1,800 Subscribers
Affording Advertisers
Thorough and Inexpen
sive Coverage of Macon
County.
Established 1885
The Oldest North Car
olina Newspaper: West
of Buncombe County.
PROGRESSIVE
LIBERAL
INDEPENDENT
9.W
VOL. LIV, NO. 32
Siler FamOyHeld 89th
Annual Reunion August 3
200 Relatives Meet At
Home Of Mr. and Mrs.
Gilmer Jones
By Mr. F. L. Silr
NOTh; Several years ago the
cditoi of The Press, Blackburn
Johnson said to. me: "1 am in
vited to the Siler family meeting,
bin y.ou always have them on a
Thursday which is press day and
1 cannot go, so 1 am going to
depend on you to give me the
story for the next week's issue
every year.'' 1 replied that it
might be a good idea not to write
the story every year lor I thought
the public would tire of ' it. He
slated that it would be a poor
county paper indeed that would
not mention such an outstanding
annual event, for though there
were many family meetings , year
ly, the Siler meeting was unusual
in at least two respect..' They
were the first pioneer family to
setile this part of the country and
held the longest unbroken record
of annual meetings of any other
laniily in the country. . .
So it has been my duty since
to give The Franklin Press the
same story which is really never
quite the same ! M. K. S.
We all thought we would get
wet but we didn't! We thought
those from a distance would not
start out in the rain, but they
didl
By. 1 :30 p. m, nearly 200 rela
tives had gathered on the lovely,
big, green lawn of our Cousins
Maude and Gilmer, (Mr. and Mrs.
Gilmer Jones).
By the time the cloths were
laid on the king tables under the
pines, the little drops of rain had
ceased altogether, and the usual
bountiful feast was soon spread.
Ministers of all denominations in
town are always invited and are
there " to .say grace and open and
close the meetings with prayer.
This meeting was called to order
by jie chairman, Carl Slagle, after
durher. His" opening remark was
that we would have the minutes
of the last meeting read "by our
ancient secretary, Jim Gray." If
Jim holds the place as secretary
as long as his father, Cousin Tom
Gray, did, he will really become
ancient at his post; for no weather
wa,s' too bad, no . roads too muddy
for Cousin Tom to attend the
meeting and his duty for nearly
sixty years ! Now his son never
lives too far away to come "home"
for the same purpose. The only
time since taking his father's place
that he could not return, was from
South -America a few years ago.
He comes from Washington, D. C,
now.
. Such is the loyalty of the Siler
family I
After reports of the obituary and
outlook committees it ' came time
(Continued on Page Eight)
Girl Who Went To First
Siler Reunion At 5 Has
Place Of Honor At 89th
(From AthevilU Timet)
Back in 1851, when four , Siler
brothers and their families gath
ered for a reunion, no one paid
particular attention to a little girl
of five. ' '
But last Thursday, when Siler
descendants gathered for their 89th
annual reunion, every one ' paid all
attention to that same little girl
94. " For she has attended every
Siler family meeting 89 of them
since that first one.
She is Mrs. Hattie Moore, of
Franklin.
The oldest member of the fam
ily, she gave .every indication at
the reunion of being the happiest
member, too; and certainly she
wad the most serene. Others might
become confused by all the greet
ings of friends not seen in years
or decades, of children grown be
yond one's knowledge, of in-laws
and uncles and aunts and cousins.
But not "Cousin Hattie." .
She doesn't pretend to know all
the younger folk, but as they came
by her chair to offer greetings,
she placed them by inquiring whose
Bon or daughter they were, or
whose grandchild. And for each
she had a warm handshake or kiss,
and a never-failing smile.
This spontaneous tribute was
paid by individuals, and at the for
mal meeting, following the picnic
dinner, the family presented her
several gifts in token of esteem
and affection. The presentation
was made by G. L. Jones, of
Aaheville.
Now unable to walk, Mrs. Moore
NAMED AIDE TO
ATTY. GENERAL
George B. Pattern To Be
Assistant To
McMullan
Attorney General Harry McMul
lan announced in Raleigh Tuesday
the appointment of Representative
George B. Patton, of Macon coun-
GEORGE B. PATTON
ty, as assistant attorney general to
succeed Robert H. Wettach, who
has resigned to resume teaching in
the University of North Carolina
law school.
Representative Pattoli will take
up his duties in Raleigh next Mon
day, August .14. He stated that he
would return to Franklin to handle
his- cases in Macon superior court,
which convene on Monday, Aug
ust 21, and after the adjournment
of court would move to Raleigh
to give his full time to his new
duties.'
The appointment to this respon
sible position is an honor to Mr,
Patton, but it is an honor well de
served, and his friends at home
feel that he will handle his job
in a way that will be a credit to
himself and to his home county.
An alumnus of the University of
North Carolina, one of the leading
attorneys of the Western North
Carolina bar, several times mayor
of Franklin, and at present the
county's representative in the gen
eral assembly, George Patton has
been trusted with nvaity important
matters and has always justified
the trust. His appointment will
meet with the approval of all who
know of his energy and ability.
MRS. HATTIE MOORE
is by no means inactive. She does
many a household choresuch as
peeling apples and potatoes, string
ing beans, etc. at the home of
her daughter, Mrs. A. . B. Slagle,
'with whom she spends much of
her time.
An old lady when the auto
mobile came into use, this modern
vehicle of speed holds no terrors
for her. She goes to the adjoin
ing county of Clay to visit rela
tives, and occasionally attends a
motion picture. And she is an ar
dent radio fan the radio is a
major aid to her in keeping in
formed about a world in which she
maintains a never-flagging interest,
J )
M
I I " I I
! K rx 1
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FRANKLIN, N. C: THURSDAY, AUGUST 10, 1939
POISON FATAL
TO YOUNG MAN
Don McKinney Dies After
Taking Heavy Dose
Of Strychnine
Don Aden McKinney, 23, died in
Angel hospital Saturday morning
about. 3 o'clock, death being caus
ed by poison which he had taken
Friday afternoon.
According to reports the young
man went to Charles Rdssell's service-station
at the. corner of Phil
lips and Palmer streets Friday af
ternoon and bought a soft drink
and went into a rest room. When
he came out he is said-to have told
Charles Russell, station manager;
L. li. Penland and Otto Arvey that
he had taken poison and "after
two or three hours they would not
see him any more." The men be
lieved he was joking, but he went
out in front of the station where
he collapsed after about ten min
utes and became unconscious. He
was rushed to the hospital, but all
efforts to combat the effects of
the poison were unavailing.
Poison Bottle Found
After .Mr. McKinney collapsed
Otto Arvey went into the rest
room and is said to have found a
powder on the floor and undis
solved powder in the soft drink
bottle. The poison bottle was lat
er discovered, and it was found to
be strychnine which he is .said to
have bought at a local drug store
the same afternoon, slating that
he wanted to. kill some rats. From
the amount of strychnine missing
from the bottle he was thought to
have taken about 15 grains.
Mr. McKinney had been em
ployed at Poindexter's service sta
tion near the depot for some time.
He had been living in Franklin
for the past four years with a
sister, Mrs. Medford Messcr. He
was . born in Hiawassee, Ga., and
was a graduate of Hiawassee high
school in the class of 1935. He
was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Da
vid McKinney. He was married
on May 13, 1937, to Miss Kath
erine 1 'aimer, of Franklin, but the
couple had been separated for
more than a year, it was said.
Surviving are hi,s widow; his
parents, Mr. and Mrs. David Mc
Kinney, of Hiawassee; three sis
ters, Mrs. Medford Messer and
Miss Ruth McKinney, of Frank
lin, and Miss Willie Belle Mc
Kinney, of Hiawassee; three broth
ers, Evan, Owen, and Ward Mc
Kinney, of Hiawassee; four nieces,
and one nephew.
Funeral Held Sunday
Funeral services were held at
the Baptist church in Hiawassee
on Sunday afternoon. The Rev.
Harry S. Williams, pastor of the
Franklin Methodist circuit, and the
Rev. A. B. Greene, a Baptist min
ister of Hiawassee, were in charge.
Interment was in the church cem
etery. Pallbearers were: Billy Blaine,
John, Cunningham, Elijah Grant,
Horace Nolen, Otto Arvey, and
John Lyle Palmer, all of Franklin.
Legion Picnic Held
At Cliff side Lake
The Macon county post of the
American Legion met at Cliff side
Lake recreation area for its first
picnic last Sunday afternoon. More
than 200 legionnaires, ex-soldiers,
their families and invited guests at
tended. Dr. W. E. Furr was master of
ceremonies. James M. Caldwell, de
partment adjutant, of Asheville,
made a short talk and introduced
Major Howell, of Waynesville, who
was the principal speaker. The
Angel quartet, of Franklin, render
ed several vocal selections.
A swimming contest was held
with Miss Lillian Jones, of Frank
lin, winning, in the jack-knife dive.
Miss Nancy Jones won the swan
dive, and Andrew Jones was pre
sented the prize, for the long-distance
race. y
It was decided to make the
picnic an annual event. '
Atlantic City Miss
Has Relatives In Macon
In the July 27 issue of The
Franklin Press there appeared a
picture- of a pretty Atlantic City
Miss posing on a road sign, in
dicating the distance from this re
sort to al major cities of the
world. She was: Miss Mae Munz,
daughter of Mrs. Mabel Ramsey
Munz, who is the daughter of the
late John Ramsey, and the grand
daughter of the late Samuel T.
Ramsey, both of the Tellico sec
tion of Macon county.
Miss Munz is also the niece' of
Mrs. John Queen, a former Macon
county lady, who now lives in
Philadelphia, Pa. , '
Revivalist
DR. ARTHUR FOX
Who Will Conduct the Revival
Services Beginning Sunday Eve
ning at Friendship Tabernacle.
Singer
PAUL FOX
Who Will Direct the Singing at
the Revival
WPA Offices
For Area 12 To Remain
In Franklin
The Works Progress Administra
tion offices of Area 12, which were
moved to Franklin from Bryson
City last August, will continue for
another year in this location, ac
cording to Gwynii Deiilon, area
head.- "I am glad that we can re
main m Franklin," said Mr. 'Den
urn, when interviewed Tuesday
morning.
There are 16 supervisors and
their assistants attached to the
area offices who either live or
have their headquarters in Frank
lin, whose residence has been a
.valuable addition to the social ami
business circles of the commounity.
Arrangements have been made
whereby the office expense of
WPA headquarters is shared by
town and county, this requirement
being met by coiumunties where
area offices of federal projects are
located.
Gerald Dover Dies
In New York
Gerard R. Dover, Jr., 18, .son of
P. W. Dover of Roslyn Heights,
L. ,1., N. Y., 'and nephew of Mrs.
J. Frank Carmack, of Franklin,
died at .the 'Presbyterian hospital,
New York, on Tuesday, August 8,
of a streptococcic infection of the
heart.
A young man of exceptional tal
ent . and character, Gerald had
many friends in Franklin, where
he and his mother spent several
summers with Major and Mrs.
Frank Carmack, who will mourn
with them his untimely death. He
attended Christ School, Arden, for
two years where he made a fine
record which was interrupted by
a serious illness. He was a mem
ber of the Art League of New
York, and was planning to pursue
a course in art and journalism,
having just passed entrance ex
aminations for Columbia University.
Mrs. Franks Assisting
Mrs. Bost In Raleigh
Mrs, Eloise G. Franks, as presi
dent of the North Carolina asso
ciation of superintendents of pub
lic welfare, has been called to
Raleigh by Mrs. W. T. Bost, com
missioner of the state board o
charities and public welfare, in
order to as,sist with plans being
made for welfare work in the
state during the ensuing year.
iff fcj Stk
Revival Services To Begin
At Tabernacle Sunday Night
CROWD ATTENDS
ANNUAL PICNIC
Federation Heads Make
Talks; Contests
Enjoyed
The third annual Macon county
Farmers Federation picnic was held
last Saturday at the Franklin
.schoolliouse. Nearly 700 persons
were present from all parts of
the country. The auditorium, plat
form, and galleries were filled;
Outside the building a large num
ber listened through the loud
speaker. The program consisted of
short talks interspersed with num
erous musical selections. Many per
formers were present from Macon
and Swain counties and all were
heartily applauded.
Jame.s G. K. McClure, president
of the federation, presided. The
Rev. J. A. Flanagan offered the
opening prayer. The chairman of
the Macon county committee of the
federation, Carl Slagle, extended a
cordial welcome to the large audi
ence. Mr. McClure told of the
steps taken by the cooperative to
improve the work-stock ' in West
ern North Carolina through plac
ing highest grade stallions and
thoroughbred mules in a number
of counties.
S. C. Clapp Speaks .
S. C. Clapp, head of the seed
department, spoke of the varied ac
tivities by which the federation is
serving the farmers. W. T. Brown,
Jr., gave a brief description of the
school for training selected boys
in the work of the federation. The
Rev. Dumont Clarke told of the
Lord's Acre work in Macon coun
ty and of the extension of the
movement in the United Slates and
to many other parts of the world.
At noon, 250 watermelons and
the lemonade made from hundreds
of lemons, as also the large lunches
spread beside the pines, were zest
fully consumed. The relay races,
and especially the tug-o-vvar, de
lighled the crowd of onlookers.
Beginning the afternoon .session,
A. L. Smiley led the gathering- in
singing two hymns. The Rev. R.
T. Mayberry offered prayer. Mr.
McClure announced that the win
ning choirs and quartets would
compete at the picnic at the Swan
nanoa Test farm on Wednesday,
August 16. Dr. D. W.: Daniel, of
Clemson college, celebrated for his
humorous talks, he stated, would
be I he speaker on that occasion.
The judges of the singing award
ed first prize to the Gold Mine
choir, and the second to . Holly
Spring choir. In the quartets
Angel received first prize, and Mc-Clure-Dandy
the second. The other
prizes awarded were: Tall story,
Homer Jones; largest family, Mr.
and Mrs, Arvey Seay ; longest mar
ried, Mr. and Mrs. George Crisp;
shortest married, Mr. and Mrs.
Erastus Mason; baldest head, Elis
ha Fox; largest truck load, Ray
Franklin.
Judge Sam Cathey, of Asheville,
congratulated the people upon the
activity of the federation in Ma
con county under Mr. McCluie's
leadership, and felicitated all upon
the enjoyable picnic.
Carlisle Brothers To
Appear Here Aug. 19
, The Carlisle Brothers, well known
radio stars, will make their first
personal appearance at the court
house in Franklin on Saturday
night,' August 19, at 8 o'clock.
The Carlisle Brothers are heard
over radio station WNOX, Knox
ville, Tenn., each week day morn
ing at 7:15 o'clock.
The sponsor's receipts will be
used for the benefit of 4-H Club
work in Macon county.
A. B. Cox, of Sanford, and
daughter, Miss' Miriam Cox, of
Durham, are guests at the Kelly
Tea Room.
As The World Turns
A Brief Survey of Current Events In State. Nation
and Abroad.
PRESIDENT WILL
DEDICATE PARK
According to present plans,
President Roosevelt expects to be
present for the dedication of the
Great Smokies National Park in
early October.
CHEROKEES OFFER PLAN
The Indians of the Cherokee
$1.50 PER YEAR
All Churches Of County.
Expected To Join
In Meetings
. Beginning at 7:45 p. m. next
Sunday, August 1.5, the churches
of the several denominations in
Franklin and Macon county will
engage in a series of meetings at
the Friendship tabernacle, led. by
Dr. Arthur Fox, who will do the
preaching each day for three weeks,
and his son, Paul Fox, who will
conduct tlie singing anil lead in
young people's work.
Choir members of the various
churches ' will be organized into a
large choir and lead in the gospel
song service each night.
Dr. Fox conies from Morristown,
Tenn., with the highest endorse
ment of many people, including
ministers of various denominations.
F"or more than 12 years he has
conducted revival services in many
places.
Dr. Fox'- experience as a Chris
tian gentleman who places the
Kingdom of God . above any- and .
all denominations; lus loyalty to
the. Bible as ihe Word of God,
and faithfulness to its teaching
and his sunny disposition and
knowledge of human nature, gain
ed by his years of experience as
pastor and evangelist, make him
highly fitted, to lead in this union
effort of the churches of Macon
county.
Mrs. Fox will accompany her
husband and '.son in their work
here, and the evangelistic- party
will enjoy a little touch of home
life which is seldom their privilege
these past years, Dr. Fox ' being
absent from home most of the
time. The furnished apartment on
the Georgia road owned by Mr.
and Mrs. M. L. Dowdle. will be
their home for the next three
weeks.
The following committee, com
posed of member, of various
churches, have the arrangements
well in hand and a great opening
service is anticipated Sunday night
to which the public is cordially
invited as well as to all the ser
vices which shall follow;
General Chairman Rev. C, I'.
Rogers.
Publicity Dr. Walter E. Furr,
chairman; Mrs. Lester Conley; 0. . .
C. Bryant; Rev. 1. L. Roberts,
Charles Rogers, Roy Mashburu,
Katherine Bowden.
Finance J. S. Conley, chairman;
J. W. Addington, Clyde West, Ver
io" Swafford, J. A. Sutton, Rev.
J. A. Flanagan, 15. W. Woodruff.
Entertainment Mrs. J. S. Con
ley chairman ; Mrs. Helen Macon,
Mrs. Derald Ashe.
Personal Workers Rev. J. .' C.
Swaini, chairman; Paul Swafford,
Mrs. J. C. Wright, Mrs. P. F. Cal
lahan,, Ben McCollum.
Music Mrs. H. W. Cabe, chair
man; Mrs. Harry Higgins, Mrs. H.
T. Horsley, Rev. Harry S. Williams,
Mrs. Frank Bloxhain.
Ushers W. T. Moore, chairman; .
Brabson Bulgin, Paul Carpenter,
Quince Hauser, Rev. R. F. May- .
berry, John Ansel. .
Grounds and Building Jimmy
Hauser, chairman; A. B. Slagle,
John Bulgin, Ralph Angel, Elbert
Angel, Rev. ,1. L. Roberts, James
Li Averell. .
Transportation Harley Ca-be,
chairman;. J. L. Young, Frank
Browning, Freeman Hastings, Jake
Myers, Tom Rickman, Rev. J. A.
Flanagan. .
Survey Alex Moore, chairman ;
George E. Brown, Mrs. Gordon
Moore,. Rev. , C. F. Rogers, Rev.
Frank Bloxhain.
Morning services beginning Tuus
day, August 15, at 9:45 a. m., will
be held each day at the Methodist
church in Franklin and the night
services will be at 7:45 at the
Tabernacle.
All should rally to this unusual
opportunity as Christians and citi
zens of Macon county so that our
churches, homes and' community
may be better places in which to
live, and to the end that bad men
shall become, good and good men
shall become better.
Reservation yesterday submitted a
plan to federal' official, under
which they are willing to give
right-of-way for construction of the
Blue Ridge parkway. These in
clude a minimum of $40,000 pur-,
chase price, prohibition of conces
sions along the highway, connec
tion with parkway of certain state
(Continued on Faga Eight)