'
-FOURTH JONES COUNTY AGRICULTURAL FAIR OPENING MONDAY FOR BIG WEEK
THE JONES COUNTY
NUMBER 20
TRENTON, N. C., THURSDAY, 6CTOBER 22, 1970
volume xvra
Murder-Suicide Ruled in Friday Night
Tragedy Claiming Parents of Four
Suicide and murder is the
ruling in the late Friday night
deaths of Allen Davenport Jr.
and his wife Dawn Haskins Dav
enport in the trailer home of
Dr. John Hargett Thompson at
Trenton.
Dr. Thompson, the only oth
er person present, told authori
ties of the chain of events cli
maxed in the twin tragedy.
Early in the evening Thomp
son says Davenport, who lived
in a trailer near his, came and
complained that he was having
a heart attack. Thompson says
he assured' Davenport that he
was not having a heart attack.
However, Davenport insisted
September Sales
Tax Collections
By County
Net Collections
County
Buncombe
Camden
Chowan
Clay
Cumberland
Currituck
Duplin
Durham
Greene
Hertford
Jackson
Jones
Lenoir
Macon
Madison
Mecklenburg
New Hanover
Onslow
Pamlico
Pasquotank
Perquimans
Richmond
Swain
Tyrrell
Watauga
Wayne
Total
$236,013.22
1,618.92
11,854.86
3,668.14
230,780.49
4,21614
34,037.30
211,123.55
7,098.90
26,205.42
20,662.34
4,663.95
85.220.46
28,030.11
7,315.85
575,733.70
164,363.69
80.010.47
4,763.04
36,700.76
5,538.17
50,699.14
10,320.90
2,562-31 1
42,244.88 <
99,554.85 1
$1,985,001.56 ]
to the point where Dr. Thomp
son agreed to go to his office
and given Davenport an electro
cardigraphic examination.
The examination showed Da
venport was not suffering any
heart problems and they re
turned to Thompson’s trailer
home. \
There they and Mrs. Davenport
were watching a late movie
when Thompson said Davenport
got up, walked out and came
back in just a minute or two
Thompson said he was still
watching the movie and did not
realize anything was wrong un
til Davenport opened fire and
shot his wife at close range sev
eral times.
Thompson said he jumped up
to see what 'Mrs. Davenport’s
condition was and about the time
tie reached her he heard ano
er shot and turned around to
see Davenport fallen upon the
floor.
The couple is survived by four
children.
Pair Given 6-to-8
fears for Robbing
BO-Year-Old Man
Wendell Maye of La Grange
-oute 3 and Lee Andrew Pinker
ton of Mississippi were given six
height years each in prison
ruesday in Lenoir County Su
perior Court.
The pair had been convicted
if robbing 80-year-old Herman
Sutton of the Buckesberry sec
ion of about $80 and leaving
lim tied up at his home.
Sutton was not badly hurt in
he robbery, but might have seri
>usly suffered if he had not been
ound shortly after this pair had
obbed him and tied him up.
Adultery Alleged as
Divorce Grounds in
Suit.Filed Last Week
Estelle Adams has alleged
adultery by her husband Her
man Leslie Adams with Louise
Meadows Heath as grounds for
divorce and separate mainten
ance for herself and one adopt
ed 10 year-old child she has in
her custody.
The suit filed in Jones Coun
ty Courts alleges their marriage
October 31, 1935 and continu
ing acts of adultery by her hus
bang beginning on or about
March 14, 1970.
The suit alleges that Adams
earns about $150 per week and
Mrs. Adams asks reasonable
subsstance for self and their a
dopted child and reasonable at
torney fees for her lawyer in
the action.
In other civil actions Provi
dent Finance Company seeks to
collect $185.08 from George
Wright of Polocksville, Route
Auto Parts seeks to collect $55.
47 from Kenneth Tucker of Do
ver route 2 and Ludie Mae Grant
of South Carolina seeks support
from her husband Hugh Grant,
who deserted her and was last
known to be in Jones County.
She and their four children live
near Abbeville, S- C.
Land Transfers
Jones County Register of
Deeds Bill Parker reports re
cording the following land
transfers in his office during
the past week
From Elmer and Elizabeth
and R. E. Wilson to Hazel Wil
son .6 acre in Trenton Town
ship.
From Daisy and Willie West
brook to David Paul Williams
a lot in Chinquapin Township.
From Daisy and Willie West
brook to Robert and Minnie Mc
Daniel two lots in Chinquapin
Continued on page 8
The 24h annual Jones County
Agricultural Fair sponsored by
Clen Newton Smith Post No. 154
of the American Legion begins
on Monday with a full week of
interesting and exciting exhibits
expected.
Post Commander Ben Gray
and Fair Association President
Edward Banks again this year
extend a sincere invitation and
hearty welcome to everyone to
come and enjoy one or more
days of this biggest event of the
years in Jones County.
Four Jones Arrests
During the past week four per
sons were booked at the sheriff's
office in Trenton. Lem Kornegay
and Ernest Odell Moore both of
Trenton route 2 and Arsie Wig
gins Willie of Pollocksville, were
all booked on drunken driving
charges and Clementine Sim
mons of Dover was accused of
public drunkenness.
Fair Superintendent Harvey
Boyette says everything is in
readiness for thousands of ex
hibits and hopefully more thous
ands of people to see these ex
hibits.
Monday will be largely in
volved in entering and placing
of exhibits; all of which must oe
in place before 8 p.m. Monday.
On Tuesday judging of num
erous departments take place
and a highlight of the day will
be bricklaying contest from 7
until 9 p.m.
Wednesday will be a school
children’s day and a “Dog Fash
ion Show,” along with a draw
ing for a free bicycle.
The highlight of Thursday will
be a dress revue.
Friday night the annual con
test to pick Miss Jones County
will be held at 7:30 p.m.
And all day Saturday a special
series of entertainments has
been planned to wind up the big
week with a big day.
Private Detective Killed Wednesday
In Hail of Automatic Rifle Bullets
Gene Autry Stocks of Kinston
Route Six was instanty killed
at about 12:15 Wednesday after
noon in a hail of fire from a .22
caliber automatic rifle east of
Kinston at the intersection of
River Road and Dover Road
diagonally across from the Nor
man West home.
Authorities are looking a young
white man who fled the scene
in a late model Chevrolet after
he had stepped out of his car
and poured eight long-rifle
rounds into the body and car of
Stocks.
James Poyles, who lives just'
east of where the shooting took
place, was driving on Highway
NC 55 within about 200 yards
of the murder scene and saw
Stocks as he got out of his car
to fall to the pavement.
Stocks and the murderer were
driving east, toward Dover. The
lead car of the murderer stopped
for the stop sign at that inter
section, jumped out and began
firing into the oar. As he fired
Stocks got out to fall dead to
the roadway.
Sheriff Fred Boyd said eight
empty cartirdges and one un
fired round had been been found
at the scene.
Foyles said as soon as Stocks
fell to the ground the murderer
jumped into his car and took
off toward Dover.
Coroner Raymond Jarman said
examination at the scene reveal
ed one bullet wound in the head
and another in the heart area.
The left front headlight of
Stocks’ car was shot out, two
bullet holes were in the wind
shield directly in front of the
driver’s seat and another bullet
hole was in the vent of the back
seat window of the two-door car
driven by Stocks
Sheriff Boyd said there was
indication that Stocks was shot
again while he was sprawled on
the ground.
Foyles said it appeared that
Stocks had suffered two wounds
in the head area; one just over
the left eye and the other in
the lower right jaw area.
Edward Earl Whaley, owner of
the Coastal Plain Dectective
Agency, said Stocks had been
employed as an investigator for
about four months.
At the scene deputies had a
prime suspect who had not been
apprehended at the time this is
written.
Whaley said he did not know
the suspect, and to his knowl
edge no one of that name was
under surveillance by his firm.
The suggestion had been made
that Stocks could possibly have
been shadowing someone or ev
en in the process of chasing
someone.
Whaley said to his knowledge
this was not the case.
Stocks lived about a mile and
a half from the point where he
was murdered just east of the
river lowgrounds.
V
STUDENTS INCREASE 10,024; TEACHERS INCREASE 5,596 IN FIVE-YEAR PERIOD 1964-1969
: Unit
Statewide
Craven v
Duplin
New Bern
Greene
Jones
Lenoir
Kinston
Onslow
Pamlico
Pitt
Greenville
Wayne
Goldsboro
Wilson Co.
Wilson City
196*70
Enrollment Teachers*
1.19IJS76
1964-65
Enrollment Teachers*
8902
10,006
5915
4432
2796
7971
14979
2569
,12471
5973
13957
^7709
4818
8015
54,407
409
484
268
219
135
399
313
607
117
582
281
629
371
230
359
1,181,552
8659
, 10839
5950
5008
3209
8502
6429
13679
2649
13623
5882
12617
8637
5384
8180
48,821
382
435
235
182
136
374
275
536
106
542
237
540
338
199
312
by Jack Rider
The North Carolina Public
School Survey, published by the
State Department of Public In
struction shows in its latest issue
a statewide increase of 10,024
students and 5,596 teachers in
the five-year period 1964-69.
Total enrollment for the 1964
65 school year at the end of the
first month of school was 1,
181,552 and total enrollment at
the end of the first month of the
1969-70 school year was 1,191,
576.
Expansion of teaching staff
during that five year period was
from 48,821 to 54,407 — an in
crease of 5,586.
The public school systems in
the central East Carolina area
generally did not follow this pat
tern of increase.
Of the 15 school systems sum
marized in the tabulation with
this article 11 showed drops in
total enrollment and four had
increases; yet 14 of the 15 sys
tems had increases in teaching
staff during this period.
Craven County schools had
an increase of 243 students and
an increase of teachers of 27.
New Bern schools shrunk in
total enrollment toy 35 students
but gained 33 teachers.
Duplin County schools drop
ped 833 students and gained 49
teachers
Greene County schools lost
576 students and 37 teachers.
Jones County schools lost 413
students and lost one teacher.
Lenoir County schools lost
531 students and gained 25
teachers.
Kinston schools lost 168 stu
dents and gained 38 teachers.
Onslow County schools gain
ed 1300 students and gained 69
teachers.
Pamlico County schools lost
80 students and gained 11 teach
ers.
Pitt County schools lost 1152
students and gained 40 teachers.
Greenville schools gained 91
students and gained 44 teach
ers.
Wayne County schools added
1340 students and added 89
teachers.
Goldsboro’s schools lost 928
studentstrfit gained 33 teachers.
Wilson County schools lost
566 students hut gained 31 teach
ers.