I Vernon Edgar Whiiiey, Marvin William Scott, William H. Camp, Jr., Robert E .May, R. H. McCommona, James W. Whitby,
at • dl "fl kill | a II ** i I "tI ■ J Grover Woodruff, Winfield Hasty, Daniel E. Faison, Robert Lee Moore, Curtis E. West, Edgar H. King, Robert Lee Ingram,
iffl b l| nil! |m I nil H H> | nfl hi Thomas A. Cooper, Marvin F. Matkins, James G. Whitby, Thos. H. Cook, Jr., Elmer E. Chambliss, Randall White, Robert L.
iHUlnlnaHniiulllllllliIlnuuiinllllillmiil Ullllllnfail Harris, Joseph A. Crouch, Davie L. Harper, Brutas W. Rook, Robt. R. Northingtn, Eugene Basil Glover, William C. Moody,
Frank W. Harris, Wayne C. Green, Rufus S. Finch, Lawrence W. My rick, Walter G. Co oley, Charlie L. Whitby, Melbourne Barry Jones._
VOLUME XXXROANOKE RAPIDS, N. C., THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 1945
RO MEN DROWNED
*★★★★★★★★★★★★★★ ★★★★★★ ★★★★
Jenkins And Welch In Mayor’s Race
City Politics
, Are Warming
Up; Election
Will Be May 8
With the closing this week of
the time for filing for city office
in the coming election on Tuesday,
May 8, the political "pot” may
begin to boil with only two candi
£ dates for Mayor of Roanoke Rap
ids—Mayor Kelly Jenkins, who
filed this week, and Jeff F. Welch
who signified his intentions last
week.
Welch and Jenkins were op
ponents in the 1943 election when
at that time Mr. Welch was de
feated by a small margin of votes.
Mayor Jenkins, who was first
elected in 1931, held the office for
four terms, being defeated in 1939
by Bernard Allsbrook. Jenkins was
again elected in 1941 and 1943,
making a total of six times he
has been named as head of the
city government.
Two other offices will be filled
—election of two city commission
ers—one from the North Ward
and one from the South Ward
There will be no doubt, however,,
as to the outcome, for Commission
er Frank C. Williams in the North 1
^ Ward, who has been a continuous
member of the board since he was
first elected in May, 1929, has no
opposition. Neither has Virgil Mc
Dowell, who was elected from the
South Ward in 1940.
Registration
For Sugar To
Be Next Week
The Roanoke Rapids War Price
and Rationing Board will hold its
registration for Canning Sugar
April 25, 26, and 27, from 9 to 5
at the fallowing places:
Littleton, in the (Police Office.
Weldon, in the Fire Station.
Roanoke Rapids, Armory Audi
t torium.
One adult member of the fam
ily must appear in person and
bring with him the War Ration
Books No. 4 for all members of
the family unit.
Legion Meeting
Sunday, April 22
An important meeting of the
i Robert E. May Post of the Ameri
can Legion will be held next Sun
day at 3 p. m., at the Roanoke
Rapids Armory. The permanent
charter of the new post will be
applied for with 100 active mem
bers, according to Commander
Major Newsom. All znemmbers and
war veterans desiring member
ship are urged to attend the Sun
day meeting. c
mm ....
Opponents In Coining Mayor's Race
On the left is Mayor Kelly Jenkins, who is seeking re-election to
the office, and at the right is Jeff F. Welch, his opponent. Mr.
Welch was defeated by Jenkins two years ago by a small vote.
These Two Have No Opposition
_ ^ _ /
*
Pictured here are Frank C. Williams (left) City Commissioner
since 1929, and Virgil McDowell, Commissioner since 1940. Neither
will have opposition in the coming city election.
Brake Inspection
Campaign Begun
The brake inspection and repair
campaign which opened in Roa
noke Rapids and throughout the
nation last Sunday, sponsored by
the National Association of Police
Chiefs, was requested by the late
President Roosevelt as an Import
ant war effort by civilians. The
campaign will continue until June
1st
Chief H. E. Dobbins of tbs Roa
noke Rapids police department, In
liacuasing the campaign, said that
“all automobile drivers know when
the brakes on a car are bad, and
that it is a patriotic duty as well
as a safety measure to have them
fixed at once.
“Last year 850,000 persons were
killed and injured by automobiles
in the United States and 70,000 of
these were permanently hurt. Of
this staggering figure 16 per cent
of the accidents was charged to
(Continued on page 4—Sect. A)
Were Attempting To Cross
Stream With Goats In Boat;
River Dragged For Bodies
Sgt. Ferguson
Escapes From
Nazi Prison
Staff Sergeant Andrew F. Fer
guson, husband of Mrs. Gracie
Ferguson of this city, who was re
ported last January as missing In
action in Germany, is on his way
back to the states and "home.”
According to a cablegram re
ceived by Mrs. Ferguson last week
her husband was captured by the
Germans and remained in a pris
in camp for 96 days, later escap
ing. Since that time she has also
received two letters from him.
Sergt. Coley
Awarded The
Bronze Star
Sergt. Charlton D. Coley, hus
band of Mrs. Fannie S. Coley, Box
182, 107 Madison street, Roanoke
Rapids, has been awarded the
Bronze Star by Maj. Gen. Paul J.
Mueller, Commanding General,
81st Division, for heroic achieve
ment in action against the Japa
nese in the Palau Islands.
During mopping up operations
in the midst of a series of pinna
cles which formed a natural fort
ress, the squad in which (then
Private First Class) Coley was a
member, was checked in its ad
vance by enemy fire. At this junc
ture Pvt. Coley voluntarily took
charge of a part of the squad and
with this group moved forward
and routed the enemy troops who
had been holding up the advance
of his unit. In carrying out this
maneuver. Pvt. Coley sustained
wounds which made necessary his
evacuation to the rear.
The official citation commends
Pvt. Coley for his “display of ini
tiative and courage” which “was
an inspiration to his comrades.”
The “Wildcat” Division invaded
the Southern Islands of the Jap
anese-held Palau Group, 500 miles
east of the Philippines, on Sept.
17, 1944.
Woman Charged
Theft Of Wine
Louise Ashe, negro woman,
charged with theft of two bottles
of wine from the Little Star store,
was placed under bond of $23 in
■Mayor’s Court Monday for her ap
pearance in Recorder’s Court in
Roanoke Rapids on May 3.
„ r.i
While attempting to cross “Lit
tle River” with two goats in a
small row boat, two negro men,
Ralph Prince, about 60 years old,
and Ben Williams, 17, lost their
lives by drowning Wednesday af
ternoon about 2:30 o’clock.
According to information given
out this morning, Prince and Wil
liams and another negro, Johnny
Williams, had put the goats into
a small boat intending to place
them on the island between “Lit
tle River” and “Big River,” about
one and one-half miles below the
Roanoke Rapids bridge, just below
what is known as "Mary Taylor's
Hole.”
After leaving the shore and
when about mid-stream the boat,
from some unknown cause, cap
sized. Johnny Williams managed
to swim to the bank and notified
members of the negroes' family
of the accident.
Sheriff J. C. Stephenson of
Northampton County was notified
and he, with several other men,
reached the scene of the accident
some time later. A party of men
headed by Jordan Pierce of Roa
noke Rapids dragged the river for
several hours last night but no
trace of the bodies was found.
The only witness to the drown
ing was a small colored boy who
had been left on the bank of the
river by the men.
Prince was a tenant on the W.
J. Long farm and Williams lived,
on the farm of John W. Brown.
The accident occurred on the
Northampton County side of th»
river.
Harbour Is
Winner of
Air Medal
Lieutenant (junior grade) Clar
ence C. Harbour, USNR, of 1107
Hamilton Street, pilot of a car
rier-based AVENGER torpedo
bomber, has received the Air
Medal for his combat feats in the
Pacific.
Harbour has seen action in For
mosa, the Bonin, Mariana, and
Caroline Islands, Okinawa, and the
Second Battle of the Philippine
Sea. He has made 30 combat mis
sion:).
The son of Dr. and Mrs. Ernest
D. Harbour of this city, Lieutenant
(jg) Harbour is 22 years old. He
attended Roanoke Rapids High
School and North Carolina State
College. He received his flight
training at Naval Air Stations at
Pensacola and Fort Lauderdale,
Fla., and Norfolk, Va.
■ ■■■--—‘ ■ .^