Thursday, March 18, 2021

Bennet Severn Accused of Stealing Plane He's Flying, March 18, 1921

Young Aviator Pursued on Charge of Theft

The pleasures of an airplane flight from Miami Fla., to Coinjock, N.C., were rudely interrupted for Bennet D. Severn last week when a warrant was sworn out for his arrest, charging him with the theft of the very airplane in which he was making the flight. But the states not having perfected an aerial police service, young Severn wasn’t captured even when he landed at Coinjock last Friday and lingered a while in the bosom of the family of his father-in-law W.J. Tate, of that place.

Severn left Coinjock for parts unknown and his father-in-law insists that he is not guilty of stealing the plane, but is the victim of a spite warrant. Mr. Tate says the airplane belongs to Howard F. Hillyard of Camden, N.J., and that his son-in-law is delivering the plane to Mr. Hillyard. The warrant charging the theft was sworn out by one E.K. Jacquith at Miami, Fla. Mr. Tate says the case will be fought out in the courts of New Jersey.

Severn wired Mr. Tate from Miami on March 31, stating thaty he and his wife were leaving there for Coinjock. Mr. Tate was advised f the progress of the flight from day to day and then no word came for a week. Mr. Tate called on the U.S. Coast Guard in this city to locate his son-in-law for him and the Coast Guard with its vigilant wireless located Mr. and Mrs. Severn at Tybee Beach near Savannah, Ga., where it was said they had put in on account of bad weather. But the officers with the warrants never thought of using the Coast Guard to locate their man.

From The Independent, Elizabeth City, N.C., Friday, March 18, 1921

No comments:

Post a Comment