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.
VOL 69 No. 13
Established 1889
Kings Mountain, N. C., Thursday, March 27, 1958
Sixty-Ninth Year
10 Pages
ID Today
PRICE TEN CENTS
LEGIONNAIRES ATTEND BANQUET — Some
S00 Legionnaires in Division 4 of the American
Legion of North Carolina gathered in Kings
Mountain Saturday for the annual Go-Getters
banquet. Otis D. Green Post 155. of Kings Moun
tain, was host to the gathering. Among officials
present, pictured above, were Charles Groves,
second from left, fourth division commander;
Dud Robbins, of Burgaw, state commander
standing beside Ray Cline, Post 155 comman
der; Mr. Franks, commander of the Newton
post; National Executive Committeeman Gres
ham of Albemarle; Nash McKee, department
adjutant; Mr. Chambers, of Mooresville; and
Shelton Hutchinson, department chaplain. Sev
eral other visiting Legionnaires in the photo
graph were not identified. Go-Getters banquets
are held annually to honor Legionnaires who
have secured ten or more new members. Enter
tainment by a professional minstrel group fea
tured the program.
Local News
Bulletins
WARD'S ACCOUNTS
Mrs. Margaret Ward was
high bidder Saturday at the
public auction of accounts of
Ward’s Seed & Feed Store, in
voluntary receivership. Mrs.
Ward bid $400 for the more
than $28,000 in accounts.
PROMOTED
Kenneth C. Hamrick, son of
Mr. and Mrs. Ben Hamrick of
route 3, has been promoted to
the rank of Airman Second
Class at Sewart AFB, Tennessee
where he is stationed.
GOFORTH HOSPITALIZED
Ben T. Goforth, Kings Moun
tain plumber, was reported im
proving Wednesday. He is re
ceiving treatment at Kings
Mountain hospital for an ear
infection and pneumonia.
COMMISSION MEET
The recreation commission
will meet Monday night at 7:30
in City Hall according to an
nouncement by Fleete McCurdy.
P-TA MEETING
Central P-TA will hold its
annual spring festival and elect
new officers at the regular
meeting Friday night at 7:30
p. m. in the high school audi
torium.
KIWANIS CLUB
Ben F. Moomaw, superinten
dent of Kings Mountain Na
tional Military Park, will show
films about volcano activity an l
earthquakes on the Hawaiian
Islands where he served as park
ranger, at the Thursday night
meeting of the Kiwanis club.
The club convenes at the Wom
an’s club at 6:45 p. m.
PLAY RECEIPTS
Senior class play receipts
from the Thursday night and
Friday matinee performances
totaled $341.48. Mrs. Carl Fing
er, director of the play, said
net profit was expected to ex
ceed $250- Proceeds will Pa>' for
the senior gift m the school.
LODGE MEETING
ftegula- meeting of Kings
Mountain Moose Lodge will be
held Thursday night at 8:00
o’clock.
SERVICE
Dr. W. P. Gerberding, pastor
of St. Matthew’s Lutheran
church, will conduct Holy Week
devotions over Radio Station
WKMT next week, Monday
through Friday, at 9 a. m. His
theme will be "Jesus' Last
Week.”
LIONS DIRECTOR
Directors of the Kings Moun
tain Lions club will hold their
regular monthly meeting
Thursday night at 7 o’clock at
the office of Dr. Nathan H.
Reed.
Mrs. George Hull
Injured Fatally
Kings Mountain
Citizen Struck
By Motor Truck
Mrs. Fay Barnett I.'Jll, 33, wife
of George Hull, 109 Parker street,
died at Gaston Memorial hospi
j tal Tuesday night at 10:20 after
j being struck by a motor express
truck a short time earlier on
Franklin avenue in Gastonia.
Jesse William Messer, of Ashe
ville, driver of the Frederickson
Motor Express truck, said the
Kings Mountain woman stepped
in front of his truck. He told in
vestigating Gastonia officers that
he swerved his truck to the left
in an effort to avoid the accident
but that the right front of the
cab hit Mrs. Hull. The driver
said his speed was between 25 to
30 miles per hour.
Gastonia police records list the
accident as occurring at 9:35 p.
m., near Rockett’s Service Station
in East Gastonia. The truck was
moving west.
Officer Terry, of the Gastonia
department, said Wednesday af
ternoon the truck driver is being
held under $1,000 bond. The of
ficer said the coronor had not yet
ruled whether an inquest will be
called. He also said investigating
officers had not yet reported any
:yc witnesses to the accident, ex
I cepting the truck driver.
According to ihe police report,
! Mrs. Hull arrived by ambulance
: it the Gaston hospital at 10:05.
She was pronounced dead 15
minutes later.
Funeral rites were incomplete
Wednesday, pending word from
a brother, Carl Barnett, who is
serving with the air force in Ger
many.
Surviving, in addition to her
husband and brother, are two
daughters, Linda Hull and Gloria
Hull, and three sisters, Mrs. Nell
ie Mae Moore and Mrs. Barbara
Jean Burton, both of Kings
Mountain, and Miss Mary Lou
Barnett, of Charlotte. Her par
ents Mr. and Mrs. Neal Barnett,
of Kings Mountain, also survive.
Mrs. Hull was a member of
Boyce Memorial ARP church.
ELECTED — Guy Fisher, Jr., son
of Mr. and Mrs. Guy Fisher, has
been elected to membership in
Who’s Who In American Colleges
and Universities. A Junior at Len
oir-Rhyne college, Fisher is also
president of the hall commission
and Lettermen's club, a football
and track star, and a political
leader on the Hickory campus.
Job Situation
Little Changed
Though claims for unemploy
ment compensation declined for
the month ending Tuesday, Man
ager Franklin Ware of the em- j
ployment service branch office j
here says the employment situ- |
ation remained relatively static, j
Mr. Ware noted that claims to
taled 2120, an improvement over
the 2456 of the pervious month.
However, he noted, the period
covered exactly two week, three
days less than in some months.
He also reported that 651 per
sons were actively seeking work
at month's end, compared to 626
the previous month.
During the period, the agency
placed 23 persons in jobs, up one
from the previous month.
| Re-Zoning Proposal Arouses Ire
i Of Residential Area Neighbors
Proposal to re-zone Landing
street extension to industrial des
ignation brought heavy opposS
tion from residential neighbors
last Thursday night and resulted
in the board of city commission
ers’ defering action to re-zone.
Objections included devaluatior
of residential realty in the neigh
borhoood, plus side suggestions
for diversifying industry.
George W. Mauney, who said
he owned property within a bloc!
of the proposed industrial site
; was one of two present at the]
i hearing not voicing objection. Mr.
! Mauney suggested he would pre- j
| fer a modern, well-landscaped in-J
dustrial building to thfe present
] brambles.
J. Wilson Crawford, president
of Kings Mountain Business De
velopment. Inc., which had sought
the re-zoning, told the group that
Mayor Glee A. Bridges, who owns
the property, had offered to do
<Continued on Page Eight)
Baptist Injunction Made Permanent
--—--4
Mayor Bridges
Asia Babcock
For New US 74
Mayor Glee A. Bridges discuss
ed with Highway Chairman W. F.
Babcock last Thursday at an area
session in Shelby possibility of
a new U. S. Route 74.
The Mayor said he had in
vited E. L. Kemper, division en
gineer, to come over for a visit
and to inspect possible routes.
The Mayor favors a new road
which would leave present 74 near
the west city limits, swing south
to cross Phifer road and pro
ceed east west of Landing street,
underpassing Southern Railway
and continuing in an arc to inter
sect with the four-lane U. S. 74
or U. S. 29.
The above route was surveyed
several years ago, but no action
Was been taken.
There was some discussion at
the time, and since, of widening
King street (present U. S. 74) to
a distance of 68-feet, which Mr.
Kemper has described as con
forming to federal bureau of
roads standards. The widening
would require obtaining of 36
more feet of right-of-way.
Mr. Kemper said Wednesday
determination of the most feasi
ble route would be in the province
of the state commission, subject
to engineering recommendations
the commission might order.
Logan Denies
Radio Sale Aid
Former Police Chief Hugh A.
Logan, Jr., denies bitterly that he
sought to aid the sale of Motorola
radio equipment to the city, and
Mayor Glee A. Bridges says he
was misunderstood in his state
ment concerning it.
Meantime, the Mayor is still
awaiting word from Salesman
Dick Marable concerning a radio
receiver for which the city has
been billed but which the city
did not receive.
Mayor Bridges said he had
made several telephone calls, in
addition to posting several letters,
asking Mr. Marable to make con
tact but to no avail.
Meantime, the city is declining
to pay the Motorola item of $134.
Motorola claims the receiver
in question was ordered by V. L.
Beeohum, former city gas super
intendent. The Mayor said Mr.
Beechum, via telephone, said he
didn’t order it.
Former Chief Logan says he’ll
be happy to return the gift, if the
city were billed for it adding, “I
wouldn’t have asked the city to
buy it, for the city had all the
receivers it needed.”
Easter. Sunrise
Service Planned
Rev. W. C. Sides, Jr., pastor of
Grace Methodist church, will de
liver the sermon at annual East
er Sunrise services at Mountain
Rest cemetery Eastern morning,
April 6.
The traditional community-side
Easter service will be held at
Memorial Park of Mountain Rest
cemetery and will -begin at & 30
a. m.
Other ministers who will par
ticipate in the service are Rev. J.
W. Phillips, pastor of First Wes
leyan Methodist church; Rev. H.
G. McElroy, pastor of Temple
Baptist church; Rev. P. D. Patrick,
pastor of Frist Presbyterian chur.
ch; and Rev. Frank E. Blalock,
pastor of El Bethel Methodist
church.
The city schools band will play
prior to the service and the First
Presbyterian choir will sing an
Easter anthem.
The annual service is arranged
and sponsored by the Kings Moun
tain Ministerial association.
Community Concerts
Drive Now Underway
Annual membership drive of
Piedmont Carolinas Communi
ty Concerts is now underway,
Mrs. U. L. Patterson, Sr., of
Shelby, president of the asso
ciation, has announced.
The campaign for members
began Monday and will be con
ducted this week through Fri
day, Mrs. Patterson noted.
Headquarters will be in the
Gold Room of Hotel Charles,
Shelby, and interested Kings
Mountain area citizens are invi
ted to contact Mrs. Patterson in
Shelby or the headquarters of
the association.
Annual meeting of the con
cert association is to be held in
Shelby on the ev-ming of March
31st at 7 o’clock p. m.
J. Broadus Ellis Is Opposing
Carl Finger For County Post
Red Cioss Drive
Nearing Close;
Reports Urged
The Red Cross fund campaign
is expected to be completed this
week, Paul Walker, Kings Moun
tain chairman announced Wed
nesday.
Mr. Walker, who said that all
reports have not been received
from campaign workers, urged j
contributions "large or small’’ to j
be turned in to the drive officials
so that full report may be made.
“We anticipate”, Mr.’ Walker
continued, “that the chapter goal
of $5625 will be attained in this
fund appeal.”
Citizens who have pledged do
nations may mail donations to
Kings Mountain Red Cross Chap
ter, in care of Paul Walker, or
may contact Mr. Walker or any
other worker in the campaign
who will collect the pledge.
The Red Cross renders numer
ous services to area people via
its aid to servicemen and their
families, to the needy, in long
term rehabilitation aid to dis
aster-stricken families, the blood
program and in providing other
improved and expanding service
to the American people.
Barber Elected
By VFW Post
Ray Barber was elected com
mander of Kings Mountain Post
9811, Veterans of Foreign Wars,
at the regular meeting of the
post Thursday night.
Mr. Barber succeeds Charles L.
Alexander as commander of the
VFW organization.
Other officers are Mr. Alex
ander, senior vice commander;
Billy Oloninger, junior vice com
mander; Marion Dixon, quarter
master; Harold Glass, advocate;
Roy Bohelor, chaplain; Ezra Stef
fy, surgeon; Hugh Falls, three
year trustee, and Marvin Goforth,
veterinarian.
Wray President
Of Country Club
J. E. (Zip) Wray has been e i
lected president of the Kings
Mountain Country Club for the
coming year. He succeeds Bruce
Thorbum.
Other officers elected at the
organizational meeting of the re
cently elected board of directors
Monday were Bruce McDaniel,
vice-president; Dr. Nathan H.
Reed, secretary; J. C. McKinney,
treasurer.
The board voted to hold regu
lar monthly meetings on first
Wednesdays at 5:30 p. m.
Members of the board are the
officers, Bruce Thorbum, Joe A.
Neisler, Jack Amette, Clayton
Kelly, W. K. Mauney, Jr., J. Wil
son Crawford, Jon N. McClure
and Charles E. Dixon.
Methodists Set
Special Services
Holy Week services will be con
ducted at Grace Methodist chur
ch beginning Palm Sunday.
Rev. W. C. Sides, the minister,
will bring the messages, and the
choirs of the church will render
special music. Services will begin
at 7 o’clock each evening and will
be held through Friday. Holy;
Communion will be administered
on Thursday.
“We invite the public to join
in these services,” the pastor
said.
Barnette Names
Retailer Groups
Appointment of standing com
mittees of the Kings Mountain
Merchants association has been
announced by Richard Barnette,
president.
Included are:
Trade Promotion — Paul Mc
Ginnis and F. R. McCurdy.
Picnic — J. C. McKinney and
Gene Timms.
Christmas Opening — Glee E.
Bridges and J. T. McGinnis.
Membership — John*Warliek
and Otis Smith.
Banquet — Charles E. iDixonj
and Dick McGinni".
Holiday Closing — Otis Smith, I
A. B. Mikeal, and Hilton Ruth.
J. BROADUS ELLIS
JOHN C. ANDERSON
HAYWOOD ADDEA
PRE-SCHOOL CLINIC
Pre-School clinic at Park
Grace school will bo held Mon
day, March 31. at 9 o’clock a.
m. at the school, Mrs. M. C. Pos
ton, first grade teacher, has an
nounced. Parents who have
children to enroll in September
should bring them to the Mon
day clinic.
Anderson Seeks
Treasurer Job;
Sheriff Files
Cleveland County’s first major
contest of the 1958 primary in
volves particularly the Kings
Mountain-Grover-Waco area.
The race developed last Thurs- j
day, when J. Broadus Ellis, Grov
er businessman, filed notice of j
candidacy for the District II coun-:
ty commission nomination. Mr.
Ellis paid his fee shortly after j
Carl P. Finger, Kings Mountain
laundryman and incumbent, had]
paid his. Mr. Finger had announc!
ed his candidacy a day previously, j
Another indication of an up
coming race was the filing by j
John C. Anderson for the position
of county treasurer, a post iongj
held by Mrs. Lillian Newton. Mrs.
Newton is expected to ask re
nomination. Mr. Anderson, a copy
writer and advertising salesman
for Kings Mountain Radio Sta
tion WKMT, lives in Shelby.
Other candidates were begin
ning to get their hats in the ring.
Sheriff Haywood Allen paid his
i filing fee Tuesday, formally plac.
I ing his bid for a third four-year
term as sheriff.
Meantime; Jack Palmer. Jr.,
: SHelby mortician, filed notice of
i candidacy for the vacant position
of North Carolina representative
from Cleveland County. Mr. Palm
er seeks to succeed B. T. Falls,
Jr., of Shelby, now 16th district
^solicitor and unopposed for nom
ination, following the close of the
filing period for sate and district
offices last Friday.
Another candidate who has no
opposition for the Democratic
nomination is Basil L. Whitener.
of Gastonia. 11th Congressional
district U. S. Representative.
Palmer’s candidacy for the!
North Carolina House seat may
mean that the primary will at
tract three candidates. Haywood
E. Lynch. Kings Mountain busi-i
; nessman, and Hugh Wells, Shelby
lawyer, previously announced they
expected to seek the office. Nei
ther have filed.
There was little initial reaction
to the Ellis-Finger contest, but [
some observers said they antici
pated a close race. Both Mr. Fin
ger, appointed to the commission
in February, and Mr Ellis, had |
told friends they were willing to
accept appointment if Clerk of
Court J. W. Osborne tendered it. j
Mr. Finger got the appointment, j
Supporters of Mr. Ellis weren’t j
happy. Last week, Mr. Ellis suc
cumbed to what he termed "pres- !
sure” from his friends to contest
Mr. Finger in the primary.
Mr. Ellis is a 64-year-old navy j
veteran of World War I. He has
long been active in Democratic
politics, serving several terms as
mayor of Grover and for 20 years j
serving as chairman of the Gro- :
ver school district committee. He I
is a member of First Baptist J
(Continued on Page Eight)
Business Development Group Has
Alternate Site For Knitting Firm
Kings Mountain Business De
velopment, Inc., has made verbal
agreement to purchase an alter
nate site for a knitting firm which
anticipates locating here, Presi
dent J. Wilson Crawford said
Wednesday.
The new site, adjacent to the
city limits, is owned by W. A.
Williams and is also bounded by
Waco Road and property of R. C.
Gantt. The property has been
surveyed, and representatives of
the industry prospect are due
here over the weekend to inspect
the alternate site and to discuss
conclusion of contract arrange
ments?'
The alternate site — if it is
suitable)to the industry prospect
— will eliminate necessity for
re-zoning of property on Landing
street extension, a proposal
strongly opposed by residential
neighbors of the Landing street
site at. a zoning hearing last
Thursday.
Mr. Crawford said close in
spection of the city zoning map
indicated that no in-city industrial
sites remain which would not re
quire re-zoning.
The knitting firm has indicated
it will employ initially about 80
(Continued on Page Eight)
ELECTED — Vernon Tate, son of
Mr. and Mrs. H. G. Tate and a ris
ing senior at High Point college,
has been elected president of Del
ta Zeta Chapter of Delia Sigma
Phi Social Fraternity. Mr. Tate,
who has served as Rush chair
man and as director of engineer
ed leadership in the fraternity, is
! majoring in general science.
Dissident Suit
Is Apparently
Headed For Trial
A two-hour hearing Tuesday
morning on the Kings Mountain
First Baptist church issue result
ed in Judge Dan Moore's making
permanent an order restraining
church officers from expending
monies in the church building
fund or disposing of the church’s
real property.
Technically, Judge Moore denied
motion of the majority group’s
counsel, James Mullen, for a de
murrer.
As the situation now stands,
barring further efforts at com
promising among the two groups
-who differ over building a new
church plant on a new site — a
civil suit filed by F. A. (Pete) Mc
Daniel, Jr., in behalf of himself
and other members of the minori
ty group, will be aired in Super
ior Court.
In an effort to settle the issue,
Judge Moore invited the two
groups to meet in separate ante
rooms to the Cleveland County
courtroom, suggesting that coun
sel for each see if the groups
couldn’t be brought to agreement
on a settlement.
Subsequently, t n e minority
group amended their recent for
mal compromise offer to: let the
minority keep the South Piedmont
avenue church site, with building
and furnishings, and let the ma
jority group have all remaining
church real property, plus the
$80,000-plus building fund. The
amendment meant that the mi
nority group was willing to add
the First Baptist office building
(formerly tile Herald building)
and a 22.5 x 150-foot on S. Pied
mont to its original compromise
offer.
The majority representatives at
Shelby Tuesday declined.
Yates H&rbison, chairman of
the First Baptist board of deac
ons and a member of the majority
group, said Wednesday some of
the majority group were discon
certed by press reports on the
Tuesday hearing which did not
explain the reasoning for refusal
of the second compromise offer.
Mr. Harbison said these felt it
could not accept any compromise
without a church vofe, but could
only recommend a compromise.
Rev. Aubrey Quakfenbush, pas
tor of the church, commented
Wednesday that lie thought
major elements of both sides of
the controversy feel it foolhardy
to expend monies required in li
tigation, He also said he felt
some agreement on the dispute
will be reached in 30 to 60 days.
Barring some agreement, the
dispute will continue, with the
restraining order in force, until
the McDaniel litigation is tried.
The Judge was quoted as chid
ing members of 'both groups for
reaching “the point of stubborn
ness” and suggested that, should
further voting on the issue or its
ramifications bo conducted, that
an independent moderator con
duct the session.
Bethwaie Class
To Give Comedy
The Bethware high school sen
ior class will present a three^act
farce comedy, “Cupid in Pigtails”.
Friday night at 7:30 at the school
auditorium.
Proceeds will aid the seniors
in their annual trip to Washing
ton, D. C.
The cast includes: Sadie Seism,
who will play Susie McAdams;
Robert Seism, as Todd Adams;
Pat Hamrick, as Gail McAdams;
Becky Falls, as Mayhelle McAd
ams; Phyllis Welch, as Dorothy
Vanderford; Ray Herndon, asRol
lo Sappleton; James White, as
Murchison Fogg; Faye Woods, as
April Fogg; James Turner, as
Beasley Fogg; Paul Camp, as
Pete Farley; l>aphine Lovelace,
as' Beth Farley; Johnny Chap
man, as Squegee Squires; Plat
Bridges, as Ollie Mae Squireis;
Pat Short, as Gertie; Moffatt
Seism, as Carter Prescott.
The player in the role of tire
Mad Butcher is not revealed.
Admission will be 30 cents for
students, 60 cents for adults.
Retailers To Close
On Easter Monday
Majority of Kings Mountain
retailers will take a holiday
Easter Monday, in accordance
with by-laws of the Kings
Mountain Merchants associa
tion.
The retailers will he open all
day Wednesday preceding Eas
ter and will be closed on Eas
ter Monday and on Wednesday
afternoon following Easter, ac
cording to announcement by
Mrs. Elaine Queen, association
secretary.