Newspapers / The Enterprise (Williamston, N.C.) / Nov. 8, 1951, edition 1 / Page 1
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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 LIV—NUMBER 90 William* ton, Martin County, North Carolina, Thursday, November 8, 1951 ESTABLISHED 1899 Old-Agers Withdraw From Pension Rolls -Choosing To Keep Properly Free Of AH Encnmbrances Value of Property Owned By The Aged Plaeed At $457 Average -» Rather than encumber their earthly holdings, quite a few pen sioners in this county chose to surrender their claims to old age assistance, according to a report released by the Martin County Welfare Department this week. The following report was releas ed yesterday by Superintendent of Welfare Mary W. Taylor: On October 1, 1951 the property lien law passed by the General Assembly of North Carolina be came effective. This law creates a general lien upon the real prop erty and a claim against the es tate of any old age assistance re cipient to the extent of the total amount of assistance paid such recipient from and after October 1, 1951. In Martin County 70 of the 371 old people who received assistance on August 1, 1951 owned proper ty. Case Workers of the agency have been making home visits ever since the law was passed, in terpreting the law to the recip ients and their relatives. This was done because the agency felt that some of the old people would ac tually deprive themselves of food, fuel and clothing in order to leave their home, sometimes almost worthless, to be a favored relative. Bv October 1, 1951 thir ty four (34) of the 70 property owners had requested that their old age assistance grants be ter minated. Some of these people had been receiving their OAA checks since 1937 when the pub lie assistance program began in North Carolina. The property owned by the 34 recipients who requested termina tion in Martin County ranges in value from $55.00 for a house and lot in the country to $1050 00 for a house which happens to be lo cated on a valuable or desirable piece of property in town. The average value of the property owned was $457.00. according to the latest figures on the Martin County Tax books. Thoes persons who have only a life time right to their property are exempt from the lien law. However ,a claim is filed against the recipients estate within one year after his death, The claim will be for exactly the amount that the person received as old age assistance. No action will be | taken to enforce the lien so long as such property is occupied as a homesite by the surviving spouse or by minor dependent child of the recipient. * It is hoped that the good points of the lien law will far outweigh the bad ones. The intention of the law is to encourage sons and dau ghters and other able relatives to care for their own needy elderly j relatives and for these elderly property owners to use all of their own available resources as fur as they will go—not to ddter old v>' financial as sistance when need actually ex- j ists. * At the present time there are j 344 people receiving Old Age As- j distance in Martin County. The | average grant is $23.13 per month, i Firemen Called I To Rural Home Wililamston volunteer firemen were called out at 1:10 o’clock Tuesday afternoon when lire threatened the Hugh Leggett home about five miles from here on the Everetts Highway. Apparently starting near a de fective flue, the fire burned a hole through the kitchen roof and was rapidly gaining headway when passersby responded to a call for help. They were able to bring it under control before too much damage resulted and by the time the fire-fighting equipment reach ed there. RAINFALL Following: a dry period ex tending: back to last June, the rains started falling: more of ten last month with a good chance for a rainfall this month considerably above the average in this immediate area. I Rain fell in rather limited quantity on sixteen of the 31 days last month to total 2.78 inches. During the first six days of this month, 4.27 inches of rain had fallen, the precipi tation in the first six days be ing above the normal for the entire month. On November 2, 2.03 inches of rain fell, fol lowed by 1.95 inches last Tuesday. Accuse Witnesses Oi Lying In Case Charging Murder -- Cuslannia Sutton Allowed To Give Bond At Hear ing In Wilson -*—i. Castannia Sutton, Parmcle Ne gro woman, charged with the kill- j mg of Alton Lee Sheppard near Parmcle on the morning of Oc tober 30, was allowed to give bond at a habeas corpus hearing held before Judge Henry Stevens in Wilson Tuesday afternoon. Un able to arrange the $1,000 bond imediately, the aecussed was re turned to the Martin County jail After hearing the witnesses in the case, Judge Stevens was said to have expressed the opinion that they were lying. It is still the opinion of officers that the wit nesses were so di unk they dirl not know what was going on the night Sheppard was stabbed today al legedly by the Sutton woman The ice pick used in the fatal at tack has made its appearance, but the fellow who carried it away from the Sutton home is reported missing Reports received here from the special hearing in Wilson Tuesday afternoon left the evidence still in confusion Deputy Sheriff Ray mond Rawls stating that all the witnesses were not agreed where the fatal attack took place Some said it was in the Sution woman's bed roin and others say it was in the kitchen Findings by officers soon after the attack seem to in dicate that the man was killed in the woman’s bed room. No blood stains were found in the kitchen where one witness says the at (Continued on Page Right) County Gets $4,772 From Fee System Martin County received $4, 772.05 from fees, fines, forfeit and services performed by its offi cials during the month of October, according to a report filed with the county accountant a few days ago. The court M.coautBBMMk $3,8fi9 40, including $2,430 in fines and $1,439.40 in costs. The clerk of court's miscellaneous fees added $24! to the amount. Sheriff M. W. Holloman turned into the treasurer $2)0.25, fees received for serving papers and handling other duties. The office of register of deeds reported $451.40 received for issu ing various certificates, marriage licenses and recording papers. Local Young Nan Earns Promotion Sgt. Roy Hudson, local young man, who has seen much action in Korea since last January 15, was recently promoted to ser geant, first class, according to in formation just received here. The young man is resting in Tokyo for a few days, he advised his wife who is making her home here while he is overseas. Twenty-two Cases Called Monday In The County Court —♦— TIk' IHO In. Fines ColWt cd Smallest Amount 111 Manv Months ——<$ Handling twenty-two cases, the Martin County Recorder's Court maintained a normal business volume, but its actual income was reduced to the smallest amount collected in many months. The last Monday session assessed fines in the amount of $240, but one defendant appealed, the action re ducing the actual fine collections to $140. Comparatively few persons are attending the sessions, but the court officials, bar members, de fendants and witnesses all go to make a fairly sizable crowd. Proceedings: Adjudged guilty after pleading innocent, Robt. V. House was fined $100, plus costs, and had his driver’s license revoked for a year for alleged drunken driv ing. He appealed to the higher courts and bond was required in the sum of $200. George Barber, charged with an assault, was adjudged not guil ty. Charged with neglecting her children, Viola Smith pleaded not guilty. Adjudged guilty, she was sentenced to serve six months in Woman’s Prison, but the prison term was suspended. The defen dant is to keep her house clean and allow inspections of her home by representatives of the Martin County Welfare Department. She is to conduct herself in a "cir cumspect manner.” R. B. Speller and Vance Whit ley were both charged with bas tardy and both were adjudged not guilty. And the same prose cuting witness was in both cases Charged with non-support Matthew Keys, pleaded not guil •ty for six months, the court sus pending the road sentence upon 1he payment of the court costs and on condition that he provide adequate support for his family. The case in which W G. Sutton was charged with non-support, was nol prossed. :r Wilmer C. Whitehurst, charged with drunken driving, was ad judged not guilty. James Smith, James Earl Mi zelle, Allie Mack Smith, Magoline Turner and James Arthur Little, all charged with violating the li quor laws, pleaded not guilty. The cases against all but Mago line Turner were nol prossed, and she was taxed with the cost when the court adjudged her guilty. Bozo Perry, pleading guilty of operating a motor vehicle without a driver’s license, was fined $25, plus costs. When detained by of ficers, Perry impersonated his brother by displaying his bro ther’s driver’s license. Pete Wilson was fined $35, plus costs, for operating a motor ve hicle without a driver’s license. Pleading guilty at operating cafes without permit^ Jimmie Bell and Thomas Clay were each fined $10, plus costs. Pleading guilty of violating the liquor laws, Bennie Wilson was fined $10 and taxed with the costs. J. Whitley was fined $50 and taxed with the costs for carrying a concealed weapon. Randolph Bunting, charged wdJ^mersUng • a motor vehicle without a driver’s license, was ad judged riot guilty. Pleading innocent, William Stokes was adjudged guilty of an assault, and drew sixty days on the roads, the court suspending the road term up- >n the payment (Continued on Page Six) Leg Blown Off - In An Explosion —*>— Mr. Gus Briley of Stokes had his left ley blown entirely off in an explosion in Greenville last Saturday, according to informa tion reaching here. Visiting in the home of his bro ther, George Briley, he was seat ed near a laundry heater which exploded. In addition to losing his leg, the victim was badly burned. He was removed to a Greenville hospital for treatment, last reports stating that his condition remain ed critical. Postal Receipts At Local Office Break All Records Postal receipts at the local of fice in July, August and Scptem ber of Tills year nTTwi' iWTWBSf for a third quarter in the history, Postmaster W. E. Dunn announc ed this week. Pcsont indications now point to the biggest income year in the history of the post office here, the large gain hav ing come even before rate in creases were made effective. Last quarter the stamp sales amounted to $11,396.45, meaning that well over one-third of a mil lion threc-cent stamps were sold. The sales for July, August and September were more than $1,000 greater than the income reported County Harriages Below Normal For Month Of October —»— Sixteen Licenses Are Issued In This ('.utility During The Past Month -- The downward trend in the numbe r of marriages in Martin County maintained itself again last month when only sixteen li censes were sold in the office of Register of Deeas J. Sam Getsing er. The issuance last month was six below the average for the past twenty years. So far this year on ly 172 marriage licenses have been issued in the county. Unless Cu pid's business shows a marked increase this and next month, his books will show a big de crease for the year. On an aver age, 232 marriage licenses were sold each year in the county dur ing the past twenty years. Since 1346 when there were 355 li censes issued, the business has been declining, reaching a low of 212 last year. Marriage licenses were issued in this county last month to six while and ten colored couples, as follows: White Archie Edwin Hardison of Jamesvillc and Ruby Griffin Hardison of Williamston. Perlie Hembridge, Jr., of James villc and Flodie Mae Hardison of Williamston. Henry Daniel Wobbleton and Lou Ray Lillcy, both of Williams ton. Woodrow Jenkins of Roberson villc and Lena Bland of Hassells. Harry Lee Rogerson and Nellie Harrison, both of Williamston. Jesse Hopkins and Peggy Stalls, both of Oak City. Colored Robert Lewis and Annie Lou ise Riddick, both of Williamston. James Norman Davis of Oak City and Janie Bonds of Hamil ton. Walter Beech and Minnie Rid dick, both of Williamston. Willie J. Rogers and Lenora Jones, both of Williamston. William Hopkins, Jr., and Annie Bel! Lillcy, both of Williamston. Fred Gardner and Louise Jen kins, both of Robersonvilie. Grant Anderson and Earlenc Brown, both of Robersonville. Eddie Ward and Emma Green, both of Oak City James C'lark and Bcety Owens, both of Williamston. ] -**- Jr. of'^riD 2, j Robersonville, and Beulah God- | ard, of RFD 2, Williamston. Completed More Roads In County —♦— Martin County had 9.5 miles of new paving completed in October. Chairman H. W. Jordan of the State Highway Commission an nounced today. The newly-surfaced roads arc: From N. C. 44 south of Oak City 1 mile to county road intersec tion; From Chitlin Swith to N. C. 125 west of Williamston, 3.9 miles; Main Street in Hamilton, 0.2 mile; From U. S. 17 three miles south of Williamston northeast across Sweetwater Creek to paved coun ty road, 2.2 miles; From Lillcy’s Store east 2.2 miles to paved county road. The Fifst Highway Division brought 35 miles of new paving to completion in Oetober. for either of the first two quart ers this year, anti nearly $2,000 Mt4k*y. were a year ago in the third quarter. While most of the gain is possibly traceable to increased business activities, some of the gain is traceable to servicemen's mail, quite a bit of which is now going overseas. While stamp sales were booming to a new record high, the money order business decreased last quarter by about $1,500 hundred dollars. The office handled mon ey orders during the three-month period this year valued at $76, 341.00 as compared with a $77, 827.74 handled in the correspond ing period last year. f LIMITED HOLIDAY ) - _ J Only a few places of busi ness will observe next Mon day as a holiday. Armistice Day falls on Sunday .but the following day will be observ ed as a national hnlidayi However, only the post of fices and banks are planning to close here for the day. There'll be no mail deliv eries and windows at the post office will be closed. How ever, mail will be received and dispatched, as usual. Native Of County Died Last Sunday —«— \V O. Bilbro Hied in Ncu.se Fin - est Convalescent Home in New Bern Sunday afternoon at 3:55 o’clock. He suffered a cerebral hemorrhage seven months ago and had .been critically ill for several months. I The son of the late Itev. W. L. I and Hcttie Reid Bilbro, he was horn in Martin County January 24, 1877. He located in Ay den and lived in Middlesex before mov ing to Greenville in 1915. In par tnership with his four sons, he operated the Bilbro Wholesale Company in Greenville. Mr. Bilbro was a member of the Immanuel Baptist Church, a deacon for thirty years, and was on honorary deacon for life. He was a member of the Greenville Masonic Lodge No. 284, A. F. and A. M. He was married to Annie Smith of Pitt County who died on Jan uary 8, 1949. Mrs. Bilbro was the sister of the late J. C. Smith of Rohersonville. Sui viving are four sons, Cecil , O., and A. Tyson Bilbro, of Greenville, R. Bruce Bilbro nl Washington, and Lt. William T. j Bilbro of Maxwell Field, Ala : six grandchildren, anil a brother, Ai chic Bilbro, of Charlotte. Funeral services were conducted from the Greenville Immanuel Bautist Church Tuesday by the pastor, the Rev. J. A. Neilson, and interment was in Greenville’s Greenwood Cemetery. SHIPPED Radiators, holding up the mov ing of the Martin County Health Department to its new home on Ray and Harrell Street for two months, have been shipped, and the opening of the health center is now tentatively scheduled for December 1. THE RECORD SPEAKS . . . While it is nothing to tx proud of, Motorists on Martin County highways last week almost duplicated their record of the previous week There were six wrecks, three injur ed and none killed in each of the past two weeks ,the more recent one listing a pro perty damage $10 in excess of the total for week before last. The following tabulations offer a comparison of the ac cident trend: first, by corres ponding weeks in this year and last afid for each year to the present time. 44th Week Accidents Inj'd Killed Dam’ge 1951 6 3 0 $ 1,525 1950 7 2 0 975 Comparisons To Date. 1951 211 109 5 $40,535 1950 140 00 3 31,385 Second Defendant Named in Parmele Murder Yesierfa^ Witness S;»>s Held Man While Wo man Slabbed Him -« Working on meager informa tion, the sheriff's department yes terday Heyelnpr 1 new leads in the Alton Lee Sheppard murder case, and Gus Andrews, lifted as a state witness, is now in jail, charged with aiding and abetting Castan nia Sutton in the fatal stabbing of Sheppard near Parmele early in the morning of Sunday, Octo ber 28. Given a hcarin„ yesterday af ternoon by Justice Chas. If. Mob ley in the courthouse, Andrews, without counsel, pleaded not giult.v. Finding probable cause of guilt, Justice Mobley required bond in the sum of $5,000. Unable to raise the amount, Andrews was placed in jail to await trial in the superior court next month. During the meantime, Judge Henry Stevens who held a habeas corpus hearing for the woman in Wilson Tuesday afternoon, in creased her bond from $1,000 to $5,000. She, too, continues in jail in default of bond. Judge Stevens was advised of the new develop ments and ordered the bond in creased. The case took a more serious turn when officers, recovering the ice pick, learned there was anoth er eye witness, Jack Palmer, who, for some reason, Andrews or oth er witnesses said nothing about at the preliminary hearing held last week. It now devemps that Palmer, a Pitt County colored man, was at the home and saw the attack that cost Sheppard his life. He took the ice pick, delivered it to Rob crsonvillc, and then went to New York for a short vacation. Offi cers questioned him yesterday and he was ordered held in $800 bond as a material witness. Un able to arrange bond immediate ly, he was detained by the slier iff’s office. Palmer said that on the night of October 2!!, he was riding with Eddie Carr and a woman whose name he did not know. As they were passing the Sutton home he heard a lot of noise, stopped his car and went into the house where he saw (ins Andrews, Jus tus Andrews, Margie Andrews, Alton Lee Sheppard and Castan nie Sutton. Palrper declared that he saw Sheppard assaulting the Sutton woman with his hands and fists in the kitchen, and soon thereaf ter, Gus Andrews pulled Shep pard away and carried him into the Sutton woman’s bedroom, that while Andrews was holding Shep pard by the shoulders and arms apparently to keep him from re turning to the kitchen, the Sut ton woman entered the bedroom and stabbed Sheppard in the chest The witness said that Shop paid died in about two minutes Palmer said he did not see Jus tus Andrews “picking a box", or playing a guitar The evidence offered by Palmer supports part of the testimony of Gus Andrews who said the fight started in the kitchen, but from there on out, it. contradicts all the evidence offered at the preliminary hearing last week It is now apparent that the wit ness, Margie Andrews,« sleeping all the time she claimed to be, that she and the other two witnesses Gus and Justus An ri rows, had the facts all tangled up. Destroy Liquor Still In County Raiding in the Free Union area if Jarnesville Township Tuesday afternoon, ABC Officers J !!. Roebuck and Cecil Bullock wreck ed a large illicit liquor plant. One of the largest taken in this county in some time, the plant was equipped with a 150-gallon capacity copper kettle and a mod ern oil burner. The officers pour ed out fourteen barrels of beer and three gallons of while liquor. Officer Roebuck said the plant was located near the road in a onall wooded area, that the op erator saw them approaching and ran, leaving the plant going full alast and the liquor running. Last Tobacco Sales Of Season Yesterday im;am is Already one of the latest in years, the peanut market in this area is hardly expected to reflect much activity be fore sometime next week. A few small lots have moved to market here, hut there is lit tle interest in the operations at this time. Heavy rains this week have delayed picking: operations and, warned that no goobers with more than 10 percent moisture will he acceptable, farmers are making certain their crops are dry before go ing ahead with the harvesting and marketing. Thirty Men Are Called For Jury Duty Next Month Jmlgt* Henry Stevens Will Kctnrii To Preside Over Term Of (lourt Thirty Martin County citizens were drawn by the county board of commissioners at their regular November meeting for jury duty during the one-week term of su perior court. For the first time since their names were placed in the jury box several years ago, no women were drawn for jury duty, according tn a review of the list. Judge llenry Stevens of War saw is scheduled to return to the county and preside over the term during which the criminal eases are cleared with little attention being given the civil calendar. Before the December term is convened, the Martin County Su perior court will sit for two weeks to hear only civil eases, beginning ] November 19 with Judge W II. S Burgwyn on the bench. Names of the citizens called for jury duty during the December term are: Jamesville Township: Huthci Hugh Hardison, Cl. K. Martin, I George B. An.gr, J. E. Hedrick, J Warren Jones, Klmei N. Modlin and Dennis Mi/.cllr Williams Township: J Herbert Moore. Bear Grass Township: Hildreth I Rogerson. Willianisli.n Township: Wright ' Clark, Bruce Chessun, James E Griffin, J if. James, K. D. Wor rell, J. Edward Corey, S. C Grif fin, Jr., Willie Bullock, Thurston Wynne, Jr. and George llatton Gurganus. Robersonville Township: Rob ert E. James, Guy Forbes and G D. James. Hamilton Township: W E Eve reft, Burt Pritchett, William Eth eridge, Dallas V 1’urvts and Jo seph Wynne Goose Nest Township: B Jas per Whitfield, M E Bennett and If. A. Early. Bear Grass Club Installs Officers Hi« t la.-1 M nday, amt a turkey supper was enjoyed by all. New office! s were installed for the coming year, as follows J W. Sawyer, president; Chesley Jones, vice prescient; Bill Peele, secretary; K () Rogers, treasur er, and E C. Harrison, chaplain. During the business session it was decided that work on the Roy Scout Hut would he resum ed Saturday, November 10. The Puritans will appreciate anyone coming and helping with tins work. UNCERTAIN WI ATIII R -• Uncertain weather has prevail ed in this area during recent days. Heavy rains have fallen this week, and the mercury has been running up anti down. After go ing well into the seventies yester day, it tumbled down to an even thirty early this morning, the second drastic variation in less than a week. The mercury is in the high fifties today. : I£430,B5C "Pounds To Average $55.21 Brought $6,862,911 Income $ I ,.‘100,27 1 High* cr Thun Previous Ke eoril Made In 1950 -. Wililamston's tobacco market held its last sales of the season yesterday morning at 11:05 o’clock with the selling and buy ing organizations going strong until the last pile was sold. A few minutes later, semi-of ficial figures were released, show ing the market had just closed the most successful year in all its history According to the re port, the market here sold 12, 430,654 pounds for $6,862,911.00, an average of $55.21 per hundred pounds. Although thi‘ sales dwindled this week to less than 15,000 pound daily, prices continued to hold firm, the better grades hold ing to the 70 cent figures. How ever, mostly remnants and scrap were offered Tuesday and yester day and the average shrunk to $41.54, the prices ranging from five to seventy cents a pound. The records show that 14,258 pounds were sold on the last day for $5,922.71. Just before the season was brought to a close, Market Super visor Henry A. Johnson made a short talk, expressing, on behalf of the market, hi. appreciation to >dl those who had made the sea son the most successful in the nearly one-half century the mar ket has been operating. When the last pile was sold on a third sale held in the Farmers Warehouse, old hams were dis tributed to the buyer as a token of appreciation tor their efforts during the season. A review shows that the mar ket during the season ending yes terday sold 225,540 pounds more tobacco than had been sold in any previous years, that the 1951 income was $1,300,274 greater than the previous high amount. The previous poundage record was established in 1947 when 12,205,114 pounds were sold, but the income that season was only $5,026,962 and the average was down to $41.19 The previous income record was recorded in 1950 when 9,709,566 pounds were sold for $5,562,637, an average of $57.29. The average last year broke all records and still stands with a $2.08 per hundred pound average above tl c average for the season just ended, A review of sales and income with the average for the past few seasons, as recorded on the Wil liamston market follows: Year Pounds Income 1944 10,769,306 $4,616,632 Average, $42.89 1945 11,278,890 -1,978,413 Average, $44.14 1946 10,874.674 5,515,721 Average, $00.72 1947 12,205,114 5,026,962 Average, $41.19 1948 9,185,020 4,449,356 Average, $48.44 1949 , 8.910.898 4,371.162 Average, $49.05 1950 9,709,566 5,562,637 Average, $57.29 1951 12,430,654 6,826,911 Average, $55.21 Accident Victim Is Improving Injured when a rubber-tired tractor wheel ran over her head in a cornfield on the old Whitaker 'arm last Monday afternoon, Lit .le Carolyn Roberson is respond ing to treatment in Brown’s Cmn nunity Hospital, according to a eport heard late last evening. If no complications develop, ter recovery is expected even though there was a fracture of .he skull. The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jlycle Roberson, the little tot was iding on a slowly-moving tractor vith her eight-year-old sister vhen she fell off the machine and nto the path of the big wheel.
The Enterprise (Williamston, N.C.)
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Nov. 8, 1951, edition 1
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