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Christmas Holiday^
Will Be Observed
Thursday, Friday
Sparkling with colored lights,
busy with Christmas shoppers,
Southern Pines along with other
North Carolina towns is looking
forward to a two-day holiday next
week.
With. Christmas falling on a
Thursday, practically all business
es and offices will close for both
Thursday and Friday. This has
been declared a legal banking hol
iday by Governor Scott.
Stores which usually close Wed
nesday afternoons will stay open
all day Christmas eve.
A few businesses will take the
“long weekend”^— among them
The Pilot, which will publish j
Wednesday for distribution Fri
day. The office will be closed till
Monday morning, December 29.
Public schools close at noon to
day (Friday), reopening Monday,
January 5.-
The Citizens Bank and Trust'
Co. will remain open for one hour,
7-8 p.m., Wednesday, to receive
late deposits from the merchants.
Some stores plan late closing
hours from Saturday through
Christmas eve. Pinedene, Inc., on
US Highway 1 south, is staying
open till 10 p.m. Thursday of this
week through Tuesday.
The town offices will close lor
"Thursday and Friday, and in Car
thage, the courthouse will start its
hohday early—Wednesday# noon,
reopening Saturday morning.
Court will be held Monday as us
ual.
Federal offices will close Thurs
day through Saturday, reopening
Monday, by order of President
Truman.
'3
Post Office Nears
End of Yule Rush^
Post office employees, deluged
with mail, ate looking forward to
a long Christmas holiday, though
certain minimum services will be
maintained.
Closing hour every day (Sun
day excepted) till Christmas is
6 p. m, with the parcel post win
dow staying open till 7 Christmas
Eve.
Christmas day, delivery of
■ late-arriving gift parcels, special
delivery and perishables will be
made. One outgoing dispatch will
be made of airmail (closing time
3:15 p. m.) and first class maill
(6 p. m.) There will be no box!
distribution, window service oi |
city delivery.
Friday, there will be distribu-'
ticn to boxes, also city delivery
and parcel post delivery, while
the Sunday schedule of outgoing
dispatches will be observed Par
cel post, general delivery- and
stam.p windows will be open from
10 to 11 a. m. and 5-6 p. m. (Money
order and postal savings windows
closed)
Normal schedules will be ob
served Saturday and Sunday.
Regular employees will enjoy
a four-day holiday, according to
President Truman’s order for fed
eral employees, said Postmaster
Garland Pierce. Services listed
above will be rendered with the
use of substitutes.
TWENTY-EIGHT PAGES
Town Will Play Host
Thailand Governor
On Three-day Visit
MERRY. Vy
CHRl/TMAJ
PILOT GREETING
These two characters, tak
ing it easy in true Eandhillo
Christmas spirit, are straight
from the penknife^ by way of
wocdolock, of another Sand
hills character. Glen Rounds.
Glen took pity cn The Pilot
this week. Said it was a shame
we couldn't do any better:
said we needed a few old-
timers. hanging around to
make things lively, like Mr.
Hugh Dave MeWhirr, who
used to frequent these pages.
That's what we thought,
too. we said. Put him on a
spot, a hard thing to do with
that fellow. He had to come
^^ough. and "he actually did.
"exercising due restraint." he
told us. We hate to admit it
but these oldtimers and their
hounds are getting The Pilot's
vote for Best Present of the
Year,
Speaking senously. we are
confident our readers will'
share The Pilcf^s pride that
their local paper carries an
original woodcut by this na
tionally distinguished locah
artist and writer.
Fight L(
CHRISTMAS ART
The annual Christmas dec
orative exhibit, opening the
yearly series of shows in the
Fine Arts Room of the South?
ern Pines library, will be on
view, starting Monday.
The gallrry will be decked
With Christmas greens as a
background for the religious
art on display. The exhibit
win continue through New
Year's day.
Santa Delivers Gifts By Helicopter,
With Helpers Wearing Air Force Blue
Santa Claus is riHincf a ^
!D
(Jifts, Glee Club
—No More School
The traditional “White Christ
mas” and a program by the school
glee club at 11 a. m. Friday willlwhen Oakley’s, car .....v
mark the close of the Southern and overturned several times into
Pines school for the Christmas a branch. The three occupant
Bariiey B. Bass,
Veteran of War,
Killed In Wreck
Barney B. Bass, 36, fanner of
the Cameron section and veteran
of many campaigns in World War
2, was instantly killed Saturday
evening in an automobile accident
in Harnett county, just over the
Moore County line.
Taken to Moore County hospi
tal, and released a few days later,
were Mack Oakley, 35, and Char
lie Stewart, about 50. AU are listed
from Cameron Rt. 2.
The accident occurred on a
county road on Cameron Rt. 2
left the road
Santa Claus is riding a helicop-*
ter about the state this week, ac
companied by helpers in Air Force
blue.
Starting Monday at Asheville
and working east, the big Air
Force “whirly-bird” stopped at 32
orphanages, delivering gay pack-
cash plus many merchandise gifts.
The well-planned and nobly-
executed strategy included the se
curing of lists in advance from
every one of the state’s orphan
h°5Ties, containing the personal
ages to 4,500 shiny-eyed"kids"Tn wish of each child,
th© I Thsn C9rn0 3 vsst. shoupin^ 5121*00
in which all the lists were check-
the biggest Christmas operation
ever to take place in North Caro
lina.
For “Operation Christmas” the
‘north pole” is Pope AFB, Fort
Bragg, where men of the Ninth
Air Force put in months of pre-
Uminary work, and donated or
collected more than $40,000 in
holidays.
Parents and friends of the
school are invited to attend the
observance at Weaver auditorium
said Supt. A. C. Dawson.
For the ‘“'White Christmas,” each
boy and girl brings a gift of food,
or some other useful thing, wrap
ped in white The grades march
forward one by one, starting with
the smallest children, and lay
their gifts at the foot of a Christ
mas tree.
These constitute part of their
Christmas sharing, in the true
spirit of the season, for the gifts
are placed in baskets for distribu
tion among the needy.
Favorite carols will be sung by
the schcolchildren, teachers and
guests filling the auditorium
while this is taking place.
Other Christmas songs will be
presented by the glee club, di
rected by Miss Winifred Bodie
in this group’s first public appear
ance of the year.
ed off, name bj^ name. Wrapping
and tagging was another major
project. "The result—^the flying
Santa, looking very like Frank
Edwards of New York, Mutual
network commentator, is deliver
ing to each child just what he or
she asked for.
I The shopping list included such
[Items as 436 dolls, 287 cowboy
holster-and-gun sets, 24 wind up
trains, 236 teddy bears, 57 wrist
watches, and quantities of skates,
costume jewelry, athletic equip
ment, model airplane kits and
even 15 Bibles.
^ ^ 1-^ One orphanage received a soe-
A gang of a new type of rack- cially built model railway on a
eteer robbed an old Negro Tues-1 large table donated by Maj. Gen.
saved E- J- Timberlake, commanding
New Racket Takes
Christmas Savings
From Aged Negro
were thrown from the car into the
stream, from which they were
pulled by passersby. Bass was
dead of a fractured neck.
The accident was investigated
by Moore Patrolman Wimberly
and Shomaker, who, however,
when they found they were over
the county line radioed for Har
nett Patrolman Ward who com
pleted the official report.
It was not determined at the
time of the accident Just which of
the men was driving.
Funeral services for Bass were
held Monday morning at Cypress
Presbyterian church in Hoke
county, with the Rev. Mr. Cars
well officiating. Burial was in the
family plot in the church ceme
tery.
He was born in Hoke county
October 16, 1916, and spent four
years in the Army in World War
2, serving three years with an
armored division oversea.s
(Continued on Page 8)
—^ iAiWAicj lie iiau :
up for Christmas this week.
The victim is ' John Wilson,
Imown as “Uncle John,” who has
liv^ for the past years on the
Goldsmith farm out towards the
Fort Bragg reservation.
Perpetrators of the crime, which
Police Chief Ed Newton called
“one of the meanest things I ever
heard of’ are thought to be two
men who spent Monday night at
the Belvedere Hotel, registered
with two other men, all under t'-'.e
name of Harris, giving the fic
titious address of Peters Street
Raleigh.
Notified of the occurrence early
^esday afternoon, the local of
ficer called the sheriff, the
location being outside his actual
jurisdiction, and joined deputy
sheriff Lambert at the scene of
the robbery.
The officers found the old man
in a sad state. He related that two
men had come to the place that
morning, driving a “brownish
truck,” cerresponding to the truck
noticed by police,on their earlv
rounds, parked outside the Bel-
(Continued on Page 8)
general of the Ninth. Each was al
so given some needed major ap-
(Continued on Page 8)
EIGHT ACCIDENTS
The Pilot this week carries
throughout its pages news of
eight highway accidents,
ranging feom minor all the
way up to one which was fa
tal.
Injuries range from a
child's broken nose to a brok
en neck. Property damage
runs weU into the thousands.
It's a grim record for a pre
holiday week. Word from the
State Highway Division is
that, during Christmas and
New Years, the accident rate
can be expected to be dou
bled.
Many of the accidents in
volved just one car which
"went out of control." High
speed was involved in some—
too many. Read—and, on
YOUR holiday trip, remem
ber.
'Don't let death take your
holiday."
Moore Co. Hospital
Directors Hold
Annual Meeting
The officers and board of direc
tors of the Moore County hospital,
with one exception, were re-elect
ed for the coming year at the an
nual meeting Monday night at the
Nurses Homfe. Samuel P. Allen of
Pinehurst was a new director add- i
ed to the board.
"Two changes in the medical I
staff were voted at the recommen
dation of the active staff: Dr. John
C. Grier of Pinehurst was elected
to the active staff and Dr. Riley
M. Jordan of Raeford appointed
to the courtesy staff.
Twenty-five out of the 30 direc
tors were present at the meeting,
making the largest attendance
ever recorded by the group. Also
present were Hospital Director
Thomas R. Howerton, Director-
consultant E. T. McKeithen and
Dr. Michael Pishko, representing
the staff.
Reports of chairmen of commit
tees, the chairman of the eveeu-
five committee, Mrs. Katherine
McColl, the officers ana siaxf
members pr-esent gave a compre
hensive picture of conditions in
the hospital. Mr. Howerton called
attention to the fact that the
shortage of nurses continued, with
considerable pressure to change
the hourly schedule to 40 a week
instead of the present 48. He es- i
timated this would increase the
payroll by 10 nurses and about
$22,000. The step was being push
ed by the national and some of
the state nursing associations and
several of the largest hospitals
had changed their hours accord
ingly, he said. Mr. Howerton has
undertaken a study of the situa
tion, including comparisons with
hospitals of similar size with
Moore county, at the suggestion of,
the directors. |
Mr. Dana gave the treasurer’s
report, showing that the hosnital
had already benefitted to the tune
of $5,280 from the appeal sent out
a month ago, but only 90 re
sponses have been received to
date, to the 1000 letters sent. He
cited Dr. Matheson of Raeford a$
the only physician who had re
sponded and said that very few
(Continued on page 8)
Hoke Gtizens Will
lOss of Vast
Acreage To Bragg
(Earlier story on Page 16)
A mass meeting will be held in
uaeford Saturday night, called by
the Hoke County commissioners
md Raeford town board, to or
ganize for the fight against the
Army’s projected move of taking
over some 50,000 additional acres
of Hoke County land.
A citizens’ committee has al
ready been formed to carry the
fight as high as possible, and
Congressman C. B. Deane’s inter
cession is being sought. The Con
gressman met with Defense De
partment officials at Fort Bragg
Monday for a briefing on the mat
ter, and was shown over the area
involved in a helicopter.
Hoke county, smallest and
youngest of all North Carolina’s
100, has already given up 92,000
acres of its 265,000 to Fort Bragg,
and fears that the loss of the ad-
jditional acreage will mean it will
be unable to carry on as a govern
[mental unit.
I Army plans revealed last week
show that 52,370 acres are wanted
designated as the “corridor” be
tween Fort Bragg and Camp
Mackall, for expansion of the
.present training area, and that
'most of these acres lie in Hoke.
'Some acreage in Cumberland and
Richmond counties, and possibly
a small amount of land in Moore,
are also involved.
Engineers from the Savannah
District Engineers office are now
working in Cumberland, and ex
pect to move over into Hoke
within 90 days. If the proposed
land acquisition goes through, it
IS expected to take from one to
three years to complete.
I Engineers emphasized, however,
that their surveys are purely pre-
limin^y, and that authority for
the final moves must await ac
tion by the Defense Department
snd the House and Senate Armed
Services committees.
A record of hearings before the
House committee, sent by the of
fice ®f Senator 'Willis Smith to
Moore Representative H. Clifton
Blue on his request this week,
show that the Army is anxious to
expand the maneuver area and to
provide for airborne training and
large-scale tank firing.
I Undersecretary of the Army
Bendetsen appeared before the
committee. May 29 in the move to
[Secure an appropriation and au-
Uhority to purchase the 52,370
acres.
In the testimony before the com
mittee it was shown that the Gov
ernment already owns 130,640
acres in the Fort Bragg territory,
and has leased 5,451 acres more.
A Colonel Whipple, speaking for
the Army, noted that this is th.-;
principal maneuver area for the
Third Army and includes major
(Continued on page 8)
Wants To See
Home Town of
Ameriean Friend
Southern Pines is to have an
interesting and distinguished vis
itor, who will make a special jour
ney here the first weekend in
January on account of his friend
ship with a local boy.
Ais Excellency the Governor of
Songkhla, a province of Thai-
I land, is at present making his first
visit to the United States as a
guest of the State Departnnent,
observing government;! opera
tions and the American way cf
life.
He is a friend of Lewis Pate
who went to Thailand last May as
a Fulbright exchange teacher, and
IS teaching in the high school in
Songkhla.
Mr. Puang Suwanarath, Son-
gkhla^’s governor, has informed
those arranging his tour that he
wants to visit his young friend’s
home town of Southern Pines. He
wants to meet Lewis’ people, and
in effect they will be his hosts
vhen he is here January 3, 4 and
5.
Guest of Mayor •
Mrs. Fred Woodruff, Lewis’
■ister, with whom he makes his
home, has relinquished her claim
cn him as a house guest, however
and he will stav at the hotre of
Mayor and Mrs. C. N. Page.
He is anxious to stay in a private!
home, it is understood, rather than'
hotel, in order to know Ameri
cans better.
Plans are being made for him
to see all the sights of the Sand
hills, to meet the Iccal people and
to visit the schools, the library
and any other place he may wish
to see.
Mr. Puang will be here for most
of the day on which the schools
reopen after the holidays. Supt
A. C. Dawson has said he will ar-
(Continued on page 8)
Reward Offered
For Items Stolen
In Daylight Entry
pie home of Col. and Mrs. John
Dibb, at South Ridge street and
Morganton road, was broken into
ransacked and robbed in broad
daylight Tuesday.
Missing are a silver service and
a quantity of table silver; a set of
women’s matched Betty Jamison
golf clubs; a man’s dark blue
double-breasted pin-striped suit
(Storrs-Schaefer label), and num
erous other items, not all. of them
identified as yet. Colonel Dibb is
offering a reward for information
leading to their recovery, and the
arrest and conviction of the thief.
The sheriffs department is in
vestigating, with the aid of the
SBI. Fingerprints were taken and
several clues have developed, it is
understood.
Smashing the glass of the french
doors leading onto a terrace at the
rear, the intruder or intruders en
tered the house and went into ev
ery room, pulling out drawers, go
ing through cabinets and closets
and helping themselves to what
they desired.
No one was home, as Colonel
and Mrs. Dibb had left at 11:15
a.m. to return to their home at
Lynchburg, Va., after a short stay
here.
W. N. Benjamin, who is doing
some upholstering for the Dibbs,
and had been loaned a key so he
could bring back furniture he had
completed, came in by the front
door at 5:15 p.m., to observe, a
scene of carnage. He notified the
sheriff’s office (the house is Just
over the city line) also the local
police, and phoned Colonel Dibb
at Lynchburg. The colonel im
mediately returned to Southern
Pines.
“It is impossible to tell just
what is gone, or how much,” he
said after checking the damage.
“It would require a complete in
ventory of our belongings, which
will take some time.”
He is a reserve officer, with a
business in Lynchburg, and he
and his wife divide their time be
tween the two towns, coming here
for rest and frequent vacations.