Henderson, Oct. 6—W.G. Padrick and H.M. Lewis tried jointly on a charge of conspiracy to defraud insurance companies in the illegal disposition of automobiles and found guilty by a jury in Superior court last night were this afternoon sentenced by Judge J. Lloyd Horton to serve terms in the State prison at Raleigh.
Taking the position that Padrick was the brains of the whole illegal business hereabouts and that Lewis was an innocent victim dragged into it, Judge Horton pronounced the judgment that Padrick should serve not less than five and not more than eight years at hard labor and that Lewis should be confined for not less than 18 months and not more than three years.
Both defendants through their counsel gave notice of appeal and the appeal bond of Lewis was fixed at $1,500 and that of Padrick at $6,000.
Both men, who have manifested a hopeful attitude throughout trial, were visibly affected at pronouncement of judgment by the court.
The court room was thronged by interested spectators many of whom stood through the long session during the afternoon. When court convened after the noon recess, counsel for the defense moved that the verdict be set aside but Judge Horton denied the motion.
The case against the two men grew out of a series of fires with which Henderson was afflicted during 1921 and 1922. Padrick, an automobile accessory dealer, had an uncanny streak of luck in having cars on which he held mortgages and insurance burning up.
On the night of January 9, 1922, the West End Garage, in which Padrick had one of his cars stored, caught fire mysteriously. While the Henderson firemen were fighting this blaze fire broke out in the building of Padrick’s Auto Accessory store. Quenching the West End blaze the firemen hurried to Padrick’s store and on putting out the fire found unmistakable signs of incendiarism.
The following morning H.E. Kennedy and J.E. Scott of the North Carolina Insurance Commission were on the job in Henderson working on the case. They were later assisted by the National Board of automobile underwriters. Warrants were drawn up and as a result George Wyckoff, W.F. Wooten and R.T. Stokes of Henderson are now serving terms in the State Penitentiary. Mr. Scott stated last night that there had been such a dearth of fires in Henderson of late months that the fire chief there was considering lending Louisburg a portion of the fire-fighting apparatus. Previous to the investigations he stated that conditions in Henderson were so bad that law abiding citizens had a hard time getting fire insurance agents to write their policies.
From the front page of the Raleigh News & Observer, Oct. 7, 1922
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