Day After John Denning Appears Before Judge Allen for Gambling, He Is Arrested for Burglary When He Is Caught in Hotel Room, Aug. 28, 1922

Denning Is Jailed on Burglary Charge. . . Young Goldsboro Man is Found in Room at Kennon Occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Perce

Sounds of a struggle, punctuated by cries of “Help! Help!” attracted the attention of the Night Clerk Ward at the Kennon about midnight yesterday. Rushing to room No. 301, where the cries emanated, Mr. Ward found S.F. Perce, a guest, struggling with an intruder. When the man was quieted and the lights turned on, he was found to be John Denning, young Goldsboro man, who was one of the 13 poker players bailed before Judge Oliver H. Allen yesterday afternoon. He was jailed on a burglar charge, Officer J.G. Langston making the arrest.

With his wife, Mr. Perce arrived here on a late train yesterday evening. They had been asleep but a few minutes before Mr. Perce was awakened by the scraping of a belt buckle on the iron bedstead. He listened intensely for a few second. There was a repetition of the noise. His eyes having become accustomed to the darkness, Mr. Perce managed to make out the figure of a man bending over the foot of his bed. He made a lunge for the intruder.

Mrs. Perce, awakened by the struggle, lay terror stricken while her husband tussled with young Denning. When Night Clerk Ward arrived he found the pair almost exhausted by the struggle.

Upon the appearance of J.C. Vanstory, the proprietor of the hotel, and Officer Langston, a search of Mr. Perce’s pockets were made. Two dollars, later found under the bed, were found missing.

Denning denied touching any money, or that robbery was his motive. He had been drinking, he said, and “just wandered in the room.” In fact, he declared that he was too drunk to realize his predicament.

Mr. and Mrs. Perce are from Henderson.

Denning is married and the father of one or two children, it was stated this morning. He was not registered at the hotel, the presumption being that he gained the stairs to the third floor by walking boldly through the lobby. There are so many guests going and coming at this hour that egress in this manner is possible without detection. The door to Mr. Pearce’s room was not locked.

From the front page of the Goldsboro News, Aug. 28, 1922. The victim’s name was spelled Perce until the last sentence, when it was spelled Pearce. I don’t know which is correct.