Editorial from an area paper

Things must have been rough back there in the ’40s, to warrant a cry for Cliffside to have its own jail. Sam Davis submitted this item with the observation, “By this, you would think Cliffside was full of drunks on Saturday night.” They never built the jail; somehow we survived without it.

“ For the convenience of law enforcement officers and for the better performance of duty, Rutherford County or the textile plants of High Shoals township, should build a small jail or incarceration point somewhere in the neighborhood of Caroleen or Cliffside. Every arrest made by deputies and other officers in that area necessitates a trip to the county jail at Rutherfordton.

“It is not an infrequent sight to see Deputies Henry Davis and Harvey Moore making as many as six or eight trips from Cliffside and Caroleen each Saturday night to the Rutherford county jail. Aside from wear and tear on the car and consumption of gas, a round trip necessitates forty-five minutes to an hour, during which time the area is left without protection.

“A small lock-up, accommodating five or six prisoners, would save its cost of construction in gas, wear and tear on autos within a few years, and in addition it would make for better and more efficient law enforcement in High Shoals township, with the officers present at all times.”