AMERICA First, Last And Always The Sylva Herald The Herald is dedicated to progressive service to Jack son ... A progressive, well balanced county. VOL. XXI, NO. 52 Sylva, N. C. Thursday, May 29, 1947 $2.00 A Year?5c Copy O'Dear And Messer To Die For Murder Of Halls Editors Of Western Carolina Papers Tour Section to Secure First Hand Scenic Information Plans Discussed For Tour By National Editors Next May A group composed of more than 20 members of the Western North Carolina Press Association toured, th s section of the state Saturday f. id Sunday, traveling by chartered Trailways bus, getting first-hand information of the scenic spots of this area. The principal purpose of the tour was to make a survey for a tour to be made by the National Editorial Association in May of next year, when more than 600 editors and publishers from all 48 states will hold their annual meet ing in North Carolina. The group traveling in the spe cial bus, was headed by Herbert Peele, of Elizabeth City and presi dent of the N. C. Press, and Miss Beatrice Cobb, secretary of the state association. The party had lunch in Waynes vLle, and went to Cherokee via Soco Gap, then to Newfound Gap and Clingman's Dome, and back to Bryson City for dinner and over night stop at Fryemont Inn. Sunday morning the party left for Franklin, stopping several times enroute up the Little Ten nessee river to view some of th?> scenic spots. They attended church in a body at Franklin, and later were the guests of the Chamber of Commerce for dinner at Kelly's Tea Room. From Franklin the group went to Highlands, stopping at Dry Falls, apd several lookout places along t* "'way T eay|ng Highlands, other stops were made to view the scenery in- the Sapphire country, ? then io Brevard where a brief stop^was made for refreshments. After the stop at Brevard, the bus headed for Asheville and the last ? lap of the journey where the group broke up to take their cars for their homes. A brief meeting was held in Bry son City where plans were dis cussed for the coming association next May, but the meeting was cut short in order that the group could visit with a -number of Bryson City citizens, who had come in to welcome the party. Those representing The Herald on the trip were Mr. and Mrs. J. A. Gray. Mrs. Frank Jarrett Shows Improvement Friends of Mrs. Frank Jarrett, of Dillsboro, will be pleased to know that her condition is re ported to be showing much im provement following a very serious illness of the past several months. Mrs. E. E. Brown and Mrs. J. H. Wilsoft have returned from Ches nee, S. C. where they went Mon day to attend the funeral of their aunt, Mrs. Ray Hollifield. W. T. ASHE ELECTED NEW PRESIDENT OF SYLVA LIONS CLDD Ladies Night And Officer Installation Will Be On Wednesday Nite, June 18 At the regular Wednesday eve ning meeting of the Sylva Lions Club on May 21, new officers were 1 elected for the coming year, 1947 48 as follows: T. Walter Ashe, pres ident; Roy Reed, 1st. vice presi- j dent; Woody Hampton, 2nd vice president; Claude Campbell, 3rd vice president; Tommy Clayton, secretary-treasurer; Howard Ball, assistant secretary, Joe Popple well, assistant treasurer. W. T. "Bud" Brown, tail-twister; John Corbin, assistant tail-twister; j Boyd Sosamon, lion tamer; Rudy Hardy, assistant lion tamer. Directors: W. T.. Wise, Dick Green, Edwin Allison, Joe 'Deitz. The club will hold Ladies Night on Wednesday evening, June 18, at which ^ime the new officers will be installed by the new dis trict governor, Herbert H. Saun ders, of District 31-A from Black Mountain. Roscoe Poteet is the retiring president of the club. Sylva Butt Station Attain* Highest Rating in State' The Sylva Railways' bus sta tion, under the management of Roger Monteith has been given the highest rating of any bus station in the state, according to J. C. Bowman, state inspector for the Inter-State Utilities commission, of I Raleigh, who makes the inspec ' tions at the Sylva and other sta tions every two weeks. Of the last seven inspections, five were 100Q or perfect, two were 970. Mrs. E. L. McKee Will Deliver Aniversary Message At Peace Mrs. E. L. McKee, civic leader and former State Senator from this district, will deliver a special an niversary message to members of the 75th graduating class of Peace College at commencement exer cises to be held Tuesday night, June 3, it has been announced by heads of the college. Mrs. Helen Gahagan Douglas, congresswoman from California, will deliver the principal address. The commencement program at the Presbyterian college will open May 31, and a highlight of the se ries will be the presentation of a pageant based on the history of the college from its founding in 1872 to the present time. More than 300 persons will take part in the pageant Monday night, June 2. Miss Poteet Represented Sylva Club in Pageant at Lions Meet Thelma Poteet, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Roscoe Poteet, was dressed in the costume of El Salva dor as she represented the Sylva Lions Club at the 25th ^|ate Con vention colorful Flag of Nations pageant, Sunday evening in the Asheville City Auditorium. Girls from all towns in Western North Carolina in which there are Lions Clubs took part in the pag eant, which featured the opening night celebration of the North Carolina ''Silver Jubilee." Attending the convention from the Sylva club were: George Lee, Joe Deitz, Dick Green, Mr. and Mrs. Roscoe Poteet; Mr. Poteet is president of the Sylva Club, Miss Thelma Poteet, Mr. and Mrs. Jen nings A. Brysop, Hugh Monteith, Claude Campbell, Tom Clayton, Grayson Cope, Mr. and Mrs. Roy Reed, Edwin Allison, Boyd Sossa mon, Mr. and Mrs. Rudy Hardy, Ray Cogdill and Phil Stovall. The Sylva Club* was presented with a silver trophy for the best club bulletin published in District 31-A. The club was also presented j with a plaque which it won at the , 1944-45 convention for third place as an all round club. The material for the plaque was not available that year due to war conditions and this is the reason for d^ay in its presentation. The convention was attended by 2,800 persons from all parts of the state. During the principal address of the evening, the Rev. Homer O. Wilson, of Winston-Salem re viewed the rapid spread of.Lionism into 18 nations and stated that when- the organization was con ceived men scoffed at the idea that business and professional men would band themselves together for service instead of profit. He declared that the great success of Lionism belies this early cynicism. He cited the aid to the blind and sight conservation as only one of more than 81,000 projects con ducted in North Carolina. MUST DIE IN GAS CHAMBER FOR HAMMER SLAYING Standing right to left between Sergeant T. A. Sandlin of the State Highway prtrol and Sheriff Grif fin Middleton are Earl O'Dear and Robert Messer, who were convicted of first degree murder by a Macon county jury in Jackson Superior Court last Friday night foljpwing their trial tor the hammer slaying of Jack Hall, local taxi operator, and his wife, Margie Maples Hall. The pair was sentenced to die in the State's Gas Chamber at Raleigh on Friday, July 11, between 10 a. m. and 4 p. m. Judge Bobbitt's Sentence of O'Dear, Messer Has Sobering Effect on People MASSIE ANNOUNCES SUNDAY SHOWS TO BE STARTED JUNE 15TH Following an action of the town board last week in which it amend ed a former ordinance regarding Sunday motion pictures in Sylva, 3. E. Massie, of Waynesville, own er of the Hit#.Theatre, ;Jias an nounced that beginning with Sun day, June l^th he wil^ present Sunday performances. Mr. Massie stated, "all programs wjII be of the highest type of clean, whole some family entertainment that is possible to procure, and these per formances will be scheduled so that they will in no way conflict with any church service in the community." TOWN BOARD AMENDS FORMER ORDINANCE ON SUNDAY MOVIES I Sylva's new city aldermen held I their second official council meet ing in the city hall on last Thurs day night. Upon request of a great number of local citizens the question of Sunday movies for the town was acted on. The board found that there was a city ordin ance passed in 1939 against Sun day movies. Then they found that the board in 1945 amended the 1939 order permitting the showing of pictures between the hours of '2 and 6 p. m. The new board made a further amendment permitting the showing of pictures between the hours of 8 and 12 p. m., pro vided there are no conflicting church services during these hours. The board ordered that the city swimming pool be cleaned and re paired and put in a sanitary con dition for use this summer. Hal ^Walson and Jimmy Keener have been appointed to manage the pool and to keep it in first class condition. The pool Will open May 31. \ The three furnaces \and tables being built in the city- park for picnic use are about ready for use. These were sponsored by the Syl va Lions Club. The board ordered that the city hall office be cleaned and redec orated. This is now being done with a new coat of paint being applied inside and on the woodwork of the outside. CHURCH OF GOD WILL HAVE HOMECOMING The Church of God at Erastus will observe the second Sunday in June as Homecoming. Everyone is invited to attend, espetfally the former members of the church. Rev. J. C. Dockery, the pastor, will^ be in charge. It will be an alJ-da?' affair wiyj dinner on the ground. i Following are the words used by* Judge Wm, H. Bobbit as he sen | tenced Earl O'Dear following his trial and conviction for the mur der of Jack Hall and wife, Margie ! Maples Hall. While only the judg- j ment and sentence of O'Dear is J , used here, the same words were 1 used in the sentencing of Robert. I Mes>ser, partner of O'Dear in the twin^jnurder. . q I One of the prisoners at the bar j of the Court, Earl O'Dear, having, been tried upon two bills of indict ment, being Numbers 2380 and 21381, which were consolidated for the purpose of tj ial-, each bill of , indictment charging murder in the lirst degree, and a jury duly chosen, sworn and empaneled to pass be i'tween h.m and the State, touching his guilt or innocence, o! the crimes ' I of which he stood charged, having, upon each of s*?id two bills ul in dictment. returned as against h;m a verdict of guiity of murder in the tirst degree: I Now, therefore, the said two in^ I dictments and cases are eonsoli- , j dated for the purpose of judgment; i and, in compliance with the law,; ; the judgment pronounced upon I Earle O'Dear is that the prisoner,! : Earle O'Dear, be taken hence by | C. G. Middleton, High Sheriff of I Jackson County, North Carolina, j and by him delivered into the cus tody of the Warden of the State Prison in the City of Raleigh, North Carolina, to be by siiid Wa> ing for Home service. The Jackson County Chapter will act ss host to this meeting which will be attended by work ers from National Headquarters and Southeastern Area. C OF C MEMBERSHIP LIST ANNOUNCED BY PRES. PICKLESIMER \ This is a list of mmbers who have paid their 1947 dues to the Chamber of Commerce. One list of paying members has not been turned in and we are unable to list their names here at this time. We ask you to call at the Chamber of Commerce office in Lloyd Ho tel building end ask for your mem bership card so thnt we may have a record of your name. We have had very few individual memberships this year and plan to extend the drive a week longer with the hopes that a large number will respond. Since we do not have a chance to see every one we hope that you.will call by the office and see our secretary. Those having paid thefr dues and received their membership cards are: G. C. Middleton, Armour Leather Co., Hedrien Barber Shop, Moore's Cleaners, Hotel Carolina, Builder's Supply Co., Jack and Howard, jSJylva Coal ard Lumber Co., Sylva Hotel. The Leader, Schulman's, Sossamon Furniture Co., Jackson Furntiure Co., Belk's Dep. rtmervt Stoic, Coffee sKop, W. C. Hennessee Lumber Co., Sylva Laundry, Blue Ribbon Shoe Shop, Sylva Granite and Marble Works, Buck's Soda Shop, Gillispie's Fruit Stand, O. J. Leslie, H. A. Lawhead, Western Auto Supply, Ritz Theatre, Hall & Norton, Welch and Cable, New Riverside Cottages, W. J. Fisher, Park Lunch ?Continued on patft 7 'Macon County Jury Convicts Pair of First Degree Murdery Go To Gas Chamber July 11 FORMER GOVERNOR 1 BR0U6HT0N HEARD AT WCTC FINALS Traces Development Of Education In North Carolina CULLOWHEE ? Former Gover nor J. M. Broughton traced the de velopment of education in North Carolina along with the general advancement of the state at grad uating exercises held at Western Carolina Teachers college Monday. He declared that when there was a four-month school term in the' state the general feeling was that a longer school term could not be financed. He told of how the term was advanced to six months then to nine and the 12th grade added and decjared that as education is increased in the staterthe ability to pay for it is increased. Diplomas were awarded to 64 members of, the graduating class. Awards were ^made to Thelma Joyce Finch of Bailey and Russell Byrd of Greensboro as best stu dents and the award offered by Mrs. E. L. McKee to the student with the most distinguished record went to Lynwood Halliburton of Hamlet. Paul Wilson of Hender son ville was graduated summa cum laude. The three presidents who have served the institution since it was founded were present, and William Norton of Cullowhee attended ( graduating exercises at the college j for the 58th consecutive time. He is a member ofnhe board of trus 1 ?lavknon Health beatlern Attend t,ake I,ure Meet N. 1 j- Mrs. Lina Padgett ana Mrs. Juanitn Phillips, ol the local health met with 150 delegates from ! i counties ol Western North C'.ioiina, attended the all-day meeting of the Western North Carolina Public Health associa tion* at Lake Lure last Friday, hearing addresses by leaders in the fields of pubi.e health services. | Dr. Ernest Branch, director of the division of oral hygiene, state board of health, Raleigh, spoke at | the morning general session. Dr. i H. C. Whims, Buncombe county i health ofticer and president of the | association, presided. I Seetional meetings were held in the afternoon .ollowing the lunch. Singing Convention To Be At Scotts Creek The Central Jackson Singing convention will meet Sunday, June 1, at the Scott's Creek Baptist church. It will convene at 1:30 and all singers are cordially invit ed to attend. Courtroom Packed With Citizens From All Sections Of County A Macon county jury of 12 men returned a verdict of murder in the first degree against Earl ODear and Robert Messer at 9:30 o'clock Friday night, after having received the case from the trial Judge Wil liam H. Bobbit at 6:45 the same evening., At 10:30 Judge Bobbin lead the death sentence which will send the pair to their death in the States Gas Chamber in Raleigh between the hours of 10 a. m. and 4 P. m. on Friday, July 11, for the hammer slaying and robbery of Jack Hall and his wife, Margie Maples Ha]]. 4 Trial ol the two Jackson county men got underway Wednesday af ternoon at 2:20 when the state and defense began the selection of a jury lrom a special venire of 150 Macon county citizens who had been summoned the day before to appear in^Sylva at that hour. Record Crowds Attend Stand:ng room was at a premium as citizem- from all sections of this and other counties gathered to near the case, which ended with the conviction and sentence late Friday evening,^ the crowds re maining until the men were taken from the courtroom by Sheriff's officers. Prisoners Are Calm As O'Dear and Messer entered the courtroom everyone noticed how calm both appeared. Sur rounded by their families and relatives throughout the trial, the | pan- remained corflfcojifid-^even wfo*le- Judge Bobbitt pronounced | the death sentence, O'Dear's wife I was the only one to break' down and m,ke any outcry as sentence was pronounced. When Judge Bob bitt said, "the defendant, Earl ? O'Dear, must-die July n,? she then dropped to the* floor and >ul>bed audibly. As soon as the jury Was swfcrn ?n. the indictment of O'Dear and Messer was read by the clerk at .50 on Wednesday evening. The defendants plead not guilty. The Macon jury was composed '<>f the following "Vnen: Harley Standfield, E. B. Beck. W. K. Presslcy, Youel Bradley, Lee I Poindexter, Grover Angel, Wiley ,G Smith, T. A. Glidewell, Curt tine, I. a. Keener, Carter i nson; B Ammons. The thir i teenth juror drawn in case of sick ness of one of the 12. was J. H. ,Cabe, Sr. Out of the 150 men only 67 names were called before the jury was agreed upon. Mr. Earl Sutton of Jackson was named by | the court to be in charge of the i jury. I ^uc*8e Bobbitt complimented the officers of Macon county for their speed and efficiency in drawing the venire and having it appear here for the trial. -Court recessed ?t 7.20 p. m. until 9:30 a. m. Thurs Continued on page 12 Rules Governing Licensing of Automobile Drivers Explained In accordance with the law passed by the 1947 General Assem bly of North Carolina requiring the re-issuance of Motor Vehicle driver licenses, the following schedule has been made: the period beginning July 1, 1947, and ending on De cember 31, 1947, is the time for all driver license holders", whose sur names begin with the letters A or B to apply for new licenses. Per sons whose names do not begin with one of the above letters can-* not apply^r re-issuance of license in this pe?d. The period beginning January 1, 1948, and ending on June 30, 1948, will be the time for all operators who?e sur-namcs begin with either of the letters C or D to apply for re-issuance of licenses. All Motor Vehicle drivers whose sur-names begin with a letter other th^i A, ft C or D will be notified by J>ress releases at the proper time as to when they should appear for the re-examination. The operator's license issued under the 1947 Safety Act shall automatically expire on the birth day of the licensee in the fourth year following the year of issuance, and no license shall be issued to any operator after the expiration of his license until such operator ? has again passed the required ex amination. Everyone will get a complete ex amination. The examination is made up of four parts. TheSe parts are: (1) An Eye test (2) Highway Sign test (3) Driving Rules test (4) Road test. The poorest visual reading that will permit passing with glasses is 20/50. This may be with both eyes together, or it may be with best eye alone. The Sign test consists of the showing to the applicant several pictures containing High? way Warning signs. The applicant will be requested to tell what a driver should do when he COONS to such a sign. Inability to read is not grounds for denying a driver -^-Continuing on page 7