VOLUME XXIV NO. 21
J. B. TILLETT GAVE
MUCH TO PROGRESS
FOR OUTER BANKS
The Man Who Ferried The Island
er* For a Quarter Century,
Dies on A Farm
Jennings Bryan Tillett, (Tobey)
to nearby everybody, is dead. He
went to his final resting place
Sunday, honored by the largest
funeral, and the most flowers ever
seen at Bethany Methodist Church,
Wanchese. The building could not
hold the mourning friends who
came. From many places they
came, numerous people from Hat
teras some of whom had to stay
all night, and others didn’t come
because there was no way to re
turn home at night.
Tobey Tillett had been a rest
less man for seven years. Before
then he had operated the ferry
across to Hatteras Island for 25
years. He was the owner, and with
his father had founded the ferry
business. His uniform courtesy
and friendliness, and his accom
modating spirit had made him a
great favorite. At one time or an
other, he had ferried across just
about every person living on Hat
teras Island. He had more friends
along the eoust than any other
man.
To Tobey Tillett, more than to
any other man, do the people of
Hatteras Island owe credit for a
tremendous part in bringing about
a demand for good roads. The
business that Mr. Tillett built up,
eventually swallowed him up.
Tobey Tillett had stuck by this
business through great hardship.
He was a man of determination,
and spirit. He was not easily dis
couraged. When the hurricane of
March 1932 swept all his boats
away, and left him with nothing,
he never thought of giving up. On
the endorsement of a couple of
friends, he borrowed several hun
dred dollars of an Elizabeth City
bank; he used his good credit else
where and he got back in business.
Through all the ups and downs of
a quarter of a century, without a
let-up during the great depression
of the early 30’s he kept going,
and he enabled the people of the
island to go to and fro as they
pleased This ferry made possible
better mail service; the old, slow
torturous mail boats were aban
doned. A bus line was enabled to
start; freight service had improved,
and a continuous series of devel
opments were made possible, re
sulting in the modernization of all
the villages of the island. Count
less strangers found it possible to
travel to Hatteras, became fasci
nated by its sport and its beauty.
Clamor and pressure was exerted
for good roads, and free ferries,
and the State bought out Mr. Til-'
Ictt
Mr. Tillett never had been so
happy as when he was meeting
everybody while running his ferry
boat. He cast about for something
to do; he built himself a party
boat, on land leased from the U. S.
Wildlife Service, he built a sports
man’s center on the south side of
the inlet. These things proved not
to his liking, he sold them, estab
lished himse.f in the concession on
the north side of the Inlet, and
operated it successfully for three
years. But he tired of this.
His next venture was to under
takes the improvement of the old
Thou. Tillett homeplace, where he
was born, some 300 acres of land
at Wanchese, skirting Broad Creek.
He had been building canals, clear
ing land, and making ready a new
homesite. Two days before his
death, his tractor had turned over,
almost pinning him down, but he
escaped. Having told his wife
about it, she begged him on Thurs
day not to use it any more. When
he failed to return home Thursday
night, a searching party found his
lifeless body in the darkness of the
new plowed field, pinned under
the steering wheel of the tractor
which had up-ended on him.
Tobey Tillett was a pioneer, and
he was a restless doer of things.
He could not pin himself down to
mere routine. His name will be
long-remembered for his value to
the amazing chain of events and
people who have made possible
the wonderful progress of the
coaatland during the third of a
century that has just passed.
He was a native of Dare County
and resided in Wanchese, all of his
life. He was the son of Mrs. Mary
Tillett and the late William B.
Tillett, and husband of Mrs. Zeta
Daniels Tillett.
He owned and operated the Ore
gon Inlet Ferry service for over
25 years, having sold it to the
State in 1951. He also operated
the Oregon Inlet Fishing Center
for three years before selling his
franchise to H. A. Crees, et als.
He was a member of the Wanchese
Methodist Church.
Besides his mother and wife he
is survived by two daughter, Miss
Margaret Jean Tillett, of Norfolk,
Va., and Miss Dianne Tillett of
Wanchese; four sisters, Mrs.
Grady Owens of Norfolk, Mrs.
See TILLETT, Page Eight
THE COASTLAND TIMES
PUBLISHED WEEKLY IN THE INTEREST OF THE WALTER RALEIGH COASTLAND OF NORTH CAROLINA
1959 INTERNATIONAL
TOURNAMENT SET
FOR BLUE MARLIN
North Carolina’s first interna
tional blue marlin tournament will
be held at Hatteras in 1959 with
the tentative date set for on or
about the first week of June.
Location of the tournament was
decided in Washington, N. C.,
Wednesday by committee members
of the N. C. Blue Marlin Associa
tion under the leadership of Bob
Halstead. The " association was
formed recently with representa
tives from all sections of the coast
present. Representative Herbert
C. Bonner, who with. Hon. Lindsay
Warren were among the first to
give support to the forming of a
tournament organization after
Capt Edgar Styron and others on
the Dare Coast had first conceived
the idea of an event to tell the
world about billfishing in coastal
waters.
In addition to the week long
tournament at Hatteras, it was
also planned to have a N. C. Coast
wise Billfish Contest which would
include all areas where Marlin,
sailfish have been taken with rod
and reel and also swordfish which
have bee n sighted but not yet
landed.
Representatives at the meeting
in Washington included Styron
and Donald Oden, Hatteras, H. A.
Crees, Warren Gallop and Aycock
Brown-of Manteo, T. Tom Potter,
Capt. Bill Olsen and Bob Simp
son, Morehead City, Alice Strick
land, Bill Honahan and Lou Gil
liam Lewis of Southport, members.
This group will spearhead a cam
paign for finances to run the
contest.
Dr. J. C. Overbey, Norfolk ang
ler who has caught more blue mar
lin off Cape Hatteras than any
other person stated this week that
he had accepted a challenge on
behalf of the Cape Hatteras Bill
fish Club to meet a team of blue
marlin fishermen from Puerto
Rico in waters of the Dare Coast
next year. The challenge came
first to the manager of the Dare
County Tourist Bureau, whose re
port in a New York Times story
recently about 78 blue marlin be
ing landed off the Dare Coast
this year, had aroused the bait
skipping wrath of the Puerto
Ricans. Governor Hodges has also
expressed a deep interest in the
challenge and next year’s pro
posed tournament because of the
wide publicity it would give North
Carolina.
A TURKEY SHOOT
STAGED BY LIONS
IN MANTEO ON SAT.
Citizens of Manteo and vicinity
will have an opportunity to get
their Thanksgiving turkeys and
have fun doing it Saturday of
this week the Manteo Lions Club
will hold a turkey shoot at the
waterfront at two p.m. and pre
sent some twenty turkeys to the
best marksmen.
Shells will be furnished for both
16 and 20 gauge guns, but it is
requested that each participant
bring his gun. In the event of in
clement weather, the shoot will be
Monday night following.
Proceeds will further the club’s
community activities.
WORJ.D WAR ONE HISTORY MADE IN HYDE COUNTY 41 YEARS AGO
iiii
:
THERE was more excitement 41 years ago than tod. y, when young men were sent away to war. In Octo
mer 1917, this group was called up for service, and the picture shows them as they were ready to go.
While the two draft board members in the foreground have long since passed away, only one of the stand
ing group of inductees has died. Standing, from left to right, John Payne, deceased, Ellis Hodges, now
in Norfolk, J. H. Jarvis, the well known Engelhard merchant, Marcus Williams of Fairfield, T. B. Ballance
of Nebraska, Clifton Bell, former court clerk and representative of Hyde County, Gray Spencer of Middle
town, Grady Credle of Swan Quarter, Thad Selby of Nebraska. Draft board members in the foreground
are the late attorney S. S. Man of Swan Quarter and the late George P. Carter of Fairfield.
LOUISBURG ANGLERS LAND 143 STRIPED BASS NEAR MANNS HARBOR
07 v jr, Y
Trolling with bucktail lures from Capt. Chick Craddock’s cruiser “Lollypop” these five Louisburg
anglers shown here with Craddock at Manns Harbor landed 143 striped bass or rockfish in the Croatan-
Pamlico Sound area on Saturday. Similar good catches have been reported by all who trolled for this
species of fishing during the recent balmy November weather. The Louisburg anglers were George P.
Foster, I. G. Stephens, James Sanders, N. Bledsoe, and M. B. Murphy. (Photo by Aycock Brown)
MANNS HARBOR
RURITANS HOLD
LADIES NIGHT
Club Expects to Send Delegates
to National Convention in
Washington, D. C.
The Manns Harbor Ruritan Club
held its ladies night on the occa
sion of the usual monthly meeting
Wednesday night of this week at
the community building, and it
was attended by some 18 persons.
W. S. White, the outgoing presi
dent, who left Thursday for treat
ment in Duke, presided. A ham
dinner with apple pie and ice
cream was served.
An enjoyable dinner was follow
ed by singing at the piano by both
women and men. Plans were made
for a Christmas party when golden
agers will be guests of honor. Mr.
and Mrs. Wilbur Pinner were
named on the committee to cany
out the club’s plans.
Plans for attending a district
meeting in Hertford on Thursday
night were discussed and among
those considering attending were
T. 0. Sutton, Wilbur Pinner, John
Twiddy and Henry Armstrong.
Delegates from the club will at
tend the Ruritan National conven
tion in Washington, D. C. in Janu
ary.
The officers who will head the
club for the following year are
Henry Armstrong, President; G. C.
Gard, Vice-President; John Mid
gett, Secretary and Wilbur Pinner,
Treasurer. Director for three years
is John A. Twiddy.
The club had one visiting Ruri
tan, Victor Meekins of Manteo
who was asked to speak, but who
started a discussion of what might
be done to encourage home indus
try in the area. Comparison of the
economic status of the communi
ties on the mainland was made.
For instance Stumpy Point had a
population of 275 in 1920 which
is reduced because fishing indus
try has failed. Manns Harbor ap
pears to be holding its own be-,
cause it has made investments
catering to the tourist and sport
fishing industiy. East Lake town
ship, which had a population of
374 in 1920 now has less than 80
inhabitants.
The Ruritan Club has been in
operation more than ten years,
See RURITANS, Page Eight
MANTEO, N. C., FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21. 1958
BEACHES GRIEVING
OVER TRAGEDY TO
THE, SIDES FAMILY
.
Popular Marchant Killed and
Seven Injured in Collision
Sunday Nighs .
In of George Sides of
Nags Head Sunday night in an
automobile collision, the beach area
has lost one of its most popular
newcomers. Mr. Sides, 38, had
brought his family to Nags Head
to make a permanent home and
after a hard struggle for two years
had established a growing business,
operating a drug store and photo
graphic shop.
His fine personality and his devo
tion to his business, his commu
nity and his neighbors made him
universally loved. He was buried
in the soil of Dare County Wed
nesday, in the Austin Cemetery at
Kitty Hawk, following funeral
services in the Methodist Church.
The circumstances of Mr. Sides’
death resulted out of the dense fog
which set in Sunday afternoon. At
6:30, Mr. Sides was homeward
bound after having picked up his
daughter and some friends in Man
teo. While proceeding north, he
observed a car pull suddenly out of
a driveway, and make a wide sweep
across the road. In an effort to
avoid the car, he swung to the left
and met the car head on.
The driver of the other car was
Charlie Crank of Wanchese who
suffered serious injuries, including
a broken leg and many cuts and
bruises, and he is in Elizabeth City
hospital. Mr. Sides was severely
crushed and was found dead on
arrival at the Elizabeth City hos
pital. His wife was severely in
jured, and is in the hospital.
Others in the car with Mr. Sides
were his daughter Barbara, and
three of her friends of high school
age, Miss Ellen Perry, daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. Lee Perry of Kitty
Hawk, Rosemary Sanderlin, daugh
ter of Mr. and Mrs. Oscar San
derlin of Kitty Hawk beach, and
Frances Mann, daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. Richard Mann of Nags
Head. Miss Perry and Miss San
derlin were permitted to leave the
hospital Sunday night.
Mr. Sides’ daughter and friends
were returning from the movies at
See TRAGEDY. Page Eight
HOOPER THINKS
FISHING SHOULD
CONCERN BOARD j
Stumpy Point Man Recommends
Action in Supporting Commer
cial Fishing Improvement
Among other things, the offi
cials of Dare County should dis- <
card a “do-nothing” policy on mat- 1
ters of general interest in the i
county, and should get behind any i
and all projects destined to bene- i
fit the people of the whole county,
Horace B. Hooper of Stumpy Point :
said this week. Mr. Hooper, who
will be a member of the Dare .
County board in December, comes
from a locality where fishing fail- ,
ures over a period of years have (
brought disaster to what was one
of the wealthiest and busiest com
mercial fishing centers of the
state.
Mr. Hooper says he is well
aware of the need for a bridge
over Oregon Inlet which was refer
red to last week by Commissioner
elect Edwards of Waves. “I am
glad to see him take the lead in
this project, and I am going to
do all I can to help him, and I
want -his support, along with the
whole board, in action and not
words alone in behalf of our fish
eries. The fish, oyster and shrimp
industries are in a bad way, and
surely there are means that will
improve them, but they won’t be
found unless somebody takes
enough interest to go to work on
it.”
A problem that concerns so
many people, perhaps a majority
of the county’s residents, and
surely every neighborhood in the
county deserves more than lip
service from public officers, Mr.
Hooper believes. “We can’t just
sit back and wait for someone to
come and throw things in our
laps,” he says. “We have got to
show some interest and go after
results.”
Mr. Hooper grew up in the fish
ing business and is actively in it.
He knows this business and its
needs. For a hundred years it has
been the mainstay and backbone
of the county, and it can continue
to be another hundred years if the
right effort and consideration is
given it, he believes. “At the same
time, I think I am well aware of
the other things that should be
considered,” he says. “We must
look at them as a whole picture,
and work for them together. Roads,
bridges, tourist business, fair val
ulation of property, reasonable
taxes, elimination of wasteful
management, development of a
long range program for the im
provement of the whole county,
and the discarding of stop-gap
measures which only throw away
money and do no good.”
BASKETBALL GAMES AT NEW
GYM AGAIN THIS FRIDAY
The second series of basketball
games in a tournament sponsored
by the Manteo PT A will be held
at the new Manteo High School
gym this coming Friday night
Nov. 21, beginning at 7:30.
The first game will be between
the Hot Shots and Scooters, made
up of 7.and 8 year old boys.
The second game will find the
Methodist Women facing the Busi
ness Women, these two teams be
ing coached by Mrs. R. D. Sawyer,
Jr. and Mrs. Wayland Fry.
The third game of the evening
will be between the Shripers and
Lions, with Jack Wilson and Way
land Fry acting as coaches.
The fifth and sixth grade
mothers will be in charge of the
concession booth with home made
candies, drinks, etc. for sale. Mrs.
George Crees and Mrs. Nevin Wes
cott are grade chairmen respon
sible for the concession stand.
The last games in this series
which proceeds are going into the
PTA treasury, will be played on
Friday,, December 12.
VIGOROUS ENFORCEMENT OF
WILDFOWL HUNTING LAWS
IS ORDERED THIS SEASON
Crackdown on First Day Ropes in 80 Cases in
Lake Mattamuskeet Area; Defendants Charg
ed With Using Baited Blinds and Shooting Near
Live Decoys; Dwindling Flocks of Fowl Point
Up Strong Policy From Atlanta.
ROBBERY LEADS TO
PRISON AGAIN FOR
WILLIE McCLEESE
Wise's Market Robbed; Notorious
Thief Sent Off For
Five Months
When Willie McCleese got
caught in Wise’s Market Friday
morning of last week he was
thoughtless enough to start to at
tack Sheriff Frank Cahoon with a
knife. He not only got knocked out
by Sheriff Cahoon’s flashlight, but
he will have to go to the roads for
five months, and will thereby not
have the privilege of luxuriating
in the new Dare County jail with
board free until May when
the robbery case can be heard.
Judge Baum didn’t have juris
diction in the robbery case, so
bound him over to court, but he
did have jurisdiction in the as
sault case, and he wisely fixed it
so Willie will have to work, and
the county will save his keep.
He’ll have to come back in May to
be tried for robbery, and may get
another job on the roads.
When the burglar alarm went
off in Willis Wise’s home, he
called tlie Sheriff and rushed over
to the store. Sheriff Cahoon got
there in about five minutes, or
about 3:30 a.m. Willie was busy
passing Smithfield hams out a back
window from a pile of merchan
dise he had stacked, nearby. His
allies could not be located, but he
claimed they were Paul Davenport,
and Leon White. Sheriff Cahoon
said Davenport was in New Jersey
the day before, and doubts this
much of the story. White is an ex
convict and notorious thief, maybe
not so much as Willie McCleese
who has served many years in pris
on for robbery, and long held the
title of champion chicken thief of
Dare County. One of his brothers
is now doing time for the robbery
of Wise’s Market, which has been
burglarized more than all the Man
teo stores put together. Situated on
the outskirts and beyond the town
limits, thieves here do not so read
ily fear fierce officer Mitchell,
Chief of Manteo police.
MANTEO METHODISTS TO
CELEBRATE SUNDAY IN
COLLEGE FUND CAMPAIGN
The Lay Committee for Chris
tian Higher Education of Mt. Oli
vet Methodist Church, including
eleven members, the pastor, Rev.
L. A. Aitken and forty men of the
church, acting as “teams” of work
ers, looked forward to Victory
■ Sunday November 23rd, in the
1 Campaign for Christian Higher
■ Education, with great confidence
now. It was announced by Lay
1 Chairman, Wallace McCown, that
- Mt. Olivet attained 107% of its
> goal, of $18,000.00, and workers
• still had over one hundred pros
’ pects to contact, during the re-
- mainder of the week.
1 District Superintendent C. Free
-1 man Heath of Elizabeth City, re
ported that the Manteo achieve
’ ment, was one of the best reports
’ of the Elizabeth City District.
1 Worker’s Dinners held Wednes
day night at the church reviewer
progress, and remaining contact:
to be made, and resolved to com
[ plete the program by the final din
ner, on Friday Night, when a spec
ial steak dinner will be given al
committee members and workers.
! Reports from elsewhere in thi
! Dare-sub-district indicated tha
each church was working undei
1 the leadershin of Pastors, and Lai
Committee Chairmen, and resolu
’ tion for success was firm.
Progress to date indicated tha
a Dare County could be proud of th<
nart its Methodists were playing ii
the establishment of new college:
, at Rocky Mount, and Fayetteville
’ Much interest was shown localb
because the Rocky Mount sou
I year Weslyn College would providi
additional near-by facilities for thi
Christian Education of our owi
B young people.
B The Manteo church is particular
B ly pleased at the efforts and en
L thusiasm, shown by the men of thi
. church, and the support given b;
. the WSCS. Chairman McCown, ex
pressed the hope that the “Inspire
s tion, Organisation, and Perspire
e tion” shown in this campaign
n might result in greater activity ii
| every phase of the church progran
Single Copy 7#
A crack-down on hunting law
violations, in keeping with a policy
recently issued out of the Atlanta
office of the U. S. Fish and Wild
life Service, resulted in widespread
arrests on the opening day of the
season, Monday of this week. U.
S. Game Warden Bob Halstead of
Washington said Wednesday some
80 cases had been made in the
Mattamuskeet area of Hyde Coun
ty, and more than 70 cases in
Anson County, with arrests in
other parts of the state noted.
This vigorous enforcement policy
is expected to continue throughout
the season.
Mr. Halstead said W. T. Davis,
Supervisor of 11 southeastern
states recently had issued a policy
for strict enforcement of the law
which does not permit blinds near
er than 250 yards of live decoy
geese kept on farms, and further
when any hunting is carried on
nearer than half a mile of such
decoys, the birds must be con
fined in a building or roofed en
closure.
Forty-one of the defendants
Monday were charged with viola
tion of this rule; 29 for hunting
over baited fields, and 10 for hunt
ing with guns not properly plug
ged. All defendants were ordered
before a U. S. Commissioner in
Washington, and while the “live
decoy” defendants got off lightly,
other hunters were fined $25 and
guides taking part SSO.A few de
fendants noted appeals, and some
of them came back Tuesday and
paid up.
Cases were heard on both Mon
day and Tuesday.
In one instance, 18 hunters,
customers of Claude Litchfield of
Engelhard were apprehended for
shooting too close to live geese.
In another case, 19 hunters guided
by Cecil Berry of Manteo were
charged with shooting over baited
fields.
Game wardens assisting in the
crack-down Monday were Howard
Wooten, State supervisor of Dis
trict 11. Lawson Cohoon of Fair
field, Lindsay Everett of William
ston, and J. O. Early of Plymouth.
Mr. Halstead said a number of
reasons had aroused the attention
of officials in Washington and At
lanta and had brought down a
vigorous enforcement policy. First
is the dwindling flocks of wild
fowl. In Maryland this week Mr.
Halstead had reports of small
flocks and poor shooting/ Reports
were unfavorable from Virginia
and Currituck County.
The practice of baiting fields
has also been the source of much
complaint, and investigation has
shown that some landowners, being
greedy for business calculatingly
plant crops of grain and beans in
suitable locations for hunting, and
deliberately leave the crops un
harvested. Fields are filled with
blinds, rentals of which bring a
good income to farmers. Fields
• are overcrowded, in some instances
’la small acreage containing as
’ many as 20 to 30 blinds. If birds
• strip the fields of grain before
• opening date of the season, more
corn is often carried in and the
■ fields heavily baited from time to
• time.
■ • Complaints about this situation,
s as well as about live decoys and
other practices have come from
- many good guides and landowners
1 who wish to see the law observed,
s and the customers of the industry
- protected. No hunter likes to be
- taken into court; sometimes he is
- misled; often he cannot know if
1 he is being caused to break the
law through the zeal of his guide
> who wants good shooting, particu
tl larly on opening day.
r| On opening day this week dis
i appointment prevailed because of
- mild weather, yet Monday witness
ed many good shots, and some
t hunters got their limits early,
a Tuesday was even worse because
a a fog lasting most of the morning
s' made shooting imoossible. Wed
.. j nesday showed little improvement
f in weather.
r| Early Sunday, hunters began
e- flocking into Hyde County and by
a night every hotel, motel, and
i lodging house had been filled to
capacity. In numbers of hunters J
. it is the biggest season known on
. the Hyde mainland. Every place
e which accommodates hunters had
y its yard jammed with parked cars,
- and along the roadsides were seen
, more empty cars than ever before
. noted in Hyde Ciunty.
i, Many new places have been :
n built in the county, more than
>. See WILDFOWL, Page Fire
■ ~ 'J . vJH