t
ELKIN
The Best Little Town In
North Carolina
THE TRIBUNE
Is a Member of the Audit
Bureau of Circulations
a
The Elkin Tribune
ELKIN
Gateway to Roaring Gap and
the Blue Ridge
THE TRIBUNE
Is Read By 14,000 People In
Surry» Wilkes and Yadkin
VOL. No. XXXV No. 27
PUBLISHED WEEKLY
ELKIN, N. C., THURSDAY, JUNE 5, 1947
$2.00 PER YEAR
’ T"
20 PAGES—THREE SECTIONS
COURT BEGINS
TRIAL IN CASE
' OF BOB JESSUP
Mount Airy Man Is Charged
With First Degree Murder
HAVE ALL-MALE JURY
Four Women, Listed In Spe
cial Venire, Are Disquali
fied For Jury Duty
TWO CASES CONTINUED
The Surry county superior court
^ began hearing testimony Wednes
” day morning in the case of the
State vs. Robert L. (Bob) Jessup.
Mt. Airy man charged with slay
ing Roy Towe at the Bunker
Woods service station in March.
An all-male jury was selected
late Tuesday after four' women,
listed in a special venire of 50 per
sons, had been disqualified for
jury duty. The four, who would
have been the first women jurors
in the history of North Carolina,
were Mrs. Ollie Ashburn and Mrs,
Ethel Boaz of Pilot Mountain and
Mrs. Betty Anderson and Mrs.
fc Margaret Lewis of Mount Airy.
Mrs. Ashburn was excused be
cause she was nervous. Mrs. Boaz
had formed an opinion in the
case. Mrs.. Anderson didn’t be
lieve in capital punishment, and
Mrs. Lewis was excused because of
illness in her family.
The jurors accepted were Mor
ris W. Monday, Law Brown, John
T. Whitaker, P. G. Barker, W. R.
^ Wright, Joe T. Piatt, Monroe S.
Simpson, Walter Payne, Clifton A,
Chancy, Howard Shelton, S. M,
Southard and Kelly F. Ray.
Attorney Fred Folger and the
law firm of Woltz and Barber, of
Mt. Airy, are defending Jessup in
$ the case. According to evidence
presented at the preliminary hear
ing, Jessup and Towe were at the
Bunker Woods service station on
the afternoon of March 15, appar
ently on friendly terms. The two
men left the station about 2 p. m.
and a short time later Towe was
■ killed.
Officers said Towe had two
bullet holes in his body — one in
the lower right ribs and another
through his right shoulder.
It was the second killing Jessup
allegedly committed on the same
spot. He had been sentenced tc
serve 15 to 20 years in the state
▲ prison for the fatal shooting of a
CCC worker at the same place in
1936. He was released on parole
in 1939, however, and his parole
was terminated in 1940 because of
an “excellent” prison record.
Edwards Acquitted
In Tuesday's session of court
James E. Edwards, Mt. Airy rail
way employee, was acquitted in
connection with the killing of Ed
die Whitaker. He had been charg
ed with second degree murder
when Whitaker was shot to death
near the Mt. Airy railroad station
last July 5.
The defense counsel had plead
ed that Edwards acted in self
(Continued on page eight)
* OFFICE SERVES
THIS VICINITY
Residents Of Elkin Interested
In Federal Old-Age In
surance Have Access
FIRST, THIRD THURSDAY
Residents of the Elkin area wh(
have business or inquiries con
nected with the operation of th<
Federal old-age and survivors in
surance system have access to e
local social security office on e
regularly scheduled basis, Mrs
Ruth Duffy, manager of the Win
ston-Salem office of the Socia
Security Administration, said to
day.
Mrs. Duffy will be at the Citj
Hall, second floor, in Elkin ai
12:30 p. m. on the first and thirc
Thursday of every month.
The service is to give persons o:
this area an opportunity to fill
benefit claims, obtain new ant
duplicate social security cards
and make inquiries concerning thi
old-age and survivors insuranci
program.
Federal family insurance, whict
covers employees in industry an<
commerce, provides for the pay
T
'ment of monthly retirement anc
survivors’ benefits to qualifiet
workers and their families. Re
tirement benefits are payable t<
the employees and eligible mem
bers of his family when the work
er reaches 65 and retires. Sur
vivors’ benefits are payable t<
eligible members of the insurec
person’s family on his death a
any' age. Applications must b<
filed, at an office of the Social Se
curity Administration, fo]jr
.efits paid under tire pre
wJkuri
^oen
CLASS OF ’47 — Shown here arc the members of Elkin high school’s 1947 graduating class who were awarded diplomas in final exercises Tuesday night. The mascots,
Standing in front of the group, are Larry Mastcn and Carolyn Hampton. Front row, from left to right: Irene Johnson, Mary Johnson, Verna Alexander, Betty Jean
Collins, Catherine Walls, Marie Parks, Betty Lou Mitchell, Josephine Steele, Mabel Stanley; second row: Herbert Collins, Bennie Gross, Jack Park, Ralph Jennings Jr.^
Edward Chappell, Gene Click, Ruth Masten, Carolyn Byrd, Claude Eldridge, Fred Ratledge and Bob Park; third row: Jack Walker, Joe Whittington, Eugene Collins"
Gilmer Phillips, Bob Ratledgc, Ketchel Adams, Jack Shore, Joe Guyer; back row: Dallas DeBorde, Charles Alexander, T. M. Eldridge, Jim Crowe, Bob Harris, Robert
McCann and Bob Browning. The following graduates were not present when the picture was taken: Roland L. Jones, Charles Walls, Jr., John Ipock, Graham Johnson,
Vernon F. Ball, William H. Carter, Thomas Cockcrham, James Davis, Alex Dorsett, Joseph Hayes, Bennie Shumate, Charles Royall, George Rumple and Billy Yarboro.
(PHOTO BY REDMONI
ELKIN SENIORS
GET DIPLOMAS
Special Awards Are Also
Presented To Honor Stud
ents By Mr. Carpenter
BROUGHTON IS SPEAKER
Forty-nine seniors of Elkin
high school received their diplo
mas from the hands of School
Superintendent N. H. Carpenter
Tuesday night in the auditorium
of the Elkin elementary school,
after hearing an interesting ad
dress by Former Governor J. Mel
ville Broughton.
Mr. Broughton was introduced
by W. M. Allen, of Elkin.
Prior to the award of diplomas
to the graduates, various medals
and awards to individual students
were presented by Mr. Carpenter.
The Science Award went to Libby
Royall, a junior, who also received
another award as the most valu
able girl basketball player.
The Social Science award was
presented to Carolyn Francis
Byrd, class valedictorian.
Ruth Masten received a medal
as the most outstanding girl in
athletics, and Robert "Cotton”
Harris received a similar medal as
the most outstanding boy.
The Citizenship medal went to
Claude Eldridge, president of the
Senior class. The medal for ac
tivity went to Ketchel Adams, and
the medal for the most outstand
ing member of the journalism
class to Ruth Masten.
Bob Ratledge was awarded
medals as being the most valuable
player in football and basketball,
and Coney Couch received the
medal as the most outstanding
baseball player.
Medals for the students who
were voted the most valuable in
their respective fields of athletics
were awarded by the student
council, and the selection of the
players were made by his or her
uwu ivfljmnaivo.
An award for perfect attendance
at school for 12 years was pre
sented Herbert Collins. Scholar
ship medal was awarded to Caro
lyn Francis Byrd, and the Com
mercial award went to Katherine
Wall, class salutatorian.
Medals for the best declaimer
in the freshman - sphomore
classes was won by Anna Kathryn
Dobson. Anne Harris won a simi
lar award as the best declaimer in
the junior-senior group.
*'I Dare You” books, the w!in
| ning of which required certain
scholastic achievements, were won
by Mary Johnson and Jack Shore.
i Contest Winners
Guests Of Club
Misses Anne Harris and Anna
i Katherine Dobson, winners of de
i claimer contests at the Elkin liigh
■ school, were guests of the Elkin
l Kiwanis Club at its meeting last
I Thursday evening, each repeating
■ her winning address.
> The program this evening
■ (Thursday), will be in charge of
D. G. Smith, details of which have
not been announced.
> Kiwanis Division No. 3 will meet
1 at the Lexington country club
; next Monday. DuPre Rhame, of
: Greenville, S. C., will be the
speaker. A large number of Elk
1 in Kiwanians are expected to at
. tend.
1
County Board Calls
Off Bond Election
i
Million-Dollar School Fund Matter
Set Back Due To Number Of Causes
Surry county's million-dollar
school bond election has been call
ed off.
At a meeting in the court house
in Dobson Monday night, the
county board of commissioners
rescinded its recent order calling
for a bond election on June 28.
The action was reportedly taken
ARE TO ATTEND
FLOOD HEARING
Harry Hensel And C. A. Mc
Neill Go To Washington;
To Show Evidence
WOULD COST $7,194,000.00
Harry Hensel and C. A. McNeil
left today for Washington to at
tend a congressional hearing on
appropriations for the proposed
Yadkin river flood control project.
They will present photographs and
other evidence portraying the dis
aster resulting from the floods of
1916 and 1940.
The hearing, originally set for
June 11 and 12, was moved to
Friday, June 6. John H. Folger,
fifth district representative, noti
fied local members of the Yadkin
River Flood Control Project of the
change in dates, and Mr. Hensel
and Mr. McNeill agreed to appear
at the hearing in behalf of the
flood control plan.
Wilkes county witnesses for and
against the project were notified
by Representative C. B. Deane of
the eighth congressional district.
Several delegates from Caldwell
county in the ninth district, rep
resented by Robert L. Doughton,
are expected to present testimony
in opposition to the plan. Each
side will have half an hour to
present its case, Representative
Deane said.
The 1948 fiscal year budget of
Army engineers includes a plan
ning fund of $75,000 for starting
preliminary work on the develop
ment, it was reported.
The Yadkin flood control plan,
which would include four dams on
the upper sections of the river,
would cost $7,194,000. The ex
penditure was authorized by the
79th Congress, but no appropria
tions have been made as yet.
Fire Damages Home
At Boonville Monday
Damage estimated at $3,000 re
sulted from a blaze in the Tommie
Chipman home at Boonville late
Monday morning. The fire orig
inated from an oil stove in the
kitchen, it was reported.
Boonville's volunteer fire de
partment extinguished the flames
and saved most of the home ex
cept the kitchen and an adjoin
ing* room.
About half of the furniture was
saved. Mr. Chipman had no in
surance.
as the result of technical errors
on the part of the New York bond
attorneys in drawing up the bond
order. Superintendent of Schools
John W. Comer stated that the
order was drawn up without re
gard for distribution of funds as
agreed upon by the county school
board and the board of county
commissioners.
In adition, the Mt. Airy school
board had submitted a resolution j
requesting $500,000 for its school
expansion program, whereas only
$400,000 had been allotted in pre
vious agreements.
A third factor in the situation
was that the Elkin school system,
as a separate administrative unit,
had not submitted the required
resolution requesting funds. Mr.
Comer said he had received no
notification as to the effective
date of Elkin's status as a separate
unit and had presumed Elkin
schools would continue as a part
of the county school system until
July 1. It was disclosed that the
Elkin school district became a
separate administrative unit as of
the date of ratification of the bill
in March, however.
The comity board of commis
sioners is expected to meet again
next Monday night to discuss fur
ther possible action in the matter.
It is expected that a new bond
ordinance will be drawn up setting
forth the specific agreements as
to the amount of funds to be des
ignated for each school, and that
a new election date will be set at
a later time.
Legion Officers To
Be Installed June 5
New officers of the Dobson
American Legion Post will take of
fice in an installation ceremony
tonight, June 5, at 3 o’clock in
Dobson.
The organization will also select
a delegation to go to Carolina
Beach for a regional meeting
June 16 to 18.
The new officers to be installed
tonight are W. Frank Comer,
Commander; Jesse Fulk, first
Vice-Commander; James Dobbins,
second Vice-Commander; W. B.
White, Jr., third Vice-Command
er; C. O. Scott, Adjutant; C. P.
Folger, Finance Officer; Frank E.
Freeman, Service Officer; A. S.
Johnson, Historian; and Hobert
F. Marion, Pubilicity Director.
Recruiter For Elkin
No Longer Possible
The station commander of the
Winston-Salem recruiting sub
station announced today that it
will no longer be possible for a
recruiter from that office to be
in Elkin each Thursday and Fri
day.
All persons interested in the
Army are invited to see the re
cruiting representative from the
Mt. Airy sub-station each Monday
m the £lkin post office.
H. Glenn York
Installed /Is
Lion President
(PHOTO BY REDMON)
H. Glenn York was installed
as president of the Elkin Lions
Club at the organization’s reg
ular dinner meeting in the
YMCA Monday night. He suc
ceeds Jack Caudill.
The meeting was designated as
ladies’ night, and wives and
friends of Lions were guests at the
installation program.
Other officers installed were E.
E. Shore, Jr., first vice-president;
Fred Eidson, second vice-presi
dent; Hoyle B. Cranford, third
vice-president; Claude H. Farrell,
secretary; Davis Reece, treasurer;
Charles R. Alexander, tail twister;
and David A. Brown, lion tamer.
ARE TO FORM
VFW AUXILIARY
Veterans Of Foreign Wars
Hold Meeting Here Last
Thursday Night
BLOOD BANK PLANNED
At its regular meeting last
Thursday night, the Elkin VFW
post voted to organize a Ladic.s
Auxiliary to the VFW. Miss Mae
Cook of Winston-Salem, chief of
staff of the national Ladies Auxi
liary to the VFW, has been invited
to appear at a meeting of the local
post and present organization
plans, Commander Russell Burch
am stated.
The post is also in the process
of establishing a blood bank, Mr.
Burcliam said. Dr. Moir HalL, who
was recently elected as post sur
geon, is in charge of the project
and plans to secure a complete
file containing the names and ad
dresses of donors and their blood
types. The file will be available
at the first aid room at Chatham
Manufacturing Company, or in Dr.
Hall’s office.
Donations to the blood bank
will go to the VFW national home
in Michigan for the benefit of de
ceased veterans’ widows and chil
dren.
There were approximately 358,
682,000 laying hens on U. S. farms
during April, 1947.
SURRY ROADS
GETTREATMENT
Contracts Let By Highway
Office To Blacktop High
ways In Section
[S TO COST $150,701.20
Contracts let by the State High
way Commission in 1947 to date
rave included two projects for re
aeatment of 19.53 miles of road
way in Surry and Wilkes Coun
;ies at a cost of $150,701.20.
At the March 25 letting, con
tract for bituminous surface treat
nent of 3.85 miles of roadway
from U. S. 21 to Mountain Park
went to W. E. Graham & Sons of
Cleveland, who submitted the low
rid of $87,152 for the job.
On May 20, at the regular
Highway Commission letting, con
tract for bituminous surfacing of
15.68 miles of roadway on seven
sections of county road went to
the P & P Construction Company
rf Concord, low bidders on the
project at $63,549.20.
During 1947, according to High
way Commission plans, $1,422,660
worth of work on 64.07 miles of
roadway in Surry, Wilkes and
Yadkin Counties is contemplated.
At present, $150,701.20 worth of
work on 19.53 miles of roadway
has already been let to contract.
In addition to the specific proj
ects being planned, the Highway
Commission expects to spend ap
proximately $155,000 during 1947
for stabilization work on 251 hiiles
of roadway in tire three counties,
For 1946, the Highway Commis
sion spent a total of $1,158,454.80
for 475.79 miles of road work in
Surry, Wilkes and Yadkin Coun
ties.
Sudden windstorm
Does Damage Here
A sudden windstorm, accom
panied by rain and lightning
struck Elkin last Thursday after
noon, uprooting several trees and
smashing two plate glass windows
The wind lasted less than a
minute, but during that time blew
over a large tree on the grounds
of the Methodist Church and in
the yard of P. G. Walker on
Gwyn Avenue. The top of a large
tree was also blown off to land
on and damage an automobile
owned by James Cockerham, of
Jonesville, Route 1, as it was park
ed near the Chatham Manufac
turing Co.
Plate glass windows were
smashed at Casstevens Hardware
Store and Mayberry-Hart Motors.
Yadkin Students Win
Citizenship Awards
Seven Yadkin County students
have received the 1947 Citizenship
Award, given by the Yadkin Civic
Club to a student of each school
in the county, it has been an
nounced.
The w-inners are: Margaret
Wishon, YadkinviUe; Iva Ireland,
West Yadkin; Carlyle Hall,
Jonesville; Herbert Bryant, Boon
ville; Ray Shore, East Bend;
Helen Hepler, Courtney; Juanita
Thompson, Yadkin High School
(Negro).
These awards are made each
year by the club to a student in
each school showing the best at
tributes of good citizenship.
Action Delayed
By Town Board
On Beer Matter
Junior Order To
Hold Election
Of New Officers
t
Elkin Council 96 of the Jun
ior Order of UAM will hold its
semi-annual election of new of
ficers at a meeting tomorrow
night, June 6, in the Council
hall on Bridge Street, it was
announced today by G. C.
Cooper, councilor, and Paul
Newman, recording secretary.
Degree work will also be
carried out at the meeting. All
council members are urged to
attend.
1
MAN KILLED IN ,
CAVE-IN HERE:
Josephus Lyons, 64, Of Ben- j
ham, Meeks Instant Death
Saturday P. M.
OTHERS ARE INJURED
Josephus Lyons, 64, of Benham, j
was killed instantly about one
o’clock Saturday afternoon when
a ditch in which he was working
caved in and crushed his body.
Three others were injured.
The four men were employed by
the Frank L. Blum Company of
Winston-Salem in excavating a
drainage ditch near the new stor
age buildings being constructed
for Chatham Manufacturing Com
pany.
The excavation was only about
four and one-half feet deep, and
supervisors of the job had not
considered it necessary to install
braces. The mass of dirt and rock
buried the bodies of the men up to
their necks.
Members of the Elkin Emergen
cy Squad were on the scene al
most immediately and assisted in
removing the men from the ditch.
Bill Freeman, Fred Eidson, Fran
cis Jarvis and Henry Clay Bow
man were among those who re
sponded to the emergency.
Reuben Redmond, negro, 46, of
Ronda, one of the three injured,
suffered two broken ribs and in
ternal injuries. He is receiving
treatment at the Hugh Chatham
Memorial Hospital. Romeo Camp
bell, negro, 32, of Benham, and
Lonnie Reavis, 48, of Joncsville,
were treated for bruises and abra
sions.
Surviving Mr. Lyons are his
wife, Mrs. Alice Lester Lyons; sev
en daughters, Mrs. Clarence
Smith, Mrs. Robert Luffman, Miss
Essie Lyons, all of Benham, Mrs.
Grover Barber, Mrs. Paul Swaim,
Mrs. Joe Cockerham, of Yadkin
County, and Mrs. Gertrude Curry
of Traphill; 18 grandchildren,
three sisters, Mrs. George Evans
of Benham, and Mrs. S. Simmons
of Maryland, Mrs. Lloyd West of
Elkin; and four brothers, James
and Williams Lyons of Boone,
Henry Lyons of Jonesvillc and
John Lyons of Stoneville.
Funeral services were held Mon
day morning at Charity Methodist
Church, of which Mr. Lyons was
a member. Officiating were Rev.
Grant Cothren and Rev. George
Curry. Burial was in the church
cemetery.
Girls Are Asked To
Meet At “Y” Tuesday
Girls from Elkin and Jonesville
who are interested in basketball
and soft ball practice are asked
to meet at the YMCA Tuesday
morning at 10 o’clock, according
to an announcement by Betty Lou
Steelman, who is in charge of
physical education at the Y for
girls during the summer months.
All girls interested in these
sports and others are urged to be
present.
Fillders’ Meet To
Be Held On June 6
An old time Fiddlers’ Conven
tion, sponsored by the Dobson
Lions Club, will be held in the
Dobson school auditorium to
morrow night, June 6, at 8
o’clock.
Several cash prizes are being
offered to winners in the contests.
The public is invited to attend. A
small admission fee will be charg
ed.
lusepn joruwii, wno conLenueu
hat the combination of beer and
>ool hall created an atmosphere
hat was detrimental to the best
nterests of the community.
Mr. Randleman read sections
rom the Statutes of North Caro
ina with reference to the authori
y of local municipal boards to
;rant or to deny pool room opera
ors license for the sale of beer.
John Hudspeth, owner of the
_iucky Break Pool room here who
lad filed a request for renewal of
sis beer license, stated that it was
he policy of his establishment not
o sell beer to persons under the
nfluence of liquor and to deny
persons who could not produce
social security cards access to the
jool tables. He conceded that
some profanity was used in the
3ool hall but asserted that it was
lontrolled insofar as possible.
In executive session, the town
3oard moved to postpone action in
he matter until a full board
neeting could be had. (Commis
sioner R. C. Freeman was not
present at Monday night’s meet
,ng.) At a previous session with
four members present, action on
he question had been stalled by a
2-2 deadlock vote.
The board also heard a request
from citizens of North Elkin for
she paving of Oakland Drive. The
iroup was advised to secure sign
ed petitions for the paving from
property owners on the street. J.
D. Bivins, commissioner of streets,
indicated that he would inquire
further into the matter with a
hew toward obtaining possible aid
from the state in financing the
project.
Consideration was also given to
the question of paving certain
streets in Sunset Park, but no def
inite action was taken.
In a move to alleviate congested
traffic conditions on East Main
Street, the board voted to amend
the town parking ordinances to
prohibit parking on the north side
of the street from the intersection
at Gwyn Avenue to the railroad
siding at the entrance to Chatham
Manufacturing Company’s new
finishing plant.
Deeds were accepted by the
board in behalf of the town for
Neaves Lane and for a road 30
feet wide from the intersection at
Harris and Elk Spur Streets to the
west line of Alan Browning’s prop
erty in West Elkin.
In a continuation of Monday
(Continued on page eight, 1st sec.)
NEW CEMETERY
IS NOW OPEN
“Forest Lawn” Is Located On
West Main Street Here
By Errol E. Hayes
CARE IS GUARANTEED
Announcement of the opening
of the new Forest Lawn cemetery,
located just off West Main street,
has been announced by E. E.
Hayes, owner of Hayes & Speas
Furniture Company, here.
The new cemetery, which is
centrally located yet remote
enough to provide the privacy and
seclusion so much to be desired,
has been under construction for
a number of months.
Mr. Hayes stated that perpetual
care of all graves and plots is
guaranteed under tjie supervision
of the State of North Carolina.
This means, he said, that fami
lies of \hose interred there need
not worry over possible neglect,
as constant care will be provided
at all times.
Plots in the new cemetery have
been mapped and complete infor
mation as to purchase price and
other details may be obtained
from Mr. Hayes or Miss Mildred
Ingram at Hayes & Speas Furni
ture Co.
As Applied To
Pool Room Here;
Hold 2 Sessions
At a lengthy session in the city
hall Monday night, Elkin’s board
of commissioners postponed ac
tion on the question of issuing li
cense for the sale of beer in local
pool rooms after a delegation of
approximately 15 citizens had pre
sented a request that such license
be denied.
Spokesmen for the group of cit
izens were James Randleman,
Rev. Howard J. Ford and Rev.