Newspapers / The Enterprise (Williamston, N.C.) / Feb. 21, 1936, edition 1 / Page 1
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THE ENTERPRISE VOLUME XXXIX?NUMBER 15 Williamston, Martin County. North Carolina. Friday. February 21.1936 ESTABLISHED 1899 THREE ARRESTS MADE RESULT OF KILLING MONDAY Dave Melton and Son and Ben Scott Are Held for Questioning Daye Helton and his 15-year-old son, Willie, and Ben Scott, all col ored. were arrested here yesterday afternoon in connection with the murder of Henry Lanier, 80-year old colored man, at his home on lower Church Street early last Mon day night. All three of the suspects vigorously denied any knowledge of the killing, but the officers are of the opinion the case is virtually solved. Officers, working extra time on the case ever since the killing, found their first lead yesterday morning when Sam Baker, colored man, was questioned. Baker was at the Helton home on the night of the killing, and told a preacher that he saw young Melton leave the room with a gun, explaining that the boy's mother advised against the removal of the gun. However, the boy re turned to the room and without the gun before the killing. Baker de nied the statements to officers, but when Sheriff C. B Roebuck carried him all the way to Greenville to face the preacher, he admitted all the facts. Young Melton was taken into custody immediately upon the return of the offiter, and the older Melton explained that he was at the home of a neighbor, and had wit nesses to prove the claim. Questioned at length, young Mel ton Anally said that he lent the gun to Ben Scott about 5 or 10 minutes before the murder, that the gun was returned and left in the back hall of the Melton home, on Dinah HiU, just a short distance from Lanier's, a few minutes after the shooting. While no direct motive has been advanced that would implicate Scott, officers stated they had learn ed that Scott's wife and Lanier had been reported seen together, and that the woman and her husband had quareled a day or two before the killing, supposedly over Lanier. The woman left her home Sunday but returned the next day. She maintains her husband was at home at the time of the killing. The murder of Lanier, described as being cold-blooded in every par ticular, took place while the man was preparing his supper alone in his humble home in the Church Street hollow just to the west of Dinah's HilL The senior Melton is at liberty, but his son and Scott are in jail. No date for a preliminary hearing in the case has been set. Rate Reduction by V. E. P. Company Ls Likely This Spring 'Advices Prom Raleigh In dicate Further Savings Are in Prospect 9 Another reduction in light and power rates by the Virginia Electric A Power Company, the utility Arm furnishing power and light for Wil liamston and other towns in north eastern Carolina, as well as in Vir ginia, is likely, it was learned from unofficial sources in Raleigh this week, the reduction to become ef fective within the next six or seven weeks or about the Arst of April. The reduction has been under consideration for several months, it is understood, but official announce ment has apparently been delayed pending notice of approval by the State Utilities Commission. A sched ule of the new rates is not avsilsble, but the change will probably leave the top figure at 6 instead of ? 1-2 cents a kilowatt hour, the present top rate. At the present time, and before t new rate goes into effect, the V. E. ft P. Co. schedule is among the lowest in the state, the company having been a leader in decreasing electric costs for its customers. Episcopalians Announce Services at All Churches af the Advent Rev. E. f Moseley, rector. Qqinquagesima Sunday. Church school, f ifi a. m. Holy communion, sermon and con Aimation, 11 a. m. Preaching service at 2:10 p. m Church school, 10 a. m. Evening prayer and sermon, 7:20 p. m This to the Sunday for the Bish op's annual visit Every member to expected to be present; visitors arc cordially invited. Organization of County Unit Of Farm Bureau Is Planned Definite plans for the organization of the American Farm Bureau Fed eration in this county will be con sidered at a meeting of farmers in the county courthouse here next Monday afternoon at 2 o'clock, when Mr. Holstun, of the Alabama feder ation, will address the group While all farmers are at liberty to attend the meeting, it is believed that the acreage control and county plan ning committees and a few others will be able to handle the prelimi nary organization duties, it is un derstood. Similar meetings are being held all over this section of the State, and a sweeping victory for the Farm Bureau is almost certain in its drive for members, reports reaching here clearly indicate. The meeting here next Monday is the outgrowth of a mass meeting in Greenville last week and an execu tive meeting held at the same place this week. More definite plans for organizing the farmers in this county will be available following the session here next Monday. Plans Made To Reopen Schools Next Monday I TO AID TAXPAYERS E. R. Froneberger, deputy state revenue collector, will be in Robersonville March 10 and at the county courthouse March 11, It, 13 and 14 to assist income tax payers in tiling their returns for the year 1935, he announced today. The collector will be lo cated in the old Worthington store in Robersonville, and in the land bank office in the court house. No charge for the serv ice will be made. IMPROVED ROADS BRING INCREASE IN COURT CASES Seven Cases Cleared From Recorder's Docket at Tuesday Session The lqpt Tuesday session of the I county recorder's court took on add ed life, the increased number of cases disposed of reflecting an im-! provement in road conditions rather than indicating an increase in crime. Seven cases were cleared from the docket by Judge Peel as compared with three handled the Tuesday be fore. However, five cases were con tinued this week on account of the luct that witnesses and even some defendants were unable to get to town over the bad roads. Robert L. Barbour was adjudged guilty of driving an automobile while under the influence of liquor and the court fined him $50, adding the cost and revoking his license for one year. Papers were issued for the arrest of Thomas Goodrich, charged with operating a motor vehicle without lights. His case was called, but he failed to answer. , Robert Lee Jones, charged with temporary larceny of an automo bile and operating a motor vehicle without license, was sentenced to the roads for 60 days on each count, the sentences to run consecutively, the court directed. The case charging William A Braden with false pretense was nol prossed, the defendant having been turned over to Federal authorities for prosecution. Ruth Davis, adjudged guilty of an assault with a deadly weapon, was sentenced to jail for 90 days. Charged with non-support, John Andrews was directed to pay $1.60 each week during the next six manths for the support of his wife and child. The court required bond in the sum of $75. Robert Coburn, colored, was sen tenced to the roads for four months for drunken automobile driving. His license to operate a car was revok ed for one year. Tanker Makes Trip Here After Being Frozen in Ice Badly scarred and considerably damaged when caught in an ice jam that choked the Richmond harbor tor several weeks, the Haven Belle, oil boat, Anally made another trip to the Colonial oil docks here ye terday. Held in an ice Aoe all one night, the boat almost sank at one time when its afterdeck was covered by water. Drifting helplessly down the James River, the boat was bad ly battered by trees, it was said. Local Highs Get Win Over Washington Here In a rough and tumble contest, Williamston's Green Wave defeat ed Washington's fast-stepping bas ketball boys here last Tuesday eve ning, 20 to 14. The visitors offered a tough opposition, but the locals, lad by Clayton Moore, broke sever al ties to hold a margin at the end. Will Be Necessary To Continue Term Well Up Into June Bear Grass Reopened Yes terday With Many Pupils Absent Despite unfavorable weather yes terday and the continued bad con dition of the roads, several, if not all, the school committees in this county are planning to open their respective schools next Monday, ac cording to official information com ing from the office of the county sup etintendent late yesterday. That all of the will county schools open is not certain, however, the superintendent explaining that it might be next to impossible to op erate the trucks in some districts. If conditions get no worse than they are now, it is expected that most of the schools will open next Monday. The school at Bear Grass reopened yesterday, the principal reporting that all the trucks reached the school by altering their routes slight ly to miss impassable places in the roads. The attendance was describ ed as comparatively small, however. So far this year, the schools, with the exception of the one at Bear Grass, have operated only 16 days, and the several delays will cause them to continue well into the month of June. It is feared that many of the children in the rural sections will be held at home dur ing the latter part of the term to aid in general farm work, and for that reason the authorities are anx ious to reopen the schools next Mon day. Teachers in the Williamston and several other schools have already been notified to return to their posts next Monday, and if the weath er is favorable tomorrow those in the remainder of the schools will likely be advised to report for work the same day. v Comparison of Winters Is Made by Guardsman While admitting this winter has been a severe one, Captain John G. Midgett, for 30 years in the coast guard service along the Carolina coast, said yesterday afternoon that he had seen worse weather during that time; in fact, he said he had witnessed all kinds of weather and storms. The captain, host to thous ands of visitors, including a num ber from here during his long and efficient record in the service, re tired only a few months ago. He accompanied Sheriff Victor Meekins, of Dare, on a short visit here yesterday. Large Crowds Attend Opening of Fire Sale Despite unfavorable weather and bad roads, large crowds attended the Are sale openingy esterday at Barnhill Brothers here. The buy ers found the bargains all right, but there are hundreds yet awaiting the public. Today large crowds were in the store of the Culpepper Hard ware Company, where another big Are, smoke and water sale is in prog ress. The sales were tuned for quick disposal and will last only a few morfe days, it is understood Program of Services A t Methodist Church Sunday school, 0:48 a. m. Regular preaching service, llo' clock. Young peoples' hour, 8:48 p. m. Evening service, 7:30 p. m. Thinning pines rather than clear ing "new ground'' is rapidly be coming an approved practice in the handling of farm forest through out North Carolina. BASEBALL MEET TO BE HELD HERE AGAIN TONIGHT Twenty-Two Directors Are Called To Elect Other Club Officials ? Preliminary arrangements for baseball here this coming season were made last Tuesday evening, when a number of local fans met and named Charles Augustus Har rison temporary chairman and se lected 22 directors. Reports from the Tuesday night meeting indicate that the town will be represented again in the Coastal Plain League if and when the league is reorgan ized. No information has been re ceived from other towns in the lea gue last year, but it is understood that most of those, if not all, hold ing membership last season would be in the league again this season. The eight towns in the league last year were Tarboro, Ayden, Green ville, Kinston, New Bern, Snow Hill Goldsboro and Williamston. Directors of the club for the com ing season are: N. C. Green, G. H. Harrison, Iverson Skinner, W. E. Dunn, R. H. Goodmon, V. J. Spivey, Jim Staton, T S. Cdteher, Clayton Moore, L. T Fowden, T. B. Bran cion, Garland Barnhill, E. S. Peel, C. B. Roebuck, J. D. Woolard, L. B. Wynne, W. C. Manning, jr., C A. Harrison, S. C. Griffin, J. R. Ever ett, E. P. Cunningham, and L. P. Lindsley. It was stated at the meeting Tues day that the local club was ready to start the season with no encum brances whatever and that nearly all the equipment necessary was al ready on hand. The directors are slated to meet tonight when a steering or execu tive committee will be named. Pre liminary steps will be taken to se cure a manager at the meeting to night, it is understood. Last year it cost approximately $12,000 to finance the local club, the officials believing that the figure can be considerably reduced this rnminff FARMERS AWAIT DELIVERY FINAL BENEFIT CHECKS Understood Last Payment Will Be Hade Not Later Than March 31 While approximately 1,000 Martin farmers continue their patient wait ing, employees in the office of the county farm agent are oiling the machinery for the delivery of the last benefit checks under the old Agricultural Adjustment Adminis tration. No; the checks have not yet been received, but it is the guess of the assistant agent that the last single payment will be made not later than March 31 with the pos sibility that 539 peanut benefit checks will reach the county almost any day now. Arrangements were completed in Washington last week for the pay ment of the money due the farmers under the AAA, and the checks are being prepared there at the present time, it is understood. According to fairly accurate esti mates, 1,037 farmers in this county are due $59,603.80 for participating in the control movement. . The rec ords show that 600 peanut growers are entitled to $42,212.45 in benefit payments. Just about the time the AAA was declared unconstitutional, 539 of the peanut contracts, calling for the distribution of $38,639.33, had been approved, and ordinarily the checks would have been in the county 10 days later for distribution to the owners. The remaining 61 contracts will have been approved v/ithin the next day or two. Thirty-four farmers are entitled to $1,496 25 in 1935 tobacco rental payments, and nine are due $630 in 1934 parity payments. The 11 corn-hog contract signers are due $2,065.10. Eighty-three farmers are yet to teceive their 1935 cotton rental checks, amounting to approximately $1,200. No accurate figures are available, but it is estimated that 300 tobacco farmers will be in line to receive around $12,000 in 1935 tobacco par ity payments on th el935 crop. Last year the approximately 1,500 tobac co contract signers received about $170,000 in parity payments on the 1934 crop. In selling the 1935 crop, many farmers sold to their allot ment limit, thereby eliminating any claim to parity payments. Others had their contracts adjusted, auto matically surrendering claims to parity payments. Just as soon as the checks reach the county, farmers will be notified direct to call for them. Outlook for Agriculture Grows Brighter With Indications That Federal Government Will Help River Again Rising Rapidly With Crest Expected Sunday The Roanoke River, continuing its second rampage in as many months, was reported rising rapidly late yes terday. the observers forecasting a crest of 14 feet early Sunday. Dur ing the last 24 hours the stream rose nearly 11-2 feet, but it was report ed rising more slowly today. If the prediction of the weather observers is correct, the stream will rise about another foot during the remainder of today, Saturday and part of Sun day. Highway forces are not worrying over the situation, since the river will fall short by about 9 inches of the high point reached four weeks age Shipping on the stream continues at a low point, and activities along the water front continue to pro gies slowly. The big mill of Saun ders and Cox continues closed, and will hardly start operating within the next two weeks. State Contract Let lor Widening Main Street F. D. Cline, Raleigh, Successful Bidder; Amount Near Possible Work May Wait On Completion of Two Other Projects F. D. Cline, Raleigh contractor, was low bidder on the proposed project calling for the widening of Williamston's main street at both ends. The bid calls for an expendi ture of $17,975.80, the amount in cluding grading, much of which will be necessary in widening lower Main Street to a width of 30 feet. The eastern end of the street will be widened from a point almost in front of the G. P. Hall home to the Harris filling station, just this side of the river bridge^ The western end of the street will be widened four feet on each side, making it 24 feet wide and the same width as the road going under the railroad. The project starts almost in front of the H. H. Cowen home and goes to the town limits, both projects being slightly over one mile in length. It is not known just when work will be started on the projects, as it is understood u greater part of the labor must come from relief rolls. While there is sufficient common la bor available, there are very few skilled workers, especially those of experience in road building, on the relief list. Labor has been assigned the proj ect calling for the surfacing of the road from Robersonville to High way 125, near Spring Green, and the project calling for widening High way 64, or Academy Street, in the town of Robersonville. It is possi ble that those projects will be com pleted before work is started on the one here. Preliminary surveys have been made on the Robersonville projects by the contractors, but ac tual construction has been delayed by weather conditions. County Officers Get Two Stills County officer! raiding in Rober aonville and Williams Townships Wednesday wrecked two liquor plants, but made no arrests. Sheriff C. B. Roebuck and Deputy J. H_ Roebuck with Chief Gray, of Robersonville, wrecked the first plant near Robersonville that morning. The operators had just moved part of the plant to the site, it was stated, and no one was seen there. That afternoon Deputy Roebuck end Roy Peel found a 50-gallon cop per still red hot over in Williams Township, but the operators were missing when the officers reached the plant. Several hundred gallons of beer were poured out. Condition of Mr. James R. Harrison Is Not So Good Mr. James R. Harrison, who near ly cut off his foot with an axe last Monday a week ago, Is not getting slong so well, reports received from the hospital last night stated. He was said to be running a high tem perature, and his general condition had grown considerably weaker during the past two days. He is to receive a blood transfusion today, it was stated. LEGAL HOLIDAY J.ocal banks, the post office, A. B. C. store, and one or two other business establishments will close all day Saturday, ob serving Washington birthday as a holiday. No rural or village mail deliv eries will be made, and serv ice at the post office will be re duced to dispatching and plac ing mail in boxes. (ieneral business will not ob serve the day as a holiday here. STATE FARMERS GET $17,580,400 In AAA PAYMENTS Tobacco Farmers Received $9,359,220.81 In 1935 In Benefit Payments A final tabulation of AAA bene fit payments shows that North Car olina farmers received u total of $17,589,400.46 in 1935 for cooper ting in the crop adjustment pro grams. The money was disbursed as ren tals on land retired from the culti vation of basic crops and as ad justment payments to the farmers who limited the production of these crops. * Th payments in this State for 1935, according to figures announc ed by Dean I. O. Schaub, of State College, were divided among the growers of various crops, as fol lows: Tobacco growers, $9,359,220.81; cotton growers, $6,717,981.05; pea nut growers, $813,904.11; corn-hog producers, $634,489.68, and wheat growers, $63,804.81. Although this includes all the checks distributed during the year, Dean Schaub stated, it does not in clude all the money due the grow ers for their part in the 1935 AAA programs, as some of the payments are still due. Henry A. Wallace, Secretary of Agriculture, nd other high govern ment officials announced shortly aft er the Supreme Court voided the AAA, that some way would be found to complete all payments due farmers under crop adjustment con tracts. The total payments for all crops last year, divided by counties, shows that farmers in Washington County received $76,264.18, includ ing all payments. Young Man Hurt in Wreck Wednesday Hildreth Mobley, young local man.l wan cut about the aide of his face | end on the forehead late Wednes day afternoon when his car crashed into a ligh pole and the porch of Mrs R. A. Glenn on Watts and Hat ton Streets. Mrs. Mobley and their child were shocked but not badly hurt, it was said. Considerable damage was done to the car, and half the porch of the home was torn down. Mobley was traveling down Watts I from Main and reached the inter-1 section just as another car was en tering Watts Street. He swerved | to his left to avoid striking the oth er car, dHven by M. D. Wilson, and | clashed Into the pole and porch. Farm Leaders Are Studying Measure As Passed hv Senate Should House Pass Bill, Special Session Assembly Of State Expected After a period of gloom and with little encouragement for the future, things in the agricultural industry are beginning to look up again with brighter prospects for legislation as good, if not better, than that creat ing the old Agricultural Adjustment Administration. Of course, no defi nite program has been advanced to assure the farmer fair prices and equality along with industry, but the outlook now is considered much brighter than it was a few weeks and even a few days ago. While Congress is striving to en act legislation that will rescue the agricultural business, leaders in the tobacco states of North and South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky and Virginia are considering legislation to supplement that recently passed by the United States Senate and now being considered by the House of Representatives. The proposed program embodied in the national legislation will make possible the benefits to farmers, while the legislation proposed by the several states would effect a con trol program equally if not more stringent than that of the old Kerr Smith act. The control feature calls for a tax varying from one-third to one-half the sale price on all tobac co marketed over and above indi vidual alotment, the money so raised to be distributed to those farmers whose production falls short of the allotment. The Federal act, cen tering around a soil conservation program, would give the tobacco grower as much as 7 cents a pound on that portion of his base taken out of production. The cotton grower would receive as much as 5 cents a pound, it is understood The next step necessary in ad vancing the control program rests with the legislatures of the tobacco growing states. Three of the state legislatures are, already in session, and action by them in the near fu ture is certain It is believed Gov ernor Ehringhaus will not delay the calling of the North Carolina legis lature into session to consider the measure, and unofficial reports in dicate that the governor of Tennes see will act favorably. nuucri ij. uoDurn, slate senator from this district, said this week that he believed a special session of the North Carolina legislature should be called to consider the pro posed legislation. The plan as worked out with J. B. Ilutson, head of all tobacco activ ities in the department is two-fold in its nature. It calls for a com pact among cooperating states by the passage by the legislatures of identical statutes which would be administered by a commission from | each state, the commission to in elude the same personnel in each I instance Each Governor would I suggest three members from his j state to include the farm extension ' director and each of the other gov j ernors would also appoint those 3 men upon his own oemmission. The proposed law to be passed by each cf the state legislatures calls for the fixing of a national quota for each type of tobacco on the basis of world consumption added to normal stocks of that type of tobacco, less actual stocks on hand at the tima the quota ir fixed, that time to be December 1 in any year except 1936, when the quota would be fixed within 30 days after action by the necessary num bei of states. The state quotas would be divided among individual growers in much the same way as was done under the old AAA. I The other part of the plan is a proposed act of Congress authoriz | ing the compact among the states and protecting that compact by re | striding interstate shipments of to bacco by states not parties to the I compact over and beyond quantities fixed in the same way. The excess of those states, if shipped beyond the borders of the states would be subject to the same penalty as the excess tobacco within the quota 1 states. Sunday Services for Baptists Announced Bible school, 9:45 a. m. Morning worihip, 11 a. m, ial music. B. T U., 8:90 p. m. Evening worship, 7:30 p. m.
The Enterprise (Williamston, N.C.)
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Feb. 21, 1936, edition 1
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