Newspapers / The Enterprise (Williamston, N.C.) / Dec. 12, 1947, edition 1 / Page 1
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I ihe enterprise is read by OVER 3,000 MARTIN COUNTY FAMILIES TWICE EACH WEEK THE ENTERPRISE IS READ BY OVER 3.000 MARTIN COUNT! FAMILIES TWICE EACH WEEK VOLUME L—NUMBER 99 Williamston, Martin County, North Carolina, Friday, December 12, 1947 ESTABLISHED 1899 Few Days Left To ^ Obtain Licenses In Martin County -» Drivers hose Names Be pin W ith A or B Subieet o l.ourl Aelion k V Martin County motor vehicle drivers whose surnames begin with A or B have, after this week, four and one-half days left to ob tain their operators’ licenses with out fear of penalty. The license examining bureau will be open in the county courthouse on Decem ber 17 and 18 from 9 a. m. until 5 p. m., on December 24 from 9:00 a. m., i*itil 1:00 p. m. and on De cember 31 from 9:00 a. m. until 5:00 p. m.,. and in Robersonville from 9:00 a. m. until 5:00 p. m. on December 19. No official report can be had, but it is estimated that less than two-thirds of the motor vehicle drivers whose last names begin with the letters A or B have ob tainer operators’ licenses in this county. The State Motor Vehicles De partment in Raleigh announces that out of the estimated 150,000 A and B drivers in North Caro lina. only around 90.000 has thus far obtained new licenses. Time is drawing short, and per sons whose surnames begin with A or B who are caught driving after January 1 on an old license will be found guilty of a misde meanor and will be fined not less than $25 Col. H J. Hatcher, Commander of the State Highway Patrol, has announced that he plans to have patrolmen make spot checks along the highways after the first of the year for the purpose of catching delinquent A and B motorists. Only 17 days remain for these drivers to renew their licenses, due to the fact that Christmas holidays for state employees will begin at 1 p. m. on Wednesday, December 24. and continue through Dec. 28. In some areas of the state where an examiner goes only one or two days a week, the time is much more pressing. The A's and B's were given the period beginning last .January 1 and continuing through December 31 to take a re-examination and obtain new licenses. And 104 li i cense examiners were placed on duty throughout North Carolina to take care of the Re-examina tion program. Beginning January 1 and con tinuing through June 30, 1948. persons whose last names begin (Continued on page eight) $JOjOOOjOOO Offered For Hungry Tots A report from Geneva on Oc tober 31 said that the United Na tions program of aid to the chil dren of Europe would start on the following day. By the end of November, it is expected, the sup- I plemental feeding and medical care programs will be under way in twelve countries. The UN Shil dren's Fund, it was stated, so far has a little more than $30,000,000. With this amount it is trying to es tablish a program of one good meal daily for 3.500.000 children. The fund supplies scarce foods such as milk, fats, cod liver oil and the government puts up the i rest from available local supplies, j A small staff sees to it that chil dren get the meals. The fund according to the Ge neva dispatch, is trying to care for 75,000 children in Finland, 700.000 in Poland, 125,000 in Czechoslovakia. 240.000 in Aus tria, 110 000 in Hungary, 400,000 in Rumania; 110.000 in Bulgaria, 340.000 in Greece, 600,000 in Yugo slavia. 700.000 in Italy, 25.000 in Albania, and 70,000 in France. HOG KILLINGS Ilog killings were launched in the county this week on a fairly large scale, reports de claring that a solid schedule had been arranged in some sections for the annual task with the work overlapping in some communities. It is reported that .Martin farmers are packing away a supply of meat equally as large and possibly larger than the amount killed and packed in the county last season. J^eanut Quotas Adopted By Large Majority This Week Peanut quotas for 1948. 1949 and | 1950 were given a large majority | in a referendum held in the pea- ! nut producing states last Tues day. unofficial reports stating that 88 percent of the farmers favored the program as advanced by the | United States Department of Ag riculture. Only two states, ac cording to preliminary returns, failed to give the program the ne cessary two-thirds majority, but the arbitrary vote there was more than offset by the other stales. South Carolina led the states with ote of 98 percent favorable, but only 2.148 votes were report ed. Virginia was next with 96 percent in favor of the program. Other percentage majorities in cluded. Georgia, 93; Alabama. 89; Texas. 81; Florida. 61 and Okla homa, 60. North .Carolina first reported 12.069 for and 898 votes against the program. Martin County cast about the largest vote reported, it was learn ed Wednesday when the returns were tabulated in the ag'icultur al building. The county favored j the program, 2.303 to 14. Four i townships, Griffins, Hamilton, I Robersonville and Williams east no negative votes while James ville led the opposition with a meager six votes. The vote by townships: Jamesville. 171 for and 6 against; Williams. 103 for and none against; Griffins. 239 for and none against; Bear Grass, 254 for and 2 against; Williams-Poplar Point, 401 for and 3 against: Cross Roads. 214 for and 2 against: Rob ersonville, 392 for and none against; Hamilton, 268 for and none against; Goose Nest, 261 for and 1 against. It isn’t considered likely that quotas will be invoked for 1948 in view of the big dbmand for j peanut oil for export. Triple A Committee Retained In County DON’T FORGET Don't forget the Jayeee toy collection scheduled for Sun day afternoon, beginning at 2:30 o’clock. Quite a few I requests have been made, and i other little needy tots are looking forward to the Christ inas party being sponsored by the Jaycees. Any old toys or picture books and similar items will go a long * ;y in adding a bit of cheer foi .nc needy little ones. Place the articles on the porch or stoop and the Jay cees will do the rest. Caught Entering Home Wednesday I Philip Thompson. Jr.. 12 years j old, was 'aken into custody Wed i nesda> morning by Deputy J. H. j Roebuck for breaking into the Bud Blank horm in West End earlier that morning. A ring stol en by the lud was recovered, but he had sn< nt the small amount of change h? was alleged to have stolen. Carried before Juvenile Judge L. B Wynne, the boy admitted en ! tering tin; home with a pass key while the family was away. He was released into the custody of i his aunt while application is made for his acceptance by a correc tional insMtution. The boy was abandoned by his father some time ago, and his mother is serving a five- to seven year sentence in prison for an as sault with a deadly weapon. Firemen Called Out Wednesday Williamston’s volunteer firemen were called out about 8:30 o’clock Wednesday evening when it was thought the Bill Bullock home in Everetts was burning. Reaching there the firemen were advised that a thermostat went out of control and the generated steam poured through a relief pipe un der the house. Passing by the home, someone saw the steam pouring from under the house and thought the building was on fire. Very little damage was done by the escaping steam, it was learn ed. Justice Hassell Hears Two Cases Justice John L. Hassell heard two minor cases in his court here this week j Harry Roberson, colored, charg I ed with being drunk arid disorder* i ly. was sentenced to the roads for : thii'ty days, the court suspending | the sentence upon the payment of I the trial costs of S9.5U and guaran I teed good behavior for twelve j months. Charged with a simple assault t<in Allen Warren. A. W. Hardison j was taxed with $5.50 costs. | Several Changes Made In District Committee Names —»— County Convention Held In AtgrienUiirnl Ituildin^ Here Wednesday Martin County farmers in an election last Tuesday made quite a few changes in the personnel charged with administering the Triple A program in the several districts during the coming year, but the old county committee was retained, according to a canvass of the vote handled in the agricul • tural building the following day. 1 The election, held jointly with , the peanut referendum, attracted ja record vote in this county, and j there were several close contests. Mr. George C. Griffin, well known Griffins Township farmer, continues as chairman of the 1 county committee. Mr. J. T. Moore is the vice chairman and Mr. Elmer Modlin is the county committee’s regular member. The newly elected committec I men immediately entered upon their duties where they had .sign ed oaths of office. New members of the community committees are i expected to eign written oaths, pledging faithful service, before | they are to enter upon their new j duties, it was pointed out. The oaths will be signed during the course of the next few days. A list of the community com mittees for the new year follows, j by districts: Bear Grass: T. L. Roberson, j C. Harrison and H. U. Peel. Cross Roads: G. H. Forbes, H. Roebuck and J. F. Bailey. ! Goose Nest I: H. A. Early, M. 1 Hyman and Thomas Smith. Goose Nest II: N. W. Johnson, ! N. L. Hyman and Jack Smith. Griffins: D. Clarence Gurkin, Oscar B. Roberson, J. R. P. Grif fin. E. E. (Continued on page eight) -o Continue Wooten Case This Week The case charging George E. Wooten. Kinston taxi driver, with violating the terms of a judgment handed down some time ago by Judge J. C. Smith in the Martin County Recorder’s Court, was continued on appeal to the sup 1 erior court this week. Pleading . guilty of speeding, I Wooten was sentenced to the roads, the lower court suspending j the sentence upon the payment of a fine and costs and on the fur ther condition toat the defendant was not to operate a motor ve : hide for four months. Wooten was caught driving a few days lat er and he was called before the court and sentence was invoked. He appealed. A similar case is on its way to the supreme court, and a continuance was allowed, pend ing the decision to be handed i down by the high court. Highway Deaths Reach 395 Durin First Nine Months Pedestrian Fatalities De el ine Rut Bieycle Deaths Show An Increase CfQ -- Raleigh. — Through the third quarter of 1947. 595 persons lost their livps and 4.501 were injured rs a result of 8.’62 traffic acci dents on North Carolina streets and highways, Col. L. C. Rosser, Commissioner of Motor Vehicles announced today. Fatalities show I ed a 19 percent decrease over the same period last year. During the nine months' period, 184 persons were killed when their motor vehicles overturned or ran off the roadway; 173 lost their lives in collisions; 148 pedes trians were killed: 28 met death when their bicycles collided with motor vehicles; and 28 were kill ed in motor vehicle-train collis ions. Thirty four deaths resulted from other non-collision accidents. A 23 percent decrease, was not ed in pedestrian fatalities, while on the other hand there was a 56 percent increase in bicycle fatali ties. Thirty seven of the pedes trians killed and 200 of those in jured were children under 14 years of age. Thirteen children were killed and 48 were injured in bicycle accidents. Of the total number of acci dents, 13.886 drivers were involv ed. Sixty percent of them were breaking a traffic regulation. Speeding led in violations with 1,818 drivers exceeding the given speed limit; 221 of the speeding accidents proved to be fatal crashes. One hundred of the fatal accidents were caused by driving on the wrong side of the road. Eighty-four percent of all acci dents occurred on straight roads; and 75 percent of the fatal crash es occurred on straight loads, proving that winding and curving roads are not big factors in our high accident rate, In cities and towns there were 3.575 accidents resulting in 118 deaths and 1,268 injuries. Forty three percent of urban fatalities were pedestrians. Total number of accidents in cities and towns re mained about the same as last year. Accidents, however, were not as serious as last year, for a 21 percent decrease in fatalities was noted. More accidents occurred in residential areas. In rural areas there were 4,587 accidents, with 477 persons killed and 3.233 injured. This was a 21 percent increase in number of ac cidents and a 19 percent decrease in fatalities over last year when 590 persons were killed in 3,803 accidents, More people were killed and in jured in the 25 to 34 years of age group than any other. More farmers were involved in fatal accidents than any other class of drivers. More fatal accidents occurred at the speed of 31 to 40 miles per hour. Saturday was the leading day of the week for accidents Wed nesday has the least and thus far I for 1947 has been the safest day for travel. More accidents occur red between 5 and 6 p. m. than any other time. For the first nine months of this year Mecklenburg has led all the counties with 36 traffic deaths, as compared with 24 for the same period last year. Cumberland was next with 27 persons killed, while last year 18 deaths were report ed. Of the pedestrian deaths, 34 percent occurred in cities and towns. Charlotte led in pedestrian deaths, with 7 repented, while Mecklenburg led for counties with 10. QUIKT IV. Kains and a dwindling de ' mand for cleaned goods have materially reduced activities i on the farmer's peanut mar j ket. Several companies have ! withdrawn fromjtu^market, and wet peanuts are being re turned to the farms. Were it not for the government sup port program, it is indeed likely that the market would have gone all to pieces. The government has not yet I received any peanuts, but it i is ready to handle the crop, but the receiving stations can j not accept wet peanuts. Edward E. Fisher Gets Two Years For Non-Support -9 Young Man (trunks Down Ami Weeps When Sen tence Is Pronounced Edward Edgar Fisher, adjudged | guilty of non-support in the Mar ] tin County Superior Court last Monday, was sentenced to serve two years on the roads by Judge Clawson Williams Tuesday after noon. The jury deliberated only a few minutes in determining the defendant's fate. Before passing sentence on the man, Judge Williams questioned him at length, and it was fairly apparent that the jurist recogniz ed the problem facing so many deserted 1 ittle children and wives up and down and across the coun try. Asked about his first wife, Fish er said they had been separated a long time, that the two children born to that union were with the mother. Fisher said he divorced his wife in 1941 after being mar ried six years, that he married a second time two months after the divorce decree was recorded. Asked about his action in Texas following the war, Fisher admit ted he instituted divorce proceed ings on his attorney’s recommen dations, but claimed he tried to effect a settlement with his second wife. Judge Williams asked Fisher why he tried to ditch his family, Fisher replying that he did not want to ditch his family. "Well, you wanted to get a divorce and get rid of her,” Judge Williams said. "You have tendered no support to your family since you left the service. Your wife has worked at odd jobs and had to depend I upon her father for support while you were making $300 a month,” Judge Williams said. Fisher claim ed that he had been in school, that he had earned the salary only a short time before he was arrested and returned to this county from i San Antonio, Texas. Asked if he bad any relatives, Fisher said that his father had been dead twelve years, that his I mother died when he was onh | thirteen months old. “I have no i folks,” Fisher added. "The only reason you wanted a divorce in Texas was to get rid of your wife and children,” the judge said, asking if Fisher was not running around with another woman there. Fisher denied hav ing a girl in Texas, but admitted he courted his second wife before obtaining a divorce from his first one. Fisher maintained that he tried to get his wife to go to him in Texas, but Judge Williams count ered by saying, “Your claims do not coincide with your conduct. You say you could not come here and see about making arrange ments for your wife to join you in Texas. You, at least, could have written to her.” Judge William:; charged Fisher with acij‘o^*J? a dog - getting up and shaking off fleas. “You would get up and shake off your family,” he said. Meditating for a moment, the jurist said, "I don’t know what the world is coming to anyhow,” the judge adding that the wife in this ease as in many others, was beg ging for ner husband. The two-year road sentence (Continued on page eight) Surety Relieved Of Bond Payment After several rounds in the courts, M. N. Sutton finally scor ed a victory this week whin he convinced Judge Clawson L. Wil liams of Sanford that he was en titled to recover just about all of the $500 bond posted for Henry Paul, Greenville white man charg ed with manslaughter. Sutton was required to pay $3 costs in curred . Jv.sued for the arrest of Paul. Sutton went on Paul’s bond about two years ago. The crimin al action was continued time and again and when it was finally called for trial in June, 1940. the defendant failed to appear. Sut ton proved that Paul was not ad vised the case was being docket ed, and went on to show that Paul later appeared for trial. County Officials Are Found Not Negligent Board Proves It Had Arranged To Repair Property —-».. Order, Calling For Aetiou Before Next Court, Is Allowed To Stand Called before Judge Clawson Williams in the Martin County Superior Court Tuesday morning to explain why certain repairs re commended by th" grand jury had not been made to the county home property, the commissioners ab solved themselves of any negli gence and proved to the court that they were not to be held re sponsible for the delay. It was apparent that the jurist was more interested in seeing that the coun ty’s property was being properly cared for than he was in calling the authorities to ta«k. The in quiry was most congenial, but an order, issued from the bench the day before and calling for the in dictment of the authorities if the repairs are not made by the next term of court in March, was al lowed to stand. Addressing the commissioners, i Judge Williams said, "I sent for you to make inquiry why repairs recommended by the grand jury, have not hern made to the county home.” According to the records, the jury recommended last March that the porch columns be repair ed. In June the jury recommend ed again that the columns be re paired along with repairs to other parts of the property. In Septem ber similar recommendations were made and they were follow ed by other similar recommenda tions this term, it was pointed out. Speaking for the official board. County Attorney Elbert S. Peel i advised the jurist that materials could not be had for making the repairs, that a contractor had been contacted and advised to make the repairs. Referring *o the board minutes, it was shown that a mo tion, made by Commissioner C. Abram Roberson and seconded by | Joshua L. Coltrain, called for the \ immediate repair of the colums along with certain repairs to the stock barn. It was also pointed out that certain repairs where ma terial could be hud, had been made. Judge Williams, accepting the defe.se, suggested to the board that if the present contractor can’t get the material then it should contact a contractor who can get the material. "Going by the rec ord, it would appear that duty has been neglected. The property of the county, gentlemen, is entrust ed to your care and if should be repaired and kept in good condi tion,” the judge said. "I want to give you time to have the work done, and it appears that you have made efforts to have it done, but I suggest that it be handled by next court.” Attorney Peel assured the judge that the board will do all in its power to have the work handled, the jurist announcing that he would leave the matter in abey ance until the next term of the county superior court. Former Owner of Plant Here Dies ! Holmes R. Butler, one-time (owner of the Farmville-Wood ward Lumber Company before it was sold to Messrs. Speight and Quayle here, died at his home in Virginia Beach last Monday morn ing at 4:45 o’clock. Mr. Butler, only 53 years of age, visited the plant and his extensive timber holdings in this section frequently and made many friends in this health for some time. Funeral services were conduct id in Suffolk, his old home, Tues day afternoon and interment was in Cedar Hill Cemetery there. Surviving are his widow, the former Miss Virginia Jones; a daughter, Miss Susan Butler of Ann Harbor, Michigan, and a son, Holmes Butler, Jr., student at J Washington and Lee, Lexington. HOLIDAY SCHEDULE In a meeting Thursday aft- ! ernoon. a number of local merchants and other business men discussed £ schedule to be followed for the Christmas holiday. Prior to the meeting some favored closing Christmas eve and reopening the follow ing Monday. Others favored > a two-day holiday—Thursday and Friday. The holiday schedule to be adopted will be announced next week. Parking Problem At Bus Station Tin1 parking problem in front of and near the bus terminal here is yet unsolved after repeated studies and investigations by town authorities and traffic managers of the bus companies. Coming here this week, Traffic Managers Green of the Norfolk Southern and Newton of the Caro lina Trailways, could offer no ac ceptable solution to the problem. One report stated that the traffic men suggested reservations be made for taxis on Washington Street beside the dime store and a loading and unloading zone for bus patrons in front of the sta tion. The authorities arc of the opinion that three driveways are more than enough for the bus sta tion property, and whi they are inclined to close one of them up. no action has been taken. While 1 the parking problem is acute in I front of the bus station, dead space is staked off on the bus station property. During the meantime, the pub lic is asking that some arrange ments be provided for patrons traveling to and from the station in private conveyances Committee Named For Farm Agency Participating in the first elec tion of its kind ever held in this county, 180 farmers elected a county soil conservation commit tee during a week of voting last week. Heretofore one man, C. U. Rogers, representing the county in the soil conservation program, i but, under the new set up, a com mittee of three will handle the work. Tabulating the returns this week, the election officials report ed the following results: C. U. Rogers, leading with 118 votes; C. L. Green, 116; J. L. Knowles, 103; E. V. Smith, 60; and J. H. Lillard, 46. The high man is elected for a three-year term. The man poll ing the second largest number of votes, is to serve two years, and the next is elected for one year. Bids For Sherrod Farm Rejected Bids, ranging as high as $210 an acre for cleared and wooded areas combined, were rejected in their entirety at the Sherrod farm auc tion sale near Hamilton last Tues day. While much interest was shown in the sale, the number of bidders was limited, one report stated. According to information re ceived here, the aggregate bids tor the 980 acre farm, approximately 480 of which are cleared, totalled between $88,000 arid $94,000. The entire farm, after the bids for the fifteen individual tracts, were re jected, was offered for $95,000, but there were no takers at that price. Ask Local Citizens To Park Cars In Hack lots dressed to local citizens, urging them to park their cars in the bucklots when parking is neces sary for long periods. A large majority of the car own ers are parking their vehicles in the baeklots now in an effort to relieve parking on the main streets, but a few are said to be holding parking places day in and * day out. Court Completes Criminal Trials At Noon Tuesday Few Divorces Granted And Gi>il Matters Heard Be fore Adjournment Convening at 11 :()0 o’clock Mon day morning, the Martin County Superior Court completed the trial of the criminal docket at noon Tuesday and granted a few di vorces before adjourning for the term later in the afternoon. The fair-sized crowd, attracted during the first day of the session, dwindled to a mere handful on the second dry. Only three cases other than di vorce actions reached the jury during the term, the twelve men finding two of tlie three defend ants guilty. Before discussing a matter with tlu' county commissioners, the court heard the divorce case of John H. Davis against Alberta Davis. The plaintiff stated that they were married in December, 1941, that they separated a few’ days later and he had not seen her since that time. She was in Chi cago when he la t heard anything about her. The divorce was grant ed. After absolving the commission ers, the court called James Horton Hunter to answer in a case charg ing him with an assault with a deadly weapon. Doris Hunter, his wife, was stabbed last October 13 on the streets of Robersotiville. Taking the stand she declared she did not know who stabbed her and went on to say that she and her husband had not quarreled, that there was a crowd in the street in front of Gus Knight’s cleaners, and all were drinking. Earline Moore, witness, said that Doris told her she did not know who cut he i. Chief Writ. Smith, arresting Hunter 30 minutes after the seri ous attack, -said that Hunter ad mitted cutting his wife, that Hunt er explained they had quarreled when the wife would not go home with him, that when she ran he followed and attacked her with a certain knife. The officer said that the witness Moore had chang ed her story since the case was first heard in the county court. James Horton Hunter, taking the stand in his own defense, said they hud had no argument and denied attacking his wife. He claimed that they were drinking, that after the attack he took an other drink and did not remem ber telling the officers anything about the attack. Although he was too drunk to remember his confession, Hunter, attending school under the GI education program, said .he was at home making ready to go to school when he was arrested. Officer Wade Griffin corrobor (Continued on page eight) Churches Need Greater Unity Atlanta. Ga.—Christians every* where should make their religion a “powerful leavening force in the world today,’’ declared the Rl. Rev. Thomas N. Carruthers, Bish op of the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina, addressing an an nual Synod here. Bishop Car ruthers urged that the Christian Church make itself "distinctive.” “We are not different enough from the rest of the world.” Also he said, Christianity must become | explicit and concrete, and finally, that the Church must leave no area unchurched. “The results of splitting the world into secular end ascred sectiors have been dis astrous. We must take Christ in to our factories, schools, newspap er offices, businesses, homes— everywhere.” MEETING _ % I ^ The local parent-teacher as wwWitof'Uti. Wjf'iw •* I m'm etiiwArdh meeting of the calendar year next Monday evening at 8:00 o'clock in the grammar school auditorium, it was announced today by President II. P. Mob ley. Miss (trace Talton's first grade pupils will appear in a I Christmas play. All members I are asked to he present and 1 the public is invited.
The Enterprise (Williamston, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Dec. 12, 1947, edition 1
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