The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1920-09-10
BOY BANDITS ON TRIAL
AT CURRITUCK COURT
Sensational Case Of Misguided Youths Who Tried
To Get Money Without Working For 1t
And Got Jail Instead

One of the most sensational
cases in the courts of northeast
ern North Carolina in recent
months went to trial at Curri-
tuck c. H. yesterday morning.
The defendants are J. Pope Mix
on, age 22; L. w. Pennington,
age 10; Edward Parr, age 22 and
w. T. Saunders, age p. The four
are charged with burglary and
highway robbery
They were arrested in December of
last year and were to have been tried at
Currituck at the March 1920 term of
the Superior Court in that county. But
there was no March term of court in
Currituck, owing to, an epidemic of in
fluenza in the county at that time. For
several months the youths were kept
in Jail in Elizabeth City on account of
the intense feeling against them in Cur
rituck where there alleged crimes were
committed. After staying in Jail i. for
a little more than nine months they are
a petit jury.
The crimes for which they are being
tried were committed on the night of
December Is, 1920 Their most spec
tacular stunt was enacted >at Maple,
about three miles from Currituck G. III. :
It is alleged that the four boys appeared
at Maple at late hour at night, in a
Ford automobile, that they found one
Tom Simmons a colored man, repre-
sented themselves as Revenue Officers
and told Simmons he was under arrest
It is alleged they offered to release him
if he would pay them $50. Simmons
didn't have $50, but led them to the
home of A. B. Snowden, one of his white
neighbors and told them he would bor-
row the money from Mr. Snowden. Mr..
Snowden came out of his house when
Simmons called and in response to Sim
mons request for a loan pulled his
purse containing about $3.50 in currency.
One of the boys thrust gun into Mr..
Snowden's stomach and relieved him of
his $3.50. The boys then backed off,
keeping Mr.. Snowden covered all the
while, and made their escape. They
were traced to Norfolk and arrested up
on description furnished the Norfolk po-
lice. The same quartette is accused of
other robberies in the same county.
Sentiment was high against the youths
when they were first arrested, but since
they have been nine months in Jail SEN
timent has been tempered and, in some
cases, entirely changed 1t is believed
that the boys were attracted to Curri-
tuck by the lure of big profits to be
made in blockade whiskey manufactur-
ed in that county. They are believed
to have begun their criminal career by
taking this whiskey out of Currituck
and selling it in Norfolk. One lawless
adventure may have led to another. This
newspaper goes to press too early to
learn what evidence will be adduced at
the trial.
The admitted leader of the band,
James Pope Nixon is spectacular char
acter who has bummed all over the
world and claims to have worked on
newspapers and as a moving picture ac
tor. He is picturesque, talkative, wild
and venturesome. He has said that he
was responsible for the hold up at
Maple and that he was the man who did
the gun work without any pre-arrange-
ment or understanding with the other
boys. No one seems to know anything
of Mixon's family connections, since he
claims to have come from Louisiana.
The other boys are Of good families.
The defendants are represented by
able counsel from this city and Norfolk,
the firm of Meekins & McMuIlen of this
city being their chief counsellors. The
judge presiding is Hon. Thos. H. Cal
vert of Raleigh.