North Carolina Newspapers

Tlie Pilot Covers I Brunswick County THE STATE PORT PILOT A Good Newspaper In A Good Community Most of The News All The Time NO. sixteen NO. so 6-PAGES today Southoort. N. C.. Wednesday. March 24th, 1948 published every Wednesday ?i.so per yea* glton War Vet jiifed To Death l(ear Wilmington He B. (Happy) Watson ;iain As He Attempts To jtop Two Men From lighting iir MEN ARE HELD IN BRUNSWICK JAIL tjm Was Employee Of ack's Service Station; j jved With Parents At Bolton ,5:10 B Happy) Watson, 26 employee of Black's Ser , Ration in South Whiteville, . stabbed fatally with a knife 5 roadside inn six miles west Wilmington in Brunswick ( Bty Friday night. 5rUns?ick County authorities1 holding Marion George Mc ?ald. 24- and Harry Frederick r5 40. on a charge of murder ' johnny Martin Davis and J. Seagraves as accessories to the Yatson. a chance visitor in the ct, was slain as he attempted separate two men who were owner li>hn G. Caison report-! thi* morning that an inquest the Watson murder case will: h, Id on Friday night at ^ :30 ?k in the courthouse at ith|w>rt. aged in a fist fight. One blow the knife struck Watson In left side and another penetrat :he heart zone. He died almost _intlv. ?'atsnn had gone to Wilmington 1 J. L. Brown, another Black's ice Station employee, and the were returning to their homes Bolton when Waston asked wn to stop to look up a friend. ?n. who witnessed the slay said Watson was not a par pant in the fight, but inter-i eU with the remark, "Why' you boys quit fighting?" irding to Brown, the slayer a bystander who pulled out a long knife and stabbed tson. . Auer l&iig twice, Wat staggered against the wall of building and dropped to the I dead. The four men, including the ticipants in the altercation, from the scene and were not 1 feed up until Saturday. The slaying occurred about 11 ock Friday night. ? Brown, who did not know any the men involved except Wat said he couldn't identify any the men by name. He said understood that McDonald was knife-weilder. he two Davis men are report- i be brothers. The slain man was an overseas -an of the recent World War. as unmarried. viving are his parents, Mr. 1 iContmued on page five) Brief Ntmi Flash?? andidate visitor f Ertlc Carlyle. candidate for * Democratic nomination for 'gressman from the 7th dis ict. was a visitor here Tuesday. '>i v WEEK SERVICE A Hiy week service will be Mucted at Sacred Heart Catho ' church on Tuesday night of -? week from 8 o'clock to 9 lock. Everyone is invited to at* 'd- On Easter Sunday morning will be celebrated at 9 "e-xhool clinic A pa-school clinic for the Mren who are to enter school fall will be held at the Wac toaw school next Tuesday, krch 30, by Mrs. Lou Smith, "aty health nurse. Parents who ^ children that are to start to "I in September are urged to e them to the clinic. FRIDAY SERVICE A three-hoar Good Friday ser - ?ill be held at St. Phillips '?copal church in Southport "% "f this week, beginning at Th. Rev. a. L. Sturgus and ";'r Episcopal ministers will Part. The public is cordially to this servicc, which will " at o'clock. I 'Nri>K SERVICE ^ c"i).inunity Easter Sunrise Ser ^ ?ill be held at 5:45 o'clock r% a m. at the Shallotte Meth church with the Rev. Richard 'unsti in in charge. Mrs. Vir Voung will be in charge of 'music, which will feature the! Notte high school glee club' 'h? chain of the Methodist I ?&Ptist churches of Shallotte. EASTER COMES AGAIN Accepting Applications For Long Beach Office According To Advice Re ceived By Postmaster Bur nice Russ From Atlanta Foj*ils.-<,C!ass Postoffice Approved MAY BE SERVED THROUGH SOUTHPORT Service Will Begin As Soon As Suitable Quarters And Post Master Can Be Selected The Atlanta, Ga., district of the Post Office Department has issued invitations for applications for the office of Post Master at Long Beach, a new 4th Class Post Off we that will be established and served from the Southport office when and if a post master and suitable quarters are secured. As a 4th Class office, it is understood that no salary goes with the position. The Postmas ter will receive compensation ac cording to the stamps sold at the office. The invitations state that no civil service examination is neces sary on the part of applicants. As usual, former service men and women will have a degree of pre ference. Acting Post Master Burnice Russ at Southport says he is not definitely informed, but he un derstands that the mail for the beach office will be handled through the Southport office. Good Progress On Road Worki Three Of Four Miles Of Right-Of-Way On Hodden i Beach Road Have Been Cleared And Grading Is Started Three or four miles of the right of way of the Holden Beach road project have been cleared of trees and stumps and some grad ing has been done by the E. W; Grannis Company of Fayetteville. Moving in on the eight mile long project about three yeeks ago the | company has made fine progress, considering the rains. Quite a number of short changes in the route are being I made in order to give a much j straighter road, as well as to I save distance. With most of the j road going through a fine farm-1 ing section and the route already i thickly covered with nice hopies,' the drive from No. 17 to Holden's Beach will appeal to motorists. Although no new bridge or ferry is included in the present! road project, the widespread popu-j larity of Holden's Beach and the attraction that it also offers to j sport fishing will bring so much traffic over the new road that a I new ferry or bridge is only aJ question. of time. Easter Services At Local Churches On Sunday morning at the 11 o'clock hour the choir of Trinity Methodist church will present the cantata "The .Music of Easter." The Rev. L. D. Hay man will bring his Easter mes sage at the 7:80 o'clock hour. Members of the Southport Baptist church choir will pre sent their Easter cantata at the evening hour ig the high school auditorium. The music will be "The Easter Allelulia." The Sunday evening service at Southport Presbyterian church will feature special Eas ter jnusic and an Easter mes sage by the pastor, the Rev. J. M. Waggette. Two Candidates For Commissioner R. T. Woodside, Southport Man, And Bennie C. Williams, Shallotte Far mer, Seek Democratic Nomination j R. T. Woodside. Southport man who last week announced his can didacy for the Democratic nom ination as member of the board of county commissioners, has been joined this week by another can didate for the same office. He is Bennie W. Williams, prominent farmer of Shallotte and well known throughout the coun ty. Mr. Williams is a former Smithville township farmer, hav ing sold his farm near Southport a few years ago to move back to his old farm on the Shallotte Point road. Prior to that for a number of years he served as su perintendent of the Brunswick county home, a position in which (Continued On Page Four) Clarendon Will Have Open House Beautiful Plantation On River Road Will Be Open To School Children One Day When Cherry Trees Bloom All Brunswick county high school children will be invited to Clarendon, the beautiful home of Mr. and Mrs. Neil Thomas on the River Road, when the Japan ese cherry trees and other flow- J ers are in bloom. This will be I some time in April. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas are living i in Salisbury, temporarily, while | Mr. Thomas is engaged in the] construction of housing units. I (Continued On Page Four) Routine Session Of County Court Usual Run Of Cases Tried Before Judge W. J. Mc Lamb In Recorder's Court Here Wednesday A fairly crowded docket was disposed of here In Brunswick county Recorder's court Wednes day before Judge W. J. McLamb, with the following disposition be ling made of cases: Roscoe Robbins, Willard Tharp, William Tharp, public drunken ness, 30 days road sentence sus pended on payment of costs and defendants to be of .good behavior. Mary Merrick, assault, judg-' ment suspended on payment of costs, one half of costs remitted. | Johnnie O. B. Oliver, reckless operation, capias. James Derwood Sherman, pos- J session, judgment suspended or payment of costs. Wilbur Todd, reckless operation and no operators license, judg- i ment suspended on payment of a' fine of $40.00 and costs. John W. Vereen, possession, i judgment suspended on payment of a fine of $10.00 and costs. | Robert LeRoy Long, reckless operation, $10.00 fine and costs. | Abraham Tanker, speeding, ca pias. Anthony Joseph Albanese,' speeding, capias. John Dula, drunk driving, reck-! less operation, continued. Frank Miller, speeding, capias. John Henry Jenkins, possession, fined $15.00 and costs. Jasper David Pellham, reckless (Continued On Page Four) I Superior Court Convenes Here Monday Morning Judge Q. K. Nimocks Of Fayettevilie P r e s i d i ng Over March Term For Trial Of Civil Cases HOLMES WILL CASE SCHEDULED j Other Cases On Docket In dicate This Will Be Ses sion Of Unusual Spec tator Interest A one week term of Brunswick County Superior court for trial of Civil Court is scheduled to con vene here Monday, with Judge Q. K. Nimocks presiding. Only civil actions will be heard and the docket includes some of the most important cases in this class that have been heard here in years, j In three of the cases scheduled | for trial, all hinging around the i Holmes will case, nine lawyers i are scheduled to appear for the j defense and prosecution in each | case. In another case, a damage suit j against the James Walker Me morial Hospital, charging it with having been negligent to the point of causing the death of a! young Brunswick county service | man, four lawyers are appearing i for the plaintiff. Although there are less than I 20 cases on the motion and trial! docket. Clerk of Court Sam T. | Bennett stated this week that it | was expected that the entire week will be required to handle every thing. Raftery Shows Play Southport Road Season For Brunswick j County's Own Show Gets j Underway With Week Here Under Auspices Of Volunteer Fire Depart ment Opening its 1948 season here Monday for a week's engagement under the auspices of the South port Volunteer Fire Department, the Raftery Shows are t (lis year more than making good with their established plan of starting out each season with something new and different. For transportation this year 87 trucks, trailers and automobiles are being used, nearly a third more than during previous years. The entertainment features con sist of ten rides, eight shows, a minstrel and various other fea tures. Two electric power units are carried along for use in places where local current is not readily available. Showing here each afternoon and night through this week, the j Raftery Shows will leave here early Sunday morning for a week's engagement in Goldsboro and the show will then launch out for the full summer route, carrying it through North Caro lina, Virginia and West Virginia. The show is a Brunswick coun ty business owned by Mr. and Mrs. Jimmy Raftery, with the show's winter quarters at the junction of Nos. 17 and 74, near the Brunswick river bridge. Mr. and Mrs. Raftery own consider able other property there, in i (Continued on page four) Our ROVING Reporter W. B. KEZIAH During the middle war days, Daniel S. Grant of New York and j ~.on Rogers, of Chicago, were1 here about two months, getting permission of lanu owners for the use of their lands for army man euvers. Both acquired a strong j liking tor Brunswick county peo- j pie and were popular in return, ine war moved on and finally I ended. Grant returned from som?-1 where overseas to hi? home In! - evv -ork. Rogers returned to ' mm home in Chicago. Starting I when they were here both the New Yorker and Chicago man I have been continuous subscribers j to The State Port Pilot. This wee k a letter from Grant with a check for the renewal of both his own a -ger's subscription, had this to say: "I had quite a bit of difficulty this winter, with mother and dad both being ill and the loss of one of my factories by! fire, but in spite of this, don't] be surprised to see me rolling into Southport, my 'hometown' some afternoon to spend a couple of weeks." Our good friend, Clarence Mont gomery, of Leland dripped in on us at the office Wednesday and renewed the old friendship by handing us a cigar. A year or two ago when we often called at Leland Clarence was always ready with a handful of this pro duce. We are always glad to see Clarence, not because of the ci gars so much as the fact that he is a very fine fellow. Residents of the states of New Jersey and - ew iork are ex ceeding those of all other states in making inquiries regarding Brunswick county. Some few are merely tourists. The greatest number are inquiring about lands (continued on page two) SCHOONER ATLANTIC PUTS TO SEA IN SEARCH OF NEW SHRIMP Effort Will Be Made To Discover Where The Big Shrimp Go When They Leave The Coast With much of its preliminary i work in planning, mapping, etc., | completed, the Navy-owned ship Atlantic, with several hundred | thousand dollars worth of scienti-j fic instruments on loan from the' Woods Hole Oceanographic Insti-i tute, left here yesterday to begin j actual operations to learn some-1 thing regarding shrimp and their habits and possibly to locate new shrimp trawling grounds at a con siderable distance off the coast. Aboyt all that is now known j regarding shrimp is that they) spawn along the coast, reach a considerable size on grounds thatl are now known and can be used | for trawling. After that, they are| supposed to cease spawning, move j further offshore and remain until j they die or are devoured by other residents of the deep. These off the coast shrimp that no longer spawn and which also no longer contribute to shrimp production, are called jumbos by reason of their size. During past seasons a local boat has occas ionally caught a bushel or so of the highly prized jumbos, but most of them have gone to waste because their habitation has been unknown. The chief task for the Atlantic will be to locate places where the jumbos stay, supposedly at quite a distance offshore. A necessary part of the work will be in mak ing a close study of the ocean bottom and chart the places where the boatmen can operate without having their nets torn up by wreckage and rocks. William A. Ellison, widely known North Carolina geogolist and biologist, is in active charge of the work. Mr. Ellis has put in mafiy years at exploration for oil and in various scientific re search work. As students at Duke University, Mr. Ellison and Mrs. R. H. Hol den of Shallotte were classmates. Brunswick Business Men Planning Market: Red Gross Need Is Intensified A telegram received here to day from National headquarters of the American Red' Croat* ad vised local volunteer workers that in view of recent inter national developments there is imperative need for redoubling efforts to meet the county quo ta in the current Red Cross Fund Drive. Mrs. Grace P. Ruark, execu tive secretary of the Brunswick County Chapter, urge? workers in each community to turn In their reports as fast a? possible in order that the results of Iter campaign may be determin ed. Persons who have not been contacted . are urged to mail their contribution directly to the executive secretary or to Mrs. George Whatley, treasurer of the Fund Campaign. Third Trawler Ready To Launch Newest Addition To Louis J. Hardee Fleet Ready To Go Down Ways Some Time This Week; No Name Yet Selected The third 54-foot shrimp traw ler built here since March of last year by Lewis Spaulding and his colored helpers for Lewis J. Hardee will be launched sometime this week, according to present plans. The actual work on the ship was completed yesterday. The ways upon which they will launch the vessel are being built today. The ship will be named short ly before launching. Ships already built for Hardee and now working are the Seaboys and Sea Fighter. It is likely that this latest built boat will also have the word "Sea" In its name. Three more boats, all of the same' size and duplicates of each other, are to be built here for Hardee before Spaulding com pletes his original assignment. The only difference is that the Sea Fighter and Sea Boys both have slightly smaller hatch openings over their holds. Developments in food fishing and the taking of menhaden this winter caused It to be advisable to make the larg er holds to facilitate unloading. Will Sell Beach Lots At Auction Goldston Brothers Twin Auctioneers Will Offer SO Long Beach Building Lots To Highest Bidder j Monday The first big auction sale of building lots in Brunswick coun-; ty in many years is scheduled fori Long Beach at Southport on Mon day, March 29. This Easter Mon-I day sale is so disposed of 50 choice' building lots owned by G. V. Barbee and will be conducted by the Goldston Brothers, twin land auctioneers of Sanford. Here much of the time during the past two weeks making pre parations, Herbert and Johnnie Goldston, the auctioneers, are very much pleased at the outlook for this sale and the prospects i (Continued On Page Four) Cooperative Effort Planned For Establishment Of Auction Somewhere In Shallotte Community SELECTION OF SITE CONSIDERED Possibility That This Effort May Result In Handling All Kinds Of Farm Produce Later On A committee of five prominent I Brunswick county farmers made preliminary examinations toward selecting a site for a livestock; auction sale market at Shallotte Saturday. Several attractive lo cations were gone over by, the committee composed of D. B. Frink, Houston Hewett, Claud Gore, O. P. Bellamy dtiiT "W. iJ. Stanaland. The forming of a corporation and the construction of the mar ket seems according to J. E. Cooke, cashier of the Shallotte branch of the Waccamaw Bank and Trust Company. Mr. Cooke stated that all of the members of the committee and farmers throughout the sections were en thusiastic at the prospects of establishing the market. One valuable feature of such a market lies in the encouragement that it will give to greater pro duction of cows and hogs, two products that can be made very profitable with better marketing facilities. Plans for this market are that It shall be cooperative. It will be owned and directed by the farmers themselves. The imme diate preliminary steps are to secure a charter, sell stock for funds necessary for the purchase of the site and the construction of buildings and pens. The stock-j holders will, elect a board of di rectors and other officials from among themselves. Many of the farmers interested see in the auction market a big step towards other things needed in Brunswick. Ultimately the cor (Continued Oil Prffce Four) Funeral Sunday For Mrs. Marran Member Of Prominent Southport Family Died Friday Following Brief Illness; Laid To Rest In Southport Cemetery Mrs. Mable Price Marran, prom inent resident of Southport, died here Friday at the home of her daughter, Mrs. W. G. Wells. Mrs. Marran was 74 years of age and had been ill for only a few days. Funeral services were held from the Sacred Heart Catholic church Sunday afternoon at 3 o'clock, with burial following in the old Southport cemetery. Father Joseph Mumlell had charge of the services. A member of one of Southports oldest families, Mrs. Marran is survived by one brother, V. H. Price; by two daughters, Mrs. Claude Chadwick of Swansboro and Mrs. W. G. Wells of Southport. Two grandchildren also survive. Active pallbearers were: Ru dolph Sanders, Richard Brendle, James Frazer, J. A. McNeil, H. T. St. George and Dan Harrelson. Honorary pallbearers were, J. B. Church, R. L. Thompson, W. M. Hayes, R. Will Davis, Chaa. E. Gaus^, Robert St. George, J. J. Loughlin, Lr. Landis Brown, Wil bur Dosher, James A. Price, James S. Craig, D. M. Davis and Albert Dosher. Life Sentence For Shallotte Negro Murderer Scooper Cause Convicted Of Slaying Of H. Jim Wil liamson, Prominent Shal lotte White Farmer In February, 1946 LOW MENTALITY I SAVES GAUSE LIFE Negro Had Previously Been Sentenced To Gas Cham ber Only To Be Saved By Second Trial For the second time Leon (Scooper) Gause, Shallotte negro, was convicted in the New Han over Superior court last week of the murder of H. Jim William son,. Shallotte white farmer, and was sentenced to serve the bal ance of his life in State Prison. He was taken to Raleigh Satur day morning by New Hanover of ficers to begin serving his sen tence. The first trial for Gause brought a sentence of death. On the ground that there was an er ror in the charge of the presid ing judge to the jury, the Su preme court granted a new trial. | The killing of Williamson oc cured in February, 1946. He had trouble with Gause, who was drinking, one Saturday afternoon. Later that night while he was in his sitting room with his wife shelling peanuts for planting, Gause fired at him with a shot gun through the living room win dow. Williamson lived but a few minutes. Gause fled and was cap tured at the end of a tlftee-day hunt, in which several hundred people participated. While the killing ot Williamson is credited with having been cold blooded murder by those familiar with the circumstances, the ob vious low mentality of Gause sav~ ed him from deattu^Vhless lpg^riS' pardoned he will spend the"' re* j mainder of his life behind A number of Shallotte' f neighbors of Williamson,' seen Saturday, expressed selves as being dissatisfied witk last week's verdict. J*. H ?Mi Cemetery Will Be Cleaned Up Work Of Straightening Up Old Southport Cemetery Being Supervised By Mr?. Helen Bragaw Under the direction of Mrs. Helen G. Bragaw, who Is giving voluntary supervision to the job, a force of three men began a much needed cleaning off and re storation of the old Southport cemetery Monday. A survey has revealed that 27 of the gravestones in this ceme tery are down. In addition the yearly crop of weeds and trash have left a very unsightly ap pearance. Mrs. Bragaw stated Monday that no favors will be shown. It is planned to give the lowly and unknown graves Just as much consideration as any of those that are looked after month ly by families and friends. Following the replacing of all headstones and cleaning off, a highly concentrated weed de stroying solution will be used to destroy this years crop of weeds. "ftie cemetery is a large one and filled as it is with oak trees and graves, the task of putting it into shape will be a lengthy and costly one. Relatives and friends of persons buried there and who are interested in the graves and graveyard having pro per attention are ufged to rally to the support of the Southport woman. Either checks or direct payments may be made to her. It is estimated that about 1300.00 will be needed. Organize P.-T.A. At Waccamaw Organizational Meeting At tended By Mr*. Belton Thompson, District Pres ident, Of Whiteville The Waccamaw Parent-Teachor Association was reorganized at a meeting of teachers and patron? at a meeting held on Monday night of last week in the audi torium of the school. The devotional was conducted by Rev. Edward Ulrlch. This wan followed by a skit called "Gypsey Magic," given by'the library clui> under the direction of Mrs. Merl'j Bennett, the librarian. Following the program Mr*. Belton Thompson, PTA District I Director of White viti I* gave a very interesting talk oi ? (Continued On Page Four}'