Advertiser* Will Find Our Col
umn* ? Latchkey to over 1,600
Home* of Martin County.
THE ENTERPRISI
1
4
Paper, As It Carries the Date
Your Subscription Expires.
VOLUME XLII?NUMBER 4 Williamston, Martin County, North Carolina, Friday, January 13, 1939. ESTABLISHED 1899
Convicted In The
Courts Of County,
Five Ask Paroles
Commissioner of Paroles Is
Now Considering
Requests
Few persons sentenced to prison
from this county in recent years
have shared in the parole blessings
that have been bestowed so freely
upon prisoners from other counties,
Jtt''.'1*? trr.? MBr
tin citizens for their freedom are
being filed thick and fast with the
commission these days.
Four of those seeking paroles were
sentenced to prison for murder and
a fifth one was sent to the pen for
manslaughter Edwin C. Gitt, com
missioner of paroles, has the records
of each of the five prisoners before
him and he is said to have already
sounded out public sentiment in at
least four of the five cases. It could
not be learned whether any opposi
tion had been directed against the
prisoners' pleas for parole, but it
was learned that several would not
recommend paroles in all the cases.
"I am taking no part in the move
ment to give any of the five prison
ers their freedom," one man was
quoted as saying. "I am expressing
no opposition, but at the same time
I am not placing myself on record
as recommending a parole in any
of the cases," he added The com
mission's letter went unanswered in
that case.
Sentenced to serve from three to
five years in prison for hit-and-run
driving and manslaughter. James
Moore, colored, is seeking a parole
Moore ran down and killed Robert
Coltrain, white youth, on Williams
ton's Main Street on February 19,
last year, and was sentenced to pris
on last March. Commissioner Gill
reports that Moore has made a splen
did record, that during much of the
time he has been in prison, the pris
oner operated a truck between Ral
eigh and the State farm at Cale
donia.
Phoebe Moore, colored woman
who shot and killed Sam Simmons
colored man, here in July, 1934, is
the second of the five prisoners ap
plying for a parole. Sentenced to
prison for twenty years, she will not
likely return to this county if she
is given her freedom, Gill pointed
out in a letter to Sheriff C. B Roe
buck.
Old Man Joe Davenport, the old
codger ^jho shot and killed his wife
in 1934, wants to come back to Mar
tin County after serving four and
one-half years of his 15-20 year sen
tence.
Frank Cox, convicted of the cold
blooded murder of Farmer Henry
Jolly In Cross Roads Township ten
years ago, has his application on file
for a parole.
Joe Wheeler James, colored man
who was sentenced to prison for
twenty years back in September,
1934, for the murder of Will Wor
ley, is also anxious to have the gov
ernor smile on him and grant him a
parole.
Floating Theatre .
Here Next Week
Reconditioned at a cost of several
thousand dollars after going to the
bottom of the Roanoke near James
ville early last November, the Origi
nal Floating Theatre will again at
tempt to ply the stream Sunday for
a two-day engagement here next
Monday and Tuesday, it was an
nounced this week by the manage
ment.
Repairing to their home in almost
a dozen states following the sinking
of the boat, members of the call"
were recalled several days ago.
- Making short stops at towns along
the streams in this section of the
State, the show boat will start mov
ing to southern waters soon.
The management announced this
week that the floating theatre had
been extensively renovated and mod
ernized at a cost of several thous
and dollars.
The stop here is one of the few
the show boat will make before go
ing south.
May Let Farm Life
Road Contract Soon
A contract tor the aurfacing of a
farm-to-market road from the Old
Mill Inn to the Farm Life achool,
via Lilley'i (tore and Smithwicka
Creek church, will poaaibly be let
in early March, according to unof
ficial information reaching here thia
week.
Engineeri have completed a aur
vey of about one-half of the project
and repraaantatlvea of the federal
government were in the county thia
week reviewing the aurvey.
New York and San Francisco
Fairs Forbid Sale of Peanuts
Without assigning any reason
whatever, the New York and San
Francisco world fairs getting under
way this year have placed a ban on
the sale of peanuts at the two events
according to unofficial announce
ments coming from the fair author
ities a few days ago The announce
ment, puzzling peanut growers of
this area, merely stated, "Peanuts
won't be sold at the New York and
San Francisco world fairs."
- ?.''Rllt evidently, they am hging anJ
will be sold in plenty of other
places," John Craddock in his "Be
hind the Scenes in American Busi
ness," commented Craddock con
tinued: I
Local District Of
V. E. P. Company
Wins Safety Award
Record Maintained Here Is
Best Reported in
The Nation
?
Making precaution the watchword
in its operations day in and day out,
the Williamston district of the Vir
gina Electric and Power Companv
last year earned the company's an
nual safety award for the third time
and led the entire industiy ill?ttie
prevention of accidents.
Winning the award for the first
time in 1934, the Williamston district,
of the company next gained recog
nition for its accident prevention
work in 1937 when the employees
scored a perfect safety record. The
record was maintained last year, and
by winning the award three times,
the district is to receive a handsome
bronZe wall plate in recognition of
the care exercised by the large list
of employees in handling the com
pany's work. It is one of the few
cases in the history of the company
where a district has earned a bronze
plate bearing out an unusual safe
ty record.
Since locating here in October,
have worked a total of 453,713 man
hours without a lost-time accident.
Last year the company's cars and
truck were driven 276.648 miles
without an accident of any kind.
Holding sixth place among other
companies in the industry through
out the nation a few years ago, the
Virginia Electric and Power Com
pany as a whole, forged into first
place with its safety record last year.
Since the V E P. system led the
entire nation, the district office here
has every reason to feel proud of
leading the company in 1938
Home Is Destroyed
By Fire At Farm Life
Fire, said to have started from a
spark on the roof, destroyed the
two-story country home of Mr. Jas.
A. Roberson in the Farm Life sec
tion of Griffins Township about one
o'clock Wednesday morning. A piano
and most of the other contents were
removed from the first floor, but
most of those on the second floor
were burned
A truck driver in the employ of
the Gaines Lumber Company dis
covered the fire as he passed the
home on his way to Jamesville with
a load of lumber from the old Dy
mond City sector. Sleeping ioundly,
members of the family were long in
hearing the man's call. A compara
tively small portion of the roof was
burning when the fire was discov
ered, and occupants of the house al
most brought it under control, but
before another bucket of water
could be passed up the ladder the
fire would break out and gain more
headway.
Summoned by telephone, neigh
bors in large numbers hurried there
and with a favorable wind from the
west held the fire to the home. Out
buildings, fifty yards away, and the
woods across the highway caught
fire several times, but the flames
were quickly extinguished. The lo
cal fire department received a call
about one o'clock, and several car
loads of firemen and others went to
the scene to offer any assistance
they could. <
Only a small amount of insurance
was carried on the home, it was
learned.
O
Lawyer Carter Studdert
Is Home From Hospital
Attorney Carter Studdert, after
spending several weeks in a Ral
eigh hospital, returns home today.
Mr. Studdert was quite ill for sev
eral days following an operation
there.'
"Delving into government figures
on the peanut industry brings to
light some amazing facts. For in
stance, in 1938 there were 1,887,000
acres in the U. S. planted to peanuts,
and a total of 1,424,825,000 pounds
were produced, or U pounds for
each man, woman and child in the
country and the largest yield on
record. Value of the crop to the far
mer was over $50,000,000. With the
aid of modern chemical research,
tha. lowly-peanut has proved its use
fulness in insulating material, as a
base for fine face powder and as
breakfast food, in addition to its
more common appearance at circuses
and ball games."
CONTEST
The drive for Farm Bureau
members is waxing warm in
(his county, preliminary reports
from the field indicating that
the team of Charlie Daniels is
slightly leading the Van Taylor
forces.
With a goal of 500 members
before them, the two teams are
canvassing the entire county,
and while the drive proves dis
heartening at times, the can
vassers are making progress, it
was learned.
At the end of three weeks, the
(yyi procuring the mo6t ribiw
bers will be guests of the losers
' at a supper.
Mrs. Joseph Warren
Dies At Home Here
Funeral Service To Be Held
At Rosen of Sharon in
Bear Grass
Mrs. Joseph Warren, highly re
spected local citizen, died, at her
home on North Haughton Street last
evening at 8:30 o'clock following a
stroke of paralysis suffered last
Tuesday afternoon ? Apparently en
joying good health, Mrs. Warren was
taken ill .suddenly and nevei?re
gained consciousness following the
paralytic attack.
The daughter of the late W Kid
dick Roberson and Acna Roberson,
she was born in Bear Grass Town
ship 53 years ago. In 1920 she was
married to Joseph Warren, of this
county, and he survives with two
sons, Joseph, Jr., and Henry Red
dick Warren. She also leaves two
sisters, Mrs Fannie Mizelle, of
Beaufort County, and Mrs Rome
Rogers, of Bear Grass, and two bro
thers, Messrs. William Alfred Rob
erson, of Wllliamston, and Tommie
Roberson, of Bear Grass.
Mrs. Warren, a thoughtful wife
und a devoted TYiotherrwaF a^mcnr
ber of the Rosen of Sharon Frh*
Will Baptist church in Bear Grass
Township for,x a long number of
years. She was a loyal follower of
that faith, and enjoyed a large cir
cle of friends in her native and
adopted communities. She and her
family had made their home in Wil
liamston during the past five years.
Funeral services will be conduct
ed at the Rosen of Sharon church
tomorrow afternoon at 2:30 o'clock
by her pastor, the Rev. Mr. Abrams,
of Edgecombe County. Interment
will follow in the Bailey cemetery
in Bear Grass Township.
Aid For Libraries
Asked Of Assembly
???
Urgent appeals are being directed
to the State Legislature, now in ses
sion, urging the passage of an act
authorizing sufficient appropriations
of state funds for public library
work in the counties of the State.
Representative H. G. Horton will be
asked to support the measure
The 1937 assembly passed an act
authorizing state aid for public li
brarias, -but-- no appropriation-ww
made available and the work con
tinued at a standstill in most of
the counties in the State.
The primary aim of the proposed
bill is to equalize library service by
establishing and maintaining public
libraries in this and other counties
which have none, and by helping
all libraries to provide more ade
quate service.
Other than a limited service of
fered by the Williamston public li
brary, there are no other public li
brary facilities available to the peo
Pie of this county. Twenty-three
counties in the State have fairly
complete library facilities for its
people, and sixteen others have
partial library service.
A review of the library facilitie
clearly shows that an appropriation
by the State is badly needed for ex
panding those facilities.
Death Loosens Its
Grip On Highways
In Martin County
Death Toll Drops From 13
In 1937 To Four
Last Year
Death loosened its grip on traffic
on the highways of Martin County
last year, a comparison of the 1938,
| record with that for the previous|
year shows. The decrease in num
j ber of deaths was accompanied by |
I a lower property damage resulting!
| from motor vehicle accidents. 1
Four lives were claimed on the|
highways in this county last year as
compared with thirteen the year!
before, the number of fatalities in
year average. There was a 68 per
cent decrease in the number of
deaths compared with the record
for 1937, and 75 per cent of the
victims were pedestrians.
There were around 48 accidents
during the year with resulting prop- ,
erty damage of $50 or more each.
During the last eight months of the
year, the property damage was esti-l
mated at $4,135 With nearly 5,000,
motor vehicles registered, Martin
County made one of the best safe
ty records in this section of the State
Patrolman W S Hunt pointed out
During the past five years, fifty
eight lives have been lost in high
way wrecks in the county.
he names of those falling victim
last4 year to the modern system of
transportation are as follows: Rob
ert Col train, young boy who was
killed on Williamston's West Main
Street; Delmar James, colored child
who was killed near Hardens; Isaiah
llardison, colored man who was kill
ed near the scene where the James j
child lost his life; Arthur Jeffries, i
young white man, who was killed!
in October near Oak City. The first
three victims were pedestrians. !
While Martin County reported a
68 per cent decrease in its highway
deaths for J938, the State, as
whole, reported a decrease of only
20 per cent.
Guaranty Closes
Successlul Year
Out of a total of 2,.175 shares of
cc-mmon stock in the Guaranty
bank & Trust company, 1,832 were
rtrprcsented in person or by proxy
at the 38th annual meeting of the
stockholders, held in Greenville
Tuesday?afternoon. The meeting
was presided over by K G. Flana
gan, who has served as president of
the institution since 1912.
J. H Waldrop read a report as
of December 31. -Sh o wing -to tal
assets of $8,371,279.95, an increase j
of $300,000 over the corresponding i
date of the preceding year
After making substantial additions
to surplus, undivided profits, and
reserve accounts, the stockholders!
were paid a ten per cent cash, and
ten per cent stock dividend.
An amendment to the charter was
passed providing for the increase of
the capital stock from $437,500 to
$500,000, but no additional stock is
to be offered at this time, except the
stock dividend, amounting to $23,
750, which would bring the total
paid-in capital to $401,250
W. II. Woolard, executive vice
president, made interesting remarks
with reference to the growth andl
expansion of the bank, and made,
comparisons between conditions now j
and in 1929 He stated that the |
Guaranty Bank and Trust Company;
now had in cash and in banks more
than twice as much as all ten banks
in Pitt County had on December 31,
1928, and he also stated that it was
the policy of the nfftryrs of the bank
to keep same in a sufficiently liquid
condition to meet a recurrence of
emergency He commended and
thanked the directors and commit
tees of the home office and branches
for the aid they have given the
bank ?
County Officials Guests
Of Pulp Plant Owners
Martin County officials and a few
special guests were highly enter
tained at the plant of the North Car
olina Pulp company in the lower
part of this county Wednesday. Fol
lowing a detailed inspection of the
huge plant, the group was served
dinner in the country club house.
Those attending from this county
were: Messrs. L. B. Wynne, J. Sam
Getstnger, C. B. Roebuck, J. L Has
sell, N. C. Green, C. A Harrison,
Drs. E. W. Furgurson and Frank E
Wilson, Charles Leonard. Bill Peel,
S. H. Grimes and Commissioners C.
C. Fleming, J. E Pope, C Abram
Roberson, R. A. Haialtp, J. C Man
ning, V. J. Spivey, Dr. J. S. Rhodes,
and S. R. Biggs.
Health Officials Plan
Series of Examinations
To E xamine School
Children Of County
Beginning Mondav
C C
rhy3ical Examinations Will
Be Limited To Three
Grades
The Martin County Health De
partment will begin the physical ex
aminations of school children
throughout the county on January
"hh
There are three objectives which
the health authorities are striving
to reach: (1) to stress the import
ance of periodic check-up, even in
the absence of suggestion of disease;
(2) to stimulate the children to more
healthful living, and (3) to detect
common and often over-looked do
fects which may seriously impair his
health in the future It is impossible
to make a complete examination on
each child due to the limited time
and facilities at the disposal of the
department
The purpose of carrying out phy
sical examinations in school children
is not to teach the children and their
parents to turn to the school as the
source of all health guidance and
council- This would be assuming a
burden in the school far too great
to carry For the child's own happi
liess and health, physical defects
must be discovered and corrected
early Hut, granting that periodic
physical examinations are advisable
and necessary, we must admit that
the child's own physical!, who is
ready to carry out any corrective
procedure which might be indicated
is the best source to secure such an
examination
The school is no place for a sick
child, and those who attend school
with any kind of sickness merely re
flect a family who has little or no
perception of the proper care of the
child and how lo ael best to protect
the health of the public These chil
dlen should ue uiKon liome. Hie mil
ther informed as to what she should
have done in the way of calling in
medical advice before sending
manifestly sick child to school, and
she should be advised to, call in her
own physical! for examination and
treatment.
The students in the first, third and
sixth grades will be examined In
lids way we hope to examine a lit
tle more than a third of the school
population annually, a different
third eiich year, thus providing for
three examinations during tin- ele
mentary school Ida of each child?~
Examinations will be held in both
white and colored schools through
out the county. Doclor KurguTsmr
and Doctor Wilson will work togeth
er in the schools until about Febru
ary 1st The complete schedule has
not been perferted but the-tenta
tive plans will be to begin in the
following white schools as listed be
low
Roberaonville January Itith and
17;
Kveretts: January 10th and 20th.
Oak City: January 23rd and 24th.
Hamilton: January 2fith and 27th
Gold Point: January 30th
llasscll January 31st.
?JuinoaviHc: Jan. lfltli and d7th
Farm Life: Jan 18th.
Hear Grass. Jail 20th and 23rd.
Williamston: Jan 24th and 25th
I
Skewarkey Lodge Here
Installs New Officers
The installation of new officers
featured the activities atvtho regular
meetmt/ of the Skewarkev Masonic _
Lodge here last Tuesday evening.
Past Master S H. Grimes, assisted
by Past Master V. J. Spivey, %ad
charge of the installation service.
Names of the new officers are;
Charles Davenport, worshipful mas
tcr; It. 11. (Juudnion, seiniir wmdtin,
C. B. Clark, Sf4junior warden; Car
ter Studdert, seryor deacon; Clar-*
ence Stallings, junior deacon; H. L.
Perry and Bill Harrison, stewarts;
J. D. Woolard, treasurer; K D. Wor
rell, secretary, and S. S. Brown, ty
ler. Mr. Brown, now over 70 years
of age. has been a member of the
lodge for more than forty years.
?
Grows Unusually Large
Turnip In Griffins
W. Dave Daniel, Griffins Town
ship farmer, placed on display here
yesterday afternoon an unusually
large turnip The purple top vege
table weighed five and one-half
pounds and was perfectly shaped.
"We have found numbers of others
almost as large," Mr Daniel said,
finally admitting that Mrs. Daniel
grew the turnip.
EJECTMENTS
I
I nwanted and friendless in j
many cases, six Martin County
families have been ordered to
vacate their homes. Some white
and some colored, the six tenant
Tamlttes have been utveir^an ex
tension of a few days to locate
homes and vacate their present
places of abode. Sheriff <\ B.
Roebuck issuing a warning that
unless the orders are complied
with at the expiration of the
time extension he would have
to place their earthly belongings
in the public roads.
During the first half of Jan
uary, a year ago, the sheriff
was directed to eject six fami
lies.
Judge II. (). Peele
(alls Thirty-One
Cases During Day
*??1
Fines Totaling $450.00 Are
Imposed; Long Road
Sentences Given
Judge It O. Peel started the new
year off with a bang in the county
recorder's court last Monday when
he imposed fines totaling $450 and
meted out road sentences aggregat
ing three and two-thirds years. All
day long. The Jurist and the solicitor.
D Elphonsa Johnson, worked on
the docket, clearing the accumula
tion of 31 Cases that had been plac
ed on the docket during the holiday
season. The session constituted an
all-time record when its activities
of 11 it- day were combined.
Judge 11 O. Peel announced
open court that while the court
would continue to hold to its main
duty of administering justice to all
alike, he was going to "tighten up"
on violators of the liquor laws in
this county. "I have tried to be fair
I have tried to temper justice with
mercy, but I give everyone warning I
that leniency is not to be expected
by those who flagrantly continue to
violate the laws," Judge Peel was
quoted as saying in his warning.
Proceedings in the court Monday:'
Charged with non-support, Leon
Sykes was directed to pay $5 a
.month for six months for the sup
port of his child.
Failing to comply with a former
judgment in a case charging him
with reckless driving, Lenon Gray
Moon- was sentenced to the roads
for three months.
Charged with non-support, Doc
Whitfield* was ordered to pay into
the court $45 for I)r E. E. Pittman
and $10 fox Undertaker Harden. He
appealed and bond was fixed in the
sum of $100.
The case charging Marshall Burns
with bastardy was nolprossed.
David Simpson was sentenced to
the roads for three- months in the
case charging him with non-support.
The eases ch&iging W J Thomp
son and Furnic W Sparrow with is
(Continued on page six)
Drive Is I ndervvav
To DelVat New Deal
Apparently making secondary
any efforts to advance a constructive
program, some law makers in the
National Congress are biding their
time to attack the president and de
leat the New Deal.
The first blow against the admin
istration was landed this week when
a House Appropriations sub-com
mittee slashed $150,000,000 from
President Roosevelt's $875,000,000
emergency relief request, and pro
posed?legislative IVsinaiAhi?to
thwart th chief executive's plan to
place 32,300 relief officials under
civil service.
The attack against the president
and the New Deal, however, will be
centered around other issues. The
opposition, including those conser
vative Democrats who were invited
out of the party by the president at
his Jackson Day speech last week,
are scanning administration iheas
uies in an effort to brand them as of
dictatorial leanings
It is apparent that the drive is
on, and the opposition now proclaims
tKat it is hot I Question of whether
there'll be a split but just when the
split will come.
As the second week of Congress
comes to a close, nothing tangible
has been done, but observers point
out that the ground work for a great
battle is being handled.
Thirty-Seven Pupils
Move From Here and
Thirty-Five Move In
Local Student Council Gives
Chapel Program This
Week
With more turnover in school
population than at any one time irr?
recent?years, school enrollment re^
mains nearly the same in the local
schools A check through class rolls
reveals that 37 children have mov
ed from the school district during
the past two weeks while only 35
new students have been enrolled.
This leaves a net loss of two stu
dents Most of the transfers took
place in the elementary school where
in the first six gmdrs twenty-nine
students moved away and were re
placed?with exact ly twenty-nine?
newcomers. Parents of one of the
newcomers, Bessie Spruiil, moved
from near Emporia. Va , late Wed
nesday, enrolling the child here yes
terday morning without missing any
schooling The child has four years
of perfect attendance
The membership for the elemen
tary and high schools will total ap
proximately eight hundred and
fifteen during the four months of
the second term.
Parents Teachers
The executive committee of the
Parents-Teachers Association in
session at the high school yesterday
afternoon decided to postpone the
regular meeting of the association
until February 3 in order to secure
Clyde Erwio, State Superintendent
of Schools, as its principal speaker
Mr. Erwin was -cxjM'Oted to be pres
ent for the meeting next Wednes
day but wrote that htj would not be
able to be present.
Plans were perfected for the as
sociation's annual bridge tourna
ment which will be held in the Wo
man's Club next Wednesday after
noon and evening The hours sched
uled for play will be three and eight
o'clock It is hoped that all bridge
players will make plans to attend,
insuring for themselves an enjoy
able session and at the same time
benefitting the organization's work
in the local r.chnub. ?
Council Holds Program
The student council i?f th?? lnr.O?
high school reviewed its work of
the fall months at an assembly held
in the auditorium last Tuesday
morning Arranged in the form.of a
council meeting with President Dor
is Moore presiding, the program took
the form of reports ayul summaries
of activities by committee chair
men whose terms of office expired
this week Outstanding work was
reported by the yttiidynf (?nmmittws ?
on hall traffic, cafeteria manage
ment. school building and grounds
and athletics.
?ft IfJ1') ">rn; Jo
members were held Thiitsday at ac
tlVilli's period and the following stu
dehts were chosop for ronnril mem
bership during the spring term:
Seniors: Louise Melson, Virgil
Ward, Martha Rhodes Ward
Juniors J. E. Boykin, Stuart
Critcher, Martin Anderson.
Sophomores Roosevelt Coltraine,
Susie Griffin.
Freshmen: Evelyn Gri?fin. _?m
ma Belle Ward
Dons Moore, president, and Mar
jurie Grey Dunn, secretary, were
elected in September for the school
year.
Anticipate Heavy
Poultry Loadings
J P
?
Starting the cooperative ship
ment of poultry from the county
next week, the county farm agent
is anticipating fairly heavy loadings
at the four points, Jamesville, Wil
liamstorr, Rpbersonvlle and Oak
car will make will be at Jamesville
next Tuesday morning On success
ive days, the car will be stationed
at Williamston. Robersonville and
Oak City
A preliminary survey .of the farms
in this county indicates that Mar
tin farmers have established a new
lecord in poultry raising. Thousands
of chicks purchased last year are
now ready for the markets.
I^ast year, Martin farmers sold co
operatively 63,586 pounds of poultry
and received $11,872.55. The sales
this season are expected tQ exceed
that of last year.
Officers Capture Liquor
Plant In County Yesterday
a
Two 100-gallon capacity copp?r
liquor atilla were captured, one in
Poplar "Point and the other in Bear
Grass Township, by Special Officer
J. H. Roebuck assisted by Roy Peel
yesterday. One of the plants was
new. The raiders poured out approx
imately 1,000 gallons of beer.
Alphonsa Ewell and Richmond
Milton, both colored, were captured