Population
Greater Kings Mountain 21,914
City Limits 8,256
Tha Greater Kings Mountain figure is derived from the
special United States Bureau of the Census report of
January 1966. and includes the 14.990 population of
Number 4 Township, and the remaining 6,124 from
Number 5 Township, in Cleveland County and Crowder's
Mountain Township in Gaston County.
Pages
Today
VOL 78 No. 11
Established 1889
Kings Moiitain, N. C., Thursday, March 16, 1967
Seventy-Eign.th Year
PRICE TEN CENTS
Full Priority Approval For $388,500 Sewer Grant
Over 100, Not Over 200, PHA Dwelling Units Here
HAA Economist
Here On Monday
For Needs Survey
^ Dy MARTIN HARMON
™An economist of the regional
office of the Housing Assistance
Agency Department of Housing
and Urban Development will rec
ommend “more than 100, but not
more than 200” public housing
units for Kings Mountain.
Miss Frances Barrett, of At
lanta, made the statement Mon
day in a forum on public hous
ing, after completing a tour of
the city and areas within a mile
of the city limits in a survey of
the community’s rental housing.
The Kings Mountain Public
Housing Authority had filed an
application for 400 units.
Miss Barrett is to return next
week to complete her survey.
Present at the forum were J.
Wilson Crawford, real estate
broker, Mrs. J. E. Mauney, own
er of rental housing, Tom Tate,
secretary - treasurer of Home
Savings & . Loan Association,
Frank Ballard, grocer and owner
of rental housing Mayor John
Henry Moss, and William Orr
and Martin Harmon, members of
the board of directors of Kings
Mountain Public Housing Auth
ority.
Among statements made by
fjss Barrett:
Families with gross income
ove stipulated amounts are in
eligible to be public housing ten
ants, with exception of recipients
of social security.
2) The term “sub-standard
house” has many definitions. She
added any dwelling without san
itation facilities is automatically
sub-standard, as is a two-family
dwelling with only one bath.
3) Public housing develop
ments, with which she has been
acquainted since 1942, have not
dislocated local wage scales.
4) Public housing encourages
landlords to upgrade rental
property and to attract tenants
more able to pay.
5) The local housing authority
has the power of iminent do
main, is required by law to em
ploy professional licensed ap
praisers when purchasing build
ing sites.
6) Her agency supplies plan
ning funds and construction
funds for projects until they are
90 percent complete. The local
authority then sells bonds, re
pays the government loan, and
amortizes the bonds. Deficits for
bond payments are underwritten
by the federal government.
7) Tenants in public housing
who prove undesirable, or who
mutilate their dwelling, are
evicted.
8) Undesirables may be denied
fej mission, even when meeting
■e annual income test.
9) Many families have greater
annual income than they think
they do.
Authority Chairman John L.
McGill entertained Miss Barrett,,
Mayor Moss and members of the
authority at lunch, where Mr.
McGill noted the application for
400 housing units was based on
a survey by the North Carolina
Department of Conservation and
Development. The survey re
vealed 32.3 percent of Kings
Mountain dwellings to be sub
standard and 30 percent of Kings
Mountain families with annual
incomes of $3000 or less.
Six Win Ratings
In Piano Contests
Frances McGill, daughter of Dr.
and Mrs. John C. McGill, and
Jane Anthony, daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. James Anthony, won
ratings of 11 or excellent in the
North Carolina Music Teacher’s
Association District Contest at
Lenoir Rhyne college in Hickory
Saturday,
They played in the Senior high
school division.
Playing in the Junior high con
test and receiving ratings of 111
or good were Barbara Hord
MSughter of Dr. and Mrs. D. F.
^Rord; Lynn Bridges, daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. Glee E. Bridges;
Laura Ann Hudson, daughter of
Mrs. Shirley Houser Hudson; and
Meredith McGill, dai^hter of Dr.
and Mrs. John C. McGill.
The six students are pupils of
Mrs. Martin Harmon,
Babb Candidate
For School Post
CANDIDATE — Bill Babb,
Bethware community, citizen,
filed notice of candidacy Mon
day for the Kings Mountain
district board of education.
Shaney Wants
More Officers
Richard E. (Dick) Shaney, can
didate for Ward 5 Commissioner,
issued a statement Wednesday in
which he declared Kings Moun
tain needs more, better-trained
and better paid policemen and an
adequate year-round recreation
program.
Mr. Shaney’s statement fol
lows:
“Our police department, like
many other law enforcement ag
encies in the state are under
staffed, underpaid, and in need
of additional training in order to
cope with the rising crime sta
tistics.
STILL STRUTTIN'
In last week’s Herald story
concerning Richard E. (Dick)
Shaney’s candidacy for the
city board of commissioners,
the statement was made that
his father was the late profes
sional baseball pitcher, Strut
in’ Bud Shaney. The lineage is
correct, but Mr. Shaney, the el
der, is not late. “He’s 67 and
still working every day,” the
commission candidate reports.
“It is virtually impossible for
an understaffed department such
•as ours, to hold their own, much
less show a reduction in crime
and accidents. In a town the size
of Kings Mountain, we need twice
the force we now have to ade
quately patrol, but where do we
get them?
“Many police departments
throughout our country have
been unsuccessful in recruiting
(Continued On Page Eight)
School Board
Filee Is Lone
Additional Entry
Bill Babb, owner of Babb’s
Garage became the first candi
date for the board of education,
as he filed with the city clerk
Monday.
Mr. Babb seeks the seat in
the outside-city district being va
cated by H. O. (Toby) Williams.
The term of office is six years.
Mr. Babb's filing was the lone
formal political activity of the
week.
Richard E. (Dick) Shaney is
challenging Ward 5 City Commis
sioner O. O. Walker.
No other candidates have filed
and the rumor mill produced lit
tle grist.
All other members of the John
Henry Moss Administration are
expected to seek re-election, in
cluding the Mayor, Commission
ers Ray Cline, Ward 1; W. S.
Biddix, Ward 2; T- J- (Tommy
Ellison, Ward 3; and Norman
King, Ward 4.
James IL. Guyton has indicated
he will seek the Ward 3 seat
and Dewey Styers is rumored
a possible challenger to Norman
King, who defeated Mr. Styers
two years ago.
On basis of past history, there
is certain to be another candi
date for the Ward 5 seat from
the Negro community. Hazel Gill,
who has offered previously, is
being mentioned among Negro
leaders as a possible candidate
as is Leroy Blanton.
Kelly Bunch has indicated he
will seek the school board seat.
Candidate ’Babb is Bethware
community citizen, a member and
deacon and teacher in David’s
Baptist church, a Mason, volun
teer fireman with the Bethlehem
department, active in the Beth
ware Parent-Teacher association,
and Bethware Community Fair.
Mrs. Babb is the former Betty
Jean Harmon. They have three
children, Gary, Susan and Kevin
'Babb.
Lions To Honor
Area Farmers
Annual Farmer’s Night ban
quet of the Kings Mountain 'Lions
club will be held Tuesday night,
March 28th, at 7 p.m. at the
Woman’s club.
Lion Bill Plonk is chairman
of the arrangements committee
for the event which honors far
mers of the area.
Lions are asked to make reser
vations for themselves and guests
with Lion Plonk.
Morrison Proffers Property Gift
For Buffalo Creek Water Project
By MARTIN HARMON
Did it rain over the past week
end?
Not enough for Kings Moun
tain’s Public Works Superintend
ent Grady Yelton.
Duly appreciative of th^ heavy
rainfall, Supt. Yelton still points
to the low level of the city’s two
water reservoirs. He estimates
the auxiliary Davidson Lake at
16 feet from spillover point, while
the York Road Lake is six feet
from spillover.
Supt. Yelton hopes and prays
that, come May 1, both resevoirs
will have reached spillover. Oth
erwise, it may literally be a long,
hot and dry summer.
Other waterfront news:
11 In spite of the weather, the
new two-million gallon water
tank on Cherryville Road was
tapped into the system Sunday.
Interior painting must be com
pleted before water begins flow
ing into the big tank.
2> The city continues to pump
water from the old Gold Mine
shaft off York road around-the
clock.
3) 1 The city continues to pump
from the wells off McGinnis
street, which was the water sup
ply in 1923-1928. At peak 135,000
gallons daily is attainable, but
not on a round-the-clock basis.
4) Mayor John Henry Moss,
City Engineer W. K. Dickson and
Gary Hicks, of the Department
of Conservation and Develop
ment’s community planning divi
sion conferred Wednesday in At
lanta with regional officials of
the Department of Housing and
Urban Development concerning a
federal grant for the city’s Buf
falo Creek water project. Indi
cated grant is $350,000.
5) Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins Mor
rison who farm and raise cattle
on a farm of 160 acres on the
east side of Buffalo Creek visited
the Mayor’s office Tuesday to
tell him they would contribute to
the city a percentage of the ap
praised value of their acreage the
Buffalo resevoir inundates. "I'm
not worried about how much ac
creage,” Mr. Morrison said. “I
want to help get this lake.”
Mrs. Murray Dies,
Child, Husband
Are Wounded
Mrs. Mae Tesseneer Murray,
33-year-old Shelby mother of
two, was killed and one of her
daughters and her estranged hus
band were wounded in a shoot
ing Wednesday morning about
8:30 at her home off West Ma
rion street in Shelby.
Mrs. Murray is daughter of
Beacher Tesseneer of route 2,
Kings Mountain.
Funeral arrangements were in
complete Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.
Lutz-Austell Funeral Home, Shel
by, is in charge.
Mrs. Murray was killed by a
blast from a single barrel 20
| gauge shotgun. A daughter, I/in
da, age five, suffered buckshot
wounds of the face but was re
ported in fairly .good condition
at Cleveland Memorial hospital.
Mrs. Murray’s husband, Willard
Murray, 34, underwent surgery
Wednesday morning for a shot
gun wound in the chest.
According to County Coroner
J. Ollie Harris Mrs. Murray was
first shot in the upper left arm
and some of the pellets appar
ently went through her arm and
struck the child. The coroner
quoted witnesses as saying that
Mrs. Murray ran from the house
and was shot in the back. He
quoted witnesses who said her
husband fired both shots. Inves
tigations are continuing to deter
mine how the man was shot.
Murray has been employed on
a farm in the Archdale section
off Grover road. His wife and
family had rented a house on
West Marion street in Shelby.
A second daughter had already
left for school when the shooting
occurred.
Other survivors include four
brothers and two sisters.
Liquor Decision
Voted In 1874
The fledging Town of Kings
Mountain, incorporated in Feb
ruary 1874, was only eight
months old when voters were
asked to decide the question of ;
legal sale of alcoholic beverag
es.
The minutes of the town
board, written in flowing script,
of Board Secretary I. W. Gar
rett, read:
For May 5, 1874—“That any
dealer in spiritous liquors,
within the limits of the town,
who sells by the quart meas
ure or in tap quantity, shall
pay to the town an annual tax
of twenty-five dollars.”
The text is x-ed through with
black ink and a marginal no
tation in red ink reads “ex
pugned".
On October 17, 1874 the min
utes record the result of the
election of two days previous
ly on the question of legal sale
of alcoholic beverages which
was:
For 0
Against 13
Maner "Refreshed"
By Bureaucrats
Bob Maner, Republican lead
er, serving in the capacity of
chairman of the Kings Moun
tain planning commission, was
recommending to the board of
commissioners that profession
al assistance be employed to
map a five-year program of
urban beautification.
At the conclusion, he paid a
compliment to federal bureau
cracy as represented by Gene
Gibbons, of the regional office
of the Department of Housing
and Urban Affairs.
“I am refreshed,” he said,
“after working with these folk
I to find they not only know
| what they’re doing, but require
! that we do when seeking fed*
j oral funds.”
Mayor John Henry Moss
j named himself, Commissioners
j Ray. Cline, O. O. Walker and
j Norman King a commi“ee to ;
j report in late March on imple
menting Chairman Manor's pFn-j
ning board recommendition,”
METHODIST TOPIC
Rev. Howc'd R. Jordan’s
sermon topic at 11 o’clock serv
ices on Palm Sunday will be
“Who Is This?” T’e evening
service will be at 7 o’clock.
EASTER SEAL DRIVE UNDERWAY — Three members of the Junior Woman's club are pictured
above completing the mailing of Easter Seals to citizens in the Kings Mountain area. Boiling
Springs, Mooresboro, Casar, Polkville. Waco, Swalnsville and Grover. Mrs. Bill Allen is standing
and seated are Miss Jackie Blanton, left, club president, and Miss Mary Alice McDaniel. The
March fund-raising campaign aids in the treatment of crippled children and adults. Bill Plonk.
Kings Mountain campaign chairman, said children dressed in Easter bunny suits would con
duct an on-street solicitation March 25th to culminate the drive locally. Earl Propst is Cleveland
County Easter Seal campaign chairman. (Photo by Paul Lemmons).
HUD’s Gibbons
Compliments City
SPEAKER — Humorist H. G.
Seawell, Jr.. Carthage attorney,
will make the address at the
annual banquet of the Kings
Mountain Chamber of Com
merce March 20.
C Of C Banquet
Monday Evening
Annual dinner meeting of the
Kings Mountain Chamber of
Commerce will be held Monday
night at 8 p.m. at Kings Moun
tain Country club.
Highlight of the meeting will
be a humorous address by Car
thage lawyer, H. F. (Chub) Sea
well, Jr., billed as a humorist,
writer and television personality.
Chamber of Commerce Presi j
dent Jonas 'Bridges said mem
bers should make reservations for |
themselves and their wives with 1
Mrs. Paul Williams at the asso I
ciation office.
Business of the meeting will
include the election of new offi-1
cers and reports from officers
and directors.
Mr. Seawell was the Republi-I
can candidate for governor in
1952. He is author of the book,
“Sir Walter, the Earl of Cha
tham" and makes regular ap
pearances on television in a se
ries of his own humorous sket
ches. As an after-dinner speaker
he has filled speaking engage
ments from Los Angeles Cali
fornia to Montreal, Canada.
Official Says
City Solving
Its Problems
“Congress appropriates to help
you solve your local problems
and you are doing a good job
in solving them,” Gene Gibbons,
Housing and Urban Develop
ment regional office official
complimented the city commis
sion Tuesday night.
Mr. Gibbons summated brief
ly federal government formuli in
various federal aid programs ad
ministered by HUD.
Noting the some $7,500,(100 in
Kings Mountain public facilities
are planned, he said that ap
proval of the Cansler street
widening project would make
the city eligible for “another
$900,000 in federal funds.” He
said that state expenditures (as
the Cansler street project) count
as local contributions in federal
share programs.
Among items Mr. Gibbons
mentioned:
1) Grants are available to
home owners with incomes of
|$3000 or less for upgrading their
j (Continued on Page Eight)
EVANGELIST — Rev. Alfred
Wright, pastor of Gastonia's
South Marietta Street Baptist
church, will be evangelist for
revival services March 19-22,
Sunday through Wednesday, at
Eastside Baptist church. Serv
ices will be at 7:30 nightly.
Wright is a Kings Mountain
native.
$40,000 Addition
For K Mills
K Mills, Kings Mountain up
holstery manufacturer, is build
ing an addition estimated to cost
$40,000.
Building permit for the indus
try, located off Floyd Street,
was issued by the city this week.
Hobart Dye is contractor.
(Continued on Paije Eight)
Patterson Grove Baptist Church
To Dedicate $156,000 Sanctuary
Dedication o fthe new $156,000
sanctuary of Patterson Grove
Baptist church will be held Sun
day afternoon at 3 o’clock.
Rev. Richard Plyler pastor of
the church the past four years,
will deliver the dedicatory ser
mon. A former interim pastor,
Rev. E. S. Elliott, and Rev. C. O.
Greene, superintendent of mis
sions for the Kings Mountain
Baptist Association, <wil! also
participate in theprogram.
Former members and friends
of the congregation are invited
to attend the service.
The new building is of tradi
tional design. In the cornerstone
a metal box has been placed to
be opened on the 125th anniver
sary of the organizing of the
church Sunday, November 15,
2009. The box will contain pic
ture* of the old sanctuary, the
new sanctuary, pictures of the
ground-breaking service; copies
of the March 24, 1966 and March
16 1967 Kings Mountain Herald;
signatures of all the people at
the morning worship service
March 12, 1967 and pictures of
this service and other items..
Patterson Grove Baptist church
was organized on November 15,
18S4 with 72 charter members.
Serving on the building com
mittee for the new sanctuary
were Plans committee, Melvin
Wright, chairman; Edwin Moore,
J. W. Rayfield, and Grady Seism.
Finance committee; Russell Put
nam, chairman; Ben Hamrick,
Harold Hord, the late David Put
nam and Robert Ware. Furnish
ings committee: Edwin Moore,
chairman; Mrs. Eugene Patter
son, Mrs. Polly Ware and Her
man Wright.
Federal Agency
Action Expected
In Near Future
By MARTIN HARMON
The North Caroline stream san
itation committee has approved
full priority for a grant of $388,
500 for sewer system improve
ments and has forwarded its ap
proval to the federal Water Pol
lution Control administration.
Mayor John Henry Moss was
informed of the favorable action
on the Kings Mountain applica
tion by telephone Tuesday by Ev
C. Hubbard, director of Stream
Sanitation and Hydrology.
State approval is considered
tantamount to early approval by
the federal agency.
Awaited and expected for sev
eral months, approval by the
state committee was no surprise,
but approval of the full grant for
the current fiscal year had not
been assured when tentative state
approval of the Kings Mountain
application was given several
months aigo. Indicated 1966-67
grant was $307,009.
The total project is expected
to cost $1,300,000, including:
1) Revision of the existing
McGill Creek plant from a trick
ling filter type to an extended
aeration type with capacity dou
bled to one-million gallon daily
capacity.
2) Construction of a new two
million gallon daily capacity ex
tended aeration type plant on
Pilot Branch near its junction
with Buffalo Creek.
3) A main putfall sewer line
from the Mauney Imhoff tank
to the treatment plant.
4) Two sewage pump stations
with necessary outfalls and force
mains at the locations shown on
th eplans.
5) Purchase of line right-of
way and treatment plant site.
Plans and specifications were
completed by the city’s engineer
ing firm W. K. Dickson & Com
pany, in January.
Mayor Moss said bids will be
invited as quickly as approval is
received from the federal agen
cy.
Citizens, in a special election,
authorized the borrowing of up
to $1,300,000 for the sewer sys
tem improvements. Approval of
the federal grant, assuming the
bidding and estimates match,
means that the city cost will be
reduced to $911,500.
Vote Petitions
May Be Hied
Petitions asking an election to
determine legalizing sale of wine
and beer for off-premises con
sumption and legal sale of liquor
via ABC stores are expected to
be filed next week with the dis
trict legislative delegation.
The city commission, which
serves as the city election board,
will be asked to authenticate the
signatures, one of the circulators
said to 1) determine that 511
citizens signed (making the call
ing of the beer-wine election
mandatory on the board) and 2)
to show the legislative delega
tion there is sufficient demand
on part of Kings Mountain citi
zens to authorize an ABC elec
tion by legislative.
The petitions seek elections on
! both questions and the spokes
man said the "wet” decision by
the Supreme Court in the Reids
ville case has made no change in
Kings Mountain "wets” modus
[ operandi to seek and election at
the ballot box. A General Assem
bly act establishing liquor stores
in Reidsville minus an election
was upheld by the Supreme Court
in a 5 to 2 decision.
Hank Black's
Brotkei Passes
Funeral rites for Charlie L.
Black, 63, of Portsmouth, Va.,
brother of Frank Black of Kings
Mountain, were held Wednesday
in Portsmouth.
Mr. Black was a native of
Cleveland County.
Other survivors include a sis
ter, Mrs. Nellie Self, of Shelby;
a daughter and four sons, all of
Portsmouth.
VISITED HERE
Captain and Mrs. Donald
McCarter of San Antonio,
Texas visited here last week
with his parents, Mr. and Mrs.
Oscar McCarter and other rela
tives. Enroute to Texas, the
Mccarters visited Captain Mc
Carter's brother, Captain Jerry
McCarter, at Tindall AFB in
Panama City, Florida.