The Ellaville Sun Friday, November 4 1938 No 18 SCHLEY SLANTS by Raymond Duncan ELEVENTH-HOUR EDITOR Back at the typewriter after the first week I have been compelled to transfer the job of getting out a paper to someone else, I want to say a few kind words for Foy Evans of Americus, who stepped in last Wednesday and gave a fine performance despite being called in at the 11th hour. Charles Wall, Jr., the man who sells the ads, carried on as usual. Many readers asked for an introduction to Foy. Well, he is a very young fellow who was graduated from Georgia Southwestern college, there in June. He was editor of the school's newspaper, The Sou'wester, for two years. Before he left the classroom, however, he became Americus correspondent for the Macon Telegraph and his splendid coverage of that city and much of its territory has earned him top-place ranking among that newspaper's staff of correspondents all over the state. He filled the groove so well up here that I think we will be calling him back in not a great while. TERROR---FROM RESTRAINED DREAD TO NEAR PANIC An astoundingly vivid radio adaptation of H.G. Wells' fantasy of men from Mars destroying the world with death rays terrorized the United States Sunday night, and the emotional disturbance was felt in Ellaville. Dialing the program after an explanatory announcement making clear the drama was fictitious, many people here reported experiencing uneasiness ranging from restrained dread to near panic. During the height of the terrifying fake news bulletins claiming enormous areas of the nation were being laid waste by death rays, Miss Carolyn Currie of the Ellaville consolidated school faculty placed a telephone call to her mother at Abbeville to say what she feared might be a farewell. The call was not cleared immediately and she cancelled it after learning the radiocasts were false. COMMENDATION FOR HIGH SCHOOL AUTHORITIES Authorities of Schley county high school deserve hearty commendation for their decision to reduce admission prices to all high school games at the gymnasium to 15 and 5 cents. When the beautiful gymnasium was erected a year ago, school officials stressed it was built solely for the wholesome amusement of the students and patrons of the school. While perhaps the majority of people would not be kept away from any games because slightly higher prices would be prohibitive, lower charges will allow many others to attend without inconvenience. This is especially true of members of large families. It is gratifying to know that while our school officials are cooperating to help produce more representative teams, they are steering clear of the rocks of commercialization. Small town basketball cannot be challenged as a worthwhile amusement for boys and girls and their friends--but when high schools adopt professional methods, they take the game away from the very people (for) whom it was established. MANY HAPPY RETURNS OF THE DAY Kindest birthday wishes to Munro Ellis and Mrs. C.W. Tondee, Oct. 31; Nancy Jane Chapman (just one candle) Nov. 1; Donald Franklin and Mrs. Edwin Chapman, Nov. 4; Mrs. L.S. Ellis, Nov. 4. EX-SCHOOL HEAD DIES W.E. Nichols, 67, Here Early in Century Funeral services were held at Boston, Ga., for William Elbert Nichols, 67, superintendent of the Ellaville school during the early part of the century, Tuesday. His death followed an illness of several months. A native of Cuthbert, Ga., Mr. Nichols was born December 21, 1870, son of the late J.W. and Louise Dawson Nichols. He became head of the school here in 1900 or thereabout, and married Miss Mabel Wiggins, of Ellaville in 1901. They resided here for the next several years. Later they moved to Boston where he taught and eventually became superintendent of Thomas county schools. He was serving his second four-year term at the time of his death. Surviving besides his widow are a son, William Edwin, and one daughter, Mary Belle. TRAIN WRECK VICTIM BURIED Funeral Held Here Tuesday for V.C. Autry, 47 Final tribute was paid Victor C. Autry, 47, former Schley county man who was killed Monday in a train-automobile collision near Cartersville, at funeral services conducted from Ellaville Methodist church Tuesday afternoon. Witnesses said Autry, foreman on a highway safety project near Cartersville, apparently became confused as he saw the crack Flamingo passenger train approaching and attempted to reverse his car as it stalled on the tracks. Dragged on the cow-catcher of the engine for several hundred feet, the car was hurled into a deep ravine before the engineer could stop the train. Trainmen said it was miraculous that the train was not wrecked as parts of the automobile were strewn along the right-of-way and beneath every car. Born and reared in Schley county, Autry married Miss Burna Greene of Schley county about 18 years ago. He had lived in Americus and other points in Georgia and Florida for the past several years. He united with County Line Methodist church during his youth. The Rev. W.S. Johnson officiated at the funeral and was assisted by the Rev. C.D. Carter and the Rev. J.A. Joyner of Americus. Pallbearers were Grady Wimbish of Ellaville, Ed Childers of Americus and four of his friends from Cartersville. Surviving besides his widow are one brother, Lt. Lee Autry of the Americus police department; his step-mother, Mrs. Mollie Autry of Ellaville and his maternal grandmother, Mrs. W.T. Weekly of Americus. CANE GRINDING TIME RETURNS TO SCHLEY Sweetening Bite Of First Frost Awaited By Majority South Georgia's traditionally colorful cane grinding season saw a dress rehearsal Thursday as impatient syrup makers hitched mules to treadmills on scattered farms in this section while the mass of producers awaited the sweetening bite of first frost. Anxious for the profits of early syrup sales, a handful of growers already are grinding but most farmers insist that frost must inaugurate the season--rural Georgia's gayest season. The harvest completed with the digging of taters and banknotes either paid or extended, farm folk count cane grinding time as a period of relaxation after a busy year. They invite their neighbors and friends from nearby towns to come out and drink the delicious cane juice fresh from the crusher and suggest that they bring along a jug and take some home. Nightfall emphasizes the social significance of the season, for old and young of the community often gather of evenings to enjoy cane grindings and syrup boilings and candy pulling and tater bakings. Bonfires ward off the chill of the crisp, late autumn nights and provide light for the festivities. Children romp in the huge, sticky piles of "pummings" (pulp of the cane after extraction of the juice), flip somersaults and play games. Men swap yarns and the women recipes and gossip. Back in the shadows, some of the young things roll calf eyes and whisper words the others can't hear. Oldsters, though, say the season is only the ghost of a glamorous heyday. Before the advance of modernity, cane grindin' time was to ruralities as the debutante season to the city bluebloods. Now, the old-timers complain, broadened interests have robbed the season of its most genuine social appeal. What happens between the low-land cane patches and the pitcher of golden Georgia cane syrup for breakfast waffles makes a fascinating story. Soon after the first frost, farmers cut the tall stalks from the small patches and strip them of fodder. They rush to grind for delay means draining the stalks of the precious water that helps make bright syrup. Mules still furnish the power for the little grinding mills on the typical south Georgia farm. A worker feeds the stalks into rollers which are turned as the mule paces the treadmill, pulling a long pole. Juice squirts into a washtub beneath the rollers and is strained through a clean sack when poured into 100-gallon kettles for making syrup. Soot-blackened stirrers watch the juice simmer and form a skim of about a half an inch in thickness, being careful not to let it boil. They lift the skim and allow it to boil--but it must not scorch. Fifty gallons is considered a heavy output for a day's work at the typical small mill. Overalls of workers soon are soaked and slick with spatterings of juice. The garments stiffen quickly and next morning the syrup-maker finds dressing as cumbersome as a knight putting on his armor, for most of them wear the plaster-like clothes through out the season. Alcoholic spirit mates with the natural gaiety during the season. Many farmers place the skimmings of the syrup boilings in a container and allow them to stand overnight, fermenting and making cane beer. Some thirst for something stronger and strain the solution and let it stand overnight again until they have a concoction of cheap whisky. end # 18