):'
offers aplen-
living: condi-
nons, _ pure water,
ui versified indus-
l«es, varied re
sources, equable
cbmate and mod
ern city conven
iences. Selma wel
comes you!
The Johnstonian-Sun
A Weekly Newspaper Containing The News And Views Of Your Community And Surrounding Territory.
The Johnstonian-
Sun is dedicated
to the best inter^
of Johnston coun
ty and its sixty
thousand people.
Read the news and
advertisements in
its columns each
week.
VOL. 24.
SELMA, N. C., THURSDAY, JULY 3, 1941.
SINGLE COPY 5c
NUMBER 27
ATTRACTIVE “WALTZ COURT” TO OPEN MONDAY
Brisht Belt Tobacco Mart Opens
Aug. 26—Border Belt Aug. 12th
a i I s
f I 1
Attractive is just the word for this new station just completed by Walt Godwin, located on
Route 301 between Selma and Smithfield; “Waltz Court” will have its grand opening next Mon
day, beginning at 10 A. M. till 10 P. M. *
Johnston County
Tax Department
Begins Operation
New Tax Collecting Department
Provided For By the General
I Assembly of 1941 Is Headed
By G. Ira Ford, Former Office
Deputy For Sheriff Rose.
(Smithfleld Herald)
Johnston county’s new tax collec
tion department, authorized by the
1941 General Assembly, began oper
ating Tuesday morning of this week
with G. Ira Ford in charge.
Ford) who was appointed tax col
lector by the county commissioners
soon after the legislative act was
passed in early spring, leaves his job
as office deputy for Sheriff Rose to
assume the new post. He recently re
signed as chairman of the county
Democratic executive committee pre
paratory to taking the tax collection
job.
The new department, which takes
over the function of current collec
tions from the sheriff’s office and de
linquent collections from the auditor’s
office, will occupy the main section of
the courthouse quarters heretofore
used by the auditor.
The auditor and his staff will occu
py tl e remainder of the quarters,
with entrance from the corridor near
the e-ast doors of the courthouse.
Staff of Five Persons
T *tax collection agency will have
a st |f of five persons including Ford.
C. C '. -Gulley and Miss Rhetta Martin,
_;who have been employed in the audi
tor’s office, will serve as office depu
ties in the new department. Clarence
Rowe of Princeton and Lloyd Ste
phenson of Pleasant Grove township
will be field deputies.
Creation of the new department re
duces the personnel of Sheriff Kirby
Rose’s staff by two men. With tax
collection duties removed from the of
fice, there will be no need to employ
an office deputy to replace Ford. The
number of field deputies is being cut
from six to five, with Jesse Creech
leaving the staff.
Sheriff’s Personnel
Effective July 1, Sheriff Rose wall
run his office with an office stenogra
pher, Miss Jplia Lee, and five field
deputies, as follows: D. S. Strickland,
M. J. Whitley, -J. M. Parker, N. M.
Narron, and C. C. Liles.
Auditor Jerry George’s office will
operate w’ith three less employees.
Gulley and Miss (Martin are going ov
er to the new tax office and Miss Ju
anita Hunsucker will not continue as
a member of the staff.
The auditor’s office will have two
employees besides Auditor George.
John A. Wallace will continue as dep
uty auditor and Mrs. Braxton Wilson
will remain as office assistant.
While the new" agency takes over
the job of collecting delinquent taxes,
the auditor will retain the functions
of directing tax listing and compiling
budget estimates in addition to other
duties.
Budget Reduced
The three departments—tax collec
tion, sheriff and auditor—wall operate
with the same number of workers as
have been employed heretofore in op
eration of the sheriff’s and auditor’s
(Continued on page eight).
SELMA TO HAVE
NEW DRUG STORE
A sign on the door of the building
in which Woodard’s Drug' Store was
formerly located in the Person build
ing, here, reads as follows: “This
building rented to Bill Creech. Open
ing date to to announced later.”
When we asked Bill what this meant,
he replied that it meant that Selma
was going to have another drug
store. Bill' said that he had arranged
for his fixtures but did not know
just when he would be able to get
everything in place and his stock on
the shelves but that it would not be
very long, he hoped.
Bill Creech is no stranger to the
people of Selma and Johnston coun
ty, therefore he needs no introduc
tion by us. He is a registered druggist
and was formerly connected with the
Selma Drug -Co. until he sold his in
terest in the institution before invest
ing in the Creech Drug Co. where he
operated a very successful business
for two years. He sold his interest in
the Creech Drug Co., a few months
ago, and since that time he says he
has had the privilege of advising
with some of the leading druggists of
the state in regard to the most
modern methods of operating a suc
cessful drug business, which he be
lieves will prove very helpful to him
in his new business.
Mrs. Thurston Leaves
Welfare Office Duties
Smithfleld, July 1.—Mrs. D. J.
Thurston, county welfare officer for
sixteen years, left her office at noon
Monday, turning over the job to her
successor, W. T. Woodard, Jr., of
Selma. As a farewell to her depart
ment staff, Mrs. Thurston g'ave them
a two-course luncheon at the Rose
Glenn Dining Room at 12:30. The
staff members presented her two
pieces of silver in her pattern.
Present at the luncheon were Mrs.
Thurston, Mr. Woodard and his re
cent bride; Miss Pauline George, sta
tistician and secretary in one of the
offices; Mrs. A. C. Wirth, -Mrs. M. Y.
Holland, and Mrs. Roberta Roberson,
case workers; and Mrs.Pauline Swain,
secretary to the welfare officer.
Mrs. Rowe Henry Dies
At Morven Early Today
News of the death of Mrs. Rowe
Henry which reached Selma this
(Thursday) morning, came as a dis-
tince shock to her many friends, al
though she had been ill for the past
six months. Her death occurred at
their home in Morven, where Prof.
Henry is head of the'Morven schools.
Before going to Morven, Prof, and
Mrs. Henry were members of the
Selma school faculty and during their
stay here made many friends, who
will be grieved,to learn-of Mrs. Hen
ry’s death.
Funeral services will be held in
Parkton Friday afternoon at 4 o’clock.
FARMER COMMITS
SUICIDE AT- HIS
HOME NEAR KENLY
Harmon Given Six To
Ten Years In Prison
Selma Man Who Was Charged
With Rape On His 3-Year-Old
Step-Daughter Is Only Found
Guilty of Assault With Intent
To Commit Rape.
The third violent death in this sec
tion in as many Sundays occurred at
8 o’clock -Sunday morning when John
Elmer Atkinson, 35-year-old farmer
blew the top of his head off, using a
.16-guage shotgun.
The suicide occurred at his home,
Kenly, Route 2, eight miles north of
Selma. No motive has been assigned
for the act. He appeared to be in the
best of health.
Surviving are his mother, Mrs.
Demetrius Atkinson; his -wife, and
two sons, Demetrius and Eugene; and
one daughter, Bertha; three brothers,
Raymond Atkinson of Kenly, Route 2,
Lemond Atkmson, of Staunton, Va.,
and Wilbert Atkinson of Kenly, Route
2; three sisters, (Mrs. L. K. Stancil of
Warsaw, Mrs. Frank Narron of Wil
son, and Miss Elva Mae Atkinson, a
student at King’s Business College,
Raleigh.
Funeral services were held from
the home of his mother, Mrs. Deme
trius Atkinson of Kenly, Route 2,
Monday afternoon at 3 o’clock.
Burial took place in the family ceme
tery near the home.
Johinstoe Federation
Of Clierclies Meets
Kenly — Several hundred people
heard Dr. William Howard Carter,
minister of the First Full Gospel Tab
ernacle Church of Goldsboro at Holly
Springs Free Will Baptist Church
near Kenly Sunday night, where he
spoke to the cong;regation of the Fed
eration of Churches of Johnston
County.
The Rev. E. G. Holland, Free Will
Baptist minister and President of the
Federation, presided over the meet
ing and presented Dr. Carter, a native
of Selma.
Using for his subject, “Listening
To God,” Dr. Carter stated that
Christians were not alarmed as they
faced the peril of a perilous future as
God has endeavored to tell man
through His word for many centuries.
The minister outlined the condi
tions leading to the tribulation, the
mark of the beast, the ministry of
the two witnesses, the binding of sa-
tan, the millenium, the second resur
rection, judgment and the coming-
down from God out of heaven of the
New Jerusalem.
Many of the congregation recalled
hearing Dr. Carter preach nearly 19
years ago when only a lad of 12
years, and they frequently mentioned
to him after service, of hearing his
radio sermons each Sunday through
Station WGBR in Goldsboro.
Special music for the service was
furnished by a quartet from Holly
Springs Church, and a group of boys
from the Free Will Baptist orphan
age at Middlesex.
The invitation to meet with the
Branch Chapel Church the fifth Sun
day night in August was accepted
and the Branch Chapel group invited
Dr. Carter to be the principal speaker
on that occasion.
North Carolina’s cash income from
livestock products sold in 1940 was
only $38,691,000 which ranked in the
State as 30th in cash income from
livestock and livestock products ( re
ports the State Department of^^.gri-
culture.
N. C. Harmon of Selma, who was
tried in Johnston County criminal
court last week on a charge of raping
his 3-year-old step-daughter, will have
to serve from six to ten years in the
state prison because a Johnston coun
ty jury found him guilty of assault
with intent to commit rape. The sen
tence was passed on Harmon Satur
day morning after the jury had
brought in their verdict. The trial
was scheduled to come up at the April
term of court but was deferred in or
der that a more thorough investiga
tion might be made into the sanity of
Harmon.
Solicitor Claude C. Canaday asked
for a verdict of first degree rape,
which would have meant death in the
gas chamber had he been found guil
ty of that charge.
Defense counsel appearing in the
case were W. O. Rosser, J. R. Pool of
Smithfleld, and -Carl E. Gaddy, of Sel
ma.
The prosecution rested its case
Thursday afternoon, but put on a
number of new witnesses Friday in
rebuttal of defense testimony.
Dr. R. D. Oliver of Selma, who
helped examine the child the morning
after the assault, and Dr. W. G. Wil
son of Smithfleld, who was present
,at the examination, testified that she
was bruised and lacerated, corrobor
ating the earlier testimony of Dr. V.
A. Davidian and Dr. E. N. Booker.
Dr. Robert Ruark, specialist in ob
stetrics and gyneology, was placed on
the stand by the defense in an effort
to prove that the crime of rape could
not have been committed.
Throughout the trial witnesses
were summoned to give testimony as
to Harmon’s mental condition. It is
felt that the doubt which was thrown
on the prisoner’s sanity played an im
portant part in the outcome of the
case.
In sentencing Harmon, Judge Er
vin directed that he be examined by
state authorities and that if the pris-
orner be found insane he should be
transferred to the state asylum.
The Tobacco Association of the United States
Announced At Their Official Meeting Held At
Virginia Beach Last Week That Border Belt
Markets Will Open August 12—Eastern North
Carolina Markets To Open August 26.
Aut©-Tnick CoIlisi©m
Last Saturday Near
PriacetoH Kills Man
Iredell Batten Dies
Following Long Illness
Iredell Batten, 74, died at his home,
Selma, Route 1, Tuesday morning at
1:40, following- a long illness. He was
a highly respected farmer of his
community.
Surviving are three sons, A. J. Bat
ten,. Selma, Route 2; Stephen Batten,
and Arthur Batten, both of Selma
Route 1; two daughters, Mrs.
'rhom.as Brown, Selma. Route 1; Mrs.
Luby Foster, Selma, Route 1; three
brothers, Ira Batten, Porstmouth,
Va.; Troy Batten, Pembroke, N. C.;
Walter Batten, Smithfield; one sis
ter, Mrs. Ennis Batten, Selma, Route
2.
Funeral services were held at the
home Wednesday afternoon at 3
o’clock, conducted by the Rev. ’C. E.
Clarke, pastor of the Selma Presby
terian church, of which the deceased
was a member. Burial took place in
the family burying ground near the
home. Assisting with the funeral rites
w"as the Rev. C. H. Coats, Free Will
Baptist minister of Benson-
William N. Fuller, Jr., of Louis-
burg, automobile dealer, was killed
about two miles west of Princeton
Saturday morning about 8 o’clock
when the new Chrysler coupe he was
driving crashed into a truck on high
way 70, when the car, apparently go
ing at a high rate of speed, collided
with a produce truck, driven by S. L.
Wiggins of Mount Olive. The truck
was loaded with potatoes. Riding
with Wiggins in the truck was Roy
Odum, but neither of them was
seriously injured. The truck was bad
ly damaged and the automobile was
almost completely demolished.
Highway patrolman H. C. Bobbitt,
who investigated the wreck, attribut
ed the accident to the fact that Fuller
apparently lost control of his car and
veered too far to the left and even
crossed the center line.
Dr. E. N. Booker, county coroner,
who also investigated the wreck, was
of the opinion that the driver of the
Fuller car was responsible for the
crash.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., June 27.—The Tobacco Association of
the United States announced today opening dates for auction cen
ters, recommended legislation to relieve the tobacco shipping prob
lem and re-elected present officers, headed by J. W. Dunnington,
of Farmville, Va.
* Unanimously adopting the re
port of its sales committee, the
association fixed market opening
dates as follows:
Georgia, August 5.
South Carolina and border
markets, August 12th.
Eastern North Carolina, Au
gust 26th.
Middle belt, September 9th.
Old belt (Virginia), Septem
ber 16, and Virginia dark mar
kets, December 8th.
A resolution proposed by tobacco
experts and unanimously approved by
the convention called upon congress
men from the tobacco states to seek
legislation for relief of ocean freight
conditions, and a second resolution,
also unanimously adopted, pledged
the association’s support of the na
tional defense program.
Storage Shortage
Dunnington told the convention
that there was a possibility of a “se
rious shortage” in storage space for
1941 crop and reported that a survey
was being made of available facilities
in North Carolina and Virginia.
Good storage in space available or
in building’s which could be converted
to such use was listed for about 240,-
635 hogsheads with other space shown
by the survey thus Jar for 159,365
hogsheads, he said. Further details
will be made available to tobacco
companies co-operating with the com
modity credit corporation in the cur
rent year’s program.
In addition to Dunnington, the offi-
(Continued on Last Page)
SELMA MERCHANTS
TO OBSERVE FOURTH
Following their usual custom, the
merchants of Selma will observe the
Fourth of July holiday Friday by
keeping their stores closed. But Sel
ma is not by itself in this respect, as
most all towns and cities will take
the holiday Friday, and except for
some of the filling stations and drug
stores there will be but little business
carried on.
The officials of town, state and
the county will observe July 4th by
keeping the public offices closed, and
Raleigh Griffin states that the Bank
here will be closed Friday and Sat
urday.
Dr. Harper Removed
To Duke Hospital
Dr. C. P. Harper, who has been un
dergoing treatment at Carolina-Gen
eral Hospital in 'Wilson for the past
fourteen weeks, was removed to Duke
Hospital on last Sunday for further
study and treatment. His many
friends in Selma and elsewhere will
regret to learn that his condition does
not seem to improve.
COURT HOUSE TO
BE CLOSED 2 DAYS
Red Cross Sewing
Room To Open Here
A Red Cross sewing room will be
open at the Woman’s Club building
in Selma on Tuesday, July 8, and 6n
Friday, July 11th, at 9:00 a. ni.
Every one is urged to come and see
what they can do. We have garments
already cut. The sewing is very sim
ple and does not require an expert
seamstress, however the garments
must be well made.
The Red Cross furnishes the mate
rial, but no buttons or snaps. Ladies
are urged to bring all loose buttons
they have to be used.
If you will lend your machine to be
used in the sewing room it will b'e of
untold service. We believe there are
people in this, community who have
a good machine they would lend to
the sewing room, and if there are,
don’t hes'itate to make it known.
The Johnston county courthouse
will be closed Friday and Saturday,
July 4th and 5th, in observance of the
July 4th holiday.
Johnston’s Surviving
Civil War Veteran Is 94
“Uncle” Jack Ellis, of Clayton, on
ly surviving Civil War veteran in
Johnston county, celebrated his 94th
birthday Wednesday. A dinner was
given in his honor in the evening at
the Rose-Glenn Tea Room in Smith-
field.
This old veteran sat at the head of
the table and occupying the seat at
the other end was his 86-year-old
brother, Charles P. Ellis, of Clayton.
Other guests included close friends
and relatives of the honored guest. A
beautifully decorated birthday cake,
bearing the message, “Happy Birth
day,” was placed in the center of the
table.
Seen and Heard Along
THE MAINDRAG
:By H. H. L.
WALT GODWIN invites all his
friends to his grand opening of
WALTZ COURT on next Monday
between the hours of 10 a. m. and 10
p. m.—cold drinks will be served
free—better have a big supply on
hand, WALT—read all those con
gratulatory ads on the opening of
this handsome station in this issue—
BILL CREECH has rented the build
ing vacated some time ago by the
WOODARD DRUG CO. and will open
a drug store in same about August
1—the building will be remodeled and
new equipment installed—we welcome
BILL back to the Maindrag—TOM
RAY was seen wearing overalls at
the ball game Monday—another for
RIPLEY— EARL FUNDERBURK’S
proteges landed on top in the North
ern Division of American Legion
baseball—EARL and ED CREECH,
business manager and assistant coach,
are to be congratulated for the fine
team they turned out—here’s hoping
the boys will beat Raleigh — HOW
ARD GASKILL, veteran umpire, did
a good job, too — a better umpire
would be hard to find—glad to have
JUDGE BROOKS, of Smithfield, on
the Maindrag yesterday — CARL
GADDY, Selma’s newest and young
est lawyer, made a splendid plea for
his client in Superior Court on last
Saturday — we’ve heard considerable
comment on it and all of it was fa
vorable—BILL GODWIN had his ton
sils removed on last Thursday and
is now back on the job—“what both
ered me most,” said BILL, “was the
fact that I couldn’t talk for a couple
of days” — like all lawyers, BILL,
likes to talk — ROBERT GEORGE,
who makes a round trip from here to
Camp Jackson each day, carrying
around 35 men on a large bus, suf
fered a nervous breakdown on his re
turn trip Saturday—you can’t down
a good man, for he is back on the
job — glad to have SUPERIOR
COURT JUDGE SAM ERWIN, of
Morganton, in town a few days ago—
JUDGE ER'VIN was a guest' of this
writer at the weekly meeting of the
Kiwanis Club Thursday night.
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