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VENIN Vs
By Quimby Melton
Today is Valentine Day!
A day when one should express
their love for others; a day when
love and respect for others shou
ld be openly avowed. Whether
this love be expressed with flo
wers, with candy, with Valen
tine cards, every Valentine will
be appreciated.
Valentine Day is basically cel
ebrated in memory of Christian
martyrs, especially Saint Valen
tine, whose birthday was what
is now Feb. 14.
Many students have done re
search as to Valentine Day, its
origin and its development down
till today. Recently Good Even
ing received in his mail a resu
me of such a study by research
ers for the Paper Mate Pen
Company, and while the “news
release” is essentially a bid for
some free publicity, still it con
tains so much of interest, we are
using some information from it.
What is now our heart-holiday
was not at first a day to honor
the gentle Christian martyr, St.
Valentine. Earlier, in pagan
Rome, a feast called Luperca
lia was held each year in the
middle of February to pay hom
age to the god, Lupercus,- who
guarded livestock and shepherds
from attacks by marauding wol
ves. During part of the celebra
tion, young Roman warriors
drew names of young women
i from helmets. A girl who was
thus chosen by chance became,
for the following year, the sweet
heart of the soldier who had
picked her name. . . sort of a
classical version of “going stea
dy.”
When Rome became a Chris
tian city, such goings-on were
not countenanced by auhtori
ties, but the holiday was kept
and changed to honor the Chris
tian martyrs, particulary St. Va
lentine whose birthday fell at
that time of year.
Valentine's Day cards first
appeared at the beginning of the
Eighteenth Century. The oldest
known card dates from 1710. It
was made in Germany and bore
the picture of a turtle dove, un
der which, written in ink, was
the message: “Greet my love
1,000 times.”
During the Victorian era in
England, Valentines became like
the furniture of that period. ..
overstuffed. Lace, feathers, fr
inge, waxed leaves and flowers
were used to decorate the oft
perfumed cards, and the senti
ments expressed therein were
... as a 10-year-old boy might
say . . just plain mushy.
By 1900, American card pub
lishers felt that their customers
were disgusted with both plus
hy and tawdry Valentines, and
produced simple cards with mes
sages more friendly than roman
tic. In the Roaring Twenties,
the messages were breezy
rather than sentimental.
Through all the changes in st
yle and fashion, the pictorial
symbols on Valentine cards
have remained constant—hearts,
cupids, cooingbirds, lovely lad
les, bashful beaux. But today
there is no set “style” in Valen
tines. We can choose the simple,
ornate bantering, intellectual,
soulful or the “guess who” var
iety.
Yet beyond modern day mul
tiplicity of cards and sentiments,
when we write the name and ad
dress on the Valentine chosen
for that one “certain” person,
we are saying what Valentine
senders have been saying (and
hoping) down through the centu
ries. Simply:
“Oh, Valentine
Please be mine ”
There is at least one Griffinite
who got his Valentine a few
days before Valentine Day.
He was Bob Scroggins, young
Griffin industrialist, active in
many civic organizations, who
was chosen by the Jaycees of
Griffin for his outstanding con
tribution to the community dur
ing 1967. There were several yo
ung men nominated for this sig
nal honor — to be nominated is
an honor itself — to be chosen
is the pinnacle of honors.
Bob Scroggins, deserves the
honor conferred on him.
Venue Change Denied;
Jury Selection Begins
By ROGER DIX
Judge John H. McGehee this
morning overruled a motion for
a change of venue in the Ronald
L. Smith case and the process
of selecting a jury was begun.
Smith is charged with murder
in the death of Charles Vaughn,
a 22-year-old college student.
The Griffin Judicial Court jud
ge overruled the change of ve
nue motion and several other
motions in conference with Sm
it’s attorneys and court offici
als.
Reuben Garland, leading
counsel for Smith, demanded
and received a list of all wit
nesses whom Solicitor General
Andrew Whalen, Jr. plans to
call.
Mr. Garland also asked the
court to rule that no witnesses,
not included on the list, be allow
ed to testify.
Judge McGehee told Mr. Gar
land that he would see to it that
witnesses not listed would not be
allowed to testify.
After a short recess to check
the name of one witness, the en
tire list was read to the court.
There were approximately 26.
The judge re-stated that no
other witnesses would be allow
ed to testify.
Mr. Garland waived formal ar
raignment for his client and
pleaded not guilty.
The first 12 jurors were called
into the jury box.
Mr. Garland and his son, Ed
ward, began the process of ques
tioning them.
The first prospective juror was
questioned nearly an hour.
Smith, who sat next to his lead
ing counsel, watched as each
juror answered questions.
At one point, Sol. Gen. Whalen
and Mr. Garland raised their
voices.
The judge calmed them by
saying: “I will allow no fussing
between the counsels.”
In addition, he said: “Mr. Gar
land, let’s you and I stay on
good terms.”
Judge McGehee said it was
called to his attention this
morning that someone had a
camera in the courtroom Tues
day.
‘“There will be no pictures
taken in this courtroom,” he
said.
“If you have a camera, you’d
better get rid of it,” he added.
Five other jurors were ques
tioned before Judge McGehee re
cessed court until 1:15 pun.
The hearing on the motion for
a change of venue took up most
of Tuesday’s court session.
Two investigators employed
by the Garlands told the court
that a poll taken by them indica
ted Smith could not receive a
fair trial here.
They said they based their op
inions on questions asked on
streets in Griffin and in gener
al conversations with people,
who would discuss the case.
Several people interviewed
were called as witnesses along
with three members of the local
news media.
The investigators told the court
that many people they interview
ed said they believed the defen
dant was guilty and should be
punished by "hanging”, “burn
ing” and by “worse than burn
ing.”
Under cross examination, one
investigator admitted he posed
as a reporter for a “Miami Tri
bune” newspaper while he was
conducting interviews.
Jim Richardson said he posed
as a reporter because he felt peo
ple would not discuss the case if
they knew his true identity and
by whom he was employed.
Wallace Picks
Marvin Griffin
ATLANTA (UPI) — Former
Gov. George Wallace of Ala
bama said today his "interim”
vice presidential running mate
is former Gov. Marvin Griffin
of Georgia.
Wallace’s appointment of Grif
fin apparently was designed on
ly to meet various state elec
tion laws that require a vice
presidential candidate, as well
as a presidential candidate on
the ballot.
“I have agreed to lend my
name to Gov. George Wallace
as a vice presidential candidate
in order to help him in meeting
some of the procedural require-
GRIFFIN
DAILY NEWS
Daily Since 1872
Kenneth Bernard testified that
he posed as a furniture sales
man from East Point, Ga. on
one occasion.
They said they were sent to
Griffin to take what Mr. Gar
land called a “Gallup Poll” of
the feeling in the community.
Bill Knight and Roger Dix,
both of the Griffin Daily News
and DeWitt Simonton of Radio
Station WKEU were also sum
moned to court.
Members Os the news media
were requested to bring copies
of news stories about the Vaughn
killing and the arrest of Ronald
Smith.
They were asked if the news
stories they brought into court
were the ones published by the
newspaper or read over the ra
dio station.
The Garlands contended pre
trial stories made it impossible
for their client to receive a fair
trial in Spalding County.
After the Garlands, Atlanta
attorneys, completed their argu
ments, Sol. Whalen swore in se
veral local attorneys, City Man
ager Jack Langford, Frank Jol
ly, the Rev. A. C. Stephens, the
Rev. James M. Moore, Jr. and
H. D, Garrison.
The Rev. Stephens, pastor of
DeVotie Baptist Church, was the
first called.
He testified that it was his op
inion that Smith could receive a
fair and impartial trial in Spal
ding County.
The Rev. Moorfe, Superinten
dent of the Griffin District Me
thodist Church, testified that
Smith could get a fair trial.
Frank Jolly, an official of the
Commercial Bank and Trust Co.,
answered the question: “In your
opinion can the defendant be af
forded a fair and impartial tr
ial?" by saying, “Yes, I believe
he can.”
H. D. Garrison, a soil conser
vation technician, also, stated
that it was his opinion that Smi
th could receive a fair trial here.
Following Garrison’s testi
mony, Judge John H. McGehee
interrupted the proceedings to
state that if he thought Smith
could not receive a fair trial
in Spalding County “there would
have been no reason for this mo
tion.”
Edward Garland disagreed
with the judge.
“I know you do,” Judge Mc-
Gehee told the young attorney.
The hearing continued.
City Manager Jack Langford
was called to the witness stand.
The city manager said he knew
Smith could receive a fair trial
here.
J. C. Owen, Jr., a local attor
ney, testified. He said that he
believed a fair and impartial
jury could be empanelled to try
Ronald Smith.
Owen was the last witness call
ed Tuesday.
When Judge McGehee recess
ed court, he told parties invol
ved to return Wednesday prepar
ed for a morning, afternoon and
night session.
Before the hearing on the mo
tion for a change of venue be
gan, Judge McGehee dismissed
all jurors for the day, ordered
the courtroom cleared of all sp
ectators, including some mem
bers of Police Department and
Sheriff’s office not involved in
the case.
Spectators were not even al
lowed to wait outside the court
room. They were cleared from
that floor of the courthouse.
Only witnesses and other peo
ple involved were allowed near
the courtroom.
Ronald Smith sat through the
ments in several states,” Grif
fin said at a Joint press con
ference.
Apparently Griffin is a stand
in candidate who may be re
placed later in the campaign.
“I think Gov. Wallace ought
to have the right to name his
vice presidential candidate just
like the other major candidates,
and the two existing parties do
not have to name their vice
presidential running mates until
August,” Griffin said.
Griffin, 60, was governor of
Georgia from 1955 to 1959. A
native of Bainbridge, Ga., he Is
publisher of a weekly news-
Griffin, Go., 30223, Wednesday, February 14, 1968
morning proceedings.
He was neatly dressed in a
dark suit.
He was returned to the court
house after lunch. However, he
was not brought into the court
room.
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(Griffin Daily News Staff Photo)
Highway Closed
Georgia 16 has been closed from Solomon street to Searcy avenue so the State
Highway Department can replace concrete pipe that caved in. Traffic is being de
toured on East Solomon and Jackson streets. The pipe were destroyed by dye used
in a manufacturing plant on the East Broadway section of the highway. The work
is expected to be completed this week.
Parking Fine Cut
Fails To Carry
A motion to cut parking ticket
fines failed to pass at the city
commission meeting Monday
when no second was offered.
The city commissioners also
delayed final action on a com
pulsory retirment plan for its
Elderly Couple
Dies In Fire
At Carrollton
CARROLLTON, Ga. (UPD—
An elderly couple perished in a
fire early today that destroyed
their home at Carroll Cottages,
a short distance outside the city
limits.
The victims were Mr. and
Mrs. Fred Edwards who oper
ated the cottages.
Georgia forestry patrolman
Tommy Johnson said the house
was virtually destroyed by the
flames when he arrived at the
scene about 6:30 a.m. Fire
fighting equipment from the
Carroll-Douglas forestry unit
answered the alarm.
paper there. Among the various
state offices he has held were
state representative, adjutant
general and lieutenat governor.
"I told the governor that he
could put up my name and then
decide in his own good time
what he wants to do,” the form
er Georgia governor said.
Griffin, who stood beside Wal
lace as the announcement was
made in an Atlanta hotel, served
as governor in 1955-59.
“I will be a vice presidential
candidate, an advisor, a speak
er, a hand-clapper, a fund rais
er or a petltlon-toter if it will
help this great cause,” Griffin
said in a statement.
Senator Pushes
Sales Tax Option
employes until the proposal can
be checked by the city attorney.
Commissioners Joe Dutton who
had pledged during his campaign
last fall to seek reduced parking
ticket fines made a motion for
a change in rates.
He proposed that:
Initial parking ticket penal
ties be 25 cents:
If in violation at same meter
two hours from time the first
ticket, second ticket jo be issued
and carry a penalty of 50 cents.
That a period of 48 hours be
allowed for payment of tickets
and after that, if not paid the
penalty on any unpaid ticket
would be sl.
If not paid within a period of
10 days, a collection fee of $2.50
to be added, the extra charge
to defray the time and expense
of sending a man out to collect.
Mayor Kimsey Stewart declar
ed the motion dead when it re
ceived no second.
The Chamber of Commerce
Merchants Division had sent a
resolution to the city commis
sioners asking that the present
rate of parking ticket fines be
kept.
The retirement proposal al
ready had been put on first read
ing but commissioners delayed
putting it on second and final
reading until City Atty. Robert
Smalley can check its wording.
The proposal requires people
in hazardous city jobs to retire
at 62 and those in non-hazardous
jobs to retire at 65.
Country Parson
I'J 1*
“I like to see a fellow have
self-confidence even when I
can’t see any reason for it.”
Vol. 96 No. 38
INSIDE
Georgia News. Page 2.
Ray Cromley. Page 2.
Viet War. Page 3.
Church Suit. Page 3.
Editorials. Page 4.
Television. Page 4.
Billy Graham. Page 4.
Budget Battle. Page 5.
Hospital. Page 6.
Stork Club. Page 6.
About Town. Page 6.
Scout Dining Hall. Page 6.
Sports. Pages 8, 9.
Agency Probe. Page 1”.
Woman’s News. Page 12.
Washington Mood. Page 18.
Jury Prejudiced. Page 18.
New Nixon Image. Page 20-
Want Ads. Page 22.
Comics. Page 23.
Dr. Brandstadt. Page 24.
Kidnap Search. Page 24.
Weather:
FORECAST FOR GRIFFIN
AREA — Mostly fair and con
tinued rather cold tonight. Th
ursday partly cloudy and a little
warmer.
LOCAL WEATHER — Maxi
mum today 55, minimum today
22, maximum Tuesday 45, mini
mum Tuesday 26, sunrise Th
ursday 7:25, sunset Thursday
6:25.
Love Conquers All--
Especially Today
MAPLE SHADE, N.J. (UPI)
—You’d think Valentine’s Day
wasn’t the most propitious time
to bring it up, but former
Mayor George Senior of Maple
Shade is outraged because
“Thousands of people are living
in sin.”
The errant lovers owe their
nonmarried status to a mlxup
at the courthouse, and not to
any conscious aversion to
connubial bliss. In fact, they
were not even aware of their
social transgression.
Over the past seven years, 671
couples took out married
licenses at the Maple Shade
Township offices. Each bore the
signature of the municipal
registrar, Mrs. Verona Mac-
Quald.
So far, so good.
But, unbeknownst to the bride
and groom, in each case the
license was invalid.
It seems Mrs. MacQuaid was
House Approves
Nomination Bill
By MARCIE RASMUSSEN
ATLANTA (UPD—A Repub
lican lawmaker maneuvered to
have his local option sales tax
bill brought to the floor of the
Senate today, while the House
voted 141-7 to require candi
dates nominated in convention
to be named 90 days before a
general election.
Sen. Dan Mclntyre of Atlan
ta, frustrated by Rules Commit
tee refusal to bring up his local
option sales tax bill, said today
he would ask the Senate as a
“committee of the whole” to
amend the measure, a parlia
mentary move to bypass the
committee.
Maclntyre’s amendment to
the bill, which lets cities and
counties levy a one-cent sales
tax, would exempt all sales
over SI,OOO.
The House elections bill would
require political parties which
nominate their candidates in
convention, primarily Republi
cans, to hold their conventions
at least 90 days before the gen
eral election. Th bill also re
quires such parties to file rules
and regulations governing their
conventions with the secretary
of state at least 30 days before
the convention.
In other Senate action today,
the chamber passed a bill, by
Sen. Mac Conway of DeKalb
County, which requires all cam
paign literature to bear the
name and address of th per
sons publishing and distributing
it.
Among the measures left on
the calendar by the Senate
Rules Committee were 31 bills,
including pulpwood truck con
trols and a bill declaring Me
morial Day—May 30—a holiday
in Georgia.
There was a flurry of activity
in the House and Senate Tues
day.
The House approved 181-0 a
$2.5 million guaranteed new
lease for the Western and At
lantic Railroad. The Louisville
& Nashville Railroad W’ould op
erate the state-owned Atlanta to
Chattanooga line for 25 more
years.
The committee elected last
year to study Senate organiza
tion was revived Tuesday to
serve until Aug. 1, despite the
fact Lt. Gov. George T. Smith
apparently won the right to re
tain committee appointing pow
ers.
The 15 - man committee is
studying proposed changes in
Senate rules and committee
structure in addition to the pos
sibility of a seniority system
for choosing committee chair
man as Congress does.
The Senate approved a num
ber of education bills, including
one to establish stateside spe
cial education facilities for ex
ceptional children.
The vote was 51-0 to provide
education for mentally retarded,
handicapped, and gifted chil
dren everywhere in the state
by 1976. Enigma Sen. Bobby
Rowan said the initial neces
sary appropriation for the com-
appointed by the five members
of the local board of health, not
the five members of the
township committee as required
by state law.
It mattered little that the five
members of the board of health
are also the five members of
the township committee. The
licenses are invalid. The town
ship committee became cogni
zant of the mistake In January,
and had tried secretly to
correct the error so as not to
Inconveniences the married
couples. The effort was unsuc
cessful.
Township Solicitor Howard
Yocum, however has assured
the 671 couples they will not
have to go through it all over
again. The licenses will be
pulled from the files and taken
to court for validation ‘‘without
any trouble,” he says.
Love conquers all.
Especially on Feb. 14.
pulsory program would be $1.5
million. The bill goes to Gov.
Lester Maddox for signature.
Other approved measures
would create the Georgia State
Scholarship Commission and
the Georgia Higher Education
Assistance Committee to help
college students get grants and
loans. University professors
would be governed by their own
national professional standards,
instead of any proposed by a
state professional practices
commission under another bill.
Although all the senators
favored the exceptional children
bill, many were concerned
about how it will be financed.
Maclntyre said he was told by
the State Education Department
the program would cost $75 mil
lion io implement fully right
away.
Rowan said, 120,000 children
in Georgia need special educa
tion and 10 per cent of them
have been denied any schooling
at all.
Plains, Sen. Hugh Carter told
of a Sumter County family
forced to spend $12,000 a year
to educate their handicapped
child in New Jersey because
Georgia had no facilities for the
multi-handicapped.
An amendment by Maclntyre
to exclude gifted children from
the program failed after Rowan
said there are many “potential
Einsteins” in Central State Hos
pital now because they are as
unable to cope with life as other
exceptional children.
Ex - Governor,
Others Charged
With Conspiracy
WASHINGTON (UPD—
Former Gov. W. W. Barrow of
West Virginia, three present
state officials and two West
Virginia businessmen have been
indicted on federal charges of
bribery and conspiracy, the
Justice Department announced
today.
Also named in the indictments
returned by a federal grand
jury at Charleston, W.Va., on
charges involving state con
tracts were:
Burl A. Sawyers, 55, West
Virginia state road commission
er.
Vincent J. Johnkoski, 57,
deputy state road commission
er.
Tuman E. Gore, 56, West
Virginia commissioner of fin
ance and administration.
Bonn Brown, 56, Elkins,
W.Va., attorney.
Alfred W. Schroath, 65,
Clarksburg, W.Va., automobile
dealer.
Barron, a Democrat, served
as West Virginia governor
between 1961 and 1965.
The indictment charged that a
conspiracy began in 1961 with
Barron’s appointment of the
three state officials and is still
continuing.
It also charges that the
conspiracy called on Brown and
Schroath to spread the word to
certain companies that they
could obtain state contracts—
many without competitive bids
—in return for payments to
several companies set up by
Schroath.
The grand jury charged that
Barron and the three other
state officials conspired to
direct business to those compa
nies which made payments to a
firm set up by Schroath.
Profits from the conspiracy,
the indictment charged, were
shared equally by all th"
defendants.
The indictments were rr
turned under a federal law
governing conspiracy in the use
of interstate facilities to aid in
racketeering enterprises. If
convicted, the defendants face a
maximum penalty of five years
in prison and a SIO,OOO fine
each.
Barron and the others were
charged with setting up land
development companies in Flor
ida to which receivers of state
contracts under the alleged
conspiracy would make contri
butions.