North Carolina Newspapers

A home newspaper dedicated to the service of Washington County and its 12,000 people. The Roanoke Beacon ♦ * * * * * + and Washington County News ******* VOLUME XLVII—NUMBER 39 Plymouth, Washington County, North Carolina, Friday, September 25, 1936 Advertisers will find Beacon and News columns a latch-key to 1,100 Washington County homes. ESTABLISHED 1889 COUNTY LEADER OF DEMOCRATS IS MOOT QUESTION J. C. Swain Elected by One Group Saturday; Darden Also Claimant They are still inquiring of each other on the streets today as to who is the legal chairman of the Wash ington County Democratic Execu tive Committee, while the partisans move on to Ahoskie to attend a ral ly on Friday. W. M. Darden, a leader in the ma- i jor faction, claims this honor, while his rights are contested by J. C. Swain, who was elected to this job last Saturday at a meeting held in W. L. Whitley’s office, at which time Mr. Whitley emphasized his first statement that he would not accept the place. Wallace Winborne, state chair man, is said to be “playing ball” with both of the claimants by cor responding with both of them and addressing each as chairman of the county Democratic executive com mittee. But how much longer this can continue is not known. This situation has come down from a split in the Democratic county convention held here several months ago. W. W. White claims that he is the precinct chairman from Skin nersville, while C. Lr. Everett con tests this and claims the office him self. E. R. Lewis, Lees Mills; J. L. Rea, Wenona; and C. L. Everett, Skin nersville, elected Mr. Whitley as chairman, and when he declined to serve elected J. Corbitt Swain to the job. Clyde Smithson, Scuppernong; W. M. Darden, Plymouth; W. W. White Skinnersville, elected Mr. Darden as chairman. It has been reported that the State party officials recognized Mr. Everett as the proper Skinnersville chairman and thus recognize Mr. Whitley and later Mr. Swain as the legal chairman. The major faction in the county, whose candidates were nominated in the primaries, recognizes Mr. Darden. A show-down is expected soon. It may be that both factions will en deavor to have a crowd present at the Ahoskie meeting to increase the voting power so that the largest delegation can dominate the meet ing as regards matters relating to this individual county. -® Pungo Man Sets Trap for Thieves Willie Allen from out Wenona way brings the story to Plymouth of the resourcefulness of a Pungo man in apprehending chicken thieves. A steel trap was set at the door of the poultry house. When the hand reached in to bring out a hen the jaws of the trap clamped down on it. A comrade went for a scant ling to help free the trap’s prisoner. It seemed ages to the man with the hurting hand in the trap before his comrade returned, and so he let out a yell for help and was freed by the owner of the chicken house. Both were white men. Names of the principals in the story could not be learned, but Mr. Allen will vouch for the truthful ness, as he called names but those who passed the story on could not recall the names of the principals. -9 Try To Organize For Group Singing Miss Ruth Modlin, a member of the school faculty, choir leader of the Christian church and otherwise a good musician in general, is co operating with Principal E. W. Joy ner and others in an effort to get a group of interested singers to or ganize some kind of system for the promotion of this talent. J. B. Alderman, of Dunn, one of the leading song leaders in this stale has offered this community the op portunity of participating in this group singing. It would cost $600 a year. It is hoped that 150 intei ested people will contribute $2 each for a year. Mr. Alderman will secure a sing er from the Westminster Choir School, of Princeton, N. J., to give one day’s service to this community each week. He will assist congre gations, choirs, choruses, or any oth er group singers in arranging and giving a program or will train them for the community. Miss Modlin, being a singer her self, is interested in this plan, and it is hoped that something can be worked out in regard to the mat ter. HOW AGRICULTURAL BUILDING WILL LOOK | . __J When completed, Washington County’s agricultural building, next to the courthouse, will look similar to the one pictured here. The building here will present a better appearance, the district supervisor of the WPA. which organization is handling the construction, explain ing that certain alterations would effect improvements. COMPACT BILL j Meeting in Washington last week, farmer representatives of the tobacco-growing sections were advised that the legal di vision of the Federal govern ment was working out details in regard to additional legislation needed to make effective some form of tobacco control. At a recent meeting in Pitt County, J. E. Winslow, State Farm Bu reau president and one of the representatives attending the Washington meeting, stated that the legal division of the govern ment was drawing up a model bill, including the agreement en tered into by the various farm bureaus, and that copies of the proposed bill will be made pub lic within the next few days. County Council in Meeting Saturday The members of the county coun cil held an interesting meeting Sat urday afternoon in the home agent’s office. Mrs. W. H. Harrison, presi dent of the council, presided. The members of the council voted for the officers of the federation to give a report at the fall federation. Plans for a program of the federa tions were discussed. Mrs. Edison Davenport, of Mackeys, was elected secretary of the federation to suc ceed Mrs. Leon Brey. Mrs. A. L. Holmes, of Creswell, and Mrs. Z. S. Waters, of Pleasant Grove were elected to serve with the home agent on a flower and fund committee. Mrs. Hilda Robertson, Mrs. Jas per Swain, and Miss Ida Davis were appointed as a nominating commit tee for president of the federation this fall. The following clubs were repre sented at the meeting: Creswell, Cherry, County Bridge, Roper, Cool Springs, Chapel Hill, Alba, Pleasant Grove, and Swain. Ministers Invited To Attend Show Ministers and their wives from Plymouth, Roper, Columbia, Cres well, Mackeys, Jamesville, and any rural parishes have a special invi tation to attend the New Theatre here Thursday or Friday of this week to see “San Francisco” as the guest of Shep Brinkley. This picture has been acclaimed by critics as the most uplifting out standing Christianlike picture to come out of Hollywood. The story deals with two brothers, one good and one bad. Clark Gable was nev er better as the bad brother, who did for Spencer Tracy, the good brother, what his own followers could not afford to do. Jeannette McDonald is the guiding force to bring the brothers together. “This picture I personally endorse as being of the highest quality enter lainment attainable. In Murfrees boro this production played to ca pacity crowds, and I have yet to hear any one say it wasn’t as ad vertised,” says Shep. -« Farm Teachers Meet in Roper —•— N. B. Chestnut, of Greenville, dis trict supervisor of vocational agri culture in the schools in this section, met with the teachers of this course in the schools of Washington, Mar tin, and Tyrrell counties at Roper last week. A. H. Tucker, of Creswell, dis cussed the Young Tar Heel Farm ers’ organization, while J. O. Coop er, Plymouth, outlined a program of work, with C. H. Floyd, Roper, and J. C. Eubanks, Jamesville, joining in the general discussions. SECURE TEACHER OF COMMERCIAL SUBJECTS HERE --- Shorthand and Typewriting Lessons To Be Given Starting Monday Miss Jacksie Wiggins, of Tarboro, will report here Monday to begin classes in commercial work that is being added to the curriculum of the Plymouth High School, it was learned today from Principal E. W. Joyner. Miss Wiggins is now teaching in a private school at Raleigh. She grad uated from the Tarboro High School and attended Flora McDonald Col lege at Red Springs. Last May she received a degree as Associate in Commerce from fhe Bowling Green (Ky.) College of Commerce. A fee of $3 per month is charged to each student of the course. Twen ty-two school students and about 17 part-time students have enrolled for the course. It is necessary that at least 30 students take the course in order to finance it. The school board, in a meeting last week, agreed to employ the teacher, with her salary to be de pendent entirely upon tuitions that are to be collected monthly in ad vance, Her salary is to be $70 per month, All over that collected will be used for incidentals, new type writers, repairs, and such. Miss Wiggins is expected to teach shorthand and typing. Mr. Joyner once thought that he would instruct in bookkeeping and commercial law but it is not thought that this will be necessary, as his time will be taken up in teaching other subjects and supervision of the school. Might teaching on the part of Miss Wiggins is to be discouraged. She will be available during the day from 8:30 to 5 and she hopes to get her work in before that time ex pires. The school now has about 7 typewriters available. Students from anywhere in this county who wish to take this course are welcome to enroll, put their money on the line and be present on Monday morning for the organiza tion meeting. Thief Gets $131 Cash From Local Home A sneak thief entered the home of Mr. and Mrs. J. O. Everett on Main Street Tuesday afternoon, be tween 4 and 5 o’clock and took $131 in currency from a pocketbook in the drawer of a bedroom dresser. Occupants of the house were with in a few feet of the dresser all the time, but never heard a person en ter the house. The pocketbook was found empty at the back door steps a few minutes before 6 o’clock. There were no checks or other iden tifying papers in the pocketbook. Mr. Everett is a traveling sales man and arrived home in the after noon, bringing the money in collec tions for his company. He gave it to his wife to keep, and she put it in a drawer in her bedroom. There were no clues. Authorities are working on the case and have some colored persons under suspicion. Body Storm Victim Is Found Monday -m The body of Charles Littlejohn, negro deckhand, who was swept off the barge tender “Ashe” during last Friday’s storm, was found Monday afternoon in the Scuppernong Riv er at Dewey’s Pier near Creswell. He was a native of Creswell. The “Ashe,” with Littlejohn on board, broke away from the tug “Carolina” during the storm last Friday. The wreckage of the ten der was found at the mouth of Scuppernong River Saturday. MORTGAGE SALE IS HELD UP BY ORER OF COURT -<9 Sallie M. and J. L. Swain Se cure Injunction Against Plymouth Oil Co. -jo A restraining order was granted Sallie M. and J. L. Swain against Clyde McCallum and E. Leigh Win slow, trading as the Plymouth Oil Company, which prevented the sale of property on Monday that was ad vertised in the Beacon during the last four weeks. Judge J. Paul Frizzelle, of Snow Hill, signed the restraining order on last Sunday (however, the papers are dated on Monday). The proper ty advertised was described as be ing "bound on the west by High way No. 90,” which is the place at which R.alph Browning operates a filling station. The plaintiffs set forth that they erected a filling station on the land for trade and were under contract I to handle Plymouth Oil Company products, and that the Standard Oil Company offered them $5,000 for land and station but were dissaud ed from this proposition by the Plym outh Oil Company representatives, who “would convey to them that part of the property not considered in and operated by the filling sta tion.” In December, 1932, the defendants failed to execute to them a deed as mentioned and foreclosed mort gage under this power with E. R. Chesson, agent of the Plymouth Oil Co., as the purchaser. They went to Clyde McCallum and E. L. Win slow for adjustment of a book ac count of $350 and a deed which they refused to execute. Later a deed was executed by the defendants to the plaintiffs and a mortgage taken for money due. The plaintiff's claim they are due credit for $149 paid on account, $575 stock and fixtures from the store when they stopped business and $108 in taxes now due, which have not been paid. And the plaintiffs allege that these three items should cancel the debt entirely, leaving them the house in which they now live. The plaintiffs also allege that they were to get 1 cent on each gallon of gasoline as rent for the filling sta tion which the Plymouth Oil Com pany has failed to turn over to them at a period between November, 1931 to April, 1933. Offers To Provide Gymnastic Training —*— Calisthenics is offered to the peo ple of this section by Cecil (Buggs) Beasley, of Plymouth, who has trained pugilists in the light heavy weight classes. Mr. Beasley offers to train the high school chaps in the art of self defense as a health measure, al though some may desire to enter the game as a professional in years. His services would be free to the school boys and girls (separate classes). The only provision is that the school officials equip the local gym with punching bag, rowing machine and other equipment so that gym nastic training might be undertaken right here in Plymouth. His idea also is to include classes at night, or in the daytime if pre ferred, for men and women of ex cess weight, as well as underweight children. They will be given such exercises as will aid in trimming their figures and adding to then health. A nominal charge will be made by him for his service, which can be secured very cheap if enough peo ple are interested. Benefit dances, plays and other entertainments can be given by those interested to help the school officials to secure money enough to properly equip the gym. He is now training Johnny Muel ler, of Wenona, and Bryan Cox, of Plymouth. Add New Members At Roper Churches —®— The last two weeks have been important in the church activities in Roper. Last week there were six additions to the Baptist church as the result of a series of revival services held by the pastor, Dr. G. A. Martin, of Creswell. D. E. Poole was in charge of the singing. This week Rev. W. W. Watson, pastor of the Methodist church, has been conducting a series of meet ings that will probably end Sunday night. The results will be announc ed at that time. Lang to Locate Pickle Plant Here If Acreage Is Secured C. C. Lang & Son, of Baltimore, who operate large plants at Wash ington and Elizabeth City, N. C., Hall, N. Y., Preston, Md., and Mil ford, Va., and buy large quantities of onions, peppers, and cucumbers for pickles, will put in a branch plant at Plymouth if sufficient acre age is pledged for planting to the various crops for the crop years of 1937. The Lang firm established a plant at Washington 5 years ago and they now have a very large business at that place, employing about 100 dur ing the entire year, and using the products raised by some 650 farm ers the past season, giving them a cash market for all of the cucum bers, etc., that they produced under contract at a state price. Some of the growers made as high as $200 per acre for cucumbers dur ing the growing season this year. The past spring was hard on the cu cumber grower, heavy rains early and later on a severe drouth, but the average production in the Wash ington section was very satisfactory, running about $140 per acre. As the cucumber crop is harvest ed in June and is over by the 10th of July, it gives the grower ready cash at a time that it is most need ed. P. H. Roberts, jr., will have charge of the Plymouth business. He is the son of the manager of the Washing ton plant. Mr. Roberts is an exper ienced pickle man and will be able to give the growers valuable infor mation relative to the best method of planting and harvesting the crops to be produced at Plymouth. Mr. Roberts is a southern man. born in Mississippi, but has had 15 years’ ex perience in the pickle business in Ohio and Michigan, which constitute the center of the pickJe production of the United States. Football Team Is Being Organized At Local School ——•— $100 Plegded To Help Boys; Team Working Out This Week ——« Notwithstanding press reports that Principal E. W. Joyner was not in favor of football in the ath letic program, the Plymouth High School is expected to have a foot ball team this year. In fact close to $100 has been pledged and about $65 has been col lected as a “financial starter.” Drills have been in order all this week with L. W. Zeizler, science teacher, band instructor and coach in charge of the preliminary workouts. Forty dollars’ worth of used equip ment has been purchased from the Roper boys. This will be cleaned, renovated and improved until it ap pears now that the boys will have pietty good equipment for a dozen boys to trot onto the field in full football togs. The boys became enthused, the school board agreed to the sport, Mr. Ziegler capitalized on the interest of the students and teachers and E. F. Still, former school board mem ber, planked down $10 at one throw so the boys went after the populace for donations. Mr. Joyner desires to arrange games for October with schools in Williamston, Windsor, Columbia, Edenton, and other schools in this section. The schedule calls for one game a week, usually on Fridays. It is not known whether they will enter conference competition. Some of the huskies on the team include Richard Lucas, Bob Bate man, Norman Mayo, Reuben Mayo, Jimmy Wineset, Jimmy Hays, Rus sell Harrison, Henry Gray Mizelle, Tarleton Gardner, Bill Darden, Bry ant Cox, Brinson, and others. New Supervisor of Home Management Miss Mary E. Johnston, of Char lotte, has succeeded Miss Kestler as supervisor of home management in Washington and Tyrrell Counties under the Rural Resettlement Ad ministration, assuming her duties on Monday morning. She was transferred to Plymouth from Clinton in Sampson County, where she worked with the same or ganization for some time. She will share a joint office here with C. C Hutcheson, supervisor of farms for the RA. Her work wil bring her in contact with 163 families in these counties. Mornings she will be in the office, while in the afternoons she will be in the field, and every Saturday morning will have office hours from 8:30 to 1. Miss Kestler, who has been here almost since the beginning of the project, resigned to be married. Miss Eugeni Patterson, district supervis or, was here with Miss Johnston on Monday and introducing her to friends. Phelps & Freeman Will Buy Cotton —•— A. R. Phelps and Tom Freeman, of Roper, are broadening their cot ton-buying activities this year. They will purchase seed cotton, bale cot ton, and cotton seed. This year they will not do any ginning, but will buy the cotton crop from people in several counties. \ TO SPEAK AT FAIR ! \* Hon. Lindsay C. Warren who speak to the Farmers’ Day Ral ly at the Williamston fair on Wednesday morning, Septem her 30. Suit Is Dismissed For False Arrest —<*.— A suit for $5.00 brought against Edward J. Spruiil by Delma Simp son on an allegation of false arrest and malicious prosecution was dis missed in Chowan County Record er’s Court in Edenton last week, aft er three days and over $200 was spent on the case by the county. Mr. Spruill charged Mr. Simpson with stealing a bag of blue Tokio soybeans last year some time from his home. After a hearing before Magistrate John W. Darden, Simp son was found not guilty and was acquitted. Then Mr. Simpson sued Mr. Spruill for damages. Witnesses on the stand averred that a trail of beans from a sack led from Spruill’s to Simpson’s, where a sack half filled with beans, with a hole in the bottom was on his back porch. Both sides had important lawyers, among them Carl L. Bailey, of Plym outh. Number Cases Tried Tuesday in Court j —«— James Hill, negro, was sentenced to three months on the roads, with the road sentence suspended upon the payment of costs and purchasing his driver’s license, in recorder’s court here Tuesday as the result of a collision between a truck he was operating and an ice truck on the new Roper bridge. Witnesses asserted that the ice truck was parked on the side of the one-way bridge waiting for traffic to pass and that when the ice truck pulled out to cross the bridge, the truck driven by Hill collided with it. This bridge is being widened, and men were working on it when the crash occurred, but they leaped to safety. W. A. Jackson was again arraign ed in court to answer to a charge of abandoning and failing to support his wife and children. Prayer for judgment was continued with the understanding that he pay to his wife $6 weekly for the support of the children. Wilbur Treadwell was given three months on the roads, suspended up on the payment of costs on a charge of kicking Mary Walker in the side j and breaking two ribs. Preston Bell was found not guilty ■ of assaulting Hampton Little with a | brick. dh; for pump of BOAT SLINK HERE FOLLOWING FIRE Low Water Enables Work men To Dig Few Hours; Attempt Unsuccessful -« Dirt was shoveled fast for a few hours last Friday as workmen tak ing advantage of low water in the Roanoke River were endeavoring to locate a steam pump that was on the old “Mayflower,” which was burned in 1920 across the river from the town market. Despite hasty efforts that the work men were making to tunnel into the dry mud on the banks of the river while the water was low, their were futile, as at nightfall the pump had not been found. A ditch was dug to the front of the boiler. Representative Harry Stell once worked on this boat as an engineer. Captain Tom Davis was in charge, and Captain Stephen Aumack was also at one time connected with the vessel. It was said to have been a “hard luck” boat. Once it turned over and a child was drowned. The vessel was moored to the wharf here one night when it was discovered afire. Plymouth has been burned numbers of times, so some one cut the boat adrift on the Roanoke. It drifted acros sthe river, where it burned to the water’s edge. It has also been rumored that there was some money on board in silver dollars that belonged to some member of the crew who either left the boat when the alarm was sound ed or who had been spending the night in Plymouth and could not get aboard to get his money. W. R White and John W. Darden and others remember the burning of the boat, and one remarked that "it was a pretty sight, the vessel floating slowly down the stream with flames leaping from it.” V - in the river was lowe=' ’ast rriday it has been in tti .emory of the oldest inhabitants. It was down 5 feet as the northwest wind pushed it out into the Atlantic. Nor mally it is about 20 feet off the mar ket dock, and on Friday it was down to 15. Roper Enrollment Same As Year Ago D -<r Enrollment for the month of Sep tember in the Roper school is about the same as for the same month last year, despite the fact that there were about 30 beginners this year, accord ing to D. E. Poole, principal. This year it is given as 330, while last year it was 331. However, the enrollment is expected to reach 370 before the end of school. Last term the total enrollment was 361. Thus the school retains its teaching stalf of 13. The high school had 85 last year, while this year it has 91. The total last year was 97; this year it is ex pected that it will be more than 100. Reasons for the increase after the first months is that many start lat er on account of helping harvest the fall crops, while many will move in from other districts, as around the first of the year a number of farmers change their places of res idence. -- Changes Made in WPA Organization -<5> The office of payroll clerk has been abolished by the WPA and W. B. Cox, who held the office, has been made project supervisor of Wash ington and Tyrrell Counties. Clar ence Blount is located here as time keeper for five counties. There are eight projects now un der the supervision of Mr. Cox, with the agricultural building, sanitary and privy work and road project at Roper in this county and drainage at Gum Neck and Alligator, privy, ag ricultural building and street work in Columbia. Roper Parents and Teachers To Meet —»— The Parent-Teacher Association of Roper will Hold a meeting in a few days to outline a program for the next year’s work and to further perfect this organization which has been doing good work in connection with the school. New officers are Mrs. R. D. Blount president; Mrs. Jim Leary, vice president; Mrs. Aubrey Dixon, secre tary and treasurer; Mrs. D. E. Poole, chairman of the program commit tee; and Mrs. Willie Mizelle, chair man of the membership committee.