\
Trio Sentenced
To 5-10 Years
In ABC Robbery
Atlempjt Made To
Implicate Clerk
As Accomplice
Three young Fort Bragg para-
itroopers were convicted and sen
tenced in Superior Court Tues
day to Central Prison for not less
than five nor more than ten
years for the robbery of $4,447
from a Pinehurst ABC store clerk
in March.
The three—Theodore Wuschke,
of Mansfield, Mass., and Michael
G. Yasso and Anthony Le!Ji, both
of New York City— pleaded
guilty to charges of taking the
money from C. R. “Tom” Black,
Jr., store clerk, as he was on his
way to the bank to deposit it.
A surprising tnm of events
came when Wuschke, on taking
the stand to relate the back
ground of the planned holdup,
tried to implicate Black as a con
federate. Wuschke, who admitted
the robbery was his brainchild,
said that he had talked to Black
in November of 1954 about the
possibilities of taking the money
and that Black had agreed it
would be possible.
Black,. Wuschke testified, was
(Continued on Page 8)
UNDEFEATED TO DATE, the Southern Pines Blue Knights
are entering district playoffs tomorrow (Friday) in early elimina
tion rounds of District 4—Class A competition. The team has
gone through 13 straight games this year without a defeat. Pic
tured, first row, left to right, are David McCallum, scorekeeper,
Eddie McKenzie, co-manager, Dickie Mclnnis, George Reams
Phillip Morgan, Charles Weatherspoon, Thomas Whatley, and
Scout Camporee
Set For Week-End;
Visitors Invited
Some 2,000 scouts, members of
troops throughout the 12 counties
that make up Occoneechee Coun
cil, and their scoutmasters will at
tend the annual camporee at Mc
Arthur Lake near Southern Pines
beginning tomorrow (Friday).
This is the first time that a
camporee has ever been held at
the lake, located on the Southern
Pines-Pope AFB road and owned
by the Army.
In addition to the various camp
ing demonstrations that are plan
ned, the 82nd Airborne Division
of Fort Bragg will demonstrate
the technique of building a pon
toon bridge across the lake.
The Airborne band will also
perform.
Brig. Gen. Pearson Menoher,
Moojre District Boy Scout chair
man, and camporee chief, said this
week that all scouts and explor
ers in the Occoneechee Council
have been invited to the three-day
camporee.
Highlight of the camporee will
be a campfire ceremony Saturday
night featuring the Order of the
Arrow dance team conducting an
OA Tap-Out. Members of the or
(Continued on Page 8)
0
Registration
Is Continuing
Registration for the Democratic
primary, which will be held May
26, continues this Saturday and
next Saturday.
Sam Riddle of Carthage, chair
man of the Board of Elections,
said this week that the various
registrars have the books at the
voting places in each precinct on
the two Saturdays left, but that
prospective voters may, if neces
sary, go to the homes or business
es of the registrars during the
week to register.
A person seeking to register
must have lived in North Carolina
one year, or will have done so by
the date of the general election in
November, and in the precinct for
at least 30 days prior to the elec-
IN PLAYOFFS
Southern Pines will play
Mt. Gilead at Memorial Field
at 3:30 Friday in the District
4-Eastern Division baseball
playoffs. Coach Irie Leonard
said today.
Whether or not the Blue
Knights, undefeated to date
in 13 games, compete in the
county baseball tournament
depends on the otrtcome of
the district playoffs. If
Southern Pines is still in the
playoffs by May 14, they will
be considered champions and
the winner of the annual
county tournament will be
considered runner-up, so far
as county competition is con
cerned.
If the Blue’Knights defeat
Mt. Gilead, also undefeated
to date, they will meet the
winner of the Chatham
County-Lee County game
which is being played Friday
also
Mt. Gilead, Montgomery
County champions, defeated
Badin, Stanly County cham
pions, earlier in the distsict
pairings.
Distict 4 is composed of 14
counties.
Young Musicians
Of County Will
Join In Concert
tion.
Precinct Meets
Slated Saturday
Democratic committee precinct
meetings will be held throughout
the county Satoday at 2 p. m. W.
Lamont Brown, chairman of the
Moore County Democratic Execu
tive Committee, reminded pre
cinct officials today.
At the meetings, which will be
held at precinct voting places, new
committee chairmen and other of
ficers for the coming year will be
elected. ^
A complete list of committee
chairmen and officers was printed
in last week’s issue of The Pilot.
Nineteen Moore County young
people will appear in the seventh
annual Young Musicians Concert,
to be presented by the Sandhills
Music Association at the Pine
hurst Country Club Friday, May
12, at 8 p. m.
The concert, traditionally the
concluding program of the Music
Association each season, will
feature performances by pupils
of 16 Moore County music teach
ers, along with one student in a
Moore County school who has an
out-of-county teacher and two
Moore County young people who
are outstanding music students in
colleges they are now attending.
Dr. Charles Phillips of South
ern Pines wiU be master of cere
monies. Serving on the program
committee are Miss Mary Logan,
supervisor of Moore County
schools; Mrs. Norris Hodgkins,
Jr., and Mrs. Ralph Chandler,
Jr.
Nearly every music teacher in
the county—some of whom are
associated with the public schools
and some of whom teach private
ly—will each present one or more
pupils in the concert.
Insurance Women To
Meet At Mid Pines
Members of the North Carolina
Association of Insurance Women
will gather from over the State
at the Mid Pines Club for a three-
day convention to open Friday.
The meeting will be the 13th
annual convention of the organi
zation wl^ich has met in Southern
Pines on several former occa
sions.
Tommy Reams, co-manager. Second row, left to right. Coach
Irie Leonard, Peter Winkelman, John McConnell, Hill Boswell,
Kenneth Creech, BiUy Hamel, Bobby Cline, and Bobby Parker!
Third row, same order, Tony Parker, John van Benschoten!
Johnny Watkins, Bill Marley, Roger Verhoeff, Steve Smith, Lynn
van Benschoten, and assistant coach W. A. Leonard.
(Photo by Humphrey)
MRS. NICHOLSON CHARGES CONSPIRACY
Daly, 2 Women Employees Sued For
$50,000, But Can’t Be Found Here
Mrs. Valerie Nicholson, com
plaining witness in the criminal
libel trial of Vincent J. Daly in
(larthage last week, has filed no
tice that a $50,000 damage suit for
conspiracy is to be instituted
against Daly and his.two employ
ees, Miss Edwina Hallman and
Mrs. Martha Dixon Underwood.
In Southern Pines to serve sum
monses on the three defendants
Saturday, Deputy Sheriff A. F.
Dees was unable to locate any of
them. All are believed to have
left town.
Daly, who practiced here as a
psychologist for about three years.
Cancer Campaign
Progress Noted
Collections in the annual can
cer fund drive in Moore County
reached $1,348 this week, accord
ing to Dr. William Nicol of Car
thage, county chairman.
The county goal is $3,100, less
than had been previously an
nounced.
Dr. Nicol said that, because of
the lateness in starting this year,
the drive will be carried over
throughout the month of May.
Mrs. J. S. Milliken, Southern
Pines chairman, said today that
$621 of a goal of $700 has been
reached to date.
Since it is not possible to reach
all prospective donors with letters,
Mrs. MiUiken suggested that any
one desiring to make a contribu
tion to mail it to her at Box 55,
Southern Pines.
was convicted on the libel charge
last week and was sentenced to a
year in prison, suspended on pay
ment of a $500 fine and the court
costs.
P. H. Wilson of Carthage, attor
ney for l\Jrs. Nicholson, said that
C. C. Kennedy, clerk of court, had
granted a 20-day extension from
Monday, April 30, in filing the
complaint. While not specifically
revealing the allegations that will
be in the damage suit complaint,
the attorney said it would detail
a series of alleged offenses cover
ing a period of weeks.
Daly was convicted of circular
izing four North Carolina newspa
pers with defamatory matter
about Mrs. Nicholson, including
the assertion that she had threat
ened to write a newspaper story
that would “ruin” him if he did
not give her $1,500.
Miss Hallman and Mrs. Under-
(Continued on Page 8)
Police Crack Down
On Noisy Mufflers
A concerted campaign to rid
Southern Pines of loud mufflers
on automobiles has resulted in at
least 15 arrests to date. Chief C.
E. Newton reported this morning.
) Mufflers ^hich produce a loud
and disturbing noise are consid
ered improper equipment for au
tomobiles, Chief Newton said, and
automobile owners who insist on
using them will be arrested and
subject to a fine.
Chief Newton said car owners
will also be forced to remove so-
caUed “gutted” mufflers.
Clinton Sercy Is
Moore’s 9tli Road
Fatality of Year
Roger Clinton Sercy, 36-year-
old farmer of Route 1, Carthage,
became Moore County’s ninth
highway fatality of the year
when he died in Moore County
Hospital Wednesday afternoon of
injuries sustained whn his truck
turned over Tuesday.
The last death was that of a
three-year-old boy, Bobby Has
kins Coe, on April 4, when he
darted in front of a truck on a
highway near Carthage and was
killed instantly.
Sercy, who was to ha\«e been in
Superior Court Tuesday on
charges of violation of the pro
hibition laws and a second of
fense of driving drunk, ran his
car off the Union Church Road
near Union Church. The car side-
swiped q bridge and turned over
S|everal times before landing up
right about 500 feet away.
Sercy was thrown clear of the
wreckage.
According to State Highway
Patrolman E. G. Shomaker, who
investigated the accident, Sercy
was probably driving at a high
speed. He said that Willie Pack,
(Continued on Page 8)
Gas Agreement Sij^ned
With Engineering Firm
COUNCIL TO MEET
Regular monthly meeting of
the Southern Pines town council
will be held at town hall at 8 p.
m., Tuesday, May 8. Council is
expected to discuss, among other
business, appointment of an ar
chitect for the new municipal
center to be built with bond issue
funds.
■
Survey To Be
Made of Local
Requirements
In a special meeting Wednesday,
the town council authorized City
Manager Tom E. Cunningham to
enter into an agreement with Por
ter Barry and Associates, of Ba
ton Rouge, La., natural gas engi
neering specialists, in anticipation
of possible future natural gas ser
vice to this area.
Under the proposed agreement,
the Porter Barry firm will make
an engineering report on construc
tion of a natural gas distribution
system in Southern Pines—at no
cost to the town. This will pro
vide information that must be
presented to the Federal Power
Commission and the North Caro
lina Utilities Commission.
Under such an agreement, if a
municipality does not build a gas
distribution system, the report
will cost it nothing. If a town
does build a system, however, the
agreement gives Porter Parry an
engineering contract at a standard
fee of six per cent of the cost.
Cooperating With Aberdeen
Councilmen and Mr. Cunning
ham conferred last night with
members of the Aberdeen board
of commissioners who signed a
similar agreement with Porter
Barry. Efforts are being made,
said the manager, to coordinate
planning for natural gas distribu
tion in Southern Pines and Aber
deen.
Other Eastern North Carolina
towns that have signed agree
ments with the Louisiana engi
neering firm, said Mr. Cunning
ham, include Albemarle, Dunn,
Farmville, Laurinburg, Lumber-
ton, Raeford, Roseboro and Wil
son.
Companies Competing
The North Carolina Natural Gas
Corporation has obtained a cer
tificate from the State Utilities
Commission authorizing it to
serve approximately 25 commun
ities in the eastern half of the
state, including Southern Pines
and Aberdeen.
A competitor company, Trans-
Carolina Pipe Line Corporation,
has applied to the Federal Power
Commission, for authority to serve
the same towns and a group of
towns in South Carolina. Since it
organized itself as an interstate
operator, Trans-Carolina does not
need a State Utilities Commission
certificate, and North, Carolina
Natural does not need an FPC cer
tificate.
(Continued on page 8)
AIR MAIL ENDS
With discontinuance of
seasonal service by Piedmont
Airlines at the Southern
Pines-Pinehurst (Knollvrood)
airport Monday, direct air
mail service in and out of
Southern Pines has ceased
until fall, it was pointed out
this week by Postmaster
Garland Pierce.
Plans For Howard
Johnson Strficture
Received Locally
Plans for the motor lodge por
tion of the Howard Johnson pro
ject on No. 1 highway, between
Southern Pines and Aberdeen,
were delivered here this week by
Rufus Nims.of Miami, Fla., archi
tect for Howard Johnson develop
ments.
Voit Gilmore, an officer in each
■of the three corporations that
have been formed in connection
with the motor lodge and restau
rant project, said that bids will be
taken as soon as possible with the
expectation that work may get
started in June.
The half-million dollar project
was announced in January. Offi
cers" of the corporations are Mr.
Gilmore, Charles P. Cole and A.
L. Folley. Orie corporation will
own the property and buildings,
one will operate the restaurant
and one will operate the motor
lodge.
The site, opposite the Starview
Drive-in Theatre on the west side
of the highway at the former sand
pit location, was purchased from
the Esso Standard Oil Co. Esso
is expected to construct a service
station adjacent to the Howard
Johnson facilities.
Fishing Access
Area Now Open
PINE N^DLES SENIORS WINNER—Benja-
Kraffert, Jr., of Southern Pines, beams as
he is presented the Pine Needles Seniors Invita
tional Tournament championship trophy by
Warren and Peggy Kirk BeU, owners and oper
ators of Pine Needles Country Club. Kraffert,
who also won the Norfh-South Seniors earlier
this year, won the tournament, which will be
held annually in the future, by nine strokes over
his nearest competitor. See story, page 11.
(Photo by Humphrey)
District Meeting
Of Rotarians To
Be Here May II
Incoming presidents, secre
taries, treasurers and directors of
33 Rotary clubs in the 281st dis
trict of Rotary International are
expected in Southern Pines for
an all-day meeting Friday of next
week. May 11.
With the Southern Pines Ro
tary Club as host, the gathering
will feature a morning workshop-
lecture session, a luncheon and a
golf tournament in the afternoon.
Garland Pierce of the local club
is chairman of a committee on
arrangements.
Chief purpose of the meeting
will be to give instruction to the
incoming officers from over the
district. Registration will take
place at Weaver Auditorium,
where the morning session will
be held, with E. W. Freeze, Jr.,
of, Randleman conducting the
workshop-lecture.
The address of welcome will be
given by J. B. Perkinson, presi
dent^ of the Southern Pines club.
Presiding will be Arnold Schiff-
man of Greensboro, district gov
ernor. The incoming district gov
ernor, who is expected to attend,
is Dr. Mark Lindsey of Hamlet.
All delegates will have lunch
eon at the Southern Pines Coun
try Club at 12:15, the place and
hour of the regular meeting of
the local club. Principal speaker
at that time will be Dr. Clyde
Milner of Giiilford College.
The 281st district includes Ro
tary Clubs from' Southern Pines
westward to the foot of the
mountains.
A boat ramp and parking lot,
at the Deep River fishing access*
area was opened to the public
yesterday.
Constructed by the State Wild
life Resources Commission at a
cost of $2,500, the facility is lo
cated about 400 yards upstream,
from Carbonton, on the Moore
County side of the river.
There is no charge for the use
of the ramp and parking lot
which were built by the State as
a service to fishermen.
EARL SEA WELL
New Policeman
Goes On Duty
, Earl Seawell, a vetefan of both
World War 2 and the Korean ac
tion, has joined the Southern
Pines police force, effective May
1.
The new officer, a native of
Rockingham, replaces Leslie
Horne, who resigned recently to
accept a similar position in Wake
Forest.
Seawell saw action in the
South Pacific during World War
2 when he was in the Army.
When the Korean conflict broke
out, he reenlisted in the Navy.
He is presently living in Aber
deen with his wife and daughter,
where he has been assistant man
ager of the Western Auto store,
but plans to move to Southern
Pines as soon as he can obtain a
house.