EVERY THURSDAY BY UTBU PRINTDIC COMPANY
*. c river*, in. pdbijukr^
A» Iii4>|inridcnt Weekly Ntnpiptr I
MM. VwbUMMd Mr 48 y*ri bjr the late Robert C. Riven,
subscription rate*
r. « SO; si* month*, $1», four mentha. *1«; OuUMe «»!
I, « 78. tear oonthi, • |
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER It, 1'
BOONE, NORTH CARl
Trend Of Local Crime
The fall term of Watauga Superior
court, which convenes next Monday will
paas judgment on 111 defendants, accord
ing to the record* id the Clerk's office.
Eighty-eight of these defendants will be
tried for some sort of traffic violation.
Broken down, 99 have been indicted for
speeding, thirty-one far dritiog while in
toxicated, twenty-one for driving without
license, and 12 for reckless driving.
This leaves a total of forty-three defenfl
ats charged with other than traffic viola
tions. Some broke tti, three are indicted for
non-support, and among the miscellaneous
misdemeanors, five face trial for violation
of the SUIte prohibition laws.
A few fears ago, betbre automobiles had
made their contribution to any great de
gree to the State docket, it wasn't uncom
mon for there to be 100 or 160 cases on the
criminal docket hi Watauga. Which would
lead us to the conclusion that if the motor
car hadn't brought along a new set of prob
lems, and subsequently a new set of laws
for the protection of the traveling public,
law violations would have pretty nearly
reached the bottom in this county.
Anyway we're running far below the
State docket in the days when population
was smaller and fewer law enforcement
agents on the job. We're doing a lot better,
or are more proficient in covering up otir
tracks.
Manners On The Road
If the popularity of botfks oh etiquette is
any indication, then people, by and large,
are interested in manner*. Just a little
observation of our Mends will show that
roost of them act courteously ir. their deal
ings with other people.
But there's one phase, one phase en
tirely apart, that's been sadly neglected
the way we see it. That phase is motor
manners.
When a driver opens the door of his
car and slips behind the \frbe«l, he too
often changes from.a courteous, law-abid
ing citizen intb What the ftorth Carolina
Motor Vehicle* Department calls an "auto
intoxicated" boor—that is, a motorist drunk
lina and in this community.
This Ughtning-llke change has been the
subject of some very funny Jokes, cartoons,
stories. But there's nothing funny about
its effect on traffic safety in North Caro
lina an din this community.
As long as there are individual
persist in this type of thinking, We pre
diet that our state will forever be plagued
with aenaeleu traffic accidents. Accidents
that coukl be avoided If the folks involved
could only learn to 16ok at things from
the other fellows point of view.
To relate an illustrative anecdote, a five
year-old, out riding with his daddy, was
happily engaged in identifying the differ
ent nukes of cars they encountered. Of
course, Dad was helping. When they Re
turned home, the mother asked the child
how many cars they had seen. The little
fellow exclaimed, "Oh, we saw a Jaguar,
two Or three Fords, a Mercedes-Bentz and
a "stupid flob."
Courteous conduct on the highway is
far more important than courteous con
duct in the living room. Or to put it an
other way, surliness in the drawing room
may never win your friends—but it won't
put you six feet under either. On the high
way courteous conduct can mean the diff
erence between life and death.
Why They Cry
Why do women cry?
That's a punier men have pondered for
centuries, at such varying occasions as the
offering of an engagement ring, the death
of a loved one, the winning of a beauty
crown or the climax of a s#ap opera.
For those—or a million other things—
Tessie turns on the tears. But how does
she pull the trigger on those tears that
have befuddled helpless males since the
dawn of time?
According to researchers for the Murine
Company of Chicago, Tessie's tears don't
gush immediately. First, her heart speeds
up, her sidn becomes cold, digestive action
is halted and blood pressure is raised
Then, when the tension breaks, the eye
lotion of the tear gland, which is located
just beneath the outer bony rim of the
eye socket, begins to flow.
Tears sweep across the eyeball and col
lect at the inner edge of the lids in a sort
of pool. Some overflow.
Small tubes at the corner of both eye*
lids collect tears, draining them into a
tear sac, which lies beneath the skin and
muscle tissue alongside the bridge of the
nose.
Another tube extends from the tear sacs
to the fnteridt- of the nose. Thus, during
a heavy cry, a runny nose occurs.
Is crying harmful?
On the contrary, say the researchers,
most psychologists and physiologists feel
that crying may be helpful on occasion,
since it occurs in a state of emotional
transition and is almost always accom
panied by a feeling of relief.
Why, then, don't men cry?
They could, and readily, but from child
hood they're conditioned to believe (hat
tears are taboo to all that's masculine.
Achilles sbed tears over the death of
AJax. Alexander wept on beholding the
land he had conquered. Napoleon, watch
ing his French army disintegrate in the
Russian winter, sobbed in frustration and
grief.
Joe Smith? He turns purple, pops a vein,
gets an ulcer—and remains dry-«yed
through the whole dismal mess.
Edsel And Model T
(Christian Science Monitor)
ror anyone wno once ownea ana arove a
Model T Ford advent of the new Edsel
throws wide the floodgates of memories.
Owned and drove one not as a hobby but
as a piece of valuable if not essential
transportation. And a Model T not of its
twilight bofore Um dawn of the Model
A, but a Model T in all the starkness of
its own Eocene age.
It came, to be sure, with four wheels,
left-side steering, a powerful little motor,
an alleged "one-man" top, and electric
headlgihts. But all of these items demand
di'scriptifi. . jj^
The wheels were shod with high-pressure
tires about the size of those on a modern
motorcycle. They had to be changed (and
frequently) on the wheel and on the car
by prying them off the "clllicher" rim.
The favorite tool wai a broken spring leaf.
The motor was hind cranked and Water
cooled—without a water pump. And it
boiled merrily on any wmmlr day on any
long grade. Experienced Jilwi were
known to fix leaks ia the cooling system
byr pouring <»rn meal or breaking an egg
into the filler pipe. The fuel tank snuggled
unaer me seai, ana 11 me gas ran low on
a steep hill the experienced driver knew
how to back up the incline ao the fuel
would run down into the carburetor.
The steering gear, the site of an alarm
clock, waa just beneath the steering wheel.
The driver felt every rut and rock Id his
hands. Two pedals worked the tranemia
sion. Press down on one for low, let back
for high, and down on another for bait
ing. (One purchaaer is said to have pressed
down for 800 miles before he learned he
could "let >r back.") A skillful dance
step on these two pedals could spin a
Model T around "on a dime."
The headlights ran on the magneto (the
tail light pn kerosene). The faster the
road let one go, the brighter the lights;
the rougher the road, the dimmer the
Ughts-^nless one threw into neutral and
raced tne motor. One rode in a Model T
bolt upright u at a lunch counter and
with a smoothness somewhat superior to a
"spring wagon."
, A primitive contraption, you say? Yea,
but not too bed, even by 1926 with aelf
«tartar added, at $310 f o b. Jm®,*
t : 'WMMm
M)onH Interrupt A Fine Speechr
km
wBmT., * mwamph*.'
Stretch's Sketches
By "STRETCH" ROLLINS
Panacea For Penury
DO YOU FIND, even in the* plenteous timet,
that you often have too much month left at the
end ol your money?
Have you discovered that
It i» possible for • personal
depression to exist in the
midst of plenty?
We are assured—too often,
It sometimes appears—that no
bust will follow this boom;
that our economy is sound,
vigorous, and healthy.
But fcven if the worst does
come, there will be no need
lor you 10 spread sound economy on a piece
of toaat for breakfast, lit down to • lunch of
"vigorous business," or partake of sn evening
meal consisting of "healthy conditions."
NO, SIR, there Is a remedy, a get-rich-quick
scheme to ertd all get-rMi-qutck schemes.
This panacea for ppury is contained in •
letter I fan across while rummaging through
an old personal file. It was written a long time
ago, but so far as Is known, the plan has never
been put into operation. So here Is your chance
to-get in on the ground floor.
"DEAR SIR: Knowing that you are always
interested In an investment in a good live busi
ness, and will perhaps write us by return mail
the amount of stock you wish to subscribe toward
the formation of this company.
"The object of the company U to operate a
large cat ranch in or near Golden, Colo., where
land can be purchased cheap for the purpose.
To start with, we collect about 100,000 cats.
Each cat will average 12 kittens a year. The
skins run from 10 cents for white ones to 79c
for the pure black. This will give us 12 million
skins a year, to sell at an average of 30 cents
apiece, making our revenue about $10,000 a day
grou.
"We will feed the eats on rats and will (tart
a rat ranch next door. The rats will multiply
four times as fast as the cats, and we will have,
therefore, four rats a day for each eat, which
is plenty.
"Now then, we will feed the rats on the car
casses of the cats. It will thus be seen that
the business will be self-acting and automatic
all the way through. The cats till eat the rats,
the rats will eat th? cats, and we will get the
skins.
Awaiting your prompt reply, and trusting that
you appreciate this opportunity to get rich quick
ly, I remain yours very truly.—L Fakim."
THERE IS NOTHING in the file to indicate
that this letter was answered, so it Is reasonable
to assume that the writer thus became dis
couraged and abandoned the project
It is strongly recommended that you do like
wise.
rrom Early Democrat Files
Sixty Years Ago
September 1(, 1M7
We heard of ■ terrible accident that befell
two men near Virgil on lait Friday. A thresh
ing machine wai being moved from one yard
to another when the team took fright, ran away,
and fractured the tkull of Joe Green, besides
other injuries, and (hit off the ear of Dolph
Lewis, and seriously, i! not fatally injured him in
other ways. Lewis is not expected to live.
Mr. Gordon, of Mountain City, Tennessee, is
now engaged in making and repairing harness
for Coffey Brothers. Custom work promptly at
tended to.
The family of Deputy Collector Horton is mov
ing from Boone to Mr. Horton's farm on New
River. We are indeed sorry to lose this estim
able family.
Judge Qrcen arrived in Boone on Tuesday
evening. He was accompanied by Miss Bessie
Uortoii, of Lenoir. They will remain until the
last of (he week.
Married on last Thursday at the residence of
the bride's father on Cove Cfcek, Mr. Joe Mast
and Mlsa Sarah Isaacs. Phillip C. Younce offici
ating.
Messrs Arthur flardln, of Sutherland, and
Spiober Rogers, of DeerfieM, have left for the
University of North Carolina.
James H. Bryan, el Marian, ia visiting his
parents in Boone. He was 4uite unwell when
he arrived here, bat it now Improving.
Mrs. R. A. Hamilton, of Beaver Creek, and
family have been visiting at Dr. Coancill's for
several daps. i
Mr. J. M. Moreti has his neat dwelling almost
completed, and he will occi^y it id the near
future.
The sheriff says pay your taxes. See his notice
of his first round In this issue.
Attorneys Councill and Coffey are on a buslneas
trip to Mitchell county.
Thirty-Nine Yeart Ago
September II, UU
Mr and Mrs. Hamp Blackburn of Todd were
week end visitors to relatives in Bast Boaa*.
Thanks in abunttmce to each and every one
who have so kindfy settled since the government
orders came out and for the many hiee things
bath Said and written.
We hear with genuine sorrow of the death of
young Hall, the 10-pear-old ton of Mr. and lira.
Job Blair, which occurred at their ho*e in
Klttabetfcton. Tenneaaee. on Thursday at last
week, attar a pro«raeted Uteesa with typhoid
fever. The funeral waa deducted fro® the
home Saturday, Mr. Floyd Ward and prehahly
other relatives from Wataufi being present. The
family moved from Brushy Fork leu than t
year afo, and the fond parents have the sympathy
of all their friends in their native county, in
their dark hour*.
Mr*. N. L. Mast was indeed a very pleasant
caller *t our office Monday afternoon. Her
soldier son, Tom, now of Camp Crane, Allen
town, Penn., spent a few days furlough with
the family last week, and it goes without aaying
that the young volunteer's visit to his loved ones
at home, the first since his enlistment some
four months ago, was enjoyed to the fullest. The
young man left on his return to camp early
Saturday morning.
Mr. James Carter, of Adams, and Miss ottle,
the vivacious daughter of Mr. Will Hodges, of
Shulls Mills, R. F. D„ were happily married
on Friday night last, the Rev. Ed Hodges tying
the knot that made two hearts beat aa one. The
young people are popular in their respective com
munities. The Democrat extends congratulations.
/
Fiften Yearn Ago
September IT. 1M*
The materials for making surgical dressings
for war purposes arrived, and ladies assigned
to this volunteer work will start next Tuesday
In the building formerly occupied by Dr. Perry's
medical office, lite use of the building was
generously given the Red Cross by Mr. Gordon
Winkler.
Mr. Von Caudill, machinist's mate first class,
U. S. Navy, left Thursday after spending a few
days visiting In the home of a brother, Mr. J.
V. Caudill.
Four of the ten convicts who escaped from the
local state prison Mondsy evening held up Mr.
and Mrs. H. G. Cecil of Bristol, Va., on highway
421 near Rutherwood early Tuesday morning,
took the automobile at pistol point and proceeded
in the direction of North Wilkesboro. Mr. and
Mrs. Cecil were en route to their home from
Durham when the holdup occurred. A log was
placed across the roadway and when Mr. Cecil
stopped the car, two of the four men brand
ished revolvers taken from the prison guard when
they escaped, took the ear and fled in tMe di
rection of North Wilkesboro. Mr. and Mrs. Cecil
were allowed to keep their mitre—. and the
highwaymen dldht ask for money, the Cfcrfta
walked to the outskirts of Boone and telephoned
for the sheriff. No farther trace has been found
Mrs. RMhsrd ft. teller fees Mm te ClwrWten.
& C.. te Jeia her husband. wSu a pharmacist
in the U. 8. Navy. They will establish their bone
In ChaHestna for the time being, Mine Bern tee
Gragg has succeeded Mrs. Kelley as secretory to
KING STREET
MBy ROB RIVERS
SALUTATIONS . . OF VARYING StMtTS
We've long since desisted from asking someone how he's
feeling, in connection with a casual greeting, or when we're
little time to spar* . . he's ao apt to recite his ailments, to his
further discomfort ... As a matter of fact, when the man
says "how are your* he's usually just speaking to you. . . .
Which reminds that the most popular forms of greetings seem
to Cbuvey an inquiry about one's health—as "how ya' doin'?",
"you all right?", "what's the good word?", "howilt goin'?", and
the like. ... Of course lots of folks say "hello", "hey", "good
morning", "good evening", "hi there", and they all add up
to the friendliness of a community, its courtesies, and its feeling
of goodwill, one toward the other. . .. It would seem sort of
natural though, for a guy to give down with a solid, drawling,
"howdy, lad", even though there came a teeth-rattling jolt from
a meaty palm on the shoulder, or painful doubles from an el
bow jab in the short ribs.
CUSSIN' , . SAID TO EASE TENSIONS
Somebody said the other day that it had been found
that certain amounts of nusfa' at intervals relieved
tensions, and that actually folks who let off steam,
In moments of great stress, strain and pain, were apt
to be around longer. . . . There was scant agreement
in the group, and one of the more wholesome lads
wanted to know if one couldn't let off steam just
as well by singing a tune, dancing a jig or something.
... Which would be far better to be sure, If one could
hist a tune, "Moonlight and Roses," maybe, when there's
a squashy thud as the hammer hits the thumb nail....
And we'd greatly admire the calm citizen who'd do
"Carolina Moon" la a good even baritone with a toe
In a mousetrap.
DANIEL BOONE COINS .. WORTH MORE
The Daniel Boone Centennial coini which appeared during the
30a have skyrocketed in value, according to a story from the
Atlanta Journal, sent us by Claud Calloway of Gastonia The
half-dollar coins, carry the head of the frontiersman on one
side and full-length figures of him and Chief Blackfish on the
other.... The Shawneehaw Chief is said to have adopted Daniel
as a son, giving him the name of Big Turtle. . . . Anyway, Mr.
Calloway's information has revived our sketchy knowledge of
Boone lore. . . . Daniel, born in 1735, was of course, the most
famous frontiersman in history, and was equally noted for his
prowess as a scout, Indian fighter, hunter and trapper.
Boone worshipped at the shrine of solitude. ... His education
was limited, and his writing and spelling of the fist-andrskull
variety, as is evidence by the "kilt a bar" legend. ... In 1775
Boone started a wave of immigration by blaring the Wilder
ness road through the Cumberland Gap into the lush Kentucky
wilderness, where buffalo and deer abounded. . . . And from
his home on the Yadkin, he had to cross the Blue Ridge some
where. ... Of course we've always leaned to the notion that he
traveled through Boone and camped at the cabin where the
Boone monument stands, across the road from the football field
Of Appalachian College. . . . AnyWay the town carries bis name,
which bears out the contention that he inhabited Ben Howard's
hunting cabin on his trips to and fro. .. . Rich Mountain's high
peak came to be known as Howard's Knob for the other Yadkin
Valleian, who grazed his cattle, according to Arthur, along
New River.
CABIN ROCKS . . UNDER MONUMENT, MAYBE
As a child we saw a pile of stone, said to hire been
the leavings of the Boone chimney, and we believe they
might have been used In the foundation for the Boone
monument, fathered by Squire W. L. Bryan and John
Preston Arthur, who wrote the History of Watauga
County. . . . And It used to be that the high school
youngsters would plant trees on some occasions as
some sort of civic expression. ... We could easily be
wrong, but we seem to remember gangling along with
some of the other kids to plant the maples which stand
thick, east of Daniel's shacks!te. . . . The monument
was a worthy civic project in those far off days, but
we've always craved some sort of bronze figure of
Dan'l for an up-town location, complete with his sqnirrel
rifle and tree dog, maybe It would he no more than
fittin'.
So This Is New York
Where I m brought up, about
as high aa one could set was the
roof of the barn or the top of a
sycamore tree. So it was with
some trepidation that I watched
one of thoae "human fliea" wash
ing the window! of a local sky
scraper some #7 stories high. It
made me nervoua Just to watch
him. He turned oat to be Carl
Stengard, BO years old and has
been doing this lofty work for 32
year*, so I guess he knows how to
be careful. S,bbO windows in this
one building and it takes a month
to wash them, he said, to My no
thing of the 07-foot-high flag pole
on the top—he climb* and dean*
this too! Why doe* he stay In this
precarious activity, lunging by
only a belt high above the mighty
hard streets way down below' The
answer waa simple: he like* his
work. This la spite of the fact
that during a hard wiad, this very
building sway* some five Inches
if it did not. the walla might crack,
I was told And working some
thousand feet up. one gets pot*
air, K seems, aa nice aa working
tm a moaatata Even aa, as I Ml
the aeene, I wa* reasonably ear
tain that he could Us Job and
I would Mick to mine—with my
two feet planted aalMt* on thU
railing IMVM art Mt the only
of autumn her*. Some real
l*ar« eta dear*betaaae the
By NORTH CALLAHAN
New York Giant* are leaving thii
town (or good—and the Wert
Coast. Of course many of na know
Gotham hat had too imaay base
ball teams with too much money
for other players to make the an
nual contests an even break. Lots
of fana have grown tired of seeing
New York tea ma, seaaoit after sea
son, not only winning the league
pennants hat playing each other
Here ia • subway aariea. But this
does not keep a large number of
New Yorker* from weeping over
the loss of their favorites Said
Mrs John MeGraw. widow of the
longtime manager of the Giants in
regard to the decision to nova
the team to 9M Frahciaeo, It's
one of the *oM tragic thing* that
ever kiiijiifcit to ae. The Giants
have been my life.' And froaa Tal
lulah Bankhead, actress and Giant
fan. "1 feel like falling oa my
■word."
Alert Hits Mae Baahere remind*
fee that Gettysburg, Pa. College
+il! sponsor a CM Wir Coher
ence for three days Marting on
November lfth. marking the Mth
anniversary of Lincoln** Gettys
burg Address The public Is in
cited. Of (pfcdal Interest ia the
(act that the conference will be
Ji. . „a . J A Mx - - *■ * —#
iirvnM wff i ifiwr nwener 01
Aline, Professor Allan Nevina of
Columbia Uhfrtrtitty and a speak
er win he anoUr Mrtoer teacher,
(C.eUua.l <* page eight)