Town
opics
The Roanoke Beacon
* * * * * * * and Washington County News *******
F. L. Armstrong, of Baton Rouge,
La . a brother of the late Ray Arm
strong. former county commissioner.
\OLl ME XLIX—NT MBER 32
Plymouth, Washington County, North Carolina, Friday, August 12, 193H
A home newspaper dedicated
to the service of Washington
j County and its 12,000 people.
ESTABLISHED 1889
is in the section on his annual vaca
tion. He operates a large filling sta
tion for the Standard Oil Company,
which has a $120,000,000 plant in the
town.
J. E. Aiken and Mr. Everett, of
Robersonville, were here this week to
see John W. Darden, chairman of
the program committee on the open
ing of the Albemarle Sound bridge.
Mr Aiken, a former band director
here, will bring his Robersonville
High School Band here for the cele
bration.
Col. E. E. Holland, of Suffolk,
president of the Farmers Bank
of Nanseniond. and State Sena
ator of Virginia, will attend the
Albemarle Bridge Opening Cele
bration as the personal represen
tative of the Governor of Vir
ginia.
Joe Gurganus. son of Mrs. Hilda
Gurganus, has returned to his work
as accountant for the Home Owners
Loan Corporation in Chicago after
a two weeks stay here with his moth
er. Joe has steadily risen in the
ranks of accountants employed by
this governmetal agency.
W. F. Winslow is in New York this
week purchasing merchandise for his
store. He is expected to return Fri
day after having bought a supply of
seasonal stock, including his Christ
mas goods. While away, Mr. Win
slow may visit other northern mar
kets.
Mayor VV. M. Bateman, of
Roper, is a busy man these days.
Two tenants have thrown up
their crops on the 80-year-old
man, who is kept busy working
day and night to keep from los
ing his year’s crop earnings. De
spite his age, he works daily, due
to the scarcity of farm labor.
Mrs. Harry Daniels, daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. W. R. Hampton, won
a completely equipped automobile,
1,000 gallons of gasoline, and $100 in
cash in a contest recently conducted
by a soap manufacturer. Mrs. Dan
iels resides in Portsmouth, Ohio.
Mrs. Eliza Hampton will have her
National Youth Administration boys
clean up the river front here very
soon. This once beautiful water front
has been allowed to run down and
present a decidedly unattractive pic
ture, but the NYA boys will “dress it
up” again.
Two hundred and fifty formal
invitations to the Albemarle
Sound Bridge Celebration on Au
gust 25 have been printed for
distribution among distinguished
personages in Virginia, Tennessee
North and South Carolina, and
are being mailed out this week.
What might have been a serious
occurrence was averted in Roper the
other night when a cartload of hay,
driven by Mr. W. M. Bateman, caught
fire. Bystanders helped Mr. Bate
man to dump the hay on the ground,
where it was burned.
-®
Roper Attempting to
Recover Part of Tax
Loss in Recent Years
Town Officials To Issue Re
lease of Claims for Draft
In Attorney’s Hands
-®
Town of Roper officials, in a meet
ing held Tuesday night, decided that
renewed efforts would be made to se
cure an insurance company draft,
now in the hands of Attorney Carl
L. Bailey, covering alleged losses sus
tained in the handling of the town's
funds by L. V. Chesson, former chief
of police.
After the services of Mr. Chesson
had been dispensed with by the town,
it was necessary for the Roper of
ficials to get a mandamus from the
courts forcing Mr. Chesson to turn
over the tax books.
An insurance adjuster came down
and went over the books with Aubrey
Phelps, town clerk, and another party
and found that about $62 was due
the town on account of the "negli
gence of Mr. Chesson in handling the
town’s funds.”
Immediately afterward, the draft
was sent to Mr. Bailey, who was rep
resenting the town in the matter, but
due to failure to execute a proper
receipt and release by the town, the
draft was never delievered. A reso
lution was adopted Tuesday night di
recting Clerk Phelps to prepare the
proper receipt, have it approved by
Mayor Bateman, and present it to
Mr. Bailey, who will deliver the draft
and close the matter.
Queen’s Ball Will
Climax Celebration
—®—
Honoring the beauty queens of the
Albemarle, their attendants and es
corts, P. M. Arps will sponsor a
queens’ ball at the gymnasium here
Thursday night, August 25, as a cli
max to the celebration opening the
Albemarle Sound bridge on that day.
Music will be provided by Paul Jones
■ and his orchestra.
A feature of the ball will be the
grand march at midnight, led by
“Miss Albemarle” and her escort, fol
lowed by the seven beauty contest
winners from the Albemarle counties,
their escorts, and the others dancers.
Miss Albemarle and the seven
beauty queen and their escorts will
be the honor guests of the manage
ment. _
f TWO VIEWS OF NEW SOUND BRIDGE, WHICH MAY BE OPENED THIS WEEK j
_J
The above photograph shows
the new Albemarle Sound
bridge, looking toward the draw
from the Washington County
end. The view or, the right is
of the draw span. Formal open
ing of the new structure, the
longest bridge in the state, is
set for Thursday, August 25,
with a large array of notables I
expected to attend. However, •
contractors expected to have I
the work completed and the ■
bridge thrown open to the pub- j
lie within a few days, probably |
by the last of this week.
Virginia Tarkenton
Wins Queen Contest
-^
Pleasant Grove Girl
Runs Far Ahead of
All Other Entrants
—®—
Miss Marjorie White Second;
Contest Brought To End
Wednesday Night
Miss Virginia Tarkenton, daughter
of Mr. and Mrs. J. C. Tarkenton, of
the Pleasant Grove section, with 54,
870 votes to her credit, was declared
winner of the contest to designate
the queen for Washington County at
the bridge celebration to be held on
Thursday, August 25.
The contest closed Wednesday at
8 p. m., with George W. Hardion,
of Plymouth, Mrs. Perla H. Bray, of
Roper, and E. S. Woodley, of Cres
well, acting as judges and tabulating
the votes.
The runner-up to Miss Tarkenton
was Miss Marjorie White, of the
Skinnersville section, who had 5,911
votes. Other were listed as follows:
Sarah McLean, of Plymouth, 4,720;
Elizabeth Peele, Creswell, 3,846; Anna
Jane Blue, Creswell, 2,396; and Mar
tha Booth, Plymouth, 1,116. All of
the other candidates had less than
1,000 votes.
The proceeds of the contest totaled
approximately $773.34, which will be
used in providing the float for this
county at the celebration. Any sur
plus after all expenses are paid for
the contest, float find other inci
dentals, will be turned over to the
various organizations which helped in
sponsoring the event.
No donations will be accepted trom
organization, some of which have al
ready acknowledged their willingness
to make contributions. However the
proceeds from the contest made un
necessary the solicitation of contri
butions.
Miss Tarkington, as Washington
County Queen, will participate in the
drawing to determine "Miss Ailbe
marle.” The names of the seven
county queens will be placed in a hat,
and one drawn out to be "Miss Albe
marle.” The county represented by
the queen selected as “Miss Albe
marle” will then name the runner-up
in its contest as its representative in
the "Queens Court of Honor,” com
posed of the seven county queens.
In the event Miss Tarkenton is se
lected as Queen of the Albemarle,
it is understood Miss Margie White
will automatically become Washing
ton County's queen in the parade of
ton County’s representative in the
court of honor.
-$
Return From Nags Head
Dr. and Mi's. Wade Johnson and
children and Mr. and Mrs. Ronald
Gaylord returned Saturday from a
week’s stay at Nags Head.
| PEANUT CROP REPORT j
^'
The Department of Agriculture
this week estimated 1938 peanut
production, based on the August
1 condition of the crop, at 1,478,
851,000 pounds, about 1 per cent
below the July forecast.
The crop board report said the
crop suffered from excessive rain
fall during July in the Virginia
Carolina and southern areas.
Farmers in this section gener
ally state the crop is looking well
at this particular time, although
it is too early to hazard any pre
dictions as to quality or yield.
Creswell School Will
Open New Term This
Year September 29tli
Hope To Have Part of New
Building Ready for Oc
cupancy by Then
-®
All of the schools in Washington
County will open on September 8 ex
cept the Creswell white school, which
has been scheduled for opening on
September 29, by which time it is
hoped that some part of the new
building there will be ready for oc
cupancy.
The school officials are reluctant
to open the session with the same
congested and crowded conditions
which have prevailed in Creswell for
several years, but the term must be
opened during the month, if possible,
in order to get in the eight months
before the heat of next summer
catches them.
The contractors claim that they
are about 50 per cent through with
the work on the building, and believe
they can have at least four rooms
ready for use by the last of Septem
ber. The school officials decided it
would be better to postpone the open
ing until at least this amount of
additional space was available.
It is believed the school building
will be complete and ready for oc
cupancy aiyfl whole by November 1,
aod the contractors are rushing the
work as rapidly as possible.
State-Owned Routs To Be
Here for Celebration 25th
The "Hatteras” and the “Nelson,”
ships owned by the State Depart
ment of Conservation and Develop
ment, will attend the bridge celebra
tion on August 25, it was learned
from Roy Hampton, member of the
board, today. The two ships will
arrive here Wednesday and proceed
from here to the celebration at the
bridge on Thursday.
Farm Bureau Will Elect
Officers at Meet Friday
Efforts are being made to secure B.
Troy Ferguson, district agent for
eastern North Carolina and a recog
nized authority on different phases of
the farm programs, to be the princi
pal speaker at the meeting of the
Washington County Farm Bureau on
Friday night at 8 o’clock in the agri
culture building at Plymouth.
All members of the bureau are
urged by County Agent W. V. Hays
to be present, as this is the night for
the annual election of officers for the
coming year,
"Next year will be a crucial year,”
Mr. Hays said, "as the policies of the
next farm program and for several
years to come will probably be work
ed out between now and the first of
the year, and our farm bureau or
ganization should be active in bring
ing about recommendations needed
for an effective program.”
"Most farmers, I think, in North
Carolina realize the advantage this
State holds in various crop quotas,
and we need an active program to
support and hold the place we now
occupysaid Mr. Hays.
Sound Bridge May
Be Open for Traffic
By Last This Week
—®—
Superintendent of Work on
Other Side Expects To Be
Through in Few Days
-®
It was indicated today that the
Albemarle Sound bridge may be
opened by traffic by the week-end.
P. H. Carroll, superintendent for the
Tidewater Construction Company, in
forming Tire Beacon by telephone
that he was endeavoring to complete
his part of the bridge contract by
today. However, no definite assur
ances would be made as to exactly
when the new structure would be
thrown open to the public,
The opening has been delayed by
work on some parts of the Yeopim
road leading to the bridge from
Edenton, which is being used until
the main route out to the highway
is completed. Edenton folks are de
lighted that the traffic, which will
later be routed away from that town
after paving is completed on the new
road, is being detoured to the bridge
over the Yeopim road.
It is understood that T. A. Loving
and Company, contractors for the
south end of the bridg^ had com
pleted their work and were ready for
traffic to move over the bridge just
as soon as the other side is ready.
Last Sunday the road to the bridge
on this side was open, but barricades
had been placed at each end of the
bridge. These may be removed at
any time now and the structure
opened for use by the public.
Local Scouts Win
All Events at Swim
Meet Wednesday
-.<$
Boys From Plymouth Troop
To Represent Comity at
Contests in Wilson
-9
Plymouth Boy Scouts ran. away
with the honors at the swimming
meet held at Albemarle Beach Wed
nesday afternoon to select the con
testants to represent the Washington
County Council in the swimming
events at Wilson, August 19. The
local youths won every event in com
petition with Scouts from the Roper
and Creswell troops.
The list of winners and events fol
lows:
Douglas Ausbon, under-water swim
and distance plunge: 50-yard breast
stroke; and diving contests.
Douglas Gurkin, 100-yard free-style
swim.
Wilford Whitley, Douglas Ausbon,
Douglas Gurkin and Phil Liverman,
50-yard free style relay race.
Phillip Liverman, 50-yard back
stroke.
Wilford Whitley, 50-yard free style.
Wilford Whitley and Douglas Gur
kin, life saving.
-<9
Large Crouds Attend
Zion Chapel Revival
—®—
Large crowds are attending the re
vival services now being conducted in
Zions Chapel Christian Church, near
Roper, with Dr. John W. Tyndall, jr.,
of Crowell, Texas, as the speaker, as
sisting the Rev. M. L. Ambrose, pas
tor.
Dr. Tyndall has studied at the
South Bible Institute, Milligan Col
lege, in Tennessee; Cincinnati Semi
nary, Cincinnati, Ohio; Phillips’ Uni
versity, Enid, Okla.: and his messages
are being well received.
There is special music each night
to feature the services.
The public is urged to attend by
the church officials.
! Issue Regulations on
jMarketing Tobacco
' For Season of 1938-39
Farmers Vi ill Receive Indi
vidual Marketing Cards
Showing Allotments
-*
Regulations covering the marketing
of flue-cured tobacco for the 1938-39
marketing season have been releas
ed by the Agricultural Adjustment
Administration, it was announced
by the farm agent's office.
These regulations were issued in
accordance with the market quota
provisions of the Agricultural Ad
justment Act of 1938.
In administering the quotas, each
farm operator will be given a mar
keting card showing the amount of
tobacco he can sell without penalty.
The car is to be presented to a rep
resentative of the AAA at auction
warehouses for all sales of tobacco,
and all sales w'ithin the quota will
be recorded on the marketing card.
For farms on which the tobacco
available for marketing does not ex
ceed the quota, each producer hav
ing a share in the tobacco will be
entitled to sell under the quota his
share of the crop. However, if the
total amount available for market
ing exceeds the quota, each produc
er will be entitled to market only
his pro rata share of the quota with
out penalty.
Transfer of Quotas
The regulations provide for the
transfer of quotas among farms,
which means that a farmer who has
a quota exceeding the tobacco avail
able for marketing may authorize
the transfer of that part of his quo
ta not needed. Quotas may be trans
ferred directly among farmers at
the county office or warehouse, or
through warehousemen who agree to
act as agents.
If quotas are transferred from one
farm to another through direct ne
gotiations between the operators of
the farms concerned ,the considera
tion for the transfer may be what
ever the operators agree upon. If a
warehouseman acts as agent in the
transfer, the rate of consideration is
fixed at five cents per pound.
The payment received by the op
erator for the transfer of any pro
portion of the quota will be divided
among the producers on the farm in
proportion to their share of the crop
unless the producers agree among
themselves to a different division of
the payment.
A warehouseman acting as agent
may charge the operator of the farm
to which he arranges a transfer of
quota a fee of not more than $1 for
his services for each transfer to the
farm.
Warehousemen who act as agents
in the transfer of quotas are requir
ed to arrange for the quota trans
fers in the order in which requests
for transfers are received and to
keep records of these transfers.
Memorandum of Sale
Whenever any tobacco is market
ed, the marketing card for the farm
on which the tobacco was produced,
together with the warehouse bill or
other record of the marketing is to
be presented to a field assistant rep
resenting the AAA, who will issue a
memorandum of sale. The memo
randum of sale will identify the to
bacco sold, indicating whether it is
marketed free of penalty or subject
to penalty. Copies of the memoran
da of sales will be filed at the coun
ty office, with other records for the
farm.
Tobacco marketed in excess of
the quota will be subject to penal
(Continued on page six)
Reid Children To
Represent County
—®—
Joe and Gracelyn Reid, son and
daughter of Sheriff and Mrs. J. K.
Reid, were declared winners in the
contest which ended Wednesday
night designating Washington Coun
ty’s representatives in the ceremony
of cutting the ribbons opening the
Albemarle Sound bridge on August
25.
Miss Charlotte McNair, chairman
of the Junior Woman's Club com
mittee which sponsored the contest,
certified the young boy and girl as
winners, after tabulation of the votes
was completed by Miss Leslie Darden
and others.
Little Miss Reid had 6,233 votes
to lead the girls; and Joe had 1,900,
which was high for the boys.
Jimmy Allen, son of Mr. and Mrs.
Hubert Allen, had 723 votes; while
Bobby Cohoon, Constance Williford
and Anne Cohoon were among the
other contestants, a complete list of
which was not available today.
August 25th Will Be
Holiday In Plymouth
County and Towns
Receive Checks for
Tax on Intangibles
Washington County and the
three towns in the county this week
received checks totaling $648.36.
representing their share of the in
tangibles tax, listed, assessed and
collected by the state department
of revenue.
The check to the county was for
$532,63, and the check to the town
of Plymouth was for $100.43, leav
ing only $15.30 to be divided be
tween Creswell and Roper.
Formerly the county received
about $1,500 annually, based on a
valuation of $52,000. This year the
State collected a total of $1,296 76,
only half of which is to be distrib
uted to the county and municipali
ties.
The statute provides that the
money received from the state
board shall be used by the towns
and counties for the payment of
bonded indebtedness or expense in
curred in connection with provid
ing facilities and equipment neces
sary for the maintenance of the
six-month public school term.
Finances of Town of
Koper Reported in
Excellent Condition
In Defuiilt on hut One Boml;
Expect To Clear That
Up Soon
-®
The financial condition of the
Town of Roper is about as good as
that of any town in this section, it
was shown by a review made at the
regular meeting of the board com
missioners held Tuesday night. On
ly one bond, for $1,000, is in default
at the present time, and the interest
on all bonds has been paid to date.
Several years ago the town issued
$10,000 worth of bonds for the con
struction of a light plant and for
certain street improvements. These
are dated to fall due at certain stated
intervals until 1940.
Recently the town officials consist
ing of W. M. Bateman, mayor; J. L.
Phelps, H. M. Williams and L. L. Mi
zelle, commissioners; authorized Clerk
Aubrey Phelps to pay $500 and cer
tain interest which reduced the to
tal debt to $7,500.
Tire town officials have also em
ployed W. M. Darden as town attor
ney to foreclose on unpaid taxes in
an effort to get as much money as
possible into the treasury so that the
others bonds can be retired and in
terest paid as they fall due.
A short while after the town built
the power plant, it was destroyed by
fire. A collection was made from the
insurance company and efforts were
made to pay for the bonds then, but
the bondholders declined payment at
that time, preferring to wait and col
lect their interest.
The money was deposited in a
bank which was closed shortly after
wards, and the sum collected from
the insurance company was mostly
lost.
However, the town is now being
governed by a group of progressive
business men and it is believed there
will be little or no need to refinance
the indebtedness, as the sum involved
is small and the credit standing of
the town good.
School Officials in
Meet Here Friday
-$
A school administrators' conference
composed of principals, ^vocational
agriculture and home "economics
teachers in Washington and Tyrrell
Counties met in the Plymouth High
School last Friday afternoon.
Speakers included Miss Hattie Par
rot, who spoke on professional and
school improvement; E. N. Meekins,
district extension worker, who talked
to the agriculture teachers; Charles
E. Spencer, director of health and
physical education for the state.
H. H. McLean, superintendent of
public instruction of Washington
County; and R. H. Bachman, super
intendent of schools in Tyrrell Coun
ty, were also present. The meeting
was called by J. Henry Highsmith,
a representative of the state depart
ment of education.
General Clean-Up Urged
Before Bridge Celebration
Local property owners are urged to
clean up their vacant lots, mow their
lawns and in general to beautify their
home premises between now and Au
gust 25 so that those traveling to the
Albemarle Sound Bridge Opening
Celebration may get a good impres
sion of Plymouth, Chief of Police P.
W. Brown said this week.
Town officials, along with the chief,
are especially requesting those who
own property fronting on the high
ways to "primp up” their places so as
to present the best appearance pos
sible.
Mayor B. G. Campbell also adds a
word to impress the people of the
section that cleaning up will im
prove sanitary conditions and reduce
the hazard of fire, besides making
the homes and vacant lots more at
tractive.
The bridge celebration officials are
urging all towns in this section along
the routes leading to the south end
of the bridge, as well as owners of
country homes along the highway, to
join in the clean-up movement so
that the thousands who attend the
celebration may be impressed by the
natural beauty of the section.
Stores and Bu*iness
Houses To Close tor
Bridge Celebration
p —♦—
Elizabeth City ami Edenton
Business Places Will Alsu
Be Closed for Event
-®
Business houses and stores in Plym
outh and Elizabeth City have defi
nitely decided to close on Thursday,
August 25, when the celebration of
the formal opening of the Albemarle
Sound Bridge will be held, although
so far nothing definite has been de
cided by the Edenton merchants. It
was indicated in a telephone conver
sation with some of the Edenton
merchants Wednesday that the stores
there would be closed at least after
the parade was formed and under
way, which will be about 10:30 a. nr
Plymouth merchants will not ob
serve the usual Wednesday half-holi
day the day before the bridge open -
ing, but will keep their stores open
all that day. They urge their pa
trons to cooperate by doing their
shopping the day before, so that
clerks and other employees may be
given an opportunity to join in the
celebration on the 25th.
The bridge celebration committee
has asked that all the stores of the
entire Albemarle section be closed
and the day be set aside as a general
holiday, so that the crowds and in
terest will be increased and in or
der that the celebration may not be
commercialized.
It is possible that Columbia, Cres
well, and Roper on the south side
will be closed, although nothing defi
nite has been learned from these
towns so far.
Merchants here believe that shop
ping will be at a standstill that day,
as most of the people in the entire
section are expected to gather for
the exercises incident to the formal
opening of the bridge, and there will
be concessions on the grounds to sup
ply the needs for food and the like.
Drug stores and filling stations
here will remain open as usual, but
practically all other establishments
will be closed.
State ABC Officers
Again Fail To Get
Single Conviction
Nol Pros Taken in 3 Actions
After Third Straight Ac
quittal by Jury
-*
State Alcoholic Beverages Control
Board special enforcement officers
failed to convict Henry Bateman, 24,
white, thus acquitting the third of
the six men brought to trial in this
county by the special officers, Fol
lowing this acquittal in recorder’s
court Tuesday, Prosecuting Attorney
W. M. Darden asked for a nol pros
in similar cases against Mrs, Helen
Atamanchuk, Vance Satterthwaite,
and Roy Lucas, thus clearing the
docket of charges brought by W. H.
Bellman and J. S. Lassiter, the spec
ial enforcement officers.
Tuesday of last week D. O. Pat
rick and Edward Patrick were found
not guilty. Together with Mr. Bate
men, acquitted Tuesday, three of the
six arrested were turned loose after
jury trials.
The case against Frank Clagon, 26.
colored, who was arrested on an im
properly drawn search warrant with
about five gallons of whiskey, also
resulted in a nol pros, as the court
decided that the juries were not in a
convicting mood.
Asa Smith, 28, colored, had his
case dismissed in which he was
charged with non-support.
Hilton Harris and William Harris,
young white men, were found not
guilty of larceny.
Eli Ormstead, 25, colored, was
found not guilty of carrying a con
cealed weapon, but was found guilty
and required to pay a fine of $10 and
costs on a charge of assaulting an
other negro with a deadly weapon.
The case against Selby Price, 23,
white, charged with stealing the car
of Rowland Alligood and damaging it.
was continued until next Tuesday.
Roy Spencer, white, charged with
larceny, had his case nol prossed also.
Local Car Salesman
Wins Fishing Trip
—$—
Second ranking Ford salesman, in
number of cars sold during the month
of July—including 10 new and 15
used—Colon Bowen, of the Plymouth
Motor Company, left Plymouth Wed
nesday for Norfolk to join 34 other
winners of a contest on a fishing
cruise sponsored by the Ford organi
zation.
Only one other salesman in North
Carolina and Virginia sold more cars
than did Mr. Bowen during this per
iod. The party left Thursday from
the Martha Washington Hotel at
Virginia Beach for a three-day trip
that will take them to choice fishing
waters.
There are over 500 salesmen in the
district competing. All of the cars
sold by Mr. Bowen were delivered
within the trade area of Plymouth
and proves the fact that he is on the
job.