MmHH|«UMm(UM|fauia>iii<IHii||uiH|||lUUi|lUI«M Vernon Edgar Whitley, Marvin William Scott; William H. Camp, Jr, Robert E JM»y, B. H. McCommom, James W. VUtfefi
W ® II '"H II II '» .11 m|| • J Grover Woodruff, Winfield Hasty, Daniel E. Faison. Robert Lee Moore, Curtis E. West, Edgar H. Hint,, Robert Lee Ingram,
JD K « mil M U ml II lb ]| mil a 1 Thomas A. Cooper, Marvin F. Matkins, James G. Whitby, Ttaos. H. Cook, Jr., Elmer E. Chambliss, Bandail White, Robert L»
^BJkJL^JL.IIILH..MJl..miJU..MrlL«JLAJ Harris, Joseph A. Crouch, Davie L. Harper, Brutas W. Book, Robt R. Northingtn, Eugene Basil Glover, WlUbun C. Moody,
Frank W. Harris, Wayne C. Green, Rufus S. Finch, Lawrence W. Myrick, Walter G. Cooley, Charlie L. Whitby, Melbourne Barry Jones, Robert A. Rogers, Rufus J. T. Wood
ruff, Clinton P. Deberry, Herbert S. Edwards, H. Charles Leatherwood, Jr., John Wayne Thomas, Alex Bullock, Jr„ Frank P. Hunter._
THE ROANOKE RAPIDS
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~ROANOKE RAPIDS, N. C., THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 1945 NUMBER 48
Thomas Hart
Is Being Held
Without Bond
Thomas Hart, 22, negro, is in
Halifax County jail charged with
the slaying Wednesday morning
about 6:30 o’clock of Marjorie
Blackman, negro woman, 24 years
old, and her brother, Algie Black
man, 19. The double killing took
■fiace on the farm of T. W. My
rrck, about 4 miles from Littleton.
The slayer used a 22-calibre rifle.
According to information given
(put by Sheriff H. A. House, Hart
claims the negro woman had "been
/bothering him and messing in his
^business.”
As soon as news of the killings
reached the Sheriff’s office a
posse of deputies went to the
«ene. They learned that Deputy
Seriff E. L. Crawley, who was
the first officer to reach the place
had already had a "run-in” with
Hart. After the shooting the negro,
it is said, left the house, taking
with him a shotgun, three pistols
and the rifle to a cotton field.
When he was approached by Dep
' upty Crawley, the negro, it is al
leged, shot at the officer three
times with the shotgun. Crawley
■jtumed the fire with a shotgun,
Striking the negro with several of
the small shot he wa3 using.
. . * »_ At- -
ttiooanoumia tncu
chase after Hart had fled, chas
ing him for about five hours.
About 4 o’clock Wednesday after
noon 'he came out of the woods
and surrendered himself to Wal
lace Foreman and Macon Moore
near Wollett’s mill at Littleton.
Taking part in the chase of the
if gitive were Sheriff House, Dep
uties A. J. Brigman, J. L. Mount
castle, G. F. Gray, E. L. Crawley,
C. O. Strickland, Judge Dickens,
Jack Whitehead, Dick Bracey and
J. A. Draper.
A version of the killing as the
negro gave it to Deputy Sheriff
Brjgman relates that: “I was at
the woman’s house and she was
sji quarrelling with me and fussing. I
11 told her I was tired of it and was
11 #e»ing to kill her. She kept right
|il cm. I went and got me some shells
Fr and then got the rifle from a
place near where she was sitting
at a table in the kitchen. I loaded
! it and walked to the door and
told her I was going to kill her.
I She called me a d - - - lie and
I shot her.” /
The bullet that ended the
i woman’s life entered her forehead
1 ^between the eyes. ■ She died in
,ij t 'JOantly.
Rushing from the house, the
dead woman’s small brother ran
-J to a tobacco barn and related the
happenings to her older brother,
Algie. He ran to the house, and,
according to Hart, had a four
• (Continued on page lH—Sect. A)
-j~
In France
Above is Pfc. Elton B. Whitby,
son of Mr. and Mrs. J. D. Whit
by, 901 Vance street, who is
somewhere in France. His ad
dress is: Pfc. Elton B. Whitby,
34665994, APO 513 care postmast
er, New York. He joined the
service in February, 1942.
Sergt. Jones'
Organization
Given Praise
S/Sgt. William T. Jones, 3rd
Platoon Sergeant, along with his
organization, 4126th QM Truck
Co., has received a commendation
for the excellent operational rec
ord of his organization under
combat conditions, in moving sup
plies off the beaches, during a
period when road and dump con
ditions were extremely bad at a
far Pacific Island outpost.
"We are rushing this job,” he
said today. “We all are in a
hurry to get it over and back to
the U. S. A.”
Sgt. Jones was inducted at Fort
Bragg, April 12, 1941. He received
his basic training at Fort Bragg
and in the Field Artillery at Camp
Livingston, La. Before induction
Sgt. Jones lived with his* mother,
Mrs. Irene Whitfield of Roanoke
Rapids.
New Secretary
Merchants Asso. .
Mrs. Louise James has assumed
her duties as secretary of the
Roanoke Rapids Merchants Asso
ciation, according to an announce
ment made today. Mrs. James suc
ceeds Mrs. Blair Gibson, resigned.
-^
Given Promotion
... ...jin ' ' "
Pictured above is Joseph H.
Jolly, aviation chief electrician
mate, son of Mr. and Mrs. H. T.
Jolly, who was promoted May 15
from A. E. M. 1/c to his pres
end rank. He is now serving
with a B-24 and B-261 squadron.
His brother, Daniel, is doing
duty in the South Pacific. Prior
to entering the service in Sep
tember, 1942, Jolly was employ
ed by the Halifax Paper Com
pany.
In 'Sunny1 Italy
Shown here is Floyd E.
Speight, USCG, son of Mrs. Ma
mie Speight. Fioyd is now in
"Sunny" Italy, after having been
stationed at Brunswick, Ga. His
wife, the former Miss Marie
Walton of Fitzgerald, Ga., is
making her home here with her
mother-in-law for the duration.
Floyd’s address is Floyd E.
Speight, coxswain, Navy 728,
box 23, care Fleet Postoffice,
New York City, N. Y.
Traynliam Is Given Dinner In
Honor of 25 Years' Service
The Jefferson Standard Life In
surance Company, home offices in
Greensboro, through George El
liott, manager of Eastern North
Carolina, with headquarters in
Raleigh, honored Dave L. Trayn
ham with a barbecue dinner in
the Blue Room of the Rosemary
Cafe last Tuesday evening.
The occasion was in celebration
of Mr. Traynham’s 25 years’ ser
vice with the company. He was
also given a pin, round in shape,
with a reproduction of the Jef
ferson Standard building on its
face and set with a diamond at
the bottom. 'He had previously
been given a 20-year pin a few
years ago.
Mr. Traynham began his asso
ciation with the Jefferson Stand
ard on July 31, 1920. He at that
time was connected with the Nat
ional Loan & Insurance Company
in charge of the life insurance
department. Later he left the em
ploy of this firm and entered the
grocery business, and continued to
represent the Greensboro insur
ance company. A few years later
Mr. Traynham went with the Cit
izens Bank and Trust Co., finally
purchasing the insurance depart
(Contvnued on page 12—Sect. A)
Sgt. Crouch
And Others
Commended
For the part they played in the
historic Superfortress loo level
incendiary attacks on Japan, Staff
Sergeant Francis E. Crouch, of
Roanoke Rapids, and hundreds of
other enlisted men at B-29 bases
in the Marianas have been com
mended by Major General Curtis
E. LeMay, commanding the Twen
tieth Air Force, based on Guam.
Sergeant Crouch is a B-29 me
chanic with the ground echelons
supporting the almost daily Super
fort assaults against the Japanese
mainland.
“Your determination, skill and
courage have delivered a stunning
blow to the empire of the Rising
Sun,” General LeMay said. “Com
bat crews and the hardworking
maintenance and staff people are
to- be heartily commended for
their accomplishments in these
(Continued on page li—Sect. A)
First Message
Reported Him
As Wounded
Second Lieutenant Cecil P. Cob
urn, 24-year-old son of Mr. and!
Mrs. F. M. Coburn, 521 Roanoke
Avenue, was last Saturday report
ed by the War Department as
missing in action in Germany.
Cecil, who was educated in Roa
noke Rapids schools and was. a.
student at V. M. I when he en
tered the service in June, 1943.
On March 2 of this year Mr. andl
Mrs. Coburn received a telegram
from the War Department in
which it was stated that Lieut.
Coburn had been slightly wound
ed in action. No details were giv
en. Every effort was made by
young Coburn’s parents to obtain
additional information but without
success. Nothing more was heard
until Saturday when the War De
partment message came correcting
the first statement and definitely
stating that Lieut. Coburn wa*
listed among those missing . ,*
Child's Hand
Is Blown Off
While playing with dynamite
caps on the front porch of hla
home, Jesse Lee Draper, 10-year
old son of Mr. and Mrs. R. L
Draper of Seaboard suffered the
loss of his left hand when the
"caps” exploded. The mother of
the child said she didn’t know
what he was playing with and had
no idea how he came into posses
sion of the dynamite caps.
The accident occurred Tuesday
morning about 10:30 o’clock. He
was brought to Roanoke Rapids
Hospital for treatment.
Bryant Boys
Come Home
Pfc. Hinton Ray Bryant and
Corp. Greely V. Bryant, sons of
Mrs. T. B. Brown, 936 Jackson
street, are at home from overseas
duty.
Hinton, youngest of the two
boys, is home on a 30-day fur
lough. He was with the 87th divi
sion and saw 114 days* action with
Gen. Patton’s Third U. S. Army.
He has three battle stars. Good
Conduct Ribbon and Combat In
fantry Badge. Young Bryant was
a scout in the infantry.
Greely has been discharged from
the service under the point sys
tem, he having a total of 111. He
wears the ATO, ETO and pre
Pearl Harbor ribbons and two bat
tle stars.