NR Story Lives Again As Officer Says—
Hurricanes, No Bluffers
Editor’s Note—A story
from Monroe and its recent
racial strife, written by Alan
D. Resch of UPI has a dis
tinct Columbus and Eruns
wick County background. It
concerns Jerry Helms, who
was working with another
Monroe officer when the lat
ter received a gunshot wound
in his leg.
But, mostly the story is
about the honeymoon ex
perience of Jerry and his
wife, Connie, during the in
vasion of the Brunswick
County coast by Hurricane
Hazel on Oct. 15, 1954.
The News Reporter and
the State Port Pilot were the
only newspapers carrying the
story of the Helms honey
mooners floaoting from their
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Long Beach cottage to safety
on a mattress, immediately
after the Hazel "blow.” The
story was very adeptly writ
ten by Carol Lewis, at that
time woman’s editor of The
News Reporter and now Mrs.
Carol Creekmore, correspon
dent for the NR from the
Acme area.
Connie Hussey Helms is
the daughter of Mrs. Joe
Duncan of South Whiteville
and a graduate of Whiteville
High School. She is also a
former queen of the Live
Oak Festival, once held in
Southport annually.
Connie’s husband, Jerry, is
a native of Monroe and be
gan work with the police de
partment there in 1955. After
about 2% years there he re
ceived an appointment to a
postal position in his home
town, but, yearning for the
life of a policeman, returned
to the department about a
year ago.
Jerry and Connie have two
children, Stephanie Diane, 7,
(who, incidentally, is named
cause she was bom at Colum
bus County Hospital in White
ville on the same date that
the storm by that name hit
the area, August 16, 1955),
and a son, Jerry Clayton, Jr.,
who is 2 years old.
Here is Alan Resch’s re
E. W. Godwin’s Sons
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Phone RO 2-7747 — Castle Hayne Road
WILMINGTON, N. C.
SEPTEMBER, 1961
Mail-Order Quacks Harvest Death
A recent article in the American Medical Asso
ciation s “TODAY'S HEALTH" told how people
gamble, not just their money, but their very lives
when they order medicines and medical devices
by mail.
Avoid Mail-Order Quackery
Postal inspectors say, “Any therapy, device, reme
dy, or ‘cure’ sold by mail should be treated with
suspicion, especially if it makes sweeping claims.”
United States Postmaster General Said
“In an era when wonder drugs and great advances
in surgery have produced medical miracles, it is
puzzling why so many people pay money for
frauds. Do not take or use any medicine or health
device sold by mail without first consulting your
physician.”
Ask For Our Professional Opinion
As your pharmacist, it is our moral, willing and
legal duty to give you an informed answer to any
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cent story about the Helms’
honeymoon experiences:
By ALAN D. KLSCH
United Press International
MONROE — Policeman Jerry
Helms admits he was scared when
confronted with four pistol-pack
ing Negroes in the recent Monroe
race riot.
But hurricanes really scare
him more and for good reason.
Helms and his wife, Connie,
were honeymooning on Long
Beach, unaware that mighty Hur
ricane Hazel was about to hit
the Tar Heel coast.
They were trapped on the is
land by the hurricane whipped
water and floated to safety on a
mattress.
The 28-year-old policeman re
members well every detail of the
ordeal he and his wife experienc
ed on Oct. 15, 1954.
“Boy, when you’re scared, you
can do almost anything,” he re
calls looking back on the events
which occurred when he and his
wife found themselves trapped on
Long Beach Island because of
high water.
The couple had gone to the
beach for a quiet honeymoon and
went roller skating the night be
fore the hurricane hit.
“When we started home, it
started raining,” he recalls. “I
have never seen so much' water
fall.”
But the couple made it to the
cottage where they were staying.
About 4 a. m. on that remem
bered day when Hurricane Hazel
hit, Helms was awakened by, a
loud noise. ‘‘I ran to the front
of the house and saw the porch
furniture being blown’around,” he
says. "The ocean was already
coming over the dunes.
"I ran to the bedroom and told
my wife to get ready to leave
for the mainland as quickly as
possible. We didn’t even take
time to pack.
“But we didn’t even get out of
the driveway before the water
had us blocked. I remembered
that we had a jeep nearby and
thought we could make it out
across country. The jeep wouldn’t
start.”
Realizing that they were going
to be forced to sit through the
hurricane, the couple went to a
: nearby vacant house on high
ground. But soon the water was
rising.
Helms and his wife huddled in
the hallway of the house and the
young bridegroom instructed his
wife to go through a window if
the house started to collapse. By
this time the water was at the
upstairs level on the house.
Since his wife was a non-swim
mer, he gave her a blanket and
told her to “hold to it. I knew
that I would be able to keep her
above water some way.”
The foundation on one side of
the house gave way and Helms
grabbed a chest-of-drawers, push
ed it through the window and
planned to use it as a make-shift
boat. But. the high wind jerked
the furniture away from him and
it floated out of reach.
“I don’t know why but I grab
bed a mattress and threw it out
the window,” he said. This time
Connie had time to get on it and
I jumped into the water and be
gan pulling it.
“I don’t know how long I was
in the water ... it was hours
I’m sure. The wind was blowing
us inland. So, we had nothing to
do but ride that mattress in.”
When the water started going
down, the mattress snapped in a
tree. And Helms soon was able
to get his wife off the mattress
and wade through the water to
safety.
Long Beach was virtually level
ed by the Hurricane Hazel, one
of the worst tropical storms ever
to sweep across the Tar Heel
coast.
“It even scares me to think
about what could have happened,”
he says.
“I was able to bluff those men
into running away,” Helms adds.
“But a hurricane is no bluff.”
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4
JUNIORS ENTER—174 third-year students on Monday afternoon became the first junior class
to enter Campbell college, as the school opened a three-day registration period expected to enroll
1300. The incoming coeds staged a housewarming for Bryan Memorial Building, apartment-type
dormitory for 96 women, finished just before scoool opening.
Return Man To
Face Trial Here
The long arm of the Brunswick
Sheriff’s Department reached up
into the Piedmont and apprehend
ed a Waecamaw Township man,
sought since early this year on a
bond-jumping act.
Eddie Anderson, 30-year-old
white man, was picked up at
Thomasville by Davidson County
authorities who had been alerted
by Sheriff E. V. Leonard.
Anderson was arrested on Jan
uary 20 of this year by Bruns
wick deputies at the site of a
moonshine still located on Won
der Island in the Waecamaw sec
tion. Brought to jail, the defend
ant posted a bond of $500 to in
sure his appearance in court on
the charges of manufacture and
possession of non-tax paid whis
key, and immediately did a dis
appearing act.
The Brunswick Sheriff Depart
ment’s dragnet several times al
most had the fugitive within its
grasp, only to see him slip away.
Perseverance finally paid off, and
Leonard said that this time the
elusive Anderson will be held un
der the doubled bond of $1,000.
Social Security
Changes Listed
Widows 62 and over, who are
collecting social security benefits
based on their own work, did not
get increases in their payments
with the checks delivered to them
this week, but some of them may
find that they can get a small
increase in their monthly pay
ments by applying to their social
security office.
The 10 per cent increase in
widow's benefits, signed into law
by President Kennedy on June 30,
I is payable only to those widows
62 and over who are receiving
benefits based on their husbands
work under social security.
Under the social security law,
a widow 62 or over who has
worked under social security long
enough to become insured is
usually paid retirement benefits
based on her own record of earn
ings. She is paid the widow’s
benefits based on her husband’s
earnings only if those widow’s
benefits would be higher than her
own retirement benefits.
Because of the 10 percent in
crease in widow’s benefits, a few
women now find that the widow’s
benefits based on their husbands’
work are somewhat higher than
their present benefits.
Any widow who believes that
she might qualify for higher bene
fits because of this change in the
law can find out for sure by ask
ing at her social security office,
Luther Wilson
CONWAY, S. C.—Luther Wil
son, 86-year-old merchant and
farmer of the Little River area,
died Wednesday in a Myrtle
Beach hospital. He was a mem
ber of the Woodmen of the World.
Final rites will be held Friday
at 10:30 a. m. at Little River
Methodist Church by the Rev.
Charles Kirkley, with burial in
Little River Cemetery.
Survivors include four daugh
ters, Mrs. S. T. Russ, Myrtle
Beach, Mrs. Bailey Russ of Shal
lotte, N. C.; Mrs. Vance Kinlaw,
Little River and Mrs. J. W. Har
relson, Conway; five grandchild
ren and two great-grandchildren.
HUFHAM'S
MEN'S STORE
THE HOME OF
GLEN-MORE CLOTHES
FACTORY TO YOU !
123 N. Front Street
WILMINGTON, N. C.
Big Alligator
Meets His Match
The old and the new came into
violent conflict this weekend at
the intersection of N. C. High
way 211 and U. S. Highway 17,
in Supply, with rather disastrous
results to the representative of
the ancient.
It seems an alligator, measur
ing between 6 and 7 feet in
length, climbed ponderously from
the Lockwoods Folly swamp about
midnight on Sunday, and began
chasing a dog. The dog made
rapidly for the hausts of men, in
this base being the much-travel
ed intersection named above.
At that moment there lumber
ed into view a huge truck loaded
with ammunition consigned to
Sunny Point. The dog beat the
truck, the truck beat the ’gator,
results:—a threshing reptile, a
stopped truck, a small knott of
men, a relieved dog.
Some unidentified man driving
a truck having nothing whatso
ever to do with Sunny Point, is
reported to have fought the alli
gator with a shovel, tied it up
and deposited the angry, hurt and
bewildered reptile into his truck
and roared away for unknown
designation.
Groceryman Dies
Here On Sunday
George Vanton Singletary, 81,
prominent Whiteville business
man, died Sunday afternoon at
Columbus County Hospital after
a brief illness. He recently re
turned from Duke Hospital, hav
ing been in failing health for
sometime.
Mr. Singletary was a native o1
Columbus County, having beer
born in the New Hope-Antioch
area. He had resided in Whiteville
most of his life.
He was a well-known whole
sale groceryman. having founded
the G. V. Singletary and Sons
firm. He turned over much of the
operation of this business to his
sons sometime ago, due to failing
health. He had been in the gro
cery business for 68 years. He
was a member of New Hope
Baptist Church.
Pinal rites will be held Tues
day at 4 p. m. at McKenzie's
chapel by Dr. R. C. Foster and
the Rev. Morris Gilliam, with
burial in Columbus Memorial
Park
Active pallbearers will be Clyde
Blackmon, Malcolm Hasty, Wil
ton Thompson, A. J. Worley, and
Gilbert and Dennis Anderson.
Mr. Singletary is survived by
his wife, Mrs. Meakie Hammonds
Singletary; two sons, John B. and
J. Howard Singletary, all of
Whiteville; two sisters, Mrs. P.
P. Hewett of Houston, Texas and
Mrs. Troy Thompson of White
ville and eight grandchildren.
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