The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1928-09-21
YOUTHFUL Mind
NO MATCH FOR
SHREWD POLICE
Killing Of P. Fl. Flora in Cur.
ri'uck in July Fixed On Nor
fc'k Youth BY Detectives
Wo king On a Casual
Clew

PeckleSs youths come down out
Of Virginia into the rural neigh
bourhoods of Northeastern North
Carolina and commit grave crimes.
But Norfolk. Va. police are gene
rally sure TO spprehend them.
After months Of quiet work De-
tect;ves w. T. Walker and c. w.
Mercer of Norfolk have fixed the
murder of p. ii. Flora, Currituck
county merchant committed
months ago. on Paul Taylor. a
17-year-old Norfolk youth and
two accompliccs.
Taylor and Carey Perkins. a
Youthful companion in the crime
are now held without bail in the
Pasqt 'otank County Jail to await
trial at the March 1928 term OF
Surerior Court in Currituck. A
third occomplice. Frank Pruitt
much older than Taylor and Perk-
ms, and believed to be the leader Of
a gang of youthful bandits is held
in Virginia where he is fighting ex-
tradition to North Carolina.
On the night of Saturday. July
2l p. H. Flora, for years a merchant
at Tulls, Currituck County, was
alone in his store. The hour was
around ten o'clock, late hour on
backwoods road in Currituck: most
of the neighbours were in their
beds; few cars pass on the Tulls
road at that hour.
Three youths in Chevrolet sedan
stopped at the Flora store; two en-
tered asked for cigarettes. When
Mr.. Flora stopped to wait on them
he was confronted with a gun,
ordered to hold up his hands. He
reached to a rear pocket where he
carried his own gun. The youth
holding a pistol on him fired point
blank. The bullet tore thru the
chest, thru his lung, causing death
a few hours later. Sprawling on
the floor behind a counter with
blood gushing from mortal wound,
Mr.. Flora attracted help by firing
several shots from his pistol. The
three youths fled in the night. There
was no telephone in the nelghoor-
hood by which communication
could be established with points
where they would likely pass in their
flight. They made good their escape
Hok Murder Will Out
On April 7 there was hold-up
at Great Bridge, Va. Three youths
in a stolen automobile held up and
robbed WV. Curling, proprietor OF
a filling station. On August II
Detectives Walker and Mercer ar
rested a suspicious character whose
name was Eugene Williams. On vii
liams they found gun that an
swered to the description OF gun
taken from Mr.. Curling. Mr.. Curl
ing identified Williams, identified
the gun.
/ Then the detectives began to work
on williams: they grilled him until
his resistance broke down and ne
made a confession duplicating a
number of youths in a series oi
hold-ups. He named Paul Taylor
But Williams seemed to know moth
ing about the murder at Tulls. He
wasn't connected with it.
But when the detectives founc
Paul Taylor they found a heart-slcS
penitent. fearful youth whose mino
was troubled by the crime ne nae
committed. Taylor told them tha'
he fired the shot that killed P. II
Flora. Carey Perkins corrooorateo
his story. Both. said they were lee
into the escapade by the older man
Pruitt. They didn't know they were
going to be parties to muroel
when they stole a car and hied tortf
to hold-up some country merchant
in Currituck on that warm july
night.
And Now They're Sorry
j Perkins, altho for several years
resident of Virginia, is a native o.
Currituck, born at Shawboro. Ill
,continued on page five)