SEI.L YOUR TOBACCO
ON ABERDEEN
FLOORS
THE
A Paper Devoted to the Upbuilding
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SPRINGS
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PILOT
TOBACCO GROWERS
WELCOME TO
ABERDEEN
of the Sandhill Territory of North Carolina
VOL. 17, NO. 43.
Southern Pines and Aberdeen, North Carolina, Friday, September 17, 1937.
%
FIVE CENTB
ACTIVITY IN REAL
ESTATE PRESAGES
BUSY SEASON HERE
New Stores, New Homes, Num
erous Rentals Reported by
Builders and Agencies
EAST BROAD ST. BOOMING
Tuberculosis Can Be ControUed
If We Practice What We Know
Dr. P. P. McCain Tell Kiwanis of
Fight State is Waging Against
the Disease
By CHARLES MACAULEY
New buildings, both residential and
business, renovation of older struc
tures, and activity in the real estate
marlcet, particularly in the rental
field, presages not only a busy sea
son, but an early one, with a short
age of apartments and small dwell
ing in Southern Pines.
Contractor C. J. Austin has the
plans and contract from W. L. Phillip-
pi, of the Lackawanna Steel Corpor
ation, of Buffalo, N. Y., for a win
ter residence to be located on the
south side of Massacnusetts avenue.
East of Highland Road and just be
yond the town line^ The dwelling is
to be a bungalow type, one story
frame, 53 by 16 feet, to include five
rooms and bath, with electric heat.
Mr. Austin has completed the at
tractive one-and one half story frame
dwelling, located on the East side of
Country Club' drive, between Indiana
avenue and Morganton Road, for Mrs
Virgil J. Lee, and is closing a contract
with John Howarth for a similar res
idence, to be located on the lot just
south of Mrs. Lee. He is submitting
plans to Mrs. Emile Allen Wilson for
a dwelling north of the Lee house.
From plans and designs by Miss Cath
erine Pierson, he is rebuilding the
home of Dr. R. L. Hart, Massachu
setts avenue and Ridge street. The
work includes increasing the size of
the living room, new dining room, bed
room end bath, and redecorating.
New Rldg« Street Homes
Two new dwellings are located on
Ridge street. Harry Lee Brown and
family, formerly of Lynchburg, Va.,
are in their new home at the head
of New York avenue. Built for them
by J. D. Arey, this is a comfortable
two story and basement frame and
stucco house, 28 by 32 feet, contain
ing six rooms and bath. On the West
sid^ of Ridge street between Vermont
and Maine avenue, the Reinecke-Dil-
lehay company erected for Joe Steeds
a handsome frame bungalow wi!;h at
tached garage and laundry, 51 by 30
feet with five rooms and bath. This
same company built for H. W. Dorn
the residence at Ridge street and In
diana avenue previously described in
The Pilot. Also noted were the homp
of R. F. Potts, a handsome Cape Cod
cottage of six rooms and two baths,
located on Vermont avenue between
May and Ridge streets, and a similar
dwelling located on West Broad
street at Maine avenue, built by Mr.
Potts for Mrs. J. W. Atkinson.
The new Rand Building replacing
the former Powell Block has been
completed by the contractor, B. W.
Harris of Durham. Fronting 50 feet
on E!ast Broad street and extending
75 feet on New Hampshire avenue
this steel frame structure of tapestry
brick relieved by over 300 square feet
of plate glass surmounting a surfac
ing of black tile rising two feet from
the base line to the window casing,
contains two fine stores. Both have
been leased, the corner, with a floor
space of 25 by 70 feet, to G. H. But-
try who has installed the very latest
devices for the display of meats and
groceries. The adjoining store, 25 by
70 feet, writh three show windows,
and a recessed entrance admitting to
the two doors, has been leased by
the Melvin Store which is movingf
from its present quarters this week,
installing new fittings and equipment
for the display of ladies’ wear.
Though delayed by the difficulty of
carrying on business amid the con
fusion of a practical rebuilding, H.
W. and Robert Dom have nearly com
pleted the installation of their new
equipment, second to none in the
state. Having taken in the adjoining
building they now have a floor space
36 by 72 feet giving ample room for
the display of merchandise and adding
to the comfort of customers.
V/ork on the Page Motor Co. garage
is far enough advanced so that a gen
«ral idea of the new building can be
(Pl«a$0 Utm to poff* *igkt)
The death rate from tuberculosis
has been reduced from 200 to 60 per
sons per 100,000 in the United Statea
in the past 25 years, but with 70,000
deaths annually still the average, the
fight must go on. Dr. Paul P. McCain,
superintendent of the State Sanator
ium, told members of the Sandhills
Kiwanis Club, at their weekly meet
ing held Wednesday in Jack’s Grill.
“The disease can be controlled if
we put into practice what we now
know about it,” Dr. McCain said.
“Miss Sandhills”
She’ll Be Selected in Contest
Sponsored by Southern
Pines Civic Club
With September comes the opening
of schools, and civic plans take the
attention of Sandhills citizens. The
Southern Pines Civic Club will not
open until October but wishes to an
nounce that on Friday night, Novem
ber 5f.h, they will sponsor a beauty
contest for girls between the ages of
14 and 25, an amateur theatrical con-
Starting his talk with an expression . . „ ^ „ „r o tv.
“ , , , i test, and a "Little Miss Southern
of appreciation for the support which;
this community has always given the * Contest for children.
Sanatori’im, whirh he said had been a | The contest in Southern Pines will
major factor in its success, the State’s I be one of a series of such contests to
leading authority on the disease re
counted briefly what had been ac
complished in the fight against tu
berculosis to date and what needed
to be done to further stamp out the
spread.
The disease, being communicable, is
a source of danger to everyone. This
is especially true in the South due to
so much negro labor. The death rate
among negroes is three and-one-half
times that among whites. The diffi
culty in the fight is the almost im
possibility of catching the disease in
its early stages. One may have tu
berculosis for some time and contin
ue to look and to feel well, so that
by the time it is diagnosed the di
sease haa a firm hold on the system.
It is during this early stage that it
is most dangerous from the commun
icable standpoint. Not knowing one
has the disease, no precautions are
taken to prevent its spread to other
members of one’s family.
What State Is Doing
What is North Carolina attempting
to do? This state has 2,000 deaths a
year from tuberculosis. There are
from 16,000 to 20,000 cases in the-
state. Clinics are being held through
out the state. New portable fleuro-
scopes are being used by the clinical
physicians who are touring the state.
Where a case is found, the families
of the patients are being examined,
the patient isolated. School clinics are
being held.
The State has taken the attitude
that the disease is the joint responsi
bility of State and county. The State,
in its sanatoria, is caring for all pos
sible curable cases. The counties are
being held responsible for the care of
the indigent incurables. “We are try-
to get the counties to build sanatoria
for them,” Dr. McCain said. “This is
the cheapest way in the long run, for
if these cases are not cared for in
public institutions, and remain at
home, others will be exposed and
spread the disease.”
Dr. McCain told of the new State
Sanatorium at Black Mountain, in
western North Carolina, which he
alsa heads and which is the result
of an appropriation by the last Legis
lature, plus P. W. A. funds. He said
efforts were being made to get the
government to help the South to pro
vide sufficient beds for negroes, on
the ratio of 25 percent from State
fundfl, 75 percent federal, for con
struction of buildings, and on the ra
tio of 50 percent each for mainte
nance and operation.
be held throughout North Carolina
and the United States. It is open to
contestants from all parts of Moore
county. The local winners will go
to the State contest next Spring tj
determine North Carolina winners,
and those winners will go to the Na
tional finals.
These contests are in no way con
nected with the “Miss America”
beauty pageant recently completed at
Atlantic City, N. J., and the an
nouncement is being released at this
time in order that all Sandhills res
idents and winter colonists may have
plenty of notice.
The winners of the Beauty and
Amateur contests will attend the
State contests in the Spring with all
expenses paid, and while there will
be given a screen test. The winners
in the State contests will attend the
National contests. The winner of the
"Little Miss Southern Pines” contest
will receive a gold lined silver loving
cup. She may compete in the State
finals provided she is accompanied by
a chaperone, and at their own ex
pense.
With two months in which to pre
pare there should be some interesting
acts arranged by groups and indivi
duals that will attract movie, radio
and vaudeville managers,
Mrs. Norris L. Hodgkins of South
ern Pines will be the business mana
ger of the contests and all inquiriei
should be addressed to either Mrs.
Hodgkins or Miss Florence Campbell,
Civic Club president.
Von Canon and Henson
Burned by Live Wire
President and Superintendent of
Sandhill Furniture Company
Hurt at West End
MRS. SKINNER IS
FOUND DEAD IN
CAR IN GARAGE
Coroner’s Verdict of Suicide
Substantiated By Notes Left
By Resident of Weymouth
RENTED CAR FOR PURPOSE
Quarter ^ounds of
Tobacco Brin^* ligh Prices
on Aberdeen Opening Day
s. p. TENNIS CLUB MEETS
CARTHAGE HERE TONIGHT
J. V. Von Canon, president of the
Sandhill Furniture Company at West
End, and E. T. Hinson, plant super
intendent, were seriously burned on
Tuesday afternoon at the plant when
a wire they were handling came in
contact with a high voltage wire.
Both men suffered serevely burn
ed hands, and Von Canon was ren
dered unconscious. He was rushed to
the Moore County Hospital but was
discharged after first aid treatment.
The accident occurred as the men
were handling a wire from a light
which was being installed on the
company water tank. Passing by the
tank, Mr. Von Canon offered his as
sistance to Henson who was attempt
ing to straighten out the wire. Mr.
Mrs. Ruth Skinner, wife of Robert
Skinner and for many years a win
ter resident of Southern Pines, was
found dead from carbon monoxide
gas poisoning in the garage adjacent
to her home on Valley Road, Wey
mouth Heights, at 8:45 Wednesday
morning. The body was discovered by
Capers Pay, a young negro work
man Mrs. Skinner had hired the day
before to work around the grounds,
and who went to the garage Wednes
day morning for a pair of hedge clip
pers.
Mrs. Skinner was found slumped
behind the steering wheel of a car she
had rented the day before through
Colin Osborne of Southern Pines. The
ignition switch was still turned on
and the tank was nearly full of gas
oline but her foot had slipped off the
foot accelerator—evidently when un-
consciousness overtook her—and the
motor was dead. Automobile mechan
ics estimate that the motor could
not have run for more than 35 or 40
minutes inside the closed garage be
fore it depleted the oxygen supply to
such an extent that the motor re
fused to function. Dr. M. G. Stutz,
who examined the body, placed the
time of death at several hours pre
vious to its discovery.
Leaves Note
In one of the pockets of Mrs. Skin
ner's coat was found a note, written
partially on a scrap of paper and
partially on the back of a bank de
posit slip, that read:
"Please call Dr. M. Holzman, 18th
& Washington Sts., Wilmington, Del.,
or anyone who might answer the call,
and he will let my family know. Just
send me home with as little trouble
and expense as possible.
“Whatever I find at the other end
will be Heaven to me.”
Signed—Ruth.
Mrs. Skinner returned to Southern
Pines from her home in Wilmington,
Del., about a week ago and had been
staying with friends. On Monday she
had engaged Miss Elizabeth Smith as
a housekeeper and companion and all
of Monday and Tuesday the two wo
men had been engaged in making
ready the Skinner home for winter
occupancy. Miss Smith told Special
Coroner Hugh P. Kelly’s coroner’s
jury that she and Mrs. Skinner hail
planned to retire early Tuesday even
ing and that Mrs. Skinner had left
her with instructions that she was
not to be disturbed before 9:00
o’clock on Wednesday morning. Miss
Smith was the first to retire, while
Mrs. Skinner was writing some let
ters. One of these turned out to be
addressed to her sister, Bessie H.
Lowry of Wilmington, Del., the con
tents of which Indicated Mrs. Skin
ner’s intention of committing suicide.
The other was of a purely jersonal
nature. Miss Smith told the coroner’s
jury that she did not hear Mrs. Skin
ner retire, but that she did hear her
moving about in the living room at
a time she estimated to be around
10:00 p. m.
Bed Not Occupied
On Wednesday morning Miss Smith
was prepared to observe Mrs. Skln-
Traffic Lights
Southern Pines To Have Stop
and Go Signals on Four
Corners
Southern Pines is growing up.
It’s going to have traffic lights.
They were ordered this week.
There’ll be three on May street,
which is U. S. Highway No. 1
through town, one each at Massa
chusetts, New York and Connecti
cut avenues, and the fourth will be
at the corner of Bennett street
and Pennsylvania avenue.
Installation will be completed In
time for the heavy winter traffic.
NEGRO ARRESTED
AFTER FIRING ON
CfflEF OF POLICE
Gargis Dodges Bullets From Gun
in Hands of Drunken Man
to Make Capture ^
C. C. C. BOYS IN COURT
Von Canon, it wm reported, then ac
cidentally pulled the wire against the I ner’s request that she should not be
Tonight, Friday, at 8:00 o’clock the power line. Henson, although badly
burned, was not rendered unconscious.
Southern Pines Tennis Club will meet
Carthage under the flood lights at
the Municipal courts on Pennsylvania
avenue in a renewal of their friendly
fued for the tennis supremacy of the
Sandhills.
ABERDEEN INCORPORATES
TOBACCO BOARD OF TRADE
Among incorporations at Raleigh
this week was the Aberdeen Tobac
co Board of Trade, *'to foster and
promote the development of the to
bacco market in the town of Aber
deen.” It is a non-»tock corporation,
with the following incorporators: I*
T. Avery, B. B. Mlaynard and C. W.
Covington.
BOY SCOUT COURT
OF HONOR TONIGHT
Dr. E. Levis Prlzer, chairman of
the Moore County Boy Scout Court
of Honor, announced Tuesday that a
Court of Honor and Awards will be
held tonight, Friday, at 8:00 o’clock
in the auditorium of the Southern
Pines High School.
This will be the first such assem
bly of the season and it is hoped
that everyone interested in the Scout
ing movement will be present. The
parents and friends of all of the
Scoubt in the five troops participating
are especially urged to attend.
disturbed, but in going about her
duties around the house she found a
note on the writing table, addressed
to herself, ending with the apology
"am so sorry for everything.” This
puzzled her, she said, and she went to
Mrs. Skinner’s room. There she found
that the bed had not been occupied
during the night and she went
straightway to the nearby home of
friends of Mrs. Skinner. When they
returned they found the negro work
man who, had just discovered Mrs.
Skinner’s body in the garage.
At the Coroner’s inquest, held
Tuesday noon at the Powell Funeral
Home, a unanimous verdict of suicide
by carbon monoxide gas poisoning,
was reached. There was no evidence
(Pltate turn to page eiffht)
Southern Pines Chief of Police J.
A. Gargfls narrowly escaped death
Sunday afternoon, and John Willie
Thompson, colored of Niagara, was
meted out an 18 month’s road sen
tence In Recorder’s Court on Mon
day as a result of an unprovoked at
tack made by Thompson on the of
ficer with a high power repeating ri
fle.
Gargis was patrolling Southern
Pines in his automobile early Sunday
afternoon and was approaching the
Intersection of Leek street and West
Vermont avenue when, without warn
ing, several bullets whipped past his
car. Gargis had been unaware that
there was anyone in the vicinity but
when he stopped his car he saw
Thompson beside the road about 25
feet away leveling the rifle in his di
rection and preparing to fire again.
He got out of the car and approach
ed the negro. When Gargis was with
in a few' feet of him, Thompson at
tempted to fire again but the rifle
jammed and Gargis stepped In and
knocked the negro out with his black
jack.
Thompson gave no reason for at
tempting to shoot Chief Gargis, and
Gargis attributes Thompson’s poor
aim to the fact that the negro was
drunk when the assault occurred.
In another Recorder’s Court case in
Carthage Monday, John W. Martin
and Russell Hendrix, two white boys
from the C. C. C. camp near Southern
Pines were fined $25.00 and one-half
the costs each when they were found
guilty of forcible trespass on the
Southern T*lnes High School property.
For some time past school authori
ties have been complaining to police
of nocturnal prowling around the
property and on Sunday night Chief
Gargis and Patrolman Ed Newton
were watching the school building
when Martin and Hendrix forced a
window and entered. The arrest was
made before anything could be taken.
STATE FAIR BOOSTERS AND
BAND HERE ON WEDNESDAY
Estimated Average of 2G Cents
Means $65,000 For Growers
From First Day Sales
OPTIMISM PREVAILS
The State Fair Booster caravan,
with a 30-piece band fnom State Col
lege along, will {)ay Carthage, South
ern Pines and Aberdeen a visit next
Wednesday on its 500-mile tour.
Three busses advertising the coming
fair will carry the band and 47 RaF-
eigh business men.
TWO .4RRESTED FOR THEFT
OF THOSE DAM GATES
By BEN BOWDEN
Yesterday morning Moore county’s
two tobacco markets opened along
with the rest of the Middle Belt mar
kets and at 9:00 a. m. warehouse
floors at both Aberdeen and Carth
age were groaning with nearly a half-
mllllon pounds of the weed awaiting
the cries of the auctioneers that
started the flow of cash from the
buyers into the hands of Moore
county and nearby growers.
All of Wednesday night and far
into the early hours of yesterday
morning loads of tobacco were on the
roads from the farms to the ware
house floors where the lights burned
bright and the warehouse personnel
recived, ticketed and laid them out
in long rows preparatory to the first
sale yesterday.
When dawn broke on Aberdeen
yesterday morning both Covington’s
Warehouse and the Aberdeen Ware
house were full to capacity and es
timates by warehousemen, growers
and buyers placed the first day’s
sales at nearly 250,000 pounds—a-
bout 50 per cent better than the op
ening day’s volume last year.
The Aberdeen Warehouse won on
the toss of the coin and was award
ed the first sale of the day and at
9:00 o’clock sharp Gene Maynard’s
sing-song cry knocked down the first
pile of tobacco to the Imperial To
bacco Company. It wasi grown by
McFadgen & Son of near Raeford
and brought 35 cents a pound. To
McFadgen, also, went the highest
price of the day when 296 pounds
of his leaf brought an average of
40 cents a pound.
Banner Sea.son Expected
By noon the Aberdeen Warehouse
floor had been sold out and the
buyers were well down the first row
at Covington’s warehouse and up to
to that time the average price of a\l
of the tobacco sold had been esti
mated at around 26 to 27 cents a
pound, slightly higher than the aver
age for similar grades on Border and
Bright Belt markets to date. As a
result growers were exceedingly op
timistic and warehousemen were of
the opinion that Aberdeen was in
for a banner season.
Just before the sale closed at the
Aberdeen Warehouse, L. B. Hinson
of Jackson Springs sold 582 pounds
for $186.94, an average of slightly
better than 32 cents per pound and he
told The Pilot that this looked like
the best Aberdeen market in years
Such was the spirit of optimism
that prevailed on the local market
yesterday and, considering the fact
that it is a generally conceeded fact
that conditions improve rather than
decline after the opening day, there
Is every reason to believe that the
spirit of optimism is well founded.
Early estimates were to the effect
that Covington’s Warehouse sold a-
round 125,000 to 130,000 pounds yes
terday and that the slightly smaller
Aberdeen Warehouse handled 75,000
to 80,000 pounds. Later revisions
slightly altered these estimates but
there is no question but what the
total day’s volume was approximately
250,000 pounds which means, at an
estimated average of 26 cente a
pound, that some $65,000 wa^ paid
out to growers on the first day
Th6 Old McConnell Warehouse anu
the New Sandhill Warehouse at Car
thage had good openings yesterday
with a volume greatly in e-cess of
last year’s opening day and with
an average above 25 cents indicated
from early sales.
Harold Mansfield, white, and Ho
race Griffin, colored, were in Record
er’s Court Monday charged with the
larceny of the machinery used for
hoisting the flood gates of the dam
at Lakevlew. The case was continued
to Saturday.
MELVIN’S NEW STORE OPENS
ON EAST BROAD STREET
The new Melvin’s Store opened
this week im the building at East
Broad street and New Hampshire
avenue, and is one of the moat at
tractive looking shops In Southern
Pines, ilelvln’a will carry an eniar-’-
ed Une of women’s wear, notions anl
dry gooda.