Net raid
CIRCULATION
Lut Week
2976
ISjigbUnbj* JHaconinn
Skill's a joy, ? Ralph
Waldo Finerson.
7 2nd Year ? No. 29
Franklin, N. C., Wednesday, July 18, 1957
Price l'? Cents
Fourteen Pages
Club Plans
For Flower
Show Here
Annual Event
Slated July 27
At High School
Franklin Garden Club will
present Its 25th annual flower
show July 27 in the Franklin
High School cafeteria.
This year's theme is "Garden
Fashions" and the show will
feature annuals, perennials,
roses, dahlias, gladiolus, potted
plants, and a non-competitive
group.
A junior division also will be
featured in the show. Each class
will be subdivided into three age
groups, 6 to 9 year; 10 to 12;
and over 12. Both tri-color and
sweepstakes awards will be
made in this division.
No Admission
No admission is to be charged,
but a silver offering will be
taken.
There is no entry fee for ex
hibitors. Anyone in the county
is eligible to enter.
The show will be open to the
public from 2 p. m. to 9:30 p.
m. Ribbons will be awarded the
winning entries and a point sys
tem will be used to determine
a sweepstakes winner.
Copies of the show rules and
schedule may be obtained from
the chairman, Mrs. J. Ward
Long, or Mrs. T. W. Angel, Jr.,
co-chairman.
Committees Working
Club committees working on
the show include:
Schedule: Mrs. Angel, Mrs. E.
S. Purdom, and Mrs. Long.
Entries: Mrs. Prelo Dryman.
Classifications: (ar
rangements) Mrs. Allan A.
Brooks, Mrs. J, M? Archer, Jr.,
Mrs. W. E. Furr.'Mrs. Gilmer A.
Jones, and Mrs. John Bulgin;
(horticulture) Mrs. 8. R. Simp
son, Mrs. Carl S. Slagle, Mrs.
William Dinnes, Mrs. Herman
Dean, and Mrs. Charles A. Con- .
ley; (potted plants i Miss Gladys
Sellers, Mrs. B. B. Scott, Mrs.
Grant Zickgraf, and Mrs. J. E.
Perry, Jr. u
Staging and Properties: Miss
Evelyn Hope Daniels, Mrs. A. J.
Yost, Mrs. S. M. Wlnkleblack,
Miss Rose King, and members
of the schedule committee.
Hospitality: Mrs. Lyman Hig
don, Mrs. J. A. Halley, Mrs.
Marie Rogers, Mrs. E. C. Kings-,
bery, Mrs. J. E. S. Thorpe, and
Mrs. W. W. Sloan, Sr.
Publicity: Mrs. R. G. Lichten
stein and Mrs. Lester Conley.
Judges: Mrs. Horner Stockton.
Awards: Miss Laura Jones.
Junior Division: Mrs. Harve
Bryant, Mrs. A. R. Higdon, and
Mrs. Zeb Conley.
Clerks: Mrs. Stephen Bundy,
Mrs. Donald Whelan, Mrs. Wil
liam Nothsteln, and Mrs. Tom
McNish.
Festival
Dates Set
August 15-16-17 are the dates
set for the annual Macon Coun
ty Folk Festival, an event stag
ed "by home folks, for home
folks".
As in past years, it will be
held "under the stars" at the
Franklin High stadium, accord
ing to L. B. Oran, festival chair
man for the sponsoring Frank
lin Jaycees
The three-night festival,
which annually draws thous
ands, is made up entirely of
non - professional entertainers
from this county. Musicians and
singers from outside Macon are
Invited to participate, but are
not eligible for the prize money
offered.
Mr. Oran said additional infor
mation will be announced at
an early date, including places
where entertainers may regis
ter in advance for the festival.
It Wasn't For
The Birds . . .
Who says lightning never
strikes twice in the same
place.
Last Thursday afternoon.
Little Learner Alec Oorbin
pitched a 7 to t no-hitter for
hb Wildcats over the Ttmnd
erblrds.
Earlier In the season, a
pitcher (or the Reddys, John
ny Swan, did the same thing
to the Thuaderbirds by the
This tangled wreckage was all that remained of the
single-place airplane in which William J. Phillips crashed
Friday afternoon. In the center of the picture is the cockpit
? Ptm* Staff Photo
seat ?Jid the control "stick". The canvass strap over the seat
is part of a shoulder harness which hel,d him fast to the seat
and probably saved his life. The engine of the small air
plane is at bottom left. (See Picture On Page 5'.
New Catholic
Priest Arrives
In Franklin
The Rev. James T. Burke, a
native of Lynn, Mass., has been
appointed assistant pastor of St.
Francis Catholic Church in Frank
lin:
Father Burke will assist the
Rev. Robert Healy with Catholic
congregations here and in Sylva,
Cherokee, and Bryson City.
Prior to coming to Franklin.
Father Burke served in parishes
at Villanueva, Santa Rosa, and
Santa Fe in New Mexico. He
prepared for the priesthood at
St. Thomas Seminary in Denver.
Colo., and was Qfdained in the
Cathedral of St. Francis in Santa
Fe in 1950.
Better Pay Up
This Month . . .
July is the last month tax
payers can pay their 1956 coun
ty taxes without penalty.
If taxes are not paid by the
31st, property will be advertised
and sold as provided by law, ac
cording to Tom Henson, tax col
lector. Penalties also go into ef
fect after that date, he said.
Phillips Seriously Hurt
In Georgia Airplane Crash
A veteran Franklin pilot, Wil
liam J. (Bill) Phillips, 35, was
seriously injured early Friday
afternoon when his single-place
airplane was demolished in a
crash just outside Hiawassee,
Ga., before the horrified eyes of
his wife and daughter and Mrs.
Phillips' mother, who were in
the family station wagon driv
ing toward home.
Shortly before the crash, they
had waved to him as he circled
overhead. Mr. Phillips was re
turning from a business trip
near New Orleans, La., and ap
parently spotted the station
wagon on the highway below.
His wife had been visiting In
Blairsville, Ga.
Saw It Circling
A filling station operator near
the crash scene said he saw the
airplane circling and .Mrs. Phil
lips waving. He recalled the air
plane circling the area again
and then start gliding down,
its engine "popping and crack
ing".
Mrs. Phillips said she thought
her husband had gone until she
saw the small plane careening
across a field to the left of the
highway.
She was, the first to reach
him in the tangled wreckage of
the plane, which came to rest
in a corn field after cartwheel
ing about two hundred feet
after striking the ground.
Drives For Help
Seeing he was still alive, she
cautioned some men who ar
PILOT RECOVERING
A report received yesterday
(Wednesday) morning from
St. Joseph's Hospital in At
lanta, Ga., said William J.
Phillips was beginning to show
signs of improvement.
An operation to relieve
pressure on his brain was
performed Monday afternoon
and one of his broken legs
was set. The other leg was to
have been set yesterday.
The report also said he was
beginning to show signs of
recognizing members of his
family.
rived on the scene not to move
him and she then drove three
and a half miles Into Hiawassee
to get an ambulance and a doc
tor.
Both of Mr. Phillips' legs were
fractured, one in two places,
and he received lacerations of
the head and a broken rib.
Local pilots say a safety
shoulder harness he had in
stalled in the airplane probab
ly saved his life. It held him
rigid in the cockpit and had
to be cut off to remove him
from the wreckage.
Pieces were scattered over a
wide area as the airplane cart
Wheeeld after striking the
ground at a sharp angle. The
SEE NO. 1, PAGE 5
Hospital Benefit
By Transylvania
Orchestra Slated
HIGHLANDS ? A benefit con
cert for the Highlands Com
munity Hospital will be present
ed here next Thursday night,
July 25, by the faculty and staff
orchestra of the Transylvania
Music Camp.
Admission to the concert will
be a contribution to the hos
pital. It will be held at 8 o'clock
in the school auditorium.
James Christian Pfohl will
conduct.
Thomas Brackman will play
the piano concerto, Rachmanin
off 2nd, with the orchestra.
He Went
Thataway!
One of several unmarked
highway patrol cars assigned
to Troop E has a home in Ma
con County.
Highway Patrolman H. T.
Ferguson brought it back
from Raleigh last week. It's
a light blue '57 Ford.
This is the patrolman's sec
ond unmarked car. He had
one a couple of years ago
when the patrol first exper
imented with them as ' a
means of cutting highway ac
cidents.
All entrances to the county
have signs cautioning that an
unmarked car is being used.
LAST JULY VISIT
The second and last July
visit by a representative of the
Asheville district Social Secur
ity office will be made in
Franklin Tuesday at 9 a. m. at
the Agriculture Building. The
next visit will be Aug, 13.
Joe Pattiilo And Hit "Pride And Joy" Car
MACONIAX JOE I'ATTII.LO ?
He Heeded The 'See The World' Message
That perennial recruiting slo
gan of the U. S. Navy, "Join the
Navy and See the World", has
broad application to Joe Pat
tlllo, a Macon Oounty native
who is now rounding out 17 yi
years in the service.
Although he hasn't seen all
the world, a good bit of it has
passed along In front of him
and more Is still to come be
fore he retires with 20 years'
service.
Joining up In 1940. as the
pressures leading to World War
II began popping off, he saw
duty In the Pacific aboard a
cruiser; Just prior to and dur
ing this country's part In the
war. he pitched and tossed back
and forth across the Atlantic on
? destroyer; after surrender, he
was attached to school ships in
Miami, Fla., where officers are
trained to handle and operate
small craft; from here he went
on duty at the Bureau of Naval
Personnel in Washington, D. C.;
then, in 1950-51, he was assign
ed to a military advisory group
in Holland; back to Washing
ton again to the executive of
fice of the Navy Department;
and finally, back overseas again,
this time to Oslo, Norway, at
tached to the Military Assis
tance Advisory Group, a Job
similar to the one he held in
Holland.
Returns To State*
On July 1, Chief Yeoman Pat
tlllo and his wife (the former
Miss Evelyn Moore, of this
county) and their two aons,
Harry, 10, and David, 5, (who
was born In Holland > returned
to the States after two and a
half "pleasant years" In Nor
way.
To bring chief's career up to
date, he and his family are now
visiting friends and relatives
here.
Of all his duty. Chief PattUlp
liked hU tour In Norway the
best.
Not that he disliked Holland,
It's Just that . . well, Norway
is a lot like Macon County . . .
it's just in my blood to be a
mountaineer."
People Reaerved
Although the Norwelgans are
more reserved, he explains
"when you get to know them,
an NO. 2, PAQE S
Salary Minimums
Set For Officials
County Board Acts
On Salary Levels
Al Monday Meeting
When Macon's courthouse of
ficials go on salary Oct. 7 they
all will start at the minimum
set forth in the legislature bill
taking them off fees and re
quiring the county to pay their
wages.
This was decided Monday at
the board of county commis
sioners' meeting. The board had
recessed its July 1 meeting un
til Monday.
Cost to the county for the
salaries will be $28,200 a year.
Had the maximums been set
for everyone, the' annual salary
bill would have been $34,500, a
difference of $6,300.
In A Quandary
The commissioners found
themselves in a quandary. They
fixed the salaries but weren't
sure where the money is com
Water
Meeting
Called
At the request of several
merchants, Mayor \Y. C.
Burrell has called a special
meeting of the town hoard
tonight (Thursday) at 8
o'clock to discuss the
water situation.
* It is understood the
merchants want the peo
ple to decide on adequate
water for- industry through
a special l?ond election.
It Wasn't
The Final
Round . . .
What were to have been the
finals in the match between the
county and the Western Caro
lina Telephone Company over
its unpaid 1954 taxes turned out
to be only the semi-finals Mon
day.
The company came prepared
to pay the bill In full? $1,457.27,
with no penalty charged ? but
also asked the county for a re
fund on its 1953 taxes, which
the telephone company said
were overpaid by about $400.
The board of county commis
sioners made the company a
proposition : the commissioners
would charge no interest on the
1954 taxes (it would amount to
about $100) if the company
would not press for its 1953 re
fund. '
Thomas Sawyer, of Weaver
ville. vice-president of Western
Carolina Telephone, told the
commissioners, "We want to pay
what we owe but only what we
owe. We are due a refund be
cause the state board of as
sessment lowered our Macon
County valuation in 1953 after
we had paid our taxes.
"It's the same as if you over
paid on your house. You'd want,
and be entitled to, a refund."
Chairman W. E. (Genei Bald
win asked Mr Sawyer why the
company had waited so long to
seek the refund Mr. Sawyer re
plied that his office sent a let
ter in 1954 requesting such a
SEE NO 3, PAGE 5
ing from. By law, the salaries
must be paid from the general
fund; And again by law, the
general fund is prohibited from
getting more than 20 cents of
the tax levy.
If every penny were collected
on the county's $16,900,000 tax
valuation ? and it won't be ?
the general fund would amount
to only $33,800. Fees from the
courthouse offices will go into
the general fund but these are
negligible, according to the of
ficials' own estimates
There will be about $5,000 in
fees from the register of deeds'
office, about $1,100 from the
sheriff's office, and about $12,
000 from the cleric of court's
office. However, nearly all from
the clerk's office goes to the
school fund and thus won't be
available for general fund ex
penditure. ,
Collection Fee
The commissioners Instructed
the county attorney. R. S. Jones,
to see if they can legally charge
each fund a collection fee ? just
as now is done for the county
treasurer's commission ? and
let those collection fees revert
to the general fund.
(The general fund, in addi
tion to maintaining salaries,
must support a large number of
other incidentals. For instance,
the just-completed $2,500 addi
SEE NO. 4. PAGE 5
Chamber Takes
Second Step
Toward Booth
A second step toward building
a new fireproof tourist informa
tion booth on Town Square has
been taken by the Franklin
Chamber of Commerce.
.Meeting briefly, last Thursday
night, the chamber directors
studied three proposed front
elevations prepared by H. H.
Plemmons. They finally decided
on a flat-top structure and
authorized President Verlon
Swafford to obtain estimates on
its construction.
Previously, the chamber had
obtained permission from both
the town and the county to
construct the booth on the
square.
Present plans call for the
booth to be 12 by 15 feet, of
block construction, with a ve
neer of crab orchard stone or
Roman brick. However, If esti
mates for this type building
run too high, the plans will be
changed to lower the cost.
Earlier in the year, the cham
ber proposed to move its pres
ent frame information booth
from Main Street, near Conley
Motor -Company, to the square,
but fire zone regulations block
ed the follow through. Regula
tions call for fireproof build
ings only in that section of
town.
If estimates on the proposed
booth prove satisfactory, com
plete plans and specifications
will be prepared and the cham
ber of commerce will ask for
bids on its construction, Mr.
Swafford said.
The chamber hopes to finance
Its construction through a
pledge campaign among mem
bers, each contributing a small
amount.
The Weather
The week's tmpvraturn and rainfall below
are rwordwl in Franklin by Maneon Stilee.
U. S. weather observer: in Hiffblanda by
Tudor N. Hall and W C. Newton. TV A
obeervert: and at the Coweta Ifydrolouie
Laboratory. Remlinir* are for the 24-hour
period endinir at * a.m. of the day Hated.
FRANKLIN
High Low Rain
Wed., July 10 87 59 .00
Thursday 88 53 .00
Friday 90 54 .00
Saturday 91 57 .00
Sunday 91 63 .00
Monday 86 61 .00
Tuesday 89 64 .00
Wednesday 64 .00
HIGHLANDS
Wed . July 10 80 62 .00
Thursday 78 51 .00
Friday 80 50 .00
Saturday 86 58 .00
Sunday 84 54 .00
Monday 76 57 .00
Tuesday 80 56 8.03
Wednesday ? 62 56
COWTTA
Wed.. July 10 tt 57 .00
Thursday 86 53 00
Friday 88 50 .00
Saturday #7 54 00
Sunday *9 89 00
Monday 8?
Tuesday ??
Wednesday ? ?? 00