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Volume 123 - No. 46
© Early County News, Inc
Qualifying Starts For
August City Election
Voters will go to the city polls in
Blakely for the second time this year
Tuesday, August 3rd.
In August’s regular election the
voters will be voting for candidates
for the office of Mayor and Coun
cilmen for Post No. 2 and Post No. 4.
Mayor Billy Fleming, having been
elected in a Special Election in
March, is presently serving the nine
months which remained following the
resignation of C.H. Jacob.
Both Thomas E. Wright, Jr. who
“Not Guilty?"
I hope all of our readers got the same sinking feeling I
did Monday night when I heard that the jury in Washington
D.C. had found John W. Hinckley, Jr. “Not Guilty” in his
charges resulting from his assasination attempt of Presi
dent Reagan.
“Not guilty by reason of insanity” was the way the ver
dict read. Unbelievable! Everyone reading this have
told you he was crazy the minute they saw the film of the
assault.
Not guilty? Hell, everyone in America and most of the
world has seen him on TV doing the shooting and they say
not guilty? Innocent? Never! Insane? Maybe!
We are the laughing stock of the whole world this week.
Not only do assassins and terrorists try to bring us to our
knees in the streets, they actually do it in our courtrooms!
I hope America will never forgive our criminal justice
system for what it has done to us, for what it has grown to
be -a haven for the criminal element of our society.
Like our economy, if our justice system has not bottom
ed out yet, we are in more trouble than we will get out of!
If it gets any worse from here on out its our fault! If you
don’t read in the paper the next several days where your
state and national politicians have taken a stand to change
and strengthen our justice system, let them here from you.
We are supposed to have a government “By the people,
for the people, and of the people”. That sounds great but it
doesn’t work that way if you sit back and refuse to speak
up and take part.
Those of us who refuse to be a part of our society, who sit
back and complain, without stepping up and speaking out
are just as guilty as Hinckley - and probably a lot more in
sane if the truth were known.
If we didn’t like that verdict, its our turn to render one of
our own!
“Guilty!”
“Guilty!” Its time we condemn our justice system to
change, to change its ways in such a manner that it does
what it was originally designed to do.
In this case justice was thrown out the window when the
judge made the prosecution try to prove to the jury without
a doubt that Hinckley was sane when he shot the President
and three others.
Nobody’s trying to argue the man was sane - but just
because he was insane, does that make him innocent? No!
He is still a threat to society.
That some judge, must determine within 50 days
whether Hinckley should remain instutionalized or set free
on society. From what I’ve seen so far, I wouldn’t be
shocked any worse if they turn him loose on us again!
We don’t have to look all the way to Washington to see
our justice system deteriorating. Just look to Atlanta! This
past session, a bill that would even the number of juror
strikes between the defense and state was not even
brought to a vote, but killed by the attomey/legislators
House Speaker Tom Murphy, reportedly sent the bill to a
committee in which he knew it would die.
So still, the potential criminal gets to strike two jurors to
society’s one. There was a day, years ago, when there was
not a whole lot wrong with that. But today with the liberal
attitude of the courts, the criminal has more loopholes and
appeals than he can use up in 10 years under the present
system.
If you don’t believe it, look at how many inmates are on
death row, how many years they have been there, and the
possibility of their ever being executed as society directed.
Another example, several weeks ago a number of people
were arrested for selling drugs here. The public’s reaction
- “It’s a waste of time, they will never do anything with
them.”
It’s a sad commentary but true. Very few of our
criminals, even here in Early County are getting the
punishment society would like to see.
Again, it’s time we passed our own verdict, speak it out
loud, tell the people who are responsible!
“Guilty!”
Don't Miss Next Weeks Wild Moonlight Madness Sales!
holds Post No. 2 and David Griffin
who holds Post No. 4 are serving their
first two year term.
Qualifying
Qualifying for the August 3rd elec
tion begins Friday, June 25th at 9:00
a.m. and continues through July 19th.
The last day to register to vote in the
city election is July 23rd.
Candidates wishing to qualify may
pick up a letter of qualification at City
Hall and deliver personally to the
Mayor or City Clerk.
Thursday, June 24, 1982
Early County - Blakely, Georgia 31723
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Weekend Blaze
Claims Blakely Man
Burglaries
Local authorities are looking for
two or three suspects in connection
with the burglary of Jr. Foods located
on North Main.
The thieves entered the store by
throwing a brick and pieces of cement
through the front plate glass window.
The burglary was discovered and
reported by employees as they came
to work early Monday morning.
Blakely Senior Center
Holds Open House
The Blakely Senior Center which
has been in operation since May 3rd
invited everyone to attend an Open
House Thursday afternoon from 12:30
p.m. to 2:30 p.m. at 213 Columbia St.
Local citizens regardless of finan
cial and social status can now enjoy
getting together daily (9:00 a.m.-3:00
p.m.) Monday through Friday to en
joy fellowship, recreation and enter
tainment. A well planned nutritious
meal is provided for up to 45 persons
coming in to the center and 10 meals
are sent daily to shut ins.
Tennis Tournament
The Blakely-Early Co. Recreation
Department will sponsor a Men’s
Singles Tennis Tournament the
weekend of July 10th. The tournament
will begin Thursday, July Bth., and
will run Thursday evening, Friday
evening, Saturday and Sunday for the
finals.
Grand Master Visits
The Grand Master of the Grand
Lodge of Georgia, F&AM, Horace L.
Whitlock, will visit Magnolia Lodge
No. 86 Thursday, June 24th.
Following his visit to the Lodge
which begins at 7:00 p.m., a banquet
Someone had apparently tried to
enter the Quick Shop located across
the street from Jr. Foods, also.
However, the rocks failed to break out
the large safety glass at Quick Shop.
The safety glass had just been install
ed a couple of weeks earlier following
a similar incident.
Offiicals believe the same persons
tried to enter both stores.
Mrs. Ruth Cooper, Site Manager,
commenting on the center, says it is a
unique program involving local, state
and federal funds. It is not a poverty
program and each participant is of
fered an opportunity and encouraged
to contribute toward the cost of the
service. This project income is a part
of the budget and it remains in the
community to help finance the opera
tion. She urges Blakely and Early
county citizens to drop by and find out
for themselves just what is going on
here at the Blakely Senior Center.
Anyone interested in playing in this
tournament should call the Recrea
tion Department at 723-3197 or mail in
a registration form that you can pick
up at the office. The tournament fee
will be $5.00. All fees must be paid by
Tuesday, July 6th at noon. Failure to
pay your fee by this date will result in
loss of tournament eligibility.
will be held in his honor in the dining
hall at First Baptist Church beginning
at 7:30 p.m.
All members of Magnolia Lodge
and their ladies are expected to at
tend.
A 27 year-old Blakely man died in the fire which destroyed this mobile home
Saturday night.
Pronounced dead at the scene of the fire was Eddie Wimberly, who according
to Coronor Billy Joe Jordan, died of smoke inhalation.
The fire, which was reported around 11 p.m. Saturday night is believed to have
been started by a faulty air conditioner.
Authorities suspect no faul play in Wimberly’s death. He was found lying on the
living room floor by the door.
Richard Grist, Sr.
Passes Away At 61
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Richard Dawson Grist, Sr., 61, a
leading Blakely citizen and
businessman, active in all phases of
community life, died suddenly late
Tuesday afternoon, the result of a
heart attack. He and his wife, the
former Isabel Williamson Grist, were
enjoying a fishing trip to the Grist
pond west of the city when the fatal at
tack came. Help was summoned but
he was pronounced dead on arrival at
Early Memorial Hospital. When news
of his death became generally known
early Wednesday morning it provoked
much sadness as he was well known,
well liked and highly respected.
Richard Dawson Grist, Sr., was
bom in Blakely on March 21,1921, the
third and youngest of the Grist sons of
William James Grist and Ouida Dun
bar Grist, prominent Blakely citizens.
He had spent his.entire life here and
engaged in the oil business and
operated the family farm. He
graduated from Blakely High School
in 1938, serving as president of the
class. He enrolled at the University of
the South in Sewannee, Tenn., and
was a member of the Sigma Alpha
Epilson fraternity. His college career
was terminated the next year when
his father died in November 1939, and
he returned home to assist his
brother, F. Dunbar Grist in the opera-
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tion of the Grist Oil. Company and
Grist Farms, the older brother,
William Grist, Jr., was engaged in the
oil business in Albany.
Mr. Grist was active in all phases of
the civic life of Blakely and cheerfully
gave of his time, talent and resources
to help Blakely grow. He was a
member and past chairman of the
First United Methodist Church board,
and served as chairman of the
Building Committee when the educa
tional buildings were constructed. He
was a member of the Blakely Rotary
Club and the Early County Chamber
of commerce and had served both
organizations as president. He had
taken interest in the Boy Scout move
ment and had served as a scout leader
and den father. He had served an
unexpired term on the City Council,
and was a member of the Early Coun
ty Historical Society. He helped to br
ing to Blakely the first sewing plant
when he served as president of the
Blakely Builders and Manufactures.
He served as chairman of the Red
Cross Blood donor program. He was a
member of the board of directors of
the Bank of Early.
He was possessed with an innate
sense of humor which attracted
friends as was attested by the large
crowd who attended the last rites at
the First United Methodist Church on
Thursday morning, conducted by Dr.
John McGowan, pastor, and the Rev.
W.H. Ansley, a former pastor. Inter
ment was in the Blakely cemetery.
Active pall bearers were Ted Whit
chard, Nelson Hattaway, Elwood
Martin, John Puckett, John Moseley,
Jr., Max Holman, Charles Roberts,
and Tom Baxley.
Survivors, in addition to his wife,
Mrs. Isabel Williamson Grist, to
whom he had been married since
November 1941, are a son, Richard
Dawson Grist, Jr., daughter
Charlotte Williamson Grist Moore,
grandchildren, Virginia Lee Grist,
Richard Dunbar Grist, Thomas
Oakley Moore, Jr., Richard Grist
Moore, and a sister, Mrs. Mary Grist
Whitehead, all of Blakely.
Manry-Jordan Funeral Home was
in charge of arrangements.