CIRCULATION
LAST WEEK 2722
Year Ago Last Week - 2415
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Wh HigfyUata Miuoman
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VOL. LXVII? NO. 17
FRANKLIN. N. C.. THURSDAY, APRIL 24, 1952
Wins Third Place
In Field Day Events
F ranklin High School
Takes 22 Firsts
At Cullowihee
Franklin High school was
awarded third place In the 1952
High School Field day at
Western Carolina Teachers col
lege Friday and Saturday ?
amassing 22 first places, six
seconds, and seven thirds.
Another Macon high school,
Highlands, although entered
only in a few divisions, never
theless collected one first place,
three seconds, and three thirds.
The annual two-day event
drew an estimated 1,500 W. N.
C. high school students.
Franklin High, which placed j
second in last year's field day, I
was outstanding in the fields
of home economics, science, and
music. The high school band
was awarded second place, first
going to Waynesville High.
In the home economics divi
sion, each school was allowed
only three entries and Frank
lin's three participants took six
first places. Miss Jo Ann Hen
derson placed first in the school
dress feature, first and second
phase; Miss Luetta Browning
received first place in the eve
ning dress and linen dress
events; and Miss Frankabelle
Gibson was awarded two firsts
In the mother-daughter fea
tures. Judging was based on
workmanship and modeling.
Those receiving first places
In the science division were
Russell McKelvey, physics; Ray
Moses, chemistry; Holland Mc
Swain, Jr., biology; and Robert
(Bud) Siler, general science.
First place also went to the
science class exhibit, a plaster
relief map of the Coweeta Hy
drologic laboratory. William
Kinsland received second place
in the general science event.
In addition to the Fran Id in
band winning second place in
the music field, Miss Audrey
Hays won first place for a so
prano solo; Miss Hays and Miss
Libby Murray, first place, vocal
duet; Miss Hays, Miss Murray,
and Miss Norma Jean Welch,
first place, vocal trio; and Rich
ard Dryman, Miss Murray, Miss
Welch, and Miss Becky Murray,
first place, mixed quartet.
First places also were award
ed to the boys' and girls' glee
clubs.
Second places went to the
boys' quartet, the mixed chorus,
and to Miss Arm Hays and
Miss Murray, for a piano duet, i
An alto solo by Miss Betty
Jean McCall won third place.
In the business education di
vision, Miss Clara Jo Waters
tied for first place in stenog
raphy and Miss Georgia Nell
McDonald placed third in book
keeping.
History tests found Paul Kil
lian in first place in current
affairs and Paul Sorrellt third
in world history. The school
SEE NO. 3, PAGE 7
NEW RANGER
DISTRICT SET
FOR FOREST
Will Be Established In
June; Change Old
Boundaries
A new ranger district ? to be
named Highlands ? will be estab
lished In the Nantahala Na
tional forest on June 8, Super
visor E. W. Renshaw announced
this week.
The new district will embrace
the southeast portion of Macon
County, all of Jackson County,
and the part of Transylvania
County lying within the Nan
tahalas. Highlands has been
temporarily selected as head
quarters by the district since
it is centrally located as to
major portion of national for
est land and work projects, the
supervisor said.
Boundaries of the three ex
isting ranger districts have been
revised, Mr. Renshaw explained.
The boundary of the present
Wayah district has beerj re
located to include the balance
of Macon County and that por
tion of Swain County south
and east of the Nantahala river.
The Nantahala district, to be
renamed Cheoah, will embrace
all of Graham County and that
portion of Swain County north
and west of the Nantahala river.
The Tusquitee district will em
SEE NO. 3, PAGE 6
HIGH SCHOOL
BANOUETSET
FOR SATURDAY
A surprise is in stare for those
attending the annual Franklin
High schbol Junior-Senior ban
quet Saturday night at the
school cafeteria.
When queried this week about
the program, those in charge
sc pressed any information, ex
plaining that "the surprise
makes it more fun."
This much is known. The
Durham Hi-Hatters, an .8-piece
orchestra, will play for the
dance following the banquet.
County School Supt. Holland
McSwain, Mrs. Weimar Jones,
district P. T. A. director, and
members of the county board
of education will be special
guests.
The Hi-Hatters also will play
for a dance tomorrow (Fri
day) night at 8 o'clock at the
East Franklin school under the
sponsorship of the Franklin
band.
H. D. CLUBS TO CELEBRATE
NAT ONAL WEE WEDNESDAY
Macon County's 20 home dem
onstration clubs plan to cele
brate National Home Demon
stration week (April 27 to May
3) with a Spring Federation at
the East Franklin school on
Wednesday, Mrs. Ralph Bradley,
president of the county H. D.
council, announced Friday.
Highlight of the celebration,
slated for 2 p. m., will be a
Spring fashion show, featuring
some 75 home demonstration
club women modeling clothes
they have made. The public is
Incited to attend.
A musical program will Intro
duce to the public for the first
time, the newly-organized Ma
con County chorus, composed
of club women and directed by
Mrs. Orval Murray, of Franklin.
Narrator at the fashion show
will be Mrs. Graham Grind
staff, of the Cullasaja club,
county clothing leader. Judges
will be Mrs. Velma Beam Moore,
Clay County home agent, Mrs.
Carolyn P. Nail, home econom
ics teacher at the Highlands
school, and Mrs. T. J. O'Neil,
home economics istructor at
Franklin High school.
The program committee is
composed of Mrs. Grlndstaff,
Mrs. Jack Cansler, of the Iotla
club, Mrs. Robert Bell, of the
Mulberry club, and Mrs. D. L.
Bradley, of the uaK urove
club.
Features of the style show
will include "Fashions for the
Home", "From Sacks to Gar
ments", "Fashions for Tots",
"Sports Clothes", "Street
Clothes", "Best Dresses", Tail
ored Coats and Suits", and
"Evening Dresses".
Last year's spring fashion
show, held at the Macon the
atre, drew a capacity crowd.
Summer Quits
As Principal
At Highlands
O. F. Summer has resigned
as principal of the Highlands
school, effective at the end of
this school year, It was learned
yesterday.
Mr. Summer, who has served
as Highlands principal a total
of 21 years, plans to devote his
full time to business.
His resignation was submitted
to the Highlands school com
mittee and County Supt. Hol
land McSwain.
? alutr rnolo by J. r. Brady
At a public ceremony yesterday (Wednesday) morning at the Agricultural building, Ma
con County was honored for being one of the top 10 counties in the state in last year's
Green Pastures campaign. And 62 farmers, who were responsible for the county's achieve
ments, were singularilv honored with special plaques designating their farms as Green Pas
ture honor farms. Miss Jo Ann Hopkins, secretary to the register of deeds, is shown above
admiring one of the special plaques. Yesterday's ceremony featured a flag raising ceremony
and talks by a number of agricultural officials, in addition ta the presentation of plaques.
Bennie Queen,
Jail Breaker,
Is Back Again
Jail-breaking Bennie Queen is
back behind bars again, ap
parently still none the wiser al
though he has twice been re- 1
captured in almost the same '
place.
Queen, a two-time escapee, ;
invariably heads for Detroit,
Mich., where a girl friend is re
portedly living. The former Ma- '
| con County resident sawed out
of the county Jail here Febru- |
ary 7 and was picked up by 1
Detroit officers several days
later near the home of the re- |
ported girl friend. Returned 1
here, the wily jail-breaker was
taken to the Waynesville (Hay
wood County) jail for safe- 1
keeping. However, March 29,
Queen and five other prisoners I
broke out of that jail, constitut- 1
ing the first jail break in the
SEE NO. 6, PAGE 6
P. T. A. GETS
GLIMPSE OF
SCHOOLWORK
Demonstrations Presented
By Home Economics,
F. F. A. Pupils
Parents and teachers got a
glimpse of some of the work
being done at the high school
here at Monday evening's
Franklin P. T. A. meeting, when
home economics and vocational
agriculture students presented
a demonstration program.
Thirty-five girls, who are
studying sewing under Mrs. T. J.
O'Neil, modeled costumes they
had made. In most cases, the
garments shown were the first
the girls had made.
A group studying cooking
under Mrs. Jessie Lee Cabe pre
sented a skit emphasizing bal
SEE NO. 5, PAGE 7
Fire Destroys
Small Dwelling
At Cullasaja
Fire gutted a small two-room
house in the Cullasaja commun
ity, about four miles from
Franklin, early Friday after
noon as the local fire depart
ment fouglft to keep the flames
from spreading to near-by resi
dences.
Origin of the fire was not
determined. The loss ? estimated
at $3,000 ? was not covered bj
insurance, according to Gordor
Gibson, owner.
Firemen, hampered by the
distance involved, were unable
to check the blaze and playec
the emergency fire truck watei
supply on houses near the burn
ing structure. Paint was blist
ered and shingles melted or
Mr. Gibson's home, about 3E
feet from the fire.
The small house had beer
rented by miners for the sea
son, the owner said, but no one
was in it at the time.
Deputy Sheriff Calvin Roland looks over a 25-gallon still found in the Walnut Creek section
ami immediately after the sound of swinging axes pronounced its death. The arrow points to the
lip of the unit where the copper condenser, a valuable piece of equipment for making whiskey,
fit cniirlv
The Death Of A Still Is Painless;
Trying To Locate The Site Isn't!
By J. P. BRAI>Y
The death of a still is easy j
and painless ? trying to locate '
one is another matter.
Ferreting out illegal whiskey
stills in the hills of Macon '
County "must be so fascinat
ing", remarked a young lady a
couple of days ago, in the
course of conversation.
Advice for this Week: If you
think as the young lady does,
it Is respectfully suggested that
you step back about two paces
1 r
and bring the picture into
sharper focus.
This .reporter, admittedly
thinking that still hunting
would be a lot of fun recently
made three still-hunting junk
ets, as a casual observer, with
Sheriff J. Harry Thomas and
Deputies Newell Pendergrass
and Calvin Roland. All three
hunts inside of a week, with
the result that:
Item: A za-gaiion still in the
Walnut Creek section died pain
lessly, Its 325 gallons of mash
trickling sluggishly down the
hillside from smashed barrels.
Item: Entered the Buck Creek
section on a 10-mile still hunt
ing expedition with a five
pouVid camera and the vigorous
^constitution of ' a young colt.
Emierged several hours later
with a camera that felt like it
weigl:cd in the neighborhood of
j five tons, a pair of oh-so sore
feet, and a nutshell knowledge
of the general topography in
| that section of the county,
j Item: Plunged back into the
Walnut Creek section. Emerged
SEE NO. 4. PAGE 6
I
12 Enter In
Board Race
BLOODMOBILE 1
! VISIT SLATED
FOR NEXT WEEK!
Unit Sponsored By VFW; cr
Macon's Quota Set r
At 150 Pints
A Blooctmobile from the reg- s
ional American Red Cross blood 5
center in Asheville is scheduled
to be in Franklin next Thurs
day (May 11 at the Presbyterian
church, it has been announced.
As in the past, the mobile
blood unit's appearance here
will be sponsored by the local
i Veterans of Foreign Wars post
and the post auxiliary. Macon's
| quota for the visit has been set
I at 150 pints, according to Mrs.
i J. Ward Long, secretary of the
j local Red Cross chapter. Hours
| will be 2 to 7 p. m.
Last year the unit in five
visits collected a total of 496
pints of life-giving blood from !
Maconians, all earmarked for
wounded veterans of the Kore
an war.
Refreshments will be served
donors during the afternoon by
? members of the post auxiliary,
1 itVas said.
GRASSROOTS
OPERA COMING
HERE IN MAY
Plan Two Performances
Under Sponsorship
Of Local NCEA
' j Children as well as adults will
' ' have an opportunity to see Mo
| zart's comic opera, "School for
' | Lovers", scheduled for presen
' tation here May 2 by the Grass
i Roots Opera company of the N.
? C. Federation of Music clubs.
! | Two performances are plan
ned here at the East Franklin i
school? one at* 1:30 p. m.. for
school children, another at 8
o'clock for adults.
The opera company is being
sponsored here by the Macon
County unit of the N. C. Edu
cation association and its ap
pearance here will mark the
40th time the opera has been i
presented in as many different
cities and towns in the state.
According to Robert Bird, di- I
J rector, the Grasj Roots com- !
| pany is doing for ambitious vo
calists what the N. C. Sym
| phony is doing for the ambi- I
| tious instrumentalists of the
state. I
Republican Candidates
File For Surveyor,
Representative
With 12 candidates in the
unning, including two women,
he race for nomination to the
ive-man county board of edu
cation in the Democratic pri
nary May 31 has all the ear
narks of becoming a hotly con
ested one.
Interest locally will center
iround the chool board race
:ince. only two other places on
he party ticket will be filled,
hose of representative and
:ounty surveyor, neither which
s contested. The filing deadline
vas Saturday.
Filing for nomination to the
ichool board were incumbents,
L C. Soriells and Charles W.
(Jolen, Claude W. Cake, of Otto
\llen A. Siler, of Franklin, W
3. Calhoun, of Stiles. Neville
3ryson, of Highlands, Calvin
Poland, of Franklin, Charles- A.
Tacobs, of Nantahala. John M.
\rcher, Jr., of Franklin, James
R. Norris, of Dillard, Ga., Route
1, Mrs. Joseph W. Fouts. ot
Tranklin, and Mrs. Roy Phil
ips, of Highlands.
v. Tom Bryson, of Cuiiasaju.
Macon's representative to thf?
1951 general assembly, filed Sat -
irday after previously annour.c
ng his intention of runang
igain. Also filing for the house
seat was Republican Water
Dean, former Macon deputy
sheriff.
Incumbent Lake ft. Led c. ?
filed far reelection to ti?. i
:ounty surveyor post. James
Denman, of Franklin, was . ;
Republican choice to oppose t e
incumbent.
Selection of a state sena.^r
rests with Graham county iit
this election year, under p
visions of an act of the i. L
general assembly calling for ih3
rotation of senators in the 3ird
district, which embraces Gra
ham, Macon, Swain, Cherok e .
and Clay counties. The bill in
troduced by the Clay <*-ouniy
representative at the 1951 sc.<
slor^
Seeking nomination in the
Graham senatorial race are R.
B. (Jack i Morphew. who rep
resented his county for three
terms in the state legislature
and the 33rd district in the
state senate inL 1939. Claude
Deyton, and Dr. i. H. Crawford,
a former representative. >>
Filing locally for the Graham"
seat, since the rotation bill ap
plies only to Democrats, was
Republican E J. 'Ed' Carpen
ter, of Franklin, a former prin
cipal at Cowee school, naw en
gaged in the insurance business.
In the education ooard race,
both of the incumbents, Mr.
SEE NO. 2. PAGE 7
WILL HONOR MACON COUNTY
FOR HIGHWAY SAFETY RECORD
"Macon County's automobile
safety record topped all of
j Noirtta Carolina's 99 other coun
! ties from January to September
| ( 1950 > of this year, thereby
[ earning this county the right
| to the title, 'safest connty in
the state*
Clipped from the December
11, 1950 Issue of The Press, the
J above, at the time, called at
j tention to the county's almost
I phenomenal safety record ? phe
nomenal in the sense that in
1 this day and age, few counties
J are able to keep death from the
J highways.
Next month the State High
way commission's safety divi
sion will acknowledge Macon's
achievement.
At a ceremony here May 6
I (plans for which will be an- !
nounced later', H. D. (Tarviat
Jones, of Raleigh, engineer-di
j rector of highway safety in the i
state, will present safety awards '
to Macon County and its two I
towns, Franklin and Highlands, 1
for the 1950 record.
"1 he appearance here of Mr. I
i Jones will, in a way, be a pat
on the back for the county and
its towns. Ordinarily, only the
; larger towns and cities In the
state are recognized for out
standing highway safety and
even then it is the general pol
j Icy for a field man with the
safety division to make such,
presentations. However, the en- -
H. T>. (TAR VIA) JONES
gineer-director will make the
presentations here!
This county's 1950 safety recv
ord was one of justifiable piidt?.
but of even more significamn*
is the fact that Macon ataoat
went through 1951 wilhcwt *
highway fatality.
In November of last year,
however, a head-on collision be
SEE NO. 1, PAGE X