Wayne County Museum presents tales of murder
By Rochelle Moore
Published in News on May 20, 2016 1:46 PM
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News-Argus/ALAN CAMPBELL
Sherwood Williford tells the tale of the murder of John R. Denning, pictured at left, on Thursday evening at the Wayne County Museum.
Close to 60 people sat in a dimly lit room at the Wayne County Museum Thursday listening to a murder tale as part of a two-part series on notorious Wayne County murders.
The story, told by local writer and historian Sherwood Williford, unfolded on a "cold Thursday morning" in January 1947 that resulted in the death of John Roosevelt Denning, a Wayne County insurance salesman.
According to news reports and public records, he was found along the side of U.S. 117 near Mount Olive, after spending the night at a place called Pine Castles, a few miles from Mount Olive, which Williford described as a restaurant with nearby rental cabins.
The night of the murder, Denning was reportedly flashing $600 to $700 in cash, which later was believed to be as much as $1,300. Witnesses also saw Denning cashing several small checks.
"Why in the world did he have that much money on him, and where did those small checks come from?" Williford said. "Even today, would you walk out with $600 or $700 in your pocket? It would look kind of foolish, wouldn't it?"
Even though Williford questioned some of the details surrounding the case, he said robbery may have been the motive. He also thinks Denning and the accused killer were drinking.
About a month after Denning's death, Marshall Odell Bell, a 26-year-old Duplin County World War II veteran and former technical sergeant, was arrested and held in jail awaiting trial.
"Is it possible that Bell may have robbed Denning?" Williford said. "Well, when Bell was arrested, he had in his possession $600 in $1 bills."
When Denning was found alongside U.S. 117, he had in his possession a watch, fountain pen, notebook and a pocketbook with $1.
The case went to trial in less than three months after the murder, with one witness, Thennie Lee, a waitress, stating that Denning asked Bell for a ride home, a conversation that turned heated after Bell said he couldn't do it. Eventually, Bell drove off with Denning in the car. Bell returned about a half hour later and told Lee, "I don't reckon he'll bother anyone else," Lee said in court.
Bell told Lee that Denning kept mouthing off, so he pushed him out of the car. A newspaper article reported that Bell had admitted to kicking Denning out of the car.
Initially, investigators questioned if Denning was the victim of a hit-and-run, and Dr. David Rose, a Grantham native, testified in court that Denning "had a badly crushed pelvis," was bleeding and suffered other injuries. Williford said he was found 15 feet off the highway.
The case quickly resulted in a conviction, in April 1947.
"Apparently, it had not taken long for the jury to make a decision," Williford said. "Judge W.C. Harris, of Raleigh, sentenced Marshall Bell, age 26, to 20 years in state prison. Judge Harris said, in passing the sentence, that the case, in which Bell killed Denning, was one of 'extreme manslaughter.'"
Williford shared some details of Denning's life and Bell's history. Denning, a Wayne County resident, was known as "one-armed John Denning," a name some still use today. Denning was born without a forearm, but became skilled at propping a gun "on the nub of his partial arm" and winning turkey shooting matches almost every year. He also played the violin. Denning was 41 at the time of his death, and never married.
Williford wasn't able to find a record of Bell's release from prison but found, through Wayne County records, that Bell married in 1966 and was divorced eight years later. He married again in 1985, but was divorced a year later. His military record also listed Bell as separated with dependents, which led Williford to believe Bell had been married three times.
"I have the names of Bell's two wives and his daughter after he was released from prison, but have made the decision to not give them out," Williford said.
Myde Faircloth, the niece of Thennie Lee, the waitress questioned during the trial, was at the event Thursday. Faircloth shared stories about her aunt and provided her picture. Williford also had enlarged photos of Denning and Bell.
Goldsboro attorney Geoffrey Hulse said that Bell's defense attorney, Needham Outlaw, was assisted by Scott Berkeley, who later became mayor of Goldsboro. Berkeley Boulevard was named after the former Goldsboro mayor.
"Tonight was a great way to kick this event off, and I was so happy to see the number of people who came," Hulse said. "A courtroom is telling stories. That's what we do. We tell stories and flushing out the people, whether they're the defendant or the victim or the witness.
"I just think what made this a very interesting evening (was) to hear, not just what happened in that isolated moment in those people's lives, but just something about how they all came to be there and how their lives went from there. I just thought it was a good way of looking at a story like this."
After the program, Williford said that the dimly lit room was actually a result of a malfunctioning ceiling light switch. Several smaller lights were lit for the program.
"I thought they had it dark because it was going to be spooky," said Helen Pierce. "I've known (Williford) for a long time from the Grantham community. It was good, and it had all the details in it. I remember hearing the name of the Denning man and several other people he talked about, like the sheriff and the doctor."
The event was hosted by the Wayne County Historical Association and the museum. The second story in the series will be told by David Weil on June 13 at 7 p.m., at the Wayne County Museum, 116 N. William St. The event is open to the public. Williford said the series could continue, depending on attendance and local interest.