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Warm weather In the Griffin area during the last few days has turned the
thoughts of some citizens to that of gardening. B’s a little early to begin planting
21 ('ll in th air* * mt Leon Bates of 1323 Lakeshore drive thought he would do a little hoe work in
tUUVII UJ spring in lltf dlr preparation for the season. Most folk in this area wait until after Easter to
plant
Cliff Park
hearing
scheduled
MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. (UPI) — A
new hearing date has been set for next
week on the state’s motion to dismiss a
habeas corpus petition filed for Cliff
Park, convicted murderer of Jackson
County District Attorney Floyd Hoard.
Wesley Asinof, Park’s attorney, said
Thursday Baldwin County Superior
Court Judge Joseph B. Duke set the
hearing for 11 a.m. next Tuesday in
Milledgeville.
Park, 83, was originally convicted
and sentenced to die in the electric
chair in 1967 but the Georgia Supreme
Court ordered a new trial and he was
given the death sentence again in 1969.
His sentence was reduced to life in
prison, however, when the U.S.
Supreme Court struck down capital
punishment — as then applied — in
1972. Park is currently in the state
prison at Milledgeville.
Asinof said he filed the habeas corpus
petition Jan. 12 and it was answered by
the state on Jan. 30.
“The state contends that we have
already gone through the appellate
courts on previous occasion,’’ said
Asinof. “But that was on an entirely
different ground.”
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Visit
planned
GRIFFIN
Daily Since 1872
ATLANTA (UPI)-A three-judge
federal court has held unconstitutional
a state law which permits parents to
commit their children to mental in
stitutions without a hearing.
Signed by U. S. District Judge Wilbur
Owens, Macon Judge W. A. Bootle and
Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge
Griffin Bell, the decision also requires
that 44 youngsters presently confined to
state mental faclities be moved to what
the decision called “less restrictive
quarters... as reasonably possible.”
The suit was brought by Georgia
Legal Services and the Southern
Poverty Center of Montgomery, Ala. on
behalf of two 12-year-olds
identified only as J.R. and J.L.
According to the lengthy opinion,
psychiatrists determining whether a
child is to be kept are not “infallible”
and, continued the court, opinions from
parents or government agencies on a
child’s mental capacity are
insufficient.
“While parents generally make such
applications (for confinement) with the
best of intentions and with the sincere
desire to seek help for their child,” the
three judges held, “there are a lot of
people who still treat mental hospitals
as dumping grounds” for unwanted
youngsters.
Getting ready for the Red Cron bloodmobfle’i visit here Monday are (1-r) C. B. Reeves of
the American Business Club which will sponsor the visit, Randy Howell, chairman of the
Wood drive; Mrs. Henry Holliman of the Red Cross office, and Bob Dixon, publicity
chairman. The bloodmobOe will be at the Cheatham building of the First Baptist Church
12:15-4:5# p.m.
Unwanted children
Federal decision lashes ‘dumping ground’practice
Griffin, Ga., 30223, Friday Afternoon, February 27, 1976
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Pike sets
records
Bob Ruston (1) who is Georgia Jaycee president, swears in Jerry Hammond as president of
the new Pike County Jaycees. Cheryl Hammond, wife of the new president, is at right The
Pike Club set national and state charter records with 155 members. The Griffin Jaycees
sponsored the new club. The charter night meeting was at the elementary school in Zebulon
last night. Officers who will serve with Hammond are Wendell Peters, external vice
president; Jim Crayton, internal vice president; Bill Ballard, treasurer; Tommy Oxford,
parliamentarian; and Jack Park, secretary. Directors Mil be Steve Ballard, Steve Rennett,
Bill McKibben, Johnny McElroy, Jimmy Perkins, Larry Rawlings, Norman Turner, Mike
Smith, John Strickland and Kenneth Ward. Fred Harp who is president of the Griffin Chib
made this picture of the swearing in ceremony.
Con king dead
7 never fleeced anyone who
could not afford to pay the
price for a lesson in honesty. ’
CHICAGO (UH) - The Yellow Kid,
king of the con men, is dead.
Joseph “Yellow Kid” Weill, perhaps
the greatest con man the nation has
known, gave the slip to a life of
flimflam at the age of 100 Thursday.
He had spent his last years in a
wheelchair at the Lake Front
Convalescent Center, relishing a career
based on the theory that you can’t cheat
an honest man but, happily, there’s a
sucker bom every minute.
“A truly honest man would never
have had none of my schemes,” he once
said. “I never fleeced anyone who could
not afford to pay my price for a lesson
in honesty.”
The Kid figured that during his
career, he conned his way into |8
million, mainly by duping
businessmen, who wanted something
for nothing.
He said he lost most of it — even got
swindled himself once or twice — but
Vol. 104 No. 49
Bogus bills
circulating
in Griffin
Griffin police warned merchants to
be on the lookout for counterfeit $lO
- which are circulating in the area.
Persons attempting to pass them
explain their faded appearance by
saying the money accidently was
washed with clothes in a washing
machine.
Officers said careful examination
reveals the bills are Zeroxed copies
with front and back sides glued
together.
They asked merchants to look
carefully before accepting any faded
bills.
Merchants also were asked to watch
for checks which were in Mrs. Anita
Snow’s purse that was stolen by a
burglar last Saturday night.
The checks are on the account of
Terry and Nita Snow and are numbered
965 through 975.
The thief broke into the Snow
residence at 405 South 15th street,
roughed up Mr. B. F. Snow and fled
with his daughter-in-law’s purse.
salvaged enough to show that a life of
crime can buy the good long life.
The Kid died only a few days before
attorneys for William T. Brannon, who
wrote several books about Weill,
planned to file suit against producers of
the movie “The Sting.” Brannon
contends the hit movie was stolen from
Weill’s life.
The Kid spun his life story often,
usually beginning by saying, “I don’t
want to be a braggadocio, but...” and
then launching into descriptions of how
he:
— Rented office space and hired
lesser con men for a bogus “brokerage
office,” through which he worked a
stock swindle for 20 years (his own wife
believed he was a successful
stockbroker until he was arrested in the
19405).
— Rented an abandoned bank, hired
pool hall characters as “tellers” and
(Continued on page 2)
Weather
ESTIMATED HIGH TODAY 75, low
today 43, high yesterday 72, low
yesterday 44, high tomorrow near 80,
low tonight near 40.
EXTENDED FORECAST: Partly
cloudy and unseasonably warm with
chance of showers west portion Sunday
night and Monday.
News
summary
By United Press International
Talk about Carter
Now that Jimmy Carter has achieved
front-runner status other Democrats on
the campaign trail have a lot to say
about him.
Birch Bayh says he sounds more like
a Republican than a Democrat and
Henry Jackson said it was time the
public knew “the truth” about the
former Georgia governor. He did not
explain what he meant. However,
Maryland Gov. Marvin Mandel said he
and many other Democratic governors
oppose Carter’s candidacy and have
misgivings about things he did while
representing Georgia at national
governors conferences.
Common criminal
SAN FRANCISCO (UPI) — Dr.
Martin Orne, testifying at Patricia
Hearst’s bank robbery trial Thursday,
said that following the holdup Miss
Hearst’s captors coninced her she had
become a “common criminal” and by
the time she was captured she was
frozen in the role.
Forced leap
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (UPI) -
Raymond C. Britt Wednesday testified
in County Court that 19 years ago he
was 25-year-old Willie Edwards Jr., a
black man, leap from the railing of a
bridge into the Alabama River. He did
so because there was a gun at his head.
Three months later Edwards’ body
was found.
Because of Britt’s testimony, three
other Klansmen are being charged with
murder. The charges will go to a grand
jury Monday. Britt was not charged in
the crime because he turned state’s
evidence.
Free election
LISBON, Portugal (UPI) - Although
it will retain veto powers on
constitutional questions and defense for
at least four years, Portugal’s Revolu
tionary Council has handed most of
day-to-day government work to
civilians.
Then, after an election of a
legislature on April 25 and a president
June 27, Portugal’s first freely elected
government in 50 years will take power.
The current Socialist-led government
will serve until the new government is
formed.
People
—and things
Three high school students waiting
for bus, two of them deep in their books
studying for final exams underway this
week. The third is just standing there.
City prisoner waits for light to
change, crosses street, buys
newspaper, returns to municipal clink.
Man painting downtown store front
on Hill Street.
The Country Parson
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“Some folks will do anything
to hold a job — except do it
well.”