Population
Greater Kings Mountain 21,914
City Limits 8,256
The Greater King* Mountain figure It derived from tin
apodal United Stater Bureau of the Census report o
January 1366, and Includes the 14.990 population o
number 4 Township, and the remaining (..24 Iron
Number $ Township, in Cleveland County and Crowder
Mountain Township in Gaston County.
-rrrrrrr--rr-r.-ni~.-J
Kings Mountain, N. C., Thursday, October 12, 1967
P a g « s
Today
VOL. 79 — No. 41
established 88s
Seventy-Eignth Year
PRICE TEN CENTS
Two Desired
Options Remain
.To Be Obtained
V Robert Powell, attorney lor
Kings Mountain Mall, Inc., re
ported Wednesday all but two
desired options lor the south side
mall on Cherokee street have
been obtained.
Options were obtained Wednes
day from David R. Hamrick on
property now being used as an
off-street metered parking lot.
The two remaining options de
sired are Irom Mr. Hamrick lor
the 50 x 60 foot lot occupied by
the beddings housing Saunders
Cleanders and Stowe Radio and
Television Service and from Mrs.
Vera M. Cooper for the 46J/axl20
foot lot occupied by the building
housing Sudie’s Beauty Shop.
There was question whether
the Saunders-Stowe building prop
erty can be obtained.
Mr. Saunders acquired last
month a five-year lease on the
portion of the building he occu
pies.
Paul McGinnis, Mall president,
said the Mall board of directors
and Mr. Saunders conferred
Monday afternoon on possibility
qf acquiring the property. Tues
day Mr. Saunders deferred deci
sion for 30 days to investigate
obtaining a new suitable location
for his dry cleaning establish
. ment.
R ,Initial conversations with Jacob
^?f>bper, Mrs. Cooper's son, presi
dent McGinnis said elicited opin
! ion of Mr. Cooper that the $11,•
000 appraisal price of his moth
er’s property was too low.
All the desired properties were
appraised by Mercer W. Sim
mons, MAI, and James D. Peeler,
of ■ Lincointon.
President McGinnis commented,
"I am highly pleased at d^veloo
ments to date and I am "'mfi
dent the Cherokee street mall
will become fact.”
Mrs. McCarter's
Mother Passes
Msr. Estelle Logan Goforth,
74, of Rutherfordton, mother of
Mrs. W. Eugene McCarter of
Kings Mountain, died Wednesday
morning in Rutherfordton follow
ing Illness of two years.
Funeral rites will be held
Thursday at 3 p.m. from Mount
Vetnon Baptist church near For
est City. The body will lie in
state at the church 30 minutes
before the rites. Interment will
be in the church cemetery.
Mrs. Goforth, wife of John W.
Goforth, was a retired railway
agent, teacher and school princi
pal. She was a native pf Ruther
fordton, daughter of the late Mr.
^nd Mrs. M. W. Logan.
■ Other survivors include two
Slaughters, Mrs. Enrique Mon
tero of Griffin, Qa- and Mis. Bill
K. Erwin of Anderson, S- C. and
three grandchildren, Billy Gene
McCarter of Kings Mountain,
and Kenneth and Suzanne Mon
tero of Griffin. Ge.
Mr*. .Goforth’s Kings Meun
tain daughter is the former M-> r.
garet Goforth, North school ele
mentary teacher.
SPEAKER — North Carolina
State Senator Marshall Ranch
of Gastonia will bo guest speak
er at Thursday night's meeting
of the Kings Mountain Kiwanis
dub. The civic dub convenes
for dinner at 6:45 at the Wo
man's dab,
ADMITTED — Dr. Scran L. Rob
inson, Kings Mountain surgeon,
has been admitted to fellow
ship in the American College
of Surgeons. ,Dr. and Mrs. Rob
inson attended the annual con
vocation in Chicago. I1L, Thurs
day.
Dr. Robinson
Is Inducted
Dr. Sam L. Robinson, Kings
Mountain surgeon, was admitted
to fellowship in the American
College of Surgeons at the an
nual' convocation hold in Chicago,
HD WMH-sd'ay. 'Dr.- and Mrs. Rob
inson attended the •convocation.
Fellowships are awarded on
the basit of post-gradiittte train
ing and satisfactory performance
in the practice of surgery as de
termined by the Board of Regents
of the College.
Dr. Robinson is a diplomat of
both the American Board of
General Surgerya nd the Board
of Thoracic Surgery, is a member
af the Cleveland County Medical
Society, the North Carolina Med
ical Society, the American Med
ea! Association, the Southern
Medical Association and the Pan
American Medical Association.
Dr. Robinson was graduated
from the University of Tennes
see and completed post-graduate
and residency training at the
University of Mississippi in Jack
son, Mississippi.
The Robinsons came to Kings
Mountain two and a half years
ago. Dr. Robinson and Dr. George
Plonk are associated in the prac
tice of surgery at Surgical Clinic
an West King street. Mrs. Rob
inson is the former Annelle
Smith of Memphis, Tennessee.
Dr. and Mrs, Robinson are par
ants of four childrbh. The family
•s actjve in First Presbyterian
church.
Dr. Robinson is a Kiwanian.
Sisk And City
Will Confei
October 24
The city has honored a request
of Frank Sisk, Kings Mountain
Eessemer Ciiy funeral director,
to discuss results of a civil litiga
tion tried in Cleveland Superior
Court last week, in which Mr.
Zeb Grigg was awarded $1Q,000
judgment against Mr. Sisk.
Mayor John Henry Moss said
Mr. Sisk would be invited to at
tend the board’s special session
of October 24.
Meantime, Mr. Sisk said he
would appeal the case to the Su
preme Court.
The suit arose over the ques
tion of depth of the grave of Mrs.
Grigg’s husband. After the burial,
it was charged, the vault housing
the casket protruded above
ground. Mrs. Grigg sought $175,
000 damages.
Mr. Sisk told the Herald he felt
the City of Kings Mountain is li
able for all or part of the dam
ages, if any liability exists.
The city owns Mountain Rest
cemetery, where Mr. Grigg was
interred, sells lots, and digs grav
es.
Mr. Sisk’s attorneys, Horn, West
and Horn, sought to establish the
fact that there is no law specify
ing depths of graves and several
funeral directors testified that a
grave is sufficiently deep if the
vault is covered.
Giovei Wins
P0 Citation
WASHINGTON, D. C.—Grover,
North Carolina and its postal em
ployees have been selected to re
ceive the Postmaster, General’s
"Citation of Merit” for outstand
ing cooperation in the nation’s
Natural Beauty Program, Con
gressman Basil L. Whitener an
nounced today.
Whitener said he was advised
by Postmaster General Lawrence
F. O’Brien that the citation is
awarded only to those communi
ties whose postal facilities have
received superior ratings in rigid
inspections by regional postal of
ficials.
The evaluation takes into con
sideration such factors as unusu
ally attractive grounds and a con
certed effort to make the sur
roundings of the postoffice as
visually interesting as possible.
"Mr. O'Brien has advised me,”
be cited for maintaining its postal
Whitener said, “that Grover will
be citedfor maintaining its postal
facility in such a superior man
ner that it provides a clean, neat
and pleasant place in which the
public may conduct its postal
business."
Whitener commended Postmas
ter Fain Hambright, his postal
employees, and the citizens of
Grover on receiving the citation
of merit.
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Members of the board of di
rectors of the Kings Mountain
Chamber of Commerce will
meet Thursday > morning at
10:30 in the association of
fices, W. S. Fulton, Jr., presi
dent, has announced.
John Mitcham, Long Hospitalized,
Enjoys Birthday, Likes Bed Sox
John Mitcham’s favorite to win
the 1967 World Series was fu> se
cret, and his birthday cake, pre
sented to him at Kings Moun
tain hospital Sunday, had the en
scription "Boston Red Sox.”
The player gracing the top tier
of the cake was fashioned of
candy.
Mr. Mitcham, a hospital pa
tient the past five and a half
months, has enjoyed the baseball
series via television from his
hospital bed.
"I’d like to be there in per
son”, Mr. Mitcham said yesterday
as he watched the sixth game of
the World Series between the St.
Louis Cardinals and the Red Sox
from Boston.
His wife arranged a birthday!
party in Mitcham’s honor Sun
day in the hospital chapel. The
big, birthday cake was cut and
served to family members and
friends who presented Mr. Mit
cham with birthday gifts.
Present for the party were Mr.
and Mr8. Leo Mitcham of Ellen
boro, Mr. and Mrs, Rufus Mit
cham, Mrs. Robert Morrison,
Mrs. Junius Mitcham, Paul Dunn,
Mrs. Ruth Mitchath, Mrs. Linda
M. Dover, Mr. and Mrs. Boyd,
Howell. Sam Caveny, Mr. and,
Mrs. Cicero Falls and Sam Mit-I
ELECTED — Dr. Paul Ausley,
pastor of First Presbyterian
church, bos been elected to the
board of advisors of the trustees
of St. Andrew's college aj
Laurinburg.
cham of Greensboro. The Mit
cham’s daughter, Mrs. Paul Ab
emathy, of North Augusta, S.'
C., wa8 unable to attend because
of illness.
INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITS TO FEATURE COMMUNITY FESTI
VAL — A new feature of Wednesday's 64th annual Woman's
dub-sponsored community festival and floral fair will be an
international exhibit, open t*> any interested wh~ v,"s an
object of foreign flavor. Mrs. Raymond Holmes* below, •
native of England, poses against a Background ot a nag and
map of Great Britain. Also in the picture are a Mexican mask,
an English cookery book and a French pepper mill. Lindsay and
Chris Holmes, in photograph at top, point to artwork and
paintings the family will exhibit in the fair. Lindsay, left, is a
first grader. Chris is a third grader. (Herald Photos by Steve
Martin).
64th Community
Festival’s Planned
Kings Mountain Woman’s club
will present the annual commu
nity festival, “Autumn Harvest”,
Wednesday, and club members
were hard at work this week
readying for the event.
The 64th floral fair and bazaar
will be open to the public from
11:30 a.m. until 9 p.m. Wednes
day, and format of the one-day
event will follow that of former
fairs.
Members of the club wiil serve
the noon meal from 11:30 a.m.
until 1:30 p.m. and the evening
meal fropi 5:30 until 7 p.m. Plat
es are $1.75 for adults and $1 for
children age 10 and under, Mrs.
Vernon P. Crosby, publicity chair
man, said.
"Theme of the show is “Keep
Our Flag Flying for Peace" and
the patriotic theme will be car
ried out in exhibits open to the
interested public. The bazaar and
exhibit hall otten at 11:30 a.m.
ENTRIES INVITED
Entries in the Woman's club
community festival, floral fair,
are invited from the public.
Exhibits should be brought to
the Woman’s club Tuesday
from 1 until 9 p.m. and on the
day of the show, Wednesday,
from 8 until 10 a.m.
In addition to floral arrange
ments, which are open to the
public, a group of patriotic dis
nlavs will be shown by members
>f local garden clubs.
Division 11 of the fair, also open
to the interested citizen, will in
clude a section of annuals and
nerennials, scrubs, potted plants,
vegetables and fruits. Division 111
will Include drawings and paint
ings, sculpture, carvings, cera
mics, home crafts such as weav
ing, antiquing, basketry jewelry,
and lampshades. In Division IV
will be needle'*’---’- -»
sewing, from children and adult
■lathes to doll ciotnes. . 4,
rorhetlng, needlepoint, and em
broidery.
A new feature of the fair this
v»nr wh1 be an i-tp—--H-inal dis
play. Mrs. Aubrey Mauney, co
i Continued on Puyc tiiuht)
GOOD CITIZEN — June Fred
erick, high school senior and
daughter of Mrs. Annie Ruth
Frederick of Kings Mountain,
has been named Colonel Fred
erick Hambright Chapter DAR
Good Citizen.
lune Frederick
DAR Citizen
June Frederick, a senior at
Kings Mountain high school, has
been chosen D.A.R. Good Citi
zen. She resides with her family
at 400 Margrace Road.
Her schedule includes geome
try, English IV, Chemistry II,
and Economics and Sociology.
She is a member of the annual
staff, vice president of the F.H.A.
and a member of the Health
Career Club.
Each year the Colonel Fred
erick Hambright Chapter of the
Daughters of the American Rev
olution presents a Good Citizen
Award to a senior girl. This se
(Continued on Page Eiyhti
Hinnant Says 1000-Job Goal
Hinges On Buffalo Project
City Industry
Committee
Supports Bonds
B> MARTIN HARMON
The city's industrial committee
| has set a goal of 1000 new Kings
! Mountain area jobs within five
years, Co-Chairman L. E. (Josh)
Hinnant told the city commission
Tuesday night, but added attain
ment of the goal hinges on the
fruition of the Buffalo Creek wa
ter project.
“The industrial committee ful
ly supports the Buffalo Creek
project,” Mr. Hinnant continued,
"and commends you and the
commission for your vision and
work.”
Others in the audience, along
with the city commissioners, were
asked to comment.
These comments follow:
Summarizing the project May
or John Henry Moss said bond
experts, the city’s engineers, and
accountants had collaborated on
the project’s economic feasibility
study.
He said, "The bonds can be
amortized by receipts from water
and sewer operations. In other
words, the 85-cent tax rate can
be maintained. A five-year plan
is being formulated for capital
improvements and operations de
signed to maintain the present
favorable tax rate.”
The bonds will be general ob
ligation bonds which pledge “the
full faith and credit” of the city.
However, the economic feasi
bility study, as approved by the
Lical Government Commission,
projects full amortization of the
bonds, together with interest pay
ments, over a period of 30 years
from water sales and sewage ser
vice fees.
Those present at Tuesday's
mceting were invited to comment
on the water program. Comment;
included:
Jonas Bridges, Radio Station
WKMT: "The commission is to
be commended.”
Martin Harmon, Kings Moun
tain Herald: “Rationing of watei
would have been fact several
months ago were it not for the
auxiliary sources. Rationing im
plies not only individual ration
(Continued on Page Eight)
Stewart Flays
Critics of Wax
“W simply must not lot the
spirit of sacrifice pass away, eith
er in religion or patriotism, for
only when it is painful does the
contributor realize his contribu
tion.”
This was the challenge issued
Sunday by State Representative
Carl J. Stewart, of Gastonia, as
he made the principal address at
Sunday’s 187th anniversary cele
bration of the Battle of Kings
Mountain at the amphitheatre of
Kings Mountain National Mili
tary Park.
Rep. Stewart excoriated critics
of the United States military ef
fort in Viet Nam, declaring,
“Critics of the wir in Viet Nam
never wore the uniform.”
“Patriotism is reserved, it
seems, for ve'erans of prior
wars” he continued. “It is rep
rehensible."
He compared the Revolutionary
to the Viet Nam war, noting that
500,000 United States troops are
in Viet Nam todav, while Gen
eral Wa^h'neton never h-> i more
than 280.000 men available and
never more than 25,000 on active
du*v at anv tw,
Ho toheted Viet Nam our first
“comfortable” 'war, resultin’ from
the fact jt is the first one “we
have been able to afford,”
In his report on the military
park, Superintendent Ben Moo
maw s-id 316.0'10 persons have
visited the nark in 1967, compar
ed to 351.000 for all of 1906. In
October, the park logged visitors
from 21 states, England. Ger
many, and Ontario. Canada.
Rusty Davis, Shelby high school
so; homore, read the poem “Ode
to Kings Mountain” which was
first read at the centennial cele
bration in 1880.
Music was played by 'the Fort
Mill high school band, directed
by Keebler Mills. Professor J. S.
Simpson of Limestone college
wag song leader.
HOMECOMING QUEEN —Bever
ly Hamrick, Kings Mountain
high school senior from Grover,
will be crowned 1967 Homecom
. ing Queen Friday night.
Football Queen
Beverly Hamrick, daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. Marvin Hamrick of
Grover, will be crowned Home
coming Queen at half time Fri
day_ of the Kings Mountain
Mountaineers - Concord Spiders
football game at Gamble Memo
I rial Football Stadium.
The homecoming game begins
at 8 o'clock.
Miss Hamrick and members of
her court were sponsored by va
rious high school organizations
in recent student elections.
Members of the Homecoming
Court, all seniors, will include
Wanda Bridges, l<ay Dixon, Ka
thy Dover, Mary Lou Harper,
Taffy Harry, Arlene Johnson,
Kathy Plonk, Sheila Putnam,
and Nancy Ware.
Miss Hamrick will wear a long
formal. Her attendants will be
dressed in semi-formal or dressy
dress attire. The new queen will
j be crowned by KMHS Principal
James Atkinson.
Chief cheerleader at Kings
Mountain high school, Miss Ham
rick was May Day attendant her
Junior year, served as Junior
Senior waitress, as treasurer of
the Junior class, was a member
of the K club two years and the
i FHA three years.
TO BE DISCHARGED
Mearle Seism, city schools
: m a i n t enance superintendent,
; suffered a vascular spasm while
wo-kiog at Kings Mountain
i high school last Friday, is to
be discharged from Kings
Mountain hospital Thursday.
Hamrick
Registration
Books To Open
On November 11
By MARTIN HARMON
The city board of cbmmission
ers passed resolutions Tuesday
night to set in motion the $3,000,
000 bond issue election to imple
ment the Buffalo Creek water
project. Election day will be De
cember 5.
The several resolutions were
moved by various members of
the commission. Each received
four seconds, all the other mem
bers participating.
The $3 million will provide
funds for construction of a dam
and impounding basis, raw water
pumping facilities, a water treat
ment of four million gallons daily
capacity, and a 24-inch pipeline
from the plant to connect with
the present city water distribu
tion system.
The resevoir would inundate
more than 1800 acres of land
and would create a lake slightly
larger than Lake Lure with a 50
mile shoreline.
Site of the 84-foot dam is pro
jected about 500 feet north of
SR 2033 (Oak Grove Road to
US 74A) and about two miles
north of the Buffalo Creek
bridge on US 74.
Registration books for the up
coming election will open on
(Continued on Page 8)
Big Legacy
Not Likely
Jack White, representing the
interests of Mrs. Plato Moore, 207
City street, in the efforts of some
3000 persons who think they are
heirs to a Texas pioneer, doubts
his client will inherit the large
sums of money which she inher
ited by street talk last weekend.
Attorney White first became ac
quainted with the possibility
some six years ago and says liti
gation was first begun in 1950.
Mr. White said the litigation
involved some 4300 acres of oil
properties in the Beaumont, Tex
as, area.
David Baity, Gastonia Gazette
city editor, conversed with the
district court clerk in Beaumont
and was told the suit — Floyd W.
Humphries and Mattie McDaniel
Welch vs. State of Texas—had
been dismissed several weeks ago
on motion of the plaintiffs, who,
at the same time, indicated they
would file another action.
"Even if the litigation were fa
vorable,’’ Attorney White com
mented, “the problem of estab
lishing who was an heir and who
was not would be quite a diffi
(Continued, on Page 8)
City Assured Vote - Call Approval
By Commission In Mid-September
While final go-ahead on
Kings Mountain’s Buffalo
Creek water project was only
:"™nt'v received, assurance
that the Local Government
Commission would authorize
the $3,000,000 bond issue
election came in mid-Sep
tember.
Previously the city had
filed complete plans, specifi
cations and an economic fea
sibility study with the com
mission.
This assurance was con
tained in a letter to W. E.
Best, Department of Housing
& Urban Development, At
lanta, Ga., by W. E. Easter
ling, secretary of the Local
Government Commission, of
which information copy was
sent Mayor John Henry
Moss.
Mr. Easterling, confirming
a prior telephone conversa
tion with Mr. Best that the
lowest engineering estimates
by the engineers was $3,338,
000, without allowance for a
possible federal grant of
$450,000.
“I have deducted such
grant from the estimate,
leaving a net of $2,888,000
cost to the city,” Mr. Easter
ling continued, “which I
have rounded out in a bond
issue of $3 million which the
city might submit to the vot
ers for approval.
“Based upon today’s mar
ket and accepting the Engi
neer’s projection of estimat
ed revenues and operating
expenses, it is my opinion
that $3 million of bonds for
water system improvements
could be satisfactorily mar
keted .... Kings Mountain
is in a somewhat extraordi
nary position with respect to
its capacity to pay. The
City’s outstanding debt is
only $400,000 and it owns
and operates not only the
water and sewer systems but
the electric distribution sys
tem and natural gas system,
the latter two providing luc
rative source of income.”
On October 4, Mr. Easter
ling wrote Mayor Moss, “The
application requesting ap
proval of issuance of $3,000,
000 of Water Bonds is record
ed in this office as having
been filed pursuant to the
Notice of Intention first pub
lished on September 21,
1967.”