tuesday
after the defendant, indicted for first degree murder, had
submitted to a second degree charge.
Lightner was charged with killing his daughter-in
law, Mrs. Esther Lightner, at his home in Hornertown early
Sunday morning, May 13th.
There was no need for a jury after the defandant’s
attorneys had agreed with the Solicitor to submit their client
on the lesser degree, but Lightner took the stand to tell the
judge how it happened. He could not, however, remember
many of the details leading up to the killing.
The most coherent story was told by his wife at the Cor
oner’s hearing the day after the shooting. Mrs. Lightner
told how her husband had been drinking heavily and taking a!
quantity of headlache powders. He finally left the house
Saturday night but returned at daybreak Sunday demanding
to lie let in the house.
She says Esther came into her room and the two were
in bed together when Lightner entered the room with a
shotgun. She pulled the cover over her eyes and heard the
gun fire. When she looked out the girl was dead with the!
load of the gun in her left temple.
Lightner says he remembers nothing of what happened
in the house on the fateful morning.
NITE COP
H SHIM
2 TIMES
A wounded Negro, shot once and
probably twice, is at large. One
such was shot about 4 a. m. last
Friday as he attempted to break
into the rear of Roanoke Hard -
ware Co.
The night policeman wounded
him as he used a crowbar trying
to force in the back door. Calling
to him to halt, the officer drew his
gun as the Negro turned and ran.
The officer fired twice and be
lieves the shots took effect in both
arms or hands. The Negro escaped
by running thru a narrow pas -
sageway to the rear of the store
and between a warehouse.
On each side of the passage was
much blood and it appeared to have
been thrown there by a hand or
arm wound. When the officer got
thru the passage the Negro was
gone.
A white man, believed by offi
cers to have been a lookout man,
was heard running away in an
other direction as the police sought
the Negro, who was not recognized
as coming from around here.
Nothing has been heard from
the case since as no local doctor
has dressed the wounds
PEACE-HARRIS
Invitations were received here
to the wedding of Miss Closs
Courtney Peace, daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. S. T. Peace, and William
Harris, 2nd., at 5:30 p. m. Sat
urday, September 1st at the First
Methodist church, Henderson.
VETERAN
FARMER
IS DEAD
B. F. Powell, 80 years old, one
of the oldest and most respected
farmers of Halifax County, died
today at his home near South
Rosemray.
Mr. Powell was born and raised
in Halifax County. He was a wid
ower and is survived by several
children and grandchildren.
Funeral services will be Frida/
afternoon at 3:30 with interment
in the Powell cemetery.
BIG CROWD
AT RALLY
A crowd from all over Eastern
North Carolina, estimated at 2,000,
met in the City Park here Satur
day morning in a rally of United
Textile Workers, affiliate of the
A. F of L.
Principal speakers were Dr. T.
W. M Long, Dr. W. E. Daug'.
trey and T. E. Wilson of the N. C.
Industrial Commission. An ampli
fying system aided the speakers
and refreshments were served the
visitors at noon.
Cars and trucks from all over
this part of the State were park
ed along the avenue, side streets,
Jackson and Hamilton.
LEONARD-PEARSON
Mr. and Mrs. L. R. Pearson an
nounces the marriage of their
daughter, Ruby to Ralph Leonard
of Thomasville, July 8 at York
S. C. The young couple will make
their home in Thomasville.
TWO TO 4
YEARS IN
PRISON
Lonnie Harris Freed; Lewis
and Leonard Found Guilty
by Halifax Jury
Lewis R. Harris and Leo
nard Harris, two membfers of
the now famous “Hog-Gang”,
were found guilty by a Hali
fax County Superior Court
jury yesterday and Lonnie
Harris, a third member, was
found not guilty.
Lewis was sentenced to
from three to four years in
the State Prison and Leonard
to from two to four years by
Judge Small. All three had
pled not guilty and stood trial
Charged with the wholesale
theft of hogs in this and adjoin
counties, the trio was arrested
in Roanoke Rapids on July 26th
in the act of delivering dressed
pigs to a local barbecue stand.
They came clear on two counts
in Northampton Superior Court last
week due to insufficient evidence,
but evidently there was enough
evidence in the Halifax County
cases to convince jury and judge.
Reports continue to come in
from all sections as to thefts of
hogs, but just how many should
be charged against the gang can
not be estimated. It is thought
they are being charged with some
—(Continued on back page)—
UP AND DOWN
Ghc Avenue
WITH THE EDITOR
Postoffice Inspector Starr of
Baltimore has been in Roanoke
Rapids for the past three days
looking over various sites for the
proposed Federal Postoffice. He
has gone minutely into an invest
igation of the local postoffice sit
uation, a study of the city and an
examination of all the properties
offered in the bids opened several
days ago. He will make his re
port to Washington postal authori
ties where the location will be fi
nally decided.
A trip in the South Ward
business section today, after
—(Continued on back page)—
• Plenty in a Land of Want
m ...:*aksaa*;4 v : Ml
This federal-leased range near Delaware, O., was like
paradise for these emaciated, drouth-stricken cattle, shipped
there from parched midwestern areas. Hundreds of cattle
have been shipped! to Halifax County where they are being
pastured on the fertile banks of the Roanoke River, while
fellow steers Wack in the west die slowly from the heat.
Shooting Case
Goes To Jury
With five lawyers speaking, Judge Small adjourned
court at 11:00 p. m. tonight to instruct the jury Friday
morning in the shooting case in which Millard Edwards, Gil
bert Barber, Alvin Barber, Richard! Searce and Morris Blant
on are involved
The trial lasted all day today. Tomorrow morning the
judge will instruct the jury and a verdict is expected before
noon.
A packed courtroom all day with a goodly crowd to
hear the arguments tonight attested to the interest in the
case which started with a shooting affray on Jackson St. on
a Saturday night in September pf last year in which Ed
wards and Barber were wounded and Mrs. W. S. Brown,
across the street, was wounded hiy a stray bullet.
SAFE IS
BLOWN
Yeggs cracked the safe in
P. I. Rook’s store at Camps
Store crossroads Saturday
night and escaped with $450.
in cash.
The safe had been blown
open, probably with nitro gly
cerine, after the door of the
store had bteen forced.
No clues were found and no
trace of the robbers uncovered
yet. County and State officers
are on the case.
Garysburg has been busy the
past two days, all farmers coming
in to fill out applications for cer
tificates to gin their cotton.