Dedicated *
To Service
I or Progress
THE LEADING WEEKLY NEWSPAPER IN WESTERN
Our Aim: ?
A Better Murphy
A Finer County
VOL ? NO. 4*
NORTH CAROLINA. COVERING A LARGE AND POTENTIALLY RICH TEMRITORY
MURPHY. N. C. THURSDAY. MAY I, 1M1
5c COPY ? $1.50 PER YEAR
MURPHY TO HAVE
NEW SYSTEM OF
STREET LIGHTING
Old Pole* To Be Placed
Along Highway 19 at
Both Ends of Town
Murphy is soon to have a "Great
White Way" lighting up both the
main highway entrances to the town
Jor more than a mile in each di
rection. Now, heavier and more or
namental street lamps will be placed
1 nthe town, and the present poles
will be moved to Highway no. 19
through and beyond East Murphy.
And towards Tennessee and Georgia.
The new ^reet lights have already
oeen purchased, and one of the first
official acts of Mayor-to-be May
field. following his election next
Tuesday will be to moke formal ap
plication for a WPA grant for labor
to carry out the program.
Credit for securing the new lights
should go chiefly to C. W. Savage,
owner of the llcga! Hotel. Sercra!
weeks ago he was paid a week end
visit by C. E. Terrell, head of a big
Electrical Company in Chattanooga
Mr. Terrell told his host that Chatta
nooga was installing a new system
of street lighting, and that the d*s
? arding lamps could be bought "dirt
rheap".
Mr. Savajfe immediately passed
this information on to Town Clerk
Christopher, who went to the Ten
nessee city to investigate.
Mr .Christopher found the dis
carded light-poles at one-third heav
ier and stronger than those in Mur
phy: more modern, and better in
t-very way. Returning home he re
ported this to the Town Board and
was authorized to go back and buy,
(Continued on Back Page)
0
Charter Cites Murphy
Not As City, But Town
A Murphy resident, calling to pay
his electric light bill this week called
Town Clerk Christopher's attention
to the bill, which was rendered by
"The City of Murphy Electric De
partment".
"Is it correct to speak of Murphy
as a city, or as a town?" he asked.
To find the answer, Christopher
went to the original charter. That
document showed that "Town of
Murphy" is correct.
Pew men would risk what looked
like almost certain death for a $20
bet. but Rose Rhodes, of Hanging
dog did. and won. In addition to the
money he also saved a lot of gas,
and many weary hours of precious
time.
Rhodes drove a loaded truck down
the almost perpendicular sides of
Ivey Gap, in Little Snowbird. Worse
still it had rained all the night be
fore. and the ground was as slick
as a piece of fat meat. The truck
had to be hauled to the top on the
other side, which is not so steep, by
a yoke of oxen.
By making the perilous trip Rhod
es saved himself a drive of about
miles. He was moving from Little
Snowbird to the Boiling Springs sec
tion of Hangingdog. and by follow
the regular route, he would have
J** to drive about 35 miles. The way
e went covered only three miles.
'When Rhodes first suggested tak
the short route his friends asked
"hy he wanted to commit sucide.
o man man could drive down that
^-Precipice, they said, and live.
j"1"! Rhodes declared he believed
C<WW do it, Roscoe and J. Wilson
Little Jane Moore, 11,
Near Death in Flames;
Saved By Brother, Ray
Little Jane Moore, 11 year old I
daughter of Ed Moore was painfully
burned early Monday rooming wher.
her housecoat became ignited Irom
an open fireplace in the living room
of her home. While her mother and
her brother Ray triec frantically to
beat out the flames which envelopes
her body, lHtle Jane, crazed with
puin and terror, broke from them
and ram to the rear of tne house. Thi
dressing gown had been torn off toy
her mother, leaving tne child clad
in flannel outing pajama.. which al
so were ablaze.
R>iy followed his sister, overtook
her. and finally btat out the flames
Dr. Harry Miller, called to her bed
side found her suffering from secon
dary burns on hei body, but declared
her injuries were not serious.
The near-tragedy prevented little
Jane from going to school to receive
! a final report card showing a perfect
I record of attendance.
! Knife Fight Sends
Bingham To Doctor
Wise Bros. To Jail
A street fight, watched by a score
of men and women in front of the
Murphy Electrical office sent Carl
Binghaxn to Petrie hospital with his
throat cut Wednesday afternoon, and
sent Jake and Allen Wise to jail.
Twelve stitches were taken in Bing
ham's wound, and but for his leather
coat, the collar of which was slashed
twice, he might have been killed.
Jake and Allen Wise were given
hearings before Mayor Gray Thurs
day morning, and were bound over
for Court under $1,500 bond each.
Also, Allen was given 60 days, and
Jake 30 days "on the roads" for
drunkness.
The cause of the fight is unknown.
Bingham said the Wise brothers art
tacked him as he came out of the
Electrical office where he is employ
ed as a lineman. His throat was cut,
he said, by Jake Wise, after Allen
hod knocked him dizzy with a blow
on the back of the head.
Wade Palmer, who works with
Bingham tried to separate the bat
tlers, and was himself knocked down
The fight was finally eneded by Press
Gentry
< Continued on Back Page.)
Drives Loaded Truck Down A Steep Cliff
To Win $20 Bet And Save 32 Mile Trip
Odell, of Hangingdog, bet him $20 j
he couldn't.
On April 18 Rhodes got Paul J
Abemathy, who is getting out timber
near Ivey Gap, to haul a one and
one half ton. Model A Ford truck
up the more gentle slope of the
mountain. "Several times I thought |
the oxen wouldn't be able to make
it," young Abernathy later declared |
"They finally did. but they sure were i
plumb wore out."
Arrived at the top. Rhodes loaded
the truck with his household goods.
Then he chopped down a giant oark i
tree, left all the limbs intact, and !
chained it to the back of his truck.
Then he jammed the brakes on, put
the car in "Bulldog" low gear, and
started down.
The trail formerly had been used
for sleds, and for skidding logs, and
It was its narrowness that made the
trip possible. All the way down, the |
branches of the oak caught on other
trees.
Had those branches snapped off.
Rhodes would have hurtled down to
death ? but they did not. Even so.
he went pretty fast, and friends who
watched the trip say they wouldn't
to? It for ten times $20.
SOUTHERN TRAIN 1
SERVICE ORDERED
RESUMED FRIDAY
Mail and Express Badly
Crippled ? Towns Wire
Indignant Protests
After a suspension which began
last Tuesday, passenger traffic be
tween Murphy and Ashevllle will
be resumed Fridap afternoon, when
Number 17 is due to pull into Mur
phy under its old schedule at 1:45
o'clock. Mail and passenger service
also will be resumed.
Leaving Murphy for Asheville at
7:30 Saturday morning, "Number
17" will become "Number 18." At
the same time, another "Number
17" will start down from Asheville.
This, Southern railway officials ex
plained, is because the road system
calls for "even numbers" making
the north -bound trip. From Satur
day on. travel conditions will be
normal again
The temporary stoppage of pas
senger traffic created all sorts of in
convenience, especially as to mails,
which arrived anywhere from eight
to twenty four hours late- The plan
was to send the mails by freight to
Bryson Cit7, and fetch from there by
truck. Faulty arrangements CCTised
a bad break-down romewhere along
the line. Express shipments also
were sadly delayed. "Express" came
entirely by freight. It was shipped
first to Bryson City, taken off there,
and held until another freight train
came along, bound for these narts.
The stoppage Was authorized by
the State Utilities Commission, and
brought little or no protest from
Southern Railway executives, who
long have warned to discontinue the
Murphy branch becav .e it has been
a dead loss for year? It is has not
(Continued on E.ick Page.)
Tri-County Revival
Will Start Sunday
In Murphy Church
An extended revival will begin at
the Murphy Methodist Church next
Sunday May 4th. The local pastor.
Rev. C. B. Newton will do the preach
ing. Music will be rendered by the
junior and senior choirs.
Monday night will be "young peo
ples night". Young people from
Cherokee, Graham and Chiy coun
ties will attend and this program
will take the place of the regular
meeting of the young peoples union
Tuesday night will be "Official
night" and all the church officials,
stewards, trustees. Sunday school of
ficers and teachers, all officials of
the Woman's society of Christian
Service, and all service superintend
ents and officers are expected to be
present.
Wednesday night and each night
thereafter will be 'every member
night."
The general public is invited, re
gardless of creed.
Lifted below are maximum and
minimum temperatures and precipi
tation for the past week compared
with similar data for last year.
Temperatores 1940 1941
Ma*. Min. Max. Min.
April 24 65 47 63 56
| 25 64 36 69 53
26 68 39 69 42
27 71 36 70 34
29 72 37 71 33
29 74 39 79 36
30 72 44 79 36
Precipitation 1940 1941
Total for week 0.93 1.19
Total for April 4.92 3.49
Total for year 17.49 12.48
The Weather Vane
They're Seeing Snakes
On Hangingdog ? First
Rattler of Year Killed
Everybody in the Hangingdog sec
tx>n was seeing snakes last week;
but we don't mean the kind that
travels with pink elephants. These
were the real thing, and rattlers, at
that! Snake-wise mountaineers say
there is likely to be a "big crop" this
year.
What is believed to be the first
rattler of the season in these parts
was killed by Paul Gilbert, son of
the Rev. Fred Gilbert, who heard the
serpent's deadly warning as he
climbed the hill across from Joe
Abernathy's home in Steel-trap Gap
He killed the snake and later disp
laced it to his friends. It liad seven
rattles.
A few days later young Paul Aber
nathy, who recently returned home
after a year spent working up
north" killed & second rattler on the
very same hUl. This one, however,
had only five rattles.
| "Lake Cherokee" Is
Name Selected For
Recreations Area
The new lake and recreation area
on Persimmon creek, now under con
struction by the National forest ser
vice. will be dubbed "Lake Chero
kee," judges ol the contest to find
a name announced this week.
Mrs- W. M. Ramsey and Mrs
Ellen Crawford, both oi Murphy,
were the winners in the contest and
will split the $15.00 prize money
giv,-n b;.- the Murphy Chamber of
Commerce.
H. Bueck, superintendent of Mur
phy schools, and Lloyd Hfcndnx,
superintendent of county schools,
made three selections and recom
mended them to the forest service.
Pinal selection, made for the contest
was rendered by Mr. Johnson, of the
U. S. Forest service.
A large number of entries was
submitted and the final choice of a
name was rather difficult, the jud
ges said. I
New Tourist Cabins Built By Massev
Offer Just About Last Word In Luxury
i
The cash prizes will be presented
the winners at the dedication cere
monies to be held as soon as the
lake is finished.
The Chamber of Commerce in co
operation with the Forest Service, i
is planning an elaborate program for j
the dedication with a probable all- 1
day outing scheduled.
W. M. Palmer, forest ranger foi i
(Continued on Back Pace.)
TWO TOWNS GO
;TO POLLS MAY 6;
! MURPHY "IN BAG"
Hot Fight In Andrews
But County Seat Hu
Only One Ticket Up
Murphy and Andrews both will go
to the polls next Tuesday to elect
city administrations. In Andrews ?
red hot partisan fight looms, with
Mayor Recce standing for reelection
as a Republican, and with young
Robert Heaton seeking the Mayoralty
as a Democrat.
All the present Republican Board
members in Andrews are seeking re
election except one. Lee Watkins de
clined to run attain. and W. A. Hyde
was nominated in his place at a
caucus held Tuesday night. The cum
pletc lists of rival candidates for the
Andrews Board are:
i Republican: Prank Bristol. W.
, Turner Holland, Zala Adams and W.
A. Hyde.
Democrats: &ed L. Whitaker, W.
G. McKeldrey. Dr. Gerald Almond
| tnd Zet B. Conley.
i
In Murphy, the elation will be
a tame affair, for the ticket headed
I by Charlie Mayfield has no opposi
! tion. Numerous efforts were made to
i set up a second ticket, drawn along
fusion lines, but few of those invited
to become candidates were willing
to run.
One new name will appeal' on the
I ticket ? thai of Lee Shields. He was
chosen to fill the vacancy caused by
the forthcoming elevation of May
field to the Mayoralty.
The new Murphy Administration,
therefore will be as follows: Mayor,
Charles Mavfield. Board Members,
Walter Mauney. Ed Moore, Tom Ax
ley. Parrot Odom. Noah Lovingood
and Lee Shields.
(Continued oil Back Page.)
jWall Maps of Murphy
Being Made By T. V. A.
Large and complete wall maps at
Murphy, will soon be available at the
Mayor's office. They are being made
by the TVA and will be sold ai actu
al cost ? about 20 cents each.
According to the TVA the maps
will show every street, every house,
every store, every vaacant lot and
every water and sewer main in the
town. They also will list most of the
home owners. TVA topographers
have been working on the maps for
almost a year.
"I have everything that a hotel
can offer, and a whole lot that they ;
dont" declared Wade Macssey. He was
talking about his new tourist cabins,
bordering Highway No. 19. in East '
Murphy, which were opened for busi- '
ncss only a few days ago.
Visit those cabins and you'll find
thart Wade wasn't exaggeratin?.
Built of stucco on tile, to insure
coolness in slimmer and warmth in
winter, the rooms are large -some 14
by 20 feet, others 14 by 18 feet. To
further insure pleasant temperature,
the cabins are ceiled with "Isolite".
and there are venetiam blinds.
Every room has a huge closet, a i
large lavatory, and a private bath, j
Also every room has a desk, two or i
more chairs, and a dresser. The beds i
have Beauty Rest mattresses, and j
the furnishings are all in solid ma
ple.
The composition fire-proof floors
are covered, from wall to wall with
woolen felt carpets that sink pleas
antly under one's feet: and there is
an abundance of electric light. A two
light chandelier is pendent from the
center of the ceiling. Also there is
a lamp on a small bedside table, and
there is a reading lamp on every
bed.
There also is a radio in every cab
in. set in an especially built alcove in
the wall, near the bed. Doors and
windows are screened, of course, and
the latter also are curtained, to in
sure privacy. Set ten feet apart., every
cabin is sound-proof.
The office, which includes quarters
for the young collepr graduate whom
Massey has engaged as manager, is
set In the center of the group. Be
neath the office is a cellar with a
stoker furnarcr which keeps the cab
ins constantly supplied with hot wa
ter.
Every cabin has Its own parking
space, immediately beside It. Massey
built the cabins himself, and they
show that lie worked with loving
care.
He has n^jH the Scout to ioTtta
anyone tnt-KHw to come out and
inspect them at any time.