North Carolina Newspapers

THE ENTERPRISE IS READ BY OVER 3,000 MARTIN COUNTY FAMILIES TWICE EACH WEEK THE ENTERPRISE THE ENTERPRISE IS READ BY OVER 3,000 MARTIN COUNT1 FAMILIES TWICE EACH WEEK VOLUME L—NUMBER 48 Williamston, Martin County, North Carolina, Tuesday, June 17, 1947 ESTABLISHED 1899 Tenant Victim Of I Shot Gun Attack -» Isaiah Brown Plants Over 100 Shot In Body Of John Bryant, Jr. — • Johnnie Bryant, Jr., colored tenant on the Everett farm in Poplar Point Township, wras pain fully but not seriously hurt about 8:00 o’clock last Saturday evening when his brother-in-law, Isaiah ^ Brown, “planted’’ over 100 small shot in his body. Using a 12 gauge shot gun. Brown peppered Bryant from the top of the head to his waist. The planting job was so effectively handled that hospiatl doctors decided it advis able to leave most of the shot in the man’s hide. t Said to have been drinking. Bryant went to his home that Y evening and quarreled with his wife. Seeking refuge she went to the home of her father, R. C. Brown, on the same farm. Bryant followed her there and his father in-law with the help of a son, Ro bert Brow'n, got him out of the house and started the son-in-law back home. Bryant returned, broke open the door and. accord ing to reports reach here, started a wrecking party of his own, smashing furniture ancl knocking over lamps. The father-in-law called to another son for help, and Isaiah Brown, who lives two or three hundred yards away, an swered, taking ijis shot gun along. When Isaiah moved toward the front porch, Bryant told him if he ventured closer he would kill him. Without further ceremony, Isaiah raised his gun. drew a perfect bekd on his brother-in-law and fired. The shot took effect in Bryant’s face, neck, arms and body. The victim quieted down. Brown returned to his home and retired. Bryant was treated in the hos pital here and released Sunday ^ afternoon. No hearing was scheduled im mediately in the case, officers ex plaining that the attack would be aired in the county court next Monday before Judge J. C. Smith. Evening Add New Teachers To Local Faculty — ■ . . Four now teachers were recent ly added to the local school facul ty, leaving only two positions— one eighth grade section and sci ence—to be filled. Miss Marian Rogerson of Au lander has been elected to teach one of the sixth grade sections. She was recently graduated at East Carolina Teachers College. Mrs. Beecher Patterson of Scot land Neck will teach public school music. She comes here from a 5-year* stay in the Snow Hill schools. Miss Peggy Hopkins, a 1947 graduate of East Carolina Teach ers College, will head the com mercial department. She is from Oak City. Miss Ida Roberts who has been with the Farm Security Adminis tration as home economist for sev en years, will head the home eco nomics department. Miss Ro berts, a native of Shawboro, has had one year of experience in the teaching profession, and is re turning to the school room since the Republicans are curtailing the agency’s work and eliminating throughout the country positions similar to the one held by Miss Roberts. r -—— ■' \ ROUND-UP v_ Persons interested in more information regarding the fol lowing local job openings should contact the State Em ployment Office on the third floor of the City Hall in Wil liamston: Salesman, stenog rapher, clerk, engineer, cook, sawyer, lathe operator, truck driver (logging), fireman (stationary boiler), laborers (construction, logging, high way; railroad, and sawmill). The latest list of Civil Serv ice and State-wide openings also may be inspected by in dividuals interested in em ployment outside the immedi ate area. i. 1 Gets 5-7 Years In I Manslaughter Case BOOSTERS i , . ... Meeting at the courthouse last Thursday evening, ap proximately forty civic lead ers and other interested citi zens laid the ground work for ' boosting Williamston's tobac co market this coming season. Tentative plans were made for an extensive advertising campaign, including the me diums of signs, newspapers and radio. The big gun in the boost ers' program is to be fired on Thursday, June 26, at a big mass meeting in the court house. Lions Club Hears Visiting Minister — ♦ At their regular dinner meet ing. held lasf Thursday evening, members and guests of the local Lions Club heard ^ion {lev. Paul B. Nickens of Plymouth deliver a most inspiring talk, using as the topic, “Gung Ho”, which the speaker interpreted as meaning “forward together.” The Rev. Nickens pointed out that in any group, progress could be made much better if all the members worked together, whether.it be in civic or church work. In addition to having the speak er as a guest, the club was host to twelve members of the School Boy Safety Patrol, along wdth Di •tx vt'.. Jack-.Eutlei. The Lions j Club is sponsoring the safety pa- j troi in the local schools. Mr. j Norfleet Whitfield was also a guest. ■ A report on the recent State Lions- Convention, held in Ashe ville a few days ago, wois made by club delegate Wheeler Man ning. A loving cup trophy, which was awarded the club for having the most activities of any club in the district, with a membership of 31 to 65, was exhibited by Lion Manning. It was voted that this cup be placed in the home of the man that had served as president of the chib during the year for which the cup was awarded, this! being immediate past president John Henry Edwards. Another cup, presented to Lion Manning at the recent conven tion. for having been chosen as the best Zone Chairman in Re gion 3. w'as shown by the re cipient. Members of the club voted in favor of raffling off another car, to be given away this fall, with any and all proceeds going to the Boy Scout Hunt fund. In addi tion to the first place drawing of a car, there will be a second place drawing of either a refrigerator or an electric stove and a third place drawing for a table model radio. ^ Thursday Evening's meeting was presided over by President hf*] P. Mobley, and Lion Asa J. Man ning led the suiting. Lion E. L. Ward, Jr., pronounced the invo-1 cation. A delightful meal was prepared and served by the ladies of the Vernon Methodist Church. Child Badly Hurt In Road Accident Virginia Wiggins, 6 years old, was painfully but believed not seriously hurt last Thursday aft ernoon at 5:40 o’clock when she was struck by a truck driven by Roger A Critcher, Jr., on the Riv er Road between Palmyra and Hamilton.* Knocked unconscious, the child was immediately brought to the local hospital , where her condition was describ-! ed as much improved this morn-, ing. Apparently no bones were broken but she complained with severe headaches. Driving toward Hamilton, Mr. Critcher saw the child meeting the truck and walking almost in the middle of the road. Just be fore the truck, holding well to the •right side of the road, reached the girl she darted to her left, the bumper knocking her down. The vehicle passed over her but the wheels did not touch her. Cpl. W. T. Simpson investigat ed the accident. Youths Crowd The Docket In Early Session Of Court —®— Five Youthful Defendants Placed On Probation By Jud^e Frizzelle Opening a one-week „term of the Martin County Superior Court hen^ yesterday morning for the trial of criminal and civil cases, Judge J. Paul Frizzelle of Snow Hill tempered justice with mercy when one youth after another was called before him on serious charges. In other'cases he meted out justice, calling for terms in prison and on the roads, one de fendant going to prison for man slaughter and another to the roads for violating the liquor laws. Pro bation Officer Gay received four or five cases the first day. Seven or eight cases were left on the docket late yesterday for trial today, including the murder case against Sam Reddick. A true bill of murder was also returned by the grand jury against La verne (Mull) Roberson and that case is slated for trial today. Solicitor George Fountain said early today that the criminal docket would likely be completed late this afternoon and certainly by tomorrow noon. Prayer for judgment was con tinued in the case charging David G. Bo'Veil arid Ethel Dali with for nication and adultery. In direct ing the defendants to pay the costs of $54.30, Judge Frizzelle told them that their marriage was the onlything that saved the man from Retting the longest term the law allowed, and the judge rem onstrated with him. The defend ant told the court, "I did not mar ry this woman to cover up any thing. I married her because I loved her.” Hearing the breaking and en tering and larceny and receiving charges against Whit Moore Don ald and John Earl Edmonds, Judge Frizzelle encountered his first decision on the fate of youth ful law violators during the cur rent term. He heard all the evi dence after the lads hud pleaded guilty and then delayed judg ment until just before recessing late in the day. The boys, an swering the judge’s questions, said they had been drinking, Don ald i xplaining that he started drinking wnen he was -in the Navy. Edmonds said they were drinking, that they broke into the Easter Rogers home near Wil liamston, not knowing what they would steal. "We found some li quor and drank it,” the boy said, adding that they were so drunk they did not recall where they hid one of three watches stolen. Ed monds was alone in court, reports stating that his father was busy with tobacco. “Tobacco is impor tant ,no doubt, but a son Is more important,” Judge Frizzelle com mented. talking to the boys and stressing the seriousness of the crime they had committed. It was fairly apparent that the judge knew a prison term was in order when measured against the crime. He weighed their youthful ap pearance, evaluated their reputa tions and expressed his confi dence in the lads when he sus pended the three- and two-year sentences, the first for breaking and entering and the second for larceny. The sentences are to run concurrently. Placing the boys on probation for thr^p years he ex plained to them that their con duct will help determine their (Continued on page eight) IMMUNIZATION The last special typhoid im munization clinics will be held in this county at Oak City on Friday afternoon of this week and on June 27 from 3:30 to 5:00 o’clock in Oak City. Mrs. Chas. Ross, nurse with the county health department, will be at her home in Oak City to handle the special work, it was an nounced. , Says There Is No End To Problems Facing Tobacco —-#— Suggests Federal (loniniis sion For Handling The Crowing Problems -o By Rep. Harold Cooley There seems to be no end to the problems of the tobacco industry Problems affecting tobacco farm ers, tobacco warehousemen, the buying companies and communi ties in which tobacco is grown and sold are constantly arising. Markets must be opened and clos ed and regulated. New markets must be opened and old markets must be expanded. Markets must open and close in the different belts at different times. Estab lished markets must have an op portunity to expand and there is a constant demand for additional sets of buyers. Many communi ties in which markets once oper ated are anxious for such mar kets to be re-established. Fre quently there is great contention between warehousemen ' regard ing the proper division of selling time. As a result of these contro versies, there is great likelihood of a warehouse building boom which may well result in an over expansion of auction warehouse marketing facilities and a neces sary waste of both, money and material. , At present there is no commit tee, commission, bureau or agency, either public or private, which has authority to deal with and to determine the many problems which arise in the tobacco indus try. There is no forum available 11*> ;r,ti •.vsn'ij'"pu: ligs'lSi W'Vi'.O i bT titions may be filed, hearings conducted and decisions made. No officer or agent of either state or federal government is authorized or empowered to even make rcc Bnimen4atio.ps,, to say nothing of rendering decisions, which might affect the tobacco industry. Com munities or persons desiring relief have no one to whom they can turn for advice or assistance. It is unforunate that one of the great industries of America, and es pecially one upon which so many people depend for a livelihood, should find itself in this unfor tunate situation. We have stumbled along from year to year but always in great confusion, and the time has come when it appears that unless the industry or the states affected can device some workable method which will bring order out of chaos it might be well for us to consider the ad visability of creating a federal to bacco commission to be fully authorized to deal with these im portant problems as they arise. On such a commission the public and all interested segments of the industry could be represented and all problems could be fully dis cussed and decided. As evidence of the fact that farmers, warehousemen, buyers, bankers, merchants and profes (Continued on page seven) Liquor Law Violator Gets Two Years On The Roads After drawing heavily on his fi nancial resources,-the law finally overtook Milton James here yes terday when he was ordered to serve two years in a road prison camp for allegedly violating the liquor laws. A helpless invalid, James did not appear in court in person, but was represented by counsel at the bar of justice. With a liquor law violation re cord. literally a yard long and equally a yard wide, James was on the spot before his case was opened, in the court Monday. He had been fined several hundred dollars in the county court some years ago for allegedly violating the liquor laws. Two years ago, j this month, he was up before j Judge Q. K. Nimocks in the Mar tin County Superior Court. He | was sentenced lo the roads for j two years, but on account ^f the man’s helpless physical condition, Judge Nimocks suspended the sentence upon the-payment of a I $250 fine, and on the further con dition that he violate no liquor law during the next five years be-! ginning as of June 18, 1945. A few I weeks ago, James was caught j with a gallon of illicit liquor or: W. T. Simpson Elected Chief j Of Local Police Department Club Members Enter Contest —®-— A total of 18 boys and 14 girls, members of 4-rt Clubs in Martin County, are participating in the j Better Methods Electric Contest being sponsored in 16 North Caro lina counties served by the Vir ginia Electric & Power Company and conducted by the North Caro lina Extension Service, according I to a joint announcement by Gar- ; ette Crocker and J. W. Sumner, County Extension Agents. Each of the 32 boys and girls of Martin County entering the contest is making a detailed study of a farm chore and is preparing a report and recommendations on how this chore can me simplified, especially by the use of electrici ty. The contest, a part of the na tion-wide 4-H Club Better Methods Contest sponsored na tionally by the Westinghouse Edu cational Foundation, is designed tc> stimulate the use of more mo dern farm methods for better pro duction at less cost in time and effort. 4-H Club members of Martin County who are participating are: Celia Stokes, Modolen Hudgins, Jeanette Vallard, Jean Cargile, Dessie M. Leggett. Sallie M. Biggs, Myrtle Scott, Anna Lane Barnhill, Dorothy Clark, Pat Mollory, Mar garet Whitehurst, Edith Roger son, Janice Cox, Virginia Wool a.-.-i Bf'" ■•'!•.. ILav'e vcvJ. JJen. I nett, Stanley Peel, Curtis Knox, Joseph Edwards, Charles Ed I wards, Pet Brown, Jr., Larry Ed mondson, Dallgs Vernon Purvis, Franklin Rolierson, William Dur vvard Taylor, Eugene Hyman, Ro land Manseau, John David Ether idge, Jr., Edward Earl Smith, Deney Briley, Albert Thompson, and Jack Woolard. Two winners, a boy and a girl, will be chosen from each of the 16 counties to attend a 4-H Club Electric Congress scheduled to be (Continued on page seven) Potatoe s Going To Dump Heaps —«— Although the current Irish po tato crop is 40 percent less than it was last year, carloads of the best spuds are being dug and dumped on trash heaps. Produc tion in the nation is about sixteen million bCtshels below the 1946 harvest. Possibly the reduced production will still be enough to go around, but it is considered likely that there’ll be a shortage after mar keting glut is cleared. While no market is available to •the grower, potatoes last week were selling retail at almost live cents a pound. hand, and he was earned into the county court where he was sen tenced to serve three months on the roads and pay a $20 fine. Ap- i parently forgetting the sword of Damocles was hanging by that thread over his heat}, he appealed to the .uperior court , and added 21 months to the recorder’s court sentence. Passing sentence on the man, Judge J. Paul Frizzelie said that the punishment will appear se vere to those who are not ac quainted with the case, hut under the conditions he could do nothing other than enforce the mandate of the court. It was pointed out by defense cqun.el that the de fendant is nearing the end of his liquor selling days, but the pre siding jurist expressed the opinion that he had hidden behind his physical condition for years tfiut lie would continue the practice as long as lie was able. No report has been received from Captain John Delbridge at the prison camp, but James, a subject of ‘pity, was hauled and dumped, out at the gate by rela tives at tile direction of the sher iff yesterday afternoon. | GOOD SEASON 1 ( s_ J Experiencing an unusually dry period during (he first half of June, this section had a very good season last week end when 2.20 inches of rain | fell, offering general relief and greatly enhancing the crop outlook. Tobacco farmers are still resetting tobacco, the work possibly setting a record for lateness. Crop conditions ‘ have been improved 100 per- 1 cent, and the whole section is ' more optimistic even though ( the tobacco crop rates hard ly 75 percent of a stand. New Oil Company To Locate Here The Howell-Holding Oil 'Com pany, newly formed by Messrs. | Bill Howell and Edwin (Toodley) Holding, will open for business here within a short time, it was announced by the partners last week-end. A site for the company’s bulk plant has been purchased fro"', the Standard Fertilizer Company and bulk tanks will be erected between the old prisoner of war camp and the Williamston Pack age Manufacturing Company plant near the river shortly. Hand!inty.,-"Amnco” product?, the new company has been named I di*di ibutor lor all of Martin, parts ! of Bertie, Washington and Tyrrell Counties. . "We are working to get ready in time to serve tobacco farmers tlii ■ summer from our local plant," one of the partners said this week, adding that a formal opening date would be announced soon. Both of the young men are well known in this section and have I had experience in the business. -# Farmers Excused From Jury Duty -oa-L j j Explaining that the labor short- ’ age was still acute with them, j | Farmers Henry A. Johnson, E. C. , Stevenson and J. L..Coffield were I j excused from jury duty by Judge J. Paul Fri/./elle in superior court!,, Monday. ( "Your honor,” farmer Johnson i said in voicing his plea to be ex- i ( fused, "the i ntire load is on me. ■ j Two or three of my tenants are j | attending the June German in \ j Rocky Mount,” he explained. Ask- j; ed by the jurist if the German U lasted all week, the hard-working | farmer answered, “No, sir, but it | will be a week by the time I get ’em out of jail and they get over . the experience.” , Completes School And Goes To Work —*___ Graduating from the Eeklcs School of Mortuary Science in Philadelphia lust Friday, Hilly Biggs, son of Mr. and Mrs. S. Home l^iggs, returned home im mediately and went light to work. He is associated with his father in the operation of Biggs Funeral Home. Entering the school following his discharge from the nation’s armed forces, Mr. Biggs was graduated cum laude. ' ---s JOB OPKNINCS V.--» Eight persons were round ed up and palled by local and county officers last week-end, most of them falling into the bands of the law on Saturday. Four of the eight, including three white men, were de tained for public drunken ness. One each was bouked for larceny and receiving, as sault, operating a motor ve hicle without a driver's li cense and breaking and en ■tering. The ages of the group rang ed trout 19 to 31 years. j ( t I t jC j t I a r c Id | o |t (t c p t |L ift e 1< b S L A V K -*, Consider Number i Of Requests In Special Meeting —•— (adioal Change In Parking Scheduled Soon; Seek More Revenue -® Meeting in special session last vening, Williamston's new board f town commissioners by a vote f three to two shook up the per onnel in one or two departments, onsidered changes in others, re jected some old employes and istened to a goodly number of pecial requests for fire protec ion, street lights, recrea|ional enters and so on. After discuss ng those problems, the board div ided to call it a day after re naming in session more than two ind one-half hours. Acting dn’the motion of Com nissioner John Hatton Gurganus, V. T. Simpson, highway patrol orporal with headquarters here, vas named chief of the police de lartment by a three-two vote, he new majority explaining that hey held no personal opinions in he matter and acted in what they ■onsidered best for the town. Juite a few applications were onsidered, including those sub nitted by J. A. Wheeler. J R. ’arker, E. 1. Hanna, all of out of own, and Noah Leggett. Lonnie itiUpek and Chits..JR Mob'ov, all if this county, and C. E. Hines or a place on the police force. Increasing the chief's salary rom around $2,1)12 to $3,200 per 'ear, the board is empowering tlu lew department head, effective luly 1, to hire and fire members jf the department. The board also innounced its plans to properly ■quip the department and look to he chief for results, to adminis er the law effectively and impar ially. One other departmental change vas effected when 1’eel and Man ling were named town attorneys o succeed R. L. Coburn, the board dating that the incumbent had Kindled the job welt for fourteen ■ears but that it was only fair to ■iiange, that Peel and Manning vere county attorneys and that hey could handle tax claims in dose relation with those handled or the county. A contract for a town audit was igned with A. M. Pullen and Company, calling for a $250 fee. Wholesale resignations subrnit ed by the fire department mem ers were thrown into the waste ■asket, Mayor Robt. Cowen ex laining that they would not be coopted, that the board wanted he department personnel to con inue and to accept a vote of hanks for work already handled. H. E. Manning was re-elected uperintendent of water and treet departments with the uthority to employ his assistants nd operating personnel. It was proposed to combine the obs of treasurer, board clerk, tax ollector into one office, making he head a city manager unoi'fie (Continued on page five) --v— My Any Jinx 13th May Offer —•—— Defying any jinx Friday, the lirtcenth, may have offered, Dan 'upid went light ahead with his usiness in this county that day, ecording to a report from the larriage license bureau in this uunty. Five licenses were issued that ay, four to white and one to col red couples, the bureau stating' lat three colored couples, inten onally or unintentionally wait d until the following day to get aper.s for their hook-ups. Among the licenses issued the lirteenth were the following: uward Roscar Everett, Jr,, and lildred iris Taylor, both of Ilob rsonville; Guilford Eugene Fur 'Ugh and Peggy Joyce Thomas, uth of Hamilton; John Williams ledge of Nashville and Frances udell Bellflower of Palmyra; lbert Earl Roberson, RFD 1, hlliuinston, und Mattie Louise| .eel of LveretL. Baseball Officials Handle Plans For Opt-ns lii Washington Sat urday and Conn- Here For (ianies Sunday plans were virtually completed at a meeting of baseball officials in the office of the Lindsley Ice Company here last evening for opening the Northeastern Caro lina District Semi-pro baseball tournament in Washington at 8:00 o’clock on Saturday night'of this week. It was first planned to play the Saturday arid Sunday games here, but it was decided last night to play only the Sunday games here and schedule all the others in Washington. Fifteen teams have entered the tournament so far and others are expected to compete in the first round of the national contest. Ev eretts drew a bye in the pairings determined last night. The first round line-up follows: Washington: Saturday. Oak City vn. Beckwith at 8:00 p. m. Williamston: Sunday. Hamilton vs. White Post at 1:30 p. m. and Farm Life vs. Bear Grass at 4:00 p. m. Washington: Monday, Hassell vs. Bath al 6:00 p. m. and Cross Roads vs. Belhaven at 8:30 p. m. Washington: Tuesday, Williams ton vs. Chocowinity at 6:00 p. m. and Stokes vs. Kobetsotiville at 8:30 p. m. District Commissioner Lyn wood Taylor announced that he expects one more entry to fill out the desired ixteen 1 im In this event Everetts will play the new entry in Washington Saturday night at 8:30 and flu- Oak City vs. Beckwith game will be mov ed ahead to begin at 6:00 p. m. The Farm Life Bear Grass game promises to be the feature game of the first round for peo pople of this immediate section. Tournament officials decided it would be wiser to bracket teams of the Martin County League against outsiders, therefore, Farm leununuea on page eignt; ^-—^ j Former Count) Resident Dies —— Mi Lizzie Conglctqn Rober son, 7<i, a former resident of this county for about thirty years, died at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Hattie Hardy, in the Oak Grove Community of Pitt County last Friday afternoon at 12:30 o’clock following a long period of declin ing health. A native of Pitt County, she was married when a young woman to James Ed Roberson and-located in Everetts where he was em ployee) by the Coast Line Railroad until his retirement in 1923. Fol lowing ins retirement they moved to her native county, where Mr. Roberson, a native of this county, died in 1924. Besides her daughter with whom she made her home, Mrs. Roberson is survived by a broth er, W. II. Congleton, and three grandchildren. She was a member of the Bap tist Church at Everetts for a long number of years and the pastor, Rev. E. R. Stewart, assisted by Fldei A. B. Ayers, conducted the last rites at the hume'Sunday aft ernoon at 3:30 o’clock. ’Burial was in the family cemetery near her home in the Oak Grove section. | NO ADDKKSS v--> Opening the regular term of the Martin County super ior Court Monday morning, Judge J. Paul Frizzelle of Snow Hill did not address the grand jury. Jury addresses have been eliminated to a grfat extent since the body was given a more or less per manent ttanding, but it was the first time that the jury men were called and directed to report to their room with out entering the petit jury box for instructions. Nine members are finish ing a full year on the jury soon. Foreman Henry John son called for a recess Mon day afternoon after complet ing work placed before bis &