The Roanoke Beacon
* ^ * * * * * and Washington County News ★★★★★★★
Advertisers will find Beacon
and News Columns a latchkey to
1,500 Washing-ton County homes.
VOLUME LI—NUMBER 1
Plymouth, Washington County, North Carolina, Thursday, January 4, 1940
ESTABLISHED 1889
Town
opics
Vernon Early, of Ahoskie is now as
sociated with Manager F. L. Modlin
in conducting the business of the M.
H. Mitchell Furniture Company here.
Mr. Early succeeds Walter Kirkland,
who has returned to his job with the
Mitchell store in Ahoskie.
Williford M. Smith, a representa
tive of the International Brotherhood
of Pulp, Sulphite and Paper Mill
Workers, spoke to a large crowd of
employees of the North Carolina Pulp
Company in the Masonic Hall here
Wednesday night.
Coach John Weaver said at
noon today that the boys’ and
girls’ basketball game with Eliz
abeth City here would be played
on Tuesday night of next week
instead of Friday night, as car
ried elsewhere in this paper. The
time is 7:30 at night.
Miss Nellie Tarkenton, a teacher in
the Plymouth High Schools, told of
seeing a diver feed bottle-nosed dol
phins in a pool at Marineland, Fla.,
where she went on a visit during the
holidays.
A meeting of the Plymouth
Merchants Association will be
held in the Town Council cham
ber Friday night at 7:30. Mem
bers of the organization are urged
by J. R. Manning, president, to
attend, as several matters of im
portance to the merchants will
be discussed.
Mrs. Maude Cox. of Mackeys, is
now connected with the Virginia Dare
Beauty Shop here. Miss Virginia
Cahoon, the owner, said that Mrs.
Cox had had several years' experi
ence in beauty parolr work in Rocky
Mount and Plymouth.
Mrs. Ruth Graziola, of Mount
Olive, has succeeded Mrs. Char
lie V. Bass as health nurse for
Washington County in the dis
trict health office here. Mrs. Bass
moved to Kinston, to which her
husband, a state highway work
er, has been transferred from
here.
Clearance sales with many values
for the bargain hunters are being held
by the Norman Furniture Company
and the Fashion Shop here. These
firms are making an effort to clear
their shelves of much merchandise at
low prices.
William H. Corbitt, who has been
in this section for sometime, has been
purchasing sweet potatoes in large
lots for a Wilmington firm, which
sells them to large canneries, from
which come the cans of candied yams.
County Home and
Farm Shows $735
Profit in Past Year
Report Made by L. L. Bas
night To County Board
At Meet Monday
Reports circulating in the county
that the Washington County home
and farm was being operated at a loss
were proven unfounded at the meet
ing of the commissioners Monday,
when L. L. Basnight. keeper, showed
the board that the home and farm
had a net profit for 1939 of $734.46.
Mr. Basnight, in a prepared state
ment. reported to the commissioners
that the cash crops sold from the
farm last year netted $431.11; other
produce used in the county home was
valued at $1,783; and he now has on
hand 200 bushels of soybeans, valued
at $180; making the total income
$2,394.11. Total disbursements were
listed at $1,661.65; leaving a net
profit of $734.46 for the institution.
In addition to this, it is known that
Mr. Basnight took care of inmates at
an average cost of $14.77 per month,
while the state average person for
support in county homes is $17.11.
Mr. and Mrs. Basnight are known to
be very kind and helpful to the aged
people at the home, which provides
steam heat and all modern conveni
ences. Several inmates have had an
opportunity to leave and draw about
$17 a month in social security bene
fits, but they prefer to remain at the
home.
The county commisioners appoint
ed J. R. Campbell, Ludford McNair
and J. H. Leggett to investigate the
damage caused by dogs kiling the
hogs of J. T. McNair.
The board also received reports of
the county physician, health officer,
and county agent.
Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Sexion Parents oi
First 1340 Baby Born in This County
So far as could be learned from
physicians in Plymouth, the eight
pound boy who came to the Rop
er home of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph
Wilbert Sexton on Monday at 2:10
p. m., was the first and only
child to be born on the 1940 New
Year’s Day In Washington j
County. The youngster was
named William Lawrence Sexton.
Mr. and Mrs. Sexton are both
natives of this county. With the
arrival of the New Year’s boy,
they have two children. Dr.
Claudius McGowan was the at
tending physician. Mr. Sexton is
employed at the North Carolina
Pulp Company plant here.
Dr. McGowan said that this
was the first occasion on which
he was the attending physician
at the birth of a child on New
Year’s Day. although he has as
sisted in the delivery of two boys
on Christmas Day and one child
on February 29 in the 22 years
he has been practicing medicine
in the county. The doctor esti
mated that he has attended the
birth of 1,320 babies since he
came to the county 22 years ago.
The physician recalled the first
mother he ever attended in the
county was Mrs. Joe Blount, near
Mackeys. The baby bom at that
time is now a grown young man
in the army.
Cold W eather During Past
Few Days Has Slowed Up
Construction Work Here
Urges Precautions
To Prevent Thefts
With repeated robberies occur
ring in Plymouth during the last
few days. Chief of Police P. W.
Brown urges the merchants to
take every precaution possible
against perpetrators of the out
rages by securely closing their
places of business each night.
Reinforcement should be made
at windows and bars placed
against doors and other precau
tions taken to prevent entrance
being forced from the outside, ac
cording to the veteran officer.
He also said that the police
force would redouble its vigilance
and that special efforts are be
ing made to prevent any further
robberies.
Convictions Secured
In All Seven Cases
Tried by Recorder
New Year Begun Wth 100
Per Cent Record at
Tuesday Session
Verdicts of guilty were handed
down by Recorder John W. Darden
in the seven cases that came before'
him Tuesday morning, as Prosecut
ing Attorney W. Ronald Gaylord
started the new year off with a 100
per cent record of convictions in the
first seven cases.
Noah Blount, colored, was found
guilty of being drunk and disorderly
in the Plymouth Theatre during the
holidays. Choice of 30 days or pay
ment of the costs was offered the de
fendant as judgment, and he is mak
ing an effort to raise the amount of
the costs.
Duard S. Swain, white, guilty of
reckless driving in the town of Plym
outh, was ordered to pay the costs
and a $25 fine. His driver's license
was revoked for three months.
Frank Pope, alias Frank Dunn, col
ored, was given three months on the
roads on a charge of vagrancy.
Joe Boston and Willie Boston were
found guilty of assaulting Joe Hedge
beth, colored, with a club. Each was
asessed $5 fine and the costs and re
quired to pay the Virginia Electric
and Power Company $12 for the met
er they broke during the fight.
L. B. Peel and Nathan Stokes were
charged with assault with a deadly
weapon and affray. Stokes was re
quired to pay half the costs and Peel
was fined $10 and ordered to pay half
the costs.
Mary Webb, colored, found guilty
of being a nuisance and also assault
ing another person, was given two
months at the county home.
Lonnie Wilkins, colored, found
guilty of an assault on Mary Webb,
colored, was given six months, sus
pended on condition that he report
good behavior for two years and pay
the costs.
Weather of Past Few Days Is Declared
To Be Coldest in County in Four Years
Though it was some warmer in
Washington County today, there were
forecasts of probable snow for Friday
and Saturday to climax one of the
coldest fortnights which has been ex
perienced in this section in at least
four years, according to those who
keep up with the weather.
Wednesday was said to have been
one of the coldest days in four years,
with early morning temperatures re
ported in Plymouth at 19 degrees.
L. E. Hassell said that a thermometer
at his farm near Roper showed 17
degrees at this time.
Cautious householders have been
turning oft the water in their homes
here nightly for the past several days
to prevent frozen and bursted pipes.
The full extent of damage done to
water pipes is not yet known, due to
the fact that it has not become warm
enough to thaw out the pipes, which
is when most of the burst lines oc
cur.
However, it continues cold, and the
forecast today was for snow in the
mountains of the state with the pos
sibility that it may drift down to
Washington County.
However, Work Is Still Go
ing Forward as Rapidly
As Practical
-O
Over 125 Now on Job
—o
Cold weather, which slowed up the
pouring of cement, has retarded the
progress being made on the expan
sion program underway now at the
plant of the North Carolina Pulp
Company here, but work is moving
along as rapidly as possible on the
estimated $1,200,000 worth of con
tracts let for the work here.
As far as could be learned, the con
struction program now includes erec
tion of a bleach building, a bleach
liquor building, beater room, machine
building, boiler room, nine tanks, ad
ditions to wet-room building, and in
stallation of machinery and equip
ment in the new structures.
Excavations are now being made
and concrete footings poured by the
William Muirhead Construction Com
pany, of Durham, for the machine
building, running from northwest to
southeast, which measures 486 by 90
feet. The northwest fence has been
removed, and the foundation work is
being extended 45 feet beyond the
line of the old fence across the road
into the forest land adjoining the
old road.
Brick work has been started around
the steel frame on the bleach build
ing. Seventeen men are employed in
this work, and additional workmen
will be required when the brick work
starts soon on the bleach-liquor
building. Much of the steel work on
both structures has been completed
by employees of the Bethlehem Steel
Corporation, which is providing the
steel and erecting it. At the present
time the steel workers are idle.
Today there were about 75 men
working on the foundations and foot
ings for the new buildings being built
by the Muirhead company, and about
17 on the brickwork, contract for
which was let to the same company
recently.
The filtration plant being con
structed by the Rohleder Construc
tion Company, of Philadelphia, is pro
gressing well, but they have been
handicapped in pouring the cement
walls by the recent cold weather.
This company hopes to have its proj
ect completed shortly if the weather
becomes more favorable.
R. D. Lambert, construction fore
man for the Muirhead concern, said
that if the weather turned warmer,
permitting rapid pouring of the ce
ment, that the footings for the ma
chine room and boiler room would be
completed by January 25.
-/tt
Highway Safely
Topic of Leciure
A lecture on highway safety will
be given at the Plymouth High
School Monday night, January 15,
at 7:30 by Mrs. Bill Flythe, of Ra
leigh, a representative of the safety
division of the State Highway Patrol.
She will explain the methods being
taken by highway officials to promote
safety on the highways and will also
tell of the ways that accidents on the
highways can be prevented.
The lecture will be jointly spon
sored by the school, the Lions Club,
and the parent-teacher association.
Marine Corps Is Seeking
Recruits in This Section
-o
The United States Marine Corps
Recruiting Service this week an
nounced that a recruiting sergeant
will be in Elizabeth City Saturday tc
interview young men desiring infor
mation regarding enlistment in the
Marine Corps. The sergeant will be
in the lobby of the post office from
9 to 11 a. m.
Interviews will also be held by the
sergeant in lobbies of post officies in
the following towns on the same day:
Edenton, from 12:30 to 1:30 p. m.;
Windsor, from 2:15 to 3:15 p. m.:
Williamston, from 3:45 to 5 p. m.
Channel of Roanoke
River Will Re Made
Deeper Nexl Spring
-0
Colonel of Army Engineers
Says $350,000 Worth of
Contracts To Be Let
-o
Contracts totalling approximately!
$350,000 will be let by the War De
partment early in the spring for
deepening the channel of Roanoke
River, it was learned from Col. Geo.
W. Gillette, engineer of the Wilming
ton District, who was here last week.
It is understood that immediately
after the contracts are let by the
War Department that the successful
contractors will begin work on the
project, which is to be completed as
early as possible.
Prom information available, it was
understood that the channel would
be deepened to provide a minimum
of 12 feet from the mouth to one
mile beyond Williamston and from
that point a 10-foot minimum depth
to Palmyra. However, it possible that
the channel may be made two feet
deeper than the plans now call for,
in order to aliow for plenty of clear
ance for the heavier craft expected
as traffic increases on the stream.
When the project is completed, it
is believed that any craft now navi
gating the inland waterways of the
State can be operated on the Roan
oke without danger of dragging the
bottom.
While he was here Colonel Gillette
visited W, R. Hampton, a college
friend and member of the Board of
Conservation and Development, and
talked with him about the project
and its possibilities for the section.
Additional Lights
Are Installed Here
-o
As a deterrent to burglars and rob
ers who work under cover of dark
ness, a crew of construction workers
of the Virginia Electric and Power
Company erected seven new street
lights in alleys and back lots in the
business section here Tuesday and
Wednesday.
The new lights, current for which
will be paid for by the town, were lo
cated as follows: 4 on the waterfront
at the rear of Water Street stores:
1 in the alley back of the Owens
Buildings on Water^nd Washington
Streets: 1 in the post office alley;
and 1 at the rear of the B. G. Camp
bell wholesale grocery establishment.
W. L. Glover, foreman of the line
crew which erected the poles, said
each pole would have a 250-candle
power light. There were 13 men in
the crew and nine new poles were
erected, two of them being replace
ments.
-e
Superior Court To
Convene Monday
With 43 criminal and civil cases
on docket, the Washington County
Superior Court will open here Mon
day, with Judge Q. K. Nimocks, of
Fayetteville, presiding over the two
week mixed term.
Court observers predict that unless
some of the cases are continued for
one reason or another, the court will
need almost the entire two weeks to
clear the docket.
The first three days have been al
lotted for the trial of criminal cases,
but it is beleived it will take longer
than this to dispose of the cases on
docket.
Woman s Club Meeting
Is Postponed for Week
-®
Mrs. W. A. Davidson, president of
the local senior Woman’s Club, an
nounced today that the meeting set
ior tomorrow, January 5, had been
postponed until Friday of next week,
January 12. The postponement was
made due to the absence from town
of several members, with the unusu
ally cold weather of the past few
days being a contributing cause.
Says Car Drivers
Musi Dim Lights
While checking cars for their
1940 license plates. Corporal T.
B. Brown, of the State Highway
Patrol, said that he had observed
many drivers who fail to dim
their lights when approaching
other motor vehicles, and the of
ficer said he was going to start
work on these traffic-law viola
tors.
Only a few persons who have
been operating their cars without
the new tags were cited during
the first three days of the week,
but the patrolman said he would
be getting down to this business
in east by the week-end.
He also added that those who
failed to dim their lights would
be arraigned before the courts for
violation of this highway law.
Tobacco Allotments for Farmers
Of County Are Expected To Be
Approved by Middle Next Week
Auto Accidents in County
Claimed 1 wo Lives During
Past Year, Record Shows
Compares With Six Deaths
During Last 9 Months
Of Preceding Year
Many Minor Wrecks
Automobile accidents claimed only
two lives on the highways of Wash
ington County during 1939, in com
parison to six lives lost in the last
nine months of 1938, according to
records kept here by Corporal Tom
B. Brown, of the State Highway Pa
trol. There was a total of $800 in
property damage done in three ma
jor accidents during the past year,
as against $900 reported for the nine
months covered by the records of the
years before.
Ambrose L. Owens was almost in
stantly killed on May 1 last year, on
the highway near the Springwood
Dairy. He was struck by the ton
gue of a trailer, which became de
tached from its coupling on Herman
Jackson's car, operated by Grover
Harison, Damage to the vehicles in
volved in the accident was listed at
$250.
Joe Simpson, 36-year-old colored
tenant farmer, was almost instantly
killed on the night of December 25,
when a car operated by Bill Darden,
of Plymouth, crashed into that of
Simpson’s as the colored man’s ma
chine came out of a driveway onto
the highway without stopping. Young
Darden and Charles E. Brinn were in
jured and property damage was es
timated at $300 in this accident.
Three persons were injured on the
Albemarle Sound bridge road last
February 18, when the cars operated
by George Patrick and K. S. Mitchell
collided. Damage to the cars was
listed at $250 in this accident.
The highway patrolman said there
had been scores of other minor acci
dents reported to him where the dam
age was less than $50 which he did
not record on his chart. None of
those involved in the minor acci
dents was seriously injured.
Series of Robberies
And Attempts Are
Reported To Police
Western Union Office and
Bowling Alleys Burglar
ized Last Week-End
-o
Police officers today were search
ing for thieves who forced entrance
into two business places and at
tempted to enter a third during the
week-end.
Friday night robbers forced an en
trance into the Western Union office
at the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
station. Entering through a window,
the intruders pried loose the money
drawer so that they could get about
$10 in cash which was left in it.
Sunday night, unidentified persons
broke out a rear window and entered
the Plymouth Bowling Alleys build
ing next to the Beacon office. They
took out two slot machines, which
they broke open and robbed of about
$30. The robbery occurred about Q
o’clock in the evening.
James Antonaider, owner of the
alleys, said that he also missed a box
of cigars. 3 cartons of cigarettes, 4
cartons of chewing gum, 1 pound of
chewing tobacco, 5 packages of razor
blades and 4 pocket combs.
Monday morning, Mrs. W. E. Wa
ters and Mrs. J. C. Smith, owners of
the Fashion Shop, discovered that
efforts had been made to force open
the rear door of their establishment
sometime during Sunday night. The
ladies believe the persons who at
tempted to rob the place tried to
force the door open by prying it loose
from the catch of the lock. However
two heavy bars prevented them from
gaining entrance.
Rea Appoinied To
School Board Here
Members of the Washington Coun
ty Board of Education, in session here
Wednesday approved the nomination
of J. L. Rea, manager of the Black
land Experiment Station, as a mem
ber of the Plymouth school commit
tee.
It was also decided that tlv old
heating plant in the Creswell school
would be sold, and that part of the
proceeds would be used to install the
radiators left from the plant in the
| Plymouth colored school buildir.
5,000 Bags Peanuts
Now Stored Here
Five thousand bags of peanuts
have been delivered to the gov
ernment bonded warehouses op
erated here by J. E. Davenport
and YV. H. Clark under the sup
ervision of the North Carolina
1 Peanut Stabilization Cooperative.
Mr. Clark and Mr. Davenport
eexplained that the peanuts were
coming in gradually, but that
most of the crop grown In this
county was being sold through
regular channels of trade.
Mr. Davenport sai£ the grading
demanded by the government
agency revealed that peanuts be
ing stored were average quality,
the better grades being handled
through buyers representing the
cleaners in most instances.
Law Officers Think
Escape Trick Would
Fail If Tried Here
-<$>
Similar Cells on Death Row
At State Prison Opened
By Two Prisoners
-$
Sheriff J. K. Reid looked over his
jail on the third floor of the court
house building here today and ven
tured the prediction that the two
negroes on death row in State prison
at Raleigh, who escaped from their
cell with Christmas twine and card
board last week, afterwards killing a
guard, could not have worked the
same trick successfully in the jaU
here, which is constructed along the
same lines.
Other officers, including Patrolman
Tom Brown, supported the opinion
of the sheriff. Cells in the jail here
are modeled after those on death row
in Central prison at Raleigh, but
none of the local officers believe the
methods used by the two negroes
there, as described in state newspa
pers, would work at the jail here.
The two colored men, William
Young and Clarence Rogers, of Hoke
and Durham County, both charged
with murder, made a desperate effort
to escape from death row by insert
ing cardboard in the slots of the locks
to prevent them from completely
locking, and then lifting the latch
with a piece of Christmas twine. They
escaped into the corridor and pounced
upon Guard J. S. Chesser, who was
killed in the struggle. Their escape
from the corridor was blocked by the
fact that the dead guard carried no
keys, and the two men returned to
their cells, where they are awaiting
death in the gas chamber.
State penal officials, who have in
spected the jail here over a period
of many years, agree with the sheriff
that the cells here will hold most of
the criminals committed to their
keeping. During the 17 years Sher
iff Reid has served the county he has
never had an escape from his sup
posedly fire-proof escape-proof jail.
He says a number of hardened crim
inals have told him they tried, but
found it impossible to break out.
Town Council Meets
Next Monday Night
The Town Council of Plymouth will
hold its monthly meeting next Mon
day night, postponing it from the
first Monday because of the New Year
holiday.
Mayor B. G. Campbell urges a full
attendance, as there are some im
portant business matters scheduled
for discussion.
Final Adjustments
Are Being Made by
County Committee
General Reduction of 20 Per
Cent of Base Acreages
In Prospect
Tobacco allotments, as passed by
the agricultural conservation com
mittee for Washington County for the
1940 plantings will carry a general
reduction of about 20 per cent, which
farmers were advised would be nec
essary when the referendum was held
last fall. It is expected the Individ
ual allotments will be sent to farm
ers in the county by the latter part
of next week.
The allotments have been sent to
Raleigh, where they were checked
and then the totals sent to AAA of
ficials in Washington. D. C., where
they were approved. They have been
returned to the office here for some
adjustments to be made by the com
mittee members, who are meeting
this week to take final action on
them.
County Agent W. V. Hays said to
day that he hoped final adjustments
would be made and tabulations ap
proved by the Raleigh office by Wed
nesday of next week, so that farm
ers in the county could make their
plans for sowing tobacco beds im
mediately, this work usually being
done in this section during the first
two weeks of January.
The acreage allotment for farmers
in Washington County for 1940 to
tals 1,052 acres, against 1,175 acres
allotted for 1939.
Of the 252 allotments made by the
committee here this year, there were
about 50 per cent of them for the «
small farms. A small farm is deter- j
mined by whether or not the acreage
allotted it will produce more than
3,200 pounds of tobacco, and many
of the small growers were given spec
ial consideration in setting up allot
ments, as prescribed in the 1940 reg
ulations.
Mr. Hays said today he was well
satisfied with the work of the com
mittee, explaining that me men v.no
worked out the allotments had a very
difficult task; and it appeared now
that full consideration had been giv
en to every grower, and his individ
ual needs and desires fairly consid
ered so that the total allotments
would be kept within reason.
In the referendum held on October
5, the growers of this county voted
97 per cent, or 345 for and 11 against
the control program, which carried
with it the imposition of marketing
quotas for 1940. It was said at that
time that the maximum reductions
in acreage would not be over 20 per
cent of the base acreage allotted each
farm.
-■;
Episcopal Church
Officials^ Elected
Sixty communicants of Grace
Episcopal church met at the church
here Friday night and elected offi
cers for the year of 1940, with the rec
tor, Rev. Sidney Matthews, of Wash
ington, presiding over the meeting.
H. A. Williford was named senior
warden; S. A. Ward, junior warden;
and R. A. Duvall, secretary, with the
following elected to membership on
the vestry: H. A. Blount, Dr. Alban
Papineau, Blount Rodman, L. C. Ode
nath, T. W. Earle, Zeno Lyon, C. E.
Ayers, Walter P. Lloyd, and Lloyd
Horton.
It was decided that lay services
would be held each Sunday morning,
except the second Sunday, at 11 o'
clock. with Blount Rodman, Dr. A.
Papineau and S. A. Ward as lay read
ers in charge of the services. The
rector, Rev. Mr. Matthews, preaches
on the second Sunday morning and
on the third Sunday night of each
month.
W. Blount Rodman was named
superintendent of the Sunday school
to succeed W. F. Winslow, who re
signed after serving in that capacity
for a number of years.
Tax Listing Gels Underway in County;
Early Birds To Miss Last-Minute Rush
Tax listers of Washington County
were at their appointed places this
week to aid property owners in list
ing their real estate and personal
property for taxation during the
month of January.
It was understood that the tax list
ers of the county were being kept
pretty busy by those who wished to
avoid the last-minute rush, which al
ways accompanies tax listing.
Sidney A. Ward and Mrs. M. W.
Snruill are at the courthouse to list
the property of those living in Plym
outh Township and the Town of
Plymouth. Mr. Ward represents the
county in place of H. C. Spruill, who
was appointed to the position but
who has been sick. Mrs. Spruill rep
resents the town.
E. M. Chesson is list taker for Lees
Mill Township; W. W. White for
Skinnersville: and P. B. Belanga for
Scuppemong.
Supervisor E. P. Swain urges all
residents of the county to list their
taxes personally so that there may
be as few inaccuracies in the listing
this year as possible.
Start the New Year Right by Subscribing for Stock in the Building & Loan Association