Most Of The News
All The Time
Volume No. 17 No. 23
THE STATE PORT PILOT
A Good Newspaper In A Good Community
6-Pages Today
SOUTHPORT, N. C. WEDNESDAY
II A tr<
1)ECEMBER 21,
1955
PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY
The Pilot Covers
Brunswick County
$1.50 PER YEAR
Information On
Weed Varieties
Given By Agent
County Agent Explains That
Many Fanners Were Pleas
ed With Results Obtained
By Using Controversial
Type
OBJECTIONS NOT
CONFINED TO 139
County Agent Advises Far
mers Not To Go Over
board In Planting New
And Relatively Un
tested Variety Of
Tobacco
It appears that some people get
more confused by reading in
formation about tobacco varieties.
It was the intent of last week s
article on tobacco to present the J
thinking of several people. The
statements that specifictly men- j
tioned a variety were quoted from
a letter from our Extension To
bacco Specialist and a report on
to bacco varieties from our agri
cultural experiment station.
As stated in last week’s article,
the information was given so that
tobacco growers could have ac
cess to all possible information
in order to decide for themselves
the best variety for their farm
and conditions. This county agent
has never voiced himself as being
opposed to a particular variety.
The Coker 139 variety, accord
ing to a large number of Bruns
wick county tobacco growers,
posses some outstanding charac
teristics. Some of these good
points are high yields, ease of
handling and curing, few suck
ers and others. The chemical
analysis, as reported by the ex
periment station, shows the nico
tine very low and the sugar con
tent very high and exceeded only
by the new D. B. 244 variety and
another under test.
The criticism ot pare ana suck
tobacco lias been misunderstood
and charged to Coker 139 when
in reality several varieties pro
duced this king of tobacco in
1955. It. appears from the criti
cism that 139 was the more com
mon producer of this type to
bacco. But again when this va
riety was planted on heavier soils
and allowed to thoroughly ripen,
they had more orange color. There
has been some criticism about
the lack of flavor and aroma. It,
too, has been charged to 139 by
some, but this may not be true
because this variety is new and
proper aging has not been com
pleted.
There are a number of good
varieties for farmers to select
from. Any time a new variety is
tried, it may be good business to
put a part of the acreage in the
crop to determine its merit under
local conditions. The new Dixie
Bright 244 variety is being high
ly recommended by the N. C.
Experiment Station, It would be
good for some of our farmers to
try some under our oonditins.
This variety is likely to meet with
some criticism because it is new.
In general all new varieties de
veloped in recent years should be
allowed to thoroughy ripen be
Continued On Page Two
—
Brief Bits Of
lnewsj
TRUCKS IN TOWN
Big red tractors were parked
all over Southport this morning,
as many as a dozen at some
points where they could find ad
vantageous places. The trailers
had been taken to the Terminal
to be loaded or unloaded there,
while the tractor operators came
on into town for accommodations.
TO FLORIDA
Mrs. H. A. Edwards and son.
Donnie, left Saturday to join
Mr. Edwards at Coca, Fla. Mr.
Edwards who is with the Hill
Dredging Company on the Ven
tor, is now working with the
boat at Coca on an 8-month job.
Miss Kathleen Edwards, daughter
of Mr. and Mrs. Edwards, is
attending a business college in
Jacksonville, Fla.
BUSY DAY
Two deaths attributed to nat
ural causes and one the result
of a wreck on the highway were
investigated Thursday by Coroner
Sam T. Bennett Margaret Frink,
56-year old colored woman of
the Howell's Point community
was found to have died a natural
death, as had Gregory Fulford, a
4-months old white infant of
Lockwoods Folly township. The
fatality on the highway, investi
gated the same day, was the
death of R. S. Mckeithan, near
Town Creek.
Pleasant Visits
Are Remembered
Retired Army Officer Writes To Inquire About People
And Places He Remembers Here
BY BILL KEZIAH
This paper has often carried |
articles regarding former resi- 1
dents remembering the Southport
area and bobbing up to either i
come home or write something
about the past and things around
the old town in those other days.
This week there came a. letter
from Colonel John Merrick, U. S.
Army, retired, now living at
Matchez, Miss.
During World War I, Colonel
Merrick, then a Lieutenant of
Artillery, spent some time at
Fort Caswell. In 1926, the year
after the writer came to South
port, Merrick spent much time
at Caswell. It was in that year
that the fort was sold and the
guns dismantled and removed.
In his letter he refers to many
people he knew during that
period, and Bald Head Island,
Fort Caswell and Southport all
apparently hold a warm spot in
his memory. In part he wrote:
"Mr. Styron of Beaufort and
Miss Berry have kept me in
formed of the progress in North
Carolina since I have been here,
but it remained for Mrs. Griffin
to really set me straight on
keeping up-to-date with your
fair city and its people whom I
knew in the long ago.
“You may remember that when
Caswell was dismantled and my
classmate, Newman, had the job
of removing the ordnance, he
came to know you, Bonner Bus
sell and the Willis (Capt. W. T.
Willis) families, Capt. Barnett
and many other fine people. It
was only natural that he tell me
at Fort Bragg of the fine fish
ing off Southport and that we
respond by returning with him
and enjoy the fine sport our
selves.
“I know that among the
(Continued on Page Four)
Clearing Ground
For New Building
Masonary Cook House At51
Rear Of Ft. Johnston De
molished Tuesday In Pre
paring Site For New
Houses
TWO DUPLEXES ARE
BEING CONSTRUCTED
Contractor Hauling In Soil
To Raise Level Of Foun
dation For These New
Buildings
CLEARS GROUND .
A crane swinging a 1000 pound
steel ball as a hammer demolish
ed the small building at Fort I
Johnston yesterday morning. With
the roof three feet thick, the
job was not so easy as it sounds,
two hours were required for the
task of leveling the building.
The wrecking was done as a
preliminary to the construction
of residential buildings on the
property for administrative of
ficers at Sunny Point.
At present the construction op
erations will be confined to the
erection of two duplex homes to
house 4 families. One of them
will have two 3-bedroom apart
ments and the other two 2-bed
room apartments. Frontage of
both buildings will be brick
veneer.
Preliminary to the start of con
struction of the buildings, G. W.
Talnran of Wilmington is now en
gaged in hauling in 500 truck
loads of earth for the purpose of
leveling the Garrison Grounds.
Taiman was one of the 47 con
tractors who had jobs at Sunny i
Point during its construction. j
Law Enforcement
Figures Given
Report Made Of Activities
Of Sheriff’s Department
During 1955 With Boot
leggers Being Chief Vic
tims
Looking through the records at
the court house some interesting
figures were found relative to
law enforcement for the past
year'.
A total of 213 arrests were
made. These were divided among
the officers as follows: Sheriff
E. H. Gray, 59; Deputy Leon
Galloway, 50; Deputy Henry Pike,
63; Deputy O. W. Perry, 32; Dep
uty H. G. Rateliffe, who is jailer
and office deputy, 20.
A total of 376 civil papers were
served as follows: Sheriff. 44;
Galloway, 151; Pike, 39; Perry,
71; Rateliffe, 65.
A total of 158 capias and sub
poenas were served, divided as
follows: Sheriff, 19; Galloway,
56; Pike, 43; Perry, 24; Rateliffe,
15.
In raiding whiskey stills, 92
were captured with assistance
from Alcoholic Tax Unit officers;
44 were taken without assistance
from the ATU. There is no record
here of how many stills were
taken by the ATU without assist
ance from the local officers.
A total of 321 gallons of whis
key and a total of 26,250 gallons
of mash was destroyed during the
year; 15 automobiles were con
fiscated with the assistance of the
State Highway Patrol; 16 places
were raided for whiskey, beer and
Continued On Page Two
Menhaden Are
Coming Closer
Two boats for Southport
Fisheries, Inc., brought in
huge catches of menhaden
Saturday afternoon, with both
the Charlotte T and the Elea
nor M having over 600,000
fish.
These catches were made
off Swansboro, and it is re
ported that the big fall run
of these fish is heading' down
the coast. That being true,
other local boats are hoping
to join in the big catches
this week to share in “the
Christmas money” that local
fishermen look forward to
each season.
Wilmington Man
Highway Victim
Native Of Brunswick Coun
ty Died Of Injuries Sus
tained In Collision On U.
S. 17 Thursday Afternoon
Brunswick’s 4th highway death
in 1955 occurred on Route 17
north of Town Creek Thursday
afternoon, when Robert S. Mc
Keithan died of injuries after a
tractor he was operating was
struck by a truck driven by Huey
Lindsey Pigford, 21-year old em
ployee of a Wilmington Concrete
Company.
Mr. McKeithan, according to
the investigation of State High
way Patrolman W. L. Deal of
Bolivia and Coroner Sam T. Ben
nett, had been working on the
farm of his brother in Town
Creek township. At the time he
reecived his fatal injuries he was
driving the tractor with a trailer
and hay bailer attached, moving
the bailer to another point of op
eration. Investigation showed he
was in his proper lane of traffic
when the truck operated by Pig
ford tore in from behind, throw
ing bailer and tractor off the
right hand side of the highway
and fatally injuring Mr. McKeith
an.
Pigford is said to have ad
mitted to the Coroner and other
officials that it was the truck lie
was operating that caused the
accident. He contended that the
brakes on his truck were at fault
and that the tires themselves
burst when he applied the brakes.
He was arrested,' charged with
reckless operation and improper
equipment. Following the death
of Mr. McKeithan two hours later
the warrant was amended to “re
sulting in a death”. He was
brought to the Brunswick jail but
was released directly after ar
rival here under a bond that was
provided by his employers.
Mr. McKeithan was born and
raised in the Bolivia community
and has worked there with the
Bolivia Lumber Company much
of the time for the past several
years. He was 71 years of age and
was a son of the late George
Madison and the late Alice Otta
way McKeithan. During his resi
dence in Wilmington he was a
member of Trinity Methodist
Church in that city.
He is survived by his wife, Mrs.
Continued On Page Two
Surplus Food Is
Available For
Storm Victims
Families In Brunswick That
Have Sustained Serious
Loss Due To Hurricanes
Eligible For Commodities
WELFARE DEPARTMENT
HANDLES DISTRIBUTION
Applications May Be Made
At Southport, Monday
Through Friday, Or At
Health Office In
Shallotte
Families who suffered hurricane
damage to their crops or work
may receive some surplus food
items during the winter months
if they are found to be in need.
Jay P. Davis, Director, Surplus
Commodity Distribution, State
Agricultural Department, met;
Friday with representatives of
the Brunswick County Agricul
tural, Health and Welfare De
partments to discuss this possible
aid to people in need.
Any person who feels he is in
need of food items during the
winter months may apply at the
Brunswick County Welfare Office
in Southport Monday through
Friday from 8 a. m. to 5 p. m.
In the offices of the Health De
partment in Shallotte a represent
ative will accept applications on
Tuesc’iy from 9:30 a. m. to 4:30
p. m. in’, jstigations will be made
to determine the need of each
applicant.
Farm Census Is
Being Planned
County Agent Urges Grow
ers To Cooperate With
Furnishing important In
formation At Tax Listing
Time j
As farmers list their taxes in
January they will be asked to
report their farming- operation for
1955, reports A. S. Knowles,
county agent. The farm census
survey is considered confidential
information and cannot be used
for tax purposes or in anyway
to intimidate the individual farm
er.
The purpose of the farm census
is to obtain reliable information
on land use, crop acreages and j
selected livestock numbers. In- j
formation of this type is needed
each year in older to plan and j
carry out the most practical ag- !
ricultural programs for Brunswick j
county in particular and North
Carolina in general, says County
Agent Knowles.
Changes in the production of,
crops and livestock brought about'
by the National Emergency must
be based on current and reliable
information in order to use farm
resources efficiently and to pro
tect the welfare of all farmers.
Farmers cannot wisely plan for
the future without studying and
using all available facts pertain
ing to agriculture in the same
way that efficient business men ■
analyze their operation.
It is with the welfare of farm- !
ers in mind, therefore, that an
annual farm census survey is j
made, says Knowles. “It will!
greatly assist the Farm Census j
reporter and speed up the report
Continued On Page Two
County Prepares
For Long Holiday
-*
—...1
City Employees
Having Holiday
City Manager John West
reminds all property owners
that city employees will be
off for Christmas this week
end and he says there will be
no trash pick-up service after
tomorrow (Thursday) until
Tuesday morning.
All employees, except the
policeman, will have Friday,
Saturday, Sunday and Mon
day off.
Announcement is made of
the employment of J. E.
Piner as meter reader.
Christmas Music
By Baptist Choir
“The Child Of Bethlehem”
Presented Sunday Evening
Under Direction Of Mrs.
R. C. Daniel
The choir of Southport Baptist
Church under the direction of
Mrs. R. C. Daniel presented "The
Child of Bethlehem" Sunday eve
ning.
The program was sung with
only the light of two candelabra
and the choir lights. The rostrum
was decorated with magnolia and
ivy and potted poinsettas. On the
communion table was an arrange
Continued On Page Two
W. B. CDEZIAH
Our
ROVING
Reporter
Back from Florida to stay, Mr.
and Mrs. Phil King and little
daughter, Jennie, are among the
folks who can be regarded as
really happy this Christmas. They
are happy to get back home and
are satisfied that they have seen
all of Florida that they want to
see during their year there. One
thing that Mr. King is not so
well satisfied over is to see all
of tiie wreckage still scattered
around back of Long Beach. He
thinks tiie town should have a
real cleaning up and the burning
of all trash before next season's
beach period begins. Other peo
ple have had the same idea and
it is hoped that it will be acted
upon.
Far from knowing the names
of all the newcomers to this area,'
we would be overlooking many,
people if we tried to list the
names of the those we are glad i
to have here as new Southport
citizens. With this state of thing's,
we want to say to all newcomers
in Brunswick as well as to the
long-time residents, that we wish
them ail a very Merry Christmas.
The feeling of friendship by us
towards the newcomers is shared
by all of the od residents of
Erunswick.
Cards and letters addressed
simply, “Mr. Sunny Point,” have
been rather numerous and they
have come from distant points,
as well as near. A few still cling
to writing it "Our Rovin’ Re
porter.” Others address things to
"The Chamber of Commerce.”
Still others use our real name.
In all cases the efficient post
office force seems to know that
things are intended for our post
office drawer. One of the cards
received this week and addressed
(Continued on page four)
Business Rush Continues
Through Saturday For
Stores And For Postal
Employees
SCHOOLS CLOSED
FOR HOLIDAYS
Religious Services And Oth
er Activities Being Plan
ned As Part Of Christ
mas Observance
Here
Two Christmas programs are
being held tonight (Wednesday)
in Southport with the children's
choir at both Southport Baptist
Church and Trinity Methodist
Church leading the services.
A Christmas Eve service is
being planned at St. Phillips
Episcopal Church at 11:30 o’clock
Saturday at which time Holy
Communion will be celebrated.
The Catholic Church of South
port will usher in the Solemn
Feast of Christmas with the tra
ditional midnight Mass on Christ
mas Eve. Special music has been
prepared for the services. Lew
Hardee will be the guest organist.
Mrs. Bryant Potter is the choir
director. The choir will sing ‘‘The
Mass in Honor of the Holy In
fant” by Anthony J. Schonoller.
The public is cordially invited to
attend.
At Trinity Methodist Church
Sunday School and Church serv
ices will be held at the
regular hour Sunday morning, but
in the evening there will be no
worship service at the church.
Instead, families are being asked
to hold worship in their respec
tive homes.
City and county offices will be
closed Friday, Saturday, Sunday
and Monday. Postmaster J. B.
Russ says that the window at the
post office wdll be open for one
hour Sunday morning. Monday
will be observed as a holiday.
Members of the Live Oak Gar
den Club will sponsor a dance
Friday night at the Community
Building, with music being fur
nished by a popular Wilmington
Continued On Page Four;
Assistant Agent
Named By Board
Sanford H. Lee Hired As
Assistant County Agent,
Replacing Snode B. Wil
son, Who Is Now In Army
Members of the board of coun
ty commissioners in session here
Monday hired Sanford H. Lee as
assistant county agent.
He succeeds Snode B. Wilson,
who held this position until Dec
ember 2, at which time we en
tered the U. S. Army. He is now
stationed f Ft. Jackson, S. C.
The new assistant county agent
is a native of Pink Hill in Lenoir
county ami at present he is
Continued On Page Two
New Police Chief
For Southport Is
Native Of City
Tommy Willis, Member Of
Police Department Of
Wilmington, Will Take
Over Duties On January
2nd
R. H. Constante has resigned
as Chief of Police of the City of
Southport to accept a position at
Sunny Point Army Terminal and
has been succeeded by Tommy
Willis.
The new chief is a native of
Southport and at present is a
member of the Wilmington Police
Force. He comes here highly rec
ommended by his superior offi
cers and will report for duty on
January 2.
Constante had served as head
of the city law enforcement
forces for just a few weeks. He
formerly was a member of the
State Highway Patrol and en
joys a good reputation as an
officer.
E. F. Gore continues in his role
of policeman.
County Court In
Lengthy Session
All-Day Session Of Bruns
wick County Recorder’s
Court Held Here This
Week In Effort To Clear
Docket
Officials of Brunswick county
Recorder’s court spent the full
day Monday trying- the clear the
docket, with the following cases
being heard:
William Broekington, public
drunkness, 30-days on roads, sen
tence suspended on payment of
a fine of $25 and costs.
Harry Eugene Sheffield, speed
ing (65-mph) fined $10 and costs.
Loyd McKeithan, no operator's
license, nol prossed on presenta
tion of valid license.
Charles Franklin Bell, drunk
driving and reckless operation,
fined $50 and costs on reckless
operation charge. Not guilty as
to drunken driving.
George Warrenton Carnes,
speeding (70-mph) fined $15 and
costs.
Herman "Babson, expired op
erator’s license, nol prossed on
presentation of valid license.
Mary Docks Daniels, speeding
(65-mph) fined $10 and costs.
John Wesley Childress, speed
ing (70-mph) fined $10 and costs.
Jerome Harry Stallings, speed
ing (70-mph) fined $15 and costs.
Jack Merrill Ricker, drunk driv
ing, reckless operation, fined $100
and costs and license revoked
for one year on drunken driving
charge. Nol prossed as to reck
less operation.
Richard G. Causey, public
drunkness, fined $25 and costs.
Caesar Daniels, possession for
purpose of sale, 6-months on
loads, sentence suspended on pay
ment of a fine of $150 and good
behavior for two years.
Mathew Leroy Robinson, no op
erator’s license, carrying conceal
Continued On Page Two
Christmas Story
Told Again In
Song And Story
“Star Of Bethlehem” As
Shown At Morehead Plan
etarium Presented Here
In Condensed Version
The State Port Pilot pre
sents a condensed excerpt of
“Star of Bethlehem,” the
story of the birth of Jesus,
being offered daily at the
Morehead Planetarium at the
University of North Carolina
in Chapel Hill, through Jan.
8, except Dec. 24-25.
Copyrighted By The More
head Planetarium, Univer
sity Of North Carolina,
Chapel Hill
When the Wise Men came to
Jerusalem and spoke to Herod
of the Star, the king did not
know what they were talking
about. He had not seen the Star.
He called the priests and scribes,
and let them listen to the Wise
Men. Again, however, there was
no knowledge of the Star, yet
these same priests had as part
of their duties the task of watch
ing the sky to keep track of
the phases of the Moon, by
which the lunar calendar of the
Jews was operated.
In Luke’s story, we read of
the shepherds, who saw the angel
of the Lord and the heavenly
host, but there is no mention of
the Star.
There is no evidence that any
one, save the Wise Men, saw the
Star.
Star Of Significance
This is important, because it
indicates that the Star of Beth
lehem could not have been a
brightly shining star, blazing
splendidly in the sky for all to
see. It must have been, instead,
something that everyone might
have seen, but of significancS
only to the Wise Men.
If we could know something of
the origin of these Wise Men—
if we could only know who they
were and what they believed -
we might be able to discover
what they would have taken as
a portent.
They are known from the
earliest Greek narratives as the
Magi.
The Scriptural story uoes net
specify their number. In the
Eastern Church 12 has been the
traditional number. In paintings
preserved from the early days of
I the Roman Church, there is great
: diversity, some showing two,
others three or four, one even
showing eight Wise Men. The
number three seems to have
evolved from the fact that three
gifts—gold, frankincense and
myrrh—are mentioned by Mat
thew.
Persian Priests
It was Caesar of Aries, a sixth
century writer, who first spoke
of them as kings, but that they
were Persian priests is the con
stant tradition of the early
church. In all the paintings sur
viving from the first four cen
turies of our era, the Wire Men
are always depicted as wearing
the traditional headdress of the
Persian priesthood.
Matthew tells us that the Wise
Men came “from the east to
Jerusalem." They said, “We have
seen his star in the east," a pas
sage which is almost universally
misinterpreted to mean that they
looked into the eastern sky to
see the Star. This is an anvient
of translation, however, that is
differently rendered in different
versions. Actually, it refers to
the fact that the Wise Men, in
the east, saw the Star. In other
(Continued on Page Four)
I'iile Table
Following is the tide table
for Southport during the next
week. These hours are ap
proximately correct and were
furnished The State Port Pilot
through the courtesy of the
Cape Fear Pilot’s Association.
High Tide low Tide
Thursday, December 23
0:53 A. M. 7:0S A. M.
1:12 P. M. 7:41 P. M.
Friday, December 23
1:53 A. M. 8:15 A. M.
2:11 P. M. 8:41 P. M.
Saturday, December 24
2:57 A. M. 9:21 A. M.
3:15 P. M. 9:11 P. M.
Sunday, December 25
4:02 A. M. 10:30 A. M.
4:20 P. M. 10:42 P. M.
Monday, December 26
5:03 A. M. 11:32 A. M.
5:23 P. M. 11:40 P. M.
Tuesday, December 27
6:03 A. M. 0:00 A. M.
6:24 P. M. 12:30 P. M.
Wednesday, December 28
7:01 A. M. 0:36 A. M.
7:23 P. M. 1:24 P. M.
i