Second ctass postage paid
at Stack Mountain. NC 28711
Thursday. November 9.1978. Vot. 24. No. 54
DEVOTED 100% TO OUR COMMUNiTR-^ THE GhpWNG SWANNAttOA VALLEY
Serving—
* Black Mountain
itr Swannanoa
^ Montreat
^ Ridgecrest
*
15 cents per copy
i, MM
"When the cows !ay down, rain is on its way'goes
an oid country saying. Un/ortunateiy, these cows
didn't te!t how iittie rain was going to /ai! Tuoaday.
^Sharon Sutties)
j Hearings set for drug store holdup
Preliminary hearings for
rwo petsops, in connection i
wtth (he October 24 armed
robbery of Ward's Drug Store
were expected to be held
November 6 and a series of
hearings for a third have been
set for November 10 and 15.
Although a fourth person
suspected of taking part in the
robbery remains at iarge, the
district attorney's office set
hearings for Wednesday for
Lonnie Howard Fox, 27, of
Btack Mountain, on charges of
robbery with a deadiy
weapon, breaking and en
tering, and larceny. Fox was
in custody with bond set at
80,000 as of Tuesday.
Debra Gragg Effler, 1!, of
Swannanoa, who had been
released on a secured
property bond, was expected
to appear Wednesday on the
charge of accessory after the
fact in the robbery.
Carmie Hensiey, 25, of
Asheville, #aa expected (p
awear for pr^limiaary
hearings November 10 and
again on November 15 on the
chargea of assault with a
deadly weapon, assault with a
deadly weapon with intent to
do serious bodily injury,
robbery with a deadly
weapon, breaking and en
taring and larceny. Contrary
taiwoMtect tdfo^atbn giyan
to, and printed in, the News
last week, Hensiey, as of
Tuesday was stiii in custody,
with bond raised to (60,000.
A fourth suspect, Warren
Uoyd Phillips, 21, of Swan
nanoa, was still at large
Tuesday. Sheriff' s police
reported that no new evidence
has been uncovered in the
investigation of the robbery
October 34 of,Ward's Drug
Store in Biack Mountain,
poiice reported.
According to poiice, "a
iarge quantity of drugs and
severai hundred doiiars in
cash" were taken by two men
wearing ski masks and
carrying semi-automatic
rifiea.
According to a witness of the
robbery, one of the men shot a
box on the Boor of the store to
show employees the rifle
ioaded, then took ail
narcotics at the store,
spokesman said the store
no longer stock narcotics.
(%ase c%rtver
A Marion youth was sen
tenced November 6 to M to
36 active months in jail as a
resuit of a movie-etyie chase
in which two poiice cars were
damaged and two poiice in
jured on October i6.
Eric Todd Foster, 16, was
found guilty of assualt with a
deadly weapon, two counts of
damage to property, eluding
police officers, reckless
driving and driving in excess
of 15 miles per hour over the
speed limit to evade police
officers. A variety of other
charges against the youth
were dropped.
Foster ted police on a chase
that began in Biach Mountain,
went to Swannanoa, and ended
up west of Marion. Police
from Buncombe and Me
Dowell County Sheriff s
Department*, as weil as Black
Mountain Police, were in
volved in the chase, before the
youth was stopped by a train
in Marion and arrested by
Blade Mountain Police.
Parties more exciting than milestone
by Dta Ward
Monday morning, Margaret
Roane was still recovering
from a couple of birthday
parbes held for her Friday
and Saturday. !t still over
whelmed her that so many
people should make such a to
do over her 100th birthday.
Everybody has been so
lovely to me," the resident of
Dogwood Manor said. "I was
tost overwhelmed-! was just
speechless."
Her uncertainty of emotions
was evident at the nursing
dome Friday as staff mem
dors carried in cake after cake
and a huge coder of juice, and
every resident turned out for
he special occasion But her
dappiness was evident also, as
a familiar voice would oc
casionally whisper special
congratulations in her ear.
They've done everything to
"Rhe it happy - nice gifts and
food But best of all is the good
humor they've gotten
everybody in,'' Mrs. Roane
Rid of the affair at Dogwood
Manor.
But the celebration did not
end there. On Saturday, the
centenarian went to a niece's
dome in Asheville, where
fnends she hadn't seen in
years came to laud her.
There were even people
here! hadn't seen before, "she
said.
Special phone calls came in
from friends and relatives
across the country, and one
nephew even called from
London. "He sounded as
though he was standing just
outside die door," she said
Mrs. Roane, who hails
originally from Macon
County, is hesitant to advise
others on how to lead a better
life based on her years of
experience
"f probably could, but
people don't take advice, "she
said, demonstrating her
knowledge of human nature
However, she did reveal what
she believes has helped her
read! a rare age.
"! know hard work won' t
hurt anybody, because 1' ve
worked hard all my life ! was
bom and raised on a farm. !
think just hard work and a
clean life is all there is to it.
"Most of all, you've got to
have the Lord with you - that's
what kept me going Without
the goodness of my Heavenly
Father, f wouldn't be here
now, "she said. She was very
active in affairs at the
Asheville Central United
Methodist Church until her
health kept her from attending
"six or seven years ago. "
"My eyes failed me, that's
been my worst trouble,'' she
said.
Early in life, Mrs. Roane
tried her hand at the boarding
house and hotel business, then
tried a variety of jobs, in
cluding housewife, before
retiring at 77 from Belk's
Department store when she
had to have major surgery.
Until she moved to Dogwood
Manor in 1974, she lived with
her niece and her husband in
Asheville for a number of
years.
Mrs. Roane is casual in
speaking about her age, and
hardly has the awi her friends
have for 100 years.
"!'ve lived a fuil and happy
life. One hundred years is
enough for anybody to live. Of
course, I'll live as long as the
Good Lord wants me to,"she
said matter-of-factly.
Margaret Roane Mows oat the cand!es on her centennta! birthday cahe.
(Dan Ward)
Valley water holding
despite ongoing drought
by Dan Ward
Although the rain that fell
Tuesday did virtually nothing
to affect local water supplies,
or an existing burning ban,
water supplies remained
stable in Black Mountain,
Montreat and Ridgecrest.
Black Mountain's reservoir
is holding somewhat steady at
S feet, 6 inches from the top,
according to Town Manager
Mack Kirkpatrick. That is
down three inches from last
week.
"Judging from the con
sumption, people are con
serving, Kirkpatrick said.
He credited a new weil on
the Black Mountain Goif
Course as keeping the town
from entering a crisis
situation.
"That well is evidently just
taking up the slack. The
spring (feeding the town's
reservoir) is just dried up,"he
said. Kirkpatrick said that
unless a heavy rain falls
within the next two weeks, the
town may have to buy water
from Asheville.
Springs feeding Montreat's
water system are at the same
level they were two weeks ago
who) the Mountain Retreat
Association asked water
users to cut back, according to
John Lewis, supervisor for the
water system.
"People probably did cut
back,"Lewis said. "You don't
see anybody washing cars any
more. But we don't see any
change one way or the other. "
Lewis said there are no
plans now to ration water in
Montreat.
Primarily because of three
new wells drilled last year,
Ridgecrest has been faring
better than moat towns in the
mountains, according to
David Haii, maintanence
supervisor for the Ridgecrest
Conference Center.
"We've stiii got about half a
iakefuH, "Haii said. "We'd be
dry without the weiis, though."
Haii said the reservoir ievei
dropped 1^ feet in two weeks,
but is stiii far from the cut
back stage in spite of iarge
conferences.
Ridgecrest, which used to
suffer eariy water shortages,
driiied three weiis iast year
and three the year before to
suppiement it's stream-fed
reservoir.
C/targres dropped tM Tar&erf
Charges of first degree
murder against Tarry Fisher
Stanley, 25, of Black Mountain
were dismissed voluntarily by
District Attorney Robert
Fisher November 7, in
Superior Court "due to in
sufficient evidence to warrant
proaecu&on."
Stanley had been charged in
the death of Margaret Jen
nenneTarbert,13, ofBiack
Mountain, whose decomposed
body was found in a garage at
107 Walker St., belonging to
Stanley's mother on May 13.
The case was dismissed
with leave by the prosecutor,
which means the case can be
brought up again and Stanley
win go to trial should Fisher
or his successor. Ronald
Brown, gather enough ad
ditional evidence to warrant a
trial.
Fisher would not say
whether more evidence was
expected, or whether any plan
exists to reopen the case.
"I just couldn't comment on
that-it wouldn't be proper,''
Fisher said.
Stanley was charged with
the murder of Miss Tarbect,
hia Bancee, shortly after the
body, which had been found by
his mother, Ann F. Stanley of
Philadelphia, Pa., had been
identiBed. The girl had been
reported missing on February
9.
At that time, Stanley told
police that he had changed
lochs on Hte garage door,
according to Sheriff Tom
Morrissey.
SVFD fire calls up now
After three month* of
almost no activity, the
Swannanoa Fire Department
made up for quiet times with
ii runs by Hre and rescue
personnel in the last week and
a half.
Two brush fires, thought to
have been set by children,
were reported on October 25
on New Salem Road. One
truck and 15 men responded
the first time. Four hours
later, the fire was reset and
two trucks and 17 men
responded.
On October 28, the rescue
squad responded to a report of
a minor gunshot wound at 213
Richmond Ave. No charges
were pressed in that domestic
disturbance.
Also that day, 18 persons
took part in a search for a
teenage boy lost while squirrel
hunting. The boy was found as
mutual aid arrived from
Riceville and Buncombe
County
Two engines and 15 men
responded to a false alarm of a
hrush fire on Old Lytle Cove
Road October 29. Also that
day, two trucks and 16 men
were called to put out a brush
fire on Patton Cemetery Road.
One truck and sevem men
responded to an illegal bur
ning on US 70 and Warren
Wilson Road November t
Also that day, one truck and
six men were called to out out
an ambulance on fire at 1-40
and Lytle Cove Road. The
ambulance belonged to Burke
County
No damage was reported
from a house fire that began in
a heater at the Dougherty
residence on Oid Lytie Cove
Road November 4. Three
engines and 14 men respon
ded.
Also that day. two engines,
one rescue truck and 12 men
responded to a car fire
resuiting from a wreck at exit
59 from 1-49. No injuries and
minor damage resuited from
the accident. Later that day,
one engine and eight men
investigated a possibie brush
fire on Westwood Avenue.
R7ac%c Mountain jfire
The Black Mountain Fire
Department responded to a
house trailer fire on Oid N.C.
10, in Kerlee Heights on
November 5. The trailer was
unoccupied, being used only
for storage. Damage was
estimated at (5,000. The
trailer was owned by Edley
Hutchins. Two engines and 19
men responded. An in
vestigation of the cause of the
fire is in process.
An auto accident on N.C. 9
on November 2 resulted in
Randy Morris of Broad River
being trapped in a truck for
approximately 35 minutes.
Morris suffered a fractured
hip. Paul Hamilton and
Marion Godfrey, both in a
truck owned by the Town of
Black Mountain, received
miner injuries. One engine,
one rescue truck, two am
bulances and 19 men
responded.
A1 Richardson of Black
Mountain received a broken
arm in an auto accident on
U S. 70 west on November 1.
One engine and 17 men
responded for the washdown.
On November 4, a car
overturned on N.C. 9. No
injuries were reported. One
rescue truck, one engine and
21 men were on standby for
gas leak.
A house fire on Lytle Cove
Road November 4 was found
to be in the Swannanoa
District. One engine and 15
men responded, but returned
when they found Swannanoa
VFD had responded.
One engine and four men
were called to Norton's Quick
Shop on November 3 for wash
down of a gas spill.
A brush fire on Lake Eden
Road burned approximately
three-tenths acre on
November 5. Two engines and
15 men responded.
The Black Mountain Fire
Department ambulance made
one emergency run last week.
The county ambulance
made eleven routine, six
emergency and three un
needed runs Last week.
30 years ag%?
ed. note-Thisc%damnran
(or a few mouths hut year
until oar Met were rent off to
be microfilmed. To tell the
truth, a bad memory bar kept
nr from renewing the rerier.
Lately, however, requests
have rhown there are a
number of persona interested
in once again reading what
was the news in the Swnn
nanoa Vaiiey, 3) years ago
this week.
The front page editorial on
the November 11 issue of the
Biack Mountain News took the
opportunity to poke fun at
predictions that Dewey wouid
win the presidential election.
held three days earuer. It ,
noted that the now famous
editions of the Chicago
Tribune with headlines an
nouncing "Dewey Wins" were
already selling for (25 per
issued
Jack- Greenwood's column
told of C.W. Whites ad to sell a
house for (1M0 coming out in
the paper as (000. Folks lined
up to check out the bargain at
the White residence
Greenwood also noted that a
new sort of electric throttle
train engine was being in
troduced that allowed two or
more engines to be coupled
together, yet be driven by only
one engineer.
A photo on page 4 showed
the first women ever admitted
to the U S. Air Force. It noted
that their hair had to be cut to
conform to air force
regulations.
In advertising, Black
Mountain Hardware had a
sale on the Woman Saver
Miser," a device that would
"save the cook's nerves and
time.' ' Black Mountain
Lumber had a sale on
Congowail, super vaispar and
Zonoiite Northwestern Bank
ran an ad praising Armisice
Day
Porter's Foods in Swan
nanoa had special on canned
goods. Number 2 cans %
tomato juice were 3 for 39
cents, cherries 3 cans for 89
cents, com 3 cans for 53 cents.
Coffee cost 40 cents per pound.
The Rosy Theater in
Swannanoa was showing Key
Largo, with Humphrey
Bogart, Edward G. Robinson
and Lauren Bacall Other
movies on the iineup were
Marshal of Reno, Mickey in
Cinecoior, Rose of Rio Grande
and Northwest Stampede.
McMurry Chevrolet was
featuring the Supercushion
tire with the stop notches "
And that's the way it was