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MARION PROGRESS
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A WEEKLY NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE BEST INTEREST OF THE PEOPLE OF McDOWELL COUNTY.
ESTABLISHED 1896. MARION, N. C., THURSDAY, MARCH 30, 1916. VOL. XX—NO. 31
MAINTENANCE SYSTEM
'For Central Highway Will Be Dis
cussed at Meeting in Marion
on-April 20.
A patrol system of maiDtenance
of the Central highway will be dis
cussed at a meeting in Marion
Thursday, April 20, accordiDsrto a
letter from Joseph Hyde Pratt.
The state highway commission
has made arrangements with the
United States office of public roads
and rural engineering for a joint
tour of inspection over the central
highway. The purpose is to study
the condition of the highway and
determine, if possible, the advisa
bility of a Datrol system of main
tenance. These engineers wish to
meet the road authorities of the
different cities and counties trav
ersed by the highway, in order to
enlist their co-operation and sup
port. This co-operation. Dr. Pratt
says, is absolutely ei$sential before
any systam of maintence can be
put into effect. '
This tour will be made by the
state engineer and an engineer from
the United States office of public
roads between April 12 and 24,
and' one or more meetings will be
held in the different counties. The
system of maintenance suggested
by the government experts will be
explained at these meetmgs. The
value of this system of mainten
ance has been so thoroughly dem
onstrated that the state highway
engineer is confident that it is in
evefy way a feasible project.
The central highway was the first
highway authorized by the state of
North Carolina, and while it is not
entirely complete, it is hoped that
by means of this tour of inspection
it will be.
Charles Mace, Burke Outlaw, is
Captured.
Lineolnton, March 24.—Sheriff
Willis, of Lincoln county, accom
panied by York county, S. C., of
ficers, this morning at 2 o’clock ar
rested Charles Mace, outlaw, for
whom a reward of $250 has been
outstanding since he is alleged to
liave killed his wife near Morgan-
ton February 24 and fled the sec
tion. Mace was at the home of a
South Carolina kinsman, John
Mull, and was found in bed. He
attempted no resistance, and had
no weapon except a small knife.
Brought to Lineolnton, we was
jailed pending the arrival of Burke
county officials. In jail he broke
down and wept.
Mace stated that he had been at
the Mull home for four weeks,
walking there from his own home
in the South mountains of Bu rke
and consuming three days and
nights, doing his traveling by night
and hiding in the woods during the
day.
Sheriff Berry, of Burke county,
arrived here late this afternoon
and took charge of the prisoner,
who was placed in an automobile
and taken to Morgan ton.
German Raider Sunk.
London, March 25.—A German
raider has been sunk in the North
sea. Five German officers and 115
County Election Boards Named.
The State Board of Elections met
in Raleigh Saturday and named the
various county boards of election.
It also passed a resolution with re
spect to candidates for State Sena
tor; ruled that the expenses of a
candidate begins when he takes his
first step to secure the office and
not when he formally files his of
ficial notice; a resolution that the
State board meet on the sixth day
of June, canvass the presidential
primary vote and wire the result
to the Democratic and Republican
national conventions officials and a
resolution regretting the loss of
the services of the services of Mr.
J. B. Underwood as secretary.
The resolution relative to the ex
penditure of money declares that a
candidate must report in his ex
pense account all of the money he
has spent or that his friends have
spent for him in the furtherance
of his candidacy, whether the mo
ney was spent before or after he
tiles the notice of his candidacy
with the State Board of Elections.
The McDowell Board of Elec
tions is composed of W. K. M.
Gilkey, J. E. Neal and C. C. Lis-
enbee.
Acquire More Land for National
Forests.
Washington, March 23. — Ad
ditional tracts of land have been
acquired in the Southern Appalach
ian States by the national forest
preservation commission. In Ma
con and McDowell counties, North
Carolina, a number of small tracts
were acquired which, together,
comprise 2,060 acres. In Virginia,
the purchases were mostly in She
nandoah, Amherst, Augusta and
Rockbridge counties, where ad
ditional acreage amounting to 7,-
300 acres, was acquired. Some v
3,000 acres of the new lands are
situated in Polk, Carter and Unicoi
counties, Tennessee, while in Ra-
buna and Fannin counties, Georgia,
about 1,100 acres were acquired,
and in Oconee county. South Caro
lina, 300 acres.
Unless provision is made by this
Congress for additional funds the
wor^ of purchasing additional
areas can not be continued. In
order to keep the machinery intact
and to make reasonable progress
it is essential 4hat at least one mil
lion dollars by available for the
fiscal year 1917, and two million
dollars for the fiscal year 1918.
North Cove School Closes.
The North Cove school closed
one of the most successful terms in
it’s history on March l7th. The
teachers this year were Misses
Mary Greenlee and Faye Padgett,
who deserve much credit for the
efficient work they have been doing
throughout the y^r.
Beginning with a picnic dinner,
an interesting program of songs,
dialogues and recitations was given
by the Primary children, followed
bg a talk from the County Super
intendent. At night, another very
interesting program was rendered
before one of the largest audiences
ever gathered together in North
Cove. The patrons have expressed
a strong desire to secure these
teachers for another year.
NEWS FROM THE COUNTY
Brief Mention of Some of the Hap
penings in McDowell County—
items About Home People.
DYSARTVILLE
Dysartyille« March 27.—The school
closed here March 17th with a splendid
entertainment. The program consisted
of many nice drills, choruses, instru
mental music, and a splendid play,
“That Rascal Pat.” W© are very grate
ful indeed to haye secured such an able
body of teachers for the past year as
Prof. J. F Parker and Misses Nannie
McCall and Cora Miller.
Miss Grace Cowan has gone to Ruther
ford hospital to take special training.
Morris Laughridge of Marion visited
relatives here recently.
Miss Willie Jarrett entertained a num
ber of her frien^ last Monday night at
a house party.
Miss Bertha Ledbetter of Henderson
ville spent last week with friends here.
Cornelius Dixon has almost completed
a very cozy dwelling house.
Miss Maggie Goforth spent last week
with Mrs. W. M. Wilson at Sugar flill.
Will Landis made a business trip to
Marion last Saturday.
A. T. Weaver of Thermal City was
here on business today.
ROCKY PASS
Rocky Pass, March 24.—A number of
our young folks attended the commence
ment at Dysartyille Friday night, among
them E. S. Brown, Kenneth Qensley,
Hermon Crawley and Fermon Pyatt.
W. F. Brown of Nebo was a business
visitor here during the week.
Born, to Mr. and Mrs. W. W. Hus-
kins, the 13th, a daughter.
Mrs. C. B. Morgan has been on the
sick list for seyeral days, but is improv
ing.
We are glad to welcome into our com
munity Mr. and Mrs. Marvin Stacy who
recently moved here from Nebo.
George Howell of Boonford passed
through here Saturday enroute to Hick
ory.
G. W. Pyatt’s blacksmith shop was
burned down a few days ago. Mr.
Pyatt is rebuilding on the old site.
Miss Louise Brown spent Sunday with
her father at Thompson’s Fork.
Mr and Mrs. I. M. Hicks have been
quite ill with lagrippe, but are able to
be out again.
George England made a business trip
to Hickory one day during the week.
CATAWBA VALLEY
Catawba Valley, March 27.—Mrs.
Margaret Stuart has returned home af
ter spending the winter in Concord with
her daughter, Mrs. WoDdhouse.
Mrs. Emory Jolley and children of
Marion are spending a week with her
parents, Mr. and Mrs. Wm Silver.
Quite a number of young folks en
joyed a birthday pound supper at the
home of Mr. and Mrs. Silvers Saturday
night in honor of their son, Otis. Those
present were Misses Laura Reel, Hattie
Pendergrass, Lillian and Annie Wells,
Mamie and Annie Silver and Grace
Erwin; Messrs. Marion Hawkins, Ab.
Reel, Garland Bright, Claude Erwin,
Leard Wells, James and Henry McCall,
Oliver Pendergrass and Thomas Flem
ming.
M. G. Pendergrass recently experi
enced the loss of what was considered
an extra fine milch cow.
Miss Laura Reel of Marion spent
Saturday night and Sunday with Miss
Hattie Pendergrass.
THOMPSON’S FORK.
Thompson’s Fork, March 27,—Mr. and
Mrs. T. E. Snipes and Mr. and Mrs. Ben
Carr and little daughter, Mary Grace,
of Marion, visited friends here Sunday.
Mrs. A. E. Rowe made a business trip
to Marion one day last week.
Fletcher Simmons of Round Hill visit
ed homefolks here Saturday and Sun
day.
Mrs. Maggie Janes visited her sister,
Mrs. John Mathes, at Marion the latter
part of last week.
Kenneth Hensley of Harmony Grove
made a business trip to this place Satur
day.
Quite a number of the people of
Thompson’s Fork enjoyed a flower hunt
the latter part of last week.
Mr. Britt Renominated.
The Republicans of the Tenth
distiact, in convention at Asheville
Saturday^., unanimously acclaimed
Mr. J. J.: Britt as their candidate
again, adopted resolutions com
mending his course in Congress;
chose McKinley Pritchard as elec
tor, and Hon. C. J. Harris and
T. J. Harkins as delegates to the
Chicago convention. A. G. De-
Wees of Cherokee county and C.
P. Geer of Rutherford were nam
ed as alternates. ^ James F. Bar
rett was unanimously endorsed as
candidate for commissioner of la
bor and printing.
The big convention fight be
tween Messrs; Pearson and Har
kins was obviated by the with
drawal of the former half an hour
before the convention met. In the
race for presidential elector Mc
Kinley Pritchard received ll7i
votes to 41^ for C. C. Lisenbee.
Mr. Lisenbee then seconded the
nomination of his onponent.
I. H. Greene of Old Fort was
elected a member of the executive
committee. Brownlow Jackson
was Be-elected chairman and W. G.
Fortune was elected secretary.
Cohgressman Britt arraigned the
present administration for most of
the ills DOW existing in the country.
He called attention to the fact that
he is standing by President Wilson
in his plans for nafional defense.
The member from the tenth stated
that he would sound the keynote
of bis campaign later.
State Convicts for Public Roads,
The Asheville Board of Trade
again strongly urges the working
of all state convicts on the public
roads of the state, except such
number as may be required for the
proper maintenance of the State
orison at Raleigh, and for the
farms, an equal division of the con
victs to be made between the Coast
ed region, the Central and Pied
mont regions, and the Western or
mountainous region of the State,
taking into consideration, of course,
the greater difficulty of building
roads in the mountains than in the
level country.
The people are also urged to call
on the candidates for the legisla
ture and senate to declare them
selves on this important subject
before the election in November,
and demand that such legislation
be enacted.
Georgia has been building roads
with her state convicts for nearly
three years, and the talk of motor
ists coming thru Georgia to Ashe
ville indicates the enormous value
of this policy of road building.
Motorists state that they can drive
from forty to sixty miles thru
Georgia without changing the
gears on their machines.
. Everyone admits that good roads
attract much capital.
Virginia is now adopting the
system of working state convicts
on their public roads. North Caro
lina should not be behind in this
important movement.
The story comes from Goldsboro
that a Way be county farmer, who
used his feed barn for a bank, hid
three $100 bills in a basket of
shucks and a cow ate the shucks
and the money. The farmer then
gathered up the balance of his roll
and deposited it in a Goldsboro
bank.
STATE NEWS OF THE WEEK
Items Concerning Events of In
terest and Importance Through
out the State.
R. N. Sims of Raleigh and N. A.
Sinclair of Fayetteville have en*
tered the race for AttorneyGeDeral.
J. T. WaltoD, veteran hotel
keeper of Morganton, died rather
suddenly at his home there Wed
nesday afternoon.
Geo. W. Watts, the Durhaia
millionaire, pays yearly in actual
taxes to State, county, and city the
sum of $27,790.95.
Col. W. W. Jones, k widely
known citizen and former State
senator, died at his home in Ashe
ville Monday after a lingering ill
ness.
Thos. J. Pence, secretary of the
Democratic national committee,
who had been ill for ^veral months
as a result of pneumonia, died at
his home in Washington Monday.
The Senate has passed the bill to
increase the corps of cadets at
West Point. North Caroling will
have 12 more boys at the military
academy. Each congressman will
name one more.
W. N. Hutt, State horticultur
ist, announces that the North Caro
lina peach crop will be about 25
pet* cent of normal. He has just
returned to Raleigh after a tour of
the State. Mr. Hutt said weather
conditions durua^* tbe.-s{M^iBg^ aod-
winter were not favorable.
The Carolina Baptist Association
will convene in Saluda Friday,
March 31, for three days. Among
the visiting brethren will be Archi
bald Johnson, ' of Thomasville;
Hight C. Moore, E. L. Middleton,
and Walter N. Johnson, of Raleigh.
Victor S. Bryant, prominent
Durham lawyer, will not be a can
didate for Attorney General in the
coming election. Mr, Bryant has
emphatically denied that there wa^
any foundation for the story that
went out from Raleigh to the effect
that he may become a candidate.
W. A. Self, of Hickory, candi
date for Attorney General of North
Carolina on the Democratic ticket,
has let it be known that if he should
retire from the race, he would in
form the public immediately. As
it is, however, he is still in the
running, despite reports to the
contrary.
The Hendersonville Times says
there is quite a large force of men
now engaged in the work of build
ing an automobile road for the
Chimney Rock company, from a
point on the Charlotte-Henderson-
ville highway to the famous Chim
ney Rock, one of the great natural
attractions of (his part of the state.
This road, when completed, will
permit motorists to get out of their
caxs right at the base of the rock,
where, it is planned by the com
pany owning the property, to build
a large pavilion. It is stated by
representatives of the company de
veloping this property that the
grounds for a considerable distance
in all directions from the rock will
be improved and walks and drive
ways built about the premises.
Another determined attempt by
the Germans to break through the
French lines northwest of Verdun
has resulted in failure, and with
l^eavy losses to the Germans.
men, out of a total of 300, were
captured. The British lost 74 men.
The British armed merchantman
Alcantara, which sunk the German
raider Greif, was herself sunk.
A movement is on foot to estab
lish a harness factory in Hender
sonville.