F a Mountaineer
n?. 97 12 PAGES^ Haywood County At Thegastern Entrance Of The Great Smoky Mountains National Park "*
i^_ WAYNESVILLE, N. C, MONDAY AFTERNOON. NOV ?. -T777T-ri ?
$3.00 In Advance In Ha^ood and Jackson Counties"
Grand Jury Asks
Speaker System Be
Put fa Courtroom
1ST LEIPER has submitted his
fcaation as executive vice
uUent of Western North Car
ta Highlanders, Inc. His suc
sor will be named later, ac
rding to Maj. O. A. Fetch oi
?tana Village, president of the
(Wanders.
eiper Quits
is Official Of
[ighlanders
lut Leiper has submitted his
ignatiton as executive vice pres
K of Western North Carolina
Wanders, Inc., whose office is
If Masonic Temple here.
I] 0. A. Fetch, resident man
1 of Fontana Village and pres
K oI the Highlanders, explain
that Leiper resigned after the
tist group found It necessary
?t its operating budget.
If, Leiper. who has also served
fesident of the National Asso
ion of Travel Organizations, has
announced his future plans,
accessor will be named later,
? Fetch said.
t? Highlanders were organized
, as an outgrowth of the
wrn North Carolina Tourist
toation to promote the tourist
y. in 12 Wester^ Carolina
"tarn counties.
?fflbers include Haywood, Bun
Transylvania, Henderson,
vr ^ e' Graham. Macon,
ities Jackson and Polk
?ds Closed
1 Parkway
itil Spring
Portions of the
y Parkway to Mile High,
,am,p GaP and Heintooga
timer Thanksgiving Day for
te p"kw*>'
<U.ttn<*e* of snow were meas
Ithe ! 8 Gap Thursday
vS'dhciosed-Th,s scen'c
v Will be reopened in the
w said" Weather Permits, Mr.
L^eon Road Gap section of
HherT wniChhWaS Cl?SCd 0n
orial Day ?PCned 0n
frvmVarner explalned that
tl surf aintenance work on the
*iil n 3.re ?f the Wa8on Road
, '"0t permlt Us being open
spring the
Once again, a Haywood Grand
Jury has recommended that a
speaker system in the court room
"for the benefit of the court."
This is the same recommenda
tion made by former grand juries
in their reports. This was one of
several suggestions made by the
grand jury to the court, relative to
improvements and repairs to public
buildings.
Judge Susie Sharp ordered copies
of the report given the board of
commissioners and board of edu
cation.
The commisisoners said they will
give the matter of a speaker in the
court room every consideration at
an early date.
GRAND JURY REPORT
To Her Honor Susie Sharp,
Judge, Presiding and holding the
November Term, 1953, Superior
Court of Haywood County, North
Carolina:
We, the Grand Jury, herein sub
mit our finding in accordance with
Her Honor's instructions. We have
examined all available witnesses,
and, in our opinion, we, the Grand
Jury, have returned a true bill of
indictment in each instance where
there was probable cause.
In regard to Her Honor's in
structions concerning Haywood
County property, we furnish as fol
lows information obtained and
recommendations offered:
The County Home
We found 6 women and 9 men in
the home. We found the new part
that has been rebuilt in good con
(Continued on Pg. 6, Sec. 2)
Waynesville And j
Hazelwood To See
Christmas Parade
Saturday Morning
Young and old are looking for
ward to the Christmas parade in
Waynesville set for 10 o'clock next
Saturday m?rning, December 5. It
will be sponsored by the Merchants
Association
The parade will begin at the
high school, will march to Hazel
wood, there load in cars and pro
ceed to the First Baptist Church in
Waynesville.
The parade will re-assemble at
the Waynesville church at 10:45
and move down Main Street to the
court house. A special committee
is now at work on floats. The pa
rade will usher Santa Claus into
town.
Clyde Canvass
Set To Gather
Calendar Data
A door-to-door canvass of the
Clyde area to compile Information
for the Clyde Lions tlub "birthday
calendar" will begin this week, club
officials said today.
Proceeds from the calendars will
be used to finance Clyde's aid-to
the-blind program. Present plans
are to publish the calendar which
will feature a picture of Clyde High
School, sometime in May.
The calendar will list citizen*'
birthdays and the meeting dates of
civic organizations.
The canvass will be conducted by
the Lions and members of the
Clyde School P.T.A. i
f
COACH C. E. WEATHERBY expresses his appre
ciation for the rift of new Ford car presented to
him during halftime ceremonies last Thursday at
the Canton-Waynesville game. The presentation
was made by Bill Milner (right), who played un
der Coach Weatherby at Waynesville High and
was later named AU-American at Duke.
(Mountaineer Photo).
Asheville Burley Sales
Open With $52 Average
1954 License
Plates Will Go
On Sale Tuesday
North Carolina's 1954 license
plates will go on sale tomorrow
for Haywopd County drivers at the
Canton Chamber of Commerce
office on Park St., next to the A.
& P. supermarket.
The new tags will be black on
yellow?the reverse of this year's
color scheme.
Registration cards or one of the
license-renewal cards mailed out by
the state recently must be submit
ted in order to purchase plates.
Cost of the plates are based on the
weight of the vehicle for which
they are bought.
Recreation School
To Open Tonight
A three-day recreation training
school will open tonight at the
Ha?elwood school gymnasium, with
Lonnie Powell of the North Caro
lina Recreation Commission giving
demonstrations and instructions in
all types of recreation.
The meeting is being sponsored
by the county agent's office to as
sist various groups in the county to
plan their 1954 recreation program.
A special invitation has been ex-',
tended to Community Development!
Program officials, 4-H Exchange
Club members, and adult leaders.
Messer Winner
Of Last Contest
Howell Messer of Hazelwood?
with only two misses out of a pos
sible 12?won The Mountaineer's
final football contest of the 1953
season and $15 in prize money.
His only misses were on the
Mississippi-Mississippi State tie and
Florida's upset by Miami.
Twenty-seven other contestants
uissed only three games.
An average of $32 per hundred
pounds wag paid by two sets of
buyers at Asheville markets today
as the 1953-54 burley season open
ed in Western North Carolina.
In opening sales, priees ranged
from one to 18 points ahead of
government support prices. The
top price in the first hour of sales
was $69 a hundredweight.
Straw and tan lugg and flyings
brought highest prices, but red
dish leaf ran faf- shead of ltd sup
port prices.
Two sets of buyers will be used
permanently at Asheville auctions,
according to J. P. Ramsey, market
supervisor. Double sales were
tried in 1951, but were abandoned
after four days.
Some 700.000 pounds of burley
was off:ered on the floors of nixie
No. 1 and Carolina warehouses,
with sales scheduled tomorrow at
Carolina and Bernard Walker No.
3 houses.
Bloodmobile
Ready For Large
Number of Donors
The Red Cross Bloodmobile was
prepared to take 36 pints of blood
an hour when it opened at 11 a.m.
Monday at the Waynesville Presby
| tcrian Church. Nine beds were set
j up. A doctor. Col. Frederick Starr
Wright, and a professional staff of
six, and the services of some 15
volunteer Grey Ladies of Waynes
ville were all available to help meet
the minimum quota of 125 pints
hoped for by the sponsoring Lions
Club.
First donor of the day was Mrs.
C. D. Hyatt who gave her eleventh
pint of blood since this Red Cross!
service was Instituted. She is on
her second gallon, and began work
ing as a volunteer as soon as she
made made the donation.
Second donor this morning was
the Lions new co-chairman for the
blood program, Johnny Edwards.
He gave his 9th donation.
Rudolph Carswell is co-chairman
with Edwards, and Mrs. Felix Sto
(See Bloodmobile?Page 6)
Community Gives
Car To Weatherby
For Leadership
A campaign which began last
June to show Coach C. E. Weathrfcr
by the community's appreciation of
his work with young people in the
area, came to a climax at half
time of the Waynesville-Canton
game Thursday as he was presented
with a new Ford.
The Chamber of Commerce hos
pitality committee, headed by G. C.
Thompson, spearheaded the move
ment, and quietly, and easily, rais
ed the money for the purchase of
the Ford.
Tlw?cai*?fc"truly a feiftVrom' th#
community, and was presented to
Coach Weatherby in behalf of the
community, by Bill Milner, former
ly a Mountaineer player, and later
an All-American guard in 1942
while a member of the Duke team,
and after two years In the Marine
Corps, returned to Duke, as cap
tain, and was named on the second
team of All-American players.
Later Milner played for three years
with the Chicago Bears in pro foot- i
ball, and in 1950 captained the new
York Giants.
Coach Weatherby, noticeably
touched by the presentation, thank
ed the donors for their gift "on
behalf of me and.my family" and
expressed the wish that he would
have the opportunity "to haul many
of Waynesville's young people in
this car."
(Before the team started using
buses, coaches used their own cars
to take their griddesr to football
games.)
Burley Allotments
For #54 Reduced
A decrease of 48 million pounds
in the allotments of burley tobac
co for 1954 has been announced by
the U. S. Department of Agricul
ture. The quota next year will be
526 million pounds as compared
with 574 million pounds this year.
The burley acreage will be 395,
500 acres in 1954 as compared with
432,750 this year. Individual allot
ments will average about 8 per cent
less per farm.
Burley is grown chiefly in Ken
tucky. Tennessee, Virginia, North
Carolina, Ohio, Indiana, West Vir
ginia, and Missouri.
Long-Lost Member Of
Brock Family Found
The Brock family of Haywood
County has found a relative "lost"
for 97 years! In 1896 Mary Re
becca Brock, then 8 years old, was
sent to an orphanage in Thomas
ville. Until three weeks ago every
attempt of her large and grieving
family to find her seemed useless.
She had just dropped out of exis
tence.
But as Miss Brock says laugh
ingly today, "I wasn't lost. I knew
where I was ail the time. It was
the family that was lost."
In those far-away days of 1896.
Miss Brock's mother had died and
her father, the late Jim Brock, was
an invalid. The family of 9 girls
and 4 boys was broken up with the
two youngest, Rebecca and a broth
er going to the orphanage.
During the first year the brother
ran away from the orphanage and
came back to Waynesville. It was
then that the older brothers de
cided to bring their sister back. too.
But the orphanage said that they
knew nothing of her whereabouts!
The orphanage claimed that the
little girl had been adopted and
that their records had been burn
ed. The Brock brothers made every
effort to trace their sister, even to
the point of adevrtislng for her.
Meanwhile little Rebecca had
been adopted by a kind and good
family, the Rev. and Mrs. Ernest
Johnson of Crew, Virginia, the only
family that she has known all these
57 years. Her foster mother select
ed a nice name for the girl, Louise
Burns, and it is by that name that
Miss Brock feels more at home
and right.
Since her foster father was a
Baptist minister, the family lived
many places in Virginia, but Rlch
(See Lost Member?Page 6)
MISS MARY REBECCA BROCK (left) talks to her niece, Mrs.
Tom Gilllland, (right), about the story of her life In Virginia as
an adopted child of a Baptist minister's family. Miss Brock was
lost to her own family 57 years ago when her name was changed
and the orphanage In which she had been placed at| the age of 8
claimed no record of her ladoptlon.
Yerlin Gunler Given Life
As He Enters Guilty Plea
Drs. Lancaster
And Davis Form
An Associateship
Dr. Jack Beason Davis, of Mur
phy, will become associated with
Dr. N. F. Lancaster in the gen
eral practice of medicine and sur
gery on Saturday, December 5th.
The 30-year-old native of An
drews, is the son of Mr. and Mrs.
Hamilton Ewart Davis, originally
of Iron Duff, and a druggist for
many years of Andrews.
Dr. Davis entered the Univer
sity of Virginia in 1942, after fin
ishing high school at Andrews. In
J944 he entered the Harvarfl Medi
cal school, completing his studies
there in 1948, where he was a
member of the Nu Sigma Nu Medi
cal Fraternity. -The following two
years he served a rotating intern
ship at the Presbyterian Hospital,
Philadelphia. He left there and
went into the Naval Medical Corps
from 1950 to 1952. In July, 1952,
he returned to Murphy, his na
tive county, and worked on a
salary basis with Dr. W. A. Hoover
until last week, when he resigned
to take up his new duties here.
He is a member of the Baptist
church in Murphy, as well as the
Cherokee Medical Society, North
Carolina State Medical Society,
and the American Medical Society.
Dr. Davis will share the offices
of Dr. Lancaster In the Masonic
Temple. Dr. and Mrs. Davis ylll
make 'their home at the"Balsam
Manor Apartments, and will ar
rive on Tuesday.
Dr. Lancaster suffered a heart
attack in September, and his pres
ent plans are to begin limited ac
tivities in resuming his practice
in the near future.
Christmas Seals
To Be Mailed
During Week
Approximately 2,500 Christmas
seals will go into the mails In Way
nesville and Hazelwood this week
in a drive to raise $1,300 to finance
tuberculosis work in Haywood
County next year.
Persons who receive seals in the
mail will be asked to contribute $2
toward the campaign.
The Christmas seals were put
into envelopes at a "stuffing" party
Friday nigltt at the courthouse.
F.nvelopes were addressed earlier
by students in Mrs. Hugh Sloan's
tvping classes at Waynesvllle High
School.
Mrs. R. R. Campbell is chairman
of the Christmas seal campaign,
while Dr. Frank Hammett is chair
man of the Waynesvllle Tubercu
losis Committee.
Haywood Baptists
To Hold Special
Meeting Friday
A large congregation from ]
throughout Haywood county is ex- I
pected to attend the special services
at the First Baptist church Friday <
evening. 7:30, as a special program i
will be given in connection with the I
Week of Prayer for Foreign Mis
sions. I
Miss Neale Young, for many years i
a missionary to Nigeria, and Miss '
Ruth Provence, State W.M.U. sec- (<
retary, will be on the program. I i
The first degree murder case
of the state vs. Verlln Gunter re
quired exactly 10 minutes in open
court for disposition on Friday
morning, as the defendant entered
through his attorneys, a plea of
guilty of first degree murder, which
carried a mandatory life sentence.
Court was delayed in opening
for 35 minutes, as Judge Susie
Sharp consulted with Gunter's
lawyers and the solicitor, on the
proposed plea Of guilty. As court
opened at 10:05, Glenn W. Brown,
who had been appointed by the
court as Gunter's lawyer, togeth
er with James Hardin Howell Jr.,
read the defendant's plea of guil
ty of first degree murder for the
death of Robert Ford, In the Mt.
Sterling section, on August 2. Ford
was shot on July 30, but lived un
til August 2nd, when he died in a
Newport Hospital.
Gunter made no statement in
court, and showed no signs of emo
tion, as Judge Sharp sentenced
him to state prison for the rest
of his natural life.
When Gunter signed the plea
of guilty, he broke, but in open
court he controlled his emotions.
With Gunter were his parents,
two sisters and a brother, who is
serving in the Army. The Gunter
family was happy over the decis
ion.
In sentencing Gunter to life,
Judge Sharp said: "The court has
no alternative !>ut to sentence you
to the state prison for your natur
al life."
Solicited Thad Bryson, In accept
ing the plea of the defendant, said:
"I have investigated this case
thoroughly, and held numerous
conferences with the hseriff, S.B.I,
and associates. This is the fifth
capital case to come up in my dis
trict this year?.more than twice
the number in any former two
years?and I want to thank Mr.
Brown and Mr. Howell for accept
ing the court appointment to rep
resent the defendant, and the state
accepts the plea of guilty of Ver
lin Qunter."
A * 1 n . i c n a * ?
ni lu.u uuuiei was on nis way
back to his cell, where he had
been since July 31, to await the
trip to State Prison In Raleigh,
probably at the end of the present
term of court this weekend.
Gunter and Ford had been
friends all their lives In the Mt.
Sterling section. Gunter said that
Ford had been picking on him, and
this, together with the fact that
they both liked Miss Pearl Sut
(See Gunter?Page 6)
Flames Destroy
Champion Paper
Storage Building
The old Russell Motor Co. build
ing on Main St. in Canton, which
was being used by Champion Paper
and Fibre Co. as a storage unit,
was destroyed by Are Saturday
night.
A 1952 Cadillac sedan, a two
ton truck, and a motorcycle, all
owned by Champion, and a 37
passenger bus, owned by the Cham
pion YMCA, were destroyed in the
blaze.
Canton Fire Chief H. L. Setzer
estimated the loss to the vehicles
at $14,000 and damages to the
building at $16,000.
Chief Setzer said that the fire
orobably originated from a short
:ircuit in the wiring on the bus.
The flames were brought under
:ontrol within an hour and 15 min
Jtcs after the alarm was turned In.
Solicitor Working To
Reduce Court Docket
? ? *
Warren Case
Likely To Be
Called Soon
"I hope to clear every case pos
sible off the docket this term of
court," Solicitor Thad D. Bryson
told The Mountaineer this morning.
"There are some cases where some
of the witnesses have moved away,
that will necessitate continuance of
the case, but where it is possible,
I plan to call every case possible
between now and this weekend,"
the solicitor said, as the second
week of court got under way with
Judge Susie Sharp, of Reldsville,
presiding.
At noon today, it was apparent
that Solicitor Bryson would call the
case of Joseph Cassty Warren, who
i*-. charged with the murder of
David Underwood, on August 30,
at the Warren home, about a block
off the Hyatt Creek Road.
Hayes Alley, attorney for War
ren, was In conference with the
defendant just prior to the noon
recess of court.
The sheriff's department was
getting additional men to serve
on the jury for today, as only 11 of
the regular 18 named for the sec
ond week were serving.
Among the cases disposed of dur
ing the past days included:
Robert Richland Hyatt, driving
intoxicated, fined $100 and costs,
placed on probation. ,
William Henry Boone, operating
motor vehicle while intoxicated,
fined $100 and costs, placed on
probation.
Willie Dee Wood, former judg
ment of six months on roads for
driving drunk, changed $100 fine
and costs, and placad on ploba<ion.
Roy Buck Johnson entered plea
of guilty aid and abetting in op
erating motor vehicle while intoxi
cated, fined $100 and costs, and
placed on probation.
rvuy raoore, pleaded guilty of
abandonment, non-support of wife
and child, given 5-year suspended
sentence, upon payment of $7
weekly, and abstain from use of
alcoholic beverages.
Lawrence Sneed, pleads guilty
of issuing worthless checks, giv
en 12-months suspended sentence
for 5 years, and pay $215 to cover,
bad checks issued, placed under
$500 bond.
Billie Brown pleads guilty of
larceny of truck valued at $100.
Sentenced to 6 months on roads.
Gay Wilson Manus, speeding in
excess of 70 miles on hour. Fined
$25 and cost.
Tommy Medford Carpenter, op
erating motor vehicle while in
toxicated, 4-month suspended sen
tence, fined $100, and costs, li
cense suspended for year.
John Frank Hoyle, driving
drunk, six months on roads.
George T. Snyder, aiding and
abetting in operating motor ve
hicle while intoxicated. Four
month suspended sentence, upon
payment of $100 and costs, abstain
from use of alcoholic beverages.
James White, sentenced 26
months on roads.
J. W. Arrington vs Tinie Ar
rington, divorce, two years separ
ation.
Jay Inman. destroying personal
property, a former 15-month sus
pended sentence, must pay $300
(See Court?Page 6)
Waynesville, Hazel wood
Firemen To Attend Meet
Approximately 10 members of
the Waynesville Fire Department
and 15 from Hazelwood will at
tend a meeting of the Western
North Carolina Firemen's Associa
tion at Enka Tuesday night.
The meeting will be held in tho
Enka Rayon cafeteria.
917 Acres In Haywood
Destroyed By Forest Fires
Haywood County forests ? with
917 acres burned?were |hit much
harder by forest fires from July
1 to November 24 than any other
Western Carolina county west of
Ashevlllc, according to a report by
the Division of Forestry of the
North Carolina Department of Con
servation and Development
Other losses were:
Swain County. 209 acres; Jack
son, 143; Cherokee. 39; Clay, 35;
Macon. 16; Graham, 9; and Tran
sylvania. 1.
In the number of fires reported,
Haywood had 16, Jackosn and
Cherokee 12. Swain and Macon 7,
Graham 5, Clay 2, and Transyl
vania one.
Six of the fires in Haywood Coun
ty were attributed to brush burn
ing. five to campers and hunters,
two to smokers, one to incendiary
origin, and two to miscellaneous
causes.
Haywood County forests, aloiu
with others in Western North
Carolina, were reopened to the
public last Monday after being
closed for several weeks to reduce
the danger of forest fires, brought
on by the extreme dryness this fall.
Highway
Record For
1953
In Haywood
(To Date)
Killed.:;: 4
Injured.... 48
(This Information
piled from Record* at
State Highway Patrol.)
The
?Qther
U.UUDY
l?*y> flnudy and cool with
liH? litl'e Hght rain. Tues
^han8e In temperature.
' waynesvllle temperature
Piled by the SUte Teat Farm.
Max. Min. Rainfall
? " 87 23 _
Z~ -W 21 -
a - ? i? -
?- 51 15 ?