►
Population
Greater Kings Mountain 10.320
City Limits 7,206
n. flgiue for Greater Tings Mountain Is derived irom
the 1965 Kings Mountain city directory census. The City
Units figure Is from the United States census of 1850.
Pages
Today
VOL 68 NO. 2
Established 1889
Kings Mountain, N. C., Thursday, January 10, 1957
Sixty-Eighth Year
PRICE FIVE CENTS
local News
Bulletins
ONE PERMIT
Building Inspector J. W.
Webster issued a permit Tues
day to B. T. Whetstine to erect
a one story office building on
W. King street, at an estimat
ed cost of $200.
MOOSE MEETING
Members of Kings Mountain
Moose Lodge 1748 will hold
their regular weekly meeting
Thursday night at 8:15 at the
lodge on Bessemer City road,
according to an announcement.
241 TAGS SOLD
Kings Mountain auto owners
have purchased 241 city auto
license tags for 1957, Assistant
Clerk Joe McDaniel reported
Wednesday. Law requires that
the tags be .displayed on autos
not later than February 15.
METER RECEIPTS
Parking meter receipts for
the week ending Wednesday at
noon totaled $185.92, including
$161.17 from on-street meters
and $24.75 from Cherokee street
parking lot meters.
TAX USTING
Annual tax listing continues
Mondays through Fridays at
City Hall. City and county tax
listing officials reported Wed
nesday that listing is brisk,
tout added the rate of listing is
not brisk enough to avoid a
last minute jam-up.
WEST PT-A
West School Parent-Teacher
association will hold its regu
lar meetinf Wednesday, Jan
uary 16, at 3 o’clock at the
school auditorium.
AT CENTRAL SHOP
Alfred Crawford, master toar
toer, has joined the staff of Cen
tral Barber Shop here, it was
announced this week toy the
owners, J. Pat Tignor and C. A.
Goforth, Sr.
NORTH SCHOOL
Mrs. James Logan will show
the filmstrip, ‘United Forces
for Education” at the regular
meeting Tuesday night at 7.30
ip. m. of North School Parent -
Teacher association.
ELECTED
R. D. tttamtoright was elected
an elder toy Dixon Presbyterian
church at a congregational
meeting Sunday afternoon.
Other elders include Dan
Wells, J. V. Stewart, and Gor
don Hughes.
FAIR VIEW LODGE
Regular communication of
Fairview Lodge 339 AF & AM
will toe held at the lodge Mon
day night at 7 ip. m. according
to announcement toy T. D. Tin
dall, worshipful master, and
Denver O. King, secretary.
KIWANIS MEETING
Kings Mountain Kiwanis
cluto will devote its Thursday
night meeting to the March of
Dimes campaign. A speaker
irom the Cleveland County
i cahpter will address the club,
which convense at the Wom
an’s Club at 6:45.
CH'JKCHWOMEN
Kings Mountain churchwom
en will hold a business meet
ing at (First Presbyterian
church next Thursday, January
17th, at 8 o’clock, it has been
announced toy Mrs. Paul Mau
ney, (president of the Kings
Mountain Council of Church
women.
HONOR SOCIETY
Kings Mountain high school
chapter of the National Honor
Society wilt induct new mem
bers at the regular assembly
period Friday.. iRev. Douglas
Fitz, pastor of Resurrection
Lutheran church, will be the
speaker.
SCOUT MEETING
Regular January meeting of
the Kings Mountain Boy Scout
Court of Honor will convene at
7:45 Thursday night at City
Hall. A cub leader’s training
course will be held at the same
hour at Central Methodist
church.
COURT OF HONOR
Kings Mountain District Boy
Scout Court of Honor will be
I held at City Hall Thursday
night at 7:45 p. m. Reorganiza
tion of the district and plan
ning of future development
will feature a meeting to be
held by scouting officials fol
lowing the court or honor. B.
W. Gillespie, scout chairman,
noted that •"all friends of scout
ing In this area are invited."
• •
MAYOR PROCLAIMS JAYCEE WEEK — Mayor Glee A. Bridges,
right, is pictured with Jaycee President J. T. McGinnis., left, and
Vive-President Delbert Dixon, center as he proclaimed January 13-19
to be Kings Mountain Jaycee Week. Highlight of the observance here
will be the organization's third annual presentation of the Distin
guished Service award to Kings Mountain's "Young Man of 1956."
Jaycees To Make
DSA Presentation
Tuesday Banquet
To Be Highlight
Of laycee Week
Kings Mountain Junior Cham
ber of Commerce will celebrate
National Jaycee Week the week
of January 13-19.
Highlight of the observance
will be the Kings Mountain or
ganization’s third annua! pres
entation of a Distinguished Ser
vice award to Kings Mountain’s
“Young Man of 1957.”
The banquet will also be a
Bosses’ Night event, with employ
ers of Jaycees being special
guests. Other special guests will
include members of the city
board of commissioners, the ma
yor, members of the coaching
staff of the conference - cham
pionship high school football
team, and past presidents of the
organization, which was char
tered in 1946.
Principal address will be given
by C. E. Bell, of the North Caro
lina Department of Conservation
and Development.
Ed H. Smith is chairman of the
DSA award project.
Mayor Glee A. Bridges has pro
claimed next week “Kings Moun
tain Jaycee Week.”
The Jaycees will launch Jay
cee week with a work project,
conducting a paper pick-up on
Sunday.
Past winners of the Jaycee
Young Man of the Year award
are B. S. Peeler, Jr., 1954, and
Grady Howard, 1955.
Supreme Court
To Hear Plea
George Cecil Cooke, former
Kings Mountain citizen who fac
es execution for ihe murder of a
Cleveland County citizen, got a
stay of judgment Tuesday when
the North Carolina Supreme
Court agreed to review the case
on February 27.
Cooke had been sentenced to
die in the state gas chamber on
Friday.
Cooke’s state - appointed at
(Continued On Page Eight)
Jaycees To Collect
Paper On Sunday
Kings Mountain J u n i or
Chamber of Commerce will
conduct a waste paper collec
tion Sunday afternoon, begin
ning at 2 o’clock.
J. T. McGinnis, ^president
said members will meet at
Bridges Airport shortly before
2 o’clock to organize the pick
up.
He asked that citizens place
their waste paper on curbings
in front of their homes. Persons
desiring advance collection
should call Mr. McGinnis at
138.
Postal Receipts
Down In 1956
'Receipts at Kings Mountain
post office during calendar 1956
dropped considerably, according
to report by Charles L. Alexan
der, post master.
Receipts during calendar 1956
totaled $54,495.19, compared to
$59,133.69 during calendar 1955.
The decline was $4,638.50.
It was the second consecutive
year postal receipts had dropped
here.
Mr. Alexander noted that the
post office department now has a
new calendar and that the postal
“year" doesn't actually end until
January 11. However, he compil
ed the calendar total to provide
comparisons to former figures.
Receipts- include all postage
sales in all classes of mail and
money order fees.
In spite of the decline in re
ceipts, Mr. Alexander reported
record cancellations during the
Christmas rush season — the per
iod December 10 through 25 — at
156,633 compared to 136,160 dur
ing the .same period of 1955.
Mr. Alexander attributed the
receipts decline to two factors: 1)
the February -September textile
recession and 2) a bad calendar
break from purchases by users of
postage meters. Several meter
users bought postage for their
machine subject to December 31,
he said.
Mr. Alexander expressed ap
Continued On Page Eight
Police Arrest 13-Year-Old Youth
For Anon Alter Dixie-Home Fire
A 13-year-old Kings Mountain
boy was arrested last Thursday
night on a charge of arson, after
he admitted setting fire to a
trash bin behind the Dixie-Home
Store.
The boy was apprehended at
the scene of the fire by City Of
ficer William Jtoper, who said he
saw the iboy start the blaze.
When questioned at City Hall,
the youth admitted the crime
and said, "I just wanted to see
something burn.”
The boy, a native of Tennessee,
resides with an aunt in Kings
Mountain.
Fire Chief Pat Tignor reported
that slight damage resulted from
the fire, but added that the blaze
was in a very dangerous place
and could have resulted in a
major business district loss.
Wooden crates and cardboard
boxes in the trash bin .'blazed to
the roof and burned a door and
window frame before local fire
men could bring the fire under
control.
The youth was turned over to
county welfare department work
ers Friday morning and was
scheduled to be given a hearing
before Cleveland County Juvenile
Judge Bill Osborne.
Three other alarms were an
swered by the Fire Department
this week. Friday, a fire was ex
tinguished at Kings Mountain
Texaco Station which was caus
ed when a container filled with
gas exploded. An oil cooking
stove fire was extinguished Sat
urday at a residence on Gaston
street. Monday, a grass fire was
extinguished on McGinnis .street.
Ledford Motion
To Up Filing
Fees Unseconded
For a few moments Thursday
night, it looked as though it
would cost more to run for a city
office in the City of Kings Moun
tain.
Commissioner Paul Lelford
made a motion to raise city elec
tion filing fees for commissioner
from $5 to $25 and for a mayor
from $5 to $50.
' Some discussion followed, but
no second was received to Led
ford’s motion.
The Commissioner then made
a motion covering just the raise
in the filing fee for the mayor’s
post, but once again no second
was heard.
So, filing fees for city govern
ment candidates will remain the
same at $5 for each office.
The commissioners did pass a
resolution to ask the state legis
lature for legislation to advance
the filing date deadline to 15
days before an election. The fil
ing deadline for candidates is
now five days prior to the elec
tion. School board officals will be
asked to concur with this resolu
tion as respects school trustee
candidates.
In another election matter, the
board took action on the matter
of people withdrawing from an
election and getting their filing
fee refunded. On motion of Com
missioner Sam Collins and W. G.
•Grantham the board voted to dis
continue the refunding of filing
fees.
After hearing a report from
Mayor Glee A. Bridges that some
$723 in unpaid fines and court
costs had .piled up in the past
six months, the board voted to
adopt a resolution that City Re
corder’s Court be operated on a
cash basis.
The board can not order Judge
Jack White to put the court on a
cash basis, but is requesting that
he do so to save bookkeeping
time and expense.
In other actions, the board:
1) passed a resolution allowing
city police officers to .vote on
whether they want to be covered
by Social Security benefits. The
officers now participate in a
state retirement plan for police
officers.
2) ordered that a hole on the
east side of South Piedmont ave
nue be filled on request of Com
missioner Sam Collins.
3) voted to cancel city taxes
owed by Sam Ballard, deceased;
James A. Camp, whose tax of
$17.47 has been paid by Burling
ton Mills; and Billie Eugene
Amos, a serviceman who has not
resided in Kings Mountain for
the past three or four years.
4) tabled for future action set
tlement of a violation of the city
building code against Lander
Short. Mr. Short has started con
struction of a garage on Alexan
der street without securing a
building permit, and the build
ing is said to be closer to the
sidewalk than is allowed under
city building ordinances.
"Blue Cratch"
Sale Saturday
Otis D. Green Post 155, Ameri
can Legion, will conduct the an
nual “Blue Crutch” sale in the
city Saturday, according to an
announcement by W. D. Morri
son, commander.
Proceeds from this sale go to
the 1957 March of Dimes fund
drive.
The city’s Cub and Brownie
Scouts will assist the Legion in
the sale of Blue Crutch lapel
pins. These will be sold from 8
a. m. until 7 p. m. Saturday.
Last year, this sale raised $498
for the March of Dimes cam
paign. Ross Alexander, chairman
of the sale, says he hopes the
amount raised will be greatly in
creased this year.
Legion Post 155 will play host
to the Scouts aiding in this drive
at a dinner at the Legion hall fol
lowing th sale.
Kings Mountain’s quota in this
year’s march against polio is $3,
535. Jonas Bridges and J. Ollie
Harris are co-chairmen of the lo
cal drive.
Mr. Bridges has announced
'that various civic and other or
ganizations in the city have plans
for fund - raising projects for
the projects for the benefit of the
March of Dimes. These projects
have been scheduled to stretch
over the entire period of the
drive, which ends the last of Jan
uary.
EAST SCHOOL
Mrs. R. R. Lackey, president
of the Shelby PT- A council, and |
Mrs. J. H. Patterson, president
of Central school PT-A here,
will present the program at the
regular meeting Tuesday aft
ernoon at 3:30 p. m. of East
school Parent-Teacher associa
tion. The meeting will/be held j
In East school auditorium.
Neisler Confirms New Plant
Will Be Launched At Shelby
WHITENESS WITH SPEAKER — Shown with
Speaker of the House Sans Rayburn are Congress
man Basil L. Whitener and his family. The pic
ture' was taken immediately after a private cere
mony in which Speaker Rayburn administered the
oath of office to the new Congressman for the
benefit of more than 125 visitors from the 11th
North Carolina district. In the picture are Speak
er Rayburn, seated, and reading Irom Ieft-to-right,
Laura Lee, Morgan, Mrs. Whitener, holding the
youngest oi the Whitener children, "Boo". Con
gressman Whitener and his mother, Mrs. L. L.
Whitener. Among the Whitener friends attending
the ceremony were Hal Ward and Jack White, of
Kings Mountain. (Photo by Seth Muse, Washing
ton. D. C.)
Moose Lodge
To Entertain
Wenoca Legion
Wenoca Legion 78, Order of the
Moose cf Western North Caroli
na, will meet for winter ceremo
nials at Kings Mountain Moose
Lodge in a two-day session Sat
urday and Sunday, it was an
nounced by Horace Brown, gov
ernor of the host lodge.
Representatives from 18 or
more lodges in Western North
Carolina are expected to be pres
ent for the two-day gathering.
William Seitz, of Lenoir, gover
nor of the district, will preside
over the business sessions.
Members of Kings Mountain
chapter Women of the Moose will
serve as hostesses.
The program of events calls
for a dinner and business meet-t
ing to begin at 7 o’clock Satur
day evening. On Sunday morn
ing, at 10 o’clock, initiation cere
monies in the second degree will
be conducted, to be followed by a
banquet for Legionnaires and
their wives at 1 P- m.
Board To Ask
Hospital Law
The Cleveland County board of
commissioners voted unanimous
ly Monday to seek permissive
legislation by the North Caroli
na General Assembly permitting
leasing of the two county hospi
tals to non-profit corporations.
The action, following several
months’ discussion of the propo
sal, likely means that the legis
lation wiill be forthcoming.
Under the proposal, originally
advan"“'' by George W. Laycock,
county hospitals administrator,
the Shelby unii. would be leased
to one corporation and the Kings
Mountain hospital would be leas
ed to another.
Mr. Laycock contends that non
profit corporate operation would
make the hospitals eligible for
grants from some additional
charitable foundations, that the
new-type operation would help in
collection of accounts, and that
the proposed operation would
save tax money.
Hazel B. Bumgardner, District
2 county commissioner from
Kings Mountain, noted that the
legislation sought is “permissive"
rather than mandatory. Terms
of the lease would be at the dis
cretion of the commissioners.
Under the proposal, the com
missioners would retain their ob
ligation to discount bonds owed
on the two plants, would provide
aid to charity patients through
the county welfare set-up, but
would levy no hospital operations
tax.
ELECTED—Miss Nan Jean Gantt,
daughter ol Mr. and Mrs. W. M,
Gantt a student at Staley College
of the Spoken Word, Brookline,
Mass., has been chosen to mem
bership in Who's Who In Ameri
can Colleges and Universities.
Miss Gantt is studying for a mas
ter's degree in speech therapy.
She is a graduate of the Plonk
School of Creative Arts.
Bank Officials
Are Re-Elected
Officers and directors of First
National Sank Tuesday were re
elected for the coming year,.
Stockholders re-elected all di
rectors and the officers were re
named by the directors at a short
session following the annual
meeting.
Officers are F. JR. Summers,
president; B. S. Neill, executive
vice-president; ,R. L. Mauney,
Vice-president; R. S. Lennon,
vice-president and cashier; J. C.
McKinney, assistant cashier;
Mrs. Helen R. Blanton, assistant
cashier; and William G. Jonas,
(Continued On Page Eight)
Steelworkers,
Lithium Argues
Eligibles List
i
Management o 1 Lithium Cor
poration of America’s Bessemer
City plant and the CIO Steel
workers disagreed, as expected,
Wednesday morning at the Na
tional Labor Relations board
hearing in Charlotte on a peti
tion by the Steelworks for a union
representation election.
Principal area of disagreement
was on categories of employees
eligible to participate in the rep
resentation election, if and when
ordered.
Bruce Thorburn, company per
sonnel manager, said the compa
ny argued for the inclusion a
mong the election praticipates of
stockroom employees, the chief
boiler operator, payroll clerks,
shipping and receiving personnel,
and maintenance record clerks.
The company contended that all
are hourly rated employees, are
non - supervisory and non - pro
fessional, and therefore should be
eligible to help determine wheth
er the Steelworkers should rep
resent plant employees.
The union representative said
these employees should not be al
lowed to participate.
The hearing was conducted at
the postoffice building in Char
lotte by Martin Ball, of the Win
ston - Salem NLRB office.
The company was represented
by Granger Pierce, Charlotte
lawyer, and Dick Neilson, plant
manager, testified in behalf of
the company. Representing the
Steelworkers was Joe Kirk, o'
Badin.
It is expected that the NLRB
will consider the testimony, rule
on the disagreement as to eligi
bles, and set a date for an elec
tion.
On November 18, 1955, Lithium
Continued On Pane Eight
Montonia Club Stockholders Argue
Dues Schedule, Re-elect Officers
Some 35 stockholders attended
the annual meeting of Lake Mon
tonia Club, Inc., Tuesday night,
argued heatedly over an increase
in dues schedule (approved), then
re-elected officers and two new
directors.
By a vote of 16-11, the stock
holders voted to increase annual
dues to $24 for regular and child
members and to $48 for associate
members, it being also re-stipu
lated that associates who do not
pay their dues by April 1 be drop
ped from membership.
The group re-elected R. Lee
Spencer, of Gastonia, president;
Harry E. Page of Kings Moun
tain, vice - president; George H.
Houser, of Kings Mountain, sec
retary - treasurer; and Bob Croc
kett, of Gastonia, assistant sec
retary treasurer.
Elected directors for three-year
terms were J. Pat Tignor, of
Kings Mountain, who succeeds
L. Arnold Kiser; and Walter Car
roll, of Gastonia, who succeeds
B. S. Neill, Jr. Directors with un
expired terms are Mart Reid,
Gastonia, and George W. Maun
ey, Kings Mountain, with terms
expiring in 1958, and W. D. Todd,
Gastonia, and Carl F. Mauney,
Kings Mountain, with terms ex
piring in 1959.
There was no contest for club
offices, with the exception of sec
retary - treasurer. Mr. Houser
nominated Charles Blanton, but
was returned to office in spite of
his effort.
President Spencer said the
Continued on Pape Eight
Fabrics Mill
To Be Built;
Size Not Set
Paul M. Neisler, Sr., has con
firmed rumors that he and his
family will launch a new textile
enterprise in Shelby.
In a statement to the Herald,
Mr. Neisler announced conclusion
of “an agreement with Shelby In
d u s t r i e s Development, Inc.,
Whereby he is to exchange a tract
of land presently owned hy him
in York County, South Carolina,
for a twenty-three acre tract of
land near Shelby WOHS Radio
Station; the exchange is condi
tioned upon the construction by
Shelby Industries Development,
Inc., of a plant for the manufac
ture of fabrics; it is expected that
the transaction will be concluded
in approximately six months.’’
Shelby Industries Development,
Inc., is a corporation formed hy
Shelby businessmen three years
ago to encourage the location of
industries in Shelby.
Mr. Neisler described press re
ports that a building of 44,000
square feet would be erected as
"exaggerated”. He added that
three preliminary drafts for a
building — to provide proper ac
comodation for the machinery to
be installed — have been con
sidered, tout that none of the
drafts have yet been approved.
He declined to estimate the po
tential employment of the new
firm.
The transfer of property in
volves the 1,100 acre plantation
of Mr. Neisler known as Cedar
Hill.
The Shelby Daily Star said that
this farm is toeing purchased by
Edwin, Miles and Dennis and
William Crowder, who would
operate the farm.
Mr. Neisler is former treasurer
of Neisler Mills, Inc., which until
October 1955 owned and operated
seven textile manufacturing
plants in the Piedmont area of
the Carolinas. Neisler Mills was
an integrated operation, produc
ing both yarns and finished no
velty fabrics.
Paul Amos Lanier
Baby Derby Winner
Paul Amos Lanier, born Janu
ary 2, to Mr. and Mrs. Jack La
nier, 310 Parker street, has been
declared winner of the Kings
Mountain Herald’s second annual
baby derby.
The Lanier baby was the first
born in the Kings Mountain area,
and the contest committee had
adjudged him the winner and
therefore eligible to receive a
whole host of prizes being given
by Kings Mountain merchants.
For full details see pages 4
and 5, Section II.
Monkey Gives
Free Show
A frolicsome monkey gave a
large number of Kings Moun
tain citizens a free show Mon
day afternoon, ibut the show
was hard on his owner,.
The monkey escaped his
master, Tom Barnette, and re
treated into a manhole on Bat
tleground avenue. Retrieving
the errant monkey required the
efforts and brainpower of num
erous individuals and resulted
in .some superficial wounds for
Mr. Barnette.
First a wrecker was required
to lift the manhole cover and
Owner Barnette invaded to no
avail. Sheriff Haywood Allen
joined the crowd and it was
suggested he rout the monk
with tear gas, hut the sheriff
declined.
Then it was decided to use
the “floatation” process. A hose
■was brought up and water was
pumped into the manhole.
Meantime, Barnette, standing
in water, was about to freeze in
the icy cold. It. was decided he
should go in head first. He did,
with two worthies holding him
by the legs.
Finally the efforts paid divi
dends. Barnette clutched his
monkey to the accompaniment
of loud squeals and scrateing
claws.
It was a good show. Even Po
lice Chief Hugh A. Logan, Jr.,
passed up the concurrent fire
alarm to investigate the cause
of tne Battleground avenue
gathering.