COVERAGE
This Newspaper Goes
To Every Corner of
Macon County
For 55 Years
The Franklin Press has
been serving the people
of Macon County.
acoman
INDEPENDENT
PROGRESSIVE
LIBERAL
VOL. LV, NO. 33
FRANKLIN, N. C. THURSDAY, AUGUST 15. 1940
$1.50 PER YEAR
COURT OPENS
HEREMONDAY
Judge Wilson Warlick To
Preside Over Two
Week Term
The August session cf Macon
county1 superior court will open
for a two-week term this Monday
morning, August 19. Judge Wilson
Warlick of Newton' will preside.
Court officers said they expect
ed the criminal docket to take up
the first week, leaving the second
week for the civil docket.
The criminal docket this year is
i chiefly composed . of misdemeanors,
plus several felonies which, include
two arson cases and several
charges of breaking and entering.
Wayne Underwopd of the Mul
berry section, who was recently
involved in a shooting scrape with
Herbie Bradshaw, is due for a
hearing on a charge of assault
with a deadly weapon. Bradshaw
is still at large, having escaped
from jail here two weeks ago.
Farmers
Invited To Attend WNC
Farm Meeting
Plans to have an extensive dele
gation of Macon county farmers
present at the annual Western
North Carolina , Farm meeting at
Boone, August 20-21, are now being
promoted by S. W. Mendenhall,
county farm agent.
The farmers intend to leave the
Agricultural building here by 9
o'clock Monday, August 19. This
will give them an opportunity to
visit farms in Watauga county
Tuesday morning and see some of
the outstanding beef cattle and
pasture work that is being done
there, Mr. Mendenhall stated.
Transportation will be furnished
for any farmers in Macon county
who desire to make the trip. The
total cost for room and meals in
Boone will be only $2.50. Sheets,
blankets and necessary toilet . arti
cles should .fe"" taken hy farmers
making the trip.
All farmers are invited and urg
ed to take advantage of this op
portunity of seeing the farming
that is being done between Frank
lin and Boone as well as in Wa
tauga county and of attending the
annual farm meeting which will
be both instructive and entertain
ing. ' '
As The World
A Brief Survey of Current
and Abroad.
War Summary
LONDON AND BERLIN
For a week; intensified aerial
warfare has been waged by Ger
many and Britain. In 14 hours of
fighting of the greatest air bat
tle of all time Britain last Friday
beat back a mighty aerial invasion
of more than 800 planes. Renewed
assault continued each day and
night with counter raids into Ger
many and occupied territory by
the RAF. Both sides claim huge
losses inflicted on the enemy.
On Wednesday a break in the
fury of attacking Nazi planes was
thought to presage an attempt- to
land troops only one "mass" at
tack of 300 planes being attempt
ed, against the Dover balloon bar
rage which was repulsed. "Plant
ed" parachutes were dropped in
England's Manchester and Birm
ingham areas and in Scotland, with
no riders, Britain reports. Berlin
on the other hand announced that
parachutists hd been dropped to
carry out sabotage against British
defenses. Thousands of home guard
troops and crack "parashots" in
England and Scotland are mobiliz
ed to search for and destroy Nazi
parachutists Hitler's vanguard pf
invasion that might land in the
darkness.
Pilots of RAF reported that
hundreds of square miles of Ger
many's vital industrial areas had
been devastated as well as pos
sible "jumping off points" for an
invasion on nearer coasts. '
Numbers of planes destroyed
claimed by both sides are wide
apart, but it appears that Germany
has greater losses in proportion
of planes engaged.
The alleged beheading of an
Albanian nationalist in northern
Greece in a border clash threatens
to furnish a pretext for Fascist
pressure on Greece to renounce
her friendship with Great Britain.
This may drag Greece into the
war. .
Three More
Escape From County Jail
Here Saturday
.In the second jail-break in as
many weeks, three more prisoners
made .good their escape from the
Macon county jail here early last
Saturday night.
County officers were still con
tinuing the search for them Thurs
day. The men, imprisoned in a second
story cell, opposite the street, saw
ed the bans from their window
around 10:30 p. m. and let them
selves down to the ground by
blankets. One of the prisoners,
Howard Gibson, 21, escaped from
the jail here once before on April
18. ' -
Their escape was discovered when
Has Penland, who happened to be
nearby saw three men running
across a field and reported to the
jail. Only members of Jailor John
Dills family were present when
the break occurred, Dills having
gone to make an arrest.
1 The escapes are : Howard Gib
son of Macon county, sentenced
to 90 days on the roads for larceny
of chickens ; Ray Prince, 23, of
Highlands, awaiting trial on charges
of breaking and. entering; and
William Turner of Aquone, await
ing trial on the same charge.
Mrs. Howard Wilkie
Suffers Serious Accident
Mrs. Howard Wilkie, of Long
Shoals Road near Asheville, suf
fered a broken leg that required
amputation below the knee when
hit by an automobile last Monday.
The acciden occurred at the road's
intersection with the Henderson -ville
highway.
Mrs. Wilkie was Miss Jessie
Higdon, daughter of Mr, and Mrs.
J. L. Higdon of Cullasaja, before
her marriage to Howard Wilkie,
son of Mrs. W, G. Wilkie of
Franklin: Mrs. C. Tom Bryson, a
sister of Mrs. Wilkie, hastened to
her bedside,, and is still with her,
at Biltmore hospital. On Wednes
day the patient was reported to
be doing as well as could be ex
pected. Howard Wilkie-, who has been a
teacher in the Weaverville school
for the past years is now employ
ed on the Glenville project of the
Nantahala Power and Light com
pany. The Wilkies have two chil
dren.
Turns
'a
Events In State, Nation
ROME
On Tuesday Britain rained hun
dreds of explosives on Milan, Tur
in, Alexandria and Tortona vital
Italian industrial centers in the
biggest aerial bombardment yet
suffered by Italy with great loss
of property and many .killed and
wounded. The RAF struck as far
as Sicily, Fascist headquarters re
ported. .
ATHENS, GREECE
AH telophonic communication
with Rome was severed Thursday,
as the Greek government announc
ed the sinking of the light cruiser
Helle by an unidentified subma
rine. The Helle was sunk in Tinos
Island harbor in the Aegean Sea.
.
CAIRO. EGYPT
Italian armored columns and
troop concentrations! advancing on
Britain's key port in Somaliland
were scattered by salvos from
British warships yesterday. The
news suggested that the British
fleet had acted to break the drive
that had as its object a general
assault on Egypt and the Suez
canal.
-.'.. ,'
MANILA. P. I.
By a vote of 62 to 1 President
Manuel Quezon was given extra
ordinary emergency powers by the
Philippines national assembly last
Saturday, upon the assertion that
they were necessary because of
the situation arising but of the
European war. The law empowers
drastic control over private prop
etry, prices of goods and distribu
tion of labor.
.';
SHANGHAI
United States Marines gained
control of the rich centnal part of
the International Sector here
Thursday after a bitter dispute with
the Japanese who had hoped that
the withdrawal of British forces
would enable them to gain control
of the foreign area.
(Continued on Pap Ta)
T. F. RY. MAY BE
DISCONTINUED
Line Suffers Bad Losses
For First 6 Months
Of 1940
The Tallulah Falls railway may
soon be forced to cease operations
for lack of revenue, H. H. Brewer
of Cornelia, receiver for the line,
stated this week.
"Unless something can be done
to regain some of . the less-than-carload
business which has appar
ently been last to truck competi
tion, it looks like the Tallulah Falls
Railway will soon have to join the
ranks of the tremendous number
of shortlines over the country
which have been abandoned from
lack of patronage of the people
they were trying to serve," Mr.
Brewer said.
Freight 'revenue figures for the
T. F. show a decrease of $4,635
in less-than-carload shipment re
ceipts for 1939.
Passenger train . revenue for the
first six months of 1940 operations
indicate a loss of $419.77 as against
a profit of $363.43 for the first
six months of 1939. In former years
this service has been able to pay
its cast of operation.
Total operation figures for the
first six months of 1940 show a
total loss of $9,635.21 as against
a total loss of $4,310.00 for the same
period last year. .
"Some improvement is hoped for
during the remainder of the year,"
Mr. Brewer said. "However, there
does . not yet appear to be any
hope of making expenses."
List Of Teachers In County
Schools Released By Houk
Six New Teachers On
Faculty Of Franklin
' High School
The romnlete list of teachers for
the schools of Macon county is
given below, with their locations
for the school year 1940-41. One ad
ditional teacher has been added to
the Franklin high school faculty.
The new teachers for the Frank
lin high school are Miss Frances
Barririirer of Concord, mathemat
ics: Miss Genevieve Helen White
of Brooklyn, N. Y., science; Miss
Mildred Underwood, whose parents
teach in the Cherokee Indian
school, history. These are gradu
ates of the Woman's College of
the University of North Carolina,
Greensboro.
Miss Dorothy Plonk, who receiv
ed, highest honors"1 at Greensboro
roll in Time, "will 4each science
and mathemahas, and Miss Helen
Moore, of Chester, S..G, a Win
throp graduate, will teach science.
Mrs. Philip Green, who has been
teaching in Buncombe county, will
have the French classes. She re
ceived her degree from Asbury
college, Wilmore, Ky.
All teachers have majored in
the subjects that they will teach
and have their required certificates,
according to W. H. Finley, prin
cipal. . '
Mrs. Charles O. (Virginia D.)
Ramsey, daughter of Mr. and Mrs;
R. L. Bryson of Bryson hotel, is
a new teacher in the Franklin
elementary school. Mrs. Ramsey is
a graduate of Kent State Normal
in Ohio and has studied at In
diana University. Her experience
includes teaching at Berry school,
Georgia; Carcasson, Ky., and Har
ris high school, Spruce Pine.
The Rainbow Springs pupils will
be transported by bus to the
Slagle school.
Following is the list and location
Lift And Location Of TK&r
Franklin High School:
W. H. Finky, principal; W. C.
Newton, history; J. C Hawkins,
mathematics; Miss Katherine Sher
rill, English; Miss' Frances Bar
ringer, mathematics; Miss Dorothy
Plonk, mathematics and science;
Miss Helen Moore, science; Miss
Genevieve Helen White, science ;
Miss Mildred Underwood, history;
Mrs. Philip L. Green, French;
Miss Gloria Reagan, English ; Mrs.
Catherine O'Neil, home economics;
Mrs. Katherine Porter Mathews,
seventh . grade ; Miss Marie P.
Stewart, history and English; E.
J. Whitmire, agriculture.
Elementary Teachers
Mrs. Lola P. Barrington, Mrs.
Mayberyl Moody, Mrs. Margaret
Ramsey, Mrs. Charles Ramsey,
Mrs. Beatrice M. Alley, Miss Edna
Jamison, Mrs. Pearl Hunter, Miss
Margaret Slagle; Mrs. Kate Wil
liams, . Mrs. Elsie W. Franks, Mrs.
Elizabeth C. Guffey ; Miss Amy
Henderson.
Iotla Tillery Love, Mrs. Bess
(Continued on Pag Tea)
WPA Offices
Will Remain Here In The
Ashear Building
WPA headquarters for Macon
county will remain in their present
location here in the Ashear build
ing under the terms of ah agree
ment reached Saturday by the
County Board of Commissioners and
the Town Board of Aldermen.
Funds for the WPA office rent
and telephone will be furnished
jointly by the county and the town.
The county is to pay $16 monthly
and . the town $15 -a total of $31
monthly, the amount requested by
the WPA.
Each board agreed to appropriate
the sum asked of it by means of
a letter circulated and signed by its
members.
If the office expenses had not
been furnished locally, the WPA
would have been forced to its
headquarters, where space in the
Municipal building there had been
kindly offered.
School Garage
And Bus Sheds
New bus sheds and , a garage
have been constructed by the coun
ty on the grounds of the Franklin
schools this summer, and are be
ing put in readiness to accomodate
Macon county busses and to pro
vide servicing . and repair work.
Bob Blaine, an experienced gar
age mechanic, who has been in
the employ, of the Burrell and Roy
Mashburn garages, will have charge
of the garage.
The routes of the busses will be
substantially the same as last year,
it was stated by the superintend
ent's office. -
Material Aid
For Britain Petition Sent
Reynolds And Weaver .
Bearing the names of ISO Frank
lin citizens, a petition requesting
that material aid be extended to
Great Britain in her present crisis
was mailed to Senator Robert R.
Reynolds and Congressman Zebulon
Weaver in Washington yesterday.
The petition specifically asked
that over-aged destroyers ' be sent
to the defense of England in
keeping with the aims of the com
mittee to Defend America by Help
ing the Allies, of which , William
Allen White is national chairman.
The petition, which was printed
in full in last week's Press, spon
sored by R. S. Omohundro, Charlie
Bradley, Bill Moore and others,
was circulated only on Main street,
and no effort was made to secure
more names. The fact that only
three approached did not wish to
sign their names; showed that the
sentiment of the citizens was over
whelmingly in sympathy with the
movement to extend prompt, aid
to Britain as the best insurance to
keep the war away from America.
The signed petition was dispatch
ed as promptly as possible as an
expression of the opinion of many
representative ' citizens men and
women.
Bryson Reunion To Be
At West's Mill Sunday
The Macon county Bryson re
union will be held on Sunday,
August 18, at the home of .Mrs.
James L. Bryson at West's Mill.
The program committee are arrang
ing a very interesting program
which will be given in the after
noon. T. D. Bryson, attorney of
Franklin, will be the guest speaker.
Special vocal music will be render
ed by a quartet composed of Lex
Angel, Joe Angel, Olin Graham
and James M. Raby.
Peek-Henderson Reunion
At Cliffside August 17
Descendants of the Peek-Henderson
families will gather at Cliff
side Lake on Highway 64, Satur
day, August, 17, for their annual
reunion.
Following the lunch a program
will be given and talks will be
made by attending visitors.
All members of both families'
are expected to be present, and
bring picnic lunch. '
Lions To Bring Carnival
To Franklin For Week
The Lions Club announced this
week that it had signed a contract
with the Wolfe Amusement com
pany to bring a carnival here for
a week, August 28-31.
No site for the carnival has been
wcured st yet,
Macon County Relatively
Undamaged By F 1 o o d s
Five Convicts And State
Employee Hurt Jn Crash
Near CullasajaX Friday
Five convicts from the prison
camp here and a state employee
were injured last Friday when the
state highway truck in which they
were riding left the highway as
another truck, driven by Harry
Cunningham of Franklin, attempted
to pass it.
The truck was completely de
molished in the crash, which oc
curred on U. S. 64 between Cul
lasaja and Gneiss as the men were
returning to camp.
Three of the prisoners' are still
in Angel hospital here. They are;
John Richardson, 44, fractured
ribs, sentenced from Burke county
6q a forgery charge; Dock Pol
lard, 25, fractured spine, sentenced
from Pender county for larceny,
and John Sneed, 41, fractured
shoulder, sentenced from Person
county for breaking and entering.
The other two injured prisoners,
Herman Baily, '24, sentenced from
Wake county for assault, and Win
nie Styles, sentenced from Chero
kee for breaking and entering, are
back in camp. R. L. Porter, state
employee suffered a broken knee
in the accident. .
Cunningham, the driver of the
other truck, stated that he had
pulled out to pass the state high
way truck when it suddenly careen
ed off the highway.
PARTNER DAY
PLANS MADE
One Hundred Prizes To
Be Offered By
C. Of C.
Arrangements for the first an
nual "Partner Day," to be held
here Labor Day, September 2, are
progressing rapidly, the chamber
of commerce reports. '
The purpose of "Partner Day",
according to Rev. Frank Bloxham,
secretary of the chamber, is to
enable citizens to become better
acquainted and to become partners
in boosting r-ranklin and Macon
county.
A special fund has been annro-
priated by the chamber of com
merce to provide 100-prizes for the
day. The prizes will consist of
orders tor merchandise on the
various . establishments that are
members of the civic organization.
Everyone is. eligible to Compete
for one of the prizes arrorflinir
to the following simple rules :
There will be a box containing
entries at the chamber of com
merce information booth on Main
street. All that has to be done is
to obtain one of the entry-cards,
bearing ta number, : and wear it.
Somewhere downtown someone else
will be wearing the identical num-r
ber.
When your partner - is found.
come back to the information booth
and each will receive a prize.
More-keepers and clerks will also
be wearine numbers. A snuare
dance on the public square will
probably close the day.
The chamber of commerce is
hoping to arrange with merchants
to offer additional prizes and hold
special sales on the day.
Three Women Hurt In
Head-On Collision In
Cat Creek Section Sun.
' Three Macon county women were
injured in a head-on automobile
collision Sunday in the Cat Creek
section of Macon county near the
home of Jerry R. Franklin.
Mrs. Ina Henry Duvall, daugh
ter of R. F. Henry, and a teacher
in the Macon . county public
schools, suffered a dislocated knee
cap. Miss Nell Justice, a nurse
in the Harris Community hospital
at Sylva, received a fractured
skull and her sister, Mrs. Bryan
betser of the Cartoogechaye com
munity, suffered a hip dislocation.
The latter two are daughters of
Mr. and Mrs. John Justice, of
Franklin Route 4.
They were all taken to Angel
Clinic where their conditions were
reported to be very satisfactory.
Rev. Ray Riddle Guest
Minister Here Sunday
Rev. F. Fay Riddle, D. D., pastor
of the Shandon Presbyterian
church, Columbia, S. C, will be the
guest minister at the Franklin
Presbyterian church this Sunday
at the 11 a. m. services.
Miss Frances Riddle will render
a special vocal selection at the
Counties Farther East are
Hard Hit; Eleven
Lives Lost
Macon county came off relative
ly light compared to surrounding
counties in the torrential rains
that swept across Western North
Carolina early this week.
Serious damage, to crops is re
ported, especially in Smith Bridge,
Cullasaja and Flats townships,' and
around five bridges are reported
washed out on secondary roads
over the county.
"Farmers in the damaged areas
tell me that the crop loss is around
50 per cent," County Agent Sam
Mendenhall said. More complete
figures were not available.
Franklin was cut off from train
and bus service from the east
Tuesday, but all transportation fa
cilities were restored by Wednes
day. The Nantahala Power and Light
company reported that the Little
Tennessee river reached the high
est point in the records of their
company at the powerhouse on
Lake Emory. A log boom protect
ing the intake at the powerhouse
broke loose Tuesday night, but was
secured before any damage could
be done. Some damage was also
reported at the Glenville project on
the Tuckaseegee river.
Over Western North Carolina,
floods and landslides took a toll
of five lives, resulting in injuries
to at least 11 people, a survey dis
closed Wednesday night. Property
damage will run into- rnillions of
dollars: . ,
Asheville, cut off from its source
of water'since Tuesday when floods
severed the conduits leading from
the watersheds, managed to repair
the breaks late Thursday afternoon,
after the city had been threatened
with a serious water shortage. .
The Champion Fibre company re
sumed operations Wednesday after
having been forced too close by
flood waters in the plant itself.
Fibreville, near Canton, was com
pletely induated and were com
pelled to flee their homes.
Cullowhee was completely cut off
by the raging waters of the Tuck
aseegee river Tuesday, but little
damage was reported.
North Wilkesboro suffered an
estimated $2,000,000 damage and 2,
500 persons were thrown out of
work by ta combined fire and flood.
After the rising Yadkin river had
severed power and water facilities,
two industrial plants mysteriously
caught fire and turned to the
ground.
Eastern Star
Head To Make Official
Visit Here
Mis. Leola M. Byerly, Worthy
Grand Matron of the Grand Chap
ter of North Carolina, Order of
the Eastern Star, will make- her
official visit- .e Nequassa Chapter-.
NOr'43 here, at a special meeting
to be held at the Masonic Temple
Monday night, August 19, at' 8
o'clock.
On Wednesday, August 21, the
annual district meeting of the
Twelfth District of North Caro
lina, Order of the Eastern Star,
will be held at the Masonic Temple
in Bryson City with Tuckaseegee
Chapter No. 16 as hostess.
Miss Elizabeth Slagle, district
Deputy Grand Matron will preside.
A large delegation from here is
expected to be present.
Mrs. Byerly, who has visited
Nequassa Chapter on former oc
casions, is widely known through
out the state in Eastern Star work.
Up until the past few years, she
made her home in Asheville. She
now resides in Salisbury. .
Other Grand officers of . the
Grand Chapter who are expected
to be present both at the meeting
here and in Bryson City are: Mr.
John L. Orr of Bryson City,
Worthy Grand Patron; Mr. Harley
Welch of Bryson City, District
Deputy Grand Patron ; Mrs. Jean
Moore, of Franklin, Grand Repre
sentative of Michigan; Eunice Hill
Church of Franklin, Grand Adah;
and Miss Elizabeth Slagle of
Franklin, District Deputy Grand
Matron of the Twelfth District
service. The public is cordially in
vited. The regular Sunday school exer
cises will be held at 10 a. m., under
the direction of James: A. Sutton,
superintendent of the Sunday school.
Motor vehicle accidents in this
country last year resulted in non
fatal injuries to 1,150,000 persons.