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VOL. JJUX ? NO. ?
FRANKLIN, N. C., THURSDAY, FEB. 25, 1954
? 3 toff Photo by J. P. Brmdy
A Tirid picture of the ticklish Man Mm uprising in Kenya,
Brltfak East Africa, was painted for Franklin Rotarians last
Wednesday night by Frank Loyd, (center), who has spent IS
yean in Kenya. At right is Or. T. C. Nelson, research forester at
Coweeta Hydrologic laboratory, who Introduced Mr. Loyd. Present
as a (test (left) was Dr. C. K. Harsh, of Asherille, division chief
of the Soatheastern Forest Experiment Station in Asheville, who
has jaat returned from Kenya.
Desire For Land Underlying
Cause Of Mau Mau Uprising
A desire for land, stiffened
by an almost phenomenal in
crease in population, is at . the
root of the savage Mau Mau
uprisings in British East Africa.
This information comes from
a native Englishman, whose 15
years in the. colony of Kenya
qualify him as an expert on
the affairs of the British-gov
erned land.
Addressing the Franklin Ro
tary Club here last Wednesday
night, , Frank Loyd, district
commissioner of Fort Hall
(Kenya), traced the economic
troubles of the land of five and
a quarter million blacks, and
offered his personal opinions as
to the reasons back of the Mau
Mau uprising and the Inhuman
slaughter of some 20 whites
and more than 1,000 loyal Af
ricans, who have fallen prey to
the maurading bands of rebel
lous blacks.
Mr. Loyd is In this country
Studying American methods of
advancing agriculture and for
estry in the hope that this
knowledge will enable the Brit
ish to increase the productivity
of the land in Kenya ? a knotty
problem in the country's In
ternal a f a 1 r s and one Mr.
Loyd feels is directly connected
with Mau Mau recruiting. He
spent last week studying experi
ments under way at the Co
wee ta Hydrologic Laboratory
here.
8ince Kenya is primarly an
agricultural country, land is
foremost in the minds of the
people, the speaker explained.
But a sky-rocketing population,
which is expected to double in
the next 25 years, has cut heav
ily into the amount of land
suitable for cultivation.
This situation, while not en
tirely to blame, has been used
by the fanatic Mau Mau ex
tremists to recruit new blood
and drive the white man out of
the land of the blacks.
"Sixty years ago, this land
was in a semi-barbarous state",
Politics Static
Politics is relatively static
here this week as prospective
candidates for the May Demo- j
cratic primary stand by for j
confirmation of Lee Barnard's
appointment as county elections
board chairman so they can of
ficially file.
The Franklin man's appoint
ment is expected to be actcd
upon by the Stat" Board of j
. Election; next week Fred S. 1
Moore, of Frankiin. Route 1.
and Wa ter Bryson, of High
lands. 'he other members i
ol tin' new board.
-
Mel* <:;? Wins
Speech- Contest
Herbert MtX' lvcy, lc-year- ,
old Franklin ".i<h junior and
son of Mr. ftp Mrs. R. F. Mr- j
Krlvrv w: s a.iiudged local win-;
ner o: an oratorical contest)
spoil 'i by the American Leg
ion. 4
The was held Fiiday
ni ih' i : * Scnool library, .iol- j
lo win:, -;;er meeting of the j
P. T A
Miss "Tnrgn.ret Crawford,
dalighti i, Mrs. Ollmer Craw
ford, wo ?' ?inerup. The win
ner received .10 th? rur.nrrup
$5.
Youn" M^Kelvey will go to
Sylva tomorrow (Friday i night
to compete in the district fea
ture of the nation-wide contest.
O. A. Jones, Jr., the ReV. R.
D. Burnette, and County School
Supt. Holland McSwaln judged
lor the local feature.
the speaker declared, "and the
people didn't even know what a
wheel was."
Because of this backwardness,
Mr. Loyd said It Is "difficult
to convince them that seizure
of land is the solution."
The Mau Mau agitators prom
ise to take the land from the
whites and return it to the
blacks, Mr. Loyd explained:
"And when you tell this to
illiterates ? and some semi-ed
ucated ? you are going to re
ceive a following, for you are
telling them what they want to
believe."
However, the British are ap
proaching the problem from an
other angle; increasing the pro
ductivity of the soil to main
tain more people. Mr. Loyd said
he feels this idea has great
merit, but he emphasized that
the real solution to the Inter
nal trouble In Kenya rests with
loyal Africans who want to see
their country advance with the
times.
"I am comment or its (Ke
nya) future," the speaker said,
"and feel that this Mau Mau
problem is just a passing
phase."
Faster action could have "put
the brakes" on the Mau Mau
uprising when It started, Mr.
Loyd said, but proper legisla
tion "takes a little while", with
the result that in about nine
months the Mau Mau gained In
strength.
"Personally, I feel we were
about six months too late," he
declared.
Often under the threat of
death, the blacks are forced to
sign the secret Mau Mau oath
to drive the whites out of the
country and regain the land.
Many believe, but most take
the oath because they are
frightened, Mr. Loyd explained,
and some who refuse are hor
ribly murdered ? burned alive
and hacked to bits.
In November, 1952, emergency
legislation was passed "to real
ly get tough with them". Past
er action would have eliminated
the long drawn-out campaign
that is making headlines around
the world, he said.
"But things are getting bet
ter now," Mr. Loyd told Rota
rians, "and this huge following ]
has been reduced to groups of i
bandits", who come out of the
night on raids and take lives. ;
In n question-answer period j
following his address, the speak- [
or was asked if the Mau Mau
wii.i communist-hacked.
Mi. Loyd. pOiflted oat that
the top Mau .Mau iea:!'"\ who !
is under arre.;t, spent consid
erable time ir. >*os-iw, 'aid the !
British have round no dl ect ;
evidence to bear this on', but,
i." addvd;'
? r find it hard to believe that
the Communists are not lnvolv- j'
eci In some way . . vou can
be ecrtaln they are clapping .
th"ir hands."
The speaker was introduced
by Dr. Tom Nelson. Rotnrian
and research forester at Co- j
weeta. %
. Present as a guest at the
meeting was Dr. C. R. Hursh, o:'
Ashovtlle, division thief of the I
Southeastern Forest Experiment
'Nation. Dr. Hursh has just re-;
turned from a tnur of Kenya. I
Explorer Scout Program |
A meeting to reactivate the !
Explorer Scout program in this
county is planned tonight j
(Thursday) at the Franklin I
Methodist Church. , |
All Scouts and boys over 14
are invited to attend and bring
their parents and friends. The
meeting is set for 7:30 o'clock. |
W.W.REEVES
IS NEW HEAD
OF CHAMBER
Franklin Group Sets
March 9 As Date For
Annual Supper Meet
W. W. Reeves, hardware mer
chant and well-known civic
leader, Is the new president of
the Franklin Chamber of Com
merce for 1954-55.
He was elected to the post
Tuesday night at a meeting of
the new chamber board of di
rectors, which was selected In
a mall election recently con
ducted by the commerce body.
Others named to serve with
him are Verlon Swafford, vice
president, and J. L. West, Jr.,
treasurer.
In addition to the above three
men, the board is composed of
Norman Blaine, C. Banks Fing
er, Erwin Patton, William Kat
enbrink, out-going president,
and H. W. Cabe.
Mr. Swafford and Mr. Cabe
are both hold-overs from last
Treasurer To Speak
State Treasurer Edwin M.
Gill will give the principal ad
dress at the Franklin Cham
ber of Commerce's annual
dinner meeting here March 9,
President William Katenbrink
disclosed this week.
The dinner ? a joint affair
with the Rotary and Lions
clubs ? is planned for the
Franklin High cafeteria at 7
o'clock.
Features of the meeting) in
cluding remarks by Mr. Kat
enbrink and the new com
merce body president, W. W.
Reeves, axe now being work
ed out and will be announc
ed next week, the president
said.
year's board and are serving the
last year of two year terms.
Mr. Blaine and Mr. Reeves
were elected to two year termS.
The remaining four ? Mr. Fing
er, Mr. Patton, Mr. West, and
Mr. Katenbrlnk? will serve for
one year.
Mrs. Lasca E. Horsley was re
appointed secretary of the or
ganization by the new board.
A budget for the new year
will be prepared tonight (Thurs
day) by Mr. Blaine, Mr. Patton,
Mr. Katenbrlnk, and Mr. Reeves
for presentation at the com
merce body's annual dinner
meeting March 9.
The new board and officers
will officially take over their
duties at this meeting.
IOTLA-COWEE
HIT BY RABIES
Health Official Says
Situation 'Serious';
Clinics Scheduled
Officials of the local health
department are moving swiftly
this week to halt what could be
"a very serious" outbreak of
rabies in the Iotla-Cowee sec
tions. J
Four suspected cases of rabies
in dogs were reported Monday
by Sanitarian H. T. Collins and
Dr. O. II Burnside. county ra
bies inspector Tuesday, a re
port from a laboratory in At
lanta. 6a.. defitiiio'y < -tablish
ed that one of tiie an: ? 'is was
rabid. Reports have not. born
4 vcd Oil tile other M " |
Collins ?o id.
One of the doas. no*v tvider
observation, bit i2'-vr.
r o ? Holland on the ' ' ' _? ?.??- ,
urday. If the dog is i!_id fh"
boy. who is the son of Kerma
Holland, 'will be Riven ? r..r
ate anti-rabies treatment, the
sanitarian s ? ? lc! . V I
Rab:es vac.jna.tion . clinUs f(ir
'ioi;s are scheduled i'i the tw >
areas ? the only ones in the
rounty reparians eases ? t >mor
row (Friday) r'ul Sal itday b
Or. Burnside.
The ?> cterinarian will s;'l 11
shop tomorro-v afternoon ft mil
4:30 to fi oVock at Pau! Swaf
ford's Store.
Saturday, from 8 trt 10 p. m.. \
lie will be at Tom Hickman's I
Store: from 10 to 11 at J. It.
Ilolbrook's; and from 11 to 12 !
at the oW Leatherman post of
fice. .
Because of the seriousness of
the situation, Dr. Burnside said
he will pinpoint his activities |
in the two communities for the i
time being. Clinics will be held
SEE NO. 8, PAGE 12 !
Student Officials Taking Over Town
And County Governments On Friday
Balloting At Franklin High
Dinnes Gets *
Appointment
To Annapolis
A 17-year-old Franklin High
senior, William (Bill) Dinnes,
has been appointed to the U.
S. Naval Academy, Annapolis,
Md., by Congressman George A.
Shuford.
Young Dinnes, son of Mr. and
Mrs. William, Dinnes, of Franklin,
will enter the academy in June,
following his graduation f.rom
high school. His father is gen
eral manager of the Mica De
velopment Corporation.
This past football season,
young Dinnes was 1st string end
with the Panthers.
Driver School
Headquarters
Franklin Is headquarters for
an 11 -county school to certify
teachers as instructors of Driv
er Education Programs, County
School Supt. Holland McSwain
has announced.
An organizational meeting
was held here Tuesday.
Teachers of the area will
come here once a month for
the next three months to take
special courses leading to cer
tification as instructors.
The dates for the sessions,
which will, be held at Franklin
High School, are March 22,
April 3, and May 3. Instructors
from the N. C. Department of
Public Instruction will be John
C. Noe, advisor in safety edu
cation, and George D. Maddrey,
associate in safety education.
In addition to Macon, teach
ers JPill come from Buncombe, j
Clay, Cherokee, Graham, Swain,
Haywood, Jackson, Transylvan
ia, Henderson, and Madison. I
ESCAPEE HAS
BRIEF FUNG
Breaks From Camp,
Steals Car, Caught
By S. C. Deputy
It was a brief taste of free
dom for a 32-year old prisoner,
who broke out of the Macon
Prison Camp last Thursday
night, stole a Franklin man's
car, and headed South.
Friday morning the escapee,
I/)yd L. Hite, of Richmond
County, fell into the web of a
three-state alarm and was ar
rested in Hartsville, S. C., slight
ly more than 12 hours after he
pried the bars out of a window
at the prison camp and headed
for freedom.
Hite's break could have had
serious repercussions. Only the
alertness of Guard Carl Tippett
prevented other prisoners from
escaping through the window,
according to Camp Superinten
dent J. R. Overton.
The guard spotted the twist
ed bars soon after Hite made
his break and sounded the
alarm. Thirty-three other pris
oners were in the compound.
"I feel certain the guard's
alertness prevented a serious
situation", Mr. Overton declar
ed.
With bloodhounds hot on his
trail, Hite circled a good part
of Franklin in his flight, final
ly stealing an automobile be
longing to J. C. Slmmonds. The
car was parked near the Frank
lin Mineral Products, Inc., on
Depot Street, where Mr. Sim
monds works.
The prison superintendent
said Hite, who is serving 15 to
25 years for kidnapping a state [
SEF NO. 4. PAGE 1'
Students of all schools In the
county ? with the exception of
Highlands School, which chose
not to participate ? will embark
on a unique experiment in gov
ernment tomorrow (Friday).
Having bdten duly elected
through party organization and
elections at each school, the
students will take over the du
ties of county and town offices
for the day, learning first-hand
how government operates.
And they will face, too, the
problems experienced by their
adults in the various offices.
But the county and town offi
cials will be standing close by
to give a helping hand, should
it be needed.
G. A. Jones, Jr., chairman of
the Americanism committee of
the Franklin Jaycees, sponsor
of the unique "student govern
ment day", reported yesterday
(Wednesday) that plans are
running along smoothly.
For several weeks now, poll
tics has been running heavy
through the schools as the two
parties ? Carolinians and Ma
conians ? put forth slates of
candidates and uncorked pre
election campaigns even more
hotly contested than real elec
tions. A group of Franklin High
School students, dissatisfied
with the" platforms of the two
parties, broke off and formed
the Liberal Party and managed
to put some of their candidates
into office.
Prayer Day
Set March 5
By special proclamation, the
mayors of Franklin and High
lands have set March 5 as
"World Day of Prayer".
Thns, Macon County will
join one hundred and four
countries ii^ this troubled
world in pausing at high noon
for a few .moments of silent
prayer to ask God for the
wisdom, courage, ajid divine
guidance to meet the prob
lems of the times.
Special church services are
planned in both towns.
The Franklin service is set
for 8 p. m. at the Franklin
Methodist Church.
"World Day of Prayer" pro
grams also will be presented
in the schools of the county,
according to Supt. Holland
Mc&wain.
Cage Results
Friday night, here: Franklin
boys over Gienville, 53 to 30;
Franklin girls won, 58 to 28.
Tuesday night, away: Frank
lin boys over Highlands. 40 to
32; Franklin lassies win again,
48 to 36.
Local Gir! Becomes Moth y? At 13
Mr. Judy Ann Buckner, who created quite v slit here last year when she mp.-ried at the
tender age of 13. berarae a mother Tuesday at 12:05 a. m. at Ansel Clinic. It s a daughter, Bar
br.-a Ann, who weighed in at five pounds. Mrs. Buckner. whs stands just five feet tall and weighs
60 pounds, seems pleased about her offspring. She and her husband, Kenneth, 27, were married
March 12. 185S. in Walhalla. S. C., nine days ?fterJudy_Ann<|celebrate^jfl^fly^flfrJfl^^^^
LAW SMASHES
THEFT RING
IN BIG RAID
Highlands Break-ins
Cleared By Arrests;
Men Hit Two States
The cloak of mystery sur
rounding the looting of soime
SO unoccupied summer homes
In seven counties of North and
South Carolina ? Including 13
In the Highlands area here ?
was ripped away last Thursday
In Transylvania County when
officers smashed an organized
theft ring In a surprise raid.
Sheriff J. Harry Thomas, who
was In on the raid along with
officers of both states, reported
the arrest of five men, all of
the Brevard area.
Four of the five were brought
to Highlands Tuesday morning
for a preliminary hearing be for*
Justice of the Peace Sam J.
Murray, of Franklin, and wer?
boun$ over to Superior Court
under stiff bonds.
The four ? Herbert Hoover
Volraph, 25, Jimmy Volraph, 21,
Ray McCall, 21, and Ernest
Fisher, 18 ? face 12 counts each
of hreaking, entering and lar
ceny for their lucrative sweep
through the Highlands area.
The fifth member of the ring,
Paul Barnes, 20, was not charg
ed here.
Although 13 homes were brok
en into in the Highlands area.
Sheriff Thomas said only 12
charges were lodged against the
men because t^o places belong
ing to the same man were en
tered.
Most of' the articles taken
from the homes here were re
covered in the raid, the sheriff
said. However, he added that a
complete report cannot be made
until the home owners make
positive identifications.
Property loss and damage to
the 13 dwellings were estimated
at mare than $3,000 by the
sheriff.
A bottle of vodka stolen from
the Highlands home of Dr.
Logan Robinson furnished the
first substantial clue toward
cracking the rash of break-Ins,
which had officers of the two
states and seven counties work
ing around the clock for mors
than three weeks.
One of the members of th?
ring tried to sell the stranga
brand of whiskey in Brevard,
Sheriff Thomas said. His ac
tion was reported and the of
ficers immediately pinpointed
their Investigations on this solid
clue and moved in for the kill.
Thursday's raid on the home*
of the ring members was led
by Transylvania Sheriff John
Kllpatrick. The officers recover
ed thousands of dollars worth
of loot, including pistols, rifles,
shotguns, appliances, clothing,
and jewelry.
The theft ring was believed
to have been involved in 60
summer home break-ins in Ma
con, Jackson, and Swain, in this
state, and Greenville and Pick
ens counties in South Carolina,
Sheriff Thomas said.
Highlands Mayor W. H Cobb
and Gordon Talley, also of
Highlands, went along with the
raiding party as spectators.
Oth'"- members of the party
included Swain. County Sheriff
I B Jenkin<. Jackson County
iv it F'-.m'* Allen Brevard
Pr ::<? ? 1. ."orpenin*.
" >; rfcnd CIv'j? Hubbard.
? in. win; i -!? 'ies, Paul
:inJ Ci. ; '.es Eskew,
r 111c, On ' ? deputies,
? > ? Gurrett Pi ??sen < Count v
. St. to P trtfaien B'.li
w
PRANKT.IV
Tem eiatnrt >
High Low Rain
Wednesday .v. 33
Huirnttoy . .. . 59 24
Friday ,. Cl 23
Saturday 56 46 2.02
Sunday 08 ,42 v, .11
Monday 59 29 trace
Tuesday 62 22 ....
COWfc.fc. i"A
Temperatures
High Low Rain
Wednesday 56 39 .96
Thursday 55 19
Friday 58 26
Saturday .56 46 .39
Sunday ...! 60 38 3.0S
Monday 80 31
TllAAlinn