NEARLY 4,000 COPIES OF THE ENTERPRISE GOING INTO THE HOMES OF MARTIN COUNTY •AND TO COUNTY SERVICEMEN THE ENTERPRISE NEARLY 4,090 COPIES OF THE ENTERPRISE GOING INTO THE HOMES OF MARTIN COUNTY AND TO COUNTS SERVICEMEN VOLUME XLVIII-—NUMBER 58 Williamslon, Martin County, North Carolina, Tuesday, July 21. 1945. ESTABLISHED 1899 f Story Of The One ml Hundred and First Airborne Division —— Brief Review of Daring Fart Handled by During Men \ In European Theater The story below offers a review of the daring work handled by dar ing men in the U. S. Army's 101st Airborne Division. It will be read with interest by all Americans and especially by local people because Lt. Billy Biggs, son of Mr. and Mrs. 3. Rome Biggs, of Williamston, and possibl yother Martin County boys are members of the 101st. Tne third installment of the story follows: Bastogne—“The Hole in the Doughnut” Less than two weeks after fight ing in Holland, the 101st was alert ed for another mission. At 2400, Dec. 17, unit commanders were told that Germans had broken through Allied lines, were rolling westward across Luxembourg and Belgium. The situation was tense. Many " American units had been overrun, others were staggering under the unexpected power of the Wehrmacht blowr. The 101st was ordered to move within 12 hours. Clerks, draftsmen and typists hur riedly were awakened. In the dim early morning hours, division, regi ment and battalion headquarters personnel raced to ready maps and vital information needed by the first groups before departure. Gen. Tay ^ lor was in Washington on urgent War Department business. Gen. Mc Auliffe was in command. Fighting men awoke at dawn. In some cases it was “Be ready to leave in four hours!” Others had more time. It was incredible yet true. Die well-deserved rest of the 101st was short. Men were needed. A1J fight ing equipment had been turned in. so Division supply room doors now _ swung open. “Take what you need ® and be sure you have enough. No forms to sign—no red tape— help yourself!” Every man quickly found equipment to transform him from a “resting” soldier tack to a veter an ready for combat. German objectives were Liege, Na mur. across the Meuse to Antwerp The plan which sent speeding Pan zer columns westward along Bel gium’s highways called for capture of Bastogne, vital hu b of a commun 0 icaticn network of seven highways three railroads. Seizure of Bastogne was imperative to insure develop ment of the German attack. Without the city, Germans could hardly hope to succeed. The 101st rolled to Bastogne in huge carrier trucks. Re-routing sometimes was necessary, but by (Continued on page six) -s, Teacher Shortage Continues Acute m « * r ——. The shortage of school teachers for the 1945-46 term in this count} continues acute, according to a re port just released from the office oi the superintendent. Approximately thirty teachers have resigned in both the white anc colored schools and replacements have been limited so far. Ten of the twenty-eight positions made vaean1 by resignations since last term hav< been filled in the white schools, anc it was reported that several art applying for the two positions made vacant in the colored schools. The shortage, it was pointed out is more acute than it was a yeas ago. When the schools were open ed for the term last fall, severa teachers were recruited outside thi regular professional ranks. Few, i any extra ones, will be available fo the ne wterm. Three of the eighteen opening; are in the Williamston schools. Mis; Frances Turnage, able first gradi teachers for the past several years resigned a few days ago, and tha position has not been filled alonj with the eighth grade and publi school music posts. -$ Has Many Narrow Escapes In Pacific Cpl. Franklin Moulin, a veteran o six campaigns in the Pacifict Thea ter of War, returned home last wee’ for a forty-five day furlough wit relatives in the county and with hi brothers in Williamston. Cpl. Modlin never returned horn after he passed his pre-inductio physical examination at Fort Bragf He was wounded slightly the earl part of last February on Luzon, re ports stating that he was able to rc ♦ , -, Vp, >«: C < A . a shfCs; time later. The young man. according to ir direct information had many na: row escapes in the Philippine are: Going out on a patrol with five othc men, Cpl. Modlin and the othei were cut off from their base by th Japs and they lived on cocoanu for foo dand coco.-mut milk for nine teen days. He was quoted as sayin that he could smell a Jap sever: hundred feet away, that about tl only thing the Jap soldier unde: stood was bullets. Urging Tobacco Farmers To Farmers who are interested in securing Uramon for the control of weeds on their tc>h..rco feejls next winter should submit theii names to the local county agent, because the ^ar Production Board has clamped certain restrictions upon the use of the chemical, according to Dr. F,. R. Collins, agronomy specialist of the State College Ex tension Service. Picking weeds on a plant bed is a back-breaking and timeconsuming job, Dr. Collins points out. The plants are frequently damaged, the root system is disturbed, and dis eases may easily spread to healthy plants. It is an accepted practice to con trol plant bed deeds with chemicals at the Experiment Station Farms. Many farmers are also finding up to 95 per cent control of weeds when chemicals are correctly applied. Poor weed control is sometimes re ported due to incomplete mixing with the soil, late application, or breeding the soil too deep at the timo the seeds are planted. There fore, directions should be followed carefully in treating plant beds. The correct methods are discussed here | m order to avoid failures from in correct applications. Consideration should be given to your specific conditiohs in electing the chemical to use. Cyanamid and Uramon have both given satisfac tory weed control. Uramon has given outstanding control of soil borne diseases (root knot, black root rot, and Granville wilt). This permits permanent plant bed sites at convenient locations where the soil type is suitable and there is a good supply of running water. Cyanamid does not control soil borne diseases. Cyanamid should beu sod on the dark colored, low land soils of the Coastal Plains, be cause Uramon has not been too sat isfactory on this type of soil. Cyana mid is also preferred on the clay i soils of the Old Belt area where Uramon has given some unsatisfac tory results. ROUND-UP After a fairly quiet period on the crime front, law enforce ment officers had a fairly busy time last week rounding up seven alleged violators of the law. One young man was called to answer for failing to register for the draft. Three were book ed for assaults with deadly weapons, and one £ach for lar ceny and receiving, operating a motor vehicle without a driver’s license, and one for public drunkenness. All but one of the seven were colored, and most of them were in the tender-age group. Bombers Wreck Jap Shipping; from The East Indies to China Observers Still Believe Bosnia Will Join War Against The Japanese American airmen nave caiueu the war to the Japs on land and sea and in the air these past few days, late reports stating that Jap ship ping has been dealt telling blows from the China coast right on down to the East Indies while Halsey's Third Fleet was pounding the main Jap island of Honshu. Airmen of the Third Fleet centered on the enemy’s great naval base of Kure, observers declaring that the attack was a part of an over-all plan to wipe out the remnants of the Jap fleet. While the tempo of war is in creasing, developments are believed brewing on the diplomatic fronts. There have been many rumors of Jap peace feelers. The Big Three meeting in Potsdam is being as sociated with the peace talk. Presi dent Truman is said to have made a good impression on Premier Stalin, and observers are still predicting that Russia will join the war against the Japs. In the latest United States Third Fleet attack, Adm. William Hal sey sent more than 1,000 carrier planes against the Japs, striking them on a 950-mile stretch from northern Hokkaido to southern Honshu. The sixth carrier strike in fifteen days on the quaking enemy home land, followed an assault last Wed ! nesday against the great Yokosuka naval base and the Tokyo area in which the battleship Nagato, one of Japan’s few remaining capital ships, [ was damaged heavily and possibly ’ sunk by aerial bombs. “ | In the land fighting, the Aus ' tralians are advancing on strategic Dj points in Borneo. ;; The Big Three meeting in Pots ' dam, German, apparently is nearing an end despite rumors that it would continue another ten days or two weeks. Much progress has been made at the meeting, and far-reach ing developments are expected to * follow. t Award Young Man ; Bronze Star Medal a f i. t s e g ,1 Technical Sergeant Joseph H. Lilley, son of Mrs. Elsie Lilley was recently awarded the Bronze Star Medal for heroic action in connec tion with military operations against the enemy on March 15, 1945, ir Germany. Vfhrr «pees«grv trWljmh a steer grade of two miles, Sergeant Lilley in charge of a heavy machine gur section supporting a rifle company alternately relieved his gunners anc ammunition bearers. When five oi his men were wounded, Lilley pre sonally administered first aid tc three and assisted them to cover although forced to expose himsel: to sniper fire. In the service since Novembei 1942, Sergeant Lilley has been in th« European Theatre of Operations foi approximately ten months. To Complete Final Engineering Plans For Flood Control —®— Propone To Locale Dam 2(1 Miles Below Clarksville, Virginia on Roanoke Colonel R. E. Cruse, District Engl neer, U. S. Engineers Office, Norfolk, has been directed by the War De partment to initiate immediately the final engineering studies and anal yses preliminary to the preparation of plans and specifications for con struction of the Buggs Island dam on the Roanoke River, 20 miles be low Clarksville, Va. This project was reported to Con gress by the Chief of Engineers, U S. Army, in May, 1944. The report recommended adoption of the proj ect on the basis that it was eco nomically justified and that it pro vided for the control of floods, the generation of hydro-electric power low-water regulation, and other beneficial uses of the waters of the Roanoke River. Congress, in the Flood Control Act of December. 1944, authorized construction of ihe Buggs Islanc project substantially in accordanct with the recommendation of the Chief of Engineers. This act stipu lated that the Buggs Island project together with many others through out the United States in a similai category, was authorized with s view to providing a number of use ful and worthy public works foi the postwar construction program The act further provided, however that in order to be prepared foi rapid inauguration of this postwai program of construction, necessarj preliminary work, including prepar ation of plans and specifications could be prosecuted during the war Funds have now been made avail able to Colonel Cruse for this pre liminary work on the Buggs Islanc project. Actual construction, how ever, is dependent on the cessatior of hostilities and the further ap propriation of funds (or this pur pose by Congress. , The general plan of developmeni reported to Congress by the Chiel of Engineers included a tentative design for the project. The detail ed engineering studies and analyse! now being initiated by engineers or Colonel Cruse’s staff are for th( purpose of determining whether anj [changes in the preliminary layou' of the Buggs Island dam and reser voir should be made, and if so, th« : nature and scope of the changes. I' is contemplated that these engineer ing analyses will be completed earlj in 1946 and will then serve as the basis for preparation of the fina plans and specifications. The interests of the people to b< affected by the construction of th< Buggs Island project are of conceri to the War Department. With thi: in mind sufficient engineering plan ning will be undertaken to make eer tain that construction of the dan and relocation or alteration of th< affected highways, railroads, am other utilities will create a minimun disturbance to business and soeia activities in the area. -ft Liquor Plants Are Wrecked in Count) —«— Illicit liquor manufacturers ar experiencing one set-back after an other in this county. In addition t unfavorable weather, the manufac turers have lost one plant afte another to enforcement officers wh i have wrecked eight in the past tw 1 weeks. After upsetting six week befor last. Officers J. H. Roebuck and Ro reei' went about three miles froi Williamston and raided just off th old Greenville road. The first plar was equipped with a 100-gallon a pacity tin rig and there were foil barrels of sugar beer about read for the kettle. Less than a quarte mile away, the officers found an 1 wrecked a second plant equippe 1 with a 50-gallon gas drum. The ' poured out 250 gallons of molassc beer. TOWN - FARM IN WARTIME (A weekly news digest from the rural press section of the OW1 news bureau' Tiie Government needs and asks its citizens in this 190th week of the war to: Do your part in the vast job of transporting men and materials for the big push against Japan by: Taking a top-priority railroad job if you are a railroad worker. A hundred thousand experienced workers are needed to haul three million returning veterans, a hun dred million tons of war materials plus essential crop shipments. Ap ply to your local U. S. Employment Service Office. Waiting at home for your return ing soldier. By meeting his boat, you add to already serious problems of transportation and housing in seaports. Putting your sea experience to work with the Merchant Marine. Delayed sailings because of incom plete crews may upset carefully planned military schedules. Wire collect, Merchant Marine, Washing ton 25. D. C. No Permit Needed For Repairs Home owners need no longer apply to the Federal Housing Ad ministration of the National Hous ing Agency for authorization to pur chase lumber needed for emergency repair, WPB and NHA announced. The home owner may now certify his own purchase order and buy the lumber directly from a distributor. Labor On Move Can Get Tires Passenger car owners using their automobiles for a bona fide change of residence for which they were issued special gasoline rations are now eligible for Grade I passenger tire purchase certificates, subject to quota and other restrictions, OPA announced. This extension of eli gibility is particulaly needed now that increasing numbers of persons are moving from one city to another OPA explained. It will allow the following groups to apply for new tires if they have a tire failure while making a permanent change of re sidence: War workers moving from one city to another as production shifts from one type of war goods to an (Continued on page six) -—-v U TJ TJ I wo Hurt In Road Accidents Saturday —«— Twc persons were painfully but believed not seriously hurt, one or two others were slightly bruised and considerable property damage re sulted in two highways accidents in the county last Saturday. What was at first a minor acci dent almost developend into a serious one. Miss Mary Elizabeth Holliday, drivin ga pick-up truck, was going out of town at a very moderate speed when Jesse Gardner started to walk across the highway at Sunnside Inn on the Washington Highway. Miss Holliday tried to turn out for him, and he jumped in to the path of the truck. Struck by the machine, Mr. Gardner was thrown under a pair of mules his son was holding at the side of the road. The lad became frightened, jumped fro mthe wagon and the team ran away, throwing Mrs. Gard ner from the wagon. She was re moved to the local hospital and later dismissed after receiving treatment. Mr. Gardner was treatpd for slight bruises, Patrolman W. E. Saunders, investigating the accident, reported. Late last Saturday night, Dick Raker, driving Lawrence Wil liams’ 1939 Chevrolet, was traveling without lights and in a drunken condition toward Palmyra on the River Road, a few miles out of Hamilton. Running on the wrong 1 side of the road, he erased head on into the 1942 Chevrolet driven by Eli iDavis. Frank Williams, 63, rid '■ ing in the Davis car, was cut and 1 bruised about the head and almost 1 paralyzed, temporarily at least. Pat-olman Saunders estimated ' that the damage to each car would i ■.nnrnvimatf $300. Baker was charg “ ed with operating a motor vehicle I ithout lignts and while in a drunk 1 en condition. Harper M. Peel, of l 'Tnmilton answered the cal) to the wreck. THE RECORD SPEAKS . . . J After maintaining a fairly good record for two weeks, mo 3 torists on Martin County high ways broke into the accident r columns in rapid order, Pa 3 trolmen investigating thre be 3 fore the period ended. No one was badly hurt, but several sajs e were smashed so badly they will V go to the junk pile, a The following tabulations of - e fer a comparison of the accident t trend: first, by corresponding weeks in this year and last and r for each year to the present time. 29th Week Comparison Accidents InJ’d Killed Dam’ge 1945 3 2 0 $ 900 1944 3 0 0 75 y Comparison To Date s 1945 33 15 3 $8050 1944 .40 21 1 7575 Army ‘Wood for War' Show C.nurthnutf Thursday NiZllL The U. S. Army "Wood for Wnr" Motorcade now touring the Eastern part of North Carolina will put on a night show here m Williamston tot all workers, both white and colored, working in lumber mills and woods industries of this vicinity. Included on the program will be the personal appearance of five distinguished combat veterans of World War II. The highlight of the program will he the moving picture “San Pietro," a combat film, made under fire by the U. S. Army. The show in Williamston will be held a* the Court House an Thurs day, July 26, at 8:30 p m This show is honig sponsored by the U. S Army, the. Timber Produc tion War Project and the War Man power Commission. It is designed to combat absenteeism in the woods industries. Employees from all lumber, pulp wood, veneer industries and others in this vicinity are invited to attend the free show The motorcade, starting a 1,500 i tour yesterday, attracted consider I able attention in the first towns i where stops were scheduled. Heavy Rains Damage Crops In The County No Cash Estimates Offered On Losses Caused In Section —®— Nearly TVn Inches of Rain Fall Here in a Lillie Over Four Weeks -$ No cash estimates could be had, but most farmers are agreed that right much damage has been done to crops in this section by excessive rains during the past few weeks. The reports vary, some farmers stating that portions of their crops have been drowned, that tobacco has flopped and peanuts afe rotting around the roots. Farmers in the upper part of the county state that many crops have been damaged considerably. South east of Sweet Water Creek, recent heavy rains have exacted much damage, and from a point a short distance from Bear Grass to the Beaufort County line, losses are of substantial size. It is fairly certain that the crop, as a whole has been damaged, some farmers stating that young tobacco failed rapidly and to a surprising extent during the three-day period ending yesterday. The "life” has been washed out of the leaf and the plant is being attacked bv disease in many instances. Much of the tobacco crop has ripened too fast and losses from inadquate barn space are aggravating the prospects for a successful harvest. During the period, June 20 to July 20, nearly ten inches of rain fell in this locality, and so far in this month rain has fallen on seventeen of the 24 days. While the total pre cipitation for July to date is not as heavy as it was for the same period two years ago, it came on top of a fairly wet June. Since June 25 when 3.60 inches of rain were re corded on Roanoke River here, thr weather has been fair only a few days in a row, making it impossible for farmers to plow their peanuts and hold the grass down Prospects are bright for a bumper corn crop, hut the late corn, it is believed, has been damaged to some extent. Reports from Georgia indicate that the tobacco crop has been re duced considerably in some areas by excessive rains, one report stat ing that rain has fallen in one area there 28 days in a row, reducing the yield several million pounds. While some areas have had ex cessive rainfall during recent weeks, othei areas have had it unusually dry. The Roanoke River watershed in the upper regions has been fairly dry and the river has not been in fluenced very much. Heavy rains in the lower watershed have caus ed the river to overflow its banks here by a few inches. The strearr is expected to reach a crest at this point soma time today and fall gradually during the next ten days or two weeks. Discussing the quality of the cror already cured in this section, farm ers declared it is very good, one declaring that he just finished cur ing one of his best lots in five years One or two farmers are expectinj to complete the harvest this week a few will finish next week, hut under normal conditions, the rna jority will likely be harvest much o the crop during the first two week; in August. ———’ Placed Under Bond For Store Robber) —*— Probable cause appearing, Andrev Everett, colored youth, was placei under bond in the sum of $300 at preliminary hearing held befor Justice J. L. Hassell here last Fri day evening in the case charging th 18-year-old boy with breaking int the Martin-FJliolt Wholesale house few days before. Unable to raise th bond, the defendant continues in th county jail. Few details of the robbery wer released by local police, but it wa learned that Everett went on top o the wholesale building and enterei through a sky light. He is charge; with stealing five dollars in casl and tampering with the firm’s safe As far as it could be learned u goods were stolen. | TO FIX DATES ] v_____j Scheduled to meet next Mon members of the Martin County Hoard of Education will, among other items, discuss and fix dates for opening the schools this fall. If old schedules are considered, it is likely that the schools will he opened on or about Wednesday, September 5. School authorities are literally struggling with preparations for opening the new term. Repairs are being made to buildings and the county school garage is over hauling the forty busses, thirty seven for the whites and three for the colored. The county has been promised several new busses, but there is some doubt if they will be made available in time for use early this com ing term. Joseph A. Ausbon Died Thursday At Cross Roads Home Proiiiinrnl C.omily Wan Mini i Itec'ii lit Declinin'; llcallli For Abonl One Year Joseph A. Ausbon, one of the coun ly’s most highly respected citizens I and a leader in the church foi ! many years, died at his homo ir Cross Roads Township last Thursday | afternoon at -I o’clock. He had been I in declining health for about one year, hut his condition was not con I sidered critical until just a short time before the end. He was forced to his bed about a week before, his condition gradually growing worse. Mr. Ausbon, a member of thi old school and possessed of qualities characteristic of the true southern gentlemen, was born in Cross Hoads Township seventy-five years age last February. He spent his entire life there, engaging successfully in farming arid living peaceably and neighborly with his fellowman dm mg a long and useful life. Mr. Aus bon was a member of the Christian Chapel Church at Cross Roads for 51 years, and he was loyal and ac tive in its support. lie purchased the ground for the parsonage and aided in repairing and modernizing the strucluie. He was a devoted hus band, a thoughtful father and an accommodating neighbor and citi zen, one who walked humbly before his Maker and one who valued the friendship and good will of his fel lowman. In young manhood he was married to Miss Sudie Leggett and she with on#- son, Willie Ausbon of the hom< community, survives. He also is survived by two brothers, Messrs Jeff Ausbon of Beaufort County and Dave Ausbon of this county one grandchild and one great grand child. Funeral services were conducted at the late home Friday afternoon at 4 o'clock and interment was in the family centetery, near the home. Hit pastor, Rev. Dennis Warren Davis assisted by Rev. Luther M. Ambrose conducted the last rites. Five Seek Divorces In Superior (lourl At least five suits far divorce wen • field in the superior court of thi: county during the first three week: in this month, Deputy Clerk Main ' E. Keel said this week. About ; • dozen other suits were also startei • during the period, but most of then • were considered of little import ■ ance. The divorce actions, based on fw< > years’ separation, loiiow: • | T. Y. Dawson against Mary L 2 Dawson. Christine Gale against John S Gale, Bettie G. James against Essii ’ James. f Pete M. Williams against Annii 1 Lee Williams. 1 Elder L. Gardner against Loli i Gardner. At least one of the plaintiffs i; > in the armed forces, it was learn ied. Farmers In County Having a 1) i f f ieult^ Time Curing Leat c Tliiril VJorr Oil Thitn l ii»nul HHng l *<>. Saturday from the home in ! Yorktown. Interment was in the j family plot of the Episcopal church icemetery, also in Yorktown. Me. I). Hardison. Jr. Home from Overseas .—<$> - After spending six months in the European Theater of War, Mack D. Hardison, jr., returned home last week for a furlough with relatives and friends in the county. "With the exception of letters from home, “The Enterprise" was the greatest friend I had while over seas,” the young man stated. Telling about his stay in Europe, the young man said, "I went into the combat zone on January 29 and remained there until the Germans surrendered. About all I can say is ' that I w'as lucky and am fortunate ; to be back alive and in good health.” ; Hardison said he visited Bugen wald prison camp. “Although it 1 had been cleaned up to some extent, 1 there was much evidence that it had 1 been a living hell for the prisoners who were confined there,” he declar ed. “Approximately 2.500 people • lwere quartered in a small building, and there they had to live, eat and • wash, only there wasn’t much of either,” he added. Bugenwald had the reputation of being one of the worst concentra ; tion camps in Europe, and, accord ing to Hardison, it was just as bad • as pictured in the papers and on the screen. i Pvt. Hardison has the combat in fantryman's badge, two battle stars > and good conduct ribbon. He is in the 87th Infantry Division, Known as the Acorn Division. m