Newspapers / The Carolina Indian Voice … / Nov. 11, 1976, edition 1 / Page 4
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Page 4, The Carolina Indian Voice Native American Resaurce Assaciates, Inc. Financial Planners and Consultants General Agents for: nThe Life and Times of ' Bjuitable life. (\ D. Lockleor, II, President Route 4 Dox 266 Lumberton, NC 28058 PURITAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY Providence, Rhode Island/02901 Telephone: 521-0577: MT. AIRY NEWS BY Violet Locklear Rev. Cardeli Oxendine of Charlotte, NC delivered the message on Sunday morning at Mt. Airy Church. Also present was his wife. Rev. Oxendine is the son of Mr. Norman Oxendine. The Bro therhood rendered special music. Attending the homecoming and Sunday morning service at Green Rnes Baptist Church were Mr. and Mrs. Ovvie Lee Locklear and daguhter, Mrs. Beatrice Locklear and daugh ter, Mrs. Violet Locklear, Misses Zina Sampson and Norlean Oxendine. Mr. Marty Jones of Kinston and his girl friend visited Mr. Willie French Jones on Sunday who is a patient at Southeas tern General Hospital. Mr. Jones has been in the hospital for over a week. His condition is improving. Mr. Barrington Blanks re turned home from the hospital Monday. Miss Michelle Sampson, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Rudolph Sampson underwent minor surgery at Southeastern General Hospital last week. She IS home now and doing fine. Going to the polls to vote last Tuesday were Mrs. Rockie Jane Locklear, approaching her 89th birthday, the oldest member of the Mt. Airy community. Also, Mrs. Flor- elle Oxendine, age 93, of the Union Chapel community. They were transported by Mrs. Strawdy. Cummings. These two young ladies were on the job. There was a huge crowd from this area who attended the 42nd annual FCX stock holders meeting on Nov. 4th which was held at the Ovens Auditorium *in Charlotte. En tertainment was by Arthur Smith and his band. It was a nice program after which a free lunch was served. CELEBRATES BIRTHDAY Liilte Monica Kay Maynor celebrated her 3rd birthday Saturday, Nov. 6 at the home of her parents, Mr; and Mrs. Tommy Lynn Maynor. Those helping her to enjoy her day were Selenia Barton, Terre Rennee Tyner, Robbie Dexter Mre. Rockie 3. Maynor and daughter, Monica Kay Maynor Locklear. Bruce Bell Jones, Connie Locklear, Tommy and James Lenard Carter, Sama- tha Oxendine, Tommy Scott, Zina and Delina Sampson, Michelle and Gala Sampson, James Oxendine, Abby and Demetrice Clark, Camailia Oxendine, Debbie Lou Lock lear, India Lowery and Ma- rinia Clark. They served hot dogs, potato chips, cookies, candy and drinks, etc. She received a lot of beautiful gifts and money. Everyone wished her many more birthdays to come. Mr. James Henry Locklear is a patient in Southeastern General Hospital where he underwent surgery. We sure hope him the best of luck. Please remember all the sick ones in our community in your prayers. George Applewhite, the for mer slave, and Stephen Lowry. Henry Berry’s brother, stood trial April 1, 1870. The trial had been transferred to White- ville in Columbus County because Robeson authorities feared that an attempt would be made to free the Lowry Gang members. The outlawed pair were charged with the murder of ex-sheriff Rheuben King. When the case came to trial, however, the prosecution en countered difficulties. Their case relied heavily upon the confession of John Dial, a member of the Gang him self. Dial contended that the confession was untrue and that it had been extracted from him by the use of force, That left only the testimony of Shoema ker John (Eli Ewin), a for mer slave and shoe cobbler. Shoemaker John was being held, along with three other Lowry Gang members, in the Lumberton jail. On April 2, 1870 a woman was allowed to visit the outlawed captives. Reportedly she had an auger concealed somewhere on her person which the captives made good use of, escaping through a hold cut through the jail wall. The Lowry Gang members’ prospects of being set free looked poor notwithstanding the flimsly evidence against them; Daniel L. Russell was residing judge. Russell’s bro ther was among the whites who had recently murdered Malcolm Sanderson, an Indi an. Quite naturally, Russell sentenced Applewhite and Lowry to hang. The pair were taken to the tight-security jail in Wilming ton for security precautions. Stephen Lowry and George Applewhite brought to four the number of Lowry Gang mem bers incarcerated in the Wil mington jail; Calvin and Hen derson Oxendine, brothers (& first cousins of Henry Berry Lowry’s) were being held there pending their trial date. Realizing that thus far no ordinary jail had been suc cessful in holding the Lowry Gang, the sheriff took special pains to insure against escape. His special prisoners were placed in a special cell within the main cell block; indeed they were placed in a jail cell within the main jail ceil. If they were successful in breaking out of the special cell the captives would still have the solid brick walls to deal with. A 24-hour-a-day guard was on duty at ail times. Sunday. June 12, Sylvester Capps, a Black was on guard duty. The night seemed no different from the many other eventless nights Capps had experienced as guard. At 2:00 in the morning he checked the cell doors and finding them secure went upstairs to the kitchen and conversed for a while with another guard that was there. The two guards stepped out onto the prison yard and continued their con versation. Afterwards Capps returned to his post upstairs. To his astonishment and dis may, however, • stark reali ty slapped him in the face: the cell was empty. Capps sound ed the alarm but it was too late. The prisoners had simply vanished. Sheriff Schenck, who incidentally was the origi nator and go-between of the almost successful Saunders scheme to win the Indians’ trust which culminated in Saunders’ death, ordered Capps, the Black guard ar rested for aiding the prison ers in their escape. Sheriff Schenck was mistaken in his assumption and charge, how ever: following is the method the prisoners employed to escape (from “To Die Game” by W. McKee Evans): "A full-scale investigation of the incident, however, made it possible to reconstruct what had actually happened. If to Sheriff Schenck the Lowry escape smacked of treachery, if to Capps it seemed hardly crediht-. there wa*: lea't one . -..11 in iiic Wilmington jaii who knew how the prisoners had gotten away. Willie Har per, a white prisoner, though he slept in (he debtors’ section, enjoyed considerable freedom to wander about the .Jail and keep up with what was going on. Some time back Harper had witnessed a Lowry ruse, seemingly designed to distract guards and prisoners alike, a subterfuge superbly addressed to the special cir cumstances of prison life. He had seen a ‘young lady’ come to the door of the jail and inquire of the guard concern ing a certain ‘Richardson.’ ‘Most of the prisoners were there, listening and looking at her. At the same time,’ Harper watched Stephen Lowry ‘haul in the hatchet, chisel and file,’ by a string pulled surrepti tiously through the jail win- “The ‘young lady’ who creat ed this diversion may have been Rhoda Lowry, the wife of Henry Berry. There is a confused oral tradition, not written down until months later and containing some in correct details, which holds that the Indian girl made the eighty-mile trip to Wilmington on foot in order to take part in an escape plan. Certainly the sensation the ‘young lady’ caused at the jail is similar to the impression Rhoda Lowry made wherever she went. Also it seems reasonable that Rho da would have walked to Wilmington. Had she taken the train, for example, she would almost certainly have been recognized, since there were countless males in Robe son County who could identify Rhoda Lowry without the slightest difficulty and often from an unlikely distance. However, once she was in Wilmington,- where she was not generally known, she could have moved about freely, readily passing for white. “Willie Harper, having seen the Lowrys sneak tools into their cell, began to observe the behavior of these prisoners closely. He saw Steve Lowry working at something. He was shaping a key for the cell door! He saw the Indian ‘try the key made from thejin ^poon and it worked.’ Now that the Lowrys could unlock their cell door, they began to behave in a way that Willie Harper found very mysterious. Instead of all of them at once making a sudden bolt for freedom, they careful ly watched for lapses of vigilance on the part of the guard. Then, one of them would leave the cell, locking the door behind them, go to the floor above, stay for a time but return to the Lowry cell before there was a danger that he might be missed. “Having the free run of the jail, Willie decided that he would do some investigating. Upstairs he found an empty cell, one side of which was the outer wall of the prison. The Negro outlaw, George Apple- white, was in the empty cell busily scratching mortar from between the bricks. Now that Willie knew what they were up to, he thought that he had betler speak to these men whose appointment with the hangman had drawn so un comfortably close. With un believable stupidity he warned them. ‘You will get into trouble!’ The Lowrys, not con cerned primarily at that mo ment with maintaining convi vial relations with the county prison staff, predicted that Harper wouM have some unpleasant experiences unless he held his tongue. Intimi dated, he maintained silence until after the Lowrys made their escape. On June 13. about two in the morning, when their special guard went downstairs to chat with a colleague, the Lowrys acted quickly. Crawling out the hole they had cut in the outer wall on the third floor, they slid forty feet to the ground on a rope made from strips of blankets, and (hen hurried northward along a moonlit street.” Tabor City 21 Pembroke 16 TABOR CITY - Tabor City held off a lale Pembro ke rally and took a 21-16 win in a high school football game Friday night. The non-conference win left Tab or City with a 9-1 record for the season. Pembroke finish ed at 4-5. Pembroke look the early lead on a 56-yard pttss from Travis Sampson to William Lowery, Charles Vereen tied the score for Tabor City with a 23-yard run and conversion tally. Vereen went more than 100 yards rushing on the night. Later scores by Tyrone Kelly and Billy Scott, on a recovery of a blocked punt, gave Tabor City the points needed for victory. Steve Pipkins scored late in the game for Pembroke. A conversion pass from Sampson, who threw for more than 100 yards, nar rowed the margin to five points, but Pembroke could not come up with another score. K PenalVzed 30 .33 Pembroke t o 0 i—1* ■ ■ I 7 * > Sampson ... il m (Vereen ru .. lAllen kick) TC—Scolt recovered Olockes p endzone (l>assfa ' from Sampson) Thursday, November 11, 1976 Tabor CiU (Ransom pass from Sampson) TC-Vere«n 23 rC-KclIv 5ru Magnolia loses MAXTON — Maxton High Sdiool moved up its final game of the regular football season to Thursday night, and the Eagles crushed Magi,alla 60-0. llie victory gives Maxton a 9- 1 record as they prepare to defaid their state 1-A football crown in the post-season playoffs which begin next week. Prospect wins & advances Prospect Cats completed their third year of varsity c(»npetiti(Mi with a 28-6 win over Che CJarktoi) Blue Devils 28-6 propelling them into a second place tie in the Cape Pear Conference with Tar Heel. For the Cats, it means that they will be the odds on choice to represent the Cape Fear in the state playoffs. Prospect was led by a superb defense and the hard running of Jeffery Cummings, Cummings led aU rushers in the game with a total of 164 yards cm the ground. Defensive standouts for the game were Timmie LocUear and Chris Gark, Locklear with a fumble recovery and two pass interceptions, and Clark with two fumble recoveries. Milton Locklear, and Tcnnmy Oiavis also recovered fumbles for the Cats. The Cats will be traveling to the mountains to battle Robbinsville, a name that is familiar to Robeson County fans from the last two years in 1-A playoff action. The Cats were jubilant over their win and Coach James Howard Locklear has built the Cats into contenders in j ust three years of varisty football. Continued next week- I On Tuesday, November 12, 1776, in reply to com plaints of mistreatment of prisoners the British replied, "they are served with the same kind of provisions issued to the King's troops, at two third allowance when on board transports. They certainly are very sickly, owing to their want of clothing, and necessaries, salt provisions, confinement, foul air and lit tle exercise." I want to thank each one '^American Viewpoints of you for your fine support. May God bless each of you. I know all the votes I got were for the man and not the party. I say again thanks. Carnell Locklear makes a majority. Andrew Jackson A PROFILE OF WILLIAM FRENCH PAUL hv h Inrklftar W’liun F. Paul Staging plays in a tent in the back of one’s home is a big contrast to staging productions in Hollywood, Califorina; yet Pembroke’s Willie French Paul has done both. The Lumbee Indian, having returned to his native Robeson County four years ago, has a career of movie-producing be hind him. He laughed recently when he told of his childhood acting. “As a young boy growing up in Pembroke, I built ‘stupid’ tents back of my parents’ house, and put on shows. The neighborhood kids would take part or serve as an audience.” For three decades this na tive of Pembroke rubbed shoulders with the greats and near greats of the film world. He started as a drama student at the Pasadena Playhouse,_ after a brief fling as”a Pembroke State College student. While a student at PSC in 1944, Paul produced two plays which he described as “extra- vanganzas.” Recognizing act ing potential in her fellow student, the late Gladys Oxen dine Locklear gave Paul a brochure on The Academy of Arts, which was the biggest in the entire country, and said, 'Bill, if you want to study drama, this is the place you want to go.’ “Mrs. Ira Pate Lowry also encouraged me to go away and study. Yet, 1 chose to study at the Pasadena Playhouse,” the 52-year-old movie producer said. He remembered, “My fa ther was a staunch business man, and he expected me to finish in a regular college. He didn’t appreciate the fact that I wanted to go to the Pasadena Playhouse, but I insisted.” “Being only 18 years old at the time, I was frightened to death when I left Robeson County. There were 300 select students enrolled at Pasadena, which Gilmore Brown estab lished in the early 1900's,” he explained. He had to have three written endorsements in order to apply for admission, and the only contact he had was with Paul Green, well-known North Carolina playwright, who was at the time, a highly respected writer for MGM. “I first met Paul Green at PSC when he visited the campus and attended a little pageant, based on Indians of North Carolina, held in the old gym in 1939. Even at that time, though I was still in high school, I was interested in going to Hollywood,” he con tinued. Paul Green became one of the endorsers of Willie French Paul to MGM. After only three months of study at Pasadena, Paul grad uated into bit parts, and later formed his own producing company to turn out a wide variety of short subjects for theaters and television. His first movie was ‘A Mardi Gras Affair,’ which featured Lucille Ball, who was then a virtual unknown. Through the late 1940’s and early ’50’s Paul worked with celebrities like Deana Durbin, Barbara Stanwyck, Cornell Wilde, Orson Wells, Rita Hayworth, Jimmy Durante, and Fanny Brice. In the latter part of his film career, Paul flirted more than once with fame and fortune. His talent agency. Actors and Artists, he said had Michael Landon under contract, and later represented Donna Douglas, who made it big in the “Beverly Hillbillies.” Paul wound up his career as one of the founders of Globe International Pictures, a pro duction outfit that made al most 30 short subjects. Today he lives alone at the 120-year-old homeplace on Second Street in Pembroke. He is involved in settling estates, that of his mother and an aunt. He sadly admits that he wants to go back to Hollywood—he enjoyed the ex citement of show business. ■ ‘There’s little to do here in my field,” he readily admits. "Of course, things could happen here, you know,” he interjec ted. In 1975, he founded The Arts, Crafts and Sciences of The Motion Pictures, Tele vision, and The Recording Industry. Paul’s eyes lit up as he described his newest or ganization. The organization is designed to develop young talent in all races, but especi ally in the Indian race. "We haven’t been able to get this project off the ground because of lack of funds. But I think with the realization of the Democratic administra tion, things will start to happen in the field of the Arts,” he said. He describes himself as a politician to a degree. But he doesn’t like to get too involv ed. “I’m a Democrat and proud of it,” he boasted. Paul recognizes that one failure today of secondary schools in the community is that of not having established a sound drama curriculum. “That’s why 1 founded ACS-to stimulate this interest in ele mentary and high schools.” “This kind of activity is the kind of thing that would stimulate kids, and give them some kind of interest and keep them off the streets. Once a person appears on the stage, that is a proud person,” he convincingly added. Paul had good things to say about North Carolina’s newest outdoor drama, “Strike At The Wind,” and felt it a great outlet for local talent. “They did such an excellent job in doing Strike at the Wind. I never dreamed it could be a musical, but yet that was my idea of Henry Berry Lowrie.” He regrets that he was unable to take an active part in producing the production, but at the time, was involved in settling two estates. “They were so professional and or ganized, they didn’t need me,” he commented. Paul is one of the original members of Robeson Histori cal Drama, Inc. organized in 1968, which sponsors the outdoor drama Strike at the Wind. He admitted that the production which premiered this year was “the biggest surprise of my life. Its greatest attribute was people working together,” he said. When not raising tobasco peppers in his garden. Paul keeps himself busy working on a pilot film based onthe people of Robeson County. He ac cepts the theory that the Intiians of Robeson County are descendants of White’s Lost Colony and said, “1 have the facts. At one time. I actually had a company in Hollywood that was really interested in doing this film, but the budget was too small, and I stepped down.” He thinks the story of of Henry Berry Lowrie would be ideal for television, but the violent part of the play would have to be reduced. Right now. Paul’s idea of staying young is to keep doing something. He manages the 500 acres of property left in the Paul family estates. “1 want to see Arts. Crafts and Sciences become a reali zation. I’m not retired, and don’t plan to anytime soon. “To go from motion pictures to agriculture-that's the most interesting thing I can do right now.” concluded Paul. ObHuories MRS. ELIZA DEESE PEMBROKE — Mrs. Eliza Deese, 94. died at her home Saturday evening. Funeral ser vices were conducted at 2 p.m. on Tuesday at White Hill Church by the Rev. T.N. Swett and Luther Locklear. Burial was at the church cemetery. Survivors are: four -.ons, James W. Deese. Bert Deese. Neil D. Deese. and Earl Deese, all of Maxton; five daughters, Mrs. Daniel H. Graham of Laurinburg, Mrs. Roberta Hammonds of Row land, Mrs. Odessa Deese Locklear, Mrs. Curtis Locklear and Mrs. Tommy Deese, all of Maxton; 56 grandchildren; 89 great grandchildren, and 30 great great grandchildren. LAURENCE STRICKLAND LOCKLEAR Lawrence Strickland Lock lear, born June 26. 1948, died November 1. 1976. Funeral services were conducted at 3 p.ii’ N''vember 4fh at Zion Hill Baptist Church. Officiat ing ministers were Rev. King Maynor and Rev. Tommy Haggins. He is survived by his wife Polly Jacobs Locklear; one son, Fredrick Lyn Locklear; his mother, Joyce Locklear Grif fin; his grandfather, Quessie Locklear: five brothers, Gene LiTcklear, Benny Locklear. Jr., Timmy Griffin. Kenny Griffin of Rennert, and Larry Lock lear of Shannon: five sisters, Catherine Locklear Maynor and Carol Griffin of Rennert, Sarah Locklear Hunt of Dillon, S.C., Mary Locklear Oxendine of Pembroke, and Arlene Locklear of Red Springs; seven aunts and one uncle. MRS LENA 0. CHAVIS Mrs. Lena O. Chavis, 68, died November 1, 1976. Fun eral services were conducted at 3 p.m. November 4th at Bear Swamp Church. Officiat ing ministers were the Rev. Jimmy Strickland. Rev. James D. Dial, and Rev. T.M. Swett. Burial was at the church cemetery. She is survived by her husband, Ulysses Preston Cha vis; six sons, Freddie L. Chavis of Detroit. Mich., Sylvester Chavis of Lansing, Mich., Earl B. Chavis of Lake City, S.C., Grover Chavis, Donald A. Chavis, and James Lindberg Chavis, all of Pem broke; six daughters. Mrs. A.C. Locklear, Jr. of Holly Hill, S.C.. Mrs. Douglas Hunt, Sr., Mrs. John D. Johnson, Mrs. James Earl Lowery, Mrs. John Lewis Lowery, and Ms. Angela Y. Chavis, all of Pembroke: three sisters, Mrs. Tommy Lowery, Mrs. Velton Deese of Pembroke, and Mrs. Marvin Blue of Lumberton; four brothers, Mr. Cearly Oxendine. Mr. Chess Oxen dine, Mr. Joseph Oxendine of Pembroke, and Mr. Huell Dial of Michigan; 27 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren. THE CAROLINA INDIAN VOICE
The Carolina Indian Voice (Pembroke, N.C.)
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Nov. 11, 1976, edition 1
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