Newspapers / The Kings Mountain Herald … / Feb. 2, 1961, edition 1 / Page 1
Part of The Kings Mountain Herald (Kings Mountain, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
Population Greater Kings Mountain 10,320 City Limits 8,008 This fl»ure for Greater Kings Mountain is derived from tin 1955 Kings Mountain city directory census. The city limits figure is from the United States census of I960. Kings Mountain's Reliable Newspaper U Pages Today VOL 72 No. 5 Established 1889 Kings Mountain, N. C., Thursday, February 2, ! 961 Seventv-Second Year p&irp TPM r'PMTC Local News Bulletins NO PERMITS City Building Inspector M. H. Baser issued no building permits during the past week. TO CONVENTION Mr. and Mrs. Martin Har mon will go to Chapel Hill Thursday where they will at tend the annual Mid-Winter Institute of the North Carolina Press association. RECUPERATING N. F. McGill is reported re cuperating satisfactorily from a cardiac ailment at his home, members of his family report. IN FRATERNITY James Pressly, student at Davidson college, has been in itiated into the North Carolina Alpha chapter of Alpha Epsi lon Delta, national honorary pre-medical fraternity. He is the son of Dr. and Mrs. W. L. Pressly of Kings Mountain. PLEDGES FRATERNITY James C. Blanton, Kings Mountain student at East Car olina college at Greenville, has pledged Kappa Order social fraternity. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Dewitt Blanton. ROTARY CLUB Dr. Avery W. McMurray, representative of the Cleveland County Cancer Society, will present the program at Thurs day’s meeting of the Rotary club. The club convenes at 12:15 at the Country Club. LEGION MEETING Regular meeting of Otis D. Green Post 155, the American Legion, will be held Friday at 8 p. m. ait the Legion Hall, it has been announced. COMMUNION Communion will be admin istered immediately following the morning service this Sun day at St. Matthew’s Lutheran church. This is especially im portant for those who will be unable Ifeo partake at the reg ular evening service, Ash Wed nesday, February 15ith. ATTENDED CONFERENCE Rev. Wayne Ashe, pastor of Macedonia Baptist church and Mrs. Ashe attended ifche Bap tist Pastors’ Evangelistic Con ference Monday Tuesday and Wednesday of this week held 'at Wake, Forest College in Winston-Salem. CAKE SALE Young people of Boyce Mem orial ARP church will sell homemade cakes at Phifer Hardware Saturday morning beginning alt 9 a. m’., if has been announced. AT BEAUTY SHOP Miss Dorothy Wells, owner and operator of Modem Beau ty Shop, is returning to work after an absence due to illness. Mrs. J. B. Falls, other member of the staff, continues as its manager during Miss Wells’ absence. OPTIMISTS MEET Jake Early, temporary presi dent of the Kings Mountain Optimists Club, reported this week the group will meet Thursday at 7:30 at the Ameri can Legion Halil. The session will be a non-dinner meeting. Grange Chapter Planned Here Virgil Settle, special deputy ol North Carolina State Grange, wiil-1 be art Berthware School at 7:30 Thursday night ito complete the organization of a local Gran ge unit. Myers Hambrighit, Rethware School! agriculture teacher, made the announcement Wednesday afternoon and inviited all local citizens to attend. Mr. Hambright noted thait the Grange is a family-farm organ ization which develops rooted rural policies, contributes to good citizenship, and gets to the heart of key issues. St's precepts are to 1) use youx talents, 2) speak your opinions, 3) share your experiences, 4) ex e iv your influence, and 5) stimu late action. The organizational meeting will be hdld in the Home econo mies classroom. Armory Problems Still Unsolved New Estimate On Local Funds Lowered $1400 Probabilities of fruition of Kings Mountain’s National Guard Armory project were not enhanced during the past week. The problem continued to hin ge on obtaining sufficient local funds to deposit with the state by June 1. Meantime, the city, which has committed itself to provide $20, 000 for the project, was hitting a few stump-holes, too, in efforts to raise the money by the con tract-award date. Already, the city has queried the attorney-general’s office on borrowing some funds for the armory project from another un expended city balance and had been told the borrowing would not be legal. Another route envisioned by the City was a sma/11 bond issue, under state law empowering lo cal government to borrow, with out a vote of citizens, up to two thirds of the government unit’s net debt retirement of the previ ous year. The city’s 1959-60 net debt retirement was $29,000, which would make it possible for the city to issue bonds of $19,000. Net from this source, af ter expenses, might leave about $18,000. ' However, on inquiry, John T. Mcarisey, general counsel for the North Carolina League of raun idpalties, wrote Mayor Glee A. Bridges /that the North Carolina attorney-general has consistent ly rulled that funds for armory construction is a necessary gov ernmental expense. “However,” the attorney con tinued, “to the best of my know ledge the North Carolina Su preme Court has not specifically held Armory purposes to be necessary expenses. The bond at torneys would probably require a test case before approving bonds for this purpose..” He suggested further that a specific inquiry be forwarded to the attorney general. Necessity for a test case before the Supreme Court, City officials say, would probably prevent use of this route to obtain funds by June 1. One slight and beneficial change was noted in a letter to Capt. Humes Houston, guard company commanding officer, from Adjutant-General Capus Waynick. The general, in reviewing the prior actions and future time table on the Kings Mountain Ar mory project, wrote that the lo cal share (17.5 percent) of the construction costs will be deter mined at the time bids are op ened. He estimated these funds at $24,500, or $1400 less than pre vious estimates and reiterated that the funds must be in state department hands prior to a warding contracts. There was still no succinct answer to the Mayor’s prior in quiry regarding delay of the project into the 1961-62 fiscal year. However, the adjutant general stated to Capt. Houston, (Continued on Page Eight) World Day Oi Prayer Program Scheduled Kings Mountain’s World Day of Prayer service will be held on Friday, Feburary 17th, at 3:30 p. m. -at First Baptist church. Plans for the program are under sponsorship of the Kings Mountain Council of United ChuTch Women. Women from the varoius churches in the community will participate in the service. Theme of the program, “For ward Through the Ages” will emphasize the 75th anniver sary of World Day erf F;ayer and offering will be used for the migrant ministry in the U. S. Mis. Paysour's Rites Conducted -Funeral rites for (Mrs. Sarah Elizabeth Baxter Payseur, 86, widow of B. R. Payseur, were held Saturday -at 2 p. m. from Central Methodist chtiroh, of which she was a member. (Mrs. Payseur succumbed at her home on Cleveland Avenue Thurs day afternoon. She was the daughter of the laite Peter and Baxter Payseur. She is survived by two sons, B. Glenn and J. Baxter Payseur, -both of Kings Mountain; three brothers, K. C. Baxter of Han over, Pa., Carl A. Baxter of Gas tonia and William D. Baxter of Vaildese. A grandson, James Bax ter Payseur, Jr. also survives. Rev. Herbert D. Garmon, as sisted by Rev. W. C. Sides, con ducted -the final rites. Interment was in Mountain Rest cemetery. Active -pallbearers were Floyd Payne and Robert Payne, Kings Mountain; Jack Payne of Gas tonia, Cone and Paul Howell of Cherryvil-le -and Blaine Baxter of Shelby. They are nephews and cousins of Mrs. Payaeu-r. Serving as flower bearers were Mrs. Y. F. Throneburg, Mrs. Floyd Payne, Mrs. Edith Gofor th, Mirs. M. H. Biser, Mrs. Nell Bum-gaxdner, Mrs. Ralph Maun ey, -and Mis. Arthur Walker. A quartet from the church choir had charge of the music. Mother's March Tuesday Night The 'Junior Woman’s Club will conduct (the Mother’s March on Polio Tuesday night from 7 un til 9 p. m. Club members will gather at the clubhouse to begin the can vass for funds to be used for treatment and rehabilitation of polio victims. Kings Mountain citizens who wish to donate to the March of Dimes should leave their porch lights burning and dlub mem bers will call at their homes to receive their donations. Campaign goal of the Cleve land County chapter of the Na tional Association for Infantile Paralysis is $20,000. Tom Tate Kings Mountain area chairman, pointed out. He noted that Cleve land county was hard hit by po lio during 1960, numbering 41 of the state’s 86 oases. Hospital Wing To Be Inspected . Bv State And Federal Officials Officials of the North Caro lina Medical Care commission and the U. S. Public Health Ser vice will 'be in Kings Mountain Tuesday ito inspect the 25-bed addition to Kings Mountain hos pital. Anticipating approval of the 50 percent addition, hospital of ficials say they hope to begin using Ithe new wing about Feb ruary 15 — or as quickly as fur niture for the rooms arrives. Shipment of the furniture has been made. Business Manager Grady Howard said. While actual construction of the new wing is complete, por tions of the expansion and irtv piovemenrt of facilities remain to be done. Also on Tuesday, hospital dk eotars will open bids on an e mergency power generator and far air-conditioning at Hie hospi tal operating mans. Mr. Howard said it was anti - cipated the hospital will hold open house, in order thait Ithe public may inspect the new ad dition, in May or June, depend ing on compleation of the re maining projects. Opened in April 1951 as a 22 bed facility, Kings Mountain Hospital has now been expand ed for the (third (time, additional to building a nurse’s residence. Completion of the present building program will increase the investment in the plant and equipment ito more than $1,000, 000. All of the major construction projects have been federal-state local projects, with each govern mental unit supplying a portion of the construction funds. Cleve land County’s part is approxi mately one-third in the total .in vestment The hospital is now operated as a non-profit corporation. Thrift To Enter Second Degree Guilty Plea Ben Thrift, Pleasant Hill com munity farmer, is expected tOj plea guilty to a second degree murder charge in Cleveland Su perior Court Thursday for the alleged August 23 shotgun slay ing of his wife, Dona Jolley Thrift Thrift is represented by court appointed attorney Lynden Hobbs. Solicitor B. T. Falls, Jr., said he would accept the plea. A charge of second degree \ murder, on conviction, carries a 2-to-20 year sentence. The slaying, witnessed by the Thrift couplle’s 13-yoaf-old dau ghter Katherine, Reportedly j stemmed from a family squab ble. Deputy Sheriff George Allen, I at the time of the arrest, said I Thrift had been drinking and; “rowdy” the morning of the slay-1 ing and had slapped his wife. Mrs. Thrift packed some cloth es and told her husband she was leaving. She was standing on the front steps of her home when her hus band came around the corner of the house and discharged the weapon. Mrs. Thrift died instantly. Action (taken by Cleveland Su perior Court in Wednesday ses sion Included: Billy Styems, 23, aiding and a beltting a robbery and assault, 12-18 months. Earl Sanders, carrying a con cealed weapon, six months or costs — public drunkenness and resisting arrest, prayer for judg ment continued. Kings Mountain defendants not yet caHed include John Daw kins, assault With a deadly wea pon, and violation of prohibi tion law; Curtis Grem, public drunkenness and usii'g profane language; John Roosevelt A dams, bigamy; Jimmy B. Harris on, breaking and entering; Mack E. Johnson, breaking and enter ing; and Waiter J. Riley, crime against nature, and assault on a female. I. W. Ledford's Rites Conducted Funeral rites for Irvin William (Bucky) Ledford, 64, were held Sunday art 3 p. m. from Second Baptist chuiich, interment follow ing in Mountain Rest cemetery. Mr. Ledford succumbed Friday morning of a heart attack. He had been in ill health the past several months. A retired master mechanic at Burlington Mills, Mr. Ledford was a native of Cherokee coun ty, son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Sanford Ledford. He was a mem ber of Liberty Baptist church at Murphy. He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Ruth Henson Ledford; three daughters, Mrs. M. L. Chaney of Rocky Mount, Mrs. Charles Wor tham of Douglasville, Ga., Mrs. C. L. Henderson of Salem, Ore gon, and four sons, Wilson and Jerry Ledford of Kings Moun tain, Jack Ledford of Charlotte and Edward Ledford, student at Wake Forest college. Also surviving are three broth ers, Charles Ledford of Gastonia, Lester Ledford of Murphy, Elmer Ledford of Fitzbury, Mass., and three sistens, Mrs. J. M. Taylor of Turtletown, Tenn., Mirs. S. H. Reid and Mrs. Guy Eller of Mur phy, and 14 grandchildren. The final rites were conducted by Rev. Albert Hastings, assist ed by Rev. C. C. Parker and Rev. Earl Oxford. Postman Retiring After Long Service Lloyd Phifer, Kings Mountain postman for more (than 40 years, retired (this month. Erwin Hughes is now carrier on rural route three. (A rural mail carrier since November 1, 1920, Mr. Phifer celebrated his 70th birthday January 19th and he was man datorily retired from service as of January 31st. Commenting on Mr. Phifer”s retirement Postmaster Charles L. Alexander said, ‘It is with regret that the local post of fice gives up one of its ace ru ral carriers who has served his route tor more than 40 years. During his tenure he has han dled his job well and in a man ner that reflects honor upon the service. Many people have commented on the friendly and efficient way in which he ser ved his route.” Legal Tangles Could Delay High School Bond Election City And County Report Heavy Tax Collections Cash flowed heavily info city and county coffers during the past week, as citizens rushed t< pay taxes before ithe penality per. iod begins Thursday. Collections Wednesday morn ing, Cilty Tax Collector M. H. Bi ser reported, totalled $150,333 foi the fiscal year, including $128, 111 of the 1960 current levy ol $163,429. The 1960 collections represented 78.4 percent of the levy. Total city (tax payments dur ing January were $31,394, Mr Biser .reported, including $24,591= on the 1960 levy and the remain der for 1959 and prior years. Fiscal year collections to date were about $20,000 over collect ions during ithe comparable per iod last year. Robert Gidney, county tax col lector, said he didn’t have im mediately up-to-date totals on county collections, but that col lections of the current $1,838,000 levy approximaed 78 percent, the past three days exceeding with especially heavy collections $50,000. “We’re still opening to day’s mail, and more tax pay ments are being credited,” he added. He estimated January county tax collections are more than $200,000 and said be felt the total was a record January collection, Penalty of one percent applies on unpaid 1960 Itax bills Thurs day. An additional one percent penalty applies in March. Accident Fatal To Christopher Arlen A. Christopher, 27-year old Shelbian, was killed instant ly Sunday night at 10 o’clock when his car struck a tractor trailer being operated by John E. Holleyman, of Alabama. Ironically, Christopher was >n his way to borrow another -ar in which ito drive his infant sen, Gary Lee, to Duke hospital where the child was to undergo heart surgery this week. The Christopher car was hit by a Bowman Transportation Co. truck in the northbound lane of the highway of what Christopher apparently thought was a divi ied traffic section. For several niles the divided highway is i arrowed to two lanes with tr affic traveling in each direction. Cleveland County Coroner J. 311ie Harris ruled the accident jnavoidable. Mr. Christopher died of a frac tured skull and multiple Injur ies, according to the coroner’s -eport. Investigating Officer A. 0. Kimbrell said a witness, Da vid V. Myers, of Gastonia, re ported the Shelby car passed am "just this side of the York :oad bridge on the wrong side yf the road." The wreck occurred 3-4 mile north of the Dixon school road >pot about 2 1-2 miles south of Kings Mountain wehe accidents previously had Claimed the lives yf four. Funeral rites were held Wed nesday at 3:30 p. m. from High land Baptist church of Shelby, interment following in Sunset •emertery. Surviving are his wife, his mo :her, one son, three brothers and :hree sisters. 865 TAGS SOLD A total of 865 city automo bile license tags for 1961 had been sold Wednesday morn ing, City Clerk Joe McDaniel reported. The tags are requir ed to be displayed on autos by February 16. MEN'S MEETING Boyce Memorial ARP Men of the Church will hear an ad dress by John Kimmons, of Statesville, recently returned from Pakistan, aft a supper meeting aft the church Monday night at 7 o'clock. ELECTED — W. G. (Bill) Jonas was elected this week to serve as president of the Kings Moun tain Merchants association for the coming year. He will succeed Charles Blanton. Retailers Name Jonas President William G. Jonas, manager of ■the personal loan department of First Union National bank, has been elected president of the Kings Mountain Merchants As sociation for 1961-62, according to results of 'association mem - bers annual balloting completed Wednesday. Mr. Jonas will succeed Charles Blanton, of Kings Mountain Drug Company. The new president and Other newly elected officers and direc tors will be installed at the as sociation’s annual banquet on March 24, President Blanton an nounced. Eleated vice-president of the association was Odus Smith, owner of Western Auto Associate Store. Four directors were elected for two-year terms. They are Ollie Harris, Sr., Hariris Funeral Home; W. D. Morrison, Victory Chevro let Company; Robert: O. South - well, Plonk Motor Oompapy; and Mrs. Marie Beatty, Belk’s De partment Store. Hold-over directors include J. Kennon Blanton, Sterchi’s; W. S. Fulton, Jr., Fulton’s Department Store; Harry Page, Page’s Men’s Store; and Thomas A. Tate, Home Savings & Loan associ ! ation. An ex officio member of the board will be the retiring president. School Group To Organize Charter members of the Cleve land County Citizens Committee for Better Schools will organize at a dinner meeting at the Shel by high school cafeteria Monday evening at 6:30. Plans for the organization meeting were announced by C. Rush Hamrick, Jr., acting chair man, who said that Raymond Stone, executive secretary of the state-wide committee will ad (Continued On Page Eight) School District 'Secession" Law May Be Sought Legal technicalities attending the effont of a group of county school district citizens to stay out of the Kings Mountain dis trict may delay conducting a bond issue election for a new high school in the expanded dis trict. In a suit brought by these ci tizens seeking to abrogate the May 14 consolidation election, the attorneys for plaintiffs took a voluntary non-suit, meantime contending that the statutes per mit them to re-open the suit within 12 months. Meantime B. T. Falls, Jr., one of the attorneys for the contest ing citizens, said Wednesday he and A. A. Powell, also retained by the plaintiffs, expect to con fer in Raleigh soon with Attor ney-General Wade Bruton and Dr. C. C. Carroll, state superin tendent of public instruction, concerning their attitude on sp ecial Legilation to permit certain segments of the newly consolida ted district to withdraw or se cede. Attorney Falls commented that present staulttes permit expan sion of a city district, but do not provide machinery for withdra wal from it. During the litigation of last year, voluntarily non-suited in in late November, attorneys for plaintiffs had sought a eompro I raise wheerhy some areas of the expanded district would be re turned to the county. Defendants took the position the statutes did not grant authority to compro mise results of an election. First step in obtaining a dis trict bond election for a new high school plant is approval by bond attorneys. Both J. R. Davis, attorney for the city district, and Attorney Falls agree that bond attorneys are urtlikely to ap prove election with a threat of litigation pending. Attorney Davis acknowledges (Continued On Page Eight) Two Receive College Degrees Two Kings Mountain area stu dents received degrees in mid year commencement exercises Saturday at Clemson College. Douglas Woodrow Wilson of Kings Mountain was graduated with a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering and Farrln Scott Wright of Grover was graduated with a bachelor of science degree in agricultural engineering. Clemson College granted a to tal of 131 academic degrees at its mid - year Commencement. President Robert C. Edwards conferred the degrees and award ed diplomas. Dr. Boyce M. Grier, president of Lander college at Greenwood, delivered the gradu-; ation address. Son of Mr. and Mrs. Woodrow Wilson of Kings Mountain, Mu'. Wilson has accepted work with the TVA at Knoxville, Tenn. Mr. Wright is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Stough Wright of Grover. Kings Mountain Area Has 202-Pint Blood Deficit; Collection Monday Kings Mountain and Number; 4 Township are in debit for blood-! for 'the current fiscal year, the' Red Cross Blood Center reports.; Local officials point to the re port as an extra reason for giv-! ing blood here Monday, when the Red Cross Bloodmobile comes to the Woman’s Club for a reg-1 ulair coHledtion, and have upped the customary 125-piht goal to 150. Since July 1, Number 4,Town ship citizens have used 475 pints of blood, compared to collections since that date of 273 pints, Mrs. O. W. Myers, Red Cross chapter; blood program chairman said for a deficit of 202 pintta. "These figures speak far them selves,” Mrs. Myers noted. "They show the urgent need tor donors to respond now, not only far hu manitarian reasons but because Kings Mountain can’t continue borrowing blood indefinitely.” Mrs. Myers pointed out that every family using blood—pro vided on need at no cost—has a moral obligation to replace the blood. ‘‘The recipient family is mere- j ly returning a gift that it might be available for use by someone else, In event of illness, surgery or accident,” Mrs. Myers contin ued. Recent report of the Charlotte Regional Blood center shows blood reserves critieajly low, due to high demand and cancellation of four collections due to last week's icy weather. The Bkxxknotoile will be set up ait the Woman's Club Monday from 11 a. m. to 5 p. m. to pro cess donors. Plan For Use Of Property Not Definite BY MARTIN HARMON Parkdale Mills, Inc.,'of Gas tonia, this week purchased the Whiti ington Manufacturing Company property, known more r miliarly here as the old Phenix oi Loom-Tex property. '■'he transaction was completed Monday at a purchase price of $70,000. The new ov.mers, General Su perintendent M. R. Adams said Wadno day, as yet have no de finite p’ans for use of the build ings bu r ' m' 1 to make their plans known as quickly as they are completed. Parkdale Mills manufactures knitting yarns and have a repu tation in local textile circles as top grade manufacturers of high grade yarns. Mr. Adams said the new own er is clearing the railway spur track into the plant and the warehouse for immediate use for cotton storage. Spangler Realty Company, of Shdlby, represented the sellers in the transaction. The plant has been idle for seven to eight yearns and has been owned by several different firms, includiinig Burlington In dustries, during the past 20 years. (After sale to DuGwrt Mills, Inc., (the plant later went into bankruptcy and was subse quently purchased by the Lester Martin Textile interests, in the name of Loom-Tex Corporation. It was subsequently sold to an other Martin textille firm, Con solidated Textiles, Inc., and a gain was transferred (to yet an other Martin corporation,' Whit tington Corporation. Mr. Martin died several months ago. In 1955, virtually all of the machinery, valued for tax pur poses ait $151,000, was removed, and houses owned by the com pany were sold to individuals. Mr. Adams said the Parkdale acquisition included "what’s in side the fence”, a tract of about 6.5 aores with buildings provid ing about 86,000 square feet of floor space. The buildings inclu de one occupied by Phenix Store and Phenix Barber Shop. Before (it suspended operations, the plant had provided employ ment for more than 200 persons. Mai A. Spangler, Sr., of Shel by, head of the realty firm rep resenting the selling firm, guess ed he had shown the property to a minimum of 50 prospective buyers during the several years he had represented the owners as agent. Officers of Parkdale Mills, Inc., are W. L. Robinson, Gastonia, president and treasurer, and W. D. Kimhrell, of Gastonia, secre tary and assistant treasurer. Parkdale Not Craitspun Owner Parkdale Mills, Inc., is not the new owner of Oraftspun Yams, Inc., another Kings Mountain textile firm of which ownership recently changed. New ownership of Craftspun hasn’t been revealed. Asked to comment on rumors that Parkdale was also the new owner of Oraftspun, M. R. A dams, Parkdale general superin tendent, replied, “No.” He said Parkdale officials had been aiding the new Craftspun ownership in plans for revamp ing the operation, but that the Gastonia firm is not the owner. Craftspun. officials reported recently they’re making good progress on renovating the mill. Much of the machinery has been removed, some being sold and some being junked. Meantime, work on the building is under way to ready it for air-condition ing. Craftspun representatives an nounced plans in December do renovate and modernize the mill extensively, with hopes to get In to production by April 1. It was stated that the mill would be outfitted with a mini mum of 75 percent new mach inery. TO MINISTERS MEET Rev. W. D. Garmon, pastor of Central Methodist church, at tended an evangelistic mission for the ministers of the West ern N. C. Conference in Char lotte last week. Mr. Garmon is a member of this board and district director of evangelism.
The Kings Mountain Herald (Kings Mountain, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Feb. 2, 1961, edition 1
1
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75