0
mi ENTERPRISE IS READ BY
5VE* 3,#6* filAMTHi CQCXllt
FAMILIES TWICE EACH WEEE
■
^FHE
TEE ENTXRFR. 5E IS READ SI
OVER 3.000 MARTIN COUNTS
FAMILIES TWICE EACH WEBS
VOLUME LI—NUMBER 103
Williamaton, Martin County, North Carolina, Thursday, December 30, 1948
ESTABLISHED 1899
Accidental Death
Toll Exceeds 400
During Week-end
■
Several Hundred Injured
Iu Nation During The
More than 400 people lost their
lives and hundreds of others were
injured, many critically, in vari
ous types of accidents in the na
tion during the long holiday
week-end according to prelimin
ary reports released by safety
agencies.
The report stated that 288 were
killed in motor vehicle accider^s.
Of the 114 deaths from miscel
laneous accidents, nearly forty
were from fires.
At New Brunswick, N. J., seven
members of one family perished
in a fire which destroyed their
home Christmas Day. A family of
six died in a fire at Barre»Mass.,
and a mother and two daughters
lest their lives in a fire at Terre
Haute Indiana. Other fires claim
ed the lives of four members of
one family at Kansas City and
five persons in Bessemer, Ala
bama. A woman and her grand
daughter died as the result of a
fire which destroyed a trailer at
Philadelphia, and three persons
died in an automobile fire near
Falmouth, Ky.
Three other persons were froz
en to death, two in Maryland
where the temperature dropped to
near zero, and one in Tennessee.
In North Carolina at least
twelve persons lost their lives in
accidents during the long week
end, including six in highway ac
cidents and six in fires. Three
of those burned to death were
colored children living near
Roper.
Since the week-end, the death
toll has continued to climb, boost
ing the number of untimely
deaths to near an all-time record.
Car Turns Over
Here Wednesday
Acting to avoid striking a child
in the highway at Sunny Side Inn
Tuesday afternoon at 1:45 o’clock,
Albert Eckhardt of Hightstown,
New Jersey, wrecked his car and
trailer but hurt no one and es
caped injury himself.
Driving into Williamston; E'cir
l>ardt swerved to the left when a
child darted into the road. The
turn broke the trailer loose and
it went on down the road, com
ing to a stop right side up and un
damaged. The car, making a com
plete turn* went into a ditch and
turned over, causing considerable
damage.
fe^Thc accident, investigated fey
local officers, was the only one re
ported in town during the holiday
season!'
WEATHER
It’s been quite some time
since ideal weather existed
for Christmas, but the ele
ments last Saturday offered a
varied combination. It was a
bit chilly, to be sure, but there
waa rain with several snow
flurries. Shortly after noon it
looked as if there would be a
white Christmas—for a half a
day, at least.
Then the real weather
broke that night, forcing the
mercury down to 12 degrees
Sunday morning. Oie Man
Winter applied just a little
more pressure Monday morn
ing and the mercury dropped
to ten. He relented a bit
Tuesday morning when a low
of M degrees was recorded
here, and yesterday the mer
cury stood at 41. This morn
ing the reading was 54 with
plenty of rain.
Values Are Set For
Personal Properties
V
BUSINESS
While it fell below previous
marks, business, as a whole,
came up to expectations here
during the pre-Christmas sea
son, according to imports com
ing from operators of several
firms.
Several firms reported re
cord sales during the few days
just before Christmas, but
the local ABC store, while
reporting $6,600 sales the day
before Christmas, fell about
$700 below the all-time rec
ord reported on the corres
ponding day a yea rago.
Mrs. Gurganus
Struck By Gar
Mrs. L. H. Gurganus was paip
fully but not critically injured
when she was struck by a car as
she walked along Highway 64
near her heme in West End at 9:00
o'clock last evening. She suffered
a fracture of both bones in her left
leg and bruises and shock.
Removed to the Robersonville
Clinic in a Biggs Ambulance, she
was able to return home a few
; hours later after-being treated by
Drs. Ward and Ward.
Investigating the accident, Pa
trolman f. T. Rowe said that Mrs.
Gurganus was walking toward
Williamston on the right side of
the highway when a car driven
by Armenious Robinson of 231 W.
45th St., New York, came up from
behind. The driver told the of
ficer that he was blinded by the
lights of a car he was meeting and
that he did not see the victim un
til he was right at her.
Robinson rendered what aid he
could, it was said. A hearing will
be held before Justice R. T. John
son here this evening at 8:00
o’clock.
No charges were preferred by
the investigating officer.
I Ownership Change
Jin Real Property
Although there is a decrease in
the number of transfers, the real
estate market continued to hold
fairly firm in the county this year.
A preliminary report gained this
wee kshows that 392 pieces of real
property changed hands by actual
sale from the first of last January
Monday of this ,
The number of transfers were
recorded by townsjjm^gjj^pws:
Jamesville, 32; Williams, 6;
Griffins, 9; Bear Grass, 14; Wil
li»mston, 140; Robersonville, 103;
Poplar Point, 3; Hamilton, 33, and
G6as€-ttese,~2S:~-*
Most of the transfers were in
those townships having towns,
meaning that town lots and other
town property figured heavily in
the number.
--
New Pastor For
Hassell Church
• —
Rev. Olin Fox of Dublin,
Georgia, is moving in the Hassell
Christian parsonage this week and
will begin his pastorage for the
New Year, holding his first ser
vice there Sundaj’ morning at 11.
Rev. C. C. Ware of Wilson will
be on hand to conduct the installa
tion service and friends from Oak
City and Everetts are urged to
join the Hassell group in extend
ing a welcome to the new minis
ter. The public is invited to at
tend this and all other services.
Some Relief Will
Be Offered Auto
Owners Next Year
— —
Tax Supervisor M. L. Peel
Anticipating Increase
In 1949 Valuations
Meeting in the courthouse Tues
day morning, Tax Supervisor M.
Luther Peel and list-takers from
the several townships set up a
schedule of values for personal
property in the county for taxa
tion in 1949, all agreeing that the
automobile owngr is entitled to a
bit o{ consideration. For the most
part, the, schedule of Values is lit
tle changed from the one in effect
last y£ar.
Discussing the valuation pros
pects for the new year, Supervis
or Peel explained that there was
a mandate for a ten percent hori
zontal increase in real estate list
ings, .that with that to support the
listings there should be some gain
in the 1949 values. It was pointed
outr bowevar, that comparatively
little farm produce is held where
it is taxable, that personal prop
erty values could hardly be ex
pected "to hold .their own.
While the' list-takers are to go
by the automotive red book in
placing values on motor vehicles,
the 1949 list is from ten to fifteen
percent below the assessed values
for 1948.
The list-takers, acting subject to
last-minute instructions from the
county commissioners, may con
sider making upward adjustments
in real estate listings where the
values appear out of line. Down
ward adjustments, if any, are to
be handled by the commissioners
when they sit as a board of equali
zation and review later in the
year.
Supervisor Peel announced that
there would be no farm census to
be taken by the list-takers in
1949. He instructed them to give
the names of employers when
polltaxers give in their names. It
was also explained that the dis
abled, including war veterans
dmwing disability allotments, are
not subject to poll taxes.
Stocks of goods and inventories
are to be listed at two-thirds of
their established value. The list
takers are to note any irregulari
ties which are to be checked
against income tax returns.
Tractors are to be listed at 60
percent of their purchase price
plu^n^eoairs but less teijjjer
cent annual depreciation.
Peanuts, a scarce item in stor
age houses this yfeariH^TQ be iisl-'
ed at $6 per bag, based on two
thirds of the actual inventory.
Household goods and furniture
at ab&a-Vc-Sgbtmi
or twenty percent of the listed
value of the home with no listings
to fall under that amount, was
suggested.
(Continued on page four)
Badly Injured
By Falling Tree
-—
Jay Revels, young Griffins
Township man, was badly but be
lieved not seriously hurt by a fall*
ing tree on his farm last Friday.
Reports reaching here stated
that he was strujk by the saw
when the tree fell off the stump,
that the blade pierced the hip and
cut off a piece of the bone. His
ankle was also fractured.
He was said to be getting along
very well today in the local hos
pital where he is undergoing
treatment.
Funeral Service
Sunday Afternoon
For Cecil Bonds
Young Man Was Killed In
The Invasion Of Saipan
June 15, 1944
Funeral services will be con
ducted in the Skewarkey Primi
tive Baptist Church at 3:00 o’clock
for Pfc. Cecil Bradford Bonds,
Martin County young man who
was killed in the invasion of Sai
pan in the Marianas Islands of the
Pacific on June 15, 1944. Elders
E. C. Stevenson and A. B. Ayers
will officiate, and a detail from
the John Walton Hassell Post of
the American Legion will be in
charge of the military rites at the
graveside in the Skewarkey Cem
etery.
The body will be moved to the
home of his mother just out of
Williamston on the Jamesville
Highway Saturday morning at
10:30 o’clock from the Biggs Fun
eral Home.
Pvt. Bonds was born near Wil
liamston on May 22, 1923, the son
of Mrs. Ella Allen Bonds and the
late John Bonds. He lived and
farmed all his life near Williams
ton until he entered the service
on October 6, 1943. At the time
of his death he was serving in
Company E of the Fourth Ma
rine Division, his unit being
among the first to go into Saipan.
He attended the Williamston
schools, and while home on fur
lough from the service he was
married on September 28, 1943, to
Miss Mildred Bowen who sur
vives.
He is remembered here as an
industrious young man and one
who held the respect of both old
and young.
Surviving are his mother; four
brothers, Melvin, Fenner, Earl,
and U. A. Bonds, all of near Wil
liamston; and three sisters, Mrs.
Jesse Clark of near Everetts, and
Mrs. Virginia Donaldson and Mrs
Herman Moore, both of near Wil
liamston.
Precautionary
Action Taken
Aware of the apparent increase
in robberies and other law viola
tions in some sections of the state,
local law enforcement officers
took precautionary steps to pro
tect local properties during the
holiday season.
“We had sufficient reason to
warn shopowners to exercise care
in handling their Christmas-eve
receipts,” Chief W. E, Saunders
said. The banks remained open
w;th t)fiKtrt'K09H9KHi by while
the store owners deposited their
JUtlgi far the day. « —_
A suspicious character was de
tained, and apparently the pre
cautionary action was timely.
-,*
CfinsfinasT Season
Quietly Observed
Although packed with cheerful
ness and gaiety, the holiday ob
servance was without serious in
cident in this county with the ex
ception of an alarming number of
highway accidents. There were
no accidental deaths, serious af
frays or disturbances, the various
police officers and members of the
sheriff’s department stating that
the observance was about as quiet
as any they could recall.
A few fire-cracker reports were
heard, and several dynamite
blasts startled sound sleepers late
one or two nights, but other than
those few sounds all was quiet and
peaceful.
Near-extreme weather condi
tions held most people indoors
during the long week-end here.
More Men Called
To Station For
Induction Tests
-—
Only One of Three Instruct
ed To Answer Yester
day Reported
With its manpower pool at a
very low point, the Martin County
Selective Service Board this week
issued calls to eighteen men to re
port for pre-induction examina
tions.
Three of the eighteen were to
go to the station at Fayetteville
yesterday, but only one showed
up in time to board the bus at
10.45 o’clock. One was dropped
from the list when it was learned
he had married since the registra
tion. The other one who did not
make the trip yesterday was Wil
lie David Boston, Jr., colored, of
RFD 1, Jamesville. Boston, ex
plaining he could not catch a ride,
came in from Jamesville on the
bus and went to the draft board
office and while he w'as there the
Fayetteville bus left. He was in
structed to return today, and to
get off one bus and on the other
one. William Taylor Everett,
white, of Robersonville, made the
trip alone.
The names of the fifteen men
instructed to report today for the
preinduction examinations and
their addresses are:
Willie Cherry, col., of RFD 1,
Oak City and Washington, D. C.
Edro and Fedro Latham, color
ed twins, RFD 3, Williamston.
William C. Hopkins, white, of
Everetts.
Chas. Watts Fagan, col., RFD 1,
Williamston.
John A. Carroll, col., RFD 3,
Williamston.
William E. Manning, white,
RFD 2, Robersonville.
William E. Wallace, col., Ever
etts.
William A. Spruill, col., Ever
etts.
Thomas M. Pearson, white, Oak
City.
Herbert C. Gardner, white, RFD
1, Jamesville.
Willie E. Revels, white, RFD 1,
Williamston.
Kerfew A. Wooten, col., RFD 3,
Williamston.
William II. Munson, II, col., Wil
liamston.
Jim Outterbridge, Jr., col., Wil
liamston.
| Thousand Cars In
| Friendship Train
Authorities, sponsoring the op
eration of Friendship Trains in
twenty-four states, announced
this week that approximately one
ia’’m products had moved into
[ various ports for shipment to vic
tims of war overseas. *
Shiploadings are now in pro
gress at Seattle, New Orleans,
Galveston, Philadelphia. Norfolk,
T:TTaneston, "Savannah, Mobile,
San Francisco and Portland.
fowa is believed to have led the
states with the largest carload
contribution. That state loaded
275 cars. Indiana loaded 200, Illi
nois, 15C, and Nebraska, 100.
A complete report for North
Carolina is not yet available, but
the loadings are believed to have
lagged in some counties.
Martin County sent over 36,000
pounds of food and commodities.
- 4 -
Firemen fulled Out
Here Lust Evening
Local firemen were called out
at 10:45 last evening when an oil
stove went out of control in the
Woodrow Ray home on North
Haughton Street.
No damage was done but the
stuve was heated almost to the
bursting point when firemen
reached there just in time to bring
the fire under control.
Road Accidents Mar
Holiday Observance
None Killed But
One Dangerously
Hurt In Wrecks
.-<$>
At Leant Ten Accidents
Reported On County
Highways
Marked by quietness for the
most part and without serious in
cident on other fronts, the holiday
observance in Martin County was
marred' by an alarming number
of highway accidents, at least one
of them resulting in grave injuries
to a victim. The observance was
aggravated, however, yesterday
when a small child was accident
ally killed by a shot gun blast in
Hamilton.
Including one in West End last
evening, the number of highway
street accidents stood at ten this
morning for the holiday season
in Martin County, according to
information furnished by patrol
men, police officers and others.
While no one was killed in car
wrecks, one. of the victims lies in a
Richmond hospital with a broKen
back, a fractured hip and head in
juries. Stanley Leggett, young
Bertie County man who nearly
lost his life in an accident at 12:30
o’clock Christinas morning on the
Jamtsvilli Highway a few miles
out of Williamston, is given a
chance to recover if no complica
tions develop. Driving toward
Williamston, Leggett lost control
of his 1941 Ford on a curve near
Holly Springs Church and the
machine turned over twice, break
ing his back, fracturing his hip
and causing injuries to his head.
Treated in Brown's Hospital, he
was later removed to Richmond.
Investigating the accident, Patrol
man J. T. Rowe said damage to
the car will approximate $1,000.
“It was torn just about all to
pieces,” the officer explained.
The young man underwent an
operation Tuesday and was re
ported yesterday to be getting
along only fair, the doctors ex
plaining that it would be at least
five days before they could give
anything like an accurate report
| on his condition.
| The first in the series of acci
dents during the holiday week
was repoited between Hobgood
and Oak City. Dr. E. E. Pittman
was driving toward Oak City and
when blinded by the lights of an
approaching truck, he applied his
brakes. The car skidded into a
ditch. Some damage was done .j
the car and the iIia tin umimmy,
shock, but quickly recovered, it
said
I The second in the series of ac
eidenU reported was one on a dirt
road in Griffins Township at 1:30
| a. m. on the 24th. Alfred T. Tice
lost control of his 1948 Kaiser*' on*
a curve and the machine turned
over, injuring no one, but causing
damage estimated at $800. Pa
trolman J. T. Rowe made the in
vestigation.
(Continued on page two)
Lose ringers In
Sausage Grinders
Several persons have lost por
tions of their left index fingers in
sausage mills so far during the
hog killing season in this county,
according to reports received
here. Two of the victims hud their
fingers removed to the first joint,
and another is said to have lost his
to the second along with part of
the adjoining finger.
Two of the sausage mill victims
treated in local doctors’ offices
were Elbert Ra .vis and Bill Leary.
LIMITED
f
Saturday of this week, New
Year's Day, will be observed
as a holiday by a limited
number of offices and busi
ness firms here, but the stores
will remain open.
There’ll be no postal deliv
eries and the banks, includ
ing the Guaranty at Rober
sonville, will be closed along
with federal and state offices.
County offices will be open
for the morning, as usual on
Saturday.
Fire Destroys
Country Home
Fire of undetermined origin de
stroyed the seven room home on
the old Hines family farm near
Oak City early last evening. All
the contents were also burned.
Occupying the home, Mr. and
Mrs. Linwood Strickland and four
children were away at the time,
the last member of the family
having left about an hour before
the fire was discovered. Starting
in an upstairs room or the attic,
the fire spread rapidly making it
impossible for anyone to go inside
and save any of the furniture.
One report stated that about
$3,000 insurance was carried on
the home and contents combined.
The house was owned by the John
W. Hines estate, Wilbur Barrett,
who has the property in charge,
stating that it would cost $10,000
or more to replace it.
Receiving a call for help, Wil
liamston sent one of its fire trucks
there but the firemen could do
nothing. A favorable wind car
ried the sparks and heat away
from nearly buildings.
-$
Young County Man
Dies In Hospital
—- ■
James Russell Ausbon, in feeble
health all his life, died in the lo
cal hospital last Thursday after
noon at 3.-00 o'clock fcii/owiirg 'S
stroke of paralysis.
Making his home with a sister
in Jamesville, he was taken ill the
Sunday before and was removed
to the hospital Tuesday when his
condition did not improve.
The son of Jeff Ausbon and the
late Mamie Britton Ausbon, he
was born in Beaufort County 27
yews ago. .
Surviving besides his father art
three sisters, Mrs. Gilbert Rawls
Bear Grass, Mrs. Albert Cel-*
train of Jamesville, and Mrs. Her
bert Jackson of Pitt County, and
a brother, LcRoy Ausbon of Eden
Funeral services were conduct
ed at the home of his sister in
Bear Grass last Friday afternoon
by Rev. J. M. Perry'. Interment
was in the Ausbon Cemetery in
Cross Roads Township.
Officers Solve
Overcoat Thefts
The theft of three overcoats
from a parked car on the main
street here on the night of Sun
day, December 19, was solved
three days Inter by local police
when they arrested James Earl
Felton, 16, and Jimmy Watts and
William Russell Saunders, both 17
years of age. The colored youths
were detained in jail.
The overcoats, recovered and
undamaged, belonged to three Ro
bersonvill? young men, Chief W.
E. Saunders said.
ChfyJ Victim Of
Sliot Gun Blast
At Cousin’s Home
/ -.—♦
Clayton Squires, Jr., Killed
Instantly In Hamilton
Yesterday Afternoon
Alton Clayton Squires, four
year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Clay
ton Squires of Oak City, was acci
dentally shot and killed by his
thirteen-year-old cousin, Iiwing
Baker, at the Baker home in Ham
ilton Wednesday afternoon about
2:00 o’clock. A load of shot from
a 12-gauge gun tore into the little
fellow's head and neck, causing
instant death. Up until that time
there had not been a fatal accident
in this county during the holiday
season.
The Baker boy, son of Mr. and
Mrs. Wesley Baker, had been
hunting with Elton Josh Pritchett
and was returning home where
the victim, his mother and sister
were spending the day. The
Squires child was playing in the
back yard with his cousin, Lizzie
Baker, as the Baker boy ap
proached. When Baker was with
ing about eight feet of the boy,
the gun which he was carrying
under his arm accidentally fired.
Pritchett, who was accompanying
Baker at the time, said his back
was turned just then and he hard
ly knew what happened until he
saw the little victim topple over
fatally shot. The other little cou
sin, Lizzie Baker, who witnessed
the tragedy could offer no ex
planation.
Making an investigation Coron
er S. R. Biggs and Sheriff C. B.
Roebuck and Deputy Murray Hol
loman said they were convinced
the shooting was accidental. A
coroner’s jury, composed of R. F.
Everett, Henry Johnson, W. F.
Thomas, Stanley Ayers, Don Mat
thews, Jr., and E. M. Taylor, con
ducted an investigation and ruled
that the shooting was accidental.
The Baker lad, badly unnerved,
said that he thought he had re
moved the shell from the gun, that
he was carrying the weapon un
der his arm when it accidentally
fired and struck the boy.
Surviving are the parents, Al
ton Clayton Squires, Sr., and Lula
Baker Squires, and one sister,
(Continued from Page Two)
Safe Stolen From
Bank In Ahoskiq
—#-...
Backing up a truck equipped
with special rigging to an Ahoskie
bank, robbers made away with a
fairly large safe this morning
shortly after 5:00 o’clock, accord
• VF ? * cpv-i'ta ; iVil hi • ^-.hv-V
few details could be learned
^jN£j^jdhd|eby, but FBI ijeeiUs were
<^tcveato the scene anamem
hers of the highway patrol, in
cluding several in this county,
started a search.
The robbers w’ere'lracVfT in the
direction of Rich Square but early
today no arrests had been made.
THE RECORD
SPEAKS . . .
Although boosted consider
ably during the holiday
period, the motor accident re
cord figures for this county
this year are not running
greatly in excess of those a
year ago.
With only one more day in
the year, the accident count
for 1948 now stands at 150
highway and street accidents,
84 injured, several for life,
two killed and a property
damage of $87,750.
For 1947 the count stood,
189 accidents, 62 injur
three killed and $30,115
party damage.