iiurp hy Carnegie Library 4-73
Peachtree Street
Murphy, N.C., 2890b
The Cherokee Scout
and Clay County Progress
Volume 79 - Number 32 - Murphy, North Carolina, 28906 - Second Class Postage Paid At Murphy, North Carolina -Thursday, March 25, 1971
NEWSPAPER
1l7a^^ONFATi2^1l71
12
PAGES
15' Per Copy
Commissioners To Meet
On New Soles Tax Law
The North Carolina
liegislature has passed another
local sales tax law and both
day and Cherokee county
commissioners will hold
meetings within the next
several days to discuss the local
one percent levy.
In Gay County, the local
sales tax was approved in the
statewide vote in 1969 and went
into effect early last year,
producing more than $3,000 a
month in local revenue until it
was knocked down in January
by the State Supreme Court.
Howard Wimpey, chairman
of the Gay commissioners, says
his board has advertised a
public hearing on the matter of
reinstating the tax, to be held at
the Gay Courthouse next
Monday morning.
The new law passed by the
legislature will allow local
county commissioner across
Griggs Dies
Fighting Fire
Marcell Griggs was fatally
injured on Thursday afternoon
of last week when he fell off a
cliff while fighting a woodsfire
at Marble.
Griggs, 35, of Route 1,
Marble, was an employe of the
Columbia Marble Company,
which sent a crew of its own
men tofight the blaze on
company-owned land in the
vincinity of the Bluff.
CleU Head, who has been
Cherokee County's acting forest
ranger since the retirement
March 1 of Ranger Harold
Hatchett, was directing the fire
fighting activities Thursday
afternoon at Marble.
Head quoted men who were
working near Griggs as saying
Griggs had dropped his fire
rake and was scratching out a
fire line with his hands when he
'fell backwards off the 20-foot
cliff.
Cherokee County Medical
Examiner, Dr. Charles
'VanGorder said Griggs was
dead on arrival at District
Memorial Hospital in Andrews.
After talking with members of
the dead man's family, he said
Griggs had a "trick" knee
which may have collapsed and
toppled him as he worked near
the cliff.
Dr. VanGorder declared it
"accidental death," saying
Griggs suffered a crushed skull
in the fall.
Funeral services were held
at 4 pm. Saturday in Marble
Springs Baptist Church, of
which he was a member. The
Rev. A.B. Ix>veil and the Rev.
Ernest Sanders officiated and
burial was in Moss Cemetery.
Active pallbearers were
Steve Wyke, Jewell Payne,
Harold Watkins, Edd Deitz,
Howard Beavers and Marvin
Moss.
Marcell Griggs
Honorary pallbearers were:
Giles Adams, Lemar Ledford,
Edd and Jack Raxter, J.C.
Palmer, Ralph Carringer,
Kenneth Rogers and Irvin
Nations.
Mr. Griggs was a veteran of
the U.S. Army, having served in
Europe.
Surviving are his wife, Mrs.
Thelma Davis Griggs; a
daughter, Miss Teressa
Michelle Griggs of the home;
the parents, Mr. and Mrs. Grant
Griggs of Marble; seven
brothers. Porter, Vincent and
Grant Jr., all of Gastonia;
Charles of Kernesville,
Gene and Robert of Marble and
Mickey Griggs of Andrews;
four sisters, Mrs. Frances
Carroll of Murphy, Mrs. Mae
Coffey, Mrs. Linda Parson and
Mrs. Pearl Griggs all of
Gastonia
Ivie Funeral Home in
Andrews was in charge of
arrangements.
the state to levy the one percent
local sales tax, either with or
without a vote of the people.
Wimpey said the Clay board
does not plan to call for a vote
on the local tax. "Depending on
how many people show up for
the hearing and what they say
about the tax, we'll make the
decision whether to put it in or
not," he said.
Jack Simonds, chairman of
the Cherokee commissioners,
has called a special meeting for
Saturday morning at the
Cherokee Courthouse. He said
the board will talk about the
local sales tax and also a school
bond vote to finance rebuilding
the burned elementary school at
Andrews.
Simonds said a special
election will have to be held
sometime in May on the bonds
to build the school, which the
Cherokee Board of Education
says will cost the county
$300,000 in addition to the
insurance money from the fire.
Public hearings on the one
percent sales tax will be held
around the county, Simonds
said, both to educate people
about the tax and give them a
chance to tell the
commissioners how they feel
about it. These are planned for
Andrews, Peach tree, Murphy
and the Hiwassee Dam area, he
said.
Simonds said although the
new law gives the board the
power to levy the local sales tax
without a vote of the people, br
thinks a vote probably should be
held on the tax at the same time
the school bonds are voted on.
He said since the Cherokee
voters turned the tax down in
the 1969 voting, he didn't think it
would sit well with voters for
the commissioners to levy the
tax without voter approval.
However, Simonds added
that if enough people at the
planned hearings express
themselves in favor of the tax,
the commissioners would
consider putting it into effect
without a vote.
In their meeting the first of
this month, the Cherokee
commissioners indicated that
"it is either put in the sales tax
or raise property taxes."
With few exceptions,
political leaders in the county
were lukewarm in support of
the local sales tax when it was
voted on in November of 1969,
defeated in Cherokee by a vote
of 950-697.
However, when the extra
penny on the dollar started
bringing in substantial sums to
the counties which approved it,
local leaders took another look
at it.
The Cherokee
commissioners estimate that
the local one cent tax will
produce about $200,000 a year,
to be shared by the county,
Murphy and Andrews, with the
county getting the largest part.
Simonds said if the tax is
approved by the voters in May,
it would go into effect the first of
July. i
Campground
Opens April 1
The U.S. Forest Service
announces that Cherokee Lake Picnic
Area and Hanging Dog Campground
will be open the first day of April.
These areas are beingopened early to
accommodate fishermen and "early
bird" campers and picnickers.
At Hanging Dog Campground, the
second loop on the right will be the
first to open. Additional loops will be
opened as needed. The
entrance fee for this Area and for
Jack Rabbit (Opens May 21) will be
either a Golden Eagle Passport ($10)
which is good for one car at any U.S.
Forest Sercice Recreation Area for
the entire year, or a daily charge of
$1 per car.
Abandoned Auto Clean-up
Murphy Town Clerk Charlie Johnson watches
the first of an estimated 400 abandoned autos inside
the town limits of Murphy meets a specially-rigged
wrecker provided by the Tennessee Valley
Authority. The junked cars are being loaded daily
on the tilting bed of the truck, pulled up by a cable
winch, and then carried to a location near the town
sewer plant, where a private wrecking company
will crush the bodies and haul them away for scrap.
The clean-up began Tuesday and will continue for
about three months in Murphy. (Avett Photo)
Tree Planted At Elementary School
The fifth and sixth grades of Murphy Elementary School
celebrated Arbor Day last Thursday afternoon by planting a
silver maple tree on the school grounds. The tree was purchased
by the children and planted in memory of Mrs. J.C. McNeal, the
late mother of Mrs. Marie Hendrix, fifth grade teacher. Actual
planting of the tree was done by Mrs. Ida Townson, teacher;
Harold Hatchett, former Cherokee County Forest Ranger; Mrs.
Hendrix; and Principal Bill Hughes. (Carringer Photo)
Court
Starts
Monday
A two-week session of
Superior Court begins at the
Cherokee County Courthouse
next Monday morning, Judge
Thad Bryson of Bryson City
presiding.
Among the cases on the
calendar, for trial or other
disposition are:
Wade Edgar (Dump)
Adams, charged with
dispensing narcotic drugs in
what county and state officers
described as a plan to begin the
growing of marijuana in this
county.
Jeffrey Willard Whitener
and John Richard Whitener,
charged with robbing their
grandmother Molly Whitener,
also with assault on an officer,
former Deputy Sheriff, now
Magistrate Dude Radford.
Brothers Andrew and Jerry
Green, charged with breaking
and entering at a Murphy oil
dealer's office.
Dillard Pullium, Ronnie
Mclnturff and Bill Curtis, all
charged with the theft of a bull
from Charles Higdons pasture
at Andrews.
There are also several other
breaking and entering cases on
the calendar, plus several
drunken driving cases.
At the close of the criminal
docket, the court will hear civil
cases.
Andrews Readies For Election
The Town Hall in Andrews
is a busy place these days as
voters register to vote and
candidates file to run in the
upcoming town election.
The town is going to a loose
leaf registration of voters,
according to Town. Clerk Mrs.
Zora R. Bryson, and all voters
must register to be able to vote
in the election, May 4.
As of Wednesday morning
of this week, she said only 234
have registered. A total of 674
cast ballots in the ABC election
of Feb. 20 so she expects several
hundred more to come in before
the deadline, which is April 2.
The next day, April 3, will be
challenge day.
Mrs. Bryson says voters
can register on the new system
anytime from 9 a .m. until 5pm
Monday through Saturday at
the Town Hall.
Candidates for mayor and
the Town Board also file at the
Town Hall. April 6 is the
(leadline for filing, Mrs. Bryson
said, and the Democrats seem
headed for a primary, which
will be held April 132.
Ty Burnette has filed as a
Democrat to run for mayor and
so far is unopposed. Paul
(Brownie) Parker, mayor pro
tern, has been serving as mayor
since the death Dec. 30 of Mayor
Percy Ferebee.
Choir
To Sing
Murphy United Methodist
Church will be host to an
evening of choral music
presented by the Guilford
College Choir, Thursday, March
25, 8 p.m.
The concert will include
selections from Bach's
"Choruses from Cantata 142",
"The Magnificat" by
Charpentier, Dvorak's "Songs
of Nature" and a Colonial Suite
(Music of Colonial America).
The Guilford College Madrigal
Singers and Soloists will also be
featured.
The Wesleyan Service Guild
and the United Methodist Men
are sponsoring the choir. There
is no admission charge. An
offering will be taken for the
choir. A nursery will be open for
pre-school children.
Clay Lions Plan
Spring Cleaning
At their regular meeting Thursday night
of last week the Clay County Lions Club laid
ground work for their annual county-wide
clean-up campaign.
Lion Arthur Siegle, chairman of the
committee responsible for planning this
campaign, announced assignments for each
member of the club, together with names of
civic leaders in each community in the county
who might be available for helping sponsor
such clean-up, paint-up jobs in their
respective areas.
A county-wide meeting of interested
people will be held in the auditorium of the
Hayesville School at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 2.
Citizens of Clay County are urged to start
planning, now, for some worth while project
with which they can identify. Bring these
plans to the meeting on April 2, the Lions say,
some one el?e might like to lend a hand.
The full Town Council in
Andrews is supposed to have
four members plus a mayor.
Presently it is composed of
Parker and board members
Don W. Raxter, Ray B. Hogsed
and W. l^o Hurst. A11 are
Democrats.
Hurst, Hogsed and Parker
have filed for re-election to the
Town Board and Democrats
Roy Williams, DeWitt Sharpe
and SamWard have also filed.
The top four vote-getters in the
primary will be the Democratic
candidates in the general
election.
At this writing, no
Republican candidates have
filed for any of the offices.
The terms of town offices
are two years.
Music Festival
(Success'
The Spring Music Festival
held Friday and Saturday
nights at the Rock Gym here in
Murphy was a "big success."
Sponsored by the Cherokee
Clay Humane Society in an
effort to raise money for a
planned animal shelter, the
festival brought in about $900,
according to Mrs. Margaret
Schroeder, president of the
society.
She reported standing room
only on Friday night for the
country music and talent show
and a good crowd on Saturday
night for the rock music.
SHC Studies Light Move
The State Highway
Commission is studying the
possibility of moving the traffic
light at the Murphy Elementary
school to the Hilton Street
intersection.
That was the gist of a letter
received last week by Mayor
Goe Moore, in response to the
Town Council's earlier letter to
the SHC protesting the removal
of the light, which stops traffic
for school children to cross
Valley River Avenue.
The SHC has complained
for years that the light at the
school is not located at any
interesection and therefore is
often ignored by motorists.
Recently SHC engineers
informed the town of their
intent to remove the light.
The Town Council has
urged the SHC hot to take down
the light but added if it must go,
move it to the Hilton Street
intersection, which is only about
100 feet away. Councilmen feel
this would still help the
chilton cross the street and
would also help the traffic
situation around the A&P store
there.
"We have received
several...letters from Interested
ritizens of Murphy concerning
this signal," the SHC letter last
week read. "I can assure you
that every consideration will be
given your request and I am
requesting our consulting
engineer to make a study of the
possibility of moving this signal
to the Hilton Street intersection.
I feel confident that something
will be worked out on this in
the very near future."
It was signed by W.A.
Ward, area traffic engineer.
Hit-And-Run
Charges Filed
Carroll's Taxi stand on
Tennessee Street was damaged
Sunday night by a hit-and-run
driver, according to Murphy
Police Chief Pete Stalcup.
Chief Stalcup said Mrs.
Sandra Allison Jordan of
Murphy was charged Tuesday
with two counts of hit-and-run
driving with property damage
in the incident.
The officer said her car
apparently struck the parked
auto of Barney Hensley in front
of the Dollar General Store and
then swerved across the street
into the taxi stand.
Direct Distance Dialing
The Hayesville telephone
exchange was connected to the
nationwide Direct Distance Dialing
system last Saturday and Mayor
Conrad Carroll, right, is shown
making the first dial-it-yourself long
distance call, to Westco Telephone
President L. T. Moore
Westco employe
did much of the work
the system, i*
background in
office. (Avett Photo)