County Home ' A Disgrace ' And Jail Js 'Alive With Cock Roaches'
: Group Of Citizens Get Inside Picture Of Macon County Home Conditions . . .
INSIDE THIS BLEAK AND FORLORN WHITE FRAME
HOUSE are seven people? three men and four women. Seven
lonely people, living in a house the April superior court term
pud jury committee termed "a disgrace" . . It's the county
home on the Georgia Highway.
THE DINING ROOM also is
the hallway at the county home.
Mrs. Gilmer A. Jones, one of
several who visited the home
last Friday stands in the two
purpose hall, looking at Jan of
milk on the oil cloth covered
table.
JOHN CRAWFORD, of Frank
lin, studies a chain and pad
lock on the door of one of the
upstairs bedrooms at the county
home and questions, ' what kind
of a spot would an old person
be in if a fire broke out?"
OJVE OF THE FOUR women
at the county home chats with
Airs. Lasca E. Horsley r.nd Jack
Rar^n. As she talked one of
the men at the home built up
the lire with small twigs he
had sicked up in the front yard.
A bedridden .man lies in a room at the county home. Friday
he told people visiting the home he "was freezing", trying to get
what warmth he could from several layers of cotton quilts. There
was no fire in his room. The temperature was in the low 40's
Friday.
MEAGER FURNISHINGS at
the county hom& are examined
by Mr. Ragan and Mr. Crawford.
The straw bottom chair sagged
dejectedly and the small bureau
had no mirror. Others visiting
the home included Miss Laura
Jones and Mrs. Roy Biddle.
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Franklin, N. C.
\
i A MESSAGE
TO THE PEOPLE
OF FRANKLIN
In the past. It has been the
custom of the Mayor and the
Town Aldermen of Franklin to
declare a "Clean Up Week" and
they have done a splendid job
1 of it. They have set April 27
through May 2 for our "Clean
Up Week". Let's all get ready
and do a real job at home and
in town and make Franklin a
more attractive town to live in
and cause many others to want
to live here. We have a good
town ? let's make it better!
The facilities of the town will
be available to haul and remove
anything that you desire from
your place. Just have it ready
and convenient to get to and
call the town office ? Tele
phone 38, and notify Mr. Ram
j sey, the Town Clerk.
W. C. BURRELL, Mayor. '
Sgt. Jones Visits ;
Here, On His Way!
To European Dutyj
S'Sgt. William G ' Bill ? Jones
was here a lew days last week to
visit with his parents. Mr. and
Mrs. Weimar Joqes. Sgt. Jones,
after nearly two years in the
Far East, has been stationed at
Fort Ord , Calif. He stopped in j
Franklin en route to an East- j
ern port of embarkation, from
which he will sail for duty in !
Europe.
Sgt. Jones also served through '
World War 2.
This was his first visit home
in approximately three years, j
En route to port, he planned
to stop in .Greensboro to visit '
his sister, Miss Elizabeth Jones,
student at Woman's College.
Sgt. Jones' wife and son plan
to join him in Europe later.
Pvt. Shelton Sent
To Duty In Georgia
Pvt. Paul Shelton, son of Mr.
and Mrs. J F. Shelton, of
Franklin, Route 4, has been as
signed to Camp 'Stewart, Ga ,
with D Battery of the 38th Anti
Aircraft Artillery Gun Battalion,
the camp public ;:ifc;:na'.ion of
fice announced this week He
entered service November 12
1952, and received basic train
ing at Fort Jackson, S. C. Prior
to entering service -he worked
as a truck driver.
This slate has about 70 min
erals of commercial Importance.
THIS RICKETY FIRE ESCAPE would be useless in the event
(ire broke out in the county home. C. Banks Finger, one of
severaJ to visit the home Friday, tests the rotting; escape, which
has been boarded up at the bottom because it is unsafe.
Clean Up-Fix Up
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INSIDE
With New Bathroom Fixtures
OUTSIDE
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Phone 113 Franklin, N. C.
Macon's county home to a dis
grace, the JaU to "alive with
cockroaches", vault space to
keep county records oat of the
danger of fire to needed, and
schools are overcrowded.
These are Just a lew of the
findings of a three-man com
mittee named by the grand jury
last week to inspect county fa
cilities at the opening of the
April superior court term.
The committee, composed of
John M. Archer, Jr., E. E. Craw
ford, and Harold Enloe, sub
mitted the following report:
Prison camp: (1) wall in pris
' oner's shower bath needs paint
ing, (2 1 the State of North
Carolina should furnish prison
ers, who desire it, milk at least
once each day. Only milk avail
able now is that which prison
ers purchase with their own
funds, (3 ' every other facility
at prison camp is in exception
ally good condition.
County home: It is a disgrace
and shame on the citizens of
Macon County that such a place
should exist and be called a
home for our unfortunate aged
people. An adequate new home
with complete new furnishings
are urgently needed. Immediate
action should be taken ? not to
morrow ? but today, to see that
those responsible provide proper
facilities. We urge the citizens
of Macon County to visit the
county home and to take what
ever action is necessary to see
that the above recommenda
tions are carried out.
County jail: (1) a new and
modern jail is needed and rec
ommended, (2> the entire pres
ent jail needs a thorough re
novation inside. In the bath
room of the jailer's quarters,
there is no heat and no lavora
tory. To get to the bathroom
it is necessary to cross an open
porch. This porch should be
permanently closed in. The en
tire building, is alive with cock
roaches. An effort to eliminate
these by spraying has been
made with no success. An elec
tric water heater is needed for
an adequate supply of hot wat
er. New lavoratories are needed
in all jail cells. (3i it is recom
mended the jailer be paid an
adequate monthly salary in ad
dition to the $1 per day per
prisoner and the 60 cents turn
Key.
Courthouse: ( 1 1 the accounts
and records in the offices of
the register of deeds, clerk of
the court, sheriff and school
superintendent were found iii
good order. All active Justices
of the Peace have filed proper
reports. (2) additional vault
space is needed in both the
register of deeds and the clerk
of the court offices. There is
no vault space provided in the
sheriff's office and it is urgent
ly needed. Without adequate
fireproof vault space, perma- .
nent records subject to fire
could ruin the county in case of
fire, (3? in the absence of a
new courthouse it is recom
mended and urged that the
.present building be completely
modernized throughout. It is
believed that the offices of the
sheriff and school superinten
dent can be temporarily located
in another building, allowing
the entire east side of the
ground floor to be converted to
offices and vault space for the 1
register of deeds and the clerk
of the court. As soon as this is
completed the west side of the
ground tloor could be convert
ed to office" space for the sher
| iff adequate space for the
i grand jury, and if necessary, an
| ofiiee for the count/ school
superintendent.
Schools; Six of the 10 white
schools were visited by 'the
committee. ?t> vith the excep
tion ol' the colored school, the
buildings are in good condition.
We are advised work is to start
?;oon on a new building for tlie
colored school. *2> several of
the schools are badly over
crowded. Ten, to 12 additional
class rooms are badly needed
now. Within the next two years
an additional 12 to 15 class
rooms will be needed. t3> with
the exception of one of the 10
; white schools new furniture and
I equipment are urgently needed.
1 It is estimated that ?30,000 is
I needed for this. It cannot be
j urged too strongly that this re
j ceive immediate attention, (4)
! seven or eight new busses are
| needed badly. Several of the
present busses are overloaded
| to a dangerous extent. The
shortage requires that some of
tne busses make two trips be
fore and after school, which
, means many of the students
j leave home as early as 7 a. m.
and do not return until 5 p. m.
or later, ?5> with the exception
of minor repairs needed all the
buildings inspected are in good
condition and well kept. In a
few instances the janitorial
service could be improved, i6>
| Patrolman C. M. Byrd has made
[ a recent inspection of all school
I busses and found them in good
operating condition.
The courthouse janitor is do
ing as good a job as can be ex
pected with what he has to
work.