A homicide that has created state wide interest took place in Rockingham last Saturday when W.B. Cole, wealthy textile manufacturer of that city, shot and killed W.W. Ormond as he sat quietly in his Ford roadster on the street near the office of Mr. Cole.
The killing form the best information grew out of a love affair between Mr. Cole’s daughter, Miss Elizabeth Cole, age 24, and Mr. Ormond. Mr. Ormond was the son of Rev. A.L. Ormond, Methodist preacher of the North Carolina conference, who quite a number of years ago served the Methodist church in this city. Young Ormond was an ex-service man who served overseas. He was gassed in France and spent several months in a hospital after his return home. He was a young man of splendid character. He was a member of a prominent Green county [family?] and was a nephew of Dr. J.M. Ormond of Duke University. His father served the church at Rockingham for four years, and it was during that time that “Bill” Ormond, as he was familiarly known, and Miss Cole fell in love with each other. Their going together was an accepted town fact. It appears that in more recent months that Mr. Cole objected to young Ormond keeping company with his daughter and forbade his going with her. It is said considerable feeling developed between the two men and letters of physical violence had been exchanged with Ormond moved to Raleigh last September where he held a position at State College up to the time of his death.
Young Ormond was unarmed when he was shot and apparently the affair was cold-blooded murder. It is thought that other facts in the case will be brought out at the trial. Cole was placed in jail without bail, although numbers offered their assistance, even up to a million dollars.
Solicitor F. Don Phillips will ask the governor to call a special term of court for the trial of Cole, but it is not known at this time whether this will be granted. If it is not granted, the case will come up in the regular term commencing Oct. 15.
From the front page of The Smithfield Herald, Friday morning, August 21, 1925
newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn92073982/1925-08-21/ed-1/seq-1/
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