The
Published Every
Telephone Gy 6-3283 Ten Cents
FrariMin Times
Tuesday & Thursday * Serving All Of Franklin County
Louisburg, N. C., Tuesday, June 10, 1969 (Ten Pages Today)
100th Year-Number 33
Honor Students
Susan Charlene Hedgepeth
Valeditorian
EPSOM
Deborah Rose Pendergrass
Salutatorian
Fewer Franklin People Living On Farms
A preliminary farm census sum- *
mary, released this week by the N. C.
and U. S. Crop Reporting Service,
shows that the number of persons
living on farms in Franklin County has
decreased in the past year and that the
number of acres in use for farm
purposes has also declined.
"All people living on farm tracts"
Final Rites
Held For
J. Eddie Nelms
Funeral services for John Edward
(Eddie) Nelms, 76, prominent retired
Route 1, Louisburg farmer, were held
Sunday at 3 P.M. at the Lancaster
Funeral Home Chapel. Services were
conducted Dy
Rev. T. N. Daugh
tery. Burial fol
lowed in the Mt.
Gilead Christian
Church cemetery.
Mr. Nelms, a
candidate for
Sheriff in 1946
and 1950, died
last Friday morn
ing at Franklin
Memorial Hospi
tal following a
lengthy illness.
He was a life
NMLMS
long resident of rranklin County and
served as Chairman of the Board of
Deacons of Mt. Gilead Christian
Church from 1932 to 1964. Mr. Nelms
was a Mason and was serving as a
Trustee of his church at the time of his
death.
Surviving are one son, Russell P.
Nelms of the home; three daughters,
Mrs. Annie Lee Pleasants of Rt. 2,
Louisburg. Mrs. Louise Cyrus of
Youngsviile and Mrs. Helen Barham of
Rt. 2, Wake Forest; and 16 grandchild
ren and 12 great-grandchildren.
Sportswear
Plans First
Open House
Don Hartness. manager of Louis
burg Sportswear, today announced
Sportswear would have its first open
house Sunday afternoon, Juite 22,
from 1 to 5 P.M.
Hartness said, "We are proud of our
plant, but most importantly, we've got
some of the finest people working for
us. We want to give them a chance to
bring their families and friends to see
what we do and how we do it. Since
we've just completed an addition to
the plant, installed new equipment,
and relocated our production facilities,
we feel the time is right to invite all
the public to come have a look."
Tours will be conducted through
the plant and refreshments served.
dropped from 13,728 in 1968 to
13,490 in the census taken this year.
There were 276,702 crop acre* in
1967 and 276,129 in 1968. Harvested
cropland totaled 50,130 acres-down
two percent from 1967. Changes in
other land utilization were idle crop
land at 36,231 acres--up seven percent,
improved pasture at 9,608 acres-down
one percent and unimproved pasture
at 4,819 acres-up one percent from
last year.
Major crops with significant
changes in the harvested acreage were
corn for grain-down two percent to
10,593 acres, cotton-up 46 percent to
4,454 acre*, tobacco -^own 11 percent
to 8,572 acres, and wheat-down 10
percent to.4,230 acres.
The survey also showed an Increase
in the number of people working "100
or more days off the farm" during the
year. The number climbed flrom 2,482
in 1968 to 2,670 in 1969.
The study is made annually in
cooperation with Boards of County
Commissioners by the joint state-fed
eral reporting agency.
Board Meets Thursday
To Continue Budget Study
The Board of County Commission
ers will continue its series of budget
meetings here Thursday afternoon in
an effort to complete a review of the
costs of budget requests for the com
ing fiscal year. The Board met last
week and covered what was described
as "about two-thirds" of the budget
items.
In the absence of Chairman Brooks
W. Young, hospiulized at the time of
the meeting, Commissioners E. M.
Sykes and Norwood Faulkner, both
veterans of budget sessions, spent
much time familarizing Commissioners
John House and Robert Lee Burnette
with budgetary matters. House and
Burnette are tackling their first bud
get.
The meeting was described as one
to "review and study" the budget and
no actions were taken on any of the ?
Items, according to reports. It was alio
learned that the controversial welfare
budget did not come up for review at
last week's session.
Local taxpayers could be facing the
prospects of as much as a 27 cent
increase in the county tax levy which
would bring the rate up to $1.98 as,
compared with the present $1.71 rate.
Franklinton and Louisburg Township
taxpayers would pay more due to
school bond indebtedness. The largest
requests for increases in the new bud
get comes from schools at 8 cents and
welfare at 7 cents for assistance. This,
according to reports, doe; not include
any requests for increases, if any, in
the welfare administrative budget.
Thursday's session is slated for 2
P.M. and it Is not expected that this
session will see a final approval of
what is, apparently, the most difficult
budget confronting the county in
many years.
Three Frankiinton men were arrett
ed . two pickup trucki and an automo
bile were seized and an Illicit whisky
still with daily production capacity of
about 500 gallons of non-tax-pald
whisky was destroyed in a raid by law
enforcement officers in northwestern
Vance County, twelve miles northwest
ASCS Holds Annual Awards Banquet
Approximately 100 persons
attended an ASC Committee Banquet
held Wednesday night, June 4, 1969.
at The Murphy House In Loulsburg, N.
C. Those present Included Community
and County Committeemen, County
Office Employees, other agricultural
workers, bankers, vendors, tobacco
warehousemen and WYRN Radio
Station representative. Mr. H. O.
Carter and Mr. Ed A vent weri present
from the State ASCS office. Mr. Carter
#as the featured speaker for the
evening.
Mr. Carl Bunn, ASCS Fieldman,
presented service awards to a number
of County and Community
Committeemen and office personnel.
County ASC Committeemen receiving
service swards are as follows: Ollle
Fisher. 10 yean; W. D. Foster, 10
years; Harold Wheeler, 5 years; Sidney
Strickland, & years; J. S. Collie, 5
yean; Henry Edwards, 5 yean. E. O.
Brewer, County Committeeman,
received a 80 year service award and C.
C. Perry, County Committeeman,
received a 15 year twice award.
Dorothy Clay, County office
employee, received a 20 year service
award. Mr. Carter presented awards of
appreciation to WYRN Radio and The
Franklin Times for their support and
cooperation In publicizing ASCS
programs.
Miss Star Cardwell entertained the
group by singing and playing the
guitar.
"We with to express our sincere
- - . . ... !
appreicatlon to all of those who
helped make our banquet a success by
donating favors and or flbor prizes."
John Davis, office manager, said.
Receive Service Awards
Shown receiving aenrtce awardi an left to rijht: 0. T. FUher, W. D. F otter. E. 0.
Brewer, Harold Wheeler, Sidney Strickland, J. S. Collie, Henry Edwwda, C. C.
Perry, and Dorothy Clay.
Louisburg Rescuers Recover Body
Cedar Rock Youth Second
Drowning Victim Of The Year
A 12-year-old, Rt. 1, Castalia,
Negro boy became the second water
victim of the year lait Thursday after
noon. The youth, identified as Percy
Foster, drowned while swimming in a
farm pond owned by E. C. Inscoe. The
pond i? located in the southeaster
section of the county a short distance
from the Nash County line.
The accident occurred around 4
P.M. when the youth apparently at
tempted to swim the distance of the
pond. Melvin Inscoe, son of the pond's
owner, said he saw the youth go down.
He said that he yelled at the boy to
warn him of the depth of the water.
Loulsburg Rescuers were called
after it was Tliscovered that Centerville
Rescue Service was not equipped with
water gear. It took the Loulsburg unit
about 35 minutes to recover the body
Three Franklinton Men
Arrested In Vance Still Raid
of Henderson, last Thursday. The out
fit had total mash capacity estimated
by authorities at some 13,760 gallons.
Chief Vance ABC Officer T. G.
Blackmon and Assistant Chief W. G.
Watkins identified the trio apprehend
ed at the site as Paul Johnson, 43.
Douglas Earl Wood, 23, and Samuel
Lee Watson, 20, all of Frankllnton.
The three men were carried before
the Vance County magistrate Thurs
day afternoon, then were jailed under
$2,000 bond each. Hearing in District
Court in Vance County were set for
July 8.
Officers Blackmon and Watkins said
they defected the big plant being
established at the r<ew site about two
weeks ago and activities had been
under surveillance since that time,
with the raid staged this morning
about dawn.
The Vance officers called In assi
stance In the raid and participating
were Michael Zetts of Raleigh, special
investigator for the Alcohol, Tobacco
and Firearms division of the U. S.
Internal Revenue Service, and county
A. B.C. officers from Wake county,
Granville county and Person County.
The site was near the Granville
county line and west of the tungsten
mine area, about two and a half miles
northwest of Hicks cro ?roads in
northwestern Vance. Operations were
set up In dense woods, reached along a
farm wagon trail, some two miles west
from the paved Hicks crossroads road.
The still had elaborate equipment
and the vehicles seized were 1956 and
1960 model pickup trucks and a 1966
modal automobile. The vehicles and
materials which could be salvaged were
brought In under jurisdiction of the
Vance A.B.C. Board and officers used
dynamite to blast the still and other
equipment and supplies, Officer Black
mon pointed out.
' Found at the scene were 407 gal
See RAID Page 4
after the search began. Rescuers David
Minnich, Tommie Collie. Asher John
son and Jimmy Hill conducted the
search and recovered the body around
5:30 P.M.
Franklin has had one earlier drown
ing this year. On April 19, a 46-year
-old Pilot community man died when
he fell from a boat while fishing.
The county hid three drownings
last year. On July 22 a Negro youth
drowned in the Don Joyner farm pond
just off N. C. 39 five miles from
Louisburg and on August 19, two
Negro boys drowned in the Graham
Ball pond at Justice. All three victims
wprp 1 4 wars old.
Two Youths Missing
A statewide alert has been posted
for two Franklin County boys
reported missing since last Tuesday
night. Franklin Sheriff William T.
Dement's office says that Wesley Earl
Smith, w/m/17, and Charles Wayne
Piper, w/m/14, were last seen leaving a
ball game at Franklinton a week ago
and have not been heard from since.
Smith, son of Mr. and Mrs. Ben
Smith, who, according to the Sheriffs
office, live on Route 1, Kittrell, in
Hayesvtlle Township, is described as
being 6' 11" tall, weighs 130 pounds,
has reddish-brown hair and brown
eye*. The Franklinton city directory
lists the Smiths as having lived at 713
East Green Street in 1967 and the
youth attended Franklinton High
School this past year.
Piper, son of Mr. and Mrs. Freddie
B. Piper, Pocpmoke Road,
Franklinton, is described as being 5'
6" tall, weighs 130 pounts with brown
hair and brown eyes. The two boys
were seen leaving the Franklinton ball
field together last Tuesday night.
Smith had reportedly told his
mother he would be In early. The
Smith boy was reportedly driving a
1961 white over blue Chevrolet Belair,
which belonged to his father. The
automobile is reported to have a
dented right fender over the headlight.
The license number of the vehicle was
given by the Sheriff's department as
EK 8152.
Area radio stations have broadcast
appeals for information and area
television stations, reportedly have or
will televise photographs of the
youths. Members of the boys families
have visited some of the beach resorts
in attempts to find their whereabouts,
according to reports.
Not The Grand Canyon
The scene above Is not i deeert waste land nor Is K a mountain valley void of
paaa. It Is a sand pUe after being hit by the heavy downpour of rain which
struck here last night around 10 P. M. O. 0. Kennedy, Loulaburg weatherman,
reports 1.36 Inches of rain fell in the Lou tabu rg area during the heavy thunder
storm. No damage however, has been reported from the storm.
Stiff photo by Clint Fuller
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