MOORE COUNTY’S
LEADING
^4EVVS-\VEEKLY
THE
A Paper Devoted to the Upbuilding
VOL. ISA, NO. 15.
thaoe
spniNC*
•LAKBVI6W
MANLBY
JACKSOH
SPRItlOS
SOOTHBRN
PltiSS
HUCHTS
PINEBLUFF
FIRST IN N»EWS,
CIRCULATION &
ADVERTISING
of the Sandhill Territory of North Carolina
Southern I'ines and Aberdeen, Norlh Carolina, Friday, March, 8, 1935.
FIVE CENTi
FAMOUS TIMBER
AND BRUSH HORSES
ENTER RACES HERE
New (Steeplechase Course on
Midland Road Ready For
Big Meeting March 16
HUNTER TRIALS IN A. M,
With the new race course of the
Sandhills Steeplechase & Racing As
sociation, midway between Pinehurst
and Southern Pines on the double
road, rapidly nearing completion, and
•with an entry list of some of the faat-
■est horses in the country, the inaug
ural meeting here on Saturday,
March 16th gives promise of being a
day long to be remembered in this
section.
Workmen have been busy all week
putting the finishing touches on the
brush and timber fence.s, and w’ith
the completion of these today or to
morrow they will turn their atten
tion to final work on the course it
self, making sure that the footing
is right for the fleet animals that
will vie for victory in the three
events carded for the afternoon. The
timber race will be three miles over
12 stiff fences, the two bnish races
each two miles over the brush jumps,
which stand over five feet and of
which 12 must be negotiated by the
sturdy steeplechasers.
Fine Entry List
Among entries in the various events
received to date are horses which
have won some of the biggest races
in the country. To mention a few are
Fairy Lore, owned by Noel Laing of
Amissville, Va. and Southern Pines;
Dock Light, owned by Arthur Ha
gen of Wayne, Pa.; War Crier, owned
by Carleton Palmer of New York;
Muskogee, owned by Mrs. T. A. Som
erville of Upperville, Va.; Oliver C.,
Mrs. Somerville’s fast timber top
per; Hal Dale, owned by Mrs. Simon
Patterson of Pittsburgh, Charioteer
Noel Laing’s timber horse which won
last year’s Carolina Cup at Camden;
Blue Admiral, owned by J. E. Ryan of
New York and Camden; The Stag,
owned by Richard K. Mellen of Pitts
burgh; Navarino, Mrs. Somerville’s
fast brush horse; Huntsman, owned
by Mrs. Palmer; Aughrim Boy, own
ed by Mrs. J. E. Ryan, and Lough
Rose, owned by William Woodard of
Camden. It is probable that Verner
Z. Reed, Jr., of Pinehurst and New
port, R. I., will also start some of
his horses in one or more of the
events.
The races are to be in the after
noon. In the morning hunter trials
will be held on a special course in
side the brush course at the new,'
field. There will be events for thor-
obred and non-thorobred hunters, and
already large numbers of entries
have been received.
Officials Announced
The following are to act as stew
ards at the race meeting: Granger
Gaither of Camden, Warner Baltazzi
of Aiken and T. A. DuraJit of New
York. Judges will be C. W. Middle
ton of Pinehurst, Verner Z. Reed, Jr.,
and Gen. Angus McCloskey of Fort
Bragg. P. S. P. Randolph, Jr., will
act as clerk of course, William Ba
ker of Pinehurst and Providence, R.
(Pletue turn to pagt 6)
Invitations Out For
Women’s Mid-South
Big Entry List Expected For
Feature Golf Event in
Southern Pines
Two hundred invitations went out
this week for the annual Women’s
Mid-South Golf Tournament to be
held on the Southern Pines Country
Club No. 1 course on April 4th and
5th. Chairman E. C. Stevens and his
assistant, Howard Burns, look for a
big entry list this year, with many of
the country’s leading golfers com
peting.
This tournament has been won in
the past by names high in the golf
ing firmament, such as Glenna Col
lett Vare, Virginia Van Wie and
Maureen Orcutt. Miss Helen Waring
of Pinehurst was victor last year
when 85 took part in the competi
tion. Miss Charlotte Glutting, New
Jersey State champion, was runner-
up.
Pine Needles Inn on Knollwood Heig'hts Is Sold
I
1
lllttBi
The Pine Needles Inn, Acquired by George T. Dunlap, Sr. and Associates, All of Pinehurst
Rather Be a Fox Hunter Than
Write Novels, Says ‘Jim’ Boyd
Southern Pines Author, in New
York Interview, Says Writing
Is Constant Disappointment
James Boyd, who has written three
navels and is here from Southern
Pines, N. C., to correct proofs on a
fourth, expressed puzzlement yester
day as to why he did it when he
would much rather be a fox hunter,
says the New York Tribune issue of
March 1st. He could only suggest a
blasted career as a chemist, a bad
case of sinus and long suffering from
a Presbyterian conscience as the ele
ments which had conspired to turn
out “Drums,” “Marching On,” “Long
Hunt” and now ‘Roll, River,” as it is
tentatively called.
Sitting yesterday in a cubicle at
Charles Scribners Sons, 597 Fifth
Avenue, Mr. Boyd, who looks like
Eugene O’Neill, with the same high
forehead, the same grave eyes, the
same type of mustache and the same
parentheses of character lines on each
side of the mouth, depreciated the lit
erary life.
“I don’t know why I write,” he
said, brandishing a batch of galley
proofs. “It’s a constant disappoint
ment. Got to be, I suppose. Nobody
can ever realize what he wants to
express by the use of words. Words
are such a clumsy tool, you know.
I suppose it’s my Presbyterian up
bringing, the idea that every man
has got to do something—just can’t
sit around all day. God knows,
J.\1VIES BOYD
DEPUTY LA. KELLY
RESIGNS AS CHIEF
AIDE TO SHERIFF
Fingerprint Expert to Specialize
in Broader Field of De
tective Work
L. A. Kelly of Carthage, who for
nearly twelve years has served as
Property Acquired Includes 500
Acres of Land, with Huild-
ing Lots and Golf Course
Death Caused by Monoxide
Gas Poison, Circumstances
^Unknown,Davidson Verdict
though, I admire a fellow who can chief deputy sheriff of Moore county,
really loaf. He’s a genius. But be- has tendered his resignation to Sher-
sides loafing and fox hunting I don’t; C. J. McDonald, to become effec-
know anything I would rather do ’ tive on April 1st. Mr. Kelly will spec-
than write, though I hate to sit down ialize in the broader field of detective
to it. I fingerprint w'ork. His new duties
Fox Hunting Career j will necessitate his traveling from
“You might think fox hunting, pl3-ce to place, but it is not known
isn’t much of a career—well, it is. ! where he will make his headquarters.
Hunting foxes, really hunting them,
is an adequate career for any man,
no matter who he is. It will take all
your best efforts for life to under
stand the handling of dogs, their
training, the habits of foxes, how
to take horses over the jumps—
a tremendous literature on each of
these subjects.”
The novelist spoke with much more
pride of his pack of forty hounds—
{Please turn to page 5)
HUNT BALL FRmAY NIGHT
TO PRECEDE RACE MEETING
Mr. Kelly, soon after leaving school,
became chief deputy to Sheriff Fry
and served with him for five years.
When Mr. Fry was succeeded by C.
J. McDonald, Kelly was retained and
throughout the years he has render
ed valuable service to the county,
showing himself to be level-headed,
fearless and intenselyJlnterested in his
work. Mr. Kelly throws himself into
the solving of a misdemeanor with
almost the same zeal that he displays
in unraveling a felony and he has
worked with marked success on all
kinds of cases from petty larceny to
first-degree murder. Only a few
weeks ago he brought back from
Missouri an alleged murderer who
The recent purchase of two of the
most valuable hotel properties in this
resort area by local capitalists bears
witness to the confidence of those best
qualified to foresee what the future
has in store for the Sandhills.
A few months ago the John Sprunt
Hill interests, of Durham, N. C.,
bought the Mid-Pines Country Club
which is now enjoying a successful
season, and last week a transaction
of equal importance and significance
was consummated when George T.
Dunlap, Sr., and several associates,
all Pinehurst residents for many
years, acquired all the underlying
liens of the Pine Needles Inn, and
with completion of the customary le
gal procedure will become its own
ers.
The negotiations, completed by O.
H. Stutts, manager of Pinehurst
Warehouses, have been pending for
some two years involving a vast
amount of detail work delayed by
the fact that many of the bonds were
held in comparatively small lots
scattered far and wide. The new pur
chasers have now bought them all
including those secured by both first
and second mortgages, and will pro
ceed at once with the organization of
a clot:'? corporation to take and hold
title Ihe charter, already prepared,
provides for the issue of $100,000 of
preferred stock and $100,000 of com
mon, and the firm name will be Pa
tuxent Development Company, Incor
porated. It is interesting to note in
passing that this name, meaning
“rolling hills,” was selected by the
late Bion H. Butler just prior to his
death, virtually his last act.
To Restore Golf Course
For some time rumors have cir
culated that strong interests were
purchasing the bonds, and many fan
tastic rumors have been current, but
until the last block was in hand thoje
interested preferred not to make the
facts public. This is the first authen
ticated report.
While Mr. Dunlap and his asso
ciates have not yet formulated com-
(Please turn to page 5)
Press Coverage
Inquest Hearing Headlined
Throughout Country Due to
Prominence of Families
Due to the prominence of the
Btatler and Davidson families, the
inquest at Pinehurst this week has
been headlined in the press of the
entire country. The Associated
Press, United Press and Hearst
paper."?, as well as a few individual
papers, had special writers here.
Direct wires were run into the old
Pinehurst Community House, over
which the testimony was sent to
press headquarters as rapidly as it
was given, and specially chartered
airplanes carried photographs
fiom witness stand to distributing
points in Atlanta, Ga., and New
York each day.
INCORPORATION OF
TOWN OF HEMP
BEFORE ASSEMBLY
Drowning Creek
Stocked With Trout
state Stocks Waters Here Af
ter Tests Reveal It Among
Coldest in N. C.
Rainbow trout have come to the
Sandhills.
For the past week John D. Chalk,
Commissioner of the North Carolina
Invitations are going out within
the next day or two for a Sandhills j had successfully evaded the arms , Division of Game and Inland Fish-
Hunt Ball to precede the race meet- ] the law for four years only to be j g^es, has been busy putting some
tracked down at last by this persist- j 5 oqo yearling Rainbow and Brown
ent officer’s efforts. trout in Drowning Creek.
Solved Intricate Crime . Chalk stated early this week.
Another of this officer’s good
ing of the Sandhills Steeplechase &
Racing Association a week from to
morrow. The event will take place at
the Pinehurst Country Club on Fri
day night, the 15th, and proceeds
from the ball, over and above ex
penses, will go to the Klwanis Club’s
hospital bed fund.
Named on the conmiittee for the
ball, as sponsors, are L. L. Biddle,
n, William Baker, Nat S. Hurd, Nel
son C. Hyde, Almet Jenks, Noel
Laing, Charles W. Picquet, P. S. P.
Randolph, Jr., H, Stacy Smith,
James W. Tufts, Verner Z. Reed, Jr.,
upon completion of the task, that
piece of work was the solving of ,
the mystery of who shot a colored
man by the name of Sneed as he sat
at the table eating supper one evening
at his home some five miles east of
Carthage. The shooting was a mys
tery to the wife, who was present
and from whom the details were se
cured. She thought that someone had
Drowning Creek were among the
coldest in the state, and the depart
ment believes that the trout, which
thrive only in cold water, will do well
here.
Dr. L. B. McBrayer wanted to know
how they were going to tell if the fish
were thriving, and Mr. Chalk told
him that a year from this coming
slipped up to the door and fired the
fatal shot, but the officer figured that ^ay, in the full of the moon, he would
Herbert D. Vail and Sprigg D. Cam- the shot must have been fired from ^ ^
{Please turn to page 5) j rod and see for himself.”
Clegg Bill Fixes Tax Rate and
Names W. P, Saunders as
First Mayor
Representative W. R. Clegg of
Carthage introduced a bill in the
House of Representatives last Thurs
day for the purpose of incorporating
the Town of Hemp in Moore county.
The bill was passed on Its second
reading Friday, and was sent to the
Senate.
The bill, to be in forc« from date
of ratification, names the mayor and
commissioners to serve until the next
regular municipal election, as follows;
W. P. Saunders, mayor; E. C. Mc-
Swain, J. C. Cummings, E. R. BrowTi,
E, M. Ritter and Bronson Williams,
who are authorized to name a town
marshal or constable and do all other
acts provi(led for such officials. They
may build or establish a guard house
or confine offenders in the common
jail of Moore County.
The Board of Commissioners is au
thorized to levy a tax not exceeding
$2 on the $100 property valuation and
license all trades, professions and
franchises within the tow’n, and may
charge for water and sewerage ser
vices the town may furnish.
The town limits are set forth in
detail and are to include all of the
Hemp Sanitary District and also the
additions made by the Moore county
Board of Commissioners and the
State Board of Health, on petition of
the Pinehurst Silk Mills, Inc. The
town of Hemp officials are to take
over and exercise the dudes, powers
and authority vested in the Hemp
Sanitary District board.
The election on issuing $60,000 in
bonds for the Hemp Sanitary District
is in all respects legalized, ratified,
approved, validated and confirmed,
and the members of the board of the
Hemp Sanitary District, J. C. Cum
mings, E. C. McSwain and E. R.
BrowTi is declared the legally quali-
hed board, with authority to issue and
sell bonds of the district and all of
their acts relating to the issuance of
the bonds are legalized. The mayor
and commissioners of the town of
Hemp are authorized in the bill to
take all action necessary in the is
suance and sale of these bonds of
the Hemp Sanitary District.
WORLD DAY OF PB.4YER
SERVICE HERE THIS MORNING
Coroner’s Jury Out Less Than
15 Minutes After Inquest
Lasting One Week
MANY WITNESSES CALLED
The women of Southern Pines are
asked to unite with the thousands of
women all over the world in the
Day of Prayer today. This year the
service will be held in Emmanuel
Episcopal Church, at ten-thirty a.
m.
The women of the Baptist Church
will lead the program which will be
used universally. There will be an of
fering, to be divided between three
important fields of Christian Serv-
“Death cau.scd by carbon monoxide
gas under circumstances unknown,”
was the verdict returned by the Cor
oner’s jury w'hich heard the evidence
in ^.he case of the strange death of
Mrs. Eiva Statler Davidson, wife of
H. Bradley Davidson of Pinehurst,
after an inquest which lasted one
week. The verdict was returned
shortly after 3 o'clock yesterday af
ternoon after the jury had been out
less than 15 minutes.
Mrs. Davidson, 22-y '-eld heiress
of the late E, M. Stat’.' prominent
northern hotel owner, was touuu dead
in the garage of the Davidson’s Pine
hurst home about 9 o’clock last Wed
nesday morning. Mr. and Mrs. Dav
idson had returned less than five
hours before from a party at the Mon-
tesanti Spaphetti Camp on the old
Pinehurst-Southern Pines road, a
party which followed the Charity
Ball for the benefit of the Moore
County Hospital, which they also at
tended at the Pinehurst Country Club.
The Davidson butler found the
body, partially in, partially out of the
car in which they had returned home.
The garage was filled with monox
ide gas. Dr. M. W. Marr worked un
successfully to restore her to con
sciousness, but to no avail. In fact
at the inquest he stated he believed
she was dead when he arrived upon
the scene.
IVIany Witnesses Called
Throughout the past ’veek witness
has followed witne.®s on the stand in
the old Pinehurst Community House,
used for the hearings, in an effort
on the part of Acting Coroner Hugh
Kelly to determine the cause of Mrs.
Davidson’s untimely death. These
witnesses were grilled by Solicitor
Rowland Pruette of Wadesboro, pros
ecutor of this judicial district, and
by attorneys representing the Stat
ler family. M. G. Boyette of Carth
age represented Mr. Davidson at the
hearings.
An autopsy, performed by Dr. C,
C. Carpenter of Wake Forest Col
lege, revealed a number of bruises
on Mrs. Davidson’s body, but no evi
dence was presented during the in
quest to substantiate a theory that
she might have come to her death
by any other means than the monox
ide gas poisoning.
Early in the proceedings Solicitor
Pruette eliminated the theory that
Mrs. Davidson’s death might have
been an accident. She w-as lightly
clad when found, and in a garage
with the doors closed behind her.
Fort Bragg Band and
Battery Invited Here
Expectedi to Again Be a Feature
Attraction of Spring Blos
som Festival
President Hugh Betterley of the
Southern Pines Chamber ex' Com
merce and S. B. Richardson, manag
ing director of the Spring Blossom
Festival to be held here the week of
April 8th, visited Fort Bragg this
week and tendered an invitation to
General McCloskey to send a bat
tery of artillery and a regimental
band there for the w'eek of the car
nival. They were among the features
of last year’s inaugural festival.
Meanwhile plans for other attrac
tions and activities that week are
rapidly rounding into shape, and
there is every indication of a bigger
and better festival than the previous
one. The Seaboard Air Line Railway,
which has been advertising the Spring
Blossom event from New York to
Florida in its literature, reports much
interest and its officials look for a
big crowd.
The Klwanis Club at its meeting
Wednesday voted to lend its aid In
making this year’s Pinehurst Dog
Show bigger and better than ever.
The show will be managed by Col. G.
P. Hawes, and a Kiwanis committee
will be named to cooperate. The show
is scheduled for April 15th.