North Carolina Newspapers

T'own opics Miss Contsance Williford, daugh ter of Mr. and Mrs. H. A. Williford of Plymouth, recently received air line “Wings” at a colorful gradu ation ceremony in Chicago, from the Airline Career Division of « Northwest Schools. Formal presen tation of the wings was made by . Clyde Sundberg, regional manager of North Central Airlines. Gradu ates achieving this honor are of fered airline opportunities all over the world. Airline Career Divisions of Northwest Schools are located • in Chicago, Hollywood, Washington, D. C., and Portland, Oregon. Miss Williford’s ambition is to be an airline stewardess. Fire Chief Miller Warren, a former president of the Eastern Carolina Firemen’s Association, and H. O. (Bud) Lovic attended the quarterly meeting of the associ ation held at Aurora Tuesday night of this week. Mr. Warren gave a brief talk at the meeting. An invi tation from the Ayden Fire Depart ment to hold the next quarterly meeting there was accepted. The meeting will be held in October. Attending from this county the regular monthly banquet session of the Tri-County Peace Officers As sociation held at Town and Coun try Restaurant near Williamston Tuesday night Were Chief of Police P. W. Brown, Patrolman Carl Gil christ, and Officers Paul Basnight, Foy Davenport and Abe Peacock, all of Plymouth; Robert Sawyer of Roper; and Deputy Sheriff W. D. Peal of Creswell. Officer Basnight, who is president of the association, presided over the business session. The organization is made up of officers in Martin, Tyrrell and Washington Counties. 2/Lt. Lawrence 0. Jones, jr., spent the past week here with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. L. D. Jones. Lieutenant Jones is an instructor in helicopter flying for the U. S. Air Force and has been stationed at Gary Air Force Base, San Mar cos, Texas. Upon his return the lat ter part of this week, he will re port to his new station at Randolph Field, San Antonio, Texas. The final session of Youth Activity Week at Plymouth Meth odist Church will be held Friday night with a banquet in the Fel lowship Hall. The sessions have been held nightly since Tuesday of this week. Theme of Youth Activi ty Week this year is “Youth and Christian Marriage.” A good at tendance of boys and girls of high school age is reported. Foriy Persons at Reunion Meeting Forty persons attended the re _ union banquet of the 1951 Plym ■ outh High School graduating calss held at the Fellowship Hall of Plymouth Methodist Church Satur day night. Among those present were Mr. and Mrs. J. S. Fleming, Mr. and Mrs. Joe Foster, Miss Blanche Dayis and Miss Carolyn Brinkley of the school faculty. Jimmy Barnhill presided over the informal dinner meeting. Mrs. Barnhill, the former Miss Betty Riddle, read the class prohecy and each member of the class present gave a report on what he had been doing for the last five years. Hugh Modlin and Jewel Hardi son were appointed to assist the secretary, John Mack Bowen, in planning the next reunion to be held 10 years from the date of this one. After the meeting most of the members of the class left for Albe marle Beach. Brother of Local Woman Is Victim -♦ Funeral service for Albert Sta ton Leggett, jr„ 17, brother of Mrs. Alphonza Perry of Plymouth, were conducted at 4 p. m. Tuesday of last week from Hassell Christian Church by the Rev. Wilbur Wal lace, pastor of the Robersonville Christian Church, and the Rev. Ralph E. Ferguson, pastor of the Robersonville Baptist Church. In terment was in the Robersonville Cemetery. Young Leggett and Miss Jessie Dell Williams, 16, of Martin Coun ty, were drowned while wading in a pond in a sand pit near the end of the Roanoke River fill in Bertie County shortly before 9 p. m. July 1. Neither could swim, it was re ported, and the couple waded into water over their heads. The body of the young man was recovered from the water at 10:20 that night but all efforts at resusci tation failed. The body of Miss Williams was not recovered until 1 o’clock the next morning. Leggett was the son of A. Staton Leggett and Nora Page Leggett of near Robersonville. He was associ ated with his father in farming operations. Surviving besides his parents are six sisters, Mrs. R. B. Nelson and Mrs. Donnie Roberson, both of Rob ersonville, Lorraine Leggett of the home, Mrs. Lewis Chapman of Oak City, Mrs. Gussie Bunting of Green ville, and Mrs. Perry. The Roanoke Beacon ****** and Washington County News ****** A home newspaper dedicated to the service of Washington f-l County and its 13,000 people, iij VOLUME LXVII—NUMBER 28 Plymouth, Washington County, North Carolina, Thursday, July 12, 1956 ESTABLISHED 1889 INoinrs for Scout Ship; I Arrived Here Tuesday i • ____________.5 The two 225 horsepower Gray Marine diesel engines given the Plymouth Sea Explorers by the U. S. Navy arrived here last Tues day, Skipper Alban Papineau re ports. One of the engines is new, never having been used, and the other is in excellent condition, Papineau said. House Chevrolet Company used their wrecker to unload the engines and place them in their garage where they are being check ed over. One of the engines will be ready to place in the 63-foot aircraft res cue boat later this week, it was stated. Due to the delay in arrival of the engines the annual cruise for the scouts will have to be post poned from the third week in July until late in August, the skipper remarked. Papineau expressed deep appre ciation to House Chevrolet Com pany for use of the wrecker and the garage space. Baptist Church Here Is Building Addition Farm Bureau To i Neel on Friday j A regular meeting of the Washington County Farm Bu reau is scheduled for Friday night of this week. The event will be held in the auditorium of the Agriculture Building at Plymouth, beginning at 8 o’clock, J. L. Rea, sr., president, an nounced. Mr. Rea said the meeting will be an important one and strong ly urges that all members of the organization make plans to at tend. Travelers From West Coast Come To See Old Trees Ladies From California on Coasl-lo-Coasl Trip Slop Off To View Grace Church And Sycamores Two ladies from the West Coast stopped off in Plymouth Friday to see Grace Episcopal Church and its famous sycamores. Mrs. Myrtle Nelson Hawks of Los Angeles, Calif., and her travel ing companion, Miss Bess Lyman of Fullerton, Calif., were much im pressed with the church, the trees and the friendly atmosphere of Plymouth. They left California June 18 and were on their way to Washington, D. C., after a tour of the South. From the nation's capital they will motor back home. Miss Lyman teaches English at Brea, Calif., Senior High School and Mrs. Hawks is a member of the Southern California Woman’s Press Club, a member of the Poets of the Highlands of the Federation of Chaparral Poets and also belongs to the Highland Park Art Guild. The two took pictures of the trees and church. Asked how they came to know about the trees, they produced a book, “The American Guide,” a source book and travel guide of the United States, edited by Henry G. Alsburg and publish ed by Hastings House of New York. The book listed the follow ing: “Plymouth—old port town. In yard of Grace Church (Episcopal) 12 trees were planted and named See TRAVELERS, Page 12 Construction Started on An nex tor Sunday School Fellowship Hall and Oth er Facilities Construction work was started last week on a Sunday School An nex for Ludford Memorial Baptist Church of Plymouth. Located on the lot adjoining the present church property fronting on Wash ington Street, the new building is being built by the Ambrose Con struction Company, of Creswell, which has the contract for the job. The new building, when complet ed, will be 50 by 110 feet overall, two stories high, of cement block faced with brick. On the first floor there will be three nursery rooms, the beginners’ department, pri mary department, Fellowship Hall, kitchen, pastor’s study, and the boiler room. On the second floor there will be assembly rooms and classrooms for the junior, inter mediate and young people’s depart ment of the Sunday School. When the building is completed, the Sunday School will be able to adequately take care of an attend ance of 400, according to the pas tor, the Rev. Paul B. Nickens. At the present time average attend ance at Sunday School is r -ming around 350 each Sunday, although the enrollment is considerably larger. “This building comes as the re sult of careful palnning and far seeing vision on the part of the members of the Ludford Memorial Baptist Church,” Mr. Nickens stat ed, “and is a part of their plan to provide the best in religious train ing and worship for the people of this city and area. --(•: Rites Friday for Van Buren Martin Last rites were conducted at Anchorage, Alaska, last Friday for Van Buren Martin, a former Plym outh resident, who died of a heart attack at Anchorage Sunday, July 1. Burial was in an Anchorage cemetery. Mr. Martin, who once practiced law in Plymouth, was with the Civil Aeronautics Authority and had lived in Alaska for the past 11 years. Surviving are his wife, Mrs. Gladys Martin; a son, Donald Mar tin, and daughter, Pattie; two bro thers, Robert Stancil Martin of Goldsboro, and Matthew Ransom Martin of Massachusetts; and one sister, Mrs. Jean Doxey of Plym outh. Officer Plays a Hunch; Series of Break-ins Solved Belief of Sheriff Reid Thai Marines Are Involved in Robbery Cases Proves Correct By playing a hunch, Sheriff J. K. Reid of Plymouth was instrumental in solving a series of 29 break-ins ranging from Perquimans County to Pitt County. Two of the break-ins were in this county—one June 3 at Waters Am oco Station, Plymouth, and the other June 4 at E. O. Arnold’s store at Skinnersville. Two tires were reported missing at the Plymouth station and Arnold reported theft of a cash register containing about $60. Sheriff Reid said he strongly felt that marines were involved and that he contacted T/Sgt. Joe S. Casper, marine investigator at the Edenton base, and told Gasper that he believed a search at the base would uncover the stolen goods. The investigation was made and one of the tires was found linking Pfc. Darrell Ritchie to the case. D'nder questioning, it was stated, 1 itchie broke down and confessed his part in the series of thefts and implicated Sgt. James Riez anti a civilian, George Twiddy of Eden ton. The three men were given hear ings in the two county break-ins and larceny cases here Tuesday before Judge W. Ronald Gaylord. Probable cause was found and the three were bound over for trial in superior court, Ritchie and Twid dy under $1,000 bond each in each case, and Diez under $500 bond in each case. Few Growers Here Eligible To Vote Few county growers will be eligi ble to participate in wheat referen dum which is to be held July 20, it was *-eDp- od at the local ASC oifico this* week. Only those growers who will have more than 15 acres of wheat on a farm for harvest as grain in 1957 are eligible to vote in the referendum. Mrs. Florence P. Oliver of the local ASC office stated this week that in all likelihood since there are such a few county growers eligible to vote they will be con tacted individually or allowed to vote at the office in the Agricul ture Building here. I The referendum is to decide whether marketing quotas, with penalties on excess wheat, are to be in effect for the 1957 crop and also the level of price support available to those farmers who co operate with the program. Growers Urged To Waich Fields for Boll Weevil —® Most checks in this section have shown compartively little boll weevil activity but county cotton growers arc urged to keep a close watch of fields. If many punctured square are found immediate dusting or spray ing with toxaphene or other such insecticide is indicated. If dust or spray is washed off by rain soon after application, it should be re peated. Cotton generally shows promise in this section, it is said. RIITAUV 1717 ■ 1Retiring Rotary Club President B M I1 B B , W'j ll.^* Howard T. Walker (second from ... „ ... left) extends congratulations and the gavel to incoming President H. H. Allen, following installation of new officers of the Plymouth Rotary Club at last week’s meeting in the Fellowship Hall of the new Christian Church. Others in the photo, left to right, are: D. Marvin Weaver, vice president; Harry L. Barnhill and C. A. Hough, lirertors. Mr. Walker, as retiring president, becomes chairman of the board of directors for the new Fiscal year. E. M. Spruill, secretary and treasurer of the club, was absent when the picture was made.—Staff photo. Tobacco Harvest in Full Sway Soon The big job of harvesting and curing the 1956 tobacco crop in this county is expected to be in full swing by the last of this week or the first of next, Asisstant County Agent Joe Outlaw stated yesterday. Outlaw said A. Lloyd Owens and Bob Johnston of Plymouth and Sid-: ney Hassell of Roper were among I the earliest to “put in” and that many other growers were now be ginning to harvest the crop. Outlaw declined to comment on the worth of recent rains but a re port from Raleigh yesterday esti mated that the recent "season” was worth $20 million to the flue-cured growers of eastern North Carolina. The crop is somewhat later this year than was the 1955 crop. Prim ing was general in the county last year by July 4. This year's leaf crop appears quite promising at present and growers are hoping that no destructive weather is in the offing. Tentative opening date for the auction markets of the Eastern Belt has been announced as Thurs day, August 23. Demonstration ot County 4-H Team District Winner Wayne Davis and Eli Spruill Of Creswell 4-H Club To Represent District at Club Week -4 A county 4-H club forage crop demonstration team won its event at District Elimination Day held at Washington High School last Fri day. Wayne Davis and Eli Spruill of the Creswell 4-H Club won the right to represent the district in statewide competition at State Col legiy Raleigh, during 4-H Club Week—July 23-27. The subject of the winning dem onstration by Davis and Spruill was “Inoculating Legume Seeds.” Altogether, nine county club members entered the district com petition Friday— four boys and five girls. Miss Lois Jean Roberson of the Plymouth club and Misses Daphne Snell, Linda Norman, Frances Everett and Carol Eve rett, all of the Roper club, were entered in the girls talent contest, while Webb Lee Hardison of the Roper club entered the talent con test for boys. Miss Roberson did a baton twirl ing act, while the other four girls sang as a quartet. Hardison sang a solo The other county entrant was Fr.mk Skiles of the Plymouth club wl « was in the tractor-driving con te t. .Parents of some of the club mem ■ ' and Assistant County Agent Joe Outlaw accompanied the group. -® Grain Storage To Be Considered at Meeting Tuesday — ♦ Letter From County Agent's Office Emphasizes Need Of Storage Facilities in County I A complete grain meeting hag been scheduled for Tuesday night of next week at the Agriculture Building here, it was announced this week by the county agent’s of fice. The meeting will begin at 8 o'clock with John Curtis, Exten sion marketing specialist, in charge. Mr. Curtis will have with him a team of men to cover the subjects of grain drying, grain storing and grain marketing. A letter to farmers sent out this week by the office here stated in part, “Last fall it was hard to sell corn for 90 cents per bushel. Corn prices are now $1.50 per bushel. Last fall soybeans were $2 or less per bushel. Now soybeans have gone as high as $3 per bushel. “Grain farmers in Washington county must do something about grain storage if they expect to stay in the grain business. For that rea son we have scheduled a complete grain meeting . . . Approximately 75 per cent of the cropland in Washington County is planted to grain crops; therefore, we feel this meeting will be well worth the two hours that you will spend with us on Tuesday night. We surely hope that you will be able to attend.” -« Applications for Soil Bank Noted -1 It was reported this week at the local ASC office that five applica tions have been made by county farmers to enter the soil bank. However, since the applications have not yet been approved, offic ials declined to divulge the names. It was stated that the applica tions were for corn and cotton crops only. The approximate amount per acre which the appli cants will receive should their ap plications be approved under the soil bank program would be $25 an acre for corn and $55 an acre for cotton, it was said. Deadline for placing tobacco in the soil bank has been changed from June 30 to July 15. It is pos sible to place corn in the soil bank up until July 20, and cotton may be placed in the bank up until July 31, it was announced. 11 Teachers Needed In Schools of County No Vancancies in Colored Schools; While Schools List Five al Plymouth And Creswell, Roper One -♦ As of this week, there were 11 teacher vacancies on the faculties of Washington County Schools for the 1956-57 session which begins September 5. The vacancies all exist among the three white schools. R. F. Lowry, superintendent of Washington County Schools, listed five at Plym outh High School, five at Creswell High School and one at Roper High School. Vacancies at Plymouth include one third grade teacher, one seven th grade teacher, one eighth grade teacher, one high school science teacher and one high school Eng lish-math teacher. At Roper a first grade vacancy remains to be filled. Creswell lists one first grade teacher vacancy, two grammar grade teachers, one high school English teacher and one vocational home economics teacher. Plymouth has earned three new teachers, while Roper lost one high school teacher. Other vacancies are accounted for by the following resignations: At Creswell, Miss Annie Ruth Savage, fifth grade teacher, resign ed to teach next school year at Wil liamston. Other resignations there include Mrs. Mary F. Evans, Eng-' lish teacher; Miss India Wright, home economics teacher; Mrs. Fan nie A. Mills, fourth-fifth grade teacher; and Miss Naomi C. Fulch er, first grade teacher; At Roper, Miss Carolyn White Moore resigned; At Plymouth, Tex Lindsey, sev enth grade teacher, and Mrs. Mary Shively Ladd, third grade teacher, resigned. When all vacancies are filled there will be 122 teachers on the several school faculties of the coun ty, 68 white teachers and 54 color ed. This is a net gain of two white teachers over last year. Number of teachers at the various schools was listed as follows: White Schools — Plymouth, 37; Creswell, 18; Roper, 13; total 68; Colored Schools — Washington County Union School at Roper, 29; Plymouth Elementary School, 18 Creswell Elementary School, 7; total, 54. Mercury in 90's Seven of 10 Days The mercury reached the 90’s on seven of the first 10 days of July, a check of weather station records here reveals. Hottest day of the young month so far was Monday, the 2nd, when the thermometer soared to 95 de grees, equalling the record for this summer here. The high reading was in the 90’s foi the first six days before drop ping on Saturday, the 7th, to a high of 87 degrees. Sunday the 8th equalled Sunday the 1st with'a 91 high. Monday’s high was 88 degrees and Tuesday it fell to a compara tively mild 84 degrees. lowest reading so far this month was the 65 degrees posted on Wed nesday, July 4. Highest low reading was the 73 degrees on July 3rd and again on July 6th. Complete readings for the first 10 days of July, showing high and low marks for each day: 1st—91, 66; 2nd—95, 70; 3rd— 94, 73; 4th—93, 65; 5th—91, 68; 6th—92, 73; 7th—87, 72; 8th—91 68; 9th—88, 71; 10th—84, 67. I July Rainfall Near 4 Inches After six consecutive rainless days this month, rain which fell Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday got July off to a good start in the precipitation depart ment. One of the largest rains re corded in this county in some time fell Tuesday, records at the weather station at Tidewater Re search Station near here show ing 1.77 inches. Sunday's rain was measured at 1.69 inches. Sat urday the total precipitation was •21 of an inch and Monday .19 of an inch. This makes a total for the young month of 3.96 inches. Five-inch rains were reported in some parts of the state Monday and Tuesday. Health Center Is Rapidly Nearing Completion Here New Facility May Be Ready For Occupancy Within Two or Three Weeks, It Is Believed Washington County's new Health Center will be ready for occupancy within the next two or three weeks, it is believed. The handsome new facility, lo cated on Washington Street just north of the old county home build ing, is rapidly nearing completion. Workmen of a Kinston painting contractor were busy Wednesday painting the interior. A few inside doors remain to be hung, and plumbing and heating must be in stalled. The health department is now located in a wing of the old county home building, purchased from the county last year by J. L. Horner of Plymouth. First step was taken to secure the new building last May when the Washington County Board of Commissioners empowered Chair man Frank L. Brinkley to sign all papers pertaining to the project. Federal, state and county funds are being used in construction of the building, the project being handled through the Medical Care Commission. The new facility will provide much-needed space and modern of fices for the county health depart ment. Calls for Seven Men August 28th Pre-induction and induction calls for registrants from the local draft board have been scheduded for the same day in August, it was learned this week. Mrs. Lorraine Hunter, clerk to Selective Service Board No. 95, stated yesterday that she had re ceived calls for one man for in duction and six men for pre-induc tion on Tuesday, August 28. The registrants are due to re port at the board office in the base ment of the county courthouse at 9 a. m. on that date. They are sche duled to leave for Raleigh by char tered bus at 9:40 a. m. on August 28. See Peak Volume Of PeppersLocal Market Next Week Volume and Quality Said In creasing Daily at Plym outh Produce Market; Prices Said Favorable / Volume is increasing daily at Plymouth Produce Market, Mana ger W. T, Freeman reported this week, “We are now receiving from 600 to 1,000 bushels of green peppers daily,” Mr. Freeman stated. Price to growers without basket and packing charge is now $1.40 per bushel, the manager said. This, he stated, is equivalent to $2.30 per bushel on a "packed out” basis, which price is about the average price delivered in New York at present. The quality also is improving daily, Mr. Freeman said, due to the rainfall and ideal weather con ditions now prevailing. J. A. Armstrong of Fairfield brought a load to the market here Wednesday morning which contain ed some high-quality peppers. Much of the load graded U. S. Fancy, it was said. Mr. Armstrong said he has 1} acres devoted to the crop and that he is highly pleased thus far. He said two of his neighbors are also growing peppers, one with two acres and the other three, and that several farmers in the Nezraska community of Hyde County also are growing peppers this year for the local market. Mr. Freeman said peppers are coming in to the Plymouth market from Hyde, Pitt, Beaufort, Martin and Washington Counties. Peak volume here is anticipated next week, he stated. “We expect to be receiving 2,000 bushels of peppers a day next week,” Freeman said. More Pulpwood Now Being Used Pulpwood production reached a new record high in North Carolina during 1955, according to R. S. Douglass, State College Extension forestry specialist. The total pulpwood harvested in creased 10.7 per cent in the South with a 4.4 per cent increase in this state.. Douglass says that an increase in pulpwood cutting was necessary to supply the demand for paper and other things such as rayon, ace tate and other plastics made from wood pulp. ihe forestry specialist explains that this trend to more wood use means that North Carolina farm ers must do a better job of pro ducing timber to assure a plentiful supply of raw material. -e-— Admissions and Discharges Ai Hospital in Past Week Records at the Washington Coun ty Hospital 'here show that the fol lowing persons were admitted and/or discharged from Wednes day of last week through Wednes day of this week: Admissions, white: Frank L. Brinkley, Master Bonner Peele, Mrs. Polly Floyd, Mrs. Hazel Oak ley, Mrs. Minnie Respass, Charlie Williams, Gilbert Simpson, Mrs. Madeline Leary, Mrs. Lillian Bis hop, Wilmer D. Walker, W. P. Med lin, all of Plymouth; Paul Holliday, John Williams, Mrs. Myrtle Daven port, Hosea Davis, all of James ville; Mrs. Thelma Willis, Rudolph Respass, both of Pantego; Rhoda Williams, Belhaven; Mrs. Isoland Respass, Hubert L. Lewis, Harry W. Lewis, all of Roper; David Green, Jamesville; Admissions, colored: William R Land, Roper; Eva Lee James, Sa rah Brown, both of Jamesville; Ge nevieve Gibbs, Washington; Ral eigh McNair, Irene Belcher, both of Plymouth; Alberta Corbett, of Greenville; Discharges, white: Mr. Williams, Mrs. Davenport, Mrs. Oakley, Mrs. Minnie Respass, Mrs. Leary, Mrs. Floyd, Mr. Davis; Discharges, colored: Eva Lee James, Genevieve Gibbs. Creswell Cannery Opens Next Week The Creswell Community Can nery will open for the 1956 season next Thursday, July 19, it was an nounced this week by A. K. Spen cer, vocational agriculture teacher at Creswell High School, who is in charge of the project. The cannery is located on the school grounds at Creswell and people of the com munity are urged to take advantage of its facilities. Mr. Spencer said present plans call for operation of the cannery one day each week, on Thursdays, until school starts this fall or until everyone has canned as much as planned. If enough people use the cannery to justify operations more than one day each week, arrange ments will be made to do this after the canning season gets underway, he said. The agriculture teacher said that less than 1,400 cans were put up at the cannery last year, the can nery actually lost about $50 on the season’s operation. He hopes more people will use the cannery this year so that it will not be neces sary to discontinue its operation. Each person who uses the can nery does his or her own work, with the cans being furnished at the following prices: No. 3 cans, 9} cents each; No. 2 cans, 7J cents each. Fruits and vegetables are put up at the cannery, and when it opens next Thursday it is expected that the main items ready for canning will be corn, apples, some beans, tomatoes and peaches.