North Carolina Newspapers

_* Roanoke Rapids Pay Roll $10,000,000.00 Annually... Biggest In All Eastern North Carolina ★ * * * THE ROANOKE RAPIDS ♦ * * What Roanoke Rapids Makes „ ,. ... , . , r Herald Classified Advertising —Makes Roanoke Rapids _ _ . , _ , r Gets Ouick Results * * * * * * VOLUME xxxm ROANOKE RAPIDS, N. C. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 1948 NUMBER 17 . Roanoke Ramblings Navy Coach Played Here Vic Bradford, new backfield coach at the U. S. Naval Acade my, once played semipro base . ball in Roanoke Rapids. Back in * 1938, Vic played left field for the local nine which went to the na tional semipro tournament i n Witchita, Kansas. At that time he was a star quarterback forj the University of Alabama. In formant tells the Rambler the team lost out near the final round to a Lynchburg, Va. out fit by a 1-0 score. ^After 34 Years 4 E. R. Kidd, who started work for the Halifax Paper Company in 1914 as a screen boy, has set tied down to the business of run ning a grocery store, after his retirement last Wednesday, Feb. 18th, After 34 years of serv ice, Mr. Kidd was a boss ma chine tender. He’s Now News } The Rambler rambled on last week about Mr. James Tilgh man’s resemblance to Mr. H. Truman. The story was first picked up by the Rocky Mount EveningTelegram editor, who sent a photographer to Weldon yesterday to snap some pictures. Wednesday morning, a Raleigh morning daily told the story of the president’s “double Who knows, maybe he’ll get an in jt itation from the White House to visit.. OVER IN NORTHAMPTON A Conway merchant and farm er, J. Raynor Woodard, announc ed last Thursday that he would be a candidate for the House of Representatives in the General Assembly this sum mer. Opposing him will be H. R. Harris of Seaboard, presently % occupying the post. Rodgers Designated Eric W. Rodgers of Scotland Neck was named this week by Governor Cherry to represent the state at the annual conven tion of the National Rivers and Harbors Congress. Rodgers was a delegate last year to the con vention and was elected vice ^ president of the Congress. The • meet will be held March 19 and 20. Attention, ExSwabbies Any of you men who formerly senvaA. in. get your good conduct medals by making application to the Chief of Naval. Personnel, Attention Por*-I0, Navy Dfept,, Washing^ ton a:-. DfC., and giving name, service number, rate and dates of enlistment and discharge. g And Two Still There * Two local lads now serving with the Navy are really seeing the world. Jimmy Mayes, sea man second, son of Mrs. Maude Mayes of 121 Hamilton, went in to Le Havre, France with the light cruiser USS Spokane re cently. William L. James, car penter’s mate third class, son of Mrs. Nellie I. James, is aboard the destroyer t4nder USS € Shenandoah which is en route to the Mediterranean to relieve the USS Grand Canyon. Gets Revenue Post S. B. Bradley, son of Mr. and Mrs. Richard P. Bradley of Scot land Neck, has gone to Atlanta, Ga. where he has accept id on appointment to the office of the counsel of the penal division of the Bureau of Internal Revenue. *v The Duke Legal Aid Clinic, which annStmced Bradley’s ap pointment, said he was a former assistant in the clinic and a gra duate of Duke University School of Law- , ,»r , He attended the Scotland Neck High School and graduated from UNC in June, 1938. After serving four years as a Naval aviation pilot lieutenant in New Guinea and the Philippines, he entered r the Duke law school and receiv ed his LL.B. degree in June of 1947. He was admitted to the North Carolina Bar in Septem ber and joined the Aid Clinic staff the same month. Merriu in i»j« Pte. Bietcher B. Merritt, son of Mr. and Mrs. W. J. Merritt, is now with the First Cavalry Division on occupational duty in * the Tokyo-Yokohama area of central Honshu Island, Japan. Young Merritt entered the army in January of last year and.got his basic training at Fort Lew is, Washington. Overseas since last June, he is now serving with “D” Troop, 1st Squadron, 5th Cavalry Regiment, as a clerk in the Camp Drake Post Exchange. , He Claims They Ought To ‘ Not Look Over His Auto Charlie S. Cullom of Route 2, Littleton, has written a peora about auto inspections. While the views expressed are Mr. CuJ* om’s, the Rambler believes he s entitled the express them. It s en titled “The Automible Inspec tion” and here 'tis: The ones that have an old car or truck . , . » They are in hard luck, you bet. * They go and try to get new parts “I just haven’t got them they - re hard to get.” The poor canot buy a new au tomobile No need tor us to »tart So I guess we’ll just have to * Or ride In a wagon or dart Than whan «• gat out on the * rf*****.**™ Victim Dead Forever, Judge Tells Defendant Winton — "You're going to prison for a long time, but the man you killed is dead for ever," Judge Hunt Parker of Roanoke Rapids told John M. "Buck" Fleetwood Monday afternoon as he sentenced him to serve not less than 20 nor more than 25 years in State Prison at Raleigh for the Oct ober slaying of Overton My rick, aged Negro of the Como vicinity. Judge Parker, who convened a one week mixed term of Superior Court Monday in the place of assigned Judge Claw son Williams of Sanford, faced one of the heaviest criminal dockets in many months here. Episcopal Bishop Will Preach On Overseas Relief Presiding Bishop Henry K. Sherrill will preach to the con gregation of All Saints Church in Roanoke Rapids Sunday through the medium of radio, Rev. Edmund Berkeley, rector reminded today. Prior to the sermon, which starts at 11:32 12 A. M., the Young People’s Service League will put on the candlelight serv ice of the Feast of Lights. After the sermon, an opportunity will be provided all Episcopalians to contribute to the Presiding Bish op’s Fund for World Relief, be fore they leave the church. Rev. Berkeley also announced that Rev. C. W. Sydnor, Jr., rector of St. Paul’s Church in Petersburg, Va. will preach at the Lenten Service tomorrow niPoit* it. eight p. m. The Children’^ Lateen Service for all Episcopal children and their friends is being held every Friday afternoon aHf:00 o'clock: Halifax Republicans Meet Here March 13th Ottis J. Reynolds, chairman of the Halifax County Republican Executive Committee, an nounced this morning that he is calling a convention of all re publicans of the county to con vene at 7:30 p. m., March 13th, in the courtroom of the Roanoke Rapids Municipal Building. Reynolds said election of two delegates and two alternates to the state convention and of two delegates and two alternates to th Second Congressional Dis trict convention would be made at the meeting. The chairman requested that Township conventions be held immediately for selection of de legates to the county convention. Large Delegation Told Continued Operation Dependent On Who’s To Furnish Funds _ % Fate of the rockfish hatchery at Weldon was undecided this week as an aftermath of the public hearing Tuesday in Wei don on the proposal to move the commercial fishing line from Weldon to Williamston. Dr. Willis King, of the Wild life Resources Commission, in his explanation of the situation regarding the proposal, said, “the hatchery at the present time is in a dire situation. There is a question a£ to who is to support it—the Wildlife Commis sion or the Board of Conserv ation and Development.” Members of a 200-man dela tion urged the joint committee from the two state agencies to consider working out a method of financing the hatchery, and they were joined in the appeal by Eric W. Rodgers of Scotland Neck who said he spoke, not as a member of the joint com mittee, but as a citizen of this area. Missing Cook Now Working At Woodland Superior Court Judge R. Hunt Parker of Roanoke Rapids who was hunting his Negro cook, Beulah Valentine, for several weeks, has called off the search. Local police, in an effort to 210 pound woman, age between 55 and 60, contact*4AW daily press and weekly papers fcthis area Monday, giving des cription and results of investiga tion up to that time. With the story duly printed and with Beulah’s ranking second only to “Miss Hush” as the object of a search, sure enough, Mrs Parker got a letter postmarked Woodland in which Beulah asked that some addi tional clothing be sent her. It seems that Beulah left the servant’s quarters at the Park er home on the night of Jan uary 15th at about nine o’clock and never came back. Local police and the Halifax County sheriff’s department! found in the course of their in vestigation that: she caught a cab from here to Weldon on the morning of January 22. Then she took another cab from there to Margarettsville, after which she later caught a ride with a white man from Seaboard to (Continued On Page 6, Sect. "A") Negro Youth Is Wounded When He Rides Bicycle Into Brother's Line of Fire •rv 14 year oia iNegro, Willie Pierce of near Garner’s Cross roads, west of Weldon was ad mitted to Roanoke Rapids Hos pital Tuesday afternoon shortly after five o’clock for treatment of a bullet wound in his left Lawrenceville Cards Get Business Manager John D. Smith, who assisted Wallace McKenna, business man ager of the Lynchburg Cardinals during the 1947 baseball season, has been appointed business manager of the Lawrenceville club in the newly organized Vir ginia League by J. C. Lucy, chairman of the Lawrenceville team. The appointment was made at a neeting held#in Lawrence ville February 14th. Smith took the position as McKenna’s helper at Lynchburg in March of last year and will remain in that position until he takes over his new duties with Lawrenceville March 15. shoulder just above the heart. Sheriff H. A. House said mem bers of his department who in vestigated told him the boy’s arother had shot him and told them the shooting was accidental. The brother. Jesse, age 17, said Willie rounded a corner of the house on a bicycle just as he started to shoot at a hawk and ran into his line of fire. An ambulance brought the in jured boy to the hospital shortly after the accident, and hospital attendants said late Tuesday nite that the boy’s condition was a little better than when he was first admitted. House said the boy didn’t re member being on a bicycle when be questioned him at the hospital but that he was apparently confused due to shock and the drugs given him «to ease the pain. Members of the sheriff’s de partment was continuing its in vestigation into the incident last night. Ask Protection For Trees A very special appeal is being sent out by the planting com mittee of the Garden Club, com posed of Mrs. S■ A. Wyche and Mrs. Sam Bupn, urging the va rious civic organizations to co operate in getting residents to protect the dogwood and pin oak trees planted last year. Last year hundreds of trees were planted, end while many of these died, others were brok en, some cut and others pulled up entirely, the commit tee said need some attention and lots of protections” members an nounced, ‘‘and the planting com mittee has spent hours of time and real labor in contributing toward the beautification of our town. The committee urges that some protection be given these newly planted trees.” With a lot of work and cooper ation, members of the club stat ed, we could sponsor a cam paign to try and develop civic pride, working, toward the goal of Roanoke Rapids one rfttapMWwt lawn to North 200Protest Rockfishing Chan0™ Weldon HalcheryAppears Financial Orphan Local National Guard Payroll Increased to $2,060 (Photo by-Tudor) Capt. Raleigh (Buster) Seay shakes hands with First Sergeant Hurley Midgette as local Nat ional Guard unit officers begin paying off on a $2,060 payroll at the Armory Tuesday night. The last payroll was $1,100 and the happy looks reflect the men's elation at the pay jump. Seay said there were now 80 men in the company but there were openings with good ratings for "good men." The company will go to Fort Bragg for two weeks from July 11th to 25th and the men will receive full Army pay while at camp. Standing behind Midgette in line is Red Lane, while the officers seated at the paylable are (left to right) Bill Jones, John Conner, Seay and Dick I Stainback. j Box Seat Sale Begins As Jays Management Gets Set For Training Grind Sale of box seats at SlmiSohs »ot. underwav this week.: as officials of c^.okejfteft. ids J^xmoumeti develop ments oh the rapfdffy sfpproacfer ing baseball season. The Jays management sent out 25 contracts on Feb. 11th and have gotten 10 back so far. Sev en of these went to new rookies, one catcher,'’ three pitchers, an outfielder and two infielders. Spring training will start March 29th with the first exhi bition game slated for Thursday, April 8th, with Concord. The next day they again play Concord and Saturday step out into stiff minor-league compete vtioja when they take on the New ark Bears, in the Bears’ first SW-S on their northward trek after tht ¥iOTTuH Ufcwd. ■ -.w, Other exhibition games in Simmons Park definitely sched uled to date are as follows: Sun day, April 11th, with Binghamp ton; Wednesday, April 14th, with Durham; and Saturday, Sunday and Monday, April 17, 18 and 19, with Norfolk. Another new addition to t h e ball park will be a combination radio booth and press box, to be consfructed on top of the grand stand, it was announced. FBI Agents Will Conduct Police Training School Here March 17 - April 22 Law enforcement officers from city, county and state agencies throughout this area have been invited to attend a police train ing school in Roanoke Rapids from March 17th through April 22nd, police chief T. J. Davis an nounced today. Davis said instructors for the school will be special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investiga tion, a number of court officials, including judges and prosecuting attorneys and high ranking state law enforcement officers. Classes will be held in the courtroom of the Roanoke Rap ids Municipal Building and will be conducted two hours per day, two days per week. Every man attending and passing the courses offered will be issued a certificate upon com pletion of the school, the chief said. Although letters have been mailed out to most police agen cies in this area, Davis said that no formal invitation to attend is required and that any qualified police officer may do so. Director Kiwanis Show Arrives Next Week Bob Rockhold of the Rogers Producing Company will be in Roanoke Rapids next week to begin direction and rehearsals of the Kiwanis Club-sponsored new circus - minstrel show, "Sawdust and Spangles." Rockhold, a newcomer to Roanoke Rapids, will come here from Fayetteville where he is directing a show this week. Kiwanians announced that rehearsals will start next Tues day in the high school gym nasium and that local talent is invited and their services will be appreciated. 'Proceeds from the show, of new and special interest this year, will be used to forward the civic work of the local Kiwanis Club. The Local Week.. WELDON MAN INJURED John McCrimin, 32, of Weldon, was painfully injured last week when some caustic soda out of some track batteries he was stirring flew up and hit him in the eye. The accident happened near Franklin, Virginia and Mc Crimin ’s eyelid was burned quite badly. He is an employee of the Seaboard railroad. FIRE SATURDAY Firemen were called to White Motors in the uptown section of the city Saturday about noon where a flue had caught fire. Firemen said they had to pull down part of a chimney to get to the flame, but that there was aot much dtxnsft. faced charges of “having in their possession equipment for the purpose of gambling, to wit: punchboards” this week after having been summoned Satur day at Neal’s Cafe on 11th Street, police said this week. At a hearing Monday, H. L. Neal was released on $100 bond for appearance in Recorder’s Court March 4th, and the cases of Otis Boyd, William Bailey and Vann Cornell were continued. % _______ HEARING POSTPONED The hearing in Charleston, W. Va., scheduled for last Monday, regarding extradition of Joe John Schumate was postponed until next Monday, it was report ed by police. Police said Schu mate was wanted hare on chart <eg of abandonment and nan-trap John Lackey Is Elected President Merchants Asso. John Lackey, manager of J.C. Penny Company, was last night elected president of the Roanoke Rapids Merc&cuiis Association. . succeeding Carl Thompson, who has headed the group for the past year. Sam Markd was named vice-president. Four new d rectors R. M. Taylor, W. T. Eoone, D. L. Traynham and Charles Fitts, were added"to the board. The secretary, Mrs. Clyde Martin, rendered a comprehen sive report of the activities of the organization during 1947, showing the association is in good shape. It was the annual dinner meet ing of the merchants group and business consisted of discussion on continuing “dollar days” on a larger scale and the raising of dues in order to have more money for the promotion of Roa noke Rapids as a trading center in Eastern Carolina. The meet ing was well attended. Snavely, UNC Football Coach, Will Address Local Alumni Group Carolina football coach Carl Snavely will be guest speaker at a meeting of the Halifax County Chapter, University of North Carolina Alumni, Tues day night, March 9th, at f!:00 P. M.» Scott Benton, chapter president, announced today. Snavely. who will be accom panied by one of his assistant coaches, will show pictures of several of the Carolina foot ball games of the past season. The Carolina mentor was here before ai a meeting of the local chapter, in December, 1946. The meeting will be held in the Municipal Building. Catholics Asked For $5,000,000 For Foreign Aid Additional help for the suffer ing and hungry peoples of Eur ope and Asia is in toe offing this Sunday as Catholics throughout the United States will be asked to contribute to the 1948 Bishops’ Relief Cam paign, Father Peter M. Denges, pastor of St. John’s Catholic Church of Roanoke Rapids, said today. Father Denges said the 1947 campaign resulted in 86,786,000 pounds of supplies, 'valued at $33,160,000, being made avail able for overseas relief. Since 1943, the campaign has raised 206,670,000 pounds of sup plies worth $122,160,000, or ap proximatelv 103,000 tons — the equivalent of 13 Liberty Ships loaded item stem to stem. year, £he bishops arc ap pealing‘for $3^100,000...fur cretin uance of the work. Scouts Will Sponsor Own Cage Tournament Halifax District Boy Scouts will have a basketball tourna ment of their own, it was an nounced today by D. E. Bennett, district committeeman. The tournament will be held March 8th, 10th and 12th at the Roanoke Rapids Armory and is the outgrowth of rivalry built up by inter-troop contests held dur ing the past few months. It is expected that five teams from Roanoke Rapids, one from Halifax and one from Weldon will be entered in the tourney, a one game elimination affair, [Continued On Page 6. Sect. "A") 15 Nurses Get Diplomas From Local Hospital At Graduation Ceremonies The Roanoke Rapids Hospital School of Nursing held its grad uating exercises in the Clara Hearne School Auditorium Mon day night, with 15 nurses in the graduating class. Music for the occasion was furnished by the high school band under the direction of George W. Baird and the Rev. W. R. Stevens pronounced the invocation. T. J. Alford introduced Julian Allsbrook who delivered the principal address of the evening, after which Alford presented the diplomas. Mrs. Mary P. Bounds presented the graduates their hospital pins. Rev. Stevens pronounced the benediction. A social hour, at the nurses home, followed the graduation exercises. Members of the graduating class were: Misses Beulah Mae Adkins and Jacqueline Palmer Moore of Littleton; Dorothy Ade laid Barnes, Juanita Callihan and Margaret Elaine Nelson of Vaughan; Mina Gray Bass, Newton Grove, N. C.; Helen Dai vis oi noanoKe napias; ivmarea O. David, Mooresboro, N. C.;| Annie Bennett Gay of Garys burg; Ursula Louise Mooring of Rocky Mount; Willie Mae Mur ray of Oxford; Mary Elizabeth Padgett, Mount Holly; Frances Anne Smith, Lawrenceville, Vir ginia; Gladys Frances Van Hook of Reidsville and Nellie Eliza beth Wilder of Sanford. 4 Cited Last Night Four local men were cited last night to appear in Mayor’s Court next Monday on charges that they “did wilfully and un lawfully operate a lottery by en gaging in a game of chance.” They were identified by police as John Haislip, Sam Jones, Le vi Jones and Jack Bell. Fire is the worst enemy of the woodlot. It not only destroys the protective layer of leaf mold but kills all the seedlings and spalings above ground, and, if severe enough, causes serious damage to the butts of mature trees. Kerr Stand On Civil Rights . Washington, D. C.. Feb. 23— Returning to Washington today, after a few days absence in North Carolina, Congressman John H. Kerr issued the follow ing statement in regard to the President’s Civil Rights message to Congress: “For the past several weeks there has been a great deal of I talk and friction within the Dem ocratic Party as a result of our President's recent message on Civil Rights. I have received numerous letters, telegrams and oiUi on thU matter containing to the other. In the past I have always voted against these so call Civil Rights measures. I shall continue to do so regardless oi the party that sponsors them History has proven that the thoughtful and just Southernei has the most humane and bene Tell Joint Committee To Change Line Will Be Attacking Problem From Wrong End. Over 200 men, from four counties, voted a resounding “no” Tuesday to a proposal to move the conflmercial fishing line on the Roanoke River from Weldon to Williamston. Gathered in the Weldon High School gymnasium for an open hearing on the proposal, the rep resentatives of rockfishing sport from Halifax, Northampton, Bertie and Warren counties, em phatically told a six man com mittee from the Department of Conservation and Development and Wildlife Resourced Commis sion, through their spokesmen, that “we have fished in these waters undistrubed for over a hundred years and all we want is to be left alone down here.” King Explains Stand Dr. Willis King, of the Wild life Commission and apparently the originator of the proposal, said the idea was to protect the rockfish from extermination. He very frankly stated that, if the proposal were carried out, creel limits of eight per day would be set and no fish caught in the inland waters could be sold. Explaining that requests for fishing permits had come to the Wildlife office from as far away as Colorado, King envisioned a future swarm of tourist fish ermen to the Roanoke River. Take Exception Several members of the local delegation took exception to his theory. Archie Gay, former state senator from Northampton County, Julian Allsbrook of Roa noke Rapids, who acted as un official spokesman for the ' group, Watson Shearin of En field, B. F. Turner of Weldon, Quentin Reynolds, Jr. and many others stressv'„the fact tfcagt, rockfish face j&gSr through loca* ermen, tVir«/agjh i use of big nets and seines in ' % waters nearer the coast, if, m deed, the number of fish was decreasing. Said Turner, “What we catch up here every year is just a drop in the bucket. Furthermore, we’re the only peopl who arc * uving to propogate the fish by means of what v.e’re told is the M only rockfish hatchery in the 11 world.” Spokesmen for the Northamp ton County Wildlife Club, and George Hux, of the Halifax it County club, echoed this senti ment. Nobody In Favor The theme of the entire meet ing was set in advance when j Allsbrook in his first remarks asked all opposed to any change j in rockfishing regulations t o "m stand up. Everybody stood. He then asked if anyone favored the proposal. No one took to his feet. “Then,” said the Halifax County state senator, “If no one is in favor of the proposal, Gen tlemen, we don’t see anything to m oppose. If there is no one for it, if then why is it even under con sideration?” Later, he added, “If there’s anyone for this pro posal, let him speak up now or forever hold his peace.” County Clubs Meet In preparation for the hearing, the Halifax County Wildlife Club 3 met in Halifax Friday night, with 134 members and guests in attendance and expressed them selves as opposed to any change. In Jackson Monday night, a round 300 had attended a meet ing of the Northampton County Wildlife Club and the same de cision was reached. vumiuuicc manners On the committee represent ing the two state agencies were Frank T. Erwin of Durham J. R. Winslow of Robersonville Eric Rogers of Scotland Neck Roy Hampton of Plymouth Tom White of Kinston. ~ tthn