Police Still Searching for William Harmon and His Sister-in-Law, April 5, 1925

Police Search for Mail Man. . . Durham Employee of Uncle Sam Can’t Be Found—Wife’s Sister Too

Durham, April 5—Extensive search has been instituted for William N. Harmon, 31, for five years city mail carrier, who resigned Tuesday and disappeared Wednesday morning leaving his wife and three small children, seven weeks, 2 ½, and 4 years old, in rather destitute circumstances.

Coincident with his going, Mrs. Hettie Cole, sister of the deserted wife, disappeared from her boarding place, and police are working on the theory that the two went off together. Belief is expressed they went together to Virgina, though police today had fond no trace of them in Virginia cities or in other places in North Carolina.

Harmon left home Wednesday morning with a suitcase, telling his wife he was bringing a suit of clothes up street to have it pressed. Later when he did not come home, she went to the boarding place of her sister for consolation and assistance, finding she reported to the police, that her sister had also disappeared. So far as the abandoned wife knows in her report to police there had been nothing between her husband and her sister, whose husband is said to be in the state penitentiary.

If Harmon was having trouble with his family, it was not reflected in his work as letter carrier, in which he had established a splendid record according to Postmaster J.K. Mason, who said he was held in high esteem by his fellow workers and associates.

The absent carrier is said to have spoken of joining the army and also of going to a Virginia city to work. He is described as a young man of pleasing personality, 5 feet 10 inches tall, weight 165 pounds, dark hair, ruddy complexion, brown eyes, with a scar on his right hand. He was said to have been wearing a light gray hat, black shoes and carried a light tan handbag bearing his initials. Mrs. Cole is said to be 22 years, weighing 132 pounds, with dark red bobbed hair, wearing a light blue coat when she left.

Chief of Police Doby said yesterday all necessary officers will be notified of the disappearance and be asked to look out for them.

From page 2 of the Goldsboro News, Tuesday morning, April 6, 1926

You may be asking why this is a police matter, what law was broken. In 1926 a married couple may break up but may not leave the family dependent on public assistance/destitute. And it is against the law to rent a hotel room to use it for sex with a person who is not your spouse. newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn93064755/1926-04-06/ed-1/seq-2/