Crime report
Chap Johnson fires
at would-be robber
A young gunman attempted to
rob Johnson’s Package Center
on North Hill street Wednesday
afternoon but was frightened
away when the owner, Chap
Johnson, opened fire on him.
Mr. Johnson, who had been
the victim of two previous ar
med robberies, said he had a
premonition yesterday that he
might be robbed again and
decided to close his store early.
At that moment, about 5:25
p.m., a young black man came
in and asked to purchase some
gum and matches. When
Johnson turned around, the
man stuck a gun in his face and
demanded money.
Johnson said he fell to the
floor, grabbed his gun under the
counter, then without getting up
fired two shots over the counter.
“He was running so fast it
would have been hard to hit
him,*’ Johnson said.
Several years ago Johnson
also opened fire on an armed
robber. The man had just taken
several hundred dollars and i
was attempting to escape when
Johnson shot at him through his i
store window. He chased the ;
suspect to the railroad tracks ,
ia newsj
Man set fire then waited
ROME, Ga. (AP) — A Cave Spring man apparently set
his apartment on fire and then sat in a closet and waited to
die, officials said.
The body of Randall Horton, 27, was found in a closet of
his apartment where at least three fires had been set,
Inspector Henry Brooks of the Floyd County major felony
squad said Wednesday.
He said books on witchcraft and the occult were found in
the debris.
No one else was injured in the fire, which destroyed a
home which had been converted into a three-unit apart
ment building.
Man charged in shooting
DECATUR, Ga. (AP) — A 26-year-old DeKalb County
man has been charged in the shooting death of one
roommate and the wounding of another in their Atlanta
area house, police said.
Leroy Bembry was arrested a short time after the in
cident Wednesday and charged with murder and
aggravated assault in the death of Frank Bettis, 35, and
the wounding of Quilman Lewis, 22, officers said.
Bembry was also charged with auto theft because he
was accused of leaving the house in Bettis’ car, police
said.
Bettis was a student at Clark College and an actor. He
recently appeared in the television movie, “The Scott
sboro Boys,” a college spokesman said.
Woman killed in mishap
TOCCOA, Ga. (AP) — Elizabeth W. Ramsey, 55, of
Toccoa, died when her car collided head on with another
on Georgia 17 north of the city Wednesday, the state patrol
said.
Suit might halt work
ATLANTA (AP) — The president of Southern Airways
said Wednesday his firm is preparing a lawsuit which
could halt construction of the new midfield terminal at
Hartsfield Airport.
The suit will charge that Southern is being overcharged
for gate space farthest from the main passenger ticket
area.
“We’re relegated to the farthest away terminal
building,” said Graydon Hall. “Space up close is worth
more than space far away.”
All airlines now pay the same rates, up close or far out.
Hall said his attorneys would file legal action in the
federal court if the city refuses to renegotiate lease
arrangements.
“We are trying to avoid closing the project,” Hall said,
“but the practical effect may be to halt the project.”
Hall said Southern is faced with the loss of $750,000 to $1
million a year because its 13 gates at the new 103-gate ter
minal are on the “D” concourse, the furthest from the
ticket counters.
400 booked on special
ATLANTA (AP) — Four hundred Georgians will board
the Inauguration Special when it leaves for Washington
Jan. 18 to see one of their own sworn in as President of the
United States.
They will be among about 6,000 Georgians expected in
the capital that day.
During the 15-hour train ride, the 400 will be treated to
meals featuring Georgia farm products, including peanut
ice cream.
Dott Padgett, a member of President-elect Jimmy
Carter’s inaugural staff, started the train rolling when she
mentioned the idea to the director of the Georgia Poultry
Federation.
It “sounded like such a good idea for getting Georgia
where the man was arrested
and the box of money was found
hidden on the tracks.
The package store also has
been burglarized several times,
he said.
Eleven clothes dryers were
broken open at the Sunshine
Laundry on 312 North Hill
street. Police said an un
determined amount of change
was taken from them.
The burglary was discovered
Wednesday morning.
A 13-year-old boy has been
charged with three burglaries
dating back to May.
He is accused of burglarizing
Dr. Toffey Smaha’s office on
South Eighth street twice, on
Dec. 5 and Oct. 24. He also was
charged with breaking into the
home of Clifford Guider, 435
East Taylor street, on May 4.
A bank containing around S3O
in change was stolen from
Guider’s residence.
A television taken in the
October break-in at Dr.
Smaha’s office has been
recovered.
ff ..
s?
Charles Jones (1) presents watch to his longtime business
associate James Harrison.
James Harrison plans
to visit Billy Carter
James D. Harrison, former
co-owner of Jones-Harrison
Furniture Co., 421 West
Solomon street, has retired
after 30 years of business in
Griffin.
His share of the business was
purchased by his partner and
long-time friend, Charles Jones.
The two men became friends
some 36 years ago when both
managed grocery stores across
the street from each other in
Geneva, Ala. They boarded in
the same house and enlisted
together in the U.S. Air Force
one month after Pearl Harbor
on Jan. 7, 1942.
During their years of service,
they became separated but
after the war returned to
Dothan where both worked in a
furniture store.
In about a year, they decided
to open their own business and
after looking over towns in
Georgia and Alabama, they
picked Griffin.
According to Mr. Jones, it
was “just the right size,
aggressive and near Atlanta.
That was important, he
explained, because in the years
following the war, merchandise
was hard to find and had to be
purchased and picked up from
distributors in Atlanta.
Jones-Harrison Furniture Co.,
What’s
happening
CERES CLUB MEETING
The Ceres Club will hold a meeting
Friday evening at 7:30 in the Stuckey
Auditorium.
CHORUS
The Griffin High advanced chorus
will present a program at the South Hill
Church of Christ beginning at 6 p.m.
Sunday. The public is invited.
folks up there that we wanted to help,” said federation
Director Abit Massey.
The train will carry folks from Augusta, Macon, Savan
nah, Columbus, Gainesville and Atlanta. People from
Carter’s home town of Plains will go to the inaugural on a
Peanut Special.
Center needs SBOO,OOO
ATLANTA (AP) — The $35 million World Congress
Center needs SBOO,OOO to meet operating expenses through
June, director Ernest Davis said Wednesday.
He appealed to the House Senate Appropriations Com
mittee to provide the funds.
The center, which opened to the public in September,
was given $450,000 last June, and a state budget official
said then it would need more.
Spokesmen for the center said one reason more money
is needed is that bookings are slim during the spring, but
are expected to pick up later.
Close production of film
AKRON, Ohio (AP) — Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. will
cease production of vinyl film here April 30, although it
will continue making the wrapping at Calhoun, Ga., and
Mercer, Calif.
The move was blamed on “inability to overcome the
high cost of operation.”
The firm said other operations here weren’t affected,
but it would reorganize some of them to cut costs.
Inc., was chartered on Aug. 31,
1946. It was first located in the
Noel Grocery building on
Experiment street.
After a year, the business was
moved to Broad street across
from the depot where it
prospered for 23 years.
It has been in its present
Solomon street location for six
years.
Harrison was honored by his
fellow workers at a dinner
party. The event was also
attended by their families.
When discussing his future
plans, Harrison said he has
“plenty to do”.
Thursday he and his wife will
drive to Plains. ...“not to see
Jimmy, but to see Billy, who I
hear is quite a character,,’
Harrison said.
On the 20th they’ll take in the
inauguration and later in the
year plan to tour the west.
Harrison also will spend part
of his time looking after his
cows and pigs on his Orchard
Hill farm.
“One thing for sure. I’m not
gonna be a go-getter or a honey
dew”. I’m not going to have my
wife go to work and go get her or
let her tell me, ‘Honey, do this
or Honey, do that’....l’m just
gonna mess around and I got
plenty to do,” he said.
Jolly says
settlement
$l.B-million
Commercial Bank & Trust
Company received about $l.B
- in working out a set
tlement of a complex financial
matter the bank faced following
the death of President C. T.
Parker some two years ago.
About half of it will go to settle
claims, a quarter of it will go for
taxes and the other quarter will
be extraordinary income for the
bank.
That’s how President Frank
Jolly summed up the settlement
Wednesday in a talk to the
Griffin Kiwanis Club.
Jolly told the club he hopes
the Jimmy Carter ad
ministration will do something
to stop the national debt in
crease.
He said this country is piling
up debts that future generations
will have to settle.
The cliche that “we owe the
money to ourselves” will come
back to haunt us, Jolly con
tended.
Jolly said spending money for
programs that future
generations would have to pay
back causes this nation’s
generosity to be somewhat
suspect.
Jolly stuck to the light nature
of his talk, commenting on some
of the humorous things he has
run across in banking and
sports.
He only became serious when
he touched on the bank’s $l.B
- settlement and when he
voiced his concern about the
national debt.
Deaths
Funerals
Miss Yates
Miss Kathy Jean Yates of the
Manley road, Griffin, died
Wednesday night at the West
Paces Ferry Hospital in Atlanta
where she had been a patient for
three weeks.
Miss Yates was a lifelong
resident of Spalding County and
attended the Play-to-Learn
School at St. George’s
Episcopal Church.
She Is survived by her
parents, Mr. and Mrs. M. Jean
Yates of Griffin; and a sister,
Mrs. Wallace Riley of
Jonesboro.
The funeral will be conducted
Saturday afternoon at 2 o’clock
from the Pomona United
Methodist Church. The Rev.
Eugene Walton and the Rev.
Calvin Berry will officiate and
burial will be in the Griffin
family cemetery. Pittman
Rawls Funeral Home is in
charge of plans.
Mr. Johnson
The funeral for Mr. Elzy
Sherman Johnson, 59, of Route
five, Griffin, will be conducted
Friday afternoon at 2 o’clock
from the Wildwood Baptist
Church. The Rev. Guy Starrett
will officiate and burial will be
in Griffin Memorial Gardens.
The body will lie in state at the
church for 30 minutes prior to
the service.
Mr. Johnson died early
Wednesday morning at his
residence.
Haisten Funeral Home is in
charge of plans.
Mr. Vaughn
The funeral for Mr. Henry
Tilman Vaughn, 85 of 1124 Park
view drive, will be conducted
Friday morning at 11 o’clock
from the Edwards Street Baptist
Church. The Rev. Jimmy
Laster and the Rev. Jim Pollock
will officiate and burial will be
in Oak Hill cemetery.
Friends may visit the family
at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Otis
Raybon, Sr., 727 East Broad
way.
Mr. Vaughn died Tuesday
night at the VA Hospital in
Atlanta. McDonald Chapel is in
charge of plans.
Carter taps Curtis
PLAINS, Ga. (AP) - Presi
dent-elect Carter asked mem
bers of the Democratic National
Committee today to elect for
mer Gov. Kenneth M. Curtis of
Maine as party chairman.
Carter also designated Sidney
Harman, a manufacturer of hi
fidelity equipment, as his choice
to be undersecretary of
commerce. Harman is chair
man, president and chief execu
tive officer of Harman Inter
national Industries Inc., which
embraces his original firm,
Harman-Kardon Inc.
Page 3
, siWEJGaM ’*l • • Jl*’MllfsSK£L2fc ■
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Hospital Report
Dismissed from the Griffin-
Spalding County Hospital
yesterday:
William Spruce, Mrs.
Margaret Kelly, Larry
Bishop, Floyd Slayden, Cedric
Owen Tyus, Richard Meredith,
Wilmar C. Wise, Mrs. Ann
Mathis, Tammy Jones, Mrs.
Linda Josephine Thomas, Mrs.
Patricia Ballard and baby, Mrs.
Effie Sibley, Mrs. Trellis
Eberhart.
Mrs. Brenda Jones and baby,
Mrs. Lillie Peterson, Anthony
Ellis, Sr., Miss Annie Lizzie
Vickery, Lamar Davis, Mrs.
Yvonne F. Walker, Mrs. Gloria
Bradley, Mrs. Betty O’Neal,
Mrs. Maude Walton, Miss Annie
1 n o /
January Clearance
SAVE 20 “50
i Group • Sizes 36 to 52 ■■
MENS S CO 9S
SUITS 33
Denims - Double knits and wovens • Regular to 95.00
MEN'S T $ 0f1 95
suits w Q3
3 Piece Styles With Vest - Other 2 Pant Styles
1 Group
SUITS - WWTS SWEATERS
SHIRTS - JACKETS LEISURE
sm SHIRTS
Men’s Regular Leg jl m m
LEVI JEANS sale sll
Sizes 28 to 46 rK. w w
Men’s Colored
LEVI’S JEANS 2 see
PRESS PANTS f 15
LEVI’S JEANS
Men's ) J
jackets- Uis ; re
SWEATERS - 7,|
DINGO BOOTS s " lftS |
™ 20* I 20%
Use Your Collins Charge Account or Bank Cards I
— Griffin Daily News Thursday, January 6,
Gates, Mrs. Katherine Lewis,
Grover McDonald, Larry H.
Evans.
The Reel Estate Academy, Inc.
TH! PROFESSIONALS
Obtain Your Llcanta. Approved For Veterans Training
And Sy Georgia Real Estate CommiMion. Both Day and Night
Clastes. For The first State Exams of 1977.
SALES-JAN. 3rd for FEB. 14 Exam
BROKERS - JAN. 25th for MAR. 14 Exam
RAY PARKS C. R. Director
2459 Roosevelt Hwy., College Pork
Stork Club H
LITTLE MISS WILLIAMS I
Mr. and Mrs. Char ■
Williams of Route Three, Ma ■
road, Griffin, announce il
birth of a daughter on Jan. 4 I
the Griffin-Spalding Cour H
Hospital.
LITTLE MISS MCLEER I
Mr. and Mrs. William I
McLeer of Route One, Box 93- ■
Griffin, announce the birth oi ■
daughter, Jennie Marie, on D< MH
15 at Georgia Baptist Hospill
in Atlanta.
