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P Iff )G HUSSIVE
LIBJUL4L
LYhEl'k'XDHjYT
VOL. LXI? NO. 12
FRANKLIN, N. C.. THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 1946
$2.00 PER YKAR
2,161 PERSONS
LEFT MACON IN
2-YEAR PERIOD
One Out Of Every E;.ght
Left Here In Early
Part Of War
i One person out of every eight
In Macon County left here dur
ing the early part of the war,
figures compiled by the U. 8.
Bureau of the Census show.
This county's official count of
population in 1040 was 15,880.
By November 1, 1943, It had
dropped to 13,719. That figure
is based on the Census Bureau
check if the number of men,
women, and children in the
county who registered fir War
Ratiln Book No. 4.
The- net loss was 2,161, or 13.6
per cent of the 1940 population.
By the time the war was
over, the total loss, of course,
was much greater, since hun
dreds of persons lelt this coun
ty after November, 1943, to enter
the armed forces or to work in
war plants.
Nor would a figure up to the
war's end tell the complete
story of population loss, because
there was a heavy exodus, to
the armed forces and to war
plants prior to 1946.
The war resulted in a popu
lation loss for every county in
the mountain area, except Gra
ham, that county registered the
phenominal increase of 5,257
persons, or an 81.9 per cent
gain.
Neighboring Clay, the state's
smallest county, was hardest
hit. A 29.1 per cent loss be
tween 1940 and 1943 cost that
county 1,363 of- Its residents,
leaving only 4,542 at home.
50 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK
Messrs. Ashe and McGee made
a raid Monday night and cap
tured two prisoners at Corund
rum Hill for violation of the
revenue laws. It was dark and
McGee fell into the mill
race and was thoroughly soaked
with water and, on his arrival
in Franklin about midnight, he
was nearly frozen.
? ?
Burning town ? Married at the
residence of the bride's grand
mother, March 5, 1896, Miss
Lily Reeves to Mr. Irving Drin
in, C. S. Ray, Esq., officiating.
Calico reduced from seven
and a half cents to five cents
at Wright's. Warranted fast col
ors.
25 YEARS AGO
Gneiss News: ' '
Surely gray-bearded winter Is
not trying to deceive us. Listen
to the frogs croaking along
Sugarfork, and the cooing of
the birds in the trees overhead.
Take a tramp through- the for
est. Get the odor of sprouting
grass and swelling buds bant
ing into life. See the lovely
arbutus trailing its graceful way
over the cUffs, raising its dust
ers of dainty, fragile blossoms
from the sup-kissed earth, fill
ing the air with a perfuine
sweeter than any that ever
came from the Orient. This is
spring, harbinger of the good
old summer time.
Did everybody see the "Flying
Machine" that soared so high
above our peaks? To many, It
looked like a lone - bird of the
carrion class. Madam Rumor
says that one thoughtful moth
er heard the noise and , she
feared the end of time was near
at hand. So she called' the fam
ily all into the house that they
might go together.
1? YEARS AGO
T. W. Angel, Jr., was elected
chairman of the Rebupllcan or
ganization In Macon County at
the party1* biennial county con
vention in the courthouse Sat
urday. He succeeds Walter Dean,
of Etna. E. B. DeHart was
elected secretary, succeeding
Don' Henry.
Two camps of the Civilian
Conservation Corps In Macon
County have been ordered to
.jm** mm v
War Bond Sales In Macon
Totaled Nearly 3 Million
Macon County business firms,
organizations, and individuals
bought government bonds total
ing nearly three million dollars,
during the war.
The final, complete figures
have been received by H. W.
Cabe, county war loan chair
man, from the Treasury depart
ments.
All bonds sold in this county,
from 1941 through 1945, totaled
$2,984,291 ? an average of nearly
$200 for every man, woman, and
child in the county.
Of this total, $1,517,374.50, or
slightly more than half, was in
"E" bonds, the bonds issued in
smaller denominations, and de
signed primarily for the small,
individual investor.
In each of the eight bond
drives, this county's suota was
oversubscribed.
The "E" bond sales and the
overall sales (including "E"
bonds t for each of the five
years follow:
? Overall
Sales
$36,818.00
258,764.00
650,276.75
1,237 ,349.00
801,083.25
Year
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
"E" Bonds
$36,818.00
209,915.00
415,659.25
498,709.00
356,273.25
Totals 1,517,374.50 2,894,291.00
The Weather
Following are the official
high and low temperature read
ings and the amount of rain
fall for each of the past seven
days here:
Saturday 70 50 .77
Rainfall for week, 2.05 inches.
NOTE: Rainfall listed for
each day is for the 24 hours
ending at 6 a. m. on that day.
Death Claims
W. H. Sellers;
Rites Tuesday
Thursday
Friday ....
High Low Prec.
62 54 .79
76 50 .13
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday ...
Wednesday
65 44 .04
66 41 .02
59 39 .13
63 42 .17
William H. Sellers, 77, died at
his home , on Harrison avenue
last Sunday afternoon at 6:40
o'clock of a heart attack. He
had been In failing health for
several months.
Born October 21, 1868, in the
Watauga section of this county,
where he spent his early life,
he was the son of George and
Tabitha Sellers. During his ac
tive years, he was a farmer.
For the past several years, he
and Mrs. Sellers had operated
the "Riverview'' tourist home.
He was a member of St. Agnes
Episcopal church.
Mr. Sellers in 1898 .married
Miss Sallie Stalcup, and the
widow and two daughters, Miss
Gladys Sellers and Mrs: Dan T.
Bryson, both of Franklin, sur
vive. Also surviving are one
sister, Mrs. Alex Berry of
Franklin; one brother, John
Sellers, of Gastonia; and one
granddaughter, Sara Lee Bry
son.
Funeral services were held at
St. Agnes church Tuesday after
noon at 3 o'clock, with the rec
tor, the Rev. A. Rufus Morgan,
officiating. Interment was in
the Franklin cemetery.
The pallbearers were Henry
W. Cabe, J. S. Conley, George
Stalcup, Cecil L. Pendergrass,
Lawrence B. Liner, and B. L.
McGlamery. -
Bryant funeral home was in
charge of arrangements.
Red Cross
Campaign Has Raited
Half Of Quota
Reports received here up to
Thursday from Red Cross
workers throughout the county
showed a total of $1,669.23 con
tributed in the current cam
paign to raise funds for the
organization's work during the
coming year.
The total Is slightly less than
half of the quota of <3,450 as
signed to Macon county. It is
more than $500 greater, how
ever, than the amount reported
last week, when only a third
of the quota had been raised.
A number of communities
have not yet made final re
ports. Among them Is Highlands,
and the Rev. W. Jackson Hun
eycutt, chapter chairman, com
mented that "Highlands always
can be depended to do its
share".
.While it Is felt that reports*
from communities as yet un
heard from will greatly boost
the total so far reported, Red
Cross officials expressed the be
?lief that the quota cannot be
raised unless everyone who has
not already contributed does so
nVWt. ? . - . S " -
RITES HELD FOR
MRS. BROWNING
Former Macon Teacher
Succumbs After
Long Illness ,
Funeral services for Mrs. Nan- 1
nie West Browning, 56, of the
West's Mill community, who died j '
in a Western North Carolina 1
sanatorium last Friday morn.- '
ing at 4 o'clock, were held at \
the Snow Hill Methodist church
Sunday afternoon , at 1:30
o'clock.
The Rev. D. P. Grant, pastor,!
officiated, assisted by the Rev.
C. C. Welch, pastor of the Co
wee Baptist church, and the
Rev. W. Jackson. Huneycutt,
pastor of the Franklin Metho
dist church. Interment followed
In the .Oak Grove cemetery.
Pallbearers were Charles
Owens, Jr., Clyde J. Smith, H.
P. Browning, John McCollum, J.
L. West, Jr., and Zeb Gibson,
Jr.
The flower girls, were Misses
Ruth West, Rebecck Nan Smith,
Annie Marie Browning, Evelyn
Browning, Ruth Smith Wilen
and Mildred Dalton.
Mrs. Browning, the, former
Miss Nannie West, daughter of
the late Mr. and Mrs. Jess L.
West, Sr., was born March 15,
1890, and was raised in the
West's Mill community. She
taught in the public schools - of
Macon county until her mar- :
riage to the late Vance A.
Browning July 21, 1915.
She joined the Snow Hill
Methodist church at the age of
14, and was active in church
work as long as her health per
mitted.
During her long illness her
sunny smile was an inspiration
to all who came in contact with
her.
Shortly following the death
of her husband, In 1937, she
moved from her home in Bryson
City, where she had lived for
23 years, back to her old home
place at West's Mill with her
mother, who died last Decem
ber.
Surviving are four sisters,
Miss Vonnie West and Mrs.
Clara W. Owens, of West's Mill,
Mrs. Zeb Gibson, of Winston
Salem, and Mrs. Lewis J. Smith,
of Cullowhee; and four broth
ers, Clyde N. West and Dr. J.
L. West, of West's Mill, W.
Floyd West, of Ibapah, Utah,
and Harry H. West, of Asheville.
Potts funeral directors were
in charge of arrangements.
Franchise
For Motor Freight To <
Franklin Sought
J. E. Robinson, representing
the Blue Ridge Trucking com
pany, Asheville, was in Frank
lin Tuesday seeking the sup- '
port of local business men in
the company's effort to get a '
hearing before the State Util
ities commission on its applica- '
tion for a franchise to haul
general freight between Ashe
ville, Sylva, Bryson City, and
Franklin.
The application, which, Mr.
Robinson said, has been pend
ing since February 7, sets forth
that the Atlanta-Asheville Mo
tor express operates a dally
through service between Atlan
ta and Asheville, but that it
carries solid truck loads from
Canton to Atlanta, so that It
offers no east-west service for
the towns between, and that
the only other carrier operat
ing over part of this route Is
the Smith Transfer? which re
s'0"* WMtfJ .3
BAPTISTS PLAN
IMPROVEMENTS
TO BUILDING
Fine Organ And Pulpit
Furniture To Be
Donated
Members of the Franklin
Baptist church, at a church
conference Wednesday night,
voted to make improvements to
the church that are expected
to cost several thousand dollars.
At the same time It was an- |
nounced that a member of the
congregation will give the
church a Hammond or Qrgar
ron organ, while another mem
ber will donate new pulpit fur
niture. Both donors asked to
remain anonymous.
The plan, for Improvements in
the building calls for tearing
out the rear of the pulpit and
construction of a choir loft,
and for the elevation of the
baptistry. The two changes are
expected to add about 50 per
:ent to the seating capacity of
the church auditorium.
It also is planned to install i
spera chairs in the Sunday
ichool rooms, if and when the
chairs can be obtained.
Box Supper
To Be Held At School
Here Friday At 8
A box supper will be held at ,
;he Franklin school Friday 1
I March 22) night at 8 o'clock,
for the benefit of the fund be- i
ng raised to bring the N. C. j
Symphony Orchestra to Frank- I
In for a concert April 2.
A good string band will be
) resent to provide music, and
.here will be square dancing
ind a cake walk.
The Parent-Teacher associa- ;
Ion, at its meeting Monday
light, voted to sponsor the
ivent. since members expressed
he belief that the appearance
tf the concert here is an edu
cational event of the first im
wrtance. The orchestra will give
i free concert in the afternoon
or the school children.
Mrs. R. S. Jones, Mrs. W. E.
iunnicutt, and Mrs. John Bul
[in were appointed as the com
nittce in charge. B. L. (Benny i
nicOLamery will auction the
>oxes. j
Members of ..the committee
Minted out that, while a box
upper is not a new idea, there
ire many persons here who
lever have attended one, and
;hat it will prove a novel form
>f entertainment to them. Those
vho have been to box suppers,
t was added, "know how much
un they are". ?
The parent-teacher meeting
vas featured by~~ftn open forum,
ed by Mrs. Eloise O. Franks,
:ounty welfare superintendent,
>n school truancy as a contri
>utlng factor to juvenile delln
luency. It was brought out that
!9 children who are supposed
o be attending the Franklin
;chool have not been often
;nougli this year to be counted
is In school, and 23 of them
laven't been to the school once
;hls year.
Mrs. Franks pointed out that
uvenile delinquency in North
Carolina has decreased marked- i
y since the close of the war.
Penland
Wins W. n7 C. Public
Speaking Contest
Louis Penland, 14-year old
Macon County boy, walked away
with the honors at a Western
North Carolina public speaking
contest held at Cullowhee Wed
nesday. The contest was a part
Df the vocational agriculture
program in the high schools,
and five other schools in this
region were represented.
The subject of his talk was
"It Takes a Farm-Minded Peo
ple to Make a Success of Farm
ing".
Young Penland, who won over
three other Franklin school vo
cational agriculture students in
a preliminary here last Friday,
now Is eligible to enter the-'dls
trict contest In May. The win
ner of that will enter the state
contest.
Fanner purchases of baby
chicks In 1046 are expected to
be about 14 per c?nt lower than
1R MM.
35 From Macon
Now In School,
Under G. I. Bill
A total of 35 Macon Coun
ty veterans of World War 2,
taking advantage of the edu
cational provisions of the G.
I. Bill of Rights, are now in
school, figures compiled by
Bab S. Stoan, veterans serv
ice officer, show.
The applications of appro*- |
imately 50 others are pend
ing, he added.
These figures do not in- 1
elude the veterans who tak
ing the on-the-job appren- |
tice and farm training made
possible by the G. 1. bill.
DEATH CLAIMS
ZEB V. SHOPE
Prentiss Resident Long
Had Been Active In
Coun-ty Affairs
Zeb V. Shope, widely known
Macon county citizen, died at
his home in the Prentiss com
munity last Sunday afternoon
at 2:30 o'clock, following an ill
ness of several months. He was
69 years old.
Death was attributed to a
heart ailment and applications.
A life-long resident of Macon
county, he was active in its 1
affairs up to the time of his last 1
illness. A leading Democrat, he
had served as chairman of the i
county board of elections and i
as coroner, and for many years
was a member of his commun- i
ity's school committee. Only re- i
cently, he was Instrumental in
getting a graveled road through
his community, ? for which he
donated the stone and much of '
the labor. His advice on public ,
and community affairt was j
often sought and highly re- j
spected. (
For four years, Mr. Shope was (
a game warden for the Nan
tahala National forest.
Funeral services were held at ,
the Pleasant Hill Baptist church (
in the Prentiss section Tuesday (
afternoon at 2 o'oloclv-with the
Rev. James I. Vinson, of Dillard,
Ga., Route 1, the Rev. G. E. j f
Scruggs, pastor of the Prentiss
Baptist church, and the Rev. J
V. N. Allen, pastor of the Ma
con Methodist circuit, officiat
ing. Interment followed in the f
church cemetery.
The pallbearers were J. L. 1
Sanders, Karl Harrison, Paul j
Bryson, A. O. Stampley, and
Ray Swafford, sons-in-law, and j
Woodrow Shope, a nephew.
The honorary pallbearers in- ! 1
eluded A. B. Slagle, J. M. Har- ! '
rison, Robert A. Patton, Ben 1
Harrison, Sam Stockton, J. C. 1
Sanders, Worley' DeHart and
Charles Led ford.
The flower bearers were Mrs.
Frank- Shope, Mrs. ?Quinjce .
Shope, Mrs. Lake V. Shope and j i
Mrs. Jess Shope, daughters-ln- \ ;
law, and Misses Edith, Marga- i
ret, Elura Belle and Betty San- I ]
ders and Miss Jeanette Harri- 1
son, granddaughters.
Surviving are the widow; 13
children, Mrs. J. L. ? Sanders,
of Prentiss, Mrs. Earl Harrison,
Franklin, Route 1, Mrs. A. O.
Stampley, Portsmouth, Va., Mrs.
Paul Bryson, Waynesville, Mrs.
Ray Swafford, Franklin, and !
John F. Shope, Quince M. Shope,
Lake V. Shope, Jess E. Shope,
Ledger B. Shope, William L. |
Shope and Z. Weaver Shope, all
of Franklin, and Lieut. W. R.
Shope, of the U. S. martime
service; 19 grandchildren; one
great-grandchild, and one broth
er, Ed V. Shope, of Prentiss.
Potts funeral home was in
charge of arrangements.
Highway Patrolman
Smith Assigned To
Duty In Franklin
The State Highway patrol has
assigned a patrolman to Frank
lin, and he will move here in
the near future, it was an
nounced this week.
The new patrolman here Is
Pritchard Smith, who for sev
eral years before entering the
armed forces was stationed at
Murphy.
At present, he is working out
of Sylva, but will make head
quarters here as soon as he can
obtain a car and . other neces
tftry equipment.
2 MORE OUT FOR
SHERIFF. 1 FOR
COMMISSIONER
B r y s o n , Norton, And
Stewart Announce
Candidacies
Three more Democrats this
week announced that they are
candidates for the nominations
to county offices in the party
primary May 25.
Two seek the post 6f sheriff,
bringing to three the number
in that race. The other an
nouncement is for county com
missioner, bringing to three the
number running for the two
memberships, other than chair
man, on that board.
The new candidates are Bill
Bryson. and Paschal Norton, for
sheriff; and Harley Stewart, for
county commissioner.
Meanwhile, a county board of
elections was appointed by the (
state board of elections at its
meeting in Raleigh last Satur
day. Named on the Macon
County board ai^e J.J. Mann, oi
Franklin, Route 2, chairman.
George L. (Tedi Blaine, of
Franklin, and George Dean, of
Franklin. The first two are
Democrats, the third a Repub
lican. Mr. Mann and Mr. Dean
both were reappointed, while
Mr. Blaine succeeds Porter Pier
son, of Highlands, who resigned
several wefeks ago.
The board of elections is
charged with responsibility for
naming registrars and judges
for the primary and general
elections, having tickets printed,
ind supervising the elections.
Republicans To Meet
In the Republican camp, a
gathering of leaders from the
various townships is slated for
Saturday afternoon at 2 o'clock
n the courtroom of the court
house. At' that tlfne, the new
executive committee, made up
af chairmen of the precinct
committees, will ijieet and or
ganize. The precinct meetings
were scheduled for last Satur
iay afternoon, but in many
;ases rain interferred. It was
expected that those precinct
committees would be selected
in the course of this' week, or
possibly just. prior to the exe
cutive meeting 'Saturday.
Mr. Stewart, the new candi
iate for county commissioner,
s a native of- Jackson county,
but was reared in Macon, and
tie and his family now make v
their home in the Patton set
tlement. Mr. Stewart, a farmer,
bought the Andy Angel place
in 1941, and his place, a unit
iemonstration farm, has been
cited as an example of how
good farm practices pay.
Others In Race
The other two candidates al
ready announced for member
ship on the board of commis
sioners are W. W. Edwards, of
Highlands, who seeks to suc
:eed himself, and John W.
Roane, of Cartoogechaye.
Mr. Norton, one of the two
new candidates for sheriff, was
reared in Smith Bridge town
ship, where his parents, Mr. and
Mrs. Lester Norton, still live.
He was educated in the Macon
and Jackson county schools,
and since 1940 has been man
ager of the Dixie store here,
except for three years in the
navy, two years of which were
spent in the Pacific. Discharged
with the rating of boatswain
second class, he returned to
Franklin last November. He and
Mrs. Norton, the former Miss
Maybur Henson, and their in
fant son make their home in
Franklin.
Mr. Bryson, the other new
candidate for sheriff, was rear
ed in the Cullasaja community.
He was graduated from the
Iotla High school and took a
commercial course at the Ed
wards Business college in Win
ston-Salem. For eight years he
was finance officer and assis
tant superintendent ? later, su
perintendent?of WPA work in
Macon county. Entering the
army, he served 30 months as
a member of the military police,
two years of which was spent
in Alaska and Canada. He was
recently discharged, and served
this year as tax lister for this
township. He and Mrs. Bryson,
the former Miss Meda Peek,
make their home in Franklin.
The third Democratic candl-,
date for sheriff is L. B. Phillips,
announced sometime ago.