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Volume 88 25c Per Copy Warrenton, County Of Warren, North Carolina Wednesday, Februar, 6, 1985 Number 6
Ways Are Being Sought To Improve Warren's Tax Collection Rate
By KAY HORNER
News Editor
Warren County has
one of the lowest rates of
tax collection in the
state, and County
Manager Charles Worth
told county commis
sioners at their regular
meeting Monday that it
was a "problem we can
not let continue."
The ad valorem tax
collection rate for the
county, according to
County Tax Collector
Murder Trial
Under Way
The trial of Hattie Mae
Kersey of Ridgeway in
the October 1983 shooting
death of her husband
was scheduled to go to
the jury this morning
(Wednesday) after two
days of testimony.
Kersey, who was 41 at
the time of his death,
died two days after he
sustained a 22-caliber ri
fle wound to the head.
Superior Court Judge
Henry V. Bamette, Jr. of
Raleigh was expected to
charge the jury to return
a verdict of guilty to se
cond degree murder,
guilty to involuntary
manslaughter, not guil
ty, or not guilty by
reason of insanity.
In testimony Monday,
Warren County Sheriff's
Deputy Lawrence Har
rison said that he arriv
ed at the Kersey home
about 10:38 p.m. on Oct.
2,1963 and found Kersey
unconscious and lying
partially in the bed and
partially on the floor
with a gunshot wound to
the head.
Mrs. Kersey, Harrison
testified, was kneeling
over her husband crying
and repeating, "I didn't
mean to shoot him."
Most of Monday morn
ing was devoted to jury
selection and Monday
afternoon District At
torney David Waters
presented the state's
case that Mrs. Kersey
had shot her husband,
who was disabled by am
putation of his leg at mid
thigh, for "no apparent
reason."
Defense Attorney
Charles T. Johnson of
Warrenton argued un
successfully for
dismissal of the charges
due to insufficient
evidence after the state
rested and prior to the
closing arguments.
In the second motion,
Johnson asserted that
the evidence presented
was circumstantial, and
that no evidence had
been produced linking
Mrs. Kersey with the
weapon or identifying as
the murder weapon the
rifle submitted into
evidence.
Johnson also argued
that the state had
presented no motive in
the shooting, and no
evidence of what
transpired prior to the
incident.
According to Harrison,
the rifle was found at the
foot of the bed and two
spent cartridges were on
the floor and three live
rounds remained in the
rifle.
The bullet which
entered Kersey's skull
splintered and could not
be recovered, according
to testimony from Dr.
John D.Butts, associate
chief medical examiner
(Continued on page 10)
Susan W. Brown, has for
the past two years been
around 92 percent.
However, the collec
tion rate has traditional
ly been about 94 percent.
The delinquent tax
rate affects the county's
budgeting process
because state statute
provides that a county
can only budget 97 per
cent of what was col
lected the previous year,
Worth explained.
By law, the tax collec
tor can garnishee wages
of delinquent taxpayers,
as well as put a lien on
real and personal
property.
While it is not unusual
for the county to gar
nishee wages, the lien
and subsequent sale of
property is a costly route
and one the county does
not use.
The poor, rural
makeup of the county is
one of the factors con
tributing to the com
paratively low collection
rate, according to Mrs.
Brown.
"If you took all our big
corporations and
utilities, you'd find that
they account for only
something like 10 per
cent of the tax levy,"
Mrs. Brown said.
In many counties, cor
porations compose a
much larger percentage
of the entire tax base.
Mrs. Brown estimated
that in Warren County,
as many as 75 percent of
the tax bills are for $200
or less. That category
White's Building Supplies, Inc. on West Franklin Street, a 62-year-old
Warrenton landmark, will this month close its doors and vacate the pro
perty which has housed the business since it was incorporated in January,
1923. (Staff Photo)
Business Is Closing
After Six Decades
By MARY CATHERINE HARRIS
Staff Writer
A recent snowy afternoon found
80-year-old Warrenton carpenter
Eugene Branch dozing in a cozy
corner of White's Building Sup
plies, Inc. on West Franklin Street,
a corner where for 61 years he and
other area builders have gathered
to await the filling of their orders
and to "swap tales" of the building
industry. Branch appeared to be
savoring the final days of the com
pany which has become a Warren
ton landmark and which, according
to manager A1 Williams, in, will
vacate the property in mid
February.
Empty shelves and half-filled
boxes mark the area which in years
past was packed with assorted
paints, brushes, hardware, sam
ples, and similar necessities for
builders and home-owners.
Changed, too, is the "carpenters'
corner" from which has been
moved what may have been, ac
cording to Williams, the trademark
of the business. It is a high-arm
green rocking chair custom-made
years ago for one of the company's
original owners, the late Hugh
White. The chair, though moved
from the usual corner in prepara
tion for closing the business, will
remain in safekeeping, Williams
emphasized.
A1 Williams, III speaks with
respect for the business which is
almost three times his age and for
the father whose death put the
younger Williams in the manager's
shoes.
In January, 1923, White's Build
ing Supplies was incorporated with
three stockholders sharing owner
ship, Hugh White, Edmond White,
and D. R. Mustian, all of Warren
ton. A primary purpose of the cor
poration as stated in the Certificate
of Incorporation was "to buy and
sell, wholesale and retail, building
material."
Since that January day, untold
number of homes and other
bu'idings in Warrenton and the sur
rounding area have taken shape
within the walls of the unimposing
structure on West Franklin Street
which has been the home of the
business since its incorporation.
Warren County native A1
Williams, II bought the company
from the White family in the early
60's and until his death in 1983 ex
tended his customers the hand of
friendship while assisting them
with their building needs.
The fact that friendship has been
a keynote of the business is under
lined by Branch, who stated that he
has always found at White's
Building Supplies a pleasant atmo
sphere and a warm invitation to
"sit around and chat with old
cronies." The carpenter said that
life would not be the same for him
when the business closes. Nor will
it be for numerous other persons in
the county.
A1 Williams, II majored in
engineering at the University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill and
began working for White's Build
ing Supplies in 1935. Except for
brief stints of employment in Rich
mond, Va., Baltimore, Md., and
Durham, the local company was
his work home from then until his
death. He sought to accommodate
his customers, opening the doors
for business early in the morning
and often co-signing notes to enable
financing of customers' building
projects.
Ai Williams, HI described in a
recent interview the fascination
that his father's business held for
him as a child. He recalled that at
age 14 he began "working" there
during time off from school. The
peephole in the office of Hugh
White, the drink machine which
takes nickels only and which still is
in working order, and the
numerous tools and machines were
special attractions to him as he
moved among the men who worked
and traded there.
A subtle sadness entered the con
versation as he remembered the
people and things of years gone by
which had been the very essence of
the business — his father who had a
talent for design and shared it
generously, and who inspite of his
frequent amusement at the build
ing questions and predicaments
(Continued on page 10)
also has the most delin
quent taxpayers.
Because so many of
the deliquent taxpayers
are unemployed, gar
nisheeing of wages is not
an option for collection,
Mrs. Brown explained.
The county collected
about $10,000 several
years ago through gar
nisheeing of wages, a
measure which Mrs.
Brown said it is not
unusual for her office to
use.
One of its primary
drawbacks is the time in
volved on the part of tax
office staff.
"Some counties collect
a higher percentage of
their taxes, but those are
the same counties that
have larger staffs," she
said. The county tax col
lector's office employs
one full-time and one
part-time person in addi
tion to Mrs. Brown, who
also serves as the coun
ty finance officer, a posi
tion which is separate in
most counties from that
of tax collector.
Mrs. Brown also in
dicated that the county's
rate of collection is
significantly affected if
one of the top 10 or 20 tax
payers has a delinquent
account, as happened
recently with Norlina
Mills when it claimed
bankruptcy. (The mill
has since satisfied its
delinquent account and
was taken over by a
larger mill.)
Figures from the tax
collector's office show
that the county's top five
taxpayers and the
amount of their 1984 tax
levy are as follows:
—Carolina Telephone
and Telegraph Com
pany, $59,573;
—Carolina Power &
Light Company, $56,004:
—Peck Manufactur
ing Company, $30,527;
—Champion Interna
tional, $25,984
-Halifax EMC,
$25,476.
According to Worth,
(Continued on page 10)
Plans Unveiled On Monday
Nat Macon Plantation
Eyed As 4-H Camp Site
By KAY HORNER
News Editor
Prospects for the
future of the historic
Nathaniel Macon Buck
Spring Plantation were
brightened this week
when county commis
sioners gave approval in
concept to initial plans
by Warren County 4-H to
locate a camp at the site
about 12 miles northeast
of Warrenton.
Macon served con
tinuously in the United
States Congress for 37
years, from 1791 until
1828, serving first as a
representative and then
as a senator.
Seventy-one acres of
what at one time was a
500-acre plantation is
now owned by Warren
County; one-quarter
acre having been bought
in 1901 and the remaining
acreage in 1934.
Although the property
is on the National
Register of Historic
Places and several
restorations at the site
have been undertaken,
the area has not been
maintained in recent
years.
George Koonce and
Glenn Woolard, 4-H ex
tension agents, pre
sented to the commis
sioners a preliminary
proposal that calls for
the area to be developed
as a 4-H Camp which
would also be available
for use by other county
groups.
According to Woolard,
a buffer zone would be
established between the
historical buildings at
the site and the 4-H ac
tivity areas.
Woolard and Koonce
said they hoped the
camp would eventually
be self-supporting, and
that initial funds were
being sought from the
Legislature and from
various grant programs.
The commissioners
were enthusiastic about
the proposal, and J. T.
Fleming, a longtime ad
vocate of additional
recreational programs
for county youth, said it
was "the most positive
thing I have heard in a
long time."
"We're going to have
to start to do something
for our youth or we're go
ing to pay in other ways
like Juvenile delinquen
cy," Fleming said. "The
land is lying there doing
nothing and this would be
a positive step for us."
Eva M. Clayton,
chairperson of the board,
noted that the site has
"not been well used" and
that it could be a real at
traction for the county.
One attraction of the
property, according to
Woolard, is its proximity
to Lake Gaston. It is
located within a half
mile of the water, and
the adjoining property is
owned by Champion and
Union Camp paper com
panies. According to
Woolard, both have been
instrumental in develop
ment of a 4-H Camp in
Halifax County and
Woolard felt they might
grant a right-of-way to
the water for users of the
(Continued on page 10)
At Warrenton Office
Vance County Man Named
To Postmaster Vacancy
Thq U. S. Postal Ser
vice has announced the
appointment of Sher
wood W. Knight of Hen
derson to the position of
postmaster of the
Warrenton Post Office.
The appointment,
which is effective Feb.
16, will move Knight
from the post of super
intendent of postal
operations in Henderson
which he has held for the
past eight years.
Knight, who plans to
move his residence to
Warrenton in the future,
noted that although the
Warrenton office is
smaller than others
where he has worked he
anticipates no
problems. He noted that
his primary goal will be
to "serve the customers
in the best way possi
ble." Knight said that he
plans to "operate the of
fice as efficiently and
economically as
possible."
The newly appointed
postmaster said that he
looks forward to the
move and views the new
responsibility as a
challenge. One im
mediate task will be
making preparation for
rural route inspections
in March, a routine
usually scheduled for
September.
Knight has been em
ployed with the post of
fice for approximately
28 years, most of them
in the Henderson office.
For a brief term, he ser
ved as officer-in-charge
at the Wise Poet Office.
The Henderson native
is a life-long resident of
Vance County, with the
exception of nine years
of his childhood spent in
Chester, Pa. He is a
graduate of Henderson
High School and has
retired with 30 years of
service with the N. C.
National Guard in
Warrenton and Hender
son.
Knight is married to
the former Dorothy
Wilson of Henderson
and they have two
children. Sherwood
Knight, Jr. who works
with Parkway Mobile
Homes, and Krista
Knight, advertising
director with Kerr
Drugs in Raleigh.
Knight will assume
the position which has
been vacant in Warren
ton since the retirement
last fall of former post
master, Bruce Bell.
Two Are Charged
Two Manson men were arrested Monday
and charged with breaking, entering and lar
ceny at Boyd's Shell Station at Manson on In
terstate 85.
According to the Warren County Sheriff's
Department, Orlander A. Bullock, 16, of Route
1 and Gregory Wayne Watkins, 21, of the same
address, were released on $500 unsecured
bond pending their April 13 court date.
Carl Eugene Boyd reported on Jan. 30 that
he discovered $500 missing from the station
and gave police the names of several suspects.
He had hidden the money the night before,
(Continued on page 10)
Tree Strikes Victim
Man's Life Lost
»
In Freak Accident
A freak logging acci
dent Monday morning
took the life of 22-year
old Henry Vernon Evans
of Vaughan when a tree
fell and hit him.
The victim and his
father, Arthur Evans,
were cutting trees
behind their home when
the accident occurred.
Rescue personnel took
Evans to Halifax
Memorial Hospital in
Roanoke Rapids, where
he died during attempts
to stabilixe his con
dition.
Funeral services will
be conducted at 2 p. m.
today (Wed.) at Macon
Baptist Church. Burial
will be in the family
cemetery n*ar
Vaughan.
Surviving are his
parents, Mrs. Bonnie
Walker Evans and Ar
thur Lee Evans; a
sister, Miss Bonnie
Dawn Evans of the
home; two brothers, Ar
thur Evans and Ernest
Evans of the home; his
maternal grandmother,
Mrs. Ethelyn H. Walker
of Warrenton and his
paternal grandmother,
Mrs. Nettie K. Evans of
Warrenton.
Pallbearers will be
Billy King, David Smith,
Paul Harris, Jimmy
Roy Clark, Frankie
Stegall and James H.
Robinson.
Serving as honorary
pallbearers will be
Stanley Rodwell, Nat
West, Macon Robertson,
Roy Pat Robertson,
Jim Clark, Mike
Spragins, and Tollie
Randall Harris.
Memorial con
tributions may be made
to the Macon Baptist
Church Parsonage
Fund.