MAKS STUf PAT DAT WAE BOND DAT HW JPCTO(M-UN MUM THE ENTERPRISE OViX tilt TO? FOR VICTORY UPfITEO STATES WAR BONOS’STAMPS VOLUME XLVI—NUMBER 58 Williamston, Martin County, IS’orth Carolina, Friday, July 23, 1943. ESTABLISHED 1899 Boy Loses j Jos. Kelly Harrell Is Fatally Hurt When Barn Top Blows Off ——*— Wind and Hail Damage Done ~To fVops"irTSeveral Parts of County • Joseph Kelly Harrell, fourteen years old, was fatally hurt and con siderable damage was done to prop erty and field crops north of Oak City late yesterday afternoon when a strong wind or a little tornado and hail swept over a fairly large terri tory in that area. Some hail and wind damage was reported near Robersonville and in the Bear Trap section of Bear Grass Township, but the storm apparently was centered in that area surrounded by Ham;! ton, Oak Cit and Palmyra plete details could not be had im mediately hut the damage accord ing to preliminary reports will run into a fairly large amount. The youth, seeing the anuroach ing sturm, '.'Pl.t to a tobacco bum to close the ventilators in the top. He had hardly reached there when the storm struck and blew the top of the barn off and carried him to a nearby field. His injuries could not be de termined immediately, but he died before medical aid could reach him. The barn top was blown 250 feet away from the barn and partly wrecked. The youth, blown in the same direction, was found in a pile of tobacco that had already been cured. It was thought by his parents that he was safe under the shelter, but when he failed to return to the house they went to look for him. He had been in the rain for some few minutes and was unconscious. He died ten or fifteen minutes later, one report stated. As far as it could he- learned no great damage was done to other buildings in that section, but out in Bear Grass Township, the wind lift ed Farmer Wheeler Rogerson’s to bacco barn off its foundation and damaged his car shelter. Light .and. power .sendee m Oak City was -interrupted, and -had not been restored in its entirety shortly before noori today. Accompanying (he high wind that blew down trees of fairly large size, a heavy rain and hai! storm struck, damgaing crops on the farms of J T Moore, Smith Brothers, A P. Hy man, J. A. Johnson, W. J. Johnson, VVUUUiiUCU Uli oiA ; Allied Blitzkrieg Is Sweeping Westward On Sicilian Island Ore! Defense* On Russian Front Crumbling Before Mighty Red Army Employing blitzkrieg tactics, Al lied forces on Sicily are sweeping out in nearly every direction to knock the foundation from under the is land’s defense offered by about sev en Axis divisions, including picked Italian and crack German troops. The fall of the island is expected in due time, but iust how long the opposi tion will be continued by the bat tered defenders is a matter of spec ulation. Late reports place the Am ericans in the extreme northwestern part of the island and in possession of Palermo which was taken early yesterday. The American Seventh Army has equalled everything Hit ler could offer in the way of a blitz and today less than one-fifth of the island remains in the hands of the enemy. General Montgomery, battling 40, 000 picked German troops at Cata nia, is said to have by-passed the base, leaving the* defenders little to hope for except assault frorr three sides. A late report stated tha an entire Italian division had sur rendered .that tne number of pi is diYeis rail'llie into .the hoiidb 1 -bn Allies now exceeds 60.000. Resistance has crumbled over al the island except one or two area where the Germans are apparentl; fighting a delaying action to givi more time for an evacuation at Mes sina. Italian fighting spirit sank almos to zero, with fresh bunches of pns oners telling how their office rs wer attempting to escape in borrowed ci vilian clothes. The oft.en-resuseitat ed 10th Bersaglieri regiment wa wiped out of the action for the tlrlr time, it was disclosed, when it sur rendered at Agrigeiito without fii ing a shot. The communique of headquarter lagged more than 24 hours behin as Gen. Patton’s vanguard race through difficult but poorly-defenc ed mountain country toward Palei mo and swept on toward Marsala an Trapani. Large civil and military stores fe into Allied hands in the capture £ (Continued on page six) His Life In A marked decrease in activi ties on the crime front is reflect ed in the jail turn-key records and reports from Justice J. L. Hassell's court during the past few f*""" Only one person has "been jail-* ed recently, and just two eases have been heard by Justice Has sell this week. Henry A. Bunch was taxed with §5.50 costs for the improper operation of a car, and Matthew Ward, charged with disorderly conduct, was taxed with S6.05 costs. Williamston Peanut Factory Damaged by iFire Tuesday Night _ * * I Fourth Story Ceiling Charred And Much Stoek And | Machines Damaged Fire of undetermined origin threat iened the large plant of the William Iston Peanut Company here at 9:20 I last Tuesday night, members of the volunteer department stating that | the fire barely missed being one of the most serious in years. When dis covered the fire was burning through the weathc, boarding of the fourth floor near the roof on the southwest corner out of the immediate reach of the sprinkler system within the plant. Tlie fourth floor was filled with smoke and could not be reach ed from the inside, but the fire on the outside was brought under con trol when firemen pulled a line of hose to the second story roof and di rected a stream of water to the spot for a few minutes. Spreading on the inside, the fire soon started the sprinkler system to work, but not until considerable damage had been done to machinery, the fourth room ceiling and stock. When one of the elevator belts burned in two it car ried the fire down the elevator shaft to the first floor and within a few minutes time n was burning from top to bottom. Ripping off a few boards on the second floor, fir* men were able to direct a stream of wa ter first down the shaft and then to the top to bring the fire under control Peanut hulls in the blower ! system smouldered all night and un i til 11 o'cioc- Wednesday morning when workmen tore into the pipes and wet them. No official estimate on the loss could be had immediately, but it is fairly certain that the damage will run well into the thousands of dol lars. It was learned that about 200 bags of farmers’ stock peanuts were either ruined or damaged, that sev eral thousand pounds of shelled goods were also damaged. Workmen started cleaning up the plant yes terday, but it could not be learned how long it would take to make the necessary repairs and- reopen the plant. One report stated that neces sary repairs could hardly be com pleted within a week or two, but possibly temporary repairs could be made and make it possible to reopen the plant and handle the remainder of the old crop within a short time. Closed down for several weeks when the available supply of pea nuts was exhausted, the plant had resumed operations just a few days (Continued on page six) -<*> !)irector of C Hi! ian Defense Will Speak Mr. R. L. McMillian, Stale Direc tor Office of Civilian Defense, will be the chief speaker at the court house in this county Thursday eve ning at 8:30 o’clock. Mr. McMillian comes to share ir the awarding of' the inrigiTia of ai meinners of the local Civilian ‘ fense Corps. This will he the firs' ! award made to this corps. : In order to qualify., of th< groups, such as auxiliary police, file [ men, bob squad, air rt id warden: ; and others have to take from ter r to twenty hours of First Aid, threi , to five hours of tire defense, fivi . hours of gas defense, three to fivi hours of general and five hours o t drill. The rescue squad has to taki more hours than most other func , j tioning groups. ’ i Most members of the Williamstoi .! group had completed their basi s i training except fcr the gas man; i months ago, and since it was requir * | ed of all members of the defens . | corps, no one could be certified. Re i cently, Dr. H. M. Taylor, State Ga s 1 Consultant, gave the necessar; j I training, thus a portion of the corp j will receive the insignia and othe . ■ members may get theirs as soon a ! the gas training is available, j i The general public is urged to b | present to hear the leader in Stat II | civilian defense. Mr. McMilliai f: while in towm, will address the K L |wants club that evening at 6.30 o clock. Tenth Man From The County Ma kes The Supreme Sacrifice -* r \ rrr ana sun oi i\lr. rtlic Mrs. L. M. Meeks of near Roberson ville, has been reported by the War Department as killed in action some- j where in the European War Area. The parents of the young twenty two year old navigator were noti-! fied in June that he had been miss-' ing since June 13th. A former school teacher, Lt. Meeks was a member of a Flving Fortress t; c ,riT«'3? gtaSTRa^u fiTffiTnT’! Army Air Corps Navigation School at Hondo, Texas. Lt. Meeks is the tenth man from Martin County to be killed in action or died in the service of his country. Since December ", 1941, the following county men have been reported kill ed or lost in the service of their country: Murray Cargile, of Parmele. John Goldie Leggett, of Poplar Point: Dennis Robert Coltrain, of William ston; Austin Randolph Jackson, of Jamesville; William Freeman Hai slip, IT, of near Oak City: William Thomas Sullivan, of Williamston; Do:, iId Clark Godwin, of Wil'hi^o ► jsKl LT. THOMAS .1. MEEKS ton; Roland Moore, of Wiliiamston, RFD 3; Louis Thomas Holliday, ot UtAici sonvilio. Add Second Story To Community Hospital To Start Work On 14-Room Addition Early Next Week Contract Calls for Completion Of Project In About Eight Weeks Outgrowing its capacity twice within two years, the Brown Com munity Hospital will be enlarged a second time within the next few weeks, Dr. Victor E. Brown, tin- own er-operator, stating yesterday that the contract had been let and that the contractor, F. B. Birmingham, will start construction work possi bly next Tuesday with the expecta tion of completing tin- project in eight or ten weeks. The plans call for a second story and extensive alterations in the ap pearance of the present structure. The hip roof wall be replaced and a large porch with high columns will he attached. Providing twelve pri vale rooms arid two fol utility put* poses, the addition will boost the hospital’s capacity to thirty-five beds. F’or months, activities in the hos pitai-have been more or less limited because the accommodations were not adequate to meet the needs of the community. Dr. Brown worked | and worried with building permits j ;>nd material shortages to meet the I increasing demand ^r hospital at tention and medical care on the home front. Four years ago, next Monday, the hospital received its first patient, Mrs. Chas. Edwards. Since that time it has averaged about eighteen pa tients each day, the number of op erations running into the hundreds. A year ago last March, the hospital was enlarged to accommodate about 25 bed patients. While the new construction work will somewhat interrupt normal ac tivities, Dr. Brown states that the institution will remain open, that by doubling up some of the work, he and his staff of nurses will be able to carry on very effectively. Recognized as a valuable asset to the community and section, the hos pitai has, as its building record well proves, enjoyed a rapid growth. It has proved of great worth to many, and especially have the ; iek in the outlying areas found it convenient fContinued on page six) -$ 11 ruck load or Hogs Wrecked IN ear Here ('f iling to sleep last i*ues UOOUt 11 1 v i ’Ct Jn | i_J ' J l'g t _ : ton Currie, colored, ran a largo truck i and trailer off the highway a short ■ distance south of the Old Mill Inn i on U. S. 17, the vehicle turning over ■ and spilling 74 sizable hogs and oth f er cargo items in Farmer John t Green’s peanut patch. Currie and a ■ companion were slightly bruised, but two hogs were killed and a third i came out of the wreck with a brok ; en leg. r Highway Patrolman W. E Saun ders and neighbors took part in the ? I hog round-up catching twenty-five - that night and the remainder Wed 3 nesday morning. The round-up was r not completed until $5U worth ot s Farmer Green’s peanuts had been r trampled on one side of the road s and about a $15 damage had been done to Farmer Bob Lee Perry’s pea e nuts on the other side of the road, e Some damage was done to 68 new u automobile batteries ar.d nine drums - of white lead, the patrolman esti - mating the over-all damage at about $300. nyy mgnt Wajhin.'* ■ WAR RELIEF QUOTA | Assigned a fairly sizable quo ta this week, Martin County is being earnestly urged to raise $9,591 as its part in the drive to raise 125 million dollars for the United War Relief Fund. The drive, scheduled to get un derway in October, is to be headed by l„ Ifruce Wynne, chairman. After the chairman insisted the goal was mighty high, a representative of the fund explained that Edgecombe and I'itt had $58,000 quotas. The drive covers virtually all phases of war relief, including 09 million dollars for the ITSO, four million for Seamen’s relief, two million for aid to war pris oners, ten nullion for Russian war relief, ten million for China relief, and about II million dol lars for relief in the occupied countries and other worthy causes. W hile the total amount looks large, it can be raised if each man, woman and child in the county contributes only about 57 cents on an average. Judgr I. C. Smith Tries Three Cases In Court Monday Heavy Kims 1 min Two Cases Charging: Lii|iior Caw Violations Cooperating \ ith officers against offenders of the liquor law, Judge J. C. Smith placed heavy fines on violators in the county recorder’s court this week. Only three cases were tried by Solicitor Elbert Peel and two of those cases charged vio lation of the liquor laws. Arousing great interest among spectators was the case of aged Mil ton James, colored man and prop erty owner of the Free Union sec tion of Jamesville Towns!dp, who was brought on a stretcher into court. James was indicted on three accounts for having illegal whiskey in his possession for sale, and it was brought out in court that though he has been warned by officers not to sell whiskey, had persisted, using the fact that he was an invalid as his protection from the jurisdiction of the courts. He paid a fine of $500 and costs. Crawford Howard pleaded guilty kr* having forty buttles 01 home brew in hi.-; possession ami he was ..elite:.ced to ten days in jail and i< mured to pay a tine of $100 and costa ■ ■ . . The only other case calud for trial during the session was the one against Stanley Lee MacNeal who was found guilty of simple assault and sentenced to the roads for 3(J days. Judge Smith continued the other cases on the calendar under prayer for judgment. The session lasted hardly mort than one and one-half hours and t fairly sizable crowd was present for the proceedings. Officers Wreck Liqmtr Still Wednesday Marnini -*. — J i Raiding in the Great Blanch sec tion of Robersonvilie Township las’ Wednesday morning, ABC Officer J H. Roebuck and his assistant, Depu : Ly Roy Peel, wrecked an old liquoi still. The plant had not been in op eration recently and there was nr | beer and little equipment on hand | They wrecked the still, a gas drum and two fermenters. Seventy-One Tires And Two Cars Are .^VI lotted Bv Vhont Half of the Tire For Cars ami Pieh Up Trucks The Martin County War Price and Ration Board approved applications for two cars at their regular meeting on Friday night. Miss Marian Stall ings, of Jamesville, was issued a car ics in Beaufort County. E. T Smith, of Palmyra, farmer and merchant, was issued a permit for the purchase of a car for use in his work. Thirty nine Grade I passenger and pick-up tires were allotted by the board, eight truck tires and twenty four Grade III tires, making a total of seventy-one tires. The following Grade I passenger tires and tubes were issued: R. C. Griffin. Williamston one tire. Overton James, RFD 1. Williams ton, one tire and one tube. B s Courtney. Williamston, one tire. Dr. V A .War-1 Floh<': ju./.W tire. A. C. Boyce, RFD 2. Williamston, one tire and one tube. J H Harrell, Williamston, one tire Jasper J. Bennett, Everetts, one tire and one tube. G C. James, RFD 1, Williamston, one tire and one tube. W. R. Banks, Williamston, two tires. E. D. Chandler, Robersonvllle, one tire and one tube. G. G. Bailey. Everetts, one lire and one tube. Roberson Slaughter House, Wil liamston, one tire and one tube. Willie Evans, RFD, Williamston, one tire and one tube. Clem Carr, RFD 2. Robersonvllle, one tire. W M. Cross, RFD 2, Robersonvllle, one tire. Daniel Moses, RFD 2, Williamston, one tire. M D. Davis, Williamston, one (ire. George Hopkins, RFD 1. Jamesville, one tire and one tube. Raleigh L Terry. RFD 1, Rober sonville, one tire. Howard Coltrain, RFD I, William ston, one tire. Foy Hogerson, Robersonvllle, one tire. K. A. Jenkins-, Hobtirsonvivie,"four tubes, Claudius Hardison, RFD 1, Wil liamston, one tube. H. G. Harrison, RFD 2 Williams ton, one tire. J N. Hopkins, RFD 1, Williams ton, one tire. Lester I Everett, Robersonville, one tire. W B. Rogerson, Robersonville, one tire. Sallie Roberson, RFD 1, Williams ton, one tire. Claud Keel, Robersonville, one tire. Larry Bunting. Robersonville, one tire. D B Latham, RFD 1, Palmyra, one tire. W. I. Pollard, Robersonvllle, one tire. S II Roebuck, Robersonville, one tire. P. C. Edmondson, Hassell, two tires and two tubes. George A. Halslip, Hassell, one tire. Home Mission Committee, William ston, one tire, A R. White, Williamston, one lire R. O Purvis, RFD, Bethel, one tire. Herbt rt Sexton. Jamesville, one lire. J. II Hopkins. Oak City, one tube. Henry D Harrison, Williamston, one tire and one tube. I he l >11..wing truck tires were is sued : Henry C Griffin, Williamston, two tires and two tubes. Tilmon Coltrain, Williamston, one tire and one tube. Van G, Taylor, RFD 2, Williams ton, one tire. (Continued on page six) Cheeking The Sale 01' “Oil” Peanuts No official report could be bad but it was reliably 'learned that ; representative of the State AAA of fine in Raleigh was in the counts this week checking the sale of “oil’ peanuts. Receiving warehouses have beer closed in this section, the limited de livery of “oil’’ peanuts making i too costly to k< ep the houses open Those farmers who were able t( hold hteir peanuts off the marke may sell them on the open market but the rales are subject to a penal ty of around three cents a pound. Farmers are urged to sell thei peanuts before the new crop is har vested, one report stating that ii cases of delayed sales longer thai that time the growers will forfei their claims to all soil conservatioi and benefit payments. Some few sales have been mad: on the open market where the grow iers went ahead and paid the penalty | but it is understood that a few far mers arc still holding their “oil peanuts. Draft Boar After what has seemed to be a long, long time to many A card holders, gasoline coupons No. 6 in A books became valid yesterday. However, the 8 cou pons in the book must last for * lhe next four 'ImonthV’Viiuter ' present regulations, which means that there is mighty httle driv ing in sight for them. Coupon No. 5 expired Wednesday and is no longer valid. Each of the eight coupons is good for three gallons of gas, but since there are 17 weeks in the next four months, this means that A-card holders can only use slightly less than 1 1-2 gallons a week. When originally issued in July of last year, each A coupon was good for 4 gallons of gas and each series of eight tickets had to last only two months. Maybe some time those will return again. i.ites Advantages Of Tobacco Quota System To Farmer I’riiT Avorag** KU'veu Outs 111 Five Years Prior to 1934, lleilriek Says -« Raleigh— The fact that tobacco grown in this State during the pa.st eight years has averaged for this period more than 24 cents per pound must be attributed largely to the painstaking efforts now being employed by the farmers in the pro duction ami handling of this crop lor market, according to W P. Hed rick, tobacco marketing specialist with the State Department of Agri culture. “Although because of the whims of the weather it is too early to pro phesy what the quality of our leaf will be this season, we do know that for several years now it has shown general improvement from veal' to year,” said Hedrick, He added that tobacco producers are now taking a more scientific viewpoint in the care of their product. By reducing the acreage, the gov ernment has forced the farmer to devote more attention to the yield per acre and to the condition of Ids tobacco when it Is placed on the warehouse floor. "Hit-or-miss methods are disap pearing,” says Hedrick. In 1929, the average acre of tobac co in North Carolina yielded «85 pounds. But in 1934- when AAA be gan operations—the yield per acre jumped to 847 pounds. During the past five years Tar Hcc^tobacco farmers have pulled i from the soil devoted to this crop nearly 1,000 pounds per acre. This has been accomplished by the better preparation of the land, the use of more fertilizer, and the closer spac ing of the rows and the plants. As a result of this attention to greater yield, North Carolina pro duced more tobacco last year, for in stance, than in 1932 when the acre age was unlimited. Despite the increased yields and high production figures, however, there lias been a great demand for tobacco, Hedrick explains and fol lows this with this comparison of figures: the average price of tobac co in the five years prior to 1934 was less than 11 cents per pound as against the more than 24 cents per (Continued on page six) -^ Native of County Passes in Hospital —»—■ Mrs. Annie Burroughs Satterwlute, native of this county, duel so/m time during last Monday night in a Ral eigh hospital where she had been a patient for thirty-four years She naii been tu dec lifting p'.vy for two or more years, and had not spoken for nearly eighteen years. The daugl ter of the late William and Barbara Manning Burroughs, she was born near Williamston 61 years ago, the 27th of next month She was very popular in her early girlhood, and in 1903 married Reu ben Satterwhite, Granville County man who had moved to Martin ti i take part in the movement intro : ducing tobacco culture to the farm , ers of this section. He died in 190f • and a short time later she enterec the hospital for treatment. No children survive the union, bu • she leaves three sisters, Mrs. W. F i Allen and Mrs. I. L. Peed, of neai i Williamston, and Mrs. A. L. Hardy t of Bear Grass. i Funeral services were eonductec at the Biggs Funeral Home on Wes i Main Street here yesterday after - noon at 4 o’clock by Rev. Thoma , House, Robersonville Methodist min - ister and pastor of Vernon Church ’ Burial was in the Burroughs Ceme tery near the old family home. d Officials Determents Refused In Nine Of The 21 Cases Under Review -Jv— I-A Rating: i> J’i'i'yJJJwjjJjj, Kami Clan Is Ki!<‘ uuq^flnfmuied determents in vital industry jobs after the first deferment expires, it was pointed out. At least two of the nine placed in the ! A chi- 'if: cation last night were single men in that age group who had been granted previous de ferments. One of the nine who could possibly qualify for a farm classifi cation had no farm plan to support such a classification and he was placed in the l-A group. It was re ported at the meeting that there are possibly 300 farm registrants in the county who do not have farm plans available to support their claims for “C" or farm classifications. These men are now subject to reclassifica tion and call. During the past sev eral months action in such cases was delayed until they could be reviewed by the draft authorities and the County War Board. That work is nearing completion ,and the draft officials are now looking squarely at those farm registrants who have not filed required farm information to the proper authorities m the coun ty agent’s office. In those eases where the parents are living to have their sons dis charged from the Army, the County Draft Board has very little power to acj. The board canon! jnslilote ac tion m support of a discharge, and even after the case has been inves tigated, the only thing the board can do is to review the case just us if the registrant was coming up for class ification the first time. If the board finds that, a 2 A or a “C” classifica tion could be effected, it makes the notation, but final action is up to the Army authorities. It has been pointed out that only extreme cases (Continued on page six) Community Coiling Prices for Most Food Items Now in Force -$ Said By (iroct'rynieii To Be About Samr as Those Now In Effect Here Community ceiling prices for prac ticlaly all food items sold in county grocery stores became effective last week, it was announced by W. R. Burrell, chairman of the ceiling price panei of the local War Price and Rationing Board. Schedules are being furnished all retailers show ing the prices in dollars and cents, and each store is required to display the entire schedule at a convenient pi.-itvwivr.' U can be easily consult ed by consumers. More than 300 items are enumerat ed in the new price list, which ap plies to stores in practically all coun ties of eastern North Carolina. The list as furnished gives the highest prices at which all classes 1 and 2 stores may sell the specified items. Class 3 and 4 stores are not covered in the list which became effective last week, but -there are few county stores included in these two groups. Group 1 stores at e independent re tail stores with annual gross sales of j less than $30,000. Ctaas 2 stores are ! independent stores with annual sales in excess of $50,000 but less than $250,000. Class 3 includes chain stores with gross sales of less than $250,000. It is provided that farmers shall be considered class 1 retailers. It was stated by leading grocers here that the community price ceil ings set up in the new schedules are substantially the same as prices now prevailing. Some items are a little higher and others are a little lower but it is reported that most prevail ing prices are in line with the sched ules. Most of the items quoted are the ! same for both class 1 and 2 stores, although ill a few Cases class 1 stoles may charge 1 cent more than class 2 stores. A few examples of the new ceiling prices are cited below: Chase & Sanborn, Lord Calvert and Luzianne Coffee are all quoted at 33 cents pound: Maxwell House, 35 cents. Jewel and Wesson oil are 34 cents pint, 63 cents quart Practical ly all grades salmon in tin contain {Continued on page six)