VOLUME 42
SMITHFIELD, N. C., FRIDAY, JULY 13, 1923
NUMBER 56
TWO FULL DAYS OF
RECORDER’S COURT
Stevens Sent to Roads for
Disorder at Holt Lake;
Tom Coats 12 Months
A case in Recorder’s Court this
week which evidenced a good deal of
interest was the one against Tom
Coats, who. under suspended sentence,
had violated the terms imposed by
the court, and was apprehended and
brought into court the second time.
On April 17, Coats charged with
fornication and adultery with one
Burla Jernigan, and charged with
abandonment of his wife and children,
was sentenced to twelve months on
the roads. Judgment, however, was
suspended upon the conditions that
he have nothing further to do with
Burla Jernigan and that he provide
support for his family. He broke
both conditions and the court Wed
nesday ordered that he now serve the
twelve months on the roads given
him on April 17.
Officers succeded in locating Burla
Jernigan and she was brought to
court, found guilty of fornification
and adultery and was sentenced to re
main six months in jail.
Wilbur Stevens, who was arrested
on the fourth of July at Holt Lake
for cursing on the public highway, re
sisting an officer, and being public
ly drunk, plead guilty to all three
charges. He was sentenced to the
roads for four months and fined $51
and costs. A capias was issued at
the request of the solicitor. Upon in
formation that the defendant indulge
in intoxicating liquor for a period of
two years, the sentence will be en
forced.
Other cases disposed of Tuesday
and Wednesday were as follows:
State vs. Prim Gilliard (colored)
charged with driving an automobile
while drunk. Found guilty and
sentenced to work the roads thirty
days and pay a fine of $25 and costs.
State vs. Roger Dublin (colored)
charged with obstructing the high
way. Plead guilty. Fined $5 and
costs.
State vs. John Nathan Tomlinson
(colored) charged with carrying a
concealed weapon. Found guilty
and fined $50 and costs.
State vs. Henry Howell (colored)
charged with violation of the pro
hibition laws, this being the second of
fense. Several gallons of liquor were
found buried in his yard. He was
found guilty and sentenced to 2 years
on roads. An appeal was taken to
the Superior Court.
State vs. Don Griffis (colored)
charged with violation of the prohi
bition laws and driving an automo
bile while drunk. Guilty. Sentenced
five months on roads.
State vs. Richard Brown charged
with violation of the prohibition
laws. Guilty. Sentenced eight
months on roads. Appeal was taken
to Superior Court.
State vs. WillieF Beasley charged
with blockading. Found guilty and
given 12 months on roads. Defendant
took an appeal.
State vs. S. R. Renfrew charged
with assault with deadly weapon. De
fendant pleads guilty. Fined $50 and
costs.
State vs. Foxie Holder, (colored)
charged with assault with deadly
weapon. Defendant found guilty.
Judgment was suspended upon pay
ment of costs.
State vs. Claud Godwin, Marshall
Redmond, and Garfield Bodwin (col
ored) charged with assault with
deadly weapon and carrying conceal
ed weapon. All the defendants found
guilty on the first court and fined
$5 each and one third of the costs
each. Redmond and Garfield Godwin
found guilty of carrying concealed
weapon and sentenced to 30 days in
jail. Copias issued at request of so
licitor.
State vs. Oscar Hines (colored)
charged with larceny. Defendant
plead guilty and was sentenced to
six months on roads.
State vs. J. C. and Clyde Winstead
charged with operating slot machine.
Guilty. Fined one dollar and costs.
Required to send back slot machine.
Pleasant Grove Co-ops To Meet
And important meeting of members
of the Cotton and Tobacco Growers’
Co-operative Association will be held
at Pleasant Grove, Saturday, July
14th, at three o’clock p. m. All mem
bers are urged to be present.
‘DANGERS’ OF PICTURES
SUBJECT OF ADDRESS
Lake Junaluska, July 10.—Declar
ing that most of the films have fea
tures that are hurtful in their effect
upon children Miss Minie Kennedy.
Nashville, superintendent of elemen
tary Sunday school work of the Meth
odist Episcopal church, south, in an
address before the social service con
ference of the church in session here,
suggested that some organization of
parents and other interested citizens
should be created for the specific pur
pose of caring for the local moving
picture situation.
Miss Kennedy, member of the com
mittee on education of the interna
tional council of religious education,
has made an extensive study of the
motion picture subject. She said there
was great need for a concerted cam
paign to educate parents as the
“dangers” of moving pictures upon
young life.
“It does not seem to be generally
known that the moving picture is or
ganized into tremendous corporations
that have penetrated every city, town
and large village in the land.” said
Miss Kennedy, “and through the me
dium of the automobile, the rural
places as well. This organization has
lain hoi dof the children and youth,
as well as of the men and women,
until, according to the statement of
one of the corporations. 12,000.000
people are attending moving picture
shows every day.
“When parents and teachers really
comprehend the fact that the most
powerful agency for impression-mak
ing known is conduct, either that of
actual persons or that portrayed in
realistic fashion, then the first long
stride toward reforming the 'movies’
will have been made.
“Are moving pictures helpful be
cause of their artistic and literary
merit, untainted by evil suggestion,
or because of some outstanding mes
sage that is effectively presented. On
the other hand, the deliberate state
ment is here made that most of th
films presented have features that
are distinctly hurtful.
“The nature of a child is an ex
ceedingly delicate thing. For him to
look one time at some act committed
is to risk an impression that persists
and •will express itself later in con
duct. A little girl of four, when the
picture closed with its usual ‘clutch’
asked: ‘Mother, isn’t he going to kiss
her?’ A five-year-old boy, watching
a struggle cried; ‘I want to kill him.
Why doesn’t he kill him?” The min
ute portrayal of crime, scenes of hor
ror or of bloodshed, ‘thrillers’ -where
one thrill succeeds another, deeds of
malicious mischief, of deceit, of cheat
ing, of petty theft—these all work
havoc in the natures of children.
“Censorship has proved inadequate
and hence unsatisfactory. This grew
chiefly out of two reasons:
‘It works by prohibition, which is
not based on education. To cut out
arbitrarily objectionable features
without at the same time educating
the people to know why they are ob
jectionable is to do a superficial work,
which eventually fails.
Then there is no agreed-upon basis
for judgment, so boards differ with
boards, and individuals with individu
als.
“While it is evident that there are
many beginnings of reform, all that
has yet been accomplished is only a
pin prick compared with the reform
that is needed. Each city, town and
community in the land should do cer
tain things.
“Some organization of parents and
other interested citizens should be
created for the specific purpose of
caring for the local moving picture
situation. This organization should
be so correlated with all moving pic
ture committees of other organiza
tions as to present a unified program.
—Associated Press.
PICNIC AT JONES
SCHOOL HOUSE
Yesterday the Sunday school at
Jones school house and the communi
ty at large enjoyed an all day picnic
at Jones school house. There was
a good crowd present and a splend
id dinner was served at the noon hour.
Plenty of both red and plain lemon
ade was served. Just before dinner
Rev. D. H. Tuttle gave a victrola
concert which was much enjoyed by
those present.
Mrs. Swannie Tart of Benson has
>een spending a few days in the city
vith friends.
N. C. FARMERS HAVE
BOLL WEEVIL IN HAND
Expert Has Just Completed
Investigation of the Boll
Weevil Progress
Washington, July 11.—B. R. Coad,
entomologist, southern field crop in
vestigations, of the department of
agriculture, who has recently return
ed from North and South Carolina,
where he made an investigation of
the progress of the boll weevil in its
ravages on the young cotton plant, re
ported today that the farmers in
North Carolina had the problem of
combatting the insect pretty well in
hand. He said that many planters
last fall took the precaution to burn
the cotton stalks and the weevil was
thus unable to hibernate in the fields.
All fields that were burnt off now
had comparatively fewT weevils.
He said that only three effective
methods of destroying the weevil af
ter it had got on the cotton plant had
been found; dusting with calcium ar
senate, using calcium arsenate and
molasses and dusting the terminal
buds that become squares after the
first early squares are plucked from
the plant. This latter method should
be adopted where the yield per acre
is light. Where the yield is' more
than a half bale to the acre, arsenate
dusting can be applied with profit.
The molasses method was being used
over large areas, but the departnient
of agriculture was still testing this
method and had not given it absolute
approval.
At Stage of Experience.
Mr. Coad said that the farmers in
North Carolina were just now at a
stage in their experience of combat
ting the boll weevil where they should
be warned not to purchase dusting
machines and proprietary remedies
against the spread of the weevil not
guaranteed by the federal and state
departments of agriculture. He said
that in every new section of the cot
ton belt where the boll weevil ap
peared, and North Carolina was a
comparatively new section, the farm
ers wrere persuaded to spend many
dollars for worthless machines and
remedies. This experience had been
repeated in every cotton state in the
south and these fake machines and
nostrums were only a less evil than
the weevil itself
He said the experiments by the
government in dusting cotton fields
with aeroplanes had proved most
successful and that it would be
practical for farmers to combine in
employing this method.
In Texas, 460 acres of cotton were
thoroughly sprayed with poison for
the boll weevil at a cost of 15 cents
an acre. A flying machine did the
job in three hours, charging $69. To
spray 460 acres thoroughly would
take a man and team of horses sev
eral days. One man with a flying
machine and a few gallons of gaso
lene does it in three days.
The department of agriculture has
just issued a bulletin entitled, “The
boll weevil problem,” of which Mr.
Coad is one of the joint authors.
It is for distribution among the
fanners who can have a copy by
writing to the department. It goes
into the whole subject and fully
describes the three methods of com
batting the weevil.—Greensboro Daily
News.
MAKES $250 AN ACRE
GROWING CABBAGE
Elizabeth City, July 8.—A net
profit of $250 an acre is claimed by
Herman Newbern, prominent Cam
den county farmer, on 12 acres of
cabbage this year. The beauty of it
is that Mr. Newbern gets this $3,
000 for a crop made between the 27tn
of March and July 1st, which gives
him time to harvest another profita
ble crop of soy beans, or sweet po
tatoes from the same land.
Mr. Newbern got 4,000 crates of
cabbage from those 12 acres which
sold at an average of $1.50 a crate,
giving him a gross revenue of $6,000,
or $500 an acre. He thinks his yield
would have been increased 30 per cent
but for the dry weather in May and
June.
Mr. Newbern’s fertilizer bill on the
12 acres was $800, and this $800 is
deducted from the $6,000 in figuring
the net profit of $3,000.
MR. DAWSON IS STATE
DEMOCRATIC CHMN.
Miss Henderson First Wom
an to Preside Over the
Party Deliberations
With a woman presiding over its
deliberations for the first time in the
history of party politics in North Car
olina. the State Democratic Executive
Committee Wednesday night accepted
the resignation of Chairman J. Dave
Norwood, of Salisbury, and unani
mously elected John G. Dawson, of
Kinston, to succeed him.
Vice Chairman Mary Henderson, of
Salisbury, wielded the gavel over the
74 men and women members present
either in person or by proxy, and did
it with such graceful assurance that
even Luke Lamb, inheritor of deep
dyed prejudices against woman’s
suffrage, forgot procedure and wanted
to re-elect her vice-chairman. She
was given an ovation.
Save for the acclamation of Chair
man Dawson when he ascended the
dais and became director of the par
ty's destinies in the State, and the
protest raised over W. N. Everett’s in
sistence that his resignation as a
member of the committee be accepted
the 45-minute session was perfunc
tory. No nominations other than
that of Dawson were offered and his
! election was by acclamation,
i Not even the resignation of A. D.
I Watts as a member of the committee
I and the transfer of his mantle to the
! shoulders of his next friend. James R.
i Hartness, of Statesville, caused a
, ripple in the committee session. The
| resignation was accepted and Hart
j ness elected in his stead without com
| merit from anybody. He goes back
1 as he expressed it, to become a pri
| vate ir: the ranks.
| Dawson’s name was presented to
the committee by former Senator
Powell A. Glidewell, of Rockingham
county, and was seconded by former
Solicitor Walter D. Siler, of Pitts
boro. Neither speech was more than
a minute in duration and such sig
nificance as was to be extracted from
the situation was observed in the
fact that union of the Morrison and
Gardner factions of the party was
accomplished when these two men
rose to speak on the same point.
Judge Walter H. Neal, of Laurin
burg, gave emphasis to the unity of
purpose when he declared that Daw
son was the fittest man in the State
for the place. Senator Charles U.
Harris, present by the proxy of Mrs.
0. Max Gardner, was instructed to
cast her vote for Mr. Da-wson That
was greeted with applause, and pres
ently Mr. Dawson was brought for
| ward and given the gavel of office.
Although accepting the post under
j protest, he declared that he dedi
j cated his entire strength to further
ing the cause of Democracy in North
[Carolina, and invited the co-opera -
| lion and earnest assistance of every
i Democrat in the State toward con
| tinuing the party in the high mission
that it has been called to perform
for North Carolina. He was given a
rousing ovation of approval, and
Judge Neal embodied the pledge in
I a resolution.—News and Observer.
SEVERE HAI LSTORM VISITS
SMITHFIELD AND VICINITY
Yesterday afternoon about 4:45 o’
clock Smithfield was visited by one of
the worst hail and electrical storms
that has been in this section in many
years. Hail fell for several minutes,
the pieces being as large as a bird
egg and larger.
We have not been able to learn to
what extent growing crops were dam
aged, but in all probability it is con
siderable.
Baptist Church
Rev. 0. A. Keller, pastor of the
Baptist church at Benson, will preach
at the Baptist church here Sunday
morning at jileven o’clock. There
will be no service at the Baptist
church Sunday evening, but Rev. Mr.
Keller will preach at the Union ser
vice at the Methodist church. Those
who heard Rev. Mr. Keller on the
first Sunday in this month will be
anxious to hear him again. His ser
mons were both plain and practical.
BARACAS & PHILOTHEAS TO j
GIVE WAR “VETS" FEAST
Thursday, July 26th, will be observ- i
ed as Baraca Philathea Day at the U. j
S. War Veterans Hospital at Oteen 1
and every Baraea and Philathea in i
North Carolina, along: with friends,
are offered this opportunity to help j
give the patients at the hospital a i
real good time.
Baracas and Philatheas were
first to begin work among the soldiers ]
as they came back from the war sick j
and needing our help and encourage- i
ment, and it is very fitting that we
should honor these gallant heroes who
are now making an even more gallant
fight to win back the health and
strength lost in the world war.
Remember they were our substi
tutes; they went for us; they fought
and suffered that we might live in
peace and happiness and the least that
we can do is to honor them and ex
press our appreciation in some effec
tive manner. What’s better for a real
good time than Watermelons? Plen
ty of watermelons.
Please send your check or P. 0.
Money Order for this purpose to Mrs.
N. Pucker, Asheville, N. C., who is
planning an appropriate program and
will serve watermelons, more water
melons, ice cold Georgia watermelons.
Money is preferred as we can pur
chase the melons at wholesale prices
and make your gift go further, but
cake, candy, fruit or flowers will be
gladly accepted.
Remember July 26th is the day.
Please send your message of ap
preciation to Oteen Heroes as soon as
possible so we can go forward with
our proposed plans.
Yours to “Do Things” for Christ in
North Carolina,
MRS. N. BUCKNER,
General Secretary.
PRESIDENT HARDING
SAILS FOR ALASKA
Tacoma, Wash., July 5.—In the
midst of the blaring of bands, and the
farewell cheers of thousands of Ta
coma citizens. President Harding sail- j
ed today for Alaska, the first chief j
executive of the nation to visit that i
territory since it came under the
American flag. 56 years ago.
A few minutes after 2 p. m., the
scheduled hour of departure, the
United States naval transport Hen
derson, which for the next 20 days
will be in reality the White House,
got under way, circled the harbor,
and steamed past the Tacoma stadi
um. where a few minutes before the
President and Mrs. Harding had re
ceived the God speed of Governor
Hart, of Washington, and where the
President had declared for an Ameri
can merchant marine second to none.
As the big transport swung by the
stadium, those assembled there to
hear the President speak
cheered. Mr. and Mrs. Harding ac
knowledged the cheers and waved the
farewell from the bridge until dis
tance made them only indistinct fig
ures to those on shore.
The President, as he boarded the
vessel, was in an unusually happy
frame of mind; pleased by the re
ception given him in Tacoma, glad
to obtain a few days rest after the
15 days transcontinental trip, and
overjoyed by the prospect of realiz
ing the ambition he has held almost
ever since he entered the White
House—an ambition to visit the
great northern territory and obtain
first hand information with respect
to its problems.—Associated Press.
VALUABLE DIRECTIONS
FOR CANNING.
One cause for failure in canning
is the desire to get as much food as
possible into a jar. If a can is
little room for water, and the re
sult is a thick, dense, compact pro
duct through which heat travels
slowy and with difficulty. In such
a case, the chances are that in the
entire cooking process the food in
the center of the can is never heated
I even to boiling point. The little
organisms which happens to have
this advantageous position come
through the cooking process un
scathed. It won’t take them long
to spoil such a jar of food. Better
to follow the directions faithfully:
“Pack the vegetables loosely in the
jar. Shake gently, but do not press
down the contents. Leave • space
of one-half inch at the top of the
jars. Add one teaspoon of salt to
each jar and fill with boiling water."
MUCH INTEREST IN A
LOCAL WHISKEY CASE
Clifton Beasley Sentenced to
Roads for Six Months
And Fined $500.00
The Recorder’s Court has been quite
an interesting event in the county and
in this city for the past several weeks
because of the number of cases deal
ing with whiskey. The officers have
been unusually active in rounding
up offenders of the prohibition laws,
and because of the prominence of
some of the defendants, the court
room has been filled when these cases
have been tried. The most recent
case which has excited considerable
local interest was the State vs. Clif
ton Beasley charged with violating
the prohibition laws tried in Tues
day’s Recorder’s Court. He was in
dicted upon four counts for selling
liquor and having it in his possession
for the purpose of sale.
Three witnesses for the state were
Ansley Pilkington,, John R. Coats,
and L. E. Lee. Pilkington stated that
on Feb. 10th he bought whiskey from
Beasley. He stated that about noon
he bought a bottle, that about two
hours later he bought some more, and
that night he purchased another pint.
John R. Coats, who has recently
come to Smithfield from Pleasant
Grove township stated that on June
6 he went to Beasley’s store and asked
about spme whiskey, stating that he
wanted some but had only a dollar
and a half to pay for a pint. Coats
said Clifton Beasley offered to lend
him fifty cents and told a negro to
get him a pint of liquor. The pint
thus purchased with the exception
of a small amount was exhibited in
the court.
On April 5th, according to the
testimony of L. E. Lee, Lee went to
the brick yard and tried to buy some
whiskey. He told a negro who was
dispensing it, that he had no money.
The negro told him he would hold
his check until the following Monday.
Later Lee received a letter written
on C. W. Beasley & Son’s stationery
in regard to the check which had been
turned down. Lee finally sent the
$2.00 by Charlie Beasley, the young
brother of Clifton Beasley.
A number of character witnesses
for the defense were put on the stand.
Aside from his alleged connection
with the selling of whiskey at the
brick yard store, Beasley proved a
good character. The line pursued
by the lawyer for the defendant was
to tear down the evidence for the
state by proving the character of the
state’s witnesses to be bad. Just how
for he succeeded was evidenced in the
the sentence pronounced by the judge
in giving the defendant six months
on the roads and a fine of $500. An
appeal was immediately made to the
Superior court.
This is the second local whiskey
case to be tried in the Recorder’s
Court within the past few weeks,
road sentences being imposed in both
instances, and in both instances an
appeal has been taken. The people of
Smithfield will watch with interest
the outcome of the two cases.
JOURNAL OF BALLOON
IS FOUND IN BASKET
Cleveland, July 11.—The navy bal
loon A-6698 piloted in the national
elimination balloon race out of India
napolis, July 4 by Lieut. Louis J.
Roth with Lieut. T. B. Null as his
aide, evidently dropped into Lake Erie
Thursday night or early Friday.
Lieut. Strong, U. S. N., who went
to Port Stanley today and shipped
the wrecked balloon and its basket,
which, with the body of Lieutenant
Roth, were recovered from the Lake,
to the naval air station at Lake
hurst, N. J., said on his return to
night that he had come into posses
| sion of a journal giving the account
of the flight. The last entry was
! made at 11 o’clock Thursday night. It
showed that the balloon was flying
at an altitude of 12,000 feet.
Robbers in the Senate!
"John, John!” whispered a Con
gressman’s wife. “Wake up! I’m
sure there are robbers in the house.”
“Robbers in the house?” he mut
tered, sleepily. “Absolutely prepos
terous. There may be robbers in the
Senate, Mary, but not in the House.
Absurd!”—Ex.