beueve-it-or-not
Skyland Post is the only
pater in.; North Carolina having
an audited circulation of over
three tunes the total population
of- the town in which it is - pub
lished.
VOLUME 10, NO. 25
Fighting Continues As France Awaits Nazis Peace Terms
Funeral For Chas.
W. Stansberry To
Be Held Today
Well Known Lansing Man
Died from Heart Trouble
At the Age of 62.
DEATH IS SUDDEN
Funeral' service will be held
this morning at ten o’clock for
Charles W. Stansberry, well
known Lansing man who died
suddenly at his home on Tuesday
following a heart attack. Service
will be conducted at the Sabbath
Home church by Revs. R. H.
Stone and Donley Hart and bur
ial will follow in the Goss ceme
tery.
The deceased who was a native
of this county was the son of W.
J. and Mrs. Ellen Graybeal Stans
berry. He had spent most of his
life in this county and for many
years was actively engaged in
farming. He was 62 years old at
the time of his sudden death
which came as a shock to all who
knew him.
He is survived by his wife and
the following sons and daughters;:
Lee, Clarence and Howard Stans
berry, Mrs. Biller Osborne, Mrs.
Eurea Hart.
The deceased was a brother of
J. D. Stansberry, Ashe county
clerk of the court.
Dr. Ballou Sent
SIOO Check For
Ashe Hospital
Included in the list of recent
new subscribers and contributors
to the Ashe County Memorial
Hospital Association, Inc., is Dr.
James L. Ballou, of the United
States Veterans’ Port
land, Oregon.
Dr. Ballou, a native of this
county and a member of one of
its most prominent families, sent
a SIOO.OO check a few days ago.
“I noticed that the important
matter of a medical and surgical
staff for the hospital is now un
der consideration,” Dr. Ballou
wrote. “In this connection I wish
to say that after my retirement
from government service ,which
is about three years hence, and
when at my home, I will be glad
to offer, at least consultation ser
vice as eye, ear, nose and throat
specialist.”
Dr. Ballou is having the old
home place in this county re
paired and modernized and ex
pects to spend some of his time
in the county when he retires
from service.
To Hold Crippled
Children’s Clinic
This Afternoon
At least thirty children are ex
pected to attend the regular
children’s clinic to be held this
afternoon at 2 o’clock by Dr. J.
S. Gaul, of Charlotte, in the of
fice of the county health depart
ment.
The Jeffersons Rotary Club is
sponsoring the the clinic, and all
crippled children are invited and
urged to attend the free clinic.
DOLLAR DAYS ARE
COMING NEXT WK.
Plans are now being work
ed out by progressive mer
chants here, in cooperation
with The Skyland Post, to
sponsor city-wide dollar days
here next Friday, Saturday
and Monday, June 28, 29,
July 1.
Coming at this time these
special dollar savings days will
enable the public to make
preparations for July 4 as well
as to supply all of their needs
at a big savings.
The Skyland Post will carry
advertisements of many of the
specials to be offered and in
addition to the regular cir
culation will have additionaly
distribution in order to give
the event more publicity. All
merchants are asked to co
operate with The Post by
getting their advertising copy
ready as early as possible.
The public is urged to make
plans now to take advantage
of these special sale days.
W MWM Just
$1.50 a Year Out us County
Mr. Reeves Utilizes Pipe And Wire
Standing behind a novel gate made of discarded pipe
and telephone wire is J. N. Tulbert, of West Jefferson, and
M. E. Reeves, of Laurel Springs. The gate was made by Mr.
Reeves for Mr. Tulbert by using the pipes for frames and
weaving the wire into the frames. The result is a serviceable
gate yet inexpensive. Photo by Parkway Photo Shop.
To Discuss Plans At Court
House Friday Os Organizing
Local Grange Units In Ashe
Red Cross Need
Has Increased
Disease Threatening France.
Ashe County Still Short ---
of Quota of S4OO.
More contributions are needed
for our Red Cross relief fund,”
County Chapter Chairman Larry
P. Colvard, said yesterday, and
urged that those who have not
done so make a contribution at
once.
Contributions may be turned
over to Mr. Colvard, to Gale Mc-
Millan treasurer, or to The Sky
land Post.
A cabled report from Richard
Allen, Red Cross representative
stationed in Bordeaux, France,
warned national headquarters
that France is faced with serious
epidemics among the millions of
refugees crowding into the
southern provinces. French
health authorities had informed
him, Mr. Allen said, that there
have been no serious outbreaks
to date, but that “the refugees
are coming in rapidly and condi
tions are changing.”
A special Red Cross Relief all
star broadcast has been arranged
for Sunday afternoon, to be
staged by the National Broad
casting Company, from 2 to 2:30
o’clock, E. S. T.
Among the recent donations
receive by the Ashe county
chapter are the following, May
flower Beauty $5.; John Little
wood $5.; Mrs. Mayme Donnely
and family $2.50; Mr. and Mrs.
J. C. Pierce, $2:00; J. A. Garvey,
A. J. Houck sl. each. Less than
half of the county’s quota of S4OO
has been raised so far.
July 7th To Be Hospital Day
In Ashe County Churches
Sunday, July 7, has been desig
nated as Ashe Memorial Hospital
day in the Sunday Schools and
Churches of the county, Wade El
ler, secretary of the Association
and chairman of the finance com
mittee, announced this week.
On that day all Sunday Schools
and all Churches that do not have
Sunday Schools are being urgent
ly requested to take up a special
Collection for the Ashe hospital,
and the three Sunday Schools or
Churches turning in the largest
amount of money will be awar
ded Certificates of Meritorious
Service that will be placed in the
hospital building, he stated.
All superintendents of Sunday
schools and pastors of churches
are urged to co-operate and sup
port this special drive by an
nouncing the plan in their
churches between now and July
7. In event of a conflict, churches
WEST JEFFERSON, N. C. THURSDAY, JUNE 20, 1940 SI.OO a Year In Ashe County
Farmgrs Invited to Meet With
State Grange Master at
10 O'clock Friday.
All farmers in Ashe county
who are interested in. -the or
ganization of local community
units and a county chapter of the
National Grange, one of the larg
est and oldest organizations of
farm men and women in the
country, are invited to meet at
the courthouse tomorrow morn
ing at 10 o’clock to hear Harry
B. Caldwell, of Statesville, mas
ter of the Grange in this state,
outline the various programs of
the organization and explain
ways and means by which local
units can be formed and the ad
vantages to be derived therefrom.
For some time sentiment has
been developing in various com
munities for organizing a Grange
chapter and County Agent C. J.
Rich has been keenly interested
in seeing this done. The State
Master comes to Ashe tomorrow
at his invitation.
Tomorrow afternoon at 2 o’-
clock, a meeting will be held at
the Riverview high school for
the purpose of perfecting an or
ganization there if sufficient in
terest is shown.
The Grange is a fine organiza
tion and through it farming con
ditions have been improved and
much beneficial legislation, both
state and national, has been
passed. It is also a good social or
ganization for farm communi
ties. Rural .electrification is one
of the things that has been pro
moted by the Grange.
If as many as three local units
can be organized, a county chap
ter can be set up.
and Sunday schools are asked to
have “hospital day” on the fol
lowing Sunday, July 14.
“In the name of the hospital
and humanity, we want to appeal
to every man, woman and child
in the county to give as much as
SI.OO, or more, if possible, on this
particular Sunday,” Mr. Eller
said.
“Everyone is asked to save a
dollar that would ordinarily be
spent for amusement on the
Fourth. You’ll be helping a great
cause and you will feel mighty
good about it, too,” he stated.
“Contributions for orphanages,
home and foreign mission work,
etc., are mighty fine, but I do not
know of a more worthy cause
than that of providing badly
needed hospital service right
here at home for our people.”
(Continued on Page Four)
Rural Telephone
Committees Will
Meet Fri. Night
Meeting To Be Held at Meth
odist Church in Warrens
ville. To Make Survey.
CO-OPERATION PLEDGED
Plans for making a tentative
survey of proposed rural tele
phone lines in several communi
ties of the county will be dis
cussed tomorrow night when the
Warrensville, Clifton, Lansing
and Helton committees meet at
the Methodist church in War
rensville, it was announced yes
terday.
County Agent C. J. Rich and
Gwyn Price, who are taking a
leading part in this movement,
stated that farmers in a large
number of communities in the
county have expressed keen in
terest in the establishment of ru
ral telephone lines, but that so
far the Warrensville, Lansing,
Helton, Clifton, Creston and Fig
sections have shown the greatest
amount of interest.
If lines can be successfully es
tablished in a few sections, it is
believed that within a compara
tively short time other lines can
be erected all over the
It is estimated that the sections
which will be represented tomor
row night can be covered by
around 25 miles of lines, serving
perhaps 100 customers.
The estimated cost of construc
tion per mile is $60.00. Os course
if poles were furnished, this fig
ure would be reduced.
No definite plans have been
worked out as yet. It is thought
that probably an NYA or WPA
project could be secured if a
farm co-operative were formed.
Mr. Beddingfield, district man
ager of the Central Electric &
Telephone Company, has pledged
his co-operation with the move
ment. Among other things he has
agreed to furnish an engineer
and to buy all materials at cost.
Included on the committees
are: Wade Eller, V. C. Lillard,
Ed Eller, Lester Sturgill, W. A.
Johnson, Paul Jones and W. P.
Shoaf.
Wade Blackburn
Escapes Prison
Cuts Way Out of Truck. Was
Convicted Here in Enoch
Church’s Death.
Ashe county officers, as well
as others throughout North Caro
lina, are on the lookout for Wade
Blackburn who, with Eddie Cobb,
another long term prisoner made
his escape from a prison cage
truck near Enfield last week
while being taken from the cen
tral prison in Raleigh to the Cale
donia prison farm in Halifax
county.
“I won’t say they’re the worst
men we have, but they are
among the worst,” said Oscar
Pitts.
Cobb, Blackburn and three oth
er prisoners, were taken to Cen
tral prison from Caledonia yes
terday for examination of their
eyes and for dental work. While
being returned to Caledonia, they
sawed through the roof of the
truck.
Only Cobb and Blackburn es
caped. The others remained in
the vehicle, Pitts said. He added
that he had not ascertained whe
ther the saw was obtained at
Central prison.
Blackburn made headlines here
several months when he was
tried and convicted in connection
with the mysterious shooting of
Enoch Church in the Fleetwood
community, and was given a 25-
year prison sentence.
At that time he had escaped
from prison where he was un
(Continued on Page Four)
Over 1,200 Sheep
Dipped Thus Far
Over 1,200 sheep in Ashe coun
ty have been dipped in the new
portable vat purchased by the
sheep growers association, H. D.
Quessenberry reported yesterday.
“Considering the weather, we
are getting along fine and are
receiving splendid co-operation,”
Mr. Quessenberry stated.
To Lead Country’s Maneuvers
' z : .-'<<<■' '■ ;: '• / . . , C C M
OHM
....
Lieutenant General Hugh A. Drum, Commanding Gen
eral of the Ist army, shown with 75 mm. gun crew. General
Drum will-lead the biggest army maneuvers ever held in
this country when over 100,000 soldiers assemble in north
ern New York in August.
American Legion To Assist
In Helping Organize Defense
In Every Community In N. C.
Plan To Hold A
Lamb Pooling In
Ashe Real Soon
Letters Sent to Sheep Grow
ers. Tentative Date Set
For July 2nd.
A lamb pooling will be held.jn
Ashe county on Tuesday, July 2,
under the sponsorship of the
farm agent’s office, it was an
nounced this week.
Letters are being mailed this
week to sheep growers in the
county, requesting that they noti
fy the farm agent’s office of their
desire to participate in the pool
ing.
“All those who do not receive
letters and who wish to take part
in the pooling are asked to ad
vise us and to state how many
lambs they desire to pool,” H. D.
Quessenberry, assistant agent,
said yesterday.
According to present plans,
grading will be done on Monday,
July !, and shipments made from
here on July 2. Grading schedule
will be announced later.
In announcing the pooling, Mr.
Rich emphasized the fact that
past experience has clearly de
monstrated the value of lamb
pooling. “Our farmers every
where have found out that they
can get more through co-opera
tive selling efforts.”
It was stated that the lambs
will probably be shipped to Jer
sey City to be sold on the open
market there.
Plans to have poolings in Al
leghany and Watauga counties at
the same time are also being
worked out.
SERVICES ANNOUNCED
Rev. Melt Hayes, of Nathan’s
Creek, will preach at Smethport
Baptist church on Saturday even
ing at 8 o’clock and Sunday
morning at 11.
Church Youth Is Caught By
Officers Tuesday Afternoon
The long arm of the law dem
onstrated speed in reaching out
for Garney Church, Ashe youth,
wanted on charges in both Ashe
and Alleghany counties, Tuesday
when he demonstrated some
swift footwork attempting to es
cape from officers Parsons and
Stringer, near West Jefferson. He
is now under a SSOO bond await
ing trial in Sparta this morning
in connection with the robbery
of the Shell service station there
several weeks ago.
Church was reported to Ashe
county officers for driving a car
without license, and on Tuesday
when he was discovered in the
business section of West Jeffer
son, parked in a car with his sis
ter, Deputy Parons asked him to
get out. The girl immediately
drove off at a rapid rate of speed
on the Boone road. The officers
Plan Is Explained by Com
mander Rose Who Spoke
At Joint Meeting.
In order to be prepared for
emergencies in event the national
guard is called to duty, the
American Legion is going to help
establish defense organizations in
every community in the state,
Department Commander June
Rose declared in an address be
fore a joint meeting of Legion
naires and Rotarians held here
in the community building last
Thursday night.
“Immediately after the annual
state convention in High Point
this month, a group of depart
ment officials are going to confer
with representatives from Wash
ington, relative to the formation
of local defense units,” Com
mander Rose declared.
“Regardless of who wins the
European war, they will want
this country and it is high time
for us to be prepared to talk to
the dictators in a language that
they can understand, armed
might,” he said.
The state Department has been
fighting for military training in
the CCC camps and I think we
are going to get it soon, Rose
stated.
In discussing youth and the
present educational program, the
speaker expressed the opinion
that there has been an acute lack
of physical education in the
schools and that too much em
phasis has been placed upon lib
erty and too little upon responsi
bilities.
“If we enter a war, I hope our
youth will be tough enough and
will have the will to endure,” he
said. “But we have not been dis
ciplining our children enough and
have been allowing them to much
freedom and too many privi
leges.”
The distinguished speaker was
introduced by Ira T. Johnston.
(Continued on Page Four)
gave chase and Church was
caught after he had leaped from
the car and attempted to evade
the officers just beyond the rail
road trussle.
Young Church who is the son
of Turner Church, of the Bald
win community, was on proba
tion, having served some time in
a reform school for stabbing a
boy on a school bus, according
to the reports of officers.
He is one of four youths alleged
to have taken two slot machines
from the Shell service station at
Sparta several weeks ago. The
other three have not been appre
hended.
Sparta officers stated they be
lieved Church also stole a gas
line from a truck at Laurel
Springs on the night of the ser
vice station robbery.
ASHE COUNTY
is the air-conditioned section of
North Carolina whose altitude
ranges from 3,000 to 5,500 feet
above sea level. Twenty-five miles
of the PARKWAY run through
the county.
PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY
France May Not
Accept Terms Os
Proposed Treaty
England Is Threatened by The
German Press. Churchy
ill Is Hopeful.
U. S. IS CONCERNED
Hitler’s war machine marches
on and continues to move deeper
into France, while the French
still offer resistance awaiting to
determine whether or not the
Germans will offer them an hon
orable peace treaty.
And while the weary poilus, in
weakened infantry regiments, ar
tillery and tank sections, strove
to keep the enemy back, the
French cabinet waited for word
of the fateful conference of Adolf
Hitler and Benito Mussolini at
Munich—the conference which
will probably decide the fate of
France and her colonial empire.
The order to continue resist
ance against Germany went out
in the name of Generalissimo
Maxime Weygand as well as Pe
tain’s.
“It is the duty of all to con
tinue resistance,” they said.
A report from Munich unoffi
cially stated that the axis de
mands in granting peace to
France would begin with the
“lost provinces” of Alsace and
Lorraine for Germany and Cor
sica, Tunis and Nice for Italy.
Mussolini may also ask other
concessions beneficial to Italy’s
African colonies, it was said.
The real question mark ap
peared to be “what will happen
to France herself?” after these
apparently obvious requirements
have been exacted.
Whatever happens, ..it seemed
certain yesterday that the French
army would be rendered impo
tent—if the axis terms are accep
ted by France—and that the re
public would be shoved into the
status of a second-rate power.
Striking on against broken
France, the German military ex
perts declared that “fighting can
be stopped only when the armis
tice is signed”.
The German press threatfully
added that Britain would be
next.
“The military collapse of
France is swiftly progressing un
der the pressure of our relentless
pursuit,” said the high command.
“England,” said the newspaper
Deutsche Allegemeine Zeitung,
“now stands completely alone.
This is the reality of the hour in
(Continued on Page Four)
Singing At Prison
Camp On Sunday
On Sunday at 1:15 p. m. the
lovers of Negro spirituals are in--
vited to come to the prison camp
near Smethport at which time
visitors may hear the camp quar
tet as well as a large choir sing
songs and spirituals that are dear
to the race and uplifting to all
who hear them. A loudspeaker
will be put on the lamp staff of
the main building and the service
will be available to the sur
rounding territory.
For some weeks the men have
been planning for this service
and lovers of this type of music
and singing are invited to come.
TO HOLD DEFENSE
MEETING SATURDAY
A county-wide meeting to
discuss possible local and na
tional defense plans will be
held Saturday night, at 8 o’-
clock, at the courthouse, Up
ton Blevins, of Crumpler, who
is keenly interested in the pro
posed program, announced this
week.
A meeting was scheduled to
be held last Saturday after
noon, but was postponed on
account of lack of attendance.
“Every day the situation in
Europe becomes more and
more critical and every day
Hitler’s war may be coming
closer and closer to the United
States,” he said.
“The time has come when
we must get prepared or else
we, like France, might be sor
ry later. Everybody is invit
ed to attend the meeting Sat
urday night.”