The Wilmington morning star., 1947-10-31
HUNDREDS ATTEND
CONTINUED from Page One)

for the defense were Horace
Stacy, Of Lumberton, and S. B.
Frink and D.. C. Herring, both
of Southport.
DR.. Fred M. Burdette, first
witness on the stand, testified
that he performed an autopsy
on Sheriff Whites body at 9 p.
m. on October %, date of his
demise, and that he found that
White died of a hemorrhage at
the base of the brain. DR.. Bur
dette said that he found a bruise
over the left mastoid region of
the sheriff's head, this being
the only external signs of an
injury noted.
The doctor said that it was
his impression that the fatal
h~emorrhage had begun some "a
to 48 hours before Whites death
and that it was "a fairly pro-
gressive one"
On examination by Solicitor
Moore, DR.. Burdette declared
that the cause Of Whites death
could not be termed a stroke
by any manner or means"
Answering a question from a
defense counsel, he said that
there was no evidence Of ex-
ternal injury except the bruise
over the left mastoid, one half
inch wide and two inches long.
DR.. Swain, of Southport, who
examined Captain Conway at
the time of his arrest on wreck
less driving charges, at around
7 pm. on the Monday before
Sheriff White died, to determine
whether or not Conway was in
toxicated, told the coroner's
jury that from hearing DR.. Bur-
dette's report of his autopsy it
was his opinion that Sheriff
White died of a stroke. .
"I'd call it a stroke" he said.
"I'd call any intercranial bleed
ing a stroke. Not technically
speaking, but from the lay
standpoint, I think it would be
correct to call it a stroke"
To answer a question put by
Defense Attorney Stacy, DR..
Swain said, 81 believe DR.. Bur
dette's autopsy report was not
complete, inasmuch as he did
not locate the vessel which did
the bleeding. He did not locate
the site of the bleeding. He did
not mention a subdural hemor-
rhage, which is common in vio-
lence. What he describes is
what we describe in 90 to 10(
times as what would happen in
cases of an inherent disease -
what you would call a stroke
Or. M. H. Rourk, the late
sheriff's family physician with
offices in Shallotte, told the jury
that White came to see him on
the day of his death, Wednes-
day, October q, and that he
treated him for a pain in the
neck.
According to DR.. Rourk,
White told him that he had been
riding with one of his deputies
on the previous Monday night
and had been sitting with his
back to the door of the car.
When he got out of the car,
White told the doctor, he put
his foot down, expecting it to
hit a running board, but missed
it, hitting his heel with a sudden
jar to his neck.
II asked him if he had hit
his head on the door facing or
handle of the car or if he had
fallen on the ground or had in
anyway injured his head" DR.
Rourk said. "He said no."
"Did he tell you he had had
a struggle of any type" Defense
Counsel Stacy asked, to which
thedoctor answered no.
DR.. Rourk stated that the
sheriff had described his troub-
lie as a pain in the neck which
felt like a "crink in the neck"
He said that he saw no external
signs of injury on the sheriff's
head, except a small bruise over
the right mastoid.
Deputy Daught E. Trip, who
accompanied the sheriff in the
original arrest of Conway, and
who was the chief witness for
the state, described at length
what happened at the time of
Conway's arrest.
He said that when white got
out of his (Tripp's) car at the
point where the arrest was
made, Conway reached out
and grabbed him by the back
of the neck and pulled him up
to him. He jerked him so that
the sheriff fell to his knees like
this (Tripp demonstrated by
bending forward on his knees
with his head held forward and
DOWN."
The deputy testified that he
pulled Conway back off the
Sheriff and that the two officers
put handouts on him, but
added that they had trouble
with the prisoner several times
before leaving the scene of the
arrest and that Conway "cussed
and reared" all the way to
Southport, where the warrant
was sworn and the examination
by DR.. Swain took place.
He said that Conway asked
them, "Do you know who you're
arresting. . I'm Captain Con-