Stiff photos by Clint Fuller.
Plane Lands And Takes
Off White Level . Road
A Cessna 172-B light single engine
plane landed in the White Level Com
munity last Friday night around 9
P.M. when the pilot discovered the
Rocky Mount airport closed in by
weather and fuel running low. *
The aircraft made a perfect landing
on State Rural paved road 1466 and
hours later took off along the same
stretch.
The two men occupying the craft
declined to give reporters their names.
One explained that he had just that
day begun employment, as a co-pilot of
the undisclosed company plane. The
two told somewhat conflicting stories
to the hundreds of spectators gathered
at the scene.
They said they were based in South
Carolina and were on their way from
the Roanoke Rapids airport to Rocky
Mount when it was discovered that the
Rocky Mount airport was overcast.
The pilot faid the road at White Level
was clear and fuel was low and he
decided to set the ship down there.
The Louisburg Rescue Service col
lected fuel from the local Civil Air
Patrol nd transported, i^lp the scene.
State Trooper C. Glenn Todd cleared
the road of automobiles and spectators
and the plane took off at 11:30 P.M.
Todd parked his patrol car in line
with some power lines running across
the highway and the plane cleared the
road immediately after passing be
neath the power lines and the patrol
car blinkers.
Centerville Rescuers were dii patch
ed to the scene when the plane landed.
Forest Poythress and J. Linwood Gup
ton, local CAP officials were also oh
hand to assist the downed pilots.
Church Helped On
Student Disruption Bill
Representative William T. Watkins,
D-Granville, told The Times today that
Representative John Church, D- Vance,
had supported the school violence bill,
sponsored by Rep. Watkins although
Church was not present to vote for the
measure last week. The Times had
reported that neither Rep. Church or
Representative James D. Speed,
D- Franklin, had voted on the bill.
"Mr. Church was on the Higher
Education Committee which consider
ed my bill," Rep. Watkins said, "and
he contributed much to it In Com
mittee. He voted for it and encouraged
it out of Comnfittee. He voted (or it
the first time it came to a vote and on
the second vote he discussed it with
me and waited as long as he could
hoping to be able to vote for it again.
The debate was so long, however, he
had to leave. This is the reason. Mr.
Church failed to vote for the bill and I
thought you would like to know this."
He also said that Mr. Church was
unable to pair for this vote. "I have
never discussed this bill with Mr.
Speed", he said, "and I cannot com
ment on this." He also emphasized
that he was not being critical of
anyone and that he "appreciated" The
Times position on the legislation,
which he termed the "student disrup
tion" bill.
Speed Says He Will
Vote Against Leaf Tax
Franklin Representative James D.
Speed told The Times Monday that he
plans to oppose the proposed tax on
cigarettes "all the way". Speed had
received some degree of criticism in
some quarters for being absent last
Thursday when the , House voted to
return Governor Bob Scott's tax pack
age back to the Finance Committee.
Speed, who has been plagued much
of the current legislative session with
illness, said he was absent Thursday on
advice of his doctor. He said he did
not feel well Wednesday night and
returned home. He added that he felt
some better Friday and returned to his
office ip Raleigh.
He said the report in Sunday's
News and Observer's Under the Dome
column that a vote against the tobacco
Negro Girl Found
Boys Still Missing
An 18-year-old Negro girl, reported
missing last Wednesday, was found
visiting a school mate in Charlotte over
the weekend, according io reports.
Mary Patsy Richardson, a deaf mute,
of Rt. 2, Louisburg. was reportedly
supposed to have boarded a bus in
Raleigh last Wednesday afternoon for
a trip home.
Meanwhile, the whereabouts of two
Franklinton High School boys remain
a mystery although Sheriff Williams T.
Dement reports hii department is con
tinuing its search for the boys.
Wesley Earl Smith, 17, and Charles
Wayne Piper, 14, have been missing
since they were last seen at a ball game
at Franklinton two weeks ago tonight.
A reliable report says that Smith's
father. Ben Smith of Rt. 1, Kittrell is
at Wrightsville Beach searching for the
youths. It was not learned If Smith
was working or any type of lead.
tax by him would have thrown the
matter into a tie for House Speaker
Earl Vaughn to decide was in error.
Speed said he had the official count of
the vote and there was "at least two
votes difference" on the matter of
deleting tobacco from the bill and "at
least five" votes difference on the vote
to send the tax bill back to the
Committee. (The dally newspapers and
wire services reported last week that
the motion to delete tobacco from the
tax bill was defeated 58-56 and the bill
to send the whole package back to
Committee was carried 59-55.
The News and Observer column
reported that had Speed voted "for"
the motion to delete tobacco a 57-57
tie would have resulted.
Speed said he would vote against
any tax on tobacco even If a com
promise of a two-cent tax is offered.
He said that a two-cent tax would not
be much better than a five cent tax
and that if passed two years from now
a five-cent levy might be imposed
against the leaf. Representative John
Church, also representing Franklin,
Vance and Warren counties, voted to
delete tobacco and' then later to send
the tax bill back to Committee last
week by the process of pairing his vote
with a House member favoring the
tobacco tax.
The failure of the House to pass the
Governor's tax package has brought on
a heated controversy between Gover
See SPEED Page 6
One Killed, Several Injured In Weekend Accidents
iil_ _? <nn
ki|mu in ?ixa ui iuu miles per
hour" wu given as the cause of Frank
lin County's fifth fatality of the year
Saturday. State Trooper C. Glenn
Todd said a 1967 Chevrolet Camaro
driven by Thaddeus Earl Clemonts, II.
c/m/20, skidded 500 feet and over
turned "at least twice" on N. C. 64,
1.3 miles east of Pilot. Clemonts was
killed instantly, according to reports.
Trooper Todd placed the time of
the accident at 3 P.M. Saturday.
Six persons were injured, four ser
iously, in a head-on crash of two cars
on rain-stick NC-56, four miles west of
Louisburg Sunday afternoon around
2:30. The accident, investigated by
Troopers James Byrd and E. S. Mon
day, took place when a late model car,
driven by Offie Joyner, w/m/18, 121?t
Street, Franklinton, went out of con
trol and spun around in the road
striking a car driven by C. R. Parrish,
w/m/45, 907 Alice Drive, Thomasville,
N. C.
The two driven and four passengers
in the Parrish car were taken to Frank
lin Memorial Hospital by two Frank
linton and three Louisburg Rescue
Service ambulances. Preliminary re
ports following the accident listed
Joyner as suffering from knee, leg,
hand and back injuries. Parrish suffer
ed broken ribs, his wife, Mrs. Pauline
Parrish, 45, suffered a broken arm,
broken leg. a broken wrist and severe
head injuries. Both the Parrishes were
transferred to Wake Memorial Hospital
in Raleigh.
Mrs. Beatrice Hicks, 54, a passenger
in the Parrish car, received a crushed
pelvis and hip and head injuries and
her daughter, Jane Hicks. 20. received
a broken leg. a crushed shoulder and
head injuries.
Mrs. Hicks and her daughter were
transferred to Duke Hospital in Dur
ham. 9teve Randall PSrriih. age
received minor head injuries and was
treated and released to a relative here.
The Thomasville ,group had been
visiting Mr. Parrish '? family in Center
ville prior to the accident.
A single car crash just inside the
Franklin County line on US-401
twelve miles south of Louisburg Sun- I
day afternoon shortly before 5 P.M.
sent a Negro man, Identified as James \
Williams, to the local hospital for 1
treatment . The Louisburg Rescue Ser
vice transported the victim, who was
not believed to be seriously injured. (
The late model Mustang ran off the a
highway and struck a tree. The car was 3
heavily damaged. c
A three-car crash just across the t,
Franklin line in Vance County on (,
US-1 Sunday afternoon killed a State ,
College student and injured twelve
other persons. Franklin Troopers re- ?
port a host of minor accidents over the p
rain plagued weekend. w
R
ol
Duke Memorial Church At Justice s,?ff Ph?"> by
Astor Bowden.
Boys Break Church Windows
Three teenagers were arrested Mon
day and charged with damage to real
property, according to Sheriff William
T. Dement. Property damage includes
several broken windows in Duke Me
morial Church at Justice, Dement re
ported.
Dement identified the youths as
Robert Allen Blake, w/m/17, Rt. 4,
Louisburg; Danny M. Smith, w/m/19,
Rt. 1, Louisburg and William H. Mur
ray, w/m/18, Rt. 4, Louisburg.
The bottle-throwing spree reported
y began around 11 P.M. Saturday
night and lasted until around 2 A.M.
Sunday morning. Several houses were
struck, a number of highway signs
were reportedly hit and some bottles
were broken on the highways. At least
three windows were broken In the
church. The youths also climbed the
fire tower five miles east of Louisburg
and dropped bottles on the fire ran
ger's office below the tall steel struc
ture, according to the Sheriff.
Bond was set Monday for the
youths at $200, according to the
Sheriff's office.
(ouths Arrested In Cabin Breakins
ck..if# tin in t rv- a ?-J ' ?
oii?:iiii Tfiuiani i. lwmkiii repunva
he arrest of three young boyi Monday
> a result of his investigation into the
iunday afternoon break-in of two
abins at Franklinton. Dement said
wo of the three youths, charged with
reaking and entering, were juveniles
nd declined to give their names.
The third youth, Dement reported,
?as Joseph Earl May, w/m/17 of
ranklinton. One of the other boys
as reported to be a 15-year-old from
oute 3, Wake Forest and a 13-year
Id from Franklinton.
The youths are charged with enter
ing a cabin owned by Ronda Gupton
of Louisburg which is located along a
private pond also owned by Gupton
off US-1 north of Franklinton. A
cabin owned by Alton W. Ausborn of
Henderson was also entered. Dement
reported the youths took only minor
items but inflicted heavy damage to
the interior of the two cabins.
Bond for May was set at $200 and
the other youths were turned over to
the Welfare Department.
NC-56 ACCIDENT PUTS FIVE IN HOSPITAL 'Stiff photo, by dint Fultar