BOONE ?
two POPULATION un
WATAUGA DEMOCRAT
; An Independent Weekly Newspaper ? Established in the Year 1 888
WATAUGA COUNTY
1(M POPULATION 1?-M1
of paramount importance
ailSSr- ?
sr-u
VOL. LXV. ? NO. 27.
BOONE, WATAUGA COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA, THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 1?53.
12 PAGES ? 2 SECTIONS
. KING
STREET
BY
ROB RIVERS
CABBAGE. JOWLS. PEAS
In line with old mountain rea
soning we fiad boiled cabbage on
New Year's day ... It used to be
reckoned as a certain provider
. . . that cabbages in the pot' on
January 1, would somehow fur
nish a guarantee of cash in the
bank during the remainder of
the year. With the economists of
the land, and the people too.
fairly stuttery as to the economic
prospects, we didn't want to take
a chance ... so there was plenty
of cabbagc . . . Down the coun
try, of course, the standard New
Year dish consists of blackeye
peas, seasoned with hog jowl, and
as for that matter this sort of vit
tels goes fairly good in the high
lands, too, but we hadn't heard
of a cash reward being offered as
is the case with the cabbages . . .
Grimy worker on January 1, says
he can't figure why folks want to
start out having a vacation the
first day of the year . . . "It's sort
of like resting a spell before
breakfast, or waiting till Tues
day to start a week's work . . .
The first day of the year, of all
times, should be a working day!"
TAR HEEL NECKTIES
We ar* ind*bi*d to BUI
Sharp*. Stat* magaiim pub
lisher. for on* oi hi* Tar H*?l
Tie* . . . Black-h**l*d footprints
tr*T*rs* these cravats which
ar* offered in a variety of col
on, and Carolinians all across
th* country ar* going for th*m
. . , Th* novel ties may b* se
cured from a number of retail
outlets. or may b* purchased
dir*ct from Downhomm. Inc..
P. O. Box 9382. Raleigh.
SURE CURE FOR RHEUMATIZ
Used to be a merchant in Boone
who carried a tater in his pocket
to absorb the miseries, and he
claimed the thing worked. The
spud bccame hard and black from
its saturation with the pain a t its
wearer, who vowed the hurting
would comeback if he should get
rid of the tater . . . We'd forgot
ten about the thing until wc ran
across something in the Statcs
ville Landmark ? a reprint from
that newspaper of April 3, 1#03,
and as this is a potato region, we
gladly reprint the piece, not on
ly in the hope of relieving a heap
of suffering, but In an effort to
widen the use of the lowly spud.
Anyway it was written:
"That sufferers of rheumatism
will be glad to know that that
disease can be checked if not per
manently cured by a very simple
remedy. Wc have come into pos
session of the facts and a desire
to help the suffering cpmpels us
to make them public, notwith
standing the business of our good
friends, the doctors, may be cur
tailed.
"To cure rheumatism, carry an
Irish potato in your pocket. But
in order to secure the best results
you must steal the potato. Now,
before anybody jeers, we will re
cite one case to prove the potato
theory. Prof. Murphy, tonsorial
artist, was about past going with
rheumatism. He was told about
the potato and proceeded to put
the plan in operation. While his
neighbor, Mr. Marshall, the gro
cery man, obligingly turned, his
back, the professor appropriated
a potato and put it in his pocket
Immediately the rheumatic pains
departed and bothered him no
more. In a desire to aid his
friends the professor told about
the potato and several prominent
white citizens said they had al
ready heard of i( and were al
ready carrying potatoes in their
pockets. ?
"Rheumatic sufferers arc now
pointed to a simple and efficaci
ous remedy."
HAVING A CARE FOR THE
MISSUS
During the recent holiday
wuon the Democrat gladly
printed a number oi Santa
Claua letters, which the old
man from the pole vu willing
for us to see. in order that his
season might be properly pro
moted . . . Most of these asked
for banjos, and sleds and foot
balla. and bikes, and toy* of
many varieties, but the other
day we were permitted to see
one which impressed us ... .
One youngster, who did not
sign his name, had a thought
for Mrs. Claus ... He didn't
adt Santa for a thing, but for
The .Missus he "wisMd all the
(Contlnuea On page two)
Watauga's March Dimes Quota
$4,500; Campaign Is Started
Health Dept. Advises
Care In Flu Epidemic
Because of the widespread in
fluenza epidemic throughout the
county the public is advised to
take the following precautions:
With temperature and acute
sickness ? go to bed and call the
family physician.
Remkin in bed as long as vhe
advises.
Do not go back to usual work
and activity until well over ill
ness.
Isolate the sick person from
the rest of tt>e family for the first
week.
Keep sick children home from
school.
Do not send children back to
school until well recovered.
Avoid unnecessary exposure.
Avoid unnecessary meetings of
large groups of people.
Relapses and complications may
occur if we do not protect our
selves from too early exposure
' following the illness.
Burley Belt Markets
Reopen; Prices High
The Boone tobacco market re
opened for the sale of tobacco on
Monday, January 5, after having
suspended sales for the Christmas
holidays on December 19.
309, 060 pounds of burley tobac
co was sold at Mountain Burley
Warehouse No. 1 on Monday, and
Burley Allotment
j
Forms Available
The Watauga County PMA
Committee fs pow accepting ap
plications for 1953 new farm
Burley tobacco allotments. In or
der to qualify the applicant must
have had two year's experience
out of the past five as owner, op
erator, tenant or sharecropper in
the production of Burley tobacco.
However, in the case of a veteran
one year's experience before en
tering the service or since dis
charge will meet eligibility re
quirements for experience. / The
applicant must be in charge of
the supervision and conduct of
the farming operations of tlfe en
tire farm, and must live on the
farm. Also, the applicant must
derive more than SO per cent of
his income from this farm and
have sufficient curing space to
take care of the crop. The closing
date for accepting applications is
February 1, 1953.
*
Lutheran Church
Calls Minister
The Blowing Rock Lutheran
Parish, has extended a call to
Rev. George W. Shuford, of Col
umbia, S. C. to become its pastor
as of May 1, 1953.
The new parish consists of the
Holy Communion Lutheran
Church at Banner Elk; St. Mark's
at Bailey's Camp, in addition to
(he Blowing Rock church.
Nearly 48 per cent of the funds
used for carrying out conserva
tion practices under the 1951
Agricultural Conservation Pro
gram Went for the establishment
of protective cover and green
manure crops.
growers were well pleased with
prices received, said R. C. Cole
man, proprietor of the three ware
houses here. All smoking grades
brought the highest prices of the
season, he said, and will continue
to sell hif^h for the remainder of
the season.
There is no waiting to unload
in Boone, and tobacco will be
sold the day it is brought in, he
continued. Three big warehouses
and seven major buyers assure
growers of fast efficient services
and good prices at all times.
Mr. Coleman reiterated his ad
vicc to farmers to grade and sell
frozen tobacco separately, point
ing out once more that a small
amount of frozen leaf in a pile
will bring down the price of the
entire pile.
The Mountain Burley Ware
houses in Boone will continue to
sell tobacco on Mondays, Wed
nesdays, and Fridays until farm
ers in the area have disposed of
their entire crops, he said.
Mrs. Faye Craven
Succumbs In Texas
Mrs. Faye Wilson Craven, 23,
wife of Airman Third Class Earl
Craven, died Thursday morning,
Dccembcr 25, in the Air Force
hospital, at San Antonio, Texas,
after a brief illness.
.Airman Cravtn, who entered
the service in March, 1952, and
is stationed at San Angelo, Tex
as, is the son of Mr. and Mrs. J.
R. Craven, of Boone.
Funeral services were held
Monday, December 29, at the
Church of the Pines, Laurel Hill,
N. C., the home of Mrs. Craven's
parents, Mr .and Mrs. A. J. Wil
son.
Dr. S. H. Fulton of Laurinburg
and Dr. Woodrow Woodson, pre
sident of Flora McDonald College,
officiated at the rites, and burial
was in Hillside cemetery at Laur
inburg.
Surviving along with her hus
band and parents are two sisters,
Mrs. James A. Gibson of Laurel
Hill, and Mrs. Howard Julian of
Salisbury.
950 T elephones Now
In Service In Boone
Expanded telephone service
was part of substantial progress
recorded in Boone in 1952, ac
cording to H. M. Inabinrt, South
ern Boil group manager. During
1952 the number of telephones in
service here increased by 110, or
11 per ccnt. As the year ends, 950
telephones arc fn service, as
against 840 at the first of the year,
"The number of people with
telephone service is regarded as
a good barometer of economic
health, and the number in ser
vice in Boone continues to. in
crease. We continue to receive a
heavy volume of new applica
tions."
Mr. lnabinct explained that the
total number of telephones now
serving Boone is two times, or
200 per ccnt greater than it was
at the end of World War II. He
pointed out that 11 long distance
circuits now carry calls to and
from Lenoir, four having been
added in 1052. Telephones lines
were extended into the Deep Gap
section and 100 rural customers
were furnished service. At pre
sent we arc extending our line
into.the Sands section, and when
completed early in 1953, 130 rural
stations will be connccted.
The expansion of Boone's tele
phone system was a part -of a
statewide growth which in 1952
added over 28,000 to the total
telephones in the State. North
Carolina now has 374,800 Bell
telephones in service, which is
more than 2 1-3 times the num
ber in service in the State at the
end of World War U.
Southern Bell in 1952 provided
$17,335,000 worth of additional
facilities in North Carolina, mak
ing a total of $92,000,000 spent in
the State since World War II. "In
addition to providing telephones
to residents of North Carolina
cities and towns. Southern Bell
has installed many rural tele
phones throughout the State,"
Mr. Inabinct said.
The 1953 March of Dunes was
launched in Watauga county by
the National Foundation for In
fantile Paralysis, as County
Chairman John T. .King mapped
a volunteer slate of workers who
are prepared to wipe out the debt
incurred by last year's record
polio epidemic and to gird against
the expected financial demands
of the coming months.
Watauga county's quto has
been set at $4,500, Chairman King
states, and every effort will be
made to reach the goal in ad
JOHN T. KING
vancc of the closing of the cam
paign on January 31.
Tentative plans call for the
staging of the annual quartet
singing on January 23. This has
been the high spot of the cam
paign for the pait two years. The
committee in charge of this acti
vity is composed of John Cook,
Richard Rodges and Allen Gragg.
The request radio program will
be presented over station WATA
January IB, from 2 to 4.
The Lions Club March of
Dimes will be a feature of Janu
ary 17.
January 30, the Mother's March
on Polio wjn be sponsored by the
Junior Woman's Club.
Iron lung canmsters for coin
collections are being distributed
over the county, and school cards
will likewise be given out.
The March of Dimes office will
be opened in the Building and
Loan office, and Mrs. Coaker
Triplott, vice-chairman of the
campaign here, will be in the of
fice as her time permits. ,
In 1952, Chairman King said,
the National Foundation had:
1. Supplied more ' iron lungs
and other lifesaviog equipment
than in the previous three years
combined.
2. Met the costs of' transporta
tion, salaries and maintenance for
hundreds of recruited polio nurs
es.
3. Spent $28,000,000 for patient
care, a figure over <5,000.000
more than was ever expended for
(Continued on page six)
(Second Section)
John P. Winkler
Dies In Lenoir
John P. Winkler, native Wa
taugan, died suddenly at his home
in Lenoir Sunday. Mr. Winkler
had been ill for two years, but a
heart seizure was believed to
have been the immediate cause
of his demise. He was 68 yean
old.
Bom In Watauga county, the
son of the late Noah Winkler and
Mrs. Winkler. Mr. Winkler had
lived in Caldwell county for 35
years. He was a retired farmer,
and recently had operated a
boarding house.
A member of a family of eight,
the youngest of whom is 62, Mr.
Winkler's death is the first in the
family. *
Funeral services were held
Tuesday morning at the late re
sidence and burial was at Cedar
Valley Church in Caldwell coun
ty.
Surviving arc four brothers
and three sisters: W. L. Winkler,
Boone; T. W. Winkler, Culpepper,
Va.; J. H. Winkler, Blowing
Rock; George Winkler, Granite
Falls; Mrs. Ligc Rcid, Blowing
Rock; Mrs. Z. T. Greene, Granite
Falls; Mrs. W. F. Winkler, Gran
ite Falls, N. C.
Mother-Infant
Ginic Arranged
The regular Mother and Infant
Clinic witl be held on Monday
January 12, from 1:00 p m. to
4:00 p.m.
Grace Church
Self-supporting;
To Honor Pastor
On Sunday. January 11, at the
11 o'clock service, the Grace Lu
theran Church of Boone will cel
ebrate its change from a mission
ary church to a self-supporting
unit. The Lutheran congregation
has had a steady growth since
1923 when it was first organized
into a formal group. In 1923 the
Rev. H. W. Jeffcoat, president of
the Watauga Missions and Miss
Cora Jeffcoat organized the
church and Sunday school. It
was through the work of these
two that the foundation was laid
for the consistant growth that the
Grace Lutheran Church has made
over the past 30 years.
The first congregational meet
ings were held In the old Episco
pal church located on Main street
where the shoe shop and the Big
Dipper now stand. Several years
later with help from outside the
present building on East Main
Street was constructed artd put
into use.
In 1928 the Rev. J. H. Yount
came to Boone to serve as preach
er. He served the parish for 11
years and left in 1937.
In 1938 the Rev. Edwin Trout
man came to Boone to serve as
pastor of the Grace Lutheran
(Continued on page six)
(Second Section)
Winton Rankin
Is Given Award
Winton B. Rankin, son of Dr.
and Mrs. J. D. Rankin of Boone
has received the Federal Secur
ity Agency's Superior Service
Award for "exceptional contribu
tions to the civil defense pro
gram."
Rankin, who lives in Ailing
ton, Va., is assistant director,
division of field operations, Food
and Drug Administration. The
Superior Service Award, the ag
ency's second highest citation,
was given him for his work in
1950 in developing a program to
train the' food and drug admini
stration' staff to meet its responsi
bilities in the event of an emer
gency.
Mr. Rankin received a BS de
gree from Appalachian; a BS in
Pharmacy at the Ferris Institute,
Big Raoids, Mich.; and an M. S.
in Chemistry -at North Carolina
State College.
Watauga Farm Income
For 1952 Is $2,576,000
Edwin Duncan
Goes To Senate
Edwin Duncan, of Sparta, ex
ecutive vice-president of the
Northwestern Bank, is represent
ing Ashe, Alleghany and Watauga
counties in the State Legislature,
having won on the Democratic
ticket in the last General election.
Mr. Duncan, who has held the
top level spot in the big banking
chain since the Northwestern was
established in 1937, had been
cashier of the Bank of Sparta
since 1825.
The new Senator is a graduate
of the University of North Car
olina. He has never held public
office before, but has always
maintained an active interest in
the affairs of the Democratic
party.
Chamber To Hear
Speech By Patton
Mr. C. P. Patlon, ex-director of
the Wildlife Resources Commis
sion, Raleigh, will be the guest
speaker at the January meeting
of the Chamber of Commerce,
which will be held at the Gate
way Restaurant at noon Tuesday,
January 13.
Mr. Patton will show the film,
"Tarheel Wildlife," during the
course of the meeting.
The members of the organiza
tion are asked to attend.
Supplies of fresh vegct<ft>les
are expected to be larger this
year than last.
W. L. WINKLER
Winkler Takes
Seat In Assembly
Mr. and Mrs. W. L. Winkler
have gone to Raleigh, where Mr.
Winkler takes his seat in the
House of Representatives, having
been elected on the Republican
ticket in the November election.
The Winklers are residing at
(he Carolina Hotel.
Mr. Winkler, a retired school
teacher, is a son of the late Noah
and Eliza Hodges Winkler of Wa
tauga. He graduated from Appa
lachian Training School and at
tended State College for two
years. He retired from school
work in 1051, after having been
a school principal for 48 years.
He has never before held elec
tive office, but was secretary
trcasuitr of the local Road Com
mission 1921-26.
Local Postof f ice Gets |
First Class Rating
The Boone postoffice has quali
fied for the postal department's
first class designation, as a re
sult of its receipts passing the
$40,000 mark for the year 1952,
thus placing the local office in
Tweetsie Train Bought
For Virginia 'Fun' Line
Two cars and an engine which
used to run over the narrow
guagc railway from Johnson City
to Boone, have been bought by
some Virginia railroad enthusi
asts, and the rolling stock is rest
ing until warm weather at Pcnn
Laird, six miles from Harrison
burg.
The narrow guage will begin
operating next summer on a one
mile track on the farm of Dr.
Paul S. Hill, Harrisonburg sur
geon, who is president of the
Shenandoah Central. Other of
ficers are C. Gratten Price, Jr.,
insurance company executive,
vice president; and Wade W. Men
efee, Jr., fuel supply dealer, sec
reUry-treasurer, both of Harri
sonburg. All three arc lifetime
railroading, enthusiasts.
Rides oil the line at Pcnn Laird
wijl be strictly for fun not only
for the passengers but also the
line's executives. The Shenan
doah Central will restrict runs on
is U-shaped track to holidays and
week ends.
The one-mile track ? which, goes
nowhere ? will be known as the
Twcetsic Route, named after the
road's one midget locomotive.
Along with Tweetsic there arc a
tender and two passenger cars.
It will be one of the three narrow
guagc lines in this country.
Twectsie and her cars were
bought from the East Tennessee
and Western North Carolina Rail
road of Johnson City, Tenn.
Twectsie is 30 feet long, tender
20 feet long. Its cab is big
enough for men to stand erect,
and carries usual crew of engin
eer and fireman.
It weighs 100,000 pounds in
working order ? that is, with
water, coal, sand, tools and crew
aboard, with a light weight with
out these things, of 84,000 pounds.
The tender weighs 60,000
pounds in working order ? that is,
loaded with coal and water, and
28.000 pounds light weight, that
is to say, without coal and water.
The engine, tender and two
passenger cars arc now resting
on cribs made of crossties beside
the Chesapeake Western Rail
way's track at Penn Laird, wait
ing to be hauled to rest until
warm weather upon a portion of
the one-mile narrow guage track
to be built.
the highest possible category.
The Boone office will actually
get the first class designation
about the first of July, Postmas
ter Brown states:
Postal figures for 1952 showed
an increase of over five thousand
above the $35,803.74 of 1951. An
increase was noted in each quar
ter of the year, it was said.
Postmaster Brown points out
1 hat the increase in postal rates
accounted for some of the in
crease, but that the overall in
crease can be largely attributed
to the good business conditions
which have existed in this local
ity.
Jasper L. Triplett
Taken By Death
Jasper Lawrence Triplett, 74,
of Banner Elk Route 1, died
Thursday, January 1 at the home
of his daughter, Mrs. Howprd
Edmistcn of Sugar Grove, follow
ing a long illness.
Funeral services were held at
2 p. m. Saturday, January 3, at
the Liberty Methodist Church at
Matney, with the Rev. Ira Hod
ges in chargc of the rites, assist
ed by the Rev. Dwight M. Edmis
tcn. Burial was in the church
ccmctcry.
Surviving besides the daughter
arc his widow, Mrs. Nora B. Trip
lett, and a son, E. C. Triplett of
Banner Elk; two brothers and
two sisters.
Direct U. S. investments abroad
put at 11.8 billions.
Report Of Farm
Agent For Old
Year Is Given
Watauga county farmers re
ceived an estimated $2,576,000 in
come in 1952, according to the
annual Farm Report released by
County Agent L. E. Tuckwiller.
Broken down the income was
derived from the following: Live
stock and livestock products
$1,055,000; farm crops $1,451,000.
Broken down further the report
shows that the livestock income
was from dairy products $280,000;
poultry and poultry products
$125,000; livestock and livestock
products $650,000. Crop income
includes tobacco $631,000; vege
tables $450,000; potatoes $280,000;
fruit $40,000; other crop sales
$50,000; farm forest products
sales $70,000.
Some of the major extension
activities and accomplishments
in 1952 listed in the annual report
were:
The Blue Ridge Fair continued
to grow with more farmpeople
taking part and entering exhibits
of better quality than in any pre
vious year.
The Watauga Hereford breed
ers sold 49 lots in their 10th an
nual purebred sale at Boone for
an average of $298.00 per lot.
The second annual Boone Feed
er Calf sale sold 214 graded calves
for an average price of $111.00 per
head.
The sccond annual feeder calf
"get of sire" show was sponsored
by the Boone Chamber of Com
merce.' A total of $326.75 was
awarded to grade beef cattle pro
ducers. Eleven entries were made
in this show.
Two Watauga county 4-H club
boys won first and second place
in the State 4-H Sheep Shearing
contest and won the right to go
to Chicago and compctc in the
National Contest.
Forty junior 4-H club members
made a one-day visit to Winston
Salem and to some farms in For
syth county.
Fifteen 4-H club members at
tended Camp Schaub in June
1952.
Seven teen-agers from Watauga
4-H clubs attended 4-H Club Week
in Raleigh in July.
Over 355 exhibits were entered
by juniors in the 1952 Blue Ridgo
(Continued on page five)
Mrs. Eggers To
Conduct Survey
Interviewers will be knocking
on the doors of residents of this
area during January and Febru
ary to find out how people feel
about their own and the nation's
economic situation and about
peoples spending and saving
plan*. This area is one of the 66
areas used by the Federal Reserve
Board for its annual survey of
consumer finances. Interviewing
in this area will be conducted by
Mrs. H. R. Eggers for the Survey
Research Center of the University
of Michigan.
The survey will take account
of income in 1952, financial posi
tion, major purchases during the
year, intentions to buy cars, oth
er durable goods and houses dur
ing 1933, and attitudes toward
different forms of saving and in
vestment. Also covered is the
consumer's attitude toward his
current financial situation and
his outlook for 1953.
NUMBER TEN HAS NEW JOB? Shown is one of the fleet of
narrow guage locomotive* which uied to pull the Linville River
Railway'* trains Into Boone, which has been bought by the
Shenandoah Central Railroad near Harrisonburg, Va. This line,
one of the three narrow guagr road* In the country, will operate
on a fun ba<U at the Penn Laird farm of Dr. Paul & Hill,
Harriaonburg surgeon. (Photo courteay Roanoke Times.)