VOLUME XVII NO. 10 MANTEO ROTARY OPPOSES 2nd CAST OF LOST COLONY The Manteo Rotary Club Mon day night gave vigorous disap proval to the proposal that the Lost Colony be cast and shown in New Jersey simultaneously next season. Rotarians were reminded by Martin Kellogg, Jr., that in the beginning the club as a new or ganiaztion back in 1936 had spon sored and approved the Lost Col ony and gave it loyal support in its feeble and difficult beginning, having faith in the assurance then given that it would not be shown any place but Roanoke Island. Dr. W. W. Johnston, and others gave expression that it should be opposed by the people of this com munity, and the Club passed a res olution unanimously that the di rectors of the Lost Colony be urged to dismiss the proposal. SEPT. 5 REGISTRATION DAY AT MANTEO SCHOOLS Principal L. W. Huggins this week announced that Wednesday, Sept. 5, the opening day of school for the 1951-52 term will be given over in the Manteo schools to reg istration of pupils. There will be no regular classes on Wednesday, the principal said. Mr. Huggins urged all parents to register pupils eligible for school early and to insist upon regular attendance dur ing the school year. The Manteo system loses one member of its faculty this fall because of i.re gular attendance during the past year, the principal pointed out; only through regular attendance can the teacher be regained by next fall. FISHING FINE IN DARE Fishing was never better than it has been during the current sum mer in waters of Dare County. Every kind of fish that will take a lure has been landed at one time or another since the big channel bass run began last spring. From lowly croakers to giant sailfish have been landed by anglers. Best catches of the past week were made by E. H. Gatewood of Silver Springs, Maryland. He landed a 26 pound dolphin. Most unusual catch of the week was made by Paul Shively of Carnegie, Pa. His biggest fish was a 4-foot barracuda taken in the Gulf Stream off Ore gon Inlet. Roanoke Island’s Oldest Colored Man, Henry Woodley, Lives Alone by Choice Last Visit to Town for 87-Year-Old was Nine Years Ago. Remembers Town as Place of Four Houses. “Mister, I sure enjoy having any body come here that I can talk to, •• white or colored. And I’ve got lots of good friends that do come here to see me. They’re all welcome here, as long as they behave them selves.” Those words, Uncle Henry Wood ley’s reply to a request to “talk twith him awhile,” describe accur ately the simple hospitality of the 87-year-old, lifelong resident, old est colored person living on Roa noke Island. Uncle Henry lives alone in a small, well-kept-up house a few hundred yards off one of the run ways of the Manteo airport, on a , site not far from that of the long vanished house in which he was born on Ootober 25, 1864. He isn’t far from kinfolk though; for his brother, John, ten years younger than he, lives in a neighboring house. Forced to Move Mr. Woodley was one of a num ber of householders who was forced to move when the Navy established an air base here early in Werld War 11. He was reluctant to give up his homesite, but agreed to ac-1 cept land in exchange for his own as close as possible to his old home. It is nine years since he moved to his present property; six I years since he moved his present i house onto the land. If there is any touch of bitterness in the cheerful old man, it is his feeling about the loss of his home—“as good as any on the island,” he calls it—when the airport was built. A casual acquaintance, who hears the little wrinkled old man • with the heavy gray mustache talk about the byegone events of his ( life, might be misled into thinking 1 ‘WB ’ Ji Mu Max Tharpe of Statesville won first place in the annual Lost Colony Press Photographers Contest with this closeup of Barbara Edwards Griffith as Eleanor Dare suddling her babe, Virginia Dare, first child of English parentage born in the New World. The photo is from the Lullaby Scene of the sym phonic drama by Paul Green. The final performance of the current season will be on September 2. Barbara Edwards Griffith, resident of Goldsboro but a native of Troy, N. C., is the first Tar Heel to play’ the Lost Colony’s leading role of Eleanor Dare. Tharpe’s photo won first place over 157 entries by more than 30 photographers from North Carolina, Virginia, and other states and his prise was a cash award of SIOO in sash. CUSTODY JUDGMENT UNCHANGED AFTER LENGTHY WRANGLING Two and three-quarters hours were consumed last Friday after noon by the persons involved in the re-opened hearing concerning the custody of the three DeFebio children. At the end of the often stormy, often-merely-repetitive discussions the case stood about as it has since May 22 when the chil dren were made wards of the Wel fare Department and placed in Mrs. .Banks’ licensed boarding ' home in Perquimans county. For once, description in legal terms of the result is an adequate description of what occurred in Judge C. S. Meekins’ juvenile court last week: the motion en i tered by Dennis Hollowell, Wash ington, D. C., attorney represent ing the DeFebios, to restore the children to their parents was de nied. In denying the motion, the judge said that written expression of intention to supervise the care of the children in Washington, D. C., by the District of Columbia Welfare Dept., was necessary be fore he could act to change his order concerning the children’s custody. There were some hot and bitter exchanges between Mr. ' Hollowell and Mrs. DeFebio on the one side and County Attorney Kellogg and Mrs. Meekins, welfare supt., on the other about the part that the welfare department could properly take in determining the I judge’s decision which were at least fervent, if not very enlight- ’ ening. Arguments ! The case of the Washington at-' : torney ran something like this. The N. C. State Welfare Board ' has written the Washington Wel l fare Dept., asking the answer to I two questions: one, whether the ■ D. C. dept, will agree to supervise i the family if they are allowed to i be reunited in Washington; and ’ two, a question requiring an an '■ swer from the mother of the child, Dennie, whom the lawyer said , cannot be found. According to i Hollowell, the District Welfare ■ Dept, was ready to agree to sup ervise the family, but, since it i, could not give the information II sought in the second question, it i1 had not replied to the letter; the lawyer said that the answer to the i second question was believed in Washington to be of special im- 1 portance to N.C. authorities. Mr. i Hollowell told the judge that he might call a supervisor in the • Washington department, whose name he gave, and receive a direct See DeFEBIO, Page Five FOUR YOUTHS CONFESS PARTS IN WRECKING ROAD MACHINES NEAR SALVO ON AUGUST 19 Started Up Machines on Way Home from Hatteras at 2 A.M. Discovered When Officers Trace Car. PLAY AUDIENCES APPROACH NEW SEASON RECORD With nearly 50,000 persons pay ing to see The Lost Colony since June 30 this year, the current 11th season will present the finale of Paul Green’s drama here in Water side Theatre on Sunday night, September 2. With good weather prevailing, the closing days of the 19551 season will break all prev ious records according to indica tions from advance sales of tickets early this week. Extra Performance (?) General Manager William Hardy has given the assurance that should the finale attract more than I 3,000 persons on Sunday night a double performance will be given in order that all who come coast ward will have an opportunity to see the show. It was necessary on the closing night of the 1941 season to present two performances, it was recalled here this week by C. S. Meekins, treasurer of the sponsoring organ ization. Attendance for the six perform ances August 23-29 were as fol lows: 911; 1,038; 2,408 (largest single night of the season); 1,090; 869 and 746. During the current season per sons from all parts of the United States and all parts of the world have come to America’s birth place to witness a performance of i the show that has become the longest lived outdoor production in America. I I . LAST RELIGIOUS SERVICES AT WATERSIDE THEATRE I The Rev. George F. Hill of Christ Episcopal Church, Elizabeth City, will be guest minister at Waterside Theatre Sunday for the last Lest Colony religious observances of the season, beginning at 11 a.m. Single Copy 70 Four Dare county youths, one ' sixteen years old and the others i fifteen, confessed to Sheriff Frank Cahoon and W. W. Spence, SBI agent, last Friday that they had i been responsible for the $5,000- $6,000 damage done to Ballinger i Paving Contractors road equipment one-half mile south of Salvo in the early morning hours of August 19. j The boys were: Billy Midgett, 15, son of Mr. and Mrs. Jethro Midgett, Rodanthe; David B. Mid gett, 16, son of Mr. and Mrs. Dave M. Midgett, Rodanthe; Dennis Midgett, 15, son of Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Midgett, Jr., .Waves; Billy Hooper, 15 , son of Mr. and Mrs. Floyd Hooper, Salvo. The boys’ story to the officers was that they were on their way home from Hatteras about 2 a.m. when they noticed the three road grading machines along the high way a short distance south of Salvo. They decided to see if they could start them up. When they had succeeded in getting the three machines started, they were driv ing them along iri single file; the lead machine stalled, and the other two crashed into it. Sheriff Cahoon and Mr. Spence spent the Tuesday preceding the day of the arrest trying to track down evidence that would enable them to discover the vandals. The first valuable evidence came into their hands when they were told by a citizen that he had heard the noise of the machines about 2 a.m. on the night the machines had been wrecked; the man had ob served a car driving north through the village shortly after the noise of the engines ceased. The descrip tion he gave of the car to the of ficers made-it possible to trace the car through persons who had seen it in Hatteras earlier that evening. By careful inquiry the officers soon , had a line on the boys in the car. When they talked to each of the boys, the officers kept the infor mation they had received from the others a secret. Before long the whole story was reconstructed from the boys’ confessions. No arrests have been made, ac cording to Sheriff Frank Cahoon. Such action awaits the filing of information by Mr. Ballinger, head of the company which owns the damaged machines. The Sheriff said that he understood Mr. Bal linger was waiting word from his insurers before proceeding with the case. MRS. MANSON W. MEEKINS PASSES AT AVON FRIDAY Mrs. Rhoda Anne Williams Meekins, 70, wife of Manson W. Meekins and daughter of the late Isaac and Dorcas Williams of Avon died Friday afternoon at 5:30 at the family residence following a week’s illness. She was the mother of the following children who sur vive: Wefcley M. Meekins of Man teo; Edison, and Paul Meekins of Norfolk; Luther and Dorcas Meek ins of Avon. Also a brother, Frank P. Williams of Avon. She was a member of St. John’s Methodist Church and funeral serv ices were conducted Saturday aft ernoon at 2 o’clock. Interment was in the family cemetery. She was known and loved as a good wife and mother, neighbor and com munity worker. AGENTS GETS GOODS ON BOOTLEGGERS, RUMOR SAYS At presstime on Thursday no confirmation had been reeeived through official channels for rum ors that were running up and down Main Street about the imminent arrest of local bootleggers, vary ing in number according to the credulity of the rumor-relayer from 17 to 35. Sheriff Frank Ca hoon said that he had received no communication from the state of fices of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, whose agents, rumor said, had made such a haul of local free enterprisers. If ar rests result from state agents’ in vestigations, the sheriff said, the warrants will be Issued .through the local clerk of the court’s of fice. KITTY HAWK SCHOOL OPENS. 4 SEPTEMBER 5 The Kitty Hawk School will open at 9 a.m. September 5. On Sept. 6, the lunchroom will be open, and the regular schedule will be 8:46 a.m. to 8:15 p.m., according to an announcement by William H. West, principal.