The NEW BERN
PUBLISHED WEEKLY
IN THE HEART OF
EASTERN NORTH
CAROLINA
5^ Per Copy
VOLUME I
NEW BERN, N. C., FRIDAY, JUNE 6, 1958
NUMBER 10
G«ne Austin’s comeback, on tel
evision, and the subsequent de
maad for his oid and new record
ings, brings to mind his tremend
ous popularity in the iate Twenties.
No one before nor since, not
even Bing Crosby, has equalled the
success he enjoyed in his heydey.
He had countless platters that sold
into the millions, and one of them
—“My Blue Heaven”—reached the
pinnacle of seven and a half mil
lion records.
K you’ve, passed your fortieth
birthday, or certainly your forty-
fifth, you’ll recall not only “My
Blue HeavfiJ” but “Melancholy
Baby,” “Sweetheart of Sigma Chi,”
“But I Do, You Know I Do,” “Tam-
iami Trail,” “For My Sweetheart,”
“Old Pals Are Best Pals,” “At
Peace With The World,” “Memo
ries of France,” “Dream Girl of Pi
KA,” “Someday Sweetheart,” “Song
of the Southland,” “Then Came the
Dawn,” and all those other glorious
renditions that found their way in
to everybody’s parlor.
Gene’s first visit to these parts
was unintentional.- His yacht “My
Blue Heaven” had to put into More-
head City for repairs. Always will
ing to sing at the drop of a hat,
and ready to drop the hat himself
if necessary, he agreed to give an
impromptu program at the Pagoda
over at Atlantic Beach.
He showed up as promised, with
a few drinks under his belt, and
sang favorite after favorite. Playing
his own piano accompaniment, Aus
tin gave those who were lucky
enough to be on hand a. thrill thejT
will nevdr forget.
Later, in less palmy days, he
came to New Bern with his tent
show. Before long he had hit the
skids for fair, leaving a trail of bad
checks that, as we recall, finally
caught up with him in Virginia.
We’re inclined to believe Gene’s
downfall was mostly of his own
making. Even so, there’s something
mighty gratifying about the way
he has managed to breathe new
life into an amazing career that
had its beginning way back in
World War I, when the Shreveport
native was an army bugler «
Austin always liked North Caro
lina. His daughter was born in
Charlotte, and that’s the name he
gave her. Knowing Gene when he
was on top, and when he ended up
on rock bottom, we can testify that
he was gracious, kind and gener
ous,. He never lost sight of the
fact that he owed his fame and
fortune to the folks who bought
his records.
One of our favorite stories about
him concerns an occurrence at
Jacksonville. That was when Jack
sonville w.as a tiny village, with
a single block of stores, instead of
a Uu-iving Marine-blessed city.
A bunch of teen-agers were con
gregated around a Victrola in the
rear of the town’s drug store, lis
tening to the only thing that
dreamy-eyed kids and grown folks
listened to in those days—the lat
est Gene Austin release.
A stranger walked in for a pack
of cigarettes, listened a few min
utes and said half apologetically—
“That’s me.”
Somebody snickered, and every
body else gave Gene a look that
let him know in no uncertain terms
that they figured he was off his
rock. The nation’s most famous
man of the moment didn’t mind
He turned, went out the dwr and
fetched a ukelele from his car,
parked at the curb. He was back in
a matter of seconds, and sang for
the handful of astounded Jackson
ville kids until he was a hoarse as
he was happy.
That was Gene Austin, up and
down. He reminded us in so many
ways of a kid himself.- Smarter men
might have been able to make the
most of their golden opportunity.
Austin, as good natured and uncon
(Continued on back page)
IT TURNED OUT ALL RIGHT—A broken leg, frac
tured collar bone and emergency surgery resulting
-from a traffic accident has failed to dampen the
spirit of 11-year-old Ruth Cox. Of course, it's hard
tp take things in stride when you're in a wheel
chair, but Ruth—home from St. Luke's hospital, is
the center of attention as her friends scribble auto
graphs on a leg cast she'll be wearing until late
June. Seen left to right, as Earl Stallings scrawls
his signature, are Margaret Jean Stallings, Joyce
Leggett, Darilene White; Ruth, Mary Ann Whitty,
Ann SykM, Eddie Dalton, Eddie Whitford, Lee
' . . ' 'vi •-'^iT I •-eiwier‘'iT.mi
Winters, and Carol Winters. That nurse hovering
in the background is one of New Bern's most popu
lar ladies In white, Annie Humphrey. Annie's de
pendability is a legend hereabouts, but Ruth east
aspersions on it the other morning. "Just pay her
for a half day today," she told her father, Paul
Cox, "cause she went to sidep." The dog in the
picture is Ruth's dog—Zero, and we shouldn't even
mention him. Everybody else treated the photo^
rapher like a gentleman, but Zero stuck out his
tongue.
First Choral Workshop in
City s History Begins Soon
When New Bern’s Choral Work
shop gets under way on June 17,
it will mark the first time in histo
ry that such a venture has been
launched here.
Under the supervision of Don
ald Smith, director of music at
New Bern High school, the work-
Local Lions Plan
To Attend Meeting
A delegation of New Bern Lions
is planning to attend the Inter
national Convention in Chicago
July 8-12.
Included in the big parade on
July 9 will be a gigantic float de
picting vacationing in North Caro
lina from the Atlantic Ocean to
the Great Smokies.
The Rockingham band is going to
be in the line of march, as well
as five snazzy convertibles bear
ing Tar Heel beauties representing
the nine Upns club districts in the
State.
shop will be held each Tuesday
night for an eight-week span, ex
tending to August 5.
It is to be conducted in the so
cial room of Centenary Methodist
church, with the class periods from
7:45 p.m. to approximately 9 p.m.
Included in addition to the finest
sacred music will be popular com
positions, 17th century madrigals,
folks songs and novelty numbers.
“The workshop should be most
stimulating,” says Smith, “as we
have a satisfying variety of music
on hand. If the enthusiasm con
tinues to spread, we should have
a most successful summer.”
Rehearsal procedure and rehears
al technique for the choir conduct
or will be shown, while choir mem
bers who would like to sing some
thing new and different will have
an opportunity to utilize everything
from a Mozart Mass to “My Fair
Lady.”
For those who cannot read mus
ic, there will be suggestions and
practical methods for aiding them
in this respect.
Salvation Army Gives Report
On Five Months of Activity
The Salvation Army has issued
the following report for the first
five months of the year of 1958,
for the Welfare and Homeless Men
and Women.
There were 739 who applied for
family relief assistance. Four hun
dred and sixty have received assist
ance, which consists of 108 grocery
orders, 38 fuei orders, seven rent
orders, 12,770 pieces of clothing,
new and used, 180 pairs of shoes,
new and used, 34 medical orders
which consisted of doctors’ bills,
hospital care and prescriptions.
Fourteen families whose homes
have been destroyed by fire dur
ing this period have either been
completely or partly furnished
with furniture and other means
that they might set up housekeep
ing.
Six visits to the prison farm,
numbers of office interviews for
council and guidance. There have
been numbers of alcoholics who
have been helped physically as
well as spiritually.
The transit program saw 119
homeless men given a night’s lodg
ing and supplied with 250 meals,
seven families who were stranded
within our city were given assist
ance to journey on to their homes.
Smith, during his two decades in
New Bern has had notable results
with his high school choirs and
glee/ clubs. His groups have been
favorably compared with college
musicians. He also has achieved
excellent results in directing the
choir of New Bern’s First Baptist
church.
Jarred Chirp
Real Pretty
To This Bird
Nathan Gooding named his para
keet Foster, for Secretary of State
John Foster Dulles. That’s because
the bird has such a yen for travel.
Most birds like to go places, how
ever, so this isn’t what makes Fost
er a little out of the ordinary.
What distinguishes him from the
average feathered friend is the way
he imitates humans. By humans we
mean the folks who like to sing in
their bathrooms because the tile
and fixtures cause even a small
squeaky voice to sound big and
important, and operatic.
Foster doesn’t have a bathroom,
but he gets the same results by
sticking his head in his glass feed
ing jar and singing like all get out.
He discovered the trick by acci
dent. One day he had his head in
the jar and chirped. It sounded
some kind of pretty, to Foster that
is, and he has been doing it ever
since. ’
Now, when a mocking bird or
some other well-equipped songster
lights in a nearby tree and vocal
izes, Foster refuses to be impress
ed. He simply heads for the feed
ing jar and sings himself into a
state of high esteem.
Some folks’ will power becomes
stagnant from lack of exercise.,
Same Judge
For All Ca^es
Ought to Help.
A committee of the North Caro
lina Bar Association that has been
studying the State’s judicial system
unearthed nothing new or startling
in its report on crowded court
dockets.
A hopelessly-crowded docket has
long existed in Craven Superior
Court. As a result, hundreds of
cases have been disposed of by
nol pros. This means that the case
wasn’t tried at all, but tossed aside
to make the huge pile of back
cases a little smaller.
In some instances, of course, a
case might appear to be lacking in
the ingredients necessary for prose
cution. Far too often it is a case
that starts out strong, then weak
ens as it rots at the seams through
long delays and continuances.
It isn’t a picture deserving of
complacency when serious crimes,
including murder, can’t end in
justice in Craven Superior court
because important witnesses die or
get disgusted and move away to
parts unknown.
Such has happened and will
continue to happen. Ironically,
members of the North Carolina
Bar Association, including its mem
bers in Craven county, have been
responsible to a great extent for
the situation.
Naturally a lawyer with a weak
case to defend is going to exhaust
every legal means to delay or
avoid a day of reckoning for his
client. Solicitors and judges, all
but smothered by an avalanche of
new cases added to the old, strug
gle against the inevitable, and
eventually take what seems the on
ly way out by resorting to nol
pros for ancient and so-called un
important cases.
Judges, moving around from
town to town, can shove the tough
and "tedious cases on the docket
to one side if they feel so inclined,
and leave the headache to the next
judge that follows them. It’s the
age old story of passing the buck.
Therein lies much of the prob-
iem, and perhaps the answer. In
stead of the present system that
sends judges flitting around from
pillar to post, why not keep each
judge in his own district the year
around? Then, even if he felt dis
posed to do so, he couldn’t dodge
his own headache. A case that he
continued would still be waiting
for him on his next trip to the
town. , ‘.
Defense attorneys, facing
same judge term after term, could?
n’t use the same excuse over apd
over with slight variations to get
uncalled for continuances.
Under such a plan a judge woldd
come to New Bern, stay here for
a month or two months if. , neces
sary, and issue an ultimaliu^. to
lawyers, clients and court officiMs
to the effect that he was here to
clear the docket. , i-
If one judge in each district iant
enough, let the State quit kidding
itself and get more judges. It
should be obvious to everyone that
any potential evil in having judges
remain within their own- district
is far outweighed by the present
evils in a sorry mess that smells
to high heaven.
A Weekend Prayer
O Merciful God, bless Thy
phurch throughout all the world,
and all those who love Thqe in
sincerity although they follow not
with us in all things. .
Heal strife, division and discord,
and make us all Thine in willing
devotion, as we are Thine by re
demption and grace. Through Jesus
Christ Our Lord» Amen.
—Rev. Alton P. HUl, Jr.
Trinity Methodist Church,