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Paper, u It Cantos the Dale
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VOLUME 1S3&9?NUMBER ifrff Williamston, Martin County, North Carolina, Tuesday, October 4, 1938. ESTABLISHED 1899
^
Tobacco Prices Reach Record High Peak on Local Market
Large Group Turns
To Woods As Season
For Hunting Opens
??
Warden W.O. Abbitt Warns
Against Hunting on
Sunday
?
Opening in the county last Sat
urday, the hunting season attracted
large numbers of gunners to the
woods and lowlands, one sportsmen
experiencing ill luck reporting that
there were more hunters than
game.
A preliminary survey of the game
situation shows that squirrels are
plentiful this season, that they are
not to be found in the swamps at
thia time, however. A plentiful acorn
yield has pulled the small animals
to the border woods, and a few are
breaking into corn fields.
Out of forty squirrel hunters, one
killed the limit last Saturday. An
other shot at 21 and got three, In
dicating that the animals are fairly
numerous after all.
There's a large crop of turkeys
this yeat, reports maintaining that
there are more of the prize birds
than in many years. "It is hot un
usual for one to flush three or four
flocks a day," County Warden Ab
bitt said.
Only two deer were reported kill
ed in the county last Saturday, one
falling before the gun in Jamesville
Township and another in Devreaux
Swamp* by a member of the Cono
ho Hunting club.
A warning issued this week by
County Game Warden Abbitt makes
it plain that Sunday hunting will
subject the hunters to fines in the
courts.
Urged to change the open season
for taking quail from December 15
to December 1, the Department of
Conservation is recommending to
the Board to act favorably upon the
request. Present indications are that
the sportsmen will not lose so many
days after all. The Board meets
next Tuesday in Raleigh. Reports
from the fields state that there is
not more than half a crop of quail
this year. The old-time hunters
claim the birds have deserted the
fields in large numbers and are
seeking refuge in the woods.
The sale of hunting licenses is
well ahead of the sale a year ago,
Warden Abbitt stating that he in
terviewed 40 hunters last Saturday
and did not find a case where the
game laws had been violated. "They
ifcd their licenses, and their kills
were within the limits," the warden
said.
Tobacco Thieves
Caught In County
Whit SaUbury, 20, and W. C.
Howell, 30, both colored, were ar
rasted in this county Sunday for the
alleged theft of approximately 400
poundi of auperior quality tobacco
from Farmer Hezekiah Chesson on
the Joe Roberion Farm near Gold
Point, early last Thursday night.
Henry Salabury, also colored, was
held in connection with the theft,
but he waa later released.
The tobacco was found in the
home of Nellie Cherry, colored, in
Rocky Mount Sunday afternoon. The
Cherry woman will likely be
brought here as a witness when a
preliminary hearing is held in the
case later this week.
Young Salabury and Howell are
alleged to have entered the Ches
son packhouse while the family was
eating supper. They are said to
have hauled the tobacco away on a
car and later transferred it to an au
tomobile and carried it to the Cher
ry home in Rocky Mount for safe
keeping. ? ?
The men denied the theft at first
first, but finally admitted taking
the tobacco. Tfyey refused to tell of
ficers where the tobacco was locat
ed, but the leaf was repossessed
through Information offered by a
friend.
It was the third tobacco theft re
ported in the county so far this sea
son. No arrests were made in the
first two
Piney Grove Church Will
Hold Services On Sunday
Regular service* will be held at
Piney Grove Baptist church Sun
day. October 9th at eleven o'clock,
with Rev. W. B. Harringtoq deliv
ering the sermon. On Saturday, Oc
tober 8th at eleven o'clock, a busi
ness meeting will be held at the
church and all members are urged
to be present.
Drive Against Liquor
Continues In County
BUSY MAN
Sheriff C. B. Roebuck is s
busy min these days.
Yesterday, the high officer
was summoned as a witness in
courts at Windsor, Rocky Mount
and Washington. He was busy
with recorder's court and had
an appointment with the Board
of Martin County Commission
ers. Property owners, paying
their 1937 taxes, kept him busy
in his office. The officer did not
leave town and kept close to
the tax-collecting Job.
County Board Draws
Jury For Superior
Court In November
Judge W. H. Burgwyn To
Preside Over Two
Weeks' Term
?
Jurymen were selected by the
Martin County commissioners in
session Monday for service during
the two weeks term of superior court
convening in November. Thirty-six
citizens, drawn from every town
ship in the county, are slated to
serve the court.
Judge W. H. S. Burgwyn, of
Jackson, is scheduled to preside ov
er the two weeks' term which was
created several years ago by a spec
ial act of legislature to handle the
trial of civil cases only. Friends of
Judge Burgwyn here learned this
week that his wife is very ill in a
hospital.
Names of the jurymen are as fol
lows:
First Week
Jamesville Township: Church
Mobley, J. Carl Griffin and Horton
G Modlin.
Williams Township: Wendell Grif
fin.
Griffins Township: J. C. Gurkin,
J. Riddick Griffin and Perlie T.
Roberson.
Bear Grass Township: E. G. Har
rison and John H. Roberson.
Williamston Township: G. G.
Woolard and Roy C. Coltrain.
Cross Roads Township: George
Keel.
Robersonville Township: Jasper
Everett.
Poplar Point Township: W. S.
Leggett and V. A. Bunting.
Hamilton Township: J. A Roe
buck.
Goose Nest Township: H. A. John
son and Ernest Bunting.
Second Week
Jamesville Township: W. J. Hol
liday, Jr.
Griffins Township: Claudius Har
dison, Claudius Roberson, J. Arthur
Revels, and J. Rome Corey.
Bear Grass Township: Eli Rogers
and Henry Jones.
Williamston Township: J. G. Barn
hill, M. A. Price and W. C Gard
ner.
Cross Roads Township: Harry
Hardy, D. A. Ausbon, Arthur Ayers.
Robersonville: H. L. Keel.
Poplar Point Township: W. J.
Meeks.
Hamilton Township: J. B. Everett
and N. B. Bland.
Goose Nest Township: E. L. Glov
er.
Several New Homes Are
Under Construction
???
Constructon work was started or
will get underway shortly on sev
eral new home here. Mr. and Mrs.
Jack Daniel are building on South
Haughton street. Mr. and Mrs. W.
J. Miller and Mr. and Mrs. Lex
Thigpen are building on Marshall
Avenue. Mr. and Mrs. Dave Keel
are planning to start work on their
new home on the Everetts road
within a short time.
The builders are completing the
new home of Mr. and Mrs. L. B.
Wynne on Academy Street and con
struction work is well underway on
the new home for Dr. and Mrs. J.
A. Eason on the same street.
?
Robbers Break Into
P. P. Peel's Store
Breaking through the front door
glass to gain an entrance, a robber
stole a number of cartons of cigar
ettes from the P. P. Peel soda shop
on Washington Street here late last
night or early this morning.
Agents Establish A
New High Record
In Enforcement
Twenty-Two Liquor Stills
Destroyed During
September
e
In its campaign against the illicit
liquor traffic in Martin County, the
Alcoholic Beverages Control Board
Enforcement forces, headed by
Special Officer J.H. Roebuck, es
tablished a new high record during
the month of September. Setting up
a high enforcement mark in August
when 20 stills were captured and
wrecked, the enforcement officers
last month went ahead of that rec
ord when they wrecked twenty-two
liquor manufacturing plants
The raiders, in addition to cap
turing the 22 stills, poured out 11,
300 gallons of beer, fifteen gallons
of Illicit liquor and made two ar
rests. The two defendants, facing
trial in the courts for retailing li
quor, were convicted
Operating on a cheap economical
scale, the liquor manufacturers left
little property and equipment at the
stills for the raiders to confiscate.
Raiding activities reached their
peak on September 24, when the
officers scouted along the Martin
Beaufort borderline and wrecked
four stills. More than 6,000 gallons
of beer and ten gallons of liquor
were poured out in the day's work.
Manufacturing activities during
the period were centered in six
townships, Jamesville, Williamston.
Bear Grass, Robersonville, Hamil
ton and Goose Nest, several of the
plants cnming nut of the Free Union
section of the Jamesville township.
The still captured in Robersonville
township was the second taken in
that district in nearly two years,
Officer Roebuck said.
The marked increase in the lillicit
liquor trade, Officer Roebuck ex
plained, is partly due to poor crop
conditions in the county. Quite a
few of the old-time manufacturers
realizing they were not going to
make much money farming, are
said to have rigged up crude plants
to diversify their activities. The
venture for most if not all of them
has been proved economically un
sound through the work of the en
forcement bureau.
The manufacturing units, as a
whole, were constructed cheaply,
Officer Roebuck stating that he
found one of the crudest plants dur
ing the period he had ever seen in
his many years of enforcement
work. The plant described by the
agent had a 30-gallon capacity gas
oline drum. A common coffee can
was used for a cap and a small gal
vanized pipe was used for connec
tions, the operator using an iron
pipe coil to complete the unit. Only
third rate poison liquor could be
expected from such a plant, the of
ficer explained, but someone con
tinues to consume the product.
Special Officer Hewitt Edwards,
Sheriff C. B. Roebuck and Deputy
Bill Haislip assisted in the enforce
ment work during the month.
Two In Court For
Attack On Lawyer
Charged with assaulting H. L.
Swain, local attorney, H, H. Cowen,
Jr., and brother, Robert Cowen,
were carried before Mayor J. L.
Haaaell here last Saturday after
noon. The defendants pleaded guil
ty of simple assault, the court sus
pending judgment upon payment of
costs. A peace bond was asked by
the attack victim, and a hearing on
the application is scheduled in the
county recorder's court next Mon
day.
The lawyer, alleged to have made
some disparaging remarks during
the trial of the 117.90 lawsuit of Roy
Martin against the defendants' fa
ther, denied the charge as the young
men attacked him on the main
street here about one o'clock last
Saturday afternoon. No weapons
were used in the attack and only
one or two blows were struck.
?
Mr. Frederick Hoyt, of Smithfleld,
visited relatives here during last
week-end.
Young Man Held
In County Jail For
Criminal Assault
Roy Bowers, White, Denied
Bond For Alleged
Brutal Cirme
Charged with criminally assault
ing a young Cross Roads Town
ship white girl, whose identity was
not disclosed by officers, Roy Bow
ers, white youth, is in the county
jail awaiting trial in the superior
court next December, Mayor J L.
Hassell refusing the defendant the
privilege of bond at a preliminary
hearing held in his office here Sun
day.
Held behind closed doors, the
preliminary hearing disclosed what
was said to be one of the most bru
tal attacks ever recorded in the
crime annals of thil county.
Riding between Parmele and Rob
ersonville last Saturday night be
tween 10 and 11 o'clock, Bowers, ac
companied by the girl, whose age
was given at 17 years, and two
other companions, stopped the car,
forced the victim from the car and
threatened the lives of the other
boy and girl if they attempted to
interfere. The attack took place in
the woods within hearing distance
from the car. Bowers' companion, a
young boy named Dixon, stating
he heard the girl crying for help.
He was afraid to interfere, officers
quoted him as saying.
The victim at the hearing Sun
day showed bruises and numerous
scratches on her arms and legs al
leged to have been inflicted by
Bowers during the attack.
Arrested by Sheriff C. B. Roe
buck on a warrant sworn out by
Ross Gurganus, well-known Martin
County farmer, about 1 o'clock Sun
day morning, Bowers denied the
attack. After a haughty fashion, the
youth told Sheriff Roebuck that he!
(the sheriff) would never have
caught him if his car had not brok
en down "I would have thrown
sand in your eyes," he told the offi
cer boastfully.
Bowers, who is said to be 21 or
22 years old but whose age was en
tered on the county jail records at
19, is the son of a substantial Pitt
County farmer. During the last
Christmas season, he, with a youth I
named Carson, wrecked havoc in
Parmele, Robersonville and Bear
Grass while on a dynamiting spree.
The two youths fled to Florida, but
later returned. Called to answer in
the superior court, the boys were
released after paying the costs of
the case bnd damages to the owner
of property dynamited by them in
Parmele.
Fire Destroys Barn
And All Contents
Fire of undetermined origin de
stroyed the large packhouse and
contents on the Sandy Point farm
belonging to Mr. H. H. Cowen near
here on the Hamilton Road about
2:30 o'clock yesterday morning. No
estimate on the total loss has been
advanced, the owner explaining that
tobacco from fifteen acres of land,
between 185 and 200 bags of pea
Bute were burned in the barn
When discovered, the fire was
burning rapidly, and efforts to
check the fire or remove any of
the contents from the barn were
futile. None of the tobacco had
been sold from the entire crop of
fifteen acres, the owner stating that
approximately 3,500 pounds had
been graded and made ready for
the markets. The loss was partially
covered by insurance.
Several months ago, fire destroy
ed a packhouse belonging to Mr.
Cowen. Large quantities of corni
and hay and a number of farming
implements were also burned in the
first fire.
The owner, while making no ac
cusations, is of the belief that both
fires were of incenidary origin.
RAINFALL
If no more rain fall* between
now and next January 1, the
year IMS will go down in the
records as a wet period. In the
first nine months of this year.
44.lt inches of rain hare fall
en compared with 25.71 Inches
In the first nine months of last
year.
More rain fell in this area last
month than in any other month
dnrinf the nine except one. June
broke records with S.71 Inches.
The weather bureau on Roan
oke Risen reported seven and
one-half inches of rain. last
County Board Of
Commissioners In
Uneventful Meet
Recommend Better Roads
In Two Sections of
The County
?
The Martin County Board of
Commissioners, J. E. Pope, chair
man, C. C. Fleming, R. Lee Perry,
C. Abram Roberson and R A Hai
slip, members, held a short and un
eventful meeting Monday. Conven
ing shortly before 10 o'clock, the
meeting was adjourned before lunch
the minutes of the session covering
less than a page in the clerk's book.
A review of welfare activities was
heard, the board endorsing the ac
tivities. A report on an investiga
tion made by the recent Martin
County grand jury in connection
with clothing for inmates at the
County Home was heard. It was
pointed out that Roy Wynne had
appealed to the grand jury, claim
ing that the welfare authorities
would not furnish him with proper
clothes. The jurymen, visiting the
county home, it was revealed at the
meeting Monday, found the inmate
poorly dressed as he wander
ed around the grounds of the insti
tution: The investigation was not
stopped there, however, and in the
inmate's room the jury men found
adequate clothing for nearly every
occasion No mention of Hit- inves
tigation was carried in the grand
jury report to the superior court,
and no recommendations were of
fered, it was learned by the county
authorities
The commissioners passed a reso
lution recommending that the State
Highway and Public Works com
mission investigate and if possible
repair bridges and improve the road
from the river wharf at Williams
ton to Conoho, a distance of about
three miles. It was pointed out that
the road serves a number of famil
ies and opens up a territory of about
1,00 cleared acres of land.
The board also recommended to
the highway commission the surfac
ing as early as possible the road
leading from Palmyra, across the
Martin-Halifax line to N. C. High
way No. 125, near Oak City, a dis
tance of only a few miles.
Monday saw the turn over of the
new 1938 taxbooks to the collector,
but the huge task hardly received
recognition in the meeting of the
county authorities. In accordance
with a past order, the delinquent tax
list will be advertised within the
next few days preparatory to sale
on the first Monday in next month.
Until that time, the collector will
have two sets of tax books. Reports
state that 1938 tax collections were
fairly heavy during the first day
the books were in the sheriff's
hands, I
>
Mrs. Celia Casper
Dies In Oak City
?*?
Mrs. Celia Emily Casper, one of
Martin County's oldest and most
highly respected citizens, died at
the home of her youngest son, W.
W. Casper, in Oak City, last Fri
day afternoon at four o'clock. She
was 88 years old and death was at
tributed to the infirmities of age.
Before her marriage in early wo
manhood to William Asa Casper,
she was Miss Celia Butler, of Bertie
County, where she grew up in the
Missionary Baptist church. Moving
to Oak City 39 years ago, she and
members of her family were in
strumental in the organization and
maintenance of the Oak City Bap
tist Church She was ever a faith
ful member and worker of the
church, and as the oldest member
there she was recognized as the mo
ther of the church. Her passing was
deeply mourned by a wide circle of
friends and acquaintances who rec
ognized in her life a Christ-like
character.
Mrs. Casper was a faithful and
loving mother to a large family, six
of the children surviving. Their
names are: Sam W., and Walter W.
Casper, of Oak City; Willie Casper,
of Kenly; and Joseph Casper, of
Swanquarter; Mrs. T. E. Johnsorf
and Mrs. W. O. Council, of Oak City;
She also leaves about thirty grand
children, several great-grandchil
dren and one sister, Mrs. Lovey
Williams, of Aulander. Mr. Casper
died a number of years ago.
Funeral services were conducted
from the church which she was in
strumental in organizing and which
she loved and cherished, last Satur
day afternoon at three o'clock by
her pastor, Rev. George Leggett. In
terment followed in the family plot
In the Tom Council burial ground.
Average Above Thirty
Cents Here Yesterday
FLYING SOUTH
A wind out of the north late
Sunday started a southward
migration. Late that evening
thousands of geese flew over
here, the leaders of the move
ment letting out an ocaslonal
"honk" to guide the flock to
the marshes along North Caro
lina sounds and rivers. The flock
was the second to have attract
ed attention here in the flight
Following the geese, numbers
of army air planes were wing
ing their way south yesterday
morning.
Final Plans Made
For Sale Of Town
Expansion Bonds
Local Commissioners Hold|
Regular Session Last
Night
Final arrangements were made |
last evening- by the local commis
sioners for the sale of $72,000 im-1
provement bonds, R. L. Coburn,!
town attorney, stating that the
bonds would likely be placed on the
market within the next two or three
weeks. The attorney explained that
a slight change ^iad to be made in
the maturity dates for the bunds,
and just as soon as an amendment
to the original bond order could be
submitted to the bond authorities,
the sale would be advertised by the
Local Government Commission in
Raleigh.
The improvement program was
uncertain a few days ago when war
THreatened to break out in Europe
and caused a slump in bond pur
chases. Now that peace has been
virtually assured, the market is said
to be much improved and it is be
lieved the bond sale can be made in
the near future at a marked advan
tage.
Holding their regular session, the
commissioners had very little busi
ness to handle. Rev. J. L. Goff,
chairman of the local public library
executive committee, appeared be
fore the board and reviewed the
activities of the library and asked
for whatever support the town
could offer. The library executive
explained that since the library was
opened last April it had lent a book
every six minutes on an average,
that nearly 5,000 people hod borrow
ed booksr "The response has been
much better than was anticipated,"
Mr. Goff said. A $50 donation was
voted by the board for the library.
Mrs. Emma Thompson appeared
before the board and asked that a
ditch running across her property
beHjlled up She pointed out that
prowlbrs troubled her property, and
asked the commissioners to order a
better police protection around her,
home on West Main Street.
The $52,200 Public Works Admin-1
istration grant was formally accept
ed by the commissioners who agreed
to launch a proposed improvement
program within eight weeks and
have the work completed within
nine months. The swimming pool
project, a Works Progress adminis
tration project, is not to be confus
ed with the PWA program when it
comes to considering time limits.
The town delinquent tax list was
ordered advertised week after next
preparatory to sale on Monday, No
vember 14.
Women's Clubs To Hold
District Meeting Friday
*
The fifteenth district of the North
Carolina Federation of Woman's
Clubs will hold its annual district
meeting in Colerain on Friday, Oc
tober 7th, with Mrs. O. L. Williams
of Swan Quarter, district presi
dent, presiding. The guest speaker
of the occasion will be Mrs. H. G.
Etheridge, of Asheville, state fed
eration president. All club mem
bers ate urged to attend. The meet
ing will convene at 10 o'clock in
the morning and a plate lunch will
be served by the Colerain Woman's
club.
?
Baptist1 Philatheas To
Meet Friday Evening
Members of the local Baptist Phi
lathea class will meet with Mrs. Coy
Lamm at her home on East Grace
Street Friday evening at 8 o'clock.
Farmers Are Greatly
Pleased As Average
Reaches High Mark
?>
More Than Third of Million
Pounds on Local
Floors
?
Tobacco prices reached a new high
i et oi d far "the season on Williaius
ton's tobacco market yesterday
when individual prices approximat
ed 80 cents and the average for the
entire day boomed above thirty
cents Farmers were all atwitter as
the auctioneer started talking in the
high figures, and sale after sale
jumped into the extremely high
brackets. Quite a few farmers rush
ed home to bring an extra few hun
dred pounds to market, and there
were others regretting they had
none left at home for sale.
Selling nearly 265.000 pounds be
fore blocking, the market yesterday
averaged right at 31 cents, the re
ports being based on official fig
ures. Buying was brisk all day long,
the company representatives fin
ishing their task on the first sale at
four o'clock and going to the second
sale where the market blocked A
greater part of the morning was
spent clearing the block, and sales
are likely to continue late this af
ternoon before the floors are clear
ed.
Reviewing the yesterday activities
one found the happiest group of
farmers, as a whole, as have been
seen this year. Individual averages
above forty cents were numerous,
and some went as high as forty-nine
and fifty cents. The Imperial and
Export companies were unusually
strong and their representatives did
a good day's work for the growers
here. One farmer, tying up two hun
dred slicks without grading the leaf,
received in excess of a dollar a stick
for his offerings.
The quality of the break yester
day was recognized as the best of
the year, large quantities of the to
bacco coming from territories where
a more favorable growing season
was experienced than was the case
in this immediate section. There
were some inferior offerings here
yesterday and today, and the prices
for those types continued to hold
to about the same level, some stat
ing that they appeared slightly
stronger than a few days ago.
As the market entered its seventh
week yesterday, there was the dis
Ueartemng report, that the crop .in.,
this immediate territory will have
been marketed almost in its en
tirety in a very short time. Farmers
state that 85 per cent of the crop
has already been sold. Hundreds pf
growers have completed their mar
keting work and sold their surplus
quotas. Many more hundreds of
farmers have only one or two barns
of leaf 4eft at home. Sales are ex
pected to continue brief, and it is
possible one or two more blocks will
Tie experienced before "there is a
decided decrease in marketing activ
ities.
Trial Justice Hears
Number of Cases
Fair week, while a bit rainy dur
ing two days, passed without ser
ious consequence, Justice J. L. Has
sell stating yesterday that none of
the fair associates was arrested or
appeared in his court. A few other
cases were heard during the period
and over the week-end, however.
Charged with violating the traf
fic laws, Charles Leggett, of the
Hassell section, was fined $10 and
taxed with the cost.
Raymond Boyce, colored man
from Tyner, was fined $S for speed
ing on the highways. In a second
case charging Boyce with operating
a taxi without chauffeur's license,
| the court suspended judgment upon
payment of the cost.
Jesse Manning, Bertie man, was
given a 30-days jail sentence for
public drunkenness, the court sus
pending judgment upon payment of
the cost.
Toby Barber, charged with dam
aging property in the P. P. Peele
soda shop, was bound over to the
county court under $100 bond. The
trouble started when Barber is said
to have complained about the pay
ment of sales tax.