We may never see the day that
this- is an honest to goodness col
lege town^ but once, in the Gay
Nineties, this proud village of ours
could boast of the New Bern Col
legiate Institute.
There were 245 students from
New Bern and Craven county en
rolled for the 1891-92 school year,-
plus two from Cumberland county,
seven from Pamlico, eight from
Carteret, four from Hyde, two from
Jones and one each from Pitt,
Johnston, Forsythe, Lenoir and On
slow.
The NEW BERN
I
VOLUME
NEW BERN, N. C., FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 1958
.1*
P'
Even Wakefield, Mass,, and
Prai^ford, Dela., contributed one
pupil each to the student body, so
you see word had really gotten
around about the Institute.
Among the New Bernians who
furthered their education there
were such well-known old timers as
Albert Bangert, Wade Meadows,
Lizzie Hancock, Albert Willis, Rom
Nunn, Mark Stevenson, Sam Dill,
Steve Fowler, Tom Kehoe, Closs
Barker, Nettie Fowler, Anna Hanff,
John Suter, Leo Sultan, Inez Sty
ron, Bradley Hanff, Laura Suter,
John Tolson, Ernest Wood, Fred
Whitty, Faith Brock, Marfiie Duffy,
Dan Roberts and Fred Richardson.
John S. Long was president of
the board of trustees. On the
board with him were Charles S.
Clark, E. H. Meadows, Alex Miller,
N. S. Richardson, P. Holland, A.
T. Jerkins, W. G. Brinson, L. H.
Cutler, William Hollister, W. H.
Oliver, H, C. Whit6hurst.^William
M. Watson, Clement Manley,I T. A.
G^s 4. Meado««, H. B. BW-
Jo||lj Bfjbltfftrd, • J. A. Guidn,
George Slover, F. Ulrich and J. B.
Hughes.
_ ■ Students still living will recall
understandable fondness a
faculty comprised of Gustavus Troy
Adams, Mary L. Allen, George W.
Neal, S. G. Bragaw, John Stanley
Thomas, F. E. Morton, Nellie Walk
er, Aurora Mace, Janet Hollister,
Mary D. Gooding, and Mrs. A. B.
Ferebee.
Then, a^ now, it paid to adver
tise, and New Bern’s leading busi
ness firms welcomed the chance to
proclaim their wares in the Insti
tute’s booklet. ^
J. C. Whitty and Company let it
be known that it was headquarters
for hardware, agricultural imple
ments and ship chandlery, while
Thomas C. Howard told the world
about his sectional marine rail
ways. '
Barrington and Baxter allowed
as how their specialties were fine
hand-sewed shoes and gents’ under
wear. In. the absence of more de
tailed information, we would as
sume that the latter were long-
handled nifties that warmed the
wearer but accomplished little in
the way of adding to his charm.
Mrs. S. H. Lane had a word for
the ladies. She emphasized Fashion
able Millinery, including latest
styles of hats and bonnets trimmed
or untrimmed. For the do-it-your
self gals of that long ago era she
mentioned the fact that she had
trimmings, ribbons, flowers, feath
ers, notions, saxony and zephyr
wool on hand.
Henry L. Hall was the town’s
book dealer, and J. B. Brown was
anxious to pass.along the word that
he had a first class barber shop.
Dr. G. K. Bagby admitted in print
that he did things quite efficiently
as a surgeon dentist.
John A. Richardson’s chief stock
in trade happened to be furniture
and mattresses, but if you wanted
buggies and harness the place of
places was Stewart’s livery stable.
Incidentally, he assured each and
all that he always had a large sup
ply of carts on hand.
By coincidence, 1891 was the
very same year that Lenoir Rhyne
college came into "being at Hickory,
Unlike the New Bern Collegiate
Institute, it managed to survive
despite an humble beginning. ^
NUMBER 24
This Home
Off Limits to
City
Don’t blame l^or Rob«l L.
Stallings, Jr., btoiuse'liis home at
the comer of Johnson and Craven
streets has been declared off limits
for dogs.
Actually, Robert Lee would like
to have a pup, maybe two or three,
but the Dutchess just won’t allow
it. And, as long as she lives she
i§ going to have her way.
In case you haven’t met the
Dutchess, she is a nondescript cat
of the alley variety^ Her claim to
royal blood is rather questionable,
but at the Stallings residence she
rules supreme.
After all ,any cat—DuttAess or
not—Reserves a measure of respect
when it reaches the ripe old age of
17 years. How many of her nine
lives have been used up in attain
ing this milestone, the Dutchess
isn’t saying. Like most females,
she is slightly touchy about her
age.
“I’d like to have a dog,’’ the
mayor admits wistfully, “but I’m
afraid that cat of ours is too old
to get adjusted.’’
In other words, it’s just as hard
to teach an old cat new tricks u
it is to teach an old dog.
teacher hasn’t been iMra yet who
could make the Dutchess sof^aBze
with a canine, be he thoroughbred
or mongrel.;” ■"{’
How did
MBth. such
and,
State champs last Friday, the New tl;»y are; Heaid Afajorette Linda Hhirjroh,
Bern High school majorettes were doing Janeth Hill, Frances McSorley and Merita
some fancy marching of their own. They’ll Land.—Photo by John R Baxter
-
Rhyme and Reason Lacking
In Craven County Murders
Murders in New Bern and Crav
en county, and there have been
many through the years, stem from
trifles light as air.
It isn’t that way in story books.
Mystery novels provide a motive
and a plot, but slayings hereabouts
usually are as pointless as they
are vicious.
Premeditation is a rarity, and
robbery almost non-existent. An
argument over a drink of white
lightning, a slighting remark, a
passing glance—of things as flimsy
as these are homicides born.
Seldom does a man or woman
seek out an enemy of long stand
ing, and snuff out a life. Far more
often the victim is a friend of
sorts, or a total stranger.
Whiskey and murder go hand
in hand. If local killings prove
nothing else, they demonstrate con
clusively that the man or woman
who drinks excessively is flirting
with violent death.
That goes double for the hap
less individual who frequents the
so-called joints. If he is looking
for trouble, he’ll find it. And if
he isn’t trouble will find him.
Much has been said about the
New Bern Jewish Population
In Midst of New Year lUtes
Few New Bernians, except those
of the Jewish faith, are' familiar
with the series of services that got
under way at Chester B’nai Sholom
last Tuesday, and The Mirror is in
debted to Rabbi Jerome G. Tolo-
chko for eniightening us.
“Inaugurating the spiritual New
Year,” he says, “the holy days are
a ten-day span given over to a
review of the ethical level of one’s
conduct and worship exercises to
stimulate nobler living.
“In synagogues throughout the
country and the world, religious
services on Rosh Hashana will be
East Carolina college, a school
that some say we should have
landed, didn’t come along - until
1909. 'Today it is one of the larger
colleges and a great asset to
Gi-eenville. For us, the Institute is
only a wistful memory.
marked by prayers of repentence,
musical selections with the same
theme and rabbinical sermons urg
ing conduct more in conformity
with God’s mandates.
“The Hebrew term for the New
Year is Rosh Hashana—beginning
of the year.” The sacred period,
known as the days of penitence,
reaches its climax with Yom Kip-
pur, the Day of Atonemeht.
“13n Rosh Hashana day and at
the conclusion of Yom Kippur, the
Shofar (ram’s horn) is sounded in
the synagogue as a call to con
science. In many Jewish homes,
the dinner meai on Rosh Hashana
Eve includes the eating of a bit of
bread dipped in honey as the sym
bol of hope for a sweet year.
“The familiar High Holy Day
greeting is ‘L’shanah tovah’—mean
ing for a good year.
(Continued on back page)
type of man or woman who can be
termed a potential murderer, but
judges, lawyers, law enforcement
officers and newspapermen know
that there is no set pattern.
You realize that more and more,
as meek and mousy mortals are
fetched into Craven’s courthouse,
and tried and convicted for capital
offenses.
Because in almost every instance
the staying is a spur-of-the-moment
affair, without rhyme or reason,
few get the death sentence and
fewer stilt die in the chair for their
crime.
Toting a pistol or a switch blade
knife usually sets the stage for a
Craven county killing. The weapon
is handy, and having a weapon
handy simplifies homicide. Only a
tiny fraction of the slayers in
these parts would land within the
toils of the law, if they had to
round up a gun or a knife before
they blasted away or plunged cold
steel into a fellow human’s innards.
A great majority of the habitual
lawbreakers hereabouts never get
involved in a murder, either as
the killer or the victim. Yet, a high
percentage of the persons who do
get involved have previous court
lecords.
Their earlier offenses cover a
wide range, including drunk and
disorderly counts, simple assaults,
larceny, breaking and entering, and
in some instances an assault with
a deadly weapon.
Every assault with a deadly
weapon isn’t committed with an
intent to kill, and the courts so
recognize this fact and mete out
punishment accordingly.
Ironically, some of these assaults
are committed with murder in
fond of his pet, ^
and ■ her hearty distaste for every
hound in town.
Robert L^ was in^hb fievy dur
ing World' War U, when he met
the Dutchess. He was serving on a
converted schooner, as we under
stand it, and had occasion' to visit
a Dutch ship on a good will mis
sion.
The skipper of the Dutch .ship
I either took a liking to New Bern’s
future mayor, or liked cats even
less. At any rate, he offered Robert
Lee a wistful and rather incon
spicuous kitty. Stallings, in the
midst of wartime naval duties,
needed a cat like he needed a horse
Besides, he knew that skippers
on merchant ships were leading
rather lonely lives, and he didn’t
want to deprive the Dutch captain
of a chance to have company, such
as it was.
I So, with the diplomacy that New
Bern’s mayor is noted for, he de
clined the gift and returned to his
I own vessel. The Dutchman meant
business, and sent the kitty to
Stallings with his compliments.
Recalling the incident, Robert
Lee says, “I almost got court-mar
tialed, but the Dutchess stayed.” ■
She not only stayed for the war’s
duration, she came home with him.
That’s why one of New Bern’s
dog lovers is a man without a
dog. It just goes to show you that
a mayor, like everyone else, gets
pushed around. Not only does he
have to listen to irate housevdves
complain about their garbage cob
lection, and sundry citizens squawk
about their light bills. At the end
of the day, with his ears burning,
I he goes home and plays second
I fiddle to a cat.
A dog might sympathize with
him in his predicament, or -try to
correct it. In utter disdain, she
struts about a trifle unsteadily,
and lets it be known by her regal
manner that come what may she
intends to live in a world all her
(Continued on back page)
own.
In that world, she’ll tolerate a
few selected humans, including the
mayor, but dogs are strictly taboo.
If your dog lives downtown, or ever
visits in that vicinity, inform him
of this fact. It may save his prido
and his hide.