67TH YEAR
?
Western North Carolina's
Oldest Weekly Newspaper
pfje iFfwWiti
%k* IjiaWarib* Baconian
CIRCULATION
LAST WEEK 2736
Year Ago Host Week - 2432
?OL. uxvn? NO. 4
FRANKLIN, N. C? THURSDAY, JANUARY 24, 1952
TWELVE PAGES
New Nantahala Road Is Now Assured
? _____ * ? ? ? ? ' ? ,
Car Plunges 160 Ft.
Into Creek; 4 Hurt
T wo Receive Serious
Injuries In Monday
Morning Wreck
An automobile carrying five
persons pitched down a 160
foot embankment into Buck
Creek shortly after midnight
Sunday, injuring four of the
five, two seriously.
In Angel hospital here with
serious skull fractures are Ralph
Hopkins, 18, of Franklin, and
Mrs. Gladys Tallent Sanders, 26,
of the Prentiss community.
Hospitalized, but with less in
juries, are Robert Cunningham,
28, owner and driver of the
auto, and James Ledford, 27,
both of Prentiss.
The fifth passenger in the
1936 Ford Tudor, Miss Willa
Jean Arnold, 15, of Prentiss,
escaped injury.
Sheriff J. Harry Tl!omas said
(yesterday) Wednesday that
Cunningham would be charged
with drunk driving upon release
from the hospital.
Sheriff Thomas and Patrol
man C. M. Eyrd, who assisted
in the investigation, said the
automobile, traveling up the
gravelled Kick Creek road,
about a mile and a half off the
Franklin-Highlands highway,
apparently plunged over the
steep Incline after coming out
of a carve.
The paKta out by the vehicle
through the underbrush indi
cated tint It (truck a tree about
100 feet down the embankment,
then pitched on over a still
steeper Incline Into the creek.
The car could not be seen from
the road -when a Press photog
rapher visited the scene early
Fonday morning
Officers surmised that Miss
Arnold escaped injury by eith
er Jumping from the car or be
ing thrown from it shortly aft
er it dropped off the shoulder
of the road. Cunningham and
Ledford were catapulted from
the vehicle when It smashed
against the tree.
Mrs. Banders and young Hop
kins, the two seriously injured,
apparently rode the overturn
ing ear to the bottom of the
ravine. She was found at the
side of the car, which came to
rest with its radiator pointing
back up the embankment.
According to the sheriff the
boy's clothes were wet and he
apparently had crawled from
the wreckage. Sheriff Thomas
found him lying about 30 feet
to the right of the car in heavy
underbrush bordering the creek.
While searching the wreckage
Monday morning, the sheriff
found a small quantity of non
tax paid whiskey in a fruit jar.
Hedden Youth
Reported Missing, W as
Killed In Action
Benjamin Lewis Hedden, re
ported missing in action in
Korea November 6, was killed
in action on that date, accord
ing to a Defense Department
announcement received by his
father, W. W. Hedden, of the
Gneiss community.
The 18-year-old soldier en
listed in the army in March,
1951. His twin brother, Dewey
Hedden, is serving in Korea.
DEATHTAKES
C. CALLOWAY
Well Known Macon Man
Dies; Funeral Held
At Holly Springs
Claude Calloway, a retired
Macon County farmer and a
veteran of the Spanish-Ameri
can war, died Thursday of
last week to a Winston-Salem
hospital after a long illness. He
was 78 years old.
Funeral services were conduct
ed Sunday at 3 p. m. at the
Holly Springs Baptist church by
the Rev. Arvtl Swafford, pastor,
and the Rev. M- W. Chapman,
pastor of the First Baptist
church.
Military rites at the grave
side were conducted by the Rev.
Hoyt Evans, chaplain of the lo
cal American Usgkm post, and
the Rev. Robert Burnett*, chap
lain of the Veterans of Foreign
Wars post. Cotorbeaiers were E.
W. Renshaw, R. X. <Tcmy)
Welch, Bill Bryant, Reid Wom
ack, Frank Plyler, and Curtis
Pearson.
Surviving are three nieces,
Mrs. Lon Dal ton and Mrs. Tru
man Moody, of Franklin, and :
Mrs. D- W. Nichols, of AsherJUe;
two nephews, Henderson Callo- '
way, of Franklin, and Wade Cal- [
loway, of Ibapah, Utah; and a ,
sister-in-law, Mrs. J. E. Callo- !
way, of Franklin, Route 3.
Pallbearers were Frank W.
Reece, Newell Pendergrass, W.
W. Reeves, Pascal Norton, James
McCollum, and Erwln Pattern.
Arrangements were under the
direction of Potts Funeral home.
Franklin
Defeats Robbmsville And
Murphy Teams
Franklin High's lads and lass- i
ies strengthened their chances
for Smoky Mountain conference
SEE NO. 1, PAGE 12
SCHOOL 'HOUSE
WARMING' SET
An open house and benefit
supper Saturday night will offi
cially christen the new $110,000
Cartoogechaye school, which was
completed this week.
The public is invited to at
tend and inspect the new build
ing.
Supper, to be prepared by the
school parent-teacher associa
tion, will be served at 7:30
o'clock. The charge for the meal
will be 65 cents per plate for
adults, and 50 cents for chil
dren.
Proceeds from the inaugural
event will be earmarked for the
school lunchroom fund.
The menu Includes baked
chicken and dressing, homemade
rolls, cake or pie, and all the
trimmin's".
Eight classrooms, a lunch
room, and an auditorium com
prise the new structure.
Name Gnuse,
Edwards To
Scout Posts
A number of Franklin and
Highlands men were named to
offices and committee posts in
the Smoky Mountain Boy Scout
district, at a district meeting
in Dills bo ro Friday.
John Edwards, of Franklin,
was appointed district commis
sioner. H. H. Gnuse, Jr., also of
Franklin, was named district
chairman.
Four other Franklin men were
named to head district com
mittees. They Include John D.
Alsup, advancement; Dr. George
R. McSween, camping and activ
ities; the Rev. A. Rafus Mor
gan, leadership training; and
W. W. (Bill) Stoan, organization
and extension.
Those named on committees
are Louis Edward s, of High
lands, advancement, finance,
and leadership training; Sid
Carter, of Highlands, camping
and activities; Grant Zickgraf
and the Rev. C. E. Murray, dt
Franklin, finance; E. W, Ren
shaw, of Franklin, and Dewey
Hopper, of Highlands, health
and safety; James Hauser, <of
Franklin, leadership and train
ing; John Crawford and R. E.
McKelvey, of Franklin, organi
zation and extension; and the
Rev. C. E. Murray, inter-racial
committee.
FLAN SALE
The fourth Sunday sing of !the
northern division of the Macon
County Singing convention will
be held at the Oak Dale Bap
tist church at 2 p. m. January
27, it has '? sen announced by
Harley Mason, president.
? Staff Photo by J. P. Brady
Plunges 160 Feet ? In the photograph above, Charlie Mashburn, of Franklin,
is shown examining the wreckage of the automobile which overturned down a
160-foot embankment on the Buck Creek road shortly after midnight Sunday,
injuring four of the five occupants, two seriously. The car came to rest in $uck
Cr?ek, its radiator pointing back up the incline.
Heads Symphony Unit
FRANK B. DUNCAN
Mr. Duncan, Franklin business
man and civic leader, has ac
cepted the 1952 chairmanship of
the local unit of the N. C. Sym
phony Society. He expects to
announce plans shortly for the
appearance of the N. C. Little
Symphony orchestra heje March
14. The orchestra is scheduled
to five two concerts, one in the
afternoon for Macon County
school children, and another in
the evening for adults.
Will Close
Sign Shop
For Period
Ntntahala Forest officials plan
to cease operations temporarily
at the Wayah depot sign 4hop
mt an early date, because of a
Steele in job order*, Forest Su
pervisor E. W. Renshaw said
Monday.
The sign shop, established in
March, 1933, for the past several
?years has been supplying the
whole Southern region (Region
8) of the C. S. Pore A Service
with signs of all descriptions,
ranging from snrall trail mark
ers to the large "porta) shields",
which mark the entrances and
exits to national forests.
Since its beginning. toe super
visor explained, the shop has
I been entirely .self-suIBcient, the
sale of signs defraying all ex
penses. At present,, he said,
most of the 13 foresto. in the 11
states comprising Region 8 have
an ample stock of signs on hand
and there are not eneugh orders
to keep 'the sign shop operating
on a ftiil-time schedule.
The shop was ctosed. for a
brief interval in 1941 for the
same reason, he pointed out.
Fire men muke up the shop
staff ? two in the paint shop and
three in the carpenter shop.
They will be laid off temporar
ily, Ihe snperviBor said.
Cochran Case
Reward Fund
Now At $800
The Cochran reward this week
totaled more than $800, accord
ing to Sheriff J. Hurry Thomas,
who Is heading a *iove "taere to
raise a rabstamttal sum lor In
formation leading tio the Arrest
and conviction ?f ta?e slayer of
the 24-year-old Maoon County
youth.
Law enforcement ficiali are
not eligible to receive the re
ward, the sheriff pointed oat.
The youth, Wlllhcm Hotner
Cochran, Jr., a teacher at White
Plains High school, died of In
juries received when a myster
ious explosion demolished his
pickup truck in Mount Airy the
morning of December SI. No
motive for the slaying has been
established.
Persons wishing to contribute
to the reward are asked to con
tact the sheriffs office In the
courthouse. A pr ovision in tt ?
reward contract stipulate* that
funds collected will be returned
after six months, If the murder
Is still unsolved.
Young Cochran's father, a
Franklin pol.ce.-Run, said this
week he is still confident that
officers WU1 solve the case.
1.900 DRIVERS I
STILL USING '51 i
AUTO LICENSES
i
Deadline Is January 31;
Sales Here To Date
Total 1 ,635
An estimated 1,900 motorists J
still have not purchased 1952
license tags, although the of- I
ficial deadline is just a week :
away ? January 31.
Verlon Swafford, manager of I
the local Carolina Motor club,
where the tags are sold, yes
terday (Wednesday) urged mo
torists to buy immediately and
avoid the expected last-minute
rush.
Saturday, sales at the local
office totaled 1,634 ? slightly
higher than last year's figure of
1,594 for the corresponding pe
riod. On the basis of last year's
total sales ? 3,583 ? less than half
of the motorists here have pur- t
chased the new 1952 tag.
Franklin PT A
Hears Mental
Hygiene T alk
A program on mental hygiene,
presented by Dr. Carl D. Kllllan,
of Western Carolina Teachers
college, Cullowhee, and a report
on the landscaping of the school
grounds marked Monday night's
meeting of the Franklin Parent
Teacher association.
It was announced by Mrs. Al
len Slier, president, that the
February meeting would be a
combination founders' day pro
gram, family night sapper, and
house warming for the new
school bunding.
No bvstaess will be transact
ed at the February weeing, so
it was decided to name a nomi
nating committee Monday night,
90 that the officers for the
coating year can be elected in
March in time to Attend the
annual P. T. A. state conven
tion, 'to be held in JLshevll>e in
April. John CrawJerd , Mis. J.
Ward Long, and Mrs. C N.
Oowdle were elected as the nctn
linutlag committee
Dr. Killian. introduced by
-Richard Stott, of the high
school faculty, spoke briefly, and
then presented ji series of rec
ords on mental health. Dr. Kil
lian emphasized that' the trend
, in health circles today is to
'link a heaJthy mental attitude
| ao d a normal social ad; ustment ,
' with physical well-being. Both
'his comments and the records
emphajuzed thf physical effects
iO f the failure of the individual I
SEE NO 2, PAGE 12
I
James V. Owenbj
Dies; FuneraJ Ls
Held At Briartown
Furterid services for James V.
?tOwenby. 37. n former resident
jof the NanQihala romnranity
j-who die-fl January 8 hi a Port
land, Grtg., rreteran'j. hospital,
were helS Jinuary 15 at the
'Briartown Baptist ctarch.
Survivors :here include his
brother, G- W Oweniy of Nan
tnhala.
Services wai( conduct ad by
the Rev. ISdsf Woodud .of Al
mond. BnrtaJ vau; in Use ichurch
cemetery.
Named As Mayor
W. C. BURRELL
A former vice-mayor and
nember of the Franklin board
if aldermen, Mr. Bnrrell Friday
light was appointed mayor by
he board of aldermen, succeed
ng the late Robert M. Dillard.
Mr. Bnrrell, head of BurreU
Motor company, will serve the
lalance of Mr. Dillard's unex
pired term.
MRS. PHILLIPS IS;
TAKENBMATH
Rites For Macon Native
Conducted Here
Wednesday
Mrs. Augusta Phillips, wife of
Ptanlc J. Phillips, a native of
Macon County, died Tuesday
uomlng at her home here at
the age T)f 57. She had been 111
for so ore time.
Funeral services were con
ducted at the First Baptist
church yesterday (Wednesday)
at 3 p. m. by the Rev. M. W.
Chapman, pastor. He was as
sisted by the Rev. C. E. Murray,
pastor of the Franklin Metho
dfct church. Burial was in
Woodlawn cemetery.
Born February 23, 1894, Mrs.
Phillips was the daughter of
Mrs. Florence Crawford Garner
and of the late C. L. Garner.
She had been a member of
the Baptist church for more
than 40 years. In 1915 she was
married to Mr. Phillips, of
Franklin.
Survivors include her hus
band and mother; two sons, Bill
and Bob Phillips, of Franklin;
two brothers, Marvin Garner,
of Franklin, and Newell Garner,
of Newland; five sisters, Mrs.
Bertha Roper, of Arlington, Va.,
Mrs. Tom Phillips, of Camden,
S. C., Mrs. Paul Carpenter and
Mrs. Charles A. Conley, of
Franklin, and Mrs. Charles No
len, of Franklin, Route 1; and
SEE NQ. 3, PAGE 12
Child
In Asheville Hospital,
Peanut In Lung
Five-year-old David Stiles, son
of Mr. and Mrs. Vernon Stiles,
of Franklin, is in a serious con
dition in an Asheville hospital,
a peanut lodged in his lung
It is understood that the child
choked Saturday .morning while
eating peanuts, drawing one in
to a lung He was rushed to St.
Joseph's hospital that afternoon
by his parents.
Macon's Only "51 Polio Victim
To Help With '52 Dimes March
Grady Henry wants to help
with the Mmcoa County March
of Dimes drive.
Is that so unuaoal, you say?
Aren't a lot of people willing to
help put the county over the
top of Its $3,500 goal?
Well, It's unusual in this case.
You see, Mr. Henry spent IS
weeks in the polio victim's world
of Iron lungs, braces, and pains
taking rehabilitation. And now,
almost fully recovered, he Is
ready to help with the cam
paign which meant life for him.
Still wearing steel braces, the
37 -year -old Ellljay postmaster
Wlday visited County School
8;pt. Holland McSwaln, who la
heading this year's drive, and
offered his services. Speaking
from experience, he told the
chairman that the March of
Dimes is worth every dime con
tributed and that it "saved my
life'.
Mr. Hanry had the unenviable
distinction of being Macon
County's only polio victim List
year. Stricken on June 13, he
was rushed to the Ashevllle Or
thopedic home where the March
of Dimes took over the job of '
helping him back on the road ;
to recovery. He was discharged ,
from the Ashevllle center Oc
tober 17? al^er IS weeks of "ex
cellent treatment ... just like
being at home". 1
And now Grady Henry wants i
to help with the March of i
Dimes drivel
PLAN $750,000
HIGHWAY TO GO
VIAWAYAHGAP
State To Match Federal
Funds; Will Provide
Scenic Drive
A ntw three-quarter million
iollar highway Is to be built
nto the Nantahala section of
Macon County.
While no date has been set
For start of construction, and
ictlon awaits one or two for
malities, statements this weelr
Oy E. W. Renshaw, supervise)
it the Nantahala National For
est, and L. Dale Thrash, tenth
division highway commissioner, .
assured the road.
To be designated a forest
highway, It will pass through
Way ah Gap and extend to
White Oak creek (site of the
new Nantahala school). It will
be paid for on a matching basis,
With federal and state funds.
Plans can for the expenditure
first of $512,500 on that section
of the new road between the
end of the present blacktop,
near Cold Spring, and Feisty
branch (the point where the
road to Andrews turns off > . The
Forest Service's share of that
total is now available, and an
additional $233,400 will be pro
gramed for fiscal year 1P54 to
construct the road from Fe sty
branch to the new schoo'.
There the new hlehwp- W'l
l |oln a five-mile link. r?~-"t'y
! built by the state, from the
school to Beechertown, wh-re It
connects with Highway 19.
The first tthk in the new road
will be about I2y; miles long,
the second a little over five
miles.
I When completed, the road will
orovlde the people of the Nan
tahala area, long isolated. with
; a paved highway to their coun
, tyseat. Franklin.
I It also will open to tourists
[ a section of remarkable scenic
j beauty, highlighted by Nanta
! liala Lake, In Its mountain set
ting.
The tourist, making a trip
from Highlands to Franklin,
thence through Wayah Gap, by
Nantahala lake, and down to
No 19, it has been remarked.
I will be offered perhaps the
'widest variety of scenery to be>
[found, within the same dis
tance, anywhere in Eastern
! America.
The new road project requir
ed the approval and cooperation
of three agencies ? the Forest
Service, the Bureau of Public
Roads, and the State Highway
Commission.
It has the approval of the
Forest Service, Mr. Renshftw
said, and he now has .received
an approving letter from A. L.
Hooper, district engineer (at
Raleigh) of the Bureau of Pub
lic Roads. The road, which will
lie within the Nantahala For
l est, must be approved by the
buteau as a "forest highway" ,
before Forest Service lunds can
be spent on it. That approval
is now assured, Mr. Hcppe* in
j dicated. The proposal will be
| forwarded, through channels,
j for approval, he wrote. That ap
1 proval now is a matter of form.
The Press learned. '
Mr Hopper added thai he also
has cleared the project with
the State Highway Commission,
which will provide half the
funds and be responsible for the
actual construction work.
Meanwhile, Mr. Thrash told
The Press that he will recom
SEE NO. 4, PAGE :2
The Weather
Temperature) and precipitation tor to
1 en dayi, a?d the low IVmperaf >
reaterdmy. aa recorded at tlx Coweets ?w
prrimcM atatisn
Wednesday
Thursday .. .
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday ..
Wednesday
Franklin
Wednesday,
none; Friday,
lone; Sunday,
one; Tuesday,
76. .
High Low Pet.
67 43 .1*
46
48 JS
23
43 .48
38 ._
37
37
59
62
52
60
54
55
?M
06; Tbundagr.
.15; Saturday,
?56; Monday,
54; Wednesday,