North Carolina Newspapers

OVER THE TOP \ d&f FOR VICTORY "Ith \\il% UNITED STATES WAR v V s BONDS •STMiPS VOLUME 28. NO. 38. Mrs. Wilbur Currie Passes in Carthage After Long Illness County Loses One of lis Best Loved and Most Valuable Women Mrs. Elizabeth Woltz Currie, wife of Wilbur H. Currie, State Senator from Moore County and chairman of the County Board of Commissioners for many years, passed away at her home in Carthage early Wednesday morning after an illness of several months. Mrs. Currie was the daught er of the late Albert Edgar Woltz, prominent in legal and political cir cles of the State, and Mrs. Woltz of Raleigh and Gastonia. She was born August 18, 1904 in Lenoir, and was graduated with high honors from the Gastonia Public High Schools, where she was Salutatorian of the Class of 1921. She received her A. B. de gree from Agnes Scott College in 1925. At college, Mrs. Currie was active in athletics and debating. She had marked ability as a poet, some of iter poems of later years appear ing in the "Christian Herald," the "Agnes Scott Alumnae Quarterly," and in the Anthology entitled "North Carolina Poets." Mrs. Currie taught In the English department of Belmont High School, prior to her marriage on June 15, 1926 to Wilbur Hoke Currie of Car thage. To this union were born four daughters, Mary Elizabeth, Katha rine Mclver, Ann Woltz, Ruth Doug lass, and one son, John Laughlin, all of whom survive Because of her pioneer activities in Maternal Welfare Work, Mrs. Cur rie has received State and National recognition. She organized and di rected for many years the Moore County Maternity Clinic, the out standing services of which not only served as a pattern in the State, but attracted the attention of humani tarian editors of some of the na tion's leading periodicals. She was called upon to address the State Board of Health relative to her Ma ternal Welfare Work of the County and to write many articles in promo tion of this work. Mrs. Currie's activities covered a! wide field of interests. She organiz ed the Girl Scout troops in Carth age, and was active as Scout leader for many years and as Council mem ber even after her illness began. Mrs. Currie, since her marriage, was an active member of the Presby terian Church. She served at differ ent times as Presbyterial Secretary of Young Peoples' Work, teacher of a Bible Class in Sunday School, pad in other phases of church work. It would be difficult to judge whether Mrs. Currie's tireless service to church activities, her humanitarian love for the unfortunate and under privileged, or her continued interests in young peoples' work came sec ond to her devotion to her home and family. Just as the name of Eliza beth Woltz Currie has been synono mous vith humanitarian interests of Moore County for the last 15 years, iio her name in Carthage has meant zealous activity in Girls' Club work for a similar period. Mrs. Currie's foremost character istic was her devotion to her fam ily. As the mother of five active chil dren, her endeavors in directing her children's interests and activities were ceaseless. Just as tireless were her services to others. Even after she became ill in recent months, she continued her unselfish interests in others. Despite the suffering occa sioned by her illness, she did not burden others with her own trou bles, but unsparingly shared the troubles of her friends. Among her friends she counted people of all ages and of both races. There was no phase of community life in which she did not have an active part. So patient was she and so fill ed with a love of and interest in people that her most intimate friends did not realize the seriousness of her illness until the last few weeks. The depth of Mrs. Currie's reli gious convictions was reflected in the beauty of her life.| Besides her husband and children, she is survived by her mother, Mrs. A. E. Woltz of Raleigh; two brothers, Dr. John H. E. Woltz of Philadel (Continued on Page 5) T H 1 L0 C > ■ in ikw r NEW PARTNER aflHOwjl Jtiii fi .f imt '***•** CLEMENT BYRD Clement Byrd of Raleigh, who re cently joined the staff of Broad Street Pharmacy in Southern Pines as a prescription druggist, has now purchased a half interest in the Southern Pines Pharmacy from H. S. Fox*. Mr. Byrd, an alumnus of the Un iversity of North Carolina, was for merly a drug inspector and for some time was connected with the Scott Drug Company, Charlotte, as chemist. He will now manage and dictate the policy of the Pharmacy. Mr Byrd is a registered druggist, specializing in prescriptions. Fred S. Underwood of Carthage Passes Funeral for Prominent Highway Man Is Held at Presbyterian Church Fred S. Underwood, 42, highway maintenance supervisor for Moore County, died at his home in Carth age early Saturday morning after a heart attack. He had been afflicted with a heart ailment for several months. Mr. Underwood had attended to his duties Saturday and had enter tained callers in his home in the evening, prior to the fatal attack. Funeral services were held Sun day afternoon from the Carthage Presbyterian Church with a crowd much larger than the building could accommodate attending. Burial was in Cross Hill Cemetery. A native of Moore County, Mr. Underwood had been connected with the State Highway Commission for the past 22 years. For several years he was district engineer with offices in Sanford. He was a member of the Presbyterian Church, and was held in high esteem throughout the coun ty Surviving are his wife, Mrs. Mar garet Brown Underwood; two chil dren, Charles and Peggy Jean; a brother, C. C. Underwood, and two sisters, Mrs Margaret Hill and Miss Catharine Underwood of Eagle Springs NOTRE DAME SCHOOL OPENS SEPTEMBER 8 Notre Dame Academy, boarding and day school conducted by the Sisters of Notre Dame, will begin its new term September 8, at its lo cation on Young's Road. The Acad pmy includes eight grammar grades for boys and girls only. Bus service is provided for students of Southern Pines and Pinehurst who attend the day school. The school, situated on Young's Road, offers advantages of outdoor life, with tennis courts, swimming pool, and a lake for boating facil ities. McDONALD ON FURLOUGH Lyle D. McDonald, Jr., recently promoted to pharmacists' mate first class, is here on furlough from Charleston, S. C., He has recently returned from a trip to Casa Blanca, Cuba, Trinidad and Bermuda. He will be here until Saturday. HELD OVER Due to lack of space, the tabu lation of PILOT questionnaires is being he'd oyer until next week, at which time Mrs. Ogil ▼ie's report will be given. The response wns splendid and the cooperation of the army wives is appreciated. Southern Pines, North Carolina Friday. August 27, 1943. Letter Containing Details of Death of Son Is Received by the Jackson Bovds Capt. Jackson H. Boyd, of ,Camp M Lejeune, New River, and Mrs I Boyd have just received details of 1 1 the death of their son. Seaman John ' Boyd, who died last November 15 I lon Tulagi, one of the Solomon Is- j I li*nds, following his fifth major na- j ! val engagement. The acocunt is con ; tained in a letter from Lt. H. M. ; White, which we reprint in full: 1 I "Dear Captain and Mrs. Boyd: "I realize full well how tardy this' ■ letter is. I wanted, when I wrote it. Ito be able to tell a few details of ; what happened, and unfortunately I had to wait for permission for some I time. Then it was my hope that since ■ j I was on the East Coasi, and would ! i probably be soon near your locale it ! would be much better to try to visit' ■ | you personally, and answer all your 1 1 ; questions much better than by let- Ster. However, the main reason for ' wanting to see you in person, was to -1 deliver by hand all of John'* person-1 • jal effects that were saved, namely a ' bill-fold containing $117.00, plus - some clippings and personal papers, i - j Unhappily, during our short stay in i Charleston I got no opportunity to - ! leave the city. I beg your indulgence s for the lateness of sending the bill i j fold and this letter. j The Navy needs more men like • . John. You have every reason to be ' : proud of him. John was not only my j shipmate but my very good friend, j We spent many long hours on watch i together, and were shoulder to ! shoulder in all the Barton's battles. ' ,; On the night of November 12-13, a small force of American cruisers and destroyers surprised, engaged, | and almost annihilated a much lar j ger group of Japanese ships Several y I of the enemy were in a sinking con e j dition before they could fire a shot. | The Barton's first target was the a leading Jap ship—a battleship. We hit her with three torpedoes and ! ' about eighty shells. The destroyers ahead also connected with two tor -0 j pedoes and the battleship never got I a chance to use her main battery, e las she listed so far she could not | elevate her 14 inch guns enough. •" | While we were still pulverizing the e j battle-ship's superstructure with j five inch shells, an enemy heavy d cruiser came between us to draw s our fire, and enable the battleship to fight fire and escape. Cruiser salvos began to pass low h overhead as she opened fire on the r vessel ahead, and the Barton. We s immediately shifted targets and con s tinued rapid fire. This cruiser, for c some reason, known only to her • captain, turned toward our column, - and attempted to ram the friendly destroyer in front of us. Just before - she got dangerously close, the Bar - ton evidently connected with her 3 main magazines, because the enemy 0 cruiser blew up, and where she had s been a few seconds ago was now e ■ just frothing water and very little' ■ floating wreckage. | By now a second Nipponese bat -1 tleship appeared on the scene, and ! took us under fire. They illuminated | with searchlights, and big shells g J started coming uncomfortably close.' e j Of course we were shooting back as ! n | fast as possible. Suddenly I noticed _ | that we were stopped, and to this _ i day have been unable to figure out s j the reason, unless it was necessary e * to avoid ramming wreckage or j a ' another ship. There was a terrific e explosion forward of the bridge, i j where I believe a large caliber shell; s I struck, and almost immediately a 1 ~ r j torpedo struck amidships, followed ' g closely by another. The Barton sank: _ | immediately, in a matter of less than i ! tun seconds. We had no time to j ! abandon ship. Those who got off, j floated off. y i Only those few cleared the ship ;t: who were topside aft. John was back n j there, and after we were in the wa y | ter, he was the first man I came i, j across. The battling ships were mov e | ing rapidly away, and I was trying ; to get the survivors rounded up. We j all had life-jackets, so staying afloat i was no problem. John recognized my j voice and shouted to the men and an ! swered my call. My first idea was to J organize help for the wounded men, and on inquiring of John if he was ! hurt, he replied, "No, just tired." He ! in turn took up the call, and helped 'in finding the wounded men. As I paddled around through the : thick surface of oil. I could hear him j suggesting that we all stick togeth- ior, and wait for day-light. Some of i 1 the men were insistant on swimming j I for the beach, which was seemingly ' I only a few hundred yards distant, | | but which was actually nearer three 1 ' tmles. Also there was a rather strong j • off shore current. Few if any could j ! possibly swim to the beach, and fur- ! j thermore that part of the island j i nearest us was Jap held territory, j Fortunately, I came across John i again, with some of his buddies. In 1 ' a few seconds they were paddling off, helping to spread the word to ' ; stick together, heip the hurt men, j land wait for daylight when I was I sure we would be picked up. ! "Things were very quiet now, as the I | firing seemeu to be over. There were I several burning ships in the dis ! tance which one by one exploded, 1 snd the fires died out as they sank.' j "Suddenly there was a terrific > shouting from our survivors as one • of our own destroyers passed direct- i ly through the men at high speed. : With or.ly a faint light of distant! burning ships it was impossible for j the destroyer captain to see us in ! the water. For the next few seconds | I was spinning over and over in her : stern wake, during which time I felt several explosions close by in the j i water They may have been torpe- j does or depth charges. At any rate. I . | those of us in the destroyers stern i ! wake weren't hurt by the explosions. ■John was evidently on the outside . j ; | "Nothing more happened until well , j after sun-rise when an American -. cruiser picked us up and administer i led ljnedical aid to those needing it. -jJchn was, to all appearances, all .: right at that time. About 30 hours • later we were put ashore at the > Marine Hospital on Tulaji. John I | walked ashore from the cruiser. ' I "During our stay there -I saw him •! up and walking around several times. : The doctors were horribly over , worked, but watched us all very : closely. John's only complaint was constant fatigue. ' j "On the third morning I made the 1 j rounds of all the wards, and in the | first one, where John had been stay j ing, our shipmates told me that he 1 j had died during the night. It was a I complete shock as he had seemed so : ' healthy. His doctor had no explana tion but internal injuries received' from underwater shock. He suffer- i ed no pam at any time and that is ' a definite sign of internal injuries | due to j shotji), fTherein lies the ; treachery of such wounds. They are undetectable until the sufferer keels 1 over, as the patient himself is un-' aware of his injuries. Such was evi-! dently John's case. "Chaplain Fitzgerald administered ! final rites and John was buried in | the American Military Cemetery on j Tulaji, in a well marked grave. The; | Barton participated in five destruc- ■ j tive engagements with the enemy. Our major battles were the Battle of Santa Cruz, an aircraft battle off ; Guadalcanal on Nov. 12th and the j Battle of Guadalcanal, during which! ;the ship was sunk. We bombarded; i enemy held islands. A couple of j times we were with the Hornet on i several raids. She had a short but I very brilliant career. | "John's gun accounted for four en-1 ;emy planes shot down, and at least | j that many which probably didn't; j reach home. j "The whole crew was cited by Ad ; miral Halsey for our part in the | | Battle of Santa Cruz, and for the I ! rescue under very trying ciieum-1 '!stances, of 37 aviators two days la-! ter. Our skipper was awarded the j | Navy Cross for our last action, and ' i since he is missing, it was presented 'to his wife. j "So you see. Captain and Mrs. Boyd, ■ j you have more than average reason ito be proud of your son. He was a 11 fighting man! '! "I hope thai this letter has helped : | in a small way to fill a vacant spot ' | in your hearts, and to answer S few • lof your questions. >; "Please forgive the tardiness of , this letter and the forwarding of the i | wallet. : "May God Bless you both and help I us to obtain a speedy victory. Very sincerely yours, i Harlowe M. White." BACK TO SCHOOL Next Monday, August 30. will be "back to school" day in most Moore County Schools, but for the first seven weeks or until October 15 they will be on a short schedule in order that the farm children may help with the harvesting of crops. This de cision was reached bv principals from throughout the county who met last Friday at the call of Supt. H. Lee Thomas. Schools will open at 8:30 and close at 12:30 or 1:15. depending upon whether the individual school adopts a five- or six period schedule. More Nurses's Aides Are Greatlv Needed j Aides Have Done Fine Work in Moore County; New Class Is Planned Plans are under way for starting a new class of Red Cross Volunteer Nurse's Aides. As the country swings into full mobilization, the need for Nurse's Aides increases. More registered nurses are continually being drawn into the service as our armed forces grow. Many girls who ordinarily would enter nursing are being de flected into defense industries. Here in Moore County the nursing situation is particularly critical. The Moore County Hospital has lost tech- j inical and nursing personnel. It is | about to lose its normal quota of j student nuises. At the same time ! its load of patients has nearly doubled. In this crisis the Nurse's Aides have saved the day. They nave given 6,000 hours of service and proved their capacity and fidelity in all de partments of general nursing. Their j sense of responsibility is outstanding: j of fifty-three aides trained in Moore , County only one failed to complete j the course, and she was unavoidably prevented from doing so. As the hospital's work continues to grow, there is an increased de mand for more aides. A new class is | scheduled to start in the near future I ; Candidates must have good health, ( | be eighteen or over, and must satis- 1 fy the Nurse's Aide Committee as to their adaptability for the training and their seriousness of purpose. | Mrs. James Boyd, chairman of thej Committee, said that when last re ported the Moore County Nurse's Aide Corps had the highest efficien cy rating of any chapter in the coun try that had been heard from in a survey then being made by the Na tional Red Cross. The local commit tee hopes that this high standard can be maintained. "In this field," said Mrs. Boyd, "a woman performs one of the most vital and interesting of the defense services and at the same time re ceives training and experience that will be invaluable in her own life.' Those interested should apply to the Red Cross Office, Mrs. Lee Clark, executive secretary; tele phone: Southern Pines 8571. PULPWOOD COMMITTEE THE PILOT is fortunate in secur ing the following committee to head the local pulpwood promotion cam paign W E Blue, Buster Doyle, C. B. Gale, J. W. Atkinson and Carl G. Thompson. Pulpwood is a vital war material and these men, in promoting the cut ting campaign, will be rendering a real patriotic service. Pulpwood specifications are as follows: To be cut five feet in length, to measure four inches at the small end and to 18 inches at the large end, no wood to be quar tered or split. All pines and all hardwoods except oak are in de mand. OPENINGS-CLOSINGS Some of the local business houses that have been observing Wednesday afternoon closings during the sum mer have decided to continue this through the winter; others will not. Their plans are contained in an ad on page two, which explains in full the schedules for the two groups. MAKE EVERT Will Thornton " | WAR re "y of nv c OND DAY "C SPSHOIKG—SAVI DOUAtS TEN CENTS Town Board Adopts Budget and Listens to Citizens" Pleas Properly Owners Ask Removal of Bus Sta tion to New Location The Town Commissioners, sitting in special session Wednesday night at the Municipal Building, adopted the Southern Pines 1943-1944 tax budget reducing the tax rate 20 cents on the SIOO.OO valuation; lis tened to protests from property own ers on West Broad Street and Ver mont Avenue asking the removal of the present bus terminal to other quarters; turned thumbs down on maintenance of streets of property owners outside the city limits in the vicinity of the Southern Pines Coun try Club, and ordered the building of a band stand and dance floor in the Municipal Park facing Ashe Street. Speaking in behalf 9! the property owners near the present bus station, Miss Genevieve Marks read a pe tition pointing out the deplorable condition that now exists in the crowded quarters of the bus station. She presented the petition contain ing thirty-odd signatures pleading with the Town Fathers to see that the bus station is moved to other quarters. She pointed out two or three different pieces of property , that might be bought and would : be more adequate than the present j terminal. She pictured to the board : the unsanitary conditions that now exist due to the influx of soldiers ! '.rom Camp Mackall. She stated that there was a slackness in the policing, and that the property own ers in the vicinity felt that some im . mediate action should be taken by ! the town and the coach company, j She was corroborated by several other residents. After a lengthy discussion, the Mayor advised the property own ers that a meeting with the bus people would be arranged at the very earliest date possible in an ef fort to improve the bus facilities. The Commissioners discussed at length the request of property own ers and tenents occupying rented homes on Hill Road and Fairview Drive on the Country Club property outside the city limits regarding the maintenance of these roads which are badly washed due to the recent summer rains. It was pointed out by the members of the Board that the town had en deavored to extend the city limits two years ago in order to rebuild maintain, light, police, and give ad - equate fire protection to this sec tion but the property owners pro tested the extension. The Commis sioners felt that the city could not afford this maintenance at the ex pense of the tax payers of the Town of Southern Pines. 1 The budget for the fiscal year jeginning July 1, 1943 and ending June 30, 1944 calling for a total ex penditure of $75,311 93 with a re- I iuction in the tax rate of 20c per , SIOO.OO was presented to the Board. The expenditures are as follows: Debt Service, $31,182.00-. General i Fund Department Expenditures: I Administrative, 5,915.00; Fire De (partment, 7,177.00; Police Depart jment, 7,004 00, Streets, Lights and ! Sewers, 18,679.70, Miscellaneous, 6,269.65; TOTAL GENERAL FUND EXPENDITURES, $45,045.35; Less: Surplus and Receipts A. B. C. Store, 16,937.42, 38,107.93; Parks and Build \ ings. 2,022.00; Appropriation Def icit Southern Pines Country Club, 4,000,000; TOTAL $75,311.93. Howard F. Burns, clerk, informed the Board that the reduction in the tax rate was brought about because jof the saving in the operation of | the town during the past year, the reduction of interest of bonded in debtedness, and receipts from Moore County A. B. C. Store for law en | forcement. He further informed the i Board that the town debt as of June 30. stands at $375,000.00 from the high peak of $690,000.00 in 1925, showing a total retirement in debt of $315,000.00 in the past eighteen : years. , Bonds to be retired during this fiscal year amount to $33,000.00 with interest payments of $20,538.75, of (Continued on Page 8)