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I. The Hoke County News - Established 1928
VOLUME LXV1II NUMBER 39 RAEFORD. HOKE COUNTY. NORTH CAROLINA
- journal
The Hoke County Journal - Established 1905
S8 PER YEAR THURSDAY, JANUARY 27, 1977
Around
Town
BY SAM C. MORRIS
The weather Monday offered
anything for everybody. Snow, sleet
and rain fell during the day. The
weatherman predicts temperatures
in the 40s for the remainder of the
week. Let's hope so!
? * *
The mail this week has just about
been heavy enough to fill up this
column. A few letters that I think
you readers will be interested in will
\ be printed below.
Fhe first is from Mrs. Thomas
i Middleton, nee Bessie Rose of
1 Broomall, Pa.
Dear Mr. Morris:
I was raised in N.C., the
daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs.
Will Rose. I'm married and living
in Broomall, Pa. but my brother
Heston Rose sends me the Hoke
paper which I love to get all the
news from home. The first thing I
read is your comments which I like
very much, so hope you will be
writing for a long time to come.
Take care and keep writing,
Bessie Rose Middleton
Thanks very much Mrs. Middle
ton for your nice letter and 1 want
to keep writing for a long time to
come. Stop by the office and talk to
us the next time you are in North
Carolina.
* ? *
The other letter is from Mrs.
Wally Nelson, nee Peggv McKay of
Wagram. She writes:
Dear Sam:
First, let me say that 1 enjoy my
weekly copy of The News-Journal.
It is about the only contact I have
? with the people with whom Wally
and 1 came in contact daily for
about 20 years. 1 miss the friends in
Raeford.
In your January 13 "Around
4 Town" 1 was very much interested
in the letter to which you referred
concerning the portrait of Miss
Lizzie McDuffie. I wonder if you
know, or could find out, what
became of the portrait. My Aunt
Jane McKay Shaw, whose mother
was a sister of Lizzie McDuffie.
says that she remembers that it
hung in the old school and would
like to know what became of it.
There were five girls in the family
one of whom was my grandmother
and another was Ryan McBryde's
mother. I don't expect you to "bird
dog ' this, but thought perhaps you
might ask a tew of the people whom
you think might know.
Many thanks,
Peggy McKay Nelson
Thanks Peggy for the letter and I
will try to locate the portrait or find
out w hat became of it. As you know
not many people are left that
attended school in the upper grades
in 1908 at Raeford Institute. H.R.
McLean who turned the letter over
to me is my contact and I will ask
him about it. If any of you readers
know anything about the portrait,
let me know or write Mrs. Wally
Nelson. Wagram. N.C. Thanks.
Don't like the North Carolina cold
weather? Read this letter:
Dear Mr. Morris:
The general topic around the
country seems to be the weather. As
a matter of fact, I believe it gets as
much, it not more, news coverage
than the inauguration. I read with
great interest, and 1 might add. a
little envy, of the weather back in
Raeford. From reports in The
News-Journal, it seems as if you
folks are having it rather chilly, and
I say chilly because it is cold up
here in South Bend. Indiana. We
have, to date, had 85 inches of
snow since the 2nd week of
October. We now have about 18
inches on the ground, which is
about the least since Thanksgiving.
We have not seen the grass since
before Thanksgiving. The tem
perature has not hit the 30 degree
mark since the 28th of December.
When you get up in the morning
and the temperature is 20 degrees
i below 0 and it does not rise above 0
during the day. then it's cold. Also,
the chill factor is about 40 to 50
degrees below 0. You folks aren't
t really having cold weather. We
would gladly welcome a day or two
with the temperature reaching 32
degrees. That would be like a
Spring day.
Being a southern girl and now
living in this arctic region, I could
really appreciate a winter back
home, even though we never had a
white Christmas or Thanksgiving.
They can have it. We're looking
(See AROUND TOWN. Page 13)
it
WALKING ON WATER -- Robert L. Gut tin takes a solitary stroll across a
frozen pond near his summer house. Gatlin chopped a hole in the ice to
verify its thickness before attempting the feat. He noted that many bodies of
water in the county were not so solidly frozen and he did not recommend
adventures to area youths. | Photo by Suzanne H. Aplin )
t "V
New Doctor Starts
Practice May 1
The Hoke County Medical
Betterment Association an
nounced Monday that Dr.
Raninik Zota will open an
office for general family prac
tice in Raeford May 1.
Association president Frank
Baker and vice - president
Wyatt Upchurch said the new
doctor will locate his practice
on Campus Ave.
The Association, created last
year to recruit doctors to the
area to ease the shortage, has
contacted over 75 physicians
and has acted as hosts for
doctors who have visited the
area.
"Dr. Zota is well qualified
and we are delighted he has
made Raeford his choice. The
entire community has helped
the Association since the com
mittee was formed and we have
had wholehearted support. We
really can't take the credit for
the success so far." Upchurch
said.
Zota ia a native of India and
received his medical schooling
at M.S. University at Baroda.
He came to the United States
in 1972 and served his resi
dency at Cook County General
Hospital in Chicago.
He joined the staff of
McCain Hospital in July of
1974 and became a pulmonary
specialist.
Zota said Tuesday he was
very impressed with the Rae
ford area and is looking
forward to the move. Since he
has been at McCain he has met
many Hoke County people and
rv\
Dr. Ramnik Zota
the adjustment should be easy,
he said.
He said he plans to join the
staff of Cape Fear Valley
Hospital in Fayetteville later so
that he may continue to see
patients who are hospitalized.
Zota and his wife Lata and
their two ? year - old daughter
live in Fayetteville. They are
expecting another child in
April.
The medical committee also
announced they will continue
their efforts to attract more
doctors. The addition of Zota
makes a total of only three
general practitioners and
Upchurch said the goal of the
group is to recruit two or three
more in the next few years.
Auto Renewals Slow
The majority of Raeford area
motorists is apparently in no hurry
to purchase their 1977 renewal
license plate stickers for their autos
and the Division of Motor Vehicles
office staff is concerned that a wait
in a long line will be the fate for
those who put off the chore until
the last minute.
jince Jan. 3. when the 1977 auto
registrations went on sale, the
Raeford DMV office has processed
3.450 transactions but only a part
of that number represents license
renewals, licensing agent Frances
W. Greene said. According to the
sales reports for the period of Jan. 1
through Feb. 15 last year, the
Raeford office has handled only
about one-fourth of the customers
who need to renew registrations by
Feb. 15. the date on which 1976
plates officially expire.
"11" people would come in now it
would take them only a minute.
There is no waiting time." Miss
Greene said. Last year on Feb. lb.
long lines formed for most of the
day at the E. Edinborough Ave.
office and some persons waited as
long as an hour and a half to get
served.
The Raeford DMV office, oper
ated by the Chamber of Commerce,
will not accept personal checks for
private passenger car renewals.
Miss Greene explained, but busi
nesses with a fleet of vehicles may
pay by check.
"People can save themselves the
aggravation of waiting in line if
they come in early." Miss Greene
said.
Extreme Weather
i Begins To Wane
Temperatures crept up into the forties
Tuesday to give people a welcome relief from the
extreme weather last week which crippled home
water supplies when pipes burst and caused a
power cutback because of record energy
demands.
Hoke County was spared by Monday's
unexpected snowfall which brought up to three
inches in neighboring Moore and Scotland
Counties. Some sections in the western portion of
the county reported brief periods of heavy snow
with slight accumulations, but for the most part
Raeford and the surrounding area received rain
and sleet with the mercury staying in the 30's.
The storm created hazardous driving condi
tions and the schools dismissed classes early
Monday afternoon at the urging of the Highway
Patrol.
The bitter cold last week broke previous
records for electrical consumption and Carolina
Power & Light Co. imposed a five per cent
cutback for a short time. CP&L also issued an
appeal to customers to conserve as much as
possible, calling it an "emergency situation"
Wednesday night.
The most serious effects of the weather for
many people here were water pipes frozen for the
first time in years. Raeford Plumbing and
Heating Co. reported it was deluged with calls all
week beginning Monday.
"The phone just rang constantly," a spokes
woman said. "Everybody said it was an
emergency and wanted us to come right away.
But everybody with busted pipes is an emergency
and we told them we were trying to take care of
everyone as fast as we could".
Scores of persons outside the city reported well
pumps frozen, leaving homes without any water
until the pumps could be thawed. Some families
had pumps burst which meant either a repair bill
or a replacement at a cost of $100-$200.
Farm ponds have completely iced over,
creating a new hazard and concern among
parents that children will venture on the ice to
play.
Although the ice may appear solid there is
really no way to test the strength and even the
weight of a child may cause it to break through in
some spots. One tragedy has already occurred in
Charlotte when a youngster fell through a pond
and drowned.
The prolonged cold spell is affecting farmers.
Tobaccomen have been unable to put out their
beds which are usually treated by this time. Last
year, tobacco beds were being placed as early as
December.
The killing freeze which has destroyed citris
crops in Florida hasn't gone unnoticed by
shoppers. Alerted by news reports that the price
of orange juice may double, many people are
planning to stock up now.
The brutal winter weather has caused soaring
electric bills for home heating and no relief is in
sight next month. Lumbee River Electric
Membership Corp. has come under fire from
customers hit with S200-plus monthly bills after a
wholesale power increase and a change in billing
schedules. CP&L officials warned customers that
February bills will run $5-$ 10 per household
higher because of a steep increase in the fuel
adjustment cost and the increased consumption
during the severe cold.
Icy Roads Bring Accidents
The day-long rain and sleet
Monday caused a rash of auto
accidents on roads which became
icy after overnight temperatures
dropped below freezing.
Highway Patrol trooper R. V. Lee
reported a series of wrecks between
11 p.m. and sometime after mid
night Monday.
A car being operated by William
Baker. 34. of Rt. 1. Raeford.
skidded off of icy pavement on
N.C. 20 about two miles east of
Raeford and struck a grain dump
and trailer to the left of the road.
No injuries were reported.
About 11:30 p.m. two vehicles
went out of control on U.S. 401
near the Big Star Truck Stop. An
auto being driven by Nathaniel
Washington Jr.. 1*). of B Battery.
1st 319 Field Artillery. Ft. Bragg,
went off the left shoulder of the
road after skidding on ice and ran
into woods. A vehicle traveling
behind Washington's car also left
the road in the same manner and
Man
Found
Dead
The body of a 47-year-old man
who may have died from exposure
was discovered Tuesday morning
approximately 100 feet from the
man's house, according to Sheriff
D.M. Barrington.
Martha Locklear. Rt. 1. Box
h4-G. Red Springs, discovered the
body of Johnson Woods. Rt. 1. Box
t>4-F. Red Springs, lying in the
mud near Antioch. Deputy Jimmy
Riley answered the 12:45 p.m. call
and found Locklear clothed in work
clothes and a jacket.
According to Riley, there were no
signs of foul play. Death appeared
to be from natural causes, but the
body was sent to Chapel Hill for
autopsy. Sheriff Barrington said.
Locklear. who lived alone, was
last seen around 9:30 p.m. Monday
by a neighbor. -Edward Locklear.
Medical examiner Robert Town
send attended the bodv.
Rose's Office
Visits Today
The mobile office of Congress
man Charles G. Rose will visit
Raeford today (Thursday) from 10
a.m. to 3 p.m.
The van will be parked in the
post office parking lot. Adminis
trative assistant Rip Collins will be
on hand.
came to a stop against the first car.
The driver of the second car was
identified as Alice E. Biggs, 44. of
Fayetteville. The drivers and four
passengers involved were unin
jured.
Damage to both cars was moder
ate.
A third driver. Jerry Tillman. 20,
of Fayetteville. also lost control on
ice in the same spot and his car ran
off the road to the right. A
passenger in Tillman's car com
plained of minor injury.
Estelle L. Lee, 53, of Fayette
ville. was taken to Cape Fear Valley
Hospital with head injuries after
her car ran oft' U.S. 401 about four
miles east of Raeford shortly before
midnight.
Lee said she was traveling south
when the car went off of the right
shoulder, struck an enbankment.
crossed over the road and left the
shoulder and struck a fence before
coming to rest in a pasture. The
driver was pinned in the auto until
the Hoke County Rescue Squad
could arrive.
Lee also reported a car traveling
on RPR 1203 near West Hoke
Sahool about 11:30 p.m. left the
Aad and struck a tree after hitting
No further details were
learned.
About 4 a.m. Tuesday, a car
being driven by Neil Ray, 29, of
Raeford. was traveling north on a
rural paved route through Tyler
town when it hit an icy stretch and
left the road and overturned,
trooper J. E. Stanley reported. The
vehicle hit a utility pole before
stopping.
Ray. alone in the car, was
uninjured but the vehicle was a
total loss.
He was ticketed by the Highway
Patrol for exceeding a safe speed
and having no valid operator's
license.
About 6:30 a.m.. a car being
driven by Raymond G. Hunt, 22. of
182nd DMC, Ft. Bragg, went out
of control on a rural paved route
between U.S. 401 and the Ft.
Bragg reservation and overturned.
The auto, a Volkswagon. was a
total loss.
Hunt, driving alone, escaped
injury. No charges were filed.
Also about tv.30 a.m., a car being
driven bv Joyce Hinson. 30, of Rt.
?2. St. Pauls, was traveling on N.C.
20 about one mile south of Dundar
rach when it hit an icy spot and
overturned. The driver was unin
jured and the car termed a total
wreck .
No charges were (lied.
Trooper Stanley also reported a
truck loaded with logs skidded on
an icv stretch of N.C. 20 near
Dundarrach and jacknifed into a
ditch. The driver, who was not
identified, escaped injury.
Judge Dips Into Wallet
To Start Clothing Fund
For Teenage Defendant
Expressing indignation at the
plight of a teenager defendant
appearing in court Friday, District
Court Judge Joseph E. Dupree
reached into his own pocket to give
the youth S5 to buy clothing and
then appealed to others present in
the courtroom to contribute to a
"kitty" so the teenager could
purchase enough clothing to return
to school.
"It is apparent to the court that
lack of clothes is the cause of this
young man's present difficulty,"
Dupree declared after passing sen
tencing on 16 year-old Willie
Kershaw. "He left school to assist
his mother who makes S3 an hour
and has four other children to
support. This family is not receiv
ing any form of assistance. He was
stealing to get money to buy food."
Kershaw, of Rt. 3, Raeford, was
arrested Jan. 1 1 and charged with
the theft of several hundred dollar's
worth of power tools stolen in
November from the backyard of
Raeford Mayor John K. McNeill Jr.
Kershaw pleaded guilty to a re
duced charged of larceny and was
given a suspended sentence and
placed on probation.
"This young man is a victim of
circumstances. His mother no long
er buys food stamps, I'm told,
because she thought they were 'too
expensive". She is also not receiving
AFDC (Aid to Families with De
pendent Children) payments." Du
pree said.
Several persons, including all of
the Highway Patrol troopers and
the principal of the high school,
gave money and a little over $12
was collected. The money was
turned over to Kershaw's probation
officer.
Later, Dupree voiced disapprov
al of the Department of Social
Services for discontinuing its used
clothing service for needy families
and said he hoped the service would
be resumed as soon as possible.
Kershaw appeared embarrassed
and ill at ease at the attention given
him.
?