! The Cherokee ' Cherokee County's Boot Buy' Volume 77- Number 52 *efky, North Corel Ine July 20, 1967 I Scout and Clay County Progress IQPogog TKi? Wooli AT MURPHY. MONTH CAROLINA I Large Local Delegation Attends Phone Hearing pan Remains Unconscious, [ Form Of Assault Unknown Melvtn Rogers, 40, of Mur phy remains unconscious in a Murphy hospital following an Incident about 1:30 a.m. Satur day In which conflicting reports say he was either in volved In a fight or run over with a car. ' Dr. B.W. Whitfield told The Scout Rogers suffered severe head injuries Including a broken jaw and a concussion. X-rays taken before press time Indicated no skull frac ture but thedoctor said It is difficult to X-ray the patient in 'his present condition. t The incident happened in the vicinity of the intersection rof SR 1556 (MartinsCreek Road) and US 19-129 about one 'mile north of the Georgia line. Rogers was accompanied by a female companion, Velda Johnson of Murphy. Highway Patrolman Don Reavis said Miss Johnson told him Rogers was struck by a vehicle operated by Gene Allen Hatchett, 22, ofRt. 2, Murphy. Witnesses In the c ?r told Reavis that the c*r did not strike Rogers. They said he wis Intoxicated and he fell Into the ditch before the car reached the spot where he was. They said the road was foggy and the car did skid when they saw Rogers. Reavis said skid marks on the road indiciated the car slid about 144 feet. Ray Chastain, owner of the car and a passenger at the time, told Reavis he brought Rogers to Rogers' home. An ambulance was called later to take him to the hospital. Rogers' mother charged Hatchett with failure to re port an accident. Reavis said there Is "no evidence of any kind on the car that it struck a person." He said he hopes to deter mine exactly what happened when Rogers is able to be questioned. Mission Accomplished! Howard Beavers, one of two men who esacaped from the Cherokee County Jail early Saturday morning, returned to the jail later Saturday with his mission accomplished. Sheriff Claude Anderson said Beavers told him he es caped to obtain bond for his release. He made bond and is free pending his trial. Beavers had been jailed early Friday morning by Murphy Policeman Glen Reece. Police Chief Pete Stalcup said Reece caught Beavers in the act of trying to steal a boat from the yard of Bob White. According to Stalcup, Beavers backed his car to the boat trailer', had hitched it, and was attempting to drive away when Reece arrived. The other escapee, Wayne Cothern of Young Harris, Ga. is still at large. Anderson said the two escaped with a key fashioned out of a slat off a bed. 1 Surrenders In Ambush Case James Gladson, Rt. 2, Cul berson, surrendered at the County Jail Friday on a charge of assault with Intent to kill. He is free on $500 bond. Gladson had been sought ..following the shooting of K| Tommy Allen on the night of II July 9. I Allen was ambushed as he *V turned off US 64 into his drive way. The scene of the shooting was about 12 miles west of * Murphy on Rt. 2, Culberson. Bullets glanced off Allen's 'head and hands, according to , Sheriff Claude Anderson. He was released after treatment .of his wounds. Anderson said five bullets ' were found in and around the ,car. The Sheriff was assisted .in the investigation by High way Patrolmen Don Rea vis and * Don Moran. in anotner amDusn case, me Sheriffs Department is cont inuing its investigation. No arrests have been made. Deputy Glen Holloway was shot at e-irly in the morning of July 9 when he went to inves tigate a disturbance at the Topton drive-in. Holloway was not struck, but bullets broke both back windows of his car and one bullet landed on the dash board. Holloway said he had gone to the drive-in and was told one of the men said to be Involved in the distrubance had gone toward the bridge at the top of the hill. He said he drove to the county line, which . is near the bridge, saw no one and turned around As he was coming down the hill, the shots were fired. THE PAINTINGS OF MRS. H.E. DAVIS' ART CLASS wereon exhibit Tuesday night at Citizens Bank and Trust Co. in Andrews. About 175 paintings done by the class of 36 students were shown. Mrs. Davis said all of her students were amateurs.. The class met in Andrews from February through June. The exhibit was sponsored by the Trl-County Industrial Education Center. Other pictures are printed on the inside pages of The Scout. Watershed Group Hears Mat Report, Asks TV A Help On Golf Course YOUNG HARRIS, ua.- A combined meeting of the Tourism and Recreation Work group and the officers and trustees of the Upper Hi wassee Watershed Develop ment Association was held last Thursday night at the Blue Ridge Mountain EMC Office. Chairman Dave Bruce pre sided over the tourism portion of the meeting. Secretary Ed Swartz reported that about 41,000 of the first 100,000 placemats promoting the five-county area had been sold. Bruce complimented Swartz for his efforts at promoting the placemat sales and saiJ ' ' .ve need to pitch in and get rid of the rest of these placemats so we can order our next 100,000." Several promotional ideas were discussed and Bruce told the group he would like to see more sales of indivudal small lots for use in homes. He expressed a desire to begin work on a promotional brochure for the area and said he would call a meeting in ths near luture "to lay the ground work for this project. We need to decide in which direction we're heading on this (the brochure) and get the ball rolling," Bruce said. President Bobby Jones of Blairsville presided during the officers and trustees por tion of the meeting. Jones suggested that UHWDA pass a resolution re questing TVA to provide sur vey assistance for the Harry Atwood, Air Pioneer, Dies Here Harry Nelson Atwood, an associate of the Wright Bro thers In the early days of aviation, died in Murphy Fri day at the age of 83. He set many flying records in the early part of this cen tury and was known as the "undisputed eagle of the air." Atwood was the first man to fly over New York City. When he did this, in 1911, he as tounded New Yorkers by cir cling one of the skyscrapers. He won a $10,000 prize for Longest Assembly session Considered 2,184 Bills ( (Editor's Note: The fol 'lowing Is the second of three .articles prepared by Sen. Mary Faye Brumby on the re cently ended session of the North Carolina General , 'Assembly.) 9 By Senator Mary FayeBrumby ? The 1967 General Assembly 'ground to a halt after the lon gest session in history. It met Tor 148 days and acted oo 2,184 ?bills, the most since 1933. The work was long and hard, 'at times grueling. Many of the .bills enacted into law are Im pressive, progressive and far ?reaching in effect on the future course a t North Carolina history. , Tour senator had the privilege and responsibility of helping to guide most of this legislation through the legis lature to Its final enactment. Jn some cases I was the In troducer of the bill, ?sometimes Chairman of the Committee or sub-Committee Vrhlch handled it. . This week I should like to list some of the major legisla tion enacted. j Next week I shall give ** complete report on all bills ?rhlch I as your senator spon ' sored, or co-sponsored and five you the final action taken on them. I believe that everyone * Is entitled to have ? final report on die achievements as well as failures of their rep resentatives, In the General Assembly. We all worked long and hard. I believe most everyone worked at all times for what he or he believed to be In the best Interest of the majority of the people. We, like everyone else, are human and occasionally make mistakes. I do not contend that every decision I made was perfect, but I do say that it was the best decision I could make at the time with the facts at hand. Some of the highlights of the 1967 General Assembly are as follows! (1) Appropriation of a $2.73 billion budget, more than 600 million more than any other budget in history. (2) Created four new regional universities In a ma jor depature from the State's "One University" concept. (3) Cut State Income uxes to the tune of 23 million. These cuts, gave exemptions to ser vice men, the average taxpay er, parents of college chil dren and those over 66. (4) Authorized ? record 20 per cent pay increase for public school teachers. This raise will surpass the long sought goal of a $6,000 mini mum state salary for teachers. (5) Teachers attained a con tinuing contract while the school children came in for free text books. North Carolina is one of the first, if not (he first, to provide free text books throughout the public school system. (6) There was ma for legis lation enacted in the field of mental health both at the State and local level. Help for the alcoholic was extended both at the State and local level. Help for the State and local level. (7) A greatly needed Court of Appeals between the State Supreme Court and the super ior court levels was set up. (8) A State Board of Water and Air Resources poard was created to enforce regulations to prevent air and water pol utlon was created. (9) A bill was enacted into law which will restrict Jury exemptions, thereby greatly Improving our jury system. (10) Much needed prison and Jail reform measures were enacted. (11) Highway ind junkyard bills known as "Beautifu catlon Measures" were en acted which will give us a more beautiful North Carolina and at the ssme time will keep us from losing 11 million dollars each year from Federal ; funds. a St.Louis to New York flight in 1911 and was the first man to fly between Atlantic City and Baltimore. Atwood was believed to be the lone survivor of the first , of the flyers for the Wright < Brothers. He joined the in- . ventors of the airplane in , Dayton, Ohio in 1905, two years after their first successful flight at Kitty Hawk, N.C. He moved to Murphy in 1959. In addition to the widow, . Mrs. Nellie Dow Atwood, he is I survivled by twodaughters, I Mrs. R.T. Stiles of Conyers, Ga. and Mrs. Bethany Trask of Topfield, Mass. .five grand children and two great-grand children. Funeral services were held ?t 3p.m. Saturday in the chapel of Ivle Funeral Home with the Rev. Tom Houts, Jr. and the Rev. Thornton Hawkins offi ciating. Burial was in Hanging Dog Cemetery. Pallbearers were Butler Carter, Clyde and Lester Dockery, Dr. Charles Van Gorder, Lloyd Black and Jim Sprung. Cherokee County Recreation Complex and the proposed Chatuge Shores Recreation Project in Clay County. Bruce made a motion to pass the resolution. After it was seconded by John Gill, the resolution passed unan imously. Hill rrade a motnnto writf a letter of appreciation K TVA's Tributary Area Deve lopment Division for assist ance rendered on the Cherokee and Clay County Rural Renewal Homesites and the Andrews-Murphy Airport, Phillip J. Howell secondec the motion and it carriec unanimously. Mrs. Lena Green gave i report on the activities ol Four-Square Community, Action, Inc. Edwin "Bud" Garrison o: Hayesville, a dental studen' at the University of Nortl Carolina, is conducting a med ical survey of the five-count) area. He discussed the progress of his survey. The purpose of the survey is t( pinpoint medical service; needs in the region. John Ramsay, Director the John C. Campbell Folk School, reported on the pro gress of the tomato growing program in the area. Marvis D. Cunningham and Tom Willoughby represented TVA at the meeting. FHA Loan For Marble OKd Giles F. Bryson, president of the Marble Community Water System, was notified last Friday that a Farmers Home Administration Loan of $97,000 has been approved to develop a water system in the Marble area. Bryson received the infor mation in telegrams from Rep. Roy A. Taylor and Sen B. Everett Jordan. Phone Official Concedes Complaints Are Justified About one hundred per sons from the Murphy-And rews-Hayesvtlle area at tended the State Utilities Co mmission hearing in Ashevllle last Thursday to register complaints about the service offered by Westco Telephone Co. and Western Carolina Telephone Co. Robert E. Finch, vice-pres idem of the parent Continental Telephone Corp., told the hearing there was "much jus tification In most all the com plaints" against the telephone companies. He said the companies were willing to work with the co mmission and community lea ders to solve the problems. Tom Day of Hayesville said State FHA Officials Make Inspection Tour Melvin Hearn, North Carolina Director of the Far mers Home Administration, headed a delegation of State FHA officials on an inspection tour of Graham and Cherokee Counties last Wednesday. County FHA Supervisor R.D. Bruce, Assistant County Supervisor John C. Wood, and Rural Renewal Program lea der Mack B. Ray accompanied the group. Other members of the dele Mintz Wounded ; In Vietnam 1 Corporal Myron Dean . Mintz, son of Mr. and Mrs ' E.A. Mintz of Rt. 1, Marble was [ wounded In Vietnam on J uly 6. He Is reported In satisfactory condition at the Naval Hospital ? in Portsmouth. Va. Reports indicated he was * wounded in the left hand by rifle fire while in an operation against hostile forces. I Mintz, whohasbeen with the t Marines in Vietnam since July ' 1966, was wounded before on ^ He was flown to Andrews Air 1 Force Base in Washington on July 9 and transferred to J Portsmouth. His family visited him there over the weekend. : Leave For : Camp Sunday Fifteen boys from Cherokee ' and Clay CountywlU leave the 5 Scout office Sunday morning 'or two weeks encampment at amp Ney-A-Ti near Guntersville, Ala. All boys making the trip should be prepared to leave at 8 a.m. The trip is sponsored by the Cherokee Scout and Clay County Progress. Theywtll return to Murphy Saturday August o. , Chief Arrests Theft Suspects Police Chief Pete Stalcup apprehended five Alabama youths Sunday morning about 8 a.m. in downtown Murphy. They were wanted on charges of stealing gas from the George Carroll Grocery in the 1 Grape Creek section a short time eallrer. Stalcup said he was told three of the youths went into the store to ask directions while the others took the gas. He said two girls were sent to their home at Onteonto, Ala. and three boys were jailed Otis F. Jeffries (left) retired as TVA'i Reservoir Supervisor at Murphy after 30 years of lervice. Frank W. Smiley (right) assumed these dutlea Monday. He Is the former Public Safety (ervlce Lieutenant at Fontana and has been with TV A over 26 yeara. Smiley will beautloned at he TVA office In Murphy and win be In charge a f reservoir land use activities In this area. ? ? ?*> gation were Paul Laughrun of Asheville, District Super visor for FHA in 15 western North Carolina counties; Dr. Lem Stokes, chairman of the State FHA committee and pre sident of Phiefer College at Misenheimer; and Mrs. Gil bert R. English of Trinity, Bruce Eaker of Woodsdaleand J.L. Parker of Colerain, members of the State FHA committee. Bruce told the group the local FHA unit approved 111 loans in the two counties in the fiscal year that ended June 30. The loans were for $1,636,500. Cherokee County received the bulk of the funds, $1,284,490. The figures include three Rural Renewal loans for $750,000 and 53 Rur al Housing loans for $457, 620. The inspection tour covered visits to FHA borrowers who received loans for homes and business places. They also inspected the Rural Renewal Homeslte at Maltby, the Texanna Comm unity where a community water system will be developed, and the site of the Cherokee County Recreation complex. Blood mobile To Be Here Monday The Red Cross Blood mobile will be at the Murphy Power Board Building Monday afternoon from 1 to 6:30 p.m. The Cherokee County Chap ter met Its quota of 320 pints In the year just ended and Is hoping to be successful again this year. This was the first time the local quota was reached In several years. "We are so grateful to each person who took the time and interest to donate this past year," raid Mrs. ?dgar Har shaw, BlocJ Program Chair man. he was "pleased with the won derful representation from our area. I appreciate the sup port we got from industry, in particular." Day helped organize the caravan of local people who went to the hearing and has been trying to get better tele phone service in the area for several years. "I feel good about it," Day said. He said he believed the testimony at the hearing would bring positive results but said "It's going to take some time." He said the Commission will review the testimony and it would probably be six to eight weeks before a ruling is issued. The complaints made cen tered around an inadequate number of trunk lines, inter ference and static, high rates, slow repair and installation service and a scarcity of private lines. There are indications that additional hearings will take place, probably in August. The Commission took "under advisement" a 12 part motion made by the at torneys for the Commission and assistant attorney general George A. Goodwyn. Provisions included in the motion would: Require converting at least 90^> of the subscribers in exchanges covered by Rural Electrification Adminis tration loan contracts from eight-to-ten party lines to a maximum of four and five parties. The work would have to be completed by December 3L Require the companies to submit plans to increase their maintenance force and begin a crash program to clear up difficulties. The plans would have to be submitted within 30 days. Require the companies to start immediately to much of the state's news media did condemn her opposition to a new registration in Swain County and to die popular election of school boards In Western North Carolina, (the Raleigh Times and WLOS-TV are but two examples.) A bill was passed to provide ? loose-leaf registration sys tem for North Carolina, but obviously Senator Brumby did not understand its weak nesses. First, the statewide bill calls only for the loose leaf system! it does not call for a new registration. Thus, the names of deceased persons end non-residents can be copied from the old bocks onto the loose-leaf bocks with little Improvement for the election system. Secondly, the bill would not take effect until 1970. The people of Swain County recognised the weaknesses at the state-wide bill and re quested a local bill which would cell for a re reglstration prior to the 1968 elections. I received a bi partisan petition of several hundred names and numerous letters and telegrams oslling for a new registration in Swain County, Senator Brumby re ceived similar requests. Why she ignored those requests is difficult to understand since a clean, efficient election sys tem in Swain County is just as important to the people of CherokeeCounty as it is for the people of Swain County since Swain County .is in the same Senatorial and congressional district as Cherokee County and Swain County votes affect all statewide races. Senator Drumby's argument that the new registration would place a financial bur den on Swain County is no argument at all. The imm ediate cost of the new regis tration, according to the State Board of Election, would be $500-600, hardly enough to disturb the Swain County bud get. The cost would be exactly the same if the new registra tion were held two years later; thus, no money could be saved by putting the new registration off. Senator Brumby had reason to know this, but she still opposed the bill. In closing I would like to state again that the bill for a new registration In Swain County was a bipartisan effort on the part of both Democrats and Republicans to clean up the election problems in their countv. That Senator Brumby saw lit to oppose their effort brings shame to her office and disappoints many of die people she Is charged to Sincerely yours, Rep. Charles H. Taylor Brevard, N.C.