North Carolina Newspapers

THE ENTERPRISE IS READ BY OVER 3,000 MARTIN COUNTY FAMILIES TWICE EACH WEEK THE ENTERPRISE THE ENTERPRISE IS READ BY OVER 3,000 MARTIN COUNTY FAMILIES TWICE EACH WEEK VOLUME LII—NUMBER 27 Williamaton, Martin County, ISorth Carolina, Tuesday, April ,5, 1949 ESTABLISHED 1899 County Board Of Commissioners In Session Monday Lisl Of Hog Vaccinators Is Submitted To Board At Meeting The Martin County Commis sioners, in a short but fast-moving session, Monday handled numer ous new business items in addition to routine duties. All members of the hoard were present, includ ing Messrs. C. C. Martin, W. M. Harrison, J. H. Edwards. C. A. Roberson and Henry S. Johnson. The following persons were re commended to handle hog vac cinations in the county: C. A. Whichard, J. E. Mullens, W. H. Vanderford, Troy Warren and J. H, Dixon, all of Roberson ville and community. Bill Abbitt, R. G. Slade, Fate Gurganus, Will Griffin, Willie Mudlin, D. W. Brady, T. B. Bran don, Arthur Revels, Paul Harring ton, Dewey Perry, Ralph Taylor, Sidney Beacham and R. M. Ed wards, all of Williamston and Wil liamston RFD. D. G. Matthews, Jr., J. H. Lil lard, H. A. Haislip, W. F. Thomas, A. P. Hyman and George Oglesby, all of the Hamilton section. J. J. Pierce, John Hassell and R A. Haislip, Jr., all of Oak City and section. V. B. Hairr, J. A. Ellis, Bennie Gray Lilley and Leonard Holli day, all of Jamesville and section Ralph Davenport of Dardens. Oliver Carter of Parmele. The board recommended that the following roads be taken over by the State Highway Commis sion: Road in Williams Township leading from Williams Lowei School to W. Frank Barber’s resi dence, a distance of two miles anc serving ten or twelve families. Road in Griffins Township running by Ira Jones’s. Road leading from the James ville-Manning Road in Griffin: Township near N. R. Manninp home place to residence of M. H Leggett, a distance of about threi miles. Road in Williams Township leading off Highway 64 at Hend erson Jones’s place southerly anc westwardly to Hardison’s store 01 old Bell Town Road, a distance o 1 1-3 miles, and serving eigh families. Special tax elections were ord ered held in Goose Nest and Bea: Grass school districts. The elec tions will be held sometime ii (Continued on page eight) Slightly Hurt In Highway Accidenl Henry Ray Oakley, nine year; old, was slightly bruised and suf fered some shock when he wa: struck by an auto and knockec about twelve feet to the side o the road in front of Denni: Hardy’s store in West End yester day morning about 7;30 o’clock He was bruised slightly on hi; back and one leg, but no bone; were broken and there were nc skin abrasions, Patrolman J. T Rowe, making the investigation reported. Rj tioned by the U. S. Marine Corp: I in Raleigh, was driving west oi ! Highway 64 when the boy dartec | into the road back of a truck Lane, applying the brakes on hi; ; car, had almost stopped when th( machine, struck the boy. He call ed for an ambulance and the boj was treated in a doctor’s offici here and released a short time lat er. Lane suffered some shock bu was able to continue his trip afte; the victim was discharged fron ( the doctor’s office. f ROUNDUP - Five persons were rounded up in the law’s dragnet here over the week-end by local, county and state officers. Two were charged with public drunkenness and one each with non-support, larceny and liquor law violations. Two of the five were white and the ages of the group ranged from 28 to 48 years. Young Farmer Loses Life In An Explosion VALUATIONS v Nine of the ten townships in the county have reported a combined gain of $1,352,414 in assessed property values, Supervisor M. L. Peel an nouncing yesterday that a re port from Jantesville is being delayed by the North t'aro l lina Pulp Company. Valuation gains were re ported in every instance ex cept Jhree in the nine town ship^ Listings b> colored pro-, perty owners in Bear Grass aifd Poplar Po»ht fell $1,288 below the 1918 figures and personal property listings in Robersonville toppled down ward by $69,658, but the township went ahead with a $201,116 gain in real values to show a net increase of $131,458. It is believed that James ville will report a sizable in crease, that the combined gain for the county will exceed on* one and one-half million dol lars. I German Seeks To Reeover A Cross I Lost In The War Says 11 Fell Into Possession Of Soldier Named Smith From Williamston Writing to Williamston’s mayor, Robt. Cowen, a few days ago, a i former German soldier solicited the mayor’s aid in helping recover a religious token, a small silver cross. The soldier explains that he was captured and that he sur rendered his arms and personal effects, and that the small silver cross fell into the hands of an American soldier from Williams | ton whose name is Smith. The letter follows: I "Very Honorable Mayor, "I am taking the liberty of mak ■1 ing this request of you. “In 1945, during the war, I was | fighting in Detmold against the ! American troops, when on Easter . 11 was wounded and the next day was taken prisoner by the Ameri i cans. We had to surrender our , arms and personal belongings. Among them was a small silver cross, five centimeters high, with black onyx. It was a family re membrance and very dear to me When I was transferred to the , hospital in Detmold, through a U | S. Guard, I found out that a sol ’ i (Continued on page eight) i|Parmele Citizen i Dies In Maryland Smith bullock, }|a resident of Parmele for many (i years, died at the home of her | daughter, Mrs. J. B. Weichert, in ; Baltimore Monday afternoon at 'l 2:00 o’clock after a long period of I declining health. Sue ■ r.trred a . Baltimore about * six II months ago for treatment, but i, was visiting in the home of her | daughter when she was taken ; worse and death followed. The daughter of the late H. J. and Mary Taylor Smith, she was born in Martin County near Rob ersonville on June 18, 1883. Fol lowing her marriage to Mr. R. S. Bullock she located in Parngele . where she was active in church t affairs for years. Surviving besides Mr. Bullock .; and their daughter in Baltimore, ^ j uie a daughter, Mrs. Silas Leg 11 gett of Robersonville; a sister ! Mrs. J. B. Coburn of Williams ton; two brothers, H. B. anc Grady E. Smith, both of Rober sonville, and seven grandchil dren. The body will be returned tc the county late tonight and wil lie in state at the Wilkerson Fu neral Home in Robersonville un til 2:00 o'clock Thursday after noon when the last rites will bt conducted. Interment will be ir the Bethel Cemetery. Hold Funeral In Macedonia Church For S. P. Revels Yeung Man Fatally Hurt While BleVing Stump* With Dynamite -»— Slade Peel Revels, well-knowt young farmer of Bear Grass Township, was fatally injured in a dynamite explosion on his brothA er’s farm or. the Corey's Cross Roads and Bear Grass Road about 9:00 o’clock last Saturday morn ing. One of his legs partially torn away and the other broken and mangled, he died just about the time he reached Brown’s hospital. Apparently the blast victim never knew what happened, reports stating that he was blown about thirty feet by the blast, that there was little sign of life when help reached him. Helping his brother, Clayton Revels, and a tenant, James Bonds, clear a streak of stumps in a new field for a drainage ditch, the young man set two charges of dynamite under a stump. He light ed one fuse and was in the act of lightning the second one when the first one went off prematurely and the full charge caught him. It is thought that he had a stick of dynamite in a left side pocket of his overalls and that possibly it exploded. Another stick of dyna mite was found intact in a back pocket. Bonds, standing nearby, started toward the stump about the time young Revels lighted the first fuse and the young m*n advised him to turn back. Seconds later the charge exploded. Bonds was not hurt. The brother was across the field at the time. A doctor was called and first aid was rendered at the scene, and the blast victim was carried to the hospital in a Biggs ambulance. A son of W. Staton Revels and Mary Ella Peel Revels, he was born in Bear Grass Township on December 13, 1923, and spent most of his life there on the farm. He attended the Williamston High School and served in the Navy during World War II. He was married to Miss Margaret Rober son a short time before last Christ mas. Surviving besides his parents and widow are five brothers, Clyde and Clayton Revels, both of Bear Grass, ana Arthur, Saunders and Clarence Revels of Griffins; and four sisters, Mrs. Jasper Wool ard of Bear Grass, Mrs. B. F. Lil ley, Jr., and Mrs. Elbert Roberson of Griffins and Mrs. Curtis Biggs of Indiana. A promising young man and a neighbor ever willing to help his fellowman, he was a member of the church at Macedonia for a number of years and was held in high esteem hy all who knew him Held in the Macedonia church Monday afternoon at 3:0C o’clock, the funeral was attended by a tre mendous crowd, possibly more than 1,200 persons. The service was conducted by Rev. Preston E. Cayton, pastor of Edenton; Rev. Lutner Ambrose, pasffu^Tf the Maple Grove Church; Rev. W. B. Harrington, county Baptist min ister, and Rev. Mr. Butler, Wash (Continued on page eight) —---O To Present Jaycee Minstrel Again Chairman Nelson Leggett of the Junipr Chamber of Commerce Minstrel Committee, announced today that a repeat performance of the minstrel presented at the Wiiliamston High S.'iool auditor ium last Friday nignt will be giv en this coming Friday night in the same place. Declaring the minstrel last Fri day night was a decided success and that many calls had been re ceived demanding a repeat per formance, Leggett said the group had decided to present the show again with new jokes added. The repeat performance will start at 8 o’clock. Legislators May Quit And Return Home For Easter Big Problems are Yet To Be Solved; So Far Little Been Aeeomplished -♦ Late reports from Raleigh state that the members of the State Legislature may get home by Easter. However, the lawmakers have been there since early Jan uary and accomplished little; so, if they are to make any progress at ail, which is doubtful, they’ll be in Raleigh until Christmas; that is if it requires as long to do something as it has required them to do little or nothing. Nothing has been heard about, action to re lieve the pitiful situation in the mental institutions of the State. During the meantime, the mental ly ill continue tied to bed posts as one would tie a common dog to a tree. Other important matters to be considered by the legislators are blocking immediate adjournment. Schools, roads, and appropria tions are still to be cleared. The boys who are dead set against Scott’s ‘‘Go Forward Program” are on a sit-down strike, patient ly waiting for the Scott followers to give in or starve out. Some of them are getting hungry, and just as soon as they agree to sur render unconditionally, the ses sion will not be long closing. While the all-wise legislators say by their acts that there is money to be had to finance race tracks and legalized gambling they say there isn’t enough mon ey to provide school houses for the youth of the State or to build roads to get over half the State out of the mud. They admit, by their acts, that there is money to finance liquor stores in hamlets, towns and cities, but say there . isn’t enough money there to fi nance education on a respectable basis. The liquor question as it has been handled makes for a crazy quilt pattern and is in keep ing with much that the legislature has done. The legislature last week re fused to change its 1947 labor law. Some of those who stood pat against any change, spoke elo quently of the three introducers of the bill, declaring they were sweating it out in the Pacific the atre while labor was striking al home. The strikes in North Car olina are not recalled, and it is a known fact that one of the intro ducers of the bill in 1947 spen' most of his time at Fort Bragg Another stand-patter allegedly stored sugar and other scare ar ticles in quantities in his pantry during the war. Others who art against any change in the labor law, piled up profits and ran helter skelter during the war while someone else’s boy was sweating it out in the Pacific. They are the ones who can raise their voices so eloquently when it comes to putting a foot on the neck of the common man, but so far few if any of their number have raised their voices in behalf of tiie unfortunate on and around Dix Hill, in the crowed school rooms, or the fellow out in the mud. They .ell the people that they have improved the lot of the school teacher, but the promise of a 20 percent salary increase turn ed fa - ;.. . rv . A little spark of life twinkled yesterday in the House when that body passed a $72,000,000 meas ure providing permanent im provements. But the measure goes to the Senate. Today, the House is considering the biennial appropri ations bill. Annual Banquet of Masons Thursday —♦ The annual banquet of the Ske warkee Masonic Lodge will bt held in the Williamston Higf School gymnasium Thursday eve ning at 7:30 o’clock. Superintendent Leon Gray ol Oxford Orphanage, will be thi speaker at the banquet. Plans for the banquet huvt developed slowly and some of the members of the lodge have noi had an opportunity to secure tick ets to the banquet so it has beer announced that tickets will bt > available at the door. Fifteen Enter Town Primary For Commissioners And Mayor Ask County To Contribute $1,500 to the Cancer Fund -+ Martin County is being asked to ' contribute $1,500 to the American Cancer Society Drive Fund dur-1 ing this month, Mrs. Helen Taylor Harris/ county chairman, an nounces. The amount, same as last year/will be used in promot ing research work in an effort to combat the dread disease. Mrs Harris said that plans are now be - ing made to perfect a society with in the county to help cancer cases and to help guard against the disease by taking timely ex aminations and studying its symp toms. Mrs. Harris was a guest of Gov ernor and Mrs. Kerr Scott in the Mansion at Raleigh last Friday when the drive was launched in this State. Mrs. Harris with the aid of; Thad F. Harrison is completing plans for the drive in this county, arid since -the quota is reasonably small and the work to be done is so important, it is quite certain that the goal will be reached easi ly and \v ithout delay. The per sonnel for the campaign in this county will be announced shortly The chairman stated that the Society is raising $14,500,000 in the nation to carry on the fight against cancer. The chairman pointed out that (tie April 16 issue of Colliers carries one of the most complete statements ever offered on cancer. Headed "101 Answers i To Cancer”, the article should be I read and studied by everyone i without fail. Advancing Plans For Sweet Potato Market Marlin (anility Yam Grow ers’ Association Will Be | Incorporated Meeting in special session last] Thursday evening, members of. the Farm Bureau’s special sweet potato committee continued plans for establishing and maintaining a sweet potato market in this county, and reviewed the progress ( made in laying the foundation for increased acreages. Farmer Joe R. Winslow was named president; Mavo Hardison, vice president and M. M. Levin, secretary-treasurer. Farmer H. U. Peel was named to assist in the operations.and the group is to go to Raleigh within the next day or two and incorporate the new ven ture under the name of the Mar tin County Yam Growers' Associ ation. The group said that contacts had been made with the markets, that a machine would be installed by late summer or early fall, and that established market prices would be posted every day during the regular marketing season. Reviewing the progress that had been made in getting an ex panded acreage, the group said that over 1,000 bushels of the best s- ! types had been imported by f: i . r. that the normal acreage will Ire increased by between 1,000 and 1,50 acres this year. Several farm- s are planning to put quite a lew uOc- to the crop, but most of the acreage will be traced to those farmers planting anywhere from one to four acres, it was stat ed. The movement for an expanded acreage and an established market Ts" having a solid louiun.flW^WKT' among the 4-H eiub members and the Future Farmers of America. tContinued on page eight) --<* Former Resident Touring Greece Miss Bernice Perry, formerly of Wiliiamston, sailed from New York a short time ago for Greece and other European countries dur ing the next three months. She is being accompanied on the tour by Miss Van Kerous, her roommate at the D. Paul Hospital, Norfolk. Miss Perry, a sister of Mrs. A. P. Coltrain, also formerly of Wil iiamston, attended high school here, and three and one-half years ago entered the D. Paul Hospital School of Nursing and was graduated last September with honors. She made the high est average in the group taking! Virginia’s State Board of Nursing] examination. f OVI K THE TOP v_J The Ked Cross fund drive is over the top in the Martin County Chapter and a few more canvassers are yet to re port. Fund Drive Chairman Garland Woolard announced yesterday that $2,869.57 had been contributed and report ed, the amount exceeding the quota by $169.57. The drive went over the top iast week-end when canvass ers among the colored citizens reported $331.35, the chair man explaining that one or two canvassers are to report tomorrow or Thursday, that a detailed report would be re leased on the drive as soon as possible. Appoint Members Education Board Two appointments to the Mar tin County Board of Educatior were made by the North Carolin; State Legislature last week, J. D Woolard, completing six years or the board, was appointed for an other six years to succeed himself and Cecil Powell, young Goh Point man, was appointed to sue reed Henry C. Norman, Roberson ville man who has ably server as a member of the board foi twelve years. The two appoint ments were made subject to thr wishes of the voters of Martir County in the May, 1948, primary Powell’s appointment calls for < sentative, A. Corey, staggering thr terms in accordance with custon which is designed to block a com plete turn-over of the board per sortnel at any one time. Other members of the boart ‘fctif appoinieu' , Geo C. Griff'n and Ernest Ed mondson who have four nron years to serve on their curren terms, and Ferd W. Holliday whr is now completing two years of ; four-year term as a member o the boar d. The two new members, Messrs Powell and Woolard .subscribed tr the oath of office administered bj Clerk of Court L. B. Wynne Mon day morning at b:30 o’clock, am both entered upon their duties ir a meeting >f the body. lludly Cut In Affruy Urn• Friday Fveniuf -• Annie Purvis, young colorec woman, was dangerously eut or her neck and back by Mary Glenr Taylor in front of the Cotton Clul on Washington Street here las Friday night about 11:00 o'clock Thirty-seven stitches were taker to close the wounds. No official report could be had but it was thought that the attack er was lighting over her husband Politics Getting Hot With Primary Only Week Away —-#— Thirteen Cuudidute* Seek ing Five Placen on Board; Two For Mayor -# Hardly simmering for weeks, the ole political pot in Williamston started boiling over on the last day for filing last Friday when the number of candidacies jump ed to fifteen—thirteen of the can didates filing for the five places on the board of town commissioners and two for mayor. The primary, the second held under the 1947 law, has one more condidate than the number recorded in the elec tion two years ago. After holding to a figure hardly ' large enough to fill all the posi tions, the number of candidates started jumping the middle of last week and reached a climax just before the filing deadline at 6 00 o'clock that evening when L. Closs Roberson had his name entered in the race for town commissioner. J. S. Ayers arranged the filing de tails for the candidate. The list of candidates: For Mayor: Robert H. Cowen and W Iverson Skinner. For Town Commissioners: Ben D. Courtney, K. D. Worrell, John | H. Gurganus, Roy Ward, Leman I Barnhill, C. H. Godwin, Sr., Julian ] Harrell, David Moore, W. O. Grif I fin, N. C. Green, David Davis, L I Closs Roberson anil M. M. Levin. With little time left before the | primary next Monday, the candi dates, for the most part, are wag ing whirlwind campaigns. Ap peals, direct mail, public and per sonal, are being made, but up until early this morning few cigars ot I campaign favors had been passed | out. Apparently there is no clique I operating, but one or two candi I dates, reports state, have suggest ed vote swapping in the pinches For the most part the campaigns are being conducted on a high plane, the candidates declaring jthey are primarily interested ir one thing—good government foi the town. The candidate outside the pres ent four board members polling the largest number of votes will be appointed immediately to fill the position made vacant on thi town board by the death of Com missioner G. H. Harrison. 1 . Few guesses have been advanc ed as to the expected outcome ol i the next Monday vote. Some an I of the opinion that it will be ; close contest, that some of the can didates will be nominated by i I minority vote. There is no pro ' vision for a second primary, anc the outcome next Monday is tanta ' mount to election since no opposi 1 tion party ticket is anticipated foi ■ the regular election in May. Tin (Continued on page eight) —— r> Home In West End Damaged By Fin !*p A-py/.'T-t-'vn'iy starting whe.x j pipe to a wood stove toppled dowi • in tile kitchen, fire did consider :, able damage to the home of Mi /land Mrs. J. D. Harrison in Wes i j End yesterday afternoon at 1:5 : o'clock. A sizable hole was burn ed in the kitchen ceiling and - . large portion of the roof and man; i of the rafters were damaged. An swering the call, the local fire de partment did an effective job ii l checking the fire, i No official estimate on the los could he bad, but the damage pos sibly will exceed $1,000, accordin, to one report. i No water line is near the horn and if the firemen had been jus a few minutes later they wouli have been unable to check th fire with the equipment. Mr. and Mrs. Harrison were u the front part of the house whei a neighbor came in and askei where all the smoke was coniin, from. Mr. Harrison investigated , but could not reach the kitchei until he went out the front am . around tile house. Court Adjourned Thursday After Hectic Sessions Few Criminal Cases Hand led and Several Divorces Are Granted The Martin County Superior Court after clearing the Coltrain murder case from the docket in hectic sessions lasting nine days, ^ent on to handle a few criminal cases and grant several divorces before adjourning for th.-S term early Thursday afternoen. The civil calendar was crowded right out of the picture, but the cases scheduled to be called last week will be heard during a special term of the superior tribunal opening on the eighteenth of this month for a run of two weeks. One or two civil judgments were entered in the records, but most of the time the court was in session after the Coltrain case was cleared was spent hearing the case charging Joe Clark, Henderson Moore, Grover Peel, Leaman James and Dave Leonard James with the theft of twelve bags of peanuts from D. D. and R. G. Co burn. Leainan James pleaded guilty and was sentenced to the roads for three years. The case was nol pressed as to Dave Leo nard James. A verdict of not guil ty was directed as to Joe Clark and Grover Peel. Found guilty by the jury, Henderson Moore was sentenced to the roads for not less than eight and not more than twelve months. The case in which L. L. Britt was charged with trespass, was continued under prayer for judg ment until the June term. In the civil action brought by Donald Frank against Jasper Har rell and involving a landlord-ten ant settlement, a judgment was entered showing an agreement had been reached. In the case of C. B. Savage against G. H. Manning, the court issued an order further restrain ing the defendant from cutting timber on the lands of R. T. Pur vis. R. H. Cowen was named re ceiver to take over control of tim ber on the Purvis land against which the plaintiff held a paper. The receiver was required to give bond in the sum of $1,000 and Criteher and Gurganus were nam ed attorneys for the receiver. Based on two-year separation grounds, divorces were allowed j (Continued on page eight) Coes To Jail In “Freedom” Search Willie Manson, young colored man, went into the Martin County Superior Court last week, seek ing a divorce, but in his search for marital “freedom” he landed in jail. Manson allegedly deserted his wife and two children some over two years ago. He was indicted for non-support and his arrest followed in Norfolk. Bond was given ar.d he skipped from under it. Manson was trailed to Phila delphia but was never apprehend ed. Last Thursday he “sneaked" into the county court, claiming a i divorce. His divorce case was call ■ ed and after he had offered his . Judge Ch^sjj^^Mor ^^Wt!*?ucsidmg withdrew a juo*-'”" 1 man and ordered a mistrial, the court declining to submit the is • sues in the divorce action when 1 the plaintiff was charged in a * criminal action with willful fail ure to support his two children. 1 He was booked for trial in the county court. 1 | REGISTRATION ■‘v-j One of the largest pro ; primary registrations ever re corded here was reported fol ■ lowing Hie close of the regis t trillions books lust Saturday 1 by Registrar John E. Pope. Acting to make themselves eligible to participate in the l town primary here next IVIon l day, 239 persons added their i names to the registration list, ; including 139 colored citizens. , It is estimated that between i 1,450 and 1,500 persons are I eligible to participate in the primary. ‘