Newspaper Page Text
Many Griffin stores open tonight till 8:30
Inside Tip
Teeh-Ga.
See Page 8
Two suspects say
they were deer hunting
Witness charged
with perjury
A. D. Allen and Charles Pat
» rick told a Pike County jury this
morning they were deer hunting
in Fayette County when they
were arrested as suspects in the
' robbery of the Bank of Molena.
Allen went into detail about
the deer hunt. He told how he
, was in a deer stand and seven
deer passed nearby.
Judge Andrew Whalen in
terrupted his testimony to say:
k “Before you kill that deer,
let’s let these jurors have a
recess.” Court recessed.
A prominent Banks County
' man was arrested and charged
with perjury in court yesterday
following his testimony in
h defense of Allen.
The charges were brought
against Herbert Garrison of
Homer following his testimony
» that Allen did not tell him what
to say during a court recess just
before the defense witnesses
were to testify.
According to Pike Sheriff J.
Astor Riggins, a Zebulon police
officer, a DOI agent, and a state
p trooper heard Allen tell Garri
son to get on the stand and say
that he (Allen) was at Garri
son’s house around midnight on
> Oct. 22.
Allen and two other men,
Waymon Patrick of Maysville
and Daniel Warren of Nichol
son, are being tried on charges
of breaking into the Johnny
Barker home in Molena on the
night of Oct. 22, holding the
young bank executive, his wife
and small son hostages for some
nine hours, robbing the Bank of
• Molena, then fleeing in the
Barker station wagon.
Yesterday the defense called
11 witnesses, all of whom swore
they were either with or saw one
or more of the defendants the
night the crimes were com-
> mitted.
Garrison was a surprise
witness. He was not subpoenaed
and said he came after
’ receiving a call from Mrs. Ann
Allen yesterday morning to
come testify on her husband’s
, behalf.
Garrison said he is in the
lumber, building supply and
real estate businesses, in ad-
• dition to owning the town’s only
cotton gin and being a cotton
buyer.
He said Allen came to his
house around midnight, while
he and his wife were entertain
ing several couples at a card
, party, to tell him that some tires
he had ordered had come in.
The time was not unusual, he
added, as he and Allen do busi-
• ness with each other and Allen
had come to his home several
times late at night.
He said Allen came into a
small den and spoke to others at
the party, including the clerk of
the court in Banks County.
n, Garrison said he first realized
Allen was involved in the
Molena bank robbery when he
and the Banks County Sheriff,
• who also was selected “Man of
the Year” there, were driving
home from a soil conservation
meeting in Hartwell and heard
a radio report of the incident.
He added he did not connect the
time of the robbery until the
next day when he read the
newspapers.
He said he did not tell the
, sheriff about it but agreed to
come to Zebulon yesterday
when Mrs. Allen called and
asked him to come.
Under cross examination,
District Attorney Ben Miller
asked Garrison if he was a
pillar in his community.
When he answered, “I’d hope
I’d be,” Judge Whalen said,
“We’d all hope we’d be. Answer
the question”.
Garrison hesitatingly an
swered, “I’d say yes. I put the
water system in Homer
(population around 500) and
own businesses in the town.”
Miller then asked, “Why in
your position did you not go to
your friend, the sheriff, the
‘Man of the Year’, and tell him
that Allen was in your house and
could not have committed that
crime?”
Garrison again hesitated and
said he could not answer that.
He said, “I ain’t down here on
this stand to tell lies to nobody,
I’ll tell you that.”
When asked by Miller if Allen
told him to say he was at his
house the night of the crime,
Garrison answered, “No, I told
him I would.” He said he and
Allen discussed another wit
ness, an ex-GBI agent, Allen
saw that night and “I told Allen,
if he’d get the subpoena I’d
carry it to him.”
As soon as the courtroom was
cleared, around 5:30 p.m.,
Sheriff Riggins gave Garrison a
warrant charging him with
perjury.
Garrison pleaded with the
sheriff, “All I’m asking is that
you don’t put me behind those
bars and lock that door because
I ain’t ever been in jail in my
life.”
Garrison was taken across
the street to the sheriff’s office
where Riggins said he would set
bond for Garrison at SI,OOO.
Other witnesses who testified
they saw or were with Allen the
night of Oct. 22 were Mr. and
Mrs. Milton Bushea, who live
next to the Allen mobile home in
Commerce where Mrs. Bushea
operates a package store for
Allen; Albert Patrick, defen
dant Waymon Patrick’s
brother, who said he saw Allen
“checking up at the beer joint”,
(Confederate Corners, owned
by Allen); and Alien’s wife’s 16-
year-old sister, Kay Bullock,
who said she had lived with the
Allens and was with him the
night of Oct. 22.
Mrs. Bushea was recalled to
the witness stand this morning.
District Attorney Ben Miller
questioned her about the
package store she operates for
Allen.
He asked what the store sold
and Mrs. Bushea replied,
liquor, beer, wine and potato
chips.
Miller asked if it were an
illegal business and Mrs.
Bushea replied it was, that it did
not have a license and operated
seven days a week.
He asked if it were a bootleg
business operated for Allen.
She answered, “Yes, if that’s
what you want to call it”
Four witnesses testified for
Waymon Patrick. They all said
they had seen him the night of
the robbery.
His girl friend, Sybil Sears, a
telephone operator, said she
had a date with him from 8 p.m.
till around 3 a.m. on Oct. 22 and
that they went to his mother’s
home for a few minutes that
night to pick up some clean
clothes he could wear “to make
bond” the next day.
His mother, Mrs. Willie Mae
Patrick, and brother’s wife,
Mrs. Louise Patrick, both said
the couple came by their house
DAILY
Vol. 101 No. 283
to get the clothes, but none of
the three women seemed to
know where Patrick was going
to make bond or what he had
done to need to make a bond.
His mother said she did not
know her son had been arrested
until she read about it in a
newspaper and she remem
bered saying to others in the
house that it “could not have
been my son, because he was
here”. She said she did not call
the sheriff and tell him, though.
Mrs. Louise Patrick, the
sister-in-law, said she was up
waiting for her husband to come
home from the pool hall where
he “stays quite a bit”, when
Miss Sears and Waymon
Patrick came to pick up the
clothes.
When she took the stand, she
said, “I’m scared to death.”
District Attorney Ben Miller
asked her if she had gone over
her story many times before she
came into the courtroom and
she said she had.
He told her she had done a
fine job and he would not ask
her any more questions.
Jerry Mealor of Orchard
drive in Commerce said he was
at the pool hall, where he goes
several times a week, when he
heard about the bank robbery.
He said he remembered then he
had talked with Patrick for
several minutes the night of
Oct. 22.
Mealor admitted he was
questioned as a suspect of the
robbery by two FBI agents who
wanted to know where he was
that night.
The third suspect being tried,
Daniel Warren, took the stand
and said he did not know where
he was the night of the robbery,
that he did not do it and he could
not have run during the two-day
man hunt, as he has heart
trouble and cannot run.
He said doctors had told him
he needed to undergo open heart
surgery. He admitted he had not
seen a doctor in four or five
years, other than a doctor
brought to the Thomas jail
following his arrest.
Two of his Jefferson friends
also swore they saw him the
same days he was accused of
being in Pike and Fayette
Counties.
Santa to boost
Toys for Tots
Santa will have an encore
Saturday to his appearance last
night in the annual Griffin
Christmas Parade, but this time
it will be to help thousands of
youngsters have a happier holi
day.
Arriving by helicopter at the
airport, Santa will travel to the
Parkwood Cinema at 1 p.m. to
help kickoff the local Marine
Reserve unit’s Toys for Tots
Program.
In its second year locally, the
Toys for Tots program
distributed 50,000 toys last year
in the five county area of Spald
ing, Pike, Upson, Henry and
Fayette Counties.
According to Sgt. Major John
T. Elkins of the U. S. Marine
Helicopter Reserves 765th
Squadron and local program
director, the object is to collect
GRIFFIN
Griffin, Ga., 30223, Friday, November 30, 1973
Warren, who was identified
by the Barker’s in a Fayette
County line up, said he could not
explain why his fingerprints
were on a car stolen in Fayette
during the manhunt.
Warren’s wife, who was
arrested for conspiracy to
kidnap in connection with the
abduction of a Jonesboro
minister’s wife and daughter
last week, was brought to Pike
County to be a witness for her
husband, but was carried to
another jail when the defense
decided not to use her testi
mony, lawmen said.
Two auto mechanics, A. G.
Gibson, 25, of Jefferson, and his
brother-in-law, Bobby Archer,
48, also of Jefferson, testified
that Warren had come into their
shop both the day the Barker
home was invaded and the next
day — the day of the bank
robbery and start of the man
hunt.
Archer, who said he owns the
shop, said that Warren came
back to his business to pick up a
car he had left for repairs when
they heard the report of the
bank robbery on the radio for
the first time on Tuesday, Oct.
23, about 5 p.m. Archer testified
he remembered Warren’s
saying, “I wonder who could
have did that?”
He said the next day he went
into Jefferson to an auto parts
store saw Jackson Sheriff’s
Deputy Punkin Doster who
asked him about Daniel
Warren.
Archer continued that when
Warren came by his shop that
day, he did not remember what
he was wearing but, “he was
cleaned up and I asked him
where he was going to preach
at.”
Judge Whalen overruled
several motions by defense
attorneys, including a motion
for a mistrial on grounds of the
extremely heavy security
measures during the trial.
Attorney Howard Wallace
said the courthouse was filled
with an atmosphere of fear and
restraint which have denied his
clients the atmosphere to which
they should be entitled.
Wallace noted that the
defense attorneys not only were
searched when they came into
the courtroom, but again when
they left.
enough toys so that no child in
this area goes without on
Christmas day.
The price of admission to the 2
p.m. matinee showing of “The
Pied Piper of Hamlin” on either
Saturday or Sunday is one toy.
The movie toy collection
project is sponsored by the
Marines and Jim Goolsby,
owner of the Parkwood Cinema,
who donates the film rental cost
and the use of the theater to the
Toys for Tots Program. Last
year, more than 700 toys were
collected from this project.
More than 100,000 toys have
already been contributed to this
year’s program. The donated
toys are given to families
during December by American
Legion members and local
NEWS
b
g ig: r. !
L ■• ■ 'aft
*
Between 15,000 and 20,000 people crowded the streets of
Griffin last night to see the annual Christmas parade.
Most agreed it was the biggest and best ever. Griffin Tech
won first place in the local float competition and the SIOO
prize. The British Wives Club won the second place SSO
award. First Baptist Youth won the third place $25 prize.
Parade goof
miffs county
For the second year in a row,
the Spalding County Com
missioners showed up to ride in
the annual Christmas parade
and were not provided a car.
They said they were em
barrassed again.
The Chamber of Commerce
had invited the three com-
Airt 5
Bakr
“Almost any luxury man can
achieve eventually becomes a
necessity.”
church groups. Those toys
needing repair are worked on
by Marine reservists, workers
from the Southern Bell Com
pany of Atlanta and other
volunteers.
The Marine’s Toys for Tots
Program began nationally in
Los Angeles. More than 4
million toys will be collected
nationwide this year for local
distribution.
The Griffin effort is one of the
national leaders in the
program, collecting more than
three per cent of the national
total of donated toys. The
Georgia program consistently
ranks among the top states in
proving to many thousands of
children that there really is a
Santa Claus.
Daily Since 1872
Float winner
missioners, Jack Moss, chair
man, Sandy Morgan, vice
chairman; and Palmer Hamil,
commissioner, to ride in the
parade again this year.
They reported to the East
Solomon lineup area last night
and no car was provided for
them.
Russ Spangler, Chamber
executive vice president, said
the Chamber had no comment
at the moment but might later.
Bob Scroggins, Chamber
president, couldn’t be reached
for comment.
The commissioners sent him
a letter pointing out that they
had been the victims of a goof
up for two years in a row.
“We are not requesting any
explanation of such a glaring
error by your organization. The
only conclusion we can draw
CRY IF - WNC
Goo 49k Jwjt pgg
i*. V ■ W W I m
-■ rl ■ -n p**' T
SSvWfhg GVE fUMj. ■- -B- ■
0* i atKy I IS W O *** ***
i F s Sr
Boosting the Toys for Tots program are (front, 1-r) Angie Taylor, daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
Sam Taylor, 107 Millwood road; Gordon Tass, son of the Rev. and Mrs. Ellis Tass of Maddox
road; Darren Warren, son of Mr. and Mrs. Winston Warren, 1407 Cowan road (top) Sgt.
Maj. John Elkins, Jim Goolsby, and GySgt. C. L. Stephens.
Midway United Methodist MYF won an honorable
mention. Larry Howard of the Griffin Police Depart
ment’s traffic division said the crowd this year was as big
or bigger than any of the others for the parades he has
seen.
from the most recent incident is
that the management of the
Chamber of Commerce is in
competent or a deliberate at
tempt was made to embarrass
the Board of Commissioners of
Spalding County. If embarrass
ment was the objective, the
attempt was highly successful,”
the letter said in part.
CLEAR
'? |,
Weather
ESTIMATED HIGH TODAY
62, low today 31, high yesterday
55, low yesterday 33, high
tomorrow in upper 60s, low
tonight in upper 30s. Sunrise
tomorrow 7:25, sunset
tomorrow 5:26.
Forecast
Clear
See Page 6
Floyd
urges
cuts
ATLANTA (UPI) —House Ap
propriations Chairman James
“Sloppy” Floyd Thursday urged
Gov. Jimmy Carter to make
drastic cutbacks in state spend
ing to help ease the expected fi
nancial crunch of the energy
crisis.
“I don’t think the people of
Georgia realize the seriousness
of the problem we are facing,”
Floyd said, citing problems in
the industries of tourism, mobile
home sales, automobile manu
facturing, homebuilding, and
textiles.
Floyd, alarmed over growing
signs of a state recession and
forecasting perhaps as much as
SIOO million below expectations,
called on Carter to issue an ex
ecutive order banning all ’“non
essential” state buying.
“It’s time the governor took
steps immediately,” Floyd said.
“We can’t wait until January or
February. I would advise him
to cut off all buying in state
government except that which is
necessary, such as for hospitals
and institutions.”