tlurp hy Carnegie Library 4-73
Peachtree Street
Murphy, N.C., 28906
Happiness Blooms On A Muddy Field
...Bulldogs Beat Hendersonville In Playoff, Story Inside
The Cherokee Scout ?
n ltt and Clay County Progress
14 Pages - 15' ner rnnv
?rj
DEHORN THE BLUE DEVILS'.!!
Volume 79 ? Number 16 _ Murphy, North Carolina, 28906 ? Second Class Postage Paid At Murphy, North Carolina ? Thursday, November 19,1970
Clay Opposes Two-County Jail
By Wally Avett
Staff Writer
Clay County is
apparently dead-set against the
idea of building a regional jail
at Murphy to serve both Cla>
and Cherokee counties.
Leading the opposition tc
the regional jail idea is Clay
Sheriff Hart sell Moore, whe
says he has been fighting
against it for 18 months "and 1
don't know 10 people in the
county who are for it.
"No more personnel than I
have to maintain a lockup here
and haul prisoners to Murphy
would be too much of an
expense on Clay County," he
says.
A Superior Court judge has
closed the Cherokee County Jail
except for use on a six-hour
basis and state jail inspectors
have said the Clay jail also
should be closed.
However, at the present
time the small eight-bed Clay
jail is in use and two prisoners
sent there from Murphy last
week for safekeeping promptly
escaped. Earl Parker, 18, of
Andrews, and Russell Jones, 21,
of Robbinsville, were both
charged with breaking and
entering in Cherokee County.
Sheriff Moore showed this
reporter a door in the second
floor of the Clay jail which does
not have a working lock and is
secured by a padlock-and-chain
arrangement. He said Parker
and Jones somehow picked the
padlock andescaped, stealing a
car from Jones Ford in
Hayesville.
They got out early
Thursday morning and were
recaptured in Graham County a
few hours later in the Jones
Ford auto. They are now back in
their cells, charged with
additional counts of escaping
and auto theft, and a new
padlock has been added to the
chain on the door.
Sheriff Moore and other
Clay citizens who expressed
themselves as against the
regional jail idba mention
several aspects of the plan
which they don't like, such as
the difficulty of making bond in
Cherokee for a man who has
been arrested in Clay County.
However, their comments
indicate that local pride and the
vague fear that somehow Clay
will be consolidated into
Cherokee County are their main
concerns. "People see this jail
at Murphy as the first step
jaycees biate
*
Christmas Parade
'Us the season to be jolly ? are 14 floats entered for the
only 30 more shopping days
antil Christmas and the
appropriate decorations are
already visible on the streets of
Murphy.
And the Murphy Jaycees
Christmas Parade, set for
Wednesday afternoon of next
week, promises to be
"thebiggest and best ever,"
according to Dick Davis,
Jaycee president and parade
chairman.
?The parade will be held at
4:30 Wednesday afternoon,
Davis said, with awards to be
given to first and second places
ia both the commercial and non
commercial divisions. The
theme for this year's parade is
"The Spirit of Christmas."
At the present time there
parade, Davis reported, along
with four bands and several
beauty queens. Area Scout
troops are also expected to be
entered.
Horseback riders are
welcome, Davis noted, "But
there has not been enough
attention in the past to
appearance of horse and rider.
The horses should be decorated
in some manner and the riders
should be costumed
appropriately."
? Parade programs will be
circulating in the streets for the
benefit of spectators before the
parade, Davis said, and of
course the fat man in the red
suit, old Santa Claus himself,
will climax the event with
candy for the youngsters.
toward consolidation" ofthe two
counties, Sheriff Moore said.
And several others said cost
was no concern, they wanted
Clay County to have its own jail
at Hayesville. The sheriff said
Clay people simply didn't want
to have to drive to Murphy to
see a friend in jail.
During the past six months
or so, the commissioners of both
counties have met several times
and discussed the regional jail
idea, which would bring a 50-50
matching grant from the
federal government if one jail is
built to serve both counties.
Andy Padgett, chairman of
the Clay commissioners, says
the grant has been assured.
However, Padgett is going off
the board of commissioners and
much pressure is being brought
to bear againt the three men
who will take office as new
county commissioners in Clay
on Dec. 7.
A meeting has been called
for that afternoon in Murphy,
which will be attended by
newly-sworn Clay and Cherokee
commissioners, and also state
officials, at which time a
decision is expected on the jail.
W.T. Moore, chairman of
the Cherokee County
commissioners, said Tuesday if
Gay backs out, the jail will be
reduced in size and built by
Cherokee County.
The proposed regional jail
would cost about $250,000,
according to Padgett, with a
temporary lockup in
Hayesville. Cherokee voters
have approved a $100,000 bond
issue for Cherokee's part and
Gay's part would come from
the local one<ent sales tax,
Community Newspapers Buys
Control Of Cherokee Scout
Community Newspapers,
Inc. of Marshall, N.C. and
Spartanburg, S.C. has acquired
controlling interest in Scout
Publishing Co., Inc. of Murphy,
publishers of Hie Cherokee
Scout and Clay County
Progress.
The announcement was
made jointly by Mid-South
Management Co., Inc. of
Spartanburg, S.C. owner of the
newspaper for 15 years, and the
new owners, Community
Newspapers and Jack T.
Owens, publisher of the Murphy
newspaper.
Mid-South purchased the
Scout from Mrs. Emily
Armiller and the late Mrs.
William V. Costello in early
1956. Prior to the Costellos, the
Scout was owned by Miss Addie
Mae Cooke, of Murphy. Mid
South operated the newspaper
directly until 1962 when Scout
Publishing Co., Inc. was formed
as a subsidiary of Mid-South.
Community Newspapers is
owned by N.Jerue Babb of
Spartanburg, S.C. a former
publisher of the Scout from 1959
to 1963. Community
Newspapers was formed three
years ago by Babb and Mid
South to acquire The Andrews
Journal, The Smoky Mountain
Times and Black Mountain
News. Babb acquired full
ownership of Community
Newspapers in May of this year.
Community Newspapers
publishes in ten communities of
the two Carolinas located at
Cheraw, S.C.; Franklin,
Highlands, Robbinsville,
Canton, Enka-Candler, Black
Mountain, Marshall, Andrews,
Bryson City, NC. and
"Mountain Living" magazine at
Franklin, N.C.
Under the new ownership
arrangement, Community
Newspapers will be the
majority stockholder in Scout
Publishing Co., Inc. with Jack
T. Owens, Scout publisher, and
Glen 0. Long publisher of
LaGrange (Ga.) Daily News
also as stockholders.
According to the new
owners, no changes will be
make in personnel, management
or editorial policies.
Corporate officers and
directors are Jack T. Owens,
president, Glen 0. Long, vice
president, and N.Jerue Babb,
secretary-treasurer.
"Owning the Scout is the
fulfillment of a ten-year
dream", Babb said. "My wife
preceded me as editor of the
Scout back in September 1959
when I was named
publisher while still serving in
the Marine Corps on Okinawa. I
came to Murphy on February
11, 1960. IH never forget the
date since it was our fourth
wedding anniversary and it was
also my first day at my first
fulltime job," Babb added.
"Phyllis and I left Murphy
in 1963 so I could join the
Spartanburg daily newspapers.
Last spring we decided the time
had come for me to devote full
time to my own business,
Community Newspapers, which
had grown from three papers in
1967 to 13 newspapers plus
Mountain Living Magazine."
"As many of our Cherokee
and Clay County friends know,
the Western North Carolina
mountains have always held a
warm spot in our hearts.
Particularly since this is where
,?e got our start in the
newspaper business. We have
never forgotten our three years
n Murphy, where our oldest
ion, Philip, was born three days
ifter Christmas, 1960, while I
was having the paper
irinted down in Spartanburg.
It's real fine feeling to be
nming back to Murphy as a
tusiness partner and I look
orward to working with you in
milding our community," Babb
oncluded.
Deer Season
fu Begin
On Monday
The gun season for deer in
Cherokee and Clay counties
ipens next Monday morning,
raditionally the event which
Iraws the largest number of
iportsmen into the woods.
Between 400 and 500 men,
carrying high-powered rifles
ind wearing brightly-colored
ilothing for safety, are
ixpected at the Fires Creek
;ame management area in Gay
bounty.
"I think we're gonna have
ilenty of deer this year," Fires
>eek Warden Harley Martin
ays. He noted that a total of 93
leer were killed on his refuge
ast year during the two-week
;un season.
The week season for
irchers has just ended, he said,
ind the bowhunters at Fires
Ireek managed to kill only one
[rouse and one small buck,
ilthough they were eligible to
hoot deer of either sex.
The Cherokee County
warden, J.J. Jefferies, says this
hould be about an average
ear for deerhunting in this
ounty. Deer in Cherokee are
parse, he said, except for
oncentrations around the
"anther Top area and along the
Tres Creek refuge boundary on
'eachtree Mountain.
amounting to around $30,000.
Padgett pointed out that at the
current rate of more than $3,000
a month, the one-cent tax would
provide all of Clay's part by
next February or March.
Day in and day out through
the year, Clay averages about
one person a day in jail; the
average at the Cherokee jail is
about six or seven, according to
Cherokee Sheriff Claude
Anderson. To provide for this
average population and also
have separate facilities for
women and juveniles, the state
jail inspectors have advised
that the regional jail should
have about 32 beds.
Chairman Moore of
Cherokee says if Clay turns
down the regional jail
approach,he believes Cherokee
can build its own jail for about
$ 150,000. He says he has already
instructed an architect to draw
up a separate set of plans for a
smaller jail if Cherokee has to
build it alone.
The state jail inspectors,
here in Murphy at a meeting
earlier this month, said if Clay
builds its own jail, it "will cost
in the neighborhood of
$100,000."
Padgett says Clay County
has cooperated with Cherokee
in Tri-County Tech, in the
regional library and health
programs and that a regional
jail is the most practical step.
"It is definitely not taking a
step toward merging with
Cherofeee County," he said.
?
Gay Sheriff Hartsell Moore...locks front door of jail.
End Nearing For Channel 5 ?
The Asheville television
channel, received in Murphy as
Channel 5, may be taken off the
air.
That was the message
Tuesday from Bill Pfeiffer, a
vice president of WLOS-TV in
Asheville, which installed the
translator on Fain Mountain
and began beaming the signal
into Murphy in June.
Viewers in the Hanging
Dog-Unaka area and also some'
on US-64 West, have complained
to the Federal Communications
Commission in Washington that
the new signal on Channel 5 has
disrupted their reception of
Channel 5, Atlanta.
They have petitioned that
the FCC order the Channel 5
translator taken off the air,
Pfeiffer said, and that may be
done shortly. He said his station
has not received an order from
the FCC to close down the
translator but they fear such an
order may be coming soon.
Condemnation Cases Aired
The twn-wpplr fprm rtf in niml * in ? nniA- -n?inn
Superior Court here in Murphy
wound up last week hearing
civil matters, Judge Frank W.
Snepp Jr. of Charlotte
presiding.
The two cases which went
before a jury both involved the
State Highway Commissioners
and landowners who lost ground
in the widening of US-64 to the
Tennessee line.
Emory Shields and other
trustees of Temple Baptist
Church had contested the
settlement offered by the SHC
UI UYU VUU1V Ul a |A1UI SCNIUII
and a jury had decided that
$8,000 was a fair price for the
church's land taken by the
highway.
That verdict had been set
aside and the case was heard all
over again last week. The jury
found that $8,000 was a fair
price for the land involved.
Mr. and Mrs. Frederick
Presswood took the SHC tocourt
in the other case and the jury
ruled that the land the
Presswoods lost to the road was
worth $2,305.
Bringing in the Asheville
ignal was a project of the
lurphy Jay cees and when word
f the petitions against the
tation spread, the Jaycees
egan circulating petitions in
up port of the Asheville signal.
"So far about 600 names
ave been sent in to the FCC in
upport of Channel 5," Pfeiffer
aid. He suggested that another
00 or 800 names in support of
he translator might influence
he FCC to leave it on the air
ind local Jaycees indicated
ruesday that they intend to try
o get that many names this
veekend.
Pfeiffer said if the
Channel 5 signal is ordered
.topped there are several
dternatives, none of them very
ittractive. The station could
lust forget about Murphy, he
aid, pointing out that a similar
situation arose in Franklin, the
signal was stopped there by
)etitions in 1964 and has only
-ecently began serving
franklin again, the return due
a favorable petitions.
If Channel 6 is stopped, he
laid WLOS could apply for
mother channel, which would
irobably be 13 and send its
signal into Murphy on the high
side of the band. He noted,
lowever, that the low band
lumbers give wider coverage
ind if they are forced to go to 13,
he area served will be reduced,
rhe application would have to
>e made to the FCC, he added,
ind might take months for
ipproval.
WLOS could also install a
wo-way translator on the
Channel 5 frequency, he
?xplained, which would beam a
signal into Hanging Dog but this
vould probably have to be done
with the same one-watt power
vhich now is approved for the
ranslator and again would
esult in a smaller area of
average.
And the added that many of
hose who signed the petitions
against Channel 5 have
ndicated that this would
lotplease them anyway
because they would rather have
he Atlanta station.
"Enough people there just
apparently dont want us," he
said.
Lawrence Richardson Moore...100 years old
Clay's Oldest Citizen Marks 100th Birthday
By
Mrs.Neal Kitchens
Staff Writer
Over two hundred of
the Moore clan, met at Hinton
Rural Life Center last Sunday to
honor Lawrence Richardson
Moore, Clay County's oldest
citizen, on his 100th birthday.
When the grand old man of
the mountains entered he was
met with a standing ovation and
a thunderous applause. When
his little great-great
granddaughter Kecia Melancon
ran to give him a kiss of
greeting, it brough tears to his
eyes.
The tables were loaded with
home-cooked food. The dinner
that was scheduled for 12:30
was postponed for an hour since
so many well wishers just had to
greet "Uncle Lawrence" and
congratulate him.
He was seated at the guest
of honor table where a huge
birthday cake was ready. When
the 100 candles were lit the cake
cabin, in the Tusquitte section
of Clay County. He was the son
of Captain "Irish Bill" Moore
who served in the Confederate
army, and Hattie Gash Moore of
Macon County. He had nine
brothers and sisters. Two of the
children died with typhoid fever
when small. Most of the clan
lived to a ripe old age. His
father died at 87, his mother at
97. His sister Mrs. Magge
Moore was almost 99 when she
died, another sister Mrs. Jennie
Nolan of Franklin died at 91. He
has one brother Bill Moore, 85,
and a sister Mrs. Nannie Smith,
82, still living at Hayesville.
In 1892 Moore married the
former Miss Donie Ledford.
They were the parents of five
children. The youngest son Fred
L. Moore died in 1968. The
otherfour present were Mrs Ben
Phillips, Mrs. Leanord Smith,
Mrs. Bass Hyatt and Frank
Moore all of Hayesville. Frank
and family are living today in
the house built by his
grandfather "Captain Bill"
looked like a small bonfire. As
the group sang happy birthday,
flash bulbs were popping so fast
that it resembled 4th of July
iireworks. Moore then rose and
returned thanks asking God's
blessing on this great occasion.
After the dinner he was
presented with gifts and cards.
The celebrity received a card of
congratulations that was
personally signed by Richard
M. Nixon, President of the
United States. He was
presented with a letter of
congratulations from Governor
Bob Scott of North Carolina
which included the following
quote "My the butterfly of
happiness light often on your
shoulder. To commemorate this
day I am sending you a Tar Heel
pin, the emblem of North
Carolina which I hope you will
wear in the future years." He
also received a telegram of
congratulations from Governor
Lester Maddox of Georgia.
Lawrence R. Moore was
born Nov. 15th, 1(70 in a log
0 live to be 100.
He has always been a good
ranager. He never believed in
ivestments that would not
eturn profits. Today as his
ocial Security checks come in
e wants them promptly
eposited in a savings account
3 draw interest for he is
saving up for his old age."
As a younger man he was a
armer, merchant, anddid
lacksmith work. His main
obby was gold mining. He still
wns an interest in the Gold
fine tract on Matlock Creek in
he Tusquitte Valley. He worked
n the mine until it burned down.
Jntil recent years he enjoyed
tanning for gold in this Gold
fine branch.
He had another hobby of
oUecting Indian relics. He had
1 large collection which he
in ally sold two years ago. This
le has regretted since he misses
Moore is a member of the
Wted Methodist Chcrch whore
Moore. It is 90 years old, a large
white two-story frame house,
that stands just SO feet from the
log cabin where "Uncle
Lawrence" was born.
Mr. Moore's first wife died
in 1943. He married Mrs. Lou
Howard in 1945. They lived
together until she died in 1965.
His step-daughter Mrs. Ethel
Talbott of Vienna Virginia flew
down for the celebration. She
said "I love this great man who
has brought such a deep
meaning to my life." Since the
death of his last wife he has lived
with his children.
The Moore home used to be
the meeting place for the
younger generation where he
played the organ and the group
sang. He believed in young
people having a good time.. He
is a man of keen wit. His oldest
daughter is now 77, and recently
remarked "I wonder who will
take c. are of me when my
children are dead. Looks like
I'm gonna outlive the whole
bunch. He had a great ambition
superintendent for 40 years. He
was also a teacher and steward.
A lifelong Democrat,
Moore has never voted an
absentee. He went to the polls
Nov. 3 where he marked his own
ballot without die assistance of
glasses.
He says he has seen many
changes in his life time. He had
a special interest in the space
age and enjoyed seeing man
land on the moon. Today he
spends much of his time
reading, watching television
and listening to the radto. He
has a large collection of pocket
knives which he spends a lot of
time sharpening. When a friend
or neighbor stop in to virft hi
banters them to trade ~
as the
many more[l
expected to celebrate. With a
twinkle in his eye he ranged