North Carolina Newspapers

Kings Mountain's Reliable Newspaper VOL 66 NO. 19 Established 1889 Kings Mountain, N. C., Thursday May 10, 1956 Sixty-Seventh Year PRICE FIVE CENTS . Population Greater Kings Mountain 10.320 City Limits 7,206 fk, flfwl let Greater tings Mountain U derived from the 1M5 King* Mountain city directory consul. The City Limits figure Is from the United States census ol 1950. OO Pages LL Today Candidateslncrease Activity With Primary 16 Days Away Local News Bulletins COURT OF HONOR Kings Mountain District Boy Scouts of America will hold their regular Court of Honor meeting at City Courtroom Thursday night at 7:45 p. hi. A round-table discussion will be held for Scout leaders dur ing this meeting. A Cub'Scout leader’s training course will al so toe conducted at Central Me thodist church. OFFICE CLOSED Offices of Dr. T. L. Anderson, chiropractor, will toe closed Thursday, Friday, and Satur day while Dr. Anderson is at tending the North Carolina Chiropractors convention in session in Durham. MASONS TO MEET A stated communication will toe held by Fairview Lodge No. 339 Monday night at 7:30 p. m. in the Masonic Hall. HOSPITALIZED Vernon CroSby is improving at Kings Mountain hospital from left eye injuries he recei ved in a freak accident last Thursday, members of his fam ily reported yesterday. BANK HOLIDAY First National Bank will toe closed Thursday in observance of Confederate Memorial Day, a legal North Carolina holiday, the bank management has an nounced. METER RECEIPTS City parking meters returned $206.46 during the week ending noon, Wednesday, according to a report by City Clerk Gene Mitcham. He said that street meters brought in $166.05, while off-street meters accoun ted for $40.41. BUILDING PERMIT Inspector J. W.. Webster issu ed a permit Tuesday tp Wood row Brown to repair a one story frame house on Watterson street, at an estimated cost of $450. -.. ' ! UJ[ School Groups Receive Awards Honor awards were presented to the "Mountaineer” and the “Statix ‘n’ Dramatix” club at the Southern Interscholastic Press Association Convention in Lexington, Va., last Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The* “Mountaineer” Is the Kings Mountain high school newspaper and the “Statix ’n’ Dramatix,” the high school radio club. Three Issues of the “Moun taineer” were judged toy Major Chester B. Goolbrick, assistant professor of history at Virginia Military Institute. The paper re ceived an achievement award last year. The '“Statix ’n’ Dramatix” sub mitted a tape on their panel dis cussion on dating for judging. This is the first year the “Statix ’n’ Dramatix" has entered S. I. P. A. competition. Melvin Linkous, program di rector of State WSLS, Roanoke, Va., judged the four radio entries and held a workshop and criti cism clinic. Representing the “Mountain eer” at the convention were Miss Dorothy Lachmund, advisor for the "Mountaineer”, Judy Cooper, and Donna Cheatham. Miss Joan ne Easley represented the “Statix ’n’ Dramatix.” License Bureau Schedule Given Driver’s license examiners will operate on a two-day a week schedule In Kings Moun tain beginning next, week, it has been announced by C. D. Fortune, member of the state highway patrol. Mr. Fortune reported that the office here would be closed Thursday (today) In observ ance of Confederate Memorial Day but would be open Friday and each Thursday and Friday to serve area citizens. H. L. Nolan and W. C. Willis are license examiners for the Kings Mountain bureau. Wells-Gardner Verbal Joust Top Week Event Politics and prospects of favo rites in the field of candidates claimed a larger share of the community’s conversation during the past week. Though major interest evidenc ed on the part of the voters cen tered on the three-man race for the 11th district Congressional nomination, the county races and township constable joust were also attracting more conversa tion. Candidates themselves were beating the bushes, offering firm handclasps and saying to friends, “Do what you can for me.” Covering Kings Mountain in the past week were Dan Moore, re gister of deeds, who seeks to re tain the Democratic nomination also sought by Wilbur (Ebb) Wright, and B. P. Jenkins, Sr. former county commissioner ’from District 4, who seeks to re gain the position he lost two years ago to John P. White, the incumbent, also seeking re-no mination. Major fireworks of thie week was provided by Cleveland Coun ty’s two candidates for the con gressional nomination. Hugh Wells charged that “politics” had been used to cause the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to refuse to grant deposit insu rance to the proposed new bank in Shelby. The FDIC ruling has prevented opening of the bank. Terming the Wells remarks as “insinuations” Ralph Gardner, member of a Washington, D. C., law firm until he announced for the congressional post, declared the inferences were untrue (as far as he was concerned) and maliciously inspired. He denied he had touched the Shelby bank matter in any detail. Wells subsequently bought newspaper space pointing out that he had not charged Gardner with being a part of the “poli tics” in the bank matter, and al so charged that the Shelby Daily Star (in which the paid advertisement was published) re fused to print his paid statement as “news.” Basil Whitener stayed clear of the fracasing, but his suppor ters here, were chortling with Continued On Page Eight Little Theatre Elects Cansler Luther Cansler was elected president of the Kings Mountain Little Theatre at the regular meeting of the organization recently. Other officers are Doug W. Swink vice-president, Tommy Owens, business manager, Mrs. Ed Tutor, secretary, and Bob Ba ker, Hilliard Black, Ben Goforth, Jr., and Bruce Thorburn, mtem bers of the board of directors. Mrs. Ed Dill, retiring president, will serve a sex-officio member of the board. Mr. Cansler has been a mem ber of the Little Theatre group for five years and has been in charge of sound effects for a number of Little Theatre pro ductions including “Sword of Gideon,” outdoor drama present ed for the past four seasons by the group, and “Utter Relaxa tion, award winning play of the Little Theatre. Mr. Cansler is employed in the offices of Neisler Mills, is mar ried, a father, and a deacon in First Presbyterian church. Two new mtembers welcomed by the group at Tuesday’s meet ing were Mr. and Mrs. Pat Hef ferman who recently arrived in this country from Dublin, Ire land. TO GIVE RECITAL — Miss Eve lyn Cline, senior at Guilford Col lege, will present a voice recital at the college on Friday evening. She is the daughter of Mrs. Rufus Oates, of Kings Mountain. Evelyn Cline To Give Recital Miss Evelyn Cline, soprano, senior at Guilford college, will be presented in senior recital at 8 p m. Friday in Memorial Hall at the college. She will be assisted by Miss Anne Cox, accompanist, of Grand Rapids, Mich. Miss. Cline has been a soloist with the Guilford college A cap pella choir, traveling throughout the northern and Southern stat es and has also done solo work for many college functions. Her program will include se lections by Gluck, Schubert, Brahms, Rachmanivoff, Hage man and others. Miss Cline, is the daughter of Mrs. Rufus Oates, of 100 East King street. Local Democrats Hold Sessions S. A. Crouse was re elected chairman of the East Kings Mountain Democratic precinct committee in a meeting held Saturday at City Hall. Other committeemen named for the coming year were Mrs. J. E. Lipford, vitje-chairman; J. Ollie Harris, Leonard A. Smith, and John B. Mauney. Chairman Crouse said Wednfes day that no official delegate was named to attend the Cleveland County convention in Shelby, but that several of the committee members expected to attend, in cluding himself. Only a few Democrats gather ed for the Wtest Kings Mountain meeting at Victory Chevrolet Company and no formal actions were taken. Precinct officers are Hugh D. Ormand, chairman, Mrs. J. H. Arthur, vice-chairman, and H. B. Jackson., Mrs. J. N. Gamble and Martin Harmon. Reports wfere not available from Grover, where J. B. Ellis, is chairman, nor Bethware, where Wayne L. Ware, Jr., is chairman. The county convention will be held Saturday afternoon at 2 o’clock at the courthouse. C. C. Horn, Shelby attorney, is coun ty chairman, Mrs. J. E. Lipford, of Kings Mountain, is vice-chair man, and David Royster, of Shel by, is secretary-treasurer. MOOSE MEETING Members of Kings Mountain Moose Lodge 1748 will hold their regular meeting Thurs day night at . 8:15 at the Moos^ Lodge, Bessemer City road, according to an announ cement by Curtis Gaffney, sec retary. lire Damages Dan's Furniture; Loss Estimated At Over S5.0C0 Fire resulted in damages of $5, i 000 to $6,000 early Tuesday aft- > ernoon to Dan's Furniture House and the George W. Allen residen. ce the furniture concern occupi es. The fire broke out when a floor furnace fire ignited a nearby ta pestry - covered sofa. Dan Huffstetler, owner of the furniture firm, said all the rooms In the residence in which his store is located were damaged and that nine sofas were iburned or water . damaged. Four he re ported “completely ruined.” In addition, he said his stock of lamps and tables were “cleaned out” by the fire. The loss to the furniture inven. tory was estimated by Mr. Huff stetler at $2,000 to $3,000. It was covered by insurance. The residence was also covered by insurance against fire, 'Hie Arthur Hay Agency reported. An adjustor indicated Wednesday damage to the building would run $2,300 to $3,000. Mr. Huffstetler said the firm would be closed for a few days for clean-up and building repair but added he hoped to be oper again by May 17,. Board In Split On Employee Vacation Policy City employees qualified for vacations will receive no extra pay for declining them, iby virtue of a board of commissioner split decision at the May meeting. The hoard voted 3-2 against es tablishing a vacation policy which provided extra pay to those who declined their vaca tions. Commissioner T. J. Ellison had offered the pay-in-lieu-of vacation motion and Sam Collins had seconded, but the other com missioners, J. H. Patterson, W. G. Grantham and Paul Ledford, vo ted “nay.” Mayor Glee A. Bridges ruled that earned vacations must ibe taken, with no exceptions in the pay provisions. City employ ees get two weeks annual paid vacation time after a year’s em ployment. The board also awarded con tract to A. M. Pullen & Company, Charlotte accounting firm, to conduct the city audit for 1955 56. The same firm conducted the 1954-55 audit. The Pullen firm had offered to make the audit at the rate of $5 per hour, plus out of-pocket expenses for travel and food. Mayor Bridges had told the board the Pullen Company had assured him it could make at once an interim audit of the tax office and recorder’s court books. The commissioners also author, ized advertisement for bids for curb-and-gutter and sidewalk installations for North Piedmont avenue, from Linwood Road to Stowe’s Store, per plans prepared by W. K. Dickson, Charlotte en gineer, The bids are to be receiv ed until 2 p. m. June 7. Action on the bids is scheduled for the regular June meeting that even ing. Cost of the N. Piedmont pro ject is to be borne by the State State Highway department, on reimbursement arrangement,. In other decisions, the board: 1) Took no action on a request by J. E. Mauney for relief from a paving assessment. Mr. Mauney had complained to the Mayor that the paving was originally scheduled as a WPA project, which would have been free to property owners. 2) Authorized the mayor to oil the city’s unpaved streets as a dust preventive “when needed.” The action provided only one oil ing during the current summer. 3) Approved a peition for the paving of Juniper street, from Mountain to King, when and if funds are available. 4) Approved an appropriation of $35, if it proves a legal expen se, for operation of the auto safety-check lane. The committee in charge had asked $140. 5) Authorized depositing of certain natural gas department monies in the city’s two building & loan associations, with the a mounts to be determined by the city’s gas engineer. City Clerk Gene Mitcham indicated about $70,000 would be available for deposit as not immediately need ed funds. 6) Voted a “start-over arrange, ment" with B. T. Wright, Sr., in Continued on Page Eight North Piedmont Plans Received Specifications for improve ments to North Piedmont avenue —to include installation of side walk, curb-and-guttering, grad ing and widening of hard-surfac ing—were received at City Hall Wednesday from W. K. Dickson, of Charlotte, the city’s consult ing engineer. Concurrently, advertisements inviting bids arte being publish ed. Under terms of the advertis ment, bidders have until 2 p- m. June 7 to post their bids, each of which must be accompanied by five percfent bond in cash or cashier’s check. The city reserves the right to reject any or all bids. The improvements will be made from Linwood Road to Stowe street, with sidewalk on both sides of the street. While the city is receiving the bids and awarding contracts, the cost of the improvements actua lly will be paid by the State Highway & Public Works com mission as improvements to a state highway (No. 216). The city will be reimbursed for its expenditures. Mayor Glee A. Bridges also reported receipt of plans for in stallation of a main power line from Duke Power sub-station on N. Gaston street to the Consoli dated Textiles community. The city has agreed to provide power service <fc the residences in this community. The main line will follow Railroad avtenue to Phe nix street and Church street, ac cording to the specifications re ceived from R. H. Boullghny & Company, Charlotte electrical en giners. Citizens Invited To Inspect Hospital Sunday Afternoon CO-VALEDICTORIANS — Sara Mae Hamrick, left, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ben Hamrick, and Nancy Bell, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Horace Bell, share honors as co-valedictorians of the Bethware high school graduating class. Principal John Rudisill said the students made identical averages. Commencement exercises at Bethware will be held May 20-22. Registration Books To Close Saturday RE-ELECTER — W. D. (Red) Morrison was re-elected last Fri day night to serve as commander of Otis D. Green Post 155. Amer ican Legion, for a second year. Legion Re-elects W. D. Morrison Otis D. Green Post 155, the A merican Legion, re-elected W. D. (Red) Morrison as commander and named other officers at the post’s regular meeting Friday night. Other officers to Ibe installed June 1st include John H. Lewis, first vice-commander who suc ceeds W. G. Smith; F. R. M«Cur dy, second vice - commander, re elected; Millard Prince, adjutant, who succeeds C. T. Carpenter, Jr.; James Bennett, re-elected finan ce officer; Hubert Aderholdt, his torian, who succeeds Eugene Giibson; Dean Payne, sergeant at-arms who succeeds Floyd Do ver; and James Alexander, as sociate sergeant-at-arms who succeeds I. C. Davis. Elected to the executive com mittee were C. T. Carpenter, Jr., Sam Collins, Clyde Sanders, Wray Cline, and Gene Giibson who suc ceed Bruce McDaniel, Nelson Ledbetter, Huibert Aderholdt, James Alexander, and John Lew. is. Membership in the post was reported at 285 by the member ship committee. Forty members attended. Bus Line Fates Will Increase Interstate bus fares will ad-; vance ten percent next week on all but minimum (25-cent) far es, it was announced Wednesday by Mrs. Edith Carrigan, manager of Kings Mountain Bus Terminal. The rate increases will toe ef fective May 15. Rates for interstate trips will advance six percent on May 25, Mrs. Carrigan added. Registration Required To Vote In May Primary Is your name on the registra tion books? If not, Saturday will be your last day to get it there prior to the Democratic primary on May 26. Registration books have been open for the past two weeks, but registration activity has been neglible. Mrs. Nell Cranford, East King Mountain registrar, reported Wednesday that 20 persons re gistered at her City Hall post last Saturday. Fifteen of these were new registrations, while five were transfers from other parts of the city. Mrs. Cranford said this made a total of 40 re gistrations in the two weeks the books have been open. Mrs. J. H. Arthur, West Kings Mountain registrar, reported that 30 persons registered in her pre cinct of the city. She reported that six were transfers and 24 were new registrations. This gave the Western area of the city a total of 38 registrations for the two-week period. Mrs, Arthur’s books are open at Victory Chev rolet Company. Mrs. J. B. Ellis, wife of Gro ver registrar J. B. Ellis, report ed that registration there was very light, but added that not many persons need to register, since Grover has very few new residents since the last registra tion. Mrs. Ellis also reported that Grover’s voting place will be Continued on Page EigJit New Addition Now In Use; Open House Set The, county hospital board of trustees, and Kings Mountain Hospital staff will be hosts Sun day at open house to show citi zens of the county the recently completed addition to Kings Mountain Hospital. Citizens arte invited to visit the hospital from 2 to 5 o’clock Sun day afternoon for a guided tour of the plant, which now has a rated capacity of 50 beds, slight ly more than twice the capacity of the 24-bed hospital which open ed here in 1951. After the plant tour, guests will be served refreshments at the nurse’s home, which is ad jacent to the main plant. The county board of commis sioners has been invitted to f»t- j tend the open house, along with j members of the medical staff. We extend a cordial invita ion'to all citizens of the Kings fountain area and Cleveland bounty to visit the hospital Sun lay afternoon to inspect the ma or addition, which has just been :ompleted and put into service,” 3rady Howard, hospital business nanagfer, said. The open house coincides with he end of American Hospital veek, an annual observance, and he open house follows by one lay the birthday anniversary of Florence Nightingale, famed nurse, considered the "mother of hospitals.” The new addition represents an outlay of $230,000, a joint county-state-federal project. The entrance lobby is housed in the new addition. A new park ing area has been constructed nff Edgemont Drive to provide more parking accommodations. ARP Carol Choir Fo Give Program The Carol choir of Boyce Me morial ARP church will present a musical program Sunday eve ning at 7:30 p. m. under the di rection of Mrs. Kenneth McGill, assisted by Mrs. Ben Goforth, and accompanied by Peggy Joyce Reynolds. The program will consist of special selections from the Psalms. Members of the choir are Nor ma Farr, Frances Owens, Jane Hambright, Dianne Flowers, Kenny Steffy, Betty Ann Styers, Frances Styers, Danny Whita <er, Wendell Phifer, and Lynn Uoforth. New members of the -hoir are, Neil McCarter, Rita Phifer, Lynn Cheshire, Buzzy Shuford, Becky Burton, and Glo ria Hull. Choir mothers are Mrs. Claude Hambright and Mrs. Lawrence Flowers. MOTHER'S PAY SERVICE Central Methodist Church will conclude its observance of Na tional Family week with a spe cial Mother’s Day service at the 11 o’clock worship hour Sunday morning, it was an nounced by the pastor, Rev. James B. McLarty. Smith, Crackerjacks Here Friday; Ten Acts To Vie For Talent Honors Ten Kings Mountain amateur groups and individuals will com pete Friday night for a chance at television (entertainment, as Arthur Smith brings his Crack erjacks here for a show and ta lent hunt. The program will get under way at 8 o’clock at City Stadium, and is under sponsorship of the Kings Mountain Lions club. The ten local acts, which won at auditions held Monday night at Radio Station WKMT under jiriection of Jonas Bridges, Lions :lub entry chairman, are: The Carolina Quartet, Spark ling Starts (a vocal trio of Kings Mountain high school girls), the Smith Twins, Skyland Playboys, Harmony Ranch Boys, King’s Quartet of First Baptist church, the Gregg Quartet, Dick Goins, and Roger Ross. Two winners will be chosen Friday night, one,a “popularity” winner., who will be chosen from the reading of an audience ap plause meter. The other winner will be chosen for talent by an experienced juddge of television talent. He will select the contes tant, or act, which, in his esti mation, has best immediate pros pects for a career in television entertainment. This winner will be invited to appear with the Arthur Smith show on a future program via WBTV. It is possi ble for one entrant or act to win both the popularity and talent honors. Admission will be $1 for adults 50 cents for children. Chief of Police Hugh Logan is chairman of the. committee on arrangements and Ed Tutor is publicity chairman. C. D. Ware was in charge of advance ticket sales, In event of rain, the shosv will be held at Central school audi torium. It has been 16 years since Ar thur Smith, a Kershaw, S. C., boy got together with brothers Ralph and Sonny to play their first folk music date. In those 16 years the fame of the Arthur Smith Crackerjacks has spread from coast-to-coast and they’re nearly as well known Continued On Page Eight IN RECITAL — Miss Non Jean Gantt read “Romeo and Juliet" In graduating recital at Plonk School of Creative Arts Tuesday evening. She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. W. M. Gantt. Nan Jean Gantt Gives Recital Miss Nan Jean Gantt, daugh ter of Mr. and Mrs. W- M. Gantt, was presented in graduating re cital by the Plonk School of Creative Arts at Asheville Tues day night Miss Gantt presented the ori ginal arrangement and drama tic interpretation of "The Tra gedy of Romeo and Juliet” from the Platform Reading Classes under the direction of Miss Laura Plonk and Miss Lillian Plonk She was assisted by Miss Pat ricia James, pianist. Persons represented in the tragedy were Sampson, Gregor;' Abraham, Balthasar, Benvolio, Tybalt, Capulet, Lady Capulet, Montague, Lady Montague, Prince Escalus, Romeo, Paris, Servant, Nurse, Juliet, Friar Laurence, Mercutio, An Apothe cary, Friar John, Page, First Watch, Second Watch and Third Watch. Hostesses for the recital were Miss Laura Plonkt Mrs. W. M, Gantt, Miss Lillian Plonk, Mrs, Charles Hart, and Mrs. John Neamond, Ushers were Charles Hart, Car ol Holt, Kenneth Brown, Jennie Lou Pangle, Susie Williams, and Rosemary Clark. Gaither Propst Not Guilty Gaither Propst, of Kings Moun tain, was found not guilty of either breaking and entering or larceny in Cleveland County Superior Court last week. The Herald inadvertently re ported Propst as having been found guilty on these charges. The error was typographical— the original copy showing that the news account read “not guil ty.” The Herald sincerely regrets this error Chilly May? Area Froze 60 Years Ago May 10, 1896, 60 years ago Thursday, is a day that Horace A. Harris of Kings Mountain says he will never forget. Mr. Harris said Wednesday that on the morning of May 10, 1896, residents through North and South Carolina awakened to find ice in their water buck ets and watering troughs. He recalled that the previous day, May 9, the temperatures had hovered around the 95 mark, (but that when the sun set, the cool air began to rush into the area. Mr. Harris, who will be 75 next month, also remembered that the corn, which was about knee-high at that time, was frozen solid, as was cotton and other crops. He added that the leaves on the trees were killed by the freeze. Mr. Harris also recalled that the cold spell lasted two days, and that on the morning of the second day, the streams were frozen along the edges. The next day, however, the temperatures again soared iback into the 90’s, he repeated. People who think May days are chilly now, should have been around that May morning 60 years ago, he remarked.