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People’s Forum
What Do You Think the Now County Commission
Should Give Priority to?
MARGARETHASTY
I think the roads. I live on a
dirt road in Butts County,
and it really gets bad
sometimes.
WHISKEY AND COURAGE
According to published reports, Ronald Maddux of
< lceland, Tennessee is one real big man. But it took some
extra help for him to be such a big man. You see, he needed
to drink a little whiskey to help him in his punishing
four-year-old Melisha Morganna Gibson.
Statements at a preliminary hearing of Maddux, age 30,
and his 36 year old wife told of how burly Maddux, alternately
drinking whiskey and tormenting his stepdaughter Melisha,
fed the child hot sauce until she vomited, forced her to walk
until she tired and then beat her with a stick.
Mrs. Maddux, who was bound over to a county grand
jury with Maddux, gave a statement of the events which
occurred on October 12, 1976. “About 8:30 to 9, Ronnie said
'l’m going to get the stiffness and laziness out of her,’ ” Mrs.
Maddux’s statement said. “He started making her walk from
the girls’ bedroom to the kitchen and back again.”
“He kept saying to her, ‘Walk, walk!’ and he would hit
her with his hand as she went by. Melisha would slow down
and he would make her walk faster,” the statement said.
“He got some hot sauce and a tablespoon and said, ‘l’ll
teach her a lesson’ or something like that. He poured out a
tablespoon and told her to open her mouth/He put hot sauce in
her mouth and she swallowed it and threw it back up.
“He began to make her walk again. He made her walk
for about two hours and she began to slow down. He told her
to get a little faster, to get on her toes and trot.
“She ran then for a while and slowed down so he gave her
another tablespoon of hot sauce. She threw up again.
Maddux’s statement said that after the other members of
the family - he, his wife and four other children - had eaten
supper, “I made her start walking again. As she went by me
while she was walking, I would hit her in the back with the
stick. She was crying as she walked.
“She started to sit down on the foot stool and I wouldn’t
let her sit down. Later on we put the mattress on the floor and
I told her to go to bed.”
Both Maddux and his wife said in their statements that
Melisha had trouble sleeping during the night, that she wet
her bed and was forced by Maddux to lie on a cold floor, with
no cover while wearing urine-drenched clothes.
Yes, like I said, with the help of several shots of whiskey,
Ronald Maddux is a real big man. I mean, it takes real
courage to stand up to a four-year-old the way Maddux did.
I guess that perhaps Maddux and his wife thought they
were just getting even with Melisha. You see, they had to
serve a jail term for previously abusing Melisha. So in their
punishment they were showing Melisha who was boss.
I guess that with a little toddy we can get courage to do
about anything. Even stand up to a four-year-old.
But Mr. and Mrs. Maddux won’t have to worry about
getting even with little Melisha for going to jail this time. You
see, when Maddux went to check on her the next morning, he
couldn’t wake her.
She was dead.
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TOP TEN
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Vitamin E, 400 units,
100’s, Reg $7.98 $4.98
Tylenol <*> Tabs, 100’s 99c
Presto Fry Baby, Reg. $24.95
(Electric Deep Fryer) $19.95
Vicks Day Care Cold
Medicine, 6 oz. $1.99
Contac Cold Capsules $1.09
Afrin Nose Drops, Reg. $2.87 $1.49
Maalox, 12 oz. 1 $1.29
Gillette Trac II Blades,
Reg. $2.59 - $1.79
The New Slinky Bracelet,
Reg. 99c Now 66c
W - \
„ #
Mk ifc'S. ".
‘Whatsoever
Things’
By Donald E. Wildmon
•FRANK MILLER
Reduce ad valorem taxes.
IRS .District Director Tells
Of Changes in 1976 Tax Forms
By now most Georgians
should have received their
Federal income tax pack
ages. John Henderson, Ds
trict Director IRS in Georgia,
says the IRS mailed 1,744,000
tax packages out during the
past two weeks.
Both the Form 1040 and the
Short Form 1040A reflect
various changes in the law
stemming from passage of
the Tax Reform Act of 1976,
according to Mr. Henderson.
These changes cover such
areas as child care expenses,
income received during
retirement, business use of a
home, and sick pay, among
other provisions that are
effective for tax year 1976.
New' tax tables enable those
with taxable incomes of up to
$20,000 to determine their
taxable income at a glance,
without calculating rates.
The tables must be used
whether or not the taxpayers
itemize deductions or use the
standard deduction.
Beginning this year, some
of the eligibility require
ments for the Earned Income
Credit have been liberalized.
However, the IRS reminded
taxpayers who are eligible
for the credit that they still
must file a tax return to
receive it. The credit equals
10 percent of the first $4,000
of earnings and is phased out
as adjusted gross income
rises from $4,000 to SB,OOO. It
is refundable to provide a
benefit to families who
otherwise do not earn
enough to file a return.
To help assure that those
who qualify for the earned
income credit do not overlook
it, and as a convenience, this
year the worksheet for the
THE JACKSON PROGRESS-ARGUS, JACKSON, GEORGIA THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 1977
• w
TOMMY SMITH
The roads. We have a dairy
farm which you get to by a
dirt road. We’ve asked the
county several times to put
gravel on the road, but they
said the county couldn’t
afford it. The dirt roads are
terrible in the whole county.
NOTICE OF
PUBLIC HEARING
Notice hereby is given there will be a public hearing
at the Main Courtroom, Jackson, Georgia at 7:00
o’clock p. m. on Monday, January 31, 1977 upon pro
posals by owners of the following described properties
that these petitioners be granted Special Exceptions
of locating Mobile Homes in Zoning Classification: A-R
(Agricultural Residential).
(1) 1 acre more or less located off Shiloh Road,
615 Militia District, Butts County, Georgia. Owner and
applicant of land: Charlie Sims. Size of Mobile Home
12 x 64.
(2) 21 acres located on Hw r y. No. 36, 612 Militia
District, Butts County, Georgia. Land owned by Maurice
Cook. Applicant Greg Cook. Size of Mobile Home 12 x
60.
credit appears on page 2 of
the 1040 and 1040A tax
packages.
Tax forms 1040 and 1040A
for 1976 also provide for
taxpayers to take a personal
tax credit of $35 each for
themselves and listed de
pendents or 2 percent of the
first $9,000 of taxable income,
whichever is greater.
A number of taxpayers
who filed Form 1040 last year
will receive Form 1040A, Mr.
Henderson advised. Those
receiving the shorter form
could have filed it instead of
Form 1040, a review of
records by the IRS revealed.
If the taxpayers’ situation
has changed since they last
filed a return, however, they
should check to see if they
can reduce their taxes by
itemizing deductions on
Form 1040, Mr. Henderson
cautioned.
Asa result of this year’s
legislation, the standard
deduction, w'hich must be
used by those using Short
Form 1040A, remains 16
percent, with a maximum of
$2,800 for married persons
filing jointly ($1,400 for
married individuals filing
separately), and $2,400 for
single persons.
The 1040 and 1040A tax
packages both contain in
formation to answer most
questions about deductions
and completing the tax
returns, along with an order
blank for requesting free
publications or extra forms
from the IRS,
Supplies of forms and
instructions will also be
available at many banks and
Postal Service offices, Mr.
I
lee glaze
The high taxes should be
cut.
Square Dancers
Invited To
Unicoi Park
“Jack o’ diamonds, ace o’
spades-grab your gal and
promenade.”
That’s the sort of happy
talk-singing that will be
going on at the square dance
weekend in the mountains,
January 28-29, at Unicoi
State Park near Helen,
Georgia, Henry D. Struble,
Director of the Parks and
Historic Sites Division of
Georgia's Department of
Natural Resources, an
nounced today.
If you like square dancing
or if you want to learn how,
or if you like to watch square
dancing, this weekend is
planned for you. Friday night
at 8 o’clock, everybody will
square up in the Unicoi
Lodge. From 3 to 5 on
Saturday afternoon, there’ll
be a workshop for those who
want to learn and for those
who want to polish up their
steps. That’s followed at 8
o'clock by a big night dance.
George Watson from Hickory
Nut Mountain will call the
Western square dance, and
Henuerson said. Mr. Hender
son added that telephone
tax assistance will again be
available to all Georgians.
The tax assistance numbers
to call are as follows Atlanta
522-0050; Augusta 724-9946;
Columbus 327-7491; Macon
746-4993; Savannah 355-1045:
elsewhere in Georgia 1-800-
222-1040 (toll-free). The
Director suggested that
taxpayers hold onto their tax
instructions particularly be
cause their numbers are
listed there even though they
are not yet listed in all
telephone directories.
Jackson Rites
Were Held For
Warren Furlow
Graveside services for
Warren Furlow, 81, of Winter
Haven, Florida, were held
Wednesday afternoon, Jan
uary sth, at the Jackson City
Cemetery.
Mr. Furlow was born May
6. 1896 in Jackson, the son of
the late Mr. and Mrs. T. M.
Furlow. He died January Ist
in Winter Haven following a
lengthy illness.
He was associated with the
Jackson National Bank for a
number of years before
moving to St. Petersburg in
1923 where he was affiliated
with the Ninth Street Bank &
Trust Company. He was a
charter member of the
Jackson Kiwanis Club in 1922
and served as its first
treasurer.
During his residence in
Florida, he owned an ice
plant in Center Hill, Florida
with A. B. Lindsey, another
former Butts Countian, and
was associated with banks in
both St. Petersburg and
Winter Haven.
Survivors include his wife,
the former Mary Russell of
McDonough, a daughter, and
one sister, Mrs. Sara Louise
Rhem, Georgetown, S. C.
Cecil Johnson, former di
rector of the Rock Eagle 4-H
center, will call the begin
ners’ and the hoedown
dances.
Host for Friday night’s
dance will be the Hickory Nut
Mountain Squares, and the
Foggy Mountain Alamadoes
will host the Saturday night
frolic. There will be no
charge for Northeast
Georgia Federation dancers
and guests at Unicoi Lodge.
For reservations, call
Unicoi State Park (404)
878-2201 ext. 289, or write
P.O. Box 256, Helen, Georgia
30545. For further informa
tion, ask for Ron Snuggs.
program manager.
than huffin’ and puffin goes
into building a house
... it takes cold hard cash! And if you’re find
ing that the more cash you need, the less you
have, then it’s time you learned about our low
cost mortgage loans. We’ll work out a plan suited
to your income. Let’s talk about it soon!
Good For Us "—Good For You
@AacAjM S?rmtA
GRIFFIN FEDERAL
348 Mu'berfv Si P 0 Box 3601 Telephone 404- 775-2710
JACKSON GEORGIA 30233
Education Week Focuses On
Harmful Effects of Smoking
This week is National
Education Week on Smoking
and Health. From January
9-15 nation-wide, people will
be encouraged to take a
second look at the harmful
effects of smoking and to
consider the theme - “Help
Yourself-Help A Friend To
Quit.”
The Georgia Lung Associa
tion claims that cigarette
smoking is the major cause
of emphysema and chronic
bronchitis. U. S. Department
of Health and Welfare claims
55.000 men will die of Lung
cancer this year, about 90
percent of which will be
smokers. “Most all lung
diseases could be controlled
if the people never smoked or
stopped smoking,” claims
Julian Keith, President for
the Lung Association.
“Some lung diseases are
the result of genetic defects.
But most are caused by what
people breathe into their
lungs, like cigarette smoke,
pollen, germs, all kinds of
pollutants in the outdoor and
indoor air -and perhaps the
most dangerous by far and
the most wide-spread is the
smoke of tobacco,” Keith
said.
“One cigarette produces a
considerable amount of part
iculate matter and carbon
monoxide from its burning
tip and from the exhaled
smoke. The non-smokers
then breathe in this smoke
containing air. The pipe and
cigar smokers actually add
more of these pollutants to
the atmosphere than the
cigarette smokers. These
pollutants reach significantly
high levels in closed spaces
and become a source of
nuisance to some and to
others a source of irritation.
“Breathing under such
circumstances can impair
hearing and vision, even
aggravate symptoms such as
angina in patients with heart
problems,” Keith warned.
“The Lung Association is
equally concerned about the
effect of tobacco smoke on
non-smokers as well as on the
smoker himself. We know
that 50 percent more respira
tory problems are found in
children in homes where
parents smoke. Their health
has to be protected, but no
less than their parents. We
hope the “buddy system”
approach to kicking the habit
will be effective. It truly is a
matter of life or breath.”
Macon Boat-
Camping Show
Opens Jan. 20
Sure, there are plenty of
bargains at the Middle
Georgia Boat and Camping
Show -special prices on boats
and campers, not to mention
the time and money a visitor
saves by not having to travel
several counties to see the
same number of dealers with
exhibits in the show.
But during the show’s
run-January 20-23, 1977
there are also some free
items that make it worth
much more than the nominal
admission price.
There are the free fishing
clinics each day. Some of
Georgia's top bass anglers
will be giving away the
secrets that enable them to
come home with full strings
of fat bass.
There also are numerous
experts in boating and
camping who will share tips
with visitors that could save
them hundreds of dollars.
There is no reason to
over-buy or under-buy with
the expertise under the roof
at the Macon Coliseum.
lit
LENDER