North Carolina Newspapers

Population City Limits 7.208 Tbn population Is from the U. 8. ?????! cmiui rsport lor IMO. lb* Consus Iuinu Mtlmatw Um nation'* population gate staoa IW at l.T psrcont p or roar. which Umi Kings Mountain's IBM population should approxi mate 7M?. Ths Iradlsf arsa population in IMS. basod on ration board registrations at Um Unas Mountain olDcs. was IS. 000. VOL 64 NO. 35 Established 1889 Kings Mountain, N. C., Thursday, September 2, 1954 Sixty-Fourth Year ' ? 1 . " * " 'V-j *'.?/?>: ? > * . v .yj? . ? A V ' ?? * ??? :+ *tm> ' . r * / 1 ' ** 1 C Pages ID Today ~w~ PRICE FIVE CENTS Monday Local News Bulletins STOBY HOUR Story Hour will be conduct ed Saturday morning at 10 o' clock at Jacob S. Mauney Me morial Library, according to announcement made this week. All children of the community are invited, the spokesman . said. HAS TONSILECTOMT W. K. Del linger, owner of Bellinger's Jewel Shop, is a patient in a Lincolnton hospi tal, where he is recuperating from a tonsllectomy under went last Friday , AT BAUD'S Mrs. A. B. Falls, Jr., has re placed Mrs. Jack Bobblttt as bookkeeper at Baird Furniture. Mrs. Bobbin has moved to the home of her parents at Vale fol lowing induction of her hus band, Jack Bobbltt, Into the -army. VISITING MINISTER Rev. Howard Cook, of Flat Lick, Ky., will preach at morn ing services Sunday at 11 o' clock at Second Baptist chur ch, it was announced yester <lay. KIWANIS MEETING Members of the Kings Moun tain Kiwanls club will hold their regular weekly meeting ?t Masonic Dining Hall Thurs day evening at 6 : 45^8, S. Peel er, Jr., Is- Id charge of program arrangements. 340 GAS TAPS _ A total of 340 ?as tap con tracts have been executed be tween the city and citizens, . Gas Supt. Vincent Beechum said Wednesday. Taps, (being sold now at $10, are expected to advance to a maximum of $75 following construction of the system. METER RECEIPTS Net receipts from the city's parking meters for the week ending Wednesday at noon were $169.79, as reported toy ' Miss Grace Carpenter, of the ?city clerk's office. . ?A Utility Billings Total S&927.26 September 1 utility billings by the city showed a decline of $204 80 under the August 1 billing, As sistant City Clerk Joe McDaniel reported Wednesday. The decline resulted from lower water billings for the month, at $4,682.78 under the previous mon th by $1,296.15. Billings for lights and power Increased fnr Septem ber to $18^94.48, up by $1,090.35. Total utility billings payable by September 10 are $22,977.28. Mr. McDaniel said the city's billing from Duke Power Com pany fqr the period July 23 to August 23 totaled $7,479.64, in cluding a demand charge of $2, 528, and covering consumption of 955.920 kilowatt hours. The Duke billing for the period June 22July 22 totaled $7,096.76, covering consumption of 876,480 kilowatt hours, and including a $2501.60 demand charge. CpL North Belk Dies In German; Henry Y. Belk, Jr., of Kings Mountain, waa notified by the War Department . by telegram Wednesday afternoon that his half-brother, CpL North A. Belk died in Germany on August 26. The telegram stated that the cause of death was unknown pending an autopsy and that ? letter would follow. City Board Passes Water Line Policy The city ?et ? new pulley Monday night on Installation at water line*. V4 Under the new policy, the city vlll extend present water Iln . es one block when as many as two taps are to be made In the new block being serviced. The former policy required three taps to be contracted be fore line extenaion. > ' 1 ?V, wM HK H :A',. ?1 Shooting Scrape Puts Five In Jail Four Wounded As Family Fend Gets Explosive A Sunday night family fracas involving Negroes living in the Turkey Ridge community off Lake Montonia Road resulted 14 Jailing of five persons and hospi talizing of four Sunday night, as the disputants employed fire arms in blazing evidence of their enmity. None was seriously Injured, though Elma Courtan, wounded in the chest, was still a patient in Kings Mountain hospital Wednesday She was expected to be discharged by the weekend. Others receiving emergency treatment at Kings Mountain hospital Sunday night, but not formally admitted, were Mary Ellen Byrd, with birdshot wounds in the chest and right knee, Louise McGill, wounded in the right arm, and D. JR. Byrd, agte four, who was nicked on the forehead and jaw. Facing charga of assault with a deadly weapon before Gaston County Magistrate R. B. Price Saturday morning are Richard Thomas Freeman, David Free man, their father, Tom Freeman, Beauford Byrd and Isaac Crank. The older Freeman. Byrd and Crank are free under $500 (bond each, but the two younger Free mans had failed to make bond Wednesday morning. V The Shooting occurred shortly before 10 o'clock Sunday night, and accounts of the battle by the participants and injured onlook ers are conflicting. Both the Freeman contingent and the Byrd contingent charge the oth er1 with firing first. Mary Ellen Byrd, receiving treatment at Kings Mountain hospital Sunday night, said Louise McGill had "tried to burn our house down," had been "run off," but returned with the Free mans who had proceeded to o pen fire. The MoGlll woman, ly ing on a hospital stretcher a waiting emergency room treat ment, hotly denied the Byrd wo man's account. Police Desk Sergeant E .~cr?tt Bridges said statements by the arrested men indicated the trou ble arose out of arguments be tween the respective children en route to school, with the parents becoming Involved. Gaston County officers report ed that they relieved ttte Free mans of two shotguns and a pis tol, and relieved Byrd of a -22 caliber rifle. Gaston Detective Mike Jones said the shooting did not stop until amnr 'tion was exhausted. Mary Ellen Byrd had said the Freeman* shot "25 to 3Q times." > Cgkvela n. i Sheriff Haywood l?n,' city police, and . Gaston County officers collaborated ..$m. ^?^Investigation of the Shoot '?n:, '.'.'Inch occurred Iinr till county lino in < i a stOjK BUILDING PERMITS Two building permits were issued by Building Inspector J. W. Webster this week to Cres cent Hill Development Co., to erect two houses on Hawthorne ' road. One permit was issued August H5, at an estimated cost of $8,000, the other on Thursday, at an estimated- cost of 9*800. WMW ? ? _ TO GIVE HECITAL ? Franklin PetheL First Tmbytwlan chnrcb organist will present an organ recital at the church on Sunday evening at 7:30. Mr. Pethel is leaving soon for further study of music in Mew York city. Pethel To Give Organ Hetital Franklin Pethel, minister of music at First Presbyterian chur ch, will present an organ recital at the church on Sunday evening at 7:3a Mr. Pethel will complete his: duties with the church at Sunday morning services, September 12. preparatory to""??torlng Union ; Seminary School of Sacred Mu sic, New York, fbr further study. Mr. Pethel's Sunday evening program will include: I Soeur Monique ? Francois j Couperin. Toccata and Fugue in d min Bach. Claire De Lune, Opus 72, No. 2 ? Slgfrid Karg-Elert. Choral No. 3 in a min ? Cesar Franck. . Sketohes from Nature ? Jose ph W. Ciokey. Pipes of Pan. Dripping Spring. Twilight Moth Third Sonata ? Felix Borow skl. A!l??ro con 8pirito. Bethware Fair -Plans Advance Bethware Progressive Club members, with their annual pre fair (barbecue now history, went to work this week on numerous projects and improvements for; the torwnship fair/ opening for the seventh consecutive year on September 15. M. C. Poston, president of the Progressive Club, said improved lighting would be one of the par- ! ticular Improvements. All area faranefo are invited to participate In the fair and to en* 1 ter their products In the long list of competitions, he noted. Myers Hambright, Bethware agriculture teacher, is the fair manager: . The program of events calls for nightly fireworks displays. The midway will feature shows and rides of many types, and the school cafeteria will be open nightly to serve meals to fair Koera. -.'.v "" ,V V* '?> . ' . V -Vv/ f ' -?V ' '? Can You Identify Mystery Fam? Notify Herald By Noon Saturday [?-. '? . *v. * ? '? ? .y ?; jKg. -'tiSylB ? " Can you Identity the Kings Mountain area Myntefy Farm? Appearing on page 3, section 2 of today's Herald, la the first of a series of aerla) photographs of rfarms In the Kings Mountain a* rea and the operator of the farm la asked to come to the newspa per office to identify the fawn and also to receive ? free moan ad picture of the. farm. i; Others who can Identify the farm from the picture are asked to S? Notify the Herald office Cphomea 1?7 and 28$) to give the name of the operator and the lo cation of thf farm. A person who guesses correct ly hy noon Satur day will fee eligible for one of - ?vi -.at?. two theatre passes feeing otter ed by the management of the Joy ?nd Dixie theatres. , Today's Is the first of a aeries of Mystery Farm pictures which will fee published In sotosequent Issues of the Kings Mountain Herald. The pictures were taken toy a Mid-West photographic firm at random by the aerial photogra pher. Area eovemd was taken from a map in whlcti the Her aid's circulation aroa was mark* ed off. None at the Herald, the pilot of the plane, nor the pho tographer knew which farms wars being photographed. City Approved Bond Prospectus Monday Evening The city board ol commission bra met in special session Monday night and authorized the signa ture of the mayor to appear on the prospectus supporting the sale of $400,000 gas revenue bonds, the sale scheduled for Sep tember 14. The prospectus was compiled by R. S. Dickson Company, Char lotte investment house. In other actions the board, with all members present, 1) Voted to advertise for bids for building a power line from the Duka sub-station to the new city water reservoir on Davidson creek. 2 Approved a petition for in stalling 1,021 feet of sidewalk on the west side of N. Piedmont ave nue, from end of present sidewalk to Margaret Spivey property linfe. 3) Authorized payment of $2,070 to Bowen & Hubbard tor grading work on the Negro rec reation plant site. 4) Voted to provide storage lot Recreation commission property, Including playground equipment and uniforms, at City Hall, but declinied to act on a Recreation commission recommendation to suspend the city play program. The board agreed informally that the decision was in the jurisdic tion of the commission, without action by the city commissioners. The matter involves removing James (Red) I-ayton from the recreation payroll, previously voted by the recreation group, contingent on city board appro val. 5) On recommendation of Audi tor R. H. Cooke, authorized the several police desk sergeant* to [collect parking meter violation *ees, and established the police chief as the only official empow ered to cancel parking tickets and only a) if revocation of fine is recommended by issuing officer lor defective, meters, b) if signed by a doctor or nurse due to over detention for mfedlcal treatment, c) if the recepient is a disabled veteran, cr d) if the recipient is from out-of-towri. 6) Authorized the Mayor to seek agreement with O. O. Wal ker to install six-Inch water mains in the Whitesldes development in East Kings Mountain at 26 cents per lineal foot, the city to handle th.~ ditch-filling Job. Stones To Close - -? ? ' ?' ? " y < . ? ?? On Labor Day Majority of Kings Mountain retail firms will he closed Mon day in observance of the annu all Labor Day holiday. However, the firms will toe open for the full day on Wednesday, suspen ding the afternoon half-holiday. Closing Monday, in addition to the retailers, will toe First Na tional Bank and the two build ing and loan associations, and the post office. Schools will op erate on regular schedule, as will drug store*, service stations, and the Kings (Mountain Herald. Labor Day Is one of six annu al holidays observed by retail members of the Kings Mountain Merchants association. * 12 Area Men Are Inducted ? ' Twelve Kings Mountain area men were among the group of 30 who left Shelby Wednesday morning for .Induction In the armed forces via selective ser vice. Leader of the group was Jack Benjamin Babbitt, of Kings Mountain. Other area men were Bofctoy <jeiw? M-ore, William Joseph Hayes, John Roosevelt Adams, Buell Glenn Carrlgan, Dobby Douglas Black, John Willie Mc Cree, 8olon Charles Moss, James ftybum Yarboro, and Harry Kup pert Melton, all of Kings Moun tain, and Bobby Dean Herndon, Graver, and Donald Franklin La very, Waco. . / The Cleveland ^County SeleCv tlve Service board is to fumWH another 30- man group for In duction on September 28. V On September 30, the *6ard has been ordered to furnfah 36 men for pre- Induction examina tions. \ City And Park Grace Schools Enrolled 2,253 Opening Day A ? ' - ? City Enrollment Total Is 2,052; High School 418 Opening day enrollment at the seven Kings Mountain area school units Tuesday totaled 2, 253 ? a gain of 114 students ov er the first day of the 1953-54 term. Enrollment in the six city schools topped the 2,000 mark for the first time in history, as Su perintendent B. N. Barnes re ported that 2,052 pupils >began classes Tuesday. A total of 1,937 reported opening day last year. The enrollment gain over iast year's opening day was 115 in the city as compared with a gain of 148 reported last year over opening day of the 1952-53 term. Mrs. J. C. Nickles, principal at Park Grace school, a county unit which operates on the same schedule as city schools, report ed ta total of 201 students enroll ed 'Tuesday, a loss of one over last year's opening day figure. Mrs. JNickels reported a gain of 27 last year over 1952-53 opening day figures. The enrollment at city units Tuesday was: Central High ' 418 Davidson High 64 Central Elementary 681 East Elementary 408 West Elementary 311 Davidson Elementary 170 /fotal Eiwo'Umgsnt 2,052 Biggest gain over last year was reported at Central High school, where 418 pupils enrolled, an in crease of 50 over the 1953-54 o pening day figure of 368. Only one school reported a loss of pu pils, with Central Elementary re porting only 681 pupils as com pared with 700 last year, a drop of 19 students. The othter schools reported gains as follows: West Elemen tary 311, an increase of 39 over the 272 reported last year; East Elementary 408, an increase of 27 over the 1953-54 figure of 381; Davidson Elementary 170, an in crease of 15 over the 1953-54 fig-, ure of 155; and Davidson High 64, an increase of 3 over last yeay. The breakdown of city students enrolled by grades in the six city units, with the number of classes in the grades listed, is: First grades (10) 252 Second gradtes (9) 245 Third grades (7) 176 Fourth grades (6) 172 Fifth grades (7) 176 Sixth grades (?) ............ 195 Seventh grades (5) 179 Eighth gradsi (6) .......... 175 Freshmen (5) 180 Sophomores. (3) 116 Juniors (3) 106! Seniors (2). 80 1 Biggest Increase was ih the se cond grade, wherte 66 more stu dents entered than last year. First graders, with 22 less first-year pupils showing up than in 1953 54, and fifth graders, who de creased by 22 over last year, ?showed the biggest drops. Only two other grades showed de creases ? there is 2 less third graders than last year and one less eighth grader. . The increase In enrollment in the other grades: 27 in thte fresh man class; 23 in the seventh grades; $9 in the sixth grades; 19 in the junior class; 4 In the sophomore class; 3 In the senior class; and 1 in the fourth grades. The Parit Grace breakdown by grades showing the Change over 1953-54 opening day: First grade 40 Minus 2 Second grade 32 Minus 1 Third grade 20 Plus 10 Fourth gTade 17 Minua 9 Total 954-55 201 Minua 1 BEULAH HOMECOMING 1/ Annual homecoming will be oboerved Sunday at Beulah Methodist church, with morn ing service at 11 o'clock, din ner on Che grounds, and spec ial singing In the afternoon. It was announced this week by neitiert Rhyne. Former mem bers and friend* of the church are invited to attend. *' ? Fifth grade Sixth graue Seventh grade 25 Minus 4 28 MinUs 3 30 Plus 8 GRADUATES ? Miss Maxine Jenkins, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. J. Jenkins, was graduated In commencement exercises Thursday from Charlotte's Me morial Hospital School of Nurs ing. She is a 1951 graduate of Kings Mountain high school. State Approves Hospital Plans Thte' State Medical Care com mission has approved, with only ( minor changes, the tentative plans for a 14-bed addition to Kings Mountain hospital, Hos pital Manager Grady Howard said this week. < ? < ?- < - ' Ormand & Vaughan, Shelby ar chitects, began work Tuesday on the detailed drawings and speci fications for the construction, a task estimated to rtequire about two months, and indicating that bids may be opened on the pro ject during November. Mr. Howard said no major changes were involved in the State Medical Care commission action. The tentative plans, prte viously approved by the county hospital board of trustees, call for construction of a new wing running east-west and fronting on West King street, the wing to include eight private rooms, one ward of four bed.*}, an obstetrical suite, nursery, necessary service units, a lobby and business office. The new lobby and business of fice will replace the present lobby and business office, with thl? space to become two private rooms. New construction will al so Include a large storage room, which will be the hospital's north west wing. The kitchen and din ing room area, under the new plans, will be almost doubled in space. Other changes in present ar rangement which will be effected under the 'plans include: 1) the present nursery will become a pediatric ward; 2) the present delivery room will become Ope rating Room No. 2; and 3) thte present labor room will become a locker room for doctors. With the four private rooms now available, .the hospital will have 14 private rooms in the to tal of 50 beds. Cost of the pro ject has been estimated in excess of $200,000, with the major por tion to be supplied by state and federal agencies. City Recreation Program Cut Off For Wintertime The city recreation commission voted August 23 to suspend its play program for. the winter months. Reason for the suspension, giv en by Jack'White, secretary, was to pile up sufficient funds to open the two city swimming pools ? now under construction ? when hot weather arrives next summer. Though the voters authorized a tax of five cents per $100 for rec reation operation expenses last January, the bbard of commis sioners did not levy the tax for 1954. Only funds of the recrea tion commission are derived from weekly parking meter receipts, less cost of meter upkeep and several other purposes, Including a library appropriation, which the city board of commissioner!, has ordered. All members of the commission were present except. W. K. Mau ney, Jr. Exact date of the suspension ? and therefore termination of em ployment for James (Red) Lay ton, recreation director ? was not known by Mr. White, who said the suspension of the pro gram was voted contingent on city board approval. The city ad ministration declined to act on the matter Monday night, re manding if to the recreation group lor final disposition. i Mr. White said about $7,000 has been expended from recreation bond money for grading at the two pool sites. Beaver To loin Church Staff St. Matthew's Lutheran church has obtained the services of Gor don Beaver, Landis, as parish worker and minister of music for the coming year. He is a graduate of Catawba college and Just returned from two years service in the army. He spent 15 months in Korea. Dur ing most of his time at college, he was organist and piano ac companist at many functions. He has had five years of experience as a church organist and choir director. He will also assist with the youth program and office work, according to the pastor, Dr. W. P. Gerberding. Mr. Beaver will succeed H. G. Fisher, Jr., who has held the po sition during the summer and who is entering the Lutheran seminary at Columbia, S. C. HOSPITALIZED Andy Jenkins, -projectionist at Joy Theatre, is a patient at Kings Mountain hospital where he was admitted following a mild heart attack Monday. Mr. Jenkins, according to Dr. John MoGill, is progressing satisfac torily and is expected to be discharged from the hospital toy the weekend. Kings Mountain Area Unemployed Total Declined Heavily In August Kings Mountain's employment picture was much brighter dur ing August than it had been in several months, report of the Kings Mountain branch of the Norlft Carolina Employment ser vice shows. During the month ending Au gust 25, Manager Franklin Ware reported, the Kings Mountain of fice handled 528 Initial claims for unemployment compensa tion and 747 continuing claims, for a total of 127S claims in the four-week per1;*! It was a drop of 284 from the previous month and less than half the claim* ta ken during June when 2,602 sou ght unemployment compensa tion. >: j I Also cut was the number of pco pie seeking work, which at Au gust 25, totaled 475 persona. Mr. > Ware noted that the list was swelled by farm folk seeking so called public work. Resumption of operations by several textile concerns, and in crease of operation* by others, plua job orders from construction industries cut the Jobless total, Mr. Ware said. During *h* month, !*c Em ployment Service had 78 re quests for workers and filled 71, he added. With a new quarter beginning, some workers who had exhaust ed their unemployment compen sation benefits will again be eli gible, Mr. Ware said, though in tiany Instances benefit checks ? ?basod on earnings from the pre vlous year ? will be half thi $20 $24 average payments., . . l/': Failure To Get Blood May Mean Supply Cut-Off By Aiea Bank The Rod Cross Bloodmobile comes to Kings Mountain Mon day for an emergency visit, with Kings Mountain's continued par. . ticlpation in the regional blood program dependent on a success ful blood collection. Kings Mountain is threatened with suspension from the blood program because of failure to ob tain sufficient quantities of blood during the year ended June 30. Against a quota of 500 pints, Kings Mountain area citizens sup plied last year slightly over 300 ? less than the requirements of Kings Mountain hospital alone. Monday's Labor Day collection will be conducted at First Bap tist church, from 11 a. m. to 5 p. m.' i . . Phone 247-M Potential blood donors re quiring transportation to First Baptist church Monday should call the Bed Cross office, phone 247-M. Appointment can be ar ranged to save time of the do nor and full Information on the Bloodmobile risit will be aralkzble, it was announced by Mrs. E. W. Griffin, publici ty chairman. The Woman's Club, customary calling point of the Bloodmobile, Is being renovated and was not available for th? visit. During the six-hour collection, Kings Mountain citizens are fac ed with the necessity of giving a minimum of 87.5 pints of blood or have the Red Cross regional blood bank supplies and service denied them. L G. Patterson, Red Cross chapter chairman, noting the one day quota is 125 pints, said, "Thte regional organization requires that a minimum of 70 percent of the quota be achieved at the Mon day visit. If we don't get it, it looks as if we're out of the pro gram." Grady Howard, current blood recruitment chairman and mana ger of Kings Mountain hospital, stated, "Red Cross is quite low on blood supplies. Once, when supplies were good, it was possi ble to obtain blod plasma. NoW we can only get whole blood, and that on specific order. We have not been allowed to maintain any reserves in several months, meaning that blood can be obtain ed only on immediate need. II Kings Mountain is suspended from the blood program, the be*:, of a bad situation will be lncon~ venience and dangerous delay in obtaining blood. At worste, the lack of blood could cost the life of Kings Mountain citizens re? quiring blood transfusions." Dr. P. G. Padgett, Kings Moun. tain chapter blood chairman, add* ed his voice to the appeal, as have ministers of the community, civic leaders, and medical doctors. The Kings Mountain Klwani* Continued On Page Eight Rumor To Contrary Patient Blood Free Rumor to the contrary, blood furnished to patients by the Red Cross regional blood bank, is free. In making the statement Grady Howard, blood recruit ? ment chairman, stated that tbe only charge made is for ad min later In? blood, which, at Kings Mountain hospital, is a $2.50 fee, covering costs of tubes used in giving transfus ions. Mr. Howard also labeled as false ? and was corroborated by Jack Stone, city policeman ?the rumor be'n^ circulated that Mr. Stone, when a patient at Kings Mountain hospital two years ago was charged S25 per pint for blood. Mr. Stone told the Herald his account for eight days of treat ment included not one cent lor ' the six pints of blood he worn administered. He said it wees suggested that he encourage his friends to give blood at Rubecquent visits " of the Bed Cross Bloodmobile. which he has and with some success, Mr. Stone added. Should Monday's Bed Cross blood collection be lnsufflci sat and result in suspension of Kings Mountain from the Red Cross blood program, it is likely that the hotpito here would have to institute a *y* tsm whereby professional do nors would be paid for blood* . and, in turn, tbe cost essessed to patlenti needing blood. Mi. Howard continued. . a