NEARLY 1000 MARTIN COUNTY SERVICE MEN NOW READING THE ENTEPRiSE I .I'MCg TIMMII » OF THE WORLD EACH WEEK. ENTERPRISE NEARLY 10M MARTIN COUNTY SERVICE MEN NOW READING FEPR1SE IN ALL PARTS OF THE WORLD EACH WEEK. VOLUME XLVIIU—NUMBER 21 Williamston, Martin County, North Carolina, Tuesday, March 13, 1945. ESTABLISHED 1899 Divorce Cases Will Be 221000 Damage Suit Scheduled For Trial During Second Week —♦ — Number of Divorce Cases Is Largest Ever Placed on Calendar at One Time Scheduled to complete the trial of criminal cases during the first day of a two-weeks’ “mixed term,” the Martin County Superior Court will crank up its divorce mill next Tues day. There are twenty-six divorce cases on the calendar, the record of 24 established last Novemoer bowing to the earthly inarch of progress in family relations. Very few other civil cases have been placed on the calendar, and with the exception of the $25,000 damage suit brought by Mrs. Ruth Vivian Whitaker against j the Cr-olina Coach Company and the i Carolina Delivery Service Company, i the calendar carries few matters of public interest. The damage suit grew out of a bus-truck wreck in Bethel last April 16 when Mrs. Whit aker, Williamston young woman, was seriously and permanently injured. On her way home from Rocky Mount as a passenger on the defendant com pany’s bus, she was removed to Brown’s Community Hospital and was a patient there for months, and continues under the care of doctors. Much legal talent has been called into the case with B. A. Critcher rep resenting the plaintiff and Thorpe and Thorpe, Horton, Smith, Leach and Anderson representing the de fendants. Twenty-four of the divorce cases on the docket are based on two years’ separation, the plaintiffs in the oth ers alleged adultery. Those based on the time element follow: Maggie Da vis against Harry Davis, Daisy Thompson,against Phillip Thompson, Alexander Hodges against Gladys Hodges, Adell James against David L. James, Burt Gorham against Mar tha Gorham, Annie Gray Beacham against Jim Beacham, James Ever ett against Elnora Everett, Rosanna Bennett against James E Bennett, Chas. C. Ebron against Lossie Brown Ebron, Charlie D. Brown against Se lecter Brown, Barthonia Bennett against Perry Lee Bennett, King David Rogers against Hazel Lee Rogers, Arthur Duggins against Eu la Lee Duggins, Amanda Bess against James Bess, Alonza T. Spruill against Margaret Spruill, Albert J. Doucette, of Barry, Vt., against Ethel Doucette, Margaret Grimes against Nathaniel Grimes, Joseph James against Ida James, Mary Williams against Jas. Edward Williams, Annie E Williams against John Williams, Kader Brown against Catherine L. Brown, John D. Swimpson against Flossie Lanier Swimpson, Fannie Mae Edmondson against Lanier Edmondson, and Clemmons against Clemmons. The cases alleging adultery were brought by Marshall Gray Moore, a serviceman, against Wannie Mae Moore ,and L. E Hyman against Ada Hyman. Very few of the divorces are like ly to be contested; in fact, the de fendants in some cases are waiting for the plaintiffs to finance the ac tions and free them to go their own way. In the Joseph-Ida James case, the defendant is contesting the ac tion and asking the court for $75 a month alimony and attorney’s fees. Several cases involving boundary lines are on the calendar, including the following: William Little against William Riddick, Noah Roberson (Continued on page six) -<& Chas. Hough Joins Bear Grass Faculty -9 Professor Chas. Hough yesterday entered upon his new duties as prin cipal of the Bear Grass School. The position had been vacant since the school reopened following the Christ mas holidays, all efforts to fill it having failed. The school had oper ated, more or less, under its own steam, the county superintendent spending ,as much time as possible there. Professor Hough, a member of the Jamesville faculty for the past sev eral months, is being succeeded there by Mrs. Lily Pigford of Williamston. Mr. Hough wras principal of the Farm Life School for several terms, but quit the profession for farming. He returned to the schools to help re lieve the acute teacher shortage. Two Cara Figure In Minor Accident Near Oak City -<8> Very little damage" v.ai done and no one was hurt w'hen two cars, one owned by R. T. Chance and driver by Gus Hopkins, colored of Oak City, and the other owned and driver by Solomon Hyman, colored of Oat City, sideswiped each other neai Oak City last Saturday night at 10:3( o’clock. Damage to each car was es timated at $75 by Cpl. W. S. Hunt o: the Highway Patrol. TRIBUTE i A fitting and beautiful tribute was paid to the memory of Jim mie Watts, local youth who made the supreme sacrifice for his county over Italy the 7th of last month, by the film and theater men of North and South Carolina when they met in Charlotte re cently. Meeting there to plan the Red Cross drive in every thea ter in the two states, the film industry representatives “dedi cated their March 15-21 Red Cross drive to the memory of James Wiggins Watts, Jr., son of J. W. Watts, Sr., exhibitor at Williamston, N. C'.,” according to a story appearing in the current issue of "Boxoffice," national film weekly. Wreck Victims Able To Leave Hospital The last of the victims of the bus wreck on the river bridge here last Tuesday afternoon were discharged by the local hospital Sunday after noon. While several of them will nurse broken limbs for some weeks, all of the approximately thirty per sons in the accident are apparently getting along all right now. Hardly before the wreck victims were discharged others were enter ing the institution. Mr. Willie Gur ganus of Bear Grass and Mr. Dawse Coitrain of Williamston entered the hospital Sunday for treatment. Mr. Coitrain was reported quite ill late yesterday afternoon. Wayne Pate, 9 years old, under went an operation for appendicitis last Saturday night and is getting along all right. Mrs. Emma Thompson continues in the hospital, and Mrs. Dorcas Wil liams, 89 years old of Jamesville, is showing some improvement. She has been in the hospital about two months. J. J. Paynter who broke his ankle a week ago last Sunday, was able to leave the hospital yesterday. Jesse Beach, young white man who suffered a fracture of the knee in February, returned to his home in Cross Roads yesterday. Mrs. John Gurganus entered the hospital Friday for treatment. A daughter was born to Mr. and Mrs. Harry Roberson, of Roberson ville, in the hospital March 5. Mrs. Ben Hopkins was able to leave the hospital over the week-end after recovering from an attack of influ enza. Goose Nest Is Over Its Red Cross Coal —$— The annual Red Cross War Fund call was liberally answered by Goose Nest Township school pupils, Principal H. M Ainsley stating that the young people, i' luding those In both the white and colored schools, had contribi ed a total of $200.25, an amount 2- cents in ex cess of the quota allotted the entire district. One grade, the ninth, taught by Mrs. Doiiy Millinder, raised $2156 to lead the list in the Oak City white school, the Oak City Ruritan Club boosting the total with a $26.50 do nation. Contributions were listed as fol lows: Oak City white school: First grade, $9.72; second, $6; third, $5.65; fourth, $2.35; fifth, $6; sixth, $5.27; seventh, $4 31; eighth, $13; ninth, $21.56; tenth, $7 30; (eleventh, not listed); twelfth, $10; commercial de partment, $5; Miss Idalia Oglesby, ex-senior, $2.50, and H. M. Ainsley, $3.20. The Oak City colored school rais < d $40.50, T. K. Slade, principal, an nounced, and Whichard-James rais ed $31.39. Local Youth Killed In Parachute Jump From Falling Plane Body of Jimmie alls Lies et Rest in Md£^; 4 Cha^Sn W rites Jimmie Watts, young son of Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Watts, Sr., of Wil hamston, was killed in a parachute jump from a falling plane over Aus tria on last February 7th, according to information offered in a personal letter just received from William McNeil, Chaplain, United States Army. The letter followed a tele graphic message received from the War Department on February 22nd. announcing the young man's death. Chaplain McNeil, a Methodist min ister, said in his letter to Mr. and Mrs. Watts: “Jim was flying as an engineer gunner on a Liberator. The plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire over the target. Engine No. 3 was partially disabled, forcing the plane to leave the formation. It began to lose alti tude rapidly. The order was given to bail out, but at the time Jim jumped there was no longer time to complete a successful parachute jump. He was pronounced dead upon arriving at a nearby station hospital. "I accompanied the body to our beautiful well-cared for military cemetery in Southern Italy. I had a service, giving your son full military honors. While we stood at attention beside the flag-covered casket, taps were blown and we said a prayer for our departed comrade and for those he loved. Each grave is marked by a Cross or a Star of David." Chaplain McNeil continued, ", . . Being a Methodist, I was well ac quainted with your son. He was of ten at church and I always shook hands with him at the door, follow ing the services. It is with deep con cern I write this letter about his death on February 7, 1945, over Aus tria. “It is beyond human understand ing to express sympathy to one who has lost a loved one. We understand a little of the grief, if we have ex perienced a like loss. The Good Book savs that when all others forsake us, yet will not the Lord. This spiritual assurance is our only support at these times of grief. Your son gave his life; let us pray that it was not given in vain, but will buy for this world the much-needed Peace and Justice. You have my deepest sym pathy and the respect of the whole organization . . Seriously Wounded, Local Youth Returns —$— Seriously wounded in the invasion of Leyte in the Philippines last Oc tober 28, Pvt. James E. Moore was recently returned to this country and is undergoing further treatment in an Army hospital. In a letter to his mother, Mrs. H. L. Gardner, the young man stated that he hoped to be able to come home for a leave real soon. The 32-year-old soldier, brother of Miss Helen Moore of Williamston, was so badly hurt that he was un able to write for some time, and a message from his chaplain was not very encouraging at one time. He had been overseas about two arid one-half years. -- - 1 -- ■ .. Freight Train Strikes Horse Sunday Afternoon -* Breaking out of the lot on the Wheeler Martin farm, a pretty 4 year-old horse valued at $250 was struck and badly crippled by a freight train near the railroad tres tle on West Main Street here last Sunday afternoon. The animal, its back legs broken, was knocked into the highway right under the trestle, and was later killed. A mule, breaking out of the pas ture with the horse, was running down the track ahead of the train, but he chose to jump and roll down the track embankment rather than be trapped on the trestle where the horse was overtaken and struck. Former Loca l Boy Is Credited With Sinking Jap Battleship -A Charles Hall Dickey, former Wil liamston boy, has been credited with sinking a big Japanese battleship in the battle for the Philippines, ac cording to unofficial information re ceived here last week-end. No par ticulars of the daring and powerful blow could be learned here immed iately. The young man, just recently back from the Pacific Theater, wears among his many medals, the Navy Cross, and his fellow servicemen say : it was awarded him for sinking the* jbig enemy sEip. The reserved youth | is said to have admitted the great ac complishment, but that is ail he has said about it. In Morristown, Tenn., where the Dickeys have made their home most of the time since leaving JVilliamston, a civic club entertain ed the young aviator, but the mem bers learned little about what had happened in the war as far as he was concerned, one report reaching here stated. The son of Mrs. C. H. Dickey and the late Hev. Mr. Dickey, he came here when a little fellow, spent his boyhood here and attended the lo cal schools. On account of failing health, his father resigned as pastor of the Baptist Church and the fam ily moved to Raleigh, and following Mr. Dickey’s death they moved to Morristown, Tenn. It could not be (earred when .ie en tered the service., but he has been on two long missions in the Pacific, returning from ms second by plane early this month after a stay of two years over there. He is a bit nervous and though his face shows he has gone through more than one can imagine, he is getting along very well, according to information re ceived by friends here last week-end. WOUNDED Pvt. Winford Mobley was slightly wounded in Germany on February 23, his wife, the former Miss Catherine Wynne, RFD 3, Williamston, was noti fied last week. In a letter to his wife, Pvt. Mobley stated he was hit in the right shoulder and suf fered a broken collarbone, that his shoulder was in a east. He is getting along all right in a hos pital in England, and added that he considered himself very lucky to get by with only a shoulder wound. Hodges’ Men Break Out of Bridgehead For Drive on Ruhr -<$, Russians Clour Lasl Barrier In Direel Muroli On Cerinaii Capital Breaking out of their bridgehead istablished on the east bank of the Rhine in a daring move less than a veek ago, General*Courtney Hodges' rirst Armymen are now driving in strength toward Germany’s great ndustrial Ruhr. Late reports state hat the First Army started another najor drive this morning about one lour before day, that it was making jood progress despite stiffening re sistance. It is estimated that be :ween 65,000 and 75,000 Americans ire across the Rhine in the Remagen irea and that tanks and big guns lave been moved over the stream in large numbers. In addition to the use of the Lu Jendorlf bridge at Remagen, the Americans have hull t pontoon aridges across the Rhine a few miles lorth of the town and men and equipment are moving across the stream in volume. Berlin said that the American as sault threatened the great Cologne ?*rankfurt military highway, trans mit keystone of the enemy’s entire Remagen defenses, which lay only four miles beyond advanced Ameri can spearheads. The massed American artillery, orought into the bridgehead for the first time to support Hodges’ as sault upon German hill positions dominating the bridgehead, already may be shelling the road. The attack from the bridgehead carried more than a mile and a half through Ginsterhahn and Har garten and rolled on to Noll in a swift plunge that extended the American foothold to more than five miles in depth and more than twelve miles along the bank of the Rhine. While Hodges’ men are advancing toward the Ruhr, General Patton’s Third Army is mopping up enemy remnants on the west bank of the stream. No late reports have come from other Allied armies along the Western Front, but they can be ex pected to strike if Hitler shifts his men in strength in an attempt to block the American First. In the East, the Russians have captured Kustrin, the strongly for tified center in the path of the Rus sian advance on Berlin. The Red Armies have crossed the Oder at several points in that area, and the march to the German capital is momentarily awaited while the Rus sians continue to mop up pockets of resistance along the Bailie coast. Over in the Pacific, Tokyo and Nagyoa are still smouldering An area fifteen miles square was burn ed out in Tokyo following a raid by 300 Superforts Sunday, and Nagoya, Japan’s fourth largest city, was burned and scorched even worse. The Marines are nearing final vic tory in their bitter and heoric fight for Iwo Jima. and the Japs are mov (Continued on page six) f littleround-up V After rounding up almost a dozen a week before, local and county officers bad a fairly quiet period last week-end when they arrested and detained in the county jail three alleged viola tors of law and order. Two of them were bctiked for public drunkenness and one for being drunk and disorderly. Two of them were white. One or two arrests were made, but the de fendants arranged bond before the jail doors were banged shut. Hamilton Business District Swept Bv Costly Fire. Sunday Two Stores. WarHiouses ami Sales Stables Burn; l„oss $*laoov Ration Board j Approximately (i5 tires were allot ted in this county last Friday night: Grade 1 tires were issued to the following: Polly Williams, W. A. Brown, T. 11. Slade, Arthur Johnson, .1 W. Per kins, Lt. Marvin T Roberson, A. P. Hyman, Kelly Rawls, J. A. James, J. ■ 11. Smith, J .1 Williams, James Rob- I ert Wynne, Annie C, Glasgow, Al phonza Kittle, Krnesl I). Edmondson, John E. Mobley, W H. Britton, Nar len Yarrell, Jesse Clark, M. S. Cow an, W !!. Gurganus, Edward Bul lock, G. R. Taylor, S J. Lilley, Guil lord Brown, Julius Daniel, Hugh B. Ward, Corti z Green, Mamie G. Grif fin, C. O. Pi ice, Charlie Lloyd, Ther mal! Griffin, Benjamin E Griffin, R. O. Purvis, Claude Simmons, Thomas (). Clay, J. Frank Margolis, Russo I i Knox, Norman Bowen, Adele I! Tetterton, George A. Harris, J S. Crandell, Garland Whitley, Her bert T. Taylor, Johnnie Bland, Itob e11 Jones, Annie I., Roberson, Dew ey George Adams, Mack Cherry, Mrs. Ella Taylor, D. Andrew Griffin, C. O. Edwards, Arthur Brown, John A. Gi iffin. Trial tires were released: Russell Williamson, H. T High smith, J. C Norris, W G. Peele, V. L Roberson. Total of $f).T)K 06 Is Raised and Reported Up Until Last Night -c?) Chairman Believes Drive Can Be Completed Latter Part Of Current Week With $5,555.06 already raised and reported, the annual Red Cross War Fund drive is on its last lap and will likely reach and pass the $6,600.00 quota in this, the Martin County Chapter before the end of this week. The canvass is recognized as com plete in two townships, Bear Gras and Griffins, and is almost complete in Williamston. According to the latest report coming from Jamesville the drive is nearing its goal there, but only $300 has been reported to date. No report has been received fron' Williams, but it is understood that* H„»„,ii'i' ugn progressing there, one or two communities in tin' district having already exceeded their assigned quotas. Only one re port has been submitted by the leaders handling the canvass among the colored citizens. Woolard’s School, with a quota of $60, yester day reported $66.68. A few colored citizens made their donations to white canvassers, boosting the to tal to $75.03 for credit o nthe $1,000 quota accepted by the colored cit izens in the chapter’s five town ships. Reports from the local school are not complete, but advance informa tion indicates that the grammar grade pupils will establish an all time record with their response to the current call. Up until yesterday, the grammar school had raised and reported approximately $382.00, one grade, Miss Elliott’s fourth, account ing for more than $60 of the amount. According to Chairman V. J Spivey, the drive stands as follows: District Jamesville Williams Griffins Macedonia Bear Grass Williamston Woolards School Others (junta Amt Raised $ 600.00 $ 300.00 150 mi 450.00 450.00 3,950.00 60.00 940.00 $ 578.80 10.00 535.75 4,055.48 60.68 8.35 $6,600.00 $5,555.06 From the above figures it is seen that Griffins exceeded its quota by $128.80, Bear Grass by $85.75, Wil liamston by $105 48 with five can vassers, including the high school, yet to report, and Woolard’s by $6.68. The names below are those of con | tributors in Bear Grass Township, the first district in the chapter to j submit a complete report Other con tributions will be acknowledged just as soon as they can be put in type. Part of the Beat Grass list was pub , lished last week. | Mrs. Bill Harrison, Mrs. Henry i White, Jr, and Sam 11. Mobley, | canvassers: Bill Leary, $1; Alonza | Revels, $1 ; Jay Price, $2; J. R. j Cherry, $2, W. M. Harrison, $5; S. II Mobley, $5, Mr. and Mrs. Edmond | Harris, $4, Haney Taylor, $1; Lewis j Taylor, $1, W L. Mobley, $1; E. B. Peele, $1; J. S Price, $1; Mr. and Mrs. Henry White, Jr., $2; A. L. Hardy, $5, Mrs. Mack Leggett, $2; Chesley Jones, $2; Eli Bowen, $1; Sidney Beaeham, $5; Mr. and Mrs. J. C. Rawls, $5; Mrs. Edna Rawls (Continued on page six) Says He Is Happy To Go To School —$— Writing from .somewhere in Hol land a short time ago, Bruce Whit ley stated that he certainly did re gret leaving Belgium where he had a fairly good home “as homes go in the Army.” “When we arrived in Holland there just wasn’t any place to be found large enough for us to move ih We had to stay in tents with snow for a floor in nearly zero weather. And was that rough. I had a sleep ing bag and six blankets and then I was cold, not enough to freeze, but enough to be miserable. I just could not get my feet warm except when 1 got up and walked around Now, we are in a building. It is a school house and pretty nice at that. I was never so glad to go to school before in my life. It looked like a palace to me, and last night I slept like a king, compared to the two nights before." The censor got hold of the letter at that point and ripped it almost to pieces. Calf Killed On Highway Near Jamesville Friday A small ralf owned by Wm. Hop kins, Jamesville Township farmer, ! was killed last Frid.'ty teen in g about a o’clock when he strayed into the path of Ronald Nichols’ car about three miles below JamesviUe on Route t>4. No one was hurt and dam age to the ear was estimated at about $100 by Patrolman W. E. Saun deis who investigated the accident.