Newspapers / The Coastland Times (Manteo, … / Jan. 12, 1951, edition 1 / Page 1
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VOLUME XVI NO. 29 OUTLOOK IS FOR REVIVAL OF COAST GUARD By AYCOCK BROWN Rodanthe.—Old-timers along the coast are predicting that the Coast Guard is coming back. As matter of fact it has been here all along but since World War II in a somewhat reduced status. Mny of the stations made active during the war were decommis sioned when hostilities ceased, and it has taken hardly more than skeleton crews to man units such as famed Chicamacomico here in Rodanthe and others on Hatteras, Ocracoke and the coastal islands between Virginia and South Car olina. Another national emergency ex ists. Things generally in the shore stations seem to be oil the verge of an alerting. It was the same way back in 1940 and ’4l, before Pearl Harbor. Then came a full scale war, and in a matter of weeks stations along the coast that had been abandoned were manned again, and the personnel was increased at the stations al-: ready active including some of the new and larger stations of a decade ago—called super-stations in those days. It was a general idea during the late Thirties that a few super-stations would take care of the peacetime duties. The day of sailing ships was past, and it was not necessary to have stations so near each other where there could be constant foot and horse patrols during time of storms. Modern equipment it su per-stations would replace the horses at units which were once located almost within sight of the next station along the beach. Foot patrols at that time were no long er necessary. The patrols could be made in trucks or jeeps. Idea Changed Quickly -—Pearl Harbor changed the pic ture and quickly. It was discover ed that it was necessary for full protection of the coast to have constant patrols. There is no rec ord of any enemy agents being landed on North Carolina beaches from submarines, but it happened early in the war on the shore of Long Island and'also in Florida-.- One did not know what would happen in early 1942, but it was not long qntil the Coast Guard was being needed constantly along the shore and for nearby offshore duties. Ships, being sunk by ene my submarines, were casting sur vivors and bodies ashore following torpedoings. There was much flot sam to be salvaged along the beach. It was necessary to have complete investigations of all flotsam. Much of it contained in formation about unreported ships being lost at sea due to enemy action. Never given much publicity was the intensive enemy submarine activity close to the North Caro lina Coast. Many now living here and on adjacent islands remember seeing crippled and burning ships going to the bottom or drifting landward. In all there were scores of ships sent to the bottom, in many cases, within sight of the coast. The old timers of the coast guard in 1942, some of whom had been in the service since the name was changed from the U.S. Life Saving Service, were needed a board ships of the transports in the ajnphibious forces. The coast guard knew how to handle small troop-laden boats in a surf while landings were being made. The coast guard proved its worth at such places as Guadalcanal. That the coast guard is com ing back seemed to be indicated by many recent enlistments. Whe ther the recruits now in boot camp will be sent to stations re mains to be seen—but if there is a shooting war with Russia, for instance, personnel will be neces sary in coastal stations, as ene my sub activities begin offshore of N. C. OREGON INLET ROAD POSSIBILITIES BRIGHTEN Property owners along the route of the new road to be built from the old whalebone filling sta tion site to Oregon Inlet on Bodie Island have all signed the neces sary papers granting the 100-foot right-of-way, and the papers were this week forwarded to the State Highway Commission. The loca tion of the proposed new highway has been officially approved by the Dare Board of Commissioners, and it is to be hoped that a con tract for the work will be let in the near future. There is no defi nite word on the Highway Com mission’s intentions in regard to letting the contract, but with these necessary preliminaries out of the way, it is thought that ac tion may be expected in the near future. THE COASTLAND TIMES PUBLISHED WEEKLY IN THE INTERESTS OF THE WALTER RALEIGH COASTLAND OF NORTH CAROLINA 86 AND GOING STRONG r '*’*l » <7 • W It - k ’ ft - - - -Zft LEONIDAS R. MANN of Manns Harbor, oldest man on the Dare mainland, was honored at a little family party on January 3, at his home, on his 86th birthday. This fine old man is loved by all. His children are Mrs. Ina Water field, Gaston, Harry and Guy Mann, and Mrs. Calvin Beasley. STICK TO HEAD CITIZEN’S ASSN. David Stick, of Kill Devil Hills, was elected president of the At lantic Township Citizens Associa tion at the annual meeting in the Kittv Hawk School Monday night. Walter Perry was elected vice president for the coming year, and Carlos Dowdy was elected secre tarv-treasurer. The members discussed a gen eral program for the coming year, with school imnrovements head ing the list, and considered a nro posal for the formation of a Rur itan Club. The association meets monthly and is concerned, primarily, with projects for local civic better ment. The new nresident announc ed that Committee assignments would be announced at the next regular meeting. KOREA VETERAN FROM PLYMOUTH HOSPITALIZED Cpl. Benjamin Bailey, Jr., 19, son 'of Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Bailey of Plymouth was one of seven Korea veterans hospitaliz ed at Camp LeJeune who were subjects of a full-page feature ar ticle, with pictures, in Sunday’s News and Observer. Cpl. Bailey, the article said, was an infantry man for 26 days in Korea before he was hit near Masan on a Sun day night a little after midnight. “On Sunday night we were at tacked, and our squad was order ed to drop back,” he told a re porter. “Just as I got out of the hole, I was hit in the left knee. It was small arms fire.” Cpl. Bail ey wasn’t sure exactly what day it happened. Things had been moving fast, he explained—but he thinks it was between Septem ber 9 and 12. STUMPY POINT HOME DAMAGED BY FIRE A fire which caught around the chimney Wednesday morning in the home of Muri Twiford at Stumpy Point, burned off a por tion of the roof and damaged the house to the amount of several hundred dollars. Prompt aid from neighbors saved the house. The home was formerly owned by the late Ed Hooper. ENGELHARD LIBRARY GETS NEW QUARTERS The Engelhard Public Library has been moved back into the front of the Community Building where it was located when estab lished at Engelhard several years ago. It is hoped that more patron age will be the result of the change from the room on the rear of the building where it has been for the past year or more. The Bookmobile makes regular trips and circulates books to loan to the public without any charge. It is open each week on Monday, Wednesday ’and Friday after noons. If you are not a borrower, the librarian will be glad to enroll you at any time during library hours. It is possible to produce frozen concentrated milk that will re main acceptable as a source of beverage milk for several months after it goes into frozen storage, recent studies show. SIX MEN CALLED FOR PHYSICALS BY DRAFT BOARD The Dare County Selective Ser vice Board has notified the fol lowing six men to report for pre induction physical examinations to be given them at Raleigh Fri day, January 12, Chairman Rob ert Ballance announced this week. Willie E. Spencer, Negro, 25, Manteo; Earl Ray Midgett, 24, Stumpy Point; Elwood McCleary, 24, Manteo; Eugene Riggleman, 23,. Washington, D. C. (formerly of Nags Head); Martin B. Twi ford, 23, Stumpy Point; Bertie B. Barnett, 22, Frisco. The Dare board has been not ified of the enlistment of two Dare county men. David P. Pruitt, a veteran of three years service in the army during World War 11, has re-enlisted in the grade of Private First Class in the Air Force. Ralph Edward Tillett of Wanchese enlisted in the Coast Guard Reserve on January 5. MANNS HARBOR CHILD DIES OF BURNS TUES. Cassie Louise, 5-year-old daugh ter of Mr. and Mrs. Shelbert Twi ford of Manns Harbor, playing with matches Tuesday afternoon shortly before 3 p.m., was so se verely burned when her dress caught fire, that she died late that night in the Columbia Hospital where she was taken for treat ment. Her mother, Mrs. Gladys Twiford was severely burned a bout the arms while trying to put out the fire. Besides her parents, she is sur vived by two small sisters, Violet, eight, and Carol Anne, two years old. The funeral was conducted at Manns Harbor Methodist church at 2 p.m. Thursday. The Rev. Tracey Varnum conducted the service, assisted by the Rev. Ernest Grinder. Burial was at Mashoes. MANTEO GIRLS TAKE DISPUTED VICTORY For a while after the final whis tle Tuesday night nobody was certain whether the Manteo girls had defeated Moyock by a score of 31-31, as one scorebook showed, or whether the game was head ed for an overtime with the score tied at 30-all. The Moyock team was ill content by the eventual decision that the official score book showed the Manteo girls the winners. The Manteo boys won handily, 40-22. The Buxton high school teams will be in Manteo Friday night to give the local squads their first taste of Dare county com petition during the present sea son. The girl’s game with Moyock had been close all the way with the lead changing several times throughout the game and with al most every basket in the last half. Griffin, a Moyock forward, cop ped high point honors for the evening with 16 counters, closely followed by Betty Rae Sanderlin of Manteo with 15. It was hot and-heavy action all through the game, and it was just as steamy around the scorers and the play ers’ benches for a few minutes ifter the game was over. Manteo’s boys were never head ed in their game. Led by Jack Cahoon and Punk Daniels, with ten points apiece, the home team managed to stay well out in front from beginning to end. Luton, Mo yock forward, popped in 10 points for the losers. MANTEO SENIORS ASK FOR CHINESE COSTUMES Seniors in Manteo high school plan soon to present a Chinese play—but they are handicapped in their production plans by the need of such Chinese costumes as kimonas and pajamas. The seniors would be appreciative if persons who have such costumes would al low them to use them during dress rehearsals and on the night of performance. Anyone having gar ments of this kind that the sen iors may use should notify Mrs. Hal Ward at Manteo high school. LAST WEEK’S WEATHER Figures provided by U. S. Govt Meteorologist A. W. Drinkwater High Low Rain January 4 61 42 January 5 52 41 January 6 54 40 January 7 62 48 January 8 48 80 January 9 37 25 January 10 87 28 MANTEO, N. C., FRIDAY, JANUARY 12, 1951 SPAIN DESTROYED THE LOST COLONY, WRITER CLAIMS Says Spanish Florida Gover nor Plotted Destruction of Roanoke Colony By WILLIAM S. JOHNSON, Jr. In The Baltimore Sunday American CHAPEL HILL, N. C„ Jan. 6 The answer to one of North Caro lina’s most intriguing historical riddles—that of the actual fate of Roanoke Island’s Lost Colony— may be hidden in the dusty, sel dom-used archives of Colonial Spain in Seville. This, at least, is the contention of a number of noted historians who have not chosen to accept the more popular theories that are currently found in the majority of our high school and college texts dealing with the subject. Spanish Concerned Most historians are satisfied that the small band of English settlers who landed on Roanoke Island in 1587 and vanished be tween that date and 1591 were either massacred by Indians or, running low on food and other provisions, joined the Indians and moved inland with them, leaving no definite record of their action. There is ample evidence to sup port either of these theories, and until very recently no other ex planation was thought worthy of consideration. Students of American history have long known that strong Spanish forces existed in Florida during the early period of English settlement in the New World, but it has taken a number of fairly recent discoveries to demonstrate the extent to which the Spanish were concerned over the English intrusions. Land Claimed That Spain held a justifiable claim to the southern portion of North America is a matter for de bate, but that the Spanish did claim the land there can be little doubt. Both English and Spanish docu ments of that period mention the frequent expeditions made by the Spaniards into Carolina Waters for the express purpose of dis couraging settlement by other powers. England and Spain were at war. The vaunted Spanish Armada was under construction, and ships un der the command of Queen Eliza beth’s “knighted pirates” were sacking Spanish seacoast towns in the Indies and in South America. In 1585, Sir Francis Drake at tacked St. Augustine, in Florida, and carried away Spanish gold and other valuables. French Colony Wrecked At the same time Spain was carrying out similar expeditions against English settlements. Some years earlier a Spanish fleet had sailed into Carolina wat ers and wrecked a French colony that had settled on the River May in what is now South Carolina. Thus the Spaniards had shown theiir concern over foreign en croachment, and at the same time demonstrated their ability to come into the Carolina area with forces sizable enough to destroy an es tablished settlement. We now know for certain that the Spanish plotted the destruc tion of the Roanoke Island colony. We know because the expedi tion was planned by Gonzalo Menendez de Canzo, the Spanish governor of Florida during the years in which the Lost Colony vanished. Outlined in Letter Menendez, known for his pas sionate opposition to English ex pansion, outlined his plans for Fort Raleigh’s destruction in a letter to King Philip II of Spain. The letter was found in the Spanish archives by an American historian who transplanted it and some years later permitted it to be published in the Georgia His torical Quarterly. WANCHESE RURITAN MEETING FRIDAY The Wanchese Ruritan Club held its first meeting of 1951 at the lunchroom of the Wanchese schoolhouse at 7 p.m. last Friday evening. The ladies of the Rena Baum Circle of the Women’s Mis sionary Society served dinner for the 14 club members present. A change in the time of the regular monthly meeting was adopted. Hereafter, the club will meet at 7 p.m. on the second Fri day of each month. Club membership now numbers twenty-two. Farmers their use of fertilizer during World War 11. NEGROES RETURN TO SCHOOL FOR MORE EDUCATION Manteo Principal Gratified at Interest Shown by Peo ple of His Race While many of his people are frittering away their time and passing up a golden opportunity, there is much to be grate ful for, and Thos. Richard Lamb, principal of the colored school at Manteo, is encouraged and hope ful, because women who are mar ried and the mothers of children have returned to school and are trying to prepare themselves for a better life. “Prof.” Lamb, as his people love to call him, has been teaching at Manteo for three years. One of his students is 30-year-old Mary Simmons Daniels, estranged from her husband, and with two small children to support. Another is Mary Hester McClease Whed bee, the wife of Charles Whedbee, and who in the primary last year, registered and voted along with with about 20 other people of ehr race. The Manteo school now has 90 students, despite a high non-at tedance record prevalent among the Negroes. Twenty-two are en rolled in the high school, and Prof. Lamb teaches all the classes in high school. There are 32 ene mentary pupils and 36 in the pri mary grades. Up to now the Board of Edu cation has done nothing toward improving the school property other than putting a roof on the building last year. It has no run ning water system or indoor toi lets and no playground equipment. In short the recreational facilities at the school are practically nil. The other teachers aid in the work. One is Mrs. Lillian Estelle Boone, daughter of Joe Tillett of Manteo; thee other is Mrs. Eva Bethea of Elizabeth City. Prof. Lamb, a native of Elizabeth City, got his BS degree at State Teach ers College, Elizabeth City, and took post-graduate work in Co lumbia University, New York City. He has taught extensively in Pasquotank County, and also in Pamlico County. He was one of 12 children who grew to manhood, there being in all 21 children born to his mother and father, mem bers of a prominent Negro family in Pasquotank County. He has been successful in bringing up a family of five, two daughters being married, one with seven children, another with two children; and three sons, of whom one, Harold, is studying medicine in Michigan, another, Gerald, is practicing dentistry in Waterbury, Conn, being the only Negro in his group, and the third, Wil lie, is now in his last year in Eliz abeth City State Teachers Col legs. TOM SPENCER AGAIN CITY EDITOR IN WASH’N Thos. E. Spencer, for the past year manager of the Belhaven Pilot and the Hyde County Her ald, has returned to his old job as City editor of the Washington, N. C., Daily News. Mr. Spencer 1s a native of En/ gelhard, Hyde County, and gc< his start in journalism on the Hyde County Herald, where he worked for several years before going to Washington. Mr. Spencer was with the Daily News for several years until a year ago when he resigned to take over the active management of the Belhaven Pilot. He is an ex perienced newspaperman and one of the most likeable and loyal fellows imaginable. He is a Rotarian and a member of the Methodist church. He is married to the former Miss Elsie Roper of Engelhard. Mr. Spencer succeeds Joe Rick ards, Jr. who resigned recently to return to school at the University of West Virginia and to do part time work on the Morganton, W. Va. daily paper. HIGHWAY DEATH TOLL, 1951 Killed Jan. 5 through January 8....'._ 8 Injured Jan. 5 through January 8 144 Killed through January 8 this year 13 Killed through January 8, 19W..._ 17 Injured through January 8, thia year 189 Injured through January 8, 1959.._ _...254 DESMOND WITH HIS BIG CIGAR ■lx - DESMOND A. ROGERS, proprie tor of the Manteo Service Sta tion is known far and wide be cause of a hearty laugh and a big cigar, which he is never without. There isn’t anyone just like him, and that’s what makes folks come back again to do business with this friendly fellow who has made a big success of his service station in 22 months since he took it over. He is a good mechanic, and his good nature goes a long way in making and keeping friends. Al ways obliging, and never turning down a job, no matter how small, is the motto of Dezzie. (Photo by Roger Meekins.) MEEKINS THE WEEKLY NEWSPAPER There are people who still think that the hometown weekly should give them as much news as a daily newspaper. This is not correct. Thfe weekly newspaper is not a competitor of the daily paper. It has a separate and distinct field of its own, and a field in which the daily news paper cannot compete. The daily newspaper’s job is to give us as quickly as possible an account of all of today’s news to day. Its equipment and its staff are geared to that particular job. It doesn’t always wait for the mails, but maintains its own de livery system in order to get the news out earlier than the mails might do. It has become one of the essentials of every day life. It is always rushed to get late news into print and before its readers. Spot news, like coffee and soup, is not good when it is cold. It be comes stale flat and unprofitable —or unenjoyable, if you wish. The daily papers do their job well, but like everyone else who does his particular job well, it sticks to its job. It doesn’t branch out into other fields. One of these fields is that of the weekly news paper, or rather the weekly news paper which sees its field and sticks to it. Os course the weekly newspaper prints a lot of news of local inter est. There are social and personal items of the moment that tend to give it a homey flavor, and make it more interesting to a greater number of readers. But the all important field for the weekly newspaper is to do the job that no daily can do, and that is to mir ror the life and times of its own community. To present those mat ters, past, present and future, which set its community apart from any other community as the eyes of its own citizens see it. In your town or village, or neighborhood, there are countless happenings that are not consider ed news by the big newspapers, because they have little interest to distance people. The hometown weekly takes note of these things. And there are numerous things with great human interest appeal that do inspire others in distant places. No one sees them so well as the hometown editor, and no one is in position to portray them with the same degree of sympathy and understanding. The hometown weekly fulfils a great need in carrying a weekly message to loved ones far afield who wish to keep in touch with the . old home and old friends. Many of these people cannot af ford to pay the higher price for a bulky daily paper in order to glean a few items about a single sec tion of its territory. But the home- See THEN, Page 5 Single Copy 7* FOUND GUILTY*** OF ASSAULT Large Crowd Hears Court Airing of Christmas Day Squabble on the Banks Before Judge Baum handed down his decision in the case of the State vs Jethro Midgett in re corder’s court in Manteo on Mon day, he made a statement which he said he wished all in the crowd ed courtroom to listen to atten tively. He had long wished to make such a statement, the judge said, and the opportunity had been given him by the case just completed. “When I am approached by a defendant or his friends or any one connected with any case not yet tried, and they talk to me a bout the case, I entertain them only through courtesy. What they say to me goes away like water off a duck’s back. I come here to listen to the evidence and try the case here.” Judge Baum then pronounced a sentence of guilty and fined Mr. Midgett $lO and the costs of court upon the charge entered by Lloyd J. Styron that Midgett had, on the evening of December 25 at a place named Tandy’s Place, near Frisco on the Lower Banks, as saulted Mr. Styron “with his fists inflicting serious and painful in jury." Two other charges had been en tered against Midgett, who lives at Rodanthe. Neither were tried. Both complaints were signed by R. D. Basnett, special police offi cer on the Banks. One charged Midgett with being drunk and dis orderly and disturbing the peace, and with engaging in an affray, at Tandy’s Place on Christmas night; the other charged him with drunkenness, disorderly conduct <- and disturbing the peace at the Beacon, operated by Junius Sty ron of Hatteras. The trial ran for about two hours and was witnessed by near ly 70 persons', most of them from the Lower Banks. Both the pros ecutor, Solicitor, Martin Kellogg, and the lawyers for the defend ant, Wallace and Sue McCown, called a number of witnesses to the stand. The testimony given by the witnesses for both sides was in direct conflict on a num ber of essential points. To disin terested spectators in the court rom, the total effect of the testi mony was confused—one thing only coming out clearly from the mass of testimony. That was ,it must have been a brisk evening indeed in Tandy’s Place on Christ mas. Exactly what happened there during the evening wasn’t brought out clearly, but that some very lively incidents took place, no one in the court room could doubt. Story of the Evening Mr. Styron, who took the stand first as the case opened, said that he went into Tandy’s Place early in the evening; that he saw Jeth ro Midgett and a young man nam ed Travis Austin wrestling or dancing on the floor of the place. Mr. Styron said he then went to the bar, where he was served a Coca Cola by Mr. Tandy, proprie tor of the place. Shortly after his arrival he was appoached at the bar by Jethro Midgett—and soon an altercation took place between them. The testimony of all wit neesses agreed in all essentials up to this point. The happenings of the next few minutes were de scribed by defense and prosecu tion witnesses in completely dif ferent ways. Mr. Styron said on the stand that Mr. Midgett approached him with the question, “You don’t like me. do you?” Styron said that he replied, “No, I can’t say I do.” The conversation then became more and more heated. All who gave testimony agreed that, dur ing the exchange of words, Mr. Styron took off his top coat— whether because he was warm and "knew Jethro,” as he testi fied, or because he was preparing to fight, as Mr. Midgett said he interpreted the action, the wit nesses did little to clarify. The defense charged that Sty ron struck at Midgett and hit him harmlessly on the shoulder. Then, the defense insisted, Midgett hit Styron on the side of the jaw or the neck and he slipped to the floor beside the bar. Styron, whose hand was bandaged when he appeared in court, charged that he fell on the hand and that it was injured in that way; he said that he had been unable to use it since the night of the incident and that his doctor had told him that it was, perhaps, broken. Point at Issue Most of the questions of the de fense lawyers and the solicitor See COURT, Page 5
The Coastland Times (Manteo, N.C.)
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Jan. 12, 1951, edition 1
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