North Carolina Newspapers

THE ENTERPRISE IS READ BT OVER 3,000 MARTIN COUNTY FAMILIES TWICE EACH WEEK VOLUME XLIX—NUMBER 100 THE ENTERPRISE Williamtton, Martin County, North Carolina, Friday, December 13, 1916 THE ENTERPRISE IS READ BY OVER 3.000 MARTIN COUNTY FAMILIES TWICE EACH WEEK ESTABLISHED 1899 Ragland Defense Based On Report Made To Office] —•— Limited Confession Rea* In Open Court Tuesday Afternoon -» Apparently recognizing th hopelessness of his case, Otis Rag land, tried and convicted in th Martin County Superior Court o criminally assaulting Mrs. Floy* Moore on November 8, based hi defense at the bar of justice on i “limited” confession made to of ficers while he was held in State’ Prison on November 21. When the state had rested ii the case Tuesday afternoon, de fense counsel talked with the 29 year-old Negro and the defendan chose not to go on the stand in hi own behalf but to rest his fate o; the signed statement in which h* admitted attacking his victirr without criminally assaulting her The defense, battling against on< of the strongest prosecutions im aginablc, could do little mor< than follow a routine line in it; cross examination. However there was an attempt to disprovt the prosecution’s evidence by in troducing an element of nervous ness and excitement. Repca*edl> the defense asked witnesses if il couldn’t have been that the vic tim was so excited and nervous that she did not know exactlj what happened. Little progress was made from this approach and w'hen the case went to the jury the defense was floundering around, its bars down and its shell cracked wide open. Ragland s confession made to Sheriff C. B. Roebuck and wit nessed by SBI Agent Howard Pierce, was read in open court Tuesday afternoon, as follows: Before I made the confession I was fully warned that I did not have to make any confession and the following voluntary confes sion is on my part and i was ad vised and cautioned that I did not have to make any statement or confession: that there was no award or hope of award to me to cause me to make the confession; and there was no threat or in ducement of any kind to make me make this confession by said Of ficer or any one else and there was no promise made to induce me to make the following volun tary confession and no threats were used to extort this confes sion and the following confession is voluntary on my part: I was serving a sentence of from 5 to 7 years in the Martin County Prison Camp where I es caped on Sunday November 3, 1948 about fi:30 p. m. Chester Morris, Alb< rt Bowden and sev eral others escaped from the Pris on Camp and we all three spent the remainder of the night on the railroad near the water tank and stayed in the woods all cf the next day. Monday night we stay ed in the box car near Jamesville, North Carolina. Tuesday A. M. before day we left the box car and spent the day in the woods. Tuesday night we spent the night in the woods in an old abandoned house. Wednesday morning we all three went to Plymouth and went to a house where whiskey was sold. Albert Bowden left us there at the whiskey house. Ches ter Morris and myself started to leave the house and coming along a little ways from the house Ches ter told me to wait a minute and he went back to the house. I waited for about an hour and Chester did not come back so I left him and went to Jamesville and spent Wednesday night in an old warehouse near th" rock pile. The next morning, Thursday, I spent the day up and down the Railroad track and spent Thurs day night in an old tobacco barn near the Woman’s house, who 1 am accused of. I came out of the tobacco barn about 11 or 11:30 A. M. Friday A. M. four or five hun dred yards from the tobacco barn I saw a dwelling house, then com ing out of a little dirt road run ning in to the highway and cross of the highway to another little dirt road to the railroad tracks and I went up tracks about 100 yards and crossed over to a little patch of woods to the same house that I saw from the tobacco barn where I spent the night. There I saw a white woman standing at the pump getting water. She went back into the house and I went on [ to the house and walked up on the , porch, went into the room, put the j coat over her head—then I knew (Continued on page six) jRagland Appeals To Supreme Court from 'His Death Sentence SPEAKER v. Dr. Maynard Fletcher of Washington recently named Regional Chairman of the North Carolina Good Health Association, Inc., for North eastern North Carolina, will speak at the Court House in Williamston, Tuesday night, December 17, at 7:30 p. m. Dr. Fletcher, manager of the Tayloe Hospital in Wash ington, will devote full time to the Good Health Program and he will speak on the need and plan of the Program here Tuesday evening. All people interested in good health are extended a cordial invitation to attend this meeting and it is hoped that a large representation from every section of the county will be on hand to hear Dr. Fletcher. Jury Selected In Little Over Hour For Ragland Case -- Few of Special Venire Are Called Before Jury Box Was Filled -$ Contrary to predictions and ac tual plans, very little trouble was experienced in gelling a jyry to hear in superior court Tuesday the capital case in which Otis Ragland, young colored man, is charged with criminally assault ing Mrs. Floyd Moore, Williams Township white woman, at her home on November H. Six were chosen from the regular jury. Only thirty-six of the regular and special venire were examined be fore the box was filled, the pro cedure requiring only one hour and twenty minutes. The names of the men chosen are: J. L. Edmondson of Rober sonville, Bill Everett of Roberson ville, Robert A. Edmondson, Sr., of Hamilton. Mack Leggett of Bear Grass, Raymond Cherry of Williamston. L. R. Beach of Ham ilton, A. P. Hyman of Hamilton, A. S. Perkins of Robersonville, Arthur Johnson of Gold Point, Theodore P. Mendenhall of Bear Grass, Royl Clark of Cross Roads and C. W. Forbes of Spring Green. Of the 100 men called to report as veniremen in the case, ninety five were found and all of them were present when the court was opened at 9:30 Tuesday morning. Five of the 100 were either out of the county or had moved to other sections of the state, the sheriff explained. After four men had been exam ined and all of them declared they had formed an opinion in the case, Judge Henry Stevens, presiding, meaningfully warned that they had taken an oath to tell the truth, the jurist intimating that some were using that as an ex cuse to escape service. The next man called stuck. Another was excused and the seventh called was acceptable. Then the court skipped one after another until (Continued on page six) -o——————— Skewarkey Lodge Names Its Officers George Harrison, Jr., was elect ed master of Skewarkey Lodge here last Tuesday evening for the year 1947. Approximately 125 Masons attended the meet’ng and participated in the election. The new master succeeds Ben Court ney who tyas faithfully served the ‘ lodge for the past year. Henry Griffin was elevated to the chair of senior warden, and 1 Roy L. Ward was elected to the , position of junior warden. J. D. Woolard was re-elected treasurer md Julian Anderson, secretary, positions die two men have held tor several years, ' The lodge is in the middle of an ittendance contest, reports stat- 1 ng that a^l attendance records are ^ jeing broken, and that subtitan- ‘ ial support has been extended ] die Oxibrd Orphanage. | Rapist Scheduled To Die In Prison Friday, January 3 Trial Of Negro Completed In Superior Court I^i«t Tuesday Night —-• ■' ■ Otis Ragland, 29-year-old Ne gro convicted of criminal assault and sentenced to die in State Pris on's gas chamber on January 3, 1947. by Judge Henry Stevens in superior court here last Tuesday night, appealed to the State Su preme Court, the action auto matically postponing the schedul ed execution. Judge Stevens an nounced that the defense would be given until January 1(1 to per fect the appeal, and that the state would be allowed ten days after that date to file exceptions. It is planned to carry the appeal to the supreme court in February, meaning that Ragland’s execu tion, if no errors are founds will follow in March or early April. Ragland, charged with crimin ally assaulting Mrs. Floyd Moore on last November 8, was placed on trial last Tuesday morning. A jury was empanelled after 19 of the regular jury and 17 of a spec ial venire of 100 men had been called. The state offered the first wit ness, Miss Mildred Moore, at 11:30 that morning. Miss Moore, after | telling where she lived, said that I she recalled seeing a man pass her 1 home on the day of the crime, j that rfho later identified the man as Ragland. "About 12 o’clock, I noon I saw him pass within thirty feet of my home, and he was go ing in the direction of the high way (Jamesville - Williamston Road) and in the general direc tion of the Moore home,” she said, explaining to the court that she knew nothing of the attack until later in the day when she visited the home and found officers mere. On cross examination, Miss Mcore said that her attention was attracted to the man at the time because he was a stranger, and that she thought he was one of the prisoners who escaped from the Martin prison camp on Nov ember 3. Mrs. Moore, the victim of the attack, took the stand at 11:52 o’clock, and for thirty-seven min utes she related the details of the attack, proving to be a splendid witness, but one who had appar ently suffered much agony. The questioning was most sympathetic on the part of all counsel, but it was quite detailed After giving the location of her home relative to the highway, dirt roads and railroad, Mrs. Moore said that she saw a man later identified by her as Rag land, enter a dirt road leading off tho Williamston-Jamesville road and to the railroad between 12 and 12:30 p. m. Mrs. Moore, alone at the time and just completing her lunch, went to the pump in the yard, a few steps from the porch. When she returned to the kitchen the same man she saw enter the dirt road jumped to the kitchen door. The wooden door teas open and Mrs. Moore said :hat she tried to latch the screen tut could not. "I was too frighten 'd to say anything and I fought iff the man the best I could,” Mrs. Vloore said. Forcing his way into the kitch ;n, Ragland threw his hand over ter face, but she could see his ;yes and a scar in his forehead. Ragland, Mrs. Moore went on, hen threw a coat or jumper over ter head, pushed her to the floor ind criminally assaulted her. The vitness said Ragland warned her hat if she hollered’ he would nake it wGrse for her. Mrs. Moore’s glasses were broken. Site vas almost choked and smother 'd to death. She was cut over me eye and one arm was bruised. Ragland, according to the wit less, got up, snatched a cloth from he kitchen table and exchanged t for the coat or jumper he first ilaccd over her head. IJe knock d her head against the floor chile wrapping the cloth around i i l < ( 1 t t i r f ( | 1 f 1 t L \ r i r £ £ a t t i (Continued on page eight) Choose Triple A i Committeemen for The Coming Year © —»— J. F. Crisp Retires After Serving On Committee For Eleven Years* — ■■ Approximately one out of every three fanners or 932. to be exact, went to the polls in this county last Saturday to elect men to handle their farm program under Triple A during the coming year. Quite a few changes were made in the personnel in several dis tricts and the county committee Mr. Jesse F. Crisp who has faithfully served as a member of or chairman of the county com mittee for eleven years, resigned and he is being succeeded by Mr. George C. Griffin, former vice chairman. The county committee now includes, George C. Griffin, chairman; Elmer N. Modlin, vice chairman; J. T. Moore, regular member; and H. H. Worsley and W. M. Hardison, first and second alternates, respectively. ; The community committees fol low with the chairman, vice chairman, regular member and first and second alternates listed in order, by districts; Bear Grass: H. G. Harrison, T. L. Roberson, E. C. Harrison, Wheeler Rogerson, and H. U. Peel; 176 voted. Cross Roads; H. L. Roebuck, G. H. Forbes, J. F. Bailey, W. L. Aus born. and J. Marion ffriffin* an (Continued on page eight) Carry Condemned Man To Raleigh Otis Ragland, sentenced to die in the gas chamber for a criminal assault, was delivered to State’s Prison, Raleigh, by Martin Coun ty officers Thursday following his conviction in the court here last Tuesday evening. Ragland, son of Addio Ragland of Oak Hill, Granville County, never knew his father. Talking in his cell in the local jail at the close of his trial last Tuesday night, Ragland who was born on April 17, 1916, had what may be called a poor show in his early life. And as he grew older he did little to improve his position. Aft er completing the third grade in ichool, he was hired out to a far rier, the meager income going to relp support his widowed mother. \s he grew older he started run ring around with bad compan ons, RagJand declaring that his rad companions helped put him vhere he is today—facing death >y asphyxiation. “We started irinking. Then we turned to [ambling. Debts piled up and I ashed a lorged check in the sum >f $95. I stole a pistol, then an utomobile. On November 16 of ast year I started serving a 5-to -year sentence,’’ the condemned nan admitting that was the be ;inning of the end. Transferred from State’s Prison o the camp near here, Ragland scaped while working the roads ear Parmele. He was captured r New' Jersey and returned. Ragland said he had received a air trial, that he had been treat d "square” by Sheriff Roebuck, nd that Jailer Roy Peel was a ine gentleman. Although no trouble was antici ated, Sheriff Roebuck asked for patrol detail, and Sgt. C. R. Wil iams and Patrolman Ttitus Mar n of Washington, Cpl. John awes of Greenville, Patrolman fayne Cunningham of Tarboro, atrolman Charles Payne of [ertford, Patrolman Clyde Fent pss of Edenton and Cpl. W. T. impson and Patrolman W. E. aunders along with special gents and other officers main lined guard during the day-long rial here Tuesday. PEANUTS j i i i i ( i < « c ( t 1 V t i ( l r r t n 8 d l \ u li t: 8 n R ii d $ e With the market still hold ing to the bearish side, pea nut prices Thursday after noon were ranging from about 8 1-2 to 9 1-2 cents per pound. A few sales were made fui is much as 10 cents, but such cases were hardly more than epic out of forty. It is estimated that 85 per cent or more of the crop has been harvested and that pos sibly 70 percent has already moved to market in this sec tion. b C tc t< tl G tc r< d< cl oi Judge Henry L. Stevens Orders Repair Buses Or Close Schools. i__ Doomed Man Hears Fate Calmly Tuesday Evening Sitting almost motionless and with a far-away gaze in his eyes Otis Ragland, convicted rapist, heard death sentence pronounced upon him without quivering in superior court here last Tuesday evening. Following a detailed charge lasting an hour and fifteen min utes. Judge Henry Stevens turn ed the case over to the jury which returned a verdict of guilty of rape against Ragland in twenty one minutes. The victim of the attack wept, but the condemned man remained expressionless. Clerk L. B. Wynne polled the jury, and Solicitor George Foun tain prayed judgment. Only after Clerk Wynne warn ed the spectators against any de monstration and asked the prison er if he had anything to say for himself did Ragland snap out of a state like unto that of an hynotic, and then only his lips quivered as if he tried to speak and could not. He wavered a bit. A falling pin could have been heard as the , spectators, crowding the seats and f aisles maintained a death-like si j lence. I Pronouncement of judgment by j Judge Stevens was delayed al ; most 15 minutes as an over-work led' court stenographer typed the | jury verdict and1 prepared the judgment which the jurist read, j as follows: “Ordered, decreed and adjudg 1 ed that the defendant, Otis Rag land, shall suffer the penalty of death by asphyxiation, and to , that end it is ordered and adjudg ed that the sheriff of Martin | County, in whose custody the prisoner now is, forthwith convey . to State’s Prison at Raleigh, said j prisoner, Otis Ragland, and deliv er said prisoner to the warden o’ State’s Prison, who, the said war J den, on Friday, the II day of Jan uary. 1947, shall cause him, the ' said Otis Ragland, to inhale lethal gas of sufficient quantity to cause death, which administration o: such lethal gas shall continue un til said prisoner, Otis Ragland, is dead." Six Business Houses Robbed This Week Over Six Hundred Dollars Taken In One Local Plant • SBI anti Local Officers An* Working Oil Cases, But No Development* -* Striking fast and furiously, robbers broke into and robbed six 3 us in ess houses and offices be weon midnight Monday and day break Tuesday morning. Prob >bly starting at the Branch 3ank and working out to the Blue star Cleaners, the robbers took building after building, the six iousc raid netting approximately 1650, two packages of chewing [urn and a few other items. State Bureau of Investigation gents, working with local police, lot several sets of good finger irints at two or more of the >la<-es robbed, but no other devel ipments have been reported. Sev ral angles to the robberies have ieen investigated, including a heck on a foreign car seen park d on a side street here about 2:30 'clock Tuesday morning. Chief lhas. R. Mobley said yesterday hat they hoped to establish a bad in the scries of robberies dtliin a short time The offices of the Martin Coun y Building and Loan Association i the Branch Banking and Trust Company Building were ransack d, but only 45 cents in cash was lissed. The robbery there is sur ounded by a bit of mystei ious act ivity since the officers could find o place where the robbers are apposed to have entered. Breaking through a back win ow, the robbers ransacked John . Pope's insurance office on Washington Street. The safe was nlocked, but no cash was in it. Ir. Pope gained lb cents which le robbers apparently lost while :arching the safe. The next stop was at H, B. Jor dan's filling station next to the oanoke-Dixie Warehouse. Forc ig an entrance through the back aor, the robbers look between !0 and $30 from the money di aw Going across the street the rob .'is broke a back window of pheus Price’s filling station and , ok $29.26 from the cash regis- . r. A crow bar was missed by 1 ie station operator. ] The next stop was at. the < reenc Oil Company station next 1 * tiie Carolina warehouse. The I ibbcrs went through a back wit,- < >w and left with two packages of i lewing gum and possibly a lew her items of merchandise. ] The big haul was made at the 1 (Continued on page eight) t | IMiKSKNT x_ Electric customers of the Virginia Electric and Power Company were assured a Christmas present this week when the company officials | announced that a fifty per | cent rehate will be made on the December electric hills. The action will mean a saving of approximately $1)51),(too for the company's more than 300,000 customers. The re duction Vvill apply only to residential users, it was ex plained. ~s y The rebate is being made voluntarily by the company. Achievement Day Held By County’s Club Federation -- Mary Ola Lilley ami Kdilli Ho^rrson An* Tlirrr Tiim* Wiiuic'i’H Tin' 4-H and Home Demonstra tion Clubs of the county held their annual Achievement Day Saturday in the High School Au ditorium in Williamston. Mrs. R. L. Leggett, president of the Coun ty Council of the Home Demon strating Clubs presided over the morning program. The meeting was calk'd to ord er by singing Hail Club-Women Crowned through Service. The invocation was offered by l)r. Ira Knight, pastor of the Williamston Baptist Church. Mr. Robert L. Perry welcomed the group on be half of the county extension sei vice.. Mrs. Leggett responded to the welcome. The roll was called and each club gave - report of the achieve- ' ments during the year. Aftei the roll call the county dress revue winners in 4-H modeled their gar- * ncnls. Those taking part were * Mary Ola Lilley, Farm Life 4-H j dub; Mary Lou Coltruin, Wil- ( iamston Senior 4-H club and Eli zabeth Holliday, Jumesville 4-11 dub. Miss Gurnette Crocker, assist int Home Agent, introduced the ■uest speaker of the morning, Mr. ( John Goff, pastor of the Christian . Church in Williamston. Mi- Golf * lad for his topic, The Horne The (uestion was aroused Are We So Jury With Our Household Duties ^ hat we ai t neglecting the moral: if our family? It was an mini ng message. The home agent awarded a ircssure cooker to the Bear Grass j fome Demonstration Club for , (Continued on page seven) Board Instructed To Replace l ire Escape At School 1—u— j (rraiitl Jury Rrcommciuls That Lifilil^ H«> Iiistallrd On School (>rouii(l<< -® After complimenting the grand I jury for a job well handled. Judge Henry Stevens in superior court last Tuesday declared that condi tions found by the jurymen con stituted a shame and a disgrace, “and 1 don't care who is to blame when I say it." the jurist tie. lan d. Examining the report filed uvei I the signature of James H. Har rington, foreman. Judge Stevens said lie was shocked to learn that Iso many school busses were in a | state of bad repair and dangei ous. “These busses are carrying our most precious cargo -our little children- without proper brakes and lights and it must he stop ped,” the jurist said. He then is sued a stern order. “The busses must be fixed before January or they will be stopped even if such action forces the schools to close,” the judge instructing members of the highway patrol to arrest the drivers if they are caught operat ing busses with defective .-quip* merit after the holiday season. School authorities, questioned on the subject, pointed out to it. many of the bussi-s aie old and worn nut, that replacements are not yet possible. It was also learn ed that similar and eve n wu. r conditions exist throughout the State. “We had every bus rcpaii ed ;it the start of the current term, and mechanics have worked night and day and Sunday, trying to keep the busses running, but the parts shortage has made tin job even more difficult,” one of the school officials explained. Advised that a lire escape should be replaced at the Wil hamston Grammar School, Judge Stevens recalled the recent fire tragedy in Atlanta and declared that there is enough lumber avail able to build an escape. Aware of the attacks made on school property and the ill use if has been put to, the jury recoin mended that lights he installed on the Si bool grounds in Williamstnn and that a frequent patrol be maintained. The report reads, in full. as. fol lows’ We, the grand jury of Martin County for the above mentioned ; (Continued on page seven) o Local OPA Office Closes Its Doors —'•«— The local office of the Office >f Price Administration, opened n early 1IMU during trying times rnd under hurried conditions, mis rended all activities and closed ts doors on Thursday of this A'eeU. While its wot k ahd el I'm Is wei e he objects of battered criticism, he public, with ; ome few po; s11111■ -■xceptions, recognized its v;due. The office was opened with Messrs. C C. Martin of James /ille as chairman, Herbert L. line ruck of Cros, Hoad,- and J A Sven ft of (loose Nest as mem iers of the rationing board, Mr. Overctt was succeeded in the I , ipring of l'Jl-1 by Mi. Jr s F. Jrisp, and Mrs. Irene Blount j erved the board as .-err lory or j hief clerk. Jt is only fitting to i a use here and now and suggest i glowing tribute to the rationing juai d personnel and otht i s for he ab’e and unselfish work hand ed during more than four long | 'ears. Miss Inez Godwin of Columbia, j hief clerk for the past several nonths, Mrs. It II Smith of Wil iamslon. Mrs Myrtle Bunting of familton and Jesse Terry took ( ave ot the otfiee Thursday aft moon. Furniture and fixtures ■ ere delivered to State College Wednesday, and all the records xapt auto transfers wete burn- , d a few days earlier. Sugar ra ioning, automobile transfers and few other items will be handled J y the office in the Capitol Club ! . iuilding, Raleigh, it was an-1 „ ounced. Killer Draws Five |To Seven Years In .\IansI;uij^i?er Case f Ha! o! < riiiunal Dock.Pt Is Complete*] In Superior (iourl Thursday Frank Belcher, 20-year-old colored man, was sentenced by Judge Henry Stevens in the sup erior court here Thursday morn ing to serve not less than five and not more than seven years in •Stall Prison for involuntary manslaughter, the case marking the close of the completion of the criminal trial docket for the term, j Belcher pleaded guilty and of j I'erert only two character wit nesses, Mr. Marcellus W. New -i:mr one of Hertford County's no l highly respected citizens and who was nearly killed when Bel* chin while under the influence of intoxicating liquors ran his car into the one driven by Mr. New come near Sweet Water Creek on Highway (14 la t February 17. was the- firs'I w it m - s for the state. Mr. Lloyd Cowan, another prominent If rile; I County citizen, was fat ally injured in the accident. "We aw Belcher coming on the j wrong aide of the road, and Mr. Cowan . >nd. 'look nut. He's going to hit us' Mi New some told the court. "I drove off the hardsur . lace as far as I could or almost into the iron fence near tht creek and almost stopped my car when the Belcher car struck us and al ii • : t turned i• ut eai around or in the direction of Plymouth,” he added. Mr Newsome, his left leg and hip broken, a rib injured and his jaw In nr broken in two places, fell unconsi unis to the road. Aft ■ ' an ov a, i iiht ..lav in the local I• 111v11;11 he u . removed to Duke where lie -ih i.i. four months and one h.y. Returning to his home he was confined to his bed for r veral months, and is now only able to lie about on crutches. His ear was wrecked and sold for junk. The defense did not cross examine the witness. Patrolman Saunders, stating the position of the cars when he reai hi' I the scene of the accident ten minutes aftei it happened, told the court that Belcher was under the influence of intoxi cant-., and said that Belcher claimed a t ca i blew out. He said on cross examination that he had not known Belcher to be in court before. Sheriff Roebuck stated that he had ri reived reports, stating that the owner had removed Belcher from hi - truck because he (Belch er) had been drinking, that one report telling of the man driving while intoxicated had been re ceived on is a short time ago. Mis. Annie- Burroughs and M. I. l’eel were offered as character witnesses by the defense. Belcher’s attorney pleaded for mercy, stated that he did not know whether the defendant hail paid1 a cent to the injured parties. Solicitor Fountain recalled the unfavorable reports made against Belcher, and cited drunken driv ing as a growing menace on the lighways. adding that it is begin ning to appear that people fill ihcni: elves with liquor or beer, •aring little about the life of an jther. Attorney Che ry, representing In state, said that one of his ,'ounty's best citizens had been idle,I and another almost killed, dial the good people of his county nut this county want to see ■verything done possible to stop he needless killing. It is another instance where ip- C'U.-pfcd' w'i.'tv'viii" V u 1 (A/id jih- eiut (t mao iiis lift. "'Some nay claim this or that, but I bo rn e d: unken driving is responsi ve lor a majority of the accidents nd killings on our highways,” udge Stevens said, adding that I lias got to stop. The widow, Mrs. Cowan, wept n court when she was reminded 'V the evidence of the accident n which her husband lost his ife, Other proceedings in the court ollow: Ben Nichols, charged with making and entering and lar oriy, via: reported to he serving long lei m either in a Pennsyd ama or Mai yland prison, and the curt ruled that the $200 bond- of ■ red by K S. Cnteher be strick n out. the bondsman having greed to pay $50 for Nichols’ re u n. The case lias been pending ince last March. (Continued on page seven7'~'* as