Newspaper Page Text
VOLUME 79— NUMBER 50
Murder Trials Set
To Open Here Mon.
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WHISMAN
Scholarship
Details Told
High school seniors in Chattooga County who
plan on a teaching career are eligible to apply for one
of the $250 scholarships being offered by the Chat
tooga County Parent-Teacher Assn. Council.
Application must be made by March 15.
Details of the newly-instituted scholarship pro
gram were announced
Thursday night at the
Council meeting. The schol
arships were made possible
through the oral vaccine
program contributions last
year.
Here are details of the
scholarship program:
The PTA Council Scholar
ships shall be:
1. A grant or direct gift.
2. Paid directly to the col
leges by the Council upon
active enrollment of grantee.
3. A grant consisting of
$250 for each grantee.
4. Only one grant for one
student.
♦ 5. Allotted on the fol
lowing basis:
One grant for a Carter
High School senior for two
years (fall 1965 and 1966).
Two grants for Trion
High School seniors for two
years (fall 1965 and 1966).
Three grants for Chat
tooga County High School
seniors for two years (fall of
1965 and 1966).
6. In the event that one
or more grants are not used
they shall be held for use
by that school for the fol
lowing year (fall of 1967).
The scholarship commit
tee recommended the fol
lowing procedures and
qualifications:
1. The grantee shall be a
future teacher.
2. Grantee shall be ac
cepted in an accredited col
lege offering a program of
teacher training.
3. The PTA Council presi
dent shall at a regular
chapel program acquaint
the seniors with the schol
arship program.
4. Those seniors interested
shall make formal applica
tion in a narrative type let
ter to the principal by
March 15. , .
(Continued On Page 11)
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HEALTH BOARD SWORN—The new Chattooga
Health Board is shown above with Ordinary Paul
Weems (right) who swore in the new members and
Dr. M. K. Cureton, (standing) head of the Health
• A
CHATTBBTON
Mrs. Weesner
Remains in
Hospital
A 68-year-old Lyerly wom
an remained in an Atlanta
hospital this week after be
ing stricken by an auto as
she crossed a road near her
home Thursday.
She is Mrs. John Weesner
and she is a patient at the
Georgia Baptist Hospital.
The State Patrol said Mrs.
Weesner suffered a broken
shoulder and pelvis.
Driver of the vehicle in
volved was listed as Harbin
Monroe Stephens of Lyerly,
who was reported driving
north. No charges were
made, officers said. He was
driving a 1956 sedan.
Mrs. Weesner lives on the
Lyerly-Summerville Road
about three and one-half
miles south of Summerville.
Floyd On
Money
Committee
Chattooga Rep. James H.
Floyd has again been named
a member of the powerful
House Appropriations Com
mittee.
The Committee will meet
during the two weeks the
General Assembly is reces
sed, Jan. 22-Feb. 8, to con
sider the appropriations for
the next two years.
In addition, Sen. Joseph E.
Loggins of Trion is report
edly a member of the Senate
Appropriations Committee
(Continued On Page 11)
^ummeruilb fcs
Woodrow Whisman, 18, is expected to go on trial
in Summerville at 9 a. m. Monday on charges of mur
dering Billy A. Copeland, a LaFayette textile super
visor.
The trial of Roy Dale Chatterton, 21, also charged
with murder in the cope
land case, is expected to fol
low. It is believed the state
will ask the death penalty
in each case.
Both men were indicted
Monday by a Chattooga
grand jury. Five witnesses,
including Copeland’s widow,
appeared before the grand
jury.
In the meantime, Chat
terton is scheduled to under
go a psychiatric examina
tion at state expense before
his trial. His attorney, Don
ald Bennett of Rossville,
Tuesday filed a motion for
such an examination, saying
Chatterton had suffered
“black outs” since childhood
and was insane at the time
of the Copeland crime. The
examination was granted by
Judge Robert Coker who will
be the presiding judge next
week. It was scheduled to
take place at the Floyd
County jail where both men
are being held.
Whisman’s attorney, Al
bert Sadler of Savannah, a
retired Army Colonel, asked
that the two men be tried
separately and the request
was granted. Sadler was
hired by Whisman’s family.
Chatterton’s lawyer was ap
pointed by Judge Coker
Monday.
Seventy-seven more jurors
for next week were drawn
Monday because of the sev
erance of the cases. This
will make a total of 142
available. It is sometimes
difficult to impanel a jury
when the death penalty is
sought.
The trials will be among
the most sensational here
in many years. They are ex
pected to consume most of
the week.
Unusual security measures
will be taken and no stand
ing in the courtroom will be
allowed. Neither will cam
eras be allowed in the court
room. However, space will
be provided for the press,
says Judge Coker.
TRION
FOLLIES
SLATED
Miss Ethel Simmons has
been chosen chairman of
the Trion Follies which will
be held Feb. 25-26, it has
been announced.
The title will be: “Follies
Present Trion Hullabaloo.”
Douglas Kingsmore will be
master of ceremonies. Jack
Williams and J. C. Cavin will
be co-chairmen of the ad
vertising committee. Mrs.
Alene Baker and Mrs. Dot
Stowe will handle publicity
and Mrs. Harold Florence,
Mrs. James Simmons and L.
B. Colbert will head the
band patrons committee.
Impersonations, folk mu
sic and dances, string bands,
a male chorus, womanless
wedding and presentations
by the children are all plan
ned.
District. The members are (left to right, seated)
Harry Powell, Dr. Hugh Goodwin, James Spence
and Roy Camp. The other member, not present for
the photo, is J. R. Dowdy.
SUMMERVILLE, CHATTOOGA COUNTY, GEORGIA, THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 1965
Whisman and Chatterton,
both of Huntington, W. Va.,
were brought from a Savan
nah jail Saturday. The two
had been arrested on Dec.
19 in Savannah on armed
robbery charges four days
after Copeland disappeared
while en route from La-
Fayette to Rome.
GBI Agent Jack Knott of
Summerville and Chattooga
Chief Deputy Randy Roberts
went to Savannah Friday
and brought back the two.
They drove the Trion Police
Dept, car which is equipped
with a safety screen be
tween the front and back
sections.
The officers said they had
no trouble whatsoever with
the two defendants. They
did express remorse over
the crime several times on
the trip, it was stated.
The two were afraid
someone might “do a Jack
Ruby” on them when they
arrived at the Floyd County
jail, it was stated. It had
been reported that feeling
about the incident was high
among many Walker Coun-
(Continued On Page 11)
COUNTY SCHOOLS
TO BE CLOSED
NEXT MONDAY
Chattooga County schools
will be closed Monday.
But it’ll be a holiday for
the students only. Teachers
will be busy at the schools
doing record work. This will
be the second “Record Day”
of the school year.
A drive to raise funds for
the new Chattooga High sta
dium is getting in full swing.
A group of civic club lead
ers met Thursday night and
pledged support of various
types. A rodeo may be held
In the spring as one money
raising project.
The “C” Club at Chat
tooga High has placed con
tainers in a number of stores
where individuals may de
posit donations of loose
change or any other amount.
The Chattooga Board of
Education last week ear
marked the $7,050 received
for the Gore School building
for the stadium.
In the meantime, a study
Is being made to determine
the approximate cost of the
project and an announce
ment on this is expected
within two or three weeks.
It is hoped the stadium,
located adjacent to the new
high school, can be ready for
use when the 1965 football
season opens here against
Murray County on Sept. 3.
The project will Involve
the matter of fencing the
area, adding bleachers, put
ting in lights, adding grass
and building a press box.
Stadium Drive
Now Underway
Stills
Destroyed;
Man Held
Two whiskey stills on
Lookout Mountain were de
stroyed by federal and coun
ty officers Thursday and one
man was arrested.
Sheriff John Frank Mc-
Connell reported this week
that Lanson Lamar Lawson,
Chattanooga, Tenn., was ar
rested and was scheduled for
arraignment before a U. S.
Commissioner in either Jas
per or Atlanta.
Lawson was arrested as he
drove away form the still
site in a pick-up truck which
had 312 gallons of moon
shine in the back, said the
sheriff.
The stills, both 850-gallon
size, were in operation at
the time of the raid. They
were located on the Bryant
Mill Road some two miles off
the Scenic Highway atop
Lookout Mountain.
Participating in the raid
were Sheriff McConnell,
Deputies Randy Roberts and
Gary McConnell and Joe T.
Burton, Harry Braxton Jr,,
Aaron E. Sheppard and
Charles A. Bodenheimer, all
of the U. S. Alcohol and To
bacco Tax Unit, Rome.
City
Budgets
Adopted
Budgets for the City of
Summerville’s general, gas
and water departments were
tentatively adopted Monday
night.
The final figures will be
announced after the Sum
merville Recreation Dept,
budget is returned and an
other item or two are added
in.
Sixteen taxi applications,
all those submitted, were ap
proved by Mayor J. R. Dowdy
and the council.
Gas Engineer Bill Edwards
(Continued On Page 11)
14 True Bills,
7 No Bills
Returned
Fourteen true bills and
seven no bills were returned
by the Chattooga grand jury
before it recessed at 5 p.m.
Tuesday.
E. C. Pesterfield was fore
man.
The jurors will re-con
vene at 9 am. Thursday,
Jan. 21, at which time they
will hear a report from a
special committee. The com
mittee, headed by Mr. Pes
terfield, is studying ways in
which the Chattooga Hospi
tal’s financial situation
might be bettered.
In the meantime, civil
court continued this week
in Summerville with Judge
(Continued On Page 11)
Pathologists
Added to
Hospital Staff
Two Floyd Hospital path
ologists have been hired by
the Chattooga Hospital on a
part-time basis, Byron Col
-11 ns, administrator, an
nounced this week.
They are Dr. Keith Hester
and Dr. Ray Reed. A path
ologist is one who diagnosis
tissuses removed from sur
gery or autopsies.
One or both will be at the
hospital every two weeks for
about a day. In addition,
they will attend medical
staff meetings here, do all
autopsies of the hospital and
confer by telephone with the
facility.
“They will give us super
vision of our laboratory,”
Mr. Collins said, "and will
provide us with a more per
sonal service. They will be
available for consultations
with the doctors and will see
that our tests are accurate.”
Every surgical specimen
removed will be examined by
one of the pathologists.
Previously, the hospital
sent Its tissue to various
places, Including Floyd Hos
pital, for an analysis.
Mr. Collins said he felt the
addition of these men to the
staff will be a great asset to
the hosnital.
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‘MR. CHATTOOGA OF 1965’— This
handsome young man, shown with
his mother, Mrs. Ernest Fuller, of
Lyerly Route 1, was the first infant
born in Chattooga County in the
new year. He arrived at 3:30 a.m.
Saturday, Jan. 9, at Chattooga Hos
pital. Running closely behind was
the child born to Mr. and Mrs. John
ny Edgeworth at 10:45 a.m. the
same day. The Fuller tot weighed
Grand Jury Group
Studies Hospital
In a rare move, a Chat
tooga County grand jury
recessed Tuesday afternoon
tor eight days, planning to
re-convene on Thursday,
Jan. 21.
Reason for the recess was
to give a special hospital
committee time to study
ways in which the Chat
tooga Hospital financial di
lemma might be resolved.
'I he possibility of federal aid
is being looked into, for in
stance. Other possibilities
also are being studied.
Judge S. W. Fariss ap
pointed the committee and
E. C. Pesterfield was named
chairman. Other members
are: O. G. Morehead, Jr.,
Kenneth Wood, Hinton Lo
gan, Claude Baker, Earl
Stansell and Mrs. Virginia
Wilson.
It is stressed that this is
not an investigative com
mittee by any means. In
fact, said a spokesman, the
grand jury is in general
pleased with much of the
nospital operation. As a
group of citizens, it simply
wants to see how the com
munity can best help the
hospital to become more fi
nancially solvent. Over a
period of years, it has gone
considerably in the red. A
new hospital administrator
was named a few weeks ago
and he is taking steps de
signed to make a smoother,
more efficient operation.
But, said the spokesman, It
is felt there are possibly
some complementary steps
which might prove helpful.
Crimes Os
Violence
Erupt Here
Shootings, beatings and
cuttings erupted In Chat
tooga County during the past
week.
Ben Sims Jr. has been
charged with assault and
attempt to murder in con
nection with the shooting of
Henry Crowe, reported in
critical condition at Erlanger
Hospital, Chattanooga.
Crowe was shot in the head
with a .22 pistol about 1 a. m.
Sunday, at the apartment of
Miss Dorothy Norton In the
Hammond Apartments north
of Summerville, officers
state. Robert L, Crowe,
brother of the man shot,
took the warrant tor Sims'
arrest.
Two Summerville Negro
men involved in a cutting
episode on Saturday at the
home of Bill Shropshire have
been charged. Shropshire
suffered cuts about the head
that required 72 stitches and
is recuperating at his home
under the care of a physi
cian, Deputy Sheriff Gary
McConnell reports. Emerson
Brooks has been charged in
the case with assault and at
tempt to murder and Shrop-
(Continued On Page 11)
seven pounds and ten ounces and
has been named Larry Harold. He
is th? Fullers’ first child, and his
mother was formerly Miss Louise
Mitchell. Mr. Fuller works at Geor
gia Rug Mill. The first 1965 baby
born to Chattooga Countians was
the son of Mr. and Mrs. Grady Far
rill Allen, Jr., born on Jan. 2 at Floyd
Hospital in Rome.
Hymn Sing
Set Sunday
A hymn sing will be held
at 2:30 p.m. Sunday at the
South Summerville Baptist
Church under the auspices
of the Chattooga Baptist
Assn.
Announcement of the sing
was made this week by
Wayne Groce, Associational
music director.
Mrs. Don Gordon will be
organist and Mrs. R. E. Snow
pianist.
The program will open
with a combined choir of
some 100 voices singing
“How Great Thou Art”.
Afterwards, there will be
congregational singing,
quartets, choirs, instrumen
tals etc.
The Rev. Fred Buchanan,
(Continued On Page 11)
Financial Reports On
County Schools Announced
A report on the financial status of each
school in the Chattooga system was presented at
the January school board meeting.
Funds over and above teachers’ salaries and
general expenses are doled out to the schools on
a per student basis.
The first figure in the listing below is the
amount budgeted for each school for 1964-65 and
the second figure is the balance at the end of the
first four months of school:
Chattooga High, $45,000, $20,905; Lyerly,
$8,990, $5,078; Menlo, $10,500, $6,737; Pennville,
$7,500, $4,334; Summerville Elementary, $27,000,
$13,754; Welmyer, $5,160, $2,879; Carter, $13,000,
$6,873; Holland, $3,500, $1,660.
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TAKES NEWS 60 YEARS — T. P. Johnston
(right) of Summerville Route 4 has just sub
scribed to The Summerville News for the 60th
year. The 78-year-old Chattoogan is shown with
Miss Joan Wilson, bookkeeper at The News. He is
one of the oldest subscribers to The News.
PRICE 10c
Wounded
Countian
In States
A Chattooga County man
who was severely wounded
in Viet Nam October 31 has
been moved from the Philip
pines to Walter Reed Hos
pital in Washington, D. C.
He is SP4 Frank Black,
son of Mr. and Mrs. Sam
Black, 101 E. Sixth Street,
Summerville.
Black’s mother, his sister,
Mrs. Rosa Starr and a
friend, Miss Laura Sue
Knowles, were scheduled to
leave yesterday or today to
visit him.
The soldier, who has had
his left leg amputated below
the knee, has called his
family twice since arriving
(Continued On Page 11)