THE ENTERPRISE IS READ BI
• OVER S,W MARTIN COUNTT
EA Mil .IKS TWICE EACH WEER
hAhhmm
THE ENTERPRISE
THE ENTERPRISE IS READ HI
OVER 3,000 MARTIN COUNTS
FAMILIES TWICE EACH WEES
Volume li—number 90
Williamston, Martin County, North Carolina, Thursday, November 11, 1918
ESTABLISHED 1899
Judge Smith Hears
Thirty-Four Cases
• \ti County’s Court
Fines Imposed At Session
Monday Exceed #1,000;
Feiir Go To Roads
In a long session of the Martin
County Recorder's Court last
Monday, Judge J. Calvin Smith
0 called thirty-four cases, imposed
fines amounting to $1,075 and
meted Out road sentences total 27 i
months and six days. The court j
was in session until well into late j
afternoon, and attracted an unus
ually large number of spectators
during the early hours.
Nearly one-fourth or eight of
the cases charged drunken driv
ing, Solicitor Paul D. Roberson
• scoring convictions in all of them.
Officers declare that drunken
driving is no more prevalent now
than it was, explaining that the
patrojmen are just catching more
of them. It is apparent that the
drunken driver now stands a good j
chance of being caught.
Proceedings:
Adjudged guilty of larceny, Lee
Rollins was sentenced to the roads 1
for twelve months. He appealed
and bond was required in the
sum of $300.
Pleading guilty of drunken
driving, Aaron Council was fined
$100, taxed with the costs and
had his license revoked for one
year.
Pleading not guilty, William L.
^ Hollis whs adjudged guilty of
drunken, careless and reckless
driving and was fined $100, taxed
with the costs and had his license
revoked for twelve months. He
appealed and bond was fixed at
$100.
- Charged with careless and reck
less driving, Lee Person was ad
judged not guilty.
Ralph Gene Gardner was found
not guilty of reckless and careless
driving.
Pleading guilty of assault, Em
anuel Staneill was fined $15 and
required to pay the costs.
Fred James Calloway, charged
with simple assault, was fined $20
* and taxed with the costs.
Papers were issued for his ar
rest when Little Bud Pittman fail
ed to appear and answer in the
case charging him with an as
sault.
The case charging Lindsley Earl
Spruill- with bastardy was dis- j
missed.
Adjudged guilty of non-supporT [
over his pica of innocence, James '■
Ramsey, Jr., was sentenced to the!
roads for six months. The court
suspended the road term upon the
payment of the costs, $25 now and*
$5 a week for one year for the
support of his family.
Frank Moore was fined $100,
taxed with the costs and had his
driver's license revoked for one
year for drunken driving.
Pleading guilty of drunken
$ driving, Archie Hardison, colored,!
was fined $100, required to pay!
the costs and lost his operator’s!
license for one year.
Dallas Taylor and Richard Ed- j
mondson, pleading guilty of be- i
ing publicly drunk, were each fin-'
ed $20 and taxed with the costs.
Judgment was suspended upon j
the payment of the costs in the
case charging Lloyd L. Anderson
** with careless and reckless driving.
The defendant pleaded guilty.
Charged with operating a motor
' vehicle without a driver’s license,
Lewis Perry pleaded guilty and
was sentenced to jail for five days,
fined $25 and taxed with the costs.
(Continued on page eight)
RAINFALL
«
I
v
j
For the second straight
year frequent rains have in
terrupted the peanut harvest
to this area during October
and the early days of Novem
ber. Last month 5.55 inches
of rain fell here and during
the first ten days of this
month nearly three inches
were recorded at the river
weather station. In Novem
ber last year 7.33 inches of
rain fell, playing havoc with
the peanut harvest.
Unusually warm weather
has accompanied the heavier
than-usual rains, aggravating
the bad conditions surround
ing the peanut harvest.
Peanut Festival Junior Queens And King
Gathered around their prize—twenty-six pounds of choice quality tobacco donated by Rossell Rogers Little Miss Jackie Leg
gett (left), one of the Peanut Festival junior queens, Kenneth Manning, junior king, and Little Miss Kmmu Peel, another junior
queen of the fesitval, take time out for a picture before the tobacco is sold at auction. Mr. Norwood Thomas purchased the tobacco
paying an even dollar a pound for it. The event attracted much attention
Albemarle Church
Conference Is Held
Here This Week
—•
Over Two lliimlred Dele
gates From Two States
In Attendance
•
By Booker T. Medford
Conference Reporter
The 38th session of the Albe
marle Conference of the A. M. E.
Zion Church opening here yester
day at Williams Chapel Church on
Rhodes Street, was welcomed by
Mayor Robert Cowen of Williams
ton. The mayor was applauded as
he entered the church and was
soon presented by Bishop H. T.
Medford, presiding Bishop of the
Conference, The mayor express
ed his delight with the fact that
an assembly of religious intent
selected Williamston for its an
nual meeting.
In his welcome remarks, the
mayor said: “This type of meeting
with a religious motive and in
tent should be held more univer
sally, for if such were the case,
our world would not be in its pre
sent state of confusion.” The may-;
or expressed his firm belief in the
life and teachings of Jesus Christ
and commended such to us all for
daily practise and not just one day
a week. The mayor further stat
ed that “the crux of all the reli
gions that he had ever read abirut
could be boiled down to the
words: ‘Do unto others as you
would have them do unto you”
and that the violation of this rule
has been the cause of all our so
cial and religious ills; for, as the
mayor concluded, “God created
all mankind out of one blood.”
The opening session of the con- !
ference was convened Wednesday
at 11 a. m. and was largely attend
ed by ministers and laymen, Bish
op H. T. Medford, presiding. The
Ttev. M. F. Gregory, of the A M
E. Zion Church of Sunbury, N. C.,
delivered the morning message.
Holy Eucharist was celebrated by
the Bishop and more than 1501
from two states participated
In the annual address this
| morning, Bishop Medford stress
ed the importance of education
for his race and the need of the ,
church to take its place as an ae- ,
tive factor in the promotion of
such. Said the Bishop: “The
church has not used all its power
for the promotion of good until
its influence is felt in all the areas
|, (Continued on page six)
Passes Following
Months of Illness
Sam Bennett, two and one-half
years of age, died at the home of
Ids parents, James and Odell
Fagan Bennett, in Poplar Point
Township last Saturday evening
following moHtlis of declining
health. Funeral services were held
at the home Tuesday afternoon
and interment was in Poplar
Point Cemetery.
The child was taken ill early
last summer and was treated by
members of the medical profes
sion in this county and later re
moved to a Washington hospital.
While he had the symptoms of
poliomyelitis, attending physi
cians in the county and at the
hospital did not diagnose the dis
ease as polio. The little fellow
was later carried to Duke where
his ailment was first diagnosed as
polio, but about ten days or two
weeks later, the doctors said the
child did not have polio, that he
was suffering with leukemia. He
continued in the hospital for a
while and was returned home
some over two weeks ago.
Last Thursday the child’s condi
tion became worse, and, as a last
resort, the parents are said to
have carried him to a “faith doc
tor” in or near Robersonville. Last
Saturday afternoon he was said to
be getting along very well, but
was taken worse suddenly that
afternoon, dying several hours
later at 9:00 o’clock.
Besides his parents he is sur
vived by a sister.
Joins Woman’s
Auxiliary Corps
for her
an X ray
Memorial \
(Miami Herald)
Second girl from this area to
join the Women’s Army Corps
this fall is Miss Alberta Knox.
She was sworn in recently by
Capt. Thomas Murphy and has
gone to Camp Lee, Va.
basic training.
Miss Knox has been
technician at Jackson
hospital for the past year and will
go into X-ray work in the WAC.
The daughter of Mrs W. A.
Knox, Williamston, N. C., whom
she visited before reporting to
Camp'Lee, Alberta took her train
ing at the Franklin School of Sci
ence and Art in Philadelphia, Pa.,
and interned at the Park View
hospital, Kocky Mount, N. C.
THE RECORD
SPEAKS . . .
Tin' number of automobile
accidents on the streets and
highways of this county
reached a now high record for
a seven-day period this year
when nine wrecks were re
ported during the first seven
days of November. The ac
tivities of the week shot the
totals to new highs except for
the death column figures
which trailed by one the
count made during the first 45
weeks of last year.
The following tabulations
offer a comparison of the ac
cident trend: first, by corres
ponding weeks in this year
and last and for each year to
the present time.
45th Week
Accidents Inj’d Killed Dam’ge
1948 U 8 0 $ 1,580
1947 3 0 0 675
Comparisons To D«te.
1948 125 71 2 $30,035
1947 121 56 3 26,635
I lam i I (on Church
Has Homecoming
The annua] homecoming service
in the Hamilton Baptist Church
last Sunday attracted a largo con
gregation, including former mem
bers from two states and several
from as far away as Statesville, N.
C., and Portsmouth, Virginia.
The Ross Baptist Church of
Windsor sent its singers. Rev. J
K. Henderson of Scotland Neck
was the only former pastor to re
turn for the homecoming service.
Revs. J. R. 'Everett and W..O. An
drews, former pastors, sent greet
ings.'
The homecoming program cli
maxed a 10-day revival meeting
'which was conducted by the pas
tor, Rev. E. R. Stewart. Eighteen
new members were added during
the series of revival services,
A big picnic dinner was served
and the free will offering amount
ed to $961.50. Work on the new
educational plant will be*resumed
soon, the pastor announced.
Name Committee
To Appraise Land
»
Jim Gray, Vance Roberson and
Jim Daniel were named recently
by Clerk of Court L. B. Wynne to
appraise five acres of land for a
playground for the Robersonville
schools. It could not be learned
when the committee will make
the appraisal.
The appointment oi tin.' apprais
al committee was handled as a
part of proceedings to condemn
five acres of the Stevenson land
for a playground.
Add Tow More Dollars
To Tumi Tor (.hitdron
-O_
Twelve dollars were added to
the fund’for hungry little children
yesterday when a friend donated
$2 and the Rhodes-Warns Clinic
contributed $10.
The fund, sponsored by the
United Nations for starving chil
dren in war stricken countries,
now has $1,155.72 in this county, ,
according to Mrs. N. C. Green,
chairman.
It isn’t too lute to contribute to |
the worthy cause, but the treasur
er is anxious to complete the drive
and forward the total cheek to
headquarters and those who
would lend a helping hand are
asked to forward their contribu
tions as early as possible. j
Little Activity
On Peanut Mart
Picking operations delayed by
rains and extremely warm weath
er, the local peanut market has
seen little activity in the past lew
days. About all the marketable
peanuts picked before the recent
<rains have moved to market, leav
ing a few scattered lots here and
there in the county.
The first real "peanut weather"
struck here last night and w ith its
continuation picking operations
can be r< .urned possibly the early
part of next week.
It is estimated that between
twenty and twenty-live percent
of the crop has been picked, a
greater portion of winch has al
ready moved to market with pric
es averaging around $10.75 per
hundred pounds. Picked dry and
properly handled, the lemaindet
of the crop, said to be ol better
quality, is expected to average 11
cents or better.
Divorce Actum / iletl In
Snperior i oiirt Tuesday
A suit for ail absolute divorce
was filed in the Martin County
Superior Court lust Tuesday by
Lillie U. Ruffin against Larry T
Hul l in. The complaint slates they
were married in July, 1941, and
alleges they separated in June of
the following year.
Highway Workers
Hear Convention
Story Last Night
•
To Auk legislature lo Wipe*
Out Inequalities Ami
Consider Salaries
Meeting in **.<rtin County
P^isorj C«mg dining room here
last evening approximately H)0
highway department employees
heard a report on the N. C. High
way Employes’ Association eon- 1
i vent ion held in Asheville and
heard talks bv Association Presi
dent Earl Crump, Representatives
A. Corey of Martin and NVayland
Spruill of Bertie and other visit
1 ors.
District Engineer J. C, Parkin
was toastmatser and the group
enjoyed a delicious meal paid for
and prepared by the association
forces.
Mr. Parkin recognised the
guests, including Mr. Pope, vice
ehiarman of Unit 1 of the associ
ation; C. F. Gore, chairman; Ottis
Banks, secretary-treasurer; Dr. V.
E. Brown, prison physician, and
others.
Mr. Banks told the meeting that
the association now had 5,1170 ac
tive members and that the count
would exceed 0,000 soon.
The president, Mr. Crump,
made a timely talk, stating that
the association was interested in
human machinery that makes the
highway department click. He
pointed out that much had been
said about care of equipment and
material and how the work should
bo carried on. "But there is more
than equipment and material to
he considered; it is the human ele
ment that needs attention,” Mr.
i Crump said. “One of the main
things to be corrected is the cal
and dog fights that arc going on
between the department heads
and the director of the budget
| bureau,” the speaker said, ex
plaining that it would be to the
advantage to the departments and
the State to have these misunder
standings settled.
“We are not asking the Legisla
ture to do anything that is unfair,
unjust or unreasonable,” Mr.
Crump said in explaining the
work handled by the recent con
vention. "In the personnel bill we
arc suggesting that a personnel
department, be established separ
ate and apart from the budget bu
reau, for such a personnel depart
ment could eliminate some of the
difficulties. The satisfactory em
ploye, under the terms of the pro
posal, would receive salary in
crease annually until maximum is
reached,” the president said,
pointing out that some workers
had been with the commission 10
to 20 years and are not yet receiv
ing the maximum allowed in their
classification.
“We have mentioned no figures,
but we think it only fair that sal
ary increases comparable to the
increase in living costs should be
considered, and we think any sal
ary inti east should be made re
troactive to July ]," he said, ex
plaining that many worker were
not now receiving enough to make
both ends meet, that retroactive
pay would help get them even.
Representative-elect A. Corey
talked to the group, commented
very favorably on the bill He ad
vanced the opinion that it will
meet with favor and promised to
do the best he could for it.
"It's time for every State em
ployee to get relief," Representa
tive Spruill said, advising the
workers to go and ask for salaries
commensurate with their work.
Mr. Spruill told about a proposal
advanced at a meeting in Raleigh
a short time ago to spend several
million dollars enlarging the
State Fair. "1 told them at that
un i ting, that while they proposed
to spend three million for the
State Fair, North Carolina has no
place for a child chained to a bed
in one of tlie towns I'll pass
through on my home tonight.
There are hundreds on the list,
waiting to get into mental institu
tions. If you will first help get a
place for our mentally ill and
raise salaries of the underpaid
school teachers and the state
workers, I’ll consider supporting
the State Fair program,” Mr.
Spruill said.
H G. Horton, talking briefly,
said that the association had a
good program, that it had been
r (Continued cn page six)
Ask $32,500 Result
Of Highway Accident
File Damage Suits
Iu Superior Court
Here Last Tuesday
Kohl, C.owoii Named Ad
ministrator of James
White Estate
-•
Damage suits, asking $32,500
and growing out of a truck wreck
on the Roanoke River fill near
here on November 1. were filed
in the Martin County Superior
Court this week by Robert H.
Cowon, administrator of James
White’s estate, Josephine White,
Annie Mae Bankston and Mary
Elizabeth White bv her next
friend, Robt. Cowen, against C.
Hudson, truck owner.
Cowen was named administra
tor by Clerk of Court L. B. Wynne
when James White's widow, Jose
phine, renounced her rights to ad
minister the estate.
In the complaints filed by At
torney Elbert S. Peel this week it
was stated that the plaintiff's in
testate, prior to November 1, 1948,
was employed as a truck crop har
vester by the defendant, C. Hud
son. It is further claimed that
according to the terms of a eon
tract between White and the de
fendant, the defendant was to fur
nish White transportation to his
home in Bell Glade, Florida, from
the vicinity of Mount Vernon,
Maryland, It is further pointed
out in the complaint that White
boarded a truck belonging to the
defendant on October 31 for the
trip home, that the defendant
placed John Ross in charge of the
truck. It is also claimed that the
driver of the truck acted in a care
less and reckless manner and
while intoxicated ran the truck
off the river fill and turned it
over two times into the swamp,
fatally injuring White, and that
the man's death was caused by the
carelessness and negligence of the
defendant and his agents.
The estate is asking $15,000
damages.
In the ease of Mary Elizabeth *
White, 10-year-old daughter of
the Whites who suffered broken
ribs, crushed chest, numerous
bruises and lacerations and shock,
$5,000 is being asked for personal
injuries and hospital expenses.
Josephine White, the widowed
mother who suffered a broken
pelvis bone, internal injuries,
numerous bruises and shock, is
asking $7,500 in her suit against
the defendant Hudson.
Suffering injuries to her head
and back, shock, bruises and lac
erations in addition to internal in
juries, Annie Mae Bankston, an
other passenger in the truck, is
asking for $5,000 damages.
Milton Sturgis, colored man of
Virginia and driver of the ill-fat
ed truck, is being held in the Ber
tie County jail where he is to
face trial for manslaughter,
drunken and reckless driving. He
was given a preliminary hearing
Tuesday and ordered held for
Superior court in Bertie.
Hudson, owner of the truck,
has, for some unknown reason,
not been here to investigate the
accident first hand. He was to
have come here last Friday and
then hi' said he would be here
Tuesday of this week, but reports
said he did not report to Red
Cross officials or to the hospital
t!njt day. During the meantime
the Red Cross acted to relieve the
(Coutuiued or* page sue)
\ H1G CKAINGK I
After holding to record
high figures for several days,
the mercury tumbled off its
high perch last night and got
down into the readings more
in keeping with the season.
The mercury dropped from
72 degrees reasonably late
Wednesday night to 40 de
grees early this morning.
The change was accompani
ed between 11:30 p. m. and
12:30 a. m. with fairly strong
winds, the product possibly of
a small hurricane moving off
the Carolina (toast. The mer
cury drop is traceable main
ly to a mass of colrl air mov
ing down from the north.
Fifteen Cases In
Justices of Peace
Courts This Week
—•—
Justice* llusscll uml John
son Impose Finos In the
Aniouul of $ I 10
-» —
Handling fifteen eases in then
courts tins week, Justices R. T.
Johnson and John L. Hassell im
posed fines amounting to $110 and
meted out several jail and road
sentences. The docket included a
varied list of eases, including
hunting without permits and h
censes, drunkenness.
Cases handled by Justice John
son include the following:
James Hardison and Essie Ruth
Beacham, public drunkenness, !
were each fined $15 and taxed
with $5,115 costs.
Hassell Warren and J. Hosea
Bland, hunting without license,
were fined $10 each, plus $5.85
costs.
Charged with operating a motor
vehicle with improper equipment,
Hubert F. Leggett was fined $5
and taxed with the costs.
Lazarus Williams was required
to pay $5.85 costs for public
drunkenness.
Judgment was suspended upon
the payment of $5.85 costs in the
ease charging Samuel M Beach
am with operating a motor ve
hicle with improper equipment.
James Calloway was taxed with
$5.85 costs for being publicly
drunk.
Charged with public drunken
ness, L. L. Britt was sentenced to
the roads for thirty days, the
court suspending the term for
twelve months upon the payment
of a $5 fine and $5.85 costs.
Justice Hassell handled the fol
lowing cases in his court:
Jasper Rogers, Jesse James,
Sidney Lewis and Charlie Hoard,
Jr., charged with hunting on land
without permission, were each
fined $10 and taxed with $0.50
costs.
Charged with being drunk and
down, Clarence Pate was fined $5 j
and required to pay $9.50 costs.
Drunk and disorderly, Jesse
Itaseoe was sentenced to the
roads for thirty days, the court
suspending the term on good be
havior for one yeui and the pay
ment of $9.50 costs.
Andrew Harmon was fined $5
and taxed with $9.50 costs for be
ing drunk and disorderly.
Officers Destroy
Plant In County
-o
Relieving that tlu- illicit liquor
business is on the wane in this
county, ABC Officer J. H. Roe
buck with his assistant, Roy Peel,
nevertheless is able to find a
crude manufacturing plant now
and then.
Raiding in the Oak City section
of the county last week, the offic
ers found and wrecked a crude
liquor plant, equipped with a 50
gallon oil drum still, three beer
vats containing 150 gallons of
beer, cooler and worm. The still,
in operation the night before, was
still warm when the officers
[ found it.
I NEW RECORD 1
v__
li|i until this week Farmer
Joe Perry of Williams Town
ship held the record for a late
peanut harvest, but that re
cord has been smashed. Late
reports from Jamesville
Township stale that Fanner
MonM'ord Griffin there had
four acres he was planning; on
digging this week. No late re
port could be had but It is
likely that the raias this week
delayed the operation.
The report stated Una
quality of the “winter”
was very good.