The News -Journal
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The Hoke County News
The Hoke County Journal
VOLUME XLIX; NUMBER 45
THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 1955
RAEFORD, N. C.
10c PER COPY
$3.00 PER YEAR
K M jyi Of IIHtBTT
By The Editor
Sat around the lobby of the
Pinehurst Country Club Tuesday
waiting to have lunch with the
other news people and Mr. Huf
lines and the Amerotron men, and
I got a real kick out of watching
the upper crust take it easy there,
rubbing elbows with them, so to
speak. My wife got on me about
not wearing my Sunday suit, but
I didn't want to look like I had
never been in a place like that
before, so I just dressed decent
but ordinary, like, and it turned
out I was still just about the
dressed-uppest man there. I did
n't notice anybody startng at me
or worrying much, though, so I
suppose I got by. Reckon those
folks had their own business, or
pleasure, on their minds too much
to pay me any attention. Course,
that's really what I was shooting
at . . . just not to be noticed. I
figured if they don't notice you
they probably expect you are just
another millionaire loafing a
round. Seriously, though, that trip and
the two hours with Mr. Huffines,
Frank Roberts and Al Grant
heartened me tremendously about
this town's future. Mr. Huffines
impressed me as one of the
smartest men I have ever known,
who knows just where he and
his company are going. They are
very proud of their plant here
and I gather they plan for it to
be an outstanding producer and
a showplace as well of the entire
textile industry. Something we
can start putting on our business
stationery and our Chamber of
Commerce mailings is this fact
he gave us about Raeford Amer
otror plant being the largest
worsted mill in the ehtire wojlu.
We have been looking for a clear
cut distinction for our town, and
this is it. . .His explanation of
their entire setup and the possi
bility for mutual support among
the enterprises convinced me that
it's going to be a combination
that can't be beat.
John McGoogan showed his face
at the courthouse last Saturday
for the first time in two months,
during which time he had been
mighty sick. He has been coming
in for a few minutes eac" day
since, and is looking fine. 1 ays
he can't dig in as he once did,
but as he puts it is letting his
mind "free wheel." Doctors don't
want him to work much and want
him to worry none. He looked as
tickled as a kid with an ice cream
cone to be back, and folks in the
courthouse and over the county
are about that glad to see him
getting out.
Marion Gatlin was able to get
out in two ways this week, after
the freeze confined him last week.
He came out to his garden on
Wednesday afternoon, and came
out for another term on the town
board ar well.
The bill they have passed in
Raleigh about the county law en
forcement situation in Cumberland
County may be all right, but it
doesn't look so to me. The repre
sentatives in the general assem
bly had the entire say about the
bill, as the legislators always go a
long with each other on local bills.
They objected to letting the people
of Cumberland County vote on
the matter when that was men
tioned, and were successful in
keeping them from having that
opportunity. If they were afraid
the people wouldn't want the new
' bill, as this would seem to indi
cate, then it certainly shouldn't
be forced on them without a vote,
In my opinion. The big majority
the people gave the sheriff last
year may have entered into this
consideration and led to a con
clusion that the people wouldn't
vote for a bill stripping him of
his law enforcement powers and
duties.
The lot on the corner at Main
Street and Elwood Avenue that
was made vacant by the removal
of the red wagon last week is
vacant no longer. Bill Wright
brought in another wagon, a yel
low one this time, equipped for
the sale of dairy products primar
ily. This is the same wagon that
was located on the lot opposite
the courthouse last summer. Fill
has put It back from the slde
( Continued on Back Page)
Amerotron President Explains Plans,
Organization; Expansion Is Planned
At a luncheon Tuesday at Pine
hurst with' press and radio re
presentatives from Red Springs,
Raeford, Southern Pines and
Pinehurst, Robert L. Huffines,
president of Textron American
and its subsidiary, Amerotron
Corporation, explained the cor
porate structure of the two com
panies and gave some of their
long range and immediate plans
affecting this area. Among other
things he said about the Raeford
plant of Amerotron was the fact
that it L the world's largest
worsted icing plant.
Mr. Huu.nes said that the
Amerotron Corporation, wholly
owned by Textron American, is
expected to produce with its 29
plants about one-half the dollar
volume of the entire Textron or
ganization, the other half being
produced by non-textile opera
tions. Textron American was re
cently formed by a merger of
Textron, American Woolen and
Robbins Mills, and the name
"Amerotron" was coined with
syllables from each name. About
$150 million is expected from
each half of the Textron opera
tion, he said.
The Amerotron operation is di
vided into areas, with the four
former Robbins plants in this sec
tion being in Area B, with Frank
Roberts, vice president and mem
ber of the board of directors, as
director, and Al Grant, former
Robbins vice president, as his as
sistant director. These men were
hosts with Mr. Huffines at the
luncheon. Area B has headquar
ters in Aberdeen and has 3240
employees at the present time,
with the Raeford plant, with 1050
being the largest. The payroll for
tht four plants is running about
$127,000 weekly. In a year, how
ever, t payroll for the four
plants is expected to run to about
nine million dollars.
Expansions Planned
Mr. Huffines told of plans for
immediate, relatively small ex
pansions at tHe Raeford and Ab
erdeen plants. About 25,000 ad
ditional feet of floor space is
planned at Raeford, if suitable
water and disposal can be ar
ranged, for lying operation. The
addition will involve some 20 or
24 employees. In Aberdeen, con
struction has begun on a 15,000
Start Building For
News-Journal Mon.
Work was begun Monday on a
new building for The News
Journal by the Speros Construc
tion Company of Maxton. The
building is being constructed on
a lot at 119 West Elwood Avenue
formerly owned by T. B. Uu
church, Inc., and formerly oc
cupied by the little brick build
ing the late T. B. Upchurch built
as a shoe shop and dwelling for
the late Doc Bratcher, crippled
colored shoemaker.
The building ' is to be of slag
block construction with concrete
floors and steel supported roof,
with brick and glass front. It is
to be 30 feet wide and 115 feet
deep to an alley, and will afford
the paper about twice the floor
space it now occupies at 115
North Main Street. Modernization
of its printing plant and installa
tion of a complete line of station
ery and office supplies is planned
by the paper.
The premises now occupied by
The News-Journal have been
leased by Homer McGuinn, for
merly of Hendersonville, who
lives with his family at 605 North
Stewart Street now. He plans to
open a Western Auto Associate
Store in the building, after it is
remodeled for him.
0
PEOPLE'S METHODIST
CHURCH PLAN REVIVAL
Revival services will begin
Sunday, April 10, at People's
Methodist Church, located at the
corner of Green Street and West
Sixth Avenue, the pastor, the
Rev. Frank Self, announced this
week. Services will be at 7:30
each evening. The pastor will
bring the messages and there will
be special singing at each service.
0
Mrs. Josephine Carlyle, who is
visiting her sisters here, Miss
Reba Roberts and Mrs. Bert
Brown, is spending several days
this week In Greensboro and
Winston-Salem with friends and
relatives.
foot addition to house the central
accounting office of Amerotron,
which will be moved there when
it is completed. This will mean
the addition of from 40 to 50 ad
ditional clerical and accounting
employees.
' describing the Raeford plant
al le world s largest worsted
milt, the president said that it
was expected to run the plant
here on predominantly wooled
fabrics for about six months of
the year and on predominantly
synthetic fabrics the other six
months. He was highly compli
mentary of the community ac
ceptance of the plants in all the
localities, and commented that
the friendly feeling for the plants
in the towns was considered a
big asset by the company.
Fashion Editors Coming
Telling the news people of an
other imminent activity of the
company with publications, Mr.
Huffines said that the fashion ed
itors of seven or eight of the
country's best known women's
fashion magazines would be guests
of the company in this area next
Tuesday. Among them he men
tioned Vogue, Harper's Bazaar,
Mademoiselle, and Seventeen.
These ladies are coming primar
ily to see the largest worsted
plant here, and the outstanding
hand-woven woolen plant of An
glow Tweeds near Pinehurst,
which Amerotron is also finan
cially Interested in.
The growing need for housing
in Aberdeen, Raeford and Red
Springs was also mentioned, with
Huffines placing an emphasis on
moderate and higher priced
homes.
He also said that Royal Little,
chairman of the board of Tex
tron American and Amerotron,
had announced that day the pur
chase of Ryan Industries of De
troit. Ryan manufacturers a wide
variety of products for the Air
Foice and is presently specializ
ing in electro mechanical and
electronic devises in the radar
field. He said that plants which
could not be operated at a profit
were being disposed of, and that
losses in recently acquired plants
were being reduced in a highly
satisfactory manner, particularly
those in this area.
Name Brock Farm As
Last Week's Picture
The farm of Walter M. Brock
on Raeford, Route two, was iden
tified by several readers as the
home pictured in last week's
paper, although Mr. Brock has
not called for his free mounted
copy of the picture yet, and com
plete information cannot be given
about it.
First identification was by W.
C. Pendergrass of Route two, and
first rural subscriber to make
correct identification was Mrs.
William A. Bennett, Jr., of Route
two. Buddy Willis, who won sev
eral weeks ago, was also early in
naming it. Others were Stanley
Koonce, Mrs. Louis Brock, Jean
Brock, Mrs. E. T. Brock and Mrs.
H. S. Carroll of Route three.
One reader guessed the picture
was of Mr. and Mrs. Crawford
Wright's home on Route three.
Fire Department
Buys Resuscitator
The Raeford volunteer fire de
partment has just purchased an
Emerson portable resuscitator for
use in cases of smoke suffocation,
electric shock, heart failure,
drowning and other similar ac
cidents. Fire Cheif R. B. Lewis
announced this week. He said that
a rescue squad would be formed
within the fire department to
answer calls throughout the com
munity, They have also purchas
ed two modern smoke masks.
This equipment has cost the
fire company about $600, and is
being paid for out of their own
funds, Chief Lewis said.
0
RURITAN SUPPER, SHOW
The Stonewall Ruritan Club is
planning a chicken supper and
talent show at Mildouson School
on the night of Wednesday, April
27. The supper is planned to last
from 5:00 to 8:00, and the talent
show is to start at 8:00. Full de
tails will be published later.
Hoke Wins, 14-4 Over
Laurel Hill Tuesday
The Hoke High baseball team
got its first taste of victory for
the 1955 season when they de
feated Laurel Hill, 14-4, here
Tuesday afternoon. Thornburg
pitched , for the Hoke team,
striking out 10, walking five and
allowing seven hits.
Hoke High got their 14 runs on
12 hits, off three Laurel Hill pit
chers. Kenneth Culbreth was
leader at the plate with two
doubles and a single in four trips.
The locals scored one in the first,
five in the fourth, two in the
fifth and six in the sixth. Four
runs were walked in in the sixth.
Laurel Hill got three runs in
the second and one in the seven
th. Joe McLeod added to the Hoke
score by batting in four runs. The
Hoke team plays in Tabor City
Friday, and plays here again next
Friday, April 15, when Laurin-
burg comes here.
Recorder Hears
Light Session 0(
Court Tuesday
Only 11 cases were heard in
Hoke County recorder's court
Tuesday before Judge T. O. Moses
with three of these being for
speeding.
Jacob Jack Ellis, white man re
lated to the Jean Ellis who is
charged with operating a place
for immoral purposes south of
Raeford on 15-A, offered no de
fense to charges of driving after
his license had been revoked and
careless and reckless driving. He
was fined $200 and court costs.
Leroy Murcliison, colored, was
found guilty of assault with a
deadly weapon inflicting serious
injury on James L. White. Sen
tence was one year, suspended on
payment of $250 and costs, two
years good behavior, stay away
from the "Ace-High" club for
two years and not carry a knife
during that time.
Julius McRae, colored, pled
guilty of driving drunk and got
90 days suspended on payment of
$100 and costs. He was found
guilty of carrying a concealed
weapon and got 30 days suspend
ed on payment of $25 and costs
for this.
Donald L. Shaw, Jr., colored,
offered no defense to a charge of
non-support. Judgment was con
tinued on payment of costs and
on condition that he pay $20
monthly toward the support of
his minor child.
R. E. Dockery, colored, pled
guilty of assaulting his wife, in
flicting serious injury. He was
sent to the roads for two years.
B. D. Wright, white, was found
not guilty on a charge of refus
ing to endorse assignment of a
car title by John Butler.
Jason Harrington, colored, got
30 days suspended on payment of
$25 and costs for careless and
reckless driving.
Donald J. Callahan, white sol
dier, pled guilty of speeding and
careless driving without a driv
er's license. He had to pay $100
and costs. Two others paid costs
for speeding and Herman R.
Currie, colored, paid $10 and
costs for having improper brakes
on his car.
Mildred Phillips, white, left a
$15 bond for having no driver's
license.
Mayor, Town Board
Are Running Again
Robert Weaver, town clerk, said
today that Mayor Alfred Cole
and the five members of the pre
sent board of town commissioners
had filed as candidates for re
election. The members of the
board are Truman Austin, Tom
Cameron, A. V. Sanders, Marion
Gatlin and John K. McNeill, Jr.
No other candidates have filed
so far, Weaver said, although the
time for filing does not close un
til April 23.'
Weaver called the attention of
people who have moved to Rae
ford recently to the fact that the
Lregistration books for voters are
open, and mat tney should reg
ister to vote in the election May
2. He said there had been very
few registrations since the books
opened this week.
0
Ed Cocke bt Albany, Georgia
spent several days this week with
Mr. and Mrs. T. B. Upchurch.
Raeford Baptist
Church Revival Is
To Start Monday
-' ' s ! Vvi 1 1
j
REV. JAMES P. CARROLL
A series of revival services will
be conducted at the Raeford Bap
tist Church jtarting next Monday
night, it has been announced by
the Rev. James E. Baker, pastor.
The services will be held each
evening at 7:45 o'clock, Monday
through Sunday. Morning serv
ices will begin on Tuesday at
10:30 and will continue through
Friday. There will be no morning
service on Saturday and the Sun
day morning service will be at
11:00 o'clock.
The messages will be brought
by the Rev. James P. Carroll, pas
tor of the Bamburg Baptist
Church of Bamburg, South Car
olina, Mr. Baker said.
Funeral Held Tues.
For Mrs. McVicker
Who Died On Mon.
Mrs. Margaret McLeod Mc
Vicker died at her home here on
Monday, at the age of 84.
She was a native of that part
of what is now this county that
was formerly Cumberland, and
was the daughter of the late
Lauchlin and Effie Wilson Mc
Leod. She was the widow of the
late Thomas E. McVicker, and
they spent their entire lives in
this county.
The funeral service was con
ducted at the Raeford Methodist
Church at 3:00 o'clock Tuesday
afternoon by the pastor, the Rev.
J. Herbert Miller, assisted by the
Rev. W. B. Heyward, pastor of
the Raeford Presbyterian Church.
Burial followed in the Raeford
cemetery.
Mrs. McVicker is survived by
three daughters, Mrs. J. B. Hair
and Mrs. Robert Cox of Raeford,
and Mrs. James Johnson of Cam
eron; three sons, Graham Mc
Vicker of Fayetteville, Edgar D.
McVicker of Portsmouth, Va., and
John McVicker of the home; 17
grandchilrcn and seven great
grandchildren. n
Freeze Victims May
Apply For Loans
Farmers in Hoke County whose
crops were damaged by the re
cent freeze can apply to the Far
mers Home Administration for
emergency loans to continue op
erations, Hubert C. Chaney, coun
ty manager, said today.
Funds advanced for crop pro
duction purposes are repayable
when the income from the sale of
crops produced with the loans is
received, Chaney said. He also
said that loan funds may be used
to take care of normal expenses
of continued operation, but are
net to be used to pay existing
debts. Application may be made
at the local FHA office.
JAYCEES TO SPONSOR
DANCE SATURDAY NIGHT
The Raeford Junior Chamber
of Commerce is sponsoring a
dance at the Raeford Armory
Saturday night, April 9, from
8:00 until midnight. Music will
be furnished by David Pugh and
his popular orchestra, and pro
ceeds will be used by the Jay
cees for their civic projects.
o
Mrs. Ray Collins and sons, Alan
and Bruce, are making their home
with Mrs. Collins' parents, Mr.
and Mrs. Lewis M. Upchurch. Mr.
Collins is stationed with the Air
Force in Texas.
Tickets For Kiwanis
Sponsored Game Are
Placed On Sale
Tickets for the baseball game
to be played here between the
Fayetteville Highlanders of the
Class B Carolina League and the
All-Stars of the 82nd Airborne
Division were placed on sale this
week, Publicity Chairman R. B.
Lewis stated yesterday.
The game will be played at the
local high school park near the
National Guard armory at 8:00
o'clock on the night of Friday of
next week, April 15. It marks the
first appearance here in some
time of teams of this caliber and
the Raeford Kiwanis Club, spon
soring the game for its civic pro
jects, is expecting a large crowd
of Raeford and Hoke County
baseball lovers to be on hand.
Tickets may be obtained from the
high school Key club boys or from
members of the Kiwanis club.
County Board Has
Monthly Meeting
The Hoke County commission
ers held their regular monthly
meeting at the courthouse Mon
day. They also sat as a board of
tax equalization and review, and
heard one compliant in this cap
acity.
Alfred Cole, county civil de
fense director, appeared before
the board and asked for funds to
organize the people of the coun
ty for civil defense and to fami
liarize them with the program.
The board appropriated $100 for
this purpose, and told him to
come back when more was need
ed.
At the request of the town
commissioners the county board
voted to ask Representative H. A.
Greene to have the jurisdiction of
the Raeford policemen extended
to one mile outside the city limits.
The board appointed S. J.
Bradshaw of Carthage as electri
cal inspector for Little River
Township. He is already inspec
tor for Moore County.
A project of the Raeford Junior
Chamber of Commerce to put
lights at the swimming hole on
Rockfish Creek was approved.
It was decided to close the
courthouse and county offices
on Wednesday afternoons during
the summer months, starting at
once, except that the offices of
the county farm and home agents
will be closed on Saturday morn
ings instead.
Next Monday, Easter Monday,
whs also declared a holiday for
all these offices and the court
house.
Mrs. Janie McGougan
Dies Last Wednesday
Near Lumber Bridge
Mrs. Janie Townsend McGou
gan, 88, widow of John Duncan
McGougan, died on Wednesday
night, March 30, at her home
near Lumber Bridge after an ill
ness of five years.
She was born August 16, 1866,
in Bennettsville, S. C, a daugh
ter of the late Rev. James Thomas
Townsend and Mary Ann Hay
wood Townsend. The greater part
of her life was spent in Cumber
land and Hoke counties.
Mrs. McGougan was a charter
member of the Tabernacle Bap
tist Church at Rockfish, but after
her marriage in 1898 she moved
her membership to the Lumber
Bridge Baptist Church.
Funeral services were conduct
ed Friday afternoon at 3:00 o'
clock from the residence by her
pastor, the Rev. Jerry R. Debell,
assisted by a former pastor, the
Rev. J. M. Gibbs of Stedman.
Burial was in the McGougan
family cemetery nearby. Pall
bearers were Duncan Malloy, Jr.,
F. L. Tolar, Clifford Bostic, Jesse
Gascoigne, Lloyd Bass, Colin
Ammons, Jr., T. C. Chason and
Earl Tolar.
Mrs. McGougan is survived by
one son, J. M. McGougan; one
daughter, Miss Vera McGougan;
two stepsons, D. L. and J. E. Mc
Gougan, all of Lumber Bridge;
two grandchllren, Mrs. John S.
Gardner of Lumberton and Lt.
James D. McGougan of the U. S.
Army in Germany; one sister,
Mrs. W. T. Boseman of Whisper
ing Pines, Fayetteville; 13 step
grandchildren, 17 great-grand
children and a large number of
nieces and nephews.
Miss Carol McPhaul was the
week end guest of Miss Anne
Bracey In ML Olive.
Guard Unit Here
To Take Part In
Test Alert Soon
Company A, 130th Tank Bat
talion, North Carolina National
Guard, will play an important
part in the nationwide one-day
TEST alert of Army and Air
National Guard units to be held
sometime in April.
The alert will be known as
"Operation Minuteman," accord
ing to Captain Edwin D. Newton,
commanding the company. All
other units of the North Carolina
National uuara win aiso parti
cipate in the alert, first of its kind
ever held in the United States.
Captain Newton cautioned citi
zens of Raeford and Hoke County
that "Operation Minuteman" is
being planned only for training
purposes, and to test the mobili
zation plans for all Army and Air
National Guard units throughout
North Carolina and the United
States.
To Use Fire Alarm
"For that reason," he said, "we
ask the people of the town and
county not to be alarmed when
this test alert is sounded and our
National Guard unit is temporar
ily mobilized." The alert call in
Raeford is four long blasts on the
town's fire alarm, and Raeford
Fire Chief R. B. Lewis this week
added a note of caution to mem
bers of the fire company and citi
zens. He asked all firemen and
citizens to stand fast when the
four blasts are sounded and not
go to the fire house. "This will
save much confusion and maybe
accidents when the Guardsmen
are alerted," the chief said.
Captain Newton emphasized
that the exact date and time of
"Operation Minuteman" will be
kept secret. The alert orders will
come directly from Adjutant
General John Hall Manning in
Raleigh, anci will be coordinated
with simultaneous alerts in the
other states, the District of Co
lumbia, Alaska, Hawaii and
Puerto Rico, he added.
Nearly 400,000 Guardsmen in
cluding officers and men of Com
pany A, in more than 2,200 other
communities will participate In
"Operation Minuteman." Over
9,500 in North Carolina will join
the 111 officers and men here in
the alert.
O
Town Board Has
Active Meeting
The board of commissioners of
the town of Raeford held their
regular monthly meeting on Mon
day night at the town hall with
all members present and Mayor
Alfred Cole presiding.
The question of the extension
of West Elwood avenue was again
discussed and again continued.
In response to an application
for a franchise for another taxi-
cab in Raeford the board, after
discussing the matter with Police
Chief W. J. McQuage, voted to
limit the number of franchises to
six, the number now operating,
and not to issue others until one
of these is terminated.
The board voted to appropriate
100 for the use of the Hoke
County Civil Defense director in
acquainting the people of the
county and town with the pro
gram, and Mayor Cole, also the
county CD director, appointed
Town Clerk Robert Weaver trea
surer of civil defense funds. The
board also approved the use of
the town hall as a headquarters
for the county's civil defense.
The board voted to install ad
ditional street lights in the rear
of the town hall and on West
Prospect Avenue beyond the over
pass. A resolution was passed re
questing Representative Harry
Greene to introduce legislation
which would place the town un
der the provisions of a bill which
gives the board more authority
to regulate unsafe or unsanitary
buildings, understanding that this
bill now applies only to towns of
ever 5000 population.
A request to Greene for a bill
paying town commissioners $10
a meeting instead of $25 a year
was passed on Monday night, but
was stricken from the minutes
on Tuesday when the commis
sioners decided to seek reelection,
it being their feeling that they
should not be In the position of
making the pay higher and then
seeking the job.