Our Aim: ?
A Better Murphy
A Finer County
THE
(Ebprotae ?rout
LEADING WEEKLY NEWSPAPER IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA COVERHW A U.r
? ' LOVER,N<- A ^AROE AND POTENTIALLY RICH TEUR1TORY
Dedicated
To Service
For P caress
VOL. 53 ? NO. 15
?MIKI-IIY. XQKiil CAROLINA THIKSI>VV NOVEMI^K 6. IMI
5c COPY ? $1.50 PER YLIK
GEORGIA PLEDGE
TO FIX HIGHWAY
PROVES EMPTY
May "Consider it Later"
States Letter From
Highway Engineer
Highway Commissioner Perebee
rcreived written proof, on Monday,
that Georgia's pretended willingness
to cooperate with the people of this
section in improving the disgraceful
roa.t to Elue Riigc, Gs. scan; ex
actly nothing.
Forced to a show-down, the Geor
gia Slate Highway Engineer, M. L.
Shadburn by name, has written that
Georgia is not even willing to con
sider any action at this time.
As a result, the building of a mod
em highway that would offer the
shortest and best route between At
lanta and Asheville, and which
would double or treble tourn-t traf
fic tlvrniigh this immediate section,
becomes a mirage.
A:; a result, also, residents of this:
.section who wish io go to Atlanta!
must take the t?rtuous route over
Ncai's Gap, the mountainous route
via Franklin, or travel the Blue
Ridge J toad which is a series of dusty
holes in dry weather and a skiddy,
slimy sea of mud when it rains.
Copies of the Georgia Engineer's
letter are to be sent to the Chambers
ol Commerce of Atlanta, Marietta,
and the other Georgia cities and
towns along the route, in the hope
that they, and the merchants may
be able to persuade the Georgia pow
ers-tliat-be to change their minds.
The show-down followed glib
promises on the part of Georgia of
ficials to cooperate, "to the fullest
extent" with North Carolina, provid
ed the latter would join in step to
have the entire stretch of highway
federalized, in both states. Tins, It
was explained would aause half the
cost of the improvement to be paid
by the u. S. Government. Georgia
challenged North Carolina to get
busy. That was a little more than a
week ago.
Commissioner Perebee accepted
the challenge. He promptly got in
touch with W. Vance Baise, North
Carolina State Highway Engineer,
asking that the proper wheels be put
in motion to get the Carolina stretch
Federalized as quickly as possible.
Engineer Baise investigated, and
found that the North Carolina sec
tion of the road in question had been
added to the Federal aid system sev
en years ago, in 1934. He wrote the
Georgia State Engineer to this ef
fect, and also wrote Mr. Ferebee as
follows :
"It is possible that Mr. Shadburn,
since he has only been the State
Highway Engineer of GeoTgta for a
short time, was not entirely familiar
with the matter; but I see no reason
why they, should have any difficulty
whatever in getting the Public Roads
Administration to add this road to
their system, since it has always
been the policy to tie up and com
plete unconnected links of the Fed
eral Aid System."
(Continued On Bafik Page)
State Saies Tax Men
Out With "Eagle Eyes;" j
Letting None Escape
If the Slate Sales Tax men haven't
been to see you yet. get ready; for
they're on their way. And they are
going over all sales records with
eagle eyes.
Incidentally they are rlaimins
taxes where the "victims" ctodn't
think any were due. In Andrews,
for instance, a store employe, closely
related to the owner, took a quan
tity of merchandise to his own heme,
for his own use. He got it. of course,
at the wholesale rate.
Nevertheless the State collected a
retail sales tax.
Health Department
Checks Diphtheria
And Scarlet Fever i
i
The near-epidemics of scarlet fev
er and diphtheria, which took one
life and struck six others in this
county during the past two weeks,
has subsided. Health Officer M. P. I
Wliichard announced yesterday.
No new case of either disease lias
been reported during the past week.
Dr. Whichard said, and all those re
ported earlier ? with the exception of
that of the late two-year-old Hazel
Newman ? are recovering.
Little Hazel, daughter of Will
Newman, died on Octotier 26 from
diphtheria. She was buried in Hope
well Cemetery on Tuesday following
funeral services conducted by the
Rev. W. H. Peak at the Newman
home.
Of the five scarlet fever cases re
ported. four were in Andrews and
one in Murphy. The Andrews child
ren afflicted were Shirley Matheson.
5, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Wayne
Matheson: Billy Rrxter, son of Ern
est Raxter; and Tod and Jerry, the
sons of the town's former mayor.
Wade Reece.
The disease made its appearance
in Murphy a few days later when
Jimmie Davis, six-year-old daughter
of Arden Davis, became ill. Because
the child had attended school up
until the day before the fever was
identified, Health officials have kept
a constant check on the classes
since.
The other diphtheria case was
that of five-year-old Robert Cliap
man. Murphy, Route 2. His afflic
tion Was discovered early, however,
and physicians were able to bring !
about a rapid recovery through the '
use of toxoids.
o
Senior Wanda Lockett
Elected Football Queen
After a last-minute flurry o i vot
ing, Wanda Lockett was elected
Football Queen fo tch Murphy High
School Wednesday.
The six girls who finished next
highest in the voting will act as
Queen's Attendants at the corona
tion ceremony at Friday's football i
game. They are Barbara Reubensaal, |
Thomasine Slayton, Clara Mac
Townson, Harriet Pulliam, Violet!
Dee Long, and Mary Ann Moore.
Two Big Bears Killed In Nearby Hills;
One By Brothers Out Hunting Squirrels
That's "bar" In them thar hills!
But thar's two "bars" what hain't
thar any more.
They were killed on Saturday and
Monday mornings by hunters; one of
them only two miles north of An
drews, the other near Topton.
The flirt black bruin scaled a neat
<00 pounds, and was bagged by
Members of the Orr family who had
stone hunting for that purpose.
The second bear fell victim to the
supposedly mild effects of bullets
fr?TO a twenty-two calibre rifle and
* few loads of squirrel shot fired by
*** sons of Booth Crisp.
The Crisp boys went hunting for
squirrel in the Valley toward Topton,
when they encountered the beer. The
animal showed nfr> inclination to
chase them, but they weren't taking
any chances. Besides, the CJrisps
know when opportunity presents It
self.
One fired with his twenty-two and
hit the bear In the eye. A second
shot ? from the shotgun ? -dropped!
him to one knee. The coup d' grace
was fired from the last shell they
had ? into the animal's ear.
To heavy to curry, the bear wag
(Continued On Back Pace)
BLACKOUT ORDER '
GOES IN EFFECT;
TOWNS DISMAL
Shop Windows -all Dark;
Neon and Other "Ad"
Si^ns Are Banned
Wo arc not yet officially in the
war. but the Blackout has arrived.
North Carolina is one of seven St^Le*
in which the Government has or
dered a stoppage of all electric light
ing, except tlicfcl uusuiuieiy necessa
ry. The Blackout is to be effective
for an indefinite period.
Thus far the order affects only
stores and business establishments.
Unless heavy general rains come be
fore November 10th. however, the
Government lias announced that in
dustries using more than 10,000 kilo
watt hours of power per month, will
Plants with defense contracts and
those putting out "essential pro
ducts will br excepted.
XI curtailment of industrial power
is ordered, it will close the big talc
mine being operated just outside
Murphy, unless the owners can se
rure special dispensation. Curtail
ment of power would put the talc
company definitely out of business,
j for it is necessary to use electric
pumps day and night to keep the
shafts clear of water. Interference
with pumping would cause the mine
to be hopelessly flooded.
Effective immediately, no store or
place or business may use lights for
| advertising signs, or even for show
| windows They may burn lights in
side, however, as long as they remain
open for business, and may burn one
or two lights all night, inside, as a
I safeguard against burglary.
All Neon signs are doomed. So
also, are the big electric displays us
ed by filling stations, hotels, tourist
homes, etc. Whether filling stations
will be required to cut down on the
number of lights used to illuminate
the pumps is not definitely knwon.
It is probable that the station pro
prietors will be asked to cooperative
voluntarily, and use only every oth
er bulb, or perhaps less.
The black-out order does not af
fect private homes, street lighting
or other illumination necessary to
public safety, or defense.
Specifically, the order bans the
following.
All electric signs: all show-window
lighting, all ornamental lighting.
All out-door lighting and all flood
lighting of stores, places of business
or fields for amusement and sports.
All interior or exterior lighting for
decorative, or advertising purposes,
of any description.
The order went into effect Monday
and applies to seven States! North
Carolina, South Carolina. Georgia,
Tennessee, Mississippi. Florida and
Alabama. It affects 40 publicly and
privately owned power companies
who serve consumers in thirteen
states.
Tile Nantahala Power Company
has a full page advertisement in this
issue of the Journal telling about the
new order, and requesting the general
public to cooperate.
It should be remembered that the
blackout will hit the Power companies
hard too. It means a considerable de
crease in their incomes.
Browning Buys Stores
From Dickey Estate
E. A. "Brownie" Browning, who
owns two retail and one wholesale
store, and also an apartment house,
increased his real estate holdings
last week by purchasing two busi
ness buildings from Mrs. Maude
Dickey.
The buildings are occupied by the;
Western Auto Supply Co. store, and
by the Smokehouse Cafe, and a pool
room. Both tenants will continue
their occupansy. with "Bud" Alver
son taking over the pool room to
run in addition to his cafe.
The sale involved in the neighbor
hood of $10,600.
Scout Stories Bring In
All Lagging Draftees
Except One Slacker
Publicity given by the Cherokee
Scout lias piuctically clcun<4d up
the delinquent list of the Cherokee
County Draft Board, according to
Capt. Wayne Walker. Board Secreta
ry.
All delinquents have reported, ex
cept one. That one is being sought
by the F. B. f. as a slacker, and.
when caught, will face criminal
I prosecution.
"One month ago. there were 14
! persons who failed to return ques
linnnHirni" Oftnt Walknr .?iri
"Their names were printed in the
Scout, and within u week they all
had come In.
? Two weeks ago nine more were
delinquent. The Scout printed a
story about them, and now they all
have come in."
Three Sent To Pen;
Majority of Cases |
On Docket Minor
Speedy justice marked the first
three days of the November Term of
the Circuit Court in Murphy, with
most of the cases of minor import
ance.
A large majority of those haled be
fore Judge William H Bobbit were
charged with drunken driving. In
practically every case a plea of guil
ty was entered, and the defendant
was fined $50 and costs, given a
suspended sentence of one ye?r on
the roads, and his driving license
was ordered revoked.
Two cases of burglary were heard.
One was against Bob Jones, charged
with robbing Whitaker's store, in
Andrews. The other was against Bill
Toler, of Murphy, charged with rob
bing one of Shields' Tourist cabins.
Both men were convicted and each
was given a sentence of from three
to five years in the State peniten
tiary. They will be taken to Raleigh
this week.
The case of Bill Brendle. chareed
with desertion, resulted in a mistrial.
As the Scout goes to press, indica
tions are that the criminal docket
will be cleared by the end of the
week, thus allowing the second week
(Continued on Back Page)
I o
Tech. Sgt. Bradshaw
Is Visitor In Murphy
Technical Sergeant Jesse Brad- I
shaw, of the Intelligence Division at
Port Lewis. Wash., is visiting his
mother, Mrs. Josephine Bradshaw in j
Murphy. Sergeant Bradshaw arriv
ed in Murphy Wednesday night, and
will return to his post Friday.
Born in Tomotla. Bradshaw grad- '
uated from Murphy High School in|
1932. and enlisted in the army atj
Asheville in 1936. He was assigned '
to the Field Artillery until last fall, j
when he was transferred to the In- j
telligence Corps.
At present, Bradsluw is taking an ?
officers' training course which he ;
hopes to complete within the next !
few weeks. He has m. iy friends in i
Andrews.
UNHAPPY IN ARMY,
FLOYD STROUD, 24
TAKES OWN LIFE
Steals Cff From Camp
To Home of Aunt, In
Unaka; Shoots Self
Bemuse he preferred death to le
turning to the Army. Pvt. Floyd
Stroud. 24. plartd a shotgun at hi)
chest and ended his life at the home
of an aunt in Unaka last Tuesday.
Pvt S?rcuc! ? v. ? :";!"clrd intr. t'tc
army a little over a mouth ago. Last
week he left his post at Camp Craft.
Spartanburg. 8. C.. without permis
sion and come to the homt of
| his aunt, Mrs Lloyd Murphy He
expressed fear that Army Military
Police were on his trail, and woulil
I soon catch up with him.
On Tuesday, while Mrs. Murphy
was in the front yard of her home,
young Stroud went into the houso
and shouted from u window:
"I'd rather die than go back '
Tli estatement was followed by the
blast from his shotgun Mrs. Murphy
rushed into the house and found
her nephew across the bed with half
his chest torn away.
Dr. Harry Miller. Cherokee Coun
ty Coroner, sa tl the boy probably
died instantly, and issued a eertifi
! cate of suicide.
Stroud was buried Wednesd&v al
i ternoon in Unaka following funeral
| services at the Unaka Baptist
i Church. The Rev. G. M Hollings
liead officiated.
Besides his aunt. Stroud Ls sur
vived by two sisters and a brother;
Mrs. Gragie Kilputrick, Mrs. Dessie
Lilbeck, and Lloyd.
o
Wade Teague Returns,
Corporal In "Regulars;"
Injured At Maneuvers
Wade Teague. of Culberson, one
time correspondent for the Scout,
first Cherokee County man to he
employed by the TV A Hiwasset Dam,
and now Corporal Tcapue, U. S.
Army, is home on a 48 day furlough.
He is a member of the "PiKhting
Eightieth" Infantry. U. S. Regulars,
Stationed at Camp Robert Cali
l forniia.
Corporal Teague got his Ion? fur
I lough after refusing a discharge for
physical disability. Lying prone, and
instructing a drafted man at recent
maneuvers in Louisiana, the Corpor
al was put in the hospital wlien
a 97 pound machine gun was drop
ped by the draftee, and fell on his
back. He was in bed two months,
but says his long rest will makt mm
as good as ever.
Corporal Teague doesn't think
much of drafted men, as a lot. "Some
of them make good soldiers he said,
"tut most of them want to bi ba
bied."
One of 'em told me he always
had his breakfast served in bed,"
Teague told the Scout. "I didn't
wake him up ? but the Captain did.
The last I heard of that bird ht was
sitting by a hot stove, peeling on
ions."
Brown Swings a Wicked Broom Stick,
Kills "Rat" That Proves To Be 'Possum
\ Charles Brown, the bis Andrews
[ hardware man. had a fight with a
| possum in his cellar the other day.
He finally killed the animal with a
broom-stick.
According to John ' Mantahalal
Christy, the hardware merchant
j thought he had killed a rat. "He rush
ed up stairs, carrying the carcass."
said Christy, and yelled for his
wife to come and look at the biggest
rat anybody ever saw. She had to
tell him it was a 'possum."
Brown declares this story Is sland
er. "TO admit I thought tt was a
rat when I went down in after it"
knew better, of course. Why, r>?? ??t
e? more possums than John Christy
ever saw."
The hardware merchant wa* un
able to explain how the animal got
in the cellar, unless, he sakl. It fled
there to escape dogs. Once Inside, It
couldn't get out.
It must have been there three or
four days" Brown said, because It
was about as skinny as a 'possum
could be. You see there waxrLt any
thing In the cellar but canned goods.
"Fact la" he concluded, "thW pos
sum was too skinny to eat. I threw
he said, "but as soon as I saw It,
Ihim In a truth barrel."