CHOWAN HERALD
Published In The Most Beautiful Little City On The North Carolina Coast
Volume LLIV - No. 41
I
Edenton, North Carolina, Thursday, October 27,1988
Single Copies 25 Cents
Not To Be Diverted
We intend to ignore com
ments by James G. Robinson,
Bob Rossman and Sally Har
rison in recent letters to the
editor because we feel it is
more important to keep expos
ing the phony nature of the
Bush-Quayle campaign than
to engage in "you're another"
with kibitzers on the side
lines.
While professing to want a
"kinder, gentler" America,
George Bush has done nothing
but malign the name and
distort the record of Gov.
Michael Dukakis since the
campaign was joined. He has
been unrelenting in his effort
to picture the governor as an
other "tax and spend eastern
liberal," while draping him
self in the American flag and
representing himself to be ex
actly what his record has not
t been for the past eight years.
He has derided Dukakis
for not cleaning up Boston
harbor, while forgetting his
own opposition to almost every
environmental improvement
proposed during the Reagan
administration. That is why
environmentalists gave him
g. a grade D.
He has accused uukakis ot
furloughing felons to rape
and kill while presenting
himself as the paragon of law
and order. He has studiously
Ignored the fact that the Mas
fSfchusetts parole program
was instituted by a Republi
can governor and tightened
tD up by Dukakis when convicts
began violating the trust. And
he has remained silent in
seven languages about a sim
ilar program in his home
state of Texas, where a convict
left a half-way house, raped a
minister's wife and then
added the coup de grace by
killing his victim. Nor has he
^ seen fit to mention that
Ronald Reagan had a similar
case while governor of Cali
fornia, where a furloughed
convict killed a policeman
and a teacher. On the con
trary, the Vice President
journeyed to Texas to present
a presidential award to oper
^ ators of the half-way house.
^ He has derided Gov.
Dukakis for vetoeing a bill
making the Pledge of Alle
giance compulsory in the
Massachusetts public schools,
knowing that the Supreme
Court of the United States
struck down such a law back
in the McCarthy days. He
a says Dukakis, in asking an
V advisory opinion from his
own Supreme Court, was
seeking a way to avoid sign
ing the bill while he himself
would have been "looking for
a way to sign it." In other
words, he would have been
looking for a way to get
around the law just as he did
M trading arms for the release
He has accused the gover
nor of being a 24-karat gun
controller while be himself is
a true disciple of the NRA.
The facts are that Dukakis,
along with almost every po
in the coun
amendment
required a
of cer
that law
could
of the
PltOBABLE CAUSE-Chowan Sheriffs Deputies Greg Whitehurst (left) and Victor Lamb
escort Randall Powell from the courthouse after probable cause was found in District Court to try
him oh a first degree murder charge in the death of Donald Meeler at Cape Colony.
Lt. Governor Hopeful
Gardner Campaigns Here
The parade of candidates
for state office was about com
plete With the visit to Edenton
of Republican candidate for
Lt. Gov., Jim Gardner on
Wednesday, Oct. 19.
Gardner told the crowd at a
luncheon at the Golden Corral
of his program for the future of
the state and took jabs at his
opponent, Tony Rand.
Listeners were told of
GARDNER CAMPAIGNS--Jim Gardner, Republican candi
date for Lt. Gov., was in Edenton at the Golden Corral last week.
He told listeners that hundreds of thousands of votes of con
servative Democrats as well as those of Republicans are needed
for his success and that of Gov. Jim Martin.
Thief Is Apprehended
Parker's Drop-In, on the
corner of Granville and Cart
eret Streets, was the scene of a
robbery early Friday morn
ing.
James Nixon, owner, said
that "« little after 6 a.m.” a
man entered his store and or
dered abound ef sausage. Af
ter -serving him, the man sent
him back to the .meat counter
for one-half pound of lunch
meat. By this time, suspicious
of the way the man was lean
ing across the counter next to
the cash register, he locked the
register before going for the
lunch meat.
Nixon then saw the man
try to gain erttry to the register
and approached him. Nixon
told police the man hit him
with a chair and then the cash
register before leaving the
store with the register.
Police were callgd at 6:07
' a.m. according to Police
Chief John Parrish. Respond
ing to the call were Edenton
Police Officers L.C. Brothers,
Tim Hickman and Chowan
Sheriff Fred Spruill.
They went to a house at 403
No. Granville where they
were admitted and searched
the residence. They found
Sylvester Armstead, 30, hid
ing in a closet and arrested
him.
Armstead has been charg
ed with common law robbery
Continued On Page 8
Congressman Jones Speaks To Local Democrats
First District Congress
man Walter B. Jones was on
hand for a well attended
breakfast meeting of support
ers at Caroline's last Thurs
day morning. Supremely
confident of his own re-elec
tion, he spoke on behalf of the
state and national Demo
cratic slate of candidates.
Mentioning old friends
here, Jones said "When I
come to Edenton, I feel like
I'm coming home."
Not once did he mention the
name of his Republican chal
lenger, Howard Moye of
Farmville. This is Moye's
second shot at Jones' seat in
two years. He was soundly
defeated in the 1986 election.
Jones is running for his
eleventh consecutive term in
the U.S. House of Representa
tives.
The crowd heard mostly
what was wrong with the Re
publican candidates. "If Bush
were elected, God forbid," he
worried about what would
happen if he had to resign for '
any reason. "A Boy Scout and
a National Guard hero, would
have to take over,” a reference
to vice-presidential candidate
Over, "He hasn't done any
like him. He's a
trial friend." How
Governor Jim
isman said of
thing (as Governor) to be crit
icized for."
The Congressional atten
dance record of Jim Gardner,
candidate for Lt. Gov. was
next in line for criticism.
"He didn't like it. He didn’t
like it so much he missed 56
per cent of the votes," while in
Congress.
He said that current polls
showing Republican candi
dates leading among regis
tered voters were "very im
pressive." However, he urged
Democrats to take heart, "vote
seriously and help your
friends get rid of this propa
ganda."
Jones said that he began his
campaign swing on Oct. 11
and that by last Saturday he
would have visited 20 of the 21
counties in the district.
les paused for a
photo with a portion of hi* staff after speaking to local Democrats at a breakfast meeting.
Standing (from left) are Wayne Harris and Dianne Jenkins, district representatives, Floyd
Lupton, administrative assistant, Willie Reddick, district representative and Bob Peele, on the
staff of Jones' House Merchant Marine Committee.
CONGRESSMAN JONES AT CAROLINE'S- Congressman Walter B.
Gardner's get-tough legisla
tive proposals in the battle
against illegal drugs. He
said he wants to "Make the
risk factor equal to the profit
factor for selling drugs." He
is calling for a state law
mandating "day-for-day in
jail" in accordance with the
sentences meted out.
His "School Yard Bill"
would bring an automatic 28
year sentence without parole
for those convicted of selling
drugs on any campus from
elementary schools through
colleges. He also called for
better drug education in the
schools.
Summing up his feelings
concerning drug dealers, "I
think they ought to string
them up."
He responded to Rand ads
attacking his low attendance
during his second year as a
U.S. Congressman. He said
that Rand had "a one hundred
attendance record" at closed
door meetings of a small
group of state legislators - the
so-called "super sub" - that
has made key decisions in
secret during annual state
budget sessions.
Gardner referred to the re
cently televised debate be
tween Rand and himself.
When he took Rand to task for
an announced meeting of the
super sub of eight members on
Continued On Page &
Details Revealed
In Murder Case
By JACK GROVE
The judicial process is
continuing in the case of a
Chowan County man charged
with a drug-related murder at
Cape Colony on the weekend
of October 2.
Probable cause was found
Tuesday in Chowan District
Court to try Randall Julian
Powell, 18, of first degree
murder.
In the hearing, Powell's
attorney, Lloyd Smith of
Windsor, questioned investi
gating officers SBI Agent
Dwight Ransom and Sheriffs
Deputy Victor Lamb at length.
From the witness stand, they
gave a detailed account of the
bludgeoning death of Donald
P. Meeler, 36, at his mobile
home.
After questioning of Powell
early on the morning of Oct.
5, he produced a written state
ment confessing to the mur
der. From the tenor of some of
his questions, Smith seemed
to be laying the groundwork
for discrediting the con
fession either due to denial of
Powell's Constitutional rights
under the Miranda decision
or due to intoxication under
the influence of ingested co
caine.
Ransom and Lamb testi
fied that Powell was picked up
at a room at the Travel Host
Inn at 4 a.m. on Oct. 5. Two
other white males were in the
same room where officers ob
served two twelve-packs of
beer strewn about. Also found
under the coverlet of one of the
beds was a mirror with traces
of a white powder, a razor
blade and a pipe.
Ransom said that Powell
was told at the motel that they
were conducting a homicide
investigation and that he was
believed to be one of five per
sons to have last seen the vic
tim alive.
The SBI agent said that
Powell was asked general
questions, such as his where
abouts during that weekend,
and that he initially took no
notes during the 40 minute
questioning. When Powell
volunteered that he had re
turned to Meeler’s residence
in the early morning hours
and had struck him, the offi
cers told him to stop talking
and advised him of his Mi
randa rights against self-in
crimination and right to have
an attorney present.
After hearing his rights,
Ransom said that he volun
tarily wrote out the confession
and answered additional
questions.
Continued On Page 8
Safety Is Stressed
Monday is Halloween. The
Chowan County Sheriff s
Dept, and the Edenton Police
Dept, want to maintain the
safety record for young trick
or-treaters enjoyed in the
town and county in the past.
Special treat collection
bags from the National Safety
Council are available at no
cost at the Sheriffs Dept, of
fice. The bags are reflector
ized for additional night
visibility. Starter candy is
included as well as assorted
product coupons.
The bags are imprinted
with safety reminders for
youngsters and a safety tip
booklet is enclosed for mom
and dad.
Police Chief John Parrish
and Sheriff Fred Spruill have
recommended that the door-to
door Halloween visits be
made between 5:30 and 8:30
p.m. and be limited to ages 12
and younger.
They also recommend the
following for the safety of
youngsters:
• Children should be accom
panied by an adult;
• Carry a flashlight after
dark;
• Wear light colored cloth
ing;
• Be careful of traffic cross
ing streets;
• Trick or Treat in your own
neighborhood; and
• Remember that Chowan
Hospital will once again
make free X-rays of candies
and other food collected.