The Greensboro patriot [June 26, 1922]

              - m. p.*n, njjaeummnwmumm !■, UP" ') o PATRIOT ESTABLISHED 1821 PUBLISHED EVERY MONDAY
AMD THURSDAY
BIG MASSACRE
AT COAL MINE
Over Score Brutally Killed,
Some Shot, Some Hanged
ATROCITIES SHOCKING
Strike Breakers Shot Down and
Butchered, Stabbed and Hacked
To Death—Some Women In-human
Toward Injured
Herrin, 111-. June 25.—Herrin to-day
remained quiet after a light In
which 27 men were killed, an un-known
number wounded when. 5,000
union miners and sympathizers st-acked
approximately half a hundred
imported steam shovel men and la-borers
working in the Lester strip
,,it of the Southern Illinois Coal
company.
County officials maintained that
since no one remained at work in
the >'i'P P't that of "8elf was a
su3" ntee against further outbreaks
gnd ..sserted the 1,000 members of
,he Illinois national guard ordered
to mobilize in Chicago for possible
outy here were unnecessary.
.Miners and their supporters, in-fluenced
by moonshine -whisky and
angered at the efforts of the strip
pit workers who had been termed in
a telegram from the mine workers'
international chief "common strike-breakers,"
bore down at dawn on
the huddled group.
Miners in Herrin streets openly
boasted that they participated In the
infliction of deathe by gunfire, hang-ins
and dragging through the streets
in a veritable Roman holiday.
That the death list would be In-creased
seemed to be the concensus
of opinion. Fifteen bodies were
weighted about the necks and cast
into a pond, a miner told a cor-respondent
for the Associated Press,
and the area over which killings ocJ
curred was estimated at 16 square
miles of hilly, timbered land.
The statement of Frank Farring-ton,
president of the Illinois branch
of the United Mine Workers of
America, issued at Cincinnati, that
his information indicated that 44
men had been killed, was interpreted
as meaning that the entire number
of beseiged strike-breakers had per-ished,
although of his own. knowl-edge
the Associated Press cor-respondent
could account tor but
seven more than a score of bodies.
The dead at first were reported ac-counted
for in a pitched battle be-tween
the strikers and sympathizers
and the imported pit strippers when
the local men attacked the barri-caded
workers at dawn.
Later, however, o'pen statements
from scores of persons on the streets
here were to the effect that the work-ing
men surrendered at the first on-slaught
and, after having been tied
into groups of three and six, were
cruelly massecred; told to run a
gauntlet of rifle Are, only to be shot
to death at distances of a few feet
when, wounded, one or two of a
group would fall and drag the others
■i) the ground; stabbed and hacked
t-i death with knives; beaten with
club* and at least three of them
hanged, while in the instance of six
men. at least, they were said to have
been dragged over a rough, rocky
road behind an automobile.
The women, some carrying in-fants,
urged the men on, it was
stated, and in at least one instance
the Associated Press correspondent
observed unbelievable cruelty from
a woman. He came across a group
lying in the road, one of the men
badly mauled and his shoulder shot
away. Begging piteously for water
and evidently near death, the worker
was only jeered at by the men and
women about. The correspondent
dashed into a house and obtained
water but was restrained by men
who pointed 'pistols. A moment
later a woman carrying a baby
spnrned the dying man with her foot
Jhd told him she would "see him In
■ell" before he could drink.
GREENSBORO, N. C. MONDAY, JUNE 26, 1922 SUBSCRIPTION S1.SO PER YEAR
UT ADVANCE VOL 101. NO. 51
STATE NEWS BRIEFS
Mole Kills Farmer
Haynesvllle, June 24.—A. Nelson,
a prominent farmer and large land
holder on Tusquittee creek. In Clay
county, was killed near here when
the mule which he was riding bolted
and ran away. Mr. Nelson was
thrown from the mule, and his body
became entangled in the traces.
Moonshiner Converted
Asheville, June 24.—Officers are
withholding the name of a moon-shiner
in the Limestone section, who
evaded a raiding party Monday,
boasted of his teat Tuesday at a
county store gathering, was convert-ed
at a revival Wednesday and
Thursday turned up his own still
and equipment to Sheriff John A.
Lyerly's deputies.
FARM MEETING
ON AUGUST 1ST
To Be Held In the City of
Raleigh
FORD MAY BE THERE
Plans Laid For Three Days of En-tertainment
and Instruction and
Vocation For Farmers of
North Carolina
8,000 Tobacco Growers Meet
Blkin, June 24.—Four hundred
ninety-six automobiles by actual
count were parked on the Btreets of
Pilot Mountain today while a crowd
estimated at 3,000 tobacco growers
cheered the speeches of Treasurer J.
H. CMlg of the Tri-State Tobacco
Growers association and other dis-trict
and county officials at a great
celebration staged by the business
men of the town.
One Kilted, Five Injured
Kinston, June 24.—One person
was killed and five Injured late to-day
when a West Construction com-pany
truck laden with negro paving
laborers left the road at Smith's
crossing, 12 miles from here, and
crashed into a group of visitors in
the front yard of a country home.
Killed In Pennsylvania
Statesvliie, June 24.—Jage Ar-thurs,
of Barringer township, has
been advised that his son, Beawell
Arthurs, wae killed Saturday after-noon
In Pittsburgh,'Pa., and will be
buried In West Virginia, where his
wife's relatives live.
Rooster Causes Indictment
Wilmington, June 14.—E. E.
Sharp, well known cltisen. Is under
indictment here because his rooster
crowed each morning before day-light.
Miss Katie Foard is the pros-ecuting
witness. The trial is set
for Monday.
Tentative program for the state
farmers' convention has been
framed and provides for three
•lays of entertainment and in-struction
and an economical vaca-tion
for the farming hosts of North
Carolina In Raleigh. The dates are
August 1, 2 and 3.
In the perfection of the program.
President U. B. Blaylock and Secre-tary
W.. W. Shay will make effort
to Induce Henry Ford to attend the
convention and to speak.
The convention will open Tuesday
morning, August 1, with a series of
greetings from state institution
heads. Thereafter, a, R. Howard,
of the American Farm Bureau fed-eration;
Henry
ernor
Sherman, state entomologist, will
speak at the afternoon session.
Wednesday morning, H. S. Mob-ley,
of the International Harvester
company; F. P. Latham, of the State
Board of Agriculture, and Roland
Turner, general agricultural agent.
Southern railway, will speak. At
the afternoon session, A. F. Lever, of
South Carolina, author of the Smith-
Lever bill; Prof. E. C. Branson, Dr.
Clarence Poe, Mrs. Jane S. McKim-mon.
Dr. E. C. Brooks and Roy H.
Thomas will deliver addresses.
• Thursday will be co-operative
marketing day. Dr. B. W. Kilgore,
Agricultural Extension service; G.
H. Norwood, president Tobacco
Growers' association* and C. D. Mat-thews
will tell how co-operative
marketing Is actually working.
HUSBANDS PAY,
AVOIDING GANG
Wife-Shooter Will Not Have
To Serve Time
ANOTHER HIRES OUT
£atIf Walter Bryant Fails To Work
Well or To Support His Wife
i, To the Roads He Goes.
Other Cases
NEWS OF THE NATION
j In Guilford Superior court a week
of considerabls activity was brought
jo a close Friday afternoon. Judge
P- F. Long adjourning it after a
large number of criminal cases had
}*«"» tried, for varied offenses, rang-ing
from wife-shooting down to
liquor and larceny.
', A 8Peclal one-week term began
this morning. Judge Garland S. Fer-guson
presiding.
On Friday B^ R. Foster, Greens-boro
barber who had been sentenced
Wednesday to serve three years on
the county roads for shooting his
wife on last April 4. severely wound-ing
her, was freed Friday under
bond of $2,000. He must pay $65
a month for the support of his wife
and the two little children until the
Henrv C. Stewart AT-MV. sum of v1«2,,w00v0u hua«s boeeeenn ppaaiida.. TTnhee
of Virginia and FrankHn TV muut N «»-"'■ "1th the
n SST^JSLJ:,"D J ,", "£* ot c»»«. M—» W. Gant. and
OAKES IS ACQUITTED
BY ALAMANCE JURY
Explosion Barns Man
Monroe, June 24.—Sam Belk, ot
the Prospect community of Buford
township, was seriously it not fatally
burned when a lamp that had been
carried to him on request for light
exploded from gasoline vapor and
caught hie clothing on fire. ' j.
Killed By Live Wire
Carthage. June 24.—Just as he
was finishing a day's work as car-penter,
Homer Thomas, of this place,
came In contact with a live wire
exposed in the building on which he
was working at Plnehurst, and was
Instantly killed.
GREAT CELEBRATION
BATTLEGROUND JULY 4
Major Mcl.rnclon Will Speak, Kvnts
Will Include Basket Dinners, Mili-tary
Drill and Flag Raising
°0AI, COMPANY BLAMED
TOR WHOLESALE MASSACRE
Herrin. ill., June 25.—"We, the
J<">. Hnd from the evidence that
«aths of decedents were due to acts
"irect and indirect of officials of the
southern Illinois Coal company.
"'We recommend that an investi-gation
be conducted for the purpose
o "sing the blame personally on in-dividuals
responsible."
'bis was the verdict of the cor-oners
jury held here today.
GeorKi*" Henderson, one of the
superintendent of the
union men slain, was killed by C. K.
^Doweii. superinten
southern Illinois Coal company, ac-
™™wg to the verdict of the jury.
...' *'a* the only murder verdict re-turned.
Tariff Would Cost
Over Billion Dollars
inWas'i'n'?,on' June 25.—Increases
J wni duties proposed on fresh
IOM s,ll?;ir5- careals, beans, pota-
Mv*. apples' lf effective, would
Ue«t« » cost of tnese commodi-tal
o,°J)m-'}C3n consumers by a to-ator
vv 16"569'449 annually. Sen-ehBfJ,"""'
Dem°crat. of Massa-sia[;
n, ' said today in a formal
<.*.j ',"; H* explained that this
,|ei>»n,\/'/'',.b?:n Papered by the
'his rtvnl. total consumption in
ttHm fry mu,t'P"ed by the in-ot
isia "X nr°Posed over the law
Members of the Henry K. Burt-ner
post of the American Legion
and hundreds of other people from
various sections of Guilford county
are anticipating with a marked de-gree
of pleasure the Fourth of July
celebration to be staged at Guilford
Battleground one week from tomor-row.
Officials of the legion believe
that the program will prove one of
the most delightful in the history of
the county.
The celebration is referred to as
an "All-Day Picnic." Features will
include basket dinner, military drill,
the ceremony of raising the Ameri-can
flag and an address by Maj. L.
P. McLendon, of Durham, formerly
of the 113th field artillery, 30th
division. In the breaking of the
Hlndenburg line.in September, 1918,
Major McLendon played an import-ant
part. Not only is he considered
a valiant soldier but he also has an
enviable reputation as a speaker.
Recently he was nominated for so-licitor
In his district in the Demo-cratic
primary, following a spirited
contest with Solicitor Sam Gattis, of
HUsboro.
Foot races will be engaged In by
children and adults and prises are to
be awarded. The Battleground is
regarded as an Ideal place for such
a celebration and it Is confidently
expected that the activities of the
day will ' be witnessed by large
throngs. Plans for the Independ-ence
day events are in the hands of
a special legion committee, headed
by B. T. Baynes. Post Commander
Jack Stevens and Post .Adjutant Mc-
Daniel Lewis are also actively identi-fied
with the enterprise.
Mooaebeart Legion Meets
Tar Heel Legion NO. 160, Moose-heart
Legion of the World, brought
to a close its quarterly meeting here
Saturday night.. R. L. Blaylock,
great north Moose of the state, pre-sided.
The legion Is said to be
growing fast in this state. Initia-tion
ceremonials are held at various
parts of the etate four times each
year. '
Aged Couple Marry
Raleigh, June 24.—«. P. Wiggins,
75, of Wendell, and Mrs. Nora Jones,
66, Leesville, were married here yes-terday.
The bridegroom has been
married twice before and. tne bride
three times.
Former Greensboro Policeman Clear-ed
of Killing Charge After
Sharp Legal Fight
B. D. Oakes, tried at Graham in
Alamance Superior court for the
killing of Thomas Robertson on May
4, 1921, was acquitted by the jury,
the verdict being returned a ■ few
minutes before 3 o'clock Thursday
afternoon.
of the former Greensboro police
for a little over-two hours. Two bal-lots
were taken. The "first was Hi to
1 for acquittal. The jury had been
instructed bv Judge John H. Kerr
that it could bring In one of three
verdicts, not guilty, manslaughter or
Second degree murder.
The trial was a warmly contested
le ral fight. Jud^e W. P. Bynum and
Judge R. C. Strudwick, of this city,
and Parker and Long, of Graham,
representing Oakes. made a determ-ined
fight for his acquittal, while So-licitor
Gattis and A. D. Avery, of the
Rockingham county bar, fouzht for
his conviction. Throughout the
trial, which began Tuesday after-noon,
Oakes remained calm.
Details of the case are well known
to the public. On the afternoon of
May 4, 1921, Policeman W. Thomas
McCuiston and Oakes were on the
lookout for a liquor car. One drove
up on East Washington street here.
McCuiston leaped on the running
board and was shot . to death by
someone in the car. Oakes pur-sued
It, picking up Clyde Cobb and
E. R. Holt. Lewis Edwarda left the
pursued car and was captured near
the Guilford battleground, tried
later, found guilty and given a 10-
year sentence in the penitentiary.
Carl Talley also left the car some-where
and has never been found.-He
was declared an outlaw. Robertson
was killed on the road between
Greensboro and Reid«vtlie when
Oakes thought he was attempting to
cause more trouble.
Foster must report at the next three
terms of criminal court to show good
beharior. The reason Judge Long
allowed Foster to pay Instead of
serve on the chalngang is because
of pity for the children of the cou-ple,
the judge stated. Foster also
escapes a year on the roads for car-rying
concealed weapons.
Wsiter Bryant,' who was convict-ed
of abandonment, must work and
pay something each month for the
support of his wife. He goes with
J. K Hayworth. who offered to em-ploy
him. Further, he was made to
deposit $200 with 'Clerk of Court
Gant, to be used by Mrs. Hayworth
for medical treatment. Bryant thus
escapes the tour months road sen-tence
Imposed, but'in making the
change Friday Judge Long stated
that if Bryant falls to enpport hie
wife or falls to work he will have to
go. to the reads.
Carl Palmer, who plead guilty to
stealing an automobile belonging to
W, F. Kellarn, Of Winston-Salem.
from in frdnt of the courthouse
Monday, was sentenced Friday to
serve three and one-half years on
the county _ roads. Judge Long
stated that, on account of such bold-ness
in taking a oar while court was
hi session, he would have made the
sentence six years, but it appeared
tha: Palmer had reimbursed Kellam
ternoen.- .. - -^^ fliilhl ■IIISMI incident to recover- which The Jury delffierafed on the HSre forth,, Iar7~' *&*&%* biplane-Jji *hie*. *»»y ▼er«^*ying
policeman other untniu'n Frlriav included- 'rom here to ReldSVllle. T>l. CV'rifb
Court Restrains Suits
Brought By Watauga Men
An order restraining T. F. Lovell,
Caleb Greer, H. S. Wagoner and W.
J. Wagoner, all of Watauga coun-ty,
with Interfering with the prop-erty
of the Boone Fork Manufactur-ing
company, now in the hands of
receivers, was issued by Judge
James E. Boyd in Federal court
Thursday. He also Issued an order
restraining Sheriff J. E. Toung, of
Wa'tauga, from attempting to seise
the property for taxes. In prosecut-ing
their claims against the com-pany
it seems that Messrs. Lovell,
Greer, the Wagoners, and Sheriff
Toung Ignored the-fact that Judge
Boyd had appointed receivers for the
company.
To Erect Two New
Cotton Warehouses
A contract has been let for the
construction of two new warehouses
by the Rucker Warehouse corpora-tion"
to be erected next to the old
Rucker warehouse with a capacity of
5,000 bales of cotton, w. B. Hunt,
of this city, was- given the contract
and expects to complete them by the
middle of October. The buildings
will be 76 feet wide and 330 feet
long, the approximate cost being
If0,000. ■
Other sentences Friday Included:
John Iddings. 12 months on the
roads* for retailing liquor.
L. H. Matthews, convicted ot reck-less
driving, five months, but sen-tence
suspended, providing Matthews
pays a fine of 5200 and puts up a
bond of $200 insuring good behavior
for two years. Furthermore, he is
not allowed to drive an automobile
on the public roads of the state for
the next five months.
A. E. Pfaff, assault with a deadly
weanon, $600 or six months on the
roads. Pfaff was acquitted of
charges of driving a car while drunk
and driving In a reckless manner.
Col. John A. Barringer, who Ap-pealed
from a verdict in Municipal
court here last winter, one of the
rases brought by the city for failure
to clear the sidewalk after a snow-fall,
won his case. Judge Long di-rected
a verdict after the evidence
was presented.
Walter Bryant, convicted of aban-donment,
received four months on
the roads, with the probability that
the sentence will be suspended if he
deposits (200 in tbe clerk's office to
be used by his wife, T«O needs med-ical
attention, and gives bond to in-sure
her support. He testified that
this is his third wife; that tbe first
Is dead and that the second is di-vorced.
He said that his second left
him seven times before he got a di-vorce
and that be married his Ihlrd
tbe day after he met her.
James Brown, who plead guilty to
retailing and transporting liquor,
was given 12 months ou tne roads.
Harry Stewart, for having whisky
In his possession for the purpose of
sale, got a six months' road sen-tence.
Vernon Boulder*, for an assault
with a deadly weapon and for car-rying
concealed weapons, was given
12 months.
Dewey Straughn, for larceny and
receiving stolen goods, received six
months.
Banquet and Barbecue
For Ambulance Outfit
In celebration of the fifth anni-versary
of the organisation and the
third anniversary of the demobilisa-tion,
the 32lst amublanc'e company,
composed largely of Greensboro and
Winston-Salem men, held Its annual
reunion here Friday night at the Ar-cade
cafeteria. A barbecue and
Brunswick stew was held Saturday
at Hamburg, beyond the Battle-ground.
; -
Toung Boy Hobo
Fayetterllle, June 24.—Thursday
the police took off a northbound pas-
=ener train here a hobo of the ten-der
age of 10 years. He was taken
before Magistrate Cheek to whom he
told a pitiful story- He said bis
mother bad 10 children and she had
run him away from . home, because
she eontit--not teed them all. ,:
Forced To Close Mines
Canton, 111., June 24.—Traveling
by automobile, forces of union coal
miners In email parties covered all
of Fulton county today and stopped
the- operation of every strip mine.
No violence was shown. It Is re-ported,
and evsry strip mine worker,
stopped work without argument.
Governor Small Acquitted
Waukegan, U.I., June 24.—Gov-ernor
Len Small was acquitted to-day
ot conspiracy with Lieutenant
Governor Edward C. Curtis and Ver-non
Curtis, Grant Park, banker, to
defraud the state of Interest money
on public funds. The jury was out
one hour and 35 minutes. •
Proposes Amendment
Washington, June 24.—The plan
of Senator LaFollette, Republican,
Wisconsin, to give Congress power
by a constitutional amendment to
override Supreme court decisions
holding its acts unconstitutional
caused another flurry here la the
senate.
BIG LOAN FOR
T0BJCC0 MEW
$30,<MJ^JW Assured For To-icco
Co-ops
70,000~~FABMERS
an From War Finance Corporation
_j Largest Ever Made By a Fans
Organisation—Secured By SSO,-
000,000 Poanflb of Tobacco
Drops 8,000 Feet In Parachsrte
Wichita, Kansas, June 24.—Pilot
Roy Snow, R. H. Norman and a wom-an
passenger, all of Oklahoma City,
escaped In parachutes when their
airplane went into a tall spit at an
elevation of 3,000 feet and crashed
to the earth near Belle Plains.
Attended Reunion
Richmond, Va., June 24.—Among
those attending the reunion here
were N. C. Dalton ana bride from
the Jefferson Davis Soldiers Home
at Beauvor, Miss., 'on their honey-moon.
Mr. Dalton is 80 years old
and his bride 78. The latter was
the widow of a Confederate veteran.
17-Yetu-Old Boy Drowns
Wilson, June 24.—Howard Cobb,
17 years of age, son of Mr. and Mrs.
Monroe Cobb, of Fremont, was
drowned Thursday afternoon in Lit-tle
river at Lowell's mill, tour miles
from Kenly.
Woman Candidate For Senate
Fairmont, Va., June 24.—'Mrs.
Isseta Jewel Brown, one of the best
known women In public lire In West
Virginia, has announced her candi-dacy
for the United States senate,
subject to the Democratic primaries
of August 1. *
Narrow Kscape In Plane
Danville, Va., June 24.—Aviator
W. M. Flllmore and Thomas Carter,
a young automobile salesman ot this
city, had ntfrrow e?".apes from death
yesterday afternoon whieh a Curtis
into a cloudburst'near that town.
Flllmore and Carter were both shak-en
up but were not hurt.
To Try Hertford Man
For $60,000 Shortage
Hertford, June 25.—A special
term of Superior court for the trial
of both criminal and civil cases 'will
convene here Monday with JiMge
W. M. Bond presiding. There are
a numiier of cases on both the crim-inal
and civil docket, but tbe most
important case to be tried is State
vs. H. C. Sullivan, former cashier
of the Farmer's Bank and Trust
company, for an alleged shortage in
his accounts of approximately $60,-
000 which was discovered last Feb-ruary
by State Bank Examiner La-tham,
and which resulted in wreck-ing
the bank.
German Minister Is
Killed By Assassin
Berlin. June 24.—Dr. Walter
Rathenau, German minister of for-eign
affairs, was assassinated to-day.
The minister was shot and In-stantly
killed as he was leaving his
residence In Grunewald, a suburb of
Berlin, for the foreign office in an
automobile. The assassin escaped.
Official announcement ot Dr.
Rathenau's death was made In the
reichstag.
The murderer, who was driving in
a motor car, elowed up as he was
nearlng Dr. Rathenau and shot
twice at the foreign minister, the
shots taking Immediate fatal effect.
Putting on high speed, the assassin
escaped.
No clue to the Identity of the
murderer had been discovered up to
noon today.
City Council Sells
Bonds At 5 Per Cent
At the meeting of the city council
Friday afternoon of four bids offer-ed
for the school, water and sewer,
and refunding bonds of $1,005,000.
the bids of Clalborne Royall com-pany,
of Goldsboro, and tbe Bankers
Trust company, of New Tork, at a
five per cent, rate with a premium of
J7.S50. was selected.
BIG COPPER DIHTILLERT IS
FOUND NEAR HIGH POINT
Deputy Sheriff Gray captured a 50
or 60-galon still Friday afternoon
about six miles southeast of High
Point.
The still, which weighs over 100
pounds. Is msde entirely of copper
and is a masterpiece of the still-making
art.
Tbe still was not set up for op-eration
and no one has been arrest-ed
in connection t^lth It.
Raleigh, June 24.—With a loan of
more than 30 million dollars from
the War Finance corporation, tbe
Tobacco Growers' Co-operative asso-ciation
of North Carolina, South Car-olina
and Virginia Is now prepared
to pay its members cash advances
upon the delivery ot tobacco and la
assured ot the same orderly market-ing
that' gave to the organised bur-ley
growers of Kentucky Increased
profits on their product.
The announcement of the loan ne-gotiated
Wednesday, was made from
the Raleigh headquarters of the as-sociation
which represents sereaty-flva
thousand tobmeco farmers la
the three states, Thursday. And
thai clincher to the elaborate plant
of marketing tobacco through the
giant association wiped away all fear
of failure on the.part of most grow*
era.
In addition to the loan ot $40.-
06*.000, the War Finance corpora-tion
has agreed to rediscount loan*
secured by green or soft ardor to-bacco
for local banks throughout the
Virginia-Carolina tobacco belt. The
loan Itself is to be secured by more
than 620,000,000 pounds ot tobacco
owned by the members of the asso-ciation
now under a fire year con-tract.
This tobacco represents a
value ot over $70,004,000 In the
first year ot operation.
Close to 80 per cent, of the to-bacco
farmers ot Virginia have join-ed
the marketing association, and
North Carolina growers are Bearing
a 75 per cent, sign up following the
recent state-wide campaign for mem-bers.
C. F. DRAKE PROVED
NOT TO BE MAYS
Charlie Xowell, of Selma,
Knew Both .Men, Ident_
Cnarlie Drake la Raleigh
Raleigh, June 24.—A cheerful
grin helped C. F. Drake to win hia
freedom from the city jail here Wed-nesday.
Drake was alleged to have
been Mill Mays, the gambler, who
sent young Cleve Watkins to meet
his Maker with a bullet through his
.heart; at tfcv uaUulmaow of a game
of-draw poker here-wight years ago.
"Mays could never smile like that
man," said Charlie Nowell, of Selma,
ae he Identified C. F. Drake as an
Innocent man, Nowell, who knew
both Drake and Mays at tbe time of
Watkins' murder, described Mays as
a shorter, stumpier man than Drake.
He also described a crooked arm
which the gambler had and which
was lacking in the suspect. Mays,
he said, was a cold, saturnine man,
who scarcely ever smtled or laugh-ed,
indulging when he did in a cruel,
forced *ort of snort. One of the
things that characterizes Drake is
his frant, ingenuous smile and his
hearty laugh.
Chief Glenn took the testimony
of Nowell at Its face value and Drake
was released from tbe city jail yes-terday
'afternoon at 8 o'clock. He
left for Greensboro, where he waa
working when arrested and will go
to Hurt, Va., to join his wife and
two small children for a short holi-day.
He seemed none the worse for
his enforced visit to Raleigh, and
was In a good humor with every-body
in the world, but Will Mays
when he left.
"If I ever run across that fellow,"
he said, "there la going to be ueene
real trouble."
Drake stated that the.reason he
had been slow In having witnesses
come to Raleigh to Identify htm wae
that he had but $35 In the bank and
he needed that to go to see his wife.
He understood that witnesses would
have to be summoned here at his
expense and he was willing to take
a chance at facing a jury on trial
for bis life, rather than strip bur
scant savings.
Eastern Carolina Is
Curing Tobacco Crop
Kinston, June 26.—Early curing
of tobacco is In progress in the
eastern belt. On several Lenoir
county farms first "barns" have been
put In. In a tew days curing Urea
will be built in .many barns, and a
large part of the crop will be ready
for market before the middle of
July.
Tbe record rains of the past three
three months have hastened the crop
to. maturity, at the expense of qual-ity.
The stand in many fields Is In
such sbape that the growers arc
compelled to start harvesting now la
self-defense. The weed stripped so
tar has ranged from shabby to fair
In quality, and very little rate to-bacco
has been reported.
Acquitted of Charge
Hamlet, June 24.—Charges of
murder against Branson Minikin, his
wife. Annie Mae Mllllkln, and Jamas
Smith resulting from the klllng of
John McGee, a negro, at the hom«
of Mr. Mllllkln on Sunday morning-,
June 11, was dismissed after a P*e-liminary
hearing. In a packed court-room
before Recorder Jv C\ Leigh
yesterday afternoon.
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