T’ownl!
opics 1
Town Clerk W. A. Roebuck
said Saturday that up until then
approximately 40 town tags had
been sold to Plymouth automo
' bile owners, leaving around 610
of the original 650-tag supply to
it"! sold. Deadline for securing
tags, he said, is February 1.
i'fie price of each is $1.
The electricians at the pulp mill
bade farewell to Carl Wynn, who
had been employed in that capa-1
city at the plant for the past 11
years, honoring him with a steak
supper at Chit'lin’ Switch in Wil
liamston last Friday night. Wynn
is leaving to establish his own
business in Rock Hill, S. C. The
supper was attended by some 18
of the mill’s electricians.
Monroe Turner has assumed
the position of assistant manager
of the Plymouth telephone ex
change, succeeding Billy Smith
son who has entered the Carolina
Telephone and Telegraph Com
pany’s school in Tarboro. Prior
to coming to Plymouth, Mr. Tur
ner was located at Williamston.
Mrs. Athalia Gardner Tyree
of Plymouth has been appoint
ed as director of the March of
Dimes campaign to he conduct
ed in Washington County be
ginning on Thursday, January
15, and continueing through
kTanuarv 30, it has been an
nounced. Figures on the quota
asked of this county have not
been released as yet, hut will
be announced shortly.
The local Rotarians plan to
take a holiday from club meet
ings until Tuesday, January 6.
members of the Plymouth or
ganization have announced. This
will suspend the meetings of the
group which ordinarily would
have been held on December 33
and December 30. Reason for
suspending those sessions is, of
course, their very close proximi
ty to the Christmas and New
Year’s holidays.
)
I
n. n,. Beam, iasnier 01 me
Plymouth bank, has nnounced
that about 10 per cent more gov
ernment savings bond in the E.
F, and G series was sold this
year than in 1946. Five-hundred
and l'ifty-eight bonds worth $202,
500
19*
the
post" office and
agencies in 'tntvn
suid through the bank in
said, pointing o;^ ttpat
other issueing
The J. J. Clemmons High School
gband from Roper played an im
9* romptu Christmas concert in the
Plymouth streets last Thursday
night, the program consisting
solely of Christmas carols played
and sung. Local residents said
that the singing was quite good
and that they enjoyed it.
■---f
Man Is Injured
In Car Accident
Robert S. Johnson, white resi
dent of Plymouth, sustained hand
and forehead lacerations when
the 1941 Chevrolet tudor sedan
in which he was riding rammed
into the rear end of a loaded log
truck in front of the A. J. Riddle
home on Washington Street last
Thursday around 6:30 p. m.
A 10-inch log, protruding
about six feet from the rear ot
the truck smashed through the
windshield of the car. which was
driven by Mr. Johnson’s son,
Robert Glenn Johnson, and ap
parently struck the man a glanc
ing blow in the face, according
to report: from investigating Of
fircer Alvin Allen.
Allen said that the right front
fender and wheel were torn from
the body of the car by force of
the impact. The driver of the
Chevrolet, he said was attempting
to pass the truck when he saw
another car approaching and ran
into the parked vehicle The
truck had been left at the curb
by its driver, Elbert Spruill,
white of Creswell, because it had
run out of fuel.
( -
The Roanoke Beacon
****** and Washington County News ******
I For Last Minute Gifts
I Shop in
VOLUME LVIII—NUMBER 52
Plymouth, Washington County, North Carolina, Thursday, December 25, 1947
ESTABLISHED 1889
Local Business Houses
Send Season’s Greetings
The business firms and mer
chants of Plymouth extend holi
day greetings to their patrons
in the county through the col
umns of the Roanoke Beacon
as an expression of their ap
preciation for the business
transacted during the past year
and as a token of friendship.
To enhance the Yuletide spirit
of comradship and good will to
Kerosene,
Shortage
! Bank Pays On!
| Large Sum Cash
The local bank paid out a
large amount of cash during
the past two or three weeks,
most of it to be used lor Christ
mas shopping, H. E. Beam, cash
ier, has announced. The total
sum paid by the bank, he said,
was about $185,000, a consider
ably large amount than was is
sued in the same period of 194G.
Of this amount, Beam stated,
between 50 and 60 per cent was
used for Christmas shopping,
the remainder being involved
in the peanut crop which has
been moving along in the past
10 days. It was pointed out
that as a rule, peanuts come in
much earlier which lessens the
money paid out in the holiday
season.
Expect to Reach
Alloled Goal lor
| Seal Sale Drive
Last Tabulation Shows
Intake Only $62.99
Short of $700 Request
ed from County
The Tuberculosis Seals sale
campaign in Washington County,
which terminated today, lacked
only $62.99 of completing its $700
quota at the last tabulation of
donations received, according to
a statement from 'Mrs. Hallett W.
Everett, of Plymouth, county
chairman for the drive. The full
amount of the contributions to
the cause from Washington Coun
ty will be announced as soon as
it is totaled, Mrs. Everett said,
adding that it is expected not
only to reach the assigned quota,
but to extend somewhat beyond
it.
Of the amount of money shown
by the recent tabulation, she
said, $96.18 had been contributed
by the schools in the county, with
returns from some of them still
incomplete. Creswell White
High School donated a total of
$41.30, while contributions from
the Plymouth White High School
amounted to $11.34. Total con
tributions from Hampton School
in Plymouth, she said, was $10.78,
while the Plymouth Colored High
School, whose campaign had not
ended at that time, registered a
donation of $32.76.
Mrs. Everett pointed out that
Washington County has been
commended by State Tubercu
losis Association officers for its
generous response to the drive
which, they said, was propor
tionately much larger than in
some of the surrounding territori
es.
(See'SEAL SALE, Page 12)
I $tate, County Offices To
* Observe New Year-s Day
All county and State offices it
both the courthouse and the Agri
culture Building in Plymouth wil
be closed on New Years Day a:
will be the local bank and the
post office, affording the em
ployees another 24-hour breath
ing space in the current holidaj
hurly-burly,, this time to catcl
their breaths after the Christma:
rush and to observe the adven'
(of 1948 at the same time.
tZPir* fSSfi
Places of business in Plymouth,
however, will remain open for
business as usual, including the
grocery stores and the drug stor
es. The master of observing
January 1 as a holiday was con
sidered by the Plymouth Mer
chants Association at a recent
meeting, but after some discus
sion it was voted to continue in
what appears to be a local cus
tom of keeping the stores open
on New Years.
^ (ZZ&*
all. the business torce ot riym
outh wishes to everyone every
where “a Merry Christmas and
a Happy New Year.”
Head the messages which help
tlie season to be much more
than a day or so off from work,
and know that every firm is
giad that once more the Chirst
mas message can read “Peace
on earth, good will toward
men.”
Fuel Oil
Felt Here
► --4
One Dealer Says Supplies
in Plymouth Only
About 50 Per Cent of
What Is Needed
According to statements from
fuel oil dealers in Plymouth, the
oil shortage is being sharply felt
in this section with most of the
pinch falling to the homeowners
who use oil as fuel for heating
their houses and for cooking.
Supplies for some of the local
dealers, it was said, are extreme
ly limited though with some luck
it may be possible to squeeze
through until January 1 wher
other shipments may become
available. As the picture now
stands, one dealer said, there i‘
only about 50 per cent enough
fuel oil to satisfy the needs oi
the community until January 1
They pointed out. however, thal
the period is short and that with
careful conservation on the pari
of the consumer the present sup
ply, bolstered by another hoped
for shipment may see thing:
through.
There have been reports that ar
increase in the prices on kerosene
and fuel oil will be effected
shortly although oitfj - Eiy.nn.iuU
dealer has
M UKSBiBe hi conr or
will n«(
his products. Another stated thal
he is uncertain as to •whether nt
not his fuel oils will rise in price
and that he would be sure only
a few hours before the increase
would become effective. At pre
sent. kerosene in Plymouth rang
es in price from 12.7 cemts to 13
cents per gallon while fuel oil
stands at 11 cents per gallon.
Gasoline supplies, the dealers
said, are apparently adequate tc
meet the needs of the community
and insofar as can be determined
now no price increase is contem
plated, the main source of trouble
being a kerosene and fuel oil
shortage.
Questioned as to the probable
cause of the fuel pinch, one deal
er said that he hadn't the least
idea while another pointed out
that oil consumption in the
United States today is far great
er than the output and is being
used 10 per cent per capita more
than during the all-time high
war years of 1941-45.
All dealers expressed the fer
vent hope that the situation would
ease up shortly, but none were
willfrig to risk predicting just
when a letup might come about.
Fourth New Firm
Open in Creswel!
-*
Creswell’s fourth new business
firm to open in recent months
celebrated the beginning of its
business career by holding open
house on Friday night. The new
business, an electric appliance
firm, is operated by W. Douglas
Starr and Harry N. Starr.
The other three business enter
prises opening for trade this year
include a sandwich shop, a dry
cleaning establishment, and a
motion picture theatre. Cneswell
residents look upon the start of
the four new businesses as a sign
of progress among the business
men of the town and an indica
tion of economic prosperity.
•-♦
Creswell Carolers Sing
In Towns Christmas Eve
•-♦
A group of Creswell residents
visited several towns in this sec
tion Christmas Eve night and
sang Christmas carols, led by the
Rev. Garland C. Bland. The towns
they visited included Creswell,
Columbia, Roper, Plymouth, and
Edenton.
Lisiers Convene
Monday Night to
Get Instructions
Listing Period for Wash
ington County Extends
from January L3t to
February 1st
Washington County tax list tak
ers appointed by the board of
county commissioners at its De
cember meeting several weeks
ago. met with the county board
in the courthouse Monday at 7:30
p. m. at which time procedure
instructions were given the list
takers and prices were set on
livestock and other taxable items.
The period for listing taxes in
the county will extend from
Thursday, January 1, until Feb
ruary 1.
Hubert L. Davenport was ap
pointed by the commissioners
tax supervisior for the county
and Mrs. H. Marion Ramsey was
named lister for Plymouth Town
ship. Paul B. Belanga was named
lister for Scuppernong Township
and W. W. White for Skinnersville
Township, while R. W. Lewis was
appointed to the same position
for Lees Mill Township.
Mrs. Ramsey, list taker for
Plymouth Township, will be lo
cated at her office on Water
Street. Schedule of dates and
location of all other list takers
will be announced as soon as
they can be determined. Watch
for further announcement.
Two Days Remain
For A-B Drivers
To Take Re-Exam
-+
January Opens Time for
Giving Re-Examina
tions to Persons in C-D
Surname Group
Next Monday and Tuesday, li
censed automobile drivers in the
A-B surname division in the
county will have their last chance
to take re-examination for a new
driving license before the De
cember 31 deadline, Examiner
James Boyce has stated.
Beginning on Saturday, Janu
ary 3, examinations will begin in
Plymouth for old drivers in the
C-D name bracket. Boyce point
ed out that his hours in Plym
outh will still be the same. Mr.
Boyce is located in the Munici
pal Building in Plymouth from
9 a. m. until 5 p. m. on Mondays
and Tuesdays, and from 9 a. m.
until 1 p. m. on Saturdays.
At present. Boyce said, the ex
amination office here is scuppers
awash with drivers in the A-B
group who waited until almost
the very last minute to take their
re-exams. In fact the turn out
is so large that an extra examiner
had to be employed, temproarily,
to take care of the overflow.
Boyce added that during the
first week of December more peo
ple have been given re-evamina
tions than during the entire pro
ceeding month.
Delegation Protests
Removal of Trains
All armors, Washington
! "^ount.v have ben asked to ap
• pear at the AAA ofice in Plym
outh to sign applications for
their 1947 Triplc-A payments,
Miss Miriam Auslion, secretary
to the county AAA organization,
has announced.
Miss Ausbon added that farm
operators in the county are also
being urged to come to the of
fice in the Agriculture Build
ing here and sign their plans of
work under the program being
carried out by the Triple-A
during 1948. Deadline for sign
ing the work plans, she said, is
January 15.
Gym Repairs May
Be Finished Soon
-r
Work on the repairing of the
Plymouth High School gymna
sium is expected to be completed
sometime in January, perhaps
during the first week in the
month, according to supervisors
j of the project.
Plans for the repair work call
I for dressing rooms of concrete
block construction, repairs to the
roof and walls, and a connection
with the heating plant of the
school building itself.
The dressing rooms have now
been completed and work on the
! roof is nearly finished, repair of
the walls being the next step. So
far, the heating connection has
not been made. The project was
begun last August, and is spon
sored by the Lions Club. Mem
bers of the school football squad
have done a large part of the
work in the building.
Midnight Service
Held ai Creswell
Creswell. — Midnight services,
including a celebration of Holy
Communion, conducted by the
Rev. B. W. Gaither at Christ
Episcopal Church on Christmas
Eve, tfith the general public be
ing invited to attend the ser
vices.
Christmas evening a cantata
will be sung in Christ Church
and will be presented under the
direction of Miss Lona Weather
ly. The cantata will be present
ed at 5:30 o'clock. Members of
the Episcopal Sunday school will
take part in the cantata.
^ t?
Merchants Association,
Local Governments Are
Represented at Raleigh
Hearing
A delegation of seven residents
of Plymouth appeared before “"h
hearing of the North Carolina
Utilities Commission c'i Monday
in protest to the proposed re
moval of Norfolk Southern pas
senger trains from the Norfolk
Raleigh run. which would remove
the last vestige of passenger train
service from not only the town
but the whole county. ,
Those from Plymouth who went
to the Raleigh hearing were May
or A. J. Riddle, Roy Hampton,
Postmaster J. C. Swain, C. Clyde
Hardison, County Commissioner
Clarence E. Ayers, Town and
County Attorney W. L. Whitley,
and W. J. Woolard, president of
the Merchants Association of
Plymouth, originator of the pro
test movement. Several other
Plymouth residents said that they
hoped to attend the hearing but
could not be sure of being there.
Company executives of the Nor
folk Southern Railway Company,
in asking for permission to dis
continue passenger trains Num
bers One and Two stated that
great loss was being incurred by
the company in operating the two
trains and that regular schedules
as regards handling of mail and
express would not largely be dis
turbed by such a move. The ap
plication also requested removal
of the two trains on Sunday.
An earlier petition to remove
the two trains arounsed such a
storm of protest that it was
abandoned. The removal petition
was revived late in November
and announced by the railroad
company in all Carolina areas
which would be affected by it.
■-4-'
Lions Holds Last
Meeting of Year
The Rev. Paul B. Nickens,
pinch-hitting for the program
chairman who was unable to at
tend last week’s meeting of the
Plymouth Lions Club, conducted
a spelling contest for the enter
tainment portion of the organiza
tion’s meeting. Business enacted
was of a routine nature.
The meeting, which was held in
the American Legion Hall on
Thursday, was the local club’s
last meeting of 1947. The next
session of the Plymouth Lions
will be conducted on Thursday
night, January 8, 1948.
Hilton Dunbar was guest of
the club at last week’s meeting.
Club President C. W. Dinkins
presided over the Thursday night
session.
Holiday Periods
Vary From Day
To Whole Week
Most Places Closing Only
Only 2 Days; Schools
Will Not Re-Open Un
til January 5th
-1
The Christmas holiday sche
dule in Plymouth is again dis
playing the traditional variation
of from a single day. Christmas,
to a nice two-weeks vacation be
ing accorded the schools.
Local establishments which will
be closed for the one day only
are the post office, the bank, and
two of the drug stores, the third
drug store observing a two-day
vacation schedule, Thursday and
Friday, reopening for business on
Saturday. December 27.
The greater majority of the
business houses in Plymouth will
also observe a two-day holiday
vacation, included among them
the local ABC store, and all
grocery stores. The pulp mill
will be closed on Christmas Eve
and on Christmas Day, beginning
work again on Friday, mill of
ficials have stated.
The Atlas Plywood Corpora
tion's Plymouth plant and the
American Fork and Hoe Com
pany's mill here, ceased activities
at noon yesterday and the work
ers will return to their jobs on
Monday morning.
The offices in the county court
house, including the public li
brary, and the office in the Agri
culture Building next door also
shut up shop at noon yesterday
and will resume activities on
Monday morning. This is one of
the longest holidays ever enjoy
ed by the county and State work
ers, particularly the Triple-A
employees who were granted but
one day only in 1946.
The Farmers Home Administra
tion office, which is now located
in the courthouse, will reopen on
Friday afternoon for a short
while, however.
The schools in Plymouth and
Washington County are enjoying
the longest Christmas vacation of
any group in the county, having
closed their doors last Friday and
being granted a holiday which
will terminate when classes re
sume at the regular opening
hours on Monday morning, Janu
ary 5.
The restaurants in Plymouth
will not close at all, according
to statements from the manage
ments from these establishments,
and will serve regular meals on
Chrishnas Day.
The Roanoke Beacon office and
the local laundry will be closed
all of Christmas week, the em
ployees returning to work on
Monday, December 29.
—*-♦
AtfU Store Sales
Increase $1,000
Over Past Week
-♦- •
Store Supervisor Says Re
ceipts Are $6,500, Still
About 30 Per Cent Be
low Normal
Sales at the Plymouth ABC
store jumped to a total of $1,000
more in the past week than in the
week immediately preceding, ac
cording to Bill Styons, store sup
ervisor, who stated that as of
Saturday morning that total re
ceipts by the store so far in the
week were $6,500.
It was added that by the time
thestore closed on Saturday, the
intake would be considerably
above the money mark given.
All things considered, how
ever, alcoholic beverages in the
local store are away below what
they were during the holiday
season in 1946 when a record
breaking $12,190.30 worth of hard
liquor was rung up by the store
clerks. Styons said that the store’s
business is still about 30 per cent
below normal.
Compared to last year, this
^nristmas season will be an ex
ceedingly dry one. The 1946 sea
son was one of the “wettest” on
record since the advent of legal,
whiskey, holding its own with
even the banner years of 1939 and
1937 when the ABC store re
ceived a reported $1,500 on
Christmas Eve alone.
Besses Office !o
Clsse fcr Week
The Roanoke Beacon office
will be closed ail during Christ- |
mas week and will reopen on
Monday, December 29. This ;
one of the few holiday occas
sions to be observed by the
newspaper and staff members
will vacation and observe
Christmas at the same time.
This issue of the Beacon was
printed and mailed to out-of
town subscribers ahead of sche
dule, although the previous is
sue was printed on the regular
publication date.
In the meantime. The Beacon
staff wishes to every reader a
merry Christmas and a happy
New Year.
Post Office Has
'Roughest' Week
Of Current Year
Postmaster Says Number
C.O.D. Packages Have
Increased Steeply in
Past Week
-4
There has been a tremendous
increase in the number of pack
ages handled through the local
post office, especially in the C.
O. D. bracket, during the cur
rent Christmas holiday season,
according to J. Corbett Swain,
Plymouth postmaster. *
IVJr. SWain.said that the Plym
outh postal clerks have handled
in the past week an average of
386 parcels per day which, he
pointed out, is an increase of al
most 100 more packages per day
than were cared for during the
previous week.
In emphasizing the increase in
the C. O. D. package delivery to
local residents. Mr. Swain said
that the parcel post remittance
for the current period is exactly
$9,342.97 more than for the final
quarter of 1946, a remittance rise
of only $657.03 short of an even
$10,000.
In the stamp department, the
postmaster said that 47,800 one
and one-half cent stamps had
(See POST OFFICE, Page 12)
-4
To Possess Fire
Crackers Illegal
In reminding local residents
that State law now prohibits the
shooting of fireworks within the
corporate' limits of a town, Plym
outh Police Chief P. W. Brown,
stated that the law also considers
the possession of fireworks as
illegal.
Mr. Brown said that while the
use of cap pistols by little boys
would probably not be consider
ed as shooting fire works, those
who play around with fire crack
ers, roman candles, sky rockets,
and others of their breed are
liable to arrest and prosecution
with penalties provided by law
being imposed on those found
guilty of the offense.
Churches Conduct
Special
Here Last Sunday
Majority of Religious
Groups Observe Holy
Day on Sunday; Can
tatas Are Presented
The Plymouth churches, with
the exception of Grace Episcopal.
Church, observed the Christmas
season on the Sunday prior to
Christmas Day itself with special
Christmas music at the morning
services, cantatas, and Christmas
Tree parties for the various Sun
day schools.
A cantata was presented in the
Plymouth Methodist Church at 5
o'clock Sunday evening which
was entitled "The Christmas
Story," and was,given by candle
light under the direction of Mrs.
Kenneth S Trowbridge with J.
Shepherd Brinkley as organist.
At 7 p. m. on Sunday, the choir
of Ludford Memorial Baptist
Church presented another can
tata, "Chimes of the Holy Night."
which was given in the court
room of the county courthouse.
The public was invited to attend
both musical presentations.
In addition to their cantata the
Baptist congregation had a Christ
mas Tree party for their Sunday
school classes later in the week,
as did the majority of the re
mainder of the churches.
On Christmas Eve, celebration
of Holy Communion was held in
Grace Episcopal Church, follow
ed by a sermon by the rector.
Communion was again observed
by Grace Church at 9 a. m. on
Christmas Day.
bounty .Negro Is
Shot by Official
Henry Allen Rhodes, 26-year
old colored man of Roptr. rt. 1,
was shot twice in the thigh last "
Tuesday by an Alcoholic Tax
Unit official when Rhodes resist
ed arrest and began beating and
biting the officer, B. V. Halstead
who, accompanied by ATU Of
ficer M. R. Harshaw, hact attempt
ed to place the Negro under ar
rest following a whiskey still raid
in the Pea Ridge section.
Lloyd Green, another Negro
taken in the raid, was also said to
have joined in the assault on Hal
stead. During the ensuing battle,
Harshaw shot Rhodes to prevent
him from doing injury to Hal
stead.
Both Halstead and Rhodes were
treated at the Plymouth Clinic by
Dr. E. M. Furgurson who said
that Rhodes was not critically in
jured and that Halstead’s wounds
were limited to scratches, bruises,
and bites.
The still raided was a 100-gal
lon copper pot type and contain
ed 10 gallons of liquor and 350
gallons of mash which were de
stroyed. Rhodes and Green will
be given a hearing in federal
court on charges of illegal dis
tilling of whiskey and assaulting
an officer.
•-♦
Legionnaires Will Not
Hold Session on Friday
-♦
The Plymouth post of the
American Legion will not meet
this Friday December 26, the
regularly scheduled meeting date,
due to its proximity to the
Christmas holiday, W. Ronald
Gaylord, commander of the local
veterans’ organization, has an
nounced.
Stock of Christmas
Trees Sells Rapidly
The stocks of Christmas trees
received by Plymouth merchants
about two weeks ago had been
completely sold out by Friday,
with the exception of one pathe
tic specimen.
Some would-be buyers arrived
on the scene too late to secure a
tree and were forced to resort to
tramping through the fields and
woods and swamps to get some
variety of homegrown shrub to
decorate for the great day.
The smaller sized trees offer
ed for sale on the streets here
were sold out first, but the big
ger ones didn't go begging and
were shortly carried away by
purchasers. In the case of the
smaller trees, the buyers took
them home in their hands, but
the larger varieties had to be
hauled away stuffed in the back
seat of the family automobile,
or draped precariously over one
front fender.
The majority of the tree buy
ers purchased them exclusively
for the delight of their children,
although some persons were
planning them for a family re
union. Others bought the trees
to decorate just because they get
just as big a kick out of a Christ
mas tree as they did when they
were five years old.
rT