Newspapers / Jones County Journal (Trenton, … / Jan. 29, 1953, edition 1 / Page 1
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Rider says, “You can’t eat It tat it looks pretty hanging on the wall and he invitee both hie Mends to come by and look at it” At left Is a reproduction of the award certificate which went to the Lenoir County News foe its editorial pace in 1958. Alone with the certif icate came the brense plaque Editor Rider is seen displaying at right In 1950 this paper placed third hi statewide competition for feature writing .among North 080011110% weekly and this year it moved into first place for its editorial page. ■ Editor Rider waa a little puffed up by the award but was quickly deflated by the Business Manager of the paper who slammed him with: “Look what yen could do" if you’d .work two hours a week.” JUST ONE ARREST lust one arrest is logged for last week in the Sheriffs office in Trenton and that was one made by Patrolman Marvin Thomas of Thad Alonzo Hart of Dover Route one who is under 9800 bond charged-with drunken driving. . Tax Statistics Interesting Even if They are Year Old Although statistics are fre quently cussed, laughed at and ignored there is still much of value to be found in the long rows of figures that accumulate through the years on various subjects, and not the least of these is taxation. The North Carolina Department of Reve nue has Just released its 1952 summary, a 451 page booklet packed with tax statistics on practically every phase of the North Carolina tax picture. A few of the figures that may interest that reader who does not have the time or inclination to dig through the entire 451 j of the size of this study the fig ures do not reach beyond the fiscal year 1951-52 and in some instances a year earlier than this.) Perhaps the most controver sial North Carolina tax is the Sales Tax which was installed in the depression of the Thirties as an “emergency measure” and is still retained. In ’51-52 the gross take from this Sales Tax was $51,871,509 and for the year ’50-51 the fig ure was moer than a million dollars less, $50,061,875. Of that total Jones County chipped in for the fiscal year Continued on Page 8 January 30, 1947, a truck driver m the Eastern.sld* f ihd Ad time ton. iSp at the scene .and with the U of Coroner Raymond an thebodywas Identified iat of Keitaeth Thylor, a past-middle-age b a k e r y sr. Taylor’s head had been sewered from the body by ndghl have been an eac sly sharp knife,' jitter and fracture Jn the left eaof his skull, a blow 1 have been sufficient Dozens of people were ques tioned by city, county and state 'ptrl&ein the„days and weeks that folknted- the truck diriver’s frightening find. Taylor’s whereabouts on the night.of his murder were fairly well checked! After supper at. his home he had visited, a filling station operated: by E. W. Stroud less than a mile north of the spot where his body was found. His Visit to the filling station lasted for about two hours and at some where near nine o’clock he departed for home and death. All of the questioning revealed that Taylor had last been seen alive at the brink of the hill leading, down into Kinston and there he paused briefly to speak with a resident of that neigh borhood who was on his way home. IJKt?"'*. Another resident of that sec tion who had driven past where Taylor was talking a few min-: utes later returned in his oar to town and in that few mlhutes Taylor had disappeared from the roadway and no doubt was in the process of being robbed and killed at about the time this man returned to town and miss Degree Murder and held with out privilege of bond. Thompson’s: story' stated that during thfe period while he was free after his escape in Rich Square he met Parrott and to gether they pulled a couple of minor robberies in the Kinston and Goldsboro area. It was during this association that Thompson said Parrott committed the minder of Tay lor. Thompson said they had ridden up behind Taylor, Par rott had gotten out of the car, walked up behind Taylor and hit him over the head with a length of iron pipe. After this, so Thompson’s story went, Par rott dragged! the unconscious form into the bushes and in a few minutes came back with blood on his shirt and a small amount of money. Thompson told this story not once but several times and fi nally told it to a Lenoir Coun ty Jury so convincing that Par rott was found guilty of First Degree Mufder and sentenced to die In the state gas chamber •ip Raleigh- Perhaps the most convincing aspect of Thompi son’s courtroom demeanor had been his own plea of guilty to murder in the second degree in connection with the crime and fals humble acceptance of a 30 year sentence for his* part In the crime which placed Parrott on Death Row. , Parrott throughout his trial and on every occasion maintain - and denied „ of the ’ erimfe. sep-him from be the Death Row for nearly Thompson again called for Kin vson police to come talk to him in the Raleigh prison. This time his story was a great deal different from what it was on that first occasion. Now, the handsome.young man, said that neither he or Parrott knew anything about Taylor’s murder and that he had cooked up his original story after read ing newspaper accounts of the death and had told the story on Parrott ‘to get even with him for squealing about the robber ies they had committed togeth er in Goldsboro. Thompson offered proof to the police to back up his story. Proof that was checked and re checked and was found to be true. Paradoxically, Police Chief Canady had in the interim become an agent of the State Bureau of Investigation and now part of hlawork was in corrob orating the “new story” Thomp son was telling. Of course Parrott’s execution was stayed and a new trial was ordered Shortly afterwards when Thompson’s “new story” stood up under the most Intense ex amination. He had said that he was in the western part of North Carolina an the night Taylor was murdered. How did he offer to prove it?' By no less authority than the North Carolina Highway Pa trol. Thompson said he had been riding in a stolen oar and was chased for many miles on the night of Taylor’s murder by a; patrolman. His description of the wild chase through the mountainous area and his story about how he finally escaped checked down to the last detail Highway Patrol records as as with the memory of the . had onf their home in the far west of North Carolina on the night of Taylor’s murder. When this new evidence was placed before another Lenoir County jury Parrott was found not/ guilty and he went from the courtroom a free man—as free as anyone could be who has lived in the shadow of the gas chamber for more than six months. Perhaps the most ironical as pect of the entire case is that Thompson, the glib liar, whose conscience caught up with him at the, last minute, is still serv ing 30 years in prison for his part in a murder he proved that he could not have committed. 4- He has escaped several times from prison and in December of last year was apprehended again after having taken “French Leave” for a short pe riod. Today^he is an exceeding ly bitter young man. He thinks justice has frowned on him for hanging around his neck a 30 year prison sentence for a crime he didn't commit. But there is a law, older than that of North Carolina, which holds that a liar shall suffer the punishment that might have been the lot of the man on whom the lie was told . , So, to that light, Thompson is lucky to be alive. Vital Statistics The Jones County Health De partment reports five deaths and 29- births for Jones County during November of 1952 with fulj reports now in for that month from the State Depart ment of Health.
Jones County Journal (Trenton, N.C.)
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Jan. 29, 1953, edition 1
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