Tuesday
<^5264
20*
VOLUME 93, NUMBER 74
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 1980
KINGS MOUNTAIN, NORTH CAROLINA
Women Should Play It Safe
Yell Fire, Don’t Beg
If You’re Rape Victim
ADDRESSES NURSES - Robert L. Smt*. cw-
tili«d crim* consultcmt, talks to hospital psr-
sonnol during an In-sonrics program last
Photo by Lib Stowart
wssk in which ho urgod womsn to b« moro
cautious and on tho alori as tho holiday
ssoson opproachos.
Operation Santa Claus
Underway In KM Area
Operation Santa Claus, a
countywide effort to collect gifts
for Cleveland County residents
in five state psychiatric or men
tal reteu'dation facilities, is now
underway in the Kings Moun
tain ar^.
ThcMrive will be conduacd
through the Menttd Health
Center and Mental Health
Association as it was last year
and collection boxes to deposit
them andAx gift wrapping paper
and ribbons are located in Kings
Mountain at First Union Na
tional Bank and at the Schools
Administration Building on W.
Parker St. In Grover a deposit
box is located at Grover City
Hall on Mulberry St.
Cut-off date for monetary
donations and gift items is Dec.
1. Monetary donations to pur
chase gifts for patients should be
made payable to the Mental
Health Center and forwarded to
Mrs. Lynn Young, 222
Crawford St., Shelby, N.C.
28150. Contact persons in the
Kings Mountain for the drive
Oak Grove
Family Is
Burned Out
Fire razed a doublewide
mobile home in the Oak Grove
Community last Tuesday and
the children at home at the time
escaped with only the clothes on
their backs.
Friends in the Oak Grove
Community are asking for fur
niture, clothing, and a place to
stay for Roger and Frances Wig-
gington and their children, Lee,
age 20, Lewis, 17, David, 16,
Steve, IS, Vanessa 12, and
Alexus, 10 months.
The fire was believed to have
been caused by an electrical
shortage and firemen were called
to the scene at 3:30 p.m. The
trailer was located only a short
distance away from the Oak
Grove Fire Department.
Cleveland County Red Cross
Chapter provided the family
with motel rooms for severi
days’ lodging and clothing.
Neighbors are also assisting the
family, but a house had not been
located for them this week. The
family wants to remain in the
Kings Mountain area, where the
children are in school. Mrs. Wig-
ginton is employed by Kinmont
Industries.
Persons wishing to donate
clothing and furniture to the
couple can call Mary Ramsey
Lanier at Cleveland County
Head Start, 739-8816 or at her
residence, 739-5963.
are Mrs. Jim Potter and Mrs.
Charles Blanton at the KM
District Schools Office.
Broughton Hospital is also in
viting community groups to
sponsor a Christmas party for
patients and for information
contact Frances PRtman at
433-2331 in Morganton. Among
the Christmas list for patients are
unwrapped gifts, including fruits
and nuts, cigarettes, snuff, soft
and stick candy, toothpaste and
brushes, bath powder,
deodorant, body lotion, sta
tionery, cotton housecoats, socks
for men and women, rain boots
for men and women, etc. Ward
gifts can include games for in
doors and outdoors, coffee pots,
record players and records, etc.
Western Carolina Ccntef sug
gests a number of gift items for
patients including toys, balls of
all sizes, rocking horses, farm
and block sets, unbreakable tea
sets and personal gifts such as
sweaters, shaving lotion,
sleepwear, jewelry and lipsticks
and Bibles.
By ELIZABETH STEWART
Co-Editor
How a woman reacts to a sex
ual assault depends upon the in
dividual but there are alternative
tactics a woman should know to
play it safe.
Robert L. Sears, a certified
consultant with “Operation
Crime-Fight,” speaking before a
group of nurses at Kings Moun
tain Hospital Thursday, said that
panic and fear are normal reac
tions.
Don’t plead, beg, sob. That
type action turns the assailant
“on.” Scream “fire” as loudly as
you can. He will be caught off
guard and may give you an op
portunity to escape.
Rape. How to avoid it. How
to defend yourself. How to
report it. What every woman
should know.
As the holiday season ap
proaches, women may find
themselves even more
vulnerable to crime, said Sears,
who pointed out that sexual
assaults occur, not only in park
ing lots, in dark stairwells and
empty buildings, but in the
homes of the victim and often
times in the home of her
assailant who may be a date, a
co-worker, a relative. Mary
Jones (not her real name) met a
man at a singles bar. He didn’t
drag her home with him. She
went willingly, not realizing this
new acquaintane was a rapist.
The woman’s car had stalled
on a dark street. When the man,
who pulled alongside her, of
fered to help she thought he was
a good Samaritan. He was a
rapist.
The young man approaching a
ROTARIAN HONORED - Thomat L Trott, who
orgonisod lh« King* Mountain Rotary Club,
Photo by Lib Stowort
wo* honored by th* ciric club at Thundoy'*
meeting.
Rotarians Honor Trott
Tom Trott, Kings Mountain
insuranceman, was honored
with a pin representing 22 years
perfect attendance by the Kings
Mountain Rotary Club.
Mr. Trott is a charter member
who helped found the local civic
club in Kings Mountain 22 years
ago.
Rotarian Scott Cloninger
presented the pin to Trott as a
highlight of Thursday’s meeting
of the club at the KM Country
Club. Kings Mountain Herald
Publisher Garland Atkins was
guest speaker.
Mr. Trott was honored by
fellow members in a recent
Rotary bulletin in which he was
cited for his long service to the
club and community. A native
of Salisbury, he was graduated
from Patterson Episcopal School
in Lenoir and from Lenoir
Rhyne College in Hickory. He
was also instrumental in organiz
ing the Kannapolis Jaycees. He
was formerly associated with
Cannon Mills in Kannapolis and
operated a theatre in Bennett-
sville, S.C. He is married to the
former Selena Parton of Kings
Mountain and they have two
daughters, Mrs. Anne Russell of
Raleigh and Mrs. Libby Blanton
of Kings Mountain, and are ac
tive in St. Matthew’s Lutheran
Church.
“The Kings Mountain Herald
is here to serve the people of
Kings Mountain and surroun
ding area anct we invite your sug
gestions and your criticisms,”
said Publisher Atkins, who in
terspersed his remarks on
“Newspapering” with anecdotes
on travels and examples from
some of the publications he had
printed over the years. ‘The
closer we get to deadline the
more excitement we feel about
getting our papers off the
presses,” he said. The Herald
publishes six newspapers at the
Canterbury-King Street location.
lady on a downtown street seem
ed like a “nice young man.” She
had not suspected the man had
been following her until he got
close to her, followed her to the
door, and she was unable to find
her door keys from the bottom
of the large handbag she carried
before the man touched her.
Sears, who presents safety pro
grams to numerous women’s
groups and is based in Charlotte,
said that women are not helpless,
that women who live alone can
avoid potentially dangerous
situations by learning to play
cool and don’t admit to anyone
that you’re at home alone.
The safety expert gives these
suggestions.
•Secure your home with stur
dy (dead bolt) locks, a lock that
you require a key to open. Pur
chase a 180 degree peephole
viewer from any hardware store
(sells for about $7) and comes
with easy-to-install instructions.
You drill one hole in the door
and you can see what’s outside
but the outsider can’t see you.
•Sliding glass doors are ex
tremely vulnerable to the break-
in artist. Be sure doors are lock
ed. Never open the door to a
stranger. If someone comes to
the door and asks to use your
phone and you do not know the
person, offer to do the calling for
him but don’t let him gain en
trance to your house. Never ad
mit to anyone that you are
alone. If someone comes to your
door to “check the phone” and
you don’t know him, call the
telephone company. Don’t be
afraid to call the police.
•Don’t list your name as Miss
Mary Jones in the telephone
directory or on the mailbox. Use
initials. A case cited as an exam
ple was of Mary Jones (not her
real name) who was a widow and
lived alone. On her mailbox Mrs.
Jones had written Sam and
Mary Jones. Sam was a cat but
the “creep” driving the street
looking for his next victim didn’t
know that.
•Don’t walk alone at night. If
you must, call ahead and advise
your neighbor when to expect
you. Walk in well lighted areas
and don’t take shortcuts.
•Always lock your car, even
in your own driveway. Park in
well lighted areas. Look in the
back seat before you get into the
car. If your car breaks down at
night and you’re alone, sit in the
locked car until a patrolman
comes by. If a stranger offers to
help, tell him that your husband
will return momentarily and that
the police are on the way. Don’t
let the would-be “Samaritan” in
the car with you. Don’t pick up
hitch hikers. Always have your
car keys in your hand. Digging
in your pocketbook for car keys
or door keys gives the would-be
rapist all the opportunity he
needs. Digging in pocketbooks
for keys to open car keys and
doors is dangerous.
•A rapist looks for a woman
unattentive to her surroundings.
If you’re walking on the street,
don’t daydream. Give the im
pression that you know where
you’re going. Don’t be cocky. A
rapist is a “sickie” and sexual
gratification is not what he’s
after. If you’re walking and so
meone harasses you from a car,
turn around and walk the other
way. Statistics show that most of
the time the driver won’t turn
around.
•Women driving alone at
night should be sure gasoline
tanks are sufficiently full to get
them to their destination. If you
think you’re being followed,
head for a lighted area and peo
ple. Run a red light if you have
to, and knock on a stranger’s
door. Don’t go to your house if
there is no one at home.
•If you own a police whistle,
this works effectively on an
obscene caller. Don’t carry the
whistle around your neck. Don’t
scream “rape, police, get away
from me.” Scream “fire” at the
top of your lungs and youll gain
a little time. More people react
to fire calls than anything else.
The attacker may think you’re a
lunatic, if you’re lucky, and take
off. Sink to the ground, fake a
seizure, vomit, turn him off,
make yourself as unappetizing as
possible. Talking can be impor
tant but you must be calm. All
rapists have potential for great
violence. Fighting should be the
last thing to resort to, but the
speaker cited several examples
where one woman engaged in
kissing her assailant and literally
bit off the man’s tongue. Women
are not necessarily disrobed by
the man but the man, at some
point, must remove some of his
clothing. If the woman is fast
and smart enough, sometimes
she can injure her assailant and
get away. Other times, a woman
has to submit to the frightening
and debasing experience to save
her life.
Mr. Sears said that the most
important thing to remember is
that the rapist frequently plans
his crime. Looking for the right
chance. And the easiest victim.
Y our best defense is to eliminate
his opportunity to attack you.
Stroupe
Charged
In Death
Michael B. Stroupe, 38, of 832
First St., has been charged with
murder in the shooting of his
estranged wife, Lois Jeanette
Campbell Stroupe, of 902 Se
cond St.
Stroupe, an unemployed tex
tile worker, was arrested Sunday
afternoon in Kings Mountain by
Charlotte police officers, assisted
by Kings Mountain Police Sgt.
Houston Corn and PtI. Harry
Martin.
According to R.T. Guerette of
the Charlotte Police Depart
ment, the shootting occurr^ at
6:50 p.m. Saturday at the comer
of 1-85 and Graham St. in
Charlotte. A passing motorist
called the Police Department
and reported “that an unknown
subject was attempting to rob
and was arguing with a motorist
and that shots were fired.” Of
ficers, responding to the scene,
discovered the victim in her car
and the suspect had fled the
scene.
Stroupe was jaiied Sunday
without bond and a probable
cause hearing was scheduled
Monday.
According to Mrs. Stroupe’s
brother, Otha Campbell of Kings
Mountain, the couple was
separated five months and
Stroupe had been living in New
Orleans, La., returning to Kings
Mountain two weeks ago. He
said his sister was shot as she sat
in her car.
Mrs. Stroupe was the
daughter of the late Virgil Camp
bell of Kings Mountain and Mrs.
Blanche Craig Campbell. Surviv
ing, in addition to her mother,
are three daughters, Mrs. Kim
Marie Brooks of Lincointon,
Mrs. Dawn Marie Slingerland of
Charlotte and Mrs. Renee Marie
Reese of Ravenna, Ohio; two
sisters, Mrs. Claudie Ryvicki of
Buffalo, New York and Mrs.
Aline Reid Lasky of Charlotte;
and three grandchildren.
Funeral services will be con
ducted Wednesday afternoon at
3 pjn. from Chestnut Ridge Bap
tist Church by Rev. Mitchell
Pruitt and Rev. Roy Hannagan.
Interment will be in the church
cemetery.
The family will receive friends
Tuesday ni^t from 7 until 9
p.m. at Masters Funeral Home.