Newspaper Page Text
Inside Tip
Storms
See Page 28
City seeks public opinion
on self service gas pumps
Self service gasoline pumps
came under fire here last night.
A delegation of service station
operators told the City Com-
■r 9 »
■X * v W /
ok X
WwTx"' - I§B9bbu_ *■
Bill Reeves (r) congratulates Elk Leadership award
winners Carla Cartledge, first place girls: Ann Slade,
second place girls; and Jeff Watkins, first place boys. The
State mounts evidence
in Molena robbery
Evidence continued to pile up
in Zebulon court yesterday
against the three Molena bank
robbery suspects when testi
mony from a DOI agent brought
out that the shoe worn by one of
the defendants matched foot
prints found at the home of the
robbery-kidnap victims.
Special Agent Dan Rakestraw
identified mustard colored
tennis shoes worn by A. D. Allen
at the time of his arrest as being
the same kind that made foot
prints outside the Barker home
the night of the robbery.
Rakestraw took photographs
and a plaster cast of the foot
prints to show that they match
ed the shoe soles. He also identi
fied other articles of clothing
worn by Allen and Wayman
Patrick which matched the
description bank executive
John Barker and his wife gave
lawmen of the robbers.
The Barkers, along with their
two-year-old son, were held
Two linked to clothing ring
ATLANTA (UPI)— A federal
grand jury has indicted 13 per
sons for alleged involvement in
an interstate stolen clothing
ring, including two of the men
being tried in Zebulon for the
robbery of the Bank of Molena.
Leo E. Conroy, special agent
in charge of the Atlanta FBI
office, said Tuesday night Am
brew DeWitt Allen Jr. of Com
merce has been charged with
conspiracy and Charles Way
* mon Patrick of Maysville with
conspiracy and interstate
transportation of stolen
, property and a stolen car.
missioners they believe the self
service pumps are hazardous.
They objected to a proposed
city ordinance the commission-
Leadership winners
hostage for some 10 hours by
three masked men who crashed
into their Molena home, held
them throughout the night, took
them to the Bank of Molena
where more than $18,700 in
change and bills was taken from
the safe and time vault.
The robbers left the Barkers
and two other bank employees
bound in the bank and escaped
in the family’s late model
station wagon which they later
wrecked. The Barker’s house
also was ransacked and
burglarized of tools and
jewelry.
The men were wearing masks
and although the Barkers did
not see their faces, they have
identified two of the suspects,
Allen and Daniel Warren, by
their voices and mannerisms.
They both said they have not
heard the voice of Wayman
Patrick, the third suspect.
Mrs. Barker said die heard
Alien’s voice in court Monday
Allen and Patrick, along with
Daniel Warren of Nicholson,
have been charged with the Oct.
22 robbery of the Molena bank
and kidnaping of a bank official
and his family.
Aubrey Joe Allen, Allen’s
brother, and his wife, Ann, of
Commerce, have been charged
with conspiracy.
Conroy said five persons were
arrested—Jerry Dan Harris of
Washington, Journey Boswell
and his wife, Louise, of Mays
ville and Robert Gary of Smyr
na—for theft from interstate
shipments and interstate trans-
DAILY
Vol. 101 No. 281
ers had before them setting up
regulations for self service
operations.
Self service pumps run about
first place winners received SIOO each from the Griffin
Lodge and the second place winner received SSO. The first
place winners have been entered in state competition.
and recognized it at once as the
voice of one of the robbers. Her
husband said he overheard a
conversation between Allen and
his attorney during the commit
ment hearing in Thomaston on
Oct. 30, and after the hearing
told court officials that Allen
was one of the men who broke
into his home.
Both also identified Daniel
Warren at a line up in Fayette
County. Warren had an unusual
nervous stance, both at their
house and in the line up, they
said. They also recognized his
coloring and his North Georgia
accent in the lineup.
The state presented eight of
its expected 20 witnesses
yesterday.
In addition to the Barkers and
Rakestraw, they included Pike
Sheriff J. Astor Riggins who
told of setting up the massive
manhunt and road blocks for
the suspects and of notifying
other lawmen in the area and
portation of stolen property.
Conspiracy warrants were is
sued for Allen Marion Howell of
Janfson County, Billy Wayne
Dooley of Hall County, Marvin
Davis Harris of Gainesville, and
Keith Fair of Alto.
Conroy said the 13 were
named in a broad indictment is
sued Monday by a federal grand
jury in Atlanta in connection
with a stolen clothing ring oper
ating between Georgia and
South Carolina.
The Allens, along with two
South Carolina men, were in
dicted by a South Carolina
GRIFFIN
Griffin, Ga., 30223, Wednesday, November 28, 1973
five cents a gallon cheaper than
the conventional pumps.
The commissioners at
tempted to settle the issue and
state and federal officials of the
incident.
Fayette County Sheriff James
A. Jones testified that he had
received a description of the
getaway car from Sheriff
Riggins when he met the car
headed toward his car on Ga. 85,
about six miles from Fayette
ville. He said he turned his
vehicle around and followed the
car. The robbers wrecked the
Barker’s station wagon in some
bushes, Jones testified, then left
the auto and ran into a wooded
area. A Russian hat one of the
robbers was wearing was found
near the abandoned car.
Jones said he radioed for help
and within minutes about 100 or
more lawmen were involved in
the search for the suspects.
He added the manhunt in
cluded bloodhounds, helicopters
and airplanes.
Griffin State Patrol Post
Commander A. W. Murphy
(Continued on Page 3.)
grand jury last month and
charged with involvement in the
ring.
FBI agents raided the Allen
homes in Commerce in March
and again in July, Conroy said,
and seized large quantities of
stolen clothing.
Raids were conducted on fac
tory outlet stores operated by
Gary in Smyrna and the Bos
wells in Maysfield and stolen
clothing seized, he said.
Arraignment for the 13 will
be Nov. 30 in U.S. District
Court in Gainesville.
NEWS
three motions on the ordinance
were made. None of them were
seconded and Chairman Louis
Goldstein declared the or
dinance automatically tabled.
He said it would be on the
agenda at the next commission
meeting.
Chairman Goldstein and the
other commissioners indicated
they would like to get the
public’s reaction to self service
pumps.
They invited citizens to ex
press themselves.
Tom Smith, who operates a
service station at West Taylor
and Sixth streets, read a state
ment from some station opera
tors objecting to self service.
The danger in operating a gas
pump was stressed.
Smith said looking ahead,
that if self service stations take
over the community, then
motorists no longer would have
other services promoting safety
that stations now offer.
David Hightower who
operates a station at South Hill
and Poplar streets said he never
would install a self service
pump. He said the average
citizen does not realize what it
takes to give motorists proper
service.
The possible business loss
didn’t worry Hightower as
much as the safety involved, he
said.
Commissioner Preston Bunn
asked if the commissioners
were about to go off half-cocked
in considering the ordinance.
He made a motion it be tabled
until more information could be
secured. There was no second.
Commissioner R. L.
(Skeeter) Norsworthy made a
motion that the commissioners
not approve the ordinance, and
in effect killing the self service
pumps in the city.
There was no second to his
motion.
Norsworthy questioned the
safety of the self service pumps.
He commented that the ex
perts said the Titanic couldn’t
sink but it did. This brought
chuckles from the audience.
Commissioner Raymond
Head made a motion that the
commissioners approve the
ordinance. There was no
second.
Chairman Goldstein declared
it automatically tabled.
Head said he had used self
service pumps in other states
and they seemed to be popular
and serving a need.
He commented that some of
the service the station operators
said they offered was lacking at
the places he used. He said
about all some of them do is
pump gas.
One station man in the
audience commented, “You’re
going to the wrong places.”
City Manager Roy Inman
read a report from the State
Fire Marshall’s office stating
that the Kiwcki Food Store at
Highway 19 and Ethridge Mill
road had met state regulations
in operating its self service
pumps.
The store has three pumps
and apparently are the only
ones in the city. The station
operators referred to a self
service station on the North Ex
pressway which is outside the
city.
The operators said they
questioned the legality of allow
ing the Kwicki store to install
the pumps, since the city had
not adopted an ordinance on
them in the first place.
During the discussion, it was
brought out that some 200
places in Georgia now offer self
service gas.
It also was pointed out that
Macon had passed an ordinance
against the self service pumps
and had been upheld in a court
test case.
Daily Since 1872
I
, • rl
Griffinites escaped from this plane
Griffinites
safe in crash
A Griffin woman and her 14-
month-old daughter escaped
injury in the crash of a Delta DC
9 jet liner landing at the airport
in Chattanooga, Tenn, last
night.
Mrs. Richard Thompson and
daughter, Lori, of Parkview
drive were aboard the plane.
They were on their way to
visit relatives, Mr. and Mrs.
Don Ray in Chattanooga.
Mrs. Thompson is the
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Earl
Bobier of Griffin.
Mr. and Mrs. Ray were at
Lovell Field to meet the plane.
Mrs. Ray saw the plane crash
and dashed to a telephone.
She got through to Mrs.
Bobier in Griffin and began
screaming to know if Mrs.
Thompson was on the airliner.
“Please tell me she’s not on
it,” Mrs. Ray said.
The telephone operator cut off
the conversation to find out if
Mrs. Bobier would accept a
collect call. She did.
After a delay in communica
tions the call came through
again and Mrs. Ray continued
to tell about the plane crash.
Mrs. Bobier said her daughter
Tax talk
scheduled
Rep. John Carlisle has
scheduled a public meeting
Dec. 5 to get public opinion on a
plan to adopt a land use tax to
replace the advalorem tax
system.
The location and other details
of the meeting will be an
nounced.
Weather
ESTIMATED HIGH TODAY
68, low today 57, high yesterday
81, low yesterday 66, total
rainfall .91 of an inch, high
tomorrow in mid 50s. low
tonight in mid 30s. Sunrise
tomorrow 7:24, sunset
tomorrow 5:27.
and granddaughter had caught
the plane from Atlanta.
As the two talked on the tele
phone, Mrs. Ray would lay
down the receiver, go have a
look at the crash scene, and
come back to report to the
Griffinites.
She told Mrs. Bobier how
some of the passengers were
beginning to get off the plane.
Mrs. Ray said some of the
passengers were being taken to
another building. She said she
would hang up and go to the
building to try to find the
Griffinites.
Mrs. Ray finally located Mrs.
Thompson and daughter in the
building. Mr. Ray telephoned
Mrs. Bobier again in Griffin to
say they were all right but that
Mrs. Thompson was so upset
she couldn’t talk right then.
She called her mother later
from the Ray home.
Mrs. Thompson had planned
to stay in Chattanooga with the
Rays until Friday. But they
were on their way back to
Griffin today in the Ray
automobile.
Mrs. Thompson said she
didn’t know whether she ever
would want to fly again.
Her husband works for Delta
Airlines in Atlanta.
Mrs. Thompson lost her
glasses in the accident.
Otherwise, she and her
daughter were not hurt.
Mrs. Thompson said the pilot
came on and said the plane
would circle the field because of
bad weather. She said she had a
funny feeling when he said that.
She said when the plane
landed it started bumping real
bad and she saw the wing catch
fire. The plane’s lights went out.
The passengers remained
calm, Mrs. Thompson related.
They were out of the craft in a
few minutes.
Only two of the 77 people on
board were admitted to a
hospital. The pilot, Capt. Ralph
Hackley of Boston, and a
passenger were admitted with
fractured vertebrae. Eight other
persons, including two steward
esses, were treated and re
leased.
John Stacy, 28, a passenger
from Dallas, said the plane
Forecast
Cold
Map Page 15
—-
-
WOW
“Folks who don’t know the
answers can serve well by
asking the right questions.”
touched down with a “tremen
dous thud,” tilted and broke
off the left wing.
“On approach, everything
was normal but I heard a
thump when it hit the runway,”
Stacy said. “It hit the runway,
tilted over and the left wing
was knocked off, and it bounced
back up.
“It slid on the fuselage and
came to a stop off the runway
at about a 45-degree angle,”
Stacy said.
The plane, Flight 516, was
bound for Chicago from Atlanta
with a stopover here.
It carried five crewmen, two
Delta employes and 70 passen
gers.
“It all happened so fast,”
Stacy said. “There wasn’t any
panic until we came to a stop
and then people started scream
ing, which is to be expected.”
“It’s just remarkable there
were no serious injuries of any
passengers. I have to give the
pilots credit. They did remark
ably well to keep it on the
runway as long as they did.”
Stacy, Southwest district
manager for a carpet firm
based in Dalton, Ga., said he
expected to go to work today
in ragged clothes.
Patten, of Tennessee Airmo
tive, a flying service, said he
was in his office about 200
yards from the runway when
“I saw a flash of light.
“I turned around and saw the
airplane over the approach
lights with fire streaming be
hind it. It hit the runway and
slid about 400 feet, just barely
off the runway and it turned
at about a 20-degree angle.
“There were two large fires
burning in the approach lights,
apparently from spilled fuel.
Another small fire was beside
the plane and it promptly went
out,” Patten said.
“I ran down and got into my
car and drove out there. I was
amazed at how quickly the
passengers got out. Most of
them were already out by the
time I got there.”
Patten said he loaded the
pilot and the co-pilot into his
station wagon and brought them
to his building to wait for an
ambulance.