GATES COUNTY INDEX
The Only Neivspaper Published in and for Gates County
Volume 14, No. 48
Gatesville, N. C., Wednesday, August 7, 1946
12 Pages This Week
Smith Acquitted
In Shooting Of
«
Tyman Parker
Winton. — Joseph Lee Smith,
elderly carpenter^ was acquitted
in Hertford colinty superior
court last week of the murder
cf Lyman Parker of'Eure.
Judge W. H. S. Burgwyn, pre
siding jurist, directed a verdict
of not guilty at conclusion of the
evidence in the case. Parker was
shot and killed by Smith in the
latter’s home at Winton on last
February 6. The shooting occur
red about 1:30 a. m. Parker had
come to the Smith home a few
minutes before with Aubrey
Lowe of Gates county.
I Lowe testified that they were
seeking Linwood Umphlett, who
since has married Bertha Smith,
and that Parker called for him
before Mrs. Smith came to the
front door. Testimony showed
that Lowe talked with Mrs.
Smith at the front door and that
Parker shoved past her into the
front\ room where he sat on a
cot and argued with Bertha
about a cigaret the latter was
smoking.
Mrs, Smith asked Lowe to get
Parker out of the house, but he
was unable to do so. Mrs. Smith
said Parker then followed her
over to her bed and grabbed her
arm. She said she screamed for
him to get out and then started
into the next room to get her
husband and that Farker fol
lowed her.
Janie Smith, another daughter,
was in the front room and five
sons were in the room with their
father. Witnesses said Parker
*ried to strike Smith with his
'shlight and that the defendant
»n fired on P*?ker.
W. L Sawyer
Buried Monday
Gatesville. — Funeral services
for William Lee Sawyer, 58, who
died in a Suffolk, Va., hospital
Saturday afternoon, were con
ducted Monday at 2 o’clock
(EST) at the Gatesville Baptist
church. The Rev. T. S. Guy of
ficiated.
Mr. Sawyer was son of the
late Mr. and Mrs. N. T. Sawyer.
He was a prominent Gatesville
and Norfolk businessman.
Burial w;as at Lebanon church
near Lee Hall, Va. He is sur
vived by his wife, Mrs. Alice Re
becca Sawyer; four daughters,
Mrs. Julia Faye Sawyer, Alice
Louise Sawyer and Margaret
Sawyer, all of Gatesville, and
Mrs. L. C. Powell, of Portsmouth,
Va.; one brother, Fred J. Saw
yer, of Norfolk, Va.; four sis
ters, Mrs. E. W. Gaither, of Ral
eigh; Mrs. J. C. Folkes, of Os
cala, Fla.; Mrs. John E. Marr,
and Mrs. N. F. Trippendorf, both
of Norfolk.
The pallbearers ywere W. J.
Melvin, J. W. Dickerson, A. P.
* Godwin, Jr., J. K. Wyatt, H. B.
Hk laines, Hulbert Eason, TazweH
jure, G. C. Eason, Claude Bundy,
itarl Rawls, H. B. Lilley, Fred
Linerman, Horace Carter and
Sidney Hofler.
PARKER FAMILY REUNION
AT EURE ON SUNDAY
Eure.—The Parker family re
union will be held at the Eure
Baptist church on Sunday, Au
gust 11. All of the family and
connections as well as friends are
cordially invited.
The meeting will 'begin at
10f30 a. m. Those planning to
attend are asked to bring pic
nic lunches. *
Harrell Brings
In Another Melon
Gatesville.—L. C. Harrell of
Eure is one man that will not
be beaten where matermelons
are concerned. When his first
entry of 31 pounds was top
ped by two others, Harrell
came back into the contest with
a 46 and 3/4 pound challenger
to bring himself up to first
, place again.
The contest is still open so if
you can top this mark, bring
your champ to the Index
office.
Story Family
Hold Reunion
After 5 Years
Eure.—The t Story family re
union discontinued because of
transportational difficulties five
years ago, was resumed Sunday,
July 28, at the old Story home
near Eure.
Approximately 50 relatives
and friends enjoyed this occa
sion. The 98th birthday of E. A.
(Duke) Story, which came July
30, also was observed. Four gen
erations' were represented, their
ages ranging from one to 98
years.
Edward Story acted as master
of ceremonies for the program
arranged by Mrs. E. J. Griffin,
of Edenton. following the sing
ing of the Doxology, the Rev.
George Story, of Suffolk, gave
the invocation. A toast to the
honoree, Duke Story, was given
by Dr. Wallace Griffin, of Ed
enton. A buffet luncheon was
served. Then the family gather
ed in the living room of the
home, where World War I and
II veterans were recognized.
Fred Story, of Boykins, Va., told
of some of his experiences as a
member of the armed forces.
Several historical facts con
cerning the family and resolu
tions of thanks were extended
by J. I. Story, of Marshall.
Those attending this event
were E. A., R. P., E. C. and P. P.
Story, H. L. Story, Lankford
Morrow Story, and Mr. and Mrs.
J. I. Story, of Asheville and Mar
shall, Mrs. E. J. Griffin and Dr.
Wallace Griffin, of Edenton, Mrs.
E. M. Hill, Mr. and Mrs. Hugh
Powell, Jr., Sylvia Powell, L. L.
Story, and Fred Story, of Boy
kins;
Mr. and Mrs. Theo Doyle, Ann,
M. T. and Patricia Doyle, of Mc
Kenney, Va.; Mrs. J. O. Pittman,
of Courtland; Mr. and Mrs. J. W.
Story, Rev. George Story, of Suf
folk; Mr. and Mrs. Cary Story,
of Gatesville, Mrs. A. W. Wilson,
of Statesville, and Eure, Jane
and Robert Story, of Winton.
Mr. and Mrs. H. E. Kennedy,
Miss Polly Kennedy, of Atkin
son; Mr. and Mrs. E. P. Story,
Mrs. T. C. Lawrence, Mary and
Ed Story and Dorothy Lawrence,
of Eure.
Afternoon callers were: Mr.
and Mrs. J. E. Bryant, of Frank
lin, Va.; Mrs. Walter Myrick,
Miss Bernice Myrick, of New
soms, Va.; Mrs. Joe Brown and
Mrs. Robert Norfleet and Sara
of Suffolk.
VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL
Gatesville. — The vacation
Bible school has begun at Gates
ville Methodist church and will
continue through this week.
Classes begin at 9 a. m. and all
denominations are invited to at
tend.
Several Road
Surfacing Jobs
Now Under Way
Ahoskie. — Hard surfacing of
three stretches of road in the
Raanoke-Chowan section as part
of the program for improvement
of farm-to-market roads is sche
duled for completion before fall.
Two of the projects are in
Hertford county and one in Ber
tie county. One of the Hertford
county projects calls for paving
the 5.7-mile stretch from St.
John’s to Minton’s store, which
will provide a hard surface route
direct west from Ahoskie to Rich
Square. It will join highways 97
and 305 and eliminate the neces
sity of traveling via Aulander in
order to reach 305 when west
bound.
Work already has been started
on a 3.2-mile section of the road
south from Murfreesboro by way
of Benthall’5 Bridge and Meher
rin church. This road continues
to St. John’s, but surface treat
ment of the entire section be
tween the two communities is
not contemplated at this time.
The Bertie county project calls
for the paving of a 7.6-mile dirt
road from Connaritsa to Lewis
ton.
All three of the projects have
been contracted by Dickerson
Brothers of Monroe at an esti
mated cost of $70,000. Machinery
and equipment for the projects
already have been moved in by
the contractor, who has notified
T. J. McKirn^ district highway
engineer, that the bituminous
asphalt surfacing should be ready
for travel on all three by fall.
It will be several weeks before
the actual surfacing treating
work will get under way. It is
estimated that two or three
weeks will be required to pre
pare the road beds.
In addition to these three pro
jects, McKim said numerous oth
er farm-to-market road im
provements will be carried on by
the maintenance section of the
state highway and public works
department.
Another project slated for
completion in the fall is in Gates
county and will connect high
ways 97 and 158 north of Gates
vile. Dickerson Brothers already
has started work on this 2.76
mile stretch. It will serve to by
pass Gatesville and save about
two mileshof travel between Ro
duco and Sunbury.
Board To Seek
Road Projects
Gatesville.—Appearing before
the board of county commission
ers Monday, several citizens from
various sections of Gates county
requested that the board exert
its full efforts toward the widen
ing and repairing of county
roads in their respective com
munities.
The commissioners are fol
lowing the request and asking
the highway department to com
ply with the desires of those re
presentatives of Gates county.
Dr. W. R. , Parker, county
health officer, appeared before
the board explaining his duties
and efforts in connection with
the Gates County Health depart
ment.
The commissioners have
changed their houjr of meeting
from 10 to 9:30 a. m. on the first
Monday of the month. The board
will meet on September 2 which
is Labor Day. The register of
deeds office will not take a holi
day on this occasion.
Gate|ville Woman
Slain In Gun-Fight
Peanut Gro\ \ \
Get Good N> %
tft
(Peanut growers -xiates
county received good news on
two counts this week. Pur
chase and loan support prices
were set and (President Tru
man signed into law a bill
providing that if peanut acre
age quotas are reestablished at
any time the figure for each
state shall be at least 100 per
cent of the 1041 allocation.
The purchase and loan sup
port prices for farmers’ stock
peanuts of the 1946 crop were
.set at 90 percent of the party
price on July 25. Base grade
prices per ton for peanuts con
taining less than three percent
damage and less than six per
cent foreign material were an
nounced as follows: Spanish
and Valencias east of the Mis
sissippi river, $174; runners,
$157; and Virginias, $170. These
base grade prices are for pea
nuts having a sound mature
‘ kernel content of 65 percent
in the case of Virginias and
runners, and 70 percent in the
case of Spanish and Valencias.
Premiums and discounts for
peanuts containing less than
seven percent damage are
similar to those applicable to
the 1945 crop.
4-H Members
To Attend
Short Course
Gatesville. — Five boys and
four girls have been chosen to
represent Gates County’s 4-H
clubs at the 4-H short course,
which will be held at State Col
lege during the week of August
12.
The delegates will leave on
Monday morning and return the
following Saturday. The morning
sessions at State College will be
devoted to educational courses
with the afternoon and evenings
given to recreation.
Those planning to attend are
as follows: Cecil Smith repre
senting Gatesville, Ann Frances
Riddick and Billy Collins dele
gates from Hobbsville, Helen
Spivey and Fred Parker of Sun
bury, Everett Louis Greene and
Ellen Parker for Gates and
Omah Eure and Linwood Askew
representing Eure. As yet, there
is no girl delegate from Gates
ville, but John W. Artz, county
farm agent, said that he hopes
to find a candidate before the
group departs.
The qualifications necessary
are that the delegate must be at
least 13 years of age, have a 4
H club record and project for
1945 and must have the begin
ning of a record and project for
this year.
There will be a fee of ten dol
lars for those taking the course
and the expense of transporta
tion and incidentals.
The four major studies at the
college will be health, citizen
ship, family relations and organ
ization.
Record ol Deeds
C. R. Mullen to E. C. Mabry
tract of land in Hall Township.
Suffolk. —- Miss Molly Free
man, 70, of Gatesville, and her
niece, Mrs. Helen Freeman
Shore, 31, were killed allegedly
by the latter’s estranged hus
band in a second-floor apart
ment here yesterday.
Miles Talmadge Shore, 37
year-old Alexandria, Va., bar
ber, is toeing held without bond. •
Late yesterday, after being* in
terrogated for nearly two hours
toy Special Police Investigator H:
W. Churn, Shore was reported to
have admitted both shootings
and to have said they occurred
as the aftermath of an alterca
tion with his wife.
Police Sergt. T. L. Salmon and
Officers E. L. Holland and M. F.
Boyd, who were in radio squad
car No. 1 parked around the cor
ner of the slayings, heard the
fussilade of shots and rushed to
the house. When Salmon reach
ed the porch, Mrs. Shore “prac
tically collapsed in my arms,’* he
said, and blood was streammg
down her legs. He took the in
jured woman to Lakeview Hos
pital, where she died about 20
minutes later.
Rushing* upstairs, Officers Hol
land and Boyd found Shore.
They said he held a .32 calibre
pistol in his hand and was grap
ping with Quinton H. Jordan.
Mrs. Shore’s stepfather.
The officers found Mrs. Shore’s
elderly aunt lying in the haR
near the front room, mortally
wounded from a bullet wound
high on her right side. City Cor
onor Dr. E. C. Joyner said death
in her case apparently was in
stantaneous from hemorrhage.
Mrs. Shore had bullet wounds in
the left buttock and right chest
police reported. While taking the
woman to the hospital, Sergeant
Salmon stated that she roused
sufficiently to tell the officer
that “my husband shot me.”
According to the arresting of
ficers, Shore had toroken open
the pistol and was trying* to re
load it, despite the efforts of Jor
dan to prevent him, when they
reached the two men tussling on
the second floor of the three
family apartment, located a scant
block from Suffolk’s main busi
ness center. The house is along
side the A&P Super Market and
diagonally across the street from
See GUN-FIGHT, Page 5
E. L. Lassiter
Funeral Tuesday
Roduco. — Ernest L. Lassiter,
60, died at the Coast Line hospi
tal, Rocky Mount, Sunday at 7:30
p. m. Mr. Lassiter was a. native
of Gates county and a resident of
Keduco.
He is survived by his wife,
Mrs. Mary Collins Lassiter: his
father T. Lassiter of Gates coun
ty; a foster son, James Warren
Rountree of Suffolk; two half
brothers, Daniel Lassiter of Spar
row Point, Md., and Maynard
Lassiter of Williamsburg; five
half-sisters, Mrs. Mary Etheridge
of Whaleyville, Mrs. Burden
Warrenton of Atlanta, Ga., Mrs.
Irma Brinkley of Suffolk, Mrs!
William Jones of Norfolk, and
Mrs. Harry Smith of California.
Funeral services were held
Tuesday, August 6, at 3:30 p. m.
in the Summerton Methodist
Church and were conducted by
the Reverend Guthrie, pastor of
the Savage Methodist Church
Burial was in the Summerton
Church cemetery.