t THE ENTERPRISE IS READ BY OVER 3,000 MARTIN COUNTY FAMILIES TWICE EACH WEEK VOLUME L—NUMBER 34 THE ENTERPRISE Williamston, Martin County. North Carolina, Tuesday, April 20. 1947 THE ENTERPRISE IS READ BY OVER 3.000 MARTIN COUNTY FAMILIES TWICE EACH WEEK ESTABI 1899 names lonor Pupils In Local Schools Listed Scholastic Requirements Are Met By 160 During Recent Period -« The names of 160 pupils appear t < r * on the honor list in the local schools for the six-week period recently ended, it was announced this week by Principal B. G. Ste wart. Only 12 of the honor names belonged to pupils in the high school. The names of honor pupils, fol low", by grades: Miss Baker’s first grade: Billy Ray Bowen, Billy Carstarphen, Jimmy Cooke. Constance Ches son. Dianne Cherry, Mary Claudia Cherry, Leona Coltrain, and Bet sy Davis. Miss Hardy’s First grade: Ray Pate. Bobby Perry, Guy Thomas, Jr.. Gerald Stalls, Sandra Modlin, Dorothy Moore, Mary Lynn Pate, Beth Spivey, Peggy Ann Steven son and Ora Whitaker. Mrs. Morris’ first grade: Sue Eubanks. Sally Grey Griffin, Eu genia Hoyt Glover. Roberta Har rison, Francis Johnson. Betty Modlin. Kenneth Gurganus. James Daniel Leggett, Danny Manning. Lee- Roy Rogerson, and Samuel M. Rogerson. Mrs. Carstarphen’s second grade: Carolyn Beauchemin, Nan cy Britton, Peggy Godard, Blanche Manning, Jane Pecle, Mary Lee White, Jimmy Hardi son. and Clayton Weston. Miss Crawford’s second grade: Nancy Bullock, Ann Darden, Em ma J. Godard, Henry Handy, Pat tie Lee Hardison, Ann Harrison, Allan Modlin. Joe Murphy. Janie Peaks, Tommy Phelps, and Gene Silverthorne. Mrs. Kimball's third grade. Faye White. Vivian Pate, Gerald White. Ive'son Skinner, Joseph Clayton, John Clinton House, An geline Dickerson and Rudy Ward. Mrs. Froneberger’s third grade: William Battey, Jan Clark Billy Dudley, G'ady Godard, Jamer Herbert Ward, Jr.. Saudi u Gard ner. Joyce Lilly, Jane Adams Manning. Sandra Margolis, An nette Rogers, Ellienc Smithwick. Miss Manning's third grade: Jeanette Raynor. Faye Peele, Jean Nicholson, Phyllis Jones, Jane Barnhill, Joyce Baker, Billy Simpson, Rodney Pittman, Billy Partin, Miss Everett's fourth grade Barbara Cherry, Doris Rogers, Jean Coltrain, James Pittman, and Janie Mobley. Mrs. Bussell's fourth ffrade: Freddie Harrison, Bobby Man ning. William Moore, Edwrard Ro gerson, Mary Elizabeth Britton, Jessie Marie Corey, Frankie Ever ett, Patricia Harrison, Sylvia Per ry, and Kathryn Spruill. Miss Jenkins’ fourth grade: An nette Brack, Melva Wynne, Joyce Manning. John Dunn, Janice Rog ers, Robert Weston, and Lelia May Goff. Miss Bailey’s fifth grade: Betty S. Clark. Lee Handy, Judith Rog ,rs;jmdWjlliam Clyde H,;be;rw:. MiiCCoburns fifth grade: Jan ice Manning. Betty Helen Mobiey, Janet Ross. Patricia Wynne. Doro thy Mobley, and Wilber Stewart. Miss Modlin’s fifth grade: Wil liam Cullipher, David Davis, Jr., Charles Johnson, Ralph Parker, Judith Barden Avers, Anne Craw (Oontinued on page eight) -o-— Child Slightly Hurt In Accident -0—— Billy, two-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Clyde Modlin was only scratched and slightly bruised when he was thrown out of the Modlin car in a highway accident a few miles out of Jamesville on ff the Plymouth highway early last Thursday night. No others were hurt but considerable property damage resulted. W. E. Saunders and W. T. Simpson, of the high way patrol, reported following an investigation. Later reports stal ed Mr. Modlin was suffering with a sore neck. Driving toward Plymouth, Mr. Modlin started to make a left turn with his 1938 model car just about the time Delbert Davis, Jr., driving a 1941 Chrysler, started to pass. The Modlin car was turned over and the child was thrown several feet and clear of the wreck. Property damage W'as es timated at about $200. Coroner Will Probe !W. R. Bowers’ Death i PRESIDENT -/1 Hildreth P. Mobley was elected president of the local parent-teacher association at a meeting of the organization held in the grammar school last evening. He succeeds Hugh G. Horton. Believe Chemical Will Eliminate Tobacco Suckers -*— Maryland Kxprrimrii! Sta tion Is Making TVsIs Willi Tobacco Now * . -$ Martin County tobacco farmers) are anxiously awaiting the com- I pletion of tests that will, it is be- ! lieved, eliminate tobacco suckers and lighten the burden for the grower during his busiest pel iod j of the year. No costs were men- i tioned in the first stories coming from the experiment station in Maryland, but if the chemical | isn't priced higher than gold and will handle the job, there is good j reason to believe it will find a I I i eady market. The story, announcing the ex periment. follows: A spray that causes tobacco! i plants to f,a ge t how to grow any- | thing except large leaves has been discovered by the plant industry station of the U. S. Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, Md. The purpose is to cut the ex pense of growing fine tobaccos. The announcement was made to day in the weekly journal, Sci ence, by Robert A. Steinberg. Tobacco growers now get the large leaves by cutting off the tops of the plants at the flowering stage. This cut deprives the plants of a hormone present in the grow ing tips. Lacking this hormone, plants stop growing taller. The plants then try to grow w i1!and lnc;a. r, 1 ,v ■ ra yhil* ' larger leaves. But they overdo, by putting out new buds down their stems. The buds, called suckers, interfere with the broad ening of the leaves already pres ent. The farmer has to pick off | these suckers by hand, a consider able labor job. t « H.a mom :< already vyere katmt ■ to control nmst everything else except suckers in the growth of a plant. Some hormones even would grow roots in the air So the U. S. scientists hunted lor a sucker harmone. They found one that was as effective as hand pick ing. It is a synthetic chemical produced byithe Dow Company, Midland, Mich. The synthetic’s name is a-naphtylacetic acid me thyl ester. , When plants are treated in the laboratory with this chemical, the leaves grow just as large us with hand suckering. The method is under trial now in tobacco fields to learn whether it will work as well outdoors. -o Announce llirlli And Death Of Infant Son -> . Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Cherry, Jr., announce the birth and death of a son. Thomas Frederick, in a Washington hospital on Wednes day, April 23. Graveside services were held in Woodlawn Cemetery here Thursday morning at 11:30 o'clock by Rev. B. T. Hurley, local Methodist minister. Principal Witness Offers a Jumbled Story Of Tragedy -o Ini|iH'*t to he Held Tonight At 8:00 O'clock At Courthouse Here — »-. Making little progress and ad mitting they are somewhat baf fled in advancing their investiga tion. county officers stated yester day they would hold an inquest ir the courthouse tonight a*. 8:0f of Wm. Robert BoweYs. Pitt County farmer, who lost his life in a Roanoke River hunting lodge in Poplar Point early in the morn o’clock into the tragic death ing of Aoril 19. Eight witnesses William Ray Bowers, Joe Melton Fate Gurganus, Ottis Bullock. A C. Currie. Latham Wynne anc Bryant Wynne, have been sum moned to testify before Coronei S. R. Biggs at the hearing. During the meantime the offic ers are trying to piece togethei what evidence they can, late re ports stating that the represents: tives of the law are finding it dif ficult to reconcile some of the evi dence offered. The officers were of the opin ion that W. T. Currie, keeper, was not at the lodge wlien the small building was fired early in the morning of April 19. Later evi dence indicates that it was possi ble for ihe man to have beer there when the fire started, even though witnesses stated he was seen a mile or more away before the fire had gained much head way. Questioned in the county jail over the week-end, Currie told e fantastic story, proving that he remembers little or nothing about the events leading up to the tra gedy. The following is about what Currie said when questioned Sat urday: “We got up. prepared and ate breakfast. Mr. Bowers want ed some liquor and we went to Williamston and got a supply and continued to drink during the day. The lodge caught fire about 4 Oil o'clock that afternoon and I ran to a logging camp. Mr. Wiley Burroughs Rogcrson carried me to Williamston and placed me in jail.” Currie got his facts and time all mixed up. He could offer no de tails about how the fire started. Questioning persons at the log ging camp, a mile or more from the lodge, otficers were advised that Currie rat} there almost out of breath and said that the lodge was burning. The charred remains of the 70 year-old Pitt farmer were found about 8.JO o'clock that morning by his sen, William Ray Bowers. It is fairly certain that the eld erly mao haU becil drinking, that he was unable to get out of the burning building. Witnesses said that they left the victim and Cur rie drunk in the lodge the night before. No charges have been brought against anyone, Sheriff C. B. Roe buck said this morning. jamesville Names Its Town Officers Attended by about 25 citizens, a nominating convention held in Ihe school building there last Thursday night virtually settled J'amesville’s town politics for an other two years when Leslie W. Hardison was named for mayor, and Tom Gaines, James Long and Herbert Sexton were named for commissioners. The list of nominees includes no names of the old official fam ily. it was learned. The ticket is subject to vote in Ihe regular election scheduled for Tuesday, May 6. If there is no independent tick et apd the convention nominees pass the regular election test on May 6 they will succeed Garland Anderson, mayor, and J. G. Long, U. S. Hassell and Clyde Brown as commissioners. A Corey served as chairman of the convention and C, B. Martin was its secretary. |Stocl?Conipaiiy io Construct Modern MaideJlcuiseJHere —#— PIhiis Call For $48,000.00 Structure Near Brown’s Grocery Store Plans arc just about complete for the construction of a theater I here on Washington Street for the colored citizens of the town and community, according to unof ficial but reliable information gained over the week-end. A stock company whose subscribers have not yet been made public was formed a short time ago and a lot between the Smith Funeral Home and E. L. Brown’s grocery has been purchased. Architect’s plan’s, calling for a building 110 feet long and forty feet wide, have been submitted and tentatively approved, it was learned. Representatives of the company were in Raleigh and Charlotte recently making ar rangements for materials and equipment for the construction and operation of the movie house which, according to preliminary estimates, will cost approximate ly $48,000.00. Construction work on the build ing is scheduled to get underway within the next two weeks, and the project is to be completed on or about July 31, a representative of the company explaining that the completion date was a tenta tive one. The building, seating approxi mately 550 persons, will be of mo dern construction. A representative of the com pany, discussing the project, ex plained that the stockholders had realized for some time that the colored ciitzens of the town and I community had long needed a place of amusement of their own, but that plans for a theater had been delayed on account of high building costs and the shortage of materials. Conditions are more [ favorable now, and the company j plans to start and rush the project 1 to completion tiie representative added. As far as it could be learned, no building permit has yet been issued for the construction of the theater. -• Plan Bijr Peanut Acreage In 1947 — l947 peanut plantings indicated as 3,847,000 acres-—3 percent less than 1948—according to Crop Re porting Board of Bureau of Agri cultural Economics in its Prospec tive Planting Report for 1947 . . . Virginia-Carolina area expects little change—slight increases in Virginia and Tennessee offsetting a decrease in North Carolina. A 3 percent decline anticipated in Southeast due mostly to sharp acreage reductions in Alabama and some in Georgia and Missis sippi with South Carolina and Florida planning moderate in creases.. Southwest expects 59 Ooo acre '-eduction in T. 5 “TV* partly offset by prospective in creases in Louisiana and Okla homa, picking and threshing esti mates not to be made until Aug ust but on usual estimating basis, about 3,100,000 acres should be utilized for picking and threshing in 1947 with the picked and ibiitshca production'slightly uun> than two billion pounds, such a production, if realized, would be the sixth consecutive year of pro duction exceeding two billion pounds. Foreign Students In United States —«— Of the 17,000 foreign students in American educational institu tions, 3,133 are pursuing engi neering courses, according to a roster published by the State de partment in Washington. There are 937 engineering students from nine Middle and Far East coun tries alone., They include twenty nine from Greece, 178 Turkey, 287 India, forty-seven Egypt, thirty seven Iran, eighteen Iraq, 300 China, thirty-eight the Philip pines and three from Afghanis tan. Among the students are 955 studying mechanical engineering, 708 civil engineering, 288 chemi cal engineering, 274 mining and metallurgical engineering and 283 electrical engineering. "James V i IIPTIanl Reporting Small ..Catdies - Of Fish —• Thin! or Fourth Season the Fishery Has Had Little Success j -* For the third or fourth straight season, the commercial fishery ut> Jamesville is experiencing little success in its operations. Reports received late Monday afternoon stated that the big seine was dip ping up less than 100 herring at a haul and that only three rock were taken during the day's oper ations. Hardly more than three or four days of good fishing have been recorded so far this season, and the time for the spring fish run is rapidly drawing to a close. Ordinarily the season is schedul ed to close on May 10 but it is possible that an extension will be granted. However, few fish are to be expected on or after that time. No definite reason for the poor fishing season lias been offered, but reports yesterday stated that the cold weather at that time is believed to have reduced the catches to a bare minimum. Individual fishermen have met with little success in their opera tions so far this season, but they are making ready for a big rock season during the next two weeks or more. While tin- catches have been limited, prices have held to a fair ly high level. Monday's quota tions listing herring on the bat tery at $2 pee hundred, rock, 30 cents a pound, and perch, 20 cents a pound. There were few' fish being offered at that price, one 1 report stating that nothing was offered except two fairly large German carp. Notwithstanding the poor seas on as a whole, to date, fishing op I orations have not been without high spots. Using a shad net, iJennis Pierce and Earl Lambert last week dipped a 32 1-2 pound ! rock out of the river at James ville. The young men, working to save their net, and, incidental ly to land their catch, battled the fish for a good ten minutes before 1 landing him safely. While quite a number of visitors have traveled to the Roanoke during the past few' weeks to fish ! and get fish, the numbers have been somewhat limited as com pared with pas! records John J. Williams Dies In Hospital —. .<». — John Jesse Williams, sawyer for the WiUiamston Lumber Com pany at its plant on the Washing ton Road, died suddenly last Thursday afternoon of a heart at tack. Suffering the attack while j at the post of duty, he fell uncon scious and was removed to the hospital where he died a few min utes later. The son of the laic Lemuel and Lizzie Bonham Williams, he was iNic-Js.OR-'ri'jw .Omnia 12, 18110. He had been employed i by the local company hardly more than six weeks and was recogniz ed us a valuable employe. He was married to Miss Grace Russell and she survives. The body was turned over to an Elizabeth City undertaker later tn >.( •jftersu'tu.i.jli'l, to the family home at 201 Fearing Street, Elizabeth City, where fun- , era! services were conducted Fri- | day afternoon. Interment was in Elizabeth City's Hollywood Ceme tery. ROUND-UP N-/\ Local, county and state of ficers had their busiest period of the year last week when thev rounded up and tempor arily detained nineteen per sons in the county hoosegow. Two of the victims, given a chance to redeem themselves, were charged with violating their paroles. Four were charged with drunken driv ing, eight with public drunk enness, two with avsaults and one each with carrying a con cealed weapon and with op erating a motor vehicle while his driver's license was re voked. Twelve of the nineteen were white, including several i young men. wfr^rrrrmvrTTiir! Xelepliones-Iii-Jum Laying New Cable Underground For System Expansion »— Additional Lines to Provide For Better Rural And Toll Service -» The modernization program, calling for a general expansion of telephone service throughout this area, is advancing rapidly, and tentative plans call for a change from the operator to the auto matic or dial system in early June, according to information released this week by W. T, Thornton, local manager of the Carolina Telephone and Tele graph Company. No definite date for the switch-over can be deter mined, but the local manager ex plained that five workers, headed by Chief Engineer Hilton of the Automatic Electric Company, are well advanced with the task of in stalling the automatic equipment, including a six position board for handling long distance calls. The telephone building on Smithwick Street lias been re modeled and enlarged, the local company representative explain ing that a few minor building de tails could not be completed un til all the automatic equipment is insta Hed. Conduit, placed under ground here during last Christmas seas on, is being filled this week with cable. Manager Thornton explain ing that the expansion program will provide approximately 600 lines for local use and a goodly number of additional circuits for long distance messages. Added toll circuits have already been built to surrounding towns and they will be hooked to the new lines being laid underground on Main and Washington Street heie this week. Its present system overtaxed, the company will soon be able to handle all demands for telephones and better service. Reviewing briefly the expan sion program, Mr, Thornton said that additional lines had been built to Windsor, Plymouth and Columbia for improved long dis tance service. A completely expanded system is also being completed for the rural areas served by the Wil liamston exchange, the manager stating that possibly 125 rural telephones would be connected with the system within the next few weeks. Poles have been set for an expanded service in the Farm Life, Bear Grass and Srnith wick-Gj iffinx territories. Eight circuits are under construction for service in the Farm Life area where a goodly portion of the ru ral telephones are being located. The rural telephones will work automatically as well as those in Uc^ t e 1 c p i i O H7 been installed here, but at the present time they have not been connected with the automatic equipment. The effect the new system will have on the number of switch board operating personnel could not be learned, but one report sfinod that all present cmpioyvs would be retained. Recently purchasing the Rober (Continucd on page eight) -o Farmers’ Strike Closes Markets —•— Tobacco markets in Maryland were closed last week when far mers struck for higher prices, Mi. Jimmy Taylor, local tobacconist associated with the LaPlata mar ket, stating that tentative plans had been made for resuming the auction sales the middle or the latter part of this week. Farmers, it was said, became angered and forced a suspension of sales when the price fell ten cents or more below the 70-cent top received a year ago. The gen eral price average was reported right at 50 cents for the sales handled the first few days the market operated last week. Home for the week-end, Mr. Taylor returned lo his market this afternoon, I BOARD MEETING ! v-----; VVilliamston's e n 1 a r g c il j school committee will hold its first meeting following ap 1 pointment the early part of ' this month in Attorney It. I.. i Coburn's office this evening, it was learned yesterday. Sev eral business matters are ten j tativelv scheduled for consid eration, one report said. No information has been released, but unofficial re ports indicate that there have been some teacher resigna tions in the local school, and the board will consider appli cations. Reports state that all the other school committeemen in the county met some time ago, perfected their organi zations and already have made tentative plans for the new term. Member of ("lass of | "24 Writes Letter to | Oak City Seniors ! Howard F. Brown Itegrrh He'll Be Unable To Alleml Meeting writing mint ms adopted dome in Waukegan, Illinois, under re cent date, Howard F. Brown, county native and a member of the 1924 < lass of the Oak Cits High School, advised that he would be unable to attend a meet ing of the alumni association re cently organized by the 19-17 s, n ators. His letter follows: “The invitation to attend youi ! first Alumni Banquet on May 9th was greatly appreciated, and it i* with deep regret that I will be unable to (tend. Nothing would afford me greater pleasure, how ever, than to meet each of you, and the many other alumni who have gone before von. To see and talk over old times w ith my old class mutes of 2-1, some I have seen only a few times since that memorable night when we sat on | the tag'- of the auditorium j awaiting the presentation of that long sought diploma for which we had worked so hard. "There were only nine of u , three girls and six boys, an un usual combination to be sure. The girls, as 1 remember, were dress ed in beautiful white dresses, and the boys "duked’’ out in blue coals and while flannel trousers. The heat was terrific and the ten sion greater as we sat waiting to be called, and never will 1 forget as each of us arose our chairs fol lowed. This brought a roar from the audience, but only a flash of embarrassment from a group of dignified seniors who wi re for TneFTm their gooeffiiv “I have long hoped that some day some graduating class would start an alumni association, and it pleases me greatly to Know that you, tlie class of 1947, have taken the step. If organized and conducted properly it will mean a let to your own satisfaction as wet! a.-. a*ei ,. oi contribution to the school and community in which you live, but with Mr Ainsley to guide and direct you, you can’t go wrong. » (Continued on page eight) Critically Hurl In Auto Accident —*— L. H Rawls, Oak City man. was critically hurt in an automobile accident on the Raleigh Rittsboro Road the early part of last week, reports from a Raleigh hospital stating yesterday that he was gel ling along as well as could be ex pected. Riding with two other friends, the used ear dealer, is known to have suffered a broken neck, sev eral fractured ribs and possibly a back injury. His condition was said to be so serious that a com plete examination would have to wait possibly several more days. The cai went out of control, skidded quite a distance and then crashed against a telephone pule. MMNWM Hamits- 1 eadirrs In Last Meeting —4)( Current IVnu New Officers I'ilected East Evening for llie School \ ear of I Ml 7-48 -1*—— Meeting in regular session at the grammar school last evening, the local parent-teacher associa tion witnessed a very entertain ing playlet staged by Miss By rum's sixth grade, heard a few re ports, elected new officers and completed a short but very suc cessful year. The association at tracted 427 members during the current year, and the group, num bering approximately 100 parents and interested patrons, was urged to continue its cooperation in the new year. Tiie organization is closing the year with a fairly healthy bal ance, the retiring treasury. Miss Mary Whitley, reporting a total of $lf>9.,')ti in the bank plus $113.70 raised by the civic organizations for playground equipment. Presiding over the meeting, re tiring president Hugh G. Horton, the first man to serve in that posi tion here, called for special re ports. Mrs. J. W. Watts, vice president, explained to the body that a .special committee appeared before the county board of educa tion at a recent meeting of that group and outlined the need for a new building to house class rooms, cafeteria, showers and band room. The board was also asked by the committee to coop erate with the town in the con struction of paved streets to and near the school buildings. "We .also called for a five-member lo ,cai committee and got it. and we i hope sometime to have a ‘mama’ numbered among the committee members," Mrs. W itts said. Serving as chairman of a nomi nating committee. Miss Ruth Man ning reported the committee ac tion, and the nominees, 11. P. Moble} piesidont: Mrs. I. M. Mai - golis, vice president; Mrs. Marvin Bruton, treasurer, and Miss Es telle Crawford, secretary, were unanimously elected. Asking to be heard, Rev. John 1.. Gofl. speaking for the member ship, exp vssed appreciation to the retiring officers for their ef forts and the work they hud handled during the term. The newly elected piiaidiiil made U few remarks and pleaded for the continued cooperation of the members, pledging in return, his best efforts in making the new year a successful one in the life of the organization. Badly Injured In Fall From Truck Lynetto (Squirrely) Coltiain, 13 yi'ciiold daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Coltiain of Griffins Township, was critically hurt in a ! fall from a pick-up truck in front | of the Rufus Hardison home at c». . j i,, ,v • noon. Preliminary examinations made in the local hospital showed that her back was broken and that two other vertabrae were injured. The victim was removed in a Biggs ambulance to Duke hospital yes terday afternoon for treatment winch will continue, it >■- thought, for -eel ral months. Riding with several other young I friends, the young girl lost her | balance and toppled out of the i truck on the side to the dirt. The truck, driven by a young man named Liiley, was hot traveling very fast, witnesses said. Purchases Local Heilig-Meyers Company, opera tors of a number of furniture stores in this State, purchased the Wier Furniture Company on Washington Street here last week end, and took over active manage ment this morning. One of the partners was here for the trans action. Mr. J. 15. Bell, associated with tl e company for the past twenty five years, lias been named local manager for the company and he will enter upon his new duties to* Furniture Store - v fi

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