NORTH CAROLINA Partly
cloudy and continued warm today,
tonight and Wednesday. Chance ot
afternoon thundershowers.
VOLUME II
Council Again Refuses To Answer Issue
PROPOSED NEW COURT HOUSE County commissioners yesterday took the first steps necessary to secure a new court house in Lillingtc.i. They approved an order
calling for a vote on a $490,009 bond issue to finance the undertaking. A public hearing on the matter was set for Monday, July 7 at 10 a. m. in Lillingto.i. Here’s
Architect Wiliam Moore Weber's design for the proposed building, which if approved and built, would give Harnett County the first truly modern courthouse In 100
North Carolina counties. The functionally designed building would house courtrooms and office on one story, eliminate stairs and fire hazards. It is proposed to tear
down the present courthouse, jail, library and welfare offices and replace them with i,\w building to be erected on the' present square. Landscaping drives, erection and
equipment of the building come within the $490,000 figures. (Photo from original drawing by W. M. Weber).
New Home Agent
Other Officials
Named By Board
® Talk about a proposed new court
house dominated the meeting of
the county commissioners on Mon
day but an array of other business
was dispatched in a lengthy day
long session.
However, final action on the
county budget and the settling of
the tax rate was deferred until the
first Monday in July which is the
deadline for that task.
Miss Virginia Oliver of Moore
1 4 ‘wntty "was employed as the now
w assistant home agent. Miss Oliver
was graduated this week from
Woman’s College of the University
of North Carolina in Greensboro.
Her -appointment is effective im
mediately.
County fathers re-named Miss
Leila Huntley as home agent to
serve for the next year. Previously
she had been appointed as agent
to fill out the unexpired term of
Mrs. Loraine Vail Cutler who re
signed last month.
™ Negro farm and home agents L.
(Continued On Page Two'
Funeral For Horrell
To Be Wednesday
Neil hlurphy Horrell, 84, retired,
Harnett County merchant, died i
Monday morning at 9:55 o’clock in !
the Dunn Hospital. He had been -
in ill health for sometime |
seriously ill for the past week. j
Funeral services will be held ]
Wednesday afternoon at 4 o’clock j
at the East Erwin Baptist Church. |
The Rev. O. W. Pulley, pastor, will j
officiate, assisted by the Rev. Ernest I
P. Russell of Dunn. Burial will be j
£in Veterans’ Memorial Park In:
“ Dunn.
The body will lie in state for |
one hour prior to. the services. <
THEY CAME, THEY SAW, BUT DIDN’T GET THE ANSWERS Pictured here is fust a small fraction k
of the large crowd that packed and jammed Dunn’s city courtroom hit night for the second mass
meeting within two wefeks. The crowd wanted the answers to some hot issues, but the city council sat
mute. As Urn' meeting dragged on, many- citizens got up and walked out in open disgust. City Manager
Oliver O. Manning saved the bight Mr the board by interrupting the hearing to show color slides of
his achievements. (Daily Record photo by BUI Biggs).
t - - iiij * t , v .. '• i. ■ .. %' •
TELEPHONES: 3117 - 3118 - 3119
Petitions For
Manning Being
Signed Today
Several rf'tltions were being
circulated here today in behalf
of City Manager Oliver O. Man
ning.
The petitions defend Mr. Man
ning, express appreciation td him
for his services, and condemn
his ouster without reason.
Among those* reported to be
circulating the petitions are
Charles Lee Guy, Jr., Benny
’Slaughter and a number of oth
ers.
«, It is understood that the pe
titions will be presented at the
next muting of the city council.
'• ' - ■[* ' j- . ' J '
♦MARKETS*
EGGS AND POULTRY
RALEIGH —-(VP) Central North
Carolina live poultry: Fryers or
broilers about steady, supplies
plentiful, demand fair. Prices at
farm up to 10 a. m. today: Fryers
or broilers, two and a half to three
pounds, 26: heavy hens 20-22,
mostly 22.
CAME TO HARNETT IN 1911
i Mr. Horrell was a native of Pen
' der County, but came to Erwin in
! 1911 and took a position with Erwin
| Mills. He served Erwin Mills for
I about 12 years and then operated
j a grocery store In Dunn until his
j retirement about 10 years ago. He
I also operated a grocery in East
! Erwin.
j He was a member of the East
I Erwin Baptist Church, in earlier
' years was active in" the Junior Or-
I der and also took part in other
| public affairs.
< Continued On Page Twol
(Eke Bath}, jLltmrfr
Courthouse Hearing
Slated For July 7
By LOIS BYRD
Record Staff Writer
Harnett. County may erect within the next two years
a functionally designed courthouse, which bids to be the
finest public building of its type in North Carolina, if
plans set in motion yesterday by the county commis
sioners meet with the approval of the voters.
Commissioners in regular first :
Monday session yesterday approv
ed an order calling for a vote on
■S’ special, bond, issue of $490,090 to
finance the undertaking. Promo- i
ters of the bond issue claim in
terest can be met without increas
ing the present tax rate of $1.30.
But the date of the bond elec
tion hinges on whether or not there
will be a second primary on June
Ike , Taft Locking
Homs In Primaries
WASHINGTON —UP)— California
and South Dakota voted today in
the nation’s last 1952 presidential
primaries.
Although the South Dakota Re
publican primary involved only 14
national convention delegates, it
provided the only two-man contest
this year between Sen. Robert A.
Taft and Gen. Dwight D. Eisen
hower, the major contenders for
the GOP presidential nomination.
Both camps shied away from ad
vance claims of victory.
Taft told a reporter he did not
want to forecast the outcome in
South Dakota, but said he has re
ceived “increasingly optimistic” re
ports from his supporters in the
state.
Some Taft aides said they ex
pected the Ohio senator to win
easily in the farming areas of pre
dominantly rural South Dakota and
DUNN, N. C,, TUESDAY AFTERNOON, JUNE 3, 1952
28. The law requires that 30 days
muss elapse between general elec
tion and a special bond election.
In* the evenh-m eexonct putmary is
ordered, it would be the second
half of August or September be
fore a bond election could be held.
Meantime, county fathers yes
terday took the legal steps neces
sary to set in motion the machin
(Continued on Page Twol
get an even break in the cities.
EXPECT CLOSE VOTE
Eisenhower campaign managers
would say only that they expected
a close vote. Since the midwest has
been viewed as a Taft stronghold,
t.hev contended that a close vote
in South Dakota would be evidence
of Eisenhower strength.
The critical primarv test- coin
cided with Eisenhower’s official re
tirement from the Army. After a
final “non-political” news confer
ence at the Pentagon today, Eisen
hower was scheduled to take off
his uniform and fiv to his home
town of Abi'ene. Kan., where he
will deliver his first speech as a
civilian presidential candidate to
morrow.
OTHER HAPPENINGS
Other developments In the Taft-
Eisenhower race included:
1. Ten pro-Eisenhower governors
joined in a statement charging Taft
partisans with flouting majority
rule in contests over Texas. Louis
iana and Georgia convention dele
gates. They ssid such tactics would
invite defeat in the November elec
tion unless nullified by the GOP
national convention.
2. David S. Ingalls, Taft’s Cam
paign manager, called on Eisen
hower to “remidiate” plans for
(Continued On Page two)
BULLETINS
SEOUL, Korea (IP) Gen Mark W. Clark today paid
his first visit to battlefront commanders since taking
.over as supreme commander of United Nations forces.
WINDSON, Ont. (IP) A 15-day strike of office work
ers ended today at the Ford Co. of Canada.
RALEIGH (IP) Jesse James has joined forces with
the law. James, 31. of Tarboro has been hired to work in
the laboratory of the State Bureau of Investigation here.
BUCHAREST, Romania (IP) —Foreign Minister Ana
Pauker has been “severly criticized” and denied re-elect
ion to the Communist party Politburo and central com
mittee, it was announced today. She retains her foreign
ministry post, however.
KOJE ISL.TND, Korea (IP) An accidental burst of
fire from a guard’s heavy machine gun killed a Com
(Oon tinned page two)
Auto Stolen, Two
Cut On Weekend
One automobile was . stolen and
two Negro victims of cuttings were
reported to the Dunn Police De
partment over a comparatively
quiet week-end.
A new Studebaker Champion was
stolen from J. A. Godwin, member
of the staff at the Dunn Jewel Box.
Officers found the vehicle in Samp
son County near Mingo. Fire of un
determined origin had thoroughly
destroyed the machine.
Officers were called to the Duun,.
Hospital Sunday at 2:15 and
at 3:30 yesterday, to investigate
Negro cutting victims. Connie
dmrth 'at Coats, who fcras wounded
in the back of the neck and left
arm, said it was done by John
Thomas McNeill of Coats. Moses
McDowell, said he had been cut
on the leg by a Negro in Wilson
and authorities there were notified.
One wreck occurred when a 1952
International pickup, operated by-
Robert Lawrence Griffin of Dunn
Route 3, was struck in the rear
by a 1951 Chevrolet, driven by Lar
ry Max Jackson and owned by
Alton B. Jackson, Dunn Route 1.
Griffin had pulled into the turn
lane on Ellis, to turn into Cole,
when the Chevrolet driven by Jack
son crashed into the pickup. The
Chevrolet left skid marks for 20
feet before impact.
Board To Study
Deputy Problem
With the grand* jury “more or
less breathing down its neck,” as
one commissioner termed It, the
county board yesterday took steps
to comply with the grand jury re
quest to study need for paid dep
uties for the sheriff’s department.
The last grand jury report sug
gested a joint study by commiss
ioners and grand jurors of how
near-by counties manage and fin
ance full time deputies.
COMMITTEE NAMED
Chairman L. A. Tart named
Commissioner H. S. Holloway and
B. P. Ingram as members to no
company representatives from the
grand jury on Monday, June 23 on.
a tour of Chatham and Lee and
other nearby counties which give
their sheriff full time depletes,
patrol cars and two-way radio fa
cilities. Wake, Johnston, Robeson
and Forsyth counties were men
tioned as possible stops for a sec
ond tour.
W. L. Byrd and Chairman Tart
i Con tinned On Page Five)
Mayor Refuses
To Let People
Question Board
By LOUIS DEARBORN
Record Staff Writer
A crowd that packed and
jammed Dunn’s city court
room to get the answers to
burning issues in the rag
ing city hall controversary
went home without the ans
wers.
Again, the city council
stood behind a loophole in
the law and said they didn’t
have to tell the public any
thing. And they didn’t
At the very beginning of
the meeting, Mayor Ralph E.
Hanna warned that he
would not permit the board
to be questioned or cross
examined without its per
mission.
Instead of getting answers
to the issues, the crowd was
lectured by the city mana
ger and shown pictures of
his accomplishments.
After evading aa few sim
ple questions, members of
the council gladly and eag
erly yielded the floor to the
ousted city manager because
that put an end to most of
the questions.
MANNING TAKES OVER
Mr. Manning took complete con
trol and talked arid showed movie
slides for about an hour and a
half.
So impressive was Mr. Manning’s
presentation of his accomplish
ments that one citizen was led to
stand and ask: •
“I f Mr. Manning has done such
a wonderful-job, was ha,fired?”
But the crowd Went home with
out answers to the following ques
tions:
1. Did the city council favor the
firing of Police Chief George Ar
thur Jackson and the manner in
which it was done?
2. Why did the council fire City
Manager Oliver O. Manning, who
has contended he was fired with
out reason?
3. Was Mr. Manning correct in
his accusation last week that the
board is dealing in “petty politics
and personalities?”
4. Who told the truth about
Manning’s firing? Commissioner
Leek Coats avows he didn’t vote to
fhc Manning. Mayor Hanna and
other members of the board avow
that he did vote to fire Manning.
5. Is the board going to let Man
ning stay fired or is it going to
reinstate him?
DEFENDED RECORD
Manning held the audience oi
several hundred people as he de
fended his administration, using
words and pictures to demonstrate
his points.
“He certainly held them longer
than I could,” wryly remarked City
Attorney I. R. Williams.
Manning’s gesture in his own de
fense came as the climax of a mass
meeting, held despite warnings on
the part of city officials, that they
intended to hold the meeting as us
ual with town council meetings, in
the City Clerk’s office.
However, long before the time
(Continued On Page two)
gmi he * jk
THEY DIDN’T CASE TO TALK, THEREAT MUTE rfetured here are members of the city council
as they sat and sat and sat—without giving an answer to nearly a half down qnostkos. Lett to right-':
are City Clerk Charles R. Storey, Commissioner B. A. Braeey, City Manager Olive O. Manat
Commissioner Leek Coats, Mayor Ralph E. Hanna, .Commissioner J. V. Bass arid Commissioner ■FMBg
Tart, with back to camera. The only time they rose to spoafc was to admit they knew In advatoM||*;
about the firing of Chief Jackson—a fact whieh everybody already knew. (Dally Record
BW
The RecSrd
Gets Results
FIVE CENTS PER COPY
Council Refuses To
T ake Coats Off Hook
In Who Told Truth
Manning Says He
Didn't Want To
Embarrass Board
City Manager Olive O. Man
ning said this morning that he
didn’t c>mand from the citv
board last night reasons for his
firing “because I didn’t want to
embarrass them.”
He said it would have been
embarrassing to members of the
Board to put them on the spot at
the meeting “because they had
no reason for firing me.”
“But you don’t build yourself
up ivy ((earing somebody else
down,” said Manning, “and
that’s what it would have been
doing.”
Indicating that he believes
most citizens of the town want
him to remain in office, Manning
said, “It’s up to them (the board)
regardless of what the Reople
want.”
Manning claims he was fired
without reason.
Mr. Manning this morning also
disagreed with the city council
in the position it took last night
(Continued on Page Two)
Even The Dispatch
Admifs It's News
The Dunn Dispatch, which has
been insisting all along that
there wasn’t much interest in the
city hell (guHr Ipm apparent
ly found out—at (tog hurt—that
Ultjmnc is interested, i
any mass meeting again for
some people but the story Wed
nesday probably stopped ’em
cold.”
Today, the local tri-weekly, by
(Continued on pace two'
Gov. Scoffs Team
Completely Routed
By LYNN NISBET
Record Correspondent
Raleigh, June 2. The most significant element
in results of Saturday’s primary voting was the utter
rout of Governor Scott’s widely publicized “team”.
Not only did the voters rally to ed into position to call for a run-
William B. Umstead and tur n I off in the twelfth,
thumbs down on Hubert Olive, the I Elimination of Justice Valentine
governor's personal choice for his
successor, but by even larger ma
jority. they repudiated his appoint
ed associate justice of the supreme
court, Itimous Valentine. Not con
tent with this evidence of disap
proval at ■ statewide level, the vot
ers of two congressional districts
indicated their disapproval of two
men who resigned from the Scott
appointed highway commission to
run for Congress. Mark Goforth
was eliminated in the ninth dis
trict and Dale Thrash barely edg-
NO. 127
City Commissioner Leek Coats
of Ward No. I failed in a des
perate attempt last night to con
vince members of the city council
that he didn’t vote to fire City
Manager Oliver O. Manning.
Mayor Ralph E. Hanna and all
three members of the city council
stuck tight to their story and re
iterated that Coats did positively,
definitely and absolutely vote to
fire Manning.
Coats, sweating profusely, plead
ed with the board at length after
the public left to help him clear
up the matter.
‘MAKING LIAR OUT OF ME”
"You fellows are making a liar
out of me,” Coats told the other
beard members, “and that makes
it look bad for me.’’
He insisted and kept on insist
ing that he didn’t vote to fire
the city manager. He explained
that he agreed to it, but did not
vole.
I Last week, Mr. Coats issued a
I statement refuting his previous
| stand, apologized to Mr. Manning
I and announced that he was stick-
I ing by the city manager.
( Mayor Hanna and all three of
I the other commissioners promptly
i branded Coats’ claim as false and
| untrue. Some of them ushered a
l harsher word.
I Mr. Coats told the board last
! night that he wanted to clear up
I the matter.
i Mr. Coats further contends that
| the meeting was illegal, since it
j was not at a regular session and
j no recorder was present,
i Citizens have raised the ques
ition: “If the meeting was an 11-
jjegal one. why did Mr. Coats agree
'*> t*ke part in itr
j cute Mannings
or Hanna and other members of
the board stated this morning that
Manning is still fired and that
the office wili be vacated on June
15th whether Mr. Manning sees fit
to resign or not.
constituted one of the major sur
prise upsets of the primary. Pre
ponderant majority of pre-election
forecasts had put him in first or
second place. The other surprise
was in the four-way contest for
lieutenant governor. Valentine was
displaced by Judge R. Hunt Par
ker of Roanoke Rapids in top pos
ition and Judge William H. Bobbitt
of Charlotte in second. Luther Hod
ges ran high for lieutenant gov
erno with a lead of some 60.090
(Continued on Page Two)