t ' —'
VOL* No, XXVI. No. 19
Amateur Robber Is
In Surry County Jail
As Result of Holdup
STICKS UP SURRY
LOAN & TRUST CO.
AT POINT OF GUN
Gets Sura Estimated At
About S4OO
LEADS OFFICERS CHASE
Arrested About Two Hours
Later by Yadkin Officers;
Money Recovered
NATIVE PINNACLE
Douglas Christian, 21, was
lodged in Dobson jail Monday af
ternoon two hours after he had
held up and robbed the Surry
Loan & Trust Co., at Dobson, of
a sum of money, estimated at
more than S4OO.
The capture was affected by
Patrolman Lee Phillips, Constable
Arthur Mathews of Boonvllle and
Deputy Sheriff P. E. Hurt of
Boonvllle. Christian submitted to
arrest and admitted the crime,
turning over $362 of the money.
Christian entered the bank at
about one o'clock Monday after
noon and presented himself at the
window after drawing a large
pistol from his pocket. Miss Eva
Hancock, treasurer of the bank,
was at the window. After his de
mand for the money she handed
him over a bunch of bills. A
woman customer in the bank was
ordered to stand still, but she
screamed and ran from the bank,
saying, "I can't, I'm too scared."
This is believed to have frighten
ed the youthful robber and he
fled to his car with the first batch
of money given him.
Observers say he was accom
panied by another man, altho
, Christian denies this and no one
else has been found.
Leaving the tank he made a
dash south toward Boonvllle, 15
miles away in Yadkin county. At
Boonvllle it looked like martial
law but the description did not
tally and he drove right by all of
the shot-guns, pistols, etc. They
decided however, that he was the
man and at the suggestion of ex-
Sheriff W. T. Fletchv. one of the
watchers. Constable Arthur Math
-ews and Deputy Sheriff Hurt
started in pursuit. The robber's
motor had become hot and he
drove behind the home of Henry
Fleming to get water and the two
officers went by, not seeing him.
When he again entered the high
continued on page six)
SPRING FOOTBALL
PRACTICE STARTS
Boys' Team Wirds up Fairly
Successful Seison; New
Men Are Out
GAMES ARE ARRANGED
Winding up the basket ball sea
son with a 15-12 win and a 38-7
loss to Jonesville high school, the
girls' team having lost to the
Jonesville girls, Elkin high school
is now turning to spring football
practice with a large number of
»■ new players out for positions.
The Elkin boys turned in a per
formance over 50 per cent suc
cessful, having won 10 out of 18
games, scoring a total Of 407
points against their opponents'
398. Teams defeated were Ronda,
West Yadkin, Westfleld, Moun
tain Park, Jonesville and Wel
come. Several of these ] teams
w'jre defeated twice, while/others
evened things up by defeating
Elkin High in return matches.
Lettermen out for spring foot
ball praetlce are J. Ratledfee, H.
,'Ratledge, Grier, Dorsett, Powers,
W C. Harris, Bivins, B. Harris, *j»f
--' foon, Gambill and Day. New nqen
are Billy Sparks, Billy Grahani,
Billy Dickerson, Max Sparks. Tots,
Whatley, Worth Collins and Sam'
Collins.
The football schedule for this
season contains the following
games, with several others prob
ably to be added: Mount Airy,
StatesviUe. North Wilkesboro,
North High and South High
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Ja M „Ji ■ Ji |f ii# JR—.jg A JIL JL* ™ JKL- m- JL M >Jr s JL. * ,lt> ,m
IATENEWC
W®/ from the
State and Nation
OPPOSE COURT
REFORM PLAN
Washington, March 23. A
New York City professor and
a farmer-lawyer from the dust
bowl united today In condemn
ing President Roosevelt's Su
preme Court reorganisation
bill before the Senate Judiciary
committee and In urging
amendment of the Constitution
as a substitute.
Urbane Raymond Moley, Co
lumbia University professor of
public law, magazine editor and
one-time member of the orig
inal Roosevelt brain trust, de
scribed the President's plan as
the "19th best way" of dealing
with economic and social prob
lems. The 18 better ways, he
said, involve amendment of the
Constitution.
RALEIGH WAITRESSES
ON SIT-DOWN STRIKE
Raleigh, March 23. Wait
resses at the Sir Walter Hotel
Coffee Shop retired into the
kitchen at 7:30 o'clock tonight
refusing to serve customers.
Following a talk with Roland
Mumford, however, they re
sumed work a few minutes
later.
Mumford denied that the
waitresses, who are. not affil
iated with any labor union, had
considered a strike, but said
the move was a protest "be
cause some of the girls thought
they were going to lose their
jobs."
MANY KILLED BY
SHELLS IN MADRID
Madrid, March 23. Many
persons were killed late today
when rebel artillery, thunder
ing away in the Guadarnuna
Mountains, sent tons of shells
■mantling into the center of
Madrid where men, women and
children strolled the boulevards
beneath a bright sun.
The bombardment of the
capital the first in nearly
three weeks spread panic
through streets that a few
minutes before had been se
rene with children playing
along the curbs.
MUSSOLINI HURLS
CHARGE AT CHURCH
Rome, March 23. Premier
Mussolini, acclaimed by his
black-shirted followers on the
18th anniversary of the Fascist
party's founding, hurled a
charge of "hyprocisy" at Eng
lish church leaders today.
Standing on a balcony of the
Palazzo Venecia, H Duce told
a Fascist throng that criticism
by Anglican churchmen of the
Italian suppression of an Ethi
opian outbreak was "hysterical,
hyprocritical oratory."
LARGE SUM IS PAID
TO SURRY FARMERS
Over $85,000 In soil conservation
benefit payments has been dis-1
tributed to 1,500 Surry county
farmers since last Thursday.
The checks formed about two
thirds of the total payment for
the 1936 crop program. Others to
talling from $40,000 to $45,000 are
expected within the near future.
The bulk of the payments were
for tobacco acreage reduction, al
though part are In payment for
the planting of soli Improvement
crops and the retirement of acre
age formerly planted to other de
pleting crops.
REVIVAL TO BEGIN AT
ELKIN VALLEY SUNDAY
j
A revival meeting will begin
Sunday at Elkin Valley church.
Services will be held twice daily,
V 11 A. M., and 7:30 P. M. The
services will be in charge of Rev.
ft. E. Adams, pastor of the church.
.A cordial Invitation is extended
the public to attend.
Utopia must be the place
where they take pen and paper
awjay from all the spring poets.
':.r - ' •
ELKIN, N. C„ THURSDAY, MARCH 25, 1937
Easter Bunny
mm v,
Hollywood . . Pretty Evalyn
Knapp in her Easter costume
shows what the well-dressed
movie actress will wear to take
part in early morning Easter egg
hunts.
MAY BEAUTIFY
HIGHWAY HERE
Project Is Set Up for Im
provement of Road Fiom
, Elkin Toward Mountain
IN TENTATIVE FORM
A roadside improvement proj
ect along the highway from Elkin
toward Roaring Gap, has been set
up in the state 1937 federal aid
program.
In a letter to Wilbur Carter, of
the Elkin Kiwanis club, who as
secretary of the club, was active
in the club's efforts to secure such
a project, F. H. Brant, landscape
engineer of the state highway and
public works commission, stated:
"There has been no definite sur
vey made and I cannot tell you
definitely just how far the proj
ect will extend from Elkin, but It
is certain that it will be impossible
to treat the road all of the way
to Roaring Gap.
"The project has been pro
grammed but it is subject to ap
proval by the U. S. Bureau of Pub
lic Roads; however, at the present
time I do not know of any reason
why there should be any difficul
ty in obtaining approval."
The project, as planned, would
result in the beautification of the
highway in question.
CORNERSTONE TO
BE LAID APRIL 4
Work On New Arlington
Baptist Church is Going
Forward Rapidly
DONE ON CASH BASIS
The corner stone of the new
Arlington Baptist church will be
laid on Sunday, April 4, at 2:30
p. m. with the pastor. Rev. L. G.
Burgiss, officiating, and with Rev.
R. E. Adams, of Mayodan, as the
principal speaker for the occasion.
Much work on the church is
now being done, and it is hoped
that within a very few weeks the
building will be in shape to be
occupied and used by the church.
The church has had a phenom
inal growth since it was organ
ized less than a year ago, and
now has sixty members.
All work on the building has
been done on a cash basis, and
more than SI,OOO, has been rais
ed since the building program was
launched last September. This
has been made possible by liberal
contributions from many sources,
among which was a donation of
S2OO from Thurmond Chatham, as
well as the generosity of the
members themselves.
Many other ministers have
voiced their Intentions of being
present for the corner stone lay
ing, and a large crowd is expect
ed to be in attendance.
CCC CAMP IS TO HOLD
OPEN HOUSE APRIL 4TH
A celebration of the fourth an
niversary of the inst 4 tution of the
CCC camps of the nation is
planned for Sunday, April 4, In all
camps of the nation with each
camp holding open house for the
entire day, and with speakers
and programs fitting to the oc
casion.
Walter L. Robertson, educa
tional director of the Dobson
CCC camp, stated Wednesday
that a large and attractive pro
gram had been planned for the
Dobson camp on that day, toe
detailed information of which will
be given out later, and that a
large crowd is expected.
OVER 400 SCHOOL
CHILDREN KILLED
IN TEXAS BLAST
School Building is Demolished
In Gas Explosion
INVESTIGATION HELD
Disclose School Was Connect
ed to Gas Line Without
Company's Permission
425 TINY BODIES BURIED
New London, Tex., March 21. —
Testimony that a gas line serving
the explosion-shattered London
consolidated school had been con
nected to a gas company line
"without knowledge or consent"
was heard by a military inquiry
today while the funerals of the
455 child victims proceeded with
tragic sequence.
D. L. Clark, field foreman for
the Parade Gas company, gave
the testimony.
"I know that no person had
permission to connect the school
line to the Parade Gas company's
residue gas line," he said.
Clark said the first knowledge
he had of the connection came
about 6 o'clock Thursday after
noon, several hours after the ex
plosion.
"I learned the school was being
furnished gas from the residue
line when word came to me we
should shut it off. I found a ditch
dug, apparently, from the looks
of the ground, about 60 to 90 days
before. I closed the valve and dis
connected the line.
Clark explained that frequently
In the gas fields connections are
made to company lines, sometimes
by homes, and gas is drawn off.
He said the companies had men
hired to walk the lines and seek
out any such connections.
When the connections are
found he said, "we file a notice
notifying them we are going to
disconnect them."
EARLIER REPORT
New London, Texas, March 19.
—The tragic task of wresting
the twisted bodies of 425 children
and teachers from explosion shat
tered wreckage was finished to
day and a military board rapidly
began to trace the cause of the
nation's worst school disaster.
At least three official inquiries
were started to determine the
cause of the gigantic explosion in
the London consolidated school
which made of this rich oil coun
try a vast house of mourning.
The end of the grim recovery
work was signalized by the con
cise comment of Col. E. E. Parker,
commander of national guard for
ces which held this territory un
der martial law.
"The Job Is finished. We esti
mate 425 bodies were lifted from
the ruins—maybe more."
MISS IDA PARKS IS
CLAIMED BY DEATH
Miss Ida Parks, 64, who was
reared near Ronda, passed away
Friday night at the home of her
brother, Thomas Parks, at Roar
ing River, following an illness
from pneumonia. She was es
teemed both in her native com
munity and in Roaring River and
her passing is mourned by a host
of friends.
She Is survived by four broth
ers," Thomas, Ed and John Parks
of Wilkes county and Charles
Parks of Virginia, and one sister,
Mrs. Guy Crouse, of South Caro
lina.
Funeral services were conducted
Sunday morning at 11 o'clock.
PRE-NATAL CtINIC
SPONSORED BY CLUB
A pre-natal clinic, sponsored
by the Elkin Woman's Club, in
charge of Mrs. Reed, county
nurse, assisted by local physicians
and hospital internes, is held the
first Tuesday in each month. The
clinic is held from two until four
o'clock' in the afternoon at Hugh
Chatham Memorial Hospital.
This is one of the most worth
while projects ever undertaken
by the Woman's Club here and it
is urged that citizens of the sur
rounding community cooperate
with the clinic in order that the
most possible good may be real
ized from it.
MRS. JOSEPH PARSONS
PASSES AWAY FRIDAY
Mrs. Joseph Parsons died at her
home at Mountain Park Friday,
her death being attributed to the
infirmities of her advanced age.
Funeral services were conducted
Saturday afternoon from Moun
tain Park Baptist church.
She is survived by hei husband
and several sons and daughters.
Battleship New York Sails For Coronation
Washington . . . The Battlechip New York will participate in an in
ternational naval review at Spithead on May 18 in connection with
the coronation of King George VI. The New York was Admiral ttod
luan's flagship when he commanded the Sixth Battle Squadron dar
ing the World War.
Local Stores
Are To Close
Easter Monday
All stores and business
houses, with the exception of
drug stores, cafes, and filling
stations, will be closed Monday
in observance of Easter. Busi
ness will be resumed as usual
Tuesday morning.
1,500 CHECKS ARE
DELIVERED IN CO.
Amount to Over $85,000;
Paid to Farmers Upon
Their Tobacco Contracts
TOWNSHIP MEETS HELD
It was learned Wednesday from
the office of county farm agent,
J. W. Crawford, that approxi
mately 1,500 checks have been
ipaid to farmers of the county up
on their tobacco contracts, and
that the total amount of the
checks was In excess of $85,000,
thirteen per cent of which was for
soil conserving crops.
A number of township meetings
are now being held by Mr. Craw
ford for the purpose of discussing
the 1937 soil conservation pro
gram. A list of the meetings for
the remainder of the week show
meetings at the following places
and on the dates given: Thursday,
March 25, at North Elkin school
at 8:00 A. M.; Mountain Park
school at 1 P. M., and at Shoals
school at 7:30 P. M.; Friday,
March 26, at Beulah school at 8
A. M.; Eldora at 1:00 P. M., and
at Franklin at 7:30 P. M.; Satur
day, March 27, at the court house
at Dobson at 8:00 A. M.
W. A. GENTRY, 82,
CLAIMED BY DEATH
Funeral Services Are Held
Last Thursday From
Friendship Church
DRAUGHAN HOLDS RITES
W. A. Gentry, 82, passed
away at his home near Elkin
Wednesday, following an Illness of
several weeks. The deceased was
one of the most esteemed men of
his community and was active In
the church and civic interests of
the section. He was a charter
member of the Friendship Baotist
church and a member of the first
board of deacons of the Qhurch:
Mr. Gentry was well-known Tor
his honesty and integrity.
He is survived by his widow,
Mrs. Jurandy Marshall Gentry,
three daughters, Mrs. Dan Wood
ruff, Mrs. J. F, Miller and Mrs.
J. L. Greenwood, and one son,
R. D. Gentry. Twenty-thre?
grandchildren and 45 great
grandchildren also survive.
Funeral services were conducted
Thursday afternoon at 3:30 from
Friendship Baptist church. The
rites were in charge of the pas
tor, Rev. T. S. Draughan, and
interment was In the church cem
etery,
A beautiful and profuse floral
offering evidenced the esteem of
a host of friends.
Charles Nee.ves, a student at
Woodberry Forest School, Wood
berry Forest, Va., is spending the
spring holidays here with his par
ents, Mr. and Mrs, W A. Neaves,
ASS'NS.TOHOLD
JOINT MEETINGS
Surry and Elkin Associations
of Baptist Church To
Meet at Dobson
PROGRAM ARRANGED
A joint meeting of the Surry
and Elkin associations of the
Baptist church will be held April
4 in Dobson. The service will be
gin at 11 a. m., and dinner will
be served by the Dobson people
for those attending the morning
service.
Rev. W. Perry Crouch, secretary
of the department of Christian
Education of the Baptist State
convention, Raleigh, will speak at
the 11 o'clock service on "My
Church and I What Are We
For?"
The afternoon session will be
gin promptly at 1:45. Several im
portant addresses will be deliver
ed during the afternoon. Hon. F.
T. Lewellyn, honored and effic
ient layman of the church will
speak on "Our 100,000 North Car
olina Baptist Men."
Addresses scheduled for the af
ternoon are by Earl C. Jam". El
kin; W. L. Reece, Dobson; Rev.
Eph Whisenhunt, Elkin; Dr. Wal
ter L. Johnson, Mount Airy, and
others.
A. V. West of Mount Airy,
member of the state promotional
committee and Moderator of the
Surry Association, urges all men
to attend the service which prom
ises to be one of the outstanding
religious meetings to be held in
this section this year.
T. P. A. POST HOLDS
ANNUAL MEET HERE
A. H. Holland, of Winston-Sa
lem, chairman of the state board
of directors of the Travelers Pro
tective association, and R. P.
Rawley, also of Winston-Salem,
state secretary, attended the an
nual banquet of the local P.-T. A.
post here at Hotel Elkin Saturday
evening.
The meeting was featured by
the election of officers and the
addition of eight new members.
R. L. Church was named presi
dent; Hugh Royall secretary
treasurer. Both of the newly elec
ted officials were named as dele
gates to the annual state conven
tion to be held in Goldsboro May
13, 14 and 15.
\LLEGHANY YOUTH ENDS
LIFE BY HANGING SELF
Using his underwear to form a
crude noose, Lonnie Wright, 25,
a native of Alleghany county,
hanged himself in his cell in the
Winston-Salem jail between 1
and 3 o'clock Tuesday morning.
The young man, who at one
time had lived near the home of
Elva Brannock, young school girl
who was murdered a number of
weeks ago, had been questioned
in connection with the case, but
had been cleared of suspicion. He
was serving a term for an offense
committed some time ago. Just
why he committed suicide is not
known, officers stating they had
noted nothing unusual in his con
duct prior to his death.
MANY ARE ATTENDING
METHODIST SERVICES
Holy Week services at the
Methodist church, which are be
ing held each evening during the
week at 7:30, are being well at
tended. The final service will be
at the 11 o'clock hour of worship
people of the town are in
vited to attend
Elkin
Gateway to Roaring Gap
anil the Ulue Ridge
PUBLISHED WEEKLY
GENERAL ASSEMBLY
QUITS TUESDAY;
BALANCES BUDGET
Body Legalized Liquor in
Short Order
PROVIDES FREE BOOKS
All of the Phases of the So
cial Security Program
Complied With
WAS IMPORTANT SESSION
Raleigh, March 23,—North Car
olina's 1937 General Assembly,
which balanced the largest bud
get in the history of the state, le
galized liquor, complied with all
phases of the social security pro
gram and authorized free text
books for children in elementary
schools, adjourned sine die at 5:38
o'clock this afternoon.
Officially, the legislature quit
at high noon, when the old-fash
ioned clocks in the House and
Senate chambers were stopped.
Actual adjournment, however,
came more than five and a half
hours later, after the enrolling
office had had an opportunity to
copy last-mdnute bills, the board
of education omnibus measure
had been enacted and the House
had killed a measure allowing
counties and municipalities to is
sue revenue anticipation bonds to
match federal funds.
When all legislative remnants
have been disposed of, the tall
doors of each chamber were
thrown open so that Speaker R.
Gregg Cherry of the House and
Lieutenant-Governor W. P. Hor
ton of the Senate could see each
other, across the corridors and
the circular hallway at the base
of the Capitol dome.
Both officers raised their gav
els, Governor Hoey was on the
rostrum with Horton. Persons in
the crowded galleries craned their
necks as the law-makers lined up
in double file in the aisles.
Then Horton nodded slightly
and both mallets descended si
multaneously.
Just before adjournment, Rep
repsentative Dellinger of Gaston
asked that his bill, which would
have substituted electricity for
lethal gas as a means of capital
punishment, be revived. His mo
tion was shouted down.
TEACHERS' MEET
IS POSTPONED
Will Be Held Friday, April
9th; Are Adding Rooms
to Several Schools
MEETING IS HELD HERE
The county-wide teachers'
meeting, which was to have been
held on Friday of this week has
been postponed until Friday, April
Oth, at ?:00 P. M., according to a
statement by John W. Comer,
county superintendent of schools,
Wednesday.
Mr. Comer further stated that
a two-room addition is being built
to the Westfield school, which is
to be of brick and is to cost ap
proximately $4,000. There is also
to be a two-room addition to the
Beulah school, which will be built
this summer. This also is to be of
brick and is to cost approximate
ly $5,000. Both projects are ex
pected to be completed and ready
for occupancy by the next school
term, Mr. Comer said.
A meeting for the study of the
control of social diseases was held
at the Elkin school Tuesday at
3.00 P. M., which was a Joint
meeting of officials of the board
of health and of the educational
authorities.
%OLKS ENJOY MOST TW
PLEASURES iHEYtoIVg.