Population
City Limit* 7,206
Trading Area 15.000
(1945 Batlon Board Flgum)
VOL 63 NO. 44
Kings Mountain's RELIABLE Newspaper
14
Pages
Today
Established 1889
Kings Mountain, N. C., Thursday, October 29, 1953
Sixty-Third Year
PRICE FIVE CENTS
Beth ware Straw Vote Result
Dims Consolidation Chances
BATTLEGROUND'S 100,000th 1953 VISITOR? Mrs. Leo A. Usher,
right above, ol Pageland, S. C., became the 100,000th person to visit
Kings Mountain National Military Park this year, arriving shortly
aitrr 3 p.m. Sunday with the party pictured. The party included,
left to right. Miss Rosa McLamore and Mr. and Mrs. A. W. Beacham.
all of Portsmouth, Va., Mrs. Usher and Mr. Usher. In 1952. approxi
mately 71,500 persons visited the park. (National Park Service
photo.) j
Local News
Bulletins
AT PRESBTTEBY
Rev. P. D. Patrick and C. D.
Blanton attended the fall
meeting of Kings Mountain
Presbytery in session at Camp
Hidden Valley, between Salu
da and Hendersonville, last
Thursday.
HO COURT MONDAY
Weekly session of City (Re
corders Court regularly sche
duled for Monday afternoon
will be held Tuesday at 2 p.
m. Judge Jade White is to at
tend a Superior Court session
Monday.
LITTLE THEATRE
Regular monthly meeting of
the Kings Mountain Little'
Theatre wilt be held on Tues
day, November. 3, at 7:30 p. m.
at the organization's office on -
East King street. Members are
urged to attend and to toe on
time so that the meeting may
be completed promptly to a
void interference with play re
hearsals.
BUS STATION
The Bus Station on West
King street continues under
the temporary management of
E. K. McSwain, Gastonia ter
minal employee. Mr. Mc
Swain is operating the station
from 6 a. m. to 6 p. m. He said,
Queen City Coach Company Is
still interviewing possible
terminal managers, but added
that he had not been informed
what progress had been made
toward obtaining 'a manager.
ATTENDS CONFERENCE
Mrs. Aubrey Mauney attend
ed the District 7 meeting pi the
North Carolina Federation of
Woman'! club in one-day ses
sion at High Point Tuesday.
She was accompanied by Mrs.
S. A. M?iuney.
GLEE CLUB HERE
Miss Catherine Edgerton, di
rector of t&e Barium Springs
Orphanage Glee Club, and
some of the members of the
Glee Club will furnish music
for the morning church service
at First Presbyterian church
here Sunday. A member of the
Barium Springs faculty Is to
apeak. - V.'v
Floral Fair Mm
List Is Corrected
In last mitt Herald report
of winners at the fiftieth cm
nlrersay Woman's dab Floral
Fall, an inadvertent ssrtes of
errors was mode in the list of
winners In pi?- baking.
The correct list of ?inner* in
the ple-bcdc fcstf competition
follow*!
Lemon pie ? 1) Mrs. A. W.
Klncold, 2) Mrs. J. ?. Darts.
Military Paik
Logs 100,000th
Visitor For *53
The 100,000th 1953 visitor enter
ed the Kings Mountain National
Military Park museum shortly
after 3 o'clock Sunday afternoon,
Supt. Ben Moomaw reported.
The 1953 mark already sur
passes by some 28,000 the 1952
figure of approximately 71,500.
With the autumn color not ex
pected to reach its peak until
late next week, many visitors are
expected to be added to the 1953
figure. Through Sunday some 8,
500 persons from 34 states, the
District of Columbia, Ontario,
Canada, Newfoundland and Ha
waii, South Pacific Islands, tave
visited the site of the famous
Battle of Kings Mountain.
"The trend of visitbrs to na
tional historic areas has been up
wards for three or four years but
ten percent of the Kings Moun
tain increase can be contributed
directly or indirectly to publicity
about the drama, "Sword of Gi
deon". People come in almost
daily stating they had heard a
bout the play and wanted to visit
the battleground," Mr. Moomaw
said.
An interesting vact, Mr. Moo
maw also reported, was that
three-fourths of the visitors to
the park come from a radius of
only 100 miles from the battle
ground. Some five percent come
from bordering states, he added.
INJURED
Dean Spearman of route 2,
suffered a fractured vertebra
in an accident on the Beth
ware ? Oak Grove road last
Saturday when the bread truck
- he was driving allegedly side
swiped a car, ran down a 12
foot embankment and over
turned. He was first taken to
Kings Mountain hospital and
later transferred to Gaston Me
morial hospital.
V .11 ? m
Compact Patrons
Also Oppose
School Meigei
Possibility of consolidating
Number 4 Township into one
school district is now remote, fol
lowing a straw ballot conducted
in the Bethware district Saturday
artd a mass meeting held Sunday
at Compact Negro school,
Bethware patrons cast 466
votes against calling a vote on
the consolidation matter, and
only 57 for petitioning an elec
tion.
Compact, with 200 patrons es
timated to be present by Princi
pal L. L. Adams, voted unani
mously Sunday afternoon "to re
tain the present relationship with
the county".
Whether a consolidation of a
portion of the township still re
mained In the realm of possibility
was buried in a maze of red tape I
and detail."
W. B. Harry, : Grover school
committeeman and acting chair
man of the school groups dis
cussing the consolidation possibi
lity, told the Herald on Wednes
day that the Grover group had
not diminished at all its desire to
join with the other groups In
building a township hlyh school.
Whether It Is possible to conso
lidate Park Grace and Grover
county districts with the Kings
Mountain district in the face of
the Compact action and the "con
tinuous and contiguous" phrase
of the state regulations on School
consolidation, none wduld at
tempt to answer Wednesday.
[ Previously, it has been freely
stated by school of ftdals -that it
was not permissible to "Jump"
districts, that each of the merging
districts must be located adjacent
to each other. ?
If there was any surprise in
the weekend proceedings it was
the heavy majority cast by Beth
ware against even holding a con
solidation election. It had been
freely predicted that the totAl
would be against the merger.
Nor was Compact's action sur
prising, such an Indication having
been given at a similar meeting
held a week previously. Sunday's
meeting was held for the express
purpose. Principal Adams said,
of inviting proponents from
Kings Mountain school board to
speak before Compact patrons.
None appeared at the meeting.
Fred W. Plonk, consolidation pro
ponent, said Saturday he had not
received such an invitation. Prin
cipal Adams said Compact Board
Chairman, J. M. McCree, was to
have extended the invitations.
DIZION SERVICES
A quartet from Barium
Springs Orphanage will pre
sent tnuslc at the Sunday after
noon church service at Dixon
Presbyterian church Sunday.
Services are at 3 p. m. They
have been held during the
summer months at 9o'rlock a.
m,
Negxo School Construction Begun;
Opposing Petitioners Are Listed
Worfc on the construction of
the new Negro elementary school
building began Monday morn
ing, but property negotiations
with B. D. 'Ratterree were report
ed at a "standstill" Wednesday.
State school board officials in
Raleigh authorized the begin
ning of construction after sever
al weefcs delay pending settle
ment of the property snarL
Even though the state granted
permission to proceed with work,
no funds have been deposited as
y&fyb the Kings Mountain ??ac
count in the school auditors de
partment, B. N. Barnes, city
schools superintendent, said yes
terday.
Funds were withheld in Ral
eigh late 1 last month pending
certification by the Rings Moun
tain board that it held title to
the 12- plus acres. The new site
iflocated across N. Watterson
street from the present building.
TnuOc D. McCa of DrexeL U
general contractor for the Jab.
Mo action was taken on the
ptwperty (natter at the meeting
Wttopattard last Tbtifsday gglin .
Chairman A? W. Kincald re
ported a t that meting that he,
Mr. Ratterree, (Fred W. Plonk and
Mr. Rowe, the .<*11
ited the site and located corntn
?at the portion which Mr. Ratter
ree dectinto to sell. Settlement
has been made with majority of
property owners but Mr. Ratter
ree and Tom Hunter have not a
greed to sell their ffacts.
Mr. Klncaid also reported that
he had taTked to Mayor G. A.
Bridges. He said that Mr. Bridget
said he holds a personal option
on the property from Mr. Ratter
ree "at no stated price." The op
tion was obtained last August,
Mr. Bridges said, for a recreation
department playground for Ne
gro children.
Mr. Klncaid said that Mr. Brid
ges told him he would give up the
option if Mr. Ratterree agrees to
sell to the school.
Mb. Ratterree 'this week releas
ed the names of the signers of a
petition objecting to the location
of the school and proposed ath
letic Held.
The signers were: B. D. Ratter
ree, (both for ht/nself and as ex
ecutor o*' the estate of Mrs. ?s
telle It Weir); B. T. Wright; T.
W. Jadkson; A- Bllfccltffe; Kelly
Dixon; Dfffftt Patterson; X 8.
Shea; W. U. Barter; & E. Clartc;
C D. Gladden Tldyd E. Thorn
burg; J. W. Crawford; G. R Sipes;
Homer /ones; William A. Hul
lender; Wllllard Thotapklns;
Delbert Dixon; f. O, Carroll;
Dean MdDanlel; and C. J. Gault,
fe ' ' '?
"*V ?* ''' .A ' . ? ? 1 . !
KINGS MOUNTAIN COUPLE GETS KEY TO CLEARWATER ? Mr. and Mrs. Robert (Whitey) White
side are shown above being greeted by Mayor Herbert M Brown of Clearwater, Ha., as the Kings
Mountain couple arrived to spend a two-week vacation as the guest of the Clearwater Beach Resort as
sociation. Whiteside, a veteran o{ two wars, was the first to accept an invitation for an all-expenses
paid vacation extended by the Clearwater Disabled American Veterans and the beach assosiation. Oth
ers in the picture are officials of the Clearwater chapter, DA V. and Clearwater Chamber of Com
merce.
Kings Mountain
Couple Guests
At Resort City
A Kings Mountain couple Ko
rean Veteran Robert (Whltey)
Whitesldes and his wife, Ann
Ruth, are completing this week
a two- week, all-expenses paid va*
cation in Clearwater, Fla..
The Kings Mountain grocer and
his wife have been wined, dined,
given the key to Clearwater, and
about everything else In the pow
er of the Clearwater Chamber of
Commerce. Taxi drivers have re
fused fares, radio and newspaper
men have asked their views on
the climate, the accommodations
and the international situation.
It all came about as simply as
dropping a letter in a mailbox.
Mr. Whiteside Is a Purple Heart
veteran of both World War II and
of the Korean War. In the recent
war, he lost his right arm.
As a public relations gesture,
the Clearwater Beach Resort As
sociation issued an invitation to
members of the Disabled Ameri
can Veterans- organization with
as much pr 50 percent disability
to visit the city for a week at as
sociation expense.
Like, people waxing suspicious
of discounts on currency, the dis
abled veterans declined the offer
in droves. But not the Kings
Mountain couple. With an assist
from Mrs Charles Harrlll now of
Clearwater and recent Kings
Mountain citizen, the Whiteside
acceptance was duly posted. Mrs.
ITarrlll had suggested to her old
friends that the offer was, in
deed, bona fide.
The result, from reports re
ceived by their kin here, and
from newspaper clippings for
warded to the Herald by the
Clearwater Chamber of Com
merce, has been little short of
terrific for the Whiteside couple.
The extra week was provided
as a result of the Whitesldes be
ing the first couple to accept the
invitation.
Mrs. Dorse Whiteside, mother
of the Kings Mountain veteran,
is handling Whitey's York Road
Grocery chores.
First Baptists
Adopt Missionary
By vote of church conference.
October 21, First Baptist church
is adopting, for full support, *
foreign missionary who will be
sent out under the Southern Bap
tist Foreign Mission board, ac
cording to an announcement by
Rev. H. Gordon Weekley, pastor.
The church had been consider
ing the action for several months
and the matter was passed follow
ing a resolution of the Woman's
Missionary Society in which it
was stated "whereas our Lord
created His Church In order that
the Gospel of His Kingdom might
be preached to lost men every
where; and whereas it is our fer
vent belief that our Heavenly
Father has so richly blessed us
with material and spiritual bless
ings In great abundance; And
whereas we are convinced that
we can Increase our world vision
by making more liberal contri
butions to Foreign Missions:
therefore, be it resolved that we, i
the meraberi of the Woman's
Missionary Union of First Bap
IIK church, recommend to ear
church the permanent adoption
of one missionary volunteer." The
Board of Deacons also recom
mended the plan.
MM
Water Supply Still
Decreasing.\Daily
REVIVAL SPEAKER ? Rev. C. W.
Farrar, pastor of First Baptist
church, of Clover, S. C., will con
duct a week's series of revival
services beginning Sunday even
ing at Bethlehem Baptist chur
ch, according to announcement
by Rev. R. E. Robbins, Bethlehem
pastor.
McCraw Speaks
To Lions Club '
'Today there exists a great
need for spiritual and political
leadership," Carl G. McCraw,
Kings Mountain native and
Charlotte banker, declared Tues
day night at a meeting of the
KlngB Mountain Lions club.
"Our leadership most show
the world that we don't expect to
live in fear of brute force," he
continued, adding that "the
United States has the responsi
bility to supply leadership. We
are honored with that burden,
and burdened with that honor."
Mr. McCraw, who, in the 30
years since he left Kings Moun
tain armed principally with a
high school diploma and ambi
?fin, has risen to the presidency
of Union National Bank, reduced
his advice to the local, level too.
"Are we content to become
bench-warmers?" he asked. .
He suggested that all citizens
should do their part in promot
ing the worthwhile community
activities among which he listed
Community Chest, Boy Scouts,
Girl Scouts, Red Cross, and the
work of the church.
"Parents," he contended, "have
the duty to lead their boy or girl
to Jesus Christ."
Mr. McCraw, in developing his
address, cited a passage of edi
torial opinion, which jndlcated
a gloomy future. It mentioned
Russia as . a threatening, ever
looming cloud. Then the speaker
reported that the editorial ap
peared In Harper's Weekly In
WOT.
"It Is not necessary to believe
the future Is lost, If leaders de
velop* and work. Really, H Is the
dawn #f a new day, and the
challenge Is to all of us," he con
tinued.
Mr. McCraw spoke on a pro
gram arranged by Martin Har
mon, who ' presented him.
Guests at the meeting inclu
Continued On Pag* Sight
V "i*~ " . ' t a.
Consumption Cut
In Past Week.
Officials Report
Bright autumn sunshine, pre
vailed again Wiednesday replac
ing Tuesday's cloudy skies, and
leaving the city's water conserva
tion measures still active and a
walting rain.
The city board of commission
ers last week asked citizens to
limit consumption as much as
conveniently possible,, and asked
big-customer Foote Mineral Com
pany to cut consumption. Spefifi
cally, residential users have been
asked to dispense with watering
lawns, washing cars, and with
similar can-wait needs.
Foote M'neral Company im
mediately agreed to cut consump
tion of city water by one-third
and is replacing the amount with
water from its own reservoir.
However, the rate of inflow into
Foote's resevoir is normally
small, and Jim Castle, Foote
manager, said Wednesday that
continued use from the reservoir
without rain will "put us in trou
ble in two weeks".
Mayor Glee A. Bridges reported
a drop in consumption of city
water and said the level at the
city lake was still dropping, but
that the rate has been slowed ma
terially.
"I hope the city's 2,000 water
customers will continue to con
serve water as much as possible.
By careful use of our existing
supply there should be no incon
venience to anyone. The board of
commissioners hopes to avoid any
mandatory action on water
usage," he stated.
City officials say the level of
water at City lake is the lowest
in history.
Chairmen Named
For Dimes Drive
Thomasson,
Neislei Accept
Top Positions
Charles A. Noisier and George
B. Thomasson will serve as co
chairmen of the Kings Mountain
division of the 1954 March of
Dimes campaign.
Announcement of appointment
of the Kings Mountain officials
was made Wednesday by George
Shull and C. U. Cash, co-chairmen
of the Cleveland County cam
paign.
Mr. Neisler, cotton broker af
filiated with Blackmer & Com
pany, Is a member of the Kings
Mountain Kiwanis club, and has
been active in the work of the
Mr. Neisler, son of Mr. and
Mrs. P. M. Neisler, Sr., is a mem
ber of the Kings Mountain Ki
wanis club and a cotton broker.
Mr. Thomasson, son of Mrs.
C. F. Thomasson, Sr? is a Kings
Mountain lawyer. He is a member
of the Kings Mountain Lions club.
"We are very happy to an
nounce the acceptance by Mr.
Neisler and Mr. Thomasson of
the important and responsible
task of directing Kings Moun
tain's 1954 March of Dimes fund
campaign." Chairman Shull and
Cash said in making the an
nouncement. "Kings Mountain
has a long record of strong sup
port of this campaign and there
is no question but what the 1954
drive co-chalrmcn will again give
the campaign tip-top leadership";
The fund campaign will be
conducted in January.
Schools Plan
Goblin Parties
Kings Mountain area schools
have scheduled Hallowe'en fes
tivities beginning Hallowe'en Eve
at the several schools of the com
munity.
Park Grace Elementary school
in collaboration with Park Grace
PTA officials have scheduled a
Hallowe'en carnival to be held
Saturday night. Doors will open
at 7 p. m.
Bingo rooms, grab bags, coun
try stores, variety shows, movie
rooms, and refreshments to be
vended in the school lunchrooms
are listed on the night's program.
Central Elementary's school
Hallowe'en festival is to be held
Saturday with doors to open at
6 p. m. A carnival and a parade
of customary Hallowe'en charac
ters will highlight the evening
program.
Grover school has scheduled a
Hallowe'en Eve festival featur
ing a "Black-face Minstrel", with
doors to open at 7 p. m. Valuable
prizes are to be given away by
firms.
West and East Elementary
schools have not planned Hal
lowe'en festivals, Mrs. Rowel 1
Lane, West Elementary PTA
president announced, due primar
ily to lack of space at the schools.
Plans are being made, she added,
for a Thanksgiving program.
"Main Drag" Busy Place Tuesday
As Trainmen Clear 11-Car Wreck
Everything seems to happen at
once. Tuesday Kings Mountain's
"main drag" was a good example.
Southern Railway System
crews were busy cleaning up the
tracks after an 11-car smash-up
Monday night, the state highway
was hurling off bumps on much
traveled Battleground avenue,
and city workmen were rebuild
ing a sidewalk on the west side
ot the main line.
Folks passing through probab
ly got the impression, at first,
that the train wreck was a much
larger one, with traffic being re
routed for the highway "burners".
The main line trade was opened
to traffic at 9:05 a. m. Tuesday
morning, less than 10 hours after
th# pile-up. Both north and south
bound traffic began using the
southbound line of the double
track, passing through slowly
while wreck crews took breathers.
'Charlotte Division Superinten
dent L. E. King, of Greenville, S.
C., estimated damage to the
track as negligible, with only'
some 300 feet being torn up. He
estimated equipment damage at
$5,000 but said he could give no
estimate on damage to merchan
dise in transit.
One car, transporting chenile
bedspreads manufactured at Dal
ton and Calhoun, Ga? was com
pletely demolished and ended up
sandwiched between an ore car,
the latter on ?ts side across the
double tracks. Another box car
was on top, overhanging from
the pileup.
Several other cars appeared
badly damaged Monday night but
after being trucked Tuesday look
ed to be only slightly harmed.
Residents living near the crash
were concerned Monday night
when a report got out that a tank
car loaded with propane gas was
one of the 11 derailed. Mr. King
reported Tuesday that the car
was empty.
No new automobiles were In
the derailed cart, he added.
The train wreck oceured at
11:30 p. m. Monday night, about
50 yarus south of the West Gold
street crossing. None was injur
ed In the accident, which was at
Continued On Pag* Might
.iAVi
DIMES CO-CHAIRMEN ? George
Thomasson, top. and Charlee
Noisier, bolow/ have been nam
ed co-chairmen of Kings Moun
tain's 1954 March of Dimes cam
paign. Proceeds from the fund
campaign help fight polio and
its crippling effects at home and
throughout the nation.
Number Change
Reasons Given
House-numbering changes are
being invoked by the city 1) to
conform with recommendation so
the United Sates Post Office de
partment will extend mail deliv
ery, 2) to improve fire and police
protection, and 3 1 to correct an
improper - numbering situation
that has existed for three de
cades.
These are the reasons listed by
Mayor Glee A Bridges in a. state
ment this week reminding citizens
of the changes in house numbers,
urging their compliance and ex
plaining the necessity for the
change.
Generally, the city is trying to
bring order out of chaos on the
numbering business.
Mayor Bridges' statement fol
lows:
"Firstly, and most important,
the United States Postal Inspec
tor. in accordance with the Feder
al Laws regulating mail delivery
within the City Limits of a Town
or City, requires that all streets
be marked and the houses be pro
perly numbered.
In checking the streets in Kings
Mountain, the Postal Inspector
found that the City of Kings
Mountain did not reach the re
quirements necessary for extend
ed mail delivery. Mr. W. E. Blake
ly. Postmaster, of Kings Moun
tain asked the Mayor and Board
of Commissioners to have Streets
marked and houses numbered
I in order to obtain extended mail
delivery within the City Limits
of Kings Mountain to the homes
on streets that qualify for mail
delivery, tfpon request of W. E.
Blakely, the City Board of Com
missioners for the City of Kings
Mountain unanimously voted to
have a committee work on street
naming of streets that have no
names, and also to number the
houses In accordance with th?
General Statutes of North -C.TO
Continued On Page Eight
World Community
Day Service Set
Kings Mountain churchwo
men will |oin on November 8
in the worldwide observance of
World Community Day, with a
special service to be held ?t
First Baptist church at 10 a. n
Mrs. William Herndon win
serve a* program chairman. '
Theme of the observance will
be "Building Lasting Peace."
Aim of the observance will
be help for needy homes throu
ghout the world. Those attend*
ing the service are being ask
ed to bring donations of msn?
bold articles for use In refugee
camps, orphanages, and simi
lar homes. Desired articles fa.
eluded sheets, pillow slips,
blankets, light guilts, draped*
os, and tablecloths.