THE HOME NEWS
EDITED IN THE INTEREST OF McCRORY AND WOODRUFF COUNTY
VOLUME 1.
McCRORY, ARKANSAS, FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 1916
NUMBER 38
Service.
Little Rock, Ark., April 11—It
is during periods of real adver
sity the value of the large cor
poration to the community is
most plainly manifested, and
since the recent conflagration
which destroyed the greater por
tion of that city, the citizens of
Paris, Texas are most profuse in
their expressions of commenda
tion for the Southwestern Tele
graph & Telephone Company.
The work of this corporation dur
ing and immediately after the
fire demonstrates that the cor
poration has a soul, and a heart
of great magnitude. The story
of the accomplishments of the
workmen for the telephone com
pany, and the courage of the girls
who manipulated the switch
board, reads like a motion pic
ture scenario, and it is doubtful
if one so thrilling as actual hap
penings at this dreadful time,
was ever thrown upon the screen.
A cigarette stump thrown in
to a trash box started the fire
which on Marfch 12 destroyed
$7,000,000 worth of property and
made 10,000 residents of Paris
homeless. There had been no
rain for a month, and as a hur
ricane was blowing, the frame
residence section burned like tin
der. The telephone operators
stuck to their posts until the
building in which the exchange
is located was itself in flames,
and many of those who left had
close calls in reaching places of
safety. By remaining at their
switchboards, the operators were
enabled to summon relief from
Dallas and other cities, and to
keep the outside world informed
as to the progress of the flames,
as well as keep in touch with
the water station.
Within an hour after the tele
phone exchange had been con
sumed, three operators, who had
already been on duty for many
hours, sat on a curb and waited
until wires were dragged from
the burned district, a pole was
erected, and two old style tele
phone boxes placed on the post.
The girls were soon in communi
cation with Honey Grove, and
thence with other cities. A tar
paulin was spread over the tele
phones, and under this the three
girls worked. They supplied the
Papers of the cities with accounts
o the fire, and within an hour a
arge crowd had collected, all
anxious to communicate with
relatives elsewhere, to let them
now the suffering in Paris,
e ephone tickets were made
rom scratch paper, and those
| who had no money were allowed
to talk as freely as those who
could pay for it.
The girls in charge of this
| emergency station gave the in
! formation which hastened sup
plies to Paris, and so explicit
! were they that the proper things
| were brought on the first trains,
j and much suffering thus prevent
i ed. Persons called from outside
were “paged’’ in the crowd, and
later sandwich men were em
ployed who walked through the
streets carrying black boards
on which were written the names
of the persons wanted, with the
request that those who read
notify them when they were seen.
A small switchboard was
uruu&nt uvermnu irom a nearDy
town, and by morning all the bu
siness offered was cared for. A
building was secured and efforts
to establish local service in the
small part of town remaining
was attempted.
One example of the attention
given to sufferers is that of an
aged woman who lost every
thing she had in the fire, and
appearing at the temporary of
fice, accompanied by her daugh
ter, both wearing borrowed gar
ments, asked to talk with anoth
er daughter in Houston. She
had no papers and could not give
the address of the daughter.
Messengers were sent out in
Houston, calling at every house
until the daughter was found.
Knowing that before Paris
could begin to rise from its pros
tration, local service would be
neccessary, two cars containing
new switchboards, were shipped
by express and arrived within
two days after the fire. Eight
days later this equipment, suf
ficient to serve 1,300 lines, was
in working order. In this time
220 poles had been set, 2,300 ad
ditional feet of underground con
duit laid, and 20,000 feet of cable
strung. This gives Paris suf
ficient telephone equipment for
the next two years, even though
it is being rapidly rebuilt with
the $5,000,000 insurance money
that is now being paid to the
losers.
Elmo C. Marsh, the popular
proprietor of the Smoke House,
was a Memphis visitor Sunday
and Monday.
Among the teachers who at
tended the Little Rock meeting
last week we note: Misses Mat
tie Wells, Ruth Best, Ethel John
son and Dove Crossett and
Messrs. T. W. Woodbury and C.
T. Willis, of McCrory, and E. W.
Chaney of Tip. __
Woodruff Honored.
Brig. Gen. John H. Dye of
Searcy has named the following
from Woodruff County on the
sponsorial staff for the U. C. V.
reunion:
Mrs. Laura Conner, Augusta,
matron of honor.
Miss Ara Pat Conner, Augusta,
maid of honor.
Miss Ruth Vinson, Augusta,
maid of honor.
Col. Ed Roddy, of Augusta,
brigadier herald, a veritable bu
reau of information and a gal
lant and dependable gentleman,
will at all times be at the ser
vice of the ladies.
Little Rock, April 11—When
an operator from the exchange of
the telephone office at Fayette
ville last summer placed a swing
on an adjoining roof, in an ef
fort to escape the heat planted
in a box, with an awning over
head, they started something.
They started a movement over
the entire system of the South
western Telegraph Co., for beau
tifying the grounds about the
exchanges, and many now pre
sent some of the most attractive
centers in the cities where locat
ed. The civic pride thus engen
dered is being fostered by the
officials of the company.
BOOTLEGGER GIVEN
9-YEAR SENTENCE
Judge Driver Says He Intends to
Make Liquor Selling Unpopular
Blytheville, April 12.—Nine
years in the penitentiary was the
sentence imposed upon Frank
Maymon after he pleaded guilty
to three charges of illegally sell
ing liquor in Circuit Court here
today. Judge Driver sentenced
him to three years on each charge.
Maymon was indicted on five
charges. After evidence had
been snbmitted in one of the
charges, he asked permission to
withdraw his plea of not guilty
and to plead guilty to three of
the charges.
In sentencing Maymon, Judge
Driver denounced him severely
and declared that he intends to
make bootlegging an unpopular
occupation in his district if such
a thing is possible.—Arkansas
Gazette.
C. Crotzer, our progressive
poolroom proprietor, spent Sun
day afternoon in Memphis.
Married: Mr. Grant Yarbrough
and Miss Janie Ash, Sunday af
ternoon at four o’clock, at the
home of the bride’s parents, Mr.
and Mrs. G. W. Ash, Esq. A. J.
Stapp officiating.
THE UNIVERSAL CAR
You must not judge the Ford car by its first
cost. That is low, because the best manufac
turing methods and the great volume ot pro
duction reduce the cost of making and selling.
Better materials, bought at lower prices,
make the Ford a better car for less money.
Order yours totay! Runabout $390; Touring
Car $440; Coupelet $590; Town Car $640; Sedan
$740. All prices f. o. b. Detroit. On sale at
RIGGS BROS.
McCrory, - - Ark.