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The Pilot Covers
B%ick County
STATE PORT
A Good Newspaper In A Good Community
Most of The News
All The Time
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>?-; :
NO. 5
6-pages today Southport, N. C., Wednesday,
May 14th, 1947
91.50 PER YEA* PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY
Furpless Heads
Overseas Kehet
prive In County
I Theatre Manager
?c rharee Of Pro
TikeSDesigned To Collect
CnS Per " "
Clothing
|<&N MAYE1S8 - 25
%ram For Entire
State This Year
L Furpless. manager of
\?nu theatre, in Southport,
named Brunswick coun
'JImh of the Overseas Re
S,, Drive Committee.
Ruark. of Chapel
'? a 3tate chairman for this
*Lting Mr Furpless on the
I s uthport will be
If j w Ruark. Trinity Metho
K; rturch. Miss Annie May
KLxVe Southport Baptist
Mrs. Clayton Hickman,
?w.terian church; Mrs. Fraiirt
yemsee. St Phillips Episco
rturch: Mrs. Paul Foilale,
. lea rt Catholic church;
Eger McKeithan, Holiness
I Hj r>"
It. Furpless has revealed facts
,. .. needs overseas which are
the drive for clothing,
L..-; and shoes throughout
state. Despite two years of
m he said, it will take a
ir? time yet to restore the eco
of whole nations under
^ant warfare for six years,
n textile mills destroyed. live
Mi lulled and driven away,
IfLtiny ami clothing burned.
Me populations are wearing
\i eless shoes and rags. Lack
soap has made, deterioration
fabrics worse than normal.
Although Americans have given
irouslv in the past for over
relief much of the clothing
last year is now worn out.
i 100,000.000 pieces which
! abroad from American
ws closets a via. ago do
go far' when distributed'
|? 150.000.000 people.
The Brunswick County drive
iv 18 through May 25, has a
|pal of at least a pound a per
This means 18.000 from
lit; entire county. Mr. Furpless
[panted out that this sounds like
i lot. but when reduced to the
?Mual donor does not work
!? hardship on anyone. For ex
wle. he said, a pair of men's
fees weighs over a pound, while
? winter suit or overcoat weighs
|?wal pounds. However, the goal
? "a pound a person" does not
[revest anyone from giving 25
or 30 pounds if they have that
lunch surplus.
Mr Furpless is urging al!
Sew, vives to combine their
<prag housecleaning with this
M?t of mercy. Those old mili
-?7 uniforms, wedding clothes,
fey things, extra bedding, torn
tablecloths and a hundred other
tans can be sent abroad with
to assurance that they will end
tar days in an errand of mercy.
*r Furpless is asking the
Principal of each school to make
ttrotweement of the purposes of
"is drive, and is asking that the
""tnbutions from each com
b* delivered at the school,
5 which points they may be
Wed up. Persons living away
,rem schools may place
of clothing on W. B. &
' ?''ses and they will be brought
of charge. Bundles may
*?> left at the State Port
not office.
IritfNtu,
Flathti
of
lil
1HME CHANGED
Effective Monday. May 19.
tat show each evening at the ,
>ami theatre. Southport. will ^
k?w at 7 o'clock except on Sat- 1
"toy. when the first show will!
at 6.30 o'clock.
r?WVAL MEKTING
spring revival meeting 1
??"n3 Neck Baptist church w -
; Sunday nijht, Miy IS. with
1 P'Ayo- ami 5,,,,^ service ':30:
1 1 ? clock follower) by preaching at ;
I"; "'clock. Rev H. M. BaVer. of
1 Southport Baptist church, will do
I?* preaching. Everybody is in
,ntol to attend.
Bl'IU) ROOMS
S L. Furpless has been named
ttairman of the building fund
??mittee for Southport Presby
church with the objective
'? Rising money for the erection
Sunday school rooms. Con
^W'.ons are being solicited from
throughout this com
*Waty.
Stevens Speaks Before
Wildlife Group Monday
\
; Executive Secretary Of North Carolina Federation Of
Wildlife Clubs Southport Visitor
Ross O. Stevens, executive secretary of the North
Carolina Federation of Wildlife Clubs, was the speaker
at a meeting of the Brunswick County Wildlife Club
here Monday night in the courthouse.
rrior 10 tne appearance 01 mr.i
Stevens on She program, a busi
ness session was held, with the
following officers being elected
j for the coming year: President,
| E. J. Prevatte; vice-president,
| Dillon L. Ganey: 9ecrctary-trcas
I urer, W. B. Keziah, who was re
I elected to this pose,
i Mr. Stevens summarized the
' activities of the Wildlife Federa
I tion in bringing about the separa
j tion of the Game and Inland Fioh
! ing Division from the old De
; partment of Conservation and De
velopment. He said that victory
| in this matter was only an in
' dicat?'n of what can be aeccm
; plished by the sportsmen of this
i state any time they will coop
lerate on any program. I
' Ha told the club members that
Governor Cherry row has before
j him the names of 27 men from
i whom he will name the 9-man
! commission who will direct the
affairs of the new set-up on
| fishing and hunting, and he urged
all sportsmen to back thein up
i to the limit.
While very careful not to make
\ any <x nmitments as to what he
believes will be the final organi
| zatioa and policy of the new
; commission, Mr. Stevens stat 'd
| that ne felt sure that these men
| will desire to work in close
I harmony with club members in
! each county, and he urged the
I continuation of strong, healthy
j clubs throughout every section of
the state.
! At the conclusion of his talk,
Mr. Stevens presided over a
round-table discussion which
1 proved to be one of th-i most
i valuable features of the program.
judge R. Hunt Parker To
Preside Over May Term
Exchange Of Terms With
Judge Claw son Williams
Will Bring Roanoke Rap
ids Jurist Hsre
CROWDED DOCKET
OF CRIMINAL CASES
This Is Rated A Mixed
Term, But Prospect Is
That Criminal Cases
Will Take Entire
Time
Judge Clawson Williams, who
was scheduled to preside at next
week's term of Brunswick county
Superior court, has exchanged
courts with Judge H. Hunt Park
er, of Roanoke Rapids. The ex
change will bring Judge Parker
here next week for the one
week's term of mixed criminal
and civil court.
Clerk of Court Sam T. Ben
nett says that about 35 criminal
cases are on the docket for trial
next week. No murder cases are
scheduled and only a few of the
cases may be regarded as im
portant. However, in view of the
number of criminal matters,
practically the whole week will
have to be devoted to criminal
cases.
Eleven divorce cases are wait
ing trial and most of them will
probably be disposed of during
spare moments in the criminal
proceedings. Two civil trial cases
and four cases on the motion
docket have also been set in
view of the possibility that time
may permit of their being handl
ed during the week.
Recorder Has
Brief Session
All Cases Disposed Of Be
fore Noon Monday By
Judge W. J. McLamb
And Recorder's Court Of
ficials
A short session of Brunswick
county Recorder's court was held
here Monday, with Judge W. J.
McLamb and other court officials
disposing of all cases before noon.
The following disposition was
made:
Adam DeLoach, no operator's
license, required to pay costs.
John Goodman, cruelty to ani
mals. 30 days on roads, suspend
ed on payment of a fine of $5.00
and costs, fine remitted.
Herbert Stanley, non-support,
continued.
Earl Goodman, possession and
manufacturing, continued to May
26.
Mable Gore, assault, continued,
to May 26.
Kier Cotton, manufacturing,
continued to May 26.
Fred Pigott, consent to tres
pass by children, nol pressed.
Lester L. Smith, disposing of
(Continued on Pago 4)
I
Clerks Of Court
Planning Visit
Half-dozen clerks of superior
| court from as many up-state
counties are expccted to gather
here next week with Clerk
Sam T. Bennett. They are
coming, firstly because Judge
R. Hunt Parker is to be here
I holding court; secondly be
I cause they like Sam Bennett,
the Brunswick official; and
j thirdly because they want to
go fishing.
Last year when they were
here the Coast Guard spent
several hours looking for them
outside on the ocean where it
was stormy. It was finally dis
covered that their boat had
sneaked back in through a
creek and that they were all
safe aboard.
Mother's Day Is
Observed Here
Special Services Conducted
Sunday Afternoon At 2:00
O'clock At Sacred Heart
Church In Southport
On Sunday, May 11, at 2
o'clock the Catholic citizens of
Southport and their friends, cele
brated Mother's Day in their
traditional manner. The church
was simply and beautifully de
corated with a special altar set
up to honor the Blessed Mother
of Gv,d.
The ceremony began by Father
Francis McCarthy leading the
procession into the church, fol
lowed by Altar boys, carrying a I
crucifix and lighted candles, and
the, little girls, carrying hand
bouquets, as attendants to the
May Queen and Maid of Honor
who carried the Statue of Our
Lady.
The Stafue of Mary was plsced
or. the special ai.'ar and wa>:
crrwned by the May Queen, who
offered a prayer for all the
mothers of the world. Each child
then approached the altar to
leave her gift of flowers and of
|fer a similar prayer. During this
? ceremony hymns in honor of the
j Blessed Mother were sung by the
choir.
| Father McCarthy explained to
j the congregation the meaning of
j the service. "For Catholics the
I ceremony is not one of worship
j of a statue nor indeed of Mary,"
I he said. 'Since Catholics worship
i only Cod. It is a gesture of love,
affection and devotion to the
Mother of Jesus, through whom
He came to us. For all Catho
lics Mary, the immaculate mother
j of God, "is the most truly benu
I tiful Mother in the world and
heaven, and was given to the
world by Jesus dying on the
(Continued on Page Four)
Flower Show To ;
Be Held Friday
Of This Week
j
Entries Will Be Received I
Throughout Morning Up ;
Until Noon; Judging
While Doors Are Closed j
SCHOOL CHILDREN
TO VISIT SHOW
Climax Of Day Will Be
Woman's Club Tea Start- ;|
ing At 4 O'clock In
Afternoon
The annual flower show spon
sored by members of the South
port Woman's Club will be held
on Friday at the Community
Building, with Mrs. Helen Bra
gaw serving as general chairman.
Entries may be made during:
the morning from 10 o'clock to
12 o'clock, with club members
who are on duty during that time
allowed one extra hour for mak
ing their own entries.
Judging will start at 1 o'clock
and will be done while the doora
are still closed.
Children of Southport school
will be given an opportunity to
view the exhibits with their
teachers, beginning at 2:30
o'clock. If children wish to at
tend the show at any other hour,
it is requested that they do so
in company with their parents.
The flower show will be open
to the general public from 3:30
o'clock to 5:30 o'clock, and a
cordial invitation has been ex
tended to the public to attend.
The Woman's Club tea, climax
to this annual event, will be held
at 4 o'clock. Mrs. H. T. St.
George, president of the club,
will be in charge of this attrac
tion.
New Bridge Is
Taking Traffic
Two - Way Flow Of Traffic
Being Routed Over Ten.-.
porary Structure At The
Brunswick River Bridge
In This County
The new temporary bridge
across the Brunswick river, built
to serve traffic on routes 17, 74
and 76, is now affording a safe
and satisfactory two-way route
around the scenes of the new
bridge-building activities.
Traffic proceeds either way
without a halt, but in the in
terest of safety both trucks and
cars are required to slow, down
while crossing the temporary .
bridge.
Work of dismantling the old
steel bridge began last week and
the plans of the highway com
mission are understood to be to
remove and re-erect it on some
road where travel is not so heavy
and the needs of a wide struc
ture are not so great. The new
bridge that is to replace the old
one will be on the same level and
will be built of reinforced con
crete. Railings will have an in
side clearance of 37 feet, giving
what is known as a four-lane
bridge. An estimated ten months
will be required to complete the
structure. The new bridge across
Alligator Creek, a mile further
east, will be under construction
at the same time. It will be of
the same width and general type,
but much shorter.
Building Fund
Dance Benefit
Still adding to their building
fund towards the time when they
have enough money on hand to
begin construction of their new
hut, the Shallotte Post American
Legion Is planning a big dance
in the school gymnasium Thurs
day. night, May 29th.
Odell Williamson, chairman of
the building committee, says that
this is the first instance when a
large scale dance has been staged
at Shallotte on anything but a
concrete floor. The permission to
use the gymnasium for a dance
as an aid to their construction
plans, is very much appreciated
by Mr. Williamson and the
others of the building committee.
Aldermen Hold
First Session
Here Thursday
E. R. Weeks And AH Other
City Employees Are Re
appointed By Members
Of New Board At First
Official Meeting
HERRING NAMED
MAYOR PRO-TEM
Aldermen Are Assigned To
Various Committees And
Other Organizational
Details Completed
I Mayor John D. Eriksen and
members of the new board rf
aldermen were given the oath of
office at noon last Thursday, and
held their first regular meeting
that night.
S. B. Frink was named city at
torney and Dwight McEwen tax
attorney. E. R. Weeks was re
appointed clerk for the City of
South port and all other regular
city employees were re-appointed.
In tddition, Ed Daniels was en
gaged as a fourth engineer for
the cily power plant at a salary
of $130.00 per month. The salary
of Hugh Spencer was raised t)
$123.00 per month and Tom Hick
;nan, one of the engineers at the,
power plant was given a $10.00
per month raise to bring h.s
salarv up to that paid by other
(Continued on Page Four)
Officers Take
Couple Stills
Raid In Northwest Town
ship Results In Capture
Of Unit; Men And Equip
ment Taken In Town
| Creek
i Deputy Sheriff O. W. Perry
and A.T.U. officers Plate and
Steptoes made a raid in the low
er Northwest section of Brunswick
county, near Delco, last week.
They captured a 100-gallon steam
whiskey still and 400 gallons of
molasses mash In this foray,
j Friday Deputy Perry, accom
panied by Deputy V. B. Pierce,
i Constable C. L. Lynch of North
west and Game Warden Charles
Skipper, made another raid this
time near the upper end of the
river road, in Town Creek town
ship. This time they also took a
100-gallon steam whiskey still
and 300 gallons of mash. Not the
least of the haul was the taking
of the alleged operators of the
still. Earl Goodman and .Kier Cal
^on, both of Wilmington.
Our
ROVING
Reporter
W. B. IMU1
Last spring Clerk of Superior
Court E. O. Falkner, of Vance
county, spent a week here with
Sam T. Bennett, the Brunswick
county clerk. Before returning
home Mr. Falkner subscribed to
this paper and has since been a
regular reader. He writes us he
expects to be down here again
before the end of the month to
spend several days with friends.
It is hoped that the friends who
send this paper news, especially
those who send in personal items,
will not min^ the suggestion that
when they are writing of someone
visiting their parents they should
give the names of the parents also.
When a newspaper carries an item
that "John Smith" visited his
parents only one or two people
out of each hundred readers get
any idea of who he visited.
Still another person oajM* up
with something regarding the
1 whipping post on the court house
1 square, this week. Calvin Wes
cott, of Southport, is kind of
doubtful of the post having been j
erected for use when it became
necssary to give somebody a j
drubbing. Mr. Wescott's father [
lived to way up in the ninties j
and Calvin says he does not re- j
member ever hearing him say j
anything about anybody being I
whipped. At tht same time Calvin
says he remembers seeing two
boys being given 20 lashes each.
This whipping, he says, was
given upstairs in the courtroom
with the late Sheriff John Knox
doing the whipping.
When he was asked about the
fishing Saturday, our friend John
W. Garner, of the Anchor Hotel
at Shallotte Point, spoke very
truthfully ar.d to tie point when
(Cob turned On 8)
I
Identity Of Murderer Of
Sgt David J. Duvoll Is
Still Cloaked In Mystery
Former Postmaster Traces
More History Of County
Former Postmaster W. R. Holmes, Of Shallotte, Recalls
Use Of "Letter Stump" By Patrons
Former Postmaster W. R. |
Holmes, of Shallotte, an au- |
thority on old post offices in j
Brunswick county, says that a
good many years ago there was
a postoffice at Seaside named
Walden. Mrs. Lue Gause appears
to have been the only postmis
tress at that place. At the time!
Seaside was known as Tubbs In- 1
let.
A star mail route ran between 1
Georgetown, S. C? and Wilming- j
ton at the time, serving Waldon!
and other postoffices along the!
Wilmington - Georgetown road, j
Only one trip was made each
week by the carrier and that
made it longer between mails
than the time that the Governor (
of South Carolina told the Gov
ernor of North Carolina was be
tween drinks.
The Wilmington - Georgetown
Star Route carriers were versa
tile chaps. In addition to the
mails they carried everything in i
the way of country produce that1
they could accumulate along the
route, amounting to a good deal j
and being sold at a good profit;
when they reached their destina-,
tions. Among these early Star
Route carriers of which there is
any record were "Hominy"
Brown, He was succeeded by a
man named Stevens, and Stevens
gave place to George "Grasshop
per" Simmons. It is not known
how George got his middle name
of "Grasshopper."
Adding to the picturesqueness
of these early mail days, about
four miles south of Shallotte
there is said to be what remains
of the "Letter Stump." Forest
fires have gotten most of it.
This "letter stump" was a rem
anent of turpentine days. Of
lightwood and with a hole cut
into it to provide shelter, it was
a regular stopping place for stage
coaches and the infrequent Star
Route man. They never failed
to find the hole in the "letter
stump" filled with letters await
ing their kindness of getting
them to Wilmington or George
town. In return the stage boys
and star route men always re
filled the letter stump with let
ters and things they had brought
in for people in the neighborhood.
Commencement Program
Will Begin Here Sunday
_ ?
Shallotte Man
Brings Souvenirs
Brunswick county men who
served in many theatres of op
erations during World War II
brought home with them many
interesting souvenirs, ' and
among the more interesting
items are a couple of pistols
now in the possession of a
Shallotte man.
While serving In France, L.
C. White acquired a pair of
beautiful French dueling pis
tols, made in 1887. The guns
have wood and brass grips,
load at the muzzle with a ram
rod carried under the barrels,
and were fired with percusion
caps and hammers like those
on the old time muzzle-loading
shotguns. The barrels are 7
inches long and the bore is the
same as a 16-gauge shotgun.
Merchant Dies
In Wilmington
Henry Thomas Lewis, Long
A Respected Merchant
Of Navassa, Dies Follow
ing Long Illness
Henry Thomas -Lewis, owner
and operator of the Navassa
Grocery company at Navassa for
more than thirty years, died in
a Wilmington hospital Thursday.
He had suffered fbr some years
with asthma and heart trouble,
but was able to continue with his
business until a few weeks pro
ceeding his death. He was 54
years of age.
At the time of his death Mr.
Lewis was treasurer of the Le
land Lions Club, of which he was
a charter member. He was an
elder in the Woodburn Presby
terian church and was highly
esteemed in the Leland and Na
vassa communities.
Funeral services were conduct
ed Saturday afternoon at 4
o'clock from the Woodburn Pres
byterian church, with Rev. J. D.
Withrow in charge. Serving as
honorary pallbearers were: Mr.
W. C. Mebane, Dr. R. T. Sin
clair, R. V. Williams, W. L. Pa
den, Sr.; D. J. Ellers, McD. Jones,
G. R. Ennis, E. A. Rusher andj
W. Eugene Edwards; Active:
James T. Paden, Mac Floyd
Jones. W. G. Adams, Sr., U. L.
Rourk, Bruce Russ and Joseph
Ganey.
Surviving Mr. Lews is' his
wife Mrs. Margaret Reynolds
Lewis, three sons: Paul of Wil
mington, James Edward and
Thurston of Leland; eight daugh
ters, Mrs. Daughtry Heath of
Marysvilie, California. Mrs. Al
berta RofcbJns of Le!aed Mrs.
(Continued on page 4)
I Baccalaureate Sermon Will
Be Delyivered Sunday
Morning At 11 O'clock
By Dr. J. M. Waggette
CLASS NIGHT TO
BE HELD TUESDAY
District Solicitor Clifton
Moore Will Deliver The
Graduating Address
Wednesday Even
ing
The commencement exercises
of Southport high school will be
gin Sunday morning, May 18,
with the baccalaureate sermon by
Dr. J. M. Wagget at 11 o'clock
in the high school auditorium.
Dr. Wagget, pastor of Southport
Presbyterian church, moved here
recently. This is the first oc
casion on which the people of
this community have had the
privilege of hearing Dr. Wagget
in a union service, and a large
congregation is expected.
On Tuesday evening, May 20,
at 8 o'clock the Class of 1947
will observe class day. Exerciscs
will be in the form of a one-act
play, which will include the
traditional features of class day.
There will be a woodland set
ting, arranged as for a picnic.
Friends of the school are invited
especially the families and friends
of the senior class.
Graduation exercises Wednes
day evening, May 21, at 8 o'clock,
will formally close the school
term. The address to the graduat
ing class will be by District
Solicitor Clifton L. Moore, of
Burgaw. Sixteen graduates are
expected to receive diplomas, of
whom Louis Newton is saluta
torian and Ann McRackan vale
dictorian. The public is invited.
Armed Bandits
Hold Up Place
Customers Of Former Char
lie Hattem Place Near
Navassa Held Up Early
Monday Night
Customers of the former
Charlie Hattem place near Na
vassa, were held up and divested
of their pocket books by two
white men early Monday night.
State Highway Patrolmen C.
J. Ferguson and R. E. Sherrlll.
who are nearly always on hand
when anything happens in that
community, were patrolling
Route 74, just below the scene
of the holdup when a car sped
by them, occupied by two men.
Although they were unaware of
the hold-up, they gave chase and
near Delco they overtook and
captured the car and men, dis
covering later that instead of
speeders they had acanuxlated a
(Continued on ptft 4)
Officer# In Two State* At
Work On Case Seeking
Slayer Of Soldier From
Army Air Base At Myrtle
Beach
BODY DISCOVERED
IN THIS COUNTY
However, Preponderance Of
Evidence Points To Possi
bility Of Murder
Elsewhere
Investigations by Brunswick
county sheriff and his officers
into the death of Sgt. David J.
Devoll, of the Myrtle Beach
Army Air Base, are now wait
ing moves by the South Caro
lina officers and the FBI, and it
appears that any break in the
case will have to come from
South Carolina.
Devoll, married to a resident
of Waccamaw township for about
a year and making his home near
Ash while he continued In the
service, was found shot to death
in his car, parked by the side of
the road a mile and a half east
of the South Carolina Une last
Friday at noon.
The discovery of the body was
made when Mrs. Adrian Long, a
nearby resident, stopped to look
into the car as she was passing
on her way to a grocery 'store
at Longwood. Several people had
seen the car parked on the
shoulder of the road earlier in
the morning, but no one stopped
to look in or investigate. Kstce#
Hewett had seen the car as
early as 7 o'clock.
Sheriff John White and Depu
ties Coleman, Formyduval, Leon
ard, Tripp and Herring all con
verged on the scene soon after
the body was discovered. It wa?
found that Duvoll had been shot
through the left side of his chin
arv" throat, apparently with a
smaii gauge shotgun. The entire
load, including the wadding, had
emerged just back of the right
car and at the base of the skull.
Subsequent investigation revealed
several No. 6 shot lodged in the
skin at the back of the head.
With only a small patch Uf
blood on the seat of the car
where his head rested and a few
bloodstains about the door of the
car on the outside, it was believ
ed that the man had been killed
elsewhere and that his body had
afterwards been placed in the
car and the machine driven to the
point where it was found.
A baby's diaper and an article
of woman's clothing was found
under the body. Devoll had one
stepchild by* a former marriage
of his wife, who was divorced
from her first husband the first
of 1946. Mrs.' Devoll advised of
ficers that her husband had left
for his duties at the Army Atf
port early the preceeding morn
ing and that she had not seen
him since. The officers had found
Devon's wallet in his left hip
pocket, containing $92.00. This
eliminated robbery as a motive
and strengthened the other-wom
an angle that was revealed by J
the finding of garments under the
body.
Following up the belief that
the crime had been committed In
South Carolina, the officers went
to Myrtle Beach and from vari
ous information suspicion center
ed upon a service man at the air
port and his wife. The Bruns
wick officials questioned this
young woman, who has a II
months old baby. She is said to
have admitted being friends with
Devoll. Her husband was also
brought in for questioning, the
airport officials warning him
beforehand that under military
law he did not have to answer.
He is said to have admitted
knowing the dead man and 40
have also made some statements
that were later found to be mi
true.
Unable to question him fujly
or to take any action, the local
officers returned home after the
commander at the airport had
given assurance that the FBI
would be called upon to make an
investigation. It is understood ?
that the FBI is now working on
the case. They will not be handi
capped by state lines.
Devon's body was brought to
Southport and prepared for burial
at the Kilpatrick funeral home,
later being taken to Wilmington
for shipment to North Bend,
Ohio.
Mr. Kilpatrick, who was nam
ed acting coroner In the case, will
hold an inquest into the death at
the earliest possible moment. If
developments do not bring out
definite Information that the
killing waa done outside of
Brunswick county.