Vernon Edgar Whitley, Marvin William Scott, William H. C*ma Jr. Robert E JVlav. R. H. MeCninmnns J^m. up, ffHtt.,
Grover Woodruff, Winfield Hasty, Daniel E. Faison, Robert Lee Moore, Curtis E. West, Edgar EL King, Robert Lee Ingram,
Thomas A. Cooper, Marvin F. Matkins, Jamas G. Whitby, Thos. H. Cook, Jr, Elmer E. Chambliss, Randall White, Robert L.
_ _Harris, Joseph A. Crouch, Davie L. Harper, Brutas W. Rook, Robt R. Northlngtn, Eugene Basil Glover William C Moody
Green, Rufus S. Finch, Lawrence W. My rick, Walter G. Cooley, Charlie L. Whitby, Melbourne Barry Jones, Robert A. Rogers, Rufus J. T Wood
Herbert S. Edwards, H. Charles Leatherwood, Jr., John Wayne Thomas, Alex Bullock, Jr„ Frank P. Hunter.
THE ROANOKE RAPIDS SJHm*
VOLUME XXXI_ROANOKE RAPIDS, N. C., THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1946* NUMBER-21
J?ed Cross
Campaign
In March
The Roanoke Rapids Chapter,
^merican Red Cross, has announc
ed its 1946 Red Cross Fund Cam
paign goal, Rev. G. L. Price, chap
ter chairman, announced today.
This year the local chapter
hopes to attain $5,100 for local use
and $3,400 for national Red Cross
operation, making a total goal of
$8,500. Of the total funds raised
60 per cent stays in the local
budget and 40 per cent for world
wide operations.
I Besides providing for work with
•Occupation troops abroad, said Mr.
Price, a large part of the money
e.lloted for national work will be
spent in military and veterans hos
pitals. Recently Red Cross, upon
request, has extended its hospital
services to the many veterans hos
Ipitals so that the former service
man may still be assisted in every
possible way.
The 1946 Red Cross Fund Cam
paign in Roanoke Rapids will be
•if arch 1-9.
N. C. Symphony
Orchestra Is
Coming Here
The North Carolina Symphony
Orchestra will give> a concert in
,yRoanoke Rapids in the High
TSchool auditorium on April 23, it
was announced today. Tickets for
the concert may be secured from
Mrs. T. W. Mullins or Mrs. W. A.
China.
Civil Air Patrol
Weekly Meeting
All cadets and senior members
™f Roanoke Rapids Civil Air
Patrol will report in uniform for
formation next Tuesday night at
7:30 o’clock. Members who do not
have uniforms will have them is
sued at that time.
The squadron has a Navy train
er in its possession and will use
it in connection with navigational
instructions to be given at this
meeting. All members must bring
Jtneir student’s manuals.
® These instructions are issued by
•the command of First Lieutenant
A. C. Culbreth, CAP.
‘March of Dimes’ Drive
Nets Sum of $1,082.64
Cranford Hoyle, Roanoke Rapids
Chairman of the March of Dimes
campaign, announced today that
$1,082.64 has been collected in the
fight against Infantile Paralysis.
One half of this money will re
main in the county to finance the
hospitalization, care, and treat
ment of local sufferers. The other
half goes to headquarters of the
National Foundation and is for
continuing research, education and
emergency f aid in epidemics
throughout the nation. Every per
son and every organization that
was asked to help in this cause
did so willingly, and thus helped
to make a success of the drive.
The money was given by the
various organizations and individu
als as follows:
Roanoke Rapids Schools
(white and colored) 264.71
William R. Davie School 52.14
WCBT Radio Jamboree 92.26
Veterans of Roanoke Rapids
Dance sponsored by Veter
ans of Roanoke Rapids 158.47
Coin Collection Boxes __ 364.50
Checks through the mail 150.50
Total_$1,082.64
One of the coin collection boxes
was stolen from one place of busi
ness. A person wno wishes to re
main unknown contributed $15.00
to cover the amount of money that
the coin box might have held.
Mr. Hoyle wishes to thank
everyone that contributed to the
fund, and especially to express
his appreciation to The Herald,
Radio Station WCBT, Pal Tanner
and His Rangers, The Carolina
Playboys, The Jubilee Quartet, The
Cherokee Boys, The Roanoke Rap
ids Veterans and to the March of
Dimes committee for their splendid
cooperation and fine work which
meant so much to the success of
the campaign.
Coroner Says
Deaths Were
'Accidental'
Coroner F. N. Rowe of Halifax
County has rendered a verdict of
“accidental death by poisoning” in
the case of Mr. and Mrs. Lellie E.
J. Bryant of Roanoke Rapids.
Vital organs of Mr. Bryant were
sent to Dr. Haywood M. Taylor of
the Duke Hospital medical staff,
and in his report he stated that
30 per cent of monoxide poison
was found in the blood stream. It
requires only 3 per cent to pro
duce death. There has been no
report made on Mrs. Bryant, but
ic is assumed from the coroner’s
verdict that sne died from the
same cause as her husband.
Bryant was found dead in his
bed Sunday morning, February 3,
and his wife was in an unconr
scious condition. Mrs. Bryant died
last Thursday morning in Roanoke
(Continued on page 8—Sect. A)
Accepts Position
As An Instructor
Miss Mae Brown Sterling ha3
accepted the position of instructor
in the Roanoke Rapids Hospital.
She was an instructor in the in
stitution in 1933.
Confesses To
Efforts Burn
P. O. Building
One day last week Roy Finch,
white man, formerly of Roanoke
Rapids, but now residing in South
Weldon, walked up to Weldon’s
Chief of Police, T. R. Kitchen,
and said he wanted to confess to
the attempted burning in April of
1945, of the Weldon Post Office.
Of course, the Chief listened.
Finch, an alleged violator in
1944 of the selective service act,
is said to have served a term in
the federal penitentiary for his
crime. Finch told Chief Kitchen
how the fire was started at a rear
window with some lightwood
sticks and a pair of overalls. He
made efforts to fire the building
inside. Before the blaze could
make muoh headway it was dis
covered and extinguished. Post of
fice inspectors worked on the case
for many months, but turned up
nothing.
Finch was given a hearing in
Roanoke Rapids last Monday be
fore Commissioner Thompson and
bound over to the April term of
federal court which will be held
in Wilson. His bond was placed at
4500, which he was unable to post
and he is now awaiting trial in
jail at Wilson.
Linwood Easter and Pigeon
Williams Are Arrested Here;
Both Confess To Crimes
Land Named
President of
Association
At the annual dinner meeting of
the Roanoke Rapids Merchants
Association held in the Blue Room
of the Rosemary Cafe, Wyche
Land, head of Land Bros., jewel
ers, was elected president of the
association for the coming year.
Mr. Land succeeds Graham Shell,
outgoing president. Marvin Col
lier, Jr., was elected as vice-pres
ident. Mrs. Clyde Martin is sec
ietary.
New directors elected to serve
the association are: Roy Gooch,
Frank Hawley, Miss Fannie Marks
and John Lackey.
Willard Dowell of Raleigh, ex
ecutive secretary of the State Mer
chants Association, was a guest at
the meeting and delivered a most
interesting address on “Unity and
Cooperation of Merchants.’’
A fine attendance of merchants
was at the meeting. Fried chick
en was served as the principal
course of the dinner.
Rotary Club
Hears Merritt
At its regular meeting last Tues
day the Roanoke Rapids Rotary
Club heard an address on Rotary
delivered by Joe Merritt of Dun
dalk, Md. Rotarian Merritt is a
past governor of his district and
is now a member of the Exten
sion Committee of Rotary Inter
national Merritt’s address was
interesting ana educational and
was attentively listened to by a
large membership of the club
present for the meeting.
Carlton Edwards
Given Discharge
Pfc. Carlton Lewis Edwards, son
of Mrs. W. L. Edwards and the
late W. L. Edwards, is home with
an honorable discharge from the
army after arriving in the states
from Germany recently. He is the
wearer of the Bronze Star and the
Good Conduct Medal. Lewis plans
to enter State College in March.
Chief of Police H. E. Dobbins
announced today the arrest of two
negroes, Linwood Easter, 18, and
Adolph Williams, alias “Pigeon,”
also about 18 years old, which has
cleared up the cases of several
robberies committed here and in
Weldon within the past few
weeks.
Easter and Williams were ar
rested Wednesday morning by
Chief Dobbins and Officer J. M.
High. Both arc being held in jail
pending liberty on bonds of
$1500 each.
Easter, according to the Chief,
has admitted breaking into the
Newsome Oil Company about four
weeks ago where he is said to
have stolen a Colt automatic pis
tol. The gun is believed to have
been disposed of in Littleton and
officers expect to recover it soon.
Easter is also said to have ad
mitted breaking into the Anderson
Feed & Grocery Company in Wel
don about two weeks ago, where
he stole $150 in currency and $1.50
in pennies. He broke into the
T & N Cafe in Weldon on Febru
ary 12, according to his statement
to officers. There he got $30 in.
cash. In the break-in of the Rose
mary Drug Company Monday
night, Easter is charged with ob
taining $24 in cash.
Aaoipnus wuiiams, anas rag
eon,” the other negro jailed far
robberies, is charged with break
ing into the Anderson Feed &
Grocery Company in Weldon on
the night of February 1. It is said
that Easter had told “Pigeon” of
his good luck at this place and
“Pigeon” decided to try his luck
there, too, but got nothing for bis
efforts.
On February 2, Williams, it is
alleged, broke a window at Hum
phries Service Station at the Junc
tion, and after entering the place
stole only a flashlight. He is also
charged with breaking into Jack
son’s Service Station in South
Rosemary by smashing a window.
Here, Williams admits, he got only
about 100 pennies. This break-in
was reported as happening on
February 9.
Some weeks ago Cofield’s store
in Hodgestown, was broken into
and robbed of about $15 in cash.
This crime has been charged to>
“Pigeon.” On February 7 “Pig
eon” decided to repeat at the same
place, and succeeded in getting
$12 or $15 in cash on his second
try.
How the thief entered the star*
puzzled police for quite a Wfettq,
(Continued on page 8—Sect. A)