Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume], September 09, 1948, Image 1

About Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1931-1948

Image provided by: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Library, Chapel Hill, NC

                
First Issue Of Daily Herald Slated To Appear Monday
' Two Littleton Men Killed In Wednesday Morning Highway Crash
1 riicK L-omaes
With Car Near
Roanoke Rapids
Two Littleton men, Robert Lee
, Edmonds, 41, and Clarence Tay
1 lor, Negro, 43, lost their lives
in a car-truck collision two miles
west of Roanoke Rapids on US
highway 158 about 5:45 Wednes
day morning.
Both men were employees of
the Littleton Sales Company and
were in a truck operated by
the company when the truck col
lided with a car driven by W.
B. Copenhaver of route one Roa
t noke Rapids.
State Highway Patrolmen who
investigated the accident said
both the truck and Copenhaver's
ear were proceeding toward
Roaroke Rapids, when Copen
haver made a left turn to go into
his driveway just as the truck
was about to pass. The truck hit
the car in the left side, caromed
off into a telegraph pole which
was snapped from the force of
it the impact and finally came to
rest upside down in the ditch.
Officers said the truck was al
most completely demolished and
said the Copenhaver car was se
verely damaged.
Copenhaver, who suffered a
shoulder injury and abrasions
about the head told officers that
he had plainly indicated that he
intended making a left turn and
had no idea the truck would
* try to pas3. No charges were
preferred by the officers pend
ing a coroner’s inquest on the
accident.
Both Edmonds, who was em
ployed as a traveling salesman,
and Taylor, who was a driver
tor the Littleton company, were
rushed to the Roanoke Rapids
hospital by ambulance. Edmonds
died about 7;45 of a crushed
, chest, internal injuries and a
■ possible skull fracture, and Tay
lor died shortly after nine o’
clock from severe head injuries.
Funeral services for Mr. Ed
monds will be conducted from
the Littleton Baptist Church at
4 00 p. m. Thursday, with Rev.
Julian H. 'King, pastor, official
Ing.
Surviving are his wife, Mrs.
Mary Fleming Edmonds; one
$ son, Bobby; one sister, Miss JjV’
ther Edmonds of Littleton;-.,
three brothers, William, Errfbat
and Clyde, all of Littleton.
Taylor was unmarried and a
list of survivors was not imme
diately available. Funeral ar
rangements were incomplete
pending the arrival in Littleton
of New York relatives of the
dead Negro driver.
Officers said they did not
f learn which of the fatally-injur
ed mer was driving the truck at
the time the accident occurred.
Wednesday morning’s wreck
ran the total highway fatalities
in Halifax County to five for the
y' -r.__
Buses To Carry
Crowds To Jaycee
•Thrill Act Sunday
It was announced today by
the Roanoke Rapids Junior
Chamber of Commerce, spon
sors of the famous Hell Driv
ers thrill show which will take
place at the Chockoyotte Fair
Grounds at two p. m. Sunday,
September 12, that Roanoke
Transit buses will be available
to take crowds to and from the
f Fair Grounds for the show.
Buses will start operating at
noon Sunday to take people to
the.Fair Grounds and will be
avialable after the two-hour
thrill show to return the
crowds to town.
The daredevil show, which is
headed by Johnnie Hand, ace
auto stunt man, will feature
15 thrill acts
THE ROANOKE RAPIDS
i
VOLUME XXXIV ROANOKE RAPIDS, N. C„ THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 1948 •»NUMBER 3
.;..—— — -
TWO HALIFAX BOY SCOUTS, Vernon Bradley (left) and Harold Twisdale. members of
Troop 53 at Halifax have been presented awards for the greatest advancement in Scouting in
the Halifax district during 1947. The awards were made at a recent meeting of the Roanoke
Rapids Lions Club at which the two Boy Scouts were special guests. Lion D. E. Bennett,
Commissioner of the Halifax district. Boy Scouts of America, made ihe presentation on behalt
'•'f the Lions Club. . , .. .. . . . ..
Each year the Roanoke Rapids Lions Club awards a placque or suitable trophy to the
l Swoui ;in the district who shows the most advancement in Scouting rank during the year*
1 Brau.'ey and Twisdale t'.od.-'Jr th<_ honor in 1947, since both boys advanced from Second Class
Scout to Life Scout in the same time and on the same dates. For that reason both received
duplicate awards. In winning the awards Scouts Bradley and Twisdale showed more advance
ment than any other Boy Scout in Enfield, Halifax, Weldon, Gaston, Roanoke Rapids, Aurelian
Springs and Littleton. ___
M. McRae Faison Is First
Again as Herald Subscriber
M. McRae Faison, well-known
Roanoke Rapids insurance and
real estate operator and form
er postmaster of Roanoke Rap
ids holds the distinction of be
ing the first founder-subscriber
to the new Daily and Sunday
Herald, the first edition of which
is scheduled for publication on
Monday.
“Mac” as he is known to his
many friends has a record of be
ing first as far as subscribing to
the Herald is concerned. He was
the first subscriber to the Herald
when it began publication as a
weekly back in 1914.
“Mac” tells the story of how
he happened to be the first subs
criber to the Herald.
“The little house back of the
Joyner home on Hamilton Street
was the first office of the Herald.
One day in 1914, I don’t recall
the exact day but it was while
I was postmaster, I happened to
be going by the then Herald of
fice and noticed much activity.
FIRST SUBSCRIBER to the
new Daily Herald is M. Mc
Rae Faison of Roanoke Ra
pids, who was the first sub
scriber to the Herald when it
was founded in 1914.
I stopped in and Mr. Proctor,
who was then editor of the pa
per, was getting ready to make
his first press run.
“I asked Mr. Proctor if he had
any subscribers and the answer
was no. So I asked to be allowed
to be the first and paid $1.00 for
a year’s subscription.”
Mac” said that he kept that
firsc copy of the Herald for
many years sealed in an envelope
marked do not destroy. He
said ihat he once told Carroll
Vilfon, a former owner of the
Htiu.*.’ about it and Wilson ask
ed for the paper, since there was
none in the Herald’s files, but
the paper was missing when
“Mac” went to look for it.
Came Here in '95
Faison recalled that he came
to Roanoke Rapids in 1895 with
the rest of his family and said,
’We were the 13th family to ar
rive here."
His father, H. B. Faison, was
a carpenter and came here to
work on the first knitting mill,
in the building located where the
Manchester Board and Paper j
Box Company is today.
“Mac” said that he, his father;
and his brother walked from
Northampton County to Roanoke
Rauids and drove the family
cows.
There was no facility for trans
portation into Roanoke Rapids
at that time and the rest of the
Faison family cime to Weldon
by train and then walked to Roa
noke Rapids.
In the little village of those
days of 1895 there were no busi
ness buildings and the home into
which the Faisons moved was
not complete. The home was lo
cated at what is now 120 Jeffer
son street.
On completion of the knitting
mill, which was operated by the
United Industrial Company, in
1896, “Mac” went to work in the
mill.
He said that his early school
ing was had in a one room school
which was located near where
the hospital now stands and was
in a grove of woods.
Most of the trading was done
in Weldon and later when there
was a method of transportation
between Weldon and Roanoke
Rapids the trade between the two
towns grew.
The transportation was by
horse-drawn boat down the old
canal and much freight was mov
ed via barge and boat. The peo
ple walked along the canal bank
between Roanoke Rapids and
Weldon in those early days.
Faison recalls that in 1895 and
1896, Roanoke Avenue of today
was nothing more than a road,
fringed by trees and marshland.
He says that he grazed cattle
over the area around what is
today Second and First streets
and that there were no buildings
in the area.
The one business building in
(Continued on page 12)
Town Seeks Use Of Surplus
Parking Meter Profits
For Recreational Purposes
Roanoke Rapids Commission
ers, meeting here Tuesday after
noon in their regular meeting,
passed a motion to request the
General Assembly to pass an act
enabling the Board in its dis
cretion to use surplus profits
from parking meters for recrea
tional purposes.
Under the existing setup, all
parking meter profits are ear
marked for traffic regulation en
forcement, however Board mem
bers expressed the hope that a
special local act would be en
acted in the 1949 General Assem
bly to allow the city to use the
surplus profits for recreation.
The Commissioners again dis
cussed the comic-book influence
on children in the city, and
Mayor W. B. Allsbrook read a
ruling he recently received from
State’s Attorney-General Harry
McMullan in which it was stated
that any publications which are
not acceptable in the U. S. mails
can be barred from newsstand
sales. The mayor said he has
discussed the matter with local
postmaster L. G. Shell and added
that he is obtaining a list of pro
hibited publications from the U.
S. Postmaster-General.
He said this list of publica
tions will be used to remove any
prohibited books from sale in the
city.
The Commissioners officially
adopted the proposed budget re
cently submitted, and they dis
cussed with engineers and con
tractors the current street pav
ing project in the city, however
no definite action was taken on
the streets.
Rev. Walker Named Drive Chairman;
The Rev. John M. Walker,
pastor of the First Presbyter
ian Church, has been named
drive chairman of the annual
Community Chest campaign in
Roanoke Rapids, Henry Ak
ers, chairman of the campaign
committee announced today.
Akers said that the dates for
the campaign, which will be
held sometime during October,
will be announced later.
The annual Red Feather
campaign raises funds for the
various civic organizations in
Roanoke Rapids, including the
Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, school
room lunch program, the Asso
ciated Charities and other or
ganizations.
The goal for this year’s cam
paign has not been set, but
the various participating or
ganizations are working on
their budgets and the cam
paign committee plans to an
nounce the goal at a later date.
Tax Revaluation
Question Deferred
By County Board
Halifax.—The Halifax County
Commissioners reached a stale
mate on the issue of having a
new valuation made on property
in the county for tax assessments
when two members of the com
mission were unable to attend
the afternoon session of the
meeting here Tuesday. At the
time Ralph D. Stout represent
ing the Southern Mapping and
Engineering Company appeared
at the meeting to give an esti
mate of the cost of such a sur
vey.
Although all the members
were present at the morning ses
sion in the court house, J. R.
Yv'renn and M. H. Mitchell were
unable to be present when the
meeting resumed after lunch.
The remaining three members,
D. G. Dickens, C. S. Alexander
and John B. Davis, felt that the
matter before the Board of Com
missioners with regard to hav
ing the survey made was of such
importance to the entire coun
ty that all commissioners should
be present when a decision was
Stout pointed out that if the
revaluation of property were to
be completed in fttime to affect
next year’s tax levy, it must be
started immediately. Since time
was so important, a special meet
ing was called for the early
part of next week. At that time
Mr. Stout is expected to be pre
sent to give an estimate of the
cost of >such a survey by his
firm, and a representative of the
Cole-Layer-Trumble Company of
Ohio is also expected to be pre
sent.
The revaluation of property
has been under consideration
for several weeks and if done
is expected to remedy many dis
crepancies in the present tax le
vies by making the valuations on
a scientific basis.
Daniels Will
Speak To
Rotary Club
Frank Daniels, president of
the North Carolina Press Asso
ciation. will be the principal
speaker at the Roanoke Rapids
Rotary club Monday evening.
Daniels, who is business man
ager of the Raleigh News and
Observer, is coming here to
honor the inauguration of the
Herald as a daily and Sunday
paper.
Founder
SKbscrSbers
Here is a list of • . .. f_. ? the
first Founder-Subscrib s to the
new Daily Herald. These are
among the first people in this
area who have joined the new
Daily Herald “family”:
(1) M. McRae Faison, Roa
noke Rapids
(2) R. L. Towe, Roanoke
Rapids
(3) H. L. Rook, route one,
Roanoke Rapids
(4) James A. Hawkins,
route one, Roanoke Ra
pids
(5) A. E. Powell, route one,
Roanoke Rapids
(6) B. C. Pair, route two,
Roanoke Rapids
(7'i Mrs. J. B. O’Briant,
route two, Roanoke Ra
pids
(8) Mrs. Nina H. Powell,
route two, Roanoke Ra
pids
(9) E. D. Jenkins, route two,
Halifax
(10) Annie Boyd Morecock,
route two, Halifax.
(11) Jacob M. Carter, Chapel
Hill
Us) Kaymona J. umson,
route two, Littleton
(13) James F. Smith, route
two, Littleton
(14) J. R. Dickens, route two,
Littleton
(15) J. J. Haskins, route two,
Littleton
(16) G. W. Hardee, route two.
Littleton
(17) J. A. Rowland, route
two, Littleton
(18) Mrs. L. J. Hux, route
two, Littleton
(19) W. C. Dickens, route two,
Littleton
(20) Marvin S. Wright, route
one, Littleton
(21) Daniel Hux, route two,
Halifax
(22) Suitor Brothers Store,
Garysburg
Lions See Movies
Of World Series
A movie of the 1947 World's
Series afforded an interesting
program for the Roanoke Rapids
Lions Club at the last regular
club meeting.
Andy Reilly was a guest of
the club at the meeting, and
Ben Israel and Kenneth Brewer
were new members present for
the first time.
During the business session,
Bernard Allsbrook made an ap
peal to the club to aid in any
way possible in securing help in
the registration of boys 18 thfo
ugh 25 for the current post-war
draft.
Roanoke Rapids Will
Have First Daily Paper
The first issue of the Daily and Sunday Herald will ap
pear next Monday, September 13th. This statement is
subject to the qualification that Associated Press wires
have yet to be installed in the building; contingencies could
arise to delay the first day’s publication. But odds are
against such delay.
To assure continuous publication under current condi
tions when newsprint will cost the Herald $200 per ton for
a large part of its requirements as against a $105 *yr ton
for long-established dailies, 100 god-fathers, business and
professional firms who would agree to advertise every
week, were deemed necessary. Eighty-eight firms have sig
ned contracts. The 12 more needed are near enough in
sight to warrant this announcement.
Forty-five hundred FOUNDER-SUBSCRIBERS are es
sential for successful operation, but there is every indi
cation that the circulation will equal or exceed that num
ber.
iiarolcl Muthig, county circulator, oegan a canvass oi
rural routes Monday morning and added 30 new subscrib
ers in three days, in each case collecting in advance for at
least three months. His calls indicate that 75 per cent of
the farmers within 20 miles of Roanoke Rapids will be
eager and enthusiastic subscribers to the new daily.
Muthig expects to add two or three thousand to the
present rural circulation of the Herald. This is part of the
Herald’s goal to build farm trade for the Roanoke Rapids
Weldon community.
Buying power from peanuts alone in the 20 mile radius
is eleven million dollars; other crops also are big money
producers.
Newsboys yesterday began canvassing their routes to
obtain signatures from FOUNDER-SUBSCRIBERS, those
willing to sign up for 13 week subscriptions.
Many of the boys reported a near 100 per cent subscrip
tion on their routes.
Boys turning in a 100 per cent subscription list will re
ceive a $10 bili from the Herald.
The carriers, of course, are enthusiastic about the op
portunity afforded them by a daily paper. Routes of 80
customers will enable the carrier to make $6.40 a week; of
100 customers, $8; and of 150 customers, $12 a week.
Such earnings for an hour or two a day of work by 14
year-olds are reminders to older men of a different day,
they recall that in the days when they delivered newspaper
routes, they counted themselves lucky to make a dollar or
two a week.
The daily and Sunday Herald will be delivered by car
rier for 30 cents a week. The normal issue will be 10 pages.
On account of the newsprint shortage, the Monday and
Tuesday issues may have to be held to 8 pages in weeks
when both Thursday and Sunday issues are larger than 12
pages. The Herald will be a complete Daily carrying inter
national, national and state news, sports, society, and 10
daily comics. The Sunday Herald will carry eight tabloid
pages of colored comics.
The first issue will be Jar *han usual, being at pre
sent scheduled for 36 pages. -*i\11 be an historic issue.
The first issue of any daily is sa-'ed; hundreds of homes
will keep their bofjy and feifh* it out fr>t display for 25 or
50 years. The “ftrs+ ’lL S$®e dailies 100 years old
or more are still t /wrought out on special occasions.
To meet the special i mand for this first issue, 10,000 will
printed. Extra copies may be obtained for 5 cents apiece.
Your newsboy will call on you during the next three
days to invite you to become a FOUNDER-SUBSCRIBER.
If you accept the invitation he will present you with a
FOUNDER SUBSCRIBER certificate when he makes his
first collection on Saturday September 18. Attach it tr “>e
“first issue” as evidence of your part in founding the
Daily and Sunday Herald.
White Elephant Party To Launch
Woman's Club Year Next Monday
A White Elephant Party de
signed to obtain furnishings and
other materials for the Roanoke
Rapids Woman’s Club will be
held next Monday afternoon at
3:30 at the club building as the
first activity of the Woman’s
Club year.
Mrs. John T. Gilbert, president
of the club, said that all mem
bers and prospective members of
the club are invited to Monday’s
White Elephant Party and are
urged to bring with them any
pieces of furniture, drapes, cur
tains or any other articles which
have become “white elephants”
in their home.
The lub, which has not been
active since the recent war, will
get back into operation officially
at Monday’s meeting, in which
complete plans for the year will
be formulated.
Chief activity on the Woman’s
Club list is the raising of funds
to take care of a heating plant
which has been installed in the
club building on Jackson street,
Until May the club was rented
I by the Business and Professional
Women’s Club.
At that time the Woman’s Clut
was reorganized by a group ol
interested members and the fol
lowing officers were elected tc
head it: Mrs. John T. Gilbert
president; Mrs. Henry A. Ricks
first vice-president; Mrs. Cleorg*
F. Pappendick, second vice
president; Mrs. Hugh Godwin
recording secretary; Mrs. Edwii
Akers, corresponding secretary
and Mrs. Robert A. Michie, trea
surer.
Ordinarily the club installs of
ficers and starts the year’s busi
ness each fall and suspends ac
tivities during the summei
months, however this past sum
mer the club members have en
gaged in a number of venture:
including a benefit bridge parti
recently, the operation of par
of the concession shared by th<
Exchange Club at the Harves
Festival, and will have a con
cession in operation at the forth
coming Lions Club Festival .
Mrs. Gilbert said she is en
couraged by the cooperatioi
which the club has received ii
its efforts to become activ»
i again, and she said the member
are particularly grateful to th*
Exchange Club and the Lion
for their aid in helping the lad
ies to raise funds for club ac
tivity.
She said the members ar
looking forward to a highly-suc
cessful year ahead, and said sh
hopes all members will rail;
around next Monday and be oi
hand for the White Elephan
Party.
2,252 Registered For Draft
George N. Taylor, chairman
of the Halifax County Draft
Board, announced today that
2,252 young men had register
ed at the seven selective ser
vice registration centers in the
county since registration be
gan on August 30.
Taylor said that according to
the state selective service
headquarters’ estimate for the
county this “is about half of
the number of young men ex
pected to register for the
draft.”
The list showed that 925 re
gistered in Roanoke Rapids;
228 in Weldon; 195 in Sotlcand
.-Neck; 16Z in r.nneiu; 163 in
Liltleton; 30 in Aurelian
Springs and 249 in Halifax.
The draft board chairman
said that questionnaires on
which the board was to base
its classification of the men
would be mailed today. He es
timated that it would take sev
eral weeks before all of those
registered would receive their
questionnaires, saying that ‘we
will mail about 100 each day.”
The registration of the vari
ous age groups will continue
according to the schedule as
set by the national selective
service headquarters.
Roanok Rapids Schools
Show 2,489 Now Enrolled
\ Vacation ended here Tuesday
morning for 2,489 school-age
children, as the first day of schoo
rolled around again and the kids
started that long trek back tc
u nine months of readin’ ritin’ anc
all the rest that goes with mod
em education.
Enrollment figures for the Roa
noke Rapids schools showed i
slight increase over those of the
opening of schools last year, Sup
erintendent of City Schools I. E
Ready said here Wednesday aft
ernoon, with new first-graders ir
the white schools amounting t<
an increase of five students. He
^said last year there were 174 en
Tolled in the first grade on the
first day of school and said ther«
were 179 children to enter schoo
for the first time Tuesday.
Overall totals for the white
schools show 1,891 students ii
all 12 grades as compared to 1,
849 last year at the opening of
school. High school enrollment in
the junior and senior high school
departments increased over last
year from 805 students to 854
while there was a slight drop
from 1,044 to 1,037 in the gram
mer grades.
Enrollment at the John Arm
strong Chaloner Negro school th
year shows an increase from. 1941
enrollment of 588 to this year .
596.
The Superintendent said the
slight increase in first-grade en
rollment this year was “just
about what can be expected
from the birth statistics, ect.” He
predicted further increases in
. first-graders to a peak in 1952,
when, he sajd, “The first graders
i will be almost bulging at the
i seams.” *
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