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VOLUME TWENTY-EIGHT ROANOKE RAPIDS, N. C._THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3, 1942 NUMBER 18
VETERAN OF
WORLD WAR II
IS RELEASED
A case attracting more than us
ual attention came up this week
in City Court when Ernest Wood,
23 year old son of Mr. and Mrs.
Grover Wood, was tried on a
charge of drunk and disorderly
conduct before Mayor Kelly Jen
kins.
Wood, who was honorably dis
charged from the U. S. Army be
cause of shell shock injuries sus
tained by him at Pearl Harbor
during the Japanese sneak-attack
there December 7th, was arrested
by city policemen Clayton Mat
thews and I. B. Rainey at the bus
station after midnight last Wed
nesday. He remained in jail un
til making bond Friday morning.
At the trial Monday it was dis
closed he was suffering from in
juries to his shoulder, and a cut
over his right eye. He had re
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shoulder sprain after being re
leased from jail. It was contend
ed these injuries were inflicted by
the arresting officers. Both po
licemen disclaimed any knowledge
of how he received the injuries
and denied that he had been hand
led roughly, though they testified
he resisted being put in the cell,
clinging on to the iron bars as he
passed into the cell block. They
also stated he had fallen after
being placed in the cell.
Wood admitted drinking a bottle
of beer earlier in the evening,
and that he and three other men
had some wine just prior to his
arrest. He was at the bus sta
tion waiting to meet his father, he
said, when a sailor picked an ar
gument with him. The sailor, it
seems, had previously given sta
tion attendants some trouble, and
they called for the police to come
and oust the sailor. When offi
cers arrived they also arrested
Wood.
Mayor Jenkins ruled that “Pray
er for judgment be continued on
condition he refrain from the use
of alcoholic beverages for six
months." F. C. Williams, general
manager of Roanoke Mills Co., at
whose plant Wood was employed,
appeared before the court and
spoke in behalf of his employee.
MEETING OF
BANKERS ON
BOND SALES
Held Friday Night At
Halifax; Stress Sale
During Month Dec.
A meeting of bankers from Hali
fax and Northampton Counties was
held Friday night at the Bank of
Halifax, in Halifax, for the pur
pose of discussing the sale of War
Bonds in this area for the, month
Of December. The meeting was
called by Millard F. Jones, Vice
President of the Planters National
Bank, Rocky Mount, who has
charge of District 2 of the state
on the "Victory Bond” committer
for the furtherance or the sale
of war bonds and stamps.
((Continued On Page IS—Sec. A)
Establish Maximum
PRICES TO BE CHARGED T?,* IT J 1
IN TOWNSHIP FOR ALL 1VITC W OOU
Joe Craddock Back Home!
TELLS OF PERILOUS
ADVENTURES AT SEA
Was Given Up For "Missing"
Joe S. Craddock, Roanoke Rapids youth serving as
Boatswain Third Class, United States Navy, now knows what
it feels like to spend eight days in a fragile lifeboat at the
mercy of wind and water, and on rations that most of us
wouiu consider msurncient tor a
six-months-old baby.
Joe’s ship in convoy with many
others was returning to somewhere
this side of the Atlantic following
a perilous voyage of several months
Sub after sub had been persist
ently snapping at their heels, cut
ting loose with murderous tin fish
and making themselves generally
obnoxious. Now, Joe and his out
fit were getting closer home — at
any rate they were back in the
Western hemisphere — and it
looked as though shore leave might
not be so very far away after all.
Craddock was stationed aft, on
the Gun Deck, one peaceful Monday
afternoon about 4:30 o’clock, when
—- wham! Two torpedos caught
them directly amidships. Immed
iately afterward came the order,
“Abandon Ship,” for two torpedos
can knock the bottom out of al
most any craft in short order. Joe,
along with some sixty others, man
aged to crawl into a damaged life
boat that had been knocked loose
from its lashings and into the water
by the force of the explosion, and
— there they were — hundreds of
miles from land in a patched-up
boat, loaded to capacity, and with
little or nothing to eat.
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second mate, who with no compass
or navigating instruments set out
for the nearest coastline quite some
hundreds of miles away. Using a
makeshift sail, in heavy seas, with
only the sun and stars for guide,
they made it. Eight days of hell
for Joe and his shipmates. Blister
ing sun all day and freezing cold at
night. Two of the men went crazy
and had to be lashed down. An
other jumped overboard. All in all
it was tough going, but they made
it, and on a food ration that should
put to eternal shame those who be
moan our coffee and sugar short
ages. Here’s what Joe got to eat
for eight full days and nights: 6
beans from a can of pork and
beans, 8 strings of spaghetti, 1
piece of hardtack, and 2 ounces of
water. Not exactly sumptuous, was
it?
Then a landing on a barren coast,
and a 3-mile hike across the desert
to a little native hut. There they
found coconuts and fruit to last un
til the kindly native left and re
turned with assistance.
Finally for Joe Craddock a plane
trip back to America, and home by
(Continued On Page 12—Sec. A)
FUNERAL FOR
MRS. CREW IS
HELD TODAY
Mrs. J. Winfield Crew, Sr., mem
ber of one of Northampton County’s
most prominent families, died Tues
day evening at her home, Pleasant
Hill, after a lingering illness. Fun
eral services were held at the Spring
Church Thursday afternoon, with
the Reverend J. E. Garlington, pas
tor, officiating.
Mrs. Crew was for many years
an outstanding figure in the social
and religious life of her communi
ty and her loss will be deeply felt
throughout the county. She was the
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. W. L
(Buck) Stanley, of Upper North
ampton County, where Mr. Stan
ley served as County Commission
er for a number of years. A vet
eran of the War Between the Stat
es, Mr. Stanley named his daught
er “Texas Austin” in deference to
a Texas locality.
Mrs. Crew was educated at Whit
sett Institute, Whitsett, N. C. She
taught in Northampton County
schools for several years before
her marriage. Of a loving and un
selfish disposition she devoted her
entire life to the service of her
comunity, her Church, and to the
education of her children. Her life’s
ambition was that all six of her
children enjoy the benefits of a
college education. She realized this
ambition in that, today, all of these
children are college graduates with
A.B. degrees. In addition, two of
them hold Master’s degrees, and
two others degrees in Law.
Surviving are her husband; six
children: S. E. Crew of Pleasant
Hill, Mrs. C. T. Hawkins of Wash
ington, D. C., Mrs. Emmett Staton
and Mrs. T. W. Boyce of Lumber
ton, Sgt. J. W. Crew, Jr., of Shep
herd Field, Texas, and W. L Crew
jf Roanoke Rapids. Four grand
children; two brothers: T. L. Stan
ey of Lawrenceville, Va, and B. E.
Stanley of Portsmouth, Va. Three
isters: Mrs. R. V. Whithurst of
Portsmouth, Va., Mrs. R. M. Rob
nson of Skippers, Va., and Mrs.
I. Berge Bush of Lenior.
-*
World War Hero
HOMER H. BERRY
of Roanoke Rapids, is one of six
men who fought their way out of
a Jap-infested jungle at Guadal
canal. Full details of their exploits
will be found on Page 9 — Section
I A, this issue.
CHURCH FIRE
AT HAWKINS
ON SUNDAY
Hawkins Chapel Methodist
Church burned down Sunday
morning, November 29. The piano
and some of the church furniture
was saved. Insurance amounting
to around $4000 was carried on the
building.
The fire was discovered Sunday
morning during the preaching
service. It is believed that a
faulty flue was responsible for the
blaze, as smoke was first seen
coming from the attic in the
vicinity of the flue.
The church, a brick veneered
building, was only completed dur
ing the past summer. The frame
building had stood for many years
but the brick were added in a re
modeling job that gave the church
favorable comparison with almost
any country church in the county.
The remodeling work was under
the supervision of Rev. D. D.
Broome, pastor of the church dur
ing the past four years.
Prior to the consolidation of the
two branches of the Methodist
Church, Hawkins Chapel belonged
to the Protestant group.
Rev. D. C. Boone, formerly of
the Robersonville charge, is the
new pastor of the church, and an
nounced that church services
would be held elsewhere until a
new church can be built.
THREATENED
SHORTAGE OF
WOOD EXISTS
State OPA director Theodore S.
Johnson issued an order November
30 establishing maximum prices of
sawed and split firewood sold at
retail in Roanoke Rapids effec
tive December 2, Dr. B. U. Ratch
ford state price officer, announced
tonight.
The order establishes delivered
prices on split pine firewood and
oak firewood at the retail level
following an OPA field investiga
tion which revealed a threatened
shortage of such firewood in Ro
anoke Rapids township. The or
der covers only Roanoke Rapids
township.
Ceiling prices on other types of
wood will remain at their present
levels.
Wood covered in the order is
as follows: Pine firewood in four
foot lengths, $7.50 per cord; $3.75
per half-cord; and $1.90 per quar
ter-cord. Oak firewood in four feet
lengths, $7 per cord; $3.50 per
half cord; and $1.75 per quarter
cord; Oak firewood in lengths
from 10 inches to 20 inches, $7.50
per cord, $3.75 per half cord; and
$1.90 per quarter cord. Pine fire
wood in lengths from 10 to 20
inches, $8 per cord, $4.00 per half
cord, and $2.00 per quarter cord.
JOHNSTON IS
KILLED IN
ACTION
Pfc. Eugene Johnston, 17, of Lit
tleton, was killed in action in the
Solomon Islands, the U. S. Mar
ine Corps announced Thursday in
a telegram to his mother, Mrs.
Irene Johnston.
He joined the Marine Corps Dec.
8, 1941, the day after the Pearl
Harbor attack. After his training
at Parris Island and New River
he was sent to the South Pacific.
He has not been home since Feb
ruary. His last letter was dated
October 8 at Guadalcanal. At the
time of his enlistment he was a
student at the William R. Davie
School.
He was the son of the late
George Johnston of Littleton. Sur
viving are his mother, Mrs. Irene
Walker Johnston, two brothers,
George Johnston, Jr., U. S. Navy,
now reported somewhere at sea;
Gordon Johnston of Littleton; two
half brothers, B. W. Johnston,
Greenville; and John D. Johnston,
formerly of Roanoke Rapids, now
in the army and stationed at
iKeesler Field, Miss.