!
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 <fct*ll
telephones for all would-be
customers who were pro
mised service but have not
received delivery.
Require the companies to
report within 30 days what
It has done to correct each
specific complaint made at
the hearing.
"The trouble with these
people (the telephone com
panies) Is they've been
told for six years" about
complaints without taking any
action, said R.R Williams,
Jr., an Asheville attorney
who was retained by the At
torney General's office to
represent the people at
the hearing.
Eleven western North Car
olina counties were represen
ted at the hearings.
Letter To The Editor
Dear Editor:
I noticed an article in your
last week's paper entitled
"Senator Brumby answers on
Registration Bill.' ' The
article written by Senator
Brumby states that I had made
certain charges against her in
state news media. I do not
recall making any charges ag
ainst Senator Brumby although >
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.