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VENIN vT
By Quimby Melton
“Standing for the Faith” is the
subject of this week’s Interna
tional Sunday School lesson. The
background Scripture is Acts 4:
1-22.
The Memory Selection is “We
cannot but speak the things whi
ch we have seen and heard.”
(Acts 4:20.)
This lesson tells of an incident
that followed the day after Pe
ter and John had healed at the
gate of the temple the man lame
from his birth. You will remem
ber Peter told the multitude whi
ch witnessed the great miracle
that it was done through faith in
Jesus Christ. Many of the crowd
believed and welcomed the as
surance of Peter, but the offic
ials objected, so Peter and John
were arrested and “placed in
the hole” till next morning, when
they were brought before the
authorities for what might be
called today a “cease and de
sist” hearing. No formal char
ges were made against them,
just as today one may be arres
ted and held for a limited t i me
without any specific charges.
— * —
The lesson begins by saying
"On the morrow, the rulers, and
elders, and scribes, and Annas
the high priest, and Caiaphas,
and .... as many as w'ere of
the kindred of the high priest,
were gathered together in Jeru
salem,” they sent for Peter and
John and questioned them. The
high priest opened this hearing
by asking them “By what po
wer (authority) have you done j
this?”
That was all that Peter need- I
cd to “witness” again as to the
power of faith in Jesus Christ.
The healing of the lame man
by the disciples brought fear to
the hearts of the "powers that
be”, for they had reached the
conclusion following the crucifix
ion of Jesus Christ they had
broken the backbone of the
"new way”. They were smugly
complacent, but here came this
miraculous healing which had
been witnessed by great crowds
of people.
They simply had to stamp out
any idea that Jesus was the
Messiah and they thought they
could once and for all put a stop
to the witnessing of the discip
les. For, as our lesson tells us,
they "perceived that they —Pe
ter and John — were unlear
ned and ignorant men.” They
considered themselves to be the
wisest of all and because of their
prominence in the government
setup the people would listen to
them and not the disciples.
But they missed the mark. Ne
ither Peter nor John were “lear
ned” by their standards; but
both the disciples were “learn
ed” enough to recognize the
Truth, when they met it; and:
they knew, from their personal
experience Jesus Christ was in
fact the Son of God and the long
awaited Messiah.
All the “learning” in the world
cannot discount TRUTH. Also,
not only did the disciples know
the truth, but Peter, “filled with
the Holy Spirit” boldly expound- ■
ed his belief in Jesus Christ, as !
Savior of the World, doing so in
such a forceful manner, tha t
even though the authorities scof
fed, many who were present be
lieved; and the early Christian
Church stood another test.
It’s interesting to recall that
this was the same Peter, who
during the mock trial of Jesus,
denied even knowing Him; but
who following the crucifixion and
the resurrection of Jesus, be
came the outstanding advocate
of the Truth. The authorities
thought they could scare Peter,
but no; he stood boldly and
preached. They had thought
they could get him, through
fear, to recant his belief.
There Is an expression one fre
quently -Jaears: It is "Stand
up and be counted.” There is
another one “It’s time to show
your colors” and years before
Peter “stood up” that day and
“showed his colors” old Joshua
asked the Children of Israel “On
whose side do you stand?”
The rulers of Israel did their
best to “brain wash” Peter that
day. The Bible does not tell us
but it is more than likely t h ey
tried to buy Peter off by promis
ing him rewards if he would re
cant and deny Jesus Christ.
But not Peter. Once, to his
everlasting regret, he had den
ied his Master —but not this
time and from then on out .he
was a forceful witness for Je
sus Christ.
"On whose side are we?” might
be a good question for each of
us to ask —not the other fellow
—but ourselves.
Mercury Falls To 43
The mercury dropped to a low of 43 degrees in
Griffin this morning, the lowest it has been in some
time.
Several areas in the state reported record lows for
this date.
The cold followed several days of rain earlier this
week.
The rain was badly needed. It broke an extended
drought that had gripped the area for some 20 days.
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(Special UPI Photo for Griffin Daily News)
Jackie Martin, William Clontz, Joseph Anthony, Robert Smith and Douglas Clontz as they were taken back
to jail m El Paso, Tex., Thursday afternoon after being arraigned.
Coppolino
Found Guilty
By 11. D. QUIGG
NAPLES, Fla. (UPI) —Dr.
Carl Coppolino today was
convicted of second degree
murder and sentenced to life
imprisonment for the killing of
his first wife with an Injection
of a paralyzing drug.
The suave, retired anesthesio
logist-acquitted of another
murder charge less than five
months ago—was found guilty
of murdering his wife, Carmela,
by an all-male jury which felt
the crime was committed:
without premeditation.
Coppolino, his face drawn and
his eyes downward in dejection, I
was taken into custody after j
Circuit Court Judge Lynn N.
Silvertooth sentenced him to
Raiford, Fla., prison “for a
period of the remainder of your
life.”
F. Lee. Bailey, the famed
lawyer who defended Coppolino
in the earlier murder trial, said
he would appeal the case
because "we’ve got every
reason to believe this verdict
cannot stand.”
Sheriff E. A. Hendry, who
took the doctor in custody, said
Coppolino would be fingerprint
ed and photographed today and
“in a day or two” would begin
serving his sentence at Raiford,
more than 300 miles away.
The jury, which deliberated
more than three hours Thurs
day and retired for the night,
returned its verdict at 9:26 a.m.
EST following its sixth ballot.
The foreman, Harry L. Miller,
said “We did not have a
unanimous vote on guilt when
we were locked up last night.”
In setting sentence, Silver
tooth imposed the maximum for
a second degree murder convic
tion. The minimum is imprison
ment for 20 years.
Silvertooth told the jury in his
charge Thursday that premedi
tation meant there must have
been sufficient time for the
criminal to “form a distinct and
conscious intent to kill.”
The prosecution contended
that Coppolino killed Carmela
on Aug. 28, 1965, with an
injection of a drug used by
anesthesiologists. The alleged
I motive was greed for Carmela’s
$65,000 in life insurance and a
desire to marry the wealthy
widow, Mary Gibson, whom he
took as his bride 40 days later
Asked afterward why he had
given the maximum sentence,
Silvertooth said, “based on the
jury verdict and what I heard, I
thought that was the proper
sentence.”
■ Coppolino’s second wife, in an
anteroom following the sentenc
ing, said “It doesn’t make any
sense. How could anybody
poison anybody without thinking
about it first? Isn’t thinking
daily #news
Daily Since 1872
about it first premeditation?”
Silvertooth gave the defense
15 days in which to file an
appeal. Bailey’s defense as
sistan, James McEwen, said he
found the verdict "completely
inconsistent with anything I
heard. Second degree murder
just does not exist in the
makeup of this trial.”
Second Trial
Florida statutes say, “When
perpetrated by any act immedi
ately dangerous to another and
evincing a depraved mind,
regardless of human life,
although without premeditated
design, to effect the death of
any particular individual it shall
be murder in the second degree
In the doctor’s first trial last
Dec. 15 at Freehold, N. J., he
was acquitted of a charge of
murdering retired Lt. Col.
William E. Farber, the husband
of Coppolino’s one-time "love
slave,” Marjorie Farber.
That jury had the direct
testimony of the colonel’s
widow, but it did not believe the
woman.
Line Forms For Tag Purchases
Across the hall and around the
lobby in a circle stood Griffini
tes at the Spalding County Court
house this morning as they
waited to pay their 1967 automo
bile taxes and purchase tags.
The deadline is Monday.
Spalding County Tax Commis
sioner Mrs. Ruby Hill and her
staff expected the onslaught.
Personnel in the tag depart
ment process the application as
fast as possible, but it takes
more time this year with the
taxes being paid at the same
time tags are bought.
Those who do not pay their tax
es and purchase a tag before
Monday faced penalties. A 10
percent penalty will be added to
the taxes, 20 percent to the tag
and $1 late fee.
Mrs. Hill urged those people
who have waited till now to pur
chase tags to make sure they
have paid their 1966 and other
deliquent taxes. All deliquent
taxes must be paid before a tag
can be issued.
She said those who are apply
ing for a tag should have their
1966 tag receipt and their 1966
tax receipt to speed the process.
This is the second time Mrs.
Hill’s office has prepared for
the last minute rush. It was pre
pared for the rush at the end of
March when the time was ex
tended for one month by Gover
nor Lester Maddox.
Several hundred people were
GRIFFIN
Griffin, Ga., 30223, Friday, April 28, 1967
Spalding A waits Word From
Texas On Next Move Os Five
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Dr. Carl Coppolino offers a pleading jesture as he
entered courthouse before verdict was announced.
Mrs. Farber, who moved to |
Sarasota following her hus- ‘
band’s death in 1963, said when 1
told of today’s verdict that “it ’
is very difficult to put my i
feelings into words. 1
"I’ve got one little statement I •
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(Griffin Daily News Staff Photo)
Mrs. Joan Young, Mrs. Cleo Street and Mrs. Judy Hines (1-r) pass out tags to last
minute crowd.
in the lines this morning. Lines
are expected to form at the win-■
prepared and here it is:
‘Although I have sympathy for
the parents and children of Dr.
Carl Coppolino, please keep in
mind my husband is dead and
my children have no father . .
dows Saturday and Monday.
1 The office will be open Satur-|
Vol. 95 No. 99
Sheriff In
Clinton To
Check Auto
The eyes of Griffin were upon
Texas today as word was await
ed here on the next legal move
in the case of a church robbery
which has drawn national atten
tion.
Five Griffin youths who were
captured in Texas at a roadblock
were arraigned Thursday in El
Paso on federal charges of un
lawful flight to avoid prosecu
tion.
They are charged with the
robbery of the Pleasant Grove
Methodist Church in Spalding
County and the alleged rape of
two Negro girls taken from the
congregation as hostages.
U. S. Commissioner Fred
Morton appointed attorneys to
advise the five on extradition
procedures. Bond was set at
SIO,OOO each at the federal ar
raignment.
The five are identified as Jos
eph Floyd Anthony, 18, Robert
Lmdsey Smith, 20, Winifred
Johnny Parham, 19, William La
mar Clontz, 18, and Jackie Way
ne Martin, 17. All but Anthony
live in Griffin. He previously liv
ed here but had moved to LaGr
ange, 111.
Clontz’s brother, Douglas, of
Hodgkins, 111., was arraigned
on a charge of harboring and
concealing fugitives and inter
state transportation of a stolen
vehicle.
He and Travis Ray James
were reported to have joined the
five Griffinites in Chicago in
their flight from a nationwide
search.
Sheriff Dwayne Gilbert who
i has headed the investigation of
the case was expected back in
Griffin late this afternoon. He
Hew to Clinton, Okla., Thursday
in a private plane to check over
an auto the seven abandoned
there.
GBI Agent Billy Darsey of Gr
iffin who has been working with
Gilbert in the investigation ac
companied the sheriff. They flew
in a private airplane owned and
piloted by Jim McCormick, con
tractor here.
The seven youths reportedly
■ abandoned the auto, owned by
: Parham, at Clinton when police
chased them. They were at
tempting to break into a soft
drink machine at a filling sta
tion when police saw them. The
seven ran down an alley and
jumped into an automobile that
had been parked with its motor
running.
They were in the stolen vehi
cle when authorities arrested
them in Texas Wednesday af
ternoon
i day from 9 a.m. to noon and
I Monday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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Floyd C. Newton, Jr.
Floyd Newton
Elected GTMA
Treasurer
Floyd C. Newton, Jr., vice pre
sident and treasurer of Dundee
Mills, Inc., today was named
treasurer of the Georgia Tex
tile Manufacturers Association,
Inc. His election came at the
concluding business session of
the Association’s 67th Annua)
Convention which convened
Wednesday in Hollywood Beach,
Fla.
Two other Griffin area textile
executives were named to the
board of directors. They are Ja
mes T. Doughtie, general man
ager, Crompton-Highland Mills,
Inc., and John T. Newton, vice
president and general manager,
Dundee Mills, Inc.
The new president of the asso
ciation is Lewis Price, Sr., vice
president of Callaway Mills
Company, LaGrange, and Geor
ge W. Felker 111, president and
treasurer of Walton Mill, Inc.,
Monroe is the new vice presi
dent. Frank L. Carter of Atlan
ta was reelected executive vice
president and secretary.
Also elected to the board of
directors were: Preston H. Da
vid, general manager, Riegel
Textile Corp., Trion; R. T. Da
vis, Jr., president, Swift Spin
ning Mills, Inc., Columbus; J.D
Ramsbottom, Jr., manufactur
ing director, Pacolet Industries,
Inc., New Holland; George D.
Ray, Jr., president, Southern
Mills, Inc., Atlanta; R. C. That
cher, Jr., president, Standard-
Coosa-Thatcher Co., Chattanoo
ga; Dan Winterbottom, asst, se
cretary, J. P. Stevens & Co.,
Inc., Milledgeville.
Talmadge Wants
Textile Review
HOLLYWOOD. Fla. (UPI) —
Sen. Herman Talmadge, D-Ga.,
today called for a “total and
complete reevaluation” of U.S.
policy on textile imports to
avoid the ’’total disruption” of
the domestic textile industry.
Talmadge told the annual con
vention of the Georgia Textile
Manufacturers Association here
a reevaluation is vital “to bring
some semblence of order to our
current trade situation.”
“Our government cannot long
continue to look the other way
or sit on its hands, without risk
ing the total disruption of the
American textile or apparel in
dustry,” he said. “The need
for action is clear. And we
must go all the way. Piecemeal
or half solutions are not
enough.”
Talmadge said he is co-spon
soring a bill in the Senate to
require Secretary of Commerce
John Gardner to determine
whether textile imports were
damaging the domestic industry
and, upon such a finding, to in
struct the President to restrict
imports.
The senator said “imports are
now taking more than 10 per
cent” of the domestic market,
as compared to less than five
per cent in 1961.
“These are more than just
cold statistics,” Talmadge said.
Westmoreland
Says Support
Needed To Win
By WILLIAM THEIS
United Press International
WASHINGTON (UPI) — Gen.
William C. Westmoreland told
Congress and the American
people today that their strong
support of fighting men in
Vietnam was vital to winning a
hard war.
The Vietnam troop comman
der, in an appearance at a joint
meeting of the House and
Senate, said the Communists
are “far from quitting.” But
unrelenting military political
and psychological pressure
could bring victory, he said
The four-star general ap
pealed for resolute support on
the home front. The Commu
nists believe “our Achilles heel
is in our resolve,” he said.
In an unprecedented appea
rance before Congress by a
military commander while the
campaign was still going on,
Westmoreland told the lawma
kers :
Stresses Support
“When a field commander
does not have to look over his
shoulder to see whether he is
being supported, he can concen
trate ■ on the battlefield with
much greater assurance of
success. I speak for my troops,
when I say—-we are thankful for
(past) unprecedented material
support . . .
“Your continued strong sup
port is vital to the success of
our mission.”
Westmoreland declared at the
windup of his speech: “Backed
at home by resolve, confidence,
patience, determination and
continued support, we will
prevail in Vietnam over Com
munist aggression.”
Shortly before going to
Capitol Hill, Westmoreland
made some relatively minor
changes in the text of his
speech issued Thursday night.
The revisions, however, did not
change the main thrust of the
address—stressing a call for
unified home support of Gl’s in
combat.
Weather:
FORECAST FOR GRIFFIJI
AREA — Scattered frost in low
areas tonight. Fair and quite
cool tonight and Saturday with
slow warming trend.
LOCAL WEATHER — High
today 70, low today 43, high
Thursday 63, low Thursday 53,
sunrise Saturday 5:57, sunset
Saturday 7:19.
“They represent the livelihood
of entire communities in Geor
gia and throughout the nation.”
He called for immediate steps
1 “to roll back the extremely high
level of imports” in 1966 and
for the U. S. government to ex
amine nations importing “to be
sure ... (they) contribute most
substantially to our internation
al economic development pol
icy.”
Country Parson
9
Sis
“Some folks go to church
simply because they always
have — and if there’s no
better reason, they ought to
stay at home.”