MS
VOL. No. XXIII, No. 10
2 ARRESTED HI MYSTERY
(ATE NEWC
«-* from the U
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State and Nation
ROOSEVELT SHOULD
BE HONORED
London, Jan. 16.—Winston
Churchill believes President
Roosevelt should be honored for
the way he is attacking American
problems.
The former chancellor of the
exchequer is unable to say, how
ever, if the American executive is
headed on the right track in all
his recovery moves.
"I do not say that President
Roosevelt is right in all his ex
periments," Churchill said, but one
does admire the spirit with which
he grapples with difficulties, es
pecially in contrast with the
timidity, wooliness and impreci
cision which we see in some other
places."
DEFENDANT PALES
AT EVIDENCE
Criminal Courts Building, Chi
cago, Jan. 16.—A gruesome array
of evidence—antique appearing
operating table, blood stained gar
ments, a .32 caliber pistol—caused
Dr. Alice L. Wynekoop to pale and
ask for medical stimulants today
at her trial for murder.
The elderly defendant buried
her face In her hands on the
counsel table as if to shut out the
the reminders of the
tmgedy. Her hands shook visi
bly.
DRY MEET IN
GREENSBORO
Still jubilant over the over
whelming dry victory of last No
vember 7, the United Dry Forces
of North Carolina, represented by
delegates from all corners of the
state, met in Greensboro in con
vention in the First Baptist
church yesterday and com
pounded an organization that is
designed to achieve the uttermost
in making North Carolina as dry
as it voted.
SNAVELY NAMED
FOOTBALL COACH
Chapel Hill. Jan. 16.—Carl G.
Snavely, head football coach at
Bucknell university for the last
seven years, tonight was elected
to succeed Chuck Collins as head
gridiron coach at the University
of North Carolina at a meeting of
the athletic council that lasted
little more than an hour.
SAYS ROOSEVELT
OR RUIN
Washington, Jan. 16.— The Rev.
Charles Coughlin, youthful, be
spectacled Michigan priest,
warned Congress today that un
less President Roosevelt's mone
tary policies are enacted there will
be a revolution in America which
will make the French rebellion
"look silly."
Pounding on the table at the
House coinage committee money
hearing with one hand and wav
ing two pencils in the air with
the other, the dynamic priest
shouted:
"It is Roosevelt or ruin."
PLAN NEW
STRATOSPHERE FLIGHT
Washington, Jan. 16.—Plans (or
a record-breaking stratosphere
flight In a balloon larger than any
yet constructed were announced
tonight by the United States Army
Air Corps and the National Geo
graphic Society.
The goal is a fifteen-mile as
cent to grab a container full of
air up there, and bring It back
to earth tor analysis.
FIRST SUPPLY BILL PASSES
HOUSE
The first supply bill of the pres
ent session of Congress, carrying
566,000,000 for independent officer
and agencies of the federal govem
ment*:wa| passed by the House Fri
day iiight without a record vote.
The ads. are important news.
Read all of them I
THE ELKIN TRIBUNE
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Murdered Girl
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LEODA MAE CHILDRESS
ORGANIZE WOMAN'S
AUXILIARY HERE
Nominating Committee
To Select Officers Is
Appointed
At a meeting Thursday afternoon
for the purpose of organizing a
Woman's Auxiliary to Hugh Chat
ham Memorial Hospital thirty wom
en signed for membership. A nomi
nating committee to select officers
for the organization was appointed
as follows: Mrs. P. M. Norman,
chairman, Mrs. Joe Blvins and Mrs.
J. G. Abernethy. The committee is
to report at a meeting to be held
Monday afternoon at 3:30 in the
school building, at which time the
organization will be perfected.
The purpose of the auxiliary is to
promote organized co-operation be
tween the community and the hos
pital and to make supplies for the
hospital needs. Committees for
flowers and litarature for convales
cent patients will also be appointed.
As previously stated, the auxiliary is
non-sectarian and there will be no
membership fee.
9 Take Examination
For Postmaster
Nine people of Yadklnville took
the civil service examination for the
position of postmaster at Yadkln
ville, which was held Saturday at
Winston-Salem.
Those taking the examination
were: Messrs. E. H. Barnard, J. W.
Hudspeth, Joe Williams, P. D. B
Harding, O. V. Hutchcns, Jasper
Long and Dwight D. Martin, and
Mrs. Blanche Dunnagan and Mar
garet Hinshaw.
7" "* . '• r-> . , y „ A.
Handwriting Which Figure* In Childress Case
Mystery of Man
Found In Lake
Is Revived
Inasmuch as Solicitor John R.
Jones has stated that he is holding
Luther Tilley, son of Mr. and Mrs.
W. W. Tilley, for investigation in a
murder which occurred some years
ago, the opinion has been expressed
here that the murder in question
revolves around the mysterious dis
appearance on May 24, 1927, of An
drew Eldridge, of State Road, and the
finding of his body floating in Klon
dike lake two weeks later.
For the information of Tribune
readers, the account of the finding
of the man's body, as it appeared in
the Thursday, June 16, 1927 issue o:
The Tribune, is being reprinted in
lull.
A fruitless search for more than
two weeks for information concern
ing the whereabouts of Andrew Eld
ridge, who disappeared from the
home of his parents, Mr. and Mrs.
Jeff E. Eldridge, near State Road
on Tuesday, May 24th, reached 8
climax Monday morning when e
trio of Winston-Salem boys, who
had spent the week-end at Klondike
Lodge discovered the ghastly out
line of a dead body, which proved
to be that of young Eldridge, float
ing in the Klondike Lake close by
the dam.
It was about ten o'clock in the
day that the boys were rowing
around the lake, casting their hooks
for fish, that the discovery of the
man's body .was made and reported.
People of the community, recall
ing the anxious search by the Eld
ridge family for their missing son
whose continued absence was cloth
ed in mystery, the supposition pre
vailed, generally, that the body of
the drowned man might be that of
Andrew Eldridge.
Decomposition had progressed to
the extent that identification de
pended upon the clothing worn by
the dead man might be that of
Andrew Eldridge.
Decomposition had progressed to
the extent that identification de
pended Upon the clothing worn by
the dead man, and certain marks
about his body, which upon close
inspection, left no doubt in the mind
of his father who hurried to the
scene. In the pocket of the blue
shirt which the young man had
worn when he started from his
home on the ill-fated journey, was
a pair of spectacles which he had
been accustomed to wear, daily.
On the day three weeks prior to
the discovery of the body in the
Klondike Lake, when young Eld
ridge had departed from his home
while the other members of the
family were absent, he left a note
addressed to his mother in which he
(Continued on Last Page)
ELKIN, N. C., SUNDAY, JANUARY 21, 1934
jfirusL -Aw- Tnffl
(Jjnd lsLtl SwktA.
MAY HELP SOLVE MYS
TERY.— Above are shown a
part of the "suicide note" of Leota
Childress, found dead at her honw
near North Wilkesboro, a sampie
of the handwriting of Miss Chil
dress and a sample of the hand
writing of Albert Smoot, In Jail
under a warrant charging him
with her murder. Upper, hand
writing of Smoot written from
dictation of the "suicide note,"
lower left, the "note," and right,
known handwriting of Miss Chil
dress.
Held As Killer
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'* ANDREW SMOOT '
M C DANIEL'S STORE
BEING REMODELED
When Completed Will
Be One of Town's Most
Modern Stores
Extensive alterations are being
made in the interior of McDaniel's
Department store here with a view
toward mort. floor space and a more
modern and up-to-date store. Work
of remodeling was begun Tuesday
morning.
E. W. McDaniel, general manager
of the store, stated Tuesday that the
past year was one of the best in his
career here as a merchant and he
expressed high hopes for the present
year.
In addition to the construction of
a mezzanine floor upon which will be
installed an exclusive men's depart
ment, remodeling plans also call for
a basement store,' which will be
known at McDaniel's Economy Base
ment.
The entire interior of the store
will be worked over and painted and
when completed will rank as one of
the most modern department stores
in town.
Bates Head of Office
For CWA Registration
All Surry county unemployed who
registered for jobs under the CWA
prior to January 1, 1934, must again
register to be eligible for employ
ment.
Robey Bates has been appointed
head of the registration office here
and may be seen at his office in the
Castevens Hardware company build
ine.
Ray Johnson and Bud
Martin Are Jailed In
; y ? ' - ' « I
Childress Murder Case
Notice
The Tribune is now mailing
subscription statements to those
of its subscribers who are behind
in their subscription accounts.
Realizing that times have been
hard, it has been over a year
since statements were mailed, but
with tobacco bringing a good price
and other conditions generally
improved, the management is of
the opinion that those who are in
arrears on their subscription can
now afford to bring their ac
counts up to date.
It takes a considerable outlay
of money to publish a newspaper,
and the money due on subscrip
tions is needed. Every effort is
being made to make The Tribune
a newspaper of real benefit to its
patrons, and your cooperation in
keeping your subscription up to
date will be of great help, and
greatly appreciated.
ESCAPED CONVICT
SLAIN BY SOMERS
Wilkes Sheriff Shoots
In Defense Of Own
Life
Ed Atwood, 57, an escaped con
vict from state's prison at Raleigh,
and an all around bad man, was shot
and killed about 9:30 o'clock Sunday
night by Sheriff W. B. Somers, of
Wilkes county, who shot in self de
fense as Atwood was in the act of
drawing a gun on him.
A coroner's jury, assembled a short
while afterward, exhonorated Sheriff
Somers of all blame. Their verdict
a-as that the officer did not use un
necessary force and that he shot in
defense of his own life.
The killing took place near the
home of Mrs. Cletus Byers, one and
one-half miles north of the Wade
Harris bridge on the Boone Trail
highway.
i Atwood was a man of bad reputa
tion and is said to have committed
numerous robberies in the county
since his escape from state prison
where he was serving a sentence of
from three to five years for house
breaking and larceny.
Sheriff Somers received a report
Sunday afternoon that Atwood was
in the neighborhood, and, in com
pany with Deputy Sheriff H. C. Kil
by and J. H. Alexander, went in
search of him.
They surrounded the Byers home,
where they understood he was hid
ing. Atwood ran from the building
almost into the arms of Deputy Kil
by, who commanded him to halt.
Deputy Kilby fired into the air
without attempting to hit the fleeing
man but Atwood did not stop. At
wood ran across a branch bridge and
turned quickly with his shotgun to
fire at Sheriff Somers, who had fol
lowed his flight by the aid of a pow
erful flashlight. Only quick action
on the part of the Sheriff sayed his
lifls, the load from his gun taking
effect In Atwood's chest. He died
almost instantly.
At the coroner's inquest, testi
mony revealed that Atwood had
vowed he would die rather than be
taken alive. At the time he was
killed he was carrying his shotgun,
a razor and two long knives. He
was said to have carried a pistol
most of the time.
Loses Eye
Fletcher Carr, Jonesville negro,
working on a CWA project, lost his
left eye on Monday when he was
hit with a piece of flying rock. The
man. together with a group of work
ers, was engaged in breaking stones
for a sidewalk when a piece hit his
aye and injured it. He was carried
to Hugh Chatham hospital where his
eye was removed.
EXTRA!
PUBLISHED WEEKLY
MRS. LUTHER TILLEY
IS RELEASED TODAY
AFTER QUESTIONING
Officials of Opinion
Clyde Tilley Wrote
Mystery Note
HEARING AT RONDA
Two Jonesville men, Ray
Johnson, white, and Bud Mar
tin, Negro, were arrested be
tween 3 and 4 o'clock this af
ternoon in connection with the
murder on December 30th, of
Leoda Childress, 20, foster
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. W.
W. Tilley of near Benham. The
two men were taken, to Wilkes
boro and placed in jail shortly
after their arrest.
Johnson and Martin were
taken into custody by Chief of
Elkin Police W. G. Church,
Deputy Sheriff Crawford Hurt
and Deputy Sheriff Dick Ev
ridge upon orders of Solicitor
John R. -Jones. They were
carried to North Wilkesboro by
H. C. Kilby, Wilkes county
deputy.
The arrest of the Jonesville
men brings to a total of five
persons who have been taken in
to custody in connection with
the case within the last 30
hours. Luther and Clyde Til
ley, sons of W. W. Tilley, and
Mrs. Luther Tilley, were ar
rested Siaturday night by
Sheriff W. B. Somers. Mrs. Til
ley, however, was released about
2:30 o'clock this afternoon af
ter being questioned by Solicitor
Jones. She was said to have
established an alibi that the of
ficers could not break down.
It is understood that Johnson is
under suspicion in the case due to a
statement he is alleged to have made
to J. F. Pruner, of Jonesville. "Smoot
should have told me he had a wom
an to get rid of," Pruner was said
to have told Solicitor Jones that
Johnson told him. Johnson, who
has been working in Schoolfieid, Va.,
and who roomed at the same board
ing house there with Smoot, denied
making the statement when ques
tioned here by Solicitor Jones Thurs
day.
According, to Chief Church, W. W.
Tllley told him that he suspected
Bud Martin due to the fact that
Martin came to his home approxi
mately two months before the
Childress girl was killed, and "nosed"
about the place. It was said that
Martin inquired as to the amount
of tobacco the Tilley's were curing,
and PS to their marketing plans.
It was also learned from an offi
cial source that both Johnson and
Martin were to the neighborhood of
the Tilley home on the day of the
killing. Johnson was said to have
gone to a house to that section and
attempted to buy whisky. He wa3
said to have been drinking. How
ever, so far as is known neither man
was seen to the immediate vicinity
of the Tilley home.
Clyde Tilley, about 17 years of
age. was required to make several
copies of the death note Friday
morning and his handwriting was
said to have matched almost per
fectly the handwriting of the note.
Other evidence against the youth
(Continued on Last Page)