[
VOLUME XL?NUMBER 15 Willimmston. Martin County. North Carolina. Friday. February 19.1937 ESTABLISHED 189V
WATSON HEARING
WILL BE HELD ON
FRIDAY, FEB. 26TH
Attorney Henry Hardison
Notifies Georgia People
Of Date for Plea
His execution date just two weeks
away. Alvin W. Watson, convicted
murder of Thomas Holliday, young
Robersooville man, last Nevember,
will have nothing said in his behalf
before next Friday, it was lean*
today. Planning to address a plea
for mercy to the parole commission
in Raleigh today, his attorney. Hen
ry D. Hardison, explained that the
hearing had been postponed. Parole
Commissioner Edwin Gill is ill. and
some more work is yet to be done
in preparing the plea, it was learned.
Lade reports from Athens, Ga.,
where Watson's parents are known,
state that interested friends there
are raising funds to have a Georgia
attorney assist Mr Hardison in pre
senting the plea and urge the au
thorities to commute the death sen
tence to life imprisonment. The
Georgia people have been advised
when the hearing will be held, and
it is thought that a review of the
boy's Ufe and that of the poverty
stricken family will be placed before
the commission by the Georgia at
torney.
A petition asking that the death
sentence be commuted to life im
prisonment is being prepared for
members of the trial jury to sign,
but early today all signatures had
not been procured. The petition in
timates that the jury did not believe
Watson actually killed the man, that
if it had been possible under the
law the members of the body would
have found the defendant guilty of
a lesser crime and recommended
life imprisonment. In the judgment
of th ecourt, the plea for mercy ad
vanced by the jury at the conclusion
at Use trial is cited, and that will be
called to the attention of the pardon
Aged Negro Beggar
Finally Gives Up and
Goes To Poorhouse
Abner Bennett Was First
Believed Dead After An
Absence of Few Days
Paralyzed, and without funds, rel
atives and friends, Abner Bennett,
aged colored man, after dragging
through the recent depression, fin
ally auremdered the beggar's post
and arent to join 33 other inmates
in the Martin County home a few
days ago. While causing no alarm
whatever. Abner's disappearance
led tboee who had contributed dime
after dune to help him keept soul
and body together to think he had
pawed away. No such luck was
Abner's He is now enjoying life
under the care of Keeper John Bland
Old Abner had a standing invita
tion to enter the home year after
year, but he deliberately refused to
quit his begging poet on the steps
of a local bank for guaranteed keep
at the expense of the county.
The old man, possessor of a rec
ord that is not at all good, prac
ticed psychology in his begging. His
victims out of money because of the
frequent donations, and almost out
of patience with him because he re
fused to enter the county home aft
er receiving special invitations
would shuck out a dime and even a
quarter when cunning old Abner
would explain that he was raising
money to leave town. A quarter
was considered a cheep price to be
nd of the sld codger for a while.
He would raise fair sums of money,
as far as money counts for beggars
and he would disappear, but never
for longer than three days At the
end of that time Abner would come
dragging back to his old begging
post, declaring something had hap
pened and he was forced to return
The old man would time thins trips
jus* tar enough apart to get maxi
mum returns and if he had gone on
half the trips he planned, there is
no doubt hot that tbe cnntliiiiail (ba
the world.
. may be lost in his
victims
are certainly lost without him.
The old negro is a hundred times
than when he begged
I slept in coal
by night. And
if hie admission to the county home
in opposed by anyone, hundreds ot
w bis friends on
to go before tbe
to
Poultry Car Will Be Loaded
In County Towns Next Week
s-cond <
not nek, in Jamesvilie
on Tuesday monunf laatiim will
follow in WUUamstoa on Wednes
day. BobessonviUe on Thursday, and
in Oak City an Friday.
The shiianml next week (aces a
depressed market, but since there
are no immediate indications point
ing to uproved conditions during
the next lew weeks, the office of the
county ajmt decided to schedule
!?
are quoted at 14 cents, the market
for other types of poultry remaining
about the same. Last month, colored
hens brought 14 cents a pound, but
that price was considerably above
the market at the time.
The county agent or no one else
can tell what the market will do
during March and April, but, alter
a careful check, it is certain that
the market quoted for next week i
the very best available
Health Service Likely
To Be Discussed Soon;
Program Is Explained
TOTAL SIX CASES
TRIED IN COUNTY
COURT MONDAY
Drunken Driver Given Sus
pended Sentence and
Fined $50
Judge H O. Peel handled six cases
in the county recorder's court last
Monday. Senator R L Co bum pros
ecuting the docket for Solicitor W.
H. Coburn. who was kept at home
by illness
Judge Peel tightened down" on
drunken automobile drivers, when
he sentenced Mancy Doggert to the
roads for three months for alleged
drunken automobile driving. The
sentence s to begin at the direction
at the court and is suspended upon
the payment of a $50 fine and ease
costs. License to operate a motor
vehicle was revoked for the usual
Tom Jackson, charged with assault
with a deadly weapon, was directed
to pay a $100 fine and costs or go
to the roods for six months. He
appealed to the higher courts. Judge
Peel requiring bond in the sum of
$250
Ebsha Evans and James Slade,
charged with carving Lazarus Wil
liams, Williamstnn negro deaf mute,
with a pocket knife, were found not
guilty. According to the evidence.
Williams forced his way into the
home of his assailants.
The case charging Leamon Taylor
with an assault was heard and con
tinued under prayer for judgment.
Taylor is alleged to have brutally
assaulted Walter Bailey. Bear Grass
man. the court continuing the case
pending the outcome of the victim's
Benme Franklin Cume pleaded
guilty in the case charging him with
drunken automobile driving and
was fined $50, taxed with the cost
and had his operating license re
voked for one year.
Failing to comply with a former
judgment of the court in the case
charging him with non-support.
Mack Lewis, jr . was sentenced to
the roads for a period of four
months.
The court will not hold a session
next Monday. Washington's Birth
day, but will meet for the dispatch
of Nuinr is on March 1.
Sandy Rridge Citizens Add
$1525 To Red Cross Fund
The Sandy Ridge Community over
i gill*? Tow ltd lip chalked up
quite a lecord in raising funds for
the relief of Mood victims in the
Ohio Valley. Contributing $13,23,
citizens of that community increased
the total collection for the eouiHp
of those mailing donations
are: Mr. and Mrs. Joshua L Col
train $S; J. B. Lanier and sister,
e Lamer. $7: G A. Wil
liams, $1; Grove*" Godard, L. G. God
ard. Mrs, W. W. Roberson. and W.
Williamston All Stars Win
Orrer Plymouth Five, 30-15
here to do he
ttle with Ham Price".
ha Mo atoa
?son wiD be cfaargod
Public Meeting May
Be Held by Board of
Health Next Week
All-time Health Program
Will Make Available
Needed Services
The establishment of a full-time
health department for Mart in Coun
ty will be discussed at a meeting
of the county board of health and
interested citizens within the next
fe,wdays. probably on next Thurs
day. The meeting will be open to
the public, and present indications
are that much interest will be
shown in the proposed health serv
ice.
A county public health depart
ment program as outlined and ap
nmocul Ku fho Ctsfo Rriaivf rif llanlth
(mwtxi wy irit otottr dvmii ui iiowitn
would supply to the citizens of Mar
tin County the following essential
1 School health supervision, in
cluding physical examination of
school children for defets
X Immunization service will be
offered by the county health depart
ment. providing for the control of
smallpox, diphtheria, and typhoid
fever
3. The perfection of an organiza
tion for the corection of physical de
fects. such physical defects to be
corected by competent physicians of
the county
4. The department wil conduct an
organization program to reduce ma
ternal and infant deaths.
5. An adequate venereal disease
and tuberculosis program will be
carried out with the cooperation of
the local medical profession.
S. The health ? department will
COnduCt if ~t'--'li'.n.l
visory program which will go far
toward collecting environmental
sanitation, with particular emphasis
ftn rrfc z?fia? disposal, malaria
control, providing a pure and whole
some water supply, a pure milk sup
ply, and pure food within the coun
ty
7. The department will conduct
epidemiological investigations and
institute adequate, intelligent, and
effective measures for the preven
tion of the spread of communicable
S. The public health nurses will
visit homes of school children who
are absent because of communicable
diseases and in whom physical de
fects may be found, take such steps
as may be necessary to prevent the
spread of disease, and encourage the
correction of physical defects. The
nurses will also visit homes in the
(Coai sail an the back
Report Record I log
Shipments Recently
Hog stoppingrecords reached an
all-time high here during the past
10 days, Mr. D. M Roberaon, of Rob
eraon's Slaughter House, stating to
day that the breeders were Just a
bout to flood the markets. The ninth
carload of the porkers moved out
of the local rail yards for the Rich
markets yialiiilay. the flnf
of last
carloads
While the pork supply for the na
tion as a whole is below normal.
IS
of hogs in half a
?ore. Profits have
around 9 1-2 cents
Reliable reports
tog market will
tardfer get hack to normal before
1949, giving prnmiae of an attract
COURT DOCKETS
NEARLY CLEARED
HERE THIS WEEK
Justice J. L. Hassell Spent
Most of Week Clearing
Crowded City Docket
Court dockets, badly congested
following the arrest of 22 persons
during last week-end. are just about
cleared. Trial Justice J. L. Hassell
said this morning. The last of the
cases will be heard today and tomor
row, making room lor another de
luge this week-end When numer
ous law infractions take place all a*
me time, they ball the wheels of
justice up, working the officers and
courts overtime following periods of
almost complete idleness.
Cases handled by Justice Hassell
this week include the following:
James Eason and Ben Carr, charg
ed with an affaray. were released
upon payment of the costs. Gus
Knight, third defendant in the case,
was found not guilty
Drunk and disorderly. Jumbo
Whitley, Burt Russell, and Walter
Anderson were each fined $2.50 and
| taxed with the costs.
Judgment was suspended upon
payment of th ecosts in the cases
charging Ronald Biggs. J. D Ward
and Teddy Jackson with being
drunk.
Eli Evans was fined $2.50 and costs
, in th cease charging him with an
'affray.
A 30-day road sentence was sus
pended upon payment of the cost in
the case charging Lester Williams
with trespass.
Frank Mitchell, going to the court
in an intoxicated condition to enter
a complaint against another man,
was picked up and ordered jailed.
Sam Hardison. charged with petty
larceny, was given a hearing and
bound over to the county court.
Hardison. alleged to have taken a
bout 7 pounds of meat from a store
here, explained that he was hungry
Apparently the several hundred dol
lars received as a soldier's bonus is
no longer
Apparently directing a clean-up
drive in the town. Mayor Hassell is
said to have issued last warnings in
several instances, but no charges
were made, it was learned.
a
Robersonville Man
Suicide Thursday
John W Bailey, prominent Rob
ersonville merchant, was found dead
in a small outbuilding at his home
there yesterday afternoon about
1 30 o'clock, death coming by his
own hand Mr. Bailey was last seen
about 10 o'clock that morning, his
daughter finding the body with a
pistol bullet hole in his forehead.
Full..wing an?investigation off it art
are said to have reported there was
no doubt but that the man had taken
his own life.
Mr. Bailey had been in failing
health for several years, and the
tragic act was attributable to that.
A native of Pitt County, Mr.
Bailey, 47 years of age, moved to
Robersonville about 18 years ago.
He was in the Ford business for a
few years, quitting that work to ac
cept a position in Wilson. He later
returned to this county and opened
and operated a market in Roberson
ville. Besides his wife, he leaves
three children.
Funeral services were conducted
this afternoon by Rev J. M Perry.
District Bankers To
Meet Here Monday
An interesting program (or the an
nual meeting of the Group I bank
era of the atate bank era' amoriation
here next Monday afternoon and eve
rung has been prepared, C. D. Car
starphen, cashier of the Branch
Banking & Trust Co. here, said this
morning- More than 100 bankers are
expected from the counties in east
ern Carolina, and a number of prom
inent financiers from other parts of
the state trill attend and take part
in the program, it was announced.
A feature of the afternoon meet
ing in the high school auditorium at
S o'clock will be an address by Ur.
John B. Woosley, economics profes
r. University of North Carolina.
Pi uftaant Woosley wdl have as hie
topic, "Recent Trends in Bank As
Brief talks will be made by Mr.
?. G. Flanagan, chairman of the
state senate banking committee; Mr.
E. Kerr, president of the Nordi Car
olina Bankers Association, and Mr.
Paul P Brown, secretary
The visiting bankers will be en
tertained at a in th Wom
an's Club Hall that evening at fi:M
Mr Edmund Harding
MRS. a ARCHIE
JOHNSON DIES
AT COLD POINT
Funeral Services Held for
Beloved Citizen Monday
Afternoon
Mrs. H Archie Johnson, greatly
beloved citizen of Gold Point, die.!
at her home there Sunday afternoon
at 5:45 o'clock, following an illness
of only a few days.
She was born in Pitt County 70
years ago. the daughter of the late
John F. Whichard and wife, promt
nent family of eastern Carolina
She had lived in this county a long
number of years, gaining the respect
and high esteem of everyone with
whom she came m contact. A de
voted wife and mother, Mrs. John
son was a good neighbor and citi
zen. She was long a faithful mem
ber of the Primitive Baptist church
Besides her husband, w ho is quite
ill. she leaves four daughters. Mrs
Minton Beach and Mrs. Marcellus
Roberson, of Hobgood; Mrs. R. E
;Turner, of Robersonville; and M:s>
Ernestine Johnson, of Robersonville;
and Ave sons, Henry. Arthur. Paul.
Joe and Jim Johnson, all of thu
{county.
Funeral services were conducted
Monday afternoon at 3 o'clock in
I the late home by Rev. E. C. Shoe,
pastor of the Robersonville Baptist
church. Rev. J. H. Smith, pastor ot
the Williamston Memorial Bapicd
church; and Elder B. S. Cowin, of
Bear Grass. Interment was in the
| family plot in Gold Point.
New Economy Auto
Supply Store Ojhmis
For Business Today
Curtis Leggett Manager of
New Firm Carrying More
Then 2,000 Stock Items
Handling a complete line of auto
mobile accessories, embracing ap
proximately 2,000 separate items, the
Economy Auto Supply, opened for
business in the Staton Building or
Main Street here today, three doors
from the post office and next to
Clark's Drug Store.
The store, one of several new bus
iness enterprises opening here in re
cent weeks, will be under the man
agement of Mr Curtis B Leggett,
until just recently connected with
the Economy Auto Supply in Rocky
Mount. He will have Bob Brown,
jr., as his assistant.
The store will deal exclusively
with a complete line of high quality
radio equipment. More than 1.600
items, covering every conceivable
need ill the auluniunvc line, aie c.ii
ried in stock at all times. Mr Leg
gett has just been appointed for
Goodrich tires, batteries, and acces
sones, and these lines will be fea
tured.
A feature of the set-up is the mod
ern manner in which all merchan
dise is displayed. Every item is
classified and so arranged as to make
it as easy and convenient as possible
for the patron to shop. ^
The management has extended a
cordial invitation to the public to
visit the store during the grand
opening today and Saturday and in
spect the attractive display arrange
ments and most unusual stork of
merchandise found in this section'of
the country
-
Resettlement Group In
District Meet Here Today
??
A district meeting of the Reset
tlement Administration is in prog
ress in the county courthouse here
today with Geo. C. Wood, of Eden
ton, district farm supervisor, in
charge
Application blanks for loans are
being studied, and other matters are
being disnisaed. it was learned
Representatives are here from
seventeen counties in this section
Large Tobacco Crop Is
Forecast This Year If
Compacts Are Failure
MENTAL HEALTH
PROGRAM TO GET
UNDERWAYHERE
Parents Are Invited To Be
Present for Lectures To
Begin Next Tuesday
MARGARET owexs
The menial health program, ap
jruved. spoosnHsd and made possible
by the cooperation of the local par
lent-teacher association and the State
Board of Chanties and Public Wcl
j . are. begins neat Tuesday morning
?n local schools. Mr. Harry V Bice,
psychologist, of Chape! Hill, will
ondurt the classes beaming in the
;tth grade and continuing on thru
the high school
Parents are invited and urged to
be present during the entire course
of lectures. The latter will be giv
en for the sixth grade in room 6-A
at the grammar school, and for the
?thir grades in roucn 8-1 at the high
j school Schedules ?:I1 be given to
the children so that parents will
know what tune to attend
t WiUiamstoci is fortunate is hav
. in.* such a program of mental health
juiucatkon launched in its schools and
? immunity The entire phases of
life and their interrelationships will
be given scientifically and by one
who is especially trained to do it
The physical growth and develop
ment. adolescence and mental de
velopment. attitudes toward sex.
and other definate problems of a
physical, mental and axial nature.
-will be dimmed It is hoped that
these lectures will enable our boys
and girL> to meet tbn:. pioble-ms
more successfully and prepare them
for life's future demands
,l Mr Bice will be at the high school
next Monday afternoon from 1 to 4
? ?clock to have consultation with
parents on any problem they may
wi h to talk with him about or to
adv ise them more fully of the work j
l?> be done in the school for the
week
Selling l:|? Bases
For 1937 Soil Plan
The task of meeting up soil con -
?serving bases for individual farms
hy lOBfaKipt 1Im> rvst.rtty i
whole, was started in this county to- j
day when community committee
r- t- i frnm Bear ami Han.ill n
Townships started a review of the i
!: t cords for their respective- dLlficb ;
| Other township cjmmiUees will
. bundle the wurk next week, it was j
| learned. Messrs A B Ayers. Sid
rey Beacham and H U Peel, repre
'senting Bear Grass, and Messrs. C
: L Nelson and D- R Edmondson,
representing Hamilton are lere to
jdajr working on the bases for their
districts.
Just as soon as the base figures
| are definitely determined, farmers
I will be notified directly the mini
? Btttrn requirements for maximum '
| l*articipation in the program, it was
learned At beast three week*; will
be required to hardle the w ork, it
w as unoflic iall> learned
Bear Crass Teams Win 16
Of 17 Games This Season
Bear Grass buy* and girls won a
double header fr.?n At.lander Wed
nesday night to end Uu> year's sched
tile The girls nan. la 12 with
Raw "d Hntfcin?[day I rig JesL
The boys won. K t Ranis led with
w ith ZU points
Out ol 17 games played Bits sea
son the boys have lost only one.:
that to Hobgood 24-17 Tie gul.-'
have won 13 out of 14. losing only.
Itu Rubersooville. Hi ll
Congressman Kerr
Forecasts Billion
Pounds Bright Leaf
Ten-cent Tobacco Certain
Unless Compact Control
Is Effected This Year
"Unless the main producing states
effect control through interstate com
pacts, there ?>U be a bttbon-pound
'obccco crop raised in the bright
leaf belts this coming season.** Unit
ed States Congressman John H. Kerr
: redicted this week Despite gloomy
prospects of Georgia passing a com
pact law. efforts are still being made
to save the tobacco fanner.
Growers in this county are uncer
tain in their plans for the 1937 plant
ings. If the compact control is ef
fected. most of them will go in for
it. If there l> no compact control,
a goodly number w ill participate in
the soil conservation program, but
there will be others who will in
crease their acreages and tend to
cause an overproduction of the crop.
Kerr addressed a letter to Repre
sentative Biaswel! Dean. Alma, Ga..
expressing concern about the atti
tude of the Georgia legislature to
ward enacting compact legislation
similar to Virginia and North Caro
lina statutes.
He called upon Dean, whose con
gressional district produces the larg
est amount of flue-cured grown in
Georgia, to use his- influence with
the state legislature
Kerr said he had been informed
"the reason the Georgia legislature
hesitates to enter the proposed com
pact is that no restraint would be
placed upon the Fk?/ida growers of
tlue-cured tobacco
"In my opinion, this need not be
seriously considered, for the reason
that the growers of :!ue-cured to
bacco have never produced more
than 1 per cent of Pus type of to
bacco." Kerr w rote.
"Should the four large producing
states, namely Virginia, North Car
olina. South Carolina, and Georgia
go into this, compact and regulate
prv*duction to the industry's demand
the Florida growers of tobacco for
the next 111 years could not mater
ially affect the results of this pro
posed leghlatH'ft."
Predicting a billion pound crop.
?a huh he said would not bring more
than 10 cents a pound Kerr said:
tor the state of Georgia to break
down this compact and impoverish
farmers who. through their unsel
fbl i cw ?pe rati on and lln iPBiMllllfi
oi tne federal department of agri
culture and these compact statutes
could regulate tnerr pioduction and
vouchsafe for themselves a profitable
price for one of the great industries
of our republic.
To break down this compact will
cost the Georgia tobacco growers
S15MI.DU0. and that is nearly 10
+* much as the Florida crop is
Woman Hog Thief
Ls Latest in Crime
Five h?(v vri^hinc About 100
pounds each, were killed and stolen
from the barn of Arth.ir Shaw, farm
ci living a note from Witliamston
on the KveretU road sane tmw dur
ing Wednesday night- *
Parking their car at the edge of a
field more than DO yards from the
barn, the thieves went to the barn,
where they apparently killed the
hve !i?k- with an axe. The hogs
were then earned about half the
distance back to the car and dragged
i he remainder of the way. At least
rw? pei Mini, one a woman with a
petite foot, helped drag the deed
hogs to the car.
Sheriff C. B Roebuck, called to
ly baffled when he found the kgb
made by a small woman's shoe. Sev
tral suspects ha we been
but n
yet
Methodist Church Society
To Meet Next Wednesday
The meeting eg the
Woman's Missionary Society
iled for
State- Wide Bills Introduced
By Legislators From County
Slate sterilization laws will be
writ mare Hezible if Mb uiliu
duced yesterday in the state senate
by Senator Robert L Coburn are
enacted into law, it is believed here.
One of the two bills introduced by
Mr. Coburn is to allow temporary
admission of person into state insti
tutions for sterilization of such per
sons The second bill would makq
it perm usable to sterilize persons in
slate institutions or on parole from
them by petition of the county sup
erintendent of public
In a bill introduced tat
yesterday Ktyma.HU>* H G. Hot
LstntMm of Uit public iduob Mr
Horton has fathered the free school
textbooks bill in Iter bouse, but it
could no! be learned eletliei it
bill introduced yesterday by hit
was to support its after uustrmtjoi
Many local bells acre introduced
in the house 19 to III and 171 in the