IP IT IS NEWS ABOUT
PERSON COUNTY, YOU’LL
FIND IT IN THE TIMES.
VOLUME XI PUBLISHED EVERY SUNDAY ft THURSDAY
Shoe And Clothing Firms
Robbed By Four Durham Men
Tfiro Captured and Two Es
eaftu Moat Os Merchandise
IT m iiidiMa .ml
fvCUMlircu.
' r
By -a morning ride
on a altotpl |ftnd-car Chief of
Police, S. A. Oliver and Officer
HgMfe of the Roxboro
police ilpprli n J yesterday
captured two Durham Negroes,
Jamea.Miller and Uffk Lyons,
who, tojpMier with two other
Negroes ftaeike into the jointly
1 rmn-tril Main jlrr rt strrr occupied
by the AMjfeifP Shoe store find
Emory FouShee’a clothing eom
fftoy early hi the looming and
valued at ap-
The robbery was first discov
ered by Carr Holeman, employee
of the Camp Fertilizer company,
around 7 o’clock yesterday morn
ing, when he parked his automo
bile in front of the store, saw the
open door and went in to inves
tigate
Following the report by Hole
man, local police officers acted on
a tip that four Negroes with
sacks thrown across their shoul
ders had been seen a short while
before walking the railroad
tracks toward Durham, near Hel
ena. Arriving near the spot in
their car, the officers saw the
four suspects, as described, about
half a mile away; gave chase on
the hand-car as the quickest way
£to approach them and ordered
them to halt.
Upon failing to stop, one of the
Negroes, James Miller, was fired
upon by Offioer Wade. Miller,
who was thus wounded in the
leg, and Mack Lyons were cap
tured and brought back to the
Person County jail, where they
are being held without bond on
charges of breaking, entering and
larceny.
Although Joe Hayes and Geor
ge Hedepeth, the two confeder
ates of Miller and Lyons escaped
while the officers were engaged
in the chase, Chief Oliver said
that the greater part of the stol
en merchandise was recovered.
Proprietors of the two establish
ments, W. Rainey Hawkins and
Mr. Foushee, were at the court
house later in the day making
identifications of various items.
Included in the list were six
teen suits of men’s clothing, five
or six hats, thirteen pairs of
shoes, four pairs of pants and fif
teen neckties.
Officers say that the break-in,
effected by slipping the front
. door lock, after removal of a
piece-ol weathef-stripping left a
► crack large enough to insert a
screwdriver or sdme other imple
ment of similar size, must have
occurred shortly before day
break, although Miller told them
that the thefts were made short
ly after midnight In one of the
sacks was found a wrecking bar.
At a late afternoon hour today
Hayes and Hedgepeth were still'
at large, although local police, as,
i well as those in nearby cities and
towns, have been on the lookout
for them.
As Chief Oliver and Officer
Wade drove up to the court house
and jail with Lyons and the injur
ed Miller, about 9:30 o’clock, a
curious crowd gathered around
the car. Those who looked in could
S see Miller’s blood-stained shoe on
the rear floor, but there was noth
ing else there to satisfy the on
? lookers or to indicate that its oc
r eupants had engaged in a flight
■ and capture game.
o
•- “Remember, I pray thee, who
ever perished, being innocent?
or whre were the righteous cut
r’
- T " b
lersnn^ffimes
Funeral Services
Held Tuesday For
Local Resident
Funeral services for Mrs. T. H.
Greer, 60, who died Monday
morning at her residence on Pass
street, this city, after being in a
critical condition for six days fol
lowing a stroke of paralysis, were
held Tuesday afternoon at 3 o’-
clock at Brookland Methodist
church. Rites were in charge of
Rev. D. A. Petty, the pastor, and
interment took place in the church
cemetery.
Mrs. Greer, who was the dau
ghter of the late Henderson and
Rachel Gollyhom, formerly lived j
at Jonesville, Va., and was a mem-1
ber of the Methodist church there, j
She is survived by six children
and one sister, four daughters,
(Mrs. J. M. Shields and Mrs. Vic
tor Hargis, of Roxboro; Mrs. Har
rison Bowman, of Jonesville, Va.,
and Mrs. Melvin Johnson, of Ox
ford; by two sons, Ray Greer, of
Roxboro, and Paul Greer, of Win
ston-Salem, and by one sister,
Mrs. Frank Ledger, of Middle
boro, Ky.
o
Bumpass, Wade,
Barnette Cars’
In One Mix-up
Last night Darius Stanfield,
Negro filling station attendant,
driving south on Lamar street
this city, atempted to pass be
tween a parked car and another
automobile, also going south. La
mar street is a narrow street and
as a consequence of this unalter
able conditions Stanfield came
out of the squeeze with six dam
aged fenders, four on his own car
and one each ort the two others
involved.
That was bad enough for Stan
field, who was driving a machine
belonging to R. D. Bumpass, co
owner of a local filling station,
but it just happens that the other
automobiles Stanfield dented up
are owned Iby Zeb Barnette and
John B. Wade, two men who also
make their living by operating
filling stations.
The accident happened in front
of Barnette’s residence, where his
car was parked, and for the mo
ment each service station owner
had a headache as separate and
distinct as his respective establish
ment, although by gentlemenly a
greement paying honors will fall
upon Mr. Bumpass, and no char
ges will be pressed against Stan
field or against "Buddy” Pleas
ants, Wade’s attendant, who was
driving the other car.
u
Special Services
Start Today At
Episcopal Church
Beginning today and continu
ing on each Thursday during Lent
special services will be held at
7:30 o’clock in the evening at St.
Mark’s Episcopal church, accord
ing to announcement made to
day by the acolyte, E. B. Fergu
son, Jr., who will be the first
speaker and will have charge of
each service. Guest ministers will
be invited' to conduct successive
services.
o
“What doth Invention but toge
therplace,
The blocks of a child’s game to
Bankhead Pledges Support to Bankhead
• Senator Lister BUI of Alabama pins a “Bankhead for President"
button on the lapel of Senator John H. Bankhead, also of the OOtton sip to.
They are booming the senator’s brother, Bop. William B. Bankhead,
speaker of the boose, for the Democratic nomination far BrNW Is the
1940 campaign. Senator Hill Is Bankhead’s campaign .....
Harris Resigns To
Go To Hazard , Ky.
Following publication of an As
sociated Press story Tuesday
morning to the effect that he had
been elected city manager of
Hazard, Ky., a town of about 12,-.'
000 population, ciity manager
James C. Harris, of Roxboro, who
has held his position here for the J
past four and a half years, later
in the morning announced that
he has accepted the city manag
ership of the Kentucky city.
His resignation was presented
to the Roxboro city council at aj
call session Tuesday morning-and
was accepted. It is understood
that Mr. Harris will take up his
duties in the Kentucky city as
soon as his business affairs in
connection with the local office
can be terminated, which will
probably be within the next two
or three weeks.
In a formal statement issued af
ter the council meeting Tuesday
morning Mr. Harris said:
“Having been elected city man
ager of Hazard, Ky., I have re
signed my position in Roxboro,
and I wish to take this occasion j
to express my appreciation for',
DR. RICHARDSON
SPEAKS BEFORE
AGENCYCOUNCIL
Advocates Establishment
Os Co-operative County
Health Council.
Discussing the apparent need
of an organization to be known
fes the Person County Health
Council, Dr. W. P. Richardson, of
Chapel Hill, who is director of
the tri-county Orange, Person
and Chatham health department,
told the members of the Person
County Councial of Social agen
cies at their delayed January
luncheon meeting held Monday
at Hotel Roxboro, that a county
health council, composed of peo
ple directly interested in county
health welfare, could render
much effective service to the pro
gram being carried out by the
county department of health,
i Dr. Richardson, who was in
troduced by the Social Agencies’
president, Miss Lake Allen, went
on to say that a health council,
such as he proposes can often do
effective work through its repre
sentatives. These representatives
are, he said, drawn from such
' - - —t*"- * *-• '
( the unswerving cooperation that
I have had from the board, and
also my appreciation for the
courtesy and friendliness -I have
1 experienced at the hands of Rox
boro people during the four and
a half years I have been here.” '
Mr. Harris, who is 30 years of
age and is regarded as one of the
youngest city managers in the
nation, is a graduate of the Uni
versity of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill. He is a member of
| the Roxboro Rotary club and of
the First Baptist church.
During his period of connec
tion with the city in the capacity
of city manager, the tax rate
has been reduced from $2.25 to
$1.35 per hundred dollars valua
tion. At the same time the city
police force has been doubled;
the fire department, although
still a volunteer department has
been placed on a paid basis and
water and sewer facilities have
been doubled.
Mr. Harris, who is a native of
Warren county, came to Roxboro
from Fuquay Springs, where he
also served as oity manager.
FLEM D. LONG TO
SEEK OFFICE OF
STATE SENATOR
Is First Candidate From
Person - Granville District
To Announce.
Flem D. Long, prominent Per
son county farmer anfi merchant,
who resides in the Concord
Church community, announced
Monday momnig that he will be
a candidate for the state senate
from the district composed of
Person and Granville counties,
subject to the Democratic pri
mary, May 25. No other candida
tes for this offi<fe have yet been
announced.
In his formal statement to the
press, Mr. Long, who has pre
viously held several important
county positions, said that he has
been contemplating this announ
cement for sometimes; that his
decision to seek the senatorship
comes after assurances of support
from many friends in both coun
ties and that he desires and pro
mises to fill the position to the
best of his ability.
Last elected Person senator
from the Person and Granville
C'r.Crv.::’ rr ruck Pr.j c)
Stephen Georges ’ Sentence
Shortened By Judge Hayes
FUNERAL SERVICES
FOR R. C. MERRITT
CONDUCTED TODAY
Former Roxboro Resident
Passes In Greenville; Pro
minent In Tobacco World.
Robert Connor Merritt, 46,
native of Person county and
member of a prominent family
here, died Wednesday evening at
6:20 o’clqck at a hospital at
Greenville, where he was taken
eai'ly Tuesday morning follow
ing a sudden illness, which de
veloped Monday night and was
later diagnceed as meningitis.
Mr. Merritt, who had made his
home in Greenville for the past
eighteen years, was at the time
of his death vice president of the
E. B. Ficklen Tobacco company
and was regarded as one of the
most popular tobacconists in the
state. On Wednsday of last week
he returned to his home from a
business trip and at that time
was suffering from a slight at
tack of influenza, although he re
covered from this illness and was
apparently well at the time he
was suddenly stricken.
A brief service was held at 9
o’clock this morning at his Fifth
street home, in Greenville, and
final rites were conducted this
afternoon at three o’clock at the
home of his mother, Mrs. Mamie
Merritt, on South Main street,
this city, by the Rev. T. M. Grant,
pastor of the Greenville Jarvis
Memorial Methodist church, as
sisted by the Rev. W. C. Martin,
pastor of the Edgar Long Memor.
ial Methodist chunch, of this city.
Interment followed in Burch
wood cemetery.
Mr. Merritt was the son of Mrs.
Mamie Merritt and of the late
J. S. Merritt, prominent Roxboro
attorney, Who died more than
thirty years ago. He was a bro
ther of Miss Sue Merritt, of the
Roxbpro grammar school faculty;
of Miss Eglantine Merritt, of
Smithfield, and J. S. Merritt, edi
tor of the Person County Times.
He was married some years ago
to Miss Gertie Bradsher, of Rox.
boro, who also survives, as do
two children; a daughter, Miss
Mary Jameson Merritt, and a son
Robert Connor, Jr., of Greenville.
Conner Merritt, as he was
known to Roxboro citizens, re
ceived his education at Roxboro
high school and at Oak Ridge In
stitute. For two years after he
was graduated from Oak Ridge
he was engaged in business in
Roxboro, but soon went to Green
ville, where he became connect
ed with the Ficklen company, and |
subsequently became a leading
business man, especially in to
bacconists’ circles.
On Monday night Mr. Merritt
icomplained of feeling unwell,
saying that he had a severe head
ache, and a physician was called,
but his condition did not become
critical until later in the night,
when he beame unconscious and
was rushed to the hospital,
where an operation was per
formed. Specialists from Rich
, mond were called into consulta
tion, but only slights hope was
held for his recovery.
News of his death was received
, here with profound sorrow and
; last night many citizens, who
. knew him as a Roxboro boy and
■ young man, pausing to pay tri
> bute to his memory, characteriz
ed him as a friendly, courteous,
: and humor-loving man, who ne
* ver forgot the Person county as-
THURSDAY, FEB. 8, 1940
Rural Schools To
Remain Closed For
Rest Os Week
Person county rural schools,
with a few exceptions, were
closed again Tuesday after hav
ing been open for one day, Mon
day. Closing was ordered because
many county roads are still in
such condition as to make bus ser
vice impossible. The announce
ment was made Tuesday after
noon by Person County Superin
tendent of Schools, R. B. Griffin,
who said that local highway auth
orities have assured school offic
ials that roads ought to be in
condition by Monday of this next
week.
Person schools remaining open
include those at Ca-Vel, Long
hurst and’ Roxboro, as well as a
few Negro schools not serviced by
busses. Also closed although it is
in the city limits is the Person
County Training school for Neg
roes, the larger part of whose pu
pils are brought in by busses.
o
SCOUT FATHER-SON
BANQUET WILL BE
HELD FEBRUARY 16
Frank Dix, Greensboro Ex
ecutive, Expected To Make
Principal Address.
With Frank Dix, Greensboro
Scout executive, expected as
speaker, plans are now virtually
complete for the annual “Boy
Scout Father and Son” banquet to
be staged by the Person and Rox
boro Scout council on Friday,
February 16, at Hotel Roxboro.
The banquet will begin at 6:30
o’clock in the evening.
Toastmaster for the event,
which, although it comes a few
days later than National Boy
Scout week, is being given as a
local feature of the celebration
of the thirteenth anniversary of
the founding of the American
branch cf the organization, will
be O. B. Mcßroom, chairman of
the local council.
Those in charge of the program
to be presented include W. A.
Pickering, chairman; Dr. Robert
E. Long and D. Clyde Swartz,
while other details are being
handled by C. A. Harris, F. O.
Carver, Jr., and Joe Gussy, who
served as an arrangement com
mittee last year Ad are again
performing similar duties.
In a statement made Tuesday
night of this Week, Mr. Harris
I said he expects a good attend
ance this year at the banquet.
Scouts and their fathers, togeth
er with other soouts who will
have sponsors, are expected to
join local leaders in a program
of fun, food and music, with the
direction of the last mentioned to
be in the hands of Wallace W.
Woods.
Mr. Dix, who is well known for
his effective Scout work in
Greensboro, is expected to speak
on some phase of “Senior Scout
ing.” Tickets for the banquet may
be obtained from members of the
arrangements committee.
o
GOES TO SANITORIUM
Coleman C. King, who has for
the past two months been a pa
tient at Community hospital, ieft
Sunday for Sanatorium, where he
. will receive treatment for some
Vrwrv+oi there.
THE TIMES IS
PREMIER NEWSPAPER
A LEADER AT ALL TIMES
NUMBER TWENTY-NINH
Convicted In Federal Court
In Durham Monday; Citt
erns Lend Aid.
Stephen Georges, a naturalized
American for the past four years
and a Roxboro case operator, who
was tried the first of the week
in federal district court at Dur
ham, before Judge Johnson J.
Hayes, on charges of entry into
the United States on a false per
mit and of giving false informa
tion as to how and whence he
came into this county, yesterday
received a modification of the or
iginal sentence imposed. •
Judge Hayes, after consulta
tion with Georges’ attorney and
after hearing representations from
prominent Roxboro citizens as to
Georges’ good behavior in Rax
boro, announced that Georges, a
native of Greece and originally a
British subject, would be senten
ced to serve only a year and a
day in the penitentiary for his of
fense.
The original sentence, imposed
Monday, required that Georges
should serve a sentence of two
years in the penitentiary and
then suffer deportation. The orig
inal sentence also provided that
Georges should be allowed two
days to make arrangements for
the continuance or closing up of
his business interests in the Roy
al case here, and while no modi,
fication of this ruling was an
nounced yesterday in Durham it
is understood that Georges will
be given a little more time to
arrange his affairs before begin
ning service of his sentence.
Likewise, no change in the de
portation order was announced.
Characterizing the case as tra
gic, but saying that he had no
other choice in the matter, Judge
Hayes said that the “Giving of
false testimony in courts rocks
the very foundations of justice
itself”. Georges, has an American
wife and a son not more
two or three months old.
During the years he has resid
ed in Roxfcoro Georges has been '
regarded as a worthy American
citizen, was at one time a mem
ber of a civic club and has
en an active though discreet role
in community affairs.
Under the charges brought out
in federal court it was shown
that when Georges obtained his
(Continued On Back Page)
o .
Person Four-H
Clubs To Present * |
Radio Program
Representatives of Person coun
ty’s 4-H clubs have been asked to
present a radio program on
“What Four-H Club Work Means
to Individuals, Farmers and the
Community”, over station WPW,
Raleigh, at 11 o’clock Saturday
morning.
Those participating will inclu
de: Miss Mary Evelyn Long, of
Bushy Fork; Miss Ellen ( Owens,
of the John C. Terrell school;
Bernard Cf&yton, of Mt. Tirzah,
and Clarenpe Hall, of Hurdle
Mills.
———o f
ENTERS UNIVERSITY 1
J. Y. Humphries, Jr., of the
Bethel Hill community, left Tues
day morning for Louisville, Ky.,
where he will attend the Univer
• versity of Louisville. He will re
. side with an aunt in Louisville,
t Mr. Humphries is the son of Mr.
s and Mrs. J. Y. Humphries and is
: a graduate of Bethel Hill high
•«*Vnol. - ‘ ' .rj
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