Newspapers / The Franklin Press and … / June 17, 1954, edition 1 / Page 1
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Pie fftrakliii $ ft## 2^h? l&igblatita JHacotmtri PRICE 10 Cents VOL. LXIX? NO. 25 FRANKLIN, N. C, THURSDAY, JUNE 17, 1954 TWELVE FAGE8 2 MACON HIGHWAY MEN GIVEN 30-YEAR PINS: 1 20-YEAR PIN Two Macon County men, last Thursday night at the N. C. State Highway Employes' Association meeting at the Whittler highway shed, stepped up and proudly received 30-year service pins. They are Joseph F. (Joe) Setser and George T. Stalcup. Among those receiving service pins for shorter periods was Frank Phillips, construction foreman for this county, who was presented a pin for 20 years' service. Pulled Out Of Mud Mr. Setser has seen his coun ty pull itself out of the mud over the years to the present point of having some 90 miles of paved highways and 50 miles of secondary paved roads. And Joe Setser has played a big part in this progress. He cut his highway teeth on this mud, one might say, after joining the department June 22, 1923 as an axeman, in fact, Mr. Setser worked on one of the first paving projects undertak en in Macon from Franklin south to the Georgia state line. He recalls that the only paving before this "big job" was under taken was a short stretch .run ning from Franklin to the Iotla Bridge. His boss on the Georgia road job was then-Resident En gineer W. B. Ferguson, who now lives in Weaverville and has many friends here. "The county was all mud," Mr. Setser recalls, "and the only two months I didn't draw a check was because the roads were so bad we couldn't work." This was in January and Febru ary of 1926. From the business end of an axe, Mr. Setser became a rod man and in 1925 went on loca tion. The years 1925-28 found him in construction- on the Georgia road and Cowee Gap projects. Since 1928 he has been with maintenance in several capacities. He first started as a section foreman and during the sv VQ 2 PAGE 12 Has Seen Changes In his 30 years, Mr. Stalcup has seen vast changes in trans portation and road-building methods ? and in the way peo ple live, as a result of high ways. When he went to work for the Highway Commission, April 15, 1923, he recalled, in an in terview, he was given no truck to work with; Instead, the com mission used hand labor to a great extent, hiring teams and wagons, and occasionally a tractor to drag the roads. "Now you can hardly get a truck driver to go out with out a heater", he remarked, but pointed out that when he final ly was assigned a truck ? a worn-out used one ? it "didn't even have a windshield", and the only shelter was a buggy top over the cab. He wore out two used trucks, incidentally, before he ever got a new one. He's had some amusing ex periences. Back in the days when the Highlands road was under con struction, for instance, he and his workers often went to a neighbor's house for drinking water from the well. (Bath rooms and such-like were the rare exceptions, in the rural areas of those days.) This section was suffering | from a serious drought, and one day the woman of tine house (complained the well was about | SEE NO. 3, t AGE 12 150 Attend 29th Annual Reunion Of Gibson Family Approximately ISO persons attended the 29th reunion of the Gibson family, held Sun day at the Cowee home of tha Rev. and Mrs. C. C. Welch. The annual reunion is of the decendants of John Stew art and Mrs. Martha Carroll Gibson, and Mrs. Frank I. Murray, Sr., reunion secre tary, reported she has a rec ord of 2,112 living descen dants. Mrs. Nancy Garden, of the Leatherman community, aged 90, who was present, is the only one of the couple's 15 children surviving. Burnham Colburn To Speak At Highlands Burnham Standish Colburn, of Asheville, will deliver the first In a series of summer lec tures at the Highlands Museum of Natural History, it was an nounced this week. Mr. Colburn's lecture is set for 8 p. m. Thursday of next week. Asheville banker and active in the Southern Appalachian Mineral Society, the speaker will discuss the minerals of Western North Carolina. Mr. Colburn, who is one of the founders of the Highlands ' Biological Station, served as its I vice-president in 1930, and was I a member of the board of trus tees from 1930 to 1934. Many of the specimens in the mineral exhibit of the Highlands mu seum were donated by .Mr. Col burn. Wasilik, 'Mr. Forest Service' Heading For Retirement - Gardening And Tennis If there's any way to turn an acre and a half of land atop Rogers' Hill into a national for est, it's even money that John Wasilik, Jr., will find the way. And if this is ever accom plished by the genial forest ranger, who will retire July 1 from the U. S. Forest Service with nearly 33 years to his credit, he will just be doing what comes naturally, for John Wasilik is "Mr. Forest Service" in these parts. That acre and a half of land referred to above constitutes the Wasilik homestead in Franklin, and caring for that small bit of acreage is in distinct contrast to the 100,000 acres he has kept a fatherly eye on as ranger of the Wayah District for the past 15 years. Retirement, Ranger Wasilik commented Tuesday night from a lawn chair in his front yard, means, "raising a garden and playing tennis", his favorite sport next to softball, "which unfortunately has passed me up in my years." He explained this: "I knock ed a three-bagger the other night over there (gesturing to ward the Franklin High sta dium) and I'vii been regretting it ever since Jg . I'd be better off if I had struck out." (A pat of his chest indicated short wind and a slight grimace em phasized sore muscles). But, those long years of the outdoor life have been good to John Wasilik. Last Saturday he marked his 61st birthday, but that number of years fails to show. "You sure don't look 61, Mr. Wasilik." "You're very kind", the ranger chuckled, "you must come in terview me again some time." Life began for John Wasilik, Jr., in Roselle, N. J., well before the turn of the century. He was graduated from Yale University June 14, 1917, and four days later enlisted in the U.S. Army ? "I didn't even get home with my diploma", he recalls. He was shipped to Europe in August after brief training and spent two years with French divisions as an ambulance driv er; meritorious service which marks him as the recipient of two Croix de Guerre medals from a grateful France. World War 1 over, he return ed to this country In April, 1919. and forestry beckoned. Back he went to college for a master's degree in forestry. In 1922 he Joined the Nanta ? Staff Photo by J. P. Brady John Wasilik, "Mr. Forest Service", who retires the first of July with nearly 33 years of service, Scales a log to demonstrate how the Nantahalas have kept him busy. The pooch belongs to a neighbor. hala National Forest as an as- | sistant forester under Super visor Jim Shields and except for a brief period of service (1927) as assistant supervisor of the Cherokee National For est, John Wasilik and the Nan tahalas have been almost one and the same. Over these years, the ranger figures he, has helped buy at least 100,000 acres of forest land and has seen more than a million dollars pass hands in timber sales, which, on the basis of this figure, has seen Macon County leeeive about a third of a million dollars as its share of forest receipts. And times have changed on the forest, too, Ranger Wasilik declared. Back when he and the Nantahalas first shook hands, the forest embraced not only North Carolina acreage, but land in South Carolina and Georgia as well. Although at this time the automobile was breathing heavily down the neck of the out-going horse and the forest sCTvlce had vehicles, roads here still had a lot of progressing to do. As a rule, more walking was done than riding, the ranger explained, adding: "I've seen times when it took half a day to go from Franklin to Walhalla (S.C.i or Clayton (Ga.?" trips classified today as almost local jaunts. "Mud ... all mud," the rang er said munching on a pretzel, "sure we had trucks, but we couldn't use them . . . it's a cinch to climb even a mountain today with those Jeeps, but not then." Timber sales ? and the time consuming scaling of trees up for sale ? have been the biggest job encountered by Ranger Wasilik on the forest. Oddly enough, forest fires have not been too much of a problem. The big Tellico fire of two years ago "was awful", he de clared, and was by far the most destructive he has witnessed. "Yes," John Wasilik said, surveying his acre and a half kingdom, "I've had a wonder ful time with the forest serV ice . . . hard work, but' a lot of fun." So, July 1 will see the end of Volume 1 In Ranger Wasillk's active life. Volumn II will begin with gardening and tennis. "I've got to do something or I'll go nuts!" PRE-REVIVAL SERVICES OPEN MONDAY A week of pre-revlval serv ices, with Macon County min isters doing the preaching, will get under way Monday at Friendship Tabernacle. The services will be in the nature of preparation for the annual county-wide interde nominational week of evangelis tic services, to be held this year June 28- July 4. The guest min ister for that week will be the Rev. R. Paul Caudill, pastor of the First Baptist Church, Mem phis, Tenn. Next week's pre-revival series will be held nightly at 8 p. m. at the Tabernacle. The minis ters who will preach during the week are: Dr. A. Rufus Morgan, Monday night; the Rev. John Buel, Tuesday; the Rev. Bryan Hatch ett, Wednesday; the Rev. R. E. Early, Thursday; the Rev. John Freeman, Friday; and the Rev. C. T. Taylor, Sunday. On Sat urday night of that week, a re ligious film will be shown by the Rev. W. K. Shields. A choir composed of members of the choirs of the various churches in the county, under the direction of Mr. Hatchett, will provide special music for ! the services during the two ' week period. In efforts to stimulate at tendance at the series of serv ices, a visitation program and | a transportation project are be I ing worked out. I Churches throughout ' the ; I county are asked to conduct visitations Sunday afternoons, | | June 20 and 27, to invite people : I to attend; and transportation 1 for those who need transporta tion will be provided from cer tain sections of the county. On the transportation committee are Mr. Buell, chairman, the Rev. Robert Hart, the Rev. R. L. i PoindeXter, Fred Corbin, the j Rev. E. G. Altland, Wiley Clark, ' Mr. Freeman, the Rev. Manuel | Wyatt, the Rev. Lvman Wilson. I the Rev. Arvil Swafford, the j Rev. Tommy Gales, the Rev. Jarvis Underwood, and the Rev. j Albert Gordon. Persons who have no way of setting to and from the serv ices are invited to get in touch with some member of this com mittee. [Baby's Death Attributed To Suffocation Suffocation, by becoming en tangled in the bedclothing. caused the death of a two months-old Macon County baby, the death certificate, signed by a Detroit physician, said. The father. Kenneth Holland, of the Cullasaja community, however, said there was no evi dence of choking when the baby was found dead last Sun day morning. Mr. and Mrs. Holland and their children, Gerald, aged about two years, and Betty Leann, two months and nine days, had been here since De cember, when Mr. Holland was laid off his automobile plant job. Sunday they returned to Detroit. Sunday morning, when they awoke, the baby was dead. A physician, who was called, said death probably occurred about 6 a. m. Sunday. The body was brought back here, and funeral services were held yesterday (Wednesday* at 11 a. m. at Bethel Methodist Church. Officiating were the Rev. F. D. Freeman, Macon circuit Methodist pastor, and the Rev. Fred Sorrells, of the Cullasaja Assemblies of God Church. In addition to her parents and brother, the child is sur vived by her grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Cecil Holland, and Mrs. Plenty Dowdle, and step grandfather, Mr. Dowdle. Funeral arrangements were under the direction of Potts Funeral Home. PLAN BAKE SALE The St. Agnes Episcopal Aux iliary will hold its monthly bake sale at the Children's Shop to morrow (Friday) morning at 9 o'clock, It has been announced. AUXILIARY TO MEET The American Legion Auxili ary will meet with Mrs. Pearl Hunter at her home on Main Street Tuesday night at 8 o'clock, It has been announced. 4 Of 7 Escapees Are Still At Large 12 MACONITES GRADUATED At least a dozen Macon Coun ty young people were graduated from universities and colleges, in this and other states, earlier this month. This list includes Herbert L. Hyde, from New York Univer sity law school; Jerry Potts, University of North Carolina school of business administra tion; Miss Patricia F. Hays, in home economics, and Miss Ed ith Plemmons, in music, from Oklahoma Baptist University, Shawnee, Okla.; Howard Hors ley, Duke University school of medicine; Miss Patricia Lan drum, A. B. from Woman's Col WINS TOP HONOR Howard T. Horsley was one of 13, out of a graduating class of 80 in the Duke Uni versity school of medicine, to be elected to Alpha Omega Alpha, honorary scholarship fraternity that compares with Phi Beta Kappa in under- | graduate work. It is the top scholarship honor in medical school. ; I lege, Greensboro: Kenneth Cor bin, from Wake Forest College; Miss Beth Jones. Brevard Col lege: Miss Betty Sue Ledford, in home economics from Berea College; and Miss Josephine Dalton, John W. Edwards, and Lester Arnold, from Western Carolina College. Cullowhee. Miss Dalton, who completed her work at the er.d of the winter quarter, is employed as first grade teacher in the Gas tonia city schools. Miss Ledford was on the Berea Woman's Council and was dormitory president. Miss Jones is em ployed in secretarial wor:< at the University of North Caro lina. Mr. Hyde will take the ' N. C. bar. examination, and later will leave for a year's advanced study in England under a Ro tary scholarship. And Dr. Hors ley will leave Franklin Sunday to Start his internship at the j College of Virginia Hospital. Richmond. Va Plans of . the others were not i learned. PLAN BIBLE SCHOOL A vacation Bible school for ' children and adults will open j Monday at Union Methodist Church. Ail persons in the com- ! munity are invited, it was said, j Sessions are set for 7:30 p. m ' Four of the long-term prisoners who escaped from the prison camp here five days ago yesterday (Wed nesday) still were at large. One "was captured in the Riverside community early Sunday morning, and two at Nantahala Station Tuesday afternoon. Meanwhile, officers in this and neighboring states were con ducting an intensive hunt for the other four. Local prison auth orities, members of the sheriff's department, and highway patrol men have been working almost around the clock since the escape. The break occurred In mid afternoon Saturday. Using a two-foot pipe wrench, the escapees twisted the bars at a cell-block window, crawled through the aperture, climbed the prison fence, and disap peared before their escape was discovered. Prison Supt. J. R. Overton placed the hour of escape at about 3:40 p. m. He said It was discovered by Perry Norton, on duty at that time as assistant steward. Mr. Overton said the escape must have been detected promptly, since the guards make their rounds at intervals of about 10 minutes. One prisoner was at the win dow, on the inside, when Mr. Norton appeared. Mr. Overton has no idea, he said, how the prisoners obtain ed the pipe wrench, except that it must have been smuggled in to them. Officers believe the escapees are responsible for three break ins and one automobile theft. The home of Marion Childers on Saird Cove Road was en tered. Saturday afternoon when the family was away, and men's | clothing was found missing; j Clothing identified as that ! missing wr.? found on Carl Frange. 21, sent up from Meck lenburg County for a term of 12 to 15 years for armed rob bery. when Prange was captur d about 6 a. m. Sunday in the Fiverside section by Prison awards Car! Tippett and Fred Dills. Prange also had two bags of pennies, amounting to about S10, Mr. Overton said. The C. C. Stamey.. store in that area was Two Macon Scouts Get Tenderfoot Rank At Honor Court* Two !- ; Scouts from Macorl County were awarded their tenderfoot badges :?t the Smoky Mountain Distr.c: Court of Honor at Br.Vson City last Thursday night. The two given tenderfoot rank are Patii Edwards and! Paul McDonald. . j ? Slmft Photo by J. P. bra*iy MORE THAN JUST TIME? Weimar Jones (left), retiring president of the North Carolina Press Association, h shown re ceiving a gold watch from D. Hiden Ramsey, former president j at the association. The presentation was made at the banquet . of the association's convention at Lake JunaJuska last week. In presenting the watch, Mr. Ramsey said the association wanted , to do something special for Mr. Jones, in recognition of his out standing work during the past year In presenting the position of the newspapers concerning the legislation which allows ap propriations committees of the legislature to meet In closed ses sion. The watch bears the following Inscription: "In apprecia tion to Weimar Jones, courageous defender of the people's right to know. President N.C. P-A., 1953-54." I broken into Saturday nigni, me sheriff's office saia, and Mr. Stamey later reported he had a large number of pennies on hand, and that they were miss ing. Prange, found walking on the railroad track, offered no re sistance, the guards said. Also broken Into was Harley Roper's store in the Burning town section. Candy and ciga rettes were missing. Mr. Overton said he has evi dence that the two prisoners taken at Nantahala went across Burningtown Gap and down the Winding Stairs He is inclined to attribute the Roper store robbery to those two prisoners. They are Joseph Ellis. 35, serving a 30-year term from Johnston county for second degree murder, and Seth Gib son. Jr.. 28. sent up from Gas ton County for life, on convic tion of rape. Their home ad dresses were given as Ingle wood. Tenn., and Jersey City, N. J. Thev wet's captured by High way Patrolman L. H. Baker, of Andrews, and Patrol Sgt. T. A. Sandlin. of Bryson City. Offic ers said the two. who offered no resistance, were found in an empty freight car on the siding, having taken refuge in the car from rain. The four prisoners still at large are: Hubert Watts, 34, serving 15-20 years from Co lumbus county for second de gree murder: Cecil Earl Smith, 42. doing 25-30 years for sec ond degree burglary in Craven County: Mack Hoover Walden, 25, sentenced to 15 years from Mecklenburg County for rob bery: and Leslie Edward Dick erson. 38. sentenced in Forsyth County to 21 to 33 years for a series of crimes, including breaking and entering, larceny, and carrying concealed wea pons. The office of Sheriff J. Har ry Thomas was notified about 1 a. m yesterday that the auto mobile of Mrs. Nina Johnson, who lives near Longview Church, stolpn Sunday night, had been found abandoned near Clarkesville. Ga. Earlier, authorities had sent out a warning to motorists not to leave their automobiles un locked. Austin Dills, who lives just off Highway 64, west, reported that one of the prisoners ap peared at his home and forced him to have Mrs. Dills prepare food for the prisoner. He did not say how he was forced to act. The sheriff's office reported that it has received telephone calls day and night from per sons who had, or thought they had, tips on the prisoners' whereabouts. Office Deputy Tom Henson estimated the number of calls at 50. Each was being followed up. Deputy Newell Pen dergrass said. All the escapees, except Watts, were wearing brown prison clothes when they escaped, Mr. Overton said. Watts was in stripes. The three recaptured were returned to the camp, and, as is customary when prison rules are broken, were put In stripes and chains, the prison superin tendent said. Yesterday they were at work on the Allison road. An investigation of the break has been conducted by Mr. Ov erton and Burt Freeman, of Brevard, district prison super visor, Mr. Overton said. The in vestigation was completed Tues day and a report sent to state prison authorities In Raleigh. He said the Investigation de veloped few new facta about the escape. At the time of the break, SI prisoners were In the prison 'a two sections. Following the escape, all prisoners, save trus ties. in the east section were transferred to the other until the twisted bar* could be re placed.
The Franklin Press and the Highlands Maconian (Franklin, N.C.)
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June 17, 1954, edition 1
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