Standard Printing Co. 1 xx
LouistLlle, Ky. 40200
ID)'
EMQUMANS WEEECLY
Vguma29 No. 16
Hertford, Perquimans County, North Carolina, Thursday, April 19, 1973
.10 Cants Par Copy
km f. Peny Jr., HertfonfNative Delivers Dedication Address
Child Abuse Low
In Perquimans
' By FRANCINE SAWYER
News Editor
HERTFORD - "Child
abuse and neglect cases
come to our attention quickly
since we live in such a rural
and sparsly populated
area," said Mrs. Jo Ann
Morris, child welfare
worker, Perquimans County
Social Services department.
"It is fortunate that it is
5 this way, she said. Wt
'makes it easier for the
abused child to be neglect
ed," she added.
Last year, Perquimans
County had only one child
abuse case. The child was an
18-month-old, who required
hospital attention. Headlines
in local papers carried the
story and .trial and con
viction of the man who
abused the child.
Many persons, however
hesitate to call the social
services department or
sheriff's department due to
fear of being sued. A North
Carolina law protects the
informer from any suit
resulting from information
given on abuse or neglect.
When such 'an abuse or
neglect complaint is filed at
the social services office,
; several steps are taken.
The local office calls a
report in to the state office.
All information on the family
of the alledged abuse or
neglect situation is acquired.
Neglect and abuse cases
are different and
procedurers vary on how
each one is handled.
, Neglect is when a child is
' deemed filthy, lacking
i supervision, tardy, or having
low attendance at school,
f and not fed properly.
Abuse comes under two
hea'dings. The first fo
physical. This entails visible
sings, usually beating,
vr
Chamber Movie
Slated Tonight
The monthly movie
presentation of the
Perquimans County
Chamber of Commerce will
be seen tonight at 7:30 p.m.
in the Municipal Building.
The earlier starting time is
due to the, length of the
feature film presentation -the
outstanding British color
MOA County Tour
HERTFORD - The
Museum of the Albemarle
annual tour will feature
Perquimans County, April
25. '
Plans hive been made for
the tour to Include Holy
Trinity Episcopal Church.
The historic Newbold-White
Kcase The Emmett Wlnslow
home. The Walter Edwardi
ho?A the Charlei Vhedbee
- . -cr- x? -j . . r if.-. n j-t- : a..,.
III 1 , Eli.3 'V."..n Jl V '
broken bones, fractured
skull, and intentional burns.
The other form of abuse is
emotional. This is when a
child is deprived of
"mothering." Babies and
children which are not
mothered are deprived and
do not thrive.
In neglect cases, Mrs.
Morris visits the home
herself, to find out what the
jwjnditions are and works
'.with the family to make
conditions better. In some
instances, working with the
family of neglected children
goes on for several years.
If after much consultation,
the condition does not im
prove, the children are
removed from the home.
In the case of alledged
abuse, the social worker
goes to the clerk of court,
gets an order and the child is
removed from the home for
five days. Usually the sheriff
accompanies the social
worker to the home to pick
up the child. The parents are
charged with child abuse and
placed under bond. At the
end of five days the parents
must appear in court to show
cause why custody should be
placed in the social services
department.
An eyewitness to the
physical abuse is the best
court evidence, according to
Mrs. Morris. Color
photographs of physical
abuse are entered into court
as evidence.
No cases of abuse have
been reported in
Perquimans County thus far
this year. At present four
children are in foster homes
due to abuse. Fifteen
children are being consulted
due to neglect.
Persons who report child
neglect or abuse are
" protected.
dance film, "Red Shoes"
based on a Hani Christian
Anderson story and starring
Moira . Shearer Marius
Goring and Robert Help
mann. ,:
Alw on the bill Is a short
subject "Begone Dull Care"
with jau by the Oscar
Peterson Trio.
home, the Erie Haite home
and the Julian Wlnslow
home. .
Perquimins County
members of MOA and The
Perquimins County
Historical Society met last
week at Mn. Jean Winilow'i
home to d'scuss and finalize
plans for the April 29 event.
Plans call for the tours to
begin at 11 a.m., concluding
at 5 p."m.
PLAQUE UNCOVERED Dignitaries gather around the plaque to be added to
the COA addition. From left, Jesse P. Perry, Jr., Dr. Bruce S. Petteway, Rep.
Vernon James, Perquimans County commissioner chairman, Lester Simpson
and COA board member Bill Ainsley. (Staff Photos By Francine Sawyer )
Prom Dream To
LOA
JJedieated
College of The Albemarle
closed the book Sunday on a
five-year building project
with dedication of its new
technical center on U.S. 17
north of Elizabeth City.
The facility which cost in
excess of $1.2 million is the
completion of Phase I of a,
master plan which calls for
the eventual relocation of the
Th&StpryOf
Jimmy 'Catfish' Hunter
By PAUL "SNOOKS"
WHITE
(Continued From
Last Week)
"Jimmy is missing, I
have looked and called
him, I have looked
everywhere" said Mrs.
Hunter.
Mr. Hunter said, "I
think I know about where
he is. I'll go and find
him".
There was a big lead
ditch that run through the
Hunter farm. A lead ditch
is a community ditch that
drains all the farm land
in the community. All of
these farms has small
ditches that leads into the
lead ditctv The lead ditch
drains into a big swamp,
creek, river or canal.
This ditch drains into the
Bear Swamp canal, Once
, and awhile the farmers
all got together and clean
this ditch out because it
clogged up often. Most of
the time there was pretty
good sized fish that swam
in this ditch looking for
bugs and worms. Most of
this kind of fish that
follows these ditches are
jack and catfish. I have
. seen some pretty good
sized catfish caught In
ditches of this kind. So
Mr. Hunter figured that
Jimmy might have gone
there because Jimmy
always loved to fish. He
had been wanting to fish
since he began to walk.
Mr. Hunter told Mrs.
Hunter to "go back
into the house and not to
worry : because j
everything would be
alright. If he falls Into
that ditch he Is big
enough to get out v
alright." So Mr. Hunter,
started towards the ditch.
On hi:, way he met Jimmy
with a fishing pole in one
hand and a little catfish in
the other. Jimmy was
Reality
1.6611. L6Ilter
entire campus to the new 42
acre site adjacent to
Albemarle Hospital.
Phase II plans call for
construction of 80,000 square
feet of additional facilities on
the new campus. A library,
administrative., offices,
liberal arts cssrodjss,
iboratorit , Jl.d student
center will be included in
stepping it off. Mr.
Hunter said "Jimmy
you've got a pretty
catfish there." Jimmy
said, "Daddy, I caught
him all by myself." Mr.
Hunter said "There
wasn't anybody else
there with you was
there?" "No sir" said
Jimmy "and that's the
first fish I havd " ever
caught." Mr. Hunter said,,
"That's great, but you
shouldn't have slipped
away from your mother.
She was worried a lot
about you. Next time you
go with someone because
alone" anymore." "I
won't do this ' any
more daddy I was
just lonesome and
wanted someone to play
with. Are you going to
punish me daddy?" "No,
not this time" said Mr.
Hunter. "How about
mama?" said Jimmy. "I
don't think so" said Mr.
Hunter. "Not this time.
But I will promise you
one thing right now. We
will both punish you next
timer Do you understand
that Jimmy?" "Yes sir"
said Jimmy. "I'll
promise you and mama
that I will not do that any
more. But can I eat this
fish tonight" said Jimmy.
"Yes you can" said Mr.
Hunter, "that is a pretty
fish. Then Jimmy gave a
great big smile just like
he does now especially
when he hits a homerun,
makes a hit or strikes out .
a batter. Jimmy ex-
, plained to his mother just
k like his father about why
he slipped away. So he
promised his mother that
' he would never do it
again. Mrs. Hunter
smiled and hugged and
kissed Jimmy and said "I
was worried badly about
my baby boy. Jimmy
smiled and said "I'm not
bunday
Fhast II which will cost
approximately $2 million.
The institution anticipates
carrying out Phase III,
health and physical
education facilities and an
auditorium, through the sale
of the former hospital
facilities where the school
' originated vinti still nfiain
tains part of its operations.
a baby anymore". Mr.
Hunter spoke up "Oh yes
Jimmy. You are the baby
of our family. Of course
you aren't a baby. Thats
what your mama meant,
but you're not too old to
get a spanking and you
will certainly get one if
you run away anymore".
"I'll promise you both I
will not do that anymore,"
said Jimmy. Mr. Hunter
took the catfish and a pair
of pliers from his pick-up
truck and pulled the hide
off the catfish, that's the
best way to clean a
catfish. Mrs. Hunter
cooked the fish for
Jimmy but it wasn't
enough so Jimmy ate the
fish and supper with the
others just like he always
did. That night some of
the bigger boys went to a
baseball game over to
Edenton. Jimmy was a
little to small to go over to
Edenton at night and at
bedtime Mr. and Mrs.
Hunter warned Jimmy to
never run away from
home again. They told
him that he was a smart
boy to catch a pretty
catfish like that but they
didn't want him to go
alone again. He could go
with his brothers again
sometime because they
wanted him to catch
some more fish so they
told him he could go by
himself when he was
bigger but not now. They
had to frightened him a
little. They said that they
certainly didn't want him
to be eatened up by an
old ugly lazy, mean, fat
bear because bears love
to eat little children and
there has been bears seen
around Bears Swamp.
Yes, Mr. and Mrs. Hunter -has
a long talk with
Jimmy. They both kissed
him and told him good
night. Jimmy said he
Jesse P. Perry Jr.,
associate director for
agricultural sciences,
Rockefeller Foundation,
New York, was dedication
speaker.
Perry, a native of Hert
ford, said the completion of
the new technical center was
a ronfirr'-ation oi the power
of community action.
prayers and went to
sleep.
Mrs. Hunter said
"Albert nobody but the
Good Lord knew how
much I worried about
him when I learned he
was gone. I had left the
garden and had gone into
the house to clean up a
little. I looked out the
window several times
and he looked like he was
enjoying himself
throwing that baseball
onto the barn and
throwing it back, but the
last time I saw him he
hadhis little hoe digging a
little hole. I didn't know
he was digging worms. I
thought he was just
playing." Mr. Hunter
said "I was worried some
too but I didn't want you
to know it because I was
afraid it might have
worried you more." Mr.
Hunter said "He really
wasn't lost he was on his
way home cause I'm glad
he came home when he
did because there there
are a lot of snakes in the
field. Something could
have happened to him.
Far as the bears eating
' him up, we had to tell him
that to warn him."
Little did the Hunter
family realize that that
little catfish someday
would be mentioned all
over the baseball world
like it has done, but I
can't Say anything now
about the fame behind it,
but I will a little bit latter
in this true story.'
Now Mr. Charley 0.
Finley was the one that
named Jim "catfish"
after hearing about the
catfish Incident, but I will
tell you all about it when
Jimmy becomes 18
years old and signs the
contract for the Athletics.
I (Continued Next Week)
Dr. Brace Petteway, COA President, Right, Introduces Perry
Mis. Jones And VknalAidi
jRX' ' j ) ' I fT " J """""""
mm '
Students Gather Around Her Desk
Perquimans Personality
Mrs. Myrtle Jones
TEXT & PHOTOS
By Francine Sawyer
News Editor
WINFALL Teaching
the three R's as it was
once taught is Mrs.
Myrtle Jones' speciality.
She was selected in 1972
as an outstanding
elementary teacher of
America, and she teaches
right here in Perquimans
County at Central
Grammar School.
She is good in her
profession. She has had
37 years of experience
and looks forward to
retiring. (She hopes to
retire in November. Mrs.
Jones says she will be old
enough then.)
Her second grade class
seem to enjoy Mrs. Jones
and the daily routine of
school. Mrs. Jones is like
the kind of teacher "they
had back then."
Each day is started out
with the Lord's Prayer,
pledge to the American
flag, and the singing of
"America." Old-fashion,
and nice.
The atmosphere of the
entire school is one of
relaxed orderly and
respectfulness. The
entire school seems to be
a smooth operation and
Mrs. Jones likes it that
way.
Mrs. Jones was the first
Negro teacher, before
total intergration to teach
in ' the then all-white
schril. She was singled
out among all of the
teachers in the county to
"try the new way."
"The entire thing was a
challenge," Mrs. Jones
said. "The parents were
wonderful to me during
that time and I haven't
regretted a minute of it,"
Mrs. Jones said.
Mrs. Jones said she
liked to teach because she
loves children and enjoys
the community in
volvement. "It is nice to be part of4
molding the children's
lives and future," she
said.
Tommy Maston, the
principal at Mrs. Jones'
school had this to say
about Mrs. Jones: "She is
a good teacher and an
asset to the school and
community."
Mrs. Jones said she
doesn't think children
have changed since the
first time she took book in
hand to teach. Teaching
has changed, she said. In a
a sense it isn't harder
with visual , aids and
better equipment. ;
"It's still a challenge
and a rewarding career,"'
she said.
'Ml