Sylva Herald
AND RURALITE? CONSOLIDATED JULY, 1943
The Sylva Herald, winner ?/
First Place of N. C. Preee
Association 1943 General Km*
cetlence Award,
SYLVA, N. C., Wednesday, March 7, 1945
OL. XIX NO. 42
$1.50 A Year In Jackson And Swain Counties ? 5c Copy
THESE AMERICANS WERE HELD PRISONER BY THE JAPS
SYLVA G A P GROUP TO
START STUDY OF AIR
PLANE ENGINES MAR. 8
Plans were made at the meeting of
the Sylva group of the Civil Air Pa
trol last Thursday night that at the
next meeting, to be held at the
Sylva High school on March 8, to
start into the class work with the
study of airplane engines.
%
A, large group was present at the
last meeting, ' among them being a
number who had just learned of the
plans to organize the patrol in Sylva.
Applications were filled out and fin
ger prints made of all adult members
present.
Lieutenant Holden, commander of
the Canton Patrol, was present and
explained for the benefit of new mem
bers the purpose and plans of the
Civil Air ^Patrol in North v Carolina.
Aiso present were Lieutenant Mathis,
executive officer, and Flight Officer
Vetoe, both of the Canton Patrol. Lt.
Mathis explained the part played and
the importance of drill i$ the work
of the air patrol.
' All persons between the ages of 15
and 65 who are interested in be
coming a member of the Civil Air
Patrol are urged to be present at the
next meeting on March 8.
$11,275.00 SYLVA
BONOS GALLED SAYS
MAYOR H. GIBSON
Mayor H. Gibson advises that the
Board of Aldermen recently made a
call for Town of Sylva bonds in the
amount of $11,275.00. (Mayor Gibson
otso makes the following statement
in connection ^rlth fiscal matters of
the Town:
"On December 1, 1938, prior to re
itttenfcftflffethe Tofwn^ iftftbtedn <? v
the total indebtedness of the Town
was $322,040.00. Including the last
call of bonds, the indebtedness since
that time has been reduced to $214,
240.00. During this period a con
siderable sum has been expended for
such items as repairing water sys- ?
tem, installing new chlorinating plant
and purchase of new trucks. There
is now no indebtedness other than
bonds and all bills are paid currently.
Since 1939 the tax rate been reduced
from $1.70 to $1.50.
."The Town Board is now wQrking
on a refinancing plan which will re
duce the interest rate on the Town's
bonded indebtedness. The interest
rate under the old plan will be 4%
lor the next five years and 5% there
after until maturity. When the new
plan is consumated, the Town should
effect a saving in interest on bonds
of $2,000.00 to $4,000.00 annually.
"Due to the war, it was necessary
to 4>ostpone a water-filtering project
and the purchase of street cleaning
equipment."
RUSSEU. HAMILTON
GIVEN UP AS DEAD
BY NAVY DEPT.
Mr. and Mrs. Roy Hamilton of Cul
lowhee have received another mes
sage from the War Dept. in connection
with the disappearance of their son
Kussell, who was reported missing in'
action Jan. 2, 1944. The telegram
tram the war dept. reads as follows:
"The Navy Dept. deeply regrets to
inform you that a careful review of
all facts available relating to the dis
appearance of your son, Russell
Hamilton, Aviation Machinist's Mate
2-c USN previously reported missing,
ieads to the contusion that there is
no hope for his survival and that he
lost his life as reAilt of enemy action
on 2 Jan. 1944, while in the service
cf his country. If additional informa
tion is received, it will be forwarded
to you promptly. Sincere sympathy
is extended/ to you in your great sor
uw.
"Vice- Admiral Randall Jacobs,
Chief of Naval Personnel
SYLVA PTA TO MEET
THURSDAY AFTERNOON
The Sylva Parent Teacher Asso. will
meet Tuesday afternoon, March 13, at
3 o'clock in the high school building.
Rev. R. G. Tuttle will be the speak
er for the occasion.
The grade mothers will meet at
2.% 0 and finish their business in time
to attend the P.T.A. meeting.
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TMf OHASTLY EDICTS of life in the Santo Tomas Jap prison camp in Manila are evident in this photo of a
group of prisoners liberated when our forces drove out the enemy. The men are (1. to r.) : Hugo G. Winkler,
30, a proofreader on a Manila newspaper. He entered the camp weighing 135 pounds and now weighs 87?
Thomas B. Loft, traffic manager, Clenera! Foods, who came in at 160 and is now 102. Arthur Williamson, 45,
exporter; came in weighing 115. is now 103. Harold B. I.eney, 31, accountant: came in at 135, is now 105.
Dtfti S iirvaii . 34. jotaloyee <4 Soriano Brothers; ?a&ter*2 at 135, and is now 95 pounds. (International)' /
CARR HOOPER WRITES PARENTS AFTER
LIBERATION FROM JAP PRISON CAMP
Mr. and Mrs. Vance Hooper of East
LaPorte have received the second
direct communication from their son,
William Carr Hooper, that they have
had since he was taken prisoner by
the Japs following the fall of Manilla.
Mr. Hooper and wife, the former
Miss Ruth Williams, of Fayetteville,
Tenn., spent three and a half years in
Saint Thomas Prison camp. Their
parents had had no direct word from
them up until a year ago, at which
time they received a letter, yix. and
Mrs. Hooper were notified last week
that their son and daughter-in-law'
had been freed. The following is
a ccvpy ol the letter that was deceived
last week and gives a moregraphic
picture of what they have undergone
than it is possible to describe other
wise.
AMERICAN RED CROSS
Homefolks:
Little to tell now except that after
three years and one month of slow
starvation we aren't hungry any more.
Since Sept. last we were actually dy
ing of starvation at the rate of 4 daily,
mostly among old men and women.
Our food was 70 grams of corn meal
(a half pint cooked) and 70 grams
of rice (about a half pint cooked). No
meat, no vegetables, no be^ns, no
sugar, nothing but corn and rice.
Believe me we know hunger. Had
our troops not arrived and at the
rapid rate people were becoming too
sick to eat, half the camp would have
died in another month.
The occupation and present situa
tion cannot be told but we've had
the experience of a lifetime and we
can only tell you later. We don't
know anything, we hear everything,
it is pretty sure we will be sent home
soon, at least we'll leave Manilla.
Some say we will be hospitalized
others that we will be sent to our
homes under doctors' care. No one
knows but we are sure to see you all
soon. We have read magazines,
papers and heard the radio, (first time
in three years) and believe all this
will be over sooner than we expected.
I have no wish, however, for this Jap
war to finish too soon. I want seven
million Jap men, women and chil
dren to starve to death in Japan.
S lories will be told you that you
can hardly believe but we know what
animals these Japs ar?. We are
prepared to tell theVorid that they
deliberately starved old men, women
c.nd children to death ythile the war
garrison guards feasted. We ate
rotten fish and garbage while they
ate U. S. rations from stores sent to
us. We died for lack of medicine,
which they stole from our stocks. Ruth
is recovering but is still just a shadow
and I feel wey, nothing that good
fo*>d won't cure with rest and peace,
and we hope to get all this from now
on. Do all you can to help. Remem
ber what these boys of ours have to
do and the great need for doing it.
Love to all,
CARR
No ration stamps in War Ration
Book Four will be good for canning
sugar this year. Local boards will
issue home canning sugar coupons
good through November 30.
In the "good old days" they watered
the milk; today they water the cow
at an automatic drinking fountain*
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COW ARTS SOLDIER
PROMOTED IN ITALY
WITH THE FIFTH ARMY,
ITALY ? Private Benoy Phillips, son
of Mrs. Mary P. Phillips, who lives
in Cowarts, North Carolina, has been
promoted to private first class. He is
a truck driver with a quartermaster
unit of the Fifth Army in Italy.
Pvt. John M. Blanton
Wounded In Europe
Mrs. Iris M. Blanton of Balsam has
received word that her h'usband" Pvt.
/ < 4 -*? i *
John M. Blanton, had been wounded
somewhere in the European Theater.
DEATH CLAIMS MRS.
GLENN JENNINGS
OF GLENVILLE
Mrs. Glenn Jennings of Glenville
died last Friday morning at 7 o'clock
following a short illness at the Harris
Community Hospital. Funeral ser
vices were held Sunday morning at
11:30 at the Glenville Baptist Church
with Rev. C. C. Welch officiating.
Surviving are the husband and
three small sons ofc Glenville, her
mother, Mrs. Mary J. Johnson, of
Lacomb, Wash., five borthers, three
in the armed forces and two in Ore
gon and three sisters in Oregon.
PROTECTION BILLS
GET HOUSE APPROVAL
Raleigh, March 5 ? Three bills de
signed to protect the public against
the purchase of sub-standard pro
ducts have been approv&ed by the
House Agriculture Committee.
Firms offering for sale any farm pro
ducts for propagation for which stand
rrds have been established, would
be required by the Commissioner of
Agriculture to secure permits and
submit satisfactory evidence of fi
nancial reliability or furnish a bond
not to exceed $10,000. This bill would
amend the present bill relating to
tnarketing, branding, and defining of
farm products.
One of the measures would require
anyone going into the manufacture of
ice cream, sherbet, or any other froz
en dessert to obtain a permit from
the State Department of Agriculture.
In another bill, the Department
would be given the power to issue
'?stop sales" on fungicides , and in
secticides found below standard.
Jackson County
Service Men Meet
D. M. Tallent G. M. 2-c and Sgt.
Avery Dillard met somewhere in the
Pacific and later the two boys met
two other Jackson county people, Ben
Qattle and Elizabeth Dillard.
D. M. is the son of Mr. and Mrs.
D. M. Tallent of Sylva. , He has been
in service more than two years.
Sgt. Dillard is the son of T. F. Dil
lard of Sylva.
; Ben Battle is the son of" Mr. and
Mrs. H. E. Battle of Cullowhee and
Elizabeth Dillard is the daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. E. L. Dillard of Sylva,
Route 1.
Sgt. Earl W. Mashburn
Wounded In France
Sgt. Earl W. Mashburn, son of^Ir.
and Mrs. Weaver Mashburn, of Dills
boro was wounded in France Feb. 13
according to word received by his
parents.
Sgt. Mashburn is now in a hospital
inEngland and writes his parents
ihat he is much improved.
He was stationed in Ireland fourteen
months before going to England and
France. He entered service before
Pearl Harbor and has been overseas
three years.
He was formerly employed by the
Cogdill Motor Co. of Sylva.
JACKSON MEN BECOME
18 AND ENTER SERVICE
The following men were accepted
ior service during February, 1945:
navy?
Logan Henry Taylor (V)
Virgil Watson (V)
Talmage Richard Bryson (V)
I Carl Calvin Fisher.
ARMY?
.Tames Lee Buchanan
James Reynolds Clubb
George Burton Hall
Manual T. A. Franks (V)
These men became 18 during the
month of February, 1945:
- Howard Melvin Breedjove
Horace Ray
William Dillard Robinson
Glenn Wilburn Dillard
Clyde Eugene Rabb
Charles Harold Chester
Earl Galloway
Gentry Eugene Hyatt
James Harris
Eulas G. W. McMahan
Charles David Moses
Wayne Bryan Dillard.
SOLDIER UNDERGOES
OPERATION
S. Sgt. Thomas Allen Bradley, son
of Mr. and Mrs. Lee Bradley of Bark
ers Creek, has recently undergone an
operation at the Thayer General Hos
pital Nashville, Tenn. Sgt. Bradley
has served several years in the Army.
His wife, the former Miss Pauline
Messer, is in Nashville with him.
W. A. Enloe Chapter
To Meet In Dillsboro
The W. A. Enloe chapter of U. D.
C.j will meet at the home of Mrs. S.
W. Enloe on Friday, March 9th.
McClure Talks To Jackson Farmers
On Developing Poultry, Tobacco As
Cash Income Producer For County
Jackson County Making Prog
ress With Red Cross Drive
Mr. A. J. Dills, war fund chair
man of the Red Cross Drive,
states that Jackson County is re
bponding well to the quota of
$6500.00 assigned them. It is
necessary that every man, wom
an and child In the county give
and give generously to this cam
paign. There will be house to
house canvass and contributions
will be asked of merchants and
business men. /
It will be the goal of every
worker In this fund raising cam
paign that each citizen take part
in the support of the "greatest
mother on earth", the Red Croas.
KEEP YOUR RED CROSS AT
HIS SIDE. GIVE NOW, GIVE
MORE.
A. P. CORRESPONDENT
WILL VISIT PARENTS *
HERE THIS SPRING
Mr. and Mrs. John A. Parris, Sr.,
have had a cable from their son,
John A. Parris, Jr., stating that he
will be home in April. He is to be
sent to the States to cover the San
Francisco Security Conference and
will be home either before or after
the conference. Mr. Parris returned
to his post of duty in the European
Theater Dec., 1944, after spending
two weeks with his parents.
Baffles Doctors
MEDICAL AUTHORITIES of Lot Afr?
geles, Cal* are baffled over the case
of this baby which, apparently, was
some three months old at the time
of birth. The records show that
Mrs. Beulah Hunter, 25, wife of an
aircraft plant workman, pictured*
here with the baby, carried the
child for over 12 months. The
baby is normal, healthy and
weighed about seven pounds at
birth. (International Sound-photo)
Sunday School Convention
To Meet Sunday
The Tuckaseegee Baptist Sunday
School convention will meet Sunday,
March 11, 1945, at 2:30 P. M. with
tr.e East Fork Baptist Church. The
'theme for the convention will be
"A Century of Missionary Progress."
It is hoped that a large delegation
from all the Sunday Schools in the
association will be there.
DR. KIRCHBERG NOTIFIED OF PROMOTION
WHILE ON SHORT LEAVE WITH FAMILY
Dr. Roy W. Kirchberg, physician
and surgeon of Sylva, spent live day?
with his family last week while the
Army Transport ship, to which he is
assigned as Transport Surgeon, un
derwent a few minor repairs. While
here he was advised of his promotion
from Captain to Major.
Dr. Kirchberg volunteered his ser
vice to the U. S. Medical Corps and
went on active duty in May of 1942.
He was first assigned to the Jackson
Barracks Staging Area of the New
Orleans Port of Embarkation. Later
he was advanced to Surgeon in Charg*
of Chalmette Staging Area of the
same Poh of Embarkation ? this troop
staging .area being located on the
beautiful and historic site of the fa
mous Battle of New Orleans. Then
in August of 1944 he was assigned as
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Transport Surgeon on an Army
Transport ship, of which the New Or
leans Port is its home base. Such
ships are equipped with a full stand
ard Station Hospital, and are pri
marily to carry Army troops but also
transport large number of Navy per
sonnel. The hospital serves to give
immediate medical attention to all
such troops abroad the ship, and those
aboard other ships that may be in the
same convoy. On the return trips
the ship hospital cares for all ill and
wounded troops returning from over
seas. On arrival in the U. S. these
patients are transferred to Army or
Navy General Hospitals.
Major Kirchbcrg describes his
duties as very interesting, but states
he looks forward to the day when the
big job is done and he may return to
hi& family and practice in Sylvft*
WILL BRYSON ELECTED
DIRECTOR AT ANNUAL
MEETING MARCH 1
j At the annual meeting of the Farm
ers Federation Stockholders, held last
Thursday at the Federation ware
house in Sylva, Will Bryson of Speed
well was elected as director to rep
resent Jackson County for the next
two years. Dr. A. S. Nichols, Dr.
Grover Wilkes of Sylva and Sam
Crisp of Dillsboro were elected to the ?
Sylva warehouse committee. A res
olution was passed on the death of
Mr. T. A. Cox, one of the charter
members and chairman of Jackson
County Federation since its beginning.
Dennis Higdon was elected to suc
ceed him as chairman. Addresses ot
welcome were made by Mayor H.
Gibson and Verle Ensley, manager
oi the Sylva warehouse.
James G. K. McClure, president of
th.? federation, presided and told of
the progress made by the organization
during the past year. The Federa
tion did business amounting to $3,
674,801.08, the Sylva warehouse do
ing more than $163,000 of the amount
The growing of Burley tobacco was
discusgeds D. C. Higdon gave his ex
perience in growing tobacco. He
stated that on less than an acre of
land he had raised 2040 pounds of
tobacco which brought him $1014, his
cost of labor and other things amount
ing to $268.
Mr. McClure stated that Burley
tobacco is one of the best outlets for
farmers and emphasized the fact that
a;iy one grow 4*>b*cco by pay- -
ing 10c royalty per pound the first
year; he can obtain an allotment the
second year.
Western North Carolina is on the
way to building a real poultry in
dustry, stated Mr. McClure. The
federation shipped 60 carloads last
year. A truck is running full time,?
ierving the warehouse each week.
Others appearing on the program
were S. C. Clapp, federation horti
culturist, who spoke on the impor
tance of good seeds, Max Roberts,
educational director told of the Lord's
Acre plan, and Bob Brown, editor of
the Farmer's Federation News. The
staff of the Sylva Warehouse were _
presented and commended on their
splendid work.
In the drawing for free chicks, C.
P. Shelton, Mills, A. O. Weid
lick and Jim Watson each received
25 baby chicks. Mrs. Samantha Bum
garner furnished music and Claude
Fisher, federation buyer, danced.
The federation warehouse commit-^
tee now consists of D. C. Higdon,
Chairman, A. O. Weidlich, John C.
Jones, W. Hute Snyder, Chief Jarrett
Blythe, Will Bryson, Marion Moody,
Crawford Shelton, Vance Hooper,
Milas Parker, Dr. A. S. Nichols, Dr.
Grover Wilkes and Sam Crisp.
CONSUMER TO HAVE
FEWER DAIRY PRODUCTS
Raleigh, March 5 ? Although there
will probably be a slight increase in
milk production this year, supplies
of dairy porducts available to
to civilians on a per capita basis will
likely be less than in 1943, but about
the same as in 1943 on a whole milk
equivalent basis, according to C. W.
Pegram, head of the State Depart
ment of Agriculture Dairy division*
Per capita butter consumption is
likely to be at a record low of about
10.5 pounds compared with 11.8
pounds in 1944 and a 16.7-pound
pre-war (1935-39) average, ex
plained Pegram. He said that fluid
milk and cream consumption will be
at a record level of slightly over 420
pnimHc P*r p?rgnn .
Pvt. Ralph O. Oxner In
English Hospital *
Pvt. Ralph O. Oxner is in a hospital >
in England according to word re
ceived by his wife. Pvt. Oxner en
tered the service in May, 1044, and
received his training at Camp Blind
ing, Fla., and Fort Meade, M&, From
;here he was sent overseas where be .
was serving with the First Army In*
fan try in Belgium.
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