Newspapers / The Enterprise (Williamston, N.C.) / Feb. 24, 1949, edition 1 / Page 1
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the enterprise is read by OVER 3,000 MARTIN COUNTY FAMILIES TWICE EACH WEEK THE ENTERPRISE -M THE ENTERPRISE IS READ BY OVER 3,000 MARTIN COUNTY FAMILIES TWICE EACH WEES VOLUME LII*—NUMBER 16 Williams ton, Martin County, l\ortli Carolina, Thursday, February 24, 1949 ESTABLISHED 1899 Two Million Dollar Gain In Values Seen * Property Listings Gain $150,000.00 In Two Townships Griffins Has $86,043 Cain And Bear Gras.* Reports $66,717 Increase -& Basing his estimates on com pleted reports received from two townships, County Tax Supervisor M. Luther Peel today predicted that assessed property ' values would gain between one and one half to two million dollars in the county this year. It is fairly cer tain that all the townships will come up with a gain, based main ly on the 10 percent horizontal in crease in real property listings. Bear Grass and Griffins, the first two townships to report their listings complete, reported a com bined increase of $152,760. The listings in Bear Grass jumped from $888,520 in 1948 to $955,237 this year, a gain of $06,717. Per sonal property listings there jumped from $362,469 to $371,130, a gain of $9,079. In addition to the 10 percent horizontal increase, real listings reflect an increase of $5,451. In Griffins, the listings jumped from $903,459 in 1948 to $989,502 this year, an overall gain of $86, 043. Real values increased from $506,180 last year to $566,123 in 1949, cl gain of $59,943 in real list ings alone. In addition to the ten percent horizontal gain, new real estate listings a me ted to $9,325 in thi township. While Bear Grass came through with a gain of $9,079 in its personal property listings, Griffins forged ahead with a gain of $26,100 in its personal property values which jumped from $423, 379 last year to $397,279 this year. Aside from the amount gained as a result of the horizontal in crease on real estate listings, most of the gain in real property values is traceable to new homes and re pairs to farm buildings. The personal property gain is based mainly on the presence of more farm machinery and new automobiles, the tax supervisor pointed out. If the other eight townships in the county report a proportionate increase, the total assessed prop erty valuation should show a gain close to the two million dollar mark, the tax supervisor said. Bear Grass Plans Red Cross Drive Meeting in the Bear Grass school last evening, the chairmen and canvassers made plans to launch the annual Red Cross fur a drive in that township next Tues day. Miss Janet Cox, area super visor, briefly addressed the group, and Mrs. Pete Mendenhall and Mrs* "Letiu™naffisfm, Heading the drive, stated they hoped to reach the $225 goal within a few days. The drive will be handled by the chairmen and the following canvasseis,' mah'y of whom atti«^i ed the meeting last evening: Mes daines Ella Wynne, Bessie Rogers, Archie Hodge, Dewey Leggett, Luther Britton, Kncezer Harrison, Bill Harrison, Ralph Mobley, Hen ry White, Ji., and J. D. Wynne, and Messrs. A. B. Ayers, Jr., and E. C. Harrison. —-o Laundry Under New Management The local laundry this week was ' purchased from Newton-Johnson and is now being operated by H. C. Miller and J. Eason Lilley, pro prietors. Mr. Miller, an experienced laundry operator, will be in active charge of the plant and he will be assisted by his brother, J. C. Mil ler. Mr. Forrest L. Newton, who op erated the business during the hectic postwar period, is planning to locate either in Raleigh or Washington, D. C., it was report ed. t V/ World Day of Prayer will be observed locally Friday af ternoon, March 4, at four o’clock in the Christian Church. Mrs. Clintpn House I will be the leader. The World Day of Prayer has been world-wide in its outreach and contributions to it have been made from all over the world. Using the | theme, “The Lord Is Thy Keeper,” for the 1949 service, ! several Chinese Christian wo ! men prepared the worship ! program being used. A group of local church wo men met several weeks ago and completed plans for the observance of the World Day of Prayer. Officers Destroy Four Distilleries In Martin County Cosily Plant Found In the Corey’s Cross Roads Section Thursday —•<*>— ! ABC Officer Joe H. Roebuck | and Deputy Roy Peel hit another blow against the illicit liquor busi ness in Martin County last week ; and the early part of this week. ! Most of the plants found and l wrecked were, of crude manufac \ ture, Officer Roebuck declaring 1 that one of the outfits was' the sorriest, nastiest he had seen in all his years of enforcement work. Included in the list of plants I wrecked during the past few days l was a modern and well equipped | unit. Located in the Corey’s Cross Roads section just off U. S. High way 17 in Bear Grass Township, the plant was equipped with .a 100-gallon capacity ccpper kettle, four 50-gallon fermenters and j tools. The officers poured out I two hundred gallons of' sugar beer. The raid was made last | Thursday but no one was at the ! plant at the time. Saturday afternoon the officers operated in Goose Nest Township and wrecked a plant equipped | with a 50 gallon capacity oil drum still and poured out fifty gallons of nasty beer. The plant was ful ly equipped with cheap materials. On Tuesday of this week, the of ficers worked along the Beaufort Martin boundary and wrecked two plants. One of these plants j was rated among the most crudely I equipped ever found by the offig | ers. A plank still of about 50 gal lon capacity was used and there was a small fermenter but no beer was found. The second plant in that area was equipped with a 100-gallon wood still, two fer menters. The officers poured out 100 gallons of beer and confiscat ed ter>-g»”, r,, ..ij—Y'iji.01 found conceded in a wooded area ! near the plant. I Two Injured In i Highway Wreck Two persons were painfully but not seriously hurt “in an automo bile accident between Everetts and Robersonville late last Mon day night. Mrs. Herbert Coltrain suffered bruises and some shock, and Mrs. Joe Hailslip was cut on the lip when she was thrown against the Windshield of her hus i band's ear. Driving east on Highway 64, i Mr. Haislip stopped his car off the hardsurface on the left to let Mrs. Coltrain, a passenger, out at her home. John Alfred Griffin, driv ing west, was partially blinded by the lights on the Haisiip car and not quite certain of the position of the car, he pulled hard to his right I and crashed into the Haislip car, knocking it back about 20 or 25 feet, and causing about $125 dam age to his and the other machine. Investigating the accident, Pa trolman B. W. Parker said Grif fin was not drinking, that he just got tangled up when he was blinded by the lights. Twelve Cases In Recorders Court Monday Morning Springtime Slump Stalks Finances as Amount of Fines Declines -* For the first time in a long time, ! fines in the Martin County Rc j cordr-r's Court fell considerably I below $500, the limited activities at the regular session last Monday reflecting a medium springtime Mump in finances and curtailed action on the crime front in gen I oral. Judge Chas. H. Manning called an even dozen cases with Solicitor Paul D. Roberson prosecuting the docket. The court was in session hardly two hours an<f a compara tively1 small number' of spectators heard the proceedings. Pleading not guilty, William Jasper Paige was adjudged guilty I of non-support and he was sen j tcnccd to the roads for six months. I The sentence was suspended for . one year upon the payment of the I court costs and on the condition that $7.50 is paid by the defendant each week for the support of his two children. Eli Carr, pleading guilty of op erating a motor vehicle without a driver’s license, was fined $25 and taxed with the costs. Pleading guilty of an assault with a deadly weapon, Stewart Everett was fined $35 plus costs. Facing an assault-with-a-dcadly weapon charge, Theodric Clark pleaded guilty and was fined $25 plus costs. Milton Anthony pleaded guilty and was fined $25 and taxed with the costs for operating a motor ve hicle without a driver’s license. Pleading guilty of speeding, Ot man Ives Miller of route 1, Wind sor, was fined $15 and taxed with the costs. Pleading guilty of issuing a worthless check, J. T. and Jesse Mobley were taxed with the costs, the court suspending judgment upon the payment of the check. Irvin Blam, Lawrence, New York, man, was fined $15 and tax ed with the cost for speeding. He pleaded guilty to the charge. Pleading guilty of violating the speed law, Lany Alor.zon Jones, RFD 1, Jamesville, was fined $15 and required to pay the court costs. Charged with drunken driving and disorderly conduct, Grady Thomas pleaded not guilty. Ad judged guilty, he was fined $100, taxed wtih the cost and had his operator’s license revoked for one year. He gave notice of appeal and bond was required in the sum of $100. Casper Joseph Rizzo, Brooklyn man, pleaded guilty and was fined $15 and taxed with the costs for speeding. Pleading guilty in the ease in which he was charged with speed ing, Francis John Pavlik was fin ed $15 and required to pay the court costs. I State Raises Its Infantile I Paralysis Quota for 1949 While a few counties, including | Martin, failed to measure up, a | majority of the state’s political I subdivisions rallied to carry the i948 infantile V";‘ iund drive over the one million dollar quota for 1949, according to a prelimin ary announcement made by jChairman Ralph. McDonald Ibis i week. It is estimated that $1,075, 000 had been raised. The success of the drive, Dr. Mc Donald said, "Has given us renew ed faith in human nature to be a part of this campaign." -.. Bear Grass Ruritans W or king On Minstrel ■—® Bear Grass Ruritans, supported by friends outside the club, are practicing long hours preparatory to staging the Black Diamond minstrels there Friday night of ihis week. Much time and energy have been given the _ entertainment event, and a large crowd is ex pected. --—— - SMALL FIRE TODAY Local firemen were called out shortly before noon today when J. C. White’s tar burner caught fire. The machine was parked next to I the Marco theater. County Has Strong Backlog Against Depression Threat There may be minor maladjust ments on the economic front, but Martin County people with nearly four million dollars in E. F and G government bonds in. their posses sion are ready to tackle any scri ] ous depression threat. In addition . to the^bond holdings, there are i other/orms of savings which with pricft" supports for farm commodi ties^'offer this section security. Tlyere'll be fluctuations for some groups, especially laborers, and the economic trend may not point upward all the time, but the gen eral outlook is encouraging, ac cording to basic facts. Martin County people during the period of May, 1941, through December 31, 1948, purchased E, F and G bonds in the sum of $5, 657,933.25. About one-third of | that total, or $1,697,379.00, has been redeemed or cashed, leaving $3,960,554,25 in hand as of last De cember 31. Back yonder when Bankers D. V. Clayton. H, A. Bowen, D. R. Everett and others were pleading with the people to invest in bonds to help finance the war, it was evident that they had' in eye on the future economic welfare of the county and its people. The bonds can now mean the differ ence between economic wrant and economic security. Martin County bought more bonds than most of the surround ing counties, and the backlog to day Is greater than that held by its neighbors. Last year the people in this county invested about one-third of a million additional dollars in E, F and G bonds, the report shows. Investigate Raj)e Charge in County Up until noon today officers ad mitted they had been unable to establish a lead in the case in which Lizzie Mac Yarrell, young colored woman, reports she was raped by a young white man on a dirt road near Nurncy's stoic in Williams Township about 9:30 o'clock yesterday morning. The sheriff’s office, aided by members of the highway patrol and using bloodhounds from the highway prison camp, stated that signs of a scuffle had been found near the scene of the alleged attack, but from the point no evidence had been gained. The victim, living on the Jones Hoad, went to the store yesterday morning for snuff and vaseline. Riding a bicycle, she was return ing home when a stranger stepped into the road and stopped her. Af ter asking the direction of Wil liamston, the man told the woman to accompany him. They scuffled for quite a distance before he forc ed her into the woods and assault ed her. According to the woman, the attacker was a white man of about twenty years of age. She says he was dressed in overalls and that he had been drinking. She did not know him, and officers have been unable to apply the descrip tion offered by the woman to any one in that section. Offer Relief To Cities And Towns come tract-able mainly to advalor em taxes, towns and cities are be ing promised some relief in build ing and maintaining their streets. The State House of Representa tives Road Committee yesterday acted favorably on a proposal to return one cent of the gas tax to the cities and towns for street con struction and maintenance. It will provide about six million dollar: against the approximately one million now received from* tfi " state by the municipalities. Accompanying the proposal was a favorable report on a bill to in crease the gasoline lax from six to seven cents a gallon. «*»■■»•«• . The “kick-back’ bill was sent to the finance committee and is yet a long way from passage. THE RECORD SPEAKS . . . During the seventh week of last year a human being paid with her life for reckless driv ing on the highways of this county. So far this year, no killings have been reported on the highways in this coun ty, and the accident count is down. 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. 7th Week Accidental InJ'd Killed Dam’ge 1949 3 2 0 $ 500 1948 6 6 1 1,650 Comparisons To Date i 1949 18 7 0 $ 2,440 1948 21 8 1 ->,025 i ALLOTMENTS v---s Peanut acreage allotments are being distributed to indi vidual farmers in the county this week, and it is believed that they’ll be accepted with out much complaint. The individual allotments, based for the most part on the plantings for the past three years, were subjected to a decrease of about twenty three percent. ^ Local Methodist Church Renovated An extensive renovation pro gram has been completed by local Methodists and a few good friends to the church, corner of Church and Watts Streets. The exterior of the edifice was reworked some time ago when a new asbestos shingle roof wai placed on it and the two high steeples were removed and squar ed off. More recently a moderni zation program was handled in side, including a new ceiling anc indirect lighting. The floors wen reworked and new all white oak pews, donated along with the ceil ing by Mr. Jesse Whitley, weri installed. The interior was paint ed, making an attractive audi torium which Parson E. R. Shullc is anxious for all his members anc all the friends of the church U visit and visit often. A new heat ing system was installed a shop I time ago. In addition to the free labor vol i unteered by faithful members anc a few good friends, the moderni zation program cost $7,300 not in eluding the pews which cost ap proximately $3,300. Cow Killed In Road Accident - ■— <$>•• ■ A c )\v, owned by Bill Cratt, was kill..I and a 1936 Ford eournr own d anc operated by Mack Cr< it, was damaged about $150 at ' B: 15 Tuesday evening when the [animal and ear crashed on the | Sweet Home Church Road. Ci alV was du.dwg' lnd o«.*« the road and several cows started across the road. He swerved ihe machine to mi::.-; one, and another i ran into <h., side n ihe-tY. r, eaur, ing him to lose control and crash the machine into the ditch and a small wooden bridge, j No one was hurt, Patrolman M. | F. Powers said following the in vestigation. Slightly Hurt In Full From Moving Automobile Little Miss Becky Sue Thomas was painfully but not seriously hurt when she fell out of a mov ing ear to the pavement while re turning home with her parents near Robersonville last Friday evening. The girl, thinking she was low ering the back door glass, twisted the wrong handle, causing the door to fly open. She tenaciously held to the door handle for a few seconds while her father, George Thomas, slowed the car. She re ceived minor abrasions and bruis es when she finally lost her hold and fell to the pavement. | Juveniles On Big Rampage In This Section Recently Two Robberies Reported While Little Truants Raid Peanut Storage While not considered unduly alrming, juvenile delinquency is fairly definitely on an upward trend in this section, and officers i and other authorities are appeal ing to parents to nip the most re cent flare-up in the bud. ! Two of the recent escapades by tender-age lads involved the lar | ceny of more than $300 from a I Gold Point filling station, and the i other was reported about the same | time when a 12-year-old boy se creted himself in a local grocery and carried away a pistol and a small amount of money. One of the teen-agers, Walter Lee Purvis, in the Gold Point case was released from the county jail Tuesday when bond was furnish ed in the sum of $400. Given a hearing before Justice R. T John son, the boy was booked for trial in the superior court during Ih - term convening the 21st of next month. Purvis and the other lad involved directly in the case help ed the owner of the station recov er $189 in cash and several checks, but they are not talking about the remainder. The lads under sixteen years of age have been carried in to the juvenile court as a routine action. They are to reappear shortly, one report stating that it is not yet certain whether one of them will be sent to a reformatory school. Bordering on the mischievous rather than the criminal were re cent raids made on a peanut stor age in the Roanoke-Dixie Ware house here. Eight or ten white youngsters, their ages ranging from around seven to about ten years, made a playground in the house. The owners chased the kids out several times and thought little or nothing about their pres ence. Tuesday of this week, sev eral of the kids, including a small girl, remained out of school and established headquarters in the warehouse. During the day it was discovered that about fifty bags of peanuts had been ripped open and that peanuts were scattered all around. The peanuts belong to the federal government. School authorities and parents were called to meet with the chil dren at police headquarters Tues day afternoon and it is believed the play schedule is ended. The parents, police said, were very co operative and seemed anxious to correct the condition. A climax in the juvenile way ward trend came Tuesday night when a dozen teen-age colored boys were carried before Justice R. T. Johnson and charged with molesting children and damaging property at the colored school. It was a pathetic story told by Prof essor E. J. Hayes, aged principal who has worked diligently and untiringly to help the youth of the community. “But conditions are now almost unbearable.’’ the prin * cipal said. I'li, boys»*'V!: o. J | attend school, but they insisted on coming on the grounds during re cess, fighting the children and damaging property. We had pleaded with them, urging them to stay uwiji; They defied pleas and reason, and we hau to call the law,” the principal said. The boys were placed under suspended sen4 fences One of the juvenile defendants who quit school and did little or no work recently brought an ac tion in the courts, charging his father with non-support. It was declared that the son was more able to Work than his father, that since the boy would not attend school he could work. J unlive Of Peace Handle Few Canes -o Local justices of the peace have handled very few cases in their courts during the past few days, other than a fairly large number of worthless check charges. A family affair was heard by Justice Johnson this week. Charg ed with assaulting Lee Davenport, Robert Hollis was found not gu:1 ty. Charged with being drunk and disorderly, Lee Davenport was fined $10 and taxed with $7.95 I costs. I Plans Going F or wan! For Red Cross Drive POTATO SEED f k Recognizing the apparent shortage, several Martin County farmers today arc searching other sections of eastern North Carolina for sweet potato seed. During the meantime most of the supply of seed known to be available | has been almost exhausted, I according to a reporf coming from the office of the farm agent this morning. Farmers, interested in planting some sweet potatoes in the place of peanuts, are meeting in the courthouse Friday evening of this week at 7:30 o’clock to discuss the program. Defeat Seen For Present Vehicle Inspection Lane Its AiiHloniy Cut Half In Two, Bond Bond Issue Basses Committee ——<*>- j Defeat for the automobile spection law in its present form was almost certain today as the North Carolina State Senate mov ed to vote on the measure already passed by the House and blessed by a Senate committee yesterday fifteen to eight. While the sena tors apparently are anxious to drive a dagger into the heart of the present inspection law, the i law's murderers are talking about the possibility of retaining the in spection system with the enact ment of a new bill. The wave of opposition to the present law has about subsided among the people, some of whom are resenting the accusation made bv certain representatives and senators that the garage people had made it into a racket, that the people are overwhelmingly against the law. While the lawmakers burn themselves up with inspection and other measures of more or less lit tle importance, it is beginning to appear that somebody 's making off with the cake, leaving a few sweetening crumbs for the people. The people want to know what has been done in the name of the mentally ill. What about living wages for school teachers and i other State employees? The peo | pie also want to know if the liquor I interests and the big landowners ! are going to usurp the right of the | ballot. Governor Scott's 200 million | dollar road program, cut half in two and battered and disfigured, has come from the Senate Roads Committee and is now cornered in i the Finance Committee. The sub stitute for the governor’s program calls for the submission of a $100, j 000,000 road bornTissue to the peo i pie on June 28 along with the pro posal to incrcas" the gasoline tax from six to seven cents a gallon. , Under the one-half program War i its rural roads. The legislature is expected to .take action shortly on the propos al Vo tvv’* the liquor question. in | a vote of the people. Fiossere is I being felt from both sides, but it is still doubtful if the issue will reach the people at the direction of the present legislature. Gover nor Scott, appearing before the General Assembly yesterday, de clared, "Regardless of the issue, the people must be given their rightful sovereignty.” "The single point of my appeal to you,” he emphasized, "is the people’s right to be the jury. Our governors for three administra tions have promised to do all they could to assure an election. The people are resentful of the delay I most respectfully call upon you not to withold the right of election any longer.” The plan for submitting a fifty million dollar school issue to the people is still hanging fire, but some action is promised next Tuesday, the day after the legis (Continued on page eight) Name Chairmen To Handle The Drive In Five Districts Special Gifts ConiniiUeo Is Plrd^rd To Complete Work Tuesday Plans were announced virtually complete this morning for launch ing the annual Red Cross Fund Drive in the Martin County Chap ter next Tuesday morning, t,he fund chairman, Garland G Wool ard, explaining that all township chairmen had been named and that volunteers had pledged their efforts to carry the drive to every home and business in the five townships comprising the Martin County Chapter. The chapter is being asked to raise $2,700, or about one-third of the peak amount asked and raised during the war years. Mr. Wool ard again pointed out that the de mand for Red Cross services was still great for disaster relief. Dur ing the year ending last June 30, the Red Cross spent over twelve million dollars in relieving the plight of disaster victims. Since that fime more trillions have been spent, including large sums ex pended for the relief of storms in the mid-west in recent weeks. Other than the funds raised dur ing the war years, the amount of money contributed in Martin County in past campaigns would not be sufficient to nav back a lit tle more than half the money spent right here in the county for disaster relief, Mr. Woo lard point ed out. Sunday has been designated as Red Cross Sunday, and ministers and others are being asked to ap peal to their people, urging them to support the drive opening next Tuesday. Discussing the organization for handling the fund drive, Chair man Woolard said that the follow ing had accepted to lead the can vass in the chapter’s townships: Jamesvillc: Mrs. Camille F. Rawls and Mrs. Gaines; Williams, Mi s. Joe Lawrence Coltrain; Grif fins, Mrs. J. Eason Lillcy; Bear Grass, Mrs. LeRoy Harrison and Mrs. Pete Mendenhall. Mr. Wool ard and V. J. Spivey are to handle the canvass in Williamston, arid the teachers in the colored schools are being depended upon to carry the appeal to their people. Most of the chairmen have served time and again, and it should be re membered that it is in a spirit of helpfulness and in the name of a worthy cause that they give of their time and means to help car ry the chapter over its quota. Taken sick last week, Mr. Spiv ey had not announced his organi zation for advancing the drive in this township, but he is expected back from the hospital shortly and to catch up without delay. The ;>■'< ganig.v.tion .Among the yoktu.v.l citizenry is to be completed to morrow. The special gifts committee, chairmaned by N. C. Green, has pledged to complete its work early Chairman Woolard said that the following had been contacted and agreed to handle the canvass lo cally: . • ‘ Mesdamcs Jessie Mat Riley, John H. Edwards, C. B. Clark, Jr., Neil Ripley, Herbert Whitley, Kel ly Davenport, David Keel, Marvin Baker, Hildreth Mobley, Tom Barnhill, Leman Barnhill, Evelyn Howell, Effie Sparrow, Edith Dav is, John Goff, H. D. Harrison, C. D. Cavenaugh, Vernon Buntir.g, Titus Critcher, J. E. King, J. L, Harris, Wheeler Martin, Jr., J. W. Watts, Clarence Britton, Joel Muse, W. C. Manning, D L. Reyn olds, Ben D. Courtney, Jos. Grif fin, Jessup Harrison, Jack Hardi son, and John Roebuck; Misses Mary Taylor, Elizabeth Manning, Mary Carstarphcn and Bernice Ward; and Messrs. Reg Simpson, John H. Gurganus, Gene Kimball, C. B. Roebuck and Exum Ward, Jr. Chairman Woolard is hopeful the diive can be completed with in a few days after the drives gets under way.
The Enterprise (Williamston, N.C.)
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Feb. 24, 1949, edition 1
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