ELKIN The Best Little Town In North Carolina THE TRIBUNE Is a Member of the Audit Bureau of Circulations 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. 28 PUBLISHED WEEKLY ELKIN, N. C., THURSDAY. JUNE 12, 1947 $2.00 PER YEAR 18 PAGES—THREE SECTIONS Quick Action 1 Is Sought In Flood Hearing PASSES — Mrs. Anna Cox Gra ham, 90, shown above, passed away at her home on Gwyn Avenue, Thursday evening, fol lowing a serious illness of six weeks. DEATH CLAIMS v ELKIN WOMAN Mrs. Anna Cox Graham, 90, One Of Town’s Best Known Women, Dies Thursday A RITES HELD SATURDAY Mrs. Anna Cox Graham, 90, one of the city’s best known women, passed away Thursday evening at 7 p. m. at her home on Gwyn Avenue. She had been seriously ill six weeks. "Mother Graham," as she was known to citizens of this commun ity, observed her 90th birthday on April 12. She had spent most of her time in a wheel chair since she broke her hip six years ago. A daughter of the late Hardin , and Emaline Cox of Mouth of Wil T son, Va., she was married to Wil liam A. Graham, who preceeded her in death 30 years ago. • Mrs. Graham came to Elkin 25 years ago and had been active in the civic and religious life of the city until she -was injured six years ago. She was a member of the Elkin Methodist Church. Surviving are nine children, Mrs. L. E. Osborne of Pittsburgh, Pa.; Herbert P., Hardin C., Dixie, French W., Worth A., and Shef fie, all of this city; Rev. Grover C. Graham of Statesville and Mrs. I. L. Halsey of Mouth of Wilson, Va., 25 grandchildren and eight great grandchildren. Funeral services were held at First Methodist Church, this city, at 11 o’clock Saturday morning * with Rev. Robert G. Tuttle, pas tor, and Rev. L. B. Abernethy of Charlotte, officiating. Rev. Mr. Yokley, pastor, assisted Mr. Tuttle in services at Potato Creek Meth odist Church in Virginia at 2:30 p. m., where burial was made in the church cemetery. Fred Murphy Begins Seven-Year Sentence Fred Murphy was taken to the state prison in Raleigh last week by Sheriff Sam Paterson to begin serving a seven-year sentence for T robbery. The sentence was imposed at the April term of Surry superior court, but Murphy had filed notice of appeal to the Supreme Court through his counsel. Last week, however, he notified the court that he had abandoned his appeal and he was taken to Raleigh to begin serving his term. Murphy was arrested in South Dakota several months ago and brought back to Surry county by plane. Two Are Bound Over To Superior Court A Fred Andrew Collins, 21, Route 1, Elkin, charged with operating a car under the influence of liquor and driving after revocation of his driver’s license, was bound over to the superior term of court by Jus tice of the Peace J. L. Hall in Mag istrate’s Court Monday morning. % His bond was set at $600. John Edward Holla way, 24, was bound over under bond of $300 on charges of reckless driving by Jus tice of the Peace C. A. McNeil. “The secret of making one’s self Tiresome is not stop.” Voltaire. to know to L Committee Hears Testimony In Yadkin Project Proponents of the Yadkin River Flood Control Project, headed by Representatives John H. Folger and C. B. Deane, asked Congress for immediate action on the flood control plan at a hearing before a War Department subcommittee of the House Appropriations Com mittee in Washington last week. The two Congressmen urged subcommittee approval of the $75, 000 item in President Truman’s 1947-48 budget for advance plan ning of the project and, if possible, appropriations of additional funds for other preliminary work. They pointed out that the 79th Con gress has already authorized the expenditure of $7,194,000 for the proposed flood control program in spite of opposition which was re peated before the subcommittee at the hearing. Harry H. Hensel and C. A. Mc Neil, spokesman for Elkin at the hearing, testified that most of the local manufacturing concerns and wholesale houses were in the flood threatened area, and that 45 miles of railroad along the Yadkin river are threatened constantly by flood losses. John E. Justice, Jr., of North Wilkesboro, chairman of the Yad kin River Flood Control Commit tee, asserted that federal tax in come from the business in the flood area “abundantly justifies” the program. A partial check of such taxes in North Wilkesboro alone showed collections of $447, 461 in 1946, he said. Federal Judge Johnson J. Hayes told the subcommittee that nearly all of the loudest protest against the project comes from those least affected. “It seems absurd to think that six miles of land in Caldwell County along the Yadkin is more I valuable than 45 miles of the same type of land below there in Wilkes,” said Judge Hayes, “to say nothing of another 100 miles along the river in Surry, Yadkin, Forsyth, Davie. Davidson, Rowan, Montgomery, Stanly, Richmond and Anson Counties.” Opponents of the plan had told the committee that nearly 10.000 acres of land would be inundated by the proposed dams and that the best security against flood was "to get above high water reach.” Testifying against the project were F. J. Beale, F. L. Townsend and V. D. Guire, of Lenoir; How ard Ferguson and T. L. Ferguson, of Ferguson; and J. T. Saunders of Happy Valley. J. B. Williams, president of the North Wilkesboro Chamber of Commerce, said that only about one-third of the land which the dams would cause to be inundated was cleared, and that the average v. nf the land was $30 to $40 per aw>.. In a joint statement, Represent (Continued on page eight, 1st sec.) LAW-BREAKING ON INCREASE Police Records Show 81 Ar rests Made During May By Local Officers DRUNKENNESS LEADS Law-breaking is on the increase in Elkin. According to police records a total of 81 arrests, the highest number of any month so far this year, were made during May by local officers. Public drunkenness led the list of violations with 37 offenders, Speeding ranked a poor second with 10 cases listed. Seven per sons were charged with operating automobiles under the influence of liquor, and five were charged with illegal possession of liquor. Other violations were reckless driving, four; driving without op erator’s license, four; violating hotel laws, four; engaging in af frays, two; immoral conduct, two; assault, two; violating prohibition laws, one; resisting arrest, one; driving with improper lights, one; and assault with a deadly weapon one. Records for previous months show 52 violations in April, 68 in March, 44 in February and 46 in January. KNIGHT OF THE OPEN ROAD — Richard E. Cook and his horse, Buck, are shown here as they paused in Elkin Monday on the return leg: of their 3,200-mile round trip from Midland, Michigan, to Florida. Mr. Cook got tired of “high speed driving” in automobiles and set out to see the country in his home-made, horse-drawn house on wheels. He left Michigan last October, spent the winter in Florida, and plans to reach home again about July 4. recommendations he deems neces 1 sary to the town board for action. Mr. Alexander, whose appoint ment became effective Tuesday, • June 10, will serve in the new post , on a part-time basis, and empha ’ sized that his duties in the capa . city of City Administrator would ■ not interfere with his practice of : law. However, he will be avail . able at his office at regular hours i to citizens who have municipal ■ (Continued on page eight, 1st sec.) ) COURT UPHOLDS DEATH VERDICT 1 June 20th Set As Date Of Execution Of Marvin Bell, Ralph Litteral ! HAVE LONG RECORDS The Supreme Court of North Carolina last week sustained a i judgment that will send Marvin . Claude Bell and Ralph Vernon r Litteral to the gas chamber on I June 20 for the rape of Peggy Shore last August. , Bell and Litteral had appealed their cases in January after a Wilkes county superior court jury had found them guilty of the crime and Judge Hoyle Sink had passed the death sentence. ' According to the opinion handed down by the supreme tribunal, • "the defendants were accorded a ’ fair trial, free of prejudicial ■ error ..." : Litteral had contended that he j was of such low mentality that he ' did not know right from wrong. : Bell offered no testimony. Unless Governor Cherry inter : venes, the two men will be execut i ed in the state’s gas chamber on l June 20. i Both Litteral and Bell have long crime records. They were ■ arrested last September 2 on : charges of kidnapping and assault ■ ing Miss Shore, of the Pleasant . Hill community, who was then i only 15 years of age. Miss Shore testified that the men forced her into their car on the night of August 23 and that both men as • saulted her following a wild auto [ mobile ride. The two ex-convicts ■ were given death sentences after i a jury, deliberating only 15 min utes, returned a verdict of guilty.