WHAT NEXT???
It i? definitely election season. Hie rumors are already
abounding. The latest is that Hubert Stone. Sheriff of
Robeson County, and District Attorney Richard Townsend
are at odds. It would appear that someone wants us to
believe that Tbwnsend should be elected District Attorney
on that premise alone. The politicians and rumor mongers
certainly do believe that the voters of Robeson County are
gullible. We contend that the voters in Robeson County
are more aware now than they have ever been. We
question many things in both those departments...Com
mon sense tells us that if Stone and Townsend were at 1
odds, the first thing Stone would do would be to dismiss ?
Martin McCall's wife. She's Stone's private secretary and
it is believed by many people that McCall makes the i
decisions in the district attorney's office. Rumor has it 1
that George Regan who has filed as a candidate for
district attorney is a Hubert Stone supporter... We wonder
who strated that one....Our advice is that every time you I
hear one of these interesting stories, stop and ask
yourself some pertinent questions. Why is it necessary for
the Sheriff and the District Attorney to run on the same
ticket. After all, they both have separate jobs to do. The
Sheriff"s job is to make arrests,, as well as maintain law
and order. Hie district attorney is supposed to prosecute I
cases for the state of North Carolina. If there is not i
enough evidence to warrant a trial, in the district i
attorney's opinion, the charges should be dropped for I
insufficient evidence. We know very little about George I
Regan. We have had some knowledge of District Attorney '
Richard Townsend in his official capacity.....We believe i
that someone is using the sheriff s race to garner votes for i
Townsend. We are encouraged on the other hand by this i
turn of events because it says to us that the sheriff and <
others realize that Stone has some serious opposition and <
it is possible for him to be defeated. 1
One of the most interesting Stone manufactured plays i
on logi* is this; "let Hubert Stone serve for four more <
years and he will hav&eompleted his career. He will then c
endorse Detective Jimmy Maynor for sheriff...The man c
deserves to finish his career." Boy! That is one for the j
books. That won't work, Hubert Who are you to decide ?
who the next sheriff is? And may we remind you that you
are elected by the people of Robeson County and must be r
accountable to the people of Robeson County. You are not
suppose to be a dictator and appoint your own successor.
We remember that it worked well for former sheriff
Malcolm McLeod. When he endorsed Hubert Stone, the
voters behaved as if a Higher Power had spoken...In our
opinion, we made a serious mistake. After thirty years in
i. w enforcement if Hubert Stone's career is not made, it is
impossible to make it. We advice all voters to weigh these
stories, theories and out right lies. The truth is that
Hubert Stone has not been the best sheriff for Robeson
County. We icniind you once again that Sheriff Stone,
chief law enforcement officer, writes letters of
"reference" for ?lrug dealers and also testifies to their
good character in open court. Is there something wrong
with that picture?
It seems that the county of Robeson County will pay
the family of Jimmy Earl Cummings $65,000 as a
settlement in the wrongful death suit filed by Cummings'
family. The suit was filed against the county, Sheriff
Hubert Stone and his son, Kevin Stone, who killed Jimmy
Earl Cummings...Not to worry though, according to
County Attorney Joe'' Pete'' Ward the money will be paid
by the insurance company. Too bad nobody has bothered
to tell us, the taxpayers, how much money has been paid
in settlements of suits since Sheriff Hubert Stone's reign
began...The good news is that the county has admitted
that the murder of Jimmy Earl Cummings was a
'wrongful death." It took them from November 1, 1986
jntil Monday night to tell us what we already knew...If
ndeed it was a wrongful death, and the county said it
was, why is Kevin Stone still a member of the Robeson
Ilounty Sheriff's Department? He caused the wrongful
ieath of Jimmy Earl Cummings and cost the taxpayers
(65,000 in addition to his salary over the years.... What is
tecessary for his dismissal? We call on the Sheriff of this
?ounty to stop nepotism. Stop defending convicted drug
lealers and those who are responsible for "wrongful
leaths." Show some courage, Hubert Stone, dismiss
"our son, or resign....Better yet, just resign...
Rep. Sidney Locks is rethinking his de cision to
esign from the legislature. We encourage him to finish
out his term as a member of the House of
Representatives. There are many issues that are being
dealt with that require his expertise...
One of the saddest sights we have witnessed over the
last few days was the candlelight vigil at the meeting of
the board of education. How tragic to see our students
being mislead and used. We urge Travis Collins,
chairman of the group opposed to the name Purnell Swett
High School, to evaluate the.private agendas of Millard
Singlelary and Gieg Coble. What has Singletary to gain?
Only election to the school board. What's Greg Coble's
beef? We contend that both of these men are opposed to
the name simply because they are opposed to honor and
homage being paid to Purnell Swett... We urge Mr.
Collins to look at the private agendas of these two
men...Do a little research on the back ground of Greg
Coble. We encourage Dr. Dal ton Brooks, Chairman of the
Board of Education, to "let sleeping dogs lie." The board
has reaffirmed the name change. So let the issue die.
We commend Mr. Purnell Swett for his courage in
remaining quiet on the issue. There is no way for him to
win by making a public statement. We encourage him to
recognize the depth and feelings of racism that have
always run deep in this county. The problem is not,
Purnell Swett. The problem, as we see it, is that Purnell
Swett is an Indian and there are some among us who can't
accept the reality of Mr. Swett's contribution to the
education of our students simply because he is an Indian.
Some people still believe that Mr. Swett "got out of his
place" when he served as superintendent of Ahe Robeson
County Schools.
We are sure that it is hard for Mr. Swett to remain quiet
while the Greg Cobles and Millard Singietarys attempt to
destroy his name and reputation. We remind Mr. Swett of
this age old saying: "This too shall pass."
It might behoove other people to follow Mr. Swett's
example and remain quiet...We have always heard that
an empty wagon makes the most noise....
Rumor has it that a few of the teachers and faculty of
Purnell Swett High continue to stir and move the students
toward a continuation of this activity...We have heard
that Diane Dixon is one of them....We hope that this is not
the case... We hope that Ms. Dixon is busy doing what she
ia imiu ui uo, educate um ?UMieui?....We hope that uJic
names that we could call are not instrumental in
continuing the charade of the name ehange.
We remind Mr. Collins that there are some "real"*
issues facing our county and encourage him to become
active in solving them....Don't let the Singletarys and the
Cobles use you. Mr. Collins, to continue to de nig ate your
own When some people who are racism (and they do
exist in this county) succeed in getting an Indian to speak '?
openly and forcefully against another Indian....they sit i
back and laugh about how stupid Indian people are.... We^
urge you to consider these things"in the spirit that we
offer them. If you are unhappy with the behavior of the
board of education, election time is here... Get busy and
work for a representative who will rerpesent you fairly
and honestly. Let's correct some of the ills of this county._
together....Too many people are dying, too many drogy v
are flowing through our county...Too many people are/
unemployed....Too many people aid-being used and
abused in this county.. .Please don't be s(detracted by the
insignificance of the name of a high school....Let's hold a} ,
candlelight vigil for all those people who are victims of
violent crime...for those people who are classified in this "
county as "unsolved murders" or "suicides." Let's hold '
a candlelight vigil for Jimmy Earl'
Cummings, for Billy McKellar who died in
the Robeson County Jail because of "neglect" Let's hold,
a candlelight vigil for those people who are victimized by ^'
our criminal justice system....let's hold a candlelight*
vigil for those many young boys and girls who are '
addicted to drugs....There are so many problems that are
deserving of the time and effort that goes into a
vigil...let's be genuine about the name \All Caring v
Together." And while we're holding vigils, let's not*-!
forget to pray. Let's pray for a better tomorrow, a better k '
future for our children, a future where the color of one's "*
skin is not s measuring stick for accomplishments and
contributions to the betterment of the world around^'"
us...Let's pray fora change in the system that is designed *.
to arrest and convict only those people who are darkly
hued and who are economically disadvantaged. Let's pray '
for our leaders. And while we're praying Ijet's remember r
the age old Serenity Prayer: "Grhnt us serenity to accept''
the things we cannot change, courage to change/tkey.
things we can; and wisdom to know the difference." ' 1
??U
READERS' FORUM- ?
Hatteras Tuscarora Tribe Not Affiliated With j
Tuscarora Tribe of
To the Editor;
As a member of the Hstteras
Tuscan) ra Tribe located in Maxton,
N.C., I would like to state for the
record that we are not, and wfll net
be associated with the Tuscnrort ij
Tribe of N.C. Inc., that is under the J
direction of Brmdeigk Graham. Mr.
Graham has no right to say that we <
have any ties to his organization. We ?
have told him previously, "Not to use !
our name in any way, shape, or
form."
Our Federal Recognition Petition J
went to Washington, D.C. in 1980. j
Our petition has no ties with the ?
Tuscarora Tribe of N.C., Inc.
Mr. Graham did have power or j
of attorney at one time for this tribe, J
but this was taken away from him in
1986. ,1
We want to let the public know the j
truth about the Hatteras Tuscarora.
coining together *ta
thfe eirfy 1950's, and It is the original ^ !
and oldest group in Robeson County. ' h
CONTINUED ON PAGE 9
-. i ^ k' ? ? ,3 ^
^^nfl Ilililii ? ? l11 yftf |V J||*7*m!lmT*TJ f 11 iH 11
II CorxjraTuLcirions I
I Carolina I
Ojdfia^oigeJ
TYPESETTIISIC
for
Family Histories,
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Other Creative Works.
521-Q119
H. Mitchell Baker, m,RA.
attorneys at l aw
Fighting for victims' rights is what we do
...and it's all we do.
PRACTICE LIMITED TO
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Offices in Lumberton A
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J^800-542-2664jU
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ip
Carolina
Srtfrfcm
Unfee
On 18 Years
of
Continuous
Service
The City
fit of
Lumberton
Mayor,
David F. Weinstein
' I
j:
j
Congratulations \ |
and continued
success!
i
Carolina I
Indian I
vT I
Voice I
On Your 18th
Anniversary
Public Schools
of
Robeson County
' ?r
Indian Education
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