North Carolina Newspapers

News oumal voici or WIIOOM VOICI Of Y.y OUAJtw MIIDOM iXSn Of I'll"' The Hoke County News The Hoke County Journal VOLUME L; NUMBER 28 THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1955 . RAEFORD, N. C. 10c PER COPY $3.00 PER YEAR MO ' HA o ictn mm V I . nw ZN '"'" By The Editor Getting a haircut Saturday, I was told by a certain barber that he had a story by Ben King which he believed would put an end to the series. I listened to it, and told him that if I printed it, It would not only end the series, but The News-Journal as well. So much for that. There is a good work shoe in our window, almost new. It was found between here and Antioch by State Patrolman Joe Dupree, and he brought it here with the idea that maybe we could locate the owner, who can probably use it We enjoy haveing it, and have made several sales of office sup plies to people who have seen it in the window and had to come In for curiosity to hear the story of how it got there. The owner may have it, however, if he'll come get it. The junior varsity, or "B" teams, at Hoke High School had a trip for mostly nothing Mon day night. The boys under Coach Delmer Wiles and the girls under Mrs. J. E. Dupree, together with gome parents, went to Stedman, where the first game of the sea son was to be. There they found that the coach was all set to come up here Tuesday night with his varsity teams, but had forgotten all about scheduling the junior varsity games for Monday night. So, no games. v A release from the State High way Commission this week says . that the Highway Comissioners wil meet on January 26 to dis cuss and consider the recommen dations of the chief highway en gineer regarding the deletion of certain alternate highway rout ings. All who have any interest can express their opinions at that time, the release quoted Chair man A. H. Graham as saying. There are 51 sections of high way in North Carolina which are designated as alternate or "A" routes. These are generally to provide marked entrances to towns where the highways have by-passed the business sections Of these 51 sections only four are over 25 miles long, and only one of is over 50 miles. It is 15-A, which is over 100 miles long, and runs from Creedmoor, North of Raleigh, to Laurinburg. This en gineer recommends that 36 of these 51 routes be eliminated, in cluding 15-A, on the basis that they are "Obsolete and have lost their usefulness." Now this may be true as to many of the short ones. I could n't say. I do know that as far as the through north-south traffic is concerned that 15-A has not lost Its usefulness. Anyone who will watch its traffic a few minutes day or night can see the proof of that. That it is an alternate route must be apparent to every truck driver and tourist who uses it, too. To eliminate its marking would simply confuse these peo ple and complicate their travel for no reason at all. 15-A is not involved with bypassing trafic from a city, and should not be considered with the alternate routes in this class. Among the 51 listed, it is in a class by itself, and considering its remarking with these others is not right. It is certainly going to be a necessity for the people along this route to be at this meeting on January 26, though, or they will surely follow the recommen dation of the engineer and change its name. While the tourist bus iness has already been sidetrack ed from Raeford, there are many people in the' county that the highway helps, and the wonder ful bus service we have here is undoubtedly because of the high way. If the marking is changed, my guess is that it woudn't be too long before the bus compan ies began consider changing their routes. This doesn't have to hap pen, in my opinion, but it will if we just sit back and let it. Got me a new book the other day, "The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations." Among my favorite quotations is the one by Abra ham Lincoln, "Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith let us to the end, dare to do duty as we understand it." 1954 Retail Volume 23.6 Above 1948 In Hoke, Bureau Says Retail sales in 1954 of 88 stores in Hoke County totaled $5,638, 000, according to preliminary 1954 Census of Business figures an nounced by the Bureau of the Census, Department of Com merce. This was an increase of 23.6 percent over sales in 1948 by 109 stores of $4,562,000. Stores with payroll in 1954 numbered 52, had 270 paid em ployees in November 1954, re ported payroll of , $494,000, and accounted for sales of $5,058,000. Proprietors o f unincorporated businesses numbered 78. The number of stores and their 1954 sales, grouped by major kinds of business, were: 24 Food stores, $1,474,000; Nine in general merchandise group, $938,000; three apparel, accessories stores, $299,000; five furniture, home furnishings, appliances, $171,000; four in automotive group, $907, 000; 22 gasoline service stations, $734,000; four selling lumber, bldg. matls., hdw., farm equip ment, $552,000; nine other retail stores, $382,000; four nonstore retailers, $12,000. Data on two eating places and two drug stores was withehld to avoid disclosure. n Clear 50 Cases . In 2- Day Session Before Recorder Recorder's court was held Tues day and Wednesday of this week before Judge T. O. Moses, and 50 cases went through the records, although 34 of these were forfeit ed bonds. Streeter McMillan, colored, was found guilty of possessing a com plete liquor still. He was senten ced to three months on the roads, sentence to be suspended on pay' ment of $200 and costs and two years good behavior. He appealed and posted a $500 bond. Flora France Locklear, Indian, was indicted by her husband on a charge of abandonment. Sen tence of 60 days was suspended on payment of costs when she in dicated her intention to go back home. Tommy Oldham, white, pled guilty of driving drunk with im proper plates. Sentence of 90 days was suspended on payment of $100, costs and damages. John S. McNair, colored, pled guilty of driving after his license had been revoked, and with im proper brakes. He got four months suspended on payment of $200 and court costs. Joe A. Phillips, white, was found not guilty on a charge of driving drunk after his license had been revoked, but pled guil ty of driving without a license. Judgment was suspended on pay ment of $25 and costs. Leroy Murchison, colored, was found guilty of driving after his license had been revoked and careless and reckless driving. He was sentenced to 12 months on the roads. He appealed and is in jail in default of a $1000 bond. Quentin R. Davis, white, was found guilty of non-support of his wife and four minor children. Sentence was 12 months on the roads to be suspended on payment of $125 for them in two payments, court costs, transfer title of his car to his wife, and stay away from their residence. Lester Monroe, colored, was charged with careless and reck less driving. When the prosecut ing witness failed to appear the case was dropped. David Thomas and Mary Bris tow, colored, each pled guilty of immoral conduct. He got six months on the roads, suspended on payment of $100 and costs and two years good behavior. She got one year in prison, which sne ap pealed, and posted $500 bond. Eugene Campbell, white, pled guilty of public drunkenness. Judgment was suspended on con dition that he enter the State hospital for treatment. D. R. Covington, white, offer ed no defense to a charge of fail ing to transfer title to a car. Judgment was suspended on pay ment of $10 and costs. Marion C. McDonald, colored, was found guilty of allowing an unlicensed driver (Leroy Murchi son, above) to drive his car. (Continued on Back Page) County Board Handles Much Business Monday In an all-day session Monday the Hoke County board of com missioners transacted many items of county business. All were pre sent and Chairman J. Fulford Mc Millan presided over the meet ing. New County Accountant and Tax Supervisor J. W. McPhaul, who began work for the county on December 1, appeared before the board with his surety bond, which the board approved. List takers for the townships for 1956 were appointed as fol lows: Allendale, Miss Willa Mc Lauchlin; Antioch, Miss Jean Hodgin; Blue Springs, Julian Love; Little River, Mrs. Hurley Jones; McLauchlin, Mrs. Floyd Monroe; Stonewall, Carl McKen zie; Quewhiffle, Mrs. W. L. Mc Fadyen; Raeford, Mrs. Alice Thompson. C. M. Brickhouse, district farm agent from Raleigh, appeared be fore the board and reported that the Extension Service does not have a man at the present time to recommend for the position of assistant farm agent in Hoke County. The position has been authorized starting January 1 and Brickhouse said he hopes to have someone available by Feb ruary 1. Other Items included: The contributing of $20 by the county to the Christmas Fund of Caswell Training School at Kins- ton; Agreeing (o furnish paint for Wayside Community House; Directing the placing of new locks on courthouse doors, their repair where necessary, and their locking at night; Employment of R. D. Parker to vaccinate dogs In 1956, and a- greement to cooperate with the Town of Raeford on quarantining dogs in January; The drawing of the jury for the January term of Superior Court. McGoogan Resolution The board passed the following resolution on the late John A McGoogan: WHEREAS, this board has lost Mr. John A. McGoogan through his recent death, and WHEREAS, for over a score of years our county had enjoyed his keen judgment and constant ser vice as its accountant and audi tor, and WHEREAS, he brought to the public service unusual usefulness from an accumulated experience, pre-dated by terms as school teacher, and these all prefaced by and based upon graduate train ing in the State University, and WHEREAS, he was generally recognized and expressly accept ed by his fellow accountants of the entire state as President of their Association, and WHEREAS, we fondly remem ber how he toiled to keep this county financially strong even after the Federal Authorities took 92,000 acres of land to create Fort Bragg; and how again In 1953 he demonstrated his ability for fore stalling another effort of the Government to take more land for the reservation, and WHEREAS, he is also remem bered as the most delightful host on festive occasions, who loved his friends with a compelling de votion, and WHEREAS, our long, public fellowship eventually ripened into a mutual admiration and personal comradeship that years will serve to polish brighter and brighter, and WHEREAS, this is our parting farewell to a loyal citizen, a faith ful man in domestic life, an hon est servant to his contemporaries, who left a benedictory influence upon his hosts of surviving asso ciates and acquaintances, NOW THEREFORE, it is re solved that we cause a copy of this to be published in our local newspaper, a copy be spread upon the minutes of our board's regu lar meeting, and another copy be transmitted to h 1 1 bereaved widow. This 8 day of December, 1955. J. F. McMillan W. M. Thomas Douglas Monroe N. H. G. Balfour T. D. McPhaul. o J. R. Harris b attending court in Caswell County this week. Christmas Parade Set For Wednesday Plans are about complete for the Christmas parade to be held in Raeford next Wednes day, December 14, at 7:00 o' clock, Angus Currie, general arrangements chairman, said yesterday. The parade Is to be a reli gious throughout, with floats being prepared by schools and churches in the county, and with about 20 expected to be shown. These have been pre pared) from designs approved by Raeford ministers, and are being financed in part by the Chamber of Commerce Merch ants Division, with arrange ments by the Junior Chamber of Commerce. It will be the first event of Its nature here in a long time, if ever, and the people of the entire section are extended a cordial Invitation to attend. United Fund Now 70 Of Campaign Goal With the receipt of a little over a thousand dollars in the past week, the 1956 United Fund cam paign in Hoke County has now reached 70 percent of its goal of $3902, Chairman J. H. Austin re ported today. The campaign is still not complete in several divi sions and Austin is still optimis tic about reaching the goal. A total of $4851 has been received so far, he said. In addition to money previous ly reported Austin said that $37.60 had been received from the Unchurch Srool division. G. A. Page,' clhman; $38 from Dundarrach, Mrs. C. H. McGre gor, chairman; $112.60 from Ash' ley Heights, D. R. Huff, Jr., chairman; $47 from the Wayside community, Mrs. Marshall New ton, chairman. There are several business houses, industries and divisions in Raeford and the county which have not reported, Austin said and some of these will have con siderable amounts to report when they do complete their drives. He said he appreciates the re sponse to his appeal for persons not being contacted to mail their contributions to Hoke County United Fund, Raeford, N. C. He said that several .had done this in the past week, and again asked any persons not contacted to make their gift in this way. Girls Look Good As Hoke Teams Beat Stedman The Hoke High girls' basketball team continued their winning ways despite changes in the line up since last year, as they opened the season with a 61-34 victory over the Stedman High girls in the local gym Tuesday night. The Hoke High boys also dis played spirit and ability in win ning their game, 47-46 from the visitors. The local "B" boys team also won, 47-46. The local girls, defending champions of the Southeastern A A Athletic Association, were paced by forward Janet Guin with 32 points in marking up their convincing triump. Virginia Mc Neill followed with 16 points, Julia Morris had two, Jean Lin thicum four, Lee Ann Blake four, and Lilmar Sue Gatlin three. For the visiting 'girls Bolton was high with 15 points, followed by Darling with 14, Armstrong with three and Carr with two. Lacy Koonce, veteran Hoke High center, was the standout in the boys game and was the lead ing scorer with 22 points. He was followed by Ken Culbreth with 10, Phil Huffman with five, Lewis Upchurch with four, Ronald Huff man and Bobby Tickle with three each. For the visitors Carter was high with 12 points. Faircloth had 11, Alphin 10, Davis, eight. West three and Autry two. The Hoke -.earns go to Stedman Friday night and to Southern Pines next Tuesday night. The next gvne on the home court will be on Tuesday, January S. McKeithan Plans To Retire From Revenue Service HERBERT McKEITHAN Herbert McKeithan of Raeford, chief of the Delinquent Accounts and Returns Branch for the North Carolina District of the U. S. Internal Revenue Service, will retire at the end of this month after 18 years of service in the state with the federal tax col lecting agency, it was announced last week. Although his retirement will not be official until January 1, the veteran revenue offical be gan a month's leave on December 1 and worked his last day on November 30. P. K. Sanders, revenue direc tor for the district, said that no action had been taken on the ap pointment of a successor for Mc Keithan, who, as chief of the DAR branch, heads a force of 85 collection agents stationed throughout the state. McKeithan, who is 63, has made his home here during the time he worked in Greensboro. At home now, he has announced no plans for the future. He went to Greensboro November 29, 1937, to join the federal revenue force for the district, which was then headed by the late Collector Charles H. Robertson. Prior to going with the Inter nal Revenue Service he had been county treasurer for Hoke Coun ty, and was district farm super visor for the Resettlement Ad ministation with headquarters in Fayetteville. He was also form erly with the Civil Works Ad ministration and the Public Works Administration. He began his revenue service as a deputy collector, and became chief field deputy in May, 1945, a position which corresponded to the position he now holds, the title having been changed in 1952. Some of his fellow employees in the district revenue office and from other stations over the state will honor him at a testimonial dinner Friday night at the Star mount Country Club in Greens boro. -o- Civil Court Term Here Next Week Judge W. A. Leland McKeithan of Pinehurst, will preside over a special term of Hoke County Superior Court, for the trial of civil cases only, starting next Monday morning, December 12. There will be no jury called for the term. Clerk J. B. Cameron said the special term had been called to clear some of the large number of out-of-date, inactive and other ypes of old cases from the doc ket of the court. Cameron said that there were about 350 cases on the calendar to be considered by Judge McKeithan. About one third of these are tax actions by the Town of Raeford he said, and n any others are simply in need of a court order to wind them up. Legion To Meet With Ladies Mon. The Ellis Williamson American Legion post will hold its regular monthly meeting and supper at the high school cafeteria on Mon day night at 7:00 o'clock, Com mander J. D. McNeill has an nounced. This Is to be a joint meeting with the auxiliary of the post, with the program to honor the Gold Star mother of the county. Dr. Charles Hodgin, Hoke Native, Dies In Greensboro Tues. Dr. Charles E. Hodgin, well known retired Presbyterian min ister of Greensboro and native of Antioch in this county, died in a Geensboro hospital Tuesday morning after an illness of six weeks. He was 85 years of age. Dr. Hodgin was a son of Henry and Sara McPhaul Hodgin and a brother of John A. Hodgin of Antioch. He graduated from Dav idson College in 1894, attended Union Theological Seminary and was licensed as a minister by Fayetteville Presbytery in 1897. After serving South Carolina churches he went to Greensboro as pastor of Westminister Pres byterian Church when Greens boro was a city of 13,000. He ser ved this church for 35 years. He left in 1935 to become superin tendent of home missions for Orange Presbytery, retiring from this position when he reached the retirement age In 1945. In May, 1948' he was called by Greensboro's First Presbyterian Church to assist during the ill ness of the pastor. Dr. John A. Redhead, and served until three years ago. He hao. served as the presby tery's representative on the Dav idson College board of trustees, as moderator of Orange Presby tery in 1905, and in 1924 was moderator of the Synod of North Carolina. Davidson College con ferred the degree of Doctor of Divinity on him In 1924. Surviving are his wife, the for mer Nettie Erma Murray of Greensboro; three sops, Lt. Col. C. E. Hodgin, Jr., commandant of Kentucky Military Institute, Louisville, Maj. Nelson Hodgin, headmaster of the same school, and James M. Hodgin of Winston 'Salem; his brother, J. A. Hodgin nt this county; and two grand children. Funeral was conducted at 3 p. m. Wednesday- at First Presby terian Church in Greensboro by the pastor, Dr. John A. Redhead, and the assistant pastor, the Rev. William Currie. Burial was in Greenhill cemetery. In addition to relatives from this county A. A. McEachern, J. M. Andrews, W. T. Everleigh and Walter Gibson attended. 0 Town Board Has Routine Meeting The board of commissioners of the Town of Raeford held their regular monthly meeting at the Town Hall Monday night with Mayor Alfred Cole presiding and with Truman Austin, Marion Gat lin, J. K. McNeill, Jr., and A. V. Sanders present. The board voted to accept and maintain as streets the extensions of Wright Street, Bethune Ave nue and Railroad Avenue. Question of installation of an electric line to the sewage dis posal plant was continued. Board voted to construct a pump house of brick and cinder block at the site of the new well south .of town. Board voted to raise in salary for water superintendent L. S. McMillan, and expressed its ap proval of the swimming pool talk going on in the American Legion. PRESBYTERIAN CHOIR TO GIVE CANTATA SUN. "The King Cometh", a Christ mas Cantata, by Stults, will be presented by the choir of the Raeford Presbyterian Church on Sunday, December 11 at 7:30 p. m. The public is invited. Plans Complete For Cotton Quota Vote Here Next Tuesday The Hoke County Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Committee office this week an nounced the membership of com munity referendum committees who will be responsible for con ducting the cotton marketing quota referendum throughout the county next Tuesday, December 13. All members of the referen dum committees are farmers eli gible to vote in the referendum. Many of the referendum commit teemen are also elected commun ity committeemen. Arrangements for the estab lishment of polling places in all (Continued on Back Page) Driver Dies In Truck Smashup Early Sunday A Georgia truck driver was instantly killed, his body horri bly mangled, and his truck de molished in a wreck in heavy fog on U. S. 15-A north of Raeford and about a quarter-mile east of Dunlap's Crossroads at about four o'clock Sunday morning. His death brought to eight the num ber who have lost their lives in traffic accidents in Hoke County this year, one more than the seven who died similar deaths here In 1954. The driver was Mark Edgar Suddath, 59-year-old white man of Vidalia, Georgia, according to the report of State Highway Pa trolman W. T. Herbin, investi gating officer. The patrolman's report indicates that Suddath was proceeding south on 15-A, and that he was apparently going too fast for the driving condition caused by the heavy fog. He was driving a 1955 White tractor- trailer, with empty trailer, and he ran into the rear of a 1954 Chevrolet tractor-trailer being operated by Elbert Lee of Smith- field. Lee told the patrolman that he was driving very slowly be cause of the low visibility. Lee's truck was proceeding slowly behind a 1955 Chevrolet tractor-trailer owned by the same company, and both were loaded with seed corn. When Suddath's truck hit that of Lee, the latter was jammed forward into the front one and severely damaged, although neither Lee nor the front driver suffered appreciable in juries. Suddath's truck ran up under Lee's truck, and his trailer jump ed and jammed the cab up a gainst the truck in front, com pletely flattening it and smash ing and tearing Suddath. Suddath had been north from Georgia with a load of cattle and was re turning to Georgia with the em pty livestock body on the truck.' n To Split School Funds; Hoke To Get $154,031.52 The State Board of Education Tuesday approved a formula for distributing to the 100 counties of the state $25,000,000 in school building funds. J. A. Pritchett of Windsor, chairman of the committee which developed the formula, said Gov ernor Hodges met with his group Monday night and went over the report and approved the formula. The first half of the 1953 $50 million bond issue was allocated on the basis of $100,000 to each of the 100 counties and 15 mil lion dollars on a basis of school population. The formula for the remaining 25 million is eight mil lion on the basis of local ability, three million on the basis of ef forts to meet needs, and 14 mil lion dollars on the basis of actual needs. Hoke County will get $164, 031.52 if the formula is given final approval. Cumberland is set to get $427,726; Moore $240,830, Harnett $301,637, and Scotland $236,129. 0 Men Of Churches To Hold Joint Meeting; Dr. Few To Speak The annual joint meeting and supper of the men of the Raeford Baptist, Methodist and Presbyter ian Churches will be held in the basement of the Presbyterian Church next Tuesday night, De cember 13, at 6:30 o'clock. Following the custom of rotat ing the preparing of the supper and the providing of the program, the supper will be served by the ladies of the Presbyterian Church, and the Methodist men will pro vide the program. Clyde Upchurch, Jr., president of the Methodist Men, has announced that Dr. E. C. Few, superintendent of the Greensboro District of the N. C Methodist Conference, would be the speaker. Dr. Few conducted a revival at the Methodist Church here In October.