VOL. 52, NO 32
MRSVERSSAYS
REPORTS HE QUIT
ARE UNFOUNDED
Boone Congressional Candidate
Reaffirms His Candidacy, Following
Persistent Rumors He's
; Abandoned Plans; Says He'll
Wage Campaign
l
Jim Rivers, who last December
jannounced his candidacy for con;
gross, subject to the action of the
'Democratic primary May 25, tells
'The Democrat that the rumors that
he will withdraw from the primary
campaign are without foundation,
and that he cannot understand what
rireurr.stancps eavo risp to thi? ni.
inor. Ho says:
"During my absence from the cilv
for the past few days 1 have learned
that the report has been circulated
and has gained currency not only in
Watauga county, but in other sections
of the district, that I have
withdrawn from the ninth district
Congressional race.
"Nothing is further from the truth
and no recent occurrence has deterred
mo from my intention of making
a vigorous hid for congressional proferment.
Those who have urged to
to refrain from entering the primary
have been assured of my intention
to go through with my original pronouncement.
and this statement is
made purely for the purpose of correcting
the erroneous reports.
"The news I am receiving from
throughout the district is most gratifying,
and goes even beyond my
original expectations In due time
.1 shall launch my campaign and furtheir
explain my views on matters
which I believe to be of paramount
concern to the people."
PRESIDENTS Mil
DECIDED SUCCESS
Alntust Two Hundred Dollars
Gross Rcceiuts: Returns From
March of Dimes Incomplete
The President's Ball, which w.is
held in Boone last Friday evening.
was a derided success, according toI
w. Pat Mcliiiire, the- chairman, who |
states that considering the weather I
renditions which kept many people
away, the benefit event was even
better than those held in former
years. Mr. McGuire states that almost
S200 gross was received from
the ball, which is to be spent for re
lief of infantile paralysis, but since
the returns from the March of
t Dimes campaign are incomplete, he
Is unable to give a grand total of
the receipts.
A picture show is being sponsored
I today for the March pi Dimes, which
will yield a considerable return, and
some of the coin boxes distributed
over the county have not been received.
A stalement of tne net proceeds
will be released by the end of
the >vek.
I. W. Hatiey Dies
At Blowing Rock
j Isaac Wiley Hatiey, aged 7G years,
died on Monday at the home of a
son. Police Chief Fred Hatiey. at
Blowing Hock, where he had been
S> . making his home during the winter
months.
Funeral services were conducted
g from the Shulls Mills Baptist church I
Tuesdav. Rev. Ed Bobbins and Rev.
Vilas Minton taking part in the rites ;
'V and interment was in the Mast 1
cemetery at Vatle Crucis.
Surviving are five sons and three i
? . daughters: George Hatiey. Will Hat- :
ley. Hudson: John Hatiey. Wanatchec.
Wash.; Robert Hatiey. Shulls
Mills, and Fred Hatlev, Blowing
Kock: Mrs. Chas. Ciark, Banner Elk:
Mrs. Polly Townsend, Shulls Mills:
jvirs. cieoree Main, Shuils Mills, line
brother. Ttufus Hatley of Granite
falls, also survives.
Mr. Hatley was a son of the late
Josia and Susan Lowder Hatlc-v and
was reared in the Shulls Mills section
of the countv, where he engag
ed in farming. He was well known
and held in high regard by the peopie
of this section.
I J. F. WITTEN TO RUN FOR
GOVERNOR AS REPUBLICAN
Salisbury, Feb. 6?Dr. J. Forest
Witten of Salisbury, Tuesday announced
tha the is a candidate for
the Republican nomination for governor
of North Carolina, subject to
the party's primary.
Dr. Witten seeks the G. O. P.
nomination on a platform that includes
elimination of the state sales
tax, lower taxes (especially on automobiles
and their poeration), revision
of the election laws, a state
referendum on whiskey, and a civil
service law for state employees.
Witten is a native of Ohio who
has lived in North Carolina for some
time. He has participated in past
Republican campaigns in the suite
as a speaker. He is a graduate of
West Virginia Wesleyan College
and Drew University in New Jersey.
During the World War he was chief
engineer of the government power
plant at Nitro, W. Va. He has taken
part in national Republican cam.paigns
as a member of the speakers'
bureau of the Republican national
committee.
rATAl
An Independeni
BOONE, WATAUC
Russian TransporI
%
\ PAS
* '. -^Xv^lv1 . &A _
Eastern Finland.?A column
riers which was put oui of acl
troops were reported in retreat ?
having in keeping themselves
This photo, received via Enylan
BROTHER MAN
RANKIN IS DEAI
Chief of Salisbury Police Su<
climbs to Pneumonia; Funeral
Held Thursday
Robert Le e Rankin, aged 61
brother lo lh\ J. D. Rankin and chic
of the Salisbury police for 11 year
until his voluntary retirement i
1939, died last Wednesday raornin
at his home, following an ilines
with pneumonia. Chief Rankin ha
been in ill health for two years be
cause of a heart ailment.
Mr. "Rankin gained national reco?
viitkm when on December 31, 1931
he killed the notorious one-armo
outlaw. Otto Wood, in a gun battl
jn street in Salisbury. Rankin rc
ccivcd minor wounds about the tac
ami head in the battle which lei
Wood dead on one side of the at
tomobile and the chief standing o
the other. The outlaw was shot i
the neck and head.
Fur.cru) services were conduclc
Thursday afternoon from the S
John's Lutheran church of which th
deceased was a member.
Ho is survived by his widow, th
former Miss Susa Muo Belk. of Row
an county; six sons and daughter:
Mrs. Carl Pridpen, Lumber ton: Mr
Robert L. Branch, Asheboro; Mr
Thomas H. Jackson, Salisbury, 1
Grady. Flake and William Ben Rat
kin, all of Salisbury; one brothe
Dr. J D. Rankin, dear, of adminia
tration at Appalachian Collegi
Boone, and one sister, Mrs. J. /
Peeler, Hickory.
D. F. Mast One of
Oldest Local Mason
Records ol Snow Masonic lodg
indicate that Mr. D. Finley Mast i
Valle Crucis. details of whose deal
or. January 16. and funeral hav
been chronicled in this newspape
was one of the oldest Masons in th
county.
Mr. Mast was initiated in Sno'
lodge: February 6, 1892, passed Marc
12. 1892. and raised April 9, 1891
having been a member for almos
18 years
An unusually large number (
Masons gathered for the funrr;
which was conducted by W. W. YVil
liarns. the worshipful master, wit
Russell D. Hodges acting as marsha
Rev. E. Dargan Butt, the Mason:
chaplain, also took part in the rite:
Mr. Mast was one of the county
finest citizens and took a deep an
abiding interest in the affairs of th
Masonic fraternity.
STATE DEMOCRATIC
CONVENTION DATE
WILL BE CHANGE
Raleigh, Feb. 6?The state Deini
cratic convention probably will t
held May 17, instead of May 16, :
planned by the party executiv
committee last Friday.
Governor Hoey revealed tonigt
that Raleigh Memorial auditoriui
was engaged for May 16, and that 1
Clregg Cherry, chairman, woul
write committee members sugges
ing the change.
The chief executive explainc
that long before the committee sc
the convention date, the N. C
Funeral Directors Association ha
engaged the for its annua! meetin
May 14-16 and the date could not fc
changed.
Final Chapter of
Story Is Apparin;
The final chapter of the popult
serial story which has been runnir
in The Democrat, "Tomorrow
Promise," appears on page four <
The Democrat tday. It ws decide
to complete the story today at th
last minute, which starts on paf
seven.
ILL WITH MENINGITIS
Peggy Greene, six-year-old daug!
tor of Mr. and Mrs. H. E. Greene <
Deep Gap, is a patient at the Wilkt
hospital, where she remains ser
ously ill with spinal meningitis. Ri
ports are that the child's conditio
is critical.
UGA j
t Weekly Newspaper?Elstal
3A COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA,
t Halted by the Finns | J
"\ ? <5r * ?
1 A ** " o
- J ' ^ ^
\
of Soviet transport lorries and car- j
lion by Finnish fighters. Russian
iue to the alleged difficulty they are ?
adequately supplied from the rear. J,
d. was passed by a British censor.
SHERIFFS TO HOD) I
); OFFICE 4 YEARS |
!
:-lNs> Election For Law Officers ''
I and Coroners This Year, 1<
Supreme Court Rules 3
c
V
0, Raleigh. Feb. 2.?Sheriffs and L'
>f coroners in North Carolina's 100 y
s, counties are serving four-year terms J
n which v.*ill continue until December, b
g 1942, the state supreme court held
;s in a unanimous decision today. ^
d The ruling, which had been anx- J:
-- iously awaited by political leaders.
relieved sheriffs and coroners from V
r- the necessity of running for re1,
c lection this year.
d The court held that a co^stitu- s
c tional amendment increasing terms j,
of office of the officials from two p
y to four years applied to sheriffs and n
T coroners elected in 1938. II
' The decision reversed a finding of
n Superior Court Judge Leo Carr, who /
n ruled that the Alamance county |
board of elections should allow an "
d election this year for sheriff of that
t- county.
In oral arguments before the supreme
court, some attorneys had asc
sorted that the amendment did not
f- apply to sheriffs and coroner? elect- 5
ed in 1938, since the referendum
vote on the amendment and the
s. election of the county officials were
b held on the same day.
1- The court, however, held that the
r. amendment, had been ratified and
was a part of the state constitution *
-? on the date that county officers as- a
^ surned their duties?the first Mon- p
day in December, 1938.
Political sources here appeared
1 divided as to the probable effect of P
the court's action on the total vote n
$1 to be east in the primaries and gen- n
1 oral election thic voar
f. Some sources said that, since cor- ,
,f oners and sheriffs would have no
h contests the total vote would he .r
e much smaller than usual Others
, said the state-wide vote might be
J larger, since the coVinty officials
would spend more time campaign- '
,v ing for persons running for state .
r. jobs.
1. _ ?? n
l Lincoln Day Event a
f To Be Held Monday ti
u ? 11
ft The Lincoln Day dinner, annual d
. event of the Republican party, will r
^ be held at the King Cotton hotel. "
s Greensboro, next Monday evening.
"s and some estimates are that 2,000 1
^ people will gather to take part in n
the banquet and hear the address \
by] Senator Robert A. Taft. Senator '
Taft is prominently mentioned as a c
I Republican presidential possibility s
this year, and since this is his first '
visit to the state, a great deal of in- *
D terest is attached to his address. *
A number of Watauga county Republicans,
20 or more, are expected |
'' to attend the Lincoln Day event,
and all those interested in making
the trip should contact either Rus""
sell D. Hodges or Mr. T. E. Bingham
in order that reservations may be r
arranged.
j If a thousand old beliefs were J,
, ruined in our marcli to truth, we
must still march on.?Stopford A.
^ Brooks.
t j
d | merchants* Meet t
Is Postponed la
c
The annual ladies' night and ?
employees' banquet of the Boone
Merchants Association, which was r
p- to have been held Friday even?
ing, Los been postponed to Friday
evening, February 16, accordtr
ing to an announcement made
ig Tuesday by Mrs. Ruby Ellis, sec- _
?s retarv of the association.
)f The postponement came about
d on account of an unintended conic
flict with the basketball encoun[e
ter Friday evening between Elo.n
and Appalachian at the college
gymnasium. The event is to be
one of the most spectacular on
the current sports calendar and
"j business men of the city want the
opportunity of attending.
Further announcement as to the *
merchants' gathering will be <
"" made next week <
1 : '
DEMC
>lished in the Year Eighty
THURSDAY, FEB. 8, V;
SilECOlJRT#I
UPHOLDS LOCAL |
BOARD EDUCATION
tatc Board Should Turn Over
l^oan of $25,000 to Count v ?
Board of Education, Savs High
Tribunal; Moncv to Be Used at j
Cove Creek School
The North Carolina Supreme court
ist week affirmed a verdict for the
/atauga county board of education
i a suit brought in Wake county
gainst the state board of education,
'he action hinged on a loan for $25.09
which the Watauga board mad?
rom the state literary fund.
Wishing to construct a new high
chool plant at Cove Creek, the
Vatauga board applied for the loan
une 12. 1939. The loan was approved
June 20 and the notes were j
igned and delivered to the state I
loard on June 30.
The notes were not turned over j
o the state treasurer, however, until
uly 1?the beginning of the 1939- ; |
0 fiscal year. Under the debt lim- j ?
Lotion amendment to the state contitution.
Watauga county had re
ired enough obligations during }
937-38 to contract the new debt, a
ut it had not retired enough obliations
in 1938-39. p
rue court ckBu, however, thai. th?- ~
Dan from the state literary fund
dually was consummated in 1938- j(
9. Since the county had retired e
36,266.75 during the preceding fis- d
al year, the court said, the loan was _.
alid and the state board should
am the $25,000 over to the county
card. JJ
County Superintendent Howard
Palker stated yesterday that a gov
rnment proicct has been approved
or $52,000 iii connection with the
love Creek building nrograin, and
hat work on the magnificent strticure
will begin in early spring. Ten
housand dollars of this sum mav
pent for materials, and the remain- i?(
ig $52,000 will be used for the cmloymeni
of relief labor. No estimate
was made of the final cost of
he building.
COMMITTEE TO
WRITE PUBLICITY
pc
Special Chamber of Commerce ^
Group From Blowing Rock yc
and Boone to Edit Publicity
cli
A committee consisting of C. S. th
revette, chairman; G. C. Rabbins ;,tl
nd Howard Holshouser of Blowing w,
ock: Wade E. Brown, J. C. Canipe tli
nd S. C. Eggers of Boone was ap- P11
ointcd at a joint Chamber of Com- j"
icrce meeting noia nere fnaay eve- je,
ing, lor the purpose of gathering fn
taterial and having stories written I><
ar the Tiroilways Magazine, Nation- ca
1 Motor Coaeh Guide and Highway af
'rave'.cr. ov
Mr. Howard Ilolshoitser w a s
amed to fill the place on the com- 1?
littee made vacant by the tragic {aeath
of Ben D. Greene on the fol- ,,H
swing day. vi
The committee held its initial he
teeting Monday, and the members ar
re to gather pictures and materia! cr
ar the next few days, and complete sl
ie publicity at a meeting to be held ai
he latter part of the week. The
eadline for the completion of the
lighwav Traveler article is Fcbru- sc
tv 15. w
Mr. Herman Wilcox, president af aI
lie Boone Chamber of Commerce, d:
sks that those having good pictures P'
f scenes in this section, submit hi
hem to him or some member of the "
ommittec. If th.e committee has su
uccess in securing space in the to
hree publications, it is felt that it N
/ill be of incalculable benefit to the <-*
Uowing Rock-Boone section. '.V
j <
ialph Greene Gets
Regular Assignment JJ]
to
Ralph G. Greene, who was an- cr
minted postoffiee inspector some ia
nontlis ago, has now been assigned
d the Greensboro territory, which Ri
mbraces 11 counties in the Pied m
nont section. Mrs. Greene and w
hildren have joined him and they cl
stablished their home in Greens- cc
loro. io
Mr. Greene, who -has recently re- bi
umed from a 30-day assignment in pi
he state of Georgia, has received tl>
i letter from the chief inspector gi
ommending him on his splendid
irogress. th
. :? B
rextile Convention
At Blowing Rock or
to
The Southern Textile Association w
vill" hold its annual convention in J"
Slowing Rock in the second or third la
veek in June, it has been announc- n<
d by Ellis Royal of Charlotte, secetary
and treasurer of the organi- "
ation.
Scout Week Feb. 8-14 ri
Mr. B. W. Stall ings, local scout- e'
nasler. states that all Scouts arc in- l>
ited to meet with the college troop 31
fhursday evening at 6:30 in the t;
icout hut near new dormitory. All u
Jcouts in the county are urged to be R
iresent.
rCRA
I Eighty-Eight
ien Greene
5y Electrocul
V
Hitler's Friend
Folkestone. England.?Miss Uniy
Mitford being carried r.o an
mfcuiance io reiurn lo the home
f her parents. Lord and Lady
tebcsdaie. at High Wycombe. Ac- ;
ording io an unconfirmed report,
he made a suicide attempt for
dvc of Adolf Hitler. Hitler calla
her the "perfect type of Norlie
beauty."
LOWING ROCK i
EXPECTS BEST
SEASON IN YEARS
ssort Town Continitcs to Grow
ir. Popularity and Is Now One
of the Most Famed of All
Mountain Resorts; Many New
Entertainment Facilities
(Blowing Rock Special to Charlotte
Observed)
Blowing Rock, a resort town im-i
rtni.t 1,1 lli.. un,]ilintiieC' f. W 111'. !
it Half century, is basking SIS the!
ary nf its best season in recent;
ars and points to ociuinuc.i prog-j
ss with the pioneer "cliir.aic i
asor" returning to join a now
icntole in coupling comfort from
e heat witit social aivl recreational
vantages.
Fifty years ago Blowing Rock;
is called exclusive, mainly because;
e lack of adequate transportation, j
or roads, and the expense of clear-i
g ground raised the i est nl' sunt- j
?rmg abtive the average man's!
trel. One or two excellent hotels j
r the period, notably the Blowing j
>ck hotel, were the only centers j
tering to patrons who could not!
ford or did not want to build their!
en summer homes.
It remained for the prosperity of j
25-20 to forecast resort pdssiblli-1
rs lor the mountain section. The j
biding of Green Park and May-:
ew Manor hotels signaled a new |
a! lor Blowing Rock tn this time,j
id the resort industry began to in-;
ease. With these came the conruciion
of many summer homes
id iitns to harbor a selective group
vacationists
Blowing Rock and the immediate
cliun thus developed in. accord
tth the impression of individuals
id hotel corporations. Citizens toly
stand in proud review of its
ogress and history which dates
ick to 1858 when Colonel James
arpcr of Lenoir, built the first
immer home. His movement was |
flowed by Len Estcs and William
orris along with a number of olli s
who began to entertain primaries
an accommodation. During the i
.-ars of the Civil War the wives of
any of the Blowing Rock summer
ilor.y residents took relugo in the ,
oiinlains. Watauga county being
vided in loyalties, these families'
tporienced some hardships, but the,
insequcnt scrimmaging between
cuons was 1101 destructive.
Alter the Civil War. Blowing!
i>ck assumed leadership among the.
ouutain resorts of the state. The!
ild and rugged scenery and cool:
imate opened to the public by the i
mpletion of the Lenoir and Yonahssee
turnpikes in 1900, initiated a
>om period which ran through the j
osperous twenties and is si ill re-i
?cted in the new expansion pro- j
am at hand.
The village gets its name from j
ie natural oddity of the famed 1
lowing Rock. The giant monolith!
granite hanging over Johns River
>rge 1,700 feet below is in itself
lough to create inspiration to the]
unsts, yet this is amplified by the
inds sweeping up the valley and
er the rock to caress the entire
ndsoape. The peculiar phenomesn
of handkerchiefs and hats beig
whisked back into the hands of
te sender by the breeze bears 1c nds
based on Indian superstitions
. naming to constant winds.
Whereas the early clientele to the
sort were primarily "climatetasers"
cf middle age and past, in rcsted
only in the cool bracing air
nd the scenic and historic mounlins,
a new generation is coming
p in these times to enjoy Blowing
ock's seasonal and scheduled j
(Continued on Page Right)
r#V> ?VV- .'-'W n*S*?3BSi' ' '
$1.50 A YEAR
Meets Death
ion Saturday
Efforts to Kcsuctilatc WellKnown
Citizen Fails; Was
Leading Figure in Civic Life
of Blowing Kock; Funeral Scrvices
Held Suudav Are Widely
Attended
Ben D. Greene, 34-year-old
employee of the Northwest Carolina
Utilities Company of Blowing
Kock, met death by electrocution
last Saturday morning as
he worked on an electric line in
the residential section of West
Jefferson.
The accident is said to have occurred
when he and other linemen
were transferring wires. Win fie Id
Woodie. who was on the pole with
Greene when he came in contact
with the high voltage lines, released
the injured man within a spacer of
seconds, he was lowered to the
ground, and artificial respiration was
begun within three minutes. Efforts
to revive him were continued
for three and a half hours
The quick action of Woodie saved
Mr. Greene from being burned and
at first it was thought he might be
rc vivod.
Funeral Sunday
Funeral services were conducted
from the Blowing Rock Baptist
church last Sunday afternoon. Rev.
1'lap Fletcher, the pastor, being
assisted in the rites by Hev. Sexton
Buchanan, Presbyterian minister,
and interment was in the city cemetery.
Pall bearers were: Dewey Story,
Jack Kainey, M. L. Greene, Don
Greene, R. M. Maddux, George Robbins.
George Herring, Vernon
Moody. Honorary: Members of the
Fire Department and C. S. Prevette,
G. M. Sudderth, Eugene Story, W. S.
Greene, Collis Greene, A B. Craig,
G. C. Bobbins . Winfield Woodie,
Walter Wyalt. Conrad Prcsnell, R. A.
Boingardner, Randall Foster, Paul
Coffey, Ambrose Underdown, Frank
jcenhour, Cameron Williams, Cecil
Crueller. Lloyd Rabbins, Duke Custer.
C D Honeycutl and McKinley
Avers.
A large number of people gather
cd for the funeral, and the floral
offering was one of the most profuse
ever seen at this season of the
year. The following ladies were in
charge of the flowers: Misses Ellen
Coff y. Mary Klutz, Kathleen Foster,
Corir.e Knight. Katherine Uivderdown,
Jackie Crngg, Mabel Coffey,
Lena Bobbins, Louise Prevette,
Mary L. Williams, Lucille Coffey,
Luna Coffey, Jean Hartley, Jewel
Hartley, Ruth Weaver, Blanche
Penneil; Mcsdainos. Joe Greene,
Don Orei ne. Carrie Johnsori, George
Herring, Boh Hardin, J. A. Pannella,
Duke Custer, B. Maddux, Mary Bolick,
Beulah Sudderth, Leona Cofiey,
Bessie Coffey, Annie Councill,
Cameron WiUinmc Ponil
Jack Rainey.
Many Attend Rites
Among those from a distance attending
the rites were: Mr. and Mrs.
Sam Horton, Mrs. Dave Mast. Mr.
and Mrs. Tom Baird, Mr. and Mrs.
Tom Banner, Mrs. Bill Banner, Mr.
John Horton and others from Sugar
Grove and Valle Crucis: Mr. E. W.
MuUikin, Richmond, Va.; W. H. Morrison,
Asheville; Ambrose Underdown.
E. L. McMillan and Mr. Duval
of Lenoir; J. B. Crisp, Elizabethton.
Tenn.; Ralph Norman, Johnson
City, Tenn.: E. B. Woody. II. C.
Bailey, Cecil Angel, Rumsvillc; Walter
Wyait, Mr. and Mrs. R. A. Bumgarner.
Sparta; Winfield Woodie,
Mr. and Mrs. Conrad Presnell, Mrs.
Mae Brown, West Jefferson; Mr. and
Mrs. Lotta Johnson. Statesville; A1
(red. Ella and Elizabeth Ray, W. J.
Fulkcrson. Mrs. Mary Patton, Miss
Coririe Knight and others of Hickcry;
Mrs. Hathnael Wilson. Lenoir;
Mr. and Mrs. Max, Sidney *nd Stewart
Cannon, Charlotte; Mr. and Mrs.
Don Banner. Elizabethtori; Mr. and
Mrs. Eudy of Concord; Miss Pearl
Bum gam or. Mount Holly.
The Survivors
The survivors include the widow,
the former Miss Velma Cannon of
Blowing Rock: one brother. R. L.
Greene of Blowing Rock; three sisters.
Mrs. J. R. Puett, Hickory; Mrs.
Merline E. Clubinc, Los Angeles,
Calif.: and Mrs. Alma Miller, Blowing
Rock. The mother, Mrs. Ben
Greene, also survives.
Valuable Citizen
Mr. Greene was one of the most
popular young men in Blowing
Rock, where he had been employed
by the Northwest Carolina Utilities
for the past thirteen years. He was
secretaty of the Blowing Rock Fire
Department, director of the Chamber
of Commerce and was actively
engaged in aii civic movements. He
was also a partner with George Robbins
in the R. & G Electric Co.
Clarence Tiexler
Loses Home in Fire
A blaze which is believed to have
originated from a defective flue on
Saturday afternoon destroyed the
home of Mr. Clarence Trexler at
Bamboo. However, through the
help of neighbors Mr. Trexler was
able to remove all the furnishings
from the doomed structure, witl. the
exception of one bed.
The house, which was an old one,
! was valued at only a few hundred
[dollars, it is said.