Perspective
Remember Pearl Harbor
J For many Americans too young to
remember, Dec. 7 is Just another day
iron the calendar. For others, it will
}? always be the "date which will live in
-infamy" as aptly described by Presi
dent Franklin Roosevelt.
f At 7:56, the morning sun had Just
. begun to reflect itself against the 100
I American warships swaying gently
J in the harbor when the first wave of
i Japanese planes struck. When it was
| over, Pearl Harbor was in havoc and
j America's Pacific Fleet was nearly
i destroyed.
[ First to attack were torpedo
! planes, with the seven big battleships
i being the main target. In rapid suc
| cuss ion, torpedos hit the "Arizona",
> "West Virginia" and "Oklahoma."
I The "Arizona" and "Oklahoma"
| were hit again and within seconds,
' the "California" was hit twice. ' Ten
nessee" took one in her forward
deck.
Ensign John R. Beardall, aboard
| the "Raleigh" was thrown from his
J bunk when the first blast ripped the
ship. Without dressing, he rushed to
the deck and within minutes had a
gun crew firing at the swarming
planes. Enemy gunfire killed 10 of
the 11 sailors manning one five-inch
gun. The remaining sailor grabbed a
shell, set it in the tray, ran to the
other side to ram the shell home,
leaped into the pointer's seat, and
fired the gun. In this manner, he was
able to get off three shells before a
bomb blast threw him over the side.
Gunners aboard "Nevada" shot
down one plane and minutes later, a
second. But it was too late; the
plane's torpedo had already been re
leased, tearing a deep gash in the
ship's port bow.
The "West Virginia" had been
struck three times and was about to
capsize. Capt. Mervyn Bennion had
just ordered measures to stablize the
vessel when shrapnel ripped his
stomach. Without medical attention,
he remained at his post, directing the
efforts to save the ship and crew. He
died on the bridge.
A third torpedo struck "Okla
homa" and then a fourth. As the ship
slowly rolled over, nearly 100 men
were able to reach the bottanr. of the
upturned ship Scores of others,'
trapped below the decks, drowned. A
few minutes later, a bomb exploded
deep inside the magazine of "Ari
zona." Three hours later, after being
struck by eight bombs, the battleship
settled beneath the surface to be
come a watery tomb for more than
1,000 brave men.
As Battleship Row was being
turned into a flaming nightmare,
Ford Island was also under fire.
Hundreds of planes, lined neatly,
were set ablaze. Buildings were
bombed and hundreds of frantic sol
diers and civilians were machine
gunned.
To the north, Hickman Field was
struck by fighters and bombers, set
ting many of the Army's B-17s
aflame. The front of the guardhouse
was blown away by one bomb, free
ing the prisoners housed inside.
Rather than seek safety, they ran to
join others manning anti-aircraft
batteries.
Bombers attacked Wheeler Field,
destroying the planes on the ground.
Most of the aircraft at Barber's Point
were destroyed by raiding Zeros. Ha
leiwa Field and Schofield Barracks
were all but destroyed.
By 10:30 it was all over. Though the
surprised American forces had
downed 29 enemy planes and all five
of their midget subs, the sneak attack
achieved its purpose Two thousand
four hundred Americans were dead,
1,200 wounded, 18 ships were sunk or
crippled, and over 160 planes de
stroyed.
The end of that tragic "Day of In
famy" began what was to become
America's greatest victory. The na
tion united and met the challenge of
forcing the enemy to pay the price.
Though time has healed many of
the wounds resulting from that terri
ble day, we must never allow our
selves to forget the courage and ded
ication of those Americans who
fought and died that Dec. 7.
Hunter honored
20 YEARS AGO
Charles Finey To Speak At Jim
Hunter: The American Legion Post
126, of Hertford, will hold a banquet
to honor Jim "Catfish" Hunter on
Wednesday at the Hertford Gram
mar School. This will be a reward for
his perfect game of last May, in
which he blanked the Minn. Twins by
4-0, striking out 11 and not allowing
anyone to get on base. This was the
first perfect game in the American
League since 1922, and the 9th perfect
game in major league history. In ad
dition to his pitching feat, he got
three hits, including 3 out of the 4
runs scored that night. Mr. Finley,
Jim's bo6S, and owner of the Oakland
Athletics, will be the principal
speaker for the occasion.
W.D. "Bill Cox New Pres. Perqui
mans Chamber of Commerce: The
1969 Perquimans County Chamber of
Commerce Board of Directors held
their meeting Monday night under
the direction of W.D. "Bill" Cox.
Serving with Cox on the Board of Di
rectors will De Joe Nowell, Jr.
Minor Damage In Chimney Fire At
Bundy's: The pretty brick two-story
Woodley Bundey home located on the
Harvey Point Highway, suffered
some smoke damage from a chimney
fire which was quickly controlled and
extinguished by the Hertford Fire
Department, the Sheriff's Depart
ment and neighbors of the Bundy's
last Thursday night. Mr. Bundy was
in high praise of all who helped dur
ing the fire, and the efficiency of the
Hertford Volunteer Fire Depart
ment.
Nicholson faces problems
Thomas Nicholson was having dif
ficulties in Perquimans County. He
had buried two wives and abandoned
his only child. He had been disowned
by his church. He had sold his ances
tral home and taken up tavern keep
ing. He was running into debt.
Taking the path often followed by
the restless and unsettled, Thomas
tried another change of scene. About
1810 he moved to Pasquotank County.
There he signed a marriage contract
on February 28, just before marrying
his third wife, Susannah. The bride
was a daughter of Thomas and Mi
riam Redding and was the widow of
William Banks.
The uncommon step of drawing up
a marriage contract suggests Susan
nah was leary of allowing Thomas to
get his hands on her property. How
ever his wife may have viewed him,
Thomas apparently still held the con
fidence of the public, for he qualified
as a Justice of the peace for Pasquo
tank in March 1810.
Thomas moved up the public lad
der rapidly, and the "Edenton Ga
zette" of October 8, 1811, referred to
him at Sheriff of Pasquotank County.
The holding such an office probably
scandalised his relatives who, as
Quakers, were then somewhat desir
ous of staying out of public life with
its involvement in the wrongdoing of
the world
Whether he would settle down
would never be known, Thomas Nich
olses never reached the age of forty,
la Mm were recalled the troubled life
and short days of his ancestor Ed
mund Nicholson the hard-drinking
properaus, and long life of his father
By February 21. IMS, Thomas
Mciihnn the ymsngw was dead
Within two months his, widow was
_ ateo dead. The small estate left by
Thomas included a book called "Mor
tins Sheriff", which must have been
used to guide him in the conduct of
his public office. Despite three mar
riages, he left only a single child to
carry on his name. Despite his varied
business ventures, he left little sign
of worldly success.
Thomas had chosen to live in the
world on its own terms. His father
would probably have admonished
him to avoid the world's terms and to
live by God's terms. The Nicholsons
had been Quakers since the days of
George Fox. Thomas' leaving the
fold was but a momentary lapse in
the history of the family; his son
would restore the family's good
name.
THE
PERQUIMANS
WEEKLY
NEWS 10:00 A.M.
(WMdtap Chun* News. Etc) MONDAY
SS&JSSSSSb . MgBfc
CLASSIFIEDS 500PM
MONDAY
DmcMdm ar* Monday* prior
to Thuradoy PubHoMion.
Who put Paul Ward's yard lady on topoT ine
bridge i:i
File 13... Consider the Rolls Royce
If you've been looking for that per
fect Christmas gift, and you've got
enough money to burn a wet mule, to
boot, consider the Rolls-Royce auto
mobile. No? Too expensive you say?
Sure, it's expensive. But, have you
ever wondered why those things cost
so much? I mean, there's got to be
something about that car that makes
it so expensive other than that pretty
little hood ornament. While it's true
that not too many folks here in "to
bacco land" own a Rolls, you do see
one on the road now and then, and if
you're like me, take a second look at
it.
Charles Rolls, who designed Rolls
Royce, was also the first Englishman
to die in an air crash. Because his
death came shortly before the
"Spirit" on the hood made its appear
ance, he never got to ride behind the
Flying Lady (also known as the Spirit
of Ecstasy) which has adorned every
Rolls-Royce car for 70 years.
To fully appreciate the Rolls, it
helps to know a little about the car
itself. So, for those among us who
can't even afford new tires but still
cast a wishful eye at the finer things
in life, the next time you are eyeball
to eyeball with a Rolls, bear this in
mind:
First of all, it takes eight full hides
to construct the interior of every
Rolls-Royce. This leather comes
from animals that are pastured in
fields protected by electrified fences
rather than barbed wire, in order to
prevent abraisions and scratches to
the hides. None of my daddy's cows
would ever made it to a Rolls. Yours
neither. I saw one cow this year that
got me to acting rather much like an
expert. I finally patted her on the
rump and exclaimed, "now you'd Al
most make a nice Rolls, honey."
It takes a number of craftsmen
from three to four months to produce
a Rolls-Royce sedan. However, five
months are allowed for the Corniche
convertible.
Enter the walnut tree. The veneer
for an entire year's production of
Rolls-Royce instrument panels
comes from the wood of a single wal
nut tree. After being specially lac
Letters to the editor
The Perquimans Weekly,
As new director of the Open Door of
Perquimans County, I want to ex
press my sincere appreciation for all
the support given to Boy Scout Troop
175 in their recent campaign to col
lect goods for the food box of the
Open Door. It is wonderful to see the
community of Hertford give of them
selves for such a worthy cause. I
want to particularly thank the BeLo
store and its management for allow
ing the Boy Scouts to collect food
products at their store. It was a tre
mendous help! The troop collected a
full pick-up truck load ot tooa wmcn
will be used in this county for those
people who need our services.
Again, a big thank you to each and
everyone of you for your needed sup
port. The Open Door of Perquimans
County depends on the generosity of
this community and you certainly
were generous this past Saturday
when Boy Scout Troop 175 solicited
your support.
Sincerely,
Ann White, Director
The Open Door of Perquimans
County
THE
PERQUIMANS WEEKLY
Established In 1932
Published Each Thursday By The Daily Advance. Elizabeth City. N.C.
Second Class Postage Paid at Hertford, N.C. 37944 USPS 428-000
Gina K. iepson
Editor
Carol k O'Neal
Advertising Manager
ONE YEAR MAIL SUBSCRIPTION RATES
In-County Out-Of -County
100 *10.00
1 19 West Grubb Street
P.O. Box 277
Hertford, N.C. 27944
North Coroiina Pr*?s Association
Untl |lrlnl ^ - * - - ? rlreSlnn
noTionoi nvwspop^r AsiociaTion
North Carolina Association of Community Newspapers
que red and buffed, the panel will not
show even a mark from a stubbed out
cigar. Silly me. I thought the walnut
tree was put on this earth only for the
purpose of my Grandma's Christmas
fruitcakes.
If I was you and I had finally
stashed away enough for my Rolls, 1
wouldn't stay awake at nights worry
ing about somebody ripping me off.
Thanks to its pick-proff electric door
locks, this car is almost impossible to
steal.
And, if that isn't enough, the ignition
system locks electrically as soon as
the key is removed and cannot be
started again without. The only way
you can plan on stealing a Rolls
Royce is to raise it up off its drive
wheels and tow it away. I know some
"good old boys" who could probably
flex a few muscles and walk right off
with it.
If you're ever seen a Rolls-Royce
on the highways around here, most
likely the first thing you noticed was
that gorgeous silver-colored grille.
This thing, Just for the record, i? not
silver, though considering the price,
it should be, but is stainless sleel
which has acquired the silver luster
after being polished by hand for so
long. Like I said before, there's a rea
son this car costs so much. -r ? ?
You can ease your mind right now
as to worrying about your new Rolls
arriving with a scratch somewhere,
since every one of them is exported in
its own jumbo-sized packing con
tainer for protection. . j
I won't be getting a Rolls ' for
Christmas this year. Maybe next
year, when the corn gets all the fay
up to fl. 00 a bushel and my magazine
editors realize they can't live without
me. So, until then, I think I'll seei i((
can section off a portion of my jiard
with an electric fence and then round
up a calf.. .make that eight calves.
Then, I'll plant a walnut tree. And
wait. For my Rolls-Royce seed to
reach maturity.
p NEWS COUPON ,
i
The news ond editorial staff of the Perquimans Weekly
would like you to tell us what kind of stories you like to see it)
the paper. If there is something or someone you feel is impor|
tant ? or some provocative issue you would like us to exafli>
ine ? please, let us know.
Just clip and fill out this coupon. Include as many details af
possible (Names, addressses, telephone numbers, etc.) ,<4
It mav not be possible for us to use some of the stories svg
gested but we ore always looking for new ideas. * <
So, next time you think of something you feel would make d
good story, send it to: News Coupon, Perquimans WeekVt
P.O. Box 277. Hertford, N.C. 27944. *
STORY IDEA:
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COMMENTS:
The Perquimans Weeklv
' 1' W. Grubb St. Hertford
426-3728
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