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If You Don't Read The Chronicle You Don't Get the News ©to (Elintnn (Ehrmurle The Chronicle Strives To Be A Clean News paper, Complete, Newsy and Reliable Volume LVI Clinton, S. C. # Thursday, December 29, 1955 Number 52 Gas Authority Names Roguery As Chairman Elect New Officials at Tuesday Meet Clinton Homes Decorated for the Christmas Holiday Season Walter R • f n e r y, executive vice-president of Joanna Cotton Mills at Joanna, was named chairman of the Clinton-Newber- ry Gas Authority Tuesday night. Regnery succeeds Mayor J. E. Wiseman of Newberry, whose term of office as mayor expires December 31. Hugh L. Eichelberger, mayor of Clinton, was elected _yice- chainman and Harry C. Layton, WALTER REGNERY of Clinton, was re-elected secre tary-treasurer. The mayors of the two cities and two members of city coun cil, plus one other citizen of the area served by the authority form the board of directors. Mr. Regnery, formerly vice-chair man, is the citizen representa tive on the board. Newberry’s representative on the board are the new mayor, J. K. Kinard, and Councilman E. H. JLayton and C. A. Dufford. Clin ton members of the board are Mayor Eichelberger and Coun- cilmen James P. Sloan and Harry C. Layton. Fred V. Lester, accountant With the Newberry Federal Sav ings and Loan Association, was named as accountant and re cording secretary of the author ity, succeeding W. C. Wallace, of Newberry, who resigned be cause of tb -i press of other duties. It was reported at the meeting that the authority now has 2,523 meters installed, with others be ing added daily in the effort to meet an immediate goal of 3,000. Merchants To Take New Year's Holiday January 2 will be observed as a holiday by Clinton merchants, it is announced. The stores will remain open Wednesday aiftemoon, Jan. 4, but will resume the usual Wednesday closing on Jan. 11. Tax Payments Due By December 31 City and county taxes may be paid by December 31 without pen alty, according to advertisements that have been appearing in The Chronicle . for several weeks. A penalty of 10 per cent will go on late city tax payments Jan uary 1. For late county tax payments, a one per cent penalty will prevail during January, two per cent in February, three per cent in March, seven per cent in April up to the Ifith, when taxes will be placed in execution with added penalties. mm ft ' 0 At the left Is akown the George R. Blalock home, ehooen me the best decorated residence in Clinton daring the Christmas Mason. In the center la the best door deco ration, which went to the T. C. Johnson home. At right Is s scene In the entrance hall at the new Hartnem home at Thornwell orphanage. Many hemes bi the city had lovely decorations for the holidays which added to enjoyment of the season. Contrihutincr much to the occasion were the thoosands of lights in the business area. Says Water Law Won't Help Farmen The Mountville Grange, at recent meeting had for its topic 4 a discussion of the water rights bill to be taken up by the legis lature at the coming session. The meeting was held st the Grange lodge in Mountville. The bill wns discussed at length by George D. Bell master of Po mona Grange of Greenwood leg islative committee of the State Grange. He gave twelve reasons why the proposed water law should not be passed. Among these reasons was the fact that the new law would not help the farmers of this state since they had gotten along well under the existing law, that municipalities now had right of condemnation * to get necessary water and that industry was well satisfied with oiy present water laws as evi denced by the number that have come to the state under present law. Mr. Bel) stated that in his opinion the proposed law woulc divest present riparian owners of a valuable vested property right for which a consideration , had been paid. Present at the meeting were Senator Ralph T. Wilson, Repre sentative Robert C. Wasson, Horace Warner, chairman state Grange Agriculture committee J. J. Griffin, master Scotch Cross Grange, Greenwood county, and Mr. and Mrs. James M. Gardner, lecturers for the Grange. Clinton Bank To Open New Building Tuesday Watch Night Service At. Broad Street Sat.; Special Services Sunday A watch night service will be held at Broad Street Methodist church Saturday evening begin ning with a social hour at 10 o’clock, following which the group will assemble in the audi torium for a program and com munion. The event is sponsored by the sub - district Methodist Youth Fellowship with the Broad Street organization as host and in charge of the program. On Sunday at the regular wor ship hour the pastor, Rev. J. E. Merchant, will bring a special New Year message. The congre gation will return the Advent Folders which were given out ten weeks ago for the offering for retired ministers. Sunday evening is “student night” and the college students will be in charge of the program Bank of Clinton will open for banking is available for business in its new building on customers’ convenience. Tuesday, January 3 it is an nounced by R. P. Hamer, presi dent. The handsome building, on the comer of North Broad and Flori da streets, has been under con struction since July. Hamer said the structure con tains modem, up-to-date facili ties for doing a complete banking business including safety deposit boxes and a drive-in window on the Florida street side. Cus tomers may make deposits with out leaving their cars. The best equipment available has been installed, Hamer said, and every facility for modem their Thornwell Presents Richard Sheffer In Piano Recital i Thornwell will present Rich ard Stanley Sheffer in a piano recital in Montgomery hall at 3:00 p. m., December 30. Richard is a graduate of Thornwell high school where he studied music under Miss Luva McDonald. In his senior high school year he studied under Professor John Erickson of Con verse college. He is now a sec ond year student at Florida State Unviersity under the world fa mous Polish concert pianist and composer Franciszek Zachara. The public is cordially invited to attend. A date for the formal opening of the bank will be announced later, he said. —» ■ '■ mm-mm. — ■■ i' E. Mason Young Passes Suddenly At Work Here Edgar Mason Young, 5®, died suddenly while at work Saturday afternoon at the passenger rail road station in Clinton. He was a native of Laurens county, where he spent most at his life. He was a son of the late Cal vin C. and Corrie Dillard Young. He was a member of Hurricane Baptist church. Robert Lee Ivey Killed' *“*_* Heart Disease Takes Big Toll In the County Ten Die In Week's Traffic Accidents Ten persons died and 131 were injured in 468 traffic accidents on South Carolina highways De cember 11 through Decmeber 17, ac^prding to the state highway department weekly report. The 1955 death toll now stands at 670. This is 135 more than for the same period last year and 106 greater than for all of 1954. (Special to The Chronicle) New York, Dec. 19—Data just released by the government brings home forcibly the fact that in Laurens county heart disease is the greatest single threat to hu man life. It is found to be responsible for 53.6 per cent of all deaths locally. This is a larger proportion than is reported for most other sections of the United States, where heart disease accounts for 58.3 per cent of the total mortality. It is greater, also, than the per centage in the state of South Caro lina, where a 50.2 per cent heart rate is found. The data is contained in the an nual report of the United States Public Health Service on vital sta tistics. It is made pi*>lk to a na tion that is now highly conscious of this great scourge because of the illness of President Eisenhow er. According to the American Heart Association, the United States has the highest death rate from heart attacks and strokes of any country in the world. More than a third of this mortality is in the under-65 age group, the most productive years. In addition, some ten million persons in the United States, one out of every 16, suffer from some form of heart disease. Among residents of Laurens county it took a toll of 213 lives during 1963, the period covered by the new report. The total mortality locally, from whatever cause, was 396. Apart from'other considerations, the economic loss attributed to heart disease is staggering. The Connie Shannon Young, of the home; two sons and two daugh ters! E. Mason Young. Jr., and Dillard Young, both of Clinton; Mrs. Sam Wallace, of Laurens, and Mrs. Jack Reeder, of Char lotte, N. C.; five grandchildren; four brothers, Rex Young and Clyde Young, both of Clinton; Ralph Young, of Newberry, and Sam Young, of Tallahassee, Fla. Funeral services were held Mon day at 3 p. m. at the Gray funer al home. Burial was in Hurricane Baptist church cemetery. The Rev. J. H. Darr officiated. Pallbearers were Lynn Cooper, Tan Ray, Hubert Pitta, Otis Young, Andy Young, Joe W. a Leake and Frank Young. Honorary pallbearers were: Bill Nabors, Davis Workman, Carol Young, Charles Young, Fred E. Holcombe, A. M. Young, George Weathers, W. D. Adair, Ralph Benjamin, Lowry Wilson, Harvey Foster. Mr. Young’s home was between American Heart Association plac- Clinton and Joanna, where he es it at 1 1-4 bilhon man hours a farmed. He also transported mail Laurens, Dec. 24—Robert Lee Ivey, 25, Laurent, Rt. 2, a Navy veteran, was killed instantly at 3 a. m. Saturday when his car was involved in a head-on collision with a car driven by Devoe Floyd, 46-year-old Negro of Laurens, on a sharp curve one-half mile from Clinton on Highway 76 Mr. Ivey, driving alone in a 1949 Chevrolet, was thrown from the automobile. He was headed to wards Laurens from Clinton. *The other car was traveling toward Clinton. In the 1950 Buick with Floyd were Nella Johnson, 13, and Lomas Johnson, 16. Nella Johnson was thrown from the Buick and was the most seriously injured of the three Negroes. She and Floyd were taken to Blalock clinic in Clinton. Johnson was dismissed from the hospital. Sheriff W. A. Lowery,* who in vestigated, said the road was wet , and no skid marks could be seen. Survivors include his wife, Mrs. j said both cars were demolished. Assisting in the investigation were patrolman J. C. Pace and deputies Howard Watkins and Bill Patterson. Sheriff Lowery said that the ac cident brought about the 21st high way fatality in Laurens county this year. for Miller, Saturday Clinton Man, Son-in-Law Shot by Burglar in Louisiana Services Felknor Held Here year. In dollars and cents, this ex ceeds $2 billion. While the mechanisms respon sible for 90 per cent of heart dis ease — hardening of the arteries, high blood pressure and rheu matic fever—have yet to be dis covered and coped with, certain progress has been made in other directions. Some forms can be prevented, some cured and almost every type helped by proper treatment. to and from the post office and the railroad station. PUBLIC RECORDS J. C. Simpson to C. H. Caldwell, lot on Joanna to Whitmire high way, $400. Clyde Cox to trustees of Knigh ton Chapel church of the Wesle yan Methodist Church of Amer ica, one acre in Youngs township, $200. Clyde J. Padgett, Jr., and Doro thy W. Padgett, to George O. Meadors and Lodus H. Meadors, lot on Laurens-Clinton highway, $3,400. Milton S. Woods to Mrs. Mary A. Kellett, 17 acres in Dials town ship, personal property valued at $300. Mrs. Ethel S McGinnis to Ed ward Henley Ray and Annie Iris Nelson Ray, lot in the Town of Clinton, $500 and assumption of mortgage. 4.nnie Sue Armstrong Bagwell to W. M. Moore, lot in Gray Court, $600. Annie Iris Nelson Ray to Joe H. Bonds, lot on Ferguson street, FRANK E. MILLER CAPT. FELKNOR Clinton, $1.00 and other consid erations. Robert S. Gwens, executor, to James E. Anderson, lot on Fer guson street, Clinton, $637.50. A. P. Stockman to J. A. Nickols, lot in Waterloo, $1.00. Ansel L. Burts to E. R. Pressley and Margaret Burts Pressley, 26 acres in Waterloo township, $1.00 and division of property. E. T. Pressley and Margaret Burts Pressley to Ansel L Burts, 24 acres in Waterloo township, $1.00 and division of property. R. T. Wilson, Jr., and J. P. Brown, Jr., to Earl L. Lynch, lot just outside the city limits of the City of Laurens, $1,000 and other valuable considerations Ivey Funeral Service Funeral services for Robert Lee Ivey, killed in an automobile acci dent Saturday morning, were held, at 3:30 Sunday atternoon at Way side Presbyterian church, Laur ens, with Rev. Chalmers McCutch- en and Rev. William Simpson in charge. Burial was in Forest Lawn cemetery, Laurens. A native of Shelby, N- C., he was the son of Mrs. Emma Bailey Ivey and the late Simpson Ivey. He had made his home in Laurens most of his lifetime where he at tended Laurens high school. He was a veteran of the Korean war, hhving served in the.U. S. Navy. At the time at his death he was employed by M. G. Hanna Con struction Co., of Greenwood. Besides his mother, he is sur vived by three brothers, Russell Ivey, of Shelby; Carl and John E. Ivey, bokh of Greenwood; and three sisters, Mrs. James Baber, of Greenwood; Mrs. D S. Jen nings and Mrs. J. W. Cousins, both of Laurens. 1500 In County Now Get Social Security Benefits Farmers In Program for First Time Marriage licenses issued in Laur ens county: Clarence Goggins, Jr., Clinton, and Elnora Jones, Clinton. Willie Paul Sanders, Clinton, and Carrie Mae Garrett, Laurens. Alvin Harvey, Gray Court, and Mary Ellen Lawson, Enoree. Sam Melvin Shumpert, Water loo, and Mary Frances Cunning ham, Cross Hill. William Walter Pinson, Cross Hill, and Frances Beatrice Wrervn, Waterloo. * Bobby Gene Armstrong, Gray- Court, and Betty Ann Armstrong, Gray Court. James Arnold Edmonds, Clin ton, and Carolyn Sue Rowe, Clin ton. (Continued on page four) Inquests Are Held In Two County Deaths Laurens, Dec. 22—Coroner Joe F. Smith conducted two mquetts early this week and juries brought in almost identical verdicts in each case. I In an inquest Monday into the shotgdn shooting Dec. 9 of Joe Turner near Gray Court, *the jury returned a verdict that Turner came to his death from gunshot wounds “fired by James Leake.” Leake had previously been iden tified um(ei the name of James Martin. It was reported at the Sheriff’s office that Leake was wanted in New York on an assault charge. In an inquest Tuesday into the shotgun shooting of James Hill Dec. 10 near Fountain Inn, the jury returned a verdict that Hill came to his death from “gunshot wounds in the hands of Harold Parks.” Hill’s widow is the sister of Parks. Both Leake and Parks were be ing held in the county jail on murder warrants. Sheriff W. A. Lowery said. During the month of Decem ber, 1955, more than 1500 per sons in Laurens county will re ceive benefit checks under the federal old-age and survivors in surance provisions of the Social Security Act, Miss Martha Press- ly, District Manager of the Greenwood, S. C., social secur ity office reported today. These benefits are payable because these persons had protection un der the social secunty law. This protection now has been extend ed to farm operators who may qualify for benefits as early as the middle of 1956. depending on their age and type of crop pro duced. Thus Laurens county’s self- employed farm operators (in cluding share croppers) may find themselves qualifying for retire ment benefits under this pro gram when they reach the age 1 ings of $400 or more from their 1.955 farming operations should write the District Director of In ternal Revenue, Columbia, for the proper tax return forms if they have not filed income tax returns in past years. Requests for information re garding tax return forms and taxes should be directed to the District Director of Internal Rev enue, Columbia, S. C. Questions concerning the benefits payable under social security should be directed to the social security office at Greenwood. Edward G. Copestake, Hampton ave. is the Clinton representative of the Greenwood Social Security of fice. Tractor And Fire Plow Assigned To County For Forest Protection of 65. Should they die insured under the program, their surviv ors may also qualify for bene fits. The year 1955 will be Jhe first time that earnings from operating a farm can be reported, consistmg of a for this protection, Miss Pressly added. Farmers who have net earn- Laurens and Union county landowners now have additional fire protection for their timber- lands, according to E. L. Mid- dleeewart district forester with the South Carolina State Com mission of Forestry, Newberry. A light fire suppression unit John Deere Double funeral service* for Frank E. Miller, 56. and Capt Ed ward M. Felknor, Jr., 32, were conducted Saturday at 3 p. m. at the First Presbyterian church by Dr William Redd Turner and Dr. D. J Woods. Burial was in Rose- mont cemetery Pallbearers for Mr Miller were the following elders of the First Presbyterian church: John Hol land Hunter, Hugh S. Jacob*, Har ry Nettles, Grady Chandler, W. C. Baldwin, Jack Anderson, L. B. Dillard and F. M. Boland. Honorary escort was composed of the other elders of the church. Pallbearers for Capt. Felknor were Air Force members from Donaldson Air Force B**e in Greenville. Mr. Miller and Capt. Felknor, his son-in-law, were shot and killed early last Thursday morn ing in Alexandria, La., by a burg lar in the Felknor home. Mr. and Mrs. Miller had gone to Alexandria to spend the Christ mas holidays with Capt. and Mrs. Felknor (the former Mis* Mar jorie Miller) and their two chil dren, Mary Susan Felknor, 4, and Frank, 2. Felknor was stationed at England Air Force Base in Alexandria. Mrs. Miller first heard the man in the bedroom occupied by the children as he talked to the young daughter. Mrs. Miller thought it was Capt. Felknor. She got up and went to the kitchen for a drink of water and noticed that Capt. Felknor and his wife were still asleep in the living room. She gave the alarm that someone was in the house, and Capt. Felknor ^cornered the man behind the door of the room <xx*upied by the Mil lers, where he had gone from the children’s room. The burglar shot through the door and hit the cap tain, and coming from behind the door shot him several more times. As Mr. Miller was coming to the captain’s aid, he was shot down. The burglar then escaped from the house after warning Mrs. Felknor to “keep your mouth shut.” Mr Miller's wallet was partially in a pocket in his trousers, where the burglar put it after taking a considerable sum of money from it. Mr. Miller was a native of Laur ens county, Cross Hill section, but had made his home in Clinton for many years where he operated a furniture and appliance business. He was a son of the late William M. and Lyda Madden Miller. He was a member of the First Pres byterian church of Clinton where he served as an elder. He was also a Shriner. Surviving are his wife. Mrs. AT FORT JACKSON Fort Jackson — Private Floyd R. Cummings, son of Mrs. Zelda N. Cummings, Rt. 3, Clinton, is nearing completion .of eight weeks of basic infantry training in “L” Company, 502nd Airborne Infantry Regiment at Fort Jack- son. After eight weeks of train ing with the 101st Airborne Di vision, the trainee is given about 14 days of leave. He may return here for eight weeks of infantry training or he may be assigned to one of the many army schools. Crawler tractor and fire plow L,ouda c Miller, of Clin- has bean assigned to these two r * lk , n " : counties bv the Commission of J ?” Forestry The unit will be trans-' 1 " M,lkr ’ b » th 01 WW,Dure : two ported to woods fires on a 1 1-2 ton Chevrolet truck with a spec ially constructed bed. William V.» Fulmer, of the Sandy Springs community, has been appointed to operate the suppression unit. The new fire suppression will be called in ti& use, as needed, in fire suppression in either county by the ranger in that county. This unit will enable the Com mission of Forestry personnel to help the landowners bring wild fires under control faster, thus resulting in less timber loss. sisters, Mrs. J. F. Leaman, of Cross Hill, and Mrs. W. D. Ratch- ford, of Mt. Holly, N. C.; and two grandchildren. Capt. Felknor was a native of Knoxville, Tenn., a son of Mr. and Mrs. Edward M. Felknor, Sr. He was a veteran of the Korean war. He attended the University of Tennessee. He was an officer at England Air Force Base near Alexandria, La., at the time of his death. Surviving are his wife, Mrs. Margie Miller Felknor, and two children, Susan and Frankie Felk- (Continued on page four)