VOL. XX NO. 12
The Herald is dedicated to
progressive service to Jack
son . . ? A progrrif,^>l ""Jl
balanced county.
SYLVA, N. C., Wednesday, August 8, 1945 $1.50 A Year in Jackson And Swain Counties ? 5c Coov
Smoky Mountain
Of Honor Held
District Court
In franklin
The Smoky Mountain JMstrict,
Daniel Boone Council Boy Scout
Court of "faonor was held Monday
evening, August 6, 1945, at the
Methodist church in Franklin.
John F. Corbin of Sylva, District
Advancement Chairman, presided.
Philip Jones was court clerk. Chas.
Stillwell led the pledge to the flag.
The Tenderfoot Candlelight In
vestiture ceremony was conducted
by Francis V. Smith, Assistant
Scout executive of Asheville.
The following Sylva Scouts re
ceived awards: Tenderfoot, Allen
F. Janes. Second Class, Mack Mon
teith and Charles . Cagle. First
Class, Derel Monteith. ,
Rev. A. Rufus Morgan, Frank
lin, District Chairman, presented
Merit Badges ~ to the ?following
Scouts of Troop 1, Sylva: Walter
Allison Jones, Conservation, Rep
tile Study, Life Saving, Camping,
Animal Industry, First Aid to Ani
mals; Philip Jones, Camping, Life
Saving, Pathfinding and Reptile
Study; James Madison, Athletics,
First Aid. Life Saving, Swimming,
Personal % Health, Public Health,
Archery; Jack Hennessee, Ath
letics, Life Saving, Personal Health,
Public Health; Charles Stillwell,
Athletics; -Carroll Ashe, First Aid
to Animals; Boyd Sutton, Frst Aid,
Athletics, Personal Health, Safety.
Ray Davis, Hiking, Safety; Frank
M. Crawford, Jr., Public Health,
- Safety, Cycling; John Robinson, j
Hiking Safety; Chas, Cope, Woo4
CarVing; Robert Quigley, Safety.
The next court of honor will be
held in Sylva Monday P. M., Sept.
3. At this court two scouts of Troop
1, Sylva will be awarded the Eagle *
" * fan*, th<?hi$iesfi*Srd i frwduv*
ing and the public is cordially in
vited to attend this ceremony.
*>
New Forestry Dis
trict Will Have
Offices hi Sylva
It has been announced that a
new district will be added to the
State Forestry service with head
quarters in Sylva. This office
will be located in? Lloyd Hotel
and will be opened around the
middle of the month.
Mr. Mack Ashe will be the Dis
rict Ranger and the District
Forester will be named at a later
, date. This district will encompass
eight western counties, those
being Haywood, Transylvania,
Jackson, Macon, Swain, Cherokee,
Clay and Graham.
Sylva Dance Team
Defeated By Green River
i
Although the Sylva Dance Team
received the largest ovation ol thf
four dance teams that g^tlolpa
ted in the Mounted Bance Folk
Festival held irt Asheville Thurs
day night Ihfey were defeated by
the River team for honors
to Complete the following night,
""""tttotugi aphgf mpoitei s? '
congratulated the team as one
of the best square dancers on the
floor, and were amazed when told J
the Sylva team had only gone !
through -one practice, before the
contest night. \
St. John's High School |
Will Be Continued
WAYNESVILLE ? In answfr
to numerous requests, St. John's
High School will be continued, it
was announced by Rev. A. F.
Rohracher, Superintendent. f The
continuance of the parochial high
school has been made possible
owing to the generous donation
of all the teachers' salaries by the
Rev. Mother Mary Bartholmew,
Superior-General of the Sisters
vof St. Francis of Assisi.
"St. John's High School is ac
credited with the North Carolina
Stale Board of Education.
Jackson County Men
Accepted For Service
During July
The following men from Jack
son county were accepted for ser^
vice. during July:
ARMY?
George Aberham Teague
Lenoir Clamon Wilson, Jr.
- John Richard Bradley
Billy Joe Sharpe
Joe Tucker Evans
Harvey Crawford Powell
General Fillmore Stepp
Alvin Franklin Bi'adburn
R. L. Williams , -
Leighton Alison Mo*
Wayne Jamison.
NAVY? !_
Charlie Alexander Hooper.
Jackson County Men
Meet In Belgium Cafe
Two Jackson county men, who
were in the same Division but dif
ferent companies, recently met in
a cafe in Belgium.
Pvt. Adam "Justice, son of Mr.
and Mrs. H. A. Justice, of Sylva
happened to mention his home
town and the soldier _ stand
ing near him immediately intro
duced himself as Pvt. Neut Dills,
son of Anzil* Dills, also of Sylva.
The solders are both serving ,
with the 82nd Airborne Division,
pvt, Justice with Co. E; Pvt, Dills
with Co. A<
Pic. Harry fi. Brown
Now Stationed At
Camp Aries France
After serving ten months in the
European Theatre, Pfc. Harry H.
Brown, son of Mr. Thad R; Brown,
of Cowarts, has reported to Camp
Aries, France, redeployment camp
of the Pacific Theater. This camp
is situated near the Mediterranean
port of Marseilles and has a capa
city of 106,000 soldiers.
Very Rev. Dr. H. Motry To
Conduct 3-Day Mission
W A YNES VILLE ? The Very
Rev. Dr. H. Louis Motry, dean of
the Church Law School, Catholic
University, Washington, D. C., |
will conduct a three-day mission
at St. John's Church, Waynesville,
Sunday through Tuesday, Aug.,
12-14, and at St. Joseph's Church,
Bryson City, Friday through Sun
day, August 17-19.
Veterans on 1/500-Mile "Wood for War" Tour
pmpi: "TBSSUr"'"' rrw I
. ? - -iij- ^
C- .i/>
Stgnml Corp ? Pko$o
Pour member* of the Army's MWood for War** Com hat Team who are touring North Carolina through
AirgttM and early fopl?mbep to seek increased produetiorrof pulpwood and lumber. Left to right, they arei
V'Cc. Robert R. Killiaru: S/Sgt. W. O. Kcydt, wounded four times in the fighting against the Germans and
holder of Presidential Unit Citation and Purple Heart with three clusters; Lt. Thomas M. Mitchell, veteran,
parachutist who fought for 14 months in Italy, and at Anaao and Salerno and who holda the Purple Heart
and Presidential Unit Citation; S/Sgt. Harry W. Crocker, survivor of 3 years Jap imprisonment, who holds
the Rr<Vnze Star Medal. Liberation Medal with Bronse Star, Purple Heart and Presidential Unit Citation. ]
I JACKSON SCHOOLS TO
OPEN AUGUST 23RD
Jackson county school board
Monday & n d act the
data for the opening of all
county school on Monday, Aug.
23, according to an announce
ment by auperintendent of
^ schools , Adam Moaea. The
teacher list for the schools has
not been completed and will
be released, probably next
.week, Mr. Moses said. .
Pfc. Max Clayton Wins
Second Battle Star
,? I
Pfc. Max Clayton, 19, a radio
man with the 32nd Infantry Re
giment has just added a second
battle star to his Asiatic-Pacific
Ribbon, with the completion of
the Okinanawa Campaign. He has
participated in the Leyte and .
Okinawa operations with the 7th
Division.
? Clayton also wears 'the Philip
pine Liberation Ribbon, with two ,
battle stars and the Combat In
fantry Badge. ,
His home is in Sylva.
C. C. Buchanan Goes To Washington To
Appear Before Army Court in Behalf Of
Cp . Tltur. Laws Charged With Murder
Mr. Corsey C. Buch?ft?il? idCftl
attorney, left Sylva Mdftday for
Washington to appear before
Myron C. Cramer, Major General
Df the Advocate General office of
the United States Army on behalf
of Cpl. Thurman E. Laws, son of
Mr. and Mrs. C. C. Laws* of Wil
mot, thifc county, who i has been
sentenced to be shot by an Army
court on a charge of murder,
Cpl. Laws was tried June 28
before board of seven members sit
ting as general court martial at
Kingman, Arizona, thiW days after
the supposed murder is said to
have taken place and sentenced to
be executed beffcW? an army fir
ing squad. The case was then
heard by a board in California and
another in Texas before being sent
to Washington. The two latter
boards sustained the sentence of
the first board.
The evidence in the case should
vindicate Laws and the great
volume of material Mr. Buchanan
has taken to Washington ghould
convince., the court that ^Laws
should not fee convicted of cold
blood murder. y
The killing took place in King
man, Arizona, on June 25 where
Cpl. Laws is stationed at King
?
man Army Air bas
On the night the tragedy he
c^me home to find his wife ab
sent and on information furnished
by the lady of the apartment where
they liv^d he, found Mrs. Laws and
a soldier by the name of Tech. Sgt.
| Waldeman A. Vernet, Jr., at 6:30
| p. "tar in ' r
| plead with Mrs. Laws to leave and
! return home with him after failing
to get her to accompany him home
he left and later heard ?hat Mrs.
Laws told others that she was go
ing to Bolder City to spend the
night with Vernet. Three hours
later ^aws jreturned to the buffet
but did not find his wife and the
soldier inside but did find them
in back of the building in the dark
in a compromising embrace. He
drew a knife and stabbed both in
flicting wounds which caused their
j death.
Mr. Buchanan was employed by
the defendant's parents to gather
evidence and appear in the boy's
defense at the hearing in W ashing -
<Qn. He imirtedfately got In touch
with State and national officals
who came to his aid. Former Sec
retary of the Navy Joseph Daniels
has written a strong appeal to the
(Continued -on page 4)
Army's "Wood For War"
Motorcade Coming 28th
^c&th Claims Mrs. J oil- L.
Jones Of Addie
Funeral services were, conducted
Sunday, August 5th, at the Addie
Baptist church lor Mis. John L.
Jones who died at the home of
her daughter, Mrs. Harley Shuler
of Webster, August 3. Mrs. Jones
had been ill for a long time. The
Rev. Robert Parris was in charge
of the services.
Mrs. Jones was a member of the
Addie v Baptist church. Her hus
band, the late John L. Jones pre
ceeded her in death four years
ago.
She is survived by eight sons,
Lon, Ern, and Roy of Addie,
Richard of Darrington, Wash.,
Francis of the U. S. Navy, stationed
in Jacksonville, Fla. and J. V.,
Charlie and Hal of Detroit, Mich.,
and two daughters, Mrs. Harlie
Shular of Webster and Mrs. B.
E. Parris of Beta.
Felix E. Picklesimer
Returns To Position
At Postoffice ^
Felix E. Picklesimer has return
ed to his old position at the post
office after three years' service in
the U. S. Navy. Four and a half
months of this time \* as spent over
seas in England and Scotland. Mr.
Picklesimer has- received his dis
charge and held the rating MAM
1-c at the termination of his ser
vice.
Upper Dis. Singing Conven
tion to Meet At Hamburg
Convention of the Upper district
will meet with the Hamburg Bap
tist church at 2 O'clock on the
second Sunday in August* All
singers are invited to attend this
meeting.
Pfc. Monroe Wilson
Awarded Five Battle Stars
Pfc. Monroe L. Wilson, son of
Mr. and Mrs. Walter Wilson, of
Gay has been awarded five Battle
stars. He also holds the good con
duct medal and the ETO Ribbon.
East LaPorte Cemetery To
Observe Decoration Day
It has been announced that the
annual grave yard decoration will
be held at ?ast LaPorte Sunday,
August 12. Mr. Hugh Monteith of
There will be no picnic lunch
served.
The Army's "Wood for War" |
motorcade under the command of
Lt. Joseph H. Mitchell, veteran
parachutist, with six wounded
fighting men who have just re
turned from European and Pacific
Battlefronts, will reach Sylva on
Tuesday, August 28th.
The motorcade is on a 1,500 mile
t >ur of North Carolina's wood
producing areas for the purpose of
bringing to the farmers and work
ers in the woods and the mills a
message of appreciation to those
who have been responsible for
North Carolina's tremendous prod
uction of pulpwood and saw1 logs
during the past year. Lt. Mitchell
said he hoped that, the direct mess
age from the motorcade's combat
veterans would influence any
workers who have not been car
rying their share of the production
load to stay on the job and get out
the urgently needed lumber and
pulpwood products.
While in Sylva and vicinity the
mjtcrcadc will visit woods ar.d
mill operations where walk
throughs, assemblies or commun
ity rallies will be held. If a night
meeting is held the War Depart
ment's special combat film, "San
Pietro", will be shown.
The veterans traveling with the
motorcade have all been in the
thick of the fighting in Europe and
tfr'e Pacific and wear many de
corations for gallentry in action.
Lt. Mitchell holds the .Purple
Heart, European Theatre Ribbon
with two stars and the President
ial Unit citation for assault land
ing on the beaches at Anzio. He
fought in Sicily and Italy for 14
months where he served with the
504th Parachute Infantry Rcgi
The motorcade is a fully equiped
field unit with staff car and sound
truck equipped with motion pic
ture projector and loud speaker
facilities. Mr. Robert Patterson,
the Undersecretary of War, author
ized the 1,500 mile tour at the
(Continued on page 8)
Cpl. Ray B. Ashe ^
Home On Furlough
Cpl. Ray B. Ashe, son of^ Mr.
and Mrs. T. Walter Ashe, of Sylva,
left August 5th after spending a
week's furlough at home. He was
called home due to the illness
and death of his grandmother,
Mrs. Amanda Jackson.
Cpl. Ashe is stationed at the
Columbia Air Base, Columbia, S.
C. and is specializing in Radar.
He has been in service for the past
seventeen months.
REVERBERATIONS
OF BOMB FELT
OVER WIDE AREA
A blinding blast followed within |
40 seconds by a shuddering explo- 1
sicm that sent a huge multi-colored
cloud roaring upward to an altitude
of 40,000 feet and caused rever- :
berations felt for a 25-mile radius
across New Mexico and Arizona
marked the first test of the new
destructive atomic bomb, con
ducted July 16 at a remote loca
tion on the Alamogordo, N. M.
army air base.
The steel tower which held the
bomb was melted and turned into
vapor by the blast, and in the earth
of the remote New Mexico desert
test ground a deep crater *was
gouged .
"Thb |t It"
As winds dispersed the mass that
had shot into the stratosphere in
five minutes, and the tremendous
pressure wave, that knocked down
two men standing five miles away
passed over, the scientists and mili
tary authorities whispered, "this is
it." They said the test of their $2,
000,000,000 experiment, was suc
cessful beyond all hope.
They had observed the test from
10 miles. In disclosing details of j
the bomb which hit Japan for the
first time today, the army quoted
them today as seeing a ball of fire
iiiany times brigau*r than the
mid-day sun."
The brilliant flash startled a
blind girl, Miss Georgia Green, 120
?iuics away, and she asked "what's
that?" Windows rattled at Gal- i
lup, N. M., 250 miles northwest.
'it was just like the sun had. -
come up and then suddenly gone
down again," one witness 150 miles
west remarked.
Face Relaxes In Relief
In the control center, Dr. James
B. Conant, president of Harvard
university, and J. R. Oppenhemer,
director of the atomic laboratory,
stared ahead in the long seconds
before the blast.
When the announcer shouted
' now!" and there came a burst of
(Continued on page 4)
L?al C. A. P. Ti
Be Rergawed
Johnny Watson, instructor at the
Airport has announced that the
local C. A. P. unit is to be re
organized. Lack of interest up until
tl.is time has kept the unit from
functioning properly, and it has
been further announced that if
the organization becomes an act
ive one more needed material will
be available; such as radio, air
craft parts, and other things.
The C. A. P. is still open for
applications and it is urgently
requested that interest be kept
alive in this important program.
Applicants between the age of
16-65 will be accepted.
The C. A, P, an auxiliary of
the army, was begun in 1940 and
active members are under army
regulations and entitled to wear
uniforms and identification insig
nia.
ehartcs Rfeed;
Undergoes Operation
At Mission Hospital
Charles Reed, Jr., son of Mr.
and Mrs. Charles Reed of Sylva
has recently undergone an opera
tion on his leg at the Mission Hos
pital in Asheville. Mrs. Reed ac
companied Charles and will re
main with him during his con
valescence. Reports are that he is
making satisfactory progress.
Lions Club Will Observe
Ladies' Night.
The Sylva Lions Club will ob
serve Ladies' Night Wednesday,
August, 15th, on the lawn of the
Scott's Creek Baptist church. The
event will be in the form of a
picnic served by the members of
the Young Woman's Circle of the
Woman's Missionary Society* The
wives and friends of the Lions will
be guests
JAPAN HIT WITH NEW
MISSEL FIRST TIME
SUNDAY MORNING
New Bomb Said To Be
2,000 Times More Destruc
tive Than Blockbuster
The mystery surrounding the
purpose ? of the huge project at
Clinton, Tenn., was lifted Monday
when President Harry Truman
announced that on Sunday morn
ing American airmen dropped ter
rifying new atomic bombs on
Hiroshima transportation center of
Japan, the bombs having been
manufactured at the Clinton plant.
The president, in making his
announcement on Board the Unit
ed States Cruiser Augusta which
is bringing him home from his Big
Three meeting in Germany, said
that "we have just dropped a
bomb on Japan which has more
power than 20,000 tons of TNT. It
was an overwhelming success."'
He made this remark to the of
ficers of -the ship, and then pro
ceeded on about the ship telling
members of the crew of bomb.
His official statement was later
issued through the White House
at 11 A. M. Eastern War Time
Monday. He said the first atomic
bomb, invented and perfected in
the United States, had been dropped
(V) the Japanese army base of
Hiroshima.
That one bomb alone carried a
wholly more violent than 2,000
B-29 Superfortresses normally
could hand an enemy city, using
old type TNT bombs.
ONLY A BEGINNING
And bombs of this type are only
a beginning. Mr. Truman said
thai while these are now in pro
duction "even more powerful
forms are in development."
Initial reports on the dreadful
power of the atomic explosive
came from Los Alamos, N. M.,
where it was tested July 16. A
steel tower holding the test model
was vaporized when it went off*
A great crater was torn in the
earth. Windows rattled 250 miles ?
away and forest rangers 150 miles
away thought there had been an
earthquake. A brilliant light
flamed over the whole landscape.
The War Department began ex
periments on the new weapon over
three years ago when it started the
huge project at Clinton, Tenn.,
where now 125,000 people are
busily engaged in producing the
weapon. The Clinton project had
been shrouded in mystery until
the President's announcement
Monday. Now even the workmen
in the plant knew fully what was
being produced.
Many Jackson People
Working At Oak Ridge
Jackson county has helped create
the new and vital force that has
been released lor use, the atomic
bomb whose secret was revealed
to an amazed world for the first
time Monday afternoon.
Since the early days of 1942
when the building of this town,
which was to house this tremend
ous secret, began, workers from
JacksoBu-iauaty*, lft,
to this project and the growth in
numbers has been steady since
that time. All departments, , from
construction units to clerical work
ers, are represented. Speculation
as to the product has ranged from
every thing from war weapons Xd .
post war articles and the new
force is yet too young for its lull
significance to be known.
Perhaps with the coming of peace
Jackson county workers can help
turn this new force into the chan
nels of constructive workmanship
and away from the purposes for
which it was discovered.
Major Carl Byrd Fisher
Returns To Robbins Field
Major Carl Byrd Fisher has rt-v\
turned to Robbing Field, Gan after .
visiting First Sft an d Mxv. J.
Fisher at thtfr bona lot the *** |
tan days. ? '?
' . * ^