North Carolina Newspapers

Advertiser. Will Find Our Col umns ? Latchkey to over 1,600 Homes of Martin County. THE ENTERPRISE Watch the Label on Your Paper, As It Carries the Data Your Subscription Expires VOLUME XLII?NUMBER 13 Williamston, Martin County, North Carolina, Tuesday, February 14, 1939. ESTABLISHED 1899 John Parker Dies At Home Near Here Last Sunday Night Last Rites Held At Biggs Funeral Home Here Yesterday John Parker, retired business man of this county, died at the home of his nephew, Mr. Will Gurkin, in Williams Township last Sunday night at 11 o'clock following a long period of declining health. He had suffered with a complication of ail ment for more than ten years, but was able to be up until just a short time before his death. Heart trouble was believed to have been the prin cipal cause of his death. The son of the late Robert and Mary Quinn Parker, he was born in. the, humble but?reverent sur roundings on the Old Tyner Road in Williamston Township in 1867. He experienced as a child the hardships common to the reconstruction per iod, and at an early age started working in the store of Biggs and Davenport here. He later started traveling for a Texas firm and made his home in the Lone Star state for about fifteen years. About forty years ago he returned to his old home, but tarried here only a short time before he went to Norfolk and entered the mercantile business there with his brother, Alonza Parker, who died some time ago. During the early thirties he again returned to Williamston and enter ed the grocery business with his half-brother, W. Henry Gurkin who died suddenly while in the surf at Morehead City several years ago His small fortune depleted by bad accounts, the old gentleman work ed with L. C. Nurney at a small country store on the Jamesville Road in Williams Township and la ter retired. He joined the Methodist church here just a few years ago. A hard worker, Mr. Parker was an unpre tentious person and a good man at heart. He never married, and his life was maked by an apparent lone liness, but despite his advanced age he tried to carry on and earn for himself a livelihood. He is survived Ky ? h?ir ?'fty, Mrs. James Nicholson, of near Wil liamston. Funeral services were conducted yesterday afternoon by Dr. S. A. Maxwell, pastor of the local Metho dist church, at four o'clock from the Biggs Funeral Home on West Main Street. Interment was in the Ske warkey Cemetery. Hunting Season To Close Tomorrow Another hunting season closes to morrow, the sportsmen declaring their luck was only mediocre during the period. Game was scarce when hunters returned with empty sacks, but some, coming home with the bag limit, aver that game was more plentiful than usual. Possibly 35 or 40 deer were kill ed, and several thousand quail fell before the sportsman's gun in the county during the season. For the most part, weather conditions were not very favorable for the hunter this season. Frequent rains made hunting a task rather than a sport. Comparatively few violations of the hunting laws were reported dur ing the season. Placing their guns and ammuni tion away after tomorrow sportsmen will start oiling their reels and rods for the fishing season. Infant Son OI Dr. And Mrs. A. J. Osteen Dies Andrew J. Osteen. the 23-days-old son of Dr. and Mrs. E. J. Osteen died In a^Taskington hospital last Satur day morning at five o'clock. The little child had been sickly since Its birth, and while the end came as a decided shock it was not unexpect ed. Funeral services were conducted from the home on Williams Street here last Saturday afternoon at four o'clock by Rev. James H. Smith, lo cal Baptist minister. Interment was in the local cemetery. Junior Choir OI Church OI Advent Will Reorganize AU young people interested in be coming members of the Junior choir of the Church of the Advent are urged to be at the Old church on Friday afternoon at four o'clock to reorganize, and to plan our work for the Lenten services which will take place every Friday until East er at the same time. Bring your bro thers with you, we want a larger and better choir than we had be fore. Remember, the age limit is from nine years up. oys and girls are Larry Wade To Open Modern Laundry Here About April I Construction work on a new building for a modern steam laun dry here is well underway, Mana ger Larry Wade stating today that he hoped to have the plant ready for operation on or about April 1 The management plans to operate a modern dry cleaning establish ment in connection with the laun dry, it was learned. Located on Warren Street be tween Haughton and Pearl, the building measures 40 by 80 feet. It is of frame construction. Machinery for the plant has -been ordered subject to shipping instruc tions, the manager of the plant ex plaining that the building will be ready within a few weeks and that machinery could be installed on short notice. The new industry will employ about fifteen persons, including twelve women and three men. Stating that no name has been chosen for the plant, Manager Wade explained that it would be strictly modern and capable of handling an increasing ~ business Wade will devote his entire time to the business except during the baseball season when he will work on the mound for the Martins. Williamston Has Rich Historical Background Commission Vi ill Honor Memory Of Williamston Man Judge Asa Biggs Marker Will Be Placed Here At Early Date A fitting and well-earned tribute will be paid to the memory of Judge Asa Biggs, Williamston native, in the near future when the NorUi Carolina Historical Commission places a marker here for the man who occupied a prominent part in the early history of the county, State ' and nation. The commission has agreed to rec ognize the acts of Mr Higgs, reports stating that the organization is al bo considering a marker for the late Sam Johnston who made his home here in the 179U's. There is a possi bility that the commission will be asked to recognize the parts played by Martin County men in the Civil | War. It is an established fact that | the late Augustus Whitley was far | therest at Gettysburv and that a man named Wyatt, also of this coun ty, is beligved to have been the first man killed at Bethel. Direct ac counts from the battleground also maintain that a young man named Biggs, the youngest son of Judge Asa Biggs, was the last man killed just before General Lee surrender ed at Appomattox Courthouse on April 9, 1865. Judge Biggs, the son of the late Joseph and Chloe Daniel Biggs, was born in Williamston on February 4, 1811. He attended the old William ?ton Academy and started practicing law here when he was only twenty years old. Four years later in 1835 he was elected to the.Constitutional, Convention. Mr. Biggs represented the eounty in the legislature in 184U and 1842, and two years later was elected to the United States House of Representatives. In 1850 he was appointed with B F Moore and Romulus Saunders to revise the North Carolina Code which was adopted in 1854, the same year he was elected as a United States Senator. He resigned from the Senate in 1855 to accept a Unit ed States judgeship for North Car olina which position he held until after the war. In 1861 he was elect ed to the State Convention that! passed the ordinance of secession, and was later appointed by Presi dent Jefferson Davis as a Confeder ate judge for the State of North Carolina. After the war he returned to Wil liamston and practiced law A short time later he and several other law yers censured the carpet bag su prgme c(jurt for dsbblin^ io politio? and his license was revoked. The other lawyers had their licenses re established when the public apolo gized, but Judge Biggs refused to "stoop" to that low level, and he withdrew from North Carolina for he formed a partnership with Wil liam Nathan Harrell Smith who was later to become Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court He later retired from the practice of law and was associated with his brother, Kader, in the operation of the commission firm of Kader Biggs and Company in the Virginia city. He died in Norfolk on March 6, 1878. Several grandchildren survive, in cluding Miss Anna Crawford and K. B. Crawford, of Williamston. e MUCH SICKNESS While it has not reached serious proportions, an influenza epidemic is in progress here. Quite a few per sons have fallen victim, but the di sease is not holding the victims in very long. First United States Senator From State Made Home Here Propose Marker for Former Governor Samuel Johnston ? Discovering recently a number of letters from Samuel Johnston, for mer governor of North Carolina, first United States Senator _ from. North Carolina and a State Senator from Martin County, to James Ire dell, former justice of the United States Supreme Court, Mr. Warren H. Biggs has uncovered many facts relating to the early history of Wil liamston, the county, the State and Nation. A native of Dundee, Scotland, Samuel Johnston came to this coun try as a youth. He located in Eden ton and built "Hayes", the old colon ial home which overlooks Edenton I Harbor. According to toe correspondence now in the hands of Mr. Biggs, lo cal man, Sam Johnston located in Williamston some time in the early part of 1793. In what is believed his first letter written to Ins brother in-law, Justice James Iredell, Mr. Johnston said on May 9", 1793, "I am at my little 'Hermitage' in the neighborhood of this town." No rea son is assigned for his locating here following his return from a term in the United States Senate. The spot where he lived has not been defi nitely located, but some believe the farm is that now owned by Mar shall I). Wilson. A study of court house records is being made by Mr. Biggs in an effort~to locate the farm called "Hermitage" by Johnston The correspondence now in the hands of Mr. Biggs shows that Mr. Johnston dated his last letter writ ten in Williamston on May 25, 1799. No official record, as far as it is known here, shows that Mr. Johns ton served as a State Senator, but in his letters to Justice Iredell in November, 1798, he tells of his ac tivities in the legislature. Johnston was governor of North Carolina about 1780, was one of the framers of the Constitution, and was a man of affairs in the State and Nation. His position prior to the inauguration of Washington com pared with that of the president a few years later. He died in Chowan in 1816 and was buried there. wnue most 01 Mr. Johnston s let ters touched on State and National affairs, a few carry local interest Through the courtesy of Mr. Biggs, The Enterprise plana to publish a few in the series. Written principal ly to James Iredell who married Johnston's sister, Hannah, the series of letters offer little detailed infor mation about the town, but they dwell at length on subjects of State, National and a nee. The first of the letters written un (fontinued on page four) e Regular Meeting Of Local Masons Tonight A regular communication of Ske warkey Masonic Lodge will be held this evening at eight 6'clock Work in the first degree will be held. All members are urged to be present. The Masons recently completed an attendance contest, the "Blues," headed by J. C. Manning, winning over the "Whites" headed by J. C. Anderson. The losers declare suc cess was in the pickings. The winners will be guests of the contest losers at a turkey supper on Wednesday evening of next week. Applications For New Allotments Must Be Made Soon Only One Percent of Pres ent Tobacco Available For New Acreage ? Anyone desiring to secure a to bacco allotment in 1939 on a farm having no allotment should come to the county agent's office at Wil liamston and file an application not later than February 18, T. B. Bran don, farm agent, stated yesterday. Those desiring new cotton acre age must have their applications in the county agept's office not later than February 15, Brandon said. The entire allotment for the Unit ed States for new farms in 1939. is ily one porsent of the total, Rran don said, and the regulations for new allotments are very strict. Farmers will not be considered unless they can meet the following requirements: 1. Must have had two years' ex perience in growing tobacco in the last five years 2 Shall be actually living on the (arm and the owner thereof, or* if not the owner, shall be buying the farm or renting for eash. 3. There shall be a tobacco curing barn on the farm or the applicant should be building a curing barn on the farm. 4. Farming shall be the chief source of income upon which the ap plicant depends for a livelihood 5. He shall own no other farm having a tobacco allotment 6. There shall be 15 acres oi more Ol crop land on the farm. Plans For Oak City Gym Go Forward "Seniors Leave School with Little Knowledge of Arithmetic" Pledges for the Oak City school gymnasium are being collected, a number of teachers of the Oak City school faculty have paid In to Mr J. H. Ayers, treasurer of the gym nasium building committee New pupils are still entering for enrollment in the Oak City school. Horace and Olin Rackley from the Williamston school entered yester day. A suggestion from Principal II. M. Ainsley that the same plan be tried out in the Oak City school as has been done by Superintendent Cut tic of the Wilson County schools, is receiving consideration. Alt -seniors will be given an eighth grade exam ination in arithmetic including com mon fractions and percentage It seems that high school seniors are leaving high school with tittle 'or no knowledge of arithmetic. The special quartet of Miss Flan ders music department will broad cast over station WEED, Rocky Mount, Saturday, February 18, ut 11 a. m. Those interested will be glad to tune in at the time stated for the broadcast. The Oak City basketball team will play Farm Life at Williamston Wednesday night, Feb. 15th. The Oak City team is entering the Mar tin County Basketball Tournament. The senior class, realizing the im portance of a well-equipped library, has just donated the following works to the fiction department of the high school library: The Great Tradition, Out of a Clear Sky, Tiger Roan, Hustler, the Farm Dog; Homespun, Winter bound, Pecos Bill, Sue Bartow, Sen ior Nurse; Land Spoil, The Little House, A Place for Herself; Susan of Green Mountains. Tuning in at Lincoln High; Hill* of (Jold, Uypsy I.uck, Young Ku, Private Props, Highway Past Her Door, The Lov ing Heart. The class is also proud to an nounce that the county is giving a simiUi amouril of books, including some of the most recent biographies Rainfall For Last Month Slightly Above Normal January rainfall ? 4.03 inches ? was slightly above the normal pre cipation for the past ten years, the weather station on Roanoke River reported here this week The show ers the early part of this week were not as heavy as many thought they were, the weather station reporting a little over one-half inch for Mon day. The heaviest fall was accom panied by a 4 3-4 inch snow on Jan uary 16 The ten-year average rainfall for January is 3.75 inches, a high hav ing been reached the first month In 1937 when 7.22 inches of rain fell here. Representative Hugh G. Horton Belie\ es Outlook Is Brighter For Refund of Road Money to County Fanners Continue Plans for Increased Tobacco Acreages That Martin County farmers will j increase their tobacco acreages this j coming season is a recognized cer tainty, but the observers can't quite' guess the size of the anticipated in crease. Some say that the planters | will plant ten per cent more than they did last: year; others say they will plant 15, and still others say the j increase will approximate zu-zo per cent over last year's acreage. Quite a few farmers say they are going back to their base acres allotted them under the old Triple A pro* gram which means a comparativel} j slight decrease. Recent reports coming from over the county and especially in Bear -Grass Township,""indtcaie that the i increase will be much greater than many believe. "They will possibly build twenty-five new tobacco barns in Bear Grass Township this year," Fanner J, D. Wynne who is ac quainted with what is going on in] that section, said yesterday. Possi- ] bly more than one hundred new I barns will be built in the county this year to care for the crop increase. Tobacco plants are coming up and if the supply is extra large, it is going to be an easy thing for grow ers to increase their acreages and ( plant "just one more row" until to bacco crowds the fences and ditch banks. Cites Law For the Examination of Ail Domestic Servants Housewives Can Materially Aid in Stamping Out Disease tn order to acquaint housew 1 ves and others employing cooks, maids t?r other domestic servants with the importance of obtaining these ser vants free from infection, thereby safeguarding the health of the en tire family, the general assembly of North Carolina, in 1937, enacted the following legislation: The general assembly of North Carolina do enact: Section 1. That hereafter all do mestic servants who shall present themselves for employment shall furnish their employer with a cer tificate from a practicing physician or the public health officer of the county in which they reside, certify ing that they have been examined within two weeks prior to the time of said presentation of said certifi cate, that they are free from all contagious, infectious or communi cable diseases and showing the non existence of any venereal disease which might be transmitted Such certificate shall be accompanied by the original report from a labora tory approved by the State Hoard of Health for making such testa showing that the Wassermann or any other approved tests of this nature are negative. Such tests to have been made within two weeks of the time of the presentation of juch certificates; and such certificate shall also affirmatively state the non-existence of tuberculosis in the infectious state. Section 2 That all domestic ser vants employed shall be examined at least once each year and as often as the employer may require, and upon examination shall furnish to Ihe employer all of the evidence of the condition of their health, as is set out in section one hereof ? ? ? Commenting on this law, I)r. F E. Wilson, director of the Martin County Health Department, states that it is a means of attucking the problem of tuberculosis and the venereal diseases, and preventing their spread. Also, that the coopera tion of the housewives in sending their cooks and maids to their phy sician, or to the health department, for examinations and health certifi cates will aid greatly in safeguard ing?th*4r" ?against infection, and at the same time bring to the servants attention some undiscover ed disease which may be easily ov eome before complications incapac itate them. , ? i ? Local Colored Boy Is Victim Of Lockjaw John Sherrod, local colored child, lies critically ill with lockjaw at his home on West Main Street, at tending physicians offering little hope for his recovery. However, his condition late yesterday was slight ly improved. Piercing his foot with a nail about two weeks ago, the 7-year-old child was not given medical attention un til he had had frequent convulsions during a 24-hour period. Up until today, the child whose neck is drawn at times almost to the break ing point, has been given 80,000 un its of serum. Handling this, their third case, attending physicians state that the other two ware lost. Travel from the North to the South, fairly constant during the winter season, underwent a marked increase the early part of this week when New York ers joined the parade in num bers. During oue hour Sunday morning 127 northern cars were driven through here, apparent ly headed for Florida. Most of the cars carried New York li censes. As many as eight foreign cars were counted in single Kroups. It is estimated that be tween 500 and 700 out-of-state cars passed through here during the day. Native Of (lountv Dies Near Ropei Mrs. Ida Hodges, native of this county hut for nearly half century a native of Washington County, died at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Dennis Chesson, near Roper, last Saturday morning at 9:30 o'clock She had been ill for three years, suffering with arthritis. Mrs. Hodges was the daughter of the late Eh Hoyt and Martha God aid Robertson and was born in Wil hams Township 74 years ago. She married W B Hodges in this coun-! ty and moved to the Roper com-' munity pibre than 4(> years ago She was a sister of the late Joseph L I{ohertson. of Williamston, and is survived by a number of relatives laic, and in the county - was a leading member of the Pleas ant Grove Methodist Church for a long number of years, and was highly regarded by a large number ?if friend* in this and Washington counties. She is survived by four daugh ters, Mrs. R. W. Holland, of Balti more; Mrs. Henry Davenport, of Columbia; Mrs. Dennis Coburn of Roper, and two sons, Messrs. E. B. and A. M. Hodges, both of Balti more. Funeral services- were conducted from the Pleasant Grove church by her pastor, Rev. J. T. Stanford on Sunday afternoon at three o'clock. Interment was in the family plot at St. Lukes, near Roper. Roaiioke To Reach Crest Here Soon Flooded by heavy rains falling in this State and in Virginia during the past two weeks, the Roanoke River Is expected to reach a crest at about two feet over its banks here late next Saturday or Sunday the local weather station was advis ed by The United States Weather Bureau in Raleigh this morning. At the present time, the river is just over its hanks at this point. The crest the latter part of this week will be about twelve feet above the general level of the stream. While rains have been frequent in this area during the past week or more, the total precipitation is not unusually large, the weather station records show. Rains fell on six of the first ten days of the month, and to date the total fall measures only 3 22 inches. Disastrous floods have been re ported in the Ohio Valley and in other sections of the country during recent days. Rivers in eastern North Carolina have flooded the lowlands, but no serious damage has resulted. Special Committee Holds Conference Vi itli the Governor Governor Says He's Certain Some of the Claims Have Merit We believe the prospects are brighter now for refunding m on ire advanced for the construction of highways by Martin and other coun ties." Representative H. G Horton said yesterday following a confer ence with Governor Clyde Hoey. "We are still working to advance the meritorious claims which we sincerely believe Martin and a num ber of other counties have a refund of money spent for the construction of main highways in the State around twenty years ago," Mr. Hor ton added Meeting with the Governor last wee k. the .Committee selected by the Kastern Carolina Chamber of Com I merce reviewed the status of the : laims. "and While Mr. Hoey did not unconditionally endorse the re , fund of sev-eral million dollars?to? the counties, he did say that he was certain some of the claims had mer it," Mr Horton said. It is quite evi dent that Mr Hoey will not object to the appointment of a commission with assigned duties similar to those of a former commission for a com plete study of the claims. And it is generally believed that the Gover nor will recognise any claims that are definitely chargeable to the State "We sincerely believe that - Martin and a few other counties in the State have meritorious claims," Mr. Horton said, explaining that many unfounded claims wore filed a few years ago and thn! tin* com nussion was too frightened by the si/e of thi' claims to act The com mission. it will be recalled, never completed its work, and the claims were lost in the hands of the State Highway and Public Works Com mission A bill drafted by Representative Morton, Iras been held-in abeyance pending the conference with the governor, but it will likely he intro duced in the House within the near future Another conference of the Txwrimittee will be held this week to plan future action, Mr, Morton stat ing that hi- was hot sure whether the present proposed bill would be ther certain changes would be made to incorporate the expressed thoughts of the governor, may be the committee will spomior the bill as it now reads and supplement it with the suggestions offered by Mr Hoey," the representative said. The bill, proposing the return of approximately $400,00(Ttb this coun j ty and about eight million dollars I to other counties advancing money I for construction of main highways, was published in detail a few weeks ago. The personnel of thojjpecial CQm.-_ mitten named by' the Eastern Caro lina Chamber of Commerce includes II (J. Morton, of this county, chair man, Zeb Turlington, of Statesville; Representative Mallison, of Pamli co; F E. Wallace, of Kinston; Eu gene Boat and Senator Palmer, of Concord, and others. Several Are Hurt In Hamilton Wreck Mrs. Fred Poole and Mrs. W. F. Thomss were painfully but net seriously hurt and John Bell, col ored man, was knocked unconscious in an automobile crash at"Hamilton early last Friday evening. Mrs. Poole suffered an ankle injury and Mrs. Thomas, thrown against the windshield, was cut and bruised on the forehead. Bell, suffering no broken bones and bearing no outward signs of injury, was removed to a Rocky Mount hospital where he remained unconscious until late Sunday. Re ports reaching here stated that he had been discharged from the hos pital and was apparently all right The colored man is said to have driven his car into the middle of the street and in the path of the car driven by Mrs. Poole. No great damage was dona to the cars which wert^-traveling very slowly when they crashed.