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i-
The Johnstonian-Sun
N 6w s And Views Of Youv Cowynunity A nd Sut founding T'Cvvitovy.
The Johnstonian-1
Sun is dedicated
to the best interest j
of Johnston coun
ty and its sixty
thousand people, j
Read the news and
advertisements in
its columns each
week.
VOL. 23.
SELMA, N. C., THURSDAY. APRIL 18, 1940.
SINGLE COPY 5c
NUMBER 16.
Anti-Liquor Forces
Ask For Referendum
G. Willie Lee Named Chairman of Campaign In
Johnston County—Intensive Campaign Has
Been Planned Against ABC Stores
Johnston county dry forces organized at a mass meeting in the
courthouse Sunday afternoon and planned an intensive campaign
to rid the county of the ABC stores.
G. Willie Lee of Pleasant Grove township, former member of
the House from this county, was chosen chairman; W. A. Davis
of Clayton and Howard Mitch-*-
iner of Wilson’s Mills, vice
chairman; Mrs. J. T. Lassiter of
Smithfield, secretary; and Adam
J. Whitley of near Smithfield,
treasurer. Township committees
will be chosen later,
and Howard Mitchiner of Wilson’s
Mills, vice chairman; Mrs. T. J. Las-
• siter of Smithfield, secretary; and
Adam J. Whitley of near Smithfield,
treasurer. Township committees will
be chosen later.
The Rev. D. M. Clemmons of
Selma, chairman of the committee on
temperance and public-morals in the
Johnston County Baptist Association,
acted as temporary chairman. T. O.
Davis of Zebulon volunteered to
furnish handbills to be placed in the
home of every voter in the county.
A number of persons who said they
worked for the establishment of the
ABC stores and were admitting a
mistake .signified their willingness to
help the drys’ campaign.
Every township in the county ex
cept two were represented and blanks
bearing a petition to the board of
elections requesting that it call an
election were distributed for signa
tures. No trouble is anticipated in
getting more than the. required num
ber of signatures, leaders of the
drive said.
Among others taking part in the
meeting were P. H. Brooks, A. M.
Noble, the Rev. C. L. Oillespie, the
Rev. J. J. Boone, and W. H. Lyon of
Smithfield; the Rev. N. W. Harrison
of Four Oaks, the Rev. O. L. Hatha
way and the Rev. J. H. Worley of
Selma, and the Rev. R. R. McCul
loch of Clayton.
Resolutions introduced by A. M.
Noble denouncing the effects and- the
sale of alcohol and pledging those
present to vote and Work witiiout
ceasing to abolish the liquor stores
from the county were adopted.
Jimmie Flowers represented Wil
ders township.
CANDIDATE
Johnston County
Republicans Attend
State Convention
Gangressman Dewey Short of
Missouri Delivers Key - Note
Address—W. C. Meekins Pre
sides Over Deliberations—
Jake Newell Re-elected State
Chairman — Convention Was
Largely Attended and Har
monious.
SELMA SCHOOLS
TO CLOSE MAY 10
Dr. John C. Glenn, pastor of
Edenton Street Methodist church of
Raleigh, has accepted an invitation
to deliver the Baccalaureate Sermon
before the graduating class of the
Selma high School on Sunday, May
5, at 8 p. m. Dr. Glenn is one of the
outstanding ministers in the state,
and Prof. Tuttle is to be congTatulated
on securing him to deliver our
commencement sermon.
Superintendent I. G. Greer, of the
Baptist Orphanage, Thomasville, will
deliver the commencement address
on Friday evening. May 10, at 8
o’clock. Mr. Greer is one of the out
standing educators in North Caro
lina. He is credited as being one of
the most fas -ir.ating orators to be
found in the state. His deep personal
interest in y.oung people make him
a very fitting speaker for this
occasion.
The local sch.orl will close oh May
10, ending its most successful year
in the history of the school.
The Junior-Stiilor banquet will be
held at the Wj^oroan’s club Friday
evening, April 19, at 7 o’clock.
The annual oratorical ooncest will
take place on Friday eveni.-ig, April
26, at 8 o’clock.
The Glee Club and band will give
a brief concert before and after the
contest. This contest is sponsored’
each year by the Selma Kiwanis
club. A $10 gold medal, given by
the Kiwanis club, will be awarded
the winner.
The regular commencement
gram will be published at a
date.
J. B. BENTON
Editor Benson Review, has an
nounced his candidacy for the State
Senate from Johnston county. Mr.
Benton, who ran against Senator
Elmpr J. Wellons two years ago, was
defeated by only a small majority.
Merchants To Close
Evening At 7
Following a custom of several
years, we, the undersigned mer
chants of the town of Selma do
hereby agree to close our places
of business at 7 p. m., beginning
May 1st, through August 15th,
1940, and close Wednesday
afternoons at 12:30 p. m., be
ginning June 5th .and ending on
August 15, 1940:
G. N. Siler, Henry & Nordan, W.
E. Parker & Son, Smith & Cameron,
Proctor’s Store, W. E. Jones, Selma
Clothing & Shoe Co., Floyd C. Price
& Son, Norton’s 5c to $5 Store, L.
George - Store, The Hat Shop, Selma
Barber Shop, Carolina Beauty Nook,
A. L. Langley, City Shoe Shop, Yel-
verton Grocery, Woodruff - Wiggs
Hardware Co., W. B. Godwin, Econ
omy Furniture C'e„ Lloyd Starling,
Woodruff & Son, Wiggs Grocery,
Selma Cash Feed Grocery, City
Barber Shop, J. C. Avery, J. E.
Gregory & Co., Farmer’s Exchange,
Louis Abdalla, Vanity Fair Beauty
Shop, Selma Beauty Shop, Dunn
Furniture Co., Etheridge & O’Neal,
Davis’ Dept. Store, Rough & Ready,
Quality Food Store, Clerk’s Office,
Town of Selma.
Some Selma women have an idea
that the only comfortable shoes to
be had are the ones they can slip
off in a picture show.
Among the Johnston county Re
publicans who • attended the Re
publican State convention at Char
lotte Wednesday were: Mr. and Mrs.
Matthew Raynor, Judge Parker and
son, Alphonso, and Miss Lee, daugh
ter of Mr. and Mrs. W. P. Lee of
Benson; Joel A. Dunn of Meadow
township; Mr. and Mrs. J. Ira Lee,
J. J. Batten - and Clyde Stancil of
Smithfield, and M. L. Stancil of
Selma. There were possibly others-
whom we can’t recall at this time.
There were a number of enthusias
tic speeches in behalf of the Re
publican cause during the day, out
standing among which were John M.
Morehead of New York; Irvin B.
Tucker of Wilmington’; L. L. Wall of
Winston-Salem; W .C. Meekins of
Hendersonville, and last, but by no
means least, was the ken-note ad
dress of the day by Congressman
Dewey Short of Missouri, who spoke
of the New Deal and the failure of
President Roosevelt to stand by the
platform on which he was first
elected. There is hardly a single
phase of the entire New Deal opera
tions which the speaker did not cover
in his address. After warming up to
his address he threw off his coat,
reminding the audience he was
getting warm but that he would get
hotter further on. This brought the
audience to its feet .with shouts of
applause.
The convention was opened with
prayer led by Dr. Luther Little,
pastor of the First Baptist church
of Charlotte, and we might add in
passing that Dr. Little -was the
speaker of the evening at the Selma
Kiwanis club last week.
The Mayor of Charlotte made the
address of welcome, which was re
sponded to in a masterly way by ex
mayor Watt Craig of Boone.
State Chairman Jake F. Newell
called ex-State Chairman W. C.
Meekins of Hendersonville to the
chair who was made i permanent
chairman of the convention.
Republicans from all sections of
the state were in a most optimistic
mood throughout the convention,
which was one of the most largely
attended and harmanious in recent
years. While Charlotte is noted for
being the largest city in the state
with ample accommodations for en
tertaining large gatherings, not a
single hotel room wms left untaken
by nightfall Tuesday evening, and
subsequent delegates found it difficult
to get a place to sleep. This writer
went to, both the Charlotte and
Selwyn hotels upon arrival about
11:30 Tuesday evening but was told
by the clerks in charge that all
rooms had long since been taken and
that they had almost racked their
brain telephoning and trying to
locate rooms at other hotels and
Selma Woman Badly
Frightened By An
Attempted Hold Up
Man Draws Gun On Mrs. C. E.
Denning, Telling Her Not to
Move — Would-be Robbers
Frightened by Screams from
Mrs. Denning and Little Son,
Flee.
Tuesday night of this week about
9 o’clock, Mrs. C. E. Denning, who
operates the Denn-Inn Cafe near the
Union station, was sitting in the
front part of the building sewing
while her little son, Robert Lee,
went to the bath room at the rear
of the building. A, scream by her
son attracted her attention and when
she raised her eyes and started to
rush back to where her child was,
to her utter horror she faced a white
man with drawn pistol standing in
the front door who admonished her
not to move, but she was so horror
stricken that she failed to obey
orders as she screamed and ran to
ward the rear of the cafe. She then
learned that another man had been
seen at the back door by her child
who also, , made advances with a
di-awn pistol. The screams of Mrs.
Denning and her son apparently
frightened the would-be robbers, who
disappeared across the A. C. L. rail
way tracks just east of the cafe.
Shortly before her harrassing ex
perience Mrs. Denning said she saw
a car pass very slowly in front of
the, cafe going toward ther^il#»ad,
and wondering why it ha(PS^L by
so easily, she went to the front
door and saw the car park just
beyond the railroad tracks in the
direction of Pine Level from the
cafe. Thinking nothing more about
it she went back and resumed her
sewing, and in a very few minutes
the exciting moments came.
emergency alram was turned
into police headquarters, and within
three short minutes both Charlie
Selma Airshow Draws
Great Throns Visitors
Crowd Estimated Between 10,000 and 15,000—^,
Feature Attraction Was Parachute Jump
From A Height of About 10,000 Feet t
The air show staged at Selma Airport Sunday by the Eastern
Carolina Aviators Breakfast Club attracted a crowd estimated
anywhere from 10,000 to 15,000 persons to watch the planes and
parachute jump.
Late Sunday afternoon about the time of the parachute jump,
cars were parked around the Selma depot and traffic was blocked
* along the Selma - Pine Level
highway by the large throngs.
HONORED
R. J. SMITH
Southern Bell Co.
Honors Selma Man
Sheriff Kirby L. Rose, his
deputies and state highway
patrolmen aided Selma officials
in handling the crowd. •
Twenty-four planes had arrived by
ten o’clock. At ten o’clock H. H.
Lowry and A. Z. Thompson, Jr.,
entertained 18 pilots at the Brick
Hotel while William I. Godwin feted
15 pilots to breakfast at the White
House and Albert Eason’s cafe.
Pilots came from Henderson, La
Grange, Raleigh, Louisburg, Weldon,
Goldsboro, Rocky Mount, Wilson,
Tarboro, Four Oaks, Williamston,
Dunn, and other towns.
Feature attraction of the day was
the 10,000 - foot parachute jump
made by Jack Huber of Atlanta, Ga.
Huber, carrying a sack of flour in
his arras, was easily visible from
the ground. He landed in a field
about a quarter mile from the air
port hangar.
During the day stunt flying was.
done by Cy Gates, nationally known
stunt flyer from Hollywood, Calif.
Other pilots went up during the day
and kept the crowd interested with
their antics.
Although there was a large crowd,
no accidents or arrests were re-
The Southern Bell Telephone and
Telegraph association, Selma and
Goldsboro as joint hostesses, enter-1 sheriff and his deputies.
S.Vrauglni and Chief Pearce were onltained in the •Community Building] Selma airport was originally
the scene, but both the car and men! Wednesday evening' -with’ a '^Idvely by-William I. Godwin of
had disapeared and no evidence of banquet, honoring Mr. R. J. Smith
the presence of the molesters could who will retire from the company in
be found. June.
The screams were heard by people j Mr. Smith has been with the com
at the Merchants Hotel and at the / pany forty-one years and seven
Union station, and it is believed that I months and has always made “Serv
it was the presence of these people
in the immediate neighborhood that
caused the offenders to fail to make
further advances and decide to make
a quick get away.
Selma about three years ago when
he started the development of the
field here. From time to time he has.
made improvements on the field at
his own personal expense, and we
understand that about all the out-
his motto. Not only his com-l^’^^ received in the de-
pany and those with whom he works / ™lopment of the field was a permit
miss him but everyone who has Town of Selma for the use-
telephone.
Johnston Officials
Urged To Check All
Retail Beer Licenses
pro-
later
Dome On City Hall
Comes Back To Earth
The top most dome on Selma’s
city hall building has been removed
in order to make some needy re
pairs on the town’s historic old clock.
Oliver Named Red
Cross Chairman
The J 0 h 0-s ton county
chapter of the American
Red Cross has elected W.
B. Oliver, Jr., of Pine Level
as roll call chainnan, to
succeed E. S. Stevens who
has served efficiently for
the past two years.
The chapter in a meeting
recently voted to send the
roll call chairman to the
National Convention which
meets in Washington, D.
C. , in May.
The sponsoring of an ad
vanced course in First Aid
was disdussed and ap
proved, the instructor for
this course to be furnished
without cost by national
headquarters. Thirty - two
persons in the county, who
won certificates in the ele
mentary training class last
year, will be eligible to take
the advanced course. These
will then be prepared to
teach first aid classes.
Rev. Carl Pritchett, pres
ident of the chapter, pre
sided over the meeting.
rooming houses which were also
filled.
The outstanding points in the Re
publican platform adopted was
against the sal^ of liquor and other
intoxicants in North Carolina, but
said the platform, “before liquor
shall be manufactured or sold in
North Carolina a state-wide refer
endum should be held.’’ The platform
favors the repeal of the sales tax,
the lowering of tax on automobile
tags, more adequate pay for school
teachers, and better rural roads.
More Prizes Given
The following were awarded cash
prizes on last Saturday afternoon by
the B. F. Woodruff & Son’s store:
Argo Brown, Selma Route 2; J. W.
Ellis, Selma; Hugh Radford, Selma,
and Jodie Woodruff, Selma Route 1.
Be on hand next Saturday at 4
o’clock, sharp, when this enterprising
firm will give away more cash.
Bring all your tickets.
Dr. Booker Building
Sun Parlor To Home
Carpenters have been busy for
some time building a sun parlor on
to the south side of Dr. E. N. Book
er’s residence here. This is dn keep
ing with the doctor’s contention that
sunshine and fresh air are two very
important essentials to good health
and long life.
RALEIGH, April 15.—The Brewers
and North Carolina Beer Distributors
■Committee today requested city and
county officials of Johnston county
to scrutinize carefully “all applica
tions for retail beer licenses to the
end that the industry may be purged
of illegal or undesirable outlets.”
Edgar H. Bain of Goldsboro, State
Director in charge of the beer in
dustry’s “clean up or close up” cam
paign in North Carolina, cited the
1939 statute which prohibits the is
suance of retail beer licenses to per
sons guilty of liquor law violations
“within the last two years prior to
the filing of the application.” He re
minded that the new tax year for
beer licenses begins May 1.
In venturing to call this section to
your attention,” Colonel Bain wrote
•city and county officials, “we
courteously and respectfully urge you
to refuse licenses to all dealers who
cannot comply with the law.”
In our investigation of beer dealers
in North Carolina, we have found
several instances where dealers con
victed of liquor law violations in
1938 were re-licensed in 1939. We
hope that all such dealers will be
eliminated in 1940 for the welfare
both of the communities and of the
beer industry, which contributes more
than ten billion dollars annually in
taxes and wages in this state.”
This letter to city and county
officials was the latest move in the
committee’s fight against the small
minority of beer dealers who violate
the law and public decency. Colonel
Bain said. He reminded that the
committee had secured the revoca-
i tion of 67 licenses since September.
In addition, the committee has
petitioned for revocation of 26
licenses in eight other counties, and
has warned 97 dealers in 57 counties
to “clean-up” or face more drastic
action.
“A great majority of beer outlets
are reputable places of business,” the
state director said, “and it is our
intention to rid communities of those
The building- was beautifully deco
rated with dogwood, purple iris and
yellow jessamine.
A three-course dinner was served
with forty-two present, including
Annie Mae Kenneth and Mrs. Smith
as honored guests. Also guests from
Raleigh and Goldsboro, and from A.
T. & T. Co. and Southern Bell Co.
of Selma. Attractive place cards
with a bell bearing Mr. Smith’s
name and years with the company
were used. He was presented a lovely
leather hill fold from those present.
Mrs. Annie Flowers of Goldsboro,
chairman of the association, called
on Mr. R. A. Jones to return thanks.
Mr. J. M. Roberts, manager of the
Goldsboro office, acted as toastmaster
and introduced the following speak
ers: S. H .Youngblood, District Man
ager; Raleigh; A1 Spears, Raleigh
Plant Department; Sam Rowe, Ra
leigh; C. F. Carty, Selma A. T. &
T. 'Co.; Mrs. Nannie Woodard, Chief
Operator, Selma; Mrs. Helen Stroud,
Chief Operator, Goldsboro; R .J.
Smith, Selma.
of their tractor in plowing and level
ing the field from time to time.
On several occasions visiting planes
have stopped over here, and this
airport has more recently received
national recognition, an inspector
from the Federal Aeronautics Au
thority having come here a few
weeks ago and after going over the
field is quoted as saying that he waa
(Continued on Last Page)
Seen and Heard Along
THE MAINDRAG
==By H. H. L.;..iI.m ;
Another thing Selma housewives
will soon be worrying about is what
became of last summer’s fly-swatter.
undesirable places which are a
nuisance to the communities and a
threat to a $10,000,000 industry.”
To Present Bible
And Flag
On Wednesday afternoon,
April 24, at 2 o’clock,
Smithfield Council No. 102,
Jr. Order United American
Mechanics will present to
the Pine Level school a
Bible and Flag. State Bank
Commissioner Gurney Hood
will make the principal ad
dress. There will also be
talks by other prominent
Juniors. All members of the
Junior Order in Johnston
county are in-vited to attend
and take part. The school
and Boy Scouts of Pine
Level will take part in the
exercises. Committee on
arrangements are Lawrence
Wallace, Clyde Stancil and
W. A. Powell.
It would be hard to decide which
was enjoyed most by the 15,00(> peo
ple at the Airport Sunday the talks
by BILL GODWIN over the mike,
the parachute jump or the stunts
pulled by Y GATES—BILL, manager
of the local airport, kept the big
crowd in good humor during the
entire day by his witty remarks—
while GATES was doing the sky
writing BILL would yell, “wonder
what that fellow will do next,” “oh,
my Lord, that man is going to get
killed,” etc. — LAWRENCE. WAL
LACE says BILL was the best part
of the show—that boy w-ent down in
his jeans to bring these famous
aviators here to entertain the biggest
crowd in the history of this town—
Smithfield friends had to go around
through Pine Level to get to the
airport—BILL says he is already
planning for another similar event
early in June—MRS. C. E. KORNE-
GAY, MRS. C. W. MANNING, MRS.
C. A. BAILEY, MRS. E. G. HOBBS,
and other ladies are to be con
gratulated for the fine dinner served
on last Tuesday evening at the
Woman’s club—more than 300 guests
were present—a party of 37 from
Micro attended in a body, while
large delegations attended from
other towns — the barbecue was
excellent and everybody had all
they could eat — the proceeds will
go toward the erection of a new hut
for the American Legion — LEON
WOODRUFF and HAYDEN WIGGS
are busy these days overhauling the
building on the Maindrag recently
occupied by DICK MASSEY and will
soon announce their opening—these
popular young men will have a hard
ware store second to none in John
ston county when completed.