Newspapers / The Enterprise (Williamston, N.C.) / Sept. 15, 1953, edition 1 / Page 1
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THE ENTERPRISE IS READ Hi OVER 3,009 MARTEN COUNTY FAMILIES TWICE EACH WEEK THE ENTERPRISE THE ENTERPRISE IS READ D OVER 3,000 MARTIN COUNT* FAMILIES TWICE EACH WEEK VOLUME LVI—NUMBER 74 Williamaton, Martin County, North Carolina. Tuesday, September 15, 1953 ESTABLISHED 189! Fire Wrecks Large Plant In Oak City Johnson Milling Company Loss Is Placed At $25,000 —*— Fire Departments In Three Towns Answer The Call Early Tuesday Oak City lad the most disas-j trous fire in its history shortly j after 2:00 o'clock yesterday after noon when the large plant of the Johnson Milling Company and thousands of dollars worth of con tents were burned. No official es timate could be had, but one re port placed the loss at $25,000, and that was considered a conser-! vative figure. The property was partially covered by insurance, or hardly enough to replace the buildings. Housing a saw mill, planing mill and cotton gin and providing much storage, the company was ginning its first bale of cotton from the new crop. Manager Gene Tyson said the fire appar ently started in the gin saws and * was blown into the compress 1 where it spread rapidly. “We tried to put it out but the odds were against us,’’ Mr. Tyson ex plained, adding that fire was all over the place in a matter of min utes. Fire departments at Scotland Neck, Hobgood and Williamston answered calls there, but the plant had just about burned down and the smoke stack was already down. Firemen were able to keep the fire from spreading to a lumber shed, and a few out buildings adjoining the plant were saved. A bucket brigade saved a tobacco barn when sparks fired it approximately 200 yards away. Carrying 750 gallons of water, the Hobgood fire truck success fully turned the fire back just as it was reaching the lumber shed. No inventory count could be had immediately, but Mr. Tyson | said that in addition to the par tial bale of cotton in the press there were about fifteen bales of cotton stored and waiting to be ginned. In a nearby storage house, seven barns of tobacco and between fifty and 100 bags of cot ton seed meal were burned. Cross ties on the A. C. L. Railroad were also burned or damaged. The wind favored a large col nred church adjoining the plant property a| well as several homes and other buildings. The wind also favored a large oil storage tank a short distance from the plant. Mr. J. C. Johnson, owner, was out of town and could not be reached for a statement. It is not known if he plans to rebuild the plant which normally em ployed from six to a dozen work ers. •-♦ Hopkins To Open Shoe Store Here i -• Hopkins' Shoe Store, owned and managed by Mr. Ben Hopkins, is scheduled to open for business in the apartment building here on Main Street Friday morning at 9:00 o’clock. A large assortment of shoes has been received and will be placed in the store just as soon as the House of Fashion completes its move to a new location. Going with Belks here back in i't\ Mr. HdpS7nI'"has”liadf much experience in fodtwear. Except for several years spent in the service during World War II, in cluding three in the Pacific area, Mr. Hopkins has spent his time buying and fitting footwear. The store is handling national ly-known brands. Ho will have associated with him, Mrs. Hon inks and Mrs. A. R. Alcox, hath experienced in sales. As an added opening feature, the store is giving away twelve pairs of shoes Saturday evening at 6:00 o’clock. Registrations get under way Friday morning, it was announced. The House of Fashion vacated the store this week and both firms are rushing arrangements for their formal openings later in the week. CONTRACTS The town of Williamston is being asked to enter into contracts with the State Highway and Public Works Commission whereby the j town will share one-third the j expense of acquiring rights of way for the 2.79-mile by pass and the widening of the overhead railroad bridge on West Main Street. The town is also being asked to enter into an agreement whereby the town is to exercise any rights it may have under franchises to effect the chang ing or relocating any tele phone or electric power poles, water and sewer lines that are in the way of the project. The contracts were not en tered into immediately. It was pointed out however that very little of the by-pass is within the town limits, and that the underpass project will be limited to railroad property. Schedule Twelve | Divorce Cases In ; Superior Court All -But One Are Raned On' Ground* Of Two-Year Separation Twelve divorce cases have been ' placed on the calendar for trial ‘ during the second week of the September term of Martin Coun ty Superior Court. All but one of the twelve divorce actions are based on grounds of two-year separation. Judge Walter J. Bone of Nash ville is to preside over the term, which convenes next Monday morning at 10:00 o'clock. The first week of the two-week term will be devoted to the trial of a large criminal docket. In addition to the divorce actions, the court in its second week will hear a goodly number of civil cases, Clerk L. B. Wynne said. Divorce cases on the calendar include the following: In the case of Eleanor B. Bal lous against George Ballou, re cently of Florida, the plaintiff says they were married August 25, 1945, and separated Mai eh 12, 1951, that the one child born of the union is living with ana is supported by tne plaintiff. After approximately twenty | three years of married life, Henry Rowson is suing Anna Rowson for a divorce. He says in the com plaint that they were married April 4, 1928, and separated March 28, 1951. The plaintiff also alleged that the defendant went to Mt. Vernon, New York, and re turned a short time later, taking all six children with her to New York. Grace Wynne Forehand is suing Thomas Lloyd Forehand of Chow an Conrity for a divorce. The plaintiff says they were married December 17, 1949 and separated December 3, 1950, that one child was born of the union. In »he case of James L. Barfield (Continued on Page Seven) Father And Son Caught At Still —<*— Leamon Roebuck and his son, .Billy, .a-KrirfiaajKajr veterm.-were arrested at a liquor still in Cross Roads Township, not far from the Wilson Chapel church, last evening at 7:00 o’clock. Given a hearing before Justice of the Peace W. M. Tetterton, the father and son were releasd in $100 bond each. They are to appear before Judge H. O. Pee)e in the county recorder's court oq October 5. Officers Cecil rfullock. Wilc.y Craft, Garland Bunting and Joe Smith took their stand near the still late in the afternoon and waited until the operators ap peared and started.making prep arations for distilling about 100 gallons of beer. Officer Smith flushed the couple and Officers Bunting and Bullock picked them up. The plant was equipped with a 60-gallon capacity copper kettle. Escapee Booked For Larceny Oi Goldsboro Truck —♦ — Elbert Lee Biggs Speeds 90 Miles An Hour Before Wreck Elbert Lee Biggs. 17-year-old Martin County Negro youth with a criminal record going back eight years, is in the courts again. He was arrested in West End early Saturday afternoon after he wrecked a Studebaker pick-up truck stolen from Marshall H. Best in Goldsboro at 9:00 o'clock that morning. An inmate in the criminal di vision of the Goldsboro Asylum, Biggs broke out of the institution by scaling a 12-foot wall early that morning. It was his second escape since he was sent there for breaking into the Roanoke Chevrolet Company garage here some time ago. Said to possess the mentality of a six-year-old, Biggs spotted the truck on a Goldsboro street and drove away, hardly knowing where he was going. He told of ficers he traveled through Rocky Mount, that he did not know where he was until he drove into Everetts from the direction id .Spring Green. * When he drove into Highway j 64 at Everetts. Patrolman R. W. I Parker spotted the stolen truck and tried to wave Biggs down, j The youth increased his speed, and Patrolman Parker stalled trailing him. Traveling at H5 to 90 miles an hour, Patrolman Park ier called for a road block at Wil liamston. During the meantime, the officer t l ied to stop the truck, but Biggs would cut in on him. Just as they approached the- inter section of (14 and McQgskey Road ■ in West End, a car pulled into Highway 64, and Biggs Was forc ed to ditch the truck, the vehicle (Continued on Page Seven) School's Lunch Room Committee —*>— In announcing the committees for the 1953-54 school term, the names of thg high school lunch room committee were left out by mistake by the printers. Asa Crawford, president of the parent-teacher association, sup plied the names of those who were appointed to serve on the com mittee at the high school lunch room, as follows: Mrs. Chas. Manning, chairman; Mrs. Raymond Gurkin, Mrs. Her bert Whitley, Mrs. Ralph Holli day, Mrs. W. R. Giover, Mrs. J S. Rhodes, Jr., Mrs. Arthur Corey Mrs. Robert E. Manning, Mrs. J. R. Griffin, Mrs. Arthur Revels and Mrs. Albert Gurkin. Tobacco Prices Breaking Records Few Register For Bond Election In County October 3 —«— Books Open For Last Day In Thin County, Satur day, September 19 Less than a dozen persons have registered so far in this county for the State-wide bond election to be held on Saturday, October 3, according to information re leased by Elections Board Chair man C. D. Carstarphen. The books have been open to receive new electors since Saturday before last, but very little interest has been shown in the registration. It is true thilt those whose names are already on the books do not have to register again to participate in the October 3 elec tion, but it is believed that there are several hundred persons who are eligible to register and who have not placed their names on the books. The registration books close on Saturday of this week, and the following Saturday—September 2t>—will be designated as chal lenge day. Plans for holding the special $72 million bond election have been completed by the officials, and there have been few changes j in the registrars and poll holders, Chairman Carstarphen said. Those whose names do not ap pear on the books and who wish to participate in the October 3 election should see their respec tive register before 6:00 o’clock on Saturday of this week. The precinct registrars are: Jamesville, F. C. Stallins;Wil liams, Grady Godard; Griffins, S. Oscar Peel; Bear Grass, A. B. Ty ers, Jr.; Williamston No. 1 Wen dell Peele; Williamston No. 2 S. , (Continued on Page Seven) -———— Participated In Prisoner Switch —•— Far East— Contributing to the Navy's role in transporting the North Korean and Communist POWs for Operation Big Switch while serving aboard the USS Seminole was Hilton G. Harrison, boilerman third class, USN, son of Mr. and Mrs. H. G. Harrison of Route 2, Williamston, N. C. The Seminole, an attack cargo | snip, has transported 4,800 prison ers from the prison camps at Koje Do to Inchon for repatriation since the armistice was signed The ship is on her second tour of Far Eastern duty with Task Force 90 amphibious forces. Delayed Few Days Freed a short time ago after spending nearly three years in a communist prison camp, S/Sgt. Martel Hardy is scheduled to land in San Francisco tomorrow. He was to have reached the west coast Sunday, but his ship, the Li. S. S. General'Black was delayed. The above picture was taken by the American Red Cross at Inchon, Korea, the 30th of last month and flown to this country. Sgt. Hardv, a veteran of two wars, is the son of Mrs. Nellie Hardy of RFD 3. Williamston. $40,000 Bad Cheek Trail Ended Here Jas. Rowlen Tells A Fantastic Story Following Arrest -- Companion Hold For Iiivoh tipi lion; Third Menibrr Of Trio Fwapi*M A self-admitted $40,000 had check trail, dating back to 1942, came to an end here last Thurs day night when James Rowlen, alias Robert Louis La France, was arrested by Officers Tom Chesson and Verble Jones, A companion, James Thomas Harris, 23, was taken into custody along with Rowlen for investigation, but a third member of the unholy trio. John “Shorty” Morgan, driv er of the car, escaped. The car, a 1951 Studebaker stol (Continued on Page Eight) Shoots Nan Over Fifty-Cent Debt —*— Angered because James Godard would not pay him fifty cents he had won in a matching game, Lee Rollins, colored, went into his house, got a shot gun and came out firing on Godard at fairly close range. The victim was pep pered with bird shot in the feet, legs and back. Godard’s wounds were not serious, and he was re leased following brief hospital treatment. Rollins, Godard and one or two other colored men were engaging in the gambling game at the Rol lins home on the Purvis farm in the Spring Green community last Saturday afternoon when the 50 eent argument started. After the attack, friends picked Godard up and removed him to the hospital. Rollins packed his suit case and took French leave. Martin County Farm Bureau Day Today Drive Started To Sign Up Members For the New Year — +> . . Seventy-five Canvattsers Are At Work In Every One Of Ten Diftlrirlrt Farm Bureau day is being ob served throughout Martin County today with seventy-five canvass ers carrying fhe membership ap peal to every nook and corner. Final plans for the observance and membership drive were ad vancer! a.t. a kj.c..k.-otLjneetiny hel l in the courthouse las* Friday evening when President "clias; L. Daniel reviewed the organiza tional set-up and heaid encour aging reports from the township chairman. Mrs. Carl Griffin, chairman for Jamesville, stated that seven can vassers had pledged to carry the Farm Bureau membership anpeal to every section in that township. President Daniel, heading the drive in Williams Township, said that six canvassers had been as signed routes, and that the work was already under way with good results. Chairman Griffin said four canvassers had agreed to canvass Griffins Township. Eight canvassers are handling the drive in Bear Grass, Chan man (Continued on Page Eight) Hearing Held In Assault Cases The principals in an assualt case were placed under $100 bond each and a third defendant was fined $5, plus costs, in Justice J. R. Mobley’s court here last eve ning. , The cases had their origin the early part of last week when Homer Holliday of Plymouth vis ited his sister’s store in Williams Township and spilled a bottle of beer on a pool table. Holliday maintained at the hearing that .he. struck ru> dbc, ..hut probable caw .-f. guilt vf&'. '■ .:r.d'and fe* goes into the .county court Oc tober 5 charged with assaulting a male and female with a cue stick. Harry Reed is booked for trial the same day for allegedly assaulting his brother-in-law, Homer Holliday, with a deadly weapon. Reed maintains that Holliday assaulted his wife, struck him with a cue stick and pushed him against a prate of bot tles, cracking three ribs. Mrs. Dovie Cunningham of Ply mouth was said to have returned to the Reed store the following night and tongue-lashed the Reeds as anti-climax to the as saults. She was fined $5, plus costs: Hollidoy was shot in the chest ! but his wound proved not to be| serious. ■Auk School I’atnniK To Reserve Subxcri /ilions The annual magazine sale, con ducted by the elementary stud ents of grades 5-8, will be held during the two weeks beginning Sept. 29. Parents and friends of these children are asked to save their renewals and original sub scriptions for the children. The profit from this sale will be applied on a new piano for the school, Principal B. G. Stewart stated. Marlin County Leads The List AceVHV ding I'liaiii.V coiVipicle II' turns, Martin County Ini tin- list in .supporting the recent peanut assessment referendum. The farm ers in this county cast more than sixteen percent of the vote re corded in favor of the assessment of one cent per hundred pounds. Martin County 1,309 votes in favor of the assessment and only four against it. Bertie, one of the largest peanut producing counties in the State, voted 783 and 5 against. Halifax voted 865 for and 21 against. Northampton, where peanut is king, supported the plan with only 557 votes and led the opposition with 62 votes. The 44 counties participating in the August 29 referendum voted 8,035 for and 174 against the pro gram. Naola Company Given Franchise -<1> Maola Milk and Ice Cream Co., Inc., has announced the acquire ment of the franchise rights on Butter Flake Buttermilk in North Carolina. Butter Flake Buttermilk is a nationally advertised product originated by the G. P. Gundlach Co. of Cincinnati, Ohio. In serv ing this franchise Mania has as sumed tlie responsibility of a ri gid, laboratory controlled butter milk. A controlled buttermilk is >, ,enti.it W •»:'« under a physicians care or «ibe. ,.ii iti'i'vsTed t.o efii'.k "buttermilk in rheir daily diet. Carefully prepared Lactic Acid milks are highly esteemed by physicians. They prescribe them, for example, for delicate infants who do not thrive on other foods because they digest more easily than ordinary milk. As a matter of fact the use of acidulated milk in infant feeding is one of the greatest discoveries of recent times. Partly for this reason of easy digestibility and partly for the cleansing, toning, effect of Lactic Acid, physicians also prescribe cultured milk, better know as buttermilk, for adult patients with digestive ills, such as colitis, spas tic constipation, intestinal pu trefaction and the like. Tobacco Sales Pass Six Million Pounds ROUND-UP Local and county officers had another busy week-end, rounding up and temporarily detaining fourteen persons. Two others were wanted but did not fall into the hands of the law. Six were booked for public drunkenness, three for being drunk and disorderly, two for investigation, and one each for carrying a concealed weapon, assault and larceny of a motor vehicle. Nine of the fourteen were white and the ages of the group ranged from 16 to 51 years. United Forces In State Endorsing Proposed Program List* Kleven Reasons W liy Rnml Issues Shold He N oted Oetober .‘I Raleigh—State leaders of the United Forces for Education, strong statement urging all North Carolinians to support the bond issues for school and mental hos pital construction at the polls Oct. 3. Pointing out that a statewide bond issue to aid counties in need ed school construction has been a major objective of the United Forces since Jan. 7, 1952, the group expressed its conviction that without state aid at this time North Carlina's critical school building and health needs cannot be met The UFE statement follows: 1 An ppoi tunity for the peo ple to vote on a bond issue to as sist with our school building pro gram, the money to be distribut ed according to need and ability to provide, was Point Five of the United Forces for Education basic legislative program for 1953 This program was announced on Janu ary 7, 1952, and the UFE has pro moted it since that date. 2 We, therefore, concur in the sound judgment ot the state ad ministration and of those mem bers of the 1953 General Assembly who voted to submit the bond is sues and who are now urging thir acceptance by the people who elected them. 3. The passage of these bond issues will provide funds which we consider an investment in the development and conservation of North Carolina’s greatest asset, its human resources. 4 Based on information sup pi.ct< ny superintendents of the county and city administrative units to the State Department of Public Instruction for use of the (Continued on Page Eight) One Injured In Auto Accident One person was painfully in jured and two others went through a wild ride without in jury on Highway H4, about four miles east of Wilhamston, Mon -dvijiKi.'ferni i>;. •• Diww’jfthe .1949 j.tcSi'u. belonging to | Joseph Pi lee oi He'D a, Vvllliains I ton. was i iirr.ated ai S'.alii) by members of the highway patrol following their investigation. Ledge Williams, colored of Wil liamston, suffered a severe arm injury, possibly a fracture in ad dition to bad cuts. She was given hospital treatment. Lcola Wilhams, 29 of Williams ton, was learning to drive Trice’s ear. She ran off the right side of the highway, and then back across the road. The ear went wild, tearing down a crepe myrtle tree in Arthur Green’s yard, then glancing the front porch and tearing away a post. The car swerved at that point, struck an other tree and came to a stop in a soy bean field, investigating officers said. I Highest Sale Of The Season Hade By Local Market Second Largest Sale Of The Year Averaged $62.19 Here Yesterday A new price record for the sea son and the highest since October 16, 1951, was chalked up on the Williamston Tobacco Market yes terday when 406,550 pounds of the leaf were sold for $252,869.18, an average of $62.19 per hundred pounds. Last Friday the market set poundage and price records for the season, government reports placing the poundage at 408,896 pounds and the money at $244,304, or an average of $59.75. With prices showing added strength and with better tobacco appearing on the floors, the market went right on to set a new price record for the year yesterday. Yesterday was about the first time if not the very first time m history that the market paid out more than a quarter million dollars for tobacco in a single day. Up until this morning the mar ket here had sold 5,875,394 pounds for $3,300,097 00, an average for the season to date of $56.17. The sales today while not quite up tn capacity, will carry the total well over the six million mark. During the corresponding sev enteen selling days last season, the market sold 4.214,166 pounds for $2,048,69! an average of $48.61. A review of sales and prices in the entire Bright Belt follows as furnished by the Agriculture De partments: Volume of sales was heavy on Eastern North Carolina Hue-cur ed tobacco markets this week. Average prices by grades were generally steady to a little lower, according to the Federal-State Market News Service. Quality j of offerings (showed a slight im provement over last week. Sales for the four-day period ending September 11 totaled 51. 116,88!) pounds and averaged | $55.54 per hundred This was the highest weekly average of the .season, topping last week's by 94 i cents. Season sales were brought I to 174,079.036 pounds for an aver age of $54.50. For the compar I able period last year 139,842,158 | pounds had averaged $49.86. A large number of grade aver ages continued steady with quo tations of the week before. Fluc tuations were small—mostly $1.00 j to $2 00 per hundred pounds. M< .. '. s*‘ban gains took place, I with declines being centered on I lower quality grades. A small decrease occurred in the percentage of nondescript marketings, while a slight in crease was shown in smoking leaf. (Continued on Page Seven) Native Of County Dies In Virginia —<$>— Mrs Alice Mizelle Davis, widow o' Lonnie Davis, died at the home her ■■nr, WiMir Eteris, U1 Hope.v.-..: j well Virginia, Sunday n*ght She i had oecp in declining health for I'M Kite TfiVie. Pui'\v.is able to sjifiud much of the summer in the Jamesville community with rela tives and friends. She was born in Jamesville Township and spent most of her life there, moving to Hopewell about twenty years ago. She was a devoted member of the Poplar Chapel Church for many years. Funeral services are being con ducted in thC| Hopewell Church of Christ this afternoon and in terment will be in the cemetery there. Surviving are three sons, Wil lie, of the home; Edgar and Hu bert Davis of Norfolk, and two daughters, Mi's. Alton Bowden of Norfolk and Miss Ruth Davis of the home.
The Enterprise (Williamston, N.C.)
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Sept. 15, 1953, edition 1
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