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The Hoke County News- Established 1928 The Hoke County Journal - Established 1905
VOL. LXVI NO. 43 RAEFORD, HOKE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA *4 PER YEAR 10c PER COPY THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 1971
Around T own
By SAM MORRIS
We would like to remind all muiic
lovers of the concert tomorrow night
(Friday) at the Raeford Elementary
School auditorium at eight o'clock. The
North Carolina State University
symphonic band will present the concert.
The program is being sponsored by the
Chaminade Music Club and the price of
admission is $1.00. The 76 - piece
symphonic band is conducted by Donald
B. Adcox.
So if you like good music go to the
auditorium Friday night.
A real Buck finally found its way out
to Hoke High School Sunday. You can
read the article in another place in the
paper about the deer that jumped
?through a window at the school. We
didn't know that they would get this far
from the reservation. We suspect that
dogs must have run the deer this far away
from home.
The fine weather over the weekend had
most golfers out on a course. We even
observed some ladies that don't play the
game walking around the course with
their husbands or other relatives. Of
course as usual the nice weather didn't
hold up and by Monday the rains were
with us again.
Raz Autry, principal at Hoke High
School is finding out, the hard way, just
how much work his two secretaries do.
Mrs. WiHiam Lamont and Mrs. Larry
Upchurch are both out with ailments so
Raz is not only the principal but also
secretary at the two buildings. We hope
that the ladies will have a speedy recovery
and be back on the job before too long.
The long argument about letting 18 -
year ? olds vote was passed by Congress,
but here in Hoke County if they doift
i register they won't be -able to vote.
According to Mrs. John Scott Poole,
registrar, very few have registered. Maybe
they will be like the older voters; even if
they register they can't find time to go to
the polls and vote.
With the condition of this country
today; wars, bombings, drugs, etc. maybe
all of us should start taking the issues of
the country serious. The place to begin is
at the ballot boxes The leaders we elect
are the policy makers of the future.
Commander Bill Parker of the Hoke
Rescue Squad said Tuesday that the
contributions in hand toward the S2800
needed to start the new building were
$1440. 21. The supper raised $361.25
and the other $1078.96 has been
contributed by local citizens. If you
haven't donated do so today. The money
will be tax exempt and will be for a
worthy cause. Send your contributions to
Hoke County Rescue Building fund, P.O.
Box 337, Raeford, N.C.
Hoke Group Named
To Region Committee
The Rev. Jack Mansfield has been
named chairman of the Hoke County
delegation on the Region N advisory
committee to the regional council on
aging.
Also named to the committee are W.S.
Young, Mrs. Ellen Willis and Miss Mabel
McDonald.
The committee is made up of members
from the four counties in the regional
planning group: Bladen, Hoke, Robeson
and Scotland counties.
Mrs. Luther J. Britt has accepted the
chairmanship of the Region N Conference
Committee of the North Carolina
Governor's Coordinating Council on
Aging.
Region N is one of 17 such areas
organized in North Carolina by the
Governor's Council on Aging for the
purpose of considering the needs and the
principal issues in the field of older
citizens.
The meeting of Region N will be held
March 27 at Pembroke Senior High
School in Pembroke.
Local commurtity forums have
previously been held in several areas of
each of the 17 regions in the state as a
preliminary step in the voicing of the
needs of older Americans. The Regional
conferences will make the first
formulations of the 1971 policies on
aging, which will form the basis for
deliberations of participants at the
Governor's Conference scheduled to be
held in Raleigh oh May 21, 22.
State policy formulations, resulting
from this conference and similar
conferences held in other states, will be
considered by President Nixon's White
House Conference on Aging to be held in
Truck Kills
Horse, Rider
Ronnie Locklear, IS, was killed last
Thursday on N.C. 211 when the horse on
which he was riding was hit by a truck.
The accident happened, about 4:30
p.m. at the crossroads of RP1457, the
firetQwer road, and N.C. 211, about one
and a half miles east of Raeford.
Ronnie, a ninth grade student at Hoke
High School, appeared to be running his
horse along the shoulder of the road
beside a school bus, Highway Patrol Sgt.
D.L. Minshew said. He failed to stop the
horse at N.C. 211 and dashed into the
path of a Carolina Turf Company truck
driven by John Ed McRae of Raeford.
The horse was killed also.
McRae was not injured. Damage to the
truck was estimated at S600.
Funeral services were held Sunday at
Hoke County Church of God by the Rev.
Claudie Dial and the Rev. Elbert Chavis.
Burial was in Old Prospect Church
Cemetery.
Ronnie is survived by his parents, Mr.
and Mrs. Alton Locklear of Rt. 2,
Raeford, six brothers, Henry, Dannie,
William Earl, Roy, Jeny Glenn, and
Wallace Locklear and one sister, Mary
Lucille Locklear, all of the home.
This was the first county traffic
fatality this year.
Washington, D.C. in November. The goal
of this national conference is to establish
a national policy on the aging which will
serve as a guide for further program
planning and action at the community,
state and national levels by both the
public and private sectors of society.
Several areas of emphasis in relation to
the needs of the aging will be covered at
the Region N Conference at Pembroke,
among which will be income, health and
mental health, housing and environment,
education and training, employment and
retirement roles, spiritual well ? being,
services, programs, and facilities and
government and non ? government
organizations.
City Applies
For Grant
For Airport
City authorities have submitted an
application for federal and state aid to
finance improvements at the Raeford
airport.
The project will cost an estimated
5119,139, city manager John Caddy said.
The city has requested a grant of
559,819.59 from the Federal Aviation
Agency and the State Department of
Conservation and Development for a
grant of 529,909.75. The remaining
S 29,909.75 must be raised by the city.
The improvements include paving and
liehtine the/ield.
Submitted to FAA last week were an
environmental statement, a statement of
displacement and relocation of persons in
the area, an airport layout plan,
notification to the state clearing house
and an application for state funds.
The application is now being studied
by FAA, Caddy said.
Body Taken
From River
An unidentified body was found
Saturday in the Lumber River on the
Hoke County side of the Hoke - Scotland
county line about sixty feet below the
bridge, Sheriff D.M. Barrington said.
No identification was found on the
body, which is believed by the sheriff to
be that of a white male. The body has
been sent to the University of North
Carolina Memorial Hospital for an
autoDsv.
it was discovered about 2:30 p.m.
Saturday by Joseph A. Caulder of Rt. 4,
Laurinburg and was recovered by the
sheriffs department and the Hoke
County Rescue Squad.
The man was wearing a blue polo shirt,
green slacks and black shoes and socks,
the sheriff said.
An investigation by the coroner and by
the sheriffs department is continuing.
Murder Charge Dismissed
Against Marshall Parks
A murder charge was dismissed Friday
against Marshall Lloyd Parks when a
ruling of no probable cause was returned
in District Court by Judge Joseph
Dupree.
Parks, a service station operator from
McCain, had been charged with murder
following the shooting Feb. 20 of Martin
Luther Wearins of Greensboro?
He appeared in District Court late
Friday afternoon without an attorney
after waiting all day for the case to be
called. Wearins widow, Mrs. Shirley
Wearins, and friends who were with the
couple when Wearins was killed, were also'
present in the courtroom during the long
day before the case was called by the
solicitor about 4 p.m.
Judge Dupree had the four witnesses
for the state taken from the courtroom
and secluded before being called to
testify one at a time.
Governor Jackson, who said he lives
near Five Points, testified first. He said he
was sitting in his car in the parking lot of
Park's Texaco station when the shootng
occurred. Jackson testified that he saw
the car drive up with two couples in it;
the women left the car and walked
around to the rear of the station. Then
they went inside. Parks came to the car,
Jackson said, and raised the car hood. He
then went back inside the station and
later returned to the car. Jackson said he
saw Parks come to the driver's side of the
auto.
"It looked like he grabbed something
in the car," Jackson said. "He looked
through the glass of the front door and
put his hand on the man in the back seat.
I saw Mr. Parks jump back and the fellow
in front sot out. It looked like the man in
front swiped at him first. I heard maybe
two shots and the man in front fell down.
Then I walked over to the car door. It
was open and the man was laying
between the door and the car. Parks was
at the front of the car off to the left. I
was a knife on the ground about a foot
from the man's hand. U was a pocket
knife."
Jackson said he did not know that
Parks had hit the other man until he saw
the man's cheek bleeding. "I figured
Superior Civil Court
Holds One Hour Term
Superior civil court held a one hour
session Monday, in which the jurors were
swom in, all the cases calendared for this
term continued and the jurors were
dismissed.
Sheriff D.M. Barrington, appearing
later before the county commissioners to
present his year ? end report, complained
about " the waste of tax money when
jurors are called and not used.
This was the first time it has happened
in Superior Court that he remembers,
Barrington said, but it is common in
DisKict Civil to use the jurors for perhaps
as little as a half day.
Jurors are paid S8 a day. The 27 jurors
who were present for the March 1 term of
Superior Court cost the state S216.
Barrington told the commissioners that
while a jury was not needed for the last
City Will
Check Speed
With Radar
City police plan a crackdown on
speeding with a new radar unit provided
for the city two weeks ago by the
Governor's Highway Safety Program.
The instrument, which can be mounted
on any vehicle, has a range of 4,000 feet,
city policeman Leonard Wiggins said.
"Our patrol car will be visable at all
times," he said, "But the range is such
that speeders can be clocked before they
can spot the patrol car."
The machine has a double system of
calibrating and is checked before and
after a citation is issued, Wiggins said.
The unit will be used throughout the
city but will be concentrated on streets
on which speeding has been a problem, he
said.
Wiggins and J.C. Barrington attended a
six hour course taught by the Highway
Patrol in Fayetteville before operating the
radar. The unit was used to conduct a
survey for three days, Feb. 1618 and
citations have been issued beginning Feb.
19.
term of District Civil court, which also
lasted an hour, his office was not notified
until notices had been prepared and
stamped ready for mailing.
"This is county money wasted, and it
comes from my budget," he said.
Barrington asked the commissioners to
consider writing a letter of concern to the
chief district court judge, Derb Carter. He
suggested that jury cases could be
scheduled for one term and non ? jury
cases scheduled for another term or
perhaps the frequency of terms could be
altered.
While Commissioner John Balfour said
he shared the concern over the waste of
tax money at any level, the board agreed
that the matter was beyond the
responsibility of the county officers.
Barrington pointed out that in addition
to wasting money, the use of juries in
district court for one or two days was a
serious drain on potential jurors for the
county.
"After a person has served on the jury
once, he isn't called for at least two
years," he said. "This can use up your
jury pool fast when you just use them for
a day or so."
Barrington also said that the public was
aware of the lack of importance attached
to serving on the civil court jury because
of the brief use made of jurors and that
this lowered the prestige of the courts.
"This is not my responsibility,
(See COURT, Page <f)
Swim Group
Elects Die hi
Phil Diehl was elected president at the
annual meeting of the Hoke Swimming
Association Tuesday night at the Civic
Center.
Younger Snead, Jr. was elected vice -
president. Re - elected were Mrs. Alfred
K. Leach, secretary and Jim Bowles,
treasurer.
Two new directors were elected to
replace Mrs. Ed Church and Dewey
Inman. Elected were Mrs. John Pecora
and W.L. Lancaster.
that's what he must have done when he
leaned into the car." Jackson said.
Mrs Marie Frances Locklear, of
Greensboro who was, according to the
sheriff, the driver of the car, testified
next. She said the two couples had come
to Fayetteville to visit her mother ? in ?
law and had then gone by St. Pauls and
next to Lumberton to pick up Wearins'
pistol at a gunshop. They were returning
to Greensboro when they stopped at
Park's to have the oil checked. She told
the court that everyone had been
drinking at least a small amount that day
and that her husband, Tommy Locklear,
was drunk. Wearins, she said, was not
auite as drunk as Locklear, and Mrs.
Wearins was high.
She and Mrs. Wearins went into the
restroom, Mrs. Locklear testified, and
while they were in there, they heard
gunshots.
"We thought it was a hold ? up. We
heard screaming and then when we came
out of the bathroom, a man said for us to
go back in. I went in and tried to push
the door open because 1 had seen my
husband at the door of the car and his
face was bleeding.
The two women went to the car, Mrs.
Locklear said, and she said she asked
Parks why he had hurt her husband.
"He said he ought to have shot him in
the heart too," Mrs. Locklear said.
Mrs. Locklear also said that they had
stopped at another service station in
Hoke County and had trouble there. She
did not describe the incident.
Mrs. Wearins' testimony was much the
same as Mrs. Locklear's. She was crying as
she took the stand and broke into tears
occasionally during the solicitor's
questions, but for the most part, her
voice remained steady. Judge Dupree
cautioned the solicitor that she was under
great stress but told Mrs. Wearins she
would have to testify.
"We were ?y??g horn*," she tr?ld the
court. "He (Wearins) was in the back seat,
barefooted. Everybody had been drinking
that day. I did not ever see my husband
get out of the car. I was in the bathroom
three or four minutes and when 1 came
out, he was dead."
Tommy Locklear told the court that
he remembered very little of the events
that night.
"I had been drinking heavy," he said.
"1 don't remember pulling into the
station, 1 don't remember when he
(Parks) hit me or why he hit me. When 1
came back to my right mind Pete, Martin
Luther, had already been shot. 1 don't
remember anything until after the shot."
Deputy Harvey Young testified that he
arrived at the station about 7 p.m.
Saturday night.
Parks had him pick up the knife, a
"regular razor blade type pocket knife.
S'/4 inch blade," Young said. Parks gun
had three empty shells and three loaded
ones.
Parks asked Young during cross
examination if he had heard anyone
threaten him that night and Young
replied that Mrs. Wearins said she had a
gun too, and would kill him.
Sheriff D.M. Barrington read a
statement made by Parks at the Hoke
County jail: "The fellow that got shot
was driving, the other man was in the
back. The ladies got out and asked me to
check the oil. As 1 checked the oil, I saw
them drinking beer so I asked them not
to. They said what the hell you trying to
do? Go get smart? The driver, he reached
down on the floor board, I drew my
pistol and walked over to see what he
(See PARKS, Page 9)
Commissioners Approve
$2500 For Recreation
The county commissioners approved
$2500 for a summer recreation program
at the monthly meeting of the board
Monday.
According to the motion, the money
wilt be paid in July out of the next fiscal
budget.
Benny McLeod, chairman of the
United Fund recreation committee and
also newly appointed chairman of the
Raeford recreation advisory committee,
and Sam C. Morris, treasurer of the
United Fund, appeared before the
commissioners on behalf of the recreation
request.
The commissioners, although
sympathetic to the program, questioned
the advisability of the county paying a
larger share than the.city. Morris replied
that city residents were also residents of
Hoke County and paid both city and
county taxes. McLeod estimated that as
many as 50 per cent of the children
participating in the summer baseball
program were from outside the city.
Commissioner J.A. Webb said he
thought efforts should be concentrated
4 on providing a park in the county, but he
Week Injures
Pedestrian ?
? A pedestrian and nine other persons
were injured Feb. 21 when a car hit a
stopped vehicle ant then caromed into a
tree beside RPI218 hear Five Points.
Mrs. Mary Armstrong, of Rt. 3,
Raeford was injured by the fading tree.
Nine occupants of tbe two cars received
< minor injuries.
later submitted the motion to allot the
funds to the recreation program.
The commissioners also approved the
transfer of some social services funds into
the Medicaid fund. Miss Mabel McDonald
appeared before the board to request the
transfer.
A total of $3,423.89 remained in the
Medicaid fund on the first of the year,
she told the board. She estimated that
$2,563 in public assistance funds and
$7,000 in county ? provided funds could
be diverted to the medical program. Miss
McDonald estimated that this would pay
for bills incurred through April and since
payments are about two months behind
treatment, the funds should last until the
next fiscal year, she said.
A total of $28,287.11 was
appropriated this year for the medical
program, however two months of the
previous fiscal year have been paid from
this year's appropriation. Miss McDonald
said.
She told the commissioners that 995
persons had been certified for Medicaid.
This included 127 who received aid to the
aged; 12 who received aid to the blind; 99
who were disabled; 121 who received
medical assistance only and 536 who
received aid to dependent children. Of
the AFDC recipients, 418 are children.
This totals an average medical bill of
$28.85 per person, she told the
commissioners. Included in this are
doctors fees, hospital bills, nursing home
care, drugs and other medical expenses.
The current case load included 106
who receive aid to the aged; 30 who
receive AFDC, medical assistance, and 29
disabled who receive medical assistance.
The commissioners adopted a state -
prepaied survey for disposal of solid
waste in the county as part of the
requirement for obtaining a 55,500 grant
from Advancement, Inc. to purchase a
landfill site.
The county will provide $6,500 in
addition to the grant to buy a 62 - acre
site. T.B. Lester, Tom McBryde and
Ralph Barnhart were appointed to a
committee to establish an agreement with
the city for joint operation of the landfill.
Budget hearings were set for March 23
and April 5 was set as the meeting of the
board of equalization. T.B. Lester
suggested that the personnel committee
(See $2500, Page 9)
Jaycees Plan
Teen Dance
A dance for teenagers only will be held
March 13 from 8 to 12 at the National
Guard Armory by the Raeford Jaycees.
Music will be provided by "The Soul
Purpose," playing top 40 hits.
The Jaycees are sponsoring the dance
to raise money for a club house and as an
experiment to see if dances are needed
this summer. Paul Solomon said the club
is considering sponsoring more dances if
this one works out well.
Advance tickets are on sale at Sugar's
Men Store and Heilig ? Meyer Furniture
Store. Prices are S2 couple and Si single.
Prices at the door are $2.50 couple and
S1.50 for singles.
Council Appoints McLeod
To Recreation Committee
In a special meeting Friday morning,
the city council appointed Benny
McLeod chairman of a Raeford recreation
advisory committee. Other members were
named in the regular council meeting
Monday night.
Named to the committee were Charlie
Hottel, Don Abernethy, George Wood,
Shuford Pennell, Palmer Willcox, Cornell
McLauren and Mrs. Pam Pursley.
Although the committee is a first step
toward a city ? county recreation
commission, city manager John Caddy
said, it will not meet requirements to
obtain state and federal recreation funds.
A commission will have to be formed
before outside funds can be obtained.
At the called meeting Friday, the
council also approved the purchase of a
well site from JJi. Wright for SISOO and
a site from Benny and Joe McLeod for
SI,000.
J.D. McMUlian, Franklin Teal and John
Caddy were appointed to work with the
county in establishing a joint lam1 fill
operation.
The council Monday night appointed
Neil) Senter registrar for city elections
scheduled May 4. Mrs. Ruth Scarborough
and Miss Ila Graham were appointed as
judges.
The council approved a resolution
calling for the regular election of mayor
and five councilmen. The filing deadline
is April 16. Registration books are to be
open from April 16 through April 23 and
challenge day will be April 24.
The board also held public hearings
Monday night on zoning requests. An
application by Jettie Smith to be allowed
to operate a store on his property in a
residential zone was referred to the
zoning board. The council approved the
rezoning from residential to commercial
of a lot on 401 and Cole Street owned by
J.H. Wright. The lot is to be used as a
used car lot, but Wright agreed not to
place any junk cars on the property.
Another request was approved to
rezone from residential to commercial a
lot on 401 and Vass Road owned by
Walter Parks.
The board established a distinction
between house trailers, whicl^ are not
allowed inside the city except in mobile
home parks, and travel trailers. A house
trailer is at least 8 feet by 32 feet while a
travel trailer is less than eight feet and
(See COUNCIL. Page 9)
Man Dies In Wreck
One man was killed and five were
injured in two serious one - car accidents
in the county over the weekend.
Kenneth Oxendine, 23, of Rt. I,
Raeford, was killed about I 45 Saturday
morning near the Arabia Golf Courae
when he lost control of his car on a curve..
The car, apparently traveling at high
speed, overturned, Trooper Joe Stanley
said.
Four other passengers were taken to
Cape Fear Valley Hospital.
Charles bdward hisher of Raeford was
injured about 4 a.m. Sunday between
Arabia and Raeford when he failed to
make a tum and continued straight across
the road, striking a tree whiih cut the car
into two pieces.
Fisher, who was wearing a seatbelt at
the time of the accident, was taken to
Cape Fear Valley Hospital with a
concussion.
He was charged with careless and
reckless driving.