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Volume 83 15* Per Copy Warrenton, County Of Warren, North Carolina Thursday, May 22, 1980 Number 20
A Warren County school bus lies on its side after the
driver lost control on a rain-slicked portion of highway
Tuesday a mile east of Warrenton. Fourteen
Rev. Phillip Craig To Speak
passengers aboard the bus were treated and released
at Warren General Hospital. No charges were made,
the Highway Patrol said. (Staff Photo)
Memorial Day Services
Are Planned For Sunday
Memorial Day services
will be conducted Sunday,
May 25, at 2 p. m. in
the Courtroom of the
Warren County Courthouse,
Adjutant Russell
Currin announced this
week.
The Rev. C. Phillip
Craig, rector of Emmanuel
Episcopal Church,
Warrenton, will be the
speaker for the occasion.
At the conclusion of the
service Legionnaires will
disperse to some 50
cemeteries to decorate
graves of veterans buried
in Warren County.
The annual Memorial
Day observance has been
a part, of the American
scene for more than 100
years, Adjutant Currin
said. Since 1868 when the
order was first issued for
such an observance "to
respect comrades who
died in defense of their
country" graves of comrades-in-arms
have been
decorated. Although it
began as an occasion to
commemorate the dead
of all wars. Memorial
Day has since become a
time for the decoration of
graves of family and
friends.
Adjutant Currin, on
behalf of all Warren
County Legionnaires and
members of Unit 25 of the
Auxiliary, extends a
special invitation to all
Gold Star Mothers. All
Gold Star Mothers unable
to attend will be remembered
in prayers, Currin
said.
He requests also that in
addition to the invitation
to the Memorial Day
Service in the courthouse
that each and every
household and business in
Warren County display
the Flag of the United
States in the appropriate
manner in proud tribute
to the meaning of the day.
Name Of Rape Victim
Is Not Released Here
A Warren County Black
woman, whose name is
being withheld by Police,
was forcibly raped here
the night of May 11 by a
Black male, while a
Warrenton Police officer
sought to reach her, it
was revealed here this
week by the Warrenton
Police Department.
Her assailant, Kenneth
Davis, 28, discovered in
the sex act, is being held
in Warren County jail
under $50,000 bond for his
appearance for a hearing
tomorrow (Friday) in
Warren County District
Court.
According to Police
Chief Freddie Robinson,
Night Officer Lawrence
Harrison, while checking
stores on foot on South
Main Street at 4:45 a. m.
Sunday, heard the
screams of a woman. He
ran to the Police Station
and secured his patrol
car and drove to the
Harris Laundromat,
where he found a woman's
purse and blouse
lying on the floor, but no
persons in the Laundromat.
Continuing his search
for the source of the
scream, he patrolled the
IGA parking lot, the
Mariam Boyd school
grounds, and down Plummer
Street to Hall, to
Franklin, to College
Street and went back of
the Laundromat where
he found the man and
woman.
According to Robinson.,
many women wash their
clothes in the early
morning. On the recent
Sunday morning the
assaulted woman was
alone when Evans entered
the Laundromat and
engaged her in conversation.
He left her a few
minutes later and went
into the men's room from
where he emerged with a
screwdriver in his hand.
Seizing the screaming
woman he dragged her
out of the back of the
Laundromat where he
assaulted her.
As the beams of the
flashlight fell upon the
partly nude couple lying
on the ground the woman
cried "Please help me."
The man, seeing Harrison
jumped up and ran,
with Harrison in pursuit.
As Harrison ran after
(Continued on page 3)
Dr. Craig FttHps, ceater, took a day-long tear of Virm County elementary
schools m Tneoday. Shown during a stop at Marfan Boyd Elementary School
h«*i the state superintendent of public (attraction chats with Principal Walter
Sweeney, left, and WarreaSchool Supt. Mike Williams. (Staff Photo)
Second Vote
Is Set Here
For June 3
Warren County polls
will open at 6:30 a. m. and
close at 7:30 p. m. as
Warren County conducts
a second primary on June
3.
The State Board of
Elections, meeting in
Raleigh on May 15, ruled
thatW. S (Bill) Chestnut,
second high man in the
race for the office of
North Carolina Auditor,
had the legal right to call
for a run-off with Edward
Renfrew, high man in the
first primary.
In the first primary
Renfrew received a plurality
of the votes cast,
but not a majority
because of the entry of a
third candidate. J. E. B.
Davis, who received a
small part of the vote.
Following the first primary
it was discovered
that Davis was a registered
Republican and not
eligible to be a candidate
in a Democratic primary.
However, the members
of the State Board of
Election ruled that at the
time of the first primary
voters did not know that
Davis was a Republican
and voted in good faith
for him, and that
Chestnut had the legal
right to call for a second
primary. Following the
decision the news media
estimated that the decision
of the Board of
Election would cost the
taxpayers of North Carolina
in the neighborhood
of $700,000.
Until the ruling in the
Chestnut case. Warren
Election officials believed
they stood a good
chance of escaping a second
primary in Warren
County this year since
Samuel A. Russell, second
high man in a race
for a seat on the Board of
County Commissioners
failed to ask for a run-off
within the five days
allowed by law.
Russell, who opposed
William Skinner and
Arthur Bobbitt for the
seat on the county board,
received a total of 1889,
compared with Skinner
(encumbent) 2041, and
Bobbitt 483.
In the race for State
Auditor in Warren County
Renfrew received a clear
majority as he polled 2369
votes, compared with 705
for Chestnut and 794 for
Davis.
15 Aboard Hawkins Vehicle
No Injury Is Serious
As School Bus Flips
Fifteen students escaped
serious injury near
here Tuesday when a
school bus went out of
control on a rain-soaked
highway and plunged
down an embankment
and overturned.
Neither the driver or
any of his 14 passengers
required hospitalization,
although all the passengers
were taken to Warren
General Hospital by
ambulance A school
spokesman said there
were no broken bones
among the riders, all
students at John R.
Hawkins Junior High
School here.
Trooper B R pope of
the State Highway Patrol
said no charges were
made in the accident. He
identified the driver as
Thomas D. Thrower, 18, a
student at John Graham
High School.
Pope said the bus. No.
27. was meeting another
vehicle when the accident
occurred. He said Thrower
lost control of the bus
as its wheels struck a
muddy shoulder. The bus
plunged down an embankment
estimated to
be between 12 and 15 feet
high and overturned in a
sv-ampy area on the right
side of the road. The
mishap occurred 1.1 mile
east of Warrenton on U.
S Highway 158
The bus. a 1970-model
International, tore
through a pasture fence
shortly before it overturned.
The accident
occurred at 3:15 p m.
Passengers on the bus
ranged in age from 13 to
16. They were identified
as Doris Ross, Bettie
Fields, Stephen Jackson.
Angela Ross, Karen Williams,
Ralph Powell,
Lawrence Harrison, Cassey
Milam, Angelia Carter.
Michael Milan. Norman
Banks, Tommy Lee,
Anton Short and Richard
Cost on.
Trailer Wreck
No one was injured
earlier in the day when a
car and the trailer it was
towing went out of control
and struck a guard rail on
Interstate 85 near the
Oine Road Exit.
Trooper Pope said
Edith Cole Berry of
Chesapeake, Va„ was
driving a 1974 Mercury
north at the time of the
accident, reported to be
12:30 p.m. She was forced
off the road by another
vehicle and lost control.
The trailer she was
pulling broke loose from
the car. hit the rail and
then struck the car
Pope said approximately
$300 damage was
done to the guard rail.
$400 damage to the car
and $3,000 damage to the
trailer The accident
occurred 4 8 miles west of
Norlina
Youth Hurt
A nine-year-old child,
Craig Williams of Rt. 3,
Warrenton was injured
Saturday at 1 p m. when
he darted into the path of
a car operated by
Candies C. Cooper, 26.
also of Rt 3.
Trooper W C Palmer
said the accident occurred
on State Road 1118
some three and one-half
miles west of Warrenton.
No charges were made.
Slowdown Coming
To Town Monday
Warrenton will experience
a business slowdown
on Monday as
merchants close shop in
observance of Memorial
Day.
J. T. Fleming, executive
director of the
Warren County Chamber
of Commerce, announced
this week that a poll of
merchants indicates that
the closings will be widespread.
Listed among businesses
to be closed on
Monday are Western
Auto, Radio TV Center,
Benton Furniture Co .
(Continued on page S)
Dr. Albert Edwards, pastor of Raleigh's First Presbyterian Church, looks over
a copy of the program for the fifth annual NCAE-ACT banquet with Prise ilia
Johnson, president of the Warren County Unit of the North Carolina Association of
Educators. Dr. Edwards was the principal speaker at the banquet held at Mariam
Boyd School on Thursday night. For additional pictures, please turn to Page 13.
(Staff Photo)
Local Jaycees Continuing
Fund-Raising Activities
Warren County Jaycees
plan to continue
their fund-raising efforts
here despite a storm of
controversy which was
raised with disclosure
that the North Carolina
Jaycees used money
raised for charity to pay
national membership
dues
Bobby Choplin, president
of the Warren
County Chapter, said
yesterday that the local
organization was unaware
of the diversion of
funds until it was made
public during the past
weekend at the annual
convention in Asheville.
"The Warren County
Jaycees were not involved
in any way," Choplin
said
"We hope the citizens
of Warren County recognize
the positive impact
we have had in the
community and the coun
ty and will continue to
give us their confidence
and support," Choplin
said "We are proud of
our past record and will
continue to serve you to
the best of our abilities."
The furor that engulfed
the Jaycees surfaced
Saturday with the disclosure
that state Jaycee
officials had borrowed
$143,249 from a fund for
the 23-bed burn center at
(Continued on page 3)
Richard Hunter, president of the Warrea County Historical AmrWIw, Mil •
pitcher from Shocco Spring! daring Monday night's meeting of the aaaedatfoa.
Looking on are Mrs. Joseph W. Watson (right) of Rocky Mimt, who delivered an
address on the 19th Century health spa, and Mrs. Willie T. KiMmm. Hunter waa
re-elected association president daring the meeting and Mrs. Robinson was
named vice president Mrs. Sydney Perry Cooper; who wns not pnaonft, was
elected secretnry-trensnrer. (Staff Photo)