VOL. XXXV. No. 126
THE CLEVELAND STAR
SHELBY, N. C. MONDAY, OCT. 22, 1928.
10 PAGES
TODAY
Published Monday, Wednesday, and Friday Afternoons
By mail, per year (in advance) $2.60
Carrier, per year (in advance) $3.00
J LATE NEWS
Shelby Market.
Spot Cotton _.*_. 19c
Cotton Seed, per bu. ...._60c
Shower* Tonight.
Today’* North Carolina Weather
Report: Increasing cloudiness fol
lowed by showers in Interior late
tonight and Tuesday. Warmer In
central and extreme west portions
tonight.
IS. SPUIINIS
BURIED Sill
Saintly Woman Of Fallston Section
And Mother Of Solicitor
Spurgeon Sptirlin Passes
Mrs. Katherine Spurlin, 73-year
old widow of Monroe Spurlin who
died eight years ago. died rather
suddenly Saturday afternoon at 3
o'clock following a stroke of para
lysis which she suffered Just ten
hours previous to her passing. Mrs.
Spurlin was one of the most con
secrated women in the community,
beloved by all who knew her and
the sorrow of the community was
manifested in the large crowd that
attended the funeral services at
Pleasant Grove Baptist church. It
Was one of the largest crowds and
one of the prettiest floral offerings
that has been seen at Pleasant
Grove.
Mrs. Spurlin lived three miles
north of Fallston with her son,
Frank Spurlin. She was a charter
member of Pleasant Grove church
and her body was interred beside
her husband who preceded her to
the grave. Funeral services were
conducted by Revs, G. P. Aberne
thy, I. D. Harrtll and Zeno Wall.
Special music was rendered by Mr.
Horace Easom,
Surviving are five sons, Gaston,
Frank and Buford Spurlin, pros
perous farmers of the Fallston com
munity, E. G. Spurlin, secretary
treasure? of the Stamey company
and Hon. Spurgeon Spurlin, solici
tor for this district, two daughters,
Mrs. John Boggs and Mrs. Boyd
Lattimore. Twenty-three grandchil
dren also survive, together with two
brothers, Messrs. Kem ar.d Zem
Williams and one sister, Mrs. Amos
Wright,
Hickory To Meet
Shelby Here For
Grid Game Friday
Highs Have Another Tough Foe.
Zeno Wall Given High
Praise.
The Shelby Highs are having two
hard weeks of it in a row. Last
Friday it was Charlotte, and the
coming Friday it will be Hickory,
considered the dark horse for the
State football title this fall.
The strong Hickory eleven, led by
Pinkey James and Red Espey, both
brilliant performers, will p!ay at
3:30 on the city gridiron. Last year
Shelby defeated Hickory but with
a couple of regulars missing from
the Shelby line-up due to injuries,
Hickory has the edge. The odds for
the visiting eleven Increase when
it is noted that they have swept
over every opposing eleven this sea
son by good margins. Recently
they gave Chakales and his Ashe
ville eleven a good licking and Ashe
ville sport writers declared Hickory
to have one of the best high school
outfits ever seen there.
Some Runner.
Randy Edmundson, Charlotte
News sport writer, in his coverage
of the Charlotte game here paid a
high tribute to Zeno Wall, scrapping
little Shelby field general. His men
tion of the young quarterback fol
lows :
“Wall has the making of a real
ball carrier. He runs like a vet
eran on a college team and handles
the team well. He threw most of
the passes and when he was in
the backfield the spectators just
took more Interest in the game.
He Is short, stumpy and probably
weighs less than 130 pounds, but
is hard and tough. He received
an injury in the first period and
was forced from the game, but came
back in the second half and played
until the final whistle. Some col
lege will be lucky to get him. We
predict a great future for this lad.’’
Brother Of Mr. T. P.
Jenks Passes Away
Words has been received here of
the passing of Lincoln county of Mr.
Augustus Henry Jenks, brother of
Mr. T. P. Jenks of fchelby, who died
October 18 at the age of 65 years.
Mr. Jenks was married June 26,
1884 to Cora Bess and to this un
ion was born eight children—-five
boys aaud three girls. All are living.
Mr. Jenks also leaves to mourn his
departure, his wife and one broth
er. T. P, Jenks of Shelby and one
sister, Mrs. George Beam. Mr. Jenks
was a devoted husband and kind,
affectionate father and in his pass
ing his wife, children and friends
fee! a keen loss. He was a man of
broad intellect and of few words but
deep thought. During his life he
made many warm friends who will
remember him for years to come.
He was buried at Bess’ Chapel Me
thodist church.
Cole Blease Speaks
At Kings Mountain;
Hoey Here Monday
South Carolinian Speaks Next
Saturday. Hoey Here
For Court.
Campaign oratory of types and
parts Is billed to be heard over
Cleveland county this week and
net as the campaign nears Us close.
Fire-eaters, spell-binders, whoo
pee artists and just plain campaign
speakers are on the lists for iorensic
offerings during the week, it is
announced from the several head
quarters.
Biease And Hoey.
Of more interest perhaps than
any other announcement is that
coming from Judge B. T Falls,
comity Democratic chairman, that
Senator Cole Biease, of South Caro
lina, will speak at Kings Mountain
next Saturday afternoon at 2:30
o'clock. The announcement rated by
him as next in importance is that
Clyde R. Hoey will be back home
for a speech next Monday afternoon
after stumping this state and Vir
ginia. Next week is court week and
Hoey will speak at 2 o'clock at the
court house Monday afternoon.
Newell Coming.
The Republicans list as their big
speaker of the week the coming of
Hon. Jake F, Newell, The well
known Republican chairman, will
assure us of "four years of Hoover
administration."
An Anti Speaking.
On Saturday night, it is an
nounced. Judge Nathan Newby, of
California, will make an anti-Smith
address in the court house here.
This means three speakings in
the county next Saturday—one
Democratic, one Republican, and
one anti-Smith.
Crowd For Biease.
The appearance of Biease, the
South Carolina fire-eater, at Kings
Mountain, is expected to draw one
of the largest crowds of the cam
paign in the county and people
from an sections of the county are
planning to hear him. The Kings
Mountain high school auditorium
will seat about 2,000 people, it is
said, and for the information of
those in various sections of the
county who want to hear Biease
Chairman Falls announces that the
auditorium will be arranged to hold
a large gathering. It was hoped to
have Biease appear in Shelby but
this was impossible due to his
speaking dates.
Charlotte Lawyer Addresses Anti
Smith Rally At Reaver
Dam School.
Marvin L. Ritch, Charlotte attor
ney, was the principal speaker at'
an anti-Smith meeting held Satur- ;
day night at the Beaver Dam
school, just west of Shelby.
Mr. Ritch was introduced by Mr.
Joe E. Blanton, of Shelby, who is
the head of the local anti-Smith
organization.
Between 60 and 75 people attend
ed the rally it was estimated.
The Fox’s Last Photo
This official photo of Edward
Hickman, alias “the fox,” was
taken Oct. 17 at the request of
his mother in Kansas City. _ It
shows the slayer of Marian
Parker dressed in civilian
clothes just before he was
given the garb of the con
demned and placed in death cell
at San Quentin prison.
tlnternulonal .N«w»re#l A. T. A T.)
Hickman was Normal
Body Post-Mortem
College Medical Authorities Find
Large Brain But No
Affliction.
San Francisco.—University of Cal
ifornia medical authorities, after
performing a postmortem on the
body of William Edward Hickman,
have announced that so far as they
could determine, there was no con
stitutional evidence of insanity.
Hickman was hanged for murder
at San Quentin Prison. The report
of the examiners indicated that
there was nothing abnormal about
the endocrine glands—the internal
organs of secretion which are held
by scientists to contribute toward
mental affliction. The brain was
found to be unusually large.
Democratic Women
To Meet Tuesday
There will be a meeting of the
Woman’s Democratic club in the
court house Tuesday afternoon at
3:30 o’clock at which all women are
invited, especially the young women,
according to an announcement this
morning by one of the leaders of
this organization. Three good wo
men speakers will deliver short ad
dresses and the meeting gives
promise of being a most interesting
one.
Burglar, With Gag In Hand,
Found In Home Of W. Hill
Hudson; Attempt At Wall’s
Mr. Hudson Awakened To Find In
truder Near Bed With Cloth
In Hand.
Shelby had one of its biggest bur
glary scares Sunday morning early.
A burglar entered the home of
Mr. Hill Hudson, prominent travel
ing salesman living on West Marion
street at 2:30 o'clock Sunday morn
ing, and evidently intended to stifle
any outcry by tieing a piece of bed
spread over his victim's mouth. Mr.
Hudson awoke in the dead hour of
the night with a feeling that some
one was in the room. He switched on
the light at the head of his bed and
there stood a white man wearing a
sweater and cap pulled down over
his eyes. The intruder crouched and
wheeling around so Mr. Hudson
could not get a good view of him.
Then he ra nfor the steps leading
to the basement through which he
gained entrance and in leaving,
dropped the piece of bed spread,
about the size of a towel, which he
evidently intended to tie around the
mouth of any one in the house who
made an outcry.
Mr. Hudson gave an alarm which
awoke the other occupants of the
house, including Dr. J. w. Harbi
son who was sleeping upstairs.
They gave chase but being unarm
ed could not apprehend the bur
glar. Police were notified and a
search was made but no suspicious
character w’as located.
Try Wall House.
Shortly before the Hudson home
was entered, a prowler was heard
trying the outside doors at the
home of Dr. Zeno Wall, at the
Baptist parsonage, but the doors
were securely locked. It is presum
ed that this w-as the same burglar
who, failing to gain an entrance to
the Wall home, went on up street
and entered the Hudson home1
through the basement.
It is thought that the burglar
was following up the amusement
company which played the colored
fair here last week. Whether any
one else was with him is not known.
Only the one man was seen in the
Hudson bed room.
Laughs And Jokes
Behind The Bars
After Wife Dies
Will Gillfard Unperturbed When
Told That Shots He Fired
Proved Fatal.
Down in the county jail Will
Gilliard, colored, laughs and
jokes with the other prisoners
although there may be intervals
when he can vision himself being
seated in the electric chair at
Raleigh.
Friday shortly after noon
Gilliard whipped out a gun on
Trade alley and shot his wife,
Lela, twice in the left side Just
under the arm-pit. Then he
ran at full speed to the county
jail and asked to be locked up.
Saturday morning about 9
o’clock the woman died in the
city hospital despite the efforts
of surgeons to save her.
It is not likely, it was said to
day, that Gilliard will be given
a preliminary hearing as su
perior court convenes here next
Monday with Judge James Webb
presiding.
The real cause for the shoot
ing is not definitely known. It
is understood that the negro
said something about his wife
fooling around with another
man before he shot her.
Fire Breaks Out
Three Times In
Houser Residence
Catches Twice After Firemen
Leave. Blaze. Starts From.
Oil Heater.
A fire Saturday afternoon at the
home of Mr. Bert Houser, corner
Sumter and Morgan streets, brought
out the Shelby fire department
three times.
The first call came in the after
non about 3 or 3:30 o’clock when a
blaze broke out in the bathroom
from an oil heater. After it w'as
thought the blaze was extinguished
the fire department left only to be
called back an hour or so later
w'hen the fire broke out again. The
third call came later in the night
when a neighbor noticed still
another blaae spring up in the
house.
The family moved from the home
and carried out the furniture aft
er the roof was considerably dam
aged.
Fiddlers To Play
At Boiling Springs
Old Time Fiddlers Convention At
Boiling Springs Saturday
Night October 27.
There will be an old time fiddlers
convention at Boiling Springs Sat
urday night October 27, beginning
at 7:30 o'clock and some of the best
musicians of the two Carolinas will
perform. All musicians are cordially
invited to compete at this conven
tion as there will be no admission
charge or admission fee.
Prizes as follows will be awarded:
For the best string band $10, sec
ond best $5; best fiddler $5, second
best $2.50. Best banjo and fiddle $3;
best mandolin $3, second best man
dolin $1.50; best banjo $3, second
best banjo $1.50; best guitar $2.50,
second best guitar $1.50.
The convention will be held under
the auspices of the Carolyn Garri
son Bible class and a small admis
sion charge will be made.
Auction At Casar
On Wednesday Morn
The Nolans—meaning the J. B.
Nolan company—are announcing an
autumn auction, the sale of the W.
F. Warlick farm, located near Casr,
for Wednesday morning next. Rush
and Rush, well known here, will
do the selling. The farm contains
ninety-seven acres, and has been
subdivided. Farm houses, including
a modern residence, and personal
property will all go under the ham
mer.
Couple Married At
Court House Here
Hubert Clark and Essie Cham
pion, young people of this county,
were married at the county court
house here Saturday afternoon by
Squire T. C. Eskridge.
Bishop Cannon To
Speak At Rutherford
Forest City, Oct. 20.—Bishop
James W. Cannon, of the Metho
dist Episcopal church, will be in
Rutherford county October 27, and
will fill one speaking engagement.
It is not known yet where the
speaking will be held, but it will
either be in Forest City or Ruther
fordton.
DRIVER OF DEATH
CAR BOUND OVER
TO HIGHER COURT
rrea Mcuoweu, driver oi tne au
to on which Roger Roberts, young
negro man was riding when he was
killed Thursday night, was Satur
day bound over to superior court un
der a $500 bond. The bond was set
after a preliminary before Recorder
John P. Mull, and was given.
The two other colored men held
In jail in connection with Roberts’
death were freed by the court. They
were Lenton Ward and I. R. Byers.
Ward was driving a car just in front
of the McDowell car and Byers was
going east when the three cars
crashed into each other, presumably
because McDowell was attempting
to pass the Ward car Just as it met
the Byers car.
The dead youth was badly broken
up in the crash.
Other Court Cases.
Two women with the show opera
ting at the negro fair were given
a hearing in county court Saturday,
one for being drunk and the other
for driving while intoxicated. The
first one was taxed with the costs
while the latter paid $50 and the
costs.
Frank Allen, of Gaston county,
was fined $20 and the costs on the
charge of stealing a fountain pen in
the Piedmont cafe Friday night.
The court docket Saturday was
heavy but the majority of the cases
were minor charges, such as drunk
enness.
Several Estimate
Crop This Year
Will Pass Last
Estimates Run Close To 50,000 Bale
Mark. Contest Closes
October 3L
k • -
Have you made yoiff- estimate yet
as to how many bales of cotton
Cleveland county will make this
year? If not, the estimate should
get in this week or early next week
as The Star’s contest closes on
October'31'.
Write your estimate on a slip of
paper with your name and address
upon it, and leaye the slip at The
Star office or mail it. The best es
timate gets $5 at the end of the
ginning season.
Recent estimates are: Mrs. Myr
tle Whisnant 45,982 bales; Wilbur
Whisnant 49,793; A. W. Whisnant, j
48,237; Bulah Hunt, 43,425; Marie i
Hunt 47,826; Jesse Pearl Whisnant,!
46.300; Leona Hunt, 44,235; J. M.
Walker, 37,679; D. W. A. Cooper. I
49,454; Samuel Hamrick, 45,535;
Mrs. Samuel Hamrick, 46,650; W. C.
Lanier, 44,500; Woodrow F. Cooper,
44,444; J. P. Blalock, 46,666; Wood
row Morris, 37,618; Mrs. B. C.
Houser, 50,000; B. C. Houser, 48,000.
Simmons To Speak
In Raleigh Oct. 25
Booked For Thursday, Big Day Of
State Fair—Appear In
Auditorium.
Raleigh.—Senator F. M. Simmons
will speak in Raleigh Thursday
evening, October 25, at the city
auditorium, in opposition to the
Democratic candidate for the presi
dency, Alfred E. Smith, W. L.
Knight announced.
Mr. Knight, who is directing the
anti-Smith campaign from Raleigh
has booked Senator Simmons for
Thursday, the big day of the state
fair. Barring speakers of rational
note such as Bryan, Roosevelt and
Champ Clark, the state fair has not
been a felicitious season for ad
dresses and lectures. Theatricals
have gone terribly, but it is believ
ed with the new modes ofmaking
the capital, the automobile and the
good roads, Senator Simmons may
fill the ‘‘old cave” with folks even
if he fails utterly to reach them
with his voice.
His coming to Raleigh will be
over-matched in public interest by
A1 Smith alone. The anti-Smith
folks mean to give him one whale
of a crowd.
Senator Simmons will speak from
the same stage, it was anounced as
Dr. A. J. Barton, Baptist minister,
who is making a wide campaign
against Governor Smith. Dr. Bar
ton has spoken in Raleigh recently.
Young Democrats To
Meet Tuesday Night
A1 R. Bennett, organizer oi young
Democratic voters in Cleveland
county, announces that a meeting
of the Shelby committees and club
members will be held at the court
house here Tuesday evening with
important business to be transact
ed. All club members in and out
of Shelby are urged to attend if
possible.
First Gastonia Teacher Dead
Mr. J. B. Blanton, prominent Mooresboro citizen, who died last
week, taught Gastonia’s first school in 1880. At that time there were
two or three stores, and a blacksmith shop in Gastonia, but no churches.
May Be A Contest
Over The Election
Leading: Citizen Of IHooresboro.
Taught First School In Gas
tonia In 1880.
Mr. John Blanton.one of the pio
neer school teachers of this section
and prominent merchant of Moores
boro, died Friday night at a private
sanitorium at Morgahton where he
had been a patient for treatment
for several days. His death was due
to a stroke of paralysis. Mr. Blan
ton had been in poor health for
some time, but was in Sheiby one
day for the fair and here greeted
many of his friends. Mr. Bhutan is
a full brother of W. Hackett Blan
ton, of Shelby, and a half brother
of Mr. James A. Wilson, of Shelby.
The funeral was conducted Sun
day afternoon at 2:30 o'clock at
Sandy Plains Baptist church by the
pastor, Rev. Mr. Stoudemire, as
sisted by Rev. John W. Suttle, of
Shelby, and Dr. W. H. Frazier,
president oi yueens college, unar-,
lotte. A tremendous crowd gather
ed to pay a tribute of respect to his
noble life and one of the largest
floral offerings ever seen at Sandy
Plains attested the esteem in which
he was held.
Taught First Gastonia School
Mr. Blanton taught school in
early life. He taught the first
school in Gastonia in 1880 and was
responsible for the sentiment which
caused the citizens to build a two
story school building, one of the
largest in this section of the state
at that time. Then followed a
building boom when the fiist cot
ton. mill in Gaston was erected.
Mr. Blanton was a clean, upright
citizen, honest in his dealings, gen
erous and kind. He became one of
the leading and most influential
citizens of Mooresboro, being presi
dent of the Mooresboro Cotton Oil
company and was a merchant,
farmer and fertilizer dealer. He
was twice married, the first time
to Miss Barr of Lineolnton. After
her death he married Miss Lillian
Purcell, of Mooresboro, who sur
vives with ten children: R. S. and
W. M. Blanton, prominent business
men of Charlotte, Mrs. J. A. Mc
Brayer, Mrs. J. Walter Lucas. R. P
and John Blanton, jr„ all of Mbdres
boro; Charles and Fred Blanton, of
Columbus, Polk county; Mrs. Frank
Speight, of Rock Hill, S. C., and
Mrs. C. O. Champion, of Moores
boro. Also surviving are one brother,
W. Hackett Blanton, of Shelby, a
half brother, Mr. James A. Wilson,
of Shelby. e.ud cne ister, Mrs. J. D
Andrews, oi Roxboiu.
A Close Race May See A Scrap Over
Electoral Votes. None
Since 187G.
Washington.There Is just a
remote chance that the result of the
forthcoming presidential election
will be seriously contested by the
minority party. There has oeen no
such contest since 1876.
There will be no contest unless
the winning candidate's margin in
the electoral college is Very small,
if then. Electoral college majori
ties are nearly always of substan
tial size, but the fact that many
political forecasters admit the pos
sibility of a close vote this year
enhances interest in what might
happen.
Failure of congress to reappor
tion its membership, according to
mandatory provisions cf the Con
stitution. is responsible lor the
raising of this question. Electoral
college votes are apportioned in ac
cordance with congressional dele
gations. Each state has an elector
for every senator and representation
is supposed to be determined by
population. The changes demand
ed by the Constitution have not
been made since the census of 1920
—the first case of such emission
in lystory, Reapporuonment was
formally refused in a vote by the
house during its last session.
Thus there has been a chance
that some bright lad might raise
the issue of whether or not any
piece of national legislation pass
ed in recent years could be consid
ered constitutional. No one has
quibbled about that, but the mat
ter takes on added importance when
it is recalled that the electoral col
lege system, by which presidents are
elected, is also involved.
The queston already has been
raised in responsible quarters.
Congressman Earbour, after the
house vote, said he could readily
see how the correct interpretation
of the Constitution might throw
the 1928 election into the courts.
William Starr Myers, professor
of politics at Princeton and his
torian of the Republican party, also
has foreseen the possibility of se
rious trouble and has accused con
gress of “utter recklessness’’ in
failing to reapportion. He even
suggests that the present House is
not constitutionally formed. Point
ing out the possibility of “even
revolutionary action,” he warns
against the danger of another
Hayes-Tilden contest.
Here’s a possibility, based on
the correct apportionment of the
electoral college as constitutional
ly provided:
Assuming that Smith should car
ry Ohio, New Jersey, Texas, Ari
zona, Connecticut, Florida, North
Carolina and Oklahoma, there
would be 12 additional electoral
votes which might be considered
his, taking thes» states by them
(Comhiucd on page ten >
VOTERS TO PISS
Oil MOMENTS
ELECTION DAY
Three Important Amendments To
State Constitution
Coming Up.
With all of the furore raised over
the presidential campaign and the
other political races a goodly per
centage of North Carolina voters
no doubt have overlooked the fact
that they will vote upon three im
portant amendments to the state
constitution on November 6:
With so much talk about A1 Smith
and Herbert Hoover, The Star is of
the opinion that voters should be
aware of the three amendments to
be voted upon next month. No
voter should cast a ballot for or
against an amendment blindly and
for that reason The Star explains,
as best it can, the amendments.
What They Are.
The first is an amendment to in
crease the pay of legislators; the
second has to do with establishing
certain judicial districts, and the
third is on the matter of tax levy.
H. M. London, legislative librarian,
explains the amendments as follows:
Discussing the amendment chang
ing the pay of members of the
general assembly, Mr. Lcndon says:
“This amendment relates sim
ply to the pay of members of the
general assembly. As the consti
tution is now written, the members
of the body are allowed $4 per day
for each day of the session for a
period not exceeding 60 days. They
may serve longer than 60 days, but
without compensation. They are
entitled, also, to 10 cents per mile
going and coming from their homes
by the nearest route of public trav
el. The presiding officers of the
two houses are allowed $6 per day
and mileage. The same compensa
tion is allowed for only 20 days of
an extra session.
"It is proposed in the amend
ment that the members of the gen
eral assembly shall each receive a
salary for the term of their office
of $600. The-salaries of the presid
ing officers of the two houses shall
be $700. No mileage
| should be called, the members shall
! receive, in addition to the compen
sation referred to above, $8 per
day for 20 days only, while, the
presiding officers shall receive $10
per day, for 20 days only. This
likewise is without any mileage at
all.”
Solicitors* Districts.
The object of the amendment
providing for solicitcrial districts,
Mr. Lcndon says, is to eliminate
“entirely the connection between
solicitors and judicial districts.”
“As the constitution now stands,
the solicitor must be elected for
each judicial district. There are
now in the state of North Carolina
20 judicial districts and £0 solici
tors. The object of this prepoeed
amendment is to eliminate solici
tors and judicial districts and to es
tablish what is called in the pro
posed amendment, "Solicitorial dis
tricts.” The proposed number is 24.
The general assembly, however, is
granted authority to reduce or in
crease this number as it may from
time lo time deem wise. If this
section is adopted, then we will
have in the state of North Carolina
a system of judicial districts and
also a system of solicitorial districts,
thus enabling the general assembly
to increase the number of judges
without increasing the number of
solicitors or to increase the number
of solicitors without increasing the
number of judges.”
Taxation Amendment.
The proposed taxation amend
ment is largely to authorize classi
fication of intangible personal
property, Mr. London points out.
"In the constitution as now writ
ten, section 3 of article V, all
property of every description is re
quired to be taxed by a uniform
rule. That section also provides
machinery for what is Known as
the home exemption provision. The
rest of the section contains au
thority to tax trades, professions,
franchises and incomes.
"The amendment to this section
(Continued on page ten.)
Forest City To Open
New City Hall Nov. 1
Forest City, Oct. 20.—Forest
City’s new city hall will be ready
for occupancy about November l,
according to Mayor Chas. Z Flack,
This building cost approximately
$25,000.
GOVERNOR S SON IN
SIGMA Nil CHAPTER
In the recent fraternity rush at
the University of North Carolina,
James Webb Gardner, son of Mr.
and Mrs. O. Max Gardner, wa»
pledged by the Sigma Nu frater
nity.