Farmer's Market . . .
is the place to buy. You don't have to
spend your money with a mail order
house. Look on the classified ad page of
The Index.
GATES COUNTY INDEX
The Only Newspaper Published °o County
The Home Folks . . .
are featured in every issue of The Index.
You can't buy another paper that can
make this boast about Gates County.
Volume 21. No. 45
One of the Nation’s
"GREATER WEEKLIES”
Gatesville, N. C.. Thursday, July 7,
10c per copy
i>. <iio;it.-.i to service to 14 Paqes—Two Section*
tJel.s .■••unity and Its Ivnple _
VACATION BOUND—All ferries acrss Oregon Inlet were jammed last weekend like the one in this photo....Your editor took this
picture from the deck of another ferry heading north while this one is heading for the outer banks loaded with cars and vacationers.
Ferries will carry 22 cars. They start at 5 a.m. in the morning and stop at 7 p.m. as tljey are not allowed to operate at night due
to the treacherous channel.
TheFishWereNot
Biting - Haft eras
By CARLTON MORRIS
Ghost Town, N. C.—July 4th.—
Yes, most towns in Gates County
are ghost towns on this July 4
as many of our folks seek to beat
the oppressive July heat by head
ing lor the beaches. The few that
are here today are a sunburned
bunch of ghosts as most of them
including your correspondent,
have already taken a quickie to
the beaches on Saturday and Sun
day prior to the Fourth and they
are only here now because of du
ties they can't avoid.
Eldest son Dale, and I decided
last Friday afternoon to take a
long planned trip to Hatteras to
visit our friend, license examiner
Mack Gray, who is toe man that
tells Gates Cou: ty people when
they do or do not know how to
drive an auto. Me lives in Eliza
beth City and has six children, but
he was born and raised at Avon
on Hatteras Island and lie is also
the licenses examiner for that
section too.. As he had to go to
von to give examinations during
• later part Of the week, we
•k o.l late Friday afternoon to
jin him there at the home of his
As "is the usual procedure w ith
a newspaper man, last minute de
tails kept me m Gates County
until 5 p. m. Friday and tae last
ferry across Orgeon Inlet runs at
7 p. m. Even then I would have,
made it. but went on to Maiiteo
to see friend Viet >r Meekms. Dare
County publisher. And like the.
proverbial flea, he was nowhere
to be found, but 1 did contact- his
son, Francis, who is very happily
married to an Ahoskie girl and
has two fine children. He informed
me that the last ferry across tin
inlet left at 7 and it was then
7:15, He advised us to attend the
15th ope mg of the Host Colony,
soend the night in Mariteo where a
room was unavailable and catch
the 5 a. m. ferry across the inlet.
Francis was sick in bed with a
virus, but said he would call
friend Avcock Brown and get
tickets to the performance. So
Dale and I tried to find a room
and did find one with two beds
for $9. We figured we would be
able to sleep about three hours
and that would be S3 per hour so
we decided to sleep in the car if it
became necessary. Anyway we
went on to the Lost Colony box
oftice and informed the two ladies
in attendance that Brown was
! supposed to have reserved us
some tickets. He hadn't done so as
Francis had been unable to lo
cate him by phone, but when I
informed them of my identity, one
>1 the ladies spoke up and de
clared she read my scribbling
each week with a great deal of
pleasure and I could get all the
tickets I wanted. (Newspaper
people never have any money, so
they are allowed to attend every
thing free.) Then I mentioned
: Francis, and the other lady said
:t had called them about me and
, -o they gave us reserved seats
| no incidentally we were seated
in the center down front and one
seat from Paul Greene and Chair
man of the Highway Commission
A. H. Graham, who were the
featured speakers at the opening
| if the performance.
The show was the best I have
ever seen it and I have atte ded
it a number of times including the
first show in 1937. The gerfor
i mance Friday ngiht was the apen
! ng of the 15th season which is
( anger than any other out-dool
' how in the country, has managed
to stay in business.
At intermission I had a short
hat with Aycock Brown, who
makes most of the pictures ot
See HATTERAS. Page 4
YOUNG FARMER—Douglas Freeman, Jr., of Gates, and a two
year member of the Gatesville Junior 4-H Club, is shown here
in his garden with a large bucket of freshly dug Irish potatoes.
Douglas. 12, is carrying the project for the second year and has
one of the finest displays of growing vegetables you’ll see. He
has 16 different vegetables planted and as they are gathered for
home use he keeps a record of how’ much of each. Eleven boys
have garden projects. Strange as il may seem for a youngster
of his age, Douglas actually likes to work and every day spends
some time in fighting the weeds and grass but is rewarded with
an ample harvest. (Photo by John Artz.)
Miss Taylor
Dies Sudden
In Hospital
j Eure.—Miss Magdalene Taylor,
| 42, died suddenly last Monday at
j 7:35 p. m. in the Roanoke-Chowan
! Hospital. She was injured in an
] auto wreck on June 25 near Ahos
; kie and had been in the hospital
i since that time. Hospital Authori
| ties said she had been doing well
as far as could be determined up
I to the time of her death. She was
j admitted to the hospital with rib
j fractures and facial lacerations
j after a wreck between cars driven
i by Frank H. Britton of Aulander
I was in collision with one driven
by Joseph R. Cherry of Norfolk.
She was an employee of Plant
ers National Bank and Trust Com
pany and was a native of Eure.
It was announced by hospital
! authorities that Miss Taylor was
| apparently doing well until late
j Monday when she suddenly be
came much worse and died from a
; brain heVnorhage.
i Funeral services will be con
ducted Wednesday at Cool Spring
■ Baptist Church. Rev. K. E. Bry
I ant of Ahoskie and pastor of the
| church will conduct the services
j assisted by Rev. A. J. Eure of
j Eure. Burial will be in the church
| cemetery.
Miss Taylor was a life mem
: ber of Cool Spring Baptist Church
j and a Sunday school teacher. She
j is survived by her parents, James
! R. and Margaret Ella Taylor of
i Eure; two brothers, S. T. Taylor
j of Newport News and James E.
I Taylor of Eure; one sister, Mrs.
Cam Stallings of Eure.
Alton Briscoe
Serving Army
In Hawaii
Twenty-fifth Div., Hawaii.—
Army Pvt. Alton R. Brisco, 18,
son of Mr. and Mrs. C. N. Bris
coe, Eure, recently arrived in
Hawaii and is now a member of
the 25th Infanty Division.
The “Tropic Lightning” di
vision is continuing its post-truce
training program using valuable
experience gained in Korea.
Private Brisco is a rifleman in
the division. He entered the Army
in January, 1955, and received
basic training at Fort Jackson,
S. C. Brisco is a graduate ol'
Gatesville High School.
Coast Line Wins
National Safety
Council Award
The Atlantic Coast Line Rail
road has received notice that it
had won the Railroad Employees’
National Safety Award of the
National Safety Council for 1954.
Six Class 1 railroads, which
today were named group winners
of the Railroad Employee’s Na
tional Safety Award of the Na
tional Safety Council, had a
1954 employee casualty rate of
53 per cent less than the aver
age rate for all Class 1 rail
roads.
In 1954 the combined rate of
employees killed and injured per
million man-hours worked was
3.22 for the six winners, as com
pared with a rate of 6.88 for all
Class 1 railroads. (Class 1 rail
roads are those whose operating
revenues exceed $1,000,000 an
nually.)
Coast Line was winner in the
20,000,000 to 50,000,000 man-hours
group. Its rate was 3.02 as com
pared with 6.55 for all railroads
in the group.
\ BIG THRILL
Gatesville.—Mrs. C. M. Law
rence had a special thrill in store
for her when she visited Mr. and
Mrs. Trent Bowen in Durham
last week. She was able to meet
her first great-granddaughter,
Margaret Elizabeth Bowen, who
is also her namesake.
No Takers for
Burned Buick
Corapeake.—A 1947 Buick was
burned near Corapeake last week
and up to the present time offi
cers are still in the dark as to
who is the owner of the auto.
The motor number and serial
number do not correspond and
I the car is not listed in either
j Virginia or North Carolina, they
j said. The car bore a North Caro
| lina dealer’s license which was
| issued to a firm in Columbia, N.
C. When contacted, this dealer
said the license plate in question
was issued to one of his salesmen,
who had left that firm, taking
the plates with him. His where
abouts are also unknown at this
Patrolman J. J. Carter of Gates
said the car was almost com
pletely destroyed by fire and gave
evidence of having been set on
fire purposely. A gasoline can
was found nearby and the auto
burned bad enough to melt the
carburetor, he said.
A check with the FBI failed to
j bring to light any record of the
\ car being stolen in the two-state
| area.
| Miss Lassiter
1 Passes Away;
Rites Tuesday
Sunbury.—Miss Annie M. Las
itser, 78, died at her home here
Sunday afternoon at 2:30 after a
lingering illness, She was the
daughter of the late Allen and
Lucy Lassiter; a native of Gates
County; a member of the Dama
cus Christian Church and Secre
tary and Treasurer of the Wom
ans Missionary Society of that
church for many years. She is
survived b three brothers, G. S.
Lassiter, of Corapeake, W. B.
Lassiter, of Drivers, and W. H.
Lassiter, of Sunbury; two sisters,
Mrs. W. J. Hudgins, Matthews,
1 and Miss Lucy G. Lassiter, Sun
bury.
j Funeral services were conduct
i ed Tuesday afternoon at three
i o’clock at the Damascus Christ
! ian Church. The pastor. Rev. T.
Fred Wright, conducted the ser
vices. Burial was in the church
cemetery.
j The body was removed from
the Rountree and Hofler Funeral
Home, Gatesville, to the church
one hour before the service.
Pvt. Howell
At Fort Knox
Fort Knox, Kv.—Army Pvt.
Robert T. Howell, 23, son of Mrs.
John R. Howell, of Eure, recently
was graduated from the track
vehicle maintenance course at The
Armored School, Fort Knox, Ky.
The course trains enlisted per
sonnel to repair track vehicles
issued to armored units. The men
also are taught administrative
functions of unit maintenance
shops.
Howell entered the Army in
December 1954 and completed
basic training at Fort Jackson,
S. C.
He attended Gatesville High
School. His wife, Ann, is living
in Valley Station, Ky.
RUNAWAY TRUCK
Roduco.—A Johnstown, Pa.,
motorist, Alex Waynik was killed
and four other persons injured
when a tractor-trailer ran away
and smashed an auto into a sun
porch of a home, sheared off a
telephone pole and caused heavy
damage. The driver, William
Roberts of Roduco was slightly
injured.
Mrs. Eure Entertains
Eure.—Guests at the Galloping
Tea ^ere entertained by Mrs.
Gurnie Eure in her home Tues
day night. Refreshments were
server to Mesdames Troy Greene,
Ernest Smith, Nathan Eure, Min
nie Jenkins, Tom Doughtie, Gur
nie Eure, and Troy Allen Greene.
Salk W,
To Be Ship; ^
Gatesville. — Mrs. Roy Ha„
county health nurse, has announc
ed that she was notified Friday,
July 1, that the second shipment
i of the Sulk polio vaccine would
I be available in the near future
I for completion of the program
| started in the spring. The exact
1 date of the shipment was not
| given, she said, but in all prob
! ability it would be released within
the next 30 days.
Members of the local board of
health advised against giving the
vaccine dining the hot summer
months, she said. They decided it
best to wait until fall when the
schools reopened before complet
ing the Salk vaccine program.
Mrs. Hayes also stated that this
applies to the first and second
grades of both the Buckland High
School in Gates and the T. S.
Cooper School in Sunbury.
Health Center
Schedule Set
Gatesville. — Mrs. Roy Ilayes
announced last Friday that she
will be on vacation from Mon
day, July 11, through Friday.
July 15.
Public health nurses from Hert
ford County will be at the Health
Center for the Wednesday and all
day Friday clinics.
Mrs. Daniels will conduct the
Wednesday clinic at the Health
Center July 13 from 9 till 12 noon.
Mrs. Hill will conduct the all
day Friday clinic July 15, with
hours from 9 till 12 in the morn
ing and from 2 till 5 in the after
Mrs. Hayes stated that July
13 and July 15 will be the only
time the Health Center will be
opened next week.
j3- s. Ralph Is
<aimed By
Death at 63
| Corapeake.—Mrs. Ruth Roun
tree Ralph, 63, died Monday at
i 12:20 a. m. at her home near here.
! A daughter of Mrs. Laura
| Rountree and the late I. W. Roun
i tree, of Gates County, she is sur
vived by her husband. Will Ralph.
; of the home; a daughter. Mrs. Ru
fus T. Eason, of Portsmouth: two
I sons, Aubrey Ralph, of Cora
peake, and Forrest I. Ralph, of
Suffolk; a sister. Mrs. R. C. Nix
on, of Tyner; two brothers. W L.
Rountree, of Norfolk, and O J
Rountree, of Suffolk and seven
grandchildren.
She was a member of the Eu
reka Baptist Church.
The body was taken to the Hill
Funeral Home, Suffolk, where it
remained until Tuesday at 2:30
p. m., when it- was taken to the
church for services by the Rev.
Caleb Goodman, pastor. Burial
was in the church cemetery.
Ground Observer
Post Alert July 9
Gatesville. — The Ground Ob
server Posts in this area have
been requested to participate in
an exercise for a period of 12
hours starting at 9 a. m., EST.
until S) p. m„ EST, Saturday, July
9. The name of this exercise will
be "Skytram V.”
Purpose of the exercise is to
increase operational efficiency of
the Ground Observer Corps and
to provide systems training in
; low altitude surveillance and in
terception.
j It is important that all posts
in the Durham Air Defense Filter
Center Area take part for the
entire period of this exercise if
j possible.
Destroying Property is
Good For Jail Sentence
Gatesville.—In a special term
of court Tuesday, June 21, Judge
H. V. Beamon found Henry Best
guilty of destroying public prop
erty and sentenced him to be
confined to the common jail of
Gates County for a term of 5
months and to be assigned to
work the roads under the super
vision of the State Highway Pub
lic Works Commission.
When Recorder’s Court con
vened for it’s regular session on
June 28, traffic violations headed
the list of cases to be heard.
Whaylon Lee Slades had to pay
$25 fine and costs for operating
without license.
Drunken driving and Reckless
driving were the charge against
Percell Nowell. He received a
sentence of 30 days in jail which
was suspended upon payment of
$25 fine and costs. The court
found Paul D. Earl not guilty of
drunken driving.
Forrest V. Dunstan was charged
with operating a vehicle without
a license and improper passing at
a railroad. The state takes nol
pros as to operating without a
license, but Dunstan had to pay
court costs for crossing the yellow
In the case of Reckless driving
against Melvin McKindly Wil
liams, the state takes nol pros
with leave.
Judge H. V. Beamon sentenced
Kirk Johnson. Jr., to 6 months in
jail for drunken and reckless
driving. His sentence was sus
pended however, upon payment
of $100 fine and costs.
Guilty of speeding. William
Aaron Smith had to pay costs,
while Robert Lee D.ldy had to
pay costs for operating on the
left side of the road and Charlie
Eugene Saunders had to pay costs
for driving on the wrong side of
the road.
Found guilty of being drunk
and disorderly and possessing il
legal liguor, Bennie R. Walton
was fine $20 and easts.
James A. Guess had to make
good a worthless check and pay
court costs.
Improper brakes was the charge
against Whit Langston Knight
and Charlie Carl Hinton. Both
had to pay a fine of $10 each and
costs. Paying $10 and cost for im
proper equipment was Turner
Parker.
Non support was the charge
and the court continued its ease
against Walter Smith to the sec
ond Tuesday in July.
The state takes no] pros in its
case against Vandor Wilson who
was charged with improper
Curtis Boone was sentenced to
10 days in jail for assualt on a
female. His sentence was sus
pended however, upon payment
of $5 fine and costs.
First District I.O.O.F.
Convenes on July 16th.
Gates County
BRIEFS
Heaven and earth shall pass
away: but my words shall not pass
away.
But ol' that day and that hour
knoweth no man. no. not the
angels which arc in heaven,
neither the Son. but the Father.
Si., Mark 13:31-32.
During the last five years, this
newspaper has collected only one
bad check, which must set some
sort of reocrd, though we don’t
know what it is. A gentleman
from Georgia working out of Suf
folk gave as a check for some
printing and after repeated ef
forts to collect, we turned him
over to Suffolk police. In their
usual efficient manor they picked
him up and turned him loose un
der $100 cash bond. He promptly
disappeared. He was picked up
again last week on a cohabitation
charge. This time he didn't have
the bond. And he has a wife and
children in Georgia and his wife
is expecting another One. All we
lost was $40.
Self Praise Dept.: We are
pleased to note that one of our
Human Interest columns of the
July issue of The State, Though
friend Georch spelled our last
name Norris. Just goes to show
you that the Index doesn’t make
all tiie mistakes, or something.
Also noted that our picture of the
new Sunbury lights made last year
appeared in a recent issue of the
Vepcovian with credit lines to the
Index and this photographer.
Note to highway sign dept: The
sign at the intersection of highway
158 and 158-A leading toward
Gatc-rcillo from Sunbury is down.
Last Friday a lady and gentle
man from Mass, stopped cm 158-A
and were busily engaged in study
ing their road map. They were
headed south.
Has anyone noted the beautiful
crops in this s-eetion. They are a
far cry from the dried-up affair
we had last July.
Emory Rountree reports to us
that a jug ol‘ water is a dangerous
tiling to leave around the house
where the sun cart get to it. Re
cently he discovered a piece of
wood burning on a neighbors back
porch. He checked and found a
jug of water placed just right for
the sun rays to slant through
where it set the wood on fire. He
picked the wood up and it broke
into a blaze.
The Sunbury PTA under the di- !
rection of the president. Mrs. Wil
liam P Hudgins has done an Out
standing job :durirtg the past year,
to promote highway safety. Dur
ing the school term the organiza
tion sponsored a contest among
students using safety as the theme [
a: d now they have mailed out a
quiz to school patrons designed to
better acquaint, everyone with
llie Governor's safety campaign.
Printers who print “Your Home News- I
paper” are be-t equinpori to fib all vbur j
printing requirements- -they will appre
ciate your orders
Elizabeth City. — Charles A.
Outen. Grand Master of North
Carolina Odd Fellows, will be the
chief speaker at the semiannual
convention of the First District
when it convenes in Elizabeth
City Saturday, July 16.
Grand Master Outen, who is
secretary for the Pilot Life Insur
ance Company of Greensboro,
joined the order in 1944 and was
elected to his present office at the
May meetng of the Grand Lodge
in High Point. He was Deputy
Grand Master in 1954. L. B. Mc
Brayer, Grand Secretary, will
also attend the Elizabeth City
meeting. Achoree Lodge No. 14
will be host for the occasion, and
the other lodges in the First Dis
trict are Bay View of Swan Quar
ter and Holly Grove in Gates
County.
W. J. Tucker, past Noble Grand
of the host lodge, will deliver the
welcome, and Miss Jerry Ann
Peoples, who recently visited the
United Nations, will talk on her
experiences while on this trip.
Her visit to the UN was spon
sored by all lodges in the First
District.
Ralph Wood, secretary of the
convention, has announced that
the supper will be served begin
ning at 6:30 p. m., and the busi
ness meeting will begin promptly
at 7:30 p. m. Officers for ihe com
ing year will be nominated at the
business meeting.
Present convention officers are
Clyde Berry, president; R. E.
Chappell, vice president; Ralph
Wood, secretary; Gerald Warren,
warden; Cecil White, conductor;
Hallett Brown, chaplain; G. L.
Cohoon. inside guardian; Wesley
Eure, outside guardian.
The last convention of the First
District was held in Sunbury
January 15, 1955, with Holly
Grove Lodge No. 12 as host for
the occasion.
Joint Picnic
Planned By
HDC and Ffi
Gatesville.—At a joint meeting
last Thursday night of the offi
cers and directors of the Gates
County Farm Bureau and the
Home Demonstration County
Council officers, it was unani
mously decided that the two or
ganizations sponsor a countywide
picnic at Colerain Beach Thurs
day afternoon, August 18, with
supper being served at 5 o’clock.
Each family attending is to
take a basket well filled with
home-cooked food, such as Gates
County folks always prepare for
such occasions.
All FB members and their
wives and HD club members and
their husbands and their children
are supposed to attend.
A recreation committee com
posed of Mrs. E. P. Story, Mrs.
C. V. Cross, Sr.. J W. Willey and
Hardy Askew has planned a live
ly program following the supper
for all ages.
Mrs. Frank Barnes is president
of the woman's organization and
Bradford Jones of the Farm Bu
Further announcements will be
made concerning this get-togeth
er. The two Extension agents are
ex officio members of the two
organizations.
CELEBRATING FOURTH—Many people celebrated the Fourth by attending a baseball game. Here are a few at the doubleheader
Monday between the Gates County Rams and the Portsmouth Jo Bos. Each team won one.