Newspaper Page Text
Volume 19
Young Clements Takes All
Blame in Death L. J. Clegg
Macon, April 28. —DeLois Clem
ents, 19, son of Telfair county’s
representative in the state legi
slature, yesterday afternoon re
futed past confessions here, and
told Deputy - Sheriff Luther J.
Stevens, of Bibb county, that he
was alone in the murder and rob
bery of Luther J. Clegg, Scotland
Ga., merchant, and his father’s
best friend, on the night of April
Sth.
The new statement was made
in the presence of Alvin Johnson,
34, father of three motherless
children, and A. D. Ashley. 20,
whom he had implicated in the
murder. Johnson has been held
here several days, but Ashley
was brought to the Bibb county
idail Monday and held secretly
lending investigation.
The most recent confession
will effect the release of two Ne
groes, Will Chandler and Jim
Starks, also implicated by Clem
ents in previous statements, as
well as the two white men. Officer
Stevens said Johnson, Ashley
and the Negroes will be released
as soon as the authority comes
from Telfair county. They all are
held on warrants charging mur
der.
“The devil was in me,” Clem
ents said when asked why he de
sired to implicate four innocent
persons in the crime.
“No*w I know I’m going to the
electric chair.
Tne youth maintains the -dis-
charge of the gun which felled;
the merchant was accidental.
“It went off just as I threw’ it
on him. All I wanted to do was
rob him,” he said.
Solicitor General M. H. Boyer,
of Hawkinsville, and W.S. Mann,
special prosecutor, of Mcßae,
conferred with Clements here'
yesterday morning, but he told
them the same old story of the
robbery and murder with the ad
ditional implication of Ashley.
Ashley at the time, was confined
in another part of the county jail
here. I
Clements had told the officers'
that Ashley had helped Johnson ]i
and him plan the robbery,and had :
been with him on the morning of
April 9, following the murder,
^“^hen we hid the body.
1 ^blicltor Boyer, Mr. Mann and (
County Policeman Tom Jackson, ;
of Telfair county, had left for
their return home yesterday
when Clements called D puty
Stevens to his cell. They talked
for a short time, and Mr. Stevens 1
said he told Clements:
"Now I’m getting tird of this
thing, listening to all these lies
you’ve been telling me. I’m heie
to wind this thing up. I want the
truth,”
Clements suggested that John'
son and Ashley be brough to his
cell. Instead, however, the three]
were carried by Deputy Stevens ]
to the consultation room in the]
county jail.
There, face to face withi the j
friends whom he had implicated,;
Clements was asked to repeat;
the charges against Johnson and;
Ashley.
Officer Stevens said Clements,
jumped from his seat and full of
emotion gripped the bands of the ]
two men (Johnson and Ashley)
with the declaration: “They had
n o t h i n g to do with it, I did it
alone.”
"They were the happiest boys
I ever saw,” Clements said later
in the afternon "The devil just
had me, or I would never told
that lie on them. What do you
suppose would have happened to
Cmmty lEaglr
me if I had never told anything?”
he asked The Telegraph reporter
talking with him at the time.
“I just wanted some money
that night, and decided I’d rob
Mr. Clegg. I wanted to go to Cin
cinnati. Now I know I’ll go to the
electric chair instead.”
Clements told of his engage
ment to Miss Mirian McMillan,
of Milan.
“I waste marry herin June,”
he said.
The young man diden’t appear
nervous in the least after he had
“told the truth.” In fact, he brag
ged about his steady hand, hold
ing it out before him.
Clements said Mr. Clegg ap
proached him in the afternoon of
April 8 and asked if he could get
some whisky.
“1 had hid some down there by
the road, and we. went down that
night to get it,” tbe young mar
said that. “When we got there 1
found that it had been stolen. 1
needed some money, so I decided
I’d bold Mr. Clegg up and rob
him.
Clements left the body in the
position it had fallen that night,
but returned early next morn
mg, he said, and hid it. His fath
er, J. 11. Clements, acted as pall
bearer at the funeral of Mr.
Glegg, and young Clements at
tended. The young man said, too
that he became a member of a
searching party which sought
•the body of Mr. Clegg after he
had disappeared.
"That was all as a sham,” he
said. Aa he was telling the new
story to the reporter yesterday
afternoon, and declaring it to be
“the whole truth,’’Clements was
putting on some fresh clothing
which his father brought him
two days ago.
“I sure do feel better,” he
said. He talked freely of the rob
bery and incidents which led up
to and followed it. He talked
freely of his engagement to bo
married and declared "I’ll see
her before long,”
"What a fool I’ve been,” he re
fijcted, "I just wanted some
money, and papa was out of town.
I couldn’t get any from him.”
Clements said he had been in
jail before, in Florida for a minor
offense. He remained there for
two weeks. He said he had sold
some whisky " about two years
ago.”
Johnson and Ashley were good
friends, and Johnson was going
to take him to Cincinnatti, he
said.
Johnson’s cel! was some dis
tance from that of Clements.
"Well, I guess you’re happy
about this time,” he was asked.
“Oh boy! he exclaimed. “You
don’t know how it feels to be in
the show of the electric chair and
innocent. That boy is a man to
tell the truth about that thing.
He’s got sense though. He sure
did have a story framed up
about me.
"I sure am glad he came
through with it because I’ve got
an old mother and three children
who need my labors. I am afraid,
too, that I’ve lost my job.”
Ashley was happy, too, but too
sick, he said, to rejoice much.
"Now ain’t that a friend to
have to get me in this sort of
trouble,” he commented with a
dry grin.
Taken to a police station on a
charge of passing counterfeit $2
bills, Ricardo Garcia of Havana,
Cuba, swallowed two bills just as
officers began to search him.
ALAMO, GEORGIA, FRIDAY, MAY 1, 1931
WHEELER PROGRAM
OVER W. T. 0. C.
Wednesday morning May 9th,
a Wheeler county-wide program
will be broadcast from station
W. T. 0. C. in Savannah. Let
every one who can tune in on
this station and get this pro
gram, which opens at 11 o’clock
A. M., Eastern Standard time,
and closes at 11:45. *
The program is made possible
through the courtesy of the
above station, which will consist
of short talks by officials of both
Alamo and Glenwood, special
music by the Glenwood quartet,
and other amusing features that
will be permitted to be crowded
into the forty-five minutes that
the micraphone of the W. T. O.C.
will be turned over to us. Vis
itors from the county will have
the rare pleasure of sending back
home messages to their friends
over the radio.
A large delegation from the
county at large is expected to be
presenton this occasion. Visitors
are expected to arrive in Savan
nah about ten o’clock and report
at the broadcasting station. Mr.
Kenneth Wolfe, program mana
ger in charge.
Connmencement Exercises
Begins at Glenwood
Wednesday night, April 29th,
will be the annual debate between
the Phi Kappa and Wilsonian
literary societies. Subject: Re
solved, That the illiterate voter
should be disfranchised. Affir
mative: Jerome Clark and Grady
Colson, representing the Phi
Kappa. Negative: Foy Kent and
Athalaine Joiner, representing
the Wilsonian.
Friday night, May Ist, the
Junior-Senior reception.
Wednesday night, May 6th, the
graduating exercises of the
seventh grade.
Thursday night a banquet to
the Seniors.
Sunday, May 10th, commence
ment sermon by Dr. W.L. Pick
ard, former president of Mercer
University, Tifton, Georgia.
Monday night, May 11th, the
graduating exercises. Address
by Hon. W. C. Little, Brunswick,
Georgia.
The public is cordially invited
to attend the exercises Wednes
day night, Friday night, Sunday
morning, and Monday night.
Revival Services Close
at Methodist Church.
Revival services at the Alamo
Methodist church closed last
Wednesday night. In these ser
vices the spiritual life of the
church and of the town was
strengthened. Great interest was
shown in the revival, good crowds
being present at the services,
which overflowed the church two
nights.
Rev. Monroe Yarbrough, of Beu
na Vista, brought able preach
ing, and by his pulpit work and
his personality endeared himself
to many people in our community
Six expressed a desire to join
the Baptist church, and fifteen
came, asking for membership in
the Methodist church on pro
fession, and one by letter. The
candidates will be received into
the church at the Sunday night
services.
Convicted of driving while in
toxicated, John Lewin of Detroit
must spend one hour a day for
30 days in the Lincoln Park police
headquarters as a part of the
courts sentence.
CONTRACT LET PAVING
SECTION ROUTE THIRTY
Atlalta, April 30. —Highway and
bridge contracts amounting to $1,834,-
314.38 and located on important points
of the state highway system were
awarded by the state highway com
mission here today.
The total award was slightly lower
than engineers estimates, as has been
the case in practically every letting
this year, J. W. Barnett, chairman
of the commission said.
The cantract for six miles of con
crete paving on the Statesboro-Sa
vannah road, Bulloch county, was
awarded to the Espy Paving and Con
struction company, Savannah, for a
low bid of $178,018.74,
The Davis Construction company,
of Atlanta, received the contract for
9.6 miles of concrete paving and wid
eningoftwo bridges on the Carrolton-
Villa Rica road, beginning at Car
rolton and ending 3.5 miles from Villa
Rica. The bid was $181,995.32.
A Coffee county project calling fo>
12.4 miles of paved road, either lime
rock surface treated or sand asphalt
on the Ocilla-Douglas road was given
the Murray Construction company,
Knoxville, Tenn., for a bid of $151,-
759.75.
In Douglas county, 6.3 miles of con
crete on the Douglasville-Villa Rica
road will be built by the J B. McCra
ry company, Atlanta, for $115,917.27.
The Ballenger Paving company,
Greenville, S.C.. received the con
tract for Jive miles of concrete on the
Athens-Elberton road, while a Haber
sham-Stephens project of 3.8 miles oi
concrete on the Cornelia-Taccoa road
was awarded the Dickson-Carroll
company, Montgomery, Ala., The
Ballenger company bid $118,714.27
while the Dickson-Carroll bid was
$124,050.90.
Other contracts let include:
Grading 13.9 miles on Gray-Eaton
ton road, beginning at Gray and end
i» gat Jones-Entnam county Une, t<
Nicholas Construction company, At
lanta, for $91,092.72.
Grading 16.9 miles and three brid
ges on Dublin-Jeffersonville road,
beginning at city limits of Dublin and
ending at Laurens-Wilkinson county
lines, to Nichols Construction com
pany, Atlanta, for $106,859.48.
Top solinig 0.34 miles on Athens-
Elberton road, beginning at Comer
and ending at Carlton, to Nichols
Construction company for $27,359.16.
Paving with concrete 7.3 miles and
three bridges in Montgomery and
Wheeler counties beginning at Glen
wood and ending two miles east of
Mount Vernon, to L. E. Wolfe Con
struction company, St. Augustine
Ela., for $194,024.98.
Concrete paving for 9.3 miles and
widening two bridges on Ellaville
Butler road beginning at Ellaville
and ending at Schley-Taylor county
line, to 11. E. Wolfe Construction
company for $234,462.27.
Sheet asphalt surfacing 11.4 miles
on Donalsonville, Georgi a-Dothan,
Alabama line, to Sam E. Finley, At
lanta for $126,161.79.
Lime rock 3.2 miles and five bridges
on Waycross-Jesup road, beginning
2.5 miles west of Satilla river and
ending 1.2 miles east of Satilla river
l o Millsap and Parker, Birmigham,
and Austin Brothers Bridge company
Atlanta, for bids of $99,653.48 and
$49,826.30 respectively.
One bridge on Washington-Thom
son road, Wilkes-McDuffie counties,
to George A. Clayton company, At
lanta, for $34,237.95.
05.00 Reward.
For the recovery or informat
ion leading to recovery, I will
pay $5 00 reward for one Duroc
Jersey sow, color light red, or
sandy, weight about 350 pounds,
will farrow about May tenth; one
black Poland China gilt, white
feet, weight about 125 pounds;
and Duroc Jersey gilt, weight
about 75 pounds, latter marked
crop in each ear, tail bobbed.
C. A. MORRISON,
Glenwood, route one.
Divorced, Mr. and Mrs. John
Coleman of San Francisco, agreed
they would continue to live in the
same appartment house, but on
different floors, for the sake of
their two children.
Senior Class -Wheeler County
High School Play May 7th.
Judge Graham Holds
Short Session of Court.
Judge Eschol Graham and*So
licitor Boyer were over Monday
morning, and disposed of a few
cases in which pleas of guilty
were entered. Rowe Clark, white,
indicted at the last term of court
for hog stealing, plead guilty to
the indictment and was given
twelve months straight on the
gang.
George Johns, white, charged
with selling liquor, pleading
guilty, was sentenced to twelve
months on the gang, with the
privilege, however, of serving
three monthsand paying SSO and
being released under probation
for tbe remaining nine months.
Buster'Register, white, one of
the number captured last Satur
day by county officers, charged
with gamling, plead guilty to the
charge and was given the privi
lege of paying S4O, including
cost.
Dunford-Webb.
On last Saturday at the parson
age, Mrs. Annie Dunford and
Mr. George Webb were united in
marriage, Rev. Roy^Gardner offi
ciating.
Mrs. Webb is a sister of Mrs.
H. J. Whitfield of this place,
where she has been making her
home for some time. The groom
is a young planter of Emanuel
county. Immediately after the
ceremoney they left for their
home at Summit.
Death of Mr. J. N. Clark.
Mr. J. Newton Clark, 78, died
at his home about six miles north
of Alamo on last Tuesday, after
being in feeble health for some
time. He died on his 78th, birth
day. He was married to Miss
Charlottie Calhoun in 1877, who
preceded him in death in 1924.
He was born and reared with
in half mile of where he died.
He is survived by six children,
two daughters, Mrs. J. W. Low
ery, of Baxley; Mrs. W.M.Clark;
W. N.,E.H., J.H. and B.C.Clark,
all of Wheeler county. He is also
survived by nine grand children
and nine great grand children;
One sister, Mrs. Hariet Clark,
also of this county.
Funeral services were conduct
ed Wednesday morning by Rev.
Roy Gardner and interment was
in the family cemetery, near his
home.
District Conference at Vidalia.
The Mcßae district conference
of the MethodiSt church meets at
Vidalia on Thursday and Friday,
May 7 and 8. Many matters of
district-wide interest will be dis
cussed at this time. Many prom
inent speeches are on the pro
gram.
Among those attending from
Alamo charge will be, Rev and
Mrs. Roy Gardner. Messrs R.A.
Erkes, R. F. Jordan, Mr. and
Mrs. J. W. Clements, J. F. Till
man, Jeter Hertz, W. A. Bras
well, J. B. White and J. T. Clark.
Tax Assessors to Meet.
The board of tax assessors for
Wheeler county will meet soon
to canvas the tax returns, as will
be completed by the tax receiver
on May the 2nd. The body is com
posed of M.B. Adams, J.L. Mor
'rison and T.M. Moses.
Number 10
On Thursday night May 7, 8:15
P. M. the Senior Class will
present at the school auditorium
“Cyclone Sally,” a comedy in
three acts.
“Cyclone Sallie” is one of the
most popular contemporary
dramas and affords a wealth of
fun and wholesome entertain
ment. This is a comedy of intri
gue in which complex situations
follow one another in rapid suc
cession. The action is rapid, the
the plot humorous, and the char
acters adapted to the situation.
A brief synopsis follows:
Jack Webster, a young spend
thrift has lost al! of his property
except the Websterestate. Hear
ing that Sue Bascom, the hired
girl of Jenny and Ruth Thatcher
has inherited a large fortune he
hastens to Cedar Point with the
express purpose of marrying
Sue for her money. He brings
with him Reggie Manners,a com
ical Englishman. In the mean
time Sue Bascom had gone to
Chicago. Sue has a step-sister,
Sally Graham, better known as
Cyclone Sally. Sally is a regular
little spit tire who grows cab
bages and peddles them through
the streets of Cedar Point inord
er to make a living] for herself
and a sister. She has planted her
cabbage patch next to Jack Web
ster’s front lawn. Jack is terrib
ly offended. With the help of Ruth
Jenniek,and Effie Varden a neigh
bor, Sally plans to masquerade
as Sue Bascom. Jim Jerkins,who
has been courting Jennie Thatch
er for twenty years, is drafted
to help carry out the scheme.
Willie Clump, the man that is so
forgetful that he wonders wheth
er he is a married man or not,
and Sue Bascom’s beau, does his
part on both sides of the mix-up.
Vivian Vernon, friend to Jack,
and the belle of Cedar Point tries
to vamp Jack, but Jack falls for
Sally. News arrives that Sue has
been disinherited and that Sally
is to receive a hundred thousand
dollars under the will of her
step father. The cabbage woman
is changed into a rose and and
Jack Webster plucks this rose.
Reggie and Ruth make a go of it
and Jim Jerkins still asks for a
little more time since he has not
been courting Jenny but twenty
years And Willie Clump is still
trying to remember to whom he
proposed.
Come and see an excellent cast
of s e n i o r s put on an excellent
play. This a first number of a
series of numbers making up the
commencement program. Show
the Seniors that you appreciate
their efforts by coming to their
play.
Admission 15 and 25 cents.
For Sale
We have near Alamo, Ga., a
lovely upright piano in perfect*
ion, used less than ten months,
>n which one hundred and ninety
seven dollars ($197.00) has been
paid. Will sell for unpaid palance
and easy terms can be arranged.
Address P. O. Box 35, Savannah,
Ga.,
First Sunday Preaching.
0
There will be preaching ser*
vices at Shiloh Sunday morning
at eleven o’clock. All the people
of the Shiloh communtiy are urg
ed to attend. There will be
preaching at Alamo Methodist
church Sunday night at 8:15. At
this time delegates will be elected
to district conference.
