Tazewell County, Virginia, Newspaper Articles: Clinch Valley News--May 3, 1940 Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Michelle Burress http://www.cvnotes.com ==================================================================== Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ==================================================================== Clinch Valley News May 3, 1940 The section of the county from HARMAN'S fine farm, East to Dial Rock, which should be called Dial Rock Valley, gives evidence of real prosperity. The Jersey cow, so ridiculed and ? in Tazewell a generation or two back, has developed into the the money crop of the county. Many farmers who have heretofore depended upon cashing in their blue grass at a few cents per pound in cattle are now cashing in the same grass at twenty cents or more per gallon. A cow that will give three gallons of milk per day for ten months of the year will bring in a gross of approximately $180.00. A 1600 pound steer under a very high market, might gross that much. At the end of the season the steer is gone. At the end of the year you still have your cow. Recently a member of this office force above up the Dial Rock Valley, as far as Jim WITTEN'S dairy farm. When the end of the journey was reached an inspection was made of the Witten dairy and milch cows, as fine a herd as you will find in the country. The milking barn has recently been constructed of concrete and is sanitary and clean. Milking machines are used for the fifty or more cows. Mr. WITTEN is said to have a seven per cent cow or two, but be that as it may he has a fine herd of number one Jerseys, and dozens of fresh cows expected this spring and summer. His product goes to the Beavers dairy on Dry Fork, 150 or more gallons per day. After leaving the dairy a visit was made to the Witten home, where the children, relatives and friends had assembled during the day celebrating the 76th anniversary of the venerable lady, Mrs. Sallie B. WITTEN, mother of the owner of the farm. Among the number present were W.C. WITTEN, of Bluefield; Grat GILLESPIE, his son, Jim, and his son, Carl, and his son, Carl Jr. - four generations of the family, all present to participate in the day's festivities and wish the head of the house many years of happiness and contentment. Jim and Kenneth WITTEN, a sister, Miss Elizabeth MORTON, and a daughter, Mrs. Howard LAUGHON and Mr. LAUGHON of Roanoke, were also present to help relieve the strain upon the dining table. It was a happy occasion and all left wishing. Mrs. WITTEN all the good things of life as compensation for rearing a fine family of children. Next door is Mrs. Harris HART'S dairy, bossed by William SHELBURNE, a good farm manager as well as a good bear hunter. This dairy is also stacking up well, and supplying a large quantity of milk to the public. Henry HARMAN also has a fine dairy in this Dial Rock Valley, on the famous WATTS farm, said to be one of the most productive in Southwest Virginia. He not only has a fine herd of milkers, but a number of fine Percheron horses. All is well in Dial Rock Valley. Miss Jacqueline CECIL, of Bluefield, Virginia, was selected as "Miss Tazewell County" at the contest held in Bluefield, last Friday night. Miss Cecil will represent the county at the annual dogwood festival to be held at Bristol. Second place was awarded Miss Jeanne ALLEN, of Richlands, and third place went to Miss Louise HUDDLESTON, also of Richlands. Hugh COX, proprietor of Gratton Garage, requests car owners to bring their automobiles to him early for annual inspection. He is well qualified to do the work, but requests that the work be done at once and avoid the rush. Mr. and Mrs. Henry VAWTER, of North Tazewell, announce the marriage of their daughter, Nancy Rose, to Donald Dirk RITCHIE, of Morgantown, West Virginia, on April 27 at North Tazewell, Rev. William S. JONES, officiating. Mrs. Ritchie received her Bachelor of Arts Degree at Radford State Teachers' College and is a member of Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority. for the past year she has been engaged in graduate work at the University of Virginia. Mr. RITCHIE is a son of Mrs. W.F. RITCHIE and the late Mr. RITCHIE of Greenville, S.C. is a graduate of Furman University and University of North Carolina. He is a member of Pi Kappa Phi social fraternity and of Sigma XI. Mr. and Mrs. RITCHIE will be at home in Margantown after May 1. For long years after the old hunter had passed on to the Happy Hunting Grounds, the above inscription remained deeply cut in the bark of a Tennessee beech tree. Some such record ought now be cut in Hutchinson's Rock, whose white facade crowns the top of the Burke's Garden Mountain adjacent to Bear Town, for there, on last Thursday, April 25, 1940, "Old Hitler" the marauding bear, came to the end of his long and bloody trail. For any seasons he has exacted tribute, as is the custom of all marauders, from his peaceful neighbors. His tribute was in the form of innocent sheep, for all marauders prefer to prey upon the innocent and helpless. Many times he has been pursued and overtaken, but his wellness and magnificent strength saved him time and again; save for a few trifling wounds, and the rash dogs that chased him returned with cut and bleeding bodies. Last Thursday morning, however, ushered in the day of reckoning. Last year he had killed several of Alex MEEK'S sheep, a repetition of like outrages of several recent years. Alex and some other sportsmen had the past winter procured from North Carolina "four bear dogs" said to be descendants in direct line of Indian dogs, bred and trained as "bear dogs," for the express purpose of running down "Old Hitler." They had one round with him but the nearest they got to him was to see one their dogs, shootup over the top of a laurel thicket where the dogs had "Old Hitler" "at bay", being propelled by a slap of one of his mighty paws. Recently he invaded Alex's flock again and killed several sheep, and so Alex journeyed again to the Great Smokies of North Carolina for reinforcements. He returned with more dogs and their owners and trainers. Perhaps "Old Hitler" heard of the new arrivals and intended to show his contempt for them, for the very day arrived he killed another sheep, possible as a sort of Norway challenge. At any rate the crime was new and the trail fresh when the hunters came upon the scene with eighteen trained dogs to begin the chase. They "jumped" "Old Hitler" in short order and, from all accounts, that running fight was an epic. "The music of the chase" was heard by people in the east end of Burke's Garden and by others on Chestnut Ridge, miles away in each case. The chase was a continuous fight between bear and dogs, so fierce that the hunters were able to keep close up all the time, in the dense laurel beds. They could hear "Old Hitler: puff and snort as the dogs passed him, and passed through some of the recent timber cuttings and occasionally took a rest on top of a stump where he could fight off the dogs, but when he was rested and the dogs pressed him too closely he would make a break and carry them further into the laurel beds. At last, one of the hunters, crawling under the laurel, got close enough to see the bear, not more than fifty feet away battling for his life, and put a couple of rifle bullets through him, to end what was likely the most exciting bear chase in the history of this county. The tempo of the chase is shown by the fact that it lasted only one hour and ten minutes, as compared with the usual five or six hours, or more, and only eight of the eighteen dogs could "keep the pace" and he "in at the death." The bear was a monster, weighing over 500 pounds, and fat. His tusks were worn down almost to the gums. The veteran North Carolina hunters, one of whom had killed forty-two bears, said that the was one of the largest black bears, if not the largest, they had ever seen, and they estimated that he was about twenty-five years old. Robber and killer that he was one has a real admiration for the gallant "last stand" that he made and a sort of sneaking sympathy for the king of the woods in night he made against overwhelming odds, especially the bullets. The members of the hunting party which brought "Old Hitler's" career to the end were Alex MEEK, Bob PRIODE and Bill SHELBOURNE, who were directly in the kill. Others in the party were Marvin and Alex MEEK, Jean, Steve, Joe and Harold MCGINNIS, Oscar BARRETT, Frazier and Sid KITTS, Del WALKER, Gordon CARNELL, Bunk YOUNG, Dan TURLEY, Charles BUCHANAN, Game Warden WILSON, Joe Frank MEEK, Jeff LEWIS, Clarence PAULEY. In a Hymn contest given by the pupils of Miss LESLIE'S music class Tuesday in the Methodist church, the prize in the juvenile class was won by Mildred BLESSING, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. R.W. BLESSING, of Tazewell and the junior prize was won by Margaret THOMPSON, daughter, of Mr. and Mrs. W.E. THOMPSON, of Thompson Valley. There were nineteen pupils taking part. Tom COMPTON, charged with attempting to kill John H. MULLINS near Raven April 2nd, said not a word in his own defense at a preliminary hearing here Wednesday before Judge Albert PEERY. His demeanor on the stand was such that the court asked him if he was well, ir had he ever suffered with nerves. COMPSON was tried also on a liquor charge and fined &50.00 and given two months in jail. On the shooting charge a number of witnesses related the details of the shooting. It appeared that COMPTON came within sixteen feet of MULLINS when he raised his shot gun and shot him in the face and shoulder, inflicting the serious wounds, requiring two weeks in a Richlands hospital. Witness WHITAKER stated that he was standing nearby when COMPTON came up the road with his gun, and that when he raised his gun to shoot he yelled and MULLINS turned his head slightly to one side, and then the shot was ?. WHITAKER, a one armed man, disarmed COMPTON, who had reversed ends with the gun and was advancing towards MULLINS apparently to use the gun as a club. There were a few rocks thrown until COMPTON ran to his house. He was later arrested by deputy Jewell and brought to jail here. The HARDY'S from Laurel Fork, had a brinnel, a white and red dog, which developed a fondness for sheep, and Mr. GRIFFINS who bosses a farm nearby objected to the marauders decimating his flock, and "took" the dog owners with warrends (??). The fact was soon established that the dogs were sheep killers and the court's attention was then turned to establishing ownership and responsibility. The court, the lawyers, and the audience became more or less wool gathered on dog identity, as to the demise of certain dogs, one of which was said to have been dead several months before the sheep were attacked, but the court unwound the mystery by ordering the dogs shot, and the owner of the brinnel, the white or the red dog, whichever was which, fined then bucks. One of the dog owners undertook, to "cover" by getting a license tag, but he put the getting off too late. GENERAL NEWS --------------------------- Mr. and Mrs. Roland HUDSON, Jr. of Bluefield, spent the day Sunday with Mr. and Mrs. Carl GREGORY of Shawver Mill. Mr. and Mrs. W.B. NEEL, Miss Lou NEEL, Mrs. M.E. RICH and children, of Bluefield, Va, were visitors of Mr. and Mrs. Carl GREGORY on Friday. Miss Frances TICE had as her guest the past weekend, Miss Mary Louise JACKSON, of Richlands. Mrs. Pressley THOMAS, of Winston-Salem, NC, was the guest of relatives in Tazewell late week. Miss Betty TICE, of the High School faculty, was the weekend guest of friends in Farmville, Va. Mr. T.A. REPASS is recovering nicely from an operation preformed at the Clinch Valley Clinic. Mr. E.R. BOYD has returned to his home here from a Bluefield hospital. Mr. and Mrs. J.W. WHITLEY and Mrs. Litz HARMAN have returned to their home on Dry Fork from Hot Springs, where they have been spending a month's vacation. Mrs. J.M. DENNISON is suffering from a sprained ankle she received when she fell Tuesday at the home of her son, Ward DENNISON, of Tazewell. Frankie Lee JAMES, son of Mr. and Mrs. F.L. JAMES, of Portsmouth, Virginia, is in North Tazewell the guest of his grand parents, Mr. and Mrs. R.L PORTER. Last rites were held Monday for the infant daughter born to Mr. and Mrs. Jim HAGY at the Mattie Williams Hospital, Richlands on Sunday. POUNDING MILL --------------------------------- Rev. Lee HILL, Methodist minister, preached a good sermon here Sunday night. Rev. Curtis JONES, the Christian church minister, will preach here Sunday night. Rev. Kirk, Church of God minister, will preach Saturday and Sunday nights on Quarry Hill. A large attendance in Sunday school Sunday, Mrs. R.A. CRAIG, Supt. Mrs. Mercer THOMAS, who has been visiting relatives at Powellton, West Virginia, and Elk Ridge, West Virginia, returned home Saturday. Mr. and Mrs. Earl ADKINS and Mrs. Myra BEASLEY and son, Donald, returned with her to spend the weekend. Rube LOWE is still working on the two new rooms added to the M.H. CHRISTIAN residence. Mrs. Hazel HILT and sister, Mrs. Claude STEELE, were shopping Saturday in Bluefield. Mrs. Kate MCGEE, Misses Hazel and Marie HILT and Sara ASBURY, Messrs. C.E. RINGSTAFF, William ALTIZER and Opie MULKEY attended the beauty pagent at Honaker Saturday night. Mr. and Mrs. W.B. JOHNSON, Mr. and Mrs. G.W. LINKENHOLDER, of Bluefield, West Virginia, visited Mr. and Mrs. James JOHNSON and Miss Mary Gladys Sunday. Mr. and Mrs. James BREWSTER moved back to Pounding Mill on Tuesday. Mrs. Eveline PILKINS is not expected to live through the night. She is suffering from flu and bronchial pneumonia. Mrs. John BOOTHE, Mr. and Mrs. Alfred PILKINS and four children attended Church of God, Sunday in Richlands Rev. ROWLAND preached. Mrs. C.C. BEAVERS was operated on for appendicitis, and has returned to her home here. Mrs. India PETTS returned Saturday from Lynch, Kentucky, where she visited her son, Harry; Mr. and Mrs. L.H. HARTSOCK and family. CEDAR BLUFF ------------------------ Mr. and Mrs. Tobe WITT, of this place and very ill. Miss Nina WITT, of this place was visiting relatives relatives at Belfast over the weekend. Miss Clara HARMAN, who has been staying at Pounding Mill has returned to her home here for a visit. Miss Gray HANKINS of Grundy, was calling on her sister, Mrs. Grant BREWSTER, of this place, Friday. Mr. and Mrs. L.J. TOLLIVER and children and Mrs. Roy TOLLIVER and daughter, Carole, of Grundy, were visiting Mrs. Chap CHAMBERS and Mr. and Mrs. C.R. JOYCE, of this place Sunday. Mrs. Victor CHRISTIAN and children, June, Olivene, Victor Jr., Violet and Philip, Mr. and Mrs. Mose WHITE and children, Ralph and H.B. and Arch WHITT were visiting Mr. and Mrs. Mose BEAVERS Sunday. Rev. Dan CHRISTIAN filled his appointment Sunday, preaching in the home of Mr. and Mrs. J.H. WILSON. He will preach in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Chap CHAMBERS the fourth Sunday. D.B. TAYLOR, who has been ill is better. Mr. and Mrs. Ezra SPARKS and daughters, Grace and Edith of this place; Dan CHRISTIAN, of Abb Valley, were dinner guests of Mr. and Mrs. Joe WILSON, Sunday.