Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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When the Rev. Smead calls his clergymen friends long distance, we assume its a “parson to par son” call. According to Fred Peers, the best demonstration of a man’s poise is his ability to talk fluent ly while the other fellow is pay ing the check. VOLUME 18—NUMBER 9. NEWBERRY, SOUTH CAROLINA, rHURSDAY, JUNE 30, 1955. + $2.00 PER YEAR By The Way (By Doris A. Sanders) Elsewhere in this issue there is a story concerning the circuit courts of our State. I would like to express thanks here to Judge Steve Griffith for the help and information given me in writing this article, and to say a few fur ther words about the judge. Since 1948, I have had occasion to fill in for court reporters in many counties v throughout the State. Wherever I “take” fc court, when members of the bar in other coun ties learn that I am from New berry, they invariably mention Judge Griffith and tell me how much they enjoy court sessions when he is presiding. 1 can agree with them, because I have served as court reporter when Judge Griffith was on the bench. It is truly amazing the difference a judge can make in the work of court officials. Some presiding judges are so strict that working in court is a strain; others so lenient that it is sometimes dif ficult to know what is going on. Judge Griffith hits the happy medium. There is always order in court when he is presiding, and yet there is an atmosphere of re laxation that makes work a pleasure. I have no fear of being contradicted when I say he is one of the best liked of South Carolina judges. Vacation Payroll To Exceed $150,000 Post Office Be Closed Monday The Post Office will be closed ail day Monday, July 4th, in observance of the legal holiday, according to Postmas ter Harry E. Moose. Incom ing mail will be distributed to post office boxes, and outgo ing mail will be dispatched, but there will be no city or rural deliveries that day. There is mention in the story referred to above about finding amusement in the courts. I recall once when I was reporting a term of criminal court in Chester, an old negro was being tried for a third offense of drunken driving. He told the Solicitor that about 20 minutes before he was caught, he had bought a half pint of whiskey. ‘ I went right home,” he said, “went in the back yard, took tjvo drinks and threw the bottle over the fence.” When the Solic itor asked why he threw away the remainder of the whiskey, the negro replied, with all sincerity, “why boss, everybody khows there ain’t ■' but two drinks in a half pint.” The jury let him go free. I seem to be stuck on the sub ject of court this week, but have you been in our court house since it has had a new coat of paint? I have been in court houses in South Carolina where the build ings were so antiquated that beat was supplied by fire places in the individual offices and a • pot-bellied stove in the center of the court room. Newberry county (Continued on page 5) Services Monday For J. T. Mack James Thomas (Jim) Mack, 82, died Sunday afternoon at his home on Silas street. He has been in declining health for a number of years, but was critically ill for seven weeks. Mr. Mack was born in Saluda County, son of the late William and Susie Miller Mack. He spent most of his life in Newberry Coun ty, having lived in the Mt. Pleas ant section and in Newberry for a number of years. He was a mem ber of St. Matthews Church. He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Anna Gilliam Mack; one son. Wil son Mack; four daughters. Mrs. Louise Yarborough, Mrs. Lillie Harmon, Mrs. Mary Willis and Miss Bessie Mack, all of Newber ry; 14 grandchildren and 14 great- grandchildrdh. Funeral services were held Monday at four o’clock at Epting Memorial Methodist Church by the Rev. E. R. Bradham and the Rev. C. O. Dorn. Burial followed in Newberry Memorial Gardens. Active pallbearers were Howurd Gray, Clarence Clary, Talmadge Ellisor, Jim Perry, Rosell Harmon, arid Paul Livingston. Assisting with the flowers were Doris Livingston, Lula Jenkins, Belle Banks, Margaret Duncan, Leila Maw, lola Jones, Willie Mae McCarty, Ethel Hunt, Becky Yar borough, Polly Dominick, and Mrs. Billy Tlarmon. The honorary escort consisted of Hammett Martin, Clarence Shealy, Heyward Jackson, J. Ed McConnell, Ted Jenkins, Raymon Dominick, D. W. Jones, Tom Mill- stead, Homer Duckett, Dr. Von A. Long. Colie Jones. Carl Living- More than $150,000 in vacation pay will go to employees of the three textile mills and the New berry Garment Company in New berry when the plants close down this weekend for annual vacations. The Newberry Garment Com pany will close Friday afternoon, July 1st and re-open on Monday, July 11th. Oakland and Mollohon plants of the Kendall Mills, and the Newberry Mills, Inc. plant will close Saturday, July 2nd at 6:00 a. m. and re-open Monday, July 11 at 6:00 a. m. The Mollohon and Oakland plant workers will receive vaca tion pay based on two percent of their year’s earnings if they have been employed as long as six months up to five years; those employed five years or longer will receive four percent ot the yearly earnmgs. About $50,000 will be paid to the 570 workers at Mollo hon. and $46,000 to the approxi mately 600 employees at the Oak land plant. Newberry Garment Company vacation payroll will amount to approximately $7,000 for its 248 employees. At Newberry Mills, about 600 employees will receive $50,000 with which to enjoy their week’s vacation. County Native Dies At High Point Home Mrs. Beaulah Cleland Hatton, 77, widow of Thomas M. Hatton, died Wednesday at 8:15 p. m. at her home in High Point, N. C., af ter several years of declining health. She was born in Newberry County, a daughter of the late Charles and Lucinda Grimes Cle land. She had made her home in High Point since 1923. She was a member of First Baptist Church of High Point. Her husband, Thomas M. Hatton, died in 1940. Surviving are one daughter, Mrs. R. O. Smith, Archdale, N. C.; two sons, Charles C., Charlotte, N. C., and William T., High Point, N. C.; one sister. Miss Dollie Cle land, Newberry; two brothers, A. A. Cleland. Newberry, and Sam, Cross Hill; and five grandchil dren. ston, John Senn, Floyd Dominick, Tillman Harmon and Ike Timmer man. Guardsmen Depart Sunday For Summer Encampment THESE HANDSOME YOUNGSTERS are the pupils 6f Grade 1-B at Speers Street School, taught by Mrs. R. P. Boulware. From left to right they ai*e, first row: Helen Derrick, Ann Baker, Molly Brad ley, Dianne Cotney, Joan Carroll, Kathy Avedisian. Second row: Bobby Rollins, Dianne Clary, Mike Clamp, Eleanor Burnette, Caro lyn Amick. Third row: Kathy Bennett, Keith Derrick, Charles Bed- enbaugh, David McJunkin. Fourth row: Judy Dominick, Judy Bouk- night, Sheryl Crawford, David Folk, Robert Dowd. Fifth row: Mickey Johnson, Susan Fallow, Lambert Chandler, Vicky Elrod, Judy Cain, Nancy Connelly. Sixth row: Sue Brock, Carol Armfield, Jimmie Mc- Gaha. Seventh row: Daniel Bradley, Edward Cousins, Pete Smoak, Tony Hawkins, Hayne Davis. Eighth row: Mrs. Boulware, Jim Franklin, Miss Mary Ethel Hutto, practice teacher. (Photo by Nichols.) Local Sears Manager Is Presented 15 Year Award Mrs. Mary Gardenhire was hon ored last Friday with the presen tation of a 15-year service pin from Sears-Roebuck company. The presentation was made by W. K. Matterson, who hired Mrs. Gard enhire 15 years ago, and W. M. Kelley, both of Sears’ Atlanta of fice. Mrs. Gardenhire previously received five and ten year service pins from the company. Sears first began doing busi ness in Newberry with an order office on the corner of Boyce and Caldwell streets. The personnel at that time consisted of the manager, Mrs. Gardenhire, and one clerk, Mrs. Ruth Cousins. Several months ago the office moved to its present Main Street Judge Holds Reins In Circuit Court There are few' places where emotions run the gamut as they do in a session of criminal court. Sympathy, apathy, resentment, humor, contrition — all of these and more will be found when one watches as the wheels of justice turn. Holding the reins to keep emotions in check, to preserve or der, and to dispense justice and Jaw is the man on the bench. In South Carolina, the court system is set up on circuits based on population. There are 14 cir cuits, beginning with the 1st in Charleston and Berkley counties, going around the state and end ing with Yhe 14th which is com posed of the counties of Allfendale, Beaufort, Jasper, Hampton and Colleton. Each circuit has what is known as its resident judge. Dur ing the summer terms, from May through August, the resident judge presides in his home circuit. Be ginning with the fall term in Sep tember, he will begin rotating, serving in the 1st circuit through December. During the spring term —January through April—he will preside in all courts in the 2nd circuit,, then home for the sum mer. In the fall, he goes to the 3rd circuit and so on until he completes the round in six and pne half years, then he starts all over again. He presides over all terms of the Court of Common pleas, commonly called civil court, and the Court of General Sessions, better known as criminal court A circuit judge is elected by the people, although not directly. He is named by the peoples’ rep resentative in the State House of Representatives and the State Senate. Although he is “up” for re-election every four years, the /general rule is that a circuit judge is automatically re-elected unless there is good cause for his re- HONORABLE STEVE C. GRIFFITH of Newberry, Is shown above presiding over a term of court at the Newberry County Court House. He is resident judge of the Eighth Judicial Circuit, which embraces the counties of Newberry, Laurens, Greenwood and Abbeville. (Sunphoto.) moval. Seldom is the re-election of a judge contested. The resident judge of the 8th Judicial circuit, which is com posed of the counties of Newberry, Greenwood, Laurens and Abbe ville, is Honorable Steve C. Grif fith. Before his election to the bench on April 11, 1945, Judge Griffith was a law partner of Honorable Eugene S. Blease, for mer Chief Justice of the South Carolina Supreme court. In addition to presiding over the civil and criminal courts dur ing the summer terms, a circuit judge has many other duties wiiich keep him busy while court is not in session. New opinions and decisions are in the making to higher courts constantly, and in order to be properly prepared to cite appropriate law to juries in trial cases, the circuit judge must read and remember or make note of all of these decisions. This in itself may occupy several hours a day of the judge’s time. In ad dition, there are many matters which come before a judge in chambers rather than in open court; all matters which do not require jury trials. Some of these are equity cases, which embrace divorces, annulment of marriage, custody of children, right of wife and children to alimony and sup port and all other matters per taining to domestic relations; construction of wills, deeds and contracts, written instruments ot all nature, and their reformation and cancelation; foreclosure pro ceedings; all applications for in junctions and applications for appointment of receivers; giving judgment in all cases in which a defendant has not answered a “summons and complaint.” Along the criminal line, the judge hears in chambers all ap plications for bond. He may also hear criminal cases in which the defendant pleads guilty of a mis demeanor and waives presentment to the grand jury. He holds hear ings on all probation and parole violations within his jurisdiction. All applications for clemency sub mitted to the Probation and Parole Board by convicts whom the judge has sentenced are referred to him for recommendation. Other types of hearing which the judge may hold are appeals from decisions of the Industrial Commission, which passes upon claims of injured employees; ap peals from magistrates and from the probate court. In addition, a great amount of time is devoted to preliminary hearings in civil actions tried by hearing of demur rers (queston of law) and moti ons attacking pleadings, so as to be ready for trial by jury. In Newberry, there are five terms of Civil court, one of whjch concerns itself solely with equity matters, and four terms of crim inal court each year. In a criminal action, charges made against persons accused of crime by magistrates, and a Bill of indictment is prepared by the Solicitor. When Criminal Court convenes, the bills are presented to the Grand Jury, which is com posed of 18 citizens of the county. Members of the Grand Jury ques tion witnesses or investigate each of the charges and, where at least 12 members of the Grand Jury feel there is sufficient evidence for the case to go before a trial, or petit, jury, they return the bill to the court as a ‘ true bill.” If they believe there is insufficient evidence to support the charge, they return the bill of indictment as “no bill” and the person against whom the bill was made is freed (Continued on page 5) Girl Drowns In Granite Pond Levonn Speight Richardson, an eight-year-old Negro girl, was drowned last Saturday morning shortly before noon at the home of her grandmother, Alice R. John son at Route 2, Pomaria. The little girl had been making her homfe with her grandmother. Her mo ther, Anna Richardson, lives in Washington, D. C. Levonn’s grandmother informed county officials that the little girl had gone to tie up the cow. When she didn’t come back immediately, she sent someone to look for her. Finding no trace of the girl, it was decided she must have slip ped into a granite pond, where the water was about eight feet deep. George W. Baxter, also colored, rigged up a hook on a stick and found the girl’s body. Although he applied artificial respiration, he was unable to revive the child, and called an ambulance and the sheriff’s office. Coroner Summer termed the death accidental, and said that no inquest would be held. Chamber Urges Monday Closing The Merchants Committee of the Chamber of Commerce has recommended that all stores in the city close Mon day, July 4th in observance of the legal holiday. The com mittee also recommended that the usual Wednesday closing be observed. Most merchants are planning to follow this [» recommendation. Baker Is Better After Operation Richard L. Baker, who under went major surgery Tuesday af ternoon of last week at the Co lumbia Hospital, is reported to be somewhat better this week, al though he will have to remain in the hospital for' an indefinite time. Mr. Baker’s daughter, Mrs. Sydney Carter and son, Syd, of Georgetown have been with Mr. Baker in Columbia and with Mrs. Baker ''at tKfeir home on Walnut street since Mr. Baker was hos pitalized last week. New Teachers Elected In County School System Several new teachers have been elected by the Newberry County School District to serve in county schools during the 1955-56 school year. Marion Felker, 1949 graduate of Newberry College, has been ap pointed basketball coach and teacher of English and histoi Silverstreet High Scfao6 ing to an announcement made hy Area Supt. John Grady Long. Mr. Felker has had five years exper ience as a teacher, the last two of which were served at Eau Claire school hear Columbia. He is a son of Arthur Felker of Route 1, Newberry. Mr. Long also stated that Miss Mildred Leonard of Greer, a 1955 graduate of Limestone College, has been elected to the Silver- street High School faculty. She will teach home economics and science. J. V. Kneece, superintendent of Newberry City Schools, announces two additions to the high school faculty: Miss ivfargie McMeekin of Winnsboro has been appointed basketball coach, director of phy sical education and biology teach- er at Newberry High School. Miss McMeekin is a graduate of Winth- rop College and has had 12 years experience teaching. She has taught for the past several years at Greer. location and its status was chang ed from an order office to a Cata log Store. The store now em ploys seven full time clprks and two part time workers. The business of the local Sears store has grown immensely under the excellent management of Mrs. Gardenhire, whose popularity has been pne of the main factors in its growth. Mrs. Kibler Williamson, the former Margery Paysinger, has been elected to teach eighth grade mathematics at Newberry High. Mss. Williamson was graduated from Randolph-Macon Women’s College at Lynchburg, Va., In 1948. Her husband is a professor at Newberry guardsmen will as semble at the armory early Sun day morning, July 3rd tp leave 1 r 15 days summer field training at Camp Stewart, Ga. Plans call for the convoy to leave the armory at 7:00 a. m. The units making the trip are the 228th Antiaircraft Artillery Group, commanded by Col. Thom as H. Pope, with headquarters at Newberry and two battalions with headquarters in Anderson and Lancaster; the 246th Army Band; Headquarters and Headquarters Battery and Battery C of the 107th AAA Battalion, all at New berry, and batteries A, Jjfc fBd D of the i riT ni»pftiii ll.lliVliTlinr lilii ton and Ha^Rni, respectively. The 107th is a unit of the 51st South Carolina National Guard Infantry Division which recently trained at Fort McClellan, Ala. However, the 107th trains at Camp Stewart because of the tack of an antiaircraft firing ranged at Fort McClellan. During the 15 days of summer encampment, the guardsmen train in their ^various fields of activity in their local guard units. Many of the men spend the majority of time on the firing range, practice firing the big antiaircraft guns at plane-towed and radar controlled aerial targets. Other men Of the guard attend schools in radio, communications, radar, meteorology, administra tion, supply and other specializzed fields. The mess sections stay busy preparing three good meals a day for the other personnel. Members of the 246th Army Band practice their repertoire when not playing, for. special occasions. A parade of all units will be held on Day,” Saturday morning, July 9th. ‘Itpproximately 354; guardsmen Newtoenry are expected to t aWR •. “** James L Terry Is Improving Slowly The condition ot James L, Ter ry, who is hospitalized in the Mims Clinic at Newport, Tenn., is reported to be some better. He is improving slowly but steadily and his doctors advise that he cannot be moved for another week or two. Mr. and Mrs. George W. Martin visited Mr. Terry and Mrs. Terry in Newport this past Sunday. Mrs. Lillie Bishop Rites At Smyrna Mrs. Lillie Merchant Bishop, 66, wife of John Henry Bishop, died suddenly Tuesday afternoon at her home in the Smyrna sec tion of the county following two years of declining health. Mrs. Bishop was born and reared in Newberry Coteity, a daughter of the late George W. and Dallas Perkins Merchant. She was a member of Smyrna Presbyterian Church and the Ladies Auxiliary. Surviving besides her husband are two sons, J. H., Jr., and James Bishop, Newberry; one daughter, Mrs. Woodrow Hester, Newberry; three brothers, An drew J. and Claude Merchant, Kinards, and Matthew' B. Mer- (Continued on page 5) MILLIONS OF CARS will be on the highways this Fourth of July weekend, and pictured above is an example of what can easily hap pen to YOU, if you do not observe the rules of safe driving and do more than your share to protect yourself if you drive this weekend. You might not be so fortunate as the driver of this car* who es caped with minor injuries when the car went out of control at the approach to the second overhead bridge on the Greenville highway, ran into a tree, knocked it down then ranover it. (Sunphoto.) 4* Miss Garlington At Television School Miss Octavia Garlington, daugh ter of Mr. and Mrs. A. C. Garliftg- ton of 1229 Calhoun street, is among the 46 men and women enrolled in the fifth annual Bar nard College-National Broadcast ing Company Summer Institute ot Radio and Television which began Monday in the NBC studios. The Institute provides profes sional training for those entering commercial or educational radio and television and a wider know ledge of the field for those alreadv in the profession. Open to college graduates and non-degree holders who have had paid radio and tel evision experience, the Institute will award certificates on August 5 to participants who successfully complete the course. BIRTHDAY GREETINGS July 1: Miss Ruby Dennis, Sims Tompkins, Mrs. Milton Moore, Bobby Harmon, James N. Parr, Emily Moore, Mrs. Ervin D. Rich ardson, Mrs. W. B. Boiriest, Jr., Mrs. Clifford Smith, Patsy Ruth Senn, Lucille Long, Grace O. Haz el, Mrs. Clayton Smith, Lt. Robert Spraul, Jr. July 2: John A. Peterson, Thom as Morris, Sam P. Shannon, Mrs. Walter Davis, Allan Dominick, Wilbur J. Ringer. July 3: Frank E. Jordan, junior, Billie T. Parr, Walter Baker Sum mer, Mrs. Jake Boozer, A. B. Lake, Curtis Doolittle. July 4: Mrs. F. J. Weir, Joe Chappells, Susan Boland. James Oscar Quattlebaum, J. H. Long, Elliott Mayer, Mrs. J. H. Boozer, Sallie Abrams. July 5: Mrs. Lewis Shealy, Mrs. W. W. Hornsby, Ralph Gilliam, Mrs. B. B. Livingston, Prof. Mil-, ton Moore, Mrs. Mary Alice Wherry, Mrs. Billy Walton, Wil bur E. Epps, Mike Livingston. July 6: Miss Sara Wilson, J. J. Hipp, Billy Armfield, junior, >Mrs. J. S. Thompson, Karen Lominack, Sandra Gail Dawkins, Pam Phil ips, Rogers Lewis Ringer, C. K. Brown. Beth Boulware, Walter Lake, Mary Ann Watkins. July 7: Miss Rose Hamm, Dr. Claude Sease, Allen Calcote, Mrs. David Long, Carolyn Andrews, Dr. V. W. Rinehart, Jackie Mar tin, Lula May Hawkins, Randy Senn, John P. Livingston.