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Muffled shot gave answer ATLANTA (AP) - As his wife sobbed softly, veteran Atlanta attorney J. Roger Thompson told how he tried to talk a hijacker out of committing sui cide Thursday night. A, muffled gunshot in the rear of the dark cabin told him he failed. “I realized almost as soon as we began talking that he was con templating taking his own life,” Thompson said of his 30 minutes of talking with Thomas Michael Hannan aboard the Frontier Airlines jet parked at Atlanta’s airport. The FBI gave Thompson, 44, a for mer federal attorney and U.S. magistrate, much of the credit for saving 15 hostages on the jet. The attorney, talking to the hijacker by radio, convinced him to release 13 hostages two stewardesses and 11 male passengers. The captain and co-pilot z — *■* X. B * rjß at Released stewardesses leave plane with man. Which classes are crowded? EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the fourth in a series of questions and answers about the school bond issue. They were prepared by Education ’77, a citizens committee. Questions may be ad dressed to them at Box 711, Griffin, Ga. 30223. They should be submitted at least 10 days prior to their publication on Friday of each week in the Griffin Daily News. QUESTION: Which classrooms are overcrowded at the high school? ANSWER: Mr. Tascar Williams, principal of Griffin High School, provided the following information concerning class size: Subject Classes with enrollment over3o English 43 of 65 Foreign Language 7 of 20 Mathematics 36 of 45 Science 38 of 47 Social Studies 36 of 55 4- Business 11 of 20 + Art 2 of 5 + Physical Education 12 of 17 +Chorus 2 of 3 + ROTC 5 of 5 + Allowed larger classes than academic subjects. QUESTION: Can the millage rate be increased by the board of education? Could an increase in millage be used for new buildings? Renovations? Expansion of existing buildings? ANSWER: (1) The board of education is limited to 20 mills under present statutes. (2) From the legal standpoint the board of education could use main tenance and operation funds to con struct new buildings, however with a legal limit of 20 mills for maintenance and operation it is highly improbable that any school system could ac cumulate enough reserve to do ex tensive capital outlay and operate the educational system. (3) Small renovations have been funded from the maintenance and operation budget, however, the only source of revenue for large capital outlay items is a bond referendum. QUESTION: Why is the Cowan Road loaction considered the best place for a new elementary school? ANSWER: The property of the proposed new elementary is owned by the board of education and was selected because of the following factors: 1. Growth has been greatest in the northern section of the county. 2. Adequate utility and sewage facilities are available. QUESTIONS: To what extent will remained aboard until the hijacker killed himself. “He was mainly responsible for getting those people off that plane,” said FBI Special Agent James Dunn. “He did a heck of a job.” But his best efforts couldn’t save his client of one month. Thompson, who was in Washington on business, was flown to the Atlanta airport by helicopter to help. He said his last 30 minutes of pleading with Hannan centered on “various alter natives” including hospitalization. “He said he wasn’t crazy and he didn’t want people saying he was crazy,” said a physically drained Thompson as he slumped back in his chair, tie loose and grey pinstriped vest unbuttoned. He said the cabin was dark, “it was light up front where I was standing." energy conservation be considered when planning construction of new buildings? ANSWER: In construction of new buildings the conservation-of energy would be a top priority in planning the new facilities. Two considerations are minimizing the amount of glass surface used and insulation of walls and roofs to maximize efficiency. Another possibility is the use of solar energy for heating water at the high school if this is found to be economically and practicable feasible. State and Federal guidelines will mandate conservation of energy. QUESTION: Has inflation been considered by the administration when only asking for $5,955,000 to build a new high school, elementary school, and other construction and renovations? ANSWER: Yes, inflation is foremost in the minds of the administration; however, since approximately $4,000,000 will come from the State, plus $5,955,000 in local funds, the total will be near $10,000,000 which will be adequate to complete the proposed construction. However, time is of the essence as each delay brings price increases and therefore greater cost. Local education association backs bond issue. Page 5. ■faF trL BOK wr Bu B» L Jk ’IMi WBI nk jW 41 V KB a f ] WBB ' ' 1 I Vi k i ''»*£> M r|lHK|i ff fl Griffin High students whoop it up for Bears this morning during pep rally in preparation for the homecoming game tonight with R. E. Lee. (Story p. 12) Hannan would come up to within 10 feet to talk, then retreat to the dark. “I wanted to keep him talking, and I’d call him to come to the front and he would,” Thompson said. “After three or four trips ... he went back near the rear of the cabin, sat down and lit a cigarette,” Thompson said. Hannon didn’t respond to his calls. “Then I heard a muffled sound and I was not sure it was a gunshot. I called to him. He didn’t respond,” Thompson said. “I told the captain and copilot to leave the plane.” Thompson said he would not let police aboard, but got a flashlight from them, “shined it at the rear of the cabin” and saw Hannan, “shot one time through the heart.” As he described the final minutes, Betty Thompson sat on a sofa in her GRIFFIN dailylTnews Daily Since 1872 He just sat down —pulled trigger ATLANTA (AP) — A softspoken Nebraska man who commandeered a jet airplane for a cross-country flight to spring a friend from jail and grab a $3 million ransom ended his 14-hour quest Thursday night by firing his shotgun into his own chest. Thomas Michael Hannan, 29, had released his hostages but was still on the Frontier Airlines Boeing 737 talking with his lawyer when he “just sat down and pulled the trigger,” said James Dunn, special agent in charge of the FBI office in Atlanta. The sudden gunfire ended a long day of quiet negotiation in which FBI gents carefully stalled Hannan over a ground-to-aircraft radio hookup, and Hannan, though showing occasional impatience, returned polite “Yes, sir” and “No, sir” responses. Hannan’s friend George David Stewart — whom police identified as a fellow homosexual — and attorney J. Roger Thompson had urged him to surrender, and Dunn credited both with helping end the daylong drama with no other injuries. There was no scuffle at the end, Dunn said, and Thompson said he felt Hannan simply “made a value judgment as spending several years in prison or taking his own life.” Hannan and Stewart had been arrested in Mobile, Ala., last month and charged with committing a Sept. 2 Atlanta bank robbery. Stewart was kept in jail, but Hannon was released on $25,000 bond and allowed to return to his home in Nebraska. Hannan, called “Mike” by his (Continued on page eight.) husband’s 10 foot by 15 foot office, sobbing quietly. “I guess it was just the long hours of waiting and the feeling for his (Han nan’s) parents and his family," she said. “It just culminated in that.” Hannan’s parents and the homosexual lover the hijacker had tried to free from an Atlanta jail helped in the negotiations to free the passengers. George David Stewart, who was charged with Hannan in a $7,000 Atlanta bank robbery Sept. 2, “did everything he could,” to pursuade Hannan to give up, Thompson said. “Mr. Stewart was very helpful. He did everything we asked him to do to try to convince Mr. Hannan to give it up,” Thompson said. “But we would not have allowed Mr. Stewart to go aboard the plane. Griffin, Ga., 30223, Friday Afternoon, October 21,1977 1 ‘ j ■" M?" Rock singers among victims of this crash. Story Page 8. Qualifying ends today for county commission race Five candidates were in the race for Spalding County Commissioner today T i .. ji * ’ W ’ z -i., 5 j .... — I Ml He was mainly responsible for getting people off plane. with the deadline for qualifying coming up at 5 p.m. today. Candidates who had signed with Probate Judge John Snider so far were David Elder, Thomas A. Bearden, Bob Gilreath, Frank Gunnels and Jim Goolsby. They all are seeking the unexpired portion of Reid Childers’ term. He resigned because of ill health. The election will be held Nov. 8. Voter League to sponsor ‘meet’ night The League of Women Voters of Griffin-Spalding County will have a “Meet the Candidates” night Thursday, Oct. 27 at the city hall courtroom beginning at 7:30. Candidates in the city and county commission races will be invited to make statements and answer questions about their campaigns. Both groups will have separate time periods. Each will have a 2-minute opening statement then will field written questions submitted by the audience. Anyone who may not be able to attend but who wishes to ask a question may address it to the League of Women Voters, Box 491, Griffin, Ga. 30223. Vol. 105 No. 250 Weather FORECAST FOR GRIFFIN AREA — Fair through Saturday with low tonight in the mid 40s and high Saturday in the low 70s. LOCAL WEATHER - Low this morning at the Spalding Forestry Unit 38, high Thursday 71. People ...and things Lumber sticking through sun roof of compact car. Christmas tree already up in ballroom of Moose Club. One police officer attempting to straighten tie of another before they hit their patrol beats. The Country Parson by Frank Clark Ur- K» “It looks like the world’s supply of energy might last longer than we can afford.” • *1