North Carolina Newspapers

THE ENTERPRISE IS READ BY OVER 3,0m MARTIN COUNTY FAMILIES TWICE EACH WEEK THE ENTERPRISE - 1 , 'I THE ENTERPRISE IS READ BY OVER 3,000 MARTIN COUNTY FAMILIES TWICE EACH WEEK . . .. --""3 VOLUME LIV—NUMBER 86 Williamaton, Martin County, North Carolina, Thursday. October 25, 1951 ESTABLISHED 1899 Twenty-Six Cases Called Monday In The Connty.Conrt -♦ .AnSounteil To $775 In Session Lasting Until 1:20 In Afternoon Twenty-six cases were called in the Martin County Recorder's Court last Monday. Judge R. T. Johnson held the tribunal in ses sion until 1.20 o’clock in the af ternoon and assessed lines in the amount of $775. Proceedings: 'Charged with an assault with a deadly weapon, James Purvis was found not guilty. His brother, Le vi Purvis, pleaded not guilty when charged with an assault with a deadly weapon. He was adjudged guilty of a simple assault and was taxed with the cost. His brother’s landlord, James came down from Norfolk to settle farm accounts and they struck a difference. James said in open court he was still mad with Levi. Charged with careless and reck less driving, William Henry Black was adjudged guilty of operating a motor vehicle with improper brakes and was fined $10, plus costs. Charlie William Ward, pleading guilty of operating a motor ve hicle without a driver’s license, was fined $25 and taxed with the costs. Charged with drunken driving, B. Conway Nelson asked for a jury trial, and his case was dock eted for trial in the superior court Charlie Mack Bullock was fin ed $25, plus costs, for operating a motor vehicle without a driver's license. Pleading not guilty, Jos. R. Wil liams was adjudged guilty of care less and reckless driving, and was lined $20, plus costs. Cleve Lawrence was fined $25 und taxed with the costs for op erating a motor vehicle without a driver’s license. Charged with drunkea driving, li. D. Griffin was adjudged not nuiltv. Marie Briley, charged with lar ceny, was adjudged not guilty. In the case in which Willie Joe and James "Buck” Bunch were charged with assaults with deadly weapons, the first pleaded guilty, and the action against the latter was nol pressed. A ninety-day Toad sentence was suspended upon the payment of a $25 fine, plus costs, and $25 for the prosecut ing witness's doctor's fee. Adjudged guilty of non-support Tver his plea of innocence, Early Boston was sentenced to the roads lor six months. The road term was suspended upon the payment nf the court costs, and $7 a week for the support of his family. Pleading guilty of drunken driving, Josh Tayloe Rogers was fined $100 .taxed with the costs and lost his operator’s license for a year. C. L. Bagget of Windsor was taxed with the costs for speeding. Pleading guilty of being public (Continued on Page Six) Model Farm Exhibit Gets Much Attention The model farm exhibit, dis daecd in the lobby of the Virgin a Electric and Power Company >ffice building here this week, at , acted mu cm aWBKG? - ■ ** The exhibit featured modern ccd drying and storage, and the ise of electricity in various farm iperations COVERAGE Williamston's fourth annual harvest festival was well "covered” by the press and radio yesterday afternoon and last night. The News and Observer w'as represented by a special correspondent. The Green ville Daily Reflector and the Rocky Mount Evening Tele gram had reporters and pho tographers here, and the At lantic Coast Line Railroad Company had a representa tive here to cover the event and take pictures for its pub lications circulating through out the South. The festival was on the air over Stations WIAM here, WRRF, Wash ington, and WCPS, Tarboro. Petition To Abolish School Segregation Yns\vfTwH3y Board GINMNGS j Colton ginnings, after hold ing to extremely low figures for a number of years, are coming back into their own in this county. No records are being established, to be sure, but it is certain that the county is harvesting its larg est crop in a number of years. According to a report re leased a few days ago by Jos. R. Norwood, district supervi sor of the U; S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, 310 bales of cotton were ginned in this county from the current crop prior to October 1. It is understood the ginnings have climbed considerably since that time. Jordan Gray Peel Died Ai His Home Tuesday At 4:15 ---- Funeral Service I« Being Held At Sinithwicks Creek Today -— Jordan Gray Peel, well-known farmer and citizen of Griffins Township, died at his home in the Piney Grove community there Tuesday afternoon at 4:15 o’clock. He had been in declining health for several years, suffering with a heart ailment. His condition had been critical for almost three weeks. The son of the late Edwin and Melissa Camp Peel, he was born in Griffins Township 6(1 years ago on July 16, 1863. He lived and farmed there all his life. For several years he directed exten sive farming operations near Creswell, maintaining his resi dence in this county. In 1903 he was married to Bet tie Manning who died in 1935. He was a faithful member of the Primitive Baptist Church at Smithwicks Creek for a long time, and his walk through life, al though humble, exemplified no ble characteristics and fine ideals Surviving are two daughters, Mrs. Ben Ira Hardison and Mrs. Perlie Roberson, both of Grif fins Township, and three grand children. Funeral services are being con ducted in the Smithwicks Creek church this afternoon at 2:30 o’clock by his pastor, Elder P. E Getsinger. Interment wil be in the family plot in the Tice Com munity Cemetery. The body is be ing moved to the church one hour before the service. Big Traiiic Snarl Follows Festival : -<t> Traffic on local streets was virtually paralyzed, for more than an hour following the big harvest fc-thi/u parade here yesterday af ■••WO " . ■ p ternoon, and it was almost 4:30 j o’clock before travel was back to J a normal flow. Cars were parked all over town, the vehicles crowding the parking lots and streets way out in the residential aieas. Despite the crowded condition, j only one minor traffic accident! was reported. A car driven by I Miss Lorraine Clark of Ahoskie and Johnny Gurkin of near Wil liamston figured in a minor crash near the bus station on Main Street. As far as it could be learned no one was hurt during the fes tival or in the mad traffic snarl that followed it. Through traffic, moving off Main and traveling on North Watts, Church and Haughton Streets, was delayed little during and after the parade. It was estimated that more than five thousand cars were in town during the festival, exclu sive of the htrough-traffic which moved in large volume, as usual. Colored Schools Favored In Plan Already Started Small Percentage Believed In Favor Of Petition’s Segregation Issue -Q Herman L. Taylor, Negro attor ney of Raleigh, and twenty-one Martin County Negro men and women who signed a petition, al leging discrimination in facilities in the Martin County school sys tem and demanding that segrega tion be abolished, are receiving an answer from the board of edu cation. The answer, filed over the sig nature of the board clerk, and county attorney, E. S. Peel, gives much factual information and goes on to explain that a program had been planned as far back as 1945 to equalize opportunities for all children in this county. The segregation issue is recog nized as being the work of a very few and is without support of the vast majority, notwithstanding claims advanced by the Negro press and some who claim to be "friends” of their own race. The answer read, in detail: The Board of Education of Mar tin County, answering the Peti tion filed by Herman L. Taylor, Attorney at Law, Raleigh, N. C., and signed by Mrs. Alice Taylor, Parmele, N. C., Rollie Perkins, Parmele, N. C., Rev. W. H Briley, Parmele, N. C., Moses Carr, Par mele, N. C., Lonnie Roberson, Ro bersonville, N. C., Narcisses Rob erson, Robersonville, N. C., Char lie Lanier, Jr., Robersonville, N. C., Oscar Briley, Robersonville, N. C., L. G. Chance, Roberson ville, N. C., James Pitt, Roberson ville, N. C., Charlie Dugger, Rob ersonville, N. C., Booker T. Wynn, Robersonville, N. C , Hillard H Matthews, Robersonville, N. C., Jimmie Belle, Robersonville, N. C , Lelia E. Gainer, Robersonville, N. C„ J. B. Parker, Robersonville, N. C., William J. Andrews, Rob ersonville, N. C., James A Rober son, Parmele, N. C., Johnnie Mi zellc, Robersonville, N. C., J. O. Clay, Parmele, N. C., and C. C. Clay, Parmele, N. C., sets forth the following facts,-to-wit: In 1949-1950, the school census of the children in Martin County between the ages of fi and 21 was 9,203 Of these 45.2 per cent were white and 54,8 per cent were Ne gro. There were enrolled in the schools the same year 7,969 pu pils, of which 45.9 per cent were white and 54.1 per cent were Ne gro. The average daily member ship for that year was 7,229, of which 46 per cent were white and 54 per cent were Negro. The av erage attendance for that year was 6,604, of which 48.7 per cent were white and 51.3 per cent were Negro. This is a statement of facts found from the statistical re port of 1950. In 1945 a group of Negro citi zers came before the Board of TCti ontinucd on page Missing Man Has No! Been Found Ransom Whitehurst, 37-year old local colored man, missing from his home since last Satur day morning, has not been found, and it is fail 1 y certain that he lost his life in Sweet Water Creek between the old Watts landing and the bridge over the creek on Highway 64 near here. Searchers traced the man to the edge of a deep hole in the creek late last Monday night. His shot gun was found leaning against a tree with two empty shells on the ground nearby. His clothes were found carefully piled near the,gun. It is thought that White hurst shot a squirrel and that the man pulled off his clothes to re cover the animal from the water. The creek has been thoroughly dragged but no trace of the body has been found. New Jamesville Church Will Be Occupied Sunda] flomcroiitfcig Will Bo (Hv nerved In 020,000 Build iup Just Completed Jamesville’s new Christian church, just completed at a cost of approximately $20,000.00, will be occupied for the first time Sun day when three services arc held during the day in addition to the Sunday school that morning at 10:00 o’clock. Homecoming will be observed at the scheduled 11:00 o'clock morning worship service, follow ed by a picnic dinner. That after noon at 2:00 o’elock there’ll be a fellowship service, it was an nounced by the pastor, the Rev. Harold Tyer. The Rev. John L. Goff, pastor of the Williamston Christian Church, will preach the first in a series of revival ser mons that evening at 7:30 o'clock and continue each evening through Friday of next week at the same hour. Many former members who have moved away down through the years and oth er friends of the church in two or more states are expected there for the first service in the new church and the homecoming-day program. Invitations have been extended all churches in the town and community to attend the event. The opening of the new church Sunday climaxes years of plan ning and saving and is an impor tant event in the religious history of the town and section. Some years ago, possibly ton or more, a few members saw the need for an expansion program, and repairs and alterations to the old structure were considered. Gradually, the trend moved to ward the construction of a new church, the ladies of the church during the meantime having in stituted a saving plan. As a re sult of the interest and support given the building fund and With additional aid being pledged, the congregation of nearly 100 mem bers moves into the new' building w'ith right at three-fourths of the cost liquidated and the remainder well considered. Two years ago last month con struction work was started, the determined membership keeping a close attention on meeting the bills rather than rushing Ihe pro ject to completion. Untiring ef forts of tile building committee, composed of E. H. Ange, chair man, and C. C. Fleming, Mrs. F. C. Stallings, Mrs. Edgar Brown, J R Overton, R. E. Gurganus, Edward Lee Martin and Walter Brown, J. R. Overton, R. E. Gur ganus, Edward Lee Martin and Walter Brown, and the loyal sup port of all the members helped give the town and section a credit able structure. It is of brick con struction and its auditorium lias a seating capacity of nearly 200, in addition to the Sunday school class rooms. Installation of new pews and the pulpit furniture is being completed today and will be ready for use Sunday morn ing. A cordial invitation is being ex tended by the church to the pub lic to wprship with the members at anv and all its services. Funeral-Sate&ay For Old Minister —•— Funeral services were conduct ed in the Willow Chapi 1 Baptist Church, Gold Point, Saturday af ternoon tor the Rev Julius A. Taylor, respected Negro minister, who died at his home in Parmeie on Wednesday of last week He was born in Gold Point 77 years ago on June 10, 1373, the son of the late Abram and Betty Taylor. At an early age he became interested in religious affairs, and in later life served as moderator of the Middle Ground Association, president of the Sunday School Convention, and on the associa tion’s executive board. He was one of the organizers of the Higgs Roanoke Seminary at Parmelc. Surviving are his widow, the former Alice Teel; seven daugh ters, four sons, fourteen grand children, two great-grandchildren, seven sons-in-law and three dau ghters-in-iaw. Fifteen Thousand See Annual Harvest Festival Parade Here Woman’s Club Sponsoring Big Halloween Event Here Sponsored by the Woman's Club, a big Halloween entertain ment event will be held in the Planters Warehouse here next Wednesday evening, beginning promptly at 7:00 o’clock, it was announced by Mrs. Bill Abbitt, i representing the sponsoring orga nization. Kxtensivc preparations for the big event are well advanced, and indications point to a great time that evening for both young and old. There'll be a small admission eharge at the main door, and a food booth will be maintained. The program includes fortune telling, fish pond, cake walk, apple bobbing, a dance for young and old. Special prizes are to be awarded, including one for the best costume. The costumes will be judged during a parade with in the warehouse at 8:00 o’clock. A main feature of the event will be a doll show. All the little folks in the community are ask ed to enter their dolls in the com petition. Mrs. G. P. Hall, chair man of the doll show, will re ceive the entries, and those de siring to participate are asked to contact her without delay. Highway Post Office To Run .November 1 Announce Official Schedule For Two Busses This Week llijfhway J*o*t Offices T« Replace Railway Mail Service In Area The official schedule for the two United States Highway post offices that are to operate be tween Norfolk and Raleigh was announced this week by Postmas ter W E. Dunn. The new service is to be inaugurated on Thursday of next week. The mobile office will leave its eastern division terminal at Nor folk at 5:30 o'clock and reach Wil liamston at 10:40 a. m. It will leave Williamston at 12:10 for Raleigh, reaching the North Car olina capital at 5:55 o’clock in the afternoon. Only one other stop will be made by the No. 1 bus and that will 1ft- in Jamesville at 10:10 a. in. The second mobile office will leave the western division ter-, minal in Raleigh at 5:00 o’clock! a. m. and reach Williamston at 10:36 o’clock. It will be held at! this point until 1:50 o’clock in the! afternoon to continue its trip to Norfolk, reaching there at 7:00 o’clock p. m. The No. 2 schedule includes one other stop in the county and that is in Jamesville at 2:13 o’clock in the afternoon. The highway post offices are replacing the railway postal ser vice handled for years by the Norfolk Southern Railroad be tween Norfolk and Raleigh, and will serve all points on the old train schedule. Williamston and Jamesville are being added to the ichedule. The highway post offices, us'ing two large busses similar in ap pearance to those operated on regular passenger schedules by common carriers, will run straight through from Raleigh to Norfolk and from Norfolk to Raleigh, but tfcrgjyjemlinc crews will change ausssos at this point. In addition to the post offices, it is understood that trucks will be used to handle parcel post mat ter, that the trucks wiil operate closely behind the post office (Continued on Page. Sis) I TIMK RUNNING OUT ■N I j Those registrants whose draft status has changed and who have not already done so have very little time left to notify their draft board. All fatherless married men with in the designated age group are now subject' to the draft. Many registrants have become fathers since they registered but have not advised the draft board of any change in their droit status. Unless they sub mit documented proof of a change in their draft status shortly they’ll be subject to call. WOUNDED r Pvt. LaSalle Boston of Jainesville was wounded re cently In action in Korea, ac cording to unofficial informa tion received here this week. It was reported the young man had one of his elbows » almost shot away while in action on IIill 9051 known by some as ‘‘Witch Hill." lie was last reported recovering in a Pusan hospital where he was sleeping in a bed, for a change. Sales Jusi Under 12-Million Mark —<*— Williamston's tobacco market ' sales are knocking right at the twelve million pound mark with the god possibility that it'll reach the figure late today or early to morrow. An early report from the market this morning said that tobacco was still coining in, hut it was not certain the approxi mately KI4,000 pounds needed to reach the mentioned figure would show up today. Through yesterday the market had sold 11,865,717 pounds for $6,555,673, an average of $55.25. Sales yesterday were 85,945 pounds and the average was just under $60 pel hundred pounds. That tobacco of quality is still selling high on the Williamston market was noted yesterday when a farmer sold 1,714 pounds for $1,394, an average of $81.33 per hundred pounds. The prices for the individual’s offerings ranged from 69 cents to 95 cents a pound. Two piles went up into the nine ties, four in the high eighties, four in the seventies and one for 69 cents a pound . Completing the sale of four acres of tobacco this week, a Hear Grass farmer said he re ceived $6,649.75, or an avciagt of $1,662.44. It is the highest per acre income »• y batco or any other imp m this county. County Boy Gets Army Promotion --<t> With tlic 7lh Inf. I)iv. In Korea —Eli D. Harmon, son of Mr and Mrs. Ephraim C Harrison, Route 2, Williamston, N C., recently won a combat promotion to the grade of corporal for exemplary performance of duty on the battle field. He is fighting on the Korean central front with the 17th "Buf falo” Regiment. During the recent U N offen sive, Harrison and his buddies ad vanced over rugged terrain and secured limited objectives in the “Iron Triangle” area. Harrison has completed seven months’ Army service, and wears the Combat Infantryman Badge and the Korean Service Ribbon with one campaign star. Paraders Braved A Drizzling Rain For Few Minutes —*— Sixly-lMo Units uiul Nearly 1,000 Persons In 15 Minute Mareh ——-*> Coming from all parts of north eastern North Carolina, a throng conservatively estimated at fifteen thousand persons, witnessed Wil liamston's fourth and possibly its best annual harvest festival pa rade yesterday afternoon. Cloudy skie possibly held a few persons away, but those reporting for the event combined to make the crowd the largest ever seen in the town on any previous occasion. Cars were parked as far as one could see on the main street, and bumper-to-bumper parking was the order on streets through out the residential area, blocks from the parade route The Martin County Motorcycle Club, aided by representatives from other clubs, turned into the main street off Watts at the stroke of 2:00 o’clock and for forty-five minutes the paraders moved by a given point. After threatening tliW event for thirty-five minutes, a drizzling rain started falling, but the paraders braved the ele ments to carry the march to a successful end while many spec tators sought shelter. Although the rain dampened the event, it was still one of the best ever held here and one of j longest seen in this section of the State. Nearly l,()t)0 persons, or 074, to be exact, participated in the pa rade itself. The parade was built mound twelve bands, including the rhy thm bands from Farm Life and Hassell, fifteen princesses and twenty special floats. All the bands made a creditable showing for their towns and communities, the youthful musicians holding the throngs spellbound as they mov ed up Main Street and on out Washington to the warehouse area. The floats, representing much time and work, were rated among the best ever seen here, and the princesses, riding in convertibles, represented the finest of young womanhood from fifteen commun ities m this and others throughout this section. Visitors went out of their way to compliment the town and the sponsors for planning and hold ing thi' event The sixty-two parade units were checked in the following or der: Motorcycle club riders Town officials, followed by the town's water and street depart ment's eight units and one of the town’s fire trucks. County officials were next in line Princess Williamston moved by, (Continued on Page Five) -<*> Uld Refrigerator Derby Concluded i M S. A?onpoW*?fl^.>iuii nuiis Avenue has won the “Old Refri gerator Derby”, a conies* sponsor ed several vv celts a^o by Phileo, it was announced recently by Mr. [lean G Grogan of the Common wealth Sales Corporation, P.hli rnond, Virginia, in a letter to Mr. Garland Woolard, of Wollard Furniture Company, local contest sponsors The letter also stated that a new Model 1018 refrigerator was being shipped to the furniture company for delivery to the win ner. The contest, held in Phileo deal er’s stores, embraced Northhamp ton, Martin, Bertie, Hertford, Gates, Chowan, Washington, Ty rell, Dare, Perquimans, Pasquo tank, Currituck and Camden counties. Entrants were required to register old refrigerators that were in good working condition. Mr Moore registered with the local sponsors, a Frigidaire refrig erator which he has had for about twenty five years. Crown Local Girl Harvest Festival Queen Last Night rimusiiniis Vttcml Danre in Strv'.'t Tiirsiiay anti Rail Last Evening Williamston's fourth annual 1. .rvest festival was brought to a close last night with a dance and the crowning of the festival queen in the Planters Warehouse. Miss Patricia Taylor, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Taylor of Williamston, was chosen queen from an imposing field of fifteen candidates. The princesses, Miss Ann Byrd of Windsor, Lynette Co4train of Farm Life, Jean Cul 1 if er of Bethel, Dorothy Hen ninger of Edenton, Pat Mayne of Washington, Sarah Lee Smith of Robersonville, Patricia Taylor of Williamston, Betty Lou Rogerson of Bear Grass, Mary Lou Voirol of Plymouth, Martha Pearson of Ahoskie, Jean Ellis of Jamcsville, Cherry Edmondson of Oak City, Mary Beth Perry of Perquimans, Nannette Upchurch of Scotland Neck and Dorothy O’Neal of Tar boro, filed across the stage indi vidually, and then in groupsl The field was narrowed to five, Misses Williamston, Washington, Windsor, Bethel and Bear Grass. The final selection was made from the first three Miss Jean Carol Griffin, retir ing queen who returned home foi the festival from Woman s Col lege, University of North Caro lina, Greensboro, crowned th« new queen who was presented a Columbia diamond ring, courtesy of Peele’s Jewelers. The princess es were awarded individual tro phies with their names inscribed thereon. Thompson Greenwood, execu tive secretary of the North Cara lina Merchants Association, Ral eigh; Tom W. Harris, past presi* dent of the Rocky Mount Jaycees, and Recce Bailey, director of th« Rocky Mount Jaycees, judged the queen contest. l he princesses were entertained at the Dunning House with Mrs. Wheeler Manning as chaperone assisted by Mrs J. L Parker, Jr. Following the parade they were entertained at a coke party in tlie Manning home on School Drive and were the honor guests at a banquet in the Methodist Church annex. Between 1,500 anil 2,000 at tended the festival ball and en joyed the dance and music by Dick Levin, local bov, and hi? State College orchestra. The festival ball last night wal preceded by a big street danc* on Washington Street Tuesday night Dick Levin and his or chestra furnished the music for the round dancers and Otho Wil lard and his string band kept the square dancers busy until af ter midnight. Betwen three and five thousand persons milled in and out of the street during the dances. Property Is Stolen From Government -<» The Federal Bureau of Investi gation discloses that it has been making many arrests throughout the nation in connection with thefts of government property, inueh of it from military installa tions. Director Hoover said 120 per . " ' he<-n I :iU wa tody m many states charged with stealing government property worth <1 total of $1,000,000 or more. More than a thousand other eases are under investiga tion. Both military and civilian employes are involved. STARTER Assisted by Dan Perl and Worth Mobley, J. O. (Blue) Manning (lid an able job in starting the town’s fourth an nual harvest festival parade yesterday afternoon. The pa rade moved off without de lay and progressed according to plan, the threatening wea ther and even the rain dur ing the latter part failing to disrupt the march. The starters lined up nearly 1,000 persons and almost one hundred vehicles and fed them into the line of march without a discernible hitch.