97th Ysar? Number 57
Louiaburg, N. C.. Tuesday. Saptambar 0. 1906 (Six Pagaa Today) (Tan Cants)
One Of Eight Fires
Scene above shows Justice and Centervllle firemen battling the blaze which destroyed the
home of Eugene Burnette and his family on Highway 561 last Thursday night around 8:30 p.tp.
The house was owned by Hal West and only a few kitchen furnishings were saved. This was
the first of several fires taking place over the weekend.
Judge Hobgood Orders '
Accused Slayer Committed To
State Hospital For Observation
An order Issued by Superior
Court Judge Hamilton H. Hob
good here Monday has forced
postponement of a hearing
scheduled for today In the
case of accused knife slayer
David Lee Foster. Judge Hob
good Issued an order Monday
placing the 15-year-old Negro
youth In State Hospital In Ra
leigh for observation.
The Negro Is charged In the
brutal killing of Loulsburg
grocerman W. G. ?hearon In
Ms store on South MalnStreet
last Monday afternoon. A
hearing had been scheduled
before Recorder's Court
Judge C. M. Beam for today.
Judge Hobgood appointed
Loulsburg attorney James P.
Lumpkin as defense attorney
for Foster last week.
Judge Hobgood's order. It
was reported, Is routine In
cases where sanity Is likely
to be an Issue. Foster Is to
be kept at State Hospital for a
period not to exceed sixty
days for observation, accord
ing to the Judge's order.
Named
- Manager
William H. "Sam" Wood has
been named manager of the
?local FCX Store.
Wood Is a native of Frank
lin County and has been asso
ciated with FCX In Loulsburg
for the past five months. He
replaces Mr. Harold D. Mllll
gan, who was transferred to
the Henderson FCX Store.
Mr. Wood Is the son of Mr.
and Mrs. P. S. Wood of the
White Level Community.
Foster was arrested at the
home of his grandmother last
Tuesday night by Loulsburg
Police Chief William T. De
ment and S. B. I. officers. He
is charged with first degree
murder in the death of the
Loulsburg storekeeper. He
was taken to a Raleigh jail
for safekeeping following his
arrest.
Foster allegedly hacked
Shearon to death with a clea
ver-type knife U\ Shearon's
store on South Main ?freet
here last Monday afternoon
around 2 p.m. The crime Is
reported to have occurred fol
lowing an argument earlier
in the day between the white
man and the Negro youth.
Officers reported there were
three witnesses to the start of
the fight which ended In the
death of the 63-year-old gro
cerman. All are minors and
their names have not been
made public.
Local police, Including aux
iliary policemen, searched
the area of the South Main
Street murder extensively
Monday In the hope of finding
some missing money, alleg
edly taken In the murder
robbery. A reliable source
says no money ?w found
during the search. ?
No Deaths But
Holiday Weekend Brings Fires,
Wrecks, And Racing Charges
Franklin County, fortu
nately, did not contribute to
the 567 record total of highway
deaths during the Labor Day
weekend, nor to the IS fata
lities In North Carolina.
The area, however, could be
labeled In terms of location
as the place "Where the action
was." The long holiday had
somq of Just about everything
thai goes to make the news.
Beginning last Thursday
night, there have been eight
fires, at least two highway
accidents, a search for a
missing man, a search for
missing money, an alleged
pre-arranged highway race,
and at least one call for aid
by a person with breathing
difficulty.
Rescuers, firemen, State
Troopers, local police and
newsmen have been kept on
the go throughout the period.
Last Thursday's fire, re
ported around 8:30 p.m., de
stroyed the home of the Eu
gene Burnette family on High
way 561 eight miles east of
Loulsburg. Justice, Center
vllle and a tanker from the
Loulsburg fire department
fought the blaze, saving part
of the structure. All fur
nishings were lost except
some kitchen furniture. Bur
nette, visiting In the Justice
community, followed the fire
department on the call, only
to be led right to his own
front yard. The house was
Governor Promises Inforniatran
On Franklin Road Future
Clint Puller, Managing Edi
tor of The Franklin Tlme?,
disclosed today that he has
received a letter from Gov
ernor Dan K. Moore In which
the Governor promises to re
ply to information requests
made by the newspaper.
Fuller said he wrote the
Governor on August 20, listing
the major points of what "I
have attempted to show
through front page editorial
and pictorial comment" to be
the conditions of Franklin
County roads.
Fuller said he pointed out to
the Governor In the letter that
"copies of these . . . editorials
have been sent you, Mr. Hunt,
and Mr. J. B. Brame ... In
Foster Case
-*f?:
O'Berry Official Places
Responsibility Here
Dr. Vernon Mangum, Super
intendent of The O' Berry Cen
ter, * mental Institution In
Goldsboro, has stated that
"the community should be
helping Improve the child's
family environment during the
year he was at the Center."
The official's statement was
quoted In The Raleigh Times
Cancer Unit
Llo Hold
Annual Meet
Dr. James F. Newiome will
be gwMt speaker for the
franklin County Cancer
Unit's annual meeting on Sep
tember T at the Murphy House.
Dr. Newaome Is s graduate
at the Unlveij>lty of North
Carolina and was awarded hist
M. D. degree at Vanderbllt
University School of Medicine,
la IMS. He served a* Captain
In U. S. Air Force Medical
Corp* from 1SB0 to 1SS2.
Dr. New some la well quali
fy In the Held of cancer,
Having been awarded aeveral
grants In research in the can- '
cer field.
list Saturday In reference to
accused knife-slayer David
Ln Foster having been an
Inmate at C Berry.
The Institution refused to
readmit the Negro youth upon
request from the Franklin
County Director of Welfare,
Juvenile Judge Ralph Knott and
Riverside School Principal
Carl Harris. Foster Is ac
cuaed of the murder of W. G.
Shearon, Loulsburg grocer
man, last Monday afternoon
ln Shearon'a South Main Street
store.
Foster, who was committed
on order of Judge Hamilton
Hobgood to the State Hospital
ln Raleigh Monday for obser
vation, spent nine .months at
the O* Berry Center, returning
home ln June of 1864.
Requests at that time that
the youth be readmitted were
refused by Dr. Mangum on
the grounds that the youth
"was not a problem for the
community."
Mrs. Jane York, Director
of Welfare for the county,
stated this morning thst the
Foster family was a "Defined
Services case ln need of spe
cial services." Mrs. York
See C BERRY pege 4
the hope that you gentlemen
might, be made aware of this
gross example of discrimina
tion."
"My position In the matter Is
one of a newspaperman, re
porting conditions as I find
them. I am not the repre
sentative of the people of this
county and, therefore, I cannot
speak for theiii," Fuller
wrote. "I believe, however,
that It Is now time for some
statement from you. We are
hopeful; that , you will recog
nize our plight In Franklin
County and take some positive
action toward helping to eli
minate It."
Fuller says he expects to re
ceive Information from Gov
ernor M x>re In answer to the
portion of his letter which
stated, "We doubt that you or
anyone else can properly ex
plain why Franklin has re
ceived less than $1 million In
the past 29 years for Primary
Road Improvemonts, but we
believe that some"Wplanatlon
of future plans for Franklin
County will be helpful."
The Governor's letter stated
simply, "1 am presently com
piling the Information you re
quested and will forward It to
you as soon as It Is com
pleted." ?
Fuller's editorial and pic
torial comments have been
published In The Franklin
Times on a weekly basis for
the past 13 weeks. The wri
tings have brought a number
of endorsements from orga
nizations In the county and
private citizens. The articles
have tended to show that the
county has been short
changed over the years In the
matter of highway fund allo
cation.
Centerville
Gets New
Exchange
Carolina Telephone's
newest?and 114th- -telephone
exchange will be placed In
service here onSeptember 11,
according to Howard T. Pitts,
local manager for the com
pany
Pitts said that on that date,
at 2:01 a.m., all telephone
numbers for subscribers liv
ing in the areas of Center
ville, Alert, Gupton, Stalling*
Crossroads, Wood and part
of the Justice Community, will
change to Centerville num
bers. At present, subscriber*
In these areas are served
through the Loulsburg ex
change.
The new Centerville numj
bers will consist of seven
See CENTERVILLE page 4
owned by Hal West, manager
of the local Joyner Wholesale
Building Supply Store. It was
partly covered by insurance,
West reported.
The Leonard Huskee family,
one and a half miles east of
Youngsvllle, lost their home
to fire Sunday night. The call
was made at 9:23 p.m to the
Youngsvllle fire department
No one was home at the time
of the blaze.
Five barns and/or stable
packhouses were lost to fire
over the weekend. Bunn Rural
Firemen answered a call to the
Albert Woodllef farm on U. S.
401 five miles south of Louis
burg around 6 a.m. Sunday.
The barn and 400 sticks of
tobacco were lost. Eight thou
sand tobacco sticks were
saved In an adjoining shelter.
I Around 5:28 p.m. Sunday a
barn burned on the George
Robblns farm, operated by
tenant Willie Edwards onN.C.
38 near Bunn.
Sunday morning around 3:45
a.m. a barn and 600 sticks
of tobacco was lost on the
Stephen Wiggins farm near
Youngsvllle. Local firemen
managed to keep the blaze
from spreading to nearby
buildings and to the Wiggins
home.
D. T. and Woodrow Hayes
lost a stable and packhouse
combination structure near
Moulton Sunday night. The Ep
som FlPfcJ Department an
swered Another barnftre call
to the farm of W. E. Finch
at 'njleslde.
A blaze damaged wiring In
an automobile owned by Mrs.
BUly W he less at Justice about
9:30 p.m. Sunday night. The
Justice department extin
guished the fire.
A head-on colllilon Sunday
night In Cedar Rock, Invol
ving 13 persons resulted In
the hospitalization of at least
one with serious Injuries. A
car, reportedly driven by
James Lee Arrtpgton c/m
Rt. 4, Loulaburg, struck a
station wagon driven by a
Henderson Negro as the Ar
rlngton car reportedly
crossed the center line. Ar
rlngton suffered severe In
juries to hla left arm and was
taken from Franklin Memorial
Hospital to Duke. County Re
gister of Deeds Ale* T. Wood
and other spectators are cre
dited with saving Arrlngton'a
life when they applied a tour
nequet following the accident.
Rufas Langley, c/m/50 of
Henderson, his wife and seven
children escaped serious In
jury as their statlonwagon was
thrown from the road Into a
ditch. Qie uncomflrmed re
port said that the Langley wo
man had been admitted to Duke
with head Injuries. One child
was brought to the local hos
pital with minor cuts by the
Loulaburg Rescue Service.
Three Negro men, passengers
in the Arrlngton car were not
Injured.
James Birtholomew, em
ployee of Dean Farm* Egg
firm In Cedar Rock, suffered
serious head and shoulder In
juries when he waa thrown
from a motor bike on the
See WEEKEND page 4
Seriously Injured
Spectators vim -the motor bike from which James Bartholomew (Inset), 27-year-old
county man, was thrown and seriously Injured Saturday afternoon around 3:1 S p.m. The
accident occurred on Fishing Rock Creek Road, newly paved stretch of rural highway In
Cedar Rock Township. Bartholomew Is recovering from severe head and shoulder Injuries In
a Raleigh hospital.
Franklinton Schools To Opto
Wednesday As Talks Continue
Negotiations are continuing
between the Frankllnton City
School Board and offlclala of
the Office df Education In
Washington, according to re
ports this morning. However,
schools will open In the sys.
tem Wednesday as scheduled.
Superintendent Fred Rogers
said this morning that classes
would begin at 8:15 a.m and
that students would be re
leased Wednesday at 12 noon.
No lunches will be served In
the school cafeterias Wednes
day. Busses will operate on
regular morning schedules,
however.
Thursday will be the first of
the ISO-day school year
regular, hours will be main
tained. Lunches wll 1 be
served.
The opening Wednesday Is
expected to be accomplished
without the transfer of the
seventh grades at 9. F. Per
son-Albion Negro school to
the Frankllnton High School
as requested by officials of
the Department of Health,
Education and Welfare In
Washington. This request
brought on quite a bit of con
troversy In the Frankllnton
area resulting In a mass meet
ing of citizens to protest such
movement. It also brought on
Investigation by eight agents
of the F. B. I. Into reported
threats by some local people.
Rogers would say only that
negotiations are still con
tinuing In the matter and that
a public statement would be
made when any decisions are
reached. Hedecllneg comment
on a reported trlp.to Washing
ton last week by local school
officials.
Market Opens Thursday,
Local Graders Named
The three local tobacco
warehouse! will be In readi
ness Thursday as the Middle
Belt opens the 1966 market
ing season. Friendly Four
Warehouse on South Main
Street will have first sale on
opening day, Ford's Ware
house In Ford Village will
have second ssle and the Big
Franklin Warehouse on Blc
kett Blvd. will have the third
sale.
Friday's sales will be ro
tated with Ford's holding first
sale, Big Franklin having se
cond and the Friendly Four
having third.
U. S. Department of Agri
culture tobacco Inspection at
the Loulsburg market this
season will be under the
In Head-On Collision
supervision of B. E. Newton.
Newton heads a group of In
spectors recently assigned for
the current sales season to the
Loulsburf market by the To
bacco Division of USDA'sCon
sumer and Marketing Service.
Other tobacco Inspectors as
signed to the Lou Is burg
market are: L. L. Stone and
R. C. Coleman.
Official grades for flue
cured tobacco this seasonwlll '
be the same as lap t season,
Newton said.
Under the 1836 Tobacco In
sepctlon Act, growers of flue
cured tobacco first began
using the US DA Inspection
service In 1?36. By 1S40, the
service had spread to more
than athlrdoftheauctlonmar
kets In the flue-cured area
that extends from. Virginia
through the Carolines and
Georgia Into northern Flori
da.
In May 1M2, a general re
ferendum was held an! passed
for the remaining markets,*
but qualified Inspectors
weren't available for all of the
marketa until the 1948 season
Beginning that season, all
riue-cured markets in the
rive states have had uSDA'a
Free and mandatory Inspec
tion service.