Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1921-06-10
HEAVIEST DOCKET in YEARS
FOR JUNE CRIMINAL COURT
Nearly Eighty Cases Calendar Violations of Prohibition
Law Predomnate Judge Cranmer Severely Scores
Blind Tigers and Pistol Toters in Grand Jury Charge
BOOT-LECGERS GET ROAD SENTENCES

Facing the largest criminal
docket in years, the June term
of Halifax County Superior
Court convened Monday morn
ing, with Judge Cranmer pre-
siding. His address to the
Grand Jury was one of the most
thoughtful and impressive ever
delivered at Halifax. Judge
Cranmer's diction while calm
and dispassionate is never the
less direct and incisive. His con.
ception of the government OF
North Carolina, as being founded
upon and having as a corner
stone the acknowledgement OF
the sovereignty of Almighty
God" and his development OF
the fundamentals of government
were very impressive. But Tor
the good government which we
now enjoy, he told the Grand
Jury, none Of you would have
been willing to have left your
home this morning. You could
not be certain that the lives OF
your loved ones or the property
which you have amassed would
have been safe while you are
here. " He brought before the
Grand Jury only three classes of
law breaking: violations of the
prohibition law, pistol toting, and
selling of cigarettes to boys un-
der seventeen years of age. "A
man who is not a prohibitionist
is not good citizen" he told the
Grand Jury. Two classes of
people walk about with a gatling
in their pockets; fools and cow
ards" closed his vigorous denun-
citation of the pistol toter. Dur.
ing his charge he referred to the
Splendid school building" he
had seen on last Sunday after
noon and identified the
building as the Roanoke Rapids
Junior Senior High School with
the statement that standing upon
the steps of the new building he
could see two other great school
buildings erected upon the same
street. He concluded his charge
with an expression of pleasure
at being again in Halifax county
and a tribute to Halifax county
citizenry.
The principal cases disposed
of up to three O'Clock Thursday
afternoon were as follows:
Lennie Williams, larceny,
twelve months upon the county
roads.
J. H. Harris, larceny, twelve
months upon the county roads.
Will Garret, larceny, twelve
months upon the county roads.
Jessie Sledge, illicit distilling,
twelve months upon the county
roads.
Walter Taylor, selling whiskey,
six months upon the county
roads.
Clarence Whitaker, selling
whiskey, four months upon the
county roads.
Robert Moore, of Rosemary,
carrying concealed weapons and
gambling, six months upon the
county roads.
, R. M. Lawrence, selling whis'
key, eighteen months upon the
county roads. This case came
J from Roanoke Rapids and was
, worked up by Policeman R. H.
Jackson.
Claude Williams, carrying con
cealed weapons and selling pis
J tol, first twelve and later in
creased to eighteen months upoI
the county roads. Williams ha.
: every appearance of being
bad negro" in the worst sens,
of the term. His truculent anC
enraged department in the Court
room gained an additional sil
months from Judge Cranmer,
Leonard Aston, assault ant
battery, six months on the coun
ty roads.
h Will Joyner, illicit distilling
n eighteen months, Albert Neither
= cutt, twelve months, Sam Fen
9 ner, Asa and julius Manly
!, colored, all for illicit distilling
f twelve months each on tn
/. county roads. These five wer
/ the result of a raid made by tn
O police force of Roanoke Rapid
several days ago, in which a sti
n and five hundred gallons of mas
y were captured.
h Sam Lynch, charged with usin
t. a car for immoral purposes, wa
r found not guilty by the jur,
sr The evidence against him was
n- fimsy and his character We
proven so high by numerous WI
in nesses that this verdict was
H. foregone conclusion almost fro
m the beginning of the trial.
ne Coley Vaughan, charged viii