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LUME TWENTY-SIX ROANOKE RAPIDS, Ν. C. THURSDAY, AUG. 15,1940 NUMBER
EXPECT fUffl m
Represents City In Tobacco Festival
Above is Miss Mildred Balmer, who will represent Roanoke Rapids
in the Tobacco Festival at Wilson next week. She is five feet, four; has
light brown hair, blue eyes, fair complexion; and weighs around 112.
Miss Balmer is employed in the office of Clerk of the Superior Court
A. L. Hux. (Story inside)
Lions Mid-Summer Festival Queen
mm
Above is pictured Miss Katherine Wood who was crowned Queen of
the Lions Mid-Summer Festival of 194Θ before one of the largest crowds
Bver assembled at a festival in the city last Saturday night. Miss Wood
led a field of 15 contestants. (Story inside)
2 LOCAL NEGROES
RECEIVE PRISON
TERMS AT COURT
L u t e r And Johnson
Found Guilty Of Man
slaughter
Two Roanoke Rapids Negro men
were sentenced to hard labor in the
State's prisons by Judge Q. K.
Nimocks at Superior Court this
week for the shooting of two Ne
gro women here on May 12 tmd
June 29 respectively.
Floyd Johnson was sentenced to
five years after the jury returned
a verdict of manslaughter in con
nection with the fatal shooting of
Irene Lashley Stevenson on the
night of May 12. The negro woman
was taken to the Roanoke Rapids
Hospital where she died on Juhr 12.
Miss Mildred Evans, nuM at
the hospital, Policemen F Man
and Erwin, and James Johnson,
nephew of the prisoner, were the
chief witnesses for the State.
Miss Evans and the policemen
testified that the Negress had i
dentified Johnson as her assailant
in the hospital a few days after
the shooting. James Johnson, who
is about 12 years old, told the court
that he was within a few yards of
the couple when the shooting oc
curred, but that he did not see the
actual shooting. He also testified
that Floyd gave him the pistol, with
which the shooting was done, and
told him to take it to his (Floyd'3)
some.
The defendant did not take the
stand.
After the jury had rendered a
verdict of manslaughter, witnesses
were called back by Judge Nimock
tor a furth^l study of the case. It
(Continued on Page 8, Sec. A)
SCHOOL AUTHORITIES
SEEKING MEANS TO
TRAP NITE PROWLERS
With the passing of ordinances
against loitering around schools
and churches in the city at the
last meeting of the Board of Com
missioners, a more concentrated at
tempt is being initiated by the
school authorities to apprehend the
culprits guilty of breaking glasses
in doors, window panes, light bulbs,
and otherwise disfiguring and
damaging the school buildings.
Superintendent C. W. Davis said
this week that several dollars
worth of damage had been done to
the high school building in the
past few days, possibly over the
week-end. The door behind the
auditorium has almost every glass
broken out. Lights in the junior
high building entrances have been
broken.
Evidences of loitering around
the other schools are frequently
found, the superintendent said.
Some of the damages have been
attributed to children with a de
structive and irresponsible attitude.
However, all of the blame cannot
be placed on children; some of the
vandalism is the work of adults,
Mr. Davis stated.
School authorities are seeking a
means of keeping a man, in co
operation with the local police de
partment, on duty at the schools at
night, especially over the week-end,
in order to trap some of the chil
dren and adults who are guilty of
the offenses. When caught, the
charges will be pushed to the limit,
school authorities say.
Parents are urged by Mr. Davis
to check up on their children to
see that they do not form the habit
of loitering around the school
buildings in the late afternoon and
night.
MAY GO
OVER 48
FEET AT
WELDON
Raging: from the widespread
heavy rains of the past few days,
the Roanoke River is swelling rap
idly out of its banks tonight. Past
the flood stage of 31.5 feet by 6.3
feet tonight at 6 o'clock at Wel
don, the water is expected to reach
the record high of 48 feet tomor
row (Friday) afternoon. The
weather observer at Weldon said
that reports of continued heavy
rains up the river indicates that
the river will go beyond 48 feet by
tomorrow night.
Tonight the report from Roanoke
Mills Company plant No. 1 is that
the plant will have to close when
the water rises about 2% feet high
er.
Last night a total of 5.22 inches
of rain fell in this vicinity. Today
1.98 inches was added to the fall of
last night. Intermittent showers
continue tonight with no immedi
ate relief in sight.
iiignwaj ouj. ucLweeii oiulc i_iine
and Skippers was reported under
water up to the running boards of
cars tonight. The road from here
to State Line was closed this eve
ning, with traffic being routed a
round by way of Weldon.
County roads have suffered jn
toid damages where the heavy rain
fall has washed the topsoil from
the roadbeds. Late this afternoon,
roads in the southwest part of the
county around Hollister and Essex
were reported under water with
traffic being forced to make de
tours.
Throughout the State the story
is the same, with the heaviest
damages from the high waters
coming from the northwest section
along the headwaters of the Yad
kin river.
The town of North Wilkesboro
reported this afternoon about six
persons drowned or killed in that
vicinity. Approximately 20 people
have been killed or drowned in the
State as a result of the recent high
waters.
Funeral For
Mrs. Rook 75
Funeral services for Mrs. Georgi
anna Rook, 75, of Gaston, were held
Wednesday afternoon in the Forest
Hill Church with the Rev. Gordon
Price officiating. Interment was in
the church cemetery. Mrs. Rook
died Tuesday morning.
The deceased is survived by three
children, Ruth, Charlie, and Bennie
Rook; two sisters, Mrs. Kate Cham
bliss of Roanoke Rapids and Mrs.
Martha Tucker of Halifax; a
brother, Lee Harris of Garysburg;
and 13 grandchildren.