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100th Ye*r-Number 58
Missing Family
Found In Va.
Bodies of the three members of the
Ira Sidwell family were found near
Emporia, Va.' "Wednesday, where their
light private plane crashed last April.
The Sidwells had been the object of a
massive Civil Air Patrol search, which
was based here at Franklin Airport last
April 8th. ?
Sidwell, 40, his wife, Jacklyn, 37,
and their daughter, Joslyn, 10, left
their home in Newark, Delaware last
April 4 for- a night to Cocoa Beach,
fla and were not seen or heard from
again. Three days later the CAP was
alerted and the search began the next
day.
Louisburg was headquarters for the
search which was under the command
of Major John R. Brigham. Three days
after the search began operations were
moved to Rocky Mount because of
better air field facilities. On April 15,
the search was abandoned. The search
for Sidwell and his Cessna 172 extend
ed from Deleware to North Carolina.
No details of the crash were learned
here and it is unknown how the trio
was found. The CAP used 18 planes in
its search efforts covering an area
thirty miles either side of a line from
Raleigh-Durham Airport to Richmond,
Va. as far north as the Roanoke River.
The NC-CAP did not search the Em
poria area. Sidwell was expected to
have made a refueling stop at Raleigh
Durham.
County Pair In
Theft Airing
Charlie Canada y, 19, of Rt. 1,
Youngsville waived a preliminary hear
ing Wednesday in Wake District Court
in Wendell on a charge of stealing a
credit card and was bound over for
trial in Wake Superior Court.
Four others in a related case were
convicted of fraudulent use of a credit
card allegedly stolen by Canaday. The
four are Jean Alice Kearney, 19, and
her mother, Mrs. Olivia Elizabeth
Kearney, 43. both of Rt. 4, Zebulon;
Miss Kearney's sister, Mrs. Doris Kear
ney Williams. 23, of Raleigh; and Roy
Edward Yancey, 18, of Rt. 1, Louis
burg.
According to testimony the four
made purchases in the amount of
$1,548 on a credit card issued by
Southern National Bank of North Car
olina to W. C. Ellington of Rt. 3,
Raleigh.
Judge George Bason sentenced the
four to one year in jail, but suspended
the sentences on condition each pay a
fine of $100 and court costs, make full
restitution. The four were also put on
probation for two years.
KATHRYN MILLSAPS
New Agent
Named
C. T. Dean. Jr., County Extension
Chairman for Franklin County, an
nounced the appointment of Kathryn
Millssps ax Assistant Home Economica
Extension Agent Dm Mid that Miaa
Millaaps had been approved by Ext en
don Officials at N. C. State University
and the Franklin County Board of
Commissioners which la customary for
all Extension appointments
Mis MiBsaps la a rathe of Moores
TiUe, North Carolina. She attended
Catawba OoBege In Salisbury and la a
June, 1969 graduate of Meredith Col
lege la Raleigh.
Dean stated that Miss Mlllaapa will
> aaaums hsr duties In Franklin County
Immediately with major responsibility
In the, field of 4-Hj however, she will
be Involved in all phases of Ex* iwton
work. .
Cystic Fibrosis Month Proclaimed
Louisburg Mayor V. A. Peoples is shown above with Cystic Fibrosis Campaign officials as he proclaimed September as Cystic
Fibrosis Month in Louisburg. Shown with the Mayor Wednesday are, left to right: Mrs. Ivor Daniel, Mrs. Betsy Brewer, Mayor
Peoples, Mrs. Anne Stanley and Mrs. Margaret Pruitt. Mrs. Brewer is County Chairman and the others are Area Chairmen. The
proclamation reveals that nearly 5,000 babies are born annually with this "inherited chemical disorder". Mrs. Brewer says the
fund drive will continue throughout the month of September.
Opening Day Average Exceeds Prediction
The Loulsburg tobacco market ex
ceeded a predicted $72 opening day
average here Tuesday as the leaf
brought an average of $73.42, accord
ing to William Boone. Sales Superviser.
The local warehouses sold 305,846
pounds of untied leaf for $224,551.16
and the higher than expected average.
The opening of flue-cured sales on
North Carolina's Middle Belt and the
North Carolina-Virginia Old Belt
brought all-time high prices, the Fed
eral-state Market News service said
Wednesday.
The news service said the average
price was $73.97 per hundred pounds
on the Middle Belt and $72.63 on the
Old Belt.
That topped the previous Middle
Belt record by $3.68 and the previous
Old Belt mark by $2.67.
Middle Belt sales totaled 4,648,586
pounds for $3,396,838. Old Belt sales
totaled 2,796,819 pounds for
$2,031,288.
Tuesday's opening included all Mid
dle Belt markets and seven of the Old
Belt's 19 markets. The remaining Old
CBE Holds
Regular Meet
The Franklin County Board of Edu
cation met In regular session here
Tueaday night and approved school
bus routes, school treasurers and allot
ments for vocational training sections.
The routine session saw a discussion
by the Board on eye protective devices
for students and teachers working in
shops and chemistry laba. The Board
will supply such protective devices in
all classrooms where needed. Students,
teachers and visitors to such places will
be required to wear the devices.
A delayed May Grand Jury report
was read to the Board by Supt. Warren
Smith with the observation that many
of the items mentioned had already
been corrected.
A lengthly discussion developed as
Mrs. Margaret Holmes, Associate
Superintendent, explained teacher as
signments, block and team teaching
plans for the year. The Board approv
ed plans similar to the methods used
last year.
Supt. Smith told the Bosrd that
approval had been granted by the
Board of County Commissioners for
the purchase of eight acres of land at
Youngsville High Schobl for additional
playground space. Rpard attorney E.
F. Yarborough reported that no word
has been forthcoming from either the
Federal courts or the Justice Depart
ment on the pending school suit.
Supt. Smith reported that Mon
day's first day opening was "very
satisfactory" and that attendance was
above opening day last year.
Belt markets will open Sept. 16.
Old Belt markets which began sales
Tuesday were Winston-Salem, Stone
ville and Roxboro in North Carolina,
and Danville, South Boston, Chase
City and Petersburg in Virginia.
Middle Belt markets are Durham,
Henderson, Oxford, Sanford, Ellerbe,
Aberdeen, Carthage, Louisburg, War
renton and Fuquay-Varina.
The reported prices were fairly
iteady Wednesday on North Carolina
Border South Carolina market* while
more than one half the grades were
down from $1 to $4 on the big North
Carolina Eastern Belt. Volume con
tinued heavy on both belts.
The news service reported that
12,600,532 pounds were dold on
Eastern Belt markets Tuesday at a
$73.64 average-up (2.20 from last
Thursday. About 5.4 per cent of sales
went to Stabilization.
Uphold Dog Warden Action
Commissioners Hear
Centerville Delegation
The Board of County Commis
sioners held a routine report approving
session here Tuesday with the only
breech in the otherwise tranquil reg
ular meeting coming from a delegation
from Centerville.
Monthly reports from the various -
county departments were approved
and the Board hear Louisburg attorney
Charles Davis discuss travel allotments
for employees of the Department of
Social Services. A number of beer
licenses were approved and two road
petitions were added to the list. These
were County Road 1200 and County
Road 1223, both asking for paving.
Superintendent of Schools Warren
Smith was on hand to request the
Board to name an electrical inspector.
State law requires that the Board of
Education carry out certain regular
electrical inspections of school facili
ties and new construction. The law
requires that the Commissioners name
the inspector. The request was granted
but an inspector was not named Tues
day.
A delegation consisting of Center
ville Mayor John Neal, Fire Chief
Lemuel Ward and Rev. Lyman Wilson,
pastor of the Centerville Baptist
Church, appeared with County Dog
Warden Tyree Lancaster. The group
was apparently under the impression
that Lancaster was to be discharged
from his post as a result of a shooting
and drag racing incident at Centerville
two weeks ago. Lancaster is charged in
four warrants with assault against
some white youths, who were reported
to be disturbing the peace at Center
ville in the early hours of Sunday,
August 17.
It had been reliably reported that
the Board was considering the possi
btttty of firing Lancaster. One report,
unconfirmed, has It that parents of
some of the youths Involved In the
fracas were circulating a petition ask
ing that this be done.
All three Centerville men spoke
?highly of Lancaster and denounced the
practice by some youths of racing in
the Centerville area. One of the trio
told the board that Lancaster had
acted honorably in his efforts to break
up the racing.
Lancaster apparently expected a
group of opponents to appear before
the Board. This was revealed when he
told the Board that ''You see the
others did not show up today".
He also revealed that "sixty per
sons" attended a meeting at the Cen
terviile Fire House to discuss the rac
ing situation with State Patrol Sgt.
Weathersbee of Henderson. Mayor
Neal asked that the Sgt. be publicly
thanked for his assistance in curtailing
drag racing at Centerviile. Ward said
things had been so quiet in recent
weeks that he has been having trouble
sleeping. He said that the Patrol "is
doing an excellent job".
After Lancaster told the Board he
did not think the incident should poae
a threat to his job, the delegation left
the meeting. "Now that you've heard
both sides, I hope you'll change your
minds", Lancaster said.
The Board took no action in the
matter and one source said none
would be taken until after Lancaster's
trial set for September 8 in District
Court.
Officials
Hear Director
Youngsville - Mr. Ken Schubart,
head of the Franklin County Industrial
Development Commission, was in
attendance at the Youngiville Town
Board of Commissioners meeting held
Monday night of this week at the
Town Hall. He came to discus* with'
the officials possibilities for improving
the town water and sewege system.
Interested In upgrading the local sys
tem, Mayor Roberts and the commis
sioners welcomed advice from Mr.
Schubart. The first step in consider
ation of improvements will be a survey
to determine needs.
Mr. J. T. Moss, who is a member of
the County Industrial Commission,
was also present for discussion.
At conclusion of business with
visitors, the remaining portion of the
regulars monthly meeting was taken
up with routine business.
Road Picture Getting Better All The Time
Acting on a tip on June 15, 1966.
we drove to below Pilot to view a
stretch of highway in Naih County
that had been newly resurfaced. The
smooth black-topped road stopped ab
ruptly at a point where stood a reflect
orized green highway sign denoting the
change Nash to Franklin County.
The road in Franklin was poorly
kept. It had many cracks in the con
crete. Many patches to the cracks. The
improved Nash road ended at the
county ine. At that point stood a
delapadated farm tenent house replete
with about twenty hound dogs roam
ing the yard. The State Highway Com
mission was to say later that the road
was improved only in Nash because of
the traffic count. We thought at the
time dog travel in the area must have
been tremendous.
Returning to Louisburg, we could
hardly miss the significance when we
spotted a crew of highway workers
painting directional signs at the inter
section of Bickett Blvd. and NC-56
east. While Nash was getting paving.
Fnnklin was getting paint. It had
always been thus.
So, with this spark-paving and
paint -began a aeries of front-page re
ports to the people on road conditions
in the county. Six months and 23 such
reports later, the dust settled some
what with a host of promises from
state highway officials. Franklin, they
said, would get some road improve
mrnts.
The series brought this writer an
undeserved top state award for
editorial writing and this newspaper
was choaen number one In the country
In community service. But, what did
the series bring Franklin County?
Perhaps, It brought most impor
tantly an awarenesa that something
could be done about Franklin prob
lem* when the people put a mind to
them. Practically every civic club and
community organization joined in the
efforts. Letters were written to key
government officials. Other news
papers took up the fight. So, too, did
some radio and TV stations. It became
By Clint
Times Ma nag
a big thing and highway officials were
fearful that It might spread into a
statewide rebellion over highway
policy.
Not neceasarily because of the
newspaper series, but certainly because
of the arousal of the people, Franklin
was given a considerable amount of
highway improvements.
In 1966, the county received
$101,000 for a resurfacing project to
US-401 south of Louisburg to NC-98
at the Wake line. Another (140,000
was allocated for resurfacing US-1
north of Franklinton to the Vance
line. The county was promised first
$350,000 and later $400,000 more for
reconstruction of NC-39 north of
Louisburg to a point north of Ingle
side. All total these projects brought
Franklin $991,000.00.
Secondary roads also received an
uplift of funds. The state has spent
$735,300 in the period 1966-1968 on
secondary roads in Franklin County.
Municipalities have also benefited
from the upsurge in Franklin's road
stock. During the same period, Louis
burg, Franklinton, Youngsvilie and
Bunn received $207,900. Total for
primary, second and municipal road
improvements for the three-year
period is $1,934,200.00. This is more
than twice as much money as the
county had received for primary high
ways in the preceding 29 years.
To appreciate the improvement in
Franklin's road fate, we need only
look back a few years.
While some of the promises came in
1966, there were no primary funds
actually spent here that year. In 1965,
1964 and 1963, there were no fund*
set for Franklin road construction.
That's a full rounded zero that appears
In the Franklin column undw State
Construction for those yean. In 1962,
Franklin received the grand total of
$901.97 and In 1961, we were equally
blaaaed with $911.88. But that waaan
Improvement over 1960 when Frank
Fuller
ing Editor
tin received another fit zero. In 1959,
$381.01 was allocated here for road
construction. The year 1968 was a
banner one for Franklin road funds.
That year we were overjoyed to re
ceive a whipping $3,033.30.
From $6,228.16 received during
the above l^ght-year period to the
$1,934,200 received since 1967 Is a
giant leap. Governor Bob Scott, State
Hlihwav Chairman Lauch Falrcloth
and Franklin's Commissioner Clifton
L. Benson have all indicated that this,
for Franklin, is only the beginning.
Things are certainly looking up for
Franklin roads. But then, things such
as these really had but one direction in
which to go. It would have been
difficult to give Franklin any less than
the zeros we had been receiving.
As the Franklin Industrial Develop
ment slogan goes: "There is no limit to
what a Community can do-if It wants
to!"
Thankful for The Difference
1