GATES COUNTY INDEX
The Only Newspaper Published in and for Gates County
Gatesville, N. C., Wednesday, March 6, 1946
12 Pages This Week
Dismal Swamp Is
Relieved of Tax
- or Federal Use
Gatesville.—The Gates Coun
ty Board of Commissioners yes
terday agreed to relieve from
county taxation thousands of
acres in the eastern part of the
county, which is to be purchased
by the federal government in the
creation of a national forest in
the Great Dismal Swamp.
Several thousand acres of land
in Gates county which form a
part of the western boundary of
the Great Dismal Swamp may
be affected by the move. At pre
sent all the land is privately
owned and is valued on the coun
ty tax (books at $1.50 an acre.
Under the government’s proposal
the land will be purchased from
the private landholders by fed
eral agencies and the entire
swamp turned into a national
forest.
In return for relieving federal
purchased land from taxation the
county will receive twenty-five
See DISMAL SWAMP, Page 6
County Bought
More Than Two
Million In Bonds
Gatesville.—Gates county resi
dents purchased more than two
million dollars in War Bonds and
stamps during the War Loan
paigns between 1941 and the
of 1945, final tabulations
i the Federal Reserve Bank
sealed this week.
More than half the total
amount of bonds purchased were
in “E” bonds, the sales of which
totalled $1,058,812.75. These fi
gures, received here Monday by
Robin Hood, who acted as coun
ty chairman of the bond drives,
show that Gates county failed to
meet its “E” bond quotas only
two times during the drives and
exceeded its overall quota in
every drive but one.
1944 emerged as the peak year
for bond sales, there being $795,
317.50 in overall sales during
that year.
Hood said the county’s average
in the sales was exceptionally
good for the entire series of
drives, keeping well ahead of
most of the counties in the state
in meeting drive quotas.
The following yearly sales fi
gures were released for Gates
county for the five war
1941, $27,121.00 in “E”
$196,971.50
$239,535.50
$299,643.75
$448,723.75
$298,985.50
$795,317.50
1942,
and
1943,
and
1944,
and
in “E”
overall
in “E”
overall
in “E”
overall;
$236,091.00 in “E”s and
years:
bonds;
bonds
sales;
bonds
sales;
bonds
1945,
$516,
387.00 in overall sales for the
county.
These are all final official fi
bres.
© inbury Man
Is Discharged
Camp Beale, California.—Cpl.
Earl F. Harrell, son of Aubrey
P. Harrell, Sunbury, was honor
ably discharged from the armed
forces lata last month at the
Camp Beale Separation' Center.
Entering the army in March
1943, Cpl. Harrell was assigned
to the Army Air Forces.
During his thirty-five months
of service, Cpl. Harrell has earn
ed thirty-five discharge points.
Gates County
Tops 1946 Quota
For Red Cross
Gatesville.—Gates County this
week reported it has reached and
exceeded its quota in the 1946
Fund Raising Campaign for the
American Red Cross.
The Rev. T. Sloane Guy, who
has been chairman of the Red
Cross War Fund drives for the
past three years, again was
chairman for the 1946 drive. Mr.
Guy reported that Gates County
was “the first in the state” to
reach its quota, but declined to
say what this assigned quota was.
Mr. Guy said the quota was a
great deal smaller than that last
year.
A total of $1,192.20 was re
ported collected on February 26
from four Gates County town
ships. The remaining county
townships, together with negro
collections, have been reported
as sufficient to assure reaching
and exceeding their quotas, but
have not been officially tabu
lated.
Returns announced this week
are: Gatesville Township, quota
$250, total collected $350.75;
Mintonsville, quota $200, collect
ed $261.60; Hunter’s Mill, quota
$200, collected S298.85; Holly
Grove, quota $250, collected
$281.10.
Two Times Two!
Corapeake.—The most pro
lific cow in Gates county is
probably owned by George
Kittrell of Corapeake.
On December 24, 1944, the
cow, a registered Guernsey,
gave birth to purebred twin
calves, a male and a female.
Less than a year later, on
December 11, 1945, another
blessed event occurred at the
Kittrells’, this time it was twins
again—two lively bull calves.
Mrs. Kittrell believes, as
who does not, that there is
something unique about any
production agency that turns
out four calves in less than one
year.
NEW TREASURY AIDE . . .
O. Max Gardner, former gov
ernor of North Carolina, has
been named by President Tru
man to 'the post of undersec
retary of the treasury. He will
act as secretary during the
absence of Secretary Vinson,
at new world uank meetings.
Assault Case
Bound Over To
Superior Court
Gatesville. — Elsworth Harri
son, negro, of Gatesville was
bound over to the March term
of Superior Court under a $500
bond here Tuesday morning after
he had been found guilty of as
sault with a deadly weapon with
intent to kill. The charge was
•considered grave enough to war
rant its continuation from county
recorder's court to a higher court.
Walter Driggs of Suffolk was
found guilty of being drunk and
disorderly in a public place and
fined $25 and court costs and
placed on twelve months’ proba
tion.
Melvin Riddick, Roduco negro,
was found guilty of the illegal
removal of crops from land be
longing to his landlord, but
sentence was remanded to the
mere payment of court costs af
ter Riddick had made satisfac
tory settlement with the land
lord.
Only three cases appeared on
Tuesday’s docket for judgement.
Dr. Lilley Gets
Navy Promotion
Scotland Neck—Word has been
received from the Navy Depart
ment that Dr. Melvin M. Lilley,
son of Mr. and Mrs. M. C. Lilley
of Gatesville, recently was
selected for promotion to the
rank of Commander, Dental
Corps, U. S. Naval Reserve.
Lilley is now on inactive duty;
nevertheless, he is entitled to re
ceive promotions in rank. He is
engaged in private practice here.
Commissioners Draw
Jury for March Court
Gatesville.—A Superior Court
jury panel of 27 men was drawn
here Monday by the Board of
County Commissioners. The jur
ors will serve during the March
term of court which opens here
Monday, March 25.
The drawing of jurors wound
up a full day of activity for the
commissioners.
The following men were select
ed for jury duty from the town
ships in the county: Holly Groye:
Darius Hill and W. K. Parker of
Sunbury and Beryl Armstrong
and Willis Brinkley of Cora
peake; Hunter’s Mill—M. H. By
rum and S. E. Nixon of Sunbury,
R. A. Brown of Gatesville and
Otho Riddick of Trotville; Rey
noldson—J. R. Howell, W. H.
Pittman, G. D. Gatling and R. E.
Miller of Gates.
Mintonsville — Alfred Hollo
well and P. D. Hobbs of Hobbs
ville and Emmett H. Rountree
and L. L. Brown of Gatesville;
Hall—D. C. Eure, Clyde Eure and
G. K. Riddick of Eure; Hayslett—
L. B. Ward, Maywood Taylor,
J. Huett Freeman and H. Paul
Green of Gates; and Gatesville—
Karl W. Rawls and George Cow
per of Gatesville, G. C. Worrell
of Gates and E. Merrill Rountree
of Corapeake.
The jurymen selected will sit
as a Grand jury in the March
term of court and will serve as a
panel for which trial juries will
be chosen.
Hathaway Opens
Political \. lace As
House C\ ndidate
v**
Re-enlisting In
Regular Army
Gatesville.—Not all the boys
getting their discharge from the
army are returning to civilian
life. A fair percentage of them
are re-enlisting and intend to
make the army their career, ac
cording to Lt. J. B. Smith, who
spends Wednesdays from 9:30
until noon in Gatesville.
Lt. Smith, who has recently
been assigned to take over per
manent recruiting duties in this
area, states that some six of
10 veterans who have been dis
charged from the army are now
re-enlisting every week.
Lt. Smith points out that dis
charged army men can re-enlist
within 90 days of their discharge
and still retain their old rank.
This with the retirement plan,
he says, makes an attractive
career, especially for the younger
men.
Many Veterans
Fourth District
Chief Speaks To
Legionnaires
Gatesville.—Ed S. Williams of
Ahoskie, commander lor the
Fourth District, made the prin
cipal address at the meeting of
American Legion Post No. 136
here Thursday night.
Williams told the 38 members
and visitors in attendance that
there was a need for more work
on the part of Legion members
toward making the postwar
world a better place for return
ing veterans. He said the Legion
was taking an active part in this
planning and urged that the
principles not be allowed to lag.
Eight World War II veterans
joined the Gatesville post at
Thursday’s meeting. The new
members are James Lee Eason
of Gatesville, Lankford H. Eure
of Eure, Hoy E. Hollowell of
Hobbsville, Arthur R. Tinkham
of Eure, Linwood C. Jones of
Corapeake, Dalton M. Parker of
Sunbury, Melvin N. Felton of
Eure, and Felton D. Landing of
Eure.
At the meeting it was an
nounced that Judge Henry
Stephens of Warsaw, past na
tional commander, would address
the Legion at one of the meet
ings in the near future if it were
possible for him to come.
Plans Drawn By
Health Officials
Gatesville.:—Miss Id-311 Buchan,
Divisional Consultant of Public
Health Nurses for the State
Board of Health, spent Friday
in the offices of the Gates coun
ty Public Health department as
sisting th-2 local personnel in lay
ing out a program of work for
1946.
Miss Elizabeth Crouse, public
health nurse, said Miss Buchan
was complimentary toward the
local office and that she had
been of much assistance to th£
Gates county office.
1 Gatesville. — Clarence P
Hathaway of Holly Grove an
ounced Monday that he would
he a candidate for representative
to the General Assembly in the
May primary.
Hathaway, a young navy vet
eran of World War II, became
the first candidate in the cbunty
to announce his candidacy for a
political office. This year is elec
tion year for a Representative,
three members of the Board oL
County Commissioners, sheriff
and clerk of court. None of the
other office seekers have an
nounced candidacy.
In announcing that he would
seek the office of Representative,
Hathaway said he was entering
politics for the first time. He has
n:ver held any political post in
the county.
Hathaway, who is employed by
G. B. Morgan of Sunbury, is the
son of Mrs. Hattie Hathaway.
He was released from the navy
in November, 1945, as an en
sign after thr-ae and one-half
years’ service. He entered the
navy as a third class petty of
ficer and was commissioned after
two years. He was on active duty
in the North Atlantic and in the
Pacific areas during his naval
service.
He is a lifelong resident of
Gates county.
Hathaw'ay said he was an
nouncing his intention to run for
Representative in the belief that
the General Assembly was in
. need of a few’ recent veterans to
! get the typs of legislation that is
needed in a speeded-up world.
4-H Achievement
Day Awards Made
To Top Members
Gatesville.—Dorothy Lawrence
of Gatesville and Joe Joe Rid
dick of Hobbsville were select
ed as the “Most Outstanding” girl
and boy 4-H club members in
the Gates county annual 4-H
Achievement day here last Sat
urday.
All the clubs in the county, as
well as parents and friends, were
on hand for what county agent
John W. Artz termed “ a highly
successful meeting.” Eighty-five
people attended the meeting in
which awards were given to in
dividuals and clubs for their 4
See 4-H AWARDS, Page 9
Farm Bureau Will
MeetAtHobbsville
Hobbsville. — The quarterly
meeting of the Gates County
Farm Bureau will be held at the
Hobbsville school Friday night,
March 8, at 6 o’clock. Officers
for 1946 will be elected.
A fish fry and oyster supper
beginning at 6 o’clock will be
followed by a business meet at
7:30. All Farm Bureau members
and their wives are invited, and
urged to bring prospective mem
bers. An out - of - the - county
speaker will be heard, and re
ports will be given by Gates
county delegates who attended
the State Farm Bureau conven
tion recently in Winston-Salem.