<
T" 'own
opics
County FHA Supervisor Willis
Bowen is in Goldsboro this week
assisting Lacey Ctaates, Wayne
County supervisor, in issuing
operating loans. Mr. Bowen will
be in Snow Hill Tuesday, Wed
nesday and Thursday of next
week assisting the Greene Coun
ty supervisor. The loan work is
particularly heavy in the larger
counties at this time, it is ex
plained.
J. Richard Carr, of Plymouth,
returned Sunday from a trip to
Georgia and Florida where he at
tended the Georgia State Bee
keepers meeting at Valdosta and
the Southern States Beekeepers
meeting at Orlando, Fla. Mr. Carr
was elected vice president for
North Carolina in the national
association at the Orlando meet
ing. He was also among the many
beekeepers who sold honey for
benefit of the American Honey
Institute. Over $1,000 was raised
in this manner. Mr. Carr is re
ported to have had the prettiest
honey displayed. There were 380
delegates from 23 states present.
Among the points of interest in
Florida visited on the trip by Mr.
Carr were Book T-ower, Cypress
Gardens, Silver Springs, Marine
land and Stephen Foster Me
morial.
Plymouth folks visiting larger
towns recently have not been
making out any too well. Several
weeks ago the Rev. C. N. Bar
nette and H. H. Allen were held
up and robbed of some $225 at
a Miami, Fla., motel. Then, last
Friday night, three Plymouth
ladies were robbed of about $60
in Richmond, Va. The three, Mrs.
Blanche Midgette, Mrs. Helen
Peele and Mrs. Janie Dunning,
left their purses on a dresser in
their seccnd-story room at the
John Marshall Hotel when they
retired. During the night, a thief
entered via the bathroom window
and made off with all the cash
he could find. Police were called
and got some fingerprints, which
were of no practical use to the
Plymouth ladies; but, fortunate
ly, they did not leave all their
cash in their pocketbooks, so they
had enough money to return
home. Maybe some of our enter
prising local con artists, stick-up
men and thieves ought to do a
little advertising with the slo
gan; “Why go elsewhere to be
robbed; give us a chance.”
Pvt. Vernon R. Hassell arrived
in this county Monday night to
spend a two-week furlough with
his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Spencer
Hassell, of Roper, his brothers
and sisters. Pvt. Hassell, who en
listed in the infantry August 26
oee lurita, rage o
3 Polling Places
Named for County
Co it on Balloting
• -1
National Referendum on
Marketing Quotas To Be
Held Tuesday of Next
Week
-♦
The national referendum wn
cotton marketing quotas, to ba
held Tuesday of next week, will
be the ninth auoh vote, Miss
Mariam Austen, ASC county of
fice manager, said today.
Three polling places have been
announced for cotton growers in
Washington County, as follows:
Knowles Grocery, Roper, for
Roper and Pleasant Grove farm
ers; C. N. Davenport Garage,
Creswell, Cherry and Mt. Pleas
ant farmers; and County Agri
culture Building, Plymouth and
Long Acre farmers.
The first vote on cotton mar
keting quotas was held in March
1938, an dthe last previous cotton
referendum was December 15,
1953. In the last vote, 95.3 percent
of the State’s farmers who voted
expressed approval of using the
quotas for the 1954 cotton crop.
The national vote last year was
94.1 percent in favor. At least
two-thirds of the farmers voting
must favor quotas before they
may continue in effect.
The Roanoke Beacon
****** and Washington County News ******
S3W
A home newspaper dedicated
to the service of Washinfton
County and its 13,000 people.
VOLUME LXV—NUMBER 49
Plymouth, Washington County, North Carolina, Thursday, December 9, 1954
ESTABLISHED 1889
INSTALLATION OF CHRISTMAS LIGHTS COMPLETED LAST WEEK
__ »
There’s a little more substance to the decorative lights installed in the business section here
this year. Through the aid of the Junior Chamber of Commerce, which contributed half the cost,
strings of evergreen were wrapped around the light lines placed across Water and Washington
Streets in the main business area. The lights were turned on for the first time last Friday, when
most local stores were open until 9 p. m. for the convenience of shoppers. The stores will be open
until 9 again Friday night of this week and, starting on Friday, December 17, the stores will be
open until 9 o’clock each night from then until Christmas. The above photo shows the evergreen
wrapped strands of lights on W’ater Street, looking north from Jefferson Street.—Polaroid 1-Min
ute staff photo. _
Construction Work
Still Being Picketed
Heavy January
Call On Board
Selective Service Board No.
95 here has received January
induction and pre-induction
calls for seven and 37 men, re
spectively, Mrs. Lorraine Hunt
er, board clerk, reports. This is
the heaviest call made upon
the local draft board in quite
some time, Mrs. Hunter stated.
Two volunteers, William Ray
(Billy) Styons, of Plymouth,
and Charles Bradford Marrow,
of Roper, left Tuesday morning
by bus for the Raleigh recept
ion center, the clerk reported.
Funeral Services
For J. L. Clifton
Funeral services for James Lin
wood Clifton, 77, who died at his
home ait Creswell Sunday, were
conducted Tuesday at 2 p. m.
from Mt. Tarboro Baptist Church
by the Rev. Mark Woolard, as
sisted by the Rev. R. C. Ambrose.
Burial was in the church ceme
tery.
Mr. Clifton, a native and life
long resident of Washington
County, was a member of Scup
pemong Church of Christ. He
leaves three sons, William T. and
Cecil Clifton, of Plymouth, and
Howard1 Clifton, of Creswell; four
daughters, Mrs. Claud Phillips, of
Creswell, Mrs. Lula Mae Holden
and Mrs. Wilbur Wiseman, both
of Norfolk, Va., and Mrs. G. O.
Combs, of Elizabeth City; three
brothers, Raymond, A. G. and
Robert Clifton, all of Sireswell;
11 grandchildren and four great
grandchildren.
Fire Guts Storage House
For Honey Here Saturday
A building near Winesett
Circle in which Eli Winesett had
extracting equipment and honey
iitored was gutted by fire shortly
after 8 o’clock Sa’urdcv rdoM
Local firemen responded to the
alarm and brought the flames
under control shortly after ar
rival on the scene. It is under
stood that quite a bit of honey,
equipment and some bees were
lost in the blaze.
Here Getting
Screen Today
Old Man Winter, beginning to
assert himself noticeably right
after Thanksgiving in these parts
with a low reading of 21 degrees
November 27, really made himself
felt early this week.
Weather station figures at Tide
Water Test Farm, near here, show
that the mercury dipped to 13
degrees Tuesday and Wednesday
of this week, which is really cold
weather for this part of the
country.
Snow which began to fall at
1 a. m. Monday continued inter
mittently with rain and sleet un
til 3 o’clock Monday afternoon.
Precipitation was recorded at 2.60
inches, an inch of snow and 1.60
of rain. Rain began falling early
Sunday night but a sharp tem
perature drop during the night
brought the first snowfall of the
season here.
Highway workers were out
early Monday scraping the high
ways but driving was treacherous
on roads and streets early in the
day. At least one wreck in the
county was attributed to the road
conditions.
High and low temperatures for
December in this county, as re
corded at the Test Farm, read as
follows: 1st, 49 and 24 degrees;
2nd, 48 and 33; 3rd, 62 and 24;
4th, 52 and 19; 5th, 46 and 17;
6th, 55 and 21; 7th, 36 and 13.
Conferences Held Yesterday
By Representatives of
Contractors and Members
Of Organizing Group
— *
The construction workers’ gate
at the plant of the North Caro
lina Pulp Company here was still
being picketed yeaterday by
representatives of workers form
erly employed by contractors en
gaged in building additions to the
plant. However, it was learned
that conferences were being held
by representatives of the contract
ors and building trade unions,
and hope was expressed that the
difficulties at the mil'l would soon
be adjusted.
Paul Askew, chairman of an
AFL organizing committee rep
resenting 10 building trade unions
said late yesterday that confer
ences held up to that time were
on a very amicable basis all
around, and he was hopeful that
satisfactory solution would soon
be reached1.
W. C. Givens, field superin
tendent for the general contract
ing firm now doing the construct
ion work at the plant, said he had
no statement to make yesterday
afternoon, pending further de
velopments. He said construction
work had been resumed at the
mill, with about 30 Workers on
the job at that time.
There have been no further in
cidents to threaten production at
the big plant since Wednesday of
last week, when a complete shut
down was narrowly averted.
Picket lines had been set up by
construction workers at the two
main gates of the plant, and pro
duction workers hesitated to cross
the lines. However, the pulp
company agreed to require con
struction workers to use a spec
ial gate, and the pickets were re
moved from the production work
ers’ entrance shortly before the 4
o’clock shift change Wednesday
afternoon, enabling the mill to
continue operations.
The labor troubles at the plant
started about three weeks ago,
when attempts were made to or
ganize construction workers en
gaged in building additions' to the
plant. Spokesmen for the organiz
ing committee of 10 building
See PICKETING, Page 5
«
Native of County
Buried on Sunday
Graveside services were held
Sunday afternoon at 2 o’clock at
Plymouth Methodist Church
Cemetery for Frederick Herman
Harrison, 57, of Tunstall, Va.,
with the Rev. J. H. Lanning, min
ister of the church, officiating.
Mr. Harrison, son of the late
James Franklin Harrison and
Martha V. Harrison, of Plymouth,
died Friday at 8:30 a. m. at Tun
staill after an illness of four
months. He had been in declining
health for more than a year.
He was a native of Plymouth,
bom October 24, 1897, and lived
here until he reached the age of
13. He was a member of Corinth
Baptist Church, New Kent Coun
ty, Va., and was employed by the
Union News Company.
Surviving are a sister, Ethel
Caroline Barnes, of Norfolk, Va.,
and a brother, Emmett S. Harri
son, of Huntington, W. Va.
Delegates From
15 Clubs Attend
Ruritan Meeting
E. Y. Floyd, of Raleigh, Fea
tured Speaker at Evening
Session Closing Roanoke
Disiricl Convention
A good-sized crowd of Ruritans
and their guests heard commen
dation from E. Y. Floyd, of Ra
leigh, for the fine accomplish
ments and objectives of the or
ganization in the feature address
at the closing session: of the Roan
oke District convention at iloper
Wednesday night. /
Delegates from 15 clube in the
district registered for the event.
Oak City, Roxobel-Kelford, Farm
Life, Everetts, Aulander, Wil
liamston, Rocky Mount, Severn
Pendleton, Bear Grass, Merry
Hill, Winton, Jamesville, Cres
well, Gum Neck and Roper were
represented.
The two sessions — afternoon
and evening—were held at Roper
High School with the Roper club
as host. The afternoon session
was taken up with various re
ports and officer schools for pres
idents, vice presidents, secretar
ies and treasurers.
Fulton Stones served as toast
master for the evening session
whioh opened at 6:30. After open
ing song and the invocation by
T. R. Spruill, of Roper, T. C. Mar
tus, district governor elect, of
Roper, gave the welcome. Re
sponse was by M. L. Basnight, of
the Gum Neck club.
Group singing was enjoyed and
vocal solos were given by Miss
Daphne Snell, of Roper, piano
solos by Miss Elfreth Alexander,
and tap dance numbers by Miss
Linda Lou Norman, also of Roper.
Ken Stokes, of Severn, recog
nized President Bryan Harris, of
the host club, National President
Bill Brake, of Rocky Mount, pres
idents of nine clubs in the district
present, and special guests.
Emmett Burden, of the Aulan
der club, presented awards to
Farm Life for 1954 Ruritan Serv
See~RURITANs7~Page 5
Christmas Fund
Organization Is
Perfected Here
Carl L. Bailey, Jr.( of Plym
outh, Named To Chair
manship of Annual Emp
ty Stocking Campaign
Carl L. Bailey, jr., young
Plymouth attorney, was named
last week to head the annual
Empty Stocking Fund for 1954.
Election of officers and ap
pointment of chairmen in the
several communities of the coun
ty came at an organizational
meeting held Thursday night at
the courthouse.
Officers named in addition to
Bailey were Mrs. James H. Ward,
treasurer; James T. Boyce, toy
collecting chairman, Carl L. Bai
ley-, sr., general finance chair
man; and James Bond, publicity
chairman.
Other members of the financ(
committee are Tom Hampton anc
P. W. Littlejohn, Creswell white
and colored drives, respectively
Aubrey Dixon, Roper white, anc
E. V. Wiilkins, Roper colored
Mrs. Cedric Davenport, Mackeys
Leroy Ange, Plymouth white
and A. R. Lord, Plymouth colored
A total of 93 white and colorec
citizens of the county was named
to the executive committee a:
follows:
Plymouth—W. H. Booker, Roa
noke Beacon; J. S. Fleming
Plymouth White, and A. R. Lord
Plymouth Colored School; Ro
tarians, Arthur Lilly, H. H. Al
len, R. F. Lowry, P. B. Bateman
and Carl L .Bailey; Fred Keyes
Lions Club; Dr. A. L. White
hurst, Jaycees; Mrs. Durant Keel
Woman’s Club; Donald Waters
American Legion; Melvin Boyd
VFW; Harvey Hobbs, Leroj
Ange, Jesse Armistead, Ben Dan
iels, Louis Price, Edmund John
son, James Hamilton, David Wil
liams, EM Ricks, Lloyd Mizell
Fred Small, Jack Latham anc
Newman Ajllen, labor unions
Thus. F. Hopkins, merchants as
oeiation; churc es—Rev. E. M
JLpruil1, Jim Ethc idge, Mrs. Rub}
f&ooth, Rev, J. H. Lamning, r M
Leavitt, Mrs. Bvelyn Woolani,
J. Wool-aid, Mirs. L. S. Thompeo*
Rev. and Mrs. P. B. Nickens, E. E
Harrell, Mrs. Marjorie Lucas
Oliver Lucas, Rev. C. N. Barnette
W. B. Liverman, Robert Bower
Mrs. Frances Lucas, Mrs. C. L
SeeTuNoTpilgel
-1
Brother oi Local
Man Dies Sunday
Guy Sidney, Owens of Norfolk
brother of W. R. Owens, of Plym
outh, died at his home there Sun
day. He was 26.
Last rites were conducted Mon
day aft 11 a. m. at the Ewell ant
Williamson Funeral Home, Nor
folk, by the Rev. Benjamin Joy
ner, pastor of the Oak Grove
Methodist Church. Burial was ir
Columbia Cemetery, in Tyrrel,
County.
Mr. Owens was a native of Co
lumbia, the son of Walter C. anc
Fannie Godfrey Owens. He wa:
the husband of Mrs. Ethlyr
Wright Owens and had made hi:
home at Norfolk for the past 1J
years.
He leaves, besides the widow
and his mother, a daughter, Gaik
Elaine Owens; a son, Davie
Owens, both of Norfolk; four bro
thers, A. W. Owens and R. C
Owens, both of Norfolk, W. R
Owens, and W. G. Owens, oi
Washington, D. C.
TWO NATIVES OF COUNTY MEET IN AUSTRIA
Pfc. William M. Oliver (left) of Roper, N. C., greets a
Mackeys neighbor in Austria, Colonel James C. Tarkenton. Oliver,
son of Mr. and Mrs. Ernest B. Oliver, used to buy gasoline at a
filling station operated by the Tarkenton family at Pleasant Grove,
near Maekeys. He met the colonel recently when he was selected
as colonel’s orderly for being the outstanding member of the
guard detail for that day. Oliver is a rifleman in Company A
of the 350th Regiment in Austria and Colonel Tarkenton com
mands the regiment.—U. S. Army photo.
Santa Claus To Make His
Annual Visit on Saturday
SANTA CLAUS TO BE HERE AGAIN SATURDAY
■ -■
Old Man Santa Claus probably hasn’t changed much, but
the tots pictured above are a year older, which makes a lot of dif
ference at their ages. The above picture was made last year when
Santa visited Plvmouth and drew the largest crowd ever seen on
local streets, estimated up to 3,000. Anyway, the old gentleman
will be back this coming Saturday afternoon at 2 o’clock, planning
to remain at the Water and Washington Street intersection for
upwards of an hour, giving out candy to the youngsters and list
ening: to as many as possible outline their wants for his later visit
on December 25th.—Polaroid 1-Minute staff photo. _
Board Says No to Bid
For Assistant Agents
Fjro*n» Now De
ed Agamsi By Conti
Joc’d
ed Ag^Tnsi try Conrns
sioners; Spruill, Brinkley,
Knowles Take Oath
Oaths of office were adminis
tered here Monday by Judge W.
Ronaldi Gaylord to Phillip M.
Spruill, newly - elected county
commissioner (from Scuppernong
Township, and to Frank L.
Brinkley, of Plymouth, and J. C.
1 Knowles, of Roper, both re-elect
ed. Brinkley was re-elected chair
man of the body.
• The board members expressed
' appreciation for the 12 years of
service on the board by H. W.
Pritchett, of Creswell, which ter
minated with the swearing in of
Mr. Spruill, elected to t'he post
last month.
Mr. Pritchett aaid, he would
miss the association with the
other members at future meetings
and expressed the belief that Mr.
Spruill would prove a worthy
successor to the office.
Bonds were received for the
following county officials: Clerk
of Court W. T. Stillman, County
Auditor and Tax Collector E. J.
Spruill and Sheriff J. K. Reid.
The board clerk, J. Robert
Campbell, was instructed to write
to Highway Commissioner J. Em
mett Winslow asking that another
investigation be made by the pro
per engineer and the board ad
vised if the commission will
agree to improve the road and
bridge in Plymouth Township
running from Long Ridge Road
by the front of the El wood Wynn
farm and to the Karmen Harri
son line beyond Ausbon Station.
W. W. White, Skinnersvillo, P.
See BOARD, Page 8
-1
Local Young Man
Gets Commission
David T. Read, jr., son of Mr.
and Mrs. D. T. Read, of Plymouth,
completed hia college work at ■
East Carolina College on Novem
ber 24 and received a commission
as second lieutenant in the U. S.
Air Force Reserve the same day.
He was a member of the Air
R. O .T. C. unit at East Carolina
College and had completed that
phase of his work at a summer
training camp in Florida before
the start of the fall term at the
college.
David will receive his A.B. de
gree in business education at the
college commencetment next
spring. He is scheduled to report
for active duty with the Air Force
on April 29, 1955, when he will
be assigned to a flight school as
a student officer. A graduate of
I Plymouth High School in the
I sprang of 1950, Read entered East
Carolina the following fall.
ELosimobile Is
Shor! of Quota
■■■■■■■■■•■■■■a* ■•■■••■••■■■■■a
The Red Cross bloodmobile
unit secured 86 pints of blood
on its regular fourth-quarter
visit to Plymouth Wednesday of
this week. This fell below the
quota of 110 pints by 24 pints.
Details were not available
late Wednesday but it was said
that there were a number of re
jects during the day, for one
reason or another. A fuller re
port will be published in the
next issue of The Beacon.
Soil Supervisor
Vote This Week
♦
Balloting is proceeding at eigh
voting places in this county al
this week in the Washington
County Supervisor election, Pam
lico Soil Conservation District.
The only name appearing or
the ballot is that of J. A. Morris
of Creswell, but there is a spac<
provided for write-in votes.
The supervisor will serve foi
a three-year term along with J
C. Snell, of Plymouth, whos4
term expires December 31, 1956
and C .S. Heynen, of Wenona
whose term runs until Decernb«
31, 1956.
Voting will continue thxougil
Saturday.
Voting places are:
Harry Barnes Store, Cherry;
C. N. Davenport’s Garage
Creswell;
Phelps Store, Davenport Forks
Tommy Tarkenton Store;
Knowles Grocery, Roper;
Agriculture Building, Plym
outh;
Wiley Radcliff Store, Wenona
Jackson Store, Long Ridg<
Road.
---—
Due io Arrive at 2 P. M.,
Accompanied by School
Bands; Free Candy Will
Be Given Children
Saturday is S-Day!
Yezzir, it’ll be S-Day in Plym
outh, meaning of course, Santa
Day. And, to jiggle the phrase
slightly, every kid and his bro
ther will be here—or so ’tis ex
pected.
The day is expected to run a
close second to Chirstmas morn
ing for youngsters in Plymouth
and adjoining areas. Christmas
morning the kiddies wiU tickle
their orhs on what the old boy
from the North Pole left at their
house on his routine Christmas
Eve chimney invasion, but Sat
urday afternoon from 2 to 3
o'clock if they're on Water Street
in Plymouth they will see the
jolly old gent in person. That’s
something to look forward to, as
any boy can tell you.
The annual visit is being spon
sored by Plymouth merchants
and Thos. F. Hopkins, spokesman
for the group, stated today that
it is assured Santa will come to
town Saturday well-stocked with
candy for Washington County’s
small fry set.
Santa has notified local spon
sors that he will arrive 2 hours
earlier than last year, due to a
more expeditious working of his
intinerary. This will mean that
all the youngsters can get their
gifts of candy before dusk.
The storied dispenser of good
things to good folks is scheduled
to arrive here in mid-afternoon
and he will travel into the town
business section by jeep. His ar
rival at the junction of Water
and Washington Streets is set for
2 o'clock and he is expected to
remain there for the space of an
hour or so during which time
he will give out free candy to the
kiddies.
Again, it is emphasized, par
ents of children are asked to
please instruct them on the
necessity of maintaining orderly
conduct while Santa is the town’s
guest. If children who are down
town for the parade end visit will
line up and patiently await their
turn, everyone will be given an
equal opportunity to receive
candy and it will no doubt make
a much better impression on Mr.
Claus than otherwise.
Also, all children are urged to
bring their letters informing
Santa of their wants for his later
Christmas Eve visit.
Second in Series
Of Turkey Shoots
Set for Saturday
— ' ♦ '
Disappointing Turnout for
First in Series of Lions
Sponsored Events Last
Saturday
The second in a series of three
turkey rlhoots being sponsored
here by Plymouth Lions is sche
duled for Saturday at the ACL
depot.
Dr. A. L. Whitehurst, chairman
of the project, said' the turnout
for the first event last Saturday
was disappointing but points to
the fact that no conflicting event
is scheduled Saturday in expres
sing the belief that stronger sup
port will be forthcoming this
week and next.
The shoot is slated to begin at
noon and continue uctil aark if
interest justifies.
Ammunition and guns will be
on hand for those who do not
bring their own guns and am
munition to fit most types of
shotguns will be available for
those who bring guns. No rifles
will be used. A turkey will be
given to each winner and the
birds range from 10 to 12 pounds
Mercury Down To 13
Two Days This Week
l _
Work is expected to be started
and completed Thursday of this
week on the new 15 by 31-foot
Cinemascope screen at t/he Plym
outh Theatre, Owner J. Shepherd
Brinkley has announced.
First showing scheduled using
thie new, wider screen is the
movie, “River of No Return,"
starring Robert Mitchum, Mari
lyn Monroe and Rory Calhoun,
The film is billed for Sunday and
Monday of next week.
Mr. Brinkley said the new,
wide screen would give local
..V
theatre patrons a service unsur
passed in this part of the state,
with the possible exception of
Greenville. He said the Plymouth,
due to its width, is ideally suited
for rise of new screen which is
being installed by a Charlotte
theatre supply firm. The best
lens obtainable, made by the in
ternationally known Bausch and
Lomb, have been secured.
Installation of the new screen
will necessitate some rearrange
ment of theatre seats, the owner
said. Several rows of seats near
est the stage will be removed.