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TWENTY PAGES
SOUTHERN PINES, NORTH CAEOLINA, THURSDAY, MAY 30, 1957'
Hunted Convict Killed By Hit-Run Cot Budget Proposals
Lower Than Last
Year; IneomeDo^vn
Manager Sees N6
Increase In Taxes
TWENTY PAGES
PRICE TEN CENTS
HIT AND RUN VICTIM, Johnny Champion lies on the road
on the Fort Bragg military reservation where two rangers had
found him about 2;40 Tuesday morning. Pictured at extreme
left is Warden Kenneth Bailey of Central Prison. Next to him
is Col. Carl Turner, provost marshal at Fort Bragg, who conduct
ed an on-the-spot investigation and determined that Champion
had met his death when hit by an automobile. This picture was
made just as day broke. Cheunpion was still living when his
body was found but apparently died just a few minutes later.
(All Pilot photos)
I Army authorities, together
with local, state and federal offi
cers, continued their search to
day for the driver of the car that
rM down and killed escaped con
vict Johnny Champion on the
Fort Bragg military reservation
Tuesday morning about 2:40.
Champion, who had escaped
from Central Prison in Raleigh
Saturday night, was the object
of a widespread manhunt in the
hunting country between
Young’s Road and Connecticut
Avenue from early Monday
afternoon imtil he was found
sprawled dead on the highway
about two miles east of Lake
MacArthur.
It was apparent that the 24-
year-old escapee, who had spent
many of his early years in South
ern Pines, had attended school
here and had been brought up in
the home of Mr. and Mrs. William
S. Jonkers, on Young’s Road, had,
in his bid for freedom, tried to
return to the scenes of his boy
hood.
It is believed that Champion,
attempting to hitch a ride, had
tried to stop a ear, perhaps with
the rifle he had stolen, and had
been struck down.
Only three cars were known to
be on the road at the time. The
driver of one, identified only as
an Army officer, was questioned
at length soon ^ter Champion’s
body was found but was releas
ed. Col. Carl C. Turner, provost
rnarshal at Fort Bragg, ques
tioned the officer and later said
he did not believe the officer was
driving the car that struck
Champion.
He ordered a search made of
the Fort Bragg area and any sus
picious cars were to be reported.
The car, it was reported, was
probably blue. Parts of the .22
rifle that Champion was carry
ing were found strewn along the
highway as much as 50 feet from
the body. One jjart of the rifle
butt had blue .paint on it.
The rifle had also been fired
one time. It was theorized at the
time the barrel was found that
Champion either shot it at the
car, or it went off when he was
hit.
Sgt. Kirk Flstnnigan, chief
Commencement Program Schednled
Sunday, Tuesday; 38 To Graduate
A proposed budget of $304,115
has been recommended to the
Town Council by Manager Louis
Scheipers, Jr.
The proposed budget would
carry no increase in the present
$1.75 tax rate, Scheipers said,
though certain economies would
have to be effected in order to
keep the rate. Elstimated income
is the same as the estimated ex
pense.
Scheipers outlined the estima
ted expenditures at the regular
meeting of the Council Tuesday
night in the library. “The plan of
operation for the coming fiscal
year has been tailored to meet
the estimated income,” he said.
“The figures neither necessitate
an increase in taxes nor do they
necessitate any changes in the
standard of services to the citi
zens. . .,” he added.
Last year expenditures were
some $35,000 more than what
had been estimated, due primari
ly to the unexpected amount of
sewer work that had to be done
on the new thruway and the
flood of requests for curb and
gutter work. A balance of $41,-
579 which was on hand at the be
ginning of the fiscal year was
whittled down to $6,570, avail
able for contingencies during the
next fiscal yeem. There was no
provision in Scheipers’ recom
mended budget' for increasing
the contingency fund. It repre
sents about two per cent of the
proposed budget, which he term
ed “pitifully smaU.”
Scheipers told the Council that
the income for the year ending
(Continued on page 8)
THE MICKEY WALSH CABIN on Young’s Road apparently
served as temporary hideout for Champion between the time he
escaped from prison some time Saturday night and the time he
was spotted about noon Monday. Officers made a thorough
search of the building on two occasions Monday. Pictured here
Deputy Sheriff A. F. Dees is going in the door while Captain
Moffitt Jackson, director of the State prison camps in this area,
directs activities from outside. Officers were constantly armed
during the search since they had been informed that Champion
was also armed and was considered dangerous.
((T
FIRST PEOPLE to learn that Johnny Champion was in this
area were Frank Bass and his son, Lloyd, who operate a farm
about five miles from Southern Pines. Lloyd Bass, shown here
holding a flashUght, telphoned the Southern Pines poUce depart
ment with the infocmation that Champion was at his house,
c^ed about noon Monday. This picture was made about 10
o clock Monday night sifter officers surrounded the bouse think
ing that Champion might have retumedL
ranger at Fort Bragg, and Sgt.
Garland Evans discovered the
body., They had been operating
a road blo^ at ranger station no.
2 and had decided to abandon
it for a few hours.
The discovery came just a few
minutes after L. R. Temple, as
sistant warden at Central Prison,
had driven out from Southern
Pines to give them a more com
plete description of Champion.
They had been maintaining the
road block since about 9 o’clock
when officers theorized Cham
pibn might try to hitch a ride.
Every car that either was leav
ing or entering the reservation
was thoroughly checked, they
said.
After Temple talked with
Flannigan and Evans, they head
ed back to Fort Bragg. Temple,
deciding to take another look
along the road, was about three
minutes behind them
Flannigan said that when they
discovered the body, “we knew
right away who it was.” When
found Champion was stiU living
but apparently died within a
matter of minutes.
His body was found 149 feet
from the point of impact. Marks
on the road indicated the car had
applied the brakes and skidded
56 feet before striking him.
He was wearing a short sleev
ed blue sMrt and dungarees, ar-
gyle socks and tennis shoes, aU
believed to have been stolen
from the home of F. D. “Dooley”
Adams on Young’s Road. In his
pockets officers found a nail
clipper, reading glasses, a pack
of matches and a cheap pocket-
knife.
His body was badly crushed
and both arms were broken.
Described by several people
that knew him as “brilliant but
unbalanced,” the violent end for
Johnny Champion was no sur
prise. He had a long prison rec
ord dating back to the time he
was 16. When he escaped from
Cent^ Prison Saturday night,
the first maximum security pris
oner to do so since 1952, he was
serving a life sentence for first
degree burglary.
Probably no one will ever
(Continued on Page 8)
Council Session
Tense On School
Board Controversy
What started out as an appar
ently mUd discussion of the ap
pointment of the Southern Pines
School Board, which many people
stiU say they believe was pushed
through in too much haste, devel
oped into a tense situation at the
Town Council meeting Tuesday
night.
The Council, which had just
last week adopted a resolution in
which it acknowledged it acted
with “too much haste” in its ap
pointments, heard out anyone who
cared to take the floor, though at
first it appeared as if there would
be no discussion at all.
The Rev. G. D. McNeil of West
Southern Pines, in a delegation
that included about 10 Negroes,
told the fairly large group attend
ing the meeting that the contro
versy had boiled down to the fact
that a Negro had been appointed
to the board, a controversy which
he thought would never do the
town any good. “I personally am
glad the appointment was made
and, like many others, feel it will
do much to provide for better rep
resentation of all the people of
this town,” he said.
A. R. McDctniel, a frequent crit
ic of the previous town adminis
tration, said no controversy ex
isted. “It is indeed unfortunate
that Mr. McNeil feels that way,”
he said. “What bothers me and
others I know is merely the pro
cedure under which the appoint
ments were made.”
McDaniel was referring to the
fact that T. T. Morse, the Coun
cil’s Negro member, had made a
blanket nomination of the four in
cumbent members of the board
plus P. I. York, a Negro who lives
outside the corporate limits of
town. Under the town’s charter,
one member must be appointed
from outside the limits, but from
within the school district.
Dr. Bruce WarRck, who lives
outside the corporate limits but
inside the school district, tried
with several questions to get the
Council to say which of the school
(Continued on page 8)
BANK SCHEDULE
Starting next Wednesday, June
5, the Citizens Bank and 'Tnist
Company will close at 12 noon
each Wednesday during June,
July and August.
First Honor Graduates at Southern Pines High School this year
are Joan Hqwarth, left, the salutatorian, and Anike Verhoeff,
the valedictorian. Miss Howarth is the daughter of John How-
art, chairman of the school board, and Mrs. Howarth. ■ Miss Ver
hoeff is the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Dirk Verhoeff.
Commencement Speakers
DR. W. H. CARTWRIGHT DR. GEORGE J. GRIFFIN
Dr. WiUiam H. Cartwright,!
chairman of the Department of
Education of Duke University
and a professor of education, wUl
deUver the commencement ad
dress when 38 Southern Pines
High School seniors receive di
plomas in exercises Tuesday
night.
Dr. Cartwright, a native of
Minnesota, was a public school
teacher in Minnesota for eight
years and a member of the facul
ty at Boston University for four
years. He has also served, dur
ing the latter stages of World
War 2, as historian of the mili
tary district of Washington.
He is active in the American
Historical Association, the Hor
ace Mann League, the Associa
tion for Higher Education and
many other professional organi
zations. He is considerfed one of
the nation’s outstanding figures
in the field of education and has
been called on a number of times
to serve on higher boards.
He was a delegate from North
Carolina to the White House
Conference on Education, and is
presently serving as president of
the National Council for the So
cial Studies.
His writings include articles
and volumes in both education
and history.
Dr. George J. Griffin, who will
deliver the baccalaureate sermon
Sunday at the Church of Wide
Fellowship, is a native of Pitts-
boro and is presently professor
of religion at Wake Forest Col
lege, a position he has held since
1948.
Prior to going to Wake Forest,
Dr. Griffin attended Edinburgh
University where he received his
Ph. D. He has served previously
as pastor of the Zebulon Baptist
Church for eight years:
He is a graduate of Wake For
est, the Southern Baptist Theo
logical Seminary and the Yale
Divinity School.
Wake Foresl, Duke
Educators To Speak
Thirty eight seniors will re
ceive diplomas in aimual gradua
tion exercises at Southern Pines
High School Tuesday.
Dr. WiUiam H. Cartwright,
chairman of the Department of
Education at Duke University
will be the principal speaker at
the commencement program,
which begins at 8:15 in Weaver
Auditorium.
Sunday, at the Church of Wide
FeUowsMp, the baccalaureate
sermon wiU be preached by Dr.
George J. Griffin, professor of
religion at Wake Forest CoUege
since 1948.
First honor graduate this year
is Anike Verhoeff, and second
honor graduate is Joan How
arth. Other honor graduates are
Donald W. Brown, Ray Daeke,
John Chappell, Lucy McDaniel,
Howard Morgan, Cathryn Pol
lard, Marvin Samuel Self,
Thomas Vann, and John Thomas
Whatley.
Marshals, of which Beth Tur
ner is chief, are Mary Louise Mc
Donald, Nancy Traylor, Jean
FrankUn, George Reams, Phillip
Guin, Marion Caton, Carol Sta
ples and David Prim
At the graduation exercises
Tuesday the Rev. Martin Cald-'
well, rector of Emmanuel
Church, wiU deliver the invoca
tion. A special number wiU be
presented by the jimior high
school glee club and wiU be fol
lowed by the introduction of the
speaker by John Howarth, chair
man of the school board.
Norris Hodgkins, a member of
the school board, wUl present
the diplomas, which will be fol
lowed by the inweation by Fath
er Francis A. IVfrCarthy.
The processional and reces
sional wiU be played by Mrs. Ina
BxiUock. The high school glee
club wiU also sing diuing the
program
At the baccalameate sermon
Sunday, which wUl be held at
8:15, Dr. Wofford C. Timmons
will deliver the invocation. The
Rev. Cheves Ligon will read the
Scripture and the Rev. D. Hoke
Coon wiU introduce the speaker.
The Rev. Robert L. Bame wiU
pronoimCe the benediction.
David Paddock, organist at the
church, will play the procession
al and recessional, and a solo will
be sung by Roger Gibbs, a mem
ber of the school faculty and di
rector of music at the Church of
Wide Fellowship.
■The high school choir will also
sing.
Tuesday morning at 10:30, in
Weaver Auditorium, the annual
honors and awards exercises will
be held. At that time a number
of awards, scholastic and ath
letic, are due to be presented.
Graduates this year are Rich
ard L. Bethea, Lillian Bullock,
James R. Bowden, Donald W.
Brown, Carol3m K. Bryant, John
ChappeU, James M. Chiricos,
Mildred Lillian Clark, Kenneth
(Continued on page 8)
Town Recreation
Program Slated To
Begin June 15
The Southern Pines summer
recreation playground program
wiU begin June 15, it was an
nounced this week by Irie Leon
ard, director.
The Little League, co-sponsored
by the Recreation Department
and the Lions Club, and the Pony
League, co-sponsored by the de
partment and the VFW, have al
ready started their schedules. The
softball league will begin shortly.
Leonard said that a complete
playground schedule would be an
nounced within the next few
days.
State President
Of Jaycees Will
Install Officers
Jack Sharpe of Eiannapolis,
State president of the Jimior
Chamber of Commerce, will con
duct the instaUation of new offi
cers of the local chapter Friday
night.
InstaRation ceremonies wiU be
held at a ladies night function at
the Elks Club. The program be
gins at 6:30, with dinner sched
uled for 7:30.
Norris Hodgkins, a former di
rector of the club, will be install
ed as president succeeding James
S. Baird. This ip the second year
of operation for the club, which
has some 57 members.
Other new officers include
Bob Stocker and Bob Duirn, vice-
presidents; Charlie Clapp, secre-
Itary; Bill Hamilton, treasurer;
and Frank Yandell, Austin Sauls,
George Willcox, John Langford
and Vance Derby, directors.
Baird will also become a direct-
or . I j.