The Clinton chronicle. (Clinton, S.C.) 1901-current, December 24, 1953, Image 1
t 4
•A, ^
V
J
The Chronicle
Strives To Be A Clean News
paper, Complete, Newsy
and Reliable
Volume LIV
Wat dlirdim
Clinton, S. C. # Thursday, December 24, 1953
If You Don’t Read
The Chronicle
You Don’t Get the New*
Number 52
CLINTON FACES QUIET. ENJOYABLE
CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY SEASON
Business Firms To Close Christmas Day and Saturday, With
Mills Here and At Joanna Observing Closing Schedule. Streets
and Stores Crowded Today With Shoppers. Yuletide Spirit In|
Evidence Everywhere.
The streets are crowded today
(Christmas Eve) with throngs of
people doing their last minute
shopping in preparation for the
glad season. ’ .
City stores and business firms
will close tomorrow and Saturday
as employees and employers cele
brate the season with a long week
end holiday period pointing to a
happy observance. Businesses will
re-open Monday morning on regu
lar schedules.
The city and orphanage schools,
and Presbyterian college closed
last week for the holidays.
The post office will be closed all
day Christmas day with no deliv
eries being made.
The Clinton and Lydia Cotton
Mills closed yesterday morning to
re-open next Monday morning. The!
same doing period is being ob-j
served by Joanna Cotton Mills, Jo- 'i
anna. Other local plants will close;
down several days observing the
holidays. THE CHRONICLE office 1
and plant will be closed until Mon
day morning.
Many will spend Christmas out
of the city visiting friends and rela
tives, while others, including col
lege students, have returned to
their homes in the community for
the holidays.
Indications point to a quiet en-i
joyable Christmas for the people ofj
this entire c o m m u n it y. THE
CHRONICLE wihes for its thous
ands of readers a season of happi-j
ness, free from sorrow, tragedy and;
anxiety.
Parents Want
School Named
'Whitten Village'
The State Training School par
ents club, meeting here Sunday,
adopted a resolution caillng upon
the legislature to change the name
of the school to Whitten Village.
The new name would honor Dr.
B. O. Whitten, the school’s only
superintendent, who is now round
ing out 35 years as its head.
The parents club met in the gym
nasium of the school, where the
school children presented a pro
gram of sacred and secular music
with a Christmas theme.
Visitors at the meeting included
George A. Buchanan, chairman of
the State Mental Health Commis
sion, and Dr. W. P. Beckman, di
rector of mental health in South
Carolina, both of Columbia.
Clinton, Lydia Mills
Give Employees
Christmas Bags -
Bond Refused
Murdock Youth
Employees of the Clinton and
Lydia Mills are taking several days |
of rest for Christmas. The plants !
closed at eight o’clock yesterday
morning (Wednesday) and will re
open at the same hour on Monday
morning, December 28.
The ownership of the mills, fol
lowing an established custom of
years, Jhis year distributed bags of
fruit, nuts and candy to all em
ployees, the distribution being
made in the two villages Monday
and Tuesday. Employees not resid
ing in the communities were re
quested to get bags for themselves
and their families at Bailey Memor
ial church for Clinton employees,
and for Lydia employees at Provi
dence school.
Mrs. Joe Land and Mrs. W. O.
McGee with a number of volunteer
helpers, had charge of the distribu
tion arrangements at the Clinton
plant, with Mrs. lone Wallace and
helpers doing the same job at Ly
dia.
More than 6,000 baskets were dis
tributed with the compliments of
the company for Santa Claus, di
vided 2,9do bags for Lydia, and 3,-
100 for Clinton families.
The management stated that
more than 400 crates of oranges
went in the bags, 6,000 bags of
candy, and over a ton of nuts. With
each bag there was expressed sin
cere best wishes for a very Merry
Christmas for each and every em
ployee and members of their fam
ilies.
Louie's Closes 3 Days
A typographical error appears in
Louie’s Restaurant Christmas ad-
vertisiment in today’s paper.
Their closing days for Christmas
are Friday, Saturday and Sunday,
December 25, 26, 27.
Newberry, Dec. 22—Judge Steve;
C. Griffith Tuesday refused bondi
to a motion by the defense to Dur- i
wood Haynie Murdock, 19, who has
been in the South Carolina State |
hospital for observation since the
fatal beating of his mother, Mrs.
Reba Murdock, October 17 at their
home in Clinton. Haynie’s father!
was also severely beaten the samej
night.
Supt. William S. Hall of the hos-l
pital notified Solicitor William T.
Jones by letter that Murdock had
been found “not insane”, .and that
he had an IQ of 112.
State Sen. Ralph T. Wilson and
Homer S. Blackwell, Luarens at-J
tomeys, represented Murdock at 1
the hearing, and Solicitor Jones
and Sheriff W. A. Lowery of Lau
rens county, represented the state.
Murdock was first committed to
the hospital on Oct. 19 on an order,
by Judge Griffith for an observa
tion period of 30 days. A 30-day 1
extension was later added to the
original ortjer.
Time for Payment
1953 County Taxes
Drawing To Close
Treasurer Sam M. Leaman re
ports that collection of 1953 county
taxes are running about normal, j
with December 81 the last day for
payment without penalty. A pen
alty of 1 per cent goes into effect
January 1.
Treasurer Leaman reported total
collections to December 1 of $107,-
142.06. The total to be collected this
year will be $584,055.90, approxi
mately $30,000 less than last year.
Major collections come the last of
December the treasurer said, when
the corporations send in their big
checks.
Outdoor Christmas 1
Scene Attracts Many
The annual living outdoor Christ
mas scene was shown on the lawn
of the First Presbyterian church on
Sunday, Monday and Tuesday eve
nings. A number of members of the
church took parts as characters in
the impressive presentation. The
scene during the evenings was wit-j
nessed by large crowds from the,
city, community^ and elsewhere.
Bobby L. Sanders
Winner In Contest
Bobby L. Sanders of Route 1, was
announced on Tuesday as the win
ner of the Treasure Hunt contest
and will be awarded a $25.00 cash;
prize by the Merchants association 1
who sponsored the event.
Mr. Sanders was the only contest- ’
ant who named all 18 items correct
ly. The next nearest entry was 14.
GAS RATE HIKE IN THE MAKING,
REPORT AT NEWBERRY MEET SHOWS
Authority Considers Raising Rates To Consumers. System
Reported Operating With Heavy Deficit for First Six Months
Period Ending December 31.
II a■ T I
Takes Life 01
Milam Youth
Today’s Christmas Edition
Today’s paper goes to its large
family of readers on Christmas Eve
when everybody is busy with last
minute shopping. It comes to you,
however, when there will be plenty
of time for the entire family to read
its contents during the extended
week-end holiday period. And we
would point out that it contains
much beautiful and appropriate
Christmas material In addition to
community news. Especially, we
invite you to read three timely fea-i
ture articles from the Kiwanis
Magazine and Christian Herald.
Don’t miss anything in the issue.
With pleaure we present this,
annual “Christmas Edition’’, fol
lowing a long established custom.
Shoppers will find many helpful
and pgpgcially do WC Call to
your attention the unusually large
collection of attractive ♦‘Merry
Christmas and Happy New Year' 1
greetings. They come to you from
merchants, banks, mills and varied
other business firms. Don’t over-
look them.
These messages, full of goodwill
and beautiful sentiments are insert
ed by local firms as a means of
publicly expressing thanks and ap
preciation to their many friends
and customers for their patronage,
confidence and consideration dur
ing the year now drawing to a
close. They likewise wish for ev
eryone 365 days of health and hap
piness in 1954.
• We hope you will enjoy today’s
paper MERRY CHRISTMAS.
Last Wednesday night a meeting
of the Clinton-Newberry Natural
Gas Authority was held at the New
berry city council chambers with a
discussion of raising rates to gas
consumers and inadequate revenue
as its chief concern.
Report Of Meeting
The Newberry Observer of Fri
day carried the following account
of the meeting:
“The boost in rates was mention
ed in the report of operations for
the first six months of the CUnton-
Newberry system, which was pre
pared at the meeting by Goodwin
Management Services, Inc., consult
ant engineers for the system, and
submitted in person to the Author
ity by Jack W. Echols,- vice-presi
dent of the corporation.
It was brought out that Trans
continental Gas Company was sell
ing gas, under bond, at a higher
rate than it was at the time the
bonds for the local system were
sold, and that a hearing would be
held sometime in February to make
the increase permanent. In effect
the boost would be from 41c to 53c
per 1000 cubic feet of gas. Mr. Ech
ols stated that actually the boost
would pass on the increase to in
dustry, leaving the domestic rate
as it, with the exception of the re
moval of the “over 20,000 cubic feet,
at 60c per 1000.” Domestic users,
burning over 5,000 cubic feet of gas
would have to pay 80c per 1000,
under the tentative new schedule.
Mr. Echols, reading from the pre
pared report, stated that “sooner or
later the rates must be increased to
local consumers.” But he continued
to say that increasing the rates im
mediately would be “psychological
ly wrong.” Authority members
George W. Martin and Ernest H.
Layton of Newberry said that the
increase should have been put on
before the first bill was mailed, to
give local users the true picture of
the situation from the beginning
The Authority decided to wait until
the February hearing was over be
fore making a decision on this mat
ter.
Excessive Deficit
The report gave a complete out
line of construction and operational
expenses from the time the $2,900,-
000 worth of natural gas revenue
bonds were sold through the six
months period ending the 30th of
December. During this period 'the
number o( customers in Clinton
and Newberry has grown from 14
to 786. The report went on to say
that the system is being operated
at a present deficit of $13,339.79.;
which “in our opinion is excessive.” ;
It went on to say that total opera-,
tional expenses to date were $26,-
975.48, and that administrative ex
penses ($9,780.00) nearly equaled
the cost of the gas sold ($10,228.41).)
We quote from the report “The I
administrative expenses must be re
duced, or the system will be in
trouble within a short time. Some-;
thing must be done to get more cus
tomers on the system. Without a
complete change, the trustees or-
bondholders will step in and take
over operation of the system* Wej
expected 4,000 customers at the end
of the first year of operation.”
The report indicated that for the|
first month of the six'the system !
has been operated in the black dur
ing December, clearing an estimat
ed $325.00. The "normal” operating
cost per customer per month is sup
posed to be 83c, but December’s in-
the-black operation was carried out
at a cost of $3.82 per customer. In
conclusion, the report recommend
ed that auditors be employed to
check the operational records of
both city’s systems. This was acted
on later in the meeting.
DuboM Resigns
At the beginning of the meeting,
Authority member James E. Wise
man asked why the manager of the
gas system, Bill Dubose, was not at
the meeting. Chairman Joe P. Ter
ry of Clinton said that Mr. Dubose j
had informed him that he did not
feel he would be needed. Mr. Terry
was asked to phone Mr. Dubose,
who resides at Clinton, asking him!
to present himself before the Au
thority. Mr. Dubose’s phone failed
to answer, despite the fact that Mr. 1
Terry tried until about ten o’clock
to reach him. During the meeting
Mr. Terry stated that he had been
given a letter of resignation by Mr.
Dubose, effective January 1, 1954. ,
When asked by Mr! Layton for
the reason behind the resignation,
Mr. Terry stated that the manager
had been offered a better job, call
ing for a salary increase of $1,500
a year. He added that there had
been certain problems encountered
by Mr. Dubose in working on the
local system. He emphasized that
the salary increase was the major
reason.
( continued on page 6)
Laurens, Dec. 21.—A hunting
tragedy marred the approcah of
Christmas in Laurens county.
Charles Eugene Milam, 16, son of
Mr. and Mrs . Charles L. Milam, Jr.,
of Laurens, was fatally wounded
while hunting Monday afternoon
and died before he reached Laurens
county hospital.
Sheriff W. A. Lowery, who
talked with the family, said the
shooting was accidental. Coroner
Joe F. Smith said an inquest prob
ably would not be held.
According to the story told the
sheriff, young ‘ Gene” Milam, ast he
was generally called, was hunting
near Mountville on the farm of his
grandfather, Rep. Charles L. Mil
am, about 2 p. m. He had as his
companion Furman Neathery, 16, .a
fellow student at Laurens high
school.
The youths were standing close-
together when young Neathery at
tempted to fix the pump of his gun
which had gotten out of order. The
.load went off and struck Milam in
the right chest, puncturing a lung.
Neathery tried to carry his
wounded companion out of the
woods but reabzing he was losing
time, ran to the nearby house of
H. Wade Milam, uncle of the youth,
and gave the alarm. Mr. Milam
went to the woods and tarted to the
hospital with the wounded boy who
died on the way.
A physician said death was caus
ed by hemorrhage of the lung.
Gene was a member of the 10th
grade at Laurens high school and
was a member of First Presbyterian
church and the local unit of the Na
tional Guard.
Young Neathery, overcome by
shock, was carried to Laurens
county hospital for treatment.
Besides his parents, Milam is sur
vived by two sisters, Mary Frances
and Bettie; one brother, Charles
Robert: his grandparents, Mr. and
Mrs. C. L. Milam and Mr. and Mrs.
Eugene Rowland.
Funeral services were conducted
yesterday morning (Wednesday) at
Kennedy Mortuary chapel the
Rev. Tom C. Cook and the Rev. Vic,
Broomall. Burial followed in Lis
bon Presbyterian church near
Mountville. Laurens N a t i o n a 1
Guardsmen served as an honorary
escort.
MAUNEY IN HOSPITAL
Friends of C. N. Mauney will re
gret to know he is ill and a patient
at Hays hospital.
CHRISTMAS WEEK
IN CLINTON
15 YEARS AGO
1 Items of Interest Then
About Happenings and
People You Know.
(From Files of The Chronicle.
December 22. isSB)
The board of directors of Tho
Commercial Depository has ordered
a 6 per cent dividend paid to i‘
stockholders for the year 1938.
Monday will be quietly observe-.}
in the city as Christmas with a gen-
ral holiday observed.
Mrs. Mary W. Little, 77. died
Tuesday afternoon at the home of
her daughter. Mrs. R H McDonald
Funeral services were held in Co
lumbia and the body brought here-
for interment in the Presbyterian
cemetery She was a native of th: >
city, a daughter of the late Dr Jobe
Johnson Boozer and Georgian*
Griffin Boozer.
The Chronicle's big subscription
contest came to a close Saturday
night. Winners of first, second and
third prize were Miss Helen Adao
I Miss Iona Blakely and Miss Clara
I Johnson.
) Fink. Beckman of Lodi, Califor
nia, student at Duke University, i
the guest of Mr. and Mrs. R. E. Fer
guson for the holidays.
Mlss Copie McCrary' of the Or
angeburg school faculty, is spend
ing the holiday season with her
parents, Mr and Mrs. L. D Mc’ v '
Crary.
Friends of Dr. T. J. Peake will
be glad to know he is able to be out
again after an illness conf.nemen:
at his home.
Mrs. George Taylor was in Deca
tur, Ga., for the golden wedding
anniversary of her parents. Mr. and
Mrs. N. P Platt on Sundav, the
18th.
Thomas Baldwin, who attends
Brevard college, is spending the
Christmas season with his parents.
Mr. and Mrs. W C Baldwin.
Miss Louise Jacobs of Converse
college, is with her parents, Mr. and
Mrs. J. F. Jacobs, for the holiday
season.
Miss Elsie Neighbors of Coker
college, is spending the holidays
with her parents, Mr. and Mrs W
E Neighbors.
Dr. D. J. Woods is spending the
holidays with his father. Dr. F. M
Woods, in Martinsburg, Va
Dr. and Mrs. Charles Anderson ot
Welfare Island, N. Y., are the-
Chrismas guests of Mr. and Mrs
George W. Bailey.
Mr and Mrs. S. Y. Adair have
returned from a wedding trip to
Florida.
Miss Frances Simpson, Colder col
lege student, is with her parents,
Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Simpson, for
the holidays.
Mrs. H. M. Wise and little daugh
ter, Tocoa, of Jacksonville, Fla., are
spneding the holidays with her par
ent, Mr. and Mrs. R. B. Vance.
Mrs. J. W. Leake will spend the
holidays in Eastover with her
daughter and son-in-law, Mr. and
Mrs. R. P. Hamer.
Mr. and Mrs. A. O. Bray i f Grif-
i fin, Ga., and Mr. and Mrs. W. P
Anderson of Greenville, will spend
I the holidays with Mrs Bray’s moth
I er, Mrs. R. L. Bailey.
James P. Sloan, teacher at Geoi
gia Military Academy, Colleg
Park. Ga ., is spending the holidays
with his mother, Mrs. E. B.* Sloan.
Miss Maude Sumerel is spending
i Christmas with her sister. Mrs. J.
! S. McGregor and family in Ruby.
Cadet Dill Ellis of West Point, is
spending the holidays with his par
onts, Mr. and Mrs. George H. Ellis
Miss Mildred Young, student
nurse at Columbia hospital, will
spend the holidays with her par
ents, Mr. and Mrs. Rex Young.
Miss Elsie Browning and Samue,
Young Adair were married in
Greenwood on December 11 at tm*
home of the bride’s pastor. Rev
W. B. Garrett. They will make their
home here where Mr. Adair holds
a position with Young's Pharmacy
On Friday evening Mr. and Mrs. H
D. Rantin honored the bride and
groom with a lovely reception.
Monday evening at the home of
Mrs. Alec Henry the Helen Ander
son class of the First Baptist church
entertained with a lovelv Christmas
party.
Mr. and Mrs. John Boyd who re
side near here, announce the mar
riage of their daughter, Miss Hattie
Virginia, to Eddy Livingston
Newberry. The ceremony was per
formed at the home of the bride's
pastor. Rev. C. J. Matthews, of Lit
tle River-Dominick Presbyterian
church on the evening of December
20
Bob Oxley, student at Georgia
Military’ Academy, is at home with
his parents. Mr. and Mrs W. C. Ox
ley, for the holidays.
Miss Mae Dicus, student at Win-
throp, will spend Christina with her
parents. Mr and Mrs. W. A Dicus