North Carolina Newspapers

VOL. XXXVII, No. 20 SHELBY, N. C. MONDAY, FEB. 10, 1931. Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday Afternoons. 8 PAGES I TODAY •-1-, •l> «»n ucr war tin Mtfanaci *rn*»r ntt rear <tn idvam*. *3.09 LA TE NEW. THE MARKET Cotton, per lb. ____...... 10c up Cotton Seed, per bu._... 34!*i< Cloudy, Rain. Today’s North Carolina Weather Report: Increasing cloudiness and warmer tonight followed by rain in west and central portions. Tuesday rain. Johnny Kytle Killed. Atlanta. Feb. 16.—Johnny Kytle, 35-year-old pilot for the Eastern Air Transport company, plunged to his death during a stunting exhibi tion at Candler Field ye«terday. Kytle had gone up in a small sport monoplane shortly afternoon to en tertain a Sunday crowd of several hundred persons. Witnesses said lie had put the little ship' through a series of stunts and was just com ing out of a barrel roll when the plane went into a nose dive. His low altitude made it impossible for him to right the shin, which crashed into a meadow bordering Candler Field. Hundreds of persons rushed to the plane, which was demolished. A physician in the crowd was one, of the first to reach the ship, but he said Kytle was dead when he was taken from the wreckage. Jurors Drawn For U. S. Court Term In March 54 Men To Serve On Juries Here Next Term of Federal Court To Convene Here Monday, March 16. Fifty-four men from four coun ties who will serve as grand jurors] and petit jurors at the next term of federal court here were drawn by Miss Fan Barnett, deputy federal court clerk, at Charlotte last week. The district court session con-; venes here Monday, March 16, with Judge E. Yates Webb presiding. Sixteen of the 54 jurors drawn are from Cleveland county. The others are from Lincoln, Gaston and Ruth erford counties. The Cleveland men drawn were: Roland Hamrick, W. R. Casstevens, John Mauney, A. R. McNeely, J. M. Ledford. Thomas Dye, Claude Crotts, Thomas Blalock, D. Byers, Charles Grigg, Robert Thornburg, W. C. Whitworth. E. L. Holland, G. P. Kendrick, H. Clay Cox, Lee Rob erts. Other jurors drawn: Lincoln coun ty: W. H. Boring, Summey Sain. Wray Sifford, Preston Bynum, David Bynum, O. S. Howard, Butler Scranca, 1. H. Howard, Eph. Killian, George Rudasill, Bruce Cherry, C. A. Goodson, C. C. ChuJders, Alonzo Shuford, Carl McIntosh, Lee Cline. Rutherford county: J. W. Beason, Fred Hill, J. D. Flack, C. Jack Lo <an, G. N. Huntley, J. D. Morris, John Carpenter, F. C. Hunt, F. B. Koone, F. D. Keeter, Benjamin Harrison, Furman Walker, J. L. Hamrick, Fred Pendergrass, Grover McDaniels, J. O. Griswold. Gaston county: W. H. Horsley, J. M. Deanguard, R. C. Crawford, R. B. Almand, Neal Carson, R, E. Eaker. Mrs. Eva Spain Buried On Sunday Y oung Matron Of Sharon Commun ity Succumbs To Pneumonia. Buried At Lattimore. Mrs. Eva Spain, wife of Lester Spain, of the Sharon community, Ciied in the Shelby hospital about noon Saturday of pneumonia. Slid ■ad been a patient there for only ihree days. Mrs. Spain before mar iage was Miss Eva Brooks, daugh ter of Mr. and Mrs. Carl Brooks o! Lattimore. She was only 16 years :’.nd 22 days old and before mar mge, attended school at Lattimore. At the funeral service held Sunday at Lattimore, Prof. Lawton Blanton paid a tribute to her as a fine Christian character and a model school student. Mrs. Brooks and her husband were natives of Georgia, but had lived in in Cleveland a number cf years and were highly esteemed by a hose of friends. Surviving are her '.usband, par ents and the following brothers and isters: Edgar, Stewart, Emmect, Carl, Jr., Mrs. McSwalti, Eva and Lizzie Brooks. Funerai services were conducted by Revs. W. C. Lynch, pastor of the Lattimore BapBs'. church, assisted by Revs. J. D. Bridges and I. D. Harrill. A laige crowd attended. Grier Child Victim Of Pneumonia, Age 3 Lewis Ray Grier, three months old child of Mr. and Mrs. J. R. Grier died Friday afternoon at the home of its parents, just west of the Ora Mill. The ch'ld was a vic tim of pneumonia. Funeral services were held at the home Saturday afternoon by Rev. W. A Elam nd interment was in the cemetery at nouble Springs Baptist church • .'ah' '• ‘ • ; • - ‘ Vote On Highway Plan Latter Pa rt Of Week Bitter Battle Waged On Program Gardner Proposal To Change High way System to Reduce Land Taxes In Spotlight. By. M. R. DUNNAGAN, Star News Bureau Raleigh. Feb. 16.—The highway reorganization plan of Governor Gardner occupied the center of the stage most of the past week: and when the general assembly recon vened today the bill tarrying out the ■ changes advocateo had not come from the committee. The re sult is that the bill will be the mahi consideration on floors of house and senate this week, toward the let ter part ot which it may reach a vote Much oratory, argument and some times bitter arraignment were in dulged in by proponents and oppou ents of the measure before the joint roads committees last week, pro '0 jing for abolishing the present state ! commission and naming another from the state at large, and taking over for maintenance the county roads. Flank Page, former chairman and CONTINUED ON PAGE EIGHT.! Vets To Gather Wednesday Ex-Service Men Of Cleveland Coun ty To Hold Mass Meeting. Dis cuss Bonus. The World war veterans of Cleve land county will hold a mass meet ing at the court house in Shelby Wednesday night at b o'clock. The motive of the meeting Is to discuss the immediate payment 0f the ca-h bonus and ways and means of bring ing about the payment now. All ex-service men, whether or not members of the American le gion, are urged to attend by Com mander W. S. Beam of the local le gion post. Simultaneous mass meetings will be held at the same hour all ov*» the country. Ex-service men in charge of ar rangements for the meeting here are Bob Crowder, Cuas. Woodson. E. B. Jarrett. Flay Hoey, Draper Wood, Horace Grlgg and C. M.' Dennis. To Gastonia. , Quite a number of Shelby Legion naires are in Gastonia today attend ing the gathering of post officers there. Ralph. Thomas O’Neill, na tional Legion commander, is the honor guest of the meeting. Farmers Pledge To Produce Their Food Grain And Hay Crou« Planned As Feed. Chicks and Hogs For Food. Two of the first fanners to pledge their- co-operation to The Star s “grow-your-own-food" Movement are V. V. Wright, Shelby Route 1, and T. M. Sweezy, of Fallston. Considerable acreage On the Wright farm will be set aside for corn, wheat, oats, hay and vege tables, and hogs and chickens will complete the live-at -home idea there. Mr. Sweezy plans to pro duce his own food and feed by giv ing enough acreage to potatoes and all garden crops. The best way out for the farmer in 1931 is to produce enough food and feed for home consumption in stead of “shooting the w-orks’’ on cotton. Farmers who will pledge tneir support to the live-at-home move ment are asked to fill out the fol lowing blank and mail it to The Star so that their names might be, entered on the live-at-home honor ; roll: 1 WILL LIVE AT HOME IN 1931 I hereby pledge myself to de vote enough acreage this Spring to food and feed crops to supply the wants of everything on my farm. If I'have tenants on my farm. I will insist that they alsc grow their own and feed. Name . _____ Address _ _ Pood crops planned McSwain Thinks Gardner’s Road Bill Will Pass Sees Big: Tax Reduction Resulting. State' Senator Discusses As sembly Topic. “I believe the highway bill, which provides for a new state highway system with the state taking over county roads will pass," Senator Peyton McSwain stated while spending the week end at his home here. "A strong fight is being made against, and, of course, it isn't posi tive that, the bill will go thrpugh, but in my opinion it will. The peo-^ pie seem to be for it, because of the promise of tax relief, and they’re let ting the representatives down in Raleigh know they want it passed," he added. Sees Good Reduction. With the state taking over coun ty roads, thus relieving land of road tax, and with the new stab supported school plan providing a larger equalization fund. Senator McSwain looks for a big reduction In taxes generally throughout the state. Consolidation BUI, Senator McSwaln discussed num erous other legislative matters ot Interest here. The definite outcome of his bill to consolidate three Cleveland coun ty offices cannot be foretold now. It may, it was hinted, go by the boards, The consolidation bill as originally introduced by him passed in the senate. In the house it was some what altered by Representative Henry B. Edwards and then passed. The substitute bill now returns to the senate, and its future in altered form 13 uncertain. Revaluation Work. Asked about the postponement of property revaluation Senator Mc Swain stated that he doubted if the revaluation could be postponed in this county longer than March 15 unless a special bill was passed giv ing Cleveland the privilege of pass ing up the revaluation for the time being. Representative Edwards be fore leaving to attend the general assembly was asked and agreed to Introduce a bill giving the commis sioners of the county power to post pone the work until a more suitable time when values are more evenly adjusted and when the expense of the work will not be too keenly felt. “I am opposed to the movement for a constitutional convention to re-write the state constitution,” the senator declared, “unless an amend ment with it instructs that the new constitution, or changes therein, be left to the vote of the people.” The constitutional convention bill passed the house without such an amend ment, hut when it came before the senate committee, of which the Cleveland senator is a member, the amendment stating that changes made in the constitution should be ratified by the people before becom ing "a part thereof was added- "The bill will never pass the senate with out that conditional amendment.” Senator McSwain predicted, "and it may not pass then. For my part 1 do not think it is right for 120 men to revise our constitution and say what changes should be made with out permitting the citizens to have their say ” The motion before the general as sembly to have A1 Smith, now va cationing at Pinehurst, to speak to the senate and house at Raleigh re ceived more applause, Senator Mc Swfdn said, than any development of the legislative sesion. “It seemed to be a Smith crowd,” he added. Negro Of Wealthy Name Freed Here James Several Thousand Dollars Marshall Comes Clear On Lar ceny Charge. The cyincal saying that it is al most impossible to convict a rl"h man in court was substantially en dorsed in the county court here to day. A colored man was up charged with stealing \ coat and he came clear. He gave his name as “James 3ev eral Thousand Dollars Marshall *' Asked why he was given such a peculiar name, James stated that hc! did not know except "that's wnat my inamy called me.” Lawyers bandying the odd name about the court room came to Uie conclusion that had been found guilty and bound to Superior eo n *• ills name should have entitled him to a personal recognizance bond A Grand Old Man Loo.ung over the years well < spent and sounding an optimistic note in business, Thomas Alva Edison, world famous inventor, k potted for the camera at hi* Fort Myers, Fla., winter home, aa he celebrated his B4th birth day. County Basketball Tourney To Open In Shelby Wednesday Eve; Ten Cleveland Teams In Contest Biggest County Sport Event of Year This Wee% Shelby And Lat tlmore Play. The biggest sport event of the year for the schools of Cleveland county will get underway here Wed nesday night when the annual coun ty-wide basketball tournament for the Rotary’ championship cup starts [n the Central high tin can. The tournament will hold sway I for four nights, ending with the championship clash Saturday night. Good Quints In. Ten county teams have entered the race and will compete for the Shelby Rotary club's silver loving cup which is now in the possession of the Lattimore quint, 1930 cham pions. The first night's play. Wednesday night, will likely see a record crowd as the two favorite teams in the tourney, Lattimore and Shelby, face each other in one of the three games. ■ . I Bargain Carnival. The tournament as commercial houses would advertise it will be a bargain carnival. Three games will be played Wednesday night and also Thursday night. Two games will be played Friday night, and the title game Saturday night. Admission for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights will be only 25 cents, while admission for the final night will be 35 cents. Three fast and furious cage contests In night for a quar ter will likely pack every available space in the local gymnasium. How They Play. Coaches and officials of ten coun ty schools met here Saturday to ar range the schedule and to draw opponents. On the opening night, Wednesday, CONTINUED ON PAGE THREE.) Twins Bom On 13th Celebrate 51st Birthday Friday, the thirteenth may have been a hoodoo day to many people bat to Mrs. A. E. Elliott and Mrs. J. J. Wilkins, of this county, it was just another birthday—their 51st. Mrs. Elliott and Mrs. Wilkins are twin sisters, and Friday they cele brated their anniversary at a din ner at Mrs. Wilkins' home on West Marion street. Both were happy and; thoroughly enjoyed *the occasion. The fact that they Were born on the 13th, a number all superstitious peo ple are wary of, has never brought them any bad luck. Attending the dinner were the husbands of tfye twins. Jeff and James, sons of Mrs. Elliott, and Miss Dovle Wright, a sister, A feature of the bfrthday 'occasion was the relating by the twins of their girlhood days and the many people who could not tell them apart. At 51 they still resemble each other very much. ^oiscopal Church To Observe Ash Wednes. At the Church oi the Redeemer, Episcopal, on 8. LaFayette street, there will be a Penitential service at 10 o’clock on Ash Wednesday, Feb ruary 18th, followed by the holy communion at 10:30 (lasting until 11:00.) Rev. J. B. Sill will be in! charge. Automobile Death Rate In North Carolina Third Higher Than For Entire Country, Figures Reveal Over 700 People Killed In Automo bile Wrecks In State During 1930. Raleigii, Feb. 16.—North Caro lina’s automobile death rate is 73 1-3 per cent greater than for the whole United States, according to an analysis of the motor vehicle deaths in the state in 1930 made by Sprague Silver, motor supervisor of the department of revenue. The 777 death list in 1930 com ntotor vehicle accidents in the stale during 1930. This is equal to one death ip every 610 automobile own ers and, based on the ratio of the United States of one death to every 823 automobile owners, is 33 1-3 per cent greater than for the whole country, Mr. Silver said. The 777 deal hlist In 1930 com pares with a total of 690 persons killed in 1929, and Is an Increase of "9 per cent. This is an increase efj 200 per rent over 1930 and 1029 with a decreased registration of ap proximately 29,000 motor vehicles, said Mr. Silver. Mr. Silver said the North Caro lina death rate percentage from mo tor vehicle accidents is only exceed ed by three southern states, Florida, Virginia and South Carolina, and the registration for North Carolina is in excess of the registration of either of these states by at least 100,000 motor vehicles. Fewer Machines Used. Greensboro, Feb. lo—The sharp decline in the amount of gasoline consumed and in number of motor vehicles registered to date this year compared with simile r period last year may be attributed in a large measure to fear of car owners for their personal safety on the high ways due to the great increase in traffic accidents and fatalities, says C. W. Roberts of Greensboro vice president of the Carolina Mo tor club. Pass Sentence In Rutherford Case Next May Judge Sinks Suspends Judgment On 5 Bank Defendants. Must Raise Money. If the five Rutherford county bank officials, convicted by a Cleveland county jury at Ruth erford ton last week of receiving deposits knowing the bank to be insolvent, ran raise $75,000 by next May they will not likely go to prison. The five men—J. L. Taylor, prcsl- j dent of the defunct Rutherford j County Bank and Trust company: j W. B. Walker, cashier, and K. 8 j Tanner, 8. E Elmore and T. P.. Oates, directors—were found guilty | on a charge on which no defendant i has ever been found guilty in this state. Once before, a defendant was convicted In superior court, tt is said, on a similar charge, but the decision was reversed by supreme court. The guilty verdict was returned In court there Thursday. At that time Judge Hoyle Sink, presiding, stated that he would not pass sen tence until late Saturday afternoon, and perhaps not until next May. Saturday afternoon, after a consul tation with counsel on both sides, lie announced that Judgment would be continued until the May term, when he returned to Rutherfordton Sink's Proposal. As The Star understands the mat ter, Judge Sink's proposal is that he will give the five convicted men un til May to raise $75,000 and pay it to the receiver of the defunct bank If that condition is carried out by the defendants, they will be, it is said, given suspended sentences at the May term. If they fail to com ply- with the condition, they may receive prison sentences, a fine, or both, according to law. The continuance of the matter from Thursday until Saturday was because Judge Stack was scheduled to preside over the May term ut Rutherfordton. Judge 8i«k gave the lawyers in tha case from Thursday until Saturday to See ir they could arrange an exchange of terms be tw'een him and Judge Slack so that he might return to Rutherfordton in May and wind up the case heard be fore him. This exchange was ar ranged and it was then that Judge Sink explained his disposal of the case. Pleases Citizens. Citizens of Rutherford county, The Star is informed, prefer Judge Sink’s solution to prison sentences for the defendants because those effected by the closing of the bank and the alleged discrepancies of the offi cials will be better off with the $75,000 paid back than to see the men go to prison with none of the money returned. Another unofficial reason for giv ing the former bankers an oppor tunity to pay back $75,000 instead of going to prison is that two or three of them head industrial plants and organizations, in which hundreds of people are employed, that would suffer if the heads of the organiza tions were sent to prison. Counsel on both sides, it is understood, also endorse the Sink decision. Two Shelby attorneys, Clyde R. Hoey and D. Z. Newton, appeared in the hear ing, the former for the defense and the latter aiding in the prosecution. The hearing attracted consider-, able interest in this county not only because it was heard hy a Cleveland comity jury, but, also, because the interests of the two neighboring counties are closely allied. Golfers To Meet Tuesday Evening To Decide Future Of Cleveland Springs Club. Desire To Keep It. A meeting of goiters and those interested in golf in the county will be held Tuesday evening at 1:30 o'clock at the Hotel Charl es. Plans for the summer will be made and a program outlined with the aim of putting new life into the Cleveland Springs club. One propos al attracting interest is that tne club house be transformed into a country club where social affairs may be held by the ladies in con nection with other activities there centering more directly about golf Numerous tournaments, for men and women, with clubs of adjoining cit ies and towns will be discussed with the ambition of making Cleveland Springs a golfing center during the spring and summer months. Newton Back On Job. County Solicitor J. Clint Newton, who has been ill for a week or so, was back on the Job prosecuting defendants in recorder's court to day. While he was sick members of the local bar alternated in handling the prosecution. McMurry Seeks Re-Election On Economy Platform; City's Debt Cat To Low Level Under Him Economy Platform For Mayor In announcing his pun.orm for mayor of Shelby today, Mr. S. A. MrMurry point# to the fact that the city's floating debt has almost been eliminated during 18 months of his administration in addition to meet ing all payments and interest due on Shelby's bonded Indebtedness. Light Interest In City Contest, Talk Aldermen Announcement# Of Two (Candidates Talked For l»ay Or So. Then Passed lip. Political interest in Shelby's approaching mayoralty contest refuses to be aroused to fever heat-unlH the da.v of the ballot battle draws nearer. The formal announcement of W. N. Dorsey, former mayor, last week, and the statement from Mayor 8. A, McMurry that he would be a can didate again attracted city-wide at tention for a day or so as a new topic for discussion. but by the week-end general Interest in the contest had waned. This situation, however, will not likely prevail so very long. If the so called depression can keep Shelby from getting stirred up and excited over a political contest, then It will have done something nothing has ever done heretofore. Perhaps anti cipation of some bitter groundhog weather between now and election day retards the boiling of the poli tical pot. Be that as > it may the I astute politicians about town look I for plenty of action and a warm j race before it is ail over. Aldermen Up. 'Die rather sudden projection of the mayoralty race Into the lime light started considerable conjecture about probable contests for seats on the city board. So far as is known the members of the present board of aldermen will be candidates again. Nothing has been said by them so far. Here and there about the city several citizens, it is reported, are being groomed as aldermanlc can didates. None of those talked #ias made a definite statement, but two or three are known to be nosing about in an effort to ascertain the degree of their popularity and their chances of winning. Meantime, speculation has it that there will be one more candidate for mayor, if not two. Several weeks may pass before the campaign warms up and the political pot starts percolating, but it is practically assured now. that there will be two or three Interest ing races in the Spring, Grover Men Struck By Train Improving Young Men Cut And Bruised When Passenger Train Hits Car At Gaffney. * luby Moss and Lou Allen, young Grover men, are in a Gaffney hos pital suffering with cuts and bruises received Saturday night when their automobile was struck by a passen ger traix; at a.Gaffney crossing. The train. No. 40, hit the rear end of their car and both occupants were thrown out. The accident took place about 7 o’clock. Both were tak en to the hospital and at first it j was thought that they wort seri ously hurt. Today, however, it was 'tated that both are improving rap idly and will be able to return to! their homes in this county within! i wo or three davs. No bones were j broken. Present Mayor Out With Platform Floating Debt Cut From $90,000 T* SH.OOO In 18 Months. Economy Needed Now. In making his ty-mal an noutirnncnt as a candidate for re-election as mayor of Shelby, Mayor 8. A. MeMurry today de clared that, to use an old politi cal phrase, lie la running on bis record and Is willing to leave the matter of his candidacy with citizens ol* the city on the sav ings brought about by his econ omy program. His platform for i-e-rlectlon cen ters to an extent about continued economy where needed, but assures that due to economy practised by the city for the last 18 months Shel by is in better financial shape now to consider a more expansive pro gram for the next two years. His Views. In announcing my candidacy tor re-election as mayor." Mr. McMurry states. "I wish to call the atten tion of citlaens and taxpayers to a few financial items connected with the city government, for it is my opinion that when all is said and done the average cltlaen looks at his government through the eyes of a taxpayer. When I became may or, less titan two years ago, It was iny announced intention to Improve the city’s financial condition to the best of my ability. Economy has been ‘the watchword of the administra tion and the aldermen and myself have worked to that end wherever possible. Cuts Down Debt. “When the present administration took orflce we found that Shelby had a floating debt of $90,170.81 in addition to the bonded indebtedness, i fn 18 months time, due to economies practised here and there and savings made in this and that department, we have managed to pay off $82, 037.47 of this amount. Today Shel by’s floating debt is only $8,133.34. In almo.it eliminating that floating debt we have also managed to meet all payments and interest on the city's bonded Indebtedness. At the end of the term we will have paid approximately a quarter of a million dollars in payments and interest on the bonded indebtedness in addition to paying the major portion of the floating debt. Those are figures I CONTINUED ON PAGE EIGHT. I Mrs. Blanton Is Buried Sunday Mrs. Isabel Blanton Died At Home of Daughter, Mrs. O. I- Mc Swain, Age 75 Tears. Mrs. Isabel! Blanton, widow of the late F. A. Blanton, died Saturday afternoon at 3 o'clock at the home of her daughter, Mrs. O. L. McSwain on S. LaFayette street after an Ill ness of four months. Mrs. Blanton was the widow of F. A. Blanton who preceded her to the grave 31 years ago. She was a fine Christian char acter. a kUid neighbor and a devoted mother. In early life she joined Mor iah church, later moving her mem bership to the Sharon .Methodist church. Mrs. Blanton was the mother of ten children, four of whom survive: i Mrs, O. L. McSwain, Mrs. Sam Jones, Chas. A. and O. C. Blanton. Forty-one grandchildren and twen ty great grandchildren also survive, ; together with three sisters, Mrs. J. IL. Taylor, Mrs. Jphn Moore and Mrs. iJlm Pearson and one brother, Billy Watters. The funeral services were con ducted by Revs. R. L. Forbis and Ds F, Putnam at Sharon church Sun day afternoon at 2 o’clock and a i large crowd was present, the church I being insufficient to accommodate itbe people. There Was also a beau tiful and bountiful floral offering as a testimony to the esteem in which she was held. Gets Sentence For Taking Cotton Seed In county court this morning Cal vin Carry, colored, was given a three months road sentence on the charge of stealing six bushels of cotton seed from Mrs. Sam Hamrick. Last week Judge Maurice Weath ers sentenced King Black, Joe Hamrick, and Eph Harvey to six months cacti on charges connected with the Capture of a small still Saturday week ago in the Wewant TJill section by Deputies Bob Ken drick. B»n Cooper and Yates Ken drick. V: . c