THE ROANOKE RAPIDS
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VOLUME TWENTY-TWO ROANOKE RAPIDS, N. C. THURSDAY, DEC. 17, 1936 NUMBER 24
WOMAN KILLS SELF
OFFICER IS CLEARED B Y JURY
UP AND DOWN WITH THE
Che Avenue -
• • The Herald of next week will be printed on
Ti’efitay instead of Thursday in a special Christ
mas Shoppers Guide. This 1/ill"give pleiity of time
for complete distribution before Christmas Eve
and all advertisers are urged to have copy for the
Shoppers Guide and Last-Minute Suggestions
ready for us the end of this week. All city and
county correspondents are notified to have their
news in this Saturday and not later than Monday
evening, leaving Tuesday for last-minute impor
tant news only. The Herald plant will close for
the Christmas holidays on Thursday, Friday and
Saturday of next week.
• • Does Christmas mean anything to you ? That
is, anything besides a vacation, a day of no work,
a day of noise, a day of give-and-take, a day for
the kids. If you are getting languid about the oc
casion or losing your old-time interest, try taking
a Christmas Opportunity from the Associated
Charities list. This is just a tip to you. Some
times things give you a shock and wake you up.
You can’t tell what you will draw from the bag,
but be sure it will be interesting. We told Rev. J.
N. Bynum we would take a family and told him a
bout what we wanted. “Here is a case for you;
No. 59”, he said. All right, what is it, we asked.
A grandmother, came the reply. A grandmother,
we thought, perhaps one who has also raised a
grandson and who has lived a life of anxiety be
cause of the task. Yes, we will take that one.
Gladly. “But that is not all,’, came the words over
the phone (his number is R 579-1), “there is a little
granddaughter also”. How old, we asked, almost
knowing. Six. (Well, there is another one almost
six.) Yes, Yes, Mr. Bynum, we will take them. A
grandmother and a little six year old granddaugh
ter**** what’s that? Oh, No. Yes, the little one
is a cripple. Thank you, Mr. Bynum, a thousand
times, thank you, for such a Christmas oppor
tunity.
• • The annual Community Christmas singing of
Christmas carols will be held at 5:30 p.m. Thurs
day, Christmas Eve. This sing, sponsored by the
Kiwanis each year, will be held around the Kiwan
is Tree in front of the Roanoke Rapids Hospital.
All churches are asked to attend to help with the
singing. A brief service will be conducted by pas
tors of local churches. Every person in the com
munity is invited for this public half-hour pro
gram.
MOTHER
DIES OF
WOUNDS
Lonely r : ,re
after her children grew
up, married and left
home, and with bad
health to dog her future,
Mrs. N. R. Jenkins, 54,
of Littleton, shot herself
at her home yesterday.
She was brought to the Roanoke.
Rapids Hospital last night at 8 o’
clock and was pronounced dead a
few minutes after reaching here.
With her was her husband, sec
tion foreman of the Seaboard Air
Line, stationed at Littleton. Mem
bers of the family say she had
been suffering bad health in the
past year.
She shot herself with a pistol
one time, the wounds in the ab
domen producing internal hemor
rhage.
I
HERO FOILS
KIDNAPERS
ON AVENUE
A brave hero saved the day here
Monday afternoon when a gang of
kidnappers invaded the city in
tent on doing away with the sweet
heart of the hero. Aided by city
police, the plans of the gang were
foiled after they had attempted to
kidnap at least three lovely young
girls here.
Roanoke Avenue was a scene of
wild action for a few minutes with
police, gangsters and shrieking
heroines. When the smoke cleared
away it was discovered this was
part of the Movie Queen play to
be shown here December 22 and
23 at the High School. Movies
were being taken of the action to
be shown as part of the program
sponsored by the Athletic and Mu
sic organizations of the High
School.
(Complete Details Page 26)
ROBBERY
(SEE PAGE 9)
Tough Negro Wounded
Three Times Dies Tuesday;
Officer Is Exonerated
* **•**•»,.
The Coroner’s jury exonerated Special Officer Sam Jones of any
blame ill the death of James Robinson, Negro, shot three times by the
officer when he resisted arrest near here three weeks ago. The verdict
was returned at the Municipal Building after an inquest of
the facts. Robinson died in the Roanoke Rapids Hospital Tuesday.
Testimony was presented to showsfe_____*_
me omcer was not to blame for
the shooting which followed his
attempt to arrest Robinson after
the latter had an argument with
three white men in front of the
Negro’s house; an argument which
had culminated in the Negro
breaking a gun over the head of
Nat Barlow, one of the white men
and severely beating him.
When the white men returned
with Officer Jones, testimony
showed that the Negro came from
his house with a shotgun and pur
sued the officer, who fired one
time, hitting Robinson in the
stomach. The wounded Negro fol
lowed the officer around the house
and was shot a second time, in the
breast; still he followed around an
other corner of the house, gun in
position, and the officer fired a
third time, hitting the wounded
man in the side. Then the of
ficer stumbled, fell, and the Ne
gro, tho wounded three times,
jumped on him and tried to choke
him and take his pistol from him.
He was beaten off with a black
jack by Macon Lynch, who had
this as the only other weapon.
Then, Robinson submitted and was
taken to the hospital. This was on
Saturday, Nov. 21st. He died on
Tuesday, Dec. 15th.
GIRL TOOK
POISON IS
IMPROVING
Miss Glenn Long, 22 year old
waitress at Jones’ Place on the
highway between Weldon and Ga
rysburg, is in the Roanoke Rapids
Hospital recovering from a self
administered dose of bidoride.
She took the poison at the place
where she works on Saturday night
and was rushed to the local hos
pital where immediate attention
cleared her system of most of the
poison. Her condition is not con
sidered serious.
She has given no reason for her
action.
TWO GONE
16 DAYS
UNFOUND
Complete silence follows the dis
appearance of Ralph Merritt and
Peter Smith, each about 21, who
have not been seen since Tuesday,
Dec. 8th, sixteen days ago.
Despite daily rumors of the dis
covery of their bodies or of the
boys alive, not a trace of them
had been found up until tonight.
The island, near where they were
last seen, was searched the first
of this week by J. C. Stphenson
and Cebron Jordan, Sheriff and
deputy Sheriff of Northampton
County. An investigation has been
made by Police Chief Dobbins who
talked to the last one to see them.
Robert Smith, Peter’s younger
brother.
Robert told the Chief he stayed
on the bank with a fire and the
other two left, wading in the riv
er which was low at that time, and
said they would return later with
food. Later on he says he heard
several shots fired, five or six, then
silence. His brother and Merritt
did not return. He waited for
them until dark and then came
home. So far as is known, no
body has seen or heard of them
since.
(SEE PAGE 27)
Officials Here for
Directors Meet'g
Here for the director’s meeting
of the textile unit of Simmons
Company this week were Grant
Simmons, President of Simmons
Co., Alfred Terrell, executive Vice
President, and Mr. Wrightson,
Sales Manager. They stayed at the
Textile Club while here.
Messrs. Simmons and Terrell,
with F. C. Williams and H. I>.
Camp, are spending this week-end
hunting quail in South Carolina.