Newspapers / The News-Journal (Raeford, N.C.) / March 28, 1974, edition 1 / Page 2
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v. . ; Ca/lo&tta. PRES S ASSOCIATION Published Every Thursday at Racford, N.C. 28376 119 W. LI wood Avenue Subscription Kates In Advance Per Year S5.00 6 Months - S2.75 3 Months -SIJO PAUL DICKSON Publidter-Editor SAM C. MORRIS General Manager KAY PIOTRZKOWSKI Associate Editor MRS. PAUL DICKSON Society Editor JAMA CHESSER Reporter Second Class Postage at Kacford. N. C. THURSDAY, MARCH 28, 1974 As We See /t....8y Kay Piotrzkowski 'Wow, therefore, in compliance with North Carolina (statutes), which prescribe that the penalty for a conviction of the Capital Crime of Rape, the defendant shall suffer death, the judgment of the Court pronounced upon John Doe is: "That the defendant. John Doe. be taken hence by the Sheriff of Hoke County, North Carolina, and by him delivered into the custody of the Warden of the Penitentiary of North Carolina, in the City of Raleigh, North Carolina, to be by said Warden safely detained until Friday, the Fifteenth day of December, 19 72. the said Warden of the Penitentiary of North Carolina, or in the case of his death, inability or absence, a deputy warden of said institution, shall between the hours of ten o 'clock a.m. and four o 'clock p.m., convey the said John Doe to the place prepared for execution, and then and there, upon the day designated, the Fifteenth day of December, 1972. between the hours fixed on said day, between the hours of ten o'clock a.m. and four o'clock p.m. in the manner prescribed by law, cause the said John Doe to inhale lethal gas of sufficient quantity to cause his death, and the administration of said lethal gas must continue until the said John Doe is dead. "And may God have mercy on his soul. "This the 16th day of November 1972. " This is the last half of a death sentence which has been read in North Carolina Courts in the past year to 31 people found guilty of committing capital crimes. During the reading the convicted individual stands and faces the judge while the impact of the sentence lands with pile-driving force in the morgue-like silence of the courtroom. The prisoner is sentenced to die in the gas chamber. Does the punishment fit the crime? Currently tn tWs state the death penalty is mandatory for conviction of first' degree murder, first degffce arson, first degree burglary and rape. The General Assembly has been trying to rewrite these laws with little success. Members of both houses seem to agree the death penalty is too severe for first degree arson and first degree burglary. They disagree, however, on the appropriateness of such a penalty for the crime of rape. Many people feel the death penalty should be abolished while others tout capital punishment as a great deterrent to would-be criminals. Both sides quote statistics to reinforce their stand. But the fact about half of all condemned people in the United States are on North Carolina's death row is a trenchant comment on the severity of this state's capital punishment laws. If the legislators can not abolish capital punishment, they should at least see that it is only applied in crimes where a life has been taken such as in first degree murder, killing in connection with commission of a felony or killing of a law enforcement officer. Browsing in the files of The News-Journal 25 years ago Thursday, March 24, 1949 William Fletcher Wallers suffered a cerebral hemorrhage late Tuesday afternoon of last week and died as a result of it at his home here Friday morning. Miss Betty McLean, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. H.R. McLean of Raeford was unanimously chosen president of the student Christian association in the campus elections just completed at Flora Macdonald college. Alice Sutton Matheson, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. R.A. Matheson and member of the senior class in the local high school, won first place in the Seventh district "Soil Conservation" essay contest held at Mount Gilead last Wednesday afternoon. Dr. Frank P. Graham, famed liberal president of the University of North Gsrolina, 'was named Tuesday night a U.S. senator. s Medley: Roosevelt managed to put cfcculation and that proves lifelong argument tint you without mot The petition for the paving of Kast Donaldson Avenue from Main Street to the Kast side of Mrs. Aganora Andrews' property has been signed by all property owners and is at the Town Hall. M'Sgt George T. Johnson and Sgt 1st Class Paul Burnett were among the JI veterans of the 101st Airborne Division who were selected from the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg to take part in the Metro - Goldlyn Mayer production, "Battle Ground." 1 5 years ago Thursday, March 26, 1959 Angus Currie of the Bank of Raeford was elected an officer at the annual meeting of the N.C. Bankers Association, group seven, Saturday night. A telephone call to County School Superintendent K.A. MacDonald Thursday brought news worth over $5,000 to the people of Hoke County in the next year, a tax rate saving of a little more than two cents per $100 valuation. Jimmy Davis struck out 14 when the Hoke Bucks played St. Pauls Monday starting the spring baseball season. He gave up only three hits as the Hoke team defeated their opponents, 10-4. 'Ow, that smarts' Tha Chnatwn Sc*nc? Monitor The Midnight Oil by Jama Chessitr Tra-la la la ta da There'll be a change in the weather, a change dum de dum dum, and a change, la la la, and there'll be a change in me. Do you remember that song? Well, we've been witnessing the change in the weather for a couple of years now. Weathermen say temperatures are dropping and weather patterns are changing in many areas of the world. It could be that shifting in weather patterns is going to put all the snow along the coasts and all the sun in the mountains. At least that is a trend most ski resort owners seem to think is here this year. Nobody thinks of taking their snow skis along to the beach, but it just might be the coming thing. Better yet, there might be-opening up a market for Skis that wiirtravel over snow and sea so no matter where you go or what the weather is like when you get there, you'll be ready. What about man in the areas of traditionally warmer climates. Citizens in Hawaii will have to start looming brightly colored flowered sweaters to match their muumuus. And what could he sillier than going to the mountains for an outdoor weekend of suntanning while lying on the laurels instead of the sand sunnings we ate used to. After this season atound North Carolina, it is hard to argue that the Puppy Creek Philosopher Dear editor: I used to think that getting elected and sent to Washington meant you must have a fairly good knowledge of human nature, but I have begun to doubt it. Take the Arab oil embargo. When the Arab nations decided to exert their power and teach the United States and a bunch of other countries a lesson, I guess that was the reason, everybody in Washington gnashed his teeth and said what are we going to do - this country doesn't produce enough oil for its own use and without imports we're in for years and years of shortages. Washington even printed up 12 million dollars worth of gas rationing coupons and got set for the worst. Five months later the Arab nations lift the embargo, and oil will flow again, as long as it lasts. You want to know why? You can attribute it to high-level diplomacy if you want to, but I have a notion there's a better reason. MONEY. When the Arab nations launched the embargo, they stopped selling 3 million barrels of oil a day. At SI 2 a barrel, F.O.B. the sheik's tent, that's 36 million dollars a day. How long do you think any group of people is going to give up 36 million dollars a day? That's over a billion * dollars a month, including February. In five months they lost over five billion dollars, and for countries needing rain as bad as they do. that's a lot of money. In fact, it's a lot of money, rain or shine. Anybody with a fair knowledge of human nature should have known the embargo wouldn't last. Nobody for long is going to turn away a cash customer when there's nobody elae to lake his place. The market for oil is in the U.S. with our 100 million cars, not in Russia or China where only a few top politicians get to ride. I don t know if the Arabs taught us a lesson in world politics but I figure they learned one themselves about recognizing a good thing when they see it. Yours faithfully J.A. weather is indeed getting colder. When the recent cold spell hit, I'll bet I was not the only person who couldn't remember which closet the heavy coats were in or where the fur-lined boots were stored. When I finally found them, I also found my swim suit and a tennis dress. Now, whatever the weather tomorrow, 1 am ready. Actually, it could be that weather patterns are shifting a bit. Seems Oklahoma has had cantankerous weather for years. It was Will Rogers talking about Oklahoma weather when he said, "if you don't like the weather here, wait a minute, it will change." And that is a true statement. 1 remember leaving the house in Oklahoma without a coat on a sunshiny morning, getting caught in a dirt! storm at mid-moming, a rain storm at' noon, then some ice in the afternoon and heavy snow hit while I was on my way home. That night it got so warm we had to turn on the fan to get to sleep. Mom used to pack our lunches for school by putting in a hot thermos of soup, a sandwich of cold cuts, and giving us money for ice-cream. We used to eat all that in order to have the soup last on cold days and the ice-cream last on hot days. One day I tried eating the sandwich last, but I only did that once as it confused the weather so that during noon recess the sidewalks were too hot to sit on to play jacks, and by afternoon it was so cold not one person had the nerve to subject his backside to the metal surface on the slide. As for the change in me, I feel I have a pretty good background in weather foul-ups. I might offer a few tips for those who wonder what to do to prepare for sudden weather changes, hirst, don't trust calendar seasons to tell you what to wear. We may have the correct number of days of winter and the correct number of days of summer, but they may be spread all over the calendar. So, keep a few woolens handy in summer and some hot pants handy in winter. When you leave the house on a weather questionable day, take along a raincoat with a zip-out fur lining and carry a huge umbrella that will convert into a lean-to against a building should a blizzard come along. For extras you could take a radio that will double as a hand warmer and can send long range S.O.S. signals. Under the coat, be sure to wear sneakers with waterproof innersoles and a summer outfit, or your swimsuit, but be sure to wear something. With the fast changes going on in the weather these days.it just isn't safe to go streaking. Senator Sam Ervin Says WASHINGTON - The Congressional Budget Act, which the Senate has passed, is one of the most important pieces of legislation considered in the last two decades. Its central purpose is to provide a legislative framework to overcome the present problems arising out of unmanageable Federal expenditures. My first year in the Senate was one of the last years of good budget news for the American people. In that year of 19S4, the Federal government reduced its spending by some S2 billion below the previous year's level. This accomplishment has not been repeated in the ensuing 19 years. Deficit spending has become so fashionable that It is no longer possible to shock the American people. They know that each year will bring higher taxes, more spending, and a bigger federal debt. When the latest budget was sent to Congress, it was with a sense of helplessness that we were given a budget which breaks the S300 billion barrier: lifts the federal debt above the half trillion dollar mark; and increases federal spending 36 billion dollars above the amount originally estimated for this year. This budget will spend $30 billion just to pay interest costs on the public debt and delivers the 14th budget deficit in the last IS years. In essence, it shows how much our future has been mortaged by the profligacy of the past. The inadequacy of present budget procedures is best reflected in the inability of Congress to complete appropriations before the start of the fiscal year. Federal agencies and state and local governments must depend on the uncertainties and stopgap character of continuing resolutions because most of the appropriations have not been enacted in time. Oftentimes, Congress ignores the appropriations process by allowing certain programs to be funded through the backdoor. Over the past five years, more than $30 billion has been added to the budget in the form of See SEN SAM. Page 13 CLIFF BLUE... ?';* ' - ' ' ' People & Issues TIME TO REDUCE TAXES - Many people feel that the General Assembly missed an opportune time to reduce taxes this year. The General Assembly opened with a huge surplus and many feel that a substantial reduction could have been made in the sales tax on food without serious injury to the needs of the state. If the State had $50 million more in surplus there would still be calls for more and more appropriations. COPELAND - Superior Court Judge J. William Copeland holds court by day but when day's work is over he takes off his judicial robe and becomes a candidate for Associate Justice of the State Supreme Court. We might say that he is a judge by day and a candidate in the evening hours and at night, meeting the people and handing out his political cards. Copeland is opposed in the primary by Eugene Hafer of Raleigh and James A. Webster of Winston-Salem. CANDIDATE BILL HARE -- There are nine candidates for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat now held by Senator Ervin. Most mentioned are Robert Morgan, Henry Hall Wilson and Nick Galiftanakis. At the JJ festivities in Raleigh we met Bill Hare of High Point, a tall, lanky ordained minister who bills himself as the "Working Man's Candidate." Hare is doing lots of walking in his campaign which reminds us of Dan Walker of Illinois who started out as an unknown "walking" up and down the roads and highways of Illinois throughout his campaign. But did you know that when the votes were counted on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 1972 the people of Illinois had elected him as their governor! Hare is 33 years old and preaches on Sundays at a Christian church in Lincolnton. Other candidates in the race for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senator are, Mildred T. Kenne, Charlotte; John McVay Ferrell II, Durham; Charles B. Riddle, Goldsboro; Fred B. Chandley, Wake Forest; and Robert L. Hannon, Greensboro. Candidates for the Republican nomination are, William E. Stevens, Lenoir; W. Hall Young, Pinneapolis; B. E. Bee Sweatt, Boone; Lowry Carter, Salisbury. JUST WONDERING - We heard someone wondering the other day what would have been the results had recent Presidents like LBJ and Ike undergone the scrutiny in regard to Ike's Gettysburg Farm and LBJ's rapid rise to wealth, as has President Nixon been subjected to. MARSHALL THOMPSON - Had a letter from my longtime friend, Marshall Thompson of -Maxton a few days ago. Marshall is a former State Representative from Robeson County in the 1930's, then for many years served with the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture in Washington. He is a scholar and has a brilliant mind. Unable to attend the legislative reunion in Raleigh on March IS, he sent this message: "Sorry cannot be with you. My advice to the group, especially for candidates: "Do not make the mistake of making Watergate and Nixon the main issue which will largely take care of itself. You know the old saying, 'give them enough rope ...' "Main issue should be centered around improvements and the question, 'Where do we go from here?' "When candidates talk about impeachment, be careful to use the word 'hearing' with it. Call it 'impeachment hearing," an inquiry to ascertain innocence as well as guilt. Remember we have thousands of fairminded citizens in North Carolina who believe injustice before conviction. We need the votes of these fairminded citizens. "Another thing about impeachment. The impeachment hearing is the legal way to handle the President as far as Watergate is concerned (as much as the country has to suffer for it) but it would be a pity if the action became largely partisan. "Some Congresses, including the present one, would have the votes to impeach the President for whatever reason at all;maybe because they didn't like the color of his eyes, but they shouldn't. It should be for convincing reasons and not by a partisan vote. Else thete would be a political boomerang." Mr. Thompson added that he had never been a Nixon man and had been a lifelong Democrat. Just One Thing After Another By Carl Goerch In this day of exorcists and devils we were interested in an article we came across recently by Elizabeth Hill Abernethy on witchcraft in North Carolina. Maybe you would be interested in some of these old beliefs. First, it is pretty well conceded that we brought out belief in witches with us to North Carolina when colonization took place rather than picking up ideas from the primitive peoples we found on our shores. Some beliefs concerning witchcraft: By rubbing yourself with a certain grease, you can slip out of your skin and prowl around the whole night without it. Or by applying a little bit of the same magic grease you can be immediately changed to a bird or beast. However, this magic grease was the witches own brew and must be distilled from a corpse. Witches can change their forms into those of all animals, but cats, especially black cats, are by popular belief the animal they most often become. In North Carolina cats have always been considered lucky, but when the family moves the cat is never taken with them. The owl is another favorite with the witch and she often uses this form when she is working evil. Toads have long been associated with witches. It is considered bad luck in western North Carolina to kill a toad for to do so will make your cows give bloody milk. If you get up in the morning feeling jaded and unrefreshed by your night's rest more than likely a witch has been riding you all night. For according to early beliefs in North Carolina a witchA catches her victims after they are in bed, puts a bit in their mouths, and rides them until daylight. So if you find dirt between your fingers and toes and your mouth feels stiff and sore, just put it down that you have spent the night in company with a witch. After a witch has been "riding you," she usually creeps out by way of your grate. So look there and if you see lurking a frog, a large beetle or any other creature it's the witch in that form. To outwit the witch smart residents would hang sieves over their doors at night. The witch would have to go through all the holes before she could enter. By the time she was successful in gaining admission to the home, it would be daylight and she could be caught. Hand in hand with the belief in witchcraft in North Carolina came other remedies against its terrorism. For instance, if a housewife were not successful with her churning, she should apply a hot horse shoe to the bottom of the chum. Another jinx against the witch was to put a red hot poker in the butter thus burning the witch and breaking the spell. We all know horseshoes are supposed to bring good luck. But did you know that they were a safeguard against the wiles and evils of the witch? According to popular belief, metal was the most potent protection against the witches; therefore, the horseshoe nailed over your door made you free of the fears of a witch entering. Witches are powerless on Friday, so the old saying goes; however, on that day they were supposed to be able to hear everything their enemies say against them. Witches were supposed to be faithful worshippers of the devil. Satan is See JUST ONE THING, Page 13
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