PAGE TWO
A Fill" || WATAUGA BUILDING & LOAN ASSOCIATION
oEKIES SEVEN is NOW OPEN
- "■ 1—
Why not join the big army of Buildiifg & Loan Stockholders? . Get in the habit of laying aside a delnite amount of money each month for a
rainy day. Remember that this stock draws 6 per cent compound interest and is exempt from. all kinds of taxes. One dollar a month. for 78
months entitles you to SIOO in cash from the Building and Loan. Keep your money at home. Build Watauga County! Why invest your money
K *
in questionable securities outside the county? .Write to the Secretary Mr. W. H. Gragg, for further information.
The Watauga Building and Loan Association
YOUTH CONFESSES
BRUTAL KIDNAPING
Victim Passed Along While the Kid
napers Were Waiting for Anoth
er Boy to Come.
Chicago, June 7th. —A plan by two
rich youths, both brilliant students,
to kill for excitement and to kidnap
for a ransom which they did not need
was revealed last night in the detail
ed confession of Natham Leopold, Jr
who with his boon companion Rich
ard Loeb, was named today in true
bills charging murder anji kidnaping
for ransom in connection with the
slaying of 13 year old Robert Franks.
The confession which was presen
ted to the grand jury today, was
made public tonight by Robert E.
Crowe, state’s attorney.
“We planned as long as last Nov
ember I guess,” the confession said
“The process of getting the money
was the most difficult problem. We
had several different plans and all
were good for one reason or another
Finally we hit on the one to throw
the money from a train after we had
the given point marked.
“The next problem was the system
of notification. We had a plan of a
number of relays. The thing was to
tell the man that his son was kidnap
ed and held for ransom.
“He was to secure SIO,OOO in de
nominations as follows: “SB,OOO in
SSO bills and $2,000 in S2O bills.
We were to get old bills so that the
numbers would not be in sequence.
The money was to be put in a cigar
box and wrapped with white paper
and taped, and the ends were to be
sealed with sealing wax. The reason
for this was to give the impression
that it was to be delivered personally
to a messenger of a certain executive
of the plans. He was then to receive
a telephone call instructing him to
go to a refuse box and he was there
to get a note instructing him to pro
ceed to a drug store and wait near
the phone booth. The store was to
be near the Illinois Central tracks
and he was to be given only time to
rush out to the depot and board a
through train and not have time to
notify a detective or the police where
he was going.
“In the train he was to proceed to
the rear of the car where the tel
egraph blanks were kept and there
he was to be instructed to go to the
back platform and face east until he
came to a large brick factory that
had a water tower on it with the
white inscription Champion. He was
to count two or three and then throw
the box as far east as he could.
“The next problem was to get the
victim and we were undecided until
that day. Then we decided to take
the most likely looking subject who
came our way. It just happened to be
Robert Franks. Richard was acquain
ted with him and he calle 1 him over
and introduced him to me and then
he asked Robert to go for a ride.
The Frank’s boy demurred, Leo
pold’s confession continued, and Loeb
told him he wanted to show him a
tennis racquet, upon which Robert
got into the car.
“I got into the car then” the con
fession continued* and stepped on
the gas and we proceeded. As we
turned around the corner Richard
put one hand over his mouth and
beat him on the head. He did not
succumb as readil yas we had ex
pected and Richard pulled him to
the back seat and forced a club or
gag into his mouth. I guess he was
instantly suffocated.
“The body was covered with an
automobile robe which we brought
along for the purpose. We drove
around up and down the road and
then proceeded on the path toward
Hegeswisch. We had previously re
moved the shoes, stockings and the
trousers.
“We left the shoes at the side of
the road in the gifass. When we
reached our destination we put the
body dewn on the grass and removed
the rest of the clothes and poured
acid on the face of the boy to make
identification more difficult. We put
the body in the drain pipe and push
ed it in as far as we could. We gath
ered up the clothes and placed them
in the robe and apparently at this
point the glasses fell from my pock
et.
We carried the robe and the cloths
to the automobile which was about
300 yards distant and the sock must
have dropped from the bundle.
After describing the route they
took back to the city, he said:
“I called the Franks house. I told
Mrs. Franks that I was George John
son ancb that her son had been kid
naped and was safe and that instruc
tions would follow. In passing 55th
street we mailed a special delivery
letter which we had complete except
the address. After that I returned
home to take my uncle Nat home. I
returned to my home then and after
my father returned, Richard and I
proceeded to his home where we
burned the remaining clothes.
“We wrapped up the road and
washed the blood spot from the car
and parked it near my home The next
day we went to the Illinois Central
and Richard bought a ticket for
Michigan City and deposited the let
ter in the telegraph blank box. In i
the meantime I called Mr. Franks and I
told him to proceed immediately to a J
drug store and wait at a telephone j
booth for a definite call. I told him 1
I that a cab would come to the door j
to take him. I repeated the number ;
| twice and he asked if he could not
I be given more time to reply and I
j said no it must be done immediately, j
! By the time I got through telephon-1
j ing Richard returned and we started
i south. We chanced to see a paper on
! a stand and we deliberated for a few
moments to plan what to do and
Richard said the game was up but I
i insisted that it would do no harm j
j to call the drug store and see if
I Franks was there. I did and I was
told he was not there.”
rte then told of a call made later
and continued:
We got the same reply and gaye j
it up as a bad job and returned to the j
car which we had rented.”
He said the original plan to plate
instructions in a waste box on the *
street corner was discarded when j
they found it difficult to make the j
letter stick to the side of the box.
“Thursday after dinner, the con- j
session continued, “we went to the i
garage to wash the blood stains |
and our chauffeur: Sven Englund, i
came out and asked to help and Rich- j
ard told him the spots were merely
red wine that had spilt.”
Under questioning, the confession
then ffecited that the youths had
gone out on the day of the kidnap
ping with the deliberate intention of ,
kidnaping some one and had rented a
car, to divert suspicion, having'
previously established credit by hav-1
ing one of the boys register at a
hotel as Mr. Ballard, while the other!
boy gave Mr. Ballard as reference, i
his companion giving the boy a high
financial rating. The confession also,
I related that the youths had opened j
bank accounts at various banks under I
assumed names in order to iivert
suspicion in case they were forced to
flee and needed to travel under fic
titious names.
On the afternoon of the kidnaping
the confession continued, the boys
watched some children playing in a
field through field glasses for some
time to try to determine who should
be their victim. They contemplated
taking a youth named Levinson, son
of a wealthy attorney, the confes
sion said, adding that the Franks boy
happened along first and they de
cided to abduct him instead. After
going home the night of the kidnap
ing, the confession related that the
boys enjoyed several games of cards
before going to bed. The next day
they threw the chisel with which
they beat Franks over the head into
the street as they drove about in
the death car and also went to a
lonely prairie where they tried to
THE WATAUGA DEMOCRAT—EVERY THURSDAY—BOONE, N. C.
burn the automobile robe used to
cover their victim, the confess: >n said
The ransom letter, the cons • on
related, had been prepared several
days in advance and was complete
except for the name of the person to
whom it was to be sent which could
not be written on the envelope until
the victim was selected.
The confession also deciai’ed it had
been the intention of the boys from
the first to kill their victim because
they feared he would expose them
and they intenued to hide the money
for a year and then spend it cai'efully^
FAMOUS OLD STREET
IS BEING WIDENED
i
Boston Landmarks Vanish
in Street Improvement
Boston. —Sunlight has returned to
Governor’s alley, which for 91 years
has been known to Boston as Province
street. The little, narrow thorough
fare, with Its 15-inch sidewalks on
either side, runs through a part of the
city rich In tradition. Crossing from
Bromfield street to School street,
parallel to Washington and Tremont
streets, the old roadway may be best
remembered by visitors by the pic
turesque flight of stone steps leading
down to It from one end of Bosworth
street.
The street is now being widened,
letting in the sunshine where for so
many years the shadows have lain
heavily under the close, high walls.
Landmarks hare gone by the board In
the work of improvement.
Province Inn Vanishes.
A pathetic old sign, “Province Inn,”
which once stood for mirth and Jovi
ality, liquid and other refreshment,
which clung to a partly dismantled
wall to the last, was one of the land
marks to go.
Unless efforts being made to save
them prove successful, the old stone
steps, surmounted by their ornamental
iron arch and lamp, are doomed to go
also.
The old street for 130 years bore
the name Governor’s alley, up to the
time‘of the change to Province street
in 1833. It was then made a “modern
street” with Its 15-lnch sidewalks and
cobblestone paving.
■Originally It was a country lane.
After the royal governors who came
from England to rule the colony of
Massachusetts had descended from
their carriages at the Province house
on what is now Washington street, the
horses were driven around to tlie sta
bles on “Governor’s alley.”
Was Apple Orchard Once.
Now, the slice of land being added
to the street Is cut from what once
was the governor’s apple orchard.
On this site the first Catholic church
to he erected in Boston was built in
1788. Near by was the Second Uni
versallst church In 1817, and it was
there that the renowned Hosea Ballou
was ordained and preached. The en
trance from Bosworth street was once
Montgomery court, named In honor of
General Montgomery, who lost his Ufa
when he tried to take Quebec.
It was on Bosworth street that
Oliver Wendell Holmes lived when he
wrote ‘The Autocrat of the Breakfast
Table.” Boaworth street Itself, up to
100 years ago, had been occupied by
the gardens of fashionable mansions In
Tremont and Bromfield streets:
Increasing congestion In traffic con
ditions In the narrow thoroughfares of
older Boston has resulted in the widen
ing operations now In progress.
‘Woman Without Country*
Appeals to World Court
Geneva, Switzerland. —‘The man
without a country," or in this case a
woman, actually has come before the
League of Nations. ”
A woman whose property In France
was sequestered during the war ap
pealed to the World court at The
Hague, stating that France labels her
as German, but that Germany refuses
to recognize her as a national. The
World court passed the problem of the
woman’s recourse to Justice up to the
league.
Conditions arising from the war
probably have placed many persons In
this same position, so that they are
debarred from all existing legal tri-
Davidson Dept. Store News
Issued Every Week by the Davidson Department Store with the hope it will
please and entertain our friends and customers.
Davidson’s Prices
Not a sale, just regular prices but
read and see if they do not beat the
sale prices of others:
220 White Back Blue Denim Over
alls $1.50
Extraordinary High Grade Boys Ov
eralls SI.OO
Youth’s overalls, same quality $1.25
and SI.OO.
Good quality work shirts .... 75c
Men’s Good Leather Work Shoes, a
very suitable work shoe for summer
wear $1.98
Ladies Comfortable Pumps and Ox
fords, the Godman make .... 1.98
bunals.
The legal lights of the league admit
there Is Involved in such cases a de
nial of justice. The solution appeal*
to be the elaboration of an internation
al convention by which states surren
der existing sovereign rights of decid
ing for themselves the conditions un
der which their nationality Is auto
matically or may voluntarily be ac
quired or lost.
Alaska Trappers Return
on Palatial Steamers
Tacoma, Wajih. —Trappers are home
ward bound from Alaska in palatial
steamers. Unlike the popular fiction
characters who come down out of the
Northland silence In a canoe piled high
with smelly bales, these intrepid ad
venturers are the gentry of the trade.
Early last fall several score of trap
pers left here for coveted places along
the Interior rivers and lakes and where
during the winter they followed their
trap lines In true “wilderness fash
ion. ’’
The traps have been sprung nnd
cached away for another season, and
with fairly large bales the fur-getters
are now coming home for well-earned
vacations. In average years trappers
bring Sown bales of fur worth from
$3,000 to $4,000.
Resolutions of Respect
Whereas God, m His righteous
wisdom has removed from our midst
our beloved sister and co-worker,
Mrs. R. C. Rivers, a member of. the
Womans’ Missionary,' Society of the
Boone Methodist church, a loyal mem
ber of the church, a woman full
of good works, always true to the
teachings of Christ, ministering to
those in need or distress and patient
in affliction, We the undersigned
members of the Woman’s Mission
ary Society bow in humble submis
sion to the will of our Heavenly Fa
ther, devoutly thanking Him for her
life and power of influence among us
Therefore be it resolved:
First, that we cherish her memory
as one w r ho literally made the world
better by having lived in it.
Second, that we’ extend to her
bereaved ones our deepest sympathy
assuring them that we are partakers
with them in their sorrow.
Third, that while we miss her, we
rejoice in the assurance of hope that
all is well with her soul.
Fourth, that a copy of these res
olutions be sent to the sorrowing
family, a copy to the North Carolina
Christian Advocate for publication,
a copy to the Watauga Democrat with
request to publish, and that a copy
be spread upon the minutes of the
W. M. S.
MRS. J. F. HARDIN
MRS. M. B. BLACKBURN
MRS. J. S. STANBURY,
Committee
A complete line of Novelty pumps
and Sandals in black, gray, brown
buff and other stylish shades, in the
latest styles at very reasonable pri
ces. Hose in all colors to match. A
complete line of dress goods, includ
ing the latest novelties in Voiles, Li
nens, Draperies, etc.
A dentist is the only man that can
tell a woman to shut her mouth and
get away with it.
No man can serve two masters,
but the number of mistresses a man
can serve is infinite.
Fall In Lind •
NOW IS THE TIME TO BUILD NEW
HOUSES AND TO REPAIR
OLD ONES
We sell everything you need for the job as
our line includes
/ 4
BRICK, LIME,
SAND, PLASTER,
ROOFING, SHEETING,
FRAMING
SIDING, CEILING
FLOORING, CASING,
SHEET ROCK,
WALL BOARD,
WINDOWS, DOORS
and
COMPLETE LINE OF BUILDERS
HARDWARE
If you will get our prices and see our ma
terial it will mean a sale.
Call on us, we appreciate your trade.
WATAUGA FURNITURE & LBR. CO.
by W. R. Gragg, General Manager.
JUNE 12, 1924-
A man generally prefers a well
formed woman to a well infornsedl
woman.
i
Expected to arrive in the next few
days a dandy assortment of Misses
and Ladies Silk Dresses in Crepe de
Chine, Canton Crepe and other sty
lish silk material in the latest models
The goods were bought right and we
will be in a position to save you
25 to 50 per cent on the prices you
have been paying for the same goods
Never go into the water after a
hearty meal. You’ll never find it
there.