-
Macon Highway Safety
Record for 194$ to Dot*
(t'rHn Stat* Highway Patrol reaorda)
KILLED .... ?
INJURED ! I
Do Your Part to Keep
These Figure* Down!
nWiti if t
l^igblan^ 20acottian
PROGRESSIVE
LIBERAL
tNDEPENDEA t
vol. LXIII? NO. I
FRANKLIN, N. C- THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1948
$2.00 PER YEAR
108 REGISTER
HERE FOR VOTE
ON BEER. WINE
Issue To Be Deckled
Feb. 14; Saturday
Challenge Day
A total of 108 persons in
Franklin township had register
ed for the county-wide beer and
wine election February 14. when
the registration books cloaed
Saturday, it was announced.
This compares with a total
townstiip registration of about
"2,1)00
Registration figures for other
townships in the county were
not avanable yesterday.
Of the 108 new registrants
persons whose names were not
already on the general election
books ? Gi, or more than half,
registered last Saturday.
Saturday, February 7, will be
challenge day, and the elec
tion, to determine whether legal
sale of beer ajid wffle shall be
outlaweiyfc- fliis county, will be |
heTd T blowing Saturday. The
voting be at the regular
polling! Juices throughout the
county.
The election was called by the
county board of election, fol
B presentation of a peti
trmg the names of 15
ol Macon County vot
ca^C* allots in the 1944
orial general election.
Historical
Society Will Hold
Meet Monday Night
Macon County Historical
Ity will meet Monday eve
? at 7:30 o'clock at the home
/.Mr and Mrs. Gilmer A.
[es.
'program of historical in
is being arranged.
sons interested in the
i 'he society are
Slagle, president,
lli From
Kerosene
jean McDowell, two
__ old daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. John McDowell, of Culla
saja, was admitted to Angel
clinic Wednesday afternoon,
suffering 4fre effects of
drinking a. quantity, of kerosene
earlier in afternoon. The
kerosene, inV "cup, was believed
*Co"JW8f?. .bfsff mistaken by the
child for water.
i Do You
m Remember . . . ?
W. (Looking backward Ihioufh
the files of The Press)
50 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK
James Wlnsted bid off the
Philip Guyer farm on Iotla last
Monday at $1,870. It was prob*
ably bid off for Doc Barnard
and Bird Collins, who -are In
Colorado. -
Last Wednesday at noon as
Tom Poiter was driving R. L.
Porter's tsfetin up the street,
they started to run away from
upposlte Mrs. Robinson's dwell
ing. In lront of Mr. Johnston's
dwelling, Tom jumped out be
hind, getting a pretty hard fall.
One horse was hurt a little,
but Tom was not hurt.
15 YEARS AGO
The material for the plate
glass window for W. L. McCoy's
handsome new business building
on Main street arrived this week
and workmen are now busy
putting the finishing touches on
the structure. It is expected
that the three ground floor store
rooms will be ready for occu
pancy by March 1st.
At a meeting of the board of
aldermen hoW last Saturday
night the basfcd agreed to give
$100 to help pay the expenM
of grading and putting in prop
ter shape the athletic field near
Ijjtenew high school building.
jo YEARS AGO
|k political campaign
Haunty got under way
Hkrlth the announce
Huy L. Houk for atata
Hn the S3rd district
W Patton to auccMd
fT reprwantattw In th?
treu #hion
lor tb
Franklin uaurM tor tt
adequate aupply of water
> long tkn* to eont-prob*
jruri, (Bxctrpt from
J
Sloan Retires After 32
Years As Mail Carrier
Alter nearly a third of a cen
tury as a rural mail carrier, I
Harold T. Sloan retired Janu- 1
ary 31.
Mr. Sloan was the oldest em
ploye, in point of service, of
the Franklin post office, and he
had carried the mail longer
than any one in the history of
the office here. He , served
under five postmasters? W. W.
Jones, Charles h. Ingram, Sam
L. Franks, John E. Rlckman,
and T. W. Porter.
On the occasion of his retire
ment, he was presented a hand
some Parker 51 pen by the post
office staffi
Mr. Sloan's six-day-a-week
service covered a period of 31
years, seven months. The only
break was during World War 1,
when he was on leave of ab
sence for army service, which
included duty In France.
Following his graduation from
the University of North Caro
lina and a year and half as a
teacher? at Highlands and at
Iotla? he Joined the postal serv
ice June 1, 1916, and was car
rier on Route 3 for 29 years.
About three years ago, he trans
ferred to the shorter Route 2.
When he took it over, Route
3 was 27 miles in length; three
years ago, when Mr. Sloan
transferred, it had been ex
tended to 62 miles, serving
some 4,000 patrons. Yet, due to
improvement in roads and trans
portation methods, he could
cover the 62 miles and serve
! the far larger number of pa
trons in about half the time
HAROLD T. SLOAN
it took him to make his rounds
in 1916.
In the early days, the mail
was taken by buggy, with the
carriers resorting to horseback
travel in severe weather. They
reported at the post office at 7
a. m., started on their routes
? Continued on Page Six
EXTEND POLIO
DRIVE TO FEB. 7
Bad Weather Cited; This
County $400 Short
Of Its Quota
The infantile paralysis fund
campaign has been extended
uhttl-' February 7, J. Horner
Stockton, fund chairman, an
nounced Tuesday.
Mr. Stockton made the an
nouncement after receiving a
telegram from Governor R.
Gregg Cherry informing him
that the campaign would be
continued, state-wide, for an
additional week.
The text of Governor Cher
ry's telegram is as follows:
"Due to severe weather con
ditions in the state during past
ten days progress of March of
Dimes has been seriously ham
pered, therefore, campaign per
iod in North Carolina will con
tinue through Saturday, Febru
ary 7, so that every county or
ganization may have an oppor
tunity to bring drive to success
ful conclusion. God speed you
in efforts for this good cause.
R. Gregg Cherry, Governor of
North Carolina."
Mr. Stockton said that he
hoped that this additional week
would enable Macon County to
go over the top, but that every
person who desires to contribute
must do so this week, because
Monday the fund was still $400
short of the $1620 goal.
Mr. Stockton expressed grati
fication that the time has been
extended, because he said he
felt that every person who
wishes to contribute should be
contacted, but that this had not
been possible, due to the bad
weather.
Education Board
To Meet Monday
With Architect
Last Monday's monthly meet
ing of the county board of ed
ucation was postponed until
next Monday, due to the fact
that Lindsay Gudger, of Ashe
vllle, architect for the proposed
school buildings, was unable to
get here, according to an an
nouncement by Gordon Moore,
board chairman.
Mr. Gudger will be here next
Monday, at which time the
board will seek information con
cerning building costs for the
proposed program.
Commissioners Transact
Only Routine Business
At Its meeting Monday, with
all members present, the Ma
con County board of commls
slonsrs approved payment of
several bills and transacted
other routlns business.
A petition requesting that a
small stretch of road in the
Hickory Knoll oommunity be
plaeed on the stat? highway
system for maintenance was
read, approved, and forwarded
to officials In Raleigh.
Macon Boy Leads
Area With Corn
Yield Of 158.7
Fred Deal, 13-year old
Macon County 4-H club boy,
won first honors at last
Saturday's Fanners Feder
ation 100-bushel Corn club
dinner in Asheville.
Young Deal, the son of
Mr. and Mrs. Jake Deal,
grew 158.7 bushels of hy
brid corn on an acTe of his
father's Cat Creek farm.
He was awarded the $10
first prize for the largest
yield in Western North Car
olina, and a $6 prize for the
largest yield in his county.
Pointing out that this
probably is the largest corn
yield ever obtained in the
moun&in region, and that
this county's average yield
is only about 30 bushels,
County Agent S. W. Men
denhall remarked that "Fred
has certainly given the
grown-up farmers of Ma
con County a challenge".
Student Held
Up, Robbed
Of $500, Car
L. C. Nix, of Satolah, Ga., who
is a student at the University
of Georgia, was held up and
robbed of his automobile and
$500 in cash at a spot near the
North Carolina-Georgia, line on
the Highlands-C>illard highway,
last Friday night.
Pritchard Smith, Jr., local
highway patrolman, who was
called to the scene by Grover
Wilson, sheriff of Rabun coun
ty, reported he was held up by
two armed men after he was
forced to stop his car, due to
the road being blocked.
Mr. Smith said Wednesday
that he had not learned of any
developments in the case. He
added that the robbery was very
similar to the one which took
place near there on December
28, when Olln Dryman, High
lands policeman, was robbed of
his car and $31 in cash.
No arrests have been made in
connection with either hold up.
DEATH CLAIMS
GEORGE M'GEE
Rites For Well Known
Highway Employe To
Be Thursday
George W. McGee, 58, well
known state highway commis
sion employe, died Wednesday
morning at 8:30 o'clock at
Angel hospital.
Mr. McGee, who had been in
ill health for some time, was
taken to the hospital ten days
ago, suffering from an acute
heart condition.
Funeral services will be held
this (Thursday) afternoon at
2:30 o'clock at the Mount Zion
Methodist church, in the Car
toogechaye community. Mr. Mc
Gee's pastor, the Rev. Charles
E. Parker, and the Rev. J. H.
Brendall, Franklin Methodist
pastor, and Mrs. R. H. Hull,
pastor of the Mount Zion
church, will conduct the service.
Active pallbearers will be
, George Byrd, Jim McCall, Can
1 Slagle, Bob Porter, Gordon
Moore, and Herbert McGlamery.
Serving as honorary pallbear
ers will be the following state
highway employes: Harry Hig
gins, Carl Baldwin, Joel Dalton,
L. T. Gillespie, J. L. Hicks, Gene
L. Jacobs, Sam R. Jacobs, Elmer
K. Johnson, Fred C. Jones,
Grover Lewis, James M. Love,
Robert M. Morgan, Harold G.
Moore, Lawrence Myers, Frank
J. Phillips, James E. Smart,
George T. Stalcup, Frank
Stiles, Lee Tallent, Glenn H.
Tallent, James G. Thompson, B.
G. Waldroop, B. J. Waldroop, N.
A. Waldroop, R. T. Womack, and
Tom Johnson.
"Uncle George", as he was
known to hundreds of Macon
County persons, was a native of
this county, having been born
February 14, 1890, the son of
Charles and Mrs. Jennie Potts
McGee.
While never a seeker of po
litical office, he long had been
active in the county's political
affairs, and perhaps knew per
sonally more people throughout
the county than any one else.
Surviving are his widow, Mrs.
Anna Setser McGee; three
daughters, Mrs. R. D. Carson,
Mrs. Glenn Hastings, and Miss
Kate McGee, all of Franklin;
and one brother, Elbert McGee,
of Cleveland, Tenn.
Funeral arrangements are
under the direction of Bryant
funeral home.
Rail Service
Interrupted By Wreck,
Resumed Here
Rail service was resumed yes
terday (Wednesday) at noon on
the Tallulah Falls railway be
tween Clayton and Franklin.
All traffic over this route had
been discontinued since last
Thursday, due to a train wreck
just south of Prentiss.
The wreck which happened
near a high trestle, was caused
by a defective rail. Three
freight cars plunged over the
embankment, but no one was
injured, according to R. O. Be
shears, local station agent.
Mail and express service had
been maintained this week, but
no freight was delivered until
the first train arrived yester
day at noon.
Dr. McCutdheon Heads
Language Association
Dr. Roger P. McCutcheon,
dean of the graduate school of
Tulane university, recently was
named president of the South
Central Modern Language asso
ciation, it has been learned
here. Dr. McCutcheon has a
summer home In the Cartooge
chaye community, and he and
members of his family have
many friends here.
Reports He Was Robbed;
Police Says It's Fake;
Now He's One In Jail
Because he Is alleged to have
reported a robbery that never
occurred, Charlie Johnson, of
Highlands, Is being held In the
Macon County jail.
Shortly after noon Tuesday,
Jack Lunsford, highway patrol
man at Highland*, received a
call, reporting a robbery by
armed man, at a point juat out
(Id* Highlands. Arriving on the
scene, he said, he found Mr.
Johnson, who reported he had
been fixing a toy gun for a boy
in hli shop there when three
armed men entortd and took a
small amount of cash from him
and flew In an automobile.
State highway patrolmen in
Franklin, Bryson City, and Syl
va were notified. Patrolman
Prltchard Smith, Jr., went from
Franklin and helped in the In
vestigation.
After some inveitlgatlon, and
questioning of Mr. Johnson,
brought out many inconsisten
cies In his story, officers said,
the man who alleged he was
robbed was brought to Frank
lin and himself placed In ]all
h?rf.
Aldermen Vote To
Dig Another Well
Says Forest
Growth Data
'Misleading'
The statement, frequently
made recently by lumbermen,
that the United States is grow
ing timber as fast as it is cut
ting it is misleading, in the
opinion of John H. Stone, of
Atlanta, regional U. S. forester,
and former supervisor of the
Nantahala National sorest.
Mr. Stone, Interviewed while
here the latter part of last
week on an inspection trip,
iaid it is true a Forest Service
survey made in 1945 showed
chat 97.9 of the total forest
timber is in process of being
replaced by present growth, bui
explained that not all of this
new growth is, or ever will be,
lit for saw timber. Many trees,
he said, due to non-comformi
ties in growth and other phys
ical delects, never win mam.
saw logs; furthermore, many of
the trees included in the 97.9
ligure are too young to be
classed as saw timber? they will
not be saw timber for years.
Likening the forests to a huge
factory in which many of the
articles are on their way to
becoming linished products but
are still in the process of man
ufacture, Mr. Stone emphasized
that a tree cannot be classed
as saw timber until it has
reached its growth.
Turning to the local situa
tion, Mr. Stone referred to the
conclusion of experts employed
by companies dealing in acid
wood, to the effect that the
Western North Carolina acid
wood supply will be virtually
gone In five years.
ine economic repercussions
from the loss of this payroll
will not be as severe as many
persons fear, Mr. Stone believes.
When the time comes, he be
lieves, commercial users of acid
wood will turn to other types
of wood, such as oak. Kurtner
more, by the time the acid wood
is gone, additional saw timber,
grown during the period, will
be available, since the forests
are now maintained under a
supervised cutting program de
signed to gradually increase the
amount of timber available.
The regional forester spoke
highly of the forest work being
done here, and remarked that
the only hydrological laboratory
?for the measurement of rain
fall and water flow? at high al
titudes in Eastern America is
that at the Coweta experiment
station. ,
Mr. Stone was accompanied to
Franklin by C. E. Clapp, forest
agriculturist, of Atlanta, and C.
E. Gatezer, of Forest Region 9
(in the midwest), who is mak
ing a study of forest methods in
this section. Mr. Gatezer at one
time was with Ritter Lumber
company on operations in West
ern North Carolina.
MILLION FOR ADVERTISING
Florida has appropriated $1,
000,000 for state advertising next
year.
PLAN TOURIST SCHOOLS
The Oregon Advertising club
is sponsoring establishment of
tourist schools throughout the
country to spell out to com
munities how to best entertain
vacationists.
READY FOR 1948 SEASON
The motor court being con
structed by the Cherokee Nation
at Cherokee is expected to have
18 units in operation for the
1948 season. The restaurant at
tached also Is due for opening
then.
Temperatures and precipita
tion for the past seven days,
and the low temperature yes
terday, as recorded at the Co
weta Experiment station, follow:
Wednesday 34 27 .24
Tuesday 65 17 00
Wednesday 2?
The Weather
High Low Prec.
Thursday
Friday ...
Saturday
Sunday .
Monday .
43 27 00
40 33 .58
35 32 .25
46 17 .02
57 17 00
Contract Let; Work Will
Start Soon; Site Yet
To Be Chosen
mJhe. Franklin board of alder
men has decided to dig anoth
Uon?WantWetU' 8nd
nieht L ? meetln8 Monday
?h? k ? glve the contract to
the Gainesville Well Drilling
without" THhC 3CUon was tak"?
w " i dissenting vote.
, W. c. Burrell, who made tn?
Ce 8houldted that he felt that
vent 1", Det a weil Pre
hannpnf summer's condition
happening again", l. B Phil
^d h* Sec?nded the motion,
said he agreed, and added that
he t . 1 the work should
be started not later than April
? Terms, ?f the contract agreed
I upon with E. Lawrence rep
resentative of the Gainesville
2a"y. are $4.50 per foot in?
feet anri^hn f?r the "rst' 500
I second 500 feetPer ^ f?F the
' 'here ^
afterht?hr f?r the test PumP
after the well is finished for
requMts' teS"ng Ume the *???
After being questioned by
[board members, h; said that
his company would be able tn
go to wart here in 30 to ?
come 25* his 0f,erat?rs be
ticms deLy Lit/ condi
Jobs. completing present
bJOfril0/ the wel1 has not yet
r" r?'ned- bul sites, at
offered b/HLryWThoaVe ^
as:
th^Tr1 members Pointed tnat
?w ls an order on record
that persons who are delinquent
be cut off.thelr Water bil1 sha?
Chief of Police C. D
part "of ^hi b?a,rd t0 pay at least
part of his telephone bill since
calls' TkS USed for Ponce
ness hI ^hh ^3!1 Private busi
?' People should ?atawe
pav at lifii town should
Pay at least part of the cost
F^owinf ng tWs telePhone
cussinn Jf conslderable dis
corfta?ning a !ie^ion of "ooth
dro^ed?fMOWn' was
;sr
Four Macon
Students In
College Play
Four Macon County students
at Western Carolina Teachers
college, Cullowhee, have roles
in Thornton Wilder's Pulitzer
prize play, "Our Town", which
will be presented on the college
campus Thursday evening, Feb
ruary 12, by the Western Caro
lina Players. Freda Arnold is
playing as "Rebecca Gibbs";
Frank I. Murray, Jr., plays the
part of "Joe Crowell"; Don Cabe
plays "Howie Newsome"; and
Clayton Ramsey has the role of
a baseball player.
Miss Arnold is the daughter
of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Arnold,
of Franklin. She is a transfer
student from Woman's college,
Greensboro, and has attended
Brevard Junior college. This is
her first dramatic role on the
Western Carolina college stage.
Frank Murray is the son of
Mr and Mrs. Frank I. Murray
of Franklin. He has been active
in dramatics since he entered
college. He played In another
Wilder play ? "Skin of our
Teeth"? and has been advertis
ing manager for the Players
this year. He Is staff photo
grapher for The Western Caro
linian, and production manager
of the Radio club.
Don Cabe, of Otto, is a vet
eran Western Carolina player;
he played Death In the fall
production, "Death Takes a Hol
iday", and bad leading parts In
?Continued on Pag* light