Newspapers / The Alleghany News and … / March 25, 1937, edition 1 / Page 1
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TODAY’S THOUGHT “A new commandment I give nnto you, That ye love one another.”—John 13:84. The Alleghany Times Subscription Price Pi * year vl in advance in Allegtwny county only Series 1937 DEVOTED TO THE CIVIC, ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT OF ALLEGHANY COUNTY GALAX, VA. (Published for Sparta, N. C.) THURSDAY, MARCH 25, 1937. EIGHT PAGES Number 12. By Hugo Sims, Washington Correspondent MERCHANT MARINE For many years the subject of . adequate merchant marine has en discussed and debated in the uted, States. Early this month, th the naming of a permanent aritime Commission, a signifi nt policy was placed on a per tinent basis and the limited and ncealed subsidies which have en heretofore paid by the Gov nment are to be replaced by en subsidies. For many years i Postoffice Department, through ean mail contracts based on ices much higher than those of red by foreign ships for the me service, has been giving a bsidy to American shipping mpanies. This policy increased e postal deficit and was only a bterfuge. *EN SUBSIDIES BEGIN A little over two years ago, esddent Roosevelt asked Con ess for a law to provide subsi ss. He wanted fair play to ship ig interests competing with bsidized foreign merchantmen d desired that the nation, in s event of war, would possess fficient ships to carry on Ameri n trade and, in the event that > were in the war ourselves, supply of dhips to meet the lergency. The battle over the fislation was stormy and the I did not pass until June, 1936. provided a Maritime Commis in, to which the President made nporary appointments, but early is month a permanent set-up is effected. Heading the new mmission is Joseph P. Kennedy, rmer chairman of the Securities d Exchange Commission. Thos. Woodward, former member of s old Shipping Board; Edward Moran, a veteran opponent of ■ge mail contracts, and two ar Admirals, Henry A. Wiley d Emory S. Land, make up the e-man board. The Commission will terminate ty-two ocean mail contracts w involving more than thirty llion dollars a year, by June th and, in their place, grant di :t subsidies under the new law. may make gifts of money, botn ship-builders and ship-oper >rs to equalize their position th foreign competitors. The 'ts may amount to as much as ,y per cent., but dividends are itricted to ten per cent, of the npany’s investment and execu e salaries are limited to $25, 0, Moreover, profits above the lit set are to be returned to the ritime Commission. Shipbuild ; loans, up to one-fourth the it of construction, are author d at three and a half per cent, erest. ASY MONEY”FAVORED Speculation that financial offi la of the Government would *n abandon the “easy money” icy and initiate steps to tighten : currency has been summarily scuted by Marriner S. Eccles, lirman of the Federal Reserve ard, who advocates higher Fed 1 income and profits taxes, if lessary, to sustain the relief d, balance the budget and re ;e the public debt as private it expands. He thinks this pro b is necessary to prevent mone y inflation and that other than netary controls are needed to rulate sharp rises in the prices certain “basic commodities.” Ar. Eccles warns that the up rd spiral of wages and prices o inflationary price levels can as disastrous as the downward lal of inflation” and contends t increased production must djrol unjustifiable price ad ices. This, he says, can be done long as there is idle labor, un d natural resources and an indance of money at reasonable es. All of these conlitions are sent at this time. Hr. Eccles declares that the vernment will continue to pur . an easy money policy. He nts out that the national in le for 1929 was estimated at 034,000,000 and that in 1936 ras 360,000,000,000. Apparent the intention of responsible of alg ii to continue present polic until some of the discrepancies removed. While President ysevelt has held out the hope fc the budget might be balanced hout increased taxation, it uld be noted that the Presi t has also warned against the iger of inflation which, ho. sug fc., might be an evil within two W. ‘ , i-, COME TAXES GROW (ean while, Treasury officials ■ week scanned reports as to (Turn to Page 5, Please) Dobson Bank Is Robbed Mon. By Pinnacle Youth Miss Eva Hancock, Bank Treasurer, Ja Held Up At Ploint Of Gun. $423 Is Estimated Sum Taken CASHIER IN WASH ROOM _ " Youth Is Securely Lodged In'Surry County Jail At Dobson. Said To Have Been Intoxicated Dobson, Mar. 23.—Douglas Christian, 18-year old Pinnacle boy, started a career of crime Monday afternoon at one o’clock by holding up the woman treas urer of the Dobson branch of the Sunry County Loan and Trust company. Two hours later he was securely lodged in the county jail here by Sheriff Harvey Boyd, apologizing to the woman treas urer of the bank he held up, and promising to reform if “nothing is said” about the case. The pleasant-looking youth seiz ed an estimated $423, which was surrendered to him by Miss Eva Hancock> the woman bank treas urer, and roared away at a high rate of speed in an automobile up and down the high ways in a futile effort to shake off pursuers. Officers found $365.62 on him. He claimed that $2.60 of this was his own money. Deputies questioned him in an attempt to learn if an alleged ac complice got the rest of the loot, but the confessed robber denied anyone was with him. The criminal career of Douglas Christian was stopped by the sharp eyes of a 17-year-old boy who accompanied officers in the pursuit car. Ellis Cassell, brother of L. C. Cassell, the jailer, sight ed Christian as he sat in his car in a filling station near East Bend, and shouted “there he is!” The other occupants of the car were loathe to stop, but when they did back up, Christian made a dash from the filling station and sped 15 more miles before being run to earth. The most exciting, and, in some ways, amusing, day Dobson has had in fo long time started when the young boy, unmasked, entered the branch bank at 1 o’clock. According to Miss Han cock, treasurer, she was waiting on Mrs. W. B. Norman. -When Mrs. Norman turned to go, a young man stepped up to the win dow, drew a pistol, and toH Mrs. Norman: “You stay in here,lady.” Mrs. Norman, panic-stricken, replied: “I’m too scared bo stay,” and fled out the door. The bandit, who was unmasked, then turned to the treasurer, who was by this time quite unnerved, and leveled a .38-calibre pistol at her head and said: “Hand me that money quick.” Miss Hancock lifted her hands above her head, at the same time asking “What did you say?” The youth .re peated the demand, and Miss Hancock handed over all the money in her cash drawer, telling the bandit it was all she had. She did not give him the money in the drawer of another teller nearby. Christian stepped quickly out the door, jammed his pistol in 'his jacket and entered a waiting car. Meantime, Mrs. Norman had found the street outside deserted. She finally found one man and told him the bank was being rob bed, she said, and the two of them went on to spread the alarm. Several persons said they saw the robber step into his car. All of them agree that someone was waiting at the wheel. TO HOLD ZONE MISSIONARY MEETING AT GRASSY CREEK On Tuesday, March 30, a zone meeting of the Methodist Mis sionary Societies in the States ville district will be held at Grassy Creek Methodist church. Mrs. J. B. Henderson, who ia zone secretary, will conduct the meeting. NEW HOPE S. S. TO BE REORGANIZED SUNDAY Rev. Howard J. Ford, pastor of the New Hope Baptist Church, announces that on Sunday, March 28f Sunday school will be reor ganized at that place, and that teachers and officers will be elect ed. , When Blast Killed Hundreds Of ChildrenI ' . ..— .. 1 "-I I —— —— General view of the New London consolidated school. New London, Texas, after the explosion that wrecked the school and snuffed out the lives of hundreds of school children in the worst school tragedy in all history. Parkway Work Is To Be Resumed By Next Thursday Completion Of Work On Scenic Road In Ashe, Alleghany And Wilkes Is Expected Real Soon Contractors who suspended op erations on the six projects of the Blue Ridge parkway in Alle ghany, Ashe, Wilkes and Watau ga counties during the winter months plan to resume work in the next few weeks and begin a big push to complete the grading and surfacing this spring and summer. James M. Anderson, head of the district employment sea-vice office which serves the counties through which the parkway is be ing constructed, said recently that he had received a requisi tion from one county for 90 la borers and skilled workmen to begin work soon and that every contractor is planning to push operations when resumed. He urged a full registration of all who live within the vicinity of the parkway or who can reach any of the projects daily. Those who have formerly work ed on parkway construction proj ects but have not renewed their registrations within the past few months are advised to call at the office and renew applications if they are interested in working when opeo-ations of the biggest Public Works project in this part of the state are resumed. In the meantime the office is in receipt of calls for various types of labor foo- private indus try, ranging all the way from Laborers at prevailing wages to skilled men who command lucra tive salaries. Baptist W. M. U. Meets March 18 At Glade Valley The Women’s Missionary union of the Sparta Baptist church met on Thursday aftetmoon, March 18, at the home of Mrs. Ed Lun dy, of Glade Valley, with Mrs. Walter Taylor associate hostess. In the absence of the president, Mrs. W. B. Estep, Mrs. Amos Wagoner presided, opening the program with the scripture lesson. The topic for discussion was "The Spanish and the Portu guese.” Those taking part were Miss Margie Vass, who was load er; Mrs. Amos Wagoner, Mrs. Ralph Parker Mrs. Bert Ed wards and Mrs. Foster Hackler; Mrs. Walter Taylor gave a very interesting report of the state meeting of the W. M. U., held in Clsarlotte last week, to which she was a delegate. Following the business session, the hostesses served dainty re freshments during an enjoyable social hour. Methodist W. M. S. Holds Meeting At Church March 19 The Women’s Missionary socie ty of the Methodfst church met at the church on Friday, March 19. Instead of the regular pro gram, this period was devoted to the mission study work. Rev. A. B. Bruton gave a most interest ing and able discussion of the concluding chapters of the book, “Out of Africa.” N. C. Assembly Adjourns Session In Raleigh Tues. Governor Hoey On Rostrum With Lieut.-Governor When Gavels Fall For Sine Die Adjournment Raleigh, Mar. 23.—North Caro lina’s 1937 Genearl Assembly, which balanced the largest budget in the history of the state, legal ized liquor, complied with all phases of the social security pro gram and authorized free text books for children in elementary schools, adjourned sine die at 5:38 o’clock this afternoon. Officially, the legislature quit at high noon, when the old-fash ioned clocks in the House and Senate chambers were stopped. Actual adjournment, however, came more than five and a half hours later, after the enrolling office had had an opportunity to copy last-minute bills, the board of education omnibus measure had been enacted and the House had killed a measure allowing counties and municipalities to is sue revenue anticipation bonds to match federal funds. When iall legislative remnants had been disposed of, the tall doors of each chamber were thrown open so that Speaker R. Gregg Cherry of the House and Lieutenant Governor W. P. Hor ton of the Senate could see each other across the corridors and the circular hallway at the base of the Capitol dome. Both officers raised their gavels. Governor Hoey was on the ros trum with Horton. Persons in the crowded galleries craned their necks as the law-makers lined up in double file in the aisles. Then Horton nodded slightly and both mallets deseended simul taneously. Just before adjournment. Rep resentative Dellinger of Baston, asked that his bill, which would have substituted electricity for lethal gas as a means of capital punishment, be revived. His mo tion was shouted down. B. Y. P. U. SOCIAL TO BE HELD FRIDAY N1CHT The B. Y. P. U. quarterly soc ial will be held on Friday night at 8 o’clock at the home of Miss Margie Vass. ’ All members are invited to be present. Explosion At New London (Tex.) RS. Kills 455 Worst Disaster Of Its Kind America Has Ever Known Takes Place In Heart Of E. Texas Oil Fields New London, Tex., Mar. 23.— What has been described as the worst disaster of its kind Amer ica has ever known occurred here Thursday when a gigantic ex plosion completely wrecked the $1,000,000 New London high school building, killing 465 stu dents and teachers. The mighty explosion, which was heard for miles around and threw bricks for a distance of one-fourth mile, came suddenly and without warn ing just before the hour for dis missal of school classes. It happened in the heart of the East Texas oil fields. The high school building, center of the Lon don consolidated school, was torn apart in an appalling tragedy. At 3:20 p. m.—ten minutes be fore the end of the school day— the walls were shaken with shat tering force. The roof rose, then settled with killing strength on the children trapped within. An explosion of accumulated gas in a space below the first floor was one theory of the cause. There are seven producing oil wells on the campus. "I looked out a window and saw my friends dying like flies,” said Martha Harris, 18, a sur vivor. “Kids were blown through the top onto the roof.” Chaos rivaling the explosion it self developed in the aftermath Governor Jaems V. Allred de clared martial law in the precinct, ardered the national guard troops and instructed that a military court of inquiry be set up to be gin an investigation. Red Cross nurses, doctors by the score rushed against time to allay the confusion here—1,000 oil field workers tore at the deb ris, frenzied parents strove bo find their children and hundreds of curious blocked the highways. Superintendent W. C. Shaw, who lost a son in the explosion, theorized that it was caused by an accumulation of gas. Shaw said that accumulated gas in a space between the floor of | the one-story building and the | ground undoubtedly caused the i explosion. The building was heat led by gas-steam radiators and there was no main boiler. Seven hundred pupils and forty teachers were in the building— most of them in the auditorium. Suddenly with a force of tre menodus proportions the walls of the building began to shake. Pupils and students alike were trapped. A low rumble sounded. Many thought it was a boiler explosion. None was sure hours later. Witnesses said there was an ear-hammering explosion after the grumbling roar that preceded (Ttvn to Page 8, Please) Lonnie Wright, Native Of Alleghany, Commits Suicide In Winston - Salem Prison CL Hughes Expresses Opposition To Court Reform Plan Believes That To Increase Membership Of High Tribunal Would “Impair” Its Efficiency Washington, Max. 23.—Foes of the Roosevelt court proposal were" made jubilant yesterday when Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes, of the United States Su preme court, bluntly decalred that to increase the membership of the high court was likely to “impair” its efficiency. This statement, to which Asso ciate Justices Van Devanter and Brandels agreed, was thrown dramatically into the tense hear ings of the Senate judiciary com mittee by Senator Wheeler (D.) Mont., the first witness to appear in opposition to the bill. Opposition senators have long been seeking to get an expression of opinion from the high bench, believing it would lend powerful support to their cause, and they were obviously happy over the Hughes declaration. Wheeler, asserting that he had been “shocked and surprised” by the President’s proposal and by charges that the court’s work was hindered by the age of its mem bers, told the committee that he had gone “for the facts to the one source that could be expect ed to know them better than any one else.” From the chief justice, he re ceived a letter which asserted that “the court is fully abreast of its work,” that “there is no conges tion of cases upon our calendar,” that the work of reading peti tions for review is “laborious” but adequately handled. “An increase in the number of justices, apart from any question of policy, which I do not dis cuss, would not promote the effi ciency of the court,” the Hughes letter said. “It is Believed that it would impair that efficiency so long as the court acts as a unit. “There would be more judges to hear, more judges to confer, more judges to discuss, more judges to be convinced and to decide,” the letter continued. ’’The present number of justices is thought to be large enough so far as the prompt, adequate and efficient conduct of the work of the court is concerned.” Sidney B. Gambill Now With Treasury Dept. In Washington (The article published below is reprinted from a recent issue of The State Magazine, and, since it has to do with a prominent former Alleghany resident, it is believed it will be of wide inter est to readers of THE TIMES.— Editor). The article follows: “Sidney B. Gambill, secretary to Representative Doughton for the past two years, moved down to the opposite end of Pennsyl vania Avenue in Washington, D. C., last week to become associ ate counsel in the general coun sel’s office of the Treasury De partment. He is attached to the division handling the refund of processing taxes. A native of Ashe county, Gam bill was graduated from Duke university in 1925. After several years in Ashe county, he returned to school and finished his legal education at Chapel Hill m 1932. He practiced law in Sparta with the Congressman’s brother “Gov ernor" Rufe Doughton, for two years before coming to Washings ton as Farmer Bob’s secretary. His wife is the former Miss Myrtle Reeves, of Virginia. They were classmates at Duke. Mrs.. Gambill recently resigned as local news editor of The Alle ghany Times at Sparta to come to Washington. They have one child, a daughter, Billie, 6. Had Escaped From Forsyth County Prison Farm. Was Questioned In Regard To Brannock Girl’s Murder ESTABLISHES ALIBI Was Sought By Authorities At Galax For Forgery. Hangs Self With Noose Made From Underwear Lonnie Wright, a resident of the Saddle Mountain section of Alleghany county, was found dead in his cell in a Winston-Salem jail Tuesday morning, hanged with his underwear. He was about 25 years of age. He was a son of Robert Wright, who lives in sight of, and not more than 300 yards from, the spot where Elva Brannock was found murdered on February 12. Wright had escaped from the prison farm in Forsyth county, where he was serving a 30-day term, and was recaptured Sunday. When taken, he asked officers if he was wanted for anything ex. cept the offense for which he had been serving. On being asked what else he had done, he replied that he thought perhaps he was wanted for questioning about the Brannock girl’s murder, and add ed that at the time of her death, he was in Florida. Forsyth county officials notified Sheriff Walter M. Irwin of .Wright’s capture, thinking he might wish to question the man in connection with the murder case. Sheriff Irwin, accompanied by R. D. Gentry, went to Winston-Salem on Monday, . and questioned Wright, who became more and more nervous during the inter view. He claimed that he was in Florida at the time of the girl’s death. Sheriff Irwin left him alone for a while, and when he went back to the cell to continue the questioning, he learned that Wright had attempted to commit suicide by hanging himself with his underwear. Wright still con tended that he was not connected with the murder case. His alibi was later verified by telegraph. At the time, Wright was said to have been incarcerated in a Flor ida jail. On Tuesday morning when Ir win returned to the jail to ques tion Wright further, he was in formed that the man wias found dead in his cell that morning, having hanged himself by fasten ing his underwear around his neck and to the top of the cell, over the door. His knees were almost touching the floor. Weight was a cousin of Connie Wright, who was held for a short time as a suspect in the Brannock murder case. Wright’s body, still warm, was discovered by an attache of the jail who was making an inspec tion round at 2r50 o’clock Cleared of complicity in the Elva Brannock slaying only a few hours before, Wright was last seen alive at 1 o’clock by officers who noticed nothing un (Turn to. page 8, Please) "Pity him who turns hi* bac^ on hi* own people." ■Team gate woman tho right to rote at ) k 1917. detected at *• batil* o< Hotwhm Bond, 1814. . SC W S# 18—Th* United State* cha**d Alaska iron Ruwta. 1887.
The Alleghany News and Star-Times (Sparta, N.C.)
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March 25, 1937, edition 1
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