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A WEEKLY NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE BEST ESTTERESTS OF THE PEOPLE OF MARION AND McDOWELL COUNTY
ESTABLISHED 1896
MARION. N. C., THURSDAY, MAY 16, 1940
VOL. XLIV—No. 42
Approval Of 3rd
Term Is Given In
Convention Here
County Democrats Instruct
Delegates To Favor Roose
velt ; Approve Platforms.
Democrats of McDowell county in
harmonious convention here last
Saturday morning passed resolutions
providing that delegates to the state
and national Democratic convention
be instructed to approve the plat
forms of the party as drawn up at
the conventions and to support
Franklin D. Roosevelt for a third
term, if and when his name is men
tioned at the state and national meet
ings.
Robert W. Proctor, chairman of
1;he McDowell county Democratic ex
ecutive committee, was elected chair
man of the convention. In introduc
tory remarks Mr. Proctor stated that
Democrats had gathered at the con
vention to build and continue the un
ity of the party in the county. Fred
Moody was elected secretary of the
convention..
In the roll call of precincts 14 of
the 17 in the county were found to
be represented at the convention.
Delegates from Bracketts, Higgins
and Turkey Cove were not present.
Twelve delegates to the state Dem
ocratic convention to be held in Ral
eigh on May 17 were elected with
others to be added to the list before
the convention. Chosen official dele
gates were W. D. Lonon, Judge P. J.
Sfcory, Oscar Adkins, Robert W.
Proctor, Mr. and Mrs. S. H. Penning
ton, W. W. Neal, Jr., Grady Nichols,
TWO PERISH IN
PLUNGE IN LAKE
TAHOMA MONDAY
The bodies of two victims of a
supposed' suicide* pact were recover
ed from Lake Tahoma near here
Monday after Ramson Simmons,
caretaker at the lake, had found
headlights from a car and a girl’s
pocketbook floating on the water
near his home.
Victims of the pact were Wilbur
(Bill) Hendley, 24, and Laura Vir
ginia Parker, 18, both residents of
Marion. The couple plunged into the
lake in a car owned by Hendley.
The couple left notes for their
parents expressing regret at their
contemplated actions, but saying it
was the only way they saw to be to
gether, according to sheriff’s offici
als. Sheriff Grady Nichols and his
deputies had been searching for the
couple since Sunday morning when
the suicide notea were found at the
plant where Hendley, his father and
brother were employed. The notes
intimated they planned the action
Saturday night but they were seen
together a few miles north of Lake
Tahoma about 6:00 o’clock Monday
morning. ‘ /
The car and both bodies were re
covered Monday, the body of the
girl being found when the car was
dragged from about 30 feet of wat
er and the boy’s body being recover
ed a short while later near where the
car in which they were riding struck
the lake.
The car apparently was driven
from the highway on a curve at the
Marion People
Hear Horton In
Campaign Talk
Candidate For Governor Gives
Program For State Progress
—Names Three Plsuis.
A program for building North
Carolina by expanding the road sys
tem, extending rural electrification,
and providing retirement funds for
highway workers and teachers, was
outlined here Monday night by W.
P. Horton, Democratic candidate
for governor of the state.
Mr. Horton spoke to a crowd that
packed the courthouse here. He was
introduced by Robert W. Proctor, of
Marion, a member of the Horton-
for-governor campaign staff. In in
troductory remarks Mr. Proctor re
ferred to the public record of Mr.
Horton and called him the man who
has “never lost the common touch.”
Tracing the gTowth of North Car
olina during the past 40 years un
der Democratic government, Mr.
Horton explained that the state last
year appropriated $53,000^000 for
schools, $750,000 for vocational
training, $2,080,000 for public
health, $3,800,000 for colleges and
universities, and $4,500,000 for so
cial security. These funds have been
used to fulfill the social obligations
the state owes its people, he said.
For the future progress of the
edge of the lake at high speed as it i state Mr. Horton said he would use
traveled some distance over small
trees, skimming the tops of them be
fore striking the water. It was found
with grappling hooks approximately
50 feet from where it left the high-
Ben Hendley, Grayson Neal, Zeno | way.
Martin and Alford Morgan. j Hendley was married and the fath-
Reports of most of ^he precinct | er of two children,
chairmen in the county indicated
that Democratic" legistratictu -in
every dollar of the highway surplus
fund to build farm to market roads,
school bus routes and all-weather
roads into the towns. As an incen
tive to keep rural youth on the farm
he would extend electric lines that
farm families might enjoy the com
forts of electricity. To members of
County Scouts
Advanced In
Court Of Honor
Total Of 86 Promoted Or Re
ceive Awards At Meeting
In Morganton.
LOCAL OFFICE RANKS
FIFTH IN BOND SALES County Receives
Benefits From
Social Security
A total 'of 86 McDowell county
Boy Scouts were advanced in rank
or awarded merit badges at the
court of honor held in Morganton
last Friday night.
' Troops three and six of Marion
received banners for being 100 per
cent Boys Life troops. The court of
honor was the last to be held until
next fall.
Tenderfoot awards were made to
Walter Eckenrod, Jr., Dean Chap
man, Marvin Summerlin, all of troop
6ne, Marion; Albert Parker, Calvin
Webb and Dean Padgett, Troop 4,
Marion; Sam Stone, troop 1 Old
Fort; and Bobby Carpenter, troop 1,
Ashford.
Second class awards were made
to the following: Lloyd Patterson
and J. B. Davis, troop 4, Marion;
Eugene Curtis, troop 3, Marion;
Tom Gowan, Colon Williams and
John Tate, troop 1, Marion; Ralph
Alexander and William Miller, troop
6, Marion; and Dan Allison, troop 1,
Old Fort.
Advanced to • first class were:
John Haire, George Conley, Henry
Stauffer, Murray Tate, Emory Wil
son, Laurence Edwards, and J. R.
Quinn, troop 1, Marion; and George
TEarly, troop 1, Old Fort.
Merit badges were awarded to the
following:
Agriculture — Walter Crawford,
troop 1, Marion.
Animal Industry— Roby Conley,
Jr., troop 6, and Billy Burnette, of
Chairman Of State Commis>
sion Points To $269,485 In
Payments In McDowell.
Dowell was nearly completed with
few Republicans having been li^ed.
Party leaders urged that special ef
forts be made to secure 100 percent
Democratic registration in the coun
ty before the books closed Saturday.
On the motion of Mrs. J. A. Po-
Poteat, vice-chairman of the MdDow-
ell Democratic Executive committee.
A revolver of .38 . calibre was j the low income group, such as teach-1 troop 1, Marion.
in "the ghjve compaTtment of 1 ers and highway workers, he would Architecture — Arthur Melton,
the car, but it had not been fired, [provide greater security by the set- troop 1, Marion.
Funeral services for Miss Parker]ting up of retirement funds. With " * ‘ "
were conducted Tuesday afternoon' such funds available, he said, the
at 2:00 o’clock at the East Marion i aged could be retired and their plac-
Baptist church by Rev. Von Kingles could be filled by youth,
and Rev. J. W. Kelley. Interment Roosevelt administration has
given the country the kind of ser
vice that will not die with the presi
dent, he said. Roosevelt has set up
was in Oak Grove cemetery.
She is survived by her parents,
Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Parker, of Ruth-
the convention went on record asfa-jerford Road; two brothers, Spurgeon! hours and wages for in
voring a strong national defense for and Carroll Parker. jdustrial workers and has taken bus
the United States and voted to ini- Funeral services for Hendley were j„ggg ^g^j j^to the black.; Marion
struct delegates to the state and na-j conducted from the Westmoreland i ipj^ggg gpg ^ fg^ qJ ^^e valuable ser-! Cement work—Lee Parkins, troop
Art—Lee Parkins, troop 3, Mar
ion.
Basketry—Arthur Melton, troop
1, Marion.
Beef Production—Arthur Melton,
troop 1, Marion.
Bird Study—Lee Parkins, troop
3, Marion.
Carpentry — Jasper Finley, Dew-
The Marion post office sold $46,-
875.00 worth of United States bonds
during the year 1939, it was an
nounced this week by W. R. Burleson
assistant postmaster. Among second
class post offices in the state the Mar
ion office ranked fifth in the sale of
bonds per capita, being outranked
only by offices in Wadesboro, Laurin-
burg, Franklin and Warren ton. The
local office ranked eighth in the state
in the amount of bonds sold.
At the local office $46,837.00 in McDowell county residents and
bonds were sold and mail order sales communities have benefitted about
amounted to $37.50. $269,485 through operations of the
jy , u J X 11 • Social Security program, it is esti-
Bonds purchased at all offices r.i. i^T. n v-
i.1. XX X J X ™*ited by Charles G. Powell, chair-
the state amounted to $5,471,925.00 - ., „ _xi. i- tt
T> 1- I 1 ;man of the North Carohna Unem-
in 1939. Purchases by mail were , , i-. . • /^ •
?799,350.00 and the total of all the j Compensal.on Comm.8-
bonds bought in the state came toj
$6,271,275.00. I Unemployment compensation, or
mi- 1 J* ii- u J -X • i benefits to workers temporarily out
The sale of the bonds per capita in , . , . n ^
XT XI. 1- J • X J jobs, IS usually the largest item
North Carolina during 1939 amunted . , j- • • i* xu
' :n the ten divisions of the program^
to $1.98 as compared to the national
average of $6.74.
Secretary of the Treasury Mor-
genthau has announced that the total
sales of savingfs bonds through March
31, 1940, aggregated in maturity val
ue, more than $3,860,273,475, and
that purchases have been made by ap
proximately 1,987,374 investors. De
ducting bonds redeemed, the maturi
ty value of savingrs bonds outstand
ing on March 1940, was approx
imately $3,495,573,600.
POPPY DAY IS TO BE
OBSERVED ON MAY 25
Poppy Day will be observed in
Marion and throughout the nation
on May 25, the Saturday before Me
morial Day, Mrs. H. C. Mangum,
president of McDowell unit of the
American Legion Auxiliary, an
nounced this week. On that day all
Americans will be asked to wear
memorial poppies in tribute to the
World War dead and to aid the liv
ing victims of tiie war.
''The little red memorial flowera
will be distributed here by women
and girls of the McDowell unit, un
der the direction of Mrs. J. F. Mil
ler, chairman of the Poppy Day
committee. All contributions receiv
ed for the poppies will go to Legion
and Auxiliary welfare work for the
disabled veterans, their families and
the families of the dead.
“We feel that Poppy Day will
ey Thornhill and Wayne Willis,! ^^ave increased meaning to America
this year,” said Mrs. Mangum, “be
cause renewed warfare in Europe
tional conventions to urge the incor-. Funeral home in Marion Tuesday
poration of this pi’ogram in the par-j morning at 10:00 o’clock with Rev.
ty platforms. The motion to instmctjj. C. Cornett officiating. Interment
delegates to the state and national was in the Oak Grove cemetery.
conventions to support Roosevelt for
a third term was made by Grady
Nichols and seconded by Zeno Mar
tin.
Judge P. J. Story, county mana
ger for A. J. Maxwell in his cam
paign for the gubernatorial chair of
North Carolina, called for party uni
ty and a complete registration of
Democrats before the primary of
May 25. Grayson Neal, manager of
the J. M. Broughton-for-governor
campaign in McDowell county, urged
all Democrats to uphold the party
principles.
Several candidates for county and
state offices spoke briefly. Ashby
Robinson, seeking election to the
State Senate from McDowell county,
spoke in favor of a third term for
Roosevelt, pointed to the need for
In addition to his wife and two
children he is survived by his father.
Mills Hendley, and two brothers,
James, of Hickory, and Robert, of
Marion.
REVIVAL BEGINS SUNDAY
vices rendered the country by thej^' Marion.
President, he said. I Civics—Sammie Homewood, troop
6, Marion.
Cooking—Billy Burnette, troop 1,
Marion; Joe Nesbitt, troop 2, Old
Fort.
Cycling
George Conley and
has renewed the memory of those
boys of ours who gave their lives ‘ov
er there’ twenty-two years ago. It
is for them that we put on the pop
py each year, to show that we still |
remember and honor their sacrifice I Federal
Mr. Hoi*ton stated his approval t
of the reapportionment of seats inj
the General Assembly as provided in j
the Constitution of North Carolina, j
Concluding that his four years | i^^^en^e^ Edwards?troo^irMarr^^^^ fell and which now blooms on
service to the state as lieutenant-1 planning — Arthur 1 the coats of Americans who appre-
governor had given him valuable ex- • i ■ . ^ _ t.
in counties with fairly large indua*
tries. In the two years of benefit
payments, 1938 and 1939, the dis
tribution was $155,23^.07, included
in 22,130 checks to county residents
Through cooperation of Mr, Na
than H, Yelton, State Director of
Public Assistance, and Dr. Roma S.
Cheek, executive secretary of the
State Commission for the Blind, and
with figures from Washington and in
the Central UCC office in Raleigh,
it is possible to get a fairly accu
rate picture of the benefits distrib
uted in McDowell county.
Old Age Assistance, help for the
needy passed 65 years of age, in Mc
Dowell county in 31 months of dis
tribution amounted to $70,461.50.
The January amount was $2,827,
going to 304 needy aged persons,
an average of $9.30 each, as com
pared with the state average of
$9.72 for the month.
Aid to Dependent children, help
in the support of children deprived
of their natural breadwinners, am
ounted to ^19,356;5® 4n the same^l
months. The January amount was
$856, going to the support of 99
such children, an -average of $8.65
each, as compared with the state
average of $6.18. for the n)onth.
Aid to the Blind in McDowell
county was $6,404. for the same 31
months. In January $179 went to
13 blind persons, average $13.77
each; state average, $14.90.
In Old Age Assistance and Aid to
the Blind, the funds are provided
one-half by the Federal Government
and one-fourth each by the state
and county. In Aid to Dependent
Children funds have ben furnished
one-third each by Federal, State
and County Governments. Now the
Government will furnish
s. It is the flower that grows where
perience in government, he pledged i
Melton, troop 1, Marion,
Iciate their service.’
himself as governor
IN TABERNACLE IN MARION: g^-^^g administration
Farm layout and building—Arth-1 “Events of the past year have
the public and to carry on its work
to ^^® iur Melton, troop 1, Marion.
serviceable toi records — Arthur Melton, j the United States must have men
shown us clearly that to be secure
GRIEG WILL PRESENT
MOVIE-TALK IN MARION
A city-wide evangelistic campaign ^^e interest of the people,
will begin Sunday, May 19th, at 3
p. m. in the tabernacle near Garden
Creek Baptist church. The taberna
cle now being erected will seat from
a thousand to fifteen hundred, and
will be ready for use Sunday.
Evangelist John A. Leland of
Spartanburg, S. C., sponsor and con
ductor of Radio Revival over WSPA
each morning at 8:15, will conduct
the services. He will broadcast di-
clarifjdng sales tax legislation and j.gj.|; from Marion each morning at
urged that all Democrats in the
county re^ster. L. J. P. Cutlar, can
didate for the State Senate, pointed
to the growth and improvement that
had been brought to North Carolina
by the Democratic party and pledged
himself to continue the progressive
program.
D. F, Giles and J. C. Rabb, both
candidates for the State House of
Representatives, expressed their loy
alty to the Democratic party and its
principles, John M. Steppe and M. L;
Dixon, candidates for Register of
Deeds of McDowell county, pledged
themselves to serve the Democratic
party and' the people of the county.
8:15.
Evangelist Leland is widely known
throughout the Southland as evange
list and radio revivalist. He has con
ducted revivals throughout this sec
tion of the country.
Services will continue through
the coming weeks at 7:45 each even
ing and 3 p. m. each Sunday. A
hearty welcome is extended to the
public.
troop 1, Marion.
Firemanship —
1, Marion,
First Aid
ready and able to defend the coun-
one-half, as in cases of the needy
aged and the blind.
Old Age Benefits, now Old Ag©
and Survivors’ Insurance, is not
available by counties, but a prora
tion can be made to get a county
estimate. This has been small lump
sum payments to workers in covered
Van Brown, troop j try. willing to give their lives in its | employment since January 1, 1937,
I defense, if necessary. We can be
Van Brown, troop ijthankful today that we had such
ols. Judge J. Will Pless, Jr., G. W.
Kirkpatrick, C. W. Wilson, D. A.
Foxx and Mrs, J, A, Poteat,
Following the convention a meet
ing was called of the executive com-
Mrs, Logran Tate made a report onjmittee and Robert W. Proctor was
the National Institute of Government i re-elected chairman by unanimous
convention in Washington which she;vote, Mrs, J, A. Poteat was re-elec-
attended as a representative of the ted vice-chairman.
Complete harmony prevailed
throughout the convention with can
didates for county and state offices
confining their remarks mostly to
party programs and principles and
county managers for gubernatorial
candidates making no direct appeal
county Democratic Woman’s Orga
nization. Mrs. Tate represented
North Carolina at a precinct leaders
luncheon at the national convention
and spoke on “Organizing the Pre
cinct.”
Others speaking briefly at the
county convention were Grady Nich-^for votes,
Norman Grieg, general manager
of Chimney Rock, will present a mo-
vie-talk before the Marion Kiwanis
club at its next meeting Tuesday
night. May 21. He will be assisted
by Harry Nash, manager of the Cliff
Dwellers Inn.
Members of the Rotary and Fran
cis Marion clubs will meet with Ki-
wanians for the occasion and the
public is invited to attend at eight
o’clock. Reservations must be made
in advance at the office bf the Cham
ber of Commerce or with Hugh F.
Beam.
Mr, Grieg will present movies
showing the tourist possibilities of
Chimney Rock, Lake Lure and othet
attractions in the western part of
the state.
j Marion; Sammie Homewood and
Roby Conley, Jr., troop 6, Marion.
First aid to animals—L. D. Davis,
troop 4, Marion; Roby Conley, Jr.,
troop 6, Marion.
Handicraft—George Gibbs, Billy
(Continued on last page)
WORK IS BEGUN ON
LAKE JAMES ROAD
Work on the Ijake James road,
leading from highway 70 to Ca
tawba dam, has been ■' begun, an
nounced J. A. Poteat, resident engi
neer of the State Highway Depart
ment, this week.
Plans call for the surfacing of the
road with oil treated gravel. Approx
imately four miles of the stretch will
be paved, said Mr. Poteat, and sever
al months will be required to com
plete the work.
POWER PROJECT FOR
NORTH COVE IS BEGUN
The extension of electric power
lines into the North Cove section of
McDowell county has been approved
and preparation of the right of way
was begun t^is week, J. A. Wiei^
manager of the Marion branch of the
Duke Power Company, has announ
ced.
The Woodlawn, Sevier and Ash
ford communities will be served by
the power lines, said Mr. Wier. Some
101 home owners in that section of
the county have already signified
their intention to use the service, he
said.
Consideration of the project by
the Duke Power Company was be
gun during the latter part of April
after residents of the North Cove
had shown their willingness to use
electrical facilities. A study of the
possible power load that would be
consumed by the community was
made. Results of the survey showed
that extension of. electrical lines in
to that section would be justified by
the amount of power to be used.
men twenty-two years ago. -Frbm
them we can draw inspiration for
the patriotic service necessary to
maintain our freedom and democra
cy against today’s dangers. Wearing
their flowers over our hearts means
that within, our hearts their love of
America still lives.”
FIRE DAMAGES BEAUTY
SALON HERE FRIDAY
Fire, thought to have started from
a short circuit in the wiring, broke
out in Raye’s Beauty Salon on South
Main street here last Friday night
and destroyed *most of the equipment
in the building before it was extin
guished. The blaze was first noticed
at about 11:00 o’clock p. m.
Practically no damage was done
to the exterior of the building. The
blaze was extinguisHed by the Mar
ion Fire Department.
M’NEILL, REPUBLICAN
CANDIDATE, TO SPEAK
Rjbert H. McNeill, Republican
candidate for the nomination of
governor on the Republican ticket,
will speak at the courthouse in Mar
ion Thursday, May 23, at 8:00 p.
m., it was announced this week by
Dr. D. H. * Crawford, Republican
bounty chairman.
Mr. McNeill is a native of States
ville.
and who have since reached 65 years
of age and quit work, or. to the fam
ilies of such workers who have died
since that date. The importance of
this part of the program will be
more apparent now, since payments
(Continued on last page)
COUNTY LIBRARY WORK
BEING DONE BY WPA
Improvements in all phases of li
brary work are being made by WPA
employees in McDowell county, it
was revealed this week by a report
released in Marion.
During the last 12 months 4,423
books have been renovated, repaired
and serviced by the workers, four
school libraries have been organized,
three public libraries have been es
tablished, four school libraries have
been provided with assistants as
well as three public, 3,340 books
from school and 15,180 from public
libraries have been circulated, and
bookmobile service has been fur
nished in the county for two months.
Some 12 people are employed on
WPA library projects in the county.
These employees do repair work on
books, encourage their use, assist li
brarians, extend book service to ru
ral areas, and seek to establish ac
credited school and public libraries
throughout McDowell.
WPA library work in the county
is under the direction of Mrs. Ann.
C. Hawkina, supervisor.
/