t ■f. % S' & n % ■■ /a'-- V.' .' - L'etsAIIBackThe Attack VOLUME 24. NO. 9 ■ ^ fid^E roo BOIIEHryOUR ^BONDS Southern Pines, North Carolina. Friday, January 28, 1944. TEN CENTS Struthers Burt’s Telephone Call Baffles Rotarians, Who’ll Pay You to Solve It Fake Accident Call May Mean War Savings Stamps to Readers of THE PILOT BASKETBALL Southern Pines High School basketball teams will play the Pinehurst girls' and boys' teams here this evening, Friday, Jan uary 28. The first game is sche duled for 7:30 o'clock. Pinebluff Welfare Group Gives Report Outstanding Program of Work Is Accomplished; Funds Show an Increase That 1943 was a successful year for the Pinebluff Maternity and Wel fare Committee is shown by the treasurer’s report for the period end ing December 31 ... a success both from the standpoint of service ren dered and financially. Available cash January 1, 1942, was $270.54; net receipts from Gol- ‘den Rule Shop Sales, $836.40; cash donations, $165.22; candy sales, $7.00; interest-reserve account, $10.53; cash loaned in 1942 and paid in 1943, $45.20; cash advanced for repairs to Clinic absorbed by rent less electric bills, $13.99; paid by landlord at termination of lease, $110.64, making a total of $1,459.52. Disbursements: Maternal health including transportation, medical and surgical aid, layettes, maternity and infant clinic, sundries, $146.83; general health, including transpor tation, medical and surgical aid, ven ereal disease clinic (taken over by county April 30), eyes and glasses, sundries, $257.18; economic welfare, including transportation, food and milk, clothes and shoes, old age as sistance, accident relief, sundries, $84.42; community betterment, $4.37; management, including stationery, postage and telephone, $46.69; cash loaned in 1943—^not paid, $21.55; cash reserved, deposited in savings accourit, $410^53; total, $971.57. Available cash December 31, 1943, $487.95. Couple Arrested In Struthers Burt, famed novelist and Southern Pines resident, was guest speaker at Friday’s Rotary luncheon meeting at the Highland Pines Inn. The Rev. Tucker G. Hum phries said, in introducing Mr. Burt', “I offer no apologies for the brev ity of my introduction of the speak er. The radio networks announcers when introducing an eminent person of national reputation say, ‘Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Blank.’ So I have excellent precedent and author ity, knowing our speaker’s reputa tion, to follow suit and say, ‘Mem bers of the Rotary Club, Mr. Burt.’” Mr. Burt related a story that has all the trimmings of a detective thriller, except there is no Holmes to offer an answer or a solution. A mysterious telephone call starts it off, a probable kidnapping injected, a trip to the West Indies, a rendez vous with the FBI. Here in part is Mr. Burt’s story: “In midwinter of 1938, I had to go to the West Indies, and Mrs. Burt was going with me. We were to leave on a Monday from New York, and Mrs. Burt left here on Friday to vis it our son and daughter, who were in school in New York, over the weekend. I had an engagement here but planned to join her Sunday night. “Around 7;00 o’clock Saturday night the telephone rang. It was a collect call from New York. Think ing it was Mrs. Burt, I accepted the charges. I remember it was snowing heavily. '(Something wrong with Mr. Burt’s memory. He must have meant when he got to New York.) But it Was a matt’s voice, cultured, and of a pleasing tone, and a noticeable foreign accent. “‘Mr. Burt, this is Dr. Blank of the Cornell Medical Center. We have a young man in here that was hit by a truck late this afternoon. There’s nothing to identify him ex cept a piece of paper with the name written on it, Struthers Burt, Sou thern Pines, N. C. I believe, too, he is a Southerner.’ “Naturally, I just knew it was my son. But when he described the Uoval IVTllSP' youth as being short, and rather stout and dark, I was tremendously relieved. It wasn’t my son. “I told him that I would be in New York Monday, gave him the names of some friends of mine there, and offered anything I could do-to help identify the youth. He thanked me. and hung up, but not before I heard a curious chuckle as the re ceiver clicked. “In New York, I could find no Cor nell Medical Center, and was referr ed to the Cornell Hospital. They told me no one there had been hit by an automobile or truck. And the doc tor’s name I tried to pronounce didn’t fit any on their staff “At lunch with a friend, I told him what had happened. He was excited as my story ended. Two weeks before he had received a telephone call, and it was his niece who had been hit by a car, and the s^me conditions applied, but she was visiting in a middle Western city and that day they had received a tele gram from her, so they knew she was all right. He turned it over to the FBI faS his niece was wealthy enough for a kidnapper to think about. “My friend suggested that with my children in New York alone, a kid napping plot might be in the making and I should call the FBI. “Well, I discounted the kidnapping theory, as did the FBI. They told me to finish my trip, they would investi gate, and I iieedn’t worry about the kids. “ When we returned from the West Indies, my first stop was. at the FBI. If they had discovered anything they were disconcertingly polite about not revealing it. I didn’t bother to tell them that I had run into the same incident in the West Indies, and be fore we left New York I bumped into people who had had the same tele phone call, the identical fake acci dent story. I was hopeful as we ar rived here at home that I could get the matter off my mind. But I didn’t for at a luncheon party, there was one there who had had the fake fc- (Continued on Page 8) ■ The PILOT Wins 2n(l Award for General Excellence at Meet Gov. Broughton Pre sents Awards Made By N. C. Press Association At the Friday luncheon session of the North Carolina Press Associa tion’s annual meeting, held at the University in Chapel Hill last week, THE PILOT was a'warded second place for general excellence among weekly newspapers in its classifica tion in the State. The awards, made Escaped Prisoners From Camp Mackall Stage Bold Hold-Up Draw, Sub-Machinegun Pvt. Willie McNeill Goes On Trial For First Degree Murder of Oscar Michael, Prominent Southern Pines Taxi Operator on Vass Lumberman and Post War Planning Take Bookkeeper s Car - . t? Three escaped Army prisoners from Camp Mackgll, armed with cf sub-machinegun, held up B. S. Fut- rell and his bookkeeper. Miss Blanche Sturdivant, in the office of Futrell Brothers Lumber Com pany on Highway 1 in Vass around 7 o’clock Thursday night of last week, took the keys to their auto- Is Kiwanis Subject Bur:^ Suggests Units to Work for Needs of Each Individual Community by the Association, were presented i mobiles and left in Miss Sturdi- by Governor Broughton. In this group, the first award, a twenty-five dollar war bond, went to the Sylva Herald. THE PILOT’S award, which was accepted by the editor, is a handsome certificate that is now being framed to be hung in the office. Honorable mention in this group was given the Sandhill Citizen of Aberdeen and the Spindale Sun. James Boyd, publisher of THE PILOT, Bessie Cameron Smith, edi tor, and Pvt. Daniel Boyd attended the luncheon. QM 3jc James Boyd, Jr., an alumnus of the University, spent the time visiting friends in the college community. Officers have arrested the soldier and young woman wanted in con nection with an investigation' into the robbery of Royal P. Muse, prom inent merchant • of Carthage, who was found dead in his car near the Carolina Hotel in Sanford Sunday morning, January 16. The woman, booked as Ruby Min or, 24, of High Point, is being held in Moore County jail. The soldier, whose name was given as Pvt. John W. Lyle, was still at Mackall yester day, but it is understood that he, too, will be lodged in the county jail. Highlights of the woman’s story, ac cording Ito information given out by Sheriff C. J. McDonald, are that she and the soldier got up with Muse be tween 9:30 and 10 o’clock Saturday night and he agreed to take them to Southern Pines. A few miles out of town the soldier searched and robbed him then put the pocketbook back in his pocket. 'With Muse on the back seat asleep, they drove to Sanford, where the soldier put Muse, still alive, on the front seat and they went to a hotel and spent the night. From there they went to Southern Pines and Aberdeen, spending Sun day and Monday nights in the lat ter place. An autopsy was performed on Mr. Muse and death was attributed to a heart attack. Gregg Cherry WjH Speak at Bond Rally American Legion to Stage Big Event at Aberdeen School Thursday Night A big Fourth War Loan Bond Rally, sponsored by the American Legion, will be held in the Aber deen High School auditorium next Thursday night, February 3, at 8 o’clock with Gregg Cherry of Gas- tonia, past department commander of the American Legion, as' special guest speaker. There will be other speakers from Camp Mackall and E. C. Stevens of Southern Pines, county War Loan chairman, will be on hand to give a lift to proceedings. A 13th Infantry Band from Camp Mackall will play. There will be an auction sale of bonds in connection with which around $100 worth of bonds will be given away. If the Legion Auxiliary of the State raises funds sufficient to pay for five hospital transport planes, a goal which it is trying to accomplish, the women will have the privilege of naming the planes. Anyone buy ing a bond may request that the sale be credited to the Auxilairy. RETqRNS TO HOSPITAL Mrs. L. V. O’Callaghan, who has been ill for some time, returned to Duke Hospital the first of the week for further treatment. vant’s car. Futrell gave this account ox the occurrence: He had been away from his office for a while and upon his return, saw three soldiers walking toward the rear of the grounds. He asked what they were doing and was told that they were on maneu vers. Thinking nothing more about it, he went into the officS. Present ly an automobile motor started up and Miss Sturdivant recognized it as hers. .Futrell went out and found the trio in the young woman’s car with the engine running. He asked what they meant and one of the boys replied that they were cold and had started up the car to warm by the heater. Futrell told them that they might go into the office and warm if they were cold, so they got out of the car, Futrell removed the keys, and the four went into the office. Presently, as two of the men stood near the heater, the third drew a gun on Futrell with the remark: You can see we mean business.” The spokesman demanded the keys, saying they wanted to get to San ford. Futrell’s offer to drive them to Sanford was refused and he was forced to hand over the keys of his and Miss Sturdivant’s cars. Before leaving the office they pulled the telephone wire loose, then locked Futrell’s car and drove away in that of Miss Sturdivant. The soldiers did not see the tel ephone in an adjoining office, so as soon as they were gone Futrell notified officers and an all-night search was begun which ended Fri day morning when the three were caught in Raleigh after they had asked a Raleigh officer the way to the airport. They had abandoned the car about five miles from the city. The three were returned to Camp Mackall in an Army truck with arm ed guards. The-prisoners are said to have forced two rides before taking the Vass car and to have ordered their last benefactor to remain in his car at the rear of the Vass office until they got transportation. They were listed at police head quarters in Raleigh as Staff Sgt. Zack B. Martin, Pvt. Thomas G. Malcolm, and Pvt. RusseU J. Chaney. A REMINDER This is a reminder that the Sou thern Pines High School Athletic Association -is sponsoring a scrap paper drive and that on next Mon day, Janua(ry 31, school children will canvas the entire town to make collections. Everyone is asked to save just as much paper as possible and to place it, tied in bundles, on their front porch or other conven ient place. No scrap paper will be collected after Monday, but donors may deposit it at the old Southern Pines Garage office. Southern Pines Building and Loan Plays Prominent Part in Development of Town Institution Organized in February, 1922, Has Two Hundred Fifty Members By Charles Macauley The Southern Pines Building and Loan Association is approaching its twenty second birthday iack Perkins faced an old charge of breaking and entering the Stutt's- Taylor Store in 'Vass and Walker was charged with larceny of a truck. A nol pros with leave was taken as to Fred Perkins. The other two pleaded nolo contendere. It appear ing to the Court that the defendants had completed service of a three- year term each in a case tried in Hoke County, the causes occurring about the same time as those in the cases at hand, it was ordered upon recommendation of the Solicitor that any sentence be suspended. Each of the two was given 12 months in jail to work under the supervision of the State Highway and Public Works Commission, sus pended for four years upon good be havior, abiding by the law, and ap plying himself to some gainful oc cupation. FOURTH WAR LOAN The latest report through Rich mond credits Moore County with $180,000 on the Fourth War Loan, which is approximately one-third of the county’s quota. However, this report runs around two days be hind the actual sales. Southern Pines has raised about 40 per cent; Pinehurst, 75 per cent, and Robbins has reported $15,000 on its quota of 79,800. Figures from otlTer towns are not available. Chairman Stevens states that sales of the large bonds seem to be lag- ging, but that “E” Bond sales are better. In Southern Pines there is keen competition between the Women’s Division and the Stevens Office,. Each day the sales of each are post ed in Mr. Stevens’ window on West Broad Street and many passersby stop to see how the race is going. So far, the women are $7,000 ahead.