r<,.. /^.r
VOL. XLV.?No. 28.
Town of Mur]
Name of P
Fy R. W. Prevost, In
As strange as it may seem on firsi
blush it is altogether fitting that thii
thriving city in the farthermost
bound* of Western North Carolina
should be the State's memorial to ar
early leader who was a lilelong resi
dent of the lowlands.
Achioald Debow Murphy's cham
pionship of "the West" probablj
eclipsed his political career, but let
a pattern for development of a grea
t\>mmonwealui, united by communi
cation and intercourse, that was min
utely followed many years later. Ii
this, as in many other policies, hi
vision ana comprehension were 101
advanced lor nis clay and h. am.j
be regaratu ?.s a radical. Al'te
languishing in a debtor s cell, he d.o
in the prime 01 life, a o.oktn an
disappointed man.
Was born In Caswell
The son of Col. Archibald .uurnpy
Revolutionary hero, and Jan U2 buv
of a piominent Dutch family of Ne\
Amsterdam, .ie was born in Caswel
county, near Milton in 17 <7. As ;
lad he attended the school of the Rev
David Caldwell, of Guilford uunty
one of the three schools in th. Stat
that' pave even the rudiments of i
Classical education befoie ti.e uni
versity of North Carolina was esta
blished in 1795. In 1799 he pradu
aied with first honors at th? Univer
sity and for three years taupht there
two of the.n as nead of the depart
ment of ancient languages. Huvinj
studied law in the meantime, he wa
in 1802, admitted to the bar and be
came attorney for the most prominen
I eople in the State and the Moraviai
church at Salem. By 1818 .ie hai
become a $upeiinr Court jud*rt a*'
was sitting on the State Suprem
Court bench in the absence of jus
tices, by appointment of the gover
nor.
In the interim he had served fo
six year.j as state senator fron
Orange county, tutored many lav
students whose names were to be
come emblazoned in the State's hal
of fame, and had published thiee vol
umes as "Reporter ol Uie Suprem<
Court.'
As senator he had made his cele
brated and his historic report to th<
General Assembly, laying down a de
velopment pogram for the . Stab
wnich embodied an educational sys
tern wnich was flatly rejected in 1M'
only to be enacted almost into in 1831
as the first public school low.
Rendered Valuable Service
But it was from 1815 to 1823 whei
mairman of the board of interna
improvement, that he rendered mo*
valuable sevice to "the West."
Intense rivalry between "the East'
and "the West" in the General As
semfcly prevented public - spirited
leaders irom adopting conftructiw
measuies designed to aid the people
west of the Blue Ridge in buildinf
roads and making other public im
provemmts. Since, leaders of the sea
board counties argued, the people o!
"the West' ,ifed contributed nothing
towards helping them build ca
nate, deepen inlets and constiudl
roads, they should not be requiret
to pay taxes into a fund appropriated
to road building in "the West.'
Thi owing himself into the breach
Judge Murphey attempted to unfold
to the Easterners his vision of s
great and united commonwealth. In
vain he tried to convince tfiem that
development of the vast resource!
of "the West" would bestow advantages
upon the entire state, and botli
direct and indirect benefits received
by the eastern counties would be
many times the taxes collected foi
road building in the highlands. In
his masterful "Memoir' of Internal
outlined the pressing need* of th*
State embracing communication,
education court reforms and welfare
work, but he was hopelessly ahead of
his times.
Engineer Endor-.rd Pier
Undaunted by his waning political
power and in the face of being regarded
aa a radical. Judge Murphey
irk used to be brought to the state
Hamilton Fulton, a celebrated European
engineer, who heartily recom
mended his state development program.
The General Assembly refused
- to support any part of it, however,
and, unwitingty halted the state's
progress for many years.
Throufh a conspiracy of eircumxtaaeas.
Judge Murphey became the
SM^ikaaiia*^:...
ijt. if
It v, .. Western North
Murphey, N. <
>hy Bears
flan Famous
listory of State
Asheville Citizens-Times
t victicn of an antequated judicial sys5
to.r which he had vehemently det
nounced and tried in vain to have
? changed. Al.lough in comfortable
* linancial circumstances as a young
man, his activities in behalf of his i
. .ate .iad proved costly and hia in-!
f vestments turned out badly. He found j
L himseli heavily encumberer wi'.J
t debt. i
Only Arthur Harris to whom he
. wa indebted to the extent of $2,138,
n pressed for atcion?probably because
5 : political enmity. In any event.
0 Juuge Murphey was placed in the
D common jail on November 4, 18^9.
, and linge.ed there many weeK-, per*
. haps months. Suff.r.ng from the
wicte.-.ed lighting and ventilation
the jail, Judge Murphey asked Sher.fl
A mes W. Doak one day to hol i the
dcor open for a few minutes eha"
J he mig'.it breithe again the fiesh aii
v and se. th: blue heavens. Thej
. herill, v?io hai vigorously protester,
u against serving the papers that \v uk
, lace his old friend in jail, not onlyopened
the door for him, but left it
J. o??n. It ramained open until ?o?i e
a one dicovered that, in an opinion
n..ndc.i down by the supreme court
. in tne case of Wilkes vs Slaughter.
1S24, the sheriff Jould be held re.
sponsible of all of the debts of a
, prisoner if .be lett the way open for
. an e cape?whether or not the prison?
escaped. On Judge Murphey'g res
ouest the doors closed upon him
. again.
t Buried At Hillsboro
a Broken in body and spirit. Judge
j Murphey died on February J, 1832,
1 ?jid was buried in Hillsboro. His
e g. ave near the door of the old Pres.
cyterian church there remained unmaiked
for many years, until Judge
A. >1. Aiken, a great gtand-on and
r .\iis. Barzillia G. Worth, of Wilming,
ton, a relative erected a monument
y his memory.
Althouj.i recognized by succeeding
\ geneiaticns as one of North Caro.
lina's foremost leaders, the state has
e done little or nothing to preserve his
memory.
"He was one of the most eminent
e characters in Noith Carolina," said
Governor W. A. Graham, on one oc
e cMsion. "in many attributes of a
. statesman and philospher, he exj
celled all hi convC.i.poiaries. * *
) As an advecate at the bar, a judge
cn t.be bench, a reporter of the jus
lice, a legislator 01 comprehensive
1 intelligence, enterpiise ancl patiioj
iism, a literal y man of classic ta-'.e.
t attainments, in style and compositions:,
his ti me is a eourie of jujt
> i ride to hia friends and to his country/
"He was the most conspicous char?
aclei in North Carolina hitary," ?xj
cla ined Judge Jesse Turner, in Lpj
tracing the state lor failing t give
_ re-ignition of the services of this
. native aon. '
^ Naming of this Cherokee county
town in his honor is the only public
. honor ever paid this great man, and,
stiangely enough the spelling of the
I name has been changed to omit the
"e"? "Murphy" to confuse its
. origin,
o
i Funeral For J. C.
Bradshaw Fri. P. M.
i J. C. Bradshaw, 64, died at his
. heme at Tomotla, Thursday morning
i February 8V1, of -pneumonia, after an
| illness of about 8 days.
He was a member, of the Tomotla
Baptist church, from which the funeral
will be held Friday afternoon
at 2 o'clock, by the Rev. F. L. Clark
of Canton, N. C. W. D. Townson, undertaker,
in charge.
He is survived by his wife and four
sons: Virgil, Grover, Willis and Noel,
e 11 of Tomotla; four daughters, Mrs.
J. B. Hoyle, of Dillsboro, Mrs. A. J.
Rowland, Misses Ada and Nina Bradshaw,
all of Tomotla.
* k*
The Suwinee river rise* in the Ok*Scoks*
swamp* la south Oeojgla nod
lows sooth west, emptylnpt Into ths
Quit of Mexico, 12 miles north of Cedar
Keys, na_ after a coarse of 240
miles. The scenery alone Its banks Is
attractive, and tha river la celebrated
throughout the country by tbe sons
"Old Polka at Hon*'
ttwltf
Carolina, Covering a Large and Pi
C., Friday, rebruary 9, 1
Unemployed Urged
To Re-Register
.All persons wvio registered before
January 1, 1934, in the federal
reemployment office are urged
to re-register at once if they
want to stay on the active ie-em- |
r'.oyment list, V. I. Butt, manager
of the local office said Tuesday.
Any person who registered before
Jan. 1st, and w*ho is still on
the job or employed need not reregister
until the job he is now
working on is over, Mr. Butt said.
However, all who wish to stay on
I the active list for re-employment
mu?t re-iegister at once.
SNOW 36 INCHES
DEEP ON TELLICC
The snow of last week. the first o
-.c ea? n for Murpvy, reached i
Icpth of 36 inches in the Tellic
| Mountains some 18 miles north wes
l Murphy, according to intormatioi
brought to Murphy last Friday b;
Drew Davis, of Grandvicw.
Mr. Davis said that A. J. Hass
who lives cut in the Tellieo Moun
ains, 6 miles we t of his place, cam
in uuiing the snow, for som? gro
ceries and household necessities. Mi
riass told ..im tnat he had been a
>jut seven hours coming the 6 mil?illJ
thnt * *
- ...? ..ivn was XIUII1 ?.r> I
36 inch-is deep. The trip was mad? b
foot.
Ihe snow was 14 inches deep a
iopton, accoiding to information
ce'.vcj. At Murphy is was barely
inches.
HOW AMATEUR AF
AID NATION
j A Guide for Amateur Archacologi
| Committee onvState Archaeologi*
palogy and Psychology Nation
(Editor's Note: Since the beginnin
of excavations on the old mound a
the mouth of Peachtree Creek by ai
chacologists of the Smithsonian Inst:
stution, interest has benn revived i
Indian relics and legends. This articl
is timely and we believe of sufficier
interest to warrant its publication. 1
tells how the amateur archaeologis
nJay go about preserving the lecor
ot .)Ls Indian relics so that his find
will have some value from an archat
ological standpoint.)
i in lusu tne .National Kesearc
Council organized the Com. on Stat
Aichaeolcgical Surveys to encourag
systematic study of t?ie fast-vanishin
Indian it mains. In the ten years of it
existence the committee has assiste
in the formation of research organ
zations in various states, has sougli
to systematize and unify methods o
investigation, and jthrough publics
tions, conferences and visits of it
Chaiiman, .has endeavored to keep a
workers in the field informed of th
progress ol archaeolofcricalj researc
throughout the United States.
The activities of the committ4
have been purely advisory. It ha
no-t sought to contiol the actions c
any group or State, but .has freel
offered its help and advice in the ac
vancement of scientific work. It noi
seeks to extend its services to amateu
archaeologists and to all who are ir
t<>rPiitpd in thp purlu h5#fnw a? ah
country. In presenting this booklet
the committee hopes to enlist the at
tive cooperation of all intelligent laj
men in the preservation of archaec
logical sites. It seeka to give infui
niation which will enable t.'ie Iocs
investigator to carry on work accord
ing to the most approved methods
so that he may assist in unravelini
the story of human development 01
the American continent.
It is evident to everyone that thi
great majority of our Indian remain
have already been destroyed. Thi
has been due in part to the fadt the
many prehistoric sites have been oc
curpied by white settlers who hav<
found it necessary to level Indiai
ntourd" and earthworks in order t<
utilise the land for farm purposes
for city development, or to make wa;
for roads. However, the greatest de
struction has been wrought by curii
hunters who have dug into the moundi
in searah of relics, without reelizinf
that they were de<roying valuabli
historical material. To open an ar
chaeologacal site without knowing ho*
to perserve the record is equal t<
tearinging pages out of a valuabli
book, a book which can never be re
written.
A
t Wf?
jtentially Rich Territory in This State
934! $
Funeral Held Thurs.
For Robert Mclver
Robert Davidson Mclver, 39, bro
ther of A. W. Mclver, president o,
the Cherokee County Young People':
Democratic Club, of Murphy, died a
the United States Veteran's Ho-pita.
at .Memphis, Tenn., Tuesday morninj
at 2:05 o'clock, after an iJ'.r.e-* o.
several months.
Mr. Mclver was a member of th
copot brigade attached to Camp Hancock,
Chillicothe, Ohio, during the
1 world war. Following his discharge
from the service,, he was employer,
by tne Davey Expert company.
Born at Biltmore, N. C., May 27.
1894, the son of Robeit Edward and
, Effie Davidson Mclver, his parent;
j moved to Murphy when he wan abou;
M10 years old, where he mad? his homt
until 1913. He married Miss Florence.
( 'White, of Philadelphia, and for 1
'number rf years prior to his death
j mad? his 'home in Pennsylvania.
* | Funeral service was ifeld Thurs0
day afternoon fio.n the Murphy
1 Methodist chuivh by the pastor, thi
n R:-v. T. F. ri.ggins, and the Rev.
Stewart H. Long, pastor of the Piesy
byterian churc.i. Interment was ir
he old Methodist cemetery. Members
*? ol th Joe Miller Elkins Post of the
1- Ame.ican L:g>j.i were pal.'vearers.
c a-" follows: A?.tive, A. M. Simonds.
?- George Mauney, Henry Hickman, C.
". W. Bailey, John Odell, W. P. Oiiom
1- lahn B. Hall, Fr?d O. (V.ristopher.
s Fred Johnson; honorary. Elbe:t Mal0
lonet, T. J. Mauney, Fred Dickey.
y Dennis Barnett, Sheridan Heighway.
F. O. Christopher and T. W. Axley.
t C. B. Hill, local fune:?l director, in
- charge.
3 He is survived by his wife and one
' ui uiner.
? i
tCHAEOLOGISTS CAN
AL RESEARCH
iats Issued Under the Auspices of the j
:al Survey? and the tOivivion tof Anthrc
al Research Council, Wahington, D. C. {
g In each State there are some peoit:
pie who are interested only in secui -J.ng
specimens which bhey can sell
i-iior personal gain. They care nothnjing
lor hbtoiy or science, and arc
ejnot disturbed by the favt that thei; j
it ruthless meOicos deteroy materials j
It 01 great interest to their fellow citi-!
it zens. T.iis leaflet is not addressed to
d such. Their activities will only cease I
Is when public opinion is stiong enough |
i- to make their w\>xi; unprofitable. Today
no scientific institution and no
well-iniormed person will purchase
h aichaeolc^ical material which is not
e accompanied by a full record. When
e intelligent local collectors Uike the
g same attitude the workers of t.hese
s oommerical "pot hunaers" will cease,
d an Indian relic without data is as
i- worthless as an *- ?
...twiiMiicu l^UMapt'
it stamp or bird's egg. The pages which
f follow seek to show hom amateur ari
chaeologists may assist in recovering
:s the pie-history of our country, and at
H .he same time help to preserve the
e existing Indian sites for future genii
erations.
It is well known that some of our
Indian tubes were nomadic. They
is were wanderers w.'io made their
camps near to favorable hunting
> ground.? and who moved to new 6ites
I- whenever whim or necessity dictated,
w Other Indian groups were chiefly deii
pendent on agriculture, and these
i- made permanent settlements which
i were occupied for long periods. But
t, exhaustion of soil, hostile raids, epidemics
and other causes led to their
r- adandonmen't and thp
?* of new camps. T.ius it sometimes hap
pened that a single canrop site was ocil
cupied several times and the records
I- of these periods of occupation can
'> now be read by careful excavation. In
2 some places it is possible to carry
n back the record through successive
stages of development from historic
e to ancient -times. Examples of such
5 stratification are rare and should be
e t noted with the utmost care. Through
t them we can trace the movements of
. peoples, the growth of culture, and
e t.he effects erf environment on man
i in America.
> But such a story cannot be ofotain?
ed by the careless digger, or by those
J who are interested only in beautiful
- specimens. It can only be revealed by
> those who preserve every evidence of
? this early life. Every potshred, every
t implement of bone or stone, no mat8
ter how -crude or fragmentary, every
- animal bone or vegetable product, be'
comes an important part of the rec>
ord. Nothing Should be discarded until
it has been made the subject of care
ful study. Even the scattered surface
1.00 YEAR?5c COPY
COUNTY BOND
INDEBTEDNESS
IS $1,102,500.00
Auditor Says Th?re Is No Way Under
The Sun To Liquidate
At p"
"The bonded indebtedness of the
county reaches the colossal total of
$l,102,50v;.o0, "plus Debt Service in
default of $77,557.39," says the report
of R. C. Birmingham, certified
public accountant, of Charlotte, in an
iudit report commenting on the condition
of Crf.'-.okee county.
"There is no way under the sun
for Cherokee County to ever liquivi^cc
it bonded indebtedness at par,"
lhe report continue*, "ar.,1 the sooner
some adjustment com.nensutate with
the county s ability to pay L? made,
the b;tter for all concerned."
M.. Birmingnani nds the budget
of the county in excellent position,
which indicates that the financial affairs
ot t.*:e .county are being ably
and econor. ically a : ministered. The
only ove. drafts above budget estimates
allotment being found in the
divisions of the courts. Jail and health
departments, over w lich Mr. Birmingham
...ys th? governing body has
very little control.
By resolution on the first Monday
in Noveo.oer, the commissioners or
de.ed th.;t -11 taxes collected for tne
yaar 1933 te applied and [aid ?>ut
lor the purpose for w.'iich the budget
levy was made for that year, and
the tax sal. certificates and other in-ebt:dne.?<
due Cherokee County he
allied to t'.ie payment of the past
due indebtedness ol the county as
f.ist as it is collected. This policy
of the Boa.J has resulted in keeping
the fiscal at fairs af the county in
better shape. E. C. Moore* t.iairman
of the board, stated, in connection
\vi . making the audit report public.
This assures the money being placed
where it was inte'dnud, instead of being
a. plied here tnd there in small
sums, and when a fiscal bill lalL* due
no money is available to pay it*
The letter of Mr. Birmingham, including
his comments on toe report,
follows:
Charlotte, N. C.
Dec. 6th, 1933.
M.. E. C. Moore, Chairman.
Cherokee County Board of Commissioners,
Murphy, N. C.
Dear Sir-:
1 beg to hand you herewith statement
reflecting the Financial Position
of CHEROKEE COUNTY as of
\f.wavli?? 1R
? *u, ivoo. Also a statemint
showing the Position of the Budget
as of t.'ie same date. I am also
attaching hereto a Summary of Account
with Tax Collector Frank J.
Ffristol covering 1932 taxes. The '
detail covering this account f?!^
with the County Accountant.
Find settlement was not effected
with Mr. Bristol inasmuch as he had
not at November 15, completed the
p.eparation of the Land Sales Certiticates,
neither had .he received credit
by the Board of Commissioners covering
the 1932 insolvent list.
You will note by referring to the
statement of Financial Position that:
Cash in Bank amounted
to $ 3,966.17
Total Uncollected Taxes
were 152,357.90
Total Tax Certificates
(net) 58,264.95
Accounts Receivable
amouted to 201.00
Due By Schools 1,787.34
Deferred Charges totalled 31,975.59
v?sii 111 \_iosea nanKl
was 9,692.63
and
Notes Payable amounted
to 6,236.19
Debt Service In Default
was 77.557.89
Uncollected Taxes securing
to the Schools amounted
to 48,145.24
Surplus of All Funds
totalled 126.306.76
As ready information I will comment
on certain of the balance sheet
items as follows:
Uncollected Taxes:
1933 L. L. Mason $100,972.03
1932 F. J. Bristol 49,528.40
1930 N. W. Abernathy 1,917.47
The total of the 1933 taxes were
$106,315.89 of which tfie sum of
$5,403.86 had been collected at November
15.
The balance of the 1932 taxes
amounting to $49,528.40 is subject
to the tax certificates and the insolvents.
T.he amount of $1,917.47 balance
Con tinned on pnffe 4)
"'9