^Better Murphy
A Finer County X- R K I Uivrr V4 i>U4 For Pro%re?s
THE LEADING WEEKLY NEWSPAPER IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA. COVERING A LARGE AND POTENTIALLY RICH TEURITORY
%OL 53?XO. 22 Ml HPHV NORTH CAROLINA TIH RSDAV IIH'FMRER 15. 1911 .V COPY?II.M PER %'KAB
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SHERIFF BRANDS
TALE OF BEATING
IN JAIL AS "LIE"
Also Denies TVA Man's
Charge That He Was
Robbed By Inmates
Karl Sparks, the TVA worker who
fa> he was beaten with a broom
-? . k and robbed of $5 in the County
Jail .after a Kangaroo Court", is .1
declares Sheriff Carl Tonnson.
answering the charges made by
F;m >. in the Seout las: week.
T man was not robbed of $5
(?? :.?? he didn't have $5" the Sher
r: i '. -.red.' He was not beaten wi:
>:nstick, but with a fist: and
i ding to a prisoner who was
?. and had no part in the affai..
arted the fight."
.1 is the Sheriff's statement,
r full:
;->park> was brought in by Polic?
r...r.-. Tom Voyles. I was at the jail
a" ' ime. Sparks was certainly
cr.mk. We searched him carefully.
Hf ad a ten dollar bill and 40 cents
ni c Mange. We took the ten dollars
to hold for him, and let him keep
the 40 cents.
About 30 minutes later Mayor
Mayfield called up and asked me to
release Sparks as soon as he was
sober enough, so he could get to his
wo-k in the morning, provided he
deposited $7.35 to meet fine and
costs.
I myself waited at the jail until
two o'clock in the morning. Sparks
couldn't make change to put up the
17.35 so I put it up for him. Then I
pu: him in my car and drove him
ix-me I told him I was doing it only
cn condition tha<t he go immediate
ly to bed. He thanked me and prom
?fd :.e would.
"Iri>t.ead. I am informed that he
cams' back to town and began bracr
p:r.~ about getting out ahead of time,
etc. Then he fc*>gan telling about
b?in- obbed.
'.isoner from Andrews, who
k m bed. saw the whole thin
Hf , that Sparks was robbed of
he denies that a brooms:icic
ti. He says there was a gen
f" : up. and that somrbodv
y : >arks in the mouth, with
ays Sparks started the
fig;
? * "Its needed any mcdical at
: because of his beating, he
dii:. it. Neither did he say
wi hing to me about wanting a doc
tor.
"Sr>a.rks lied, all the way through.
H: denial that he was drunk Is ab
solutely untrue. He still had a bad
hang .-?-er when I took him home."
Sought A* Deserter,
Cearley "Ready To Go"
Listed as a deserter and son eh t for
week? by the P. B I., Herman Thur
wan Cparley, of Culberson, who onco
volunteered, then changed his mind
?no' ienored his draft questionnaire,
wiwri into the office of the County
^raf ? Board last week, and told
c*Pt. Wayne Walker he was ready
**> >'o to the army.
He tilled In a questionnaire, and
^ for home, declaring he would
I*POri as soon as caUed. He gave
00 "eason for his long delay, and did
001 *ay where he had been.
Where Are The Reindeers?
"Dfdicatpd to Children of the Worlif* read?, the inscription on this hue?* statue to Kris Kingle on the
village square at Santa Claus, Ind., a tiny hamlet that has achieved fame because of its name. With 4
population of only 19. and a "general store" that serves as po**l office, this little town actually handles
more than two million pieces of mail during the Xmas season. The man pictured above is Santa's "offi
cial" Indiana counterpart. James Yellig. one of the town's 19 residents. Every year he answers more than
25,000 letters to Santa from children all over the nation. But Santa has gone modern. He can always r-ount
on having snow for his reindeer, so he has gotten himself a car.
Censorship Placed
On All Information
About Draft falls
?n
even
Censorship was clamped tlo
the Cherok<>f County Draf' Bo.;.-;!
Monday jnomtaf and no mor. infor
mation wil] be mar;. public about
cai;- the service. "? ?
Dates oaiis and names- .. :i
fo . c! v i 11 bc*h be ke.*>t
a ( ;;. dfrabi r.ttirbf ' of
will 1 ft.- cirr.p rir
holidays. All men in Cla:
? probaMy ,r. : arw
near future.
K T* soon will be necessary 1
man in i. ? county from !8 :o 65
years old. :o register for pos able
(service. Arrangements for this
wholesale regisreratlon have not y?.
; teen made
It k not regarded likely that older
men trill be sent to the aciive armed
forces, but some, especially veterans,
i ma;, be called for service as home
guards, or othe- defense duties
It is generally believed that those
who held warrants as non commis
ioned officers :n the AEF days may
| be in demand to drill ' Green" troops. J
; and to command gu.cd details at
, reservoirs and public work.
BANKS TO CLOSE TWO DAYS
Governor Broughton has declared
December 2C a bank holiday
throughout the "tate. December be- '
in? Christmas day. all banks will be
closed from Christmas eve until Sat- j
urday.
(SPRING MAY SEE
[NEW HIGHWAY TO
TENNESSEE LINE
Materials Can Be Had
If Labor Is Avsilab'e
Ferebee Declares
r : . V.-.: . V
, Corr.:...?; P. 5. Fo/ebee vM ;? ?
j Jo- :na: 1- the tru y of til, nev
'route . expi ted to h* c r,-.p>'*ed
within the ar future.
:.r J- . ? u:.HO ? 11* cl I .at.plans
.'or ne? ci h:-M .been extended,
r f inally in'onded to lay out
I straight?- .1 n;t wide; route from tnc
Tenn' ?o? iin- to the point at Cul-J
I nerson on No. ? where the road
i forks, one prong leading to Tennes
r-ee and the other to Atlanta.
The survey has now been enlarged.
1 to continue the new highway as far
: as Murphy.
The resul: will be a road of at
, least three, and possibly four lanes,
paved, and almost straight. It will
e.'iminaf much of the bad road, and
all of t.he dangerous curves between
this section and Chattanooga. and
will vastly Improve the trave! in'o
Georgia . jic
Tennessee has promised to coop
erate by paving and improving the
highway from the State line on Into
gone back on its often repeated
(Continued on back page)
Three Deserters
From Army Caught
By far' Townson
: . ir. : -rr-er-. first cousins,
?v Sherif! Carl Town
-:ed along the Beech
drunk. Sunday af
being held in the
?(? military authori
?:??? will be sent to
- . a' Fort Leaven
ing term
:? ? :? was taken into
" riff Townson list
' :tt <1 over to a military
! Brag: JTe is Fran
of Ranger.
Continued "li l?ark pnf
I NAN KIDN APED;
BEATEN, ROBBED;
THREE ARE HELD
iChicken Hughes Seized
In Daylight "Snatch"
In Center of Town
Kidnap?** at 3 oYlock Monday
afternoon on Murphy's busiest street.
, Irwiicc Chicken Hughes was
\ forc?-d in a c ar driven to the Hang
I ;::i'd<> M-tion. terribly beaten, and
:*>bbe?i he ,i\ <?f $40 Hughes,
60 yea ? <. i cued by
! The Law
riiree men. H* ?s- Oariei: Willis
D.iv-s and Owney Radford, all ol the
11'naK.. cction. and firv. named
II '? ? employed by the TVA are tield
\ .n the County jail charged with the
< .me. They deni robbing Hughes.
The> adm. beating him. but bay
they did so because he drew a knife
and tried to ?tab them. They also
deny kidnaping. declaring Hughes
got in^heii ear willingly.
The Liiree were captured vy Con
stable Clifton Raoford a cousin of
one of the accused, after a chase of
more than 20 miles, during which he
sho: out one of their tires. The fugi
tives drove more than eight miles
"on the rim" before finally being
forced to stop.
Radford, who is constable for
Beaverdam Township drove up while
the three were beating Hughes.
The victim says he was standing
in front of a store, in mk1-afternoon,
having come to town after selling a
cow fo. $40. when a car occupied by
three men <irove up. Two of them
jumped out, he says, seized him by
the aims, and forced him to get Into
the machine. Then he says, they
drove out of x>wn at high speep.
As soon as they got out of town.
Hughe-, says, they demanded his
money. When he told them he did
not have any. he says they began
beating him.
They drove almost to H an gin dog.
beafin- him all the way. Hughes de
clares. Then they stopped the car,
ire v. him out. robb d h.m and
wv p mmeilir.r hi. fac when
C<?;? able Radford happened to drive
tip#
Hi! "he says ho does n t know
ny o hi alleged ;ulan*. In ad
ri r to : ? n n"y. he says t. ? men
-ude Ills knifi II" identified ?? knife
-aki n from one of the p: isonors as
I i ? ;ns his property
Prisoners Stage 4-Day Sit Down Strike
At Peachtree Camp And Win, Is Claim
Cherokee County had its first "sit
down s'-rike" week before last, ac
cording to one of the strikers, when
107 inmates of the Prison Camp, at
Peachtrei. refused to work until they'
got better cloth'ne. better food and.
more medical attention and roedi-,
rine.
According to this former inmate,
who was released last week, the men
won a complete victory after the
strike had lasted four days, from
Thursday throueh Monday.
On Sunday, December 14. this man
pav?. Captain Reed. District Supe
visor of Prison Camps came to the
Peachtree Stockade from Ashevllle:
I
? alkeri to the prisoners. and promised
that "everythlnK would be fixed up".
The men went back to work ne<t
day.
The ex-prisoner declares that U
fore the strike It was all but Impos
sible to (tet medical attention. He
also charged that, the me irwere
given badly v-/oni prison crarb. with
out any buttons As a result he said,
there was little or no protection
oeainst the cold
The final complaint was about
food, particularly breakfast. The ex
prisoner said that the morning the
strike began- -an unusally cold one?
(Continued on back page)