?HNF
Qfo Ijigblantijei Hacontan
Price 6 Cent*
VOL. LXVt? no. <
FRANKLIN, N. C? THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1951
TEN PAOBii
SCHOOL BIDS TO
BE ADVERTISED
SOON BY BOARD
Education Group O. K.'?
Motion To Receive Bids
For Construction
The county board of educa
tion, at Its monthly meeting
Monday, voted to advertise lor
bids on the construction of Ma
con County's proposed elemen
tary schools, Iotla, Union, and
Cartoogechaye.
Plans for the construction of
a new Chapel school (Negro)
depend on the state's decision
to consolidate Negro schools in
Swain, Jackson, and Macon
County, board members (minted
out.
The major portion of funds
to construct the schools will
come from the county school
bond issue, which was passed
by county voters in February,
1950.
Construction on new schools
for Franklin, East Franklin, and
Nantahala has been under way
for some time and baring un
foreseen circumstances they
should be ready for occupancy
by September, Ouy L. Houk,
county school superintendent,
said.
A delegation of citizens, ap
pearing in behalf of the town
of Highlands, told board mem
bers that Highlands was inter
ested in purchasing the old
Highlands school property as
soon as the new school there
Is completed.
In a discussion which follow
ed, school board members
agreed that the board should
approve such a measure only if
the sale of school property was
conducted on a county-wide
basis.
The board adopted the fol
lowing resolution: "The Macon
County Board of Education, by
appropriate resolution duly en
acted, favors the enactment of
legislation empowering said
board to sell - proper^ no
longer necessary for school pur
poses a private sale, for such
price and upon such terms as
It may deem proper, to any
organized religious group or
municipal corporation."
A number of citizens of the
Burningtown community ap
peared before the board to re
quest the re-routing of school
Continued On Page Six ?
MACON COUNTY
EDUCATION UNIT
HOLDS JEETING
Report* Are Presented
By Group's Committee
Spokesmen
The Macon County unit of the
North Carolina Education asso
ciation met at Kelly's Tea Room
Friday night at 7 o'clock.
The meeting was presided
over by Mrs. Pearl D. Hunter
and the Invocation was given by
Miss Esther Wallace.
Reporting for Jack Angel,
chairman of the International
Relations committee, Russell
McKelvey, son of Mr. and Mrs.
R. E. McKelvey, spoke on
"World Peace". Mrs. Ned Teague,
chairman of the Federal Aid
committee sponsored a report
through the Franklin High
school Forensic club. Miss Bar
bara Oribble, daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. Jack Gribble, present
ed points for federal aid to the
educational program, and Miss
Ann Teague, daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. Ned Teague, argued
against federal aid.
W. O. Crawford, principal of
Cullasaja school, reported for
the Legislative committee, re
viewing educational needs from
the parent and the child.
Sam F. Beck, music director
at Franklin High school, dis
cussed teachers' needs both in
and out of school. E. G. Craw
ford, principal of Otto school,
spoke briefly on school trans
portation problems.
Essential starting points for
better schools were outlined by
Frank Plyler, forest service em
ployee. Mr. Plyler told the group
the first step toward better
schools Is the affiliation of
teachers with the United Forces
for Education.
The county unit decided to
bold its next meeting at Culla
saja school March t, at which
ttnia an election for local and
?tote otn$m vtti N MM.
Shown above is all that was left of a four room farm house on Rabun Bald road, just over the Georgia
line, which was destroyed by fire early Saturday morning, taking the lives of eight of the 14 persons in
the small structure.
SERVICES HELD
FORC.STOCKTON
Funeral services for Colonel
B. Stockton, who died at his
home in Clayton, Ga., Friday
night were held Sunday at 2
p. m. at the Clayton Baptist
church. |
Burial was in the Franklin
cemetery.
Mr. Stockton resided in Ma
con County before moving to
Clayton, Ga. some 15 years ago.
He was born July 5, 1899, the
aon of D. C. Stockton and the
late Norma Ledford Stockton.
In 1932 he was an unsuccess
ful candidate on the Republic
Mi ticket for the office of reg
ister of deeds of Macon County.
In Clayton he was associated
with a son, Crosby C. Stock- 1
ton, in the garage and service
station business. He was a
former tie and lumber inspector
for the Taylor-Colquitt com
pany, of Spartanburg, S. C...
and Clayton, Ga. ; *|
Mr. Stockton was a member
of the Clayton Baptist church.
He was married to Miss Cora
Wood, of Macon County, who
survives.
Surviving, in addition to the 1
widow, are two sons; Crosby C.,
of Clayton, Ga., and V. D.
Stockton, of Washington, D. C.;
one daughter, Mijs. Robert Rose,
of Los Angeles, Calif.
Also two sisters, Mrs. Claude
Stiles, of Brevard, and Mrs.
Deck Roberts, of Buffalo, S. C.;
five brothers, J. Horner Stock
ton, of Franklin, W. R. Stockton,
of Brevard, Roy Stockton, of
Baltimore, Mr., D. J. Stockton,
of Otto, and Wade Stockton, of
Route 2, Franklin; and four
grandchildren.
Cannon Funeral Home in
Clayton, Ga., was In charge of
arrangements.
Gray
Promoted To District
Ranger Post *
Walter J. Gray, who has been
a forester with the Nantahala
Forest service here for the past
16 months, has been promoted
to district ranger, replacing
Johnny Olson, who has been
district ranger since 1946.
Mr. Olson is being transfer
ferred to the Florida National
forest, Ocala, Fla.
Mr. Gray will leave Franklin
this week for Robbinsville to
take over hla duties as district
ranger. He and Mrs. Oray will
occupy the new ranger's home
on Lake Santeetlah, near Rob
binsville.
The new district ranger has
been connected with the forest
service for almost 18 years, is
Georgia, Louisiana, and North
Carolina.
He came to Franklin In Oc
tober, 1949, from Pinevllle, La.,
where he was with the Klsatch
le National forest.
While here, he was a mem
ber of the Franklin Lions club.
OTTO PTA DANCE
The Otto Parent-Teacher as
sociation will hold a dance Fri
day at 8 o'clock at, the school.
The pnttmta wtfl b* used for
till UMltt of tt? Whool.
Dimes Drive
Fails To Hit
Halfway Mark
Contributions in this coun
ty's March of 'Dimes campaign
to date total less than half of
the $3,000 goal, J. Horner Stock
ton, county campaign di ector,
announced this week.
Donations totaling $1,227.26
have been received, leaving Ma
con County $1,772.74 short of
its goal in the polio fund drive.
A number of schools have not
reported contributions, Mr.
Stockton said, Including High
lands, which usually gives an
outstanding amount to the
drive.
Following is a breakdown of
contributions from schools, busi
ness firms and club benefits:
Van Raalte company, $25, Van
Raalte employees, $25, Veterans
of Foreign Wars benefit dance,
$79.25, Clark's Chapel, $19.35,
Union, $26.30, Otter Creek, $27.
31, Slagle, $78.52, Otto, $93.21,
Watauga school and commun
ity, $100, Iotla, $30.02, Cullasaja,
$112, Franklin, $259.40.
Claude Bolton, who is in
charge of collections from the
1,000 dime cards mailed to Ma
con citizens, reported that $200.
80 has been received. Collec
tions at Macon theatre total
$150.
"The response thus far," Mr.
Stockton said, "has been more
than gratifying, but all of us
are going to have to dig deeper
and put this drive over the top.
If everyone could see and talk
with someone who has been a
victim of polio, or is now strick
en with the dread disease, we
would have little trouble mak
ing the goal. The March of
Dimes is winning the fight
against polio, and our dimes
are making it possible."
10 Inductees
To Leave In
The Morning
Ten Macon County men, the
fourth gioup of inductees to
leave from this county since
the start of the Korean war,
will board a special bus tomor
row (Friday) morning at 8:15,
which will take them to Char
lotte for induction into the
army.
Tomorrow's contingent will
bring to SO, the number of men
who have actually been induct
ed from this county, the draft
board announced. One group,
numbering 30 men, reported for
induction November 30, anoth
er, numbering five, left Decem
ber 5, and five men were in
ducted January 16.
VALENTINE CARNIVAL
A Valentine carnival, under
the sponsorship of the Culla
saja Parent-Teacher association,
will be held at the school Sat
urday night at 8 o'clock, it has
been announced.
Proceeds from the night's fes
tivities will be used to help pay
for a new refrigerator, purchas
ed by the association for the
school,
Turkish Tobacco
Growers To Meet With
Crouse Tomorrow
R. H. Crouse, in charge of
growing Turkish tobacco, will be
at the county agent's office in
the Agricultural building tomor
row afternoon at 1:30 o'clock to
give first-hand information to
farmers who plan to grow to
bacco this year.
S. W. Mendenhall, county
agent, said contracts also will
be signed and seed issued to
those who are going to raise the
Turkish weed.
11 BITTEN BY
PUPPY BELIEVED
TO HAVE RABIES
Reports Show Number Of
Mad Dogs Loose
In County
Eleven persons, nine reported,
to be children, and IS pigs in
the Rabbit creek section of
Macon County were bitten by a
puppy, believed to have rabies,
Saturday, a local veterinarian
said this week.
The two-months-old puppy Is
being kept under constant sur
veillance at the veterinary
establishment to determine
whether or not it has rabies.
A number of similar cases
hatfe been reported to the local
health department. A boy in
the Sanderstown community was
bitten by a dog, believed to be
rabid, last week, and one pos
itive case and five reported
cases occurred in the Otto com
munity. Another report was re
ceived from the Burningtown
community, health officials said.
Franklin Chief of Police C. D.
Baird warned local residents
that all dogs that have not been
vaccinated and are rfot wearing
collars will be picked up by law
en orcement officers.
Rabies, sometimes called
hydrophobia, is a disease
which can attack all warm
blooded animals, including
man, health department offic
ials pointed out. It is caused
by a "virus," a very tiny germ
Continued On Fane Six ?
Macon Soldier Ordered
To Paris, Duty With
General Ike's Army
Cpl. Edward J. Bryson, of
Franklin, has been ordered to
report for duty with Oeneral
Eisenhower's European Defense
army, with headquarters in
Paris, France, it has been learn
ed.
He will sail from New York
City next week.
Corporal Bryson, the son of
Mr. and Mrs. Edward J. Bryson,
was a member of a reserve army
component and recently was
called back to active duty. He
is a veteran of World War II.
Since his recall he has been
stationed at Fort Eustls, Va.,
and is spending a short furlough
with his parents here, prior to
reporting for duty with Oen
eral Ike's command.
The Brysons have another son,
S>1. Robert J. Bryson, serving
th the army at fort Bennlng,
Oft.
Feb. 24 Last
Day To Join
Music Group
With many persons apparent
ly waiting until the last minu e
to obtain their N. C. Symphony
memberships, local Symphony
officials this week pointed out:
1. Since the Methodist, church
where the adult concert is
scheduled to be presented
March 1, will seat a maximum
of 350, the total number of
memberships available is limit
ed to 350. /
2. The sale of memberships
will close Saturday evening,
February 24. After that date,
tickets will be available, if seats
still remain, but thetiftjcets" Will
require a federal tax of 40 cents.
A membership is $2, but an ad
mission ticket (good only for
one concert) thus will be $2.40.
3. Since It is necessary for the
local organization to know in
advance that the $750 required
to bring the orchestra to Frank
lin will be on hand, the orches
tra's performances here will be
canceled, unless the $750 is in
sight by Saturday of next week
?February 17.
Persons who are interested in
biinging the orchestra here,
therefore, were urged by local
leaders to obtain their member
ships Immediately ? to make
sure that the concerts are pre
sented.
Memberslrps, which finance
the free children's concert as
well as the evening performance
for members, entitle the holders
to attend other concerts pre
sented by the Symphony or
chestra without charge. Mem
bership may be obtained at Per
ry's drug store here, and there
are Symphony representatives
in communities throughout the
county. i
It was announced this week
that the hour for the free chil
dren's concert, to be presented
at the Friendship Tabernacle,
has been changed from 2:30 to
1 p. m.
This year, for the first time,
the programs here will include
vocal numbers. The program
will be announced in full next
week.
Plan Minstrel
As Program Feature At
PTA Supper
The program which will fol
low the Franklin Parent-Teach
er association's "Family Night
Supper" Saturday night of next
week will include a minstrel
show, a dance-chorus, and
numbers by a "barber shop
quartet", it was announced this
week.
The minstrel show will be
presented by members of the
school's Dramatics club, under
the direction of Clayton Ram
sey, Mrs. 8. H. Lyle, Jr., who to
In charge of the program, said.
Eight high school girls will
make up the dance-chorus. And
members of the "barber shop
quartet" will be S. W. Menden
hall, Phil McCollum, Dick Slag
le, and S. F. (Sammy) Beck.
The supper, an annual P. T.
A. benefit, win be tarred cafe
teria style, and famillee from
throughout the county art In
vited, It ww raphMtMd.
6 Children, 2 Adults
Die In Saturday Fire
METERS ARE !
PROPERTY OF
THE TOWN
ritle To 115 Parking
Meters Turned Over
To Franklin
The Town of Franklin now
>wns the parking meters -lining
olh sides of Main street from
the post office to Duncan's
Motor company.
E. W. Long, town clerk, in
ormed the Franklin board of
Udermen, at the board's month
y meeting Monday night, that
'he title for the meters had
been received from the manu
facturers and had been trans
ferred to the town.
The 115 meters, which were
installed In the latter part of
July, 1947, have been earning
a monthly revenue of approxi
mately $300, the clerk said.
Under the terms of the town's
contract with the meter manu
facturers, all of the money col- j
lected went to the manufactur
er until a $5 Installation fee on
each meter was paid.
After that amount was paid
one-half of the collections went
to the town and the other half
to the manufacturer until the
purchase price of each meter,
$62.50, was paid.
With the terms of the con
tract now fulfilled, and the
title registered in the name o
the town, alt meter collections
go to the town, Mr. Long said.
Collections for the next few
months will be used to pay for
a new police car for the Town
of Franklin. The old cruiser wai
damaged to the extent of ap
proximately $250 In the lattei
part of December when Homer
Cochran, night policeman fell
asleep at the wheel and ran intc
a parking meter and a tree.
The board voted at Monday's
meeting to use meter collec
tions to buy a new car, since,
within the limits of meter fund
provisions, the vehicle is used
for meter enforcement and col
lections.
Sealed bids, submitted by mo
tor companies, were opened an<
the board accepted a bid of $1,
095 from the Kirk Davis Motoi
company in Sylva for a new
police car. The bids took intc
consideration the trade-in value
of the old car.
In accepting the bid, boarc
members Included a provlsioi .
that the car be delivered with
in 30 days.
The new vehicle, described In
the motor company's bid, is a
Continued On Page Six ?
SERVICES m
COLES. BROOKS
HELD MONDAY
Macon County Resident
Dies Sunday At The
Age Of 78
Funeral services for Cole S.
Brooks, 78, who died Monday
night at the home of a son,
Sam Brooks, of East Franklin,
a'ter a lingering illness, were
held Saturday morning at 11
o'clock at the Bethel Methodist
church.
The Rev. C. E. Murray, pastor
of the Franklin Methodist
church, officiated and burial'
was In the church cemetery.
Mr. Brooks had been a resi
dent of Macon County for the
past 40 years and was employed
by the Taylor-Colville company
here. He was a member of the
Bethel Methodist church.
He was born August 6, 1872,
in Jackson county, the son of
the late Mr. and Mrs. Simpson
Brooks. He was married to Miss
Marlah Oreen who died in Oc
tober, 1949.
Surviving are two sons, 8am
Brooks, of Franklin, and Wiley
Brooks, of Weatherford, Tex.;
one daughter, Mrs. Earl Hyatt,
of Darrington, Wash.; and three
brothers, Samuel, of Green's
Creek, Isaac and Swanson
Brooks, of DUlsboro.
Funeral arranmmenU wars
under tbs direction of Bryant
FvatnU Horn
Seven Others In Small
House Narrowly
Escape Death
Eight persona, six of them
ihildren, perished in a flash
ire which raced through and
otally destroyed a four room
arm house on the Rabun Bald
'oad, just inside the Georgia
ine, in a matter of minutes
ibout 6 a. m Saturday morn
ng.
Seven other persons asleep In
:he dwelling barely escaped
From the flaming structure as
t collapsed.
Victims were identified as Ed
;ar Teague, about 30, an em
ployee of the Champion Paper
and Fibre company in Canton,
uid his four children, Billy, 11,
Carl, 9, Bobbie Joe, S, and Lu
:llle, 3; Bessie Talley, 12, Ruth
lalley, 10, and Mrs. Jessie Fay
Ballew, 17.
Mrs. Teague, sole survivor of
the family which was visiting
the Talleys, and another wom
an identified as Mrs. Margaret
Chastain, jumped from a win
dow to safety.
Mrs. John Talley barely man
aged to save four of her seven
children. Hazel, 3, Barbara June.
5, Oscar, 14, ^ and Gladys, 8,
from the Inferno. Her husband
was in Florida at the time of
the tragedy. Both he and Mr.
Ballew, who was In Ohio, were
notilied Immediately. Mrs. Bal
lew was a sister of the Talley
children and an aunt of the
four Teague children.
A wood heating stove, prop
ped up on one side by bricks,
was believed to have fallen or
been knocked over, starting the
fire. Investigating officials re
ported that a can of gasoline,
either In the front room near
the stove or on the front porch,
became ignited and exploded,
spraying the small one-atory
house, with flaming fluid.
According to Mra. Talley, the
Teague family arrived at her
home for a visit about midnight
Friday. Four of the children,
Bessie and Ruth Talley, . and
Billy and Carl Teague, she said,
stayed up playing. The rest went
to bed.
"I don't know what happen
ed," Mrs Talley said, "but I re
member one of the girls calling
to me ... I guess the stove
fell over . . . because she. said,
'momma, get up and help us
fix the heater.'
"I didn't wake up all the way
and I went back to sleep again
. . . then I woke up and the
house was all afire. I managed
to get to the kids and we ran
out Just as the whole house
?aved In . . . the stove must
have fallen over'."
The survivors huddled In
their nlghtclothes for more
than two hours in near-zero
weather until help arrived.
Firemen from Clayton, Oa.
recovered the bodies of the vic
tims. Only Teague's body was
recognizable. First reports from
the fire said that the paper
mill employee escaped from the
house and then rushed back In
the flaming structure In an at
tempt to rescue the children.
However, Mrs. Talley said
that she and her children, Mrs.
Chastaln, and Mrs. Teague. were
the only ones who made It to
the outside.
Investigating officials said It
was believed that Mr. Teague
pushed his wife out the window
and attempted to get the chil
dren out before being overcome
by smoke. His body was found
under a bed.
The tiny house was located
at the base of Rabun Bald just
over the North Carolina line In
Georgia.
Following the fire, curiosity
brought several hundred people
from North Carolina, South
Continued On Page Sis ?
The Weather
y Temperatures and precipitation far the
Nat aeven darn and Ik* low waipinwn
yeaaarday, aa recorded at tka Coweeta Pa
periment atation.
High Lav Pet.
Wednesday ........ 45 35 .04
Thursday ? 53 43 1.4*
Friday 30 5
Saturday 44 ? 3
Sunday 46 15
Monday 56 14
Tuesday 50 33
Wednesday 3* 1X3
FraaUla
(Aa ra.arlad W Mil Srito^tar TVA)
Wednesday, traee;
M, Friday. .40; ~