The Leading Weekly Newspaper in Western North Carolina, Serving a large and Potentially Rich Territory in this state
VOLUME XXXVIIL NUMBER 23.
HOTHOUSE IS
FINAL WINNER
IN SELECTION
Declaring his final decision in favor
nf the Hothouse route as a connection
from Cherokee county with Tennes
see at Angelico Gap, in a letter to
The Scout this week. Commissioner
J. G. Stikeleather, of the Ninth North
Carolina Highway District, stated that
he had definitely made up his mind to
recommend to the Stale Highway
Commission that this road be selected.
This action came as n result of the
ons3ur.c?u2ent uf Suite Highway
Commissioner C. N. Bass of Tennes
see that the only permanent connec
tion Tennessee would make with
North Carolina would be at Angeli
co Gap. At n recent conference with
a committee of the I.ion's Club, Mr.
Stikeleather stated that he preferred
the Shoal Creek route, but the action
of the Tennessee authorities compell
ed him to make a selection of the
Hothouse route.
Ill his letter, Mr. Stikeleather stat
ed that he would be in Murphy about
noon on the 11th, but would have
nothing to add to this decision. He
arrived ahead of the letter and stated
that he had written accordingly. His
letter follows in full:
Asheville, N. C.,
January 10, 1927.
Editor, Cherokee Scout,
Murphy, N. C.
Dear Sir:
After having conferred with Mr.
C. N. Bass very fully on the matter
of a Tennessee connection he advises
strongly for the Angelico Gap on the
ground that Tennessee will in the
next 3 to 5 years build a new road up
the Ocoee River which will make a
better and shorter connection with
Chattanooga. He states that in con
necting with Shoal Creek this would
have to be temporary and he states
further that the Kimsey Highway is
a scenic highway and that he does not
feel it is a proper highway to carry
the great trunk line travel that will
come from Chattanooga, Murphy, and
Western North Carolina.
For this reason I am constfllined to
select a connection with Angelico
Gap, called the Hot House route as
the one which 1 shall recommend to
the N. C. State Highway Commission.
My reason for suggesting the Shoal
Creek route at the recent meeting in
Murphy was that the expense of this
route would be much less than the
Hot House route and that the Shoal
Creek route was the shortest in its
connection with the Kimsey highway;
however, in view of the position
taken by Mr. Bass and of the fact
that we cannot spend our money on
the temporary connection I hereby,
as above stated, offer my recommen
dation for the Hot House route.
I shall be in Murphy on Tuesday,
the 11th, about noon and may call in
your office j however, I expect to
have nothing to add to this statement
unless something develops in the
meantime.
Very truly yours,
J. G. STIKELEATHER,
Commissioner.
This decision of Commissioner
Stikeleather brings to a definite con
clusion a problem of more than three
years standing. There have been ad
vocated in the county for this con
nection not only the Hothouse and
Shoal Creek routes, but also the
Beaverdam route, all three of which
connect with Tennessee. The matter
ot selcting the particular route was
left to Mr. Stikeleather and his engi
neers. It was not until this week that
Mr. Stikeleather made known his final
selection. It is expected that the
county will maintain the two other I
routes so that after all the county
B"._ i
COUNTY COURT
ABOLISHED BY
commissioners
Step Made Necessary On Account of
Cutting Expenses of
County
At the regular meeting of the
Board of Commissioners of Cherokee
County, the General County Court
was abolished by special order ot the
board, to take effect as soon as the
docket can be cleaned up and trans
farred to the Sunprin? Court docket.
This action was taken in view of
the fact that the commissioners are
seeking to curtail expenditures at
every point possible. The burning of
the curt house last year has brought
on a lot of expense to the county,
which made it necessary to take this
action, it was announced.
THREE STILLS
AND 1 ,o00 GALS.
BEER DESTROYED
Sheriff Birchfield and Deputies Make
Big Haul In Unaka Section
Recently
Three stills and from 1,500 to
1.800 gallons of beer and mash were
recently destroyed by Sheriff D. M.
Birch field and Deputies, Jim Rose,
Cody Clayton and George Crawford.
The stills were located under what
is known as the Wolf Knob, near
Unaka, and were located within one
quarter mile of each other the offi
cers stated.
The stills were deserted at the time
of the raid, but showed evidences
that they had been operated for some
time, and the officers were certain
that the operators contemplated
I continuing the gentle routine of mak
ing moonshine, if about 1,800 gallons
j of beer and mash could be considered
1 as any evidence.
j No arrests were made.
ALMANAC PREDICTED
FLORIDA HURRICANES
It may*hot be generally known, but
it is a fact, that both of the recent
Florida storms, namely, that of Sep
tember 17th and that of October
19th, were predicted by Professor
DeVoe in the 1926 Edition of the
Ladies Birthday Almanac, published
by The Chattanooga. Medicine Co., of
Chattanooga, Tenn.
and Murphy in particular will have
three connections with Tennessee.
The Hothouse route will make a short
route to Chattanooga and other Ten
nessee cities and it is expected to
bring much of the Great Lakes travel
by way of Murphy on its journey
South and then back North.
Mr. Stikeleather was enroute to
Atlanta and Miami, Fla., wljen he
stopped over in Murphy. He was
accompanied by Roscoe Marvel of
Asheville, President of the Appala
chian Scenic Highway, and Kelley E.
Bennett of Bryson City. In Atlanta
his party expected to be joined by
Major John H. Cohen, President and
Editor and Harlee Branch, City Edi
tor of The .Tonrnal, and the five were
to proceed to Tampa to select a route
for the Appalachian Scenic Highway
from Atlanta to the Florida city.
I'LL SAY SO!
Grandmother: "I suppose you have
to stay up very late at college."
Grandson: "Yes, but really, Grand
mother, it's worth it."
TRADE AT HOME LEST THIS I
| BE YOUR EXPERIENCE ALSO
A well known citizen of Murphy,
funding himself in need of some spec
ial footwear to brave the wintry
weather of January and February,
turned to the catalogue of a well
known mail order house where he
found listed an eighteen inch boot at
$7.95, which he considered a satisfac
tory price. He forwarded his 'check
ar.u in due course the boots came, but
were sixteen inch instead of eighteen
inch boots. He bundled them up and
naid the nnfetag* for their return; also
spent another two cents, some sta
tionery and valuable time writing to
explain to the mail order house that
he had ordered eighteen instead of
sixteen inch boots. He waited, and
again in the course of time the said
mail order house sent him the very
same pair of sixteen inch hoots again.
Again he bundled them up, paid post
age for their return airain in the sum
of 24 cents, and wrote another letter
asking that his check in the sum of
$7.1)5 be returned to him.
He then went to a local merchant
and found the merchant selling an
eighteen inch hoot precisely of the
same make and he thinks of better
quality, for only $7.00.
This particular individual will prob
ably get his $7.95 back in a few days
and pay for the boots at the local
store, the store that pays tax to the
county of Cherokee and Town of
Murphy, that helps support Murphy's
school and Churches and other simi
lar enterprises, and put the 95 cents
in his pocket. Hut h< will never get
the 24 cents back he paid in postage
on each of two occasions in returning
goods he did not order nor will he
get back the time and effort spent in
ordering from the mail order house
which pays no tax in Murphy and
does nothing to support any of the
public institutions and charities of
Murphy and Cherokee County.
But he says that he has icarned his
lesson. If he has, it was cheap at
that. No doubt others could relate
similar experiences.
WHO HAS
READ THE SCOUT
LONGEST?
The Scout is in receipt of several
letters this week in repard to the
question "Who has read The Scout
longest?" which was asked in these
columns last week. A proposition was
made to give one year's subscription
to the five subscribers who had read
this paper longest without intern: -
tion. It is regretted that space dors
n't permit to carry the letters this
week. The proposition is still open,
and the letters will be carried next
week.
How long have you been reading
The Scout?
N. C. U. Alumni
Meet, Organize
County Ass'n.
At a meeting of the Alumni of the
University of North Carolina of
Cherokee County on January 7, the
Cherokee County Association was
formed with F. 0. Christopher as
President, Ralp Moody as Vice-Presi
dent and J. H. Axley as Secretary and
Treasurer. Chase Tatham of An
drews, N. W. Abernathy of Marble
and D. wnitnerspoon of Murphy were
elected members of the Board of Di
rectors. It is expected that the an
nual meeting of the organization will
be held each year during the Christ
mas holidays.
POSTOFFICE
RECEIPTS FOR
YEAR $11,385
Records Show Gain in 1926 Over
1925 of $356.00 Says Postmaster
Dickey
Rcccips for toe iocai post office
during the year 1926 are $11,385.86
according to information given out
this week by Postmaster A. B. Dickey.
These figures represent a gain over
1925 of $356.24, the books show.
These receipts includes and is repre
sented entirely by stamps, stamp
paper and parcel post revenue actual
ly sold in the local office, and does
not include such items as money
orders' fees and C. O. D. fees. The
receipts of the local post office have
showed a steady gain for the past
several years, and Mr. Dickey is well
pleased with prospects for even fur
ther gain in 1927.
The amount of mail passing
through this post office daily is tre
mendous, an average of 6,000 letters
daily, incoming and out going, are
handled which do not include tVe
packages recoitcci and * disbursed*- at1
this office. This post office occupies
a peculiar position in the Dept., being
distributing point for offices in Clay
county, N. C., Towns' County, Ga.,
and for the lower end of Cherokee
county.
The Post Office Money Order busi
ness handled through this office is
exceptionally heavy, averaging about
$6,000 per month. This includes only
. the Money Orders issued. During the
| month of December there were 650
! Money Orders issued by local authori
ties, and 168 paid. The insured
I packages for December number 883,
I and Postmaster Dickey stated that
j there were three ordinary, or unin
i sured packages handled to every one
j sured.
Thest figures are interesting and
present a l airly conceivable idea of
the amount of business handled by
Postmaster Dickey, and his efficient
corps of clerks and tlso something of
the amount of business Uncle Sam
is receiving by the patrons in Murphy
and vicinity.
NEWS ITEMS
OF LAST WEEK
i
January 5th. The United States
landed more Marines in Nicaragua
to protect American life and proper
ty.
President Coolidgc disapproves
building of three new cruisers, backed
by the House.
British having trouble with Chinese.
Mobs invade and overrun English
Concession. United States and Brit
ish Warships sent to shell Hankow.
Jan; 6th. Six more warships and
400 more Marines sent to Nicaragua.
The Navy department said the pur
pose of this dispatch of additional
troop3 and ships was to enable Ad
miral Latimer to "thoroughly pro
tect" American lives and property in
the war-torn Central American coun
try.
Fire destroyed the Administration
building of I<enoir-Rhyne Coileg at
Hickory early Tuesday morning caus
ing, a loss estimated at $100,000. Or
igin of fire undertcrmined.
Several fairly heavy earth shocks
were feit In the Imperial Valley of
California early Thursday morning of
last week.
AGED MURPHY
WOMAN DIED
ON SATURDAY
Funeral Service* Held Monday For
Mn. Anna L. Hayes Inter
ment r?t Tomotla
Mrs. Anna L. Hayes, nee Beat, 74
years old, widow of the late Hugh
Hayes, died Saturday night at th^
home of her brother, R. R. Beal, in
Bealtown. Mrs. Hayes had been in
ill Itcallii Tor nearly a year.
She was a member of the Episcopal
Church here for sixty years, and was
one of Murphy's oldest and most be
loved women.
Funeral services were held at the
residence of R. R. Beal, in Bealtown
Monday morning: at 10 o'clock, by the
Rev. E. J. Pipes, of Franklin, and in
the court house last year has brought
terment was at Tomotla.
She is survived by two brothers,
R. R. Beal and L. F. Beal; two sisters,
Miss Mary Beal. all of Murphy, and
Mrs. J. T. Hayes, of Tomotla.
BUILDING AND
LOAN ELECTS
" A 1927 OFFICERS
Plans Made to Sell Stock in Seventh
Series Which Is Open During
January
The regular annual meeting of the
stockholders of the Murphy Building
and Loan Association was held in the
Directors Room of the Rank of Mur
phy on January 8th. At this meet
ing officers for the ensuring year
were clected and plans made for sell
ing a large block of stock in thrt
seventh series which is open all daring
the month of January.
Former I "resident D. Whitherspoon,
having tendered his resignation, Vice
President W. 11. Fain was elected
President. W. W. Hyde was made
Vice-President and H. W. Sipe was
re-elected Secretary and Treasurer.
Messrs. P. C. Hyatt, J. V. Harnett and
J. H. Phaup were elected members of
the Loan Committee, and the officers
and loan Committee and R. F. Wil
liamson were constituted the : Board
of Directors of the Association.
The By-Laws of the Association
were amended so as to allow the
transference of the loan privilege
with the transfer of stock. It
thought that this feature might stimu
late interest in the Association on the
I part of those interested in real estate.
The second Monday night in each
month was designated as the tiipe
for the Director's meetings.
Dues will be received at any time
at the business office of the Chero
kee Scout on the second floor of the
Fain Building, where the Secretary
Treasurer maintains the office of the
Association. Applications for stock
and other information may also be
secured here or from any of the offi
cers at any time. The Association has
been a potent factor in the develop
ment of Murphy and it is expected to
be even more useful as time gos on.
A LITTLE LATE
Percy: "Oh, I have the most glo
rious news!"
Esther (his cousin) : "What is itV
Percy: "Peggy has promised to ba
my wife!"
Esther: "So that's what you call
news! A month ago she asked me to
be her bridesmaid."