GROUNDHOG AND LOT OF POLITICIANS COME OUT IN FEBRUARY; ROUGH WEATHER AliEAD
r rmay me grounanog
out and the offidal
j watchers all agreed
that thlf furry meteorologist saw
his shadow and thus predicted
at least six more weeks of se
vere weather.. -
of reluctant politicians began
moving' out of their holiday
period of hibernation; thus pre
dicting an even stormier and
longer beriod of turbulence.
JuSt hours after the ground
hog, cast Ms shadow Kinston’s
State Senator Tom WHte called
a Raleigh press conference to
announce that he was going into
political hibernation after three
terms in the state house of
representatives and four terms
in the state senate. . ‘
Kinstonian Charlie Larkips
Jr., who had announced his can
cuaacy igr me state senate, eany
in January, made it formal on
Monday of this week, and at this
writing has no competition for
the senate seat allocated to Le
noir, Jones and Greene counties.
And it has begun to fain
would-be judges in this neck of
the woods.
Some years ago the wheels
were set in motion for this de
luge of judges when the people
of North Carolina in a moment
of foolishness approved several
constitutional amendments set
ting Up a new system of courts.
Under this new system all
city,-’ county and recorder’s
courts are being abolished and a
system of district courts is estab
lished. The judicial district of
Wdyne, Greene and Lenoir coun
ties has been allocated four of
these $15,000 per year political
piums, ana ai last count mere
were six patriots who had signi
fied their willingness to make
the sacrifice and serve in this
judicial capacity.
Three of these are Kinston
ians: Incumbent Recorder’s
Court Judge E. R. Wooten, Law
yer Lamar Jones and Justice of
Peace Lester Pate, whose judi
cial job is also being “diestab
lished” under the so-called court
reform program.
From Goldsboro two judicial
aspirants have announced: Mil
ton Nowell of Mount Olive and
Charlie Gaylor of Goldsboro,
each being judge in their re
spective city courts.
The sixth would-be district
judge is James Taylor of Snow
Hill, who along with Wooten
Nowell and Gaylor is having hii
present judicial job snatched oul
irom unaer mm as o, me iirsi
Monday in December of this
year.
So far there are three announc
ed candidates for the two seats
in the state house of representa
tives allocated to Jones, Greene
and Lenoir counties. These are
Incumbents Guy Elliott of Kin
ston and Joe Horton of Snow
Hill, both Democrats and Arnold
“Red!’ Tingen of Greene Coun
ty, a Republican.
On the Lenoir County Board
of Commissioners this year two
of the five members have to seek
re-election if they so desire. Mon
day one of those, Billy Brewer,
paid his filing fee and agreed
to take another four-year shot
at it.
The other is Johnny R. Daven
port, who suffered a stroke Iasi
fall and is still hospitalized in
i
| unarioue. ne mosi recently ex
pressed the hope that he would
be able to attend the March
meeting of the board, but
friends and members of his fami
ly are doubtful that he will make
it by that time, and equally
doubtful that he will seek an
other term.
The filing deadline for those
seeking state jobs is February
23rd, and this includes candi
dates for governor, congress,
lieutenant governor, council of
state, supreme court, court of
appeals, superior court and dis
judges in the court capacities,
trict court; solicitors as well as
The deadline for filing for
those seeking county or state
legislature seats is March 22nd.
The deadline hour is Noon on
the day of each deadline day.
THE JONES COUNTY
, NUMBER 41 TRENTON, N. C., THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1968 VOLUME XIX
j.-V?
Commissioners Hove Busy Session on
Monday; Act on Assorted Problems
At its regular monthly meet
ing Monday, Febrauary 5, the
Jones County Board of Com
missioners rejected by Craven
County Hospital representatives
that Jones County pay uncollect
able ambulance service bills to
the tune of $721 and voted in
ni/vnrl tn rnnn rfr» ifiirifr fVlO O onto
the county highway status quo
though after a check of maps
and memories reminded them
that Highway 41 is an inter-state
road and Highway 111 is not.
The decision by the Commis
sioners to keep the higher priori
(Continued on page 5)
TWO ARRESTS
Jones County Sherriff W.
Brown Yates reports two arrests
during the past week: Chris Kin
sey, 66, Route 1 Trenton was
brought in by Highway Patrol
man R. R. Mason on a drunk
driving charge, and Raymond
Koonce, 22, of Route 1 Trenton
also was locked up for failure to
pay personal property damages
that he was ordered to hand
over several months ago.
necessity of county ambulance
service, to give $40 a month to
the already existing Trenton and
Comfort Rescue Squads of Mays
ville and Pollocksville as soon
as those organizations receive
their charters.
In refusing to accept finan
cial reponsibility for ambulance
patients from the County who
use Craven County Hospital am
bulant^ facilities, the Commi
ssioners noted that records
shown by Allen Ives and Lon
nie Moore, members of the
Board of Directors of Craven
County Hospital who presented
the hospital’s bill collecting
problem, reveal that approxi
mately two-thirds of the un
collected bills were attributed
to serviceman or to persons who
live out of state.
m,
IS,
At the suggestions of Charlie
Battle Jr. the commissioners
then decided to appropriate $40
a month fqr the County Rescue
Squads in order to stimulate
existing rescue 4*quad activity
and future rescue squad organi
zation with monetary assistance.
Jones County is already giv
ing financial aid to its six Vol
unteer Fire Departments in the
amount of $60 per month.
The. Commissioners also re
jected a proposal to re-route and
re-disignate Highway 41 by R.
B. Nelson of Kobersonville who
said the work he does as media
tor between the State Highway
Department and the public to
improve the public highways:
systems is a hobby. i
Nelson wanted the Commis
sioners to agree to the renam
ing of Highway 41 from Beula
ville to its junction with N. C.
58 at Dan Oxley’s Store to High
way 111 thereby extending 111
from Goldsboro to Oxley’s in
stead of its present termination
at Beulaville. Nelson said this
maneuver would clear the way
for re-routing of 41 to Pink Hill
and that this would result in a
better chance for that sectim&of
the new route to be widened and
improved.. 1
The
%
Jealous Spat Paralyzes1 Woman and
Sends Her Blood Pressure to 250
The Friday, February 2, ses
sion of Jones County Recorder’s
Court elicited some colorful con
versation as two Trenton color
ed women took the stand to tell
of their inter-family fracas.
Sudia Murrell pleaded guilty
to assaulting Ruth Brown with
her fists but stated that she “re
moved Ruth’s glasses before she
hit Ruth up alongside the head.”
Ruth said that Sudia hit her so
hard she was “paralyzed” and
her blood pressure was still up
to 250 three days after the in
cident.
It seems the whole thing
started when Ruth started carry
ing gifts over to the Murrell
household and giving them to
“Scoonie” Murrell, Sudia’s hus
band. This supicious activity
brought out the jealous qualities
in Sudia and she in turn lay in
wait in the dark of night to get
her revenge.
After both women had their
say, Judge Joe Becton found
Sudia guilty of assault and or
dered her to pay costs.
Becton ruled “unavoidable ac
cident” in finding Helen Dove
Hill, 28, of Route 2 Trenton,
not guilty of failing to yield
right of way at a private drive.
Hilton Mundine of Route 2
Dover and Tyrone Smith of
Maysville both faced separate
charges of assault on a female.
Mundine was found guilty of the
charge and given a 60-day sus
pended sentence upon condi
tion he pay a $25 fine and costs.
Smith was luckier, the case a
gainst him,was dismissed.
Kenneth Arthur Butler, of
Goldsboro was found guilty of
driving to the left of the center
line whil,e not passing.
Gavin Dudley and Jeffrey Da
vjs of Maysville had the assault
case against them dismissed.
They were charged with enter
jpg the Jones High School pre
mises, threatening and assault
ing the principal and disrupting
the orderly conduct of the school
Wayne Christopher Brown of
Swansboro had the speeding
charges against him nol prossed
with leave. He was charged with
speeding 80 mph in a 60 mph
zone.
In the only other case to come
before Judge Becton, Adline Wil
liams of Route 6 Kinston was
found not guilty of allowing
an unlicensed person, her 16
year-old son, Willis Williams, to
operate her automobile. Willis
was found guilty to operating
an automobile without an oper
ator’s license and was fined $10
and costs.
Several speed demons admit
ted their guilt by submitting
fines to the Court: Vaughn Rider
Fulton, of 908 Oriental Avenue,
Kinston, Marcus E. Beaver of
Camp Lejeune, and Herbert
Bruce Norris, of Washington all
paid $31 each for doing 75 in
a 60 mph zone; Ray Whitfield
Watts, of West Columbia, South
Carolina paid $31 for speeding
60 in a 45 mph zone; Corporal
Larry D. Clark from Camp Le
jeune paid $26 for doing 70 in a
60 mph zone; Sergeant Edward
Charles Jones of 717 University
Street in Kinston paid $26 for 70
in a 60 mph zone; Lance Cor
poral Vernon L. Reisinger, an
other Camp Lejeune marine paid
$81 for 75 in a 60 mph zone;
and Bruce Wayne Taylor of 1105
College Street, Kinston, forfeited
$31 for speeding 70 in a 55 mph
zone.
In the miscellaneous depart
ment, Senas Wesley Whitfield
Jr. of Route 2 Trenton and
Henry Nelson Ward1 of Route 1
New Bern both paid $13 each
for failing to comply with in
spection laws.
Leo Ember Morton of Route 1
Maysville paid $16 for failing to
Mod-Dog Murderers Sought for Tuesday
Death of Jones County ABC Employee
A nation-wide alert has been
posted for two young white men
who stabbed the manager of a
Jones County whisky store to
death Tuesday afternoon and
robbed the store of about $300
in cash, and possibly some
whisky and wine.
Forty one year-old Albert J.
Jones Jr. of Maysville, manager
and only employee of the store
on Highway US 17 between Pol
locksville and Maysville, was
the victim of the vicious attack.
Although fatally wounded
Jones managed to get to the
phone and called the operator,
who immediately reached Sher
iff Brown Yates at about 1:45
p.m. at his home. Yates in turn
called Deputy Milton Arthur
whose home is much nearer the
whisky store, and although Ar
thur was not at home, Pollocks
ville Township Constable Nick
Mallard and District Game Pro
tector Douglas Ward were reach
ed and they were the first to
reach the scene of the crime.
Jones was still conscious but
in great pain. Minutes after
Mallard and Ward arrived
Sheriff Yates and Arthur arriv
ed. Jones was placed in Arthur’s
car and rushed to Craven Coun
ty Hospital in New Bern, where
he died at about 5:30.
Before his death Jones was
able to tell officers that two
young white men were the gul
ty parties.
Jones, had been manager of
the store for about a year. He is
a native of Jones. County and is
married and has one child. His
death was caused by massive in
ternal bleeding caused by 19
different deep stab wounds.
The State Bureau of Investiga
tion and Federal Bureau of In
vestivation are assisting Jones
County authorities in the inves
tigation.
Busy Session tor
Trenton Firemen,
Rescue Squad Unit
The Trenton Volunteer Fire
Department and Rescue Squad
held its regular monthly meet
ing Monday night in the Trent
on firehouse after enjoying a
fishstew cooked by Fire Chief
Edward Eubanks and Walter
Moore.
As of Monday night, Fire
Chief Eubanks will no longer
reduce speed to avoid an acci
dent; Pagjo Rodil Mojica, Coast
Guardsman from Morehead City,
paid $13 for driving to left
of center line; and Stanley Le
muel Johnson of Magnolia paid
$13 for failing to stop at a stop
sign. ,
. -laiJkWsW-s:..,:. .
Trenton Now Has
Certified Attendant
For Rescue Squad
Travis H. Batchelor of Tren
ton is the first, and at the pre
sent time, only member of a
Jones County Rescue Squad to
become a certified ambulance
attendant under the recently im
posed stringent specifications of
the North Carolina State Board
of Health.
Batchelor, a charter member
of the Trenton Volunteer Fire
Department and Rescue Squad,
obtained his ambulance atten
dant certificate after attending
a three-day school last week.
The school classes, conducted
under the direction of medical
doctors, were held in Jackson
ville on Tuesday and Thursday
and in Greenville on Wednesday.
According to Trenton Rescue
Squad member Glenn Spivey, al
though Batchelor is the only
certified attendant who has re
ceived his certificate, there are
several members of both the
Trenton and Comfort Rescue
Squads who have recently com
pleted an eight-weeks ambulance
attendant’s course taught by Dr.
G. W. Davenport in the adult
education program at Jones Cen
tral High School. These grad
uates expect to receive their cer
tificates soon.
An unfortunate accident gave
an ironic twist to Batchelor’s
accomplishments at the end of
last week when a power chain
saw he was operating got out of
control and did enough'damage
to his right hand to require' a
skin graft. However, Batchelor
did not require ambulance serv
ice to the Hospital in Kinston.
School receives their certificates,
serve in the double capacity of
Rescue Squad leader also.
Charles Jones of Trenton has be
en elected to that post, and the
Fire Departmens and Rescue
Squad will meet ondifferent
nights in the future in an at
tempt by members to increase
efficiency of the dual volunteer
services.
The Rescue Squad has set its
meetings for every second Mon
day night of the month.
A 40-watt generator that will
provide power for a searchlight
on the fire truck has been ob
tained and will be ready for
use immediately,
According to Captain Glenn
Spivey, the number of rescue
squad members who are certi
fied ambulance attendents is
expected to increase to about
ten members as soon as the re
cently graduated adult educa
tion class of Jones Central High