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CARTERB COUNTY NEWS-TIMES ■<*
51st YEAR, NO. 64 TWO SECTIONS—FOURTEEN PAGES
CARTERET COUNTY NEWS-TIMES, MOREHEAD CITY AND BEAUFORT. N. C. FRIDAY, AUGUST 10, 1962
PUBLISHED TUESDAYS AND FRIDAYS
Beach Officer Attacked; Bullet
Fired by Assailant Tears Shirt
An Atlantic Beach police lieuten
ant narrowly escaped being shot
in a scuffle with two assailants
early Tuesday morning when the
two attacked the officer and one
of them managed to get the offi
cer’s gun.
Two men from Cherry Point, arc
being held in the county jail for
questioning about the attack, pend
ing lie detector tests and analysis
4>f blood foundjnT'Xtr^i. W. Wig
gins’ shirt. \
Lieutenant Wiggins was making
routine checks on buildings vtdicn
the attack occurred at approxi
mately 3 a.m. While checkipgHme
side door of a beach establishment,
Larry's Playboy Patio, lieutenant
Wiggins was struck from behind
by the two men, who were hidden
behind a wall, according to the
officer s report.
The assailants used a metal
chair as a weapon, and in the fight
following the initial attack, one of
the pair grabbed the officer's gun
from its holster and fired at point
blank range, narrowly missing the
officer. The bullet passed through
the officer’s shirt, at the side.
Lieutenant Wiggins immediately
disarmed the attacker, grabbing
the gun. The gun fell to the ground,
sgiid the pair fled when officer Wig
gins retrieved it. Five shots were
fired at the fleeing pair. None of
the shots found their mark.
The pair fled from the scene in
the direction of the beach, leaving
the officer in a dazed condition.
Lieutenant Wiggins radioed for as
sistance. The Morchcad City po
lice department picked up the call
and contacted Atlantic Beach ol
ficers and sheriff’s deputy Billy
f-'mitb, who was on the beach
bridge enroute to Atlantic Beach.
With the cooperation of the sher
iff’s department and the Morchcad
City police, the hunt began for the
pair who attacked lieutenant Wig
gins. A roadblock was thrown up
bv the Morchcad City police at the
Atlantic Beach bridge.
Lieutenant Wiggins was found ly
ing betide the Atlantic Beach po
lice truck that he had been driving,
•Jnd was taken by ambulance to
the Morchcad City hospital where
he was examined and released, re
turning to duty by 5 a.m. with no
injuries other than soreness from
repeated blows by the assailants.
Five suspects were picked up
shortly after the attack. Question
ing of the five led to other sus
pects. The two Cherry Point men
being held in the county jail were
picked up on the beach at about 4
a.m., after the attack.
Atlantic Beach police chief W.
■*W. Moore stated that the two be
ing held had been tentatively iden
tified by officer Wiggins. No mo
tive for the attack has been es
tablished as yet.
The stories of the two in jail
were being checked out with co
operation of authorities at Cherry
Point. Investigation is continuing.
Fry Employees
Reject Union
Employees of Lloyd A. Fry Roof
ing Co. and Volncy Felt Mills,
Morehcad City, rejected, by a vote
of 34-32, affiliation with the Oil,
Chemical and Atomic Workers
Wednesday.
The election was held at the
plant in the afternoon. Walter Ed
wards, plant manager, reported
that there were two challenged
votes, but to be certified as a bar
gaining agent, the union must re
ceive a majority of the votes cast.
Voting were production and
maintenance employees, truck
drivers, guards and supervisors.
Office and clerical help did not
vote.
A petition for an electing was
filed in June by the Oil, Chemical
and Atomic Workers International
union, AFL-CIO.
Stockholders to Meet
The annual meeting of stock
holders of the Atlantic and North
Carolina railroad will be held at
10 this morning at the Atlantic
Beach hotel.
Two Men Ordered Held for Superior
Court on Abortion Attempt Charges
Two Navy medical corpsmcn,
Cherry Point, each charged with
■<an abortion attempt, were given a
preliminary hearing in county re
corder’s court Tuesday. They were
ordered hclcf under $500 bond for
trial in superior court.
The charges came about through
investigations connected with the
cracking of an "abortion ring" in
Vaneeboro.
Nary Lou Salmons, now a resi
dent of Newport, testified that Ed
win Henry Henderson and Ray
Police Lt. George Wiggins displays the service revolver that
played an important part in the attack on him at Atlantic Beach
Tuesday morning. Two Cherry Point men arc being held in con
nection with the shooting. Lieutenant Wiggins narrowly escaped
a bullet fired from the pistol when it was grabbed by one of his
attackers.
Court Dismisses
Four Conspiracy
Cases Tuesday
• False Pretense
Count Also Dismissed
# Case Involved Defunct
Shell Home Firm
Charges of conspiracy to defraud
against Richard Blossor, Edward
S. Morton and his wife, Kathryn
Morton, and Dan Barnes Perry
were dismissed in county record
er’s court Tuesday. A charge of
false pretense against H. V. High
Jr., was also dismissed.
The first four defendants faced
four counts of the conspiracy
against the now bankrupt Economy
Homes, Inc., a builder of shell
homes in eastern North Carolina.
According to evidence, the four
allegedly defrauded the shell
homes firm hy supplying the firm
with false credit reports on pro
spective clients, and taking pay
ment for the reports.
Blosscr was a branch and dis
trict manager for the defunct firm
and High was manager for the
Morehead City office.. Perry was
also an employee of the firm, ac
cording to testimony by Kenneth
Waters, former credit manager for
the firm.
Morton and his wife allegedly op
erated the Morehead City Credit
Bureau, which supplied the false
reports.
SBI, agent F. E. Epps testified
that Perry had told him that he
had stationery printed for the rc
(See COURT Page 2)
Dr. J. W. Morris Gets Job
With Industrial Commission
Dr. John W. Morris, Morehcad
City semi-retired siii'gcon, has
been named medical director of the
North Carolina Industrial commis
sion. Dr. Morris’s appointment
was effective the- first of this
month. •
He succeeds Dr. Ben Lawrence,
who has resigned. Dr. Morris’s
appointment was revealed Wed
nesday by J. W. Bean, chairman
of the industrial commission.
Mr. Bean said the medical di
rector’s position is a part time
job, the dirctcor being appointed
for an indefinite term.
The medical director, Mr. Bean
continued, advises the industrial
commission on medical cases. The
commission acts on compensation
claims filed by employees through
out the state for damages felt due
them as the result of injuries
while on the job.
Dr. Mrtrris’s predecessor is a
former resident of Raleigh who
since his retirement from medical
practice four years ago moved to
Virginia and continued to act as
advisor to the industrial commis
sion. Although his salary was
$6,200 a year, the salary of Dr.
Morris is expected to be set at
$8,000 by a budget committee this
week.
Asked if public announcement
Beaufort Redeems Bonds,i Board
Names Glenn Willis Commissioner
Beaufort has redeemed 25 town
bonds at 99. The cost was $24,822.92.
Ronald Earl Mason, town clerk,
said that $250 was saved in prin
cipal and $12,552.08 in interest.
Cashed to meet cost of the bonds
was a certificate of deposit for
$20,000 which had earned interest
of $367.50 over a six-month period.
Gray Hassell, town engineer, re
ported that no contractors seem
interested in the job of widening
Front street in the business sec
tion. He said he could supervise
mond K. Wilshirc, Navy medical
personnel, attempted to induce an
abortion at her home near liar
lowc in April.
Mrs. Salmons testified that she
was two mAnlhs pregnant at .the
time. She said Henderson used a
rubber catheter in the attempt and
Wilshire later gave her a hypo
dermic, intended to induce anor
tion.
Under questioning by Claud
Wheatly, attorney lor the defend
ants, Mrs. Salmons admitted that
had been made of Ur. Morris’s ap
pointment. Mr. Beau said that he
sent notices to insurance com
panies and employers under the
Workmen’s Compcns.ation Act the
middle of last month announcing
I)r. Morris's appointment.
This is the sceond time the in
dustrial commission has been used
as outlet for political pay-off to
Carteret countians by the Sanford
administration. Gene Smith, Beau
fort attorney, was named an in
dustrial commission member in
August 1961.
JDr. Morris is a past president
of the Morehead City Golf and
Country club, a former Morehead
City town commissioner, a mem
ber of the Morehead City Port Ad
visory commission, a member of
thc staff of the Morehead City hos
pital, the county medical society,
the American College of Surgeons,
and has been active in the current
program to get new hospital fa
cilities for this area.
Ill health forced Dr. Morris to
curtail his medical practice sev
eral years ago. As a result of his
political activity, he has from
time to time received minor com
mittee appointments in govern
ment, but the medical directorship
of the industrial commission is his
first major position on a govern
ment agency.
the job and' probably do it with
town labor.
He also reported that the town
boundary line survey is under way.
It is proposed that bearings be
marked on thd monuments by in
dentions in the concrete posts.
Glenn Willis Jr., Jones Village,
was appointed town commissioner,
replacing Frank Morning, who re
signed in the spring.
Dr. M. T. Lewis, Chairman of the
citizens advisory eommittee, sub
mitted his resignation. The mayor,
W. H. Potter, proposed that all per
her husband had been overseas
since September 1961, and hotly
denied ever having gonorrhea.
She alsq admitted that she was
living with another man at the
time of the abortion attempts.
In th« course of questioning, she
testified that when Henderson and
Wilshire’s operations failed, she
had a successful abortion in Vance
boro, from a Mrs. Burroughs, pay
ing her $V> and giving her two bot
tles of paregoric. Mrs. Burroughs
(Sen TWO HELD Page 2)
Dr. John W. Morris
. . . medical director
Volkswagen, Pickup
Collide on Highway 24
A Volkswagen and a pickup
truck collided at 1:30 a.ni. yester
day morning on highway 24 east
of Swansboro. Three Marines in
volved were taken to the hospital
at Camp Lejeune, but their names
were not available at press time.
According to state trooper J. W.
Sykes, who investigated, the VW
and the pickup truck met almost
head-on.
sonnel of the • committee be recon
sidered and dead wood replaced.
Ronald Earl Mason, town clerk,
reported that houses in the new
sections of town have been num
bered and the postofficc requested
to institute door-to-door delivery
of mail.
The fire department, rescue
squad and the merchants associa
tion were commended for the Sat
urday pirate invasion events. The
mayor mentioned that the rescue
squad probably incurred a deficit.
The board thought some funds
could be turned over to the squad
from the civic affairs department.
(See TOWN BOARD Page 2)
Tidei at the Beaufort Bar
Tide Table
HIGH
LOW
Friday, Aug. 10
2:30 a.m.
3:22 p.m.
9:22- a.m.
10:25 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 11
3:43 a.m.
4:26 p.m.
10:19 a.m.
11:17 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 12
4:56 a.m.
5:26 p.m.
11:14 a.m.
Moaday, Aug. 13
5:56 a.m.
6:19 p.m.
12:Q7 a.m.
.12:06 pjn.
Tuesday, Aug.' 14
6:48 a.m.
7:08 p.m.
12:56 a.m.
jup.
Board Starts Wheels Turning
Again on Hospital Building
Port to Handle Big
Dry Milk Shipment
The MorMacCove, a Moore
McCormack Lines freighter, is
expected Sunday at Morehead
City port to load approximately
91,000 cases of powdered milk
for shipment to the cast coast
of South America.
The shipment is part of the
largest amount of powdered milk
ever handled by the North Caro
lina state ports. Another freight
er, the MorMacWrcn, is expect
ed Sunday, Aug. 19, to take the
rest of the shipment, approxi
mately 50,000 cases, according to
Charles McNeill, assistant port
operations manager.
The second 'shipment will also
go to ports on the eastern cdast
of South America.
Newport Board
Handles Street,
Tax Problems
Street, drainage and tax prob
terns confronted the Newport town
commissioners Tuesday night when
they met for the first time in the
new town hall-fire station.
The problem street is McCain
street, which is washing away.
Poor drainage and heavy rains
have created a serious washout be
tween New Bern and Church
streets on McCain.
Sgt. I,. G. Osborne, a McCain
street resident, attended the meet
ing to hear what the board planned
to do about the caving-in in front
ot his properly. Commissioner
John B. Kelly remarked that about
the only thing the town can do is
install a catch basin at the New
.Befn-McCai«.- corner and put tile
down the washed-out section.
A discussion on the proper size
tile to use ended with two persons
leaving the meeting to measure
tile under the street. It was found
to be 24-inch. The board agreed
that the state will eventually have
to replace the 24-inch tile with a
larger size, so to be one step ahead
they voted to tile the washed-out
area with 36-inch.
Hie drainage problem was that
of Virgil Kincaid, also discussed
at last month’s meeting. L*st
month the town agreed to send a
man to Mr. Kincaid’s property to
dig a ditch in an effort to drain
off excess water.
Commissioner Dick Lockey re
ported that since then he has work
ed constantly on the problem, try
ing to find the best way to put the
ditch. He said Mr. Kincaid evi
dently didn’t think the town’s way
of doing business was fast enough,
so Mr. Kincaid dug the ditch him
self. Mr. Lockey commented that
this is the height of the tobacco
season and those persons qualified
to do this type of ditching arc busy
at other jobs.
Mr. Kincaid said he had a letter
from the county sanitarian inform
ing him that his septic tank was
not working properly and giving
him a “reasonable amount of
(Sec NEWPORT Page 2)
■i
Gerald Hill
Fills Welfare
Board Vacancy!
I
• County Considers
Buying Patrol Cars
• Change in Fee System
Under Consideration
County commissioners have ap
pointed Geraltf Hill, Beaufort, to
fill a vacancy on the county wel
fare board. He succeeds Mrs. C.
G. Holland. The board approved
Monday the shifting of the plumb
ing inspector to the health depart
ment. placing the job under the
merit system for public employees.
(The plumbing inspector was for
merly under the mosquito control
division.)
The change was requested due
to the work load imposed by a re
cent county construction ordinance
that sanitary facilities have to be
installed and approved before per
manent electricity is installed
The job will be a full-time posi
tion under the new arrangement,
land will cost the county an addi
tional SI,200 in travel allowances. .
At the request of tile board, A.
B. Fulford. chief of the county san
itation department, explained the
position Of the county on dog prob
lems, saying that the county took
care of dogs in the county, and the
cities took care of the dogs in the
cities.
“All we want is that people tie
them up m; shut them up before
calling us to pick them up," Mr.
Fulford**aid. "If they don't, the
dogs are gone by the time we get
there.’’
The board also discussed a new
system of pay and allowances in
the sheriff's department, and ap
pointed county auditor James Pot
ter, sheriff Bobby Bell and regis
(See BOARD Page 2)
Two Tobacco Barns
Burn at Newport
Two tobacco barns in the New
port area have been destroyed by
fire this season, according to fire
chief C. A. Could Jr. The chief
said this number is well below the
average of previous years.
A barn filled with tobacco owned
by C. T. Garin r burned Tuesday
morning. The barn was loeated
on the Danny Garner farm on the
loop road. The chief said the barn
and its contents were a complete
loss, but they did manage to save
the fuel tank.
Chief Gould said Mr. Garner told
him the loss was partially covered
by insurance. This wasn't the final
curing, he said, Mr. Garner was
planning to use the barn again
this week.
About two weeks ago a barn
owned by Guy Garner burned.
Chief Gould said lie thought the
loss was insured.
Second Option Obtained
On Earle Webb Site
The county board of commissioners acted Monday
to inform the North Carolina Medical Care commission
that a second option has been obtained on the Webb site
for the new proposed county hospital. The board pro
poses to go ahead with plans for building the hospital
there.
Action on the hospital was necessary to avoid “los
ing” the $105,000 promised in state"
funds for the hospital. Time limits
in the legal machinery involved
in the sale of bonds and the ob
taining of state funds made ’the
action imperative before the Sep
tember meeting of the county
board.
The Webb site is located three
miles west of Morehead City on
highway 24. Purpose of the law
suit filed was, in essence, to
force change in location. When the
board agreed to a new referendum
on hospital location, the suit was
withdrawn.
But the owner of the property,
Earle W. Webb, then withdrew his
offer to sell the property to the
county on the basis that he was
not interested in seeing the prop
erty being exposed to false charges
by persons in favor of other sites.
Since legal technicalities have
been cleared up. Mr. Webb, ac
cording to Blither Hamilton Jr,,
county attorney, has agreed to
give the county another option on
the same property, slightly more
than 80 acres, at the same price
originally set, $75,000.
County commissioners have
agreed to withhold action on sale
of a $150,000 note, authorized by
hospital referendum in I960, pend
ing assurance from the Medical
Care commission that the state
will come through this year with
$105,000 to be used in matching
federal Hill-Button funds fur hos
pital construction.
The county attorney was author
ized to contact iht AiettibiL Care
Commission this week relative to
the state fund commitment.
The action cn the hospital was
not without adverse comment from
several of the board members.
Commissioner Tommie Lewis,
Harkcrs Island, asked the board
about obtaining another site, men
tioning several in the general
Morehead City area.
“There’s a fine one across from
the Willis sawmill on Bridges
street,” Mr. Lewis told the board.
Skinner Chalk, another board mem
ber, maintained that the people
should be allowed to vole on the
site in another referendum on the
hospital.
Board chairman Moses Howard
stated that the Webb site was the
only site with the approval of the
Medical Care commission in the
county at present.
All of the board members ex
pressed the belief that a law suit
was possible any time after the
sale of county hospital bonds is
advertised.
Merrimon and South River com
munities have scheduled an old
fashioned pie party for Saturday,
Aug. 18, to raise funds to establish
a 4-H eamp at Merrimon. The
party will be at 6:30 p.m. at Carl
Edwards’ store. Everyone is in
vited.
Bridge to Lose Dip
mMM
State highway department crews are at work ra the More head City bridge, removing a familiar
“dip” by raising the underpinning. After the section is raised, material will be placed between tie
pjiing and Urn bridge, lifting the road bed. . __
Board Proposes
Legal Move
Against Railway
Braufort town commissioners
passed a resolution Monday night
proposing that action be instituted
against the Beaufort' and More
head Railroad to force the road to
fix its track west of Broad street
so that the public and residents in
that area can make proper and
normal use of the street.
The railroad problem was raised
by mayor W. II. Potter who said
that Broad street, on which the
railroad runs, should be paved west
of Turner.
Commissioner John Jones vehe
mently suggested that legal action
be brought against the road. He
cited names of residents on Broad
street who are unable to get in or
out of their property because of
the high track and the "improve
ments" made by the railroad.
Commissioner Jones said that A.
T. Leary, lessee of the road, will
not talk to the town engineer. Gray
Hassell. He said that Mr. Hassell
calls the B&M office to speak to
lxary and gets told that Lear*
isn’t there, when actually he is.
there
Mr. Jones’ request for a decisive
legal move was revised at the sug
gestion of C. R. Wheatly, tut n
attorney, who advocated “projros
ing” legal aetion. The attorney
said he thought suit should be
brought by private individuals who
feel they have been harmed by
the railroad’s action.
Bridge Decision
Coining Today?
Today has keen touted as “the
day” when a decision will be made
on location of the proposed new
bridge at Morehead City. Many
“decision days” have come and
gone—without decision.
According to reports from Ra
leigh, there will be a meeting of
state ports officials and the high
way commission in governor San
ford's office this morning to dis
cuss tho bridge.
E. N. Richards, acting director
of the SPA, has announced that
the SPA favors locating the bridge
at the Marsh island site, which
is at least 1,200 feet north of the
present bridge.
Southern Railway and the Morc
hcad City town board have gone
on record in favor of the Marsh
island site, preferable to any other.
The highway commission, at its
meeting in March, voted for a
bridge adjacent to the present rail
road bridge, equipped with an
ocean-going draw span.
Adopting that plan was predicat
ed on the SPA’s determining where
the ocean-going channel would be,
the proper place to locate the
draw, and the type of draw it
should be.
Although there was no formal
agreement, highway commission
ers. after the March meeting, were
reported as willing to reopen the
site question should the SPA, after
studying the situation, decide on
a solution other than a bridge with
an ocean span.
Board Wants Leasing
System Reconsidered
County commissioners asked
Monday that the state commercial
fisheries committee reconsider the
whole method of leasing oyster
bottom.
The action came following read
ing of a letter from Eric Rodgers,
committee chairman, announcing
that a hearing on leasing of South
River oyster bottom has been set
for XO a.tn. Friday, Sept. 7, at
Morebead City.
Commissioner S. A. Chalk voiced
the opinion that leasing in coastal
waters should not be undertaken
in such a manner as to permit
one set of fishermen to use waters
in a maimer detrimental to other