Trials Set for Rapist and for the Mob That Who Mutilated Him, May 3, 1925

Martin County Court Monday. . . Special Term Begins for Trial of Needleman, and Men Who Mutilated Him

Williamston, Apr. 30—The stage is all set for the opening of two of the greatest legal battles that have ever occurred in the history of North Carolina, when on Monday, Judge N.A. Sinclair of Fayetteville will open a Special Term of Criminal Court called by Governor McLean to try Joseph Needleman, charged by Miss Effie Griffin, now Mrs. F.W. Sparrow Jr., with rape, and also try 30 men composing a mob that entered the Martin County jail and carried Needleman away and horribly and brutally mutilated him.

It cannot be said that interest in the two cases has abated, and it is believed that Williamston will be packed with visitors when the cases are called.

Needleman, at first expected to die, is slowly recovering and his physicians and attorneys say that he will be prepared for trial when his case is called. He is still in the Washington Hospital where he has been the recipient of many courtesies on the part of many of the leading citizens of this county. Mrs. Sparrow, who married her husband the day after Needleman’s mutilation and whose husband is now out on a $30,000 bond charged with being one of the chief leaders of the mob, still insists that Needleman raped her, but public sentiment seems to be still running strongly in his favor, and certainly does not regard that he is guilty of any major offense. It is assumed though that Needleman will be tried for his life. In this case, Solicitor Donnel Gilliam will be assisted in the prosecution by Messrs. Dunning and Moore and former Congressman H.S. Ward, while Needleman will be defended by Harry W. Stubbs, Congressman Lindsay Warren and A.D. MacLean. Solicitor Gilliam has indicated that he will call the Needleman case first.

Thirty men have been indicted and are out under bond either for conspiracy, jail breaking or castration, some being charged with all three offenses. Twenty-seven of the number are from Martin County, being residents of Griffin Township and Robersonville, while the other three, F.W. Sparrow Sr., F.W. Sparrow Jr. and Claro Heath, are from Kinston. Twenty-four of the 30 men so indicted have made sworn confessions to the Solicitor and his associates, but in spite of this and other evidence, it is expected that a stiff fight will be made on behalf of the three Kinston men and Dennis Griffin and Julian Bulluck of Robersonville. These five men are regarded as the ring leaders of the mob and no confessions have been made by them. In the prosecution of the mob, Solicitor Gilliam will e assisted by A.D. MacLean and Congressman Warren; the confessing defendants by Dunning & Moore and Ward & Grimes; Griffin and Bulluck are represented by Harry W. Stubbs; while State Chairman John G. Dawson is representing the three men from Kinston.

There is a possibility that the cases may not be tried on Monday, but may be removed by Judge Sinclair to either Beaufort, Pitt, Edgecombe or Hallifax. Practically every man, woman and child in this county have probably discussed the cases and made some comment on them.

From the front page of The Independent, Elizabeth City, N.C., Friday, May 1, 1925

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Miss Rose Recovering from Accident, May 2, 1925

Miss Rose Recovering Rapidly from Accident

Miss Eula Mae Rose is recovering rapidly form her recent injury caused when she was thrown from an automobile in which she was riding, when the door suddenly came open.

From page 3 of the Smithfield Herald, Saturday, May 2, 1925

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Confederate Solders' Home Vets Honor Former Enemies, May 1, 1925

Wearers of Gray Honor Yankees. . . Inmates of Confederate Home in Raleigh Pay Tribute to Former Enemies

Raleigh, N.C., May 1—There will be three public holidays in North Carolina this month, two of which have been legalized by the General Assembly. The third is observed by the post office department and other government agencies officially and unofficially by numerous business firms and some public places.

The two strictly legal holidays occurring during May are May 10, Confederate Memorial Day, and May 20, Mecklenburg Declaration Day. The sesquicentennial of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence will be observed this year., has come to be more generally observed in North Carolina since the World War. Prior to that time exercises occurred only where there were National cemeteries. At these cemeteries the graves of Union soldiers who fell in the Civil War were decorated by local committees. There was some sentiment attendant upon the occasion, however, the exercises were usually very formal, and not largely attended.

However, for many years it has been the custom of the inmates of the Confederate Soldiers’ Home at Raleigh to go to the National Cemetery here, each May 20, and decorate the graves of their former foes. There has always been an air of pathos about this, and never anything spectacular.

The Confederate Soldiers’ Home at Raleigh is located about half a mile from the National cemetery. From the Confederate Home the Stars and Strips are plainly visible, floating silently among the oaks of the National Cemetery. The place is not much frequented. About a thousand heroes of the Blue sleep there. It is a quiet spot. It is well kept. The government employs a caretaker who has a residence within the brick wall that encloses the small city of the dead. The flag is raised each day at sunrise and floats until sunset, when it is taken down carefully and deposited for the night with as much care as if it marked a military where live men were stationed. The cemetery is on a hill, to the east of the city.

The heroes of the Gray cannot afford expensive flowers. Their bouquets consist usually of hand-picked domestic flowers—the simple, smiling daisy, for instance, and other native flowers that grow in abundance in this section in Spring.

Nor are the Confederates spry. They are all past 80 and to walk half a mile requires effort. But they do it, many of them, starting in time to make the journey and return before sundown. Slow is their treat. Some go on crutches. Others use sticks. As they make their usual pilgrimage to the city of Northern dead, they walk over war scenes. There is nothing impassioned about their conversation on such occasions. They have no acrimony. That was buried long ago, they say.

Since the World War, May 30 has come to be more generally observed in North Carolina. White it has never been legalized by the General Assembly or proclaimed by the governor, yet, it is the day on which poppies are sold in memory of those who sleep on Flanders Fields. Decoration of graves has become more general, for there now sleep in the cemeteries of the state those who fell in the recent conflict—those who wore the uniform of the United States and fought under its flag.

There has been no concerted move in that direction, but however many have expressed the desire to merge all decoration and memorial days in North Carolina. This would mean to draw no distinction in honoring dead heroes—Northern or Southern, Civil War or World War veterans.

Throughout the state committees are at work raising funds for the purchase of material and preparing poppies for May 30 when they will be sold on the streets of the cities—blood-red poppies, for those who sleep in Flanders.

From page 3 of the Smithfield Herald, Saturday, May 2, 1925

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Albert McCall Left Early, So J.B. Miller Wins Car, May 2, 1925

Lost Automobile by Leaving Ground Early

Monroe, May 1—Albert McCall, local jeweler, is simply heartbroken today, grieving about his Ford roadster that he lost by not being on the grounds when the lucky number was drawn at a land sale there yesterday. Mr. McCall left the sale about 10 minutes before it was given away, and his card was the lucky one. Necessarily, another card had be drawn, and J.B. Miller drove off the prize.

From the front page of the Concord Daily Tribune, Saturday, May 2, 1925

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Train a Boy in Music and He Won't Go Wrong, Says Prof. Ludwig, May 2, 1925

Band Boys Never Go Wrong

Stanly News-Herald

“There would be no use for a Jackson Training School,” said Prof. S.J. Ludwig the other day, “If every boy could be gotten into a band and interested in the study of good music,” Mr. Ludwig then went on to state that he has trained scores of young boys for band service, and not one of them went wrong. “My boys are all fine fellows. None of them are bad. There is something about good music which refines a boy and lifts his thoughts and sentiments above low, mean things.”

That is a very strong testimonial on what the study and influence of good music will do. And there are few men in this country who have trained more musicians than has Prof. Ludwig. He has trained all sorts of boys, and to say that not one of them has gone wrong while a member of one of his bands is quite an eye opener.

From page 2 of the Concord Daily Tribune, Saturday, May 2, 1925

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Loses Job, Consols Himself with Alcohol, Ends Up in Jail, May 2, 1925

Loses His Job, Man Gets Drunk. . . Goldsboro Laborer Found Parked on Pole, Is Taken to the Lockup

By W.H. Langston

The poor fellow loafed on the job until the boss man exasperated and disgusted finally went to him and said, “John, your services are not wanted here any longer.”

John, to spite his employer as well as his family, immediately got mad and quit. Then he hiked off to the nearest bootlegging station and drowned his sorrows in a haze of sparking moonshine. In this semiconscious condition up the street he goes and after roving over the beautiful streets of Goldsboro he finally parks against a large pine pole that ordinarily is used for holding wires as a brace to parts of the new hotel construction.

The wily eyes of that street hound, always alert in taking care of the evil doers, begins to focus on the pine pole and the see-sawing object trying to hold it up. And in all of a sudden he makes a dive and pounces upon his affrightened tenant and it would seem that he intended to tear his habiliments into a thousand giblets, but not so. Quickly he took the poor helpless fellow by the arm and steadying him as he went, he led him to a perfect place of safety.

If you don’t believe Grover Lancaster will put you to bed, just try him.

From page 4 of the Smithfield Herald, May 2, 1925

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Schooner Irma Stranded on Kill Devil Beach, May 1, 1925

Three-Master High on Beach at Kill Devil. . . The Schooner Irma Stranded Tuesday Night May be Salvaged, Crew Were All Saved

The schooner Irma of New York, which went ashore one mile north of Kill Devil Coast Guard Station Tuesday night, is high and dry on the beach, with only a damaged rudder, and it is believed she can be pulled off, according to information received at local headquarters yesterday.

The vessel has been taken over by the insurance underwriters, who hope to save her. The seven members of the crew are still aboard. She was commanded by Captain Charles Clausin of Long Island and was driven ashore in a gale, when she got too near the beach as the result of a compass error.

The crew was taken off Tuesday night by the crew of Kill Devel Station with beach apparatus, but they went back aboard Wednesday.

The Irma was bound from Boston to Georgetown, S.C., for a load of lumber, and was light at the time. She was built at Westlake, La., in 1917, has a length of 176.6 feet, 37.8 foot beam, a draft of 12.7 feet, and is of 614 gross tons. She is a three-master, and is an ordinarily small coasting vessel.

From the front page of The Independent, Elizabeth City, N.C., Friday, May 1, 1925

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