Population
Greater Kings Mountain
City Limits
10.320
7,206
Ike figure for Greater King* Mountain U derived from
tbe 1965 King* Mountain city directory census. The City
Lindt* figure 1* from the United State* census of 1950.
1Q Pages
I 0 Today
Sixty-Fifth Year
VOL 65 NO. 41
Established 1889
Kings Mountain, N. C., Thursday October 13, 1955
PRICE FIVE CENTS
Local News
<
Bulletins
_AUXILIARY
Deadline for entries in the
American Legion Auxiliary
baby contest is Friday and in
terested persons should con
tact Mrs. Sam D. Collins, at
phone No. 1018-J, for informa
tion.
ELECTED
'Robert David Falls, son of
Mrs. Gillie Falls, has been
named vice-president of the
Junior class of Lewis Clerk
high school, Fairchild, Wash
ington. He entered the school
in September.
LITTLE THEATRE
The Little Theatre meets
Thursday night at 8 p. m. at
the organization’s office at the
Woman’s club, Mrs. P. G. Pad
gett announced Tuesday. All
members are urged to attend,
Mrs. Padgett noted, as a num
ber of business matters are to
be discussed.
DEADUNE
Friday is the deadline for
persons interested in partici
pating in the Council of Chur
ch Women’s Foreign Student
Weekend project scheduled in
November, Mrs. J. B. Simpson
has announced. Persons inter
ed in entertaining students in
their homes are invited to con
tact any member of the local
church women’s council.
POSTPONED
West School PT-A has post
poned its meeting next Wed
nesday because of a scheduled
meeting of the NCEA, it was
announced Tuesday by Mrs.
W. J. Fulkerson. The PT-A will
hold its regular meeting Oc
tober 26.
COMPLETES COURSE
Miss Norma Lee Snipes, dau
ghter of Mr. and Mrs. Grier
Sipes, has completed training
at General Hospital School of
Medical Technology, Green
ville, S. C., and while comple
ting her laboratory work is
attending Furman University.
HOFFMAN MOVES
Bob Hoffman, Herald sports
editor and reporter, and his
family have occupied the res
idence at 305 N. Cleveland av
enue. The residence was form
erly occupied by Mr. and Mrs.
Tom Gamble, who recently
moved into their new home.
HAYES BETTER
O. T. Hayes, Sr., was report
ed improved Wednesday morn
ing by members of his family.
Mr,. Hayes is' receiving treat
ment at Kings Mountain hos
pital for a heart condition. He
was transferred to Kings
Mountain hospital Saturday
from Gaston Memorial.
ATTEND PRESBYTERY
.Rev. W. !L. Pressly and Elder
W. E. Blakely represented
Boyce Memorial ARP church at
the regular meeting of First
Presbytery held Tuesday at
Crowder’s Creek ARP church.
Memorials were read for two
recently deceased ARP minis
ters, Dr- T- A. McDill, of Gas
tonia, and -Dr. J. H. Pressly, of
Statesville, father of the Kings
Mountain pastor.
TRANSFERRED
Airman first - class Douglas i
Falls, son of Mr. and Mrs. Otis
Falls, is visiting his parents
preparatory to reporting for
duty Saturday at Blythesville
AFB, Ark. Airman Falls has
(been stationed at Hill AFB,
Odgen, Utah.
building permit
Building Inspector J. W. Web
ster issued a permit Friday to
Curtis Gaffney-to alter a house
on Waco road, at an estimated
cost of $500.
MOOSE MEETING
The regular meeting of
Moose Lodge No. 1748 will 'be
held Thursday night at the
lodge on Bessemer City road.
METER RECEIPTS
City parking meter receipts
for the week ending noon
Wednesday totaled $216.29, ac
cording to Miss Grace Carpen
'ter of city clerk’s office. The
street parking meters return
ed $169.27, while the Cherokee
parking lot meters brought in
$47.02, she reported.
’'4
52nd Floral Fair
SetForWednesday
Womans Club
Now Readying
Foi Annual Event
Members of the Kings Moun
tain Woman’s club were hard at
work this week preparing for
next Wednesday’s 52nd annual
floral fair.
Theme of the fair is “Simpli
city In Flowery” and, as is cus
tomary, entries in the several
competitive divisions are being
invited from anyone interested.
Mrs. Wilson Crawford, publi
city chairman’ said Wednesday
that the bazaar division of the
show will open Wednesday morn
ing at 10 a. m. with the flower
division to be open to the pub
lic at 12:30 p. m. •
Lunch will be served from 12
noon until 1:30 p. m. with the
menu to feature roast turkey and
ham dinners with homemade des
serts. Dinner will be served from
5:45 until 7 p. m. with the meal to
include turkey, ham, and fried
oyster plates with homemade pies
and cakes.
There will be no admission, but
a silver offering will be taken
in the flower division. All pro
ceeds go to the Woman’s club
building fund.
In the flower division, first, sec
ond, and third place ribbons and
honorable mentions tvill be awar
ded to the best entries in each
class, while a sweepstake award
will be given to the entrant re
ceiving the most blue ribbons in
the show. Tri color seals will also
be awarded to the best entries in
the horticulture and arragen
ments divisions. Three cash
awards will be given in the Junior
division.
Mrs. P. G. Padgett and Mrs. Ja
cob Cooper are co-chairmen in
the flower division, and Mrs. F.
E. Finger and Mrs. Harry Page
are co-chairmen in the bazaar di
vision.
All awards will be made at 7:30
p. m. Wednesday night.
Movies Comply
With Board Edict
Kings Mountain motion pic
ture houses complied immediately
with the re-ban on Sunday mo
vies here.
All in-city theatres closed their
doors Sunday following last
Thursday night’s re-ban, by 2-0
vote, by the city board of com
missioners.'
Imperial Theatre posted a
newspaper report of the commis
sioners’ action on his lobby door
accompained by the note “No!
Show Sunday.”
EL BETHEL PASTOR — Rev. J.
M. Barber is assuming the duties
of pastor of El Bethel Methodist
church. He comes to El Bethel
church from Jonesville. Mr. Bar
ber succeeds Rev. Boyce Huff
stetler. now continuing his edu
cation at Emory University.
Work On By-Pass
Nearly Complete
The U. S. 29 by-pass south of
Kings Mountain neared comple
tion this week and it appeared
that the road would be ready for
traffic by the estimated opening
date of October 22—or before.
Blythe Brothers & Company,
contractors had completed their
paving work and were busy Wed
nesday readying the shoulders
along the roadbed and entrances
and were otherwise putting the
finishing touches to the new
stretch of road from Archdale
Farms to U. S. 74 east of Kings
Mountain.
Division highway officials were
not available Wednesday for
comment on a definite opening
date, as they went to Sylva to at
tend funeral services for a high
way official.
Assessment
Scioll Listed
The city is advertising for the
first time in today’s Herald no
tice of public hearing on street
improvement assessments for
First and Blanton streets.
The advertising was ordered
by the board of commissioners
at the meeting last week, as
hearing was set for November 3,
1955.
• The assessment scroll totals
$2,069.03.
City Income $242,567 In Quarter;
Spending In Period Was $177,451
The City of Kings Mountain
collected 48.6 percent of its esti
mated revenue for the full fiscal
year during the first quarter, a
report of City Clerk Gene Mit
cham to the board of commis
sioners revealed last week.
Meantime, the city has spent
during the first quarter of its
1955-56 fiscal year a total of $177,
451.95, as compared to a round
figure budget of $498,000. How
ever, about $22,000- of the total
expenditures were listed to bond
accounts, and $10,644.26 in capital
expenditures was noted as charg
ed to the prior year’s budget.
Receipts had already reached
$242,576.46, due principally to the
fact that heavy advance pay
ments on 1955 taxes had been
made and due to the fact that
several receipts categories are
paid completely- or almost com
pletely, in the early part of each
fiscal year. These include privi
lege license taxes, Powell Bill
street money from the state, and
taxi franchises.
Tax collections for 1955 and for
prior years bulged heavily in
both percentage and dollar fig
ures. Through September 30, Mr.
Mitcham reported $88,857 paid on
the $142,000 estimated to be col
lected, or 62.6 percent, and anoth
er $10,177.31 on prior year’s tax
es, or 169.6 percent of estimated
collections, and another $814 in
penalties on old tax bills, this
figure representing 74 percent of
estimated tax penalty income for
the whole year.
Another helpful figure was the
total of $9-342.71 citizens had paid
on street assessments, nearly dou
ble the $5,000 the city thought it
would receive from this source.
Running at a normal gait was
the total of utility receipts. The
city had collected $68,691 or 25.8
percent of an estimated yearly
total of $240,000.
Expenditures
Most departments of the city
were within their budget time
tables, though a few were over
the 25 percent mark with the
quarter of the year past. Tlie
street department had spent $16,
406, or 31.6 percent of its bud
get allowance, while the sanitary
department had cost $7,416 or
27.7 percent of its $25,600 budget
figure.
Police department was also
slightly ahead of its expending,
with 28.9 percent of its $40,185
budget gone. Water and sewer de
partment was ahead of schedule
at 34.8 percent spent up having
used $19,794 of $56,814.
Most ahead of schedule was the
general department, with $19,182
spent of $51,443. It represented
37.2 percent of the total.
Below the 25 percent mark as
the quarter ended were the ceme
tery department (23.4), adminis
trative department (24), and fire
department (22.4).
Just slightly ahead were light
and power department (25.1) and
the city recorder’s court (25.4).
Atkins Reviews
Celebrations
At Battleground
The 175th anniversary of the
Battle of Kings Mountain was
celebrated Friday at a program
at the amphitheater at Kings
Mountain National Military Park.
Kings Mountain Chapter, DAR,
of York, S. C.’ sponsored the pro
gram and James W. Atkins, pub
lisher of the Gastonia Gazette,
was the principal .speaker.
Mr. Atkins talked of previous
Kings Mountain celebrations des
cribing the four important events
during the past 175 years.
The first celebration, Mr. At
kins told the large audience, was
on July 4, 1815, when the first
monument on the battleground
was dedicated. It was to the me
mory of Major William Chronicle,
Capt. John Mattocks, William
Rabb, and John Boyd, who fell
near each other at the northern
end of the mountain on which the
British forces were entrenched.
This monument was a personal
gift of Dr. William McLean' the
only physician and surgeon with
the American forces at the battle.
He and a group of friends went
to the battleground in 1814 and
re-interred the bones of both
American and British soldiers.
Many of the bones, had been dug
from shallow graves by wild ani
mals, and most of them were
scattered around over the moun
tain.
The 7oth anniversary celebra
tion was held October 7,1855, and
was the second event to be des
cribed by Mr. Atkins.
He reported that some 15,000
persons atended this event, hav
ing come from Virginia, Tennes
see, and Western North Carolina
and camped on the battleground
for several days prior to the ce
lebration.
William Campbell Preston and
General John S. Preston, grand
sons of the famous Col. William
Campbell, were the distinguished
visitors for this event. George
Bancroft, well known author and
statesman- was the principal
speaker, however.
The 100th anniversary found
much improveed roads and trans
portation methods, and some 50,
000 were reported to have made
the trip to remember the gal
lant battle that American forces
won in spite of overwhelming
odds.
Highlight of the celebration
was the dedication of the "old
monument” on the highest spot
of the battleground. It was given
by the North and South Carolina
state governments and indivi
duals of the two states. Principal
address at this time was made by
John W. Daniel, Confederate Vet
eran, governor and senator from
Virginia.
A big parade was held and the
Richmond Howitzers and a com
pany of U. S, soldiers took part.
Thousands of persons camped out
on the battleground during the
days preceeding the event.
The fourth, and largest celebra
tion, was held October 7, 1930,
when President Herbert Hoover
made the principal address. i
It is estimated that between
75,000 and a 100,000 people jam-!
med into the park to see and j
hear their president. Bands, com- i
panies of militia and U. S. sold
iers were also in attendance.
This marked the first time that
the exercises were broadcast
throughout the country by radio.
Mrs. C. D. Blanton, Mrs. J. E.
Herndon, and Mrs. P. M Neisler,
members of Col Fredrick Ham
bright, chapter, DAR were among
those atending from Kings Moun
tain.
Plonk's Victimized
By Shoplifters
Kings Mountain merchants
were warned by Chief of Police
Hugh A. Logan, Jr., to be on the
lookout for shoplifters this week.
Chief Logan said Plonk Broth
ers & Company reported Monday
they had been victimized of two
women's suits of retail value to
taling $139. The theft had eviden
tly occurred on Saturday and
liscovery of the theft occurred
Monday when a member of the
store personnel started to show
the particular garments to cus
tomers.
Chief Logan noted that the
ausy fall selling season is now
jnderway and that conditions are
deal for shoplifters to ply their
llegal trade.
KIWANIS BULLETIN
Members of Kings Mountain
Kiwanis club will hold their
regular meeting Thursday at
Masonic Hall Dining room at
6:45 p. m. -W. E. Blakely, past
president of the club, will be
guest speaker of the evening
MOVIE MATTER ATTRACTS THRONG—City Hall
courtroom was tilled to overflowing last Thurs
day night when the ministerial association pre
sented petitions asking reconsideration of the ac
tion permitting Sunday motion pictures. As the
picture was snapped. Rev. P. L. Shore, Ministerial
association president, was setting forth objections
to the July 7th board action. At right, with back
to camera, is Mayor Glee A. Bridges, and the pe
titions asking reconsideration of the action are
piled on the table in front of the Mayor. (Photo
by Pennington Studio.)
Scholastics Fell
Mearl Valentine.
Chastian, Davis
School books have accomplish
ed a feat that no football team in
the Southeastern AA Conference
had been able to do this year—
they stopped Mearl Valentine.
Valentine, hard-plunging fulf
back for the Mountaineers, stub
bed his toe on a couple of his
senior high school • courses and
is no longer eligible tg compete
on the gridiron.
Announcement was made Wed
nesday by Principal Rowell Lane
when the first six-week report
was given to students.
Valentine was reported to have
fallen down in English and Al
gebra.
Darvin Chastain and Bill Da
vis were other Mountaineers that
were reported to have failed to
maintain grades high enough to
play.
Tax Payments
Continue High
Tax payments on prior year's ac
counts continued to flow into city
coffers during the past week as
the city tax office continued its
efforts to clean the old books.
Tax Supervisor C. E. Carpenter
said more than $3,000 in old tax
bills and penalties had been paid
since October 1.
The city recently took garnishee
action against 50 delinquents to
collect old tax bills on personal
property and mailed its first
group of letters a few days ago
to persons against which the city
holds tax sale certificates, These
leters notified the property ow
ners that judgement would be ta
ken in Superior Court unless tax
accounts were paid within two
weeks.
"Tax collections are coming in
very nicely,” Mr. Carpenter said,
"but there are still many balances
for prior years. It would be much
beter and less costly for all per
sons owing prior year’s taxes to
make arrangements at once to
pay the accounts.”
Fire Chief Warns
Truck Followers
Kings Mountain motorists who
persist in following fire trucks
on route to answer alarms are
flirting with arrest and fines.
Fire Chief Pat Tignor warned
this week.
Chief Tignor noted that North
Carolina law declares following
of fire trucks illegal and said if
the practice continues here he is
going to prosecute the violators.
The fire chief noted that the
law is a safety precaution for
both motorist and fireman.
COURT OF H&NOR
The regular court of honor
for scouters in and around
Kings fountain will be held at
City Hall Thursday night ai
7:45 o’clock. Scout Masters will
have a Roundtable meeting
while the court is in session.
There wil also be a Cub lead
er’s training course at First
Baptist church scout hut at
7:45.
TAKES JOB — Wayne L. Ware,
Jr., of Kings Mountain has taken
a position as an assistant in the
Cleveland County office of the
Farmer's Home Administration.
Ware is the son of Wayne L.
Ware, Sr., of Boiling Springs and
formerly of Kings Mountain.
Mr. Ware is a graduate of North
Carolina State College.
Mrs. Hamrick's
Rites Conducted
Funeral rites for Mrs. Stella
Blanton Hamrick, 57, were con
ducted Tuesday at 4 p. m. from
Central Methodist church.
Mrs. Hamrick succumbed Sun
day morning at 9:50 a.m. at
Kings Mountain hospital after an
illness of three years. A native
of Cleveland county, she was the
daughter of the late D. G. and
Effie Pearson Blanton. She was a
member of Central Methodist
church.
She was married in 1917 to
Arthur Hamrick, who survives, in
addition to one brother Law
rence Blanton, and five sisters,
Mrs. Arthur Falls, Mrs. Carl
Herndon, Mrs. Goldman Spears
Miss Grace Blanton, and Miss
Bertha Blanton, all of Kings
Mountain.
Final rites were conducted by
Rev. P. L. Shore, Jr., Central
Methodist pastor, Rev. P. D. Pat
rick, Rtev. T A Lineberger, and
Rev. A. B. Falls, Jr. Interment
was in Mountain Rest cemetery.
Active pallbearers were Law
rence Blanton, Harold Dover,
Paul Owens, Lester Biddix, Char
les Black and Harold Cloninger.
Gardnei-Webb
Fund Campaign
Underway Here
A campaign to raise funds for
the Gardner-Webb college build
ing program is underway here, it
was announced Wednesday by
Rowell Lane, chairman of the
fund-raising committee.
Rev. A. T. Quakenbush, First
Baptist church pastor, is co-chair
man.
Mr. Lane said the work will be
part of the area-wide effort of
Kings Mountain and Bessemer
City citizens to raise $50,000 for
Gardner-Webb college during a
three-year period. Aim is to ob
tain a minimum of $25,000 this
year, leaving a balance of not
more than $25,000 to be obtained
during the final two years.
The funds derived in the Kings
Mountain - Bessemer City cam
paign will be used to build a fac
ulty-apartment building.
(Citizens from the Kings Moun
tain-Bessemer City area accepted
the $50,000 goal originally last
spring at a breakfast meeting
here.
Mr. Lane announced that Fred
Weaver and Mrs. J. M. Rhea
would serve as co-chairmen of a
committee to handle solicitations
from individuals and that Yates
Harbison would serve as chair
man of a group handling solicita
tions from business firms. An
nouncement had not yet been
made Wednesday on identity of
the industrial committee chair
man.
Gardner-Webb college at Boil
ing Springs has underway a
large expansion program desig
ned to equip it as one of the
state’s best junior colleges, Mr.
Lane noted, adding- “That is the
purpose of the fund campaign.”
Gas Department
Logs Customer 300
The dty natural gas depart
ment accepted its 300th gas de
posit Thursday morning.
The deposit for gas service was
made by John Keller, 218 Waco
Road, Assistant City Clerk J. H.
McDaniel, Jr., reported.
Shortly thereafter City Police
man Paul Sanders, who lives at
103 Falls street, made his depos
it for gas service.
I
Farmers To Cast Ballots Tuesday
For Township Committee Members
Kings Mountain area farmers
will join other farmers of the
country next Tuesday in electing
ASC comunity committeemen.
Farmers of each community
(or township) will elect a com
munity chairman, vice-chairman,
regular member, first ajtemate
and second alternate, from lists
of ten nominees recently made by
elections boards of the particular
communities.
The local area voting will be
conducted at Bethware schpol for
Number 4 township farmers and
at Waco school for Number 5
township farmers. Hours of vot
ing will be 9 a. m. to 5 p. m.
The ten- nominees from Num
ber 4 Township are:
J. N. Hughes, Stowe Wright,
Willis Harmon. Clyde Randle, Ot
to (Toby) Williams' Eugene Pat
terson, Wayne Bess, Alex Owens,
Leonard Gamble and David
Smith.
The ten nominees from Num
ber 5 Township are :
John D. Cline, William A.
Wright, A. S. Kiser, Kenneth
Wright, Harvey L. Stroupe, Rob
ert Borders, John F. Carpenter,
Giles Sellers, Dewitt Randall, and
Howard Huffstetler.
The elected members will serve
as delegates to the October 27
county convention.
Farmers had through Tuesday
to name additional nominees by
petition, but J. D. Ellis- ASC sec
retary, said no additional nomi
nees were put forward in any
township.
Sunday Movies
In City Limits
Banned Again
By ELIZABETH STEWART
The city board of commission
ers voted Thursday night to shut
down Kings Mountain motion
picture houses on the Sabbath.
An odd 2-0 vote by the com
missioners rescinded a July 7 or
dinance passed by the council
allowing the showing of motion
pictures on Sunday..
The board took action after
hearing over an hour and a
half's discussion led by citizens
and ministers of the city who
petitioned the board to change
its ruling on the ordinance.
However, the minister’s vic
tory was not an easy one.
Two commissioners, O. T. Hay
es, Sr., and W. G. Grantham were
absent because of illness, and
the night’s business was left to
a bare quorum.
The large group which over
flowed city hall courtroom ask
ed the board to take final action
on the matter Thursday night,
expressing the opinions that the
"movie issue should ibe settled
once and for all.”
Commissioner T,. J. Ellison’s
motion to rescind the ordinance
was seconded by Commissioner
J. H. Patterson. Commissioner
Sam Collins abstained.
NAMES PUBLISHED
The names appearing on pe
titions asking reconsideration
of the lifting of Sunday 'blue
laws to permit showing of
commercial films on Sundays
are published in today’s Her
ald, Section II, pages 4 and 5.
Rev. P. L. Shore, Jr., president
of the ministerial association,
presented the petition to the
board. He told the board it con
tained the signatures of 1,650
persons.
The petition stated that the
ministers requested a reconsider
ation by the city council of the
ordinance of three months ago
in which the board voted to al
low the showing of movies in
the city on Sunday.
Mr. Shore noted that the min
isters felt the matter was of par
amount importance to the com
munity and therefore warranted
a public hearing where both
sides could be represented before
final action on the ordinance.
Virtually every minister in the
city and representatives of near
ly every church congregation
voiced the opinion that "the
people concerned should have
something to say in the matter.”
A motion was made by Com
missioner Patterson asking for
the calling of an election to de
termine public opinion and Mr.
Ellison seconded, but strong ob
jections from the audience re
sulted in withdrawing of the
motion.
Spokesmen in the audience,
questioning City Attorney J. R.
Davis about election procedures,
asked if a clause could be inser
ted in the motion made by Pat
terson whereby the group could
be "guaranteed and assured”
that the officials present would
vote with the majority when and
if an election was completed.”
Mr,. Davis said he “had faith
that the board would act accord
ing to the vote of the people.”
Mayor Bridges pointed to the
cost of the election, and he sug
gested tabling of the movie mat
ter until all commissioners could
attend, Mr. Bridges adding that
he would notify all the ministers
before the meeting date.
The mayor said he felt “it an
embarrassing situation to ask
three men to vote on something
that five had already acted up
on." Mr. Patterson had express
ed the opinion that “he’d go a
long with the majority should
an election be called but didn’t
want to vote without the entire
council.”
A spokesman for the minister’s
group rejoined with the state
ment that “the minister’s group
Continued On Page Ten
City Lake To Get
20,000 Blue Gill
The city has iheen notified it
will be given 20,000 blue gill
fish from the federal govern
ment hatchery at Hoffman,
near Rockingham.
Mayor Glee A. Bridges said
he was notified Wednesday
that the fish would be deliver
ed on October 20. They will be
used to stock the city lake on
York Road.
Mayor Bridges said it is an
ticipated that the city will re
ceive a quantity of bass from
the hatchery in the near fu
ture. The fish cost the city
nothing.