SERVING THE PEOPLE OF MADISON
Vol. 84 No. 34
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PUBLISHED WEEKLY IN THE COUNTY SEAT AT MAR* tf*RsHA
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Suspect Indicted In
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Morgan Murder Case
Former Co-Worker Is Charged
By ROBERT KOENIG
A Madison County grand jury indicted James
Arthur Adams, a former VISTA worker, in the
1970 murder of Nancy Dean Morgan during
Monday's meeting in Marshall. Adams was in
dicted on charges of first degree murder, com
mon law rape and obstructing justice in connec
tion with the June 17, 1970 murder of Miss
Morgan.
Neither District Attorney James Rusher or
Madison County Sheriff would comment on
Adams' whereabouts. Both men said that he is
no longer living in North Carolina, but that his
location is known. Sheriff Ponder said he has
spoken with the suspect during the past week.
Ponder said he expects to arrest some time this
week, possibly as early as today.
Nancy Dean Morgan was a 24-year old
Volunteer In Service To America (VISTA)
worker assigned to Madison County at the time
of her death. Her nude body was found bound in
the back seat of a government-owned car at a
secluded pulloff near Hot Springs on June 17,
1970. Autopsy results indicated that she died of
strangulation and that she had been sexually
molested. She was believed to have died two
days before her body was discovered.
Investigators from both the Federal and
State Bureaus of Investigation assisted local
authorities in investigating the murder in 1970
and questioned Adams, Morgan's VISTA co
worker at the time of her death.
Adams told investigators at the time that
Morgan left his home in the Bluff section at 3:30
a.m. on Monday, June 15. Adams told in
vestigators that Morgan left to return to her
home in Shelton Laurel. The 24-year old Loui
siana native's body was discovered two days
later by James Roger Lewis.
The 14-year investigation leading up to Mon
day's indictment spanned the terms of three
Madison County sheriffs - Roy Roberts, >
Dedrick Brown and E. Y. Ponder. Discussing
the case Monday, Sheriff Ponder said, "What
we have done today is the result of a lot of effort
since the time of the crime. Hardly a week has
gone by in the past 12 years that I didn't receive
some information on the case. With the erosion
of time, a man that was in a position to know
what happened has come forward."
Ponder declined to identify the witness, say
ing only that the man's testimony was the key
to obtaining the indictments handed down by
the grand jury.
'Insufficient Evidence' Found
DA's Report Clears Ponder
By ROBERT KOENIG
North Carolina Department
of Transportation board
member Zeno Ponder has
been cleared of wrongdoing in
connection with his purchase
of a 19-acre parcel of land
along the right-of-way of the
new Marshall-to-Spring Creek
highway.
District Attorney James T.
Rusher announced the deci
sion clearing Ponder last
Thursday in Marshall. Rusher
and Wake County DA Ran
dolph Riley were appointed by
Gov. James B. Hunt, Jr. to in
vestigate the 1982 land pur
chase in June of this year. On
June 96, the district attorneys
called for an investigation by
the State Bureau of Investiga
tion.
In a statement presented to
the press on Thursday, Rusher
and Riley said : "It is mutually
concluded, as a result of the
investigation, and after con
sultation with each other, that
there exists insufficient
evidence to prove beyond a
k ? 1
reasonable doubt that Mr.
Zeno Ponder has violated the
North Carolina Criminal
Law."
The investigation centered
around Ponder's purchase of a
19.5-aere tract on land on May
15, 1962. On July 8, 1982, the
state DOT board, of which
Ponder is a member, approv
ed a project to construct a new
road linking Spring Creek and
Marshall. Ponder has deeded
a 2.5-acre section of the pro
perty to the state for the con
struction of the new road.
In defending his decision to
purchase the land, Ponder
said he bought the property in
order to insure that the road
would be built. At the time of
the purchase. Ponder said, he
feared that someone else
might purchase the land and
prevent the road's construc
tion.
On Monday, Ponder told The
News Record that he has no
regrets concerning the land
purchase. "If 1 was confronted
with the same choices again, I
ijuai ? ? >? j -? -'~i
would do it again the same
way. I was only working
diligently to carry out a com
mittment that I made along
with Speaker of the House
Liston Ramsey and Gov Bob
Scott some 14 years ago to
build a road from Spring
Creek to Marshall so that
children won't have to ride a
school bus for four hours a
day."
When the investigation was
first announced, Ponder said
that his political enemies were
behind the investigation.
Ponder took a leave of
absence from his DOT board
post while the investigation
was being conducted. After
conferring with aides to Gov.
James B. Hunt on Monday,
Ponder said that he will
resume his duties as a board
member immediately. He told
The Record. "I'm looking for
ward to returning to the board
with the governor's support. I
intend to continue to do the
very best Job I can for the peo
ple of the district I represent."
While the investigation into
the land purchase centered
around whether Ponder profit
ted illegally from his position
as a DOT board member.
Ponder said on Monday that
he has lost money as a result
of the purchase. The loss,
estimated at $3,000, resulted
from the gift of a 2.5-acre por
tion of the property. In addi
tion to the property donated to
the state for the project,
Ponder said, a six-acre por
tion of the property will be
isolated by the road's con
struction.
Ponder praised both Rusher
and Riley for the thoroughness
of the investigation, saying,
"It's almost inconceivable
that members of both parties
could conduct an investigation
such as this and come out with
anything but a compromise. I
think both men (Rusher and
Ri|ey> did what they thought
was right. This matter has
been examined as thoroughly
at possible and I commend
them for a fine job." J
92-YEAR OLD OSCAR ANDERSON side his home. Anderson also tends
OF PAINT FORK maintains flowers to flowers at the Paint Fork Baptist
at the Walker Branch road sign out- Church.
Greater Ivy Wins County
Beautification Contest
ROBERT KOENIG
Tbf Greater Ivy Community
Development Club was
selected as the winner of the
Madison County Community
Beautification contest. The
club will represent Madison
County in the final round of
judging to be held throughout
the 17 counties of Western
North Carolina later this
month. The annual contest is
co-sponsored by the Western
North Carolina Development
Associaton and the N.C.
Agricultural Extension Ser
vice.
Final judging in the ocntest
will be held Aug. 28 through 30.
Awards totalling $2,000 will be
presented on Sept. 11 in
ceremonies at the Governor's
Western Residence in
Asheviile.
You won't find Greater Ivy
on anymap. It's not a small
to\*r?, but an organization of 22
small communities on the
tributaries of California
Creek, Middle Fork, Paint
Fork and Holcombe Branch
which feed into the Ivy River.
The Greater Ivy Community
Development Club was
organized in 1975 and has
dominated beautification con
tests in the county ever since.
The club was named the coun
ty'sbeautificaiton winner in
1975, 1976, 1977 and 1979 and
also won the national Keep
America Beautiful Contest in
1980.
This year'svictory was a
complete community effort
according to beautification
chairmann Faye Boone, The
Continued on Page 6
Joe Griffey Is Named
Marshall Police Chief
Joe Worley Griffey was
named the chief of Marshall
police Friday morning at a
special called meeting of the
town's Board of Aldermen.
Griffey was nominated for the
position by Marshall Mayor
Betty Wild. The appointment
was made on a unanimous
vote of the aldermen. Griffey
is a Marshall native and
formerly served as a
patrolman with both the Mar
shall and Hot Springs police.
Griffey was sworn in as the
new police chief immediately
following the Friday morning
meeting and began work Fri
day afternoon. He will be paid
$900 a month to supervise the
town's two police officers.
Mayor Wild told the new
police chief, "You're going to
be responsible for the police
department, the upkeep of the
vehicles and making sire they
(the town's police officers)
are where they belong "
Griffey told the aldermen
that he favors keeping the
police cars within Uw town
limits. The officers have been
taking the cars home when off
duty in an attempt to prevent
vandalism to the town's police
cars.
Wild told Griffey. That's
up to you. You're calHag the
shots. The board won't in
terfere with you. It's your Job
to straighten out what we
ha ve -
in other matters considered
at the Friday senton, the town
voted to rent a building on
Island Rd. owned by Buddy
Buckner to stare the town's
vehicles and equipment. The
building will be rented for $1S
per month
Lunstord Guilty On
Simple Assault Charge
By ROBERT KOKNIQ
Marshall alderman Sammy
Lunaford was found guilty of a
misdemeanor charge of. sim
ple assault in Madison County
District Court Friday after
noon Lunsfdrd was originally
"charged with felonious assault
with a deadly weap?r and ar
M following a softball game on
Blannergassett Island. The of
ficer told the court that he
( Bowman ) had interceded in a
fight between Chris I
the alderman's i
Treadway thai broke out at
t he end of a
of the
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Lunsf* -
a cwwd *,(
"Idjrfn't
itify the gun used in the at
tack He Mitt Uwt following
the initial attack l.unsford
then hit Mm again and told
him not to hit his ton. H
The officer said he ret ,-,ve<4 1
a gaati t>n the forHtoad that re- 1
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