Courthouse Again On Trial Chowan County’s historic courthouse, a gem of Georgian architecture and be lieved to be the oldest such facility still in continuous use, has again come under attack for its inadequacy. The most - recent criticism was leveled this week by a Superior Court judge and followed the next day by the 18-member Grand |lnbltr parade Changing Os The Guard Chowan County commissioners are to be commended for their wisdom in se lecting J. Clarence Leary as chairman. Also in delaying the appointment of a fifth member until after the May 2 Democratic Primary. At the same time, Mr. Leary is to be congratulated for the high degree of trust and confidence placed in him by his colleagues. His acceptance of the chairmanship for the unexpired term of the late W. E. Bond is in character with his past willingness to go the second f mile in the field of civic responsibility. Action also taken last Wednesday morning would indicate the days of a salaried chairman of the commissioners is gone. It has been our belief for many years that county government along the Public Parade should be so structured as to require less time of the chairman. Modern techniques, machinery, etc.. make it possible for a structure of coun ty government with fewer hands in the pot. The end result of this will be a saving on the tax rate —something every, one, including' the commissioners, wel come. Chowan County is big business. It must be operated as such if we are not going to be taxed overboard. The com missioners must perfect every possible economy, be it through consolidation or other structural changes, which are in the best interest of the citizenry. Action over the past few years to abolish payment of fees for services has been progressive. Other progressive ac tion can and should be taken. Chairman Leary is a veteran in the municipal arena. With the aid oj[ fellow commissioners he is now in a greater po sition to bring about money-saving poli cies and practices. And we predict they are in the wings and will not be too long in making a debut. Too Much! Too Much! This week has just been too much! And it all started out so well. The fact that the overcast and drizzle obscured the Easter sunrise and the fabled “dance” which was to follow, didn’t deter our Paul Gregory, his four brothers and sisters nor their mother. We just went along for the ride. Sunday night there was a stimulating conversation with Don Evans of Rocky Mount. For those along the Public Pa •- rade who don’t know Don, he is the father of Holt, Margaret, Elizabeth and Don-Don; the husband of the former Margaret Griffin and the son-in-law of Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Griffin. The conversation was so stimulating that we heeded a bit of TV medicine to get to sleep. What we didn’t know was that Merv Griffin, no relation of course to Lloyd, had scheduled such a show. He had the free-lovers of the Boston “community” on as well as Virginia Gra ham, spokesman for the middleclass fe male group. Continued on Pace 4 if i¥ k 1 Vj ♦ 4' £*'?**? My f t >* t ' t \ *V x*jlst*'l* m +*yjl^W r +- ’ I ;-.V’‘• ,^'A vv^ r U3;i ?, Hi V \v.v wit M&jßtLSr m , rCKMEE RESIDENT IS -OUTER BANKS BEAUTY QUEEN—Sanfni Lynn Ante of Nags Bril Atm with her parents, Mr. ill Mrs. Howard Ange, was selected as ‘‘Miss Dare County of 1W" hi the beenty and talent show at Manteo Saturday night She is SI year* eld, a Junior at the University of Southern Mississippi, and the only North Caro ms e Barrel atTme th!T “Miss^are^l 4 Queen Sanfra and her ferentn were resUentn of Edenton before they moved to Nags Judge, Jury Call It Inadequate Jury. o The Grai hr, following the cue of Judge How, Hubbard of Clinton in a statenu rnday, said the “pres ent facilitie. deemed inadequate.” The panel mended that county commissioner appropriate action to “provide ade< acilities for the carry ing on of thr ty’s business”. Commissioi ere also requested to report at the next regular session of the Grand Jury what action has been or is presently being taken in this regard. A special term of Superior Court has been set for June 22 and that is the date on which the Grand Jury will assemble again. W. M. Hare is chairman of the panel and B. Jack Padgett is secretary. The report was read in court by Judge Hub bard when the Grand Jury completed its business Tuesday afternoon. After his formal charge to the jury Monday morning, the jurist said he had a general statement to make. He said Edenton has always been one of his fav orite places. “You have a beautiful Volume XXXVII—No. 14. mi- 4 \ r MJ /l 'W ■, 4? is i i W- The area project is 20.7 miles of re surfacing, sand asphalt base, surface and bituminous concrete surface on six sections of primary roads on U. S. 17-158 and Highway 32-168 (part), and five ' roads. Edenton, Chowan County, North Carolina, Thursday, April 2, 1970. Chowan County Courthouse, Erected in 1767 Jury Halts Trial Os Leary A hearing was conducted in Chowan County Superior Court Wednesday morn ing to determine the mental competence of James W. Leary, 69, 203 East Water Street, to stand trial on two felony counts. The jury was selected Tuesday after noon to answer the issue put by Judge Howard H. Hubbard of Clinton. Defense Hearing April 13 On Bond Question Citizens of Edenton will have an op portunity to quiz Town Councilmen about the $600,000 water and sewer referendum at a public hearing April 13. The hearing will be held in the Mu nicipal Building, beginning at 8 P. M. Town Administrator W. B. Gardner said the public hearing would conclude a series of meetings being conducted by Mayor George Alma Byrum and Jesse L. Harrell, chairman, Board of Public Works, to discuss the May 2 issue. Oth er meetings have been held with resi dents of neighborhoods to be affected by the extension project, scheduled to cost nearly sl-million. The town has received a federal grant in the amount of $329,500. Developers of Morgan Park will pay $35,000. The project includes water and sewer extension to Morgan Park, Paradise Road, Albemarle Street, Hertford Road and sewer to the new Chowan Hospital site. It also includes a 500,000 gallon elevated water tank—considered of pri mary need for fire protection as well as water distribution. The town will also dig another well. Evans To Chair Advisory Council Wallace B. Evans, 217 South Oakum Street, has been named by Mayor George Alma Byrum to chair the Citizens Advisory Council for the Town of Eden ton. Evans replaces William H. Bunch who has moved from Edenton. The council is composed of neighbor - - 1 - . $ . . ■: - T 1 . Wallace B. Evans Single Copy 10 Cents Attorney W. J. P. Earnhardt, Jr., re quested such a determination when So- James W. Leary has been found not to have the mental capacity to stand trial on two felony charges. This was the decision of a Superior Court jury which deliberated 30 minutes before answering the issue at 1 P. M. Wednesday. Judge Howard H. Hubbard said he would sign an order sending the defendant to Cherry Hospital in Goldsboro. licitor Herbert Small of Elizabeth City arraigned Leary on charges of first de gree burglary and assault with intent to commit rape. The charges grew out of an alleged burglary and assault on Miss Mary El liott, 209 East Water Street on the night of September 26, 1969. Leary has been confined in jail or Cherry Hospital since his arrest in a boat in Edenton Bay shortly after the alleged crime. Earnhardt submitted evidence that Leary had had mental disorders requir ing his hospitalization on 13 occasions as far back as 1922. He said the diag nosis of a qualified physician on March Continued on Page 4 Legion Program Veterans Administration hospitals, the one in Durham in particular, will be the topic for Tuesday’s meeting of Edward G. Bond Post No. 40. American Legion. Sheriff Troy Toppin, post commander, said John Puckett and William Shepard, both of Durham, will be at the meeting which begins with a dinner at 7 P. M. Puckett is director of administration and Shepard is administrator of the Durham facility. Sheriff Toppin said Vietnam veterans are issued a special invitation. hood committee leaders and advises the Town Council on matters affecting the community. Mayor Byrum said while Evans is a recent resident of Edenton he has through the years proven himself as a genuine leader. “He has shown out standing leadership in the past in many areas and he will do a fine job as head of our Citizens Advisory Council.” Evans, 31, is a lifelong resident of Chowan County but moved to Edenton in July, 1969. He is a partner in Hughes-Parker Hardware, where he has been employed for the past 14 years. He lived on Route 3 prior to moving to Oakum Street. The chairman has been active in Eden ton Jaycees for 10 years and presently serves as chairman of that organization’s board of directors. He was president in 1968-69 and had served as vice president and a board member prior to that. He is also Northeast Regional membership chairman, which includes work with 36 clubs. Evans, the 1967 DSA winner, was chairman of the Jaycee committee which spearheaded the sl-million Hospital Bond Referendum two years ago. He has been on the board of Edenton Cham ber of Commerce, serving as treasurer for one year. Combined on Page 1