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T2-A Atlanta ]f Outrun Thursday, Nor. 1, It/j
'FLINT'S SOSEBEE STICKS BY RULES
Stern Judge Is Crime Deterrent
By ANN WOOLNER
About two-thirds of the
hard, auditorium-style chairs
in the stuffy, 1898 courtroom
were filled with twisting
torsos of prospective jurors,
witnesses and onlookers
trying to fight off the stuffi
ness of a late autumn day
with cardboard fans provided
by a funeral home.
A picture of Jesus covered
one side of the fans; the other
side bore an advertisement
that called the funeral home
“A Member of the Order of
the Golden Rule.”
Above the audience, the,
balcony that used to separate
Butts County’s blacks from
whites stood emtyy, as it has
for years.
The defense attorney
opened the second day of the
trial by complaining about the
heat and his health.
“If you don’t want to get too
hot, get to the point of the
case and let’s get on with it,”
advised the man behind the
judge’s bench.
“Amen!” whispered one of
the elderly courthouse regu
lars with an approving nod
and an elbow nudge to the
stranger sitting next to him.
“He’s a good, Christian
man, best judge we’ve ever
had,” the elderly man said
with conviction and pride.
“Why, he’s the best judge in
any county.”
He’s Hugh Dorsey Sosebee,
for nine years superior court
judge to the 55,000 to 60,000
people in the four Flint Judi
cial Circuit counties that lie
between Atlanta and Macon.
He wears no long, black
judge’s robe, but the lack of
judicial attire is indicative of
his unassuming nature—not of
any casualness or disrespect
for the court system.
His manner is gentle though
firm. He is soft-spoken, even
when reprimanding attorneys.
Flovilla Happenings
By Mrs. S. A. Elliott
Mrs. Carrie Nelson and Miss
Fredna Hilley visited Mrs.
Myrtice Wells at Jenkinsburg
last week.
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Elliott
and children of Griffin visited
Sunday with his parents. Also,
Mrs. Jean Hart and children
were luncheon guests of the
Elliotts Sunday.
Mrs. Annie Gober and Mrs.
S. A. Elliott visited Miss Roxie
Smith at Cork Saturday
afternoon. Miss Roxie is
recuperating wonderfully with
her broken hip and is walking
so well with the walker. Her
niece, Mrs. Roxilu Bohrer is
with her.
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Staff Photo—Hugh Stovall
JUDGE HUGH SOSEBEE
‘Get to the Point’
Yet there are those, mainly
outsiders and defense attor
neys, whose opinions differ
from that of the elderly Butts
County onlooker.
There are those who call
th e six-foot-one Sosebee a
“hangin’ judge.”
The judge isn’t sure how ap
plicable that term is.
“It depands on what you
mean by it. If you mean that
every person who comes to
my court accused of a crime
is treated like a criminal, no,
I’m not that kind of judge.
“But if you mean do I sen
tence drug pushers, armed
robbers and burglars to jail
. . . yes, I do that.
“I believe that if you ask
the defendants in my court,
almost all of them would tell
you that I treat them fairly
and courteously.
“They may not like their
sentences, but they won’t re-
Mr. Pete Folds visited Mrs.
D. T. Long last Wednesday. He
came by to bring her news of
her son and family which he
had visited in Louisiana. Mr.
Fold’s daughter married Mrs.
Long’s son.
Visiting Mr. and Mrs. Ed
Craig and Bunnie Sunday were
all the children and grandchil
dren, Mrs. Tiny Huffman and
daughter, Brenda, and Mrs.
Martin Lee of Flippin, Mr. and
Mrs. A. J. Copeland of
Stockbridge, Mr. and Mrs. C.
C. Clifton of Indian Springs and
Mrs. Shirley Beeland and son,
Michael, of Jackson.
THE JACKSON PROGRESS-ARGUS. JACKSON, GEORGIA
ceive fairer treatment any
where,” the judge said.
It is perhaps his stiff sen
tences that have prompted
some to call him a hangin’
judge.
He said he acts out of a
9trong belief in an old-fashion
ed principle: “People ought to
stick to the rules.”
Judge Sosebee hands down
stiff fines and long jail and
probationary sentences to
those who break the rules for
profit.
In addition to a fine, “we
give them (burglars) 20 years
in Henry County. They’d get
probation in other places,”
Judge Sosebee said.
“We used to have four to 15
burglary cases each term in
every county. Now we don’t
have any, maybe one a year,”
the judge added.
“They know where they can
and can’t operate, the word
gets around,” he said.
Judge Sosebee’s philosophy
behind the stiff sentences for
profit-making criminals that if
the motivation and the means
are removed, the crime will
be eliminated.
“We take the money away
from the person who is financ
ing the operation and we take
one of his employes out of cir
culation for a while” through
the sentences.
“After a fair trial, it’s the
court’s duty to do something
to them (convicted crimi
nals),” Judge Sosebee said.
The 57-year-old judge began
fighting crime through th e
courts when he was appointed
to fill a vacancy as the Flint
Circuit’s district attorney in
1954.
His 91£ years as district at
torney brought him headlines
when he led police on gam
bling raids in 1960.
“I did that because it look
ed like the people involved
Mrs. Frank Hardy and
daughter, Christine, of Jackson
visited the S. K. Smith family
last Wednesday.
Visiting Mr. and Mrs. George
Barnes over the weekend were
Mrs. W. A. Smith, Mrs. Velma
Mayfield, Mrs. Hazel King, Mr.
and Mrs. R. A. Jenkins, and
thoir grandson, Mr. Paul
Jamies, Jr., of Decatur.
Mrs. Carrie Nelson visited
last Thursday evening with
Mrs. George Barnes, Mrs.
Curtis Johnson and Mrs. S. A.
Elliott.
ivlr. and Mrs. Elbert Long
visited her sister, Mrs. Henry
Giles, at Coliseum Park
Hospital last Wednesday.
Mrs. Annie Gober spent
Monday with Miss Roxie Smith
at Cork.
were part of an organized
crime group,” he said.
He said that since that time
his counties have been free of
professional gambling.
The judge’s firm belief in
the judicial system and mak
ing it work is evident not only
in his sentencing practices,
but also in his treatment of
attorneys and citizens.
He has little tolerance for
attorneys who wait until the
jury is called before filing mo
tions to be heard in court.
It costs taxpayers SI,OOO for
each day a jury sits, so Judge
Sosobee sets aside specific
times for attorneys to file mo
tions that need to be heard
without juries.
He has tried to make the
judicial process more efficient
by warning justices of the
peace about people who ask
for warrants on legally unwar
ranted grounds.
To a woman who had asked
for her husband’s arrest after
a family argument, the judge
said, “Do you mean, to say
that you swore out a warrant
just because you were mad at
him?
“The law is ready to be en
forced and properly adminis
tered, but it is not here to be
played with like a toy,” the
judge said without raising his
voice.
With that Judge Sosebee
charged her with the $52 court
cost and had the clerk add her
name to the list she and the
sheriffs are compiling to give
to the J.P.s.
Throughout Butts, Henry,
Lamar and Monroe counties,
Judge Sosebee tries to apply
his philosophy of the judicial
system.
“We have the blueprint by
system work and the govern
ment work.
“Any shortcomings are our
own.”
Poppy Day
Will Be
Held Here
Remember our Veterans
around Armistice Day (Vet
erans Day)! Wear a Poppy to
honor the more than half-mil
lion Americans who died and
the nearly one-million wounded
during both World Wars, the
Korean War and the Vietnam
Conflict.
Did you know the Poppies
you buy are made by the
Veterans themselves? They
are paid for their work. The
work helps to give them a job to
do, and keeps their minds and
hearts busy Did you know that
a high percentage of the
Atlanta-Macon
Rapid Corridor
The Georgia Department of Transportation has
requested proposals from several consulting firms to
study the' feasibility of a high speed surface
transportation system connecting Atlanta and Macon.
Located as it is in the path of any such development,
Henry County would be dramatically involved.
According to information contained in a press
release from Bill Bryant, Public Information Director
of the Department of Transportation, the proposed
corridor could capture a high funding priority if
sanctioned by feasibUity studies.
Bryant’s release relates, “This preliminary study,
conducted under the auspices of the Department of
Public Transportation Branch, will examine the
economic, engineering, and environmental problems
associated with high speed surface transportation in a
“corridor” that wUI contain three milUon people by
1980*.
“Under consideration for several months, the study
takes on special significance in this area of threatened
energy shortages and increased congressional
interest in high speed intercity surface transportation.
“As part of the department’s growing commitment
to aU modes of transportation, this study will include
investigation of the impact of high speed surface
transportation on other forms of transportation
serving the vital Atlanta-Macon Corridor.”
The DOT did not speU out what is meant by “High
speed surface transportation”, but it could suggest
raUed travel as weU as highway enclosure.
PERSONAL
Mrs. Mae Delong of Roswell
and Mr. Clint Power of Decatur
visited Sunday with their
brother and his wife, Mr. and
Mrs. Pierce Power.
Lee Stewart motored to
Atlanta Sunday and attended
the Falcon-Rams game at the
Stadium.
We Take Pride and Pleasure
In Announcing The
m\llD IDITOIIiC
STEPHENS GROCERY
West Second St.
(Building formerly occupied by Allen’s Grocer} 7 )
We moved into our present location on July 29th and at last are happy to
announce our Grand Opening. We ask our friends and customers to please
come by and register for door prizes to be given away during the day Novem
ber 17th.
We are proud of our new location and the increased space it affords, thus
enabling us to serve you better and allowing you more room and freedom in
which to shop.
The event also marks our
27th ANNIVERSARY
in the grocery business and we thank our many friends for their loyal patron
age over the years.
We’re Looking for YOU on the 17th!
STEPHENS GROCERY
Robert P. (Bobby) Stephens, Owner
Jeannette Stephens W. Lamar McMichael (Mgr.)
Richard Brooks Wynnell McMichael
Randy Hamlin Wiley Crowder
Lester Jenkins ?
112 W. SECOND ST. JACKSON, GA. PH.775-2595
THURSDAY, NOV. 8, 1973
Sunday afternoon guests of
Mr. and Mrs. Billy Crum were
Rev. and Mrs. Robert Agner,
Karen and Bonnie of Athens
who were enroute to their home
after attending Homecoming
activities at the Griffin Church
of the Nazarene in Griffin. Rev.
Agner is a former pastor of the
Griffin church.
ruth at random
By Ruth Bryant
THE HEART OF JACKSON
“For where your treasure is
There will your heart be also”,
So said our Loving Lord
In days of the long ago!
O Jackson, your treasure safe
From moth and rust endures,
Your people fihge given and prayed
For the life of a son of yours!
So where your treasure is
Your heart is there, you know,
The sharing of your money
And love will prove it so!
Man of Year Nominations
The Jackson Kiwanis Club is asking for
nominations for Man of the Year which award will be
made Tuesday night, December 11th, at a Ladies
Night and Christmas meeting.
Nominations should be made in writing,
enumerating the person’s areas of civic service to his
community, and mailed to Doyle Jones, Jr.,
chairman. P. O. Box 249, Jackson. The club welcomes
nominations from any individual or group, but only
written nominations will be considered.
Since the inception of the program in 1989 four
men have been honored, these being Hampton L.
Daughtry, the late R. P. Newton, Sr., P. H. Weaver
and Doyle Jones, Jr.