KLack Liarry
105 If. j'ouf&erty Street
Black Hrnn.talu, ^ .c. 2e?ll
Poticesearch for ctues
in young mother's
disappearance
Carolyn Riddle Simpson was last seen
on August 1. I960, walking away from
the Monte Vista with a bag in her hand,
leaving her husband and a two and a
half month old baby behind No one has
heatd from her since that August
morning.
Jim Dolan, investigator on the case
for the Black Mountain Pblice Depart
ment. said. "We're sort of at a dead
end. If anyone has any information
whatsoever, the parents just want to
know if she is dead or alive."
Caroiyn Simpson is 5 feet 10 inches
tall, weighs 165-180 pounds and has
tight brown hair. She will be 18 years
old next month.
She and her husband moved to a farm
in this area from South Carolina in May,
1980, with their baby daughter, Alisha.
From the farm, Carolyn sent tetters
home to her parents, aescribing her life
here as happy, reporting on the
progress of their granddaughter yist a
month before she disappeared.
Hie handwriting in the three tetters
police hoid varies greatly from para
graph to paragraph. Inspector Dolan
said that it may not be her writing at all,
that the letters may have been written
under duress, or that the uneven
handwriting reflects a mental problem.
From the farm, the Simpsons moved
to an apartment at the Monte Vista,
where Carolyn was last seen. Her
husband said that she left him a note
saying that she was leaving and that she
was giving him the baby.
The Simpsons had been married
about a year and had had marital
problems, Dolan said. He said that
although it appeared to be a case of a
runaway, there are reasons for suspi
cion of foul play. "The parents feel
she's the victim of foul play, " he said.
Even if she did leave her husband and
baby voluntarily, her parents do not
understand why they have not heard
from her. Carolyn is the youngest of
five sisters, with whom she was very
dose, her parents say. None of them
has heard from her.
Hie remains of a body which might be
Carolyn Simpson's were recently found
in Florida, but without further evidence
there is no way for police or her parents
to be certain. Anyone with information
about Carolyn Simpson is asked to call
the Black Mountain Fblice, 669-8072.
Drs. Herman F. A!!en (!) and Pan! M. Limbert (r) review
plans /or the Great Decisions '8i program with Dr. Bahram
Farzanegan, director o/ Community Services at UNC-A. The
nationwide program is designed to increase understanding o/
eight o/ the principa! /cfreign po!icy issues /acing the U.S., and
give participants a chance to express their views to the
nation's decision-mahers.
Dedicated to the growing Swannanoa VaHey
Thursday, January 8. 1981, Volume 28, Number 63
Second dass postage paid at 8)ack Mountain, NC 28711
Burgiaries up in area -
detective gives advice
by Cynthia Rebner
T'is the season for -robberies.
"Break-ins usually increase at this
3 time of year," said Black Mountain
K Police Department's investigator, Jim
3 Dolan. But, there are ways to reduce
the chances of being robbed, Dolan
: believes, and there are ways to increase
3 the likelihood of the burglars being
3 caught and convicted.
Common sense is important, Dolan
3 said. For example, if you are a
3 businessman, don't count the cash
$ register contents in front of a window, a
:3 practice Dolan observed while walking
3 down State Street one evening last
3 week.
If you must carry money from your
3 business to your car and you see
3 something suspicious, call the police,
3 Dolan said. They will gladly send an
3: officer to escort you to your car or to
3 investigate the suspicious activity.
WWW ^
"Police work is 90 percent service,"
Dolan said "It's not all catching bad
guys."
Most home robberies occur during
the day when both husband and wife are
away for a predictable number of hours,
Dolan said.
The best defense against home
robberies, he believes, is a neighbor
hood watch system, where neighbors
co-operate in keeping an eye on each
others' homes and reporting any
strangers or unusual activity to the
police immediately.
Some people are hesitant to call the
police when they see something suspi
cious, Dolan said. He doesn't think it's
a matter of not wanting to get involved.
Instead, he believes people are afraid of
making a mistake and either looking
foolish or "bothering " the police.
"They are NOT bothering us," Dolan
emphasized. ' It doesn't hurt tb call us.
You don't even have to give your
name."
Also, Dolan said, don't call out to
suspicious persons and ask them what
they are doing, alerting them to being
seen. Call the police instead. And
instruct children not to give strangers
directions to anyone's house.
What if your home or your business is
burglarized? Do as little as possible
until police arrive, Dolan advised.
Often people destroy dues, making it
difficult or impossible for police to
collect evidence. "The initial investi
gating officer will tell you what to
safeguard. Otherwise we re losing
valuable evidence and dues," Dolan
said.
Glass or plastic surfaces, Dolan said,
are the best for gathering fingerprints
left by the burglars, so don't wipe them
dean before the detective arrives. Also,
don't smudge tracks the burglars may
have left, indoors or outdoors.
Detective Dolan has been with the
Black Mountain Police since Nov. 17,
1980. He is retired from the New York
Police Department and has been in
police work for 24 years.
U S. and Soviet Union subject
for Great Decisions tecture
by Herman F. Allen
Hie 1981 Great Decisions program
will open in Black Mountain on Tues
day, February 3, 7:30 p.m Dr. Ted
Uldricks of the department of history,
UNC-A, will present the lecture. The
subject for the evening will be "The
U.S. and the Soviet Union: Dilemmas of
Power and Peace." Dr. Uldridr's new
book, "Diplomacy and Ideology: The
Origins of Soviet Foreign Relations,"
has just been published.
Succeeding lectures will be: "From
Cairo to Kabul: Oil, Islam, Israel-and
Instability" by Ambassador Abbas
Farzanegan, former Iranian envoy on
Tuesday, Feb. 10; "China after Normal
ization: How Good a Friend of the
U S ?" by Dr. James Linburg of the
Mars Hill College history department,
Tuesday, Feb. 17; "South Africa: Can
Race War be Avoided?" by Dr. Tom
O'Tooie of the WCU history depart
ment, Tuesday, Feb. 24; "Centra!
America and the Caribbean: New
Political Earthquake Zone," by Dr.
Larry Stem of the Mars Hill College
political science department, Tuesday,
March 3; "Food: Humanity's Need,
America's Interest," by Dr. H.F.
Robinson, Chancellor of WCU, Tues
day, March 10; "Made in US A.: Is
U.S. Competitiveness Slipping? " by Dr.
Shirley Browning of UNC-A economics
department, Tuesday, March 17; "The
World in 1981," by Dr. W.E. High
smith, Chancellor of UNC-A, Tuesday,
March 24.
All of the lectures will be held in the
Black Mountain library. There will be a
(5 fee for each person taking part to
help pay travel expenses for the
lecturers. The reading books will cost
$5. These background books may be
shared with another person.
In addition to the lecture-forum series
there will be a discussion group lead by
Dr. Hugh Thompson, for eight consecu
tive Wednesday mornings at 10 a m.
The same subjects will be covered.
There will be no travel charge.
There will be a kick-off lecture and
discussion at the library on Monday,
January 19. The background reading
books will be available at this meeting.
For further information, call Dorothy
or Herman Allen at 669-8132.
The purpose of the Great Decisions
program is to inform citizens of the vital
issues and choices facing the U S. in its
foreign relations. It is based on the
premise that each citizen has a part in
making foreign relations decisions. In
the lecture forums on Tuesday evenings
and in the Wednesday morning discus
sions each person will be given an
opportunity to respond and to register
his or her opinion. These opinions are
collected and sent to our national
decision making bodies.
You need not be a book-educated
person to take part. It is important that
persons without college backgrounds
take part. All of the information that
you will need to take part will be in the
background reading book. This book
covers all sides of the subjects to be
discussed. The presentations are
nonpartisan. You may agree or
disagree. Great Decisions is our
nation's oldest community-based edu
cational program, begun in 1954.
Bee Tree dam subject for meeting
by Bert Livingston
Possible implications of restoring Bee
Tree Lake to the Asheville water system
will be discussed by two authorities at a
meeting of the Bee Tree Community
Deveiopment Ciub in the Bee Tree
Christian Church Thursday, January 8
at 7:30 p.m.
Bill Sites, president of the club,
announced that Richard Phillips, North
Carolina Department of Natural Re
sources and Community Land Develop
ment, Land Quality Section, and Dean
Yancy, assistant director of the Ashe
ville Water Department, will attend the
Thursday night meeting. They will
speak to dispel rumors related to what
changes in the dam would be consider
ed in connecting Bee Tree Lake again to
the Asheville water system. What
effects such considerations would have
on the community adjoining Bee Tree
Road and its extension into the area
known as Summer Haven will be
explained.
Swannanoa Post Office reports that it
supplies mail service to ntore than 200
families in these community areas. The
lake and dam are a vital factor in
property uses, communications, trans
portation, power sources, and, in some
instances, water supply, for these
families.
All interested persons are invited and
urged to attend the meeting, which is
the first attempt to evaluate for involved
communities what proposed changes in
Asheville and county water sources
could involve.
Bee Tree residents wiii have an
opportunity Thursday to ash
questions about a proposai to
reconnect Bee Tree Lahe to the
Asheviiie water system.
Got an o!d cfunher?
0!d refrigerators to
benefit Medica! Ctr.
Old washers, old dryers, old stoves,
old freezers and old refrigerators are
not only unsightly around our commun
ities, but they are a hazard to our
children. Jim O'Neal has come up with
a plan to do something about it, and at
the same time to provide some funds for
the Swannanoa Valley Medical Center.
"I'm concerned that some old appli
ance will be a death trap for a child, as
these old junkers have been in other
communities," O'Neal said. "I will
pick up any of these and haul them away
if folks will just call me." O'Neal has a
source for selling junk and feels that
getting full truck loads of appliances
from around the town would justify his
own gas expense to deliver them to a
dealer. Whatever he is paid will go to
the Medical Center.
"Whatever value the old appliance
has on it is tax deductible," O'Neal
said. "We feel this is a good
opportunity for people to clean out that
garage of old newspaper and junk, and
at the same time benefit the commun
ity. Not only will we dean jp the town,
but we will make it safe this summer for
our children," O'Neal related.
If you have things you want picked up
at no charge to you, call Jim O'Neal at
669-7148, or Mrs. Teresa Gregory,
669-5692.
Good Refrigerator Needed
The Swannanoa Valley Medical
Center is in need of a refrigerator in
good working order. Your gift will be
tax deductible. Mease call one of the
above numbers for pickup.
Unusua! fire
extinguishes
itseif
Chief Gary Bartlett called a fire that
extinguished itself Monday morning a
"once-in-a-lifetime thing
The fire at Tiffanies Craft and Gift
Shop in the WNC Shopping Center on
U S. 70 started in an imitation fireplace
which had a light bulb in it, Chief
Bartlett said. When firemen responded
to a call from Mrs. Ruth Brandon on
Jan. 5, the fire in the store was already
out.
When all the oxygen in the airtight
building was used up, the fire simply
extinguished itself, probably Saturday
night or early Sunday morning, Bartlett
said.
"It's the kind of thing you've read
about and you learn about in school,"
Bartlett said. "A fire needs three
things to bum, and one of them is
oxygen. At only 13 percent of the
oxygen left, you can still have a fire."
When the oxygen in an airtight building
is depleted, the fire goes out.
Mrs. Brandon, owner of a nearby
hardware store, noticed the smoke
blackened windows on her way to work.
The windows felt warm to the touch, she
said, but firemen said that the heat was
due to the sun.
An estimate of damages is not yet
available, but much of the store's
merchandise was covered with soot.