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Our Very Best Wishes for a Most Happy and Prosperous New Year To All of Our Family of Readers
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A home newspaper dedicated E
to the service of Washington s
County and its 12,000 people. E
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VOLUME XLVII—NUMBER 1
The Roanoke Beacon
* + * * * + » and Washington County News ★ ★ ★ ★ * * *
Plymouth, Washington County, North Carolina, Friday, JanuaryJ, 1936
fniiiiiiiitiiimimiimimumuiimimtminmr .iiiiiiiiiiiim'
1 Advertisers will find Beacon
= and News columns a latch-key to
= 1,100 Washington County homes,
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ESTABLISHED 1889
GILBERT DAVIS IS
TO DEVOTE TIME
TO CHURCH WORK
Will Retire From Business
And Turn Full Attention
To Ministerial Duties
Pressure of his ministerial duties
has caused Gilbert Davis to an
nounce that he will leave the busi
ness life of Plymouth, with which he
has been identified for 12 or more
years.
Mr. Davis came here from Bel
haven as manager of Raif’s Depart
ment Store, which was located in
the building now occupied by the
Nurney Funeral Home. Later he was
a partner with E. H. Liverman. Then
he became associated with Mr. Hali
burt, of Belhaven, and later pur
chased the interest of Mr. Haliburt.
Some years ago Mr. Davis became
a clergyman and has divided his
time since between business and his
Christian churches. At the present
time he is pastor of the Dardens,
Jamesville and Fairfield churches in
Martin County and Stokes Christian
church, Pitt County. His ministry
has been a success, as has been at
tested by his continual climb in this
work.
Finding that he needs more time
for pastoral calls and visits and to
attend church functions he has de
cided to retire from business and
devote his time to this work. In ad
dition to his duties as a pastor he
is a good evangelist, filling a number
of calls last year and on each occa
sion was rewarded with telling re
sults.
Mr. Davis will not sever his con
nection with the Town of Plymouth
as mayor until his second term ex
pires next May, at which time he
will not be a candidate to succeed
himself. However, it may be that
he will seek a seat as a candidate
from the second ward, from which
precinct he was sent to the city coun
cil for six terms of two years each.
The retiring merchant will sur
render his store to his successor on
February 1, 1936.
-9
Farm Agent Started
Lespedeza Campaign
—®—
Tom Broom, 69-year-old Union
County farm agent, has changed the
course of agriculture in North Car
olina.
Back in 1915, when he discovered
the soil-building value of lespedeza,
he launched a movement that has
spread into every county of the
State, says F. H. Jeter, agricultural
editor in a story entitled ‘Lespedez- j
zer Broom,” appearing in the De
cember issue of the Farm Journal,
of Philadelphia.
Mr. Broom was the first man in
this part of the country to observe
that a growth of lespedeza, plowed
under, increases the yield of suc
ceeding crops, the story says.
Obtaining a peck of seed from
Louisiana, he tried it out on his own
farm. From that day to this he has j
been a “lespedeza man.” i
In Union County, where the slatey;
soil was not very productive, he'
urged farmers to grow lespedeza to
injprove the fertility of the soil. ■
As they saw what it would do forj
their land, their interest grew, and;
they told their neighbors about the'
new legume. In 1922, farmers of the
county ordered $10,000 worth of seed, I
paying $5 a bushel.
men tney ^egan to proauce tneir
own seed, with a surplus to sell. In
peak years they have sold 300,000
pounds of seed. They sell about 1,
000 tons of hay annually.
Sixty per cent of the farmers in
the county now plant lespedeza, and
more would grow it except for the
tenant system, Broom said.
As a result, the slatey soil of the
county is gradually becoming fer
tile. Corn yields have been raised
from 12 or 13 bushels to 20 or 24
bushels to the acre. Wheat yields
rose from 5 to an average of 18
bushels per acre.
Over the state and nation, the in
creasing use of lespedeza has been
attributed more or less to the pio
neer spirit of Tom “Lespedezzer”
Broom.
---*
Gets 6 Tons Lespedeza
Hay Per Acre in Person
- ■ 9
W. B. Humphries, of Bethel Hill,
Person County, reported to Farm
Agent H. K. Sanders a yield of six
tons of lespedeza hay per acre and
a 100 per cent increase in corn
yields following lespedeza.
$20,000 Inheritance
Money Distributed
In Section Recently
Money Came From Estate
Of Illinois Physician to
Relatives in County
-®
New Year’s Eve brought happiness
to a number of people in Washing
ton County, as close to $20,000 in
inheritance money was distributed to
several people here.
The money came from the estate
of John H. Polk, of Champagne, 111.,
who has a large number of relatives
here who are directly or indirectly
connected with the Latham family
in this county. He has been dead
for close to seven years. He had ac
cumulated wealth as an eminent doc
tor.
For some reason the estate was
tied up and the value of the prop
erty he owned had been so low that
the executors would not sell until
they could secure more returns from
it. And the best part of it is that
this first money is only half of what
they expect to receive.
Among the benefactors are Mrs.
Minnie Johnston, Mrs. P. W. Brink
ley, Mrs. Clyde Owens, Emmet
Blount, Mrs. D. G. Davis, and oth
ers. The amount to each was with
held.
--<£
Business Increase
Causes Local Train
To Be Late Daily
Has Been From 5 Minutes
To 5 Hours Late Every
Night for Two Years
-3>
What can be done about a train
that comes into its terminal each
night for the last two years any
where from 5 minutes to 5 hours
late?
New governmental agencies and!
increased business with a short
handed crew cn some of the larger
connecting lines has caused the At
lantic Coast Line train that operates
daily between Plymouth and Tar
boro to come in late every night.
The new government agencies
have increased mail as well as or
dering by mail. A reduction in ex
press rates to almost those of freight
within a 200-mile limit has added
greatly to this increase in parcels to
be handled. This causes most of the
main line trains to run behind, thus
dragging out a long day’s work for
the crew here.
Overtime starts about 7 o’clock and
most of the time the train pulls in
just in time to prevent any overtime
for the crew.
T. C. Burgess To Go
Back Into Business
—*—
Tom C. Burgess, well known form
er mercantile man in Plymouth, will
reenter business here on about the
first of March in the building on
Water Street now occupied by Gil
bert Davis.
He will specialize in shoes for
men, women and children, with its
kindred lines, and will add a stock
of haberdashery, selling the latest
in men’s wearing apparel. Mr. Bur
gess is well known, having been in !
business here before. He came here
from Rocky Mount, where he had
been in the dry goods business.
Mr. Burgess, though not politi-1
cally inclined, is a member of the
Plymouth City Council at present
He hopes to be in a position to open
his store at least 30 days before
Easter.
Program of Services
For Zion’s Chapel
-9
Sunday school at 10 a. m.
Preaching service at 11 a. m.
Sunday morning is “Dollar Day.’’
Each member is supposed to bring
a dollar which is to be pinned on a
line across the church. Sunday eve
ning services are at 7. o’clock.
-*
Oil Vapor Is Kept in
Chevrolet Crankcases
The new Chevrolets are fitted with
an extra provision to maintain oil
economy. It is a baffle plate inside
the crankcase, which prevents oil
rom being drawn out of the ventilat
ing breather, but permits lighter
vapors and fumes to escape.
(Courtesy of Miss Effie Waldo, Hamilton, N. C.)
Health enough to make work a pleasure;
Wealth enough to support your needs;
Strength enough to battle with difficulties and overcome them;
Grace enough to confess your sins and forsake them;
Patience enough to toil until some good is accomplished;
Charity enough to see good in your neighbor;
Cheerfulness that shall make others glad;
Love that shall move you to be useful and helpful;
Faith that shall make real the things of God;
And hope that shall remove all anxious fears concerning the fu
ture.
THE ROANOKE BEACON
Mrs. J. Bryant Jordan Is Winner of First
Prize Offered by Merchants of Plymouth
Dame Luck did very well by
Mrs. J. Bryant Jordan, an em
ployee in the VVPA sewing room
in Plymouth, when $525 was
handed to her by the good mer
chants of this good town—all be
cause she did her trading in
Plymouth.
She was not at the drawing
when the number was chosen,
but when news reached her of
the number of the lucky ticket
she ran to the front of the mar
ket waving her ticket and was
presented with $525. It was a
lot of money for her at one time.
The second prize of $100 was
handed over to J. T. Askew, of
Route 1, Plymouth, well-known
and well-liked farmer of this
section. The third prize of $50
went to W. C. Chesson, local
postman.
Four other prizes of $5 each
were presented to Mrs. Hildred
Swain, Plymouth; W. B. Tetter
ton, Route 1, Plymouth; Char
lie Hines, colored, Westover;
and Frank Holley, also of West
over.
Despite the cold snowy weath
er, upwards of 3,000 people
were in town for the drawing of
the tickets. The ticket jtubs
were too many for a barrel, so
they were sewn up in a large
sheet. They were stirred good
six times and then a hole was
cut in the sheet at each draw
ing and the 7-year-old daughter
of Rev. and Mrs. Roy Respass, of
Creswell, took out one ticket
stub at the time. The little girl
was given $10 for her part in
the drawing.
The drawing ended a cam
paign by the merchants that has
been waged all through the fall
season since September to in
crease business here. Thousands
of dollars were brought into
Plymouth during the campaign.
The merchants here had one of
their best after-Christmas Sat
urdays they have had in years.
People flocked in from every
quarter to get in on the draw
ing.
Tells How to Avoid
Damage by Termites
The easiest and most effective
time to protect a house against ter
mites is during the early stages of
its construction.
The problem, said Dr. B. B. Ful
ton, research entomologist at State
College, is to keep the termites from
reaching the wooden parts of the
house.
These insects commonly live un
derground, but will build mud run
ways up tire masonry walls of a
house to reach the woodwork.
The greater the distance from the
;oil level to the woodwork, the less
chance of termite infestation, Dr.
Fulton said. And a house with a
full basement is less likely to be
bothered than one without a base
ment or with only a partial base
ment.
Any part of the building which is
not directly over a basement should
be protected by removing the soil
lo give a clearance of three or four
feet. Stumps and roots in the
ground underneath a house should
be dug out.
Dr. Fulton recommended the use
of termite shields for frame houses,
particularly those without basements
A shield is a strip of non-corrosive
metal placed between the founda
tions and the sills.
Well laid Portland cement gives
a good protection, he added, but on
ly so long as there are no cracks
through which the termites may en
ter.
A common source of trouble is in
terraces or porches with a concrete
loor laid over an earth fill, and on
a level with the floor of the house.
Fermites frequently find cracks
through which they can reach the
woodwork.
Building the terraces one step be
low the floor level reduces the like
lihood of termite damage.
!f-\
[ SNOW AND SLUSH j
Snow and slush continues to
cover the shaded ground in
spots near buildings, while a
suffering populace plows thru
the ice-covered streets cautious
ly less the slipper ice cause their
downfall.
Mrs. George W. Hardison said
this was the first White Christ
mas in her lifetime, while Mr.
C. V. W. Ausbon remembers that
only three times during his long
life has the Roanoke River been
frozen over, as it was Wednes
day. Some say the lingering
snow, is awaiting more.
Traffic has been paralyzed in
the rural sections. Rural letter
carriers have missed their routes
on one or more days.
Examinations for
Civil Service Jobs
-s>
The United States Civil Service
Commission has anounced open
competitive examinations as follows:
Junior graduate nurse, $1,620 a
year.
Assistant to technician (forestry),
$1,620 a year.
Assistant geophysicist, $2,600 a
year.
Accountant and auditor, assistant
accountant and auditor, senior ac
counting and auditing assistant, $2,
000 to $3,200 a year, Bureu of Motor
Carriers, Interstate Commerce Com
mission.
Certain specified education and ex
perience are required in connection
with these examinations.
Full information may be obtained
from the Secretary of the United
State Civil Service Board of Exam
iners at the post office or custom
house in any city which has a post
office of the first or the second class,
or from the United States Civil Serv
ice Commission, Washington, D. C.
Services at Local
Christian Church
—*—
Every person in Plymouth should
be found in church on the first Sun
day in the year. Nothing could addj
to the betterment of the community
more than that which would be add
ed if every member of the churches
in Plymouth would attend* the
church services each Sunday during
1936. If you desire to add to Ply
mouth’s betterment start the New
Year off right by attending all serv
ices at your church. A cordial wel
come awaits you at the Christian
church. Service begins at 9:45 a. m.
with the Bible school, in charge of
Supt. J. W. Darden. The worship
hour begins at 11 a. m., with the
pastor using as his subject, “The Two
Gates.’ 6:30 p. m., the Christian En
deavor will convene and at 7:30 p.
m., the evening service will begin.
!Mi. Taylor will use as the subject,
“The Greatest Thing in the World.”
—N. A. Taylor, Pastor.
(Rumors of Death of
A. L. Alexander in
Indiana Unfounded
*—
Body of Man Found Frozen
To Death Not That of
Former Postmaster
-®
Rumors current here that the life
less body of A. L. Alexander, form
erly of this place, who deserted his
family several weeks ago, was found
in Indianapolis, Ind., have been
found by Sheriff J. K. Reid to be
untrue.
It was said that they body was
something like that of Mr. Alexan
der and was found frozen with three
others. Jess Bateman, mechanic for
Satterthwaite Chevrolet Company,
reporated radio broadcasts for iden
tifications and added that the name
Alexander was connected in some
way.
However, Sheriff Reid telephoned,
the police of the Indiana city, giv-1
ing identifying marks and other in-!
formation in supplement to com
munication. The officer has been in
formed that it had been conclusive
ly found that the body of the un
known man was not that of the
Alexander who once lived here.
B. A. Sumner, local traveling sales
man, reports that he is of the opin
ion that he saw Mr. Alexander in a
Florida town shortly after he left
here, but that when he crossed the
street to speak to him the person
disappeared into a fashionable hotel.
Property Value of
North State Schools
Runs Into Millions
—*—
Amount Estimated at $107,
080,000; Many Gains in
Past 20 Years
-&
, Raleigh.—The value of public
school property in North Carolina in
1933-34 was $107,080,903, as com
pared with only $9,078,703.27 in 1913
14, and the expenditure for current
expenses were $18,296,363.78, as com
pared with $4,157,295.17 20 years be
fore, it was shown recently.
Clyde A. Erwin, superintendent of
public instruction, released the sta
tistics in a summary of educational
progress of the state, which, he said,
was prepared primarily to give in
formation to B. Y. P. U. mmebers,
as it seems a state-wide study of ed
lcation is being made by that organi
zation.
Noted was the fact that the cur
rent expense item of 1933-34 of $18,
296,368.78 was only around three
quarters of a million dollars less than
the $19,978,656.87 spent in 1923-24.
This was explained by decreases in
capital outlay of more than nine mil
lions.
The number of log schoolhouses
decreased from 165 in 1923-24 to 4
in 1933-34; the number of one
teacher schools dropped from 3,698
to 533; the number of teachers em
ployed jumped from 13,255 to 23,-j
345; the average length of term rose
from 122 days to 159.3 days and the,
schol enrollment increased from
599,647 to 895,525.
The state appropriation for schools
in 1913-14 was $278,823.08. In 1923
24 it was $1,678,759, and in 1933-34
it was $16,000,000, with the state sup-,
porting a basic eight months term.
The average monthly salaries of
teachers was $39.81 in 1913-14, ,
$99.93 in 1923-24 and $72.36 in
1933-34.
Number Important Events
Scheduled for Next Monday
A number of important events
will take place in Washington Coun
ty January 6.
Superior court will open for a
two weeks term of civil and crim
inal cases. The first three days of
the first week is to be used for the
disposition of criminal cases, w'hile
the other three days and all of the
next week will be devoted to civil
cases. Judge W. C. Harris, of Ra
leigh, will preside.
Several thousand school children
will wend their way back to school
next Monday. For two weeks the
youngsters have celebrated Christ
mas but now it is time to start work
again. This has been one of the
longest Christmas vacations they
have had in a long time. Usually
they get 10 days, but this year they
were given 15.
As it is the first Monday in the
month, as well as in the year, the
Washington County commissioners
will meet in session to discuss im
portant matters pertaining to the
county and the program next year. '
Then at night the City Council of
Plymouth will meet. They will pre
pare plans for advertising the 1934 :
delinquent tax list. No one will be i
exempted unless their taxes are paid 1
before the next issue of the Beacon, j
Tax Collector P. W. Brown is pre- I
paring to hand the list to the print- j
er next week. <
20 LICENSES TO
MARRY ISSUED
IN F AST MONTH
Half of Number Is Secured
Within Few Days of
Christmas
-*
An even 20 couples were issued li
cense to marry in Washington
County by Mrs. Mary O. Sawyer,
register of deeds, during the month
of December, with half of them be
ing secured during the three days
prior and two days following Christ
mas:
White
Preston Haire, Creswell, to Lillie
Jane Bateman, Creswell; Henry R.
Davenport, Plymouth, to Elsie Ger
trude Phelps, Creswell; Roy F. Alex
ander, Roper, to Merle Norman, of
Creswell; Wade H. Collins, Roper, to
Ruby Phelps, Roper; Jesse Manning,
Plymouth, to Ruby Williams, Plym
outh; Floyd Asby, Plymouth, to
Blanche Phelps, Plymouth; Edgar
Barber, Roper, to Esther Spruill, of
Roper; Robert B. Brown, jr., Wil
liamston, to Betty Ruth Butler, of
Stokes; W. Ross Chesson, Roper, to
Mabel Furlaugh, Roper; Adrian
Barnes, Roper, to Mattie Estelle
Biggs, Roper; Wilson G. Bowen, of
Plymouth, to Ruby Estelle Ayers,
Plymouth; Delbert Patrick, Creswell
to Connie Stillman, Roper; William
Phelps, Roper, to Louise Chesson,
Roper; Gilbert Stillman, Roper, to
Beulah Patrick, Roper.
Colored
Lawrence McNair, Plymouth, to
Lillie M. Wynn, Plymouth; Willie
Woods, Roper, to Louise Norman, of
Roper; Simpson Smith, Creswell, to
Dazzie Webb, Creswell; Thomas
Cradle, Roper, to Lula Wettler, of
Roper; Theodora Boston, Jamesville,
to Senia Mae James, Jamesville:
Johnnie Palin, Creswell, to Myrtle
Baum, Creswell.
Thin Out Pines To
Speed Tree Growth
Thinning out an overcrowded
stand of pine trees will pay big div
idends in the long run.
Removing the dead, crippled, and
overcrowded trees leaves the poten
tial timber to develop properly in
-he shortest possible time.
Rufus H. Page, jr., assistant ex
tension forester at State College, has
pointed out a stand of pine on the
farm of K. C. Woodard in Johnston
County as a good example of what
thinning will do for a timber tract.
The trees in Woodard’s stand are
af approximately the same age. Five
years ago he thinned one-third of
fiis stand. Two years ago he thinned
mother third, leaving the remain
ing third untouched.
In the area first thinned are many
:rees 10 inches in diameter at breast
height, Page said. In the second
irea are only a few trees which will
measure that size.
In the untouched part of the tim
3er stand, none of the trees have at
tained a diameter of 10 inches at
oreast height, and many of them are
ess than half the average diameter
)f the trees in the two stands which
lave be^p thinned.
The inferior trees removed from
the stand in the thinning process
.vere cut into cordwood which was
vorth far more than the cost of the
■vork, Page said.
And the better trees were left to
;row into valuable timber which
viil bring Woodard a good profit in
i few years.
“If you don’t think that thinning
3ays,” Page remarked, “just ask any
>f the Johnston County farmers who
lave seen Woodard’s pines.”
-®-.
Helps in Coaching
Eastern Grid Team
Hoot Gibson, of Roper, son of Dr.
ind Mrs. W. T. Gibson, was an as
sistant coach of the Eastern Caro
ina high schools football squad that
net a group from the west in the
irst Tobacco Bowl football game,
clayed in Winston-Salem on New
fear’s Day.
Hoot, who had played on the local
laseball team as well as in high
school athletics, left home on the
lay after Christmas for Greenville
o assist in training the eastern stars
or the event. They worked out on
he East Carolina Teachers’ College
Tidiron. Gibson is a student at the
Ireenville college.