North Carolina Newspapers

THE ENTERPRISE IS READ IT OVER S,«N MARTIN COUNT? FAMILIES TWICE EACH WEEK VOLUME LV—NUMBER 31 Williams ton, Martin County t North Carotin*, Tuesday, April 15, 1952 THE ENTERPRISE IS READ R OVER 3,000 MARTIN COUNT* FAMILIES TWICE EACH WEES ESTABLISHED 189§ 1 Ballenline Talks TctoufliyTaiai Bureau Members Annual Meeting Heli! Last ' **-“* .VgiTrtl * School Auditorium ——♦— On over-production of food and fiber once concerned the farmers of this nation, but now the farm er, decreasing in number, must think in terms of more produc tion. L. Y. Ballentine. State Com missioner of Agriculture, told the annual meeting of the Martin County Farm Bureau held in the Williamston High School auditor ium last Friday afternoon. The actual number going into the auditorium for the more ser ious part of the annual Farm Bu reau program did not measure up to expectation, but those rush ing for the barbecue missed much by remaining outside. Clarence Gurkin offered the in vocation, and Chas L. Daniel, president of the county unit, made a few remarks, declaring that the Farm Bureau was organized dur ing a depression and out of ne cessity and not for social reasons. “Some say the barbecue dinner is a waste of money, but I think it is worth it,” Mr. Daniel said, add ing that unless something is done to sustain the farmers’ organiza tions, agriculture will go bank rupt. He pointed out that the people of this county are becom ing more Farm Bureau-minded, that the organization has accom plished much. The organization now has 2,200 members in this county, and the Farm Bureau has supported the farm program which in turn has been loyally supported by all the people, Mr. Daniel explained. After recogniz ing special visitors, Mr. Daniel called on Elbert Peel who intro duced the speaker. A follower of the Farm Bureau, Mr. Ballentine said he recalled that when the, Farm Bureau was organized in North Carolina, ag riculture wasn’t doing too well. "It hasn’t been to many years ago when there was constant dread of overproduction of food and fiber, when the farmer was recognized as a rugged individualist,” the ag (Continued on Page Eight) Wild Ride in Two Stolen Vehicles * Robert Henry Smith declares ne remembers little or nothing about it, but officers and others declare he went, on a wild ride in two stolen vehicles early last Fri day morning. ' 1 Operating all alone, he drove away a large Norfolk Southern passenger bus from the Plymouth station just before or soon after last Thursday midnight. His first recorded stop, as far as it could be learned, was made in Farm J er Naamon Whitaker’s yard just west of Everetts on Highway 64. Smith had crashed through the yard fence with the bus. Whita ker went out, surveyed the dam age and Smfth finally backed out, reversed his direction as far as Everetts and turned toward Spring Green. He had traveled just a little over a mile when he wrecked the bus. Deserting that vehicle. Smith wandered from house to house, finally walking } to Everetts where he stole Bill Bullock’s 1951 Ford right from under the owner’s nose. The car was hardly more than ten feet away from where Mr. Bullock was sleeping about 4:00 o’clock in the morning. Smith backed the car out of the drive, and Mr. Bul lock did not discover it missing until almost noon Friday. Smith, said to have damaged the car little or none, parked it ^in an alley at Plymouth, and threw the keys away. A resident of Plymouth found the keys and mailed them to Mr. Bullock whose name was on a tag attached to the keys Plymouth police were noti fied Sunday that a car had been parked in the alley for a couple of days. Smith was arrested and returned to this county Given a preliminary hearing be fore Justice Chas. R. Mobley last night, Young Smith, a neat look * jng lad, pleaded guilty of stealing Mr. Bullock’s car and drunken driving. Unable to arrange bond in the sum of $750, the youth was returned to jail. Farm Bureau Man Favors \ ««r< - m »*in «— ■ Support For Point 4 Plan j Just out of an important meet ing held in Washington, R. Flake Shaw. North Carolina Farm Eu iliui'&iiiive vice iH't’ dared a’4-out support for the Point 4 program or economic aid to foreign countries. "It will cost a lot of money, but I know it’s worth every cent," Mr. Shaw said. Talking with a representative from India. Mr. Shaw learned that there’s a movement to control malaria in that vast country. "But the representative pointed out that if the people are saved from malarial deaths there won’t be enough food for them and they'll die of starvation,” Mr. Shaw said, adding that we got to ifind some way to feed the people. The Farm Bureau leader ex pressed his appreciation to the [ 'T5eupie'"(>'''*Tn'ls v i; ‘1 ^ii ii* peup support ('f the organization, for their consistency of purpose, sup port, principles and development. While he has no doubt about the future of agriculture in this nation, he declared" there is no way to get along without the farm program, that there must be sup port prices and adjustments. The Farm Bureau is a whale of an outfit, but the speaker admitted that tension ran high within just as it docs in all other organiza tions or agencies. He added, “We disagree without being disagree able.” Four Injured In Car Accidents In County EASTER ___/ Religious services during the Easter period attracted record numbers and were among the most impressive ever held in this section. Churches were filled to ca pacity for nearly every ser vice, including those held each morning during Holy Week. The sunrise service held in Woodlawn Cemetery Sunday was attended by perhaps the largest number ever to as semble there. Quite a few came here from several near by towns and the countryside. While a bit cool and cloudy, the weather was favorable for the event. The program ren dered with a cross in the background, was broadcast over Station WIAM. Found Guilty oi False Pretense Mandy Ebron, 502 Sycamore Street, was tried Thursday morn ing before Justice C. R. Mobley on the charge of attempting to evade the Employment Security Law while filing claims for un employment compensation bene fits at the local Employment of fice in that she failed to report that she was working and did not report her true earnings. She was found guilty and the judgment of the court was a thir ty-day jail sentence suspended upon the repayment to the Com mission of the amount overdrawn by reason of her failure to rep resent her earnings correctly and the cost of the action. Further penalties follow such convictions. Not only is the claim ant ineligible for benefits for the remainder of the benefit year, but the amount of the benefits re ceived after the first week of the commission of the false reporting must be liquidated before any benefits carT”be drawn in the fu ture. . --- Small Quantity Canned Goodk Stolen Recently Breaking into a Railroad Street warehouse sometime between late Saturday and early yesterday morning, thieves carried away about thirty-five cans T>f fish and pineapple juice belonging to the C. O. Moore Grocery. [ SAVED THE DAY ] Joe Williams, one of the first organizers for the Farm Bureau in this State, return ed to this county for the or ganization’s barbecue last Friday. “I recall the hard days back yonder when many did not have enough to live on let alone fees for an organiza tion,” Mr. Williams said. “I am glad to be back and tell you that Martin County help ed save the Farm Bureau in North Carolina back yonder and has carried on to help build it into an 80,000-mem bership organization,” he add ed. Properly Damage Adds Up To $2,230 In Seven Wrecks One Viritm Came Out Of A Submerged Car Without The Sli£hte*t Injury Starting early last Sunday morning, motorists started piling up the wrecks on Martin County highways, injuring at least four persons and running up a proper ty loss conservatively estimated at $2,230. Death was missed by inches in at least three of the wrecks, one victim coming through without a scratch after his car turned over several times and plunged into and completely submerging itself in a creek. Another victim was only slightly injured when a truck load of logs turned over with him, and other victims rode out of a head-on collision with out fatal injury. Patrolmen R. P. Narron and B. W. Parker were kept busy during the week-end cleaning up wrecks and watching over the largest volume of traffic ever to move over the highways in this sec tion. The first in the series of seven accidents was reported near the Copeland farm on the River Road last Thursday morning at 9:15 o'clock. Ponce James, driving a 1947 Ford log truck belonging to the WilliamEton Supply Company, stated that the steering rod came out and that before he could op en the door and jump out, the truck veered to the left, turned over and landed in a ditch bottom side up. The logs tore loose and rolled and skidded over the trac tor and cab, stopping about sev enteeen yards away James suf fered minor leg injuries and dam age to the vehicle was estimated at about $200, according to Pa trolman B W. Parker who made the investigation. . . Thursday evening at 7:00 o’clock, Clarence Earl Highsmith, driving Percy Keel’s 1939 Ford, hit and badly hurt a hog on the Prison Camp Road about three miles from the camp. Damage to the car was estimated at $30. Patrolman Parker, investigating the acident, found the hog so badly hurt he killed it and turned it over to the prison camp when the owner could not be found. Taking a big Norfolk Southern bus in Plymouth about 2:00 o’clock Friday morning, Robert Henry Smith, 19-year-old white boy, started a joy ride through this county. He hit a tree and crashed through a yard fence just west of Everetts on Highway 04 but did not do enough damage to the machine to stop its operations. He backtracked to Everetts and turned into the Spring Green Road ,and traveled about one and one-half miles before he ran off the road, damaged Farmer Vance Bennett’s tobacco barn and ditch ed the bun, causing about $400 damage to the vehicle, according to Patrolman B. W. Parker who made the investigation. Number 4 iij the wreck series i was reported about 6:40 o’clock j (Continued on Page Eight) | Speaker Declaim 'iheSoilProgtm Is Facing Dangers —$— Win. l Cim<li(i«lr *"Tor "V”»over 11 d r, aius? ' ~ Cutting Soil Payment "While the farm program may not be perfect, it is now facing great danger." Wm. Umstead, candidate for governor, told the annual meeting of the Martin County Farm Bureau in the Wii liamston High School auditorium last Friday afternoon. He said there is a strong movement going on right now to cut out the soil conservation feature of the farm program. "Instead of curtailing the pro gram, we should further devel op agriculture,” Mr. Umstead said, urging the farmers to main tain a' strong organization and continue to carry on. "If Roosevelt is forgotten on all other counts, he'll live in the miitds of farmers for al ltimc for what he did for agriculture," the speaker said. He commended State Commissioner of Agricul ture Ballentine for what he has done to fit the State Depart ment into its rightful place in the agriculture of this State, and praised him for his work. Mr. Umstead said he was in Washington when most of the farm program was formulated, and recognized the value of the work done by the State Farm Bu reau's first president, J. E. Win slow.” Through organization and the Roosevelt administration, farm credit was arranged, rural electrification came into its own, the farm-tenant purchase act was passed, the Triple A was created and later continued as the Pro (Continucd on Page Eight) County Girls Are Society Officers Two Martiji County girls wore recently elected officers of Phi Omicron, home economics honor ary society at East Carolina Col lege, Greenville. Outstanding scholastic records are a prerequisite to membership, it was announced. Miss Edith Rogerson of Wil liamston, a recent graduate, is president of the new society, and Miss Ruth Haislip of Oak City, a junior, was made secretary and treasurer. -» Firemen ('.ailed Out'Twice Here Friday A fternoon Starting from burning junk in Parker’s junk yard on New Street, just off Main, fire threatened sev eral small buildings in the area at 1:00 o'clock last Friday after noon. Firemen were called there, but no damage was reported. Firemen were called out a sec ond time about an hour later when a grass fire went out of con trol and threatened to spread to outbuildings and a large wooded ] area on the south side of West | Main Street beyond the under paw.. It -checked before any damage was done. ----j,-> Superior Court Ojtened Special Term Here Today Observing Easter Monday as a holiday, the Martin County Su perior Court opened a two-week special term here this morning for trial of civil cases only. Soon after his arrival from Dunn, Judge Howard Godwin convened the court and the (.Id divorce mill was thrown into high gear. There are twenty-three di vorce actions in the mill waiting to be ground out. • —i-.-.—. Call Off Scheduled Hand Trip To ffindimr -<*> The Wililamston High School Band, scheduled to go to Windsor tomorrow, will not make the trip, it was announced today. A drive to organize a band in’ the neigh- j boring town was to have been launched, but a speaker could not be scheduled and the event was called off, it was learned. The hexj. trip for the band is scheduled on May 5 when Direc tor Jack Butler takes his musi cians to Weldon for a special con cert. In County Attracts Thousands w -J. MisiSaeessslal One Held In The Slate This Year Griffin Boys Walk Away W ith Honors; Compel i tion Was Terrific Under the direction of Assist ant Farm Agents Sam Tuten and D. W. Brady, club boys and girls last reek-end put on the most suc cessful fat stock show ever held in this county. While the show, the ninth of annual events of its kind, was not as large as some of those held in the past, it was tops in quality and the youthful exhibi tors gave the judges a difficult asignment. The show, limited to the county and only 4-H and FFA members, was the largest of any county show held in the State so far this year, and its prizes and income topped anything reported so far. “Your club boys and girls have given a splendid account of them selves," Jack Kelly, one of the two judges for the show, declar ed in commenting on ■the event. “It is one of the best shows I’ve attended,” Mr. Kelly of the North Carolina Extension Service, said, explaining that the steers graded higher than they did last year. The swine show was de scribed as just about tops. More than 100 hogs were exhibited along with the seventeen beef calves. The Black Angus moved in for the second time in a row to claim top positions in the beef cattle de partment, the few'rnixcd breeds holding lower places in the show. Johnnie Griffin, 12-year-old 4 H -club member of Crone {loads who attends school in Everetts, took top honors with his 010 pound Angus calf. Corrone Bryant, Williamston 4-11 club member, winner of the top show in last year's show and recently awarded the Angier 0 Duke scholarship, was second in the cattle show with an 005-pound black Angus. Both the grand and reserve champion grad ed prime. Each of the two top winners received $10 cash prizes, plus $5 from A. B. Bass, Edge combe County farmer who sold the boys the winning entries last year. In addition to the reserve grand champion, Young Bryant exhib ited three other black Angus calves and received an $8 prize for each along with Jolv Beach of Hamilton, Jerry Hopkins of Farm Life and Marion Griffin of the Robersonville club. Six club members, Billy Bailey of Robersonville, J. C. Griffin, Jamesville, Calvin Oglesby, Oak City, Jimmy Hopkins, Farm Life, John Andrews, Parmele, and Cal vin Oglesby of the Oak City Clubs, exhibited calves rated of good-quality and each of them re ceived a $5 cash prize. The three steers grading e o m m e r c i a 1 brought their owners, Paul Stev enson of Oak City and Murl Grif fin and J. C. Griffin of Jamesville, $5 cash prizes eacjv In the swine show, a brother and sister, John E. Griffin and Mary Alice Griffin, of the Rob ersonville Club, walked awuv with top honors when their grand champion and reserve champion pigs, one to the pen. Exhibiting the grand champion, Johnny re ceived a S10 prize, while Miss Mary Alice was awarded an $8 cash prize for the reserve cham (Continued on page eight) <-V CONCERT The East Carolina Sollcgc 5ft-piece concert band will ap pear in a special program in thn local high school auditor inns Thursday afternoon of this week at 2:30 o’clock. Di rected by Herbert Carter, the band includes among its mu sicians three from. Williams - ton, Miss Harriet Ward, Trav is Martin, Jr., and Jack Ed wards. The concert is open to the public. "■fftmge r^kntxmt?&7Trest~tn‘; Several Foreign Countries Speaking briefly to the annual meeting of the Martin County Farm Bureau last Friday after noon, Congressman Herbert Bon ner defended this country’s for eign policy and went on to say that hunger and starvation are causing unrest, and advanced the belief that the Point -I program can do more than bullets in head ing off communism. “Our foreign policy is trying to hold back by sending teehnicians to foreign lands to touch those un fortunate people hew to reclaim their soil." Mr. Bonner said, add ing that had it not been for the lN:int 4 program and its purchase of $90 million worth of tobacco there might be a different story right here. “Tobacco isn’t food, to be sure, but it has offered con tentmcnt," he said, adding that he hud seen the dire poverty on a travel through Greece, Turkey, India and other foreign Undo. He described our foreign policy as being one of humanity, carry ing out Christian principles, and at the same time helping us to preserve ourselves. Warning that any organization should limit its activities to its own field, the congressman de clared that soil conservation is tile greater part of the farm pro gram, that we are only stewards of the land today. “While the Farm Bureau has a great pro gram, there is internal trouble there,” hi' said, maintaining that some in the national organization don't want the soil conservation program continued. Poll Holders Named In County Saturday Few Substitutions In Personnel For Handling Election Open Kr^istraliou Book* May 3 for I'rimury Vote May 31 -«> Meeting in the commissioners' room in the courthouse lust Satur day morning, the Martin County Board of Elections perfected its organization and named the per sonnel for handling the coining elections in the county’s thirteen precincts. C. D. Carstarphen of Williams ton was re-elected chairman of the board, and Hassell Worsley of Robersonville was named to suc ceed himself as secretary. Wade Vick of Robersonville is the third member of the board. All were present for the meeting. Only four changes were made in the precinct personnel. Grady Godard is succeeding Joe Law renee Coltrain as registrar in Wil liams Township. W Jesse Grif fin was appointed to succeed J. C. Gurkin as a poilholder in Grif fins. Mr. Gurkin resigning to be ct, -c a candidate for county com missioners from the GriffinS-Bear Grass district. Clinton House was named to succeed Allen Osborne as registrar for Robersonville Precinct, and Arthur Brown is succeeding Ernest Bunting as a poll holdei in Goose Nest. It is possible th,(i there’ll be more changes in the judges of election, but the registrars are being em powered to fill any positions that become vacant. The elections board encountered the same old trouble of finding enough registered Republicans to serve as members of the pre cinct. When they could not find >ne, a good Democrat was called upon to serve. The following is a list of the precinct officials, the first named being the registrar anti the other two, judges of election: Jamesville: E. C. Stallings, J. I,inwood Knowles and Mrs. Annie Mae Lilley. Williams: Grady Godard, C L. Daniel and R. J. Hardison. Griffins: S. Oscar Peel, Stephen Manning and W Jesse Griffin. , Rear Grass' I.eRov Harrison, Delmus Rogers and W. A Brown. Williamston 1: Wendt 11 Peel, Julian Harrell and R. S. Price, Jr Williamston, II: S. Harcum Grimes, Chas Rk Mobley and Jesse T. Price, Cross Roads: II. M. (Buck) Ayers, W. L. Ausbon arid Oscar Ayers. Robersonville: Clinton House, Tom Roebuck and L. N. Vick. Gold Point: Harry Roberson, J. W. Taylor and Geo. P. Bullock Poplar Point: W. Mayo Hardi son, Luther Leggett and Herman (Continued on page eight) | FILES v Hugh (i. Horton, Williams i ton attorney, filed with the county board of elections chairman, 1). Carstarphen, | to succeed himself as State Senator from this, the sec I ond senatorial district- He was the ninth candidate in i this county to officially put his name in the "pot”, leav ing several political offices literally begging for candi dates. As far as it could be learn ed Mr. Horton and Attorney Paul of Washington are the only two who have fifed for the district's two senatorial seats. Seine Fishing Ai Jamesville Delayed for several weeks by high water, seine fishing got un der way on a large scale at James ville Monday morning. A com plete report on the first day op eration could not be had immed iately, but the net was dipping up as many as seven and eight thousand at a "haul”. It is es timated the total catch approxi mated 100,000 for the day. The catches were limited almost entirely to herring, one report stating that very few rock or perch were taken. Good fishing is anticipated dur ing the next two or three weeks Thousands visited Jamesville during the day, it was reported A fish festival had been consid ered but.R.blfitLjyyayjJ^i)ped whei! there was doubt if the high waters would recede in time for seine fishing. dels //iifioni/i/c Mention At Leen-MeHae College Miss Hetty Lou Wobbleton of Williamston was one of several freshmen at Lees-McHae receiv ing honorable mention for her scholastic work for the third quarter recently ended. She aver aged B or better on all her sub jects, the dean* reported. ROUND-UP J Despite the increased em phasis on religion, law en forcement officers continued busy here during the past week-end, making about as many arrests as usual. Eleven persons were taken into cus tody and temporarily held in the county jail. Five were booked for drunkenness, and one each for drunken driving, larceny, disorderly conduct, no operator’s license, and in vestigation. Three of the eleven were white and ages of the group ranged from Ifl to 57 years. Stock Show Sales ^ Highest ReporieiP" In Stale To Date (irami (Champion Si»rer *“^oM ViJr TiOV; Uiahtyion « Pig for $25.75 After hitting a low point last year, the annual Martin County Fat Stock Show staged u come* back last week to report the high est sale so far recorded in the State, The exhibitors and sellers were well pleased with the prices received for their prize entries, and they are ready to put on a bigger ahd even better show next year, according to Assistant Coun ty Agent Sam Tuten, With the prices ranging from SUB to $50 per hundred weight, the sale of the beef calves aver ted $40.72, and the swine sale grossed right at 17 cents, or $1 G.96 to be exact. The bulk sale was better than one-half cent above the market. John F,. Griffin of the Rober sonville Club sold his single grand champion entry to the Dixie Mo tor Company for $25.75 per hun dred pounds. The reserve cham pion single entry, exhibited by Mary Alice Griffin sold for 21 cents a pound to the Williamston Packing Company. Miss Mary Louise Holliday of Jamesville re ceived $18.50 per hundred pounds for her grand champion pen of three, and Eugene Hyman of Oak City was paid $10.75 per hundred pounds for his reserve champion pen of three. Except for the grand champion pen of one, all the swine purchases were made by the Williamston Packing Com pany, the main support of the show. Other packers wanted to enter the sale, but the Easter holiday was closing down their plants, and the sale had to over come the handicap. No complaint was. heard when it was reported that the 105 hogs, weighing 22, 940 pounds, had sold for $11,892.04, or an average of $16.96 per hun dred pounds. Working in advance of the sale, Riley Tew of Roanoke Lockers, Wm Everett of Dixie Motors and the Williamston Boosters along with others, including several from other towns in the county, moved in to put the sale of steers on top for the State, The seventeen entries, weigh ing 12,870 pounds, sold for a total of $5,241.84, an average of $40.72 per hundred pounds. The sale averaged from eight to ten cents above the open market, it was re ported. Johnnie Griffin sold his grand c hampion to Roanoke Lockers and Roanoke Chevrolet Co. for 50 cents a pound or $405. Corrone Bryant sold the reserve champion to Roanoke Lockers and Belk-Tyler’s for 47 cents a pound or a total of $378.35. John Beach of Hamilton sold his choice steer to Johnson Mer cantile Company of Hamilton for 40 eehts a pound or $312. (Continued on Page Eight) Add Five Niles To Rural Route After walking more than two miles during a long period of years for their mail, a number of Williams Township people will have their mail carried to them, beginning tomorrow, Postmaster W. ^ Dunn announced today. Approximately five miles are being added to Rural Free Detiv cry Route No. 1, handled by Car rier John A. Ward. In making the change, the postal authorities are altering the route to some ex tent, with the possibility that it will be altered again in time.' Several patrons, sharing service offered by the Williamston and Jamesvitle offices, will be served by the JamcxviPe office after to day. The altered route will go as far as Siloam church and turn back to R. J. Hardison’s, turning and through B( lit own to Dan Moore’s corner, turning left there and thence on to new road and then right via the Reasons’ to Fair view Church, turning left there and going to Mill Road Fork and then a retrace back to pick up the original route. Service is being improved ft* about twenty-five patrons, the postmaster explained. ■ -v fi ’