North Carolina Newspapers

NEARLY 4,000 COPIES OP 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 69 * Williamston, Martin County, North Carolina, Friday, August 31, 1945. ESTABLISHED 1899 * 4 1 * f A f i Judge Calvin Smith Calls Many Cases In The County^ Court Several Sentence* Are Meted Out During Last Monday Session ———» In one of the longest sessions held in recent months, Judge J. Calvin Smith called seventeen cases in the county recorder’s court last Mon day, tlie apparent increase in crime following the opening of the tobac co markets by one week. The court, imposing several long sentences, was in session until after three o’ clock that afternoon and quite a large crowd was present for the first cases that morning. Proceedings: The case charging Booker T. Mi zelle with assaulting a female, was nol prossed with leave. The case charging William Henry Williams with larceny and receiving was continued until the first Mon day in October. The case charging Lafayette Pear . all with an assault on a female, was nol prossed with ieave. Charged with drunken driving. Guilford Br^wn was adjudged not guilty. A continuance was granted until next Monday in the case charging Elton Hodge with assaulting a fe male. Pleading guilty in the case charg ing him with bastardy, James Goss was directed to pay $5 a week for the support of his child, and $40 to the mother’s attending physician. Bond in the sum of $125 was re quired, and the defendant is to re port on the first Monday in January for further judgment. Charged with operating a motor vehicle without a driver's license, Grover Lilley was fined $25, taxed with the cost and had his driver’s licenses suspended for ninety days. Charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, Richard Ewell pdeaded guilty and was sentenced to the roads for ninety days. The road term was suspended upon the pay ment of a $25 fine and costs. The court ordered the defendant not to get intoxicated in public or violate any criminal law for one year. The case charging Lester Brown • with cruelty to animals, was con tinued until next Monday. Frank Williams, Jr., charged with ; an assault with a deadly weapon, was found not guilty. A continuance was granted in the case charging Roy Boston with an assault with a deadly weapon and disorderly conduct. The case is to be called for trial next Monday. Pleading not guilty in the case in which he was charged with assault in ga female, C. B. James was found guilty and the court fined him $20 and taxed him with the cost. Placed under a peace warrant by Williamston’s Justice of the Peace J. L. Hassell a few days ago, Perlie Williams appealed to the county court, and the prosecuting witness, J. D. Ray, called for a jury trial, the action placing the case on the su-. perior court trial docket. The case charging W. A. Langley with an assault with a deadly wea pon was nol prossed. Leon Best, charged with assault ing a female, was sentenced to jail for two days and fined $25 plus the case costs. Pleading not guilty in the case charging him with drunken driving, Bill Keel, colored, was found guilty and was sentenced to the roads for six months. The road term was sus pended for one year upon the pay ment of a $60 fine and the case costs. His license to operate a mo tor vehicle was revoked for one year, and the court instructed the defendant not to be found intoxicat ed off his premises during the period of one year. Pleading guilty of not supporting his family, Cecil Gorham was in structed to pay $8 a week for the support of his two children, and to; report to the court on the first Mon-1 day in January, 1946, for further j judgment. The money is to be paid ; to the welfare department where it will be distributed to the children in accordance with the court judg ment. Badly Hurt When Run Over By Automobile Here Joe Boyd, concession operator with the Greater Virginia Shows here this . week, suffered a severe ankle injury j L last Tuesday afternoon shortly after 3 o’clock when he was run over by James Riddick at the Gulf Station on Washington Street. Boyd, whose home is in Harris burg, Pa., was on the ground work ing on his truck at the station, and Riddick did not see him when he started to drive away. Riddick accepted the hospital bill, it was learned. The victim was able to be out after being treated in Brown’s Community Hospital. -«» Draft Still Controls f^rtein Deferred Croup* | % -<* Although manpower controls have been lifted in nearly all cases, the Draft Board still controls certain de fei red age groups, it was pointed out this week. Young men in the 18-25 age group, inclusive, are not to change jobs without permission of the draft board. If they do they are subject to immediate call, it was learned. Predict Holiday For Tobacco j Markets In Bright Leal I W';l" hesvy'deliveries during the past few dajjH a holiday for tobacco markets in the Bright Leaf Belt was predict ed today by tobacconists. A one-day holiday has been scheduled for next Monday, Labor Day, but that was planned some time ago. It is now likely that a several-day holiday will be declared in an effort to meet the pressing emergency and relieve congestion. Directors of the Bright Belt To bacco Warehouse Association are meeting in Raleigh tomorrow morn ing to discuss the marketing situa tion, and they are expected to take some action. It is believed by some that the authorities will either de clare a holiday or curtail the daily selling hours. Warehousemen and farmers are hopeful no holiday will Apoeals, urging farmers to slacken the marketing gait, have not been at jail successful, and it is fairly ap | parent that definite action will have to be taken by the authorities it the congestion is to be relieved. Befoie the first sale was complet ed on the local market yesterday, three other houses had been filled and tobacco is waiting space on the floors where a first sale is in pro gress today. The local redrying plant is run ning 24 hours a day and part time on Sunday, and yet tobacco is moving in faster than it can be handled. The local market passed the two million-pound mark yesterday with prices holding firm and the price average ranging well above the gen eral level for the belt. HOARDING i __ j One of these days it will be learned that there is net arid has not been any critical shortages of quite a few articles seldom found on the retailers’ shelves. It is certain that there have been some shortages, but according to findings recently disclosed by officers, hoarding has been the big problem. Armed with search warrants, ABC Officer J. II. Roebuck and his assistants recently searched several homes for illicit liquor. During the searches they ran across cartons of cigarettes, washing powders, soap and a few other items. If hoarded items were returned to trade channels for normal distribution, shortages in quite a few cases would be relieved. To Use Prisoners Of War For Harvesting County Peanut Crop —•— Applications for Prisoners of War Will Be Received Around September 10 ——4 Plans are being advanced for em ploying prisoners of war for aiding in the peanut harvest in this coun ty during September and October, but no definite dates have been fixed for receiving applications for the workers, it was announced by Mrs. Josephine Holding who will handle the contracts in the office of the county agent. Officials will meet with county agents in this section on September 6 to allot the prisoners, and it isn’t likely that applications for the workers will be received be-! fore about September 10. It is understood that a fee of twelve cents will be charged for each stack this season. The following rules and regula tions for handling the work were released by the Fourth Service Com mand a few days ago: The stack pole will be 8 ft. long, set 18 inches in the ground, with cross-pieces not more than 40 inches long, nailed 12 inches above the ground, making a 5J4 ft. stack of peanuts. The above stack poles will not be set more than 12 rows apart. The maximum distance between stack poles in the row will be 14 steps (3 ft. per step). The actual distances are dependent c i growth of vine and yield of peanuts. Production of 25 stacks, shaking and stacking by hand, per day, will constitute a normal day’s work after Prisoners of War have been given two days’ training by the farmer or the Agricultural Extension Service (Continued on page four) Two Million Pounds Weed Sold In 8 Days -a Following a first sale at the Roan oke-Dixie warehouse here yesterday, farmers were placing tobacco on the warehouse floor faster than Thurs day’s sale could be cleared from the floor and transported to the redry ing plants and storage warehouses. As the market will close Monday, Labor Day, this particular house will not have a sale until next Thursday and it is very probable the house will be completely filled before the week-end begins. Every house in town including the Planters, New Carolina and Farmers, is complete ly filled and the market will exper ience another block all next week. The Williamston Tobacco Market probably broke a record when it sold jmore than two million pounds of ' Vat 'xithin a period of eight days. I ieslerday'a sale of 293,310 pounds, the largest of the year, brought the season’s total to 2,101,798. Prices on all types of tobacco .both good and bad, medium grades and other wise, continue to hold up and Wed nesday the market made the high est average of the year when it averaged around 46 cents. The market will be closed Mon day to observe Labor Day, Occupation Forces Enter Jap Homeland j Yesterday Morning -. ftlacArthur and Halsey Set Up Headquarters; Surrender Si<fiiin« Sunday -• Allied forces, mostly American, streamed ashore yesterday to occupy the Japanese homeland and be on hand for the formal signing of the surrender terms some time during the day Sunday on the USS Missouri. Paratroopers and seaborne Ma rines and sailors, moving in in great numbers, took over Atsugi Airfield, I 18 miles from Tokyo; ran up the American flag over Yokosuka naval base, Japan’s second largest; rode in Japanese trucks into Yokohama to establish general headquarters, and j started evacuating prisoners of war from a "black hell hole” where "bestial beatings were common.” The entry was without bloodshed, but the occupation awaits Japanese reaction to the surrender terms which, reports maintain, are drastic. At the same time the reaction of American troops to the brutal treat ment received by prisoners of war is to be considered. Horrible stories are being told as more and more American prisoners gain their free dom, and some reports declare that the occupation forces are not ac cepting the stories with too much calmness. While plans go forward for the surrender signing, an estimated twenty to thirty thousand prisoners of war are being moved to Manila for treatment and processing. Prior to the first evacuations, 134 Super fortresses dropped 530 tons of sup plies to internment camps that won’t be reached for days by the occupa tion forces. In the European theater, General Eisenhower stated that all but about 400,000 of the two and one-half mil lion U. S. army men would be re turned homo by next spring. The general also said that America must send food to Germany if the coun try is to survive this winter The Pearl Harbor disaster was brought back into the limelight this week when a report on America’s greatest defeat in arms was released. The report, prepared by Army and Navy boards of inquiry, attacked various high officials, but President Truman frankly stated that the blame was traceable to the entire country, even though several high ranking officials were mentioned as the chief contributors to the de bacle. * County Young Man Released By Army —■«— Sgt. Samuel R .Coburn, Jr., son of Mr. and Mrs. S. R. Coburn of Jamesville, was honorably discharg ed from the U. S. Army with 112 points ,on Aug. 16. Sergeant Coburn volunteered for | service in April, 1939. He served in I the Canal Zone 38 months. While1 there he attended the motor me-! chanics school at Balboa. Returning to the States in December, 1943, he wa3 sent to the motor mechanics school at Camp Davis. On Nov. 3, 1944, he left for over seas duty in Europe, While there he was attached to the Seventh and Third Armies and served in France, Germany, Austria, Luxemburg, and Czechoslovakia. Sgt. Coburn is the recipient of the Good Conduct Medal, American Defense Service Medal with one bronze star, American theater cam paign Medal and the European Theater of Operations medal with two bronze stars. He made the trip home by plane, flying from France to Miami in 25 hours. At the present he is taking a much needed rest at the home of his parents. TO GET DISCHARGE Sgt. Albert Roberson, son of Mr. and Mrs. N. P. Roberson, has return ed from over seas after two years in England. After a 30-day furlough he will return to Camp Mead, Md., for his discharge. Sergeant Rober son has 106 points. Enrollment Figures In County’s Schools For. J 945-1946 Term Incomplete Reports Point To A Slight Increase In First Ha’ Attendance -—<$>———— Martin County schools, both white and colored, opened the 1945-46 term yesterday with fairly wide fluctua tions in enrollment figures. Just how successful the opening was, prin cipals would not say, but, consider ing uncertain conditions still exist ing, it is permissible to say the new term was launched with great suc cess. A complete report on the head count could not be had immediately, but enough of the figures had been received late yesterday to indicate that the enrollment would be little changed from the opening-day total a year ago. Taking the figures sub mitted for the opening yesterday and using those of a year ago for the schools where the count was appar ently delayed in reaching the office of the county superintendent, the en rollment for the combined elemen tary and high school departments shows a gain of six over the 1944-45 opening-day figures. No comparison of the enrollment figures is possible this year since some of the schools included the eighth grade in the high school last year. Three of the first schools to re nort their current term enrollment figures reported losses ranging from 7 to 18 pupils. Three others reported gains ranging from one to twenty one, the first tabulations showing an over-all increase of six pupils. The 1945-46 opening day enroll ment figures as reported by six schools are shown by elementary and high school departments with a comparison of totals, as follows: Ele. Jamesville 349 Farm Life 152 W’mston 665 R’ville 342 Gold Point 43 Oak City 244 1795 Totals H. S. 1945 1944 60 409 427 32 184 191 125 790 769 152 494 477 43 42 98 342 350 467 2262 2256 No reports could be had from Bear Grass, Everetts, Hassell and Hamil ton, but it is presumed the schools opened there with about a normal enrollment. No enough colored schools had re ported to establish a trend in the en rollment figures, but the colored high school opened here with 498 in the elementary and 104 in the high school, Principal E. J. Hayes stating that the figures were about normal. Mrs. Buck Williams Dies In Jamesville ■ "■ ■—«$>—■ Mrs. Buck Gibson Williams, mem ber of one of this county’s oldest families and a highly respected citi zen of Jamesville Township, died at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Oscar Jones, there last night at 9 o’clock following a long illness. Sev eral years ago Mrs. Williams fell and broke her hip and since that time she had been a semi-invalid. The daughter of the lati Henry Gibson and wife, she was born in Williams Township 89 years ago. She was a member of the Primitive Baptist church at Jamesville for a number of years and was held in great esteem by all who knew her. She is survived by the following children, Mrs. Oscar Jones and Mrs. Ransom Roberson, both of James ville; Mrs. J. T. Weede of Fuquay Springs, Chas. Williams of Plymouth and Arthur Williams of Williams Township. Funeral arrangements had not been completed in their entirety this morning, but it is planned to hold the services Saturday afternoon. Elder P. E. Getsinger and Rev W. B. Harrington will officiate, and in terment will follow in the family cemetery in Williams Township. -<8> Health Office Swamped With Calls For Spray -e “We will be unable to handle any more calls from those homes where malaria is found,” Dr. J. W. Wil liams, county health officer, said yesterday. It was pointed out that applica tions had been filed by more than 200 families asking that their homes be sprayed with DDT. “The work will not be continued after October 1, and it will take all of September to handle the applications now in hand,” Williams explained. ( LIMITED HOLIDAY | V___/ Labor Day, Monday, Septem ber 3, will be observed by a few business houses and offices, but it will not be a general holiday. The tobacco market, post office, banks, rationing board, employ ment office, liquor store and a few other places of business will suspend activities for the day, but stores and other places of business will continue open. Public ooards will meet as us ual and county offices will re main open. The county board of education is not scheduled to meet that day, but a call meeting is expected later in the week. State-County ABC Enforcement Officers Round Lip Large Number TTFMeged Liquor Law Violator s Flourishing Trade En joyed In County Bv The Boot leaser j „ od■ \\ i<!e.«pi'«*at] Activity l noover <“«1 By Special Agents; Trials Set For Sepl. 10. Alleged bootleggers in numbers were rounded up in the county this week after special agents of the State Alcoholic Beverage Control, work ing with county officers, had thrown out a not weeks ago. There was much moaning and groaning at the bar when one defendant after an other was carried before Clerk of t ourt I, B. Wynne to arrange bonds ranging from $100 up to $300. While tiie catch was large and the net was drawn tightly around the illicit business, officers admitted that just prior to the wholesale ar rests beginning Wednesday of this week, bootlegging was, without a doubt, the worst in history, prohibi tion or no prohibition, legal control or no control, war or no war. Observers, after studying the list of defendants, were certain that Quite a few of the more or less no torious dealers had squeezed out of the net, that possibly some of those caught are not confirmed or recog nized dealers. The stage was set for the arrests last May and June when Special Agents L. A. Jones, O. G. Lamb and Charlie Brown spent several weeks in the county, contacting dealers and building up evidence which they will offer in the county court before Judge J C. Smith on Monday, Sep tember 10. It is the second time since legal stores were opened ten years ago that definite action was taken by state and County authorities to cheek the illicit business. The out come of the first round-up proved h appointing when the cases reach ed the courts. The agents were at tacked apparently with the blessing of the court, and officers withdrew, having the enforcement job almost entirely up to County ABC Officer J. H. Roebuck The recent raids, reaching to all parts of the county, reveal high liquor prices on the bootleg market. Tax-paid liquors sold for $11) a quart and for as much as $6 a pint. One pint of illicit liquor, according to a reliable report, was sold for $5. Some of the dealers handled tax paid arid illicit liquors, and some of the defendants face as many as three charges. In one case, a de tendant faces three charges preferr ed by the State officers and one by county officers. Quite a few of the defendants are women. One report stated that possibly fifty warrants had been drawn as a re: ult of the investigations last May and June. A complete list could not be had immediately as the round-up had not been completed late yester day. Warrants have been served and bonds arranged in the following eases: Galsy Harrell is charged on two different counts with selling a quart of tax-paid liquor for $10 and a pint of the same kind for $6 and a pint of illicit liquor for $5. Maggie Rascoe is charged on two counts for selling two quarts of tax paid liquor for $8 each. Ida Faulk is booked for selling a pint uf tax-paid liquor for $5. The defendant, overcome by her arrest, was given medical treatment. Fenner lU-spass is charged with selling a quart of tax-paid liquor for $10. Pei lie Williams is booked on three counts for allegedly dealing in tax paid and illicit liquors. His wife and ins wife’s sister are involved in a liquor case. Mamie “Sweetie” Williams stands charged with selling a quart of tax paid liquor for $8. Three warrants drawn against Rationing Activities Greatly Reduced In OP A Office Here War's end lias greatly relieved the tension and anxiety, but the return of peace has had no great effect upon the civilian economy with changes in rationing as possible exceptions. Just about everything has been re moved from the ration list except boots, shoes, sugar, meats and tires, and the office of the County War Price and Rationing Board, once a great gathering place, is all but de serted these days. Of course, price controls are almost certain to con tinue, but that work is handled out side the office for the most part. Just now there are fairly heay de mands for tires and boots. A few in stitutions are asking for more meat points, but since a new stamp be came valid a short time ago there have been few special requests for extra shoe rations except by return ing war veterans. Claims for extra sugar are not being made any more, holders of coupons explaining that they have experienced much dif ficulty in using the coupons on hand. During the past few days twenty two applications were filed in this county for boots, the increase in the number of claims indicating that far mers are planning to do a bit of ditching this fall and winter. Just now the big rationing prob lem centers around tires for pas senger cars. There are more than 250 applications on file for tires in this county. The applications cal! for an estimated 500 tires. This week the board had a regular allotment I of fifty-six tires. It is quite ovi i dent that the tire supply is still i 'tight", that if tires were lifted from the rationing list, manipulators would likely corner the market and speculation would result. Relief in the truck tire situation is expected within a few weeks and for pas senger cars in about three months. Quotas on car manufacturers have been lifted, but they will not bo equipped with a spare tire. County Farm Bureau Launching New Drive Farm Leaders Meet i In Courthouse Here Last Tuesday Ni^lil Neeil for Strong Orgunizatioii For tin* Poalwnr Period Stressed by Officers Meeting in the courthouse last Tuesday night, twenty farm leaders formulated plans for launching the 1945-40 Farm Bureau membership campaign, the officers of the organi zation stressing quite frankly that the need for a strong and active membership was never greater tlfan right now. An open invitation is being direct ed to all farmers to join in the mem bership drive by soliciting every section and supporting the organiza tion individually and collectively. “We need at least 1,600 members in the county for the 1945-46 year,” [Chas. L. Daniel, president of the Farm Bureau, said, “if we are to lend our help in support of the cause of agriculture in this postwar period.” Taking part in the discussions at the meeting Tuesday night, every one of the farmers present advanced the opinion that Martin County farmers, remembering the postwar period more than a quarter of a cen tury ago, will give the organization a greater support this year than ever before. It was pointed out that while na tional leaders are sympathetic, they will not be able to take positive ac tion in behalf of agriculture unless they have strong support from farm ers’ organizations. Martin County has led the way in farm organization, and the leaders are anxious to maintain the record and help make certain that the farm er will be well represented at the conference table in this postwar period. Any farmer who will solicit mem bers and help support the organiza (Continued on page four) -g> Rush For Drivers’ j Licenses Reported. —«— One of the greastest rushes in; years for motor vehicle drivers’ li-, censes was reported here Wednes day when fifty-eight persons went before Examiner James Boyce, in the county courthouse. About fifty percent of the group failed the ex aminations, it was learned. Quite a few of the applicants were in their m|||gfc; teens. Among the others were’ those who had either j lost their licenses or had them re voked. The license bureau is open each Wednesday from 9 a. m. until 5 p. m. and each Saturday from 9 a. m. until noon in the State Highway Pa trol office in the county courthouse. County Draft Board To Observe Forty-Hour Week - Effective immediately, the Martin County Draft Board will observe a forty-hour week, meaning that the office will not open on Saturdays. On the other five week days, the office will remain open from 8:30 a. m. until 5:30 in the afternoon. | ---V j[ RATIONING HOARD j | Effective Ur's week, the Mar tin County War Price and Ra tioning Hoard will remain open only forty hours each week, meaning tlrat the office will he closed all day Saturday. The office will he open each week day except Saturday from | It o'clock a. m. until 5 o'clock in (he afti ruoon. The new hours were ordered hy the govern ment, it was explained. Teacher Directory 111 The Local Schools j -» A directory of teachers in the local schools with their assigned grades, home and local addresses, follows: Miss Ada Morris, 1st, Edcnton, is stopping with Mrs. A. J. Manning, Sr.; Miss Alice Hardy, 1st, of Amelia, Va„ with Mrs. C. K. Mobley; Miss Lamina Baker, 1st, of Washington, ' with Mrs. J. C. Cooke; Mi s Mary li Carstarphen 2nd, at home; Miss Es telle Crawford, 2tid, at home; Miss beta Brantly, 3rd, of Spring Hope, with Mrs. J If. Saunders; Mrs Rosalie I. Froneberger, 3rd, at home; Mrs Ruth Manning, 3rd, at home, Miss Margaret. Elliott. 4th, of Eden ton, with Mrs. Daisy Pope; Miss Get aldino Glover, 4th, of Wilson, with Mrs. Daisy Pope; Miss Frances Jen kins, 4th, of Robersonville, with Mrs. C. R. Mobley; Mrs. Velma H. Co burn, 5th, at home; Miss Lucille Bell, 5th, of Nashville, with Mrs. J H. Saunders; Mrs. Ruby M. Rejuney, fit li, at borne; Miss Mildred Byrum, 6th, of Edcnton, with Mis. C. R. Mobley, Miss Mary Whitley, 7th, v/i*li Mrs. C. R Mobley; Mrs. C. B. Hassell, 7th; Mi: . Charlotte Sasser, 8th, of Mt. Olive, with Mrs. 11. L. Swain. One eighth grade position is to be fill d next week. High school: Sam Bundy, prin cipal, of Taiboro, with the T. B. Brandons; Mrs. Evelyn Baker Moore, of Washington, with Mrs. J. C. Cooke; Mrs. Jessie I! White, at jhome; Mrs. Claude Goodman, at home; Miss Verna Belle Lowery, of ! Trenton, with Mrs. J. H. Saunders, | and Mrs. Wheeler Manning, at home, j Several Cases Heard By Justice Hassell —$— Justice J. L. Hassell heard several cases in his court here during the past ft w days. One or two of the de fendants were charged with operat ing motor vehicles with improper equipment, indicating that leniency shown motorists in the past is being lifted now that the war is over. Charged with operating a motor vehicle with improper lights, Jos. L. Holliday ns fined $5 and taxed with $<> costs. Drunk and down, Rufus Taylor was taxed with $8.50 costs. William Brown, charged with op erating a truck with improper brakes, -vf!3 fined $5 and required to pay $8 costs. Charged with disorderly conduct. Fred Smith, William Baker and Lcdcs Savage were each fined $10 and taxed with $7.50 costs. (Continued on puge four) Calls His Parents Here From Overseas Calling his parents here Wednes day morning, Lt. Billy Biggs, spend ing a ten day leave in London after going through the thick of the Medi terranean and Continental cam paigns, stated he was getting along all right and hoped to get home about Christmas time. "It was a poor connection, but we ! enjoyed talking to him," Mr. Biggs said, explaining that it \/as the first time in over three years that he and Mrs. Biggs had heard their son’s J voice. : Advised the evening before that a call could be expected from his son jthe following morning at 8:30 o’clock, Mr. Biggs was said to have held the telephone receiver from that hour until almost 9:30 o’clock [before connections were completed.