IOWAN HERALD
, In The Most Beautiful Little City On The North Carolina Coast
* Volume LLIII • No. 10
Edenton. North Carolina. Thursday. March 5. 1987
Single Copies 25 Cents
I
A Fatal Strategy
There is a story about a baseball
manager who in disgust told a
young left outfielder that he had
. loused his position up so that
nobody could play it.
Could it be that some such ex
planation as that is the reason so
t many promising candidates for
^ President of the United States are
taking themselves out of the race?
First there was Lee Iacocca, the
business wizard who brought
about such a dramatic turnaround
at Chrysler.
After a best-seller book, saying,
in effect, that what was good for
Chrysler might not be so bad for
ft the country as a whole, and after
a series of speeches sounding
every bit like a potential pres
idential candidate, Iacocca let it
be known that he was not running
and would not be drafted.
Then there was Mario Cuomo,
the two-term Governor of New
York, who lifted the 1984
Democratic national convention
ft out of the doldrums with a keynote
speech that left everybody think
ing here was a formidable can
didate for the 1988 presidential
nomination.
Now he has bowed out, perhaps
not as decisively as Iacocca, but
more dramatically. His announce
ment, he said, was based on
“reason and instinct.”
W Could that sort of reason and in
stinct also explain the reluctance
of such other able men as Sena
tors Sam Nunn of Georgia and Bill
Bradley of New Jersey to get into
the race? Or why George Bush
* wears such a glum expression
these days and former Senator
Howard Baker of Tennessee sud
^ denly decides he would rather run
™ the White House staff than run the
country?
Is the common denomminator
among them all the realization
that the next President of the
United States will be faced with
having to make some of the most
painful decisions possible for a
chief executive, including, but not
P Continued On Page 4
Ordinance
Is Approved
»
i
»
Chowan County Commissioners
this week passed an ordinance
that will protect local law enforce
ment officers and the county
against lawsuits in the event of
auto accidents related to escorted
funeral processions. The or
dinance was requested by Sheriff
Fred Spruill.
Currently there is no state law
governing funeral processions
escorted by the sheriff’s depart
ment. In a letter to Spruill, sign
ed by N.C. Assistant Attorney
General Robert E. Cansler,
Cansler stated, “No ordinance can
ever completely protect you from
all liability.” However, “I believe
the enactment of this ordinance (a
draft was enclosed) is preferable
to no ordinance at all.”
The sheriff told county commis
sioners that some lawsuits have
arisen across the state from pro
cession related accidents. No
statute exists giving processions
the right of way.
He said that the town of
Salisbury did have such an or
dinance in effect when an accident
occurred at an intersection
resulting in a suit. Because of the
ordinance, the town won the legal
action.
Spruill said that the ordinance
would offer protection to law en
forcement, the county, funeral
homes and individuals in the pro
cession. “At this point in time,
we’re wide open.”
The ordinance provides that a
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Currituck Man Tried
On Murder Charge
By JEANETTE WHITE
The sound of weeping mixed
with grim evidence in Chowan
Superior Court this week when
Eazed (Zed) Rudolph Meekins of
Powells Point went on trial for the
April 29 kidnapping and murder of
Mrs. Ethel S. Owens of Harbinger.
Mrs. Owens’ family cried as
District Attorney H.P. Williams
lead a parade of witnesses
through testimony about the vic
tims’s life and circumstances of
her death.
Meekins, 28, was charged with
first degree murder, kidnapping
and burglary after Mrs. Owens’
partially clad body, riddled with
19 stab wounds, was found May 3
down an embankment on an
isolated, swampy section of U.S.
158 in Currituck County.
In a trial with a white victim
and black defendant, a jury of
nine black and five white
members was chosen. Judge Fred
Williams of Durham is also black.
In Bertie County, 144 prospective
jurors were used to select the
panel after the trial was moved
here because of tension in Cur
rituck County.
Security during the trial has
been tight, with all courtroom
doors guarded, witnesses not
allowed in the courtroom until
they take the stand and a metal
detector used on spectators.
The trial has been fraught with
motions from court-appointed
defense attorneys Lennie Hughes
and O.C. Abbott to suppress
evidence and each motion has
sent the jury from the courtroom,
sometimes for several hours. A
relatively new law requires two
court-appointed attorneys for a
capital offense.
A parade of black and white
witnesses said the 79-year-old vic
tim was a well-respected widow
who had lived alone since the
death of her husband in 1971. One
elderly black man, Sammy Sim
mons, testified that he lived near
the victim and helped her with
chores. “She was a friend, I miss
her,” Simmons said.
The defendant’s mother, Sarah
Meekins, had worked with Mrs.
Owens for many years, helping
with cooking and cleaning chores.
Witnesses said a “loving relation
ship” existed between the two
women, but that the victim often
expressed fear of Zed Meekins.
According to witnesses, the vic
tim’s family became alarmed
when they could not reach her by
Continued On Page 4
SEWING UP A STORM—Corinne Thorud was one of a group of local
residents who volunteered their time to assist in Little Theatre pro
ductions. Here she is shown sewing a costume for one of the troupe’s
early presentations. Thorud, noted Ross Inglis, 'was a reliable, faithful
worker, both on stage and off.” Much Little Theatre memorabilia from
the past has been preserved by a former producer, Joe Conger.
Little Theatre To Reorganize
By REBECCA BUNCH
Since its somewhat unusual
beginning in 1964, and continuing
through the early 1980’s, the Eden
ton Little Theater was one of this
community’s favorite forms of
entertainment. Fueled by the
talent and enthusiasm of local
people, productions spanned a
wide range of theatric styles and
subjects — everything from the
murder mystery, “Ten Little In
dians”, to the children’s classic,
“Cinderella”. ®
Now, after considerable discus
sion among former members of
the troupe and an expression of in
terest by several newcomers to
Edenton, area residents have
decided to attempt a reorganiza
tion. A meeting for that purpose
has been scheduled for tonight at
7:30 p.m. in Shepard-Pruden
Library, Edenton. All interested
persons will be welcome.
The original Little Theatre was
formed in 1964, almost as an after
thought, following a performance
of the suspense drama, “Night of
January 16”. The play was stag
ed as a fundraising event of the
Chowan Hospital Auxiliary. Per
formed in the historic Chowan
County Courthouse, the event
marked the true beginning of the
Edenton Players.
“Royal Gambit”, directed by
Ross Inglis and produced by Joe
Conger, was the Little Theater’s
premiere presentation. Other of
ferings in those early years in
Continued On Page 4
CONFERENCE CHAMPS—The Junior Varsity basketball squad of John A. Holmes ran away with the
Northeastern 2-A Conference championship recently. They had a 15-3 overall record and 10-2 ^conference
play. Team members are (1. to r.) front, Kevin Holley, Donnell White, Tommy Nixon and Chad Johnson.
In back, Johnnie Alexander, Mickey Bonner, Jeff Leary, Leroy Revelle, Gerald Perry, Chuck Paylin and
Coach Tyronne Spellman.
HAVING A BALL—The dance floor was packed at Saturday night’s annual Hospital Auxiliary Ball at
’ the new National Guard Armory. The ball’s theme was “Welcome Aboard USS Life.” (See page 8-B for
additional pictures and details.)
Committee Begins Fundraising Efforts
me nunu me rarK orgamza
1 tion, formed to create a water
front activities park on the former
' J. H. Conger Oil Company prop
erty on Edenton’s waterfront, has
launched an effort to raise $20,000
- from private sources to get the
park established.
Build The Park’s chairman, Gil
Burroughs, said that this sum was
needed to bulkhead about 150 feet
of the property's waterfront, and
to get several recreational
facilities in place on the park site
by late summer. Burroughs fur
ther stated that a local waterfront
facilities contractor, Waff
Brothers, had made “a very gen
» erous proposal” to put the bulk
head in place for about $100 per
linear foot, accounting for $15,000
of the targeted $20,000 to be
raised.
At the February 10 town coun
Icil meeting. Burroughs displayed
a scale model showing pre
liminary plans for the park. The
site plan shown on page 9-A, illus
trates what the group has in mind.
The facilities include an exer
cise and jogging warm-up course,
a handball court, an outdoor
stage, a beach volley-ball court,
shuffleboard decks, and horseshoe
I pits, covered picnic facilities, and
1 a floating ramp for launching light
. watersport craft.
; Burroughs emphasized that
1 Build The Park is anxious to have
i citizens’ suggestions for modifica
tions to this plan. One feature pro
jected for the park is the place
ment on it, for use as a park ad
ministrative office, of the bridge
operator’s office from the old
highway 32 bridge over Albem
marle Sound. This structure is be
ing donated by the Highway De
partment.
Longer term, the citizens group
nopes to oe able to erect a Doat
house to accompany the floating
ramp.
Describing the Build The Park
fundraising program, Burroughs
said it had several elements, some
of which were already underway.
The group’s first step was to
mail a letter to about 150 indi
viduals and families who had in
itially opposed plans to sell the
parkland to private investors for
the erection of a waterfront motel.
The letter requested donations,
and particularly offered to “sell”
each foot of the needed bulkhead
for $100 to donors who could then
have their names inscribed on the
bulkhead’s concrete cap.
A second element of the fund
raising drive will get underway
Monday, March 9, Burroughs
said. This will be a door-to-door
solicitation throughout the town of
Edenton and much of Chowan
County carried out by volunteer
members of the Build the Park
organization. Again, Burroughs
said, while donations of any size
will be sought, remaining feet of
the bulkhead will be available for
'"sale”.
Finally, Build The Park will ask
civic and business organizations
as well as individuals for major
gifts for general park develop
ment purposes or for contribu
tions in kind for construction of
specific park facilities.
Burroughs said, that he could
report that as of March 2, con
tributions and commitments total
„ Continued On Page 4
Bear Hunting Considered
By JACK GROVE
Chowan County Commissioners
had a bulging agenda at their
meeting Monday morning.
Among items considered were a
proposed bear hunting season,
road improvement assessments
at Chowan Beach, bid approval
for construction of a skilled nurs
ing facility at Chowan Hospital, a
resolution concerning a state-wide
phosphate ban in detergents and
consideration of a subdivision plat
at the Chowan Country Club.
Representative Vernon James
sent the board a letter asking their
views on a brief bear hunting
season for the area. Currently
bear hunting is prohibited by state
law. If this law were repealed,
then the Wildlife Commission
would have responsibility for set
ting the duration of the season.
In discussions with Jerry
Wright, Chairman of the State
Wildlife Commission, County
Manager Cliff Copeland was told
that there have been an increas
ing number of complaints of bears
destroying crops and other vege
tation. Additionally, Copeland
said that local wildlife official,
Mike Overton, said that the legis
lation “was very much needed.”
Commissioner Wayne Goodwin
told the board that bears feed at
night and that his crops have been
victimized. He said that even
though farmers can get special
permits to destroy predators,
“bears can stay awake longer
than farmers. I support the
Wildlife Commission in their ef
forts to control the bear popu
lation.”
The resolution passed.
Chowan Hospital Administra
tor, Johnny Bryan presented bids
for construction of the new skill
ed nursing facility. He said that
the bids had already been approv
ed by the hospital board.
A low bid for general construc
tion of $1,227,100 was submitted by
the L.P. Cox Co. Other low bidders
were: Southern Piping of $215,000
for plumbing; D.L. Johnson of
$198,711 for electrical; and
Southern Piping of $297,000 for
mechanical. Bids totaled
$1,937,811.
An overrun of $227,811 over the
original cost estimate was due to
soil conditions according to
Bryan. Approximately 280 pilings
will be needed to underpin the
structure to allow for possible
future expansion to a two-story
building, Statistics show an ever
increasing population of senior
citizens in the state.
The overrun will be covered
partly by a grant from a private
foundation and partly from the
hospital’s reserve fund, according
to the administrator. The Board of
Commissioners approved the
bids.
A bond issue, covering the con
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