In another incident, Marie Carter’s ex-husband Roy Pryor pleaded guilty to a count of grand larceny six years after their divorce.
Peoria
A digital companion to the biography Becoming Richard Pryor
One Prisoner of Fourteen Pleads Guilty
Date: 06/06/1928
Citation:
“One Prisoner of Fourteen Pleads Guilty,” Decatur Herald, June 6, 1928.
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1. A Pryor Family Album
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North Washington Street
–1938–The block, in the red-light district, where Pryor was raised
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Thomas Bryant, Richard’s grandfather
–1944–Thomas “Pops” Bryant was Marie's second husband
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The Pryor Family at the Famous Door
–c. 1945–The Pryor family diversified its operations, becoming proud owners of a tavern in the mid-40s
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Ann Pryor and Friend
–1950s–Ann Pryor and a friend in 1950s Peoria
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Ann and Buck Drinking With Friends
–1950s–Richard's father and stepmother, on the town with some sharp-dressed friends
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Ann Stepping Out On the Town
–1950s–Richard's stepmother Ann, in a happy time and a sophisticated place
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Marie Carter Bryant and Richard “Dickie” Carter
–n.d. (mid-1940s-1950s)–Richard's grandmother and Uncle Dickie at a bar.
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Buck and Ann Pryor in Aiken Alley
–4/3/1951–Richard's father and stepmother relaxing on Aiken Alley
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2. Richard's Grandparents Marie and Roy (1915-1929)
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Claimed Wife Attended Ball
–12/06/1915–When Marie attended a “grand ball” by herself, her husband beat her for it
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Cases in Court
–09/22/1916–A judge weighed in on a fight between Roy Pryor and a bill collector
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Got Affectionate with the Baby
–11/19/1916–Marie preferred to have her husband Roy in jail rather than near her baby
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Roy Pryor/Marie Pryor Assault Arrest
–04/03/1917–Another assault charge filed by Marie Pryor against her husband Roy
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Seven Colored Men Arrested
–01/05/1919–Roy Pryor paid a steep fine for running a gaming table from his home
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Dismiss Economos Case
–11/20/1925–After an argument with his boss, Roy Pryor found himself at gunpoint
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One Prisoner of Fourteen Pleads Guilty
–06/06/1928–Six years after his divorce from Marie, Roy Pryor faced a grand larceny charge
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Tit for Tat
–11/04/1929–Charged with assault, Marie fought back by filing assault charges against her accusers
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Three Arrested on Assault Charges
–11/05/1929–Under arrest, the candy store proprietor pled not guilty to Marie's assault charge.
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Woman Fined $50 on Assault Charge
–11/13/1929–The ultimate price Marie paid for her act of candy store justice
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3. From Bootleggers to Bar Owners (1927-1947)
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Police Notes: Thomas Bryant’s Liquor Charge
–02/16/1927–Thomas Bryant, Marie's soon-to-be second husband, was convicted of bootlegging
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Three Taken in Raid
–10/11/1929–Marie appears to have bootlegged out of her home — and was arrested for it
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Three Are Arrested in Raid Sunday Night
–10/14/1929–Possessing “intoxicating liquor” proved a costly offense for Marie Carter
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Thomas Bryant, Richard’s grandfather
–1944–Thomas “Pops” Bryant was Marie's second husband
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The Pryor Family at the Famous Door
–c. 1945–The Pryor family diversified its operations, becoming proud owners of a tavern in the mid-40s
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Famous Door Exterior
–c. 1947–An unidentified group — perhaps from the extended Pryor family — standing outside The Famous Door
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The Bar at the Famous Door
–c. 1947–An interior shot of the Pryor family's tavern
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4. Richard's Father Buck, in Trouble (1931-1945)
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Arrest Four Negroes in Wabash Sand House
–03/ 17/1931–At age 15, Marie's son LeRoy — later Richard's father — was arrested for disorderly conduct
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LeRoy Pryor Receives Section 8 Discharge
–7/25/44–LeRoy Pryor was discharged without honor from the US Army at the height of mobilization for WWII
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Ellis Sergeant Slugged, Robbed
–2/13/1945–A black sergeant, flush with cash, was robbed on N. Washington Street — and Richard's father seems to have been the culprit
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LeRoy Pryor Indicted by Grand Jury
–3/1945–A Peoria grand jury indicted LeRoy Pryor for robbing a black soldier
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5. The Marriage of Richard's Parents (1943-1946)
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Divorce in a City of 100,000 Population
–1939–Peoria had a divorce rate nearly twice the US average; a sociologist surveyed Peoria from all angles to discover why
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Married: LeRoy Pryor and Gertrude Thomas
–12/28/1943–Three years after he was born, World War II spurred Richard's parents to marry
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Gertrude Pryor v. LeRoy Pryor
–1/1946–The divorce papers of Richard Pryor's parents
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Buck and Gertrude Divorced
–3/27/1946–The marriage of Richard's parents entered its final phase — the back-and-forth motions of divorce court
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6. Richard's Father and Stepmother Ann (1950s)
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Ann Pryor and Friend
–1950s–Ann Pryor and a friend in 1950s Peoria
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Ann and Buck Drinking With Friends
–1950s–Richard's father and stepmother, on the town with some sharp-dressed friends
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Ann Stepping Out On the Town
–1950s–Richard's stepmother Ann, in a happy time and a sophisticated place
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Buck and Ann Pryor in Aiken Alley
–4/3/1951–Richard's father and stepmother relaxing on Aiken Alley
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Obituary: Mrs. Viola Pryor
–1/3/1968–Ann Pryor died of cancer on December 31, 1967
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7. Richard's Uncle Dickie
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Marie Carter Bryant and Richard “Dickie” Carter
–n.d. (mid-1940s-1950s)–Richard's grandmother and Uncle Dickie at a bar.
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John Clark Discovers Negroes Now Talking
–10/11/1952–A reporter dropped into Bris Collins's tavern to take black America's pulse — and met Richard's “Uncle Dickie”
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Eight Arrested Here in Narcotics Raid
–4/8/1953–Richard's Uncle Dickie was netted in Peoria's first major drug sting in years
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8 Jailed Here in Narcotic Raid
–4/9/53–Uncle Dickie was arrested with heroin and marijuana, and under suspicion of turning women to prostitution
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Bell Captured in St. Louis on Dope Charges
–4/10/1953–Jimmy Bell, a band leader at the Famous Door, fled to St. Louis when his partner was caught in drug bust
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8. Still in the Game: Buck and Ann in the 1960s
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Prostitution Counts Name 5 Defendants
–9/10/1965–When police raided the brothel of Richard's father and stepmother, Buck ran and Ann stayed
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Guilty Verdict in Trial of Alleged ‘Madam’
–10/6/1965–Ann, already sick with cancer, was sentenced to jail time for running a brothel
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Convicted Madam Out as Student
–10/8/1965–Richard's stepmother Ann, accused in court of being a "madam," was kicked out of a local vocational school
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5 of 10 Vice Raid Counts Dismissed
–11/10/1965–Buck avoided jail time by evading police during a raid
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Appelate Court Upholds Vice Count Conviction
–9/24/1966–A year after her arrest, Ann's conviction was upheld by 2-1 vote in appeals court
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Upholds Ruling In Vice Case
–10/3/1967–Ann was ultimately sentenced to a year for prostitution, but did not live to serve the term
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Vice Raid Nets Man, 56, Woman
–11/15/1967–Buck arrested for 3rd time in as many years for running a brothel
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Prostitution Case Fines Total $700
–3/5/1968–In the year before his death, Buck was still getting arrested in vice squad raids
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9. Richard returns to Peoria (1967-1979)
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R. Pryor Launched in Movies
–9/9/1967–On the occasion of Richard's first film role, the Peoria Journal Star joined a conversation with his father
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Richard Visits His Mother Gertrude
–1969–Richard raising the spirits of his ailing mother
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Richard Pryor Returns To Peoria Stage
–03/09/1969–A benefit for the local Afro-American Black Peoples Federation brought Richard Pryor back to the Carver Center stage
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Pryor Joins Family For Grandmother’s Funeral
–01/04/1979–Jet's coverage of a central event in Richard Pryor's life — the loss of his “Mama”
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