VOLUME XLlll, NUMBER 33
FOSTER ACQUITTED
IN MIDDLE DISTRICT
COURT ON TUESDAY
Found Not Guilty of Soliciting Funds
in Postoffices. Cleared on All
?- - rv .r - i " *
-wuui., i/cicnoant congratulated
by Many Friends After Jury's Verdict
Is Received. Chairman Duncan
Highly Pleased.
Greensboro. N. C.?By virtue of
n vorili.-r not guilty on all of the
remaining counts, returned by a jury
in United States District Court here
Tuesday everting, inc. cases of W. If.
Foster, secretary-treasurer of the Republican
State Executive Committee,
charged with solicitation of funds for
political purposes from Federal office
holders in government, buildings,
were terminated.
The verdict was announced two
and one-half hours after the deliberations
of the jury began.
Judge Johnson J. Hayes, presiding
over the trial, which began. Thursday
morning, thanked the jurors for
their faithful service and directed
that they be discharged. Friends of
Mr. Foster, waiting with him in the
courtroom, pressed forward and shook
hands with him.
After court adjourned for the day
many others congratulated him upon
the result. Among those who were
near the defendant were Jame3 S.
Tl.i n. ?P 1' - 1 1 - ?
c'%CT!Tsr.. wi vjiccnsuuiu, cnuuinan ui
the Republican State Executive Committee,
and Mrs. C. B. Winn of Liberty.
state vice-chairman.
"The verdict of not guilty Was confidently
expected by me," said Mr.
Foster. "I appreciate the manifestation
of confidence in ntc on the part
of thousands of loyal Republicans
throughout the State and by others,
irrespective of party affiliation. Every
ounce of energy that I have will
be devoted to steadfast efforts to
justify a continuation of confidence."
"I am naturally pleased," said Mr.
Duncan, "although I have never bad
any doubt as to the result. Any investigation
of any activities of the
Republican party in North Carolina
will simply disclose that the organization
is using every legitimate and
at the same time honorable method
to further the interest of the party."
Originally there were 57 counts in
the two bills of Indictment returned
bv the OranS Jury last December. :
Oi this niimhor SI were eliminated
ilSL^SS^. Nine of those were dismissed
by order of ludgb Hayes upon :
motion oi defense counsel or. the 1
ground of lack of jurisdiction, the
records indicating that the places in I
which offenses wore alleged to have
been committed arc outside the Mid- :
die District. As to 22 of the counts '
the judge directed a verdict of not
guilty last week. In most of those I
instances there appeared to be a lack 1
of clear evidence that the notices of t
installments under the terms of i
"pledge cards" signed by postmasters ;
wore received, opened and read in
postoffices.
J. B. M'COYNOW IN
ilTl A ?"Ajn*"i n-r? ?ir/\r?iri* t
UlAIUiU m tlU l EL
1
Daniel Boone Pastes Issto New Hands .
Monday Morning. Lease Closed
With Manager Wilkes Ho- t
tel. Building Refinished. ,
Mr. Joe Hi McCoy, manager of ^
the Hotel Wilkes since its opening j
a few years ago, has leased the Dan- j
iel Boone Hotel, and the local hostel- ;
ry passed into new hands early Mon- <
day morning. Mr. McCoy has had J
men engaged in thoroughly renovat- ,
ing the building, retouching the wood ,
work and doing odd jobs of painting
throughout the building, and will j
start his career here with the edifice
presenting a brand-new appearance.
Mr. McCoy is a hotel man of wide j
experience. Previous to his coming ,
to North Wilkesboro he managed the
Taylorsville Hotel, and was for aev- j
eral years connected with the Selwyn .
in Charlotte. He will retain the man- (
agership of Hotel Wilkc-s, but will s
move his family here in order that ,
the children may avail themselves of
local educational facilities. The di- ,
rectors of the hotel feel fortunate in (
hainno* hopn nhlo hn ?pphpo fho aorv-1
ices of Mr. McCoy in this cor. nee- !
tion.
Mr. E. B. Kidd, who for inoTe than ,
a year has managed the Daniel Boone, |
left for Charlotte Monday, where he
has "made his home for many years.
Meeting Continues at
Blowing Rock Church
Rev. Alsi Honeycutt. of Linville,
who has been preaching at the Blowing
Rock Free Will Baptist Church
every evening fok the past three
months, baptized eighteen new members
in a nearby pool last Sunday
afternoon. The meeting is drawing
large crowds, and despite its lengthy
session, interest is still good.
Mr. Honeycutt established the
church several years ago, but the
membership had dwindled to a mere
handful previous to his return in
BjNovember.
/ATAl
A Non-Partisan IS
BOON
VWVVW^y,-^
J. B. Horton Kills
Tremendous Porker
J. B. Horton, progressive farmer
of the Vilas community, has, he
believes, killed the largest hog of
the season. The porker, which was
of the Poland-China variety, tipped
the scales at 700 pounds before
it was slaughtered, and after dressing
netted 634 pounds. It was three
years old and had been raised principally
on whey which Mr. Horton
obtained at a cheese factory which
he operates.
Pretty nice pig, says We, but at
the same time a report comes from
Halifax County that a farmer residing
near Scotland Neck has just
butchered a Poland-China which on
foot weighed 1,136 pounds. After
dressing, 1,007 pounds of pork Was
obtained. Mr. Horton has lots of
pigs, and it is our guess that one
of these days he will shatter the
Halifax man's record.
MANffliFoFir"
YEARS BROUGHT
TO CLOSE FRIDAY
Man Wanted by Mitchell County Authorities
for Murder in 1903 Is
Captured in State of Missouri. Re
quiaiiion Papers Will Be Forwarded
to Middle Western Town Some
Time This Week.
Bakersville, N. C.?A 29-year
search for a man wanted for murder
here in 1903 ended Friday when Columbia,
Mo . authorities telegraphed
Mitchell County1 officers they had
captured George Presnell, alias
George Miller, charged with the slaying
of Louis Buchanan.
Present authorities here were unable
to deliver a complete account
of Euchanan's murder since it occurred
so long ago. G. A. Ramsey,
clerk of the Superior Court, stated
Buchanan was stabbed in an artery
and bled to death as a result of the
injury.
Presnell arid Buchanan Were farmers
in Mitchell County at that time.
Ramsey said he understood, and that
a few words passed between them before
the alleged fatal encounter.
The county solicitor was working
Saturday on requisition papers to
3end Missouri authorities for the return
of Presnell to this village in
the Western North Carolina mountains.
Ramsey said local authorities had
lought Presnell ever since Buchanan
,vns murdered.
According to reports, Presnell had
recn living in the vicinity of Columria,
Mo., for more than a year. For
he past five months he has operated
i mine near Prathersville. He is 59
^oars old.
Appalachia Wins from
Milligan in Court Gainej
In a fast game of basket ball the j
Appalachian girls team made it eight
.'ictories in a row by defeating the
Miliigan College outfit by a 30-23
;cove last Saturday night.
The local girls got off to a fast
start and in the first five minutes
an up a ten-point lead; but the vistors,
led by the fiasby Dyer, staged
1 quick comeback and held the Black
md Gold to an 18-12 score at the
lalf. Dyer was the "big shot" of the
Willigan attack, this little forward
scoring all but eight of her team's
mints. Her free throw record was alnost
perfect, since she rung the bell
.vith nine goals out of eleven tries.
Better team work on the part of
Betty Crew Cushing's outfit was the
deciding factor in the game; but in
spite of the passing and goal shootng
of the forwards, honors were to
:!>e little red-headed captain-guard of
Appalachian?Delia Paula3. She, with
Mary Baker and Nan Lingle, put up
defensive wall that the Milligan
forwards could not pierce. The Appalachian
State guards allowed only
six field goals to the visitors.
The Appalachian girls have only
two more games on their schedule,
pne with Lenoir-Rhyne in Hickory
next Saturday mgni, ana one wirn
'.Vir.gate hero on the night of February
24th. The line-up of last Saturday's
game follows:
MUligan A. S. T. C.
Dyer (15) Crisp (4)
(Forward)
Walker (2) Austin
(Forward)
Holly (3) Preston (22)
(Center)
Cross Paulas
(Guard)
Crabtree Lingle
(Guard)
Loveless Baker, Mary
Milligan substitutes, 3 points; A.
S. T. C. substitutes, 4 points.
HOLIDAY MONDAY
Both Boone Banks, the Watauga
County and Peoples Industrial, will
observe Washington's Birthday Monday,
and will not be open for business.
Other Boone institutions will
continue business as usual.
1
r A
U'vjA
lewspaper, Devoted to the
E, WATAUGA COUNTY, NORTH Ci
: A WPMiyrm nnr 41/
Itti ILHir l?iLF miLiill
OF COUNTY JAIL IS
FOILED BY KEEPER
Hole sri Masonry -Discovered by Jailor
Norris Early Friday Evening. Griffin
and Presnell Confined in Cell
Room. First Attempt to Escape
from New- Bastilc. Presnell Said to
Have Previous Record.
An attempted break of the county
jail was foiled early Friday night,
when Jailor Clint Norris, returning
from his duties as local police officer,
discovered a stream of light coming
through the brick wall beside a window
frame on the north side of the
building. Going immediately to the
second story, Mr. Norris found that
the two inmates of that particular
cell room, Bill Griffin and Johnnie
Presnell. had twisted a pipe from the
shower bath and drilled through the
masonry. The hole had been stuffed
with a blanket, was almost large enough
to permit the passage of a body,
and doubtless the two men would have
made their escape within on hour.
Griffin and Presnell were removed
to the main cell block, and Saturday
repairs were made on the building.
This is the first timo that a Break
of the jail has been attempted since
it was built several years ago.
Griffin, who will face trial at the.
Spring term of Court on a charge of
assault with intent to kill, i3 & native
of Asheville who for several months
was an employee of the Champion
Fibre Company on Grandfather Mountain.
So far as local authorities know,
he has no previous criminal record.
Presncll is a native of the Beech
Creek section and is said to have engineered
a jail break at Newland several
years ago when fourteen prisoners
escaped. He is being held on a
charge of store-breaking. Had the
(wo men made good their attempt.
Friday night, none of the other thirteen
inmates of the bastile would
have been liberated.
Bound to Court for
Robbing Hen House
George Brown, Roy Blown and
Jim Brown, al! residents of the Rich
Mountain seciion. were arrested Friday
by county officer-? on .1 warrant
charging-the burglarising of-a hen
reset at the .home^nf Mr*. Gin Love,
who resides in the Oak Grove section
just west of Boone. It is alleged
that the trio stoic twelve chickens
from the lady early last week and
marketed them at local stores.
George and Roy Brown, the former
a married man who has been estranged
from his wife for several
months, and the latter a 17-year-old
son of W. E. Brown, waived examination
when brought before Justice
Hahn Monday and gave bond for
their appearance at the Spring Term
of Superior Court. Jim Brown, who ;
is only 15 years of age, was hailed
before Juvenile Judge A. E. South .
for trial, hut judgment was withheld pending
the outcome of the other 1
cases, ft is understood that lie confessed
to a part in the theft.
For the past several weeks farmers
of the Western section of Watauga
have been harassed by chicken thieves
and hundreds of birds have been ,
Twenty-Six Wataugans |
Attend Lincoln Dinner
TVenty-six Watauga County Republicans
attended the Lincoln Day
| Dinner held at the King Cotton Hotel
in Greensboro last Friday evening.
Senator Daniel O. Hastings, of Wilmington,
Delaware, was the chief
speaker, and members of the local
group state that he delivered a most,
eloquent address, stressing the necessity
of standing behind the administration,
and working for the re-election
of President Hoover this fall. He
was introduced by Attorney Baxter
M. Linney of Boone and Lenoir.
More than six hundred party men
and women from nil over the State
were present.
LEES-McRAE BOYS DEFEAT
FRESHMEN FROM A. S. T. C.
The Lees-McRae quintet took a
close game of basket bail from ine
Appalachian freshmen here Monday
night, to give the visitors four victories
in succession in the past week.
The Presbyterian boys began the season
rather slowly, due to new players
who make up the regular squad,
but Monday night exhibited a flashy
brand of ball.
MISS WHITENER TO BECOME
univM vr nr.. JUKP?e.i i
Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Karl Whitener,
of Gastonia, N. C., have announced
the engagement of their
daughter, Ruth Sumpter, to William
Howard Jurney of Raleigh. The wedding
will take place in March.
Mr. Jurney is a grandson of Mrs.
J. W. Farthing of Route 1 and a
nephew of R. C. Rivers. At present
he is an instructor in mathematics at
North Carolina State College.
Best Interests of North
VR0L1NA. THURSDAY. KEBRUA
ij OGDEN MILLS NE
Or?rl?r? I.. Mills, left. 2??!*|a?t Sf
vated to the secretaryship to fill
of Andrew Mellon, right, who he
Hoover as Ambassador to Great
Kuester Congratulates
Harris Brothers on Ad.
The Democrat is in receipt of
: letter from C. O. Kuester, busine:
manager of the Charlotte Chambc
cf Commerce, in which he calls a
tention to a double page ad run i
this paper by Harris Brothers Di
partment Store. Mr. Kuester says:
"Tell your merchant up thci
v'ho runs the double-page spree
he has the right idea. Advertisin
in good nines is an opportunity
and advertising in times like v;
are now going through is a necc:
sity. When he runs a double-pag
spread ne is using powerful goo
judgment."
iiiiiiiiiiT
SPEAK AT BANNEI
ELK CONFERENC
Third Annual Personality Meeting
Be Addressed by Eminent Educ
tors. Seventeen High Schools W
Send Delegations. Banquet to ]
Givcu Saturday Night. Conferenc
Have Been Most Helpful.
Banner Elk, N. C.?The Third A
nual Personality Conference, to
held at College. Bann
Elk Friday and Saturday, March 1
and 5th. will have the following er
nent Speakers:
Friday evening Dr. H. E. ftondtl
ler, president of Salem College, w
speak on "What Is Personality?" (
Saturday afternoon Dr. A. Monr
Stowc, profe&sor of Education at Ra
dolph-Macon College, will deliver j
address on "Creative Thinking
Personality," and in the evening Iv!
Victor M. Davis, general secretary
the Y. M. C. A.. University of Te
nessee, will make the closing addres
his subject to be "Buck Passing."
The previous conferences have be
so helpful and inspiring that the i
citations this year cover a wider ran;
of territory. Seventeen high schoc
in Avery, Watauga and Ashe cou
ties, North Carolina, and one in Te
nessee have been invited and art e
pected to send delegates.
Beside the speakers there will 1
group conferences of leaders, perso
ality diagnosis in group confc-rencr
a tea on B'l-iday afternoon for eta
crons a"'l group councilors in t
I.ccs-Mcltee nhrnry nnd a bunqu
on Saturday evening in the colle;
dining hall.
HINTING SEASON
CLOSED MONDA'
Sportsmen Warned to Refrain fro
Gunning Until Next Fall. Unusual
Amount of Game Left.
Fishing Opens in April.
Monday, February 15th, was i
last day of the hunting season, ai
sportsmen arc warned hy local gar
officials to refrain from gunning, e
cept for outlawed birds ar.d anima
until next fall. The season closes tl
year, it i.s said, with more game le
in the fields and woods than ev
before, especially quail, squirrel a'
ruffed grouse.
The Department of Conscvvati
and Development is very mu
pleased with the co-operation th
sportsmen of Watauga and As
counties have given the game w:
dens during the past year, and a
hopeful that the pleasant relatic
may continue.
While it is permissible to fish 1
suckers and carp at this season
the year in New River, Watau
River and the power dam on t
Blowing Rock Highway, the tr;
fishing season does not open ur
April 15th. Those wishing to f
for suckers and carp are required
law to have licenses, which are m
on sale at the Farmers Hardwj
Store and at the Clerk's office in t
courthouse.
Farmers in sixteen communities
Craven County will plant 200 aci
of cucumbers for market this sprinj
OCRA
west North Carolina
RY 18, 1932
U7 TTir1 4 f I ir?4r ? ? ? * '!
yv IRJLA3UKI riE.AU
H c
8 Hi
seretary of the Treasury, has been elethe
vacancy made by the resignation
is been designated by President Herbert
Bri tain.
-TWOPERCENTTO
BE ADDED TO TAX
: FIRST OF MARCH
t- Sheriff Farthing Warns Taxpayers to
n Make Settlement as Rapidly as Pos5
sible and Save Payment of the :
Ever-increasing Penalty. Says Pay'?
mcnts ore Retarded this Month, i
it i?. / >--?* ? 1
y vwuituon* ?cre rair.
g
y, Sheriff L. M. Farthing gives notice
'e that already one per cent, penalty has
3- been added to unpaid county taxes,
;e and that on March 1st, a two per
d cent, penalty will he added- Thus
with each succeeding month until fi?
nal settlement is made, one per cent,
is added, in accordance with the State
Olaw governing the collection of taxes.
Officials hope that the people will
^ I make an especial effort io meet their 1
k obligations to the county government i
as early as is possible, and save the
E payment of the monthly penalties. i
Sheriff Farthing says that during \
I-Yhruary the collection of tax mon- i
ies has shown a marked decrease, hut 1
*?jlhat through January, receipts at his t
:tl-j office were fairly satisfactory. f
'ill j J
^'Funeral Services Are
Held for J. A. Idol !
ll~ Funeral services were held Sunday i
be at. Laurel Springs Baptist Church for *
cr mv; J A. Tdol. of Boone Route 2, i
ih who died Saturday morning following <
an illness which covered a period or j
several months. The immediate cause
of his death was a heart attack. Rev. >
E. C. Hodges was in charge of the t
riles, following which interment was c
oe made in Deep Gap burying ground. <
n" Mr. Idol was horn at Virgil. N. G.,
*n on December 31, 1870, At an early i
,n age he joined Three Forks Baptist)j
Church, later moved his membership!
to I.aurei Springs, and at the time
n" of his deaih .was affiliated with Ilows.s,
prd's Creek Church. He was married
to Miss Flee tic Watson in the year
en 1008 and to this union were born six
h- children, all ox whom, with the widow,
5e<survive. They are: Dillard Idol, Mrs.
ds Tom Phillips, John Idol, Vera, Mary
n" Margaret and Lucile Idol. A brother,
n~ Rufus Idol, and a sister, Mrs. Dave
x" LooVabill, both of Deep Gap, also '
survive. t
l50 The deceased man was a carpenter ?
n~ by trade, a hard worker, and a most (
??; usgiuj citi7.cn.
P~' ! .
'^j Program Announced forj.
Sunday School Meeting
The Associational Sunday School '
Conference of the Three Forks or- 1
Sanitation will meet with Middle Fork
,j Baptist Church on Sunday, March S, ^
at 2:30 o'clock p. m. Roy Dotson, '
general superintendent Tuesday re- '
leased the following program for the
m meeting:
Devotional, W. Y. Perry; special
music, Union Choir; reports from the
Group Superintendents; special music,
Union Choir; "Value of Monthly s
he Visitation." Wade E. Brown; "The J
id Sunday School as a Soul Winning 1
ne Field," Smith Hagaman; special mu- ,
x-jsic by Union Choir; "Presenting the *
Is,| Sunday School Lesson," Miss Wiley;!'
lis 1 "Daily Vacation Bible School," Mrs. '
:'l | A. V. Washburn; "What Schools I'
eri Shall Have a Worker This Year?" 1
ad (answered by the schools).
Mr. Dotson is anxious that all 1
on Sunday Schools of Three Forks Asch
sociatton send delegations.. The comiat
mittee in charge hopes that it will
he be possible at this time to lay some i
ir- definite plans for proportional work i
ire in the Sunday schools for the coming
iIlS Qnmwov
LOSES FINGERS
? Young Mack Greene, son of Mrs.
^ Cora Greene, of Mabel, had the misfortune
Sunday afternoon to get two
jjjj fingers severed from his left har.d
1 . and a third badly lacerated. He and
a boy friend, Marvin Thomas, were,
* it seems, at play. The latter picked
up an axe to stick it in a block, and
, as he made the stroke his ten-yearold
companion unfortunately threw
his hand in the way of the descending
blade. It is useless to say that the
of Thomas lad is deeply grieved over the
res sad accident, as it was purely unin;.
tentional.
L JL
$1.50 PER VEAK
VARIED P?ftfiRAjT
IS DRAFTED FOR
FARM INSTITUTE
Third Annua? Farm School in Session
at Courthouse Thursday, Under
Auspices of Civitan Club. Local
and Foreign Authorities Will Discuss
Approved Farm Topics. Large
Crowds Expected.
"" The third annual Farmers Institute
for Watauga County is to be held in
the courthouse at Boor.e on Thursday
of this week, beginning at D:30,
and indications are that a large crowd
of agrarians from all sections of the
county will gather to take part in the
meeting, and to receive the valuable
and pertinent information which will
ho tendered hv
~ J . luikvio UO ?? Cll Cl"3
locai farm authorities. Officials of
the Boone Civitan Club, under whose
auspices this year's farm event will
he staged, released a completed program
the first of the week, and those
who have followed the institutes carefully
since their inception are of the
opinion that the current 'farm school'
will be fully the equal, if not superior,
to its two predecessors, from
point of both entertainment features
and educational value.
Following a number by the American
Legion Band, the institute proper
gets under way at 9:30 with an address
by IT. R. Niswonger, State Horticulturist,
which is to be followed by
general talks on farm products and
methods, including n brief neriod for
questions and answers.
Addresses by W. H. Walker, instructor
in the agricultural department
of the Cove Creek High School,
and Professor B. 13. Dougherty of
Boone will complete the program until
the noon hour. The latter will center
his discourse about the improvelient
of the soil and home methods.
At ! :45 the sessions will open again
vith numbers by the Legion Band and
icrhaps the high spot of the session
vill be the address by Mr. Bruce
iVebb, of the Asheville Citizen, upon
he subject of the 5 to 10-year plan
'or Western North Carolina farmers,
ilr. Webb will go into the details
if the plan which his newspaper has
nauguraled for the benefit of mounain
farmers, and following his disburse,
a space has been abetted for
isking questions, and the speaker vtill
jive any information required on jits
subject Mr. Webb will also bp a spe:ial
guest of the Boone Civiusn Club
it its egular noonday session.
The program will be concluded
vith an address By County Superinendent
Smith Haganian, who will
lutlinc a program for Watauga farm:rs
for the year 1932.
i!EV. MiflER OPENS
REVIVAL MEETING
Evangelist of tlie Christian Church
to Delirer Series of Sermons at
Episcopal Chapel. Has Been
in Ministry for Years.
The Rev. Martin B. Miller, First
district of Tennessee evangelist of
he Chiistian Church, began an evantelistic
meeting at the Episcopal
Ihurch on Main Street Tuesday night.
This meeting will run for two
reeks or longer and should be of
peat interest to the people of this
section, because of this ability of Mr:
Martin as a speaker, and because of
sis father. Elder Jonathan P. Miller,
.vho was a minister in East Tennessee
and Western North Carolina for
fifty years, and is remembered by
nany of the older inhabitants of this
:ounty.
Mr. Miller, whose last pastorate
vas at the Tabernacle Church, Coansbas,
Indiana,--a. church of 1,800
nembers?conies to Boone with years
>f experience in the ministry to as:ure
his success. Mrs. Miller will aslist
her husband by furnishing the
nusic for the meeting.
A few of the topics on which Mr.
Hiller will preach are: Wednesday
light, "Sails and Souls"; Thursday
light, "What Time Is It?"; Friday
light, "The Two Ways"; Saturday
light, "Is There Another Way?"
MAN IS SHOT IN GUN FIGHT
WITH PROHIBITION FORCE
WHBBMBi
Tavlorsville N C.?M A RnVoi- of '*
Mount Holly was shot in the shoul;ler
and another man named Tolvin
was arrested with him, when two
Federal prohibition officers captured
their car and a load of liquor near
here Friday night after a chase that
started in Wilkes County.
Officers Abernathy and Gilliam are
said to have fired at the car after
Tolvin Shot at them. Baker was carried
to a .v.atesuiiie hospir^u
Tolvin is held in jail here. Sixty-five fr
gallons of liquor was confiscated.
Tolvin is said to be from Mount
Holly.
Mrs. Tom Cnshing returned Sunday
evening from the Campbell Hospital
in Johnson City, Tenn., where
on Friday she underwent a minor
operation to the ear.