THE MARION PROGRESS
I ' • \
A WEEKLY NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE BEST INTERESTS OF THE PEOPLE OF MARION AND McDOWELL COUNTY
ESTABLISHED 1896 MARION, N. C., THURSDAY, MARCH, 3, 1949 VOLUME 53—No. 33
R. L. James And Son Mill
To Increase Production
ADDITION OF NEW MACHINERY
TO PROVIDE 100 PER CENT INCREASE
The R. L. James and Son mill is
adding knitting machines, loopers,
dye machines and boarding forms
to increase production by 100 per
cent, according to announcement
by the owners this week.
This new equipment will all be
in operation by April 1 and will
give this mill a production of 5,000
dozen pair of men's hosiery weekly
and an annual payroll of $130,000.
The annuai value of this production
is estimated at more than half mil
lion dollars.
The mill, organized here in 1935,
has operated 24 hours daily six
days a week for the past 18 months
and now has its production sold
through March, April and May.
Cow Owners
To Have Meeting
On March 15
S. L. Homewood, county farm a
gent, has written to all cow owners
in this county to attend a meeting
in the court house at one o'clock,
Tuesday, March 15.
Topics slated for discussion are
dairying and milk production. F. R.
Farnham will be speaker. The meet
ing will last one hour and will be ■
followed by a visit to three or four '
farms here in McDowell county.
Two of the farms to be visited
have just completed a Grade A milk
barn at minimum cost.
Blood Program
Is Approved
For This County
The McDowell County Health
Department. Marion General Hos
pital and McDowell County Medical
Society have approved a Red Cross
blood program for this county, E.
P. Dameron, chairman of the coun
ty chapter, announced this week.
The objective of the program is:
"to provide sufficient whole blood
and [blood derivatives without
charge to help save lives and pre
vent needless suffering throughout
the nation."
Dameron said a chairman will be
appointed and a committee named
within the near future.
Optometrist
DR. WILLIAM GLADDEN opened
office in the Tainter building on
West Henderson street this week
for the practice of optometry
He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. W.
M. Gladden, Sr. of Marion, and
graduated from the Southern Col
lege of Optometry in Memphis, j
Tenn. last summer. He interned un-;
1
der Dr. James Frye in China Grove, j
Last fall he served as a member of;
the Industrial Division of Congress j
it Georgia Tech.
Baseball Club
Receiving Contracts
Two additional baseball contracts i
have been received by the Marion j
Baseball Club according to announ- j
cement made by J. C. Rabb, busi- j
ness manager. Rabb stated that yes-;
terday he received the contracts of j
Jack Triplett, popular center field- j
er of last season, and Art Brickner, \
who served as catcher last year.
Rabb said the addition of the con- j
tracts of these two players boosts
the stock of the local baseball ag
gregation considerably. He also
stated that several other contracts,
now in the hands of reserve players
and rookies, were expected mom
entarily.
Work on the playing field con
tinues to make progress. Rabb stat
ed that if weather conditions per
mitted, additional top soil to the
field would be added this week.
A well-kept hive of bees may pro- j
duce from 100 to 400 pounds of!
honey each year.
RED CROSS FUND CHAIRMEN
APPOINT THEIR COMMITTEES
■
Hempliill Rites,
Held Last Sunday
Laddie Mills Hemphill, 60, who
had operated a gx^ocery store here
for 15 years, died Saturday morn
ing in a Hickory hospital after a
brief illness.
Funeral services were held Sun
day at 3:30 p. m. in Montford Cove
Baptist Church with the Rev. Fritz
Hemphill and Dr. B. F. Bray offi
ciating. Burial was in the church
cemetery.
He was a native of Rutherford
county and had resided in Marion
for 40 years. He was a member of
the Gastonia Masonic Lodge and the
Montford Cove Baptist church.
Surviving are the widow, Mrs. Iva
Abernethy Hemphill; one son, Sam
uel Mills Hemphill of Hickory; four
brothers, Norris of Forest City, Zerb
and Ransom of Marion, Young of
Union Mills RFD 1; two sisters, Mrs.
Clark Harris of Knoxville, Tenn.,
and Mrs. Troy Edwards of Forest
City; two grandchildren.
McDowell County's Red Cross
Fund Campaign chairmen were
named last week and the drive offi
cially opened here March 1.
E. C. Carnes, fund campaign chair
man, is heading the advance gifts
commitf^e. Those serving on his com
mittee are: William B. Noyes, E. P.
Dameron, J. E. Neal, Jr. and Dula
Hawkins.
John Finley, postmaster, has been
appointed to solicit contributions
from postal employees. Mrs. Julia
Stanley will canvass the city hall
and Miss Mary Belle Blackburn,
court house offices.
Boy Scouts have assisted John
Gilkey, publicity chairman, in dis
tributing material.
Mrs. W. W. Neal, Jr., and Mrs.
Morgan Baldwin, co-chairmen of the
residential area, have named the
following persons to serve on their
committee:
Mrs. C. C. Bolch, Mrs. W. L.
Smarr, Mrs. William B. Noyes, Mrs.
M. W. Gordon, Mrs. W. S. Shiflet,
M!rs. Arthur Allen, Mrs. Maude GiU
(Continued on last page)
1
Suicide Verdict
Returned By Jury
In Childer's Death
A coroner's jury investigating
the death of Sherman Childers here
rendei-ed a verdict of suicide, ac
cording to a statement by S. J.
Westmoreland, coroner.
Sheriff C. M. Pool said Mrs.
Sherman Childers swore out a war
rant for her husband Sunday af
ternoon on a charge of assault on
a female. She had brought charges of
assault (prior to that time
and he was under bond of $300
pending trial at the June term of
Superior Court.
Poole said Deputies Earl Sebas
tian and Mark Toney were accom
panied to the Childers home at Nebo
by J. T. Jolley, state highway pa
trolman. When Childers refused to
open the door, Jolley returned to
the Sheriff's office for a tear gas
bomb. It failed to function and
officers threatened to smash the
door. A shot was fired, they said,
before the door was broken and
they found Childers with the barrel
of a 12 gauge shotgun in his mouth,
a shot having been fired into his
mouth and through the back of his
head.
The Coroner's jury in session
Monday afternoon returned a ver
dict of suicide.
Funeral services were held Mon
day afternoon at Glen Alpine Meth
(Continued on last page)
Carl Whitesides
Resigns Position
Of Farm Agent
Carl Whiteside has tendered his. j
resignation as Assistant County
Farm Agent of McDowell county to
become effective March 31.
He will then assume the position
of field man and assistant manager j
of the North Carolina Milk Produc
ers Federation Cooperation, with
headquarters in Greensboi-o.
Whiteside came to Marion three
years ago after serving in the U.
S. army during World War II.
prior to that time he was as
sistant agent of Cherikeee county.
Oratorical Contest
Winners Announced
For This County
Gene Watson won first place in
the elimination contest for McDow
ell county schools in the American
Legion's oratorical contest at Nebo
Friday and Wayne Munday was
runner-lip.
Watson Wilson, commander of
McDowell Post 56, awarded medals
to the winners who will be eligible
for entrance in the district contest
to be held in Spruce Pine on March
4.
Barron Caldwell addressed the
group on the history of the Ameri
can Legion and the Watauga con
test. Brief remarks were also made
by C. B. Dobson, division command
er. C. M. Steppe, chairman of the
fifth divison, presided.
MARION MERCHANTS
TO MEET MARCH 10
G. Lloyd Langdon, agi-icultural
engineer, of Asheville, will address
the Marion Merchants association
at its meeting Thursday, March 10,
it is announced.
The meeting will be held at 7:30
p. m. in the city hall. The speaker
will discuss better agricultural con
ditions for Marion and McDowell
county.
During the business session mer
chants will discuss the closing hour
for the Wednesday half holiday.
The Marion Junior Woman's club
will play the Marion High School
girls' basketball team in a cage
s*ame here March 5 in the high
school gymnasium. The Francis
Marion club will challenge the Ma
rion High boys' team in a game im
mediately afterwards.
Proceeds will be used for the
Teen-Age club, a major project of
the Junior Woman's club.
%
Baritone
The third and final concert of the
1948-49 Marion Community Con
cert Association series will be pre
sented at the Marion High School
auditorium next Monday evening at
eight o'clock, when John Tyers,
popular and personable young bari
tone soloist appears.
Commissioners Authorize
Appraisal Of Property
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS IN MARION
AND OLD FORT TO BE APPRAISED
Dr. Bell Will Speak
To Presbyterian Men
Men of the First* Presbyterian
Church will hold a meeting at the
church on Wednesday, March 9, at
7:00 p. m. Dinner will be served by
the ladies of the church.
D*. L. N^pon Bell, Asheville sur
geon, will be the principal speaker
of the evening. Dr. Bell is a former
medical missionary to China and is
now associate editor of the South
ern Presbyterian Journal.
Community Concert
Campaign Underway
DR. JOHNSON
BEGINS PRACTICE
OF OPTOMETRY
It has been announced that Dr.
James H. Johnson has opened his
offices for the practice of optom
etry in the Eckenrod Building, on
East Court Street.
Dr. Johnson graduated from Bre
vard Junior College and attended
N. C. State College prior to enlist
ing in the U. S. Army Air Forces
in 1941. He received his Doctor of
Optometry degree from Northern
Illinois College of Optometry.
He is the son of the late Dr. J.
H. Johnson, who was one of the
pioneers in the field of optometry
in Western North Carolina.
Dr. Johnsoai served five years in
the Army Air Forces in World War
II as a pilot, and was discharged
with the rank of Captain. His ser
vice included eighteen months in
the European Theater.
Dr. Johnson is married to the foi
mer Miss Margaret Patton of Mar
ion. Dr. and Mrs. Johnson are at
present residing on State Street. j
- j
Federation
Stockholders
To Meet Saturday
The annual stockholders' meeting
of the Farmers Federation for Mc
Dowell stockholders who trade at the
Marion warehouse will be held in the
warehouse Saturday, March' 5 at 11
a. m., it has been announced by Ja
mes G. K. McClure, president of the
organization.
Reports of the federation's busi
ness during the . past year will be
made and committeemen will be
elected for the coming year. One di
rector will be nominated for elec
tion at the annual meeting of the
organization in Buncombe county on
March 26.
Present committeemen for the Ma
rion warehouse are: Gurney Frank
lin, Linville Falls; W. Edgar Mor
gan, Nealsville; W. L. Morris, A.
Frank Hill, Tom W. Gowan, 0. S.
Franklin, M. R. Nanney, J. M. Pai-k
er, William Greenlee, John Dobbins,
Maniey Ledford, Marion; T. T. Ang
lin, Nebo, and Jay E. English, Ash
ford. Directors for McDowell coun
ty are W. J. Porter and W. Edgar
Morgan.
Music will be furnished by the
Farmers Federation String band and
refreshments will be served. All
stockholders are urged to attend the
meeting.
Buys Beauty Shoppe
Rev. B. D. McMahan has purchas
ed the K and W Beauty Shoppe from
Mrs. Ray Laughridge, owner of
Iva's Beauty Shoppe.
McMahan, a former Baptist min
ister, came to Marion from Mica
ville last Summer.
The annual campaign for mem
berships in the Marion Community
Conceit Association got underway
last Monday evening with a meeting
of the officers and directors of the
Association together with the Cam
paign chairmen under the direction
of Co-Chairmen Mi-s. Walker Blan
ton and Mrs. Donald Mcintosh at
the Marion Community Building.
The Concert Association is a com
munity project having for its presi
dent, Paul J. Story. The purpose is
to provide for Marion and McDow
ell county outstanding and world-re
nowned musical talent. This season
the Association has brought to Mia
lion Joseph Battista, pianist, and
the famous Bary Ensemble. The last
of this series is to be presented next
Monday evening when John Tyers,
baritone soloist, appears at the Ma
rion High School auditorium.
Attendance at the concerts is by
membership card only. No tickets
are ever ^old at. the door. The pur
pose of the Association is to pro
vide a guaranteed audience for the
artists, and to guarantee good en
tertainment for the people of Ma
rion and vicinity. Last year, the As
sociation had a membership of ap
proximately 550. It is hoped to in
continued on last page)
Keesee To Speak
At Wildlife Meet
George W. Keesee, commissioner
of the eighth district, will address
the McDowell County Wildlife club
at a meeting to be held at 7:30 p.
m. Monday in the court house, Jo
seph Blalock, president, announced
this week.
The County Commissioners havo
authorized the Cole-Layer-Trumble
company of Dayton, Ohio and Char
lotte, to appraise industrial and
commercial properties in the towns,
of Marion and Old Fort. The VirgiL
P. Joyce Miapping company has also
been employed by the Commission
ers to make a map of the towns of
Marion and Old Fort commercial
properties.
The survey will include: appraisal
of the land and buildings of all tax
able industrial properties in the
county; appraisal of the land and
buildings of all major commercial
properties within the corporate lim
its of the town of Marion and Old
Fort and the four tourist courts in
McDowell county; appraisal of the<
machinery and equipment and the
furniture and fixtures of all indus
trial and commercial establishments.
PROPOSED LAWS
ARE DISCUSSED
BY WILDLIFE CLUB
The McDowell County Wildlife*
club voted on proposed amend
ments to wildlife laws and regula
tions at its meeting last Friday
night.
Jack Hewitt was appointed to
present the views of the club to
to Roy W. Davis, McDowell's repre
sentative in the State Legislature.
The membership went on record
on opposing the trout stamp which,
would levy an additional tax on.
trout fishing over and above the
fishing license. Members also op^
posed the proposed big game hunt
ing license which would assess
hunters for deer and boar hunting.
.An amendment to a regulation
which now prohibits a hunter from,
possessing game was discussed. In
view of the fact that freezer lock
ers and other modern facilities for
preserving game now enable a
hunter to preserve game longer
than was advisable several years
ago, the members voted in favor of.
the amendment.
A vote was passed in favor of
laws which prohibit selling game.
The members also voted for: using
hunting and fishing equipment
from sun down to sun rise, for
lighting at all times, for fines by
law, for traveling by night (cross
ing property posted with no tres
passing signs), for fishermen who
are residents of other states to be
required to pay $10.25 for license
instead of $6.10 as now required.
Little Symphony Orchestra
To Present Concert March 4
School Attendance
Law Enforced
Mr. and Mrs. W. R. Whitson were
given a hearing before Dysart Mar
tin, justice of the peace, last week
on a charge of unlawfully and wil
fully refusing to cause their son,
Paul Whitson, to attend public
schools of McDowell county. Prayer
for judgment was continued on pay
ment of costs and on condition that
they send their son to school.
Mrs. Whitson was also charged
with assaulting a school attendance
official by striking her about the
face while engaged in the perform
ance of her duties. She was sentenc
ed to 30 days suspended on payment
of a fine of $25 and costs and on
further condition that she cooper
ate with the school attendance offi
cer and school attendance officials
and send her son to school.
«
Composition by Wagner, Handel,
and Tschaikowsky will highlight the
concert by the North Carolina Little
Symphony Orchestra in Marion on
March 4.
The Little Symphony under the
baton of Dr. Benjamin Swalin wilL
appear in Concert here at the High.
School Auditorium. The program is
scheduled to begin at 8:00 o'clock,
in the evening.
Wagner Composition
Wagner's "Siegfried Idyll" will op
en the Symphony concert. This com
position has a curious history in that
it was first performed at 7:30 in the
morning on Christmas Day in 1870.
The work was a birthday gift from
Wagner to his wife and was named
in honor of their young son, Sieg
fried. In that historic premiere, the
composer directed his work, con
ducting from the head of the stairs.
Several of the themes of this se
lection were taken by Wagner from
his opera, "Siegfried" of the well
continued on last page)