,he Pilot Covers
ij^vvick County
the state port pilot
A Good Newspaper In A Good Community
Most of The News
All The Time
A
Southport, N. C., Wednesday, December 18, 1946
$1.50 PER YEA* PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESOAJ
^Community
ommittees Are
flamed For 1947
-,k County Farmers
a More Interest
Past Year, In
?Bt Voting For Farm
togram
^agaKSairman
. of Community Com
* men To Assist In
pee?6" . aaA
administering AAm
Program On Farms
Of This County
jjinual community AAA
' was held recently in the
L communities in Bruns- 1
auntv. and farmers show
- interest than for many
? the selection of commit
' t0 represent their com-!
land assist in adminis
lie fartr. program for an
?ar There were a total of
^ cast in the county, the j
r being about 43 percent
t: than in 1945.
? countv convention was held
( county agriculture build- 1
t Monday. December 9, at
, ame the delegates from ,
Biggs communities nominat- 1
$ elected three county com- j
deer, and two alternates. A j
.< satisfaction must have j
p>il at the convention as the
l. r.eir.bers of the commit
* served for the past year
iislected.
i county committee elected
p for the next twelve
j< ^ as follows:
dan. C. O. Bennett. Free- ,
* vice-chairman, G. Martin j
f, shallotte : regular mem
jxltscn B. Potter, Winna
ijist alternate, F. Herbert
l South port; second alter
ii Manley Bennttt, Shal
tie following community
Kmen were named :
I West community: Chair
&i Brown. Leland; vice
?L Leo Medlin, Leland;
(tC. yj . x~. Rlaine .Skipr
m first_ alternate, F. L.
inland, ,ccnd alternate,
flttz. Leland.
ii community: chairman,
lie Leland; vice chairman,
J Williams, Leland; regular
b J. R. Williamson, Le
5s alternate, LeRoy Lewis,
It second alternate, James
btv. Leland.
Creek community: Chair
t Sjlvanus L. Purvis, Le
t"a-ciiairrtian, W. M. Edge.
?t regular member, W. S.
fca:. Leland; first alter
1 P D. Skipper, Leland;" se
I iterate. John N Sowell,
h community: Oiairman, 1
t Hclden. Supply; vice-chair
(t B. McDowell, Bolivia; re
t number. Roy G. Sellers,
k('" first alternate, L. L.
fcs Bolivia; second alter
C. Gore, Bolivia.
!*fort community: Chair
Hoyd Lancaster, Bolivia;
Hermon Smith,
Wt; regular member, M&l
Bw. Southport; first alter
r Dillard Price, Southport;
c alternate, John B. Drew,
taort.
toc" Community: Chair
John h. Brown, Bo
',s.ce chairman, Carl S.
1 Bolivia: regular members,
? Swain. Bolivia ; first al
D. o. Soles. Bolivia; se
iltercate. Elwood Clemmons,
toi'mutti oa Page Four)
hitfNews
Flaihn
PROGRAM
? invited u> attend j
??Waas program at Sharon
church on December
K't ' o'clock. Featuring the
V?> will be the Christmas ,
g WB?CTCW
Von
"'aitair. Oil company, of :
has acquired a lot
Hilled two four-thousand- j
!>! oil tanks here for the I
distributing to local |
The distribution will i
G. E Hubbard and
^P"' p-''gers.
CU \MNG
?JJ* 8. 1947. has been setj
ft for the cleaning up of j
cemetery, at Ash. j
have relatives or
there arc urged to]
above date.!
?^V8* and working equip- ,
KL ' * those who are unable ,
?Jj^NonaUy it wiU be ?p
^Erjj they wiU send some
{?? m their steads I
?
B
BEAR HUNTING IN THE GREEN SWAMP
HUNTERS ? Pictured above aro Hack Smithdeal of Johnson City, Tenn., and his
party of bear hunters, their jeeps, their dogs and one bear. This photo was taken at
the end of the day's hunt. Smithdeal is shown at the extreme right.
Chief Owens Is
Retiring From
Active Service
Chief Paul A. Owens and
Mrs. Owens left Friday for
their home in Hendersonville,
chief having received his hon
orable discharge from the Navy.
The couple had been residing
in Southport for a year and a
half. Chief Owens being sta
tioned at Fort Caswell follow
ing his return from the Philip
pines and several weeks of hos
pitalization.
In the Philippines when Gen
eral MacArahur left it to the
.j'Ypappf t; hipf nwpnp became. .
one of the men who survived
and carried on in the jungles
until MacArthur returned. Dur
ing this long period they lived
on grasshoppers, snakes, liz
zards and anything that they
could dig out of the jungles.
They heard nothing but jungle
grapevine regarding how the
war might be going. The only
thing that sustained them was
the determination to live, and
faith in the American Army and
Navy.
During all of these weary
months Mrs. Owens back here
in North Carolina had no word
from her husband, directly or
indirectly. One guess was about
as good as another as to whe
ther he was dead or among the
few who were thought to be
living after the Japs swarmed
over the luckless islands. It was
not until MacArthur returned
to the Philippines that the first
word came that her husband
was still living. |
Several Cases
Tried In Court
Busy Docket Faced Judge
W. J. McLamb And Soli
citor E. J. Prevntte In Re
corder's Court Here Mon
day
A full docket was disposed ofl
here in Recorder's court Monday J
with Judge W. J. McLamb pre
siding and with E. J. Prevatte!
serving as prosecutor. The follow-,'
ing disposition was made of
cases:
Harold Taylor, drunk driving,
six months on the roads, suspend
ed on payment of a fine of $50.00 1
and costs.
Rufus Jewett, drunk on high
way, thirty days on roads, sus- 1
pended on payment of a fine of 1
$10.00 and costs.
Ralph Walton, drunk and dis- 1
orderly in public place, 30 days I
on the roads, judgment suspend- j
ed on condition that defendant j
pay the costs and remain away I
from J. W. Garner's place of bus-i
in ess for two years. Same charge
and like judgment also applies
to Robert Walton, Rupert Sikes,
Pet Sellers and Ruth Cribb.
Leon Hill, drunk in public f
place. 30 days, judgment suspend
ed on payment of a fine of $10.00 !
and costs.
James A. Graham, reckless op-j
eraton and improper brakes, not
guilty as to reckless operation.
Guilty of operating with improper
brakes, fined $10.00: fine suspend-;
ed on payment of costs. I
Rupert W. Jernigan, reckless,
operation, fined $25.00 and costs. i
Lundy Monroe, drunk driving,
6 months on roads, suspended on
(Continued oa Fag? V I
Task Force Invades Swamp
In Search Of Black Bears
Ten Men, Two Jeeps And
22 Dogs Included In Out
fit Which Recently Spent
Several Days In Area
DECLARE BEARS
ACTING FUNNY
; Tennessee Men Are Veter
ans At This Sport And
Find Forests Of Bruns
wick Ideal For
Hunting
Bear hunting in Columbus and
Brunswick counties great Green
Swamp is going contrary to every
rule- of the sport, -veteran Tenn
essee bear hunters who hunt
every season in this many-thous
and-acre lush bear territory are
saying.
Hack Smithdeal, sportsman par
excellent and leader of this 10
man, 22-dog, two-jeep hunting
team declares thaf the bear are
, crazy.
"I've never seen the like of it"
he said. "Since I started bear
hunting when I was 21-year old,
I've always been taught that bear
eat something like human beings.
They require a balanced diet.
They'll eat here today for one
item of their food, and tomorrow
j they'll move over to a neighbor
ing range for another item. But
[ this year, they're doing everything
backwards. You can't tell where
they are going to be, which di
rection they are going to run, and
anything else you'd normally ex
pect them to do according to a
relatively fixed pattern. I've even
caught them making deer runs."
Smithdeal and his party of
hunters are from Johnston City,
Tenn., but as bear hunters they
are cosmopolites. Immediately
prior to their arrival in this
area for their annual hunt, they
had conducted a two-weeks bear
hunt in the northwoods of Michi
gan under the auspices of the
Michigan Board of Conservation
and Development. There their
hunt had been witnessed and
photographed by writers and
photographers from some of the
nation's leading sports magazines.
Smithdeal himself went on his
first bear hunt when he was 12
years of age in his native Tenn
essee. Since then he has follow
ed it as avidly as "Old Heavy,"
(Continued on page 4)
Brother Dies
In Washington
Mrs. Ormond Leggett Was !
On Way To See Her Bro
ther At Walter Reid Hos- 1
pita! At Time Of His j
Death
Donald Bottorf, 20-year-old
Navy man, died in the Walter)
Reid hospital in Washington Sun
day afternoon at 5 o'clock. He
had just arrived there by plane I
from Germany to receive treat- 1
ment for lukema, with which he
was recently found to be suffer-!
ing while his ship was at a Germ- !
an port.
He was a brother of Mrs. Or
mond Leggett of Southport and
visited here last year following,
his discharge from the service and ?
before reenlisting. Mrs. Leggett
left Sunday morning but he died
be/ore she reached the hospital.
Burial is being held this after
noon with military honors at his
home at Lock Haven, Pa. j
Killing Doe Is
Costly Business
Arrested for killing and hav
ing in their possession a doe
deer, two Brunswick men and
one man from Columbus en
countered stiff fines when they
were taken before Magistrate
J. P. Long, at Bolton, and tried
last week. They were taken in
Columbus county.
Charlie King, of Free land,
| was fined $25.00 and costs; Os
j car Phelps, of Supply pal<jL.
1 $50.00 and costs and Bernard
I Simmons of Whltevllle, paid
$25.00 and costs.
The arrests were made by
Game Wardens Charles Skip
per, of Leland; H. T. Bowmer,
of Soutiiport, and Wardens D.
C. Hewett and Braswell of Col
umbus county.
Soda Shop Moves
To New Building
Move Made Sunday Morn
ing From Old Quarters
To Newly Completed
Building Next Door
With Christmas here and every
thing in a rush, the Shallotte j
I Soda Shop and Cafe, formerly
.the Shallotte Drug company, got
! extrai busy early Sunday morning
j and everybody from Dr. Guy Cul- .
pepper on down to the volunteer
j helpers, went to moving stock j
| and fixtures into the larger and
j much more attractive quarters
[next door.
It was necessary to get moved,
as carpenters were waiting to j
begin remodeling the old quarters!
for the Waccamaw Bank and (
i Trust company Monday, or as
[ soon as the soda shop vacated '
(Continued on Page Six) J
Our
ROVING
Reporter
W. B. KEIIIH
Next week's issue of The Pilot
comes out Monday, two days !
earlier than usual. It should reach
most of its readers the day be
fore Christmas. This early issue
makes it necessary that news ,
mater and advertising be at thei
office a little earlier than usual. |
A spry-appearing old colored i
man from Leland dropped in to ?
see us this week. He was Willie
Anderson and we mentally set his
age down as being about 70. On |
inquiry it developed that he was
82-years of age, an age that he [
neither looked or acted.
I
We extend our thanks to Coach 1
Blankenship, of Shallotte, and ,
Womble, of Leland, both of whom i
seconded some remarks made in .
this column last week about |
sportsmanship. It looks as If the
schools will have a jajn-up fine
session of sports this year and
we c.re glad to see the hoys, girls
Supreme Court
Grants Cause
Another Trial
? i
Shallotte Negro Charged I
With Murder Of H. Jim
Williamson Early This 1
Year And Was Convicted
Of Crime
DEATH SENTENCE
BY JUDGE PARKER
No Indication When New
Trial Will Be Held, Or
Whether Gause Will
Be Tried In This
County
The State Supreme court last
week held that Judge R. Hunt
Parker erred in his charge to
the New Hanover jury which con
victed Leon Gause of first de
gree murder, and this act auto
matically throws the case back
into the courts of Brunswick
county for a new trial. The next
move in the case, the Shallotte
negro charged with the murder
of Charlie Williams, is apparently
up to Solicitor Clifton Moore, of
Burgaw.
Originally the case was to be
heard in Brunswick. Coming up
for trial at the spring term it
was ruled by court officials that
too much feeling existed against
Gause for him to get a fair trial.
Accordingly the matter was trans
ferred to New Hanover for trial
and there a jury found him guil
ty
Following the verdict of guil
ty, Judge Parker sentenced Gause
to die in the gas chamber for the
crime. From this verdict an ap
peal was taken to the Supreme
court.
If he elects to do so, it is un
derstood that Solicitor Moore can
place Gause on trial again for his
life at the January term of court.
Likewise either he or the negroes
attorneys can again ask that the
case be heard outside of Bruns
wick county.
P,-T. A. Xmas
Party Is Held
Program Of Christmas Car
ols By Students Of First
Three Grades Featured
Monthly Meeting
The December meeting of the
Southport Parent-Teacher Asso
ciation Thursday night in the
high school auditorium developed
into an enjoyable Christmas par
ty, featuring a program of carols
by students of the first three
grades, and winding up with re
freshments of punch and cookies.
The devotional was conducted
by the Rev. Paul H. Fields, pas
tor of Trinity Methodist church,
who made brief but appropriate
remarks about the Christmas sea
son.
Mrs. Thelma Willis, teacher of
the second grade, was in charge
of the musical program, and in
addition to the carols, the Christ
mas story from St. Luke was
read by Joe Cochran, Jr.
During the business meeting
the Parent-Teachers Association
voted to transfer $150.00 from
the proceeds of the Hallowe'en
Carnival to the lunchroom fund.
It was decided to use $20.00 for
each of the first eight grades for
the purchase of athletic equip
( Continued on Paee 6)t
and their coaches all agreeing
that sportsmanship is an import
ant part of the game.
The Shallotte business places
are this year offering more . *to
the Christmas shoppers than any
place in Brunswick county has
ever before been able to offer.
The folks down there not only
have the goods. Uiey advertise
and let folks know they have a
mighty good trading center.
Cigars are now the most plen
tiful of any time since long be
fore the war. Even when they
were scarce our good friend,
Clarence Montgomerry, of the
Brunswick river bridge communi
ty, always had a couple to stuff
in our pocket when we called on
him. He's handing out better ones
now.
Shallotte folks, including the;
(Continued on ;??f6 five)
OLD SENATOR AND THE NEW
] " I
LEADERS ? North Carolinians were shockfed Sunday
to learn of the death that morning of Senator J. W.
Bailey at his home in Raleigh. On the right, above, is
shown William B. Umstead, who was named yesterday
j by Governor R. Gregg Cherry to succeed Senator Bailey.
Major Changes Made In
Arrangement Of Gardens
Misses Chance
At Big Buck
Roy Rabon, son of Mr. and
Mrs. Frank Habon, of Winna
bow, came home for the week
end to engage in his first deer
hunt In more than four years.
Roy was following right in the
steps of his deer-hunting fa
ther, and so it was no surprise
when he quickly got back in
stride at the Saturday morning
hunt.
One of his duties was to
place about one-half the men
on the hunt on their stands.
This he did in good order, then
took a place himself. As the
drive progressed the deer start
ed running, and about mid
morning a fine buck headed by
Roy's stand. About 35-paces
away he stopped and threw his
head high, and Just at that
moment Roy raised his double
barrel twelve and let her go ?
click, click!
In the excitement of his re
turn to his best-loved sport,
the Brunswick county boy had
neglected to breach his gun far
enough to cock it.
Johnnie, Mike and Layton
Poole, three Army buddien of
Roy, came down with him, and
Mike Poole killed one of the
two bucks that were tajien dur
ing the day.
Commissioners In
Session Monday
Routine Matters Disposed 1
Of Before New Board At(
Their Second Regular \
Meeting
Members of the board of coun
ty commissioners held their se
cond regular meeting here Mon
day and disposed of a number
of routine matters.
The board passed a motion to
forward to the State Highway
Commission a recommendation
for the improvement of the road
from Gray's Bridge near William
Blanton's to the Brown school on
the Shell Point road.
Appearing before the board in
behalf of this project were M. L.
Galloway, A. E. Callendar, O. L.
Phelps and A. B. Hale. They re
ported that the school bus is ex
periencing extreme difficulty in
reversing this road, and that re
( Continued on Page Sixi
Attractive Doll
Display Opens
Dolls Of Many Nations Are
Shown In Native Cos
tumes During Christmas
Season At Arrington's
In Southport
The dolls of many nations dis- ]
played in the show windows of
Arlington's at Southport, all ar- j
rayed in the native customs of
the various countries to which
| they belong, have been attracting
I much attention.
| They portray real creative art
in their many garbs and sizes, J
ranging from the tiny figures 1
from Guatemala to the huge bear
skin-clothed representative from |
Czechslovokia. Some of the dolls
are also shown in the windows at
Blanna's, next door to Arring- ,
I ton's.
Photographers Will Enjoy
New And More Beautiful
Opportunities In Beauti
ful Orton Grounds This
Season
BLOOMING SEASON
IS LENGTHENED
By Careful Selection Of
Plants, Season For The
Garden Has Been Ex
tended From Early
Fall To Summer
Following many weeks of hard
work, a major renovation pro
gram covering part of the beau
tiful Orion Gardens has been
completed. Visitors there this win
ter and spring, especially the
hundreds of camera fans pn ir/V
find many rare' spots for the ex
ercising- their' artistic touch, with
the stately mansion home as the
centerpiece.
The redesigning program in
cluded the removal of the many
large camellia trees directly in
front of the mansion. This al
lows an unobstructed view of
the front from many angles.
Heretofore, good photographs of
the mansion could only be made
from the right hand corner or
from the walk directly in front.
The large trees that were re
moved in the new program have
been replaced with smalled grow
th. A number of the visitors'
walks have also been moved to
new locations and the visitors get
an entirely new view of both
gardens and mansion.
Keeping pace with the rede
signing of tne gardens, hundreds
of camellia bushes, encouraged by
the warm weather, have broken
out in full bloom. These flowers,
of which the gardens and nursery
has hundreds of varieties, were
selected by variety to bloom from
September through March and
well into April. The usual course j
is for a small number of the
bushes or trees to bloom in Sept
ember, the number increasing
each month until the peak is
reached in early spring. The un
usual this year is that there are
now as many blooms as are usual
ly found when the plants approach
their blooming peak in February.
Dance Place Is
Opened At Leland
Mr*. Carrie's Place Will Be
Operated As Popular
Dine And Dance Attrac
tion Near Brunswick
River Bridge
Mrs. Carrie's Place, on Route
74, opposite the winter quarters
of the R. & S. Amusements, was
I formally opened Saturday night
with a cafiacity crowd and fine
music and dancing.
Not content to wait until build
ling conditions would permit her
husband to carry > out his long
cherished plans of building a big
night club with a seating capa
city of 600, Jimmie Raftery has
remodelled a small building on
I the property on which their home
and the show grounds are located.
They will have dancing every
night, with the big nights on
Wednesdays and Saturday nights.
Good string bands will furnish
the music on all occasions as the
dance floor is not large enough
to accommodate an orchestra. In
addition to the dance hall a fine
little cafe is being operated and
special attention is being given :
to private parties for both meals!
ayyj dancing. *
[a , ?. > "A v
Churches Plan
Special Music
For Christmas
Four Churche* of Southport.
Planning Special Christ
mat Program#, With Mu
sic Playing Leading Role
CANTATA SUNDAY
NIGHT AT METHODIST
Baptists, Episcopalians And.
Catholics Also Planning
Christmas Programs
During Week
Special Christma3 programs
have been planned by members
of four of the churches of Souths
port, beginning Sunday morning
with an entertainment by the
children of the Methodist church
during the Sunday School hour. .
At the Sunday evening service
at Trinity Methodist church mem
bers of the choir will present a
Christmas cantata, under the di
rection of Mrs. R. I. Mintz. The
choir has been practicing for this
program for several weeks, and
it bids fair to be one of the out
standing events of the Christmas
season.
The Sunday School of the
Southport Baptist Church vvi'l
present a Christmas pageant en
titled "Day Star Divine" under
the direction of Mrs. Jack Oliver
on Christmas night. During the
program there will be a special
offering taken for , the building
fund campaign.
At St. Phillips Episcopal church
in Southport a mid-night service
has been planned for Christmas
Eve, beginning at 11 o'clock.
Either Bishop Thomas Wright or
the Rev. Mortimer Glover, of St.
James Episcopal church, Wil
mington, will be in charge of this
service.
In commemoration of the birth
of the Saviour, Father Frank J,
Howard, pastor of the Sacred
Heart Catholic church, Southport,
has announced through his as
sistant, Father Francis A. Mc
Carthy, the celebration of mid
nit.; mass for Christmas It will
be the first liftejy *' 'o )^earv
that mid-nlte mass" has been of
fered in the Sacred Heart church.
The families Christmas carols
will be sung by members of the
Sacred Heart church choir pre
ceding the other ceremonies. Sev
eral members of the other
churches in Southport have gen
erously given their services in
rendering the music for the oc
casion. At 11:55 o'clock a few
words of welcome will be extend
ed all by Father McCarthy. At
imidnite the holy sacrifice of the
mass ? which is the central act
of worship in the Catholic hcurch
?will begin. The Christmas mes
sage will be delivered by Father
McCarthy during the mass.
An invitation is given to all
of the members of the communi
ty of Southport, regardless of
denomination, to attend the mid
nite service and witness perhaps
for the first time the sacred ac
tion of the holy sacrifice of the
mass.
Two other masses will follow
later on in the morning at 10.00
and 10:30 o'clock.
Fatal Accident
Sunday Evening
Pender County Youth I*
Victim Of Automobile
Crash At Alligator Creek
Bridge In This County
Jay J. Batson, 20-year old navy
man and resident of Pender coun
ty was killed in an automobile
wreck on the Alligator Creek
bridge Saturday night. His body
was thrown from the car into the
water and was not found until
noon the next day. Preliminary
investigation has indicated that
he was killed in the wreck and
not drowned.
Following the recovery of the
body State Highway Patrolman
C. J. Ferguson went to the James
Walker hospital and rerved a
warrant on Fred Brown, driver
of the car, charging him with
reckless operation, resulting in
death. Brown and M. L. Walton,
companions of BatSon, told offi
cers they were on their way from
Wilmington to Wrightsville Beach
when they overturned on the
Brunswick county bridge in the
opposite direction.
There is said to be evidence of
drinking and that the car ap
proached the bridge, on a curve,
at high speed. The machine over
turned on the bridge and Walton
and Brown were carried to
Wilmington hospital In a serious
condition. No trace was found of
Batson following the accident un
til the body was located the next
day. The State highway patrol
men Investigating the accident
expressed belief that ha was kill?
(ConUniMd aa paja 4)