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The NBW BERN
PUBLISHED WEEKLY
IN THE HEART OF
EASTERN NORTH
CAROLINA
5^ Per Copy
VOLUME I
NEW BERN, N. C., FRIDAY, JUNE 27, 1958
NUMBER 15
New Bern was downright lucky
in the belated preservation of its
old-time fire engines and hose wag
ons.
Similar luck would have saved
one of our dinky and picturesque
trolley cars for the viewing of
posterity, but the decay of time
has already taken its toll.
Kids of today live in a world
of niiracles, yet they’ll never know
the joy that some of thfeir Moms
and Dads, and most of their grand
parents, derived from riding along
the town’s main street on a bouncy
vehicle such as this.
We can see Captain Bill Davis
right now at the helm, walrus mus
tache and all. There were other
motor men, of course, but Captain
Bill had a grandeur that others
lacked. To small boys watching
him cruise by, enroute to Ghent,
Riverside or the Union Station, he
was really somebody.
Especially thrilling were the mo
mentous occasions when a circus
like Sparks, Sels-Floto or John L.
Robinson invaded our village. That
is when Callie McCarthy hauled
out his assortment of open-air trol
leys to supplement the closed-in
ones and accommodate overflow
crowds who came to town for miles
around.
Seeing those ventilated vehicles
was almost as much fun as watch
ing a marvelous noon-time parade
that featured the usual elephants,
camels, clowns and, at the very
end, a screeching caliope that
belched smoke and ateara all over
the immediate vieinity. ,
Excitement incubated by the
electrically propelled trolleys was
n’t restricted to circus day, how
ever. Local lads figured out a
prank that brought them great sat-
ifaction, and repeatedly exasperat
ed the hapless motor men.
Attached to the trolley pole that
extended above the car, to make
contact with the power line run
ning above the track, was a rope.
This rope enabled the motor man
to swing the trolley -pole around,
at the end of the line, and head
back in the opposite direction.
It dangled in a loop at the end
of the car. The loop was fairly
close to the extended headlight,
and that gave brats in the village
a bright idea. They noticed how
the loop would droop a little low
er when the trolley was passing
a high part of the street, and'then
get shorter on a low portion of the
thoroughfare.
Discovering this, kids would hide
at just the right spot, especially
at night. Then they would dart be
hind the passing trolley, put the
loop under the headlight, and
whoop it up when the trolley pole
was pulled off the power line.
Naturally the car stopped and
was plunged into darkness. There
was nothing for the motor man to
do but hop off, remedy the trouble,
and shake his fist in the general
direction of his unseen but audible
tormentors.
One of the more popular sections
for this sort of thing was the
stretch of Pollock street between
Metcalf and Hancock. You could
always count on the trolley pole
coming off at Hancock, if the prank
was pulled properly.
- Another likely location was New
street, just as the trolley car
rounded the curve from Metcalf.
Real disaster cropped up there on
one occasion, in broad open day
light.
A school boy, heading home for
lunch from Central school, did the
usual loop trick. Apparently, the
trolley car had more than its usual
momentum. At any rate, the trol
ley pole got entangled in some
nearby telephone wires, and pulied
down a string of poles before the
car'finally came to a halt.
There were plenty of witnesses,
but none of the other kids squeal
ed on the guilty party. Needless to
(See LOOKING GLASS, Page 8)
WHOLESALE ENJOYMENT—^Two is com- enthusiasts add to a lot of mutual pleasure,
pany, three is a crowd, but there’s always and emphasize the blessing that belongs to
room for one more when you take to water New Bern in this, the Land of Enchanting
skis on upper Trent river. These 14 water Waters.
Christ Crusade Here to Set
Precedent for Our Country
A new first, not only fpr New Bern but for all America, is in the making here as plans
proceed for the Laymen’s Witness For Christ Crusade.
Never before, in the spiritual life of our nation, have so many outstanding business
leaders on the national level joined forces for a series of religious services in a single city.
Speaking as men of means and high standing, who have dedicated their lives and tal
ents to Christianity’s cause, they will deliver their inspirational messages in the New Bern
High School Auditorium from August 16 through August 24. ;
Sponsored by the New Bern4
Christian Business Men’s Com
mittee, in cobperation with the
New Bern Ministerial Associa
tion, they will bring collective
ly to the city the most out
standing array of speakers, re
ligious or otherwise, that the
town has ever been privileged
to hear within a week’s span.
What the impact will be upon
the community only time will tell.
Countless hours of tireless plan
ning have already gone into the
Crusade. Still more hours will be
devoted, so that no stone will be
left unturned in this concerted ef
fort that bears the name and,fur-
th'ers the aims of the Man of Qal-
NEW BERN'S CHOICE—Talent
and looks were the unbeatable
combination that brought Sonia
Mattocks the title of Miss New
Bern. Now she has her eyes on a
State contest that wili land some
Tar Heel lass in Atlantic City for
the Miss America pageant. Aside
from her attractiveness, Sonia
sings exceptionaiiy well.—Photo
by Baxter's Studio.
ilee.
Among the speakers will be R.
G. LeTourneau, internationally
known industrialist of Long View,
Texas, who gives 90 percent of his
vast income to the Lord. His life
story has been told in the best sell
er, “Moving Heaven and Earth.’’
Coming also is Tom Willey, vice
president of Martin Aircraft Com
pany, at Cape Canaveral,- Fla. Oth
ers include Colonel John Fain, for
merly on General Douglas MacAr-
thur’s staff, now a realtor in Atlan
ta, Ga.; Art DeMoss, an insurance
executive of Albany, N. Y.; Waldo
Yeager, president of Courtland Pro
duce Company in Toledo, O-Aio; Mel
Swanson, president of Swanson En
terprises, of St. Petersburg, Fla.
Nate Scharff, Christian Jewish
clothing merchant of Dayton, Ohio;
and Charlie Jones, an insurance ex
ecutive living in Harrisburg, Pa.
Rev. Grady Wilson, associate
evangelist of the Billy Graham
crusade, will be here, while Matt
Howell, former Duke university
football player, is coordinator for
the local series of meetings. Dick
1,800 Pledge Cash
For Hospital Here
According to the June report of
the Atlantic Baptist association,
1,800 pledges of financial support
have been made to the Eastern
North Carolina Baptist hospital
here.
There have been six pledges
ranging from $5,000 to $10,000;
three ranging from $4,000 to $5,-
000; six from $2,000 to $3,000; 18
from $1,000 to $2,000; 65 from $500
to $1,000; 20 from $400 to $500;
11 from $300 to $400; 115 from
$200 to $300; 54 from $150 to $200;
273 from $100 to $150; 253 from
$50 to $100; 352 from $25 to $50;
and 624 for an amount less than
$25.
Total pledges, according to the
report, now exceed $265,000.
Milham of Orlando, Fla., is the
song director.
New Bern, during the week, will
be the center of attention for re
ligious leaders throughout the na
tion. If our own Laymen’s Witness
for Christ Crusade is the success
that sponsors hope for, it will un
doubtedly lead to other similar
ventures from .coast to coast.
Whatever the outcome. New
Bern is being accorded an oppor
tunity that no other city has had.
What we do with that opportunity
is going to be of our own making,
as individuals and as a community
of professing Christians.
A Weekend Prayer
Eternal God, our Father, we
rejoice that Jesus Christ came into
the world, to reveal to us what Thy
nature is, and what our natures
may become. We are thankful that
He has become for us a new and
living Way into Thy presence.
Our hearts are • overwhelmed.
Father, when we meditate upon
the wonder of the Master’s love for
us. Seeing us like sheep without
a shepherd. He offered to lead us.
Seeing us sinful and stubborn in
our self-will, He Ras given His life
to break our hearts, and turn us
toward the right.
If our lives still ,are not right,
O God, we realize that the fault
lies within us. Thou hast met us
more than half-way, offering a
marvelous Plan for our wills to
choose, and for our hearts to fol
low. Thou hast done for us, in
Christ, more than we could ask or
think.
May Christ have His way with
us. With broken and contrite
hearts, may we accept His offer
of forgiveness and new life. May
we yield every area of life to His
control. May the Holy Spirit be
able to use us to Thy glcxry, both
now and in the years eternal.
M. Elmore "iWoer, Pastor,
Broad St. Christian Church,
New Bern, N. C.
Cats Escape
Tax Worries
In New Bern
If you’re one of those New Bern
or Craven county citizens who
would like to have some tax-free
property, get yourself a cat. Un
like other animals that might be
roaming around your premises, a
kitty will live his nine lives to the
fullest with nary a levy on hia
head.
Try to keep a goat, and the mo
ment they get wind of itvdown at
the county courthouse you’ll have
another assessment listed opposite
your name. They’re mighty apt to
nag you about a horse, too, and
stalling won’t keep the tax collec
tor from plugging until he gets
results.
When the tax folks dreamed up
a tax on cows, they knew they
had it in the bag. Even when they
extended the shake-down to cattle
grown for butchering, they weren’t
in the mood for your beefing.
A man who doesn’t want to
pay a tax on his sheep might as
well take it on the, lamb. Make
no mistake about it, they’ll ram
it down your throat. And if you
try to sneak by with a hog, they
will give you a bored look whila
cluttering county coffera with
coin.
They’ll hound you for your dbg
tax, too, and give you a pointer or
two on the duties of John Q. Pub
lic. Even if all you’ve got is chick
en, or turkeys, or ducks or geese,
you’ll find yourself all fouled up
ff you try to evade the law.
% the way, you might be inter
ested in knowing that, at last re
port, there were 2,783 male dogs
(See NEW BERN CATS, Page 4)
FLATTERING ASSIGNMENT —
New Bern's Neil Vester will be
master of ceremonies for the N.
C. Lions State Breakfast, when
the International Convention
meets in Chicago. There'll be 45,-
000 or thereabouts attending the
Convention, and the North Caro
lina breakfast is one of the larg
est and most important furictions.
Neil will audition talent from all
over the world prior to the event,
and select the best for presents-'
tion. Once a professional show
man, born of parents with a foot-
light background, he had his own
radio show for five years, and
was featured vocalist and leader
of a Florida dance band for
eight years. Neil appeared in
many supper clubs, on stage and
in radio in Florida, New York
and Boston, and acted as talent
scout for agencies in Florida and
Boston. He had 15 years in the
Marine Corps, and was a master
sergeant in World War Two and
the Korean conflict. At present
he is sergeant major of the local
Marine Reserve unit, and man
ages the business machine depart
ment at the Owen G. Dunn Co.
His wife is the former Mary
Ross of Washington, N. C.