e #njttlliii Iff
VOL. LXIX? NO. 47
3%* "Ijijl Wanton JRacoman
FRANKLIN, N. C, THURSDAY, NOT. 18, 1954
PRICE
,10 Cents
SIXTEEN PAGES
1 1
?Crisp's Studio Photo
BIG STRIKE ? Lawrence Penland, mine superintendent,
poses in the Rose Creek mine at the big vein of block mica
uncovered last week. The strike is one of the biggest in the his
tory of mica mining here.
Big Mica Strike Is Made
At Rose Creek Mine Here
One of the biggest mica
strikes in Macon's mining his
tory is well on its way to being j
the biggest at the old Rose J
Creek mines in the Cowee 1
Township.
Mica Industries Inc., of which
G. L. Houk, of Franklin, is
president, hit a huge vein of
mica Monday of last week (No
vember 8) and in six working
days removed 33,000 pounds of
block mica.
"They're stacking it up like
cord wood," is the comment
sweeping mining circles.
Sheeting operations are now
under way in Franklin. Gill
Fleming, processing superinten
dent, said Tuesday he has 10
sheeters working full-time and
that 20 should be working soon
if the strike holds out.
"Right now it'll take 20 peo
ple working 30 days to clean
up what we have here," he de
clared.
Tuesday alone, in four hours,
miners brought out 4,000 pounds
of pure block mica under the
supervision of Lawrence Pen- j
land, mine superintendent. Six
men are working at the mine.
Mr. Houk said the corpora
tion, a subsidiary of Minerals
Processing Corp., a Delaware
corporation with its principal
plant in La Grange, Ga., sunk
the new shaft at the old mines
about the first of September
in the middle of five exposed
veins of mica. The shaft was
sunk 100 feet, then cross-cut, r
before "they hit the strike", he
explained.
The president said he would,
be able to gauge just how big
a strike has been made as socm
as some of the mica is sold./
Mica currently is selling Jlax
$30 to $70 per pound, depending
on the grade.
? 1
Late News
and
Briefs
TICKETS FOR SALE
Tickets to the annual Optim
ist Bowl game in Ashevllle
Thanksgiving Day may be pur
chased at Franklin High School.
Principal Harry Corbin said a
50-cent savings can be made by
advance purchase. The tickets
are SI 50 for adults and 50 cents
for students.
Richard Renshaw, fleet Pan
ther back, will represent Frank
lin in the bowl game.
* * *
HEAR, HEAR OL' DEER
Deer hunters by the hundreds
trooped ihto Macon bright and
early Monday morning for 12
days of deer hunting.
Reports of kills are spotty,
but hunters apparently are not
jumping the bucks like in years
past.
J. G. Wright, of Franklin,
bagged one on Wayah Monday
morning and yesterday (Wed
nesday i Wayah turned out an
other for Elbert Hedden, of
Franklin.
Several out-of-county kills al
so have been reported from
various sections of the county
on and off government land.
Wayne Stewart, of Franklin, j
Is reported to have bagged one
of three bucks killed on Burn
lngtown on the opening day.
The season closes November
27.
^8EK NO. 8, PAGE 8 1
Burlington Asks
Bids For Plant
Burlington Mills Corporation
this week issued invitations for
bids on construction of its
$3,000,000 Franklin hosiery
plant, according to information
received by W. W. Reeves, pres
ident of the Franklin Chamber
of Commerce.
He said it probably will be
two or three weeks before the
bids are reviewed and the con
tracts awarded.
"We should know something
about December 10", Mr. Reeves
predicted.
He added it was his under
standing the corporation plans
to start construction immediate
ly after the contractors are se
lected.
The site for the new plant on
US 23-441 (south), just outside
the city limits, is virtually ready
for construction, according to
E. J. Whitmire, of Macon Con
struction Company. Grading has
been under way for several
weeks.
In covering late developments
concerning the proposed plant,
Mr. Reeves disclosed that Burl
ington Mills plans some type of
training program before the
plant opens, but he emphasized
that there Is nothing definite
on this as yet. '
He said he and other mem
bers of the Macon industrial
Committee have been approach
ed by numbers of persons seek
ing work at the plant, and he
added:
"We want every one to know
that just as soon as something
is worked out about hiring, we
will make a public announce
ment about it."
Until then, he concluded,
there is no reason for inquiries
about jobs.
Absentee Voting
'Abuse' Explained
Greensboro Paper
Hits Macon's Use
Of Absentee Ballot
One of several newspapers in
the state singling Macon Coun
ty out as being involved in
"absentee ballot scandals" in.
Western North Carolina is the"
Greensboro Daily News.
In an editorial Saturday, this
daily newspaper noted:
"The , absentee ballot scandals
in Western North Carolina are
a statewide disgrace.
"Why have they been soft- !
pedaled so long?
"Consider this evidence of
PRO AND CON
The county's Democrat'
party chairman is satisfied
with the use of absentee bal
lots, while the Republican
chairman would like to see
them abolished.
Says Frank I. Murray, Sr.,
Democratic chairman: "I
have had no complaints over
the use of absentees in the
election."
Says George Reece, G.O.P.
chairman: . . worse thing
we ever had is the absentee
voter. I'm in favor of doing
away with them (absentees)
entirely."
Mr. Reese charged he did
not think the absentee bal
lots were used properly in the
election just past and he de
clared some were allowed to
vote who were not legal vot
ers.
Pressed for an elaboration
of his charge, Mr. Reece said,
"I'll not commit myself at this
time."
fraud and corruption now drift
ing down out of the mountain
counties:
"Of the 6,723 votes cast in
tiny Macon County in the 1952
general election, about 1,200 of
them ? or 20 per cent ? were
'absentee ballots'. Can ' either
Democratic or Republican party
officers explain why one-fifth
of the electorate was absent
from the county or unable to
get to the polls for legitimate
reasons on election day? A dis
patch quoted by the Raleigh
News and Observer from Macon
County prior to the November
2 election says that the Repub
lican county chairman says that
the county elections board had
'run out of absentee ballots
after issuing more than 900.'
-"Who Is charged with check
ing on the validity of these
ballots? And if they are valid,
will the parties responsible
vouch for their validity?
"But this strange business is
not confined to Macon County
alone. The Asheville Citizen re
ports that 1,000 absentee ballots
were distributed in Macon,
Cherokee and Madison Counties,
SEE NO. 5, PAGE 8
- r
Barnard Declares
County Has Been
Misrepresented
Macon County, in recent
weeks, has been fingered state
wide as the "awful example" In
the highly-publicized absentee
ballot "scandals" in Western
North Carolina.
Unconfirmed reports ? and
several daily papers have edit- |
orialized on the issue ? have it 1
that Macon has been voting
about 20 per cent absentee in
general elections.
"Of the 6,723 votes cast in
tiny Macon County in the 1952
general election, about 1,200 of
them ? about 20 per cent ? |
were 'absentee ballots'," the
Greensboro Daily News has in
formed its readers in an editor
ial.
"It's time we stopped this
foolish misrepresentation of the
facts," Lee Barnard, Macon
Election Board chairman told a
Press reporter this week, in
a heated denunciation of mis
conduct leveled at elections
here.
The chairman said the mix
up probably stemmed from an
Asheville .reporter's failure to
draw a line between "issued"
and "voted" and he explained
that this reporter was told
about 1,200 absentees were "is
sued here" for the general elec
tion.
Mr. Barnard noted:
In the yast November 2)
general election, 1,121 appli
cations for absentees were is
sued in this county ? and
of this number only 523 bal
lots were returned, with Just
423 of this number being
"cast" in the election.
Percentage-wise, the 6,088
votes cast in the general elec
tion, and the 423 absentees,
come to about seven per cent
of the vote . . . "and that's a
lomg way from the 20 per cent
SEE NO. 3, PAGE 8
Auction Sale
Set Saturday
For Band Aid
Items at auction ? ranging
from apples to zippers ? string
music, and other entertainment
features will be on tap Satur
day night at East Franklin
School when the P. T. A.-spon
sored "harvest sale" is staged.
Presented jointly by the Frank
lin and East Franklin associa
tions, the special sale is to raise
money to help pay for $3,500
| worth of instruments recently
received by the revitalized
Franklin Band.
Set for 7 o'clock, the sale will
see a "warehouse full" of items
donated by businesses and other
interested persons auctioned off
to the highest bidders by
George Mallonee, B. L. McGlam
ery, Principal Ralph L. Smith,
and Andrew Jones, who have
ofiered their services for the
evening.
String music, as an added
feature, is being arranged by
Bobby Teague and Paul Smith,
ancf several other entertainment
features are planned, according
to Mrs. Frank Killian, sale
chairman.
Although the sale is primar
ily a Franklin-East Franklin
project, other schools in the
district are cooperating by do
nating items for auction.
Press Coming
Out Day Early
For Holiday
Following its usual Thanks
giving custom, The Press next
week will be issued one day
early.
Dated Wednesday instead
of Thursday, it will be placed
in the Franklin Post Office
Tuesday night, for delivery
Wednesday morning.
Because there never is ruraJ
route delivery on Thanksgiv
ing Thursday, this change in
schedule Is made each year.
Due to the earlier schedule,
advertisers and persons hav
ing news items are requested
to get their copy in Monday?
preferably before noon.
The Press office will be
closed all day Thanksgiving.
Chief Gordon And Patrolman Lewis
Look Over Hidden Arsenal
Find Rifles, Pistols, Sword
A "routine check" of a 1949
Chevrolet convertible Tuesday
of last week on NC 28, near
Highlands, by Patrolman A. A.
Lewis and Highlands Police
Chief E. O. Oordon turned up:
1. two loaded .22 calibre pis
tols under the front seat.
2. three .22 rifles
3. a .410 gauge shotgun
4. a three-foot sword
Being held In the Macon Jail
Gerald Donald Thompson, 18,
both of Fayettevllle, Ark. The
patrolman said Sitton admitted
he was A.W.O.L. from the Ma
rine Corps.
F. B. I. Agent Stanley Set
tles, of Ashevllle, was here
Thursday to check a breaking
and entering story told by the
two men. Patrolman Lewis said
Sitton told him he and Thomp
son broke Into a home In
SEE NO. 2, PAOE 8
FRANKLIN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE President W. \V. Reeves (left) is shown presenting
cash awards to the presidents of the three top communities in the Macon County Rural Com
munity Development Contest ? Harry Kinslajid, Hol.lv Springs, first place; Earl Cabe, Carson,
second; and Erwin Patton, Patton, third. The awards were made at Saturday night's awards din
ner at Franklin High. v ^
RUSSELL DIES
IN HIGHLANDS
Well -Known Civic
Leader Succumbs
Of Heart Ailment
Stacey Clifton Russell, 68,
well-known Highlands civic
leader and one-time head of
the postal service in the Pana
ma Canal Zone, died Sunday at
the Highlands Community Hos
pital.
A native of Anderson, S. C.,
and Highlands resident for 13
years, Mr. Russell had been in
the hospital for a month with
a heart condition.
Funeral services are schedul
ed today (Thursday) at 11 a. m.
at the Highlands Baptist
Church. The Rev. John Buell,
pastor, will officiate and burial
will be in the Highlands Ceme- !
tery.
After retirement from the
postal service, Mr. Russell and
his wife, the former Miss Helen
Fant, of Walhalla, S. C? moved
to Highlands, where he became I
quite active in civic affairs.
He was the first president of
Highlands Rotary Club and at :
the time of his death was serv- ,
ing as secretary of the club. It
s. c . aussfii
is said that the idea of a High
lands community hospital was
Mr. Russell's, which resulted in
the construction of the hospital.
Since it was built, he had serv
S2E NO. 7. PAGE S
Pace-Setting H
Tops In Rural C
Holly Springs ? Macon's pace-:
development program ? took top
ty Rural Community Developmei
Carson and Patton placed seci
other communities received $50
Awards to the winning comi
Reeves, president of the Frankl
special dinner Saturday night at
Macon Youngsters
Shooting For '55
Fat Stock Event
Although the dust has barely
had time to settle over the arena
of the Hominy Valley Horse
and Hound Pavilion, Macon
F. P. A. and 4-H club members
are pointing to next year's
W. N. C. Fat Stock Show and
Sale.
After arriving home from the
show and sale at the Enka
pavilion last Tuesday and Wed
nesday with 18 blue ribbons and
memories of stiff competition,
these young beef cattle raisers
immediately closed a deal with
C. S. Slagle for 10 feeder calves
for the 1955 show and sale.
This brings to 25 the number
of calves they are readying for
next year's competition, accord
ing to Wayne Proffitt, vocation
al agricultural teacher at
Franklin High, who is in charge.
In adlltlon to the 18 blue rib
bons, the local group copped 11
reds, two whites, first place in
the best home-grown group of
three animals, second in the
best five county group, and sec
one and third in showmanship.
At Wednesday's sale, local
business and professional men
once again threw thejr support
behind the Macon calves and
the 31 animals entered brought
a total of $8.581 70 for their
youthful, but experienced, own
ers.
The local animals averaged
23.8 cents a pound, slightly
higher than the sale average.
Mr. Proffitt said.
He attributed this higher
average to local support, and
declared:
"The business and profession
al men have our sincere thanks
for the way they .supported
us . . . they alone are respon- j
sible for the higher per pound f
average our animals brought."
Icily bprings
Contest Here
setter in the rural community
honors in the 1954 Macon Coun
nt Contest.
and and third, respectively. Ten
prizes and three $25 awards,
nunities were made by W. W.
in Chamber of Commerce, at a
Franklin High School. The din
ner was a "thank you" from the
participating communities to
the business and professional
men who supported the contest
and raised $1,175 in prize money.
Guest speaker at the dinner,
which was attended by some 200
persons, including community
.representatives, was R. C. Fran
cis, well-known Haywood Coun
ty farmer and humorist.
In winning first place, Holly
Springs received $300. The com
munity was the first in this
county to enter the W. N. C.
Aural Community Development
Contest in 1952. During that
contest year, approximately
$75,000 was expended in Holly
Springs on community and
home improvements, and when
the winners were announced
the community found itself In
fifth place. With Holly Springs
showing the way, a county con
| test followed in 1953.
A cash award of $200 went to
Carson for seconl place in this
year's contest. In 1952, Carson
followed close on the heels of
Holly Springs in organizing for
the area contest and these two
communities represented Macon
that year.
Pattqn, third place winner
and recipient of $100, was the
top community in the local con
test last year and placed fourth
in the area contest.
Communities receiving $50
awards at the dinner were Mul
berry, Oak Grove, Cowee, West
Union, Prentiss, Clark's Chapel,
Cullasaja, Bethel, Higdonville,
and Otto.
Awards of $25 went to Upper
C'artoogechaye, Hickory Knoll,
and Cartoogechaye.
Active In Program
Tellico, Iotla, Burningtown,
Longview, and Pine Grove, the
live remaining communities
participating this year, were
active in the prograjn. but were
not entered for judging in the
SEE NO. 4, PAGE 8
Stmtr tkoto by J. P. Brad ?
VOCATIONAL teacher Wayne Proffitt supervises the loading
of 10 feeder calves by his F. F. A. boys. The calves will be
groomed for next year's W. N. C. Fat Stodk Show and Sale. Local
entries won IS blue ribbons in the 1954 show, held last week near
EuIul.
The Weather
I . , t? -!?'?? nt ;? 5 v \ 1 :* >*?. ??>
1 : I- ? i . Ma - Stiles.
i t \cr, a 1 at the Cow eeta
! I.;. .;:ic I.alin: atory;
FRANKLIN
Temperatures
High Low Rain
Wed. (Nov. 10i 67 26
Thursday 70 20
Friday .73 21
Saturday 70 22
Sunday 70 24
Monday 61 28 trace
Tuesday 60 50 .66
HIGHLANDS
Temperatures
High Low Rain
Wed. (Nov. 101 ... 58 30
Thursday 66 22
Friday 62 26
Saturday 63 28
Sunday 70 26
Monday 56 31 1.14
Tuesday 51 47 .98
COWEETA
Temperatures
High Low Rain
Wed. (Nov. 10)... 61 28
Thursday 66 22 ?
Friday 70 23
Saturday 67 25 ?
Sunday 69 25 _
Monday 69 31
Tuesday