The Brantley enterprise. (Nahunta, Brantley County, Ga.) 1927-2014, September 02, 1965, Image 1

The Brantley enterprise., September 02, 1965, Image 1

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Newspaper Page TextNotify this newspaper when your address changes. VOLUME 48 - NUMBER 35 Commander Frederick Lowell Highsmith His Helicopter Rescued Astronauts Nahunta Man Picks Up Astronauts After Eight-Day Orbiting By Mershon Aspinwall, Jr. In Waycross Journal-Herald A Brantley County native was pilot of the helicopter which lift ed astronauts Gordon Cooper Jr. and Charles Conrad Jr. from the Atlantic Ocean Sunday after their historic space flight. Cmdr. Frederick L. Highsmith, 41, was at the controls when the latest United States space heroes were picked up and carried back to carrier Lake Champlain. Glued to a television set at Hic kox was his sister, Mrs. Wood row Hendrix, who was thrilled that her brother had been able to complete his mission as plan ned. “Did you see how he landed that helicopter back down on the Lake Champlain? It was just like sitting it down on a bed of feath ers,” Mrs Hendrix said excitedly while talking with this reporter. “But then you see I just had to see my brother take part in this historical event,” she said. Highsmith, who was named commander of the helicopter anti submarine force aboard the Lake Champlain on May 17, was named the number one pickup pilot if the astronauts landed in the plan ned recovery area. Things worked out as planned and Highsmith was at the splash down site 30 minutes later with frogmen who attached the flota tion ring and then assisted Coop er and Conrad as they were lifted into Highsmith’s helicopter. The astronauts, after an eight day flight, were on solid footing a few minutes later after High smith transported them back to the waiting carrier and a warm welcome. Highsmith, who was born and raised in Nahunta, made a per fect landing and the world saw the two men who have broken all previously set records for a space flight. Mrs. Hendrix said she talked to Highsmith’s wife, the former Mil dred Jones of Columbus, and Mr. and Mrs. Woodrow Hendrix, Mrs. Neil Hendrix Met Comdr. Highsmith Mr. and Mrs. Woodrow Hen drix and Mrs. Neil Hendrix met Commander Frederick Highsmith at Mayport near Jacksonville when the Carrier Lake Champlain docked there Monday about three o’clock in the afternoon. Mrs. Woodrow Hendrix is the sister of Commander High smith who piloted the heli copter that rescued the two astronauts, Cooper and Con rad, from the Atlantic Ocean Sunday morning. Commander Highsmith took his sister and the others a board the helicopter that he piloted in the rescue. Mrs. Woodrow Hendrix said that Commander Highsmith was highly gratified that his relatives and friends in Brant ley County were so interested BRANTLEY ENTERPRISE Brantley County — Land of Forest Products, Naval Stores, Tobacco, Livestock, Honey, Hunting, Fishing — and Progressive People. in Atlantic “they were quite excited and proud.” Mrs. Highsmith resides at Quon set Point, R. 1., the home base of the Lake Champlain, with their three children, F. L. (Sonny) Jr., 16, Patty 14, and David 11. News that her brother had picked up the astronauts did not come as a surprise to Mrs. Hen drix. “My brother’s wife told me two weeks ago he had been named the number one recovery pilot for the Atlantic area but then I was worried that they might bring the astronauts down early and land them in the Pacific. “I really was excited when I heard that the helicopters were going in. I knew Freddy was at the controls,” Mrs. Hendrix said. Highsmith, who entered the Navy in 1943 after graduating from Nahunta High School, went into helicopter service in 1947 and received his wings at Jackson ville, Fla. Prior to being transferred to the Lake Champlain he was stationed in Washington, D. C., and worked with naval research. For a time he was closely associated with the Navy’s Xl9 vertical takeoff ex perimental plane. The Brantley native, son of the late Elder and Mrs. Henry Clay Highsmith of Nahunta, visited his sister and with old friends in April before going to his carrier assignment. Two of the friends, Wilder Brooker and Clarence Allen, des cribed Highsmith as a very lik able and responsible person, the kind of individual Nahunta and Brantley County can be proud of. Other relatives of Highsmith are equally as pleased at the role he played in yesterday’s historic event. Among them are two sis ters, Mrs. I. J. Courson of Jack sonville, Fla., and Mrs. C. A. Nor ton of Nashville, Mich., and a brother Frank Highsmith, Hast ings, Mich. in his achievements as Com mander of the Helicopter Squadron which operates off the Carrier Lake Champlain. Hickox Baptist Church Revival To Start Monday Hickox Baptist Church will hold a series of revival ser vices beginning Monday, Sept. 6, and continuing through Sunday, Sept. 12, with preach ing each night at 7:15. Rev. Duane Partin of Pat terson will be the guest evan gelist. Rev. George Lee is pas tor of the church. Everyone is cordially in vited to attend all the services. 2,600,000 REPORTED IN 1964 Serious Crimes Increase by 13 Per Cent Washington — Attorney General Nicholas deß. Katz enbach has released figures made available by FBI Direc tor J. Edgar Hoover disclosing that the Nation’s law enforce ment agencies reported more than 2,600,000 serious crimes throughout the United States last year, a 13 percent increase over 1963. NATIONAL TREND: The FBl’s annual publica tion, Uniform Crime Reports — 1964, reveals crimes of vio lence— murder and nonneg ligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault — climbed 16 percent as a group, while the property crimes of burglary, larceny SSO and over and auto theft were up 13 percent. All crimes used by the FBI as an index to nationwide criminality showed increases, with murder up 8 percent, for cible rape 21 percent, robbery 12 percent, aggravated assault 17 percent, burglary 12 per cent, larceny SSO and over 13 percent and auto theft 16 per cent. Geographically, all regions registered increases led by the South with an 18 percent rise and followed by the North eastern and Western States, up 14 and 13 percent, respec tively, and the North Central States 12 percent. The large cities with over 250,000 popu lation registered a 9 percent increase, the suburban areas surrounding our big cities showed a 17 percent rise in the Crime Index offenses, and areas reported an 8 percent upward trend. CRIME AND POPULATION According to the FBI Direc tor, there were almost 14 ser ious crimes committed for every 1,000 inhabitants during 1964. Crime continued to out pace population with an in crease since 1958 of almost six times the growth of the na tional population. While the major portion of this increase is due to the rise in property crimes, alarming increases in the crimes of violence of murder, forcible rape, rob bery and aggravated assault should be of concern. Since 1958, these violent crimes as a group have in creased three times faster than the population growth; and during 1964 each crime category showed a substan tial rise when related to popu lation — with the murder rate up 7 percent, forcible rape 20 percent, robbery 10 percent and aggravated assault 15 per cent. Mr. Hoover noted that the areas having the fastest grow ing populations generally are reporting the highest crime rates. He also pointed out that a crime rate, realistically speaking, is a “victim risk rate” since these crime counts do not represent the number of criminals but, more accura tely, the number of victims. CRIMES SOLVED: During the last calendar year, police nationally were successful in solving 24 per cent of the serious crimes by arresting the offenders, a de cline of 2 percent. They were most successful in solving those crimes where the vic tims were confronted by the offenders — with 90 percent of the murder cases cleared by arrest, 67 percent of the forcible rapes, 74 percent of the aggravated assaults and 37 percent of the robberies. Property crime clearance rates are generally low due to the volume of these offenses and the lack of witnesses. A bout one out of five resulted in the arrest of the offender. The FBI Director noted that the decrease in the police clearance rate and a similar increase in court dismissals or acquittals for serious crime are at least in part due to court restrictions on police prevention and enforcement practices. ARRESTS AND INVOLVEMENT OF YOUTH: Persons under 18 years of age were identified as the per petrators in 37 percent of the serious crimes solved by the police. While persons 10-17 years of age comprised appro ximately 15 percent of our national population in 1964. they committed 43 percent of the property crimes based on police solutions. The FBl’s report disclosed The Brantley Enterprise, Nahunta, Ga., Thursday, Sept. 2, 1965 in U. S. that arrests for all criminal acts, excluding traffic, rose 5 percent during 1964 over 1963 and resulted in an arrest rate of 35 arrests for each 1,000 persons. As might be expected, cities led with 41 arrests per 1,000, suburban areas followed with 21, and the rural area had a rate of 15 arrests per 1,000 inhabitants. Young people under 18 con tinued to show an increasing involvement in unlawful acti vity. Nationwide arrests of these young persons for all offenses, except traffic, were up 17 percent during the last calendar year. The problems of surburbia are indicated by the fact that 30 percent of all suburban arrests were of per sons under 18 — compared with 18 percent in the large cities and 19 percent in the rural areas. The North Central and Wes tern States each recorder a 21 percent jump in juvenile arrests, whereas the North eastern States were up 13 per cent and the Southern States 12 percent. For the serious crimes of mur der, forcible rape, robbery, ag gravated assault, burglary, lar ceny and auto theft, the suburban police agencies reported arrest activity up 13 percent, the large cities were up 11 percent and ru ral areas 9 percent. Persons un der 25 comprised 70 percent of all police arrests for these serious crimes in the large cities, 73 percent in the rural areas and 79 percent in the suburbs. POLICE OFFICERS KILLED: Mr. Hoover noted the fact that 88 law enforcement officers sacri ficed their lives in the line of duty in 1964, 57 of them murdered by vicious criminals. During the five-year period 1960-64, a total of 225 officers were killed by criminal action. Firearms were used in 96 percent of these killings — with hand guns predominating as the lethal weapon, having been used in 79 percent of all police murders. Mr. Hoover reiterated his stand in support of local firearms con trol laws, as well as more se vere penalties for those felons who use a gun in the commission of crimes, by calling attention to 5,090 willful killings with a gun, 27,700 serious assaults where the victim survived and 63,700 armed robberies, the vast majority with a gun, in 1964. PRIOR RECORDS OF POLICE KILLERS: During the past five years, 294 individuals were involved in 225 police murders, and 78 percent of these killers had prior records of arrest. More than half of them had been arrested previously for crimes of violence. In fact, six of the officers murdered were slain by killers who had been convicted on earlier murder charges and later released on parole. Eleven additional officers were murdered by felons who had been previously convicted and paroled on charges of felonious assault. Thirty-two died at the hands of paroled robbers; 15 were killed by paroled burglars, 10 by paroled grand theft offenders and 9 by criminals who had been paroled after imprisonment for other ser ious crimes. Almost one-third of the police killers were currently on parole or probation when they murdered a police officer. Assaults on police remain a problem as illustrated by the fact that nationally 10 of every 100 officers became the victim of an attack during 1964. POLICE STRENGTH Although the total number of persons employed in local and state police protection increased substantially during 1964, the ra tio of police to population remain ed the same as in 1963 — with 1.9 police employees per 1,000 popu lation. The suburbs, which are re gistering the sharpest crime in creases, are generally below the national average with respect to police strength, having a police employee rate of 1.3 per 1,000 population. Mr. Hoover noted that the aver age police officer strength — 1.7 per 1,000 population — has re mained unchanged since 1958 de spite a 58 percent increase in the volume of crime, a 26 percent in crease in motor vehicle registra tions and a constantly rising num ber of demands for other police services. He observed that rapid (Continued on Back Page) Leaf Tobacco Stocks Higher, USDA Reports Leaf tobacco stocks in the United States and Puerto Rico, at 5.2 billion pounds (farm-sales weight), as of July 1 were 269 million pounds higher than a year earlier, the U. S. Department of Agriculture reports. The report was based on quart erly stocks reports of dealers and manufacturers. USDA’s Consumer and Market ing Service said stocks of flue cured tobacco were up 6.6 per cent. Stocks of burley, Maryland, fire-cured, dark air-cured, and imported cigar leaf also were larger than a year earlier. Stocks as of July 1 included 1.3 billion pounds of leaf under USDA loan. This was 256 million pounds more than a year earlier. Total stocks of flue-cured to bacco, as of July 1, totaled a lit tle more than 2.5 billion pounds. This compares with less than 2.4 billion pounds a year earlier, the Consumer and Marketing Service said. Stocks of burley tobacco, at nearly 1.6 billion pounds, were 14.3 million pounds higher than on July 1, 1964. Bookmobile Schedule Through Oct. 6 Wednesday, September 8, Sch latterville — 10:30-11:00, Hobo ken — 11:15-12:00, Hortense — 1:00-2:00. Wednesday, September 15, Ho boken School, Nahunta High, Na hunta Elementary, Nahunta Col ored. Wednesday, October 6, Waynes ville - 9:30-10:00, Hickox - 11:00- 11:30, Nahunta — 12:30-2:00, Old Post Road — 2:30-3:00. Crosby Family Reunion Sunday, Sept. 5 The annual reunion of the Crosby family will be held at Laura Walker Park Sunday, Sept. 5. All relatives and friends are requested to at tend. Floyd Cantrells Find Armadillo The Floyd Cantrell family, who live near Laura Chapel Church on Route 2, Patterson, awoke last Friday morning to find a creature in their yard. Mr. and Mrs. Cantrell and their 15-year-old son, Alvin, were a mazed when they saw this odd creature that their two Eskimo Spits dogs had brought into the yard. After referring to the encyclo pedias, they discovered the crea ture was an Armadillo, which is very rare for this section of the country, but others have been re ported in the county. One Grows Tired of Drivel From The National Observer Washington, D. C. BAD AS IT IS, the situation in Los Angeles obviously could be a lot worse. For example, there might have been a real excuse for it all. THE DAYS OF RIOT But here is a city that has been a leader in civil rights, in a state that has also led. True, if you believe all you read and hear, there is a high percentage of “kooks” in California and parti cularly Southern California. If there are, they are not all white. For what is the “justice” that is accomplished by mobs storm ing through the streets looting and burning, beating police and passersby of any color — even stoning the hospital that is minis tering to fallen rioters them selves? What is the “injustice” that calls it forth? Is someone poor? Any city, and rural area, has its poor who do not loot. And what does poor mean? That someone does not have as much as he wants? Who does? No doubt this smacks of Marie Antoinette. But it is so. Has someone been denied a job he might want? Few haven’t — white, black, yellow. Harvard graduate, or whatever. So it is with life. Does someone fail of admittance socially, or intellectually, or be cause of belief or family or place of origin? All do sometimes — Jew, Catholic, Southerner in the North, Easterner in the West, white Anglo-Saxon Protestant, Italian, Pole, German, and all the rest. But who else can take to the streets — and be praised for it? Brantley People Are Proud of FreddieHighsmith Commander Frederick High smith, a Brantley County man, got world-wide publicity for his home section Sunday when he was mentioned repeatedly in the television news broad cast of the pickup of American astronauts in the Atlantic o cean after their record-break ing orbiting of the earth for eight days. Commander Highsmith was the pilot of the helicopter that supplied the frogmen who jumped into the water for the final rescue of astronauts Gor don Cooper and Charles Con rad, Jr. Commander Highsmith not only piloted the main rescue helicopter but he was also commander of the entire squadron of helicopters that hovered about the downed capsule in which Cooper and Conrad made their historic space flight. All Brantley County people are proud of this illustrious son who has worked his way up in the U. S. Navy until he commands the helicopter squadron which operates from the carrier Champlain. His sister, Mrs. Woodrow Hendrix, his other relatives in Brantley County, and all our citizens take great pride in Commander Highsmith’s achieve ments. Janice Higginbotham to Become Naval Officer Miss Janice Higginbotham has returned home from Newport, R. 1., after attending the first eight weeks of Officer Candidate School at the U. S. Naval Station. She will graduate at Georgia Womans College next June, and then return to Newport to com plete the officer candidate cour se. Upon successful completion of the Officer Indoctrination phase she will be commissioned an offi cer in the U. S. navy. Singers to Gather At Twin Rivers A singing will be held at the Twin Rivers Baptist Church Sun day afternoon, Sept. 5, beginning at 2:00 P. M., it is announced by J. R. Proctor. Everyone who likes to sing or likes to hear gospel songs is in vited to attend. Herrin-King Family Reunion Next Sunday The Herrin-King family re union will be held at Laura Walker Park Sunday, Sept. 5. Friends and relatives are in vited to attend. Not the whole race, or group, or call it what you will, were in volved in Los Angeles or the other cities in this repulsive weekend. Most weren’t and never will be. But sometimes you can wonder why not. ASKED FOR IT For so much drivel has been ex pended in the civil-rights situation, so much inflammatory nonsense has come from people who ought to know better, that what else was to be expected? Tell any mo ron, long enough, that all his mis fortunes, all his failings, all the frustrations that any human is subject to, are traceable to some one not liking the color of his skin and he just may believe it. And encourage him indefinitely in this self-pity, tell him ad infini tum that he can disobey laws if he considers them unjust, that he is automatically a hero for so do ing, and he may just decide that free booze at the local liquor store — or anything else — is his for the taking. As some did in Los Angeles. THOSE DISINGENUOUS WORDS Oh, this sort of mischievous nonsense has gotten the most fan tastic respectability. Even as buildings burned, the National Guard hurriedly assembled, and the drunken toughs prepared their Molotov cocktails, officialdom was mouthing all the empty phrases about “just grievances being redressed,” in accordance with the fashion in any criminal situation involving the Negro. There are no grievances that justify what happened in Los An geles, and the great mass of citi zens, black and white, know it. OFFICIAL ORGAN BRANTLEY COUNTY AND CITY OF NAHUNTA $ 688,000 Loan Approved For Okefenoke Co-op Expansion Improvement Personals Mr. and Mrs. J. K. East of Columbia, S. C. are visiting Mrs. East’s mother, Mrs. W. R. Strickland, this week. Mr. East is supervisor of audio visual education for the state of South Carolina. Mrs. Mary W. Austin of At lanta spent last week with Mr. and Mrs. Clyde Strickland. Her son Danny, who spent the summer with the Stricklands, returned home with her. Chief and Mrs. J. M. Weath ers and daughters Linda and Jackie of Miami spent last Wednesday with Mr. and Mrs. Clyde Strickland. Mrs. Frank Foerman of Na hunta has returned home from Memorial Hospital in Savan nah where she underwent ear surgery. Visitors with Mrs. Alice Highsmith the past week were Mr. and Mrs. H. T. Braddock. They also visited Blackshear to see the tobacco auctions. Mr. J. T. Royster returned home from the Brunswick Hos pital Saturday after treatment. He was brought home by ambulance. Mrs. John James was brought home from the Clinch County Hospital by Chambless ambulance Saturday. Mr. W. R. (Rock) Johns was brought home from the Folks ton Hospital by Chambless ambulance Wednesday morn ing. Mrs. S. K. Allen and daugh ter Barbara and Mrs. Glyn wood left Wednesday for Pom pano Beach, Fla., to attend funeral services of Brunham G. Knight. Mr. Knight’s wife is half-sister to Mrs. Allen and Mrs. Dowling. Dove Season Began Wednesday, Sept. 1 Dear Sir: The first half of the dove season opens Wednesday Sept. 1 and ends Sept. 30. Hunting hours will be from 12:00 o’clock noon until sunset. Bag limit 12 per day. Marsh hen season will open Sept. 23 and close Dec. 1. Shoot ing hours are from sunrise until sunset. Bag limit 15 daily. Persons wishing a copy of re gulations and tide charts may ob tain them from any Wildlife Rang er or call or write State Game and Fish Commission, Box 711, Waycross, Ga. Yours truly, Mallory Hatchett, Chief Waycross District Southern Region Nahunta Garden Club Will Meet Tuesday Mrs. Virginia Raulerson and Mrs. Dorothy Graham will be co hostesses for the meeting of the Nahunta Garden Club at the Rau lerson home Tuesday, Sept. 7, at four in the afternoon. Mrs. Edwin Roberson of Jekyll Island will be the main speaker. She will discuss shells and flower arrangements. Brantley County School Bus Drivers And Lunchroom Workers Appointed Brantley County school bus drivers and other school person nel have been appointed for the 1965-66 school year as follows, according to Mrs. Mable Moody, county school superintendent: HOBOKEN SCHOOL: Richard Piercie Aldridge, Arthur C. Alt man, C. Eustace Griffin, Lester M. Gunter, John M. Howell, Al vin Shuman, Henry Elvin Thom as. NAHUNTA SCHOOLS: James Drury, Mrs. Ethel L. Higginbo tham, Leon Vernon Johns, Clar ence Jacobs, Joe McDonald, Far ley O’Berry, Silas L. Rowell, Vir gil Rowell, Van W. Strickland, James L. Wainright, Willie Lee White, John D. Easton, Charlie White, Jr., Jesse Williams. SCHOOL BUS MECHANIC: Subscription Price and Tax Inside county $2.58 Outside county, in state $3.09 Outside state $3.00 Approval of a $688,000 grant to the Okefenoke Rural Elec tric Membership Corporation for expansion of 48 miles and 700 new consumers on Blythe Island and other system im provements has been announced from Washington. The Brantley Enterprise re ceived a joint telegram from U. S. senators Richard Russell and Herman Talmadge Mon day announcing approval of the grant to the local Co-op. The telegram read as follows: “Pleased to announce that R. E. A. approved $688,000 loan to Okefenoke R. E. M. CO. at Nahunta to finance 48 miles of distribution lines to serve 700 new consumers, new sub station on Blythe Island, and system improvements in Brant ley, Camden, Charlton, Glynn, Ware and Wayne counties in Georgia and three counties in Florida.” Signed, Herman E. Talmadge Richard B. Russell. Another telegram was re ceived from Congressman Russell Tuten with practically the same announcement. Hickox HD Club Held Annual Picnic The Hickox Home Demon stration Club met Friday, Aug. 29, at Teston Lake, the Hickox Fishing Camp, for their annual family picnic. The members of the Home Demonstration Club gave a play on Safety in the Home. Mrs. Virginia N. Raulerson, Extension Home Economist, was in charge of the play. Those attending and their families were Mr. and Mrs. Bill Johns, Mr. and Mrs. Neal Hendrix, Mr. and Mrs. Wood row Hendrix, Mr. and Mrs. Edward Brand, Mrs. Arthur Keen, Rev. and Mrs. Ramsey, Mr. and Mrs. Bill White, and Mr. and Mrs. Harry Raulerson. Each family brought a pic nic basket. CARD OF THANKS We would like to express our thanks to all who were so helpful to us on the occasion of the death of our two little boys, Dennie and Donnie. We shall always remember with gratitude your messages of sympathy, floral offerings, covered dishes and other acts of kindness shown us. May the Lord bless each of you is our prayer. Mr. and Mrs. Bennie F. Harris and Family Nahunta Stores To Close Monday Stores at Nahunta and the bank will be closed Monday, Sept. 6, for Labor Day, it is announced by Wilder Brooker for the Merchants Association. Customers are requested to make purchase Saturday for their needs through Labor Day. James Marvin Kelly. LUNCHROOM PERSONNEL HOBOKEN SCHOOL: Mrs. Thel ma C. Thomas, manager; Mrs. Mamie G. Edwards, Mrs. Edith Moore, Mrs. Irene Johns. NAHUNTA GRAMMAR SCHOOL: Mrs. Irene H. Crews, Manager; Mrs. Nora Belle Allen, Mrs. Pearl Chancey, Mrs. Bera Elizabeth Griffin, Mrs. Gladys Herrin, Mrs. Doris Lake, Mrs. Nola Mae Moody. NAHUNTA HIGH SCHOOL: Mrs. Laveta Crews, Manager; Mrs. Florrie J. Crews, Mrs. Beu lah Johns, Mrs. Eva Rowell. CUSTODIANS: Hoboken School, I. B. Tbornton; Nahunta Gram mar School, Ward Turner; Na hunta High School, Cleyon Turn er.