FOR 28 YEARS THE OUTSTANDING WEEKLY OF THE CAROLINAS
Entered as Second Class Matter at the Post Office at Durham, North Carolina, under Act of March 3, ISIS.
VOLUME 29—NUMBER 36
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA, SATURDAY, SEPT. 8th, 1951 PRICE TEN CENTS
Bus Companies Face Suits Of $110,000
Illllll'll' III "HI hi Wllllll ■■llllilll'
Part of the capacity audience
which filled the Hillside high
school’s auditorium here last
Wednesday night to hear Liber
ian Ambassador C. B. D. King
(shown at speakers stand) de
liver the key note address for
the 54th session of the National
Lott Carey Convention. More
than 3,000 had flocked to the
city by mid-week for the four
day session, held here at the
Mount Vernon Baptist Church
for the first time. See story on
j this page.
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Old Pocketbook Gag
Police Force
Gets Two More
Negroes Here
Durham got two more Negro
police officers this week to
bolster the number of Negroes on
the Force’s payroll to an even
dozen.
The rookie policemen are
Charlie Webb, Jr. and Owen
Justice, both ex-servicemen.
Webb, who lives at 116 Booker
Street, was formerly employed
with a construction firm. Justice,
who makes his home at 213 Law
son Avenue, was employed by a
local laundry firm. Both are
married.
Two new white policemen
were added to the •Force also,
along with Justice and Webb.
They are Clarence C. Jones, Jr.
and Thomas A. Parker.
Durham’s Negro citizenry
was generally elated that two
more Negroes had been added to
the force. But, according to com
ment received, several are won
dering when one of the ten will
be promoted.
Patrolmen C. L. Cox and
Jarrues Samuels, although having
served seven years on the force,
retain the same rank they re
ceived when they were hired.
WILLIAM EARL WILLIAMS
Well-Known
Resident Dies
Funeral rites for William Earl
Williams, well-known resident of
this city, where held at the
Baptist Church here Thursday
at White Rock Baptist Church
here Thursday afternoon at 3:30.
Reverend M. M. Fisher, pas
tor of White Rock, officiated at
the church service and at the in
terment, which was at Beech
wood Cemetery.
Williams, born October 19th,
1900 at Mathews, Virginia, the
son of the late George L. and
Sarah Williams, died at Lincoln
Hospital Monday.
He attended the public schools
of his home town and later en
tered Hampton Institute, where
he completed a business course
in 1922.
He began with North Carolina
Mutual as a clerk in 1922 in the
statistical division and gradually
advanced until he became chief
clerk of his department. He was
later named statistician for the
(Please turn to Page Eight)
Judge Rules Against Integration Move
In Plymouth School Equality Case
Washington — A motion to
permit Negro students in Wash
ington County to attend the
white schools was denied here
Tuesday by Federal Judge Don
Gilliam of the District Court,
who heard the case of a group of
Plymouth Negro citizens seeking
to get equal school facilities.
The motion was made by Dur
ham Attorney M. Hugh Thomp
son, aguing the case for the Ply
mouth citizens.
The hearing began early this
week and was scheduled to end
Friday.
Washington County School
Board official admitted that the
school facilities for Negroes are
inferior to those offered white
students. But, they plan to con
struct one consolidated high
school at Roper for Negroes
which they contend will keep
education in Washington Coun
ty “separate but equal.”
There are three consolidated
high schools in Washington
County for whites.
Plymouth citizens represented
by Attorney Thompson feel that
the addition of the consolidated
high school at Roper would not
equalize facilities for Negroes,
however. They point out that a
great many of Negro students
I would have to travel seventeen
| miles or more, one way, to reach
the proposed school at Roper.
Attorney Thompson told the
TIMES this week that the inte
gration motion, which he and
the group which he repre
sents feel is the cheapest way
out of the school dilemma, will
be renewed in an appeal to the
Circuit Court.
Meanwhile this week, a Ne
gro lawyer from Newport News,
Virginia who is representing an
other faction of Negroes in the
county who are willing to go a
long with the board of educa
tion’ plan to build the one con
solidated high school at Roper,
said that he was struck over the
head with a blackjack at Roper
by a policeman who identified
himself as Robert Sawyer.
Robert S. Sawyer, chief of
Police at Roper, could not be
reached for comment.
William D. Butts, the lawyer
who is representing the faction
opposing Attorney Thompson’s
plaintiffs, said from Plymouth
hospital that he was struck after
the man told him “you are
blocking the sidewalk,” and lat
er informed him that he was un
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KKK Bluffs Suit
Leesville, S. C. — Despite the
long record of Klan violence and
threats to both Negro and white
citizens, the Carolina’s Ku Klux
Klan warned Tuesday that it
would sue the North Carolina
Junior Chamber of Commerce,
unless the Jaycees retract their
recent denunciation of the KKK
as “un-American.”
The Klan letter from Grand
Dragon Thomas L. Hamilton to
the North Carolina Jaycee presi
dent, Harry Stewart, of Raleigh,
Stated, “Now, unless this state
ment is retracted and the word
un-American as pertaining to
the Klan is removed, we will be
forced to enter suit.”
But a no-backing-down stand
was indicated by the Jaycee
president on Wednesday, Sept.
5, when he announced that if
Hamilton wishes to bring suit,
“That’s his privilege.”
The Jaycee protest against
the Klan came after the recent
Whiteville, N. C., demonstration
of the KKK, which was follow
ed by several alleged Klan ac
tions including the threatening of
the Negro editor, Thomas C. Jer
vay, of the Wilmington Journal
and the beating of two Ander
son, S. C., white farmers.
Issued on August 26 during a
two-day meeting at Rocky
Mount, N. C., the Jaycee resolu
tion called for “strict enforce
ment of existing laws restricting
(Please turn to Page Eight)
Negro Enrolls
Richmond, Va. — Miss Jean L.
Harris, of this city became the
first Negro to be enrolled in the
Medical College of Virginia here
this week.
Miss Harris, daughter of Dr.
and Mrs. Vernon Harris, was
graduated from Virginia Union
University last year where she
majored in Chemistry and main
tained an all “A” average.
Negroes have been trained in
nursing at the school since 1920,
but Miss Harris is the first to en
roll as a medical student in the
school’s history.
Indian Gl Denied Sioux City Rites
Interred Among Nation’s Heroes
Washington, D. C. — All the
nation stirred last week when
an American Indian, Sgt. John
Rice, killed about a year ago in
Korea, was denied burial rites
in the Sioux City (Iowa) Mem
orial Cemetery because he was
“not a member of the Caucasian
race.”
Hasty efforts were made to
make amends for one of the foul
est deeds in U. S. history after
President Truman’s statement
that he was both “amazed and
indignant that such a thing
could happen in America.”
At the President’s request, a
full military burial was given the
Indian soldier at Arlington Na
tional Cemetery.
It is reported that at Sioux
City unsuccessful attempts had
been made to circumvent the
cemetery’s race-segregation rules
by getting the soldier’s wife to
sign a statement that her hus
band had “white blood.”
The burial was halted by
Sioux City cemetery officials
just as the Sergeant’s body was
about to be lowered into the
grave.
REV. A. S. CROOM
Case To Court
Charleston, S. C. — The Clar
endon County school discrimina
tion case is now of the official
docket of the Supreme Court.
A three judge federal court
ruled against the plaintiffs in the
case heard in Charleston some
months ago. The case was
brought by a group of Clarendon
County citizens with the assist
ance of the NAACP. The NAA
CP appealed the decision to the
Supreme Court.
The nation’s highest court is
scheduled to start its Fall term
in October.
25th Anniversary September 9-16
Union Baptist To Observe Pastor's
me zotn anniversary oi me
pastor of the Union Baptist
Church will be celebrated here
September 9-16.
Reverend A. S. Croom is the
church’s pastor.
The Reverend Croom, prom
inent minister of this city came
to Durham from the First Cal
vary Baptist Church in Salisbury
in 1926. At the time he assum
ed the pastorate of the Union
Baptist Church here, the condi
tion of the church was very un
favorable. The 25-year pastor
ate of Reverend Croom has seen
the membership, spiritual and
financial growth of the church,
increase to the extent that it is
now one of the leading con
gregations in the city.
The church has recently pur
chased property for building
purposes at a cost of approxi
mately $10,000, where a new
edifice is to be erected to take
care of the present and future
growth of the church. Already a
large sum has been raised on its
building program and although
the date for its beginning has
not been set', it is expected to
take place in the near future.
The opening program of the
25th anniversary celebration on
Sunday, September 9, will begin
at 3 p. m., under the auspices of
the Deacon Board, with the
Reverend W. F. Cox, pastor of
the Oak Grove Free Will Bap
tist Church, preaching, support
ed by his choir and congregation.
On Monday September 10th at
7:30 p. m. the Right Reverend
F. Yelverton, pastor, Mount Cal
vary Holiness Church, his choir
and congregation, will render
the service, under the auspices
of the Trustee Board.
Tuesday night, September 11
at 7:30, the Senior Missionary
Society will present the Rever
end S. P. Perry, pastor of Saint
(Please turn to Page Eight)
Trade Unions
Hit Kluxers
Winston-Salem — The Execu
tive Board of the Tri-State Ne
gro and Allied Trade Union
Council denounced Ku Klux
Klan activities in a resolution
sent to Gov. Scott on the day of
the KKK rally at Whiteville
urging him to stop the demon
stration.
Attending the NATUC meeting
on August 18 th were repre
sentatives from Charleston, S.
C., Asheville, Durham, Rocky
Mount and Winston-Salem.
(Please turn to Page Eight)
Guesting
.-.
Lena Horne will play a fea
I tured role in the first segment
of the two-part “The Oscar
Hammerstein Story” when it is
presented on Ed Sullivan’s
CBS-TV “Toast of the Town”
show, Sunday, Sept. 9. Oscar
Hammerstein II, Mimi Benzell
and Robert Merrill are other
guests who will take part.'
—
Durham Man
Dies In Wreck
Announcement was received
here that Pfc. Alphonso Mc
Laughlin, son of Mr. and Mrs. C.
G. McLaughlin of 203 Johnson
Street here, was among the 20
persons killed in a train wreck
near Metz, France.
More than 30 persons, includ
ing four North Carolinians, were
injured when a speeding express
train crashed into the rear of the
Frankfurt-Paris train which had
stopped at Sanry-Sur-Nied sta-1
tion, about ten miles east of
Metz.
Young McLaughlin, who en
tered the Army last April, is
survived by his parents and
three brothers: Charles, 14; John
18 and Gus, 23, serving with the
Army in Alaska.
He was home on leave during
the first of August.
New Teacher
City schools of Durham open
ed this week and returning Ne
gro students will get some in
struction this year which they
have not been getting hereto
fore.
Superintendent of City Schools j
L. S. Weaver announced last'
week that John P. Reneau, Jr., j
Beloit, Wis. native, has been em- j
ployed for speech correction. He !
is a graduate of Wisconsin, Madi- j
son, Wis. where he received a
B. S. degree in speech correc- j
tion.
Supt. Weaver also announced
I that he was unable to find a
speech specialist for the white j
city schools.
Woman, 50, Loses )M Tobacco Crop
Money To Two Sharpsters In Dunn
Dunn — A 50 year old woman of Erwin was a wiser but much
sadder and less rich here last week after her adventure with two
sharpsters who hoodwinked her out of‘$248 of hard earned tobacco
money.
Mrs. Nancy McLean told Dunn police that as she left the Com
mercial Bank here where she had just received $248 for her to
bacco crop, she saw two Negro men stoop to pick a pocket book
which appeared to be literally bulging with money of large de
nominations.
une oi me men, a six looter,
promptly agreed to divide the
findings with the woman but
needed some smaller bills to
make change.
Mrs. McLean eagerly handed
over the $248 in hopes of getting
much more from her investment.
She was instructed to wait there
for the man to return. Finally,
she grew tired and called the
police.
She admitted that she had nev
er seen either of the men before
and could give only scant in
formation as to their description.
GI'S In Korea
Choose Marian
Although the judging in the
Bull City Sporting Club’s first
annual Bathing Contest is all
over and probably forgotten—
jin these parts, that is—Ameri
can GI’s in Korea are still voting
for pretty young Marian Evans,
who, incidentally, didn’t place
in the contest.
Another letter received early
this week at the TIMES from a
company of Combat Engineers
now fighting in Korea shows
Marian still the favorite and top
vote-getter among the GI’s.
Last week the TIMES re
ceived a letter from a Tank
Company in Korea (see page
three), selecting Marian as
their pin-up girl.
Both selections, by the Tank
ers and the Engineers, were
made from a group of seven con
testants whose pictures were
printed in the August 11 issue of
the TIMES.
The latest letter, written by
another Durhamite, Pfc. Nick
Elliott for the me nof the 73rd
Engineers combat Battalion,
gives Marian nearly one third of
the sixteen votes cast for seven
of the contestants.
Marion McLain placed second
in the Engineers’ poll and Lu
cille McAllister, Mary Petersen
and Peggy Payne tied for third.
The text of Pfc. Elliott’s let
ter is as follows:
Dear Mr. Austin,
I am writing you on behalf of
all the fellows in my section.
My mother sent me some clip
plings out of the TIMES (con
taining) pictures of participants
in a beauty contest which was
to be held at the Durham Athle
tic Park on August 23.
(Please turn to Page Eight)
NCC Law School Grad Asks For
$60,000; Williams Wants $50,0001
Charlotte—A, recent graduate
of North Carolina College’s Law
school who was forcibly remov
ed from a Greyhound Bus be
cause he would not move to the
back seat while he was an inter
state passenger is seeking $60,
000 in damages from the bus
company.
Charles Bell, graduate of the
NCC Law school’s class of 1950
and now practicing law here,
filed suit in the western district
of the Federal Court here last
Tuesday seeking $60,00 in dam
ages on three counts against the
Atlantic Greyhound Bus cor
poration.
According to the young attor
ney’s complaint, he was foricbly
removed from the bus, arrested
and held for two hours by Gas
tonia police on July 29 for re
fusing to move to the back seat
of the bus while travelling from
here to Spartanburg, S. C.
Attorney Bell is being repre
sented in the action by Charlotte
lawyers L. P. Harris and Thomas
Wyche and his father, Peter, Sr.
of Plymouth.
According to Bell’s complaint,
on Sunday, July 29, he purchased
round trip tickets from Char
lottee to Spartanburg, S. C.,
where he was going to deliver
an address for a program in hon
or of the Veterans of Foreign
Wars.
The complaint further states
that he boarded the bus and
travelled to Gastonia without in
cident. Upon reaching Gastonia,
however, the complaint alleges,
he was ordered to move from a
seat in the rear of the bus which
he already occupied to the very
back seat of the bus.
When he refused, the driver I
procured two Gastonia police of- !
ficers who arrested him on
charges of violating the racial
segregation laws of the state and ;
forcibly ejected him from the!
bus.
Attorney Bell’s complaint
states that he was held at the
Gastonia bus station for two |
hours by the police.
Richmond, Va. — John D. ■
Williams, president of the Spring
Hope NAACP, is asking $50,000
in damages which he incurred
when he was forcibly ejected
from a bus when he refused to
(Please turn to Page Eight) I
Bias Blast Ends
Lott Carey Meet
The 54th session of the Na
tional Lott Carey Foreign Mis
sion Convention, meeting here
for the firs ttime last week,
wound up on a note of defiance
of segregation as nearly 1,500
delegates and visitors to the con
vention heard former U. S. Con
gressman Arthur W. Mtichell
from Chicago declare that
“We’re going to beat it, we’re
going to tower over the opposi
tion.”
The former Republican del
egate to the House of repre
sentative’s spoke at the conven
tion’s concluding session at the
Hillside High School Friday
night. Over 3,000 had flock
ed to the city by the middle of
the week for the four day con
vention which began proper on
Tuesday morning.
Pilgrimage To Liberia
The convention’s executive
secretary, Dr. W. C. Somerville,
told the body that it had col
lected over one hundred thou
sand dollars during the past
year. He also announced that the
convention will send a pilgrim
age to Liberia in November.
The convention’s retiring
president, Dr. O. C. Bullock,
pastor of Raleigh’s First Baptist,
was succeeded by Rev. U. G.
Wilson, pastor of Mount Zion
Baptist church of Portsmouth,
(Please turn to Page Eight)
Foreign Students
Rebuff Jim Crow
Bloomington, Ind. — Foreign
students undergoing orientation
here at the University of Indiana
under the State Department’s
program of spreading democracy
refused to knuckle under to
Southern jim crow and cancell
ed a scheduled tour of the Tenn
essee Valley Authority last week
because of the racial discrimina
tion they would have had to con
front at Knoxville, Tenn.
Although only two of the
group of 53 students would have
had to suffer from Tennessee’s
Jim Crow laws, the remaining
51 white students unanimously
agreed not to subject their two
fellow students from Panama to
the indignities of racial dis
crimination.
jrroiessor .David H. Dickason
of the Indiana University de
partment of Speech, who is in
charge of the students during
their six-weeks orientation pro
gram, said that arrangements
had been made to room the
two students from Panama
at Knoxville College for Ne
groes during the group’s three
day stay at Knoxville.
Tennessee’s Jim Crow law
would have prevented the white
students from staying at the Ne
gro college, too.
The plan, Dickason said, was
for the two Panamanian stu
dents to meet the white students
daily at a downtown cafeteria
for meals.
When the 51 white students
learned that the two students
from Panama would have to be
segregated from them, they vot
ed to call off the entire trip.
Instead, they will remain on
the Indiana campus here until
Sept. 8 when the orientation
program ends.