THE ENTERPRISE IS READ BY OVER 3,000 MARTIN COUNTY FAMILIES TWICE EACH WEEK THE ENTERPRISE THE ENTERPRISE IS READ BT OVER 3.000 MARTIN COUNT* FAMILIES TWICE EACH WEEK VOLUME XLIX—NUMBER 85 Williamston, Martin County, North Carolina, Tuesday, October 22. 1946 ESTABLISHED 1899 Saturation Point Reached In Taxes And Expenditures Oo\{“riHtr !i. {»re«£*i ( lierry SiiiuJr. Fro.-., i1 ;,..n the State took over the 48,000 miles of county roads until 1045, onl\ $12,000,000 were spent on them. It is a disproportionate amount, but there has been creat ed a definite' program, calling for inoie attention to be given the secondary roads. Since January of this year we have let contracts feu 2.000 miles; of secondary road (.Continued on page eight) Recovering r roni Accident Injury Joe Hollis, old time woodsman anti logger, is recovering fairly rapidly from injuries received when a team ol oxen ran away w;t!i him on the Oak -City-Hassell highway earlier this month. Frightened by a passing train, the oxen jumped and ran away, throwing Mr. Hollis off the un leaded rart. His right thumb was almost torn from the hand and irveral stitehes were required to put it back in place. His l ight arm was badly eut and bruised near the shoulder, and he suffeied a severe head injury. Semi-conscious., Mr. Hollis was picked up about thirty minutes late, and carried to the Roberson vilie Clinic where his injuries were treated He is able to be up and about, but unable to resume his work, last reports stated. g Commission For Oak City Bank <----V LOSES $500.00 | v. Hard luck and near advers ity overtook L. A. Shaw, op erator of a small store near the fairgrounds, yesterday morning when someone pick ed up approximately $500 of his hard-earned cash from a public counter in a local bank. The young man was at the wall counter preparing to make a deposit when he turn ed and went to the teller's window to handle some de tail. When he returned to the counter a few seconds later the poeketbook and money were missing. Propose $100,000 War Memorial for County War Dead —*—<*>— Speriul Coiiimilltr Drafts RtM-nmmoiulations For Legion Post Meeting in the John Walton Hassell Post hut, American Li gion, a special committee Monday evening drafted recommendations for the establishment of a fitting memorial to lie built and dedicat ed to the memory of all Martin County men who died in past wars. In addition to the war memorial itself, the committee suggested that possibly the opening of a memorial cemetery for war dead should be considered, and the group is recommending to the Le gion Post that a committee be named to investigate the estab lishrti. at of a memorial plot. It was pointed out that possibly ul atives would iavoi having their war dead buried in a special plot in a J« pt cemetery in the county, that markers could be placed to tl.s memory of those whose bodies were lost. 1 he following recommendations are ot be submitted to a full meeting of the Legion shortly and a special committee is to be nam ed to take charge: 'Since it has been brought to our atti ntion that there never lias been a memorial of any descrip tion proposed or completed for tlie service men of Martin County who gave their lives in any of the past wars, and lecognizing' the fact that nothing the living vet erans of the county could do would be more fitting than to perpetuate the memory of our comrades who gave their lives that others might live in a free world, we the committee appoint ed to investigate the possibility of a memorial to be sponsored by the John W. Hassyll Post of the American Legion hereby recom mend that this post sponsor this worthy undertaking. "We do not recommend mere ly a shaft of stone or marble with a few names and dates inscribed upon it to become weather-beat en in a few years and then for gotten, nor do we recommend a building with marble walls for the birds to build nests in. We would like to see a memorial erected to our departed comrades ot this county that would not only hi an everlasting monument to their memory and would at the some time be of great service to (Continued on page six) Open Meeting In Baptist Church *.— Opening it senes of revival ser vices in the local Baptist Church Sunday, the pastor, Dr. Ira D S. Knight, Iasi evening turned the pulpit duties over to Rev. Paul K. Nickens, Baptist minister of Ply mouth, who will bring the eve ning messages during the remain der of the meeting which closes on Wednesday of .next week. Rev. Mr. Nickens. stating that his audience last evening was the largest he had ever preached to on a Monday night, took his text from Revelations, 'Let Us Arise and Go To Bethel.” The current revival follow’s two held in the local Methodist and Christian churches. Public Hearing Is Held In Oak City Monday Afternoon Petition \S ill He Plaeed Ito fore Stale (lotnniissiou W ednesda) Pledged a strong support by leaders and all other citizens in the community, Oak City will submit an application to the North Carolina Banking Commis sion at a hearing in Raleigh to morrow for the establishment of a branch in the county town by the Edgecombe Bank and Trust Company. Tentative require ments for the establishment of a branch in Oak City are said to I have been met in every detail, one report stating that approximately $240,000 in deposits had already been pledged and that arrange ments were virtually complete for housing the bank. Most of the preliminary details were handled over a period of two I months, and it is now fairly eer- ! tain that the application will re ceive favorable consideration when a large delegation appears before the commission in Raleigh tomorrow. Interest in the location of a bank for the thriving community center reached a climax yester day afternoon when State Com missioner of Banks Gurney P. Hood headed a public hearing in flu' school auditorium at Oak City. | Iiiton sled citizens almost filled the auditorium for the public : hearing, and there was little j doubt about there being over whelming sentiment Im the es tablishment of a branch there. Commissioner Hood said that men and women, white and colored, were there and all were interest ed. Ten or twelve persons spoke in behalf of the establishment of the bank * Representing the Edgecombe] Bank and Trust Company were, | Sam M. Clark, chairman of the i board; J. W. Forbes, president;! ciiid (i. Harold My i iek, cashier, and Directors Mayo, Pitt and Nash. Asked what chances the appli cants had, Commissioner Hood said, "Well, the evidence was all on one side, and none was heard against it.” Pointing out that he could not vote on the proposal, the commissioner explained that a report on the public healing would he prepared and submitted to the commission at tire hearing to be held Wednesday morning at 11 o’clock in room 211) of the Laboi Building in Raleigh. For nearly twenty years. Hie Oak City community has been without direct banking facilities the citizens depending on the local merchants for change and quite a few banking favors. Much travel was made necessary to other centers when cheeks wi re V;, \ <• . ... I :.t.ft ' :• b. . banking transactions were to be consider ed. Young Man l>a l ily 11liti l. Gu: Bryant, Oak City colored man. was dangerously stabbed in tin bark twine bv Arthur Gotten, also eoloreiI. on 1he streets there la.-t, Saturday afternoon. The wounds, said o liavt linen several indies deep, were packed by a local phy sician. The two men were said to have quarreled over a woman. Placed under a $100 bond, Cot ten vvas scheduled to appear be forc Justice J. B. Whitfield i'oi u hearing. Manlfed fv Beaten In Gambling Brawl Saturday Evening Henry Crawford Jailed and Geo. Hardison Placed Under $500 Bond -» Action in an alleged gambling I den and illicit liquor retail joint in the rooms of Henry Crawford on the third floor of the Guaranty Bank here reached a climax last Saturday night when Bob Harrell was brutally beaten and another man, George Beach, badly bat tered himself when he fell in a dash for safety. Few particulars could be learned immediately, but police jailed Henry Crawford and bond was denied him pending the outcome of Harrell’s condi tion. George Hardison, said to have voluntarily admitted a fist attack on Harrell, was placed under bond in the sum of $500. A bad cut over one eye and his face beaten almost to pulp, Har rell told officers that he and sev eral others were engaged in a friendly card game in Crawford's room when an argument was started over a “queen.” Sensing the hostile atmosphere when Crawford threatened him, Harrell was said to have left his seat and started out the door. Just as he was leaving someone landed a blow on the back of his head, knocking him out. He was drag I ged from the third floor to the ! second and left there, his assail ' ants apparently thinking he was dead. While being dragged down : the hall, Harrell said he partly re covered from the first blow long I enough to, see and feel Hardison beating him in the face. He lost consciousness again and was found possibly thirty minutes lat er when Charlie Bullock entered the building presumably for a vis it to Crawford’s apartment. Police were called and they got medical attention for Harrell and he was later carried to his home near here. Beach, running to gel out of the brawl, was said to have fallen on his face and badly hurt himself. Crawford was later found in his apartment by officers who arrest ed and jailed him. It was report ed that about six quarts of liquor were found in the man’s posses sion, and he is being charged with operating a gambling den, assault with a deadly weapon and posses sion of liquor for the purpose of sa 1 e. Last reports from the victim of the brutal beating stated that ho had been running a high fever, that tie. eyes were forced shut and his lips and cheeks were badly swollen. However, he was ex pected to recover if no complica tions developed. A hearing in the case is tenta tively scheduled before Justice John L. Hassell for Friday night of this week. -1 Caught Trying To *4W£eve Shortage John Smallwood, 38, and Char lie Wiggins, 40, were trapped by Sheriff C. B. Roebuck and other officers last Sunday when the two men circumvented the law in an effort to relieve the meat short age While the larceny case was solved, one-half of the 75-pound pig stolen from the fields of Agri culturist W. G. Peele was never found. The theft was discovered early Sunday morning when farm sup erintendent, Pete Mendenhall, visited the pens and found where the animal had been killed. Of ficers picked up the tracks and followed them to Smallwood’s home below the river hili. When they entered the home, Small wood was busy parching peanuts, a job he held to without even troubling to find out what the law wanted. Smallwood’s wife did not stop her housecleaning. At first no lead in the case could be uii covered, but a few black hog hairs were found around the back porch, and a second search of the house was made. A tub appar ently filled with sweet potatoes was examined closely and one hall the pig was packed in the bottom. Smallwood was arrested then and there Charlie Wiggins, arrested a short time later, ad mitted helping Smallwood dress the animal, and he was placed in jail. t Democrats Rally In Courthouse W Sales Nearing Ten Million Pounds on Tobacco Market -$ Boosted by a large offering last Friday and a much larger deliv ery Monday than was expected, the Williamston Tobacco Market today is nearing the ten million pound mark for the curient seas on. Last week the market handled almost a million pounds for an average right at $55 per hundred pounds, or one of the highest weekly averages of the season to date. Through last Friday, the mar ket had sold 9,487,690 pounds for $4,836,872.34, a resulting average of $50.98 for the season, including everything—scrap, damaged, poor quality, medium quality, good and the best. In the first forty sale days last season the market here sold 10,365.446 pounds for $4,580. 389.89, or an average of $44 20 per hundred pounds. While the sales this season are trailing those of a year ago by nearly one mil lion pounds—877.756. to be exact —the farmers have received $256,482.45 more than they did during the comparative period a year ago. Varied reports were heard about prices on the market yes terday. Some said they noticed very little change in the price trend, but the general opinion was that the price figure was weaker than it was last Friday when one of the highest averages of the season was recorded. A government report released over the week-end stated that an all time high record of tobacco pro duction was being marketed this year, that the production was nearly two and one-quarter bil lion pounds, or 12 percent great ter than any previous record. It is possible that the increased pro duction is having its weight. Jas. Henry Terry Died In Hospital Here Thursday —$— Funeral Service* lleltl In |{o*e Of Sliuron ('liureli Friday Afternoon Jus. Henry Terry, well-known county citizen and Bear Grass Township farmer, died in the lo cal hospital last Thursday aft ernoon at 5:00 o’clock. He had been in declining health for sev eral years, but was getting along as well as usual until last Tues day. He was busy in the peanut fields when he was taken ill. hut his condition was not considered serious until Thursday noon when he was removed to the hospital in a Riggs ambulance. Pneumonia developed during the meantime and that with complications was given as the immediate cause of his death. Mr, Terry was horn in Beaufort County 50 years ago on Septem her 23, 1890 When a small child he moved to this county and lo cated in Bear Grass Township ere he lived and farmed the remainder of his life. In early childhood he joined the Rose of Sharon Free Will Baptist Church and was promi nent in its leadership, remaining a loyal attendant upon its serv ices and a willing and liberal supported of its program. He was a friendly neighbor, a thought ful husband and father and a good, substantial citizen who val ued the fulfillment of every obli gation to his fellowmen. He was married in February, 1918, to Miss Maude Davenport and she survives with seven children: three sons, Charlie I. Terry, James L. Terry and Joseph M. Terry; four daughters, Mrs. Hyman ClaiU, all of the coun'v, and Mrs. Russell Jones of Virginia (Continued on page six) Nest Of Liquor Raiding in the Stingy Point section of Robeisonville Town ship just off Highway No. 11, ABC Officer J. H Roebuck, assisted by Deputy Roy Peel, found and de stroyed a nest of illicit liquor stills last week. Five plants, all equipped with crude 50-gallon ca pacity oil drums for kettles, were destroyed along with approxi mately 800 gallons of molasses beer. The plants were all located m a small area, the officers ex plained, adding that they stumbled over four while looking fut one. Kailiei in the week, the offic ers wrecked two plants in Bear Grass Township. The plants were equipped with oil drums and the officers poured out about 150 gal lons of molasses beer. That same day, the officers found and cap tured a 50-gallon capacity copper kettle in Griffins Township and poured out 100 gallons of molass es beer. -t KOI MM r A varied list of law viola tions was recorded in the book in this community over the week-end when local and county officers and highway patrolmen jailed ten persons. Two were charged with drunken driving, two for lar ceny and receiving, two for assault, and one each for in vestigation, breaking and en tering, drunkenness and dis orderly conduct. The ages of the group, in cluding two white men, rang ed from 'll to 51 years. Hugh l>, Bennett Died at His Home Saturday Morning I'tim-ral Ser\ ires < iomliicl <‘