Newspapers / The State’s Voice (Dunn, … / Aug. 1, 1935, edition 1 / Page 2
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(By CHAS. H. UTLEY) A High-Type County Commissioner There lived in Canetuck township thirty years ago a rather unusual mani who stood out from the crowd as a progressive citizen, and who, to my way p£ evaluating men, was a very find gen tleman. And whatever progress! the county has since made has been due in part to the founda tions he helped lay. This man was Franklin Flynn, for many years a County Commissioner, and, 1 think, much of the time Chairman of the Board. iNo man in those days had the county’s welfare at heart more than Mr. Flynn. And he was al ways at the post of duty, a man of rare common sense, and well balanced judgment. He evinced the same care and economy in spending public money as his private funds. With grafters he had no patience; and firmly believed in the ma jesty of the law. He rightfully regarded public office a public: trust; he was no public speaker, but in private conversation or friendly argument could assign as many logical reasons for or against a proposition as the next man. I14 the heart .of Canetuck lived three bachelors with an unmarried sister, these were Allie, John and Emmy Dew. John lived on the sunny side of the street in pleasant and cloudy weather, he saw the funny side of every question, and had the keenest, sense of humor. On on,e occasion'he and I sat together at a one room school commence ment in his neighborhood where lived Mr. An drew Moore, father of several sons, all of whom had large families, and some even then had grand children. Late in the evening John turned to me and said, with a twinkle in his eye, I have just counted the Moores and find there are just 76 present and it is not a good night for Moores. A Canetucker Serves a Scotland Firm In India Rufus Pridgen, a bachelor too, but living with his mother and two unmarried sisters, was a fine fellow, a good friend of mine. For many years he was employed by the Acme Tea Chest Company of Scotland, getting out timber for them and near the close of his life they gave him a complimentary trip to Scotland and then sent him to India to, investigate the timber there. He died an untimely death from a stroke of paraly sis. Currie Citizens' Men and women who look more to the future than to the past have always made a strong ap peal to me; for these are the people of vision who are the pioneers of progress in every line of de velopment. In those days there lived ill the vi cinity of Currie a few whose names deserve .es pecial mention. J. I). Kverett (Averitt?) was the first man I met there and he proved to be not only a warm personal friend but a most progressive citizen. One lesson he taught me out of his own experience. He had grown to manhood in Cum berland county near Stedman; his father was a prosperous farmer, and had his life insured for a large amount. When lie died the children took their share of the insurance money to Fayetteville and deposited it with a merchant with whom the father had long done business, and in whom they had implicit confidence. J. D. had deposited just $5,000.00, liis amount, with the merchant. Suddenly the merchant failed and Mr. Everett lost every cent of his money. He used to laugh about it and pointing to his wife and children, said look at my possessions, let the money go I can earn more. He fell a victim to typhoid fever and died in the prime of young manhood. Pen der county lost a valuable citizen in his death. He was the collector for Moore’s Creek church, but said he had to have permission to use any language he chose to geb money from people. And he usually got it ,for everybody liked him, for if there ever was a h.iil fellow well met, it was John D. Everett. Dr. George Lucas Dr. Lucas was a member of the Presbyterian church, a splendid physician, a progressive citi zen, a man of more than average common sense, a successful farmer, the champion of education, friend of the„people, kind to the poor, answered every call day or night, gave his time and skill often without either remuneration in money or expressed thanks, took an active interest in every thing looking to-the development of his adopted county. I .may be excused for using space to re late an incident that occurred on a day never to be forgotten by any of us who were there. It was some two years after I became county super intendent of schools. In those daysi the schools wore poor and conducted, all except two, in one room houses. I strongly advocated local tax as the only way then provided for their improve ment. An election had been called for the whole of Grady township. 'Both the chairman of : the Board of Education, then Mr. John B. Davis, and I had been urged to .be present and-we.were on hand. The opposition was strong, led by Mr. Nick Richards, a man of rather strong person ality, a local school committeeman, magistrate, and with people opposed to schools on general principles, a man of some influence. The voters were there in full force, pro and con. About ten in the morning some man came to' me and said: “Mr. Utley, Nick Richards says you said so and so.” I*said. “No; I never said it,” and he asked. “Will you go with me and tell him you did not say it?” “Certainly1,” I said. 'So far as I knew I was perfectly cool. We walked upto the crowd who were in a lively discussion. I faced Mr. Rich ards, who was a large man physically, weighing nearly two hundred ppunds, and asked Mr. Rich ards if he said I said so and so. And by the time the words} were out of my mouth Dr. Lucas caught mv right arm and said Mr. Utley don’t hit him. I have never thought it had ever occurred to me to strike the man but to bis dying day Dr. Lucas said he saw I was in the act of knocking the man down. But listen; as the day wore on the opposition grew more offensive, so much so, that Mr. Davis became disgusted and left. Late in the afternoon I sav* Dr. Lucas and Mr. Richards in a threatening argument. I stepped up and just as I reached them Dr. Lucas grabbed a hatchet and I saw he was going to strike Mr.* Richards a dangerous or fatal blow, I jumped a long jump and caught the right arm of Dr. Lucas as he raised the hatchet to strike. Both men were vio lently angered, and I have never doubted that I saved Nick Richards a severe blow if not his life. We lost the election. Dr. Luca& reared a family of fine children, one son became a phy sician, but died in early manhood; he educated his daughters who, were fine, highly intelligent young ladies. Their mother was the daughter of Dr. Situpson, who had died before I went to the county. Marries Mother-In-Law When I fifst knew Moore’s Creiek church and ‘its congregation, Mr. Judd Hollingsworth was a prominent and popular citizen, had a fine and fertile farm, lived in one of the best homes in the county and was church clerk and a promin ent member of the Junior order, a quiet, unas suming man, but a gentleman of the very finest type. He died an -untimely death in the prime of manhood, and the fraternity to which he belonged erected a nice monument at his grave. Ilis daugh ter married a stranger just before I knew the family who felt it his duty to oppose everything proposed for the improvement of the schools, county and country. I later learned his wife died and strange to relate he then married his mother in-law. And, I think, left the county. Mr. Wash Henry and Family Here was a splendid citizen who had several of as fine and fine-looking daughters as any man in any county. Of course the Editor will attribute this to the fact of their connection with Samp son, for, as I recall the family connection, Mrs. Henry was the sister, of a prominent Sampson citizen Mr. Ivedar Vann (wrong I think, Ed.) with whose son Preston I had pretended to study Latin while in the class of Prof. J. B. Carlyle, at Wake Forest. Mr. Wash Henry not only enriched life by his personal usefulness and uprightness of chaacter but made a great contribution in his excellent children. The oldest daughter, Miss iMittie, married Rev. C. T. Tew, a highly useful Baptist minister. Miss Mamie, one of the finest characters, and certainly one of the most beautiful women this scribe ever knew, married, I think, another Sampson man, for Mr. Tew, hailed from regions where the huckleberriesi grow. - Anyhow the second husband referred to proved worthy of his connection, becoming a fine business men, and when, I met him, resided at the old Henry homestead near Atkinson. The youngest daughter Miss Lorena, I think, married a Sampson man also, who settled at Atkinson and when I kpew him was prominent in the Baptist church there and in the business of the town. There was still another daughter, said to be one of the most skill ed domestic artists that section ever knew, but whose later life I kn«w nothing of. A Sampsonian’s Philosophy Here is an interesting story Mr. Wash Henry told me many times over beeause I always enjoy ed it. Once upon a time, as all good stories begin, Mr. Kedar Vann and some other gentleman had a misunaeiaiiuwjjiig over some matter that areat ]y irritated,both but especially angered the second man and inspired him for . a pugilistic combat but on his. advancing on Mr. Vann Air \\ * . . h * * ' said very emphatically: “No lighting jn ^ quarrelliing is the thing, quarrelling is ^ thing.” I had also known intimately a grand son of Mr. Vann at-Wake Forest, -Herbert Eakins of Pender county, who had to leave -.college for lack of funds, went to. the eastern section of tho state to teach, contracted typhoid fever, and died only a few weeks after opening school. In cop fege he was quiet, studious, clean ift habits and speech, prompt in the discharge,of every duty a gentleman wherever he was seen, for so reticent was he that he was more often seen than heard. Albert Highsmith Now A Doctpr of Philosophy When I went to Moore’s Creek church Dr. Highsmith was a young man. He was through high school and soon went to Wilmington to work in the offices of thd Atlantic Coast Line railroad. We boarded with a Mrs. Rivenbark together with many of Albert’s fellow employees, for I lived in Wilmington then. In the fall of 1905 I went to teach in a one room school in Canetuck. I had already collected some two or three hun dred books, so I suggested to Albert that he let me place the b*ooks in his room and bet gladly and graciously accepted the offer. In the spring when I removed them he assured me they had been a great delight and benefit to him through the long winter. At the time Wilmington had no public library. Having had a mania for books when a growing boy and having been denied tho privilege and pleasure of books and having al ways highly valued them and now more than ever, I emphasized to him the pleasure and value of reading. The next time I saw Albert High smith, after knowing him as a young man, was oh a visit some years ago to N. C. W. C. at Greensboro, where he is at the head of the de partment of education and a Ph.D. I have always been glad -he had 'the pleasure of reading my books that winter. Senator James Moore Here was a man who might have bee- a highly* useful citizen had he been a man of mere vision than nature and training had endowed him with. He had served the county one term in the State Senate, owned a good home,, had a good farm, had influence, especially with the non progressive, was1 a life-long bachelor, opposed practically every movement made for the im provement of the schools of the .county. He never seemed to realize that a new educational era was dawning; and that one great need of his native county was better schools and better trained citi zens. His brother Caspar, also a bachelor, a local merchant, was the more progressive of the two men. Both died before reaching old age. Mr. W. R. Walker Mr. Walker was one of the county’s best pri vate citizens, a farmer and local merchant, friend of education, a pillhr in his community, for tae things that uplift and inspire a people to higher living. He took great pride in his children, wanted them educated. His oldest daughter Eloise marl ed Prof. Weatherly, a successful teacher, an the young lady was an exceptionally bug1 girl. Mr. Orr A man intimately and favorably known to many) people for he was the _local and P°P11 mail carrier. He was a faithful member 0 Moore’4 Oreek Baptist church. I understand 1 has served out his required time and is now & tired, I think his wife has just recently died, too, took gr4at pride and interest in his chi ie ■ His oldest daughter he educated, and she teacher for some years before becoming the w1 of a Mr. Beatty whol lives near Tomahawr, Bladen county, ’whose neighbors have to they have ;no finer neighbors than Mr. and - Beatty. Mr. Ovr has one son, a professiona nial ’ I think. The last time I saw him was in ^1Clin^-aj Virginia, years ago, where he was m •T training. A younger daughter, Sadie, a htt e & v? hen I knew her, I am told, became a very lady, married well, lives in another county, an a credit to the. family) and home from whic j * came. Should any member of the family see lines I would like to assure them that I c 6 \ very highly the memories that cluster arou them as true friends of those by-gone days.
The State’s Voice (Dunn, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Aug. 1, 1935, edition 1
2
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