' | Tnvmbar "North Carolina PRESS ASSOCJAT By mail, per yetr (in advance)_$2.6< By carrier, per year (in advance) $3 0» What’s THE News .THE STAR’S REVIEW. It’S now only 309 shopping days until Christmas. Christmas drinking is on the de crease, county officers tell The Star. . . „ One of the biggest business changes of 1926 took place yester day when B. O. Stephenson purchr.e ed Riviere’s drug store. An idea as to the Christmas mail handled at the Shelby postoffice is contained in an article in today’s Star. Farmers should take note of the big farm meeting to be held here next week, details of which an given in this issue. Several Shelby merchants say that business was better in 1926 than in 1925. A good disinfectant for the hard times topic. Where is the Hickory peddler who disappeared from the Shelby section November 30. Within a short time after a man of the Fallston section died his home was destroyed by fire, says a news item in The Star today. What are the outstanding needs of Shelby and Cleveland county ? If you know you mak make some money by reading today’s paper. George Estelle, who died recent ly, was one of the quaintest char acters in this country. Rambling sketches of his colorful life arc related in this issue. Personal mention of Christmas visitors, Christmas parties, dance and other Shelby Yuletide events may be found in this paper. And the “newest news” Friday. again FARM CAMPAIGN HERE TO START TUESDAY, JAN. 4 Millsaps and Gardner to Speak Here in Court House Jan. 4, on Balanced Farm System. The campaign to bring about a better balanced system of farming in the cotton growing counties of North Carolina will begin on Jan uary 4th when the first county wide cotton meeting will be held. The county meetings continue until January 15 after which the com munity meetings begin. These wil! be continued by the county agents and their supporting organizations until every cotton farmer in the State has in some way received the message of better farming and the dangers which beset cotton grow ing next year. At the county-wide meetings, blanks which call for a better bal ancing of the farm operations will be distributed. On the back of the blanks will be a suggest farm or ganization which has been found to pay by some of the best farmers in Eastern Carolina. Two copies of the blank will be given to each cotton farmer attending the meeting. He will be asked to fill out one and return it to the college through his county agent. The blank does not call for a pledge to reduce acre age but calls for a better balanced system of farming which in itself will reduce the acreage by 30 per cent if adopted. In explanation of the blanks there will be distributed also a bulletin which shows the world cotton situation and which gives the best and latest recommenda tions about balancing cotton with livestock and poultry. This bulletin is now in the hands of the printer and will be delivered tn an edition of 50,000 copies at the first print ing. The bulletin was prepared by the agricultural specialists and ex perts of the school of Agriculture at State college and is said to be one of the most valuable publica tions recently issued at the college. The meeting for Cleveland will bo held at the county courthouse on January 4th with Max Gardner and E. S. Millsaps as speakers. O. C. Lewis Grocery Makes Assignment The O. C. Lewis grocery store in West Shelby made a voluntary assignment yesterday and it is understood that Mike Austell has boen named as assignee. Mr. Eewis has been conducting a groc *ry store' in West Shelby for sev oral years, doing a heavy and fancy grocery business. It is not known how his liabilities and as compare, but it is understood that his creditors have accounts against the store on which they ^111 not realize a hundred cents on *be dollar. Double Tragtdy Strikes Family In Fall;; ton Section. Home Burned After Death Within forty-eight hours of the ,-iroe Johnn’.o Walker was buried, his home was destroyed by fire near Falls^on early Tuesday morn ing. Mr. Walker, a man about 50, who lived on Mrs. Hunt’s farm two miles northeast of Fallston, was taken suddenly ill Christmas day with convulsions. He had eaten a hearty Christmas dinner about noon and died Saturday evening at 7 o clock after having one convul sion after another. On Sunday he was 1/ ried at Knob Creek Method ist church. Early Tuesday morning his home was destroyed by fire. Just how the fire originated, no one knows. His wife and three children were at home at the time of the fire was found to be eating through the roof of the building. Deputy Ed Dixon, was the first man on the scene and his alarm brought in other neighbors, but the roof was soon falling in and every' attempt to save the house and contents was without avail. The house, a small tenant structure, was owned by Mrs. Hunt on whose plantation the family lived. None of the household goods were saved and the widow and children are at the mercy of the friends ar.d neighbors. One bale of cotton and the seed there from was also destroyed, leaving the family in destitute circum stances. Mr. W’alker was a quiet, peace able, and highly respected citizen. Three Auto Firms Moving This Week Three local auto dealer? swap locations with each other this week. On Friday December 31st the change will be made when the Charles ET. Lambeth Motor com pany which handles Dodge automo biles and Graham Brothers trucks moves into the S. A. Washburn building on N. Morgan street where now is located the Chrysler agency. The Jordan Motor company which sells the Chevrolet will occupy' the Gardner garage building on S. La-' Fayette street vacated by Lam-! beth. The B. B. Higgins Motor • company which handles the Chrys-1 ler car will mqve into the Charles ! Hoey building occupied by the Jor- j don-Chevrolet building occupied by the Jordon-Chevrolet company on > S. Washington street. Christmas Affray Involves Champion _ C. O. Champion, of Mooresboro, the man who attained the lime light some months back by myste riously shooting a Scotland county man at the Charlotte speedway races, is in the Shelby hospital for treatment as the result of an af fray in the Shelby cafe here Christ mas night. Champion, who it is said was drinking, became engaged in a controversy with Laymon Beam, Shelby High football star, and the controversy'developed into a fistij encounter with Beam apparently holding the advantage. According to street reports Champion flashed a razor during the melee but was disarmed before getting it into play. As the result of the fight Champion was carried to the hos pital for treatment. It is understood the affair will be “aired” in court when Champion is able to attend. Supply Company Enlarges Space The Shelby Supply company, op erated by Gerald Morgan on N. LaFayette street has rented the store room recently vacated by Miss Georgia Lutz millinery store and now the supply company occu pies two adjoining store rooms. The stock has been greatly enlarged, carrying a full line of mill supplies and mill hardware and caters large ly to the textile trade throughout this part of the state. The substan tial growth in business made it ne cessary to obtain more space, so the store now has two store rooms in the Hamrick building on N. La Fayette street. Keeps 'Promise—Dies. Boston. Mass.—When a boy, Jo. seph D. Donovan said he would have made his million by the time he was forty-five and then he would retire. He kept his promise retiring from business last year at forty-five. He died recently, less than a year after his retirement. What Does Shelby And County Need Most In New Year Is farm diversification the big gest need of Cleveland county in 1927? Maybe. But what is the biggest need of the town of Shelby for the New Year ? The Star is offering two prize . one of $3 and one of $2 to the two best lists containing the five greatest needs of the county for 192i. Th° lists will be judged by three representative citizens ami their lists will be announced in The Star of Friday, January 7. Lists must be in The Star office by noon preceding the day of publication. This contest is sponsored by The Star with the ultimate aim of bet tering town and county conditions in the New Year. The two winning lists will be turned over to the chamber of commerce, county farm board and county commissioners and will receive the support of The Star in bringing the needs to real ization. Are you interested in your town and county? If so get busy and send in your list. DRUNKS DECREASE DURING YULET1DE OFFICERS STATE Smaller Number of Boozers “Can ned” Here During Christmas Than Ever Before. Despite the fact that some “spir its” were in evidence during the Christmas holidays Sheriff Hugh Logan says that in his opinion there were fewer “drunks” during the Christmas just past than ever before. Sheriff Logan should know too, for it’s down at the building super vised by him that the drunks are taken until they “get out from under." Asked by a Star reporter as to the quantity of folks placed in jail during the holidays the sheriff stated that a smaller number was locked up than over some of the week ends not in the holiday sea son. Although troubled to an extent somewhat customary by Yuletide imbibing, city officers are also of the opinion that holiday drinking is decreasing rapidly. Several reasons are given for the decrease. First, it is said mo ney is not so plentiful that liquor may be bought freely. Second, that from the standpoint of prohibition the country is growing ' better, which sides with the views of Fed eral Judge E. Y. Webb. And, third, that many folks who ordinarily take a “sip or two” during Christ mas have become wary of all booze, fearing that they might get hold of some of the poison liquor which is so plentiful these days. Anyway the county jail has more empty cells this week than is cus tomary after Christmas. Elliott Boys Preach At Old Home Church During the holidays, the people of the Pleasant Grove community at Beams Mill had the pleasure of hearing two promising young min isters who have gone out from that church. Rev. Sylvester Elliott, a student in the Southern Theologi cal Seminary at Louisville, Ky., and his brother Rev. Yancey C. Elliott, a student at Wake Forest college, both filled the.jpulpit at Pleasant Grove, each one preaching a fine sermon. These young men are sons of Mrs. J. Y. Elliott and have promise of becoming two of the leading ministers in the Southern Baptist convention. While they are pursuing their studies at the Sem inary and at Wake Forest, both are actively engaged in ministerial work in their respective communi ties. Three People Get Cut Up In Wreck Mrs. D. L. Thrift, of Shelby R-l. and two sons, Hilliard and Ben, re ceived treatment for lacerations yesterday at the Shelby hospital as the result of an auto crash on the slippery street just in front of the home of Mr. A. B. C. DePricst on the Cleveland Springs road. A car occupied by the Thrifts and one driven by T. B. DePriest, young son of Mr. DePriest, crashed to gether at that spot as the DePriest car was either going in or coming out of the driveway to the street, it is said. Both cars were dam aged to an extent. According to a notice from the hosiptal the Thrifts were able to re turn home after receiving treat ment for lacerations and bruises about their faces, heads and hands. John Hall. 55, Bought Ticket Here Nc\embor .'10, And Hasn't Been Seen Since Do you know a tall, slender man of 53 years, wearing n sandy ,mus tache, a. cl walk ins: with n cane owing to a slightly deformed left foot ? If so perhaps you can help au thorities locate John Hall, Hickory peddler, who disappeared some where in this section about the last of November nnd hasn’t been heard from since. A mystery surrounds the disap pearance of the man, who it is said sold perfumer, and officials of Catawba county after consulting with his wife are making an inves tigation into the natter. Hall, it is said, wrote his wife from Shelby about November 30, saying that he would be home with in a few davs. So far his wife, who lives in the Windy City section a few miles from Hickory. Mrs. Hall is of the opinion that robbery was the motive behind the sudden disappearance of her hus band, and when her husband fail ed to show up at home she and her daughter came to Shelby to start an investigation, according to Hickory dispatches. Judge E. B. Cline, of Hickory, it is said to have taken charge of the search recently and investigators have learned, it is said, that two men were with Hall , when he purchased his ticket for Hickory. Sheriff Logan states that he re ceived a message from Hickory about the man but that he and his deputies so far have been unable to locate anyone here acquainted with him. Likewise none of the business men or others about town seem to remember the crippled peddler de finitely enough to recall when he was last seen here. Early Posting of Mail Aids in Dis patch. Postmaster Quinn Thanks Patrons. Mail going through the local postoffice war fully a fourth heav ier this year than last, according to clerks in the office. And the an nual slogan “mail early” had some effect on the patrons. The Christ mas mail rush started earlier than usual and at 4 o’clock on Christ mas eve, the heavy rush stopped like the flood gates had been drop ped suddenly. 'Of course there was some carry-over and a few strag gling letters and parcels that had to be worked Christmas day and after, but the bulk of the incoming and outgoing mail was dispatched much earlier than usual. Postmaster Quinn is pleased with the co-operation of the patrons of the office and on the other hand, the patrons are commending the clerks and officials for the prompt ! service rendered in the rush of the i holiday season when the mail is 1 always at its peak for the year. Mr. Quinn has addressed the following letter to The Star: i “In behalf of all connected in any I way with the handling of the mails at this office this year, I desire to ! express, through you, to the pat , rons of this office our highest ap | preciation for the co-operation giv len us in handling the Christmas | mails. It is evident that the pub | lie in heeding the annual appeals of i the post office department for early and often mailing, which prevents a congestion at the last. Although 1 we have handled a larger volume of business this year than usual, it was done without a hitch and with out any delay, all mail being dis tributed from one arrival before the next arrival. The public has been kind and reasonable, making no un reasonable demands upon us. We greatly appreciate the many kind remarks heard from our patrons. It is always a joy to know that our efforts are appreciated. It is an in spiration for better service in the future. I “In this connection, I desire thus publically to express to every em ployee at this office my highest ap preciation for the hearty co-opera tion and the faithful service ren dered throughout this holiday' sea son in handling the mails so satis factorily. Every man was at his post day and night up to noon Christmas day without a single failure. I do not think any office has a more faithful corps of clerks and carrier's. “May the New Year bring to all a full measure of life’s richest blessings.” I Spends Three Years Making Table Infinite patience, anc 50,619 pieces of wood, were used by George L. Hathaway, inmate of the San Diego war veterans’ hospital. In making this table' He began it three years ago, and his only tools were a pocke* knife and a saw. He's shown finishing It. Odd Character Of County Was Man Of Unique Birth—Buried Last Week George Estelle Often Wanted To Know His Legal Nationality Sunstroke Gave Him Permanent —__1—_ Shave When George Morgan Estelle died last week on the farm of Clerk A. M. Hamrick, north of Shelby, one of the most unique characters in Cleveland county passed away. * * * Estelle, a man of 84 years and a derelict of the wanderlust, often wondered as to his exact national, ity—that is, as expressed by im migration laws. One of the favorite questions of the quaint old fellow' was to puzzle a friend with the question: “I was born on an Amor ican ship in the .Mediterranean sea of a Spanish father and an Irish mother. Just what na tionality am I?" Technically he never knew. Aft er asking the question he often said: “I knew you couldn’t tell me. I ve asked Clyde Hoey, Max Gard ner, Judge Webb and all othe oth er smart folks and they couldn’t tell me.” That question was one of the few keys to Estelle’s mysterious past—a luring past that covered wide areas from sea to sea, misfor tunes, endless travels, odd happen ings, and, occasionally, good luck. Nobody ever learned the complete past history of the man despite the fact that he lived in this sec tion for many years, casting his lot it> this county after one of the most colorful lives ever recounted. Occasionally friends gleaned from him startling bits of information concerning a wild, roaming life that overshadowed the most glow ing mythology of Joseph Conrad. None of Conrad’s famous sea char acters could have passed through events that transpired in actuality for George Estelle. Withered, hairless about the face, of odd stature and demeanor Geo. was long pointed out as a charac ter on Shelby streets. Years ago— just how many no one knows def initely—George wandered in to Shelby and secured employment with the English Monazite com pany in the days when Cleveland was one of the leading monazite mining counties. For 17 years he remained with the company as a valued employe and the company in a way cared for him for many years after his ability to serve was ended. After that period he lived on farms north of Shelby in th Spurling section, being considered even in his old age as a tireless worker. When he talked he was in teresting, but it was seldom that he talked openly of his past—a past that would have made a col orful novel. " Born on Seas. So far as was ever learned George’s birth was much like he gave it. It is presumed, since he has numerous brothers in the north west, his famil ywas of the Irish immigrant class in the early days. Just why or how his father mar ried an Irish woman is part of the mystery in his early life. Anyway,1 travelling to the west coast of America by a round-about cruise, George was born somewhere on the Mediterranean. Reaching boyhood the call of the sea that he inherit ed by birth lured the boy of odd parentage back to a sailor’s life. During this period—perhaps a de cade—of sailing before the mast, t it was that Estelle passed through many dangerous, and colorful ex periences. Shipwrecked several times, marooned on islands not populated or populated with sav ages—all the experiences of the old-time sailor. Later he followed the call of the wanderlust here and there. To the Orient, back to the new country, to the Alaskan mining fields, the Barbary coast, Friscos’ Chinatown, and about New York when the Bowery was being made into history. No Shave For Years. For a score or more of years Es i telle never shaved. The absence of ! a razor for him was not because of any religious cult, but because i he didn’t need a shave. Cast adrift I on wreckage from a ship that went 1 to a watery grave he came ashore in the blazing sun along the South American coast. Wandering delir iously there in the sun for days he had a sunstroke. Thereafter hair never grew on his face and he lost his teeth. That marked the end of his seafaring life for he could not chance another sunstroke, though he lived for a half century after the first. One of his most colorful experi ences was a shipwreck of Which he related more than of the others. For weeks he drifted about before j being rescued and he survived be cause of a sailor's knot with which (Continued on page eight.) WHAT ARE FIVE GREATEST NEEDS OF SHELBY AND CLEVELAND COUNTY? Two prizes, one of $3 and one of $2, are offered by THE CLEVELAND STAR for the two best lists of the five greatest needs of the Town of Shelby and the County of Cleveland during the year 1927. Lists should be written on one side of the paper and mail ed or delivered to THE STAR by Thursday noon, January 6. Three representative citizens will act as judges. The winness and their lists will be announced in THE STAR of Fsiday, January 7. Get busy and win a Prize! _ * ‘1 • 1 City Bonds Sell To Chicago Firm At Good Premium ___ | Chicago Firm Buys $50,000 Water Works Bonds at a Premium of $51,082. Eight Bidders The Cttjr*s credit continues good. A $50,000 issue of five per cent water works bonds was sold Tues day for $51,082, making a new higli record at which Shelby bonds have ever sold, according to city offi cials. There were eight bidders and the successful bidder was E. P. Mc Maekin and company of Chicago. Morris Mather and company bid $50,280; Wachovia Bank" and Trust company $60,265.66; W. L. Slayton and company $50,041; Providenct Savings Bank $50,520; Pruden and company $50,435; Cleveland Bank and Trust company $50,056. The bond issue was authorized in November by the city fathers to finish paying for the city’s new water plant ' which was recently completed. When the plant was finished and the contractors had to be paid, the city borrowed a suffi cient sum from the street im provement fund to pay the balance due on the water plant, so the bulk of this new water works issue will be needed to refund the borrowed money to the street improvement fund, so the street work can be re sumed when winter breaks in the early spring. mm in One of Boys Connected With Kill in« of Frank Butler, North of Cleveland, Escapes. Charles Kendrick, Gaffney mar. serving: a seven-year sentence in the State prison for his connection with the death about one year afro of Frank Butler, alleged liquor dealer in Burke county just across the Cleveland line, escaped from prison last Friday. The other two men who left the prison were Frank Coffey and R. C. Odum, both of whom were serv ing three to five years terms, the former for store breaking and the latter for larceny. Kendrick was one of four Gaff ney youths convicted of manslaugh ter at Morganton in connection with the death of Frank Butler, alleged Burke county liquor dealer, who was shot and fatally injured at his home by a party of alleged rum runners. Wells Green, a Gaffney high school boy admitted firing the shot that is supposed to have killed But ler. Otis Jolly and Roy Hill, the re maining members of the party, were tried and convicted for com plicity in the slaying, and all four received varying sentences in the penitentiary. Green was given 8 to 10 years; Jolly four to five years; and Hill two to three years. Butler was killed January 30 and the trial took place March 15, this year. Kendrick had served only a lit tle more than nine months when he escaped. A Raleigh dispatch says of the escape: Three white convicts es caped from the North Carolina state prison Friday. They left in a prison truck to deliver laundry to the Old Soldier’s home and failed to return. One surrendered later to the Fayetteville chief of police. Those who escaped were Frank Coffey, serving three to five years for storebreaking; Charlie Ken drick, seven to eight years for man slaughter, and R. C. Odum, three to five years for larceny. Coffey surrendered at Fayette ville and turned the truck over to the police chief. Wray-Hudson Stage Big Reduction Sale Beginning Friday December 31st, the Wray-Hudson company will in augurate a big cut price sale to run for a period of nine days. The store will be closed all day Thurs day while the force is engaged in marking down prices to lower lev els. Messrs. Wray and Hudson say their sales this year show a gain of $22,000 over last year and that this splendid record is due to low prices and a big volume of busi ness. In this sale they have made bigger preparation than ever be fore and the prices are more at tractive. A larger quantity of mer chandise is offered than at any previous sale, and the so-called “specials” are in such quantities that there is no danger of, them running out. A double page adver tisement in today’s issue gives many of the low prices that will prevail during this big reduction sale. One of Shelby’s Lording Business Firms Changea Hands. Steph enson Experienced Man. One of Shelby's best known busi ness establishments changed hands yesterday when Mr. B. Ogburn Stephenson, formerly of Charlottes ville, Va., purchased Riviere’s drug store from Messrs. Zollie Riviere ard Garnett M. Cox. Although the. sum involved has not Keen made public the deal is considered one of the biggest business changes here in quite a number of months. Mr. Stephenson took charge of the store this morning and it will l>e operated under the firm name of the Stephenson Drug company, the new owner announces. Julian Hord, one of the registered ftharmacists now with the store, will be retain ed by the new owner as well as Hugh Hoyle, front man. Mr. Riviere will also remain wdth Mr. Stephen son for a time, it is announced, and the general policies of the store, one of Shelby’s leading drug es tablishments, will remain unchang ed. With Drug Firm. Mr. Stephenson, who several month ago married Miss Margaret Morgan, daughter of Mr. and Mrs F. R. Morgan, has been in the drug business for a number of years. For the past three years he has beer district sales manager for McKes son & Robbins, one of the country’s big drug firms. Prior to that time fie operated drug stores at Char lottesville and also at Buena Vista, Va. Mr. Stephenson is a success ful young business man as is evi denced by the responsible position he held with the big wholesale firm and with his experience in the drug trade he is expected to make a success of his new store here. The retiring owners are credited with having built up one of the best drug store patronages in this section. BosiMm HEBE THIS YEAR THAN LAST YEAR “My business this year shows art increase of from 15 to 20 percent, over that of last year,” is the statement of one Shelby business man when asked whether or not! business conditions replly justify, the so-called “hard times” being* talked. Another business man, head of d well-known Shelby concern, state! that the holiday trade at his stora surpassed that of last year by 2f percent. Two other prominent business men of the town being oueried stated that substantial in creases were shown in the year’ll business of their firms. The above information was sec ured by a Star reporter question ing four representative business men of the town. What’s more tin four were hopeful of still improv ed busini'ss during 1927, and oik gave the credit for his basinea increase to advertising., AH likewise agreed that 1928 especially the latter part, was m boom period, but that the publi generally was just now getting oj a sound basis and that instead o “splurge prosperity” t^ie time i marked by careful buying and better opinion on the value of th dollar—all of which assures sound er and steadier business for .th business man, they say. Leading Forecasts Banking and business leaders » the nation look for a good year; 1927. Two representative forecas are given below by two of Amt ica’s leading business men: Elbert H. Gary, chairman, Uni ed Steel corporation: “If business shall be serious diminished during the coming yef it will be the fault of ourselves, a not the fault of natural conditio of the lack of consideration ai fair treatment by the national at ministration.” The opportunities for sucees have been better than ever .befon he added. These opportunities 1) listed as rich resources, ineludin cash balance in banks; yearly in provements of banking faeilitit since the creation of the feder; reserve board, little disagreeme: or dissatisfaction in labor circles Charles P. Stone, jr., preside: of the General Motors corporate says it now seems reasonable 1 expect that the 1927 production < automobiles will equal if it do: not exceed the previous four yet average. He predicts that 1927 wi be a good and satisfactory ye; for the automobile industry

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