, 1
VOLUME XLH
FRANKLIN, N. C, THURSDAY MARCH 3, 1927
NUMBER NINE
CHIEF COFFEY
JAILS THREE MB
111
I 'L
U Hit Chiefs Car on Georgia
v Road-Coffey Charges
Men Were Drunk Men
Fined $5 Each. '
Tuesday --morning was a hard day
on automobiles in Macon county.
Two cars were practically, demolish
ed at.Cowee Gap when rum-runners
attempted to drive past two officers
tars placed there to stop them; and
two more were damaged on the Geor
gia road, about four miles from
Franklin, when the car in which offi
cers were riding collided with one
carrying Carl Waldrop, Lawrence
Blaine, and Oscar Lewis. Chief b
Police R. M. Coffey, in the officer's
cat, charged the three men with be
'ing drunk, and lodged them in the
Macon county jail.
At the hearing before Justice of
the Peace James .Raby Tuesday morn
ing, . the charge was made that of
simple assault, and they were .fined
$5 each, and they also agreed to
pay for repairing the officers' car,
The officers' car damaged was that
recently bought for Mr. Coffey by
the County Board of Education. -
No. evidence was offered at - the
hearing.
GOVERNMENT
TO SELL TIMBER
' Approximately 8,000,000 board feet
cf timber, in Swain and Macon coun
ties, and covering an area of about
v00 acres within the Nantahala Nation
al Forest, is to be sold, according
to a notice in last weeks issue of the
Franklin Press.
Sealed bids will be. opened after
March 28, by the District Forester;
"Washington, D. C. Timber for sale
includes "all the merchantable dead
timber, standing or down, and all 'the
live timber marked or designated for
cutting."
The bidding is expected to be
spirited.
The timber lies on the watershed
of Wesser Creek, in the two counties
cf Macon and Swain.
The timber is estimated to run,
in board feet, as follows: chestnut,
600,000; oak. 420,000; bass wood, 70.000;
poplar. 57,000; cherry and ash, 7,UW;
miscellaneous, including buckeve, map
le, hickory, and hemlock, 100,000. The
timber also includes approximately
10,000 cords of chestnut acidwood;
3,000 poles; and 10,600 hewn crossties.
' Tellico Locals
Mr. Z. B. Byrd, forest ranger arid
Mr. Burns are "in this section, mark
ing timber and scaleing logs for the
Porter and Moody" Lumber Co.
Mr. and Mrs. General Ownsby,: of
Bnartown was in this section Monday
. Miss Laletia Dean, of Burningtown
was in this community Thursday.
The Cliff Ridge Mining Co., are
getting out some very tine micas
We wish them much success.
The roads are so bad that the
Porter and Moody Lumber ' Co. are
not getting much lumber hauled at
present.
- Mr.- Samuel . T. . Ramsey, . of . this
place celebrated his 80th birthday
February 22. All of his children
that are living were present. They
are : George, Robert, James, , and
Harley Ramsey and Mrs. Laura De
Hart, all of this community.,,
A fine dinner was served and tr
make the day 'more pleasant for his
-children he gave each one $10.00.
He has 32 grand-children living ; 20
cirls and 6 boys. 13 of them were
L.nnt of the dinner. Mr. Ramsey
also has 14 great-grand-children liv
ing. We wish him many more happy
birthdays. . r
Messrs Harley Ramsey and V. L.
DeHart arc ditching and improving
the Hurst place. .
Mrs Sarah Breedlove . is on the
sick list. We wish her a speedy
"mS Lola and ' Jessie Ramsey,
AVho are attending school at Franklin
Toent a few( days with hope folks
this week. 1
Singing Convention
The quartely singing convention will
meet at Holly! Springs church Sunday,
March 6 at 9:30 a., m. All singers,
and the public are cordially invited
to be presentV-W. H. Dalton, Sec.
TRI-PUSHERS
HAVE BANQUET
Employees and Owners o
Joines Motor & Tractor
Co., J. S. Conley Motor
o. and vonley & Joines
! Dhie at Scott Griffin.
What co-operatloli and loyalty on
the , Jari of : employees 3tid square
dealing oh the part o employers can
do was amply illustrated, last Friday
night when the owners and employees
of Joines Motor and Tractor Com
pany, J. S. Conley Motor Company
and Conley & Joines assembled at
the Scott Griffin Hotel to enjoy an
excellent Danquet and to discuss
means whereby the public may be
Detter served by the three organi
zations concerned. The entire person
nel of these three firms have formed
an organization known as the Tri
Pushers. This organization has been
in existence about 18 months and
holds weekly meetings to talk over
improvements in all departments of
the three firms. Joines Motor and
Tractor Company are local Ford
agents, J. S. Conley Motor Company
are local agents for the Dodge cars
while Conley & Joines are local repre
sentatives of the Standard Oil Com
pany.
The fire works started when Jim
Morrison and Alvah Pearce, rord
salesmen, told those present how to
sell a Ford car. Pearce was the
salesman while Morrison assumed the
role of prospective buyer. The dia
logue was a revelation as to the
methods followed by the rord Lorn
oanv in making sales..
The invited guests. Major S. A
Harris and Mr. T. W. Street, then
made short talks, after which each
employee' present stated ,his views
for improving the business ot tne
three firms. '
Mr Tess - Conlev acted as toast-
master and called UDori Mr. S. R.
joines last. Mr. Joine9 . outlined hjs.
plans tor . tne tut.ure ui ai ,earnw
talk that was an inspiration ' to. those
associated with' him in business.
Among other things Mr. , Joines said
that the shop department of his
business will hereafter be kept as
dean as the clerical department. He
intends to buy new equipment as
soon as it is placed on the market
onA ttin he able to do any kind of
repair work that is done in target
places, in. tact an sucn equipuicm,
he said, is now installed with trained
mechanics to operate the various ap
nlianrrs Mr. otnes told nis cm
ployees that he will back up any
promises made by them to the public.
Mr. Joines also said that he has
finishing touches on his building and
in Trip t 1 1 i iilluil ...iv
an open week when the public will
be corially invited to inspect the
premises. . ..
Those present muuucu n.
t. c i? Ininos Mr. and Mrs. I.
S. Conley, Mr. and Mrs. Jack StruV
t: ( . nA Mr Alvah Pearce.
t. nA Ttfrc Frank Henrv. Mr. and
Mrs. Dewey Rochester, iur, u.u
hfAM Pnilline Miss Elizabeth Bar-
nard and Messrs. Furman Smart,
Harry West, Jim Mornson, J E
Rickman, J... w. streei,
ton and b. A. Harris.
Attempted Jail Break
Tonev Rice. W. G. , Hampton, and
Mprrhant. in Macon county s
jaili on various enarges, aionudy
frnnnn wprp bound to Macon bu
V'f" . .
nprior court under bonds of $200 each
on the charges ot auqirnHiuK i
break jail, and of damaging the jail.
- The youths . had - almost succeeded
- , . ,. ..
in digging a hole througn tne wan wi
the iail a few days ago, when tney
were detected.
At the hearing, held before Jus
tices of the Peace eGorge Carpenter
and James Raby, Merchant, a wcl -HrAeBPd
vnnth with a cood face, vol
unteered to go on the stand, and told
stra eht story of how they planned
and almost executed the escape. In
the- rniirse of his storv. he told how
two others m the jail, who had taken
the stand to swear they were ih
rinrpnt . had refused to take any part
in the actual digging, but had agreed
to attempt to, escape, should the
other three succeed in making an
opening through the wall.
Merchant told anotner siraigm
nrwarrl storv of how he had stolen
an automohile, when two men reached
here Monday afternoon, claiming the
car. . ;
The three youths convicted, who
nneared to consider the entire pro
ceeding a huge joke, were alleged to
have stated that when tney strucK
the ground, they would make their
escape that no two men in Macon
county could take them to the court
house for v trial. Consequently, they
were handcuffed together and taken
to trial. -
CHIEF COFFEY
SHOOTSNEGRO
Also Strikes Woman With
PistolBen Martin and
Dusky Damsel Bound to
Ben Martin, his hands bound with
bandages, where he had been shot,
and Mattie Strickland, both negroes,
given a preliminary hearing before
Justices of the Peace George ' Car
penter and James Raby Monday af
ternoon, were bound to Superior court
under bonds of $200 each. They
were charged with a statutory of
fense. Martin waived preliminary
hearing on the charge of an as
sault, and was held .under $300 bond.
The assault charge grew out of
Martin's alleged display of a gun
when. Chief of Police R. M. Coffey
and other officers entered the wo
man's house to make the arrests.
Martin, in another room, Itu-ck the
gun. through the crack of the door,
Coffey, testified, whereupon the of
ficer shot him. He was shot in both
hands.
Coffey shot five times, he stated
afterward, and thought at the time
that he had killed Martin;
Durincr the shootiner. the worn mi
he said, threw her arms oround him
with the plea, "Don't shoot inv
baby." The officer, fearine a trick-
he said, struck the woman over the
head with the butt of his gun, thus
freeing himself.
CHURCH COLLECTS
FOR MISSIONS
In its "every member canvass" for
missions last Sunday, the local Meth
odist church raised, in cash and 30-
day subscriptions, $196.. An addition
al S14.15 was sent in for the same
Cause from Carson's Chapel.
lhe money was raised -throuch
solicitation by committees. The M.
E. church, South, it was announced,
needed $1.000.000.. in addition to recr-
ular assessments, to continue its mis
sion work at the present rate; .and
the proposal was to raise the sum
through an "every member canvass"
for' free will offerings. The canvass
was to have been made Sunday in all
Southern Methodist churches.
S. C. I. News
Our school is nroerressinc nieclv.
under 'the leadership of Prof. W. C.
Reed. We will 'all be sorry to see
school close.
Miss Ruby' Solesbee snent the
week-end with home folks at Frank-
m.
Misses Hazel and Florence Wood
and Hattie Parker snent the week
end at Cowarts. (
The. sopohmore class gave the sen
iors a reception at the New Jack
son Hotel Monday night. They all
reported a nice time.
The sehior class is Had to welcome
Mr. Erwin Smith back, again in
school.
Miss Bonnie DeHart has been
very ill for the past week with her
smallpox vaccination. We are glad
to see her in school again.
Miss Eligabeth Brown has been
very sick for the past .week. We
are glad to know she is well ag.iin.
The faculty of S. C. I. were din
ner guests of Mr. and Mrs. S. H.
Montieth on Monday evening Feb
ruary 28.
Thunders And Snows
A freak of weather that does credit
even to the mountains, where rain
and sunshine, thunderstorm and snow,
alternate with startling rapidity, . was
described here frulav bv Z. B.
Byrd, forest ranger, for the Nantahala
National Forest.
Mr. Bvrd was at Robert Ramsev's
on Tellico Creek, during a violent
thunderstorm, followed by a ; down
pour of rain, occumng when the
mercury was easily low enough for
snow. He .telephoned to J. M. Corh
ran, who lives just across the TelJico
Gap, and learned that there a snow
storm, was in progress, following ! im
mediately on the heels of lightning
and thunder.
P. T. A. Meeting
No meeting of the local Parent-
Teacher Association will be held on
riday, it is announced. Instead,
members of the organization are in
vited and urged to attend the day
of prayer servicVs at the Baptist
church on Fridav.
The program for the meeting of
he Association on March 11 will be
published in next week's issue of
the Press.
SUNDAY SCHOOL
WORKERS COMING
Beginning March, 1st. A. V. Wash
burn, will begin work in Western
North Carolina as Sunday School and
B. Y. P. U. field worker with the
Baptist State Mission Board. His
territory will include the - following
seven counties; Haywood, Jackson,
Swain, Macon, Clay, Graham and
Ojerpkee which comprise six associa
tions as follows: Haywood, Tuckasei
gee, Tennessee River, Macon, West
ern North Carolina and West Liberty.
The nature of Mr. Washburn's
work will largely be conducting Sun
day School and B. Y. P. U. training
classes and assisting in enlargement
Campaigns. Mrs. Washburn,, will be
with her husband part of the time
teaching elementary Sunday School
and Junior Intermediate B. Y. P. U.
work.
Mr. Washburn with his family will
be located at Sylva after March 8.
Shrine Club Organized
Local shriners believe that Franklin
has the smallest shrine club in the
State; and they doubt if there is as
small a town in North Carolina with
such an organization.
The Shriners Club of Franklin, just
organized here, has 13 members al
most two per cent of the population.
The organization meeting was held
Friday, at the Scott Griffin Hotel.-
Officers chosen were Dr.-. S. H.
Lyle. president; Sam L. Franks, vice-
president-; and Alvah rearce, secre
tary and treasurer. Dr. Lyle has been
a shriner longer than any other
Franklin Mason.
Other members are : Fred Higdon,
Frank I. Murray, M. L. Dowdle. E,
W. Lone. L. E. Lcntz; D. D. Rice
J. S. Porter, O. E. Kimsev, Dr. W,
A. Rocers. and H. B. Webber:.
A meeting next Friday evening is
scheduled, at which time the organiza
tion will be perfected; at that time,
also, plans probably will be laid for
the club's first social function.
The organization's purposes, it was
explained, include social features, the
general improvement ot the commun
ity, and the brotherhood feature that
goes with fraternal orders generally
"See Governor Richards"
"See Governor Richards."
Such was the telephonic reply given
by druggists in Columbia. S. C. to re
quests to fill prescriptions on Sunday,
February 20, the firts day Governor
Richards jammed down the bunday
blue law lid in Columbia, according
to E. P. Gupton, official of the Hoff
man Lumber Company in Columbia,
who was here this week on business.
The blue laws were put into' ef
fect in Columbia a week ahead of
their enforcement in other South
Carolina towns, Mr. Gupton explained,
and he stated that it was the drug
gists who were in highest dudgeon
The "blue" ilaws permit them to
fill prescriptions on bunday, Mr.
Gupton said, but they got together
and agreed to give that answer to
requests that prescriptions be filled.
The- two hospital$ in Columbia filled
prescriptions last Sunday, he said.
Although, a bill has been introduced
in the South -Carolina General Assem
bly to repfeal the Sunday laws. Mr.
Gunton doubts that it will pass, he
said; the laws may, however, be
amended. ,
But Gupton who reached here Sun
day to spend several days on busi
ness, was high' in his praise of Frank
lin, and its apparent progress.
Charged With Car Theft
Arrested here last Wednesday on
the minor charge of driving a'n'auto
mobilc without license, a man givinu
his name as George Merchant and
his address as Columbus, (ia., was
later being held on charges of larccnv
of the automobile, of, robbing a fil
ling station, and, of the larceny of
a shotgun.
The additional charge of on .at
tempted jail break may be preferred,
as a result of his near-escape from
the Macon countv jail Thur'sdav night
With a piece of iron and an ordi
nary table fork, he had almost dug.
through, the brick wall when he was
discovered, according to officers.
Merchant passed through Franklin
Wednesday, and Chief of Police R.
M. Coffey noted the absence of a
license, and gay . .chase, :' overtaking
him about five miles east of town.
He was brought back to town, and :
shotgun in his possesion was im
mediately claimed by Harry Shepherd,
local man. A quantity of chewins
gum, etc., in the back of the
the officers believp to have been pil
Wed frpm the filling station at the
North Carolina-Georgia line. And in
vestigation led to the belief that the
belief that the car had been, stolen-r
a belief substantiated bv Merchant's
confession Thursday night, Mr. Coffey
said. .
A telegram received Friday from
Clover, S. C, indicated that the man
claiming ownership of the car v.".is
on his way to Franklin, r
ONE MAN SHOT
ANOTHER JAILED
Man Shot Trying to Escape
Officers Refus to Ad
mit Shooting Two Cars
Badly Damaged.
One man was shbt, another was
jailed, two cars were badly damaged,
and officers took approximately 100
gallons of liquor on Cowee Moun
tain Tuesday morning. The liquor
capture was made following a gun
battle between officers and rum
runners, according to one of the of
ficers. , .'
The man shot, who gave officers
the name of Evans, and Asheville
as his address, is really Dewey
Whitaker, of Asheville, Chief of
Police R. M. Coffey said. It was
Evans who successfully eluded Coffey
in a chase last sumcr, the policeman
said.
The officers were non-communicative
as to who shot Evans. . He
was caught by Deputy Sheriff Fred
Cabe after a foot race. . of about
100 yards, the officers said. When
he was caught, Evans told Cabe he
was shot. No - gun was found on
Evans; officers believe, however, that
he had one and threw it away, they
said. He was shot through the leg.
1 he other man, whose name was
not learned, and who was lodged in
the Macon county jail, carried a
gun, the officers stated.
Two officers' cars went ahead to
intercept the rum-runners, while
Sheriff C. L. Ingram remained be
hind to give cnase, according to the
officers. Ingram, in the chase, had
his car overturned, but was unhurt.
Mr. Coffey placed, one car on one
side of the road, at the Cowee Gap,
ind another on the other lide; he
did not block the highway, however,
he said. When the rum-runners,
attempted to force their way through,
they struck Coffey's car, badly dam
aging it and their own likewise strik
ing and slightly damaging the 6ther
officers' car, placed on the opposite
side of the highway.
The liquor haul was six kegs, said
to contain 15 or 16 gallons "each.
Evans, it was stated at the hos
pital Tuesday, probably will recover.
While it is difficult to say with
certainty, it was stated that apparent
ly the bullet entered at the rear of
the thigh, emerging in front.
SOLESBEE'S ROAD
BILL KILLED
The delegation of local citizens
which went to Raleigh last Wednes
day in connection with the Solesbee
road bill, which appeared to draw
general criticism, returned to Franklin
Wednesday night, and reported that
the bill had been killed in the senate.
In the delegation were Gilmer A.
lones. Sam L. Franks, Alex Moore,
J. H. Stockton, Jos. Ashear, and Miss'
Lassie Kellv.
Miss . Kellv and Mr. Ashear did
not return with the other members of
the party, Miss Kelly being employed
in Raleigh, and Mr. Ashear going
rom Raleigh into Virginia on busi
ness.
Power Line Completed
When Franklin completed its muni
cipal hvdro-flectric power plant on
the l ittle Tenness-e River a year
ago. it had in m'ul .attraction- of
manufacturing plant" to Franklin.
No large manufacturers have located
hrc as yet though the town is going
after them, and expects to land one
or more before another year has '
gone but the sale of electrical cur-
rent continues to grow.
And this week, with the -completion
of the power line from Franklin to
the plant and mins of the Franklin
Mineral Products Company, down the
river, the town has another comnara
tive'v largp user of current, adding
again to its revenue from sale of
power. The line was completed Sat
uH'y. . ' . -
The concern, under the direction
of John Davenport, mines and refines
mica, primarily. It will use approx
imaHv 72 and one-half horsepower
at' first, but the amount needed js
expected to grow to from 125' to 150
horsepower, according to T. W. Angel,
Tr town engineer. Completion of the
"power line will mean, a larger volume
of work, and employment of addition
al men, it is stated.