f
The
ews
Journal
Serving Hoke County for 88 years
No. 30 Vol. 89
50 cents
School salutes
industries
7A
Store still
helping Hoke's needy
8A
Costume Contest
Winners
IB
Reminder: Cast
your vote Nov. 6
Index
Accent IB
Calendar 2B
Classifieds 11B
Deaths 10A
Editorials 2A
Legals 9B
Socials 3B
TV Listings 4B
Weather 7A
Around Town
By Sam Morris
Contributing Editor
Someone told me last week
that people shouldn’t plan any
event when the N.C. State Fair
is in progress. She said that it
seems to rain, especially dur
ing the weekends. This was
certainly true this year. It
rained last weekend and again
this weekend. I was told that
overthree inches of rain fell in
Hoke County. It might have
hindered the picking of cot
ton, but most folks were glad
to see it rain. The tempera
tures were not as low as the
previous weekend.
The forecast for the remain
der of the week, Wednesday
through Saturday, calls for the
;highs to be in the 70s and the
Mows in the 40s. This is about
;the normal for this time of
;year. The cooler temperatures
Twill hold off the rain for
^while.
* * * * * ♦
Don’t forget that the elec
tion for Mayor and three seats
on the City Council will be
held on Tuesday November 4,
1997. The polls will be open
-from 6:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m.
:As the city continues to grow.
See (AROUND, page 3A)
Crime follow-up
Body that of missing man
By Nicole Gabriel
Staff writer
Officials confirmed the iden
tity of the remains of a body
found a week ago near West Hoke
Elementary as that of a 27-year-
old Raeford man missing since
July.
The Office of the Chief Medi
cal Examiner confirmed the
bones found across the street from
the school last Tuesday after
noon belonged to Sherman Lee
Purcell of 5995 Turnpike Rd.,
Sheriff’s Det. David Newton
said.
Officials located some of
Purcell’s x-ray records at Moore
Regional Hospital in Pinehurst
and turned over the remains to
the Office of the Chief Medial
Examiner to identify the body.
Newton said.
It appears at this time, Newton
said, that Purcell died of a self-
inflicted gunshot wound, but the
Office of the Chief Medical Ex
aminer continues to investigate
the actual cause of death.
Last week Purcell’s mother
reported to sheriff’s deputies one
of her dogs brought two bones to
her home. A preliminary investi
gation led detectives to believe
the bones belonged to Purcell,
the woman’s missing son.
Purcell’s mother reported her
son missing in July after Purcell
left the house with a shotgun and
left a note behind, Newton said.
Investigators found no leads
at the time of Purcell’s disap
pearance.
About a month after Purcell’s
disappearance, Newton said.
sheriff’s investigators conducted
an aerial search of the area, but
found no clues as to Purcell’s
whereabouts — until last week.
Duringan initial investigation,
a medical examination of the
bones revealed they were hu
man, so detectives initiated a
search. Sheriff Wayne Byrd said.
Detectives called for assis
tance from rescue and fire work
ers to search the woods and a
field across from the school,
Newton said. Officials used a
Department of Corrections ca
daver search dog to track down
the rest of the remains. The dog
found the remainder of the body
within seven minutes about 350
yards away from Purcell’s home,
Newton said.
“It was just a skeleton,” New
(See BODY, page 6A)
titr
Bob Gentry
Milton Williams
Eight prepare for Council elections
Candidates answer questions from The News-Journal
Bob Gentry
Mayor Candidate
Q: Why are you running
for office?
. A: 1 feel that I have played a
part in Raeford becoming a
great city. I have served as your
mayor for eight years and as a
city councilman for 12 years.
We’re in a sound financial situ
ation and have our water and
sewer systems prepared for
growth into the next century.
The services we provide —
water, sewer, garbage pick up,
fire protection, police protec
tion — are excellent and the
rates are equal or below other
cities. We have surrounded
ourselves with an outstanding
staff and group of employees. I
would like the opportunity to
continue this effort and to cel
ebrate our 100th anniversary in
2001.
Q: What are your top five
goals to accomplish?
A: Continue to provide ex
cellent service at reasonable
rates.
Continue to keep the tax rate
as low as possible, but not to
jeopardize our current pro
grams.
Continue to sell Raeford as
an excellent community to live
in and raise your family.
Continue to support eco
nomic development by search
ing for good potential indus
tries, businesses and individu
als to locate in Raeford.
Continue to prepare for the
next century and our 100th an-
(See GENTRY, page 14A)
Martha
Beatty
I2A
Mark
Jernigan
IIA
Charles
Daniels
IIA
1 r
John
Jordan
I2A
James
“Benny”
McLeod
IIA
Eddie
McNeill
I2A
Wednesday, October 29,1997
-
i*.
W
■Wr’
Kristin Guihrie/Ncws-Joumal
Woman killed in car accident
Raeford woman Ella Mae Futrell, 54, of 715 Mockingbird Hill Rd., was
killed Friday when the driver of a tractor trailer ran into her Honda
Accord at approximately 6:30 a.m. on Mockingbird Hill Road.
Candidates stump
at Chamber fomm
Milton Williams
Mayor Candidate
Q: Why are you running
for office?
A: 1 feel that the experiences 1
have gained in my yearsof church
and school administration have
prepared me to have much to
offer to the citizensof Raeford as
their mayor.
Q: What are your top five
goals to accomplish?
A: • To improve the quality of
life for all citizens by encourag
ing their involvement in city gov
ernment as well as providing pro-
gressive leadership for the city;
• To reduce the overall rate of
crime and maintain a high level
of safety for all of our citizens by
working with and supporting our
Police Department;
• Work to bring new busi
nesses to Raeford;
• Work with the Chamber (of
Commerce), city maintenance
and citizens to develop more
pride in our city;
• Encourage open communi
cations between city government,
county government and citizens
that lead to effective decision
making.
Q: What do you envision
for Raeford’s future?
A: I see Raeford moving into
the 21 St century as a city that has
been totally revitalized. I see
cleanliness, beaut v and new busi
nesses. I see people fee I ing pride-
ful about our city. I see city and
county government sitting down
with citizens on committees and
task forces working together for
(See WILl I A MS, page 13A)
By Nicole Gabriel
Staff writer
This year’s candidates for
mayor and City Council agreed
on many issues, treaded lightly
on others and even exchanged
laughs instead of personal at
tacks during the “Meet the Can
didates” forum Oct. 22 at the
Hoke County Public Library.
Not unlike this year’s elec
tion, last week’s forum, spon
sored by the Raeford-Hoke
Chamber of Commerce, evoked
little controversy among the two
candidates running for the
mayor’s seat and six running for
three Council seats.
Less than a week from today
Mayor Bob Gentry and Milton
Williams will face off for the
mayor’s seat, while six candi
dates will try to claim three city
council seats up forelection this
year.
Local businessman Charles
Daniels, local attorney, Mark
Jernigan, and Fidelity Bank man
ager, John Jordan, compete for a
2-year unexpired seat. Also new
to the political scene, Martha
Beatty hopes to unseat one of the
Incumbents—Eddie McNeill or
James B. McLeod — for one of
the 4-year seats up for election
this year.
During the forum the candi
dates’ made opening remarks,
each answered one formal ques
tion and then responded to the
other candidates’ questions and
then made closing remarks.
About 50 came to hear the candi
dates.
(See FORUM, page 13A)
Voters head
to polls
Less than a week from
today voters will head to
the polls to determine who
will serve as Raeford’s
mayor and will determine
the outcome of three city
council seats.
Voters can mark their
ballots Nov. 4 at one of
three voting booths in the
city:
• Raeford No. 1 — Hoke
County Public Library, 334
N. Main St.
• Raeford No. 2 —
Sandhills Community Col
lege, 127 W. Elwood.
(See VOTE, page 6A)
Ferguson trial to start
on Thursday in Bladen
By Nicole Gabriel
Staff writer
The prosecution and defense
will begin opening statements
and presenting evidence tomor
row for the Rodriguez Ferguson
murder trial.
Attorneys agreed on the last
alternate juror yesterday and ex
pect to use today to prepare for
tomorrow’s court proceedings.
Defense and prosecution at
torneys questioned more than 90
jurors since the jury selection
process began three weeks ago
in Elizabethtown in Bladen
County, District Attorney Jean
Powell said.
As of a week ago, defense and
prosecution attorneys agreed
upon 10 of the 12 primary jurors
to sit for the trial.
More than 3(M) jurors were
summoned, but about one-third
were eliminated immediately for
medical or other reasons, Powell
said.
The trial started Oct. 6 and
since then, Superior Court Judge
D. Jack Hooks Jr. heard several
pretrial motions and other ad
ministrative issues, in addition
to the jury selection.
The Hoke County Sheriff’s
Department charged Ferguson
with five counts of first-degree
murder and one count of assault
with a deadly weapon with intent
to kill Jan. 2, 1995. Ferguson
allegedly shot and killed Jamie
Hunter, 39, his wife, Deborah
Hunter, Tim Powell, 20, Steve
(See TRIAL, page 6A)