Newspaper Page Text
Forecast
Cold
See Page 10
<.• Kr
:3.Av?J>SF jr fll -
|K£jj^':: • :: ><.-- K j|. fe *8
* •%? $ ml wHE "
Un.lt. t . ’"’WB llfc
W i 111
Z£T«£n s ? i ,A .--‘swfeg -••' -- J6F.^ ,-_ _ »
- \WsFF'
Griffinites help Ft. Valley
Spalding BPW members Audrey Bates, Barbara Inman,
Mary Barineau and Emily James (1-r) load truck of
clothing for victims of the tornado which swept through
Ft. Valley last week. Doug Hollberg, Jr., furnished the
Griffin
man at
Charges were expected to be
placed against a young Griffin
man who led police officers on a
high speed chase some 40 miles
to Roberta last night.
Earl Langston, around 20, of
Spalding County, was taken
into custody about 6:25 this
morning after an all night
search in Crawford County.
It started around 8:30 last
night when Griffin Police Of
ficers Sam Batts and Mark
Foster received a call from GBI
Agent “Butch” Freeman that
he had seen an auto with two
black males riding back and
forth in front of Kip’s Kwik
Kurb, 935 South Hill street. One
of the men got out and went in
while the other continued to
drive by the store, Agent Free
man said.
The police officers went to the
entrance of Hillandale to watch
the store from across the street.
They radioed headquarters who
phoned Kip Wise, the owner, to
tell him what was happening.
He said the black man had left
Major brand gas slumps
ATLANTA (UPI) - Gasoline
sales in Georgia are down,
perhaps as much as 12 per
cent, with service stations
dealing in the major brands
suffering the most.
“The major brand dealers
, are the ones really hurting,”
said Jack Houston of the
Georgia Association of Pe-
Ford confident on tariffs
’ WASHINGTON (UPI) -
President Ford is optimistic
Van Brocklin
reported
’ in hospital
MONROE, Ga. (UPI) -
Norm Van Brocklin, former
head coach of the Atlanta
Falcons, has been admitted to a
hospital here, it was learned
today.
Van Brocklin reportedly en
tered the Walton County Hospi
tal Sunday but acting
* administrator Bob Sams said,
“I cannot confirm or deny that
he is in the hospital."
~ The family could not be
reached at the Van Brocklin
home at nearby Social Circle.
police get their
end of long chase
the store.
Minutes later, the officers
saw Mr. Wise running from the
store firing shots at a red
Mercury Cougar whose driver
was leaving without paying for
some gas. The policemen
thought an armed robbery had
taken place and began chasing
the vehicle south on U. S. 19 and
41.
They fired at the car, at
tempting to hit a rear tire. One
of the bullets recocheted and hit
Mr. Thomas Raymond Sikes of
310 West Tinsley, an employe of
Ken’s Pizza at the Ethridge Mill
and Zebulon roads. Mr. Sikes’
injury was minor, police said.
Officers Batts and Foster
chased the vehicle to the By-
Pass where they said traffic
was moderately heavy. They
were able to keep the car in
sight at speeds of from 100 to 115
miles per hour.
Officer Tommy Harrison who
was on duty at police head
quarters radioed Barnesville
police who set up a road block
troleum Retailers. “Some of
them are 20 to 25 per cent off
in sales, and there are some
dealers who are pumping about
one-third their normal load.”
By contrast, the independents
seem to be holding their own.
“Our volume is about the
same,” according to Roy Cross
of the Georgia Independent
that Congress will be unable to
delay the additional oil import
costs that he established as an
energy conservation measure.
All the head counts taken on
Capitol Hill say the vote will be
close, but there will be the two
thirds needed to override a
promised veto and delay the S 3
per barrel charge on crude oil
that otherwise will be in effect
by April 1. Congress has finally
begun working on its own
economy-energy program, but
it is within the framework Ford
proposed: an immediate tax cut
and tax reductions for 1975.
The President heads to
Florida Tuesday to play in the
Jackie Gleason Celebrity Golf
Tournament on Wednesday. On
the schedule are more speeches
in favor of his proposals.
Meanwhile, his aides and allies
GRIFFIN
Vol. 103 No. 46
truck and drove the clothing to Ft. Valley yesterday
afternoon. The BPW club members turned it over to
rescue officials in Ft. Valley.
there on the U. S. 341 By-Pass.
The suspect ran the road
block at around 100 miles per
hour and continued south.
The Griffin officers lost radio
contact with the Griffin depart
ment but were able to change
frequencies and made contact
with Roberta lawmen who set
up another roadblock there.
The suspect crashed through
that roadblock, heavily
damaging both a Roberta police
car and his own vehicle.
He was able to continue, how
ever, but lost control of the auto
when a tire blew out as he
crossed some railroad tracks
south of Roberta.
His car spun off the road out
of control.
Officers Batts and Foster
stopped their police car and
were running toward the car
when the suspect got out and
began firing at them.
Two shots were fired at Of
ficer Foster who took cover.
The suspect then opened fire on
Officer Batts.
Oilmen’s Association. “The mo
torists who formerly bought
from the majors may be coming
to us, either out of a price
consideration or just an anti-big
business feeling, I don’t know.”
The state Motor Fuel Tax
Unit said gas sales dropped an
average of 3.6 per cent during
the last six months of 1974 as
will be working for enough
votes to stop the veto, which
congressional sources expect by
Friday evening.
Asked about the veto’s
timing, Ford said, “We’re
thinking about it.”
“I’m always an optimist,”
the President responded Sunday
to a question about whether his
veto would be preserved. The
question came as reporters
praised an earlier prediction,
made as he went to church in
Alexandria, Va., in a pouring
rain, that the skies would clear
so he could practice golf.
The rain stopped and Ford
played 12 holes. Ford practiced
both approach shots and chip
shots before teeing off. “I need
Griffin, Ga., 30223, Monday Afternoon, February 24,1975
He escaped into a wooded
area-
Some 150 officers from
Griffin; the Spalding County
Sheriff’s Department, Bar
nesville Police Department,
Lamar, Peach, Crawford and
Monroe Counties, Roberta
Police Department and several
units from the Georgia State
Patrol joined in the search.
Bloodhounds also were
brought in from the Georgia
Dianostic Center in Jackson.
The search ended at 6:25 a.m.
today when Langston was
apprehended in Crawford
County.
A small amount of marijuana
was found in his vehicle.
Warrants were expected to be
taken today charging him with
attempting to assault police
officers and the theft of gas
from Kip’s. He also was ex
pected to be charged with
violating numerous traffic laws
and the Georgia Controlled
Substance Act by possessing
marijuana.
compared with the same period
a year earlier.
Director Curtis Modling said
he expected the total to be
down even more in January
when the figures are compiled.
The biggest drops came in
September with 7.8 per cent
and December with 5.3 per
cent.
the work on my short game,”
he said. “I need to practice for
Wednesday.”
BHBLk
“You can sort of tell how
much a fellow wants to go to
work by seeing what happens
the morning his drive is full of
snow.”
Weatlter
Watch brings
jitters here
Tornado jittery Griffinites
kept a close watch on the
weather late yesterday after
noon. High winds and dark
clouds hovered over the com
munity.
The U. S. Weather Service in
Atlanta had put out weather
watch cautions. Tornadoes
struck in Tuscaloosa and other
Alabama areas.
The weather cautions covered
the eastern part of Alabama
and the western part of
Georgia.
The only thing that came of
the bad weather here, was 1.21
inches of rain in the last 24
hours. That’s what Horace
Westbrooks, official weather
observer, recorded.
The ground in the Griffin-
Spalding area already was
soaked with rainfall earlier last
week. The rain was part of a
tornado front that hit the Zetella
area. Some mobile homes were
destroyed or damaged and
other homes were damaged
along Highway 16.
The forecast here for tonight
called for cold with readings in
the mid 20s.
While Griffin and Spalding
County escaped damage yester
day other parts of the Southland
were not as fortunate.
Tornadoes and thunder
storms raked this section of the
nation, leaving dead and in
jured. Heavy rains triggered
flash floods in the midlands. A
thick layer of snow clogged the
Southwest.
Heavy rains inundated por
tions of North Carolina.
A rural bridge over the
Yadkin River at Siloam, N.C.,
collapsed Sunday night, spilling
cars into the bulging river and
killing at least three persons.
Authorities said at least three
autos disappeared under the
surging water and all available
rescue units were sent to the
scene.
A tornado ripped through
Tuscaloosa, Ala., killing at
least one person and leaving
some 60 others injured. Early
reports indicated three deaths
but authorities said only one
fatality could be confirmed.
Trees were uprooted, homes
were reduced to rubble and
sparking power lines dotted the
city. Authorities said the
twister “completely blew
away” the second floor of the
Scottish Inn Motel and heavily
damaged several other busines
ses.
The tornado swept northeast
across the city and smashed
into several suburbs.
Heavy weekend rains touched
off a fatal round of flash floods
in the Ohio Valley.
The bodies of three student
explorers were pulled from
Salamander Cave near Bloo
mington, Ind., Sunday. The
victims apparently 'became
trapped in the cave during a
flash flood and drowned. At
another cave two miles away,
four Illinois cave explorers
were found cold, wet and
hungry but otherwise unhar
med. The four decided to wait
it out inside the cave when the
flooding began.
At Pontiac, Mich., a twin
engine jet crashed into the side
of a fog-shrouded hill, killing
one crewman and injuring
another.
Heavy snows clogged roads in
portions of Texas, Arkansas
and Oklahoma, stranding hun
dreds of motorists.
Weather
ESTIMATED HIGH TODAY
55, low today 38, high yesterday
76, low yesterday 49, high
tomorrow in mid 40s, low
tonight in mid 20s. Total rainfall
1.21 inches. Sunrise tomorrow
8:06, sunset tomorrow 7:26.
Daily Since 1872
a
DOUGLASVILLE, Ga.—Firemen look over a house destroyed by a tornado that struck the
Andy mountain community. (UPI)
Two homes destroyed;
six damaged in Douglas
DOUGLASVILLE, Ga. (UPI)
— Two homes were destroyed
and six others were damaged
when a tornado skipped through
the Andy Mountain community
in western Douglas County, the
Douglas County Sheriff’s Office
said Sunday.
There were no injuries
County seeks
federal money
for parks here
Spalding County Commiss
ioners plan to make pre
application for a 5250,000
federal grant for recreation. If
approved, the county would use
the money to develop recrea
tional parks in Zetella, Sunny
Side and Double Cabins area.
Mclntosh Trail officials have
told the commissioners they
think the county’s chances of
getting the money are good.
Trail officials said federal
Norsworthy suggests
compromise on rec
City Commissioner R. L.
(Skeeter) Norsworthy today
proposed a three-step com
promise which he asked city
and county commissioners to
consider in the dispute over
recreation funds.
He proposed that both city
and county boards adopt the
$249,544.49 budget the county
has proposed.
Norsworthy suggested that
each board then approve a
supplementary $19,000 recrea
tion budget.
And, third, he asked that the
city and county share the cost of
policing parks equally with
each paying half or by
providing either policemen or
sheriff’s deputies when needed.
reported in the twister which
touched down shortly before 6
p.m.
Civil defense units and
Georgia Power Co. crews
rushed to the community,
located about three miles east
of Villa Rica, on Route 78.
The sheriff’s office dispatcher
said telephone lines were down
people in charge of such grants
would review the pre-applica
tion to see if the request has
merit.
If it does, then the county
could make formal application
for the money.
No local county matching
funds would be involved, since
the money would be a grant,
according to Sandy Morgan,
Spalding County Commission
chairman.
Norsworthy said he felt it was
past time that the dispute be
resolved. He said the bickering
was creating hard feelings on
both sides.
“We as elected officials,
should strive to gain the con
fidence of the people and for this
disagreement to continue could
destroy what progress that has
been made in this effort,” the
Griffin commissioner said.
He pointed out that the joint
recreation board had proposed
a budget. He said the city had
agreed to the budget and that
the county had made some
compromise but still holds out
for a reduced budget which the
city finds unacceptable.
“Both positions may be
Inside Tip
Quints
See Page 3
and some trees had been blown
down in the small community,
which is composed of several
small subdivisions.
Electricity was still out in the
small community Sunday night,
but the sheriff’s dispatcher said
he expected the power would be
on again by this morning.
Stockbridge
man killed
A Stockbridge motorcycle
rider was killed in a Henry
County wreck yesterday af
ternoon.
According to the Griffin State
Patrol Post, David Edward
Johnson, 27, of Route One,
Stockbridge, crashed his
motorcycle into a car making a
left turn into a driveway.
He was carried to Clayton
General Hospital and died after
arriving there.
Troopers said he was
traveling at a high rate of speed
and was not wearing a helmet.
Merle L. Kiser of Milstead
was driving the auto.
The accident happened some
14 miles north of McDonough on
Swan Lake road about 1:20 p.m.
correct but neither are getting
anywhere...” Norsworthy said.
League seeks
discussion
The Griffin-Spalding League
of Women Voters today was
trying to arrange a public
discussion on the future of
recreation in the community.
Mrs. Elaine Bolton,
president, said Lee Roy
Claxton, Griffin Pharmacist,
had agreed to be the moderator.
The meeting will be held
March 6at 8:15 p.m. at the First
Presbyterian Church.