Asheville Citizen-Times from Asheville, North Carolina • Page 13

Our Mountains THE ASHEVILLE CITIZEN Thursday, Oct, 13. 1983 Section Two, Page 13 Local News State News TVRadio In Arms Over YMI Delay Of Action On Funding Drive Stirs Resentment Gable UNCA Focuses On Cultural Center Asheville's YMI Cultural Center will be the topic of Cable UNC-A, the weekly public affairs telecast from the University of North Carolina at Asheville. The program airs at 9 p.m. Friday on Asheville Cablevtsion's channel 9. The show's guests will be Sophia Dixon, a local civic leader and YMI board member, and the Rev.

Robert Wilshire, director of the YMI Cultural Center. By JOHN CAMPBELL JR. Staff Writer A scattering of resentment has surfaced in the wake of Asheville City Council's failure to act Tuesday on a resolution of support for a local fund-raising effort. Directors of the Young Men's Institute Cultural Center are in the final days of raising money to secure a no-interest federal loan, and a resolution encouraging citizen support for that drive was presented at the weekly City Council meeting. But the council, at the urging of Councilman Wilhelmina Bratton, postponed action on the resolution for at least one week.

Bratton said she was "absolutely in support of the YMI and everything they're doing," but that the resolution would be lost in the shadow of an ongoing city-county United Way campaign. "They're needing private firms and individuals to come forth and bring that money in, and I think that it's going to take more than just a resolution to do that," Bratton said Tuesday. "But as I say, right now I'm involved in the United Way campaign, and many others are throughout this community, and I don't think the timing's right to start another campaign, a fund-raising campaign." Bratton said a more effective City Council move would be to wait and see if a full week could be designated for the YMI fund-raising heard the news," he said. "I have since been given some information that I accept at face value." Bratton, meanwhile, said she was the victim of dirty politics with the City Council election less than one month away. She said she did not know who would be behind an anti-Bratton effort and declined to speculate.

"Somebody is trying to play politics and make an issue out of it (the resolution)," she said. "I feel like it's coming from outside the (YMI) staff, I feel like it's coming from outside the board (of directors). "As far as my being involved in a power struggle over the YMI, in my opinion there is no power there for anyone to struggle over," she said. "It's a non-profit organization, a community and cultural center." Wiltshire, the center's chief fund-raiser, said that a more important issue was the organization's effort to find $28,000 by Oct 31. Although the UDAG loan is for $50,000, the ratio of its match is more than 7 to 1, leaving the center to raise roughly $372,000 in private money to receive the $50,000.

Contingency plans are under way to secure a loan from an area bank, according to Wiltshire, should the fund-raising drive fall short. The UDAG loan would be applied to the group's overall goal of $750,000 for restoration of the old and historic YMI building on Eagle Street. of a hidden motive. One early critic was the Rev. Robert A.

Wiltshire, the YMI Center's director of development. "Wilhelmina has been sort of back-handedly working against us for some time now," Wiltshire said early Wednesday afternoon, when informed of City Council's failure to act on the resolution. "I don't know why. I don't know the whys and wherefores about it." Wiltshire, who had requested the resolution's presentation to City Council, later blamed a "breakdown in communications" for the trouble. "There've been a lot of words flying around this afternoon," Wiltshire said Wednesday night.

He said he had spoken with Bratton by telephone since his earlier statement and "I think there were a number of misunderstandings that were clarified in that phone call" Asked if there was a battle for control of the YMI Cultural Center, Wiltshire said, "not that I'm aware of." He attributed any clashes to the organization's "growing pains" and to the "awkwardness" of a white man (Wiltshire) working with what is basically a black community project. Wiltshire was reminded of his earlier comments about Bratton, the council's only black member, and her relationship with the YMI center. "I was very disappointed when I first Officials of the YMI Center are in need of $28,000 in private donations by Oct. 31, the deadline to produce matching funds for a $50,000 Urban Development Action Grant loan. Bratton asked Tuesday if a deadline extension could be arranged with federal officials but was told that city staffers had not received a "definitive answer" to that proposal.

The answer, which was no, came Wednesday. Bratton was the target of criticism Wednesday as word of Tuesday's non-action spread. The criticism included several angry phone calls to Bratton, she said, accusing her Probation Officer Arrested Graham County Railroad Spur: Is End Near? By G. DALE NEAL Staff Writer The chief U.S. probation officer for the Western District of North Carolina was arrested Monday in Catawba County and charged with driving while impaired, speeding and assaulting a law officer, the State High way patrol reported.

i Bob Terrell, The Mysterious Missing Loaves Some of the great criminal mysteries of the past have nothing to do with murder' or espionage or grand larceny, Hugh Howell believes. Hugh had his own little mystery years ago that ranked right up there with the leaders. At least it did with him; it almost drove him nuts. In true Perry Mason fashion, his was "The Case of the Stolen Bread" that required two years of constant gumshoe work to solve and then the case was broken only by chance, and many, many miles away. In the late 1930s and early 1940s Hugh was sales manager for the Asheville Baking Company, or, as most old-timers will remember it, Buttercrust Bakery.

Roger Grant Sr. owned the company, which served Western North Carolina. Each morning the Butter-crust trucks fanned out of Asheville carrying bread and cakes baked during the night Uncle John Alexander drove one of the distribution trucks to Sylva, an open-bed truck on which the bakery goods were covered with a tied-down tarpaulin. At Sylva, the goods were loaded into two other trucks in which Allen Ginn and Archie Crawford worked "bread routes," delivering the goodies to stores In the western end of the state. The truck to Sylva was carefully loaded, the loaves and cakes accurately counted and when the truck got to Sylva, the count always came up short.

Hugh was mystified. Somewhere between Asheville and Sylva, bread and cakes disappeared. Uncle John swore that he never stopped the truck until he got to Sylva. Hugh knew that God never breathed breath Into a more honest man than John Alexander, so he looked elsewhere for a culprit. Allen Ginn and Archie Crawford were trustworthy men, not the type to knock down on anyone.

So where were the cakes and loaves going? Everyone concerned began to watch closer, and the things continued to disappear. This went on for more than two years, from 1940 to 1942. Hugh Howell was determined to solve the mystery. He began getting up at 3:30 a.m., driving to the bakery, supervising tbe loading of the truck himself. He counted each loaf of bread, opened each box of cakes to be sure It carried the right count When the truck left Asheville, he knew to the last crumb how much it carried.

But when the truck reached Sylva, the count was always short! "I was at wit's end," Hugh said. One night it occurred to Hugh that there was one other thing he could do. Next morning when he ished counting the load, he jumped in his car, sped to Sylva, and was waiting when Uncle John pulled In. As the goodies were unloaded, he counted everything again, and the count came up short To him, the case became even more baffling. Hugh reached the point that he didnl know who to suspect, and finally resolved not to believe or trust anyone until the mystery was solved.

The solution came quite by chance, and far away. Peter Grant, son of the owner of Buttercrust Bakery, went Into military service for World War II and was sent to Oklahoma for training. One evening he met a young man who recognized his Tar Heel accent. "You're from North Carolina, aren't you?" the young man asked. "Yes," said Peter, "I'm from Asheville." "I'm from Canton." They struck up a conversation and talked for a couple of hours.

Their talk drifted around to funny 3 Sfe wayne tt. Carson, 41, of Bryson City was arrested when Trooper C.T. Watson stopped a 1982 Datsun 280ZX on Interstate 40 westbound at the Sweetwater overpass near Hickory about 8:30 p.m. Mon Corp. reopened the railway July 12, 1982, with grants and assistance from the Economic Development Administration, the Federal Railway Administration, the state Department of Transportation and tbe Farmers Home Administration.

The railroad reeled from setbacks before it reopened. The diesel engine was hauled from Etowah, Tenn, to Murphy with its brakes on and flat spots were worn on all the wheels. Practically all tbe roadbed had to be rebuilt, as did all the small trestles across streams. Some new ties and gravel were added to the twisting line. A little more than $2 million has been spent on the project Doyle Brock, Hammermill plant manager, said Wednesday that the railroad is a "vital link for shipment of wood, wood products and pulp-wood" for his plant "The railroad was used to bring the sawmill in here in 1927.

What worries me is that when we lose the railroad, we lose a vital part of Graham County. We're losing transportation and Itll hurt our efforts to attract industry here," Brock said. Not everybody in RobbmsvUle shares Brock's feelings. There are some who say the railroad should be allowed to die a quiet death because it has served its usefulness. By BOB SCOTT Western Burean ROBBINSVILLE The 12.5-mile Graham County Railroad, built in 1925 and revived a little more than a year ago after almost a decade of Idleness, may di this month because of a lack of freight The spur line has served Rob-binsville's two main Industries Hammermill Hardwoods and Burlington's furniture plant Hammermill still uses the line, but Burlington stopped shipping on it and is trucking goods to tbe Southern Railway siding atTopton.

Burlington spokesman Dave French said tbe decision to stop using the railroad was made in May. "The condition of business, plus reduced customer demands for rail shipment plus the availability of our own freight-hauling services made it more cost effective (to change haulers)," French said of Burlington's operation. "We will continue our financial support to the railroad. We will pay $11,710 for three more years to the development corporation" to honor Burlington's financial commitment to the railroad, French said. A flood shut down the privately owned line in 1975, and Burlington requested It be reopened.

Graham County Development Stod rxolot by Seen CARSON day. Watson said he clocked the car ON A SIDING This 110-ton diesel engine may soon make its last run if the Graham County Railroad folds this month. The engine hauls wood products from Robbinsville to the Southern Railway siding at Topton, 12.5 miles away. I traveling at 73 mph. The trooper said he could not comment on the assault charge until the trial, which was docketed for Nov.

1 in Catawba County District Court in Newton. Watson said he was treated at Catawba Memorial Hospital and released. Carson was given a breathalyzer test and registered .12 percent blood alcohol content according to SHP Sgt G.F. Conrad. A reading of .10 is considered legally intoxicated.

Under the new driving while impaired law, Carson's driver's license was revoked for 10 days by a Catawba County magistrate. U.S. District Judge Woodrow W. Jones, who appointed Carson to the post in July, said he first learned of the incident Wednesday. Jones asked the clerk's office in Catawba to send him copies of the warrants before he takes any action.

Jones said he may temporarily relieve Carson until the trial "He is entitled to a fair and impartial trial and I wouldn't want to take any final action until'then," the judge said. Reached at his Bryson City home, Carson declined to comment on his arrest. He said he will be on leave from his office until his trial date. Fletcher Woman Slain from a blow to the head with a blunt object Deputies also found her husband, Henry Ingle, 68, semiconscious in the house. Ingle was admitted to Fletcher Hospital, suffering from an apparent drug overdose.

He was listed in stable condition in the Intensive care unit late Wednesday, a hospital spokesman said. Jackson said the investigation is continuing. A Fletcher woman was killed with a blunt instrument in her residence early Wednesday, the Henderson County Sheriff's Department reported. Elizabeth P. Ingle, 84, of St John's Road was found dead in her home by sheriffs deputies at 12:45 a.m., according to Sheriff Albert Jackson.

A preliminary examination by medical examiner Lee M. Sigmon showed Mrs. Ingle apparently died i I RAIL BOUND Hammermill employee Wayne Carver (left) and and plant manager Doyle Brock bundle oak planks destined to become flooring for shipment. Much of HammermiU's wood products are shipped on rail cars such as the one behind the two men. Yancey County Country Store For Sale At Saturday Auction things they had done back home, and the man from Canton said, "Some of ii kin i- tk.

Ol IIIIS''. ivJUJl in II I "ifi'a umm "jaxm vmm early hours of the morning and wait for a bread truck from Asheville. When the truck hit that hill, the driver had to gear it down to a crawl, and one of us would swing aboard, loosen the tarp, and pitch bread and cakes to our buddies. Then the one on the truck would tie the tarp back and get off before the truck topped the hill." He howled with laughter. "Ill bet they never did find out who was doing It." "No," Peter said, "they never did not until now.

My father owned -that bakery." In 1968, Capt. George Downing restored the house and turned it into Yancey County Country Store. Downing and his wife filled the building with curiosities, from rare English marmalade to antiques to iron wrought by Daniel Boone VII to cheeses and freshly ground peanut butter to handmade quilts and apple-head dolls to real penny candy. People came from miles away just to see the odd collection. The present owner, Fran Chandler, bought the store in 1980 with her late husband, Ted, and put a kitchen in back Their daughter, restaurant manager Lynn McRary, said her mother is selling the store to begin another business.

"We're thinking about starting a mailorder catalog that'll feature items found in the store. There are so many nice crafts that are made here that people would like to have," Mrs. McRary said. By GLORIA HIGGINS Citizen Correspondent BURNSVIIXE Yancey County Country Store, a landmark on the square downtown for several decades, will be sold to the highest bidder Saturday at 10 a.m. The building's contents also will be auctioned on the premises.

According to local historians, the building now housing an ice cream parlor and craft and gift shop was constructed around the turn of the century as a house for John Evans, who owned a store nearby. The building was turned into a boarding house by a subsequent owner, Bob Burton, a few years later. A family named Byrd bought It in the 1920s and continued taking boarders. In the 1930s, the boarding house became a hotel run by Mack and Liddle Baker, who also served three meals a day. Sometime between then and the 1980s, the house became vacant and fell into disrepair.

The mystery was solved. The rest of those Canton boys went into the military, the bakery goods stopped disappearing, and Hugh HoweU breathed his first Ugh of relief in more than two years. Owners Preparing To Sell Longtime Yancey County Landmark.