North Carolina Newspapers

Population City Limits.7.206 The popuietlon I* from the V. 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 crpproxi to 7609. The trading area population In 1945. based ration board registrations at the. Kings Mountain Ice. was 15.000. Kings Mountain's Reliable Newspaper VOL. 65 NO. 32 Established 1889 Kings Mountain, N. C., Thursday, August I I, 1955 Sixty-Fifth Year PRICE FIVE CENTS Kings Mountain Merchants Participating In City-Wide Clearance Sale This Weekend City Sales Event To Start Thursday 4 Local News Bulletins BUILDING PERMIT Building Inspector J. W. Web ster issued a permit Tuesday to James Kerns to erect a one story brick house on property located near Edgemont drive, at an estimated cost of $12,000. AT MEETING B. N. Barnes, superintandent of schools, is attending a meet ing of North Carolina superin dents at Mars Hill college. He will return here Friday. GRIFFIN RELEASED Walter Griffin, son of Mr. and Mrs. E. W. Grififn, has (been released from active duty with the navy after completing a four-year enlistment. He ar rived home Tuesday from Nor folk, Va., and will enroll next month as a freshman in the University of North Carolina Pharmacy school. AT ENCAMPMENT First Lt. Box Cox is on two weeks active duty at Fort Jack son, S. C., in annual summer encampment for active reser vists. McGinnis reunion Annual reunion of the des ^ cendants of the late Nathan W and Susan McGinnis will ibe held Sunday, August 21, at Carlton Club House, Cherry ville. A picnic dinner will be served. KIWANIS MEETING Members of Kings Mountain Kiwanis Club will attend a pic nic supper Thursday at Oak dale Presbyterian church. The picnic will be held at the reg ular meeting time, 6:45 p. m. METER RECEIPTS City parking meter receipts for the week ending Wednes day at noon totaled $171.82, ac cording to a report from Miss Grace Carpenter of the city clerk’s office. MOOSE MEETING The regular meeting of Moose Lodge No. 1748 will be held Thursday night at the lodge on Bessemer City road. DAVIS NAMED J. iR. Davis, Kings Mountain attorney, was elected a mem ber of the executive committee of the 27th district bar asso ciation at a meeting of the or ganization in Gastonia last week. WKMT DEVOTIONS Dr. W. P. Gerberding will con duct the morning devotions on WKMT at 9 a. m. next week Monday through Friday. His general theme will be ‘The Seven Christian Virtues.” , McGill reunion Annual reunion of McGills of Gaston will be held at Bethel Church arbor next Wednesday, Augst 17, at 11:45. The brief program, including reports of officers and a devotional, will (be followed by picnic dinner on the grounds at 12:30. An nouncement was made by Mrs. Louise Wolfe Wright, secre tary - treasurer. Tax Pre-Payments Reach $14,274 City tax notices for 1955 were being mailed Wednesday and Clarence E. Carpenter, tax col lector, said many citizens are paying the accounts in order to obtain the full two percent dis count. Pre-payments totaled $14, 274.87 through Monday against • the estimated $165,000 levy. Final taxable valuation figures ' have not yet been totaled, but Mr. Carptenter thinks they will aggregate no more than $9,500, 000. City and county tax. bills are payable at two percent dis count in August and one per cent discount in September. Mr. Carpenter said the notices now being mailed will be this only ones sent. Retailers Offer Bargains, $200 Prize Drawing Majority of Kings Mountain re tail merchants are participating — Thursday, Friday, and Satur day — this weekend in a sales promotion entitled “City-Wide Clearance”. The city-wide sales event in cludes 18 firms, including depart ment stores, jewelers, auto and appliance firms, furniture stores, hardwares and others, in addition to associate sponsors in the com munications field. As a special added feature, the merchants are offering 17 trade certificates worth $200 to lucky winners. The prizes are attain able at no cost to the customer. All participating firms have reg istration blanks and citizens are invited to register for the prize drawing as often as they visit the particular stores. The drawing will be conducted at 6 p. m. Saturday in the parking area across from Dixie Theatre. A lucky number holder does not have to be present to win. The trade certificates will be good for face amount in mer chandise at the firm listed on the particular trade certificate. Richard Barnette, chairman of the sales event committee, said he was pleased at "the participation of Kings Mountain retail mer chants and also at the advance preparations for the three-day promotion. “The merchants have been working on plans for this event for the past six weeks. Many have reported much success in obtaining special purchases for this event which they can offer the buying public at much-less than-normal prices. In addition, prices have been pared to the bone on seasonal merchandise in all lines '— even more than is customary in this season and in spite of price increases in many types of goods.” Weir Effecting Postal Economies Kings Mountain postoffice ad vanced a rung up the first-class ladder, as it tallied up record re ceipts for the fiscal year ending June 30 slightly in excess of $60, 000. Postoffices become first class with annual receipts of $40,000, and advance in status as receipts grow larger. Meantime, Acting Postmaster W. T. Weir said he is endeavor ing to effect economies in the ope ration of the Kings Mountain postoffice and reported he had ctjt the hourly schedule of Char man Grier Moss to 19 hours week ly, resulting in a saving of about $1200 annually. Mr. Weir said the principal du ties of the charman could be han dled without difficulty by Fire man Yates Gordon and that the nbw schedule had been ordered effective after a week’s trial pe riod. Mr. Weir said he is also study ing rural routes in an effort to shorten mileage. On one route, a tentative plan adds five patrons previously without mail service, yet shortens the distance by two miles, he said. COMPLETE REMEDIAL READING COURSE — Pictured are two groups of elementary and grammar grade school children who com pleted last Friday the city school's first workshop in remedial read ing, conducted by Miss Alice Averitt (in picture above). The 20 stu dents in two classes showed marked improvement during the six week workshop. Miss Averitt reported. ---& City Gets Increased Intangibles Rebate ,The City of Kings Mountain’s share of the state intangibles tax for the 1954-55 fiscal year totaled $5,824.38. The total was heavier by $1424.38 than the city had an ticipated when adopting its budget for the fiscal year. The check was received from the state last weekend. The state collects the intangibles tax (on bank deposits, stocks, notes, etc.), then rebates 80 per cent of the amount to counties and municipalities. Sipes Youth, 16, Leukemia Victim! A 16-year-old Kings Mountain boy died of leukemia at Kings Mountain hospital Monday even ing at 6:45 o’clock. Death came on his birthday. James Hartman Sipes, son of Mr. and Mrs. Forrest Sipes, of routle 2, was stricken with the di sease eight months ago, and had been hospitalized for the past ten days. The youth, a student at Bethware High school, had recei ved numerous blood transfusions. Funeral services were held Wednesday afternoon at 4 o’clock from Faith Baptist church. The Rev. Flay Payne, pastor of the church, officiated. Burial was in St. Luke’s cemetery. Other survivors include six bro thers, John W. Sipes, of Cherry ville, David Sipes, of the United States Navy, Great Lakes, 111., Charles, D'mald, Cecil, and Ro bert Sipes, all of the home; and three sisters, Mrs. Gene Hughes, of route 2, and Misses Marjorie and Janet Sipes,' both of the home. Four Killed In By-Pass Smash-Up; No Charges Have Been Preferred No charges have been prefer red as the result of a head-on col lision of two cars late Thursday af tternoon on the U. S. 29 by-pass, now under construction, in which four persons lost their lives. Solicitor James C. Farthing, of Lenoir, reported Wednesday af ternoon after being reached in Charlotte that he has not yet con ferred with Cleveland County Sheriff J. Haywood Allen, except by telephone, regarding the acci dent. He said that no criminal charges resulting from the acci dent have been filed and that he "didn’t know" if there would be any, pending a study of the wreck with Sheriff Allen. Sheriff Allen is on vacation this week, his office reports. Sgt. J. B. Kuykendall, state highway patrolman of Shelby, re ported Friday morning that Pal mer Huffstetler, 17-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Dan Huffstetler, signed a statement late Thursday night giving details of a bizarre two-car race leading up to the fa tal smash. Huffstetler is the only survivor of the tragic race and no eye-wit nesses have been reported. Killed were: Paul Kenneth Furr, 19, of Stan ly County, who was killed instant ly Mrs. Mary Emmaline Sansing Grigg, 41, of route 1, Kings Moun tain, who died enroute to Kings Mountain hospital. Lyman E. Champion, of route 3, Kings Mountain, who dited of multiple injuries at 9:30 p. m. Continued On Page Eight 1 First Reading Workshop Ends In City Schools Kings 'Mountain city schools first Elementary Reading work shop came to a close Friday mor ning. The workshop had an en rollment of 20 pupils. The workshop, conducted by Miss Alice Averitt, school teach ing consultant, was designed pri marily as a corrective program for elementary students who are deficient in reading fundament als. Children, Miss Averitt says, are variable in maturity, physi cal development, and mental growth. The basic causes of in dividual differences in children are physical, emotional, mental and instructional, she explained. The methods used to find the dif ferences are testing and inter viewing the child’s previous tea chers, and observing the child at work. Miss Averitt noted the objec tives of this particular workshop were to “find differences among pupil’s background and future needs, make rteading pleasant for the child; find strengths and limi tations of each child; help the child build habits of independent reading; help the child adopt him Continued On Page Four Moss Tq Teach Bessemer Men The City of Kings Mountain is cooperating with the Town of Bessemer City to supply the neighboring community with qualified water plant operators. With approval of officials of both communities, two Bessemer City men will begin training un der George Moss, Kings Moun tain water plant operator, next Monday. The two, J. V. Tarpley and L. A. Poteat, will learn the techniques of required laboratory routine to determine chemical and bacteriological examination of water. The course of instruction will be conducted at the Kings Moun tain plant on Deal street, Mr. Moss said. Blessemer City has a million gallon per day filter plant, and has recently augmented its raw water supply by building a 100 snoiAajj 'JtOAJasaj uoin?8-rortfii" ly, Bessemer City hrd pumped its water solely from . ong Creek, which has a normal flow of about threle million gallons daily. The training arrangement was worked out by Bessemer City of ficials and Mayor Glee A. Brid ges. J. T. Ham’ irk. Bessemer City water commi sioner, said, "I sure do think it’s nice of Kings Mountain to help us out. It’s a rteal neighborly service to us.” Cash-on-Barrel Paving Policy Adopted By City On 3-0 Vote City Will Ask New Petitions On Old Requests The city board of commission ers voted to adopt a cash-in-ad vance policy for street and side walk improvements at the regu lar August meeting held at City Hall last Thursday night. The new policy was, in effect, set up on passage of a motion by Commissioner T.« J.‘ Ellison ap proving a petition from certain residents of Groves street and Cleveland and Rhodes avenues for street improvements. The vote was 3-0, with Commissioners O. T. Hayes, Sr., and Sam D. Col lins abstaining. Mayor Glee A. Bridges, in pre senting the new petition, asked the board to adopt a cash basis and have all prior approved peti tions re-signed by the property owners involved to provide cash payment upon completion of the jobs. Prior petitions would retain their dates as a basis of schedul ing the work when funds are a vailable, hie said. Mr. Ellison’s motion Thursday was to approve the petition from the Groves street and Cleveland and Rhodes avenues citizens on a cash basis if and when funds are available, provided 51 percent of thb petitioners re-sign to pay cash. Commissioner J. H. Patter son seconded and Commissioner W. G. Grantham also voted “yes”. The board heard a delegation of North Piedmont avenue citi zens protest delay in completion of a sidewalk they had ptetitioned. The group numbered 18-20 citi zens and took the Mayor to task for the delay. One lady spokes man reminded Mayor Bridges that he had told the group last summer that he could get the st§tie to curb and gutter the street when they widened it. Mr. Bridges agreed that he had met with the group and state highway engineers “about a year ago” and that the state had prom ised to widen and improve the street. He said that the residents agreed at the time it would be unwise to install sidewalk and have the state destroy it. He al so reminded the group that, just like sidewalks, curbs and gutters are constructed on a share cost basis with the property owners and the city paying one-half the cost. iviayor eriuges 101a me group that he would arrange another meeting with them and state highway officials about the mat ter. W. H. Redmond, Fairview street grocer, appeared before the board protesting Sunday movies. He asked the board to close the theatres on Sundays. Mayor Bridges reported that the present schedule of duty in the police department “hasn’t worked too good” and recom mended that two officers be paid ten dollars per month extra for issuing warrants and doing other clerical work in the office. He said that the fees charged for writing warrants would more than pay the extra salary. He al so reported that Chief Hugh A. Logan, Jr., had worked out a ntew department duty schedule and asked its approval. After, much discussion, the board approved the schedule change on motion of Commission ers Collins and Grantham in a unanimous vote. A motion by Mr. Ellison to leave the pay scale “as is” went un-steconded. Mr. Collins then moved that two men be raised five dollars per month to serve as magis trates and to write warrants. Mr. Grantham seconded and Mr. Elli son and Mr. Patterson approved, Mr. Hayes abstaining. Commissioner Collins, chair man of a committee to study plans for a city parking lot off Cherokee street, reported that he had no definite committment from the property owners and that it was his opinion the city should have a lease. City Attor ney J. R. Davis' suggested that he meet with the committee to work out the plans. A. M. Stradley, of Gastonia, salesman for the Duncan Parking Meter Co., of Chicago, showed the board two sample meters and priced them at 549-50 and $57.50 each. The board took no action. Dan Huffstetler appeared be fore the board and asked a sewer Continued On Page Five Battle Drama To Begin Final Weekend Series Thursday National Guard To Leave Sunday For Encampment Officers and men of the Kings Mountain National Guard com pany, officially designated Head quarters & Headquarters Com pany, 3rd Battalion, 120th Infan try regiment, will leave this weekend for Fort Bragg and an nual two-week encampment for field training. Capt. Humes Houston, com manding officer of the Kings Mountain company, said an ad vance detachment of eight men will leave at 2:30 a. m. Thurs day, to be followed by the main detachment. These men will be transported via special Grey hound bus, leaving at 8 a. m. Sun day. The guard company’s seven vehicles will form a motorcade with the others of the battalion, leaving Kings Mountain for Fort Bragg at 4:30 Sunday afternoon. The gropp from here will in clude eleven officers and 77 men. Capt. Houston noted that the guard unit is now within five men of being at full strength. No re cruits are being accepted until after the two-week encampment. Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, and Camp Stewart, Georgia, will be two-week summer homes for more than 7,500 members of the famed 30th Infantry Division dur ing the 1955 encampment August 14-28. This is the first summer encampment for the ‘‘Old Hic kory” Guardsmen since the 30th Division became an all-Tar Heel division in October 1954. The division is commanded by Major General Claude T. Bowers of Warrenton. Legion To Give Courtroom Flag Kings Mountain American Lb gion Post No. 155 will present the City an American Flag for use in the courtroom at City Hall. The organization voted to give the flag and stand at its regular monthly meeting, held at the Le gion Hall last Friday night. Commander W. D. (Red) Mor rison presided at the meeting, at tended by some 35 Legionnaires. Commander Morrison announc ed receipt of a child welfare ci tation from the American Legion national headquarters for the post’s work in that field during the past fiscal year. Membership plans for the com ing year were discussed and it was announced that member ships for 1956 are now being ac cepted. The membership for 1955 was given as 249. A memorial stervice was held at the close of the meeting. EVANGELIST — Rev. G. W. Wil son, pastor of the Central Bap tist church, York, S. C., will begin a revival Sunday night at 8 p. ra. at Patterson Grove Baptist church. Morning services will be held at 10:30 a. m. daily with night services at 7:30 p. m.. Rev. J. J. Thornburg, the pastor an nounced. Nicholson Hurt In Auto Wreck E. G. Nicholson suffered two broken ribs and a Gastonia wo man was hospitalized Tuesday af ternoon after a new pick-up truck of Nicholson’s P & N Appliance Company erashied into a tele phone pole in Mt. Holly. The Gastonia woman, Mrs. Eve lyn Wallace, of 1005 Dogwood Rd., was reported not seriously injured by the Gastonia Memorial hospital public relations officer Wednesday afternoon. Another passenger in the truck, Milller Jarrell, of McAdenville, suffered minor bruises. The accident occurred. Mr. Nicholson said, when another car approached an intersection in Mt. Holly, forcing the Nicholson truck to swerve out of its path and crash into the telephone pole. Mr. Nicholson said the othler ve hicle did not stop. The new Chevrolet truck which had just been delivered by Vic tory Chevrolet Company late Tuesday morning, was badly da maged. Mr. Nicholson was treated at Kings Mountain hospital, after he noticed a pain in his chest two hours after the wreck. Examina tion revealed two ribs were cracked. ^Mr. Nicholson was charged with reckless driving. Hearing has been set for August 29. EASTERN STAR Members of the Eastern Star and their families will hold their annual picnic Tuesday at 7:30 p. m. at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Lee Spencer at Lake Montonia. A picnic super will be served. Gerberding's Son To Face Heresy Charge Before Church Committee Rev. John Gerberding, 33, pas tor of Menomee Falls Lutheran church in Wisconsin and* son of Dr. W. P. Gerberding, pastor of St. Matthew’s Lutheran church here, has been ordered to stand trial on a charge of heresy before a church synod investigating committee. The charges will be aired be fore the special committee of the Northwest Synod, United Luther an church late this month, and will follow the recfent heresy trial of Rev. George Crist. Jr., another young Lutheran minister of Dur ham, Wis., whom Rev. John Ger berding attempted to aid during the hearing. Rev. Mr. Crist was found guilty by the committee on nine of 14 charges of deviation from estab lished Lutheran doctrine, among them a contention that the Bible was not necessarily literal re garding the virgin birth of the mother of Jesus. Dr. W. P. Gerberding, the Kings Mountain minister, com mentled on the forthcoming hear ing for his son in what he termed a "personal statement” at morn ing services at St. Matthew’s Lu theran church last Sunday. The full statement follows: "I wish to make a personal statement. “I do so after conferring with the lay chairman (Jacob Cooper), of the congregation and with his esteemed father (Dr. E. C. Coo per). “There has been much in the newspapers about a Lutheran heresy trial in Milwaukee, involv Continued On Page Eight Saturday Show Will Mark End Of 1955 Season The battle drama, “Sword of Gideon”, will complete its 1955 run and perhaps its final perfor mance when the curtain falls on Saturday night's performance. The final series of performan ces will ble held on Thursday, Fri day and Saturday evenings at 8:15 at Kings Mountain National Military park amphitheatre. The Saturday night perform ance will mark completion of a 15-performance 1955 season and the end of the fifth season for a battle drama commemorating the famous Recolutionary War Engagement near here which was the ,beginning of the end of Bri tish rule over the American colo nies. The Kings Mountain Little The atre, sponsor and producer of the drama, h,as voted to cease pro duction of the drama following the 1955 steason. Meantime, the drama played to its top crowd of 1955 last Satur day night, as a capacity audience of 700 filled the amphitheatre. Total attendance for the three performances last weekend was placed at 1200 by Publicist Ed Smith. Mr. Smith said he anticipated large crowds for the performanc es this weekend, in view of the scheduled suspension and due to regular policy of the Little Thea tre in not extending its regular schedule. “The Sword of Gideon”, Floret te Henri’s adaptation for the stage of her novel “Kings Moun tain” is presented by a 90-mem ber cast, majority of thfem volun teer performers. The drama has received favorable reviews in the current season and numbers a mong its cast many veterans of previous seasons. Admission is $2 for rteserved seats, $1.20 for general admis sion, and 60 cents for children. Gladden Rites Held On Friday Funeral services for Mrs. E. Florence Gladden, former Kings Mountain resident, were held Fri day afternoon at 3 o’clock from Harris Funeral Home. Ritles were conducted by Rev. J. J. Thorn burg and burial was in Patterson Grove cemetery. Mrs. Gladden, the widow of Thomas W. Gladden, died Thurs day morning at 1:30 after an ill ness of two weeks. She was the daughter of thb late Mr. and Mrs. William Thomas Falls. Other survivors include one brother and seven sisters. Leroy Green Hurt In Auto Accident Leroy Green, 20, of Peaceful Valley, sustained a shoulder in jury in an automobile accident around 3 o’clock Wednesday af ternoop near Shady Rest on Chterryville road. Green was giv en first aid treatment at Kings Mountain hospital by Dr. Ken neth McGill. Green told police his 1949 Mer cury went out of control while at tempting to pass another vehicle and overturned. The Mercury. Greten stated, was being operated by an unidentified man wh'om he had picked up at Horseshoe Grill. Green also said that Leo nard Biddix and a third person, whom he thought to be James Childers, were also passengers in the car. Green said the unidenti fied man, picked up to drive the car since he and the other two men did not have driving license, left the scene of the accident be fore identification could be made. State Highway Patrolmen were still investigating the accident late Wednesday afternoon.