Saturday, February 3, 1934 ■
Charges Five of Family
With Conspiracy And
Murder In Girl's Death
(Continued Prom Page One)
up by the opinion of L. T. Yar-
borough, handwriting expert of Ral
eigh who has had 23 years exper
ience and who has worked with the
United State's treasury department.
Mr. Yarborough, in-a letter to Soli
citor Jones, which was read to the
Jury, stated that the Childress note
was written by Mrs. Luther Tilley.
Mrs. Hill Cox, sister of Leoda
Childress, was the next witness to
take the stand. She stated that her
home burned down about 2:30 a. m.
on the Tuesday following the find
ing of the mystery note on Monday,
and in the fire, from which she and
her husband and two children nar
rowly escaped with their lives, a shoe
box full of letters from Leoda Child
ress were destroyed.
Mrs. Cox further testified that sev
eral days before the home burned
she saw two men approach the
house. Both had shotguns. They
stopped near the front of the house,
she said, and she overheard one of
the men say: "That's her there."
Mrs. Cox later identified Luther Til
ley as one of the two men.
In regard to the letters which were
destroyed, one WAS about the way
the Tilley's were treating Leoda. Up
on receipt of this letter Mrs. Cox
testified that she went to the Tilley
home with her husband and brought!
Leoda away. She said Leoda asked
Mrs. Tilley for her bank book, and
that Mrs. Tilley replied "If ypu go
you'll never get it."
Questioned about the burning of
her home, Mrs. Cox testified that
there was no trace of fire when she
and her husband retired. She said
the kitchen stove was cold. Upon
being awakened by a neighbor about
2:30 in the morning the entire kitch
en was enveloped in flames and she
and her family had to run through
them to escape.
Leoda later went back to the Til
ley's to live, Mrs. Cox said. She
said she didn't know Leoda had been
killed until the Wednesday follow
ing the murder.
Deputy Sheriff Tyre Barker, upon
taking the stand, testified that he
talked to Luther Tilley the Monday
the note was found. He said Luther
told him how badly the girl's death
hurt him and that he didn't believe
Andrew Smoot did it. "I know he
didn't pull the trigger," Barker quo
ted Tilley.
The deputy also testified that W.
W. Tilley told him on Monday morn
ing after the funeral that he didn't
have any doubt but that he would
get his money and papers back, be
cause Leoda often hid them and
that she was good to look > after
things like that.
Mr. Barker also testified that he
had heard that Mrs. Luther Tilley,
upon her release from jail after her
first arrest, went to the home of
some friends and that she sent for
Mr. and Mrs. W. W. Tilley, who
came and held a secret conference
with ,her.
Deputy Sheriff C. S. Foster testi
fied that he questioned Luther Tilley
before Tilley was arrested, and that
Tilley told him the story of jump
ing the rabbit and running towards
his father's home. He said Luther
denied there had ever been trouble
in the family over Leoda.
Mr. Foster also stated that he
questioned Kelly Brown about his
part in finding the girl, but that
Brown flidn't want to talk.
I. J. BUI testified that he went to
the Tilley home in the afternoon of
the Sunday the girl was buried. He
said "one o! Tilley's girls" wanted
to show him Wie clothes Leoda was
wearing when \illed, but that Tilda
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If interested in De Sota*
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Winston - Salem, N. C.,
Phone 5534.
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Solicitor Jones and Star Witness
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Left, Solicitor John R. Jones, whose untiring investigation of the
death of Leoda Childress has resulted in the apprehension of five of the
Tilley family. Right, Nate Tharpe, who was one of the first to find the
slain girl and who gave damaging testimony against Luther Tilley at the
coroner's hearing today.
Jane Darnell wouldn't let him see
the clothes.
Another witness. Miss Lexie Settle,
said she was at the home soon after
the murder occurred. She stated
she saw the tablet upon which the
murder note was supposed to have
been written, and that some of the
people there were looking through
it. She said Mrs. W. W. Tilley
asked them what they were looking
for, and when they replied they
thought there might be a note, Mrs.
Tilley said "you won't find a note
in that tablet."
Miss Settle also testified that it
was she who put through the call
for Dr. H. C. Salmons when the body
of the girl was first found.
Mrs. J. M. Yarborough testified
that she had loaned Nate Tharpe a
.22 rifle and several cartridges sev
eral days before this murder was
committed, Mr. Tharpe having al
ready testified that he had a cart
ridge in his pocket upon reaching
the murder scene. He said he had
been killing pigs. It was shown that
the cartridges which Mrs. Yar
borough had loaned him were .22
shorts.
Mr. Sides was called back to the
-tand to identify a .22 bullet which
he said W. W. Tilley had given him
as the one Mr. Tharpe had slipped
into the death rifle upon reaching
the Tilley home the day of the mur
der. However, this cartridge was of
the long variety.
Mrs. Dessie Cockorham stated
from the stand that, she had a talk
with Mrs. W. W. Tilley after Leoda's
death, and that Mrs. Tilley said
when she first heard of the affair
a* she was in Dr. Salmons' office at
Elkin she srot the impression that
some of Luther's children had been
in an automobile wreck. It was on
the way home from Elkin that it
suddenly came to her that Leoda had
been killed, the witness testified
Mrs. Tilley told her.
The witness also stated that Mrs.
Tillev told her that her husband felt
as tf Leoda wanted to speak to him.
Erskine Pardue stated that he
had a talk with Mr. Tilley on Sunday
after the girl's funeral and that Mr.
Tilley told Him that he wasn't un
easv about getting his money back.
Deputy Barker, upon being re
called to the stand near the end of
the hearing, testified that he had
talked with Clyde Tilley since the
boy's arrest, and that Clyde told him
he believed Lcoda killed herself and
that he wished the note hadn't been
found. He said Clyde told him that
if it wasn't suicide, then Mr«. Luther
Tilley did it or else had it done.
The witness also stated that Clyde
admitted having gotten himself into
a mess and said he might get., two
years over it. When reminded by
Deputy Barker that he might get
25 years, Clyde replied he' would get
only six years. Said he had been
reading law.
The courtroom was crowded to full
capacity, an estimated crowd of ov
er a thousand being on hand. Eu
pene Trivette, attorney for Mrs. Lu
ther Tillev, was present and reques
ted that his client be present. She
was brought into the courtroom by
Sheriff Bill Somers.
prominent Harmony
\ Physician Is Dead
V. L. P. Gross, 36, widely known
PhWian of Harmony, Iredell
c°uV. died at his home Friday
or™an illness of about one hour
-romA heart ailment. Dr. Gross
aVaduate of Wake Forest Col
ere art, later studied his profes
. ln Wtimore. He was the son
*3 Mrs - L - p - Gross of Har '
f _2v "Vviving is his wife and
. . " iall Vildren, his parents, four
S, and^hree brothers.
-™ 1 styles were held.at Har
mony latum v
Chaise Fame of Firm
To Electric Co.
mZIh w!r s El V trlc company, of
North wa ssoro wWch fQr the
had a branch
| store here \a temporary basis, has
THE ELKIN TRIBUNE, ELKIN, NORTH CAROLINA
jHr
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announced that the store will be
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The firm handles Crosley radios
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appliances and radies are also a
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The store is located, in the W. J.
Snow building on East Main street.
Deputy Collector
To Be Here 12-13
J. S. Atkinson, deputy collector of
the federal department of revenue
will be in Elkin February 12 and
13 to assist tax-payers in filing their
income tax returns. He may be seen
at Hotel Elkin during the two days.
Mr. Atkinson will be in Mount
Airy February 14-15, and in Pilot
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H ' ' H
Destroys Still
A steam still running at full blast
when captured, and several thou
sand gallons of still beer were des
troyed Saturday in the Traphill sec
tion by Deputy Sheriff W. B. Hall.
NOTICE
Having qualified as Administrator
of the estate of Mrs. DeEtte Kapp
Hanes, all persons holding claims
against said estate will hereby take
notice that they are required to
present the same to the undersigned
within 12 months from this date or
this notice will be pleaded in bar of
recovery. Also all persons owing said
estate will please make immediate
settlement.
This the 26th day of January,
1934.
W. L. REECE,
2-22 Administrator.
WANTS
Wanted: Candy Salesman for Elkin
and surrounding territory to dis
tribute line of penny and five
cent candies and peanut butter
sandwiches to retail stores. Ap
plicant must own light type sedan
automobile and be able to furnish
personal Surety bond. Address
reply to Rawls-Dickson Candy
Co., Box 2098, Winston-Salem, N.
C. 2-8 c
REAL ESTATE
For Sale: 123 acre farm 11 miles
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®SOCi ETY..
Doughton->Turner
A beautiful wedding of cordial in
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church in Winston-Salem Saturday
afternoon at 4:30, with Rev. G. Jor-
WHO WILL BE
Miss Elkin
- IN THE
Men's Beauty Contest
TO BE STAGED
THURSDAY NIGHT, FEBRUARY BTH
AT LYRIC THEATRE?
See Mary Pickford in
"SECRETS"
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Mrs. Doughton is the only daugh
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