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67TH YEAR
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Western North Carolina's
Oldest Weekly Newspaper
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CIRCULATION
LAST WEEK 77 ??
Year Ago Last Week - 24*5
VOL LXVII ? NO. 2
FRANKLIN, N. C., THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 1952
TEN PAGES
POOL ROOM MAY
BE PADLOCKED
BY TOWNBOARD
Aldermen Defer Action
Until Owner Can Be
Given Hearing
Commenting on an increasing
number of citizen complaints
about gambling and drinking,
the Franklin board of aldermen
Monday night took steps to pad
lock the Franklin Amusement
parlor.
The board plans to invite Fred
Cabe, owner and operator of
the parlor, to appear at its
February session to show cause
why the establishment should
not be closed and licen;? re
voked. The combination pool
parlor-.refreshment stand is sit
uated in the basement of the
McCoy building.
Discussion prior to the board's
move to padlock' the parlor cen
tered on complaints reported to
the town office. Aldermen com
mented that "too many teen
agers are making it their head
quarters."
The town clerk was instruct
ed to notify M.r. Cabe of the
action and to invite him to the
board's next regular meeting,
February 4.
Mayor Robert M. Dillard and
Town Clerk C. O. Ramsey both
were absent from the brief ses
sion because of illness. Vice
Mayor Verlon Swafford presided.
James and Phil McCollum ap
peared to report a faulty sewer
line at the home of Mrs E. B.
^?JcCollum. Immediate correct
ive measures were ordered by
the board.
W. H. Hedden
Highlands Man, Dies ;
Rites Held Tuesday
William Edward Hedden, a 61
year-old Highlands resident,
died Sunday at the home ol his
daughter, Mrs. C E. Mulder, in
Eustis, Fla.
Mr. Hedden went to Florida
about two months ago to spend
the winter. He had been ill
about two weeks.
Funeral services were con
ducted Tuesday at 2 p. m. at
the Macedonia Baptist church
at Satolah, Ga., by the Rev.
Frank Reed. Burial was in the
church cemetery.
Born in Rabun County, Ga.,
Mr. Hedden was the son of
IVli. ?
Bennett E. and Mrs. Mary Har
ris Hedden. He had lived in
Highlands most of his life,
e
Surviving are a son, nenry
Hedden, of Highlands; three
- *-1J -V.J lVJTtce
home.
After Four Years
> In Berlin, Macon
Man Coming Home
Sgt. First Class Gaston Clark, f
who has been in Berlin, Ger
many, for the past four years, I
will leave Berlin January 13, 1
and is scheduled to arrive at
home early in February, his I
father, D. L. Clark, Sr., has ,
learned.
Sgt. Clark has served a total ;
of nearly eight years in the
army, having been on duty In
the South Pacific during World
War 2.
He last signed up for three
yaars, but at the end of that
le was "frozen" In service
? another year.
After a visit home, he ex
perts to be stationed somewhere
In the South.
I X
PLAN SING
The second Sunday sing of
the southern division of the Ma
con County Singing convention
will be held at the Longvlew
Baptist church, two miles south
of Franklin on U. 8. 23, at 1:30
p. m., President Tom Henson
has announced All singers are
Invited to atteifd, he said.
Herd's Pjjropcs id Plan For Zoning Franklin
Zoning plans for Franklin will be presented to the public
by the five-man zoning commission Tuesday night at 7:30
o'clock at the Macon courthouse. Above is a map showing the
proposed zoning areas, as outlined by the commission. The
cross-hatched area represents the commercial or business area;
the dotted section, the industrial area; and the white areas, the
residental sections. Members of the commission suggested this
week that Franklin citizens clip out the above map and take it
to Tuesday's meeting. If citizens will do this, they explained,
it will enable the commission to more readily present the pro
posed plan to the large number expected to attend.
Plan Public
Meet Tuesday
On Zone Plan
Franklin's five-man zoning
and planning commission will
publicly explain its proposed
zoning plan for the town at a
special meeting Tuesday night
at 7:30 o'clock at the court
house.
All Franklin residents are in
vited to attend the session and
present their views on the pro
posal.
The public hearing has been
called expressly to receive pub
lic opinion, favorable or other
wise, so that the commission
can then proceed with the
drawing of a fair and just zon
ing ordinance, according to
Commission Chairman W. N.
Sloan.
Once minor points in question
are ironed out, the chairman
said, the commission can then >
present a finished zoning ordi- 1
nance to the board of aldermen
for official approval.
The commission explained
preliminary plans to the town
governing body at the Decem
ber board meeting, and at that
time set the date far the public
hearing.
Other members of the com- 1
mission are W. Roy Carpenter,
H H. Plemmons, R. E. McKel
vey, and Wayne Faulkner. The
body was set up by the board {
of aldermen in July.
A map, showing the prbposed ?
zoning boundaries In the town, I
appears In this issue of The i
Press. (
Macon's Baptist Pastors, In Letter
To Truman, Protest Rome Appointment
Contending that the recent
appointment of Gen. Mark W
Clark as ambassador to the
Vatican is the first step toward
the destruction of religious
freedom in the United States,
Baptist ministers in Macon
County have registered a formal
protest with President Harry S.
Truman.
The protest, approved by the
Macon County Baptist Minister
ial conference at a meeting in i
December, was mailed to the
president last Thursday. Copies
also were sent to three con- ]
gressmen.
Mailing of the protest was de
layed until Just prior to the
recovering of congress after the
holidays, since the general's ap
pointment is expected to be
voted upon early in the session,
the Rev. M. W. Chapman, pas
tor of the First Baptist church,
explained Monday. Congress
convened Tuesday.
In addition to President Tru
man, copies of the protest were
mailed to the North Carolina
senators, Clyde R. Hoey and
Willis Smith, and Sen. Tom
Connally (D-Tex.), chairman of
the senate foreign relations
committee. Senator Connally
has publicaly voiced disapprov
al of the Clark nomination.
Pastors of this county's 42
Baptist churches expressed the
opinion that the appointment
destroys certain guarantees in
the constitution and the Bill of
Rights, because it creates an
official relationship between
government and a particular
church.
The full text of the letter fol- j
lows:
"The members of the Baptist
Ministerial conference, Macon
Baptist association, Macon
County, North Carolina, repre
senting 42 Baptist churches that
cooperate with the Baptist State
convention of North Carolina,
the Southern Baptist conven
tion, and the Baptist World
Alliance, do hereby register pro
test concerning the appointment
of an an ambassador to the
Vatican by the United States.
"With deep regret, dismay,
and appeal we received the news
that General Mark W. Clark
had been appointed United
States ambassador to the Vati
can. We are writing congres
sional leaders to the effect that
we disapprove the appointment
of any person to .represent the
United States a,s ambassador to j
the Vatican. We believe such an
arrangement violates the Con
stitution of the United States
and the Bill of Rights. We be- , '
lieve it destroys certain guaran- <
tees provided for in the Consti
tution of the United States and
the Bill of Rights. We believe
it creates an official relation- 1
ship between government and
a particular church. We believe 1
it establishes a relationship in ,
which the official processes of
government a.re interlocked with 1
the official processes of a par
ticular church. We believe it al
lows a particular church spe
cial privileges which' no other
church enjoys. We believe it
grants a power or influence of
a particular church over the
government of the United States.
We believe it trends toward or
pertains to the establishment
of a particular religion In the
United States. We believe it
trends toward or pertains to the
establishment of a church-state
government in the United
States. We believe it to be the
first step toward the destruction
of religious freedom which is
now enjoyed by the "American
Way of Life". We believe that
citizens of the United States
should not be asked to support
with tax-paid money such a
church-state relationship. We
believe such an appointment ;
violates the Constitution of the
United States and the Bill of 1
Rights in the same way as it
would should the government
of the United States send an
official ambassador to the Bap
tist World Alliance, the South- ,
era Baptist convention, the
General Methodist Conference
of the United States, the Gen
eral Assembly of the Presbyter
ian Church in the United States,
or to any other religious gath
ering in the United States or
elsewhere
"Baptists have been advocates
and supporters of the principle ?
of separation of church and
state from the very beginning
of our national history. Our !
government and church rela- ;
tlonship has proven to be more
satisfactory and more success
ful than that of any of our
world history. We believe that
the vast majority of American
citizens appreciate the church
state relationship that we have
enjoyed through the years.
"We believe that the vast ma
jority of American citizens join
us in a desire to see this re
lationship continued. We be
SEE NO 1, PAGE 8
600 Attend
Final Rites
For Cochran
An estimated 600 persons ?
about half the number stand
ing in the church yard ? attend
ed funeral services for William
Homer Cochran, Jr., the 24
year-old White Plains agricul
tural teacher who died Decem
per 31 In Mount Airy after a
mysterious explosion ripped
through his pick-up truck as he
left for work.
He was the son of Policeman
and Mrs. W. H Cochran, of the
Patton community.
Services, held last Thursday
afternoon at the Patton Metho
dist church, were conducted by
the Rev. R. L. Poindexter, pas
tor of the West Macon circuit,
and the Rev. M. W. Chapman,
pastor of the First Baptist
church. Burial was in Wood
lawn cemetery, Franklin.
A capacity crowd filled the
small church, and several hun
dred others stood in the church
yard during the services.
Hundreds of friends-, shocked
bv the slaying of the Macon
County youth, visited Potts
Funeral home from the time of
the body's arrival from Mount
Airy last Wednesday until the
funeral hour.
Floral arrangements filled the
funeral home ? the largest num
ber for any , funeral handled by
the home since It was estab
lished 11 years ago, according
to Paul Potts, director.
Young Cochran was a gradu
ate of Franklin High school and
N. C. State college, Raleigh He
was agricultural teacher at
SEE NO. 2, PAOE 8
REWARD FUND
IN COCHRAN'S
DEATH SOUGHT
Macon Organization*,
Persons Invited
To Contribute
Investigation of the mystery
! slaying of a 24-year-old Macon
1 County youth moved from Sur
ry County to Macon this week,
and at the same time a move
was afoot locally to post a re
ward for information leading t"
the murderer.
The youth, William Hor
Cochran, Jr., agricultural te^
er at White Plains High sc'- '
died in a Mount Airy hos*>
December 31 from injuries
ceived when a mysterious L
plosion ripped through his pi<^
up truck as he left for work.
An agent of the state bureau
of investigation and a Motf
Airy police captain were
Franklin Sunday checking L
young Cochran's backgrob
They returned to Surry Coi
ty, where the slaying occurr
the same day.
A movement to raise a su
stantial reward for inform -
I tion leading to the arrest at f*
conviction of the teacher's sia
er is now under way here. Si
ry County citizens already hi
raised $2,500 and Gov W. Ke.
Scott last Thursday offered a.
additional $400 reward in a sptj
cial executive proclamation. Th'>
| rewards do not extend to pea* J
officers. I
'IUUJI
ar
sr.
ai noon yesieraay (wecrnes
day) the total given to the fun> (
here was nearing the . *
mark, it was learned at
sheriff's office.
Local citizens wishing to c
tribute to the reward may
so at the sheriff's office in
courthouse. Any pledge, regare 1
less of the amount, will be wel 4
corned, Sheriff Thomas said.
Young Cochran died some 13
hours after the explosion, which
blew off one of his legs ar
necessitated the later ampu "
tion of the other.
Neither the high school tea
er nor his bride of four mon
could furnish officers a mo
for the crime. The truck
parked behind the couplet!
apartment in Mount Airy.
Services for Mr. Cochran, wi
taught in the Surry CounJ^
school for three years, wer?
held at the Patton Methodist
church here January 3. ,
Following is a copy of the re
ward pledge being circulated
here: ?
"We the undersigned hand tc
you herewith the amount set'
opposite our names and ask
that you hold the same and of
fer the same as a reward tc
any person, except law enforce- ?
ment officers, who will furnte'
evidence sufficient to conn
the person or persons who can;
ed the death of William 1 ;
Cochran at Mt. Airy, Non
Carolina, by placing some
plosive in his truck. ,,
"If some person is app;
hended within six months
this date, you will then
this money until he is .
and if then convicted you ,
authorized to give the same
SEE NO. 3, PAOE 8
1 ~ .
School Fund Nets
$2,975 From Court
Term In
The December term of
perior court here netted ?
school fund $2,975.75,
ing to Miss Kate McCtae,
of court.
By law, fines and
tures, solicitor fees, and j?nj
tax are earmarked far the
school fund. A break-down
the total follows: Fines and ^
forfeitures, $2,511.75; solicitor ^
fees, $288; and jury tax, *171
y
The Weather \
Temperature* and orecmi*??<?- * ? u
part seven days, and
yesterday, as recorded at
perimemt station.
High Low
Wednesday 72 40
Thursday 67 43
Friday 4fl 44
Saturday 59 32
Sunday 33 24
Monday 50
Tuesday 57
Wednesday -
Franklin