THE ENTERPRISE IS READ BY
OVER MARTIN COUNTY
FAMILIES TWICE EACH WEEK
THE ENTERPRISE
VOLUME LI—NUMBER 10
Williams ton, Martin County, North Carolina, Tuesday, February 3, 1948
IS
THE ENTERPRISE IS READ VS
OVER 3.000 MARTIN COUNTS
FAMILIES TWICE EACH WEAR
ESTABLISHED 189*
X-Rayed Over Four
Thousand In County
ft
ft
Making A Second
Check Of Thirty
Survey Pictures
Bail Weather Interrupts TB
Survey; Slight Delay
In Hamilton
The mass TB survey, launched
in this county on Tuesday of last
week, is going forward very well
despite unfavorable Weather and
bad road conditions, a report from
the health department states.
During the first five days of the
survey, 4,370 people visited the
mobile X-ray units and had X
rays made. After reaching a
1,200-peak last Thursday, the
survey was retarded by bad wea
ther and road conditions. Sched
ules were .maintained, however,
through last Saturday with one
exception. One of the units could
not be moved out of Poplar Point
in time to meet the schedule in
Hamilton last Saturday, but it
was placed in operation shortly
before noon Monday when a fair
ly large number of persons lined
up for their X-rays.
Hamilton reported 180 X-rays
Monday.
The unit in front of Clark’s
Pharmacy in Williamston led the
list last Thursday when 405 X
rays were made. Parmele was
second with 352, Gold Point fol
lowing with 256, and Lilley’s
store with 171. Making its first
appearance in Robersonville last
Friday, the unit handled 334 X
rays, Williamston dropping to
second place with 235. Edwards'
store in Poplar Point reported
183, and 152 were made at Corey’s
Cross Roads. Only 350 X-rays
were made at three places in the
county last Saturday, as follows:
Williamston, 150; Robersonville,
87; and the State Highwt v Prison
¥
ait u, l 1 u.
While each case is held in strict
confidence, it was learned that 30
persons had been asked to report
to the health department for fur
ther examination. Reading the
more than 3,000 X-rays made dur
ing the first three days of the
survey, Dr. R. F. Bell of the State
Health Department notified the
thirty {arsons to attend one of
three special clinics being held
each week during the survey in
the county health department of
fices for further study of their
cases. It was pointed out that
the call for further examination
does not mean that TB had been
found, but that in some instances,
the pictures did not show up well
or there was some defect in the
film. It is understood that some
TB cases have been uncovered,
and among the unsuspecting. The
special clinics, arranged just for
further examination of doubtful
cases, are being held each Mon
day afternoon from 1:00 to 4:30 o’
clock, each Wednesday morning
from 9 00 o'clock to 12 noon, and
each Friday afternoon from 1:00
to 4:30 o’clock during the survey
period.
Thousands of those who have
already had their X-rays made
are receiving cards, giving them a !
clean bill of health as far as TB.
is concerned.
Two mobile X-rays will oper
ate until further notice in Rober-'
sonville and Williamston. Another
is in Hamilton today. On Wed-,
nesday, a unit is to be stationed [
at Smith Brothers’ store near Pal- j
myra. One of the units is to
(Continued on page eight)
j SHOWS ’EM UP I
s.-s
“We are just proving to
you damyankees that you
haven't got everything up
north,” Jim Eubanks laugh
ingly explained to a northern
er as he paused in front of tlic
Martin apartments on East
Main Street here last Sunday.
“We are making a snow man
just to show you up,” Eu
banks added.
The tourist, enjoying the
jibe, talked about fifteen min
utes and continued on his way
south.
r
ENJOYABLE TIME |
IJ
Seeing the first snow in
their young lives, quite a few
I local children, unmindful of
the anxiety of stranded tour
ists, made the best of the snow
last Sunday. Sunday schools
and church services were call
ed off, giving the youngsters
and an unbelievably large
i number of the old boys a full
| day to romp and play in the
j snow.
j Possibly 75 or even 100
snow men and boys were
molded by the kids and their
pappies. Williams Street took
the top honors. Banker Clyde
Griffin and his two sons tak
ing the top prize for their ar
tistic design while Frank Car
starphen, with the help of
others, went in for size and
heighth. A short distance
away, Marvin Coltrain and
his helpers worked until the
step ladder gave out and they
yielded.
Proposes Higher
Education In All
Community Areas
—«,—~
Coverniurnl \o« Spending
Big Sum On Post-High
School Vet Education
President Truman's Commission
on High Education recently pro
posed bringing higher education
into everybody’s home town by
developing tuition-free “commun
ity colleges,” or junior colleges.
Federal financial help and a
strengthened United States Office
of Education in Washington are
needed, the commission said in its
third report to the President, to
more college facilities. It said:
“Post-high school education must
be brought within the reach, eco
nomically and geographically, of
many more people than at pres
ent,"
The community college, extend
ing free education through the
fourteenth year, would operate
within the state education sys
tems. District colleges would take
care of rural areas not served by
city public school systems. Com
parable development of church
and privately supported institu
tions is proposed, and universities
would offer similar two-year
courses.
The commission noted that the
federal government has been
spending as much as $1,772,000,000
a year on post-high school educa
tion in a variety of special pro
grams administered by the Veter
ans Administration and fourteen
other agencies, with little co-ordi
nation of the effort. A “more ef
(Continued on page eight)
Runs Into Cold
Snap Down South
Looking for sunshine and warm
weather, Mr. N. E. McDaniel mov
ed in last week from Tanacross,
Alaska, just in time to run head
on into one of the worst sleet and
snow storms to grip this section in
a dozen years. ‘‘The weather is
much worse here than it was in
Tanacross when I left there,” Mr.
McDaniel said, adding that he saw
real sunshine yesterday morning
for the first time since his arrival.
Mr. McDaniel is communicator
for the Civil Aeronautics Admin
istration and is looking for an
apartment for his family.
■-o-.
Farm Security Patrons
Meeting Here Thursday
■■ " #- -
The 27 tenant-purchase borrow
ers of the Farmers Home Admin
istration (the old Farm Security
Administration) will meet in the
Woman’s Club here on Thursday
morning of this week at 10:30
o’clock, County Supervisor Jas. C.
Eubanks announced. They will be
joined by five tenant - purchase !
borrowers from Bertie.
*
Polio Fund Drive
Short Of Its Goal
In Martin County!
-o- |
Chairman Explains Thai
Very Few Schools Have
Made Reports
The annual infantile paralysis'
fund drive in this county was |
$999.08 short 01 its minimum goal
of $2,650 yesterday, but Chairman
L. B. Wynne was quick to point
out that only a few of the schools
had reported and the coin collec
tors, located in about fifty busi
ness houses throughout the coun
ty had not been canvassed.
Wpather conditions made it next
to impossible to complete a sur
vey of the drive last week-end,
and possibly it will be the latter
part of this or early next week
before final tabulations can be
made, the chairman said.
Up until late Monday, a total of
$1,650.92 had been collected and
reported to the chairman.
Williamston’s elementary school
set a new record when the boys
and girls really went to work for
the fund. The children raised
$513.00, exceeding by a fairly siz
able margin the amount collected
a year ago, Chairman Wynne said.
Miss Rogersor’s room led the list
with $78. Other contributions
were reported as follows: Miss
Miss Modlin’s room, $57.46; Miss
Jeriidns’ room, $43.20; Mrs. Co
burn's room, $42.85; Mrs. Kim
ball's room, $38.49; Miss Bailey’s
room, $37.78; Mis. Fussell's room,
$36.60; Miss Manning’s room,
$31.80; Miss Benson’s room, $29.00;
Miss Everett’s room, $28.00; Mrs.
Carstarphen's room, $20.45; Mrs.
Froneberger’s room, $19.87; Miss
Talton's room, $10.50; Miss
Baker’s room, $13.40; Miss Craw
fords room, $il.50; and Miss Mor
ris’s room, $8.20.
Raising $112.47, Farm Life
school where Master John Wade
Coltrain is a pupil after virtually
recovering from an attack of in
fantile paralysis, more than doub
led the amount reported last year.
^Tne sidioolsjmgnbersoi^ille rg^
porteu siTSPlastweeK^ancfTt eoullf
not be learned if the report was
complete.
With one or two exceptions, col
lections in the colored schools are
falling behind those of lust year,
according to preliminary reports
received from four centers.
Whiehard-James reported $8,
Jones, $6.20; Williams, Lower,
$14.00; and Jamesville $10.00.
In addition to the amounts re
ported by the schools, $802.25 has
been received by direct mail, the
chairman stgting that he had
heard from 194 of the 442 solicit
ed by letter.
The larger schools have report
ed, leaving the smaller ones, the
coin collectors and those wha have
not yet replied to the direct mail
appeals to raise right at $1,000.
The drive might carry, but there
can be no let-up during the re
mainder of the drive, it was point
ed out.
A case of infantile paralysis was
(Continued on page eight)
Local People In
Accident Friday
Miss Jane Goff, daughter of
Rev. and Mrs. John L. Goff, was
painfully but not seriously hurt,
and several other Martin County
persons were bruised and shock
ed in a passenger bus accident
near Tarboro early last Friday
afternoon.
Suffering a head injury, Miss
Goff was treated in a Tarboro
hospital for several days and is
expected to return to her home
here today to spend a short time
before returning to A. C. College,
Wilson, to continue her studies.
Mrs. Qlena Swain Bunn re
ceived a slight knee injury but
she was able to continue to the
home of her parents here.
Miss Ann Johnson and Cecil
Batts of Robersonville were also
riding th*‘ bus but they escaped!
uninjured except for minor
bruises and shock.
According to reports reaching
here, the bus driver turned out
for a car parked on the highway
and lost control. The bus skidded
and turned over. While no one
was fatally injured, one passenger!
suffered a broken back.
Board Extends Time
For Listing Property
Free Vaccination
Of Dogs Provided
By Board s Order
- - *
Authorities Make Adjust
ments In Taxes and Is
sue Relief Orders
- ♦
Realizing that many owners
could not get to the designated
places to list their property hold
ings on account of unfavorable
weather and bad road conditions,
the Martin County Commissioners
in regular session Monday extend
ed the time for listing until the
latter part of next week. It is es
timated that the time extension
will add several hundred dollars
to the listing bill. Court action is
to be expected in those cases
where property and poll are not
listed during the extension period.
Reports from several of the list
takers state that the work is fair
ly well advanced, that the job
could be completed easily in a few
more days if road and weather
conditions were favorable to trav
eL
Only three members of the
board, Messrs. J. H. Edward,
chairman and Joshua L. Coltrain
and W. M. Harrison, were present
for the meeting. Possibly Com
missioners R. A. Haislip and C.
Abram Roberson were snow
bound and could not report. The
quorum handled its work and ad
journed about 1:00 o’clock.
Tax Collector M. L. Peel was
relieved of the task of supervis
ing the vaccination of dogs in the
county. Dr. W. F. Coppage was
appointed to handle the job with
the assistance ot the sheriff and
deputies. The vaccinations, slat
ed for the month of April, will be
free to dog owners, but the coun
ty will pay the veterinarian 75
cents for each, and the veteri-1
i le
and costs of the clinics. He is to
make and submit complete re
ports of each vaccination. A re-1
serve of $100 will be set aside un
til the vaccinations are cheeked
against the tax books, the fund
to care for any discrepancy exist
ing between the actual number of
dogs vaccinated and the number
listed for taxation.
Only one road request was re
ceived during the day. H. Leman
Barnhill asked the board to rec
ommend that a road in Cross
Roads Township known as the
George Keel and Walter Beach
road he included in the highway
system for maintenance. It was
pointed out that such a recom
mendation had already been made
but apparently no action has been
taken by the highway commis
sion.
Considerable time was spent
clearing up old tax amount- and
issuing relief orders and making
needed adjustments. Some of the
cases under survey dated back
as far as 1928.
The Dixie Peanut Company
was relieved of the payment of
taxes on $47,928 worth of peanuts
listed in error.
Taxes listed by Mack Little in
Robersonvilje in 1930 through
1939 were reduced from $01.85 to
$50 to offset excess valuation.
A relief order was granted Wes
ley Jenkins Heirs on $400 proper
ty when it was learned that the
holdings had been double listed
in Robersonville Township.
The board accepted the recom
mendation of the county attorn
eys to accept $57.90 taxes on prop
erty listed in the name of Nellie
(Continued on page eight)
ROUND-UP ]
Weather conditions even af
fected the crime front here
and in most communities of
the county last week-end, (he.
jail record showing that only
four persons were detained
during the period.
Two were booked for dis
orderly conduct and one eacli
for drunkenness and drunk
en driving. Three were while
and the ages of the group
ranged from 20 to 54 years.
SCHOOLS
y - —.✓
Tentative plans were an
nounced this morning for re
opening the schools in this
county on Thursday morning
of this week, according to in
formation released by the
board of education office this
morning.
It was explained that the
date for reopening is not de
finite, that weather and road
conditions will have much to
do with the schedule. Defin
ite announcement will be
made later.
0. R, Roberson,
Retired Farmer,
Died On Sunday
—•—
Funeral Services Are Being
Conducted hi Spring
Green Gliureli Today
»
Orlander Reddick Roberson, re
tired farmer and well known Pop
lar Point citizen, died at the home
of his daughter, Mrs, Slade Rober
son, there Sunday afternoon at
4:35 o’clock. In declining health
for more than fifteen years, Mr.
Roberson had been getting along
as well as usual until the latter
part of last November. He had not
been active since that time and his
condition was critical for about
ten days before the end.
A son of the late John A. and
Julia Highsmith Roberson, he was
born in the Leens section of Pitt
ber 16, 1866. He spent his early
life there, marrying Miss Melissa
Moore, a native of Washington
County, who died in 1938. In 1900 j
the family moved to this county!
and located in Poplar Point Town-1
ship wii^flfjffnTTueT?oncoWirnIl"
ed to farm.
Following the death of his wife
he made his home with his daugh
ter, Mrs. Slade White. Failing
health forced his retirement from
active farming, but he continued
interested in agriculture and aid
ed on the Slade farm as long as he
was able.
A member of the Primitive Bap
tist Church for 45 years, he was
unusually active in religious ac
tivities at Spring Green, serving it
as deacon for more than thirty
years. His last visit away from'
home was to the church on the
fourth Saturday in November of
last year. In addition to his lead
ership in the church, Mr. Rober
son was respected as a good citi
zen and friend.
Besides his daughter with whom
he made his home during the past
twenty years, he is survived by a
daughter, Mrs. W S. Leggett of
Everetts; eight grandchildren and
six great-grandchildren.
Funeral services are being con
ducted in the church at Spring
Green this afternoon at 2:30
o’clock and burial will follow in
the church cemetery there. In the
absence of his pastor, Elder W. E.
Grimes who was reported quite
ill at his home in Pitt County, Eld
er A. B. Ayers will conduct the
last rites.
-o
Session Of (lonely Court
Postponed Hi>re Monday
Literally snowed under at his
home in Robersonville, Judge J. C.
Smith was unable to reach here
Monday and the regular session of
the county recorder’s court was
called off. Very few cases were
on the docket and they will be
handled at the next regular meet
ing on Monday, February 9.
Former County Resident
Itreaks Her Hip In Fall
Mrs. Robert L. Grimes who was
Miss Maggie Thomas of Hamilton
before her marriage, is in King's
Daughter's Hospital, Portsmouth,
recovering from a broken hip suf
fered :n a fall on the ice at her
home in Portsmouth the early
part of last week. Last reports
state she is getting along very
well and hoped to bo out of the
hospital in a few weeks.
Two Minor Road
Wrecks Reported
In Martin County
— ♦
Ilit-iiiul-Kim Driver Arrest
ed In Scotland Neck
Last Thursday Night
-o
Carl Bailey, Plymouth attorney,
escaped injury when his car, an j
Oldsmobile, figured in an accident
just beyond Sweet Water Creek
on Highway 64 last Thursday aft
ernoon about 4:00 o’clock.
A 1947 Dodge school bus, driv
en by Luther Cordon of the Dar
dens section, was traveling toward
Jamesville and lifted the stop sign
to discharge a passenger John
Robert Coltrain, Jr., driving his
Ford toward Williamston, was
forced to stop quickly, and the
attorney driving behind Coltrain
did not see the signal in time to
avoid a crash. The Bailey car,
trying to go between the Coltrain
car and the school bus, spent most
of its force against the rear bump
er of the Ford and barely touched
the bus. The Bailey car had its
front damaged, Patrolman W. E.
Saunders estimating that repairs
would cost approximately $100.
About 11:30 o’clock last Wed
nesday night, Edward M. Brown,
Jr., of Scotland Neck, was driv
ing toward Hobgood about five
miles out of Oak City when an
unidentified driver operating an
old model car sideswiped his 1939
Plymouth and knocked it into a
roadside ditch. No one was hurt
and damage to the car was esti
mated at $50 to the Brown car.
No trace of the hit-run driver
could be had immediately but Pa
trolmen Saunders, Narron and
Parker picked up a lead the fol
lowing day and arrested Willie
Brady in Scotland Neck Thursday
night. Joe Brady, accompanying
Willie, his brother, owned the car
and he was arrested and charged
with allowing another to operate
a motor vehicle without stopping
after an accident in which proper
ty damage resulted.
The Bradys reported for trial
here
court and their cases were con
tinued until next Monday, Patrol
man Saunders, chief investigator,
said this morning.
Native Of County
Dies In Hospital
—•—
O, B. Rawls, Sr., a native of
Martin County., died in a Wash
ington hospital last Saturday
morning. Funeral services were
conducted at the late home in
Beaufort County Monday after
noon at 2:00 o’clock by Rev. M.
L. Ambrose, pastor of the church
at Old Ford where Mr. Rawls was
a member for a number of years.
He was one of the oldest members
of the Red Men’s Lodge in Wash
ington and the Order had charge
of the rites at the grave. Burial
was in Washington’s Oakdale
Cemetery.
The son of the late Nicholas
Rawls and wife, he was born in
this county on November 10,
1837 and located when a young
man in Beaufort where he farm
ed. In early life he was married
to Miss Mamie Lilley.
Surviving are three daughters,
Mrs. W. W. Chesson, Mrs. Carl
Willard and Mrs. Clarence Rob
erson, all of Washington, RFD;
five sons, Johnnie, Jesse, Nicholas,
James and O. B. Rawls, Jr., all of
Washington; three sisters, Mis.
Chas. Beacham of Bear Grass, and
Mrs. Claude Beacham and Mrs.
Mack Rogers, both of RFD, Wash
ington; and seven grandchildren,
--o
Small Child Recovering
From Dose of Poison
■ ■ •
Little Miss Theresa Ayers, two
year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
A. B. Ayers, is in Duke hospital
receiving treatment for a poison
dose. Last reports received from
her were very encouraging, and
she is expected to be able to re
turn home in about ten days or
two weeks.
Playing around in the kitchen
early last Friday, the child took a
small spoon, climbed up to the
sink and dipped up a small quan
tity of poison draino that had been
put there to unstop the pipes. It is
♦ bought 'die swallowed very little
of the poison.
Yanks Invade Town
Over The Week-end
EXTENDED
Hampered by the bad
weather last week and the
early part of this, the drive for
used clothing and other ar
ticles has been extended an
other week, Mrs. R. II. Ciood
mon, chairman, announced.
A last call is being made in
the name of suffering human
ity overseas, the chairman
stating that added interest
had been shown while this
section shivered in its worst
wintry blast in years.
The churches will receive
additional bundles next Sun
day, and the collection, to be
handled by Martin - Elliot
Company trucks, will start
picking up the bundles next
week at the schools.
Quite a few shop-worn items
have been contributed hy lo
cal business firms during the
past several days, and the
county is well along the way
toward getting together a
creditable collection of cloth
ing and other items.
Plans Completed
For Farm School
— *-.
Plans have been completed for
holding a special and important
school for farmers in the Martin
County courthouse on Thursday
and Friday of this week, Farm
Agent T. B. Brandon reminded
interested parties today.
The school is to run each day
from 9:30 a. m until 4:00 o'clock
in the afternoon and a general in
vitations is being extended to all
farmers and other interested par
ties to attend.
Some timely topics will be dis
rn^orl I"’ remnni-o’d l/.'.m..— i
• •• • « --
the school offers a real opporton-1
ity for farmers to better equip1
themselves to meet and solve i
farm problems.
Beginning at 9:30 o’clock on
Thursday morning, A. C. Kimreyi
will talk about the family cow.!
Dr. E. R. Collins will discuss corn [
production, reviewing the best
hybrid yields, from 10:30 until
12 noon. Following the lunch'
period, Jack Kelly will talk on
swine production at 1:30 and he
will be followed by S. 11. Dobson
who will talk about pastures.
On Friday, John Harris will
present some facts about home
gardens. At 10:30 that morning,
R. R. Bennett will give some late
and interesting facts about to
bacco. In the afternoon, J. T.
Conner will talk about insects and
the latest control methods. Crop1
diseases will be discussed by j
Howard Garriss begining at 2:3()J
If it is impossible for a farmer
to attend the full two-day school,
he is asked to pick out bis favor
ite topic and attend at that time.
However, every minute of the
school is important and farmers1
will find it to their advantage to I
pack the courthouse every min- J
ute of the school.
Not Unlawful To
Set Trot Lines
Contrary to a report appearing
in a daily paper feature published
a short time ago, it isn't unlawful
to fish with trot lines; at least, it
isn’t unlawful when cut bait is us
ed, according to information com
ing from Ben H. James, county
game warden.
Rock fishermen along the Roan
oke were greatly upset when it
was reported that trot lines could
not be used lawfully. “There’s
nothing to the report,” the warden
declared.
Recalling recent changes in the
Wildlife Resuuices Commission,
tile warden stated that Clyde IJ.
Patton had been elected a direc
tor of the commission, that L).
Warren Lupton, Jr., of New Hol
land, had been elected chief of
law enforcement, and S. B. Coley
of Kinston was named commission
chairman at a recent meeting of
the agency.
f - - ■
Worst Snowstorm
In Twelve Years
Ties Up Business
--»■
Scliools Close, Mail and Bus
Service Halted, Tourists
Are Delayed
-o
Driven to cover by one of the
worst sleet-snow storms to strike
this section in twelve yea*?, the
Yankees successfully invaded Wil
liamston last week-end. The in
vaders, seeking sunshine and
warm weather farther south, were
not greeted by grape shot and
cannon balls like unto that poured
at the invading armies back in the
sixties. Instead they were taken
into private homes and accorded
every possible accommodation,
several of the delayed tourists
stating that they had really found
Southern hospitality here, but
that they would have to travel
farther south to find balmy
weather.
The local hotel was filled to
overflowing early last Saturday.
Tourist homes were booked solid
and rooms-for-rent signs disap
peared in a hurry. Before night
fall, the situation was seriously
aggravated when a line formed at
the hotel desk, and another at tha
police station. Some of the tour
ists were really frightened, and
when one was advised that a room
was available without heat, he
gladly accepted, adding that he
did not mind sleeping in “the ice
box ” Between one hundred and
fifty and two hundred tourists,
mostly northerners, were delayed
here by the ice-covered roads that
night. A few braved the aggra
vated weather conditions Sunday
and continued southward, but
most of them held to their rooms
until yesterday.
the Yankee invasion was describ
ed as the worst to strike here since
early 1939 when a heavy snow
broke in the roof on the Planters
Warehouse and snow and ice in
terrupted traffic for several days.
Sleet and hominy snow made
travel dangerous a week previous
ly, but the full fury of the cold
wave started creeping in over the
week-end. Rain, sleet and snow
fell Saturday afternoon, forcing
just about all traffic off the high
ways. Several local shops, run
ning short on fuel, closed early
Saturday afternoon and business
in general was tied up.
About 9:00 o’clock, the mercury
eased up a bit and rain mixed
with a little sleet fell from then
until about 3:00 o’clock Sunday
morning. Three quarters of an
hou“ later snow started falling.
Fanned by a regular gale the snow
reached about six inches by 9:00
o’clock that morning.
Traffic, with the exception of
newspaper delivery trucks and
cars, was virtually blocked during
the early part of the day, but
highway forces cleared the main
highways shortly before noon and
travel was restored on a limited
scale in this immediate section.
Virginia, its highways covered
with snow ranging up to six and
eighteen inches deep, ordered all
traffic off its highway unless ve
hicles wore chains and travel was
vitally necessary. A few motor
ists broke through there late Sun
day, but travel moved slowly even
as late as this morning, according1
to reports reaching here.
Bus schedules were canceled
(Continued on page eight)
ICEBERGS
r
*
While the mercury has gone
no lower than the middle
teens here in recent days, the
upper Roanoke region must
have had much lower ther
mometer readings. Miniature
icebergs have been floating
down the river here for two
days, some so Urge that
broke in two when
struck the bridge fender
Gardner’s Creek near
is frozen over, but the I
not very thick,