North Carolina Newspapers

NEARLY 4,000 COPIES OF THE ENTERPRISE GOING INTO THE HOMES OF MARTIN COUNTY AND TO COUNTY SERVICEMEN THE ENTERPRISE NEARLY 4,000 COPIES OF THE ENTERPRISE GOING INTO THE HOMES OF MARTIN COUNTY AND TO COUNTY SERVICEMEN VOLUME XLVIII—NUMBER 50 Williamslon, Martin County, North Carolina, Friday. Juno 22. 1945. ESTABLISHED 1899 Young County Man r3®s~ ftrPareinis" On Day of Victory Theron Gurganus Tells About Massacre of 32,000 Men Ahead of Americans In a letter written to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. W. D. Gurganus, RFD 1, Williamston, on V-E Day, Theron Gurganus tells about the celebration at his post in Germany and other shocking events just before victory. His letter follows: “THE WAR IS OVER. I guess you are one happy man now that Hitler is dead and the war is over in the ETO. Just about everyone here is celebrating tonight but me. I am down at the office right now at 9:15 at night. I am in charge of quarters tonight and my job is just to stay here and answer the phone and give information to soldiers who come in here. I just have to stay here til 10:00. I guess I will have to hurry if I expect to finish this letter by then. Yes, the War is over in Ger many and I'm telling you there is a happy bunch of soldiers over here. A fellow just came in here and I gave him a permit to go to a ware house here and get some cognac (whiskey). I am the only one in the whole detachment here that does not drink. Things have really been happening fast m the past few weeks. Everybody thought that Htiler and his SS supermen could hold off our soldiers forever down m Austria, Czechoslovakia and northern Italy. And our soldiers went through these places so fast that there Wasn't any fun to it. When they captured Mun ich, I didn't even know that they were even close to the place A Rus sian Lieutenant was just in here to confer with the officers here about the Russian forced laborers. That was about an hour ago. I had to call up the officers from their houses and tell them to come down here. The lieutenant certainly did seem to be a nice man and he was very kind. "I heard you say one time when I i was home that you just wanted to live long enough to see the time that Hitler was overwhelmed and killed. I hear that he committed sui cide but it could be a lot of bull. He | might possibly pull such a stunt to get away. If he did dp such a thing though, our men will catch up with him. I didn’t know that we had so many agents here in Germany in ci vilian clothes but there are oodles of them and they are the smartest men in the world. They really have to be smart just to live in this coun try under Hitler rule. I’m telling you Hitler had things sewed up while he ruled. Every person in the country of Germany from 16 years on up had to register and get a pass book. If anyone was picked up without one of these books they were either put in a concentration camp or shot as a spy. A woman came in here the other day and told us that her hus band had turned her in to the Ges tapo and they put her in a concen tration camp. What she wanted here ! was for us to get her husband and put him under the same treatment. I just don’t see how some of these Germans can be so cruel and violent. In a prison camp not so far from here, the Germans killed 32.000 for eign laborers just before the Ameri- ] cans took over the place. We have some pictures of it and it certainly looks horrible. It looks like I might have to move from this place unless some plans have changed. We are in territory now that Russia is suppos ed to take over. I will stop for now. I hope this finds you and everyone else just fine.” Wounded Soldier Returns To States ——*— Painfully wounded in the battle for Okinawa on May 18, Pvt. Ken-1 neth H. Roberson, young Martin . County man, was flown to the States ; last week and is now entering the Newton D. Baker Hospital, Martins burg, West Virginia, where he will undergo treatment and possibly an operation. His brother, Hoke S. Rob erson, visited him in Richmond Wed nesday and found him in good spir its and getting along very well. Struck in the jaw by a mortar shell that fell short, Pvt. Roberson lost all his upper teeth and vision in his right eye was impaired. Placed aboard a hospital ship, the young man was removed to a Pacific base where he was transferred to a hos pital plane and flown to California on June 11. He was then flown to Richmond, reaching there last Tues day for a short stay before going to West Virginia. Mail will reach the young man at Ward 211, Newton D. Baker Hospital, Martinsburg, W. Va. Pvt. Bruce Lambert Peel, anoth er Martin County young man who was also wounded, on Okinawa, is on his way home. -e Hamilton Store Has Hi# Opening Last Friday Burned out by a destructive fire last March, the Johnson Mercantile Company remodeled the old Pippen store in Hamilton and held a big opening there last Friday. Hundreds were present for the event. Daily Vacation Bible School_ 1b Present Program Tonight The union daily vacation Bible school will hold its commencement exercises in the local Baptist church tonight at 8 o'clock, marking the close of a very successful two weeks' term. A varied program, demon strating the typical daily activities of the schools during the two weeks the school has been in progress, will be presented by the nearly 200 pu pils. The children, showing unusual in terest in the school this year, are anxious to have their parents pres ent for the program which will fea ture the junior-intermediate choir TRANSFERRED 1 —----—_/ Petty Officer 2/c Jack Bailey, local youth, was recently trans ferred to the Pacific Theater of War after serving twenty-two months with the Atlantic Fleet and making ten trips to England, Ireland and France. Wounded Youth Is Visiting Relatives —». After undergoing treatment in Waiter Reed Hospital .Washington, D. C., for some time, Pfc. Deimus W. Clark, son of Mr. and Mrs. Roy Clark of Cross Roads Township, re turned home last Friday for his first visit with his parents since he went overseas approximately nine months ago. Pvt. Clark received wounds in his right arm and chest. The wound in his chest affected one lung and he has been “tapped” several times in order to draw the fluid from within and from around the lung. The nerves extending from his right arm to his finger tips were severed by the wound. Two fingers still have no feeling in them and as the nerves grow back through the fingers, Pvt. Clark says he experiences consider able pain. Bmploymnil Office Extends Its Services —*— Mis. Alvis R. Jordan, manager of the United States Employment office at Williamston, announces that reg ular weekly visits will be made to centers in Bertie County and to Rob prsonville effective at once. Mrs. Jordan pointed out that Mrs Frances B. Harrell, formerly of the Green- J ville office, had been assigned to this county and that with the increased personnel the service could be ex tended. A representative of the office will be in Robersonville each Thursday afternoon at 2 o’clock. Full office operations will be provided at the itinerant points and the public is invited to use the facilities either at Robersonville or in the office at Wil liamston. -« John K. Pool Continues Very III in Raleigh Hospital Mi. John R. Peel, local citizen, continues quite ill in a Raleigh hos pital, late reports stating that he will receive a blood transfusion during the week-end. His condition show ed some improvement earlier in the week, and it was thought he would be able to return home today or to morrow. However, he hasn’t been getting along very well since that time and it will be several more days before he’ll be able to return home. Mrs. Peel came home today to spend a couple of days. WOOL POOL f _' The second cooperative wool pool was maintained here on Wednesday and Thursday of this week, farmers making deliver ies to the pool from Greene, Hyde, Beaufort, Craven, Pitt, Edgecombe, Nash, Halifax, Pam lico, Chowan and Martin Coun ties. No report on the deliveries could be had immediately, but the poundage this year will hard ly exceed the 17,469 pounds han dled by the pool here last year. of 75 voices The complete program follows: Call to worship hymn, scripture, motto. Prayer. Hymn of school. Pledges to the Bible and flag. Offering (For world relief). Solo, Julian Mason. Beginner demonstration. Special music by Junior-Intermed iate choir. Junior program. Primary program. Play: “Faith," by Intermediates. Benediction. Choral response by Intermediates. Pfe. Ernest Capps Did Not Celebrate Victory in Europe Too Many BiulHirs Had Made Tin* Supreme Saerifiee For Wild Cheering The following letter from Pfc. Ernest P. Capps, Martin County young man, was received a few days ago: It has been some time since I wrote to The Enterprise, but I have seen so many interesting letters from my fellow-soldiers in “our” paper, I can’t resist the temptation. First, I’d like to say that I am receiving The Enterprise regularly, and enjoy it very much. I read Bennie Weaver’s letter, and I think he made his job sound easier than it really is, I know the job our medics did over here, and I'm sure the Pacific job is just as tough. Personally, I wouldn’t be a front line medic for anything. At least, I can shoot back at those dirty skunks. I was sorry to read that my old pal, Leonard Holliday, had been wounded. He and I attended high school together, were inducted to gether, and came overseas on the same ship, the Queen Mary. It was a joyless day when We said goodbye in Guroc, Scotland. Believe me, it isn't easy to part from a life-long friend, doubting if you will ever meet again. I think his letter pub lished in The Enterprise, was a very realistic sketch of front line duty. I think any front line doughboy will vouch for me whene J say it is real ly “The Valley of the Shadow of Death.” It has made many men, in cluding myself, pray to God for safe ty and care. There is nothing that touches a man's heartstrings so much as a buddy’s last words of, “Give ’em hell, fellows.” Yes, V E Day was a day of thanks in this outfit, the 80th Inf. Division. Believe me, there was no wild-eyed ye lling, and “shooting up the place.” We just sit around talking, or sleep ing. We lost a lot of real pals along the way, including the best CO in the Army. We probably could have cele brated. but there were too many things to occupy our minds. Besides our lost comrades, we knew that the boys over in the Pacific were still slugging, and the bond of brother hood of fighting men is too great to be forgotten during even such a great victory. Wait until the Japs join the Jerries in saying, “Uncle”, then we will show you a real cele bration. In the meantime, let’s all thank God for the European victory, and say a “Prayer for the boys over (Continued on page four) Compromise $25,000 ^Damage Suit in the Superior Court Here Rental Case Traceable Direct ly to Critical Housing Shortage Locally —-.it, . . The $25,000 damage suit growing out of a bus-truck accident at Beth el on April 16, 1944, was compromis ed in the Martin County Superior Court this week when the plaintiffs, Mrs. Ruth Vivian Whitaker and her husband, S/Sgt. Chas. Whitaker, a» cepted $10,000 less medical bills and fees. Before the court would recognize the settlement, Dr. V. E. Brown was called as a witness. He explained that Mrs. Whitaker’s injuries con sisted mainly of three fractures of the right tibia and right fibula, bruises and lacerations of scalp and right knee and shock. The victim of the accident was in hospitals eight months and continues to need medi cal care. While her recovery has been fairly satisfactory on the whole it has been slow and it is possible that it may be necessary in the future for one of the fractures to be reduced and straightened and a silver band put around tli break. The court ap proved a medical bill for $2,800 and allowed the plaintiff’s attorney a fee of $750. Other civil cases handled by the court: In the case of H. H. Cowen against C. E. Jenkins, the court appointed A. Corey and John Parker, survey ors, to make a survey of land boun daries in dispute. A surveyor had been appointed previously, but the Army got him before the task could be handled. Reflecting the critical housing shortage existing here, a case was brought by Mrs. Edna Laughing house against H. D. Carter to get possession of an apartment. The de fendant would move, but he has no place to move to. The situation is similar in several other cases. By order of the court, the rent was fixed at $25 for June, July and August, the defendant to pay the costs and va cate the property on or before Sep tember 1st. The case of James Arthur Adams against Sylvia Rose Adams was set-' tied by agreement, the court find-' ing that the defendant is entitled to a tract of land at Kader’s Eddy on Roanoke River, and ordered that the land be sold for division. A survey was ordered in the case of Mrs. J. T. Barnhill against J. S. Whitman. A. Corey was directed to make the survey of boundary lines (Continued on page four) FIRST CURINGS ) The first tobacco curings of the year were reported in the Kobersonville and Goose Nest areas this week, the special work marking the beginning of one of the busiest seasons of the year for the farmer. Farmer Fate Smith harvested a small barn of tobacco near Robersonville last week, and yesterday Farmers L. H. Hux, Joe Ayers and Minton Beach started the task in the Oak City section. The outlook for the crop is unusually bright, and with fav orable weather during the re mainder of the growing season, quality of the leaf should be possibly better than it was last season. Total Property Values in Martin County Despite a marked reduction in the normal gain in personal property values for 1945 over those of 1944 and in the face of a ban on new building construction, total property values in the county this year are $393,337 greater than those for 1944, according to a report recently re leased by County Tax Supervisor M. Luther Peel. The gain of less than half a million dollars shows a check in the marked upward trend in assessed property values. At the same time the gain does not reflect the allegedly high prices paid for real estate in the county during the past months. The combined real and personal property values were increased from $13,636,518 last year to $14,029,855 in 1945, exclusive of corporation listings which have not been certified to the county by the powers that be in Raleigh. Every township in the county reported valuation gains except one. Robersonville led the list with the largest gain for combined real and person al property values, but Jamesville more than offset that individual district increase. Despite the apparent check in the upward trend in property values, the tax structure for the county presents about the best tax picture ever seen in this county. It is reasonable to believe that the corporation listings will boost the total to approximately sixteen million dollars. The figures be low show combined values for the years 1944 and 1945, gains or losses and percentage varia tions by race for the several townships. 1944 iiJamesvUle $ 2,073,625 Williams 337,131 Griffins 709,782 Bear Grass 686,165 W’iiliamsldn 3,190,765 Cross Roads 640,659 Robersonville 2,252.216 Poplar Point 369,877 Hamilton .970,-159 Goose Nest 1,212,253 $12,442,632 *—Denotes decrease. While 1945 Gain $ 1,815,243 $258,382* 355.265 18,134 731,336 21,554 697.265 11,100 3,339,619 148,854 658,241 17,582 2,494,489 242,273 379.347 9,470 1,005,072 - 34,913 1,233,180 20,907 $12,709,037 $266,405 Pci. *12.4 05.3 03.3 01 6 04.6 02.7 10.7 02.6 ■ 03.6 01.7 02.1 $ 1944 154,495 45,797 27,355 44.034 227,129 48,167 222,043 14 070 133,737 277,059 $1,193,886 Colored 1945 $ 159,325 53,700 31,599 47,399 264,507 49,593 262,643 17,024 147,564 287,464 $1,320,818 $ Gain 4,830 7,903 4,244 3,385 37,378 1,426,, 40,600 2,954 13,827 10,405 $126,932 Pci. 03.1 17.2 15.5 07.6 16.4 02.9 18.2 20.9 i 0.4 03.7 10.6 Superior Court Ends Term on Wednesday i GRADUATES Joseph Robert Winslow, Jr., son of Mr. and Mrs. joe R. Winslow of this county, was re cently graduated from the Unit ed States Naval Academy, An napolis, Maryland. Maintaining an honor scholastic record while in the Academy, Ensign Wins low is believed to be the second Martin County man to receive his commission there. Announce Additions To School Faculties —«— Despite a critical teacher shortage, school authorities are making some progress in filling positions made vacant by resignations in several of the county faculties. Mr. Jesse R. Rhue of Morehead City has been elected to succeed J. W. King as principal of the James vilie schools. Mr. Rhue, a graduate of the University of North Carolina, has taught in the public schools for a number of years and was recently principal of the Sunnyview school in Polk County. He is a married man and all of his children are grown. Mr. King, tendering his resignation a short time ago, did not reveal his future plans. Miss Charlotte Sasser of Ml. Olive has been elected to fill one of the two eighth grade positions in the lo cal schools. Miss Sasser taught at Oak City about four years ago and more recently was a member of the faculty at Rose Hill. Miss Mildred Byrum of Edenton will teach the sixth grade, leaving only two posi tions — eighth grade and public school music — vacant in the local schools. Miss By rum was a member of the Whiteville school faculty last term. Elections have been held in most of the other schools, but they have not been announced. Motor Vehicle line Stamps On Sale At Post Offices -— Made available earlier this month, motor vehicle use stumps or the lit tle $5 windshield stickers are not selling very fast, according to un official reports heard here today. The stamps are to he bought and placed on windshields on or before July 1st. Seven Divorces Are Granted and Several Civil Cases Cleared • _,N_ I rial *»f Drunken Driving eases Features Proeeed insfs of eourt This Week After Hearing the criminal docket and handling a few civil cases, the Martin County Superior Court brought the short term to a close last Wednesday evening shortly be fore seven o'clock. The court at tracted very little attention from the general public and no sensational or big cases were on the criminal dock et. The trial of drunken driving cases featured the trial of the criminal 'h'H.-.rt, and it was fairly apparent that jury verdict'' inert thi jv/.irncv of the court In a third case after two defendants were adjudged not gutl ty. Judge Q. K. Nimocks, presiding officer, delivered a stern charge to the jury and a conviction followed, spectators expressing the opinion that tin1 State did not have as strong a case as it did in at least one of the other two. Solicitor George Foun tain, newly appointed and serving in that position for the third week, pleaded with the jury in the third drunken driving case, urging the twelve men to examine their con sciences and act accordingly. “I have done my duty, and my conscience is clear when it comes to trying to up hold law and order,” he declared. Most of the cases were vigorously contested, and Solicitor Fountain, de spite hard work, lost several of them. One defendant, drawing a clear ticket, was said to have consoled him when he was quoted as saying, ‘T got by you, but maybe you’ll hook the next one." Solicitor Fountain yanked a few jurors early in the term, and when he lost 11 is next case, he yanked some more and scored. Proceedings not previously re ported are, as follows: Charged with drunken driving, Sam Godard was found not guilty by the following jury: Arrington Hale, W. 11 Carstarphen, I). L. Sim mons, Dillon Cobb, J. A. Roebuck, B. A. Rodgers, James Hyman Clark, George and Ollie Keel, S. A Perry, R. Sherrod Corey, Noah Rhodes Har dison, The jury, apparent'y divided at first, debated the case for about three-quarters of an hour, W Jackson Holliday, charged with drunken driving, was adjudged guil ty by the following jury: Arrington Hale, Cager Perry, 1). I„ Simmons, Dillon Cobb, James Oscar Daniel, J. D. Bowen, James Hyman Clark, George and Ollie Keel, S. A. Perry, R. Sherrod Corey and Noah Rhodtts Hardison. The defendant was fined $50 and taxed with the costs. His li cense to operate a motor vehicle was revoked for one year. Leslie Roberson, former Pitt County man who was charged with assaulting his wife with intent to kill, pleaded not guilty. At the end of the state’s evidence, he pleuded guilty of assaulting a female, in flicting serious injury. The plea was accepted, and the defendant was sen tenced to tl*fl' roads for twelve months. Solicitor Fountain could make very little progress in his questioning of the attack victim, and Judge Nimocks told the defendant that he had a better wife than she had a husband. The case charging N. S. Godard with an assault was continued. A mistrial resulted in the case in which Prince White was charged with disposing of mortgaged prop erty. George Garland “Bill" Hoell, charged with bastardy, pleaded guil ty and was sentenced to the roads for six months. The road term was suspended on condition he pay $151 to Nellie Marine Roberson, prosecut ing witness, and $25 each month un til further orders from the court. If the defendant fails to comply with the judgment, he is to start serving the road sentence The man was still in jail yesterday. In the case charging James E. Godard and Jesse Tommie Moore with the larceny of an automobile, Godard pleaded guilty and was sen tenced to the roads for two years, the court suspending the sentence upon the payment of the costs. The defendant is not to operate a motor vehicle for three years and he was placed on probation for five years. ( OVER THE TOP "\ I With a quota of $11,300, Goose Nest yesterday went over the top in the current Seventh War I.oan Drive, Township Chair man John Hassell announced. Completing an extensive canvass and after making urgent appeals, the young chairman came here yesterday w'th a pocketful of applications for “E” bonds. No official report could be had, but the chairman estimat ed that the district had gone ov er the top with about $?,000 to spare. Goose Nest is the fourth district in the county to exceed its “E” bond «uota. Local Youth Writes Of Narrow Escape On Bombing Mission Engine Went Bad, Com pass Froze ami Had in Went Out in Blinding Storm (The following story by Lt. Rob ert J. Levin, son of Mr. and Mrs. M. M. Levin, of Wiiliamston, was writ ten shortly before V-E Day and tells of a narrow escape nine men had while on a bombing mission.) An Eighth Air Force Liberator Station, England — (Delayed) — There's little connection between a popular fox trot and nine men’s lives, but the crew of B-24 Libera tor "Puss 'N Boots,” piloted by Lt Willis K. Prater of Jefferson City, Tenn., and myself will he only too glad to trace the simile for you, if asked. Members of the crew are attach ed to Col. Lorin L. Johnson’s 392nd Heavy Bombardment Group, one of the older units of Second Air Divi sion commanded by Major Gen. Wil liam E. Kepner. This group was re cently awarded the Distinguished Unit Citation for successfully bomb ing armament works at Gotha, Ger many, in the face of heavy enemy opposition. After three briefings that failed to materialize, "Puss N Boots” pi lot and copilot gave the throttle to 30 tons of Liberator and a short ton of unseasoned crewmen. Tit is was the crew’s first mission, and they were going to Heilbronn—sprawling mar shalling yards far into southern Germany. Oldtimers called it a “Cook’s tour of the Rhineland” and warned them to nurse the gas and spare the horses. All went well on the long climb over the channel until the forma lion turned sharply towards the en emy coast preparatory to making the crossing over southern France. The waist gunners, Staff Sergeants James Uealy of 1312 Tuscaloosa Avenue, Birmingham, Ala., and Stanley Kegler of 344 South Main, Romeo, Mich., were first to notice it: A steady bubbling of oil that was blown over the engine, coating the tail a syrupy black. The pilots were notified immediately and promised the crew to watch all instruments carefully. Five minutes of flying were punctuated by the tail gunner, Staff Sergeant Daniel Deshantz of 4410 Woolslayer Way, Pittsburg, Pennu., telling the pilots that the oil had covered the tail and was even “dripping off the back." Oil pressure- first sign of engine fail ure had dropped 10 points. “Puss 'N Boots” responded sluggishly to her controls. Technical Sergeant Les ter J. Lawrence, 2333 Noble Street, West Lawn, Penna., engineer of the bomber, boosted power on the re maining three engines at a terri fic cost of gas in order to prevent the plane from straggling out of formation over enemy territory. Trouble really came in bunches with “Bombs away.” After crossing the line, the gas gauges showed barely enough for two hours flying. Upon attempting to notify the lead plane of their de rision to drop out of formation and land for refueling m France, the radio transmitter was found to be inoperative. The navigator, Lt. Wil liam Qilcher, Burlington, Kans., was asked to gel a fix o that the plane could be flown to the nearest field. He reported that his position find er was not working attributing that mishap to the same gremlin that had fouled the radio- and directed them to let down slowly on their present course until they broke through the cloud layer. While the (Continued on page four) Educator To Appear For Shaw University —®— Raymond W. Cooper, educator minister, will appear in the Shiloh Baptist Church on Elm Street here Sunday night at 8 o’clock in the interest of Shaw University’s new development program. Dr. Cooper comes to this State from New York in the interest of Negro Christian Education, having been given a leave of absence by the Northern Baptist Convention which sponsors 44 white and 11 Negro colleges. llis subject will be, ’ The Grand est Story Ever Told,” and it has at tracted wide comment in other sec tions of the State where similar serv ice programs have been held. Several of the Negro congrega tions are calling off their scheduled services that evening to attend the special program in the Shiloh Bap tist Church. The public is cordially invited. Painfully Hurt In Fall From Car Hera Tuesday Charles Banks, three-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. W. R. Banks, was painfully but not seriously hurt when a door came open and he fell out of an automobile at the corner of Main and Smithwick Streets here last Tuesday night. Tiie little fellow was skinned and slightly bruised, but no bones were broken. He was treated in the hos pital.