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I » II mj| W || mJ| U » | a,a] n ROBERT E. MAY, Navy, May 8, 1942 WILLIAM H. CAMP, JR., Navy, Nov., 1942
1 h Ml Hill M I ml M li, 1 ml ,, 1 R. H. McCOMMONS, Merchant Mar., July 5, 1942 GROVER WOODRUFF, Army, July 10, 1943
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VOLUME XXIX ROANOKE RAPIDS, N. C. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 1943 NUMBER 13
CHEST DRIVE GOAL IS NEAR
BLOOD DONOR UNIT IS
Ordered by red cross
FOR IMMEDIATE DUTY
The mobile blood donor unit
which will be paid for by funds
contributed by the people of Hali
fax County has already been or
^pred, according to a letter re
ceived here this week by Roanoke
Rapids Chairman T. W. Mullen
from Thomas DeC. Ruth, Assistant
Director of Domestic Operations
for the American Red Cross in
Jfashington, D. C.
Mr. Ruth stated that delivery
on the unit is expected early next
month, that it will be assigned for
special duty in New York City
where the need has arisen in the
feist few days and that it will
bear an appropriate inscription in
dicating that it has been presented
by the citizens of Halifax County,
North Carolina.
He further stated in his letter
that Mrs. C. R. Emry of Weldon
personally delivered c a s h i e r s’
cnecks to the Washington Head
quarters of the American Red
Cross on October 22, total amount
^f $4,061.25, of which $1,376.76 came
Yrom Roanoke Rapids. In closing
his letter Mr. Ruth wrote:
“From the above, you will see
that we have acted promptly, and
4 hope you will thus be able to
eassure those who have felt some
reluctance at contributing to the
present National War Fund cam
paign in Halifax County. You
understand of course that the rais
ing of the fund was voluntarily
*i'mdertaken by Mrs. Emry and her
\iellow workers, acting in their
capacity as citizens of Halifax
County, and not as agents of the
American Red Cross. We are most
appreciative of the generous ac
tion of your group in making the
funds available for a project which
is contributing to the saving of
the lives of so many of our fight
ing men. Thanking you for your
letter and with best wishes for
4|^the success in your county of the
National War Fund Campaign, I
am
Sincerely yours,
Thomas DeC. Ruth.
'condition of
RYLAND DRAPER
.SATISFACTORY
•>*
The condition of Ryland Draper,
32-year-old pulp mill foreman who
was injured in an accident at Hali
fax Paper Co’s, plant in the city
jJast Thursday, is said to be very
"^satisfactory by a; tending phy
sicians. Draper suffered a frac
ture at the base of his skull, and
his left ear was practically torn
off when he was applying dressing
to a belt on one of the large ma
P j-hines at the mill last week. He
will be confined to the hospital
for some time yet, but no compli
cations have set in. and it is be
lieved he is out of danger.
k
Robber Of City '
Store Will Die
Friday Morning
Governor Broughton Wednesday
declined to intervene in the case
of Willie Smith, Negro man who
was convicted by an all Halifax
County Jury for the murder of
Vernon Powell, Warrenton mer
chant, who is scheduled to die in
the Central Prison gas chamber
on Friday morning.
Smith, who had formerly confes
sed to the robbery of a city jewel
ry store in December, was con
victed at the May terno of su
perior court in Warren County,
by a jury composed of members
from Halifax County, summoned
because the Negro was well
known in Warrenton. He recently
lost an appeal to the State Su
preme Court.
JACK WHITE
NOT GUILTY
OF BRIBERY
John F. (Jack) White of Enfield,
former ABC Board manager who
resigned some time ago when his
purchases of liquor for Halifax
County were interefered with, was
found ‘Not Guilty’ by a Halifax
County jury this afternoon on a
charge of bribery brought against
him by a grand jury in connection
with a timber deal near Enfield.
Mr. White’s attorneys offered no
testimony after the State testi
mony was completed. . Judge Bur
gwyn, sitting at a special crim
inal term, gave a comprehensive
Charge to the jury which covered
all legal and testimonial points.
Defense counsel D. Mac Johnson
nh Q ro'orl nnlifiool nnt'oooii tion r\f
White and counsel George C.
Green said there was no evidence
presented by the State which had
anything to do with the law on
bribery. Mr. Green also said no
explanation had been made about
who hired and paid E. L. Travis,
private prosecutor, as the State
had not hired him and neither had
the chief State’s witness, an En
field Negro. Dr. B. M. Nicholson,
Enfield, former County Democratic
Executive chairman, was one of
the principal State’s witnesses.
In another case settled this af
ternoon, Richard Liles, employee
at Roanoke Mills Co. No. 2, was
continued under a peace bond of
$100 for another three months. He
had appealed to Superior Court
from a similar peace bond of six
months put on him by Mayor Kel
ly Jenkins three weeks ago.
INJURIES IN
CULVERT FALL
PROVE FATAL
Body Of Wilbur Cooke
Discovered Sunday
Morning
Wilbur Cooke employee of Roan
oke Mills Company No. 2, resident
of the Belmont section of Roan
oke Rapids, died Sunday morning
from injuries received by a fall
into the new culvert on 5th street.
Mr. Cooke worked on the mill
shift which quit work midnight
Saturday. He was found early
Sunday morning, lying on the cul
vert, by some boys who reported
it to Herbert Perkinson, operator
of the Gulf filling station on Roan
oke Avenue. Mr. Perkinson went
to the place and said Mr. Cooke
was alive, but died shortly after
ward.
During the construction of the
culvert a foot-way had been placed
across the excavation for the use
of the workmen and this was used
by Mr. Cooke who rode a bicycle
to and from work and who crossed
the foot-path astride his bicycle.
Mr. Cooke was found on top of
the culvert about 20 feet from the
walk-way. His bicycle was in a
hole by the side of the culvert.
J. R. Wrenn, local undertaker,
went to the scene with coroner, H.
G. Rowe, 9:30 Sunday morning and
stated that Mr. Cooke was dead
when he arrived. There was a
small blood spot on the culvert
where Mr. Cooke was lying and
it was agreed that death was
caused by the fall of between 4
and 5 feet from the top of the
present road surface to the top of
the concrete culvert.
Barricades had been placed at
the street intersection on both
sides of the excavation since the
work began, with 4 torch lights
at each barricade and signs read
ing "Danger—Road Closed—Bridge
Out.” On the east side the barri
cade signs were also illuminated
by a street light. In addition
there were warning signs 300 feet
east from the barricade with a
similar warning sign some distance
from the west barricade.
Funeral services were conducted
on Tuesday from the home in the
Belmont section with Rev. Lester
Tilley officiating. Burial follow
ed in the Roanoke Rapids Ceme
tery. He was survived by his
wife, Mrs. Wilbur Cooke, and sev
eral children.
Ross Edwards At
Pulp Convention
Ross L. Edwards, Superinten
dent of Halifax Paper Company
left Monday, October 25, to attend
a joint meeting of Southern and
Southeastern Divisions of the
American Pulp and Paper Mills
which is being held at the Atlanta
Biltmore Hotel, Atlanta, Ga. Oct,
27th and 28th. He will return Sun
day, October 31.
-*
Rotary Speaker
.TOTOAV.-.VAV /...
Robt. W. iUadry, district governor
of Rotary International, a former
Halifax County resident, was
speaker at the Tuesday noon meet
ing of ther chib here this week. Ad
ditional details will he found on
Page One—Section B, this issue.
BILL TAYLOR
IS MISSING
IN ACTION
War Dept. Reports Him
Missing Since
Sept. 13th
Harvey W. Taylor, 1205 Wash
ington Street, received the follow
ing telegram this afternoon:
“The Secretary of War desires
me to express his regret that your
brother, Pvt. Chas. W. Taylor, has
been reported missing in action
since September 13th in Italy. If
further details or other informa
tion is received you will be
promptly notified.
Ulio, the Adjutant General.”
Mr. Taylor had not heard direct
ly from his brother since the lat
ter part of August, at which time
he was under the impression he
was in North Africa, however, he
siaieu ne tnuugriL ocner memoers
of the family had heard from him
since then.
Bill spent about five days in the
city in July of this year, at which
time he was in this country on
a special mission,. after seeing
overseas service. He was inducted
into the army on August 7th, 1942.
and had been overseas since Jan
uary of this year. A native of
Brunswick County, Virginia, he
was 38-years old, and a former
employee of Rosemary Manufac
turing Co. He had lived in the
city since 1920.
The Taylor family is well known
in Roanoke Rapids. Besides his
brother, Harvey W. Taylor, he has
three sisters living in the city;
Mrs. E. M. Wright and Mrs. Joe
Williams, and Miss Mattie Lee
Taylor; another sister, Mrs. John
W. Clements, lives in Salisbury,
and he has three other brothers,
George W. Taylor of Richmond,
Henry C. Taylor of Salisbury, and
Herbert T. Taylor, of Williamston.
$17,545. HAS
BEEN RAISED
IN CAMPAIGN
If People Will Keep
Promises Goal
Will Be Met
TO CONTINUE
DRIVE UNTIL
FUND RAISED
Denges Confident Of
Ultimate Victory
With Hard Work
The sixth annual drive of
the Roanoke Rapids Commu
nity Chest, which is this year
merged with, the .War Fund
Drive, was within 75% of its
-oal at press time this after
’onn. according to figures re
leased hy the Rev. Peter M.
Denges, chairman of the 1943
campaign.
Total funds amounting to $17,
545.80 have been raised to date.
The budget for the coming year
calls for $23,117.94. Fr. Denies
stated he was confident that the
goal would be reached, and hoped
that it would be accomplished by
the middle of next week. The
drive, which started on Sunday,
October 17th, and was to end last
Saturday night, will, be continued
until the quota has been reached,
he said.
While chest officials were con
fident that their quota would ulti
mately be reached, they stressed
the fact that it would require lots
more hard work on the part of
local campaign workers to put the
campaign over.
“We have a lot of promises,” Fr.
Denges said in commenting on the
drive, "and if all of them mature^
we would have little difficulty in
meeting the goal at this time,
however, it is tedious work calling
back on those who have made a
pledge or promise, and I believe
it will be the middle of next week
before we can announce complete
victory in reaching our goal.”
Roanoke Rapids has always
over-scribed the quota for the lo
cal Community Chest, but thi®.
year’s campaign included also the
War Fund Drive, thus swelling,.
the budget considerably over drives
conducted in past years. It is felt
that workers will unite in their ef
forts to finish the campaign sue
cessfully within the next few day*.
_ . -
1943 CROP OF
COTTON AHEAD
OF LAST YEAR
The latest census report of the
Department of Commerce, Wash
ington, shows that 15,381 bales of
cotton have been' ginned in Hall
with 12,392 bales for the 1942 crop.
These figures were made avail
able by Mrs. L. K. Clark, special
agent for the bureau, at Little
ton.