- •
H II lull " » ]l ROBERT E. MAY, Navy, May 8, 1942 JAMES W. WHITBY, Navy, Oct. 26, 1942
Ik 1 lull M Ik 41 R- H. McCOMMONS, Merchant Mar., July 6, 1942 WILLIAM H. CAMP, JR., Navy, Nov., 1942
IlklHIIIIimillllH
THE ROANOKE RAPIDS
VOLUME XXVm_ROANOKE RAPIDS, N. C. THURSDAY, APRIL 29, 1943 NUMBER 39
LOOMIS SENTENCE 15 YEARS
COUNTY SALE
EASILY TOPS
BOND DRIVE
But Small Investors
Titled To Respond To
Last Days Of Drive
Halifax County has surpassed its
Second War Loan quota by more
tha^| $400,000. according to announ
cement made today by Fletcher H.
Gregory, county chairman for the
drive. Officials hope that tomor
row, Friday, April 30th, will find
local people (particularly small in
vests) “pitching in” with pur
chases sufficient to boost the total
to a half-million dollars above the
1 quota.
The county’s assigned quota was
$695,600. Sales reported up to press
timAtoday, show that approximate
ly $1,100,000 of the securities have
been purchased.
The success of tile campaign to
date has been particularly grati
fying to officials in charge of the
dri^ from a standpoint of actual
money revested in second war loan
bonds, but it has also been dis
appointing from the standpoint of
attracting the small, individual in
vestor.
Gregory pointed out the
principal reason for the county ex
ceeding its quota by so wide a
margin was that local industries
and banks had subscribed gener
ously to the securities. Small in
vestors have been in the minority.
He further expressed himself as
hoping, however, that this type
of purchaser with the aid of the
week’s pay check, would avail him
se’.f of the last opportunity to in
ve n the government’s second
war loan campaign.
Next Meeting Of
Bf W Club To Be
Held April 30th
The newly formed Roanoke Rap
ids Business and Professional
Women’s Club will hold their next
meeting tomorrow night, Friday,
April 30th, in the Municipal Build
ing at 7 o’clock. Plans will be
made at that meeting for Charter
Night for the new club, which mem
ber$ hope to hold sometime in
May.
The club is now in the process
of being organised. Any lady en
gaged in business life of the city
is invited to attend Friday night’s
meeffrng.
Piano Students
To Give Recital
mIss Kent Bentley, city music
teacher, will present three of her
students in a piano recital at the
I High School Auditorium on next
| Thursday night, May 6th, at eight
I o’cl«*k. Misses Elizabeth Beckwith
and Ruth Lee, and Billy Waters
TUESDAY WILL
BE ELECTION
DAY JN CITY
Three Candidates For
Mayor; Commissioners
Unopposed For Office
Roanoke Rapids voters will go
to the polls on next Tuesday, May
4th, from 6:30 a. m. to 6:30 p. m.
to decide who will be city mayor
for the next two years. They will
have their choice of three candi
dates. Kelly Jenkins, local attorney
now serving his fifth term, is
seeking re-election. He will be pp
posed by Jeff F. Welch and S.
M. Thompson, both long residents
of the city.
A. N. Martin, serving as city
commissioner from the South
ward, and W. P. Taylor, North
ward commissioner, have announc
ed for re-election. They are un
opposed.
Polling places in the two city
precincts will be the Rosemary
Graded School Building for the
South ward, and the vacant store
building at 200 Roanoke Avenue
for North ward voters.
S. C. Cook and A. M. Cameron
will serve as registrars; election
judges will be E. R. Myrick, J.
W. Branch, J. A. Wood and W. G.
Alligood.
The new mayor’s term starts
June 7th, and the successful can
didate will serve for a two-year
period.
FISHERMEN IN
NEARBY AREA
HIT JACKPOT
<1
The muddy waters of the Roan
oke River are giving up hundreds
upon hundreds of choice rockfish
this season, and fishermen in the
territory are experiencing the best
season they have had in a number
of years.
This is welcome news for hun
dreds of families, for in addition to
the delicacy of this particular type
of fish, their plentifulness comes
in doubly handy this year because
of the meat shortage.
The rockfish started running in
earnest Monday, and fishermen are
reporting record catches, some get
ting well over a hundred fish for
a single nlgjht’s work. Thus far net
fishing only is effective, but this on
a 24-hour basis. Sportsmen of the
area are hoping the water will clear
some over this week end making
trolling possible.
The river started rising some ten
days ago, and continued until the
latter part of the week. When the
stream started going down to nor
mal, those engaged in fishing really
■‘■Yiiifc an iiiimm—
Has A Busy Day
Lieutenant George S. Wood, city
youth, was awarded his silver navi
gator’s wings at Hondo Army Air
Field, Texas, a week ago this morn
ing. That afternoon he was married
to Miss Sarah Crawford Towe,
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. R. L.
Towe of this city. Complete de
tals of the wedding will be found
on page 11 - Section B; of Lt.
Wood’s winning his wings on Page
3 - Section B, this issue.
CITY STORES
DIVIDED ON
WED. CLOSING
Grocers Start Closing
At 12 Next Wednesday
For A 4-Months Period
A meeting of the Board of Di
rectors of the Roanoke Rapids
Merchants Association was held
Tuesday for discussion of Wed
nesday afternoon hours to be ob
served by city stores throughout
the summer months. i
It is customary for the stores j
to observe a half-holiday Wednes
days through the month of June,
July and August. Although senti
ment was apparently for starting ;
the early Wednesday closing in
May this year, no definite action
was taken by the board of direc
tors Tuesday.
As a result, it appears that
stores will not adopt the Wednes
day afternoon closing on a 100
per cent basis until at least June,
although all grocery retailers and
city banks will start closing at 12
o’clock next Wednesday, and con
tinue through the month of Au
gust.
| A spokesman for city grocers
at Tuesday’s meeting reported a
! majority of them in favor of such
■a move, and a eanvass made later
by the secretary of the merchants
association revealed all grocers to
be in accord with the program.
Announcement of the closing pol
icy of other stores will be made
REFORMATORY
FOR MAN WHO
DUCKED EXAM.
Refusal To Take Draft
Examination Gets Roy
Finch 18-Mo. Sentence
Roy Finch, 23-year old city man
was sentenced to 18-months in
the Federal Reformatory for fail
ure to report to the local draft
board to take a physical examina
tion.
Judge I. M. Meekins told the
local youth that he would have
to take the physical examination
when he finished his 18-month
sentence in the reformatory.
E. V. Kadell, FBI agent, testified
that Finch ignored all letters writ
ten to him by his draft board and
continued to decline to take his
physical examination even when
asked by the FBI to do so.
Finch was not represented by
counsel and did not take the stand.
However, when asked by Judge
Meekins why he did not take the
exam. Finch said, “Well, I wouldn’t
mind going to the Army if I knew
that I was in good physical condi
tion. But I know that I would land
in 4-F, and I’d rather take the
consequences.” When questioned
further about the meaning of“I’d
rather take the consequences,”
Finch said nothing.
MAN DIES OF
ACCIDENT AT
PAPER MILL
Funeral services for Bennie R.
Berry, 36-year old employee of the
Halifax Paper Company, were held
this afternoon at 4 o’clock from
the Williams Funeral Home, with
Rev. R. V. Hope, pastor of the
Christian Church, officiating. In
terment followed in Roanoke Rap
ids Cemetery.
Berry died shortly before noon
Tuesday, after suffering an elec
trical shock at the mill where he
was employed as an electrician.
The accident occurred some two
hours earlier, and although he was
given artificial respiration he did
not respond.
He is survived by his wife, Mrs. '
Bessie Berry, and five step- chil
dren, Johnnie, Edward, Virginia,
Benjamin and Earnest Craddock,
all of this city, although Benjamin
is in the army stationed in Texas;
his mother, Mrs. Lucy Berry; five
brothers, Henry, Reginald, Russell
and Clifford Berry, all of Roan
oke Rapids, and Homer Berry, ser
ving with the Navy; two sisters,
Mrs. Florence Priest of Princess
Ann County, Va., and Mrs. Mattie
Lane of this city.
Berry came to the city some
oiv araora aorA frnm RftlhaVPn
BLANTON 3 TO
5 YEARS FOR
INFANT DEATH
RICHARDSON
GETS 15 YEARS
Lemuel Robinson Draws
Two Years On Roads In
Carnal Knowledge Case
Three cases involving Roan
oke Rapids men, attracting
more than usual interest were
tried at this week’s term of
superior court in Halifax,
with Judge Clawson Williams
of Sanford presiding. The
following sentences were made
hv the court:
George ‘“Buck” Loomis, 28-year
old city white man, was given a
sentence of 15-years in States
Prison, after he plead guilty to a
charge of “intent to commit rape.”
The State accepted the plea, and
Judge Williams pronounced sen
tence today.
T » ...» » — «M» Pit Lit niftr
UWIUIO »» WO A vwwv. -I
licemen Wednesday afternoon of
last week, for having lured a five
year old girl away from her home
to the woods near the dye ditch
of Roanoke Mills Co. No. 2. He
admitted attempting to attack the
child.
Carson Blanton, 28-year old city
textile worker, plead guilty to a
charge of involuntary manslaugh
ter, and was sentenced to “not less
than three, nor more than five
years in States Prison.”
The Blanton case is the result
3f the death of his infant son on
Sunday afternoon, April 18th. Tes
:imony at the Coroner’s Inquest
ield in the city last week, showed
;hat the baby was in a crib in a
corner of the room of Blanton s
some on the Roanoke Rapids
iVeldon highway. The father ad
nitted being drunk, and became
mgry at his brother when he left
;he house. Blanton threw a chair
igainst a stove, then threw bed
slothes on the floor, and upon
lis wife leaving the room, picked
ip a lamp and threw it in the
sorner where the crib was. The
iamp shattered. The mother rushed
oack into the room to find the
aaby’s head and face covered with
alood. The infant was rushed to
Lhe hospital here where it died
soon after arrival.
The third case involving jvuau
oke Rapids people was that of a
mother and step-father of an e
leven-year old girl, and a man
who claimed to be her husband,
facing various charges in connec
tion with relations of the two
men with the girl.
A jury found Allen Richardson,
step-father of the girl, guilty of
rape, and he was sentenced to
15-years in States Prison. In a
scathing denunciation of the man,
Judge Williams told him from
the bench, in pronouncing sen
moHtinued on page 8, Sec. Ah