MADISON
I COUNTY LIBRARY
I GENERAL DELIVERY
I MARSHALL NC
28733
Serving The People Of Madison County Since 1 90 ?
Vol. 86 No. 47
Thursday, November 20, 1984
25*
All Bundled Up
A group of Madison football fans traveled to
Mt. Airy on a chilly Friday night to cheer the
Patriots on in the opening game of the state
2-A playoffs. The Patriots, in their first-ever
state playoff appearance, lost in a 27-21
squeaker to Mt. Airy. See Page 8.
McElfresh Guilty ;
Chandler Ob Trial
By BILL 8TUDENC
Editor
A 32-year-old Georgia than pleaded
guilty in Madison County Superior
Court Monday to two counts of at
tempted murder in what authorities
contend was a botched attempt to col
lect on an insurance policy worth hun
dreds of thousands of dollars.
James K. McElfresh, a lay
minister at a Brunswich, Ga , church,
entered the pleas during the early
phases of his trial on charges of set
ting fire to a car - with two people in
it - and pushing it over a cliff on the
Laurel River on June 17.
The unexpected plea allowed 24th
Judicial District Attorney Tom
Rusher to begin another trial Tues
day - that of Everett Chandler, 28,
charged with murder in the March 22
shooting death of a Weaverville man.
Chandler is charged with shooting
his friend and roommate, Stuart Lane
Ballard. 21, during the early morning
hours of an all-night birthday party at
Chandler's home on Chandler Qreek
Authorities contend the shooting
was the result of a dispute over a
girlfriend. Chandler has said that the
gun - a 16-gauge sawed-off shotgun -
went off when he and Ballard scuffled
over it.
Ballard died of a gunshot wound to
the neck and upper chest.
In testimony Tuesday, a string of
seven witnesses who attended the ill
fated party took the stand and told of
the events surrounding the shooting.
Donald McCall testified that he had
gone into the kitchen to get a refill of
beer when he saw Chandler walk into
the bedroom. Then he heard a shot,
and seconds later Chandler came out
of the bedroom with a gun in his hand,
McCall testified.
"He said, 'I just shot Stuart.
Everybody's got to leave,' " McCall
said.
Phillip Ballard, father of the vic
tim, testified that he want to
Chandler's home after learning that
his son had been shot. When he got
there, he waited for rescue workers to
come back outside. When they did, he
asked if his son was OK, he testified.
"They says no," Ballard testified
"They says there's nothing we can
do."
At several times during Tuesday's
testimony, Superior Court Judge
John R. Friday became visibly upset
with frequent objections by
Chandler's attorney, Joseph Huff.
"I said overruled, Mr. Huff, can't
you hear," Friday said at one point
Testimony in the Chandler case
was continuing at presstime Wednes
day, with pathologist John McCloud
on the stand
Assistant District Attorney James
Baker said the state should rest its
case Wednesday.
In Monday's case, McElfresh told
Judge Friday that he was "a pawn"
in an insurance fraud scheme
originating in Georgia.
After McElfresh entered his pleas,
Friday sentenced him to 10 years in
prison. Friday also delayed sentenc
ing on two counts of assualt with a
deadly weapon with intent to kill in
flicting serious injury, pending
McElfresh's testimony in a related
case in Georgia Charges have not yet
been filed in that case, authorities
said.
McElfresh faced up to 60 years in
prison on the four charges.
The two victims - Gail Young and
Roy Mitchell - testified Monday. Ac
-Continued on Page 10
Error Hurts Steen's Vote Total
By BILL STUDENC
Editor
A faulty lever on a voting machine
may have cost Reese Steen the honor
of being the top vote-getter in Nov. 4
balloting for the Madison County
Board of Commissioners.
But no one will ever know for cer
tain.
Steen, a Mars Hill dentist, trailed
high vote-getter Robert G Capps by
46 votes, according to unofficial elec
tion night results.
A voting machine in the Hot Spr
ings precinct was not working proper
ly for several hours on election morn
ing, however, according to Madison
County election officials.
And 74 voters used the machine
before the problem was noticed. Elec
tion officials say they have no way of
knowing how many of those 74 voters
may have cast ballots for Steen.
"AU we know is that 74 people voted
on the machine prior to the time. the
malfunction was discovered," said
Sherry Ray Lewis, supervisor of elec
tions .
The levqf on one of the voting
machines in Hot springs was bent so
that when a person voted a straight
Democratic party ticket, votes for
Steen were Dot counted, said William
Powell, chairman of the Madison
County Board of Elections.
Election officials say they do not
know the cause of the malfunction,
but they are not ruling out the
possibility of human tampering
"I am positive that there wasn't
anything done on the inside of the
machine," Powell said last week.
"Anything could happen on the out
side of the machine. It could be an ac
cident. or not A stronger person
could Have Jammed R. " '
Because the Hot Springs machine
was the only ore to have that kind of
problem Nov. 4, Powell said he
believes it was an accident.
Steen said he is inclined to believe
that it was not an accident.
"According to what I was told, my
lever was bent up. That indicates to
me that somebody had forced it up. I
would hope that no one would try to
rig or jam a machine or make it
miscalculate," Steen said last week.
"I do wonder about that," he said
"You feel bad when somebody goes to
vote and they're notable to vote for
you if that'* tSdr wish
Because Steen won electiot^tepiie
the problem, election offlfeifflBsay
there is no need to take any correc
tive measures
-Continued on Page 10
Probe Continues
North Carolina State Bureau of
Investigation agents will spend the
next several days wrapping up
their probe of possible voting ir
regularities in Madison County.
That's the word from Charles
Chambers, director of the SBI's
regional office in Asheville.
A pair of two-man teams is
scheduled to be in Madison County
this week, and maybe some of next
Hveek, to put tfee" finixhrng touches
on what will be a monthlong in
vestigation.
SBI agents are in Madison Coun
ty at the request of Thomas
Rusher, 24th Judicial District at
torney, and William P. Powell,
chairman of the Madison County
Board of Elections.
The two Republican officials
asked SBI agents to conduct an in
vestigation into potential voting ir
regularities during the May
primary and the Nov. 4 election
Several SBI agents observed
balloting and vote-counting pro
ceedings throughout the day Nov.
" 4, also al the request o< Rusiier
and Powell .
* Chambers said he could not
comment about what agents may
have learned
-Continued on Page 10
Weaverville Delays Annexation
Of Facility For Retarded
By ANNE KITCIIEIX
Staff Writer
The Weaverville Town Council
heard a proposal for annexation in
side city limits from Blue Ridge Men
tal Health Retardation and Substance
Abuse representatives Monday even
ing.
The proposal calls for annexation to
provide town sewer and water ser
vice for a planned 30-unit residential
facility to house 60 retarded
residents.
The site of the proposed facility is
located near Dogwood and Reems
Creek.
Developer representative Kenneth
Gummels said that there is a need for
a residential facility to decentralize
the retarded and bring them back to
their own community. The proposed
facility will provide 24-hour care at a
lower cost than the state, according
to the group. f
Council members voiced concern
that until an ongoing town water
study is complete it would be difficult
to adc| new customers to the water
line. I
The council voted to hold a special
meeting on Monday to consider the
proposal. The meeting will be held at
5:30 p.m.
We&verville officials also heard
several concerned parents needing
clarification on the town's new bike
ordinance.
The recently adopted ordinance
states that no bikes, roller skates or
skate boards will be allowed on the
sidewalks on Main Street between
Moore and Brown streets.
The parents said they felt that the
ordinance might prohibit the children
from riding their bikes to the library.
The council moved to hold a public
hearing to modify or amend the or
dinance on Dec. 8 at 7 p.m.
Other items on the council's agenda
included the zoning of Wildwood
Acres into residential lots and phase
two of the Lake Louise project. City
Manager Charles Horne recommend
ed the council accept and proceed
with a bid from the Huntley Construc
tion Company for $145,500 to complete
the project.
The recreation committee reported
that the Christmas parade will be
held Dec. 6 at 2 p.m. Local businesses
have already contributed more than
$1,800 for parade costs.
It's tobacco time again. Burley warehouses in
Asheville opened last week, and sales are
scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Monday.
Mars Hill
Annexes
Property
The town of Mars Hill passed an or
dinance earlier this month annexing
businesses along Big Branch Road.
The non-contiguous annexation
takes Into the town the Western Steer
and Pizza Inn restaurants, and
business properties owned by Carl
and Louise Eller. All three properties
are along the north side of Big Branch
Road.
Property on the south side of the
street is residential, and the town
does not plan to annex that property
unless requested.
The three businesses petitioned for
annexation into the town limits after
the Mare Hill Board of Aldermen
Communiiy Calendar
Young Republicans To Meet
The Madison County Young Republicans Club will meet
Thursday, at 7 p.m. at the Madison County Courthouse to
organize the club.
Parade Planned
The town of Hot Springs will sponsor a Christmas Parade on
Dec. 13 beginning at 2 p.m. For more information on entering
the parade, call 622-3227. Everyone is welcome to enter and at
tend the parade.
Holiday Dinners Planned
The American Legion Post 317 will hold its Thanksgiving
Tobacco Sales Begin Monday
Madison County tobacco farmers
are getting ready for the opening day
of burley sales
Sales are scheduled to begin at 9
a.m. Monday.
The four major tobacco
warehouses in Asheville opened their
doors last Friday, and have beefc ac
cepting burley ail week.
The warehouses include Days, Dix
ie Big Burley and Planters, all
located on Riverside Drive, and
Farmers, located on N.C.
81-Swannanoa River Road.
Bill Woody, sales supervisor for the
warehouses, said this year's drought
afflicted crop is expected to be
smaller than the 11.5 million pounds
of burley leaf sold at the warehouses
in IMS.
Last year, the gross average price
was $1.5788 per pound. Estimates of
the prices for this year's crop won't
be available until sales get under
way, Woody said.
Tobacco sales in Asheville grassed
more than $18 million last year, he
said.
The warehouses in Asheville are
the main sales outlets for barley
tobacco grown in Western North
Carolina, although some WNC
farmers use facilities in Greeneville,
Tenn.
This year's sales schedule consists
of 20 sales days.
Sales open at 9 a.m. Monday and .
continue Tuesday and Wednesday un
til they are suspended for Thanksgiv
ing holidays.
Sales will resume qo Monday, Dec.
l, and continue every Monday
through Thursday for the first three
weeks of December.
Following a Christmas break, sales
will resume on Jan. 5, finally coming
to a close Jan. 8.
Marshall Given Deadline For Sewer Work
last -vci'k with official* from the N.C.
and the U.S. Enviroann !it?l Protec
standing problems
i Rh r have shown t it
?m town is out of omittance nt
tate standards mora ortwn tfc>n not
enl
ficials one Marshal! t
n
nd ??wf Htath
ik . Jirr ?ithali?t
?f I problf npe<l to be ?oh
he year