Carolina’s Only TABloid NEWSpaper
The Roanoke Rapids erald
VOLUME TWENTY ROANOKE RAPIDS, N. C., THURSDAY, AUGUST 23rd„ 1934_NUMBER NINETEEN
CONVICT KILLS WITH
FIST AT STATE FARM
UP AND DOWN
"Ghe Avenue
WITH THE EDIYOR
It appears that bad weather
er may delay opening of the
Avenue on the last block be
tween 3rd and 4th Streets until
next week. The entire Avenue,
on the present contract, is now
open with the exception of this
last block with only a quarter
of that left unfinished.
The bad place left on the West
side of the Avenue between 2nd
and 3rd Streets by installation of
the sewer line is being fixed this
week with a coat of asphalt.
Altho working only three
days a week, sidewalks appear
almost as by magic in various
parts of the city. Completed in
the past week were walks on
both sides of the street from
Charlotte to the Avenue on 4th
Street. A perfect net of walks
now lead from all directions to
the High School. Jackson Street
from 4th to the Hospital is next
on the progrttm. Well laid plans
are for walks to the Avenue
centering on schools, churches
and the hospital.
The buildings occupied by Smith’s
Billiard Parlor and the Olympia
Cafe are being treated to a new
front with a stucco and imitation
stone finish. The completed fronts
Will be very attractive. The Rose
mary Drug Co., next door, is plan
ning a new front and entrance and
work may start on this next week.
Those sending in news items
are again requested to write
names and initials plainly. Use
typewriter whenever possible
and check those names. The
Herald has a new typesetter
who is not familiar with the
names and they must be writ
ten clearly. Remember when you
are writing that m, n, u, v, and
w, with an occasional d thrown
in can make anything out of a
name. To say nothing of trying
to decide whether it is an a or
(Turn over)
NEGRO IS
DEAD FROM
ASSAULT
James Smith, Negro con
vict, killed Lonnie Green,
Negro convict, with a blow of
the fist at the Caledonia State
Farm near Scotland Neck late
Tuesday afternoon.
Three eye witnesses saw
three blows passed, one of
which was fatal to Green, who
died a half hour after the
fracas. The first bllow was in
the stomach, the second in the
face and the third, delivered
as Green was falling, landed
at the base of the brain.
Green was sitting down when the
fight started and the first blow
passed. He and Smith had words
and as Green started up he re -
ceived a terrific blow to the stom
ach, followed by another to the
chin which .sent him toward the
ground.
The third, and probably the fatal
lick, came as he fell and landed
at the nape of the neck. Medi
cal views and those of the Coron
er differ slightly as to which act
ually caused death. Some say the
stomach blow was sufficient, if
Green had been drinking much
water. They had all just finished
supper and were in the stockade.
Others say the blow at the base
of the brain could have caused in
stant paralysis of the nerves or
a cerebral hemorrhage.
Smith is 21 years old and is
serving a 30 year sentence for sec
ond degree burglray. He is being
held in solitary awaiting further
court action.
Green was 22 years old and was
serving a 15 year sentence for as
sault. He was a Halifax County
Negro who lived near Tillery.
Smith was sent here from another
county.
Smith was taken to the States
prison at Raleigh yesterday for
safe keeping.
1st BAPTIST CHURCH
Reverend Gordon L. Price of the
First Baptist Church, who has
been holding a revival at Jarrats,
Va., this week, will be back Sun
day to fill his regular pulpit for
both morning and evening services.
Willing Victim
Of Snake Bite
T<i-iifflm«mnmaYrT.....ii ..i v inn n ■
To demonstrate the ; ower of
religion, the Rev. Albert Teest
er, 39, Sylvia, N. C., preacher,
let a five-foot rattlesnake sink
its fangs twice into his arm,
while his congregation looked
on. After several pain-wracked
days, during which he refused
the services of physicians,
Teester was able again to speak
to his flock, although the swell
ing of his arm, as pictured
above, had not subsided.
PLAYING
WITH GUN
ONEDEAD
Living Man Says They Were
Just Tussling Over Gun
When It Fired.
Clarence Sherrod, “IE year old
Negro, was shot an] instantly
killed at the home of S^m Purvis
r<sr Scotland iNeck last Thurs
day and John Draughan is held in
jail without bond charged with
the killing.
The gun was missing when of
ficers arrived but turned up later
when the person who had it turned
it over to Sheriff Johnson. This
party said the gun was given to
him by Sam Purvis.
Purvis and Jack Reynolds were
held on a charge of aiding and
(Turn over)
Edwards Is Fined,
Others Get Road
Sentences; Appeal
All five men in the Jackson Street shooting affray of last
September were found guilty by a jury in Superior Court
Friday after a trial which lasted all of one day and which
went to the jury late Thursday night.
Millard EtiKvards, to whose house the other men came,
and who admitted going back into his house to get his gun
after he says his life was threatened, was fined $100 and
half the costs of the court by Judge Small. The charge was
assault with a deadly weapon.
Gilbert Barber, the leader of the crowd which came to
Edward’s house, was found guilty of a charge of assault with
a deadly weapon and was sentenced to 18 months in a dis
trict road camp.
Allen Barber, his brother, was found guilty of the same
charge, and was sentenced to 12 months minimum in a dis
trict camp. , ... .
Morris Blanton and Richard Searce were found guilty of
aiding and abetting in an assault with a deadly weapon.
Blanton was sentenced to 15 months and Searce to six
months in district camp.
An appeal to the Supreme Court was noted in all cases.
Crow ded courtrooms day and night, with crowds anxiously
awaiting the verdict Friday morning, marked it as one of
the most bitterly contested trials in the county in several
years.
BLOODY BUNDLE
FOUND IN CREEK
Complete mystery surrounds the
discovery of a bundle of bloody
clothing found in Ray’s Creek near
Roanoke Rapids last week. Offi
cers have kept quiet hoping to
gain some information about the
ownership but today no clues had
been gaiined.
The bloody bundle was fished
out of the creek by Jim Taylor
who works at the saw mill about
three miles from Roanoke Rapids.
He noticed a piece of white cloth
in the water and retrieved it to
find he had a bundle of clothing,
covered with blood.
The clothes had been weighted
down with several rocks, tied to
gether with strips of a bloody
handkerchief and pushed under
the bridge. From this spot the
heavy bundje had been washed in
to shallow water.
Untied, the bundle revealed a
bloody undershirt with what ap
pears to be a bullet hole in it.
There is no laundry mark or other
means of identification.
Also a pair of striped shorts,
which had been cut into small
(Tarn over)
7-LEG
KITTEN
A kitten, with seven legs,
was born Tuesday to a cat be
longing to Marylyn Wheeler,
daughter of D. W. Wheeler,
231 Jefferson Street.
There were three fully de -
veloped legs on each side of
the body, making a total of
six, with the seventh, a smaller
leg, between the front two.
Paws and claws were fully de
veloped.
The kitten, buried yesterday,
was disinterred and will be pre
served for a time in alcohol or
formaldehyde.
The kitten, a little black, ap
peared perfectly normal other
wise, but died yesterday after
living twenty-four hours. As
the news spread many citizens
viisited the small freak, others
arriving too late yesterday af
ternoon to see it alive.
It was one of a litter of
triplets.