Hatksmt
Volume 101 • Number 10
Wanton Shooting of Two Men In
Robbery Brings Violence To Butts
Rural violence came to
Bulls County Sunday night
will) dramatic swiftness in
tlie armed robbery of the
Fresh Air Barbecue Stand on
Indian Spring Highway and
Ihe wounding of two em
ployees, one critically, while
laying face down in the
sawdust under the stand’s
front shed.
Critically wounded by a
masked robber was Lamar
James, 49, of 1-A Sixth
Street, Jackson, with a .38
caliber bullet in his shoulder
and another lodged in or near
his spine, and James Brewer,
28, 605 Woodland Way,
Jackson, who suffered a
superficial bullet wound in
his arm and after treatment
at the Griffin-Spalding
County Hospital emergency
room was released.
According to Butts County
Sheriff Barney Wilder, five
Jackson Negro youths, two
men and three women, one a
juvenile, were arrested
shortly after the robbery and
are lodged in the Butts
County and Jackson City
jails. The subjects were
identified by Sheriff Wilder
as Eddie Daniel Clark of 125
Hancock Street, Jackson,
who allegedly did the
shooting, and James Lamar
Benton of 139 Elm Street,
Jackson. The females ar
rested were Mary Lou White
of Route 3, Jackson, who had
been employed for about five
months at the Fresh Air
Barbecue Place, Edna
White, of the same address,
and a juvenile whose name
cannot be published under
Georgia law.
Sheriff Wilder said the
robbery occurred about 9:20
p.m. when the two men were
preparing to close the place
of business for the night.
They had emerged from a
side door of the world famous
barbecue establishment and
were on their way to their
cars when a man wearing
some type of mask, accord
ing to Sheriff Wilder, stepped
from a place of concealment
and ordered the two men to
“Hold it!,” and then “Put it
Mrs. Marjorie Schairer Is
Coed At Glorious Age of 70
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GEORGIA’S OLDEST COED is Mrs. Marjorie Schairer, second from left, and still
attractive. Mrs. Schairer is 70 years old and is a native of Butts County. A student at Clayton
Junior College, Mrs. Schairer is pictured above, left to right, with her grandchildren, Mark
Glasco, Faye Glasco and Dian Glasco. The photo was made on the campus between classes.
The oldest student in the
University System of Geor
gia. Mrs. Marjorie Schairer,
70, is finally doing what she
always wanted to do - attend
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TRAGEDY STRUCK HERE SUNDAY NIGHT when two employees of Fresh Air
Barbecue were callously shot in the back during a robbery while lying face down in the sawdust
near the end of the shed in the left foreground. The two men, Lamar James, and James
Brewer, had just exited from the building through the door seen at the left when they are
ordered to stop, put down the money box, and lay on the sawdust. Mr. James was shot twice in
the back, Mr. Brewer once in the arm. Two local men and three local women are in jail, having
been arrested shortly after the robbery Sunday night at 9:20 o’clock. Fresh Air Barbecue is
internationally known and is one of the most popular barbecue eating establishments in the
entire southeast. -- Photo by Jerry McLaurin.
down,” referring to the
money box. According to
Sheriff Wilder, Mr. Brewer
placed the money box on the
ground and they then laid
down as they were ordered
and while they w'ere pros
trate on the sawdust, two
shots were fired into the back
of Mr. James and one into the
arm of Mr. Brewer. Sheriff
Wilder said Mr. Brewer was
able to reenter the building
and use the telephone to
report the robbery and the
shooting.
Within minutes scores of
law officers, State Patrol
men, GBI agents, and
lawmen from Forsyth, Grif
fin, and Atlanta were on the
scene, searching for the
suspects in subfreezing
weather with the mercury
already at a bone-chilling 28
degrees.
Sheriff Wilder said that
Clark was apprehended near
the Mecca, a short distance
down the highway from the
barbecue stand, and the
college and study music.
Mrs. Schairer, an Atlanta
resident and student at
Clayton Junior College in
Morrow, wanted to go to
three girls were taken into
custody while sitting in the
car, parked near the Mecca.
Sheriff Wilder said the car
evidently would not start and
that the females remained in
it while the two men sought to
flee on foot. Later Monday
morning, Benton was taken
into custody at his home.
Mr: Wilder said Monday
morning the money box had
been recovered where it was
hastily hidden by the robbers
and that a number of officers
were continuing the search
for the .38 caliber pistol used
in the shooting. The Butts
County Sheriff said a spent
bullet was recovered from
the sawdust and will prob
ably be used in ballistics
tests.
Mr. James was taken to the
Griffin-Spalding County Hos
pital by ambulance and
transferred to the Crawford
W. Long Hospital in Atlanta
where surgery early Monday
morning removed a bullet
Wesleyan in Macon and
study piano after finishing a
10-year high school in
Flovilla, Ga. near Jackson.
“My mother had in an
J •£ 8 ion, Georgia 30233, Thursday, March 6, 1975
sh £3
from his shoulder.
If and when his condition
warrants, efforts will be
made to remove the bullet
lodged near his spine. Mr.
James had been employed at
Fresh Air for almost 20
years. It is reported that Mr.
James is paralyzed from his
waist down from the bullet
near his spine.
Sheriff Wilder expressed
appreciation to State Patrol
men who responded from
posts in Forsyth. Griffin, and
Atlanta, to the Monroe
County Sheriff’s Depart
ment, to the Jackson Police
Department, to personnel
from the Georgia Diagnostic
and Classification Center,
and for the use of blood
hounds from the same
facility, and to several GBI
agents who came to the
scene.
Sheriff Wilder said the men
had been charged with
armed robbery and two cases
of aggravated assault.
application for a loan at the
Louis H. Beckman C 0.,” Mrs.
Schairer remembers, “but
the loan didn’t go through
because the fund was
running out of money.”
So, Mrs. Schairer didn’t go
to Wesleyan, but packed her
bags along with her sister
and moved to A'lanta. There,
she lived in a house her
mother had rented so she
could attend Draughon’s
Business College.
“I was the eighth child of
ten,” the former Marjorie
Thomas stated, “and all my
brothers and sisters were, or
had been , in college.”
Mrs. Schairer told of her
aunts and uncles who studied
at universities to become
doctors, lawyers, and college
professors. “One of my
sisters married a judge and
he was such an inspiration to
the whole family," said the
CJC student. “Those who
were high in careers tried to
pull the rest of us up, too.”
Mrs. Schairer continued,
“One of my brothers receiv
ed four degrees from
Mercer-one of the first to
achieve this honor. That’s
one of the reasons I'm here
now."
A former model at Rich’s
and Davison’s of Atlanta,
Mrs. Schairer remembers
when she worked in the
Pentagon (one of the first
women to do so) where she
acted as hostess for General
Hildering, was secretary
under General George Mar
(Continued on Page 2)
The first tendril of smoke
that heralded the disastrous
fire of July 1973 that
completely destroyed Delta
Tank Corporation’s plant in
Macon portended an augury
of good for Jackson’s
industrial expansion though
no one knew it at the time.
Almost like a phoenix, the
mythological bird that rose
from its own ashes, anew,
perhaps larger and more
imposing plant, has arisen on
Jackson’s industrial park to
take its rightful place among
the county’s industry and
with its job potential of
perhaps 200 males at peak
production. Delta Tank Cor
poration’s new plant looms
large in importance on not
only Butts County’s but this
section's brightened eco
nomic outlook.
The $900,000 loan from
Farmers Home Administra
tion to Delta Tank which
made the plant possible was
formally closed at impres
sive ceremonies Friday,
February 28th. when J. N.
McDuffie, state director of
FHA. presented the check to
Maurice W. Carmichael,
chairman of the Develop
ment Authority of Jackson.
The loan was formalized at a
luncheon in the Central
Georgia EMC auditorium
and assembled dignitaries
from over the state as well as
a plethora of local city and
county government officials
and business leaders. The
luncheon was hosted by the
Butts County Chamber of
Commerce, Inc., Dick O’-
Hara. president.
The occasion was made
' more auspicious by the
presence of Mr. and Mrs. Joe
Rose, Mr. Rose being
president of Delta Tank
Corporation of Willoughby,
Ohio. Other members of the
Delta Tank hierarchy pre
sent for the festivities were
Jim Steward, vice president
and general manager; Leo
nard Kreiger. a director: Joe
Berick. attorney. Cecil John
son, production manager:
Andy Riley, shop foreman:
Benny Dalmus, engineer;
and Coleman Moates, ac
countant.
Construction on tiie 800,000
square foot Delta plant was
begun several months ago
and was virtually completed
by the February 28th loan
closing date. Mr. Steward
said the plant presently has
45 employees and expects to
double that number in about
six months. At peak capa
city, probably less that two
years. Delta expects to
employ as many as 200
persons, almost 100 percent
being men.
Mr. Steward told the large
luncheon audience one of the
most difficult things he was
ever called upon to do was
“to stand up in the back of a
pick-up truck and tell
employees of the company
that they were out of business
after 30 years,” this being
occasioned by the Macon
fire.
Mr. Steward stated that
among reasons for locating
in Jackson was the tremen
dous interest in promoting
industry as evidenced by the
Development Authority of
Jackson, as well as the
complete and thorough co
operation of city and county
officials. Other factors in
locating in Jackson as
enumerated by Mr. Steward
were “a better availability of
manpower, a good location
due to proximity of the
railroad, plus the fine
cooperation of people in the
community.
The Jackson plant's prin
cipal building is 100 by 400 ft.
with a 50 ft. by 600 ft.
crandway for 15 tons and a 60
by 200 ft. craneway for five
ton loads.
Mr. Riley, shop foreman,
told guests at the plant tour
.which followed the luncheon
Delta Tank
Conies
To Jackson
WELCOME!
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PASSING THE BUCK Bucks, and many of them, passed hands Friday at the
Chamber of Commerce luncheon when J. M. McDuffie, right front, state director of the
Farmers Home Administration, presented a check for $900,000 to Maurice W.
Carmichael, chairman. Development Authority of Jackson, left,signifying the closing
of the loan from FHA to Delta Tank Corporation, which plant is already in operation in
Jackson. Looking on are. left to right, Glen Staples, county FHA supervisor: Jim
Steward, vice president of Delta Tank: Ed Nabers. assistant FHA director; and Joe
Rose, president of Delta Tank. - Photo by Jerry McLaurin.
that Delta could average
between 100 and 120 250-gal
-1 'ii tanks per day He said the
plant manufactures 120 gal
lim tanks through 1.000 gallon
tanks.
In addition to manufactur
ing LP and propane gas
tanks. Delta also produces
anhydrous ammonia tanks.
A fact that distinguished
the Delia loan is that it was
the first of its kind made by
FHA in Georgia for indus
trial purposes.
W. A. Duke, Jr., Butts
TOASTING THE OPENING OF DELTA TANK CORPORATION’S NEW PLANT
IN JACKSON are members of the Delta Tank family including, left to right, Joe
Steward, vice president; Joe Rose, president; Mrs. Joan Rose, wife of Mr. Rose;
Leonard Kreiger. director; and Joe Berick, attorney. The above photo was made in
front of Delta's office building on Jackson's Industrial Park by Jerry McLaurin.
County commissioner, pre
sided at the luncheon.
Among the distinguished
guests present from Farmers
Home Administration were
Mr. McDuffie, state director;
Ed Nabers, assistant state
director; Ralph Petree.
$6.18 Per Year In Advance
district director: Glen
Staples, county supervisor:
and Paul Collier, legal
counselor.
The Hon. Richard Ash
worth. Deputy Under Secre
tary. U S. Department of
Agriculture, was an honor
guest and made a few brief
remarks. Also present was
Paul Holmes of Athens, state
director of ASCS.
Leaving their many duties
at the State Capitol to attend
the luncheon were Peter
Banks. State Senator from
the 17th District; J. R. Smith,
Representative from the 78th
District; and Ray Tucker,
Representative from the 73rd
District.
The State Department of
Community Development
was represented by Gen.
Dick Allen. Deputy Director,
and Bill Wells, industrial
representative. Richard
Woodward and Bob Steed,
a rneys. represented the
law firm of King and
Spalding. Georgia Tech con
suhan's present were Bill
Craig, director; Charles
Womack and Hardy Taylor,
consultants.
Members of the Develop
ment Authority of Jackson
present, in addition to Mr.
Carmichael, were Charles
Carter, vice-chairman; Rich
ard W. Watkins, Jr., secre
tary; Tom O'Dell, assistant
secretary; and members M.
L. Hodges. Jr. and Doyle
Jones, Jr. P H. Weaver
another member, was unable
to be present.
