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VOL. LXIX? NO. 44
FRANKLIN, N. C, THURSDAY, OCT. 28, 1954
FOURTEEN PAGES
? Starr rn?io oy j. r. araay
GEORGIA'S MOVE to build a new VS 23-441 from the N. C. state line south is progressing,
as shown above. The picture was taken on the newly graded highway in Georgia, facing north
to the N. C. state line and the abrupt change from roadbed to foliage. At a road meeting here
Friday, Highway Commissioner Harry E. Buchanan said he felt this state could finish the pro
posed link of US 23-441 from Franklin to the state line before Georgia finishes its project.
Highway Commissioner Says
N. C. Can Outbuild Georgia
Highway Commissioner Harry E. Buchanan reiterated his be
lief here Friday afternoon that North Carolina will be able to
build a new link of US 23-441 from Franklin to the Georgia state
line quicker than Georgia will be able to complete its highway
construction from the state line to Tallulah Falls.
The commissioner also disclosed plans for a new survey within
Franklin to connect US 23-441 and US 64, a tie-in survey for the
proposed highway across Wayah Bald to Nantahala, and stressed
that school bus routes are to receive top priority in use of
county funds.
At a public road meeting at the courthouse, the 14th Division
commissioner repeated his stand that the present US 23-441 to
the Georgia state line is "iar
superior to Georgia's (present
highway)."
Meanwhile, highway construc
tion in Georgia from the state
line south to Mountain City Is
well under way, with some
heavy grading and filling going
on. Culverts have been installed
on this 4.59-mile link to Moun
tain City for some time. The
second link from Mountain City
to Clayton has not been started.
In his opening remarks to a
small crowd of about 50, Mr.
Buchanan said he transferred
the $450,000 set up for the
Franklin-Georgia project to
Jackson County last year for
the completion of US 23-441
there because the allocation was
not sufficient to build the pro
posed link all the way to the
state line.
On recommendation of his en
gineers, the commissioner said
he took the allocation and
coupled it with an additional
half million dollars to complete
US 23-441 from Franklin
* through to Dlllsboro. He com
mented that It was "unfortu
nate" that these two links were
not let in a single contract be
cause "you people have been
blocked in for two years" be
cause of the separate jobs.
Mr. Buchanan said he hoped
to have funds available in 1955
or 1956 to do the entire Frank
lin-Georgia project, and he
added : ?
"I hope it won't be a piece- j
meal job like the Cowee (Frank
lin-Dil!sboro) project."
New Surveys
Commenting on local concern
over the connection of US 23
441 to US 64 inside the Franklin
city limits, Mr. Buchanan re
vealed that a survey of this
project will begin here No- J
vember 1.
He also disclosed that a sur
vey is under way from Feisty
SEE NO. 4, PAGE 10
? 1 .
Late News
and
Briefs
REPORT RECEIVED
The district attorney's office
in Knoxville, Tenn., yesterday
(Wednesday! reported the au
topsy report ordered in the Oc
tober 14 death of George H.
Higdon, 52, a native of this
county, gave "no indication of
foul play." Death, an official
said, was due to suffocation and
he said the case is considered
"closed" unless some new evi
dence comes up. Mr. Higdon was
found dead in a cabin near
Knoxville.
? * *
Bl'RNETTE MOVED
The Rev. R. D. Burnette, who
was injured in a fall from a
tree October 16 at his home in
the Bethel community, was
moved from Angel Hospital to
Moore General Hospital at
Swannanoa on Wednesday aft
ernoon of last week. His con
dition is reported as good. He
is the American Sunday School
field representative In this area.
Local Coach
Gets Bowl
Game Post
New football laurels came
Franklin High School's way Fri
day with the -announcement
that Coach Howard Barnwell
has been named to coach the
West squad for the annual Op
timist Bowl game Thanksgiving
Day in Asheville.
The 32-year-old former West
ern Carolina College grid star
brought his T-formatlon talents
to Franklin at the beginning of
the present season after coach
ing for several years at Swain
High School.
Valdese Coach Burton Barger,
a single-wing believer, has been
selected to guide the East squad
this year.
Coach Barnwell was an assis
tant Optimist Bowl coach in
1949 for the West.
JUDGESARE
NOW WORKING
Macon's 21 active commun
ities crossed their fingers yes
terday (Wednesday) as the
judges of the 1954 .Macon Coun
ty Rural Community Develop
ment Contest started their
rounds to pick 13 winners.
The two judges, W. H. Flake
and Miss Anne Benson Priest,
will complete their job tomor
row, but the names of the win
ners will not be disclosed until
November 13 at a special
awards banquet at Franklin
High School, according to Coun
ty Agent T. H. Fagg. Mr. Flake
is county agent in Graham and
Miss Priest is home agent in
Transylvania.
This task of determining the
13 to share in $1,100 prize
money is more than just a day
SEE NO. 5, PAGE 10
NOTHING NEW
IN DEATH OF
MRS. PATTON
Husband En Route
To A&heville;
Case Still Open
No new developments have
materialized in the Octoberl
16 death in Tampa, Fla., of
Mrs. Louise A. Patton, wife of
Robert A. (Bob) Patton, for
mer state senator and Macon
representative.
In a telephone Interview
yesterday (Wednesday), De
tective Sgt. Pete Franks, of
the Tampa Detective Bureau,
said "nothing new yet" has
come up. Mr. Patton, the de
tective said, has been given
permission to visit ^hwilln
and is en route there.
Mrs. Patton, about 65, was
found dead In her gas-filled
bedroom by her husband. An
invalid, she had had both
legs amputated in recent
years because of cancer.
Sgt. Franks said an investi
gation is still being conducted
into her death.
Mrs. Jones Given
Honor At P. T. A.
District Meet
Mrs. Weimar Jones, of Frank
lin retiring district director,
was honored at the annual
P. T. A. district conference In
Waynesville Friday.
In appreciation of her three
years' service to the 11-county
district, she was presented a
life membership In the National
Congress of Parents and Teach
ers.
The presentation was made
by Mrs. Doyle Alley, of Waynes
ville, former P. T. A. state pres
ident, immediately after Mrs.
Jones, completing her term of
office, had passed the gavel
over to Her successor, Mrs. Olin
Dillard, of Candler. Mrs. Alley
explained that the membership
pin ? a complete surprise to
Mrs. Jones ? was given on be
half of members throughout the
district.
Earlier in the program, Mrs.
John Crawford, state president,
had praised the work done in
this district, remarking that she
previously had attended the
conferences of six of the state's ,
10 districts, and that the report '
from District J, just made by i
SEE NO. 6, PAGE 10
GRADING ON
PLANT SUE
UNDERWAY
Bids May Be Asked
In About A Month,
Engineer Reports
(See Picture, Page It)
Grading on the site of the
proposed $3,000,000 hosiery plant
of Burlington Mills Just out
side Franklin got under way
last Thursday.
Meanwhile, W. I. English, chief
engineer for Burlington Mills,
said here Tuesday the corpora
tion should be ready to adver
tise for bids on the plant con
struction in about a month. Ac
tual construction should be
under way about two weeks
after the bids are received, he
said. Mr. English was here over
night.
Macon Construction Company,
a local concern, is grading the
plant site just off US 23-441 in
the old Johnston sub-division.
To make way for the new plant,
two homes in the area have
been moved to new locations
and two are being razed.
E. J. Whitmire, of Macon
Construction, said grading on
the site entails moving approx
imately 50,000 yards of dirt.
A local campaign to purchase
the plant site is in the home
stretch, according to W. W.
Reeves, and "only a few hun
dred more dollars are needed"
SEE NO. 7, PAGE 10
Gymnasium
Grading Is
Completed
Grading on the site of Frank
lin High's new gymnasium got
under way Monday afternoon
and the contractor yesterday
(Wednesday) was preparing to
pour footings for the one-story
building.
E. J. Whitmire, of Macon
Construction Company, said he
expected no delays in construct
ing the gymnasium and added
the walls will be put up "im
mediately" after the foundation
goes in.
The go-ahead for building the
new structure, which will be
"roughed-ln" for the time be
ing until money is available to
complete it, was given by the
Macon County Board of Educa
tion Monday night of last week.
The contractor was authorized
to erect the main walls and
roof and install doors and win
dows for $83,000, plus $25 per
cubic yard to pour the con
crete main floor. Plumbing,
heating, and electrical work al
so is to be "roughed-in" up to
the $105,000 on hand in insur
ance money from the old gym
nasium, which burned in March
of this year.
When funds are available
later, the board expressed the
hope of finishing the gymnas
ium as specified in the plans.
About 500 cubic yards of con
crete will have to be poured for
the footings and foundation of
the building.
The gymnasium is being built |
on the playground across from
the vocational agricultural
building and not on the site of
the old building.
HANDSHAKE TO OTTO FOR
Marker For Graves Of Community Slaves
? W" : ... v am '
? Staff Photo &v J /' Hn r<fv '
A STONE MARKING the graves of about 50 slaves has been <
erected In the Rush Cemetery by the Otto community. Bryant j 1
McClure, community president, and Lloyd S. Stamey, who helped
at the cemetery, are shown studying the marker.
Otto should get the hand
shake for promoting one of the
most satisfying projects in the
two-year history of the Macon
County Rural Community De
velopment Program.
The citizens of this small
community have paid tribute to
their forefathers' slaves by
?recting a stone for the un
marked slave graves in the
Rush Cemetery.
It reads: "In memory of the
faithful servants of this com
munity. These unidentified
slaves were buried between 1750
ind 1900"
The granite stone, erected as
i feature of the community's
cemetery Improvement program,
marks about 50 graves, accord
ing to Bryant McClure, com
munity president. The Rush i
Cemetery is the onlv one in the
:ommunlty in which slaves .
were burled.
Sarah "Aunt Sarah Doc" ;
SEE NO. 3. PAGE 10
Macon's 6,000-Plus Voters
Ready For Tuesday Election
McKelvey
Named Head
Of Group
R. E. McKelvey, of Franklin,
is the new president of the
North Carolina Independent
Telephone Association.
He was named to the post for
a term of one year at a meet
ing of the association in Pine
Mr. McKetvey
hurst Wednesday, Thursday,
and Friday of last week.
Mr. McKelvey is a vice-presi
dent of the Western Carolina
Telephone Company, which
serves this area.
The association he now heads
has a membership of 53 tele
phone companies serving 750,000
customers in 350 towns.
Conley Promoted
To Staff Sergeant
John Dudley Conley, son of
Mr. and Mrs. John Conley, of
Otto, recently was promoted to
staff sergeant while serving
with the air force in Puerto
Rico, it has been learned here.
He enlisted in 1951 and has
been stationed In Puerto Rico
for the past two years.
Voters Will Ballot
On Five Amendments
In Tuesday Election
In addition to balloting on Dem
ocratic and Republican nominees
for offices from U. S. senator
down, voters in this and the other
99 North Carolina counties Tues
day will determine the fate of
five proposed amendments to the
state constitution.
The first one would authorize
the general assembly to provide
for recalling retired supreme
court justices to fill temporary
vacancies caused by illness or
other emergencies.
The second would authorize
ihe general assembly to create a
board of paroles and confer upon
it the auhtority to grant, revoke
and terminate paroles which is
now exercised by the governor.
The third would limit to one,
the number of state senators from
any one county.
The fourth would reduce from
four months to 30 days the time
a voter must reside in a precinct
before becoming eligible to vote.
The fifth would permit the gov
ernor. in filling a vacancy in the
executive or judicial departments,
to appoint a person to serve the
balance of the unexpired term If
that term is to expire on the first
day of January after the next
general election.
Under existing statues retired
supreme court justices become
emergency superior court justices
and may be called on to hold
terms of superior court. There is
no existing authority to recall
them for duty on the supreme
court.
The amendment creating a pa
role board would terminate the
govenor's power of granting,
terminating and revoking paroles,
after July 1, 1955.
Under present laws, it is per
missible for one county to have
two or more senators. The effect
of the proposed amendment would
be to prevent any one county
from having more than one sen
ator in the general assembly at
any given time, whether the
county alone composes a senator
ial district or whether It is com
SEE NO. 8, PAGE 10
?Starr I iioto by J. r. tJraJy
Mrs. Emory And 'Louise'
MRS. EMORY, 95,
And Reflections Of Parakeet 'Louise'
A caged green and yellow
parakeet named "Louise" cock
ed her head to one side and
appeared to be listening intent
ly to what her owner was say
ing:
"... I can't cut up like I
used to," confessed Mrs. Eliza
beth Blaine Emory with a care
free and somewhat flippant ges
ture as she sat in her arm
chair.
And with that bit of under
statement from 95-year-old Mrs.
Emory, "Louise" began to catch
the quick wit and personality
of her new owner. The bird ? a
birthday gift to Mrs. Emory ?
settled down for some more his
tory.
"I remember when my daddy
came back from the war (Civil).
Mother made him take off
everything he was wearing
while she cleaned them up,"
the white-haired old lady de
clared.
"Lice will just eat you up,"
she decided.
(Her father was James Madi
son Blaine, her mother Mrs.
Matilda Carpenter Blaine).
Mrs. Emory is a native of
this county through and
through. Since her birth in the
Coweeta section October 21,
1859. Macon has always been
her home, and, as she puts it
"probably always will . . .1
don't plan to go anywhere else
right away."
What schooling she had as a
young girl was at the old log
Union School, which long ago
took its. place among the mem
ories of the county.
"I never did get to go much,"
Mrs. Emory recalled, "I was the
oldest child and I had to work
around the house."
And, at 95, she still works
around the house, according to
her daughter-in-law, Mrs. Leona
D. Emory.
At their small frame home
in the Patton community, she
cleans her own room and takes
her own baths, in addition to
helping out with other tasks.
During her leisure she sews .
and makes rugs.
"And she even threads her
own needles without wearing 1
SEE NO. 2, PAGE 10
Voters To Meet
47 Candidates On
Election Ballots
When Macon's 6.000-plus voters
turn out at the polls Tuesday
they will find 47 candidates on
the state and county-district bal
lots they will be handed.
Polls will be open from 6:30
a.m. to 6:30 p.m. for them to
make their decisions.
iKeanwhilc, as the "off-year"
election approaches, the local po
litical scene still has an uncom
mon silence and a wariness ap
pears to be standard equipment
for both parties.
On the county-district ballot,
three men are unopposed for
their posts. They are Thad D.
Bryson. Jr.. 20th Judicial District
solicitor, who experienced a stiff
fight in the primary, and C. Jack
Rayan and Richard H. Slagle, for
CANDIDATES PICTURED
A layout of all local can
didates running in the gen
eral election Tuesday may be
found on Page 6 of this is
sue.
county coroner and surveyor, re
spectively.
But the rest of the ballot is
full.
In the state house of repre
sentatives race, Guy L. Houk,
Franklin attorney, is carrying
Democrat hopes against Repub
lican H. S. Talley. Highlands
businessman.
The incumbent Clerk of Super
ior Court, Miss Kate McGee, is
seeking her second four-year term.
She is opposed by Ray Swafford
on the Republican ticket.
In the race for sheriff. Sheriff
J. Harry Thomas is opposed in
his bid for a second four-year
term by Republican L. B. Welch,
former Franklin businessman.
Incumbent Democrat Lake V.
Shope is shooting for his third
term as Register of Deeds. He is
opposed by Clyde Drake, accoun
tant.
W. E. (Gene) Baldwin, incum
bent chairman of the Macon
Board of County Commissioners,
is opposed by Republican C. Bry
ant McClure. Otto farmer and
former employee of the Nanta
hala Power and Light Company.
Wiley Brown, Franklin business
man, and incumbent John W.
Roane. Upper Cartoogechaye far
mer. are facing Republicans J. C.
Crisp. Franklin photographer,
and R. G. Ray. Franklin business
man. for the two county com
missioner seats.
This year, the selection of the
33rd District state senator falls
to Clay County. Democrat H. M.
Moore is opposed by Ray Wright
for the post.
Former Gov. W. Kerr Scott is
opposed in the U. S. Senator
race by Republican Paul C. West.
State Treasurer Edwin Gill faces
Republican Rex Morton' and
Charles F. Gold, commissioner of
insurance, is opposed by Republi
can Fred G. Frick.
Congressman George A. Shu
ford, of Asheville. is fighting for
his 12th district post against Re
publican Charles W. Cunningham.
Democrat M. V. Barnhill is op
posed for the post of chief justice
of the Supreme Court by Buford
T. Henderson.
Sixteen Superior Court judges
are unopposed on the ballot.
The Weather
Tiic week's temperatures and 'rainfall, a)
recorded i't I'ranklin by Mans >n Stiles,
I*. S. weather observer; and at the Coweeta
. I yd: 'Ionic Laboratory :
FRANKLIN
Temperatures
High Low Rain
Wed. (Oct. 20 ? d? 22
Thursday 67 25
Friday 73 21
Saturday 77 24
Sunday 79 25
Monday 79 25
Tuesday 76 32
HIGHLANDS
Temperatures
High Low Rain
Wed. (Oct. 20) 62 22
Thursday 62 26
Friday 62 25
Saturday .... 66 27
Sunday 67 27
Monday 66 29
Tuesday 68 33
COWEETA
Temperatures
High Low Rain
Wed. (Oct. 20).... 65 22
Thursday "... 67 26
Friday 72 23
Saturday 75 26
Sunday 77 26 _
Monday 76 28
Tuesday 74 54