VOLUME LXIX NUMBER 47 RAEFORI), HOKE COUNTY. NORTH CAROLINA
- journal
The Hoke County Journal - Established 1905
SH PER ^ EAR Till RSDAY. MARCH 23, l()7H
Around
Town
BY SAMC. MORRIS
Spring arrived on Monday at
6:34 p.m. and the weather was
fitting for the occasion. The past
weekend was an outdoorman's
dream and the forecast is for the
same kind of weather for the
upcoming weekend.
Of course, as usual, the weather
man says that it will rain on
Wednesday.
So if things hold out we can say
goodbye to the oil man and wait for
^summer and vacation time.
? * *
While on the subject of vaca
tions, you should remember that
schools will be out next week for the
Easter or Spring break and the
students will be out and about in
this fine weather. So as you drive
around town, be careful and watch
out for these students.
? * *
Clyde Upchurch. head of the
Red Cross chapter for Hoke County
and the Bloodmobile, was praising
the work of the people at Hoke
High School at the Raeford
Kiwanis Club last Thursday night.
He stated that over 100 pints of
blood were donated at the school
Friday, March 10 when the
bloodmobile was there. Upchurch
said many of the donors were high
school students and that it was very
helpful to get new donors in the
county as the need for blood comes
every week.
? * *
Sunday is Kaster and with the
forecast for a beautiful day. every
one should arrive at the church of
their choice early, so that they will
^not have to sit on the front row.
P Will 1 see you there?
* * *
Don't throw away your old
papers or magazines because many
organizations are picking up these
items and using the money for
worthy causes.
More will be said about this later
and names and numbers will be
given so that you can get rid of the
paper. Watch this column later for
this information.
? * *
A call from Congressman Charlie
Rose informed me that he had read
my column last week and would be
in Hoke County before long to
"keep in touch" with the voters.
He also said he would bring some
copies of the book 1 mentioned last
week. If you want one. let me
know.
* * *
Archie Byrne was by the office
recently, and had a map that he
had found at the home place of the
late Edgar Hall. Mr. Hall was the
<rvfirst sheriff of Hoke County and
^_/later was Clerk of Court.
The map was for "proposed
County of Hoke, formed from
portions of Cumberland and
Robeson counties. N.C." On the
map were the existing lines for
Cumberland and Robeson and the
proposed lines for Hoke.
Also much information as to size
of counties, property values, etc.
The thing that struck me was
what was on the back of the map. It
is as follows:
"If the proposed County of Hoke
is Formed:
"Cumberland will remain the
10th largest county in the state.
"Robeson will remain the 3rd
largest county in the State.
"Hoke will be larger than 53 of
the present counties and will have
more taxable property than 23 of
the present counties.
"The Democratic majority in
Cumberland will remain 448 by
actual returns 1908.
"The Democratic majority in
Robeson will remain 1 .562.
"The Democratic majority in
Hoke County will be 649."
From the above information, it
seems that property and the
majority for the Democratic Party
?were the points that were most
important, as to if the County of
Hoke would be formed.
As we all know now Hoke was
formed in 1911. so the old map
with the information on the back
must have helped at the end.
If you would like to see the map.
come by the office and we will talk
about it.
Lane F ound Guilty Of Murder Here
City Hall
Gets New
Numbers
If you need to call the mayor, the
water department, the city mana
ger or any other city offices, dialing
the old numbe:, 875-4441. will get
you nothing but an operator who
asks, "What number were you
calling?"
The listing in the new 'phone
directory under "Raeford, City of."
is incorrect. Rhonda Holt of City
Hall explained that they have
recently acquired new numbers. To
get city hall, you now dial 875
8161. 875-6162, 875-6163, 875
6164 or 875-6165. But these num
bers don't belong to anyone in
particular -- yet. Mrs. Holt said
that eventually each office will have
its own 'phone number, but for the
time being, dialing any of the five
numbers will connect you with Mrs.
Holt. She can then connect the call
with the water department, the
finance olficer, bookkeeper, city
manager's office, home visitor,
personnel office, or even the mayor.
For police matters, or to register
a complaint with the dog warden,
call 875-4251 or 875-4252 as those
numbers have not changed.
Confusing? Not really. Just keep
in mipd that by dialing 875-8161
Mrs. Holt can connect you with
most of the city offices. The real
contusion will come when the
numbers are allotted to individual
offices, and that may involve as
many as eight lines!
But even if you forget about the
new numbers, the operator you get
when dialing 875-4441 will set
things straight. If you can remem
ber what number you dialed, she
will tell you what number you will
have to dial to get City Hall.
Transmitter
Proposed
For Raeford
A special legislative committee
this week proposed a S6.3 million
expansion of the state's educational
television network that would carry
public television to all of Eastern
North Carolina and would include
construction of a new UHF trans
mitter for L'NC-TV in Raeford.
New transmitters would also be
built in Robeson County. Jackson
ville. and Roanoke Rapids, accord
ing to the proposal. The new
transmitters would reach about
5f>ti.000 more people throughout
the eastern part of the state and
would improve reception for about
370,000 more.
The proposed funding is three
times the amount the university has
asked for in the May 31 session of
the General Assembly. It would
mean roughly doubling the state's
capital investment in the educa
tional system since it was started in
1955.
LIFE SENTENCE ?? Lloyd Stephen Lane was convicted of first degree murder and armed robbery bv a Hoke
County Superior Court jury last Thursday and sentenced on Friday to life imprisonment. He was convicted of the
shooting death of a Cumberland County special deputy during a holdup at a convenience store last September.
The trial was moved to Hoke County because of publicity surrounding the case. Lane is shown above being
escorted to the courtroom by a deputy.
Wisconsin Students To Visit
Here In Exchange Program
On Sunday. April 2. 30 students
from Hartford. Wisconsin, will roll
into the parking lot at Hoke High
School .
The visitors arc part of a
domestic exchange program under
taken this year by Hoke High
School . In February. 30 Hoke High
students visited Hartford Union
High School to learn about the
midwest and to attend classes at the
Wisconsin school.
County Participates
In Juvenile Program
The Hoke County Board of
Commissioners voted Monday
night to participate in a program
that will help them provide for the
county's juvenile offenders.
As of July 1 this and other
counties in North Carolina will
have to take care of juvenile
offenders at home. The state is
phasing out its training school
program for those youngsters who
commit misdemeanor crimes.
The Hoke board decided Mon
day night to participate in a
program that provides mini-bikes
to juveniles ages 10-17. The bikes
will come from the National Youth
Program through the N.C. Depart
Offices
Close
City, county and state offices will
be closed Monday. March 27, for
Easter holidays. The public schools
will close at the normal time
Friday, and spring vacation will
extend from March 27 until March
3 1 . Students are to return to classes
Monday. April 3.
ment of Human Resources. The
county will get 10 of the motorized
bikes to begin the program here.
The program has been in effect
for about six years. George Holden
told the board. Holden is regional
coordinator for Community Based
Alternatives, under the Depart
ment of Human Resources.
The county will own the bikes
and the youngsters, will be super
vised while using them. Holden
said. He said safety would be
foremost in the use of the bikes.
Programs of this kind have been
underw ay for a number of years in
Shelby. Asheville and Fayetteville.
Holden told the board.
The program was endorsed by
the county's juvenile advisory com
mittee. established two years ago to
study the problem of what to do
with juvenile offenders instead of
sending them to training schools.
Committee members Richard
Alligood and Bill Altman attended
the meeting Monday night and
voiced support for the program.
In other business, the board
approved the purchase of an x-ray
machine from C.I . Harris and Son
for SI. 1.680. The machine will be
used at the Health Department for
(See COUNTY. Page 15)
' wjff
FATAL COLLISION -"- Truck driver Thomas Decourcey. right, and Hoke County Rescue Squad member Jim
Wade pick up truck loading records that were scattered when the cah of Decourcey s truck rolled over after
colliding with a passenger car early Saturday on Highway 401 North The driver of the car. Arian Tesfamarian of
Ohio, was killed instantly in the crash, according to the Highway Patrol
The exchange was arranged
through the National Association of
Secondary School Principals. The
information was received by Hoke
High principal Karl Oxendine. who
thought it would be a good idea.
Meetings with parents followed,
and they determined that the
midwest was an area the students
would like to see. The Association
made final arrangements to com
plete the exchange.
The students pay the cost of the
bus trip, but meals and accomoda
tions are provided by local families.
While visiting here. Shirley Gibson,
guidance counselor at Hoke High,
said the students will tour Burling
ton Industries. Fort Bragg, and
Pinehurst. They will be guests at a
pig pickin' sponsored by the Ki
wanisClub and a supper and dance
will be held in their honor.
Topping off the week's activities,
which also include attending
classes at Hoke High, the students
will take a trip to Wrightsville
Beach where they will stay at the
Blockade Runner. The over-night
jaunt will be a new experience.
Mrs. Gibson says, as many of the
Wisconsin students have never seen
the ocean.
Following tlie visit Hoke students
made to Wisconsin, an article
appeared in I'ht- Hurtlord Times
Press detailing experiences the
Raeford students had while visiting
there.
"There's no snow in North
Carolina; southerners talk funny:
grits don't grow on grit trees." The
article related these bits of infor
mation as some of the things the
Hartford students were learning
from their visitors. "The Raeford
kids are learning about the north
(See WISCONSIN. Page 15)
b> Cassie Wasko
. A ,Hokc County Superior Court
jury last week found Llovd Stephen
Lane guilty of first degree murder
and two counts of armed robbery
and sentenced him to life im
prisonnient in the shooting death of
special deputy R.G. Smith.
Ihe jurors deliberated lor only
an hour Ihursday before returning
irf 8"ll,>'uVerdict- and on Friday-,
after deliberating I hour and 25
nnnutes. they returned a sentence
of life imprisonment shortly before
o:.?0 p.m.
Lane. 25. of Fayetteville. was
accused of murdering special
deputy R.G. Smith in aP ?!n
venience store robbery last Sept
M. He entered a plea of innocent to
the charges. The trial was moved
Jrom Cumberland to Hoke County
the case. ?' PUblid,>' surrou"ding
A new law. enacted last June
EL lwo ? ParI ,r'al in
which the first part is used to
determine guilt or innocence. The
second hearing is devoted to
determining sentence. Defense
attorneys are also allowed to
present two closing arguments, the
first and the last, in lieu of
presenting a defense.
In the first portion of the trial
Lane s attorneys. Tom Loflin and
Karen Gallow ay, of Durham, opted
to present no defense, and chose,
instead, to present two closing
arguments. g
Loflin. in his closing summation,
admitted that his client was in the
store and shot special deputy
Smith, but he argued that the
^?? 'n8 vya.s accidental and Lane
should be found guilty of second
degree murder. Galloway, in the
second argument, attacked testi
mony given by Ruby Lee Hall, the
convemence store manager and kev
witness for the state. She told the
J"r>; . Mrs\ ball's testimony should
be taken with a gain of salt."
Earlier in the trial. Mrs. Hall
,hat Smith identified
himself that night by saving. - Halt
Police officer." to which Lane
responded "Like hell I *i|| "
Gallowav" argued that testimony
given by Betty Moore, clerk at the
convenience store, did not cor
roborate Mrs. Hall's testimony.
District Attorney Ed Grannis.
Jr.. explained that when a murder
,.a. P'ace in connection with a
felony, no pre meditation is neces
sary to bring about a verdict of
guilty to murder in the first degree
-Superior Court Judge James a'
Si:nS/rUC',Cd ,h0|urv ??> re,urn a
.u guilty or not guilty to the
charges of first degree murder and
two counts of armed robbery
*7!'r!]eys ,or. ,ho defense had
entered a motion requesting the
!h? HC#?'VIn 'he ?plion of ',r,ding
? he defendant guilty to second
i u murdcr and common law
robbery.
Lane sat quietly beside his
iromntlS| K ' th? J"rors rc,urncd
from deliberation. For the first
tabf S|nce the trial began, 'the
tables were c eared of the muddle
'f paperwork and brief cases
Lane s grandmother. Viola Hill
sobbed quietly as the jury foreman
announced the verdict of guiltv to
"K charges in ihe Ihursday
(See LAN I . I'.iue 15)
Car-Truck Collision
Here Fatal To One
A head - on collision early
Saturday morning on Highway 401
North about eight miles from
Raeford resulted in the first traffic
fatality in Hoke County for the
year.
Arian S. Teslamarian of Dayton.
Ohio, was killed on impact when
the car he was driving crossed the
center line and struck a tractor
trailer rig a quarter of a mile inside
the Hoke County line, according to
State Trooper Lewis Hector.
Teslamarian was pinned inside
his vehicle, and Hoke County
Rescue Squad members reported
they detected no signs of life when
they arrived on the scene. He was
pronounced dead on arrival at
Cape Fear Valley Hospital in
FaVetteville.
lesfamarian had been living in
Wagram and was employed by The
Pantry convenience store chain in
Laurinburg. according to reports.
The car was so badly damaged, it
was some time after the accident
before the victim was identified.
Rector said.
Thomas J. Decourcey. III. of
Creel. I nd.. the driver of the tractor
trailer, was uninjured in the crash,
according to the trooper.
The 19^2 Chevrolet driven by
lesfamarian was a total loss. The
tractor portion of the moving van
was also totaled, There was no
damage to the trailer.
Rescue personnel averted further
disaster at the scene w hen they used
bolt cutters to sever battery cables
as a small electrical tire began in an
area where diesel fuel had spilled.
Although the accident occurred
around 1 2 : 45> a.m. Saturday, the
highway patrol and rescue squad
were on duty at the scene until
daylight.
Trooper Rector praised the
efforts of the rescue squad.
"The rescue squad was instru
mental." he said. "1 don't know
what I wftuld have done without
their help -- they are first class all
the way. They stayed on the scene
assisting me until sunrise."