Mountainian Forces Take Control of IgJ.? — f # TOWN OFFICIALS were routed from their desks early this morning and forced into jail cells after being charged by Mountainian troops with failure to cooperate in the liberation of the town. A sergeant of the paratrooper unit which landed shortly after dawn on the north ern outskirts of town stands guard over Chief Officials To Be Tried By Military Court For Treason Because of their unwarranted resistance to the liberation of this town by Mountainia this morning, three public officials have been jailed and will face charges of treason as soon as military courts can be established. ■ According to an official an nouncement made shortly before noon by General Felix Desperate, leader of the liberation forces, the three officials, whom he identified as Mayor Robert Ewing, Town Manager Louis Scheipers, Jr., and Chief of Police C. E. New ton, will have no authority in the future ^md all citizens requesting services formerly provided by their offices have been directed to the office of Military Affairs in the Town Hall building. Ewing was specifically charged with failure to turn over his of fice when requested, using pro fane language, and resistance to signing official papers of Moun tainian forces. Scheipers is charg ed with conspiracy to spirit of ficial records of the town to a small band of North Saladians who managed to escape, during heavy fighting, and was reported (Continued on Page 4) of Police C. E. Newton, Mayor Robert Ewing, and Town Manager Louis Scheipers, Jr. The officials will be confined to the jail, Mountain ian officials said, “until they willingly extend their cooperation in matters we deem neces- sery.” (Photos by Emerspn Humphrey) ti Misled Citizens Challenge Troops; Many Arrested Townspeople of Southern Pines have been Quick to seize the op portunity to'join with the brave Mountainian forces in their ef forts to liberate this misguided country. However, incidents of stupidity and outrageous stubbor- ness have taken place and been quickly suppressed by the ad vancing forces. The ridiculous displays of re sistance have aroused only laugh ter among the troops but strong measures have been taken to avoid further outbreaks. In keeping with the Mountain ian rule against employing any secrecy in their operations, a re port to the people _ of Southern Pines is made as follows: ARRESTS; 52. Men armed with bowie-knives, squirrel guns, Deschardt rifles, and pea-shoot ers taken into custody after short but fierce engagement. 129 B-B guns removed from the hands of bands of small hooligans hiding behind trees. 14 store-keepers routed out from behind barricades of cans of on ion soup, chop suey, and sour pickles and put under arrest. Large stores of ammunition (hub- bard squash, yams, ripe tomatoes and eggs) confiscated. Also onion (Continued on Page 4) SEARCH FOR WEAPONS reportedly carried by town officials was conducted by a Mountainian trooper in one of the rooms at the Town Hall this morning. Mayor Robert Ewing consents to search while Manager Louis Scheipers, Jr., and Chief of Police C. E. Newton await their turns. PROCLAMATION TO THE PEOPLE OF SOUTHERN PINES WI^EREAS, in liberating the Bramac Strip from illegal occupation by the capitalist satellite government of North Salada it has become necessary for Peoples Volunteer Forces of Mountainia and Mounlainia Volun teer Brigade under my command to occupy the city of Southern Pines, and WHEREAS, it is the intent of Peoples Volunteer Forces acting in the interest of Mudlin solidarity to ex tirpate the capitalist-sponsored government of North Salada from the Bramac Strip and restore that territory to its Motherland. Mountainia. and WHEREAS, in order to reorient the currently pre-^ vailing decadent philosophy inspired by foreign capital ist elements toward vigorous and progressive material ism consistent with the dynamic teachings of the great Aggressor Leader and head of the International Circle Trigon Party, and ^ WHEREAS, to establish law and order and to pro vide security of my troops it is necessary to establish Military Government in the occupied territory. Now therefore I. Felix Desperate. General of Brigade. Gen eral Officer Commanding the Mountainian Volunteer Brigade and Military Governor of the territory occupied by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Su preme Leader of the Mountainian Peoples Volunteers, do hereby proclaim as follows: I All power of government and jurisdiction in the oc cupied territory and over its inhabitants, and final ad ministrative responsibility are vested in me as General Officer Ck)mmanding and Military Governor, and the of fice of Military Government is established to exercise these powers under my direction. II All persons in the occupied territory will obey promptly all orders given by me or under my authority and must refrain from all acts hostile to the troops under niy command or helpful to our enemies, from all of violence, and from any act calculated fo disturb public order in any way. III Your existing laws will remain in force and effect except in so far as it may be necessary to change or sup ersede them by proclamation or order issued by me or under my authority. IV All Southern Pines civil and criminal counts and educational establishments will be closed until further orders of the office of the MUitary Government. V All administrative and judicial officials of the city of Southern Pines and all other government and polit ical functionaries and employees of federal, state and municipal government(s) residing in occupied territory will present themselves at the Office of Military Gov ernment located in the Southern Pines Municipal Cen ter within twenty-four (24) hours after publication of this proclamation. VI Further proclamations, orders, regulations and no tices issued by me or linder my authority from time to time, will specify what is further required of you. and wnat you are forbidden to do. and these will be display ed in the Courthouse. Police station. Post office, or other prominent public places. VII So long as you remain peaceable and comply with my orders, you will be subjected to no greater interfer- ence than may be inevifable in view of military and political exigencies. , ‘ • I Signed: Felix Desperato General of Brigade The Military Governor SOUTHERN PINES May 28. 1959 Mountainian troops took pos session of Southern Pines a few hours ago and immediately put the town under full military con trol. The Mountainians, members of infantry and paratrooper units, are under the command of Gen eral of the Brigade Felix Despe rato, a veteran of many years military and public service in Mountainia. The troops are a part of the First Battalion of Moun tainian Volunteers and have wag ed half a dozen successful cam paigns on the northern front since the struggle to liberate North Salada started earlier this week. Actual seizure of the town was at 10 o’clock when heavily armed Mountainian troops ran up their flag on the pole at the Town Hall. Several thousand enthusiastic townspeople watched the cere mony and cheered wildly during the parade through the streets that preceded it. The few who booed were quickly suppressed. About 8 o’clock this morning a highly trained bpnd of Moun tainian troops numbering 150 foot I soldiers and paratroopers engaged North Saladian troops in heavy battle on the Veterans of Foreign Wars property just north of the business section. Details of the battle are still cloaked, necessar ily, in military secrecy, but it was reported that the North Saladians put up light resistance in the skirinish, which was fought most ly with small arms and light ar tillery. No report on casualties is available. The troops from Mountainia in filtrated outlying areas last night. Flanks were extended in East and West directions from town mak ing it impossible for North Salad ian units to hold back the main force. After their arrival shortly after 8 o’clock the troops' liberated the water plant on Carthage Road, the Town Hall, some warehouses, the police and fire department, the WEEB radio transmitter on Midland Road and the studios on New Hampshire Avenue, and The Pilot, despite some spirited op position put up by town officials and the proprietors of private businesses. Those facilities will remain un der control of the Mountainians, General Desperato announced, until it is determined whether or not they are needed for military purposes or until officials agree to cooperate with the Mountain ians. During the parade this morning a truck carrying a public address unit made repeated broadcasts of a recording by General Despera to in which he pointed out to cit izens of this town and others in North Salada that they should feel lucky to be out from the ty rannical rule of the old leaders. The broadcast drew repeated cheers from the hundreds that lined the streets to watch the pa rade. Thousands of leaflets outlining punishments that would be meted out to those who failed to coop- NOTICE OF CURFEW Until further notice no person within the town limits of South ern Pines will be permitted to circulate on the streets or outside the limits of their prenuses with out a permit of Military Govern ment authorities between the hours of 1800 and 0500. Application for circulation per mits may be made at the Munici pal Center of Southern Pines be tween the hours of 0800 and 1400. Any person found in the streets without such permit between established curfew hours will be severely punished. All persons are further warned that military g^erds are instruct ed to shoot any person seen out side the limits of ■ his premises after curfew attempting to hide or escape. / FELIX DESPERATO GENERAL OF BRIGADE Peoples Volunteer Forces of Mountainia crate were also dropped from low- flying planes. The same forces that are now in control of this town have been successful in seizing control and liberating other points in the “Bramac Strip,” the center of a controversy between North Sa lada and Mountainia for some time. (Officials have pointed out numerous times that the contro versy stems from action following World War 1 when the League of Nations put the strip, long a part of Mountainia, under the rule of North Salada. Citizens of the area have been unhappy about the ac tion since and repeated efforts to return it to Mountainia as an inte grated part of that country have failed. EDITORIAL MAYOR RC)BERT EWING was grim faced this morning as he sign^ over his authority to Mountainian officials. He is shown at his desk m the Council Chamber putting his signature to a piwlamation issued by General of the Brigade Felix Desperato while Mountainian trooper looks on. This news^per advises ||[m cooperation with the mi occupiers of the town. Do m| listen to their propaganda; do believe What they say. HIHHHIHHiil attempts to I you to collaborate with their Pl^ns. We believe that Pilot readers, accustomed to plenty of argument and controversy, will ever maintain their indepen dence under all conditions, no matter how - Remember your heritage. Pilot readers! Work ceaseless ly to the enemy’s plans. Be ready to help Remember that as citizens of a great country, we must uphold the (Will finish when we get out of the pokey—KLB) \ 'Ji POLICE CHIEF C. E. NEWTON was forced at gunpoint earlier this morning to broadcast a proclamation to the people of South ern Pines of General of the Brigade Felix Desperato. who has assumed full control of the government. Chief Newton, who fail- ^ lo cooperate with the Mountainian troops now in control of the Town Hall, has been lodged in jail awaiting trial.