North Carolina Newspapers

NEARLY 4,000 COPIES OF THE ENTERPRISE GOING INTO THE HOMES OF MARTIN COUNTY AND TO COUNTY SERVICEMEN THE ENTERPRISE NEARLV <3,000 COPIES OF THE ENTERPRISE GOING INTO THE HOMES OF MARTIN COUNT'S AND TO COUNTY SERVICEMEN VOLUME XLVIII—NUMBER 39 Williamson, Martin County, North Carolina, Tuesday, May 15, 1915. ESTABLISHED IK99 Initial Reports On Bond Sales in This County Favorable Purchases Mu-J MhHp on i^arge Scale If the $745, OOO Quota Is Met Preliminary reports on the sale of Seventh War Loan bonds were de scr bed as very encouraging by D. V. Clayton, county chairman for the drive, today. No detailed report on the first-day sales yesterday could be had. but a goodly number of per sons who do not have to be told that the war will not be over until Japan is licked, invested several thousand dollars in the special government se curities on the first day of the drive. Plans for rallies in the various dis tricts have not been announced, but several are being considered. During the meantime, individuals are earn estly urged to maintain the momen tum of the drive from day to day until the quota is reached between now and June 30. Martin County has been assigned a $745,000 over-all quota, an increase of $45,000 over the amount allotted the county as its share of the sixth war loan drive last November-De cember. Just about one-half of tne quota, or $371,000, the citizens are asked to invest in “E” bonds. The order is no small one, but It is a well established fact that no one will have to sacrifice one fraction as much as many boys from this county have already sacrificed to meet the challenge. If the sacrifice seems great, just stop and think of the forty-five Martin County young men who have laid down their lives for their country, the twenty-two reported missing, and the suffering experienced by the 78 wounded There’s a young man just recently back from Germany with a bad shoulder. He may be able to regain use of it or he may not. There’s an other young man just back from ov erseas. Both feet froze while he was helping fight back the enemy on the Western Front. He has no feet now. Then there are those other county lads with an arm or leg missing. It is possible that many Martin citizens will see one or more of these young men before the Seventh War Bond drive is ended. But should they hobble around unnoticed, isn’t it enough to know that so many have made such great sacrifices that to raise $745,000 should be handled with the greatest of ease by the peo ple at home? There aren't but very few people in this county that can’t manage to invest $30 or more on an average in war bonds between now and the last of June. The patriotism of strikers has been questioned. Can we be classed as patriots if we ignore or fail the task at hand, to give up all pleasures and some necessities if necessary to meet the solemn obli gation. Just remember that the war isn’t over, that there is no accepta ble excuse for resting on the oars until Japan is conquered. Buy a bond today and show the boys who are already in the far Pacific and those who are yet to go there that their county is with them in the fight until the end and they come marching home. Bonds are on sale at all count banks and post offices -* County Young Man Wounded In Action —*— Sgt. Jos. Elmer Griffin was wound ed in action for the second time in Germany on April 15, according to a message received by his father, Mr. Jos. S. Griffin of Bear Grass Township, last Friday afternoon. The young man was wounded in the head last October 12 by a bursting shell. Writing to his father under date of May 1 and telling about his sec ond wound, the young man said: “Jerry did not think one week’s rest was enough for me so he fixed it so I could come back again. It’s nothing serious this time; in fact, it isn’t as bad as it was the first time. I was hit by pieces of shell in my right shoulder and cheek. The lucky part of it is it missed hitting the bone at both places. The pieces of shell have been removed and I am getting along fine with the exception of be ing sore, especially in my shoulder which makes it a bit hard to write.” After commenting briefly on the cold weather they were having, the young man extended greetings to the family and friends. -* Woman Badly Hurt By Glancing Bullet —#— Mrs. Joe Whitaker was painfully but believed not seriously hurt when she was accidentally shot in the hip as she walked along the old Green ville Road near the State Highway Prison Camp about two and one-half miles from here last Sunday morn ing. Removed to the loeafftospitai, she was reported to be getting along very well today. Guards and the assistant super intendent of *he prison camp were having target practice. The assistant superintendent fired a .22 calibre rifle and the bullet glanced and struck Mrs. Whitaker who was walk ing the opposite direction in which the guards were shooting. County Tobacco Crop Outlook -fmprtrcetl-by4i7tt}yn Weather } Battered by winds and hammered iby cold weather tor several weeks, the tobacco crop in this county show ed new signs of life over the week end with the approach of warmer weather. Farmers, questioned this week, declared that their crops show ed more improvement from Satur day through Monday than they had during just about all the remainder of the season up until that time. Even though transplanting, as a whole, has been much further ad vanced this season than at any time in recent years, the crop has made very little progress. Plants placed in the field back during the early part of April look very little better than those transplanted in early May. A few crops have made sufficient growth to permit cultivation, but the plants in most cases have remain ed almost dormant. The few farmers who are just now transplanting have chances about equal to th«ft who transplanted in early April for a good crop. Possibly with anything like favorable seasons, they will get a better stand and a more uniform crop. It is generally believed that transplanting will be completed in its entirety this week in the county. Troubled by cut worms, winds and cold weather, numbers of plants died among the early plantings, and farmers transplanted entire fields for the second time in some cases. Others have reset their fields as many as two or three times in an effort to get a stand. Now that warm weather is believ ed here to stay, the crop with a few showers to aid it is expected to show continued improvement. FAST TRAVELER ^-- J Writing to his parents, Mr, and Mrs. E. Hoyt Manning, RFD 1, Wil liamston, under Sate of April 18, Pvt. Eli H. Manning, Jr., said: "Today one month ago I came up on the front lines. It seems like a year instead of one month. “I left the States the last day of February and in eighteen days I was on the front lines. All the way across the Atlantic, then across Scot land, England, France, Luxembourg and part of German in only eighteen days. That was some traveling, and I am still going. I am with the Third Army, 90th Division. The kitchen finally caught up with us so we have had one more hot meal, and a change of clothes which we needed very badly.’’ The young man said he was in good health, that he missed being home, and expressed the hope that he’d being seeing all soon. Wounded In Action. Youth Comes Home Wounde'd in the right arm and right leg in action in Germany last March 6, Pvt. Dewey Stalls has been returned to the States after under going treatment in an Army hospi tal in England. The son of Mr. and Mrs. John Stalls, RFD 1, Oak City, the young man is now stationed in a government hospital at Swanna noa, near Asheville, and is getting along very well. His wife, the former Miss Vivian Bland, and their small daughter art making their home in Hassell for the duration. Pvt. Stalls entered the service on August 22, 1944, and went overseas the early part of this year. Thieves Clean Out Farm Smokehouse —«— Breaking open a padlock^ thieves entered Farmer Roy Ward’s smoke house on U. S. Highway No. 1? in Bear Grass Township some time last week and carried away twen ty-five choice hams and about thir ty nice shoulders. Officers are work ing on the case. Members of the family were in the smokehouse early in the week and when they returned Friday they discovered the big robbery. The thieves left the dooi shut, and it is not known when the meat was stol en. The robbery was one of the larg est reported in this county in recent months. f RAINFALL ] \ After showing improvement following unusually cold weath er, general crops in this county are being hampered by dry weather. Since March 30 only 1.63 inches of rain have fa ten in this immediate section. More than two-thirds of the rainfall was reported from March 30 to May IS, only .39 of one inch fall ing so far this month. The rainfall last month was the smallest on record for any April in this section. A. Morris Griffin | Dies In Williams Monday Afternoon j Funeral Services Will Be Held Near Home at 4 O’Clock This Afternoon —. A. Morris Griffin, retired farmer, died at his home in Williams Town ship on U. S. Highway No. 84 yester day afternoon at 1:35 o'clock follow- : ii.g a long period of declining health. Suffering a slight stroke about three years ago, he partially regained his health and was fairly active until 1 a second stroke some over a yeai 1 ago. Since that time he was very 1 feeble, but he was able to be up un- 1 ! til last Tuesday when he suffered 1 | a third stroke. His condition had been ; critical since that time, and the end ' was expected. 1 The son of the late Joshua and ] Vick Gardner Griffin, he was born ' in Williams Township 71 years ago * next August. His father died when 1 he was quite young and after work- * ing on the farm, he engaged in log 1 ging activities, working for many 1 years in the employ of the old Green- * lief-Johnson and Den*is Simmons 1 lumber companies When those com- \ panics suspended activities in this ' section, he returned to the farm 1 where he lived as a bachelor. Mr. ■ Griffin worked hard all his life, and s practiced thrift, and in his declin- f ing years he was independent. While 1 his accumulations were not large, he 1 had forged ahead in the world by 1 neglecting whims and fancies and without taking advantage of his fel- * lowman. His was an unpretentious 1 life, but he enjoyed the friendship ' of his neighbor and the basic ideals ^ found in truth and down-to-earth living. He was not a member of any ' church, but he generally attended ( services regularly somewhere as I long as he was in good health. * He is survived by one brother, ( Lawrence S. Griffin. ( The body is being moved from the * Biggs Funeral Home here this af- £ ternoon to the Gardner family ceme- r tery in Williams Township where Rev. W. B. Harrington, assisted by ( the Rev. Mr. Woods, will conduct the ' last rites at the graveside at four * o’clock. - t Youths Bound Over \ For Theft Of Auto ! —; Charged with the theft of Thurs ton Wynne’s car here last Saturday J night, James E. Godard, 17, and Jesse Tom Moore, 16, were given a pre- 1 liminary hearing before Justice J. £ L. Hassell here last evening and probable cause of guilt appearing, the two youths were bound over to f the superior court for trial during c the second week in June. Bond in 1 the sum of $200 was required of r both the defendants. After a ahort c stay in jail, the defendants were re- ^ leased. . Godard found the car and picked up Moore and the two were arrest- _ ed by Patrolman Scarborough in Windsor a few minutes later after a complete description of the car ' was flashed over the highway patrol j radio. %When placed in jail the boys ac cused each other of stealing the car. They were separated and Sun- - day, Godard proceeded to burn up his mattress and blanket and flood his cell and a county office under neath by tampering with the water works. --®——— Young Man Slightly Injured In Germany PJ^Delbert Leggett, Martin Coun ty young man, suffered a slight in jury in action in Germany on April 21, his mother, Mrs. John Leggett, RFD, Robersonville, was advised a few day" ago. Gone of his fingers injured, the young man said it was nothing to worry about, that he was receiving excellent care in an Army hospital in France. The ony thing worrying him was the delay in getting home. Pvt Rruce Whitley Takes Leave of W ar For Visit In Paris Long-Time Employe of The Enterprise Last Report ed in Belgium (Spending a few days’ leave in Paris, Pvt. Bruce Whitley, former employee of The Enterprise, con cludes his story of his stay in the ?ay city): “The Red Cross sponsors sight seeing lours, and after a hurried lunch we started out. Our first stop was Concord, a very large square with many streets entering it from dll directions of the city. We park ed in the center where there was a statue of solid granite about seventy five feet high. It was given to some French king by the King of Egypt, md it had quite a number of Egyptian symbols carved on it. The stone is about 5,000 years old. To he right is nothing but beautiful streets and markets. The shopping iistrict was built by Napoleon. On :he left is the Chamber of Deputies where, during the reign of King Louis V, 17,000 Frenchmen were bo lended. On the far side, the left aank of the Seine can be seen and he Houses of Parliament and Repre >c ii ictii vca. “The second stop was Etoile Square. Twelve avenues lead from t, and there’s the Arp de Triumph., :t is 160 feet hign and was built by sfapoleon in honor of his victories, 1806-1936. The tomb of the Unknown Soldier is there with a perpetual iglit that has been burning since 920. “The third stop was at a museum >r Troudero, The two buildings ire built in kind of an arc, the one m the right containing all types of irchitecture, and the one on the >ther side containing paintings, fine irts and all kinds of marine animals, t wanted to see the inside, but did Kit have time. It would take a nonth to walk through both build ngs, let alone observing very much hat is in them. Underneath both hese buildings is a grand concei t tall where the nobility of France mid their festival halls In front of he hall are beautiful lawns and ountains. Directly in front is the 2tna bridge over the Seine and in ront of that is the Effiel Tower. It s 889 feet high, including the flag iole it is 1,000 feet high. It was milt for experimental purposes in teel construction and for the world air exposition It surely did sur irise me when I got close to it. I lever did realize just how large it vas. “Our fourth stop was the French Military Academy which the Ger nans used for barracks when they /ere in Paris. It covers about seven docks. “Fifth stop was Ewailes Dome. It /as first known as St. Joseph's Ihurch. Here is the tomb of Na olepn. His remains are in six cas ets, two of lead, two of zinc, one of ak and one of mahogany. He has ine son and two brothers buried her". The Germans returned his on there in 1940 or '41, I don’t re nember which. “The next stop was the Latin iuarter. More than 40,000 students ive on this street and the great 'rench academies are there. “The seventh and last stop was he Notre Dame Cathedral. At the ntrance is a large rosette window r the center of two columns which re the end stones on the right and At of the edifice. Underneath the /indow there is a row of 28 kings, ’he cathedral is 700 years old and uilt on old Gothic styles. It is built n City Island started by the Gauls efore Christ. Work wasn’t begun i earnest until 1163 and it wasn’t ompieted until 1325 Most of the eautiful stained glass windows of he old style were taken down and laced in the church vaults until fter the war because their precious olors cannot be reproduced. There emain a few of the 16th and 17th entury windows in the back of the hurch, but they were very small. Ve were not allowed to cross in ront of the altar that day because f the exposition of the Crown of ’horns. Words just can’t describe he beauty of this altar. Napoleon /as crowned by the Pope there in 804. Joan d' Arc was martyred here, and a statue of her is on the eft side of the altar. It is claimed (Continued on page six) THE RECORD SPEAKS . . . For the second time in succes sion, motorists on Martin Coun ty highways traveled through another week without accident. In the 19th week of 1944 no high SSHR/ts were reported. The following tabulations of fer a comparison of the accident trend: first, by corresponding weeks in this year and Iasi and for each year to the present time. 19th Week Comparison Accidents loj’d Killed Dam’ge 1345 0 0 0 $ 000 1944 0 0 0 000 Comparison To Date 1945 . 21 11 3 $6100 1944 .19 0 1 3450 WAR WORK AS USUAL ON V-E DAY THESE TWO GIRLS, Bernice Tierney (left) and Rose Greco, take time out from their work at the Casco Co. plant at Bridgeport, Conn., to carry a •ign around the plant reminding their co-workers of the importance of staying on their jobs despite the reported announcement of Germany’s surrender. The plant turns out fuses for 4.2 mortars. (International) Thirty-Two County Men Enter Service —«>— Thirty-two Martin County men entered the armed services in April, according to official records just recently received by the draft board. Nineteen of the men were white. No report on the fifteen white men re porting for pre-induction examina tions on May 3 from this county has been received. A goodly number of colored men, possibly forty or more, have been instructed to report for pre-induction examinations later this week. Of the nineteen white men enter ing the service from the county on the 28th of last month, two, Andrew Jackson Modlin and Fred James Cal loway, were accepted hy the Navy. The Aitny accepted the following: William David Scott, Rupert Turner, Robert Lee Everett, Joseph Warren Martin, Livingston Earl Hyman, Wil liam Blaney Cowan, Jr., Donald Gil liam Matthews, Jr., James Henry Bunch, Jonah Mack Stalls, William Daniel Leggett, Roland McKinley Beddard, James Lloyd Moore, Sam uel Tim Jackson, Edward Earl Whit ley, Romas Taylor Griffin, Harold Rudolph Edmondson, Paul Hartwell Williams. Of the thirteen county colored men accepted for service on April 19, 1945, William Lawrence Everett, entered the Navy, and the following were accepted by the Army: Walter Barfield, Loon Lyons, John Davis Staton, Geo. Henry Lyons, Jr., John Lee James, Charlie Edward Davis, Isaiah Hill, Noah Huff, James Thos. Hilliard, Johnnie Pharrar Williams, Jonah Peel, J. C. Savage. Booker T Williams, passing his pro-induction test, was rejected when he reported for final induction. Reliable reports point to no mark ed decrease in the size of draft calls. Replacements will be called to re lieve the “old-times” in the service. 'tr Safe After Being Held A Prisoner Reported missing a few weeks ago, Sgt. James E. Taylor was held a pris oner of the Germans for eleven days, according to a letter received a few days ago by his wife, the former Miss Lillian Pollard, of near Roher sonville and RFD 1, Williamston. The county young man had previous ly been reported safe, but it was not learned until a few days ago that he was held a prisoner of the Nazis for eleven days, that American forces had liberated him. In the letter to his wife, he expressed the hope that he would soon be returning home. In a letter to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Luther Taylor, the young man told how glad he was to be back with his old outfit and stated that he was not treated “too bad by the Ger mans” while he was held prisoner. He added, however, “But I hope I don’t have to be with them any more.” Writing as of April 25, Sgt. Tay lor stated that he thought the war was about over, but asked that they continue to pray for him and his safe return home. SLIGHTLY WOUNDED V__ Sgt. II. Herman Rawls, radio operator on a 11-17, was slight ly wounded in action over Czechoslovakia on April 25, ac cording to a message received by his wife, RFD 1, Roberson - ville, from the War Department last week-end. No other details were offered by the message. Sgt. Rawls entered the service in September, 11142, and has been overseas for some months. Four Liquor Stills Wrecked in County Raiding in the northwestern sec tion of Roberson ville Township, ABC Officer J. II Roebuck and Dep uty Roy Peel had a busy day last Fri day. The officers wrecked four li quor plants and poured out eleven barrels of beer. Each one of the plants was cheap ly constructed and the beer was made from a pool grade of molasses. Three of the manufacturing units were located just back of Sting Point. Plant No. 1 was equipped with an oil drum still and two barrels of beer. No. 2 had a 30-gallon capacity drum still and two barrels of beer. Nos. 3 and 4 had 30-gallon capacity oil drums for stills and two and five barrels of beer respectively. The stills were the first captured in the county this month. The offi cers found and wrecked eleven illi cit distilleries in the county during April Local Hoy Likely To Lose Mis Foot Wounded in Italy Iasi February 7, Pfc. William C. Bunch, Jr., local col ored youth, is likely to lose his foot, his father, W. C Bunch, Sr., proprie tor of the Hotel Barber Shop here, was advised Iasi week. Complete de tail eould not he had immediately, but it is apparent that infection has set in and that Army doctors think it advisable to remove the limb just above the ankle. Pvt. Bunch was returned from ov erseas about ten days ago and after a brief stay in Charleston was tians ferred on a hospital train to Fort Dix, New Jersey. S ROUND-UP | vJ Local and county officers and highway patrolmen bad a fairly busy time last week-end when they rounded up and jailed sev en alleged violators of the law. Two were booked for disorder ly conduct, two were detained for the alleged theft of an au tomobile, and three were jail ed for public drunkenness. The ages of the group ranged from a low of sixteen to 47 years, and four of the seven were white. I Pacific \\ ar Tempo (Stepped i p: f ourth |Of Nagoya In Ruins i i ViiM*ri<-an« in Flanking \ii van«T to f’lisli on Toward Capital of Okinawa Hardly before the ink is dry on the European surrender, the tempo of the war in the Pacific is being stepped up. Superforts, numbering 500, attacked Nagoya, the Japs’ third largest city, yesterday morning and left one-fourth of the metropolis in ruins. The 500 B-29's dropped an estimated seven million pounds of fire bombs on the great industrial center. Despite the claim by the Japs that eight of the big planes had been shot down, official reports state that only two failed to make the return trip. And the devastat ing attack is just only the begin ning, reliable reports declaring that as many as 2.000 of the B-29’s could be expected by the Japs in due time. There was very little opposition to the raid, the largest in the Pacific war to date, and flak was weak. A1 ready air force commands are mov ing from the European area and while- the tempo of the Pacific fight is being gradually increased, a sweeping offensive is certain to fol low in a matter of a few months. The over-all strategy is to wipe out the munitions centers and destroy the enemy’s oil and other critical supplies, leaving the millions of sol diers to wither. After beating off a Jap landing on Okinawa, the Americans have staged a flanking movement of their own to drive on Naha, capital of Okinawa, from the enc-my's roar. The fight there has been a bloody and costly one. George Booker, a former Enterprise employee, now participating in his fifth major Pa cific campaign, declares the Japs an- entrenched half way to the States, that they arc- dug in and pro tected by large sliding steel doors. In his previous campaigns, he pick ed up and sent home souvenirs, but on Okinawa there’s nothing but dead Japs, and they aren’t fit for souvenirs, lie declared. Drives in other Pacific areas are making progress, and it is likely that the enlarged Allied forces will find ample bases for their opera tions by the- time they reach that theater. Back in Europe, chaos still reigns, hut the Allies are having a big field day rounding up the German war criminals. Himmler’s arrest, report ed last week, has not been confirm ed, but it was announced today that the- chic I of the gas chamber death program has been taken. The- world .slid looks longingly toward San Francisco, but the- out look for a lasting peace is not very bright there just now. The Germans are .-Jill surrender ing by the hundreds of thousands. Russia has accounted for one and a quarter million since V-K day last Tuesday. Thirty-five of the fifty German submarines loose a week ago have been accounted for, one of them surrendering to a Bertie Coun (Continued on page six) -—- ■■■■■■ Lt. J .A. Dunsmoor Visits Friends Here First Lieutenant John A. Duns moor, bomber pilot on the mission in which S/Sgt Jimmy Watts gave his life for his country over Italy last February 7, visited Mr. and Mrs. J. W Watts, Sr., here this week. Ac companied by his wife and mother, Lt. Dunsmoor just recently i etui li ed from overseas and was en route to Miami for reassignment. While here, the officer paid a fit ting tribute to the memory of Sgt. Watts. “More than once he endan gered his life in the performance of duty, and there’s no doubt but what he saved the lives of all of us on at least two missions,” Lt. Dunsmoor was quoted as saying. Sgt. Watts, ac cording to the officer, removed his parachute to crawl over open bomb doors to repair broken lines and keep the ship in the air. For this and other meritorious service he was to have been presented the Distin guished Flying Cross. The order for the award has been issued, accord ing to one report, but it has not come through as yet. Sgt. Watts was one of two men to jump from the plane. The chute of the crew member jumping just ahead of him opened just before he hit the ground. The crew member was badly bruised in the fall. Jim my’s pilot chute opened, but the main chute did not. One other member of the crew who did not have time to jump, was reported to have been thrown out •MMMMKh' hen ’ .e bomber crash ed. -® Corrections Made In Jury List For The June Court .<♦; In announcing the jury list drawn by the county commissioners last first Monday the name of D. L. Ses soms appeared instead of the name of D. L. Simmons, and R. Sherrod Corey, Griffins Township man, was left out.