=JMRS. WIDENHOUSE IS DECLARED NOT GUILTY BY JURY Former Boone Woman Freed on Murdcr Count. Verdict Reached After Hour and Quarter. Defendant Tesf titled Husband Had Made Threats Against Her Life. Large Crowd ir Courtroom as Trial Closed. Concord, N. C.?Mrs. Mary Bennett Widenhouse, former resident of Boor.c, was found not jfuilty by ?. Cn. barrus jury at 9:15 Monday night in her trial for the slaying of her husband, Donald, on last March 5th. The jury deliberated an hour and five minutes. Showing no emotion and sitting calmly with relatives while the jury was out, Mrs. Widenhouse first shook hands with her chief counsel, L. T. Hartsell, and then with members of the jury. Relatives soon gathered around her while A. P. Widenhouse, t father of the dead man, walked quietly from the court room. Thprp wnc nn rfr>mni?;trnfirtn A? was the case when the trial was begun last week, only to be interrupted by a death in Judge Oglesby's family, the court-room was packed to overflowing when the trial was resumed Monday morning. Spectators knew Mrs. Widenhouse would be the first witness, as she was on the stand when court recessed last week, and they were present by the hundreds to hear her version of the tragedy. The defense vested at noon and several rebuttal witnesses for the state and one for the defense had completed their testimony when the noon recess was taken. Arguments began late in the afternoon. Tell* of Threats Mrs. Widenhouse said her husband was a man of strength and quick temper and often threatened her. On the morning of the slaying she said tie cursed her and added, "I'll kill you." Thut was before lie whipped and beat her, she said. The defendant that in thn nrpspm?f? of her husband's father, A. P. Widen? house, she had threatened io kill her husband if he didn't quit drinking and running around so much. M rs. Wider.house said her husband once threw a bottle at her and at another time threatened her with a gun and she was so in fear of him that she kept n pistol hidden all of the lime. On eross-exanViiivuvEi xko ticf.aiuant denied that she hid in a ditch with a gun waiting for her husband nnd said she could not recall ever chasing her hushond with p. pistol or other firearms. sthe said she took a wire from the car because she didn't want her hustband to take their children off with him and because she had sent for the sheriff and didn't want her husband to leave until the officer got R' mere. Lewis Robbiiis said Widenhouse was a "violent and dangerous man" and he and Lentz Bnree sn'd they had heard Widenhouse threaten to kill his wife. Barbce also denied that trouble started when Widenhouse came home and found him in bed with Mrs. Widenhouse, saying this was not true. Mrs. Widenhouse later was recalled to the stand and also denied the charge that she had been in bed with Barbee. Harvey Pierson, colored employee of the" slain man, told of the events as the irist rebuttal witness immediately preceding the shooting. His testimony closely followed that given Wednesday by John Barbee. Or. cross-examination by Mr. Hartsell, he stated he saw Mrs. Widenhouse run out of the house cursing and crying, pistol in hand, and said she'd shoot him if he hit her again just before she went to the filling station. "I heard her say, "Donald, don't come on me,' twice just before the shot was fired," he said. Roy Hagier told of seeing Mrs. * Widenhouse at the filling station with a pistol in her hand and further testified she still had the gun when she walked hack to the house. "I watched her from the back of the filling station and saw her go to the automobile and jerk something out. Donald came out of the house, went to the car and tried to start it. Then he got out and lifted the hood. Hp then took three stens toward her and she said, "Don, I told you not to tone on me.' and then shot. She was facing him and only a short distance from him when the bullet was fired." The witness stated he had on one Jf# . (Please turn to Page 2) FIVE TERMS IN SCHOOL AND NEVER ABSENT FROM CLASS Elizabeth Little, 10-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Rosco Little of Boone, who finished the fifth grade in the Demonstration School this spring, has a unique record. She has been in school for five years, two in Salisbury and one in Boone, and during that time was never absent or tardy from classes. On several -occasions the young lady has suffered from minor ailments, but never has she been willing to stay away from 'her school work. i SATA\ A Non-Partisan Ne BOON] i ! Was rtAnklo.Prncc^/] ! 1 U .? , : Dr John Condon, commissioned by |' Col. Lindbergh to pay $50,000 to kid- j nappe rs for the return of the baby paid the money bat the child was not returned. j MANAGERS CLAIM ROOSEVELT WILL BE PARTY'S CHOICE: i Campaign Managers Say New York j Governor Will Go into Convention ] With 700 Vote*. Delegate Lists of ] Contenders Shown. Claimed Line- ] up Gives Kooseveit G7o Votes; ] Smith Second with 203. , New York.?Franklin D. Roose- ' volt's campaign managers, still pre- s dieting his nomination on the first < ballot, claimed today he will go into 1 the Democratic national convention 1 with close to 700 delegate-votes. I Not counting the twelve delegates t being picked in Arizona and Wyo- < ming, who were expected to be at i least friendly to the New York Gov- ' era or, the list totaled G78. 1 If the convention opens with Roose- i velt and Alfred E. Smith in control 5 of the votes their associates claim a will be theirs, and with the other \ candidates getting the votes which t already seem assured for them, the t line-up would be like this: * . Roosevelt, 678; Smith, 203; Garner, 90; Lewis, 58; White, 52; Reed, 1 3G; Byrd, 24; Murray, 23; Ritchie. 1 16; not claimed by anyone, 56. 1 Overlapping Claims < These figures total more than 1,154 i ?the actual convention vote-?be- ) cause of overlapping claims. < 1 t in~"f/Tlf iT IWr.nfinw^ rKtiuMi). Arizona and Wyoming, 708 delegates 1 had been selected. Of that number, i Roosevelt has 313 pledged, instruct- \ ed or claimed. This figure Was raised automatically in political circles to 333 by Senator Huey Long's statement pointing Louisiana's 20 votes toward the Roosevelt camp. However, the Louisiana delegation is uninstructed and its choice will not be known formally until a pre-convention caucus. The Roosevelt forces also are j counting on 105 of the 168 remaining in douht?GO of Pennsylvania's 76 and 45 of the 92 New York votes in doubt. There are still 434 delegates to be picked. Of that number, the Roosc- j velt forces are counting on picking j up 240. j MORE THAN 1,000 i ARE VACCINATED 1 Citizens Taldng Adavantage of Cam- t paign Against Fever and -Diph- i theria. Record Number Come i to Boone for Serum. 1 Thus far this week there have | been approximately one thousand ad- : ults and children vaccinated against i typhoid and diphtheria at the courthouse in Boone, and reports coming from other points indicate that record numbers are guarding themselves against the diseases. The serum is administered without cost to the county or to the .individual, doctors and nurses are giving their time without pay, and the campaign inaugurated by the Couniy Board of Health bids fair to all but stamp out the two dread diseases in Watauga County. In 1929, the last time there was a general vaccination here, about 6,000 persons were immunized, and it is expected that this year's total will be far in excess of that figure. INSECT HORDES CAUSE WORRY TO FARMERS IN WATAUGA Ira Edmisten of the Windy Gap WOO o rricitnr in Pnftvir. \frtn_ I day and while here slated that potato bugs and other plant insects are appearing in great quantities on lower Cove Creek, and that an infestation is in prospect. Potato vines just peeping through the earth have already 1 been attacked by bugs, says Mr. Edmisten, who believes that the exceedingly mild winter weather made it possible for numbers of them to live : through the cold season. Flea bugs I are also causing much Worry to Cove 1 Creek farmers, and hot-bed plants, > such as tomato, egg plant peppers, i etc., have to be sprayed constantly to keep down their damaging work. JGA 1 swspaper, Devoted to the B 3, WATAUGA COUNTY, NOKTH CAB FATHER AND SON ! PICNIC ENJOYED BYLARGECROWD Voung Tar Heel Farmers Enjoy Outing With Fathers at Cove Creek. Rev. J. A. McKaughr. and Superintendent Smith Hagam&n Deliver Addresses. Speech by Alfred Adams Reproduced. On the evening of April 13th the Cove Creek Chapter of Future Farmers had one of their outstanding aventa of the year, the Father and Son Picnic. Every member of the agricultural organization invited his father to meet the group at the Cove Creek School. A large number of the fathers came, and to start the program beat the boys in a game of playground ball. After the game the group met in the agriculture room, where every one was served with a nice lunch prepared by the home economics girls and the agriculture boys _ 12nd ;r the supervision of Miss Annie ? Dougherty. The meeting was called to order I***1 oy Robert Dunn, president of the f lgr culture organization. Stanley A. ^ Harris Jr. and Alfred Adams were idc'ed to the organization as "green j iai d" members. Robert Dunn, Al- J Dei - Michaei, Thomas Presnell, James viconne, Uline Walker, Berl Henson, ID Ro: Romigi-r, Charlie Michael and i Jo- Banner were awarded F. F. A. | ( aa iges for their outstanding work ^ Juring the past year. These badges ? show their identity as "Future Farm- "( 2r" members. Superintendent Smith Hi gaman said a few words of gratitude toward this work, illustrating (jc, th< crowded teaching profession and :hc need for hoys to prepare for some ^ >tl er profession. Mr. McKaughn made era i short and most interesting talk on sor 'What Is a Boy?" The way in which ^ Robert Dunn conducted this meeting I an( md the way the other boys spoke j t^r ;ho ved that even if they are boys vith big appetites, they have men's fro vays with big voices. .These boys, he no( :ontinued, are not only training for :echiical agriculture; but for agricul- ?|ie ural leaders. RTC Robert Dunn. Fleenor Hodges, Earl CQl ilenson, Alfred Adams and Wheeler pr(; Earthing engaged in a speaking con- ^ ;est .r. which Earl Henson won sec- jn >nd place and Alfred Adams was warded a public speaking medal by ^sj Howa d Walker, the teacher of agri- j:*, rulture" for winning fnr'st'iftfctrfe.-**" .erested in farming will be better sat sfied with that life during these dedressing times by reading the follow- A(j (Please turn to Page 3) { 17-YEARloCUSTS I EXPECTED IN JUNE ~ 'inl Appeju-ance of Imecti Since ^ '1915. Specimens Are Wanted by Entomologist at State College in Raleigh. Raleigh.?North Carolina's best- g,e mown brood of 17-year locusts will t >egin to emerge from the homes tbey tave made in the soil since 1915 and will advertise their presence by an iwfu! din in the forest trees of the j State in late May or early June. vat Dr. Z. P. Metcaif, head of the de- tioi sartment of entomology and zoology kill it State College, says the locusts the which will emerge this year are from jng rggs that were laid in the limbs of fat trees back in 1315. The eggs hntebpd p0; into tiny grubs about 1-16 of an inch Th long and these crawled into the soil not through small crevices where the the jrubs attached themselves to the hoi roots. The small beaks were forced into the bark to suck sap from the tan living trees. Here these grubs have | m0 uten nvmg ant: neveioping jor auuui eec seventeen years. Their wings are now .ec full grown and they are awaiting the coming of warm weather, when they C will emerge in countless thousands. "This is one cf the most phenomenal happenings of the insect world," says the entomologist. "It was observed by the earliest settlers in this an] State and careful records have been tist kept since that time. There are some feI kinds of cicades, or locusts, which Sai appear each year. Then there are the dai 13-year locusts as well as the 17-year brood. Sometimes these overlap in at emergence, as they did in 1S98. There pej are also several broods of the 17-year Go variety and all this has caused con- ] 1 fusion, but the brood which emerges Ne this spring is the best known and the pr, one on which the most careful rec- As ords have been kept." Scl Dr. Metcalf requests that speci- Wi mens of the locusts be sent to him. 1:5 HALF MILLION DOLLARS PAID daTO N. C. VETS LAST MONTH Eli So Charlotte, N. C.?The regional of- 2:5 fice of the United States Veterans' sn.1 Bureau here paid $551,252.63 to G. World War veterans of the State in nc( April ,of which $106,160.74 was for loans on adjusted compensation certificates, and $37,062.36 for insur- Ge ance loans, the balance being for sis dsability, the bureau reported Tues- tui day. thi DEM< lest Interests of North we OLINA, THURSDAY, MAY 12, 1 GeorcrR Washincrton i s The arocnt vehicle in which. Was hi Hew York has been preserved by MIES G. VANNOY )F POPLAR GROVE i PASSES THURSDAY ath Followed Seriou* Operation in j Statesviile Hospital. Wan 62 Years >f Age. Funeral Services Held FriJay Afternoon by Rev. Gragg. Survived by Widow and Seven Children. lames G. Vannoy, 62-year-old resilt of the Poplar Grove section, d in a S?atesvillc Hospital Thursj morning, following a serious opition which had been performed tie days before. He had been in health for more than fifteen years, \ had been critically ill for about ce weeks. i funeral services were conducted ; m the Vannoy home Friday after- < >n, Rev. S. E. Gragg, Adventist lister beine in eharore. and inter-! nt followed in the Gragg burying ?und near Boone. A large cor.irse of relatives and friends were >sent as the last, rites were said. Wr. Vaimoy was born and reared the Meat Camp section, and with exception of a brief residence in he County, had spent his entire i in Watauga. He was. known as honest, hard-working citizen, and ^passing caused- gcnuiiie" aununrr ong his wide circle of friends. He 1 been a member of Pine Grove ventist Church for more than t\v enyears. surviving are the widow and seven Idren: Miss Pearl Vannoy, Miss jre Vannoy, Elbert and George nnoy, all of Poplar Grove; Mrs. C. Smith of Boone, and Ernest Van% of Jacksonville, Pla. ALPH H ARRIS IS inr * tiFv vit nrk ? mi lYiLLm) IN til ASH p-wn of Blaine Coffey Dies from Vuto Injuries Received in Pensacola. Fla. Body to Be Returned to Watauga. talph Harris, 22 years old, a prie in the United States Army, staled at Pensacola, Florida, was ed in an automobile accident in t city last Saturday night, accordto information reaching his stepher, Former Representative Blaine ffey of the Boone's Fork section. b details of the fatal accident could : be learned, but it is stated that body will be returned to the ne community for burial. SToung Harris was reared in Waiga County, and was known as a del young man. He was serving his ond term in the army ar.d had but ently visited with liomefolks. S. Conference to Be Held at Sandy Flat rhe following program has been nonnced for the Stony Fork Bapt Association Sunday School Con ence, which will be held with the ndy Flat Baptist Church on SunMay 29th. Devotional by Rev. Ed Robbing 9:30 a. m.; 10:00, reports of surintendents; 10:30, "The Value of od Literature," Rev. R. L. Barnes; :00, "Three Essentials in Building w Testament Churches?Teaching, caching and Training," Rev. W. D. hiey; 11:30, "Why Have a Sunday bool in Every Church?", Rev. B. F. Icox; 12:00, dinner. Afternoon: 1 o'clock, organization; 10, "The Responsibility of the Suny School to Reach the Lost," L. T. rod; 2:00, "Bible Teaching and ul Winning," Miss Minnie Day; 10, "Personal Work of Sunday hool Officers and Teachers," Rev. M. Watson; 3:00 p. m., miscellaous. Mrs. Luther Bingham and children, raldine and Luther Martin, and ter, Miss Alice Mast, have terned to Cove Creek after spending i winter in Florida. JCKA :st North Carolina 932 Rode in This Coach I ;? 1 hington rode to his first inauguration the Frankford Historical Society. LANDS WILL NOT BE SOLD FOR TAXES IN JUNE, SAYS BOARD More Than Fifteen Thousand Dollars Collected in rati I en Days. Sheriff L. M. Farthing Issues Statement in Which He Explains Action. Says People Are Making Honest Effort to Pay their Assessments. According to a decision reached the last of the week by Watauga officials, lands of delinquent taxpayers will not be offered for sale on the first Monday in June, as was announced on the first Monday, but a respite of at least thirty days will be granted in 1 Ibis connection. In making the an- ; nouncement of the extension of time, j Sheriff L. M. Farthing discloses that during the past ten days more than $15,000 in tax money has come to his office, and the people are urged to put forth every effort to make payment before foreclosure is forced j upon him. . The complete statement of Sheriff Farthing, as released to the press on , Monday, is as follows: ''To the Taxpayers of Watauga: "With a full knowledge of the laws of our State requiring -the Sheriff to advertise the lands of j delinquent taxpayers on the first j Monday in May so as to sell said 1 lands on the first Monday in June, j further recognizing the money situation in Watauga County is dcs- | pcrate, and with a full and abiding 7 faith in the people of our county to do their full duty to meet this ' desperate situation as has been indicated to me especially in the last * ten days by the payment into my office of more than fifteen thou- ' sand dollars, I have therefore, at ] whatever risk of law or criticism ' from my people, decided not to advertise until I am forced to do so, I therefore do most earnestly urge every delinquent taxpayer to put forth every effort possible to make immediate payment of their taxes in order that the county may be able to meet its obligations. I am personally aware of the seriousness of i this financial situation, anil I should rather meet and bear criticism than increase the already very heavy burden on our people. Of course we all know that the taxes must be collected and the sooner the better for all concerned. "Respectfully, "L. M. Farthing, Sheriff." Pittsboro Graduates On Sight-seeing Trip Shirley Waters, for the past eight years principal of the Pittsboro High School, accompanied by 28 members of the graduating class of that institution, arrived in Boone last Wednesday and remained until Friday. This' was the first visit of the students to| the mountain region and the time was I most pleasantly spent in short sight j seeing trips from Boone. Mr. Waters will be remembered as the son of Rev. D. P. Waters, many years ago a pastor of the Boone Methodist Church. Stroke of Lightning Brings Flame to Barn Mr. Roby Wilson of Sutherland, who was visiting in this community last Friday, tells of a terrific electric storm which visited his neighborhood on Thursday. A flash of lightning, he says, ignited a large barn owned by Mrs. Joe Sutherland, and the building was a complete loss. Crops were badly washed over a small radius, and considerable damage reported. Mrs. Charles Bingham and children, David and Mary Martha, spent last week in Stajesville. Miss Blanche Stokes underwent a serious operation at Statcsville last ; Wednesday. She is doing nicely. :i $1.50 PER YEAR 117 GRADUATE IN FINALS AT STATE TEACHER COLLEGE Dr. B. B. Dougherty Confers Degrees on Thirty-seven Students in Exercises at Appalachian. Dr. N. W. Walker of Chapel Hill Delivers Address Before Large Audience. Eighty Receive Two-year Diplomas. One hundred and seventeen seniors, 37 in the four-year college course leading to bachelor of science degrees and in this two-year course, received their diplomas here Friday morning at 10:30 o'clock when finis was written to the 29th annual commencement at Appalachian State Coilege. Dr. N. W. Walker, dean cf the school of education at the University of North Carolina, delivered the commencement address to the graduates in the main auditorium of the college, and immediately following his address. Dr. B. B. Dougherty, president of the college, conferred the degrees. Of the 37 receiving B. S. degrees, 36 are from North Carolina They are, as follows: Roy Ellison, Sugar Grove; Yates Havener, Vale; Bernard Jones, Lansing; Roy Keller, Blowing Rock; Charles McNeill. Wilkesboro: Stephen Smith, Wingate; Laurie Stewart and Esther Stewart, Hunting Creek: Lloyd Turner, Lawndaie, ana Conrad York Olin. Kathleen Brooks, Bonlee; Ada Clark, Crossnore; Mary Graves, Ruby; Ruth Honeycutt, Boone; Julia Idol, Clcmmous; C. Redmond Lavendar, Columbus; Maggie Moretz, Roone; Stella Scronce, Newton; Sarah Staley, of Staley; Mary Wsiborn, Stony Pork.; Ruby Winkler, Boone: Mary Hackney, Lenoir; Flossie Joyrccr, HaniptonviUe; Lucille Miller, Boone; Essie Mae Outlaw, Seven Springs; Beatrice Pearson, Wilkesjoro; Dessa Mae Triplet!, Matney; 31yde Mac Goodman, Jefferson; Mary uce union, uuuiora; s on the 3rd. Number inches of rainf All, 1.87. Greatest rainfall in 24 hours, 1.87 on the 1st. Number of days with .01 inch or more rainfall, 1. Number of clear days, 6. Number of partly cloudy days, 1. Direction of prevailing wind, west. Other phenomena described as follows: Solar halos on 1st and 3rd.