North Carolina Newspapers

?>-,?.?? ? ? ..'? ??:?. ? ? ? ? ?? ??: .-??V: :. & .? a .?; V ?/??? | :: .? ?" .'. . ? ??: -.-..: ! -: ?. .. ,???.? . ' ? ' ' '? .y;-' .-;.V . . . Vv\ ' /? - ' v \ ?:??*-? ?**1 ??'? * ^ Qux Adv^ Illri*,''''' """'V*" '"'? '' ' ' ' *' J . ? iL ii nwiiwiu Mi I.I .nwiiiwi t.ll YOL. TWENTY-FOUR FABMYILLE* PITT COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA, FRIDAY, MARCH 2, 1984 NUMBER FORTY-THREE '? ' ^ ' " ? ) !== T. ____ _ Dick Roycroft is Killed As Cops Chase Rum Cat R. G. (Dick) Roycroft, known as "The King of the Bootleggers," was instantly killed here Tuesday night when his liquor-laden car collided with another nachine as officers were chasing him through town. Roycroft, formerly of Raleigh, lately centered his operations in Durham. Roycroft, at the wheel of an alleg edly. stolen car, was thrown to the pavement as his machine swerved into a telephone pole following the collision at the intersection of Wilson and George streets. His head was badly crushed. Roycroft's machine, a Ford V-8 se dan, was laden with 16 cases of liquor. The car's lights were not burning, officers said, Roycroft having turned them out in attemping to elude the police. Chief J. L. Taylor and officer Fields of Farmville, were chasing Roycroft at break-neck speed through local streets when the bootlegger's car and one driven by William . White, of Greenville, crashed at the intersection of George and Wilson streets. White was painfully hurt but his injuries were not considered serious. White was on his way to Wilson j to meet a train. Roycroft was head-1 ed in the general direction of Kin ston. The crash occurred at 7:00 p. m. Officers Tuesday night had not established the identity of the man said to have escaped from the Roy croft car. Police here had been noticfied that a stolen car was headed in this di-| rection from Greenville. They | "jumped" Roycroft on the edge of j town and had chased him for sev- j eral blocks when the crash occurred, j Moving to Raleigh from Durham several years ago, Roycroft'built up a liquor business in the Capitol City which earned for him the title, "King of Bootleggers." He was con stantly in trouble with officers, but always managed to get off in the) city and State courts with fines and suspended sentences. Federal officers caught him in a general roundup of bootlegers in Raleigh about three years ago and he was sentenced to IS months in the Atlanta prison. He was released a year ago. - Upon his return he set up head quarters,'again in Durham and offi cers there had been experiencing difficulties in attempting to break up his activities. Roycroft is a member of a well known Durham family. The body of the former Bootlegger King was embalmed and prepared for burial by local undertakers and car ried to his home in Durham about 2:30 Wednesday morning accom panied by two cars of reported rela tives and friends who arrived here after midnight from Durham. Miss Dorothy Allison was furnish bail by the Durham friends, who took her home, though professing to have had no previous acquaintance with her. The young lady, held on charges of aiding and abetting in the transportation and sale of liquor, was released under bond of $100 to ap pear before Mayor Lewis on March 17/ v- ;? ? - Apparently uninjured but suiierwg considerably from nervous shock, Miss Allison denied the presence of another man in the car, telling Chief J. L. Taylor and Sheriff Whitehurst that Ac accompanied Roycroft to the Chocowinity section in the afternoon, [ where he investigated a wreck in [ volving a Negro employee, and where the cargo of 96 gallons was loaded, and several hoarse were spent at a filling station in that vicinity before starting the fatal journey homeward. Excitement reignai here for several [ hoars succeeding the wreck which in volved an e lectin: light pole and re sulted in the power being turned off the streets. Hundreds of people visit ed the acwe made ghastly in the moonlight by the Mood and brains of the deed mac, which mingling with | [ the spilt.whiskey, ran down the gut-1 [ ters of the street I ROYCBQFT ARRESTED 54 I : TIMES IN HOME COUNT?! Royeraft, Durham rum-runner who night* has a long police record here aad-fh the time of his death, faced I I sanlt and battery with s deadly weap on, fie was 26 yean of age, and was a native of Granville county. During tk*<past eight years, several of which I ware speaEt in Raleigh, he was arrest ed hi times here on various charges,) meat, of them from fifTw'*1 selling ! Bflftnft returned to Durhaini Be leaves Ma. young widow, twel Hyrns^n ' . \ ?* '? -v.y mmw h \ aVi'ug t?. ? Tinsif' - ? I they have not learned Roycroft was acquitted only last Friday of a liquor law charge brought by Durham city officers. Roycroft, who was tried in the Durham recorder's court, demanded a jury trial and a six-man jury voted to free him. He was charged with having had five gallons of whiskey in his possession on February 14. Policemen S. F. Ray and G. C. Leary, who arrested him, testified that Roycroft and another man drove up to the Roycroft home late on the night of February 14 and that each of them got out of the car with a case of whiskey. Roycroft managed to get into the house with his case, the officers said, and slammed the door but the other man ran behind the house and dropped his case. A search warrant was issued for Roycroft's home, but officers found only empty fruit jars and drinking glasses. The defense, conducted by R. P. Reads, local attorney, contended that officers did not know that Roycroft had whiskey in the case which he | carried into the house. The defense [contention was that the case might j have been filled with wood. Eastern Counties Suffer Heaviest Cot ofC. W. A. Twelve Thousand Work ers To Be Cut Prom Civil Works Payroll Raleigh, Feb. 27. ? Agricultural counties of eastern North Carolina suffered heaviest cut of civil works force today when Mrs. Thos. O'Berry, state C. W. A. administrator, releas ed the county reductions to be placed in effect Thursday night. With 12,000 workers to be cut off, the allotments ranged from indus trial city reductions of 5 per cent through agricultural counties with industrial cities cut 15 per cent to agricultural counties sliced as high as 36 per cent. Reductions included: Beaufort county 185; Pitt 282; Wilson 97; Goldsboro 16. Ken Introduces Bill Levying Toll. Tax Designed To Insure Suc cess Of Administra tion's Reduction Cam paign Washington, March 1.?Represent ative Kerr, Democrat, Noxrth Caro lina, introduced today a bill designed to insure success of the administra tion's tobacco acreage reduction cam paign by technically levying a tax on all tobacco sold, but actgplly^ollect ing it only from non-co-operators in the voluntary reduction plan. The bill would place an ad valorem tax of 25 per cent of the market value on all tobacco sold. Fanners who co-operated in the acreage re duction campaign, however, would be allowed to sell their poundage allot* ment without payment of the tax. Under the acreage reduction cam paign, the poundage allotment of each farmer is fixed on the basis of the productivity of the land under contract. Farmers co-operating would be is sued marketing certificates showing the number of pounds to be sold without payment of the tax. Ninety-eight precent of the burley tobacco growers, of Haywood County have signed the adjustment contracts. Homestead Pirn Talked at Meeting Eastern . C h amber Names Committee To Obtain Facts On Pro ject For This Area Greenville, Mar. 1.?Representatives from ten counties met in Greenville yesterday at-the call of the Eastern Carolina Chamber of Commerce to study the: matter of securing an ap propriation for several subsistence ; homestead projects for Eastern Caro lina. This was the second of similar meetings held recently for the pur pose of making an investigation aa to what may be done along this line for the East President Guy Elliott of Kinston, of the sectional organization, presid ed and opened , the meeting with a statement as to the plans already in the making for carrying forward this project Others taking part in the discussion were: Judge R. A. Nunn of New Bern; Mrs. Marshall Wil liams, Faison; W. C. Manning, WiT liamston; E. S. Askew, Windsor; P. S. Carr, Clinton; E. H. Liverman, Plymouth; E. G. Flanagan, Green ville; F. W. Hargett, Jacksonville; J. B. Aycock, Fremont; J. H. Canady, Kinston; R. A. Fountain, Fountain; T. A. Brooks, Bath, and Secretary N. G. Bartlett The sentiment expressed by all the speakers was for the for mation of plans for making an effort to secure one or more of these pro jects for the East. * ine ionowing ivaviuuuiui nwc passed: First, that a sub-committee be selected comprised of one from each county, to handle the details of the plans. Second, that this committee secure from each county the available tracts of land for such a project and list these with the secretary of the Eastern Carolina Chamber of Commerce. Third, that immediately after these available tracts are in hand that the com mittee arrange a conference in Washington with the proper author ities to lay before the government Eastern Carolina's offerings, with a view of having some of them se lected for immediate use. Fourth, that the entire district of 46 coun ties be divided up into districts ac cording to types of soil, nature of crops grown and the like, so that each district may have a special com mittee to-handle its own project. The following sub-committee was selected: Beaufort, T. A. Brooks; Craven, G. W. Ipock; Duplin, A. L. Cavanaugh; Sampson, C. S. Royall; Washington, E. H. Liverman; Mar tin, W. C. Manning; Wayne, J. B. Aycock; Pitt, J. E. Winslow; Ons low, F. W. Hargett; Lenoir, T. A. Turner; Carteret, Claude Wheatley; Jones, C. F. Pollock; Greene, J. F. Mawborn. This committee will meet at the call of the president. Those land owners who have tracts of land should list these tracts with the county member or send it direct to N. G. Bartlett, secretary, Kinston. . N. C. Schools Would Get Most Under George Bill (By J. C. BaskervilL) Raleigh, Feb. 27.?North Carolina would get much more Federal money for assisting the public schools of the state, or about $1,500,000, if the hill introduced by Senator George of Georgia had been or should be passed, according to Dr. A T. Allen, State Superintendent of ItobHc In struction, said today. This bill, however, has been temporarily with drawn by Senator George- as a re sult of the arrangement whereby -the Emergency Relief Administration agreed to set aside $50,000,000 for the relief of puhik schools \n? the various states. The George bill would have provided for the appropriation of $50,000,000 for the same purpose but would have distributed it on a different basis, according to Dr. Allen. > While the George Bill has not been completely withdrawn and is still pending in the- asbate, present indications are that' it will not be passed at this session, Dr. Allen said their school populations, or the num ber of children of school age, be tween 6 years and 20 years of age, to the total population," Dr. Allen said. "If this money had been dis tributed on this basis, North Carolina would- have gotten approximately ?1,500,000, since about 29 per cent of the state's total population falls into the school age category. In fact, only two other states, South Carolina and! Mississippi, have a greater proportion of* its total popu lation, or about 30 per emit, of school age than North Carolina. So we would have gotten a substantial slice of this money. We could also have used it to supplement teachers' salaries and for other school need*" But under the terms so far set up by the Emergency Belief Administra tion, North Carolina will get little, if any, of the $50,000,000 it N* set aside, since under these regula tions it can be use* only to;,->op?n schools In states where they have slosed?and none have doaed^Jn only for needy end unemployed i 1 'flllljJiiMMi fil B A.V- - Senate Adds $55, ; 000,000 to Sup ply Bill; Voterans 29,000 Veterans Whose Disabilities Were Pre sumed To Be of Service Origin, Are Restored To Rolls Washington, Feb. 27.?With ad ministration forces apparently sub mitting, the senate today added another estimated annual $55,000, 000 for world war veterans to the independent offices bill. Without opposition or a record vote it adopted the Stewer-McCarran amendment restoring to the rolls 29,000 veterans whose dieabilities were presumed to be of service orgin but who were taken off by the econ omy law of a year ago.' The amendment gives the veterans the full former rates and puts the burden of proof on the government to show the disabilities were not of service orgin. The proposal also restores the full former rates for service connected disabilities v*.th $100 a month for total pennanet (liabilities. Held Under Bond In Aeto Accident Dave Braswell Held Un der $2,500 Bond Pend ing Outcome of Injur ies Sustained by 6-Year Old School Girl Struck by His Car Late Tues day Afternoon Dave Braswell, cafe proprietor of Wilson, was held under $2,500 bond by Pitt County authorities pending outcome of serious injuries sustained by Geraldine Baldree, 6 year old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. W. L. Bal dree, of near Farmville, who was struck by Mr. Braswell's car late Tuesday afternoon as she stepped ( off a school bus. The accident occur red about two miles from Farmville on the Wilson highway, near the home of the child's parents. The little girl is in a Greenville 1 hospital in critical condition having suffered fractures of both legs and ! other injuries when struck by the Braswell car while stepping .off the 1 school bus. Her condition was re ported as unchanged by Pitt County 1 authorities this morning. Mr, Braswell told investigating of ficers that he did not recognize the machine as a school bus until he was 1 almost upon it. He was arrested by '< Pitt County officers on charges of i assault with a deadly weapon towit ' an automobile and was released from i custody Tuesday night by Sheriff Whitehurst, of Greenville, after $2,- : 500 bond was posted \ i General Find Revenues Are $4,2G0,006llore i Three Per Gent Sales' Tax Accounts For $3, 786,260 of Increase Raleigh, Feb. 28.?General fund revenues of the state of North Caro lina were $4,200,000 more the first eight months of the fiscal year than they were in the same period of 1932 83 the state revenue department re ported today. The 8 per cent general sales tax accounted for $3,786,260.79 of the in crease the beer tax added another $223,042.96 and miscellaneous in creases made the balance. The highway fpnd revenues for the first eight months showed a gain of $2466-000 over the same period last ? year. ( February general fund collections were $1,282,128 & compared with $718,068.60 in February 1933. For eight months the general fund collections aggregated $12,181,964 this year and $7,964,129 last year. Highway funds receipts in Febru ary were $1,604,827.03 compared with $1,465,469.80 last year for the. month. , Totals for eight months in the highway fund were $16,482,459 this Expose Insurance Swindle In Wilson ^mmmmrnrnm . Local Authorities Con tinue Investigation In to Operations of Gang of Alleged Insurance Swindlers Wilson, Feb. 28.?What is. termed an automobile protection. insurance swindle has been exposed here in the past few days with arrests of two men, one of whom jumped a $260 bond and is said to have fled from the state. The men, classed aa smooth and convincing talkers, have been travel ing Green, Wilson and Wayne counties in the company < with two other men selling memberships in the Carolina Motorist '<? Protection Association, Inc., of Winston-Salem offering protection and liability to automobile owners and drivers. ? ? * Memberships in the association were fixed at $24.60 annually and $29.50 for two years and membership blanks stated only two year member ships could be purchased at the pres^ ent time. To date officers have "learn ed the names of about two=dosen Wil son County citixens who purchased, and paid for from one to three such membership policies for automobiles owned and operated by members ?of their families. Some even purchased life insurance policies ottered in con> nection with the memberships at $3 each, Officers are still busily engaged se-1 curing names of persons who bought j the memberships a list of whom will be presented to a deputy commis sioner of the Insurance Department of North Carolina who will be here in J a few days to launeh an intensive in vestigation into the operations of the I men and their asociation. M. Sykes, who gave his home as Winston-Salem, was-arrested-here in! connection with the alleged swindle and was later released under $250 bond furnished by R. H. Drake, of this city. Sykes failed to put in an appearance before Magistrate A, J.l Hines for preliminary hearing and! the bond was called out, his bonds-] man being given until tomorrow! morning to pay the bond. Sykes is! said, according to information receiv ed by local authorities, to have fled] from the state. 'j Tom ColIinB, another of the alleged quartet of salesmen, operating in Wil- J son County, is being held in the cotm- j ty jail on charge of larceny of van overcoat When apprehended CoiUns bad in his possession a-folder .con taining a number of the association's j membership policies -and he vara* im mediately connected with the insur-j ance case, Officers said the men had a'certf-i ficate alleged to have been issuredj by the State Insurance Department and signed by Stacq Wade as Insur-1 ance Commissioner. The aUeged-cer>-j tificate was dated "August 22, 1983" I and Stacy Wade has not acted aaJh-j surance Commissioner of the state j for a'period of about five years. The insurance department is plan ning to make an intensive investiga-j tion into the company and ita sales men as it is reported the -salesmen are selling the memberships claiming! Lhem to be liability insurance when! at best all they are only "protection policies" which guarantee legal-ax-j pense in connection with traffic viola- J lions, towing service not to exceed] and other minor services to motor ists including posting of bands ^ for] accidents, and traffic law violations,] etc. v --? ??? ? ? > i ? en in ins WALTER L GAY LAID TO REST ? Walter L. Gay, . 48, a prosperous fanner of the Walstonburg section, of Greene county, ww burled Wed nesday at the family burial grounds, services being conducted byRev. C. B Mashburn, pastor of the local Chrsi tian Church, With'the Pamrvilk Ma sonic LOdge, of Which' he Was a mem ber, assisting. ? Mr.-Gay, well known, particalarly in the political life of Greene county, was Btncjcen witu a secona Rroie 01 paralysis 'here late Tuesday after noon,-while in* the aet-ofstarting his car to return home, and was found in an \mcdnscious condition by p*wers by. who carried him-' home, death oc curring in a short'time. He is survivedby nine sisters, Mrs. A J. McKeel, Mrs. W. M. Handiaon, Mrs. Wyatt Parker, Mrs.' Rnpert Pip pin, Mrs. Richard Pippin, Mrs. Jarvis Holloman, Misses Stella, Susue and 'Virginia Gay; five brothers, Bryant, J. E., AiH., Bsrl and Richard Gay, all of Greene county Active pall bearers were: Carl ffttkn. Sam Jenkins, R. A. Joyner, J. Y. Monk,. William and E. C. Bynuro. Honorary; J. T. Bundy, George W. Davis, D. E. Ogiesby, 0. G. Spell and Arch Darden. bill Japan And Russia Protest Flight of Planes Japan Sends Protest De manding Plights of So-; viet Places Oyer Man . eburia and Korea Be Stopped Moscow, Feb. 28.?The Soviet gov ernment today charged that Japanese military* planes--, again have flown over Soviet' territory near the Man chukuali frontier. They lodged a formal protest with Ambassodor Ota of Japan on the matter,, saying- a v-'iew" Japanese planes penetrated lfr- kilometers in to foviefr territory iir~tha region of Fogrankhnaya ? and Iman several days ago. Tokio, ? Feb.- 28v-;-The' Japanese for eign offica isenhn. sharpprotest today to Moacowv derranriing.ihat flights of Soviet, planes over Manchuria and Korea be stopped. .fWe t consider sudtiincidents high ly, dangerous," , a . spokesman of the Japanese foreign office said. "It is always dangerous for children to play-with fire." ] The protest was sent by Foreign ] Minister Koki Hirota to lAmbassa- , dor Ota at Moscow for presentation to the Soviet government. With it, said a foreign office spokesman, went i avdemand cfof . guarantees against ; any further flights by-Jlussian planes \ over Manchurian. or-Korean territory. ' 1 The filing of^the 'protest followed 1 reports.* from; Shaking - (Changshun) Manehuiwo of -:two-.. instances in i ' * ?* V r?, which, (the. reports. said) Russians i fired upon Japanese planes. < M. L.. FSager of . Lincoln County is . finding a.ready sals .-for-the 85,000 pounds of lespedeza seed, which he : haraatechlastfall. .???'< iim .mi * ' * 1 Johnson Upholds Program to Revise Codes i - ti -I, - 1 IV. R. A. Administrator! Beats Assembled Crit ics To Guns by Sudden ly Unfolding Program j For Revising Existing) Codes Washington, Feb. 27.?Hugh S.J Johnson beat N. R. A.'s assembled ?ritics to the guns today by -audtj leniy .unfolding a twelve point pro gram for revising existing codes. I Before the hundreds invited to J ?omplain could voice a saigle criti cism the N. R, A. administrator to* I aounced a wide, code revision would! be effected ft possible by sweeping! presidential mandate. I Individual industries Johnson told the ep?ring session, of histoid day for criticism'' would be aUosred! modifications only If - justification] can be shown on public hearings. ;$j Code revision, he added, will be flowed by a Mgger and better Bluej ness. "We- are. going on aa we have be gun,'.' he said in a/paragraph aimed at N. R, A.'s* enemies. "These meet- , inga are the. first move^ in a closing up ofourranks for a-, new forward movement by N. R. A." y "Chance or circumstance may stop ; it, ktt&yottimn net? {going to stop it or evan-nuketitMHtor" The twelve corrections which Johnson's already* gathered data has shown to 4>e necessary were: A more tuniform . and. equitable rules of price stabilisation where necessary to preventetrt throat com petition with < farther , insurance against prices outstripping purchas ing power. A more effective rale to prevent sales below cost of production. ^Uynl^ia ^jwprod^urs in the prevailing southern wage differ f ~ m tions 'to protect the small fellows. An improved method to secure compliance. A method for financing code ad Mhiiabetion without rackettering. Elimination of inconsistent or con flicting provisions in codes. Adequate labor and consumer re presentation in an advisory capacity on rode authorities. Uniform government representa tion on the authorities. ~ Wider use within code groups of. Mechanism for settling labor dis rates. ' Other needs for collection exist, he said, but these are the headline reforms. He promised that any thing else developed by the criticism session would be considered along with the twelve points in next weeks ?WMnhly of code authorities. ? Thomas Dixon To Deliver Great Lecture "This Coun - try of Ours^ Here Mar. 13 - Thomas Dixon, distinguished auth or and orator, has just made a Con tinental Tour speaking as a special representative of the National Re covery Administration, translating in to ternu*of zinging conviction and inspiration the fundamental meaning of the NRA program. For the past four months he has held thousands spellbound by his matchless eloquence teaching near heights of power in his long career as an orator. He closed his Tour in Boston, Mas sachusetts with a speech before the combined Rotary Clubs of the district that created a profound sensation and placed him at the head of the list of a thousand chosen speakers for the Administration. Everywhere he has pleaded for faith in our future based on the glorious story of America's past. Everywhere the response has been electric. The Living Voice No power has yet taken the place of the living voice in swaying the minds of men. The printed page may be stored powder, but the human per sonality applies the spark that brings the explosion. Col. C. 0. Sherrill, Chairman of Ohio Board of NRA.. Former City Manager of Cincinnati, says: "No man in this * country is better qualified to arouse enthusiasm for the President's program of recovery than is Thomas Dixon. I recently heard, him deliver an address in Cin cinnati which was one of the most moving and powerful appeals to which I ever listened." , Farmvilte citizens, whose spirit of patriotism has been recently stirred and proven, and who are ever eager co learn more about their country, and particularly the Roosevelt pro gram, are to have the opportunity of hearing this noted lecturer in the High School auditorium on Tuesday evening, March 13, at 8:00 o'clock. Admission 50c for adults and 15c for children. Proceeds will be used on the swim ming pool, according to Mayor John B. Lewis, who acted as chairman of a committee meeting composed of the heads of the various organizations of the town on Thursday evening, at which time plans for sponsoring the lecture were made. Farmville is .very fortunate in be ing included in the Thomas Dixon tour, and extends a cordial welcome to everybody in the surrounding towns and communities to join with its citizens in making his appear ance here a splendid success by the manifestation of a spirit of real in terest and patriotism. LAST RITES HELD FOR MRS. LAVENIA C. SERMONS Last rites for Mrs. Lavenia Caro lina'Sermons, 76, wife of the late William Sermons, were held from the home of her son, Will Sermons, near here, on Wednesday afternoon at 8:00 Q&ock; with Revs. R. F. Httman, of Ayden and J. C Moye, of Snow Hill, Free Will Baptist ministers, in charge. Interment was made in the family burial grounds near Bethany Church in the Ayden section, of which she had been a faithful and loyal member since girlhood. j A sufferer from heart trouble for several months, Mrs. Sermons had a severe attack a week previous to her death, which occurred at midnight, Monday. - She is survived by six daughters, Mm J. R. Avery, Mrs. C. A. Cash, Mrs. R. J. Wainwright, Mm W. R. Hinson, Mm J. B. JDavis, Mm J. M. Jeyner; two sons, Will and Eddie Sermons, all of the Farmville com munity, twenty-three grandchildren and several great grandchildren; two sisters, Mrs, Cornelia Sermons, Fort Barnwell, and Mrs. Mary Smith, Bear Greek, Chatham County, and a broth er, Vergil Skinner of Georgia. ? " ? ,1V.*'* ' '' ' ' ?'? ^ ? [ I I - ? -* I