* * * THE ROANOKE RAPIDS * * * What Roanoke Rapids Makes WT f™ , .. . r Herald Classified Advertising —Makes Roanoke Rapids „ , r Gets Ouiek Results ^4 4^ 4 ★ ★ a -VOLUME XXXII -ROANOKE RAPIDS, N. C., THURSDAY. JULY 24th. 1347 NUMBER 38 | Roanoke] i Ramblingsf ♦AVID HARUM STORY JJ S' Farmer: “Be this the Wo C man’s Exchange?" Woman: “Yes.” Farmer: “Be you the wo man?” Woman: “Yea.” “Well, then I think I’ll keep Maggie." BE BETTER BOYS There is a judge around here who is prone to pass up a murder . $xse before he’d miss a chance to ** sentence a thief—he hates stealing just that much. The tale is told that he was once in the position of presiding over the trial of four young boys charged with stealing over a thousand dollars worth of ciga , rettes. It was their first arrest their first black mark. The trial over and their guilt de ided, the judge calmly looked |.iem over — there they stood be * fore the bar of justice, the eldest of them not 21 uwaiting sentence. "Boys,” began the judge in a kindly tone of voice, "I’m sorry to see you all in thiB court. You’re Buch fine looking boys. You should be just now starting out in life. But — you've been arrested— you’ve had a fair trial and you’ve been found guilty; and your fate ! jH in my hands.” Here he sighed. "I'm going to have to put you boys away for a little while, but I want you all to accept this in the spirit in which it is given. I want you to regard it as a deserved punishment and to take it as a lesson. When you come back I want you all to be better citizens ' and better boys than you were [ when you committed this crime, j > "Mr. Clerk — I want it put down A| there that these boys will be con ■ fined to the state prison at Ral ly cigh, North Carolina, at hard labor ■ for a period not less than twenty I nine and not more than thirty I years.” ■ A ..... cm i .-4 tho «tnrt ht> iust I didn't believe in stealing—period. ^ Said one colored boy just | hack from the war to another: P “Boy! Dent English lias a gun dat’U shoot 25 miles!” "Shoot, big boy," replied the other, 'Dein Germans has one all dey needs is yo' address! c Archibald Rutledge.) UE DELUGE We trust our efficient sports writer, Wiley Warren, will par don our intrusion into his field just this once but we thought you : * might get a lift out of this story. Last week when the Jays went on their rampage against the New liern lads and base hits were fly ing around like you-know-what- . was-flying-around-last-montli sev eral fans sitting in the stands next to the Rambler were discuss ing two ball games in which a touring team called the Florida All-Stars took part. In the first game, the boys from fl the Peninsula State trounced Sea board in a wild-swinging affray very'badly — the exact score the ■ Rambler didn't catch, but this fan said the All-Stars hit 28 home runs. It was so bad that, even though starting the tilt at two o'clock, they had to call it on ad* i count of darkness. The other game was played against a Weldon nine and after eight straight home runs in one ft inning (each of which wen through a different pane of glass in a business establishment just across from the diamond) the Weldon team decided to quit. tA decision which was helped along by the appearance on the scene of the irate owner of the window glass, .accompanied by various and sundry representatives of the town constabulary.) m _ .. __ >n»un the door. Lady, I have your husband here. He was run over by a steam roller.” Lady: “I'm not dressed to anybody; push him under the door and call a doctor. THE BEACH! The Rambler continues his visits to the beaches of the nation. But he « almost cured of hta desire *< to v-sTt same last week And this is how it all transpired: After stretching out on the bleak wrind swept sands at Virginia S,ach last Sunday (first covering !Twith u nice warm blanket as only a true tourist wlU do) J* was roused suddenly by the peep • cr out of the sun which had final ly * arrived ^rfom North Carolina Rubbing his eyes, he lookeo - Erurrhieh^ °°lv Were - and fearsome to be h°llT-keT^ up^nd SsriwrM Should he run or should he attack bhoum » ! armament itgsSs.rrJs He wuf saved from making a H ^ by the sudden ap hasty decision by Ume Pea«n''"' fhat they were only he cea ^1n« like himself—coy human beings u» . ^ -red with blankets to keep on we wind—who had ^11eJ‘on“a“P|„ter r.V"oneTnd the" another spot became uncomfortable. mM AND THEBE DEPARTMENT t‘aitei" lot That ..nl^entwho^ £ up" rSoa^ke, Virginia, thU tcmVtMti m rm Al Local National Guard Unit Officially Recognized At Friday Night Inspection Company E. 119th Regiment. 30th Infantry Division North Carolina National Guard, was officially recognize) hy 'he federal government last Friday night when Majoi Pierce, of Raleigh. Third Army representative, inspertet the local unit, it was announced this week hy Captain Ra leiph Seay. District Governor To Visit Leonard V. Huggins On July 28 the local Rotary Jlub will be host to Leonard V Vic> Huggins, governor of the 89th District of Rotary Interna ionalv a district which includes 16 clubs on Northeastern North Carolina. Huggins will visit the local cluk o advise and assist Presideni ien Lancaster, Secretary Kichan d. Taylor and other officers or natters pertaining to club ad ninistration and Rotary service ictivities. Huggins, a Chapel Mil esident and hardware merchant s one of the 173 district gov irnors of Rotary Internationa vho are supervising the activitie: >f some 6,200 Rotary clubs mad< ip of 305,000 business and pro essional executives in 78 coun ries throughout the world. Rotarians aver that "wherevei lotary clubs are located, theii ictivities are similar to those ol he local club because all are >ased on the same general ob ectives — developing better un lerstanding and fellowship among msiness and professional men iromoting community-bettermenl inderiakings, raising the standard.' >; businesses and professions, anc ostering the advancement of gooi vill, understanding and peaci imong all the peoples of th< vorld.” Funeral Services For John I. Wychc Held In Weldon Was Prominent In Busi ness And Chureli Work Funeral services for John Irt Vyche, Sr., 68, of Weldon, whc iied Sunday morning, were heU Monday afternoon at 4 o’cloci rom the Weldon Methodist Churci vith the Rev. D. L. Fouts ii charge. Interment was in Cedar .vood cemetery. John Ira Wyche was born ii lireensbolle County, Va., July 21 1879, son of the late Benjamit Walker and Mattie Elizabetl jreen Wyche. He attended th< >ublic schools in Emporia, Va. Virginia Polytechnic Institute •tandolph-Macon Academy ant /ras graduated from Smithdea Business College in Richmond. He came to Weldon 45 year igo and for a number of year was associated with the firm o Wyche, Bounds and Companj which was later operated by hin individually. He later became interested ii Lhe Merchants Distributing Com pany of which he was serving a president and general manager a He had been a member of th board of stewards of the Weldo Methodist Church and of the Men1 Baraca Class, in which he serve as treasurer. Surviving are bis wife, the foi mer Alice May Vincent; thre daughters, Elizabeth, of the horn. Mrs. Sam B. Underwood, Jr., c Greenville, and Mrs. A. L. Coer rane, Jr.* of Jackson; three son John I. Wyche, Jr., of Weldor Ben W. Wyche and J. Vincei Wyche, of the home; four sister Mrs. Clayton Land, Mrs. Peti Prince and Mrs. Meadie Taylc all of Emporia, and Mrs. Willia Hayes of Portsmouth; one broth* Benjamin W. Wyche, of Emporl and five grandchildren. . Plans have been completed f the Georgia - Carolina Ham ■hire type conference to be he in Orangeburg on September 8 The first annual fat stock ah< and aale am to be held In Star County was recently staged Albemarle, • "You have one of the finest ar mories I have seen," commented Pierce in giving the local outfit n passing rating on its federal inspection. "Three officers and 44 men comprise the company at the pres ent tune with recruits being ac cepted upon application and pass ing of the physical examination," Seay stated. Seay’s subordinate officers are Carl Keeter, first lieutenant, and Willie Jones, second lieutenant. James Taylor, first sergeant, is the ch'ief non-commissioned offi cer. "We are holding two-hour drills each Tuesday night and the first six months will be devoted ex clusively to the laying of a foun dation in military organization and training for recruits. "Vv'e have a good nucleus with which to build up a company in Roanoke Rapids. All of the of ficers and approximately 75 per cent of the men saw combat ac tion during the past war. "At present all our men ar„* privates with the exception of Taylor, but ratings will become effective immediately, the lowest paid men receiving $2.50 a drill und the pay scale going up to $5.50,” Seay added. Taylor, who is top sergeant of the outfit, enlisted in the local National Guard prior to the late war and served throughout the entire conflict as its first ser geant. A complete rosier of the men in the company is as follows: Thurman E. Askew, Robert C. Brown, John R Burnette, John M. Conner. Howard G. Cooke, Herman AI. Cooke. John Al. Coop er, Wilbur Davis Eugene G. Dickens. Fred H. Edwards, Leon Edwards, John E. Gibson, Harry L. Harp. Jr.. Clee •VI. Hux. Robert L. Lane. Dan E. Harrington. Jr., Josepn R. Harrington, Jr.. Maynard R. Lyles, Henry H. Lyles, John B. Moore, John H. Overton. William H Hooker, James W. Sanders. William E. Shepard. Leon A. Taylor, James R. Taylor, Lin wood C. Warrick, William F. Welch. Robert H. Williams, Randolph Vaughan, Buck C. Wright, Audley r-i Collins, Garland I. McGhee. J. T. Holland Speaker At Rosemary Baptist J. T. Holland, assistant asso eiatioal missionary of the Roa noke Association, spent the past v eek at. the Rosemary Baptisi Church assisting the pastor, Rev. K. Marshall White-Hurst, in fol lowing up the Vacation Bible School and helping in general i pastoral work. Last Sunday eve ning Air. Holland preached the evening sermon. He is a graduate of Mars Hill College and will attend wake For est College in the fall. His work this summer has been under the guidance of Rev. C. W. Sage more, missionary of the associa tion. City Commissioners Meet This Afternoon The hoard of commissioners of the city is meeting this afternoon (Thursday) In a special session called for the purpose of discussing the street paving project and to work on the budget for the new fiscal year. sen join Army Here This Month ; Five From Roanoke Rapids Among 1 Enlistees During the first 15 days ui ’ July, 10 young men from Halifax, Northampton and Warren Coun ties were enlisted in the regular army through the Army Recruit 1 ting Substation, located in Roa ’ r.oke Rapids, according to statement issued by Master Ser grant Robert M. DeYoung, sub station commander. ' Those enlisting were: Donalc ’ M. Higgins, Marion C. Brown { Edward W. Taylor, James G ~v Britton and Joseph H. Hux, at *’ oi Roanoke Rapids; Vincent C ' Outland, Jack H. Thompson am James C. Bryan of Rieh Square *’ James L. Herbert and Thomas S pr Pettitt of Enfield. r> The sergeant stated that it i p now possible for High Schoc r’ graduates to be assure^ of ad mission to many of the Arm Air Force Technical Schools bt >r fore enlistment. Further inform* 3- tion may be obtained from th id U. S. Army Recruiting Substi 9. tion, State Guard Armory, Ro* hoke Rapids. •w The ration during the dry p ly rlod of & cow should be slight in laxative and cooling to the J gwtlve system. County Democratic Committee Meets To Appoint Board Member There will be a meeting of the | Democratic Executive Committee of Halifax County tomorrow, Frf day, July 25, at 11 a. m., in the i Court House at Halifax for the purpose of filling the vacancy tn the Board of Education caused by the resignation of Ralph C. Rives of Enfield. The meeting was called by J. Waldo Whitaker, chairman. After Twenty Years . . . Miss Elizabeth Tait Resigns As Teacher In City After over 20 years’ service in the Roanoke Rapids School sys tem, Miss Elizabeth Tait sent in her resignation last week to I. E. Ready, superintendent of the lo cal schools. Miss Tait was serving, at the time of her resignation, as prin cipal and teacher of the fourth grade at Clara Hearne School. An active member of the Rose mary Baptist Church. Miss Tait was for the past several years superintendent of the junior de partment of the Sunday School of that church. Reason for the resignation was given by Miss Tait in her letter ay the declining health of her mother. Her plans are at present to stay with her mother in Mo bile, Ala. Since coming to Roanoke Rap ids, Miss Tait had endeared her self to a host of friends, many cf w'hom have expressed the thought “that the community suf fers' a great loss at her leaving.” Richard Merchant Buried In Weldon Funeral services were held on Wednesday afternoon from Grace Episcopal Church. Weldon, for Richard H. Merchant, 66. of Bal timore. Md., former resident of Weldon and Halifax, and father of Postmaster Paul Merchant of Weldon. Rev. Lawson Cox was in charge of the services. Masonic burial rites were . held at the graveside in Cedar wood cemetery. Mr. Merchant, a retired em ployee of the B. and O. Railway Company, died in Baltimore City Hospital Monday after a short illness. He was a member and past master of the Royal White Hart Lodge, No. 2. AF and AM. of rialifax. Surviving are his wife, Mrs. Susan T. Merchant, and six chil dren, by his first wife, the late Eva Maddox Merchant; two daugh ters, Mrs. Elsie W. Rose and Mrs. Elizabeth M. Hall of Rocky Mount; four sons, R. E. Merchant, George M. Merchant and Benja min D. Merchant of Chester, Pa.; Paul Merchant of Weldon; one sister, Mrs. Richard Morris, of Baltimore, eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Halifax In First .. 100 In Nation In Peanut Product'n Pitt County Leads U. S. In Tobacco Acreage Halifax County was among the first 100 counties in the nation in peanut acreage during 1945, ac cording to figures released in Washington this week by the De partment of Commerce. Ten other counties ranked in the same class. They were: North ampton, Bertie, Edgecombe, Mar tin, Hertford, Pitt, Chowan. Gates, Perquiman and Bladen. Pitt Counuty led the nation in tobacco acreage in 1944, the fig ures, as received by Senator Hoey Tuesday, showed. The 1944 figure is the latest available on the to bacco acreage program and shows that Johnson County was second and Robeson County was third. Wake, Wilson, Nash and Colum bus Counties were among the top ten in the nation also. ' Aurelian Springs Harris Family Enjoys Reunion On Sunday, July 20, Mr. and L Mrs. T. B. Harris of Aurelian Springs enjoyed a family reunion nt which a barbecue and bruns wick stew dinner was enjoyed by all. Their 11 children were all together for the first time since | May of 1942. [ Those present were Mr. and Mrs. Ben Harris of Whitakers, Mr. and Mrs. Casper Holloway, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Hairis and j family, Mr.‘ and Mrs. Linwood 1 Harris, all of Emporia; Mr. and . Mrs. W. C. Carver and family, f Mr. and Mrs. Peter Jordan of . Roanoke Rapids. r I Johnny, Ruth, Tom and Cleve e land of the home, and Mae Har . ris of Emporia; Sgt. Lewis Hobbs and Miss Ethel Daniel, friends of the family, from Emporia, and Orady Thompson, a relative, from >■ Essex, also enjoyed the reunion, y Photos, both group and single l- snapshots, were taken during the late afternoon, White Schools In County To Open September 4th Board Ui Education Appoints Two To Committees White schools in Halifax Coun ty will open September 4th and colored schools will open Septem ber 1st, according to an ail ment from the office of W. Hen ry Overman, county superinten uent, released yesterday. Opening dates were decided in a special meeting of the Halifax County Board of Education held on July 15 in addition to several other items of business, including the appointment of Mrs. Louise Butts, of Halifax, to the District No. 1 School Committee, and Way land M. Bunch, of Hobgood, to the District No. 4 Committee. Repairs and additions to the Scotland Neck graded school building (work which will begin this week, according to the an nouncement) was also authorized by the board as was membership in the State School Board Asso ciation. Merer changes Listed By Water Dept. Meter changes tor the past week were listed by the Sanitary Com mission office as follows: Meters Removed S. S. Smith, 711 Madison street; Dr, R. A. Adams, 911 Madison street; Croatan Cafe, 247 Roanoke A.venue, and F. W. Royal, 723A Jefferson street. Meters Transferred G. E. Brown, Third and Wil liam. moved to 438 Charlotte; Frank Rhone, from 900 Vance to X)8 Henry Street; Dr. J. H. Cutch ln, 1003 Jackson Street, to 911 Madison Street. Meters Installed Carl’s Cafe, 247 Roanoke Ave \Je; Tommie Eoone, 204 Hamil ton: Fitts-Crumpler Company, 258 Roanoke Avenue; J. O. Matthews. 1027 Washington Street, and H. S. Parker, 200 W Mills Close For Annual Vacation i>3irmti«r Sunday. July nth the local textile mills will be closed for their annual sum mer vacation. In making the announce ment, mill officials said that all employees who have been regularly employed by the company for twelve months prior to July 27, 1947, will be eligible for vacation pay to be computed at 2 per cent of straight time earnings from July I, 194« to June 3r that the United States Senate hi no desire to do any damaeg to natural resource needed by tl government and before constru tlon had progressed to the poi where Mr. Long feared dama would be done the Senate wou have the proper federal expei make an Investigation of \ Long’s property to determi whether or not there would the damage which Mr. Lo feari." ftodgtrs jxpfMMd bijlef tl Unionized By a vote of 42 for ami two against workers at the Grant Brick Works on the Weldon Roanoke Rapids Highway, Tuesday accepted the United ! Stone and Allied Products Workers Union, of the (’. I. ().. as their representative. The election, held under the supervision of Harold W. Deas, of Winston-Salem, representa tive of the NIJtB, resulted in union organization at the plant tor the first time. Complete tabulation of the voting was as follows: Uor the Fnion r* Against 2 Not voting; 2 C. A. Wyche Funeral Held Here Monday Prominent Business Man Dies Saturday Evening ( larence A. Wyche, 69. died in Roanoke Rapids Hospital Satur day evening about 6:30 after a short illness. Cm Monday afternoon, at four •' c ock scores of people fron a!l 1 walks of life crowded inco-th*. ■ First Presbyterian Church o' Ron* noke Rapids where funeral .sci - cices, fMjidt.ccted by the R.»v. j. 1 W. Walker, were lieid. Intermeni was in Roanoke Rapids Cemetct, Clarence Adolphus Wyoh'* i Clarence A. Wyche was born March 14, 1878. in Granville Coun ty. the son of the late Perry Way ne Wyche and Rebecca Southall 1 Wyche. He spent his early childhood in Granville County and came to Roanoke Rapids as a railroad tele ’ grapher when a young man. At one time he was secretary and treasurer of the Rosemary , Manufacturing Company, stepping I from that position into the pres ; | idency of the First National Bank ■ of Roanoke Rapids. 1 j At the time of his death he was general manager of the Halifax Farmer's Supply Company, a post! I which led to many contacts with people who lived outside of the city. * Survivors include: his wife. Lem me Jordan Wyche. one daugh 1 ter. Mrs. David C. Clark, of Roa - Wyche, of Petersburg. Va., and five > noke Rapids, one son. Francis ; grandchildren. Flag Lowered ; Out of respect to Mr. Wyche, the flag on the post office build ■ ing was lowered to half-mast. It ! was the second time it has been i lowered in mourning for a local • person the first time was for the late Dr. T. W. M. Long. ■ another of the city’s pioneers. i Three Halifax Drivers Lose Right to Drive i Only three drivers from Halifax > County were listed in the revoca* i tion notice of the North Carolina f Highway Safety Division for the - period from June 27 through Jul> I. 11, received this week. One driver from Gaston. Georgii - Louise Neal, fell victim to licenst d revocation and in North Caro - lina a total of 474 drivers losi - the right to drive for varyinj periods. i Halifax County revocations were George Mason and Johnny Scot ot Roanoke Rapids, and Johi j Whitehead of Palmyra. 0 » r POLICE INVESTIGATE s SHOOTING 3 Police were summoned to Sout! • Rosemary Sunday night when i i- was reported that two young bo> a were firing a .22 calibre rifle int d a house. » In their haste, the boys left th ie rifle on the porch of a home o< > cupied by E. H. Shell. Police cor fiscated the weapon, re Iri ".""" ' ts these two assurances, the fir r. from the army engineers and tl >s second from tha presiding offlc »s “should appear to be sufficient 'g satisfy Long that no one I* d eirous of damaging his proper at' by Inundating the tungaten mini McFee Tells Merchants 1 To Watch Expenses And Service To Customers **More small businesses have failed in the last six months Ilian failed in the entire six years immediately preceding,’ Charles B. McFee, Jr., managing director of the \ irginiu Retail Merchants Association, told members of the local merchants’ group in a talk at the annual outdoor meeting at th» Roanoke Rapids Country Club Wednesday afternoon. “Venturing out on a limb,” McFee continued, “I’ll say that there will be more small business failures in the next two years than there have l»een in the past 10. people* who were not merchants in the first place, WQnt into busi ness during the war. Not being merchants, they are finding it impossible to hold their own dur ing this period of conversion to a peace-time economy. ‘‘We, as merchants, must watch our expenses, train our sales peo ple and hold the price line. Pen nies today mean more than they have at any time during the past five years and they will soon mean even more," the former Asheville resident declared. Paying high tribute to the lo cal association, its directors and its secretary, McFee urged the local merchants to always remem ber to thank Providence for the "competitor across the street" for if it were not for him "our stores would not be the modern, clean places they are today, but the -same old stores with dirt in the corners.” At the outing (featured by a barbecue dinner), attended by members of the Roanoke Rapids Merchants Association and their guests, Thompson Greenwood, as sistant secretary of the Nortn tarolina Merchants Association, representing Willard L. Dowell, executive vice-president and sec retary of the state group, ex tended the greetings of state of ficers to the local organization. "Mr. Dowell is too modest to tell what he has done," Green wood said in'part, "but although -lMve only bee^ jvith the state as iation sir.ee June 1, f’ra nr. stricken with modesty about Mv • Dowell's record. He has given 2.. years of his life for the merchants of this state and it was he who led the fight against the sales tax and is continuing to do so.' Both Greenwood and Mcfe who were introduced by George Wilkes* vice-president of the lo cal group, paid high tribute to the Roanoke Rapids Merchants Association and its officers. 0% Building Box Score Total this week _$47,800. Total this year _$483,350 A total of $47,800 worth of build ing permits was issued this week by City Building Inspector Henry Fitts and the grand total for the year thus far soared as a result to almost a half million dollars. INDUSTRIAL Industrial building permits is sued to the Thompson Coal Com pany accounted for $35,000 worth of the new total. Permits were issued to the com pany to build a one story brick office building at 1315 Roanoke Avenue, at an estimated cost of $4,000, a one story brick filling station, $6,000, and a one story brick building to be used as a ready mix cement plant at an es timated cost of $25,000. COMMERCIAL In the commercial field, C. W. Smith was issued a permit to build a one story block building on! Bolling Road to be used as a beauty shop, at a cost of $1,800. RESIDENTIAL J. O. Matthews, a two story brick residence, 10 rooms and two baths, on Washington Street be tween 10th and 11th streets at an estimated cost of $7,000. E. C. Cain, one story block resi dence, four rooms and bath at 315 Washington Street, $4,000. Almeta Pleasants Home From Duty At Alaskan Post Miss Almeta Pleasants, who has ^ been affiliated with the Red Cross in Alaska, is spending her vaca tion here with her parents, Mr. 5 and Mrs. W. H. Pleasants. Miss Pleasants has done recre 9 ation and craft work with pa tients in the 183rd General Hos pital, Fort Richardson, Alaska^ foi the past 17 months. She la a grad - uate of the local High Schoo and of the Woman’s College ol 11 the' University of North Carolina 9 Greensboro. ir .. 0 .. i* There were approximately 940, 9 718,000 layers on hand on Unite* 1 Btatw firms during May.