CIRCULATION
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71st Year ? No. 25
Franklin, N. C., Thursday, June 21, 1956
Sixteen Pages
HBprrv c ^ 3. sawws .. , ~ .?
? Staff Photo by J. P. Brady
Guard William R. Anderson
Guard Says Prisoner Was
'Agitated' Into Shooting
From his hospital bed where
he is slowly recovering from a
serious gunshot wound in the
chest, Macon Prison Guard Wil
liam R. Anderson charges the
young prisoner who shot him in
a scuffle last week was "agitat
ed into it" by other prisoners
on the road gang.
Camp Supt. John E. Cutshall
confirmed this Monday after
noon in disclosing that two
prisoners have admitted to
goading Roy L. Scarborough
into jumping the guard in an
escape attempt Wednesday
morning of last week in the
Cat Creek section. Two others
also are being questioned, he
said.
Attempts Suicide
A suicide attempt by one of
the two who confessed has been
reported. However, Supt. Cut
shall on Monday said he does
not put much stock in the at
tempt "because it's hard to de
termine if he was serious in his
Intentions".
Those who prodded Scarbor
ough to attack the guard are
facing aiding and abetting
charges in the shooting, Supt.
Cutshall said. Their names were
not disclosed.
The 17-year-old Scarborough,
who was sentenced in Bun
combe County for false pretence
and larceny, will be formally
charged with "assault with a
deadly weapon with intent to
kill, inflicting serious bodily
wounds not resulting in death",
the prison official reported.
Are Investigating
Meanwhile, an investigation
into the shooting Incident is be
ing continued by the superin
tendent and his staff.
Because of Mr. Anderson's
serious condition they have not
obtained his statement as to
what happened. He Is not al
lowed visitors.
Witnesses Incident
A state highway department
foreman, Roy Womack, witness
ed part of the incident on the
Jack Cabe Road about 11 a. m.,
but not the actual shooting.
The guard and the prisoner
rolled over a bank in the scuf
fle and were out of sight when
Little
League
Standings
Team Standings W L Pet.
Jaybirds 5 1 .833
Wildcats 3 3 .500
Reddys 3 4 .428
Thunderbirds 1 4 .200
Leading Hitters
Swan. Reddys .696
Yeary, Jaybirds .615
Higdon, Wildcats .476
Gibson, Thunderbirds .428
Leading Pitcher
Mashburn, Jaybirds 4-0
Week's Scores
June 13: Wildcats, 19, Reddys,
4; Jaybirds-Thunderbirds, post
poned.
June 15: Reddys, 8, Jaybirds,
6.
June 18: Wildcats, 9, Thund
erbirds, 4.
Coming Games
June 22: Reddys vs Jaybirds,
5:30 p. m.
June 25: Jaybirds vs Thund
erbirds, 5:30 p. m.
the guard's .38 calibre pistol
fired and wounded him. The
guard also had a rifle, it is re
ported.
In a written statement made
before prison officials, Scar
borough said the pistol went off
accidentally.
'Went Crazy'
He said:
"I was working close to Mr.
Anderson. I don't know what
happened. I just went crazy all
of a sudden and grabbed Mr.
Anderson from the front. We
started to scuffle. I pulled his
gun out of his holster and
while we scuffled the gun went
off accidentally. I did not fire
the pistol. When the pistol fir
ed I turned Mr. Anderson loose
and gave up. All I wanted was
my freedom. I was trying to
escape but did not shoot him."
In his statement, Mr. Womack
said the boy rushed the guard
from about 12 feet, "grabbing
him", and the two disappeared
down the bank. He said he
heard the shot and that the
guard came back up the bank
and told him he had been shot.
The wounded man was rushed
to Angel Hospital by Jack Cabe.
Mr. Womack guarded the
prisoner for about two hours
afterwards and reported he had
no trouble.
Scarborough has about three
months more to serve on his
present sentence, according to
Supt. Cutshall.
"As soon as we're able to ob
tain Mr. Anderson's statement,"
he said, "we'll be able to piece
together a clearer account of
what took place."
Mr. Anderson has been with
the prison camp about 18
months, 12 of them as a regu
lar guard.
The bullet entered his chest
on the upper right side and
emerged near the left shoulder
blade without striking any vital
organs.
He has received several blood
transfusions and yesterday
(Wednesday) was reported still
in a serious condition, but im
proving.
Resigns As
Agent Here
James G. Flanagan, assistant
county agent here for more
than a year and a half, has
resigned.
He left this week-end to at
tend summer school at the Uni
versity of Georgia, Athens, in
preparation for enrolling in
veterinarian's school there in
the fall.
Mr. Flanagan, a Clemson Col
lege graduate and native of
Clover, S. C., has been here
since September, 1954.
His wife, Mrs. Carolyn _ B.
Flanagan, taught at Cowee
School this past year.
County Agent T. H. Fagg yes
terday (Wednesday! said Mr.
Flanagan's successor has not
been picked.
AT LAKE JINALCSKA
Macon's Methodist rural work
er, Miss Margaret Wilson, Is at
Lake Junaluska this week (June
18-23) as a counselor for the
conference senior M. Y. F. work
shop.
WILL STAGE
4TH OF JULY
CELEBRATION
County- Wide Observance
To Include Parade And
Field Events For All
A county-wide Fourth of July
celebration will be staged this
year in Franklin.
The day's program is being
organized by the, Franklin Jay
cees, with the assistance of
other organizations.
Plans now call for a parade,
beauty contest, and field events,
in the morning, and a Little
League double-header in the
afternoon.
Field events, including the
greasy pole, and the ball games
are set for East Franklin
School.
All activities will be free, ac
cording to the Jaycee planning
committee headed by Robert C.
(Bob) Carpenter.
Prizes will be raised by the
Franklin Chamber of Com
merce.
The beauty contest will be
handled by the Franklin Jun
ior Woman's Club, of which
Mrs. Margie Cabe is president.
Orr Resigns
As Director
Of FHS Band
T. A. Orr, band director at
Franklin High for the past two
years, has resigned.
He has accepted a director's
job at Glen Alpine High School,
near Morganton. He and his
family probably will move there
in the latter part of August.
A native of Asheville, Mr. Orr
was band director in Elkin be
fore coming here to rebuild the
high school's band after it was
virtually wiped out in the gym
nasium fire.
Miss Cleaveland
Dies In Conn.
Miss Eva G. Cleaveland, of
Bridgeport, Conn., and High
lands, died last Thursday after
noon in Bridgeport.
The property on which the
Highlands Community Hospital
was built was donated by Miss
Cleaveland in memory of her
sister, Mrs. Mabel Hays.
Another sister, Mrs. W. N.
Cook, lives in Franklin. Mr. and
Mrs. Cook attended services in
Bridgeport on Monday.
Miss Cleaveland was one of
the charter members of the
Business and Professional Club
in Bridgeport and at one time
was secretary to the well-known
song writer, Miss Fanny J.
Crosby. Until retirement 10
years ago, she worked at the
First National Bank in Bridge
port.
RUMMAGE SALE SLATED
A rummage sale will be held
Saturday, beginning at 7 o'clock,
by the cullasaja Community
4-H Club, it has been announc
ed.
COMMUNITY MEETING
The Higdonville Community
Development Organization will
hold a business meeting tonight
(Thursday) at 7 o'clock at the
picnic ground, it has been an
nounced.
- ? Staff Photo by J. P. Brady
ENTERING the courthouse Tuesday morning f? a prelimin
ary hearing is James Dudley Mathis, who is chaHM with the
rifle murder of his father on June 12. Deputy ^Weriff Newell
Pendergrass escorts the boy, who was bound over to Superior
Court.
Stott Named Head Coach;
Pattillo Will Assist Him
Richard D. iDicki Stott has
been named head athletic coach
at Franklin High School for
the cominp- ye?r.
.He h?s been a teacher-coach
at the high school for five
years, serving as an assistant
football coach and head coach
of baseball.
As his assistant, the new
head coach will have G. R.
(Pati Pattillo, former F. H. S.
backfield star, who was gradu
ated this spring from Western
Carolina College. He played at
fullback in both high school
and college. \
The new coaches plan to run
the Panthers from the split-T
this coming season.
Good Crowds Are Attending
Revival Services Nightlv
Good crowds, averaging about
175 nightly, have been attend
ing the interdenominational
services at Friendship Taber
nacle in Franklin.
The series opened Sun-day and
closes tomorrow (Friday > night.
Guest minister this year is
the Rev. Herman F. Duncan,
pastor of the First Methodist
Church in Lenoir.
A special choir of about 70
voices from over the county
sings each night under the di
rection of Lowell McKee. Mrs.
Haughton Williams is pianist.
4-H Clubbers Head For Camp
Surrounded by suitcases, bed
rolls, and other items of travel
29 Macon County 4-H clubbers
waved goodbye to parents Mon
day afternoon at the Agricul
tural Building and left by bus
for a week at Camp Schaub,
near Waynesville.
The local campers were ac
companied by assistant agents
Roy W. Isley and Mrs. Jessie D.
Cabe. Miss Nell Ramsey, student
trainee with the home agent,
also will spend the week at the
camp.
Eight boys and 21 girls board
ed the bus for the trip.
The boys w?re Wayne Guest,
Douglas Slagle Charles Single,
Robert Enloe, Ronald Harper,
Billy Davenport, David Enloe,
and Jimmy Teague. Girls in
cluded Brenda Cunningham,
Suzanne Cunningham, Linda
Ledford, Patsy Cunningham,
Jane Malonee, Ann Fagg, Linda
Leatherman, Carolyn Setser, Pa
tricia Shope, Peggy Joan Pruett,
Patsy Corbin, Peggy Dills, Sue
Matthews, Linda Elaine Raby,
Jane Byrd, Joyce Cole, Carol
Watkins, Virginia Boyd, Martha
Ann Blaine, Vianne Keener,
and Helen Cochran.
? Prfu Staff Photo
Camp-Bound 4-H Clubbers Wave Goodbye
Boy Bound Over
In Rifle Death
A stoic 17 -year-old Cowee
youth Tuesday was bound over
to Superior Court on a charge
of murdering his father with a
.22 rifle on a mountainside
above their home on June 12.
At a preliminary hearing,
Justice of the Peace C. C. Sta
nley ruled the boy, James Dud
ley Mathis, must stand trial be
fore the higher court when it
convenes here in August.
"Somebody has done some
body dirty," the justice of the
peace commented, after hearing
the evidence, "but I'm not the
man to say who . . . it's up to
a jury."
The boy, who says he shot
his father accidentally, think
ing he was a groundhog, ap
peared unmoved during the
proceedings and the parade of
witnesses. He spoke out only
once. This was an exchange
with Sheriff J. Harry Thomas
over the location of a poplar
stump near the scene of the
shooting ? a point which ap
parently has little, or nothing,
to do with the case.
A deputy sheriff found the
body of the boy's father, Wil
liam A. Mathis, about 71, slump
ed over his 12-gauge shotgun
near a groundhog hole, a .22
calibre bullet wound in the left
side of his head. The body was
about a mile above the Mathis
home in the Matlock Branch
section.
The officer went to the
Mathis home about noon, fol
lowing a report by a neighbor
that something had happened
to the elder Mathis. The boy,
who had been sent up the
mountain by his mother to find
his father earlier, returned and
reported that "something is
wrong". Officers say he did not
disclose he had shot his father,
who was on the mountain
hunting groundhogs. Mathis, a
farmer, lived for nearly two
hours, the officers reported.
'Twisted Stories'
On the stand at the prelimi
nary hearing, Deputy Sheriff
Newell Pendergrass said the
youth has "twisted his stories"
each time he has been ques
tioned. The deputy was the first
officer on the scene of the
shooting. He said James first
denied the shooting and later
said it was accidental.
In later testimony. Sheriff
Thomas said the youth was un
able to tell where he stood
when he shot.
Says 'Impossible
At the point where the boy
says he stood, the sheriff testi
fied it would be "almost impos
sible" for the bullet to have in
flicted the wound it did. The
point is about 15 feet lower in
elevation than where Mathis
was found. The sheriff said the
bullet ranged downward in the
man's head, lodging near the
right ear.
However, the sheriff said evi
dence was found to indicate
someone had stood on an ele
vation about even with the
body. He said footprints were
found there and that it looked
like in one spot that a person
had jumped, a foot slipping
about six inches on a rock.
Sheriff Thomas said at this
point, about two feet lower
than the other, the whole fig
ure of a man could be seen
where the body of Mathis was
found
At the county jail, following
the coroner's inquest, the offic
er quoted the boy as saying
he shot his father accidentally.
Bad Eyesight
He said the boy blamed the
accident on bad eye sight. How
ever. the sheriff said this story
was exploded when he took the
boy to a local doctor for an eye
examination. As the doctor pre
tended to make adjustments,
"his eyesight Improved", the of
ficer testified, although he said
he was unable to see a large
letter at the start about 15
feet away.
When he asked him why he
made up the eyesight story, the
sheriff said he answered, "I
was just studying about some
thing".
Hanging Out Clothes
Mrs. Fred Messer, one of the
last to see .Mathis alive, said
she was in her yard hanging
out clothes on the morning of
the shooting when the boy
walked up to her.
"He was trembling." she said,
"and he told me something was
wrong with his daddy . . . that
he wouldn't speak to him."
She said the boy asked her
to drive him to the store, but
she told him to go to tell Mr.
Messer what had happened. It
was Mr. Messer who came to
town and reported to the sher
iff's department that something
was amiss at the Mathis place.
Mrs. Messer said she saw
James several more times dur
ing the morning and that once,
in the presence of his mother
and others, he said he had
shot his father accidentally, but
"could shoot more if he had
to". She said he twice told his
mother to "shut up", and quot
ed him as saying "third time's
a charm" to her.
W. T. Laws, a member of the
coroner's jury, testified the boy
once said he fired his gun from
a poplar stump and later
changed it to a locust tree.
It was brought out earlier in
testimony that there is no pop
lar stump near the scene.
WOMEN WILL MEET
Women of the Nequassa Chap
ter of the Order of the Eastern
Star will meet tonight (Thursday)
at 8 o'clock at the new Masonic
Temple on Church Street, accord
ing to Mrs. W . G. Crawford,
worthy matron.
r
Late News
and
Briefs
There's something about Ma
con County that grips people.
Once they've lived here, most
people who move away always
want to come back.
Witness the case of the Rev.
Ebenezer Myers, retired Metho
dist minister. A Macon County
native, he has lived away from
this county for some 70 years.
Yet one of his fondest dreams
is about to come true ? he's
coming back "home" for a visit
this week-end.
Moreover, though he's 90, he
will preach twice on Sunday ?
at the Iotla Methodist Church
at 10 a. m., and at the Frank
lin church an hour later!
? * ?
GOVERNOR HERE
Gov. Luther H. Hodges was at
Rainbow Springs Tuesday, Wed
nesday, and Thursday of last
week on a brief vacation. The
governor, who was accompanied
by his w4fe, spent most of his
time fishing. He and his party
stayed at the camp owned by
several prominent W. N. C. men.
* * *
VACCINE AVAILABLE
Dr. Guy V. Gooding, district
health officer, announced this
week that any child between
the ages of 6 months and 19
years may now receive the Salk
anti-polio vaccine every Thurs
day at the local health center.
* ? *
LETTING IS SLATED
The State Highway Commis
sion will receive bids June 26
for the relocation project from
Feisty Branch to Nantahala
School.
* * *
MT. SINAI SINGING
The fourth Sunday sing will
be held at the Mt. Sinai church
beginning at 1:30 p. m? it has
been announced by the sing
vice-president, Glenn Reeves.
The Weather
The week's temperature* nnd rainfall, as
? corded in Franklin by Manaon Stiles.
I'. S. weather observer: in Highlands bjr
Tudor N. H nil and W. C. Newton. TV A
observer: and at the Coweta Hydrologic
laboratory.
Temperatures
High Low Rain
FRANKLIN
June 13 83
Wed..
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
73
81
83
87
88
84
HIGHLANDS
Wed.. June 13 78
Thursday 70
Friday 71
Saturday 80
Sunday 78
Monday 72
Tuesday 72
Wednesday
COWEETA
Wed.. June 13 86
Thursday 72
Friday 79
Saturday 82
Sunday 84
Monday 86
Tuesday 81
58
80
61
61
56
57
62
56
54
59
61
56
59
56
58
59
58
60
51
53
58