The Wilmington morning star., 1943-02-28
FIVE SENTENCED
ON THEFT COUNTS

Continued From Page One)
Of IL years in Central prison at
Raleigh on six separate counts OF
breaking and entering and larceny
and receiving, the longest sentence
received by any number OF tine
gang.
william c. rabbit" Hare, now
serving 3O-year sentence tor the
robbery OF an ABC store at Ayden,
was given 10 years by Judge Bur-
ney for two of the robberies COM
mitted here by the gang.
James "Popeye" MCGOWAN was
given 10 years by the Judge on
five larceny indictments. woodrow
''Wiggle" Davis drew six years on
three larceny counts while George
Mcdonald, who pleaded guilty and
served as states witness, was sen.
fenced to a total Of five years in
the state penitentiary and the sen.
tence suspended on tive year S
good behavior.
An alleged sixth member Of the
gang, Leona Clemmons, was sent
to the woanan's division Of the
state highway prison farm system
for six months early in the term.
The crimes for which the indi.
vidual members of the gang were
sentenced included the ROBBERY ii
Everett's Service station, two sep.
arate break-ins at the DR.. Pepper
Bottling company in sunset rdrK
in which sacks of sugar wer G
stolen, the robbery of the state
in which a clock, an adding ma
chine and a number of gallons OF
gasoline were taken, and several
automobile thefts, including tn e
theft of a new car from a ware.
house Of the Raney Chevrolet COM
pany.
Harry E. Fales OF the city-county
bureau OF investigation, and De.
tective-S e-Sergeanr w. u. Thompson
Of the city police department, the
arresting OFFICERS IN all the cases
against the gang, said individual
members had confessed to robber-
les at Lake Waccamaw and other
nearby towns.
Rising, the only man charged
with the Coca Cola robbery to
plead not guilty, was given five to
six years on the roaos by Juoge
Burney. After the judge had de-
MED motions to set aside the ver-
dict and for a new trial, w. L.
Farmer, attorney for the shipyard
worker, gave notice of appeal to
the state supreme court. Rising S
bond was set at $4,000.
Thompson, who confessed to OBJ
tanning the keys and combination
to the oottling plant safe from his
father-in-law, was given from five
to six years on the charge of rob-
bing the safe on November Z, and
from three to four years on the
count of robbing the safe on Sep
tember 13. Judge Burney ordered
the sentences to run consecutively.
Garrison, charged with the Sep
tember 13 robbery, was given four
to five years and Harrell W S
given a two to three year sentence,
suspended upon good behavior for
five years and on the payment OF
the costs and of $l00 toward the
costs of sending the officers to At
lanta, Ca, for his arrest.
Rising, who admitted serving a
long series of sentences for previ-
GUS robberies, emphatlcally uenled
the contentious of Thompson and
Garrison, who declared that he
took part in the September 13 rob-
berry and afterwards helped divide
the loot.
MIR. Fales and Sgt. Thompson
were also the arrestlng officers and
chief states witnesses in the Coca
Cola cases.
Other sentences imposed by
Judge Burney included:
J. F. O'Quinn, rigging supervisor
at the shipyards, was fined $25
and the costs, after jury had
convicted him of obstructing City
Detective J. T. Rich in a raid on
his home for the purpose of un-
covering alleged gambling activi-
ties. A drunken driving h aree