THE CHOWAN HERALD
Published In The Most Beautiful Little City On The North Carolina Coast
Volume LI I * No. 34
Edenton, North Carolina, Thursday, August 28. 1986
Single Copies 25 Cents
Close Encounter
With Tragedy
Whatever else they are telling
themselves, Carteret County civil
authorities flunked the evacuation
test presented by hurricane
Charley Sunday morning, August
First, a little background. Our
place is at Pine Knoll Shores,
about midway down Bogue Island,
served by NC 58.- There is a
drawbridge at Morehead City and
a high-rise tyidge at the western
end near Emerald Isle.
We were awakened by the
storm about 7 a.m., got up and
turned on the New Bern TV sta
tion, Channel 12, which was busy
with a childrens’ cartoon show.
We turned on the radio and were
served up everything from fun
damentalist preaching to rock
music.
After about 30 minutes, the
television station ran a reader
across the screen saying that
Charley was about 60 miles down
the coast, headed for the
Morehead City area at about six
miles an hour. Residents were ad
vised to get off the island via NC
58 and the high-rise bridge at the
western end.
We waked our company and
prepared to leave. Foregoing
breakfast, we were out on the road
k before 9 a.m. We headed west
* toward Emerald Isle. By Salter
Path, traffic was heavy; by In
dian Beach, it was bumper-to
bumper; by Emerald Isle, it was
at a standstill. But there was still
Continued On Page 4
Jury Remains
Deadlocked
The state and county could be
the victims if a jury remains
deadlocked with a 11-1 count on a
trial involving a $75 bad check in
Superior Court this week.
A conservative estimate of cost
for operating a courtroom is be
tween $165 and $200 per hour and
the cost is shared by the county
and state. The jury, after
deliberating part of Tuesday and
Wednesday morning, was dead
locked at press time but the
foreman said it had not stopped
working toward an agreement.
Hie deadlock came after John
Carroll Williams of Chowan Coun
ty was charged with obtaining
property by false pretense. Judge
James Llewellyn told prospective
jurors, “The most important job
that will be done in the courtroom
this week is yours.. .Jury duty is
a necessary evil you as a citizen
must put up with.”
SBI Special Agent Dwight Ran
soms testified that Joel Calvin
williams received a bad check
from Fouch Investments in
California and North Carolina Na
tional Bank mailed the check and
a debit voucher for his account to
his home on Route 4, Edenton.
But the check was delivered to
John Carroll Williams’box on the
same route, according to Ran
some. Both men use the name J.C.
Williams. .; ** . ‘
Ransoms said John Williams
called the California company and
said he had its check and gave his
ment to be sent to Us box. Hie
witness further stated that
Williams cashed the check at
! Bridge Turn Exxon Station.
Funding Protested
By JACK GROVE
An angry state Rep. Vernon
James gave Department of
Transportation officials a tongue
lashing at a meeting in Hartford
Friday. Saying that this part of
the state was not getting its fair
share of highway funds, James
said, “You got the money from the
legislature.” The recent short ses
sion saw $200 million approved for
state roads.
Directing his next remarks to
area DOT Board members Earl
Rountree of Sunbury and Kenneth
Roberson of Robersonville, the
legists tor told them that they
were not doing enough on needed
highway projects. “You represent
this district. I expect you to do
your part,” James, told them.
Roberson was singled out for
particular attention concerning
his recent distribution of $1
million in discretionary road
money. He had allocated the bulk
of the funds to counties in his area,
with only $9,000 going into the five
counties represented by Rountree.
The $9,000 went to Elizabeth City.
Of this unequal division, James
told Roberson, “I’m telling you, I
want equity.” He said his consti
tuents “have not gotten what they
have the right to expect.”
Local officials attending the
meeting included Edenton Mayor
John Dowd, Hertford Mayor Bill
Cox, Elizabeth City Mayor Tyra
Newell, Kathy Miller from the
Edenton-Chowan Chamber of
Commerce, and representatives
from Camden, Perquimans, Pas
quotank, Currituck, Chowan and
Gates counties and Republican
candidate for the state legislature,
Shirley Perry.
Other DOT officials attending
included State Highway Ad
ministrator George Wells, Depu
ty Assistant Secretary Jerry
Hardesty, Chief Engineer Earl
McIntyre and district engineers.
Hie group was told by Wells
that the $9 million contract to four
lane U.S. 17 from Winfall north to
connect with the four-lane south of
Elizabeth City had slipped back a
year in planning. The summer of
1988 is now targeted for the pav
ing work to begin.
Roberson said that the four
laning of U.S. 64 from Tarboro to
Rocky Mount is projected to be
Completed by 1990. Of plans to
four-lane from Williamston to
Tarboro he said, “I’m trying to tie
it down in the TIP (the state’s
Transportation Improvement
Plan). He said that there was
nothing in the TIP concerning
widening 17 from Hertford to
Edenton but he was planning to
request that it be included.
Rountree spoke of a recent trip
to the western part of the state
where tourism was increasing due
to four-lane roads. “We’ve got to
build the roads to get the tourists
down here,’’ he maintained. He
said that it was up to local officials
to develop local tourism. Mayor
Cox observed, “If we could get the
roads, we could get the tourists,”
VISITING CEO—Tom Smith (1.), President and Chief Executive Of
ficer of the Food Lion chain paid a visit to the Edenton store Tuesday
afternoon. Edenton may be the site of a new store. With Smith is store
manager John Schiiler.
Food Lion Executives Visit Edenton
Executives of Food Lion, Inc.
were in Edenton Tuesday after
noon to have a look at the local
store and to explore the feasibili
ty of building a new store here.
The store officials, who flew in
to Edenton from company head
quarters at Salisbury, N.C., in
cluded President and Chief Ex
ecutive Officer, TomE. Smith and
Merchandising Director, John
Watkins.
The supermarket chain has 360
stores in North and South
Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Ten
nessee and a recently opened
store in Maryland, according to
Smith.
The food executive said that the
company was “considering a new
location” in Edenton. “We would
build a 25,000 sq. ft. store,” he
said. The present store is smaller
than most Food Lion outlets with
only 18,000 sq. ft. of shopping area.
Store manager John Schiiler said
that the store had a smaller than
needed storage area.
Man Found Guilty of 2nd Degree Murder
By JEANETTE WHITE
A Chowan County man was
found guilty of second degree
murder and sentenced to 20 years
in prison Tuesday in
court after what Judge James u.
Llewellyn called a “plea
arrangement”.
Lee Dell Leary Jr., 24, of Route
1, Edenton, entered the guilty plea
in exchange for State Attorney
Frank Parrish dropping a charge
murder.
charged with the
riotgun slaying of Alfred
Christopher (Honey Pig) Holley,
35, in the Wingfield section of the
county.
As he entered the guilty plea,
Defense Attorney Charles Busby
said, “In light of the evidence, I
won't say much. We (meaning
Leary) tried to reach a plea we
could live with.”
cess of the presumed incarcera
tion.
Leary sat calm and emotionless
as Deputy Sheriff Wayne Rice,
who was the only witness in the
case, summarized events leading
to the shooting.
According to the deputy, an
argument involving various
members of the Leary family
erupted the afternoon of the slay
ing at the home of David (Snook)
Copeland when Connie Leary Jer
nigan, sister of the defendant, ac
cused Holley of saying she had
AIDS (Acquired Immune Defi
ciency Syndrome).
Rice said Lillian Copeland at
tempted to stop the argument and
asked the participants to leave her
home. While the family was leav
ing, another fight erupted in the
yard between two women. The
HERTFORD MEETING—DOT and area officials had a luncheon meeting in Hertford Friday. DOT Board
member, Kenneth Roberson, speaks to the group about area highway concerns. Standing next to Rober
son is Jerry T. Hardesty, Dep. Asst. Sec. of the N.C. DOT.
Dunn Welcomes School Personnel
The Edenton-Chowan school
system held its annual Back-To
School breakfast last week. Ad
ministrators, school board
members, teachers, staff person
nel and town and county officials
packed the Holmes High School
cafeteria to hear words of
welcome from Superintendent
John Dunn.
Dunn began with “Happy new
year everybody.” He told of two
teachers he had spoken to. One
said that the breakfast event was
the first time she had had her
shoes on all summer and the other
remarked that Monday morning
was the earliest she had gotten out
of bed since the close of school.
The superintendent told the
school personnel, “We’re really
happy to see you back and get
things started. You’re part of a
great school system.”
He listed accomplishments
from last year: The lowest
dropout rate of any county in the
state; student test scores continu
ing to increase above the national
average; continually lower dis
cipline referrals; being chosen by
the state as one of the county
systems to conduct a pilot test of
the new Career Ladder Program;
only school sytem in the nation
with an NJROTC training vessel;
senior class as guests of the Presi
dent ; two years without a charge
able accident for school buses;
and the installation of three
heating sytems in schools by
maintenance personnel resulting
in $300,000 in cost savings.
“Our effort will be to reach for
even more exceptional things this
year. To stretch and to try to
broaden what we’ve already done.
This school system is what you
wish it to be,” Dunn concluded.
The school system has had a
motto for each of the past four
years as a guide and focus for the
school year. Over 100 entries were
submitted for this year’s credo.
Mrs. Brenda Little submitted the
1966-87 motto “Reach For The Ex
ceptional.” Her winning effort
was rewarded with a check for
$100.
Special guest speaker for the oc
casion was former school board
member, Dr. J.H. Horton. He
discussed the relationships be
tween the many facets of a school
system, from board members to
maintenance and janitorial
workers. He told the school per
sonnel, “I’m sure you will do it
better. You are good people.”
Sanford Stresses Democratic Party Unity
A capacity crowd of en
thusiastic local Democrats filled
Holmes High School cafeteria to
hear former N.C. Governor Terry
Sanford outline his campaign for
the U.S. Senate last Thursday
evening.
Sanford granted a short inter
view upon his arrival at the
school. He was asked if he ex
pected to return to the area prior
to the November elections. He
said that he would attend two
district rallies in this part of the
state.
The candidate’s stop in Edenton
was part of a swing through the
northeast in keeping with his
pledge to visit all 100 counties of
the state prior to Labor Day. “I
think it’s very important to cover
all parts of the state,” the senate
hopeful said.
On future TV debates with his
opponent, Senator James
Broyhill, he said, “I’ve accepted
every invitation,” saying that
there have been eight so far.
Sanford was asked whether he
would respond in kind to labels,
such as “liberal” and “conser
vative” that have aired on
Broyhill’s radio ads during the
past week. He said that his ap
proach would be a positive one,
concentrating on “what we can
do. The past is an indication of
what I can do in the future.” He
said that he would ask the public
to “Not vote against, but vote for”
a candidate.
An hour-long thunderstorm that
arrived with the candidate did
nothing to dampen the crowd’s
mood, even though power was lost
in the building for a period
through the dinner and opening in
troductions of local party officials.
Power was restored in time for
Sanford’s address.
He stressed the importance to
his campaign of restoring
Democratic Party unity, beginn
ing at the local precinct level and
the involvement of young people
in the process. “Democrats
everywhere are tired ot losing,
he pointed out.
Sanford told the assemblage
that he plans to run “An absolute
ly clean, forward-looking cam
paign. I think it’s important to
stick to that. Politics is not a dir
ty game. It’s the very essence of
American government.”
Issues listed for his campaign
were:
•the farm economy - “We need
Continued On Page 4
Stumers' Annual
Fish Fry Planned
The Chowan County Shrine Club
will hold its annual Fish Fry on
Saturday, September 6 at the Boy
Scout Hut in Edenton.
The Shriners will begin serving
fish plates at 11:00 a.m. All pro
ceeds will go towards support of
the Shriners’ Crippled Childrens’
Hospitals.
MEET SANFORD—Marjorie HoUowell, Clerk of Court and Willi* Privott take the opportunity to meet
former governor Terry Sanford teat Thursday evening. The Democratic candidate for the UUP Senate
waa winding up a tour of the state’s 100 counties.