Newspaper Page Text
Egood
VENIN VT
By Quimby Melton
i■ i ■
• Griffin Lodge No. 1207 Bene-
I volent Protective Order of Elks,
i joined Elks lodges throughout
the nation in celebrating the or
-1 der’s 100th anniversary this
I week. The Griffin lodge itself is
. 58 years old having been organ
' ized on July 7, 1910.
Good Evening became an Elk
I when he was initiated in the
1 Bainbridge lodge in 1915. He has
I “been in good standing”, with
I the exception of a short while
following his discharge from Un
cle Sam’s Army in 1919 and the
■ time he was reinstated by the
j Griffin Lodge.
i When Good Evening first be
i came an Elk he remembers peo
. pie called the 8.P.0.E. (Bene
' volent Protective Order of Elks)
I “Best People On Earth.” And
i the history of the order has born
out that “nickname.”
1 Griffin lodge, 1207, has played
i an important part in the deve
• lopment and growth of our com
: munity. There has been no more
1 active lodge in the state.
Especially interested in the
• youth Griffin, Lodge 1207 has
! Boy Scouts, Little League, and
Babe Ruth League baseball;
and Midget football. It sponsors
I an Elks scholarship along with
. an Elks Leadership contest, and
' a Kle Klub, made up of High
i School students.
Charity, friendship, and loyal
Americanism has long been
: a feature of Elk activities.
I One of the outstanding jewels
in the crown of achievement
worn by Griffin Lodge 1207 has
been support of the Elks Aid-
I more Hospital operated on the
campus of Emory University,
for convalescent and rehabilita
ting sick and handicapped chil
. dren.
Griffin Lodge 1207 was the fir
st lodge in the state, outside At
lanta, to make a contribution to
Aidmore and each year has
contributed liberally to its sup
port. It was the Griffin lodge,
who through one of its mem
bers, the late Mr. C. J. Williams,
j serving at the time as a trustee
of Aidmore, that started a trust
fund for Aidmore. This trust fund
has now passed the $2-Million
mark. Every year, thanks to var
ious activities of the local lodge,
the club contributes more than
$2,000 to the fund, representing
more than SIO.OO for every mem
ber.
Much of the credit for the Aid
more and other programs of the
Griffin lodge, must be given to
its Auxiliary; made up of wives
and daughters of members of
the lodge. They have been untir
ing in their activity to make the
Griffin lodge live up to its
nickname “Best People On Ear
th.”
Thursday night Good Evening
had the pleasure of attending
the annual banquet given by the
Future Homemakers of Amer
ica class at Griffin High School.
This group of young ladies, un
der direction of Mrs. Bess Hos
kins, is learning one of the
most important lessons any
girl can learn, that of making a
home for her family. For in the
strength of a good, well opera
ted home, lies the strength of
our nation.
The members of the FHA class
not only prepared and served
the meal to their parents and
other guests, but arranged and
staged the program. Miss Bren
da Ellis, FHA president, presid
ed and welcomed the guests.
The program, made up of mu
sic, both vocal and instrumen
tal, skits, a devotional and a
fashion show, was most enjoy
able. The models in the fashion
show wore clothes that they had
made themselves and we’ve ne
ver seen better looking dresses
and coat suits than the young
models displayed.
There’s an old expression "A
good time was had by all.” And
this certainly held true of that
banquet, honoring parents of the
members of the club, if every
one there enjoyed it as much as
did Good Evening.
Weather:
FORECAST FOR GRIFFIN
AREA — Mostly clear tonight
and Sunday. Windy and turning
colder tonight. Quite cold again
Sunday.
LOCAL WEATHER — High
today 57, low today 30, high
Friday 55, low Friday 27; sun
rise Sunday 7:22, sunset Sunday
6:27.
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Face Os War
BATTLE OF THE CITIES in Vietnam has brought
suffering to all concerned. These photos show a
wounded Marine being comforted by a chaplain at
Hue; a little boy trying to play with what’s left of a
bicycle; and a captured Viet Cong suspect interro
gated at knifepoint.
Three Pilots
On Way Home
MANILA (UPD—Three U.S.
pilots released by North Viet
nam stopped for lunch, haircuts
and medical checkups today at
Clark Air Force Base, then
resumed the flight home for
reunions with their families.
They were the first prisoners
of war released by Hanoi. North
Vietnam said it let them go as
an Asian new year goodwill
gesture.
The three pilots are Air Force
Maj. Norris M. Overly 38,
whose wife Nola lives at
Wurtsmith AFB, Oscoda, Mich.;
Air Force Capt. Jon D. Black,
30, whose wife Carol lives in
Laredo, Tex.; and Navy Lt.
(J.G.) David P. Matheny, whose
parents, Mr. and Mrs. C.S.
Matheny, live in Bakersfield,
Calif.
The three posed for pictures
before leaving Clark and each
said he had talked by telephone
with his family from Thailand.
They arrived wearing striped
bathrobes over pajamas but
when they left, they were in
sharp military tan shirts and
trousers.
The Air Force gave each man
a thorough physical at the
military’s No. 1 medical facility
in Asia. Each had a haircut and
a lunch of steak and eggs.
Overly said all three were
Draft Change Expected
To Renew ‘Lottery’ Plea
WASHINGTON (UPD—Pres
ident Johnson's decision ■to
abolish graduate school and
occupational draft deferments
promises to stir up new
demands in Congress for some
form of lottery selection system.
Speaking for a major segment
of the academic community,
President Logan Wilson of the
American Council in Education
urged “the administration and
Congress to consider a system
of random selection at the
earliest possible moment" to
spread the impact of the
decision over all ages and
classifications of draft eligibles.
Under the new Selective
Service regulations announced
Friday, only graduate students
in medical or dental fields or
who those in at least their
second year of higher schooling
will be granted deferments.
National classifications of
deferable occupations were also
abolished, and although local
boards may still grant such
exemptions “on a showing of
essential community need," this
category of deferment was
DAILY
Daily Since 1872 Griffin, Ga., 30223, Sat. and Sun., Feb. 17-18, 1968
“feeling fine” and “really
happy” about going home. They
declined to make further
comment.
In Bangkok, where the three
changed planes after a flight
from Hanoi, American pacifists
who escorted the airmen frmo
Hanoi said Premier Pham Van
Dong told them North Vietnam
“will talk peace seriously” once
the United States stops bombing
his country.
The Rev. Daniel Berrigan of
Cornell University and Prof.
Howard Zinn of Boston Univer
sity were the pacifists who went
to Hanoi at the invitation of the
North Vietnamese to pickup the
three airmen.
Zinn and Berrigan were not
aboard the Air Force plane that
brought Overly, Black and
Matheny from Vientiane, Laos,
to Clark. An Air Force
spokesman said he did not know
where the pacifists were.
Zinn and Berrigan argued
with the U.S. ambassador to
Laos, Williao Sullivan, who
wanted the three returning
prisoners to complete their
flight in a U.S. military plane.
The first two legs had been in a
plane belonging to the Interna
tional Control Commission, set
up by the 1954 Geneva
Convention.
virtually eliminated under the
new regulations.
Estimates of the number of
previously deferred men who
will become subject to imme
diate callups ranged to more
than 800,000.
The existing practice of
drafting the oldest eligible
males ahead of younger eligi
bles was not changed by
Friday’s announcement, mean
ing new college graduates this
year and students ending their
first year of graduate school
will be at the top of the list.
Empty Graduate Schools
In House hearings earlier this
month, academic spokesmen
said such a change in regula
tions as adopted Friday would
empty graduate schools, deny
colleges and universities their
source of instructors and take
away large numbers of ad
vanced students working part
time in laboratory research.
The spokesmen said replacing
the system of taking the oldest
men first with a random
selection method would ease the
Impact on he academic com-
5-STAR WEEKEND EDITION
GRIFFIN
Stolen Sounds
DAYTON, Ohio (UPD—This
Ohio community has at least
one hot band.
Thieves stole $6,900 worth of
musical instruments from the
Dayton Band Instrument Co.
Friday. Among them were 13
guitars, an amplifiers, cymbals,
a set of microphones and a
trumpet.
The catch of the loot was an
electric organ so big the
robbers had to take its legs off
before they could get it out the
door.
House Approves
Budget Outlay Os
$858.1 - Million
By DON PHILIPS
ATLANTA (UPD —The Geor
gia House cut barely half the
amount it pledged to trim from
Gov. Lester Maddox’s proposed
budget Friday but a fiscal ex
pert said no tax increase would
be needed if the state’s
economy maintains its present
pace.
The House passed and sent to
the Senate a $858.1 million bud
get $1.16 million more than
the House Appropriations Com
mittee had recommended but
$16.4 million less than Maddox
had asked for.
State Budget Officer Wilson
Wilkes said there would be no
need for a tax increase next
year if the economy stays
Robbers Use
Disabling Spray
On Mail Truck
SMYRNA, Ga. (UPD —A dis
abling spray normally used by
crime-fighters fell into the
hands of the lawless Friday
night and was used in the rob
bery of a U.S. mail truck.
The amoant of money taken,
which was destined for bank
deposit, was estimated to be in
excess of $7,000.
The chemical—believed to be
the type widely used last sum
mer by police to break up riots
— was used to overpower a
postal truck driver.
Two gunmen, dressed in dark
clothing ana black ski masks,
disabled Mickey L. Jackson, 25,
outside the Bank of Smyrna
shortly before 8 p.m., then
snatched a mail sack from a
female helper who was in the
back of the truck.
The mail truck had made
pickups from the mam post of
fice and six branch offices be-,
fore going to make the deposit.
Officers said when Jackson
stopped the truck to make the
deposit and got out of the ve
hicle, the two masked gunmen
rushed up and demanded the
sack containing the deposit. Po
lice said Jackson struggled with
one of the bandits, then broke
free and tried to run for help.
The second robber sprayed an
eye-irritating chemical in Jack
son’s face.
munity and provide "fairness
and equity” for all men subject
to the draft.
Logan, whose American Coun
cil on Education represents
1,500 colleges and universities,
called the Selective Service
action “alarming” and “short
sighted.”
Hits At Occupations
Friday’s order will cover
339,474 fulltime workers and
41,161 apprentices who had
occupational deferments, Selec
tive Service headquarters said.
It will also make eligible for
the draft about 433,000 students,
according the scientific man
power commission, a non
government agency created by
private scientific organizations.
Included in that figure were
187,000 students who will
receive bachelor’s degrees this
June; 144,000 first year fulltime
graduate students; 74,000 gra
duate students who have not yet
entered their second year of
graduate study, and 28,000
graduate students receiving
their master’s degrees this
year.
Death Penalty
Asked For Smith
healthy.
Added on the House floor was
$250,000 for air conditioning at
Gracewood State Hospital for
mentally retarted children.
Macon Rep. Bill Laite, who has
a child at the institution, spoke
to overcome objections by
House leaders who protested
that the equipment had not
been requested by the State
Health Department.
The House rejected amend
ments calling for regional hos
pitals in Rome and Columbus.
Other additional funds added
by the House included salary
raises for solicitors general, fi
nancing for a tax digest audit,
school building funds, money to
send Georgia flags to service
men overseas, funds to imple
ment new strip mining controls
and construction funds for
Jekyll Island.
There were a number of close
votes and some strained temp
ers during the day-long session.
However, House and admin
istration leaders teamed on
most votes. The two forces had
worked out a compromise on
most issues several days ago
after several weeks of bicker
ing.
House Speaker George L.
Smith said the budget as passed
by the House is “a bill to put
Georgia on the road to pro
gress — but without a tax in
crease.”
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James T. Doughtie
Doughtie Named
President Os
Griffin Rotary
James T. Doughtie has been
elected president of the Grif
fin Rotary Club and will take
office July 1. This announcement
was made by current president
Frank Thomas at the annual la
dies night banquet Friday.
Mr. Doughtie is vice president
of Crompton-Highland Mills
and formerly served Rotary as
president of the Morrilton, Ark.
club. He has held several offi
ces in the Griffin Club includ
ing terms on the board of direc
tors.
Mr. Doughtie has been active
in Griffin civic affairs. He is a
past president of the United
Fund and the Griffin-Spalding
County Chamber of Commerce.
He is a member of St. George’s
Episcopal Church and has ser
ved in various lay capacities in
cluding Senior Warden.
Scheduled to serve as direc
tors for the next Rotary year al
ong with Mr. Doughtie are new
ly elected directors James B.
Dunaway, Bob Forio, Hope Ham
mond and Henry Walker. Also
serving will be carryover bo
ard members Lewis Brewer, Otis
Blake, Jr., Hubert Sullins and
Frank Thomas.
Vol. 96 No. 41
Final Arguments In Trial Begin;
Carol Jean Tells About Slaying
By ROGER DIX
Sol. Gen. Andrew Whalen, Jr.
this morning said that in t h e
event the Ronald L. Smith jury
finds the defendant guilty it
should be without a recommen
dation of mercy.
“If you find him guilty, "find
him guilty, period. Make no re
commendation of mercy.
Such a verdict would auto
matically call for the death
penalty.
Sol. Gen, Whalen began his
arguments for the state at 9:05
a.m. He ended the argument at
10:32 a.m. ..
The solciitor called the death
of Charles Vaughn “no ordinary
murder.”
“This boy was executed,” he
said.
“He was executed, murdered
in the truest sense of the
word,” the solicitor stated.
Carol Jean Cone Smith, com
mon-law-wife of Ronald Smith,
testified in Spalding County Su
perior Court Friday that she
was with her husband when he
killed Charles Vaughn.
Ronnie Smith took the witness
stand Friday night and told the
jury that he was not guilty of
the crime.
He said he never killed Char
les Vaughn or any other man.
Carol Jean took the witness
stand at 1:20 p.m. and was on
and off of it until 4:18 p.m.
Before she began her testi
mony, Judge John H. McGehee
carefully instructed Carol Jean
that she was not compelled to
testify.
She was also told that she had
the right to refuse to answer any
question that might place her
in jeopardy. She was also told
that she had the right to refuse
to answer any question.
She said that she wanted to
testify.
In her testimony, she said that
she and Ronnie Smith had been
to Kansas City, Mo., and had re
turned home on the night of
June 9, 1967.
TELEPHONED
She testified that she telephon
ed Charles Vaughn on instruc
tions of her husband. She said
that Ronnie was in the back seat
of the car when she met Char
les at the high school parking
lot. She said that Ronnie had a
.32 caliber pistol at the time.
She testified that she drove up
near Charles’ car and asked if
they could go somewhere else.
She said Charles told her to fol
low him.
Carol Jean told the court that
she followed Charles to County
Line road and that Charles pull
ed off the shoulder of the road
and she parked near his car.
She testified that Ronnie had
the gun on Charles and Charles
told him that he didn’t want any
trouble and that if he (Ronnie)
would let him go that he would
tell no one.
She told the court that the
spare tire was taken from Char
les’ car.
The witness testified that Ron
nie sat in the front seat of their
car and held a gun between the
seats.
She said she drove to Dutch-
Country Parson
“If you were wrong, admit
it — that’s a humble way of
saying you’re now smarter
than you were.”
man road.
TIED HANDS
She said they got out and Ron
nie gave her the pistol while he
(Ronnie) tied Charles’ hands,
and made him lay on the ground
while he tied his feet.
"Ronnie told me to kill him. I
handed him the gun and told
him that if he wanted him kill
ed that he would have to do it,”
Carol Jean testified.
She told the court that she was
walking away when she heard a
shot, turned and saw Charles sl
ump over. She said she placed
her hands over her ears and
didn’t know how many more
shots were fired.
She testified that she and Ron
nie then left the area.
Carol Jean told the court that
Ronnie threw the pistol and clip
into a pond and that he threw
the rim away also.
She said that Ronnie tore up
Charles’ pocketbook and threw
it out the car window.
Before undergoin questioning
by Reuben Garland, Smith’s
leading counsel, Carol Jean ask
ed for a drink of water.
She told the court and Mr. Gar
land that she told all of it and
did not keep anything back.
Mr. Garland handed Carol
Jean a murder indictment again
st her and asked her to read It
aloud. She did.
DEATH PENALTY
Mr. Garland asked her if she
knew the penalties under the
indictment. She testified that she
knew it was the death penalty.
Mr. Garland asked her if she
was “sane or insane.”
She said sane.
“Did you say insane,” Mr.
Garland asked.
"No. I said, s-a-n-e,” Carol
Jean said in a near scream.
“Are you positive of it,” Mr.
Garland questioned. ‘l’m posi
tive,” she replied.
Carol Jean testified that she
was with Ronnie when he bou
ght the gun. Mr. Garland asked
that if she bought the gun. She
said Ronnie did.
Mr. Garland asked whether or
not she applied for a pistol to
ters license. She said she did at
Ronnie’s request. She said she
signed the license.
Carol Jean answered a ques
tion by saying:
"I love him, but I’m not going
to jail for something I didn’t do.”
She said she realized that she
was under a murder indictment.
She testified that Ronnie paid
for the gun and that she never
carried it while in Griffin.
LOVE HIM
At one point, Carol Jean said
of Ronnie:
“I loved him, and I love him
now."
She said she was afraid of her
husband.
Carol Jean testified that she
had several dates with Char
les Vaughn.
Carol Jean refused to answer
one question by Mr. Garland.
Carol Jean and the jury were
taken from the court while Mr.
Garland made a motion that all
her previous testimony be st
ricken from the record.
Judge McGehee overruled the
motion.
Carol Jean and the jury re
turned to court.
Mr. Garland attempted to
question her about some of her
boyfriends before she became
the common-law-wife of Ronnie
Smith.
The court ruled that such ques
tions had no bearing on the case
under trial and ruled out all of
them.
LETTER
Mr. Garland attempted to
question her about a letter the
counsel said was written by
Carol Jean to Ronnie only a few
days ago.
Judge McGehee ruled that he
could not quote or read from the
letter unless it was presented in
evidence.
Mr. Garland said he would not
tender it as evidence.
Mr. Garland asked Carol Jean
that if she had ever said that she
loved Ronnie but was going to
kill him.
She answered:
“X have said I loved him but
never to kill him.”
Carol Jean admitted that
she had a miscarriage about
four and a half months after she
was placed in jail.
Mr. Garland asked when she
became the common - law wife
of the defendant.
She said it was on Dec. 30.
Carol Jean testified that a
common - law marriage meant
“going through public as man
and wife.”
BOYFRIENDS
Mr. Garland again tried to
question her about her previous
boyfriends.
The court ruled that such
questions had no bearing on the
case.
Carol Jean said that she was
a common-law wife once before.
“It was annulled” she said.
She read a list of names hand
ed her by Mr. Garland and she
said she knew the men.
She testified that she never ac
companied any other man to
Dutchman road.
She told the court that she
said only two words to Charles
Vaughn. Those words were:
“I’m sorry.”
Mr. Garland, just before clos
ing his questioning, asked Carol
Jean if she ever prayed for the
child to die. She answered that
she didn’t want the child and
prayed for the child to die.
She left the stand at 4:18 p.m.
Mr. Garland again renewed
his motions to strike all her tes
timony from the record because
she refused to answer two ques
tions.
The court overruled the mo
tion.
EVIDENCE
Sol. Gen. Andrew Whalen ten
dered in evidence a pistol, a pi
ece of rope, some car keys,
some bullets and cartridge cas
es, photographs made at the
scene, photographs made at the
hospital, and an auto rim.
Two viles of paint samples
were not admitted and a chart,
drawn by Det. Capt. Ronnie Ir
vin, was not admitted as evi
dence.
Edward Garland, Smith's as
sistant counsel, objected to se
veral of the items being admit
ted as evidence.
His motions were overruled.
Court reconvened at 7:30 Fri
day night.
The largest crowd ever in the
Spalding courtroom was on
hand.
The crowd was so large that
Judge McGehee warned of the
clamity that might occur becau
se of the excessive number of
people in the balcony.
BALCONY
"I can’t help but be concern
ed. If it fell, a lot of people wou
ld get terribly hurt. I can’t help
but be concerned,” he said.
The night session opened with
the Garlands making many mo
tions. All of them were overrul
ed.
Edward Garland made mo
tions that the testimony of Sher
iff Gilbert, Assistant Police Chief
Bobby Joe Conner, Det. Capt.
Irvin, Diane Norton, Kenneth
Moore, Dr. Larry Howard, Ca
rol Jean Smith, Woodrow New
man and Eddie Coe be stricken
from the record because their
testimony did not connect the
defendant with the crime.
The motions were overruled.
He also made a motion that
the judge give a directed ver
dict because of insufficient evi
dence. It was overruled.
Mr. Garland made one motion
that lasted nearly two hours. It
was overruled.
After all the motions, Carol
Jean was recalled.
She was asked about a picture
of Charles Vaughn that had
been cut from a school annual.
She testified that she scratched
through the picture with a pen
but that Ronnie cut it out.
"Did you ever say you was go
ing to kill Charles Vaughn?”,
Mr. Garland asked her. “I ne
ver said that,” she replied.
She testified that she had ne
ver said she loved Charles or
never said she hated him either.
She testified that Ronnie was
Continued on page two