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WWE COUNTY’S
BEST
ADVERTISING
MEDIUM
The Hoke County Newt
The Hoke County Journal
VOLUME XXXVin, NO. 14
fUNERAL SERVICES HELD TUESDAY
FOR VICTIMS OF TRIPLE SLAYING
Alec Harris Held in County Jail Without Bond,
Charged With Vengeance Slaying of
Bill Family
RAEFOBD, N. C., THURSDAY, SEPT. 3, 194t
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Funeral services for Mrs. Nellie
Bill and her two children, Mrs. Estelle
Bai Wilson and Eugene Bill, victims
of a triple murder here last Thursday
afternoon, were held Tuesday after
noon at St. Andrews Methodist
Church, on route 15A, seven miles
from Fayetteville on the Raleigh
Road.
Mrs. Bill, 5.., was the daughter
Mr. and Mrs. Henry Thrower of Bath.
She is survived by one ^ daughter,
Mrsv J. H. Nance of Fort SiU, Okla.;
three sisters, Mrs. Junius Searles of
Linden, Mrs. Laura Gaylord of Bell-
haven, and Mrs. Margaret Hammond
of Fayetteville; and her step-mother,
Mrs. Annie Thrower of Linden.
Mj|,Bill, 24, and Mrs. Wilson, 36,
are survived by their sister, Mrs.
Nance. ^
Officiating at the services were the
Rev. H. R. Ashmore, pasl|^. of the
church, and the Rev. Davi^'" Blue of
Wade. Burial was in the church
cemetery, besire their husband and
father, the late E. A. ‘Bill, sop of the
late M. Bill, who was widely known
throughout this section.
W. Alec Harris, confessed slayer
of the three members • of the Bill
family, is in the Hoke County jail
where he was remanded by coroner
R. A. Matheson, M. D., following the
inquest Friday at which the jury re
commended that he be held without
bond for trial on first degree murder
charges at the NoveV.iber term of Sur-
erior criminal comf.
Harris, a farmer on the Crhwford
homas fai’m near Raeford. surrend
ered to special Officer W. R, Sanders
a short while after the killing as he
was startteg into the court house. He
told Sanders that he had killed all
those folkes. I just hg^to .doJt;vhe
added. On being taken into the office
of Sheriff D. H. Hodgin, he explained
that he had killed three rnembers of
family,/ and that he wished
olT^rs to kni
byjl^seif. wi
orhis family being connected with
tljg, killing.
%arris’ son, Johnny Harris, 22, had
been shot to death at the Bill serv
ice station Sunday afternoon. Ac—
-cording to information gathered by
officers in their investigation, the
©^.'had been brooding about his
death. On returning from a
voVacco market Thursday afternoon.
Hard? went to his home and got a’
pistol,^ a 32-20 calibre, and drove to
the Bill station, located sonae 2 miles
north of Raeford on Route 15-A.
Eugene Bill was serving two negro
customers, Ernest Morrison and Irv
ing Stevenson, at the time. When
Bill went into the station to get
change for the negroes, Harris fol
lowed him in, drew his pistol, in-
vestteation showed that he fired three
shot! into the body of Mrs. Bill, one
igene Bill, which entered his
•just above the heart, and two
Mrs. Wilson. They fell to‘the
r behind a service counter. The
roes immediately fled to a nearby
ods, but returned latex when in-
’’^lii.vestigators arrived.
Harris is said to have then driven
to his farm on the West side of
Raeford, given the pistol to Philemon
Carggiter, and then returned to town,
parking in front of -the City Hall’
where he met Officer Sanders and
Surrendered. The gun was recovered
by Deputy J. C. Wright after Car
penter had given it to a member of
the Harris family
prs to know that he bad done it
, without any other member
John D. McBryde, J. B. McLeod and
John B. Cameron.
Eugene BUI had been released
Tu^id^ under a cash bond of $2,500
by Superior Court Judge C.
E^est Thompson, following a grand
jury investigation of the death of
Johnny Harris at the Bill station Sun
day. The investigation revealed that
young Harris had died from two bul
let wounds while en route to a
Fayetteville hospital in an Army am
bulance. Police testimony showed
that young Harris and his two com
panions and two soldiers had been
asked to leave the station after be
ing told that no more beer would
be sold that afternoon. They left and
the screen door was latched. Harris
is said to have returned and shook
the door violently, demanding to be
allowed back into the station. Mrs.
Bill first told him to leave and then
it was said that, Eugene Bill fired
two shots through the screen, and
that Harris fell, drawing his own
pistol and firing one shot into the
station as h& hit the ground.
The Bill station, an attractive con
Crete block building, also served as
the home for the family. It has been
known as a quiet, clean place and
the family was highly regarded. They
came to Hoke County several years
ago, having lived formerly in Red
Springs and in Cumberland County.
The new station and home was built
about two years' ago by E. A. Bill
husband of Mrs. Nellie Bill. He
died within a few days after the
new building was occupied.
Harris has been a resident of Hoke
County for five or six years. Re
also lived near Red Springs for some
time befoi-e coming here, having
moved to this section from Mt. Airy
some 10 years ago.
Blackout Here
Thursday 100%
Success^
Army observers here for the prac
tice blackout Tuesday night reported
excellent cooperation throughout the
entire Raeford section of the Fort
Bragg area and stated that the re
sults here were 100 per cent success
ful, according to H. L. GatUn, Jr.
The blackout warning sounded at
9:20 and within a Very few seconds
the entire town was completely dark.
For 20 minutes there was but one
streak of light that crossed the town,
A Queen City bus bound for Fay
etteville made its way into the bus
station with full lights burning. This
type of traffic is not stopped during
practice blackouts.
Loans on Soybeans
Are Announced
Farmers in Hoke County who an,
raising soybeans for oil purposes may
be in a position to take advantage
of the Loan Program that has just
been announced, says A. S. Knowles,
County Agent. For high oil content
of the green and yellow varieties,
$1.67 per bushel will be paid under
the Loan Program and 31.57 per
bushel for medium oil content. For
the black, brown and mixed vari-
Sheriff Hodgins stated that bushel will be paid
Productive Junk
Dealers to Receive
Emblem From WB
Charlotte, Sept. 2—Want to know
whether your junk dealer is cooper
ating fully in the national salvage
program?
The War Production Board has fig
ured out a way, H. G. Taylor of
Charlotte, director of the auto grave
yard section here, announced yester
day.
Beginning tomorrow a large em
blem bearing the legend, “Co-op
erating With the War Production
Board,” will be placed on the prem
ises of each junk dealer who meets
the WPB’s eligibility requirements.
The dealer’s eligibility for the
award is determined by his confir
mation to conservation policies gov
erning the operation of scrap yards,
and, secondly, whether he meets his
goal of delivering a third more scrap
in excess of his monthly average for
the first six months of 1942.
The scrap dealer’s yard will be
checked several times a month and
his books inspected to determine
whether his working force indicates
he is making an extra effort to sup
ply critically needed scrap for war
production.
Should a yard continue to live up
to standards of productions set by
conservation division inspectors, it
will be deprived of its emblem.
In effect, the emblem means to the
scrap dealer, what the navy E means
to builders of ships or producers of
other materials for the U. S. navy.
William Lamont, Jr,,
Promoted to 1st Lt^
Tobacco Hits
Highest Price Ever
In Lumberton
the preliminary investigation he felt
that due to the scheduled blackout
test set fw piursday night and the
fact that feeling was running pretty
as details of the killing spread
^dely over ho county, it was best
from-the
^ty forJi^e night. He was take*
to the Cumberland County jail. Hai?
ris was returned here for the cor-
oij^s hearing Friday.
IJarry
Oreen, H. S. McLean, H.. E. McLean,
for hi||h oil content and $1.43 per
bushel for low oil content.
Two cents per bushel is being of
fered to fanners who store their soy
beans on the farm. This new loan
schedule is offered to encourage far
mers to store their soybeans on the
farm. It is suggested that where
soybeans are t© be stored on the
fariM that sufficient wooden bins
be provided.
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LOCAL PARENTS HEAR
FROM SONS OVERSEAS
Mr. and Mrs. A. H. Ray have been
notified of the safe arrival of their
son, Sam, in Ireland.
Mr. and Mrs. Wm. McFayden have
received a cablegram from their son,
William, Jr., saying he had arrived
safely in Australia.
Lumberton,. Sept. 2—Lumbertbn’s
tobacco market hit its highest peak
in history last week in selling when
it ended the third full^ week of the
season, having sold a 'total of 15,-
891,854 pounds. The market average
for the season was $39.40 per hun
dred.
Averaging nearly 1,000,000 pounds
a day since the market opened, the
warehouses have paid out to tobacco
growers a tolal though last Friday
of $6,261,427.60.
Tobacco contiues to bring top prices
at Lumberton, warehouses are now
clearing their floors daily and taking
care of salesthe day the farmers
bring in their loads.
Informed tobacco men say the crop
in the Lumberton area was about 65
per cent sold at the end of last week.
They report that much of the unsold
crop contains high-quality leaf anc
that the local market will be strong
for at least two or three weeks longer.
Henry Monroe
Promoted
A pictdre of Henry Monroe of
Raeford appeared in Monday’s Char
lotte Observer with the following
write-up: ^
Capt. Henry S. B/lonroe, who 'was
called into active service in July,
as a second lieut«iant, was pro
moted to first lieutenant in February,
1942, and-now has been promoted to
the rank of Ijaptain. He has been
stationed at aftij^ili Field, Tampa,
Fla., since receivingorders for active
duty in the Army Air Corps. A
native of Raeford, Capt. Monroe is
the son of Mr. and Mrs. H. S. Monroe
of Raeford.
Fort Moultrie, S. C., Sept. 2—A
Raeford resident, 2nd Lt. William La
ment, Jr., has been promoted to first
lieutenant by order of the War De
partment. ..Lieut; Lamont first came
to duty as a second lieutenant in the
Coast Artillery in Sept., 1940. He re
turned to civilian life after a period
of training, but came back to active
duty five months ago and was as
signed to Fort Multrie as a battery
commander in the 263rd Coast Artil
lery regimen. He is now executive
officer at Fort Sumter, tiny fortress
naer Fort Moultrie where the first
shots of the Civil War were fired.
Lieut. Lamont is a graduate of the
Raefbrd High School, 1930 class. He
conducted a lumber business in Hoke
County until his call to dufy. His
family consists of his wife, Mrs. Mary
Morris- Lamont of Raeford, and their
daughter, Patsy Jean. 7.
V-Mail Service
Gready Increased
State College Hints
Designed to Expedite Mail to
Soldiers Overseas; Photographed
Before Going to Battle Areas
Carl Freeman Is
Named Chairman
Of Draft Board
Succeeds T. B. Lester Who
Has Served Since Organization
Formation in 1940
Carl Freeman, town clerk of Rae
ford, was named chairman of the
Hoke County Board of the Selec
tive Service System at a meeting
held Monday night, following receipt
of his appointment by Gen. J. van B.
Metts, director of the system for
North Carolina.
Mr. Freeman was nominated to the
position vacated by T. B. Lester who
resigned two weeks ago after serv
ing as chairman of the board since
its formation in October, 1940. The
nomination wa!s made by the board
composed of K. A, McDonald, su
perintendent of schools Edgar Hall,
clerk of Superior Court, and Craw
ford Thomas, chairman of the coun
ty board of elections.
Members of the board met with
Mr. Lester Monday evening when he
formally turnect over his duties to
the new chairman, Mr. Freeman, af
ter his election to the chairmanship
by Arch McEachern and F. L. Eu
banks, the other members of the
board.
ClARK REUNION
The Post Office Department an
nounced today that the V-Mail Serv
ice, inaugurated on June 15, 1942,
is now past the experimental stage,
with each week showing large in
creases in the number of letters
mailed to American soldiers overseas.
The War Department has increased
its facilities to handle promptly the
value expected in the future.
Facilities for photographing and
reproducing V-Mail to and from the
United States and the British Isles,
Australia, India, Hawaii and other
points are now in operation. A simi
lar service-is being planned for,,.];ce-
land and other points where the vol
ume may warrant.
Pointing out that V-Mail provides
a safe means of communication with
members of our Armed Forces, the
Post Office Department gave assur
ance that film (upon, which the com
munications are reproduced)
given the most expeditious dispatch
available. Because of the small space
taken up by the rolls of film, they
often can be carried on ferry planes
or bombers.
Every pound of weight which can
be saved on air transport overseas,
said the Department, means that an
equivalent amount of weight can be
allotted vital military material;
In recognition of this, and in an
effort to insure delivery of mail to
as many men as possible at overseas
destinations when space is limited,
the War and Navy Departments have
directed that V-Mail be given pri
ority in dispatch over all other classes
—including air mail—when transpor
tation facilities under control of those
departments are used.
V-Mail letter sheets have been dis
tributed at all post offices; and have
been provided all military and naval
personnel at overseas points through
Army and Savy post offices and mili
tary channels.
Private firms and individuals have
also been permitted by the Post Of
fice Department to reproduce the let
ter sheets. The sheets also will be
available
V-MaU letters are photographed on
micro-film by automatic machines
at the rate of 2,000 to 2,500 per hour
and the film rolls containing 1,500
letters each are transmitted to des
tinations. Reproductions are then
made by other automatic machines
and delivered to the addressee in
individual sealed window penalty en
velopes.
When V-MaU letters are addressed
to places where micro-film equip
ment is not in operation, the letters
are transmitted to destination in orig
inal form by the most expeditious
means available. Even in these in
stances savings in weight and space
are accomplished since there are ap
proximately 97 V-Mail letters in a
County Buys Only
95 Per Cent of
Bond Quota
Hoke County citizens fell slightly
under the quota of $19,500 for the
month of August for. the purchases
of War Bonds and stamps, accord-i
ing to Lawrence McNeill, county bond
sales committee chairman.
This is the first time since the
quota assignments system of sales
was inaugurated in May that the
county has not .pverWbgcribed its
quota, it was stated.
Total purchases of bonds and
stamps were $18,471.20 at purchase
value, according to Mr. McNeill, or
94.7 per cent of quota. Mr. McNeill
stated that the committee expected
the purchases of bonds and stamps
are i^P during September when
a large number of people, particu
larly the farmers of the county, would
buy the total amount of the bond
pledges for the year. Ortober pnr-
hhases, too, are expected to far ex
ceed the assigned quota for the county
as many of the farmers receive a
large percentage of their year’s in
come during these two months.
Nine Gamblers
CausJit in Rock
Fish Raid
Nine negroes, caught in a raid on
a negro store building at Rockfish,
pleaded guilty to gambling charges
in county court Tuesday mcwning
and each paid costs and were given
a suspended sentence of 30 days by
Judge W. B. McQueen.
The men were Thomas Campbell,
John D. Campbell, Walter Leach or
Leak, Fairley Jones, Roy Judd, Row
land Judd, .Uzell Jones, John Leak
Jand erry Walker. The raid, fol
lowing a tip from the vicinity, was
conducted by Deputy J. C. Wright of
the sheriff’s department and Special
Officer W. R. &nders.
Oscar G. Williams paid costs for
speeding. Russell McKeithan paid
costs for drunkenness. Ida Faulks
and Maggie McLeod, indicted on
charges of assault with deadly wea
pons on a group of other negro wnm-
en of the Little River Township,
were found guilty and paid costs,
'festimony revealed that they at
tacked the group with dewberry
sticks.
Jerry W'illis vva.'. convicted of as
sault on Dave Hendrix with a dead
ly weapon, a knife, and given a 60-
day sentence. The sentence was sus
pended of $10 and costs.
D. McMillan p.ud costs fo." drunk
enness.
Hoke Cotton
Ginners Give
Guarantee
WOMAN’S CLUB
SPONSORS DANCE FOR
men IN UNIFORM
'TOBACCO BRINGS
GOOD PRICES
Several farmers have sold their;
crops of tobacco at an average of $50'
per acre, and Mr. W. I. Culbreth o:
Lumber Bridge who closed out
crop two weeks ago, sold at an aw
rage of a little more than $550
acre.
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The Clark Reunion, which ass
embled at the home of Mrs. Mack
Clark^ two miles west of WKhel
church, was well attended, something
like WO of the family connection
and invited guests being present.
Some coming from as far awav as
Norfolk, Va. "
The morning hours were spent in
a^ble te*ad^ s, v-mau letters i
raeats and erage 40 per pound,
varieties of cakes, pies, pickles etc. —
It was a heavily loaded table of the
choicest foods, and a side table with
drinks to suit one’s taste.
After that table was relieved of
the principal portion of its load, an
^oyable hour was spent in .siTiffing
hymns. Following this. Rev. Genrae
Pickard and Mr. H. W. B. W^ey
made short but interesting and in
stinctive speecihes. Adjoumment
followed.—Contributed.
The Womans Club of Hoke County
was the sponsorfor a dance given
on last Saturday night in the Raeford
Armory for our men in imiform in
this vicinity. The ten piece 67th. Arm
ored Regiment Dance Orchestra, im
der the firection of Sgt. Bellman
furnished music for 285 soldiers and
75 girls. Punch was served by the
refreshment committee to all that att.
ended.
J eptha Peele for U.S.O. is now
working in the place of Jack Mc
Duffie who was callled into the navy
Saturday morning. Jep. was assisted
Saturday night by Robert Barrington.
Hostesses for the occasion were,
Mrs. H. A. Cameron, Mrs. N. B. Blue,
Mrs. A. D. Gore, Mrs. Julain Johnson,
Mrs. R.B. Lewis,Mrs. N. A. McDonald,
Jr., Miss osephnie HaU, Miss Spec
Blue, Miss Sara Connoly, and Mrs. V.
R. White. Mr. J. O. Foley, the U. S. O.
Supervisor will help in organizing
in the, place of Mr. F. Smith who wss
recently called into the U. S. Army.
The Kiwanis Club of Raeford will
be the sponsors on next Saturday
evening.
WOMAN,S CLUB
RESUMES VfOSM. TUESDAY
av-
HONET DEMAND RISES
Wartime sugar restrictions have
greatly increased the demand for
honey as a sweetening ingredient, re
ports the U. S. Department of Agri
culture.
The War, Navy and Post Office
Departments all cooperated in devel
oping this Service, largely with a
view of (decreasing the volume of
maU to be carried overseas and prO'
viding an expeditious service.
The public is urged to use it at
every opportunity.
Fall Garden
Suggestions
Farmers should plant to have ade
quate supplies of vegetables for fall
use, reports A. S. Knowles, County
Agent, The vegetables tlmt may be
planted in the gaiden ^ tiiis time
are turnips, mustard or tendergreens,
—The Gercten departments of the
Raeford Woman’s Club will meet
next Tuesday, September 8th. Ghroup
no- 1 with Mrs. H. A. Cameron, chair
man, will meet from 9:00 to 12H)0
o’clock in the sewing room of the high
school and Group no. 2 with Mrs. V.
R. White, chairman, will meet from
2:00 to5:00. During these hours the
members will sew for the Red Cross.
The program leaders will present the
program whUe the members sew, and
timely garden topics will be discussed
throughout the day.
■ Hoke county cotton ginners Mon
day became the first organized group
in the nation to offer producers guar
antees that cotton, ginned in their
plants, will not sustain abnormal
damage.
Through cooperation of the State
Department of Agriculture and the
State College Extension Service, the
program has been placed on a county
wide basis, and placards announcing
‘“guaranteed ginning” have been
placed on all gins in the county.
Explaining this new feature of a
general cotton improvement program,
Fred Johnson, cotton gin specialist
of the State Department of Agricul
ture, said Hoke is the first known
county in the nation to have such a
program. “It is being tried in Hoke
County on an experimental basis en
tirely, though ginners in soma other
counties have adopted the plan. It
is hoped that all North Carolina cot
ton ginners eventually will guarantee
their work,” he said.
Mr. Johnson said the contracts as
sure the farmer that the highest po
tential grade of cotton brought to
tee ^ will be retain after tee cotton
is ginned. Ginners who guaranee
their work are obligated to pay the
farmer for any abnormal damage re
sulting from processing. Mr. Johnson
and Dr. E. R. Collins, extension ag
ronomist of State College, were in the
county last Thursday studying the
new proetction plan.
“Under this program,” Johnson
said, “the ginner has the privilege^
of waiving his guarantee on any lot
of cotton, provided he notifies the
producer before ginning has begun.
He n^ely guarantees the grower that
he will take an interest in the cotton
brought to him. It has been found
that machinery "alone cBnnot
cotton satisfactorily. It takes per
sonal supervision, and this is what
tee new contracts provide.”
Records show that the percentage
of damaged cotton in Norte Candina
has been reduced from 15 to 20 per
cent in 1M7 to 6.8 per cent last .year.
In addition, per bale damage
been cut from about $10 in 1937 ti>
about $5 last year.
“Our goal for this year is to cut
tee damage to four per cent or Ims
on tee 500,000 bales eatimated to be
ginned in Norte Carolina,” he
RITCHIE NOW WITH BBAYBS
.f • Richie has accw>tedi a pocitioa
with Reaves Drug Store.
Expect D, J, Dalton
Home Today
> D. J. Daltoq, mjanager of tee
Lumbee Electric Coop, is expected
home from Thompson Hospital at
Lumberton today after recovering
from a severe attack of imeumotua.
His condition is reported to be greatly
kale, winter spinaches and rac^es. improved since last Saturday.
ill
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