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volume XXXVII,
. NUMBER 11
HENDERSONVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA, FRIDAY, MARCH 17, 1922
five jcents copy
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i SSTrFCaTil BY BAKE
States Advantage To' Bo Reaped on
' Account of Issuance of $590,000
,t RooI Bond. " - , y t
An examination : of . the detailed
report of the audit, by accountants
vacting for the State "Auditor, of the
official transactions of - A. E.
(b'tr nuagins, xax uouecfor and Treas
urer of Henderson County.s wyl dis
close some (but not all) of the diffi
culties with which the present Board
of. Commissioners have had to con
tend. ?v It is : there shown that ; the
county funds are short not only the
999,000.00 owing by Mr. -Hudgins,
but in addition thereto a sum in ex
cess of $4,300.00 on account of
erroneous listing and unlawful re
leases, by a former Board, of cor
poration and other taxes.
Nor does this total deficit of more
than forty three thousand dollars
tell the whole story of the financial
difficulties of the present Board.
The County Board of Education has
" ,, had its auditors digging into the ac-
counts, of Mr. Hudgins' predecessor.
5 W. P. Brown, now deceased; ' and
$ these auditors report that said Brown
i is short on account .of school funds
t alone to the amount of nearly
i- $14,000.00 and upon intimations
I which the Board of Commissioners
1 have received from the State Audi
t tors, they are prepared to believe
that the total shortage in the official
accounts of the said Brown will
, equal or exceed the Hudgin's short
$ age; and upon the strength of these
3 intimations and upon the engage
$ ment of the State Auditors to make a
; complete audit of the accounts of
ff Said Drown, IUV dvuu una uccuicu
necessary to cause suits to be insti
tuted upon the official bonds, of said
Brown. . v
& I wish to make it clear that the
I Hudgin's shortage was not inherited
by him from his predecessor. There
1 i .1! ' t 1.1-
- was a ciear-cui division oeiween tut;
accounts of the two officers, and
each is being held responsible only
for his own transactions.' .The
county is short of its revenues,
therefor, to the amount of the com
' blned 1 shortage ofy both , tax collec
tors. So, if the Brown shortage turns
out as large as the Hudgins short-,
age., the 'deficiency, in county funds
will total in excess of eighty thou
sand dollars i
While, as stated, the shortages in
the accounts of these two officers
were entirely independent of each
other, the present Board of Commis
sioners, as the administrators of the
financial affairs of the county,
caught the accumulated and com
bined effect of both. Neither Brown
nor Hudgins had ever been brought
to such a settlement as the law con
templates. Taxes had been levied
with reference to the actual needs
of the public service, and the
county failing year by year to re
ceive these taxes, the successive
Boards of Commissioners had noth
ing to do but to borrow money to
cover the deficits thus created, as the
only means of taking are of current
obligations, and the present Board
was no sooner in office than it found,
itself fairly swamped by the floating
indebtedness accumulated by these
various borrowings.
Furthermore, as the direct result of
tHef long-continued neglect of proper
settlements with successive tax col
lectors and treasurers, the present
Board found the financial affairs of
the county in a state of confusion
which would have defied the ingen
uity of a Philadelphia lawyer to un
tangle. There were' no heads or
tails to be got at; the cupboard was
as bare of intelligible accounts as it
was of the materials of governmen-
uu suuBiBteiice. ion ua cvunwu
and treasurers had not only kept no
proper records of their official tran
sactions, but they had mixed and
mingled funds which the law requir
ed to b. kept" separate to the utter
confusion of such accounts as they
1 1. i fPL X .flllnn.A H
, . had. .
' in such state of the puDUC Busi
ness, two natha offered themselves to
; tne ieei or me present; ounru, name
ly, the easy path of Hush-it-up and
the hard path of Clean-it-up. The
- appeal, of the former sounded in
terms of political -favor and accom
modations, bersonal friendships and
. the like. Along .the other were pit
falls of hatred and" revenge and
, stoiiy places of broken fortunes and.
"blasted hopes. Partisanship and
- Self -interest - pointed one Way "ut
; Duty, pointed the other, t v"! l, " t
: . v It has been urged as a fault and
wrong of this Board that it called to
'its aid the same Tennessee auditor
- who bad straightened out the affairs
" of Henderson County some ten years
before.; .This jcomplaint has oeen
urged both in Henderson County and
; before the Legislature, in Raleigh.
, vTJ'of the. firm of auditors employed by
Mr i Hudgins. Fbr answer to this
. .T: ; complaint only two . facts need be
rfaf oH nam 1v 1 Mr! Monrs'i "andit
:AMiA the audit of the state auditors
'J ; Minor tn nmptirallv t ho aamn result.
f j except that-' the v. state-'auditors ;'. dug
.iVup about $5,000 more of uncollected
, taxes man wr. juoore iouna. wnue
'&tn Hcoit-vnarniey i;o,v nxea tne n-
$f;)?.tire 'shortage first-'" at $3,500 and
-r.il i l l.. j.nAk . ill-
V , ; ".ui.trw- j ai o,iuu i. s its uri'
;i'f23. ::).:. )'fi' i by rt- t
tr i. Tt T ' hi ' 'Ml
INTEREST IN WAR
MEMORIAL GROWS
Heads
'of Women's Organization!
Meet to DitcuM Plan.
' At 11 o'clock on Tuesday morning
' n i 1 1
a commiuee composea.oi me neaas
of the various organizations in the
city, being previously called by Mrs.
J. W. Williams, president of the
Woman's Auxiliary of the American
Legion, met in the city hall to con
sider the erection of a war memorial
building : in i honor of Henderson
county- veterans of the World War,
Mrs. R. P. .Freeze, president of
tne 'local chapter oz the Ked.JJross,
discussed the needs' and , benefits 01
a community building in Henderson-
ville and was supported in her views
by other representatives present. 'It
was denmtely decided at -this time
that the building should not be ex
clusively a woman s affair, h. J.
Penny, secretary of the Board of
Trade, said that, in his opinion, all
civic" and patriotic organizations
should have a part in its erection
and a home under its roof. He ex
plained that the Board of Trade was
especially desirous of more com
modious and permanent quarters.
This was the original idea of the
promoters of the project and it re
ceived unanimous support at this ses
sion. All patriotic and civic , local
bodies, therefore, are invited to par
ticipate in the work and each one is
to be entitled, to one vote iri the pro
ceedings. In view of these discussions a
bodycompised of those present was
organized to promote and carry out
the scheme. This body is to be
known as the war memorial building
commission. . Mrs. J. W. Williams
was chosen temporary chairman and
it is, expected that she will call a
meeting for further" action at an
early date. Those present and com
posing the new organization were,
Miss Katherine Carson, regent
Daughters of the. American devolu
tion l Mrs. J. W. Williams, president
Woman's Auxiliary of the American!
LegimrMwR
lieu. srosB, iura. wm: uih, nieiuuei
Woman's Auxiliary of the American
Legion; Miss Matilda Carson, mem
ber of the United Daughters of the
Confederacy; Mrs. J. S. Brown, pres
ident of the United Daughters of the
Confederacy; Mrs. J. C. Waldrop,
member Daughters of the American
Revolution; Mrs. Broaddus Estes,
president Parent-Teachers' associa
tion; A. W. Honneycutt, superin
tendent of city schools, and L. J
Penny, secretary Board of Trade.
BLUE RIDGE SHUTS
OUT FARM SCHOOL
Benny Smith's Superior Pitching
Baffles Farm School.
The wonderful pitching of Bennie
Smith gave Blue Ridge school of
Hendersonville a 12 to 0 victory over
Farm school Wednesday in the first
game of the baseball season for both
teams.
Smith twirled seven innings with
out allowing a hit, struck out 15, and
walked hve men. it is his tirst year
with the team. His home is in Cam
den, S. C.
F., Byers, third baseman, hit a
triple and a double, and Catcher Car
son also walloped the ball for two
sacks.
Score by innings: R. H. E.
Blue Ridge ..050 804 12 10 2
Farm School 000 000 00 0 3
Batteries: Smith and Carson;
B. Byers, Gillespie and Hampton.
BALFOUR ORPHAN
HOME PURCHASED
Balfour Orphanage Is Sold in Order
to Move Nearer Town.
The Home Ice and Oil company,
of this city, has completed plans to
purchase the Balfour orphanage, ac
cording to reports, these plans being
satisfactorily arranged last 'week.-
The property has been in charge
of the Presbyterian churchxfor sev
eral years and the object for selling
it is to acquire a more suitable site
near ' Hendersonville,- with . ample
farming lands where the orphans of
sufficient age to-do farm work, may
be employed. . ; A site for building
locations will be considered in the
purchase of the "property and suit
able buildings necessary for an up-to-date
orphanage willoe erected.
' CORRESPONDENTS WANTED 1
v.:;v-'vi, r
We would like to get a few more
reporters to Send to this paper the
weekly happenings in their,respective
communities,, We already have sev
eral who are , doing excellent work,
but we need a few more. . We want
good reliable hews and If any 6f our
readers wish' to become a contribu
tor to the columns, of this paper we
will mail the paper to them free' of
charge, : i' furnish - stationery vf and
stamps for this service'. 'h' y. -. v
The Tunes enjoys a large clrcuia
t'n arsori the eourtry people of
if"'1' ri It i 1 "t. ws the
, r ' ( ir- ' i t3
' i i i J' 1 ? ( : -
BOARDING HOUSES
ARE BEING LISTED
Board -of ' Trade Receiving Many
laquh-ie For Boarding Placet, r
The -Hendersonville, floard ."of
Trade daily is receiving scores of
requests for information concerning
Henderaonville's hotels and i board
ing houses. It has been the board'sH
annual custom to compile early -in
the spring a list of these places, and
to mail a copy of the list to those
persons making inquiries. -
Compilation of the 1922 list has
begun, according to Secretary 'Pen
ney who has, in order to furnish as
accurate a list as is practicable,' cir
cularized those hotels "and boarding
houses whose names appeared on the
t Art . i . . . t . . . .
imi use to ascertain : wnai cnanges
should be recorded.. ,. ,
It .is particularly desirable v that
the list be complete. Proprietors
or noteis and ; boarding - houses,
therefore, whose' names were ; not
shown on the 1921 list are requested
ta rnmmnnif sta f nnoa nrifh Sanrai
tary Penney. He desires, 'specifi
cally, the following information i
name of hotel or boarding house, the
name- of its manager, its location,
what plan under which it operates,
number of guests; it can accommo
date, its rates by the week for
rooms without nrivate bath sinerle
and double and its rates for rooms
with private bath single and dou
ble, and the price of meals, should
the plan be European. . It is also im
portant to know the telephone num
ber of the hotels and boarding
houses reporting.
There should be no delay in fuiv
nishing the Board of Trade with this
information.
MR. PULLIN BUYS PROPERTY
IN CHARLOTTE, N. C.
Just before &ing to press we learn
Mr. Pullin has purchased property
in Charlotte and will engage in th
mercantile business in that city. He
will not close out his business here
before next fall.
$400,000 BOND
ISSUE VOTED
Water Comminioner and City Com-.
create Water Supply.
North Carolina, Henderson County,
City of Hendersonville.
The Board of Commissioners of the
City of Hendersonville met in special
session on March 11th, 1922, at
eight o'clock, p. m.( in the City Hall,
the following members being pres
ent, to-wit: J. Mack Rhodes, May
or, John T. Wilkins, R. L. Edwards,
Thos. Shephed, L. R. Geiger, A. Y.
Arledge and J. F. Byers, Commis
sioners, the same being the full
Board.
Upon motion, the following resolu
tion was unanimously adopted:
WHEREAS, the Board of Water
Commissioners of the City of Hen
dersonville hes" made written demand
upon the Board of Commissioners
of the City of Hendersonville to is
sue the negotiable coupon bonds of
the City of Hendersonville in the
sum of $400,000, pursuant to an' Act
entitled "An Act to Amend the
Charter of the City of Henderson
ville", ratified December 19th, 1921,
which said written demand is on
file with the City Clerk, and is in
words and figures as follows:
"North Carolina, Henderson County,
City of Hendersonville.
The. Board of Water Commission
ers of the City of Hendersonville, in
Henderson County, North Carolina,
met in special session on the 11th
day of March, 1922, the following
members being present: C. E.
Brooks, Chairman, K. G. Morris and
J. W. Bailey, Commissioners, the
same being the full Board.
The following resolution was un
animously adopted:
WHEREAS, pursuant to an Act
of the General Assembly entitled
"An Act to Amend the Charter of
the City of Hendersonville", ratified
on the 19th day of December, 1921,
the Board of Water Commissioners
of the City of Hendersonville are
authorized and empowered to en
large and extend the present water
system of the said City of Hender
sonville; and,
WHEREAS, this Board is of opin
ion that the present water system of
said City Is entirely inadequate to
meet the needs of said City;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLV
ED, that pursuant, to said Act this
Board does hereby request in writ
ing, and makes demand" upon " the
Board of Commissioners of the City
of Hendersonville to issue the nego
tiable coupon bonds of said City in
the sunr of $400,000.00. the pro
ceeds of which are to be used in ex
tending and ' enlarging-' the present
water system of the City of Hender
sonville. - BE IT , FURTHER RESOLVED
that this Board recommends to the
said Board of Commissioners of the
City of Hendersonville that the said
bonda shall he 'dated the first day of
April, 1922, shall -be -in denomina
tions of $1,000 each, and shall ma
ture In serial installments as follows:
$10,000.00 thereof on the first day
of April in each of the years 1982
to 1951, inclusive, and $200,000.00
thereof on the 1st day of April m the
year 1952. '. Said bonds to bear in
t?re X at the r ta of f " i rer cent per
r r ,f both
J Londsi
-;k'.-
'
DR. HARRY A. THOMSON
' Business Man-Evangelist
REVIVAL SUCCESS
'What The Bible Teaches Us About
i The Second Coming of Christ"
- Subject of Speaker Sunday.
What the Bible teaches about the
Second Coming of Christ will be the
subject of Evaneelist Harrv A.
Thompson's address on Sundav
morning at the Presbyterian Church.
Those who have heard this address
say that it is one of Dr. Thompson's
i. 1 -x
iuubi puwerxui icrmuns ana it is ex
pected that the church will be taxed
to its fullest capacity. Arrangements
are being made to provide extra
Chairs to accommodate the people. -Interest
in the revival, which start
ed a week ago, is steadily increasing.
good sized cngregations being pres
ent at every service. On last Sunday
night, what was said to be the larg
est congregation ever seated in the
church was present to hear the
Evangelist's sermon on The Prodi
gal Son. Dr. Thomson is a plain
S readier of the old-time gospel of
le Cross and proves each statement
from the' Bible itself. His subject
ivi a Man wuu was ijuwii ; anu uu
Sunday evening, Christ on Trial.
"DAVE" WILUAMS
Choir Leader
A very spiritual and helpful fea
ture of the campaign is the series
of day services conducted by Mrs.
Thomson on Wednesday and Friday
afternoons of each week at 3 o'clock
at the church. At the close of the
address Wednesday afternoon on
"The Greatest Thing in the World"
(winning a lost soul to Christ) many
went away determined to do greater
service for the Master than they had
ever done before. Mrs. Thomson's
subject on Friday afternoon will be
Hindrances to Prayer.
i The song services conducted each
evening by Mr. Williams, musical di
rector of the party, are an attractive
feature of the meetings. Mr. Wil
liams is an inspiring leader and a
consecrated singer of the Gospel. His
solos are earnest and sincere, coming
from a heart filled with love for lost
souls and always in harmony with the
- ,
PRESBYTERIANS
''''
LABORERS B. & L.
HOLDS MEETING
Stockholder Re-elect Former Direc-
- tort and Five New Ones.
The stockholders of the Laborers
Building and Loan Association held
their annual meeting in the First
Bank and Trust Company . Tuesday
evening, March 14th. The stock
holders re-elected all the old direc
tors and added to the Board of Di
rectors the following: H. E. Erwin,
H .G. Edney, W. L. Petty, L. R.
Geiger, and W. W. Walker. The
Board of Directors now consists of:
P. F. Patton, R. H. Staton, A. H.
Hawkins, K. G. Morris, P. J. Gil
reath, G. J. Milward, Wm. R. Kirk,
F. S. Wetmur, J. C. Morrow, T. W.
Valentine, H. E. Erwin, W. L. Pet
ty, W. W. Walker, W. H. Justus,
R. C. Clarke, Foster Bennett, Jno.
T. Wilkins, W. A. Smith, Guy E. Dix
on, William Lott, J. E. Shipman, G.
H. Valentine, Sam T. Hodges, H. G.
Edney, L. R. Geiger.
The report of the Secretary, Hest
ley A. Stepp, showed that the asso
ciation had made big gains in the
last year having matured two ser
ies in which they paid out in cash
and cancelled mortgages to the
iv Tic e 7?rKu l0u ine,Mr. Sloane made a special request of
stockholders $45,000.00 The shares every member present to give his
now in force number -over 9500 1 8upport and enrgy to th paper
LftAn118 Ba5y value, which is devoted to the wellfare of
of $950,000.00. One of the special the country and the American Leion.
features of the association is the,Mr sin..B novt nw n hnanifai
Pak1-Up Stock which pays 6 per
cent, and is free of all taxes includ
ing income tax. The new series of
25c stock which will be started next
Saturday, March 18th promises to
be one of the largest yet there being
more new members than in any
previous series.
Immediately after the stockhold
ers meeting the Directors met and
re-elected the old officers who con
sist of the following: W. A. Smith,
President; R. H. Staton, Vice Presi
dent; Hestley A. Stepp, Sec'y and
Treas. Loan Committee: F. S.
Wetmur, G. H. Valentine and H. A.
Stepp.
TAX COLLECTOR'S
OFFICE VACANT
Commissioners Declare Office of Tax
Collector Vacant When Hud-
wrtifWeAW,i
Declaring the office of Tax Col
lector of Henderson County vacant,
the county commissioners offered
that position to William T. Drake,
but late reports are that Mr. Drake
has declined to. accept this position.
The decision was reached when
Mr. Hudgins failed to make clear
what he intended to do in regard to
the shortage of the county's funds,
and to bring about the collection of
the county taxes which are due now.
During the last six years Mr.
Drake has been employed in Shep
herd's slrire. He is well known
throughout the county and has held
several responsible positions before.
For three years he was a ' public
school teacher and for five a rural
mail 'carrier on Route one, filling
both positions satisfactorily.
The appointment of a Tax Col
lector to succeed Mr. Hudgins was
delayed on account of the State Au
ditors' complete audit not being in
the hands of the commissioners.
When this arrived, it consisted of
one volumne of Hi typewritten
pages and another of 450 pages,
covering from the time when Mr.
Hudgins first took office in 1918 un
til Nov. 30, 1921, the latest date to
which it was practicable to make
the audit.
COUNTY NURSE
ASSUMES DUTIES
Miss Pearl Weaver. Public Health
Nurse Has Long Experience
Miss Pearl Weaver, of Weaver
ville, has assumed the duties of pub
lic nurse for Henderson County
Miss Weaver will no doubt fill this
position with credit to herself and
satisfaction to the people of the
county. She has had extensive
practical experience in her line of
work and the people of the county
are to be congratulated in securing
her services as public health nurse.
We understand that the preliminary
arrangements necessary for begin
ning the work have not yet been
completed, but are in process of
being worked out and when this is
done Miss Weaver will enter upon
her work. Headquarters for the
nurse will be in the City Hall, Hen
dersonville. subject of the evening. On Wednes
day night Mr. Clarence Coston ren
dered a solo which was greatly en
joyed by everyone present. Other
siners of the city will take part from
time to time.
Those in charge of the campaign
feel very much encouraged with the
progress of the meetings thus far
and. with the outlook for a success-'
ful revival. Already there have been
a number of conversions and it is
believed that there will be many
more as the interest ' continues to
grow. -.The meetings will continue
through Sunday, March 26th. , Ser
vices are held every night except
Mondays, song services beginning at
7 :80 followed by preaching service
at 8 o'cKk.;,, - .; 7
THOS. V: BIRD':
American Legion Begins Service
And Compensation Drive in "'
10th District, March 23
On last Friday evening the Hubert
M. Smith Post of the American
Legion held a call meeting " which
proved interesting and beneficial to
the large number of members pres
ent. The meeting was honored by the
presence of Thomas W. Bird, state
commander of North Carolina; Chas.
A. Sloane, editor of the Oteen Echo
published at Oteen and which has re
cently been made the official paper
of this state; Tracy A. Vincent, busi
ness manager of the Oteen Echo, and
L. C. Jones, member of the Kiffen
Rockwell post of Asheville.
Editor Sloane was the first called
upon for an address and responded
by stating that the Oteen Echo which
has been published for some time had
been made the official publication of
the American Legion of this state.
life of the ex-soldiers at Oteen, stat
ing that they were well cared for
and at the present there were about
1000 patients at the hospital. The
speaker stated that about 80 percent
of the patients are on the road to
; recovery but they still have before"
them a long journey. Referring to
the unfortunate ones who are not
regaining in health he, very sadly,"
stated that the ranks are being
thinned out by supreme sacrifices be
ing made very often. The speaker
made a very urgent request for
members of this post and all others
who would do so to visit the boys and
endeavor to cheer them up and help
to relieve the monotony which is so
much in evidence.
Post Commander Albert Edwards
next' called upon the state com
mander, Thomas W. Bird, who re
plied to this request, and related the
progress that the American Legion of
this state is making and boasted of
the fact that at the present time
North Carolina leads all other South
ern states in membership. Com
mander Bird told of the intentions
educational pro-
gram, its efforts relating to he car-,
;ng for the sick and disabled tx-ser-vice
unn, etc. The speaker stated
very emphatically that the :xp:vs
sion sometimes heard, "That '.ha var
vas over" was false and that the
war would. never be over as long as
a single ex-service man was suffering
as a result of the awful war.
Thomas J. Hyder made an appeal
to the members present for their
aid and support to the National
Guard unit which is being organized
here, and which has already enlisted
55 men.
Tracy A. Vincent, business man
ager of the Oteen Echo, made an ap
peal for the support of the members
to the official state publication. This
request met with great success re
sulting in all present subscribing to
the paper and pledging their support
in every way possible.
A number of minor questions were
discussed and passed upon at this
meeting.
Service and Compensation Drive
Starts April 6th
A meeting of the lOh district of
North Carolina will be held in Way
nesville March 23rd, and will be pre
sided over by the district executive,
William Pless. The object of this
meeting will be to outline the pro
gram of the service and compensa
tion drive which is calculated to
reach every former service man and
woman in North Carolina and will
start Thursday, April 6, in every sec
tion of the state. It will be handled
by the various posts of the American
Legion and also the posts of the
American Legion auxiliary who so
generously . have offered their help.
Such was the decision of a special
committee of the department execu
tive committee which met February
22nd at Winston-Salem.
The drive will be in the form of a
great attack, beginning on the anni
versary of America's declaration of
war. Its object is to offer to every
ex-service man and woman in North
Carolina every assistance which the
legion may render. It is believed
that there are many ex-service peo
ple in the state who are suffering
from disability resulting from their
service and who have not yet been
brought to the attention of the vet
erans' bureau. It is believed also
that there may be suffering among
the families of former service men
which the legion can alleviate.
Details of the great drive have not
yet been fully worked out. Included
in the plans, however, is an appeal
to sheriffs of North Carolina counties
to assist in searching out exservice
men. But the bulk of the work will
fall on the shoulders of legion mem
bers and members of the American
Legion auxiliary.
It was urged at the conference
that although the task looked big, it
can very readily be accomplished if
even a large percentage of those who
should be most interested take an :
acuve part. ' ;
MR. 'AND MRS.-COBURN i :.-v-.:-;':;
RETURNED WEDNESDAY ,
xr tA 'Ura m in 'rAinvn u '' ; w
have been away on a visit of . three :V :. V
months among relative in, Rowan
County returned to Hendersonville" 1
Wednesday. Mrs, Coburn spent part A V
of v time with ' Iter? relatives -hia
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