Population
Greater Kings Mountain 10.320
City Limits 7.206
Tka O|U. toe Greeter Tlujr Mounted* la derived fna
■a IMS Ktage Mountain city directory emu. His City
Ulti figure U tram the United Stain onau el ItSO.
Kings Mountain's Reliable Newspaper
, nlkLu
■ *■
1 0 Pages
10 Today
VOL 66 NO 3
Established 1889
Kings Mountain N. C. Thursday, January 19, 1956
Sixty-Sixth Year
PRICE FIVE CENTS
Local News
Bulletins
MOOSE MEETING
Regular meeting of Kings
Mountain Moose lodge 1748
will be held at the lodge Thurs
day night at 8:15 p. m„ accord
ing to announcement tby Curtis
Gaffney, secretary.
ATTENDING SEMINAR
Three Kings Mountain phy
sicians, Drs. Kenneth McGill, P.
G. Padgett, and Paul Hendricks
are attending a heart seminar
being conducted at Duke Uni
versity,.
TO INSTITUTE
Mr. and Mrs. Martin Harmon
will attend the annual Mid
Winter Press Institute, spon
sored jointly by the North Car
olina Press association, Duke
university and the University
of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill and Durham Thursday
-through Saturday.
ON HONOR ROLL
Four Kings Mountain stu
dents were among the 56 mem
bers of the Western Carolina
college student body listed on
the fall term honor roll recent
ly announced by Miss Addie
Beam, registrar.. They are De
witt Blanton, Sherrill Spears,
Joe Vernon Ware and Dwight
Ware.
TO ALABAMA
John Lathem, former super
intendent of Phenix plant of
Burlington Industries, and his
family expect to move to Bir
mingham, Ala., Mr. Lathem’s
home, about February 1, Mr.
ILathem said Wednesday.
AUTO TAG SALES
Sale of city auto licenses in
creased to 348 through Tues
day, Assistant City Clerk Joe
McDaniel said yesterday. The
total of sales represented 86
during the past week. Normal
ly, the city sells In excess of
1,100 auto tags per year.
PRESBYTERY
Rev. P. D. Patrick, S. S. Weir,
and Dan Wells were commis
sioners from First Presbyterian
and Dixon Presbyterian chur
ches to the meeting of Kings
Mountain Presbytery held this
week at Gastonia First Presby
terian church,.
ON DEAN'S LIST
CHARLOTTE. — Curtis Wri
ght has earned a position on
the dean’s list just released for
the fall quarter at King’s Busi
ness College in Charlotte. Mr.
Wright, a business administra
tion student, entered King’s in
June, 1955.
BAPTIST SPEAKER
Rev. E. B. Hicks, pastor of the
Shelby East Side Baptist chur
ch, will show the films he
made in the Holy Land at East
Side Baptist church here
Tuesday night at 7 p. m. Mr.
Hicks attended the World Bap
tist alliance.
BUILDING PERMITS
Building Inspector J. W. Web
ster issued two building permits
this week. Wednesday, Jan. 12,
a permit was issued to Gantt
& Crawford, Inc., for the erec
tion of a frame house on Belve
dere circle, at an estimated cost
of $6,500. Friday, a permit was
issued to C. E. Neisler for the
erection of a garage and ser
vants quarters cn N. Piedmont
avenue, at an estimated cost
of $2,000.
Ministers Plan
Religious Census
The Kings Mountain Inter
Denominational Ministers Con
ference will take a city-wide re
ligious census on March 4th to
determine thte number of Kings
Mountain citizens affiliated
with area churches.
Rev. A. T. Quakenbush, pas
tor of First Baptist church and
vice-president of the associa
tion, said the ministers voted
to take a census at a recent
meeting of the ministerial as
sociation.
|Jame of the ministers’ or
ganization was also changed at
the regular meeting of the
group last week and new offi
ehrs for the year were elected.
Margiace Mill,
Church, Grass
Fixes Fought
January 1956 seems to toe head
ing for a record as far as fires
answered toy the city fire depart
ment is concerned. A check
shows that 17 calls have been
answered toy city firemen thus
far.
A further cheok of years gone
toy shows that this figure is well
above any other two week period
in the past.
Twelve of the month’s fires
have been grass fires. This alar
ming rate of fires caused Mayor
Glee A. Bridges to issue a warn
ing to residents of the city.
'Mayor Bridges pointed out that
a city ordinance forbids anyone
to set outside fires. He said that
if this practice continues, the city
will enforce the ordinance which
calls for a fine for violation of
the law.
'Bridges also pointed out that
every time the city fire depart
ment, answers a call it costs the
tax payers $100.
The firemen put in a Ibusy
weekend, answering seven calls
from Thursday through Sunday.
No calls have ibeen reported since
Sunday.
Thursday’s activities started
with a grass fire on Shelby road,
and ended Thursday night when
the firemen had to fight a'tolaze
in a drying machine at Margrace
Mill for about 40 minutes before
extinguishing it. No reports were
available as to the amount of
damage at the mill, tout the ma
chine was back in operation Fri
day morning.
The department got toy “Un
lucky” Friday, 13, with no fires
reported.
Saturday, fire fighting activi
ties started all over again with
two fires toeing reported. The first
of these was a grass fire on Dill
ing street. The other blaze was at
Mauney Mills in a cotton press.
The only damage was reported to
have been suffered by the cotton,.
Three blazes Sunday made that
day the busiest of the week. A
toout 1 a. m. a woods and grass
Continued On Page Ten
Tax Payments
Reported Heavy
City tax receipts have been
heavy since the beginning of the
current calendar year totaling
$16,761.25 for the period January
3-18, Tax Supervisor C. E. Carpen
ter said Wednesday afternoon.
The receipts include tooth hea
vy 1955 tax payments, plus num
erous payments of tax bills and
penalties for prior years.
While it is customary for Janu
ary tax payments to toe heavy,
due to the fact that penalty for
late payments on prior years
taxes applies February 2, Mr.
Carpenter credits the forthcom
ing collection drive on old tax
bills as increasing the total dur
ing the past week. On the su
pervisor’s daily report sheet ap
peared many payments with da
tes as long back as 1944.
The city tax office has an
nounced its collection drive be
ginning February 2 will be bul
warked by all the legal weapons
available, including garnishment
of wages, levying on personal
property, and foreclosures of real
estate.
‘This is a distasteful proposi
tion, and I am hopbful all old tax
accounts will toe settled prior to
February 2,” Mr. Carpenter said.
Baptist Pastois
Form Own Area
Organization
Kings Mountain Baptist minis
ters organized a Baptist ministe
rial fellowship here Monday
night.
Officers of the ntew organiza
tion at pastors of area Baptist
congregations are Rev. A. T.
Quakenbush, pastor of First Bap
tist church, president, Rev. T. A.
Lineberger, Macedonia Baptist
church pastor, vice-president, and
Rev. H. G. McElroy, pastor of
Temple Baptist church secretary
treasurer.
The organization includes min
isters of First, Second, Temple,
Macedonia, Midview, Faith, East
side, Davis, Oak Grove, Oakview,
Patterson Grove, and Bethlehem
churches, and is being knows as
the Kings Mountain Baptist Pas
tors Conference, Mr. Quakenbush
reported.
Mr. Quakenbush noted “the pur.
pose of the organization is to en
courage fellowship among the
Baptist pastor's and people, to
work in cooperation with the lo
cal Inter-Denominational Minis
ters conference, and to sponsor
certain Baptist projects in our
city.”
“First project on which the
Baptist pastors are working on
Mr. Quakenbush addted, “is to
bring the Billy Graham films to
Kings Mountain for a free Show
ing for all the people.”
Employment Tax
Meeting Friday
"New employment tax regula
tions will be discussed in an opfen
meeting here Friday night at 7:30
p. m. at City Hall, Franklin L.
Ware, Jr., manager of the local
branch office of the state employ
ment service, said Wtednesday.
Mr. Ware said information for
owners of small businesses, pos
sibly subject to the state’s new
ly revised employment security
law, will bfe available and esti
mated that 150 additional Kings
Mountain area firms *will be lia
ble for unemployment compensa
tion taxes daring 1354.
The 1956 General Assembly re
vised the act to make temployers
of four or more persons for as
many as 20 weeks in a calendar
year liable for providing unem
ployment insurance for their em
ployees. The previous law did not
make an employer liable until
he had as many as eight employ
ees during 20 weeks of a calendar
year, Mr. Ware pointed out.
Lawrtence Farrish, of Gastonia,
area field representative, and H.
G. Smallbones, claims deputy, will
outline the new requirements and
also wil conduct a question and
answer stession.
Wreck Victim
Still Unconscious
Grady William Montgomery,
42-year-old Grover man, is in
“critical” condition at Kings
Mountain Hospital from injuries
received in a two-car collision
near Kings Mountain Sunday.
Dr. Paul V. Nolan, Montgom
ery’s physician, said Wednesday
that the accident victim is still
unconscious, and that he is suf
fering from serious head and
chest injuries.
Patrolman C. D. Fortune, in
vestigating officer, reported that
the accident occurred on the By
ron Keeter farm road and U. S.
29 south of Kings Mountain.
Fortune added that the mishap
occurred when James Smith of
Bessemer City made a left turn
from the highway just as the
Montgomery vehicle tried to
pass. Montgomery’s car turned
over and was said to have ibeen
practically demolished.
Mr. Smith was not injured in
the accident.
Howard Young Man Of Year For ’55
JAYCEE YOUTH ACTIVITY — The picture above shows one of the
many youth activities sponsored by the Kings Mountain Junior
Chamber of Commerce during the past year. Bill Eldon. Voice of De
mocracy contest chairman, is congratulating Winner Don Hord (cen
ter) as Runners-up Carolyn Brown, Jimmy Heavner (extreme right)
and Jaycee President Bill Jonas (extreme left) look on.
SUPERINTENDENT — James Ro
tan, Belmont native, is the new
superintendent of Burlington In
dustries' Phenix Plant here. Mr.
Rotan assumed his duties Janu
ary 9. He succeeds John T. La
them.
Pony Expressman
Ambushed Here
A contract mail trucker from
Asheville practiced old-time pony
express speed into Kings Moun
tain early Wednesday morning
and his speed cost Acting Post
master W. T. Weir some shut-eye.
The police log showed Carl Ted
Shook, 59 Annanbalte Ave., Ashe
vile, booked for speeding within
the city limits at 1 a. m. by Offi
cers Jack Stone and Tom Glad
den.
To keep the mail running, S25
appearance bond was required
and the carrier called his first
in-mind Kings Mountain acquain
tance, Acting Postmaster Weir,
and bond was immediately ar
ranged.
The Asheville-Charlotte pony
express sped on at 1:12 a. m.
Will County Political Wars Be Tame?
Mr. Wells Wants ToGoTo Washington
Is the 1956 Cleveland County
Democratic primary to be a tame
affair?
Ordinary answer would be
"no,” but thus far there arte few
evidences of approaching heavy
political activity.
One principal trial balloon has
been launched and this concerns
the 12th district Congressional
race. Hugh Wells, Shelby lawyter
who managed the Scott-for-Sen
ate campaign in Cleveland county
two years ago, is putting out feel
ers concerning his candidacy.
Should he o^fer, Mr. Wells would
oppose veteran Congressman
Woodrow W. Jones, of Ruther
fordton, who has already announ
ced he would seek re-nomination.
In Kings Mountain Tutesday
night for the Jaycee DSA award
night activities, Mr. Wells ack
nowledged his ambitions, but said
he was closer to offering three
weeks ago than today. Indications
that Governor Luther Hodges will
have no more than token opposi
tion for the gubernatorial nomi
nation makes it a little more dif
ficult to decide to run, says Wells.
Challengers need other races to
help get out the vote, Mr. Wells
opines. He adds he likes Gover
nor Hodges “Finte.”
In the county, Democrats will
nominate five candidates for
county commissioner and will
choose five nominees for the
county school board. They will
also nominate a state senate can
didate and a house of represen
tative candidate.
Incumbents, all Democrats, are
expected to steek re-election, inclu
ding County Commissioners Z.
V. Cline, Hazel Bumgardner, Fitz
hugh Rollins, Jim White, and
Knox Surratt; State Representa
tive B. T. Falls, Jr.; and Register
of Deeds Dan Moore.
Gus Huffstetler is expected to
seek renomination for township
constable.
Numerous state-wide races are
possible, as all members of the
council of state’s terms expire.
Thus far Alonzo Edwards is the
only announced candidate for no
mination to a state-wide office.
He seeks the now-vacant lieu
j tenant-governorship.
Members of the county school
board are Edwin Moore, B. Aus
tell, Walter Davis, W. H.: (Goot)
Lutz, and C. D. Fomtey, Jr.
Year's Work
Summarized
By President
This week has been proclaim
ed “Junior Chamber of Com
merce” week in Kings Mountain,
as well as around the nation.
Mayor Gltee A. Bridges signed
a proclamation calling for the
observance of the week here, and
pointed out that the Kings Moun
tain Jaycees have been very ac
tive in the fields of civic projects
and youth activities.
Bill Jonas, Jaycee president,
has listed part of the organiza
tion’s activities during the past
year in carious fields.
A list of some of the activities
of the Kings Mountain Junior
Chamber of Commerce during
year 1955-56 follows:
Youth Activities included Co
sponsoring Soap Box Derby with
10 contestants participating in
Carolinas Contest in Charlotte;
Sponsoring Little League base
ball team in City league; Spon
soring Junior & Senior Life Sav
ing Course at city park in co-ope
ration with American Red Cross;
Sponslring Voice of Democracy
contest in high school, winning
speech was entered in State and
National Contest.
Community Servide projects in
cluded assisting with the inspec
tions of automobile during the
voluntary Motor Vehicle Safety
inspectation week; Securing and
donating furniture to a needy
family; Donating an Isolhtte In
cubator to the Kings Mountain
hospital at a cost of about $500,
Continued On Page Ten
Hospital Reports
Three Memorials
Grady Howard, business mana
ger of Kings Mountain hospital,
reported this week receipt of
three additional memorials for
the hospital, bringing to eight
the total of rooms in the new
wing having been furnished as
memorials by Kings Mountain
families, businesses, and civic or
ganizations.
Providing furnishings for
rooms in the new wing will be
the Kings Mountain Lions club,
the W. L. Plonk Estate (in me
mory of William Lafaytete and
Martha Ware Plonk), and Dr.
Craig S. Jones and Dr. Frank
Longino (in memory of their
fathers, John Craig (Jones and
Hugh E. Longino).
Memorials previously announ
ced had been received from Phe
nix Plant of Burlington Indus
tries, thb K. S. Plonk Estate and
Mrs. Herbert Plonk in memory
of J. Calvin and Herbert J
Plonk, Otis D. Green Post 155
American Legion, and the C. F.
Harry family, in memory of their
father C. F. Harry, Sr.
Mr. Howard said the contrac
tors had indicated the new wing
would be virtually complete in
another month.
Hospital Head
Is Recipient
01 laycee Awazd
Grady Howard was Kings
Mountain’s Young Man of the
Year for 1955.
Announcement of the award
was made Tuesday night by J. B.
Garland, Gastonia lawyer and
former Jaycee district vice-presi
dent at the organizations Tues
day night meeting.
Mr. Howard was chosen for the
award—second annual by local
Jaycees—by a secret committee
pf Kings Mountain citizens, who
named Mr. Howard from a group
of six nominees. Ed Smith, chair,
man of the committee in charge
pf arrangements, said the com
mittee told him they regarded
Mr. Howard’s performance as
ousintess manager of Kings Moun
tain hospital, a public service in
stitution, as especially outstand
ng, and that he further met the
tests for performance in many
:ivic and religious activities.
He is an active membter of Cen
tral Methodist church, a former
laycee president, a veteran of
World War II and the Korean
War who holds a captain’s com
mission in the marine corps re
serve. He is a member of the
Kings Mountain Township Re
publican committee. His wife Is
he former Miss Mary Sue Mc
Ginnis and they have three child
ren.
First recipitent of the award,
liven for 1954, was B. S. Peeler,
fr.
In his address proceeding the
presentation, Mr. Garland re
viewed the history of thte Jaycee
prganization, which grew out of
dxe Young Men’s Civic Club for
med in St. Louis, Mo., in 1915. He
noted that more than 100 chap
ters are now located in North
Carolina, and cited the servicb of
Jaycees in all fields of communi
ty endeavor.
Developing the theme, "An
aDundance of means is not the
mteasure of life," Mr. Garland
called attention to many exam
ples of accomplishments by indi
viduals which gave them little, if
any monetary award, but whi -h
stood the test of time in giving
aid to many. John Milton’s “Para
iise Lost,” he said, brought the
blind poet about $90. Charlie
Chaplain, the comedian, earned
more than $600,000 in one year,
yet has been banned from re
entry into me United States, Mr.
Garland reported.
“Who was the most success
ful?” Mr. Garland asked.
Numerous Jaycee officials, city
efficials, and other guests were
prestent for the meeting.
Mrs.Swansson's
Rites Conducted
Funeral services were held
Tuesday afternoon at 4 o’clock
at First Baptist church for Mrs.
Mary Allen Swansson, 44, of route
2, Kings Mountain, who died in
Charlotte Memorial hospital Sun
day following a brain operation
last Thursday.
Mrs. Swanson, whose husband
opferates Swansson’s Greenhouses
in Kings Mountain, first knew
she was seriously ill about three
weeks ago. It was at that time
she discovered she had a brain
tumor.
She was a native of Cleveiand
County, thte daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. Will Allen of Kings Moun
tain, who survive. •
Other survivors include her
husband, Rune A. Swansson: a
son, James Herbert Swansson; a
daughter, Margaret Elizabeth
Swansson; two brothers, E. H.
Allen of Charlotte and, W. E. Al
len of Grteensboro; and three sis
ters, Mrs. Grace Talbert, Mrs.
Evelyn Edwards, and Mrs. Selma
Crawford, all of Kings Mountain.
The Rev. A. T. Quakenbush,
pastor of First Baptist church,
officiated, assisted by the Rev.
Wayne Haynes, and the Rev. T.
A. Linegerger. BuHal was in
Elizabeth church ctemetery near
Shelby.
Pallbearers were Glenn Mc
Daniel, Hackett Wilson, Donald
Welch, Paul Tayes, Nevette Hugh
es, and Floyd Queten.
LTBBAND BETTER
Jim Lybrand, former city
fireman and now on the staff
of the county tax office, was
reported improved Wednesday
following operation? he under
went Monday at Charlotte Eye,
Ear, Nose & Throat hospital.
Mr. Lybrand was seriously ill
after undergoing operations
for removal of tonsils and ade
noids and for relief of a sinus
condition.
HOWARD WINS DSA—Grady Howard, center, is receiving from J. B.
Garland, right, the handsome plaque emblematic of Mr. Howard's
selection lor the annual Junior Chamber of Commerce distinguished
service award for 1955. Ed Smith, left, project chairman, looks on.
The presentation was made at Tuesday night's Jaycee meeting.
(Photo by Carlisle Studio.)
Projects Planned
For Dimes Drive
SPEAKER — George W. Laycock,
Cleveland county hospitals ad
ministrator, will address a joint
meeting of the Shelby and Kings
Mountain Lions club here Tues
day night. The joint session, one
of a series being held in this
Lions zone, will be held at Ma
sonic Dining hall at 7 o'clock.
Lions To Hold
Joint Meeting
George W. Laycock, administra
tor of Cleveland County hospitals,
will address a joint session of the
Shelby and Kings Mountain Lions
clubs, to be held here Tuesday
night at 1 o’clock.
The joint meeting is one of se
veral being held throughout the
Lions zone. Two weeks ago, the
Kings Mountain club was guest of
the Lawndale club.
Mr. Laycock assumed his. du
ties as administrator of Cleveland
County hospitals less than two
months ago. A former,adminis
trator .of Conway Hospital, Con
way, S. C., he has much experi
ence in hospital administration,
both in North Carolina and for
the United Nations in the Pacific
area. During World War II, he
was interned for the duration of
the war. The Pearl Harbor attack
found him treasurer of the Epis
copal Diocese of China, with head
quarters in Shanghai.
Program for the meeting was
arranged by Martin Harmon.
Home B. & L.
Meeting Set Tuesday
Home Building and Loan As
sociation of Kings Mountain will
hold a stockholder’s meeting
Tuesday at 5 ip. m. in the associ
ation offices, A. H. Patterson, sec
retary and treasurer of the or
ganiztion has announced.
Business to come before the
stockholders includes reports
from the officers on the activiti
es of the association during 1995,
and the election of directors for
the coming y?ar..
Mr. Patterson is asking that all
stockholders be present at this
meeting.
Kiwanis Club
Plans Benefit
Dance Monday
Charles Dixon, coehairman o 1
the Kings Mountain March of
Dimes campaign, announced Wed
nesday that approximately $1,300
of the city’s $5,000 quota has been
raised for the polio drive.
Dixon pointed out that this to
tal is very low, but added that se
veral projects are coming-up dur
ring the next wek to raise money
for the project.
The Kings Mountain Moose
Lodge has tickets to sell for sing
ing program to be held in Shel
by January 29, with all proceeds
to go to the March of Dimes.
Dixon said the Harmonaires and
many other well-known groups
would be on the program.
The Teen-Age Club will sponsor
a dance at Central High gym
Monday night at 8 o’clock in co
operation with the Kings Moun
tain Kiwanis Club for the benefit
of the drive. The general public
is invited to attend this dance.
Sisk’s Band from Shelby will
play for the dance.
Dixon also announced that the
Boiling Springs Micro-Midget
racing association is sponsoring
a race at Boiling Springs, Sunday
afternoon with all proceeds going
to the campaign. He said that 95
laps of racing have ben sched
uled.
The Junior Woman’s Club will
conduct its annual Mother’s
March on Polio for the March of
Dimes , March 31, from 7 until
8 p. m. Miss Grace Davis and
Miss Margaret Goforth, are co
chairman of this year’s -march.
Citizens are being asked to leave
their porch lights on if they wish
to make a contribution. /
Polio Fund Unlikely
To Get Meter Take
The past week's' on-street
parking meter receipts of $154.
95 are not likely to go' to the
March of Dimes fund, after all.
City Clerk Gene Mitcham,
noting that the January 5 ac
tion of the board of city com
missioners in earmarking the
past week’s meter receipts
from on-street meters to the
polio fund drive carried the ri
der “if legal.”
Mr. Mitcham says the city’s
files are well-filled with rul
ings from the attorney-gene
ral’s office on similar questions
and state that public welfare
projects are not proper func
tions of municipal government.
Mr. Mitcham says he’ll draw
the check only if the commis
sioners rescind the “if legal”
rider. But he doesn’t think they
will. Technically, commission
ers are liable for reimbursing
the city any illegal expendi
tures made, the clerk noted.
Receipts from the Cherokee
street lot totaled $29.70, bring
ing the week’s total to $184.65,
or just $2 above total for the
previous week.