Newspapers / The Pilot (Southern Pines, … / April 26, 1956, edition 1 / Page 1
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T) L'4 ■LOT Daly Convicted On Libel Count, Sentence Suspended, $500 Fine TWENTY PAGES PRICE TEN CENTS Vincent J. Daly, who lists his age as 35, his address as 655 East Indiana Ave., Southern Pines, and his occupation as psychologist, was sentenced to 12 months in prison, assigned to work on the state highways, when he was con victed on a charge of criminal li bel in Moore County Recorder’s Court Tuesday. The sentence was suspended on condition that he pay a $500 fine and costs amount ing to $116.50 and that he not vio late the laws relating to libel dur ing the next two years. Daly paid the fine and costs. He did not enter an appeal. Daly was arrested last week on a warrant signed by Mrs. S.’ O. Nicholson of 170 E. New York Ave., who charged that he circu larized four North Carolina news papers, including The Pilot, with defamatory matter about her. The full texts of the letter and state ment sent to the four newspapers appear in another story on this page. In court Tuesday, Daly plead ed not guilty to the charge against him. Judge Quotes Advice Before rendering his judgment. Judge Rowe said: “One of the best pieces of advice I evpr heard is that if you can’t say something good about a person, don’t say anything. “If the defendant had written a letter to one person only or to some friend, I probably would have a different feeling about the matter, but theywcere sent to four newspapers and, considering what the letters contained, I am satis fied beyond a reasonable doubt of the defendant’s guilt. “I think the defendant made a big mistake in writing the letters. Fortunately he didn’t do much damage to his intended victim in {lie eyes of the editors to whom the letters were sent, all of whom have testified here today that they did not believe the contents. “We have no evidence that he has been accused of violating any law up to this occasion. Some times I impose a sentence and let it hang over the head of a defend ant to drop if he violates any law, but I see no reason in this case why I should not confine the ap plication of the suspended sen tence simply to a violation of the libel laws. “I want the defendant to under stand that the court considers the offense serious. At the same time, I don’t want to overly or unduly punish him.” Long Trial The trial was one of the longest ever held in Recorder’s Court, starting about 10:30 a.m. and con tinuing until after 7 p. m-.. with an hour’s recess at noon. Argument of technical points of law raised AN EDITORIAL V. J. DALY by the defense consumed much of the session. The defendant did not take the stand. His only witnesses were two employees. Miss Edwina Hall man and Mrs. Martha Underwood, and several character witnesses, all from out of town, for the two employees, and a relative of one of the employees. No character witnesses were called for Daly himself. Daly was represented by .Rich ard L. Brown of Albemarle and Garland Garris of Biscoe. Assist ing Solicitor W. Lament Hrown with the prosecution were P. H. Wilson and H. F. Seawell, Jr., of the Carthage law firm, Seawell and Wilson. Daly has lived in Southern Pines for about the past three years and had previously liveef in West Virginia, Mississippi and Michigan. His wife sat with him throughout the trial Tuesday. His organization in Southern Pines, consisting of himself and two em ployees, is known as the Sandhills Institute of Social Adjustment. He recently announced plans for building a clinic off No. 1 high way south of Southern Pines, w4st of Sbuthem Pines Cottages. His office is now at his home. To practice as a psychologist in this state requires no professional quahfications and the practice is not regulated by any profession al organization or North Carolina statute. Here Since 1947 Mrs. Nicholson has worked as a newspaper woman in North Caro lina for the past 20 years. She has lived in Southern Pines since 1947 and was assistant editor of The Pilot from 1947 until July, 1953. She is local news correspondent for the News and Observer at Ral eigh, The Charlotte Observer, The Grqensboro Daily News, The Dur ham Morning Herald, The Sanford (Continued on Page 8) Moore Fugitive Captured Last Week A Moore County man who dis appeared almost three years ago after the State Supreme Court had upheld an 18-months prison sen tence he had received in Superior Court, was captured last week and is now serving his term in a pris on camp. The disappearance, which had the sheriff’s office apparently baf fled for the three years, was solv ed when Moore and Randolph County officers arrested Eulis Ritter, of near Robbins, last week as he was hauling pulpwood near Asheboro. A spokesman in Sheriff McDon ald’s office said that Ritter was convicted along with several oth er defendants of assault with a deadly weapon. AU the defend ants except Ritter ,went to prison; Ritter appealed his conviction to the state Supreme Court. When the Supreme Court sat in the fall of 1953, it upheld the low er court’s decision, but Ritter could not be found to begin his sentence. D. B. Cranford, before he be came a member of the Sheriff’s department about a year ago, had heard of the case, and since that time, has spent considerable time working on it. He obtained sev eral leads as to Ritter’s where abouts, and last week, together with ABC Officer John K. Sharpe and members of the Randolph Countly Sheriff’s office, they picked up Ritter. Registration To Start Saturday For Primary; Precinct Meeting's Set Convention Is ON WHICH LIBEL ACTION BASED Text Of Lettery Statement Following are the full texts of a letter and statement which were sent by V. J. Daly last month to editors or publishers of The Pilot, The Sandhill Citizen of Aberdeen, the Raleigh News and .Observer and The' Charlotte Observer. It was on the basis of these letters and statements that Mrs. S. O. (Valerie) Nicholson had Daly in dicted on a charge of criminal libel—an offense of which he was convicted in Moore County Re corder’s Court, Tuesday: The signed letter read: “I regret the necessity of for warding the. enclosed information. It is done as a last resort in an ef fort to protect all concerned. “You might feel that you are obliged to show this material to the person concerned. That is your affair, but I feel it could re sult in a psychotic episode. “If you have any doubts, I sug gest that you check my file and obtain psychiatric consultation be fore discussing the matter with the individual. “This information is forwdrded with no malicious intent. It is a very delicate situation and this Truth Shall Prevail When the libel action in Carthage this week was decided against the defendant, the cause of justice was well served. So, also, was the cause of community and human welfare, and the rights and respect of the individual. The accusations were palpably absurd. It might have been thought, then, that the accused would have simply ignored them, as the editors, to whom the letters of accusation were addressed, had already done. It would have been infinitely easier to have let the whole thing slide. Why, then, was it taken seriously? Why was this accusation taken up, the challenge accepted, to the point of instigating a suit for criminal libel? The answer, we believe, and we say it with pride, is applicable to a good deal that happens in the field of journalism: the libel suit was held because there was an over-riding conlpulsion to kill a lie and to publish the truth. To put it in another way, the suit was instigated for the ultimate good of society: because it is essential to the welfare of society that the truth shall prevail. There were, of course, several pertinent reasons why it was im portant that this suit should be held. One: it was important that the public should be alerted that an individual in an apparently responsible position was in fact performing irresponsible acts: it was important, for the sake of others, ft was important, too, as a demonstration that illegal action of a potentially damaging na ture cannot be tolerated in a civilized society. Perhaps, too, this case will prove important as a step towards the establishment, in the field of psychology, of rules and regulations similar to those governing the practice of medicine and psychiatry in this state. That will be a clear gain. Perhaps the community itself may take special pride in the , result of this suit; for it shows, we believe, that this is essentially a healthy community, one in which the law and the rights of the individual under the law are held in high esteem. It is good to know that here in Moore County, action against the.law, injuri ous to an individual—whether instigated by foolish irresponsibil ity, maliciousness or by deeper and more evil forces—does not succeed. That such results shall have been attained through the courage and self-sacrifice of a member of the press and one who has worked on this newspaper is added satisfaction. was the only way I knew how to handle it. “ Yours, (Signed) V. J. DALY.” The full text of the enclosure that went to each of the four newspapers with the letter was: “The following facts are pre sented with no malicious intent, but rather to avoid an unpleasant situation. “1. Mrs. S. O. Nicholson, a free lance writer of Southern Pines, N. C., came to my office late at night on or about January 13, 1956. She demanded $1500 and stated that if she was not paid this sum, she would publish a story in THE PILOT, THE SANDHILL CITI ZEN, THE CHARLOTTE OBSER VER and THE RALEIGH NEWS AND OBSERVER, which would ruin me. “2. I have in my possession two sworn statements from witnesses not related to me, verifying the matter stated above. A third per son is willing to give such a state ment. “3. Mrs. Nicholson has sought professional advice from me, but I have refused to accept her as a patient. In my opinion she is a paranoid personality. This type is often able to appear normal, but can do a great deal of damage. '4. Mrs. Nicholson has had con tact with the Psychiatric Section of a large hospital in a nearby state, a few years ago. “5. The incident of demanding money has been reported to both a state and federal agency. I have been told I have sufficient evi dence to sebk a warrant. “6. Mrs. Nicholson has to my knowledge been seeking to have a former patient of mine, who was diagnosed as a sexual psychopath, make a statement about me. “7. I have not secured a war rant to date because in my opin ion, based on my personal obser vation and the history of her past contact with psychiatric facilities, this person is mentally ill. I have always been opposed to criminal actions against persons of this type. “As stated above, this informa tion is submitted with no intent to ibe malicious. I am sending it to the highest level obtainable on each newspaper she mentioned. If the person to whom it is sent wishes to see the sworn state ments, they will be available in my office with the understanding that they remain confidential. If, on the other hand, my impression of this case is doubted, I suggest the following. Any person to whom this information is sent, may send a psychiatrist certified by the American Board of Exam iners to my office and I shall be happy to show him the full file. I feel most psychiatrists wiU agree with my impression. I will not (Continued on page 8) Scout Camporee To Be Held May 4-6 At McArthur Lake Between 1,500 and 2,000 Boy Scouts will attend the annual Oc- coneechee Council camporee at McArthur Lake near Southern Pines May 4, 5 and 6, it was an nounced today by Brig. Gen. Pearson Mehoher, Moore County District Boy Scout chairman and camporee c^^ief. All scouts and explorers in the Occoneechee Council, which com prises 12 Southeastern North Car olina counties, can participate in the camporee. Highlight of the three-day ac tivity will be the camp fire cere mony at 8 p.m. Saturday, May 5, at which time the Order of Arrow dance team will be in charge of the program and will conduct an OA Tap-Out. Members of the or der will be dressed in authentic Indian costumes for the ceremon ies. During the daytime activities members of the 82nd Airborne Di vision will stage a demonstration on bridge building and will con struct a pontoon bridge across the lake. Members of the division are also working with Gen. Menohei; and other members of the council preparing the facilities. The 82nd Airborne Band, one of the best in the armed forces, will also participate. Also scheduled are cooking demonstrations by different scout troops, who will demonstrate the various types of cooking which can be used a troop while on a camping trip. Among the vari ous demonstrations are barbecue, Imu cooking, reflector ovens for baking and about 15 other types. All scouts who hold the God and Country Award will be recog nized during sunrise services Sun day morning, whfch will be con ducted by the Chaplains Corps at Fort Bragg. Services will be held for Protestant, Jewish and Cath olic faiths. I Frank Yandell, Moore Scout ex- (Continued on Page‘5) Methodist Church Building Rising On Midland Road Construction of the new Meth odist Church in Southern Pines was well underway this week as workmen began the difficult task of placing massive steel beams in place. The new chitrch building, which will be the first Methodist Church ever constructed in Southern Pines, is scheduled to be ready fpr occupancy November 1, although members- of the church hope that enough will be completed by Sep tember 15 to allow the congrega tion to hold special services com memorating the second anniver sary of Charter Sunday; The new building, which will cost $103,000, is located on Mid land Road on a four-acre tract that was purchased by the congrega tion after learning that the orig inal location on May Street would not be adequate. The May Street land, incidentally, has been plac ed on the mdrl^t for sale by church officials. Paul Van Camp, chairman of the building committee, said this week that local pledges and gifts were not enough to complete the (Continued on page 8) W. A. Leonard Heads Educo Club W. A. Leonard of the Southern Pines school faculty was elected president of the Moore County Educo Club at the organization’s last meeting of the school year, held Monday in the Carthage High School cafeteria. The club is the professional or ganization of all male teachers in the schools of the Moore County, Southern Pines and Pinehurst systems. Other officers elected were: J. C. Phillips, principal of West- moore School, vice-president; and Ralph Foushee, eighth grade teacher here, secretary. J. N. STEED CP & L To Honor Joseph N. Steed Joseph N. Steed, Jr., of South ern Pines has chalked up 25 years of service yith Carolina Power & Light Company and is eligible for membership in the company’s Pioneer Club. Steed will be initiated and re ceive his diamond centered Pio neer pin when the club holds its annual banquet honoring new pioneer Club members on May 18, in Raleigh. The organization of 25-year employees now includes over 300 members. A native of Macon, Ga., Steed attended Lanier High School there and won his B.S. degree in elec trical engineering from Georgia Tech. He joined the company in 1927 as a field engineer, serving in this capacity at Raleigh, Spruce Pine, Sanford, Florence, S. C., and Sumter, S. C. He moved to South ern Pines as division engineer and was later promoted to division superintendent. Steed is a, Presbyterian, and is past master and a member of the Southern Pines Masonic Lodge, a member of the Elks Lodge and a director of the Southern Pines Country Club. Mrs. Steed is the former Julia Griste of Marion. S. C. They have three children, J. N. Steed, III a student at the Citadel at Charles ton, S. C., and Suzanne and Judy. HONOR COURT A Southern Pines Girl Scout court of honor will be held at Brownson Memorial Presbyterian Church at 7:30 p. m. Monday. Parents and friends of the Scouts are in vited. Slated May 12 At Courthouse \ Registration for the Democrat ic Primary May 26 begins this Saturday, April 28, Sam C. Rid dle, chairman of the county Board of Elections, said this week. The books wlil be open each Saturday for three Saturdays— April 28, May 5, and May 12. On other days during that time the registrar will have the book at his home or business for the pur pose of registering new voters. For complete details on regis tration, plus registrars, judges and alternate judges see page 13. Precinct committee meetings in Moore Coimty in preparation for the May 26 Democratic primary will be held Saturday, May 5, at 2 p. m., according to an an nouncement made today by W. Lamont Brown, chairman of the Moore Democratic Executive Comimdttee. At that time precinct commit tees will be elected to serve the next two years. The Soufheini Pines Demr ocratic precinct committee meeting will be held Satur day. May 5. at 2 p. m. in the James Boyd Roomi of the li brary, it was announced to day by Ward Hill, chairman of the committee. Hill said that all Demo crats in this area are invited to the meeting and urged a large attendance. New committee members and a new chairman well be elected, he added. SOUTHERN PINES RUNNER-UP Aberdeen School Wins Picquet Cup Permanently The Aberdeen High School glee club won permanent possession of the Charles W. Picquet cup, at Weaver Auditorium Friday night, when, for the second suc cessive year and the third time in all, the choral group won the an nual competition for the high school glee clubs of Moore Coun ty- The Southern Pines glee club, directed by Mrs. N. L. Hodgkins, Jr., was runner-up over the Pine hurst and Carthage groups. Judges were Dr. Robert Morris and Jess Casey of the Depart ment of Music at Woman’s Col lege, Greensboro. Each club sang three songs. Before the announcement of the verdict by the judges, the four glee clubs sang several num bers in unison, much to the en joyment of the large crowd. Mr. picquet, who originated the con test several years ago to promote group singing in the county’s public schools, took a bow during the evening. Presiding over the affair was Dr. C. C. McLean, vice president of the Sandhills Ki- wanis Club which sponsors the contest each year, and acting as announcer was Dr. R. Bruce War- lick, chairman of the Kiwanis committee in scharge of the event. A new cup will be provided by Kiwanis when the contest con tinues next year. CUP PRESENTED—E. H. Poole, right, direc tor of the Aberdeen High School glee club, is receiving the Picquet Cup from Dr, C. C. Mc Lean, vice-president of the Sandhills Kiwanis Club. Members of the glee club are shown in the background. (Photo by Humphrey) The precinct meetings will pre cede by one week the county Democratic convention, which will be held at the courthouse in Carthage at 3 p. m. Saturday, May 12. And, one week following, the state convention wiU be held in Raleigh. In aimouncing the meetings Brown said that “problems of great significance aiid of tremen dous importance face the nation today. The Democratic Party has never shirked its responsibility to Moore County, to the State, or to the United States.” Continuing, the chairman said: “I feel that in this important year we need to be stronger than ever before. . . the best way to show our strength is to have a widespread participation in party affairs by as many members of the party as we can possibly get Precinct committees, with the chairman named first, are as fol lows: Aberdeen—-H. Clifton Blue, Mrs. S. L. Windham, W. P. Saun- (Continued on page 8) Light Bulb Sale By Local Lions To Aid the Blind A sale of light bulbs for ‘the benefit of its activities in sight observation and aid to the blind will be staged by the Southern Pines Lions Club Tuesday > through Thursday, May 1, 2 and 3, it was announced today by Howard Staith, chairman of the club’s sale committee. For the purposes of the sale, the town has been divided in three sections, it was stated, and club members will thoroughly canvass one section of the town each night of the sale. A mixture of various size light bulbs are in each package that will be offered. Other members of the commit tee are Charles Cole, Jim Suggs, Randall Thompson, Henry Clay ton and Joe Carter. Proceeds of the sale will be used for aid to the blind, provi sion of glasses for persons who are unable to buy them, assist ance in rehabilitation of the blind and such other related pur poses as purchase of , “talking books,” braille books and other assistance, all in the Southern Pines area.
The Pilot (Southern Pines, N.C.)
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April 26, 1956, edition 1
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