Sam Turner, negro, was fined $25 and cost by Judge Paul C. Graham in Saturday’s session of Recorder’s court on a charge of illegally possessing liquor after he had come in and claimed the half gallon of whiskey found in Luther Page’s automobile early Friday night by Officers King and Brown on Fayetteville street. Luther Page, who denied ownership of the liquor and said he did not know it was in his car until picked up by the arresting officers, was given a not guilty judgment. Willie Page, a cousin of Luther’s, found in Creola Rolinson’s house, in front of which the Page automobile was parked, with a half gallon of liquor concealed under his coat, was fined $25 and cost. Luther Page paid Willie Page’s fine and Sam Turner’s was immediately taken care of although he did ot pay the money over to the clerk.
The Pages came into court with a story that, in the opinion of the average man, would hold water about as well as a punched out sieve yet the sacrificial action of Sam Turner, just back from Connecticut where he said he had been employed at the Pine Forest country club, got Luther Page by and gave him a verdict of not guilty.
According to Luther Page, he was driving in his car when hailed by Sam Turner, who requested a ride. Sam, according to the witness, climbed into the back of the machine although no one but the driver occupied the front seat. They had proceeded about a block when Page alleged that Turner asked that the machine be stopped as he wished to speak with another negro who was approaching in another machine; that Sam Turner climbed out and did not return, leaving his liquor, placed in the car without his knowledge to be found by the officers.
Andrew Cotton, church sexton, swore that he was the occupant of the car that met the Page car and that it was he who called to Turner, adding that he had expected to go to Raleigh to a Hallowe’en party and that Sam was to accompany him. On cross examination he admitted that he was married but told Solicitor Umstead that like other men he did not carry his wife everywhere he went. This was in reply to a question as to why he did not carry his wife with him.
Willie Page, arrested in the Rolison woman’s house a few minutes before Luther was taken into custody, swore that he was moving the half gallon of liquor from one room to another at her request; that it has been delivered there shortly before by an unknown person, possibly “Little Bit,” Durham’s phantom criminal, and it was the property of the Rolison woman and not his. He said he had been visiting in the house for about an hour at the time the officers arrived, did not go there with Luther Page and did not know that Luther Page was sitting in front of the house at that time in his machine with a half gallon of liquor there.
On request of counsel for the defendants the state agreed to a temporary halt of the trial until another defense witness could be brought in since the state also wished to find other evidence. Coincidentally, both wanted the same witness—Corella Rolinson.
She arrived shortly afterwards and was put on as a state’s witness. Corella’s statement was a complete refutation of everything Willie Page had sworn to and didn’t do that of Luther Page any good. She denied ownership of the liquor found in her house in the possession of Willie Page and said she had not requested that he move it from one room to another.
According to Corrella she was waited on Friday afternoon by several persons who wanted aid in finding some liquor. She advised, according to her evidence, that she might be able to help them but was not sure. She said she saw Luther Page, the man who swore he knew nothing about the liquor in his car or the presence of Wilie Page in her house with another half gallon, and that Luther Page told her that what she wanted could be provided. She was under the impression that the half gallon of liquor found in Willie Page’s possession was that she had spoken to Luther Page about previously although the court accepted Sam Turner’s statement and permitted him to own the liquor, imposing a fine of $25.
Luther Page told the court that he worked for J.S. Cobb for a period of 15 years, first as a carriage driver in company with members of the Cobb family.
Cephus Trice was another to pay a fine of $25 and cost for illegally possessing liquor.
From page 11 of the Durham Herald, Sunday, Nov. 2, 1924
newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn84020730/1924-11-02/ed-1/seq-11/#words=NOVEMBER+2%2C+1924
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