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Friday 13-Watch it!
By JULES Loh
AP Special Correspondent
NEW YORK (AP) - Tomorrow is
Friday the Thirteenth. It is the only one
in 1977 and, as luck would have it, it
falls in May. What could be worse?
“Nothing,” Shawn Robbins said,
stroking her cat. “But I don’t believe in
superstitions. I collect them, I find
them fascinating, but I’m not super
stitious.”
Shawn Robbins can say that. She can
spit in tomorrow’s eye because she is a
psychic. She knows, in advance, that
tomorrow holds no evil for her even
though it is a Friday the Thirteenth that
falls in May, the direst kind.
May 13, as spook specialists such as
Shawn Robbins know, is the ancient
Roman festival of Lemuria. Woe are us.
Lemuria is the dreadful night when
the Lemurs, the malevolent souls of the
dead, hover about. Placate them. Make
them a midnight sacrifice.
“Most superstitions have their
origins in religion,” Shawn Robbins
said. “Others trace back to practical
necessities.
“Friday the Thirteenth? The 13th
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Nancy duMas is a good listener.
She’s patient
with patients
Comforting an elderly woman whose
dentures have been accidentally lost,
finding a motel room for the family of
an out of state man injured in an auto
accident and just plain letting the
patients know someone cares are some
of the duties of Nancy duMas, patient
-epresentative at the Griffin-Spalding
hospital.
Nancy has worked in the new position
! weeks and is kept busy every minute
is more patients hear about her.
The program, patterned after similar
>nes in Macon, Atlanta and Augusta,
oas designed to put patients more at
*ase by answering their questions,
txplaining hospital routines and
irocedures and listening to their
comments or complaints.
One of the hardest jobs she’s had so
ar was trying to console a woman
vhose false teeth were accidentally
lushed away.
The elderly lady was lying in bed,
looked up to machines and tubes and
ieing fed intravenously when during
he night her false teeth became
mcomfortable. Since she couldn’t leave
ter bed to put them in a holder, she
eached over and laid them in a pan on
he bedside table.
Not wanting anyone to see the teeth
itting there in plain view, she covered
hem with a tissue.
The next morning a nurse’s aide
opped a thermometer in the woman’s
nouth and before the lady could
cream a protest, flushed the pan’s
ontents away.
apostle at the Last Supper was Judas
Iscariot. The next day was Friday. We
all know what happened. By the way,
did you notice in the da Vinci painting
that Judas has knocked over the salt?
Interesting.”
As for a superstition rooted in
necessity, here’s one from Shawn
Robbins’s copious collection: A coach
whip snake will catch you at night and
whip you to death. Tell that to your
slave if he is inclined to run away.
The superstition about walking under
a ladder has elements of both origins.
Some say a ladder casts the shadow
of a cross. Tread on it at your peril.
Others, including Shawn Robbins, say a
ladder casts the shadow of a ladder and
the only reason for avoiding it is to keep
from getting paint-splattered.
Shawn Robbins discovered her
psychic powers 23 years ago when, as a
girl of eight, she foretold her grand
mother’s death.
A few more accurate predictions and
she discovered, as she explained it, that
these weren’t just lucky hunches. Over
the years she has worked into the major
league of psychics, predicting airplane
GRIFFIN
DAI LY# NEWS
Vol. 105 No. 112
To say the least, Nancy said, the lady
was very upset. She had never let
anyone see her without her teeth and
now they were gone forever.
Nancy was called to the rescue.
“How are you doing?” greeted
Nancy.
“How would you be doing with no
teeth?” the woman lisped.
She was too embarrassed to see her
friends, Nancy said.
The hospital righted the situation by
offering to replace the dentures and
writing a letter of apology. She also was
served food pureed especially for her.
(Continued on page 2)
They’ll appreciate teachers
Friday will be Teacher Appreciation
Day at Spalding Junior High School
Unit HI.
The seventh graders will be helping
teachers teach and assisting in the
principals’ and counselors’ offices, as
well as in the library.
There will be decorations in the halls
and lounges and on doors and bulletin
boards.
Food and soft drinks will be served in
the teachers’ lounges. A program will
be presented over the intercom system.
The English department, with the
help of the Georgia history department
is assuming most of the responsibility.
Mrs. Betty Sears is chairman.
*
Griffin, Ga., 30223, Thursday Afternoon, May 12,1977
crashes, finding criminals for the New
York police, serving as seer in
residence for the National Enquirer.
She took time out recently —
probably knew she wouldn’t be busy —
to share some lesser known super
stitions from her collection. Take them
with a grain of salt. Then toss the salt
over your left shoulder. Here they are:
Carry a rabbit’s foot tomorrow. Not
just any rabbit’s foot. Carry the left
hind foot of a rabbit that has run in a
graveyard.
Don’t get married in May. Wait until
June, the month of Juno, patroness of
happy marriages. As the Scots have
warned us: “From the marriages in
May, all the bairns die in decay.”
Stay ashore if the old moon is in the
lap of the new. That is, when you can
see the faint outline of the full moon in
the crescent of the new.
If none of these omens are what
you’re looking for, go see Shawn
Robbins for a private reading. It will
cost SSO; the psychic business is good.
Shawn Robbins doesn’t plan to give it
up. Not in the forseeable future.
ROTC does it again
Griffin High School’s ROTC Unit has
earned an Honor Rating with
Distinction for the second year in a row,
an almost unheard of accomplishment.
A cheer went up at the school this
morning when cadets learned that the
Commanding General of the First
ROTC region based at Fort Bragg, N.
C>, had notified the unit by phone.
Rating with Distinction is
limited to the top 20 percent of the units
in the nation and seldom if ever before
has been awarded to the same school
two years in a row.
The designation followed annual
Federal inspection of the Griffin High
unit on April 15. The Senior Instructor
at Griffin High is Army Col. Jack L.
Stewart, and the ROTC Battalion
Commander is Cadet Lt. Col. Craig
Bowers.
With 419 cadets, the Griffin High unit
is one of the three or four largest in
America. Last year it was second
largest behind Macon.
Army Sergeant Major Horace Pearl
of the unit said he wished everyone
could have heard the cheers at school
today when announcement of the
achievement was made.
People
...and things
Young man running downtown fully
clothed in winter jogging outfit under
hot spring sun.
Four high school age girls sitting on
lawn at First Baptist Church Wed
nesday late in the afternoon enjoying a
laugh and canned cola drinks.
Little girl tugging at mother’s finger
to signal thirst then getting a sip of
something cool from thermos bottle
during quick stop under tree downtown.
The five A-sections, under the
direction of Miss Dorothy Sampson and
Mrs. Nell Wynne, especially are
involved in making the day a success.
Each teacher has chosen a student to
teach or help teach the class each
period.
Helping in Principal Laymon
Hattaway’s office are Arnold Price,
Todd Higgins, Roderick Wimbush,
Todd Davis, Shan Robbins and Stacy
Driver.
Assisting Assistant Principal Tommy
McGhee are Marty King, Spencer
Miller, Tracy Hodo, Jon Windham,
Mitchell Cardell and Todd Bunn.
Working with the counselor, Mrs.
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Shawn Robbins of New York City, a specialist in super- falls in May. What could be worse? “Nothing,” says Miss
stitions, balances her cat “Kisser” on her shoulders in her Robbins, who suggests that one should carry a rabbit’s
Manhattan apartment. Tomorrow is Friday the Thir- foot tomorrow. (AP)
teenth. It is the only one in 1977, as luck would have it, it
ft /d
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They’re wanted
Castro lead
third world?
WASHINGTON (AP) - Fidel Castro
would rather pursue the role of Third
World leader, particularly in Africa,
than normalize Cuban relations with
the United States, according to U.S.
intelligence analysts.
While continuing to provide some low
key support for Latin American leftist
guerrillas, the analysts said, Castro
will focus much of his future effort in
Africa.
These were some of the conclusions in
a recent U.S. intelligence assessment of
Castro’s growing commitments in
Africa at a time when U.S. and Cuban
diplomats have been moving cautiously
toward possible resumption of
relations.
Intelligence sources report, mean
while, that Cuban military advisers
have shown up in Ethiopia, the 12th
African nation to accept help from
Castro.
Some eight to 10 Cubans are reported
at work as the vanguard of several
hundred military men being sent by
Castro to help train some 25,000 Ethio
pian peasant recruits to fight against
Eritrean rebels.
Angemette Walker, are Angella Willis,
Ginny Dunaway, Kathy Powell, Carla
Lewis, Misty Woltman and Louise
Mizzell.
The attendance counselor, Mrs. Kay
James, will be assisted by Tharpe
Lokey, Tonga Phillips, Mark Spence,
Sherri Floyd, Ellen Reynolds, Sherry
Wilson and Tina Tyus.
Library assistants helping Mrs.
Frances Swantic, librarian, are Jerry
Southerland, Ed Henderson, Kim
Williamson, Kenya Fortner, Lisa
Akins, April Perkins, Kell Smith, Lura
Pyle, Beth Davidson, Debbie Carver,
Brandy Brickies and Mike Hortman.
Daily Since 1872
Lighting cigars
with SIOO bills
He became suspect
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - A man who
used SIOO bills to light his cigars while
buying rounds of drinks at a suburban
tavern is being sought as the master
mind of the multimillion-dollar robbery
and murder of a reclusive grocery
heiress.
Authorities say state murder charges
and federal fugitive warrants have
been issued for Howard Willard, 38, and
a woman believed to be traveling with
him, Marjorie Pollitt, 48. They are
thought to be en route to Daytona
Beach, Fla.
About $1.6 million was found in the
possession of three persons already in
custody in the case. Authorities say at
least $1.4 million is still missing from
the home of Marjorie Jackson, 66, who
was found shot to death early Saturday.
Lt. Robert Kirkman of the Marion
County Sheriff’s Department said one
Talmadge divorce
may go to jury
ATLANTA (AP) — Attorneys for U.
S. Sen. Herman Talmadge of Georgia
have asked the state Supreme Court to
reopen his divorce case for a jury trial.
Talmadge was granted a divorce
from his wife Betty Feb. 17 under the
state’s four-year-old “no fault’’ divorce
law, which allows a judge to grant a
divorce if one party makes certain
statements, whether or not the other
party contests them.
But the state Supreme Court ruled on
April 21 that a contested divorce
amounts to “an issue of fact,” entitling
either party to a jury trial.
“They changed the law on us,” said
attorney Alex McLennan Wednesday.
“Even though my client was granted
the judgment, we are the ones seeking
this. It suits me to try it before a jury.”
Talmadge’s attorneys asked that the
divorce decree be vacated and the
“issue of the divorce upon the grounds
that the marriage was irretrievably
broken be tried before a jury....”
McLennan said he was seeking the
reversal because Mrs. Talmadge has
filed a similar petition, and “it will get
the matter back into Superior Court
quickly....”
The senator’s original petition said he
Weather
FORECAST FOR GRIFFIN AREA -
Fair and cool tonight with lows in the
low 50s. Mostly sunny and a little
warmer Friday with highs in the low
80s.
LOCAL WEATHER - Low this
morning at Spalding Forestry Unit 46,
high Wednesday 78.
of those already arrested told police
that Willard got a floor plan of Mrs.
Jackson’s house from a man involved in
the January theft of $817,000 from her
home.B
The man, whom Kirkman declined to
identify, said the plan to rob the heiress
developed after he met Willard at an in
ner-city nightclub, Kirkman said.
Willard was identified as the man
lighting cigars with SIOO bills, buying
rounds of drinks and passing out SIOO
bills to friends late last week.
Mrs. Jackson’s body was found by
firemen responding to reports of a fire
at her weedchoked, three-acre estate.
She had been fatally wounded by a .22-
caliber weapon, and detectives believe
the fire was set to conceal the crime.
Police found more than $5 million in
cash still in her house, stuffed in
drawers and closets.
and Mrs. Talmadge, his wife of 35
years, were separated, that there was
no chance of reconciliation and that his
wife was not entitled to alimony
because her income is greater than his.
Mrs. Talmadge denied that the
marriage was permanently over, but
asked for a jury trial on the issues of
alimony and property settlement.
A jury trial was denied because, at
the time, it was unnecessary under
Georgia’s nofault divorce laws.
The Country Parson
by Frank Clark
OO't
“Some of us confess our early
sins as if we were bragging —
not repenting,”