Judge Bis Ray Sentences Henry Furr to 4 Years On Chain Gang, Oct. 9, 1921

Furr Gets Four Years On Roads. . . White Farmer Must Serve Long Term for Selling Whiskey

Henry Furr, white farmer of Charlotte township, convicted before Judge Bis Ray in Superior Court last week of selling liquor, was sentenced Saturday to three years on the chain gang, this in addition to a sentence of 12 months which was hanging over him when he was brought into court during this term, the aggregate of his term being four years.

As soon as Judge Ray pronounced sentence upon him, his attorney, Jake F. Newell, gave notice of appeal to the Supreme Court, and Judge Ray named Furr’s bond at $6,500. He later reduced the bond to $2,500 in addition to the $500 bond which was required of him in a previous case.

Furr was convicted of having sold liquor a few days ago to two negroes, Sim Smith and Annie Stacks, whose testimony was corroborated by officers going to the premises, on information furnished them by these two negroes, and finding liquor in Furr’s well house and a container on a table in the house out of which, the negroes alleged, Furr had poured their whiskey. Officers testified in these cases that Furr had the reputation of selling whiskey somewhat promiscuously and white neighbors of his, introduced by the State, testified that his reputation for whiskey selling was known in the entire section as being bad.

ALREADY UNDER SENTENCE

At the time of the trial of these two cases, Furr was under sentence from Judge Ray to spend a year on the chain gang, having been convicted at the last term of the court. Upon the plea of his attorneys, the sentence was stayed until November 1 in order that the farmer might have opportunity to gather his crops. The liquor he was alleged to have sold to the two negroes was while he was enjoying this dispensation from the court and Judge Ray indicated strongly during the trial that he did not appreciate Furr’s imposition on the clemency of the bench.

Officers, both rural and city, allege that, in their judgment, with the conviction of Furr, one of the larger sources of whiskey has been temporarily broken up at least. It is their opinion that a large part of the liquor that troops into the city through devious channels and by means of diverse agencies first finds its flow from the premises of Furr who, they claim, has been giving them trouble for two years in the place where he has been living during that time.

From the front page of The Charlotte News, Oct. 9, 1921