POPULATION
City Limits . (1M0 Census) 6.574
IwMdtat* Txading Assa I1M0
(IMS Ration Board Ftguras)
VOL: 6* NO. 28
Kings Mountain. N. C.. Triday. July 15. 1949
PRICE FIVE CENTS
Two Postal Employees
Face Federal Charges
Local News
Bulletins
VFW MEETING
An important meeting of the
! Johnnie W. Blaokwell Fast 2269,
Veterans of (Foreign Wars, Is
scheduled for Friday at 7:30 at
City Hall. 'FuH attendance Is re
quested.
TOURING CANADA
Rev. J. H. BrendaH, pastor of
Central Methodist church, and
Mrs. *BrendaU left Sunday for a
two-weeks tour ot Canada.
METER RECEIPTS
Parking meter receipt* lor the
week ending at noon Wednesday
totaled" $133.94 according to a re
port by S. A. Crouwe, cky clerk.
CUM STAG NIGHT
Regular monthly Stay Night
will be held at the Kings Moun
tain Couptry Club Monday night,
U was announced this week.
Members are requested to make
reservations by noon Monday- by
phoning 302 -Uf.
'iy 1
rJNION SERVICE
- Sanda# night's union aaucicc
will be held at St. Matthew's Lu
theran church at 8 o'clock, with
Rev. L. G. Pfnnix, pastor of First
Baptist church, delivering the
sermon.
BUILDING PERMITS
' Building permits were issued
Wednesday to G. L. Wright, tor
construction of a new dwelling on
West King street, $5,000, and aam
'?. Smith, for construction of a
new three-room dwelling on First,
street, $1,400.
ATTENDS CONFERENCE
Mrs. J. N. Gamble, executive
secretary of the Kings Mountain
Chapter, American Red Cross, is
attending a secretaries conference
at. Aaheville. Attending are Red
Cross secretaries from Western
Norih Carolina and Eastern Ten*
nestee. She will return Friday.
KXWAHIANS HAD JlCNIC
Members of the Kings Mountain
fciwanls club were, scheduled to -
hold a family picnic at Lake
Montonia Thursday evening at 7
itfjlock. Member^, their families
aid guests wertf |j|tend.
HAMBRIOHT REUNION
X>escend^nts of Col. Frederick
Hambright, Revolutionary War
h?ro at the Battle of Kings Moun
tain, will gather, for the annual
Hair:or)ght reunion Sunday at
ooon at Antloch Baptist church
near Grover. '? . \
GRACE METHODIST
Boyce Huffstetier, who is enter
ing college as a ministerial Stu
dent in the /all, will conduct
morning services at Grace Meth
odist church Sunday morning at
11 o'clock. The pastor, Rev. G. W.
Fink, is conducting servftes out
of-town.
iOWMMT ftERMON -
Regular li o'clock Sunday
morning services will not be held
at Boyce Memorial ARP church
Sundajr. The pastor, Rev. W. JU
Pressly, is attending Institute of
Theology at Princeton, N. J? for
a three-week course. Sunday
school jwlll be held as usual.
MtTHODXSrT SPEAKER
' Rev. Tosip Benyamin, native of
Persia and former missionary to
Persia and Russia, will deliver the
sermon at the 11 o'clock service
at Opttrai Methodist church In
the absence of Rev. J. H. Brendan.
'A noted speaker who has deliv
ered sermons to some of the larg
est churches in the south, Rev.
Benyamin will also speak to the
Men's Bible clam at 10 o'clock. A
cordial invitation is extended to
nil denominations to hear this
forceful speaker.
Chaxges Against
Bansey, Willis
Shock Community
The facta in the cases Involving
dismissal and indictment of two.
Kings Mountain postoffice employ
ees, as gathered from Postmaster
W. E. Blakely, charges preferred by
Postal Inseptcor R. E. Hartlgan, and ,
the two men involved are:
(1) ChaTlea Ramsey, 29-year old
postoffice charman and substitute
clerk-carrier faces charges of theft
and rifling of a "test" letter con- 1
taining currency in the amount of
eight dollars. The theft- allege Ily
occurred on Friday, July 8.
(2) J. K. (Jim) Willis, contract
nryail messenger for the past several
years, is charged with tampering
with mail matter, theft of two mag* '
azlnes and a catalog. These charges
a rone from alleged infractions ta
king p>?ce in February.
According to Postmaster Blakely.
the tampering charge against Mr.
Willis resulted from inspectors' al
legations that Mr. Willis opened,
then sealed, a "test" special deliv
ery letter containing money. The
money, however, was not removed
and the letter placed in the proper
channels. A part of Mr. Willis' du
ties'was the delivery of special de
livery mail. Theft of the magazines
and the catalog a$e more "book"
charges than serious infractions, It
Indicated, since the two SMga
zlnes allegedly stolen earn* "from
the "throw- back", file, which meant
they were undellyerable and sched
uled for burning. On the catalog ,
charge, Mr. Wilus allegedly glanced I
through a mail order catalog at the
postoffice, and returned it to its!
proper slot. Mr. Blakely said he did j
not know whether the inspectors'
Charged that the test letter had been
sealed when opened.
Mr. Ramsey admitted to the char
ges preferred, Mr. Blakely said, af- !
ter the planted hills, sprinkled with
powder transparent only under 1
special light, and with serial num
bers copied, were found-In his pos
session in a general search of per
sonnel by the postal inspectors.
Mr. Ramsey, arrested Friday,
waived hearing before U. S. Commls- 1
s loner J<?hn P. Mull, of Shelby, and !
was bound over to the October term
of federal court under $500 bond j
which was made.
Mr. Willis, arrested Saturday, also
waived hearing before Commission
er Mull, and was Hbund over to;
the October term of Federal court t
under bond of $500, which was1
made.
n It was evident Friday afternoon j
thai something unusual was under
way at the Kings Mountain post
office.
' About 5:30 in the afternoon, the
only postal employee available for
window service was Miss Freelove
Black, money order clerk. Millard 1
Prince passed through the main lob
by, followed by a postal Inspector,
who, lh turn, was followed by Ed
win Moore, substitute rural carrier.
Mis* Black told window patron* no
clerk was Immediately available
and that she was not allowed to at
tend to regular cleric duties. Asked
If postal inspectors were present, she |
said they were. ? -
V Postmaster Blakely said that in
. ((Cont'd on page four)
Many Seeking
Textile ftaining
John Floyd, Instructor in the new
textile school recently approved by
the Veterans Administration, Mid
Thursday that a total of 68 appli
cants had sought admisdon ton. the
school. i
Since only two classes of 30 stu
dents each have been approved by
the Veterans Administration, Mr.
Floyd said potential enrollees rep
resented an excess of 29 persons.
The school will get underway as
quickly as the applicants receive
certificates of eligibility from the
Veterans Administration: Mr. FVoyd
said students will be notifed of the
staitiijf date -of the classes, to be
tsught at the Velma-Oraft building
oaYoricBoad. 1
King Traffic Signal
System Synchronized ]
City Engineer J. S. Evans. Jr.,
?add yesterday that Installation of
traffic signal lights on King street
were completed this week.
The three traffic lights at the
corners of King- Battleground, King
-Piedmont and King-Gaston are
synchronised. Mr. Evans said, and
can be "made* by motorists trav
eling east Vr west at a speed if
20 miles per hour.
The installation was comple
ted by J. J. Jerry, engineer of the
C rouse -Hinds Company, manufac
turers of traffic signal equipment.
Mr. Evans said completion of
installation of the signal system
at the intessectton of Battle
ground . Piedmont ? Parker street
tstill awaits receipt of permission
from Southern Railway for instal
lation of a pole on Railway prop
erty.
TV-Dance Show
At Gym Friday
'A lafge crowd of square dancers
and spectators is expected to at
tend the Mountaineer Club folk
dance exhibition at the high school
gymnasium 'Friday night. The
dance is sheduled to get underway
with a television premiere showing
from Station WBTV, Charlotte, at 1
p. m.
The famous Cramerton Gingham
Team, a group of 12 dance couples,
will give an exhibition of folk
dancing beginning at 8:30 p. m. and
dancing is scheduled to follow. Ar
thur Sproose and His Melody Drift
era will furnish music for the event.
. Dan Huftetetler is chairman of
arrangements lor th* sponsors.
sponsored at the gym by Stowe Ra
dio Service and Western AAuto. S?V
eral sets will be televising until the
end of the WB*TV program at 10:30
p. m.
Admission for the folk dance and
square dance spectators, general ad
mission, will be 30 and 60 cents.
Dancers will be charged an addi
tional 25 or 50 cents. *
?Proceeds from the event will be
used to send the . high school foot
ball team to Brevard -College for a
week's pre season training trip . in
August. " -
Television sets installed at the
gymnasium will include General
Electric, sold Jointly by Stowe Radio
Service and Western Auto, and]
Westinghouse, sold by Stowe Radio. |
Skimp Stowe is in charge of thej
Television display.
Logon And Houser
Dissolve Partnership
W. B. Logan announced this week
dissolving of the partnership, be
tween him and C. H. Houuser who
have been trading as Arcadia Roll
er Rink. The effective date was JUly
ft.
Under terms of the transaction,
Mr. Logan received the vacant lot
on Battleground . avenue adjoining
the building occupied by ArcartHa
Roller Rink, and Mr. Houser retains
ownership of the business and
butiaing and lot occupied by the
?
Citizens Fight
Zoning Change;
Action Delayed
The city board of commissioners,
I meeting in regular monthly session
Wednesday afternoon, tabled final
action on the requested change in
the city zoning ordinance whereby
a portion of a lot on York road
would be transferred to the indus
trial zone from the residential zone:
At the opening of the meeting, At- 1
torney W. Falson Barnes presented
the board a petition opposing the
change from 12 residents of the pro
perty adjacent to the lot.
Action on the matter was to table
for further conference with the ap
peal board, which had approved the
requested change. J. T. McGinnis
had requested the change for the
purpose of constructing a garage on
the lot owned by Ervin Allen, Jr.,
and Harold Hunnicutt.
Later in the meeting, a motion
to rescind the action of the board
on June 24 (which had the effect
of denying the request fox change)
was made by Commissioner Hunter
Patterson, but the motion did not
get a second. Nevertheless, the \
board failed to approve the minutes ;
of the called meeting of June 24,^
when the board approved, subject
tq action after public hearing on the
matter, the MdGlnrris request.
A number of the petitioners at
tended Wednesday's meeting.
Y Signing the petition were; An
drew Petrosino, Mrs. Andrew Petro
sino, Mrs. Eva Mae Houston, Mrs.
Dorothy D. C. Tignor, Thurman Eu
gene Tignor, Samuel 'H. ?Houston,
Mrs C. J. Gatflt, Jr., C. J. Gault, Jr.,
George Hull, Mrs. George Hull, Jack ?
Clark, Mrs. Jeannett Clark.
Other principal action of the;
hoard concerned a faatter which has I
caused much discontent on the part I
of citizens in the Burlington Mill
village. Water lines were taken ov
er by the city some months ago.
The houses were un- metered and
the city had an insufficient number I
of meters to serve all the houses.
The former administration set a
water charge of 51-40 monthly. Com
missioner Hal Ward moved that the
charge be reduced to the $1.00 min
imum until the housese could be
metered. Commissioner Bridges sec
onded and the motion carried unan- ;
ifiaously.
The board re appointed Faison
Barnes -Judge of city recorder's
court at a salary of $1,800 annually.
Mayor Herndon informed the board
that Mr. Barnes had told him he
could not serve at the former salary
of $1,200 annually, since his duti
es as judgo prevented him from
practicing crimnal law. There was
some discussion about the $600 in
crease, with several remarking they
felt the Judgeship Is a lawyer's Job.
The matter was settled when Mr.
Bridges moved the additional mo
ney be taken from the contingency
fund. Mr. Patterson seconded and
the motion carried.
After Mr. Bridges opened discus
sion on the current inspection fee
schedule of the building code by
Mr. Bridget, City Engineer Evans
was Instructed to Investigate the
full schedule of fees. Several com
missioners voiced criticism, not on
ly of the fees, but of the present
policy of splitting monies from fees
(Cont'd on page four)
Six-Tenn Mayor Wiley McGinnis
Succumbs; Funeial On Friday
Wiley H. McGinnls, 09, former
mayor of Kings Mountain tor six
terms, died ?t his home this morn
ing around 8 o'clock of ? heart at
tack after an lllntas of some 40
minutes.
iTuueral service* will be held 'Fri
day at 4 p. m. at St. Matthew's Lu
t he ran church conducted by Rev.
W. H. S tender, pastor, and Bev. Her
man Fisher, former pastor. Inter*
ment will be In Mounuin Rest cem
etery. The body will lie in state at
the church for a half-hour {trior to
the service.
/ A former bank and building and
loan official, he retired from the au> i
tomoblle business in 1047. He w
first elected mayor of the city in
1917 and was re-elected the follow
ing term, resigning in June 1920. He
I Mia elected in 1931 for a two-year
term and again in 1935, serving
three straight terms until 1931.
He was a member of St Mat
thew's Lutheran church and at the
time of hie death was a teacher in
the Sunday school, of which he wu
I a former superintendent.
I Son of the late Margaret Rudlalll
and J. M. McGinn Is, he was a native
of Gaston county. He had been a
resident of Kings Mountain for 44
yeara.
Survivors include Ms wife, the
former Mias Minnie Carpenter; two
sons, J. M. McGinnls, of King*
Mountain, and D. O. McGinnls, of
Salisbury; three daughters, Mrs. C.
R Edwards of Kannapolis, Mrs. C. C.
Proctor, of Salisbury, and Mrs. J. C.
Caveny, of Kings Mountain; two
brothers, M. L. and Charles McGin
nls, of Crouae; five sisters, Mrs. It
P. Shelby, of Gastonla, Mrs. Pearl
Bonsac, of St. Petersburg, Fla., Mrs.
Mary Beam, ol Columbia, S. C? and
Mias SalUe and Miss Susie McGin
nls; Ok Onuts; una 10 grandchild
ren.
Pall bearexs for the servioe in
clude i. E, Herndon, L. Arnold Ris
er, Pred Plonk, &. L. Plonk, Oohn
Rudisili, and S. E. Aderholdt.
LEGION COMMANDER ? Paul
Mauney, World War I veteran and !
official of Noisier Mills, was instal
led as commander of Otis D. Greon
Post 155. American Legion, at the
regular meeting of the post Monday
night. H? succeeds Ollie Harris. -
Three Injured
In Auto Wreck
Three of four persons riding in an
International pick-up truck were
seriously injured about 4 o'clock
this morning, when the truck ran'
off the road on the curve of the Gas.
tonfa highway a few hundred feet!
East of Walters Flowers.
The seriously injured were:
Mr. Rosenberry, of Dallas; George '
Graham, of Monks Corner. S. C.;
and Mrs. Mildred Johnson, of G&g
tonia. A Mrs. Sinclair, of Clover, S.
C., was given first aid treatment
and discharged from Gaston Memo
Tfa+ where the injured were
rushed by ambulance.
The truck traveled some 275 feet
after leaving the road and wrap
ped itself around a tree. Ollie Har
ris, who answered the oall, said 1
there was no evidence that the
truck's brakes had been applied. I
The Herald was unable to contact
Patrolman C.'R. Wooten who, along
with the patrolman on duty in Gas- ,
ton county, Investigated the acol- '
dent.
Funeral Sunday
For War Hero
'Final interment for Pvt. David
Charles Wray, who entered the ar
my from Kings Mountain in 1942,
will be held Sunday afternoon at 2
o'clock at Sink Funeral Home in
Bessemer City, with Chaplain A. F.
Phlbhs In charge. Burial, with full
military honors, will take place at
Spindale cemetery.
Pvt. Wray, who was employed at
the Cora Mill when he entered ser
vice, died on May 7, 1945, one day
after h(i liberation from Camp Sta
lagolla, Germany, a German prison
camp. He was first interred at the
American military cemetery, Cham
pignuel, France, on May 8, 1945.
Pvt. Wray was the son of Mrs.
Hattie BoWman Wray and the late
W. M. Wray. He was born April 14,
1920, at Lawndale. He was a mem
ber of Company At 11th Engineer
ing Construction Battalion, 36th Dl
vision.
Surviving in addition to his mo
ther, are three brothers and a sis
ter, W. C. Wray, Bessemer City, Fred
Wray, "Falcon, Carl J. Wray, Spin
dale, and Mrs. Ruth Matheson.
Lions Hear * Reports
On Boys' State
Members of the Kings Mountain
Lions club heard brief reports from
five of the six local representatives
to Boy* State at the regular meet
ing 0/ the club Tuesday night.
Making the reports were Delvln
Huff stealer, Buddy Beatty, Richard
White, Bill Allen and Harold Eng
land. Each stated appreciation for
the trip to Boys State, commended
it highly, and gave brief details of
the week's activities.
Prior to the reports, a quartet In
cluding Dan Huffstetler, Charlie
Warllck, Earl Myers and W. P. Ful
ton rendered several old-time vocal
favorites.
Hilton Ruth arranged the pro
gram.
Nickle Fated
Off Tentative
Rate 01 JUS
The city board of commissioti<>rs
adopted the 1949-50 budget Wed
nesday afternixin. calling for hx-.
pendlture of $302,176.01, and on
suspension o? rules. passed the tax
rate ordinance setting a rate of
$1.80 per $100 valuation, and a $2,70
poll tax.
The official rate was set at five
cents less than the tentative rate
announced last month and was ar
rived at after the commissioners, in
informal get-together Tuesday, par
ed some $2,750 off the budget.
The board, when setting the ten
tative budget and tax rate, had
stated that it would make every ef
fort to pare the rate prior to final
adoption. The reduction will mean
that citizens who have pre-paid
their 1949 taxes will get a refund
Adoption of the budget, already
informally considered, started ofif
as a routine matter. Commissioner
T. J. Ellison moved adoption and
Commissioner Hal t). Ward second
ed. On Mayor J. E. Herndon's call
for a vote, Commissioner Hudson
Bridges joined Mr. Ward and- Mr.
Ellison in "aye," but Commissioner
Hunter Patterson, remaining that
he felt the budget could be pared
sufficiently to cut another 10 cents
off the tax rats, asked that his vote
be entered opposed. (Commissioner
Carl Mauney was not present.)
This development did not suit the
other commissioners, who preferred
a unanimous vote on the matter,
and Mr. Ward and Mr. Ellison a
greed to withdraw their motion for
further surveillance Into possible
cuts. After 30 minutes perusal, no
particular items were found to be
conveniently removable, and Mx.
Patterson agreed to chaagsfci* vote
to "aye". maWna the vote on the
budget unanimous.
Motion by Mr. Ward, seconded by
Mr. Ellison, setting the tax rate at
$1.80 was passed unanimously, and
motion by Mr. PatteTson seconded
by Mr. Bridges to suspend the rules
on second and third readings was
passed unanimously completing ac
tion on the budget and tax rate.
In presenting the budget. City En
gineer J. S. Evans, Jr., read the fol
lowing letter addressed to the
board:
"In presenting this budget for the
City of Kings Mountain for the
year 1949-50. I would like to make it
known that the hard work and head
aches necessary in the preparation
of the budget were borne by Mr.
Fulton and Mr Brandon. They pre
pared a preliminary budget in Mar
ch of this year based on nine months
actual expenditures of the fiscal
year 1948-49 and estimated the ex
penditures for the months of April,
May and June. We now have the
1948-49 actual expenditures and
based on these figures, I have modi
fied the preliminary budget. I am
glad to report that the tentative tax
rate established at a $1.85 per hun
dred valuation is reduced to $1.80
per hundred valuation. 1 feel that
no further reduction can be made
'The total budget for the year
1949-50 is $302,176.01 compared with
19?8 49 budget of $305,901.37 or a
decrease of $3,725.36. One would
naturally wonder why the tax rate
has been increased from $1.60 per
hundred to $1.80 per hundred when
the budget itself has been reduced.
The entire picture can only be made
after a thorough study, as you men
have done in ttte past week, of the
revenue accounts and departmental
expenditures. An increase in the tax
rate of approximately $0.10 per
hundred is caused by th? loss of rev*
enue from the beer and wine excise
taxes. In 1948 49, this tax amounted
<o $5,562.23. The additional increase
in the tax rate and the reduction in
the budget U caused by a differen
ce in the amount of cash on hand as
of the beginning of the fiscal year.
On Uuly a, 1948, the cash on hand
was $15,98730 while on July 1, 1949,
it was $3,930.21. This makes a dif
ference at $12,057 09.
"It is recommended that this bud
get be approved and the attached
appropriation be enacted."
Salaries included in the budget
for major officials and department
heads, according to ihe budget con
trol breakdown, are:
Mayor and city commissioners,
$1200 (srtatutoiy minimum for Ms
or Herndon at $50 per month and
$10 per regular meeting attended by
city commissioners.
City Engineer Evans, $4,200, City
Clerk and Treasurer S. A. Crouse,
$3,300, plus $600 as 'cleric eft record*
(Cont'd on page four) ^