(All The News Hung Out To Dry)
— By —
BLOYS W. BRITT
^————mm3 ,
Being within the draft age and
already "betwix and between”—be- i
tween physical exam and indue- I
tion—we would naturally take
more interest in good bits of gos
sip coming our way having to do
with the draft business. So it is
that we pass the following little
stories along to you with a grain
of salt, but with absolute authority
as to their authenticity.
***
The Roanoke Rapids lawyer who
passed this one along to us hap
pened to be an eyewitness. He told
of the local draftee who, when he
boarded the bus here for Raleigh,
purchased a quantity of liquor.
By the time the bus arrived in
the capital city he was thorough
ly “lit”. In the long line of reg
istrants being examined he was
unusually talkative, carrying on a
boisterous conversation which kept
the group thoroughly amused. But
when his turn came to be examin
ed he became suddenly sober,
looked the doctor in the eye, and
said: “Doc, there's no use examin
ing me. I’m 100 per cent”. To
which the doctor queried: “What
do you mean, 100 per cent?” . . .
“90 per cent booze, and 10 percent
7-Up”, the local youth replied.
Note: The above was not in
tended as an advertisement for
any beverage concern, locally or
otherwise.
***
I
All of which reminds us of the
story told us by another local at
torney. It seems that a Negro
down in Georgia was thoroughly in
doubt as to his ability to serve in
the armed forces, so when the let
ter came telling him to report to
his local board for induction he
took to the swamps. He remained
there for six months, with Uncle
Sam’s agents scouring the country ,
for him. Finally they got him
and brought him in for induction.
The doctor gave him the usual
physical examination and upon its
completion informed the darky
that he was physically O. K. "I
might be physically O. K., doc,”
the negro responded, “but you sure
ain’t getting any hero!”
***
We, ourseves, will stand behind
this one, because we knew the
soldier in question. This particular
soldier told us that he "served”
in the first World War. It seems
that he was sent to the front,
and there became hysterical with
fear, but not so much that he was
able to figure out a scheme to
shirk his battle duties and land in
a hospital. He complained to his
company doctor one morning, he
said, telling the man of medicine
that he had a “hurting” just above
the temple, in his head. "That,”
our soldier friend said, "is the on
ly place in the whole body that a
doctor can’t argue with you a
bout”. After thinking his story
over, we doubt if the doctor did
argue with him.
***
TIMELY TID-BITS: Speaking
of the draft, we remember when
the trains used to come through
during the first World War pick
ing up each town’s contingent of
soldiers. People would crowd the
railway tracks to see the boys
off. We remember one family in
particular who crowded the rail
way tracks at our little “hog path”
stop and bade their boy farewell.
Just as the train was pulling out
of the siding, a member of the
family shouted: “John, there's
some sweet potatoes in your lunch
basket. You can divide them with
the rest of the boys, if you want
to!" Nowadays, however, the boys
have to go back and forth to the
induction centers for “screenings’,
physical examinations, deferment
requests, appeals, etc., so many
times that it finally becomes
monotonous and loses its glamour,
so that when the day finally comes
for your big sendoff the family
stays at home and you get away
the best you can.
***
Seriousness aside, though, we re
call a little humorous incident
that came out of Fort Jackson
sometime ago. Possibly you have
read it before, but anyway, a cer
tain draftee wrote his mother that
he had been detailed to KP. His
mother immediately sat down and
wrote: “Dear Son, I was thrilled
to hear that you had been pro
moted to KP. But please, son,
don’t be too hard on those under
you. Remember, you were just
as low- as they are before you got
promoted.”
***
HEARD AND SEEN: The old
lady in the bus station at 9 o’clock j
the other ayem . . . Waiting . . . ,
She was still there at 4:15 . . . still
waiting . . . Pszzt! Did you see
the headlines on last week’s Her
ald? .. . They read, “Police Cars
Crash”, and in smaller type,
‘Traffic Signals Installed” . . .
rhere was no connection between
the two, if you please ... A friend
of ours writes: “Sorry you left
Wallace, but am still keeping up
with you, as a friend and buddie
of mine named Cook, from Roa
noke Rapids, gets the Herald.” . . .
rhe writer was Joe Bland of
Wallace, stationed in Henry Ford’s
Maval school at Detroit.
IDeldon i:
> | »
’..
Mrs. R. P. Morehead has re
urned home from a visit to her
laughter in Suffolk.
Mr. and Mrs. Sam Underwood of
Greenville were guests in the home
if Mr. and Mrs. J. I. Wyche Sat
lrday and Sunday.
Miss Mabel Alston of Lillington
spent the week-end with her par
3nts, Mr. and Mrs. W. L. Alston, 1
md had as her guest Miss Bar
aara Jean Blackman. 1
Mr. and Mrs. Stirling Hilliard of
Washington, D. C., visited friends
here over the week-end.
T. A. Chappell visited his moth
er, who is ill in Richmond, Va.,
Sunday.
Mrs. J. A. Archer of New Bern
is the guest of her brother, Harry
Rawlings. '
Miss Frances Oakes of A. C.
College, Wilson, spent the week
end with her parents, Mr. and
Mrs. A. W. Oakes.
Parker Moore has left for Nor
folk, Va., where he has accepted a
position.
Miss Susie Spruell Mohorn has
returned to college in Greensboro
after spending a week at her
V. n Vi
CLUB MEETS
The Thursday Afternoon Club
met with Mrs. F. N. Rowe with
Mrs. R. E. Vick presiding. The
members of the club are putting
forth a special effort in cooperat
ing with the Red Cross by knit
ting, sewing and attending classes
in Home Nursing.
The subject for the afternoon
was “Furniture". Mrs. W. J. Ed
wards read an introduction to the
program, setting forth the general
characteristics of furniture made
by Chippendale, Hepplewhite Sher
aton and showing bow life and
society in the eighteenth century
effected the styles of furniture.
The hostess, assisted by Annie
Lou Rowe, Mrs. Rowe and Mrs.
Seifert, served refreshments.
MRS. KINO ENTERTAINS
Mrs. C. E. King delightfully en
tertained her bridge club and
guests Wednesday afternoon. Early
Bpring flowers and decorations
were used, and an attractive Val
entine motif in table appointments
and refreshments was lovely. Mrs.
I
N. J. Shepherd was winner of the
club prize, Mrs. J. S. Selden the .
Efuest prize, and Mrs. P. E. Ran
some the floating prize.
The hostess, assisted by Mrs.
Will Norman, served a salad
course followed by a sweet course.
Guests included Mesdames F. J.
Bounds, R. T. Daniel, W. J. Ed
wards, T. H. Holmes, G. H. Nash,
P. E. Ransome, N. J. Shepherd,
W. L. Scott, C. S. Vinson, D. W.
Seifert, J. S. Selden and Overton
Suiter.
f^le^ro Prisoners
«v
Transferred To
Caledonia Farm
A shift of prisoners in the Per
quimans County caps and at Cal
edonia Farm in Halifax was an
nounced yesterday by Penal Di
rector Oscar T. Pitts.
Inmates of the Perquimans unit,
134 Negro prisoners, have been
brought to Caledonia, where they
will work under the direction of
J. M. Tolar, recently transferred to
the Halifax camp from Perquim
ans. White prisoners, numbering
106 formerly at Caledonia, were
transferred to th? Perquimans
Camp, of which K. B. Ewing, for
merly located at Caledonia, is su
perintendent.
Thirty Indian prisoners confined
to the Caledonia camp were left
there, according to the announce
ment which made public the
changes during the past week-end.
Want Men For
Guard Duty In
Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps '
s now seeking thousands of men
:o release a similar number of en
isted men for combat duty. Those
jetween the ages of 30 and 50,
vho are physically qualified, will
ae enlisted in the Marine Corps
Reserve Class IV.
These older men will be retained
exclusively for guard duty in the
/arious navy yards of the coun
:ry. Those who are former Ma
rines will be reenlisted and re
appointed to the rank up to and
ncluding sergeant. Also former
Army men will be reenlisted to
:he rank they held during World
war I.
Since it has been realized that
many of these men are married
the Marine Corps will provide sub
sistence for the enlisted man and
his family and will also provide
funds for the transportation of
his household effects to his per
manent station.
Those who have not had any
previous military experience will
be sent to Parris Island, S. C., for
a short instruction course. This
training will primarily take up
the duties and instructions that all
guards must be familiar with.
Former Marines and Army men
will be sent directly to some naval
base of their choice without train
ing at Parris Island.
Civilians interested in acting as
guards at navy yards are urged to
contact their nearest Marine
Corps Recruiting Station for com
plete details and to secure appli
cation forms. Marine Corps Re
cruiting Stations are located in
Asheville, Winston-Salem, Char
lotte, Rocky Mount and Raleigh. ,
Two Local nurses
Get Commissions
Bn Medical Corps
Miss Pearl Howell, a member of
the nursing staff at Roanoke
Rapids hospital, has accepted a
commission as a Second Lieuten
ant in the U. S. Army Nursing
Corps, it was learned today, and
will report for active duty at one
of the Army’s Medical centers on
March 1st.
Miss Dorothy Drake, another
member of the staff at the hos
pital, has also accepted a commis
sion in the Army and will report
for duty about the first of April.
Two other nurses on the lo.cal
hospital staff have applied for
commissions.
Miss Howell graduated from the
hospital nursing school in August,
1941, and Miss Drake finished in
September. Both are natives of
Northampton county, and have
been on the hospital nursing staff
since graduation.
Mrs. Fred Shearin of Littleton
was a patient in Roanoke Rapids
Hospital this week.
Negro Injured
In Auto Mishap
Shelton Singleton, 17-year-old
Negro, was brought to Roanoke
Rapids hospital Saturday night for
treatment of head injuries which
he sustained near Lawrenceville
when the bicycle he was riding
was struck by an automobile,
throwing its rider to the pave
ment.
Examined at the local hospital,
it was found that he suffered se
vere head injuries, not believed to
be serious. He was still in the
hospital late this week.
Complete details of the accident
could not be learned.
There are four (4) Naval Train
ing Stations where Naval recruits
are trained before going aboard
ship or entering one of the Trade
Schools. They are at Newport,
Rhode Island; Great Lakes, Illi
nois; Norfolk, Virginia; and San
Diego, California.
The days of sleeping in the
swinging hammock are over, as
far as the majority of Uncle Sam’s
sailors are concerned. Most of the
new ships are outfitted with steel
bunks which, when not used, fold
against the casemate, or wall.
Sailors in the United States
Navy and Naval Reserve do not
lack for reading facilities. Prac
tically every ship is outfitted with
a complete library where members
of the crew can read for either I
relaxation or study.
Dick Burton of Fort Bragg has
been transferred to Camp Bland
ing, Florida, and spent the week
end with his parents before leav
ing Monday for Florida. •
To Remind You of the Fact that
WE WILL BE
CLOSED ALL
DAY SUNDAY
—following our regular
policy of remaining o
pen and closing on al
ternate Sundays.
We urge you to check up on your prescrip- I
tion and drug needs now! If you need a re- f i
fill—attend to it today, for we’ll be closed
Sunday! ,,
Matthews Drug Co. 1
DIAL R-361 - WE DEUVER I
90 PROOF i
The straight whiskies in
this product are 4 years
or more old. 51% straight
bourbon whisky, 49%
other straight whiskies.
62%% straight whiskies
4 years old’, 25% straight
whisky 5 years old, 12%%
straight whisky 6 years old.
—- _1