E|UllimmUHMH»H|iiHMii||iiiil| |HIIII|MU|M Vernon Edgar Whitley, Marvin William Scott, William H. Camp, Jr, Robert E .May, K. H. MoCommona, James W. Whitby,
I i»»|| II It,I iii|| B 1 Grover Woodruff, Winfield Hasty, Daniel E. Faison, Robert Lee Moore, Curtis E. West, Edgar H. King, Robert Lee Ingrana
I >■■11 lul M II I HU| hi Thomas A. Cooper, Marvin F. Matkins, Jamies G. Whitby, Thos. H. Cook, Jr, Elmer E. Chambliss, Randall White, Robert L>
ItnuMullBinmMsiJllUllmlmill IminUlm Harris Joseph A. Crouch, Davie L. Harper, Brutas W. Rook, Robb R. Northingtn, Eugene Basil Glover, William C. Moody,
Wank W. Harris, Wayne C. Green, Rufus 8. Finch, Lawrence W. Myrick, Walter G. Cooley, Charlie L. Whitby, Melbourne Barry Jones Robert A. Rogers Rufos J. T. Wood
, niffjCljntonP^Jeberjyj^Ierbert^EdwardshJELCharlesI^atherwood, Jr., John Wayne Thomas, Alex Bullock, Jr., Frank P. Hunter, Cecil Cobum, Wilbur Anderton.
THE ROANOKE RAPIDS
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9 VOLUME XXXI ROANOKE RAPIDS, N. G, THURSDAY, MARCH 28th, 1946 NUMBER27
Softball League May
Start Season May 1
A very successful meeting of
several citizens interested in or
ganizing a softball league in Roa
noke Rapids was held last Tues
day night in the Municipal Build
ing. Industrial plants reperesent
ta were: Halifax Paper Company,
, Roanoke Mil No. 1, Roanoke Mill
No. 2, Rosemary Company and
Patterson Mills Company.
From interest .enthusiasm and
tentative plans it appears that
Roanke Rapids will again have
old-time softball this season. A
five team league is assured with
six clubs as a possibility—'Rose
mary Manufacturing Company
may have two entries.
Officers elected at the meet
ing are: President Thornton Wil
' son; secretary, George Gurley; di
rectors, Henry W. Ellerson, Jr.,
William Poindexter, Robert Rog
ers, Bob Ryles and Jimmie Cran
ford.
Henry Loy was unanimously
elected Amateur Softball Associa
tion commissioner for this dis
trict and will be recommended to
the state association.
Another meeting will be schedul
ed at an early date at which plans
will be completed and it is believ
ed that play will begin about May
1.
Tournament
Is Broken Up
By Gun Play
The Negro basketball tourna
ment in the gymnasium of the
Garysburg school was broken up
Saturday night when Morris Long
pulled a pistol from his pocket
and started shooting. A Negro
girl was wounded.
Sheriff J. C. Stephenson, of
Northampton County, said the ob
ject of Long’s wrath was Charlie
Moody who Long accused of step
. ping on his toe. The bullet missed
‘ Moody and Struck his sister,
Geneva Moody, in the shoulder,
the sheriff said. The girl was
taken to Roanoke Rapids hospital
for treatment.
FOR HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES
To the Voters of Halifax Coun
ty: _.
I hereby announce my oanai
* dacy for the office of representa
tive from Halifax County to the
General Assembly, subject to the
Democratic primary May 25, 1946,
Your vote and support will be ap
preciated.
W. J. COLLIER,
Littleton, N. C., Route 1.
First In History
For the first time in the his
tory of .the Roanoke Rapids
Police Department, it was said
today, every arrest made over the
week-end here was white, in
cluding one woman. No negroes
were arrested for any law viola
tion.
County Board
Of Elections
Holds Meet
The County Board of Elections
in a meeting last Saturday, elect
ed S. W. Dickens, of Enfield,
chairman, and Robert C. Shields
of Scotland Neck, secretary.
The filing time for all legis
lative, county and township of
iices expires at 6 p. m., Satur
Gay, April 13. Notices of candidacy
must be in the possession of the
board by that time or they can
not be accepted.
The chairman of the board will
be in the auditor’s office in the
Court House at Halifax on Satur
day, April 13, from 11 a. m., to 6
p. m., to receive filing notices.
However, notices may be mailed
to the chairman at Enfield at any
time prior to that day. Blanks may
be obtained from the board.
Rosemary
PTA Meeting
Teacher Association will have reg
ular monthly meeting at 3:30 o'
clock, Wednesday afternoon, April
3.
A feature of the afternoon will
be an illustrated talk by Miss
Clara Home, on “Birds of North
Carolina.” Miss Hearne is Presi
dent of the North Carolina Bird
Club and has a thorough know
ledge of the birds in our State,
particularly those in this section
gained through study and obser
vation. Slides will be shown t<
illustrate the talk. All parents are
cordially invited.
Additional entertainment will be
provided by a group of children
selected from the various grades
who will join in a singing pro
gram, under the supervision of
Miss Margaret Manning.
Negro Is
Scheduled
To Die On
April 5th
Thomas Hart, Halifax County
negro, is scheduled to die in the
gas chamber at State’s Prison,
Raleigh, Friday, April 5. The State
Supreme Court handed down a de
cision last week upholding Hali
fax County Superior Court in the
conviction of Hart of first de
gree murder.
The negro was found guilty last
fall for the murder of Marjorie
Blackwood, Negro, and the second
degree murder of her brother, A1
Preston Blackwood, on the Thom
ir_’ - «*-M T laof
lO i t***. Mi ---
August 1. The murders followed a
quarrel Hart had with Marjorie.
The chief point at issue before
the State Supreme Court in the
Hart case was whether the Halifax
court erred in refusing to set aside
a verdict and order a new trial on
the ground that it was improper,
unfair, and prejudicial for a wit
ness for the State, Halifax Dep
uty Sheriff J. A. Draper, also to
serve as an officer of the jury.
Another question was whether the
defendant as a matter of right is
entitled to have an adverse ver
dict set aside and a new trial
ordered when he made no ob
jection at the time.
The record in the case shows
that the Halifax Court, the State
and the defendant all were inad
vertant to the fact that Draper
was serving as a sworn officer of
the jury at the time the State
tendered and swore him as a wit
ness.
Clara Hearne
PTA Meeting
Next Tuesday
The Clara Hearne Parent-Tea
chers Association will meet Tues
day afternoon at 2:00 for the pur
pose of discussing finances in re
lation to the child and family.
This meeting will .be the last regu
lar one of the current year. Child
ren are invited.
Speakers on the program will
i be Mrs. David C. Clark who will
discuss “The Family Pocketbook;”
Mrs. Edward Manning who will
speak on “Allowances Provide
Children with Valuable Experi
ence.” A film, “Where Your Mon
ey Goes,” will be shown after the
discussions. •
Refreshments will be served.
Negotiations Between Union
And Company Break Down;
Public Warned to Prepare
For Shutting Off of Power
2 White Men
Placed Under
Heavy Bonds
Roland Bishop and Kelly En
right, both white, have been ar
rested and charged with breaking
and entering and larceny at
Humphrey’s Esso Service Station
at the junction. The alleged crime
was committed on March 18.
Bishop was arrested in Norfolk
and returned here by Chief of
Folice H. E. Dobbins. Enright was
picked up in Roanoke Rapids.
They are being held for trial in
Halifax Superior Court, Bishop’s
bond Being set at $1200 and En
right’s at $1000.
High School
Band Concert
On April 11
The Roanoke Rapids High
School Concert Band under it’s
director, R. I. Finley, will present
its annual spring concert Thurs
day night, April 11, at 8 o'clock
in the High School auditorium.
Great pains are being taken by
Mr. Finley and the band members
to make this an enjoyable even
ing of music for all who will at
tend.
A wide variety of music will be
offered on this program, includ
ing military marches, overtures, a
tone poem, various selections and
light music written by Vincent
Youmans and the late Jerome
Kern.
This annual concert is always
the high spot in the year’s activ
ities for the band. In fact, the di
rector and members begin to pre
pare for it as soon as school
opens in September. There will be
an admission charge of $.50 for
adults and $.25 for children.
FOR THE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES
To the voters of Halifax County:
I hereby announce my candidacy
for the State Legislature as a
member of the North Carolina
Hou36 of Represehtatives. Your
support and influence will be ap
preciated.
JOSEPH BRANCH,
Enfield, N. C.
Contract negotiations between
the International Brotherhood of
Electrical Workers and the Virgi
nia Electric & Power Company
collapsed completely yesterday and
the impending strike of the pow
er and line workers of the com
pany will come sometime Monday
unless something of an unforeseen
nature develops to prevent it.
Roanoke Rapids will be affected
by the strike, there being about
100 employes in this area involved.
The city will be completely with
out electric power. No arrange
ments have been made with local
union officials to keep service to
the city water plant, hospital or
any other institution involving the
public, it was learned today.
If the strike actually comes off
as scheduled, said a prominent
business man, it will create a
serious situation within a short
time. Another man, high in busi
ness circles and affairs of the
city, without allowing his name
to be used, said that “there should
be some way to safeguard the
public health at least, and sug- >
gested that a citizens committee*
iieaded by the Mayor and compos
ed of 15 or 20 business men, may,
if formed, and acted quickly, could
persuade local union officials to
render emergency service to tho
«rnfnn ntrnf a yvi nnrl Vinonif ol
Mayor Kelly Jenkins was out of
the city today and could not be
reached for an opinion on this
suggestion. However, other city of
ficials spoke freely in favor of the
idea.
In Richmond, J. G. Holtzclaw, I
president of the power company, j
issued a statement expressing his .
regret that negotiations had brok- :
en down. He said the company had
agreed to meet a union demand
for a wage increase of approxi
mately 20 per cent, which would
make “wages of Vepco employees
in this bargaining unit 57 per cent
above the wages in effect Jan. 1,
1941.” Mr. Holtzclaw added that
he felt this offer met the com
pany’s obligation to give its em
ployees good working conditions
and wages in keeping with the
wages of persons doing similar
work in this area.
Virginia’s Gov. Tuck earlier this
week announced he would declare
an emergency to exist unless he
had assurances from the com
pany and the union that there
would be no interruption of power.
Previously he had said the state
would take over and operate prop
erties of VEPCO if the threatened
strike materializes.
No such action in North Caro
(Continued on page 8—Sect. A)
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