' '- ' " .... P l , M ' '
WEEKLY
Jin
L'JUD JT
A WEEKLY NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE UPBUILDING OF HERTFORD AND PERQUIMANS COUNTY
i 1 Volume VII. Number 16.
Hertford, Perquimans County, North Carolina, Friday, April 19, 1940.
$1.25 Per Year.
UIMANS
k
j
n
I i,,V ti.
I '
! 4 -
if
ft:'
if '
,"6
ii
i
-3$
IS.
4
H
4
COUNTY POLITICS WARMING UP; 21 FILE
FOR OFFICES; NINE FOR COMMISSION
L. N. Hollowell Not to
Seek Nomination
From Hertford Town
ship; Still Chairman
MANY UNOPPOSED
Lane Sews up Hertford
Township; Perry Has
No Opposition In New
Hope:. Hottest Con
test Looms In Park
ville Township; Filing
Gates Closed
The race for seats on the county
commission took an unexpected twist
at 5:30 Saturday afternoon when L
N. Hollowell resigned as chairman
of the county board of elections and
filed his candidacy for commissioner
from Hertford township.
Hollowell's notice of candidacy
would have made a total of ten can
didates seeking the five seats on the
board of commissioners.
Mr. Hollowell, however, has had to
withdraw from the race and resume
his duties as chairman of the board
of elections, on the advice of W. A.
Lucas, Chairman of the State Board
of Elections.
It developed, according to Mr.
Hollowell, after getting in touch
with Mr. Lucas, that he should have
filed notice of his candidacy with
himself, as chairman of the county
board, and then resigned at six
o'clock, as the filings closed.
Mi.. Hollowell resigned first, and
then; filed wrfli C. R Morris, chair
man f the county Democratic exe
cutive committee. Another chairman
of th county board of elections had
jnot fceen Appointed' when Mi. Lucas
"sked the present chairman ..to con
.MflUwiQ not be 1
cai
date.
A total of twenty-one candidates
had filed with Mr. Hollowell before
the deadline Saturday; they include
nine candidates for the board of
county commissioners; five for the
office of representative from Per
quimans County; one each for the
Senate, register of deeds, recorder of
county court, and county treasurer;
and three for the board of education.
As the race goes to the primary,
incumbents E. M. Perry from New
Hope, and A. T. Lane from Hertford
Township, are uncontested; while
Parkville, at present unrepresented
on the commission, will give the
county three candidates from which
to select one.
Seeking the nomination from Park
. ville Township are Irvin Nixon, E.
U. Morgan and Nathan Hurdle. The
race in the neglected township has
developed the greatest momentum. .
Belvidere and Bethel Townships
are running neck and neck; the in
cumbent commissioner in each being
contested by a newcomer. Linford
L. Winslow opposes incumbent J. C.
Baker in Belvidere; Charles E. White
will oppose incumbent Roy H. Chap
pell in Bethel.
Recorder Granberry Tucker is un
opposed for a second term as the
head of the county court, and no con
testants hove into sight for J. W.
. Ward's office as register of deeds, or
Jacob L. White's fis county treasurer.
C. R. Holmes was the lone candi
date filinir in this county for the
First District's place in the Senate.
x For the Board of Education, D., K
Barber of WinfaM, a newcomer, and
two incumbents. . W. E. Dail and
Shelton Long have filed.
C. J. Umphlett To Seek
MayoraMOf Winfall
rnndldfttea no for: election '-..'at the
primary to be held '4 in ; Winfall for
town offices on June 1st, Include C.
J. Umnhlett for mayor- Joel Hbllo-
well. J. D. Cranford and Fred Wins
low for jcommisBiQners; J. L. Nixon
for town clerk, and William Bagley
for constable. ' i j
i7noii - to. withnnt a mavor at
present, and the commission; is lacki
-ing one member,'; D. L. Barber, may
or for the past several years, has re
signed to announce, candidacy for the
county board . fVMicattea...j?WaG.
Hollowell, member of the board of
town commissioners, resigned to take
the Civil Service examination "and to
become postmaster; at jWinfall. :
ThA incumbent commissioner are
J. P. Jones and J. L. Nixon. W. R.
Stanton is' town clerK, ana A.
Bagley is constable. . ..
'j! BDDB 'ANNOUNCEMENT
Born to 'Mr and Mrs. Johnnie
v Baccus of Hurdletown, on Wednes
day, April 10, son. 4 - ;
Farm Bureau To
Elect Officers
The Perquimans County Farm
Bureau will meet at the Agricul
ture Building Saturday afternoon
at three o'clock to elect officers
and to take in new members, ac
cording to an announcement made
by Irvin Nixon on Monday. iMr.
Nixon is secretary of the Bureau,
and J. W. Ward is president.
Asked One Hundred
Dollars Damage;
May Ask $10,000
Burney Flays Furniture
Dealers For "Taking
Advantage of Poor
Folks"
"I wish I could be the judge to try
this crowd if they are ever brought
up again. If I didn't send them to
the roads, it would be because I
couldn't sign my name to a judg
ment." It was Judge John J. Burney talk
ing Wednesday morning on the third
day of Perquimans County's April
term of Supenor Court.
The jury had been sent out, and
Judge Burney was proceeding to ver
bally whale the tar out of the South
ern Furniture Company of Suffolk,
Virginia.
The case was one wherein King
Solomon Welch, Hertford Negro, was
asking $100 damage for furniture
takea from his home by employees
of the Virginia furniture house, be
cajMw'h. haxl miMftipayments,
Hn¬ig$Vto withdraw this
suit for one hundred dollars and en
ter another for $10,000 unitive dam
ages, plus actual damages. He s got
a case." the judge went on. "This
is one of the most outrageous, das
tardly maimers of taking advantage
of poor folks I ever saw."
"Let me teQl you," he continued,
"a poor man, white or black, is going
to get justice when I'm on the bench.
I'm tired of seeing furniture stores
and such taking advantage of poor
folks; selling them a bill of goods,
and then when it is almost paid for,
reaching out and taking it back,
without any legal right whatsoever".
Judge Burney vowed to do all he
could to look out for poor folks, "be
cause," he said, "I'm poor, and was
raised poor. Why I was reared so
far back in the woods we had to use
'possums for house cats."
Judge Burney left no doubt as to
what he thought of such business
practices, and when his outburst was
finished, W. G. Edwards, attorney
for Welch, asked a voluntary motion
for non-suit. The Court granted it.
From Edwards action in asking
the non-suit, it appears that the
Southern Furniture Company will
face a larger suit at .the next term
of Superior Court in Perquimans
County, instituted by King Solomon
Welch.
Farm Security
Administration
Unit In Hertford
A Farm Security Administratior.
Office has moved ,to Hertford from
Edenton" and js occupying quarters
above Roberson's Drug Store.
The office, to' serve Perquimans
and Chowan Counties, brings with it
Mr. A. H. Edwards, rural rehabilita
tion supervisor, Miss Margaret Dail
and Miss Marian Morrow of Edenton,
and Louis Hassell of Eoper.
The office is established in Hert
ford by the Department, of Agricul-
tute under a new setup which pro
vides three such offices to-serve the
six counties north of the Albemarle
Sound; one is in Elizabeth City to
serve,. Pasquotank v and Gates, and
one is at Currituck , to serve Curri
tuck and. Camden Counties. ' '
MINNIE WILSON GROUP MEETS
. . .The Minnie Wilson group . of the
Woman's Missionary Society f the
Methodist Church will meet Vt ,the
home of-Mrs. William Landing on
Monday" evening, "April --22,' at
o'clock. : Mrs. Landing and Mrs. Mc
Nider will be Joint hostesses. Alt
members are urged to attend. vri
.Of "
Judge Commends
Officers; Grand
Jury Gives Report
focuses Attention on
Condition of Jail; De-
v scribed In Report as
"Very Bad"
In discharging the Grand Jury, the
Honorable John J. Burney, judge
presiding at the April Term of Per
quimans County Superior Court,
made special commendation of the
officers of Perquimans County for
performance of their duties.
Whether it was the SDeedv amjre-
W 1 i
hension of criminals or the type of
case the local officers furnish the
prosecuting attorney that prompted
His Honor to commend the law
enforcement unit, he did not say.
The report of the Grand Jury
focused particular attention on the
condition of the county jail, which
was described in the report as a
"very bad condition."
Heating facilities in the jail were
tagged as "inadequate", and the re
port recommended that an oil heater
be installed, on the lower floor if
possible, before ' next winter.
It was recommended also that a
sagging hand-rail leading from the
lower floor to the upper story should
be repaired at once in order to
avoid serious accidents. Further
more, the Jury was of the opinion
that the jail needs a thorough clean
ing.
The clerk's office, the sheriff's of
fice, other public offices, and the re
cords therein; the prison camp, are
all according to Hoyle, but repairs
of a minor nature are needed at the
county home, according to the report
The inmates at the county home
were described as "happy, well-fed
and treated kindly."
At the grammar school in Hert
ford, things were found in not such
pleasing conditions; the toilet facili
ties for both boys and girls again
came under the head of "inadequate"
and in need of repairs. The high
school is in need of repairs to walls
and ceilings, and schools at New
Hope and Winfall were in good con
dition. The colored school here
needs repairs and painting.
The school busses, which Judge
Burney called special attention to in
his charge to the Jury, were found
to be in good condition and properly
manned as to drivers.
The Grand Jury's report also end
ed with the desire to commend offi
cers of the county for the manner
of conducting their offices.
W. H. Hardcastle, assistant cash
ier at the Hertford Banking Com
pany, was foreman of the Grand
Jury.
IN PITTMAN HOSPITAL
Rev. Mr. Munns of the Methodist
Church went to Fayetteville Monday
He will be treated at Pittman Hos
pital for a sinus affection. While
in Fayetteville he will be the guest
of his daughter, Mrs. H. E. Mock.
"Where Are We Falling Down?" Judge
Burney Charges Perquimans Grand Jury
Had Judge . John J. Burney beenterested audience was Judge Bur-
makincr a bona-fide SDeech as he
charged the Grand Jury when Su
perior Court convened Monday
morning, the subject could easily
have been "Where Are We Falling
Down?"
Judge Burney's charge was a
thing of beauty ... of sheer beauty
in the claritj with which it brought
the crowded courtroom a ghastly pic
ture of the cost of crime to the
United States.
"North Carolina is no goody goody
State," His Honor went on, "only
one state, Alabama, led North Caro
lina in homicides and unlawful kill
ings last year; New York, Illinois
and Michigan, with New York City,
Chicago and Detroit, nothwithstand-
ing."
"Who has fallen down?" Judge
Burney asked again. "Somebody in
the United States is falling down
somewhere. Every two seconds a
car is stolen. Twelve thousand A-
merican citiiens were murdered last
year. No one has been arrested for
4,748 of these' killings. In England
over the same period of time, mere
were ?4 murders and 23 hangings
for them.
"There were 1,300,000 felonies re-
norted to the' Federal Bureau of In
vestisration last year, and this num
ber includes only crimes punishable
by death or imprisonment."
"There are more' armed racketeers
n the United States today than there
are'sojdjers in the Army," he told
his listeners. (Not only the grand
iurors listened. Spectators were not
missing a word); "Who is falling
down?'? he repeated, "and where is
the answer ?"t
Even mora staggering1 to the w-
w ': i 4 ; 1
Four Absolute
Divorces Granted
During Court Term
Decrees Granted on
North Carolina's Two
Year Separation Law;
Other Cases
Four absolute divorces were grant
ed at intervals during the April
Term of Perquimans County Super
ior Court; none of them were con
tested and the decrees were granted
on the grounds of North Carolina's
"Two-Year-Separation" law. It re
quires only that the person seeking
an absolute divorce shall have uvea
(Alt UUUVILAI.
separately
and apart from his (or
her) mate for two years, and that
they were residents of North Caro
lina for one year preceeding the in
stitution of the action.
Divorces were granted during the
term tor Claude Perry, farmer, from
Lucy Hunter Perry; Hattie Spivey,
boarding-house keeper, from Duckery
Spivey; Florence Harris, store-keeper,
from Mack Harris; and Philmore
Shambry from Marie Shambry, Neg
roes. Other cases heard during the
term ....
For being drunk and disorderly,
Bob Ivey, Hog Neck Road store
keeper, was sentenced to serve 30
days in jail, to be suspended upon
payment of the costs of court and a
$25 fine with a two-year good be
havior charge included.
Arthur Felton convicted of assault
on barl Rountree, drew a six months'
suspended sentence after he pays the
CAcfa rr i .
woM uiuru ne was piacea on
probation for twoyears. Both men I
are Negroes.
Elvin "Spunk" Stallings was given
a three months' road sentence for
drunken driving, suspended upon
payment ol the costs of court and a
$50 fine.
Among other decisions hamW
down by Judee Joh
one which will allow any future
term ofSuperior Cqurt during .the
next 12 years to decide that Lafay
ette Homer, Negro, is paying too
mucn or too little for the
of his bastard rlii'M
support
The court ordered payment of six
dollars a month for the child's sup
port until he reaches the age of 16.
A $250 bond was required as surety
of payment.
WPA Projects Holding
Open House At Central
WPA projects at the Central
Grammar School in Winfall, including
the matron services, and the library,
are holding "open house" to acquaint
school patrons with the WPA activi
ties as they affect the school.
"Open house" began on Monday
of this week, and closes tonight
(Friday). The library, it is said, is
especially improved through WPA
cooperation. Visiting hours are a
any time during the regular school
1 day.
ney's assertion that crime costs the
United States each year more than
the total cost of running the Federal
Government, including the Army, the
Navy and the WPA. The crime fig
ure in 1939 was $l5,y00,000,000; edu
cation, he added, cost three billion.
He elaborated on the evils of many
tourist cabins and road houses;
"gangsters avoid respectable hotels,"
he said. "They congregate at many
tourist cabins where the owners or
operators fail to follow the letter of
the law which requires that such
places must keep a register of all
guests and the license number of
their cars."
"If there are such places in this
county," Judge Burney went on, "I
want to know about them.''"
"Of crimes in North Carolina," he
continued, "sixty-five percent are
committed by white people, most of
them youths between the ages of 16
and 21."
"Temptations are facing youth to
day which didn't exist when I was a
boy . . . automobiles, moving pic
tures, Slot machines, the numbers
racket, road houses and trashy maga
zines. We must be patient," Judge
Burney said, "but we must do some
thing." He deplored ' movies that glorify
srane-sterism and make heroes of
gunmen and racketeers. "Tempta
tions," he said, "are on every hand."
t- "What is the answer?" Judge
Burney shook his head. ,'I don't
know. But we Americans have al
ways 'solved our problems. We will
reckon -with ihii one and finally solve
it as, long as we have fearless men
to serve on urana juries.
SENTENCES AMOUNT TO NINE YEARS IN
NEW HOPE MILLING COMPANY ROBBERY
An Important
Correction
In a news story in this papei
last week an inadverent omission
left the impression that there
would be no voting at Nicanor
Precinct in Parkville Township at
the Primary Election.
This is entirely in error and
purely the fault of the writer.
Nicanor is one of the six pre
cincts in the five townships of the
county. Appointments have al
ready been made for registrar
and judges of the election for Ni
canor Precinct. They are R. M
Maker, registrar; John A. Rid-
dick and A. N. Winslow, judges
The Weekly is indebted to L. N.
Hollowell for calling attention to
the omission. The names of off i
cials for this precinct were handed
over to The Weekly along with
the others.
Final Filing Day
Brings No Change
In House Contest
Number Seeking Office
Representative From
Perquimans Remains
At Five
The final filing minutes brought
no ehaiiKe in the March 29th stand
ing in the number of candidates seek
inir Perauimans County's seat in the
House of Representatives.
The number remains at five, a re
cord high, though many persons had
expected one or two last minute
bids.
To date, or rather J.o six p. nT.,
last Saturday when the tiling gates
closed, the announced, filed and ac
tive candidates attempting to unseat
J. T. Benton and outdo the other
three, are: Mattie Lister White,
former newspaper editor; Joe Camp
bell, partner in The Perquimans
Weekly; Walter G. Edwards, local
attorney and former county court
prosecutor; J. T. Benton, the incum
bent representative serving his sec
ond term; and J. S. McNider, local
attorney and veteran of four terms
in the General Assembly.
Experienced observers close to the
political front, who, a month ago,
opinioned that the race would develop
into a seven-pointed, affair, are
agreed that the contest as it is will
furnish the voters of Perquimans
County with an added incentive to
register and thus be entitled to vote
in the primary.
Campaigning has not reached a
fever pitch; the candidates are
quietly lining up their cohorts. Real
action will begin when precinct ral
lies become the order of the season.
Jessup Injunction
Holds Until Final
Determination
An action in Superior Court Tues
day afternoon before Judge John J.
Burney, resulted in a continuation of
the injunction S. P. Jessup has secur
ed against the Town of Hertford
until a hearing at a future term of
Superior Court makes final deter
mination of the matter.
In the meantime, the Town will
build no sidewalks on the south side
of Grubb Street from Front Street
to the River shore, nor disturb any
of the shrubbery, flowers, shade
plants, etc., that grow beside the
Jessup residence at Grubb and Front
Streets.
McMullan and McMullan of Eliza
beth City, represented the Jessups,
- . a3 j0hn McMullan read the com
plaint. Town. Attorney Charles E.
Johnson and Charles Whedbee repre
sented the Town of Hertford.
Mission Study Class
At Baptist Church
The annual county-wide Mission
Studv Class will be held at the
Hertford Baptist Church on the
morning of Wednesday, April 24th,
at 10 o'clock, it has been announced.
AMe teachers have , been secured
to give instruction and to teach
from the book "Stewardshin Annlied
::i Missions". A large attendance is
desired. .
Dock Phelps Draws the
Heaviest Term; Three
To Four Years In
State Penitentiary
FOUR-HOUR TRIAL
Bogue, Roughton and
Casper Two to Three
Years Each; Sen
tences of Five to Sev
en Years Each Sus
pended on Good Be
havior For Ten Years
Ten days after the crime was com
mitted four young men were on
their way to the State Prison in Ra
leigh to serve a total of not less
than nine years nor more than 13
for the robbery on April 6th of the
New Hope Mercantile and Milling
Company.
The case never reached the jury.
Oscar Bogue and Shelby Casper,
both 20 years old and both of Eliza
beth City, and Joe Roughton, 24, of
Norfolk, Va., entered pleas of guilty
as the case came before the Honor
able John J. Burney,. judge presid
ing at the April Term of Perquiman3
County Superior Court.
Dock Phelps, 30, of Elizabeth
City, had entered a plea of not
guilty through his attorney, P. G.
Sawyer of Elizabeth City. Before
the testimony was concluded, given
principally by Bogue, Casper and
Kuughton, who turned State's wit
:: ..;...;;, Attorney Sawyer changed his
-!!(.. :t's plea am! entered one of
.,...Uj .
. .. c people took the stand in the
. behalf; they included besides
!;.;ur, Caspar and Roughton, Paul
.c.:.ion ol hliaret!i City, part own
(,? the Mercantile Company store,
. 1 I'.'teve Terry of New Hope, post--iiter
at Du rants Neck.
L jjs a"''-. C?sper, represented
I";oLtrt I.owry, told in dejected
:v. a : !:1 story beginning with
:i'.oi r.ii!'.; before the robbery and
i-. i ' I " : ' with a final confession told
r::ul signed in Norfolk police head
i;;:::r'.ers on the following Monday
They, and Roughton, who followed
th-m to the witness stand, confessed
their own roles in the 12.i00 rob
bery of the New Hope store and
implicated Phelps at every turn.
Judge I'urney gave his judgments
approximately four hours after the
case was first called.
"You don't look like bad boys," he
said to the four, "not like criminals."
"They haven't had a chance in
life," he continued, this time to the
courtroom at large. "They couldn't
move in circles that would help
them. There was probably no one
to take them to Y. M. C. A.'s, and
to Church. They've had to live in
their own environments.
(Continued On Page Four)
United Daughters
To Gather Here For
Annual Meeting
State President, Mrs.
Louis Fisher, to Be
Principal Speaker on
Saturday
The annual meeting of the 12th i
District of the United Daughters of '
the Confederacy will be held in Hert
ford at the Agriculture Building on
the morning of Saturday, April 20,
at 10 o'clock, according to Miss Mary
Sumner, president of the Skinner
Jones Chapter, the local chapter.
Mrs. Louis Fisher of Asheville,
president of the North Carolina Di
vision of the U. D. C, will be the
principal speaker. Luncheon will be
served at the Parish House by mem-
bers of St. Catherine's Guild. ,
Among other State officers who
will be present at the district meet- ;v
ing, are: Mrs. H. S. McGirt, first !'
vice president, North Carolina Divi-
sion; Mrs. R. R. Copeland, State
chairman of the U. D. C. Bulletin; ,
and Mr3. Claudius McGowan, State A
chairman of Southern Literature for
Miss Sumner says the Skmheti ,. j
Jones Chapter is expecting approXi;'
mately 75 members for the meeting:
The 12th District is comprised of
chapters . from Aulander, Edenton'
Elizabeth; City," Hertford, Plymouth,',
Windsor Ahoskie, HarrelfovUle, 1
Winton and Gassvfflle..
Mrs. M. D. Burden ox Atuaaaer, u
president or the -uut mct.
i
' J