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^ Hertford County Herald r-??.
V A PAPER WORTH WHILE W : :
Volume XIII. Eight Pages Ahoskie, North Carolina, Friday, March 2, 1923 One Section No. 43
\ ? 1 . \ ? *.... <*? j * ' 1 #
II 1 'I" ' 1 | | ? " 1 ? ' - ? " "
JUDGE ALLEN SAYS
GOD IS FORGOTTEN
BY PEOPLE TODAY
He b Presiding Over Superior
Court at Win ton In Place
Of Judge Frank Daniel*
of Wilaon
HE CHARGES JURY ON
MORALS AND RELIGION
Trial of Criminal Case* Began
Monday Evening, Winding
Up Wednesday Morning
"We are a God-forsaken people,"
is the way Judge Oliver H. Allen
diagnosed the "present situation",
in charging the j/Hertford County
grand jury at Winton Monday morn
ing, upon the convening of the reg
ular one week term of superior court.
Continuing, he said, "We just as well
face the truth; we have forgotten
, God, and He said he would forsake
us if we forsook Him. The trouble
with man is that he has tried to set
up standards of liviHJ; based upon
superficial things rather than upon
the principles set forth in God's
word."
Judge Allen has retired from active
service on the bench, but he csme to
this county to act as emergency
judge for Judge Frank A. Daniels
whose mother is seriously ill at her
home in Golds bo ro. He follows Judge
J. Lloyd Horton to this county. Judge
Allen is perhaps the oldest superior
court judge in the State in point of
service, while Judge Horton is the
youngest in age?a circumstance that
was recently prominently displayed
in news articles of State papers, upon
the retirement of the veteran jurist
In his charge Judge Allen pointed
out that this was an age in which
people wanted something new; that
it was an age of restlessness and ner
vousness; and that acts of crime to
day were worse than in former years.
"If they can't have something new,
they eall an old thing by a new
name", he said.
In spite of the system of courts
in the State, and the recent addition
of juvenile courts and houses of cor
rection, crime is on the increase. Ail
of which, he continued, was easily
traced to roan's disregard of God. He
told the jury that they were not there
to correct that situation; that was
the business of the church and other
religious' agencies. However he
charged the jury to lid the county of
crime, paying particular attention to
violations of the liquor laws. Other
crimes were not enumerated by him,
practically all of forty-five minutes
being taken up in a discussion of the
present situation as regards respect
for law, morals, and religion.
Court machinery started function
ing in the few minutes before the
dinner hour Monday, and during the
past three days has been working full
time. The criminal docket ran over
into Wednesday, and will push some
of the civil cases off the docket for
this term.
All of the criminal cases were of
minor importance, the most serious
charge being assault with a deadly
weapon against Neale Gibbe, a former
member of the county chain gang.
While loaded up with fhean liquor, he
pointed a pistol towards a young boy
of Tunis and threatened to shoot.
He was given six months on the roads.
H. G. Boyce, a Northampton man,
pleads guilty to a charge of driving
an automobile while under the in
fluence of liquor. He was let off with
the costs, judgment being suspended.
He was arrested in Murfreesboro.
Two hours Monday afternoon and
all of Tuesd*y~morning was required
to dispose of the cases of Claude
Greene and if* D. Sessoms of Ahoslde.
The former was tried upon a charge
of carrying a concealed weapon, and
jointly with the latter in an affray
case. In the former case, he was giv
en a minimum fine of ISO; and in the
latter case, the two men split on the
costs, both pleading guilty. To the
charge ef carrying a concealed
weapon, Mr. Greene plead ont guilty.
Principals in two cases of local in
terest have "skipped" the county, and
have not been apprehended for trial.
Flora Ford, under bond for posses
sion of a still, has left the country;
and so have the Hollouian brothers,
colored, who gave Deputy O. H. Brit
ton and Roberts Jemigan a plenty of
real excitement about two uneks ago.
lulus and R. L. HoUoman who were
in the county jail furnished cash bond
"ipi" " ? . y* -.
WILL ORGANIZE BUILDING
AND LOAN ASSOQAHOW
Certificate of Incorporation
Filed With Clerk Wednes
of Thu Week
First steps toward the for
mation of a building and loan
association for Hertford county
were taken at the regular Tues
day night meeting of the Ahos
kie Chamber of Commerce di
rectors. | Every member of the
board of directors attended the
meeting, and each of the eight
signed an application for certi
ficate of incorporation. A total
of 80 shares, with a par value
of $100 each was signed for.
The application was executed
Wednesday morning and mailed to
D. R. McGlohon, clerk of court, who
will forward a certified copy of the
charter to the State Insurance Com
missioner at Raleigh. A fee of $26
accompanied the application, which
will be turned over to the county
treasurer for the use of the county
school fund. As soon as the insur
ance commissioner passes upon the
application and issues license, the
new association will become a body
politic, and subscriptions to shares
will begin. Not until then will any
efforts be made to secure subscrip
tions.
The corporation will be known as
the Hertford County Building A
Loan Association, its principal office
to be located in Ahoslde. The asso
ciation will be capitalised at two mil
lino dollars, and each share shall be
worth $100 at maturity. Five hun
dred shares must be subscribed for
before the association begins funct
ioning. "M~$
little effort is expected necessary
to secure subscriptions to the shares
when the books have been opened.
When the license has been issued and
neceesary books secured for business
operation, a general mass meeting of
interested persons in Ahoskie and
other towns in the county will be
held here. that time an out of
town speaker^ thoroughly familiar
with all phases of the building and
loan organisations will be present to
explain every feature of the organi
sation and answer questions from
those seeking information along any
line connected with the association.
. There has been and is now a gen
eral demand for a building and loan
association in Hertford County, one
of the very few North Carolina coun
ties having no such organisation. The
problem of building homes and pro
viding houses for persons living
here and others who desire to move
in has never yet been solved in Abos
kie or other towns of the county.
The same situation has faced other
small towns, as well as cities, and in
every instance the building and loan
association has been the one big
solution.
* KADER CURTIS WISE *
* TO MODERN FLAPPER ?
* ?*
* It ku ban left ay >< * former ?
* Aho.ki. man to diagnose the *
* eaee of the 1923 flapper, who ha* *
* bean tomewhat neglected lately. ?
* Professor Kader 1 Curtis, prin- *
* cipal of the Kinston eebeels, says *
* "mental attitude" makes the *
* flapper. It has been bis boast *
* for two or three years that his *
* school trustees had assembled *
* the "beet looking" teaching staff ?
* in North Carolina, and folks *
* around Kinston think Mr. Curtis ?
* ought to be a food judge of what *
* it takes to make the flapper. *
* His idea Is that fast because a *
* teacher happens to be good look- *
* ing, and attires herself in the *
* styles of today does not neces- *
* sarily stamp her to be a flapper. *
* He has declared to newspaper *
* asea of his adopted city that the ?
* old notion (hat a teacher had to *
* be lacking in pulchritude, at least *
* 38 years of age, and attire her. *
* self in styles of a previous do* *
* cade, has been discarded by *
'* school executives everywhere. *
* We -check" to you. Seperia- *
* tendon t Curtis. You ought to *
* know. *
through their attorney, C. Wallace
Jones, last week. B. R. Holloman,
the third brother, was already out on
bail. AH have skipped.
BILLS INTRODUCED
BY LAWRENCE ARE
AWAITING ACTION
Hertford Representative Out*
lines Measures That Are
Pending Further Action In
General Assembly
THERE WILL BE NO
NEW COUNTY COURT
Removes Conflict Between Su
perior Courts in Hertford and
1 ' Northampton Counties
Like many another local bill,
aa well as many measures of
more or less state-wide import
ance, several bills introduced
in the General Assembly by
Representative Loyd J. Law
rence of Hertford County may
not-reach final passage before
the session is adjourned and
the legislators are back home.
At the present time, there are
five bills "lying in wait" in the
Assembly that were introduced
by Representative Lawrence.
They may not become laws.
In one of the bills, the tims of
holding the August term of Superior
court has been so adjusted as to re
move conflict with superior court in
Northampton county. Lawyers to
this section usually appear in each of
these courts, and the conflict delays
trials in some cases.
In this connection, the Hertford
county representative has also an
nounced that he will probably ask
that his bill creating Recorder's
Court in the county be tabled without
further action. He says he has con
cluded after talking with persona
from counties that have such courts,
that the creation of a Recorder's
Court would avail little or nothing.
Hr. Lawrence has furnished the
HERALD with a summary of the bills
now pending and of which he is
author. His statements follows:
Recent bills introduced by Repre
sentative Lawrence, and an explana
tion of the same are as follows, (1)
relattog to court proceedure, (2)
relating to jury fees, (3) relating to
courts of Hertford County, (4)
amending the charter of Murfrees
boro, and (5) authorizing Como
School district to borrow money.
Taking these np in the order nam
'ed, changes the time when judgments
on debts may be recovered in actions
before the Clerk of Court The
present law provides that judgments
may be recovered, in actions of'this
nature, on the first and third Mon
day of each month.
The new bill, if enacted into a law,
will enable a judgment to be recov
ered on any Monday in any month.
This bill has passed the House.
When it reached the Senate Senator
Varser had an amendment tacked on
it authorizing the Supreme Court to
Ax and publish rules of practice in the
Superior Court. The 8enator had a
very good reason for so doing. He
had introduced a separate and inde
pendent bill some ten days or two
weeks ago providing for the making
and publishing rules of practice in
the superior courts by the Supreme
CoOrt His bill passed the Senate,
but was killed in the House. He saw
a second chance to get his measure
enacted into a law by amendment to
the bill of the Hertford representa
tive. When this bill came back to
the House with the Senate amend
ment," the motion prevailed. This
tive of Hertford that the "House do
not concur in the Senate amend
ment,', the motion prevailed. This
means that a conference committee
has to be appointed by the Speaker
of the House and President of the
Senate. The speaker has already ap
pointed, as the House committee, the
Hertford representative, Mr. Con
nor of Wilson and Mr. Brown of
Pitt The senate conferees at the
time of this writing, have not been
named, as action by the House was
only taken on Saturday of last week.
It is likely that conference will reach
some agreement, and would readily
do so were it not for the fact that
8enator Valuer's amendment had
before, in a previous bill, been re
jected by the House.
Bill (2), relating to jury fees,
simply changes the compensation of
jurors in courts justices of the
peace. The present law only pays
(Continued on page 2)
.Brisk Voting On
Queen This Week
Miss Earle Lawrence is way
out ahead of her nearest compe
titor for "Queen Ahoskie."
When ? count was made Wed
nesday night Miss Lawrence was
the choice of 96 persons. Her
nearest rival for the honor is
Mrs. J. N. Vann with 41 votes.
Miss Sybil Cullens has gone into
third place, having 16 votes.
Miss Nancy Howard is next with
nine.
While votipg has been pretty brisk
during the last week, there are still
several hundred who have not made
a choice. Only 171 votes have been
cast to date, out of a possible total of
about two thousand. The sensation
of the week was the entrance of Miss
Lawrence in the race, and the rapid
ity with which she went ahead of all
competitors.
It is a little too early to predict,
but it looks like last week's HERALD
knew its "stuff" when it said the
thing would be fought out between
the marrieds and the unmarrieds.
Poor married man! They are
afraid to rota, for haren't they
got a "queen" at home. Judging
hy their absence from the list of
^ rotors, they are afraid to rote
for any one else than the "boss",
and, because of their embarrass
ing situation, they refuse to rote
at all. Don't he afraid to rote,
'poor married man', the HER
ALD promises to keep your
choice a dark secret.
The contest c loses Saturday night,
March 10. The next seven days is
going to be wide open to all con
testants, but after Wednesday night,
March 7 voting will be confined to the
four leaders in the raee. If you want
your favorite to stay in for the garri
son finish, you'd better get busy be
tween now and next Wednesday. This
thing lacks a long ways being decided;
it has just started good. The next
week is going to decide who will keep
in the race until the end. Remember,
only 'the four highest candidates will
be voted on after Wednesday, March
7th.
The winner will get a free trip to
Wilson, upon the occasion of the
Eastern Carolina Exposition; and will
have her picture displayed in the
HERALD and Norfolk papers.
Results of Voting
Miss Earle Lawrence 96
Mrs. J. N. Vann . 41
Miss Sybil Cullens .16
Miss Nancy Howard 9
Miss Blanche Hotloman 4
Mrs. Howard Basnight 2
Mrs! A. W. Greene 1
Mrs. J. S. Vinson 1
Mrs. Jno. E. Mitchell 1
LEGISLATURE WORKS
HARD AT END
The General Assembly is in high
gear this week, its members working
over time in an effort to paaa upon
the major legislation, and effect pas
sage of the hundreds of local bills
still on the calendars of one or the
other branches. There is little chance
for cleaning the slate of the minor
bills, although the more important
measures have been made special or
ders, and will probably be enacted
into law or defeated on the floors
of the two houses.
The appropriation measure, calling
for a fund of a little more than ten
million dollars for state institutions,
has passed all three readings in the
House, and goes to the Senate, with1
every indication that it will become
law within a day or two. Only 11
members voted against the appro
priation bill in- the House.
The Turlington Prohibition Bill,
embodying the provisions of the Vol
stead Act, passed the Senate Tuesday
by a rote of 47 to 2. The House is
expected to pas it with little or no
debate.
Bowie's bill authorizing the State
to invest $10,000,000 in acquiring 49
per cent of the stock of a railroad to
build Are branch lines of railroads
to the "Lost Provinces" of North
Carolina, Ashe, Alleghaney and Wau
taugua counties has passed the House,
and gone to the Senate, where it has
been reportted favorably by the com
mittee. It is expected to have easy
sledding when H comes upon the floor
for aetion.
The Sedate is still wrestling with
the Ku Klux bills. It will probably
pass a bill with less teeth in it than
the House lliUiken bill. The Giles
Farm Loan bill, taxation bill, and
other bills of statewide interest re
main to be disposed of within the
next few.days.
AHOSKIE POSTOFFICE ON
VERGE OFJHECOND CLASS
Sales of Stamps During 1923
May Determine Future
Classification
"Buy govenment stamps," is
going to be the slogan in Ahos
kie during the year 1923. Not
War Savings Stamps, but pos
tage stamps is what Ahoskie
people are urged to buy, for
upon the total sales in 1923 de
pends the classification of the
Ahoskie postoffice. It is right
now on the verge of becoming
a second class postoffice, ac
cording to Mr. A. T. Willough
by, postmaster.
During the last six months of 1922
sufficient stamp sales were sold to
put this office one notch higher, but,
according to rules of the department,
the sales must come up to the re
quirements for a solid calendar year,
beginning with January.
Mr. Hadfleld, postofflce inspector,
spent several days in Ahoskie last
week, checking up the records of Mr.
Willoughby which were found to be
in rood shape. He also spent some
time interviewing business persons
and firms in the town and interrogat
ing them upon the service rendered
at the loeal office. While here, he
stated to a HERALD representative
that Ahoskie lacked but very little
entering the second class division.
Additional clerk help will be avail
able if the office advances to second
class, and a government building may
eventually be erected here.
Postmaster Willoughby has shaken
up things around the office within
the last week or two. The office will
not be closed hereafter during the
noon hour, and the general delivery
window will be closed only twenty
minutes after the arrival of each mail
train, with one exception. It will be
closed, for the distribution of mail,
for thirty minutes after the north
bound morning train. This schedule
will be strictly adhered to, and if any
mails remain to be distributed after
that time one of tthe office clerks will
distribute it while the window is up.
Under this plan, the first class mail
and daily papers can be "worked up"
during the 20-minute period; and the
second class mail and parcels attend
ed to while the general delivery win
dow is open for business.
A new bulletin board has been in
stalled in the lobby of the office and
time .of closing mails and other infor
mation about the schedule of the
office have been written upon the
blackboard. Another late improve
ment is a rack for parcels, which was
installed several weeks ago^.
Efforts are stiH being made to se
cure a village mail delivery service
here. A petition has been forwarded
to Congressman Ward of this district
and he has advised that he will make
' an attempt to secure the service for
Ahoskie.
* CHAMBER OF COMMERCE - *
* DIRECTORS ON THE JOB *
* ?? ?'
* On* hundred per cent attend- *
* ance upon Tuesday night's *
* meeting Indicates p r e 11 y *
* thoroughly that the directors of *
* the local Chamber of Commerce *
* are not laying down on the Job. *
* Since the secretaryship became *
1 * recant a few weeks ago, the *
* principal effort has 'toon to so- *
* cure a competent person to fill *
* the Job, and right at this time *
* the signs would seem to indicate *
* the employment of e secretary *
* within a week or-two. ?
* Correspondence with the pros- *
* ident of the State Secretarial *
* Association and other secretaries *
* has brought forward serosa! ap- *
* plications, and in other ways the *
* directors are seeking applications. *
* These now In possession of the *
0 Ji'rQrtnrs mend atkaee eanasl-d ?
?ls??wle ?nana ffswe^e enpevtots
* within the next few days will be *
* considered at the regular meet- *
* in* next Tuesday'tiight. *
* In the meantime, the chamber *
* is throwing its full force behind *
* the building and loan association *
* and the hotel project. *
MISS WHITESIDES HERE
Hit] Agnes Whitesides, of the East
Carolina Teachers College at Green
vile was ia Ahoslde Tuesday after
noon. She observed the woilc done
in the first grade of the local school.
CUSTODY OF CHILD
RAISES IMPORTANT
QUESTION OF LAW
Young Son of Paul William*
Wu Kidnapped By Mother
And Latter Will Be Given
Hearing March 7
JBQTHUVEO HERE
UNTIL SEPARATION
Portsmouth Court May Decide
Whether ParenPCen Be
Guilty of Kidnap
"A little child shall lead
them" is about to be exempli
fied in the case of little Joseph
Braxton Williams, 4 year old
son of Paul Williams of Ahos
kie, and Mrs. Lucy Williams,
lately of Ahoslde but now of
Portsmouth, Va.
From Portsmouth comes the news,
widely heralded in the daily papers
of Norfolk, that an important point
of law may be decided from a kid
napping charge lodged against the
little boy's mother by his father.
Three times the boy has "changed
hands," first the father having him at
Ahoskie, only to be "kidnapped" by
his mother and carried back to Ports
mouth. They have not lived together
for several months, and during their
estrangement each has sought to get
possession of the child.
Mrs. Williams employed a chaf
feur to bring her to Ahoskie a few
weeks ago. She came to town secret
ly, located her young son, and, H is
alleged by her husband, kidnapped
him. It was then Paul Williams, the
father, resolved to take legal steps
for the restoration of his young son.
Attorney R. C. Bridger is his coun
sel.
Mrs. Williams and her chaffeur,'
Willie Kellam were arrested for kid
napping the boy, and extradition
papers ware sought from the Gover
nor of Virginia, to bring them back
to Hertford County for trial. Deputy
sheriff 0. H. Britton of Ahoskie went
to "Richmond last week and secured
the extradition papers, coming back
to Norfolk Friday evening.
Early Saturday morning the deputy
sheriff, accompanied by local officers
in Portsmouth, sought out the de
fendants in Portsmouth, preparatory
to bring them back to Ahoslde. But,
in the meantime, counsel for Mts.
Williams and Kellam had secured a
writ of habeas corpus for the release
of fais clients, and in Hustings Ctaurt
Judge K. A. Bain ordered theif re
lease under 1760 bonds each. The
Hustings Court at Portsmouth will
hear arguments in the case March 7,
and aft that time will be asked to de
termine whether the defendants have
been guilty of a crime.
Portsmouth right at this time has
another case exactly parallell, and the
principals are likewise named Wil
liams. Last Wednesday Mrs. Ethelyn
Williams, who was living apart from
her husband, staged an alleged kid
napping performance and secured the
custody of a young child. In this as
in the case of Mrs. Lucy Williams,
the child was left in possession of the
father, and the mother abducted it
When Mrs. Lucy Williams is arraign
ed in Portsmouth Hustings court next
Wednesday, the father or mother of
a child can be guilty or even charged
with kidnapping their own child will
be the point decided.
In that case, if the court says "No",
Paul Williams of Ahoslde will prob
ably have to resort to a little ingen
uity as once before, and "steal" his
young son. It is alleged that he
"stole" him once before, and has been
also threatened with a kidnapping
charge.
Paul is the son of Mr. and - Mrs.
George Williams of this town, and is
local agent for the Virginian-Pilot, a
Norfolk newspaper. He and hie par
ents are well known here, and much
interest is centered about the efforts
of mother and father to secure the
young boy.
The estranged couple were married
in Portsmouth about five years ago,
and until a few months ago lived in
Ahoelde in apparent tranquility.
What caused the separation is another
much mooted question hereabouts.
U. D. C. WILL MEET
The Ahoskie Chaptor of the U. D.
C. will Mtt with Mr*. J. N. Vann
next Tueeday afternoon at S o'clook.
. ..mi