"iE" The Independent ]
VOL. S\:iv:s" NofffrA ELIZABETH city, N. C^FKIDAY; JULY 8. 1932. single copy"5 cents
Another Common, Low-Down
White Man Runs Amok And
Shoots Defenseless Woman
Mrs. Frank Albertson, Jr. Recovering From
Wounds in Hospital, Her Ex-Husband in
Jail Defames Her Character to Justify
His Capita] Crime
>lr . I rank Albert on. Jr.. rarthrr and sole provider for four
ihiidr.n "ho received no support from her divorced husband, is in
\lh x.ar'e Hospital suffering from bullet wounds inflicted by the tli
,husband. Breaking into Ihc home (f his former wife at an
iailv hrur Wednesday m&rnin-, Albertson sneaked into her bedroom
where ?he was? sleep nr. placed a pistol to her head and fired. lie
th ???? attrnspted to sheet her vcun-est child who slept with her.
Albrrtron is in jail telling lying,
dirtv. cowardiy tales about his wife;
in a* monoid's endeavour to justify
his conduct. I? may b^ that ho will
never ccmc out cf prison again until
they t.tc him cut cf the death
chivnfc-r at the S.ate prison in
Raleigh, in a wooden oox. Bur
.iarly alcne is a crime punishable
by death in North Carolina.
Mr-. Lcssic Albertson was shot in
:lv: head and in the right thigh.
Mr- Albertson is resting comfort
ably and is expected to recover. i
N ? in many years, if ever, has:
: lie re teen a case so touching and
re: so revolting as is this case. It'
;h? story of a fine little woman
?.-.no l.v \1 happily with her husband
for 16 year.?, had to divorce him be
caase he took to drinking, fighting
and philandering: has struggled
arc! worked since th~ divorce to pro
vide for her children, and who fin
ally was shot in the most cowardly
manner by her former spouse, who.
even as she lay in the hospital suf
:'.::ng as the result cf his heinous
r.-ss. attempted to besmirch her
character and defame her good
ruimc. )
Mr. and Mrs. Albertson lived hap
pily together for 16 years. Then.'
three years ago. he began to asso
e:a:e with a rough crowd, had scv-:
c-al fichts. sot drunk frequently.'
caroused and philandered much.
'Idem saw his family. His wife, a
r.:ble little woman stood as much of
:: as sh: could, and finally sought
a divorce from him on grounds of
desertion. He did net fight the case
at ail. and the divorce was grant-i
crl last October. At that time, he
told his wife he was going to kill'
Broke Into Her Hogae
More than eight months have
i - - d and. during that time. Mrs.
Aibert^cn has worked hard to pro
vide for herself and her four chil
dren. Not enly has she done this,
but she also has made regular pay
irr: dura? that time on the home
:r. which -he lives and on the truck
which she ha- for hire. By hiring
ut hie truck and selling horne
rr.,\ le .vndwiches to local drug
end confectionery shops. Mrs.
Albcrtscn. with a little assistance
from her sister. Miss Maude Mun
c'.cr. ha~- kept her family together
ar.ri ha - kept up the payments cn
the tidy or.ck bungalow on West
ever Boulevard in which she lives.
It is a noble struggle that this wo
man - been making, and all who
know her hail her as one of the
stckie.; and most faultless
women they know.
Frank Albcrtscn. who has res id
father on the Hertford
in- near Black Flead Signpost
for a good many months, has at
r ently to get his former
'.ike him back. This Mrs.
'. refused to do. altho she
, no one but Frank Albcrt
-on Sh knew that if she took him
ba"k :: would but mean more trou
ble for her and for her children.
Recently. feeling that her former
uutband .-hould contribute to the
' f f the four children which
him. Mrs. Albert son sued
? ik Aibertscn for non-support cf
The case was to have
on Tuesday of this week
but -.a, continued until next week.
R ?> believed that, because cf this
"Hi". . tici because of the fact that
ii'orctd him and has refused
to b-.k' huu back. Frank Albcrtson
or-'K ? in*tj her liomc Wednesday
morning and shot her.
around three o'clock Wednesday
roo'.uiti". while Mrs. Albcrtson and
'"?'?r four children were asleep. Al
bert-on drove up to within a short
distance of the house in a truck
Getting cut. he approached the
house and went to a window on the
Moitii side cf the house. Removing
ih< screen from this window, he
crawled into the breakfast room.
Fuen. removing his shoes, he placed
'.htm on the table and crept up the
tair.- in his stocking feet. In his
right hand was a .32 calibre pistol
Sneaking into the room in which
his wife slept with her 22-months
old son. Carlton, he snapped on the
hght. His wife awoke in time tc
him advancing toward the bed
'"i'h an ugly expression on his face
iCvutuwcd on Page Two;
A n t i Sales Tax
Sentiment Too
Hot For Williams
That Elizabeth Citizens want no '
sales fax and will not support any
candidate for political office who
favors such a measure was clearly
shown Saturday, when IV. T. Cul
pepper. anti-sales tax candidate,
defeated Webb Williams, who fav
tr. d a luxury sales tax and was
high man in the first primary, in
the sreend primary ccntest to
determine which c.f these men
should win the Democratic nonii- ;
nation to represent this county in
the next General Assembly.
In tiie first primary. Mr. Williams
led the field of six candidates, being
tli? caly one of the six to commit
himself as favoring any form of a
sales tax. Mr. Culpepper, well
known merchant end business man
and staunch opponent of the sales
tax in any cf its forms, was second
high man. and he and Mr. Williams
had to fight it out in the second
primary.
In Saturday's run-ofl. a majority
of the %3 votes cast for W. C. Daw
roil in the first primary, as well as
many of the several hundred votes
that were ~cast~for the other four
candidates, swung to Billy Culpep
per and enabled him to defeat Webb
Filliams to the tune cf 2.022
against 1.623 votes. This contest
showed that Pasquotank is d:finite
ly opposed to the sales tax. but it
also showed that a popular and in
telligent man running cn a unpopu
lar platform, can i>o!l a lot of votes.
As a result cf this contest, Fas
quotank will he represented in the
next General Assembly by W. T.
Culpepper, hardware and automobile
dealer and theater owner, a well
iiked. conservative business man,
who will fight the sales tax when an
attempt is made to pass it in the
11933 General Assembly.
A Vote of Confidence
Swamping an older and more ex
perienced opponent almost by a
two-to-one vote. W. C. Morse. Jr..
easily won out in the second pri
mary contest between himself and
H. Perry Davis for the Democratic
nomination for Trail Justice of Pas
quotank county, and Pasquotank
thus, is assured an honest and fair
i administration of justice in the
County Recorder's Court for a
period of two years, beginning in
! December of this year,
i That young Morse was going to
: win without difficulty was predicted
j thruout the county He lacked but
, 35 votes of winning a clear majority
over Mr. Davis and Larry E. Skin
, ner. Jr., in the first primary, and
i many wondered why Perry Davis
; wanted to enter the second pri
| mary. But Perry Davis wanted to
i fight it out. and he did. with the
result that he got a terrible licking
? at the hands of a much younger
man who was a neophyte in the
game of politics. Clarence Morse
got 612 of the 718 votes that were
cast for Skinner in the first- pri
mary and Perry Davis got only 53
, of these votes. Morse carried every
i precinct in the county with the
| exception of Providence, where
I Perry Davis was born and raised,
t The vcte was 2.514 for Morse and
I.261 for Davis.
This Clarence Morse is a scrious
I minded, intelligent, unbiased and
honest young fellow who is held in
| high esteem by old and young alike
j thruout Pasquotank Cituny. He
| hails from Salem Township and is
' a graduate cf Wake Forest College
' He has been practicing law here for
I more than two years. His election
! was hailed by all who are tired ol
; the manner in which 965-10 Sawyer
I has conducted himself as Trial Just
f ice of this county and who want ar
I honest administration of justice in
i the county.
j Young Cohocn Wins
ij Ignoring all extraneous influcnc
I ing factors, Pasquotank voters lasl
:! Saturday considered only the per
?! sonalitics and capabilities of the twe
I? young men who were seeking th<
i I Democratic nomination as Prosrcut
^Continued on Page Fivc>
i
"Only a Pimple"
ELIZABE m CITY was stunned and i
grieved Wednesday morning by the
d~uth of Miss Maude B. Leigh, only :
daughter of Judge and Mrs. J. B.
L igh of this city. Her death was!
was almost sudden and unexpected.
Just a little pimple on her upper
lip which her physician painted with
mercurorhrome last Friday and
went oil to Nags Head thinking no
mere about it. But back of that !
pimple was a deadly pus formation
which the physician did not discern, j
that backed up against her brain.1
She was hurried to Albemarle Hos
pital Tuesday morning when her,
condition became frightful. Too
late! She died Wednesday morn-1
ing. |
In the death of Maude Leigh
Elizabeth City is bereft of one of its J
noblest, finest, friendliest, sweetest,
and most useful women. Sh? was!
29 years old. for seven years a
teacher in the Weeksville High
School, last year a teacher in the
Elizabeth City Schools, a leader in
her Sunday School and a leader of,
young people's Christian activities
thruout the district. But in her
school room, her Sunday School and
in the town and all the country
1 round about sh: was just a sweet
! young girl bubbling over with life
and fun and enthusiasm and pos
sessed of an amazing energy and
, eagerness. to be upland doing. Sbe
was born for leadership, combining
a high degree of intelligence with a
natural tact for winning the love
and devotion of all with whom she
came in contact,
t Her mother and father are heart
broken: she was their only child
and everything a parent could de
sire a child to be. Mrs. Leigh lay
prostrate with grief yesterday:
Judge Leigh, stunned and bewilder
ed. somehow kept a stiff upper lip.
believing in the wisdom and good
ness cf God and trying mighty,
mighty hard to bear his cross.
Showman Bloom
i On Roanoke Island
Colony Commission
For'unate is Roanoke Island and
the Rcanoke Island Historical Asso
ciation in the personnell of the
three Congressmen named by Speak
er Garner Tuesday to the Rcanoke
Island Colony Commission. The
three named are our own Repre
sentative Lindsay Warren; Repre
sentative Sol Bloom of New York
I and Representative Isaac Bacharach
cf New Jersey.
Sol Bloom, director of the George
Washington bi-centcnnial celebra
tion is a born showman and was
impicsscd with the colonial history
of North Carolina when he came to
Edcnton to speak at the unveiling
cf the Joseph Hewes memorial.
Congressman Bacharach is from
Atlantic City. N. J. and is among
other things a real estate man. They
j arc bcth friends of Congressman
Warren.
Vice President Curtis will name
three members to the Commission
, from the Senate. The six commis
I sioncrs working with the Roanoke
Island Historical Association will
make recommendations to Congress
cn Dec. 15th as to the plan and
scope of a celebration of the 350th
anniversary of the birth of English
speaking civilization in America on
1 Rcanoke Island in 1934.
TIIE INDEPENDENT SOLD
AT SOUTH MILLS NOW
The Independent is now on sale
?j weekly at South Mills. Leon Hal
?'stead, son of W. I. Halstead. having
begun last week to sell copies of this
' newspaper at his soda fountain on
? the George Washington Highway in
' j the center of South Mills village,
?j Young Halstead is the most recent
1 addition to a growing list out-of
i town dealers handling The Indcpcn
! den.t which for some time has been
1 on sale on newstands in Mantco,
?, Nags Head, Washington. Edcnton,
t Beaufort, Raleigh and Durham.
>, Preparing magazine ads. takes a
?1 lot cf head work. You have to
? j think up a new pose for the girl
'every month.
More Hard Luck
For Local Electric;
Light Consumers
Whra electric bills for the i
month of July are received by
Elizabeth Citizens, they will be
slightly higher than were the June
bills?to he exact the average con
sumer's bill will be about eigh
teen cents higher?this being due
to the fact that Federal tax on
electric current which went into
effect Jane 21 Is to be passed on
to local consumers instead of be
ing absorbed by the Public Utility
Commission or the Virginia Elec
tric Power Company.
When Congress, in its mad scram
ble to balance the budget, slapped
additional taxes on dozens of items
that are u.sed everyday by U. S. citi
zens. it did not overlook that highly
important commodity?electric cur
rent?on which a 3% tax was im
posed. The tax went into efTect
June 21, but, since water and light
meters in Elizabeth City are read
between the 18th and the 25th of
each month, the tax was not appli
cable to the June electric bills
which were received last Friday.
Clerks in the ctiy offices added the
3r'r tax to some of the June bills
but discovered the error and had to
mark thru the addition. The tax
will be added to the bills which will
reach consumers August 1 and will
not be scratched out.
In the summer months, the con
sumption of electricity in Elizabeth
City amounts to around $12,000 per
month. There are about 2.000 con
sumers in the city, so the average
monthly consumption per consumer
is approximately $6.00. The 3'c tax
will be added to this, making the
average current bill In Elizabeth
City eighteen cents higher than it
has been heretofore. This tax will
therefore, cost Elizabeth Citizens
around $360 a month or more than
$4,000 a year. This will but make
heavier the burden of a public that
already con-iders itself "soaked" for
the use of water and electric cur
rent.
This 3% tax docs not go into the
pockets of the {>ower companies, but
must be turned over to the U. S.
government as rapidly as it is col
lected. It is not a tax on the ]>owcr
companies but is a tax on the mil
i ? . 1
I
liens of persons who use current.
The Virginia Electric Power Com
pany, from which the local Public
! Utilities Commission purchases cur
! rent for distribution to local ccn-!
(sumcrs, has but recently put into
i effect reduced power rates and!
i therefore does not feel able or obli- j
gated to absorb this tax. Th? Pub- >
! lie Utilities Commission, which pur
chases current from the Vcpco at1
a price of a cent and a fraction a
kilowatt and sells it to local con
sumers at a rate of twelve cents,
'says that it cannot absoib this 3v i
tax. altho its profit on the sale of
I
current amounts to several thou
sands of dollars each month. So
' the ta.\ rest.-, as all taxes ultimately !
1 do. upon Mr. John Citizen. It's the;
j public that pays, and pays, and I
pays.
I
^ 1
Medal Winner
1
To this little woman was presented
on Monday afternoon the Young ?
Men's Civic Club medal for the most
important civic service rendered in
Elizabeth City during the year end- |
ing June 30. 1932. The medal was
inscribed as follows: "Civic Scrv- '?
ivc?Mary Bright?Library Work?
1932. Miss Bright, first recipient
of the Club medal, was acorded this (
honor because cf her splendid work i
in connection with the public library i
opened lavt fall by the Elizabeth
City Woman's Club. Miss Bright
is a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Geo.!
R. Bright of East Colonial Avenue.!
I ;
,A^rs . ri;
oJheSANK ClEGK *** TUC SODA dCQKLR
HUMAN NATURE NEVER CHANGES
"Would you say that human nn-?
ture is getting better or getting |
worse?" interrogated the Soda Jerk- .
cr.
"I would say neither." replied the
Bank Clerk; "in my opinion humani
nature hasn't changed in thou
j sands of years."
"And on what do you base your
opinion?" asked the Soda Jcrkcr.
j "I base it solely u]>on my own i
intimate personal knowledge of hu
man behavior as I find it to-day, j
compared with human behavior as
recorded in the writings of other!
centuries."
"I am no scholar," continued the <
Bank Clerk, "but I have read a greatj
deal first and last. The two greatest'
studies of human beings arc the,
Bible and Shakespeare. Some of ths J
books of the Bible and some of thc(
books of Shakespeare were written
several thousand years apart; and,
! yet the behavior of human beings as
j recorded by Shakespeare in the six
. tccnth century of our own era and
] the behavior of humans recorded by
1 biblical writers in all the centuries
j preceding our era, shows no change.
[ People of all races, of all countries,'
!of all eras have reacted to the samcj
j inner and outward forces in just the,
'same way. When you read about J
folks in the Bible you arc reading i
about the same kind of folks who,
live next door to you and all around
you.
I "Read the historical works of
Herodotus, the travels of Marco
Polo, follow David Livingstone in
Africa, William Penn among the
Indians in America, Father Damicn
with the Hawaiians; and you will
find that these great souls, altho
poles apart in their contacts and ex
periences found human beings
essentially noble, lovable and kind."
"But they don't act that way
now," said the Soda Jerkcr. j
"It all depends upon their eco
nomic status and their environment,
| with heredity having some influence I
upon their conduct," said the Bank
j Clerk. "Many of the kindest, ten- j
|dercst, noblest women I have ever,
j known were common prostitutes.]
Reduced to a state of prostitution!
?by a false philosophy of life or the j
'victims of circumstances, they wcrcj
not bad at heart and would un- ?
selfishly deprive them salves of the
necessities of life to help a sister
in distress. Take your bootlegger j
who has become so hard boiled that '
he would shoot his way out of trou
ble if cornered: at heart he may be;
just as good as you or me and j
wouldn't choose a life of crime if
left to himself or not forced into it
by economic pressure. Pic probably;
became a bootlegger to accommodate
his friends and with the moral sup- i
port of people he considered his j
superiors; or he may have just drift-1
ed into the business because he had !
to make a living. You never can
tell. Take the average run of j
thieves; they are thieves by neces-'
sity. Society has never taken the1
trouble to teach them that honesty
is the better, happier way. Or if!
they have been so taught, society
has not found employment for tliern
or directed their energies in satis
fying pursuits. Wc have used our
best minds and vast fortunes in the'
study of material thnigs. Wc have
learned to harness electricity to
every conceivable need and even
direct it without harness; we have1
split and magnified the atom; from
a lump of coal we extract the colors'
of the rainbow and the sweetness
of the honey comb, or distill from |
it the deadliest of poisons. But;
with all of our scientific research
we have neglected the study of hu-'
man beings. The same intensive
study applied to the ]>erfection of
human beings and the direction
of their conduct, that we have ap
plied to the perfection of machines
and their operation, would give us
a race of supermen. I haven't a bit
of doubt of it. I believe humanity
is essentially good, essentially noble,
essentially fine; if it is manifestly
otherwise it is because it is hand
capped by much ignorance and
hard pressed by economic necessity."
"You're getting me in deep water."
said the Soda Jerkcr.
"Maybe an all over bath might do
you good." said the Bank Clerk.
85 per cent of all people have dc
j fcctive vision. Are you one of these?
Have your eyes examined today.
I DR. J .D. IIATIIAWAY, Carolina
j Building. adv.
The Folks Who Live
In Boats On The
City's Waterfront!
? I
There arc today in Elizabeth I
City harbor a score or more of |
persons who make their homes on 1
houseboats or watcrcraft of one
description or another. Included
in this group arc two writers, a
retired business man, a cripple
and an alleged bootlegger and love
peddler. Taken ail the way thru, !
tills "floating" population of Eliz- j
abeth City is most unusual and in- I
teresting.
Probably the most interesting j
character in this group is Captain
H. E. Raabe, whose auxiliary yawl,'
Spindrift, has been tied up at the
decks of the Elizabeth City Iron
Works and Supply Company railway
cn Riverside for four months. Capt.
Raabe was born in Germany, on an
island in the Baltic Sea. At the age
of twelve, he ran away from school
and went to sea. He has followed
the sea from that day to this. To
day. altho more than 70 years of
age, Capt. Raabe is a fine physical
speciman and is a much better work
man and swimmer than many men
half his age. Kis stature is erect,
his eyes are sharp and, were it not
for him almost snow-white hair and
moustache, no one would judge him
to be over forty-five. Captain Raabe
hoc n.-fiffnti covofol hrtnlrc a
number of magazine articles. One
of his books. "Krakatoa-Hand of
The Gods." created a sensation and
was severely denounced by church
men both on the Continent and in
this country. Another of his books
was "Cannibal Nights." Much of his
life has been spent in Australia and
in the South Seas. Most of his writ
ing has concerned South Sea Is
landers. He has sailed twice around
the world. Capt. Raabe just drift
ed into Elizabeth City around the
first of March and liked it so well
that he has not cared to go else
where. It has been a little too
warm for him during the past week
or two. tho, and he now plans to go
up to Long Island Sound for the
rest of the summer and return here
in the Fall.
"I would not mind staying all
summer if I could take a swim every
day. but I would not think of swim
ming in this polluted harbor," says
Capt. Raabe. Elizabeth City would
be an idea! spot for a summer vaca
tion if it only had a good swimming
place.
An Author and Family
Also very interesting is Writer
Don Waters and his family. Mr.
Waters, with his wife, his eight
year-old daughter. Gypsy, and his
Chesapeake retriever. Curley, lives
aboard his bugeye, Gypsy Waters,
which is also tied up on Riverside.
The Waters family came here last
October with the intentioij of stay
ing one night and I'ked the town
so well that they stayed on thru the
winter and spring and have now de
cided to make Elizabeth City their
base. Mr. Waters writes sea and
adventure stories and is quite suc
cessful at it. The daughter. Gypsy,
does not go to school but is tutored
by her parents, and she is one of the
brightest and most friendly little
girls in Elizabeth City today. This
is a likeable, interesting family.
Since December there have been
tied up on Riverside two sailboats
. ? . _? /?-: -J~ TU?
OWIICQ oy CIOSC iridium. uic uuaio
are the Saki and Daydream II. On
board the Saki is its owner. W. E.
Kill, a retired businessman, who
now lives on his sailboat and does
nothing but go where his inclina
tion leads him. On Daydream II is
Herman Winsctt and his wife. This
boat is from Littleham, England,
and is still registered in the British
Register. Messrs. Hill and Winsett
are close friends and are travelling
around together. They have been
(here since last December and may
remain here indefinitely. One can
usually see one or both of them,
clad in khaki shorts, tennis shoes
and a sun hat. lying on the deck of
one of the boats or puttering around
the boats and doing a little work.
Well-known to many Elizabeth
Citizens is Jim Wilson, who lives
with his wife, his daughter and a
grandchild aboard the Nandi, a little
| cabin cruiser that is tied up on
| Riverside. Mr. Wilson paints the
scenery for the James Adam Float
I ing Theater and has the concession
i on the show boat. He usually ties
' up here for the winter, just as the
floating theater does, and then fol
lows along behind the big show boat
1 when it goes on tour in the spring.
This year, because the show boat is
, not following its usual route but
.eliminated the first part of its tour
! and played for several weeks in Nor
1 folk and then went on to Richmond
1 for a prolonged engagement, Mr.
j Wilson has remained in Elizabeth
! City.
1 Grounded on the shore on River
1 side, out near the Hospital .is a
! houseboat on which lives the family
; of N. B. Evans, local millman and
! boatman. Mr. Evans bought the
! boat from Dick Smith, boat builder
1 (Continued on Page Eight)
Hard Years Ahead
For Ehringhaus j
?J. C. B. EHRINGHAlid. pride of the
? Albemarle and beloved citizen of j'
! Elisabeth City will be the next Gov- j
I ernor cf North Carolina if a muddle-1
headed citizenry dcesn't fly the
I track and take a notion to bolt to j
: the Republican party in the Novem-;
| ber election. Anything can happen i
? these days and friends of Mr.1
i Ehringhaus must not rest from their'
! arduous labors in securing the nomi- J
!nation for him; they have got to
[elect him and this is a crazy year in
politics in which anything can hap
pen. In fact things happened toj
j Mr. Ehringhaus in the second pri
lir.ary; he came out of the first
| primary 0:1 June 4 with a lead of !
47,000 votes over R. T. Fountain, of
[Rocky Mount; a majority of 75,000
! votes was predicted for him in the
run-off primary last Saturday; but i
he came thru with a majority of i
35,000 cf the vote he received in the
June primary.
Elizabeth City and the Albemarle
are proud of the nomination of j
their favorite, the first state-wide'
political recognition given this city ?
j ar.d section in a hundred years.
But no one has yet figured out[J
1 what Bluchcr Ehringhaus wants:
with the governorship; there are
; four strenuous, head-aching, heart- ?
! breaking years in store for the next;1
, Governor of North Carolina. And 1
i Elizabeth City stands to permanent- [
lly lose its distinguished citizen; for.;
many believe that if he survives the j
I four years strain of the governor- j
:ship his talents and his personality.
will find lor him a more attractive"
! law partnership in the Piedmonts
i where the money is. than in his old
| home town. In the meantime there j
, is much speculation as to who will I
. fall heir to the law practice which J
! he commanded and would continue
; to command had he elected to re
main at home.
!
Merchants Keep Tabs
i On Overdue Accounts
The monthly bulletin of the Eliz-j
abcth City Chamber of Commerce-'
Merchants Association, sent to each j
; merchant member around the fir.st |
I cf each month, now carries a list J
of delinquent accounts 90 days or
more over cue. Persons who don't j
want thrir delinquencies known to j
all other merchants will do well to f
i take a tip.
!M. LEIGH SHEEP'S
CONDITION UNIMPROVED
! The Cc .dition of M. Leigh Sheep,'
I who has been dangerously ill at his;
j heme on West Main St. since June
(27 remains unchanged. "While1
j there is life there is hope" is the
culy encouraging word from his
! bedside. I
ANDERSON RADIO CO. TAKES
ON CROSLEY REFRIGERATOR j
The Crcsicy electric refrigerator
agency for Elizabeth City has been
.scoured by the Anderson Radio Co.,
i supplementing their Majestic line.;
The Crcsicy is a 32 volt type rcfri-j
'gcrator. designed for use on cither:
jcity or home current. It sells for
jMo.dO f. o. b. 1 at lory end up.
The Holy Ghost Comes to The
Little Church on Pearl Street
And He Makes The Worshippers Cut Some
Queer and Frantic Capers When He Gets
Into Them and Excites Their Glandular
Secretions
Elizabeth City is on "The Royal Telephone Line" and Jehovah
is ringing numbers over at Pearl St. Assembly church. In other
words, disciples of the Pentecostal Hclincss Church, vulgarly known
as "Holy Ui llcrs," are enjoying a religious revival and Elizabeth
City is being given a demonstration of primitive Christianity in Its
mcst primitive form.
xguuiam iuiu uiiit'licii'u luuuwcn
of Jesus in the first century used
to meet in houses, get themselves all
worked up with religious fervor, jab
ber in strange tongues because they
cculd not find words to express
themselves, jerk, jump, shout, writhe
and think they were filled wi,h
the Hcly Spirit. We have that
same type of Christian in our midst
tc-day and the sect flourishes all
along the North Carolina coast in
isolated fishing villages where the
poverty of the lives of many people
denies them any other emotional
cutlet. But let Keith Saunders who
has looked in on the Pearl St. meet
ing tell what he has seen and
heard, in his own way.
The evangelist is a colorless sort
of woman by the name of Lizzie
Snow, who hails from Norfolk, Va.,
assisted by a man named Miller who
came from some place down on the
North Carolina coast, and a number
of young girls'. She began her re
vival in Elizabeth City on June 19.
Now read:
Reminiscent ef the Jungle
One approaches the church around
nine o'clock at night and hears
singing and clapping of hands. It
sounds very much like a jungle
chant. As the congregation beats
the time with a fast-rhythmic clap
ping of the hands. Mrs. Snow's girl
assistants lead the singing. It is
net long before one of the girls is
seized by the "Holly Ghost," or, as
Mrs. Sncw explained, "The Lord Is
ringing her number." The girl be
gins to jump about, tossing her
head and snapping Jerking and
twisting her body. The movements ^
are indescribable, almost phenomen
al. Soon the Lord rings another
girl's number and she, too, begins
to shout and jump. Over on this
side an old lady Is seized and joins
in the ritual, orgy, or whatever one
minds to call it. On the other side,
a man Is called on the "Royal Tele
phone." Soon there are six or eight
persons in the throes of the Holy
Ghost. The scene cannot be ade
quately pictured In words but. If it
be not sacrilegious to say It, this
demonstration put on by the Holi
ness people beats any hoochy?
kocchy show ever seen in these
parts.
The manner In which these people
writhe, twist, jump, shake and jerk
is comparable even to a combination
of a hula-dancer and a Western
brcnco In action. The manner In
wnicn iney act wouia, maeea. iur
nish an excellent psychological
study. There Ls some psychological
phenomenon in this religion which
causes apparently normal persons
suddenly to Jump out of their seats,
jabber in a strange and "unknown
tongue," and violently danctf and
jerk in utter abandon for a * few
ainutes, and then, exhausted, re
umc their scats and act normally
again. A true explanation of these
actions would be most interesting.
The Holiness people explain that
they arc seized by the Holy Ghost
and are filled with Him when they
engage in this jumping and jabber
ing. The Lord "rings their num
ber" and they simply havfc to re
spond. Such is their explanation,
but it does not satisfy thoughtful
onlookers. There must be more to
the religion than this.
Looks Like Sex StufT
The ritual at times is suggestive
of a sexual orgy. Their utter aban
don and the motions of their bodies
leave no doubt that sex figures
somewhere in the psychology of this
religion. Then there seems to be
much pent-up emotionalism among
these people, and this bizarre reli
gion is their emotional outlet. The
writer can go no further than this
in attempting to anlyse or psycho
ana lyse the religion of tre so-called
Holiness people.
At times, one is tempted to be
lieve that a great deal of the demon
stration in this revival is affected
and insincere. It invariably is start
ed by a member of the evangelist
party, apparently in an attempt to
get others In the congregation en
thused or "worked up." The girls
In Mrs. Snow's party can start and
step their jerking at will, apparent
ly. One of them will be sitting in
front of the alter, talking and
laughing. Without notice, she leaps
to her feet and dances wildly, gib
bering and mumbling in the "un
known tongue" in which the Holi
ness wroshippers talk. Then, as
suddenly as she began, she stops,
'Continued cn Page Two)
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