Lexington, June 20—L.C. Jenkins, former chief of police of Thomasville, was taken to Raleigh early today to begin his sentence of 25 to 30 years for the alleged slaying of Mrs. Elizabeth Jones, wife of Thomas F. Jones of Appalachia, Va. Sheriff R.B. Talbert, G.M. Thompson and E.S. Layden took Jenkins to prison, making the trip by automobile.
Jenkins was convicted and sentenced here on May 10 but gave notice of appeal. No steps were taken, however, to perfect the appeal during the 40 days he has remained in jail since conviction.
Mrs. Jones’ body was found in the room at Thomasville which she had Jenkins had occupied while posing as man and wife on the morning of March 14 after it had been dead about 36 hours. During the time 6-year-old Pearl Ponder, niece of the dead woman, had remained with the body and made no outcry. Jenkins by his own admission fled the scene immediately after the killing, going first to Charleston, S.C., and then to his former home at Greenville, S.C., from whence he returned to Thomasville early on the morning of March 15 and gave himself in custody.
At that time he declared Mrs. Jones had shot herself with a pistol while he had his back turned and he has not changed his story, asserting before his departure for Raleigh that he did not kill her.
Since being placed in jail here, he has continued to maintain an air of unconcern bordering on joviality and appeared in good spirits as he bade jail attaches (?) goodbye this morning.
Jenkins has an ankle enlargement of long standing and on this has developed an open sore that gives him some trouble and which will probably militate against his ability to do hard labor at prison.
From the front page of the Concord Daily Tribune, Saturday, June 21, 1924
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