AMERICA
First, Last and
Always
The
Herald
The Herald is' dedicated to
progressive service to Jack
son ... A- progressive, well
balanced county.
*4
VOL. XXI, NO. 46
Sylva, N. C.. Thursday, May 1, 1947
$2.00 A Year?5c Copy
WCTC Is Host To British
Em^msy^e^yTimsday;
Speaks To Large Crowd
Noted Speaker Gives
Picture Of Conditions
Facing Empire, World
The need for greater and more
timely cooperation between the
United States and Great Britain
was the main theme of an address
by the Honorable Frank Darvall,
First Secretary of the British Em
bassy, in Hoey Auditorium* West
ern Carolina Teachers college
Tuesday morning, April 29. He said
that if America and Britain had
made their positions clearer to!
Germany before World Wars I and
II both of those conflicts might
have been avoided.
"Germany misunderstood our
love for peace," he declared. "Be
cause she knew we wanted peace,
and would pay a high price for it,
she assumed that there was no i
limit to the price we would pay."
D. Hiden Ramsey, president of
the board of trustees of Western
Carolina Teachers college and gen
eral manager of the Asheville
Citizen-Times, was p&sented , by
Dr. H. T. Hunter, president of the
college, and in turn introduced Mr.
Darvall. In speech of welcome Mr.
Ramsey called attention' to the
friendship o fthe American people,
especially in the South and par
ticularly in Western North Caro
lina, for Britain. He emphasized
the Anglo-Saxon population, be
liefs, and customs of this section.
Explaining to an audience of
somewhat over a thousand persons
the current and probable future
status of the British Empire, Mr.
Darvall said that if the world sur
vives the present period Britain
will also survive. If relatively free
trade and a fairly well stabilized
? currency prevail in the world, Brit
ain will be able to pay her way,
but otherwise she will not, because
she can produce only/half her own
food, has only one b^sic raw ma
terial, coal, and mustUlepend upon
sale of her manufacturedjyroducts
for a living. ^
The high spot in Mr. DaWall's
talk, so far as the audience was
concerned, was a reference to an
editorial in the Washington Times
Herald commenting on a statement
made by Senator Walter George of
Georgia to the effect that the Brit
ish Empire was dying, and that
Britain should become the 49th
state in our union. The Times
Herald, said Mr. Darvall, was spec
ulating on the possibilities of King
George, by then probably just
"Mr. George Windsor," %nd Mr.
Churchill as Republican Senators
from England. Said Mr. Darvall,
"How did the paper figure that
King George and Mr^ Churchill
would be Republicans?"
Mr. Darvall stated that the wai
had left the world in a poor con
dition^ and drew a word-picture
of the present economic situation
in Britain and in Europe. England
now has, he said, more severe ra- j
tioning of food, clothing, and fuel
than during the war.
The world has been going back
ward for a number of years, Mr.
Darvall said, and is now in a state
of anarchy. He compared the law
less state of the world to our own
West of a hundVed years ago.
Where there"waTno Taw and order,
and people "shot out their differ
ences." We need a system of world
organization, he said, based on jus
tice and Democracy. "Mr. Bevin,
our Foreign $ecretary, said in a
speech," said Mr. Darvall, " 'I
would like for any Englishman to
be able to go to Victoria Station
and buy a ticket to anywhere in
the world and back, without the
bother of passports and visas and
without fear. I would like for all
Englishmen to be able to go to bed
at night without fearing that an
atom bomb would come through
the roof, or thatan agent of the
secret service would coxAe through
the <Jot>r,"
i The program opened with 4The
- March of the Peers," played by the
college orchestra, and was followed
by "God Save the King," also
played by the orchestra and sang
HUGH MONTEITH IS
HEAD OF C. OF G. '
MEMBERSHIP DRIVE
Drive This Year
To Cover Fees For
Two Organizations
At this time of year the Jack
son County Chamber of Commerce
makes its annual drive for funds to
carry on the work of the chamber
during the year.
You probably already know that
this year the Merchants Associa
tion and Chamber of Commerce
have been combined and that no
funds will be solicited by the Mer
chants Association. Such funds as
the Merchants Association will
need will be allocated from the
Chamber to the Merchants Asso
ciation Committee of the Chamber,
to be used by that committee. If
you have previously been a mem
ber of the Merchants Association,
membership in the Chamber of
Commerce will entitle you to mem
bership in the Merchants Asso
ciation and you will be given a
membership card for both organi
zations.
We are sure you realize the im
portance of an active Chamber of
Commerce in Jackson County. JVe
believe you also realize that in or
der to operate an active cliamber
it will take a considerable amount
of money. We have prepared our
budget for 1947 and if we can col
lect enough money to meet this
budget we believe we will be able
to do some worthwhile things for
1 our county.
We have made a complete list
oi all persons or firms who ought
to be members of the Chamber and
we are taking the liberty to sug
gest to each of these the amount
we feel they ought to contribute.
Why don't you, right now, just
sit down and send us a check and
we will send your membership
card right out to you. If you will
do this it will save us the time
of calling on you and it will save
you the time of being bothered
with us. Thank you.
Yours for a more progressive
Jackson County.
Board of Directors of the Jack
son County Chamber of Com
merce
By: H. ?. Monteith, Membership
Chairman 4
TOWN ELECTION TO
BE HELD TUESDAY
* Election of city officials for the
Town of ?ylva will be held Tues
day, May 6. Mr. Grayson Cope,
registrar has announced that the
polls will be open at 6:30 a. m. and
remain open until 0:30 p. m. Voting
will be at the city hall.
There is anlyf one ticket to be
voted on at thL time, which in
cludes the nominees of the April
19 primary. They are: for mayor,
Jack C. Allison; for aldermen,
Joseph F. Wilson, Edward* H. Bald
ridge, Raymond K. Nicholson, Jr.,
-fahiyd Cmvmi, and Dr. Harold Mc
Guire.
by the audience. It closed with the
playing and singing of 'The Star
Spangled Banner." The college
| chorus, standing immediately in
front of the stage, sang "Onward
Ye Peoples" in addition to the
other two vocals.
Mr. John F. A. Cecil, of Biltmore
House, Asheville, of whom Mr.
Darvall was a guest while in Ashe
ville, was present for the address.
In addition to Mr. Ramsey, five
other members of the board of
trustees for the school were there.
They were: Mr. H. Bueck, super
intendent of schools, Murphy; Mr.
Morgan Cooper, principal of For
est City schools; Mr. R. S. Jones,
attomey-at-law, Franklin; Mr. E.
B. Whital^er, attorney-at-law,
Bryson City; and E. Bu
chanan, Henderson v^lle.
Pictured above are ten of the twelve officers wno worked day and night the first of las: week until
they broke the Jack and Margie Hall murder case. Tney are left to right. Chief of Police Don ?>avis, of
Sylva; Sheriff Griffin Middleton and Patrolman Charles Lindsay, of Jackson county. P?.t.< Iman Pritchard
Smith of Macon county; H*. W. Zimmerman. SBI agent of Asheville; Sergeant T. A. Sandlin. ot Bryson
City; City policeman of Sylva, James Mason; Deputy Sheriff Tnad Cowan of Jackn-n county; Patrolman
Ed Guy of Waynesville; and Deputy'Sheriff Frank Allen of Jackson county. (Photo by Dionahoe)
W.N.G. PRESS GROUP
WILL TOUR MOUNTAIN
AREA NEXT MONTH
t
At the regular monthly meeting
of the Western North Carolina
Press Association held at S & W
Cafeteria in Asheville, Saturday
night, plans were made for the
group to mal<e a two-day bus trip
of the mountain area. Plans are to
charter a 37 passenger Trailways
1 bus arid have it leave Asheville
Saturday - morning, May 25, at
10:30; then go to Waynesville, Soco
Gap, Cherokee, Newfound Gap-,
Clingman's Dome, and back io
BrysonfCity ior the night. On Sun
day the group will leave for a tour
through Nantahala National Forest
area, going back to Astteville by
Brevard.
The press group is^staging this
tour in order to get better ac
quainted with the entire section.
Those attending the meeting
from Jackson county were Mr." and
Mrs. J. A. Gray of The Herald.
WILDLIFE CLUB TO
SHOW PICTURE ON
NORTH CAROLINA
The Jackson County Wildlife
elub will hold its regular May
meeting Thursday night the 8th at
8 o'clock in" the auditorium pf the
Savannah school. L. G. McLean,
Education Supervisor of the Di
vision of Game and Inland Fish
eries, will make a talk and show
a film in color on the game and
'other resources of North Carolina.
The public is cordially invited to
see this splendid picture and to
hear Mr. McLean.
Sylva'High School
Band To Appear In
Parade May 9, 2 P. M.
The "SylvaT High School Band
will make its first public appear
ance in parade Friday, May 9, at
? o'clock p. m. The parade will
follow main street to Hooper Motor
Company and return to the school
house. It will stop in front of Mas
sie Furniture store on Main street
for a short concert. The band is
under the direction of Mr. Sammy
Beck of Western Carolina Teach
ers college.
District Superintendent
Will Preach Sunday
On next Sunday morning at the
11 o'clock service the district su
perintendent, Rev. Walter B. West, 1
will fill the pulpit at the Sylva
Methodist church. This is the time
for the second quarterly confer
ence, which will be held,fpl]ow-_
iftg the preaching . service^ with.
Hev. West presiding.
POINTING TO SPOT HAMMERS WERE THROWN^
Earl O'Dear and Robert Messer arc shown as they stand on the
bank of Scotts Creek, handcuffed together, pointing to the place in the
creek where they threw the hammers which they claim they used to
beat Jack Hall and his wife to death. The officers are Chief Don Davis,
Sheriff Griffin Middleton, Sgt. T. A. Sandlin, and Patrolman Ed Guy.
(Photo by Donnahoe)
Traffic Signal
Light On Main
Realizing the need of ~ traffic
lights for Main street the town of
ficials pjaced an order sometime
ago for four of these lights. One
light has finally arrived and was
installed Wednesday at the ^ylva
Supply Co. crossing. The others, ]
when they arrive, are to be in
stalled at the intersection of Mill
and Main streets at the Gulf Sta
toin at the east end and at Lewis'
Service station on the west and on
Mill at the depot.
Soutb^foi Baptist
Convention To Meet
fa St. Louis, Missouri
The Southern Baptist Conven
tion will meet in St. Louis May
7-12. Dr. Louie D. Newton, pastor
of the Druid Hills Baptist Church
of Atla/ita, Ga., is president of the
Contention. It is expected that be
tween eight and ten thousand mes
sengers will attend the Conven-,
tion. Those to attend from the
Tuckaseigee Association are: Rev.
B. S. Hensley, Rev. Mark Osborne,
Rev. W. N. Cook, and Rev. C. M.
Warren.
Chapter To Confer
Degree On Members
GlenviUe Chapter Order of East
ern Star No. 222 will hold a speciaj
meeting on Saturday evening at
eight o'clock for conferring the
degrees of the order on Mrs. Emma
Lou Burrell <# Tuck a see gee. Ml*.
.George Penland and Mr. Robert
McConnell of Highlands.
City Start* Work
Repaving Milt St.
The town of Sylva has let the
contract for repairing and repav
ing the sidewalk of Mill street to
William B Dillard, local contractor.
Mr. Dillard has a crew of men
breaking up the old pavement and
placing crushed stone for the new
pavement. The work extends from
the back of the Cole building to the
intersection of Mill and Main and
#
a small section of the South side
of Main at Buchanan Auto and
Electric Co.
Rev. Warren Attends
Fuoeral ln South Par,
Rev. Mr. C. M. Warren was
i called to Ehrhardt, S. C. last Fri
day on account of the death of his
step-mother, Mrs. Beckie Warren.
Mrs. Warren passed away Friday,
April 25, at 12:30 p. m. She had
been in failing health for the?'past
year, although her death was un
expected at this time. She is sur
vived by four step-daughters and
three step-sons.
Mrs. Warren and daughter Sybil,
accompanied Hev. Mr. Warren to
Ehrhardt. They all returned to
Sylva Monday.
Honorary Supper To
Be Given By WOW
The Sylva Camp No, 560 Wood
men of the World will give, an
honorary supper Monday evening
at 7 o'clock in the " WOW hall for
Woodmen, their wives and mem
bers of their families. Any Wood
ADVICE ON SELLING
G. I. LOAN PROPERTY
GIVEN VETERANS
Should Secure Cash Or
Have Purchaser Make
Mortgage In Own Name
Ex-mm-vicemen and women who
have used G.I. loans to buy homes
were advi>ed by the Veterans Ad
ministration today not to- sell their
property without making certain
that their interests are * protected.
A veteran may be inviting trou
ble, said * Charles H. Ball, loan
guarantee ollicer lor VA's North
,Carolina region, it he consents to
any sale of his property whereby
the purchaser merely takes over
the existing loan*. In such case, Mr.
Ball pointed out, the veteran re
mains personally responsible for
payment of thie loan.
The VA ollicial asserted that a
veteran is surrendering a valuable
privilege if he disposes of a home i
he has bought with a G. I. loan |
merely because of some small prof
it he may make.
Whenever a n ex-serviceman
seTis' a home financed by a CI. I.
loanNsaid Mr. Ball, he should de
mand fiaal the pin chaser either pay
cash or\rrange a loan in his own
name. Then the veteran should see
that his own- note is narked paid
and that the lien on his property
is marked .satisfactory on court
records.
II an ex->crviceman consents to
.1 sale in which the purchaser
meiely a>sumes the existing in
debtedness, the veteran later may
have to pay any part of the debt
defaulted by the new owner. If the
new owner fails to keep us h.s pay
ments, the lending institution can
<"orei! so and may force a trustee's
.^ile where the property could be
<old at less than the amount of the
debt remaining. When proceeds
from the sal? do not cover the
amount of the loan outstanding, the
difference remains a debt against
the veteran. The U. S. Government
will pay the lending agency for
any portion of this debt which is
guaranteed, and the veteran will
then owe the Government. If part
of the remaining debt is not guar
anteed, the veteran will continue
to owe this to the lending institu
tion.
Response Is Good To
Letter Sent Out By
Chamber Of Commerce
%
The Board of Directors of the
Chamber of Commerce wish to
thank all those who have already
responded to the letter sent out
last week and have mailed in their
membership for the year.
It is hoped that all others will
send in their membership at once
in order that the membership drive
can be completed at an early date.
We have just had printed our tour
ist accommodations list, but if there
are others &ho wish to list rooms
.Int. tnurii'Uj with ttlg Chamber of
Commerce, please call at the office
or phone 81 and we will be gkraS/>
add your name to the list.
SYLVA HIGH HONOE
STUDENTS NAMED
Miss Mary Bess Henry, daughter
of Mr. and Mrs. J. Fred Henry of
Sylva and Bryson City, with an
average grade of 94.07 for her high
school work, has been named vale
dictorian of the senior class of Syl
va high school, class of 1947.
Second honors go to Miss Pearl
Ashe, daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
W. W. Ashe, of Sylva, who has an
average of 91.69. She will represent
the class'as salutatorian.
? i
men living in the - vicinity not
members, of thi? Camp pre gi?en
a special invitation. Plenty of en
tertainment and fun be pro
vided. Come and enjoy the eve
ning. % * *
t ?
Both Men Make Separate And
Killing Jack Hall and Wife
c Robbery Was Motive
For Brutal Slaying;
Only Small Amount
Of Money Found
With the final chapter about to
be written in the brutal hammer
slaying of Jack Hall, 39, and his
20 year-old wile, Margie Maples
Hall, in so far a.s solving lilt case 1
and putting the confessed slayers
behind the bars is concerned, we
-till find thai the double murder
is the main topic- of conversation ill
groups about the streets. Before
the confessed slayers, Earl O'Dear
and Robert Messer, admitted their
guilt every one wondered who was
inhuman'enough to committ such
a brutal crime, how it was done,
and tor what reason. Now that this
has come to light the interest is on
how the officers were able to solve
the case so quickly.
The following statement from
Sheriff Griffin Middleton will
throw some Mght on this part of
the-story, although he could i\ot
give the story word for word:
"On Monday morning, April 21,
I was called to a point on the Old
Dillsboro-Sylva road where I
found the dead body of Jack H;ill
lying on the floor of his taxi and
the battered body of his wife, still
alive but unconscious, lying across
the front scat. After Mis. Hall had
been removed to the hospital and
Jack Hall's body to the funeral
home, with the assistance of the
other officers of thu.fity.^md coon- ?
ty, 1 started an immerh.. <? investi
gation. All we found at" ire scene
of the crime was Hall's glasses and
a flashlight. There were no visible
tracks nor sign.'W8a car having
been driven away.
t
People of Community Checked
"We checked all the people liv
ing in that community and found
that Ear4 O'Dear and Robert Mes
ser hrd left for Knoxville some
time that night. We also checked
many other clues during that day.
About (i o'clock that evening we
went back to Lonnie O'Dear's home
and found that the boys still had
not returned. Mrs. O'Dear told me
that as soon as they did come in
she would send them to see me. At
that time we came back to Sylva
and were making preparations to
go to Newfound Gap to check the
boys if they did come through.
Report to Officers
"At about this time O'Dear and
Messer came to the police station,
which was around 8:30 Monday
night. Each suspect was questioned
separately, telling identical stories.
They told us that they left Sylva
around 9 to 9:30 Sunday night for
Knoxville over the Smokies, that
they arrived in Knoxville about
2 to 2:30 a. m. Monday morning
and, after talking for a while in
their car, went to a hotel, got a
room for which they each paid $1
which was around 4a.m. They said
that they got up around 10 a. m.f
ate breakfast and checked several
car lots trying to buy a car. They
said they left Knoxville, came on
to Sevierviile, ate supper, shot
some pool, and at a shoe shop Earl
had new heel taps put on his shoes,
and then came on to their homes.
After this questioning they were
released.
"We went right ahead with the
investigation on several other clues
i'rom Sylva to Atlanta and Knox
ville, yet at the same time we
were still checking on these boys.
Seen Together Before Crime
"Policemen Jim Mason and
George Evans had seen O'Dear and
Messer Sunday night between ft
and 9 o'clock walking on this road
near the scene pt ' the murder.
Later in the night they saw the *
mfcn on the back street of Sylv**^
About 10 p, m. Sunday night
O'Dear and Messer were - seen
crossing the bridge near Sylva high
school, going down the old Dil2?
boro?Sylva road. On Wednesday
morning I'TTffd inIo"hnation that
Earl O'Dear had been carrying a
large machine hammer in hie oar.
Sheriff Qeta Clothes
"Highway Patrolman Charlss -
?Continued en MVS ?
tt