Oar Aim: ?
A Better Murphy
A Finer County
THE LEADING WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
Dedicated
To Service
For Progress
VOL. 53 - NO. 37
IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA. COVERING A LARGE AND POTENTIALLY RICH TERRITORY
MURPHY. NORTH CAROLINA
THURSDAY. APRIL i. 1MZ
5c COPY? *1.5? PER YEAR
C. OP OF COUNTY. ..
WILL PICK SLATE .
HERE SATURDAY ..
Party Members Happy
_ n ? _ r
v^ver ixrpui i of Kift
Among Democrats
Hcpubicans from ail over Chera
;.oc County vill gather in
S, ? .-.rcta> . Ap."l It. i ?? a conventun
? j select their candidates in the
coming primaries.
Republicans throughout the Coun
ty are jubilant over prospects, ex
pecting a clean sweep of all offices
except a majority of the Commis
iionerships ? which is impossible be
cause of the re-districting put
through by Col. Harry Cooper
i.nd the offce of Register of Deeds,
where it is admitted there is smail
ciance of beating Bass Padgett, the
?r.cumbent.
Nevertheless .there is compara
tively little interest in the elections
on the part of the Andrews rank and
file. They seem more concerned
about the war, about the reopening
cf the tannery, and about the future
of Andrews .with work at the Nanta
hada Dam in its last stages, and with
Mack prospects of summer tourist
trade, because of the tire shortage.
With rising prices, with comparative
ly few sources of income, and with
little hope of foreign money. the
voters are thinking too much about
business of making a living, they
.vay. to worry about who holds this
offfice or that. Under war conditions,
it is pointed out, there is little to be
pained or lost by the rank and file
voter, regardless of which side wins.
However, party pr.de still exists,
f>nd prospects for a Republican vic
tory are admittedly bright. There is
reported rift in the Democratic ,
Tanks.
No one yet knows who is going to j
be the nominee on either side for
Sheriff, Loster Mason, whom Carl
Townson defeated last time, has j
jaid he plans to seek the nomination
fcgain. but he may have opposition.
Carl Townson recently announced
that he would not seek re-election:
but when seen Monday he refused to
repeat the statement, and indicated
that he mi^ht change his mint!.
E. L. Shields has announced him
self as Democratic candidate for
clerk of the Court. No Republican
has yet come out for the post. Don
ley has declared, positively that he
fioes not want the post again. The
<>fice pays a salary of $2,500 a 7ear
'no fees) out of which the Clerk
must pay the salaries of all his office
help.
As to the Commissionerships, there
will be at least, one new face when
the Board is chosen for Ed Wood.
Democrat, and a power in the Coun
ty Governing Board, has stated, pos
itively. that he will not run again.
(Continued on back pare)
"Safe; Feel Fine; Love"
Says Philiippine Cable
From Capt. Bill Miller
Cap?aip Edwvrd S Mi! cr. oon ot
Mrs. Mcl Miller, and generally
known as "Bill." rent a word of
ol greeting and reassurance to his
mother this week from mw"
pines. where he is on duty with em
battled Ameriean-Fi'ipino forces.
It was the first word received from
him sincc Christmas.
> Although the hospital at which
Bill is stationed was bombed by the
Japs the Murphy boy evidently es
caped injury. His brief message
stated:
"Safe. FYeling fuic. Love. Bill."
The mftvipp had been radioed to
Australia and sent to America by
l cable.
"Wif" Stamev Shot .
?/
| At Base of Brain; . . .
Saved By Miracle . ..
| Shot behind the ear ? a spot thai
i 999 limes out of a thousand is in
| statnly fatal. Wilfred ("Wif") Sta
nley was miraculously saved from
death when the bullet followed the
contour of hi sjaw bone and came
out just in front of his nose, wlfhout
touching a vital spot.
Rushed to Murphy General hospit
al. Stamey wtas given emergency
treatment by Dr. Bryan Whitfield,
and was saved despite the fact that
he had lost quantities of blood which
spurted from the two bullet holes
almost like a hose. Dr. Whifield said
that barring unforeseen develop
ments, SUmey will be able to return
home Friday or Saturday. He added
i that had the bullet's course changed
the tiniest fraction. death would
have been instantaneous.
The victim .known far and wide as
"G man" because of his great ambi
tion to be a Government detective,
was shot accidentally as he stood in
a cafe in Murphy. One of the
counter men picked up a heavy re
volver kept in the place, to move it,
1 and is said to have attempted to j
i twirl the weapon about on his fin
! ger. "western style." The gun was
accidentally discharged and Stamev
1 was standing .Jirectly in the path of
! the bullet.
j The youth who did the shooting
took Stamey to the horpita' .ind
! guaranteed payment of all bills for
medical atteimon.
PROPST QUITS FEDERATION'
Roger Amnions has been made \
manager of the Fanners Federation j
warehouse in Murphy .to take the j
place of Melvin Propst .who resigned
to take other employment. Mr. Am
nions comes to Murphy from Sylva,
where, for tw oyears. he has been
assistant manager. He is a native
of Macon County.
Jesse James, the Bandit, Coming Here
Call The Law, Boys, and Load Those Guns!
Mr. Henn says ? and does 11
?with a straight face ? that he is go
ing to produce the one and original
Jesse James, alive and in person, on
"the stage of the Henn theater next
"Wednesday.
It makes no difference to Mr.
Henw that the fabled bandit who
3s reputed to have robbed the rich,
only so that he could give to the
Poor was shot and killed by one
band't side K cks becV" In IPS'
It makes no difference that the
killer, named Howard, -was paid $10.
000 reward by the grateful
!t makes no difference that Jesse's
brother, Frank, helped bury the
slain train robber ? and If Jesse's own
brother didn't know him, we'd like
to know who did.
It doesn't even matter that How
ard was later also killed ? some say
Prank. In revenife.
None of this matters to Mr. Henn,
one little bit. He insists that an old
Kent that he has under contract is
Jesse the Bandit, and he says the
old gent can prove It.
The alleged Jesse James will ap
pear on the sta?> and tell all about
how he happens to be there, instead
of "mouldering in his grave." as de
scribed in the old song. The story is
that the man killed wasn't Jesse at
all. but one Charles Bigelow. "Jesse"
w;!' tell how he changed clothes with
Bigelow .and escaped, and was in
hiding fo ryes- s and years and years.
Why he stayed in hiding so long Is
not exactly clear, because nobody
has been hunting him for more than
half a century.
In any evci.l. Jesse James ? or a
reasonable Sac simile thereof- -will
be at the Henn next Wednesday.
Boy. page Mr. Ripley.
DRAFTEES MIST
GIVE FULL DATA
ON JOB FITNESS
Many May B? Sent Into
LJetense Industries
Instead of Army
An occupational registration is ]
being conducted jointly by the Se- ;
I lective Service System and the Unit- |
ed Stales Employment Service.
Every man between 20 .. id 44 .
years of age who registered for Se- 1
lective Service on February 16 will j
lectrive an "Occupational Question- j
naiie" from his local Selective Ker- '
vicc Board. Each questionnaire is in'
two identical parts -one for the Se- ]
lective Service System and one for
'lie United States Employment Sei- j
vice.
The occupational questionnaire.-,
will be studied to determine which ;
men are already qualified or can be 1
j quickly trained for work in essential
wa rindustries. Those men will then ,
be asked to come to the local United
States Employment office for a fact
find interview.
Workers possessing skills import
ant to war production, but who are
not working in war industry or in
essential civilian activities, but who
are willing to be trained and trans
ferred to such work, will be given an
opportunity to do so.
The Employment Service will be
able to inform the Selective Service
System whether or not any individ
i nal possesses a skill urgently needed
b> the war industries, /he Selective
Service System will oe guided by this
information on war production labor
! needs in making its decision as to the
way in wheta each individual can best
contrbute to the war effort.
These questionnaires, are being
mailed this week, and must be filled
out and returned to the Selective
Service Boards within ten days after
they are received. The local Select
ive Board will keep one part of the
questionnaire and send the other
identical part to the local United
States Employment Service office in
[ its area.
Applicants who need help in filling
I out their questionnaires can get as
! sstance from any office of the Unit
| ed States Employment Service, or I
i from a member of the local Draft
! Board.
Mrs. J .W. Townson,
Mother of Sheriff.
Claimed by Death i
\
Mis. J .W. Townson. 75 year old
mother of Sheriff Carl and Dave
and George Town.::., died ,n Mu;
phy General hospital last Friday
following a long illness. She had been
a patient in the hospital for seven
weeks.
Besides her sons, she Is survived
by (,i ec daughters' Mrs Pat Cear
ley. of Atlanta: Mrs. Olson Hall, of
Marble and Mis. Otis Turner, of
Culberson, and by two step-daugh
ters and two step-sons.
The step-daughters are Mrs. Marv
Popo .of Marietta. Oa., and Mrs. Is
adore Thomas, of Culberson. The
step-sons are E. L. (Lige) Townson
of Murphy, and John Townson of
Culberson.
Other survivors include a sister.
Mrs. Amanda Pope, of Blue Ridge,
Ga. .and six brothers: Juan Thomp
son. of Lost Hills. Calif.; G .W.
Thompson, of Canton. Oa.: aid A. J.
J. L. Wesley, and S. W. Thompson
all of Culberson. Rt. 1.
Funeral services were held Satur
day in the Bethany Baptist church,
In Georgia .with the Rev. H. L. Pais
ley. of the Murphy Presbyterian
church in Murphy and the Rev. A.
B. Cash of the Murphy Baptist
church officiating. Mrs. Townson 's
father gave the land on which the
Conttoncd ?n baek race
Prisoners Try to Set
Fire to Car Carrying
Th?m to State Pen
Bert Beasley and Clarence Corn
well made good their threat to raise
H before they ever went to
the pen" on Monday when, enroute
to Raleigh, they ??t fir; to the Sher
iff's car. in which they were being
taken to Rjleigh to serve four and
five year" respectively.
Quentin Townson was driving
and Deputy Sheriff Press Oentry
was silling beside him. The prisoners,
handcuffed together, were in the '
back seat.
Shortly after kaving Tomotla on?
of the prisoners asked for a match '
to light a cigarel It was given him
\ moment late: there "at... .. ttran;
smell of something burning, but,
nothing could be found.
The smell persisted, and lust out- |
side Andrews the car ?a; stopped i
and careful search mnd< Wedged
between the t?u >rvnt seats. oetween
the back and the seat itself was a
burning rag
Younjr lovison saiti '.e had never
seen th.' i g b< 'r.re.
Dr. J. W. Thompson .
Recovering From
Stroke In Office
Dr. J. W. Thompson, one of the
, oldest and best known dentists in
j Western North Carolina was strick
| en with paralysis in his office in
Murphy on Monday. Taken to his
home, he is under the care of Dr.
Bryan Whitfield, who wired his two
children advising that they come to
their father's bedside.
The children. Bill, a physician,
I specializing in chldren's diseases
and now studying at a New York
| hospital left with his wife immedi
ately and arrived in Murphy Wed
nesday. The daughter. Mary Lou
'Mrs. R. E. Barclay) hurried over
I from Copperhill.
Dr. Thompson's condition is re
garded as especially grave because
. of his advanced age. He is ir. his
seventies.
He lias had a professional career
covering this entire section. He start
| cd practicing in Robbinsvlle, Later
he had offces in Hayesville, Younc
Harirs. and Blairsville. Then he mov
ed to Andrews .where he practiced
nearly eight years.
He moved to Murphy about 190!). '
? many patients have come from the
other towns to be treated by him.
o
BUECK ON DEFENSE TRIP
H. Bueck. superintendent of the
Murphy school unit ,who is a mem
ber of the Commission for Defense
of Democracy through Education,
will attend a meeting of the com
mission in Greensboro Saturday.
o
AX THE AXIS
WORKER KILLED ..
AS CAR PLUNGES ..
OFF DEAL'S GAP .
Homer Millsaps Steers
Backward Oft Road
And Falls 600 Feet
The precipitous diop lumi Dials
Gap n< a Robbinv.ville claimed an
other victim llus week !T >m
Clinton Millsaps, 49 yet i in
on the new Fontana I ]>lui> >ii
600 fee! down the sneer side in hit
car. Kir. chest crushed, his fact cut
and with numerous internal injuries
uit- iniittni uwn was rescued and
rushed to a hospital in Murphy
where he died Wednesday morning.
Mr M:iUap- .who lived in Hayes
viiic. route4. was on his way home.
Stopping Ills car bv the road he ha<?
?rouble w't;i his smarter an -J hailea
some passers-by asking aid. With
Millsaps at the wheel others began
pushing the car backwards in an
effort to make the ignition catch
Millsaps was watching them so
intently that he forgot to watch
where he was steering and his car
rolled backward off the road and
tiewn in o the ravine t>0 feet below
The car was totally wrecked.
Funeral services were set for Fri
day afternoo nfroni the Hayesvillt
Baptist Church .with Ivie Funeral
Home in charge.
The dead man is survived by three
daughters: Mrs. Floyd Ledford. Mrs.
George Bristol and Miss Violet Mill
sap.-., all of Hayesville.
n
Baptists to Ordain Six
As Deacons on Sunday
Six laymen have recently been
elected to the Deaconship of the
First Baptist church in Murphy.
They will be ordained and installed
at special services on Sunday morn
ing, April 12.
This raises the n:i;r>ber of deacons
in ectivc ser.ue to twelve
The iiiei to be orr'ained oi Sun
day ^re: Dr. W. A. Hoove-. K C.
.Vrici.t W. C. K'Tiney. No:ih W.
Hembiee. Arden D. Davis and Alvin
Buchanan.
The present board consists of Cy
rus C White. Peyton G. Ivle, Noah
W. Lovingood. V. M Jolinson and
Allen Lovingood.
MAKES HONOR ROLI,
Carlton Wells, son of Mr. and Mr?
J. C. Wells of Marble, made the Beta
honor roil ior il.r ? ?.icr quarter at
Weestern Carolina Teachers oClloRe.
To be eligible for the Beta honor
roll, a student must have made a
minimum of 32 quality points.
o
Necessary amounts of chlorine for
water purification wil lbe provided
throughout the Nation despite the
War Production Board.
Tomotla Youth Proves Best In County
In Essay Contest Held In Public Schools
Approximately $55.00 in Defense ,
Stamps and twelve sport jackets are '
being distributed this week among
the winners of the Forest Conser- 1
vation Contest recently held in the
schools of Cherokee. Clay and Gra- '
ham Counties. The winner of the
Grand Prize in Cherokee County was
Kenneth Farmer, a ninth grade stu
dent in the Murphy High School
who. as a winner of a division prize
and the writer of the best essay in
Cherokee Coimty, was awarded $6 60
in Defense Stamps and a sport
jacket bearing a conservation em
blem. Other division winners in the
Murphy School Unit were Idolse
Barton of the seventh grade aid
Mary B jh-jnt of the tenth grade,
who were each awarded $1.60 in De
fense Stanpe and a sport Jacket.
Similar prizes were won by win
ners of the division prizes In
the County School Unit who were:
Doris Chambers, a seventh grade
Student at Ogreetn. Mildred Hen
drlx, a sixth grade student at
Peachtree: and Evelyn McDonald of
I the seventh grade at Ebemezer. Tn
1 dividual prizes of $1.60 in Defense
' Stamps were given the writers of the
. best essays within each school di
vision and among these winners
were: Virginia Clay. White Church:
Diryl Coleman. Unaka: Harold Kee
i ner. Tomotla: J. H. Kilpatrick. Ran
ger: Ollio Lowe. Joyce McGraw and
? Mildred Neal. of Andrews: Madelyn
! Phillips. Johnson: Gemay Roger?,
' Orape Creek: and Pearl Stalcup of
1 Martin Creek.
The Pores' Conservation Contest.
' which was similar to that held In the
I schools of the three counties last
year, was put on by the Tennessee
Coot Inn rd on feMk Paf*