T'owni
opic§(
Miss Elizabeth House, of Ra
leigh, secretary and director of
the North Carolina Library Com
mission. was a visitor at the
Washington County Library here
Tuesday morning, en route from
Columbia to Raleigh. While here.
Miss House also visited the Negro
branch of the library.
R. F. Lowry, County Superin
tendent of Schools, left early
H. Wednesday for High Point where
he is attending the winter meet
ing of the Division of Superinten
dents. North Carolina Education
Association. The meeting is being
held Wednesday, Thursday and
Friday at the Sheraton Hotel. Mr.
Lowry will be back at his office
Saturday.
Mrs. Arthur Marriner. secre
tary to the county superintendent
of schools here, left Wednesday
afternoon for Ulster, Pa., to at
tend the funeral of her grand mo
ther. Mrs. Vernie L. Merrill. Mrs.
Merrill died at her home in Ulster
Wednesday morning at 7 o’clock.
Mrs. Marriner wil^ return home
Tuesday of next week.
Jack Horner and Roland Davis,
of Plymouth, attended the an
nual meeting of the Third Dis
trict, North Carolina Funeral Di
rectors and Burial Association,
held at the Knotty Pine Inn, in
Washington. Hcinei was elected
director of the district which em
braces the counties of Beaufort.
Careteret. Craven, Hyde, Jones.
Lenoir, Pamlico. Tyrrell and
. Washington. His election will be
4P confirmed at the annual state
meeting of the association in Ra
leigh next May.
Idea recently advanced for re
ducing the national debt: put the
bathing suit designers to work on
the national budget.
Sgt. Joseph (Buddy) Collins,
son of Mr. and Mrs. R, I. Collins,
of Mackeys, has notified his par
ents of his safe arrival in the
states after serving overseas for
the past eighteen months. He will
be discharged, along with several
other boys from this county, later
this week at Fort Jackson. South
Carolina.
-♦
Christmas Savings
Clubs Membership
Pace Ahead of '52
-^
H. E. Beams Reports Total
Of 188 Members for 1953
Club Through Monday;
* Goal of 500
♦
w
An excellent start has been
made in enrolling members for
the 11)53 Christmas Savings Club
sponsored by Branch Banking &
Trust Company here, H. E. Beam
reports.
Mr. Beam said that through
Monday of this week, a total of
188 members had been signed for
the club. This already tops the
number who joined the first club
here, sponsored for 1952 by the
local bank.
If all these membership are
paid up for the year, it will mean
that $22,100 will be released in
time for Christmas shopping next
November, Mr. Beam stated.
The number signed to date is
twice as great as the number
who had become members of the
club by the corresponding time
a year ago. It represents an en
couraging start toward the goal
of 500 members for which the
club is striving, Mr. Beam point
ed out. He added that there is
still time for prospective new
members to join the savings club.
In joining the club, there is a
choice of four denominations.
Payments may be made at the
weekly rate of 50 cents, $1, $2 or
$5 and will earn checks next No
vember of $25, $50, $100 and $250,
respectively.
About $18,000 in Christmas
Savings Club checks were mailed
out here last month.
-*
Negro Injured in Accident
Dies in Raleigh Hospital
♦
William Bell, Plymouth Negro
who was critically injured when
struck by an automobile while
walking home from work in Oc
tober, died Sunday at a Raleigh
hospital. He had been transfer
red there from the Washington
County Hospital, Plymouth.
The Roanoke Beacon
*★★★*★ and Washington County News ******
A home newspaper dedicated ||j
to the service of Washinjfton |y
County and its 13,000 people. ;;j
VOLUME LXIII—NUMBER 49
Plymouth, Washington County, North Carolina, Thursday, December 4, 1952
ESTABLISHED 1889
THIS IS REALLY A BUSY SPOT ON WORKING DAYS
Shown here is the huge asphalt mixing plant which is operated by the Nello L. Teer Com
pany, of Durham, in connection with the work of widening, relocating and resurfacing U. S. High
way 64 between YVilliamston and the Washington County line. The plant is located near Welch's
Creek Bridge just across the line in Martin County. It employs 12 men, has a capacity of 100
tons an hour and keeps about fifteen trucks busy hauling. The plant is powered by three Diesel
engines, all well over 110 horsepower. With an ali-out effort being made to complete widening work
on the road project by December 20, the plant is really a busy place these days. R. L. Bean, of Eliza
beth City, is the superintendent in charge of th ■ plant.—Polaroid 1-Minute staff photo.
Prepare for Visit
Of Bloodmobile
Friday, Dec. 12th
Pettigrew Park
Meeting Today
A meeting- for the purpose of
discussing plans to preserve the
history and develop recreation
al facilities at Pettigrew Park
has been announced by Thomas
Morse, superintendent of State
Parks.
The meeting is scheduled to
be held Thursday afternoon of
this week at the Community
House in Tyrrell County. Time
of the meeting is 2 o’clock. Any
person in the State who is in
terested in this meeting is in
vited to attend. The officers of
all organizations in Washing
ton and Tyrrell Counties, as
well as those in all nearby
counties, are urged to be pres
ent, it was said.
Honor Washington
County Native at
Special Services
-♦
Dave Arnold Day Announc
ed for Sunday at Mace
donia Church; District
Churches Invited
-•
Dave Arnold Day will be ob
served Sunday at Macedonia
Christian Church, near William
ston, and church officials are ask
ing that all churches of the Roan
oke District take part in the ser
vice.
The occasion will honor a na
tive of Washington County. Mr.
Arnold was born at Creswell
March 20, 1870. He worked on a
farm until he was 18 and had the
benefit of no formal schooling
until he was 15. He entered Eliza
beth City Academy at 18 and was
prepared for college by Prof. S.
L. Sheep. Mr. Arnold taught
school for 40 years.
Mr. Arnold was ordained for
the ministry October 30, 1900, al
though he has been preaching
for more than ten years prior to
that time. He entered Atlantic
Christian College in 1904 and
Bethany College, Bethany, W. Va.
in 1910. He is now 82 and has been
preaching for 64 years. During
SeTARNOLDTPage 5
! First Visit To County Since
September; To Locate at
Veterans Building as on
Last Visit
-♦
Friday, December 12, has been
announced as the date tor the
next visit of the bloodmobile to
this county.
A Red Cross bloodmobile unit
from the Tidewater Regional
Blood Center, Norfolk. Virginia,
will be in Plymouth that day in
an effort to obtain blood for civil
ian and military use, part of
which will go into the local blood
bank.
The unit will be located at the
Veterans Building near the Wash
ington County Hospital and
blood donors will be received
from 9:30 o’clock in the morning
to 4 o'clock in the afternoon, it
has been announced.
No quota has yet been an
nounced. Ralph Hunter reports,
but it is hoped that it will be
available for publication next
v/eek. Hunter is serving along
with Newman Allen as co-chair
man of recruitment for the blood
mobile visit.
Transportation will be availa
ble for donors who desire it and
a telephone will be installed for
the convenience of those who
wrish to call. The number will be
announced next week if it is avai
lable.
The visit of the bloodmobile to
Plymouth is being sponsored
jointly by the James E. Jethro
Post of the American Legion and
the Bosie Bateman Post, Veterans
of Foreign Wars.
The bloodmobile visits here
have been the result of untiring
work by several local groups and
individuals, chief among whom
can be cited the Junior Cham
ber of Commerce which first
adopted the bloodmobile program
as a club project.
The Plymouth Woman’s Club
and the veterans’ organizations
have also contributed invaluable
work toward the success of the
program in this county, as have
many individuals who have given
unselfishly of time and energy.
The results in the county have
proved gratifying and have elicit
ed warm commendation from reg
ional leaders and bloodmobile
personnel. The first visit to the
county was on December 15, 1950,
and brought high praise from
blood program leaders who point
ed out that towns many times
the size of Plymouth had failed
See" BLOODMOBILE, Page 5
Pepper Acreage Again Sought
■ The C. C. Lang and Son Pickle
Plant here will again contract for
bell peppers next season, with
prices the same as the past sea
son, it was announced this week
by C. W. Dinkins, local plant
manager.
It is expected that approximate
ly 150 acres will be devoted to
the crop in this section, Mr. Din
kins said. There were 45 acres
of peppers grown in Washington
County last season.
According to Mr. Dinkins, one
farmer in the county sold over
$800 worth of poppers from half
an acre. i,ast season was the first
time that the crop had been tried
in this section, but the crop has
been produced for years quite
successfully in the Mt. Olive-Fai
son section of the state.
Although the crop last year
locally was in the nature of an
experiment, growers who really
kept at work on their pepper
patches made money, Mr. Dinkins
reported.
Seed beds should be sown by
January 15 and the work of trans
planting done about April 10, the
plant manager stated. Harvest of
the crop begins about the first
of July (at about the end of the
cucumber season) and continues
until frost if the crop is fertilized
and cultivated regularly.
The local pickle plant also
handles a substantial amount of
cucumbers each season, and it is
expected that quite a few county
farmers will sign contracts to
grow cukes for the local market
next season. Seed for the cuke
acreage usually arrive the latter
part of February.
Seventeen County
Registrants Sent
Up for Induction
*—
Group Leaves Wednesday
Morning for Recepiion
Cenier at Raleigh; One
Delinquent Sent
-♦
Seventeen men from this coun
ty left Plymouth by special Jrus
Wednesday morning for Raleigh
to be inducted into the armed
forces.
Of the number, one—William
Charlie Jones, of Roper—was a
delinquent, 13 were regular reg
istrants and three were sent for
induction under board memoran
dum No. 42.
Two other men previously
scheduled to go in the call did
not go. They are Claude Albert
Blair, of Plymouth, delinquent
for whom a transfer is anticipat
ed, and William Bell, jr.. who
received a postponement due to
the death of his father.
Regular registrants who were
in the group which left Wednes
day include William Henry Mc
Cray. Roger Wesley Miller, Rob
ert Lee McNair, Marvin James
Beddard, Robert Gene West and
Floyd Ulysses Jordan, all of
Plymouth; Edgar Alexander, jr.,
Zealon E. Halsey, Albert Howard,
jr., and Aubrey Gerald Phelps,
all of Creswell; Alvin Vincent
Grimes, Dale Vernon Swain and
Clyde Lawrence Norman, all of
Roper.
Those sent under board memo
randum no. 42 were Richard
Downing and James Thomas
Johnson, of Plymouth, and Isaac
Roosevelt Wilkins, of Roper.
Washington County will have
a pre-induction call for 37 men
on Tuesday, December 16. Fifty
per cent of this call will be made
up of registrants who failed to
pass their mental test on a prev
ious call and who are being re
turned for examination.
City Fathers in
Brief Meet Here
♦
A brief meeting of the Plym
outh Town Council was held at
the Municipal Building Monday
night, with very little in the way
of business coming up for dis
cussion.
Mayor A. J. Riddle presided
over the session, attended by four
of the six councilmen as follows:
E. D. Kei 1 and P. R. Ashby, of
the first ward; Ralph Hunter and
H. H. Allen, of the second ward.
About the only business mat
ter to be discussed at the short
session was concerning pavement
of some of the city streets. It is
hoped to have this work done by
the Nello L. Teer Company.
-♦
Government Fund Awarded
For Rural Phone Project
-♦
Government funds in the
amount of $225,000 have been
awarded for a rural telephone co
op project which would serve
some areas in this county, it was
learned recently.
Chairman Ralph Tyer, of Pine
town, was notified of the award
to the proposed Tri-County Tele
phone Co-op. The co-op would
serve the Ransomville-Pamlico
Beach area, Sidney Cross Roads,
Pinetown, Pungo, Wenona, and
areas near Belhaven in Washing
ton, Hyde and Beaufort Counties.
Stale Auto Tags
Now on Sale at
| Plymouth Branch
i —♦—
New Orange and Black Lic
ense Plates Available
Through Bureau at Ethe
ridge Company Here
State automobile license plates
for 1953 went on sale at the Caro
lina Motor Club bianch at the
Etheridge Company here on Mon
day, as well as at all other out
lets throughout the state.
The license bureau here is un
der the management of Mrs. Avis
Harrison who has announced the
following hours:
Monday through Friday, 9 a.
m. to 4 p. m.; Saturday, 9 a. m.
to 12 noon.
Mrs. Harrison states that the
Department of Motor Vehicles re
quires that all licenses are to be
reported the day they are sold
and that it is necessary %hat she
comply with the hours set up by
the department in order to get
reports in on time.
In view of the fact that motor
vehicle owners have two months
in which to purchase license
plates, Mrs. Harrison feels that
everyone should be able to find
the hours maintained by the bu
reau convenient.
The color scheme of the new
plates is orange numerals and let
ters on a black background. Of
ficials explained that a tiny slot
was put in the lower right hand
corner of the plates in order that
a date tab, like those used dur
ing World War II. might be at
tached to the plate in the event
of a steel shortage or other
emergency.
Current plates are valid until
midnight January 31. 1953. but
officials urge owners to buy early
and avoid the usual last minute
rush. Truck and trailer owners
again will be asked to check their
vehicle’s body type, tank capaci
ty and fuel used. This informa
tion is requested for the Depart
ment of Defense which reeks a
reliaJ*^ estimate of the nt/ion's
tota,.2tj6«*jx)rt capabilities.
Registration officials of the De
partment of Motor Vehicles said
that 1,275.000 license renewal
cards had been mailed to vehicle
owners in the state.
->
None Injured But
Damage Four Cars
In Sunday Wrecks
-4
Accidents at Mackeys and
On U. S. Highway 64
Take Property Toll Esti
mated at $750
Two highway accidents were
reported in the county Sunday,
one at Mackeys and the other on
U. S. Highway 64 between Plym
outh and Roper.
No one was injured but dam
age to four vehicles involved
amounted to approximately $750,
according to reports of state high
way patrolmen who investigated.
A 15)49 Chevrolet and 1949 Ford
were involved in the wreck on
Highway 64, which happened at
5:30 o’clock in the afternoon in
front of the Honey Dripper Club
about six miles east of Plymouth.
The Chevrolet was driven by
Marion Lee Green, colored, of
Washington, and the Ford was
operated by Lloyd Lee Howell,
Roper Negro. Both vehicles were
traveling west, the Chevrolet
coming up behind the Ford.
Green said he sounded the horn
and was attempting to pass when
the car in front made a left turn
directly across his path, giving
no signal. The left front of the
Ford was damaged about $175
and the right side of the Chevro
let an estimated $150. Howell was
charged with failure to give a
hand signal before making a turn,
by State Highway Patrolman Carl
Gilchrist, of Plymouth.
The Mackeys wreck involved
a 1939 Chevrolet and 1939 Ford.
The Chevrolet was parked at
Mackeys and the Ford was travel
ing east on the Mackeys Road.
The driver of the latter vehicle,
Eugene Webb, colored of Mac
keys, is said to have attempted
to pass another vehicle at a high
rate of speed. The Ford ran off
the road on the left hand side,
struck the parked Chevrolet, and
turned over, according to the re
port of Patrolman J. E. Morton, of
Roper.
Driver of the Chevrolet was
Bobby Ray Spruill, of Mackeys.
Damage to the rear of the Che
vrolet was estimated at $125 and
to the Ford, $300.
Webb was charged with care
less and reckless driving and with
operating a vehicle without a dri
ver's license. The accident hap
pened at 7:05 p. m.
Brinkley Is Again Elected
Chairman County Board
Offirers Seize 11 Stills
■n Period of .*.» Dors
Eleven illegal whiskey distil
leries were seized in this county
by raiding officers in a period
of 55 days ending November 24,
L. L. Basnight, chief ABC officer
in Washington County, reports.
A total of 21 raids were made
during the period, resulting in
the seizure of approximately 11,
000 gallons of mash, as well as
a quantity of liquor and a great
assortment of equipment such as
barrels, oil burners, compressor
tanks, tubs, buckets, jugs, etc.
Among the stills seized, most
of them copper, were several
large outfits, it was reported.
Raids wrere made up the Long j
Ridge Road, the Dismal Road,
Mackeys Road, near the Sound
Bridge, in the Pea Ridge section,
Macedonia, Backwoods Road.
Middle Neck Road, Skinnersville
and near Roper.
Officers taking part in one or
more of the raids were Basnight,
Robert Sawyer, Paul Basnight,
Sheriff J. K. Reid, W. S. Ainsley,
W. D. Peel, E. H. Basnight, and
federal men from Elizabeth City.
Meeting Set Monday
To Consider Forming
National Guard Unit
Plans Being Laid To Organ
ize Miliiary Police Bat
talion Unit; Meeting Set
For Courthouse
Plymouth is slated to fret a
newly-organized National Guard
unit, it was learned this week.
The new unit will he designat
ed Company C, 167th Military Po
lice Battalion, North Carolina
National Guard.
The information came in the
form of an announcement from
Captain Chester Brewer, who
will command the unit. Captain
Brewer said a meeting has been
scheduled for Monday night. De
cember 8. at the Washington
County Courthouse here. The
m .'ting will opt., at eight
o'clock. ,
■■ 5 I
All young white men between
the ages of 17 and 35 years (older
if they have had prior service)
who are interested in seeing a
National Guard unit here are
urged to be present at the meet
ing. Parents of young men of
draft age are especially invited to
learn how membership in the
Guard will affect registrants’
draft status.
It is a certainty. Captain Bre
wer pointed out, that most heal
thy young men today have a mili
tary obligation to fulfill. Under
certain circumstances, he said,
this obligation may be discharg
ed through the National Guard
while living at home and pursu
ing a normal course of livelihood.
Those men who have recently
been seperated from the service
with a reserve obligation will be
interested in knowing how thev
can retire this obligation through
the National Guard in an even
shorter period of time and at the
same time earn points toward
retirement, pay and promotions.
Men of prior service will be in
terested in finding a place of re
sponsibility in the training of the
young men in this vicinity who
must inevitably learn the ways
of the military, Captain Brewer
declared.
There are three more compan
ies of the 167th battalion organ
ized in this section at present.
They are Headquarters Company,
~ltee~GUAIUJM[TNITr'page"8~"
Conference Comes
To County Church
-•
The first quarterly conference
of the present conference year
for the Roper Charge of the Meth
odist Church will be held at
Pleasant Grove Church Sunday
morning at 11 o’clock, the Rev.
Vance A. Lewis, minister, has an
nounced.
Dr. F. S. Love, superintendent
of the Elizabeth City district of
which the Roper charge is a part,
will preside. The Roper charge is
composed of Siloam, Jamesville,
Roper, Mackeys and Pleasant
Grove churches.
The conference will hear re
ports from the several churches
dealing with their activities dur
ing the past quarter, as well as
the pastor’s report on the general
state of the church.
There will be a discussion of
the program of the Charge for
the year, and the annual budget
of the several churches will be
approved.
The Roper Charge is one of the
smaller of the 33 charges of the
Elizabeth City district, having a
membership of slightly over 500
and a property valuation of ap
proximately $100,000.
Safe in Garage,
Reported Stolen
Mrs. Robert Darden Swain
drives a green 1950 model Stu
debaker exactly like one owned
by Manning Motor Company
here, and, as Shakespeare was
wont to say, thereby hangs a
tale.
Mrs. Swain parked her car
across the street from the motor
company early Tuesday even
ing and went to Winslow’s Stu
dios for an art lesson.
Meantime, Service Manager
Jimmy Prevette saw the car
and told "lother *m>-'oyee to
drive it inside the H»iwr before
closing fn; the il(H Then, art
lesson over, Mrs. Swain cane
out to where she left her car—
hut no car. She immediately
notified the Plymouth Police
Department ang the State
Highway Patrol. Bright and
early Wednesday morning the
mistake was discovered at the
garage and Mrs. Swain and the
police were notified. It is
rumored that Mr. Prevette is
now agitating for fool-proof
identification tags to be placed
on all company cars.
Siaiemeni Made
By Gaylord Upon
Assuming Duties
-+
Judge of Recorder's Court,
W. R. Gaylord, Gives For
mal Public Statement of
Purpose after Oath
-«
After subscribing to the oath
of office before Court Clerk W.
T. Stillman in the courtroom here
Tuesday morning, Judge W. Ron
ald Gaylord made a formal pub
lic statement before convening
court.
At the conclusion of the state
ment, Attorney W. L. Whitley
made the motion that the state
ment be turned over to the press
for publication.
The statement is printed below:
As I commence a new term as
reocrder’s judge, I am deeply
mindful of the duties and respon
sibilities of the office.
As your recorder’s judge, there
are certain rules of law, of evi
See GAYLORD, Page 8
Prepare for January Tax
Listing; Draw Jury List;
Consider Various Other
Matters
-*
Various matters were discussed
and acted upon by the Washing
ton County Board of Commission
ers during their regular monthly
meeting here Monday.
The commissioners met at 11 a.
m. for what turned out to be a
busy session. Present were Frank
L. Brinkley, chairman; A. R. La
tham, H. L. Davenport, H. W.
Pritchett and J. C. Knowles.
W J. Woolard. county repre
sentative, sat with the board dur
ing the morning session and dis
cussed some of the matters he felt
would come up up before the next
General Assembly. He said he
wanted the board's reaction and
also expressed the desire to co
operate with the county govern
ing body pertaining to legislation
affecting the county.
In motion of J. C. Knowles,
seconded by H. W. Pritchett,
Frank L. Brinkley was named
board chairman. W. L. Whitley
was reappointed county attorney
for a term of two years. The mo
tion was offered by Commissioner
Latham and second by Mr. Prit
chett.
Clerk of Superior Court W. T.
Stillman administered the oath of
office for new terms to H. L. Dav
enport, of Skinnersville Town
ship, and A. R. Latham, of Plym
outh Township, commissioner,
and to J. Robert Campbell, regis
tre of deeds.
E. J. Spruill was reappointed
Washington County tax collector
and auditor for four years on
the same terms and conditions
under which he was appointed to
those offices. Motion was offered
by J. C. Knowles and second by
Commissioner Pritchett.
The sum of $35 was voted to be
sent to Caswell Training School,
Kinston, for Christmas Santa
Clause use.
On motion of H. L. Davenport,
seconded by Mr. Pritchett, the
board voted for the county to pay
the cost of dinners estimated to
be from 30 to 40 when the exe
cutive of the Southern Albemarle
Association meets in Roper next
July.
E. J. Spruill was authorized to
sell surplus coal in the court
house basement to the best ad
vantage of the county. The court
house is now being heated with
oil.
H. L. Davenport was reappoint
ed county tax supervisor. Two
tax listers were also named, with
oiners expected to oe named
momentarily. Paul B. Belanga
was named for Scuppernong
Township and W. W. White for
Skinnersville.
The tax supervisor and tax list
ers will be sworn in at a special
meeting of the board on Monday,
December 22, at 7:30 p. m„ at
which time prices for listing live
stock, etc., will be determined.
E. J. Spruill reported $16,340.21
collected in taxes during Novem
ber.
Mrs. Frances M. Darden, home
agent, read a report of work done
during November. Jurors were
drawn to serve during the Su
perior Court term opening here
January 5.
Seeking Information on
Acreage, Yield of Cotton
The Production and Marketing
Administration wants information
from cotton growers in the coun
ty on acreage and yield of the
1952 crop just as soon as it is
available, Miss Miriam Ausbon,
PMA clerk, announces.
Information should be brought
or forwarded to the office in the
Agriculture Building here.
Added $900 Sought
For Christmas Fund
Ways and means of raising
needed funds and gift items to
make the Empty Stocking pro
gram a success were discussed at
a meeting of representatives of
various groups held at the agri
culture building Wednesday eve
ning.
The meeting was presided over
by Leroy Ange, chairman of the
project which is being sponsored
by the Plymouth Rotary Club. H.
E. Newland was appointed co
chairman.
It was determined that about
$1,500 would be needed to make
the project a success, with only
about $600 of that amount in
sight. It was stressed that both
money and clothing are badly
needed to insure a cheerful
Christmas for the indigent fami
lies of the county.
A number of volunteer work
ers will solicit individual contri
butions in Plymouth and through
out the county. A committee com
posed of Ange, Newland and P.
B. Bateman will collect toys from
local merchants. Toys may be
used or new, whatever the mer*
chants care to donate, it was said.
It was again urged that anyone
having clothing or other usable
articles to donate either deliver
them to the welfare department
at the courthouse here or call Mr.
Ange to have the articles picked
i up.