Mjidge Case Nol
>>^ Lat]ier 'Mey
" Joins IGnitmeii
AtHiwHome
Defendants Had Been In Jail
Since Pebrnary 2 of
TWa-Year
STANLEY ALSO FREED
State Laddi«4n Evidence To
. Deatb of Andrew
Ttie state todar took a nol
L pros in Wllkef court in the case
of l>utner Tilley and Winfield
Stafller for the alleged slaying of
Andrew Eld.ridge in 1927 and
the defendants are free after six
. months in ]ail.
>-■ THUey and Stanley were re
manded to jail on February 2 of
this year after a preliminary
hearing was held in Wilkesboro, |
at which time evidence was pro-1
duced tending to show that Til-!
ley and Stanley were responsible j
for the mysterious death of the I
Eldridgo youth, whose body was'
found in Klondyke Lake near
a Elkin nineteen days after he had
■ disappeared from his home and
left a note saying. “Notice, I
have gone to Elkin to work. Will
be back Saturday, Andrew."
At the time the body was
found a coroner’s hearing was
held and death was attributed to
drowning.
During the investigation of
the famous Tilley case, in which
he was gathering evidence
against five members of the Til
ley family for the death of Leoda
Childress on December 30, Soli
citor Jones learned that Winfield
y, Stanley had remarked to some of
^ his fellow workmen that Eld-
ridge was not drowned as was
found by the inquest, but that
“they” hanged him. because he
found their still. to frighten
him but “they" (mentioning no
w^es) let him hang too long
ajW’he wms dead.
■The evidence alleging that
Luther Tilley was connected
“■with the case was offered by a
handwriting expert who said Lu
ther Tilley wrote the note sup
posed to have been left at the
Eldridge home by Andrew. In
220 BusheU Of
Wheat Harvested
On Nine Acres
Glenn WUllaou, prominent
farmer of the Goalten com
munity, harvested 220 bush
els of wheat from nine acres,
an average of almost 24 1-2
bushels per acrev
Similar yirids have been re
ported from various sections
of the county, indlcajting a
good wheat yield.
David Mathis
Kills Himself
With a Rifle
iBru^yMt Baptist
lAssociatioo Will
I Meet Ai^st 24-25
^ Program For Meeting An
nounced By Moderator and
Secretary
AT MORAVIAN FALLS
Rev. Eugene Olive Will Deliver
Annual Introductory
Sermon
New Rocaty President
Annual session of the Brushy
Mountain Baptist Association
will be held at Moravian Palls
Baptist church Friday and Sat-
^ urday, August 24 and 25.
Wilkes Resident Takes Ownj Announcement of the associ-
Life At His Home Near
Jonesville
DEATH \ iINVESiyGATED
Clear Case of Suicide, Is Opin
ion of Coroner S. A.
Rash
David .Mathis, age 54. ended
his life by firing a bullet into
his brain his home near Jones-
I ville Friday evening about six
j o’clock.
! According to the report of
■ Coroner S. A. Rash, who investi-
I gated the death and reached the
‘ conclusion that Mr. Mathis com-
i muted suicide, Mr. Mathis was
ation was made this week by J.
L. Hemphill, moderator, and
Mrs. Floyd M. Jennings, secre
tary.
The program tor the entire as-
sociational meeting, which is
given by Baptist leaders among
the churches, follows:
FRIDAY, ArOrST 24
10:00—Praise and Worship,
Rev. H. A. Bullis; 10:15—En
rollment of messengers; 10:30—
Report and discussion on Relig
ious Literature, Prof. T. E.
Story. (1) Biblical Recorder, (2)
Charity and Children, (3) Other
Periodicals and Literature: 11—
Report and discussion on Mills
Home, Rev. Atwell Watts; 11:40
—Introductory Sermon, Rev. Eu
gene Olive; 12:15—Announce-
in the back yard of ’uls home) Adjournment,
when the shot was fired. Mathis’ i Afternoon
children playing nearby said they
heard the shot and heard their
father crumple to the ground.
The children screamed and
Mrs. Mathis, whp....3yga..„jiearby
rushed to the home to find heriQu^g.
- • Al
1:30—Praise and Worship,
Rev. A. B. Hayes: 1:45—The
State of the Churches: (1) One
Minute Reports from the church
es, directed by Rev. Eugpne
(2) Preliminary
Report
husband in a dying condition. A 1 Digest of Letters (Black-
physician was summoned and be j board); 2:45—The Cooperative
left the home after making an | (d Report on State
examination and
Mr. Mathis was
aid.
When Mrs. Mathis reached her
husband she found a .22-calibre
automatic rifle lying beside him.
Death occured about three hours
after the shot was fired.
Coroner Rash examined the
man’s body and his clothes in
search of a message or note but
the preliminary hearing not find anything of that na
youth’s father offered testimony
to the effect that when the body
was taken from the lake that the
neck was swollen.
Nol pros of the case this
morning allowed Luther Tilley
to join the remainder of his
family, who were freed in the
ture.
finding lhat | jjjggjnng^ State representative;
beyond mortal Report on Home Missions,
Attorney A. H. Casey: (3) Re
port on Fore4fen Missions; (4)
Discussion on each of the above;
3:30—Closing Meditation, Rev.
Avery Church.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 25
9:30—Praise and Worship,
Rev. N. T. Jarvis: 9:45—Report
and discussion on Woman's
Work, Mrs. Eugene Olive: 10:30
The Cooperative Program
Mathis was a well-to-do farm-! (Continued); (1) Report and
er and no cause can be attribut- j discussion of Christian Educa-
ed to the rash act unless he be
came almost suddenly unbalanc
ed mentally. On Thursday he is
reported to have told, his wife
that there was something the
Home of Aged
' Man Is Robbed
^ ^ Burglars Enter Honfir^ of
Myers Resident and Carry
Away $50
HAYS, August 13.—Add to
the list of the meanest men in
the world the man who entered
the home of Willis Miles on last
Tuesday night and robbed him of
950.
Mr. Miles, who .lives in the My
ers community, is a very old
man and has been an invalid for
the past ten years.
The burglar entered the home
-through a window in the room in
1^ which Mr. Miles’ granddaughter
was sleeping and where the mon
ey was kept in a trunk. The
young lady was not awakened
and the theory has been advanc
ed that she was drugged.
Pine coals were scattered
about the floor of the room, in
dicating that the thief or thieves
used a pine torch for a light. Ef-
’ (Continued on page eight)
Childress case by a directed ver-| with his head and that he
diet Saturday afternoon. difficulty in collecting his
mind.
He leaves his wife, Mrs. Dora
Mathis three daughters, Louise,
Maxing and May, and the follow-
in.g brothers and sisters: Fletch
er. Ohio: John, Elkin, Va.; Jones
and Joe, Jonesville; James, Cal
ifornia; LaFayette, Oklahoma;
Mrs. Jojin McBride, Mrs. J.andon
Mendenhall, and M r s. Wiel
Walker. Ronda.
Funeral services were held at
Swan Creek church Sunday at
one o’clock.
Attend ’ Conference
In State
Capitol
W. N. Wopd, Glenn Williams.
W. T. Pugh, Miss Pauline Lin-
ney and Miss Rosa Billings mo
tored to Raleigh Saturday to at
tend a conference of corn-hog
campaign administrators.
Revival la HeW At
Hunting Creek Church
U. N. C. ALUMNI TO
GATHER IN CALDWELL
Former members of the stu
dent body of the University of
North Carolina residing in Alex
ander, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba
and Wilkes counties are Invited
to attend a meeting to be held
at Brown Mountain Beach in
Caldwell county—ten miles from
Lenoir—on Thursday. August
16th. Invitations are also extend
ed to wives of the alumni, and
their sweethearts too, if some
happen not to be married.
Features of the get-together
meeting will be a barbecue on
the grounds, bathing and an ad
dress by Coach Carl Snaverly of
the University, who will be
guest of honor.
The purpose of the convoca
tion is to renew mutual Interest
among the alumni and to pro
mote the Ideals and welfare of
the old U. N. C.
A series of revival meetings
have been in progress at Hunt
ing Creek church during the past
week. The pastor, Rev. W. G.
Mitchell, has been assisted by
Kev Purvis C. Parks, of Cycle. | isters
Much Interest has been shown in j invitation to attend all services
White Plains Meeting
Will Begin August 19
A revival meeting will begin
at White Plains church one half
mile north of Roaring River on
Sunday. August 19. The pastor,
Rev. Purvis C. Parks, will be
abley assisted by a corps of min-
The public has a cordial
the meeting.
during the meeting.
tion-—30 minutes, Re% . C. C.
Holland; (2) Hospital—Report
and Discussion 3’ minutes, C. B.
Mayberry: (3) Aged Ministers’
Relief—Report and Discussion
15 minutes. Attorney J. F. Jor
dan; 1'1:30—M,usic; ll:3f5—
Final Report on Digest of Church
Letters: (1) Summary of Year’s
Achievements. Rev. Eugene Ol
ive; (2) Our Goals for Next
Year (On Blackboard); 12—
Election of Officers tor Succeed
ing Year; 12:15—Closing Medi
tation, Rev. Finley Watts.
Afternoon
1:30—Praise and Worship,
Rev. Isaac Watts: 1:45 — Tem
perance and Public Morals, re
port and discussion. Solicitor
John R. Jones;
Schools—report and discussion;
2:40—Report and Discussion on
B. Y. P. U.. Mrs. Helen Linney
Cushion: 3:00—Reports pt Com
mittees — Executive, Finance,
Memorials, Resolutions, Place
and Preacher, Special' Commit
tees; 3:15—Closing Inspiration
al Address, Rev. Avery Church.
Detroit . . . Mr. Hobert B. L.
Hill (above), of Columbia, Mo.,
is the new president of the Ro
tary International for 1934. He
was elected to the highest office
by 10,000 members gathered
here fro mall parts of the world.
“Old Maidt’ Club
Given By Scouts
WUkesboro Scout Troop Enter
tains Audience With Splen
did Play
Before an appreciative audi
ence the Wilkesboro Boy Scout
troop presented a comedy, “The
Old Maids Club" at the Wilkes
boro school building on Tues
day night. The play, which was
ably presented, was directed by
Mrs. A. H. Taylor.
The cast of characters was as
follows:
Miss Lula Primrose, Mrs. Hel
en Cashion; Miss Susan Jane
Hopewell, Douglas Linney; Miss
Mary Jane Hopewell, Albert Gar
wood; Miss Sallie Brown, Wil
liam Gray; Miss Dora Doolittle,
M. G. Edwards, Jr.; Miss Faith
Snowraore, Russell Gray; Miss
Julia Jones, Don Story; Miss
Mary Smith, James Hemphill;
Miss Viola Longfellow, Sam
Smoak; Miss Lucretia De Witt,
Donald Linney; Miss Martha
Weinhauber, Chas. Garwood;
Miss Betsey Boblnet, B. S. Call,
Jr.; Mr. Tommy Doolittle, Tom
Story; Mr. Phillip Andrew
James, Baxter Davis.
C.F. Canter Is
Badly Injured
Well Known Resident of Pur-
lear Conrmunity Suffers
Skull Fracture
C. F. Canter, prominent’ citi
zen of the Purlear community,
was seriously injured on Thurs
day afternoon when he fell from
a moving automobile near the
home of T. P. Elledge.
It could not be ascertained
whether he stepped from the car
before It stopped or fell when he
opened the car door. His head
hit the pavement of the highway,
causing a severe skull fracture.
He was rushed to the hospital
here, where his injury received
2:15 Sunday surgical attention. His condition
today was reported as somewhat
improved.
Teachers Meeting
Held On Saturday
Teachers Now At Work I b
Schools Meet With County
Superintendent
A teachers meeting for the
schools In the county which have
already started was held at the
Wilkesboro school building Sat
urday morning at ten o’clock.
Prof. C. B. Eller, county sup
erintendent of- schools, presided
and led in the discussions of a
number of topics relative to
school work this year. About
twenty-five teachers were In at
tendance.
Another teachers meeting will
be held on August 28, 10 a. m.,
at the Wilkesboro school build
ing for all teachers who are to
begin work on fhe following day.
Twelve communities in Orange
county have prepared data for
having rural electrical lines
placed for serving the farm
homes of each community.
REVIVAL SERVICES
BEGAN LAST NIGHT
AT BAPTIST HOME
A series of revival services be
gan last night at Baptist Home
church. .The pastor. Rev. J. E-
Hayes, is being ably assisted by a
number of other ministers. TTie
public is cordially invited to all
services.
Two Held As Suspected
Dillinger Gang Members
Oconto, Wis., Aug. 10.—A man
and a woman were arrested here
tonight on suspicion that they
might be members of the Dil-
linger gang of outlaws.
It was believed at first that
the man was George (Baby
Face) Nelson, w"ho has become
the country’s public enemy num
ber one since the death of John
Dlllinger.
Officers said later that the
man’s description did not seem
to tally with that of Nelson but
that they 'were checking his fin
gerprints to make certain.
Unanimous approval of the
Bankhead and Kerr crop'control
acts was expressed by farmers
attending the annual Farm and
Home Week exercises at State
College last week.
lows
Non-Suit As State
Souational Case Comes To Dramatk;
End When Judge Says Evidence Does
Not Warrant (^ing Before the Jmy
City Schools
Win Begin
Sept. 10
Formal Opening of High
Si^hod Apartment On
Following Friday
The North WUkesboro city
schools will open on Monday,
September 10, according to a
statement given out by W. D.
Halfacre, superintendent, here
today.
Class room work will begin
on that date and on the fol
lowing Wednesday a formal
opening program will be held
for the elementary schools.
On Friday, September 14,
wUI be the formal opening
program of the high school de-
partm-Crt, program for which
will be published in full at a
later date.
State Examines About 100 Witnesses In Effort To Convict
Tilley Family; Judge Commends Solicitor For Dili-
Gence and Discharges Yadkin County Jury
LioiisMvea
Business Meet
Another Picnic? Meeting Is
Planned For Thursday ,
Evening, Aug. 23
Meeting of the North Wilkes
boro Lions Club on Thursday
evening was taken up mainly by
a discussion of business matters
and present activities of the
club.
The membership and achieve
ment Contest now being conduct
ed for the directors’ trophy is in
full sway and a score of each
member’s standing is made at
each meeting.
The matter of sharing half the
cost with the Klwanis Club for
a washing machine for the coun
ty tubercular hospital was taken
up and It was decided that the
club would enter into the pro
ject.
It was decided that the next
meeting on Thursday evening,
August 23, would be a picnic
meeting and would be held at J.
B. Carter’s home on the Bruish-
ies.
Wilford Weler was named
chairman of the publicity com
mittee by |the ptresident, Ivey
Moore.
GOOD REVIVAL HET.D
AT CENTER CHURCH
A most successful revival meet
ing was held at Center church in
Mulberry township last week. Rev.
Monroe Dillard, the pastor, was as
sisted by Rev. E. A. Long, of
Laurel Springs, and a number of
other ministers. In a splendid
service held Thursday night there
were five conversions.
C. L. Comer Is
Member Of Cotton
Reduction Group
All Who Want To Sign Reduc
tion Contracts In Wilkes
Shonld See Him
Big Baseball Game
Here Tomorrow
Home Chair Company base
ball team will play the Chatham
Blanketeers at the fairgrounds
here tomorrow afternoon at 4
o’clock. This will be the fourth
of a series of games played be
tween the two teams this season.
“Chic” Gant who struck out
nineteen Blanketeers in a game
at Elkin recently will be on the
mound for the Home team. The
game Gant pitched as well as the
other two were won by the Blan
keteers by close scores, the game
tomorrow afternoon may be ex
pected to be a close and exciting
affair.
The public is urged to attend
the game tomorrow. Only a
small admission is charged, and
the local club needs financial
support, the management states.
MANY ARE HOMELESS
IN KENTUCKY FLOOD
Ashland, Ky., Aug. 10.—^The
muddy tide of a cloudburst
swept away all the worldly pos
sessions of hundreds of people,
took two lives, and laid waste
the fertile lowlands of Carter
and Rowan counties today. It
was the most devastating flobd
ever recorded'In this section of
eastern Kentucky. Property dam
age will be counted In hundreds
of thousands of dollars.
T. S. Neal, of Ruffin, Caswell
county, reports a production of
811 bushels of wheat this season
on hie former ’ all-tobacco farm.
Five Tilleys indicted for the murder of Leoda ChUdrew
were freed of the charge in Wilkes superior court late SatOF>
day afternoon when Judge John M. Oglesby promptly grant'
' ed a defense motion for non-suit or directed verdict of not
guilty.
The action of the court sets free four of the five defend'
ants, W. W. Tilley and his wife, Mrs- Della Tilley, Mrs. Luther
Tilley and Clyde Tilley. Luther Tilley was fre^ today on
a first degree murder charge in connection with the deaHi of
Andrew Elilridge in the Benham community in 1927.
Failure on the part of the state to produce
evidence for the case to go before the Yadkin county
leaves the death of Leoda Childress, 18, as much a mysttty
as it was on the bleak afternoon of December 30, when ho*
lifeless body was found in the Tilley home by neighfaonk
Nath Sharpe and Kelley Brown, who testified that they ails'
wered a dis.jjaress call over the party line telephone, pre
sumably froin the Tilley home.
Thursday afternoon, Friday and Saturday were conaum-
ed by examination of about 75 state witnesses and at 4:40
o’clock &turday afternoon Solicitor John R. Jones, leading
the prosecution, announced to the court that the state had
finished its'oase.
Attorney J. Hayden Burke, for the defense, made.’a mU'
tion for non-suit on the charge of conspiracy and the cli^llge
of murder contained in the bill of indictment- Before h&ltad
completed his argument, Judge Oglesby interrupted an aL
lowed both motions, but not until Solicitor Jones had argued
against the motion, citing some of the highlights of the
Judge Oglesby commended Solicitor Jones for his dUli-
gence in the case, but asserted that the evidence had not
sho'wn a conspiracy, that none of the defendants had been
placed closer to the sdeiie of the crime than 150 ypds, that
three of them were admitted to have been about eight milea
from the home at noon, the hour designated by the state as
being the time the girl was killed, and that there was not evi
dence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendants,
or any of them, were guilty.
■— • The entire proceedings from
the time the state rested the case
until Judge Oglesby thanked and
discharged the jury and adjourn
ed court until this morning, last
ed only about 10 minutes.
Thus a case that has attracted
the attention of the nation came
to a dramatic end.
The state’s chain of circum
stantial evidence with which So
licitor Jones fought for a con
viction contained the following
highlights:
Nath Tharpe and Kelly Brown
heard a voice over the tele
phone, presumably from Leoda,
saying that some drunk men
were mistreating her and want
ing some one to. come and help
her: they found her dead and
a .22-calibre rifle on the floor;
near the home they saw Lather
Tilley running across a field;
two days later Mrs. W. W. Til
ley pulled a note from the pocket
of the apron the girl was wear
ing when she was killed. 'The
note said robbers were there and
had given her twenty minutes to
get $500 of Mr. Tilley’s money
and that she would die before
telling them where it was; In
the note she said she had bidden
the money in the tobacco celler,
where It was found by searchera
after the note was taken from
the apron pocket. Jealousy be
tween Luther’s wife and the
girl was advanced as a motive .
for the crime; handwriting ex
perts said the note tound In the
apron was in the handwriting of
Mrs. Luther Tilley.
What the defense would have
tried to prove had the case con
tinued could be ascertained on
ly by the line of cross examina
tion, which tended to show that
they did not even admit the
murder and that she may have
committed suicide. The defenae
would probably have attempted
to prove alibis for each ot the de
fendants.
Tharpe First WitneM
Tharpe was the first wltnees for
the state and Brown,, who fol
lowed him to the stand,'corrobo
rated bis testimony in jietaH,
The former was on the fM*
four hours. :v-^
Tharpe related the stor# of
having heard a jingling rbV’
over the party line telephoM in
his home. His ring, he said, was
three long rings and two short
ones. The ring ho heard waa
three longs in an' intermittent
manner and he went to answer,
thinking that someoim might he
calling his home. At the time ha J
, (Gontlnaed on pag« ^hD
C. L. Comers, of Union Grove,
is a member of the cotton reduc
tion campaign committee for
Wilkes and Yadkin counties.
All who wish to sign the cot
ton reduction contracts should
get in touch with the county
agent, A. G. Hendren, or Mr,
Comer, who have the necessary
blanks and can give all the de
sired information.
Kiwanians To
Hear Oglesby
Superior Court Jurist Will
Address Qub In Friday
Noon Meeting
Judge John M. Oglesby, pre
siding over the present term of
superior court in Wilkesboro,
will address the North Wilkes
boro Klwanis Club at its noon
luncheon. D. J. Carter will have
charge of the program.
A full attendance of Klwan-
iajis Is expected to hear the ad
dress.
Seven Are Killed As ,
Train Hits Automowle
Memphis, Tenn., Aug. 9.—Seven
persons, four of them children,
were killed today when a passen
ger train crashed into a heavily
loaded automobile driven by a
one-armed man.
Survey Parties Expected -
To Begin Work Next Week
Raleigh. Aug! 1,0. —Survey
parties on the park-to-park fed
eral scenic highway are expected
to start work in the Low Gap
section near Mount Airy next
week. Chairman E. B. Jeffrees
of the highway and public works
commission said today,
Conferences between ’ commis
sion officials and engineers and
representatives ot the federal
bureau of public roa*|^Te been
held here this week in*regard to
methods to be used in acquiring
rights-of-way and other details,
Mr. Jeffress said, and unless
there is a hitch* first;, survey
crews will start work next week.
Ib ' ^ 'v's