KEY CiTT Of THE MOUNTAINS
UNTAIMS )
J
FRANKLIN, N. C, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 1926.
NUMBER THIRTY-NINE
-VULUMJt. AU.
i, C
vr:
A-F-A Celebration
Successful Affair
HORRISON READY
TO DEBATE PARK
PROJECT, SAYS
Would ''Swap Fur" With
"Reactionaries" Holder,
Page And Others Speak at
Road Gathering.
Macon county has come back home
'to North -Carolina.
And Franklin and this county, at
the same time, have found themselves
at the very center of a great north
south artery of motor travel.
Completion of the Dillsboro-Frank-.
iln road, highway No. 285, was re
1 sponsible for both, and it was these
two co-incident and happy events
which 2,000 people gathered here last
Wednesday to celebrate.
It was a great day.
Smiling skies, splendid co-operation
on the part of all, wide-spread interest,
and the presence of distinguished vis
itors from two states, all combined to
make of the Asheville-Franklin-Atlan-ta
short cut highway celebration an
event that is generally conceded to
have hern the hierecrst and most suc
cessful thin? of its kind ever staged
in Macon county, and on of out
standing importance in the history of
Western North Carolina and Worth
Georgia.
True enough, the autocade . was
.slightly delayed in the morning, and
.a. brief shower in the 'afternoon toi
lowed a clear sky earlier in the
day, but such minor incidents were
impotent to rebuff the spirit of keen
enjoyment of the day and radiant
hope for the future that permeated
the big gathering. ,
Early Wednesday morning, a pr6
cession of gaily decorated cars left
Franklin, over the new No. 285 high
way, for Cowee Gap, where the mo
torists from Asheville, Canton, Sylva,
Waynesville, and Dillsboro were met.
The North' Carolina' delegation, num
bering some 7$ cars, then formed and
sped toward the Georgia line, where
approximately the same number of
autos, loaded with Georgians, were
welcomed and escorted to the Taber
: nacle,' scene of the recent Truett-Mc-Connell
mettinngs. " ,
When J. G. Stikeleather, ninth dis
" trict commissioner, under whose su
pervision No. 285 was built, took
' charge of the assemblage in the big
' Tabernacle, conservative, estimates
placed the number of visitors at 1,000
or more, with fully as many home
folk.
, 'Commissioner Stikeleather, as mas
ter of ceremonies, got the meeting
going without delay, and befire lun-
i ctieon,J. Lee Barnard, of Franklin,
welcomed the guests; W. G. Mealor,
mayor of Gainesvillle, voiced for the
-visitors their pleasure in being here;
and Frank Page, chairman of North
Carolina's highway commission, told
the crowd something about North
Carolina's highway program, and how
this State is dnancing its road building
Mr. Barnard's .address of welcome
put the crowd in excellent good humor.
It was thus described by David Ran
kin Barbee in the Asheville Citizen of
the following morning :
"A mountain farmer named J. Lee
Earnard stood before - two thousand
folks from North Carolina and Geor
gia assembled in the Truett-McUm-ncll
revival auditorium here this morn
ing and set in . motion a celebration
that will long be remembered in these
"parts. He was the chief welcomer
f Jront Franklin- and Macon county. A
more unprepossessing individual never
Vbefore undertook such a weighty of
"fce. His garb was sui generis. He
wore the only derby hat pn the
grounds, and probably the only one
'in Western North Carolina. The very
atmosphere of his vocation rested like
a mountain mist on his stubby frame.
He did not appear like a man of mark,
tut you can never tell by appearances.
; "AH of a sudden, , in the twinkling
of an eye, he was master of the as
. sembly. r His first sentence provoked
- a laugh and for twenty minutes he
had his hearers roaring, one peal of
merry laughter following another un
til he wound up with a quaintly hu
morous climax that was like nothing
so much as the explosion of a rocket
in the heavens on a dark night. . Lee
Barnard, locally the town wit, had be
come famous as an orator.
All of the leading men in the crowd,
Continued on Page Two
STORM TAKES
TOLL OF LIFE
, AND PROPERTY
The West Indian hurricane which
swept the lower east coast of Florida
Saturday had taken a known, toll of
400 lives, compilations published Wed
nesday showed. Five thousand persons
had been injured and the property
loss was estimated at $50,000,000, ac
cording, to Associated Press reports.
Passing, out of southern Florida the
storm Monday night' had isolated Pen-
sacola and Mobile, wire communica
tions with' these two points having
been severed when the gale, traveling
at the rate of 100 miles an hour,
struck these two cities. Later reports
showed no loss of life on the Gulf
coast, although the property damage
was heavy.
While newspaper men and others
struggled to reach the newly stricken
cities to the westward, Miami, Fort
Lauderdale, Hollywood, Dania, Clew
iston, Mooreha'ven and other cities
began to get out word of their plight
and their needs. The known death
list compiled from all sources was set
at 400, with estimates of the final
total ranging from 543 to 659 and with
the known injured fixed at 5000.
Two Associated Press staff men who
reached the east coast storm area by
airplane Monday, went over the entire
zone. They returned to West Palm
Beach with reports of 325 deaths, 40
missing, 4,000 injured and 40,000 home
less. They found 125 dead in Miami
proper, and 45 known dead in the
suburbs, Coral Gables, Miami Shores,
Little River and Hialeah. Hollywood
reported 75 known dead with a prob
able death of 100 when all the debris
has been cleared and a re-check made.
From Fort Lauderdale they brought
a report of 13 known dead, 20 prob
ably fataly hurt, 503 known injnred
and 7000 homeless.
Ten bodies and 140 injured were at
Dania: 5 dead and 40 hurt at Dadie,
and one dead each, at Progresso and
Pompano. Reports of 52 known dead
came from Clewiston and Moore
haven, and with many more probable
at the latter place.
Stories of wreckage that blocked
roads and streets, and of fine homes
and buildings in the cities wrecked or
badly damaged were brought out.
They reported water scarce and,, sup
plies short, but with ample supplies
comine&i. Medical supplies of vari
ous kinds, especially tetanus serum.
are needed in some places. Money to
care for those who lost everything is
the worst need now, however, officials
said.
Martial law is in force in most of
the communities to prevent flooding
of the district with persons whose
presence is not necessary.
Mrs. Belle Jacobs
Died September 15
Mrs. Belle Jacobs died at her home
in the Iotla community September
15. aged 36 years. She. was laid to
rest at the lotla cemetery.
Mrs. Tacobs. a member of the Iotla
church, is survived by her husband,
two children, her mother, three broth-
ers, and five sisters. A devoted Chris
tian and loval friend, she had many
friends who deeply regret her death
LEE'S DERBY
This famous derby rare,
Caused two thousand men to stare ;
The correspondents mentioned this
old hat;
And David R. Barbee
Called attention to "Ole Lee,"
The man that put our town, upon
the map.
It was battered,; it was worn,
It was dented, it was torn,
This old black derby hat that Bar
nard wore;
But the speech that Barnard made
Put that hat plumb in the shade
And brought our little town much
to the fore.
A scribe from Asheville town
Said no other could be found,
Lee had the only derby in the
State. .
Lee sent the derby free
To David R. Barbee,
That Asheville might be numbered
with the great.
i 7
SEEKS LOCATION
Starts Off With 25 Members
And $625 Membership Fees
-Plans to Lease Property
And Develop With Fees
Construction of a golf course in or
near Franklin on a par with those in
other Western North Carolina towns
appears certain as the result of the
organization, Monday night, of 1 the
Franklin Golf Club. The Club's pur
pose is to provide for Franklin a good
golf course one of the town's most
urgent needs, it is generally felt.
While no definite site had been
chosen late Tuesday, the general plan
was to. lease suitable property for a
considerable term of years, and, after
payment of rental and other expenses,
to 'expend all receipts on improvement
of the course. In this way, it is fell,
an A-l course Can be built here in a
few years.
Twenty-five memberships had -been
pledged at the organization meeting.
The membership fee is $25 per annum,
so the club starts with $625 in cash.
Additional memberships will increase
this amount, it is felt, as will also
greens fees paid by visitors and non
members. V . . '
At the organization meeting, the
club members elected judge John
Awtrey president,' and T. W. Angel,
Jr., secretary and treasurer. The
board of directors is composed of
these two and S. H. Lyle, Jr., Dr.
Alvah Pearce and R. S. Jones.
This board was authorized to look
over available sites and conclude the
most satisfactory arrangement pos
sible for leasing' a desirable piece of
property. It was understood luesday
that they had under consideration
several propositions from property
owners in the vicinity of Franklin.
The organization grew out of a pre
liminary meeting Monday morning.
At that time, a temporary organiza
tion was set up and a committee,
composed of T. W. Angel, Jr., Judge
John B. Will's, and Robert Johnston,
was appointed to solicit members. The
committee reported Monday night
with 25 memberships pledged, and the
club wa's organized.
WASHINGTON PEOPLE HERE
Among the out-of-town guests hero
for the highway celebration on Wed
nesday, was a party from Washing,
ton, N. C, at the extreme eastern end
of this state. In the party were Miss
Elizabeth Warren, sister of Cougress
man Lindsay Warren; Miss Sybilla
Griffin and Roy Peterson.
MM
VIEW OF HIGHWAY 285, A PART
brated Here Last Week. Franklin is
Perfect A:F-A
Coming at the close of the day's
celebration of the opening of High
way No. 285, the connecting link, in
the Asheville-Franklin-Atlanta high
way, A-F-A motorists from Georgia
and North Carolina in Asheville last
Wednesday night, perfected an or
ganization to advertise the route.
John S. Trotter, of Franklin, was
named President ; Dr .Dover, of Clay
ton, vice-president; C. C. Poindexter,
of Franklin, secretary; and represen
tatives of the boards of trade and
chambers of commerce in the towns
mm
-..vv.f, ..... ..-(.v,',-.--.
SSchool ChUdren To
Receive Cash Prizes
PLAN CONSTRUCT
DISPOSAL PLANT
The engineers' plan and estimate
for the construction of a sewer line
from near the rnm'rlpnra f r r.
.. ul j esse ivay
on West Main street, along the course
of the town branch to near the mouth
of the McConnell branch, and the
erection near the mouth of the Mc
Connell branch of a sewerage disposal
yidiii, was approved by the Board of
Aldermen Monday night, provided
s-dusractory method of financing the
undertaking can be found.
The estimate of W. N. Sloan, who
made the preliminary survey, and Mr,
Moneypcnny, representing Spoon
Lewis & Camp, of Asheville and
Greensboro, placed the cost at
proximately $10,000.
ap-
The sewer line proposed would take
care of the sewerage from all that
section of town south of Harrison
avenue. Ihe proposal is to build
disposal plant targe enough to -take
care of the needs of the town for five
years, with provision made for the
addition of another unit when it might
Decome necessary.
Members of the board Tuesday ex
pressed the belief that execution of
the disposal plant proposal would pro
vide a more sanitary method ot dis
posal than that now followed -dump
ing the sewage into the river: and
would at the same time, serve to pro
tect the town from suits now Dendine
or said to be contemplatead. These
suits area against the town on the
ground that dumping the sewage into
the river creates a nuisance. A single
one ot these suits is for $30,000,
Also at Monday nights meeting
the board considered the application
of the Franklin Mineral Products
Company for from 50 to 150 H.P,
electric power to be used by that con
cern in mining and washing mica,
kaolin, and other minerals. It desires
the power delivered at its proposed
plant near West Mills'. The board
took the matter under advisement,
without taking definite action.
P. T. A. TO ENTERTAIN
ON FRIDAY AFTERNOON
The Franklin Parent-Teacher As
sociation will entertain from 4 to 0
next Friday afternoon (September 24)
at the home of Mrs. T. J. Johnston.
All members and those who are in
terested are being cordially invited to
attend this social meeting, the first
of the year.
OF THE A-F-A ROUTE,
seen in the background.
CELE-
Organization
along the route from Atlanta to Ashe
ville, are to be named to act as a
board of governors.
"The organization came at the close
of the banquet tendered the A-F-A
motorists by the Asheville chamber of
commerce. The banquet, at Kenil
worth Iitn, proved to be a most de
lightful affair. The dinner is gener
ally described as having been "per
fect," and the addresses of Ash5
vilians and prominent men from
North Carolina and Georgia proved
both interesting and inspiring, those
in attendance declared.
10 VALUABLE
PRIZESF0R
BEST ESSAYS
Subject: "How Can I Use
The Building and Loan To
Pay For a College Education."
School children of Macon county
are offered prizes valued at more than
$100, it is announced by the Macon
County Building and Loan Associa
tion. The prizes will be awarded Vr
excellence in essay work. The prizes
are offered through the co-operatioa
of the Building and Loan Associa
tion, the Franklin Press, and nine
other business institutions in Frank
lin. ' ,
A total of ten different, prizes are
to be awarded. They will go to the
10 school children submitting the best
essays on the subject, "How I Caa
Use the Building and Loan to Pay
for a College Education."
The contest is open to all children
regularly enrolled in the public
schools of Macon county, and to no
one else.
The prizes, which foltow, are not
listed as first prize, second prize,
third prize, etc., but the school boy
or girl submitting the best essay will
be entitled to first choice of the prizes
offered. The child submitting the
second best essay will be given the
second choice of the prizes offered;
the winner of third place will have
third choice, and so on throughout
the entire list of ten prizes.
The order in which the prizes are
listed does not necessarily indicate
their relative value.
Here are the prizes 10 Macon
county school children are going to
win: ;
$25 in gold offered, by the officers
and directors of the Macon County
Building and Loan Association.
Fast color, all wool "Lumber Jack,"
for boy or girl, choice of any in stock,
offered by Sloan Bros. & Co.
$12.50 in cash offered by the Citi
zens lianK, :
All wool Sweater, for boy or girl,
choice of any in the store offered
by the Cash Store. -
Rain .Coat, for boy or girl, size m-
terchangeableT-offered by John S.
Trotter.
Parker Duofold Fountain Pen, for
ady or gentleman offered by Smith'
Drug Store.
Schaeffer Fountain Pencil, tor lafly
or gentleman offered by Frankliu
Pharmacy.
Card Table and Set of Kook Cards
offered by Franklin Furniture Co.
Laree size D-12 Automobile Horn-
offered by Joines Motor and Tractor
Company.
Boyce Chevrolet Motometer ot
e.red by Perry-Jones Chevrolet Com
pany.
In' addition to these ten prizes, tne
ranklin Press is offering $25 in cash.
The Press will pay $10 in cash to
the child submitting the best essay
provided the essay is accompanied
by one new one-year subscription to
the Press, ortwo renewal one-year
subscriiitions. A new subscriber is
one who is not now taking the paper..
A renewing subscriber is one who is.
taking the Press and pays for another
year-' . . .
To the winner ot the second piace
the essav contest, the Press will
pay $7.50, if the essay is accompanied
by one new one-year subscription, or
two renewal or :-year sunsenpuons.
To the winner of the third place,
the Press will pay $5.00, if the essay
is accompanied by one new or two
renewal one-year subscriptions.
And to the winner of the fourth
place, the Press will pay $2.50, if the
essay is accompanied by one new or
two renewal one-year subscriptions.
These four awards offered by the
paper are in addition to the ten prizes
listed above. These four prizes are
offered, in addition to the ten other ,.
prizes, as rewards to the boys and
girls who will secure subscriptions to
the paper. '
Here are the rules of the contest:
1. Essays must be not longer than
500 words,
2. They must " be written legibly in
ink, or typewritten, and on one side
of the paper onlv.
Continued on Page Four
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