Population
Greater Kings Mountain 10,320
City Limits 7,206
The figure for Greater Kings Mountain is derived from
the 1955 Kings Mountain city directory census. The city
Limits figure is from the United States census of 1950.
If* Pages
fl Today
Sixty-Ninth Year
VOL 69 No. 11
Established 1889
Kings Mountain, N. C., Thursday, March 13, 1958
PRICE TEN CENTS
Florence Bomb Blast Cause
Local Folk To Ponder ’Tf’s”
BY MARTIN HARMON
Every citizen in Kings Mountain
and surrounding area would have
been in serious and near-imme
diate danger Tuesday afternoon
subsequent to 4 o’clock if .
1) The bomb which was acci
dentally released by a plane over
Florence, S. C., had been armed
with an atomic warhead; and
2) If the winds had been com
ing from the southeast.
Harold Hunnicutt, assistant di
rector of civil defense for Kings
Mountain, noted that prevailing
winds here are southeasterly.
Mr. Hunnicutt said a check
shows that Florence is 115 air
miles southeast of Kings Moun
tain — which, had the blast which
injured five persons and damaged
atomic blasts is fast communica
two buildings, been atomic —
would have released radiation
which would have reached K ngs
Mountain in about 90 minutes.
“In other words,” Mr. Hunni
cutt said, “had the blast been a
tomic and the prevailing winds
bringing the radiation fall-out
toward Kings Mountain, this
area would have had about 90
minutes to evacuate the area.
Those who didn’t get out and far
enough away in time would have
faced death.”
Could the evacuation been
brought off in time?
“No,” was Mr. Hunnicutt’s ans
wer.
He guessed that perhaps half of
the citizens would have been evac
uated in time.
About the only defense against;
tions. Mr. Hunnicutt said a warn
ing would have been received
within three to four minutes, with
a report on prevailing winds and
instructions on whether evacuees
should move north, east, or west.
He pointed out that no instru
ments are owned, here or in Cle
veland County, which measure
radiation in the atmosphere.
“It’s hardly a happy thought,”
Mr. Hunnicutt continued.
A jet plane, flying over Flor
ence, accidentally released a
bomb Tuesday afternoon. It was
not armed with its atomic war
head.
But the force of impact deton
ated its component of dynamite
(TNT) which, in atomic bombs,
is used merely to trigger the a
tomic blast.
Local News
Bulletins
BETTER
Mrs. C. E. Neisler continues
to improve at Kings Mountain
hospital after an illness of
pneumonia.
HOSPITALIZED
Grady Yelton, city superin
tendent of public works, is a
patient at Kings Mountain hos
pital where he is receiving
treatment for a leg ailment.
DISCUSSION LEADER
“Is Military Service An An
swer Eor Defense?” is the topic
in which Steve Kesler will lead
a discussion group at the west
ern North Carolina National
Honor Society convention at
Wingate college March 28-30.
TYPING COURSE
Adults interested in taking a
typing course at the local high
school and those who have al
ready signed up for the course
are asked to meet with Mrs.
Grady Howard, high school
teacher, at Central school
typing classroom Monday at 4
p. m. for a planning session.
P-TA SPEAKER
Norman Prevatte, of WBTV,
Charlotte, will address mem
bers of the West school P-TA
at the regular meeting of the
group Thursday, March 20th, at
3 o’clock in the school auditor
ium. He will speak on the topic,
“Your Child and Television.”
ARP SPEAKER
Rev. O. Z. White, of Due West,
S. C., will fill the pulpit at Boy
ce Memorial ARP church Sun
day morning in the absence of
the pastor, Dr. W. L. Fressly,
who is preaching in Lancaster,
S. C.
STUDENT IEACHER
Tommy Keeter, of Grover, is
doing his practice teaching in
the commercial department of
Kings Mountain high school.
Mr. Keeter attended Appalach
ian State Teachers college,
Boone.
ASSUMES POSITION
Mrs. Maybelle Gordon, wife
of Ervin Gordon, has joined the
staff of Sudie’s Beauty Shop.
Mrs. Gordon assumes her new
duties Thursday.
MASONIC MEETING
An emergent communication
of Fairview Lodge 339 AF&AM
for work in the third degree
will be held Monday night at
7:30 p. m. at Masonic Hall, ac
cording to T. D. Tindall, secre
tary.
TO RALEIGH
Mrs. Wanza Y. Davis, City
Schools Supt. B. N. Barnes, and
Central School Principal Law
son Brown will attend the state
meeting of the Association of
Educational Secretaries in ses
sion in Raleigh during the week
end. Both Mr. Brown and Mr.
Barnes will appear on the pro
gram. Mrs. Davis will attend
the three-day meeting beginning
Thursday.
JAYCEE SERVICE
Get your auto accessories
marked for free by the Jaycees
Saturday, one through five o’
clock p. m. in the city parking
lot behind city hall. Members
of the club will mark state tag
numbers on accessories with
non-marring vibrator tools fur
nished by Esso Standard Oil.
The project is intended to cut
down vandalism of auto acces
sories.
Blood Collection
Totals 191 Pints
Community
Exceeds Quota
By 41 Pints
Kings Mountain citizens turned
out in force Tuesday evening to
donate 191 pints of blood-41 pints
over the goal-to the Red Cross.
It was the second highest Kings
Mountain collection on record.
Only on September 6, 1954, when
Kings Mountain citizens gave 345
pints of blood, has a one-day visit
of the Bloodmobile been more
productive. The 1954 visit was
against a background of a threat
of area Red Cross to withdraw
Kings Mountain from its blood
program.
Rev. R. Douglas Fritz, chair
man of the blood program here,
expressed much pleasure at the
ruesday result and said it ex
ceeded h'is expectations.
He gave particular praise to
Otis D. Green Post 155, American
Legion, which co-sponsored the
collection, to industrial emplo
yees for their participation, and
to individuals who aided in blood
donor recruitment.
He also stated appreciation to
those persons who had used blood
and made a committment for its
replacement. Of the total, 28 pints
were furnished by donors volun.
teering to replace blood previous
ly used by friends or kin.
Industrial group donation totals
included: Mauney Hosiery Com
pany, 22 pints; Sadie Cotton Mill,
23 pints; Foote Mineral Compa
ny, 16 pints; Phenix Plant of
Burlington Industries, ten pints;
Lithium Corporation of America,
18 pints; Park Yarn Mills, two
pints; Mauney Mills, In.1., four
pints; Lambeth Rope Corporation,
two pints; Pauline plant, Massa
chusetts Mohair Plush Company,
one pint; Craftspun Yarns, Inc.,
three pints; and Margrace plant,
Massachusetts Mohair Plush
Company, 12 pints.
The citizens who gave 191 pints
of blood Tuesday are:
James B. Seism, Paul D. Whit,
ley, Charles A. Butterworth, Jr.,
Gene Junior Short, Dr. Nathan H.
Reed, Bobby G. Moore, Lemuel
E. Deese, Jr., Raymond H. Cox,
Darvin Moss, Mrs. S. K. Patter
(Continued on Page Eight)
»
Building Business
Is On The Boom
Building in Kings Mountain is
on the upsurge with the coming
of spring, according to City In
spector J. W. Webster’s records
on building permits at City Hall.
Four permits have been issued
during the past week.
One permit was issued Thurs
day to J. Wilson Crawford to
build a one story frame house on
Rhodes avenue between Linwood
and Jackson street as a residence.
Estimated cost of the 5-room
structure is $9,000.
A permit issued to T. F. Brid
ges Thursday was to build two
one story brick veneer houses on
Cleveland avenue between Lin
wood road and Jackson street to
be used as residences. Estimated
cost of each 5-room structure is
$7500.
Webster issued a permit last
Monday to S. E. Heavner to add
a room to his home on Walker
Street. Estimated cost is $700.
A permit issued Monday to J.
Wilson Crawford was to build a
one story brick and weather
beard house on Monroe avenue
between Henry street and Wood
side Drive. Estimated cost of the
5-room house is $9500.
City Auto Tag
Supply Exhausted
The city has posted a “tempor
arily sold out” sign over its city
auto license window in the police
department.
The supply of 1400 city auto
tags has been exhausted and a
rush order for another 275 lic
ense tags hasn’t yet been received
from the manufacturer. City Clerk
Joe McDaniel reported.
Until the new tags arrive
(they’re expected soon), the city
is recording names of those who
seek to buy them and will notify
these car owners.
Mr. McDaniel said a new record
has been set for auto tag sale.
COURT OF HONOR
Regular March Court of Ho
nor for Kings Mountain Boy
Scouts will be held Thursday
night at 7:15 at City Hall court
room.
Farmers To Be Guests 01 Kiwanis
Thursday Night; Ray On Rostrum
Kings Mountain Kiwanians will
honor over 100 area farmers at
the civic club’s Farmer’s Night
event Thursday night at 6:45 at
the Woman’s club.
Principal speaker for the gath
ering and regular meeting of the
club will be Lex L. Ray, assistant
to the chancellor and director of
foundations at North Carolina
State college.
“We are inviting all area farm
ers to join us in this meeting”,
Dr. J. P. Mauney, chairman of
the Farmer’s Night committee
said. Other members of the com
mittee are Charles Neisler, J. E.
Herndon, J. B. Keeter, and I. B.
Goforth.
Mr. Ray, a 1932 graduate of
State college, was executive vice
president of the North Carolina
Dairy Products association from
November 1944 until he became
director of foundations at the
Raleigh institution in June 1950.
Prior to his connection with the
association he taught vocational
(Continued on Page Bight)
KIWANIS SPEAKER—Lex L. Rry.
of Raleigh, will address over 100
area farmers and Kiwanlans at
the annual farmer's night ban
quet Thursday of the Kiwanic
Club.
Baptist Deacons
Take No Action
On Compromise
The board of deacons of First
Baptist met in special session for
two hours Monday night but took
no formal action on the offer of
the church minority group to
compromise the issue on building
of a new church on a new site.
Yates Harbison, chairman of
the board of deacons, said the
group reasoned that the tem
porary injunction against sale of
any church real property or dis
posal of building fund assets, pre
cluded any by the board of dea
cons, or, for that matter, of the
church.
THe restraining order is in
force until March 24, when hear
ing on making the order perma
nent is to be resumed before
Judge Dan K. Moore, of Sylva,
in Cleveland Superior Court.
Mr. Harbison said discussion
took several different tacks at
Monday night’s session, among
them:
1) A willingness of some dea
cons to consider compromising
the issue if the dissident group
would quash their two court ac
tions.
2) A willingness of some dea
cons, provided the legal actions
are quashed, to return to the
church for a vote on the original
issue, if major elements of the
dissident group agreed to honor
the result.
3) Possibility of conducting an
informational poll of church mem.
bers to determine their attitude
on the basic question of com
promise and/or on the terms al
ready offered by the dissident
group.
“Frankly, ” Mr. Harbison com
mented, “when legal actions are
involved, it becomes difficult for
a layman, including me, to under
stand the many complications and
ramifications.”
The next regularly scheduled
meeting of the deacons is on the
night of March 19.
Thfe dissident group has offer,
ed to compromise the issue on this
basis: the dissident group would
retain the present church plant
property at W. Mountain and S.
Piedmont avenues and the ma
jority would take all other church
property including property on
Cherokee street, the new site at:
W. King and Sims streets, the N.
Gaston avenue parsonage and the
building fund of more than $80,
000.
Another Industry
Prospect Visits
Officials of Kings Mountain'
Business Development. Inc., talk
ed to yet another new industry
prospect Tuesday.
J. Wilson Crawford, president,
said a New York industrialist con
versed with several officers of
the industry expansion firm and
was taken on a tour of the com
munity.
The industrialist said he defi
nitely expected to locate in the
South, would require a building!
of 50,000 to 60,000 square feet of!
floor space, and was seeing other,
Carolinas communities during his
current visit, President Crawford
reported.
Mr. Crawford also reported that
cost estimates are being obtained
on a building of 10,000-plus feet
which may house an 80-employee
knitting industry.
Ward's Accounts
To Be Auctioned
J. Wilson Crawford and C. B.
Cash, Jr., co-receivers of Ward's
Feed and Seed Store, Inc., an
nounced today public auction of
accounts due the corporation,
scheduled for 10:00 a. m. Satur
day, March 22, at City Hall.
The accounts, totaling $28,026.
66, will be sold for cash, either
separately or as a whole, under
power of sale contained in an or
der made by P. C. Froneberger,
Resident Judge of the Twenty
Seventh Judicial District.
Accounts, as shown on the
books of Ward’s Feed and Seed
Store, Inc. now due, are listed in
a legal notice on page 8 of Sec
tion B. in this issue of the Herald.
Jaycees Plan
Band Benefit
Kings Mountain Junior Cham
ber of Commerce will produce a
local-talent minstrel May 2 and
3 for benefit of the Kings Moun
tain city schools band.
All profits from the show will
benefit the band, Charles E. Dix
on, Jaycee spokesman, said Wed
nesday.
It will be the first Jaycee Min
strel in four years.
D. D. (Salty) Saunders will ser
ve as chairman of the project.
Advance ticket sale will begin
soon, Mr. Dixon added.
Jobless Pay Claims Decline;
Further Drop Is Anticipated
Political Sap Slow To Rise;
Filing Deadline Is April 19
FOR COUNTY BOARD — Edwin
Moore, Patterson Grove com
munity farmer, is seeking Demo
cratic re-nomination to the coun
ty board of education.
DeMolay Order
To Be Formed
Kings Mountain Masons are
sponsoring the organization of a
Kings Mountain chapter of the
Order of DeMolay, an organiza
tion for young men ages 14 to 21.
Bruce Thorburn, chairman of
the 10-man advisory group, an
nounced Wednesday receipt of
temporary charter for the organi
zation, which must have 25 mem
bers before the first class can
be organized.
During organization individuals
may be recommended for mem
bership by members of Fairview
Lodge, Kings Mountain, or Whet
stone Lodge, Bessemer City. (The
organization will include the;
Kings Mountain and Bessemer
City areas.)
Following organization, appli
cants for membership will be ap
proved or disapproved by chap
ter members.
Other members of the advisory
committee are Ralph Harrison,
chapter advisor, George W. Maun ■
ey, Isaih Davis, Thomas Tindall,
Hoyle D. (Snooks) McDaniel,
James B. Simpson, Paul Owens,.
Frank Ballard, and Denver King.
Order of DeMolay is an inter
national organization with head
quarters in Kansas City, Mo.
It was founded in 1918 by
Frank S. Land in Kansas City
with nine members. Nearly three
million youths have been enrolled
since. It is sponsored by Masons
and Order of DeMolay uses Ma
sonic quarters.
To be accepted, a boy must
meet the age requirements, at
test to faith in God, and be of
good reputation and character.
Annual dues are nominal, Mr.
Thorburn said.
Purposes of the organization
are: teaching of clean and up
right living by practice of the vir
tues of comradeship, reverence,
cleanness, love of parents, pa
triotism, courtesy and fidelity.
Country Club
Session Tuesday
Annual meeting of Kings
Mountain Country Club stock
holders will be held Tues
day night at 7 o’clock.
Dutch supper will be served in
the club dining room.
The shareholders will hear re
ports of officers on the past year’s
operations and will elect 12 dir
ectors to serve during the coming
year.
Reports will be heard from
Bruce Thorburn, president; Sam
Stallings, secretary and George
Thomasson, treasurer.
The following committee chair
men will report on the past year’s
activities; Joe A. Neisler, greens;
George W. Mauney, membership;
J. E. Rhea and Ollie Harris,
house; Bruce McDaniel and W. S.
Fulton, Jr., social.
John C. Smathers, chairman
will make the nominating com
mittee report.
Stockholders who find they will
be unable to attend are being re
quested to authorize another
member to vote his proxy.
Rollins Files;
Basil Whitenex
Posts His Fee
Though majority of county of
fices are to be filled in this year’s
off-year elections, spring Demo
cratic primary activity remained
slow this week, only a little more
than a month away from the fil
ing deadline.
Only incumbents had yet of
fered for county or district offices.
Congressman Basil L. Whitener
posted his 11th Congressional dis
trict filing fee with the state
board of elections on Tuesday,
serving notice that he seeks re
nomination and re-election to a
second two-year term in Wash
ington.
Also this week Fitzhugh L.
Rollins, chairman of the board of
county commissioners, posted his
filing fee for re-nomination. He
is the only incumbent commis
sioner who has yet filed, though
all the incumbents, including
Knox Sarratt, Carl P. Finger, John
White, and Mai Spangler, Sr., are
expected to seek to continue in
office for two more years.
Solicitor B. T. Falls, Jr., has
filed for nomination as district
solicitor, a position he now holds
via appointment, and Senator
Robert Morgan, also of Shelby,
has filed for renomination to the
North Carolina Senate.
The five members of the county
board of education have either
filed for renomination or have in
dicated they will. These are Wal
ter Davis, B. Austell, Edwin'
Moore, C. C. Forney, Jr., and W.
H. Lutz.
Still producing little activity is
the vacancy in the county's seat
to the state House of Representa
tives. Haywood E. Lynch, of Kings
Mountain, and Hugh Wells, of
Shelby, have indicated they will
seek the Democratic nomination.
Another name added to the spec
ulation on possible candidacies
for the house seat is Jack Palmer,
Shelby mortician.
Other offices to be filled are
county coroner, clerk of court,
judge of recorder’s court, solicitor
of recorder’s court and sheriff, all
four-year terms, and county
treasurer, county surveyor, town
ship constables and magistrates,
all for two-year terms. All the of
fices are held by Democrats.
County Elections Board Chair
man Joe Mull said Wednesday
the law specifies that the dead
line for filing for county offices
is noon Saturday, April 19.
The primary voting will be con
ducted on May 31.
Customarily there is little acti
vity among the Republican party
in spring primaries. Should con
tests develop for GOP nomina
tions, both Democratic and Re
publican primaries would be con
ducted.
POST FILING FEE — Basil L.
Whitener, 11th district Congress
man. seeks Democratic re-nomi
nation to the federal House of
Representatives. He posted his
filing fee this week.
Welfare Branch
To Be Discussed
Jack Hoyle, county welfare su
perintendent, will confer with a
State Board of Public Welfare of
ficial in Raleigh Thursday on
plans to set up a Cleveland Coun
ty welfare branch office in Kings
Mountain.
Mr. Hoyle said Wednesday he
had been invited to discuss the
matter with R. Eugene Brown,
director of public assistance of
the State Board of Public Wel
fare.
Mr. Hoyle and Clerk of Court
J. W. Osborne will be in Raleigh
Thursday and Friday for a meet
ing on juvenile court problems
and operations. Mr. Osborne is
ex officio judge of juvenile court.
County commissioners have in
ferred they will approve setting
up of a welfare branch office here
and funds, provided on a county
state-federal share basis, appear
to be sufficient.
Mr. Hoyle has estimated cost of
a branch office here at $3,500
for the first year and $2,500
Eight Will Play
In Piano Contests
Eight Kings Mountain area
students will go to Salisbury Fri
day to compete in district piano
contests at Catawba college.
Playing in the junior division
will be Vinelle Phillips, Sara
Hendricks, Linda Walker, Pattie
Howard, Sarah Lennon and Ro
bert Plonk, all city schools stu
dents.
Playing in the senior division
will be Jerry Patterson, Bethware
high school, and Jim Plonk, Cen
tral high school.
Vinelle Phillips is a pupil of
Mrs. Musa Marto. The other stu
dents are pupils of Mrs. Martin
Harmon.
Annual Merchants Banquet Monday;
Morgan Speaker At Retailer Event
State Senator Robert Morgan,
of Shelby, will make an address
and install new officers of the
Kings Mountain Merchants as
sociation at the annual emplo
yer-employee banquet to be held
Monday night at the Woman’s
Club.
Senator Morgan’s address will
highlight an entertainment pro
gram which will also include
slight-of-hand and music.
Alfred B. Boyles, executive
vice - president of the Renoir
Chamber of Commerce, will bring
his magician’s art to the mer
chants’ stage and Brenda Ann
Sweezy, of Shelby, will perform
on the accondian and render vocal
numbers.
Mrs. Elaine Queen, association
secretary, said advance ticket
sales have reached the 100-mark
and she anticipates an audience
of at least 150.
Merchants will provide gifts for j
the ladies and the banquet will
(Continued On Page Sight)
SPEAKER-Senator Robert Morgan
of Shelby, will be the principal
speaker and will install new offi
cers at the annual banquet of the
Kings Mountain Merchants as
sociation Monday night.
Better Weather
Puts Builders
Back To Work
Unemployment pay claims in
Kings Mountain dropped last
week in Kings Mountain from
573 to 488 and the figure is ex
pected to drop again this week.
Franklin Ware, manager of the
Kings Mountain branch of the
North Carolina Employment ser
vice, said the improvement in
weather conditions had resulted
in ret urn-to-work calls for many
persons partially laid off by firms
in several types of construction
industry.
Otherwise, the labor picture
here was little changed.
On the bright side, Franklin
Harry, of Minette Mills, Grover,
said last week his firm was oper
ating at about 85 per cent of cap
acity, and Slater Mills resumed
some operations last Friday after
a week's shutdown. Meantime,
Phenix Plant of Burlington Mills
resumed a five-day work week
after a short span of four-day
work weeks. R. B. Payne, person
nel manager, said the curtail
ment was due to a company or
der to reduce warehouse inven
tories.
On the other side of the ledger,
Craftspun Yarns, Inc., has sus
pended its third shift operation
and several Kings Mountain cit
izens were among those laid off
by Firestone Textiles, of Gaston
ia. Mr. Ware estimated this num
ber at 15.
Commenting on a statement
from Raleigh on exhaustion of
unemployment benefits, Mr.
Ware said only a small number
of Kings Mountain area citizens
is among the more than 3,000
North Carolinians in this dilem
ma. He said Raleigh records are
more accurate than those kept in
the local office, but guessed the
number at not more than 15.
Red Cross Drive
Now Underway
Incomplete reports indicate the
Red Cross fund campaign in
Kings Mountain is “going very
well”, Paul Walker, chapter fund
appeal chairman, said Wednes
day.
Kings Mountain area citizens
are being asked during the mon
th of March to give $5625 to the
American Red Cross, and canvas
sing of the community is being j
completed by volunteer workers.
Mr. Walker invited citizens who
have pledged donations to report
them as soon as possible and
asked persons who have not do
nated to contribute via the num
erous campaign workers or at
campagin headquarters located
in the Haywood E. Lynch build
ing between Baird Furniture com
pany and Helen’s Beauty Shop.
The office is open daily, Monday
through Saturday, from 1 to 5
p. m.
On the local scene, Mr. Walker t
pointed out tHat the Red Cross
handles numerous services for ,
area citizens, emergency relief,
as a liason agent between citizens
and the armed forces, and in num- '
erous other ways.
"We urge all citizens to give :
in order that Kings Mountain can !
meet the goal, monies badly need
ed to further the work of this
service organization”, Mr. Walker ‘
added. !
Rabies Clinic
Set Saturday
Dr. Jacob P. Mauney, veteri- ’
narian, has announced the sched
ule for the initial rabies clinic .
in the area Saturday, March 15.
The clinic is under direction of
the Cleveland County Health de
partment and will maintain the J
following schedule: I
Baity's Grocery', off US 74, 9 :
a. m. to 9:30.
Claude Harmon’s Store, Mid
way, 9:30 to 10 a. m. 1
G. A. Lail Grocery (Bethlehem I
Section) 10 to 10:30 a. m. -1
Cash Service Station, Shelby a
road, 10:30 to 11 a. m. •„>
Bethware School, 11 to 11:3<J
a. m.
Stowe’s West End Grocery, 3
11:30 to 12 noon. i
Blalock’s Park-In, Shelby road, (1
12 to 12:30.
City Hall, Kings Mountain, 1(J
to 2 o'clock iljh_