I|||,,,MI| ""'ipmil" l,t,«U Vernon Edgar Whitley, Marvin William Scott, William H. Camp, Jr., Robert G .May, K. H. McComn.ons, James W. Whitby,
T:HmIjjahljT--"—-;-.■ ; ..
ruff, Clinton P. Deberry, Herbert S. Kilwards, II, Charles Leatherwood, Jr., John Wayne Thomas, Alex Bullock, Jr,, Frank P. Hunter.
THE ROANOKE RA_ IDS
VOLUME XXXI ROANOKE RAPIDS, N. CL, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7th, 1946_ NUMBER 21
MAN AND WOMAN BELIEVED
VICTIMS MONOXIDE POISON
English War Bride and
* Baby Join Husband Here
Mrs. Edna Old Butler, 16, and
her son, Richard Benjamin, 13
months old, arrived in Roanoke
Rapids at 1:15 a. m. Wednesday.
She is the English war bride of
former Corporal Benjamin Frank
lin Butler, 655 B. Charlotte Street
who met them in New York where
tftey landed Monday.
“We stayed over an extra day
in New York which explains our
delay in arriving home,” said the
young war bride, and with a
twinkle in her eye, added, “It
was our second honeymoon.”
“The trip over was pretty rough
and both the baby and I were sea
sick but tell my folks I am feel
ing fine now.” said Mrs. Butler
when told the London Daily Ex
«ess was anxious to know how
e and the baby were faring.
“The baby is not feeling so well
today but we are not worried a
bout him.”
Dr. John W. Martin was called
in early in the afternoon and in
spected the fine, healthy looking
boy. “Looks like his Daddy, but
better looking,” was the doctor’s
professional comment. “He has
one degree of temperature,” add
the doctor, “due to the rough
trip over and also to teething,
but he will be fine in a day or
so. He is fat and a well-looked
i_n_t>
MUIUJ •
“I like him,” said Mrs. Butler
after the doctor left. “He is just
like my doctor back in England
. . easy to talk to.”
“I am sure I am going to like
Roanoke Rapids and I love “Bill's”
people who have welcomed me
«fih open arms,” Mrs. Butler stat
. And then added with a de
termined set of her attractive
chin, “I feel I am going to be
very happy. I have come a long
way to be with them and have
made up my mind to be happy.”
Her husband, 24, was with the
8th Air Force stationed in Eng
land. They met when Edna’s bi
cycle was stolen and later re
covered by our men. It was a case
«£f love at first sight. They were
married soon after. Edna lived
in Surbiton, Surrey Ki the su
burbs of London.
The young couple hope to have
a house of their own in the next
two weeks. “Bill” works in the
Spooler Room at Patterson Mills
Company and says "the man” says
he can have the next vacancy in
a house. He received his discharge
from the army in September and
'dBiaa been working here since,
^vaiting for wife and son.
For the present they will live
with his parents, Mr. and Mrs.
Ben Butler, 655 B. Charlotte
(Continued on page IS—Sect. A)
Serving In China
Above is pictured Pvt. Clyde
O. Wrenn, son of Mr. and Mrs.
Vergie C. Wrenn, 214 Jefferson
Street, who is now serving his
country in China. Wrenn en
tered the service in' July, 1945,
and is attached to the “famous
First Division.”
Dr. Hart Is
Speaker Here
Dr. Hornell Hart, professor of
sociology at Duke University, was
ihe principal speaker at the Clara
Heame School P-T. A. last Thurs
day night at which time he dis
cussed the training of children to
be emotionally stable. He featured
his talk around a two and a half
year old boy, “Sandy,” whose fath
er was in Japan and told how the
child was transformed from a tan
trum-possessed child into an ord
erly one. He also made clear the
fact that he was not opposed to
the paddle in certain' cases.
Following the lecture questions
were answered from the floor.
I. E. Ready, Superintendent of
Roanoke Rapids Schools, presided
over the meeting.
Recorder's Court
In Session Today
Roanoke Rapids Recorder]’s
Court, with Judge Charles R.
Daniels presiding, was in session
today. The docket, however, was
light, with no important cases.
House Votes
Money For
Buggs Island
Flood Project
Washington — Funds for con
struction Of the $30,900,000 Buggs
Island flood control reservoir were
inoluded in the War Department’s
civil functions appropriations bill
reported to the House yesterday by
the House Appropriations Commit
tee.
The committee asked the House
to aprove a $3,000,000 appropria
tion to begin work on the huge
project which will be designed to
curb the flood menace to the low
er Roanoke Valley and the com
mercial cities of Roanoke Rapids,
Williamston and Weldon.
The appropriation approved by
the House committeee represents
a $1,000,000 cut in the amount re
quested by the Army Engineers
for expenditure during the fiscal
year 1947.
me engineers naa asnea permis
sion to spend $4,000,000 during the
first year of the project’s con
struction, $9,000,00 each year for
the two following years and $8,600,
000 during the fiscal year 1950. The
sum of $300,000 has already been
obligated for planning purposes.
The committee also asked House
approval for a $300,000 initial ap
propriation to begin preparing
specifications on the $5,240,000
Philpot reservoir in Virginia.
The Buggs Island project, au
thorized in the 1944 Flood Con
trol Act will consist of a concrete
dam and powerhouse on the Roa
noke River, about 179 miles above
the mouth and about 18 miles up
stream from the Virginia-North
Carolina line. Average annual
value of power to be generated by
the dam is estimated at $1,758,900.
Work will be begun, the engi
neers said, with a $1,000,000 initial
appropriation provided last fall in
the deficiency appropriation act
of 1946.
The Army Engineers estimated
in a report to Congress that if
the Buggs Island dam had been
operating in August, 1940, during
the highest flood or record on the
Roanoke River, the flood damages
which exceeded $3,000,000 would
have been reduced to less than
$1,000,000, and the height of the
flood at Weldon would have been
reduced about* 10 feet.
Lellie Bryant Found Dead In
Bed Sunday A. M.; Wife Dies
Hospital Early This Morning
Guest Speaker
Joseph S. Merritt of Dundalk,
Md., will be the principal speak
er at next Tuesday’s meeting of
the Roanoke Rapids Rotary
Club. Mr. Merritt is a charter
member of the Rotary Club of
Dundalk, which he helped or
ganize in 1938, and was the first
President of that Club. He has
served Rotary International as
District Governor and Commit
tee member,- and, for 1945-46, is
member of the Extension Com
mittee for the USCNB (Eastern
Region).
Arrested For
Truck Theft
Albert Vincent, 20-year-old white
youth, who lives near the junc
tion, and Paul Simpson, 15-year
old boy, whose home is said to
be in Burlington, were arrested
this week charged with the theft
a truck from James McDaniel’s
service station Monday night. The
truck was owned by McDaniel. Ar
rest of the youths was made by
Deputy Sheriff A. J. Brigman.
After taking the truck, Brigman
said, the two youths headed to
ward Hodgesitown, but when only
about 300 yards from the service
station they ran it into a ditch
and abandoned it.
Barnes Reenlists
For 4 More Years
Burrelle W. Barnes, P 1-c, son
of Mr. and Mrs. B. W. Barnes,
has reenlisted in the Navy for a
period of four years. "Billy,” who
recently spent a 40-day leave
here with his parents, is a vet
eran of World War II, seeing act
ion overseas.
Lelhe E. J. Bryant, 46-years-old,
1017 Hamilton street, was found
dead in bed last Sunday morning
a few minutes before 12 o’clock,
and his wife, Mrs. Mary Jernigan
Bryant, was in an unconscious
condition.
Mrs. Bryant died early this
morning in Roanoke Rapids Hos
pital. Cause of her death has not
been announced.
The death of Mr. Bryant is be
lieved td have been caused from
monoxide poison gas which es
caped from a coal heater in the
bedroom. This theory is advanced
from an investigation conducted
into Mr. Bryant’s death early this
week when vital organs were sent
to Dr. Haywood M Taylor, mem
ber of Duke Hospital medical staff
tor an analysis by Coroner F. N.
Rowe.
In his report to Coroner Rowe,
Dr. Taylor stated that he found,
definite evidence of the poison in
the organs, but would not say it
was in sufficient quantity to pro
duce death. However, a "quantity”
test is now being made.
The dead man and his uncon
scious wife were discovered by
Mrs. Doc Miller, a neighbor, who
lives in an apartment in the same
building.
Funeral services for Bryant were
held Tuesday afternoon at 4 from
Williams’ funeral chaipel, con
ducted by Rev. C. L. Lyles. Inter*
ment was in Roanoke Rapids cem
etery. Surviving are two brother^
W. G. Bryant of Hopewell, Vs,
and A. D. Bryant of Colerain, N.
C.
Services for Mrs. Bryant, 41, wiu
be held Friday afternoon at 4
o'clock from Williams’ Funeral
Home, conducted by Rev. C. I*
Lyles and Rev. Luther Evans.
Surviving her are two sons from
a former marriage, Millard Jerni
gan of this city, and Donald Lea
Jernigan in the U. S. Navy; fiva
sisters, Mrs. H. J. Finch, Mrs. R.
C Finch, Mrs. J. W. Reid, all at
Roanoke Rapids; Mrs Irene Mur
ray of Chinquapin, N. C., and Mrs.
Roena James of Pitt county; sin
brothers, Linster Jenkins and Lea
lie Jenkins of Chinquapin, Luther
of Wallace, Clyde of Richland.
Norman and Jessie who are ia
the army.
Face Burned In
Coal Gas Fire
G. A. Hux, Sr., of Halifax, while
in the basement of his home last
Sunday struck a match causing
coal gas which had escaped from
the furnace to become ignited. Mr.
Hux was painfully burned about
the face and hands. No damage
was done to the building.