THE DEMOCRAT is your best and most eco nomical medium of advertls -nf. With more than 2.600 paid-up. cash subscriptions your message goes to 13.000 people, on the universally used basis of five resders to each subscriber Watauga democrat An Independent Weekly Newspaper ?Established in the Year 1888. IMPORTANT The date on your label shows the date your subscription will expire, sad the date your paper will be stopped unless sooner renew ed. The Democrat Is inf strictly on a vance basis BOONE. WATAUGA COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1947 5 CENTS A COPY TWO BEING HELD FOR ROBBERY OF NEWLANDBANK Crowe Brothers Arc Indicted by Federal Grand Jury in Asheville on Charges Grow ing Out of Robbery of New land Bank: Three Others Being Sought Asheville, Feb. 18, ? George Crowe, Jr., and Casper Crowe, indicted by the Federal grand ury here yesterday on charges -owing nut the holdup of the very County Bank, at New tand on January 30, are expected to be brought from Knoxville to the Buncombe county jail today, U. S. Marsfial Charles R. Price said last night. Certified copies of the bill of indictment were sent to the U. S. Marshal in Knoxville with the re quest that he bring the two men to Asheville. Indictments were also returned yesterday for three other defen dants wanted in connection with the robbery. They are now at large and are being sought by F. B. I. agents. The charges against the five men, according to the bills re turned yesterday, are as follows: George Crowe, Jr., charged .vith receiving and concealing noney alleged to have been stolen I from a member of the Federal Deposit Insurance corporation! and with conspiracy to rob at member of the FDIC. Casper Crowe, charged with! robbery of a member bank of the: KDIC, conspiracy to rob the bank, receiving and concealing money ! from the bank. The three defendants still at i large. are: D. ~L. Birchfield, William Ed ward Aired, and Cadaza George Dewey Saylor, all charged with ictual robbery of the bank, re ceiving money stolen from the bank, and conspiracy to rob the bank. Officers who have been work ing on the case yesterday indi cated that the Crowe brothers are reported to have been the drivers of the automobiles used in connection with the holdup, one for the immediate getaway car and the other for a planted car to which they could 'switch. (Continued on page 8> GEORGE HENSON ! DIES SUDDENLY Prominent Farmer of Sherwood Neighborhood Succumbs it, From Heart Attack George Henson, 62 years old, prominent Sherwood farmer, died at- the home on the 11th from a sudden illness with what was diagnosed as a heart attack. Funeral services were conduct ed from the Henson's Chapel Methodist Church on February 14, by Rev. Mr. Middleton, of the Baptist Church, and interment was in the nearby cemetery. Surviving arc four sons and' two daughters." R. D. Henson, Reese; Oka Henson, Sherwood; Gurd Henson, Cleveland. Ohio; Buster Henson, Sherwood; Mrs. Grant Sutherland, Creston; Mrs. Ray Ellison, Sherwood. There is one brother, Dave Henson of Sherwood, and four half-brothers: Lonnie Henson, Vila?: Smith Henson. Reese; Herman Henson, Reese; Dana Henson, Reese. There are three half-sisters: Mrs. Howard Younce, Mabel; Mrs. I Glenn Norris, Mabel: Miss Doraj Henson, Reece. J Northwestern Bank Jumps 98 Places In , 1946 In the Nation I North Wilkes boro ? The North- 1 western Bank, which has home office here and branches in sever al northwestern North Carolina cities and towns, jumped 94 places during 1946 to become the 511th largest bank in the country, figures revealed today by The American Banker showed. On December 31, 1945, the Northwestern Bank was the 605th , largest bank in the nation. The deposits were 30,760,796 on Dec ember 31, 1946, compared to $26, 76S.6A1 on December 31, 1945. Local Matmen Meet MaryvilJe College Team on Saturday ? The Appalachian matmen will be in quest of their ninth straight victory Saturday night when they meet the strongpMaryville College team In the local gym nasium The Maryville wrestlers have met and defeated Auburn, Van derbilt. Georgia Tech and Uni versity of Chattanooga this nea son. and claim the championship of Tennessee, Georgia and Ala bama. Coach Watkins will be trying to beat his team-mate, Coach J. D. Davis, and his alma mater. Argentina moves for U. S. aid for industrialization. Hannegan says Truman will be asked to run in 1948. Prison Mother Mrs. Maud Battlington Booth. 81. shown with lock troin an old cell block at San Qucntin prison, California, inscribed with trib utes by the inmate- and given to her recently. RADIO STATION TO BE TOPIC OF C. OF C. MEETING Radio Engineer and Repre sentative of Radio Equip-[ ment Manufacturer Expect ed to Be Guests of Cham ber of Commerce Thursday; Seek Final Decision A further discussion of the proposed Boone radio station will feature the meeting of the Cham ber of Commerce, which will be held Thursday evening in con nection with a banquet at the Carolina Cafe, and Mr. Herman Wilcox, president of the organi zation, is anxious that there be a full attendance at this gathering to make a final decision regard ing the proposal. A radio engineer from Johnson City, Tenn., and perhaps on# from Statesville will be present at this time, in addition to a rep resentative from a radio equip ment manufacturer, and it is ex pected that complete informa tion may be gathered at this time regarding the cost of building, as well as operation, of a radio stat ion in this community. The Chamber of Commerce, says Mr. Wilcox, does not wish to olace a burden on the community by securing something that would be a liability rather than an as set to the town. It is his wish to learn if the station could be ex pected to be self-supporting. If ?uch is the case, the organization will do all possible to secure its! instruction, he states j; Mrs. J. H. Brendall Dies in Albemarle Mrs. Virginia Gregory Bren dall, 44, wife of Rev. J. H Bren dall, who lived in Boone during her husband's ministry at the local Methodist Church some years ago. died inexpectedly in Albemarle Saturday morning Mr. and Mrs. Brendall came to Albemarle a little more than four years ago from Winston Salem where Mr. Brendall was pastor of the Ardmore Methodist Church. Funeral services were held Sunday afternoon at Albermarle's Central Methodist Church. The rites were conducted by Rev. L. B. Abernethy of Charlotte, and Rev. R. M. Courtney of Salisbury. Interment was in a mausoleum t in Guilford Memorial Park near I Greensboro. Ancestral Home of Senator Brown Burn* The large frame residence of Mrs. J. D. Brown of Blowing Rock, the ancestral home of Sen ator Wade E. Brown, was totally destroyed by fire last Thursday. The blaze was believed to have started from a stove in a room occupied at night by Mrs. Brown, who resided during the day at the home of a son. Mr. Kent Brown, a short distance away. The large 9- room frame build ing, constructed by the late J. D. Brown more than 34 years ago. was a good building and in ex cellent state of repair. Some in surance is said to have been in force on the property. There was no estimate on the property loss. "Music On Parade" Topic of P.-T.A. The February meeting of Boone Parent-Teachere Association will be held at the high school at 7:30 p. m. Monday, February 24. The program theme for the evening will be "Music Qp Parade". Mr. Gordon Nash, MiTO M. Hartsell. Mr. Lee Stout, and Mrs. Jim Councill will be responsible for the musical program. All parents- and friends are cordially invited to attend the meeting and enjoy the music of the high school band and glee iclub. RED CROSS SETS QUOTA FOR 1947 FISCAL EFFORT Watauga County Asked to Contribute $2,666 in Cam paign to Begin March 3; Clyde R. Greene Will Again Serve as Chairman of Cam paign The Watauga county chapter of the American Red Cross has ac cepted a quota of $2,666 and has named Mr. Clyde R. Greene chairman of the 1947 fund cam paign. 1 his quota is almost 50 pei cent below that assigned tor Watauga county last year. JVlr. Greene announces that the cam paign wilt be conducted trom March 3 to March 15 as part ol the national drive to raise $60, 000,000 lor carrying on Hed Cross work on a county, national and world-wide basis. There are more than 2,000,000 Americans still in uniform who are benefited by the services ol the Red Cross. In addition to those in uniform .who are served by this organization, the veterans' hospitals are overflowing with those who welcome the service which no other agency but the Red Cross offers. Still more ex GI families are unsettled and in need of advice and financial as sistance. The Red Cross disas ter relief, which Watauga county gladly welcomed a few years ago. still stands ready to aid in emer gencies and ommunity disaster.. Oflicials oi the local chapter ?eel that the chapter is fortunate ?n being able to again have Mr. Greene as campaign chairman. This will be the sixth Red Cross iund drive in which Mr. Greehe ?ias served as.. chairman and the chapter has the record ol ex ceeding its quota each time. Mr. Greene is confident that the peo ple of the couniy will not fail this organization which is standing by those who have served and those A'ho are still serving their coun try. But to raise the quota and iive the Red Cross the means to jarry on their services to the servicemen and veterans of this county will take the co-operation and aetivte participation of every citizen of Watauga county. The total amount raised by the coun ty last year was $5,151.67. Feb. 13 has been designated as Red Cross Sunday. Every pastor m the county is asked to bring the work of the Red Cross to the attention of his congregation. The plan of campaign will be khe same as that used last year. Mr. Greene has asked the follow ing persons to act as vice-chair men: Rural sections. L E. Tuckwil icr. county agent; town of Boone, Grady Tugman; Blowing Rock,: Mrs. H. C. Hayes; public schools.) Superintendent W. H. Walker The treasurer has released the lollowing financial statement ol! the chapter: Fund bal. Aug 31, 1946 $3,782.87 Plus receipts 183.20 $3,966.07 Less disbursements . 1,524.61 Bal. Jan. 31, 1947 2.441.46 Summary of Happenings in Stale Legislature During Past Week Monday through Friday of the fifth week of the 1947 session saw the introduction of 99 new bills, for a total to date of 484, as against 152 bills introduced! during the corresponding period) of the 1945 session and that ses .iKn's total at the end of the' same legislative day was 521. At the close of the 33rd legislative day, the house was running prac tically even with the 1945 house in terms of the number of bills introduced, with 343 bills in the| nopper as against 1945's 342. The senate, however, was somewhat behind, with only 141 bills asj against 179 in 1945 Although the week was rela tively light with respect to the number of new public bills in troduced, a few bills which may evoke some interest and a fair amount of argument were start ed upon their dubious journeys. For instance, there is SB 130, which might be termed the "bi ennial liquor referendum bill, which would put to a state-wide| vote next November the question of the continuance of ABC liquor stores as well as the legal sale anywhere in the state of any al coholic beverage except malt beverages containing not over 5% of alcohol by weight, and light domestic wines. Then there is| SB 118, which would "provide for the general welfare and protect the health, efficiency and general well-being of workers in the state of North Carolina by providing! .or minimum wages and maxi mum hour standard."." With nu merous exceptions as to its appli cability, the bill would provide a minimum wage of 40 cents per1 hour, require the payment ofl time-and-a-half for time in ex ess of 40 hours per week, and amit female employees to whom Ihe bill would apply, except for such seasonal periods as the pre Christmas period, to a maximum ol a 9-hour day. 48-hour week, and 6-day week. This bill should stir up some excitement in ihi same camps already stirred up o> the introduction last week ol 1IB 229. which is designed to "make unlawful and to prohibit con tracts or combinations which re quire membership in labor unions, organizations or associa tions as a condition of employ ment." Both bills at the end of the week were m thvir respective committees on manufactures and labor. Another bill which might Im paired off against one previous ly introduced is SB 111. which would "create within the De partment of Conservation and Development the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission." This bill would set up within the Department of Conservation and Development a 9-member com ber commission, with a commis sioner and personnel of its own, | to manage and promote the wild life resources of the state with the exception of commercial fish eries and fish. The bill seems to be something of a compromise to-j ward meeting the objective of the "bill of divorcement," intro duced in the senate as SB 66 and in the house as HB 133, which seeks completely to remove con trol over wildlife (game fish and animals) from the Department of Conservation fcnd Development and place it in an independent commission composed of persons who would presumably bend ev ery effort toward making for bet ter hunting and fishing in the [state. This compromise, however, seems not noticeably to h^re dimmed the enthusiasm of the separatists nor the determination of the retentionists At a house committee hearing on the two separation bills, the pros and antis attended in such numbers (Continued on page 8) BOONE'S NEW FREEZER-LOCKER PLANT ii Front elevation of the new freezer-locker plant, which will be erected in Boone this year, '| with work to get under way on actual construction as soon as weather conditions will permit. WEED GROWERS HEAR BENNETT i Extension Tobacco Specialist Talk* to Planters on Plant Bed Failure More than 100 farmers gather jed to hear Roy R. Bennett, ex tension tobacco specialist and the Icounty agents lead u discussion !on tobacco production The meeting opened with a 'discussion of the quality of the 1946 burley crop in this area. The 'farmers bi ought out the point that late plant letting dates caused by plant bed failure was largely responsible for the poor quality. Blue mold and wild fire were believed to be the main causes of plant bed failure. Mr. Bennett then led a discus sion, using colored slides to il lustrate the effective way to combat these plant diseases. He showed many slides showing the results of using fermate as a pre ventative. This is applied as a spray or as a dust. The fermate spray 01 dust should be applied first when the plants leaves ari about the size of a dime, and repeated twice a week, with an extra application after each hard rain thereafter until the plants are set to the field. A supply of bulletins will be sent to the county agents' office, and any one interested in using the formate should call by ana secure one of these bulletins. There was quite a lot of dis cussion on the possibility of pro ducing tobacco plants below the mountain. Mr. Bennett pointed out thai he thought that arrange ments could be made to produce plants below the mountain and he promised to investigate the] costs and conditions. Any one interested in having plants produced for them should leave their order with the county agent U. S. plea to settle lend lease is ignored by Russians w GUY GREER WATAUGA MAN 1 NOW AN AUTHOR Guy GrNr Celebrates the Publi-' cation of Volume on Cunuiuiii* iy Planning. Homing ? New York. N. Y.. Fob 18? Guy Greer, native of Wataugal county, whose ancestors camcj here with Daniel Boone at the J time of the Revolution, this week; celebrated the publication of his book "Your City Tomorrow", by the Macmillan Company. New York. * ? Mr. Greer was born near Boone in 1891, and on his mother's side is descendd from the Yates family of the western part of the state. His two brothers now run R. T. Greer & Co.. crude drug company, in Pikeville, Ky.. Mar-i ion. Va.. and elsewhere. The author has worked with the Federal Housing Administra tion in Washington, and as a member of the Board of Editors j of Fortune" magazine. He is at present a partner in Armstrong, Associates ? advisers, analysts and, consultants in real estate at^! community planning, with head quarters in New York. In "Your City Tomorrow , Mi. Greer explains what the average citizen needs to know about community planning and hous ing Local Red Cross Unit Names Officers Rev. E. F. Troutman has been inamed chairman of the Watauga Chapter, American Red Cross, for the sixth consecutive year, it hai been announced. \ Miss Bernice Gragfc was named treasurer for the ensuing year, land Mrs. Nora D Warman was elected secretary. All board members were re-elected. Clyde R. Greene was named roll call chairman for the seventh year. I At the annual meeting reports were made by the various com mittee cnairmen and R. W. Wat kins. former field director for the organizati?i in the European the atre of operations, gave a talk on [Red Cross work overseas Mrs. Emma H. Ellison Die* Tuesday Evening Mrs. Emma Hockeday Ellison, 62 years old, died at the home at Tamarack Tuesday evening, aft er a long period of indisposition. Funeral details are not com pleted, but it is stated th*t the rites will likely be held Thursday at the Ellison cemetery at Tama rack , . . , Mrs. Ellison, who was the wid ow of the late Alex E Ellison, is survived by three sons and one daughter: Earl Ellison, Tama rack; Roy Ellison, Sparta ,0*^ Ellison, Sherwood; Mrs. I^ester Eller. Tamarack. There are two brothers. Ed Hockeday, Damas cus, Va., and Linney Hockeday, Fairfield, Pa. / The earth's store of uranium ore would be exhausted in less than 100 years it uranium were to re place coal completely as a source of energy lions are told OF HEALTH PLAN of Lions Club public heamTofncef; gaveCantrtot formative talk about the p?oDS Statp?^?thealth pro?ram for the L^nc n ^ meeting of the Boone l'ub. Tuesday overling th? ^ g is re**iarks was the statement Mat 35-5! of Thf rejected by CareVnd l*lc c-stat>lishment of scholarships for training doctors who woufd agree to practice in years. arCUS " n,mimum of five , P'.' King further stated that the local hospital would probably be adequate if the requirement/ a^e met. The main requirement in volyed in the present program , t? K?? ?atchin? funds which are' inH P^?de.aVai,ab,? ,,v ^e StaU mv o governments. MV. Smith Haguman. one ?f rustees of the local hospital .mphasued that >s a corporation and that the' property on which it stands was deeded to it by the state. He add tf u J?osP'tal has no legal "-in with Appalachian College the J ,th'' hosP'tal belongs to the people of the county He said that the college has use of the hospital, and that without r-rnt hospital faciliUca, the TTZ c2u, Salem lo Hear National GOP Leaden lfromla^a^n^ber^ ^Publicaiu Wi^to^l . ga ;ounty went tc cipatl i^'lh Sutlir^v to parti Mint, annual Lincoln Dav 'r!!l wan to h<,ar addresses b? Ispealte^oV'th ?Hf t?ut? n^ ^?US?r,of represen former' r* C1?n? ^th Luce j woman Conncctlcut Congress MartI?*Vll!f Speaker Martm and Raymond C Barker introduced Mrs. Luce. Other,? Jm?r0gnf:m were Buford T Hen dfr?on. Winston-Salem Rav &wtevilie ^ "J who m.' Stokes county sheriff Yo,' ^ elected head of the Jute"* ?"Can c,ub# in the earner _? ^ j .T? *J? VETERANS gtate ^ervi#J^ln??e,ter ' ""^tant f, ^ service officer will k*? ?e^?"iCoffj^i?^IdJarreSua^ 68,1 before noon on that date KNITTERS ARE NEEDED A number of volunteer knitter! are .needed by the local Red Crow charier, to make use of left ovei yarns in fashioning boys' sweat era. The yarn may be found ai the home of Mrs. w. XL BurweV at 203 North Water Street FREEZER PLANT EQUIPMENT IS NOW ON ORDER Work to Start Next Month on Construction of Local Freez er-Locker Plant, as Final Papers Are Signed; To Out line Plans for Rental of Lockers The final contracts and charter arrangements for the Boone fre ezer locker plant were signed in Raleigh last week by Mr. W. H. Dameron and Southern Frozen Food Lockers, Inc., and present plans call for construction opera tions to begin on the enterprise no later than the middle of March, if weather conditions per mit. This information is contained in a letter to Mr. H. W. Wilcox from James E. Coad, vice-presi dent of the Southern Frozen Food Lockers, who takes occasion to "express my sincere appreciation for your enthusiastic cooperation with regard to the locker plant and packing company for Boone." Mr. Coad states that Mr. Damer on has instructed his firm to pro ceed with" "full and absolute authority for the construction of the locker plant in Boone." The signing of the final con tracts resulted in the immediate placing of orders for all mach inery and other equipment which will be needed, as well as build ing materials, and it is said that construction will be started just as quickly , as weather conditions will permit. Doubt is expressed however, that much can be ac complished before about the 15th of March. Mr. Coad states that he expects to come to Boone within the next thirty days and meet with local people to discuss an outline of plans for the rental of lockers SAYDOUGHTON WILL NOT RUN Flock of Candidates Expected to [ Fight For Poit of Veteran Congrttiman Hickory, Feb. 18 ? Representa tive Robert L. Doughton will not be a candidate for renomination to Congress from the Ninth North Carolina district in 1948. The Hickory Record said it learned to day from sources close to the congressmen which are consider ed reliable. Doughton upon com pleting his present term will round out 38 years in Congress A wide open race for the vac ancy is in prospect. Potential candidates include Walter Wood son, Sr., and W. D. Kizziah of Salisbury; Eugene Bost of Con cord; Tom Wolfe, former highway commissioner, and S e n a to r Erskine Smith of Albemarle; former U. S. District Attorney Carlyle Higgins of Sparta; Ed Anderson, West Jefferson news paper publisher; Senator John McLaughlin and former Senator Hugh Mitchell of Statesville; Representative Max C. Wilson ana former Highway Commis sioner V. D. Guire of Lenoir, and Kidd Brewer of Boone, admin istrative assistant to Senator Wil liam B. Umstead Net Proceeds From March of Dimes ii Campaign $1,835 i Mr. R. E. Agle. chairman of the | recent March of Dimes campaign, reveals that the total contribu jtions to the fund in Watauga "countv amounted to $2,067. and that the expenses of the canvass was $231.35. leaving a net contri bution of $1,835.65 The local quota was $1,525. Following is the March of Dimes expense account: Gasoline, car expense and signs $ 22.00 Metal lapel tabs 4.50 Dime cards, coin collectors. window cards 47.50 Rubber stamp ........ 1.55 Postage and cards 21.00 Freight 3.50 Stenographic work 6.00 Dance hall 15.00 Music. Paul Weston 100.00 Total $ 231.35 |Total contributions $2,067.00 Less expense ? 231.35 ? t Net receipts ...... $1,839.85 iTo be applied to: 50% National Foundation $917.83 p0% Local chapter 917.82 O $1,838.65 Perfect Marriage Is Goal Novel Contest In a novel contest seeking the I perfect marriage in Watauga county, sponsord by the Appala chian Theartre prior to the play ling of Hal Wallls' production, "The Perfect Marriage, " the cur rent ballots show. "Trigger" and "Gallant Bess" leading in the votes. Since neither are residents of Watauga county, and this con - test was really meant for human t beings, these horses will not be I eligible to compete, says the management. Writes Book