H Watch the Label on Your H Paper, Ai It Carrie* the Date r 1 "V 1 - 1 1 |j Your Subscription Expires. 1 1 1 1 FHE ENTERPRISE rim VOLUME XLIII?NUMBER 9 - flilliamaton, Martin County, North Carolina, Tueaday, January 30, 19 W. ESTABLISHED 1099 Local School Roll Of Honor for Terra Ending January 91 Namett of 130 Pupil* Appear | On fjst For Rrrrnl Period ? The names of 130 pupils appear on ? the local school honor roll for the period ending January 9. Principal O. N. Hix announced this week. 87 of the honor pupils are in the grades, leaving 43 in the high school and commercial departments. Only those pupils averaging 90 or more in their studies and main taining a nearly perfect attendance record are eligible for recognition The list of names released this week by Principal Hix follows: First grade: Bobby Davis, Jack Ed wards. Helen Chesson. Louise Cor ey, Elizabeth Griffin, Betsy Horton. Jean McLawhorn. Harriet Peele, Ru by Savage. Ann Woolard, Rhoda Fay Peel, Billy Bob Peel. Lila Rose Gray, Jane King. Second grade: Marvin Cherry, Henry Gray Corey. Jimmy Hoard, Benjamin Moore, Asa Manning. Ra chel Chesson, Shirley Ann Beach am, Elizabeth Whjtley. Third grade: Polly Manning, Sal lie Hardison. Billy Edwards. Paul Peel. David Griffin. Zack Piephoff, Bobby Taylor, Julian Mason, Jack Booker. Landy Griffin. John Watts, James Gomer Fourth grade: John Gurkin. Wen dell Manning. Dennis Moore, Wil liam Rogers, Eunice Britton, Mary -baa Coltrain Edna Hadley. Bar bara Margolis. Gertrude McLaw horn, Carrie Dell Peaks, Laura Peel, Lucy Robertson, Doris Savage. Lo la Peele Fifth grade. Marjorie Martin. Joyce Taylor, Vernon Whitfield, Dan Bowen, Melvin Godard, Hugh Hor ton, Charles Siceloff, Lucy Andrews, Louise Griffin. Gloria Hayman. Louise Hines, Elizabeth Hopkins, Dorothy Leggett, Elizabeth Man ning. Jeanettc Myers. Elizabeth Par ker, Maxine Phelps, Elizabeth Tay lor. Sixth grade: Leila Fay Wynne, John Donicl. Hal Dickens. Billy My era, Dolly Bowen. Shirley Cowen. Sylvia Green, Frances Griffin, Pearl Newborn, Dora Twiddy. Seventh grade: Curtis Hopkins. David Roberson, Isabel Anderson, Jsne Goff, Frances Jarman. Anne Meador, Alberta Swain, Annie Ches son. Hazel Moore. Susie Revels. Eighth grade: Virginia Hines, Frances Thomas, Noah Nicholson, Lenora Melson, Nancy Mercer, Del la Jane Mobley, Flossie Peaks. Mary Trulah Peele, Mildred Thomas, Julia Clyde Waters, Jasper Browder, Con rad Getsinger, John L. Goff. Jr.. Fred Hardison, Harold Hargett, Ri chard Margolis, Luther Peele, Wil liam Oscar Peele, Jr., J. D. Woolard Ninth grade: Emmu Belle Ward. | Evelyn Griffin, Rena Howard, Made lyn Taylor, Bill Griffin, Joseph Gur ganus, Theron Gurganus. Robert Jones. Tenth grade: Mary Charles God win, Susie Griffin. Elizabeth Parker. S. C. Griffin, Billy Mercer. Eleventh grade: J E. Boykin, Juan Crofton, Stuart Critcher, J. D. Nich olson, Nancy Biggs. Marjorie Grey Dunn, Katherine Manning Commercial: Dixie Daniel, Mary Slade, Susie Whitley, Rudolph Peel. Plan United Front In Tobacco Crisis Meeting in Tarboro last Friday night, farmers and business men from nearly everyone of the eastern North Carolina counties united H" strong front to tackle the problem facing the tobacco and peanut far mers. Called together by state f arm Bureau officials, the group pledged a strong cooperation in the move ment calling for an advantageous handling of the agricultural prob lem. Unofficial reports state that the group unanimously endorsed a five year program for tobacco production control, and considered plans for advancing the long-term schedule. Especial interest was centered around a movement to have Con gress reconsider its stand on parity payments. Since the meeting the Congress has taken steps to elimi nate $200,000,000 from the agricul tural fund, but it will be asked to re consider its action. ? Plan Big Trip Aerott Stale Of North Carolina ? 0 Teddy Jackson, painter deluxe et cetera, is planning a big trip to western North Carolina this week ishing touches on his old Model A car, but he is still looking for a roll ing bank and two squirrels. "The ole bus has cost me so much money in repairs, I'll surely need a bank and I can use the squirrels to pick up the nuts as they fall from the badly worn bolts," Jacksbn said as he had a naked light wire taped at a local filling station yesterday. He will be accompanied by A. Has setl and the two of them plan to spend the spring and summer in Asheville Garage mechanics declare the two are taking a long chance in [ out in the rolling antique. TR/Rf/TF1 A fitting tribute was paid to the memory of Asa 1 1 * Biggs, the late Cnited States Senator and outstand ing politlAl figure In this State a century ago, wtf Iht N C. HIs toriral Commission recently placed an iron marker on the corner of Main and Smithwick Streets reviewing briefly his record of achieve ment and locating his old home place. The home below was built by Mr. Biggs 1M years ago and remains unchanged in its general architec ture. The portrait, taken from a picture in the possession of his grand daughter. Miss Anna Crawford, is a likeness of him. The picture of the marker is superimposed on the picture of the home. A^ed County Man Passes In Raleigh Joe Davenport, aged county man. died in a Raleigh hospital last Fri- ; day morning from heart trouble. Funeral services were conducted on Saturday afternoon in the Biggs Funeral Home and interment was in the Williams Cemetery in Williams Township. Rev. S. J Starnes, Meth odist minister, conducted the last rites. He is survived by one son, J. Abron Davenport, and a small daughter, Elizabeth Davenport, both of this county. Thought to have been a native of Alabama. Mr. Davenport came to this county when a small boy. The family located in Poplar Point where he was said to have been plowing when the Yankee gunboats went over the river to Hamilton and caused his mule to run away. He was about 84 years old. He first married Miss Alice Wil liams who died a number of years ago. He later married Miss Maggie Barber. A rugged individual who never enjoyed any advantages, he spent his life farming and logging, spending much of his later life hunting. In 1934, during a fit of anger, he shot and killed his wife at their home in the Islands section of Williams Township. He was sentenced to pris on for 20 years, reports from- the old man during that time stating that he yearned to return to?the Roanoke River lowgrounds unrf hoar howl of a dog on the hunt during a cold map nppnnlnJ ?*. ances to help get him out, but the nature of his crime blocked action in that direction and his last years were marked by sorrow but not by want and attention Martin Farmers Late Preparing Leaf Plant Beds Delayed for week* by unfav orable weather conditions, Mar tin fanners are now making plans for the preparation of to bacco plant beds on a large scale, reports stating that hun dreds of beds will be sown dur ing the next ten days or two weeks, weather permitting. In some sections a few beds have already been prepared. of the farmers have not plant ed their beds, the first task in the production of tobacco. One third af the farmers in the Rob ersonville area have planted their beds. Farmer Joe Window said yesterday. Early reports state that Mar tin farmers will save quite a few hundred dollars this season by preparing smaller bed than they did last year. Bat even then re ports added that on an average the farmers will prepare enough beds to transplant doable the allotted acreage. Marker Is Plaeed Here in Memory of Senator Asa Biggs Ki-coriU Higli Spot* in Bril limit Ctreer of Martin C.itiwn-J urist Written in the annals of State and National legislation and in the con stitutional frame work of North Carolina, the record of the late Judge Asa Biggs was formally recognized by the N C. Historical Commission when a marker was recently ordered placed here on the corner of Main and Smithwick Streets briefly out lining the brilliant career of the lawyer-jurist and legislator While Martin County has produced a num ber of leading figures, possibly Judge Asa Biggs' fame climaxed that of all others by reason of the indelliblc print mode in the records of several of the highest political offices in his number the historical commission plans to place in this county to com memorate impoi'tunt peisuiiagis and events of a century or more ago. Asa Biggs, son of the Rev. Joseph Biggs and wife. Chloe Daniels, of Smithwick Creek, was born on Wil [liamston's East Main Street, near the brink of the river hill, on February 4, 1811. His father, a prominent .Primitive Baptist minister in the early period of that denomination in this section, moved his family to Williamston in 1810 from the old Biggs home located on the large farm now owned und operated by J. G. Staton, on the Washington Road, near Williamston The young boy who was later to advance to high public positions in State and Nation attended the old Williamston Academy which was founded by his father. Largely through the efforts of stern but yet thoughtful parents, Asa Biggs re ceived a liberal education without attendance upon any foreign school or university. At the age of 20 years, he was admitted to the Martin Coun ty bar .the event marking the be ginning of a colorful career in the courthouses over a wide territory as a lawyer and later as a Federal jur ist and still later as a Confederate judge His first public serviic was ren dered the State in 1835 as a member of the N C Constitutional Conven tion. Mr. Biggs, then just a young man, was associated with Jesse Cooper, of Hamilton, in the conven tion. H" Inl"'- HT"?ri I I of the State Constitutional conven tion in 1885. L>. W. Bagley, of Wil liamston was alsp fl member of that convention. In 1840, Mr. Biggs was elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives from this county and succeeded himself in that posi tion two years later. In 1844 he was a member of the State Senate. His rise in public life was rapid during that period, and in 1845 he was elected to the United States I House of Representatives. Five years later his legal ability was recogniz ed when Governor Reed appointed him along with Romulus M. Saun ders and B. F. Moore to revise the North Carolina Statutes. He return ed to the State Senate In 1854 and a year later he resigned to accept the office of United States Senator from North Carolina. He served in that position three years or until he was appointed Federal Judge of the North Carolina district by President James Buchanan. At the outbreak of_the War Be tween the States, he resigned his judgeship-in April, 1861. Hardly had hr p""-""4?riui his commission tn President Abraham Lincoln than he was appointed Confederate judge by Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederate States of America. He served the entire state in that ca pacity until the overthrow of the Confederacy. Called to apologize by State au thorities who were adverse to the will of the humbled people. Judge Biggs refused to recognize the sum mons and surrendered his right to practice law in this State. He went to Norfolk and formed a partnership with hit brother in the brokerage (Continued on page tlx) | Sweet Potato Crop Not Up To General Exj>er tat ions Here Modcratr Sales It r ported willi Prifett Ranging Around R5 Cents Martin County's 1939 bumper >w?i potato wop ii not awimriqg up to expectations, late reports from the market here stating that hardly more than half of the crop will be accepted. While the quality is de cidedly inferior, purchasers aud brokers are demanding a strict grad ing system for the crop, and sales are ranging far below the expected figure. A few crops have graded as high as 85 per cent of production, but on an average hardly fifty per cent of the offerings will meet the strict grading requirements. Only moderate sales have been re ported at this point during the past few days. The cooperative withdrew from the market during the bitter cold weather, and independent deal ers have handled less than five car loads during the past ten days. .The price continues to hold firm at 85 cents a bushel, but there is still some talk of an expected rise within the next few weeks. Direct sales to independent truck ers operating in the rural section have been reported with prices rang- j ing from 50 to 55 cents a bushel. Grading standards are lower when| sales are made under those condi tions, but the buyers refuse damaged goods .it was said. . ? Farmers in this-section arcgreat ly disturbed over the price spread between producer and consumer. Po tatoes selling here for about 1.6 cents a pound are said to be selling for around six and one third conta in New York retail stores. Heavy packs are also said to be causing much concern. The packers are placing on an average of 54 pounds to the basket and in some cases the weight approximates 60 pounds to the basket. One dealer explained that in some sections, heavy packs are required and that to compete with those sections he must Marketing of the crop is progress ing slowly in this county, but the sweets are expected to start moving in large quantities during the next four weeks. ;> It could not be learned definitely when the FCX would return to the market here.. ? Local Nurse Hurt In Auto Accident Miss Christine High, popular Mar tin County Health Department nurse, suffered j hroken noac?and. minor bruises late last Saturday night in an automobile accident in Wilson. Treated in a Wilson ^hospi tal that night, Miss High is expect ed home within a few days. Visiting her father, who is a pa tient in a Wilson hospital, Miss High started out to get some sandwiches for a midnight lunch. She was driv ing out West Nash Street when an automobile dashed out of a side street and forced her to run over the curb and into a tree. The other car did not stop and " Miss High, knocked unconscious, was left in I the wreck several minutes before a motorist stopped and had her re moved to the hospital. Her automo bile, a Chevrolet coupe, was wreck ed. Miss High's brother, called to Wil son a few days ago by the serious illness of his father, a short time be-1 foie had been summoned to" return to his home in Texas on account of the serious illness ol his wile. ?Miaa High had just recently been discharged from the Brown Com munity hospital here where she spent several weeks recovering from a stubborn cold. Floating Theatre Is Icebound Here Adverse luck continues to hound the Original Floating Theatre on its trips up the Roanoke. In 1938. the show boat struck a log in the river below Jamesville and went to the1 bottom. Undergoing repairs in an Elizabeth City drydock, the boat re turned to the Roanoke and made its | way to the local dock. But unfavor able weather interrupted the en gagement and the company lost nlbney. A cold wave greeted the boat and its cast upon their arrival here more than a week ago. And now the boat is icebound, reports stating that the owners do not know when they will be able to move it. Making the best of the situation, the cast is staging a show each night on an impromptu schedule. While no one has dared walk on the ice, the river is frozen over from a point about one-half mile below the bridge here to the highway Bridge across the Albemarle Sound. One of the North, Baltimore and Carolina Line boats navigated the stream on Sunday, but its steel hull did not open the channel large enough for the show boat. The show boat was scheduled to dock in Plymouth this week and con tinue a trip to points further south. Six Candidates for Governor; State Agencies Lining Up Employees for Hot Contest InterosfTn the forthcoming guBci natorial primary was increased lust week-end when Tom Cooper, the fiery politician of Wilmington, chunked his hat into the ring that is already admittedly crowded Baaed on an impromptu platform, the an nouncement hardly caused a big rip ple on the staid political sea in this State, but Cooper has some friends and he will poll quite a few votes, no doubt. The gubernatorial plot was again thickened when Paul D. Gra dy. well known State citizen, of Kenly, announced his candidacy for the office yesterday. Just now interest in the political realm is centering around the num ber of candidates and possible can didates. The last two announcements increases the number in the field to six, and there is at least one more. Willis Smith, of Raleigh, who plans to crowd into the ring. The line-up to date includes, A. J Maxwell and ' .1 M B rough ton. both of KaltMgh; W P. Horton. of Pittsboro; Lee Gravely, of Rocky Mount, and Coop er and Grady. As the gubernatorial plot thickens. Stale agencies are said to be lining up their employees in anticipation of a hot contest during the spring. Reliable reports declare that one agency has already informed its em ploy ees over the State that a certain amount will be deducted from their pay envelopes each month for use in advancing a certain candidate's cam paign "They can take my money, but they can't get my vote." one of the agency's victims was quoted as saying.. So far .the general public in this section has had very little to say about politics, local, state or nation al. Announcements are expected ov er a w ide front shortly, however, and an interesting political season is pre dicted in all quarters. Firemen Battle Worst Fire Here in 4 Years Old Anderson Home On Haughton Street Destroyed Saturday S?'v?-ral llurl Fif(litiii0c Itla/.c For Srvpn Hourtt in Freezing Weallier Williamston had its worst fire in four years last Saturday night when the large Anderson home was com pletely wrecked on Haughton Street and Simmons Avenue. Gaining con covered, the fire proved to be the toughest assignment local volunteer firemen have yet attempted to han dle. Starting from an over-heated flue between the dining room and a liv ing room, the fire gained a foothold .and soon spread rapidly between the walls to the upper story and to the attic. Eating its way rapidly into the heart pine and lightwood tim bers, the fire sent volumes of smoke from the eves of the house, and \tohen | firemen answered the call they could not determine at first which house was burning because of dense smoke in the neighborhood. ?Mi. 3. H. Grimes, owner or?me home, was in another room with members of the household and visi tors. Apparently after the fire start <'d. Mrs. Mae Stewart, a member of the household, went to the bedroom to see if a file in the stove was all right. She did not detect the fire at the time, but a few minutes later she smelled smoke, one report stat ing that sizable places had already burned in the wall and ceiling of the dining room when the fire was dis covered Firemen, working in freezing wea ther, were handicapped when the first small hose line they laid froze. A main line of hose was then laid from a hydrant at the corner of Haughton and Grace Streets, and after carrying the water into the house it wan thought the- fire-eoukl be brought under control. But the fiie had alieady eaten its way to the second story, and firemen car ried the hose to the top floor. Fore ed back by stiffling smoke, the fire men took a stand on the outside. A second hose line was laid and dur ing the greater part of seven hours the fire-fighters washed the slate roof and weather boarding as the fire wrecked the interior of the home in its entirety. Water from the large hose froze before it hit the ground and ice formed quickly under the feet of the firemen to aggravate the tough job. Icicles formed in the firemen's hair, cotton gloves froze on their hands, and ice formed in their shoes Fire Chief G. P. HaU badly bruised his hand. Fireman Ira Harrison suf fered a painful wrist injury and Fireman A. J. Manning suffered a half-inch deep cut on his hand. Their hands numbed by the severe cold, neither of the men discovered his injury immediately. Firemen, handling the partially frozen hode lines, skidded and fell on ice-cover ed steps and wallowed with the high powered nozzles on the frozen i ground. Several of the firemen were [bruised in repeahd rails bfi TfYCTPPT but they held to their posts until about 5 o'clock Sunday morning. While the Grimes house was wrecked, the home of Mr. and Mrs V. J. Spivey, a few feet away, and other near-by buildings were not damaged at all. Valued at $8,500, the home and contents were insured for $5,000 Most of the contents in one or two room> on the first fjoor were saved, but all the furniture and clothing in the rooms upstairs were burned Misses Neda Pendleton and Mary (Continued on paft tlx) FAKMKRS MKKT Several interesting topics will be discussed in the first of a ser ies of '.arm forums to be held in the county agricultural building Thursday night at 7 o'clock. Sponsored by the Martin County Farm Bureau, these forums can | prove of much value and all far mers are urged to attend. The sessions will start promptly at 7 o'clock and end at eight. Such topics as the cooperative . shipment of poultry, the status of the potato market and numer mm other item*- will ? including a review of late farm developments in Washington. I,2W Jobs Filled By Employment Office 1,299 persons were placed in em ployment by the Williamston office uf {he N. C. State Employment Ser vice in the past year. These place ments represent public and private jobs in the five counties represented in the area served by this office Martin, Beaufort, Washington, Tyr rel and Hyde. During the year a" to tal of 2.921 people registered or filed applications for jobs at this office. Total number of registrations in Martin County during the past year were 1572. Beaufort County, the larg est and most populous of the five, had the largest number of registra tions and placements during the year, and Martin County was second. 38(1 field visits were made by the local office workers during the past year, including calls made on em ployers in both public and private channels. Many orders"*for1 workers were received during the year from employers and concerns who had not used the facilities of the service before There is never any cost or obliga tion for registration and placement service, the Iaclllile.sr being free all workers and all employers. Work ers in practically every occupation arc represented in the files of the. Williamstoiy office, a good many of them being immediately available for work, both temporary and regu lar as job opportunities are open. Education ranges from college grad uates down to uneducated laborers. In addition to placement work the Williamston office also handles a large number of Unemployment Compensation claims in the five counties it serves during the year. Commerce Grou p To Meet Friday; Contest Is (llosing The recently organized local Chamber of Commerce will hold ita first regularly scheduled meeting in the county agricul tural building on Friday evening of this week at S o'clock. Secre tary ClaiH will render his firat general report on the activi ties of the organization and out line a program for the coining months. All members are urged to be present. Reliable reports state that quite a number is participating in the organization's slogan con test which clones tomorrow eve ning. Three dollars are being offered "the person submitting the best slogan for use on the or ganisation's stationery. "It Isn't too late to enter the contest, write a few wards and win the prise," the secretary says. Relief Is Expected As Cold Wave Shows Signs Of Weakening F.\l<-ii?iw- Damage Reported; Old ^ralhrr Reeord* Are RmlW Prayed-for relief from a 12-day cold mege was promised today a* the mercury readings averaged from five to ten degrees above the readings yesterday und late Sunday. But it's still winter time in these parts, and tire general discarding of the red flannels will hardly be in order for another two months if the season measures up to the predictions made by Ure self styled weather prophets some time ago. This section did quite a bit of shiv ering as the mercury ranged from eight to twenty-eight degrees dur ing the past week, but there has been no intense suffering and no great property damage resulted here Water pipes gave way in many place*, but there were no crops sub ject to the cold wave attack Down in Florida damage to truck crops has been estimated as high as $17, 500.000. with a considerable portion of the loss centering 111 and around Dade County. Florida's great vege table producing area. More than 100 deaths in the nation were attributed to the bitter cold, pushing the total number of casual ties for the past three weeks to more than 400 The cold wuve kindled anew the ting cold when alcohol freezes, one ardent patron of the county liquor store system said after he found a bottle of the legal spirits frozen in I his kitchen une morning last we*k. The bottle was of the cheaper brand Last Saturday was recognized as the coldest day of the spell at thus point, the mercury dropping to six de grees But despite the low mercury readings reported over a period of nearly two weeks, the cold spell now showing signs of retreat left no such record as was experienced in 1936 i|).. nvor froze over and per sons walked across the stream And the attack hardly compares with that i1117-IK winter when nearly every thing and everybody were frozen to a standstill. There's been much Talk about the cold weather in the sunny south, and it is true that ole man winter direct ed a heavy blow in the section, but the weather lias been fairly comfort able as compared with the time back February, 1933, when the mer cury dropped to 66 degrees below zero in Wyoming to fix an all-time low in this country. Here are some other questions ? with their answers?that have coma up for settlement _ Is there a state which never has experienced zero weather? No. Mor ula comes the closest with only two below. Which Stale has had colder wea ther, South Carolina or Louisiana? This is a trick question because South Carolina, which is consuler ably farther north than Louisiana, has seen the mercury at 11 below, while the Pelican State has had It down to 16 below. Which has been colder, Maine or New Mexico? The answer is?nei ther It's been 48 below in both. Texas or Delaware? Texas, by 6 degrees. Hhode Island or Alabama? Both have had recordings of 18 below. Frozen yet? If you are, how about something on the cuuntry'l hottest weather? The 1913 record at Death Valley. Calif , still stands?134 de Timely Notes From The Local Library Hooks may bo secured from the public library at any time between three o'clock in the afternoon and 8 o'clock at night every day except Sunday. These continuous hours will keep the library open during the'supper hour Books recently added to the li brary are, "Happy Birthday to You," Gardner: "English Years," White hall, "With Malicu Toward All," Tressler, "Dance of Death," McCloy; "Anna Karenina." Ttalstay; "So I Went to Prison," O'Brien; "TTiread of Scarlet," Williams; "Action at Acquila," Allen; "Return of the Na tive," Hardy; "The Dark Rose," Walsh, and several others. ? - County I'ritoner Denied Admittance In Institution Mrs. Dora Bunting, sentenced to jail for a term of ninety days by Judge H. O. Peel in the county re corder's court two weeks ago, was denied admittance by a State cor rectional institution last week-end. Rated a fit subject for an institution of another type, the prisoner was re turned to the Jail here where she will likely complete serving her sen tence. The woman was a defendant in the fornication and adultery caoe which was high-spotted by her two-mile dash through Gold in his night clothe* nearly weeks ago. t?V '

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