Population
City Limits. 7,206
The population Is from tha U. S. Government census
report for 1950. The Census Bureau estimates the nation's
population gain since 1950 at 1.7 percent per year, which
means Kings Mountain's 1954 population should approxi
mate 7909. The trading area population in 1945. based
on ration board registrations at the Kings Mountain
office, warn 15,000.
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ID Today
VOL 65 NO. 19
Established 1889
Kings Mountain, N. C., Thursday, May 12, 1955
Sixty-Fifth Year
PRICE FIVE CENTS
Bridges, Patterson, Ellison, Grantham Re-Elected
/2s
Local News
Bulletins
PRESBYTERIAN
Dr. J. N. Brown, associate
minister of Gastonia's First
Presbyterian church, will
speak at morning worship ser
vices Sunday at First Presby
terian church.
COURT OF HONOR
Regular Court of Honor for
Boy Scouts of the Kings
Mountain district will be held
at City Hall courtroom Thurs
day night at 7:30, it was an
nounced from Piedmont Coun
cil headquarters.
CUB SCOUT FILM
Mrs. R. M. Schiele, wife of
the Piedmont Council Scout ex
ecutive, will show a film “The
Cub Scout Circus”, for Cub
Scouts, Den Mothers, and par
ents at First Baptist church ed
ucational (building Thursday
evening at 7:30.
BUILDING PERMITS
A permit to build an addition
to Kings Mountain hospital at
an estimated cost of $120,000,
was issued to Kings Mountain
hospital Friday. Tuesday, a
permit was issued to Buck Ar
chi, to erect a house on Mon
Toe street, at an estimated cost
of $7,000.
KIWANIS MEETING
Regular Kiwanis meeting
will be held Thursday night
at 6:45 at Masonic hall dining
room. Fred Cormack, salesman
for international Salt Compa
ny, will Show a film on salt
mining.
METER RECEIPTS
“Meter receipts for the week
•ending Wednesday at noon to
taled $19500, Miss Grace Car
penter, of - office’ re‘
ported. Uppity
.MOOSE MEETING
Regular meeting of Moose
Lodge 1748 will be held Thurs
day night at 8:15 at the lodge
on Bessemer City road, it was
announced.
MOVED
Clarence E. Carpenter, city
tax supervisor, was transfer
red from Charlotte Memorial
hospital to Kings Mountain
hospital on last Saturday. His
condition has greately improv
ed following an operation at
Charlotte on April 13.
ELECTION
SIDELIGHTS
Voting started briskly Tuesday
morning in the biennial city elec
tion, and, in contrast to opinions
of political observers, the final
total of 1817 virtually equalled
the 1953 city election voting total.
Greater totals were recorded in
Wards 3 and 5 than in 1953.
The total vote by. wards was:
Ward 1, 234; Ward 2, 303; Ward
3, 337; Ward 4, 356; and Ward 5,
587.
Early-bird voters who cast their
ballots first Tuesday morning
were Yates Gordon, in Ward 1,
J W. Webster, the new school
trustee, in Ward 2; D. Harrison
Baity, in Ward 3; Harold Phil
lips, soon to retire as Ward 4
commissioner, in Ward 4; and
Campbell Phifer, in Ward 5.
Approximately 700 persons had
cast their votes by 12:30 p. m., the
half-way mark on the day’s elec
tion, with heavier-than-usual
morning voting at Ward 3. The
pace increased, as it does tradi
tionally, in the afternoon.
Several bizarre events marked
the pre-campaigning period. El
der citizens had trouble remem
bering any election where three
persons in one election season
had posted filing fees, then with
drawn, and the last-minute write
in effort, in behalf of Fred Wea
ver, was a new fillip here. This
effort was cold-watered by Mr.
Weaver himself, who bought ra
dio time Monday to say he was
in no position to serve and to
urge the citizens to ignore the
write-in effort.
Vote-counting was completed
shortly after 9:15. First ward to
Continued On Page Eight
Ledford May Ask
Run-Off Election
WARD 4 LEADERS — O. T. Hay
es. Sr., above, and Paul W. Led
ford, below, led the voting for
Ward 4 commissioner in Tues
day's city election. Mr. Hayes re
ceived 591 votes, while Mr. Led
ford received 402. Mr. Ledford in
dicated Wednesday he would
seek a run-off election.
Injuries Fatal
To Jenkins Youth
Graveside rites for Thomas
Howard Jenkins, 18, who died
Tuesday night in a Chapel Hill
hospital of injuries sustained in
an automobile accident April 8,
will be conducted Thursday at
4 p. m. from Mountain Rest ceme
tery.
The youth, son of Mr. and Mrs.
William Howard Jenkins, of
Greensboro, former Kings Moun
tain residents, was a student at
East Carolina Teacher’s college.
He was a member of Greens
boro’s Rehobeth Methodist chur
ch, where the funeral will be held
Thursday morning at 11 o’clock.
Rev. John C. Vernon and Rev. E.
C. Widenhouse will conduct the
service.
In addition to the parents, a
brother, William Lawrence Jen
kins, of Kernersville, and two sis
ters, Mrs. Jack Williams and Mrs.
Fern Truelove, both of Johnson
City, Tenn., survive.
TO CONVENTION
Mr. and Mrs. C. D. Blanton
will attend the annual conven
tion of the North Carolina
Pharmaceutical association
meeting in Pinehurst May 15
17. Mr Blanton is a vice-presi
dent of the association.
Waid 4 Vote.
Lacks Majority
Hayes Topped
Paul W. (Blinky) Ledford, who
ran second to O. T. Hayes, Sr.,
in Tuesday’s election for Ward
4 commissioner, indicated strong
ly Wednesday afternoon that he
would demand a run-off election.
Mr. Hayi s polled 591 votes to
lead Mr. Ledford, who received
402 votes, by 189. However, Char
les Ford received 395 votes and
George W. White 327, leaving Mr.
Hayes shy of a majority by 267
votes.
Undei* city election laws, can
didates are required to attain a
majority of the votes cast. The
run-off election is held at the op
tion of the second-running candi
date who has five days in which
to ask in writing for the run-off
election.
At 3:45 Wednesday, Mr. Led
ford told the Herald, “I am de
finitely considering calling for a
run-off election and I most pro
bably will.”
In event Mr. Ledford demands
a run-off vote, it will be conduct
ed on Tuesday, May 24. There
will be no new registration pe
riod and the same election offi
cials who conducted Tuesday’s
election will conduct the voting
at each of the five wards.
Under run-off procedure fol
lowed in 1951, the second-running
candidate has until Sunday mid
night to ask for the election. Sin
ce Sunday is a non-business day,
Mr. Ledford can appear in per
son at the office of the city clerk
to make his run-off request until
noon Saturday. After that time,
and until Sunday at midnight, he
may file his request by mail. The
request would have to bear a
postmark not later than the dead
line, and Acting Postmaster W. T.
Weir said no mail is postmarked
on Sundays after 4 p. m. Other
wise, after Saturday at noon, Mr.
Ledford would have to find eith
er City Clerk Gene Mitcham or
Assistant Clerk Joe McDaniel, Jr.,
and hand one of them the written
request.
Both Mr. Hayes, a bookkeeper
accountant who served several
years with the state department
of revenue, and Mr. Ledford, an
employee of Pauline Mill, are
veterans of city political cam
paigns, though neither has ever
held public office.
Wingo Is failed
As "Peeping Tom"
James D. Wingo, 20-year-old
Negro of 404 Ridge street, was
arrested by Kings Mountain po
lice Tuesday night and charged
with being a “peeping Tom.”
Wingo, Chief Hugh A. Logan,
Jr., said, was caught while peep
ing in a window at the home of
Judge Jack White on Meadow
brook road.
Trial for Wingo, who had not
made bond of $500 Wednesday
morning, is scheduled for City
Recorder’s court Monday after
noon.
JAYCEE MEETING
Regular meeting of Junior
Chamber of Commerce will be
held Tuesday evening at 7
o’clock at the Masonic hall.
Finals Exercises For 25 Seniors
Begin Sunday At Bethware School
Commencement exercises for
25 Bethware high school seniors
will begin Sunday evening with
the baccalaureate sermon, and
will be concluded next Wednes
day evening with graduating ex
ercises, it was announced Wed
nesday by John Rudisill, princi
pal. •
Both programs will begin at 8
p. m.
The baccalaureate speaker
will be Rev. Hoyle Alexander,
pastor of Oak Grove Baptist
church. Rev. Douglas Fritz, pas
tor of Resurrection Lutheran
church, will deliver the graduate
address.
Commencement marshals will
be Nandy Bell, Sara Mae Ham
rick, Jimmy Bell, and Joe Chap
man.
Mascots wiill be Ava Joe Spear
man, daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
Hunter Spearman, and Joe How
ard Champion, son of Mr. and
Mrs. Howard Champion.
The members of the graduat
ing class, including 12 girls and
13 boys, are:
Elizabeth Barrett, Arbradella
Champion, Frances Daves (vale
dictorian), Helen Dixon, Rita
Falls, Lois Gamble (salutator
ian), Mrs. Doris Sellers Hoyle,
Mrs. Mozelle Davis Justice, Wil
ma Ledbetter, Laura Lane Mor
ris, Rachel Neal, Annette Ware,
Robert Anthony, Giles Bell, Doy
le Burton, Dale Harmon, Jack
Harmon, Roy Herndon, Ralph
Hord, William Huffstickler,
Glenn Lanier, Ernest Queen, Jack
Seism, Bobby Webster, and Ed
ward Yanbro, Jr.
The exercises will be held at
Bethware school auditorium.
TO HEAD LIONS — Gene Timms,
Grover Road grocer, was elected
unanimously Tuesday night as
president of the Kings Mountain
Lions club for 1955-56.
Lions Elect
Gene Timms
Gene Timms was unanimously
elected president of the Kings
Mountain Lion club for 1955-56 at
the meeting of the organization
Tuesday night.
The Grover Road grocer will
succeed Jacob Cooler.
Other officers, also unanimous
ly elected, are: Dr. Nathan H.
Reed, first vice-president; J. W.
Webster, second vice-president;
James Houser, third vice-presi
dent; George Thomasson, secre
tary; Richard Barnette, treasur
er; James Rollins, tail twister; J.
Lee Roberts, assistant tail twist
er; and Paul King, Lion tamer.
Directors elected for two-year
terms were Carl F. Mauney, H.
B. Jackson, and W. L. Plonk. Di
rectors elected for one-year terms
were Baxter T. Wright, Sr., and
Rev. P. L. Shore, ^r. Charlie Moss
is a holdover director for one
year.
Installation of the officers will
be conducted late in June.
At ihe Tuesday night meeting,
the Lions heard an address by
Sam Lattimore, former Federal
Land bank official, and Shelby
farmer, who cautioned against
the decline of cotton farming in
Cleveland, county.
Mr. Lattimore pointed to bad
crop years as one factor, but con
tended that Cleveland county’s
soil is most ideal of any land
“anywhere” for growing cotton.
He said Cleveland county and
North Carolina should look to its
laurels in cotton - growing, since
California is becoming a great
cotton-producing state.
Goforth ASTC
Cheerleader
Bob Goforth, son of Mr. and
Mrs. I. Ben Goforth, Sr., of Kings
Mountain, has been elected chief
cheerleader of Appalachian State
Teachers College.
Mr. Goforth was chosen in a
campus-wide election held at
ASTC on April 17. He defeated
nine other candidates for the po
sition.
A rising senior, he is a music
major, and has been a member
of the ASTC band, chorus, dance
band, Pep club, YMCA, and Mu
sic Majors club.
He had served as a member of
the cheerleading squad for three
years.
His older brother, I. B. Goforth,
Jr., was chief cheerleader at
ASTC in 1949.
Two Miitor Break-Ins
Reported By Police
Two minor break-ins were re
ported by Kings Mountain Police
department this week.
Saturday, Glenn Dellinger, of
319 Walnut street, reported to
police someone entered his home
through a window and took ap
proximately $10 in change. Entry
to the house was gained, Mr. Del
linger reported, by removing a
screen from a window.
Tommy Ellison reported to po
lice Thursday culprits had broken
into Grace Methodist church, and
while in the church damaged a
bulletin board, five drain pipes,
five ventilators and broke one
window.
TO ASSUME DUTIES
W. B. Logan will assume the
duties of Rural Route 1 carrier
at Kings Mountain postoffice
Monday morning. Mr. Logan’s
appointment to the ciyil ser
vice position was announced
last week. He replaces Harold
Glass, who .held the position
under temporary appointment.
••
Spelling Champ
Early Off Monday
For Washington
Bobby Early, the area spelling
champion, will leave for Wash
ington, D. C., Monday morning
and a crack at the national spell
ing championship.
Mrs. Jake Early, his mother, is
expected to accompany him, a
long with Randolph Hancock,
Charlotte Observer staffer. The
group will go to Washington by
plane and join some 60 other con
testants from all parts of the na
tion at the Willard Hotel.
In addition to the competition
for some $3,000 in prizes, the con
testants will spend five busy days
touring the Capitol city.
The finals competition is sche
duled for Thursday night, May
19, with an awards night banquet
scheduled for May 20. The group
will return home on Saturday.
Top prize in the National
Spelling Bee is $500 plus an all
expense paid trip to New York
City.
Bobby Early copped the right
to represent the area in Wash
ington by winning the Charlotte
Observer spelling bee. In turn,
iie had qualified to represent
Kings Mountain schools at Char
lotte by winning the elementary
schools spelling contest for the
First National Bank award, given
annually to top spellers in city
schools.
Son of Mr. and Mrs. Jake Ear
ly, he is an eighth grade student
at West school.
Legion Elects
W. D. Morrison
W. D. (Red) Morrison was e
lected commander of Otis D.
Green Post No. 155, the American
Legion, at the annual post elec
tions held at the Legion Hall last
Friday night.
Mr. Morrison will succeed
James Bennett. Installation of
new officers will ibe conducted
at the June meeting,.
Other officers elected were:
Wilbur G. Smith, first vice
commander succeeding Clyde
Whetstine.
Fleece iR. McCurdy, second vice
commander succeeding Sam D.
Collins.
C. T. Carpenter, Jr., re-elected
as adjutant.
Mr. Bennett, finance officer
succeeding Fred Haithcox who
had resigned upon moving from
the city.
Floyd Dover, sergeant-at-arms
succeeding Ross Alexander,.
I. C. Davis, assistant sergeant
at-arms.
Gene Gibson, historian suc
ceeding Hubert Aderholdt.
John W. Gladden, re-elected
chaplain.
Bruce McDaniel, Nelson Led
better, Hubert Aderholdt, James
Alexander and John Lewis, mem
bers of the executive committee.
Some 23 members were pres
ent at the meeting, presided ov
er by Commander Bennett.
Membership was reported at
231 for 1955 iplus 58 suspended
1954 members.
Commander Bennett announ
ced a gift to the cancer fund
drive of $100 and junior baseball,
plans were discussed.
Boy Scout Fund
Drive Underway
A group of Kings Mountain ci
tizens will launch Thursday the
community’s annual Boy Scout
fund campaign.
The group was holding a din
ner meeting at the Country Club
Wednesday night to conclude
plans for the fund drive, Dr. J.
P. Mauney, chairman, said.
Members of the soliciting com
mittee wiU include G. C. Kelly,
W. K. Mauney, Jr., Tolly Shuford,
John Lathem, George W. Maun
ey, Arnold Kise J. C. McKinney,
P. M. Neisler, Sr., Harold Phil
lips, Wilson Griffin and Dr. N. H.
Reed.
Dr,. Mauney noted that the
fund campaign is ordinarily con
ducted in February but was de
layed this year due to other con
flicts. He said a formal goal had
not been established but it has
customarily been from $1500 to
$2000 in past years.
The funds provide for the fur
thering of the Boy Scout pro
gram in the Kings Mountain a
rea and Piedmont council, which
embraces the Kings Mountain
district.
THE WINNERS — Kings Moun
tain citizens re-elected lour city
officials and chose a new one
Tuesday as 1817 went to the polls
for the city election. Pictured,
top row above, are Mayor Glee
A. Bridges, left, and Sam Collins,
newly named Ward 1 commis
sioner; middle row, left is J. H.
Patterson, re-elected Ward 2
commissioner, while at right is
T. J. Ellison, re-elected Ward 3
commissioner. At left is W. G.
Grantham, re-elected Ward* 5
commissioner. No Ward 4 candi
date obtained a majority of the
votes and Harold Phillips, the in
cumbent, will continue to serve
until a successor is qualified.
Mayor Bridges received the larg
est'vote total, with 1105 while
Mr. Grantham was accorded 999
votes.
Polio Vaccination
Program Is Halted
School Pupils
Second Shots
To Be Delayed
The second shot of polio Salk
vaccine scheduled to be admin
istered Friday to second graders
of Kings Mountain City schools,
Park Grace school, and Mrs. Lu
ther Cansler’s private school, has
been postponed, according to an
announcement Wednesday mor
ning from the office of Dr. Z. P.
Mitchell, Cleveland County heal
th officer.
The administering of the vac
cine was halted Sunday by the
U. S. Public Health Service for
a further study of the vaccine af
ter several children who had re
ceived the vaccine became stric
ken with polio.
If the ga-ahead signal is given
between Wednesday and Friday
by the U. S. Public Health Ser
vice to continue the vaccinations,
they will be given in Kings
Mountain as scheduled, Mrs.
Elizabeth Scruggs, of the Cleve
land County health office, said
The Salk vaccine had not been
administered to two Kings
Mountain polio victims reported
by Dr. Paul Hendricks this week
to Cleveland County Health de
partment, Mrs. Scruggs said.
Deborah Carolyn Wilson, two
year-old Negro and, daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. Lucio Wilson, of
312 Ellis street, wa» stricken with
polio Tuesday, April 3. Dr. Hend
ricks said the child has been dis
charged from Kings Mountain
hospital and that no paralysis
has developed.
The second victim, Jan Rhod
es, six-year-old Negro, and dau
ghter of Mr. and Mrs- Frank
Rhodes, of 104 N. Cansler street,
was stricken Friday, Dr. Hend
ricks termed the case as very
mild. The child was discharged
from the hospital Sunday.
SPEAKER — Dr. Charles H. Pugh.
Gastonia medical doctor, and
grand master of North Carolina
Masons, will be the speaker at
the annual Masonic ladies night
banquet Monday at 7 o’clock.
Masons Honor
Ladies Monday
The annual ladies night ban
quet of Fairview Lodge No. 339,
A. F. & A. M., will be held at the
Masonic Hall dining room on
Monday at 7 p. m.
Dr. Charles H. Pugh, Gas
tonia physician and prominent
Mason, will be the speaker and
widows of former members of
the lodge will be honor guests.
Dr. Pugh has distinguished
himself in many fields of activity
but in Masonic circles he has
achieved the top rungs of recog
nition and honors.
At present he is Grand Master |
of Masons in North Carolina, the
highest honor North Carolina
Masons can bestow, and is a 33
degree Honorary of Scottish Rite.
His titles are too numerous to
Continued On Page Bight
lollins Upsets
Fulton; Bridges
Landslide Victor
Mayor Glee A. Bridges spread
eagled the field Tuesday to win
re-election to a second term over
three challengers, as 1817 citizens
went to the polls.
The other members of the Brid
ges Administration seeking re
election suffered a lone casualty,
Sam D. Collins, edging W. Sage
Fulton, Sr., for Ward 1 commis
sioner by 54 votes. This race was
nip-and-tuck all the way, with the
final total Collins 872, Fulton
S18.
Re-elected handily were J. H.
Patterson, Ward 2 commissioner,
r. J. (Tommy) Ellison, Ward 3
Commissioner, and W. G. Gran
tham, Ward 5 commissioner.
Still not settled is the Ward
1 commissionership being vacat
?d by Harold J. Phillips.
The four-man race for this po
sition was led by O. T. Hayes, Sr.,
with Paul W. Ledford as runner
ip. Mr. Hayes polled 591 votes
to lead the field, but failed to at
tain a majority by 267 votes. Mr.
Ledford received 402 votes to gain
he right to contest Mr. Hayes
n a run-off election on May 24.
Hr. Ledford edged Charles
(Rocky) Ford, who finished third
,vith 395 votes. George W. White
trailed at 327.
Formal oath-taking ceremonies
will be held 10 o’clock Thurs
day morning at 10 o’clock. Mr.
Phillips will continue to serve
in til his successor is elected and
qualified, which at the least, will
be May 26. Mr. Ledford has five
days in which to demand a run
off election. School Trustee nom
inees are also be take their oaths
at the Thursday morning cere
monies, _
Mayor Bridges was the ticket
leader, polling 1105 votes of the
1796 cast for mayor. Baxter T.
Wright, Sr., was second with 345,
while Olland R. Pearson received
212, and Garland E. Still polled
131. There were three write-in
votes for Ollie Harris.
The official canvas conducted
Wednesday morning showed on
ly slight changes in the returns
gathered Tuesday night, none of
which varied the result. In Ward
2, votes of Clarence G. Myers
had been attributed to Tillman
Pearson and Lloyd E. Davis. The
final total was J. H. Patterson
905, Tillman Pearson 477, Davis
198, and Myers 123.
In Ward 3, T. J. Ellison receiv
ed 937 votes to defeat two chal
lengers, Luther Bennett, with 587,
and R. R. Carrigan, with 185.
The voters of Wards 2 and 3, in
strict ward voting, formally elect
ed J. W. Webster and Arnold W.
Kincaid, both unopposed, to six
vear terms as school trustees.
M \ Webster received 297 votes,
while Mr. Kincaid received 303.
Mrs. Carl F. Mauney received a
write-in vote for the Ward 2 po
sition, while David L. Saunders
received a write-in vote for the
Ward 3 school job, Mr. Webster
will join the board for the first
time, replacing Mrs. Haywood E.
Lynch, who did not seek re-elec
tion. Mr. Kincaid, current chair
man of the board, won re-election
to a second term. He had pre
viously served on the board for
two years, filling the unexpired
term of C. G. White.
In Ward 5, W. G. Grantham
polled a better than 4 to 1 ma
jority in his home ward to defeat
handily R. Coleman Stroupe.
With four wards reported, Mr.
Stroupe held a small lead. The
final count was Grantham 999,
Stroupe 692, with 21 write-in votes
for Fred Weaver.
House Approves
Voting Change
The bill recently introduced in
the North Carolina General As- ^
sembly to change the method of T
election of Kings Mountain school
district trustees was passed by »
the House of Representatives and
was sent to the Senate May 4.
In the Senate, it was referred
to the committee on counties, ci
ties, and towns, of which Sena
tor Robert Morgan, of Cleveland,
is chairman.
The bill, which has the unani
mous endorsement of the city
school trustees, is expected to be
come law momentarily.
It provides for scrapping of the
ward system as it affects school
trustee voting. Trustees will be
chosen, effective in 1957, by the
electorate at large, and candi
dates may reside anywhere with
in the district.