Newspapers / The Roanoke Beacon and … / March 3, 1939, edition 1 / Page 1
Part of The Roanoke Beacon and Washington County News (Plymouth, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
The Roanoke Beacon ******* AND WASHINGTON COUNTY NEWS ★★★★★★★ VOLUME L—NUMBER 9 Plymouth, Washington County, ISorth Carolina, Fridayr, March 3, 1939 A home newspaper dedicated to the service of Washlnrton County and its 12,000 people. ESTABLISHED 1889 Town opics The congregation of the Grace Episcopal Church here last Sunday elected the following members of the vestry to serve for the term of one year: C. E. Ayers, H. A. Williford, Lloyd Horton, Sidney A. Ward, jr., R. A. Duvall, and W. F. Winslow. It is understood that a junior vestry will be chosen later from among the youngsters of the church. After selling his stock to a firm from Norfolk, it is understood from E. H. Liverman that he plans to re sign as president of the Plymouth Merchants Association when that body meets again in a few days for various reasons. Lloyd Owens went down to the town dock at the rear of the market, to look over a motor boat during the heavy snow and rain Thursday. His ! feet slipped and he landed in the river. Although it was a little cold for swimming, Lloyd suffered no ill effects from his misadventure. H. H. McLean is still awaiting word from PWA officials, who are weeks behind in their prom ise to send the balance of the grant on the Creswell school building so the contractor can be paid and the handsome new structure turned over to school authorities for use. Sam Scherr, who is opening a store this week in the building formerly oc cupied by T. C. Burgess, is a brother in-low of Dave Kulman. The two merchants married sisters. Mr. Scherr hopes to be ready for business by the week-end. Mr. and Mrs. D. W. Beale have charge of the North Carolina Pulp Company cafeteria and the Plymouth Country Club temporarily, succeeding Mr. and Mrs. Charles Watson, who left here several days ago. It is not known who will be the permanent managers. An Acapella choir has been or ganized here under the instruc tion of Shep Brinkley, organist at the Methodist church. Practice will be held each Friday night between 7 and 8. The project is sponsored by the Young Business Women’s Missionary Society of the church. Dr. W. H. Johnson will leave Sun day for Washington, D. C„ where he will attend the Five-State Post-Grad uate Clinic at the Mayflower Hotel. He will be in his office again on next Friday, as he will not stay for the last day of the session. This is the seventh annual meeting of the clinic. Bill Davenport, son of Mr. and Mrs. A. E. Davenport, returned Wednes day from ivif .hmoadr-whoLC he at tended a meeting of a paint com pany. Held at a hotel there, Mr. Davenport said that he thoroughly enjoyed the event. Sheriff J. K. Reid, who went to St. Luke's Hospital in Richmond last week for treatment, returned to Plymouth Sunday night, reporting that he was feeling much better. He has been at his office this week. -9 Steam Tug Burned At Mouth of River —«— Fire that was thought to have orig inated when the boat struck the side of the channel, tilting the stove, com pletely destroyed the coal-burning steam tug “Winthrop” in the mouth of Roanoke River at 12:20 last Friday morning, causing an setimated loss of $20,000, according to the captain and owner, P. P. Walker,, of Nor folk. The captain and his crew of four men made their way to the shore of the river after launching a small boat and, after spending the night in the swamps, they were brought to Plymouth the next morning by pass ing fishermen. Captain Walker said the tug was a complete loss as it was burned to the water’s edge and sank, with only the boilers and some of the metal super structure visible. The captain said the whole boat was a mass of flames almost before the fire was discovered. River traffic will not be seriously handicapped, as the wreck is not di rectly in the channel, it is understood. -$ Bill To Increase Pay of Town Officials Introduced A bill lias been introduced in the house of representatives by W .M. Darden to change the charter of the Town of Plymouth so as to establish a per diem fee of $3 per meeting for the town councilmen and increasing the salary of the mayor to $25 per month. The bill reached the legislative hopper Monday, but was referred to the committee on counties, cities and towns. It is expected the measure will pass without opposition. The bill is designed to increase at tendance at meetings by councilmen and to remunerate the mayor for the increased services which he must render. -» Name of Marjorie Bateman Left Off Creswell Honor Roll -* Creswell.—The four children of Mrs. W. W. Bateman have been on the honor roll each month during the present term of the Creswell schools, but, due to a printer’s error, the name of Marjorie Bateman was uninten tionally left out of the list for the fourth month in the paper last week. Her name should have been included with those of her brothers and sis ter, Billy Wells, Robert and Betty Jean. ATTAIN HIGHEST RANK IN SCOUTING LAST WEEK Douglas Gurkin and Wilford Whitley, members of the Plymouth Boy Scout Troop, last week became the first boys in Washington County to attain Scouting’s highest rank, that of Eagle Scout. Award of the hon or was made at the Scout-Cub-Dad banquet held on Washington’s Birthday, February 22.—(Photo by Carl L. Bailey, Jr.) Local Sea Scouts May Secure Self Bailing Surf Boat Negotiations are in progress now to secure a 28-foot self bailing surf boat for the local crew of Sea Scouts, who are plan ning to appropriately name it "The Albemarle,” because of the historical interest attached to the Confederate vessel of the same name which was based here during the Civil War. Dr. A. Papineau is skipper of the local Sea Scouts, with Blount Rodman as first mate and Alvah Whealton as second mate. The following boys, as apprentices, are members of the crew: Dun can Getsinger, Douglas Gurkir, Ducky Lloyd, Phil Liverman, Wil ford Whitley, Asa Rogers, and J. C. Jones. Two others are to be named later. First-Class Boy Scouts over 15 years of age are eligible to join the Sea Scouts. Bill Would Permit Creswell Tax Raise Representative W. M. Darden is ex pected to introduce a bill in the house of representatives at Raleigh this week amending the charter of the Town of Creswell so as to permit the levy of a tax rate as high as $1.50 if it is found necessary. The charter now provides, acccrd ing to C. L. Bailey, who drafted the bill at the request of Creswell offic ials for introduction by Mr. Darden, that no more than 50 cents can be levied on the $100 valuation. It is not thought it will be neces sary to raise the tax rate there im mediately, but the charter change is necessary if the town should decide it needs additional improvements. Mr. and Mrs. Sam Sherr Here To Open New Store Mr. and Mrs. Sam Scherr arrived with their son this week to make their home in Plymouth, where they will operate a mercantile establish ment in the store building formerly occupied by the Burgess Shoe and Clothing Store, carrying ladies’, chil drens and infants’ ready to wear and men’s clothing and furnishings. Additions to their stock are arriv ing daily, including spring and East er ready to wear. They hope to have remodelling of the building completed and their stock arranged so that they can open next Friday with a sale. -® First March Snowfall in Years Here Thursday -» Residents of this section awoke Thursday morning to find it raining, snowing and then sleeting, and the thermometer on the down-grade, threatening to reach the lowest level of the entire winter season. This was the first snow here in March since the record snow of March 1, 1927, when the white flakes buried the countryside to a depth of 12 to 20 inches. Older residents re called the other heavy March snow, which came after gardens and flow ers had been planted, as is the case now. Elbert Peel Speaker At Lions Club Meet In Roper Last Week —*—— Says World Need of Today Is To Be “Lion-ized”; Num ber Visitors Present -® “What the world needs today is to be Lion-ized,” Elbert S. Peel, Wil liamston attorney and former state senator from this district, told the members of the Plymouth Lions Club and their guests at a meeting held in the Roper school last Thursday night. The speaker said that if the na tions of the world were to live by the ideals laid down in the Lions' code and were to prac* ’ce the Golden Rule as taught by the Scriptures then there would be no such atrocities as have been practiced in the last few months. Italy would not have overrun and seized the smaller countries, the Ger mans would not have reverted back ward 200 years in their treatment of the Jews, and Spain would not be embroiled in a destructive and hor rible civil conflict if they had known and practiced Lions precepts, Mr. Peel pointed out. Instead of breeding war and ha tred, this organization helps relieve human suffering by its acts in the interest of the blind, and this club does its bit to preserve good fellow ship among the business men by hav ing a fair and honorable code of ethics. "And I verily believe,” the speaker concluded, “that if the people of the world were Lion-ized, it would be a much better place in which to live.” Guests of the club members from the Roper vicinity included J. H. Gay lord, III, Rev. M. L. Ambrose, P. D. Wilson, J. J. Hassell, W. T. Freeman, T. P. Sanderson, and Johnny Boyd, of Plymouth. The mothers of the Boy Scouts served a delicious dinner. -® 16-Year-Old Girl Dies at Creswell Creswell.—Funeral services were held Thursday for Miss Lena Rivers Spruill, 16, at the home of her par ents, Mr. and Mrs. R. L. Spruill, with the Rev. J. T. Stanford officiating, assisted by the Rev. Forest Wagoner and Dr. G. A. Martin. Interment took place in White Chapel cemetery. Assisted by Louis Spruil, the M. E. choir sang three special numbers. Surviving, in addition to her par ents, are the following sisters, Mrs. Leroy Cahoon, Columbia; Misses Helen and Nell Spruill, Creswell; three brothers, R. L., jr., Dan Griffin, and Bill Spruill, all of Creswell. A representative of the inter nal revenue department will be at the post office in Plymouth on Saturday, March 4, for the pur pose of assisting taxpayers in fil ing their income-tax returns. March 15 is the deadline for filing returns, both state and fed eral, and those who wish aid in filling out the blanks should see the deputy while he is here Sat urday. Recorder Criticizes Juries for Verdicts In Whiskey Cases —t— Says Gross Miscarriages of Justice Have Resulted From Decisions Exasperated by the large number of defendants charged with liquor law violations who have been acquit ted by juries in recorder's court, Judge John W. Darden cracked down on this practice Tuesday, when only one of three defendants arraigned on whiskey counts was found guilty by the jury. “The public shall know," says Re corder Darden, “that this court and its officers are not responsible for the gross miscarriages of justice which have taken place here as a result of verdicts brought in by juries here, and unless these men assume their responsibility as officers of the court it will be impossible to break up the illegal liquor traffic "It has not been my practice," the judge continued, “to criticize either publicly or privately juries which serve in this court; but these juries must find people guilty when they are guilty, or the public will suffer from this lack of cooperation by juries and court with law enforce ment officers.” The recorder was vexed as a result of verdicts in a case in which three negroes, Matthew Griffin, 30, La fayette Cabarrus, 30, and Vance Brooks, 23, were charged with being publicly drunk, possessing whiskey for sale, and transporting non-tax paid whiskey. Only Cabarrus was found guilty, and he on one count of possession. Officers found the whis key in a car with the three men and testified that all three were drunk. -® Alexander Ambrose Final Rites Sunday Creswell.—Funeral services for Alexander Ambrose, 76, who died Fri day night at the home of his daugh ter, Mrs. Tillie Spruill, after a linger ing illness, were conducted Sunday afternoon at Philippi Christian Church. The Rev. L. B. Bennett of ficiated, assisted by the Rev. T. F. Davenport. Interment took place in the family cemetery near the home. Mr. Ambrose was a well-known farmer and a life-long resident of Washington County. Pall-bearers were: Earl Long, Eden ton; Isaac Furlaugh, W. D. Phelps, Arthur Woodley, Jesse Craddock and Harry Craddock. Surviving, besides his daughter, Mrs. Tillie Spruill, is one son, War ren Ambrose, Ocean View, Va.; and one sister, Mrs. Martha Ambrose, of Creswell. -e New Minister at Creswell Church Creswell.—The Rev. Wood B. Gai ther, formerly rector of St. David's Parish, in Ahoskie, has accepted the rectorship of St. David’s and Christ Episcopal churcues, Creswell; Lake Phelps Mission, and St. Andrew's church in Columbia. A World War veteran, the Rev. Mr. Gaiather began his ministry at a mis sion in Ahoskie. He studied at the Virginia Theological Seminary and recently has served parishes in Ken tucky and eastern North Carolina. A native of Hertford, where his mother, Mrs. Elizabeth Wood Gaither, now lives, the new rector is well known in Elizabeth City, where his brothers, C. W. and W. T. Gaither, reside. -® Roper Principal To Resume Work Monday After Illness Roper.—Reports today indicated that Principal D. E. Poole will be suf ficiently recovered from a temporary nervous breakdown to resume his work in the Roper High School next Monday. Running a high temperature for several days, Mr. Poole continued at his work and while in Elizabeth City last Friday he became seriously ill. After returning home he was ex amined by Dr. A. Papineau and then on Saturday went to a Rocky Mount hospital for treatment. He remained there until Monday, when he came back to Roper and is now confined to his home for further rest and treat ment. -- Bishop Darst To Preach At Local Church Sunday Bishop Thomas C. Darst, of the Diocese of East Carolina, will make his yearly visit to Grace Episcopal Church here Sunday morning for the 11 o’clock service and celebration of the Holy Communion. The public is cordially invited to attend. -®— World Day of Prayer Service Held in Crestcell Creswell.—The World Day of Prayer service was conducted here last Friday afternoon with the Revs. Wood B. Gaither, L. B Bennett and Forest Wagoner in charge. Mrs. G. A. Martin explained that the collection being taken would be sent to the tornado victims near Windsor. Mrs. A. H. Tucker sang a solo and Mrs. C. W. Gregg made a talk. Plan 1 o Begin Operation Of Fisheries About 20th Preparations are now being made by W. R. Hampton to begin opera tion of the century-old Kitty Hawk and Slade fisheries, located on the converging points of Roanoke, Mid dle and Cashie Rivers near here, about March 20th. The huge seines are being tarred and repaired, the cables and machin ery are being checked over to have everything in readiness for beginning operations, the definite date of which depends upon a number of conditions, not the least of which is the state of the weather. When the fisheries start up. employment is given to from 30 to 100 people. A few herring have been caught up the Roanoke around Williamston and Jamesville in dip and skim nets, and the catch of shad down on the sound is reported to be better this year than it was at the same time last season, although even the veteran fishermen will not hazard a guess as to the prospects for fishing along the river this season. For the last several years . Mr, Hampton, along with other fisher men, has been disappointed in the annual catch of herring, and opera tions have been carried on at a loss; but, as is the case every year, they are planning to "put in" the seines again, hoping to recoup the losses sustained in recent years. Attempt Is Made To Burn School at Roper <5 -$ Authorities Without Clue To Identity of Would-Be Firebugs -* Desks Ransaeked Thursday Night and Attempt Made To Burn Records Roper.—Authorities today were still at a loss to explain the apparent in ciendary efforts of a prowler to burn the Roper school building last Thurs day night. When Principal D. E. Poole and his teaching staff reported last Friday morning for work they found that the desks had been ransacked and the contents emptied on the floors in front of the teachers’ desks, with evidence that an attempt had been made to bum the various records, re port cards and other material kept in the desks. This same procedure was followed throughout the several classrooms with the exception of the desk of Miss A. C. Carstarphen, which was broken open and a drawer smashed to pieces. This was the only desk that was locked. A hammer and broken handle were found near by. Some of the documents and rec ords had been burned, but most of them were in such state that they could be reconstructed, as the fire merely burned around the edges. The Plymouth Lions Club held a meeting there Thursday night, and the janitor declared that the doors were locked after all the visitors had departed. Entrance was apparently gained through an unlatched window on the first floor. If the prowler really intended to burn the building, officials are won dering why he failed, as the freshly oiled floors offered a fine opportunity for a roaring blaze. There was only one spot where the oil had burned away. -® Allot WPA $42,263 For Road Work —®— Washington County was included in the group of counties in this sec tion which will have roads improved as the result of an approval by the State Works Progress Administration of a fund of $42,263.60 to be used for this purpose. Headquarters for officials who will direct this work will be in Elizabeth City, and the money is to be used only on roads not in the Federal aid highway system. It is believed and hoped here that the work will be done on secondary roads in this county in an effort to make muddy and bumpy roads pass able even during the rainy seasons. -^ Plant Worker Here Being Held for Boston Officers Officials here are awaiting extra dition papers for Earl R. Westerling, a local plant employee, who is under $150 bail awaiting to be returned to Boston, Mass., under an action brought in Worcester probate court charging him with being a fugitive from justice. On April 29, 1930, Westerling was ordered by the court to pay $12 per week for the support of his minor child, said to be 11 years of age, and since that time has paid only $200, according to the charge. The papers further point out that Westerling was in Boston June 28, 1936, to see his child and divorced wife, and since then he has sent $2 on November 16. 1937, and $4 in September, 1938, for the child’s sup port. SCHOOLS TO REOPEN | sJ The Plymouth white schools will reopen Monday morning aft er having been closed 10 days be cause of epidemic of influenza re sulting in 125 absences last Thursday, when it was decided to close the schools to prevent further spread of the disease. Principal R. B. Trotman said today that reports indicated the number of cases had decreased, and, barring bad roads caused by the bad weather, the schools will reopen Monday | SELLS STORE HERE | v_/ After 15 years in the mercan tile business here, E. H. Liverman last week sold his stock to a Nor folk firm. He plans to devote most of his time to operation of his several farms in this section. Total Bonded Debt In County $1,171.521 —®— The bonded indebtedness of Wash ington County and its three munici pal subdivisions is 19.05 per cent of the total assessed valuation—or al most one-fifth—based on figures for 1937, according to statistics recently compiled by the North Carolina Clas sification Commission. It appeared from the figures that the total debt of the county itself was $827,021; Plymouth $288,000; and the remaining $18,500 divided between Roper and Creswell, bringing the to tal up to $1,178,521. Since 1937 the Town of Plymouth has retired about $8,000 of its debt and some of the other subdivisions, as well as the county, have retired some of the bonds with funds set aside in a sinking fund raised by a portion of the tax rate. -® Permit Use of Dip Nets Until May 1st —®— As has been the custom since the 1936 season, fishermen in Washing ton and the several surrounding counties are again this year allowed to use dip or skim nets daily until the end of the commercial fishing season for taking herring in streams where the herring run, it was an nounced today by Game Protector J. T. Terry upon authority from J. D. Chalk, of the division of game and inland fisheries of the state Depart ment of Conservation and Develop ment. "It is not the desire of the depart ment to deprive people of the oppor tunity of catching a supply of her ring, but we are making every effort possible to protect and restore the different species of game fish which are showing a steady decrease an nually while the number of fishermen continue to increase every year. "However,” said Mr. Terry, "by us ing dip nets for herring, very few, if any, game fish will be caught, and we are glad to permit that type of fishing between January 1 and May 1. which is the duration of the open season for commercial fishing.” Tri-County Medical Society To Meet at Club March 10 -® A movie film, entitled “Pernicious Anemias,” will be presented by Dr. Frank Helvestine. jr., of the Lederle Laboratories at the meeting of the Tri-County Medicjal Society sched uled to be held at the Plymouth Country Club here at 6:30 p. m., on Friday, March 10. Dr. Emmett, president, and Dr. Paul Whitaker, of Kinston, council lor for the second district, will be special guests of the organization, which includes physicians in Martin, Washington and Tyrrell Counties. In Raleigh This Week Attorney Zeb Vance Norman is in Raleigh this week on professional business. 'Norfolk Men Buy E. I * H. Liverman Stock Here; Sale Planned -$ Deal Completed Last Thurs day; B. F’eiper aiul M. Wax New Owners The stock of merchandise in the E. H. Liverman store here has been sold to B Peipert and M. Wax, of Norfolk. Va„ with the deal completed last Thursday afternoon at 4 o'clock The new owners took possession im mediately, although Mr. Liverman is maintaining office space in the store building until he can wind up his affairs in connection with the busi ness. Mr. Liverman had been in the mer cantile business here for about 15 years and had built up a large trade throughout this whole section, his stock being recognized as about the largest in Plymouth. It is understood that Mr. Liver man s stock inventoried about $22, 000 at the time of the sale, but the price involved in the deal with the Norfolk men was not made known. A sale will be conducted by the new owners, starting in the building now occupied by Mr. Liverman next Friday, March 10, and the purchas ers hope to dispose of the merchan dise in a bargain event featuring slaughtered prices, according to Mr. Peipert. M. Nelson will direct the sale and Mr. Peipert will be associated with him. Both men are well known here, as both of them have been in busi ness here at one time or another, conducting sales of stock including that of the late J. C. Spruill and pos sibly others. The salepeople employed by Mr. Liverman were retained by the new owners, and it is likely that a num ber of additional clerks will be se cured for conducting the sale. -® Plane Forced Down Is Shippetl Home —«— A Klemm cabin airplane, owned and piloted by Henry Foster, of New York City, was being shipped back to his home today after it had been damaged in an attempted take-off following a forced landing on the farm of Linwood Knowles, near Dar dens, Monday afternoon. Foster said that he got off his course due to low-hanging clouds and when his motor began missing he de cided to land. After repairing the motor he attempted to take off again, but due to the soft earth he was not able to get up enough speed to clear a wire fence, damaging a wing, the undercarriage and propellor, although the pilot escaped injury. He then disassembled the ship and sent it home by rail. Foster said he was on a flight from New York to Miami, Fla., when he lost his course shortly after refuel ing in Richmond, Va. $75,000 Post Office Here Is Approved —®— A $75,000 post office building for Plymouth has been approved by the Post Office Department, it was learned here this week. However, authorization of this building was not included in the ap propriation of the $130,000,000 pub lic-building program approved by Congress, according to the congres sional committee which announced the project had been approved. It was indicated the Plymouth post of fice building will be included in the list of eligible projects if Congress decides to expand that program at the present session. Although on the approved list, the local building will not be undertaken until Congress passes authorization legislation and appropriates the mon ey for it. -® Roper Colored Man Hurt By Sudden Stop of Truck -*— Roscoe Hudson, 35, colored, of Roper, received painful injuries when a truck in which he was riding Monday morning stopped suddenly on Water Street here, throwning him out on the pavement. His head was cut in two places and a knee and one shoul der injured. Other Negroes in the truck were able to grab the sides to prevent them from being thrown out. ---(£ Bertie Tornado Scenes at Plymouth Theatre Sunday -® Scenes depicting the destruction wrought by the tornado which swept the Greens Cross section of Bertie County Tuesday of last week will be shown at the Plymouth Theatre here Sunday in connection with the reg ularly scheduled show, it was an nounced today by Shep Brinkley. In the meantime, those who wish to contribute to the fund to help re lieve the suffering caused by the tor nado may leave their money with Mrs. H. A. Liverman, chairman of the Washington County Red Cross. -<§• Creswell Parents-Teaehers ff ill Meet Next Thursday -«. Creswell.—The Creswell Parent Teacher Association will hold its reg ular meeting next Thursday evening, March 9, at 7:30. The officers urge school patrons to attend.
The Roanoke Beacon and Washington County News (Plymouth, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
March 3, 1939, edition 1
1
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75