Consolidated with GRAHAM COUNTY NEWS Serving Southwestern North Carolina ? Cherokee, Clay, and Graham Counties VOLUME 56 ? NUMBER 51. MURPHY, NORTH CAROLINA. THURSDAY. JULY 12, 1943 EIGHT PAGES TODAY PFC. JOHN E. DICKEY John E. Dickey Is With Famous Division In The Third Army PTc. John E. Dickey, son of Mr. I and Mre. H. E. Dickey, has been: ?:th tfie Third Army, 26th YD, | Infantry Division since going to I France last November. The Yankee division slashing Wermacht might to smithereens clashed into Czechoslovakia in May one of the last American units engaged in actual combat, to convince the Nazi Reich to cry Kamersd Frcrr hatt'WieM* of Prance. Luxembourg. Belgium, to the final dash through Germ any, Austria and Czechoslovakia, the 26th infantry played a major i role in tearing down Hitler's ter ror built empire. Through much of its fighting, the YD has been on the flank of the "nurd army; often it has been out in the front spearheading. From each of its operations it has emerged with commendation from corps or army for work well done. It missed some of the headlines by turning away from some of Germany's major cities and letting other units gain the fame of tak ing them, but where tiie fighting ??as tough and the job important there the YD was. Prom the first j offensive through the Maginot line in Prance to the Siegfried line in Germany down to the end in Czechoslovakia, the division tiavelled more than 1,000 miles on foot and by motor, saw 210 days of line combat, took more than 70,000 prisoners and caused un counted casualties. The first and last enemy unit to oppose it was the 11th Panzer division. The YD's services were requested by Gen. Patton for his third army. When Patton started his drive to crash through the Maginot line and probe into Germany the YD's jumped off and on Dec. 8, after bitter fighting reacl ed its objec tive, then the outfit moved tack to Metz for a rest. Then came the Bulge; before the rest was four r the di vision loaded into trucks and set off to cut the Nazi supply lines in to the Ardennes and to relieve the pressure on Bastogne. After a hectic 80-mile ride the doughs slogged along on foot for 20 miles to meet the enemy and drive him back into Germany in a month of stiff combat. In the first week of March the YD moved to the ; Saarburg area and started the push that ended the war. Fifty-five-year old Von Buttlar known to his men as a terrific dis ciplinarian, and die-hard soldier kept his upper lip stiff and stood at iron attention as he paid the YD's his highest compliment. "I'm proud to surrender to a di vision famous in all Germany". Engineers Survey Local Airport Site Civil Aeronautics engineers *ere here Friday of last week to ??ake a survey of the proposed air Port, on the property of J. C. Townson and E. A. Wood, at Warble, approximately half-way between Murphy and Andrews. These engineers are making re commendations on the size and location of the airport. Dr. B. W. Whitfield, chairman the airport committee, states thtt acquisition of the land is the oext step in the process of secur es an airport, and then it will ** up to people of the county to ** that it is constructed. CpL J. L. Hall Is Discharged Cpl. J. L. Hall, Jr., son of Mr. ar>d Mrs. J. L. Hall, Murphy, ftoute 2, With a total of 112 points, vas discharged July 2, at Port Mc Phereon. Oa. He served as a mili Policeman in the 437th M. P. ?M*aKon for 51 months in the theater. He holds the following ribbons and awards . Aa*rtcan Defense Medal, Ameri ^ H**ter Ribbon. Good Oon Medal and European Tbe Ribbon with three Bronze ??? t Carmel C. Hall Among Returnees MXAMT, FLA. ? Flown from overseas in ocean-spanning ATC planes, North Carolina fighting men continue to pour into Air Transport Command's Miami Army Air Field among the first 50,000 returnees ATC is flying to the states each month. From this ATC Caribbean Divis ion hub, the battle-tested North Carolinians move by rail to Camp Blandinjr, Fla. From there they go to reception centers nearer their homes for separation from the service or furloughs prior to reassignment. Latest North Carolina air re turnees included: T/4 Carmel C. Hall, 25, Transportation Corps, 32 months with the Persian Gulf Command of Murphy, Rt. 1. SERMON SUBJECTS "Lost, Strayed, or Stolen!" will be the subject of the Rev. Ralph Taylor at First Methodist Church Sunday morning at 11 o'clock. Evening worship is at 8 o clock, and Fellowship hour, Wednesday, 8 P. M Dr. Ellen Winston Is Lions Club Speaker Dr. Ellen Black Winston, slate commi.-sioner f public welfare, of Raleigh, was the guest speaker at the Ladle*' night program of Murphy Lions club Tuesday eve ning at Regal hotel. She review ed the history of welfare work in North Car lina and discussed the various services rendered by the department, through cooperation cf the county boards of welfare. Harry Bishop was installed as new president of the club, suc ceeding Doyle Burch. Other of ficers installed were: Secretary, S. N. Bobo. Sr.: treasurer, R. S. Bault: lion tamer, W. A. Sherrill; tailtwister. Rev. Ralph Taylor; first vice-president, R. W. Easley. Jr.: second. J. B. Gray, and third, C. E. Weir; and directors, Doyle Burch. immediate past president; Frank Forsyth, Dr. B. W. Whit field, and H. G. Elkins. The program opened with a song, led by Mrs. Imogene Bates, with Mrs. Duke Whitley as pian ist. The invocation was by the Rev. Ralph Taylor, who also serv ed as toastmaster. Doyle Burch presided over the business part of the program. The club and guests, at the request of Mr. Tay lor, stood for a moment in silent tribute to Wade H. Massey, a member of the club a ho died two weeks ago * Set. J'ie Ray and Pvt. H. A. Mattox, home on furloughs, were welcomed and presented "five-star general" pins by the toastmaster. Their Lionesses were asked to pin ihe decorations on them. Secretary S. N. Bob Sr.. an : ncunced that Dr. W A. Hoover j has been appointed deputy district governor of District 31-A of Lions International. Prank Forsyth presented a past-president's pin to H. A. Mat tox, who in turn presented one to Doyle Burch. Mrs. Imogene Bates, ccomp anied by Mrs. Duke Whitley, sang a solo. The welcome was mace by R. S. Bault. and the response by Mrs. H. A. Mattox. The following guests were recog nized: Mr. and Mrs. T. A. Case, Miss Mary Porter Pain, Miss Fran ces Dickson, Mrs. Hugh Putnam. Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Harshaw. Miss Betsy Webster, Mrs. Jimmie Ward. Mrs. J. F. Wood, Miss Victoria Bell, Mrs. Willard Cooper, Miss Marvie Walker, Mrs. Laura Free man, Mi's. John Campbell. Mrs. Imogene Bates, and Mrs. Minnie i Erhart. Fain And Court Deny Rumors Mildred Hendrix, Bruce Garland Are Winners In Essay Contest Miss Mildred Hendrix, daughter cf Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Hendrix of Peachtree was winner of the first prize in the girls' division in the recent Farmers Federation essay contest, for 4-H club mem bers and Future Farmers and Bruce Garland of Robbinsville, Route 1, was the winner in the boys' division. The prize, given for the best letter on the subject, "What the Farmers Federation Cooperative is Doing to Help the Farmer", was $50. Miss Mary Cornwell Chero kee county home agent, presented . the prize to Miss Hendrix, and D. W. Bennett, county agent of Gra ham county, presented the prize to Bruce Garland, at the Farmers Federation picnic at Andrews Saturday. Miss Hendrix, a Murphy high school girl of 15, has been a 4-H club member for five years, and is outstanding in the work of food preparation projects, room im provement, clothing, poultry and diary projects. She has always been a leader and has held offices in the club. She plays the piano and sings and is an all-around girl. Judges in the essay contest ?were: Donald Shoemaker, associate * Reports have been circulated in Murphy in recent weeks that Mayor W. M. Pain had teen ar rested for blackmarket ing sugar and that his trucks had been at tached in Georgia and he himself was under a heavy bond for ap pearance in Federal Cr.jrt. Mayor Fain denies that these rumors are true and offers a reward of $500 to any person giving him evidence sufficient to convict the person or persons starting such rumors. J. Ellis Mundy, United States district attorney, Atlanta, Ga? and the deputy clerk of the court both verified to the Cherokee Scout the fact that no such charges against Mayor Fain were on the records of the Federal Court in the Northern District of Georgia. It has been said that a few weeks ago Mayor Fain was arrest ed on these charges, in Decatur, Ga., and he states that he has not been in Decatur in 10 years. With reference to the purchase of large quantities of sugar, he states that he has not bought sugar from Georgia in many years and that in recent months practically the only product transported by him to and from the capital of Georgia has been scrap metal. Dr. B. W. Whitfield visited his sister-in-law, Mrs. J. E. Whitfield in Harlan, Ky? who is ill, a few days last week. editor of the Asheville Citizen Dr. Hoyt Blackwell, president ol Mars Hill college, and; Dean Col vard, supervisor of the state test farm at Waynesville. CPL. LESARD RADFORD Radford Writes Of German Prison Cpl. Lesard Radford, son of Mr. and Mrs. P. W. Radford of Grand view, has been in service for two years and has served with the 15th aimy in Germany for eight mon ths. His wife, Mrs. Rada Rad ford, and two year-old daughter, Virginia Lee, live at Grandview. He has two brothers. John Thomas Radford and Howard Radford in the South Pacific. Cpl. Radford sent his parents a description of the Buchenwald prison atout five miles from Weim ar as he saw it and had it ex plained to him by a Yougoslav. The prison was wired in with elec tric wire. It held 60.000 prison ers. French, Russians, Poles, Dutch and Yougoslavs, some Americans and British soldiers. An average o 60 or 70. sometimes more, died each day. They were hanged, for speaking while on duty to some one outside the prison, six at a time on a kind of A frame. By the time the 6th man was hung the first one would be dead, then they would start all over again. "I was shown where they gass ed 40 old men because they were too old to work, inviting them in to the shower room for a hot shower which proved to be gas in stead of water", he wrote. "The torture room was a small room in the basement of the crematory, where the bodies were burned. They would hang the ones to be tortured up by the arms, hands, or thumbs, and sometimes by the neck. They were teaten with a whip or club or anything that might be handy after they told their story, killed and sent up stairs on an elevator where their bodies were burned. They even turned dogs loose on them if they didn't talk. Once a prisoner was taken irtside the fence where the crematory was he never came out alive, or, as the guide said, 'he would enter by the gate and leave by the chimney.' There were ten to twelve furnaces where they were burned, which held from three to five bodies each. If coal was scarce, from 1500 to 2,000 bodies were buried in a hole that couldn't be called a grave. "Two toys who were prisoners gave me most of this story. One was 18, 'the other 16. They had been in prison since they were ten years old and had done as much work as any man. Both their fathers were killed there; their mothers were prisoners some where, they didn't know where." Record Number Fish On Hiwassee This Year Year-round fishing in TVA's western North Carolina lakes, permitted this year for the first time, has met with enthusiastic response from sportsmen as well as farm folk in the area, Depart ment of Conservation and Develop ment officials report. As predicted by TVA, the bass fishing was excellent during the spring period ordinarily closed for spawning, and a record number of fishermen were on the lakes in April and May. TVA had argued, after studies at Norris Lake, that bass fishing during the spawn ing season would not deplete fish population, and pointed out that the closed season deprived sports men of their best chances, since the small fry have not yet developed to compete with artificial bait Boatmen have ben kept busy at both Hmaisff and Chatuge lakes, and bass weighing up to eight pounds have been taken from both. Heavy fishing con tinues, particularly on week-ends, but with the beginning of the downdraw on the reservoirs, coin cident with hot weather, the luck fell off, though good to moderate catches of bass, brim, perch, jacks, pike and carp are still being taken. Carp have been especially preval ent in Htwassee Lake. TV A offi cials say bass respond acutely to downdraw, with a pull-down of