Tabor City tribune. (Tabor City, N.C.) 1946-1991, 1961-05-17
Two Officers Held
In Death OF FipI,s

Charles james Fipps. 90
ycar-Old Tabor City ai-man.
died early the morning OF Sun
day. April 30. OF bullet in the
brain. a CorUner'S jury found
Friday night AT an inquest IN
the courthouse at Conway.
The jury ordered Sgt. George
.. (Buduy) Fowler and Police
man Willis BauS.. both OF the
Horny County Police depart
mcnt. held for !u.tncr invest
igatiun."
No charge has been lodged
against the officers. They are
al liberty under $4,000 bond
each.
FippS died at $40 u. m. April
80 III Conway hospital after
beng shot i'll the back of the
head during a l20-mileS-pcr-
hour chase that started north
OF Conway and ended near
Howard, between LoriS and
Tabor City. AT Loris. an orfic-
er testified, he Skidded on two
wheels through a road block
which had been set up Nv
Fowler and Cause.
Six witnesses were called
Friday night by Coroner Lit
tlejohn Blanton in d courtroom
placed to the last inch with
spectators: DR.. Edward /,
Proctor, Conway general sur
'eon: DIR. {. W. Della, CONWAY
1athologiSt; LiCIt. NJ. n. ball
Sues expert of SLED: County
'ollceman Olin |. Blanton, Jr.:
J. {. GaSquc. Service Station
operator; and SLED Agent
Colin King.
Drs. Proctor and Della
Established the cause OF death.
Lieut.. Cate testified that the
bullet taken from Fipps brain
aad been fired from the 80
callbre carbine which Fowler
and Cause had with them. Pu-
lceman Blanton told of start
ing the chase north of Conway.
tcStliylng that when Fipps
sped away from him SO rapid
~ he thought lit was a stolen
car or had a load of whisky or
something" GaSquc told Of
iinding a bullet in tail light
and said the 1854 Ford convert
lole was powered with a Mer-
curry Engine with a four barrel
carburctor. SLED Agent KIM
testified that skid marks
showed FippS had swerved
through the road block at I,oris
on two wheels and that after
FippS was shot his car rolled
a long distance between the
highway and railroad, hit a
slight rise and sailed through
the air 100 feet before coming
down on all four wheels and
rolling even further-a total
distance Of 300 long steps"
from the point where the car
LETT the highway.
Assisting District Solicitor
Richard Dusenbury were At
torneys Frank McGougan of
Tabor City; NJ. c. Tyndall. IF
Marion: and Ed Williamson. of
Whitevillc.
NO questions were asked bv
chef Defense Counsel II. r.
Abbott. Sitting at the table
with him were l.. B. Dawes.
CHARLES Dawes and Reuben
Long. three of a number of
Horny attorneys who volunt- /
eered their services.
DR.. Proctor testified as fol-
lows:
AT 4 a. m. April 30, ne was /
called to the emergency room /
OF Conway Hospital where he .
found a young man. brought
by ambulance from Loris. suf- |
lering from severe head in
Jury. The man was deeply I'm
-onscious." The left side of the
head was badly swollen as was
the left eye. There was a tiny
hole in the left side of the
scalp at the back of the head
through which blood and brain
tissue exuded.
Ihere were multiple tract
ires along the whole left side
u the head. The patients pup
lis were dilated and fixed
another Indicate n of deep
unconsciousness." The patient
was "in deep shock" No blood
pressure could be recorded. A
vein was opened and a pint OF
plasma substitute and two pints
)f blood were administered. II
was impossible to move the
patient to the X-ray room be-
cause I'VE were unable to get
him out Of shock"
He expired at 500 a. m"
After death further oxo,o;,,