Johnson County GaArchives News.....Man Slain; Store Is Burglarized In Scott Section Over Week-End January 25, 1945
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
William J. (Jim) Carroll williamcarrollj@bellsouth.net August 30, 2009, 8:02 am

The Wrightsville Headlight 1-25-1945 Front Page January 25, 1945
          Man Slain; Store Is Burglarized In Scott Section Over Week-End
 In a swift succession of events, a store was burglarized and a man shot to 
death in the Scott section of the county early Sunday morning.
 Hillery Pope, farmer, was shot and almost instantly killed, allegedly by his 
son-in-law, Elmo Butterworth, as the aftermath of reported family difficulties.
 Butterworth is being held in the county jail on a charge of murder, awaiting 
preliminary hearing.
 Joe Mimbs, young white man of Scott, was caught in the act of looting the 
store of Mr. J. J. Harrison, in Scott, and was brought to jail here to await 
trial.
 Sheriff Dewey Hall said he was called to Scott about two o'clock Sunday 
morning on a report that a burglar had been caught in the store of Mr. 
Harrison.
 When he arrived there with City Policeman Gordon Carter, he said, he found 
the store surrounded by awakened citizens.
 In the group were Pope and Butterworth. They are said to have left the scene 
shortly afterwards and went to Pope's home, where an argument culminated in 
the shooting.
 Sheriff Hall said he found Pope's body in the yard with a loaded single 
barrel shotgun nearby. Butterworth is understood to claim that Pope was 
advancing on him with the shotgun and that he opened fire with a shotgun that 
he carried.
 In Wrightsville Monday to prefer charges against Mimbs, Mr. Harrison said he 
was awakened by a neighbor who informed him that he had just seen a man break 
into his store.
 Dressing very quickly, he said, he went to the store, unlocked the door and 
snapped on the electric lights. Behind the counter, counting out about seven 
dollars in pennies, nickels and dimes, was Mimbs, who offered no resistance 
and emptied his pockets of the money looted from the cash register.
 Mr. Harrison said his and other stores have been burglarized frequently in 
the past.
 Arrainged for trial before Judge W. C. Brinson in City Court Monday 
afternoon, Mimbs entered a plea of guilty and was fined 4100 or suspended 
sentence of 12 months. Officials reported that Mimbs paid his fine.

Additional Comments:
Hilton J. Pope was the son of James M. "Jim" Pope and Emma Foskey Pope. He was 
married to Ethel "Effie" Thigpen Pope. Elmo Butterworth was married to Bernice 
Pope, daughter of Hilton Pope.

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