North Carolina Newspapers

THE ENTERPRISE IS READ BT OVER 3,000 MARTIN COUNT* FAMILIES TWICE EACH WEES VOLUME L—NUMBER 24 THE ENTERPRISE Williamston, Martin County, North Carolina, Tuesday, March 25, 1917 THE ENTERPRISE IS READ HI OVER 3.000 MARTIN COUNT! FAMILIES TWICE EACH WEEK ESTABLISHED 1899 Stimson Explains Why Atomic Bomb H Was Used In W ar —»- ■ ■ Former Seerelary of War Was Man To Make the Recommendation -» ■ - ■ (In view of the public interest and importance of the story, this paper, with permission of Harp er’s Magazine, is reprinting For mer Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson’s historic decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan, and the facts leading up to it. • (The story is rather long, and ^ will appear in installments. The first in the series follows:) In recent months, there has been much comment about the decision to use atomic bombs in attacks on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This decision was one of the gravest made by our Government in re cent years, and it is entirely pro per that it should be widely dis -4 cussed. I have therefore decided to record for all who may be in terested my understanding of the events which led up to the attack on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, on Nagasaki on August 9. and the Japanese decision to surrender, on August 10. No single individ ual can hope to know exactly what took place in the minds of all of those who had a share in these events, but what follows is an exact description of our thoughts and actions as I find them in the records and in my clear recollection. It was in the fall of 1941 that the question af atomic energy was first brought directly to my attention. At that time President | Roosevelt appointed a committee consisting of Vice President Wal lace, General Marshall, Dr. Van nevar Bush, Dr. Janies B. Con ant. and myself. The function of this committee was to advise the President on questions of policy relating to the study of nuclear fission which was then proceed- j ing both in this country and in Groat Britain. For nearly four years thereafter I was directly 4 connected with all major decis ions of policy on the development and use of atomic energy, and from May 1, 1943, until my resig nation as Secretary of War on Sept. 21, 1945, I was directly re sponsible to the President for the administration of the entire un dertaking; my chief advisers in this period were General Marsh all, Dr. Bush, Dr.. Conant, and Maj. Gen. Leslie R. Groves, the j officer in charge of the project. At the same time I was the Presi dent’s senior adviser on the mili tary employment of atomic en ergy. The policy adopted and steadily pursued by President Roosevelt and his advisers was a simple one. It was to spare no effort in secur ing the earliest successful devel opment of an atomic weapon. The reasons for this policy were j equally simple. The original ex- j (Continued on page six) Tells Club About Mechanical Picker Mr. R. Hunter Pope, large land owner and farmer of Enfield, told of his experiences with a me enanical cotton picker in an ad ___dress to the members oMheKi CRib iitri c night. Mr. Pope, a former school principal, was prompted to buy the picker in the fall of 1945 ow ing to the fact that he could not secure labor to pick several hun dred acres of cotton on his farms. 1 •'I can't say the machine is a sue- : cess under all circumstances or conditions but 1 am impressed not only with its work but also its possibilities,” the speaker stated. He went into detail in explaining how the machine works and also presented newspaper clippings and photographs of the picker working on his farms. ‘'The machine I purchased cost approximately $4,000 when newr. It picks one row but two-row machines can be bought for $0. 000,” tine speaker stated. One of the advantages, the speaker point ed out, in having one of the me chanical cotton pickers, is that it picks cotton better and the cot ton sells higher tlian that picked by hand. Clayton Crofton, new member, was presented his pin by Herbert. Whitley. Transplanting Of Tobacco i To Be Late In This Section ___ After experiencing some diffi culty in getting their seed beds prepared and planted, Marlin I County farmers are now worry ; ing over a possible scarcity of | plants and an almost certain de lay in transplanting. i Those farmers planting in early January have little prospect of I having any plants if they did not ! sow any more. The seed planted l early came up and were killed by jcold weather in February and I March. Seed planted in February are just coming up, and farmers declare that the plants in those beds will hardly be ready for transplanting before about the middle of May, and weather con ditions must be favorable for them to be ready by that time. While some farmers have poor I prospects for plants, others doub ! led the size of their plant beds and there will be enough to go around, but they are certain to be late. Present indications point to tobacco transplanting in early June this year. Certain their tobacco plants will be late and that blue mold if it is very severe will delay the transplanting schedule even fur ther, large numbers of farmers are making ready to start spray ing their beds with fermate. The spray has proved very successful when applied about every four days after the plants reach about a certain size. Unofficial reports from other belts maintain that farmers are facing a plant shortage, that blue mold has been very damaging. Sixteen Divorces In The Superior Court Mill Ground Them Out In Less Than Two Hours" Time Tribunal Expected to Com plete Trial of Civil Calendar Today -o After grinding out sixteen di vorces in its mill in less than two hours Monday morning, the Mar tin County Superior Court heard a few motions, entered several judgments and is now working to ward adjournment, possibly some time this afternoon. Judge Paul D. Frizelle of Snow Hill is presid ing. The sixteen divorces, only four going to white plaintiffs, were all based on two years' of separation and none was contested. Without repairing to their room for delib erations, the jurymen merely raised their hands in passing on the issues. The cases were being ground out so fast that clerk of ficers appeared to be running around so fast that they appeared to be in a circle. Seeing the jury men raise their hands time and again, one observer thought the men were fanning away, flies. Divorces were granted the fol lowing: Archie Mizelle against Fay Walker Mizelle, Leona Little against Ernest Little, Ernestine Anderson against Walter Ander son, Askew Green against Bettie Ann Green, Isaac Cordon against Odessa Sykes Cordon, Sadie Highsmith against Lester High smith, Ledger Hardison against Booker T. Hardison, William M. Burnett against Cordious C. Bur- j nett, Nellie G. Ambrose against Raymond Ambrose, W. B. Baker J against Mary Baker, Goldie Cher- ' ry against Bryant Cherry, George Washington Joyner against Doro thy Joyner, Della Whitehurst ••••gairsrt W:i!v,-r ‘ • F'd..: er L. Gardner against Lola Gard ner, and Ransome Knight against Anna Knight. The ^jury answered the issues in the affirmative in 1 the case of Jesse Whitley, colored, j against Frances Whitley, but the judgment was not recorded im- J mediately because the court costs j rad not injtif'palaV /'clu ing that judgment is not absolute ! until the costs are paid. (Continued on page five) lommie Gaylord j Scout Executive Tommie Gaylord, Jamesville 1 y'oung man and for several years j i member of the teaching profes- ! don, was recently named field ! executive of Cherokee Council j 3oy Scouts, according to an an- I aouncement just released by John 1 3. Oakley, Jr., a council cxecu- | .ive. Gaylord, whose service area : ivill include Reidsville, Dan River i md Caswell County districts, goes j o the Cherokee organisation j Tom Monticello High School in j Juilford County, where he now | lolds the position of principal. j Jakley said Gaylord "comes to 1 professional scouting with a rich background as a volunteer scout *r. REOPENING v-j Williamston's white schools, forced to close last Wednes day afternoon by an epi demic of influenza, are re opening: tomorrow morning, according to information coming from the local com mittee today. Officials would offer no prediction, but the attendance while hardly ap-* proaching normal will be considerably higher than the 70 percent reported the day the emergency holiday was ordered. Unofficial reports indicate that influenza is spreading to other schools, that possibly one or two others are consid ering suspending classes for a few days. Legislature Off On Goose Chase -o While passing some important and beneficial legislation at times, the cuirent North Carolina General Assembly is still running wild on what some observers de scribe as a goose chase. After denying approximately 250,000 workers a minimum 40 ccnt wage, the apparently greedy fellows are moving to vote them selves a $6 daily wage increase. Final action is expected on the measure on Thursday of this week. The legislature is also propos ing to tear down law enforcement in the State by divorcing the highway patrol from other law enforcement agencies. The terms of the bill are not quite clear, but on the surface it appears that a patrolman would be unable to ar rest a robber unless he first got permission hum the governor. . Local Entry In Baseball League Plans for Season -♦ Lumber Ordered for Fence Around Park At The High School -o Tentative plans for opening play in the Martin County Base ball League on April 20 were ad vanced at a meeting of local club officials, players and fans last week-end. It was stated that lumber for fencing the high school baseball park has been ordered, that play ers and fans were planning to start construction the latter part of this or early.next week. Volun teer help will be appreciated, the officials announced. Heading the local club, Messrs. K. P. Lindsley, Russell Griffin and Lynn Taylor called their first practice Sunday afternoon and a goodly number of player pros pects reported, including Garland and Haywood Wynne, David, Archie, Thurman and S. E. Perry, Jj'., C. T. Roberson, Joe Daven port, william Rogers, Tom Bran don, Hubert Smith, Jr., Elwood Brown and Russell Griffin. An other practice will be held next Sunday afternoon. Assuring sports fans in this section that the best brand of ball possible would be offered1, the club leaders are appealing to the community for support. It is hop ed that enough ads can be sold to pay for the fence lumber, that enough business firms will under write the purchase of suits for the players. It was explained that Messrs. Griffin and Lindsley had guaranteed the cost of the lum ber, believing interested fans and others would support them in meeting the cost. Present plans do not call for the construction of a grand stand, but the club promoters are hope ful it will be possible to construct some bleacher seats. The officials explained that the club roster would be limited to twelve or thirteen players, that no salaries are expected, but that the players would divide any money left over after expenses are paid. There are openings for three boys, two to chase foul balls and the other to keep the bats. Local Young Man Home From Italy ~ • Captain Darrell M. Price re turned to his home here Sunday after a stay of three years in Eu rope. He was accompanied by his wife, a native of Italy. During most of his stay in Europe Cap tain Price managed and edited an American newspaper in Tri este, the little spot that was in world dispute at one time. Capain and Mrs. Price will make heir home here for the present with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Jesse T. Price. Captain Price reports to Fort Bragg next .Monday.^ County Baseball League Officials Met Last Night -o : More Personnel Changes Are Made; All Posi tions Now Filled i Meeting in the Thrower Appli ■ ance Company store here last evening, officials and other inter ested fans virtually completed plans for launching the playing season in the Martin County Baseball League on April 20. A 42-game schedule was formally approved and league by-laws were tentatively adopted, the groupt of about thirty declaring that every effort would be made to promote the sport. Quite a few personnel changes were announced, but all positions are now filled. Lyn Taylor re signed as president of the league to manage Williamsfon's entry. Mr. Taylor succeeds Joe David Thrower who resigned last week. Howard Gaylord, a disinterested party, was promoted from secre tary-treasurer to president. F. M. Manning was elected vice presi dent when the job absolutely went begging, and D. W. Brady was named to the secretary-treas urer position. Several changes were made in the by-laws and they will be i*e drawn and submitted at the league’s next meeting for the club manager’s signatures. It was announced at the meet ing that at least two other clubs and possibly a third one were in terested in entering the league, but the meeting voted to hold the number of clubs to eight, the league to include, Williamston, (Continued on page six) — Bureau Supports Proposed Laws -<*. Leaders of the Martin County Farm Bureau, meeting in the county court house last Friday night went on record as favoring several changes proposed in North Carolina fertilizer laws, and instructed President Chas. L. Daniel and member V. G. Taylor to support them before a legisla tive committee in Raleigh this week. Explaining the proposed changes in the laws, President Daniel said that few fertilizer companies were listed among the opposition. The Smith-Douglass Company was quoted as opposing the proposed changes because the new laws would give the North Carolina State Department of Ag riculture too much power. One of the proposed changes would require the companies to stamp in bold type the analysis of the fertilizer on the bags. The other change, Mr. Daniel explained, would deny the manu facturers the right to change the analysis of an advertised brand of fertilizer during a certain period1 without first gutting per mission from the State Depart ment Of Agriculture. Debt Paid To Society, Prisoner Leaving Camp Shortly His debt to society just about liquidated, Onnie C. Cotton, in mate of the Martin County pris on ,j .-a thing the air of freedom. Captain John Delbridge and other camp auth orities are certain to miss him, but Cotton declares he can hardly wait until about the middle of April when he is to take official leave of his duties as chief cook. Cotton, now 49 years old, has made an ideal prisoner and up until now has not had one minute of trouble with the authorities or fellow prisoners. But it wasn’t his splendid record that gained him a wide reputation among fel low prisoners and high state pris on officials. It was his natural ability and earnestness demon strated behind the cook pots and pans that made Cotton the man he is today. Prison officials, handling routine checks and other business, always made it a point to inspect Cotton's kitchen along about meal time, and there is lit tle doubt but what the manpow er shortage would just about have closed the camp had it not been for the man's menus and cooking. Low salaries were not very invit ing, but Cotton, during those ad verse periods, would give fat back the taste of roasted chicken and [the guards and other prison em | ploy*cjs ' fftSSf pvsis with ! some few exceptions, j In addition to his culinary art, Cotton possesses a wonderful memory. “I entered the Tarboro camip on January 19, 1943. After spending four months and twelve days there I was transferred to Gatesville where I spent 29 months and two days. Going to Manteo I spent two months to the day there before I was farmed out on a special cooking assignment at Waves, near Hatteras. After three months and fifteen days there, I was transferred to Wil liamston on January 2, 1946," Cotton said. When he was reviewing his stay in tire “service,” Cotton said up until that time he had been in prison four years, three months and fifteen days, Cotton explain ing that he could reduce the time to hours and minutes. As sured by Captain Delbridge that his good record Would earn for him a few days, Cotton meekly suggested that the consideration must come soon or it would be too late. Cotton is such a good cook and hand that while the authorities will not “cheat" him they hardly can be expected to | "fire” him much ahead ofdtWMl ; Standing beside his two 24-inch frying pans, Cotton talked freely of his .prison record. Some of it hud been tough, no doubt, the man explaining that it was no lit I tie job to cook for about 100 peo ple. But Cotton explains that lie has been favored. He has made and sold rings, pockctbooks, bed spreads and other articles, mak ing as much as four and five hun dred dollars in three or four months. That was when he was working regular hours. When he was elevated to the chief cook’s position, Colton, started “cooking his way out." He has cooked almost around the clock seven days per week, gaining time and a half for the extra hours. The man possibly lias been more impressed by his tips than by any other one thing. "There’s Dr. Brown, the prison physician. He would come to the camp and occasionally have Sunday dinner while making his rounds here. So far he has tipped me to the tune of $32,” Cotton said, his face beaming with appreciation. Cotton did not say much about the event that steered him , to prison. Solicitor George f ountain sum some tw.c ago .i/SA1 ■ Cotton was janitor for the Edge combe County courthouse, that j j someone went on tile roof of a hardware stoic, worked his way through a trap door to the safe and moved out with several thousand dollars. Everything and everybody moved along as usual until the officers started taking finger prints, and Cotton moved : out unexpectedly. He was re turned the next day from Rocky Mount. The charge was sustain ed in the courts, but Cotton ex- j plained that he had lost the i money. ; He maintains that there's noth- | ing to the report that he hid it. ■ “Let’s don’t talk about that,” Cot- ; ton insisted, all the while prefer- < ring to point out that he had | humbly paid his debt to society, that he had tried to be a model j prisoner. Trained and expcricnc- i ed in the culinary art, Cotton ; plans to start cooking lor a high- 1 way construction force in Com- t missioner Merrill Evans’ first dis- | trict just as soon as he clears the < prison camp gate about the mid- i die of April. t Seventy Register Saturday For Town Primary Election Although no formal candidacies have been announced consider able interest is being advanced in Wiliiamston's first municipal pri mary election scheduled for April 14. Registrar John E. Pope an nounced yesterday that seventy. 1 names were added to the regis I tration books on the first day of i the registration last Saturday, that possibly 25 or 30 other elec tors visited his office during the day to make certain that their names were on the books. There still seems to be some misunderstanding about the re gistration. No new registration has been ordered, and those who have participated in a TOWN election in the past twenty-five years will not have to register again. Those who have not par ticipated in a TOWN election or who have not registered for a TOWN election will find it neces sary to register if they are to qualify themselves for participa tion in the April 14 primary. Quite a few attended and partici pated in the nominating conven tions, but the fact that they had a part in the convention does nojt aWHfet lUeux.fn! .pu&tejpatiax to the primary unless they are duly registered. The fact that many registered for and participated in county, state and national elec tions dos not mean that they are registered and qualified to vote in a TOWN election. Quite a few registered and voted in the spec ial school election about a year ago here, but that does not quali fy one for participation in the town municipal election. The registration, books will be kept open again next Saturday, March 2£), and the following Sat urday. April 5 for registrations. The books will be open for chal lenge April 12. Annual Farm Bureau Barbecue On May 9th ROUND-UP Vi--t Local, county and state of ficers had a fairly busy period last week-end, but crime activities were not quite as numerous as they were the week before. Six persons were arrested and jailed here during the last few days of last week. Two were booked for being drunk and disorderly, two for drunken driving and one each for larceny and receiv ing and trespassing. The ages of the group rang ed from 20 to 62 years and only one of the six was white. Jail Peeping Tom Saturday Evenin -o Willie Harvey Bell, young Pop lar Point colored man, was jailed here late last Saturday evening by Patrolman W. E. Saunders and Officer Arthur Perry for tres passing on the property of James Wynne here on East Franklin Street. The man was released the following day when bond was ar ranged in tbe sum of $150 by his employer. Bell, said to have been drink- j ing, was .prowling around the Wynne home about !):30i that night. Mr. Wynne saw him through a window, ran out of the house and caught him peeping at the window before he (Bell) could run. Officers were quoted as saying that while Bell had been drinking he was not so drunk but what he knew exactly what hr was doing. 0 -•' Farmers Exceeded Quotas Assigned For Leaf Exports -4 Fill Slock Show Will Be llehl In Williumsioii Same Day of liurheciic Mooting in the county court house hist Friday evening leaders advanced tentative plans for holding the annual Martin Coun ty Farm Bureau barbecue and an nounced that the quotas assigned in the movement to boost or help maintain tobacco exports had been raised with several hundred dollars to spare. The annual barbecue is to be held this year on Friday, May 9, a special committee to make all arrangements and announce them in ample time for the event. Mes- : sis. Johnnie Gurkin, H. U. Pee], V. G. Taylor and T. B. Brandon were appointed by President Chas. L. Daniel to make the ar rangements. The meeting order ed an invitation extended J M. Broughton to address the Farm Bureau group. It was explained that the an nual barbecue is being held about a week later than usual, that the later date was chosen because the annual 4-H fat stock show had been scheduled for May 9, the leaders thinking it would be bet ter to schedule the two events for the same day. It was voted by tire Farm Bureau directors to offer $159 in prizes for the approxi mately 49 boys and girls who are planning to participate in the j show. The committee named to handle the arrangements for the annual barbecue assured the leaders that everything possible would be done to avoid confusion and delay at the supper. Between 25 and 35 pigs have been tentatively engug-1 ed to feed the approximately 2, (Continued on page eight) 1 TEh? Small Irish"" “7 Potato Growers! —«— Plans for aidiug small-scale j Irish potato farmers wire an nounced a few days ago by the ! government. Under the 11)47 price support program for Irish pota toes, producers on farms for which no 1947' farm goal was es tablished will be eligible for sup port if the acreage of potatoes on the farm does not exceed 2.9 acres. To qualify for the support price, the farmer must give ad vance notice to the county office, indicating that he desires to be , considered eligible for price sup- , port operations. Producers on farms for which goals of three acres or more were not established must apply for acreage determination on or be- i lore Tuesday, April 1. Only ] those Martin County farmers ap- | plying to the office of the Martin bounty agent’s office by that time 1 will be eligible to participate in < the program, it was announced. ! Justices Handle Number Of Cases In The Past Week -^ Brothers Bound Over To County Court For Alleg ed Assault Sunday -•- . •fustici' R. T Johnson had a faUisytr.m* -iasl w eek handl ing ten criminal cases and tying the more or less fatal knot for a young colored couple. Albert Williams and Thurman Williams, charged with being drunk and disorderly, were each required to pay $6.75 costs. Charged with assaulting a fe male Joe and Lcora Bullock were bound over to the county court in $100 bond each. Charged with assaults with deadly weapons and cutting An drew' Latham with a knife, Louis Freeman, Wannamaker James and Arthur Cross were bound over to the county court in $50 bonds each. Frank Daw, facing the court twice in a row for alleged disord erly conduct, was taxed with $6.75 costs in the first instance. In the second case he was fined $5 and required to pay $7.75 costs, including jail fees. J. Willie Brinkley, publicly drunk, was required to pay $9.50 costs, including jail fees. Forrest Edward Brinkley, charged with drunken driving and operating a motor vehicle without p driver’s license, was re quired to raise bond in the sum of $200 for his appearance in the county court for trial. Wannamaker James, charged with larceny, was sent to the liighei courts under bond in the sum of $350. Jake and Gladys Ward and Le Rov Andri ws and wife., charged with the possession of illegal li quor, were bound over to the county court for trial. Fred Fraley, drunk and disord erly, was taxed with $8.75 costs, the amount including jail fees. Charles and Clarence Pate, brothers, were bound over to the county court in $300 bonds each by ‘Justice Jas. S. Ayers at a hearing last evening for allegedly assaulting B. L. Conway, local cafe operator-owner, late Sunday night. Both defendants pleaded not guilty, but the trial justice found probable cause and sent the case to the higher court for trial next Monday. According to evidence offered last night, Chus. Pate carried a cup from the cafe on Washington Street. The owner asked him to bring it back, and when Pate con tinued, Conway followed him. The other brother came up when Chas. Pate and Conway reached Ihe Central Service station, Con way maintaining that he was talk (Continued on page six) Alleged Robber Placed In Jail —*— Wannumaker James, young lo •aJ I'cl'iu-d m• w• last Thursday nigh* for allegedly robbing the safe of the Standard Fertilizer Company a few hours ea her. Sneaking into the office about 6:00 o’clock while the book keeper had his back turned, James is alleged to have lifted the c' ange box from the safe and |>i ived ibout $S ; employee turned just in time to >ee the man duck down and run ;iut a side door. The robber ran around the fer tilizer plant, across Farmer W. G. Peel’s field and into the woods. Officers chased him for some dis unce. About 9:30 o’clock James .vent to the police station and in quired if any one was looking for* tint. He explained that he had seen to Bertie County. Sheriff Z. B. Roebuck who was in the sta ion at the time, immediately vent to James' home where he uuml James' wet clothes and earned that the change had been nude juet a short time before, lames denied ownership of the .‘lollies, but when the officers ihuwed him the cleaners’ tag with lis name on it, ho said, "They are nine. You got me.” He wont on o say, "But I did not get any noncy. 1 merely went into the of ice to write an order for some [roceries.” Given a hearing before Justice H. Johnson that night, James vas placed in jail when he could tot raise bond in the rum <j£ $3$$,