Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1921-05-13
by the Police under instructions
from my people.
Anna Gillespie.

however tnere were denlalS ant
indirect impeachmento of the girls
character.
The article appearing in the
! News and Observer was in par
as follows
, 1.-TWO itinerant missionaries anC
! the driver of an automobile hired
, for a preaching tour that landed
, all three of them in the State
prison Saturday, charged with
criminal attacks upon two young
, women at Roanoke Rapids, yes.
terday entered broad disclaim-
ers of any stain of guilt upon
them. Individually and collect
lively, among themselves, to
their keepers in the death house,
where they are lncarcerated,
and to their families who has
tened from Albemarle with as
surances of sympathy and sup
port, they told a tale that appears
almost convincing.
Jim Sharpe and Burleson are
the two against whom the power
of the law is directing its capitol
efforts. The other missionary is
held only as an accessory to the
crime alleged against the others.
He was not with them when the
crime is alleged to have been
committed, and he inquired
quite plaintively yesterday of all
visitors if they thought he ought
to be where he was. He made
no claims of innocence for the
other two, but was quite sure
that he himself was without
blame.
Indirect impeachment of the
character of the two Roanoke
Rapids women is contained in
almost every sentence spoken
by the two most deeply involved.
Burleson admitted quite frankly
that the Gillespie girls statement
that she was 'drugged" was
true. The brother of one of the
women accompanied them on a
drive before the Sunday night
trip, and bought a bottle of
'beef-iron and wine,' and the
girls drank it. One of them
was so sick that she had to be
carried away from the tent
meeting on Saturday night, he
declared.
"The flight from Roanoke
Rapids at 3 O'Clock last Monday
morning is described as having
been agreed upon for several
days previously. Burleson who
talks more intelligently than the
others, told of drives upon
which the two women insisted
upon being taken on Sunday
and again on Sunday night.
They drove over to Louisburg,
lie said, and returned to the
mill village where the two
women were working in the
mills. The trip was made at the
instance of the two women.
Late in the night, according
to Burleson's story, the Gillespie
girl was carried to the home of
her aunt, where she got out of
the car and went to the house.
The car was driven then to the
home of the Barkley girl, and
after that Burleson and Sharpe
went and woke UP the other
missionary and prepared for a
trip to South Boston, Va, where
it is claimed they intended to
to continue their mission work
preaching and taking collections.
"As they were driving out Of
the town, Burleson says, and the
two Sharpes corroborate him, the
Gillespie girl hailed them and de-
clared that she was going to
leave town if she had to walk.
She claimed that her brother had
assaulted her. 1t is claimed that
they tried to dissuadc her, but
she insisted on going, and jump
ed in the car, into the front seat,
and sat between Burleson and
Jim Sharpe. Repeated efforts to
get her to leave the car are des-
cribed as having been useless.
Reaching South Boston, the
girl was carried to the home of
her aunt there and l,ft. The