The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1958-12-19
HATTERAS MANS BODY FOUND
AFTER FOUR NIGHTS IN ICY
CANAL ON BODIE Id. ROAD
Junius Martin S+yron. AZ. Presumed Dead Of
( Heart Attack. Caught on Northside of Inlet
Because Ferries CouIdn't Run; Left Home on
Found Sunday Morning By Sheriffs Party.

cA1iOh CclAuC w uA1uICO "wednesday
of last week, thinking to get a
little beer, meet some old friends
and go back home that evening.
On Tuesday of this week Styron
was buried at Hatteras, his body
having been discovered Sunday
morning, face down in a roadside
ditch after having been partially
submerged for four nights and
three days while Oregon Inlet
ferry traffic had flowed back and
forth beside it.
The story of this tragic occur
ence is singular one. Sometime
about 8 pm. Wednesday, the pair
visited the home of Mr.. and Mrs.
Milton Willis at Wanchese, former
Hatteras residents. Styron and
Austin, both having apparently
been full of the holiday spirit,
left shortly afterward, saying
they We're going to ride around
awhile. Styron, a tall, heavy,
amiable and likeable man was
Austin's uncle.
The next episode occurred when
Austin showed up at the home of
Supt. Bob Gibbs, Park Service
Superintendent at Bodie Island.
Austin was wet and incoherent
from cold and booze, and wanted
help to find his buddy who was
lost" Mrs. Gibbs was home and
alone with her young children, but
she let him come in to get warm
while she tried to locate an Off
Ger in Manteo, and finally locating
Ben Greet in Manteo. Mr.. Greet
located Sheriff Cahoon who went
to the scene and found Austin
along the road. Meanwhile Balfour
Baum and Gus Huffman had gone
down to the Gibbs home to see if
they could be of assistance.
! Austin apparently was unable
in his condition to give Sheriff
Cahoon coherent information about
the circumstances.
On Thursday, Austin eslisted the
services of an old friend, Thomas
Glenn Gaskill, of Wanchese to help
him find his uncle. Austin's ex-
plantation was that they had in
tended to return home Wednesday
evening, but finding the ferry not
running. had decided to pay a visit
to the Willis home. He went back
to the Willis home on Thursday
but couldn't remember completely
what happened. His memory was
hazy, it appeared, and at one time
he said Styron had asked him to
let him get out of the car for a
moment to seek a post or tree.
When Styron failed to return to
the car. Austin shouted for him.
calling his. name, but got no ans
wer. It was a bed night, and the
wet shoulders of the road were
Indispensable for traction. He told
Mrs. Gibbs that he had tried to
turn the car around in order to
continue to seek help in finding
Styron, but in this attempt his
wheels rolled into the ditch and
he was stuck. He was unable to
explain to Mrs. Gibbs whether he
was north-bound or south-bound
or to give any approximation of
the location of his car.
The. reports now indicate, that
when he and Gaskill failed to find
Styron on Thursday, Austin re-
turned to Hatteras without broad
casting any information at home
concerning the absence Of his
uncle. Finally Saturday afternoon
Styron's son-in-law, Roger Far
row of Buxton came to Manteo to
look for him. When he finally
learned something of the condi-
tions, it was after dark. On Sun
day morning Sheriff Frank Ca
hoon called his deputies, Darrell
Daniels of Wanchese, Clarence
Hassell of Wanchese, Clarence
Hassell of Manns Harbor, Donnie
Thyme of Manteo, and they went
over the ground all the way to
Oregon inlet. Retracing their
stems Frank Cahoon walked upon
the body of Styron lying face
down in the ditch with only his
rear and the back of his head
showing above water. His body
was frozen rigid.
Coroner Jim Vannote said there
was no evidence of violence OF
bruises and it was not considered
necessary to have medical exani-
nation or an inquest. The body, ne
said was found one-fourth mile
south Of Maynard Daniels cottage
Lookout" and 200 yards north Of
the Screaming Eagle cottage own
ed bv Jim Morton of New York
1t was on the east side Of the
highway.
Styron's friends say he was
suffering from a heart condition
and a severe case of cirrhosis Of
the liver. Some Of them believe he
fell into the ditch after . heart
SEE sTYRON, Page Twelve