VOL. XXXV11, No. 104
SHELBY, N. C,
MONDAY, AUG. 31,
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8 PAGES
TODAY
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1931 Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday Afternoons. "» *•»" »« »«r. •<> MJI,
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Late News
Showers In West
Today’s North Carolina Weather,
Report: Fair tonight. Tuesday
partly cloudy, probably local show
ers In extreme west portion. Not
much change In temperature.
Governor Leaves.
1
Governor O. Max Gardner month's
vacation with his home folks came
■o an end today and the governor
is leaving this afternoon for Raleigh
and expects to he hack at his desk :
tomorrow. On Friday Governor ]
Gardner spoke at a Smoky Moun- j
'a in national nortr Kananal in
ain national park banquet in
kshevtlle and on Saturday at the ■
Boone highway celebration. The
major portion of his vacation wasj
•pent In Shelby or on short trips to
A''-stern North Carolina.
Teacher Freed '
Of Assault In
Whipping Case
Ledford “Not Guilty”
Jury Say*
Verdict Returned In little Over Half
Hour. Court House Racked
For Trial.
A court case that drew the j
largest court audience to Shelby t
in four or five years ended just
before 6 o'clock Friday after- !
noon when a jury in county !
court returned a verdict of "not
guilty” in the trial of Prof. C.
A. Ledford on an assault charge.
The case grew out of a -chipping i
given by the Bel wood consolidated ]
principal to Hubert Huffman,!
IQ-year-old student, on August 13.
Much Interest.
The prosecution, represented by
Capt. Peyton McSvain, contended
that "more force than was neces
sary” was used in administering the
punishment, introducing evidence to
show that there were stripes*on the ]
youth's body several days after the’
whipping. The defense, represented
by Judge B. T. Fails, contended that
the conduct of the pupil was enough
to justify the whipping and that it
was not an unmerciful beating. The
boy was whipped, according to evi
dence, when Prof. Ledford was call
ed to one room of the school by a
feminine teacher who had been
troubled by the boy who it was
charged kept opening his coat jack
et and exposing his body. He had
given trouble before, it was said, and
had been warned that if he did not
obey the rules the next infraction
would bring on a whipping.
The Bel wood community was very
much interested In the case and
people from that section filled the
■court house for the trial which last
ed all day Friday.
Chicken Thieves
Get Active Again j
Chicken thieves are again furnish
ing considerable activity for local
officers and courts. Three colosed
men were sentenced in county court
Saturday for chicken stealing and
another was arrested early today.
In county court Saturday Judge
M. R. Weathers gave Dick, Jolly,
Dick Bear and James Hoskins four
months each on the charge of steal
ing chickens from a roost in the
northeast section of the city last
week. Will Shippev, colored, was ar
rested early today when he appear
ed at a local poultry house with
even domineckers believed to have
been stolen. Police Chief McBride
Poston has the chickens at his of
fice for identification by the own
er. Shipped Just finished serving a
chain gang sentence for chicken
stealing Tuesday of last week.
Other Cases.
County court held forth almost all
day Saturday after an all-day ses
sion Friday. "Black Boy1' Esau,
colored, was given 60 days for at
tempted robbery of the Carolina
colored cafe last week. A year or
more ago he was given a sentence
for stealing 24 cents from a house
in the Lattimore section.
"Bubbles'’ Walker, colored, of
Asheville and South Carolina, was
bound over to superior court, under
a $500 bond, on the charge of being
connected with the robbery of the
Wright-Baker department store and
the D. H. Cline garage here in June.
Mark Washburn, colored, and Grace
Payne, negress, are already being
held in jail here in connection with
thd same robberies. They were
brought back from Cincinnati while
Walker was arrested later in Ashe
ville
Mr. Dellinger Opens
Corn And Flour Mill
Mr. J. N. Dellinger has started
Shelby’s newest industrial plant, a
corn and flour mill in a building one
block west of the Southern railway,
just off highway No. 20 and to the
rear of Mr. Dellinger’s old home
The mill manufactures flour, corn
meal and feedstuffs, and also does
custom grinding. Boyce and Ever
ett Dellinger and Grady Blantor
are In charge of the operation ol
the plant.
Prepare for Opening
City Schools Sept 7
rwo Teacher* Resign;
Cancel Debt
<o Definite Guarantee Yet For j
Music Instructor. Operating
Funds Cut Down.
The city schools will open the
1931-32 session Monday, September
1. The buildings are being placed in
jrder, the teachers’ meetings plan
ned, materials secured, and prepar
itions for the opening made.
The Dudley Plumbing company Is
Installing new boilers in the higt)
school and Washington school, The
aoilers are Kewtr.ee made and
should give desired results.
Old Debt Cancelled
The citizens of Shelby will be
jlad to know that the last vestige
3f the old floating debt upon the
Shelby public schools has now been
(viped out. A twenty-six thousand
lollar bond issue which was au
thorized by the local government'
rommisslon of the state of North'
Carolina has enabled the school
Board to pay off the note at the
First National bank in the amount
af $25,473, and an item of past due
Interest In the amount of $29.73.
Four hundred and twenty-live dol
lars was paid McDaniel Lewis of
Greensboro for services in connec
tion with the issue, including bond,
attorney fees, printing of bond;, ad
vertising, etc. Seventy-five dollars
was paid D. Z. Newton, school at
torney, for services in connection
with the transaction. The premium
of fifty-eight dollars and accrued
Interest from the date of issue were
applied on the Interest upon lit
note for a similar period. The school
board is very happy to have got
this matter placed in regular clian
nels and removed from the haphaz
ard way of handling it in which it
has been handled. They are also
glad that the rate of interest seem
ed is less,than what has been being
paid on the note which will mean a
considerable saving to the com
munity.
Teachers Kesijm.
Recently Miss Bernice Jones and
Mr. H. M. Randolph have resigned
from the faculty. Miss Jones will
teach at her home and Mr Ran
dolph win teach in Sampson coun
ty. Their places are not being fill
• Continued on page fire.)
|tart Football
Work Tuesday
Football practice for the
Shelby high school eleven
will begin Tuesday afternoon
at 3 o'clock, it was announced
today by Coach Casey Morris.
The Shelby athletic mentor
returned last week from
Chapel Hill where he served
as instructor at the university
coaching school.
All members of last year’s
squad and new candidates for
the team are urged to report
tomorrow and the remaining
afternoons of the week to get
in shape by the opening of
school next week.
(Other Sport News on Page 7)
Junior College
Opens Tomorrow
Boiling Spring* junior col
lege, this county, will open Its
1931-32 session Tuesday aft
noon at 1:30 o'clock with a
mass meeting in the college
auditorium. Registration hours
will be from 2 until 6 in the
afternoon.
The first chapel program
will be held Wednesday
morning at 10:30 with Dr.
Zeno Wall, college president
in chanre. All friends and
alumni of the institution are
incited to attend the first
rhapel
Book List For
Shelby Schools;
No Change Made
School Officials Give Out Us» Of
Required Works For
Vm Here.
The boo* list by grades anti sub
jeers for the Shelby public schools
is being given below. There is no j
change from last year and the year,
before. Any pupils who is definitely ;
classified will be safe in buying i
books either second-hand or at the
book store
Musk Books.
fjupils should consult their teach -
! era before buying music books. Some
of the schools have had them do
nated to the school in which ease
the pupils will not need to buy any.
If all parents would send their sec
ond-baud music books to the school
their children attend, it will prob
ably be unnecessary for any of them
to buy music texts.
Dictionaries
If your child owns a .standard
Webster’s. Funk and WagnalFs, erj
Winston’s dictionary, he need not
buy an additional one. Please do
not buy a non-standard dictionary.
Xhey are not acceptable to the1
state inspector of schools, nor arc
they serviceable to your child.
High School Books
Parents who have children m|
| high tchool will not buy all the
books listed for a grade, but only
those for courses your child will ex
pect to pursue.
Fifty Cent Fee -
To pass a grade of work in the
elementary’ or high school, a pupil1
is expected to read from three to
six books a year to supplement his
reading or English course. In the
| elementary school certain materials
are necessary in connection with a
child's writing, drawing, and read-'
ing course. They are paste, primary
pencils, crayons, pen and ink, scis
sors, drawing paper, writing pap^r,
construction paper, cardboard, ta"
j board, seatwork materials, etc. By
| buying In quantity, duplicating the
j use, obviating all loss and waste,
jthe school has been able to supply
| these materials for a nominal sum
!and thus save the parents much
trouble in getting together all these
-CONTINUED ON RAOP SIX "
Jule’s Watermelon Sorghum Not New
Thing To State But New In His County
Hickory Man Remembers Water
melon Syrup Made 30 Years Apo.
Other Reports.
Hickory, Aug, 31.—Watermelon
sorghum may be new to Cleveland
county residents but to W. S. Wheel
er ol Hickory, it is an old favorite
sweet. According to Mr. Wheeler
around 30 or 35 years ago nis broth
er-in-law, Rev. C, A. Stiles, of
Richland county, S. C., made syrup
from watermelon Juice.
“He never made any for the mar
ket however," Mr. Wheeler said. "He
had a cane syrup mill at his home
in Richland county, five miles from
the town of Eastover. Mr .Stiles was
at that time, and for years before
and alter, pastor of the old Con
garee Baptist church which was
only a few hundred yards from his
home and where he is buried.
"I can testify to watermelon sy
rup being good, having eaten it at
the Stiles home” Mr. Wheeler de
clared.
Mr. Wheeler's story of watermel
on syrup followed the publication of
(a story from Cleveland county which
■spoke of “Watermelon sorgnum, or
, molasses made of watermelon." The
| Shelby story state that watermelon
I syrup was so far as known, a new
Cleveland county discoverey. It said
that J. F. Brackett was the origi
nator thereof, and that he had been
in Shelby exhibiting some of the
syrup he had made from watermel
on Juice much in the same manner
molasses is made from cane Juice,
The Hickory man, however, can
go Mr. Brackett one better by be
tween 30 and 35 years, as he tasted
the watermelon delicacy at least
that long ago.
As a matter of fact Jule did not
claim that he was the first man in
history to make syrup of watermelon
Juice. He merely said that it was
something new for this section, and
it is. However, The Charlotte Ob
server Joints in with the others to
remind, as follows .that it has been
made elsewhere before: “The Cleve
land county farmer who came to
town with a sample of watermelon
syrup, enjoyed distinction as "origin
ator" for a brief period, only, for
through The Rockingham Post-Dis
patch comes word that the Cleve
land county syrup-maker is just 15
years behind the times. It was that
long ago that Mrs. W. B, Covington
won first premium at the Richmond
county fair with a dozen jars of
watermelon syrup, and credit for
ploneership in that line goes to her.”
Getting Together In Cleveland
Farmers Inspect Soy Beans
At the Bob Wilson farm between Fallston and B«Koyd
last Thursday, 150 farmers inspected the demonstration |
patches of cotton and soy beans. Mr. Wilson has eleven va
rieties of soy beans under test and this picture shows the
rows in the foreground. One of the prettiest sights to behold
in the way of farming is to stand where these farmers are
standing and see the soy beans, the shoulder-high cotton
and the dark green field of com in the background, com that
is so high it looks like a young forest.
Children Eat Watermelon
Here are several hundred children Shelby and suburbs
who enjoyed the free watermelon feast given by County
Coroner Roscoe Luts last Thursday. They assembled here
in the city and *w ere carried in trucks to the Albert Dedmon
pasture just north of Shelby. . Did they get enough? Yum,
yum. ask the kiddies and niey’U tell you they got their
tummies full.
Com Exhibit A t Fair This Fall
Will Be Boosted By Big Corn Crop
Cleveland Makes Largest Crop tnj
Vears. Exhibit Adrlfe
Given.
One of tire largest com crop; '
made In Cleveland county in year !
Is expected, to increase the Interest
In the com exhibits at the Cleveland
county fair, which opera Tuesday,
Sept. 29, and also increase the num
ber of entries.
The feature exhibit of the own;
department is the 200-ear exhibit
and County Agent R. W. Sheffno:
is anxious to have as many entries
In this exhibit as possible. There
are several smaller exhibits in the
com department ranging from sin
gle ears to 25-ear exhibits.
Exhibit Advice
Advice about preparing the ex
hibits is given as follows by the
farm agent:
"Don't make the mistake that
many people make in preparing
com for the fair or any other show
In fact, the time to start preparing
and collecting your com far a fair
would be at the time of planting:
that would be to plant good seed.
At this time, the forn is practically
made. I would recommend not pull
ing fodder or cutting the tops of
the com that you will exhibit, or
let the ear get thoroughly ripe be
fore doing so. The best method
would be letting the ear ripen and
select the com in the field and cut
off the stalk. Put this com away
some place where rats or any de
structive enemy will not get it " I
Oil Mill Installs
500 H. P. Boiler
A 500 Corliss engine has been in
i stalled at the Southern Cotton Oil
! company’s Shelby plant here and is
now ready for operation when new
cotton seed come on the market
Capt. J. Frank Jenkins, manager oi
the plant says he has discarded elec
tric power, except for lighting pur
poses, and resorted to steam which
he declares will affect a great sav
ing in the cost of operation, accord
ing to the experience of other seed
mills in the cotton belt. A Babcock
tube boiler has been installed to
generate steam for the twin Corliss
engine. The boiler will consume
about 150 tons of coal a week when
' the full plant is in operation.
To provide for the new generation
plant, an engine and boiler room
have been built at the local riant
To VUit Coker
Farm Saturday
The annual tour of Cleve
land county farmers to the fa
mous Coker seed farms and
Hartavllle, S, C., Is planned
for Friday of this week.
R. W. Shoffner, farm agent,
stated today that the tour
would be made Friday if as
many as 15 or more farmers
desire to go. It is one of the
most educational farm tours
to be made and fanners who
ran go are asked to notify the
farm agent before Friday so
that he may know if enough
farmers can go to make it
worthwhile.
The party will leave the
court house about fi o’clock in
the morning.
Mrs. Gantt Enjoys
Her 97th Birthday
Two Hundred Attend Anniversary
Of Widow Of Confederate
Veteran.
Around 200 people, the majority
ot them relatives, attended the
celebration Sunday of Mrs. Mary
Gantt’s 92tli birthday at her home
in west Shelby. Among those pres
ent were the seven of her 10 chil
dren who are still living.
Mrs. Gantt, one of the oldest resi
dents of the county, is an unusual
lady and has a wide acquaintance.
She is unusually alert physically and
mentally for her age. Behind her Is
a remarkable career. Her husband,
a Confederate veteran, died 18
years ago and since- that time Mrs
Gantt has made her own way and
reared her children by operating a
little store, very popular In that
section of the city, which she still
operates.
Bridges Infant Dies;
Buried At Union
The infant son of Mr. and Mrs.
Homer Bridges died Saturday at
noon and was burled Sunday after
noon at 3 o’clock at Union Baptist
church, the funeral services being
conducted by Rev, Zeno Wall. -Mr.
; Bridges works at the Piedmont
(cafe. Before marriage, Mrs Bridges
I was Miss Evelyn Moss
State Patrolman
Breaks His Leg;
Is Second Wreck
Jo* Slnfkton, Shelby Boy, Badly
Injured On Motorcycle Fri
day Evening.
Gilmore (Joe) Singleton, state •
highway patrolman and a Shel
by boy, waa Injured for the aee
ond time In 2# days when hb
motorcycle turned over With him j
Friday evening on a curve at j
Minneapolis, about !* miles
from Boone
The young patrolman, en route
to the Boone highway celebration
from Asheville, suffered a broken
right leg In the crash.
Jinx Follows Him.
A Jinx seems to be pursuing Sin
gleton, who was added to the pa
trol force this summer. On August
8, while en route from Shelby to
Marlon on hla motorcycle to report
for duty, his motorcycle skjdded and
crashed Into a bridge near Marlon.'
He received bad lacerations and
bruises in the crash and has beer. I
recuperating at his home here
Cycle Trouble
Friday he and another patrolman j
left Asheville for Boone to help
handle the traffic at the highway
gathering there where Governor
Gardner was on the program.
At Minneapolis. some distance
from Boone, the patrolmen started
around a curve. Singleton, it Is sold \
attempted to cut off his gas but In I
some manner the gas feed hung up!
and the speed of ths motorcycle was |
not checked before It hit the curve!
and flipped over. The patrolman1
with his right leg badly fractured1
was placed In a truck and rushed!
to the hospital at Banner Elk. He;
suffered so en route to the hospital j
that he had numerous chills and|
was for a time In serious condition j
| He was visited yesterday by bis I
mother, Mrs. L S. Friday, and Mrj
Friday and his sister, Mlas Olive J
Singleton. They found him to be!
recovering somewhat from the shock!
of the Injury and the anaesthetic!
administered thereafter. He will!
have to remain In the hospital,
however, for at least she weeks. Due
to hla well muscled Bmbs it was
found necessary to pull the over
lapping fractured bones sg>art with
weights and hold them In that posi
tion so that the bone might knit to
gether
Three Injured As
Elevator Plunges
Down Three Floors
Two Whit* Men And One Colored
Hurt At Dover Mill On
Saturday.
Two white men and one col
ored man were Injured early
Saturday morning when a
freight elevator at the Dover
mill, west of Shelby, fell three
floors or about 35 feet.
The injured were Fred Bhytle,
broken rib*; Colin Page, toe mash
ed and other bruises; and Broad us
Thompson, colored, broken right leg.
The elevator fell, It Is said, Just
at the gate opening on the third
floor of the plant.
Given Treatment.
Shytle was In a semi-conscious
condition for some time after being
taken to the hospital but was said
to be conscious and considerably
improved today. Page's Injuries did
not necessitate his entering the
hospital, and the colored man was
taken to his home after having his
fractured leg set. The fracture was
just below the right knee.
Two New Lawyers.
A son of a Cleveland county man
and the son of a well known Ruth
erfordton lawyer, a native of the
county, were among those licensed
last week to practice law In the
State. They were O. B. Carpenter,
Jr., of Kings Mountain, and Fred D.
Hamrick, Jr., of Rutherfordton.
Clyde Hoey Announces He Will
Not Seek Senate Seat; Desires
No Public Office, He Declares
Does Not Choose
For the mond time within a year
Clyde 1. Hoey (abovet ha* declined
the opportunity to become United
State* senator. The popular Shelby
orator announced Saturday that he
would not be a candidate for the
Democratic nomination In 1932.
Slayer Of Chief
Convicted. Given
7 1
Term Of 30 Years
Fred Smart Gets Prison Term For
Killing Forest City Poller
Chief.
RuUierfordton, Aug 31f—The jury
in the Fred Smart murder ease
brought In a verdict of gtrtlty of
murder in the second degree at
[t:30 o'clock Saturday evening after
being out four hours. Judge Camer
I on T. McRae Immediately sentenced
Smart, who killed Chief of Police
Price of Forest City to 30 years in
; the state's prison. This is the maxi
mum sentence for second degree
murder.
Judge McRae declared the pris
oner should feel relieved to escape
first degree verdict, though he add
ed that he was not. criticising the
Jury
Attorneys for Smart insisted that
the sentence be from 30 to 30 years,
but this was refused.
Solicitor J. Will Pless. Jr . closed
the arguments at noon and Judge
McRae charged the jury until 1
o'clock. After 30 minutes for lunch,
the Jury took the case.
Smart remained calm and showed!
no signs of emotion when sentence i
was passed upon him, though his
children burst into tears.
Attorneys for Smart moved to set
aside the verdict, but. were over
ruled. They gave notice of appeal
and bond was fixed at $13,000. They
admitted, however, that they had
little intention of appealing the
case,
Chief Price was killed the night
of June 6, when he attempted to
arrest Smart, who drew a knife and
stabbed the officer, and then shot
him
Belmont Mill Move
Offices Near Mill
The Belmont Cotton mill has mov
ed its offices from the Courtview
Hotel building to new offices erected
near the mill on S. LaRiyette street
The new office building Is built of
brick and contains several rooms. It
was recently erected by Cicero tuts,
contractor.
THRIFT SUGGESTIONS
Sow a turnip patch now while the season is in the
ground. Both tops and turnips make good food. The
turnips can be hilled for winter use. The surplus makes
good hog feed.
Save all surplus vegetables and fruits. Dried
peaches and apples will come in useful this winter and
it costs nothing but a little effort to dry them. All
surplus vegetables should be canned.
Let’s talk and practice thrift in Cleveland county.
The harvest has been abundant and if you have saved
enough for your own use, encourage your neighbor who
might not have been as thrifty as you to save the sur
plus. Give your neighbors some if you have too much
for your own use.
Add your influence to the campaign for thrift and
economy in Cleveland in order that there might be no
hungry mouths this winter.
Shelby Man Clears
Political Air
HU* Derision Disappointing To Mint
Supporters. Will Stick By
Party.
Hon. Clyde R. Hoey. Shelbt
statesman and widely known orator
jontinues to offer his services li
relping the Democratic party t<
detory but desires no personal rer
ignition In those victories.
In a statement given to The Bta
Saturday he declared that he woulr
aot be a candidate for the Demo
cratic nomination to the Uniter
Stater, senate In 1932. His announce
ment, which was of vital Import
ance In the political realm, wa'
made unsotentatlOusly and modest -
iy
Hts Statement
He said. "I will not be a eandt
late for the United States senat*
nest year. I had not Intended tc
rcac!* a decision as to this question
until about the first of January, but
since the campaign seems to havs
definitely opened now, I feel that in
justice to my friends over the state
who have so generously tendered me
their support, that I should make
this announcement without further
delay
Victory In 1932
T am entirely sincere in saying
thRt 1 am not ambitious to nold
public office. My greatest concern
In a public way is that the Demo
cratic party shall continue victorious
in the state, and that It may be
come ao militant and united in the
nation that a great victory will be
wdn In 1932
T cover the high privilege of
serving my party and state in the
waited position of a private citizen
and shall give freely of mv time in
aggressively defending the Demo
cratic record in North Carolina, In
cluding the outstanding achieve
ments of the present state admin
istratlon, and the constructive work
of the last legislature, as well m
vigorously championing the cau«
of Democracy In this nation "
Many Supporters
The Hoey decision was disap
pointing to thousands of his sup
porters over North Carolina and to
his dose friends in hto home coun
ty who for years have longed for
the opportunity to support him for
public office. In his statement he
does not give any specific reasons
for not desiring public office, but
the hundreds who would have voted
for him realize that it was some
thing for him to decide for himself
and they rejoice in the fact, al
though it was expected, that he re
(COWTIHUXD OM PAG* PTVX (
Capt. Smith Heads
Thrift Committee
Clubs Will Be Co-Ordinated la
Work To Save Food And Pro
mote Employment.
Capt. B. L Smith, superintendent
of the city schools was* nameC
chairman of a committee of five
men who will serve as a steering
committee to encourage thrift and
economy, promote employment-, com
bat communism and co-ordinate the
work of the various civic, religious
and educational organizations of the
county.
R. T. LeGrand, J. D. Lineberger.
J. Rone Davis and R. W. Shoffner,
are the other members of the cen
tral steering committee named Sat
urday morning by representatives of
the city and county governments,
the civic clubs and the several de
nominations of the city. The ap
pointment of this committee fol
lowed a suggestion made Thursday
night by Lee B. Weathers before
the Kiwanis club which organization
endorsed the idea of having a com
mittee of sound thinking business
men to consider community prob
lems and direct work for the coun
ty’s betterment.
The first effort on the part of the
committee will be to get a thrift
campaign going in the county.
School children will be asked to
carry the message to their parents
In the hope that all will save enough
food and feedstuffs to carry them
through the winter. Means will be
used to keep up the morale of the
people and later on the citizens will
be asked to give preference in their
charity to people who live among us
rather than to strangers who come
in from elsewhere. Should there be
any outcropping of communism, this
committee will consider ways and
means to combat it and promote
employment as much as possible.