VOLUME XLIX NUMBER 49 * Williamston, Martin County, North Carolina, Tuesday, Jiirir 78, 1916
ESTABLISHED 1899
Noah S. Riddick
Died In Hospital
Saturday Evening
Fiit'crai In KitSdick’s Grove
Itapli*! Quircli Monday
Afternoon
-
N'.ah Samuel Riddick, local
young man, died in a Washing
ton hospital last Saturday even
ing at 9:00 o’clock following
eight months of declining health.
His condition had been critical for
five wci ks, and pneumonia was
given as the immediate cause of
his death.
Suffering a knee and leg in
jury in a fall from a furniture
truck about nine months ago, the
young man received treatment in
the local hospital for three weeks,
going to Duke in November. He
underwent a major operation
there,, the surgeons performing a
major operation in on effort to
save his leg. Several nerves were
severed and blood was turned
from one leg to the injured limb.
After a stay of about two weeks
he returned home, and while his
condition showed slight improve
ment at times, he was confined
to his bed for weeks. In early
May he seemed to be getting
along very well and engaged in
the insurance business, but on the
ninth of that month his condi
tion became worse and he enter
ed the Washington institution on
May 11 for treatment, his physi
cians declaring at the time that
chances of recovery were negligi
ble.
The son of the late Jim H. and
Emma Jones Riddick, he was born
on October 111, 1907, in Williams
Township where he spent most of j
his life. Marrying Miss Idell I
Griffin of Giiffins Township, he I
located in Williamston in 1934
and was i mployed for a while be- ^
fore entering business for him
self, later going with the CoiUt
ney Furniture Company and more *
recently with an insurance com
pany.
He was a member of the Rid
dick’s Grive Baptist Church since
his early youth, and was a con
genial neighbor and most accom
modating to* his friends and ac
quaintances.
Besides his wife he is survived
by two daughters, Emma Jean, 9,
and Betsy, 7; two sisters, Mrs.
L.eo Roberson of near Williams
tun, and Mrs. Ottis Hardison of
Jumesville; a half-sister, Mrs. Hu
bert Roberson of Williams Town
ship, and a half-brother, C. B.
Riddick of Everetts.
Funeral services were conduct
ed Monday afternoon at 3:00
o’clock in the Riddick’s Grove
Church which was founded by
and named for his father. Rev
W. B. Harrington, the pastor, of
ficiated. and burial was in Wil
liamston’s Woodlawn Cemetery.
Construction To
Cost Billions
—*—
It is estimated by some experts
that the GI housing program
will run to a figure of approxi
mately thirteen to sixteen billion
dollars. Already the financiers
are making plans to underwrite
the government-guaranteed mort
gages fur a vast number of the
sixteen million returning service
men.
Just as soon as politics is ousted
from the scene and all the1 poli
ticians’ friends build race tracks,
warehouses, filling stations, beach
resort hotels and cottages, the GI
housing program is expected to
gain momentum, and the veter
ans will be able to get a roof over
their heads along with the race
horses and resort patrons.
v —
Rob Prison Camp
Store Saturday
—*—
Robbers, believed to have been
operating within the compound,
broke into the small Store at the
Martin County Prison Camp near
here during the early hours of
last Saturday evening, stealing
between $15 and $20 in cash. No
other items were missed.
Apparently trying to throw off
suspicion, the robber took a lad
der from the coal bin and placed
it against the fence on the inside, j
There were no tracks outside, of- j
ficers expressing the belief that I
the job was handled before all the |
trusties were placed in the cell ■
block at 8:30 that evening.
\
HAMITON’S NEW THEATRE
Just recently completed at a cost of approximately $36,000.00, Hamilton s modern theater,
“The Hamilton”, held its formal opening last Wednesday, the people of the town and com
munity playing the role of gracious hosts at a big barbecue dinner which was attended by
nearly 2,000 guests.
Preliminary Reports Point
To Excess Tobacco Acreage
-$
Preliminary reports coming
from the office of the farm agent
this week indicated that quite a
few farmers in this county arc
planting in excess of their tobacco
allotments.
Of the 220 farms checked in the
county through last week, forty
six were said to have had excess
tobacco acreages, ranging from
about one-tenth to as much as two
and one-half acres in some cases.
The excess, according to the pre
liminary reports, will average
right at one acre, it was learned.
The check measurements,
handled by and under the direc
tion of the local Triple A com
mitteemen, are progressing
steadily but slowly in this county.
Approximately one-seventh of the
farms have been checked so far,
and it isn’t likely that the work
will be completed before harvest
time.
ROUND-UP
Local police in this and at
least one other community in
the county had a busy period
last week-end rounding up
alleged law violators.
Eleven persons were ar
rested and jailed here during
the period, nine for public
drunkenness-, one for investi
gation, and one under a capias
in a manslaughter case.
The ages of the eleven ar
rested and jailed here ranged
from sixteen to sixty-seven
years. One of the eleven was
white.
Kobersonvillc reported the
arrest of five persons, one
colored and four white, for
public drunkenness and dis
orderly conduct last Saturday
and Sunday.
Heavy Rains Fall
Here Last Friday
Some crops were damaged in
widely scattered areas in this
county by heavy rains and small
hail stones lust Friday. Conflict
ing reports were heard soon after
the rains, but with some few ex
ceptions where sand was washed
over small plants and where hail
battered tobacco the rani is be
lieved to have help the crops, as
a whole. Tobacco in a few low
places flopped and some was ac
tually drowned, but the ctop, as
a whole, has grown fairly rapidly
since the rains. Cloudy and fair
ly cool weather followed, the
nearly three inches of rain that
fell last Friday and early Satur
day morning. Farmers arc agreed
that tobacco woud have suffered
bad the rains been followed by a
bot sun.
Hail was reported in various
sections of the county, but the
losses are not believed to be ex
:ensive.
The weather station on Roan
ike River here reported 1.14
nches of rain last Friday just be
:ore noon, not quite three-quar
:ers of an inch that afternoon and
1.04 inches early Saturday morn
ng, making a total of 2.89 inches
(Continued on page six)
| On Friday of this week the
1 State Triple A office is planning
I to send in spot checkers to verify
the measurements handled by the
local committee groups.
According to the regulations,
the excess plantings are not to be
destroyed. The grower with ex
cess acreage will harvest all of his
crop and pay the penalty on the
excess. Even if the farmer de
cides to destroy by chopping
down or plowing under the ex
j cess, he will still be subject to
the penalty" it was pointed out.
If the present trend in excess
i acreage is maintained, the county
will, under normal weather eon
i ditions, produce one of the largest
crops in several years. The excess
plantings, it was pointed out, are
in addition to the ten percent
.allotment increase allowed by the
| Secretary of Agriculture.
Patrol Reports
Lone Accident
—<*—
Only one highway accident was
reported in the county last week
end, members of the highway pa
trol stating that the period was
one of the quietest they had ex
perienced on the highways in a
number of weeks. "I hoveled
more than one hundred miles in
the county last Saturday after
noon and evening and did not see
the first law violation,” CpI. W. T.
Simpson of the patrol said.
No one was hurt, but the 1937
Dodge truck belonging to Leslie
W. Hardison burned when it turn
ed over on the JamcsviUe-Farm
Life Hoad, a shor t distance out of
Jamesville, last Thursday evening
about 6 30 o’clock. Frank Green,
driver of the tr uck, said that tire
radius rod broke, that the truck
went out of control and plunged
into the woods and turned over.
Green said that he and his com
panions, Bobby James and Sam H.
Lilley, crawled out of the over
turned vehicle just about the time
it caught fire.
No estimate of the damage
could be had immediately.
Ahoskie Opening
Festival June 19
——<&>-—■.
Ahoskie.—Preparations are al
most complete for the first post
war Ahoskie Kiwanis Festival
which opens on June 19 and closes
June 21 with a dance to the music
of Saxie Dowell and his orches
tra.
Three full nights of entertain
ment are scheduled, with big time
vaudeville acts and other- attrac
tions slated for the first two
nights. And dangling befor e those
who buy tickets to the affair is
the certain knowledge that the
holder of a certain ticket number
will leave the festival owning a
brand new, 1946, Ford sedan.
Ahoskie Kiwanians, who use
the funds raised at the annual
festival to carry on their work
among crippled and underprivi
leged children, anticipate the big
gest and most successful festival
,in the c'ub’s history.
Tobacco Acreage
Referendum to Be
Held On July 12
lYiiailirs for Exrcus Ouotas
Increased By Fifty Per
cent hv (am^ress
——«>
Flue-cured tobacco growers for
thi' first time in three years will
vote on July 12 on whether or not
they want the government’s to
baceo quota program continued.
The referendum was announced
by the Agriculture Department in
accordance w ith a recently passed
measure requiring the Agricul
ture Department to place its an
nounced tobacco quotas before a
vote of the growers.
Penalties for tobacco quota vio
lations were recently increased 5U
percent by act of Congress.
The July 12 referendum will
concern the 1947 crop. Grower*
will be asked whether they ap
prove a national marketing quota
for 11M7 which is due to be an
nounced July 1 by the Agricul
ture Department.
They also will vote on whether
they favor the quotas for a one
or three-year period, and whether
or not they are opposed to quotas.
The last referendum on flue
cured tobacco quotas was held in
19-13. At that time, 117.(i percent
(Continued on page six)
County Property Values
After reaching the highest peak since 1919-20 when
valuations stood right at 21 million dollars, property val
ues, personal and real, took a slight dip for the first time
this year, Tax Supervisor M. L. Peel stating that a loss of
$161,128 is reflected in current listings. While the figures
dropped from $14,036,461 last year to $111,875,333 this year,
exclusive of corporation listings, the decrease is hardly of
sufficient size to make itself felt when it comes time to de
termine the new tax rate. However, the decrease will
possibly be recognized as a caution sign. A year ago, cor
poration values were placed on the books by the Utilities
Commission at $1,965,762.37. If those values are maintain
ed this year, and there is no reason why they should not
be about the same if not more, then the total 1946 assess
ed property valuation in the county will approximate
$15,841,095.
Plagued by heavy personal property losses, Williams
ton and Robersonville Townships could not offset the de
crease with real property gains and they with Hamilton
show an over-all loss.
WHITE
1945 1946
$ 1,815,243 $ 1,846,909
376,955
Jamcsville
Williams
Griffins
Bear Grass
WilUamston
Cross Roads
Robersonville
Poplar Point
Hamilton
Goose Nest
Totals
355,265
733.006
697,631
3.339,619
658,241
2,494,489
379,347
1,005,072
1,233,160
743,552
706,637
3,220,242
659,464
2,374,679
390,105
951,399
1,233,971
$12,711,073 $12,503,913
COLORED
Jamesville
Williams
Griffins
Bear Grass
Williamston
Cross Roads
Robersonville
Poplar Point
Hamilton
Goose Nest
Totals
*—Denotes loss.
1945
$ 159,625
53,700
31,599
47,399
264,507
53,833
262,643
17,024
147,564
287,464
$
1946
166,156
51,683
31,325
46,483
285,390
55,354
283.595
18,223
151.595
281,616
Gain
Loss
31,666
21,690
10,546
9,006
*119,377
1,223
*119,810
10,758
* 53,673
811
*207,160
Gain
Lo&s
6,531
* 2,017
* 274
* 916
20,883
1,521
20,952
1,199
4,031
* 5,848
Pet.
01.7
06.1
01.4
01.3
*03.5
00.2
*04.8
02.8
*05.3
00.0
*01.6
Pci.
04.1
*03.7
*00.8
*01.9
07.9
02.6
07.9
07.0
02.6
*02.0
$1,325,358 $1,371,420
46,062 03.1
I Defendants Given
Lons Prison Terms
Ti'ihmiiil ScIh-iIiiWm* lo I'nd
Trial of Oiminal Cases
Some rl'iine Today
Opening a one-week term of
Martin County Superior Court
hero yesterday, Judge Walter
Bone cleared a number of cases
from the docket, and made ready
to clear the criminal docket pos
sibly sometime today.
No charge to the grand jury was
considered necessary since the
body received detailed instruc
tions at a previous term. Al
though the court saved time
there, the case in which Jimmy
Council was charged with drunk
en driving required nearly two
hours for its trial. There was
much conflicting evidence and the
defendant was adjudged not guil
ty.
Henry Paul, young Greenville
white man, pleaded guilty of in
voluntary manslaughter as a re
sult of a truck accident near Ev
eretis in whifh Jeremiah Brown,
colored, was fatally injured. Paul
was sentenced to serve from two
to three years in State’s Prison,
the sentence to run concurrently
w ith a three to five year term im
posed in Pitt County some time
ago in a case charging him with
larceny.
j Charged with an assault with a
I deadly weapon with intent to kill,
larceny and receiving and rob
bery, John Henry Taylor, colored,
pleaded guilty of the assault
charge but not with intent to kill,
larceny and receiving and rob
bery. Assaulting and nearly ki 11 -
j ing S. R. Jackson, county farmer,
Taylor was sentenced to prison
for not less than five and not
more than seven years.
Pleading guilty in the case
charging him with breaking and
entering and the larceny of two
truck tires from a building supply
firm in Williamston, Julm H.
Williams was turned over tu the
probation officer, the court delay
ing sentence until a report could
be prepared by the special officer.
Charged with breaking and en
t< ring and larceny, Thurman
Beach pleaded guilty of forcible
trespass and the pica was accept
ed. Beach stated that he had
been drinking, that he did not re
! member breaking into the filling
station of John Mobley in Evcr
; elts, that the Iasi tiling lie remem
bered prior to being found asleep
in the station was going into the
picture show at Rubcrsonvillc.
The case was turned over to the
i probation officer, the court liold
(Continued on page six)
Call Thirty-Five For
•/
Pre- Induction Tests
Nine Prove They
Are Fathers Anc^
Get Out Of Call
—*—
Musi of Those Making Trip
On Monthly Hail Been
Kxaniinetl Before
-•
Thirty-five young Martin Coun
ty white men were called recently
to report on Monday of this week
to Fort Bragg for pre-induction
examinations. Nine of them prov
ed parentage at the last minute
and got out of the call. Two
others were ruled out locally on
account of physical disabilities.
Most of those making the trip this
week had undergone examina
tions at previous times either by
the county board’s examining
physicians or those at Fort Bragg.
The call was tin' largest receiv
ed in this county since the war.
The ages of the group ranged
from twenty to 26 years. Eighteen
of those called came from the
farm.
Names of the young men called
to report and their addresses:
Asa LeRoy Moore, RFD 1, Wil
liamston.
Willard Gray Coltrain, RFD 1,
Jamesville.
Andrew Edmondson Bullock,
RFD 3, Williamston.
Rodney Harvey Roberson, Rob
ersonville.
Robert Hyman Salsbury, Has
sell.
Linwood Maurice Brown, RFD
1, Jamesville.
Herbert Leslie Manning, RFD 1,
Williamston and Rocky Mount.
Thomas Mitchell Hoislip, RFD
1, Oak City.
Maryland Annie Hadley, RFD
2, Williamston.
William Evan Griffin, RFD 1,
Williamston.
Edward Latham, RFD 2, Wil
liamston.
Dallas Hassell Godard, James
ville and Norfolk.
Clayton Earl Warren, Rober
son ville.
William Asa Taylor, RFD 2,
Williamston.
Alton Fay Peel, RFD 1, Wil
liamston.
Curnie Lee Mobley, RFD 1,
Jamesville.
Sam Stewart Hardison, RFD 3,
Williamston,
James Elbert Ayers, RFD 2,
Williamston.
Ottis Hope Peel, RFD 3, Wash
ington.
Thomas Mason Pearson, Oak
City.
Milton Bennett Wynne, RFD 3,
Williamston.
Virgil Scott, RFD I, Oak City.
Mack Hyman Warren, RFD 1,
Robersonville.
Names of the men exempted at
the last minute because they were
fathers:
Jesse Vernon Edmondson, RFD
2, Roberson ville.
Durham Writter Davis, RFD 1,
Jamesville.
Chester Benjamin Whitehurst,
RFD 3, Williamston.
James Clifton Wiggins, Wil
liamston.
Jack Hardison, RFD 1, Wil
liamston.
Leonard Harold Ange, RFD 1,
Jamesville.
Edward Daniel Mizellc, RFD 1,
(Continued on page six)
-4
Officers Capture
Two Liquor Stills
—#—
Raiding in two sections of the
county last week, ABC Officer J.
H. Roebuck and Deputy Roy Peel
wrecked two liquor plants and
preferred charges against Ray
mond Lloyd,
The first plant, a 50-gallon ca
pacity oil drum, two fermenters
and about fifty gallons of beer,
was wrecked in the Gold Point
section. Searching the premises,
the officers found a still and
worm in the home of Lloyd and
charged him with possessing ma
terials for the manufacture of il
licit liquor.
Last Friday just off the Five
Cent Road the officers wrecked a
50-gallon capacity oil drum, doub
le- and cooler and poured out fit
ly gallons of cheap beer. A 40
gallon capacity tin still had been
discarded at the plant.
j SPECIAL MEETING
v_
in .special sscsion
Thursday morning of this
week, the Martin County
Commissioners will study as
sessed property valuation fig
ures and review the budget
estimates offered by the vari
ous countv departments, J.
Sam Getsinger, ex-officio
clerk to the board, announc
ed.
No preliminary report on
the budget figures could be
had, but there has been a re
ported downward trend ill
property values and that
trend with increased costs
are expected by some to in
fluence an upward trend in
the tax rate for the next fis
cal year. If no increase re
sults, it is considered likely
that the rate will remain un
changed.
County 4-H Club
Member Reports
Trip To Virginia
—®—
Nearly 100 Marlin County
Hoys Ami Cirls Allrin!
Annual Camp
-<»
(The second and concluding in
stallment of the report prepared
by Miss Celia Stokes on the re
cent -i 11 club encampment at
Jamestown, Va., follows):
Tuesday morning we begun on
schedule: Arose at seven, took ox
ercise, cleaned up cabins, ate
breakfast, had classes, went for a
swim, read camp newspaper, ate
lunch, rested, swam again, played
games, ate supper, had vesper ser
vices, which were lead by each
group in turn, recreation.
It was cold and rainy Tuesday,
but in spite of this a few took the
scheduled swims. While not in
the water or on classes we gather
ed in Perry Hall and were taught
folk dances. For recreation that
night we had a movie along with
the regular games and dances.
Wednesday was fair. We went
through the usual routine, meet
ing more friends and playing oc
casional games of softball and
volley ball. We again had a movie
after vesper and then a most
amusing stunt. In our presence
four couples exchanged clothing
on die stage. Since this was the
must enjoyed chapter in the camp
recreational activities 1 will tell
you a little about it. The couples
lined up side by side, the first boy
and girl exchanged, ran back and
tagged the next couple who went
through the same process. And,
oh! yes, none of the participants
forgot to wear their bathing suits.
Thursday night was amateur
stunt night and every one was
given a chance to show off their
talents. Some made speeches or
sang. Two members had a talk
ing contest and some of the boys
dressed in girls clothing and bath
ing suits and pranced graciously
across the Hull floor kissing the
boys that appealed to them. You
can imagine how cute your
brother would look in your sis
tor's bathing suit or dress, turban
and lipstick. From the stunts the
judges chose the "Head’’ group as
the best group, Kllenor Eubanks
and Ann Minton the best couple
and, by a strange coincidental ac
cident, Ctha Sloki s as the best
(Continued on page six)
-1
Infant Dies In
Hospital Sunday
Benjamin Hallie James, Jr.,
ten-day-old son of Mr. Ben II.
and Mrs. Alhe Roebuck James,
died in the local hospital Sunday
morning at 10:00 o'clock following
a few days' illness. Besides his
parents he is survived by a sister,
Cynthia, of the home in Poplar
Point Township.
Funeral services were conduct
ed in the Biggs Funeral Home on
West Main Street here Monday
afternoon at 3:00 o’clock bv Rev.
J. R. Everett, pastor of the Rober
sonville Baptist Church. Inter
ment was in the Robersonville
Cemetery,
Mrs. Eva Harrison
Died Suddenly At
Home Early Today
Kmtoral l<»r lsromir»**nf
Local Lilizcn \! I :<M)
I*. M. We«lm*s«lay »
-*
Mrs. Kvii N.:■ 'rni Hamsc/i,, pro
minent local citizen, died sud
denly at her home on North
Haughton Street here this morn
ing at 1:30 o’clock of a heart at
tack. Although she had been in
declining health fot several years,
Mrs. Harrison seemed to he in her
usual health when retiring last
night. She suffered the attack at
12110, dying an hour later.
The daughter of the late Joseph
h. and Gussie Leggett Woolard,
Mrs. Harrison was born in the
Macedonia Community of Bear
Glass Township on November 20,
1877, spending her early life
there. On March 25, 1903, she
was married to Thaddeus F. Har
rison. prominent business man in
this section of the State and a
willing and able supporter in the
fields of religion and education.
In her early youth Mrs. Harri
son joined the Macedonia church
which her forbears had establish
ed and libe rally supported down
through the years. She later mov
ed her membership to Williams
ton where she humbly and faith
fully worshipped for nearly half
a century. Mrs. Harrison was a
devoted wife, a good mother and
a thoughtful neighbor and friend
lo all. In her quiet and humble
manner she was a driving force
for all that which is good and
noble, having given freely of her
time and liberally of her means
for the advancement of Christian
ideals and the welfare of her
adopted community. She was in
practice and deed a good woman,
one who was admired and one
who was held in high esteem by
all whose privilege it was to have
known her, and had the warm
admiration of a bust of friends
and acquaintances. In her hum
ble walk through life she offered
a splendid example, worthy of
others lo follow and acclaim.
Surviving arc five daughters,
Mrs. Ralph Parker, Mrs. Robt. L.
(Continued on page six)
Bililc School
Commencement
The local Union Daily Vacation
Bible School held a very fine
commencement in the Baptist
Church last Friday evening,
marking the close of a two-weeks
J session which was described as
the most successful ever conduct
ed tiei e.
Under the direction of Miss
| Ethel Guest, head of , . ligious
j education in the local Baptist
church, the school enrolled 234
pupil-, 194 of them being in regu
lar attendance. There were twen
ty eight volunteer teachers, the
director recognizing and com
mending them for their splendid
and efficient work during the ses
sion.
The program was well received
by a congregation that taxed the
church’s seating capacity. All of
tiie numbers and drills were very
impressive.
Enrollment was reported by
churches, as follows: Memorial
Baptist, 77; West End Baptist, 8;
Methodist, 44; Christian, 82; Holi
ness, 11; Episcopal, 15; Presby
terian, 8, and unclassified, 8. The
departments reported the follow
ing enrollment, beginner, 48; pri
mary, 71, junior, 75, and interme
diate, 42.
During the two weeks, the pup
ils contributed $85 and the com
mencement collection boosted it
to $132. The amount will be sent
to foreign lands to aid the hungry.
Cirl Scouts Plan
Supper Meeting
-s
The Williamston Girl Scouts
and Brownies will have a supper
honoring the mothers and fathers
in the Woman’s Club building
Wednesday night at ti:3t). This
will be the closing meeting for
both scouts and brownies until
September when school starts. An
appropriate program with songs
and dancing has been planned and
all of the scouts and brownies and
parents are urged to be present.
A special court of awards will
be held at the close of the meet*
ing.