Season
Smithfield Needs:
—Bigger pay rolL ,
—New Hotel.
—Renovation of Op
era house.
—More paved streets.
Chamber Cotnmeroe
Forty-fourth Year
Johnston County’s Oldest and Best Newspaper — — Established 1882
SMITHFIELD, N. C., FRIDAYMORNING, AUGUST 14, 1925
“We Like
Smithfield—
You will too”
Number 78
recorders court
HAS FULL DOCKET
Various Charges Were Brought
Against Defendants In
Recorders Court
Here Tuesday.
oNLY ONE WHISKEY CASE
Nothing more unusual than a full
docket and a weltering hot day mark
ed the opening of the Recorder’s
Court herd Tuesday, August 11th.
Solicitor Massey announced at the
beginning of the day that something
like forty cases had been regularly
docketed on the criminal calendar.
Several cases were closed upon sub
mission, and about a dozen went to
trial.
Clyde Jones, a negro from Benson,
was found guilty of the theft of a
dress, which he stated to the court
that he found in an ash-heap. He
lost the dress and was sentenced to
four months on the Smithfield town
ship roads.
B. M. Adams confessed to the pos
session and transporting of one pint
of whiskey, which officers found con
cealed under his shirt. He was fined
$10 and costs.
Lewis Roach, negro of Oneals town
ship, was charged with carrying a
concealed weapon and assault upon
another negro with a pistol. He en
tered a plea of guilty and was given
a fifty dollar fine and taxed with the
costs of the action.
Will Williams, negro from Benson,
was charged with breaking into a hot
dog stand at Benson. His arrest was
made some few days after the alleg_
ed robbery and came about by his
being searched for a suspicioned rob
bery of another store in Benson.
When arrested he was found to be
carrying some keys which the owner
of the hot dog stand identified as
his own. The court finding probable
cause on the charge of larceny bound
Williams over to the Superior court
under a $500 bond.
Howard Mitchell, negro irom tne
vicinity of Clayton, was in court un
der a serious charge, that of seduc
tion under the promise of marriage.
Mary O’Neal, organist in the colored
Baptist church, was the prosecuting
witness in this case. There was prob
able cause and the court bound the
defendant over to the August term
of Superior court. The bond required
was $500, which the defendant was
able to give.
John MeOliver and Jesse Williams,
negroes from Meadow township, were
in court charged with making a pub
lic disturbance. They entered a plea
of guilty and begged the clemency of
the court, promising not to be heard ;
from again in this respect. Continued
prayer for judgment was entered and
defendants were discharged upon pay- I
ment of costs.
Clyde Carrol, a negro from Kenly,
was charged with cruelty to animals.
Not guilty.
William Laurence Junius, a negro
from Princeton, was fined fifty dol
lars and costs for carrying a con
cealed weapon and for an attempted
use of said weapon on another negro.
Grover Hinton, white, of the Micro
section, was tried on a charge of
abandonment and assault upon his
wife with a deadly weapon. He was
found guilty and prayer for judg
ment was continued upon payment of
costs and upon the condition that
defendant would appear again before
this court on September 14, 1925,
with a record of good behavior
Amos Brunson, negro of Meadow
township, who is already doing a 12
month sentence on the Smithfield
township roads, was tried and found
guilty of disturbing public worship
at a negro church near his home
some time ago. He was given a nine
ty-day sentence on the road for this
offense to run concurrently with the j
twelve-month sentence he is now j
serving.
!’• E. Lane, a white man living in
Boon Hill township, was found guilby
of disposing of mortgaged property.
He was given a ninety-day road sen
tence, which was suspended upon the
condition that he was to make full
restitution of $1100 to Mrs. Sallie
Reilly, the prosecuting witness.
Mr. and Mrs. J. E. Gregory and
'bildren and Miss Ida Batten spent
ednesday at Wrightsville Beach.
In 1,574 Games
Ray Scha-ik—Chicago White
Sox, has broken a'! major league
records—for two Ike years catching
more than 100 games a year. He
set a new rneord last weejc when
he caught gam'e number 1574.
THANKSGIVING DAY
PLANS TAKE SHAPE
Committee Met at Methodist
Church Here Tuesday Night
and Outlined Program.
INVITE ALBERT COATES
Tentative plans were laid by the
committee which met here Tuesday
night for the county-wide Thanksgiv
ing service to be held at the court
house here on Sunday afternoon Aug
ust 23.
On account of the storm which
came up just at dark, a full repre
sentation on the committee was not
present, but several sections were rep
resented, and a tentative program was
outlined. Mr. Albert Coates, a native
Johnstonian, who is a member of the
faculty at the State University, has
been invited to make the principal ad
dress of the occasion, but it is not
the idea of the committe for one
man to do all the talking. Impromptu
speeches from quite a number of
Johnston county folk will feature the
program.
Judge F. H. Brooks was selected to
preside over the meeting which will
be held in the court house if the court
room will hold the crowd, if not, on
the court house lawn. The Riverside
Serenaders will be on hand to fur
nish some band music, and Mr. R. E.j
Thomas and Mr. I. W. Medlin were
delegated to look after some good
singing. The local negro quintette
that sang at a service during the
Ham-Ramsay meeting, may sing sev_
eral selections.
The idea of the coming together is
for the entire population of Johnston
county to render thanks to God for
unusual blessings in the fruitful
crops that are to be seen on every
hand, and a large representation on
the day set apart is desired. Every
Sunday school superintendent and ev-!
ery preacher in the county is request
ed to make announcement of the oc
casion at the churches and Sunday
schools next Sunday, to the end that
the news may be spread far and
wieje.
Scouts Thank All
Smithfield Citizens
The Scouts of Tuscarora Council in
closing their second year of camping;
at Carnp Tuscarora passed the fol
lowing resolution:
We, the Scouts of Tuscarora Coun
cil and Camp Tuscarora wish to thank
the people of Smithfield for their
courtesies and interest in our camp
and our organization. We wish to
thank especially the following gen
tlemen for their whole hearted inter
est in our behalf: Messrs. T. C.
Young-, W. H. Austin, W. H. Yyon,
A.- M.. Noble, Dr. J. W- Whitehead,
Dr. Thel Hooks, Dr. W. J. B. Orr,
Rev. A. J. Parker and Rev. Chester
Alexander.
Audit Shows Two More County
Officials Short In Their Funds
Paving River End
Of Market Street
The work of paving the end of
Market Street toward the river has
begun and before long the highway
and the city streets will be connected
a smooth concrete road. Travelers
have been using the new bridge,
but the old one has been kept until
this piece of road shall be complet
ed, thus providing quite a convenience
for those who live across the river
in this direction.
lightmngburns
HOME W. B. HOBBS
Burned Late Tuesday Afternoon
During Electrical Storm;
Negro Killed on the
McCullers Farm.
OTHER DAMAGE IS DONE
A severe electrical stor mvisited
portions of Smithfield township late
Tuesday afternoon, causing consider
able damage and the death of a col
ored man. The home of Mr. W. B.
Hobbs about five miles from here wras
struck by lightning and wras com
pletely destroyed by the fire which
followed.
Mr. Hobbs and his daughter, Miss
Pearl, were in the kitchen when the
cloud came up and about 7:30 ’o
clock they heard an unusually hard
thunderclap which seemed to strike
the house. Mr. Hobbs immediately
went out to see if any damage had
been done but seeing no signs he
went back into the house. In a short
time, however, they noticed that the
house was burning under the roof of
the kitchen. It appeared that the
lightning struck the tin roof of the
kitchen, ran down to the top of the
back porch and ran back up under the
roof. Mr. Hobbs tried to throw water
on the fire but it was almost impossi
ble to reach it and he had no one
to help him. The fire was between the
ceiling and the roof and the heavy
rain had no effect on it- The house
burned almost down before the flames
went out at the top, according to
witnesses of the fire.
Neighbors arrived on the scene in
time to save practically all the fur
niture but several stands of lard,
all the cannedfruit and other things
stored in the pantry were lost. By
the help of the waterworks system
all the outbuildings were saved. Neith
er Mr. Hobbs nor his daughter were
hurt by the stroke, but the dwelling
was entirely destroyed. The loss is
estimated at about $5000, and it is
understood that there was no insur_!
ance on the building. Mr. Hobbs plans
to build back at the same site at
once.
About the same tame the home ot
Mr. Hobbs was burning, a colored
man by the name of Alex Williams,
who lived on the McCullers farm
across the creek from Mr. Hobbs, was
struck by lightning and almost instant
ly killed. He was sitting by the open
fireplace in his home, according to
information received here, when
lightning struck the chimney, ran
down irco the room, breaking the
clock to pieces, knocking other things
off the mantel and killing the ne- j
gro, who was about sixty years old.
The house was not burned.
During the same storm lightning
struck the light plant of Mr. U. C.
Capps, who has a store near the
home of Mr. T. W. Ives about four
miles from here- The fuses were
blown out but no other damage there
has been reported.
Besides the severe electricity in
this section the storm was attended
by heavy wind and rain. Only a light
rain fell at Smithfield but there was
some thunder and lightning.
Western Union Office
To Stay Open Till 8
The Western Union office which has
heretofore closed at seven o’clock is
now open each day until eight) o’clock
in the evening.
Z. L. LeMay Due the County
Around $2,000 and Ex
Sheriff Massey Over
$77,000.00
MASSEY HAS NEW AUDIT
After months of auditing the books
of Z. L. LeMay, assistant clerk to
the late W. S. Stevens, W. J. Massey,
ex-sheriff and other county officials,
A. M. Pullen & Co-, public account
ants, have made a final report to the
finance committee of Johnston coun
ty composed of R. D. Langdon, Joel
A. Johnson and S- H. Massey. These
reports show Z. L. LeMay to be due
the county now $2,405.41 and interest
on same from July 23, 1925, this
amount, however, including $416.39
for which papers have not been locat
ed.
W. J. Massey is shown to owe the
county $77,570.28 which does not in
clude interest and penalties for non
compliance with the law which for
bids the sheriff to retain over $3000
for a longer time than ten days, un
der a penalty of two per centum per
month. Sheriff Massey is having an
audit made of his books at his own
expense and the Finance Committee
has given him an opportunity to file
eny exceptions before September 10.
The reports of the Finance commit
tee in regard to these two former
county officials are as follows:
(Turn to page eight, please)
Camp Tuscarora
Closes For Season
The camping days for this sum
mer are over at Camp Tuscarora
on Holt Lake. During the several
wTeeks this camp was open this sum
mer, one hundred ten boys from the
five counties composing this district
took advantage of the opportunity
to spend a week or more at this de
lightful place. A report from Scout
Executive W. W. Rivers, of Golds
boro, shows that during the short stay
at the camp, twenty-one boys learned
to swim as much as fifty yards, 198
persons visited the camp, four courts
of honor were held, and sixty-seven
merit badges were passed. One was
promoted to Eagle Scout, the'highest
honor in the organization. There were
twenty second-class scouts to pass
the tests and sixteen first class
scouts. According to the Scout Exe
cutive, $974.70 was expended during
the camping period, which was spent
in Smithfield.
Mr. mvers says tnao alter Septem
ber 1, he will be in Smithfield a day j
and a half and one night each week.
On August 29 he will leave for Char
leston, S. C„ to attend a Scout Execu
tive conference.
Last year, according to Mr. Rivers,
Camp Tuscarora received a B certifi
cate from the National Council, but
this year it received a 1A certificate.
Mr. Rivers is hoping to have the
winter holiday camp open for scouts 1
during the coming winter and plans
are now being made to that effect.
Selma Kiwanians To Tackle Kinston
Selma, Aug. 11—August 21st all
the Kiwanis clubs of Eastern North
Carolina will meet at Kinston. One
of the big features of this meeting
will be a baseball game between the
Selma Kiwanis Club and the Kins
ton Kiwanis Club. This game will be
followed by a game between the Nor
folk and Kinston clubs of the Vir
ginia League. The Kiwanis game
promises to be a good game. With
Fred Walden as manager, the local
club has lost only one game this sea
son and he says that he is deter_
mined that they shall not lose to
Kinston on the 21st. Nothing is
known of the Kinston club here, but
no stone will be left unturned in car
rying to Kinston the best team that
can be secured from the local Ki
wanis Club. Anyone who is not a
member will not be eligible to play.
Walden has announced that the fol
lowing will probably make up the lo
cal line-up:
Catchers, Walden and Waters;
pitchers, Mitchell and Whitaker;
first base, Whitaker; secdhd base,
Vick and Parker; shortstop, Richard
son; third base, Massey and Hughes;
Kenly Negro Killed
By Coast Line Train
Wilson, Aug. 11.—Jerry Stott, 65
year old negro, was struck and in
stantly killed at 5:30 o’clock this
morning by Atlantic Coast Line train
No. 86 as it passed thru Kenly. The
negro was crossing the tracks from
his home to a house across the way to
get a bucket of water and he stum
bled and fell in the path of the on
rushing train. Apparently neither the
engineer nor the fireman noticed the
man, as the train failed to stop.
Mack Johnson, a witness, who re
ported the incident to the county of
ficials and Coroner Rex Farmer and
Deputy Sheriff Frank Barnes, rush
ed to the scene. Johnson stated that
he saw Stott as he started to cross
the tracks and also saw the train,
which he alleges failed to blow its
warning for the crossing. Johlnson
also told the officials that Stott stum
bled on the tracks.
Coroner Rex Farmer summoned
Engineer E. A. Day and Jim Chavis,
fireman, who appeared before him
this afternoon and told that they
knew nothing of the accident until
they reached Rocky Mount. Both
contended that they sounded the
whistle for the crossing about one
hundred yards from the place at
which Stott was killed.
BIG CASH ADVANCE
TO TOBACCO COOPS
Season Opens in the South Car
olina Belt With Sixty-five
Per Cent Cash Advance.
OTHERS ASK TO SIGN UP
Raleigh, Aug. 10.—Delivery of
more than a million pounds of to
bacco to cooperative warehouses in
the South Carolina belt during the
first few days after the season’s op
ening met a cash advance of sixty
five per cent of bankers’ valuation
on the 1925 crop and the result is
that hundreds of non members are
appealing to the association for an
opportunity to “sign-up” before they
put any more of the weed on the
market.
Turning of tags on several auction
floors during the past week was al
most an epidemic. The boasted aver
age on the auction floors during the
first three days the markets were
opened has dwindled three to four
cents in the light of figures compil
ed by warehousemen and made pub
lic in the Monday papers.
It is not, however, the purpose of
the association at this time to re-open
the books. As is now generally known,
the tenant farmer is enabled to deliv
er his tobacco to the association un
der the provisions of the landlord’s
contract. This procedure has been
followed more during the opening day
of the season than ever before in
the history of the association.
Summing up the situation in the
South Carolina, belt a few days af
ter the markets had opened, the Flor
ence (S- C.) News-Review had the
following to say:
“One of the most encouraging fea
tures of the opening of the South
Carolina tobacco market was the
strong pace set by the cooperative
marketing association. In advancing
to members 65 per cent upon the basis
of prices equally as high as last
year, the association threw a bomb
shell into the tobacco camp. It was
hailed with delight by members of
the association and received as an
indication of the strength of the or_
ganization.”
The significant thing about the
high advance made possible this year
to association members is, in the opin
ion of everybody, the degree of confi
dence which the Federal government
and the great' financial institutions
have in the tobacco association. The
sixty-five per cent advance is the
highest ever made by an agency of
the government in assisting to finance
the marketing of a crop of tobacco.
Dr. McLemore Moves Office
Dr. G. A. McLemore has moved his
office from over Pender’s store to
Johnston’s Drug Store on Market
Street.
outfield, Waters. Fulghum, Stone Wall
Blackburn and Johnson.
1
BOLD ROBBERY ON
HIGHWAY NEAR BY
Young Lady From Georgia Is
Relieved of Four Thousand
Dollars Worth Diamonds.
THE THIEF DISAPPEARS
What appears to be a well planned
robbery took place at Turner's bridge
near here Sunday afternoon, when
Miss Margaret Parker of Georgia
was relieved of four thousand dol
lar's worth of diamonds. According
to the story, related in the Sheriff's
office here by the young lady herself
she was visiting relatives in Wilson.
She had met a young man, H. C.
Waleh, in Wilson, who had heard her
speak of a friend in Dunn whom she
would like to see. He invited her to
go with him to Dunn on Sunday, and
she accepted the invitation. He ar
ranged for a taxi to carry them over,
'and also had a picnic lunch put up
for them by the Hotel Cherrj, where
he was stopping.
As they were riding along Mr.
Waleh asked Miss Parker to allow
him to see her diamond /rings. She
was wearing three, one a 3 carat giv
en her by her mother. She complied
with his request, and he still had
them when they stopped about five
o’clock just across Turner's bridge
at the foot of the hill to eat their
supper. The chauffeur was sent back
to Smithfield to return some coca cola
bottles while they ate. After they had
finished eating the man disappeared
and the young man or her diamonds
have been seen since. The negro
chauffeur came back but appeared
to know nothing of Waleh. The young
lady who was about 20 years old,
hailed two white boys and asked
them to take her back to Smithfield.
1 She found they were going to Selma,
and finally arranged for one of them
to take her to Wilson. She came to
Smithfield Monday and reported the
matter to the sherif. It is reasonable
to suppose that had she reported the
matter as soon as it happened the
thief might have been apprehended.
National Guard To Go
To Camp On Aug. 16
_
The 2nd Bn Hq Det & Com Trn, of
the 117 Field Artillery leave Sunday
at 1:35 p. m. on a special train com
posed of Field Artillery organiza
tions for Washington, New Bern and
Goldsboro, "We other two Battallions
to join the Second Batallion at Fort
Bragg compose organizations from
Youngsville, Louisburg, Henderson
ville, Lenoir, Monroe and Regimental
Headquarters Battery from Dunn.
The organizations have a personnel
of over a thousand men. The two
weeks of camp life is looked upon
as a recreation, the physical and men
tal training have no equal.
This year the Smithfield organiza
tion is honored with its commanding
officer as the senior Captain in the
regiment. Capt- Springs assumes com
mand of the personnel aboard tihe
train and all organizations are di
rectly under his command untill the ar
rival of the train at Fort Bragg.
The strength of all National Guard
have been reduced since the encamp_
ment a year ago. The local organi
zation is composed of three officers
and fifty-three men at present. These
officers and men extend the public an
invitation to visit them in camp,
feeling that the time required to
make the trip is filled with many
things of interest as well as amuse
ment and excitement at Fort Bragg.
For the benefit of those who desire
to visit the members of our organi
zation it is suggested that, in view
of other State National Guardsmen
being there at the same time, they ask
The men on duty as sentinels where
are the North Carolina troops. This
will save a lot of time and unnec
essary worry in finding the barracks.
Revival Closes a tHopewell
A revival closed at Hopewell Free
Will Baptist church last week that
was really a revival. Fifty-eight
joined the church, forty-nine of whom
were baptized- Rev- J. Ruffin Coates
is the pastor of this church. The lay
men’s federation were present in
quite a number of the services and
took a part.