Courthouse Again On Trial
Chowan County’s historic courthouse,
a gem of Georgian architecture and be
lieved to be the oldest such facility still
in continuous use, has again come under
attack for its inadequacy. The most
- recent criticism was leveled this week
by a Superior Court judge and followed
the next day by the 18-member Grand
|lnbltr parade
Changing Os The Guard
Chowan County commissioners are to
be commended for their wisdom in se
lecting J. Clarence Leary as chairman.
Also in delaying the appointment of a
fifth member until after the May 2
Democratic Primary.
At the same time, Mr. Leary is to
be congratulated for the high degree of
trust and confidence placed in him by
his colleagues. His acceptance of the
chairmanship for the unexpired term of
the late W. E. Bond is in character with
his past willingness to go the second
f mile in the field of civic responsibility.
Action also taken last Wednesday
morning would indicate the days of a
salaried chairman of the commissioners
is gone. It has been our belief for
many years that county government
along the Public Parade should be so
structured as to require less time of the
chairman.
Modern techniques, machinery, etc..
make it possible for a structure of coun
ty government with fewer hands in the
pot. The end result of this will be a
saving on the tax rate —something every,
one, including' the commissioners, wel
come.
Chowan County is big business. It
must be operated as such if we are not
going to be taxed overboard. The com
missioners must perfect every possible
economy, be it through consolidation or
other structural changes, which are in
the best interest of the citizenry.
Action over the past few years to
abolish payment of fees for services has
been progressive. Other progressive ac
tion can and should be taken.
Chairman Leary is a veteran in the
municipal arena. With the aid oj[ fellow
commissioners he is now in a greater po
sition to bring about money-saving poli
cies and practices. And we predict they
are in the wings and will not be too long
in making a debut.
Too Much! Too Much!
This week has just been too much!
And it all started out so well.
The fact that the overcast and drizzle
obscured the Easter sunrise and the
fabled “dance” which was to follow,
didn’t deter our Paul Gregory, his four
brothers and sisters nor their mother.
We just went along for the ride.
Sunday night there was a stimulating
conversation with Don Evans of Rocky
Mount. For those along the Public Pa
•- rade who don’t know Don, he is the
father of Holt, Margaret, Elizabeth and
Don-Don; the husband of the former
Margaret Griffin and the son-in-law of
Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Griffin.
The conversation was so stimulating
that we heeded a bit of TV medicine to
get to sleep. What we didn’t know was
that Merv Griffin, no relation of course
to Lloyd, had scheduled such a show.
He had the free-lovers of the Boston
“community” on as well as Virginia Gra
ham, spokesman for the middleclass fe
male group.
Continued on Pace 4
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, rCKMEE RESIDENT IS -OUTER BANKS BEAUTY QUEEN—Sanfni Lynn Ante of Nags
Bril Atm with her parents, Mr. ill Mrs. Howard Ange, was selected as ‘‘Miss Dare
County of 1W" hi the beenty and talent show at Manteo Saturday night She is SI
year* eld, a Junior at the University of Southern Mississippi, and the only North Caro
ms e Barrel atTme th!T “Miss^are^l
4 Queen Sanfra and her ferentn were resUentn of Edenton before they moved to Nags
Judge, Jury Call It Inadequate
Jury. o
The Grai hr, following the cue of
Judge How, Hubbard of Clinton
in a statenu rnday, said the “pres
ent facilitie. deemed inadequate.”
The panel mended that county
commissioner appropriate action to
“provide ade< acilities for the carry
ing on of thr ty’s business”.
Commissioi ere also requested to
report at the next regular session of the
Grand Jury what action has been or is
presently being taken in this regard. A
special term of Superior Court has been
set for June 22 and that is the date on
which the Grand Jury will assemble
again.
W. M. Hare is chairman of the panel
and B. Jack Padgett is secretary. The
report was read in court by Judge Hub
bard when the Grand Jury completed its
business Tuesday afternoon.
After his formal charge to the jury
Monday morning, the jurist said he had
a general statement to make. He said
Edenton has always been one of his fav
orite places. “You have a beautiful
Volume XXXVII—No. 14.
mi- 4 \
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4? is i i W-
The area project is 20.7 miles of re
surfacing, sand asphalt base, surface
and bituminous concrete surface on six
sections of primary roads on U. S. 17-158
and Highway 32-168 (part), and five
' roads.
Edenton, Chowan County, North Carolina, Thursday, April 2, 1970.
Chowan County Courthouse, Erected in 1767
Jury Halts Trial Os Leary
A hearing was conducted in Chowan
County Superior Court Wednesday morn
ing to determine the mental competence
of James W. Leary, 69, 203 East Water
Street, to stand trial on two felony
counts.
The jury was selected Tuesday after
noon to answer the issue put by Judge
Howard H. Hubbard of Clinton. Defense
Hearing April 13
On Bond Question
Citizens of Edenton will have an op
portunity to quiz Town Councilmen
about the $600,000 water and sewer
referendum at a public hearing April 13.
The hearing will be held in the Mu
nicipal Building, beginning at 8 P. M.
Town Administrator W. B. Gardner
said the public hearing would conclude
a series of meetings being conducted by
Mayor George Alma Byrum and Jesse
L. Harrell, chairman, Board of Public
Works, to discuss the May 2 issue. Oth
er meetings have been held with resi
dents of neighborhoods to be affected
by the extension project, scheduled to
cost nearly sl-million.
The town has received a federal grant
in the amount of $329,500. Developers
of Morgan Park will pay $35,000.
The project includes water and sewer
extension to Morgan Park, Paradise
Road, Albemarle Street, Hertford Road
and sewer to the new Chowan Hospital
site. It also includes a 500,000 gallon
elevated water tank—considered of pri
mary need for fire protection as well
as water distribution. The town will
also dig another well.
Evans To Chair Advisory Council
Wallace B. Evans, 217 South Oakum
Street, has been named by Mayor
George Alma Byrum to chair the Citizens
Advisory Council for the Town of Eden
ton. Evans replaces William H. Bunch
who has moved from Edenton.
The council is composed of neighbor
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Wallace B. Evans
Single Copy 10 Cents
Attorney W. J. P. Earnhardt, Jr., re
quested such a determination when So-
James W. Leary has been found not to
have the mental capacity to stand trial on
two felony charges. This was the decision
of a Superior Court jury which deliberated
30 minutes before answering the issue at
1 P. M. Wednesday.
Judge Howard H. Hubbard said he would
sign an order sending the defendant to
Cherry Hospital in Goldsboro.
licitor Herbert Small of Elizabeth City
arraigned Leary on charges of first de
gree burglary and assault with intent to
commit rape.
The charges grew out of an alleged
burglary and assault on Miss Mary El
liott, 209 East Water Street on the night
of September 26, 1969. Leary has been
confined in jail or Cherry Hospital since
his arrest in a boat in Edenton Bay
shortly after the alleged crime.
Earnhardt submitted evidence that
Leary had had mental disorders requir
ing his hospitalization on 13 occasions
as far back as 1922. He said the diag
nosis of a qualified physician on March
Continued on Page 4
Legion Program
Veterans Administration hospitals, the
one in Durham in particular, will be the
topic for Tuesday’s meeting of Edward
G. Bond Post No. 40. American Legion.
Sheriff Troy Toppin, post commander,
said John Puckett and William Shepard,
both of Durham, will be at the meeting
which begins with a dinner at 7 P. M.
Puckett is director of administration
and Shepard is administrator of the
Durham facility.
Sheriff Toppin said Vietnam veterans
are issued a special invitation.
hood committee leaders and advises the
Town Council on matters affecting the
community.
Mayor Byrum said while Evans is a
recent resident of Edenton he has
through the years proven himself as a
genuine leader. “He has shown out
standing leadership in the past in many
areas and he will do a fine job as head
of our Citizens Advisory Council.”
Evans, 31, is a lifelong resident of
Chowan County but moved to Edenton
in July, 1969. He is a partner in
Hughes-Parker Hardware, where he has
been employed for the past 14 years.
He lived on Route 3 prior to moving to
Oakum Street.
The chairman has been active in Eden
ton Jaycees for 10 years and presently
serves as chairman of that organization’s
board of directors. He was president in
1968-69 and had served as vice president
and a board member prior to that. He
is also Northeast Regional membership
chairman, which includes work with 36
clubs.
Evans, the 1967 DSA winner, was
chairman of the Jaycee committee which
spearheaded the sl-million Hospital
Bond Referendum two years ago. He
has been on the board of Edenton Cham
ber of Commerce, serving as treasurer
for one year.
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