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Variable cloudiness and a
little warmer today and Wed-'
nesday. Low today, 54; high,
74.
The FfahBin Times
Published Every Tuesday & Thursday ' ^ Serving All Of Franklin County
Your Award Winning County Newspaper _>
READ
"WHY WE FIGHT
IN VIETNAM"
PART VII
PAGE 4 TODAY
Tel. Gy 6-3283
Ten Cents
Louisburg, N. C., Tuesday, September 12, 1967
(Eight Pages Today)
98th Year-Number 59
Train-Car Crash Scene Ma" photo ^ cunt KuUer
Members of the Loulsburg Rescue Service are shown above loading Sidney
Beckham, an employee of Dean Farms, Into the ambulance following the collision
Saturday morning of his car with the Seaboard Railway train, left. Beckham
was not believed seriously hurt, but damage to the car was extensive.
Twenty-One Injured In Auto Mishaps
At least twenty-one persons were
Injured, mostly minor, In automobile
accidents during the weekend. Two
others were gunshot vlctlns and one
was reportedly a knife victim.
Saturday, shortly after 1 P.M. Sid
ney Beckham, an employee of Dean
Farms, and a resident of White Level,
received minor Injuries when the car
he was driving was struck by a Sea
board Railway freight train at a cross
ing near the egg plant. The car suf
fered considerable damage. Beckham
was taken to the local hospital by
Four Injured
Shown above are two cars Involved In a head-on collision on South Main Street
here late Saturday night. Five Negroes were injured In the accident, none be
lieved seriously. Charlie Perry n/m/28, Rt. 1 Loulsburg, driver of the car,
(top), was charged with reckless driving and two of the occupants of the Ford
(lower photo) were charged with public drunkeness.
the Loulsburg Rescue Service and
later released. Raln-sllck road and the
possible fact that Beckham failed to
see the train in time were said to
have been the cause of the accident.
An accident near Frankllnton Sat
urday afternoon around 3:30 P.M. In
volving an unidentified woman, and her
six children and 91 -year bid mother
resulted In minor Injuries to them.
Details of this accident were not a
vallable.
Saturday night, a single car accid
ent on NC-39 between Loulsburg and
Bunn resulted In Injuries to at least
one person. A Negro man, Identified
only as a Trader of Rt. 4 Loulsburg
was given first aid by the Loulsburg
Rescue Service and taken to Franklin
Memorial Hospital. Raln-sllck high
ways was said to havi caused this
accident.
Saturday night around 11:10 P.M. a
grinding head-on crash on South Main
Street Just outside the Loulsburg town
limits, resulted in Injuries to --four
Negroes and possibly a fifth, who ran
from the scene. The Loulsburg Rescue
Service, in a down-pour of rain, trans
ported the injured to the local hos
pital. They were Identified as: James
Curtis Toney n/m/20; of Loulsburg
driver of one of the cars; Frank
Sliver, n/m/20; Robert Silver, n/m/22
and Robert Alston, n/m/28 passengers
In the Toney car and Charlie Perry,
n/m/28 Rt. 1 Loulsburg driver of the
second car. Perry was charged with
reckless driving and both the Silver
men were charged with public drunk
eness by officers.
A two-car collision NC-56 west of
Loulsburg near Katesvllle, Sunday
afternoon resulted In Injuries to six
Negroes. According to State Trooper
Houston the accident occurred when a
car driven by George Williams n/m/44
Rt. 4 Loulsburg attempted to turn off
NC-39 and was struck In the rear by
a 1959 Chevrolet driven by Jarvls
Evans, n/m/48 Rt. 1, Loulsburg.
Katherlne Strickland, n/f/17 and
Constance Kearney, n/f/13, both of
1006 S. Main Street, Loulsburg, pass
engers In the Evans car received min
or Injuries. Helen Falls, n/f/31 Rt.
1, Loulsburg, and Betsy Williams,
n/f Rt. 4, Loulsburg passengers In
the Williams car were also Injured.
NonCWere believed serious.
Details of two gunshot victims were
not readily available, but one was
lndentlfled by hospital personnel as
Herbert Williams of Rt. 4, Loulsburg
brought In around 2:30 A.M. Sunday
morning, treated and released for leg
wounds. A second, Identified as Otha
Strickland, Rt. 4, Loulsburg Negro was
also reportedly treated for leg wounds
around midnight Saturday night.
Victim of a knifing was not Identi
fied and no details were available
although reports of one such Incident
were heard.
In other Incidents, Norman Perry
n/m/59 of the Bunn Road was taken
to Franklin Memorial Hospital late
Sunday afternoon suffering from what
was described as a diabetic coma.
The local Rescue Service answered
this call and several others In recent
days to aid persons reported to be
ill.
A barn on the Dick Collie farm in
Cedar Rock was destroyed by fire
early Sunday night, but details on the
loss were not reported.
Enrollment Up, Attendance Normal In County Schools
Enrollment in Franklin county schools
climbed considerably last Friday and
Monday following the opening last
Thursday. Attendance was well below
enrollment In most schools Monday,
but school officials described this as
normal for this time of year.
The Board of Education, meeting is
The Board of Education, meeting in
a delayed regular monthly session here
Monday, ordered attendance counselors
to start normal checking procedures
next week to determine why children,
exercising a choice or assigned under
the federal court order, had not shown
up at schools. The Board had pre
viously designated the first sereo days
of school be operated on short sche
dule with absences being excused due
to the tobacco harvest. The short
schedule ends Friday, September 18.
Full schedules begin next Monday.
Figures released by the Board Mon
day show that 5,370 students have been
enrolled during the first three days of
Supt. Warren Smith reports
this morning's attendance in all
schools in the county shows a
noticeable increase over that of
Monday. Of the 3?8 Negro stu
dents assigned to predominantly
white schools, 309 are enrolled
today.
school. Baaed on free choice appli
cations, the Board had earlier expected
5,885 students to be enrolled. This
figure, it was explained, is subject
to adjustment with some phlldren
moving from the system and others
coming in late. Last Thursday's en
rollment was announced at 4,762.
Under order of the U. S. Eastern
District Court, ten percent of the
Negro students, were assigned to pre
domlnantly white schools for the school
year. Last Thursday, 249 of the
2330 Negroes enrolled attended Inte
?gregated schools. Friday, 283 of
5,079 enrolled attended predominantly
white schools. Monday, 231 of 2418
enrolled attended theee schools.
The Board had announced earlier
that 3,280 Negro students were ex
pected to enroll, based on figures
at the time, and transferred 282 of
these to predominantly white schools
In order to meet the 328 ten percent \
mark.
Monday's announced enrollment of all
students exceeds that of the third day
last year when 4,862 had enrolled.
The 4,7(7 present on Monday In the
system schools far exceeds the 4,037
for the same day last year.
Schools officials termed this year's
enrollment and attendance as normal.
Total enrollment at 8,370 Monday com
pared favorably with the same day In
1MB when 5,698 were enrolled and
In 1964 when 6,296 were enrolled.
In other Board actions Monday, fund
raising projects In the schools and
school treasurers were approved.
Rev. Wagner, pastor of the Pilot
Baptist Church appeared before the
Board on behalf of his church mem
bership to seek the Board's thinking
on how the plan of desegregation, as
ordered by the federal court, would
be drawn. He stated, unofficially, his
belief that many people In his area
favored consolidation. He was assured
that the Board was to make a careful
study of all possibilities before draw
ing a plan, including a search of other
school systems methods.
Dr. Richard Whitfield appeared before
the Board explaining visual care under
ESEA and offered his services.
Epsom Fire
The Richard Smith residence onN, C.
Highway 39, a mile north of Epsom
In Vance county, was ravaged by fire
last Thursday, with the family losing
most of their furnishings and personal
effects In the blase.
Market Averages $68.01
For First Three Days
The Louisburg Tobacco Market,
swamped with tobacco today, reported
this morning through Sales Supervisor
William Boone that sales thus lar
have reached 1,132,832 pounds. This
represents sales on opening day, last
Thursday, Friday and Monday.
The sales brought $770,488.38 for an
average of 6B.01 for the first three
days.
Boone reported this morning that
siles today are "going good" and that
prices are climbing. He said all
'warehouses were filled. Long lines
of truck-loaded tobacco can be seen
at each of the 'three local warehouses
as growers attempt to get the leaf
onto the warehouse floor for sale.
See Editorial Page 4
Discontent heightened Friday night
In the tobacco crisis as leaders from
major Eastern North .Carolina leaf
producing counties met at Wilson to
map strategy to fight tumbling prices
for better quality tobacco.
Their meeting was prefaced by an
other meeting in Raleigh Friday after
noon by directors of the Stabilization
Corporation to discuss congestion that
has prompted a tobacco holiday.
evening date for flue-cured tobacco
markets of the North Carolina- Virginia
Old Belt was postponed Monday night
from Tuesday, September 19, to Mon
day, September 25.
Spokesmen for several tobacco com
panies said they would be unable to
staff Old Belt markets with adequate
buying power to the later date because
buyers still would be busy on markets
Carolina Belt.
For the first 10 days that tobacco
Is sold in the Old Belt, markets will
be on a schedule of five hours a day,
as has been the case in other belts.
The Industry committee voted unan
imously to reduce auctions in South
Carolina to 2 1/2 hours a day per
set of buyers starting Wednesday ,
with the same reduction to be made
In the Border North Carolina Belt
five sales days later, or September
20.
The U. S. flue-cured tobacco pro
duction forecast for 1967 was raised
Monday to 1,280.4 million pounds, up
23.3 million from a month ago.
The Federal-State Crop Reportlnr
Servlce said a crop of this size, If
It materializes, would be 172.3 million
pounds larger than the' 1966 product
Ion.
Type 11 production In the Old and
Middle Belts was set at 411.2 million
pounds, up 9.3 million from the Aug
ust estimate and 34.2 million larger
than In 1966.
The harvest In the big Eastern North
Carolina Type 12 Belt was estimated
at 413.7 million pounds, an Increase
of 9.8S million from last month*
forecast.
Production of Type 13 leaf In the
South Carolina-Border North Carolina
Belt was set at 276.8 million, some ?*
2.7 million higher than the August
estimate.
Ask Return To Negro Schools
Request By Parents
Denied By School Board
A request by parents of 32 Negro
pupils to have their children placed
back into Negro schools, according
to their free choice earlier this year,
was denied here Monday by the Frank
lin County Board of Education.
A letter from Linwood Peoples,
attorney In the Henderson law frlm of
Allen and Peoples, stated that he re
presented the parents and asked that
the Board transfer 32 students back
to Negroes schools and out of the
predominantly white schools to which
they had been assigned under federal
court order.
Peoples letter states: "My clients,
In the spring of 1967, executed a Free
dom of Choice Instrument setting out
the schools which they and their child
ren desire to attend and both the par
ents and children did not wish to go
to the schools which the Franklin
County Board of Education has now
assigned them."
The Board Is prohibited by the court
order, from disclosing the names of
the parents or students or the schools
mentioned in the letter.
"On behalf of my clients, we request
that the school board re-assign these
children to the schools that they chose
to go to under the Freedom of Choice
Plan," Peoples' letter concluded.
In denying the request the Board
stated: "The Franklin County Board
of Education was ordered by the United
States District Court of the Eastern
District of North Carolina to transfer
for the 1967-68 school year a suff
icient number of Negro students to
predominantly white schools so that
at least ten percent of the Negro
students In the County School System
will attend predominantly white schools
for the 1967-68 school year.
"Therefore, ...the Franklin County
Board of Education denies the request
stated In your letter."
It is generally understood that a num
ber of Negro parents are disturbed
that their children have been assigned
to schools they did not choose. Board
attorneys declined any comment on the
move by the six parents In this case
and Peoples was not available for com
ment.
Board Names
Ambulance
Committee
The Board, upon motion of Com
missioner Faulkner, seconded by Com
missioner George Harris, approved and
recorded In the minute book, a motion
to purchase a new boiler for the county
Jail at a cost of $1,126.51. The Board
had ordered the boiler to be pur
chased In a meeting here last Tuesday,
but failed to record the action.
Advertisement for bids on a new
boiler for the courthouse was author
ized. The Board had previously ac
cepted a bid on the boiler, although
It had not been ordered. The Board
discovered that, In expenditures of
the amount expected for the boiler,
sealed bids were necessary.
The Board accepted a list of over
due tax accounts and ordered the an
nual tax settlement which closes the
books and turned over to the tax
collector all delinquent accounts.
The Board meets for the third time
this month next Monday at 3:30 P.M.
to open bids on the courthouse boiler.
See Editorial Page h
The County Commissioners, meeting
in special session here last Thursday
night, named (our local men to a com
mittee to study ambulance service
tor the county, in the event operators
discontinue the service under new reg
ulations expected soon from the State
Health Department.
Indications are that all private am
bulance operators In the county will
discontinue the service by the
first of the year.
Named to the committee were: As her
Johnson, Jr., WYRN radio news
director; Dr. John Vassey, President
of the county Medical Society, M. M.
Person, Jr., Administrator of Frank
lin Memorial Hospital and Norwood E.
Faulkner , a member of the Board at
Commissioners.
Editor Speaks To Epsom Lions
From The Henderson Daily Dispatch
Clint Fuller, managing editor of the
Franklin Times, whose newspaper was
presented the nation's top award by
the National Newspaper Association
(or community service, was featured
speaker to the Epsoni Lions club at
that group's regular meeting Thurs
day night.
Members convened in the fellowship
hall of Liberty Vance United Church
of Christ for the session with Os
man Gprrard presiding.
Serving aa program chairman was
Nelson Falkner, who Introduced the
speaker. Fuller's subject dealt with
road Improvement and primary road
funds in Franklin county.
The speaker emphasized that neither
he nor his newspaper claim credit
for bringing road Improvements to
Franklin county. However, he does
lay claim to the fact that the news
paper made an effort to point out
the needs and necessity of action by
officials.
When the newspaper began the aerie*
of articles on the needs of Improved
roads In the county In June of 1860,
the county had received less than
$1 million In primary road funds dur
ing the preceding 29 years. Since
the completion of the series last De
cember, Franklin county has received
or been promised approximately $1,
375,000.
Other statistics regarding funds re
ceived for road purposes by the county,
the number of roads there, and the
amount of traffic on highways In the
county were read.
Fuller added that whether a
community Is working toward road Im
provement, better school systems, or
any other project of benefit to Its
citizens, It Is necessary tor cttlaens
to accept positions of leadership and
speak out for their rights.
During the business hour, plans were
made tor the upcoming pancake sale
which the club will sponsor. Also,
members of the board of directors
will attend a meeting at the Plantation
Inn In Raleigh September 11. Kaeaath
Fuller reported oo the dub' s isslstaafie
to the Boys' homo and of a Youth
Exchange program to which Uom are
giving their support.