In these columns will be
found a fair presentation
of local and county news
of general interest.
Volume III —Number 51.
SPECIAL SESSION
SUPERIOR COURT
IS QUICKLY OYER
But Two Actions Dock
eted and Defendants
Lose In Each
ENDS YESTERDAY
Two Divorces Granted
And Two Motions Are
Denied
With Judge j. Paul Frizzelle
presiding the special December
term of Superior Court got under
way here on Monday and wound up
yesterday. No criminal cases were
docketed, these being put off until
the March term, the special session
being devoted to only two or three
civil matters and the usual action
on applications for divorce.
The first case up on Monday had
to do with charges of alleged slan
der brought by Jerry and Earl Har
rell and B. E. Chappell against
their landlord farmer, Charles N.
Griffin, of Edenton. The mix up
centered about the distribution of
peanut hay crop on the Griffin
farms, and the complaints set forth
that Mr. Griffin accused them of an
unequal division of the hay, alleg
ing “I*ll get them in a tight yet for
they stole it.”
The three suits were for $2,500
each and were joined for trial in
one action, all day Monday being
taken up with empaneling a jury
that seemed satisfactory to the
plaintiffs. Fifty-four jurors in all
were called and excused or accepted
before the venire was completed.
Once the jury box had been filled
counsel for both sides got together
in side room conferences and a set
tlement was reached in the case es
the Harrells whereby the defendant
disclaimed all intention of disparag
ing the conduct of the plaintiffs and
agreed to pay them SIOO each.
Chappell refused to settle, however,
assuming a pugnacious attitude and
going to trial. His troubles were
quickly disposed of, the court, after
reprimanding him sharply for his
conduct on the stand, directing the
jury to throw the action out, and
return a verdict of no cause of ac
tion, which was done.
On Tuesday another double
barreled action was started in
which Godfrey Chappell, mid-coun
ty white man, and Van Buren
Holley, Negro, were plaintiff and
defendant. Two trucks driven by
Chappell’s sons, Carson and Curtis,
were smashed into on the Suffolk
highway near Ballards Bridge
Swamp on August 29, 1934, and
were damaged so that Chappell
sued for SI,OOO.
Holley, who was driving north a
light car that is alleged to have
caused the accident, and who lost his
left arm as a result of the mishap,
countersued wnth a claim for SSOOO
damages. The jury returned a S3OO
verdict in favor of Chappell, and dis
missed Holley’s claims.
The case attracted much attention
and brought a score or more Cross
Roads residents into court as wit
nesses or auditors.
Before court adjourned for the
term Judge Frizzelle entertained two
motions, both more or less perfunc
tory, and ruled against each. One
was a Pasquotank matter brought
by Charles Aylett, et als, vs the
Major Loomis Company having to do
with the correction of a stock divi
dend. The other concerned excep
tions to the report of Referee C. E.
Thompson in the Perquimans County
matter of the Growers Peanut Com
pany vs E. J. Broughton and W. E.
White, and had to do with the stor
age of 113,528 pounds of peunuts in
1929 with the Monarch Refrigerator
Company, of Chicago. The referee
held there was still $771.63 to be
collected by the Illinois concern and
counsel sought to have this amount
reduced to $556.50. The motion was
refused and the opinion of the re
feree was fully sustained.
Two divorces were granted, one to
Josephine McClenny from Guemey
McClenny, and the other to Valand
- J. Copeland from Mozell Copeland.
Both couples were married several
years ago in Suffolk, Va., and the
usual charge of separation and de
sertion was brought in each action.
COTTON GINNINGS
According to F. W. Hobbs, special
agent for the Bureau of Census, De
partment of Commerce, there were
3,951 bales of cotton ginned in
Chowan County from the crop of
1936 prior to December 1, as com
pared with 2,994 bales ginned to
.December 1, of the 1936 crop.
THE CHOWAN HERALD
A HOME NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF CHOWAN COUNTY
Special Notice To
Our Correspondents
In order to allow those employ
ed by The Herald to prepare and
enjoy the Christmas holiday, next
week’s issue of The Herald will
be printed Tuesday night instead
of Wednesday, thus allowing read
ers to receive their copy of the
paper before Christmas.
In order to do this we especial
ly ask the cooperation of our ru
ral correspondents, and urge them
to send their community news so
that it will be received not later
than Monday.
The Herald is fortunate in hav
ing a capable and loyal corps of
correspondents and believes this
news will appear as usual next
week.
SHAD
HEARD TONIGHT
Committee Will Meet
With Fishermen at
Court House
A meeting of vital importance to
fishermen in this section will be held
in Chowan County Court House to
night (Thursday) at 8 o’clock. At
this time the shad committee of the
State Board of Conservation and
Development will be here to consid
er protests which have come up from
commercial fishermen with respect
to the shortening of the season for
taking shad in 1937. This meeting
has been called in order to eliminate
the inconveneince of Albemarle fish
ermen traveling to Raleigh in great
numbers when the Board meets in
January.
Members of the Board are J. L.
Howe, Jr., E. S. Askew and Jim Mc-
Nair. Aside from these men, others
' expected to attend the meeting are
R. Bruce Etheridge director of the
State Department of Conservation
and Developement: Captain John A.
Nelson, fisheries commissioner and
U. S. Deputy Fish Commissioner
Leach.
The meeting will no doubt be well
attended by Albemarle fishermen, as
the plan for shortening the shad sea
-1 son has been cause for no little con
cern among local fishermen.
A. S. Smith, president of the Al
bemarle Fishermen’s Association, is
hopeful that a 100 per cent atten
dance will be registered from the or
ganization, and in an effort to have
every one present has sent the fol
lowing information to each member:
The “Fish Commissioners, who
control the fishing industry of this
section, will be here at the Court
House Thursday night, December 17,
at 8 o’clock, for the purpose of ad
justing the fishing dates. All fish
ermen are urgently requested to be
present.”
1937 Vestry Elected
For St. Paul’s Church
At a parish meeting held Monday
night in St. Paul’s Church the fol
lowing vestry was elected to serve
for 1937: E. R. Conger, D. M. War
ren, Fred P. Wood, M. P. Whichard,
John W. Graham, J. H. Conger, J. A.
Moore, William I. Hart, George C.
Wood, Julien Wood, E. T. Rawlinson
and George Hoskins.
Guild Members Sponsor
Children’s Hour Dec. 28
A children’s hour, sponsored by
St. Mary’s Guild of St. Paul’s Epis
copal Church, will be held at the
Taylor Theatre Monday, December
28, at 11 a. m. The picture secured
for this program is Jane Withers in
“Pepper.” This popular young star
will please the youngsters as well as
older folks, who are invited to at
tend.
A special low price will be made
for the occasion, members of the
Guild selling tickets for the show.
Maybe Santa Will
Bring- Pair Os Shoes
That some of the county’s poor
will receive a pair of shoes for
Christmas is assured. S. Hobowsky,
through a contest conducted for
prizes, early this week had a collec
tion of over 1,000 pairs of old shoes
taken in exchange for votes.
Mr. Hobowsky will go through the
huge pile of shoes, which includes
any kind imaginable, and salvage
those which can be of still further
service. He will turn over to W. J.
Taylor, welfare officer, what shoes
are saved, who in turn will distribute
them to those in need of shoes. It
is expected that at least 200 pairs
can be salvaged.
Edenton, Chowan County, North Carolina, Thursday, December 17,1936.
LICENSE PLATES
FOR 1937 START
WITH LARGE SALE
Inquiry Cards to Help
Highway Planning
Survey
YELLOWdSLACK TAG
Local Office Busy as
Early Callers Pur
chase Licenses
Mrs. Leon Leary, manager of the
local branch of the Carolina Motor
Club, reports that thp first day’s
sale of automobile license plates by
far exceeds any previous year’s first
day sale. The tags went on sale
Tuesday, and automobile owners not
only from Edenton and Chowan
County, but from adjoining counties,
are taking advantage of the local
branch to secure license plates.
With every new 1937 license plate
sold, the vehicle owner will receive j
an inquiry card with the request that ;
this card be filled out and returned [
by mail. Over 500,000 of these;
cards have been printed and distri
buted to the 50 branch offices of the
Carolina Motor Club, and the pro-j
per card will accompany each pair
of the new North Carolina license
plates.
The distribution of these cards re
presents but one phase of the State
wide highway planning survey now
being initiated by the State Highway j
and Public Works Commission in co- j
operation with the U. S. Bureau of I
Public Roads. These planning sur
veys are federally financed and are
being conducted in some 41 states at
the present time, including the neigh
boring states of Virginia, Tennessee
and South Carolina.
These inquiry cards ask a few
questions which, it is believed, every
well informed vehicle owner can an
swer without much trouble. The
main points desired are the location
of ownership of the vehicle, the make
and year of the vehicle, the amount
paid for license plates, the mileage
travelled during the past 12 months,
and the average mileage obtained per
gallon of gasoline. Vehicle owners
are not asked to give their names,
nor their license numbers. These
cards may be returned without post
age to the Raleigh office of the U.
S. Bureau of Public Roads.
The State-wide highway planning
survey consists of a number of re- :
lated studies which seek to establish
several basis factors. With these
factors, it will be possible to deter
mine the present state of the whole
rural highway system; to prepare
the way for a logical selection of
those parts which merit inclusion in
future improvement plans, and to as
semble the facts necessary to deter
mine the ultimate cost of owning
and maintaining the various parts of
the rural road system. All of these
determinations are directed to the
end that a definite and economically
advisable long, range highway im
provement program may be estab
lished.
In simpler terms, the survey con
sists simply of assembling facts
about highway income, highway
conditions, highway service and high- i
way costs, thinking straight about
the facts, and attempting to do the
logical things which these facts in
dicate to be most advisable in the
public interest. In the final analy
sis, this is only a sound business
like procedure in which the vehicle
owner is vitally interested, because
of the fact that he is paying the
highway bill.
The success of this phase of the
Survey depends largely upon the
interest and cooperation of the gene
ral public. By filling out and re
turning these Government franked
cards, all motor vehicle owners will
be rendering a valuable service in
helping our Commission to provide
the most efficient class of highway
and road facilities.
Health Worker Inspects
Umber In Court House
Dr. Roy Norton of the State
Board of Health and Dr. F. H. Gar
ris, of Windsor, were visitors in
Edenton Tuesday afternoon. Dr.
Norton, who has traveled quite ex
tensively, was particularly interested
in the timber in the old Chowan
court house, making a general in
spection on the second floor as well
as in the roof of the building. The
quality of the timiber was especially
commented upon, and surprise ex
pressed that the valuable old build
ing has had so little publicity na
tionally.
TRAFFIC PATROL!
BY SCHOOL BOYS
NOW UNDER WAY
Red Caps and White
Sam Brown Belts Add
Splendor
FOUR DUTY
Motorists Warned to
Obey Directions In
Passing Corners
Edenton’s school boy highway pa
trol is on duty at four street inter
sections, and, in the voiced viewpoint
of Chief of Police Helms, “means
business.” The junior traffic officers,
tutored and trained as they have
been by the Chief and Corporal
George Bail, got on the job on Mon
day and are quite nifty looking and
upstanding in their crimson caps and
white Bam Brown belts. They will
be in service just before and after
; all school hours to safeguard young
-1 sters going back and forth to their
j studies.
; The new “boy cops” will be in
charge of Melvin Layton their
senior as captain of the squad, and
j besides Layton are Josiah Elliott,
Robert Chesson and A. J. Mason.
look after traffic at the
post office corner, Elliott at Queen
and Bread Streets, Chesson at Court
and Queen and young Mason at
Court and Church.
The boys will not be empowered
■ to make traffic arrests but will other
| wise be given full police authority to
report all violations and appear as
witnesses in court against those sgr
reported. They have been tutored
by Helms and Dail, and by especial
admonition of their principal, John
A. Holmes, to be courteous to every
one and never argue.
Chief Helms and the others are
confident the new- patrol will be sue.
cessful in every way, and that they
will be a credit to the town and
State. The plan was tried once be
fore but failed because the very con
ditions which the present day squad
have been warned against prevailed
on the previous occasion.
“The boys will mean business,”
said the Chief in discussing their
selection, “and some doubters may
have to face the judge to find it
out.”
| Postoffice Be Open
Saturday Afternoon
Postmaster C. E. Kramer in
formed The Herald Tuesday that
the Edenton postoffice will remain
, open Saturday afternoon for the ac
commodation of patrons who wish
to mail articles for Christmas.
Mails are much heavier and Mr.
Kramer urges early mailing of
’ Christmas packages.
The local office is anxious to ren
der the best service possible and
in this connection the postmaster
says the best times of the day to
mail parcels is during the morning
up to 11 o’clock, and from 2 to 6
p. m. By using these hours the
rush period is avoided on account
of receipt and dispatch of noon-day
mails.
i If parcels are desired to be dis
patched the same day it will be ne
cessary to send them special hand
ling or special delivery as the af
ternoon Norfolk to Wilson star
route does not handle parcels by
ordinary mail.
Mr. Kramer especially warns pa
trons to securely wrap packages
and address plainly. Money or
valuable matter should not be sent
by ordinary mail, but should be
sent by money order, registered or
insured. Air mail is now available
to all parts of the country and con
necting’ air lines to foreign nations,
rates for which may be learned at
the postoffice.
Bank Will Be Closed
Day After Christmas
Though nothing definite has been
decided upon, there is some agitation
regarding the closing of business
houses in Edenton on Saturday after
Christmas. It is the general opinion
that there will be very little business
on that day and if the plan goes into
effect it would mean a three-day
holiday for clerks as well as mer
chants.
The Bank of Edenton on Wednes
day was the only place which had
definitely decided to remain closed,
but it is expected others will follow
suit. Patrons of the bank are espec
ially urged to remember the holiday
and transact their hanking business
accordingly.
Wanna Help Make
Old Folks Happy?
The Welfare IVpart Kent of
Chowan County is anxious to help
spread Christina, cheer among
the 5# or 6* old dependents in j
the County. In this connection, i
W. J. Taylor, welfare ettrer. will
he glad to receive any donation in
the way of money, food or chalk
ing which wiU go to make ap a
Christmas package for each _af
these unfortunate folks.
A telephone cull or postcard to
Mr. Taylor is all that is neces
sary to help make Christmas Day
possibly a hit more happy for
those who no doubt in years gone
by realised the joy ia helping
make someone else happy.
CHRISTMAS SEALS
SHOWOUICK SALE
Splendid Response Be
ing' Made Is Report
From Canvassers
l't-lay in getting the sale o’
Christmas tuberculosis seal# unties 1
way has been overcome this week by j
the eager interest shown in the pur-j
chase of the stamps. Mrs. J. Augus-;
tus Moore, chairman of the earn !
paign, ami the vice chairman, Mrs-. 1
R. C. Holland, are both gratified by j
the progress made and expect!
Christmas eve. the closing time o' j
the sale, to show- returns suhstsu-1
tially as great if not greater than in:
previous years.
■s. Holland explained yesterday J
Qfat the campaigners were purlieu- j
Jarly gratified by the way Edenton!
mas been responding to the belated j
appeals. Especial mention was made I
of the keen and active interest ex-1
hibited by the colored schools ami J
churches here.
A large proportion of the returns
from the stamp sales is retained for
local usage in combating tuberculo
sis cases in Chowan, and that this
need was an anxious one was evi
denced by Mrs. Holland's statement
that last year 936 quarts of milk was |
given out to undernourished suffer
ers who might without it succomb!
to the white plague. This year, she :
said, it was hoped to increase this
milk allotment, and this fact could
be assured if the stamp sales went ]
‘‘over the top" as hoped.
The 19- 6 seats ate different than
usual, conveying no tuberculosis
slogan as in other years, but merely
depicting old rosy-cheeked and stub- •
nosed Santa Claus with "Holiday
Greetings" thereon. For that rea
son the stamps serve a double pur
pose and can be employed in Christ
mas package deem rat tons.
SERVICES AT HOLY INNOCENTS I
Services wiU tie held at Holy Inno
cents Episcopal Chnrch. Avoca. Sun
day atternoon at 3 o'clock.
■— - -8
j Edenton “Dressed
Up” For Christmas!
❖ ——J
Edenton has surpassed previous
years in making Christmas this sea
son a decorative sight. The town
has strung its usual quota of vari
colored lights along Broad Street,
and has added to this brightness by'
decorating the light standards at
street corners with large pine
branches and holly sprigs, which are
lighted at night. At the water j
front end of the thoroughfare hangs.
the large night-sparkling Christmas j
star also adding greatly to the ap-'
pea ranee of the decoration is the
large cedar tree immediately back
of the star, lighted up with red and
green lights.
Many of the stores, as on previous
occasions, have adorned their curb!
frontages, also, with decorated trees,
and inside the different places
Christmas shows in a hundred ways
in addition to the bountiful display'
of Yuletide offerings being display
ed. The town restaurants have been
enlivened with red and green colors
and at the Joseph Hewes Hotel the
manager, W. R. Horton, has put
himself out to give the lobby and
coffee shop a Christmassy appear
ance. Mrs. Horton, who has aided
her husband in this beautification
has put up little electrically lighted
trees at different points ami the
place has been made to resemble
what its lessee calls it “a home
away from home.”
Already private homes have their
trees and other decorations at work,
and up and down the main streets
are noticed what promises to be a
very lively competition for the most
attractively decorated house front
tor*.
Merry Christinas!
This newspaper is circu
lated tn the territory
where Advertisers will
realize good results.
$1.25 Per Year
WPA SCHOOL AID
APPEARS LIKELY
POSSIBILITY NOW
Work Plans Approved
And Encouragement
By State Officials
ASK FOfT $68,000
Whole Thing Now De
pends On Action In
Washington
Kdenton's renewed application for
\V t'A assistance toward the proposed
improvements to the local high
school, may now be on the way to a
I successful culmination as a result of
a visit Principal John A. Holmes has
made to the Local Government Com
, mission at Chapel Hill. Great en
couragement was given to him on
this visit, the proposal was given
full approval, and later Stanley H.
Wright. State WPA director, ex
pressed himself as heartily sympa
j the;' and personally anxious to be
jof what help lie. could. The appli-
I cat ton tor StkyWh) is now either in
< the hands of the federal authorities
iat Washington or on its way to the
i capital city, and some action can lie
j expected after the new Congress
* meets ami decides how lavish it will
j be with the Works Progress Admin
-1 is;tat ion next year.
As is by now well understood the
j recent school bond issue is insuffi
! cient to give the Edenton school
I building the improvements desired
tie tv. tin,: it was because of this the
iOou.it,' C-.rimissioners recently gave
j hearty endorsement to the: proposal
Ito again approach the \\ PA for a
j larger amount, an amount that will
I permit a larger auditorium annex
I especially.
Mr. Holmes and Architect Frank
Renton, of W ilson, went to Chapel
Hill together armed with all plans
ami specifications and able this time
to convince the Local Government
Commission that Chowan, by its re
cent refunding bond issue, has re
i established its financial credit and
: should lie viewed in the same posi
tion as other commonwealths.
The approval was at once given
j and the plans and specifications Were
i endorsed by the commission's engi
neering department and by the State
insurance department. The visit to
Mr. Wright followed and he seemed
enthusiastic about the application,
declaring he was personally anxious
to see tile loan made, and that his
: assurance that he would do vyhat he
i could to push it along could be de
pended upon.
Granting the proposed loan will
mean a substantial saving to Chowan
county, as its share of the 55-45 per
cent obligation will lie much less
than otherwise through the expendi
ture of bond issue funds, as well as
■ giving the school the larger amount
to carry on its work as desired.
“White Christmas”
At Baptist Church
On Sunday Morning:
On Sunday morning the Baptist
church and Sunday School will again
observe “White Christmas" as has
, been their custom for several vears.
This is a free-will offering for those
less fortunate at the happy Y'uletide
season ami is the means of bringing
j joy to many homes.
The “White Christmas” is not
! limited to the Baptist congregation
* only, but baskets are sent where
needed.
This year the Missionary Society
of the ehureh, under its personal ser
vice committee, will assist the pas
tor. The Ola lee Circle will have
j charge of the decoration, and W. D.
i Holmes. N. K. Rowell and W. J. Tay
lor will assist in the distribution on
Monday.
A liberal donation is hoped for.
Midnight Service At
St, Paul’s Xmas Eve
Rev. C. Aylett Ashby, rector of
St. Paul's Church, announces that,
as last year, a midnight service will
,be held in the church on Christmas
; eve. Special Christmas music will
; be rendered, and a cordial invitation
is extended members of any church
to attend.
ROTARY MEETS AT 1 P. M.
The usual Rotary luncheon will be
held in the Parish House at 1 o’clock
today A number of the members of
the recently organised Windsor Ro
tary Club are expected to be in at
tendance, and every Rotarian is
urged to be present.