YOUR COUNTRY NEEDS STEEL-COLLECT IRON TODAY
Sun U.S.WAR BONDS
Sm U.S.WAR BONDS
VOL. 25
SELMA, N. C., THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1942.
Single Copy 5c
NUMBER 41
JAP PLANES TRIED
TO LAND ON U. S.
CARRIER IN FIGHT
Morgan White, Selma Boy and
Relative of Wilson Man, Sur
vivor of Coral Sea Battle In
May Tells Rotarians About
Fight.
—(Wilson Times)—
Battleships of the opposing forces
in the battle of the Coral Sea in May
were so close together at times dur
ing the running battle that Japanese
Zero fighters mistook the United
States Aircraft carrier Lexington
sunk in the engagement, for their
own Jap carrier and tried to land on
its decks at night with their running
lights showing.
Morgan White, nephew of Cooper
D. Wood, Wilson man, who was on the
Lexington when it went down in the
Coral sea told the Rotary club all
about this last night at the regular
meeting of the club.
White, an engineer and mechanic
on the Lexington, was one of the
crew that was saved from the sinking
ship after being in the water for
some two hours after the aircraft
carrier went down from Jap bombings
and torpedoings.
White, a Selma boy, was on the
Lexington at Salamar and Rebout be
fore the Coral Sea encounter.
It was from the Lexington that
Lieutenant Commander O’Hare went
on his corties against the Japs.
White said that one afternoon
O’Hare got 6 of 16 Jap fighters in a
few minutes.
“It was on May 8 between 11 and
11:30 o’clock,” White said “that they
got us. Two bombs and 4 torpedoes
hit the Lexington and got the gas
lines in the ship. There were internal
explosions. The ship kept on going
after this for five hours at 25 knots
until it finally sunk.”
After being picked up two hours
later by another carrier’s crew White
was sent on a “secret mission” he
said and then went to Australia
where he stayed for several months
until he was sent back to the United
States.
He is now on a couple of weeks
leave from the Navy. He is expecting
to be sent and attached to the New
Lexington when it is completed.
White told of “us getting several
Jap carriers before they got us.”
The Japs would drop their bombs.
White said, from a height of some
1,500 feet.
He told of the night the Zeros were
.trying to land on the Lexington, ap
parently thinking it one of their
carriers in the Coral Sea that had
been sunk a short time before.
“We fixed them up for sure,” he
said, “we blew them to pieres.”
On December 7 White was in
Pearl Harbor and between that time
and the Coral Sea battle he traveled
on the Lexington for some 42,000
miles.
Teachers^ Night At
Kiwanis Big Success
E. H. Harding of Washington,
N. C., Noted Humorist and
Entertainer, Was The Guest
Speaker—Hayden Wiggs Was
Program Chairman.
SENATE MEASURE TO
ADD 7,000,000 NEW
INCOME TAXPAYERS
Selma Merchants Are
Becoming Scrap Minded
In this issue of The Johnstonian-
Sun will be found several advertise
ments from Selma merchants which
emphasize the importance of going
after scrap materials to help boost
war production. These ads are filled
to the brim with sordid stories of
what a calamity it would be for our
boys to have to suffer and die for
lack of fighting armaments. They are
trying to show each and everyone
of us that we would be grossly un
fair to our young men not to do
everything within our power to see
.that they do not want for anything
in this world crisis.
If we did not have the scrap to
give for the protection of our sons
on the fighting fronts it would be an
entirely different story—but we have
it, just oodles of it lying around our
homes, shops and factories that could
easily be salvaged and turned into
bullets, bombs, planes, guns and
tanks.
Come on, folks—don’t wait until
the horse has escaped to shut .the
stable door! Bring your scrap to
Selma, if you live in the country, and
ask M. L. Stancil at the Johnstonian-
Sun office where to leave it. If you
live in Selma, see or call him and ar
rangements will be made to get it.
When a farmer has to make a .trip
to town, ifi he will only look about
his premises and pick up only a few
pieces of spare material and bring it
along, it will not be long before the
Junk heap in Selma will begin to
grow by leaps and bounds.
Received Spanking
On 69th Birthday
C. I. Batten, a former resident 'of
Selma, but now located in Sampson
County, visited his sister, Mrs. J. H.
Herring, on Selma Rt. 1, on his 69th
birthday Sunday. He says he had
chicken for dinner and was given a
good spanking.
The annual Teachers’ Night and
Banquet at the Selma Kiw^anis club,
held on last Thursday evening, proved
a big success.
Prior to the evening meal, Kiwanis
President Bill Thad Woodard called
on the Rev. D. M. Clemmons, local
Baptist minister for .the invocation.
Following a most appetizing pinner,
Kiwanian David S. Ball gave the ad
dress of w'elcome to the teachers and
guests. Prof. O. A. Tuttle .then in
troduced all the new teachers present,
who stood to be recognized when
their names were called.
Program Chairman Hayden Wiggs
then introduced E. H. Harding of
Washington, N. C'., noted humorist
and entertainer, who took for his
subject: “It Is Later Than We Think.”
Mr. Harding framed his adress around
various aspects of the War, but each
time he would close with some illus
tration that was so humorous that
the audience would scarcely reco^'er
from one spell of laughter before the
speaker came back with a new ges
ture even more humorous. This was
kept up for a solid half an hour or
more.
This was Mr. Harding’s second
visit to the Selma club, and although
his first visit dealt with the humorous
side of life, no one could recall that
his second visit proved to be in any
way a repetition of his first address.
It is needless to say that his .two
visits here, were among the outstand
ing features in entertainment in the
history of the club.
A special feature of the evening
was a number by the Kiwanis quartet
composed of Raleigh Griffin, D. M.
Clemmons, John Jeffreys and M. L.
Stancil.
A special guest of the evening was
Superintendent H. B. Marrow, of the
Johnston County public school system.
This Is Nation*wide
Fire Prevention Week
President Roosevelt has proclaim
ed October 4-10 as Fire Prevention
Week, and rural people of North
Carolina are asked by R. W. Graeber,
Extension forester of N. C. State
College, to heed the President’s warn
ing that fire hazards must be elimi
nated to speed victory in .the war.
In his proclamation, Mr. Roosevelt
said: “Any loss of human life, any
interference with production, any loss
of critical materials, hinders and im
pedes our war effort.
“Uncontrolled fire, even in normal
times is a National menace. Today,
when every machine is being taxed
to its fullest productive capacity,
when new hands are working with
unfamiliar tools, and when agents of
our enemies are seeking to hinder us
by every possible means, it is essen
tial that destructive fire be brought
under stricter control in order that
the victory may be achieved at the
earliest date.
“Fire hazards must be detected at
once and' eliminated. Nothing less
than the united vigilance and effort
of all the people will suffice to break
the grip of this menace.”
The S.tate College forester said
that the Extension Service, the De
partment of Conservation and De
velopment, the U .S. Forest Service
and ckther agencies are uniting in
North Carolina to organize a fire
prevention program that will control
forest blazes throughout the year.
“Last year,” said Graeber, “people
who were careless started 170,000
fires in forests and woodlands. The
loss was enough to buy two flying
fortresses a day. The millions of feet
of timber destroyed by fire is needed
for war-workers homes. Army bar
racks, ship yards, and other war uses.
The millions of hours of manpower it
took to put out last year’s forpst and
farm w^oodland fires are needed this
years to produce food, tanks, planes
and- ships for victory.”
Gpl. Chas. E. Fulghum
Here For Week End
Cpl. Charles E .Fulghum, of the
Air and Glider Division of Fort
Bragg, spent the week end here -with
his parents, Mr. and Mrs. C .W.
Fulghum and his sister, Miss Mamie
Fulghum. This was his first visit
home since being inducted ' in .the
Army in March of this year. For the
past six months he has been stationed
at Camp Claiborne, La.
J. J. BATTEN IS OUR REPRE-
sentative in Smithfield for so-
siciting subscriptions to The
Johnstonian-Sun. He will be
glad to write your subscrip
tion or take your renewal.
Single Persons Making $9.62
Weekly, Married Ones $23.08,
Under Levy—Exemptions of
Family Heads Reduced From
$1,500 to $1,200 and For Sin
gle Persons From $750 to
$500.
Township Chairmen Are Named
For ScrapDrive—Let’s Win $1,000
Washington, Oct. 6—The Senate
today tentatively approved drastical
ly increased individual income tax
rates which would take 19 cents out
of the first taxable dollar in thd
lowest bracket.
The approval was subject to later
review or possible amendment. T.t
came during consideration, one by
one, of finance committee amend
ments to the huge new revenue bill.
After all the committee amendments
are considered, the measure will re
main open to further amendment pro
posals by individual Senators.
2 Per Cent Normal Tax Raise
In approving individual rates pre
viously voted by the House, the Sen
ate raised the normal tax from 4 to
6 per cent, and increased the first
bracket surtax rate from 6 to 13 per
cent. In sharp graduations, the sur
tax rate rises to a maximum of 82
per cent., compared wi.th a top of 77
per cent under present law.
Broadening the base to add about
7,000,000 new taxpayers, the Senate
as well as the House voted to reduce
exemptions of family heads from
$1,500 to $1,200, and for single per
sons from $750 to $500.
In addition, the Senate voted to cut
the credit for dependents from $400
to $300, adding an estimated 600,000
more taxpayers to .the rolls. The
House had made no change in the
credit for dependents.
The new schedule of exemptions
means that single persons making
more than $9.62 a week and married
persons making $23.08 or more will
be subject to the income tax.
Members of the armed services 'wfin
are below the grade of commissioned
officers, however, would receive addi
tional exemptions—$250 more than a
civilian, if single, and $300 more if
married. The House had voted to
grant the additional miliary exemp
tions regardless of rank.
Claim Prisoners Got
Official Aid In Escape
Welfare Institute To
Be Held In Raleigh
The 1942 Public Welfare Institute
for North Carolina social workers, the
23rd annual session, has been moved
to Raleigh from Chapel Hill because
o3 the difficulty in obtaining rooms-
brought about by increased Naval
training work in the Orange county
town, Anna A. Cassatt, chairman of
the committee on planning and ar
rangements announced this week.
Dates will remain unchanged from
the previously announced October 12
to 15.
This year’s meeting will be the
first since organization of the insti
tute in 1919 to be held elsewhere
than on the campus of the University
of North Carolina. It is sponsored an
nually by the University’s division of
public welfare and social work and
the State Board of Charities and
Public Welfare.
County welfare department em
ployees from each of the state’s local
units are expected to attend some
part of the four-day session with
headquarters at the Carolina hotel.
The attendance last year was ap
proximately 450.
Among the speakers obtained for
the institute are: A. H. Aronson,
Washington; Clarence King, New
York; Miss Gertrude Richman, Alex
andria, Va., and North Carolina state
officials .
The welfare superintendents and
the caseworkers associations will
meet during the institute.
Selma Boy Back
From Long Journey
Kenneth Earl Helms, of .the United
States Navy has returned to South
Brooklyn, New York, after spending
a fifteen day furlough with his
mo.ther. Earl joined the Navy Feb. 13,
and during the time he has been there
he has been to India, Cuba, and South
Africa. He reports as liking the Navy
fine. Earl is the son of Mrs. T. H.
Helms and the late Mr. Helms of
Selma, Route 1.
J. A. Temple Accepts
School Principalship
J. A. Temple, son of Mr. and Mrs.
J. P. Temple of Selma, who was with
the Employment Office in Goldsboro
during the summer, has accepted the
principalship of the' Wheat Swamp
school near La Grange, N. C. He has
moved his family to La Grange.
The majority of Chile’s residents
are Catholic,
Oscar Pitts, state penal director,
has disclosed a.t Raleigh that guards
at the Watauga county prison camp,
located near Boone, have permitted
prisoners to meet women outside the
camp, and that guards and w'omen
have helped prisoners to escape.
Camp Superintendent C. J. Farth
ing has resigned and four guards
have been discharged, Pitts said.
Two women have been convicted in
Watauga Superior court of aiding
and abetting in a prison break, and
one of .the four guards, listed as Burt
Norris, has been indicted for assist
ing prisoners to escape and is await
ing trial.
Farthing and another guard were
arraigned before a Watauga county
grand jury last week on similar
charges, but not true bills were re
turned in each case. Farthing has
been head of the camp since January
1, 1940, and served as camp steward
before then.
J. M. Horn, division prison super
visor, has replaced Farthing as super
intendent of the camp and is assisting
Kyle Matthews, chief prison inspec
tor, and the grand jury in continuing
the investigation.
The grand jury undertook an inves
tigation of conditions at the camp at
the direction of Judge Zeb V. Nettles,
who was presiding over a criminal
term of court. Judge Nettles told the
jury .that guards had permitted the
trusties to roam at large in the
county and that at least one prisoner
w'ho was permitted .to leave on a mid
night visit with women had seized
the opportunity to escape and had
■ftbt been recaptured.
Penal authorities said this was
probably Frank Byrd, of Spruce Pines
who escaped September 7 and is still
at liberty. Byrd was sentenced in
McDowell county in January, 1939, to
five to six years for highway rob
bery.
Chairman Ben Prince, of the state
highway and public works commis
sion, commented that there was “some
mighty slack business” at the camp
and promised that “anyone who had
anything to do with it, knew about it
and failed to disclose it, will be dis
charged immediately.”
Prince said an investigation by
Matthews several weeks ago uncover
ed the practice of permitting the men
to meet women on the outside and
that as a result two guards were dis
charged September 11.
Two days later, he pointed out. 10
prisoners overpowered the two re
placement guards and made a clean
break from .the camp. The two new
guards then were discharged, he said.
Prince said he did not know defi
nitely that there was any relation
between the reports of prostitu.tion
and this particular break but that
“such an assumption is not unreason
able.”
A. E. Smith, clerk of Watauga
Superior court said at Boone that the
two women convicted of assisting in
an escape from the camp were Sylvia
and Pearl Ledford, of Johnson City,
Tenn.
Selma Woman Honored
On 105th Birthday
On Saturday, September 26, 1942,
the children, grandchildren, great
grandchildren ,and great-great-grand
children gathered at the home of
“Aunt” Mary Allen, colored, who lives
near Selma, and spread a bountiful
dinner, such as cakes, pies, sand
wiches, and lots of other good things
to eat.
“Aunt” Mary is the mother of
thirteen children, sixty-nine grand
children, ninty-three , great - grand
children, and five great-great-grand
children. The occasion was held in
commemoration of her 105th birth
day. “Aunt” Mary is still able to
walk with the help of a walking cane,
but is practically blind.
DR. RETRY BRINGING
FORCEFUL MESSAGES
Dr. Petry of Duke University is
conducting a kries of services at the
Edgerton Memorial Methodist Church
here this week. Have you been to
hear him ? If you have, it is needless
to comment to you further, for you
have already been convinced that he
is bringing powerful Gospel sermons
which are being presented in a most
forceful manner.
If you have not heard him, you
should do so at the very next service.
The meeting began Sunday morning
and will continue through Friday
night, October 9th. To hear him is a
Mail Parcels To
Soldier Boys Early
Christmas parcels for members of
the Navy and Marine Corps abroad
must be mailed this month, officials
of the Sixth Naval District again re
minded the public today.
“Mail Early for Christmas” has a
special significance this year because
of the wartime burden on the mails.
Although Christmas parcels may be
mailed as late as October 31, the best
way to guarantee arrival by Christ
mas is to mail them early in the
month.
Packages labeled “Christmas Par
cel” will be expedited. They should be
weigh not. more than six pounds.
They should be packed in substantial
containers, covered by strong wrap
ping, and tied or' secured so as to be
readily opened by censors. Addresses
should include full name and rank or
ra.ting of addressee, and the name of
his ship or unit, but the location
should never be included. Only two
post office addresses may be used,
“Care of the Postmaster, New York,
N. Y.,” and “Care of the Pos.tmaster,
San Francisco, California, whichever
is nearer the addressee.
There is no limit on the number of
packages which a man abroad may
receive. However, not more than one
Christmas package may be mailed by
the same sender to the same recipient
in any one week.
Particular care should be exercised
in the selection of gifts. Food should
never be sent, as it too frequently ar
rives in damaged or spoiled condition,
no matter how carefully prepared.
Clothing should not be sent unless it
has been specifically reques.ted. Gifts
should be compact and portable. Elec
trical apparatus is of dubious value.
Christmas and New Year’s greet
ings to personnel abroad should in all
instances be written on 'V-Mail sta
tionery. Cards should not be sent be
cause of their bulk and because in
most instances recipients will prefer
to have their greetings in the form
of a letter from relatives or friends.
Johnston County Gets In Race
To Win the $1,000 War Bond
Offered By North Carolina
Newspapers.
Buyers of Boots Must
Turn In Old Boots
James B. Volger, head of the North
Carolina Salvage set-up, calls our
attention to a recent order by the Of
fice of Price Administration, freezing
rubber boots of certain sizes until
October 5th, as follows:
“Hip-height rubber boots, Over-the-
knee boots. Heavy short rubber boots.
Light weight short rubber boots.
Rubber pacs. Bootees 10” or more in
height. Rubber pacs, bootees and
work shoes less than 10” height.
“ All persons buying such boots af
ter October 5th will have to exchange
their old boots for new ones, unless
they have secured employment in war
work which requires such boots. In
such cases, application to local ra
tioning boards for such boots will be
necessary.
“Where boots are bought through
mail-order houses, it will be manda
tory on the part of the purchaser to
secure a receipt from the Chairman
of the Local Salvage Committee, or
other duly authorized agent, showing
that he had turned in his old rubber
boots.
“Storage space is required in
each of the towns in your county,
and an authorized agent is to be ap
pointed by the Salvage Chairman to
receive used rubber boots and to is
sue receipts to persons desiring to
use mail order houses, showing they
have turned in their old boots.
“The rubber collected in this man
ner will be sold to the highest bidder
by the Salvage Chairman or Sales
Committee, and the money obtained
therefrom is to be used in the same
manner as money from other salvage
work; that is, distributed to Civilian
Defense, Army and Navy Relief,
American Red Cross, or other civic
war agency.”
Notice is herby given to all dealers
in rubber boots that they may bring
all old rubber boots to the office' of
The Johnstonian-Sun, which is also
the office of M. L. Stancil, chairman*
of the local Salvage committee, who
will arrange storage facilities for
same.
During World War I, airplane
gines needed overhauling every
hours; today’s engines go 600 i'’"
without repairs.
hours
The happy man is one who can turn
a job to an opportunity.
The newspapers of North Carolina
are offering a $1,000 War Bond to .the
County in this state which rounds up
the greatest amount of scrap for the
war production mills of the nation,
and C. E. Bingham, Chairman of the
County Salvage Committee, says the
various township committees are hard
at»work to perfect their organizations
for a united effort to salvage every
possible piece of scrap foy war needs.
This vast salvage campaign began
on October 1st, and will run through
October 21st. The Johnston County
Salvage Committee is offering a $160
War Bond to the township turning in
the most scrap during that period.
There is also a second prize of $50
and a third prize of $25.
The first State prize to go to the
winning county is a $1,000 War Bond
and a $500 Bond as second prize—.the ■
bonds to go to some charitable or
public enterprise. The top county in
each congressional district will be
awarded a $100 War Bond.
The following persons are serving
as township chairmen to help carry
this .three-week scrap drive forward;
Smithfield—M. B. Strickland.
Pleasant Grove—Hector Langdon.
Ingrams—Bert Lassiter.
Clayton—O. B. Welch.
Pine Level—W. A. Herring.
Selma—M. L. Stancil.
Boon Hill—M. E. Powell.
Beulah—J. D. Corbett.
Micro—J. W .Fitzgerald.
Benson—J. B. Benton.
Wilson’s Mills—Howard Mitchiner.
Other townships are being rapidly
organized and their leaders will be
announced later this week.
Women’s Wotk
The women are taking an active
role in the scrap drive under the
leadership of Mrs. Kirby L. Rose,
county chairman of women’s salvage
activity.
Mrs. Rose has announced the fol«
lowing township leaders among the
women, others to be announced later:
Smithfield—Mrs. Glenn W. Grier.
Benson—Mrs. Moses Peacock.
Clayton—Mrs. Carlotta Sanders,
chairman; Mrs. Hugh A. Page, vice
chairman.
Beulah—Mrs. H. M. Grizzard.
Selma—Mrs. Willye C. Wright.
Wilson’s Mills—Mrs. Atwood Uzzle,
Pine Level—Mrs. Floyd C. Price.
Boon Hill—Mrs. H. M. Fitzgerald,
Micro—Mrs. M. Hinnant, chairman;
Mrs. L. J. Worthington, vice chair
man.
Ingrams—Mrs. Charlie Wellons.
Seen and Heard Along
THE MAINDRAG
:By H. H. L.
rare privilege that you may not get
again. He is among the most out
standing Gospel preachers in the
Methodist church. If you hear him
once, you will want to hear him again.
ALVIN KORNEGAY’S proteges,
the Boy Scouts of Pine Level, this
week erected a scrap pen, about three
times larger than the one in Selma,
ALVIN says, and .they are busy
scouring the by-ways and hedges for
scrap iron—these boys are hustlers
and they’ll be heard from before this
“scrap drive” is over—how about the
Selma Scouts?—get busy, boys, don’t
let Pine Level get all the scrap and
the money, too—and our country
friends are asked to pitch a piece of
old discarded iron or steel in their
car when they start for tov/n and
drop it in the pen near the Branch
Bank—let’s see to it that Johnston
County wins that $1,000 prize for col
lecting the most 'scrap metal per
capita during the three-week period
of October 1-21—according to ED
CREECH, about 90 per cent of the
baseball fans in these parts were
tickled half to death when St. Louis
took the “rag” from .the Yankees—•
nobody thought St. Louis would take
four in a row—SAM NARRON, an
old Johnston County boy, is one of
the “world’s champs—congratulations,*
SAM—your friends in Selma are
anxious to shake that paw of yours—
HERBERT WHITE, JR., surprised
his many friends by becoming a;ljene-
dict on last Saturday—full account
will appear in the next issue of . this
paper—glad to see D. FULK, of
Spencer, on the Maindrag on last
Saturday—MR. FULK holds a re
sponsible position with the Southern
Railway—he was a guest of CAPT.
S. M. PARKER—MANAGER GORDY
of the Brick Hotel, has gone into the.
radio repairing business, having pur
chased the interest of JAMES DRIV
ER in Driver’s Radio Service, and
will move the equipment' to the
Selma Bakery, adjoining the hotel—.
he will employ a first-class radio
repair man—JAMES left the Main-
drag Tuesday for Richmond, Va.,
where he has accepted a position—.
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