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The Hoke County News - Established 1928 The Hoke County Journal - Established 1905
VOLUME LXVIII NO. 7 RAEFORD, HOKE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA SS PER YEAR THURSDAY, JUNE 19, 1975
Around
Town
BY SAM C MORRIS
The storm Sunday night caused
the lights on the east side of Raeford
to be out for approximately 30
minutes. This is the second time this
year that I have been without power
for that length of time or longer.
This seems to me to be the longest
the power has been off in some
years, I mean just from an electrical
storm.
1 can remember years ago when
* every time a dark cloud came u)J that
someone in the house would bring
out the candles or the kerosene lamp.
And of course you didn't think too
much about it because all you were
deprived of was light or lights. Now
when the lights go out, the air
conditioner goes off, the television,
cook stove, etc. So, it can almost
work a hardship on a family without
power.
The cause of the failure is
certainly out of control of the power
companies and 1 know that crews go
to work immediately on the matter
when brought to their attention. I
guess some things that are controlled
outside human hands cannot be
made foolproof.
Mrs. Rose Sturgeon, secretary to
the Hoke County Board of Elections,
was by the office last week showing
me the dates that candidates must
file for election to the City Council.
This is a non-partisan election and
the five high candidates are declared
the winners. The mayor also runs in
this election.
Filing dates are between
September 12, 1975, at noon until
noon, October 3, 1975. The election
will be held the first Tuesday in
November.
So, if you don't have enough
problems, go by the election office
and file for the council. I can assure
you that it will give you a rude
awakening as to what goes on at city
hall.
A picture dial appears in this issue
of the paper was brought into the
office by Mrs. Crawford Thomas, Jr.
On the back of the picture is the
name Hattie Thrower and she is
related to Mrs. Thomas. The caption
under the picture asks that anyone
knowing anything about the picture
to get in touch with The
News-Journal.
From information obtained from
11.R. McLean, the picture is of
students at old Raeford Institute and
was taken in the late 1800's or early
1900's. Mr. McLean said that he was
a small boy at the time and could
recognize only a few in the picture.
The ones he named are Rufus
Dickson, Dan McKeithan, William
McFadycn, Sterling Currie, Will
Keith and Walter Campbell. Now
some of these names will not mean
anything to some readers of this
column, but they all arc relatives of
folks living here now.
According to the date of the
picture, Rufus Dickson, an uncle of
Paul Dickson, was graduated from
Davidson College in 1903. according
to Paul, so it must have been taken in
1898.
This also brings to mind that when
a picture this old is found and turned
into the office to aid in
identification, it is almost impossible
to get done, because most of the
people are dead that could help.
' For future generations it would
help them with old pictures if each
of us would go through our photo
albums and list names and dates on
all pictures we have. It will take a
little time and some work but think
of the memories it will bring back
and the help it will bring to children
and grandchildren.
Think about it!
Sunday Storm
Damages Car
High winds that accompanied a
rainstorm Sunday caused some
damage in the city.
A tree was blown across a car at
320 Wooley Street, causing an
estimated 51,000 damage to the
1974 Chevrolet. According to the
police report, the owner of the car,
Robert M. Witherspoon of Pinehurst,
was visiting in Raeford when the
storm struck.
A limb was blown onto a power
line near McLauchlin's Chapel and
city street crews cleaned up broken
limbs and debris from city streets
following the storm.
No damage to crops was reported
in the county, according to farm
agent Wendell Young.
SWEARING IN - Clerk of Court Juanita Edmund administers the oath of
office to the re-appointed members of the Board of Elections Tuesday. Left to
right, are Harold Brock, Lee Strother, and Scott Poole.
91-Year Old Cleared
Patterson Killing Ruled Accident
By Marty Vega
A coroner's jury of two women
and four men returned a verdict of
accidental death in the shooting of
Barbara Jean Patterson, South Hoke
mother of three who was found dead
at her home May 15.
The jurors, Gladys F. Gatlin,
Sylvester Melvin, George J. Lovett,
Rosa M. Chavis, Ernest R. Sutton,
and Richard Ferguson, Jr.,
deliberated about a half an hour.
The woman's grandfather, Caesar
Patterson, 91, who had told deputies
he and his granddaughter were
struggling over a rifle when it went
off, was cleared of any criminal fault
by the jury's ruling.
The state's principal witnesses,
thirteen year - old Phyllis Pleasant,
and eight year - old James Earl
Patterson, gave conflicting accounts
of how the shooting occurred.
Miss Pleasant, who identified
herself as second cousin to Barbara
Patterson, told the jurors she was in
the house with James Patterson, and
the woman's other two children.
David, age four, and Maurice, age
three, when Barbara and her
grandfather began quarreling over
biscuits on the stove.
"She went in (a bedroom) and got
the gun, and when she got the gun. 1
went out of the house". Miss
Pleasant testified.
Miss Pleasant staled James
Patterson left the house when she
did, and was not in the house when
the shot was fired.
Miss Pleasant described seeing
Barbara die in the front yard of the
home.
"I seen her when she come out,
holding her side," the girl testified.
"She just stook there, and she
said, "Phyllis, help me', and she fell
down".
Miss Pleasant said her grandfather
came out of the house and told her
to call an ambulance.
"He said it was an accident".
Assistant district attorney Duncan
McFadyen introduced into evidence
the findings of the state medical
examiner, which determined the
cause of death to be a wound from a
.22 caliber rifle bullet which
penetrated the woman's heart.
Barbara survived no more than 30
seconds from the time she was shot,
the jurors were told.
James Earl Patterson testified he
and Phyllis were in the house and
witnessed the shooting, but die boy's
responses to juestions were vagu'.
and he gave contradictory
information.
"They kept on arguing, and he
shot", the boy said.
"What was she (Barbara 1 doing
when he shot?" McFadyen asked.
"Nothing".
"When he jerked it (the gun) away
from her. did he point it right at
her?"
"Yes".
Later, under cross examination by
Patterson's defense attorney Deno
Economou. the boy stated his
mother still had her hands on the gun
when it went off.
"Do you remember everything
that happened?", Economou asked.
"No". James replied.
Patterson did not take the stand,
but his statement given on May 21 to
Sheriff D.M. Barrington was read to
the jurors by deputy Harvey Young.
According to the man's statement,
he came in the kitchen and turned
off the stove.
"Barbara asked me why did I cut
the stove off, and 1 told her I was
afraid it would catch the kitchen on
fire. She got mad and went to the
bedroom. 1 was coming out of the
kitchen and Phyllis said, 'Look out
granddaddy, she's got the rifle' ".
". . . then I grabbed the rifle and
we started scuffling, she had the gun
by the barrel, she had it about
midways, and then the gun went off.
and she said 'I'm shot' ".
"I didn't mean to shoot her. I
wouldn't have shot her for the
world", Patterson's statement ended.
Young testified Patterson
voluntarily turned over a .22 caliber
rifle to the deputy which had been
fired recently.
A report from the state crime lab
introduced to the jurors revealed
smudges were found on the gun, but
no clear fingerprints could be made.
C Of C Directors Plan
Membership Drive
Chamber of Commerce board of
directors met Tuesday and most of
the meeting was devoted to
discussion of the membership drive
Hoke Man
Is Killed
A Rockfish man was killed
Saturday returning from the beach
when the car in which he was riding
overturned several times on NC 87
about six miles east of
Elizabethtown.
Roy M. Wright, 22, of Rt. 2,
Raeford was pronounced dead on
arrival at Bladen County Hospital.
Treated at the hospital following the
1:30 p.m. accident and released were
Raymond Shepley Jr., 18, the driver
of the car; his brother, Clyde David
Shepley, 16; and Harold Aubrey
Tillman, 18, all of Rockfish.
According to the investigation
report, Shepley ran off the right
shoulder of the highway, lost control
of the vehicle, skidded back across
the highway and overturned several
times. The car was damaged beyond
repair, according to the report.
The accident is still under
investigation but no charges have
been filed, a Highway Patrol
spokesman said Tuesday.
Dress Code
Suit Ends
Litigation in the much ? debated
high school dress code controversy
halted last week when a consent
agreement to permanently drop
enforcement of the code and dismiss
claims for damages was entered as
final judgement by Superior Judge
James Pou Bailey in Fayetteville.
William Moses, attorney for the
board of education, said the consent
agreement bars school officials from
enforcing the dress code, which had
already been ordered in a temporary
injuction issued May 22, but does
not prohibit the adoption of another
dress code.
"It (the ruling) has no effect on
any future dress code, as long as it is
reasonable. Reasonableness would be
the test", Moses said.
The consent order ends all claims
for damages requested by high school
student Joseph Thompson, Jr., who
was suing each member of the school
board and Allen Edwards, Hoke High
principal, for S6.000 apiece.
and dues, and status of the doctor
and dentist search plans, according to
minutes released by Harold Gillis,
manager.
About 30 members have renewed
membership, the board was told, in a
report on the responses to the dues
notices recently sent out. One
member voluntarily increased their
dues, but C of C president Dick
Lovett declined to elaborate.
A membership drive with a story
follow-up was decided on, and
Lovett said all of the directors will be
taking an active role in contacting
chamber members.
A report was received from the
medical committee on the status of
the doctor and dentist recruitment
efforts and the trips made to
Winston-Salem and Chapel Hill.
Medical committee members
Harold Gillis, and Gene Carter, with
Walter Coley and Dr. R.G. Townsend
made the out - of - town trips, Lovett
said.
It was also reported to the board
the application to the National
Health Service has been up-dated by
the county health department, and
the board agreed to assist the health
department in any way possible,
Lovett said.
A dental student who will be
graduating next June viated Raeford
and expressed a strong interest in
locating here, the board was told.
The board also agreed to continue a
follow-up on the proposal for a
dental clinic here, in light of the
interest shown by McCain dentist
Joel Pastore.
In other business, the board
requested outgoing manager Harold
Gillis to compile a full report on
chamber finances and project
standings and submit the results at
their next regular meeting July 8.
The board approved the
establishment of a community
calendar in cooperation with the
Junior Womans Club, but no details
were set.
Suspect
Bound Over
Bertha McLean Hollingsworth,
jailed since June 2 in the stabbing
death of James Edward Purcell, was
ordered bound over to the grand jury
for murder following a preliminary
hearing Friday before Judge Joe
Dupree.
Dupree ordered a $25,000 bond
set for Mrs. Hollingsworth.
Testimony was given by Mrs.
See SUSPECT, page 13
Morrison To Stay
Board Okays $20,000
Airport Panel Tells Pilots:
Put Complaint In Writing
The airport committee
recommended registration of aircraft
based at the airport and asked that
all complaints of safety violations be
filed in writing with the airport
manager.
The actions were taken last week
at an airport committee meeting at
city hall. Committee
recommendations are submitted for
action by the city council.
If approved by the council, the
motion to register aircraft, made by
Ed Brown, will require owners to list
their planes by make, model and
serial number with the airport
manager, John Caddy, who is also
city manager.
In a second motion, also put
forward by Brown, the committee
recommended that the city council
require all complaints of safety
violations be reported in writing to
the airport manager.
Safety was one of the major topics
at the meeting attended by a number
of spectators. Several pilots
complained of safety hazards at the
airport, saying that federal aviation
rules were being broken by some of
the airport users.
However, Gaddy said Monday that
he had not yet received any written
complaints.
Gaddy reported to the committee
on tie down rental and told the panel
that one of the fixed base operators,
Paul Rose, planned to install gas
tanks on his leased property.
Rose reported to the committee
that a toll free weather information
line would be installed at the airport
by July 15.
The city's negotiations with fixed
base operator. Gene Thacker. on a
new lease wei -? discussed and Bill
Moses, who presided at the meeting
in the absence of committee
chairman Joe Rackley, agreed to
contact Tom Cameron about the
removal of an old hangar at the
airport.
Gaddy asked the committee to
draft specific rules for him to
enforce in the operation of die
airport.
The nexl committee meeting is
scheduled for July ') at 7 pan. in city
hall.
SBA Okays
Open Arms
Exp
ansion
The proposed expansion of the
Open Arms rest home in Racford
into an intermediate health care
facility moved forward last week
when approval of a Small Business
Administration loan was received,
Open Arms owner John Leandro
said.
The SBA loan will fund 35% of
the development, which is expected
to cost about $350,000. 55% of the
project will be financed through local
lending institutions, and the
remaining 10% from local investors.
leandro said construction bids
will probably be let this week, with a
tentative date of late July or early
August for start of construction.
Plans call for the addition of a dining
room, day rooms, arts and crafts
areas, and a physical therapy room.
The present bed capacity of 25
patients is expected to triple, with a
professional nursing staff on a 24
hour a day basis.
Area Incidents
lape Players Stolen
Tape players were stolen from five
cars in. the city last Thursday night,
Racford police reported.
Three cars were broken into while
parked in the Knit-Away lot. The
tape player, two speakers and $200
in clothing were reported stolen from
the car owned by Burney Creech of
Fayetteville. The loss was valued at
$305. A tape player, two speakers
and one tape, valued at $75 were
taken from a car owned by Debra
Jean Caulder of Parkton and a tape
player and two speakers valued at
$65 was reported stolen from the car
of Shirley Jerniga Brown of St. Pauls.
The thefts were discovered about
7 a.m. Friday morning, according to
Raeford Police Chief Leonard
Wiggins.
At least one earlier tape theft was
reported Thursday night at the
Tex-Elastic parking lot. Joyce Floyd
of 703 Forest Street reported that
two speakers and a handbag, valued
at $25 was stolen from her car.
Another theft was reported by
Archie Monroe Crowder of 415 West
See ARF.A INCIDENTS, page 13
Jumper Hurt At Airport
A parachutisl was injured Sunday
a I the Raeford airport when a
malfunction developed in his main
chute.
Raeford Aviation owner Gene
Thacker said the man, Joseph A.
Snell, 34, of Fayetteville,
experienced a partial opening on the
canopy when the deployment device
failed to dear completely.
Snell was transported by the Hoke
County Rescue Squad to Cape Fear
Valley Hospital in Fayetteville where
he was admitted with a fractured
vertebrae, Thacker said.
Snell is a former president of the
Raeford Parachute Club.
After a long discussion Tuesday
morning, the board of commissioners
voted to boost funds for Danny
Morrison's ambulance service to
$20,000, with the increase to be
appropriated out of the interest
earned on revenue sharing funds.
Morrison was orginally
appropriated $12,000 in the budget
for the coming year, and at a special
meeting with the board Jurie 11, he
requested $24,000 to keep the
service in operation.
Morrison, who did not appear in
person, conferred with chairman
Ralph Barnhart by telephone after
the commissioners discussed the
possibility of purchasing Morrison's
radio equipment, but rejected the
idea.
Morrison had proposed the county
purchase his radios and equipment,
and take over the ownership of the
ambulance service.
Sheriff DM. Barrington reported
to the board the sheriffs office
would be able to accommodate a
base station for the ambulance
service, but he would be unwilling to
act without authority of the board
because Morrison is also the operator
of a wrecking service.
"I would publicly announce the
board instructed me to do so, and
when the other wrecker services start
calling, 111 refer them to you",
Barrington stated.
Barrington said a Piedmont
Communications worker came to the
jail Friday to install an antenna for
Morrison's Wrecker Service, and the
sheriff related he would not allow
the installation because he had no
authority from the county.
"Morrison told me he was buying
two radios for the rescue squad and
two for himself, but the rescue squad
didn't seem to know anything about
it", Barrington said.
County attorney and county
manager T.B. Lester informed the
members it would be very unlikely to
receive approval from the region
council of governments for the
county to buy out Morrison's
equipment, because of a requirement
for competitive bids.
The motion to increase Morrison's
subsidy was carried unanimously, but
commissioner James A. Hunt
expressed misgivings about the
quality of service for the coming
year, and commissioner John Balfour
urged the county take a closer look
at Morrison's records detailing his
costs and income for the ambulance
service.
A motion made by commissioner
Tom McBryde to appoint a study
committee to examine the
ambulance service and report their
findings was carried unanimously. It
was suggested the committee could
report their results "early next year".
An amendment to the budget
ordinance passed last Wednesday in
the late morning, is expected to be
drawn up to cover the shift in funds
necessitated by Tuesday's action.
The board scheduled a meeting at
10 AM. June 26 before adjourning
Tuesday, for the purpose of meeting
with farm agent Wendell Young
about the job vacancy for an
assistant agent.
Morrison Eyes
Robeson Area
Ambulance service operator
Danny Morrison hinted Tuesday he
may be negotiating with Robeson
county officials in an effort to obtain
a contract for ambulance service
there.
"I'd rather not comment on that
now," Morrison replied when asked
if he had been in contact with the
Robeson board of commissioners.
Morrison did acknowledge he
specifically sought and received an
agreement from Ralph Barnhart
Tuesday that his contract with Hoke
County would not bar him from
servicing Robeson county in the
future,
Morrison said, "I made sure of
that before I told him I would take
it."