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VOLUME 79 — NUMBER 6
Mysterious Noise Awakens
Countians Tuesday Morning
Many Chattooga Countians were awakened by a
loud explosion-like sound about 4:30 a.m. Tuesday, but
the cause of the sound remained a mystery Wednesday.
Some believe it to have been an earthquake. Oth
ers think it may have been a jet breaking the sound
barrier, but most persons said they heard no plane
afterwards.
The noise was reported in all areas of the county
but a number of Summerville residents said they did
not hear it. Summerville police on patrol duty said
it “shook everything”.
“It was a frightening thing, being woke up in the
middle of the night by a sound like that,” said one
woman. “We got up to try to find out what it was
but never did.” i
Garnetts Said
Improving
From Injuries
A Summerville businessman
and his wife, Mr. and Mrs. R. D.
Garnett, were reported improv
ing Wednesday after being seri
ously injured Monday night in
a car-truck collision near Ar
muchee.
Both are expected to remain
at Floyd Hospital for some time,
however, it was stated.
Mrs. Garnett suffered a broken
right ankle, a broken finger on
her right hand and lacerations
to the mouth. Mr. Garnett suf
fered facial lacerations and a
fractured upper jaw. Both lost
teeth.
Mr. Garnett was pinned in his
car at the time of the accident
and the vehicle then caught
fire. However, truckers at the
scene put out the flames with
fire extinguishers.
The Garnett car, driven by
Mrs. Garnett, crashed into the
rear of a pulpwood truck driven
by Benjamin Chastain, Calhoun
Route 1. She said she did not
see the truck until it was too
late, it was reported. The acci
dent occurred about 7:30 p.m.
Monday as the Garnetts drove
from Summerville to their home
in Rome.
The Garnetts own and oper
ate a furniture store in Sum
merville, assisted by their son
Charles who has recently moved
to Summerville.
In the meantime, two persons
have been injured during the
past week in accidents which
occurred in Chattooga County.
Lavoid Smith, of Goodwin
Drive, Summerville, suffered a
brain concussion and face lac
erations about 7:30 p.m. Satur
day when his car left the road
on Highway 48 some three
miles west of Summerville and
crashed into a tree. The State
Patrol said no other car was in
volved.
Charles Henry Tribble, of Fort
Payne, Ala., received head lac
erations Friday when the car he
was driving and one driven by
William Shirley Jones, of Trion,
collided.
LICENSE DEADLINE
IN S’VILLE NEARS
Summerville business firms
and taxis are reminded of the
March 1 license deadline.
Business licenses and taxi li
censes must both be purchased
before that time, it has been an
nounced.
Mr
-
— ..
SRMA MEMBERS SOUGHT—Donnie Espy (left) presi
dent of the Summerville Retail Merchants Assn, hands
a membership card to James Richie who has just re
newed his membership in the organization. The an
nual membership drive of the organization is now un
derway. Dues are $5 a year.
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MRS. ALLEN
7
L Mrs. Allen
; To Head Red
Cross Drive
, Mrs. Sanford Allen Jr. has been
named Red Cross fund drive
. chairman in Chattooga County.
The drive will be sponsored by
i the Summerville Business and
I Professional Women’s Club dur
ing March.
1 A planning committee meeting
' was held Tuesday night at
1 Riegeldale Tavern. At that time,
districts were assigned and com-
1 mittee chairman named.
Don Doyle of Rome, a field
representative of the American
। Red Cross, spoke at the meeting,
, pointing out some of the ways
। Red Cross serves.
. John Bankson and Malcolm
. Thomas, Chattooga Red Cross
officials, also were on the pro-
; gram.
The following drive chairmen
: were present:
' Mrs. Frances Harris and Mrs.
, Annette Jones, businesses; Mrs.
Catherine Burgess, industries;
Mrs. Pearl Greene (substituting
for Mrs. Virginia Boney), state
and federal officers; Mrs. J. P.
Smith, (substituting for Miss
> Omie Wiley), outlying areas;
■ Mrs. Mae Copeland, professional;
Mrs. Vanita Surles, residential;
• Mrs. Lois Waters, publicity.
I Mrs. Allen, the chairman, is a
home economics teacher at
(Continued On Page 3)
©he Nms
Fee Plan Scrapped; All County
Officers Go On Salary in 1965
All Chattooga County officers will go on a salary basis
Jan. 1, 1965. This will end the fee system here.
State Sen. Joseph E. Loggins and Chattooga Rep. James
Floyd told The News by tele
phone Wednesday that bills
making the change have passed
both houses and now only await
the governor’s signature.
The clerk of court, tax collec
tor, tax receiver and sheriff will
be switched from the present fee
system to the salary plan; the
county commissioner and ordi
nary (already on salaries) will
receive raises and county jail
prisoners will be fed by the
Chattooga Public Works Camp.
Floyd and Loggins worked out
a compromise on the legislation
during the final days of the Gen
eral Assembly session. They said
their compromise plan passed
the Senate Tuesday and the
House Wednesday.
Here are the salaries the offi
cers will receive under the new
plan: County commissioner,
sheriff, clerk of court, and tax
collector $9,000 each; tax re
ceiver and ordinary, $7,000 each.
The county commissioner pres
ently receives $7,200 and the
ordinary presently receives $6,-
000. In addition, the legislation
provides that the ordinary can
pay up to $2,400 a year for help
instead of the present maxi
mum of $1,200, and the commis
sioner can pay up to $3,600 in
stead of the present maximum
of $3,000.
The sheriff would be permit
ted a chief deputy at up to $4,-
200; another deputy paid up to
$3,000; and a jailer, to be paid
up to $2,400. There would be no
jail cook, as the new law pro
vides that the works camp fur-
POLICEMEN REINSTATED;
RUTLEDGE FAILS TO SHOW
Two Summerville policemen, suspended Friday, were
reinstated Tuesday night after a hearing before the mayor
and council.
They are Officers Ray Green and Robert Troxtell.
The men were suspended when warrants were taken
by Albert L. Rutledge Thursday
charging them with assault
and battery in connection with
Rutledge’s arrest the previous
Saturday night. 1
Although he had been sub
poeaned, Rutledge did not ap
pear at the hearing before the
mayor and council and he had
no spokesman there.
Four witnesses, in addition to
the two suspended policemen,
testified at the hearing. They
were: Summerville Police Chief
Griffin Pledger, Firemen-Dis
patchers L. D. McCary and
George Dean and Lyerly Police
man Freddie McDonald.
The Lyerly officer said he un
successfully attempted to arrest
Rutledge Saturday night as he
drove through Lyerly “going all
over the road”. McDonald said
he stopped Rutledge but was un
able to effect an arrest and that
the motorist, in fact, “slung me
across the road”.
The officer said that after
Rutledge got back in his truck
and headed toward Summerville,
he went to a nearby house and
called for Summerville police to
be on the lookout. He said he
then followed Rutledge, who had
three children in the car with
him, to Summerville.
The truck stopped near Black
and Meek Milling Company in
Summerville, it was testified,
and it was about this time that
Green arrived. Green said Rut
ledge was “staggering and curs
ing” and resisting arrest. The
officer said he and McDonald
finally got Rutledge handcuffed
and that Troxtell then arrived
and assisted in putting the de
fendant in a police car.
Both Troxtell and Green said
they did not hit Rutledge at any
time.
McCary, who was on duty at
the police station when Rutledge
was brought in, said the man
was reeling and rocking and was
“loud”, using abusive language
after he got inside. He said he
saw no blood on Rutledge.
Dean testified that he was on
duty in the police station when
Rutledge was allowed to make
some telephone calls the morn
ing following the arrest. He said
he saw no blood.
Chief Pledger asked Rutledge
at that time, Dean said, whether
Green had hit him the night
before.
Dean said Rutledge replied,
“H—, No, he didn’t. But that
d— guy from Lyerly did.”
Dean and Pledger said Rut-
SUMMERVILLE, CHATTOOGA COUNTY, GEORGIA, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1964
nish the meals. In addition, the
legislation stipulates that the
county would furnish the sheriff
two automobiles furnished with
standard police type equipment.
The tax receiver will be per
mitted to pay up to S4OO a year
for help.
The clerk of court will be per
mitted to hire one full-time per
son at a salary up to $3,600 and
one part-time person to be paid
up to SI,BOO.
The tax collector can hire a
person for his office and pay up
to $3,600. The law provides that
the collector will receive no ad
ditional fees of any kind.
The new law states that the
county shall purchase photo
copying machine on or before
March 1, 1965 and that it will be
available to all county officers
although it will be under the
jurisdiction of the clerk. Each
office will be charged with the
supplies it uses in connection
with the machine.
A proposal by Sen. Loggins for
a $5,000 “emergency fund” was
scrapped. It would have allowed
office holders to draw funds for
additional help at the discre
tion of the grand jury. '
Rep. Floyd’s audit bill was
passed. It will become effective
Jan. 1, 1965 instead of being
made retroactive to Jan. 1, 1963
as he had originally proposed.
The bill provides that audits will
be made annually of all offices
and that summaries of the find
ings will be published in the of
ficial county organ.
ledge continued, stating that he
had never had anyone treat him
nicer than Green and Troxtell
did.
Pledger felt about on Rut
ledge’s head, it was testified,
and the chief said he found a
small red place but that the skin
was not broken.
McDonald had testified that
he tapped Rutledge on the head
with his hand, while holding in
his hand a blackjack.
The mayor and council made
their unanimous decision after
a brief deliberation.
It was understood that Rut
ledge’s driving under the in
fluence case would be brought
before Chattooga City Court
Judge Bobby Lee Cook in a
hearing set for 9 a m. Saturday.
It also was reported that all
councilmen and the mayor of
Lyerly have been subpoeaned in
connection with the case.
Girl Scout
Meet Set
For Today
The first Girl Scout Neighbor
hood meeting since the reorgan
ization will be held at 10:30 a.m.
today (Thursday) at the Sum
merville Presbyterian Church.
The Neighborhood inclules
Walker and Chattooga Counties.
Mrs. Eleanor Morse, field rep
(Continued On Page 3)
‘Heart Sunday’ Canvassing
Scheduled Over Chattooga
“Heart Sunday” will be ob
served in Chattooga County
Sunday.
Volunteer canvassers will dis
tribute heart literature and
seek donations for the Georgia
Heart Assn.
M. H. Purcell is chairman of
the drive. Assisting him will be
these canvass leaders: Mrs.
Henry Duke, Summerville; Mrs.
Glee Bryant, Back Penn Road;
Mrs. James Ledbetter, Penn
ville; Mrs. Reuben Lyons, Cloud
land; and Mrs. Emory Alexan
der, Menlo.
In addition, members of the
Chattooga High Tri-Hi-Y and
Future Homemakers of America
will canvass in areas where they
GPA to Honor Espy
For Half Century
Newspaper Service
D. T. Espy, editor-publish
er of The Summerville News,
is among those to be hon
ored by the Georgia Press As
sociation for having 50 years’
service in the newspaper field.
Although he will not be pres
ent at a banquet in Athens Fri
day night honoring the group,
he will be sent a citation and
medallion. The banquet will
highlight the annual Georgia
Press Institute.
Mr. Espy actually has 53 years
in the newspaper field, having
in 1911 begun working for his
father, the late O. J. Espy, edi
tor-publisher of The Summer
ville News.
He later was with The Rome
News, The Chattanooga Times
and The Charleston (S.C.) Eve
ning-Courier. Mr. Espy became
publisher of The Summerville
News in 1938 after the death of
his father, and with the excep
tion of a year, has been its pub
lisher since. He became full
owner in 1953.
Mr. Espy served on the Sum
merville City Council for two
years.
Associated with him at The
News are three of his children,
Bill, Donnie and David, Jr.
Top Scouts, Leaders
To Receive Honors
Anniversary
Celebration
Voted Down
The Summerville Retail Mer
chants Assn, has turned thumbs
down on a proposal for a pro
fessional firm to stage a 125th
anniversary celebration here
this year.
President Donnie Espy said af
ter conferring with the SRMA
directors and other merchants
that they have decided against
the project. The cost would be
the major problem, he said, al
though finding enough persons
to work on the project would be
another one.
This is Summerville’s 125th
anniversary year and The Rog
ers Company had proposed di
recting a week-long celebration
here. A pageant, parades, re
ligious service, picnic, fashion
shows and other events would
have been a part of the program.
The professional firm said that
in most cases the income derived
from the celebration more than
pays for the expense involved.
The Company’s latest proposal
was to make the celebration less
elaborate and cut the cost to the
vicinity of $3,000. However, mer
chants said they felt the income
still might not be sufficient to
cover this figure.
live.
The Summerville Junior Cham
ber of Commerce will conduct a
road block for the heart drive
Sunday afternoon in downtown
Summerville.
Mr. Purcell points out that
heart diseases are the Number 1
killer in the nation.
Some of the progress made in
this field in the past ten years
includes these items:
★ Development of “artificial
hearts” to take over the
functions of the heart and
lungs while the surgeon
works inside the heart
itself.
★ New drugs that can bring
(Continued On Page 3)
FOLLIES
TO DRAW
HUNDREDS
The dress rehearsal for the
Trion Follies will be held at 7:30
p.m. Tuesday, Miss Ethel Sim
mons, director, has announced.
The gala event will be staged
Thursday and Friday nights,
Feb. 27-28. Hundreds are ex
pected to attend.
The theme is “1964 Follies
Take You Down Memory Lane”.
Light Snow Predicted
Light snow flurries were pre
dicted for this area last night
and today.
Light rain was expected
Wednesday afternoon, followed
by the snow flurries in the eve
ning and today, the Rome office
of the U. 8. Weather Bureau
said.
Wednesday was cold and
windy in Chattooga County and
the skies were partly cloudy.
Outstanding Chattooga scouts
and leaders of 1963 will be
honored at 7:30 p.m. today
(Thursday) at the Trion Pres
byterian Church.
In addition, two Trion boys
will become eagle scouts.
Dave Houston, of Summer
ville, will be chairman of the
court and will be toastmaster.
E. C. Pesterfield, of Summer
ville, is the new Chattooga Dis
trict Boy Scout Chairman. He
succeeds James Abney.
The Scouter, Unit Leader,
Troop, Scout, Pack, Den Mother
and Cub of the Year will be an
nounced at the meeting.
Preston David, general man
ager of the Trion Division of
Riegel Textile Corporation, will
present the eagle awards.
THS Giris Win 3-B North
Title; Go to Zebulon Tuesday
The Trion High girls’ basket
ball team Friday night became
the Region 3-B North cham
pions.
They will vite in Zebulon at
7:30 p.m. Tuesday for the Region
3-B crown, facing Carroll Cen
tral.
The snappy lassies rolled over
Coosa, Gordon Lee and Model to
take the North crown.
Their latest victory came Fri
day night when they edged
Model 39-37. Susan Cavin and
Juanelle Ramey paced the Trion
ites with 15 baskets apiece, while
Cheryl Brown made nine. Trion
was ahead all the way, leading
21-19 at the half.
In the game with Lee, played
Thursday night, Trion emerged
with a 45-21 victory. Cavin was
top scorer, making 21 hoopsters.
Ramey accounted for 13 and
Brown 11.
If the Trion lassies defeat the
Carroll outfit, they will play on
the following Thursday night
and win or lose there would go
to the state.
The Carroll team is from the
school headed by E. M. Blue, for
mer Summerville High School
principal.
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PLENTY OF LINENS — Mrs. Beatrice Stallings and
Mrs. Don Swillie of Chattooga Hospital are shown in
the linen closet of the hospital, where rental linens are
now kept. Officials state that under this new system,
plenty of linens are available.
Chattooga Hospital
Improvements Told
Improvements are being made i
at Chattooga Hospital, Admin
istrator Herbert Gilkeson said i
this week. ।
He noted that the building is <
being re-painted inside and that .
this work is almost finished. ।
In addition, he said, the hos- ’
pital now rends linens and has ;
found this to be more satisfac
tory than the old system. The <
rental service furnishes and 1
launders the linens and a good i
supply is on hand at all times, i
Mr. Gilkeson said. ]
He pointed out that under the ।
old system, the hospital owned i
its linens and they were com- i
VFW Plans
Supper and
Dance Sat.
A supper-dance will be held
by Mason-McCauley Veterans of
Foreign Wars Post at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday for 1964 members and
their wives.
The event will be at the Chat
tooga Memorial Home. It will
be free.
Music will be by the Jazzmas
ters and some 400 persons are ex
pected, VFW Commander Don
nie Espy said.
Marcli 1 Deadline for Getting
Proper Cans in Summerville
Summervillians violating the garbage disposal ordinance
after March 1 will be liable to prosecution, it was announced
I this week.
The mayor and council recently announced the ordinance
would be rigidly enforced h? order to reduce the health
| hazard. \
Regulation type garbage cans with lids and handles on
g the side for easier handling are required.
The re-affirmation of the ordinance was done in co
operation with the Chattooga Count)' Health Department.
The Department has noted that improper garbage cans
help feed rats and flies. Rats carry rabies, plague, typhus and
other diseases. Flies spread dysentery, tuberculosis and
possibly polio.
Here are specific suggestions to aid in reducing this
: hazard:
Use metal garbage cans equipped with covers and side
| handles.
Always keep cans covered.
Rinse cans with water to prevent odors.
Violators will be notified via notices placed with their
garbage cans and the next step will be condemnation of the
garbage cans via a red sticker. Prosecution will be the next
action, it was stated.
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®A Prize-Winning
Newspaper
1963
Better Newspaper
Contest*
mercially laundered.
Another recent improvethent
at the hospital was the addition
of a suction machine in the op
erating room, a gift of Georgia
Rug Mill. He said the Rug Mill
gave the hospital $250 and it
was spent for this much-needed
piece of equipment.
Mr. Gilkeson said numerous
organizations had supplied the
hospital with various gifts, in
cluding linens, over the years
and that these were greatly ap
preciated. He said some recent
gifts of linens are kept on hand
in the event they should be
needed.
Unde Ned’s |
I Notes |
I don’t know whether it's so
or not but I heered a most
amazin’ thing the other day.
A feller told me that a Chat
tooga county man won a trip
to the tropics for sellin’ the
most beer in this districk. One
of them trips beer companies
give.
And we call this a “dry"
county??
10c PER COPY