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The Cherokee Scout
Cherokee County's Oldest And Newest Newspaper
Volume 71-Number 53
Murphy, N. C., Thursday, August 3, 1961
8 Pages This Week
Polished Weekly
SAME ONE 1 SOLD -- Adam (Bud) Ledford gem hunter
from Route 1 , Hayesville, Is shown telling Fred O. Scroggs
of Brasstown and Dr. George F. Size of Murphy that the
large pink sapphire shown on the front page of the Asheville
Citizen Sunday, July 23, is the same one he sold to Kermlt
Martin, a gem cutter, from Bryson City on Saturday, July 15,
1961. Martin's "gem strike" gained worldwide coverage and
has "lured hundreds of rockhounds and curious sightseers"
to the Cowee Valley gem fields where the sapphire was
reported to have been found. According to Ledford the sone,
was actually found near Back Creek on Chunky Gal Mountain
in Clay County over four years ago by Harold Moss,
of Hayesville.
Murphy
Calendar
THURSDAY, AUGUST 3
10:00 a.m. Peachtree f time
Demonstration Club mill
meet at the home of Misses
Mae and Dale Sudderth.
7:30 p.m. Community prayer
service at Free Methodist
Church.
8:00 p.m. Official Board
meeting at First Methodist
Church.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 4
6:00 p.m. MYF Picnic will
he held at the home of
Miss Brenda Ann Quinn.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 5
7:30 p.m. Tri State Rock
Hounder Meeting at their
building In Brasstow. [>.
A. S. Furcron, State Geo
logist of Ga. will be guest
speaker.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 6
6:15 a.m. Mass at Providence
Hospital Chapel.
11 a.m. Holy Mass at St.
Williams Catholic Chapel.
6:30 p.m. Training Union First
Baptist Church.
8:00 p.m. Joint services of
Presbyterian and Methodist
Churches at Presbyterian
Church.
MONDAY, AUGUST 7
6:30 p.m. Rotary Club at
Family Restaurant.
6:30 p.m. Civltan meeting at
New Regal Hotel.
7:30 p.m Cherokee Lodge No.
146 AF & AM Masonic Hall.
7:30 p.m. Evening Circle of
Presbyterian Church at
Fellowship Hall of the
church.
7:30 p.m. YWA's will meet
at the home of Miss Dorothy
Mull.
8:00 p.m. St. Jude Adult
Education Study Club at St.
William's Catholic Chapel.
TUESDAY, AUGUST 8
10:00 a.m. Gladys Morris
Circle of First Baptist
Church will meet at the
home of Mrs. , Wallie
Williams.
6:30 p.m. Lions Club In the
recreation hall of the First
Methodist Church.
8:00 p.m. Commission meet
ing of First Methodist
Church.
8:0Q p.m. Elizabeth Hale
Circle of First Baptist
Church at the hom of Mrs.
Claude Montelth.
8:00 p.m. Ruth Swan Circle
of First Baptist Churchwill
meet at the home of Mrs.
Harry Dickey.'
8:00 p.m. Frankie Martin
Circle of First Baptist
Church at the home of Mrs.
Arden Davis.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 9
6:30 p.m. Brotherhood Supper
?t First Baptist Church.
6:30 p.m. Genera] Meeting of
WMU at First Baptist
Church.
7:00 p.m.YWA's will meet at
First Baptist Church.
7:00 p.m. RA's will meet at
First Baptist Church.
7:00 p.m. GA's will meet at
First Baptist Church.
7:20 p.m. Midweek services at
Presbyterian Church.
7:30 p.m. Midweek services at
First Methodist Church.
8:00 p.m. Hour of Power of
First Baptist Church.
8:15 p.m. Choir practice at
First Methodist Church.
8:45 p.m. Choir practice at
First Baptist Church.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 10
1:00 p.m. Cancer Clinic atthe
Health Office.
New Student
Registration
High School Students who |
have moved Into the com
munity or returned to the
community should report to
the high school office for
registration on August 14th.
or 15?h. The office will be open
from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m.
THEY ARE LOOKING IN THE WRONG PLACE if they are looking for sapphires similar to
the one reported found by Kermit Martin. Stones of that variety are found only near Buck Creek
on Chunky Gal Mountain in Clay County according- to experienced rockhounds and official state
reports. \ ?
Local Board To Be
Closed August 2-9
The draft board will be
closed from August 2 through
August 9.
Three local boys were in
ducted to Knoxvllle Thursday,
July 27, They are Henry Allen,
Dennis Dockery, and Hubert
Myers.
Andrews Girl
Joins Waves
Shown above is the latest
addition to tie WAVES, Miss
Maxine Wheeltr, daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. Clyde H.
Wheeler of Andrews, N. C.
who enlisted in the WAVES
on Friday, July 21, at the
Columbia Naw Recruiting
Station.
Maxine was graduated from
Andrews High School in May
where she was an active part
icipant in the Science Fair
and played basketball in ad
dition to her regular studies.
The new WAVE is under
going training at the Naval
Training Center, Bainbridge,
Maryland.
FINAL RESTING PLACE of a 1960 Ford wrecked on US 64
In the Peachtree Straight shortly after 10:00 A. M. Wednesday
morning. TWO LOCAL BOYS INJURED.
johnny Anderson, 21,
of Murphy and Andrews and
Billy Decker, 17, of Murphy
were Involved in a one-car
accident while traveling on
Highway 64 East shortly after
10:00 a.m. on Wednesday,
August 2.
Anderson, wiio was driving
the 1960 FordStarliner, owned
by Cllne Hicks of Murphy, lost
control while passing another
car and skidded for an
estimated 100 yards. The car
then left the road on the right
side and clipped a telephone
pole which knocked the car
into a ditch causing it to flip
end - over - end across a
secondary road. The Ford
landed in a ditch in from to
Murvell Hunsucker's house.
This description of the wreck
was made by Hunsucker. who
A SO INCH PIKE weighing 8 lb. 2 o*. w as caught Saturday
July 29. In Hlwasaee Lake at the mouth of the Nodey River.
Shown above with hlf catch tl E. W. Whi taker (right) and
Junior Hardin who waa In the boat. They are both of Andrewa.
witnessed it.
Anderson and Decker were
taken to a local hospital in
Murphy where they were treat
ed for lacerations and later
released.
A. A. To Have
Special Meeting
The Tri- State Group of
Alcoholics Anonymous, which
has its regular meeting every
Tuesday at 8:00 p.m.. in the
New Regal Hotel, Murphy,
North Carolina, announces a
special meedng on Tuesday,
August 8, at 8:00 p.m.. In the
New Regal Hotel which will
be open to anyone who wishes
to attend.
The featured speaker is a
man who has been in attend
ance at fifty-five different
state conventions of
Alcoholic Anonymous thorugh
out the United States. This
man has a message for people
who need help either for them
selves or for friends or
relatives. It is believed that
?11 clergymen, lawyers,
doctors, teachers, sodal
workers, church leades, and
all folks at all interested in
human welfare should avail
themselves of the opportunity
of learning something about
the program of Alcoholics
Anonymous at this meeting.
It 1* now known that
alcoholics In th UnitedStates
number six dmes as many
as there are active cases of
tuberculosis, and one
hundred fifty-five times as
many as there were cases of
polio in the nation last year;
therefore, alcoholism con
cerns us all. As of now, there
is almost an alcoholic on the
average to every family.
For Information concerning
Alcoholics Anonymous, write
Post Office Box 237, Murphy
North Carolina.
Giant Sapphire Strike
Called A Hoax By Club
By JERUE BABB
Memoers of the Tri-State
Rockhounders Club, Inc. of
Brasstow, N. C. have dis
closed Information which
Indicates that the "giant
Sapphire and ruby find" of
Cowee Valley Is a hoax. The
"historic gem strike"that was
reportedly made J uly IS, 1961
In the Cowee Valley gem fields
of Macon County by a mountain
gem hunter from Bryson City
Is actually a speciman found
In Clay County over four years
ago and recently sold to
Kermit Martin of Bryson
City by Adam (Bud) Bedford.
Martin,, Wednesday t Took
issue with the charges. He
said he never told anyone that
he found the stone In Cowee
Valley and he denied buying
the stone form Ledford.
Martin said he did purchase
one stone from Ledford but
it was a heaver one. In
denlng that he found the stone
in Cowee Valley, Martin said
"The Newspapers" got it
mixed up. When asked if he
complained about the mix up
Martin said he intended to bur
hadn't gotten to it.
wnen tne news 01 Martin's
fabulous "find" hit the front
pages of daily and weekly
newspapers last week the old
time honest-to-goodness rock
hounds of this area shook their
heads in disbelief.
Several members of the "IV i
State club got together to talk
the situation over. It was
common knowledge that a
sapphire speclman of the
magnitude pictured and des
cribed in the daily accounts of
the "giant gem find" was
uncovered in Clay County
several years ago.
The knowledge of this
earlier find and the official
state and actual experiences of
rockhounds and prospectors n
this area all pointed to the fact
thatMartin's flndwere one and
the same. As WayncMf theson
of Andrews, N. C. put it, "I
know of nowhere in North
Carolina where corundum
deposits of gem quality, red or
pink, are found in massive
form except the Buck Creek
area in Clay County. I have
one of the first corundum re
ports published by the State
of North Carolina in 1905 and
nowhere in this book does it
say anything to the contrary. '
I don't believe you'll find any '
except in Clay County."
In order to substaniate their (
theory two members of the
Rockhounders went to Hayes -
vllle Thursday, J uly 27, and
talked to Adam (Bud) Ledford
who they knew had had a
similar speclman in his
possession for the past four
years.
Mr. Leatord was showi the
picture of the pink sapphire
shown in the Asheville Citizen
Sunday, July 20, and when
asked if he recognized it he
replied, "It's the one I sold
to a fellow Martin over in
Brvson City."
Ledford added that he sold
the specimantoKermitMardn
about 10 a.m. Saturday, July 15
1961 at his home on Route
1, Hayes vllle. The Ledford
home Is located between the
Shooting Creek Bridge and the
Georgia line near Scrougetowi.
Martin had tryed to buy the
stone several times before.
Ledford said that he bought
the stone from Harold Moss,
also of Hayesvllle, in the sum
mer of 1957.
Also it was reported that
Jim Stoinoff of Hiawassee.Ga.
and Miami Springs, Fla. saw
the stone and offered Ledford
$100 for it. The stone has been
shown to many people In the
North Georgia-Western North
Carolina area and was even
taken to Atlanta for ap
praisals.
Ledford said that Moss told
him that the stone was found
above Buck Creek on Chunky
Gal Mountain in Clay County.
Harold Moss, the man who
Ledford says dug the stone
AUNT HET
I could of got home in time
to fix Pa a good ?upper, but
he eajoya feeling worry tor
himself and I like to give him
a chance once in a while.
from Chunky Gal Mountain,
said when he saw the picture
on the front page of the paper
"It favors the one 1 sold to
Bud Ledford, it sure does.
I believe it's the same one."
Adam Ledford's mother,
Mrs. Bonnie Ledford, and his
brother, James, both agreed
that the sapphire pictured in
the paper was "a match for
the one Bud had."
Arthur Palmer, owner and
operator of Palmer's Museum
Marble, N. C. and rockhound,
related the following story
about the reported gem find.
" I stopped by that man's
(Martin's) gem shop Thursday
July 20, and was looking at his
gems. In a few minutes he
came walking up to me with
those rubies in his hand.
1 knew right then that 1 had
seen them before over at
Ledford's."
I have seen the stones twice
before. I took FredO.Scroggs
over to Ledford's once before
to see them two-three years
ago. The other day would make
the third time that I've seen
them."
Ruby and sapphire specimen
are found together. The only
difference is in the color.
Fred O. Scroggs, rockhound
and gem cutter, of Brasstown
N. C. said. "I recognized the
spenman in the illustration in
Sunday's issueof the Citizen
as being the same that I have
seen on two different
occasions in Bud Ledford's
collection."
The Tri-State Rockhounders
have many times traveled the
hills and Chunky Gal Mountain
in the quest of ruby and sap
phire in smaragdite. The
knowledge of this particular
material led to the feeling that
Martin's "find" was a hoax
since the specimen is sur
rounded by smaragdite
according to Dr. George F.
Size, President of the
Rockhounders club. Dr. Size
added that Martin admitted to
soipe of the group. Fred O.
Scroggs, Wayne Ma theson, and
hir.iself that the material that
he has shown and has been
written about " didnotcome
from Macon County but did
come from Clay County." At
the same time Martin told the
group of Tri-State Rock
hounders that the stones were
in the bank and he couldn't
get them out for them to see
Dr. Size says Martin told him
"there's no need in trying to
fool you as 1 know you wouid
recognize that the stones came
from Clay County."
Wednesday Martlr. admitted
that he did tell one man he
found the stone in Clay County
but later found out he was
wrong, that the stone was
found in Macon Countv.
rhe rubles and sapphires
found in the Cowee Valley gem
fields are found In a crystal
form not in smaragdite as
those in Clay County,
The Tri-itate Rockhound
ers. Inc is a non-profit hobby
group that collects and studies
rocks and minerals. They own
a clubhouse at Brasstown, and
hold regular meetings. One
spokesman emphasized that
their only interest in this
matter was the furthering of
their hobby.
Harold Moss said that he
remembers selling the stone
along with two other stones
to Bud Ledford for $220.
Ledford did not disclose how
much he received for the
stones but he said he received
less from Martin than he paid
for them.
The Tri -State Rock
hounders meet once a month.
Their next meeting is at the
Clubhouse in Brasstown.
August 5, at 7:00 p.m. Any
interested Rockhounds are
invited.
FOUND ONLY IN CLAY COUNTY. This is the picture which touched off the rush to the gem
ields of Cowee Valleylast week. This sapphire was reported in both daily and weekly papers
icross the country as being found in Macon County. Evidence has geen gathered by the Trl
itate Rockhounders Club. Inc. that this speciman was actually found over your years ago In Clay
bounty.
Youth Baseball
On Thursday, July 27, the
Braves defeated the Yankees
4-0. Donald Morris pitched a
no hit game for 5 innings and
Eddie Palmer gave up 1 hit
in the inning he pitched.
The Indians forfeited their
game to the Dodgers on Mon
day, July 31.
"Hie Yankees defeated the
Cardinals 3-2 to win the
championship for this season.
Hugh Carringer pitched for the
Yankees and also knocked in
the winning run with a single
in the top of the seventh.
Coye Stewart pitched for the
Cardinals.
The Indians defeated the
Giants 7-3. Johnny Phillips
pitched for the Indians and
Johnny Moore pitched for the
Giants.
Standings WON LOST
Yankees 8 2
Cardinals 5 5
Braves 2
Indians 6
Dodgers 5 5
Giants 4
6
SAW IT TWICE BEFORE - Arthur Palmer, local rock
hound and owner of Palmer's Museum at Marble, says that
he saw the pink sapphire that Kermit Martin now has twice
before at Bud Ledford's in Hayesvllle.
AUGUST
1961
t M t W T f f
- - I 2 3 4 S
6 7 ? 9 10 11 12
13 14 IS 16 17 II 19
20 21 22 23 24 2S 26
27 28 29 30 31 - -
MARK SHIELDS
Son Of
Mr. k Mrs. David Shields
'Fishermen'
Slrap Ut For . .
THE FINEST SELECTION
OF HOME FURNISHINGS
SOSSMMMI
DAVID ALEXANDER
Son Of
Mr. k Mr*. R. O. Alexander. Jr.