Newspapers / Carteret County News-Times (Morehead … / April 14, 1961, edition 1 / Page 1
Part of Carteret County News-Times (Morehead City, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
IF YOU LIVE IN MOREHEAD CITY REGISTER TO VOTE CARTERET COUNTY NEWS-TIMES 101 50th YEAR, NO. 30. THREE SECTIONS EIGHTEEN PAGES MOREHEAD CITY AND BEAUFORT, NORTH CAROLINA FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 1961 PUBLISHED TUESDAYS AND FRIDAYS Town Considers Plan To Widen Front Street Beaufort commissioners consent ed to consider widening two blocks of Front street when they met.Mon day night at the town hall. The request was made by J. 0. Barbour Jr., president of the Beau fort Merchants association. Mayor W. H. Potter suggested that the association present its proposal in writing and the board will investi gate. The merchants propose widening Front street 6 feet between Turner and Queen, 3 feet on either side. The width of sidewalks would thus be reduced. Mr. Barbour said that traffic conditions in the two blocks, now, are hazardous. The cost of the work would be shared by the town Edgar Willis Sent to Roads For Year; Lawyer Appeals When Judge Lambert Morris in county court Tuesday ordered that Edgar Willis, Straits, serve a year on the roads for violating a sus pended sentence of Dec. 29, 1959, Willis, through his attorney, Claud Wheatly, gave notice of appeal. Bond of $500 was posted by the defendant. A drunk driving case against Willis was continued for two weeks. In county court Dec. 29, 1959, Willis was found guilty of being drunk, disorderly, damaging per sonal property and trespassing. He was sentenced to a year on the roads, suspended if he left the county in 24 hours and stayed away for three years unless his mother became Seriously ill. Then the judge said that he could return to visit her “for a short duration.” Willis was also ordered to pay a fine of $150, of which $35 was to go to the prosecuting witness for damage to a pair of seat covers. When the body of Agatha Ballou was found in Willis’s barn Feb. 13, 1961, the state held him on sus picion of murder, for attempted suicide, and for violating the sen tence of Dec. 29, 1959. Willis told members of the sheriff’s depart ment that he had been living in the barn with the Ballou woman. 700 Years Ago Tod ay, Josiah Pender Seized Fort Macon for Confederacy By F. C. SALISBURY In the chronology of Civil War events, today, April 14, marks the 100th anniversary of the seizing of Fort Macon by Captain Josiah S. Pender and members of the Home Guards of Beaufort. When news was received of the fall of Fort Sumter, after thirty four hours of bombardment, Cap tain Pender with a detail of Home Guards rowed over to Fort Macon, demanding from Sgt. William Alex ander, who was in charge, the keys to the fort in the name of the Con federate States of America. This act on the part of Pender was on his own, a day before Gov ernor Ellis ordered the occupation by state militia of Forts Caswell, Johnston and Macon, also the seiz ure of the United Arsenal at Fay etteville and the United States Mint at Charlotte. Captain Pender was one of the first citizens of Carteret to sense, the approaching danger of con flict, also realizing the unpre paredness of the military units of the state. He fully realized the importance of the fort, guarding the channel to the recently Com pleted wharf at Morehcad City, the and individual Front street mer chants. _£2ruy JlgcKPjj^ pngjni>(>Pi CStilTlSi ed the cost at $2'/? per lineal foot, or a conservative total of $4,000. Commissioner Davir Farrior raised the question of moving water lines and light poles to effect the widen ing. Mr. Barbour said the merchants association would get signatures from merchants who would agree to pay half the cost of the ma terials needed. Between Turner and Orange he suggested elimina tion of angle parking on the south side of Front. Earl Mason, manager of Water front Esso, asked the town’s per mission-tmlcr away with parking Mr. Wheatly said the words “short duration” in the Dec. 29 judgment were indefinite. Solicitor Wiley Taylor Jr., ob served, “Short duration doesn't mean living in the county six months apparently in an adulterous relationship with a woman.’ Deputy sheriff Bobby Bell, on the witness stand, described the Willis barn loft as he found it the morning of Feb. 13. He said there was a double bed, curtained off around three sides, with an oil heater on the side not curtained. There was a kitchen table, chairs, small stove, chest of drawers, va rious other items of furniture and clothing for a man and woman. The deputy said Willis told him that he (Willis) and Aggie, the woman found dead in the bed, liv ed in the barn and part of the time they lived at the home of Willis’s sister, Josephine. The deputy said Willis’s mother also lives with Jo sephine. He judged that the barn “was about a block from” the sister’s house. ,■» When Mr. Whcatly questioned deputy Bell about Willis's mother’s condition, the officer said that members of Willis's family asked terminal of one of the main rail road lines of the state. It was with this thought in mind and the possibility of armed re sistance, that during the fall and winter of the preceding year, he organized and trained a militia which became known as the Home Guards of Beaufort. Fort Macon was one of nine forts along the seaboard of the south ern states of which Gen. Winfield Scott said: “A corporal’s guard could snatch any of them.” This prediction proved true in the case of Fort Macon. Not aware of the fact that Fort Macon was in the hands of the Home Guards when he issued the order of seizure on April 15, Gov ernor Ellis ordered Captain M. D. Craton and his company of Golds boro Rifles to proceed to Fort Ma con and seize it. This unit of 80 Wayne county men, headed by Captains Craton and J. B. Whitaker left Goldsboro on April 15 by rail for Morehead City. To aid in cleaning up the fort, following the arrival of the Golds boro Rifles, a working force of slaves and free Negroes, under the command of H. T. Guion of New spaces in front of the station. He said the station would bear the cost -of removing-the curbing to make a continuous driveway along the front of the station. The board agreed to consider his request. Owners of the Ilaneock Park sewage system appeared and pre sented the figure of $6,600 as their sale price on the system. C. R. Wheatly, town attorney, William Roy Hamilton and commissioner Farrior were appointed to confer with a comm^tee of sewer owners next week to work out a purchase arrangement. Purchase, if effected, would be a step toward annexation of the Sec BOARD, Paeg 2 I officers not to say anything about finding the body in the barn to Wil lis's mother until a doctor was present. Mrs. Eunice Lewis, Otway, sis ter of Willis, testified that she lived two or three miles from the barn where Willis apparently made his home. She claimed she didn’t know how long Willis had been in or out of the county since Dec. 29, 1959. She said that ‘Edgar and Aggie lived at Mama’s,” one sleeping in one room and the other in another. They would "stay at the barn oc casionally,” she said, but she didn’t know how long. Edgar, she testified, came to the county this past winter. Mr. Tay lor asked if Willis was not involved in an auto accident in Morehead City in August 1960. Mrs. Lewis said she didn’t know. She admitted that Edgdr had been in the county three weeks, then changed the time to “at least two weeks” to take care el his mother because no other members of the family etould do so. Mr. Wheatly contended that Wil-1 Iis came back to the county be cause his mother was "at the point of death.” Bern, arrived on the 18th loaded with supplies donated by people of that town. The supplies for the fort were loaded on the George S. Hardy at the Morehead City wharf. On the return trip the boat brought Sergeant Alexander and his wife, with their personal be longings, to Morehead City where they took passage for their north ern home. Work was soon under way, clear ing the land about the fort, digging out the moat, repairing the two story hospital building standing some distance away, and the offic ers’ quarters. At the time of the occupation of the fort there were only four can non mounted on the barbette, where there were transverses for twenty-one guns. The seventeen unmounted cannon were lying on the dock of the Life Saving station. Captain Pender was assigned the job of overseeing the making of the carriages and mounting of these guns. Later when the fort was garrison ed by the 1st Artillery, with Cap tain Pender in command of Co. G., the twenty-one guns became known as Pender’s Battery. MMPi TT '"''A SSsH One of the few pictures showing the type of gun carriage, built and mounted on the transverses on the barbette at Fort Macon, under the direction of Captain Pender and his mechanics. The twenty-one traniveraes which served the cannon of Pender’s Battery are one of today’s attraction at the fart J. To be at Williston Hargrove Bowles Jr., above, director of the Department of Conservation and Development, will be the speaker at the great er Morehcad City chamber of commerce clambake at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 3, at Williston. Tickets will be on sale through out the county next week at $2 each. The chamber’s distinguish ed citizen's award for 1960 will be presented, as well as several travel promotion awards, an nounces J. A. DuBois, chamber manager. Jaycees Elect Paul Cordova Paul Cordova, Morehead City, was elected Monday night as presi dent of the Morehead City Jaycees, succeeding Clifton Lynch. Other officers elected arc internal vice president Tommy Ballou and ex ternal vice-president Bill Munden. Lou Williams was voted in as treasurer and Joe Beam will fill the office of secretary. Five new members of the board of directors are Horace Willis, Walter Willis, Gordon Willis, John Edwards, and Dick Spears. Plans for the 12th quarterly board meeting, to be held April 22-23 at the Biltmore Motor hotel, were discussed. The club announc ed that the Hi-Liters, a Kinston mu sical group, have been contracted for the Saturday night dance at the affair. The club also announced that Jaycees will provide rides to tb ' registrar’s house for those who do not have transportation. Rides may be obtained by contacting Charles Willis at Hill’s clothing store or Arthur Taylor at Dill’s funeral home. New registration of Morehead City voters is now under way. Paul Cordova . . . new president Board Studies Court Reports As of March 31, Morehcad City recorder’s court funds amounted to $2,030.48, according to the re port given town commissioners at their recent meeting. Also pre sented was a financial statement for the first quarter. Total income for the quarter was $6,531.62. Disbursed in the first three months of the year was $4,644.15. The balance was insuf ficient to pay the county $2,330.50 due in fines and forfeitures, leav ing a deficit of $300.02. The board had decided that at the end of March an appraisal would be made to determine wheth er the court should be continued. At the April 4 meeting, it was vot ed to continue the court, but month ly reports arc to be made, with a review at the end of each quarter, and if deficits arc continual, the court will be discontinued, the board decided. Cash receipts in March amount ed to $2,227 and disbursements $1,211.33. Salaries paid to officers amounted to $662.75; fees paid to policemen for Monday court duty $107. Total cash receipts for the first three months were $5,450.55. Paid to the county board of education for the fourth quarter of 1960 was $1,313.50. A total of 216 cases were han dled by the court from Jan. 1 through March 31. One hundred twenty-six arrests were made by Morehead City police nttirarm Hospital Board, Architect To Confer Tuesday Night Johnny Waters Pleads Not Guilty to Murder # Three Found Guilty In Drink-Box Thefts • Two Appeal Decisions In Court Monday Probable cause was found Mon day in Morehead City recorder's court in the case against Johnny Edward Waters, charged with sec ond-degree murder. Waters was ordered bound over to the next term of superior court and placed under $5,000 bond. He pleaded not guilty to the charge of killing Bea trice Mitchell. Three Cherry Point defendants, Billy Gary Waddell, Francis Rob ert Smith and Michael John Dikin, were convicted on four separate charges of stealing money from drink machines and possession of stolen property. The three were charged with stealing money from drink ma chines at the Dixie Barber shop, the City newsstand and Sound Esso station. For the Dixie barber shop theft, each defendant was given six months in jail suspended on payment of $50 and court costs and two years’ good behavior. On each of the other charges, each defendant drew six-month sentences suspended on payment of costs and two years’ good be havior. Two defendants appealed. Evic Sec COURT, Page 6 25 Conventions Booked at Hotel Twenty-five conventions have been seheduied for this season at the Biltmore Motor hotel, More head City. According to the chamber of commerce, they are as follows: arson seminar, April 17-21; Pi Kappa Alpha of UNC, April 21-23; State Tuberculosis association, April 26-28; April 28-May 5, Camp Farthest Out. McCracken Supply Co., May 7-9; Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity, May 5-7; Sigma Phi Epsilon, May 12-14; Carolina Movers association, May 18-21. Scrap Iron institute, May 26-28; National Association of Bankers and Accountants, June 2-4; NC Certified Accountants, June 8-10; NC Association of Architects, June 15-18. NC Veterinary association, June 18-21; North State Loan associa tion, June 26-28; NC Society of As sociation Executives, June 23-25; Eastern NC Traffic club, July 7-9. NC Sheriffs association, July 11 14; Dyke Medical symposium, July 16-22; Farmers Cooperative Ex change, July 22-25; NC Society of Engineers, July 27-29; NC Society of Medical Technologists, Aug. 4-6. 439th Engineers, Aug. 25-27; Eastern NC Public Health associa tion, Sept. 5-6; Foresters, Depart ment of Conservation, Sept. 12-15; Southern Retail Furniture associa tion, Sept. 24-26. J. A. DuBois, chamber manager estimates that 3,685 persons, with their wives and children will at tend the above conventions, spend ing approximately $250,006 in this area. Driver of Car Escapes Injury Wednesday Guy Willis, Davis, escaped in jury at 2:15 p.m. Wednesday when the 1960 Pontiac he was driving flipped over on its top on highway 70 a mile west of Davis. Damage to the car was estimat ed at $600 by patrolman W. E. Pickard, who investigated. The accident happened in a hard rain when Davis braked the car upon coming up behind another vehicle, lie was alone at the time. No charges were preferred. Tide Table Tides at the Beaufort Bar HIGH LOW Friday, April 14 7:34 a.m. 7:56 p.m. 1:30 a.m. 1:49 p.m. Saturday, April 15 8:20 a.m. *' 8:42 p.m. 2:18 a.m. 2:34 p.m. Sunday, April 18 9:07 a.m. 9:27 p.m. 3:04 a.m. 3:17 p.m. Monday, April 17 9:55 a.m. 10:13 p.m. 3:48 a.m. 3:58 p.m. Hearing on Drum Inlet Begins at 10 Army engineers will conduct a hearing on improvement of Drum inlet at 10 a.m. today at the courthouse, Beaufort, Testimony justifying deepening of the channel should be present ed in writing, although oral argu ment will be heard. Boatmen who use the inlet have been in vited to fill in the necessary forms and present them to J. A. DuBois, manager of the cham ber of commerce, Morehead City, or to Clayton Fulcher Jr., Allan tic, prior to this morning's hear ing. Testimony to be presented by Mr. Fulcher stresses the value of a new scallops industry that could be established if Drum in let were opened so that boats could make quick runs from the scallop beds in Kalcigh Bay to shucking houses on the mainland. College Theatre Group to Give Cinderella Here The touring company of The Theatre of Woman’s College, Greensboro will appear in Beaufort and Morehcad City with their pro duction, Cinderella, a play for chil dren, Friday, May 5, in the school auditoriums. Curtain time tn Morehcad City is 3:30 p.m. and in Beaufort 7:45 p.m. The performance lasts 1 hour and 15 minutes. Sponsors are the Car teret Business and Professional Women’s club and the Carteret Community Theatre. The touring company is made up of 15 members of the department of drama at Woman’s college, stu dents and faculty. The production will carry two complete sets of scenery, newly-designed costumes, lighting equipment, music and sound effects. This is the third spring tour which the theatre group at Wom an’s college has made and is in response to demands by the more than 5,700 children throughout the state who saw last year’s produc tion of Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp. In . the company for Cinderella will be many of the same actors who toured with the Aladdin pro duction last year and the King Midas production of the preceding year. Cinderella marks the clos ing play of the current season, dur ing which the theatre has produced South Pacific, Anouilh’s Ring Round the Moon, and The Alcestis of Euripedes. Herman Middleton will direct the coming production. Setting and lighting will be designed by Ray Smith and special choreography will be done by Virginia Moomaw, all of the Woman's college faculty. This is the same team that worked together to present King Midas in the 1959 season and Aladdin last season. In addition to the appearance here, Cinderella will also be seen in Lcaksville, Madison, Reidsvillc, Ft. Bragg, New Bern, Wilmington, Fayetteville and Kannapolis. Children may see the play for 35 cents each and adults 50 cents. Assemblyman Comments on Bills Scheduled for Introduction Soon D. G. Bell, Carteret’s general assemblyman, reports that he has several local bills to introduce as soon as routine matters pertain ing to the bills are straightened out. One of the routine matters was formal approval by Beaufort town commissioners Monday night of a bill which would shorten the time required for voters to register. Mr. Bell said the officials be lieve a shorter registration period would mean financial saving to the town. Two bills, requested by More head City officials, deal with per missive closing of the Morehead City hospital by fiction of the board, placement of Morehead ABC funds, which now go to the hos pital, back in the town’s general fund, and doing away with the 5 ccnt levy now paid by Morehead City residents for hospital opera tion. County commissioners, at the re quest of local attorneys, have ask ed that Mr. Bell introduce a bill which would increase costs of court $1. The extra funds would be used to establish a law library in the courthouse. Ironing out obstacles has pre vented introduction as yet of the hills proposing adjustment in taxes County Board, Trustees Lay Organization Plans George Watt* Carr, architect for the proposed county hospital, will meet with the hospital board of trustees at 7 :.‘U) p.m. Tuesday to discuss preliminary drawings for the hospital. The meeting date was set Tuesday night at the court house when county commissioners and the trustees adopt ca a pian oi proccnure on nospuai construction and administration. Luther Hamilton Jr., county at torney, explained that the pending hospital suit was filed after Mr. Carr had been employed and the county is already obligated to him as far as preliminary planning goes. Monetary obligations beyond that point would not be advisable, he said, until the courts render a de cision. Moses Howard, chairman of the board, said that if the coun ty gets a green light on hospital construction, much time will be saved if the hospital board, build ing committee and other details are lined up. The trustees approved the name, Carteret Memorial hospital, in their meeting this week and named Edward (Bud) Dixon, temporary chairman. It is expected that a permanent chairman and building committee will be selected this coming Tuesday night when the trustees meet at the courthouse with Mr. Carr. The board of trustees consists of 12 members. They will he appoint ed for terms of five years, with the exception of the present board, whose terms have been defined, so that in the future there will not be a complete turnover of person nel at one time. Named to serve five-year terms, beginning with this past Tuesday, April 11, are Mr. Dixon, William T. Davies, both of Morehead City; Charles Harris, Marshallberg, and Mrs. Clayton Fulcher Jr., Atlantic. Serving four-year terms will be Gerald Hill and Charlds King, Beaufort; Roger Jones, Broad Creek, and John L. Crump, More head City. Three-year terms will be served by James 11. Potter III, Albert Chappell, Beaufort; Mrs. Nellie C. Garner, Newport, and W. L. Dcr rickson, Morehead City. Appointment of trustees is vested in the county board of commis sioners, whose chairman, Moses Howard, is an ex-officio member of the board with full voting privi leges. Five members of the board will constitute a quorum. It was suggested that a trustee who misses six consecutive meet ings be automatically dropped from the board. Mr. Crump sug gested that this number be reduced to three. No decision was made and the matter was left open for future amendment. The resolution stipulates that three of the trustees shall be named to the building committee, with Mr. Howard as ex-officio member of the committee. If this is not done within 10 days after April 11, the county commissioners will appoint a building committee. When the question was raised as to the number on the building com mittee, Mr. Howard said that three was suggested by the Medical Care commission and Mr. Carr, and no more than five. The building com See HOSPITAL, Page 3 on fishing boats, Mr. Bell said. Hc^ expressed hope that things would be in line for putting the bills in the hopper soon. Passed last week in the house was a mosquito control bill which gives Carteret and Pamlico county commissioners the same powers vested in boards of governors of mosquito control districts. Planned for introduction this week was a bill requested by the North Carolina Association of Coun ty Commissioners. The bill gives the county control over garbage disposal and litter piles, vests coun ty officials with the authority to allow private businessmen to estab lish garbage collection routes and charge reasonable rates. The bill also permits the, county to set up a garbage collection sys tem, provided no private business man does so, with the county per mitted to charge fees for the gar bage collection service. Taxes Collected County tax collections for March totaled $44,875.89, according to E. O. Moore, tax collector. Percent age of the 1960 levy collected by March 31 was 84.88. Collected by E. L. Brinson, collector of delin quent presonal property taxes, was $207.34. Towns to Get Aid from New Office, Kinston • Land Developers, Realtors to Meet • Subdivision Plans Will be Discussed Robert D. Barbour and Jerry Turner of the division of commun ity planning. Raleigh, told the Car teret Planning commission Mon day night of the establishment of an office at Kinston to assist east ern North Carolina towns and counties in community planning. Towns of Jacksonville, New Bern, Kinston, Wilson and others made this move possible by fur nishing office equipment, office space, and financial assistance, Mr. Barbour said. He mentioned that Carteret coun ty was among the first to establish a planning commission on a coun ty-wide basis but that subsequent ly several North Carolina counties have set up facilities for long range planning and are pushing ahead with their programs. The subcommittee on subdivision regulations made its report Mon day night and under its proposals all future subdivisions would be required to meet standards on lot sizes, street widths, and building set-backs to avoid congestion and overcrowding. Subdivision regulations have been very valuable in areas where land development is occurring due to retirement of older people, open ing of recreational areas adjacent to. recently built lakes, and along the Atlantic seaboard with its ex panding facilities for boating and fishing. Land developers and realtors will discuss the proposed regula tions Thursday, April 27, 2 p.m. at the courthouse in Beaufort. The planning commission has called this meeting so that the regulations may be understood and molded to conform to requirements in this county. Attending the planning commis sion meeting Monday night in the REA building, Morehead City, be sides Mr. Barbour and Mr. Turner, were planning commissioners L. J. Dupree, chairman; Dr. W. L. Woodard, Cecil Morris, C. H. Lock ey, Mrs. E. H. Piper, Milton Coyle and W. C. Carlton. On the sub division committee are Charles C. King, A. D. Fulford and W. B. Chalk. Through commission ef forts, a county building code is now in effect. Three Cases Heard at Beach Three cases were heard in At lantic Beach mayor’s court Tues day night. David M. Street, Havelock, was charged with public drunkenness. Judgment was suspended on con dition that he leave the beach as soon as his hours of employment at a business there, end. Roger J. Ragsdale, Havelock, was found guilty of buying beer for a minor, Daniel Howard, New port. Ragsdale paid costs and was restricted from the beach until Aug. 18. Howard, who was con victed of his second offense of drinking beer under age, was re stricted from the beach until he is 18, which is Aug. 18. He paid costs. Gerald Fulcher Jr., route 1, Beaufort, forfeited bond. He was charged with public drunkenness and disturbing the peace. Con tinued was the case of Alfred L. Taylor, route 1 Newport, charged with disorderly conduct and dis turbing the peace. ■
Carteret County News-Times (Morehead City, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
April 14, 1961, edition 1
1
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75