THE ROANOKE RAPIDS
HE-^LD
1 m nrAB/o/rf mmm>WEmpapeF
VOLUME XXXI ROANOKE RAPIDS, N. Cl, THURSDAY, MAY^h, 1946 NUMBER 32
Williams, White Farmer,
Arrested Last Night; Charge
Assault with Deadly Weapon
-i J. W. Williams. 64-vear-old white
farmer of the Garners Cross Roads
community, is in Halifax County
jail in lieu of a $500 bond, charg
ed with assault with a deadly
weapon.
Williams, it is charged, attempt
ed to blow up a house on his farm
in which lived Mrs. Louis Brickell
and her seven children. Mrs. Brick
ell is a widow, her husband having
died last year.
About 12 o’clock last night, Wil
liams, it is alleged, went to the
house where the Brickell family
lived and threw a stick of dyna
mite under one corner. The blast
exploded and Mrs. Brickell and her
children ran from the house and
“recognized” Williams, it is said.
The farmer then threw three more
sticks of the dynamite into the
yard which exploded near the
house, it is charged.
Sheriff H. A. House, Deputies
[ J. L. Mountcastle and A. J. Brig
man and Roanoke Rapids Police
men Greene and McMullan reached
the scene a short time afterwards.
Going to Williams’ home they
found him in bed. He at first de
nied the charges, it is said, but
later, according to the officers, ad
mitted the crime. He was arrested
and locked up.
Williams claims he had been
trying for some time to get Mrs.
Erickell to move out of the house
and being unable to accomplish
this, decided to try and “scare her
out.”
The explosions were heard in
Roanoke Rapids and Weldon. No
one was hurt. Damage to the
building consisted of three win
dows blown out and some weath
erboarding blown off.
Girl Scout Troop
Sponsoring Party
Troop 6 is sponsoring a sub
scription bridge party at the Girl
Scout Hut Monday, May 20tb.
from 8 until 11 p. m. The troop
is urging all bridge club3 to re
serve tables to help them raise
money for summer camping. Ad
mission will be fifty cents per
person, prizes, refreshments and
tax Included.
Be Sponsored By
R. R. Girl Scouts
“Topping Toes of 1946”, a show
of dancing and music, will be
staged here Friday night, May
24th. The show is being sponsor
ed by the Girl Scouts of Roanoke
Rapids and is under the direction
of Mrs. S. E. Perdue.
Tickets are being sold by the
Girl Scouts for the 8:15 p. m. per
formance at the R. R. High School
auditorium. Most of the costumes
fiave been made and rehearsals are
progressing nicely.
City Will Pave
Several Streets
.
; Several streets in the city have
| been marked for paving, according
to action taken at a recent special
n&eeting of the Board of City Com
rt^psioners. The estimated cost of
the curbing gutter, storm drain
age, and paving is estimated at
$6.00 per foot, 50 per cent of
I which will be paid by the property
owner. ,
The streets that have been listed
for improvement are:
First, Second, Third, Fourth,
South Fifth and Sixth from Ham
ilton to Washington.
Seventh from Hamilton to Wil
l^ns.
Ninth from Hamilton to Jeffer
son.
iiiievencn, j.weuui, ± im iccnui
and Fourteenth from Hamilton to
Washington.
Madison from railroad to Fifth.
First from Jackson to Monroe.
Second from Jackson to Vance.
Fourth from Jackson to Monroe,
fl Madison, W. S., from Seventh to
' Eighth.
.o^Iadison, E. S., from Eighth to
I Ninth.
Seventh from Jackson to Cedar.
Ninth from Jackson to Rapids.
Madison, E. S., Ninth to Tenth.
t Madison, E. S., Tenth to Elev
enth.
Henry from Eighth to Eleventh.
Eleventh from Henry to Frank
SUn. ■
Franklin from Eleventh to Fifth.
'~'~dar from Eleventh to Sev
pids from Eighth to Tenth.
Conroe from First to Fifth.
Phillip D. Freeman of Norfolk
will be the engineer in charge of
the work. The above list is only a
tentative plan for Mr. Freeman to
work on. Others, however, may be
added at a later date, it was said.
Scrap Paper
Collection Is
Slated For
Next Sunday
The Boy Scouts of Troops 141,
142 and 144 have announced that
they would make a house-to-house
ejection .of old paper next Sun
day afternoon, starting at 1:30
from the Girl Scout Hut. The drive
■..111 T_ __J.. . J T_ A
»» *»» MW WVUVtUWVVVt
; Chairman C. A. Irby of the dis
trict committee.
The results of the scrap paper
drive conducted four weeks ago
by the Scouts of troops 145, 146
and 167 were disappointing to the
officials of the troops, in that the
ttoal poundage collected was less
Rmany of the troops have col
d individually during the past
year in the monthly collection of
' scrap paper. The smallest drive
prior to the last drive conducted
by the scouts of the city netted
(Continued an page 8—Sect. A)
Madron Faces
Five Charges
Robert Lee Madron, 38, white, ,
created quite a bit of excitement ;
last Monday afternoon when Of
ficers Rogers and Ball arrested (
him for drunk and disorderly con- ;
duct. Madron didn’t like the idea ,
and resisted the “law” and is al- ,
leged to have severely kicked Ball :
on the shins. After being placed 1
in Policeman Rogers’ car and
beaded for the lock-up, Madron, it
is said, continued to show his i
wrath by breaking out one of the
rear windows of the automobile.
He was placed in jail on addi- '
tional charges of assault, damag
ing personal property and resist- ]
ing arrest. Bond was set at $100. ;
-:- i
Eight Nurses •
Get Diplomas :
The Roanoke Rapids Hospital
nurses’ baccalaureate sermon was i
delivered last Sunday night at the t
Presbyterian ChurcL by Rev. John i
M. Walker, pastor. Graduating ex- t
ercises were held Monday night in a
the High School auditorium at t
8:15 o’clock. ( 5
The following nurses received *
their diplomas: Misses Mollie j
Balmer, city; Delorese Black, Jar- .
rett, Va.; Ruth Evans, Rich
Squ’are; Elizabeth Hicks, Hender
son; Ethel Mae Kennedy, Pink
Hill; Virginia Meadows, Halifax;
Carleen Spain, Littleton, and Char
lotte Whitehead, Morehead City.
Ptc. Garner Now
Back in States
Pfo. Norman... Gamer, son of
Mr. and Mrs. J. T. Garner of
this city, telephoned his parents
on May 6 from San Diego, Ca.,
that he was happy to be back in
the states. Garner, who has serv
ed in the Pacific war theatre for
three years, has been stationed 1
in Japan. He has sent his par- '
cnts several Japanese souvenirs. *
Massey Assigned *
USS Mississippi
Thomas Wilson Massey, seaman, t
second class, son of Mr. and Mrs. (
George Edward Massey, Roanoke 1
Rapids, has been assigned to the S
USS Mississippi. Massey, who re- e
ported to the vessel from-the Nav- i
al Training Center, Norfolk, en- i
tered the naval service on Feb- c
ruary 2, 1946, and received his I
recruit training at the Naval t
Training Center, Norfolk. "
Chief Warns
Against Boys
Shooting In
City Limits
Chief of Police H. E. Dobbins
issued a statement today warning
against boys shooting .22-calibre
rifles or any other firearms in
the city limits of Roanoke Rap
ids.
“This is a violation of city or
dinance,” said the chief, “and is
i very dangerous practice. Par
?nts • of young boys should take
;very precaution against this pro
miscuous shooting that endangers
;he lives of people.”
The chief also said it was a
?ainst a state law for firearms to
i>e discharged on or near a high
way or a thickly settled commun
ty.
i would regret very much to
lave to take action against any
roung boy .for a violation of this
dnd, but; the police department
las had so many complaints that
t is necessary to take action,
'f boys too young to be prosecuted
ire caught, their rifles will be
:onfiscated and the parents
irought to account.”
Rifle cartridges are becoming
i bit more plentiful on the mark
it now, stated the chief, “and be
ng easy to obtain, the boys take
heir rifles and go out shooting
vith not a thought to the danged
hat they may kill some innocent
lerson. The practice will have to
top or the police are going to
nake arrests in every case possi
)le.”
Bids On Job
Are Refused
After having received two bida
at different times for doing the
curbing, gutter, storm drainage
and grading of the cemetery annex 1
the City Board of Commissioners '
turned both of them down, believ- 1
ing the figures to be too high.
It has now been decided by the ■
city officials to do as much of the '
work as possible with the street '■
forces under' the supervision of :
George Justice, street superintend- 1
4- l
Cost of the job, according to the
bids received, was between $30,000
and $40,000. Officials believe, how
ever, it can be done for approxi- :
mately $25,000. Work of grading '
has already begun.
Mayor Jenkins was this week .
authorized by the City Board of l
Commissioners to issue bonds in i
the amount of $25,000 to pay for t
the work. <
- i
Solo Students Go !
Up First Flight
Students who have been taking t
flying instructions at the Halifax j
County Airport operated by the s
Copenhaver brothers, and who {
made their first solo flight this t
week, were N. T. (Tinker) Lyles
and W. Z. Mitchell of Roanoke .
Rapids, and Grier P. Thomas of 1
Jackson. *
Playground Activities Will
Cost $3000 For Season;
Committee To Be Appointed
A permanent committee is now
n process of being appointed to
lirect the city playgrounds for
his year and years to follow, it
vas announced today. The mem
lers of this committee will be
tamed from the various civic or
:anizations and the City of Roa
lOke Rapids which make contri
mtions to the operating fund of
he playgrounds.
A committee composed of Joe
’alley, Will Hodges, Heath Lee
,nd Ned Manning appeared this
/eek before the Board of City
Commissioners and requested the
ommissioners to appropriate $1000
0 the fund. This the officials did.
>ther appropriations are: School
Soard, $1000; Community Chest,
550; Lions Club, $300. This makes
total of $2850. A total of $3000
1 expected to be used this year
i operating the playgrounds. The
ther $150 will come from the
liwanis and Rotary Clubs, it is
elieved. There is said to be a
left-over” amount from last
year’s funds of about $100. This
will also be used, it was stated.
In past years, said Mr. Talley,
in a statement this morning, the
playgrounds have not had the
money to conduct an adequate re
creational program. Only $1500 to
$2100 has been raised in other
years. ,
“This year, however,” continued
Mr. Talley, “we hope to spend
every cent of $3000 to give the
children of Roanoke Rapids play
grounds facilities and an experi
enced director that will be of high
benefit to them.
“During the past several years
the playgrounds have had to close
for the lack of funds.- We don’t
want this to happen this year.
The $3000 expense fund is just a
guess, but the committee believes
it wiil be sufficient.
“As soon as the permanent com
mittee is appointed, it is believed
that it will foster a recreational
program that will become so popu
Wontmued on page 8—Sect. A)