1LKIN
The Best
Little Town
In North
Carolina
ELKIN
ay To
Roaring Gap
And The Blue
Ridge
I
The Elkin Tribune
VOL. No. XXXV
No. 15
PUBLISHED WEEKLY
ELKIN, N. C., THURSDAY, MARCH, 13, 1947
$2.00 PER YEAR
16 PAGES—TWO SECTIONS
Farm Meeting
.Here Attracts
Many Hundreds
Chester Davis
Is Speaker At
Annual Banquet
Chester C. Davis, Sr., president
of the Federal Reserve Bank of
4 St. Louis, addressed a banquet
session of more than 1,000 farm
ers in the Gilvin Roth YMCA here
last Thursday night to climax the
largest Farmers’ Day Program in
the five-year history of the event.
Praising farmers for their record
wartime production, Mr. Davis de
clared that the nation’s farm seg
ment had the stamina and re
sources for a successful period
ahead if the rest of the economy
would “behave itself.”
“Farming and industry are in
separably intrewoven, and genuine
teamwork is needed” if the na
4 tion is to prosper, he said.
Pointing to the nation's high
level of employment, high national
income, and high volume of pro
duction, Mr. Davis declared that
a period of depression was not
inevitable if labor would realize
that it must increase production
in order to increase wages, and if
business management would co
-operate with labor and strive to
Slower prices.
Advocating a high level of pro
duction in both industry and agri
culture, the speaker said that the
goods and services of non-agricul
tural groups must be increased to
parallel greater farm production,
.and that both would prosper in
such" an expanding economy.
Mr. Davis wa£ -iiffcroduced by
former Governor J. ' Melville
Broughton, who commented on
previous Farmers’ Day events and
aised Mayor Garland Johnson
d other- leaders who planned the
program. Mr. Broughton termed
the annual program the “greatest
single agricultural event in North
Carolina.”
Carl C. Poindexter, president of
the Elkin Kiwanis Club which
sponsored the program, presided
at the banquet session, and Thur
m mond Chatham, chairman of the
T board of directors of the Chatham
Manufacturing Company, welcom
ed guests and farmers. R. E. Snow,
route 1, Elkin, made the response
to the welcome, and Rev. Robert
G. Tuttle pronounced the invoca
tion. The music was led by Rev.
Ralph Ritchie, and Mayor John
son recognized special guests.
On the afternoon program,
farmers heard addresses by Dr.
Hugh H. Bennett, chief of the U.
S. Soil Conservation Sendee, and
Edward A. Wayne, vice-president
of the Federal Reserve Bank of
Richmond, following which group
sessions were held under the di
rection of specialists from the ex
tension service.
Dr. Bennett, suffering a sore
J throat, spoke only briefly on the
* urgent need for conserving the soil
resource. His address was read by
Glenn K. Rule, executive assistant
to Dr. Bennett. Declaring that
America is losing a half million
acres of farm land yearly through
(Continued on page five)
LAWYER HERE
TO AID VETS
J. Livingston Williams Auth
orized To Prepare Claims
And Represent Men
ATT’Y. FOR THIS AREA
J. Livingston Williams, young
local attorney, was recently ap
pointed by the Veterans Adminis
tration to assist veterans of Elkin
and vicinity in prosecuting claims
for pension and insurant bene
fits, and other claims in connec
tion with their military service.
Mr. Williams is authorized to
prepare claims and appear before
VA boards as attorney for veterans
filing claims. He stated that he
would work in conjunction with
4E. P. Robinson, of the veterans’ of
fice here, in helping ex-service
men of this area with their claims.
Funds have been set up by the
Veterans Administration for such
legal service, Mr. Williams said,
and no charge is made for filing
^claims.
4P J. H. Killian, acting chief at
torney for the Veterans Adminis
tration of Charlotte, appointed Mr.
Williams as veterans’ attorney for
this area.
I
To Nominate
Mayor, Board
On April 4th
Candidates for Elkin’s five
commissioners and mayor will
be nominated at a mass meet
ing in the elementary school
auditorium Tuesday night,
April 4, at 7:30. The date was
set at a meeting of the board of
commissioners in the city hall
Monday night.
The biennial election of town
officers will be held on the first
Monday in May at the city hall.
Thus far none of the present
officers have committed them
selves as to whether they will
seek re-election.
COMMANDER IS
NAMEDBY VFW
Russell Burcham Elected To
Head Group At Meeting
Here Last Thursday
BROWN SECOND OFFICER
Russell Burcham was electee
Post Commander of the Elkin
VFW group at a meeting in the
YMCA last Thursday night. He
succeeds Earl C. Day, and will take
office April 1. Other officers
elected for the year were David A.
Brown, Senior Vice-Commander;
Clem Lewis, Junior Vice-Comman
der; J. Livingston Williams, Ad
jutant and Quartermaster; and R.
Lewis Alexander, Chaplain.
An installation banquet for the
pew officers has been planned
tentatively for next Thursday
night.
Recommendations of the orga
nization’s hut committee, which
were presented at the meeting,
were tabled until the next business
session to be held in April.
Officers whose terms expire at
the end of the month, in addition
to Mr. Day, are John Kelly, Sen
ior Vice - Commander; Roger
Pruitt, Junior Vice-Commander;
Robert O. Poplin, Adjutant and
Quartermaster; and Melvin Sulli
i van, Chaplain.
DRIVE MAKING
GOOD PROGRESS
Red Cross Contributions Up
To Wednesday Encourag
ing, Chairman Says
QUOTA HERE IS $2,700
Rev. Howard J. Ford, chairman
of tne local fund-raising cam
paign in the annual Red Cross
drive, stated yesterday that re
ports of contributions up to Wed
nesday were encouraging and in
dicated Elkin would reach its as
signed quota of $2,700.
Franklin Folger, chairman of
I the special gifts committee, re
ported that $1,121 had been col
lected by his committee and that
the special gifts quota of ap
proximately $1,300 would probab
ly be exceeded when all reports
are in.
With a national goal of $60,
000,000 in the 1947 drive, the cam
paign will continue through the
end of March with the slogan,
‘‘The American Red Cross Carries
On.” Citizens are requested to
respond generously to the appeal
of the organization, so that its
great humanitarian program may
be carried out.
Sunrise Service
Planned Here
By Association
The Elkin-Jonesvillr Mini
sterial Association is planning
Easter sunrise services for both
Elkin and Jonesville, it was an
nounced this week by R. J.
Hogan, secretary of the asso
ciation.
... Services are to begin prompt
ly at 6:10 a. m. in the cemeter
ies of the respective communi
ties, with church chons leading
the singing.
Further details of the ser
vices will be announced ' in a
later issue ot the Tribune
■fckiiiijijti friii ftiiiliii- i
BANQUET SESSION SCENE — Part of the crowd attending the fifth annual Farmers’ Day Program
here last Thursday is shown above during the banquet session. No official count was made, but es
timates for the event ranged from 1,000 to 1,200. (Another picture on page 5, this section).
—Tribune Photo
Robbers Sentenced
To Roads 15 Years
NEW VFW COMMANDER—The
Elkin VFW post elected new of
ficers at a meeting last week,
naming Russell Burcham,
above, Post Commander. He
succeeds Earl C. Day, and will
take office April 1.
Howard Key Held
For Drunk Driving
Bond for Howard Key, of Wins
ton-Salem, charged with drunken
driving, was set at $150 at a
hearing before Justice of the Peace
J. L. Hall Monday morning, and
his case was bound over to the
superior term of court.
Wilkes Poker
Game Case Is
Ended Friday
Carl Keaton of Greensboro and
his brother, Cola M. Keaton of
Kannapolis, were sentenced to
serve 15 to 20 years in prison at
hard labor by Judge Hoyle H.
Sink in Wilkes county superior
court last Friday. The brothers
were found guilty of holding up
and robbing a poker game of $28,
000 at the home of Jim Foster
near North Wilkesboro last July
6.
Witnesses identified the broth
ers as the men who entered the
Foster home at 1 a. m. with an
automatic pistol and submachine
gun. robbed the poker players of
$11,000 and then forced Foster to
open a safe in the bedroom from
which they took $17,000.
Jim Foster, Charlie Combs,
Dobe Powell and Joe Holland, the
four players in the high-priced
poker game, were sentenced to
serve one year each on the roads
at hard labor after entering pleas
of guilty to the charge of gamb
ling.
Calvin M. Spillman, Cooleemee
man who was indicted with the
Keaton brothers and who was al
leged to have been the “inside
man” in the robbery plot, was not
tried last week. A physician’s
(Continued on page five)
DR. JOE II. CARTER, above
pastor of Newton First Presby
terian Church, will be guest
speaker at the annual Steward
ship Dinner of Elkin Presby
terian Church on Wednesday,
March 19. Dr. Carter served as
pastor of the local church from
1923 to 1926.
CERTIFICATES
OF MERIT WON
Central Telephone Company
Makes Safety Awards
To Its Employees
LOCAL FOLKS HONORED
Outstanding safety efforts of 29
employees of the North Carolina
(Continued on page eight)
WINTER WONDERLAND — Snow which began falling here about 10 o’clock last Friday night by morning had transformed fields and
woods, lawns and homes, into a beautiful fairyland. Clinging to every bush and twig, to trees and shrubs, to power and telephone lines,
drab winter landscapes presented a breathtaking spectacle of beauty. The words of the poem, “Each fir and elm and hemlock wore
ermine too dear for an Earl, while the poorest twig on the pine tree was ridged inch deep in pearl,” form a perfect description. The photo
above, made in a wood located within the city limits, is but one small view of the winter wonderland that was Elkin. The snow, which
stopped falling about 10:30 a. m-, Saturday, reached a depth of six inches, but quickly began to spelt. Due to its weight some telephone
[ and power lines were down, but traffic experienced little difficulty. i —Tribune Photo.
i
Grand Champ Honors
In Cattle Show Won
By Forest, Va., Entry
MANY BONDS
SOLD IN N. C.
North Carolinians Invest 8,
545,675.75 During Month
Of February
$5,199,696 IN E BONDS
North Carolinians, in February,
invested $8,545,675.75 in U. S. Sav
ings Bonds, Series E, F and G, ac
cording to an announcement to
day by W. L. Glancy, of Mount
Airy, Savings Bonds chairman for
Surry County.
Of this amount $5,199,696.25 was
in Series E Bonds, $616,179.50 in
Series F Bonds, and $2,729,800.00
in Series G Bonds. The Series E
Bond sales exceeded those of Feb
ruary a year ago by $415,459.50
and the conbined E, F and G sales
exceeded those of a year ago by
$930,992.50.
Savings Bonds sales in Surry
County for February were as fol
lows: Series E $31,700.75, Series F
$2,220.00, Series G $22,000; total
$55,920.75.
Total bond sales for Yadkin
| County were $10,169.50, and
i Wilkes County citizens bought
$26,088.25 in bonds during Febru
ary.
“We have been pointing with
pride to our fine Savings Bonds
sales record of 1946, but if the
present upward trend continues,
we will do even better in the year
1947,” Mr. Glancy stated. “The
continued increase in sales is evi
dence of the wisdom of our people
in saving for their future security
with the world's safest invest
ment,” he concluded.
Home At Mountain
Park Is Destroyed
The frame dwelling of Gray
Norman, located about one mile
north of Mountain Park, was de
stroyed by fire about eight o’clock
Wednesday morning. Contents of
the house were also said to be a
total loss.
The blaze, which spread so fast
that the three Norman children
found it necessary to escape, with
the aid of their mother, through
a window, was thought to have
originated from a faulty flue.
Mr. Norman is a son of L. A.
Norman. It is understood that the
loss of household furnishings was
I partly covered by insurance.
PASSES—John Walter Darnell,
62, above, died unexpectedly at
his home here Saturday night
at 11:30 o’clock from a sudden
heart attack. Funeral services
were held Monday at 2:30 p. m.
at the First Baptist Church.
J. W. DARNELL
DIES SUDDENLY
Prominent Elkin Business
Man Suffers Heart Attack
Saturday Night
FUNERAL HELD MONDAY
John Walter Darnell, 62, highly
esteemed Elkin businessman, died
unexpectedly Saturday night at
11:30 at his home on Gwyn Avenue
of a heart attack. He apparently
had been in good health until the
attack.
A son of Rufus and Emma Harp
Darnell, he was for a time engaged
in the mercantile business at Con
cord. Later he became a real estate
man, and for four years he worked
with the Federal Government’s
revenue department. He resigned
that profession to open a furniture
busine^ in Elkin 12 years ago.
He was a member of the Con
cord Baptist Church.
Surviving are his wife, Mrs. Col
lie Burcham Darnell; one brother,
J. L. Darnell of this city; and one
half brother, Hugh Lyons, also of
Elkin.
Funeral was held at 2:30 p. m.
Monday at the Elkin First Baptist
Church. Rev. Howard J. Ford
pastor, was in charge of the rites,
and was assisted by Rev. R. E.
Adams of Winston-Salem and Rev.
J. C. Gwaltney, of Elkin. Inter
ment was made in the Elkin Valley
Baptist Church cemetery.
ARRANGE FOR
ALUMNI GROUP
Plans For Davidson College
Alumni Reorganization In
This Area Completed
MEETING MARCH 14TH
Plans for a Davidson College
Alumni reorganization meeting to
be held in the North Wilfcesboro
Elkin area have been completed,
according to W. Blair Gwyn, chair
man of arrangements. The meet
ing has been set for Friday night,
March 14, at 6:30 at Hotel Wilkes,
North Wilkesboro.
Representatives from the Dav
idson campus will attend the
meeting. Dr. Frontis W. Johnston,
professor of History, will be the
principal speaker. John L. Payne,
Alumni Secretary and Director of
Public Relations, will bring a re
port on athletic prospect* for next
year and wiJl show color movies of
one of last, fall's football games.
According to Mr. Gwyn. through
whom all reservations are being
made, the area covered at this
meeting will include, in addition to
North Wilkesboro and Elkin, Spar
ta, Boone, West Jefferson, Jeffer
son, Blowing Rock and Banner
Elk. The only business on the
program is the election of officers
for the coming year. “Wives,
sweethearts, dates, and parents of
students now at Davidson are in
cluded in the invitation,” said Mr.
Gw5m. Richard G. Finley, leading
business man of North Wilkesboro,
member of the Davidson class of
1916, will ictas toastmaster.
Annual Show and
Sale Held At
“Y” Wednesday
Eponian of Elkton, 22-month
old bull belonging to L. W. Turner
of Forest, Va., was named grand
champion bull in the second an
nual show of the North Carolina
Aberdeen-Angus Breeders’ Asso
ciation held in the YMCA here
yesterday. Gi-and champion hon
ors in the heifer class went to
Estlxonia of Highlands, owned by
Mr. and Mrs. Walter S. Fox, of
Round Hill, Va.
The grand champion heifer
brought a top pi-ice of $825 in the
auction sale, while $670 was the
top bid for the number one bull.
Highlands Bandolier, a bull also
belonging to Mr. and Mrs. Fox,
brought $1,025, the highest bid of
the sale.
The animals entered in the
show, which began at 10 o’clock
yesterday morning, were judged
by Paul Swaffer, of Richmond, Va.
Tom McCord conducted Che auc
tion sale which was held in the
gymnasium of the YMCA.
Black Gate Epponian, belongiixg
to W. A. Neaves, of Elkin, won re
serve champion honors among the
bulls, and Elba Ei'ica, owned by L.
W. Turner, was named reserve
| champioix cow.
Six classes of heifers and three
I classes of bulls were entered in
j the show. Victoryon, owned by
Robert N. Golding of Tiyon, took
first place in the second class of
bulls (bom between July 21, 1945
and August 29, 1945). In the
third class (bulls born between
October 29, 1945 and January 15,
1946), top place went to Black
Gate Epponian, resei’ve champion
cow.
Winners in the heifer classes,
and their owners were as follows:
First class (born between August
13, 1944 and January 29, 1945)—
Boxwood Pridemare, owned by
(Continued On Page Four)
MAGICIAN WILL
FEATUREEVENT
Employer-Employee Banquet
To Be Held At YMCA
Next Tuesday Evening
I
TO HOLD SQUARE DANCE
Feature of the annual employer
employee banquet next Tuesday
evening in the YM£A will be a
performance by J. Coke Cecil,
noted magician of High Point.
Following the dinner, a square
dance will be held under the di
rection of J. O. Bivins.
Sponsored by the Elkin Mer
chants’ Association, the program
will begin at 7 p. m. Alan Brown
ing, Jr., of The Tribune staff, will
serve as master of ceremonies, and
T. C. McKnight, YMCA director,
will lead the singing. W. H. Combs
will pronounce the invocation and,
following the dinner, Hoyle B.
Cranford, president of the Mer
chants’ Association, and Claude H.
Farrell, past president, are sche
duled to speak briefly.
Mrs. Willie Mae Stanley, secre
tary of the Merchants’ Association,
stated that tickets would be on
sale through noon Saturday at
Turner’s and Abernethy's drug
stores, and at the Merchants’ As
sociation office in the city hall.
The price is $1.50 each.
A full evening of entertainment
has been planned for the event,
and the public is invited to attend.
Famed Organist
To Appear Here
In Concert 21st
Paul Weber, nationally famous
organist, will appear in a concert
in the YMCA here, on Friday
night, March 31, at 7:30, under the
sponsorship of the Elkin Junior
Chamber of Commerce and the
Elkin Lions Club.
Mr. Weber is a recognized expert
with the Hammond Electric Or
gan, and has appeared in leading
cities throughout the nation. He
recently returned from an engage
ment at Hotel Sheridan in New
York City.
Tickets for the concert, at $1
each, will be on sale at the Music
Box.
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