Sheriff Offers Reward
WILKES CHURCH BOMBED
MINISTER ASKS PROTECT ION
Sheriff
Willing
To Help
LOUISBURG-“I am supposed
to exercise my rights accord
ing to the Constitution. I think
that something like the recent
incident here creates a spark
of fire in the minds of the op
pressed.” These words were
spoken by Rev. Luther Cop
pedge, Louisburg civil rights
leader, in a recent interview
with the CAROLINIAN,
Rev. Coppedge was referring
to the near tragedy which oc
curred at his Louisburg home at
10:10 p. m., Christmas Eve.
He related how three rifle shots,
fired by an unknown assailant,
ripped through his home. Had
he been lying three inches high
er, Rev. Coppedge would have
been killed by one of the shots,
Mrs. Coppedge gave the fol
lowing description: “I was sit
ting on the floor wrapping
Christmas gifts with my son.
When I went to the dresser
for tape, I heard three shots.
I ran to the door thinking that
the sound had come from fire
works. Upon returning, I notic
ed that the dresser and the win
dow had been shattered.
Billy Croker, State Bureau of
Investigation Agent told the
CAROLINIAN that one bullet hit
a porch chair and another the
porch wall. The third bullet
was the one which hit the mir
ror and dresser described by
Mrs. Coppedge.
(See PROTECTION, p. 2)
Warned
Over Race
Unrest
CINCINNATI - Judge Wade
McCree Jr., generated by the
urgency he feels in the Negro
community, is speaking out and
is alarmed over what his peo
ple can do to America. Judge
McCree holds a position with
the U.‘S. Circuit Court, the sec
ond highest court in the land.
“American lias let the tra
ditional leaders down,” said
Judge McCree who was in Cin
cinnati for the December ses
sion of the U. S. Court of Ap
peals for the Sixth Circuit. "Rot
Wilkins, Whitney Young, even
Martin Luther King, as well as
many dedicated white leaders
are being repudiated as persons
who led Negroes down the wrong
path,” he continued
In many communities, stated
the Judge, there is more de
lacto segregation in housing and
schools now than there was be
fore restrictive covenants were
outlawed in 19-18, and separate
(See UNREST, P 2)
JUDGE WADE McCREE
SWEEPSTAKES NUMBERS
200 1050 ■ ■ I
WORTH SSO WORTH S3O WORTH SSO !
« r ' t „T EIJJO !! V lic * ets dated Dec. 29, 1967. with proper numbers present same
to The CAROLINIAN office and receive amounts listed above from the SWEEPSTAKES Feature !
No SwtepsfuStes Winner
Santa Claus was very much
disappointed last week when
he did not get ant' help from
Sweepstakes in Ills purchases
for the Raleigh community.
There were no winners, even
though there was 965 in the kit
ty.
That amount has been added
to this week's sum and there Is
UM^AjRQLrNIAM
VOL 27. NO. 5
3 Brothers Plunge To
Watery Death Tues .
Happy New Year Everyone!
BRIDGE TRAGEDY-Gates v - - three bodies have been removed
from a station wagon which plunged from a bridge into 36 feet of water,
on route 158 2 miles west of here. Dead are Thomas A. Lassiter 111, 18;
Dennis Lassiter, 16 and William Lassiter, 16, all of Strasford, Conn. (UPI
PHOTO).
Alleged Rape Victim Leaves
Northampton County
JACKSON - Overtones of the
alleged rape of Mrs. Selma C.
Williams, white, who is said
to have been the victim of rape,
by seven Negroes, or. ttie night
of Dec. 9, contrast the famed
Buddy Bush arrest, escape and
ultimate return, with no strik
ing semblance.
The CAROLINIAN learned
Wednesday morning that Mrs.
Williams left her home in
Garysburg recently and left no
forwarding address. In the
meantime the seven accused
youth, were reported, as being
out on SI,OOO bonds each, for
the allege crime.
A hearing was held Friday
and Judge Ballard S. Gay or
dered the defendant s held for the
next term of criminal court,
Miss. Firm Bows To U.S. Gov t
WASHINGTON, D. C. - Three
Negroes, former employees of a
Louis Dreyfus Corporation fa
cility in Pascagoula, Miss, have
oeen paid $3,u00 after com
plaining to the government of
being fired on racial grounds.
The firm signed an agree
ment with the Departments of
Labor and Agriculture to pay
now available §l3O Certainly
Raleigh shoppers should busy
themselves and find this money,
R is in three of the stores
listed on the Sweepstakes page
and it is a fine way to get
started in the new year. Go to
one, or all of the stores list
ed, and when you have finish
ed your business, pick up a
in Louisburg Shooting
North Carolina's Leading Weekly
RALEIGH, N C., SATURDAY, DECEMBER 30, 1967
after finding probable cause.
There was some conjecture as
to the amount of the bond, in
view of the seriousness of the
case.
The seven youths, Curtis Lee
Porch, 18, Levern Bradley, 23,
Guster Lee Underdue, 20, Cor
nell Underdue, 31, Alexander
Mallory, 17, Warden Mallory,
17, and Willie Walter Prince,
21, were charged with raping
the woman twice each and first
degree burglary. The Underdue
boys are brothers, while the
Mallorys are said to be of no
relation.
Mrs. Williams is alleged to
have reported that the seven
boys entered her home on a
Saturday night, by unlawful en
try and proceeded to assault
the three ex-employees after a
Federal Investigation of their
complaint of discriminatory
discharge. The three men, one
of whom is a local NAACP and
Mississippi Freedom Demo
cratic Party official, worked
at a grain elevator operated by
the Dreyfus firm which is a
government contractor.
ticket. Compare the number,
on the ticket, with those shown
above and see if you are a win
ner.
The tickets are dated Dec. 23
and the numbers and values are
as follows: Ticket 200 is worth
SSO; 1050 is good for S3O and
■751 will bring you SSO The tic
kets are yellow,
her. The woman is reported
as having been separated from
her husband, who is reported
as living in New York. It
was not determined whether she
left for New York or some
other point, but the reply to the
CAROLINIAN inquiry shed very
little light on the entire matter.
Man Dies
In Flames
BETHEL - In an effort to
heat a frame house quickly,
Sunday morning, one man per
ished in ravaging flames and
another escaped the flames but
had to be hospitalized for ex
posure.
Jeff McCless, 54, was burn
ed to death about 3:30 a. m.
Sunday, when he is said to have
poured oil on a pile of hot
coals that were not consumm
ed, during the night. Jimmy
Jones, who lived with McCless,
is said to have told officers
that McCless, an early riser,
awoke and went to the stove,
where he poured oil on to the
smouldering embers. The ap
plication of the oil caused the
stove to blow out, setting the
house and the man afire.
According to where McCless’
body was found, it is believed
that he attempteu to get out
of the path of the flames, but
had become so enveloped that
he fell on reaching the outside
and died.
Jones is alleged to have also
sought to avoid the raging
flames and still clad in a pair
of pants and a T-shirt, made
his way outside the house, where
he was overcome by smoke,
several hundred feet from the
house. He was taken to the Pitt
Memorial Hospital, where he
was treated and relased Sunday
morning.
The third occupant, Willie
Stokes, 52, escaped the flames
and made his way to the near
est home, where he reported the
disaster. Firemen were sum
moned, but when they arrived
the fire had con summed the
frame dwelling.
PRICE 15c
lacked In
Station
Wagon
GATESVILLE - Three
teenage brothers, who had come
from Stratford, Conn, to spend
the holidays with parents and
relatives plunged into a mill
pond early Tuesday morning
and lost their lives, in 25 ft.
of water. The deaths are said
to have been due to the fact
that the station wagon, in which
they were riding, failed to make
a detour turn and went off a
temporary bridge.
The highway patrol identified
the victims as Thomas Lassi
ter, HI, 18; Dennis, 16; and Wi
lliam, 15, all of Stratford, Conn.
The tragedy occurred three
miles northwest of Gatesville,
on U. S. 158, where a bridge
is being repaired. A detour
bridge carries t raff ic across
the pond,
Authorities said the vehicle
made a right turn on the detour
but failed to make a left turn.
Two divers from the Suffolß-
Nanesmond Rescue Squad of
Suffolk, Va. confirmed the hoys
were in the car but could not
remove the bodies without pull
ing it from the water.
The tragedy was discovered
when the father, Thomas Lassi
ter, Jr., requested a search of
the pond.
Lassiter, out looking for the
boys himself, noticed a wooden
guard rail of the bridge had been
rippeci off. A construction
worker was repairing it.
Gates county sheriff W. H.
Eure and a deputy probed the
bottom of the pond from a boat
and found the car in about 25
fefet of water.
A construction crane lifted it
from the water around 4:30 p.
m., with the three bodies still
in it.
Members of the Lassiter
family were visiting relatives
in the county for the holidays.
The boys were returning from
an uncle’s home w'hen the ac
cident occurred. The patrol
said they left about 1 a. m,
and started home.
The Lassiter’s only other
child, a 14-year-old son, decid
ed at the last moment, not to
visit with his brothers.
FROM RALEIGH’S OFFICIAL POLICE FILES
CORRECTION
A report theft of $25.00 to
the Raleigh police Department
from the pocketbook of Mrs.
Pearlie Winston of 1225 1/2
Fayetteville St. occurred in
side the Winn-Dixie store ac
cording to Mrs. Winston and not
near the store as stated in a re
port of the incident in last
week’s CAROLINIAN. We are
glad to make this correction as
requested by Mrs. W'inston.
A Clean Sweep
Beullah Bumpers, 800 Cole
man St., told Raleigh Police
that she left home at 7 a. m.
Friday and returned home at
4;30 p. m. to find her home had
been entered and her money
taken, She had $185.00 in her
alligator purse in the right hand
top dresser drawer and some-
LOUISVTLLE, Ky.-The city's
Board of Aldermen has adopt
ed a strong open-housing law as
a result of demonstrations in
which hundreds were arrested
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RESULTS OF BOMBING-NORTH WILKESBORO: SBI Agent David Beal
and Wiles Sheriff Hoke Wiles examine one of the windows damaged in the
apparent bombing of the Poplar Springs Baptist Church, a colored church
15 miles east of here in the Roaring River Community. Bombing was not
discovered until Tuesday morning. UPI TELEPHOTO
jggp •
f* -)
CEDRIC BOST
Alarm
Betrays
Burglar
»T was not the night before
Christmas and the burglar
alarm would not. keep quiet.
The result was that its sound
ing brought officers to the Sa
lisbury Street side of Liberal
Credit Company, 126 Fayette
ville St., 9:42 p. m. Saturday.
Officers E. D. Whitley andE.
L. Randolph reported that they
arrived just in time to see a
man putting his hand in the
window. As they approached,
the man is alleged to have start
ed running down Salisbury St.
The officers went in pursuit
and discovered t.hat Cedric
Bost, 1914 Oakwood Ave,, had
used the lid of a garbage can
to cart off loot, that was iden
tified as having been taken from
the store.
Upon investigation, it was
found that Bost had $957 worth
of jewelry and watches, in the
lid and on his person. The
loot is said to have consisted
of five rings and several watch
es.
Bost was not only jailed for
having broken into the store
and carrying away articles
without the proper authoriza
tion, but was also charged with
receiving and carrying a con
cealed weapon.
(See BUROUAK., p 2)
one went straight to the draw
er and got the money. Noth
ing in the house was disturb
ed and everything was neat.
The house was very neat and
in order and the glass around
the broken window from the
kitchen door on the west side
of the house had been swept
up. Complainant has no idea
who took her money.
* * *
"Hubby” Returns
Christine Griffin, 1344 Wal
nut St., told police she was
cooking when her former hus
band, John Griffin, 1200 Walnut,
with whom she no longer lives,
came into her rear door. He
hit her and upon throwing her
on the floor, he threw her out
the door onto the ground. Then,
he stomped her.
(See CRIME BRAT, *» 3)
Open House
last spring.
Another result of the fight
for open housing was the elec
tion of a new board of aider
(See OPEN HOT'S”:. P. 2)
County Officers Show
Concern In Hate Act
ROARING RIVER (WILKES
COUNTY - Sheriff Hoke Wiles
and Rev. J. B. Hampton are two
of the most surprised people
in the nation. They can see no
reason why night riders would
resort to violence and attempt
to destroy the little frame Bap
tist church, located on a rural
road, about two miles from
here.
The rural community had set
tled down to a Christmas calm
Sunday night, to await the cele
bration of the coming of Christ,
which is sj'mbolic of that last
ing peace, when suddenly there
was a blast that not only blew
out some of the windows, about
11 o’clock, but it shook the pride
of citizens of both races and’
caused chairman of the Deacon
Board Ed Mitchell to say, “I
can’t figure it. We get along
well with people.”
The pastor was at a loss and
hastened to say that the church
had never been used to espouse
civil rights. There was no evi
P.OBERT N. HOUGH
Negro Gets High Job
In D.C. Police Dept.
WaSHLNGTON - Washing
ton's Public Safety Director,
Patrick Murphy, has selected
Robert N. Hough, commanding
officer of the city’s second pre
cinct as his personal aide ip
improving community rela
tions.
The selection of Hough was
Murphy’s first action since be
coming safety director two
weeks ago. Murphy says that
he expects Hough to “double
the contacts of my office with
the public.’’ Hough was named
to the prepinct a little over a
year ago.
Murphy stated in an interview
that Hough’s 29 years of ex
perience on the force and his
educational background quali
fied him “superbly’' for his
new' job. Hough earned a bache
lor’s degree In education from
Howard University in 1933 and
received various kinds of com
mand schooling in the armed
forces.
“It is also highly desirable
that we have more Negio of
ficers,” Murphy said, not just
in top jobs, “but from private
on up” to achieve “a more
representative racial balance.”
dence that there were persons,
in the community, who had
naught against the pastor, the
officers, or the members for
the part they had played in race
relations.
Sheriff Wiles was so disturb
ed until he announced that a
drive was on to offer a reward
for the guilty persons and that
he would be the first to make
a contribution, to see that the
perpetrators were brought to
justice. The SBI is said to
have been on the scene as late
as 1 a. m, Wednesday and would
return to the scene in a few
hours.
The FBI is also said to be
investigating to determine
whether there was any violation
of federal law, In connection
with the bombing. The damage
is estimated at more than
SI,OOO. It was not learned
whether there was any insur
ance and what the officers were
going to do about repairing the
bombed building.
Murphy said he also intends to
be flexible as possible In fill
ing future opening in the force’s
top rank.
Hough, known as a soft spoken
and sensitive officer, became a
police lieutenant in 1964, He
w'as promoted to captain last
year when Jie made the second
highest score on the Civil Serv
ice examination.
Ten Democratic Congress
men, led by Representative John
Conyers, Jr., yesterday intro
duced an omnibus bill costing
S3O billion annually “to assure
every American adequate em
ployment, housing and educa
tion on a truly non-discrimi
nator y basis.”
“The 1967 session of Con
gress ending this week has con
sistently worked to cut hack
(Sec TEN DEMOCRATS. P. 2,
WEATHER
Temperatures during the pe
riod Thursday through Mon
day will average below nor
mal. Normal high and low for
the period are SS and 30. Pre
cipitation will total % to x-4
or an inch or more.