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 38 Williamtton, Martin County, North Carolina, Thrsday, May 12, 1919 ESTABLISHED 1899 HeavyRains Damage Crops In The County Corn And Peanuts Wash Away Late Tuesday Evening Tobacco Transplanting Has' Been Delayed By Rains For Several Days _ Accurate estimates are not [ available, but thirty or more far- j mers questioned here yesterday' and early today were certain that 1 the heavy rain late Tuesday eve- i ning did considerable damage to crops in this county. Measuring 2.04 inches, the rain literally washed away young corn and peanuts, but damage to tobac co is not believed to have been extensive. Starting an investigation when he mlssted the greater part of one field of corn, one farmer found that it had washed right across the field into a ditch and continu ed right on to the swamp. Pea nuts, newly planted, almost clog ged the ditches along with soil washed from the fields. Little trenches, measuring from three to five inches in dept, were found where peanuts had been planted earlier in the day. “We had just completed planting about forty acres of peanuts; and it is fairly certain that most of the land will have to be replanted to the goob ers," one farmer said. It is agreed that much fertilizer washed away, creating a problem that can be solved only by guess ing. If all the fertilizer is gone, farmers can duplicate the origin al applications, but they are not certain if all or half or just how much fertilizer is left. If they du plicate the original applications, there’ll be too much fertilizer and the crop will be damaged. Farmers expressed the hope] yesterday that the tobacco crop| hud not been materially damaged.; Reports stated that while a few1 fields were left under water, the! plants were holding up well as a whole. Transplanting, tentatively j scheduled to have been nearly completed by the end of this week, j is being delayed and even with1 favorable weather prevailing it'll be another week before the crop can be transplanted in its entire ty Yesterday farmers reported plant trouble but not necessarily a shortage. It was first thought that black shank had attacked the plants, but it was later found that worms had attacked the plants in the beds and damaged them, that the plants withered and died after being bruised in handling. It is fairly certain that the plant supply is sufficient to care for needs in this county and that some plants can be spared, possibly in quantities next week. Farmers from Hertford, Washington and Halifax Counties have been here (Continued on page six) Has (rood Rfcord h At Oxford-School ■ »■ William Lawrence Everett. I Martin County youth, is making j an enviable record at the Oxford Orphanage High School where he was admitted through the recom mendation of Conoho Lodge No. 399 at Hamilton before it was con solidated with the Skewarkee Lodge at Williamston. During his four years In the high school he has maintained a high scholastic average and is be ing vocationally trained in print ing. During his high school career he has participated in the following: Class prophet, literary club as member and officer, glee club, de clamation contest, American Le gion Auxiliary essay contest, N. C. Citizens Association essay contest, art editor high school annual, foot ball, Boy Scouts, victory corps, life saving and American Junior Red Cross. Supt, A. D. Leon Gray says that those who made it possible for the young man to enter the institution should be proud of his accom plishments. I REGISTRATION Saturday of this week is the last day books will be held open for the registration of voters who would participate in the special tax elections to be held in Bear Grass and Oak City School Districts. Not to be confused with the $200 million road and $25 mil lion school bond Issues, the registration is in progress in Bear Grass, Hamilton, Has sell and Oak City precincts. No complete report on the re gistration is available, but it is understood that compara- ' tively few have qualified to participate in the special tax election which is to be held on the 28th of this month. Those who have not done so may register Saturday of this week for the special tax election and also the special bond election at the same time. Justice Johnson Hears Ten Cases In Past Few Days Oklahoma Man Placed Und er $ 150 Bond For Alleg ed Drunken Driving While Justice John L. Hassell was enjoying a brief vacation, Justice R. T. Johnson handled ten cases in his court during the past few days. Several others were sent to the county court for trial last Monday, and several more are listed for an airing in the justice’s court on Saturday of this week. L. A. Poole, Oklahoma man charged with drunken driving, was required to post bond in the sum of $150 for his appearance in the county court for trial. Charged with driving on the wrong side of the road and failing to dim his lights, James S. Crick more, Rocky Mount man, was fin ed $20 and taxed with $7.35 costs. Lillie Berry, charged with pub lic drunkenness, was required to pay $5.85 costs. Charged with< an assault and operating a gambling house, Wil liam Reed, Hamilton colored man, was bound over to the county court for trial under a $100 bond. He was adjudged not guilty in the highef court. Frank Brown was taxed with $5.85 costs for an assault. Booked for public drunkenness, George Mumford was sentenced to the roads for thirty days, tjie court suspending the road term upon the payment of $5.85 costs. Charged with the larceny of a truck, Octavious Roberson was bound over to the county court for trial under bond in the sum of $500. One of the first cases to come into the courts since disorderly conduct in public places outside was lawful by an act of the recent leg-' islature was heard this week. (Continued on page six) Chosen To Attend Tennessee Camp Pearl Gwendolyn Carr, Parmele Senior 4-H Club member, has been selected to attend the Re gional 4-H Camp to be held at Tennessee State College in Au gust. She is the second girl to be selected on merit for work accom plished on projects carried. Seven others make up the State load for the year. Last year Otho Jones, Bethle herrt 4-H Club girl received a simi lar honor. The polio in the State prevented the two Martin County delegates from attending the Re gional 4-H Camp which was held at Southern University, Scotland ville, Louisiana. Otho Jones to gether with Henry Swimpson. Parmele 4-H Senior Club member! were chosen last year and may still attend this year. J. Watts Martin ' Died In Norfolk Monday Evening Native of This County Was Prominent in Financial j And Civic Affairs -<♦> John Watts Martin, Williamston native and for many years a pro minent business man and civic leader in Norfolk, died in a hos pital in the Virginia city last Mon day night at 10:30 o’clock follow ing a heart attack. He had been in ill health for several years and entered the hospital Sunday for treatment. Mr. Martin, a brother of the late Wheeler Martin, Sr., and Mrs. Fannie Carstarphen, was born on Smithwick Street here on May 21, 1877, the son of the late Joseph J. Martin and Victoria Fagan Mar tin. After attending school here and in Tarboro and Oak Ridge he went to Norfolk at the age of sixteen and was employed by the Norfolk Southern Railroad. He later en-' tered the lumber business and was recognized for years as one of Norfolk’s kading busincsn men He served as a director of the Na- j tional Bank of Commerce. Mr. Martin was married twice, first to Miss Evelyn Petit of Nor folk and some years after her death he was married in 1915 to Miss Lucille Matthews of Ohio who survives with a son, J. Watts Martin, Jr, an adopted son and a grandson, J. Watts Martin, III. Funeral Services were conduct ed in Norfolk yesterday afternoon and interment was in a cemetery there. A Norfolk newspaper, carrying an account of his death, said: For some time, he was a mem ber of the Norfolk Light Artillery Blues. He was a member of Ep worth Methodist Church. In his declining years he deriv ed an increasing pleasure from his membership in the Norfolk Ro tary Club. He became a charter member in 1914 and 14 years lat er became the president of the club. His good-natured barbs were frequently the spark that set off merriment in the meeting of the Rotarians. So highly was he es teemed by the members that when his ill health prevented regular at tendance he was namecl as an hon orary member. He was present at a meeting just a few weeks ago i and received a hearty welcome j from the membership. A tribute was paid to his devo tion to the club and the principles of Rotary at the meeting in the Monticello Hotel Tuesday. ■-® Drivers Warned I To Get Licenses —" • Motor vehicle drivers whose last names begin with the letter H or I or J or K and who have not yet got their operators’ licenses arc warned that only a few morel weeks remain for them to take the 1 tests. Safety examiner Boyce said yes terday that there were an estimat ed 139,000 drivers in the State whose licenses have not been re newed in the H, i, J and K clas ‘siTicaiion, that a dJWWTe .fliPWs in the making. The last day for the letter classification to get their li censes is June 30, that is, if they plan to continue driving motor vehicles. Starting next Monday, the safe ty examiners will issue licenses to the approximately 35,500 chauf feurs and cab drivers, meaning that the rush at the examination centers will be even more marked. No tests are required for the re newal of chauffeurs’ licenses, it was explained. Beginning July 1 those persons whose last names begin with the letter L or M are scheduled to take the tests. They will have six months to renew their licenses. Those persons becoming sixteen years of age are eligible to apply! for licenses irrespective of their names and the dates designated for issuing licenses to certain let ter combinations. The license ex aminer is in Williamston each Wednesday and Thursday and at Robersonville each Friday. The examiner has been fairly busy issuing licenses here during1 yesterday and this morning. Congressman Bonner Will Address Meeting Tomorrow -«. Congressman Herbert Bonner will address the annual meeting of the Martin County Farm Bureau in the Williamston High School Friday afternoon at 5:00 o'clock when he is expected to review briefly the new farm program proposed by Secretary of Agricul ture Brannan. The meeting will climax a two-day farm and club program which got under way here this morning with the open ing of the sixth annual fat stock show. The congressman's address >will be broadcast over a Washing ton station and will be followed i by a big barbecue at the high school. Members of the arrangements committee said today that 3,350 pounds of meat is being barbecued for the event which is certain to attract well over 2,000 people. Chef Andrew Griffin, aided by a f INCREASE According to reliable but unofficial reports, Martin County farmers have borrow ed more money this year than they did last for financing their farming operations. The increased borrowings were re ported despite tightening of credit controls. It is possi ble that more farmers are finding it necessary to bor row this year than was the case last spring. It was also indicated that the average size of the loans is hardly as large as it was a year ago. Father And Son Injured In Car Accident Today •—«— John JiinieB uiul Sou Both Had Right Legs Brok en At Juinettville John James, 62-year-old colored, man of the Free Union section of Jamesville Township, and his son were badly but believed not criti cally injured in an automobile ac cident near Jamesville on the Ply mouth Highway this morning at 12:30 o’clock. Last reports stated both men were getting along as well as could be expected, that they would recover if no compli cations resulted. Driving toward Plymouth, the Kaiser car apparently went out of control when it struck a railroad crossing, tore into a telephone pole and knocked it down along with wires. All communications between here and Plymouth were out for several hours. *The car came to a stop on its side about thirty-five or forty feet from the highway. The father suffered a broken right leg and severe cuts on the body, especially about the head. The son suffered fractures of his right leg and right arm and he, too, was badly cut and bruised on other parts of his body. No estimate on the property damage could be had immediately ■f?v wfcui dr.-ir F P who made the investigation. The victims were removed to a Washington hospital in Biggs and Horner ambulances. i large number of neighbors, is j cooking the pigs and the finished ^ product will be delivered piping hot and made ready for serving about 6:00 o'clock. The Cross Roads Christian Chapel Church will serve the meal, it was an nounced. Tickets to the barbecue have been mailed to approximate ly 2,300 Farm Bureau members' in the county and special guests, | including ranking Farm Bureau j officials in the State, have been in-1 vited. Club members started deliver ing their entries to the Planters warehouse early this morning and are anxiously awaiting the judges’ I decision in the beef cattle depart- j ment this afternoon at 1:00, o’clock. The swine show will be held Friday, followed by the big auction sale at 1:00 o’clock in the afternoon. Mrs. Whitehurst Dies At the Home Of Daughter Here ->»-. ... Funeral Will R<> Held On W’esl Main Street Friday Afternoon Mrs. Molly Godfrey Rogers Whitehurst, 86, died at the home of her daughter, Mrs. James D. Bowen, on West Main Street here yesterday afternoon at 5:30 o’clock. She had been in declin ing health for some time and her condition had been critical follow ing a stroke of paralysis suffered last Monday. Mrs. Whitehurst was born ini Williams Township on July 10, 1862. Orphaned when an infant, she made her home with the Lan iers in Williams Township for a number of years. She was first married in 1894 to Will Rogers who died in 1900. In 1903 she was | married to Charles Whitehurst I and made her home in Bear Grass Township for a number of years, moving to Williamston following the death of her husband to make her home with her daughter. Mrs. Whitehurst, was a mem ber of the Sweet Home Church in Bear Grass for about thirty years, and made many friends in her adopted communities. Two children, Mrs, Bowen and | Eli D. Rogers of Jamesville, sur tContinued on page six) --—<$,— teg Amputated In Hospital Tuesday ( Mr. John P. Hodges, well known j Bear Grass citizen and retired 1 highway commission employe, I had his left leg amputated above I the knee in a Washington hospital Tuesday. Last reports reaching here stated he was getting along 1 as well as could be expected. Mr. Hodges is the third county man to have lost a leg by amputa j tion within the course of a few ' weeks. Losing his second leg by ampu , tation several weeks ago, Mr. ! Claudius Roberson is getting along . 1nay " ' JW< ^ I End, and Mr. Neil Janies who lost a leg by amputation some over i two weeks ago is doing all right i at his home in Everetts. Planning Extensive Aza lea Garden on Farm In County " • A new venture—azalea culture —is being advanced on a rather, extensive scale in this county by Messrs. D. G. Matthews of Hamil ton and H. E. Rogerson of Ports mouth. The first shipment, of, azaleas were transplanted this1 week on the Matthews farm near! Hamilton and others will be added until there are approximately 50, 000 of the plants of several vari eties. Advancing the venture on a commercial scale, the promoters plan to enter the market next year. In addition to the azalea project, Messrs. Matthews and Rogerson plan to put out around five thou sand camillias next fall. The project is being centered around a fish pond on the Mat thews farm and is destined by the owners to be one of the show places in this section. Making preparations for launch ing the undertaking, the promot ers submitted soil samples to the State Department of Agriculture and learned that the soil and other factors are suitable for azalea and ramillia culture. A study of the care and culture of both plants has been made and the two men are off to a good start on the new venture. Plants and flowers have been raised on a limited scale in nurseries in this county, but the project now undeu way is the largest of its kind ever undertak en in this area. Sixteen Marriage LicensesTssue d In Martin County _ j Issuance Maintains a Down ward Trend For Fourth Year In a Row Sixteen marriage licenses were issued by the office of register of deeds id this county last month, the issuance maintaining a fairly steady decline in business at the bureau for the month of April. Four years ago thirty-three licens es were issued in April. In 194ti, the issuance dropped to twenty. Last year, the count fell to seven teen, followed by the slight de cline this year. In the first four months of last year, 95 licenses were issued, 35 to ^'hite and GO to colored couples. In the corresponding four months of this year 59 marriage licenses were issued, 31 to white and 28 to colored couples. Marriage licenses were issued last month in the county to seven white and nine colored couples, as follows: White John Malion Whitaker and Christine I^eary, both of RFD 2, Williamston. Frederick Morgan Williams and Anna A. Swindell, both of Wash ington. Bruce Ellis Leggett, RFD 3, Wil liamston, and Carrie Dell Peaks of Williamston. Robert L. Pollard, RFD 2, Rob ersonville, and Mary Louise Boy ette of Bethel. Charles L. Fulford and Naomi Rogers, both of Williamston. Roy Gray Stevenson, RFD 1, Williamston, and Wilma Lucille Haskins of 18 1-2 Petersburg Pike, Richmond. V. L. Canady and Elizabeth S. Davis, both of Washington. Colored Robert Willis of Jamesville and Sarah Dell Roberson of Williams ton. Walter B. Joyner and Mary E. Carter, both of Windsor. Joe Smith, Jr., and Esther Ree Lloyd, both of RFD 1, Roberson ville. Dallas Hopkins of Jamesville and Willie Mae Brown of Wil liamston. James Wiggins and Odell Ryan, both of Williamston. Noah Sheppard and Willie James Rogers, both of Hobgood. Thurston Jones, Jr,, and Arvillu Latham, both of Williamston. Ned Grimes and Mary Florence Bunn, both of Robersonville. Oliver Woolard, RFD 1, Wil liamston, and Eva Brown Lee of Williamston. —o Offer For Sale Unpaid Accounts The upward trend reported last year in the number of delinquent county tax accounts is being main tained this year, but holds to a fairly low level considering the fact .that there are approximately 7,000 accounts on the books. A year ago there were 258 de linquent tax accounts—87 white and 171 colored -representing an unpaid balance on real estate in the amount of $3,393.23. This year •"* MI I(*| MW*I ! u.„, -rn-.J— in -oedj to 304 —118 white and 210 colored —representing unpaid real prop el tv taxes in llie sum of $5,024.09.! The delinquent list, advertised for 1918 today tor the first time, I will be offered for sale the first Monday in next month. The accounts unpaid by the 88 white property owners represent taxes in the amount of $2,395.18, while the 210 colored property owners, delinquent in their ac counts, owe $2,029.51. There were no delinquent ac counts among colored property owners in Bear Grass arid Poplar Point, but the number was large in Williamston. Nearly one-half of the unpaid accounts among the colored property owners is cen tered in Williamston. Many of the unpaid accounts, representing very small sums, will be cleared from the books before the hammer falls at the auction next month. I he town of Williamston will advertise its delinquent list next week, reports stating that the number of unpaid accounts is a bit larger than it was last year. Fourteen Cases, in ! ! Court Last Monday THE RECORD SPEAKS . . . After relaxing a bit about a month ago, motorists on the highways in this county are continuing their work in building up a bad accident re cord. There haven’t been as many accident this year, but more people have been injur ed, equally as many killed and the property loss has been higher. 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. 18th Week Accidents Inj'd Killed Dam’ge 1949 2 3 0 $ 850 1948 100 100 Comparison* To Date 1949 39 22 1 $10,415 1948 50 20 1 9,360 Hit-Run Victim Dies Of Injuries In Hospital Here Mini MrlNair, \\ asliin^lou County Native, Fatally Hurt Smulay, Mav I Alk'ii McNair, native of Wash ington County, died in the local hospital yesterday afternoon of injuries mysteriously received earl.V in the morning of May I. His back injured, both legs broken and hurt internally, he was enter ed in the hospital shortly after 3:00 o’clock on the morning of Sunday, May 1. While it is not known, it is believed that he was run down on the highway near Spring Green between Williams ton and Hamilton and left to die by a hit run driver. Said to have been intoxicated, McNair was carried from Wil liamston by a taxi driver to the home of his wife's relatives near Spring Green about 12:30 o'clock that morning. His wife, the form er Gladys Hollis, said lie was at home a few minut; s and left walk ing. The Pate boys from Wil liams Township found the injured man.on the highway, picked him up anil delivered him to the hos pital where little hope was held for his recovery. A son of Ercel McNair of Washington County’s Long Ridge section, lie was born there 33 years ago on September 5, 1915. He was an automobile mechanic and fol lowed his profession in Washing ton County and in Williamston, Everetts and Hamilton after spending from 1932 until 1933 in California. His widow survives with five small children, Joyce Anne, Bar bara Jean, Moby, Freddie and Car olyn, two of whom are making their home with his sister, Mrs. Eleanor Aiken in Plymouth. Funeral arrangements were not announced immediately. frimrHfc-iU Slims Here Next Monday Traveling in a convoy of severi ty vehicles, Rogers Brothers’ three-ring circus will give two ! erformances here on the Wil liamston Lumber Company lot on Washington Street next Monday. The doors open for the afternoon performance at 2:00 o’clock and at 7:00 o’clock for the evening show. Starting time is 3 and II o’clock. Playing in New Bern Saturday, the three ring circus is tentatively scheduled to reach here Sunday, but weather conditions and un foreseen factors could delay the arrival until late that day or early Monday. One of the largest motor shows touring the country, the circus of fers thirty acts, and features wild animal specialties, aerialists and clowns. The show wintered in Florida and is traveling north. Williamston’s Lions Club is sponsoring the show and advance tickets arc already on sale. Fines Amount To $785; Few Cases Are Carried Over Court Convinces Marti Road Lies Ahead for Illicit Liquor Dealers After being literally snowed un der by seventy cases lust week the Murtin County Recorder’s Court got back on a normal oper ating schedule last Monday when i Judge Chas. H. Manning and Sol icitor Paul D. Roberson handled | fourteen cases in a session that lasted less than three hours. Fines l imposed during the short session : amounted to $785. ! The court, handling one or two liquor cases, convinced the dealers ( in illicit liquors that a hard, diffi 1 cult road lay ahead for them. Proceedings: Adjudged guilty of violating the health law.-., GUI*. nc Manning vas sentenced to jail for thirty days, the court suspending the jail sen tence upon the payment of the costs and on the further condition that the defendant comply with health regulations. The case charging Alexander i Horner with being drunk and dis ,01'der'y was nol pressed when it I was learned that it had been doc keted in error. | Pleading guilty of operating a I motor vehicle without a driver’s license, Julian Harris Commandet was fined $25 and taxed with tho costs. Charlie Lee was adjudged not guilty of violating the liquor laws. Pleading guilty of violating the j liquor laws, George Thomas Bail | ey was fined $50 and required to i pay the costs. j Opheus Revels, charged with as saulting a female, pleaded guilty j and was sentenced to the roads for thirty days. The road term was | suspended upon the payment of the costs and on condition that I the defendant remain sober and ' be a law-abiding citizen for one year. Pleading guilty of operating a motor vehicle after his driver’s li cense had been revoked, Joseph Edward Williams was fined $300 and taxed with the costs. (Continued on page six) IN. C. State Band In Concert Here i i i The Concert Band of North Car olina State College,' 50 strong, rendered an excellent program of music in concert in the Williams ton High School auditorium last night before a large audience. Rendering a program of classi cal, semi-classical and popular music, including two outstanding band march numbers, the program was -well received throughout and the encores which the crowd de manded were outstanding success es, the first featuring a series of short numbers based on the same tune, an old time favorite known t' v>iung and^M^^^lHaoseeonc^a fine i cik! i Director Christian Kutschinski also paused about mid-wav of the ! program to explain some ol the 111 i struments and demonstrate their tones, the particular instruments demonstrated being those not now owned and used by the Green Wave Band of Williamston High. The band was brought to Wil liamston by the Band Parents Club for the benefit of local band members and to promote interest in and appreciation of band con cert music. Members of the yisiting band, the junior and senior Green Wave bands and officials were enter tained at a bountiful picnic supper at 5 o'clock at the high school ca feteria and the College musicians were delighted with the treat and expressed sincere appreciation of the hospitality shown them by the WilPamston people. The band concert received much favorable comment and those at tending expressed regret that in clement weather and conflicting engagements prevented many peo ple from attending.