Newspaper Page Text
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VENIN VF
By Quimby Melton
Christmas Day 1967 has come
•nd gone.
The Christmas decorations, the
Christmas trees, the Nativity sc
enes will soon be taken down
and many of them stored away
for Christmas 1968.
But the true Christmas spir
it can, and will in many hearts,
prevail all through the days un
til Christmas 1968. That is as it
should be. For unless one receiv
ed the Blessings of Christmas,
revitalized hope and faith in The
Savior, and will keep it alive in
their hearts and minds every day
of the year, then Christmas was
Just another holiday from work,
nothing more.
Good Evening hopes that to
the hearts of all came the “Pe
ace that passeth understand
ing”; a peace that will prevail,
even be strengthened.
— * —
May Good Evening take this
opportunity to thank his many
friends who “remembered” him
this Christmas? Letters of thanks
should be written by hand, if
one would follow the advice of
Emily Post. But there are so
many people Good Evening wou
ld like to thank that he could not
write the many letters — and
confidentially, if he did find time
to write them in long hand no
one could read the thanks he
would like to express, for he has
never been noted for his clear
penmanship.
Then, too, there are many he
would like to thank and would
not know to what address to
send the thank you note. For in
stance, there is the lady who
called Good Evening and wish
ed him and all the people on
The Griffin Daily News, a Mer
ry Christmas, who said when
we asked “And who is this who
has taken time to call us on the
phone?” simply said with a
laugh, “This is Cinderella.”
So to “Cinderella and all the
other fine people who thought of
Good Evening this Christmas
may we simply say “Thank
You.”
— —
Never in his life has Good
Evening been remembered more
with Christmas cards, phone
calls, and gifts of cigars, fruit
cake, cookies, homemade pre
serves and pickles, clothes, neck
ties, memorandum books, cal
endar etc. than this year.
We also received a Christmas
Card that was signed by 216 yo
ung people who identified them
selves as “Gretchen’s Grateful
Gang”. This could have come
only from the glee clubs of both
Senior and Junior High, under
the direction of Mrs. Joe (Gret
chen) Cumming, who made this
Christmas season a happy one
for Good Evening with their
sweet singing.
As long as the young people
of our community take time from
the busy Christmas season to
“remember” an old timer who
admires and loves them, we
know that the world is and will
be in safe hands.
May the Good Lord Bless and
Keep all our friends and espec
ially the younger friends who
are so fine and so thoughtful.
Here’s a true Christmas story.
There is a mighty fine woman
who has been bedridden for se
veral years. She is greatly lov
ed not only by her family but
by a host of friends.
Christmas morning her daugh
ter, with whom she lives, took
dozens of Christmas packages
to her room, sat beside her mo
ther and opened them for her.
The sweet lady’s eyes sparkled
end she said, “I must be Santa
Claus’ favorite child.”
— + —
And we would like to thank all
those people, who were on the
job Christmas Day — The Po
lice, The Firemen, the Safety
Patrolmen, the Sheriff and his
deputies, the nurses and others
at the hospital, the telephone
personnel, the ministers and
church staffs, the service station
opeators, the restaurant owners
and their waiters, the repair
men of city and county, the
men and women at the radio sta
tions, and also many others who
gave up their Christmas Day
that we all might have a safe,
sane and happy Christmas.
We all owe them our thanks.
Weather:
FORECAST FOR GRIFFIN
AREA — Increasing cloudiness
and not so cold tonight followed
by rain late tonight and Thurs
day.
LOCAL WEATHER — Maxi
mum today 54, minimum today
29, maximum Tuesday 53, mini
mum Tuesday 33. Sunrise Th
ursday 7:41 a.m., sunset Thurs
day 5:42 p.m.
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(Griffin Daily News Staff Photo)
Ready For Scramble
A scramble is expected to develop next Tuesday morning at the Spalding County
Courthouse as Griffinites attempt to get low tag numbers. The tag office will open
at 9 a. m. Spalding County Tax Commissioner Mrs. Ruby Hill (c) said a rush is ex
pected during the first few days of the tag sales. Aiding her in the tag department
will be Mrs. Rosalyn Boggs (1) and Mrs. Judy Hines. The 1968 tags have white
letters on a green background.
INSIDE
Hospital. Page 2.
Stork Club. Page 2.
Funerals. Page 2.
Economic Outlook. Page 3.
Russia Pushes. Page 3.
Editorials. Page 4.
Billy Graham. Page 4.
Georgia News. Page 5.
Arsenic Deaths. Page 5.
Gambling Squad. Page 5.
Sports. Page 6.
Car Safety. Page 7.
Cambodia Border. Page 7.
Women’s Page. Page 10.
Food Tips. Page 16.
Want Ads. Page 18.
1967 Tops. Page 20.
SP-4 Buffington
Dies In Vietnam
Sp. 4 Sammie Buffington of
Route Three, Barnesville (Mid
way Baptist Church road) was
killed recently in action in South
Vietnam.
Sp. 4 Buffington was fatally
w’ounded during a skirmish near
the Cambodian border.
His family was notified of his
death late Tuesday afternoon.
A native of Lamar County, he
was a member of the Midway
Baptist Church. Before entering
the service he was employed by
the Avondale Paper Board Mills
in Avondale, Fla. Buffington had
been in Vietnam since June.
He is survived by one son,
Kelley Buffington; his parents,
Mr. and Mrs. Henry Buffington;
a sister, Mrs. Sandra Trice; gr
andparents, Mr. and Mrs. Robert
Woodard, Sr., all of Barnesville;
and several aunts and uncles.
Funeral arrangements will be
announced by Haisten Funeral
Home of Barnesville when word
is received on the arrival of the
body.
Georgia’s Electric Chair
Some Think Television
Should Show Executions
Police Warn
Go - Cart
Drivers
Griffin Police Chief Leo Bl
ackwell today warned parents
of children who received gocarts
for Christmas that it is unlawful
to operate the vehicles on st
reets.
The police chief said several
complaints had already been re
ceived by his department con
cerning youngsters driving go
carts on city streets.
In addition, Chief Blackwell
pointed out that its very danger
ous to operate the small vehicl
es on streets.
He said cases would be made
against parents, who allow their
children to drive go-carts on st
reets.
DAILY NEWS
Daily Since 1872
Post Office Here
Awaits New Stamps
The Griffin Post Office has
not received new stamps, postal
cards and envelopes for new ra
tes which will go into effect Jan.
7.
Postmaster John Hammond
said he did not know when the
new supplies would come to the
Griffin office. He hopes they will
arrive before Tuesday.
Postal rate increases, effective
Jan. 7., were approved by Con
gress.
The Griffin Post Office has not
received any of the new 10 cent
air mail stamps, five cent pos
tal cards or six cent envelopes.
A six cent stamp to be used
on letters was issued last year.
It is not new.
Hammond said time has not
permitted the stamps and enve
lopes to be mailed to the
more than 17,000 post offices
throughout the nation.
He said until the new sup
plies are received, people would
be asked to add a one cent st
amp on postal cards, one cent
stamp to five cent envelopes and
two cent stamps to air mail let
ters with eight cents stamps.
The postal rate increase was
approved late in the session by
Congress and printers have not
had time to prepare the new
stamps, postal cards and enve
lopes and get them to post offi
ces.
Hammond said if the supplies
are not at the Griffin office by
the first of the year, they will be
received in a few days.
By MARCIE RASMUSSEN
ATLANTA (UPD— On the
fifth floor of Reidsville Prison,
right around the comer from
Death Row, is Georgia’s elec
tric chair—A brutal tool that
state officials seem reluctant to
use, but feel they can’t do with
out.
It looks “like an old wooden
barber chair”, painted sterile
white, and stands in an enclos
ure right in front of the
embalming room. But the door
is often left open, and you can’t
miss it from the elevator.
The chair is “absolutely es
sential to maintain discipline in
correctional institutions,” said
Georgia Corrections Director
Asa Kelley. “Without It, we
would have utter chaos.”
Negro lawyer Howard Moore
Jr., who has defended several
Death Row prisoners at tne
penitentiary, has a different
view.
GRIFFIN
Griffin, Ga., 30223, Wednesday, December 27,1967
Pope To Send
Peace Mission
To Hanoi Leaders
VATICAN CITY (UPD—Hign
Vatican sources said today Pope
Paul VI would follow up his
talks with President Johnson by
sending a peace mission to
Hanoi early in January. Other
peace moves were reported in
widely scattered parts of the
world.
There were indications in
Saigon that President Nguyen
Van Thieu of South Vietnam
had sent a letter to resident
Ho Chi Minh of North Vietnam
inviting him to start peace
negotiations, but a government
spokesman would neither con
firm nor deny the reports.
However, South Vietnamese
Foreign Minister Tran Van Do
flew into Abidjan, the capital of
the Ivory Coast, for talks with
President Felix Houphouet-
Boigny on the Vietnam war.
The visit apparently is aimed at
getting African leaders to help
bring Hanoi to the negotiating
table.
Most informed observers be
lieved little would come of the
South Vietnamese peace efforts
—the clandestine Viet Cong
radio rejected any Thieu letter
weeks ago when he announced
he planned to send one.
“It lets mean, vicious people
get a taste of blood,” Moore
said. “It brings the practice of
law and the administration of
justice to the lowest conceivable
level—an eye for an eye and a
tooth for a tooth.”
Row System Hated
These different views, indica
tive of the controversy appar
ent in Georgia over the death
nonalty, more closely coincide
on the subject of Death Row.
It’s “terrible,” said Kelley.
“Ghastly”, sand Moore. And it’s
crowded.
According to published re
ports and state records, none of
which appear to be complete,
there are at least 32 men under
sentence of death in Georgia,
all for either rape or murder,
most of them Negroes.
Billy Homer Ferguson has liv
ed in county prisons or
Continue on page two
New Technique Used
in Latest Kidney
Transplant Surgery
Tissue Match
May Cut Down
‘Rejection’
NEW YORK (UPD—A 20-
year-old girl was reported
“doing splendidly” in Bellevue
Hospital today, five days after
undergoing what may prove to
be an historic kidney-transplant
operation.
One of Sylvia Szlak’s disease
destroyed kidneys was replaced
Friday with one taken from the
body of a 45-year-old woman
who had just died of a stroke.
The woman was not related to
Miss Szlak.
A double kidney transplant
was performed Monday in
Cleveland, Ohio. The recipients,
Mrs. Richard Kerr of Charton,
lowa, and Richard Leeper of
Lee County, lowa, both 39, were
reported in good condition
today.
Receive Boy’s Kidneys
The kidneys they received
were taken from the body of 12-
year-old Richard Stives of West
Springfield, Pa., who was
fatally injured Friday when a
truck hit him while he was sled
riding near his home. He died
on Christmas Day in a hospital
in Conneaut, Ohio, 60 miles
from Cleveland.
In the past, such transplants
have usually failed unless the
donor was living and was a
close relative of the patient
receiving the kidney. In these
cases, however, new methods of
tissue-typing increased hopes of
success.
A report on the process from
the New York University
Medical Center said it was
determined in advance that the
tissues of the donor and the
recipient were "unusually com
patible.”
The university report said this
compatibility lessened the likeli
hood of rejection of the kidney
“which has doomed so many
such cases to ultimate failure.”
Cure Kills
“Where compatibility does not
exist, the effort to overcome the
rejection process through spe
cial therapy often leaves the
body defenseless to other
infections so that the transplant
ed organ may survive but the
patient dies of other causes, as
happened to the transplanted
heart patient in South Africa,”
the report said.
It said the tissue-typing
technique was devised by a
Frenchman, Dr. Jean Dausset.
The surgeons attending Miss
Szlak said it had never before
been employed in a kidney
transplant operation in the
United States.
Miss Szlak was suffering from
kidney failure when her case
first came to the attention of
the University Medical Center.
An artificial kidney was used to
keep her alive while a suitable
donor was sought.
The transplant operation was
performed by a team of
surgeons including Doctors Fe
lix Rapaport, Frank C. Spender,
Robert S. Hotchkiss and Alex C.
Solowey.
Sunday Closing
Hearing Set
For Friday
Judge John H. McGehee of the
Griffin Judicial Circuit will be
asked Friday to issue a tempo
ary injunction restraining 27
stores from conducting business
on Sunday.
Sol. Gen. Andrew Whalen peti
tioned the court for the hearing
after he was presented affida
vits charging the stores were
violating a Sunday closing law.
Drug stores, grocery stores,
department stores and discount
stores were among those cited
in the affadivits.
The hearing originally was
planned for Dec. 22 but was
postponed at the request of an
attorney for one of the plaintiffs.
Vol. 95 No. 304
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(Griffin Daily News Staff Photo)
Sanitary Department Superintendent Tally Walker
looks at one of the thousands of discarded Christmas
trees his department will pick up.
Wedded Bliss?
Silvia Discovers
The Real Rogelio
MEXICO CITY (UPD—AII
Went well until the first few
hours of wedded life. Then
Silvia discovered the real
Rogelio.
Silvia Santillan and Rogelio
Pacheco decided they would
marry Christmas Eve, combin
ing the traditional holiday
dinner with the wedding recep
tion.
At the reception Rogelio
called his bride to his side and,
before all the guests, adminis
tered her first beating of
married bliss.
Silvia’s relatives armed them
selves with bottles and went to
her rescue. Rogello’s family
flew to his defense.
Authorities said that in the
ensuing melee chairs and plates
were smashed, a guest got his
head wedged in a turkey still in
the rotisserie and the bride
groom was knocked unconscious
by a bottle.
Basic Training
Shooting, Saluting
Get Most Emphasis
By FREDERICK H. TREESII
FT. DIX, N.J. (UPD—A
young soldier runs forward,
rolls Into a sawdust pit and
regains his feet In front of a
lifelike dummy in black paja
mas and bamboo hat. At his
sergeant’s command "attack!”,
the trooper chops the dummy in
the neck with his bare hand or
drives his booted foot deep into
its midsection.
A few yards away, another
teen-aged soldier advances on a
bayonet target, parries its
riflelike arm and cracks its
head with a vicious stroke of his
rifle butt. Crack! Another butt
stroke and then a killing thrust
with a six-inch bayonet blade In
the target’s straw-filled gut.
From a bunker on a windy
rifle range, a private amis at a
silhouette that popped up 75
meters in front of him and
squeezes the trigger. Copper
Silvia, her gown tattered,
went to the nearby police
station and charged her hus
band and his family with
mayhem. Police fined the
groom’s family and set them
free.
When they returned to the
banquet, Rogelio once again
called his wife over and beat
her again. The free-for-all
resumed.
Again they all repaired to the
police station, where charges
were filed against the bride
groom a second time. A second
reprimand, and fine, and back
to the house.
By this time young Rogelio
could hardly stand up, but he
gave his bride a third beating.
Police finally arrested Roge
lio, Mayo Herrera, Carlos
Figueroa, Luis Matias, Jose
Gomez and Jesus Rodriguz.
Sylvia was sent to the
hospital, suffering multiple
bruises.
slugs rip into the cardboard
target shaped like the head and
shoulders of a man.
This is basic combat training,
the first step in the creation of
what the U.S. Army calls its
ultimate weapon—the individual
soldier.
Demands Grow
Tens of thousands of young
Americans will undergo eight
gruelling weeks of basic train
ing in the year ahead as U.S.
military manpower demands
continue to grow. Draft calls for
1968 are up sharply over 1967 in
anticipation of the release from
service of the large number of
men inducted in the initial
Vietnam build-up two years ago.
And Vietnam needs continue to
rise with U.S. troop strength
there expected to reach 525,000
by midyear.
In January alone, 34,000 men
will be drafted, a major
Thousands Os
Yule Trees
Ready For Dump
The Grfifin Sanitary Depart
ment today began picking up
Christmas trees left on the side
of the streets.
Tally Walker, superintendent
of the Sanitary Department, said
an effort will be made to pick
up the trees as soon as they are
put on the side of the street to
keep them for blowing into the
street.
Walker said there are not as
many trees for the department
to pick up as there once was be
cause a number of people now
have artificial trees. He said in
years past the Sanitary Depart
ment could count on picking up
a tree at each house.
Three open trucks today be
gan picking up the trees.
The open trucks will be aided
by the grinding machine used by
the Parks Department. The
stands must be removed from
trees before they are run throu
gh the machine.
Walker said most people take
most of the decorations off trees
and hold them for next year.
He said people should put
their trees close to the street,
but not in the street, so they can
be seen by the men o nthe
trucks.
“Our men will get the trees,
load them on the trucks and take
them to the dump if they are
near the street,” Walker said.
“We have started picking up
the trees now, because if we
waited until they were all put
out for pickup, they would be
blown everywhere and we would
have a major job on our hands,”
he said.
Country Parson
JWOj
W-Jryo
“Expect imperfect friends
— perfect ones probably
wouldn’t want you as a
friend.”
increase from the 22,000 induct
ed in November and 18,200 in
December.
It is estimated that 360,000
men will be drafted in 1968.
They all will be sent immediate
ly to basic training along with
thousands of Army enlistees
and National Guard and reserve
personnel.
Every soldier entering the
Army undergoes basic training
and then moves into advanced
individual training. There he
learns to be a combat soldier—a
rifleman, machine gunner, tank
crewman or artilleryman. Or he
may be trained as a specialist
such as a cook, driver, clerk or
radio operator.
9,000 a Week
In a normal week, about 9,000
young men are undergoing basic
training on this 32,000-acre
Army base in the central New
Continued on page two