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m THE ENTERPRISE 1^=3
VQLUME XL?NUMBER 83 Williatnston, Martin County, North Carolina, Friday, October 15, 1937. ESTABLISHED 1899
Williamston Leads in Price Average for September
Explosion Wrecks
Lumber Plant At
Bear Grass Today
One Man Is Badly Hurt in
Unusual Accident That
Jars Little Town
The little town of !
jarred to its foundation and one
man was badly hurt this afternoon
at 12:30 o'clock when a hosier at the
C. Gilbert Rogersou lumber plant
exploded. Reports reaching here
stated that scores of children, play
ing on the school grounds near by.
miraculously escaped injury En
ployees had left the mill hardly
more than ten minutes before the
explosion to go to the noon-day
meal. No one could have
through the explosion had he been
in the mill when the hosier lifted
itself and scattered into many
yards away.
Mr. Henry D. Harrison, the Vil
lage blacksmith who was walking
near the mill at the time of the ex
plosion. was badly cut on the fore
head and rendered almost unco
scious Flying dirt and debris all
but covered him after he was knock
ed to the ground. Mr Harrison was!
treated in a local doctor's office and
is expected to recover
Several windows in the Presby
terian church were shattered, and |
canned goods on the shelves
stores about 200 yards away were
jarred down.
i
Flying bricks and timbers fell on
the school grounds where a num.
ber of children were playing dur
ing the noon recess period, but none
part of the town were dotted with
bricks and mortar
The mill was in order when the
workmen left for lunch. Mr Roger-1
son. the owner, stating that he could
assign no reason for the explosion
No estimate on the amount of the
loss cm i Id he had other than the null
was damaged beyond repair
About a year or more ago fire
wrecked the mill
Injured Last Week
Sehool Child Better
Seriously injured in an unusual]
accident, near RobersonviUe
Monday of last week, the young {
dangfciec of Mr and Mix Geo Mat
thews was reported today to be im
proving in a Rocky Mount hospi
tal. The child, a pupil m the Rob
ersonviUe school, suffered a broken
back and arm and other injuries
when the porch of an
school house fell on her
According to reports
here, the child and other pigals
were returning home from school
w hen the bus got struck near the
old school house, a few miles south
of Robersonville. The children
directed to leave the bus to 1
the load, and they went to the school j
porch for shelter They were play
ing there when the supports gave
away and the porch feC m One orl
two others were hurt, but their in-|
Junes were not serious, it i
ed.
The accident was the indirect re
sult of bad roads that the 33 school
busses have to travel m this coun
ty.
a
Doctors Make Plans
To Entertain Society
Meeting in informal
last Tuesday evening, the
County Medical Society
plans for
meeting of the I
ical group in I
17th at next
was held in the offices at Or
Saunders, the group i
later in the <
The
made up at
it is thought that lutsmui IS
100 iludai will be present for
meeting here next month
e
Palp Plant Makes First
Machinery Tests Recently
Preparatory la
operation withm
New Cotton Sale Certificates
Martin Fanners Delivering
ine nrsi ol me 1937 cotton sales
certificates in this county were re
ceived by the farm agent's office |
here a few days ago. the author!
ties pointing out that these ce-'ifi
utcs must be filed within j i.ay
from lime of sale as the fmt tcj
to qualify the producer for the
three cent price adjustment pay
ment next year. Farmer J E. Cope
land, of Goose Nest, delivered a few
day ago certificates covering the sale
of fourteen bales from the current
crop. Payment of the three cents
will be made after compliance is
established in the spring of 1938
The three cent payment is ap
plicable to only 65 per cent of a
farm base, leaving the other 35 per
cent upon the mercy of the markets
or to go into storage.
Many Martin farmers are selling
the maximum or 65 per cent of their
base and turning in their certificates
of sale with the intention of qualify
ing for the three-cent price adjust
ment payment. They are storing the
remaind < ' their crop in bonded
> rehouses where they ran borrow
i ?! e cer.' on each pound. If prices |
go up they have an equity in the
cotton, and if the price does not ad
vance. they lose nothing. To qualify
for the three-cent price adjustment
payment, the farmer must sell his
cotton between now and July 1, 1938
and meet compliance requirements
when planting his crops next spring
It has been pointed out that the
sales certificates must be delivered
to the office of the county agent
within fifteen days after the cotton
is sold. The agent's office has an
ample supply of sales certificates for
all buyers of cotton
-
Defendants Will Fight
Cases in Court Monday |
Twenty-six Booked
For Trial As Result
Of Liquor Roundup
Only Eleven Warrants Re-|
turned to Clerk's Office,
Others Due Tomorrow
Twenty-six of the twenty-seven
alleged violators of the liquor laws
trapped in a dragnet spread over
this county during the past thirty
days will face trial in the county
? tcorder's court here next Monday,
the 27th defendant fleeing the sed
with a warrant Only eleven war
rants have been returned to the of
fice of the clerk of superior court,
but the other fifteen are due in not
later than tomorrow
Reports state that nearly all the
defendants will enter pleas of not
guilty, that they will offer a stub
born defense in trying to discredit
the evidence gathered by a group
of three special detectives sent here
by the State Alcoholic Beverage
Control Board Private counsel has
been employed in at least one-third
of the cases, it is understood, and
it is bkely the defense will have
nearly every lawyer in the county
pleading the cases next Monday. At
torney Robt L. Coburn. who will
prosecute the docket in the con
tinued absence of Sohcitor W H
Coburn, his brother, will not have
any assistance However, he is plan
ning to push the prosecution and
ask for maximum judgments.
A few of the defendants are said
to be little concerned over the
charges against them One in a near
by town said, "I know all about the
plot One of the men (detective)
came to my place at least ten times,
and I ain't telling nothing yet." An
other one said he planned to plead
guilty, and if the sentence wasn't
just right he would appeal to the
higher courts, and if the case came
to a final show-down he would feign
Several of the defendants are said
to be repeaters, and in must of their
cases much uneasiness is being ex
pressed over the outcome.
Two of the defendants. Geneva
oore and Henry Brown, both col
ored of Robersonvllle. continue in
jail in default of $100 bonds. Only
other person was jailed and she
later raised bond in the sum of $200
Warrants had been returned this
morning against the following. Lin
Williams and wife, James Henry
Brown. Geneva Moore, Paul Bul
lock. Edward Coffield. Rick Carson
wife, Mrs. Fannie Bryan and
Jim Mordecai.
In addition to the 20 liquor cases
booked for trial, the county court
will have before it several others
charging other infractions of the
law. Three cases of drunken driving
nave already been placed on the
docket for the next Monday court.
In prohibition dkfa, the hnnttoy
gers when they entered court in
droves were said to be meeting in
It is apparent now that
are going to
I*
by detectives
not
nent, but the public is
awaiting the trials with
1 PAY OR ELSE 1
un^'li^T1 U,OU"nd d0,l??
uncollected from personal prop
erty owners, the Martin County
tax collector issued a warning
week thai there'll be some
automobiles and other articles
ronfiv-ated unless somebody
P?>s some taxes and pays them
unit Some of the fellow, who
! deal ""d "ttle
or nothing had better keep their
ooats on. for the collector is out
for the cash His orders are to
*et the tax money or the prop
erty. Collectors are going into
various put, ?f the county this
week rounding up the unpaid
wrounts and making ready for
a settlement with the county au
thorities within the next two or I
hree weeks.
^ evv County Farmers |
Have Ginned Cotton
Cotton gmnings are running con
siderably behind those of last year
according to Special Agent Luther'
Hardison who f.led his ftrst report
for the 1937 season today covering
the activities up to the first of this
month Prior to October 1 of last
,n th'8 county had g,n
960 bales compared with qply
260 UP to the same time this year.
?n.Hardlson M"i 'h his report.
The crop t, short in the county
?his year, farmers stating that the
boll weevil did considerable damage
Hpwever. wh.le Martin farmer, are
reporting a decrease, the country, as
'*hole' 18 reporting a record size
*?P
Labor shortage, have delayed cot
Ion picking in some sections of the
county, some farmers stating that
they had to pay high prices to have
heir crops puked Ginning activi
ties have also been delayed on ac
count of the tobacco marketing rush.
Lrt ^ nC7 W?rk' '?r ,he most
shTtlv w VC been comPleted
s io.tly and ginning activities will
f.I underway on a larger scale.
Legion Post Holds
Meeting This Week
Meeting ir ,hejr reguiai monthly
*?ion here last Monday evening
mmnbers of the John Walton Ha.
*11 Post of the American Legion
v?nced plans for continuing con
rtnirtion work on their new hut on
Watts Street in WiUiamston
Commander J E Boykin, presid
thf ZVZ 'h! meetin* 8l8'ed that
?he build,ng had been closed in and
hat plana had been made for pur
chaaing flooring instructions going
th. ^carpenter committee to have
n^rTP^Ced The commander
?ob Tayl?' were appointed to
purchase paint uid have the build
|ui* painted.
Dunng each future meeting, the
Port wtii receive a collection for use
WJ"ding disabled veterans, the ac
?*? to create the fund passing hi
unanimous vote, it was stated
n?m^.?*nd"n" ' few ?,her hurt
?"?ttw*. lb# meeting was ad.
journed, the group to hold its No
?5* meetin? bare on the second
Monday m the month.
President Calls
For Special Meet
National Congress
Sets November 15 As Date'
for Beginning Consid
eration of Problems
In his tenth fireside chat Tuesday [
night, President Koosevelt issued a
call for a special session of the Na
tional Congress to convene Novem
ber IS for the consideration of farm|
legislation, wages and hours, reor
ganization of the government, cre
ation of seven "little T. V. A.'s" to
administer the nation's power proj
ects, and the restoration of the an
ti-trust laws to their original virili
ty
The call, expected by many fori
some time, finds the law-makers
scattered over the globe, some in
Africa, some in Europe, some on of
ficial business or traveling at pub
lic expense.
The administration, the President |
|declared, intends this winter to find|
a way to prevent 4 1-2 cent cotton,
nine cent corn and 30 cent wheat
with all the disaster those prices |
mean for all of us? from ever com
ing back again.
The power projects need a more
business-like system of planning
and greater foresight than we use
today, and for that reason he had
recommended to the congress last
session the creation of seven plan
ning regions.
. To tarry out any 20th century
program, he declared the executive
branch of the government requires
20th century machinery to work
with? hence he has asked for au
-thaiOtu. ln remake the structure of
the government.
Strikes at Differentials
"Far sighted ' business men al
ready understand and agree with
the administration's policy in re
spect of wages and hours, and that
no one section of the country can
permanently benefit itself, or the
rest of the country, by maintaining
standards of wages and hours far in
ferior to other sections of the coun
try." Here he was seen striking at
the so-called wage differentials, and
generally to southern opposition to
the Black-Connery bill.
Whatever danger there may be
to the prosperity and profits of the
many, if there be any danger, comes
not from government's attitude to
ward business but from restraints
now imposed upon business by pri
vate monopolies and financial oli
garchies. The administration now is
studying how to strengthen the an
ti-trust laws in order to end mon
opoly ?not to hurt free legitimate
business, he said, indicaiing new
legislation would be urged in the
November program.
<i>
Damage Suit Against
Solicitor Is Settled
Out Of Court Here
No.Amount Was Mention
ed But Understood $2,500
Was Paid to Plaintiff
?
The $10,000 damage suit brought
in the Martin County Superior court
by Jno. E Manning, administrator,
against Don Gilliam, district solici
tor, was settled last week when the
plaintiff took a voluntary non-suit
before Clerk of Court L. B. Wynne.
No amount was mentioned in the
papers that were entered in the
records of the clerk's office, but it
is understood the action was mark
ed off the court docket in considera
tion of a $2,500 settlement to the
plaintiff.
The case was to have been heard
in the superior court last month,
but trial action was considered un
necessary as the parties to the suit
had virtually agreed to settle the
suit by compromise.
Plaintiff Manning suing as ad
ministrator of the estate of his wife,
Claudia Manning, started the action
several months ago following the
accidental death of Mrs. Manning
on Highway 64 at Holly Spring
church in Williams Township. It
was maintained in the complaint
.hat the defendant, Solicitor Gilliam,
was negligent, that he was speeding
when his car struck the plaintiffs
wife and fatally injured her. Answer
was filed to the complaint denying,
is a whole, the allegations.
The wreck victim was given every
lttention possible at the expressed
wish of the defendant, but the died
a few days later in a Tarboro hospi
tal.
Market Sells 4,281,208 Pounds
During Period for $1.63 More
Than Average for the Entire Belt
Travel Excutives Party Will
Stop Here Tuesday Afternoon
Travel executives from various
parts of the nation will stop in Wil
liamston for a brief period next
Tuesday afternoon on their tour of
North Carolina which is being spon
sored by the Governor's hospitality
committee. Department of Conser
vation and Development Traveling
in three large busses and about fif
teen automobiles, the distinguished
visitors are scheduled to reach here
at 3:35 that afternoon and continue
-to Edenton-and Elisabeth City at
3:50 o'clock.
The north side of Williamston's
main street from the Geo Reynolds
Hotel to the Woolard Hardware
Company store wil be reserved to
accommodate the travelers. Mayor
Hassell said this morning Mayor
Hassell and several other local citi
zens will meet the party in Wash
Few Sportsmen In
County Hunting At
The Present Time
Busy Seasufi and Higtv Wa
ter Is Delaying Hunt
ing in This County
Opened the first of this month,
the hunting season has received very
little attention in this county so far.
The fall marketing season has kept
business men as well as farmers
busy, and there nas been little In
for hunting However, within the
next few days hunters in large num
bers will turn to the woods in search
of squirrel, deer and a few other
types ol game. The season is not ex
piated to get underway on a big
scale until November 20 when it
will be lawful to take quail and
turkeys
Huntsmen entering the woods on
and since the first day of the sea
son stale that the mosquitoes have
been numerous, that there was lit
tle pleasure in hunting Cooler wea
ther during the past day or two is
calculated to eliminate the mosqui
to and make hunting more pleasant.
Just now high waters along the
Roanoke low grounds prohibit hunt
ing in that area.-County Game War
den Abbitt issuing a warning today
against the practice. Hunters, caught
hunting within 100 yards of high
water in the Roanoke low grounds,
will be prosecuted, the warden said.
Reports from the hunting grounds
over the county state that game is
plentiful, but that squirrels are on
the highlands far back in the
swamps storing away gumberries.
Warden Abbitt states that recent
surveys show quail and turkeys are
more plentiful than at any time in
recent years.
The game season:
"Bear limit two per day ? two
per season, October 1 to January 1.
"Deer: (male) limit one a day,
three per season, October 1 to Jan
uary 1.
"Opossum, raccoon, mink, musk
rat (trapping) no bag limit, Novem
ber 1 to February 15, except in Cur
rituck and Dare Counties, where the
season is December 1 to March 1.
Trappers may tend traps only dur
ing daylight hours.
"Quail: limit of 10 a day, 150 per
season. Rabbit: no bag limit, Novem
ber 20 to February IS.
"Ruffled grouse: limit two per
day, 10 per season, November 20 to
December 15.
"Squirrell: limit 10 per day, no
season limit, October 1 to January
15 There is no open season on fox
squirrels
"Turkey: limit one per day, three
per season, November 20 to Febru
ary 15.
'There will be no open season on
beaver, buffalo, doe deer, elk, fox
squirrel, otter and all other pro
tec ted birds and animals for which
no open season is provided.
Fifteen persona, two of them wo
men, were arrested and jailed in
this county during the past few
days or since last Friday, the coun
ly jail turn key shows. These case*
are separate from those included In
the wholesale liquor round-up.
ington and the highway patrol will
furnish an escort Entertainment- ac
tivities will center around the Geo.
Reynolds Hotel.
After spending Wednesday on the
coast, the group of nearly 100 na
tionally known authors and newspa
per men and women will travel back
through Wilhamston Thursday
morning on their way to Plymouth.
Thursday afternoon the group will
make a last trip thruugh here and
continue to Charlotte where the tour
nonn.i. I., an ...ir! ..Q following
day
The travel schedule was planned
by the department of conservation
to acquaint the world with North
Carolina as a vacation land, early
reports from the Governor's Hospi
tality committee stating that the vis
itors are greatly impressed with the
opportunities existing in this State
Judge H. 0. Peel
Calls Seven Cases j
In County's Court
Number Falls Considerably
Below Par for Session
Following Fair Week
Seven cases were called m thei
county recorder's court last Mon
day by Judge H. O. Peel who com
pleted the work of the tribunal be
fore adjourning at noon. The sue
uf the?docket?was considerably
smaller than it was a week ago. the
number of cases falling considerably
below the average for a session fol
lowing fair week in Wilhamston. A
few 'cases were continued. Judge
Peel not knowing at the time that
the docket would, be "swamped"
by liquor cases next Monday.
Ralph Dugger, charged with an
assault and damaging property, was
fined $10 and taxed with the costs.
Albert Klannagan, charged with
violating the alcoholic beverage con
trol laws, was fined $50 and sen
tenced to the roads for six months,
the sentence to begin at the direc
tion of the court. Klannagan, al
leged to have transported a quan
tity of liquor, lost his car, a Ford
V-8, the court ordering it confis
cated by county officers.
The case charging Eleanor Free
nan with larceny and receiving was
remanded to the juvenile court for
rial.
Charged with drunken driving, J
5. Crandall was fined $50 He was
jrdered to pay the cost and his li
cense to operate a motor vehicle was
evoked for one year
The case charging Ernest An
lrews with operating a car with no
iperator's license, was remanded to
he juvenile court for trial.
Charged with temporary larceny
ind driving a car while his opera
or's license was revoked, Jesse
Williams was sentenced to the roads
or six months.
The case charging John Brab
)le with false pretense was remand
id to the justice of the peace court |
'or correction of judgment
No Trace Ol Missing
Man Reported So Far I
Nil word has yet been received
'rom Dan Blue, young colored man.
-pissing in this county since Tues
iay afternoon of last week, officers
itating today that they were unable
:o establish a single clue that might
lead to the man's whereabouts.
Curtis Arnold and L. Barrus, fel
ow workers of Blue in a logging
:amp in Griffins Township, have
been released after a stay in tht
county jail where they were ques
tioned in connection with Blue's
disappearance An investigation fail
ed to connect either man with thel
case, and officers released them this|
week.
Blue was last seen by L. Barrus
at the fair gate here last Tuesday
afternoon. Reports from Blue's home
n Kenly stated that he had not I
here in several months.
Officers are of the belief that thai
man has met with foul play, but sol
far their investigation has not sup-1
ported that belief.
Prominent Bertie
Farmer Savs This
Is the Best Market
Late Estimates From Farm
ers Indicate 75 Per Cent
of Crop Has Been Sold
?
Williamston's claim to the highest
tobacco market in the belt was sub
stantiated beyond all doubt this
week when the official crop report
for the State was released. The lo
cal market up to the first of this
month averaged $23 65 per hundred
| pounds or $1.66 a hundred higher
i than the average for the entire belt
I It led one of the big markets. Wil
son. by nearly $2 a hundred pounds
, and others in the big class by $1 or
more
"We are leading the way all
j right." a member of the Williamston
Tobacco Board of Trade said this
! morning, "and we will continue to
| lgad the way." he added.
*T have tried them all. and I am
thoroughly convinced that Wil
liamston has the best market in the
State." a prominent Bertie County
farmer said here yesterday after
noon.
I Since the first of October, the lo
i cal market has had some of its larg
? ??-eB.-orr, Supervisor
j Henry Johnson stating today that
the sales now stand right at seven
million pounds for the season. Last
week, the market broke all pound -
I age records, the sales exceeding
i 1,100.000 pounds The price average,
$33 04. w as the highest for any per
iod of the season
day. the entire market averaging
light at 35 cents for the day Mon
day was the highest day of the sea
son, and while the prices have not
been as strong since that time, they
have been holding up well on the
local market The sales have not
been quite as large on an average,
but the market will operate late in
to the afterrKK*n today to clear the
floors
Will lamston w arehousemen are
looking for a large sale next Men
day. possibly one of the biggest re
ported here in eight or ten days.
Farmers are urged to bring their
tobacco in early and avoid the rush.
Late estimates coming direct from
farmers in all sections of the county
indicate that the crop is between 75
and 80 per cent sold Quite a few
farmers have completed their mar
keting. and most of the others have
not more than two barns left, the
reports maintained
Advertise Town
Tax Delinquents
Willumsli'ii's I own tax delinquent
list, carrying the names of 158 prop
erty owners, is being advertised to
day for sale the second Tuesday in
November According to the records
there are 42 accounts unpaid by
white owners and 106 by colored
owners Last year there were 148
unpaid accounts representing 13.
656 52
The unpaid accounts this year to
tal S4.380 04. an increase of nearly
11.000 Of this amount $3.044 68 is
due from white property owners.
Let Contract For New
Home On Grace Strecf
A contract for the construction of
a new home for Mr. and Mrs. Ton
B Brandon was let this week to
Perry and Martin, local builders.
The home will be located on Grace
Striet just two lots removed from
the Goodmon home.
The contractors plan to start con
struction of the six-room, one-story
structure nest week It will be of
. rame construction.
Wisconsin Man Inspects
Land Holdings In County
I Coming here this week from Mil
waukee. Wisconsin, L. A Thompson
ospeered his land embrac
ing about 18,008 acres in the old
Jymood City area of Griffins 1
?hip. According to unofficial i
he land owner still plans to <
the property with the possibility
of establishing a cattle ranch here.