FIRST IV NE\VS,
CIRCULATION &
ADVERTISING
THE
A Paper Devoted to the Upbuilding
VOL. 16, NO. 11.
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MOORE COUNTY’S
LEADING
NEWS-WEEKLY
of the Sandhill Terri. ^ North Carolina
^ ^ ^
Souihern Pines and Aberdeei, Ncrth Carolina. Friday, February 7, 1936. V*^ FIVE CENTS
DAVIDSON WILL
CASE TO OPEN IN
CARTHAGEMONDAY
Impressive Array of Counsel to
Appear in Fi)?ht For
Statler Fortune
JUDGE PHILLIPS PRESIDES
Reynolds Blocks Army Promotions
Because Me Closkey Not on List
Senator Hurls Bombshell in De
manding; Hearing Over Fort
Bragff’s C. O.
Overlooked
When Superior Court for the trial
of civil cases convenes in Carthage
, e * 1 to.,*- rEcommendations of the Secretary of'
on Monday of next week, important I:
Because Brigadier General Manua j
McCloskey, commanding officer at'
neighboring Fort Bragg, was not ^
among those promoted to major gen- |
eral, U. S. Senator "Bob" Reynolds
threw a bombshell in the Senate this '
week by refusing confirmation for all |
personages from far and near will be
present for the first hearing on the
docket, which appears on the court
calendar as ‘‘3326 -In the Mattre of
the Will of Elva Statler Davidson,
Deceased--Caveat.” It is expected
that the hearing will consume a week
•or more.
In this proceeding, relatives of the
yui'ng heiress who died in Pinehurst,
will s*'ek to show that she was in
duced under undue influence to make
the will by which the bulk of her
War for general rank promotions.
Among those on the list, for promo
tion from brigadier to major gener
al, was General McCloskey’s prede
cessor at Fort Bragg, Henry W. But-
ner, brother of M. F. Butner of Pine-
bluff. Both General McCloskey and
General Butner are well known here.
Senator Reynolds, a member of the
Military Affairs committee, said he
held up action on the nominations
pending a hearing, since the Secre
tary of War, upon recommendation
of General Milen Craig, chief of staff.
BRIG.-OKN. MAxifs McCLOSKKV
do with the making of the will, Which
was written by W. Barton Leach of
Boston, who, along with the witnesses
to the will, Livingston Hall, a pro
fessor in the Harvard law school,
and Victoria L. Mercer, secretary to
Leach, will be here to testify.
An impressive array of counsel has
been retained by both sides. The
propounders will be represented by
Mosley G. Boyette of Carthage;
Reade and Filler of Durham; Sea well
and Chapman of Carthage, and Vic
tor Bryant of Durhan:. Attorneys for
the caveators are U. L. Spence of
Carthage; Moot, Sprague, Marcy,
Carr and Gulick of Buffalo, N. Y.;
Ladd, Garono and Jaeckle of Buffa
lo; J. Melville Broughton of Raleigh,
and Richardson D. Barrett of Min
neapolis, Minn.
Judge F. Donald Phillips of Rock
ingham will preside, and the follow
ing men have been drawn for jury
service for the term: W. W. Gurney,
H. C. Maness, D. E. Brown, C. C.
Melton, H. C. Bullington, E. E.
Moore, T. E. Short, J. G. Freeman,
W. A. Lewis, W. H. Eaton, J. R. Mc-
Innis, J. S. Kanoy, Lonnie Blue, Wal
ter Caviness, C. A. McCallum, W. C.
Hannon, M. A. McNeill, A. L. Wilson.
Pete Dowd. W. G. Wicker. W. M.
Black, J. B. Kennedy, D. Wade Ste-
vick and C. J. Simonds.
wealth was bequeathed to her hus. ^ ,
band. H. Bradley Davidson, to whom'McCloskey in
she was married a short time before, i ^ Senator claims, de-
and the propounders are expected to I ® ® McCloskey had
contend the reverse of that and to i be = n recommended for promotion by
* t I. J n.- ^ ' the Promotions board. A hearing ha.s
state that Davidson had nothmg to i, ^ ^
been set for today. Friday, and Sec
retary of War Dern and General
Craig are expected to testify. Said
Senator Reynolds;
“I am not so much interested in
the others as I am in General Mc
Closkey. who. by all the rules which
have governed promotions in the
army in the past, should have been
promoted from brigadier general to
major general,” said Senator Rey
nolds today. “I shall block ccnfirma-
ti&n of all the promotions until there
can be a full and complete investiga
tion of the matter,” bf* added
Senator Reynolds’ efforts are be
ing watched with close interest in
both army and congressional circles.
The army »i8^ always frowned on
what it termed “political interference”
in regard to promotions, especially
those in the higher grades. The idea
is supposed to be especially repug
nant to General Craig, who will
probably be called as a witness be
fore the Senate committee.
Senator Within Rights |
On the other hand, the Constitu-1
tion says that army and navy offi-;
cers shall be promoted upon nomina- j
tion by the President to be confirmed !
with the “advice and consent of the ,
Senate,” and in times past high army j
officers have missed the goal owing;
to opposition that developed in the
Senate.
Brigadier General Henry W. But
ner, a native of Pinnacle, Stokes
county. North Carolina, heads the list
to become a major general to suc
ceed Major General Emmett Callan
of Knoxville, Tenn.. who retires Jan
uary 31. The careers of Generals Mc
Closkey and Butner have run parallel
since they were both "shavetails”
just out of the military academy and,
while Senator Reynolds has no fight
to make on any one, he wants to
know why the Fort Bragg command
er-in-chief with a fine army record
■>vas left at the post when he was due:
to go higher. I
A. & T. College Singers
Appear Here Sunday
Community Hour Takes Cogniz
ance of Race Relations Day
in Arranging Program
Colored musicians from the Agri
cultural and Technical College of
North Carolina at Greensboro, will
give a musical program at the Com
munity Hour at 7 ;45 o’clock this Sun
day night at the Church of Wide Fel
lowship. Bernard Lee Mason, pn in
structor in the college, graduate of
the Oberlin Conservatory of Music,
a violinist of great ability, will play
a number of violin solos, and a mix
ed choir will sing spirituals and oth
er selections. A pianist of distinction
accompanies the group of musicians.
There will be no admission charge
but an offerinii ^rill be taken for the
Student Aid Fund of the college.
This Sunday. February 9th. is na
tionally observed as Race Relations
Sunday. A special message for this
Sunday has been sent out by the
Rev. Edwin McNeill Poteat. Jr., pas
tor of the Pullen Memorial Baptist
Church in Raleigh, who is the pres
ident of the Commission on Interra
cial Cooperation of the F'ederal Coun
cil of the Churches of Christ in
America. His message closes with
this exhortation: “On this special day
let every Christian resolve to under
stand his black, white, red, yellow or
brown neighbor in a fashion never
before undertaken.”
APPLICATIONS FOR
BONUS READY FOR
SANDHILLS VETS
Legion Committees Named To
Aid Applicants in Various
Sections of County
Application blanks for the "Bonus
Bonds” are in the hands of those
listed below. wh3 will be glad to as
sist veterans in properly filling them
out.
To properly fill out these applica
tions, it will be necessary for the
veterans to have their rtl'jcharge from
the service, and their adjusted service
certificate, or if they have secured
a loan—the pink slip sent them
when they received their check. Cer
tain delay will result if veterans are
unable to find these papers. However,
assistance will be gladly given in
helping to straighten out these diffi
culties.
The following will aid the veterans:
Southern Pines—L. L. Wooley and
L. V. O’Callahan.
Aberdeen—J. Vance Rowe.
Pinehurst--John Hemmer and K.
E. Wicker.
West End -J. F. Sinclair.
This service is offered by Sand
hill Post of the American Legion
without any charge, to all veterans,
white and colored, regardless of
whether or not they are members of
the Legion.
The officers of the Post wish to
call attention to the fact that it is
necessary that the vsteran bring his
adjusted compensation certificate
with him when he comes to fill out
the application. This applies to the
veteran who has NOT borrowed on
his certificate. They also wish to
emphasize the fact that the veteran
{Please turn to page 5)
FRANCIS DEATON
DIES IN SANFORD
OF HEART ATTACK
Leading Surveyor of This Sec
tion, Native of Moore Coun
ty, 111 Two Weeks
9 •
Upper Moore County Scene
of Murder of Young Girl
by Alleged Jilted Suitor
Lays Down Sextant
New Apparatus Tested
by Fire Department
Booster Pump Capable of Throw
ing 500 Gallons of Water,
Per Minute
Historic Month
A Little Bit of Everything in
the IJne of Weather Here
During January
Miss Mary Johnson of Aberdeen is
seriously ill at the Moore County Hos
pital following a stroke suffered ear
ly this week.
During the early part of the week
Chief L. V. O’Callaghan, and mem
bers of the Southern Pines Fire Com
pany tested the latest addition to the
fire fighting apparatus of the town,
an America - LaFrance 150-gallon
booster pump capable of throwing
500 gallons of water per minute
through the standard one-and-one-
half inch nozzle. With a capacity of
1,200 feet of hoae, additional equip
ment also includes two extension lad
ders, scaling ladder, searchlights,
hose connections, nozzles and all the
newest pertaining to a superior fire
machine. The old chemical tank that
has served so efficiently for so many
years has been sold to Biscoe.
Thirty teams have been busy on the
Kndllwood Airport project all week.
January past and gone will go
down in the state as the historic
month of freakish weather. From fog
to rain to snow to wind was added a
new low of an average temperature
of 25.06, nearly 19 degrees less than
the long time normal of 44.
When it snowed on Bald Head Is
land in the mouth of the Cape Fear
River for the first time in this long
history anything might have been ex
pected, and we had it from a low of
six degrees above zero on the 31st, to
a high of 61 on the 18th. We also had
two inches of rain, high winds, and
a bright sun (thermometers exposed
to its rays registered 75) on Sunday,
January 19th, and four inches of snow
on the 29th. The total of 6.65 inches
of rainfall was 3.23 inches more than
th? normal average. Here are the
official figures:
Long time Max.
Average 54.6
1935 54.2
1936 43.19
min.
Aver.
33.2
44
31.1
42.7
27.02
25.06
A EUREKA RESIDENT
Francis Deaton, 67, original survey
or of Pinehurst for the late James
Tufts, died at his home in Sanford
early Monday morning from a sud
den heart attack after a two weeks'
illness of influenza. The son of the
late Mr. and Mrs. Noah Deaton, he
was born in Moore county and resided
in the Eureka section most of his life
time.
Surviving are his wife, three broth
ers, James, John and Charles Deaton,
and one sister, Mrs. H. B. Wr.dsworth,
all residing in this county. Funeral
.services W'ere held at 2:00 o’clock
Tuesday afternoon at the Rogers
Funeral Home in Sanford.
A civil engineer for 40 years, Mr.
Deaton was generally regarded as
the best informed man on land boun
daries in this section. Some time ago
he was seriously ill and not expected
to recover. Fearing that his death
was imminent Bion H. Butler, the
late editor of The Pilot, wrote this
obituary.
Francis Deaton has been one of the
foremost surveyors of this part of
North Carolina. As a boy he inclined
toward work of this character, but
his father rather discouraged his in
clination. The young man said that
he intended to be a surveyor, and at
every opportunity he took up with
men who were doing work of that
character. He had slight chance to
study in school, but what he lacked
there he made up in the .study of the
compass and then the transit and
such mathematical tables and sug
gestions as are to be had for engi
neers and surveyors and in course'
of time he found employment. His
work was so accurate and so quick
ly accomplished that he found him
self established as a factor in not
only land surveying, but in develop
ing engineering works.
After finding himself here he went
to Florida to do engineering work
with th= railroads building there. La
ter he returned to the Sandhills in
time to begin on the m>re precise
work that has since characterized
this section. He never was satisfied
with a job until he could give a map
that was complete in its measure
ments and in its closings, and he be
came familiar with the old lines and
corners of property all over the sur
rounding counties. His testimony in
a disputed case in court was almost
the equivalent of the law, and as a
witness he was rarely on the wrong
side. He did much of the work in
the plans and surveys of the whole
Pinehurst and Knollwood country, a
great deal in Southern Pines, and in
all the adjacent territory.
Although not a graduate of any
technical school Francis Deaton was
one of the fir.st engineers to be reg
istered in Ncrth Carolina under the
present law which establishes the
status of engineers and surveyors,
and his license was granted with the
assurance that his ability and
thoroughness left no doubt a.s to his
right to be a registered and rated en
gineer. He had friends wherever he
worked, for he was among the kind
liest and most genial Of men and his
work made his acquaintance wide.
JOSEPH E. SYLVESTER
HT5DS IN NEW YORK
Miss Frances Virginia Marx,
daughter of Mr, and Mrs. Arthur
Marx, of 1175 Park avenue. New
York City, and Joseph Edward Syl
vester of Southern Pines, were mar
ried on Tuesday night, January 28th,
in the ballroom of t^e Hotel Pierre in
New York by Dr. Stephen S. Wise. A
reception followed the ceremony.
The bride attended the Dalton
School. Mr. Sylvester is a graduate
cf Johns Hopkins University and
passed two years at the University
of Berlin. He is a son of the late J.
E. Bernstein, former president of the
Citizens Bank & Trust Company here,
and Mrs. Bernstein.
FRANC IS DE.VTON
1935 SEAL SALE
TOTAL OF $1,392
BEST IN HISTORY
With County’s Contribution Over
$2,000 Available To Fight
Tuberculosis
MRS. CHEATHAM REPORTS
The 1935 Chrisur.ao Seiil Sale for
the fight against tuberculosis nettdd
$231 more than any previous annual
sale, Mrs. T. A. Cheatham, county
chairman, reported this week. The to
tal collections in the county were $1.
392, as against $1,161 in 1934, the
best previous year.
Of the total collections, the County
matches dollar for dollar the 75 per
cent which is retained for the tuber
culosis campaign in the county, or
$1,044, which means a grand total
for use in the county this year of
more than $2,000. The National and
State associations will receive
$348.00 of the Moore county collec
tions.
“This generous response on the part
of the public will make it possible
for us to continue the elimination of
tuberculosis in the county, Mrs.
Cheatham said. "And most of the
money can be utilized far prevention
this year, from present indications.
We have very few active charity
cases now. The people will be inter
ested to know that 75 percent of our
cases cared for at the State Sanator
ium during the past year have re
turned home cured. This is most grat
ifying.”
Mrs. Cheatham spoke in high praise
of the work of the col:>red population
of the county in the Seal Sale drive.
Returns were received from all but
one of the colored schools, and one
school, that at Taylorville outside
Pinehurst, went “ever the top,” that
is, collected more than $25.00 and
earned the ten percent bonus offered
for its own school health fund.
Three white schools, Aberdeen
with a collection of $77.00, Pinehurst
with $42.64 and Southern Pines with
$25.00, also earned the bonus.
Report of Colleotions
The collections in the various com
munities as revealed by Mrs. Cheat
ham’s report listed with the names of
(Please turn to page 8)
RICHMOND PASTOR TO
PRE.VCH HERE SUNDAY
i The Rev. C. I. Calcote of near Rich-
] mond, Va., will hold the following
! services in the county this Sunday,
j February 9th, according to an an-
'■ nouncement made by J. R. McQueen,
chairman of a pulpit committee nam
ed by thcise churches which are at
present withrut a pastoi: Vass, 11:15
a. m.; Union, 3:00 p. m.; Manly, 7:30
p. m.
Presbyterians in these communities
are urged to hear Mr. Calcote and
the public in general is invited to at
tend the services.
Geneva Crabtree. 22-Year Old
Nurse, Shot Down With
Baby in Her Arms
TOY N'ALL UNDER ARREST
F’elled face downward to the snow-
covered ground by the full load from
a twelve guage shot gun as she
started arnn.nd the corner of the
borne of her employers with their
baby in her arms, Geneva Crabtree,
22-ytar-old Moore county girl, came
to her death early Monday night in
a tragedy which shocked and incens
ed the countryside as no other mur
der has. The baby was picked up
bloodstained but untouched by the
shot. Eight-year-old Billy Mace,
brother of the baby, named Toy Nall,
a white man of the Putnam section,
as the slayer of the young woman.
The tragedy occurred at the Clay
Moore heme about six miles above
Carthage on Highway 27, where Earl
Mace and his family live. Mr. and
Mrs. Mace are employedl in the silk
mill at Hemp, working from three
. ’clock in the afternoon until eleven
at night, and about a week previous
to the murder had engaged Miss
Crabtree to look after their three
children.
Nall, who was divorced from Beulah
Stultz Nall at the December term
of court, had been going with Miss
Crabtree some, it is reported. Her
parents objected to his attentions to
her and a few days ago had ordered
him away from their home. He had
called on the girls at the Mace home
and she is said to have tcld him that
she could not go with him and re
quested him to stay away.
According to the story told by lit
tle Billy Mace just after the tragedy,
Nall visited the home Monday night
and wanted the girl to go off with
him, which she refused to do. He said
that Nall picked up his daddy’s gun
and took a shell from his pocket and
shot her. The girl had gone outside
the house carrying the baby and a
flashlight and it is thought that she
had started to a nearby filling sta
tion. By her side was found an ash
shovel which she had probably picked
up while in the house. Following the
shcoting, Nall got in his automobile
and drove away. Billy picked up the
baby and taking it and the other
small child, he hurried to the filling
station about a quarter of a mile
away w’here the Moores reside and
told them that Nall had killed Ge
neva.
Nall Ih Arrestwl
Officers were notified and were
soon at the scene. They found that
the girl had been shot in the back
at such close range that powder
I burns were evident. The load cf shot
itore through just under the left
shoulder and came out through the
1 middle of her chest.
I Nall was located at a house neai'
< his father’s home and lodged in jail
! Monday night. He denied doing the
j shooting, but admitted being at the
' Mace home at the time. He said that
the girl had gone outside to tell him
I goodbye and had been shot from.am-
'bush.
; Coroner D. Carl Fry called a hear-
: ing for 2:00 o’clock Tuesday after
noon with the following to serve as
a jury: E. R. Brown, W. L. McLean.
W. L. McLean. Jr., C. F. Poteet and
W. R. Kennedy. Dr. W. M. McDuffie,
T. N. Slack. H. H. Grimm, Raymond
Barber, J L. Field, Mr. and Mrs. Mace
and Billie Mace, J. L. Phillips and
Grady Stutts were called to appear
as witnesses. After hearing the tes
timony the jury held Nall without
bail for the Superior Court.
Miss Crabtree is said to have been
a nice looking girl and of gcod char
acter.
Nall, w'ho is about 30 years old. Is
described as being of the "dare-devil
type,” and he has been in trouble a
number of times. He did not show any
sign of being intoxicated when ap
prehended.
The Thistle Club weekly bridge tea
wus held in the Southern Plnfs Coun
try Club last Saturday, with eight
tables playing.