WIFE OF POPULAR j
OFFICER IS DEAD;
Short Illness Is Fatal to airs. S.;
D. Oil is; Funeral Is Held !
Saturday.
Morgan ton, N. C., April 3.?Mrs j
S. D. OUie, for seven years a resident'
of Morganton. died at 5:30 o'clock
Thursday morning at Grace Hospital
after a serious illness of one month:
with heart trouble and high blood i
pressure.
Her condition became critical and
she was taken to Grace Hospital last!
Sunday.
Funeral services wili be held at
Pisgah .Methodist Church in Avery i
county Saturday afternoon at 2
o'clock, in charge of the pastor. Rev.
F. R. Barber. A brief service will be .
held at the home on Wliite street at,
10 o'clock Saturday morning, conducted
by her pastor, Rev. J. M. Varner
of the North Morganton Metho-'
list Church
Mrs Ollis, who wa3 nearing her.
46th birthday, was a native of Av-!
ery county, daughter of Mr and Mrs.|
J. F. Franklin. She was bora April ]
16, 1890, and before marriage was j
Mie3 Addie Lillian Franklin.
Mrs. Ollis came here with her j
family seven years ago. For five .
years her husband was a popular !
rr> oml?on r?P tVin .4v> I
ooiuuw u? bnv ^uv/i^uiibun j'uiiv.v: ut"
partment. Recently he accepted a
post as policeman at Boone and was
to move with his family there after
the closing of school. Since coming
here Mrs. Ollis had been a member
of the. North Morganton Methodist
Church.
Mrs. Ollis is survived by her husband,
S. D. Ollis, five daughters and
five sons; Mrs. Wilson Mace, of
Morganton; Margaret, Dorothy, Georgia,
Ann, Ailen, S. D. Jr., Colen, Ray
Dickey and Billic Ollis, all at the
home.
She leaves also her parents, three
brothers, Elgie Franklin, Lloyd
Franklin and Ernest Franklin, all
of the Crossnore section; Mrs. Ethel
Prcsson of Altamont, Mrs. Milligah
Wise of Crossnore: Mrs. Arthur Dellinger
of Altamont; Mrs. Manley Williams
and Mrs. J. B. Roberts of Morganton.
Preachers Meeting
Is Now Progressing
The Northwestern North e.miin:i 1
Baptist Ministers' Conference is now
in progress. It begins at 10 o'clock'
Thursday morning and will run I
through Saturday noon. Some of our
speakers and visiting ministers are
l)r. M. A. Huggins, Secretary of the
North Carolina Baptist General
Board of Raleigh; Rev. M. O. Alexander
and assistant, to Dr. Huggins;
Rev. R. E. Hardaway, I'astor First
Baptist Church, Lenoir; Rev. Eugene
Olive , pastor First Baptist
Church, North Wiikesboro, and cthere.
The night sessions of the conference
will be of a public worship nature
and are open to all the people.
Friday night will be a special -anion
service or all the churches of the
town. Wc wiil have an Easter sermon
by one of the visting ministers.
Preachers from Watauga and
many surrounding counties ore here j
attending the conference. The meet-1
ing is being directed by the pastor,!
Rev. J. C. Canipe.
Sheep Growers Asked
To Gather Here 16thj
(W. B. Collins, County Agent)
The following men will speak to
the sheep growers of Watauga county
at the courthouse at Boone on
Thursday, April 16, at 10 a. ni.: Mr.
Paul Fletcher, Manager of the Eastern
Livestock Co-operative Marketing
Association, Jersey City, New
Jersey; K. A. Keithly, Manager of
the United Wool Growers Associa
4f'nn> nn/1 T T t~* ci ?
wwo, auu u. 1. OpeCJSIISL 111
Animal Husbandry, Extension Division,
Raleigh.
These men will explain to the
sheep growers of the county the advantages
to be obtained from pooling
their lambs and wool, as well as
give them valuable information on
producing high-grade lambs and
wool.
At this meeting officers will be J
elected for managing the lamb and
wool pools for 1936.
This will Be an important meeting
for the sheep growers of the county
and it will be well worth any sheep
grower's time to come out and hear
these men. Tt. is also important that
the sheep growers get together at
this time and elect good committeemen
to operate their lamb and wool
pools this year.
REPORT OF DROWNING
Meagre reports coming to the Dem-'l
ocrat state that a son of Joe Wilson
is to be buried in Tennessee, near
what was formerly known as Key
1 * Station Wednesday morning, Rev.
Ed Hodges of Boone being in charge
of the services. The report indicates
that the bov was drowned hut no
particulars could be secured, not
even his name or age.
KILLS HUGE HAWK
Mr. Marion Thomas of Mabel tells
the Democrat that Mr. Artie Eggers
of the same community, recently shot
a chicken hawk, which measured 31
inches between wing tips. The huge
' bird had been playing havoc for
some time with the poultry pens in
that section.
WA1
An]
VOLUME XLVLL, NUMBER 4f
PHILOSOPHER L
Educator Regular Contributor
fo Newspaper
VvjS?^ 238 Hj
fty- &f!r : EBBSflK
Hmw
C. M. Dickson, principal of the 1
Bethel High School and one of the *
foremost educators of this section, 1
whose writings under the heading !
of "Fireside Philosophy" are regu- j
larly published in the.se columns. 1
The contribution to the local journal
has won favor with its readers.
CITES ERRORS IN i
HOMICIDE REPORT;
Mother of Slain Man Tells Dcm- I
oerat of Erroneous Reports '
About Killing.
Mrs. Henderson Gragg, mother of
John Gragg, who was fatally injjur- .
ed by a knife in the hands of Sherman
Henderson during the. month of
February, was a visitor in town
Thursday nisi calls the attention of
the Democrat to erroneous reports
published in these columns relative
to the tragic affair. As was stated
in the original story the reports 1
were such as had readied the sher- '
iff's office at the time, and the cor- '
rcctions arc hereby made as ' "Mr:;
Gragg suggosts:
1. The Implication that "an old
grudge over a girl "precipitated the j
slaying is denied, as is a subsequent |
one to the effect that "bad blood
was thought to have existed between
the two on account of some
girl." Mrs. Gragg says these statements
are altogether untrue.
2. With reference to that part of
the story dealing with the. court record
of the deceased, it is explained
that he was cleared of rape charges!
in Newton, and that in a case involving
larceny of an automobile
horn he was acquitted at the court
in Boone.
Mrs. Gragg desires for it to be
known that no trouble had ever existed
between her deceased son and
Sherman Henderson at any time prej
viously, about anything.
; The Demorrat had no thought of
making misstatements concerning
tiie altercation and published such
reports as it was able to gather. The
corrections are gladly made, and the
original errors deeply regretted.
i Others File Suits
|| Against Bank Heads
Last week the Democrat carried a
story in regard to a suit filed in Superior
court and tn which W. L. Cook
of Boone was seeking to recover a
sum of money as a result of alleged
mismanagement of the affairs of the
Peoples Bank, the former directors
I of which were named as defendants.
me puonsncr nas since been informed
by R. L. Ballou, attorney for Mr.
Cook, that suits have also been filed
with the same allegations for G. W.
Barnes, W. H. Jones and Kelley Osborne
The attorney states that the
only difference in the complaints for
i the other throe defendants is in the
amounts they seek to recover.
SPANISH WAR VETERANS
TO MEET N. WILKESBORO
Mr. Albert Watson of Boone, district
commander of the Spanish War
Veterans, gives out the information
that State Commander L. L. Merchant
of Asheville, will be the principal
speaker at a meeting of the
veterans to be held in North Wilke3boro
on April 11, and a cordial invitation
is extended to all the comrades
in this section to be present.
Mr. Watson states that in his district,
comprising Ashe, Watauga,
Caldwell and Wilkes there are 30
Iff fern na ahnuJ 15 mliAtn
In Watauga county.
BANK CLOSED MONDAY
The Watauga Bank will be closed
for file transaction of usual business
on Easter Monday, it was announced'
' by officials.
AUG
independent Weekly Ne'
BOONE, WATAUGA CCU
REIFi COFFEY HEU
IN DEATH OF UNCLI
Slain Avery County Deputy Wa
Native of Watauga and Weil
Known Locally.
An Avery county coroner's jury o
Monday found cause for holding Rei
Coffey, 21 years old, without hont
>n a charge of slaying an uncle, Hat
jy Coffey. 52, :i deputy sheriff an
native citizen of Watauga Count?
the fatal shot having been fire
through a window of the latter'
lome Sunday evening.
The jury also found sufficient rea
son to hold Ronard McRae, 17, unde
i $500 bond as a material witness a
:he present or some other term c
superior court of Avery county.
Mr. Coffey was slain while he an
>tiler members of the family wer
fathered about the fireside singin
lymns, and rapid-fire investigatio
m the part of the officers led to th
irrest. According to reports rcachin
Boone. the accused map had
irrested by the slain official on
larceny charge and was to have bee
tried at the superior court term no^
going on, the deputy sheriff to hav
been a witness in the action. Thi
fact, it is said, led to the discover
that a shotgun owned by the nephe\
was gone l'rom his home as was h<
rhc gun was found in the woods, th
reports continue, and a short tiro
later its alleged owner was apprc
fended. The weapon is being held fo
fingerprint investigation.
Mr. Coffey was the son of the lat
Thomas Coffey of the Coffey's Ga
section of Watauga county, and wa
veil known in this section. Amon
the survivors are four sisters: Mr:
it. M. Farthing of Boone; Mrs. Emc
ry Young of Blowing Rock, Mrs. Co
lir.s and Mrs. Dula of the Boone1
Fork section.
Details as to the funeral, etc., wer
lot available.
Government to Buy
Property in Wataug;
Washington, April 4.?Announce
menl by the Resettlement admin:
tration that it had accepted option
to purchase S.'iOii.OOO acres of poo
land to cost $35,515,852 revealed ttth
153,000 acres have thus far bee
contracted for in North Carolina t
cost 51,156,000.
The areas upon which options hav
been optained in South Carolina i
171,803 acres costing 51,250,000.
The expenditure of $2,316,000 i
the Carolinas to convert worn or
land into forests, parks, wi'd life r<
fuges, and grazing areas shows the
the states will share bountifully a
purchases are closed on tills propel
ty and additional areas are acqui rc<
This is the first complete outlin
thus far made public of Uie prograi
hi the Carolinas.
Part of Parkway
In Alleghany, Surry, Ashe, Watai
Wilkes, and Avery counties 7,00
acres have been purchased. Thi
area will be doubled later. It is or
of the 137 projects being carried or
over the country.
This area is to be made a part t
Uie Blue Ridge Parkway, linking w
Shenandoah National Park and th
Great Smoky Mountain Nationi
Park.
ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM
BOONE HIGH SCHOO!
1. .Tlininr-SiiniAr T? aoonfion Ar?r
10, in Girls' Gymnasium, at 7:30.
2. Operetta, April 13, on Campi
at 3:30.
3. Senior Play, April 17, in Co
lege Auditorium, at 8:00.
4. Sermon, April 19, in Baptii
Church, at 7:30. Preacher, Dr. W. V
Rowe, Lenoir, N. C.
5. Senior Class Exercise April 2.
in College Auditorium at 2 o'clock
6. Commencement Address, Apr
25 in College Auditorium at 8:0
Speaker, Dr. W. D. Halfacre, Nort
Wilkesboro, N. C.
TIIAD EURE A VISITOR
Thad Eure of Winton, formidab
contender for the democratic nomim
tion as Secretary of State, spent tl
week-end in Boone, renewing ol
friendships and making new) one.
and generally getting the drift} c
the political winds in this sectioi
Mr. Eure, who has frequently visite
Watauga county previously, h?
m'any strong personal friends her
who are glad to hear that his can
paign is making a satisfactory hea<
way.
DIXIE STORES COMBINE
The two Dixie Stores in this con
munity have been consolidated at it
location in the Hahn building, U
stocks in ihe building next the Den
ocrat office, which comprised one <
the original stores of .he C'3rolir
chain, haying been moved the la;
of the week. Mr. T. M. Greer, tl
original Carolina opeator in ihiscit
is manager of the store, while M
Rex Hagaman continues with It
firm in the capacity of assistai
manager.
A DI
wspaper?Established in 1
JNTY, NORTH CAROLINA, THU
) BRUNO HAUPTM
^ German Carpenter Goes to [
Light 011 Sensat
.s
e | '
n | \
e '
e wyniyii.j.^^^w
e Richard Bruno Hauptmann, who
i_ Trenton, N. J , Friday evening- fo
r baby. Hauptmann uttered no word
statements reiterated the pica of
^ body was removed to a New York
ashes are to be distributed in a fc
S !
5 FARM MEETING TO
* BE HELD TUESDAY
Soil Conservation Program Wil
he Explained hy Expert to
Local Farmers.
A (W. B. Collins, County Agent.)
The 1936 soil conservation prr
!- gram will be explained to the farn
l- ers of Watauga county, at the courl
a house at Boone, on Tuesday, Apr
r 14, at 2 p. m? by E. Y. Floyd of th
it Extension Division, Raleigh.
n In the 1936 soil conservation pr<
? gram the tobacco growers will t
paid at the rnto of 5c per [round 1c
? the tobacco which they take out <.
3 productioii, up to 80% oil their hat
pounds.
j By meeting certain requirement
, farmers will be paid at the rate t
about $7,00 per acre for taking oi
of production, soil depleting crop
such as corn, potatoes, cabbage an
( truck crops.
iC In the 1936 soil conservation pr<
n gram farmer-s will be paid at the ral
of one dollar- per acre for plarAin
soil building crops such as clover ar
.. legumes, if these crops are left o
O the 'and or turned under for soil in
i3 provement.
,e This program will benefit a larf
it number of farmers in the county
j they will co-operate with it. It wi
>f be of special benefit to those farn
ie i ers who have been cropping larf
,e ] acreages of land.
il It is hoped that a large per ecu
of the farmers of the county wi
attend the meeting at Boone c
April 14 at 2 p. m., hear the prograi
k explained, and find out if it is app!
cable to their farms.
il
J Dougherty Predicts
Completion Hospita
Speaking before a dinner gathe
5t tng of the Boone Chamber of Con
merce at Daniel Boone Hotel Tue
day evening, Dr. B. B. Dougher
said he thought himself safe in sa;
ing that the Watauga Hospital wou
'' be open this summer. Dr. Dougher
spoke at length on the school ai
taxation system and reiterated h
devotion to the welfare of the cor
munity, county and state.
Mayor W. H. Gragg spoke of tl
le improvements needed in the tow
i- and particularly stressed the desir;
le bility of a concerted effort to cles
d up the community and make it a]
s, pear sightly and attractive. Wade 1
if Brown, president of the Chambe
1. presided at the meeting,
id
* .Garden Club Formed
>- At Meeting Last Wee
A garden club for the communi
was formed last week at a meetii
of a number of the ladies of the cor
l- munity at the home of Mrs. W.
is Miller. The purpose of the organiz
ic tion is to promote the planting
i- evergreens and flowering plan
if about the town and to make of tl
1a community the most beautiful tov
it in the country. Much interest is b
10 ing shov-r. is ..the new orgamzati<
y and by next week it is believed som
r. thing definite may have been done
le this regard. Further details of tl
it laudable movement will be publish!
as they develop.
lMOCI
:he Year Eighteen Ei^^y-Eig
RSDAY, APRIL 9, 1936
ANN IS EXECUTEI|T |C
>eath Without Shedding Fm'Si I
ional Kidnap Case. 92Z
mmmm F<
UMHH (or
J8 1HHSBE
^ ml
went to death in the electric chair at ca
r Ihe kidnap-slaying of the Lindbergh by
in. the execution chamber but his last -pu
innocence so often expressed. The f01
crematory for simple services and the w:
irest of his native section of Germany. ^
? soi
| Vi,
! Thomas Bentley ^
I i Commits Suicide "rr
L I po
! Despondency over ill health is ""
M believed to have been the cause cc<
of the deiith of Thomas Bentley, J"10
40 year old resident of Matney, 10
who was found dead Tuesday afternoon
with a rifle bullet in his cn
head, and who was adjudged a J}"
suicide. ,w
i> Mr. Bentley, who resided with s*lt
H relatives on ;i farm on the Valley [ u
0 Mountain near Matney was said 1,1
to have been ill ill health for some
5 time and to hnve. grown despon- r<
)C dent. Reports reaching Boone are tc
ir to the effect that on several ocea- nc
jr sions he iuu! sought to take iiis j
q own life. Funeral details had not
been arranged ns this was writ-? j
ten. jC ]
B, | ill
if j m<
it ho
5 TROUT SEASON TO ;
OPEN FIFTEENTH 1
s ,. lrid
County Game Warden Predicts ":l
Good Season; Licenses Arc
Now Being Offered. at
;e. e^'
if The trout fishing season will open ev
jj in Watauga county on April 15. ac- gi
x_ codding; toj county game and fish in
re warden, Edward Mast, who further pe
states that a splendid angling season er
is in prospect. Mr, Mast states that sy
*: 100,000 fingerling trout were added
to the streams during last season. \*
,n He further states that bass may not
m be legally taken until June 10. tn
Pishing licenses may now be pro- a
cured at the following places: J. A. pv
Mullins, Farmers Hardware Co., A. p.
E. South, Boone; R. L. Greene, BlowIing
Rock; C. I. Billings, Vilas; John ecl
Isaacs, Mabel; V. D. Ward, Sugar ci
Grove; VV. W Mast, Valle Crucis; ]y
r- Ed Harbin, Shuils Mills; W. R. b(
h- Greene, L. W. Greene, Boone; Harri- tl
8- son Baker, Meat Camp; Clyde Per- it
ly ry. Sugar Grove: Judson Hodges, nl
y- Triplett; E. H. Greene, Stony Fork w
Id and R. N. Brooks, Sherwood.
^ Mr. Mast states that twice as
many hunting licenses were disposed
lis of during the past season as a year Y
Q" ago, and tho fees thus collected \\
amounted to $550. b<
>e n<
? GROUND HOG STORY w
in Mr. Gardner Winkler, son of Mr.
p- and Mrs. Roby Winkler of the Ru- fa
2. therwood section, did the unusual a 3[
r, few days ago. when with the aid of _
his dog, he took 8 full grown ground- ?
hogs from one den. The circumstance I
has caused speculation as to whether I
the severity of the winter caused the I
k woodchucks to hibernate in this unheard-of
number.
* STORM TAKES 400
nF.
The atorm-lashed South compiled
a- a list of more than -IOC dead from
of recent spring tornadoes, and subsets
quent torrential rains have added to
tie the horrors of the devastation. The
m known fatalities for the latter storms
e- which ripped through six states, injn
elude Mississippi 219; Georgia 183;
e- Tennessee 12: Alabama 11; Arkanin
sas 1, and South Carolina 1. Thirle
teen had previously been killed in a
ed hurricane which struck Greensboro,
N. C. _
IAT
;ht
SI .30 PER YEAR
H1LD PERISHES
N FLOOD WATERS
OF BRUSHY FORK
>ur-Year-Old Betty Jo Mast
Loses Life in Stream Swollen
By Downpour.
3DY RECOVERED AFTER
22-HOUR SEARCH BY 10ft
aglc Death of Vilas Child Shocks
People of This Section. Funeral
Services Wednesday
Afternoon.
A. 22 hour search of the muddy
d swollen waters of Brushy Fork
eek ended about eight o'clock Tuc-sy
morning- when the body of BetJo
Mast, four-year-old daughter
Mr. and Mrs. Clint Mast of Vilas
us taken from Cove Creek, about
ir miles from the point where the
iId was thought to have slipped
>m a foot-log into the raging tornt.
Throughout the day Monday the
mmunity and county were enveloped
gloom as reports of the tragic
r.urrence spread, and more than a
mdred men waded in water for
ur after hour, mile after mile, in
effort to locate the child's body.
; night came on some thought it
ght be possible that it had been
rried on into the Watauga River
the swiftly flowing waters, but
csday morning, the little body was
jnd by searchers near the J. Y.
alker place below Sugar Grove.
Betty Jo, according to reports had
lght to accompany an uncle to
las postofficc at about ten o'clock
mday morning, but was required
return home from a point near the
jek, which had reached flood prortions
due to the heavy rains of
2 night before. The relative prodded
to Vilas, under the asnumpn
that the child was safely at
me. Some time later the mother
I let I for the child and upon discovng:
her absence from the home
ickly investigated to find if she
d accompanied her uncle. When
& discovered she hadn't it was deced
that the child must have fallen
.o the murky waters of the creek,
d men from the neighborhood and
>r\ other sections joined in the innaive
search, which culminated
ar a full dajr afterwards.
The Funeral
Funeral services are to be conductfrom
the Wiliowdale Baptist
turch, this (Wednesday) afternoon
2 o'clock by the pastor and internet
will be ill the home neighbored.
There are no survivors in the initiate
family except the griefricken
parentis.
Little Betty Jo was a delightful
ild. exceptionally bright and atactive,
the idol of the home, and
id won for herself a place in the
Urrtivn .i ->
I. Vi U1C IlVlgllUUillUUU.
le circumstance which brought
>out her untimely death has shockthe
county to an extent seldom
er known, and In Boone the little
rl has been the principal single topof
conversation 3ince her disaparance
from the home was discoved.
There, is genuine and general
mpathy for the parents.
EW FIRE TRUCK BOUGHT
An order has been placed by the
wn for a brand new eight cylinder
merican La France fire engine, with
imps capable of throwing five huned
gallons of water a minute and
livery of the new truck is expect1
within a short time. Another maline
of the same brand was recentdelivered,
but since it was a relilt
outfit, tests did not indicate
lat it would prove satisfactory, and
was traded in on the new equiplent,
which is described as the last
ord in fire-figliting apparatus
TATES INFANT
An infant son of Robert and Mrs.
ates of Boone, died Tuesday at the
'ilkes hospital and interment is to
i at Valle Crucis Wednesday after>on
at 2 o'clock. The baby was nine
eeks old.
Five members of the Roosevelt
imily have served the nation a3 asstant
secretary of the Navy.
i
Write Your Letter
Today and Win Prize
As this Is written a number of
'etters are coming In to the Democrat
In response to the contest
page which appeared last week
and which is published again today.
Those who haven't written
are urged to turn to page three at
once, read tho ads and the prize
list on tho opposite page, then
write as many letters as you wish
about as many different firms as
you care to. The contest closes
Saturday, and prompt action is
desirable. l'ou have a mighty good
chance to win a valuable prize.