r-- --'
SHELBY
Was Carolina’s Fastest Grow
ing Town 1920-1925 By U. S.
Census.
----J
-NORTH CAROLINA’S LEADING NEWSPAPER OUTSIDE OF THE DAILY FIELD
THE STAR
Is The Leading Paper of
Shelby and The State’s Fertile
Farm Section,
«■ ■ ■■ . , ,.-j
VOL. XXXIV, No. 84
THE CLEVELAND STAR, SHELBY, N. C.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 14, 1926.Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday Afternoons.
By mail, per year (in advance)--$2.60
By carrier, per year (in advance) $3.00
County Tax Rate Off Two
Cents-School Rate Up 12c
Only Two Rates Settled By Commis
sioners—Property Valuation
Over Thirty Millions.
An increase of twelve cents on the
general tax rate for schools and a re
duction of two cents for county pur
poses'. was decided this week it, a
call d meeting of the county conimis
ii,tiers to fix the tax rate for Cleve
land county. All tax rates were not
ixed this week because it is not yet
known what levies are necessary iti
the townships for roads and in the
special school tax districts for schools,
hut the commissioners did have enougi
information at hand to see that a eu
of two cents on the $100 property
valuation can be made for county .pur
poses and that it will be necessary to
increase the county school rate i 1
cents over last year. Schools are the
most expensive item the county has
under the plan of Consolidation, the
increase pay of teachers and the
maintenance of a system of truck- to
haul the children to and fro. more
money is urgently needed for schools.
It is an expensive business to buy and
maintain trucks and while the pay of
teachers on the whole is not exhori
hant by any means, the salary fund
must be enlarged as teachers raise
their standard of certificate and are
entitled to more pay under the slate
law.
Valuation Over 37 Millions
Last year the levy for county pur
j oses was 26c on the $100 property
valuation. This year it will he 24c.
Last year the county levy for schools j
was 54c; this year it will be 66c on i
the $100 property valuation. County j
lax supervisor W. R. Newton say
the taxable wealth of Cleveland coun
ty, both real and personal was thirty |
seven and a half mill'on dollars. This
year it will be practically the same.
As list taking continued in No. 6
township until last Tuesday, the tax
supervisor has been unable to deter
mine just what all property down on
t ie tax books for. Some of the town
ships have not been heard from, but
all of this information will be collect
ed- and the commissioners will have
consulted the township highway com
missioners and the special tax school
district committeemen and found out
what levies are necessary to meet the
requirements for these specials hy ttv*
first Monday in August, after which
time the entire tax levy will be made
and announced.
Revaluation Next Year
There will be a revaluation of prop
erty next year. Every four years all
property is subject to revaluation and
just what will be done then, remains
11 be seen. The commissioners in then
meeting this week discussed at length
the inequality of values now on the
books. Some property is entirely too
high while other property is too low'.
It is understood they did not suggest
a remedy for the ever-present tax
problem. A prominent citizen recently
suggested on the streets that Cleve
land should follow Mecklenburg s
policy and have a board of appraisers
serving throughout the year to raise
and lower property hi an effort to
equalize it on the tax books. Mecklen
burg finds this system works well.
The board of appraisers not only has
authority to set a tax value on real
estate any time during the year, out
keeps track of transfers in ownership
and the prices at which property sells
in order to better determine a tax
value.
The county commissioners did not
find a solution for the tax problem but
they are considering remedies whica
will no doubt be suggested later. In
the meantime they are devoting theii
attention to levies to be made for this
year on the basis of property placed
-un tile tax books during the month.
"f May and June and on the first
Monday in August the various levies
for the county, townships, special
schools and roads will be made and
announced.
Epworth League To
Give Pageant Sunday
On Sunday night July 18th at 8
o’clock the Epworth league of Central
Methodist church will be in charge of
the services, and the program will be |
in the nature of a pageant given by
members of the local league. 1 he ,
name of the pageant is “It’s Nothing
to You”. The local league issues a cor
dial and sincere invitation to a.l
leagues of Cleevland county and the i
8helby district generally. A most In ,
teresting program is promised for this
occasion.
Former Fighter Goes
To County Road Gang
i
A. J. Hornhuckle, erstwhile boxer
of Shelby, was given a 60 day sen
tence on the No. 6 roads by Recorder
•John P. Mull Monday, the charge be
ing that of drunk and disorderly.
Hornhuckle was under a suspend
ed sentence when brought into couit
it ib baid.
Looks For Umbrella
And Loses Diamond
Mrs. Yates McSwain, formerly
Miss Beulah Logan, daughter of
Sheriff Hugh Logan, had her
share of ill-luck Thursday. While
looking for one possession she
lost another, even more valuable
than the first.
Some days ago Mrs McSwain's
Mjk narasol disappeared from a
local store. This week a parasol
was found and brought into The
Star office to see if the narasol
here belonged to her. A little later
after visiting other business
houses up town, Mrs. McSwain
discovered that she had lost her
diamond ring in the short period
she was up town. The ring was in
a small box and the owner at the
time was preparing to take it to
the jeveirv store to have the
stone tightened.
Whether the ring was lost on
the streets or some business house
is not known.
Two advertisements, one for the
parasol and another for the ring
are carried in today's Star. Need
less to say. Mrs, McSwain hopes
both “ads bring results.’’
TPASH TAX NOT
LEVIED BY CITY
New Privilege Tax on Merchandise
Stocks is Not Trash Tax but
Effort to Equalize.
It turns out that the reported
trash tax was never levied. It is all
a misunderstanding. The Star misun
derstood one of the members of the
board of aldermen and the city clerk
misunderstood the whole city council
and she recorded it on the minutes as j
a trash tax. It came about this way. j
The council discussed the problem of
moving the trash from the stores, the
heavy expense the town is put to and
the lack of co-operation on the part
of some merchants in failing to pul
trash in receptacles so it can be gath
ered easily. From a discussion of this
subject, the council went into a dis
cussion of extending the privilege tax
and when it was voted to extend the
privilege tax to include all classes ot
merchants, basing the tax on the
! value of the stock of goods carried,
then came the confusion.
It will be remembered that a year
: ago a privilege tax was placed on
banks, butchers, printing offices, cot
I ton mills, and a score or more ot
I others, but there were a few mer
i chants against whom no privilege
! tax was levied. Mayor Weathers de
i dared that the privilege tax should
include all or should be repealed at
, together in justice and fairness to the
1 public generally. Needing revenue,
i therefore, the privilege tax was ex
| tended to include merchants not here
tofore included in the privilege tax
law. Some pay specified amounts fo\
the privilege of doing business. If
i they come under the original privilege
I tax law they do not have to pay the
! privilege tax graduated according to
the amount of stock carried. There is
no such thing as a trash tax, thero
' fore. If you are in business, you pay
| one privilege tax and one only. There
is no such thing as a trash tax and
the council says it never had in mind
i to levy one. ,
Former Merchant Of
County Dies In S. C.
Gaffney .-—Dock David Gaston, 80,
hijrhly esteemed citizen of Blacksburg
S. C., died last Friday afternoon at hi3
home in that city following a perjod
of declining health of about a year.
He was one of the pioneers in the
chain store idea, having operated a
string of five establishments at one
time many years ago. The stores
were located at Blacksburg, Sharon,
Hickory Grove. Kings Mountain and
Laftimore, X. C., and carried a gen
eral line of merchandise. After dis
continuing his mercantile business, Mi
Gaston engaged for a number of years
in handling well supplies.
EASTSIDE GIRLS CM B
ENJOYS NICE OUTING
The girls club of Eastside with a
few invited guests went to McBray
er Springs Monday night for a
wiener roast. While the boys roasted
the wieners and cooked the bacon the
Kills made- ready the rest of tha
lunch. There was plenty to eat and a
good time for all.
Among the invited guests wer":
Rev and Mrs. H. E. Waldrop, Misses
Clara Herd and Eva Mae Hopper, Mr.
Clyde Thackston and others.
The party was chaperoned by Mr.
and Mrs. John E. Waldrop. Mrs. Wal,
drop ie leader of the club.
Cupid on Wires
P«.jiicne«s started the romance of
Itisa Ktt» Williams and Rev. Law
«tnce0W. Bridges. Both ai\ stu
dents at Texas Christian University,
Miss Williams also presiding at the
switchyard. Promptness and cour
tesy riuot the phone bell and. the
wedding bell, too.
STORES TO CLOSE
111B!
Or So Says Latest Petition Signed D>
Many Merchants. Comes After
Previous Misfire.
Shelby business houses—some 98
per cent of them—will close then
doors tomorrow (Thursday) afternoon,
celebrating the regular summer mid
week half holiday, according to a re
cent signed petition.
Appended hereto is a list of those
merchants who signed the petition fos
closing. The petition was circulated
by R L Armour of the Kelly Clothing
company. A previous attempt to n
cure a closing agreement had missed
fire, and Mr. Armour took up the
fight, after the first failure. He put
it over.
The half holiday period will extend
from tomorrow through the last
Thursday in August. It is a populat
measure with the employes of the
firms, and it is said to be also com
mended by the patrons of the estab
lishments.
Picnics, outing parties and fishing
expeditions will henceforth be popu
lar Thursday afternoons by those glad
to be liberated from business cares.
Mr. Armour told The Star Wedne>
day that the names of four busines:
establishments of Shelby do not ap
pear on the following petition, who,
nevertheless authorized him to pub
lish their names as subscribing to the
plan. These are the F:rsi National
bank, the Union Trust company, M. A.
McSwain and Son and the Woolworth
5c and 10c store. ■
The list of those signing the pet.^
tion follows:
We the undersigned merchants ol j
Shelby do hereby agree to close oat
stores every Thursday afternoon at
12 o’clock for the remainder of the
summer, beginning Thursday, July
15th, and ending September 1st. This
having been a custom for the past
four years. The object is to give ovi
employes a half holiday during tlio
hot summer months. Let’s make this
unanimous in order that we may keep
up the fine spirit of cooperation that
is characteristic of the Shelby mer
chants.
Kelly Clothing Co., J. C. McNeely
and Co., Efird’s Department store,
J. C. Penney Co., Rose 5, 10, 25c store.
George Alexander store, T. W. Ham
rick Co., Piedmont Grocery Co.. Home
Provision Co., Nifiy Jiffy Nix and
Lattimore. Justice and Dellinger,
Oscar O. Palmer, Paul Wellmon. San
itary market, Stowe Bros, market
Blanton-Wright Clothing Co.. W. L.
Fanning and Co,, Cash Grocery store,
j Webb brothers, T. P. Eskridge, Mrs.
| D. A. Whisonant, Basil Goode. Gi’
' mers, Inc., Wrav-Hudson Co., E. F.
I McKinney, Swofford Grocery Co,
Harry Capple, Paragon Furniture Co.,
John M. Best Furn. Co., The Battery,
Cleveland Bank and Trust Co.
Ever An Imitator
I/ttle Virginia—Say. mother?
Mother—Well, what is it now?
Little Virginia—Say mother; can
Susie and I dress up in short skirts
like you and grandma?
Give Farmers
$12,000 Month
That's What the Creameries I’ay
Cleveland County Farmprs. Big
“Cash Crop”
The Cleveland county cow bid fair
to be the most reliable cash crop of
the county farmer*.
Did you know that the creameries
of Cleveland county nay out each
month, and practically every month
of the year, $12,000 to $15,000 to the
farmers of Cleveland county for
cream ?
Did you know that the dairy busi
ness in Cleveland county is increas
ing each month, and that in the com
ing years the dairy industry promises
to be the county’s second, and most
reliable, “cash crop.”
The Shelby Creamery alone made
8,000 pounds more butter in June than
in April.
On the past Saturday a representa
tive of this paper happening by the!
office of the Shelby Creamery notlc-1
ed unusual activity 'and inquired about
it.
“The Shelby Creamery is today
handing out about $8,000 cash to thv
dfenni patrons of th- creamery,”
stated Win. Lineberger, president and
treasurer of the creamery.
“Not only are we paying out this
amount but other creameries, which
gather cream in the county are hand
ing out the real cash ty>day. I would
say all together twelve to fifteen
thousand dollars is being paid to our
farmers monthly for butter fat, and
you can’t tell me that dairying isn’t
a good paying proposition for our
folks. Think of the cash, the manure
and skim milk help out the farm.
It outclasses hog raising. hay crops,
trucking, poultry raising, etc. It is a
real cash crop all the year round, the
thing we need is more of it. better
cows, etc., and it looks now that we
are going to see ii and come to it
more and more.”
“W • made,” said Mr. Lineberger,
“eight thousand pounds more buttei j
in June than we did in April, and ii !
this cotton crop doesn’t bring a good
price we’ll be making some butter
a lii.tle later on. The old cow is always
safe to fall back upon. Cash crops all
during the year is what we need
through this section. This one crop
business wont do—all the time.”
To Enlarge Fair
Ground inner Space
Contract was let this week to Wm.
Barnett, South Shelby contractor, for
the moving of the livestock stalls
at fair grounds whereby about five
acres of additional space will be add
ed for the big annual farm show, ac
cording to Dr. J. S. Dorton, fair sec
retary.
The stalls will be moved from their j
present location back' against highway
20, forming a kind of fence exten
sion to the present enclosure. By mov
ing these stalls the shows and exhibi
tions can be more centrally arranged.
The work will be carried out at once, ^
it is understood.
Plans are already on foot for a gala
occasion for the opening day and the
likely presence of Governor McLean.
Should the governor come, as is now
expected, his day here will be filled
by one of Shelby's biggest program*
with a mammoth floral parade as the
high, light, and the gates to be offi
cially opened by the state's chief ex
ecutive. .
Mr. John Ellis Of
Lower County Die#
The remains of Mr. John Ellis are
being buried this afternoon at Pinev
Grove church in the lower part of
Cleveland county. Mr. Ellis who made
his home with his son Gordon near
Broad River, passed away Tuesday
morning about 6 o'clock following an
illness of several weeks with heart
trouble and dropsy. He was 74 years
of age and a well and favorably
known citizen of lower Cleveland. His
wife died several years ago and he is
survived by five sons, Cliff of Savan
nah, Ga., Mack, Sam, the bicycle man
of Shelby, Gordon and Boyd, three
daughters, Mrs. Virgil Hamrick of
below Shelby, one living in KnoxvlT»r,
Tcnn., and one in Rutherford county.
New fteittist. Here
With Dr. Osborne
I)r. Hubert S. Plaster, of Winston
Salem, came to Shelby this week to
be associated with Dr, J. R. Osborne
1 in h's dental office. Dr. Plaster was
I graduated from the dental depart
■ mint of the University of Maryland
at Baltimore, and is fresh out of col
| lege. He js a native of North Caro
lina and when he took the state?
j board of examination for license to
; practice a few weeks ago, Dr. Plaster
i made the highest mark in a class of
fifty or more. He is tiot only a well
equipped and thoroughly trained den
tist, but is understood to be a talent
ed musician who will no doubt add to
i Shelby’s musical lift.
Catches Live ’Gators in His Hands]
1Toi11 >• Coppir . known ns the "AiBMtor r.f.V* of i. K1 . v. r. ■ »Vi
vitli in foot Mill nliirators nt the bottom of a l ’.o, rimes thorn b‘!v
nniiile.l and ties th.''n In knots. The picture ahowa Coppinscr capturing
a 'gator In the water* of Hie Evergiauc*.
Two Charlotte People Dead
As Result Shooting Tragedy
A. R. Reinhart Shoots Daughter-In Law And Is Shot By Police
Officer. Son Attacks Dying
Father
Wilmington, July 13,—With h]
shroud of mystery, still enveloping the
tragedy at Wrightavjllo Beach yester
day which claimed the lives of Mrs.
Raymond Reinhart, jr., of Charlottv
and her father-in-law, A. R. Reinhart,
of Wilmington, police today were in
vestigating rumors that domestic dif
ficulties that were about to result in
his being divorced drove Reinhavt
insane and precipitated the fatal
shooting of his daughter-in-law.
With the coroner's jury sitting on
the case, officials unearthed evidence
that Mrs. Reinhart, Sr., had threat
ened Monday morning to file divorce
proceedings against her husband,'
and that in the serious quarrel that
ensued the daughter-in-law had gone
to the telephone to call for aid when
she was suddenly shot from the rear
by her father-in-law, who was shot
a few minutes later by Policeman Pat
Newton when he was said to be firing
at his wife.
bon Is Released
Raymond Reinhart, also of Char- '
lotte, who was seriously injured white;
rushing to his wife’s bedside at the,
hospital after the killing: and who is!
said by authorities to have attacked |
his father with a blackjack as he lay |
on r. hospital bed, was released this
morning: after being: held in jail all,
night to prevent, police said. him
harming himself or someone else.
Officer Newton, who was arrested
following the shooting, on a technical
charge, was released this morning, i
and it was said that the charges
against him would not be pressed. He
is said to have heard the pistol shots
as Reinhart killed the young woman
and then turned the gun on his wife
and to have rushed into the house,
only to have the gun of the rampant
man turned on him. He stated that
he drew his own pistol and fired .three
times, fatally injuring Reinhart, who
died a short time later in the hospital.
According to evidence unearthed
this morning, Reinhart, who had
operated a boarding house at Wrights
ville Beach with his wife, had been
near-desperate financial straits for
some time and to this worry had been i
added thut of domestic difficulties
with his wife.
Y'esterday a serious quarrel arose
between them and the wife had an
nounced that she would immediately
file a divorce petition, it is said. As
the argument grew more heated, the
young Charlotte matron rushed to the
telephone, disregarding commands of
Reinhart, to secure someone to inter,
vene and he opened fire.
The shooting occurred at 3:25 Im
mediately after which a beach car
was detached from a two-car train
standing at Lumina rushed to the
cottage 300 yards away, where it
picked up the dying and injured and
others hurried to the city A telephone
message had been sent to the hospital
and at Tenth and Princess streets the
car was met by an ambulance. At the
hospital it was found that Mrs. Rein
hart was dead and her father-in-law
probably fatally wounded.
Young Reinhart, heuring of the
tragedy started a mad dash for Wil
mington and the hospital to reach
his wife. At Winter Park, five miles
from the city, while approximating a
curve, the young man swerved his
machine to avoid striking a pedes
trian. The car struck a tree, turned
over twice then righted itself with the
motor still running.
Hails Motorist
Leaping from the car. Reinhart
hailed a passing motorist with “for
God’s sake get me to the hospital, my
wife has been shot and is dying1."
IIis wife was dead, however, even
before the accident. He was but
slightly injured.
Reinhart, jr., is a former resident
of Wilmington and w’ns employed here
some years ago as window trimmer
for a fashionable women's wear shop.
Shortly after he left Wilmington for
his former home at Charlotte he was
married to Miss Nellie Hamme, mem
ber of a prominent Wilmington fann
ily.
The Reinhart family has maintain
ed a cottage at the local beach for
a number of years and all members of
"the family are well known here and
throughout the section .
J. H. 0UI1 NAMED
OFFICIAL OF OODY
Shelby Postmaster is Vice-President,
of State Association. Next Meet
ing Invited to Shelby.
Greensboro, July 13.—The Nortn
Carolina branch of the National
League of postmasters, in closing ses
sion of annual two-dav convention
here today, elected officers, elected a
delegate to the national convention,
selected meeting place for the next
convention and heard a round of talks
on the efficiency of the postal serv
ice and how to make it more efficient.
Officers chosen are:
President, W. B. Duncan. Raleigh;
first vice .president, J. H. Quinn,
Shelby: second vice nresident. Mrs.
Sarah E. Lunsford, Smithfield; sec
retary-treasurer, Miss Sallie Wil
kins, Magnolia. The last named Is a
re-election. All of th? officers were,
unanimously elected, there being in
each rase only one nomination.
Sanford won the choice for 1927
convention city of the North Carolina
branch over Andrews, Raleigh, Golds
boro, Durham and Shelby.
G. M. Eskridge Killed
In Indiana Wreck
S. C. Eskridge and A. P. Poston,
his brother-in-law, left Shelby first
of the week for Gary, Indiana, where
they were summoned on account of
the death of G. M. Eskriclge, a both
er, who was killed in a railroad acci
dent.
Mr. Eskridge received news of the
fatality Monday morni'ng, and im
mediately with Mr. Poston made ar
rangements to leave for Gary to
bring the body to Shelby.
The dead man was a native of this
section, but has lived in Indiana for
twenty-five years. He was a rail
road man, and met death, according
to the message, while on duty.
He was unmarried.
It is expected the remains will ar
rive here either today or tomorrow.
Play at Mooreshoro.
“High Brown Breach of Promise”,
will be given in high school audito
rium Saturday evening, July 17, 1928
at 8:30 o’clock.
Twenty-two characters. One hour of
real fun. Come and have a good laugh
with us. Admission 10 and 15 cents,
Play given by Mooresboro Baraca
1 class.
Bureau Sells '
4,015 Tags
Eskridge Garage Collects $55,738 In
Auto License Tags and Is Still
Selling Them.
How many motor vehicles nre
there in Cleveland county? It is al
most as interesting to speculate on
this subject as it is on the cotton crop.
The big difference is that the biggest
the cotton crop the more money
there is coming in while the more au
tomobiles in Cleveland, the tnore li
cense tags to buy, and more money
goes out. Last year there were some
thing over 4,000 motor vehicles in tho
county. It is conservatively estimat
ed that this year will show an in
crease of 500 which Includes passen
ger cars and trucks.
Chas. L. Eskridge who maintains a
license bureau for the Cnrolina Mo
tor club and the state department of
revenue jointly has already issued 4,
015 license tags for which the automo
bile owners paid $55,738. All of those
tags, however, hnve not been issued to
Cleveland county owners. Mr. Esk
ridge sells for a district embracing
several counties around Cleveland and
many have come in from these ad
joining neighborhood anil bought here.
On the other hand local owners sent
direct to Raleigh and bought tags so
the number of plates sold by Mr.
Eskridge in no way indicates how
many licensed motor vehicles there
are in Cleveland county.
The local bureau is still open and
will be for several weeks yet. Those
who have been delinquent can still
purchase tags here and should do so
at once as the extention time has ex
pired and there has been no further
official extension. In all probability
the officers will be busv right away,
stopping cars that are plying the pub
lic highways with old license plates.
SUMMER SCHOOL TO'
OPEN HERE JULY 28
Prof. A. C. Lovelace, New Shelby
Principal, May Teach During
Summer Seesion Here.
The summer school of the Shelby
city school system will open on Mon
day, July 26, according to an announ
cement by J. H. Grigg, former Shelby
High principal and now county super
intendent of education.
Mr. W. T. Sinclair, high school
teacher, and Prof. A. C. Lovelace,
newly elected Shelby High principal,
will likely form the faculty of the
school, it is said. Mr. Sinclair will be
one of the teachers it is definitely
known, while it is now likely that
Professor Lovelace will be the other
teacher.
The school will devote itself entirely
to high school subjects, it is further
announced, and no nnnil may take
over two courses. It is also required
that no new courses be taken up ex
cept in unusual cases. The main idea
of the summer school is to .-..'.(J scho^
pupils of the city who were condition
ed on some of their work to make up
the work on which they were delin
quent.
The summer school, inaugurated
three years ago, is proving a success
and grows every year.
Auction Sale Of
Property Thursday
Fifty-six lots, well located for
home sites, will be offered for sale at
public auction on Thursday July 15th,
beginning at 2:30 o’clock, the sale to
be conducted by the Shelby Real Es
tate company with R. E. Foster as
auctioneer. This property lies in north
Shelby between N. LaFayette and N.
Washington streets near where a new
school building is being erected and
is a five acre tract formerly owned
by Stephenson and Loy, but now own- "
ed by J. W. Spangler, J. A. and Oliver
S. Anthony. Not only does it join the
new school grounds, but also the Hop
per land where once was one of the
prettiest parks in Shelby. Forty-two
of the lots have eastern frontage, 14
have western frontage and nine have
frontage in both directions .All lots
have been divided into 25 foot units
and purchasers can buy as many as
they want to secure home sites to
suit their needs and requirements.
The Shelby Real estate company is
one of Shelby’s livest young organi
zations that is operating successful
ly and extensively in Western Caro
lina. It is composed of three young
hustlers: John W. Doggett, Grover
Beam and Ben Suttle.
Nerves of Steel, Too?
Here, said a lady to a beggar, is
a glass of water—pure, cold, delicious
water. What? You refuse it?
He shook his head and sighed. I
have to ma’am, he said. You see I’ve
got an iron constitution and water
would rust it.