North Carolina Newspapers

Population Greater Kings Mountain 10,320 City Limits 8,008 figure for (treater King* Mountain l< derived from the IBS5 King* Mountain city directory coiuu*. The city Limits figure is from the United States census of 19S0. Pages Today VOL 71 No. 52 Established 1889 Seventy-First Year PRICE TEN CENTS Record Year-End C* o oil T a QnimMO vaou i u uavui o Local News Bulletins FAIHVIEW LODGE An emergent communication of Fairview Lodge 339 AF& AM will be held Monday nighit at 7:30 at Masonic Hall, ac cording to announcement by T. D. Tindall, secretary. KIWANIS CLUB Dr. P. H. Elliott, president of Gardner-Webb college at Boil Springs, will address Kings Mountain Kiwanians at their Thursday meeting. The club venes at 6:45 at the Woman’s Club. SERVICES Sunday morning warship ser vices during the month of Jan uary will be broadcast via Ra dio Station WKMT from Cen tral Methodist church, accord to announcement by Rev. H. D. Garmon, pasta.-. AA MEETING An open meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous will be held Jan uary 7th at 8 p. m. at First Presbyterian church with a a guest speaker to present the program. The interested public is invited to attend. Payments Total $126,257; Year Total $250,000 Kings Mountain financial in stitutions will pay year-end di vidends and interest to holders of savings accounts totaling more than $126,000, a record. Home Savings & Loan Associa tion’s dividend payment for the six-monthperiod ending Decem ber 31, will total $70,124, Secre tary-Treasurer Tom Taite report ed, including $35,909 on option al savings shares and $34,215 on full-paid shares. Kings Mountain Savings & •Loan association dividends for the six-month period total $52, 733, including $27,898 on option al savings shares and $24,834 on f u 11-p a i d shares, Secretary Treasurer Ben H. Bridges said. First Union National Bank will pay interest on savings ac counts for the three-month per iod ending December 31 totaling approximately $3300. Annual payments also set new records. The $126,257 year-end payment compares with year-end pay ments in 1959 of $115,108, a gain of over $11,000. The year-end payments boost the total payments of Kings Mountain financial firms for I9 60 to the quarter-million mark. Annual totals reported were: Home Savings & Loan, $136, 322; Kings Mountain Saving & Loan association, $101,384; and First Union National bank, $12,500. On *61 Agenda: City Voting, School Merger Kings Mountain looks forward to a busy new year, beginning Sunday. A major event which customar ily attracts the interest and at tention of a majority of the citi zens will 'be the biennial city elec tioni in May. This year, there may be anoth er election of interest, if the pre sent commission decides, as 'has been indicated toy some members, to offer the voters a ithind op portunity to adopt an alternative form of city manager municipal government. 1 An especially busy year is in store for Kings Mountain district! school officials, as 1961 is expec ted to witness physical consolida tion of all township schools into; the district. 'Four county district' schools were consolidated into the Kings Mountain district last May, but physical consolidation was de layed as opponents sought to in validate the election toy legal ac tion. The legal effort was non suited in November and Kings Mountain district school officials are making plans ito assume oper-1 ation of the additional school plants — IBethware, Park Grace,; Grover and Compact — effective July 1. Also on the school agenda are initial plans for constructing a consolidated township high school: plant. Options on potential sites! are now 'being sought and pre liminary legal work leading to a| school district bond election to! supply funds for the construction, j Kings Mountain Hospital ex pects to open a 25-toed addition in the spring, a project launched late in 1959, When counity citizens approved funds for the addition. 1 School Consolidation, Snow, Politics Top ’60 News Event Consolidation of township schools, the weather, and politics dominated the news of Kings Mountain during 1960, a review of Kings Mountain Herald 'head lines showed this week. The school consolidation story was a continuing one, beginning in January with the drawing of a merger petition 'by 'patrons of the four county district schools, continuing through the election favoring the merger on May 14, and followed by civil litigation aimed at invalidating the election, the latter non-suited on Novem ber 29. The early part of I960, weatfr er-wise, was featured by a series of heavy snows, which disrupted transportation and school sched ules and proved a boon to fuel dealers. The snows resulted in several six-day weeks for school children. i , ^ ^ , Politics was featured both' by hard-fought 'Democratic primaries and a similarly hard-fought gen eral election. Kings Mbuntain supported Teny Sanford, the in coming governor, in two primar ies and again in the general elec tion. Kings Mountain also gave a margin to John F. Kennedy, in coming president. 1 (Politics also found Kings Moun tain with its first candidate for the United States Congress in the person of Republican Kelly Dix on, who polled 41,000 votes in Ms losing race to Incumbent Con gressman Basil D. Whitener, De mocrat. Other major news events in cluded federal appropriation for a Kings Mountain National Guard armory, institution of dial tele phone service in place of the long-in-vogue manual system, the decennial census-taking, which found Kings Mountain with 8,008 souls, and a renewal of the ar gument over the city’s Sunday blue law prohibiting showing of motion pictures on Sundays. Business news was featured by the merger of First National Bank with First Union National Bank of North Carolina and by the sale of Craft spun Yams, Inc., capital stock to buyers as yet un identified. The city suffered two major fires. Buildings occupied by Saun ders Dry Cleaners and Stowe Ra dio & T V were gutted in March and the Kings Mbuntain Country clubhouse was completely destroy ed bv fire several weeks ago. Major I960 Herald headlines were: JANUARY New School District Petition Drawn; Ricky Taylor Cops 1960 Babv Derbies; C of C Plans Man N>r--hvp Dinner. ‘ Free RM* V° ted On I960 Dues; Area School Merger Petition Now 'Being Cir culated; March of Dimes Drive Underway; City Garnishees For Overdue Taxes; Grover, Compact, Plans Meet to Discuss Merger Petition; Stallings Named Young Man Of ’59; Progress Reported On Signing Merger Petition; Her ald News Job Wins First Place Heart Fund Drive Organization Set; Alleged Rapist Robert lee Case Nabbed In Attic of Peavy Home. i FEBRUARY Epidemic Of Flu Appears Wan ing; Merger Petition Is Approv ed; Hearing Set For Fetomuary 24; 'Ben Sessoms Free On Mur der Charge; C Of C Directors Fa vor School Merger; Blanton Nam ed Merchants Head; Scouts Note Golden Anniversary, First Troop Formed Here In 1924; Loyalty Campaign Purposes (Listed; Hear ing On School Merger Proposal Will Be Wednesday; City Gov ernment Had Boy Scouts At Helm On Snowy, Busy Saturday; County Board Creates New School Tax District; Kelly Dixon Republican Nominee For 11th District Congress Post; Resurrec tion Plans Expansion. MARCH Kings Mountain, Piedmont Blanketed By Snow; Webster Re signs City Tax Position; 'Mapch To Church In March’ Loyalty Campaign Begins; Negress Shot To Death Sunday, Brown Is Held; DUBose Heads Township Cam gaign For Gardner-Webb College Fund; Kings Mountain Visited By Another Big Snow; First Nation al Bank Planning Merger; Con gressman Basil Whitener Files For Re-Election To Third Term; McCraw, Poor Boy Who Made Good, President of First Union Bartk; Flash Fire Guts Saunders And Stowe Firms; Glee E. Brid ges Sanford Manager; City Man ager Vote Requires Petition Of Voters For Call; Kesler South east Geological Head; Four Six Day Weeks For School Make Ups; Ellis, Peeler, Sarratt File, Contest For District I Post; Kit tie Lou Sutton Is President, Math Department, State Teachers; New Petition Asks Immediate Merger Election; Best Census Guess to Win Herald $25; Census-Taking Starts Friday; Cancer Crusade To Begin Monday, Mrs. Hunter Neisler Is Chairman. APRIL Area School Merger Election Likely On May 14; Mrs. Weir Wins Teacher Award; Norman Is Killed By Falling Tree; Board Of Education Incumbents Seek ing Re-Nomination In May; Bi ser Named To Tax Post; Jack H. White Running For State Senate! Seat; School Merger Vote Books; Are Open; Ausley To Preach Sun rise Sermon; Kincaid Will Step Down To Provide Outside City District Representation; No Op ponents (For Ellis, Sarratt;! ARP’S Considering Building1 Plant, Super Market; Candidate Sanford Here Thursday For In formal Reception, 9:30 a. m.; Jan Williams Wins Area Spelling Bee; ARP’S Vote 58-30 To Build Mar rits Teeter Super Market; School men Answer Query On Consolida tion Alternates. MAY Neighbors Protest ARP Chur-1 ch Re-Zoning Bid; Ex-House Member Falls Says (Morgan Won’t Be Walled In; 2317 Per sons Registered For Mierger Vote;! Webster Also To Step Down Ifi Township Schools Merge; School Consolidation Election To Be Sat-1 urday; Raid On Clubs Gets Con ' traband Valued $50,000; Prelimi-| nary Census Report Shows City Population 8230; Grover Citizens Elated Over News New Post Or-! fiee Building Approved; Nancy■ Hovis To Go To Netherlands As Kings Mountain AFS Student;! ■Board Tackles School Merger Physical Problems; Registering! Over, Jousting Warming; Virgil Weathers Heads Democrats; Gro ver, Bethware Programs To (Be-, gin; Democrats To Name Nomi-j nees In Saturday Voting; Mann! Accepts Dixon Call; 'Bennett Asks; Reinstatement Of Carrigan; WhiteiMorgan Encounter Close; Graduation Exercises For KMHS Seniors To (Begin Sunday Even ing JUNE James Cranford Killed In Ear ly Morning Wreck; Morgan Edg es White In Close Senate Race;! Westmoreland Undecided A/bout Calling Runoff; Kings Mountain And County Went With Sanford In Primary; Restraining Order Sought To Block School Mierger; Eight Beauties Seek iMiss Kings Mountain’ Title; Bud Ware Rein stated To Police Duty Following Short Suspension; Temporary Or-1 der Restrains Consolidation Plans; Lions Eject Mr. Thomas son; Miss Kings Mountain Wins Two Trophies; $100,000 Damage Suit Is Filed; Democrats Make Gubernatorial Choice Saturday; National Guard Gains Top Honor; | School Officials To Answer Con-; solidation Plan Protest; Tentative! Tax Rate Unchanged From Last Year; Kings Mountain Virtually 'Assured Of New Armory; First Baptist Occupies New Sanctuary' Sunday; Terry Sanford Carries Kings Mountain And Cleveland: County In Primary; “Love The Lord And Work Hard”, Says 99 Yeai~01d Mrs. Whisenant (Continued On Page Bight) No Interference To Sunday Movie McSwain Reports Crowds Good, Sunday Booking Joy Theatre showed Walt Dis ney’s “Swiss Family Robinson” Sunday in violation of the city’s Sunday blue law, and without in terference or incident. I Eugene 'McSwain, manager of the theatre, said (he was very ple ased with Sunday’s crowds, thou-1 gh he declined to give attendance figures. He announced booking for Sun day, New Year’s Day, “Esther and the King,” another family entertainment film, this time with a Biblical theme. There was as yet no indications of interference on the part of city officials to prevent operation of the motion picture house on Sun days. Mayor Glee A. Bridges noted that the city codebook lists an or dinance prohibiting Sunday mo vies and other business opera tions, but provided no penalty for violation. He said he had instruc ted Chief of Police Mar tin Ware to initiate no action, unless war rants are sworn by individual ci tizens. Boyce Gault, city commission er, said Wednesday he had re ceived no protests from Kings ( Mountain citizens and termed public reaction "apathetic.” However, Rev. J. W. Phillips, president of Kings Mountain Ministerial association, still plans a protest of Sunday mov ies when the issue appears on the city board agenda. ‘‘The ministerial association appointed me to appear before the board even before last Sun day”, Mr. Phillips said. Screenings will be at 1:30, 3:25 and 9:00 p. m. Doors will open i at 1:15 and 8:45 p. m. The firm is owned by Stewart! & Everett, Inc., of Charlotte, j which operates theatres in more than 80 cities in the two Caro linas. At a city board meeting sev eral weeks ago, E. C Stellings, vice-president of Stewart & Ev erett, Inc., asked the city com missioners to rescind its ordinan ce banning Sunday movies, no ting that only three cities in whch hs firm operates retain so called “blue” laws. He also suggested that the city which operates a city swimming pool on Sundays in .the summer is discriminating with unfair competition when it prohibits showing of motion pictures. Sunday movies were legal here for about three months in 1955. The ban was reinstituted when a delegation of citizens, led by some of the community’s pastors, stormed the city hall in loud. protest. The Teir.stitution vote1 was 2-0, with a quorum present.1! The city code book, grouping all city ordinances, lists an or dinance prohibiting operation of business on Sundays (with ex ception of non-Grade “A” cafes and drug stares during specified, hours). Jaycees Invite DSA Nominees The Kings Mountain Junior Chamber of Commerce is invi-!, ting nominations for its 1960 Young Man of the Year award. ; Ollie Harris, Jr., chairman of the committee on the annual a ward, issued an invitation to all citizens to make nominations tor the honor, accorded to a Kings Mountain citizen, age 21 to 35,j who has made outstanding con-; tributions during I960 to the general community welfare, has shown evidence of leadership a bility, and evidence of personal i and business progress. The nominee will be selected by a secret committee of judges* Deadline for nominations for the award is January 15. Mr. Harris asked (that letters of nomination should be signed,, along with the address of the writer, and that details support ing the nomination should be in eluded. Letters should be addressed to DSA, PO Box 627, Kings Moun tain. SUCCUMBS—James T. Hull, re tired textile superintendent, died last week. He was 87. Rites Conducted Foi J. T. Hull Funeral rites for James Tho mas Hull, 87, were held Wednes day ait 4 p. m. from Grace Meth odist church, interment fallow ing in Mountain Rest cemetery. Mr. Hull, retired mill superin tendent and overseer, succumbed at his home Monday afternoon following an extended illness. He was a former employee of the Phenix Mill and of mills in Cherokee Fails, S. C., Fort Mill, S. C. and Bessemer City. His wife, Mrs. Mamie Cobb Hull died- in 1926. Surviving are two sons, Thur man R. Hull of the home and J. T. Hull, Jr. of Fort Mill; three dau ghters, Mrs. Wilma Kirby of Kings Mountain, Mrs. Rena Dell inger of Gastonia and Mrs. Pearl Hamm of Kannapolis; and one brother, Luther Hulll of Oramer ton. The rites were conducted by Rev. W. C. Sides, assisted by Rev. W. L.' Huffsitetler and Rev. C. R. Goodson. Mackey Estate Sues For $62,000 Administratrix of the estate of J. B. Mackey, kilted by carbon monoxide poisoning December 21, 1958, ihas entered suit in Cle veland Superior Court against Irvin M. Allen and others, alleg ng negligence caused Mackey’s death. •Damages of $62,000 are sought.1 Other defendants are I. M. Al-j len, Jr., City of Kings (Mountain, and 'two former city natural gas superintendents, V. L. Beachum! and Corbett Nicholson, and Her bert Mtcham and Gene Mitcham, formerly partners in Thte Appli ance Center. According to ithe complaint, Mrs. Florence Mackey -Whittle charges that I. M. Allen owned Royal Miotel, Where Mackey and Mlrs. Margaret Carswell Hamrick vere found dead. Death was rul 'd to have been caused by carbon monoxide poisoning. She alleges the Allens were legligemt in making proper in-1 spections of the premises to as sure safety of their guests and hat they were negligent in in specting the gas nuit heaters! vhich furnished heat to the mo-! tel units. She alleges that V. L. 'Beachum vas negligent in properly inspec ting the gas heaters when they vere installed, and that Corbett Nicholson was negligent in in-1 speotion of them after he became jas superintendent. She alleges the Mitohams, Who nstalled the heater units, were lareless in installing the heaters. Also alleged is that the unit waters were installed in 1956, subsequent to building of the mo (or court and subsequent to the nstallation of window air-condi tioning units. It is charged that the gas heater vents were placed! vithin three to four inches and facing the air intakes of the airj conditioners. Plaintiff alleges loxious carbon monoxide gas was irawn into the room occupied by Mackey and Mrs. Hamrick. T. Bruce Morton, of Brevard,; js attorney for plaintiff. METER RECEIPTS Parking meter receipts for the week ending Wednesday at j noon totaled $133.47, including j $114.77 from on-street meters, and $18.70 from off-street me ters, City Clerk Joe McDaniel reported. i Kings Mountain To Greet 1961 Traditionally Kings Mountain will welcome the New Year Saturday night in traditional fashion. SemipUblic and private parties will be the order of the day as friends gather to sing "Auld Lang Syne”, witness the passing of another calendar, and cel ebrate the oncoming new one. iMemlbers of the fire-razed Kings Mountain Country Club; will go to Shelby for their tradi-l tional New Year’s party, to be! held a night early on Friday at' thte Elk’s Club. Buffet supper! will he served at 7 o’clock, with dancing to follow from 8:30 to the music of Stooge Glenn’s or chest ra. On Saturday night, the Ameri can Legion will hold its annual New Year’s Eve dance, beginning at 9 o’clock, also with a dance 'band on hand for the occasion. With New Year’s Day falling on Sunday, few will enjoy the custo mary workday of rest. Exceptions include Kings Moun tain’s financial institutions, Which will be closed on Monday, city hall offices and Kings Moun tain postoffice. Majority of the city’s industri al establishments resume opera-1 ations this week and the remain er will resume regular production schedules on Monday. Retail business firms will be open on Monday. All city and county schools will resume operations Monday morn ing. / y I Prizes Awaiting New Year Baby Kings Mountain merchants have planned a welcome for the • New Year child in the Herald’s ! sixth annual New Year Baby contest. Kings Mountain's first new ci tizen of 1961 will be saluited with1 an array of gifts ranging from a silver cup to a car seat and gift certificates from many mer-1 chants for the parent’s choice of: needed baby supplies. Last year’s contest winner was Rickey Eugene Taylor, son of Mr. and Mrs. Eppson Taylor of 114 City Street. Dr. John C. McGill was attend ing physician, and the ba'by was delivered just 5 minutes after the New Year was ushered in. He also copped the honors in the county-wide first baby con test. Rules for the annual contest are that the baby must be born in the Kings Mountain area, his parents must be residents of this area, ana exact time of his birth must be authenticated by the at tending physician. Applications must be received at the Herald by close of business January 3, 1961. Jn the event of a tie, awards will be distributed at the discre tion of the contest committee. 'Participating in the contest with gifts for the new infant are Kings Mountain Drug Company, Plonk Brothers & Company, Del linger’s Jewel Shop, MbGinnis Furniture Company, Griffin’s Drug Store, Amos & Sons, Belk’s Department Store, Western Auto Associate Store, Grayson’s Jew elry, Medical Pharmacy, Coop er’s, Inc., Eagle’s Stores, and the Kings Mountain Herald. COURT RESCHEDULED The regular session of City Recorder’s Court has been re scheduled for Tuesday due to the New Year’s Holiday. Craftspun Sale Is Completed JOINS SALES FIRM — Harold J. Phillips has resigned as super intendent of Craftspun Yams, Inc., and has joined Southern Yarn Sales of Anderson, S. C. Phillips Joins Yam Sales Firm Harold J. Phillips, superiniten-1 dent and member of <the manage ment committee of Craftspun Yarns, Inc., has resigned to join Southern Yarn Sales' Company, of Anderson, S. C. Mr. Phillips is also associated with Scranton Lace Company, Scranton, Pa., former parent company of Craftspun, as pur chaser of raw materials. Mr. Phillips completed his du ties with Craftspun December 22. He became Craftspun superin tendent in 1954, after serving as general overseer of the firm be ginning in 1946. He became an employee of the firm, then under other ownership and name in 1932 when still a high school j student. After four years service | in the army in World War II, with duty in the European The-1 aitre, he returned to Kings Moun-! tain and irejoined his old firm. He is a graduate of the North Carolina Vocational school at Belmont, and studied cotton classing at Clemson college and time study at North Carolina State coMege. Mr. Phillips is a former city commissioner. 1961 Auto Plortes On Sale Tuesday City and State 1961 auto lic ense plates will go on sale Tuesday. State tags will be sold in Shelby and Gastonia and can be obtained by mail from the Department of Motor Vehidles, Raleigh. City tags will be on sale at the city hall office. They sejl for $1. Stafte l%w requires that new license tags, be displayed not later than February 16 and the city requirements coincide. INSTRUCTOR T. C. McKee of 501 Rhodes Ave. has been certified an offi cial hunter safety instructor becoming an essential part of a nation - wide program of fire arm safety education and of the Hunter Safety program of the N. C. Wildlife Resources Com mission. He is available to give information to others interested in this program. B. & Neill Retiring On Saturday After 42-Year Career In Banking IB. S. Neill, senior vice-president and chairman of the board of the’ Kings Mountain branch of First Union National bank, will com plete a 42-year banking career Saturday. Mr. Neill is retiring. His forthcoming retirement was announced formally at a din ner in his honor Tuesday night1 at the Woman's club, attended by j bank officials, personnel, direct ors and their wives. The bank presented (Mr. Neiil a handsome Hamilton wrist wat ch In appreciation of his service, which included 29 years as an of ficer of First National Bank of Kings Mountain and First Union National, with which First Na-j. tional was merged last year. Carl G. McCraw, of Charlotte, ; president of First Union Nation al, paid tribute to Mr. Neill for "all the fine traits of character Which make him the gentleman he is.” i Mr. Neill commented briefly, “I had to pinch myself to know, who he was talking about.” (Continued On Page EightJ ' RETIRING — B. S. NeilL senior rice-president of First Union National Bank's Kings Mountain oranch, is retiring effective Sat urday. He joined the former First National Bank 29 years ago. I Buyers Unnamed; R. G. Stewart Superintendent R. G. Stewart, of Belmont, has assumed the superintendency of Crafltspun Yams, Inc., for the yet-unnamed purchasers of the capital stock of the Kings Moun tain yarn producer. Mr. Stewart said Wednesday he is at liberty to make no an nouncements on identity of the new ownership, plans for opera tion, and added that any date he might give for the firm’s getting into production "would be a wild guess”. He confirmed that the trans action in which new owners pur chased the Graftspun stock, via federal court approval, had been completed and said the firm will produce yarns. Harold Phillips, former super intendent, resigned last week, and Mr. Stewart, who said he’d been associated with the new owners for a short time prior to completion of the transaction, took over the superintendent’s desk last Flriday. He said announcements would be forthcoming in the future. The former owners of Graft spun, Scranton Lace Corporation of Scranton, Pa., suspended op erations several weeks ago, ter minating employment for more than 200 persons. Mr. Stewart has been associa ted with Lineberger Mil'ls, of Bel mont, for the past 16 years, for the past 12 as a superintendent and previously as an overseer. He is a native of York County, S. C., and has spent most of his life in textiles. He is a member of Belmont’s Centarview Baptist church. Listing Of Taxes To Start Tuesday Annual city and county tax listing will begin Tuesday. Township lister, Conrad Hugh es, and city tax lister, M. H. Biser, will foe at city hall court room, daily except Saturdays to handle the listing chore. Schedule will be ithe same as in past years, from 8 a. m. to noon, and from 1 to 4:30 p. m. On Saturdays, Mr. Hughes will be at Grover to occommodate cit izens of the Grover ar">a, at R. E. Hambright's store. The listing officials renewed the annual plea for citizens to list their properties early, for mutual convenience. They point ed out that citizens who wait until late in the listing period, which ends by law on January Jl, face the prospect of delays or penalities for 'listing late or failure to list their properties. The law requires that all citi - sens list both personal and real properties for taxes. In effect, real property is auto matically listed. Howvere, citi sens who have sold or purchased reail estate during the1 year year should call attention to these transfers when making their returns. All personal property is re quired to foe listed for taxes, in cluding automobiles, jewelry, household goods, television sets, firearms, and dogs. Business firms list inventories on a spee al form marled by the county supervisor. Men between une ages of 21 ind 50 are required to list for soil taxes. Schedule Change On Claims-Taking Claims for unemployment compensation of former em ployees of Craftspun Yams, [nc., will be taken at city hail courtroom Tuesday, beginning at 9 o’clock, John Fleming, manager of the Shelby em ployment commission office said Wednesday. Customarily, the claims for the Craftspun ‘'spot point” were taken in the afternoon, but the change was made due to fact city recorder’s court will be held in the courtroom Tuesday afternoon. The regular schedule wWl be resumed on Tuesday, January 10, Mr. Fleming added.