MYSIfRT SHROUDS KILLING
★* ♦♦ ♦♦ ★* 'jf If If * if *
Wife Is Axe Slaying Victim
... ir ^ 'it Officere H. F. Holland and R- B. Moore arrhred
^ ^ ^ ™ ^ ^ ^ W ^ nn tii» o(>ATio firrtiind 3 -514 -fnllnBrlnor g »all
A mother’s andyinf patience uid hope seemed well on the
my towMd beinc repaid when It was annonnced this week that
Pfc. BoBert L. Orefory (Inset), son of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Oreg-
wy of Boute 3, Oxford, was among some 150 Americans being re
leased by the Conmnnl^ In an exehange early this week In opera
tion “big nrltch.” Mrs. Gregory’s flagging hopes were given a big
boost last May when an American G. I. repatriated daring “opera
tion Uttle switch” reported that he had seen yonng Gregory alive
■nil had a message from him for his parents. The above picture
ol the Gregorys was taken shortly after they received news last
liay that their son was alive. Prior to this Information, the last
word they had received concerning their son was a letter from the
Defense Department in lAay, 1952 advising them that he had been
reported missing in action^
Mother’s Skull Broken In Spat
ASHEVILLE—A pre-dawn Sunday quarrel wa*
climaxed when a 38-year-old wife was killed and her
her mother critically injured by blow#, to the head
with an axe.
Samuel Huff, 49-year-old resident of 854 Pine
Grove was being held in city jail here early this wee|c
on charges of murder and assault with a deadly
weapon.
His wife, Mrs. Annie Huff, was found by police
officers lying at the foot of the back steps at the Huff
house early Sunday morning. Inside the house, sitting
on the floor with a deep gash in her forehead was Mrs.
Willie Mae Jenkins, mother of the slain woman.
• • •
Mrs. Jenkins told investigating officers that her
son-in-law first struck her daughter and tiien her with
an ordinary wood chooper’s axe shortly before dawn
Sunday.
FOR THIRTY YEARS THE OVTSTANDING WEEKLY OF THE CAROLINAS
Entered tu Second Clatt Matter at the Post Office at Durham, North Carolina, under Act of March 3,1879.
on the scene around 3:34 following a call to police
headquarters by some unidentified person.
According to Mrs. Jenkins’ story, Huff had been
drinking heavily Saturday night and early Sunday
morning, a quarrel developed between him and hu
wife. Huff apparently became enraged, got his axe
and struck down his wife. Mrs. JeiSdns was struck
as she tried to stop him from striking her daughter.
• • •
Huff was arrested about an hour after officers
were called to the scene in the driveway of 20 Pine
Grove Avenue with the murder weapon b^de him. He
had been seen by neighbors leaving the house with
the axe in his hand.
Police said that Huff told them he had been drink
ing and at the time was not sure whether he had hit
his mother-in-law, Mrs. Jenkins, although he did ad
mit he remembered swinging at her.
• • •
Mrs. Huff was i^hed to a local hospital where
she was pronounced dead on arrival. Her molher, Mrs:'
Jenkins^ was hospitalized with a fractured skull.
His wife’s body was removed to a local funeral
home Sunday. Funeral services were scheduled to be
held sometime this week in Washington, Georgia.
news capsules
VOLUME 30—NUMBER 32
YA
DURHAM, N. C., SATURDAY, AUG. 29, 1953 PRICE 10 CENTS
Hospital Official
Promises Clean Slate
i TWO CHARLOTTE YOUTHS CHARGED
WITH MURDER OF WHITE NURSE
CHARLOTTE—Two juvenile purse snatchers were ar
rested early this week and confessed to the stabbing of a
white nurse to death on a dark street here when they mis
took a paper bag she was carrying for a purse.
The boys, Karay Harris, 16, and William A. McQuerry,
14, each accu^d the other of the fatal stabbing of Miss Helen
Swink here on August 2, police chief Frank Littlejohn said.
Both were charged with first degree murder.
“ONE OF THE BIGGEST” NARCOTICS
DEALERS IN WASHINGTON GRABBED
WASHINGTON, D. C.-^escribed as "one of the biggest
narcotics men in the city,” Dover (Big Bill) Walker, a 39-
year-old Negro, was arrested here in his home by District
police and f ederal narcotics agents. Big Bill is being held
for possession and sales of drugs.
Walker was cttBtf by Narcotics St^ad Captain John
ton as a “large retailer. He’s not as big as Catfish Turner (a
convicted narcotics figure) but he’s still a big man.”
POSTMASTER TO FIRE OFFICIALS
WHO PRACTICE PREJUDICE
ATLANTIC CITY, N. J.—“I will dismiss any nwn who
deals unfairly, unequitably and dishonestly with tlie prob
lems involving you, Assistant Postmaster General Norman
R. Abrams told the National Alliance of Postal Emi
convention here last Friday, in discussing the problem of
discrimination in the Postal Service.
Abrams, who is in charge of the Operations Bureau of
the P. O., was speaking directly for the new GOP administra
tion and Pc^tmaster General Arthur E. Summerfield, whom
he was representing. He directs a deparmtent employing
over 450,000 postal workers in the nation.
$700 TO FREEDOM FUND
NEW YORK—A total $727.24 in special contributions
to the “Fighting Fund for Freedom” was received by the
NAACP in the two weeks ending August 18, as follows:
Paul R. Williams, Los Angeles, Calif.^ $252.24; San Antonio,
Tex., NAACP Branch, $100; Dressmakers Union, Local 22,
ILGWU, New York, $100; Kimball, West Virginia, NAACP
Branch, $50; United Furniture Workers, New York, $50;
Richmond, Calif., Branch NAACP, $50; United Packinghouse
Workers, District 6, New York, $50; Middletown, Ohio,
NAACP Branch, $25; Schnectady, N. Y., NAACP Branch,
$25; and Brazos County, Tex., NAACP Branch, $25.
(Please turn to Page Eight)
REVEREND CHARLES JONES
Charles Jones
Slates Speech
BRICKS
Reverend Charles M. Jones,
ousted pastor ol the Chapel Hill
Presbyterian Church, will de
liver the opening address lor the
Third Presbyterian Men’s Re
treat Friday night, September
4 at Bricks.
The Retreat is sponsored by
men ol the Synod ol Ciitawba
and gathers together leading
ministers and laymen ol the
Presbyterian Church USA
throughout North Carolina and
Virginia.
Sherill ItUtchell, vice presi
dent of area three ol the Na
tional Council ot Presbyterian
(Please turn to Page Eight)
Slum Clearance Plan
Would Oust 2,000
WASHINGTON
Representatives ol Binning-
ham, Alabama, citizenry on Fri
day urged Houaiiig Chiel Albert
Cole to halt- a multi-million dol
lar Federal assistance program
to the city for slum clearance be
cause ol its flagrant segregation
features.
The pity ot Birmingham plans
to cleatr an area where over 2,
000 colored people now UVe and
wiU use the space lor a Medi
cal Center. Originally, the plan
also provided lor housing units.
Tax experts recommended that,
11 colored families were per
mitted to UveThy^e new hous
ing, the city wotUd receive a
much Iteeded boost in income.
City ollicials, howevar, first
announced that the housing
would be lor whites only. Latar,
the plan was revised to provide
only limited dormitories lor em
ployees ol the Medical Center.
These, too, would be lor whites
only.
Resent plans include setting
aside one part ol the cleared
area lor small businesses such as
retail stores and shops. The
city reluses to agree that these
shops will be open to all business
people without regard to race.
In addition, the delegation sta
ted that the city has not pro
vided a workable plan for re
housing the lamilies that will
be displaced by the project.
credible pattern ol segregation
bars colored people Irom present
hospital lacilities or lorces them
to submit to humiliating segre-
gaUon. This pattern would pre
vail in the new set-up.
One ol the present hospitals
requires colored patients to use
a Ireight entrance. "Often pa
tients find themselves riding on
the same elevator with garbage
cans,” the delegation charged.
Present plans lor the Center
include' a park which, under
Birmingham city ordinances,
will be oil limits lor colored
people. Certain areas are desig-
The Birmingham delegation' nated lor badminton -courts. "It
pointed out that, even though
housing and business facilities In
the area will be limited, they
shoxild be ojwn to aU. Tlie dele
gation also charged that an in
is ironic,” delegation* spokes
men said, "that space whlcb
could be used lor badly needfed
(Please turn to Page Eight)
Administrator
Says Segregation
Io6e Removed
WASHINGTON
I assure you that we lind
any degree ol segregation un
social, unecoamnical and un
desirable; and, that we hope the
day is not -far semoved when
there will be no semblance of
racial separation in VA hospi
tals,” H.JV. Higley, new Admini
strator of ^ Va, told the Wash
ington Bureau ol the National
Association lor the Advance
ment ol Colored People this
week.
Higley made the statement in
a reply to Clarence Mitchell, Di
rector of the NAACP’s Wash
ington Bureau. Mitchell urged
the new VA chiel to drop all
racial segregation, including
designations on hospital or do
miciliary care application lorms.
The NAACP said that racial
designations on application
lorms open the door lor a pre
judiced person to discriminate
against veterans ol certain ra
cial groups.
The NAACP also charged that
some hospitals ol the VA ex
clude colored veterans suHerlng
Irom critical ailments because
so-called colored beds are not
available.
Higley said this part ol the
NAACP’s complaint “causes
Admiral Boone (Chiel Medical
Director lor VA) and me con
siderable worry. U such a thing
has happened, it is wrong. This
charge is being looked into and
instructions issued that veterans
who are in need ol care shall be
admitted 11 beds are available.”
The new Administrator,
speaking on segregation in gene
ral, said, “In certain areas, It
has been lound that segregation
to some degree is necessary lor
the medical well-being ol pa
tients. We are continually re
viewing tliis situation and are
eliminating segregation as rapid
ly as possible without sacrilicing
medical considerations.”
In commenting on Higley’s
statement, Mitchell said, “As
layman, I am totally unable to
see how racial segregation in
any degree has medical value.”
However, he said that he had
asked the VA head to clarify
what the statement meant and
that Dr. Montague Cobb, Chair
man ol the NAACP’s National
Health Committee, had agreed to
comment on whatever lurther
information the VA ollered.
Speaking ol racial designa
tions on hospital records, Higley
said, “The point jrou raise re-
gar^ng designation ol race on
(Please turn to Page Eight)
Torture Death
Of Dunn Man
Baffles Police
DUNN
The exact method ol the tor
ture death of a young larmhand
last Sunday remained a mystery
to Harnett County law enforce
ment officers who late this week
were still seeking an explana
tion as to just how John Mc-
i^ean died.
McLean, 30 year old tenant
farmer, was'found dead Sunday
about six miles Uom Dunn on
tJie Cape Fear river road. His
address was given as Erwin,
Route 1.
li^xamination by Dr. C. W.
i^yrd who was called in by
County Coroner Grover Hender-
oon snowed that young McLean
died from internal chest hem-
morhages.
Ur. Byrd theorized tliat a rope
or wire was put around Mc
Lean’s chest and twisted or
pfillia’Tiir Dr^Byrd told^he
TiMES Wednesday that the
pressure from the rope or wire
iractured five of McLean's ribs,
one of which punctured his
lungs and eventually caused his
death by internal bleeding.
Two of McLean’s nelghlMrs,
Leroy McNeil and Tommy
Cameron, both about 35, were
ordered iield under $1000 bonds
for grand jury action on Sept.
8.
At first police believed that
McLean was tied behind an au
tomobile and dragged to death,
but Dr. Byrd’s examination
ruled out this theory, as he
pointed out tliat there were not
enough bruises on McLean’s
body to warrant a belief tliat he
had died in tills manner.
McNeil and Cameron irnth de
nied any implication in McLean’s
death. They said that they foimd
him lying on a highway about
nine p.m. Saturday night. Be-
leiving him to be drunk, they
said they took him into their
automobile and visited friends
for about two hours. Around
11 o’clock they awakened him
and drove tiim to a point on the
highway near his home and
drove off.
They were ordered bdd
when other witnesses contra
dicted tbeir testimony.
McLean’s death must have*
been painful, according to Dr.
Byrd’s report. Dr. byra s«uv»
tiiat his examination showc^A
that McLean was squeezed to
(Please turn to Page Eighty
Citliens of Charlotte are sponsoring an appeal for a wheel
chair-for Mrs. Betty Heath (above) 87-year-old raputee who lives
at 606 Meyers Street. Mrs. Heath, a diabetic whose mid-thigh
amputation three years ago left her with only one leg, depends
on her daughter for support. Recently, her daughter, Mrs. Mary
Walker, became 111 leaving her to depend entirely on her 14-year-
old grandson. Although Mrs. Heath has maintained a cheerful
attitude throughout the sufferings of her later years, she needs
some help now to enable her to help herself until her daughter is
well enough to care for her again. Anyone who has a wheel chair
is asked to call 4-4207 or write at 708 Baldwin Avenue in Char
lotte. —L
YOUTH GOES ON SPREE WITH
22 GRAND, STOLEN FROM BOSS
PHILADSLPHIA
A 20 year old kid, with a
yearn for an expensive automo
bile, calmly told'this week how
he stole $22,000 from his white
employer, the head of-tiie Eagle
Upholstery Co., and then tried
to cover up the theft by starting
a six alarm fire which damaged
the five story building of the
company to the tune of $150,000.
The kid—Joseph Walcott, Jr.
was employed as a porter for
eight months, when he decided
on the spur of a moment on the
evening of July 2nd, to take
brief case containing $22,000,
which he had seen locked in a
steel cabinet. To hide his theft,
Walcott then set fire to the fac
tory and it quickly mushroomed
(Please turn to Page Eight)
School Reunion
BRKnCS
On August 29-30 the annual
reunion of the alumni of Joseph
K. Bricks School will be held at
Bricks located three miles south
of Enfield on the Atlantic coast
line. From all indications the
annual meeting this year will
be largely attended with mem
bers of the alumni association
coming from all over the coun
try to pay their annual visit to
the school.
The institution was founded
immediately after the Civil War
and for nearly a half century
did much to furnish educational
opportunities for Negroes in the
South and the rest of the coun
try. Many of ite ^aduates are
now engaged in teaching, busi
ness, ministry and other profes
sions throughout the nation.
The school, operated under
the auspices of the American
Missionary Association and un
der the administration of Prof.
T. S. Inborden, was considered
one of the outstanding educa
tional institutions in the South.
President of the alumni saso-
ciation is Fletcher Atkins of
Washington, D. C., and Miss
Kathryn Payktr of Greensboro
is secretary.
Citizens Seek
Action tn Park
Improvements
ASHEVILLE
Some action designed to gain
improvements ol recreational
facilities for Negroes appeared
in the offing here this week as
the aftermath to the latest in a
series of requests for the City
Council to do something about
improving wiiat lias been termed
an “appallingly inadequate”
situaUon.
A delegation, led by Attorney
Harold Epps met with the Coun
cil recently and were promised
tliat a recreaUonal facility
“second to none” would be de
veloped for Negroes.
Epps’ delegaUon, which was
composed of Attorney Rueben
Dailey, W. R. Saxon, and Mrs.
Z. B. Cooke, asked the Council to
explain why a proposed $39,000
improvement plan for the Wal
ton Street park had beeii omit
ted from the budget in favor of
a $5,000 improvement appropri
ation.
said after the council
meeting that all of the several
groups which have expressed a
similar desire to see sotne im
provements made in recreational
facilities, for Negroes in the
city would be called together in
n meeting soon to work
out some program of joint action.
In answering the delegation,
city manager J. Weldon W^
promised that the city has plans
for a development at the Camp
bell Woods at Hill Street school
which would be “second to
none” in the city. He said that
the reason the smaller sum was
earmarked lor improvem«>ts at
the Walton Street schoids was
that it was impractical to spend
more money at the site bacausa
ol the limited possibUities tor
expansion and improvement.
Earlier during tha sumnar. a
group of white and Mafra eltl*
xens appeared batora tba eook-
cil requesting expansion and li»-
provmant of raeraatioDal flfe-
ciliUes for Negroes. This graopb
which included AttORtays Ga»
(Please turn to Paga HtflM