The Roanoke Beacon
* * * * ★ * *and Washington County News ★★★★★★★
VOLUME LIII—NUMBER 31. Plymouth, Washington County, North Carolina, Thursday, July 30, 1942._
EVERYBODY
EVERY PAYDAY
SAVINS IN
WAR BONDS
ESTABLISHED 1889
Town
opics
Van B. Martin suffered a painful
cut on his left hand Sunday night
when thrown from his brother's
speedboat shortly after they had
rescued the Navy aircraft pilot who
bailed out of his ship and landed in
a swamp near here. Van was sitting
on the bow of the boat, when it was
swerved suddenly to avoid a log, and
he pitched out into the waters of
Warren Neck Creek. In falling he
cut a deep gash across the palm of
his hand.
Tobacco farmers are encouraged
by reports of high prices prevailing
at opening of the Georgia markets
last Tuesday. The average was re
ported as around 30 cents a pound
on early sales, nearly 8 cents high
er than a year ago. Markets in this
section will open August 25th.
Although the drought was ef
fectively broken by the rains
here last Friday and Sunday,
many farmers said that they
came too late to be of much help
to the corn crop. Reports on
tobacco prospects are spotty;
some say they have fair crops,
cithers re port they are not so
good.
Farmer Tom Freeman, of the Roper
section, said this week that the re
cent rains had been of immense
worth to the tobacco crop. He said
he had more tobacco in his fields
now than he hid when he started
harvesting the crop several weeks
ago.
Mrs. Mary Horton said yesterday
that the buffet supper served on the
terrace at the country club last Sun
day evening was a success in every
way. She plans to continue serving
them each Sunday between the
hours of 6 and 9 p. m. throughout
the summer months. A large num
ber attended the initial supper last
Sunday.
The county board of education will
hold its regular meeting next Mon
day morning in the courthouse here.
It is presumed that the opening date
for Washington County schools will
be decided upon at that time.
An increase in the penalty on
delinquent 1941 taxes becomes
effective August 1, botli county
and town tax collectors warn.
The penalty goes up each month,
and advertisement and sale ol'
property for non-payment of
taxes is also in the immediate
offing.
Miss Mary Louise Lilley, of Plym
outh has been employed as assistant
clerk in the office of the Washington
County Rationing Board. Both Miss
Lilley and W. A. Roebuck, the clerk,
are Civil Service Commision employ
ees. She entered upon her work
with the local board last Saturday.
James L. Rhea, jr., assistant di
rector in charge of the Blackland
Experiment Station at Wenona, was
a business visitor in Plymouth Tues
day, Mr. Rhea says the 4-gallon-a
week gas ration is likely to make him
an infrequent visitor here in the
future.
--<S>
140 Allend Daily
Bible School Here
-@
Approximately 140 children and
young people have participated in the
Union Daily Vacation Bible School
held here this week, sponsored by the
Episcopal, Methodist, Baptist and
Christian churches, of Plymouth. The
teaching and administratrive person
nel, recruited from all the local
churches, has led in a program of
worship, study, handicraft, music and
recreation which provided for the
maximum of pupil participation and
training. Daily opening exercises for
the school have been held at the
Christian church, followed by classes
for the various groups at the Hamp
ton school.
Commencement exercises for the
school will be held next Sunday eve
ning, August 2, at 8 o'clock. All the
local churches are cooperating in this
service, which is to be held at the
Christian church. Certificates for
perfect attendance will be awarded
at this time.
Those in charge of the school have
expressed themselves as being well
pleased with the degree of succss
attained and the hearty response on
th part of the children and parents
of Plymouth.
Mass Meeting Here Thursday Night Next Week
A mass meting will be held at
the courthouse here Thursday
night of next week to launch
this country’s part in the nation
wide scrap metal round-up sche
duled to be continued throughout
the fall, it was announced today
by VV. V. Hays and H. H. Mc
Lean, co-chairmen of the county
salvage comittee. Salvage com
mittee members, workers and al
citizens are urged to attend.
The desperate need for all
kinds of scrap metal is to be
brought forcefully to the atten
tion of every man, woman and
child in the nation. Some arms
plants have already been forced
to curtail operations due to the
shortage of scrap, and every ef
fort will be made to impress the
seriousness of the situation on
the public.
Arrangements for the local
meeting here, and possibly others
throughout the county, have not
been completed, but the text of
a telegram received this morn
ing by the county chairmen from
James B. Vogler, executive se
cretary of the drive in North
Carolina, is as follows:
“Washington has requested ev
ery county, city and town in
North Carolina to hold mass
meetings of salvage committee
members, workers and citizens
at county courthouses or schools
in the state on Thursday night,
August 6, at 8 o’clock. North
Carolina is called upon for 392,
000,000 pounds scrap metals in
next six months. Your coun
try needs your help. Put every
thing you have behind this meet
ting. Governor Broughton will
speak at 8:30 on a hook-up be
tween Charlotte and Raleigh and
possibly other stations. Be sure
to have radios in courthouses or
wherever meeting is held. Ad
vise the chairmen of all towns
in the county to hold these meet
ings. Write us your willingness
to hold these meetings so that
we can have this for the mass
meeting in the State Capitol.”
Explains Regulations
Covering Emergency,
Special Gas Rations
County Bond Sales
'Way Below Quota
Washington County is falling
down badly on its War Bond quo
ta this month, according to a
compilation of local sales up to
today. Total sales at the post
office and bank here were only
$15,025 up to today, while the
quota for the month is S37.800.
No reports were available on
sales in Roper and Creswell.
Last month §21,375 worth of
bonds were sold in the county,
against a quota of only §14,500.
It is not expected that sales this
montli will run much over $20,
000.
Up to Wednesday, the local
bank had sold $9,250 worth of
bonds, while the post office here
reported sales of $5,275 up to
this morning. In addition, the
post office has sold about §5,000
worth of savings stamps, which
are not credited against the
county quota. Sales in Roper
and Creswell last month were
about §4.500.
County Court Loses
Solicitor To Army,
But Work Goes On
14 Cases Called and 10 De
fendants Convicted at
Session Tuesday
-$
Tuesday was a busy day for Judge
W. Ronald Gaylord in recorder’s
court, with 14 cases called and no
prosecuting attorney on hand, the
latter due to the fact that Sidney A.
Ward, who has been serving as soli
citor since W. Blount Rodman went
to the Army over a month ago, was
himself called into the service.
Mr. Ward left Tuesday morning, only
a few minutes before the court con
vened, and thus the county tribunal
has given up two of its officers to
the army in less than two months.
However, Recorder Gaylord didn’t
do so bad. Out of the 14 cases on
the docket, two were nol prossed, one
was continued until Friday, another
was remanded to the Creswell mayor’s
court, and convictions were secured
in the other 10, with the defendants
being fined or sent to the roads in
each instance. The proceedings were
as follows:
James Watkins, colored, of Plym
outh; reckless and careless driving;
$5 and costs.
Harry Walker, colored, of Plym
outh; drunk and disorderly; $5 fine
and costs or 30 days on roads; pray
er for judgment continued until Au
gust 18.
Henry Moore, colored, of Creswell;
larceny; nol pros with leave.
Vernest Lucas, colored, of Mac
keys; simple assault; $5 and costs.
Mary Lee Lucas, colored, of Mac
keys; assault with deadly weapon;
$10 and costs and $10 to be paid to
Mary Webb, prosecuting witness.
Mamie Combs, colored, of Plym
outh; assault; $5 and costs.
See COUNTY COURT, Page Six
County School Trucks To Start Term
This Year Without Spare Tire Apiece
The rubber shortage will di
rectly affect operation of the
Washington County school busses
this year, according to H. H. Mc
Lean, county superintendent, who
said that the busses would en
ter upon the transportation job
this coming term without spares.
The trucks have been put in the
best possible condition, Including
tires, but a puncture or blow-out
this term will be a serious inci
dent, and the pick-up repair
truck is likely to be in for a busy
fall and winter.
Mr. McLean said that 20 school
busses uill be operated this year.
There are are two other busses
which will be held in reserve in
ease of breakdowns. Then the
board has four or five extra tires,
which will be kept repaired and
readily available, and if any of
the busses have tire trouble while
on the school routes, the repair
trucks will be rushed out to make
the change and necessary repairs.
The school superintendent this
week received a bulletin from the
OPA office, signed by Leon Hen
derson, which rules that super
visors or teachers who are re
quired to travel from school to
school in order to perform their
work will be eligible to apply for
retreads, recaps, or obsolete tires
if proven necessary to their oc
cupations. .School busses are
also eligible to apply for tires,
but any allotment must come out
of the county monthly quota*.
Chairman of Board
Tells Difference in
Two Classifications
Apply to Board for ‘Special’
Allotments; To Stations
For ‘Emergency’ Gas
-<$>
W. L. Whitley, chairman of the
Washington County Rationing Board,
this week calls attention of the pub
lic to a few facts regarding applica
tions for and issuance of special and
emergency allotments of gasoline.
Incidentally, the “special” and
“emergency” allotments are two
different classes and the difference
in applying for them is also empha
sized by the board chairman.
Application for special gasoline al
lotments must be made directly to
the board, and such allowances will
be made only for the following six
specific reasons:
1. To procure necesary medical at
tention. Mr. Whitley says that a
special allotment of gasoline will be
granted upon presentation to the
board of a certificate from a physi
cian stating that it is necessary for
a patient to be brought to him for
treatment.
z. 10 return a motor venicie to a
place of residence. The chairman
interprets this to mean that a spe
cial allotment will be granted when
a person moves his place of residence
from one section to another.
3. For demonstration of a motor
vehicle by a dealer or for a dealer to
repossess a motor vehicle.
4. For scientific expeditions. No
allotments are expected to be issued
for this purpose in this county.
5. To transport voters to polls at
elections. Mr. Whitley said that it
would be the policy of the Washing
ton County board to deny all such
requests, at least until such time as
sufficient gasoline is made available
to permit people in general to carry
on their necessary occupations. He
stated that the board did not con
sider it fair to grant supplementary
allotments for hauling voters while
other people were unable to secure
sufficient gasoline to perform their
necessary occupational duties.
6. For experimental tests. This
Se^GAS~BATIONSrPage~Six
-®
Official 'of Nazarene
Church Will Conduct
Revival Series Here
Will Be Held in Tent on
Jefferson Street; First
Service Tonight
-$
The Rev. Raymond Brown, of Ben
nettsville, S. C„ district superintend
ent of the Church of the Nazarene
in North Carolina, arrived here this
week to open a revival meeting to
night in a tent located in the 400
block of Jefferson Street. The serv
ices will continue each night through
Sunday, August 16, according to Mr.
Browning.
The visiting minister is a native
of Pulaski, Tenn. He was converted
42 years ago and began holding re
vivals while still in high school. He
is a graduate of the Webb School at
Bell Buckle, Tenn., and was a stu
dent at Trinity College in Durham
for three years.
Mr. Browning, who has held more
than 160 revivals in North Carolina
alone, is widely known as a camp
meeting evangelist, radio preacher,
and composer of gospel songs. He
is now district superintendent of the
Church of the Nazarene in North
Carolina, but still takes time to hold
revivals. Within the past year he
has conducted revivals in Washing
ton, D. C., Miami, Fla., Long Beach,
Calif.. Nashville. Tenn., and Phila
delphia, Pa.
He says his program is designed to
“make bad people good, and good
people better.” He believes that the
nation’s greatest need at this time is
a fervent revival of old-time gospel
salvation that will build again the
family altar, revitalize worship in the
churches, give to beUevers the con
scious knowledge of salvation, and
make people happy and joyful in
Christian living.
Seeking Sites Near
Here for Relocation
Wenona Test Farm
Scott Says Action Is Made
Necessary by Constant
Forest Fires
-$
The Blackland Test Farm near
Wenona in Washington County, an
agricultural research station, “must
be relocated as soon as practical be
cause of devasting fires that have
destroyed the usefulness of thousands
of acres of peat-muck soils,” Agri
culture Commissioner W. Kerr Scott
said this week.
An eight-man committee, headed
by Commissioner Scott, will make a
tour of prospective sites “in the vi
cinity of Plymouth” August 11 and
12 and will report their recommen
dations for relocation, of the farm to
the State Board of Agriculture.
The Blackland Test Farm, estab
lished in 1912, consists of 363 acres
owned by the State and 1,115 acres
leased for feed and livestock re
search projects in cooperation with
the N. C. Experiment Station and
U. S. Department of Agriculture.
F. E. Miller, director of the tests
farms division of the State Depart
ment of Agriculture, emphasized that
“plans are being made to relocate the
farm and farm offices, but long!
time agricultural projects will be
continued on the usable acreage of
the present farm.” He praised the
contributions to farm research al
ready made at the station, adding
that “past and present projects have
been most satisfactory.”
The fires on the Wenona farm
and vicinity have been burning con
tinuously since October 1941, with
the result that many miles of fences
have been destroyed and soil, for a
depth of 18 inches, has been rendered
useless in many areas.
“The purpose of relocating the
farm is to get away from the pres
ent fire hazards and to secure min
eral soils, in addition to peat soils,
that will be more representative of
the section,” Miller explained. “The
U. S. Department of Agriculture
and other cooperating agencies also
recognized and recommended the re
location of the farm.”
He explained that “peat and muck
soils are principally humus, there
fore they burn readily and control
measures are almost useless.”
The test farm relocation commit
tee will be composed to Lionel Weil
of Goldsboro, W. Ivan Bissette of
Grifton, W. G. Hargett of Rich
lands, members of the Board of Ag
riculture; Dr. L. D. Beaver, director
of the N. C. Experiment Station; W.
D. Lee, State College Soils specialist;
J. L. Rea, Jr„ assistant director in
charge of the Wenona farm; Com
missioner Scott and Miller.
Band Instructor Returns
To Plymouth This Week
-<$>
L. W. Zeigler, director of the Plym
outh High School Band for the past
several years, returned this week
from Ansted, W. Va., where he has
been serving as full-time band in
structor for the high school there
during the summer months. Mr.
and Mrs. Zeigler will go to Altoona,
Pa., next week to visit Mr. Zeigler's
parents and other relatives and
friends.
Mr. Zeigler said while here that
he didn’t know at this time where he
would teach next winter. In addition
to considering the post here, he has
received offers from the Ansted
school and school officials at several
other places.
Resume Allotting
Sugar for Canning
Applications for extra allot
ments of sugar for home can
ning will be received by the local
rationing board from those who
have not received such allot
ments—if there are any—it was
announced this morning by W.
A. Roebuck, clerk to the board.
The board discontinued receiv
ing such applications a few weeks
ago on account of the gas ration
ing rush, but today will resume
where it left off.
The board clerk asks appli
cants to bring records of amount
of fruits canned last season, and
said that 8 pounds per person
would be the maximum amount
issued.
Incidentally. Mr. Roebuck Is
sued the plaintive appeal, “Please
don’t everybody rush down at
once to apply for sugar.”
Navy Flier Parachutes
To Swamp Near Here
During Storm Sunday
Plane Is Completely
Wrecked in Woods
Several Miles Away
R. S. and Van Martin Rescue
Pilot from Warren Neck
Creek 8 Hours Later
-$
Plymouth had more excitement
than it has had for a long time last
Sunday afternoon, when a formation
of four Navy airplanes ran into a
heavy thunderstorm almost directly
overhead about 3 o'clock, forcing the
pilot of one of them to take to his
parachute, while his ship crashed
in the woods on the farm of W. H.
Gurkin, about two miles south of
town and about a mile west of high
way 32.
Several workmen at the plant of
the North Carolina Pulp Company
saw the parachuting pilot, Ensign
Robert L. Wist, of Norfolk, descend
into the swamp between Warren
Neck Creek and Roanoke River some
three or four miles west of here.
He was rescued by Robert S. and
Van B. Martin at 10:30 Sunday night,
after he had wandered about in the
swamp and spent about 5V2 hours
in the water of Warren Neck Creek
trying to make his way downstream
to the river. The pilotless ship went
into a glide that brought it over part
of the town before it finally nosed
down into the woods about five or
six miles from where the pilot “bail
ed out.” Although the ship must
have been seen by several hundred
people during its long glide, it was
not located until about 7 o'clock that
evening.
Ensign Wist and three other Navy
fliers, all stationed at Norfolk, had
been to Florida to bring back four
new single-motored North American
Scout trainers. Their gas supply was
running rather low when they came
into the storm area over Plymouth
around 3 o’clock Sunday afternoon,
and the flight leader elected to fly
straight through rather than go
around the cloud. Flying in close
formation at 10,000 feet, Ensign Wist
said his ship lost 6,000 feet of alti
tude in less than a minute, although
he was doing his best to climb. He
evidently dropped right into the
middle of the wind, rain and electric
storm, and said that his plane be
came absolutely unmanageable. He
then set his controls for level flight,
cut the ignition and jumped. The
entire formation was broken up. one
of the ships landing at Elizabeth City
and the other two continuing on to
Norfolk, where they landed at differ
ent times.
The noise of the diving and zoom
ing motors could be heard by nearly
everyone in a five-mile radius of
Plymouth, as the airplanes tried to
fight their way through the thunder
cloud. So far as can be learned
only two of the ships were ever seen,
though, the one that crashed here
and the one that landed at Elizabeth
City. They came through the low
overcast in the midst of a heavy rain
stormy, and when seen were only a
few hundred feet high. The pilotless
plane which crashed evidently level
ed off after the pilot bailed out and
came right over the local golf course
in a level glide, bearing around slight- ,
ly to the right until it crashed with- !
in 200 yards of the house where J. E.:
See PLANE CRASH, Page Six i
Small Alligator Is
Caught Near Here
Tom Gardner caught a live alliga
tor, about 15 inches long, in one of j
the small branches along Roanoke
Rive near the handle factory Tues- ,
day afternoon. Two young boys,;
Billy Swain and Wayne Browning, i
while fishing in the stream, saw
four of the small ’gators and report
ed it Mi'. Gardner, who managed to
catch one of them in a small dip
net.
Mr. Gardner and the boys said
that there were marks along the
shore which indicated either a large
alligator or turtle had been basking
there in the sun; and they plan to
try to capture the other three small
’gators which the boys saw. This
is the first alligator ever reported
caught along the Roanoke, so far as,
could be learned here. 1
GOES TO MARION
u_
D. E. Poole, for the past seven j
years principal of the Roper High
School, has accepted a post as
superintendent of the senior
high school at Marion and will
leave August 14 to enter upon his
new work.
Roper Principal for
7 Years Named To
Position at Marion
D. E. Poole Will Become
Superintendent of Senior
High School There
D. E. Poole, principal of the Roper
High School for the past seven years,
has accepted a position in Marion,
McDowell County, and will not re
turn to Roper this year, it was learn
ed this week. Mr. Poole will become
superintendent of the 25-teacher
senior high school in Marion, and he
said Monday that he planned to
move about the 14th of next month
to be ready to take up his work
when the school opens in Marion on
September 3rd.
Tire school at Roper has made a
great deal of progress in the past
seven years under the direction of
Mr. Poole, and it is with regret that
the community sees him leave, al
though the people there are glad to
see him get the promotion which his
new work brings. Marion has from
8,000 to 10,000 population, and has
its own city school system. Mr.
Poole was selected from a field of 43
applicants for the position, it is un
derstood.
The Roper community will also;
miss Mrs. Poole and their 15-year
old son, D. E. Poole, jr. Mrs. Poole
formerly taught for several years in
the Roper schools and was very!
active in social and religious activi- '
ties there, while all members of the !
family have made many friends dur- i
ing their seven-year residence who i
are sincerely sorry to see them go.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Poole originally
came from the western part of the
state, and Marion is located about
half way between then- former re
spective homes. No successor has
yet been named by the Roper school
board to succeed Mr. Poole as prin
cipal of the schools there.
Number of Selectees
Who Left for Army
Tuesday Down to 34
Navy Enlistments, Defer
ments, Transfers Reduce
Original Quota of 50
One enlistment in the Navy, one
deferment and three requests for
transfer of induction to other boards
reduced the number of white men
leaving Washington County for the
Army Tuesday morning from 39 to
34; and when time for departure of
the bus arrived one of this number
was missing. However, about an
hour after the bus left, the missing
selectee came in, explaining that he
had been delayed in arriving here
from Norfolk, where he had been
working, and he was sent on to Port
Bragg on the regular passenger bus.
The original July quota from this
county was 50 men, and several more
than that number were examined
and qualified to leave. However, a
total of eight men enlisted in the
Navy, seven others were given de
ferment for one cause or another,
two men appealed from the board’s
classification which automatically
gave them a. temporary deferment,
and three requests for transfers were
granted. This is still the largest
number of white men to leave in a
single call: and, while most of them
plan to return for the 14-day fur
lough after they are examined, it is
expected that a majority of them
will pass the physical and mental
tests and be inducted into the serv
ice.
Since the list was published last
week, Henry Bennett Ambrose, of
Plymouth, enlisted in the Navy;
Cyril Corona Ange, also of Plym
outh, was given a temporary defer
ment until November 1 to permit
him to harvest his crops; and three
transfer requests were granted, as
follows: Albert Terrell Brooks, of
Creswell, induction transferred to
Raleigh; Joe Allen Stone, of Plym
outh, transferred to Richwood, W.
Va.: and Don Hogan Rountree, of
Plymouth, transferred to St. Louis,
Mo. .
Two calls, totaling 105 men, were
received by the Washington County
board this month, divided as follows:
55 colored men on July 10 and 50
white men July 28th. Only 28 were
accepted out of the 53 colored men
who report"'' »r the \0th; while the
numoei of \ iiite men accepted from
the call Tuesday will probably not be
known for several days yet.
Next month, the county is called
to furnish even larger quotas, 55
white men being included in a quota
for August 13, and 65 colored called
for on August 25th. There is some
doubt that sufficient men are avail
able to fill the two calls next month,
although the local board is making
every effort to do so. It is fairly evi
dent that steadily increasing num
bers of married men will be called
up for service during the coming fall
and winter months. Most of the men
who went off this week were from
the third registration.
See DRAFT LIST, Page Six
-a
Jake R. Spear Final
Riles Held Sunday
Creswell.—Funeral services for
Jake R. Spear, 70, who died at his
home near here Friday night after a
long illness, were conducted at the
home Sunday afternoon at 4 o’clock
by the Rev. L. B. Bennett, pastor of
the Christian church.
Mr. Spear, a native of Washing
ton County, was a prominent farm
er of this section and was active in
community affairs. He was a mem
ber of Philippi Chritian church.
Besides his widow, Mrs. Bess Phelps
Spear, he is survived by the follow
ing: seven daughters, Mrs. J. M. Fur
lough, Mrs. Aubrey Walker, Mrs. Al
fred Armstrong and Mrs. Cyril Walk
er, all of Columbia; Mrs. H. R. Chi
ton, of Norfolk; Mrs. J. L. Lawson,
of Ocean View, and Miss Ivy Spear,
of Creswell; nine sons: Rich, Clyde,
and Alton Spear, of Portsmouth, Va.;
Alan James, with the Army in Ruck
er, Ala.; Dewey, Wilton, William,
Paul and Raymond, of Creswell; one
sister, Mrs. J. W. Spruill, of Cres
well; and three brothers, Ike Spear
and B. F. Spear, of Creswell; and
Bailey Spear, of Elizabeth City.
Ration Board Catches Up With Work
After Considering Extra Gas Requests
The Washington County Rationing
Board has nearly caught up with its
work after being ecompletely “snow
ed under” by applications of various
kinds in connnection with the perm
anent gasoline rationing program,
which was instituted Wednesday of
last week, July 22. All applications
received up to Monday night had
been considered and acted upon by
the board; and. though there are a
number of applications on hand re
ceived during the current week, it
is expected that they will be worked
DUt and disposed of at the regular
meeting tonight.
A resume made yesterday by W. A.
Roebuck, clerk to the board, shows
that the following number of vari
ous types of rationing books have
been issued: Basic A books, for pas
senger cars, 1,085; Supplementary B
books, 172; supplementary C books,
81; basic D books for motorcycles. 5;
E books for non-highway use, 48; R
books for non-highway use, 148; S-l
books for trucks, ambulances, etc.,
126; and S-2 books, same as S-l ex
cept for larger quantities of gaso
line, 96.
Those who made applications prior
to Monday night and who have not
called for their books are advised by
the clerk that they are ready. Each
applicant must present his registra
tion card when he calls for the ration
books if they were secured for a
^ motor vehicle used on the highways.