Tabor City tribune. (Tabor City, N.C.) 1946-1991, 1950-08-23
Crib Held On Manslaughter
Charge In Highway Death
OF 10-Year-Old Sonia Skipper

Mrs. Carl Skipper of Tabor City
was killed almost instantly
Thursday afternoon about 5
o'clock just beyond the Tabor
City schools on the Emerson road
when she was struck by car
driven by Fred Crib, 42.ycar-
old Clarendon farmer.
Crib, allegedly intoxicated at
the time, is said 10 have run over
the child while she was well off
the hard surface and that he was
driving his automobile despite
the fact that his drivers license
had been revoked previously.
Crib, is currently at liberty OH a
$4,000 bond, the bond having been
set at the coroncrs inquest held
in Whiteville Monday night. He
is awaiting Grand Jury invcsti,
cation. He was under a S150C
bond between the time of the ac.
cidcnt and the inquest. The $4,000
bond is one of the highest on rec
ord in this section for man.
slaughter charge
Coroner Hugh Nance placed
four witnesses on the stand to
establish Cribb's responsibility
for the Skipper child's death at
the Monday night inquest at the
Court House.
Among the witnesses was w.
A. CAD Williams, Tabor City
mayor, who was near the seem
of the accident when it happened.
Mr.. Williams testified that "r
was travelling the highway froll
Emerson to Tabor City on AT
guest II, 1850. l met a car. Mr..
Fred Crib was driving the car.
I saw two children, a boy and Il
girl, walking along the highway.
They were on my left side CT
the shoulder of the road goinT
toward Tabor City. That woulI
make them on Mr.. Cribs right.
The little boy was rs or 20 feet
behind the little girl. We were
on curve. He (Cribb) was some
over the center Of the highway
on my side of the road and |
swung TO the right. l did not
actually see the car when it hit
the Skipper child but 1 heard the
blow and pulled up TO Mr.. Kings
store and told Lloyd Fowler to
20 down and see what he could
do while l went for al ambul-
ance."
an my opinion. "Mr. Williams
said, "Mr. Crib was drunk"
The mayor also testified that
the Skipper child was walking
along the shoulder Of the road
carry carton of soft drinks.
He testified that his daughter
waved at the little girl as they
passed her Immediately before
the accident.
The mayor added that in his
opinion Mr.. Crib Travelled about
100 feet after he struck the child.
But" he added, Mr.. Cribb was
not travelling at an excessive rate
of speed. I believe that he was
making only 80 or IS miles an
hour" he said.
Official investigator l.. L.
Watson Chief Of the Tabor CITY
police department, testified that
information he had gathered III
Dictated that the child had been
killed when "thc right front fcnd-
or struck the child" He said that
he observed tire tracks about two
and one-half feet off the hard
surface. "Mr. Cribb showed me
where the child was when nc hit
ror and he said that ne went
off the hard surface when nc MT
the child" Mr.. Watson testified.
He was highly under the m
fluence of some intoxicating pew.
crapc." Watson sworc. Two hall
pints of whisky were iound III
Cribs car. he said.
w. S. Allen, state HIGHWAY
patrolman, has assisted Ch'ci
Watson in the investigation ana
he said he talked with Cripn III
the iail two or two and one hall
, hours after the accident and inat
Cribb was still under the lnfiu'
cnce of Intoxicating beverage
He also stated that Cribb's drlV,
ors license had been rcVoheu
prior to the accident.
Another witness, Mrs. l.. ~;
wilIiams testified that she hdn
seen Crib about Alb in iroll' .,
, the Tabor City Ice Plant anu ;, i,
was in front of the Wa re'louaa,
She said "as he came by operat,
mo his car his head was hanging
down and he looked like ne wdS
slobbering." Mrs. Williams "I,o
said that Crib was drunk a' ''''
time she saw him. IT,,
''' Prosecution is being hand'cu
NV Junius K. Powell and J. .. lee:
The defense is representa- n,o,, w.
RAYMOND B. Mallard OF "no'
civ and Walter H. Powell Oh"
of Whitcvclle. H. victim
Funeral rites for the Vlc'"n e
were held from the residence q.
her maternal grandmother Mrs,
Emma Solos. Sunday aIteIiioo.
AT d o'clock with Rev. 7. Z. uaht''
nastor of the Mount Tabor R"p
fist church officiating. Bu.iai
was in the Myrtle Green GENIE
She is survived by her parents
Mr. and Mrs. Carl Skipper; 10
N5onIou Carl and MAC