ELECTIONS TABLE
APPEARS SECTION 2
THIS ISSUE
CARTERET COUNTY NEWS-TIMES
51»t Year — No. 92
Three Section* — Twenty Pages
MOREHEAD CITY and BEAUFORT, N. C.
Friday, November 16, 1962
Published Tuesdays and Fridays
Learn How to Talk
News-Times Photos by Tom Sloan
Mrs. Ben Arrington uses a picture of a bullfrog to demonstrate sounds in a speech therapy class at
the Morehead City school. With Mrs. Arrington are, left to right, Tim Overman, John Wheeler and
Miehael Thompson.
Speech therapy teacher Mrs. John Betts Jr. pronounces words for pupils at Harkers Island school.
Children, left to right, are Nancy Willis, Steve Lewis and Rocky Best.
One of the newer educational pro
grams in the county is speech ther
apy. Two instructors, Mrs. Ben
Arrington and Mrs. John Betts Jr.,
work with children who have dif
ficulty pronouncing words correct
ly
Two hundred children are now
' being trained in overcoming speech
handicaps, with others on the wait
ing list.
The program is in its second
year. Mrs. Betts was added to the
staff this year.
School, Community Partnership
Can Meet the Challenge of Change
By LENWOOD LEE
Principal, Morehead City
(This is American Education
Week. Following is a commen
tary on this county and its edu
cation picture.)
If the boys and girls of Carteret
« County are ever to realize their
educational potential and through
them the quality of community life
reach its maximum, there must be
a very close and harmonious re
lationship between the school and
the .community.
Indeed in a very peculiar way the
quality of the school is dependent
upon the community and converse
ly the community upon the school.
Carteret county stands at a cross
! t roads at this particular point in
time. Nearly everyone recognizes
the need for additional and more
adequate school facilities, but for
years the burden of previous in
debtedness and the reluctance to
assume additional obligations have
precluded needed • improvements.
We are at least a decade behind
in the building needs.
. Fortunately, however, due to con
centrated efforts in this area, the
j county now stands virtually free of
debt. Nor is mis all. A considerable
amount of money—some $800,000—
has stockpiled since the bond re
ferendum of 1959 was held. Simply
stated this mews that Carteret
County is now in\a position to do
something substaMtal toward meet
ing its school buiMbig needs.
Plans are alread*<proceeding to
begin the first phase of a consoli
dated high school to serve the pu
pils of the Morehead City and New
***»'£»■_ -J ■
Mrs. -Arrington is the instructor
for Morehead City, Camp Glenn,
W. S. King and Newport schools.
Mrs. Betts works with children at
Beaufort, Queen Street, Barkers
Island, Atlantic- and Smyrna
schools.
Emphasis is placed on correcting
speech defects in children from
grades 1 through 8, although some
high school pupils are accepted
who have severe speech problems.
Sometime speech problems can
not be corrected by therapy alone.
port school districts. This is a
tremendous stride in the right di
rection but it is not enough. To
start with, the money on hand is in
sufficient to build a single complete
facility and even if it were suffi
cient, the needs of Eastern Car
teret are becoming as pressing as
those of Western Carteret.
Closely associated with these
needs is the very obvious fact that
it is high time for the concept of
East Carteret and West Carteret
to die—even should the demise be
a painful one. Too long has our
county been twisted and torn by
divisions within. Also very obvious
is the fact that neither side of the
county can lay all ,of the blame on
the other.
All that is needed is a little
honesty, a desire for something bet
ter, and a small amount of Chris
tian charity to t)ury the existent
Tide Table
Tides at the Beaufort Bar
HIGH LOW
Friday, Nov. 16
11:42 a.m. 5:08 a.m.
_ 6:00 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 17
12:21 a.m. 6:04 a.m.
12:36 p.m. 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 18
1:15 a.m. 7:13 a.m.
1:28 p.m. 8:03 p.m.
Monday, Nov. 19
2:08 a.m. 8:25 a.m.
2:21 p.m. 9:03 p.m.
Tuesday, rflov. 20
3:03 a.m. 9:27 a.m.
3:16 p.m. 9:54 p.m.
--
Next week a child will enter Duke
hospital for an operation to enable
him to speak clearly.
Frequently speech problems have
their root in inability of the child
to hear. For that reason, Mrs. Ar
rington and Mrs. Betts test hearing
of pupils when it is requested by
teachers. An audiometer is used.
Speech therapists estimate that
20 per cent of a school population
will have speech problems. Not all
counties are fortunate enough to
have speech correction programs.
differences in the only thing that
should ever divide the county—the
Newport River, and this is soon to
be amply bridged—and let the tide
dissipate them in the broad Atlan
tic.
The prejudices, animosities, dis
trust, and selfishness that have
often characterized the attitudes
and actions, of both sides in this
conflict are out of date. They im
pede every step that is made in
the right direction. Why can’t they
be drowned?
They can if the men who hold
them are willing, and only if they
are willing. Sectionalism even with
in a county is as archaic as the
Model “T” Ford.
The present and future genera
tions of school children are the
victims of this poison. To be sure
good schools are not the whole
stuff of life, but they are a vital
component. No community is first
class without the very best educa
tional program it can afford.
Now is the time for the profes
sional school staff—teachers, su
pervisors, principals, and superin
tendent—local school committees,
County Board of Education, PTA
groups, Citizens Committee, Board
of Commissioners, and every other
citizen to unite in a single concert
ed and combined effort to bring the
county schools up to date in every
respect. This will involve buildings,
personnel, and equipment.
In many respects we already
have good schools. Our drop-out
rate is low, one of the best in the
state. We already have a sound
though somewhat limited program
(See CHALLENGE Pg. 7)
* Checking Expected to Be
\
Lengthy Process
Recounting of all sheriff’s ballots cast in the Nov. 6
election started yesterday at 10:30 a.m. The process was
expected to continue until completed, with interruptions
only for food and sleep. There was a possibility that the
counting would continue into today.
Checking of the sheriff ballots in the Beaufort pre
4
Commissioner
Ballots Won't
Be Recounted
• Hardesty Withdraws
His Request
# Ballot Boxes Collected
Tuesday Night
Gordon Hardesty, Republican
candidate for county commissioner
who ran sixth high in the balloting
Nov. G, withdrew his request for
a recount Wednesday.
The elections board had decided
Tuesday to recount all ballots cast
for commissioners. Mr. Hardesty
had asked for a recount only of
his vote and C. Z. Chappell’s, Dem
ocrat who was fifth high.
“At this late date, no one can
get a fair and honest recount,’’
Mr. Hardesty said in a special
statement to THE NEWS-TIMES.
He referred to “most of the bal
lot boxes being scattered all over
the county” in the various pre
cincts. The only ballot boxes im
pounded early on the morning of
Nov. 7 were Beaufort, Morehead
No. 1 and 2 and Newport precincts.
Those boxes were put under lock
'and^key in the elections office by
-the chairman, Charles Willis, after
the sheriff's race ended neck-in
neck.
Mr. Hardesty said, “That was
one of the most honest elections
I’ve ever witnessed. Everyone
counting did a fine job. There was
more interest in it than I have ever
seen before. It’s not fair to the
people involved to recount now.”
It was not generally announced
until the hearing Tuesday after
noon that most of the ballot boxes
were still in the precincts in the
possession of registrars.
The ballot boxes were picked up
down east late Tuesday night and
early Wednesday morning by Mr.
Willis and Thomas Wade, both of
Morehead City. After the hearing
Tuesday, elections board mem
bers agreed that Osborne Davis
should go early Wednesday morn
ing to the eastern precincts to pick
up ballot boxes and Neal Campon
would pick up the boxes in the
western precincts.
Mr. Davis is a Republican mem
ber of the board and Mr. Campen
a Democratic member. Mr. Wil
lis is also a Democrat.
At 1:30 a.m. Wednesday, Mr.
Davis reported, he received a
phone call from Mr. Willis, who
was at Atlantic. Mr. Willis said
that he was picking up the ballot
boxes because he “thought it best”
that he get them.
Mr. Davis interprets the elec
tions board chairman’s actions as
indication that he (Mr. Davis) was
not to be trusted with the job. “I
highly resent that,” Mr. Davis said,
“and I further resent that he took
an unauthorized person with him
when he did it.” Mr. Davis identi
fied Mr. Wade as a Democrat.
Persons opposing the recount
feel that it is strange that the
sheriff, Robert (Bobby) Bell, ask
ed for a recount of all precincts
in his first request, then changed
it to merely a recount of. the Beau
fort precinct. They feel that bal
lots. in the Beaufort box “were
taken care of” by Mr. Bell’s sup
porters so that the number of votes
necessary to defeat candidate El
mer Willis would be found there.
Collection of ballot boxes in the
down east precincts by two Demo
crats at a time not agreed upon
by the entire elections board has
been construed further as a pro
cedure not in keeping with rules
of fair play.
“It’s getting to the point that
the law of the Old West has to
apply.” Mr. Davis observed.
“There’s no justice in it and I high
ly resent it.”
The ballot boxes, when they were
all rounded up, were put in the
vault in the old clerk of court of
fice of the courthouse.
Bake Sale Planned
The Morehead City Teen-age Tra
vel club will have a bake sale to
morrow in front of the Morehead
City drug store, announces Mrs.
Mamie. Taylor. The teenagers plan
to leave June 8 for a trip to Cali
fornia, returning July 2.
cinct box was the first procedure
after all representatives of both
candidates gathered in the law li
bary of the courthouse. (The li-’
brary is the former clerk of court
office.)
The ballot boxes were locked in
the vault in the office. The bolt on
the vault does not slide easily, so
after A. H. James, clerk of court,
worked the combination, Charles C.
Willis, elections board chairman,
lifted from the side of the door a
piece of strap iron kept handy for
door-opening purposes.
After innumerable Ticks on the
handle with the piece of iron, the
handle moved enough so that the
bolts were slid back and access
gained to the vault.
U. E. Swann, registrar of Beau "
fort precinct, took each ballot,
called the vote, which was then
checked by Harvey Hamilton Jr,,
Frank Cassiano, and candidate
Robert (Bobby) Bell, Democrats.
Checking for Republican candidate
Elmer D. Willis were Ray Gordon
Lewis, Osborne Davis and Thomas
Bennett, Republicans.
Sheriff candidate Willis, who was
40 votes ahead of sheriff Bell last
week, was out of town yesterday.
As the vote was called, the tally
was kept by elections chairman
Willis. Neal Campen, Democrat
and member of the elections board,
was not present at the morning ses
sion, biit was expected to be at
the afternoon session.
A decision to recount votes for
sheriff was made at a hearing
Tuesday afternoon (see newsstory
page 5 section 2).
Republicans and March for De
mocracy Democrats have been
against a recount because as things
stoo^t Nov. ?.. Republican Elmer D.
Willis had won the sheriff’s office.
They contend that the Democrats
backing sheriff Bell arc not above
skulduggery and that since Nov. 7
have managed to change markings
on ballots in the boxes, or have
replaced originally-cast ballots with
newly-marked ones in favor of their
candidate.
The ballot baxes, presumably
locked since Nov. 6, could have
been opened easily by tiling a key
to fit the simple locks on them or
by removing the hasps entirely,
according to those against the re
count.
Democrats supporting sheriff Bell
contend that errors were made
during the counting and if an hon
est count had been made, their
candidate would have won. That’s
what they hope to prove by a re
count.
As the counting started, Mr. Cas
siano mentioned that some sharp
pencils would be needed. The Re
publicans wanted to know why.
They said they didn’t intend to do
any writing.
No more than three ballots had
come out of the box before eras
ures were noted and a debate en
sued as to whether to count the
ballot.
Deputy sheriffs were called to
duty Tuesday night on the court
house square allegedly “to guard
the ballot boxes” that were locked
up in the courthouse.
At 12:40 p.m. yesterday, the
counters were still working on bal
lots in the Beaufort precinct box.
Grand Jury
Submits Report
Members of last week’s grand
jury inspected records of some of
the justices of the peace in the
county, as they were instructed to
do.
According to the report submit
ted to judge Rudolph I. Mintz, not
all of the books were available for
inspection, but those examined
“seemed to be in good order.”
The grand jury examined 44 bills
of indictment, and returned 36 true
bills. The jury visited the county
jail, commended jailer Bruce Ed
wards on the condition of the jail,
and visited the county prison camp.
The prison camp, where some
grand jurors ate lunch, was also
found to be in good condition and
well kept.
Foreman of the grand jury was
Cecil Sewell. Members of the jury
were Irvin Graydon Moore, Fannie
Doris Gillikin, Clifford R. Tilgh
man, Ben L. Jones, Woodrow Fod
rie, Mary T. Pasineau.
Orville Alvin Willis, Roy Hiltom
Willis, Larry Walker Moore, Wil
bur T. Merrill, Leon Thomas
Weatheriiigton, Thomas John Price.
Carl Hewitt Bell, Wallace Garber
Jr., Richard Arnold Lewis, Oscar
Pittman, and Azor Rhea Jr.
Recounting of ballots started Thursday morning at the county courthouse, with Beaufort registrar
U. E. Swann (back to camera) pulling the votes from the ballot box. To the left of Mr. Swann are
Frank Cassiano, Bobby Bell, Democratic candidate, and at the far end of the table, Harvey Hamilton
Jr. To Mr. Swann’s right are Kay Gordon Lewis, Osborne Davis and Thomas Bennett.
Coast Guard
Will Reopen
Potomac Inquiry
Portsmouth, Va. — The Coast
Guard Board of Marine Investiga
tion which met Oct. 3, 1961 to in
quire into the burning of the Mili
tary Sea Transport ship Potomac
at Morehead City in September 1961
will reconvene here at a public
hearing at the h’ifth Coast Guard
District headquarters at 10 a.m.
I Tuesday, Nov. 27, 1962.
he board is reconvening to rc
•civc additional testimony. Certain
inrt.s of the vessel were dot avail
able for viewing when the board
first met. They have since been
Viewed t»y member of the board.
Lieut. Janies A. Atkinson, USCG.
an officer attached to the Coast
Guard Marine Inspection Office,
Portsmouth, Va., will be called as
a witness.
Coast Guard members of the
board who will be present at the
hearing arc Capt. Joseph A. Bres
nan, USCG, Chief of Staff, Filth
Coast Guard District; I.edr. H. K.
Gardner, USCG, Senior Investigat
ing Officer. Coast Guard Marine
Inspection Office, Portsmouth, Va.
and Ledr. I,. W. Goddu Jr., USCG,
Officer in Chargd, Marine Inspec
tion Office, Wilmington, N. C.
Fire and explosions wrecked the
591-foot Navy Tanker while 101,000
barrels of aviation fuel were being
unloaded at Morehead City. Two
crewmen died in the accident.
Two Motorists
Given Citations
Two weekend accidents were in
vestigated by state trooper W. E.
Pickard and citations issued.
Cited following a Friday accident
was Howard H. Vaughn, Newport,
who was charged with hit and run.
Trooper Pickard said that Fabian
Mason, Newport, was driving a
1953 Chevrolet pickup truck which
was struck by a 1956 Plymouth
driven by Vaughn.
Vaughn was in the process of
passing the truck when the collision
occurred. Vaughn then proceeded
without stopping, the officer said.
He was later apprehended when
his car ran into a ditch near his
home. Damage to the pickup was
estimated at $100 and tp the Plym
outh, a convertible, $200.
John E. Brown Jr., Cherry Point,
was charged with improper passing
at 9:15 p.m. Saturday following an
accident on the beach road near
Dom-EI’s.
The investigating officer said
that John D. Willis, Harkers Is
land, in a 1956 Chevrolet, was mak
ing a left turn into Dorn’s when
Brown, in a 1956 Ford pickup truck,
attempted to pass.
Tabulation of Votes Appears Today
The elections table in today’s pa
per carries the vote count as cer
tified by the board of elections Nov.
9, 1962, with one exception.
The official tally sheets show a
vote of 4,266 for commissioner Dom
Femia. But total of the votes by
precinct adds up to only 4,166. The
difference would not change Mr.
Femia’s standing, but the error
was discovered by THE NEWS
TIMES Wednesday and the elec
tions board notified. The vote table
published today may or may not
coincide with the tabulations re
corded after this week’s recount.
If there is a change, the table,
A. K. Gilmour Placed
Under $2,000 Bond
Two counts of breaking and en--t
tcring and larceny put a defendant
under $2,000 bond in Morehead City
recorder’s court Monday. Albert K.
Gilmour, Morehead City, was bound
over superior court after probable
cause was found in each ease.
Gilmour is accused of entering
the Lindsey Guthrie grocery and
George's TV shop in Morehead
City Friday night.
Gilmore, about 28 years of age,
a native of Scotland who moved
to Morehead City in 1958, is being
held in the county jail.
According to Sgt. E. I). O’Neal,
three youths reported to the police
Friday night that the glass was
broken* in the door oj .George’s TV
on Arenricll street? Capt. Joe Smith
and sergeant O’Neal arrived there
and notified the owner, George
Barefoot.
Mr. Barefoot told them a KAYO
6 transistor radio, a record player
and soldering iron were missing.
At 11:38 p.m. police received a
call from the daughter of the late
Lindsey Guthrie, reporting that the
store, 1312 Shepard St., had been
entered. Stolen were 10 to 15 car
(Sec COURT Pg. 7)
SPA Selects
Port Director
James VV. Davis, who has been
serving as secretary-treasurer and
director of planning for the Mary
land Port Authority, Baltimore, has
been named executive director of
North Carolina state ports.
He will begin the $18,000 a year
job Monday, Dec. 10, succeeding
D. Leon Williams, who died last
spring. E. N. Richards, SPA mem
ber, has been acting as port direc
tor since then.
The SPA announces that Mr.
Davis’s first job will be handling
the .proposed $2 million expansion
at Morehead City. The state hopes
to get $1 million of the cost from
the federal government.
At the recent meeting when Mr.
Davis was selected for the ports
job, the SPA also asked the coun
cil of state to permit it to keep
more than $169,000 profit received
last year. The funds would be used
in the proposed program at More
head City.
Law requires that this profit re
vert to the state to pay off bonds,
but the council of state is authoris
ed to judge whether the money
could best be used for port expan
sion or go toward the bonded debt.
A recent audit of ports operations
during the last fiscal year showed
there was no profit. The SPA took
issue with the audit, saying that
the ports had not operated in the
red.
with the changes made, will be
published next week. (It appears
on page 6, section 2.)
Total county vote on the consti
tutional amendments:
1. Court amendment — 4,583 for
1,972 against
2. Reapportionment of state
house of representatives—4,047 for,
2,109 against
3. Succession to state office —
4,171 for, 2,004 against
4. Voting qualifications — 4,220
for, 2,038 against
5. Fixing of salaries of state of
ficers—4,240 for, 2,363 against
6. Property tax exemption —4,
049 for, 1,846 against
Town Board
Considers New
Building Code
The December meeting date of
the Beaufort town board was set
as time of a hearing on adoption
of the windstorm building code for
the town. Adoption of the code was
recommended by Gerald Woolard,
building inspector.
Four persons were appointed to
the town planning commission:
[ Mrs. W. R. Hamilton for three
years, Ralph Thomas and Mrs.
Charles Hassell for two-year terms,
and Ronald Earl Mason for a one
year term. One three-year term is
yet to be filled.
Upon recommendation of the
mayor, $5,000 was ordered placed
in the debt service account.
The board voted to give $200 to
Jaycees toward purchase of ma
terials for repair of the Beaufort
civic center (Scout building).
Purchase of two signs for $100
each to be placed in the vicinity
of the school was authorized. The
signs will have flashing lights and
wording that tells motorists to pro
ceed at a certain speed when lights
flash. The signs will operate prior
to the opening of and at the closing
pf school.
Ronald Earl Mason, town clerk,
was asked to contact the highway
commission relative to the widen
ing of Live Oak street.
Mayor W. H. Potter reported on
waterways projects of interest to
the town. Mayor Potter is a state
vice-president. National Rivers and
Harbors Congress.
The mayor ’ congratulated com
missioner W. R. Hamilton upon his
election to the county board. Mr.
Hamilton expressed pleasure in
serving the town of Beaufort and
said he was sorry to leave.
Attorney ffhomas Bennett served
in the place of town attorney C. R.
Wheatly until Mr. Wheatly arrived
shortly after the meeting began.
Fisherman Dies Aboard
Boat off Ocracoke
Alonza Pruitt, 27, Tangier Island.
Va., suffered a heart attack aboard
a fishing vessel. Dorado of Virgin
ia, yesterday morning and died.
His body was removed from the
boat, off Ocracoke, by Coast
Guardsmen and taken to Ocracoke.
From Ocracoke the body was
flown to Bell-Munden funeral home,
Morehead City, and after prepara
tion for burial will be shipped to
Crisfield, Md.
Sen. Sam J. Ervin received 5,
539 votes in Carteret. The vote for
congressman David Henderson ap
pears in the last column of the elec
tions table in today's paper.
Resalts of balloting in townships:
Morehead township, for justice
of the peace, C. M. Krouse 2,157;
Douglas J. Odom 2,131, and C. El
mer Smith 2,054; for constable,
Buck Newsome, 2,406.
Morehead township covers Salter
Path, Wildwood, Broad Creek, and
Morehead No. 1 and 2 precincts.
Beaufort township, for constable,
Ronald Edward Smith 1,346.
Harlowe township, for constable,
Joseph S. Morton, 110.