On 2 May, 1917, the Chatham Record saw fit to defend the reputation of one of its own:
Not Our Chatham Girl
In the Raleigh and Durham papers there appeared last week the account of the capture of some “blind tiger” operators who were carrying liquor from Raleigh to Durham. With the party was a woman whose name was given as “Bessie Carroll,” but whose name it appears is Bessie Holland, of Durham.
To some people the name of “Bessie Carroll” has become mixed with that of Miss Bessie Carroll, the daughter of Mrs. Thos. E. Carroll, whose home is on Hickory Mountain, in this county, which is entirely incorrect. Miss Bessie Carroll is a young lady who has held a stenograpic [sic] position with the Carolina Power and Light Company, in Raleigh, for nearly four years, and is now holding a similar position with the News and Observer, being held in high esteem and respect by all who know her.
It must have been some relief to Bessie Carroll to have that cleared up!
