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#The Hoke County News - Established 1 928
VOLUME LX1X NUMBER 13 RAEFORD, HOKE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA
- journal
The Hoke County Journal - Established 1905
S8 PER YEAR THURSDAY, JULY 28. 1977
Around
Town
BY SAM C. MORRIS
The only comment about the
weather is that it is at least liveable.
? ? ?
James R. Holmes, brother of the
late Tommie Holmes, who now
lives in Cleveland, Ohio was in the
office last week to renew his
subscription for the paper. He is
Housing Supervisor lor the Rent
Assistance Program for the
Cleveland district and was com
menting on the program as a
whole.
It was nice to talk to him and
glad that he still enjoys The
News- Journal.
? ? ?
?
Burnett Coleman, newly elected
President of the Raeford Jaycees
and Farmers Home Administrator
for Hoke County, spoke to the
* Raeford Kiwanis Club last Thurs
day night. He came as a guest of
Bill Moses who was in charge of the
program.
Coleman told of the workings of
his agency and his talk was
interesting and very informative.
* * *
Mrs. Carolyn McGee, chairman
for the Summer Camp Project of
the Raeford Woman's Club, was by
the office last week and asked that I
put something in this column
concerning the project.
The camp will be from August 1
thru 6 at Camp Monroe and the
club hopes to send 42 children to
the camp this year. Last year 25
youngsters attended and after
observing the thrills and overall aid
that came to these kids, the club
increased the number.
Now, as everything else this day
and time, the cost of doing
<> anything goes up. When they
increased the number to 42 chil
dren the club expected the cost to
be S35 per child but it has gone up
f to $37. SO. Besides this fee the club
must provide clothes and blankets
for each camper. Of course other
little expenses will be popping up
that you don't expect.
The club is short over S100.00
just in the money for the fees for the
campers.
Now once again these ladies call
upon the good citizens of Hoke
County to aid in a worthy cause.
They are grateful for the contribu
tions that people have already
donated, but to make their project
a success that ask us to go a little
further and dig a little deeper.
If you can help, get in touch with
Mrs. McGee or Mrs. Alfred K.
Leach, president of the Raeford
Woman's Club.
* * ?
Mrs. Charles Hostetlej, presi
dent of the Hoke County Arts
Council, came by the office the first
of the week and gave me some
information which should be of
interest to many men in the county.
The Arts Council wants to form a
Barber Shop Quartet or a group of
Singing men.
After Ann talked to me about
this, it brought back the memories
?of such names as Make and Martin
McKeithan, Freddie Fridell, Jap
Davis, Lacy Clark, Dr. H.R.
Cromartie, and Col. Rube Poole,
i just to mention a few of the men
that used to sing in Raeford and
from the group form a quartet for a
Minstrel or a funeral at the drop of
a coin.
I can recall even in my earlier
days of singing with Sam Snead,
Earl Buoyer, John Thomas
Walters. Harold McDiarmid, Jack
Bethune, etc.. many a night on the
schoolhouse steps.
Whether we could carry a tune or
not, we had fun and it sounded like
music to us.
This is a swell idea and so let's all
of us join in with this project. If you
are interested, just contact Donna
Bernhardt, Ashwell Harward or
Mrs. Ann Hostetler, and they will
give you complete details.
According to Ann, a director
hasn't been found as of this
writing, but with the talent that is
in this county, that shouldn't be
hard to come up with.
We'll be singing with you soon!
ft ? * ?
Don't forget that the Raeford
Kiwanis Club Annual Softball
tournament starts next week. Look
?for more information elsewhere in
the paper.
.V ? ? ?
Next week we will write about a
Raeford native who retired this past
school year after teaching at the
same school for the past 41 yean.
Disaster Aid Asked
Crop Losses Put At $3 Million
DYING -- Half of the county a corn crop has been declared a loss, the plants dying in the severe drought which has
plagued farmers for weeks. This field is on the Woodrow Lewis farm in Five Points, one of the hardest hit sections
of the county.
No Motel? No Problem!
a
By Marly Vega
The way to see the U.S.A. may
be in a Chevrolet but the way to see
North Carolina is by bicycle, if
you can believe two very tired young
men who pedaled into Raeford
Monday night.
Don Pearce, 23, and Dennis
Deutschle, 26, both junior high
school teachers in the Alamance
County school system, left Graham
on their bikes about 6:15 a.m.
Monday, taking with them sleeping
bags, extra clothing, towels and a
little food.
Bringing the sleeping bags was
smart. They found they needed
them Monday night.
"We figured Aberdeen was
about as far as we would make the
first day, but a man gave us
directions for a shortcut so we
made Raeford and thought we'd
look for a motel. What motels!
There aren't any!" Don said.
Tired, the two travelers decided
the only thing to do would be to go
to the local police station and ask if
they could spend the night there.
Dead Girl's
Handicap
Not Known
Bertha and George Johnson, the
parents of slain Annie Lois John
son, did not know that their
daughter had been classed as
retarded and was in a special class
until after her death.
Mrs. Johnson, who works as a
housekeeper at Moore Memorial
Hospital, said that Annie was a
quiet girl and usually stayed
around the house.
"She never gave us any trouble.
She seemed normal enough. 1 just
don't know what to think," Mrs.
Johnson said.
Mrs. Janet Plummer, who was
the murdered girl's language arts
teacher in the educable mentally
retarded class at Upchurch Junior
High School last year, said that
Annie was considered "mildly
retarded" and had an I.Q. of about
72.
"She was one of the brighter ones
in the class. She had days when she
was in and out but I'd say she was
doing work on a fourth or fifth
grade level," Mrs. Plummer said.
"She had friends and she seemed
happy enough. You'd always see
her with a group," Mrs. Plummer
said.
Her teacher, shocked at the news
of the violent death, said that
Annie could have been lured into
situations by strangers if it was an
older person or some adult who
would appear as an authority
figure. I
"It's just a terrible tragedy," the
said.
(Now, as everybody knows,
Raeford just couldn't have
strangers treated so inhospitably as
that. Graham Niven, who was at
the dispatcher's desk at 7:30 p.m.,
realized that city manager Bob
Drumwright was also from Gra
ham, so Niven sent them on their
way with directions to the city
manager's home, where they
unrolled their sleeping bags for
some well - earned rest. Their plan
was to be up bright and early to
cover the last 100 miles to their
destination, Holden Beach.
Don is originally from Zebulon
and Dennis is a native of Niagara
Falls, N.Y.
The trip was Dennis' idea.
"It's not so bad once you get
going. We didn't even stop until
Pittsboro. The wind picked up a lot
in Pittsboro and then we had to
make stops," Dennis said.
"Dennis said once you get to
Pittsboro then it's all easy. Then,
he said, well maybe it's Sanford,
that's where it's all downhill. Lord,
we never have found the place yet!"
Don said.
The pair had no real problems on
the first leg of their journey and
found that most motorists are very
courteous of bikers and give them
plenty of room.
"They're fantastic, the people. It
kind of makes vou feel good about
With the crop losses here already nearing $3 million in one of the
severest droughts on record, Hoke County has joined 53 other North
Carolina counties in asking to be declared federal crop disaster areas
so farmers can become eligible for low interest loans and other aid.
The Hoke County Emergency Board, composed of representatives
from the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service, Soil
Conservation Service, Farmers Home Administration, Southeast
Production Credit Association and the Agricultural Extension
Service offices, met last Friday morning after Gov. Jim Hunt
announced that he was requesting 54 of the state's most severely hurt
counties to be designated emergency drought areas.
Tom Burgess, Hoke County ASCS executive director, said the
committee estimated that 50 per cent of the total corn crop, or about
5,000 acres, will be lost. Based on current market prices of S2 per
bushel, the loss will translate into approximately three-quarters of a
million dollars.
Tobacco damage was estimated as about 30 per cent of the total
acreage, and "that's going higher every day", Burgess said. Based
on a normal output of 1,900 pounds per acre, the loss in tobacco has
already exceeded $1.3 million.
Cotton, wheat and soybean damage has so far been light to
negligible. Burgess said. Cotton has held up well but soybeans are
beginning to show some stress.
"It's hard to say right now, but if we don't get rain, they'll take a
pretty severe loss", Burgess said.
"We've got a two and one half to three million dollar loss already
and it's getting worse every day. The tobacco is just burning off the
stalk," he saia.
Burgess also said that local ASCS committee is readying an
application for the Livestock Feed Program, so local producers will
be eligible to receive aid under that plan. Livestock producers,
especially swine and poultry farmers who have been especially hard
hit by the prolonged dry spell, can receive grain from the Commodity
Credit Corp. reserves.
Widely scattered showers fell last Thursday and Friday
afternoons. Raeford received less than one half inch of moisture and
some parts of the county received none.
Wendell Young, agriculture extension chairman, said the western
sections of the county, especially around Five Points, have suffered
the worst effects, along with portions of McLauchlin Township in the
east.
Young characterized the severe drought conditions as "the worst
since 1952 or '53".
Burgess said it will be two to three weeks before the county's
application can be processed and the official designation made.
Interest rates on loans for actual losses are five per cent. Other
parts of the emergency loan program carry a market rate of interest,
which is presently set at eight per cent.
Loans to cover actual losses are scheduled for repayment
consistent with the ability of the farmer to pay, and available
security, up to seven years, according to Burnett Coleman,
supervisor of the Hoke County FmHA office.
Americans and North Carolin
ians," Dennis said.
The only difficulties the two
encountered along the way didn't
come from people or traffic.
"God, there's a lot of dogs in
North Carolina," Dennis laughed.
"There was one, I could hear his
teeth chatter, he came about one
foot from us!"
The men plan to spend a few
days at the beach and then head
toward home this weekend.
(See NO MOTEL0 Pg. 14)
Jobseekers 66% Minorities
Minority people comprised 66
percent of the total active job
applicants who were registered for
work with the North Carolina
Employment Security Commission
in May of 1977.
A recently released labor area
review for Raeford and Hoke
County listed 407 minority appli
cants out of a total of 617. The
review was prepared by the Bureau
of Employment Security Research
in cooperation with the Fayetteville
Employment Security Commission
Office.
Other statistics indicate that the
minority applications make up %.4
Cameron Village Teen Found Slain
A retarded teenage girl was
found murdered Thursday
morning next to the dirt road
leading to her home in the
Cameron Village neighborhood
near Pine Hill.
Det. Alex Norton of the Hoke
County Sheriffs Department
identified the victim as Annie
Lois Johnson of Rt. 3, Box 163,
Raeford.
Norton said the girl's body
was discovered by a sister, Mrs.
Martha Campbell, about 9:30
a.m., when Mrs. Campbell, left
the house to visit a neighbor.
Preliminary reports indicated
the girl had been beaten,
however Sheriff D.M. Barring
ton said the apparent cause of
death was ruled by the state
medical examiner as strangu
lation. The autopsy also
indicated that she had not been
sexually assaulted.
Norton said the victim's
brother told investigators that
he left for work that morning
about 7:15 a.m. and did not see
the body at that time. A sister
reported hearing a vehicle in the
driveway about 7:30 a.m.,
Norton said.
Sheriff Barrington said that
the girl apparently was last seen
by her family about 11:30 p.m.
Wednesday when she left the
percent of the applications for
farming, forestry and fisheries
occupations, 91.7 percent of those
for processing work and only 28
percent of those for professional,
technical or managerial work.
According to the review the May
employment total for the Raeford
area was estimated to be 7,610,
reflecting a worker gain of 40 since
March. But, over the past 12
months there has been a worker
loss of 410.
During the last two months prior
to the May review the farm sector in
Hoke County added 100 workers,
but lost 130 workers over the
previous twelve month period.
The nonagricultural wage and
salary employment segment de
creased by 310 over the year,
dropping 50 workers since March.
The "all other" category nonag
ricultural hiring was up by 30 since
May 1976, but edged lower during
the last two months of the year.
Using data based on place of
work, manufacturing employment
was shown to have decreased by 140
workers, with ten being added
during the last two months of the
12 month period.
Since March 1977, textile em
(See JOBSEEKERS, Pg. 14)
house to get some water.
Authorities declined to specu
late on a motive for the killing.
L kl J
Barrington said several persons
are still being questioned.
Funeral services for Miss
L ...Ai
Johnson were held Sundav at
Mountain Grove A.M.E. Zion
Church.
u
MURDER ?? The body offourleen-year-old Annie Lob Johnson was found in grass next to the dirt road leading to
her home in Cameron Village Thursday morning. The cause of death was strangulation.