Fred Shelton Found Guilty in Second Degree Murder of Deputy Sheriff Romulus Capps, Oct. 19, 1926

Shelton Guilty of Second Degree Murder

Henderson, N.C., Oct. 10 (AP)—A verdict of guilty of murder in the second degree was returned today in Henderson Superior Court against Fred Shelton, 23-year-old negro, in connection with the shooting of Deputy Sheriff Romulus Capps last May. The jury returned its decision shortly before 11 o’clock, after having received the case late yesterday. Sentence will be passed this afternoon.

From the front page of the Concord Daily Tribune, Tuesday, Oct. 19, 1926

newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn92073201/1926-10-19/ed-1/seq-1/

Sheriff Prim Parker Suing Deputy Hartley for Libel and Slander, Oct. 19, 1926

Notice Served on the Herald. . . Text of Notice Which Comes to This Publication as Result Hartley Statement

Notice has been served on The Smithfield Herald that the article published on the front page of the last issue contains statements that are untrue, and offers the publication an opportunity to retract. The pubic may be interested in the content of the notice, which is as follows:

To the Smithfield Herald:

Please take notice that a certain article appearing in the issue of your paper dated October 15, 1926, in the first column on the front page, contains statements concerning me as Sheriff of Johnston count which are untrue, libelous and defamatory.

First, wherein it states “And Sheriff Prim Parker took me off to the back steps of the courthouse and he asked me about the arrests I had been making, and then he told me that I would have to go slow. He told me the way to handle reported stills was first to investigate who it was who was running them, and if I found that it was a negro or a Democrat who was running it to go ahead and rush it, but if I found that it was a Republican I would have to be silent about it, as I had already arrested so many Republicans that I was hurting the party badly. I then told the Sheriff that if this was what he expected of me as a subordinate officer, that I thought the best thing I could do would be to resign, and he said he thought so too. He then promised me that he would publish in the papers my exact reason for resigning. All of which above statements by the said J. K. Hartley are absolutely false.

“The facts are that I notified Hartley to come to the Sheriff’s office, and that I informed him that the reports concerning him and his contact as Deputy Sheriff were so bad that it was necessary for me to ask for his resignation, he declined to resign, and I therefore moved him.

“The article is further false, scurrilous and defamatory by inuendo in the part of the first paragraph, as follows: ‘When a dog bites a man it is not new, but if a man bites a dog it gets a headline.’”

“The said Hartey makes a statement that he captured or assisted in capturing 67 stills while he was serving as Deputy Sheriff, which statement is not correct, as I am informed that he captured only a few stills, the capture of which met my approval.

“This notice is served on The Smithfield Herald in order to give it an opportunity to retract, as provided for in Chapter 48, Consolidated Statutes of North Carolina, said Chapter entitled “Libel and Slander.”

--J. P. Parker, Sheriff of Johnston County

From the front page of the Smithfield Herald, Tuesday, Oct. 19, 1926

newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn92073982/1926-10-19/ed-1/seq-1/

-=-

Former Deputy Is Held for Hearing. . . J. K. Hartley Is Charged with Criminal Libel and Placed Under a $1,000 Bond

Former Deputy Sheriff J. K. Hartley of Boon Hill township, who last week made a public statement that he resigned his office as deputy because Sheriff J. Prim Parker told him to arrest negro and Democratic distillers, but to go slow when he found out the offenders were Republicans, was arrested Saturday and held for preliminary hearing in Recorder’s Court on the charge of criminal libel. Bond was fixed at $1,000. He readily gave bond, his bondsmen being W. W. Stewart, J. R. Creech, and C. T. Hill.

Preliminary hearing will be given today by Judge Ezra Parker of Benson, judge of the recorder’s court. Judge Parker is a brother of Sheriff Parker.

Hartley is a farmer and a Holiness preacher. He ha a good reputation. He stated Saturday that he is sticking to his original statement, for it was the truth. His friends say he can give a good account of himself in any court. He has retained as counsel Col. Ed S. Abell, Wellons and Wellons and L.G. Stevens.

The statement and the resulting prosecution are both taken as evidences of the heat of the political campaign in Johnston county.

From the front page of the Smithfield Herald, Tuesday, Oct. 19, 1926

newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn92073982/1926-10-19/ed-1/seq-1/

Lizzie Cotton Mill Fire Causes $1,000 in Damages, Oct. 19, 1926

Selma Mill Catches Fire; About $1,000 in Damages

The Lizzie Cotton Mill in Selma suffered damage in a fire to the amount of about $1,000, which is covered by insurance, according to information received here yesterday afternoon.

The fire, which was discovered about 3 o’clock in the afternoon, was stubborn having caught in the boiler room, and burned through underneath, and it required about an hour for the Selma fire company together with the mill fire company to get control of the flames.

Mr. W. G. Reynolds is superintendent of the Lizzie Mill.

From the front page of the Smithfield Herald, Tuesday, Oct. 19, 1926

newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn92073982/1926-10-19/ed-1/seq-1/

C.L. Kelly, Ezra Byrd Escape Smithfield Jail by Sawing Iron Bar and Descending on Blankets Tied Together, Oct. 19, 1926

Two Jail Birds Make Get-Away. . .Rope of Blankets and Iron Bar Sawed Through Tell the Story

Sometime between sunset and dawn Sunday night, two prisoners confined in the county jail here made their escape, and as yet have not been apprehended. A string of blankets tied together dangling from the top story of the courthouse and a sawed iron bar across the window told the story of how the get-away was made, and when the jailer made a check-up, it was found that C. L. Kelly and Ezra Byrd were missing. Blood spots on the cement under the window indicate that one or both of the men may have been hurt in their descent.

It seems that the jail has a number of Federal prisoners which together rwith the local offenders of the law had overtaxed the capacity of the jail. Forty-two prisoners were lodged there Sunday when the jailer made his last rounds. This large number made it necessary to assign three prisoners to the hospital ward, these being Kelley and Byrd and Charley Morris. Kelly was in jail charged with skipping a bond, having previously been arraigned for some whiskey trouble. His case had not been tried. Ezra Byrd had been convicted of fornication and adultery and had been sentenced to nine months on the roads. Morris, who had been in jail for about 10 days, made no attempt to escape.

Mr. J. T. Matthews, who operates an electric shoe shop here but how lives across Buffalo, tells the story of giving assistance to one answering the description of one of the men who escaped. About 1:30 yesterday morning Mr. Matthews was called out of bed by a man who gave his name as Parrish. He said he had had an automobile wreck between the Matthews home and Selma, and wanted to get to Goldsboro if possible. He stated that he was leaving his car and would come back for it Monday. The man’s right ankle seemed to be in bad shape and also the side of his jaw and one eye. Mr. Matthews and his son, Elijah, took him to Goldsboro and put him out at a filling station near the overhead bridge across the railroad. Mr. Matthews did not want to charge the man anything for his services, but he insisted on paying him $3, which he finally accepted. The description fits one of the men who escaped. What became of the other one is not known at this time.

From the front page of the Smithfield Herald, Tuesday, Oct. 19, 1926

newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn92073982/1926-10-19/ed-1/seq-1/

In Cabarrus County Superior Court, Oct. 19, 1926

Court Matters. . . Number of Cases Continued as Solicitor Announces Trial Docket—Dry Fined

With routine matters out of the way before the noon recess, Cabarrus County Superior Court got down to the business of handling the trial docket.

After the brief charge of Judge A M. Stack at 10 o’clock in the morning, Solicitor Zeb V. Long announced his trial docket and immediately afterward the trial of cases was begun.

The docket of the solicitor shows no cases of unusual importance at the present term of court. A number of cases were continue because defendants could not be found and nol pros with leave was taken in other cases.

It was announced in court Monday that the case of Carl T. Blakeney, charged with burning the Bank of Midland, would not be tried at the present term of court. Judge Stack advised Solicitor Long that because of family connections, he did not want to hear the trial.

C.E. Hopkins, charged with possessing liquor, was found guilty. He was sentenced to serve 90 days on the chain gang, capias not to issue upon payment of the costs in the case and agreement not to handle liquor in any manner for five years.

George Dry submitted to a charge of assault with a deadly weapon. He was given six months on the chain gang, capias not to issue upon payment of $100 to Arthur Flow, whom he is said to have assaulted, payment of the costs in the case, agreement not to handle liquor for five years and agreement to be of good behavior.

Nol pros with leave was entered in the case against the following:

Will Barnhardt, W. B. Oliver, W. L. Johnson, W. B. Spivey and Robert Garland.

The cases against the following were continued: Wiley Freeman, Lee Brooks, Prince Hill, Alonzo Connor Slim Byers, Henry Barber, Martin Boger, Carl T. Blakeney, R. J. Becker, Milas Lowder, Mrs. P. A. Melton and John Hefner.

Editor’s Note: A “capias” is a judicial writ or order — often a type of arrest warrant — directing law enforcement to take a specific person into custody and bring them before a court"Nol pros" is short for nolle prosequi, a legal term indicating that the prosecutor has decided not to pursue the case.

From page 2 of the Concord Daily Tribune, Tuesday, Oct. 19, 1926

newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn92073201/1926-10-19/ed-1/seq-2/

Coroner's Jury Finds Theodore Sharpless Innocent in Killing of His Father in Defense of His Mother, Oct. 21, 1926

Wilmington, Oct. 19—The third slayer in his family Theodore Sharpless, negro, was late this afternoon set free after he had killed his father, Paul Sharpless, at the home of is mother at 7 a.m. today. A coroner’s jury found that the man came to his death at the hands of his son, who was justified in the shooting in defense of himself and his mother.

From page 2 of the Robesonian, Lumberton, N.C., Oct. 21, 1926

newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn84026483/1926-10-21/ed-1/seq-2/

Concord Colored Fair Opens with Big Parade, Oct. 19, 1926

Colored Fair Opens with Big Parade. . . Program for Week Contains Round of Activities for Visitors Each Day and Night

The fourth annual Concord Colored Fair opened this morning with a big parade and will continue the remainder of the week. The fair is being staged at the grounds of the Cabarrus County Fair Association.

M. C. Boger, president of the fair, stated this morning that everything was in readiness at the grounds. Dr. T. N. Spencer, secretary of the Cabarrus Fair aided Boger and his assistants with the fair this morning to see that everything moved off smoothly on opening day.

A big parade, made up of floats, private cars, exhibits and horseback riders, was the first feature of the fair. The parade formed at 10 o’clock at the old Logan school and went from there to South Union street, thence to Grove street, thence to Spring, thence to Depot and then to the fair grounds.

This being educational day at the fair, Rev. H. Wilson delivered an educational address at the ground this afternoon at 1 o’clock. Immediately after this, the race program was started. The race program started with a free-for-all, the purses ranging from$50 to $125.

Wednesday afternoon, in addition to the races, there will be a football game between price High School and a team from Winston-Salem.

The show on the midway carries a number of attractions.

From page 2 of the Concord Daily Tribune, Tuesday, Oct. 19, 1926

newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn92073201/1926-10-19/ed-1/seq-2/