m
The News record
SERVING THE PEOPLE OF MADISON COUNTY
?*?
On thm Insldm . ? .
Lady Bicyclist Visits
Marshall On Way To
Florida - See Page 3A
79th Year No. 44
PUBLISHED WEEKLY IN THE COUNTY SEAT AT MARSHALL, N.C.
THURSDAY, October 30, 1980
15* Per Copy
ford Endorses Hendon, Gudger Stumps Counties
Campaigns In High Gear For Election Day
By NICHOLAS HANCOCK
In the last week before the
polls open on election day,
candidates from both
Republican and Democratic
parties have gone all out to
woo voters to their side on
Nov. 4. Candidates on the state
and federal level have worn
the campaign trails nearly in
to ruts in Western North
Carolina, particularly in the
11th Congressional District.
The contest for the 11th
District congressional seat
between Democrat Lamar
Gudger and Republican
William (Bill) Hendon will
probably be the most closely
watched race in the state, and
some political sages are say
ing the race will be the closest
one in recent memory for the
district
Gudger, 61, is seeking his
third term as congressional
representative for the 11th
District, and touts having
"Brought representative
government back to Western
North Carolina in his cam
paign speeches. Hendon, a 35
year old Asheville
businessman, has never held
elective office and states "It's
time for a change' regarding
spiraling inflation and other
ills he says are brought on by
the Democratic party.
Rep. Gudger hit the cam
paign trail heavily last week
?- '? -??32$
by boarding a chartered bus to
visit the county seats in all 17
counties comprising the 11th
District. He stopped in Mar
shall Friday morning during
the seventh day of his tour to
meet with local Democratic
candidates and supporters on
the steps of the courthouse
Introduced to the audience
by Zeno Ponder as "one of the
best congressmen in Con
gress,' Gudger responded by
saying, "I feel as close to the
people of Madison County as
to any people on Earth.'
Gudger lauded the
Democratic ticket, and urged
voters to support the best slate
of Democratic candidates
"we ve had in a long time."
He told supporters he has been
doing his job in Congress by
"voting for the things that you
thought important... for
agriculture support, for a
strong national defense and
for issues concerning the ag
ing."
Gudger ended the 30 minute
campaign address saying, "I
belong to you, and these
Democratic candidates belong
to you. Let's get to work on
building a better tomorrow for
Madison County. "
On the Republican cam
paign trail, former president
Gerald R. Ford flew into
Asheville Sunday to attend a
rally at the Western North
Carolina f
REP. LAMAR GUDGER addresses voters
and Democratic election hopefuls from the
steps of the Madison County Courthouse Fri
Hav
where an estimated crowd of
more than 1,000 turned out for
what was billed as "Bill Hen
don Day In Western North
jjjjzre- ~
J GROWD of voters, candidates, of
ficials and the curious gathered at
the Madison County courthouse to
listen to Rep. Lamar Gudger
praise Democratic candidates
and officials before Tuesday's
election.
Westco Telephone Files
Rate Hike Request
Western Carolina andl
West co Telephone Companies
Tuesday filed rate proposals
which would generate
$3,560,580 in additional annual
revenue for the combined
companies
Eugene Morris, president of
the two companies, said that
the last time they asked the
North Carolina Utilities Com
mission for rate increases ( in
1979) they were (ranted about
62 percent of what was re
quested
ft is expected tfcat the re
quested CommMM order
will be issued in late spring
1*1 The lest year end for the
current filing is Jane 90, 1M0.
taxes about 200%. There have
been substantial increases in
the cost of gasoline and elec
trical power.
"Despite very large in
creases in operating costs, we
have been able to keep the
amount o ( this request at a
rate below the consumer price
index for the same period. The
requested increase is also
within the President's price
guideline
"Without a rate increase,
we could not continue attrac
ting borrowed capital at a
reasonable interest rate in
order ta meet the service inl
and Beads of our
Local service rates would go
up by an average of
- E?
Unbundling, to be phased in
throughout the industry over
the next year, separates costs
of telephone instruments from
charges related to the
customer's basic access to
telephone service
This provides the private
line customer with the option
to own his telephones ? much
as he owns other appliances in
his business or home: the
washer, the refrigerator, the
toaster.
Western Carolina and
Westco are among other com
panies filing the unbundled
rate format in compliance
with the FCC order issued ear
ly this summer
The M telephone exchanges
of the two companies grew by
or a 36.2
last rate
Carolina "
Ford readily endorsed Hen
don as the Republican con
gressional candidate, and
' ./mi. , irmm
echoed Mention s call to stop
inflation and create a change
in government by supporting
and electing the Republicans
on Nov. 4. The former presi
dent blamed the
Democratically controlled
Congress and President
Carter for the nations
economic woes stating the
rate of inflation on the day of
Carter s inauguration was 4.8
percent, and "under Jimmy
Carter today it's 13 percent,
he said.
Sharing the stage with Ford'
and Hendon at the rally were
former Gov. Jim Holshouser,
Chairman K. Curtis Ratcliff of
the Buncombe County Com
missioners and Mars Hill at
torney Bruce Briggs
Briggs. a former Superior
Court judge and state
legislator, is serving as Hen
don s campaign manager, and
has himself opposed Gudger
for the congressional seat in
the past.
Ford attacked Carter on his
economic and foreign policies
and defense records while he
used Hendon s rally to pro
mote Ronald Reagan for the
presidency. He said Carter's
foreign policy has been "a
total failure." that inflation
under Carter "is a rampage,
and "this country is in peril
because of military expen
diture cutbacks initiated by
FORMER PRESIDENT Gerald
R. Ford campaigned for Bill Hen
r '1U1U ? uy n. riancoCK
don in Asheville Sunday night at
Republican rally.
Ford said Reagan "will
make a very good president,
and he reminded the audience
that a Republican president
would be much more effective
with a Republican Congress to
support him
The former president said
that during the 20 years he had
served in the U.S. House of
Representatives he had seen
many congressmen and that
Hendon would rank among the
best. He said he had been
traveling extensively this fall
campaigning for 29 congres
sional candidates, and he
would rate Hendon as a man
of quality who should serve in
Congress
After the rally and a brief
press conference at the
Farmers Market, Ford joined
Hendon and other Republican
candidates and party leaders
at a S25<>-per-person fund rais
ing dinner at the Biltmore
Forest Country Club
' Most Gruesome Crime In Recent History '
Graverobbery Suspects
Indicted, Await Trial
By KEVIN MORLEY
On October 20, 1980. the Grand Jury
for Madison County returned True Bills
of Indictment against three persons
charging each of them with six counts
of "Grave-robbing", which is a viola
tion of General Statute 14-150. and is a
felony charge.
These indictments arose out of the in
vestigation of the June entry into a
private mausoleum in Hot Springs, and
the theft of valuables and remains from
the graves of Bessie May Safford, the
daughter-in-law of President Andrew
Johnson. Bernard Rumbough Baker,
James Rumbough Safford, Mary Lee
Hilt, Daniel Bigelow Safford. and Ann
Dandridge Baker.
Removal from the graves of skulls,
teeth, rings and other items valued at
$30,000 prompted some observers to
call it the most gruesome crime in
Madison County in recent history.
Indicted were McKinley Luther
Aikens. 20, and Stanley Lewis. 49. both
of Hot Springs, and Louis Bolio, whose
current address is not known but who
was residing in Hot Springs at the time
of the crime.
Bollo is reportedly under arrest in
Florida on unrelated charges but will
be returned to Madison County to face
trial with the other defendants.
Trial for the three is anticipated to
begin during the December 8, Regular
Criminal Session of the Madison County
Superior Court in Marshall. Conviction
on the charges could bring prison terms
of up to ten years on each count.
Aikens was served with an order for
arrest on these charges while in
custody at the Madison County jail on
unrelated charges On Oct. 27, he was
turned over to State Corrections of
ficials after being sentenced by the
Superior Court to two two year
sentences to be served concurrently,
one for assault with a deadly weapon
and the other for violation of probation.
Stanley Lewis was arrested at his
home in Hot Springs by Sheriff E.Y.
Ponder who said the three had been
suspects since the case was first in
vestigated. and had been under
surveillance for some time.
Bond for Lewis and Aikens was set in
the amount of $50,000 00 by Judge
Frank W. Snepp. Lewis is being held in
jail in lieu of bond
McAlister
Appointed
Chairman
Maurice L. McAlister of
Marshall has been appointed
Madison County chairman of
North Carolina State Universi
ty Alumni Association s
1980-81 Loyalty Fund Cam
paign
McAlister. a 1970 graduate
of N.C. State's School of
Education, said:
"There are 40 N.C. State
alumni in Madison County,
and we re counting on them to
help sustain and expand our
first true merit scholarship
program. Volunteers will be
calling the alumni in the coun
ty November 10-25 qsking for
their support.
Support of alumni in
Madison County and the sur
rounding area will be a key in
the associations efforts to
raise more than 1400,000.
GERALD FORD addresses crowd
of 1,000 at Western North Carolina
Farmers Market Sunday.
'? V
Good Turnout
Seen For Election
About 65 percent of the
registered voter's in Madison
County will probably turn out
to cast their ballots on Tues
day. Nov. 4, according to
Oscar McDevitt, chairman of
the Madison County Board of
Elections. McDevitt said the
predicted turnout would be ap
proximately 10 percent higher
if a sheriff or county commis
sioners were up for election
this year.
As of the registration
deadline on Oct. 6, 10,678 per
sons are eligible to vote on
Nov. 4 in Madison County.
Madison Deputies Set Up Roadblock
A bank robbery in Maggie Valley sent Madison
County Sheriff s deputies hurrying out Monday
morning to set up road blocks on Routes 53 and
209.
The Sheriff s office was notified around *26
a.m. that the getaway car was beaded for Soco
Gap driven by a white male, around six feet tall,
Armed with shot guns and rifles the deputies
were dispatched to cover the possible excape
paths that lay in Madison County. ?
?
Late word Monday indicated that two suspects
had abandoned the car and were being j
foot At that point the deputies
stake-outs and returned to f
That s a 626 increase in
registered voters from the
1978 general election.
Broken down into party af
filiation, the Board of Election
records show 7,165 Democrats
registered, up 534 from 1978;
3,121 Republicans, up 88; one
Independent; 391 Unaffiliated,
up 25 There are no Liber
tarians, Citizen or Socialist
Worker party members
registered in the county.
McDevitt said as of last
Thursday, 131 civilian
absentee ballots have been re
quested and 15 military ser
vice persons have applied for
absentee ballots