he N
J
BOKE COUNTY'S
BEST
ADVERTISING
MEDIUM
on ureal
The Hoke County Journal
HOKE COUTYS
ONLY
NEWSPAPER
ews
The Hoke County Newt
VOLUME XXXVIII NO. 29
BAEFORD, N. C,
"'JRSDAY, DEC. 23rd, 1943
$2.00 PEE YEAR
FTP Tl
news or OUR
M EN w WOMEN
IN UNIFORM
Pvt. Jchnny C. Pate has returned
to Camp Stewart, Georgia, after
spending a nine-day furlough with his
parents, Mr. and Mrs. P. Pate.
Pfc. William Smith ha9 notified his
parents, Mr. and Mrs. N. A. Smith,
that he has arrived safely somewhere
in New Guienea.
Harris Attorneys Cain 30 Day Stay
Of Execution For Slayer Of Three
Members Of Bill Family August 27
Alex Harris Taken To State's Prison Monday
By Sheriff D. II. Hodgin; Date For
Execution Now Set As January 28th
Alex Harris,, slayer of three mem--
percent Hoke
Cpl. James A. Smith is now back at
his station in the British West Indies
after spending a 30-day furlough here
with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. N. A.
Smith.
Seaman lie Ted Rogers, who has
been serving with a guncrew of a
merchant ship, is home on an 18-day
furlough.
Lt. Jake Austin is expected to ar
rive home today to spend the holidays
with his mother, Mrs. J. H. Austin.
After this leave Lt. Austin expects U
report at San Francisco for sea. duty.
He will be accompanied home by his
sister, Mrs. E. M. Coleman of New
York.
Warrant Officer George Bethune
arrived home Tuesday to spend thirty
days with his wife and child. Mr. Be
thune has recently been released from
a Naval hospital where he was treated
for injuries received when his ship
was torpedoed in the Mediterranean
area. Thrown overboard, with sever
al other men, he gave his life belt t:
a man who could notswim and was ac
credited with saving his life- He has
been awarded the Legion of Merit.
Sfit. John K. McNeill, Jr. stationed
in Greenville, S. C. was at home for a
few days this week.
O
Father Of Nine Gets
$268 Monthly In Army
Fort Jackson, S. C, Dec. 18. Pvt.
yoldman J. Trantham of Clyde, N. C,
who has reported to the reception
center here, is one shipyard worker
who suffered no pay cut when he en
tered the army.
Father of nine children, the 36-year
old private and his family will draw
$268 a month from the government,
more than a majjr's base pay.
As a shipyard machinist, Trantham
was making $240 a month before his
induction three weeks ago at Camp
Croft, through Haywood county. North
Carolina, local board No. 1, Waynes
ville, N. C. ,.
Hoke County
Abattoir
Work at the County Abattoir was
slowed up the past week by bad wea
ther, and it was impossible to kill all
of the hogs that the people wanted
killed. However, in spite of the wea
ther 39 hogs were slaughtered that
dressed 9365 lbs for 19 customers. In
addition two deer and four cows were
slaughtered.
O
Court House
Holidays
The Court House will be closed on
Friday and Monday for Xmas holi.
days, except that the Draft Board will
meet on Monday after-noon as usual.
Hold Scotland Girl
On May Act Charges
United States Commissioner W. R.
Barrington ordered Doris Etta Wiley
of Scotland county held on chargec of
May act violation at a hearing here
Tuesday afternoon. He set her trial
for December 23. at the special term
of Federal Court in session at Greens
boro, before Judge Johnson J. Hayes.
Evidence presented at the hearing
showed the woman had active cases
of syphilis and gonnorrhea. and that
when she was arrested by FBI agents
she was in the company of as soldier.
Mr. Barrington stated that a special
term of court for the trial of May act
violators was now in session because
the Jails were overcrowded with wo
men awaiting trial.
business Houses
To Close Monday
Practically all business houses of
Raeford will be closed all day Monday
in order to give their employees an
additional holiday for the Christmas
season.
bers of the Bill family, is to die in
the gas chamber at State's prison on
January 28th, according tj Sheriff D.
H. Hodgin who delivered the con
demned triple-murderer to the pris
on Monday morning of this week.
On December 15 the Supreme
Court ruled that there was no error
in the Superior courts findings that
Harris was guilty of murder in the
first degree in the death of Mrs. E.
A. Bill, and the execution was auto
matically set for December 31st.
His attorneys McNair Smith, E. L.
Gavin and L. R. Varsar secured a
30 clay stay of execution.
Harris was found guilty of the slay
ing of Mrs. Bill by a jury of a spec
ial venire brought here from Robeson
county after the state had failed to
get a jury from a venire of 150 citi
zens called from Hoke. He was also
charged with the murder of Mrs.
Bill's daughter, Mr6. Estelle Wilson,
and her s n, Eugene Bill, at the Bills
service station on August 27, 1942.
At the time Harris was reported
to have been brooding over the death
of his son, Johnny Harris, 22, who
die.1 of gunshot wounds the previous
Sunday night, received during an ar
gument which took place after he
and his companions and several other
customers had been asked to leave
the station at cl sing time. After
wards J. Harris was said to have gone
back to the door and the shooting
occured. On investigation of his
death members of the sheriff's de
partment round mat one shot was
fired from outside and two from the
inside of the building. Eugene Bill
was indicted for the slaying of Har
is and had posted a $2,500 cash bond,
while awaiting trial.
On the day of the triple slaying,
Alex Harris had been to a tobacco
market. He returned home and testi
mony at his trial showed that he had
gone to the Bills service station and
immediately upon entering the place
shot the three members of the family
down, killing them almost instantly.
He then left for Raeford where he
surrendered to Policeman W. R.
Sanders.
The first attempt to try the case
ended abruptly when the Solicitor
Ertel Carlyle found it impossible to
secure a jury from Hoke County in
November 1942. A special venire of
Robeson County citizens was called
for the January term of Superior
court. The jury returned a verdict
of murder in the first degree of Mrs.
Bill and the pther charges in the
deaths of Eugene Bill and Mrs. Wil
son were not tried. Judge Leo Carr
sentenced him to die in the gas cham
ber. An appeal was made by his
attorneys and the appeal was heard
early this month. The Supreme
courts decison was announced on
December 15th, but the courts order
reacnea here only last Monday, on
which day Harris was taken to Ral
eigh and committed to death's row.
O
Russians Hang 4
For Atrocities
To Civilians
MOSCOW Dec. 20 The bodies
of three German soldiers and a Rus
sian who confessed he helped them
commit actrocities against the Russian
people swung today from the public
gallows in the icy wind of Kharkov's
main square.
The three were hanged at 11 A. M.
yesterday, a day following their con
victions by a military tribunal of the
fourth Ukrainian front In the first
first war criminal trial.
A crowd of 40,000 saw the condem
ned men strung up, and since that
time hundreds have flocked into the
city from faraway sections of Khar
kov province to see visible proof that
the verdict was carried out.
The men hanged were Wilhelm
Langheld, a Gestapo captain; Hans
Ritz, vice-commander of a storm troop
company; Richard Ritzlaw, Gestapo
auxiliary police corporal and Mikhail
Bulanov, a Russian who served as a
chauffeur for the Gestapo.
O
Bethel Church
The Rev. Harry K. Holland will
conduct a special Christmas service
at Bethel Church Sunday afternoon
at 3;30 o'clock. Mr. Holland holds
services at Bethel each 2nd and 4th
Sunday. Sunday school is held each
Sunday morning at 11 o'clock.
Return Negro From
Ohio Who Jumped
Bail And Jail-Term
Sheriff D. H. Hodgin Tracks
Down Summie Daniels; Gone
. Since September.
Summie Daniels, negro sentenced
to serve nine months for assault, was
returned here Sunday to await a
hearing on charges of bond-jumping.
Daniels was arrested last week
by Dayton, Ohio, officers at the re
quest of Sheriff D. H. Hodgin.
Through information gained from
letters Daniels wrote to relatives here
his hideout in the Ohio city was
discovered and Sheriff Hodgin re
quested police there to place the
negro under arrest. Daniels waived
extradition and accompanied the
sheriff and Douglas MeLeod back to
Raeford.
inc negro was convicted ot as
sault with a shotgun upon Sellars
Baker and others at a birth party in
the April term of Superior court. He
was sentenced to serve nine months
on the roads. The sentenced was de
ferred until September first and Wil
liam McDairmid posted bond of $350
for his appearance cn that date to
start serving the sentence. Daniels
disappeared from home about the
last week of August.
Hearing on the bond offense will
be held at the January term of
criminal court, it is expected.
O
Hoke High News
School closed Tuesday, December
21st fvr Christmas holidays, and work
will be resumed Wednesday Decem
ber 29th. The school schedule will
run thirty minutes later; that is,
school will begin at 9:55 o'clock.
A musical Christmas program, un
der the direction of Miss Baldwin, was
given In Crfapel Tuesday. The glee
club sang two numbers, and the mem
bers of the band played several selec
tions. The Christmas Story was read
by Retha Howell, and the band mem
bers played the accompaniment. The
entire student body joined in singing
Christmas carols.
A number of last year's seniors
have been visiting school this week.
The majority of these say that the
work in college is very difficult.
Directed by Miss Fisher, the pu
pils of room number 17, decorated the
front hall for Christmas.
The library has just received thirty
seven new books. These books will
be ready to put on the shelves soon
after the holidays.
The members of the faculty who
live out of town left for their homes
Tuesday afternoon.
vUets U.
ClaVion
About 10,oJ bales of cotton, from
the 14,000 produced in Hoke county,
have been sampled and the samples
sent to the U. S. Classing Office in
Raleigh as a part of the one-variety
improvement program in the county,
reports County Agent A. S. Knowles
of the State College Extension Service.
In addition to the grade and staple,
farmers are pleased with the basic
loan value marked on each classing
card. This service has aided growers
in getting better prices for their cot
ton, according to Knowles.
O
Three Cases Tried
In County Court
Only three cases were tried in
county court Tuesday before Judge
Henry McDiarmid, one of the lightest
dockets during the year, according
to court attaches.
Lee McNeal, Newport News, Va.,
negro, was found guilty of driving
drunk and transporting non-tax paid
liquor. He was fined $50 and costs
for driving drunk, and $25 and costs
on the transportation charge, and the
car was confiscated by the court.
Shelton Faulk, negro, was eon
victed on charges of possession of
a still, near beer and other para
phanalia for the purpose of making
liquor. He paid costs and still fee
amounting to $58.90 in lieu of a
60 day sentence on the roads.
David Faulk, son of Shelton, was
found not guilty on liquor manu
facturing charges.
O
Seven Escape From
Carthage Prison
Camp Tuesday
Three Robeson County Men In
Group Which Overpowered
Guard And Fled.
Coast Line To Probe Two-Train Crash At
Hearing Monday; ICC, Perhaps State
And Congressional Investigations Too.
Formal Hearing Monday At Rocky Mount; Death Toll Now Set At
72 From Wreck Of Two Streamliners Here Last Thursday
Morning. Heroic Work Of Civilians And
Army Personnel Praised.
Raleigh, Dec. 21 State law enforce
ment officers with bloodhounds joined
in the hunt today for seven short-term
white convicts who escaped from the
Moore county prison camp early today
after overpowering the night guard.
Penal Director Oscar Pitts said the
prisoners were Buddy Blackmari. 18,
of Robeson county; Ralph , Johnson,
22, of Harnett; Hallie Lee Kelly, 28,
of Davidson; Bill Haywood, 27, of Da
vidson, Charlie Pulley, 36, of Robeson;
Tobus Greer, 21, of Davidson; and Ed
Seamon, 22, of Robeson. Their sen
tences ranged from one to six years, r
Pitts said they got out of their cell
block when the night guard left his
post about 12:30 A. M., to get his
lunch. When the guards returned the
prisoners, who were hiding in a cor
ridor, jumped him, tied him up and
took his pistol. They had managed to
get out of the block by unscrewing
bolts in the door.
The convicts fled into a field and
the guard shortly freed himself and
gave the alarm. The theft of an auto
mobile at Pinehurst was attributed to
the escapees.
O
If Liberty is worth fighting for, it's
worth paying for Buy More War
Bonds.
jew I
mm iu, ujl jjuh, iuijuij ujiy aui 111
tfje east, toent before tljem, tilt it
came anb stoob ofoer tofjere tfje young
cfjilb toas. Wtyn tfje? sato tfje star,
tfjep rejotceb toitf) exceeding great jop. &nb.tof)en
Hie? toere come into tfje Douse, tfjep sato tfje potmg
cfjilb toify itlarp, $is Softer, anb fell boton, anb
toorsfjippeb $im; anb tofjen tfjep fjab openeb tfjeir
treasures, tfjep presenteb unto J)tm gifts; golb,
franbincense anb mprrfj.
Zi)t Gospel actorting to Bt 4tlattf;fto
it' v r i-.-.t iej&r
Red Springs, Dec. 22. G. C. Sibley, general manager of the At
lantic Coast Line Railway, has announced from Wilmington, that
there will be a formal hearing in the railroad's investigation of the
wreck of the road's two crack streamliner trains here last Thursday.
The hearing will be held at Rocky Mount Monday morning. De
cember 27th.
O Other investigations of the tragedy
which took the lives of 72 persons are
in progress, with S. N. Mills, director
of the bureau of safety of the. Inter
state Commerce Commission, an
nouncing that three special investiga.
tors cf the ICC are questioning wit
nesses at Red Springs, Lumberton,
Fayetteville, Raleigh and other points. '
Rumors of a' special Congressional in
vestigation and an investigation by
State authorities are also heard, but
no confirmation has been attained-
Both tracks of the system's main
line were opened to traffic Sunday
morning at 6:30 when Army rescue
workers and railroad spokesmen stat
ed that all bodies had been removed
from the wreckage of the four smash
ed coaches of the northbound train
which were derailed and piled high
upon each other after sideswiping
several cars of the southbound Tami
ami Champion.
Army and Red Cross reports con
firm the report of the Red Springs
Funeral Home, official army contract
mortuary, that there were 72 persons
killed in the wreck. There were 21
civilians, all but one of whom have
been identified, and 51 service mpn
killed, all identified. Three of the
victims of North Carolinas worst tra
gedy died after reaching hospitals,
according to the reports.
According to statements of railroad
men three cars of the southbound
train were derailed at 1:10 A. M.
Thursday, December 16. Though
they leaned over the northbound
trackg they did not get on the- rails
and throw the electric signal system.
Forty minutes later No. 8, the north
bound Champion, crashed into the de
railed cars and four of the c;irs of No.
8 and the three-unit disel locomotive
were thrown against the bank of the
hillside bordering the tracks. Three
coaches and a pullman car w ere piled
together and badly smashed. One old
coach of the Florida East Coast Sys
tem was of part wood construction
and one end of it was crushed to pie
ces. A total of fifteen cars of the two 18
car trains were derailed or damaged.
Only one person on the southbound
train was killed and few of the pas
sengers were seriously injured.
On the winter's coldest night, with
snow continuing to fall on a sheath of
sleet which had fallen Wednesday,
hundreds of citizens from Red Springs,
Pembroke, Lumberton and Fayette
ville aided in the rescue. Ambulan
ces from Maxton, Red Springs, Laur
inburg, Fairmont, Lumberton, Hope
Mills, St. Pauls, and Fayetteville to
gether with delivery trucks and a
bread truck arrived oon after the
crash to take injured to hospitals at
Lumberton, Fayetteville and army
bases at Maxton and Fort Bragg.
First injured were removed to Ba
kers hospital by Waverly Qarham and
Dan Klarpp of the Red Springs Funer
al Home, Drs. H. H. Hodgin, C. T.
Johnson and R. D. McMillan, with
their nurses all from Red Springs,
were first to give medical treatment
and first aid. Dr. W. S. Fleming of
Fayetteville and medical men from
Lumberton also aided until rescue
work was taken over by hospital un
its and medical officers from Maxton
and Bragg army bases.
Foods and hot drinks were supplied
to injured and to rescue workers
from five o'clock Thursday morning
until after one o'clock that afternoon
by a corps of housewives from Red
Springs and by the dining hall staff of
Flora Macdonald College and ambu
lance drivers and other workers bring
ing injured persons or bodies to Red
Springs were supplied food and coffee
by citizens of the town using the Bar
ham home for this purpose. The Rev.
Henry G. Ruark, pastor of the local
Methodist church acted as cordinator
of this effort. Army field kitchens
were put in scrvire Thursday after
noon. Army police rcf.ncd camermen of
press association riphts to make pic
tures of the accident lor several hours
unless they were granted permission
by the railroad superintendent, Mur
chison, who apparency not realizing
the immense natio--.vide interest of
the catastrophe, refused to allow pic
tures made. He gained for the rail
road company and for the Army pub
lic relationship group some very unfa
(ConUnued on Pag right?
James M. McMillan
DiesAtRockfish
Home Sunday
Funeral Services Held Tuesday
At Parkton For Brother Mrs.
Edgar Hall Of Raeford.
Funeral services for James Monroe
McMillan, 54, who died at his home
near Rockflsh Sunday night, were
held Tuesday morning at 11 o'clock
from the Parkton Methodist Church
the Rev. Mr. Brown, pastor, in charge.
Active pallbearers were his neph
ews: Buddy McMillan, J. D. McMil
lan, Bobby McMillan, Neil A. Max
well, Jr., J. D. Gibson, and William
Lindsay. Honorary pallbearers were:
Dr. D. S. Currie, Sam Thompson, Al
ton Armstrong, J. G. Hughes, Fred
B dheimmer, A. A. McBennet, John
Wright, Conny Bird, Harry Jordan
and John Gibbs.
Mr. McMillan was a prominent far
mer of his community. He was the
son of the late Ada Williams and Za
chariah Taylor McMillan of near
Parkton.
He is survived by his wife, Mrs.
Delena Gibson McMillan; three dau
ghters, Mrs. John T. Tally of Winston
Salem, Mrs. Hugh McCall of Maxton,
and Miss Catherine McMillan of Lum
berton; five sisters, Mrs. Edgar Hall,
of Raeford, Mrs. Sandy McMillan of
Parkton, Mrs. W. A. Barnhardt of Le
noir, Miss Mary Bell McMillan and
Miss Meta McMillan of Parkton; and
by four brothers, Murphy of Lumber
Bridge, Dan T. of Parkton, Vance of
Southern Pines, and Duncan of Park
ton. RATI0NN0TES
Truck Gasoline
The following instructions have
been issued for the issuance of gaso.
line coupons for truck operators for
the quarter beginning January 1st.
1. Applicant must present new li
cense registration card.
2. Applicant must present his new
War Necessity certificate; if new one
has not been issued, he must present
certificate used in 1943.
3. All "T" coupons must be called
for. The board is not permitted to
mail them, nor make advance allot
ments. O
If Liberty is worth fighting for, it's
worth paying for Buy More War
Bonds.