Population
Greater Kings Mountain 10,320
City Limits 7 206
The figure for Greater Kings Mountain is der»eed from
the 1955 Kings Mountain city directory census. The city
l£arits figure is from the United States census of 1950.
Kings Mountain's Reliable Newspaper
Established 1889
U Pages
Today
PRICE TEN CENTS
'VOL 69 No. 8
Kings Mountain, N. C., Thursday, February 20, 1958
Sixty-Ninth Year
Community Slowly Thawing
Snow, Cold
Local News
Bulletins
KIWANIS CLUB
Three Science students of
Miss Odessa Black will display
exhibits they plan to enter in
The district Science fair at
Queens college March 29th at
the Thursday night meeting of
the Kiwanis club. Kiwanians
will meet at the Woman’s club
at 6:45 p. m.
VFW MEETING
The Veterans of Foreign
Wars will hold their regular
meeting Thursday at City Hall
at 7:30 p. m. Business on hand
will be the selection of a per
manent time and place to meet.
WEST SCHOOL P-TA
West School P-TA’s Found
er's Night program will be held
Wednesday night at 8 o’clock
in the school auditorium. The
P-TA meeting was scheduled
for February 19 but was post
poned because of bad weather.
DIXON SPEAKER
Stewart Bridgman, student
Davidson college and son of
missionaries to China, will
speak at Sunday afternoon ser
vices at 3 o’clock at Dixon Pres
byterian church. Mr. Bridgman
will also speak at Sunday
School assembly and at meet
ings of the fellowship groups
of First Presbyterian church on
Sunday.
SUPPER
Showing of a film on mis
sions will feature the family
night meeting Wednesday at
First Presbyterian church. A
covered dish supper will be
served at 6:30 p. m. The pro
gram will be followed by a
meeting of the Women of the
Church.
IN FLORIDA
Mrs. Aubrey Mauney, presi
dent of North Carolina Fede
ration of Woman’s Clubs, is in
Tampa, Fla., where she is at
tending the meeting of the
Southeastern council, American
Federation of Woman s Clubs.
The meeting concludes on
Thursday.
ON HONOR ROLL
Miss Anita McGinnis, daugh
ter of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mc
Ghitiis, and Miss Donna Chea
tham. daughter of !> and Mrs.
W P Gerberding, have oee-r
listed on the semester honor
roll at Lenoir-Rhyne college,
Hickory.
MUSICAL PROGRAM
Students of East Elementary
school will present a musical
program Tuesday evening a
7*30 p. m. in the school aucli
torium. Mrs. Richard McGin
nis, city schools music instruc
tor, is directing the program.
The public is invited to attend.
SCIENCE PROGRAM
Members of the Kings Moun
tain Lions club will sec a de
monstration of science work in
Kings Mountain h.!gb school at
their Tuesday night meeting.
Steve Powell, Mac Lennon and
Paul Hendricks will discuss re
cently completed projects and
projects of other students, in
science, biology and chemistr>
will be displayed. The club
meets at 7 o’clock at the \\ o
man’s Club.
Funeral Is Held
For Mrs. Brooks
Funeral rites for Mrs. Margie
Nichols Brooks, 36, were conduct
ed last Friday at Temple Baptist
church, Celriv^r, S. C.
Mrs Brooks, a former Kings
Mountain citizen, was the wife
of Aaron Brooks, now of Celriver,
and mother of Mrs. Bill Myers,
of Kings Mountain.
Sho died last Thursday morn
ing at 3:15 at York County hos
pital. She had been ill for the
past four months.
She was a native of Clover, S.
C., daughter of Mrs. Charles H.
Nichols and the late Mr. Nichols.
Surviving in addition to her
mother, her husband and her
daughter here, are three c'hll<J™'"’
Brenda Brooks, Max and Billy
Brooks, all of the home. Also sur
viving are three brothers and
four sisters.
Young Mother, 18, Native,
Smothers Babies In Newark
Two Babies
Said Killed
By Phyllis lones
Mrs. Phyllis Byers Jones, 18
year-old Negro mother, allegedly
has admitted to the Tuesday
slaying of her young son and
daughter in Newark. N. J., where
the family moved from here four
months ago.
Kings Mountain relatives wore
notified late Tuesday of the death
of Jeffrey Jones, about 24 months,
and Arlinda Jones, about 12
months.
The young mother is being
held in Newark Parental Home
pending further investigation by
New Jersey authorities. Mrs. Jon
es allegedly signed a confession
stating: "I smothered my two
kids with pillows” after officers
arrived at the house she shares
with her father, Archie Byers,
former Kings Mountain citizen.
Byers’ two other daughters,
Joyce Byers, 11th grade student
at Davidson school, and Miss
Peggy Byers, live here on Parker
street with their grandparents,
Mr. and Mrs. John Hickman. The
father notified his family Tues
night but supplied no details of
the tragedy. Mr. and Mrs. Robert
Byers are also grandparents of
the young mother.
Police, wire services reported. 1
here called by an employee oi
Byers who was alarmed when the 1
young Negress called the Byers
establishment, a variety store in
East Orange, N. J., to report
“something wrong with the kids.” j
The woman employee allegedly j
found the children dead and the
mother “in a trance on the liv
ing room floor.
Investigators first opined the,
tragedy was accidental bur Mrs.1
Jones was alleged to have asked \
for pen and paper to write her
father "to ask forgiveness.”
The woman’s husband, A/3C
Detroit Jones, Kings Mountain na
tive and son of Mrs. Docia Ken
nedy of Ridge street, has been
stationed on Okinawa since Sep
tember.
Relatives here said the 18 year
old mother visited here in De- j
/.-ember and that she had appeared1
“desponden.t and nervous.”
The Kings Mountain sister of f
the young mother -said her father i
was to call late Wednesday to “let j
us know what happened.”
“She must have just gone out
of her mind”, the young sister
exclaimed.
GANTT IMPROVING
W. M. Gantt, Kings Moun
tain grocer is steadily improv
ing at his home from a heart
attack. He is now permitted to
sit up and at last report ex
pects to be out within a week
or two.
MAP HEART FUND WORK — These Kings Mountain citizens gather
ed recently to plan work for the Kings Mountain heart liiL-i w ~rn
paign. Left to right are Mrs. F. A. McDaniel. Jr., Mrs. John Cheshire,
Mrs. J. N. McClure, Mrs. Clyde Bridges, Mrs. Jack White and Rev. S.
T. Cooke. Sunday will be Heart Sunday and will feature residential
solicitation for funds between 1:30 and 3 o’clock, Mrs. White is chair
man of residential district solicitations. Others who will aid in the
solicitation are Ed Smith, Miss Annie Roberts, Mrs. James Simpson.
Miss Pashia Wright, Mrs. Don W. Blanton, Mrs. James Lewis and Mrs.
Paul Mauney. Donations may be made by mail addressed to Mrs.
Hugh Neisler. (Photo by Pennington Studio.)
City Has Few
Paving Petitions
Metermen Couldn't
Get Writer Readings
How much water did you use
during the period January 16
February?
The city, widen sells the
water, doesn’t know either, and
will send out its March 1 bills—
covering the aforementioned
period—by guess.
Mayor Glee A. Bridges said
the meter readers couldn’t re
move the lids off the water
meter housings. Either the lids
were well covered with icy
snow, or, if exposed, were froz
en.
“The gjwsseR. won’t be far
off,” Mayor Bridges comment
ed, “and next month’s read
ings will balance the accounts.
Those who were over-billed will
pay less and those which were
under-billed will pay a little
more. That’s the advantage of
meters. The meters always bal
ance out reading errors.”
EXPECTED HOME
Mrs. Fred Finger is expected
to arrive home Friday after re
cuperating from a recent ope
ration at the home of a cousin,
Julia Hall in Cherryville.
National Guard Sets Open House ,
For Saturday; Recruits Invited
Kings Mountain National
Guardsmen will join with other
Guardsmen throughout the state
Saturday in observing National
Guards Muster Day.
The local unit is holding open
house Sunday afternoon. Citizens
are being invited to visit the head
quarters on Phifer road during
the hours of 1 and 4 p.m.
Plans for a proposed new ar
mory will be available and offi
cials will display the plans in ad
dition to plat plans on hand
showing all the property which
motor shed occupies and the land
recently purchased by the City of
Kings Mountain.
Also on display will be signal
equipment and small arms.
Kings Mountain, home of Head
quarters Company of the Third
Battalion of the '120th Infantry
Regiment, 30th Infantry Division
of the North Carolina National
guard is also headquarters for
the Third Battalion. Units which
are members of the Third Battal
ion are: Co. “I” of Sylva, Co. “K"
of Shelby, Co. “L” of Henderson
ville, and Co. “M” of Spindale.
The battalion officers include
Battalion Comm. Lt. Col. James
M. Davis, Hazelwood, Battalion
Executive Officer Major Banks E.
Bolin, Stanley; Adjutant (SI)
1 Captain Samuel A. Carswell,
Waynesviile; Intelligence Officer
I (S2) Captain Robert H. Win
1 Chester, Waynesviile; Plans and
Training Officer (S3) Major Ray
G. Burrell, Gastonia; Supply Of
ficer 1st Lt. Hubert G. Wilkie,
Forest'City; and Assistant Plans
and Training Officer (S3 Air) 2nd
Lt. Paul B. Barbee, of Ellenboro.
Four of the battalion officers
served with the 30th Division dur
ing World War II. Two other of
ficers served on active duty with
other units during World War II.
Headquarters Company of
Kings Mountain is staffed by
two officers. Captain Samuel II.
Houston, of Kings Mountain,
company commander. Chief War
rant Officer (W-2) Paul M. Mull,
of Shelby, is the administrative
assistant for the entire Third Bat.
talion. Both officers serving with
the 30th Division during World
War n.
'.he Company Headquarters of
Kings Mountain has an authoriz
ed strength of 81 enlisted men.
At the present date, it has a total
of 77 enlisted men. Of the 77 en
(Continued on Page MightJ
Curb-and-Guttei
Installations
May Be Spurred
Anybody want a street paved
during the 12 months beginning
July 1?
This subject got attention at
last week’s city board meeting,!
as Commissioner Ben H. Bridges
noted that there are only two pe
titions for street-paving in the
city’s files. One of these is a hold
over, delayed due to installation
of city utilities.
If no petitions appear, or only
a few, Comm. Bridges opined, the
city should consider in its budget
figuring for the next fiscal year:
1) Re-surfacing of some paved
streets, now pock-marked with
with holes, and 2) Shifting of
emphasis to curb-and-gutter con
struction to the limit of avail
able funds.
Comm. Bridges pointed out that i
now is the time for citizens toj
present their street-paving peti
tions, as budget work will get
underway in March.
Amplyfying, he suggested that;
the city might encourage curb !
and-gutter requests by changing
its policy to pay greater share
of the cost of thesce installations.
Under present city policy the,
city pays half the curb-and-gutter
cost and the property owner pays!
(Continued On Page Eight)
Franklin Dies
In Auto-Train
Wreck Sunday .
Orville Frank Franklin, 48.
year-old Kings Mountain textile
worker, was killed instantly Sun
day at 6 p. m. when he was struck
by southbound Southern Railway
Train No. 88 at the Piedmont
Avenue crossing.
It is the city’s second traffic
fatality in 1958. The first acci
dent, a pedestrian fatality, took
the life of a Kings Mountain in
suranceman on January 13.
Mr. Franklin's wife, his son,
Scotty, .and his mother, Mrs. T. R.
Franklin, had reportedly gotten
out of the car and the driver was
reportedly attempting 1o move
the 1953 Chevrolet from the track
when the train plowed through
the crossing, knocking the man
under the vehicle and heavily
damaging the automobile
investigating officers guessed
Sunday’s snow and ice were ma
jor factors in the fatal train-car
collision which took the life of
the Margrace Mill worker. Frank
lin was a native of Spartanburg
County, S. C. and a son of the
late T. R. Franklin.
E>. T. Cox, of Greenville, S. C.
was engineer and R. L. Miller,
of Charlotte, was the conductor
on the locomotive due here Sun
day at 1:35 p. m.
Other survivors include a son,
Bobby Franklin, of Winter Park,
Fla., and a daughter, Miss Fran
ces Franklin, of the home.
Also surviving are two broth
ers, Wallace Franklin, Cherry
ville, James Franklin, Henderson
ville, and seven sisters, Mrs. Mae
Black and Mrs. Rachel Neal, both
of Cherryville, Mrs. Sara Key,
Spartanburg, S. C., Mrs. Jessie
Davis, Greer, S. C., Mrs. Blanche
Thompson, Mount Holly, Mrs. El
sie Baxter, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.,
and Miss Kittie Franklin, Char
lotte.
Final rites were conducted
Tuesday afternoon at 4 o’clock in
Cherryville’s First Presbyterian
church by Rev. George Riddle,
the pastor. Burial was in Cherry -
ville’s City cemetery.
Rites Conducted
For Mrs. Falls
Funeral rites for Mrs. Ethel
Eunice Falls, 52, wife of Herman
Falls, were held Tuesday at 3:30
p. m. from Central Methodist
church, interment following in
Mountain Rest cemetery.
Mrs. Falls died Monday morn
ing in Kings Mountain hospital
after an illness of five weeks.
She was a daughter of the late
Lince and Annie Huffstetler Pat
terson Falls and a member of
Central Methodist church.
Surviving, in addition to her
husband, are a son, Don Falls,
of Kings Mountain, two daugh
ters, Mrs. Arvey McCall, Kings
Mountain, Mrs. Basil Welchel,
Gaffney, S. C a brother, Boyce
Patterson, Kings Mountain, and
a sister, Mrs. Kelly Dixon, of
Kings Mountain. Three grand
children also survive.
Rev. James B. McLarty, assis
ted by Rev. Floyd Hollar, con
ducted the final rites.
ATTEND MEETING
Mrs. J. N. Gamble and Mrs.
B. W. Gillespie represented the
Kings Mountain Rod Cross
chapter at a joint meeting spon
sored by the Department of
Public Welfare and American
Red Cross in Morganton Thurs
day. Representatives of chap
ters in 20 counties attended.
GIFT TO POLIO FUND — In spite of the fact no fund drive was made
for the March oi Dimes in Cleveland County this year, employees of
Phenix plant of Burlington Mills presented a check to Co-Chairman
Ollie Harris for S155. Mrs. Eula Mae Cobb, of the winding depart
ment. is handing the check to Mr. Karris, as Zeb V. Waters, of the
carding department looks on. (Photo by Pennington Studio)
IT SNOWED — While there is none who would question the fact of
Saturday's heavy snowfall, first heavy one here in several years,
the photographic evidence above provides portraits of how the snow
turned Kings Mountain white. Photo top is the snow-enshrouded
home of Mrs. Fred Finger on S. Battleground. The white-laden land
scape below was snapped from York Road and is a portion of the
Richard Owens farm. (Herald photos by David and Linda Baity)
Day Oi Prayer
Rites Friday
At First Baptist
Kings Mountain citizens will |
join with others throughout the
nation Friday in the observance
of World Day of Prayer.
United Churchwomen of Kings
Mountain, an intenienomination
al organization representing all
churches in the community, is
sponsoring a community • wide
service Friday at 3:30 p. m. at
First Baptist church.
Mrs. William Herndon will;
serve as narrator for the pro- ’
gram, and presidents and repre- j
sentatives of the various church
(Continued, on Page Eight)
Macedonia Sets
Hymn Festival
Macedonia Baptist church is
sponsoring an inter-denomina
tional hymn festival Sunday
afternoon from 2:30 to 3:30 p.
m.
The one-hour service will fea
ture group singing of favorite
hymns and special numbers by
various quartets from the com
munity churches.
Announcement was made by
Dan Huffstetler, Macedonia
choir director, who invited the
community’s church congrega
tions to participate in the pro
gram of singing.
Mayor Has Troubles; Air Rifles
Garbage Pails, Utility Cut-Offs
The Mayor, the city official
charged with responsibility for
operating the city efficiently, has
his problems. Part of them accrue
because some of his stockhold
customers don’t conform to regu
larly prescribed practices.
Thus, Mayor Glee A. Bridges
has addressed a letter to all cit
izens and utility customers in
which he asks for cooperation in
several different phases of city,
operation, among them:
1) The Mayor wants a few cit
izens to cease and desist from the
practice of cutting into meter
boxes after service has been dis
continued for non-payment of
bills. The Mayor says anyone
caught 'breaking this rule will bi
subject to a $25 fine, if convicted
in city court.
2) Some citizens have been cut
ting off water during the cold
weather at the city tap, rather
than at their own. The Mayor
says no citizen has a right to tam
per with the city tap without per
mission and adds that all should
have their own cut-offs on their
own property.
3) Utility accounts are actual
ly due on the first of the month.
The ten-day period following is a
grace period.
4) Some youngsters are using
street light bulbs for air rifle tar
get practice, a fact that has cost
the city 300 bulbs since Christ
mas. Unless the practice ceases,
says Mayor Bridges, some areas
of the city “will be in the dark
for a time.”
5) Some motorists haven’t bou.
ght city auto tags, though the
due date is past. After March 1,
the city will go to work to assure
that every car owner swaps a
dollar for a bright new city tag.
6) The Mayor again urges all
citizens to forswear use of the
old familiar 55-gallon oil drum as
a garbage can. He asks use of a
standard 20-gallon garbage can,
with lid and handles. This will
ease and speed, the task of the
garbage collecting crew and help
the city meet its twice-weekly
collection schedule. Brush, he
adds, shouldn't be put in garbage
cans, but should be piled on the
street. Bruch removal is a spec
ial job, not done along with the
regular garbage pick-ups.
"Your help will make your tax
dollar go further and will get
you better servioe,” Mayor Brid
ges concluded.
Six-Inch Snow,
Sub-Freezing
Temperatures
Are Recorded
The weather, that topic which
can be discussed but not changed
thereby, was the big news in
Kings Mountain this week, as cit
izens variously enjoyed a six-inch
snow, decried the record low cold
temperatures, and laughed or
cried through any number of in
conveniences.
Saturday’s snow started in the
w'ee hours and kept falling for
the better part of the day. It put
the Kings Mountain Merchants
association's Dollar Days promo
tion into virtual deepfreeze sev
eral hours prior to schedule, ex
cept for shoe dealers wIlo had
rubber footwear. By Monday,
these stocks, which had enjoyed
little play for years, were reduced
to odd lots of broken sizes.
Busy men of the season have
been the garage men, service sta
tion operators, fuel dealers, and
plumbers.
Car radiators not only steamed
with the unusual low tempera
tures, but the batteries froze, too.
One service station operator re
ported several cars still on his
list which "hadn’t started in three
days”. Brief stocks of chains got
a quick play, even at $13.25 and
$16.50 prices, up considerably
from the prevailing prices of the
last cold wave several seasons
ago. On Sunday night, there was
a minimum of available anti
freeze.
r uei oeaiers worseo overcame,
as coal and fuel oil S. O. S. calls
were put in.
And the plumbers’ work was
just starting. Pluml>er Ben T. Go.
forth said Tuesday morning he
had TO calls on frozen pipes- fait
the pipes hadn’t yet thawed. Many
homes had been without water
since Monday morning, and oth
ers reported shorter term difficul
ty with frozen water pipes.
City schools operated on regu
lar schedule, though absenteeism
was heavy Monday when only a
bout 55 percent of the city’s school
children answered roll calls. At
tendance improved considerably
Tuesday was up to 85.05 percent
Wednesday. It was noted that the
absences weren’t solely due to
cold weather. Measles, mumps,
and chicken pox are prevalent,
along with the common cold and
influenza.
Utility rrfen said their jobs
hadn't been too difficult South
ern Bell Telephone & Telegraph
Company’s service department
had some toll line breakage, but
regarded it as normal. Hunter
Allen, city electrical superinten
dent, said city power difficulties
were limited to traffic signal
freeze-ups.
How cold was it?
Kings Mountain is without an
official weather observer, and
many amateurs took a crack at
(Continued on Page Eight)
Snow Scenes
BY LINDA BISER
A monstrous snowman guard
ing the comer of Fred Thom -
burg’s home on King St..
A sled run on the number four
fairway of the Country Club golf
course, with Mr. and Mrs. A. F.
Dean, Mr. and Mrs. H. E. Page,
Mr. and Mrs. Will Herndon, Dr.
and Mrs. Bill Ramseur, Miss Le
thia Lankford, and Mr. and Mrs.
James Herndon among the sled
ding participants.
Houses tracked with snow.
Youths with snowballs in hand,
practically frozen feet and fing
ertips.
Dick Hunnicutt on skis.
A nonchalant snowman witfc
legs crossed sitting calmly sur
veying snow-covered W. Gold St.,
from the Robert Rosberg resi
dence.
More sledders at the battle
ground.
Rabbit tracks.
School children complaining of
the resumption of school.
Snow cream-filled people.
Fires warming and drying a«
odd assortment of boots, gloves
and kerchiefs in preparation for
another venture into the cold.
Amateur weather predictors
with superstition-based warnings
of more snow to come.
Inexpert thermometer readers.
People digging for the morn
ing paper.
Chains jingling as cars made
their laborious way along tibe
road.
Upcoming — slush — slush —<
slush — and more slush.