Elkin
"The Best Little Town
in North Carolina"
VOL. No. XXIX. No. 17
CHARRED BODY
OF SURRY HAN
FOUNDJN FIRE
George Atkins, 62, Burned to
Death in Home
NEAR WHITE PLAINS
Officers Check Possibility of
v Suicide and Foul Play;
Guns Found
FINAL RITES TODAY
4 Surry county man, George
AtKtos, 62, was burned to death
about midnight Tuesday when fire
destroyed his home in the White
Plains secfcton.
Officers ?%ere investigating the
possibility of suicide or foul play,
it was said, after finding both a
pistol and shotgun near the char
red body.
Mr. Atkins was living in the
seven-room brick house with his
son, Ashby Atkins. The son left
home earlier in the evening, tell
ing officers that his father was
sitting before a small grate fire
smoking his pipe when he left. Re
turning about 11:30, Ashby found
the house in flames. He attempted
to get in, he said, but hot fire
prevented his entering. He then
drove two miles to the home of
Joe Draughan for help.
When they returned to the
house it had been completely
burned. The body of George At
kins was found near the fire place,
a pistol on one side of the body
and a shotgun on the other. The
flames had consumed the body, it
was said, the only way investigat
ors being able to recongnize that
it was a human body being be
cause of the bone structure.
Coroner Robert E. Smith called
an investigation and later said
there was no reason to suspect any
foul play. Neither could anything
be found at the moment to indi
cate suicide. It was learned by the
authorities that the dead man had
been drinking heavily and that he
was under the influence of liquor
Tuesday night.
Pear that foul play might have
been involved was strengthened
when a neighbor reported they
saw a black sedan, with a Vir
ginia license tag, pull away from
the house about the time Ashby
Atkins returned with help.
Surviving Mr. Atkins are his
wife, Mrs. Fannie Slaydon Atkins,
who did not live with her hus
band but who lived in the neigh
borhood; two daughters, Mrs.
Vance Marion and Mrs. Hadley
Harrell of the White Plains sec
tion; five sons. Doc Atkins of the
United States Army air corp at
Akron, Ohio, Woltz Atkins of the
CCC camp at Mortimer this state,
Calvin Atkins of Statesville, Har
ley Atkins of Mt. Airy, Route 4,
and Ashby Atkins of the home.
Funeral services will be con
ducted Thursday afternoon at 3
o'clock from White Plains Baptist
church. Interment will be in the
church graveyard.
YADKIN PASTOR
PASSES_A WAY
Rev. R. P. Coram Dies Wed
nesday; Had Retired from
Active Work
FUNERAL RITES TODAY
Rev. R. P. Coram, 80, a Bap
tist minister and well loved citi
zen of Yadkin county, died at his
home at Boonville at 1 o'clock
Wednesday morning. He was a
life-long resident of the Boonville
section and during his active
work in the ministry served
churches in Yadkin, Surry,
Wilkes, Davie and Iredell coun
ties. He retired from active work
five years ago, having served
many churches as pastor for
more than 30 years at the time
of his retirement.
Survivors include his wife, who
before her marriage v was Miss
Amanda Clingman Reece, three
children: Mrs. Enos Stinson, Mrs.
Ransom Burgess and Mrs. Nan
nie Davis, all of Eoonville, 13
grandchildren and five great
grandchildren.
| Funeral services will be held
£oday at 2 pjn. from Charity Bap
tist church. The services will be in
charge of Rev. E. W. Turner, of
Mocksville; Rev. Will Crissman,
of East Bend; Rev. R. E. Adams,
i of Mayodan, and Rev. E. G. Jor
don, of Elkin. Interment will be
in the church graveyard.
In 1843 Atlanta, Ga., was call
ed Marthasvliie.
THE ELKIN TRIBUNE
TWf) VATAT T V JJT IJ?T VC\T IT2 1/V JT JT?VD A Jonesville boy and an Elkin girl received fatal
111 U tAIALLI nUt\l , tuilli liyjUtxiLlJ injuries, and four companions were hurt, two
seriously, when the car pictured above was wrecked on the Boonville-Crutchfield highway about 4 o'clock Sunday
afternoon. Said to have been travelling at 80 miles an hour, the car struck a highway fence, catapulted across a 30-
foot fill, and landed as pictured at the edge of the nearby woods. Those fatally hurt were Thomas Barnett, 17, of Jones
ville, and Ruth Groce, 16, of Elkin. Those injured were Marie Collins, 18, of Elkin; Carolyn Barnett, 15, of Jonesville,
said to have been the driver, and Hubert and Vern Ester, 21 and 18 respectively, of Roaring River.—(Tribune Photo.)
- v J Mw, i'' s f; '. H
***&&
FOLGER SEEKS
ANOTHER TERM
Fifth District Congressman
Files as Candidate for ,
Re-election
IS SURRY COUNTY MAN
Washington, March 2 Con
gressman Alonzo D. Folger, of
Mount Airy, Democratic national
committeeman from North Caro
lina, was today among the North
Carolina House members who
filed his application and paid his
fee as a candidate for re-election
to Congress from the Fifth North
Carolina district.
The announcement by Mr. Fol
ger that he will ask re-election
was received with great satisfac
tion by his large circle of friends
in the House, especially members
of the committee on banking and
currency, of which he is a mem
ber.
Mr. Folger is a native of North
Carolina and has been promi
nently identified with the affairs
of the state, especially Surry
county, since his young manhood.
He was born in Dobson, Surry
county, July 9, 1888. and was
graduated from the University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill in
1912 with an A.B. degree. He was
for years one of the trustees of
his alma mater. He served as a
judge of the superior court in
North Carolina in 1937, but re
signed to render service in the
national campaign. He was unan
imously elected a member of the
national committee of his party
in 1936, and is one of the out
standing members of the Demo
cratic National committee from
the South.
A consistent Democrat, Mr.
Folger has made an enviable rec
ord as a member of the commit
tee on banking and currency. He
succeeded Frank W. Hancock on
this committee as soon as he
came to Congress.
Mr. Folger married Miss Ger
trude Reece in 1919, and they
have two sons, Alonzo Dillard,
Jr., and Jack, aged 16 and 13, re
spectively. Folger was nominat
ed for Congress in the primary of
June two years ago by a ma
jority of 6,000 over two oppon
ents, Marshal C. Kurfees, of Win
ston-Salem, raid George Fulk, of
Leaksville.
MASONS HOLD MEETING
HERE TUESDAY NIGHT
At a meeting of the Elkin Ma
sonic Lodge here Tuesday night,
work in the third degree was ad
ministered, it was learned Wed
nesday.
Worshipful Master W. M. Wal
ters, from the Granite Lodge,
Mount Airy, and several other
Mount Airy members were pres
ent. Masons from the Pilot
Mountain Lodge were also pres
ent, it was said.
To Run Again
SSSr^rf
mrm
Congressman A. D. (Lon)
Folger, of Surry, who has served
the Fifth District during the
past two years, has announced
that he will be a candidate to
succeed himself in office.
COMMISSIONERS
HOLDJEETING
Discuss Plans for Improve
ment of School Here But
No Decision Made
GO THROUGH ROUTINE
A large amount of business of
routine nature was transacted by
the Surry county board of com
missioners, which met Monday at
Dobson.
Plans for the improvement of
the elementary school building
here, a portion of the upper story
of which has been condemned as
unsafe for children due to in
adequate fire exits, were discussed
but nothing definite was decided.
Among the bills which have
faced the county and reported
settled in full, was the balance of
the purchase price of the Moun
tain Park high sphool property,
which was purchased sometime
ago from the Hay more estate.
In settlement of the estate, the
property was offered the county
at a very reasonable price and is
regarder a valuable acquisition to
the county public school property.
S. S. ASSOCIATION TO
MEET WITH WESTFIELD
The monthly Baptist Sunday
school association of Surry county
will convene with the Westfield
Baptist church Sunday afternoon,
March 10, at 2:15. All Baptist
churches in the county are re
quested to have a representative
present.
ELKIN, N. C, THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 1940
FIRE DESTROYS
FARMOFFICES
County Agent's Building in
Yadkin Goes up in Smoke
Early Wednesday
LOSS ESTIMATED SIO,OOO
Fire destroyed the office build
ing of Yadkin county's farm and
home demonstration agents of
Yadkinville Wednesday morning
with a loss estimated at SIO,OOO.
In addition to the money loss,
many valuable farm records that
cannot be replaced were burned.
The hot flame from the one
story brick building, located on
the court house square threaten
ed the Yadkin county court house
and other buildings in the vicin
ity. Volunteer workers managed
to prevent the flames from
spreading but could do little to
ward fighting the blaze in the
farm agent's office.
Federal Soil Conservation
checks totaling SIO,OOO were de
stroyed in the blaze. These
checks came in recently and were
being distributed. They can be
duplicated.
There was no insurance on the
building or contents, it was said.
Insurance of $2,000 was carried
on the building until some time
ago when county officials let it
drop.
When the fire had burned it
self out, only the back and side
walls were left standing, the roof
burning off and the front wall
collapsing.
Chatham Plant
Begins Full
Operation
The new finishing plant of the
Chatham Manufacturing Com
pany, under construction here for
the past six months and only re
cently completed at a cost of ap
proximately half a million dol
lars, began full operation Mon
day morning as the huge task of
moving machinery and other
equipment from the Winston-Sa
lem plant was completed.
Moving of equipment had been
under way for about two months,
and parts of the new plant have
been in operation for some weeks.
With full production here, ap
proximately 500 of the former
Winston-Salem employees are
now working in the new plant.
Many have moved their families
here, others are rooming, while
some are commuting between
Elkin and Winston-Salem.
Although the new office build
ing is not quite completed, the
entire office staff of the com
pany is now here, It was said.
To Speak Here
I m
!&■
llliifc tB
,
H^^HH
v .
Dr. Ralph McDonald, above,
of the faculty of the Univer
sity of North Carolina, will
speak here Friday evening; at 8
o'clock at the Elkin Methodist
church as the first of a series
of distinguished speakers to be
brought here by the newly or
ganized forum, which is spon
sored by local civic clubs. Dr.
McDonald's talk will be non
political and non-sectarian.
Prior to his address, Dr. Mc-
Donald will speak to the Elkin
Klwanis club at their meeting
at Hotel Elkin, which has been
postponed one day for that rea
son. The public is invited to
hear him when he speaks at
the Methodist church.
Election Charge
Against Thomasson
Is Dismissed
Yadkinville, March 6 —(Special)
—The case against Stowe Thom
asson, charged with violation of
election laws, was nolle prossed
with leave in superior court here
Thursday afternoon.
Thomasson, who was registrar
of election in Buck Bhoals town
ship in the 1938 elections, had
been indicted, along with others,
the specific charge being that he
had entered names on the books
without the voter being present.
The palm is one of the oldest
measures of length. It was the
width of the open hand at the
base of the fingers—about three
I Inches.
Two Are Killed, Four
Hurt In Crash Near
Crutchfield Sunday
I LATE /
From
NEWS
TmT State
IN
BRIEF N T
LOCAL
A REVIEW of outstanding
world-wide news of the day by
C. J. Hyslup, director of the
Thurmond Chatham Unity
club, was a feature of the club
meeting held Monday evening
at the clubhouse here. Fol
lowing the news review, Mr.
Hyslup presented a question
naire, the answer to the 20
questions appearing on the
quiz, to be answered by num
ber. Eighteen of the 20 ques
tions were correctly answered
by three of the young clubmen
who tied for the prize offered.
Special" guests of the meeting
were 20 young men of the
group of Chatham employees
who have moved this week
from Winston-Salem to the
new plant here.
E. G. LACKEY, 22, was
found guilty of assault on a
female in Yadkin superior
court last Thursday night by
a Yadkin county jury after
they had deliberated two hours
and 15 minutes, and was sen
tenced by Judge W. H. Bobbitt
to six months on the road, sus
pended upon payment of the
costs. Young Lackey was
originally charged with crim
inal assault, a capital offense,
but the charge was later
amended to the lesser count.
COMMITTEE members from
the various townships of Surry
county met at Dobson Monday
morning at the call of W. M.
Johnson, secretary of the Sur
ry county Democratic execu
tive committee, for the pur
pose of discussing plans for
the holding of the county con
vention on May 11, and the
election of delegates to the
state Democratic convention
May 17.
NATIONAL
SHENANDOAH, Pa., March
6—New settlements added to
the hazards of this anthracite
city today as two new danger
spots were revealed in sections
not yet affected by the 24-
block cave-in of Monday. Ev
er-widening fissures gave rise
to fears that many of the
damaged buildings might col
lapse. City authorities roped
off the Gozinsky Building,
which was condemned after an
inspection revealed it was near
co'lapse.
WASHINGTON, March 6
President's Roosevelt's express
ed support gave new confi
dence today to senators seek
ing to broaden the Hatch act
against political activity of
government workers. Never
theless, opponents of the
amendments now being'debat
ed in the Senate predicted that
they had a good chance to
beat the extension and even
narrow the law's present scope.
INTERNATIONAL
HELSINKI, March 6 —Har
assed behind . battlefronts by
the Red air armada, Finnish
forces were reported still
clinging to foredoomed Viipuri
today, while fighting a fierce
delaying action with their own
planes and heavy guns. A half
hundred persons were killed
and scores wounded at a small
town in south central Finland
in the latest and perhaps the
deadliest Russian aerial thrust
behind the lines.
BUCHAREST, March 6
The Soviet legation said today
that Russian Premier-Foreign
Commissar Viacheslav M. Mol
otox will visit Bucharest soon
to sign a 'Soviet-Rumanian
notnaggresslon pact. Prepara
tions have been completed for
Molotov's visit, the Russian le
gation said. Hie legation con
firmed arrangements for the
visit after H had been rumored
in Russian circles Molo
tov soon would come to the
Romanian capital.
Elkin
Gateway to Roaring Gap
and the Blue Ridge
PUBLISHED WEEKLY
SPEEDING CAR
HURTLES OVER
HIGHWAY ILL
Elkin Girl, Jonesvilie Youth
Death Yietims
RUSHED It) HOSPITAL
Marie Collins, of Elkin, Is
Said to Have Chance for
Recovery
CAR IS TOTAL WRECK
'
Two were killed and four in
jured, two seriously, in an auto
mobile accident Sunday after
noon about 4 o'clock on the
Boonville-Crutchfield highway
about four miles north of Boon
ville, when the light sedan in
which six were travelling left the
highway, catapulted 30 feet
across a fill and landed in the
edge of nearby woods.
Those dead are Thomas Bar
nett, 17, son of Mr. and Mrs.
Pinkney Barnett, of Jonesvilie,
and Ruth Groce, 16, daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. Wallace Groce, of
Elkin.
Badly injured were Marie Col
lins, 18, of Elkin, and Carolyn
Barnett, 15, a sister of the dead
Barnett youth. She was said to
have been the driver of the car.
Hubert and Vern Ester, both of
Roaring River, were not seriously
injured, and were dismissed from
the local hospital late Wednesday
afternoon.
Marie Collins, of Elkin, suffer
ed a fractured skull and a broken
arm. Although she is in a very
critical condition, hospital at
taches late Wednesday stated
that she had a chance to recover.
Carolyn Barnett is expected to
recover. She was said to have
suffered internal injuries.
Patrolman Lee Phillips, of
Elkin, who investigated the
wreck, stated that the accident
occurred at the identical spot
where Barney Childress was kill
ed last November. It was esti
mated the car was travelling at
80 miles an hour when the acci
dent occurred.
Striking a highway fence, the
speeding machine snapped off an
eight-inch post and a highway
"stop" sign and hurtled across a
30-foot fill to land on its side.
(Continued on Last Page)
Father Of
Business
Passes A w
J. P. Mills, 88. well known citi
zen of Iredell county, father of
Lathan Mills, of this city, died at
Lowrance hospital, Mooresville,
Thursday morning. Mr. Mllla
been ill since January 15, and
had been in the hospital during
his illness. Prior to his last ill
ness he had been remarkably ac
tive for a man of his years.
He had been head of the J. P.
Mills department store at Moores
ville for many years and was
prominently identified, with the
civic and religious life of his com
munity. v
Funeral services were held Fri
day afternoon from the First
Presbyterian church of Moores
ville, of which Mr. Mills was a
member. Interment was in the
church cemetery.
KIWANIS HEARS
VOCAL PROGRAM
Music as rendered by Van Dil
lon, Jr., and Horace Hamilton,
both local young men, was a fea
ture of the Kiwanis club meeting
held at Hotel Elkln last Thursday
night.
Mr. Hamilton, accompanied at
the piano by Mrs. Franklin Fol
ger, sang the Kashmiri Song,
"Trees" and "Gay Caballero." Mr.
Dillon sang "Asleep in the Deep,"
"On the Road to Manila]ay," and
"Just a-Wearyin' for You."
T. R. Sample, manager of Ho
tel fflkin, was welcomed into the
club as a new member. John
a member of the
Salisbury club, was a visiting Kl
wanian.