*
T'own
opics
Miss Marion J. Chesson, daugh
ter of Mr. and Mrs. Dennis Ches
son, of the Pleasant Grove section,
graduated at East Carolina Col
lege Monday, receiving the de
gree of bachelor of science. Miss
Chesson, who graduated from
Roper High School in 1950, plans
to teach a first grade section in
the New Bern school system next
fall. She was the only Washing
ton County graduate at East Car
olina this year.
Mr. and Mrs. Francis Hohl and
son, Donald, of Sylacauga, Ala.,
visited friends here for several
days last week. Mr. Hohl was a
tour foreman for the North Caro
lina Pulp Company here for a
number of years before accepting
a similar position with the Coosa
River Paper Company in Syla
cauga in 1949. Donald had just
returned home after three years
in the Marine Corps, IV2 years of
which he spent in Korea, reach
ing the rank of sergenat. They
were joined here Friday by ano
ther son, Charles, former Plym
outh High School football star,
who is attending the University
of Richmond, where he played on
the freshman team last fall.
Washington County ABC
store will be closed all day Sat
urday, since its is primary day,
Manager W. C. Styons an
nounced yesterday. He said,
however, that the store would
not be closed Monday in ob
seravnce of National Memorial
Day.
C. A. Fink, of Salisbury, presi
dent of the State Federation of
Labor, was a visitor in Plymouth
the first of the week. He spoke
at meetings of several local
unions Monday and Tuesday
nights. Although he made no
blanket endorsement of any can
didates, he did say that the out
look was very favorable for can
didates favored generally by la
bor in the primary Saturday.
Game Protector Tom Terry and
Clarence Ainsley went fishing on
Deep Creek down in Tyrrell
County Monday. They caught a
grand total of two bass and three
bream, but the singular part of
the yarn is that Mr. Terry caught
both bass at one time on his fly
rod. He was fishing two small
bream flies when the two bass
struck at the same time. One of
« them weighed a pound and eight
T1 ounces and the other a pound and
13 ounces. Trouble X’itli Tom is
he’s associating with other fish
ermen too much.
-1
New Records Set
Ai Sale of Lambs
Here on Tuesday
-♦
Growers Receive Over $15,
777 for 1,019 Animals Of
fered; Three Shipments
Made to Buyers
The most successful lamb pool
ever held in Plymouth was that
on Tuesday, according to County
Agent W. H. Pruden, who was in
charge of arrangements. A total
of 1,019 sheep weighing 78,040
pounds, brought the producers a
total of $15,777.52.
Prices ranged from $26.75 per
hundredweight for choice lambs
down to $3 for common ewes, on
ly one of the latter weighing 95
pounds being shipped. Bulk of the
offerings graded choice and good,
there being 263 in the former and
240 in the latter categories.
Prices were somewhat lower
than they were at the first sale
last year, but this had been an
ticipated by most producers. The
number offered for sale was by
far the greatest ever at a lamb
sale here, totaling 1,019 against
653 last year, which was a record
to that time. Total amount receiv
ed was also much greater this
year, being $15,777.53, against
$10,285.50 a year ago.
Livestock and marketing spec
ialists from the State and Fed
eral Departments of Agriculture
and the State Extension Service
helped to grade and inspect the
animals at the sale Tuesday.
Three shipments were made, two
,<■). of them to the United Dressed
’ ’ Beef Company in Brooklyn, N. Y.,
and one to New England Dressed
Meat & Wool Company, Somer
ville, Mass. All of the good and
choice and many of the medium
grade lambs were shipped to the
Brooklyn concern.
County agents from surround
ing counties cooperated in mak
ing plans for the sale.
Poppy Sale Planned Here Saturday
_a_ _*- - ■ 4
Plans have been completed for
sale of poppies here Saturday,
May 29 it was announced Tuesday
by Mrs. Dallas Waters, president
of the local American Legion
Auxiliary. The little red artificial
flowers, made by disabled veter
ans of World Wars I and II, will
be worn in honor of the nation’s
war dead.
The poppies will be distributed
here by members of the auxiliary,
who will work through the day as
unpaid volunteers. They will re
ceive contributions for the auxi;
liary’s work for disabled veterans
and needly children. No set price
is charged for the poppies, and
all contributions will be cheerful
ly received.
The poppies will be crepe paper
replicas of the wild poppies which
grow “between the crosses, row
on row,” in the World War I bat
tle cemeteries of France and Bel
gium. Fully 25,000,000 of the auxi
liary’s poppies are expected to be
worn by Americans on Poppy Day
this year, Mrs. Waters said.
The Roanoke Beacon
and Washington County News ******
A home newspaper dedicated
to the service of Washington
County and its 13,004 people.
NUMBER LXV—NUMBER 21
Plymouth, Washington County, North Carolina, Thursday, May 27, 1954
ESTABLISHED 1889
MEMBERS OF GRADUATING CLASS AT CRESWELL HIGH SCHOOL
Above are the 20 members of the Creswell High School senior class and the two mascots. Grad
uating exercises will be held in the school auditorium there Monday night at 8 o'clock, with Dr.
F. Orion Mixon, president of Chowan College, as the speaker. The mascots are Don Phelps and
Cynthia Halsey. Seniors who will receive their diplomas Monday night are, front row, left to right:
Rita Riddick, Patsy Midgette, Lillie Oliver Comer, Annie Jane Harris, Gilma Woodley, Merina
Davenport, Dorothy Halsey; second row: Louise Spruill, Juanita Patrick, Gloria Phelps, Gail Brick
house, Vida Davenport, Dolores Woodley, Mildred Davenport; Back row: Jimmie Davenport, Nor
man Furlugh, Reggie Davenport, Nyle Davenport, Larry Woodley, Jimmie Clifton.—Polaroid 1
Minute staff photo.
School Here To Start
Finals Friday Night
Polls Will Open I
At 6:30 Saturday j
Voters in the primary Satur
day of this week will have
exactly 12 hours in which to
cast their ballots. The polls
open at 6:30 in the morning and
close at 6:30 that evening.
Voters are reminded that the
old voting houis of su>:.^v; to
sunset no longer apply, and the
polls will close promptly at
6:30.
Registrars and judges of elec
tion are required to report to
polling places at 6 a. m., in or
der to prepare the booths and
arrange the voting space.
Polling places for the six
county precincts are as follows:
Plymouth No. 1, courthouse;
Plymouth No. 2, high school
building; Lees Mill, communi
ty building in Roper; Skinners
villc, J. A. Goodman’s store at
the Scuppernong, tax col
lector's office in Creswell; and
Wenona, residence of H. J. Fur
bee.
Closing Programs
Ai Roper School
Now in Progress
Class Night Program To
night, Followed by Gradu
ation Exercises Friday;
Sermon Last Sunday
-♦
The commencement sermon for
the Roper High School graduat
ing class was preached last Sun
day morning by the Rev. James
L. McAllister, Roper native and
graduate of the Roper High
School. Mr. McAllister is now a
graduate student in the depart
ment of religion at Duke Univer
sity, Durham, «and his remarks
were heard with interest by
members of the class and an ap
preciative congregation in the
school auditorium. “Know the
truth and the truth will make
you free” was the theme of his
discourse.
Class night exercises will be
held in the high school auditor
ium Thursday night of this week
at 8:15. It is in the form of a play,
“A Southern Rosary,” to be pre
sented in two acts, with all mem
bers of the senior class taking
part.
Graduating exercises will be
held Friday night at 8 o’clock,
See ROPER, Page 5
Class Night Exercises First;
Followed by Sermon Sun
day and Graduation Pro
gram Monday Night
Commencement programs for
Plymouth High School were an
nounced complete this week by
Prinicipal J. S. Fleming. The ex
ercises got underway Friday
night program, followed by the
commencement sermon on Sun
day night and the graduating ex
ercises Monday night. All pro
grams will be presented in the
high school auditorium and begin
at 8 o’clock.
Class night exercises Friday
night will be presented in the
form of a playlet, “Between the
Bookends.’’ Ail members of the
senior class take part, with lead
ing roles as follows: Bookends,
Jane Crofton and Lynette Bar
ber; historian, Harllee Lyon;
class president, Dwight Kelly;
statistician, Jo Hobbs; poet, Har
old Hart; prophet, Gail Hardison;
giftorian, Frances Alexander;
testator, Wells Rodgers; and lyric
composer, Sandra Estep. Miss
Beulah Cratch will be pianist.
Program for the commence
ment sermon Sunday night at 8
o’clock is as follows: Processional,
"God of Our Fathers,” glee club
and congregation; Doxology, con
gregation; invocation, the Rev.
J. H. Hodges; hymn, “Come Thou
Almighty King,” congregation;
Scripture reading, the Rev. E. M.
Spruill; anthem, glee club; pray
er, the Rev. P. B. Nickens; intro
duction of minister, the Rev. C.
N. Barnette; sermon by the Rev.
Ross J. Allen, secretary North
Carolina Christian Missionary
Society, of Wilson; hymn, “Holy,
Holy, Holy,” congregation; bene
diction, the Rev. D. L. Fouts; re
cessional, “Largo.” Edward Tay
lor is music director.
Program for the graduation ex
ercises Monday night follows:
Processional, March from “Aida”;
invocation, the Rev. C. N. Bar
nett; choral selections, glee club;
salutatory, “The Frontiers of To
morrow,” Eugene Waters; ‘Cour
age for Freedom,” Barbara Mc
Nair; “Our Future Lies Ahead,”
Harllee Lyon; presentation of di
plomas, A. L. Owens, chairman
school committee; school awards,
R. F. Lowry, county school super
intendent; American Legion
awards, P. B. Bateman; valedic
tory, “Our National Symbol,”
Eleanor Ann Kinard; benediction,
the Rev. E. M. Spruill; recession
al, “Coronation March.”
There are 41 members of the
graduating class, 25 girls and 16
boys, who will receive their di
plomas at the graduation exer
cises Monday night.
County Has First
Highway Fatality
Of Year Saturday
Johnny Stewart Myers, 30,
Roper Colored Laborer,
Victim; Driver Charged
With Manslaughter
Johnny Stewart Myers, 30-year
old colored laborer of Roper, be
came Washington County’s first
traffic fatality of 1954 about 12:30
last Saturday morning, when he
was almost instantly killed in an
automobile accident in the Skin
nersville section. Myers, passen
ger in an automobile driven by
Jesse Moore, 32, also of Roper,
had his throat cut when he plung
ed into the windshield as the car
hit another parked on the old
Plymouth-Columbia highway in
the Skinnersville section.
According to Highway Patrol
man Earl Morton, of Roper, who
investigated, the car in which
Myers was riding ran into a park
ed car, occupied by James Moore,
jr., and a colored girl who was
not identified. The car of James
Moore, jr., was knocked ahead
into another car, also parked on
the highway in front of the resi
dence of James Moore, sr. Myers
died within a few minutes from
loss of blood.
Jesse Moore, driver of the death
car, was arrested and charged
with drunken driving and man
slaughter. He entered pleas of
guilty to both charges in record
er's court here Tuesday. He was
fined $100 for drunken driving
and ordered held for superior
court on probable cause of man
slaughter, with bond fixed at $1,
000.
Jesse Moore told the patrolman
the car occupied by James Moore,
jr., and the girl stopped suddenly
without warning, but the officer
said other witnesses testified the
latter car was not moving.
The accident was the first this
year on a Washington County
highway and the first since 1052
to occur outside of town limits.
There was one fatality last year,
but it occurred inside the cor
porate limits of Roper. In 1952
there were four fatalities on
county highways.
-«
Lions Will Sell
Brooms and Mals
The Plymouth Lions Club will
sponsor a broom sale Thursday
and Friday of this week to raise
money for their blind fund. A
house-to-house and store-to-store
canvass is planned by the Lions,
with teams of three being assign
ed to all part of the town, accord
ing to J. W. Allen, chairman of
the broom sale committee.
Three types of brooms will be
offered by the Lion canvassers:
House brooms, which sell for
$1.50; a larger broom at $1.75;
and a mill broom at $2.10. They
will also have door mats that sell
for $2.10.
All brooms and mats were
made by blind workers at Guil
ford Industries in Greensboro.
After paying for the brooms and
mats, all profit made by the Lions
Club will go to the fund used by
the club in blind work.
Plymouth people are urged to
buy a broom and mat from the
Lions, that all profits will go to a
worthy cause.
Voters -Will Name Representative
Saturday in Only County Contest
Number of Dislrict and Slate
Races To Be Decided;
Scoff Apparently Ahead
In Senate Contest
Contests for district and state
offices are creating proportion
ately more interest this year than
usual, due to the fact that there
is only one strictly county race
in the primary Saturday. How
ever, all the interest put together
is much less than usually display
ed in this county, and it is believ
ed that not more than 1,500 to
1,800 votes will be cast.
There are three candidates for
two places as state senators from
the second senatorial district,
which is comprised of seven coun
ties. Edward L. Owens, Plymouth
attorney and landowner, is one of
the candidates, lending some ad
ditional interest to the contest in
this county. The other two are
L. H. Ross, of Washington, and
Martin Kellogg, jr., of Manteo,
both lawyers.
Mr. Ross, being from the larg
est county in the district, is re
garded as having the inside track,
with Mr. Owens and Mr. Kellogg
battling it out for the other posit
ion. Owens probably will lead in
this county, as will Kellogg in
Dare, but just how they stack
up in the other counties of the
district are not known. The other
counties are Martin, Hyde, Tyr
rell and Pamlico.
There are two candidates for
solicitor of the second judicial
district, Elbert S. Peel, of Wil
liamston, and Hubert E. May, of
Nashville. There are but five
counties in the district, Washing
ton, Martin. Edgecombe, Wilson
and Nash. Peel, being from the
neighboring county of Martin, is
expected to pull a large vote here
but he has a real battle ahead in
^S^TdFstricT, Page 8
-4
Fire Here Saturday Does
■*i Littie Damage BulH’rr
-4
Local firemen were called out
about 4 o’clock last Saturday af
ternoon, when a warehouse build
ing at the old Bassinger Machine
Shop caught fire. One corner of
the building was ablaze when the
firemen arrived but was quickly
extinguished with relatively lit
tle damage being done.
Fire Chief Miller Warren said
he was unable to determine ori
gin of the fire.
-4
Plan School on Combines
Here Next Tuesday Night
-»
The Miller Warren Implement
Company is sponsoring a school
on the care and maintenance of
combines and tractors here next
Tuesday night, June 1, at 8
o'clock. A representative of the
Allis-Chalmers Company will be
here to conduct the school, and
all farmers are invited to attend.
Mr. Warren first announced the
ichool would start at 7 p. _m.
Tuesday, and his ads so state in
this paper. However, it was later
decided not to start until 8
o'clock. The session will last for
about an hour and a half, he said.
PLYMOUTH HIGH SCHOOL TO HAVE 41 GRADUATES THIS YEAR
There are 41 members of the Plymouth High School Senior Class who will graduate this
year and only one, Yvonne Smithwick, was absent when the photograph above was made last
week. They will receive their diplomas at the final exercises to be held in the school auditorium
next Monday night at 8 o’clock. Those in the picture above are, left to right, front row: Gail Har
dison, Peggy Warwick, Phyllis Stotesberry, Sandra Estep, Jane Crofton, Lena Bennett; second row:
Shirley Daniels, Joyce Jefferson, Frances Alexander, Louise Satterthwaite, Joyce Roberson, Polly
Hamilton; third row: Lynette Barber, Jo Hobbs, Eleanor Ann Kinard, Gail Harrison, Alice Humph
reys, Barbara Ann Oliver; fourth row: Gladys Adams, Lois Allen, Barbara McNair, Pat Ange, Ina
Faye Wells, Ruby Lee; boys, fifth row: Richard Allen, William Earl Phelps, Dwight Kelly; sixth
row: Billy Ray West, Tom Sawyer, Harllee Lyon, Eugene Waters, Joseph Hardison, Paul Ange;
seventh row: Billy Sexton, Wayne Simpson, Weis Rodgers, Harlan Folkerts; eighth row: Harold
Hart, Ken Trowbridge, Shelton Jethro.—Polaroid 1-Minute staff photo.
Final Parade of Year
For Hio|. School Kami
The Plymouth High School
Band made its final appearance
of the 1953-54 school year at the
Shrine Ceremonial parade in
Greenville yesterday morning.
Band members left in a chartered
bus yesterday morning and re
turned late that afternoon after
parading at noon.
Band members last week en
joyed their trip to Washington,
where they took part in the Jay
cee Festival parade at 4 p. m. Fri
day afternoon. No other concerts
or parades are planned before the
end of the school term Monday.
Director Edward Taylor said
yesterday that the band had
made a lot of progress and he ex
pects it to do even better, next
fall. Only four or five members
of the group will be lost by grad
uation, he stated.
Mr. Taylor said the band still
needed a lot of equipment, which
he said they should be able to
get in another year. Last fall the
band had to have uniforms, which
cost well up toward $4,000. The
director said he was well pleased
with the cooperation he had re
ceived during his first year here.
Good Sales Expected
For Market Opening
Crop Prospect Improve With
Warmer Weather; De
mand for Snap Beans Said
Steady at Present
——
James H. Ward and W. T. Free
man, two of the operators of the
Plymouth Auction Market, said
yesterday they were looking for
a sizeable amount of produce to
be here next Monday for first
sales on the local market. The
auction is scheduled to begin at
10 a. m„ with Joe Moye, of Rob
ersonville, veteran tobacco auc
tioneer, crying the sales.
Crop prospects in this section
have improved materially in this
section in the past few days with
the advent of warmer weather,
they said, and they expect a good
volume of beans, with possibly
some potatoes and cabbag , to be
offered. T1 ’ b. n marjcct in par
alar. >'• ,aid ’.•> be strong at this
time, with producers getting
about $2.50 per bushel hamper
and the demand steady.
Messrs. Ward and Freeman and
W. M. Darden, thifd member of
the firm, estimated yesterday that
there are about 1,500 acres of
beans in the 18-county territory to
be served by the market. They
also estimated cucumber acreage
at 1,500, tomatoes at another 1,
500, squash about 500, and pep
pers around 3,000 acres. They al
so expected to handle irish pota
toes, corn, lima beans, okra, some
eggplant, and watermelons and
canteloupes during the season,
Mr. Freeman said they were
receiving many inquiries from
buyers and canners. The operat
ors emphasize the importance of
farmers using new containers and
packing them fully. They stated
that bean hampers and other con
tainers would be available at the
market.
Everything was declared in
readiness for the opening sales
Monday at 10 a. m. Government
inspectors and graders will be on
hand, and it is expected a large
number of buyers will be here for
the first day’s operation.
Few To Observe j
Holiday Monday)
Both local banks, all federal
state and county offices will be
closed next Monday, May 31, in
honor of National Memorial
Day, which falls on Sunday,
May 30, this year. Other busi
ness establishments will be
open as usual, however, so far
as could be learned yesterday.
The post office will be closed,
and there: will be no city or
rural deliveries. Mail will be
dispatched and those who have
lock boxes will be served, but
none of the windows will be
open. All offices at the court
house here will be closed, ac
Cf ' ding1 to E. J. Spruill.
Cresweil School's
Closing Programs
Will Begin Friday
May Day Program and Class
Night To Be Followed b.y
Sermon Sunday and Grad
uation Monday Night
Commencement exercises at
Creswell High School get under
way Friday of this week, with an
all-day May Day program fol
lowed.by the senior class night
exercises in the school auditor
ium at 8 p. m. The commence
ment sermon follows at 8 p. m. on
Sunday, May 30; with graduation
exercises scheduled for Monday
night, May 31, also at 8 o’clock.
All programs will be held in the
school auditorium except for part
of the May Day exercises tomor
row.
The class night exercises Fri
See CRESWELL, Page 5
Scuppernong To Choose
County Comissioner in
Only Other Local Race;
Light Vote Is Expected
A very light vote is expected to
be cast in Washington. County
Saturday, when Democrats go to
the polls to choose nominees for
county, district and state offices.
There is only one county-wide
contest for a local office, three
candidates being in the running
for representative to the General
Assembly, and consequently there
has been very little interest dis
played in the coming primary
thus far.
In addition to the race for
county representative, voters in
Scuppernong Township will
choose a county commissioner
from among three aspirants; and
there are a host of district and
state offices for which nominees
are to be selected. Candidates for
six county offices who had no
opposition have already been cer
tified as Democratic nominees.
There are no Republican can
didates for any of the county of
fices, and no contests among Re
publicans for state and district
offices, so Republicans will have
no part in the primary this year.
Main interest on a county-wide
basis is centered in the race for
representative. E. O. Arnold, of
Skinnersville, and Ben A. Sum
ner, of Plymouth, are former
representatives who are seeking
to return to that office; with Dr.
J. M. Phelps, of Creswell, who
has never run for elective office
before, the third candidate. W. J.
Woolard, who served as repre
sentative in the 1953 General As
sembly is not a candidate this
year.
Mr. Sumner served in the 1943
legislature, while Mr. Arnold was
representative in 1949. All three
of the candidates have been
working hard, especially during
the past two or three weeks, and
it is possible that they will get
out more votes than was thought
possible a few weeks ago.
In Scuppernong Township,
See COUNTY, Page 8
-♦
Eight Injured, One
Critically, in Car
Wreck Last Week
-1
Miss Gladys Bateman of
Plymouth Most Seriously
Hurt in Accident Near
Here Last Week
Miss Gladys Bateman, 18, of
Plymouth, was critically injured
and seven other persons were ser
iously hurt in a head-on collision
between two cars on the Folly
Road about five miles from Plym
outh during a driving rain last
Thursday night. Miss Bateman,
who received a compound frac
ture of the jaw and other injur
ies about the head, was removed
from the Washington County Hos
pital to a Norfolk hospital Fri
day morning, and reports yes
terday were that her condition
was still considered critical.
Four of those injured, including
the drivers of both cars, were
Marines from the Edenton base,
and they were taken to the base
hospital Friday morning. Others
injured were from Roper an.d in
cluded Miss Grace Trueblood,
sprains and abrasions; her sister,
Miss Pat Trueblood, broken arm,
sprains and contusions; and Miss
Ramona Barnes, sprains and
bruises.
The injured Marines were Ben
jamin Louis Jenkins, driver of
one car, lacerations and bruises;
Ricnard Len Hoffman, driver of
the other car, also lacerations and
bruises; Richard C. Curfiss, frac
tured skull; and Alex Tomilo,
who suffered minor injuries.
They were brought to the county
hospital here after the accident
and removed to the base hospital
at Edenton Friday morning.
According to Highway Patrol
man Earl Morton, of Roper, who
investigated the accident, the cars
met head-on on a curve on the
Folly Road about a mile off U. S.
64 at 11 o’clock Thursday night.
Hoffman and Miss Barnes were in
one car, with Hoffman driving,
and the other six were in the
other car, with Jenkins driving.
It was said to have been raining
hard at the time, and neither car
was being operated at an exces
sive rate of speed.
Both drivers were cited to re
corder’s court, Jenkins for reck
less driving and Hoffman because
his windshield wiper was not in
operating condition. Their cases
were continued Tuesday, pending
recovery from injuries of the
drivers and witnesses.