GATES COUNTY INDEX
-The Only Newspaper Published in and for Gates County
Volume IS, No. 48
Gatesville, N. C., Wednesday, August 1, 1945
1
12 Pages This Week
9-i-«
jrhmp Matthews
Graduates From
Gunnery School
. Harlingen Army Air Field,
* Texas.—Cpl. Philip R. Matthsws,
son of Mr. and Mrs. A. C. Mat
thews of Gates, N. C., was one of
78 enlisted men and 24 officers
, . graduated recently as a member
of the fifth class in B-29 gun
nery at this field.
After receiving further train
ing at a B-29 operational train
ing base, Cpl. Matthews will
ibecome a member of a combat
crew destined to strike at the
heart of Japan. History is now
being written by the Army Air
Force as it blasts Tokyo and
other Jap military installations.
The six weeks gunnery course
at Harlingen is designed to make
the student proficient in the use
of the gunnery system now in
stalled in the Superfortress. This
training was made possible
through the combined efforts of
technical men and combat re
turnees of the AAF from every
theatre of operation.
HoflerDischarged
On Point System
Gatesville. — After more than
four years in the Army, two and
a half years of which was spent
overseas, Chief Warrant Officer
R. H. Hofler has been honor
ably discharged under the point
system of separation.
Son of Mrs. J. L. Hofler of
Gatesville and the late Mr. Hof
ler, he is in Washington this
week op business. Prior to enter
ing the service, he was engaged
in banking in Bethel.
Baseball Inflicts
Injury to Eye
Gatesville.—-Aaron Lilley, Jr.,
12-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs.
Aaron Lilley of Gatesville, suf
fered a painful eye injury when
he was struck by a -baseball
Monday morning.
He was -given medical atten
tion by Dr. T. L. Carter and
was still confined to his bed
Wednesday afternoon.
PROMOTED. Robert Alton
Matthews, USNR, above, son
of Mr. and Mrs. J. T. Matthews
of Gates, has recently been
promoted to Chief Petty Of
ficer. In the South Pacific since
February, Matthews is now in
the Philippines. A former em
ploye of the Newport News
Shipbuilding and Drydock
Corporation, he entered the
s Navy in April, 1942.
1
GATES COAST GUARDSMAN IN IHEYA SHIMA AS
SAULT.—Coast Guardsman Aubrey E. Harrell, Seaman first
class, of Gates, veteran of action during1 the invasions of Okin
awa and Iwo Jima, is shown at his battle station aboard a
Coast Guard manned L.ST which recently took part in the as
sault and capture of Iheya Shima, the latest Jap island to be
taken by American forces. Harrell previously served on Coastal
Patrol duty in the Atlantic for 19 months.
Distinguished Flying Grass
Awarded Major Cowper For
Attack On Jap-Held Airfield
Headquarters, 13th A A F,.
Philippines.—Major William R.
Cowper, Jr., of Gatesville, com
manding officer of the White
Knights squadron of Brigadier
General Earl W. Barnes’ 13th
AAF Fighter Command, has
•been awarded the Distinguished
Flying Cross for his daring ac
complishments while leading his
P-38 Lightnings in the first fight
er sweep over Jap-held Jessel
ton Airdrome.
Home on leave, Major Cowper
did not know the DFC had been
awarded until the Index ad
See MAJ. COWPER, Page 3
Health Unit Has
Supply Whooping
Cough Vaccine
Gatesville.—The district health
department has received a new
supply of whooping cough vac
cine. Due to the great demand all
over the state for this vaccine
the State Laboratory of Hygiene
was unable to supply it in suf
ficient quantities.” However, we
are ready to continue our im
munization program agai nst
whooping cough,” said Mrs.
Elizabeth H. Crouse, public
health nurse for Gates County.
The new law requires that all
babies under one year have the
vaccination and that children
entering school must have had
either the disease or the im
munization, she added.
This vaccination and any of
the others desired will be given
at the Gatesville health depart
ment office any Wednesday, Fri
day or Saturday morning and
any Friday afternoon at the Sun
bury clinic (located back of Hill'
Brothers store) at 2:00 p. m.,
Mrs. Crouse said.
DECORATED.—Major Wil
liam R. Cowper, Jr., of Gates
ville, has been awarded the
Distinguished Flying Cross for
the first fighter sweep over
Jap-held airdrome in Nofth
Borneo.
Rufus Twine, 88,
Buried Saturday
Hobbsville. — Funeral services
for Rufus Twine, age 88, who
died at the home of his daugh
ter, Mrs. Bettie Hobbs, were
conducted Saturday afternoon at
the home by the Rev. Ira T.
Harrell. Burial was in the family
cemetery.
He is survived by one son,
Dempsey Twine of Belenass; and
one daughter, Mrs. Bettie Hobbs
of Hobbsville.
Three grandchildren and two
great grandchildren also survive.
Friends of the family were
active and honorary pallbearers.
Sportsiw I ji Looking
To Hunt ng Season;
Barnes Cites Laws
Three from Area
Flown in From
Europe Theatre
Miami, Fla.—Men from Eure,
Merry Hill and Seaboard, in the
Roanoke - Chowan section of
North Carolina, were among 323
battle-tested veterans landed at
Air Transport Command’s Army
Air Field today in a period of
two hours.
Flown here trans-ocean in
ATC planes, they were schedul
ed" to spend less than 24 hours
at this ATC Caribbean Division
hub before proceeding by rail
to Camp Blanding, Fla. Then
will come the big step nearer
home—to a reception center
where they will be separated
from the service or given fur
loughs prior to reassignment.
The Roanoke-Chowan veter
ans flown here included:
T-5 Josepph L. Eure, engine
ers, after 33 months in the Eu
ropean theatre concluded in
Czechoslovakia. He has eight
T-5 John to Harrell of Merry
Hill, engineers, 33 months over
seas service concluded also in
[Czechoslovakia. He also has
f eight battle stars.
T-5 John C. Collier of S-sa
board, engineers, several months
overseas service ended in Ger
many. He, too, holds eight battle
stars.
Some will be honorably dis
charged from the service. Some
will be assigned to new war
theatres and some will be given
stations here in the United
States.
StallingsiAwarded
Bronze Star For
Heroism Overseas
Hobbsville. — Sgt. Wendell L.
Stallings has been awarded the
Bronze star Medal for heroic
service in connection with mili
tary operations against the ene
my in Germany, February 26,
1945.
The tank of which he was a
crew member was struck by
anti-tank fire. It was backed be
hind a building for protection
until information could be ob
tained to fire on the enemy gun..
Disregarding his own safty, Sgt.
Stallings dismounted from the
tank although the area was be
ing shelled, and from a vantage
point provided information that
enabled his tank to knock out
the enemy position.
“The superior performance of
duty, conspicuous courage and
exemplary action displayed by
Sgt. Stallings Reflect high cre
dit upon himself and are in ac
cordance with the finest tradi
tion of military service,” the ci
tation said.
' Sgt. Stallings has also been
awarded the Purple Heart after
being wounded April 14, 1945,
while in action in Germany. He
is the husband of Mrs. W. L.
Stallings of Louisville, Ky., and
son of Mr. and Mrs. A. F. Stal
lings of Hobbsville!
Corapeake.—Despite the con
tinued shortage of gun shells and
other ammunition, Ghtes county
sportsmen are eagerly looking
forward to the opening of the
hunting and trapping season in
October.
•But County Game Protector
iD. E. Barnes of Corapeake warns
that no hunting is permitted on
Sundays, that it is unlawful to
buy or sell quail and that it is
unlawful to take doe deer.
Mr. Barnes calls attention to
other details of the game laws
as they apply to Gates county
deer may not be hunted between,
sunset and sunrise with the aid.
of artificial light. Foxes may b<
•taken with gun only.
In all cases of conviction un
der the law, the person convict
ed must give up his hunting1 li
cense.
The game protector specified
open seasons and bag limits on
game in which Gates county
sportsmen might be interested:
Bear, Oct. 1 to Jan. 1, day
limit, 2, season limits, 2; male
deer, Oct. 1 to Jan. 1, bag limii,
day 1, season 3.
Opposum and raccoon with
gun, Oct. 15 to Feb. 15, no limit;
opposum, raccoon, mink and
muskrat '(trapping), Dec. 1 to
Feb. 15, no limit.
Foxes may be taken with gunr
only during the open season on
other game animals.
Otter, Jan. 1 to Jan. 15; quaii.,
Nov. 22 to Jan. 31, day limit 10;
season limit 150; rabbit, no limit,
from Nov. 22 to Jan. 31.
Squirrel, Oct. 1 to Jan. 1, day
limit 10, no season limit. Turkey,
Nov. 22 to Jan. 31, season limit
1.
Any person who takes or at
tempts to take deer between sun
set and sunrise with the aid of
a spotlight or other artificial
light on any highway or in any
field, woodland, or forest in vio
lation of the North Carolina game
laws is subject to a fine or not
less than $100.00 or imprison
ment of not less than 60 days or
bQth, such fine and imprison
ment in the discretion of the
court.
Cost of county license is $1.10;
state license is $3.10, and non
resident license $15.75.
SILVER STAR. For courage ’
and disregard of personal safe
ty. Sgt. Lloyd A. Stallings,
above, son of Mr. and Mrs. J
H. Stallings of Belvidere, and
sister of Mrs. F. G. Wiggins of
Hobbsville, has been awarded
the Silver Star.