100 Years Ago
December 4, 1919
Rev. W.C. Brown has been confined to his room for a week with a case of the grippe [Editor’s note: another name for influenza]. He was unable to fill his appointments Sunday; but we are glad to state he is now improving.
February 12, 1920
• Miss Ollie Graham is sick with influenza at Queens College, Charlotte.
• We are sorry to chronicle the news of the sickness of Mr. M. S. McDiarmid who has grippe.
• We are in hopes influenza will not become epidemic in Raeford or in the county. People should be very cautious.
• Miss Virginia Benoy is sick with influenza.
• Messrs. Murdoch McLeod and Raymond Hall came home from Davidson College on account of the prevalence of influenza.
• Messrs. J.A. Hodgin and D. T. Skipper of Antioch were in town Monday. They told us no influenza is reported in that section.
• It is said the influenza is as bad in Raleigh as it was last winter. Like wild fire is how the flu is said to be spreading in Statesville this week.
• There are three thousand people sick with influenza in the city of Greensboro, and many of the sick have had poor, or rather, no attention, according to the Daily News.
• Mr. Hector McBryde has sickness in his family; he himself, his little daughter, Elizabeth, and Miss Hattie May Hasty, all have pneumonia and are quite sick we are sorry to learn.
• Rev. J.M. Clark, D.D. of Statesville, who assisted the pastor Rev. J.W. Goodman in a meeting last week at Antioch, preached strong and convincing sermons, which doubtless accomplished great and lasting good. 14 new members were received in the church upon profession of faith in Christ, and two by letter.
March 11, 1920
• Mr. A.K. Stevens and family are all about recovered from an attack of flu.
• Mr. Ralph Walker was on the way to see his father but did not reach his bedside in time to see him alive.
• The flu situation is better all over the country. It did not get into the rural districts so much this time.
• Mrs. J.W. McLauchlin is recovering from a severe attack of pleurisy, but very slowly we are sorry to learn.
• A number of people in Raeford deserve praise for their attention to the sick, but none excelled the preachers. Quite a number did all they could, and the past month life has been strenuous in Raeford.
• Louis Aaron Elkins died at his home on Haymount Saturday evening last of influenza-pneumonia. Mr. Elkins who was 58 year old was liked by everyone in the community and was rated high in his profession as architect and contractor.
March 25, 1920
The Journal is glad to report Mr. W.L. Bethune almost well. All his family has been sick but he himself was extremely low.
75 Years Ago
April 5, 1945
Pfc. J. Lonnie Teal Jr., 21, son of Mr. and Mrs. J.L. Teal of Raeford has been reported missing in action in Germany, according to a message received Monday by his mother from the War Department. His outfit was one of the first divisions to land on the Normandy coast and has been at the front almost constantly ever since.
There are two doughboys who are going to dig their foxholes in the wide open fields from now on.
During a recent drive Pfc. William L. Hinson of Raeford and Pfc. Car Gunn of Richmond, Virginia were pinned down by enemy artillery and sniper fire. The doughs dug in, and soon after, two American tanks moved up beside their two-man foxhole. And then the enemy really opened up. 88s dropped all around the doughboys. Mortar fire encircled their hole. The two infantrymen sweated out the barrage. When the barrage stopped, both of our tanks had been knocked out and the area around the hole completely covered with shell craters. The two doughboys didn’t have a scratch between them.
Hoke’s tire quota has been cut again. Only 55 passenger cars tires are available for rationing to Hoke motorists in April, compared to 115 in March. Eligible purchasers to whom certificates will be issued have been classified into preference groups, based on the importance and direct use of the car in the war effort.
The swimming hole on Rockfish Creek is given to the county. One and three-tenths acres of land, adjacent to the old site of McRae’s bridge, has been deeded to the county. It has long been a recreational spot during the summer months for the youth of Raeford and this section of the county. It was recently acquired by the Raeford Power and Manufacturing company from Starr McMillan, and was deeded to the county with the understanding that the spot would continue to be used as a recreation spot. Here the Rockfish moves deep and cool across a nicely sanded beach and provides an excellent swimming place throughout the summer season. The tract includes a pine grove which provides a fine shady area for picnicking groups.
Carl Riley was elected chairman of the Hoke County School Board Monday at the biennial organizational meeting. He succeeds A.W. Wood. Plans for the rebuilding of the plant for Upchurch high school, only high school in the county for Negroes, were discussed. No action was taken, as a number of new sites for the school have been proposed. Due to construction difficulties no definite action was taken on plans for the building which will have a pupil population of some 700 students. However, it is thought that classrooms will be constructed this year and that the plans will be so drawn that an auditorium can be added at a future date.
47 Years Ago
April 5, 1973
James E Lamont will not be reinstated as Raeford chief of police, City Manager John Gaddy said. “This decision is not based solely on the fact Lamont walked off the job last week but also on previous incidents and past performance,” Gaddy said.
As storms swirled across the south more than five inches of rain fell on Hoke County Saturday. The water table is high, and several roads flooded.
The Hoke Board of County Commissioners authorized the Hoke Library Board to investigate the possibility of using land in front of McLauchlin School as a site for a new library building. The cost of a building was estimated at $140,000 three years ago. The Library Board reported it has about $1,000 in its building fund.
Earl Oxendine, principal at South Hoke School, was named to the State Board of Education by Gov. Jim Holshouser. His appointment must be approved by the House and Senate.
25 Years Ago
April 5, 1995
Hoke County taxpayers may pay 10 cents more per hundred dollar valuation to pay for a new jail. The Hoke Board of Commissioners passed a resolution to borrow up to $5.5 million to finance the project.
Domestic violence in Hoke is described as an epidemic. Ten to 25 percent of all court cases stem from the problem, court officials say.