The Winkler County News (Kermit, Tex.), Vol. 8, No. 52, Ed. 1 Friday, March 9, 1945 Page: 1 of 6
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7
Friday9 Mar. 9, 1945
Kermit, Winkler County, Texas
Volume 8; No. 52
Kermit Hospital To Close, Robinson Says
--9
95
Side
Issues
BY H. G. VERMILLION
aircraft
1944,
6
v
the
that there will be no major sur-
The street improvement bonds Austin after defeating Kermit by
3
*
Headquarters,
eled
and went north
LUBBOCK—Joanne
Birtciel,
dresses, sport clothes and
Kermit Basketball
Team Loses Both
Games At Abilene
Roy Curfman Given
Fire Marshal Post
Public Barred
From Testimony
At Negro’s Trial
Fire On Truck
Causes Excitement
Higher Salaries
Voted For Some
On School Faculty
Stricter Rulings
On Draft Made
Public By Board
factories
January,
Tulloch Hired As
County Sanitarian
well
and
as
tots
the trucks cir-
eastern Kermit
to put out the
Joanne Birtciel Wins
Honor At Tech
suits,
even-
on
at
Easter Style Show
To Be Presented
MARRIAGE LICENSE
Charles Edward Hollowell and
Miss Modicar Bernice Brantley.
City Bond Election
Order Passed; City
Hall Site Debated
DIVORCE SUITS FILED
Winnie F. Harvey vs Philip W.
Harvey.
Clyde James Branon vs Mozelle
Brannon.
Contempt Charges Bring Man
Three Fines/ Jail Sentences
Eli Rushing Quits
School Position;
Can't Find Home
The Winkler County News
An Institution Promoting The Interests of Winkler County
)
siren blew the alarm, and was a
good deal perturbed to hear the
telephone operator say that the
fire was at the W. O. Hunt res-
idence.
He wondered, if the fire were
not at his welding shop instead,
on the Jal Highway, but the op-
erator said the call had come in
that it was at the home.
So Hunt and the other firemen
Army Air Forces Redistribution t operate a kitchen. This will mean
Station No. 2 in Miami Beach - • — -
as fashions for tiny
welding shop, so
Capt. and Mrs. C. L. Simmons
and baby visited his parents, Mr. ocog g+,
and Mrs C. L. Simmons, this । raced Off to the Hunt home, and
, sure enough the fire was at the
week. Captain Simmons is station-1
ed at Pueblo, Colo.
back from
* *
10th Air Force,
dent for
German
ing frocks will be modeled
its skillful attack
fashions in
16, at 8 p..
this week.
The latest
hats and accessories also will be
shown. Music and other enter-
tainment will be featured during
the evening. ,
junior at Texas Tech and daugh-
ter of Mr. and Mrs. Ed Birtciel
of Kermit, was elected and in-
stalled as secretary of Tau Beta
Sigma, Tech band sorority, Mon-
day night.
Miss Birtciel plays clarinet in
the Tech band.
would be used for a number of
projects, including obtaining of
street grades all over the unpav-
ed portions of Kermit, drawing
up a new city map, obtaining land
for city parks, and for cemetery
improvements.
Ballinger the second night.
Some of the Kermit spectators
at the tournament were highly
dissatisfied with the officiating,
but most conceded that Baird had
a highly efficient team, and that
this just wasn’t Kermit’s year to
win.
9"E
gery performed here, and that
mothers wil have to be taken
home the same day or the next
day after babies are born, among
other things.
school girls. The newest
Information on further tight-
ening up of draft regulations to
lift age limits of men likely to
be inducted into the armed forces
was released this week by the
local Selective Service office.
It was anounced that “Infor-
mation was received last week
that regulatiens applying to men
under 26 years of age have been
revised to include men up to
30 years old.
“Men from 30 to 34 years old
must be necessary and regularly
engaged, and indispensable and
irreplaceable in war production
or in support of the national
health, safety or interest, to be
eligible for deferment.
“Employers have until April 1,
1945 to file revised form on men
up to 30 years old for continuat-
ion of their deferments.”
The local board announced the
following list of reclassifications:
1A to 2B
J. R. Park.
1A to 2A
J. C. Hensley
S. W. Stephens
1A to IC inducted
James C. Simmons
Oschersleben in
m., she announced
blaze, which by this time threat-
ened to spread from the truck
on which it started to the weld-
ing shop nearby.
The gasoline in the tank of the
truck, operated by the Oilfield
transportation Company of Odes-
sa, had blazed up while a welder
was working on the truck near-
by, and the entire truck seemed
to be blazing when the firemen
arrived.
But they soon had the blaze
out, and the only material dam-
age seemed to be some badly
scorched back wheels. The truck
was driven off under its own
power a short while later.
The Kermit High School bas-
ketball team’s dreams! of going
into the state Class A tournament
exploded last week end as the
Yellow Jackets lost both games
in the regional tournament in
Abilene.
Baird won the title of the meet
and the chance to compete in
for reassignment processing after
completion of a tour of duty out-
side the United States.
Flying as a gunner on a B-17
Flying Fortress in the European
theater, Sergeant Winters Com-
pleted 30 combat misions over
enemy territory and has been
awarded the Air Medal with four
Oak Leaf Clusters.
His wife lives in Columbia,
Tenn.
Richardson Well
20th in Keystone
Another highly productive Ell-
enburger producer in the rich
Keystone field northeast of Ker-
mit was assured this week as
the Richardson and Bass Bashara
7-E, in the southeast corner of
Section 21, Block 77, produced
at the rate of 2180 barrels of
high gravity oil per day on an off-
icial potential test.
The well made 272% barrels of
oil in three hours.
The well made the 20th to be
brought in as a producer in the
deep pay section of the field, and
this means that about 4000 barrels
of the highly desired sweet crude
a day now can move over the
new sweet oil pipeline to Mid-
land.
Sun Oil still was acidizing and
swabbing in an effort to get nat-
ural production from oil shows
it has found above the Ellenburg-
er in its outpost well two miles
northwest of Keystone deep pro-
duction. Oil has been swabbed
from the hole, but the depth—
past 8000 feet—is too deep to
make production by pumping feas-
ible.
been looking for a house without
success.
Rushing has coached two years
in the local high school. He al-
ready had expressedy a deter-
mination not to return next year.
The county’s quota for
drive is $5100.
Way for the city’s $185,000 bond
election March 24 was cleared
officially this week as the City
Commission passed an ordinance
calling the electing and setting
forth the purpose for which the
bonds will be voted if they are
voted.
The election order, published
elsewhere in this edition of The
Winkler County News, call for
$65,000 in sewer bonds, $60,000
in water bonds, $45,000 in city
hall bonds, and $15,000 in street
improvement bonds.
Moves Made
To Find Way To
Keep It Open
Moves were being made this
week to find some way to keep
the Robinson-McClure Hospital
in Kermit open after Dr. Cecil
Robinson announced the hospital
would be closed in a little over
a week.
After Dr. Robinson talked with
members of the Commissioners
Court Wednesday, County Judge
J. B. Salmon made an appoint-
ment by telephone to talk over
a score of 27 to 21 the first
night of the Abilene turnament.
Kermit took an early lead in
the game, but Baird soon erased
it. and had a respectable lead of
its own until shortly before the
half, when Kermit almost caught
up.
The Yellow Jackets stayed just
behind the taller Baird five until
the last quarter, whenJoe Eth-
ridge was limping around on a
sprained ankle and Kenneth Me-
Iver went out on fouls. Baird
then went on to win handily.
Elmer Six, injured earlier in
the season, played most of the
game, but was ineffectual under
the basket, where he normally
starred.
Ethridge did not even suit out
for the second night’s game in
which Dublin won the consolation
title from Kermit, 29 to 26. Dub-
lin had been beaten by Ballin-
ger the first night, and Baird
won the title in a game with
A special venire of 100 Winkler
County men was being called this
week by Sheriff Ellis Summers
to form a jury for the trial here
beginning Monday of Pvt. Cecil l
Adderly, Pyote Army Air Field
Negro soldier charged with rape
of a Pecos girl.
District Judge Henry Russell
said the public will be barred
from hearing testimony of the
trial, but may hear the closing
arguments.
The trial is expected to take
two days, with closing arguments
Tuesday afternoon or Tuesday
evening if a night session is
necessary.
Adderly has been held in the
local jail for some while. He was
reported calm in face of the im-
pending trial.
Roger G. Tulloch, who was hir-
ed as county sanitarian last
month and then was “fired” by
having the minute hiring him ex-
punged when he could not re-
port, was hired again this week
by the Commissioners Court, and
this time the hiring looked as if
it would stick.
Jack Kennedy was beaming
quite broadly Thursday as his
sons, Curtis and Charlie, told of
their activities in what history
may or may not decide to call
the Second World War.
Curtis, known to his intimates
as “Bowlegs,” is officially Lt. Jg.
Kennedy of the U. S. Navy flying
service, and Charlie is Private
Kennedy of the combat infantry,
a mighty tough outfit.
Roy Curfman this week was
appointed city fire marshal by
the City Commission to succeed C.
R. Worley, who resigned after
serving nearly three years.
The position is unpaid, but the
fire marshal can hold down the
city’s fire rate by turning in pro-
per reports of inspections.
MIAMI BEACH, FLA—S.-Sgt.
Charles E. Winters, 20, son of
Mr. and Mrs. W. P. Masters of
Kermit, Texas, has arrived at the
Charlie, wounded in the Hurt-
gen Forest of Germany just be-
fore the now famous Battle - of
the Bulge, said he came home
with the one medal he had hoped
never to earn—The Purple Heart.
After being shot through the
shoulder with a German rifle
bullet just as his outfit was being
relieved, he said, he laid for 15
hours in a snowy hideout until
litter bearers could take him to
an advanced medical station. He
was taken later to Paris, then to
England, and then to the United
States.
Infantryman Kennedy said his
outfit was glad when it snowed
in the Hurtgen Forest, because
then they could melt snow to
drink and did not have to fight
their way through a bunch of
Germans every time they had to
go to the only water hole in the
vicinity.
of Reeves County intervened, and
Weldy was jailed.
Later, still in Pecos, Judge
Russell fined Weldy $100 and
costs and sentenced him to three
days in jail on each of three con-
tempt charges.
Before the jail sentences began,
however, Judge Russell told Wel-
dy, the man would have to get
up in open court and apologize
to Judge Russell, representing
the district court of this district.
This was done Monday, and the
first of the three jail sentences
thus began that day.
Sheriff Ellis Summers, who re-
turned Weldy to the jail here
from Pecos, said the contempt
fines could not be served out in
jail as other fines are, but will
have to be paid in cash—a total
of $300—before Weldy can be re-
leased.
Judge Russell lectured Weldy
sternly Monday, and told him
that any decision handed down
in his court—as in the contested
divorce case—was reached be-
cause in his reasoned judgment
it was the best decision possible.
Mrs. J. N. Cannon of the
Fashion Shoppe will present her
Easter Fashion Show in the high
school auditorium Friday, March
Red Goss Drive
in Kermit Slow;
$1380 Raised
Kermit this week threatened
to fall down on its first war-
connected fund drive as a pro-
jected three-day Red Cross drive
dragged into its second week
with less than half of the quota
reported as collected.
Chairman Nolan Watson of the
drive said that there was a gen-
uine shortage of campaign mater-
ials, and the drive had been
slowed by that factor, but that
those who want to give can do
so easily.
Red Cross contributions will be
accepted at the Kermit State
Bank, at the City Hall, at The
Winkler County News office, or
at a number of other locations.
Wink raised its $2200 quota the
first day of the drive last week,
but by Thursday the Kermit total
of subscriptions had reached a
total of only $1380, for an over-
all county total of $3580.
J. W. Weldy, arrested in Pecos
last week after he had cursed and
threatened District Judge Henry
Russell in a Pecos drug store as
the aftermath of a contested di-
vorce case in Winkler County Dis-
trict Court during the last court
term, was serving out a contempt
sentence in the county jail here
this week following a public apol-
ogy to Judge Russell in the dis-
trict courtroom here Monday.
The case had its inception when
Weldy’s wife was granted a di-
vorce in a contested case, and
was given custody of their child.
It was reported Weldy had been
drinking when he met Judge Rus-
sell in Pecos last week. He re-
portedly told the judge that the
decision in the divorce and child
custody case had been wrong, that
the child had been awarded to
her mother on testimony that was
untrue, that Judge Russell was
involved and that he, Weldy, was
going to kill the judge, and that
he night as well begin then.
Weldy assertedly had raised his
arm to strike the judge when
spectators intervened, the sheriff
when one of the great air battles
of World War II took place.
The Texas pilot has flown over
300,000 miles on 35 missions to
aid in hammering Nazi objectives
ranging from the Western Front
to Central Europe. Among tar-
gets hit by his formation’s bombs
are war plants, marshalling yards,
oil refineries, airfields, military
installations and troop positions.
On a mission to Politz the ox-
ygen system of his Fortress was
shot out of commission and it
received more than 50 flak holes,
and on a trip to Merseburg, one
engine was knocked out by flak,
but Captain Mays was able to
remain in . formation until over
friendly territory.
On another mission to Bohlen his
aircraft was badly damaged, but
no member of his crew has ever
been wounded.
Captain Mays, decorations in-
clude the Air Medal with five
Oak Leaf Clusters.
He is a graduate of Wink High
School and Texas Tech. His wife,
Mrs. Vivian McCargo Mays, after
whom his Fortress “Lady Vivian”
was named, lives at Plains, Tex-
as, and is now a student at Tex-
as Tech. Captain Mays has a
brother, Douglas, serving with
the U. S. Navy.
After his 35th mission, Captain
Mays was called to London for
a special broadcast on the miss-
ion, to Cologne, over the British
Broadcasting System.
* * *
the situation with officials of
the Texas Health Department,
and left Thursday for Austin.
Dr. Robinson reminded members
of the court and the Lions Club,
where he discussed the problem
Thursday, that the decision to
close the hospital was not a sud-
den one, but that the problem had
been discussed at length over a
period of time.
He said that the resignation of
two nurses in the hospital brought
the matter to a head, but that
help and financial troubles long
. had beset the hospital, and it
was more than he and his assoc-
iate, Dr. P. J. Starr, could carry
any longer.
Dr. Robinson said he would
give, sell, lease, lend, or just turn
over the hospital to any interest’
ed party or group who wished to
operate it and showed capacity to
do so. He reminded Lions Club
members that Mrs. M. L. Turney
had operated the hospital under
such an arrangement—she got
the hospital free, and took what
it brought in after expenses.
Dr. Robinson said that the hos-
pital needs a good business man-
ager and should have two or
three times as many as the pre-
sent 10 beds to operate without
a loss.
The entire problem brought the
question of a county hospital to
the fore again.
Dr. Robinson said that when
the hospital closes he will keep
two beds and an all night nurse
for overnight cases, but will not
j be able to hospitalize anyone for
I more than one night, and will not
* * *
Most German prisoners, he said,
seemed glad to be out of the war,
but said they never could re-
turn to Germany after the war
because , they would be killed for
having surrendered. They could
not get into their heads the idea
that Hitler would be out of pow-
er, he said.
The professional Gegman SS
troops, on the other hand, still
were boastful of how Germany
would win, and stood sternly on
their rights under the Geneva
convention, which they could
quote at length.
* * *
Charlie contrived to have Cur-
tis talk first, so the Lions heard
about how things are out on Ta-
rawa now that the Japs have
gone by invitation of the U. S.
Marine Corps and Navy. Things
were pretty dull for the pilots
of the anti-submarine patrol out-
fit he was with, Curtis said—so
dull that the lads, when permiss-
ion to bomb nearby Jap-held is-
lands was denied them, began to
do barrel rolls and loops with
leads of bombs, a dangerous pro-
cedure.
Curtis said he had seen almost
no actual combat, but had heard
about plenty of it, and he would
not be in the path of attacking
Marines for anything he knew of.
The young Marines, with no
fear of the en’emy or of death,
and with only killing on their
minds, mow down the fanatically
attacking Japanese in waves, he
said, and many leap from fox-
holes armed only with clubs or
similar weapons and bring down
four or five Japanese before the
little yellow men get them.
would be used for extensions to
the present system and for pay-
ing for present extensions al-
ready being constructed in the
Walton Place addition with bor-
rowed money.
The city hall issue would be for
construction as soon as possible,
city officials said, although no
site has been chosen yet. There
was some discussion this week
of the issue of a site, with Com-
missioner Hugh Moore favoring
building on land the city already
owns in the park under the water
tower, and Commissioner Jack
Mays and Mayor Keneth Burrows
failing to agree.
An Eighth Air Force Bomber
Station, ENGLAND—The promo-
tion of Hal Craig Mays, son of
Mr. and Mrs. O. C. Mays, Ker-
mit, Texas, from first lieutenant
to captain has been announced
Captain Mays is a B-17 Flying
Fortress pilot in the veteran 401st
Bomb Group, a unit of the 1st
Air Division, cited by the Presi-
* * *
The Kennedy brothers have a
third brother, Bobby, who is a
paratrooper. He is stationed at
Fort Bening, Ga.
* * *
Building Fund
Of Legion Reaches
About $6000
About $6000 was in the Ker-
mit American Legion Post’s
building fund this week, and the
post had about $44,000 to go in
its drive to raise funds for a
proposed $50,000 Legion home,
community center and service
men’s recreation center.
Maury Alberts, chairman of the
Legion building committee, told
the Kermit Lions Club Thursday
that so far the only contributions
solicited and received locally
have been from business houses,
but that it is hoped to contact
the remaining business houses
and also all individuals.
Letters have been sent to 500
oil companies, wholesale houses
and others serving or interested
in the Kermit territory, but it
is too early to have received re-
sponses yet, Alberts said. The
letters tell of the purposes to
which the building will be put,
contain a picture of the archi-
tect’s conception of the proposed
building, and an invitation to
contribute.
The Legion had about $4000 in
its building fund when the drive
began, Alberts said. Funds al-
ready in sight probably would be
enough to build a Legion hut
large enough to take care of the
present meetings of the Legion
and Auxiliary, but because the
community needs a civic center,
young people’s recreation center,
Red Cross headquarters, and ser-
vice men”s center such as is
proposed in the plans for the
new building, the more ambitious
plan was undertaken.
If the full goal is not reached,
a building will be erected with
the money that is collected, Al-
berts said.
Higher salaries in some sched-
ules of teachers and administrat-
ors in the Kermit school system
were voted this week by the
school board , which also voted
to re-employ all teachers in the
system except two, who were not
acted on pending a clarification
of their status.
The board also accepted the
resignation of B. F. Meek as
school superintendent.
New and increased salary
schedules were set up for the
principals of the grade and high
schools, for members of the high
school coaching staff, for the
band director, shop teacher, and
for those who drive the school
buses.
M. H. Albert was appointed
head election judge for the’ board
election set for April 7. There
had been no candidacies filed
this week for the two places on
the school board that will be up
for balloting in that election, it
was reported, although a num-
ber of Kermit men had been app-
roached on running by two local
men.
The school board is to meet
again next week to look over the
plans for the newest Primary
Unit addition that will connect
the two primary buildings now
in use.
The new salary schedule for
athletic coaches also incorporated
a change in the setup of the
coaching staff. Next year, Burton
Adams will coach only basketball
and there will be a separate foot-
ball assistant coach, under the
plans. In the past, it has been
customary for the assistant foot-
ball coach to be basketball coach
A fire which probably did less
damage for the amount of flame
of almost any in the history of
Kermit caused a great deal of
excitement Wednesday afternoon.
W. O. Hunt was the first fire-
man at the station after the
Eli Rushing, head football
coach and shop teacher at Ker-
mit High School, said Thursday
that he would move away from
Kermit Friday unless he and his
family get some place to live
here.
Rushing, who has been renting
a house from Shirley Parker, said
he had promised to give Parker
possession because Parker wants
to move the house to Odessa. For
30 days, Rushing said, he has
The water and sewer bonds also.
BURMA—Promotion of Orien N.
Justice, Jr., 21, son of Mr. and
Mrs. O. N. Justice of Kermit,
Texas, has been announced. He
has been advanced from second
to first lieutenant.
Lieutenant Justice is a pilot
with a troop carrier squadron of
the 10th Air Force, and has been
in the India-Burma theater for
six months. His squadron flies
troops into China from India, and
also flies supplies to ground
forces in the Burma jungles.
* * *
-----a-2==9s8
NEWS OF OUR
MENad WOMEN
IN UNIFORM
—umy
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Vermillion, Henry G. The Winkler County News (Kermit, Tex.), Vol. 8, No. 52, Ed. 1 Friday, March 9, 1945, newspaper, March 9, 1945; Kermit, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1457655/m1/1/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Winkler County Library.