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I
ews - Journal
We salute
Hoke volunteers
Faye Butlw
creates
beauty
On IB
Volume LXXIX Number 2
Thursday, April 30,1987 2^ CENTS
Cellmate says Cummings admitted to murders
The Superior Court trial of Edward Lee
Cummings, charged with the slaying of two
Wake County sisters, continued this week
with his former cellmate testifying that
Cummings admitted to the murders after
his arrest last year.
Inmate Fred Jacobs, 42, of Route 1,
Shannon, told the court that Cummings
said he had killed both of the sisters, Karen
Marie Puryear, because she had “ripped
him off of some drugs and some cash”.
Jacobs said Cummings told him that
Karen’s sister, Teresa Annette Puryear,
was also killed because of drugs. He said
Cummings told him Teresa had been told
to take a briefcase containing several
pounds of cocaine to Durham but had left
Thieves get
over $12,000
in property
A Raeford residence was robbed of over $12,000
worth of property this month, according to Sheriff’s
Department records.
James Conner reported a break-in and larceny at the
Glen E. Lane residence, Route 4, Raeford.
Records say that someone entered the garage, broke
the window on the door, unlocked the door and went
into the house. They entered the residence sometime
between 4:30 p.m., April 18 and 9:30 a.m., April 19.
Property worth $12,908 was taken including a 1983
Chevrolet truck with a king cab on the back, jewelry,
clothing, a television, firearms, foodstuffs, tools and
$270 worth of cash.
The vehicle was later recovered.
Alton Cummings, Route 1, Red Springs, reported a
break-in at his residence.
Records say someone entered the screened porch on
the center of the house sometime around 12 noon,
April 17.
Property, totaling $992, was taken including a VCR,
a chain saw and foodstuffs.
Doris Jackson, Faber Street, Fayetteville, reported a
break-in at the home of her sister Mrs. P.E. Beasley,
Myra Road, Raeford.
Records say someone broke the window with a brick
and entered the residence sometime between 4 p.m.,
April 18 and 2:30 p.m., April 20.
Over $800 worth of property was taken including a
VCR, firearms and a television.
Records say Willie Lee Watson, Vernon Lowder
Road, reported that someone took $550 worth of
fishing equipment from his shed sometime between 12
midnight, April 15 and 1:30 p.m., April 22.
C.V. Pate, Laurel Hill, reported that someone took
a $200 battery from the tractor at his residence
sometime between 12:05 p.m. and 1:30 p.m., April 21.
Joel Edward, Route 1, Aberdeen, reported a break-
in at his residence.
(See CRIME, page 2A)
it in Rocky Mount.
The Hoke County Superior Court ses
sion, presided over by Judge Robert
Farmer, resumed Monday after an Easter
holiday recess from April 16 through 26.
Farmer ordered separate trials for the
slaying of the two sisters. Cummings is be
ing tried first for the slaying of Karen
Puryear.
The bodies of the sisters were found in
shallow graves in Hoke County near Mc
Cain last January 13. Cummings 45, was
arrested last January 20 and charged with
the slayings.
In testimony which lasted more than an
hour, Jacobs said he had shared a six-man
cell with Cummings at the Hoke County
jail. He said several other inmates were pre
sent when Cummings told him about the
slayings in August of last year.
At the time, Jacobs was awaiting trial for
possession with attempt to sell LSD and
Qualudes.
He said he had told Cummings that he
didn’t want to hear about his case, but that
he told him anyway. “We’d be just sitting
around talking and he’d bring it up.”
Jacobs, a long-time offender on charges
including breaking and entering, drug deal
ing, and robbery, was grilled with ques
tions by Defense Attorney Jim Parrish.
Parrish asked him about his criminal
record, motives for committing crimes as
well as his knowledge of drugs.
Jacobs denied that he was testifying in
order to obtain a reduced sentence when
Parrish asked him about his motive for be
ing a witness.
Jacobs told the court that he had already
agreed to plead guilty to charges against
him before his statement about Cummings
was given to the Hoke County Sheriff’s
Department.
However, upon cross-examination by
Parrish, Jacobs could not remember what
day it was that he had given the statement.
Jacobs said that he was testifying
because Cummings is prejudiced against
Indian women and white women. The
Puryear sisters were white. Cummings is
black.
In testimony, Jacobs said that Cumm
ings had told him he had a .22 caliber pistol
and a sawed-off shotgun and that this in
formation was part of the statement Jacobs
gave to Sheriff’s deputies.
Jacobs testified that Cummings had also
told him he had a .32 caliber pistol with a
pearl handle, but that this information was
not in the statement he’d given county of
ficials.
During testimony earlier in the trial the
state medical examiner testified that the
gunshot wound found in Karen Puryear’s
head could have been made by a bullet
larger than a .22 caliber gun but smaller
than a .45 caliber gun.
(See TRIAL, page 2A)
Draft budget shows
increase in taxes,
more school money
By Sally Jamir
News-Journal Staff Writer
An anticipated budget estimate
presented last week at a Hoke
County Commissioners’ meeting
shows increased salaries and more
money for the school system, but
would raise the tax rate two per
cent, a county spokesman said.
County Manager William (Bub)
Cowan presented the preliminary
$7.3 million operating budget last
Tuesday during discussion on
whether or not commissioners
should approve a $60,000 cash
match for a Community Develop
ment Block Grant application.
Cowan stressed that the budget
is currently only a draft budget and
the figures included “may change
radically” in the next few weeks.
Changes in figures would depend
on what financial supplements the
county gets.
The tentative budget figure is
$1.6 million higher than last year’s
budget of $5.7 million.
Cowan said the tax hike of two
cents per $100 valuation would
raise county revenues $65,000 each
year.
County Finance Officer Charles
Davis said these taxes would pro
bably be raised anyway even if the
cash match were not approved.
The cash match would be sup
plied by one time revenues from
the discontinued revenue sharing
funds and revenues from the new
half-cent sales tax.
The base salary increase could
mean a five percent rise in salary
for county employees currently on
the payroll.
Davis said that based on the per
sonnel management system
established last year, staff may ac
tually get pay raises in the range of
one to five percent. The specific in
crease would depend on each per
sons performance on the job, he
said.
Also, additional positions may
be established in the County
Finance Office, Register of Deeds
office, the Health Department, the
Department of Social Services and
the Library.
Positions may also be created in
a new consolidated city and county
emergency communications
department. The new department
would cost $178,000 and employ a
supervisor and a four telecom
municators.
Cowan said that the cost for the
public assistance program would
rise $83,000 from last year’s
budget.
The schools capital outlay
budget would rise four to five per
cent, under the new budget. The
recently released schools budget
shows a 6.76 percent budget in
crease for the 1987-88 year.
The contingency appropriation
this year would be $50,000, the
tentative budget shows.
The reserve fund balance would '
be budgeted at $486, 000.
Around Town
By Sam Morris
The weather Saturday was about
as bad as it could be for this time
of year. The rain and cool snap felt
like it was before Easter rather
than after. Sunday and Monday
were nice and the sunshine was
drying up the mud holes and mak
ing it feel like spring again.
The forecast is for a possible
shower or two on Tuesday, but
after these the temperature will
head for the 80 degree mark and
will reach it by the weekend. No
other rain is in the forecast.
* * * *
The Constitutional Bicentennial
Committee of Hoke will meet
Tuesday, May 4 at the Hoke Coun
ty Library. The meeting will start
at 5 p.m. All members of the com
mittee are urged to be present for
this meeting.
Plans will be presented for the
first event of this celebration, so
your input is needed at this time.
* * •
I envy people who have a “green
thumb.” Now if you don’t know
what a green thumb person is, then
you don’t know anything about
gardening.
Lawanna Hayes of the Chamber
of Commerce has given me a note
that she would like for me to print
in this column. Now the people she
is trying to reach in this column
don’t belong to the Garden
Department of the Woman’s Club.
(See AROUND, page 2A)
Woodward to speak
at chamber banquet
Motivational speaker Kirk
Woodward, owner of People
Centered Programs, a human
resource development company
headquartered in Dallas, Texas,
will be the guest speaker at the an
nual Raeford-Hoke Chamber of
Commerce Banquet to be held
Tuesday, May 12 at the National
Guard Armory.
Woodward, who organized his
company in 1983 to publish and
market cassette-based training and
development programs, at one
time served as the membership
director for the West Texas
Chamber of Commerce, the largest
regional chamber of commerce in
the United States. He spent many
years working in all aspects of
radio and television broadcasting
and is currently active in communi
ty affairs.
“There is a real need for
American business to examine the
way it does business,” says Wood
ward in his biographical data.
“The rules are changing and
changing fast,” he said. “The
business people, the professionals,
entrepreneurs of all types are find
ing that those tried and true for
mulas aren’t true and don’t work.
That’s where I think I can do some
good, and my booking for the next
six months suggest I’m right.”
During the last few months,
Woodward has spoken at banquets
in Rocky
Mount, Troy,
Ohio, and
Marion, Iowa.
He has led semi
nars in Mis
soula, Montana,
Redding,
California and
Buffalo, New
York.
Lawsuits against county dropped
Daniels settles out of court, drops claims against driver
Kirk Woodward
The banquet gets underway with
a reception beginning at 6 p.m.
Door prizes will be given away,
and new chamber officers and
board members will be installed at
the banquet.
“This IS a great time for all of
the civic and business persons to
come together for an enjoyable
evening,” said Lawanna Hayes,
manager of the local chamber.
“The chamber feels the communi
ty will appreciate our banquet
speaker.”
Tickets for the banquet are now
on sale at the Depot and may be
purchased from any chamber
board member.
“It is hoped that everyone will
come to the banquet and enjoy a
night that will be both a learning
and enjoyable experience," Hayes
said.
Chamber of Commerce mem
bers look forward to the banquet
each year.
Two lawsuits filed by a Hoke
County woman against the county
and a county ambulance driver,
scheduled to be heard in Superior
Court on Monday, were settled out
of court, according to County At
torney Duncan McFayden.
The lawsuits were filed by Hoke
resident Evelyn T. Daniels, after a
1984 traffic accident.
Daniels was being taken by a
county ambulance to Moore
Regional Hospital at Pinehurst on
August 30, 1984, after she com
plained of chest pains.
During the accident, she and her
husband, Robert Daniels, were in
jured. Mr. Daniels was sitting in
the front seat of the ambulance at
the time of the accident. He was
hospitalized and later died on
December 12, 1984, authorities
said.
McFayden said that all pending
charges in the suits were dismissed
and all claims against parties in
volved were dropped.
In one lawsuit Mrs. Daniels
sought in excess of $750,000 plus
Si 50,000 in punitive damages for
the death of her husband and in
the other sought in excess of
$10,000 plus $150,000 in punitive
damages for injuries she suffered.
The accident occurred on N.C.
211 at the intersection of Page
Road, according to police
authorities.
The ambulance, driven by
Horace Mitchell Hayes, reportedly
drove through a red light, accord
ing to police reports. The am
bulance was struck by a car driven
by Mary Grace Newton of Moore
County, and overturned, accord
ing to the reports.
Hayes, a county emergency
medical technician was charged
with failing to stop for a red light
but was found not guilty in Moore
County District Court, according
to records.
Records say Hayes was motion
ed through the intersection by a
flagman who was directing traffic
due to sewer construction work on
a sewer line next to the road .
McFayden said the settlement
was arrived at with no expense to
the county.
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