ff I HadeMyKnown’,
Jailed Spou$e Pleads
Scenes from the rspe tri«l 1h Dnrham’B Snperler C«wt which
reanlted Ib life tentemeea tor four youif Onwfe Conntjr Nefroes
this week are showa here. Ib picture at left is seen Elton Burcess
(below arrow). tlM youth who aeeompanied Hn. Hope SisM Lloyd
OB the niffht the attack and who was beaten by one of the de
fendants. In the pictare at rifht, defense attorneys are shown
dnrinf a momentary break In the lone *&d tedious conrt prooeed-
in(s. Left to rifht are Attorneys''M. H. Thompson, W. A. Marsh,
Engene Gadsden and C. O. Pearson. Shown directly behind Pear
son is one of the defendants, Clandins Parrish. Insets aionr the
top of the pictures show the defendants and prMecutrix. Left to
rifht are Willie Shaw, Otho Roberts, Claudius Parrish, John D.
Brooks and Mrs. Lloyd.—‘Staff photos by STANBACK.
WARRENTON TRIAL PUT-OFF
f^lodical Dept
Ouls* Uhlv Ubrary
Four Get Life On Rape Rap
Rape was the big story here In
North Carolina this week.
In Durham, four Negroes re
ceived automatic life smtences
after pleading guilty to a charge
o raping a thrice-married SO
year-old white woman.
In Warrenton, where two
white men were scheduled to be
tried for raping a teen age Negro
school girl, the trial was post
poned until the May term of
the Superior Court at the re
quest ^ the prosecution.
Sentenced to the State prison
for the rest of their lives were
Willie Shaw, 24; Otho Roberts,
18; John D. Brooks, 25; and
Claudius Parrish, 20. Judge Q.
K. Nimocks, a very patient
judge who stopped the lengthy-
court proceedings at several
points to lecture to the over-
flowixig often noisy crowd on
manners, recommended that the
defendants never be paroled or
that their sentences be commut
ed.
Acceptance of a plea of guilty
by Solicitor W. H. Murdock
brought to an abrupt halt the
six day trial which had been in
process at the Superior Court
here. It came shortly after the
judge had delivered the charge
to the jury and the 12 men had
retired to deliberate a verdict.
The plea of guilty made auto
matic the life imprisonment
sentence.
The quartet, all from Orange Mrs. Lloyd, Burgess and Ernest
County, had been charged with
raping Mrs. Hope Sims Lloyd,
30 year-old Chatham Cotmty
divorcee, and beating her youth
ful companion, Elton Burgess,
19, on the night of August 80.
The crime occured in a wood
just off the Fayetteville road.
During the trial, all but one
of the defendants took the stand.
It was learned from the defense
attorneys that it was the wish df
the defendants that they be giv
en, & chance to testify. Roberts
turned an offer to take the stand.-
The State’s witnesses included
Sheriffs E. Q. Belvin of Durham,
J. E. Latta of Orange Coimty,
Bolden, the storekeeper sum
moned by Burgess on the night
of the crime to go back to the
scene and reKue Mrs. Lloyd.
Acting as defense counsel
were Attorneys M. Hugh
Thompson, R. P. Reade, 0. O.
Pearson, $igmund Meyer, Willi
am A. Marsh and Eugene Gads
den.
Two Negroes wer^ among tha
jury selected to bear the trial,
but, as it turned out, didn’t have
to decide on a verdict, niey
were William Hubbard and
Fletcher Parker. They ate and
slept with other jurors at the
Malboume hotel (white) here
during the duration of the trial.
AFTERMATH OF $1MN HAUL
Says She Would
Have Turned In
Her Husband
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Mrs. Mamie Landis, wife of
the man accused of taking $160,
000 from the Bureau of Engrav
ing An New Year’s Eve Day, was
out on bail this week. An anony
mous t>enefactor iukd put up a
$10,000 cash bond for the come
ly Mrs. Landis, who has repeat
edly asserted she would have
tipped off the police as lier fa
ther did of the sensational rob
bery, if she had only known.
i knew nothing about the
robbwy,” she claims. ‘1 only
want to help in every way pos-
sibls.”
The bond money for Mrs. Lan
dis’ bail was Ikandled by Doug
las R. Smith, a vice-president of
the National Savings and Trust
Co. Said Mr. Smith atx>ut the
benefactor: “He is a liiglily re
putable client of our bank who
does not desire pei'sonal publi
city.” ^
He did however add that the
(Please turn to Page Eight)
Two of the Mutual Savings and Loan Association’s yonngcst shareholders, Jaae Mmmet, It, i
Marsha Goodwin, 11, are shown chatting with the Association’s top offieials and Bevercad A. S.
Croom, extreme right, following the annual meeting of the organisation in Durham this week.
Mutual Savings and Loan officials shown are ■. B. Merrick, (extreme left) presideat, aad J. S.
Stewart, (second from right), seeretary-treasarer. For more details, see stary, this page.
2;
FOR THIRTY YEARS THE OUTSTANDING WEEKLY OF THE CAROLINAS
Entered as Second ^au Matter at the Post Office at Durham, North Carolina, under Act of March 3,1S79.
The front view of the drive in branch of the Mechanic and
Fanners Bank is shown here. The branch, located on Fayetteville
Street at Elm in the Hayti section of Durham, will be formally
opened in ceremonies ftlday night at the balldi^. EreejM, equip
ped and furntahed at a cost of some $98,00t, the building is among
the most modern in the city, featnrii^ bullet proof and bullet re
sistant windows. B. R. Markley was the achitect and George W.
Kane the contractor.
Section Of Duriiaiii To Get
Service For The First Time
History Of Mechanics And Fanners Bank Is
Replete With Fine Examples Of Achievement
New Branch Of Mechanics And Farmers
Hii^
Banking
DURHAM
Another milestone in the re
markable growth and develop
ment of the Mechanics and Far
mers Bank will take place here
Friday, January IS when a Fay
etteville Street branch of the In
stitution w)ll open its doors for
business.
With the main office located
at 114 Parrish Street the Raleigh
branch located at JS E. Hargett
Street, in the state’s capital £lty
and a third office located at 61B
Fayetteville Street the Mechan
ics and Farmers Bynk now be
comes the first and only Negro
bank in America with a branch
office in the city in which ita
main office is located. Already
it holds the distinction of I>eing
the only race bank in the coun
try with a branch in another
city.
For the 17,000 or more Negro
citizens living in the Hayti area
of Durham the Fayetteville St.
branch will furnish every bank
ing service to be found in the
main office and except loans,
will make banking quicker for
everyone who lives or works in
the growing southern section of
the city and cotmty.” The new
edifice, beautiful in design and
(Please turn to Page Eight)
“We’ve had problems...many
of them...just as any other finan
cial organization. But I feel it
is a tribute to* the manfcgement
that the bank has been able to
maintain its record of steady
progress through tiie years.”
So spoke Mechanics and Far
mers bank president John Her-
vey Wheeler on the eve of the
opening of the bank’s new bran
ch here this week.
* Bank officials have had thelir
chests stuck out tor the past few
days, days that have led up to
the formal opening of the new
branch located at Fayetteville
Street at Elm in the Hayti sec
tion. And they are ri^tly proud,
for the opening of the branch
marks another concrete advance
by ^e organization whose his
tory is replete with fin* exam
ples of achievement.
As President Wheeler unfold
ed the history of the bank to
this writer between comminquea
to his secretary, short coti^er-
encea with various tellers and
his chief aide, cashier I. O. Fun-
derburg, and not Infrequent ac
ceptance of incoming telephone
calls (he is easily one of the
city’s busiest men), the names
of Fitzgerald, Merrick, Moora,
Warren, Shepard,'Pearson, Don
nell, McDougald and Spaulding,
household words to most native
Durhamites, fell into their pro
per places in the rolls of the
bank’s history.
But Wheeler, who is reluc
tant to speak of progress in
terms of individual' men for fear
of overlooking someone to whom
credit is due, was iiuick to con
vey the impression that it was
the confidence of the people in
the bank which did more than
any single official to make i>os-
sible its rapid growth.
Mechanics and Farmers bank
had its origin in 1907 when
nine men banded together to
form the financial institution.
These nine men were R. B. Fitz
gerald, John Merrick, Dr. A. M.
Moore, Dr. S. V. Warren, Dr.
James Shepard, J. A. Dodson,
Cieorge Stevens, W. G. Pearson
and John R. Hawkins.
On Augtist 1, 1909, the doors
of Mechanics and Farmers bank
were first opened for business.
It was chartered some 18 months
earlier, in January 1907. Its
first site was on Parrish Street,
next door to the present build
ing, the site now occupied by
Mutual Savings and Loan Asso
ciation. But for the persuasion
of Messrs. Merrick and Moore,
the bank would have been lo
cated at five points, where the
present White Palace Cafe is
situated, however the afore men
tioned two gentlemen influen
ced the bank owners to locate on
Parrish St.
""Fitzgerali a well-to-do- brick
maker who owned „ a consider
able brick manufacturing estab
lishment in what is now known
as the west end section, became
the institution's first president.
Merrick succeeded him one year
later and held the post until his
death.
Pearson became the yotmg
organization’s first cashier, but
held the Job only one year, re
linquishing It because of his
(Please ttuti to Page Eight)
VOLUME 30—NUMBER 50 /
State Baptists
To Dedicate
New Building
RALEIGH
Baptists from every section of
North Carolina are expected to
gather in Raleigh, Wednesday,
January 20 to witness and parti
cipate in the dedication of the
recently constructed State Bap
tist Headquarters building.
The new stilicture, located on
the corner of Wilmington and
Lenoir Streets, will be dedicated
in formal ceremonies conducted
in the basement of the building.
The initial program will begin at
11 a.m. in the Shaw University
Church, with Dr. P. A. Bishop,
Rich Square, president of the
(Seneral Baptist Convention,
presiding.
The Rev. Th(»nas Kilgore, *Jr.,
former Executive Secretary of
the Convention and currently
pastor of Friendship Baptist
Church, New York City, will
give the principal address.
Greetings will be extended by
Atty. F. J, Carnage, represent
ing the citizens of Raleigh; Dr.
M. A. Huggins, general secretary
of the Baptist State Convention;
Dr. W. R. Strassner, president of
Shaw University; Dr. W. C.
Somerville, Executive secretary
of the Lott Carey Baptist For
eign Mission Convention, USA.;
Mrs. M. A. Home, president of
the Woman's Home and Foreign
Mission Convention of North
Carolina; and the Rev. T. H.
Brooics, superintendent of the
Oxford Orphanage.
The Rev. K. O. P. (Soodwin,
pastor of Winston-Salem’s Mt
Zion Baptist Church, and trustee
of the Convention, will preside
over the Litany of Dedication.
The Rev. G. S. Stokes of Middle
sex will pray the prayer of dedi
cation and the benediction will
be pronounced by the Rev. A. L.
Thompson of Lumberton.
Other participants will in
clude: M. A. Ham, architect; J.
M. Thompson, Jr., contractor;
Dr. O. S. BuUock, Raleigh, and
Dr. J. W. Tynes, Greensboro,
trustees; Dr. R. M. Pitts, Win
ston Salem, chairman of the
Executive Committee; Dr. J. T.
Hairston, Greensboro, chairman
of the Board of Missions; the
Rev. O. L. Sherrill, Executive
Secretary of the (Seneral Con
vention; Mrs. Ellen S. Alston,
Executive Secretary of the Wo
man’s Convention; J. T. Haw
kins, president of the Baptist
Training Union Convention; B.
M. Butler, president of the State
(Please turn to Page Eight)
DURHAM, N. C., SATURDAY, JANUARY 16, 1954
PRICE 10 CENTS
EDITORJ AL
V
CONGRATUUTIONS MECHANICS
AND FARMERS BANK
The Carolina Times is happy to feiicitate tha F.Iechanics
AND Farmers Bank this week for achieving another mile
stone in its long and useful career, as the hub around which
all of Durham’s Negro business instutions revolve. The own
ing of the Fayetteville Street branch of the bank, which will
take place on January 15, will not only provide better and
bigger banking service for the Negro citizens of Durham—
that is a small part of the overall significance—but it also is
proof positive that the Durhasi Negro business group is many
steps ahead of those in other cities.
Although there are only about 27,000 Negroes in the en
tire city and county of Durham, the Mechanics and Farmers
Bank ranks second in the nation as the largest banking in
stitution owned and controlled by Negroes, towering well
over Negro banks in large urban centers like Philadephia,
Atlanta, Memphis, Savannah and Kansas City, and ranking
close behind the leading one located in Washington, D. C.
This fact is testimony that the Durham institution is well
managed and has among its officials men of vision and fore
sight.
It may not be knoWn to many white and Negro citizens
of Durham, but the Mechanics and Fabmebs Bank is the
only one in the race that has a branch in another city or
elsewhere in the city in which it operates. This fact also
bespeaks of the fine leadership the institution has had
through the years.
What has been done in the banking field in Durham
can be accomplished elsewhere if Negroes will only leam
to bury their personal differences and cooperate for their
own benefit. There are many cities in the nation with much
larger Negro populations but because of personal animosity,
selfishness and littleness on the part of their leaders they
are unable to even have a first-class credit union, to say
nothing of a banking institution.
Again, we extend our congratulations to the Mechanics
and Farmers Bank and trust that its new branch will not on
ly serve the Negro citizens of Durham in a better way but that
it will be an inspiration to members of the race in other cities
to awaken to the great possibilities they have if only th«y
will learn the spirit of cooperation.
Durham Financial Institution
Reports Over 2 Million In Assets
DURHAM
The 33rd annual sharehold
ers’ meeting of the Mutual
Savings and Loan Associa
tion was held here Tuesday,
evening, January 12 in the
auditorium of the North Caro
lina Mutual Life Insurance
Company with a r^resenta-
tive group present The meet
ing was presided over by E.
R. Merrick, president.
The report to the share
holders was read by J. S.
Stewart, secretary-treasurer,
who disclosed that the Asso
ciation closed the year 1953
with total assets of $2,459,604.58,
“representing an increase of
$117,808.82 over the preceding
year.” The Association has ser
ved a total of 2,162 persons
either financing their homes or
providing them a safe and con
venient plan and place for their
savings, Stewart said.
The Association granted home
loans Airing the- year to the
amount of $515,582.95 to 227
persons. Dividends were distri
buted in the amount of $57,779.-
47 which was the highest ever
paid to shareholders. The Asso
ciation has total reserves of
$179,553.67,. representing a re
serve ratio of 7.8 percent.
During the meting a most in
teresting film was shown the
shareholders, entitled, “VThere
The Heart Is.” The film was pro
duced by the U. S. Savings and
Loan League at a cost of $60,000
and had its premier* showing
last November at the United
States Savings and Loan League
Convention in Chicago. It gave
27 minutes of informative enter
tainment, explaining ttirough an
engaging stc^, tba Importance
(Pleaae turn to Page Eight)
T. D. PABHAM, trust offlccr
•f the Mechanics aad Fanners
Bank, who at his reqaest, waa
granted retiremeat at the aa-
noal meeting of the Baard af
Directors here last week. Par
ham has been eonaected with
the bank for over thirty years
aad attribated ill health as his
reason far wishing to be re
lieved of the responsibilities
of heading the bank’s Trast
Department. Becaaae af hia
iong years of faithfal serTica,
the Board voted to graat Btr.
Parham’s reqacst with am ap
propriate retireneat allat-
ment. He will retaim hia placa
OB the Board ot Dbrectan aad
the bank’s Trast CamtKtea,
accordiag to J. H. Whealey,
presideat.
Fuquay Session
Council Sets
Boy Scout
FUQUAY '
The Occoneecbee Council gb-
nual divisional Boy Scout not
ing and banquet will be held at
the Fuquay Springs consolidated
high school here Tuesday night
Jan. 19 at 7:30.
J. H. Wheeler, president ot
the Mechanics and Farmais
Bank of Durham, will be tha
principal speaker. He is aefaa-
duled to address the banquet
“Opportunities for Living.”
J. M. Schoolar, principal 0
the Whitted elementary fdl0^
of Durham, will praalde ovar >
meeting. Schooler is eb
the Council which .
aacne 12 coimtiea te sifgiy
North Carolina.
H. W. Gillis, local fiaM i
tive, announced this s
many phases ci th»
: planned for the eomtog:
ba previawad at tta."