Dedicated
To Service
For Progress
THE LEAPING WEEKLY NEWSPAPER IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA. COVERING
^rnut
Our Aim:
A Better Murphy
A Finer County
vol. 52 ? NO. 35
A LARGE AND POTENTIALLY RICH TEURITORY
MURPHY. N. C. THURSDAY. MARCH 27. 1941
5c COPY? $1.50 PER YEAR
"EZRA THE RUBE" !
ON PROGRAM FOR
ANNUAL DINNER
Lions to Play Host
To 200 Guests at
Banquet on Friday
Ezra the Rube, who is everything
a hick can be wrapped into one
person, is scheduled to "steal the
Fhcrw" here Friday night when a
ho6t of Lions, Lionesses. Rotananv
Rotary Annes. and guests from all
ovrr this section gather at the
Methodist church for the annual
Lion-sponsored Cherokee county
dinner.
In addition a special musical pro
gram will be presented by Mr. Tracy
and Mrs. Fisher, faculty members of
Western Carolina Teachers college.
The other main attraction will be
the showing of moving pictures of
the outstanding football plays of the
past season, sponored by T. W. Kind
ley. local Coca Cola distributor.
Swinging down from the hills in
the hayseediest fashion. Ezra the
Rube will tell the group about his
trip to New York and how he out
flicks the city slickers. This per
formance is made by a student ol
Young Harris college who .according
to those who have seen and heard
him. is really a scream.
Representatives of the Lions club
and Rotary clubs of Andrews. Rob
binsville. Franklin. Bryson City.
Hayesville. Blairsville. and Blue Ridge
will be in ^tendance in addition to
special gu<^; being invited from all
surrounding communities and towns.
A total of around 200 persons is ex
pected to be present.
Officers Capture Car
Carrying 52 Gallons
Of Whiskey Tuesday
A model A Ford car containing 52
gallons of bootleg whiskey was cap
tured about 6 o'clock Tuesday morn
ing by Policeman Frank Crawford
and Patrolman Pritchard Smith. The
driver of the car and another man
escaped, but a girl who gave her
name as Barl Hyde, was taken into
custody by the officers.
According to Crawford, the car
passed through Murphy around 2
o'clock that morning and he and
Smith became suspicious. Later sm
other man was seen taking a taxi in
the direction taken by the car. The
officers followed and the capture of
the whiskey resulted. The identity of
the two men involved was not known.
o
Gov. Eugene Talmadge
Will Make Jackson Day
Address at Morganton
Blue Ridge ? Governor Eugene Tal
madge will be the principal speaker
at the annual Jackson Day dinner
at Morganton Wednesday night,
April 2. Hoke Willis, committee
chairman, has announced.
In addition to Gov. Talmadge. sev
eral other state officials are expected
to be in attendance.
Music for the occasion will be fur
nished by the Blue Ridge high school
band. The building from which the
dinner will take place will be equipp
ed inside and out with loud speakers.
Rev. Fred Conley Will
Replace Rev. Fisher
Rev. c. L. Fisher, pastor of the
Murphy circuit of the Methodist
church, has recently moved to Ashe
ville where he will make his home
for the time being. He will be suc
ccded on the Murphy circuit by Rev.
Fred Conley who will arrive here this
week end from Duke University. Rev.
?fcley comes to this area highly rec
ommended.
Two More Volunteers
Needed to Fill Quota
In Draft Call April 8
I
Two more volunteers are needed
to make up the next quota of 13
draftees scheduled to leave for camp
April 8. Wayne Wfelker. secretary of
the local board said this week.
To date all men taken in liic
draft from this county have been
volunteers, and with the addition of
two more men before April 8 this
record will not be broken.
The local draft board is now situ
ated in new offices, having moved
lom the Townson building on Tues
day of last week to a new office on
the second floor of the Mauney
building next door to Dr. Russell.
o
Annual Senior Play
To Be Staged Here j
Tuesday, April 1st j
The senior class of the Murphy
High school will present its annual
play, "Honest Abe" by Charles
George, at the school auditorium
Tuesday evening. April 1. at 8
o'clock.
The senior play, which 15 one of
the most outstanding events of every
school year, will this year portray
the early life of one of the greatest
of Americans. Abraham Lincoln. A
cast of fourteen characters will con
tribute to the humor, pathos, drama
and philosophy which composed the
youth of "Honest Abe."
Proceeds from the play will be
used to defray expenses of graduat
ion exercises and to purchase ar gift
to be left as a class memorial.
The cast includes Billy Taylor in
the role of Honest Abe. Edgar Dar
nell, Carl Torrence, Edwin Mulkey.
Fred Johnson. Walter Carringer. J.
R. Palmer. Virginia Richardson. Ollie
Mae Tilson, Louise Mann, Jennie
Ruth Ballew, La Pay Wood, Frankie
Wilson and Elizabeth Franklin.
ROBERT HAWKINS j
SLAIN AS TRUCK
DIVES IN RIVER
i
18- Year-Old Youth
l Is Victim of Broken
NatL; af Nanfakala
Plunging down into the Nantahala ;
River when the driver of a dirt
dumping car lost control of the ma
chine. 18 year old Robert Garfield
Hawkins, son of one of the foremen
of the Utah Construction Company',
was killed at Nantahala Dam pro
ject Sunday night. The youth also
was an employee of the company.
The d?3th car hurtled 15 feet down
an almost precipitious bank The
victim was rescued almost immedi
ately by fellow workmen and rushed
to a hospital in Franklin but died
shoitly after arrival. His neck had
been broken and he had received
numerous interna! injuries.
Young Hawkins was the foreman
of a crusher crew and was supervis
ing the howling of a load of rock at
the time of the fatal accident. The
truck turned over in its plunge and
the victim, hurled from his seat,
landed on his head. He also wat
struck by flying pieces of the rock
load.
The son of Mr. and Mrs. William
Hawkins, now of Andrews, the victim
of the tragedy came here with his
parents from California. He was a
| music pupil of Herman Brauer
Imperial Cleaners Now
Under New Ownership
Arden Davis and Joe Hamilton,
popular young men of Murphy, have
taken over the Imperial Cleaners
plant here and will operate it in the
future beginning March 31.
Mr. Davis was formerly connected
with the Murphy Laundry here, and
Mr. Hamilton was former operator
for Western Union.
Criminal Court Term
Convenes Monday
JACKSON DINNER
!S BIG SUCCESS
HERE SATURDAY
Approximately 50 members of the
democratic party of Clierokee coun
ty gathered at the Regal hotel here
Saturday night for the annual Jack
son Day dinner. H A. Mattox. chair
man of the county executive com
mittee. icted as toastmaster.
Miss Sara Ruth Posey, national
committee woman for this district of
the state, was principal speaker of
the evening Miss Posey reviewed the
accomplishments of the party during
the pas', year and ur^cd preater ef
forts for the future.
Other speakers were the vice-chair
I man. Mrs. G. W. Cover Sr.. and
frank Forsyth, chairman of the
Young Democrats club. T. L. Caudle.
U S. District attorney who was
scheduled as mam speaker for the
occasion, was unable to attend.
COURT OF HONOR i
FOR BOY SCOUTS I
SET IN ANDREWS
The court cf honor for the Boy
Scouts of Cherokee. Clay and Gra
ham counties will be held art the
Youth building in Andrews on Tues
day. April 1. with James Osborne
of Andrews presiding.
The public is invited to attend
this meeting at which the boys will
be advanced in the different rank.?
of scouting.
Following the court of honor the
scoutmasters will hold a meeting to
plan activities for the six troops of
this district. The district committee
will also meet after the cour of hon
I or.
Award Winners in Forest Fire
Prevention Contest Announced
Explanation of Utility
Of National Forests
Given by Supervisor
By W. M. PALMER
Supervisor Nantahala District
The Forest Fire Prevention Essay
Contest recently conducted in Cher
okee County was sponsored by the
U. S. Forest Service, the North Caro
lina Forest Service, and the Ten
nessee Valley Authority for the pur
pose of acquainting thie younger
generation with the uses and values
of the forest in Cherokee County
and how these values may be des
troyed by forest fires. The contest
ants undoubtedly learned many
things about the forest that they
would have been years in learning
without the additional reading and
thinking that was necessary before
writing an essay on the subject of
"Why Prevent Forest Fires In My
Counly".
Some of the things that were
learned about the work of the U. S.
Forest Service and the Nantahala
National Forest in particular are
summed up in the following para
graphs:
The National Forests are adminis
tered "for the greatest good to the
greatest number of people". It may
(Continued on Back P**e)
Plan Field Day
In Kilmer Forest
Early in April
Winners of the Forest Fire Pre
vention Essay contest, conducted in
Cherokee. Clay and Craham coun
ties during January and February,
were announced this week by of
ficials of the National and state for
estry divisions and the division of
the TVA. sponsors of the contest.
Cash prizes totaling M5.00. 12
specially designed sport jackets, and
71 all-day trips to Jorce Kilmer for.
est were awards granted winners in
the various divisions <V tlie contests
throughout the schools of the three
counties.
Beginning January 20 and closing
February 22. the contest drew en
tries from 1091 students in 24 schools
of the three counties. Entries were j
judged by staff members of the J
North Carolina Forestry service and
winners selected.
Lois Thompson of Murphy was top
winner of a cash prize of $5.00 and
a packet for Cherokee county; Mary
Long of Hayesville was cash and
jacket winner of Clay county: and
Jay Johnson of Robbinsville took
top prizes in Or aft am county.
(Continued on Bark Page)
Movie Program on
Fire Prevention is
Aid to Campaign
i
By ERNEST NITTTING
TV A Forestry Division
The protection ot forests fires is
I just as important in watershed pro
tection as is the reforestation of
eroded land. In fact one of the major
factors seriously affecting the influ
ence of forest lands in watershed
protection is fire ? the prevention of
which was one of the main objectives
of the forest conservation contest
recently held in the schools ol Cher
okee County. Therefore, the Tennes
see Valley Authority's forestry pro
gram in Cherokee County has in
volved two phases of watershed pro
' tection. namely, cooperation in for
est fire prevention and ihe reforesta
1 Hon of eroded land. The principal
I activities in the forest fire preven
tion program have been conducted
through cooperative educational mo
vie programs. In 1938 a six weeks
movie program along the lines of
forest fire prevention was conducted
in cooperation with North Caro
lina Forest Service. During the six
weeks period the fire prevention
movies were shown at every school
that could be reached by truck and
'Continued on Back Pare)
Workman Murder to
Head Docket of 180
Cases Before Alley
The March-April term of criminal
Superior court of Cherokee county
will convene in Mu>phy Monday,
March 31. with about 180 ca.tes on
the docket for disposal. Hon Felix
Alley will be the presiding judge.
The principal case listed for lrial
this term is that concerning the
murder of James Workman, alledg
edly Fred Wiggins and aidei; by Hosia
Thrasher and Claude Stewart, which
took place on the night of November
21 at Workman' home near An
drews
Investigation revealed that Work
man had been shot through the
neck by a shotgun charge at close
range following a drunken quarrel in
front of his home. The assailant or
a .sailants had apparently quarreled
with Workman and one of lhem
turned the shotgun on him and killed
him.
Doris Ray. who claimed at first to
be the wife of Workman, later told
officers that they were not married
and that she was the wife of a
Wayn isville man. She. also injured
in thi fracas, is being held for trial
on charges of fornication and
adulter;'.
OthT cases on the docket include
a manslaughter charge, assault with
deidly weapon, incest a "-son fraud.
! larceny, and the usual liquor of
fenses sucl i as violation of the pro
hibition law. drunken driving, tres
pass, ctc.
New Hatchery Building
Completed and Open for
Business at New Site
The new marketine building of the
Smithmont Poultry larm and hatch
ery has just been completed this
week and is now open for business. A
detailed program for a formal open
ing is being arranged for a later date,
to which the public will be invited.
Franklin Smith, manager of the
hatchery. ha.i announced that de
mand has become so high for certi
fied chicks that another large incu
bator has been installed and is op
erating full capacity. Also a Hawkins
Million Dollar Hen Broiler plant has
been installed at the hatchery and
100 finished 2 and 2 one-half lb.
broilers will be turned out every
week.
Although the demand from laigt.'
hatcheries for eggs for hatching l|?
greater than we can supply. Smith
said, we are turning down orders
right and left so that our own eggs
cfw hp U5?d In cur incuts*""*
Plans are being made now for
blood testing and certifying 10.000
hens for next season, to employ a
chicken sexer. and have a hatchery
capacity of 42.000 eggs at. one setting.
The Weather Vane
Listed below are maximum and
minimum temperatures and precipi
tation for the past week compared
with similar data for last year:
Temperatures
1910 1941
Max. Min. Max. Mln.
March 19 64 45 65 15
20 63 29 68 25
21 66 26 68 36
22 63 25 71 30
23 54 27 67 47
24 48 25 61 46
25 39 15 62 33
Precipitation
1940 1941
Total for this week 0.73 0.45
Total for month to date 3.21 3.52
Total for year to date 11.49 7.94