Newspaper Page Text
VOLUME 79—NUMBER 51
Woodrow Whisman Gets Electric Chair;
Roy Chatterton Goes On Trial Today
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CHATTERTON’S FAMILY, ATTORNEY
. . . Mr. and Mrs. Ervin Arthur, Donald Bennett
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WIIISMAN’S PARENTS
. . . Mr. and Mrs. Chester Whisman
Man Age 80
Hurt in
Wreck Tues.
(See photo inside)
An 80-year-old Chattooga
County man, T. D. Lowry,
reportedly suffered three
broken ribs Tuesday after
noon in an auto accident in
Summerville.
He remained in Chattooga
Hospital Wednesday.
Officers said Mr. Lowry
apparently pulled out of the
ice plant road into the
Lyerly Road and into the
path of the Mason-Dixon
truck driven by Paul
Whitaker, of Chattanooga.
(Continued On Page 4)
Gore-Subligna
Road May Be
Let Feb. 19
A contract for improving
the Oore-Subligna Road may
be let on Feb. 19, Rep. James
H Floyd reported Wednes
day from Atlanta.
Rep. Floyd said he re
ceived this information from
a State Highway Dept, of
ficial. Although there could
be some holdup at the last
minute, he was told, it now
appears likely the contract
will be among those let on
that date.
Plans call for the road to
be widened, straightened
and resurfaced.
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Floyd Bills to Pass
Ga. House Today
Legislation which would merge the offices of the
tax receiver and tax collector and which would abol
ish the Chattooga City Court were scheduled for pas
sage in the Georgia House of Representatives today.
There was still no indica
tion as of Wednesday from
Sen. Joseph E. Loggins con
cerning whether he would
kill the legislation. The bills
were sponsored in the House
by Chattooga Rep. James H.
Floyd.
In addition to the two
bills mentioned, three other
pieces of local legislation
are expected to be passed
today. One would force the
tax collector to sell the ve
hicle tags; one would specify
that the clerk of court re
ceive no fees as clerk of city
court; and another would
specify that the sheriff re
ceive no fees for his services
in city court.
The first of these grew out
of a situation created when
the Chattooga County tax
collector went from the fee
to the salary system this
year. The law putting him
under a salary specifies that
he can receive no fees, al
though he had tor several
years served as tag agent
and received tag agent’s fees
as well as tax collector’s
fees. However, this year, the
present tax collector de
clined to serve as tag agent
and his wife, who works in
his office, was appointed
and she is scheduled to re
ceive the fees, as well as the
salary as his assistant.
The Floyd bills concern
ing the clerk of court and
sheriff are supplementary
to the legislation passed last
year moving these two of
fices, among others, from
the fee system. Last year’s
legislation did not mention
these two officer's duties in
SUMMERVILLE, CHATTOOGA COUNTY, GEORGIA, THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 1965
WHISMAN LED TO COURT
. by Deputies Tucker, Roberts
■ •
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DEFENSE ATTORNEY, GBI AGENT
. . . Albert Sadler, Jack Knott
City Court but simply men
tioned their duties in Su
perior Court.
Floyd says that by merg
ing the tax collector and tax
receiver’s offices, the county
will save $7,000 a year in
salary.
And he says that by
abolishing the Chattooga
City Court, the county will
save the $4,800 a year
judge’s salary and the $4,200
a year solicitor’s salary.
The tax office bill would
not become effective for
four years and the City
Court bill would not become
effective for two years.
Floyd points out that if the
bills are not passed at this
session, they will automatl-
(Continued On Page 4)
State Grant For
Airport Assured
A state grant of up to
$25,000 to Chattooga
County for an airport
seemed assured this week.
Rep. James H. Floyd, a
member of the House ap
propriations committee, said
the committee had voted out
a supplementary appropria
tions bill which will grant
$601,000 to airports in the
state. Included was $25,000
for Chattooga County. Floyd
made the motion which sent
the bill out.
Earlier, the county had
$20,000
Awarded
Mrs. Hughes
Mrs. Clyde Hughes, moth
er of an 18-year-old youth
killed two years ago in an
auto accident, was awarded
$20,000 in damages last week
in Chattooga Superior Court.
She had filed suit for
$64,000 plus costs in connec
tion with the death of David
Lee Hughes, killed Jan. 12,
1963 on a rain-slick highway
when three vehicles collided
one mile north of Summer
ville.
The defendants were John
ny D. Scoggins and Ben
D. Scoggins.
A jury trial was held.
In the only other trial of
(Continued On Page 4)
received approval for some
SBO,OOO in federal funds for
construction of the county
airport. The county is ex
pected to furnish about 25
per cent of the total cost in
either labor or funds.
The Chattooga-Municipal
Planning Commission,
headed by J. T. Morgan,
launched the effort to get
the airport here and Grady
Ramey heads the airport
committee. An option has
been taken on a site in Dry
Valley on the Beavers farm.
First Time Chair Given
In Recent County History
An 18-year-old West Virginia hitchhiker will be sentenced in Summerville
at 9 a. m. today to death in the electric chair, the first such sentence rendered in
this county in recent history.
Woodrow Whisman was found guilty at 5:25 p. m. Wednesday of the murdei
of Billy A. Copeland and there was no recommendation for mercy. Without this
recommendation, the death penalty is mandatory. on the part of this boy to
Judge Robert Coker of LaFayette will pass sen
tence.
The all-male Chattooga County jury deliberated
one hour and 15 minutes before returning its verdict
to a packed courtroom. Whisman showed no emotion
when the verdict was read. With him was his attorney,
Albert Sadler of Savannah. His parents, Mr. and Mrs.
Chester Whisman, were in the nearby witness room.
His father joined him before he was removed to the
Chattooga County jail.
Sadler said a motion will
be made for a new trial.
The jury was given the
case at 4:10 p. m. after a
three-day trial.
Members of the jury were:
Henry C. Walker, Riegel
employe; Paul Hardeman,
Summerville postal clerk;
J. M. Hall Sr., retired textile
worker; Thomas C. Day of
Trion; D. C. Greeson, Riegel
employe; Rowland Alexan
der, carpenter; W. B. Mahan,
grocer; George Jarrett, poul
try farmer; Harry Farrow,
Riegel employe; James R.
Young, Georgia Rug Mill
employe; J. E. Caplinger, re
tired carpenter; and W. C.
Moseley, Riegel employe. The
alternate was Deforest Ayers,
carpenter.
Whisman’s companion in
a crime spree over the South
in December, Roy Dale Chat
terton, 21, will face trial here
today. He also is charged
with murder in Copeland's
death.
So far as could be learned,
Whisman will be the first
man ever sentenced in Chat
tooga County to the electric
chair, although others have
been sentenced to death by
hanging in Summerville
colored man charged with
the murder of his infant
child many years ago either
went to the electric chair or
was one of the last Geor
gians to go to his death by
hanging.
•• • THE state rest
ed its case against Whis
man at 9:55 a. m. Wednesday
after parading some 30 wit
nesses to the stand since
Monday morning. The de
fense rested at 11 a. m. after
putting on the stand only
Whisman himself who gave
an unsworn statement and
thus could not be cross ex
amined. He was on the stand
45 minutes.
Whisman admitted being
first to hit Copeland with
the one by four board shown
as the death weapon, but
said he did so at Chatter
ton’s command. He said he
was afraid of Chatterton
whom he had met only five
months earlier, although
Chatterton “was nice to me
sometimes”. The older man
often bought him beer, whis
key and pills—things he
couldn’t get from his father,
he said.
The youthful defendant
said he and Chatterton had
been drinking and "popping
pills” as they hitchhiked
south from West Virginia.
Officers quoted the two as
saying Copeland told them
"I only wanted to help you”
and "I understand” when
they told him they wanted to
take his car and money, af
ter he had given them a ride.
They said the two told of
Copeland begging to keep
pictures of his wife and chil
dren and when he wouldn’t
“shut up” Whisman picked
up the board and struck him
in the head. Whisman re
portedly then told Chatter
ton to hit him too, "because
we are partners in this”.
A dramatic moment oc
curred Monday afternoon in
the courtroom when Whis
man leaped up and started
to run as his hysterical
mother was taken from the
room. Yelling, “I want my
mother,” he raised a foot as
though to cross the rail
nearby but was quickly sub-
dued by State Patrolmen
Dan Edwards and Doyle
Broome. Someone called out
"hit him” about the time
Whisman jumped up.
Mrs. Whisman became
hysterical while in the wit
ness room and an ambulance
was ordered to take her to
the hospital. It was as she
was being carted out that
Whisman leaped up. He
wiped his eyes and chewed
his fingernails nervously
throughout the remainder of
the afternoon.
For his trial, Whisman
wore on all three days a
white shirt, dark tie and
trousers and a grey and ma
roon sweater.
Sitting only a few feet
from him on Monday and
Tuesday was the widow of
the man he was charged
with having murdered. Mrs.
Copeland, wearing a black
dress and small black hat,
was composed throughout.
But she did not appear at
court Wednesday and a
friend said she wasn’t feeling
well. Sitting at the prosecu
tion table In her stead was
her eldest son, Walter, 18, as
well as her husband’s broth
er, Charles Copeland of At
lanta. The prosecution was
led by Sol. Earl B. Self of
Summerville and he was as
sisted by Bobby Lee Cook,
Summerville attorney who
had been hired by Mrs.
Copeland as a special prose
cutor.
Donald Bennett Rossville
and Dave Lomenick of La-
Fayette have been appointed
to serve as Chatterton’s at
torneys.
The emotion-packed trial
of Whisman got underway
at mld-mornlng Monday.
Sadler questioned most pro
spective jurors concerning
whether they were church
members, whether they be
lieved in total abstainence
of alcoholic beverages and
the ages of their children.
Sol. Self, in his opening
remarks, called the killing of
Copeland, "murder without
reason, murder without
rhyme”. He said both de
fendants perpetrated the
crime and "both hearts beat
as one” In the matter.
Sadler told the jurors of
his own background and
said he took the case pri
marily “out of sympathy for
the (Whisman) family”. He
said he tried to get a local
lawyer to assist but the local
lawyers "wanted no part” of
it.
“I Intend to show that
there was no specific intent
Clothing Urgently Needed
For County School Students
Clothing is urgently needed for Chattooga
school children.
The Chattooga Advisory Committee for Chil
dren and Youth urged this week that anyone
having clothing to contribute contact one of the
following for pickup service: Mrs. F. H. Boney,
Summerville Elementary School; Jim Richie,
857-3731; Clarence Gilley, 857-9501; or G. T.
Myers, 857-9593.
Or you may bring the clothes to the school
superintendent’s office of SES.
In any event, please get the clothing to the
proper place as early as possible so it may be dis
tributed as early as possible.
PRICE 10c
kill Mr. Copeland ... in
fact that when they left, Mr.
Copeland was alive,” he said.
Scott Walters, owner of
the house where Copeland’s
body was found, was the
first witness. He was fol
lowed by Mrs. Copeland who
told of waving good-bye to
her husband at 3:05 p.m. on
December 15 as he started
to pick up their son at Berry
Schools.
When Copeland hadn’t re
turned by 7 p.m., as she left
for a P-TA meeting, Mrs.
Copeland related, she de
cided he and Walter, the
son, had decided to go into
Rome and do some Christ
mas shopping. She returned
at 9:30 p.m., she said, to
find they still weren’t home.
At 9:35 p.m., she said, the
telephone rang and it was
Walter, who said: “Mother,
my daddy hasn’t come after
me. Where is daddy?”
Mrs. Copeland said she
really became alarmed then
because her husband was
always very prompt and
always called even if he
were only 10 minutes late
for dinner.
"I thought he’d been in a
(Continued On Page 4)
Grand
Jury to
Reconvene
A Chattooga grand jury
which recessed 10 days ago
will re-convene at 9 a.m. to
day.
The unusual recess was
called to give a special hos
pital committee time to do
a study. E. C. Pesterfield,
foreman of the grand jury,
is also chairman of the hos
pital committee.
A spokesman said the
committee is not making
any investigation, but is
simply studying ways in
which the financial dilemma
of the hospital might be
solved. One possibility is
federal funds, it was stated.
Paving For
New CHS
Arranged
Arrangements have been
made for the state to fur
nish the tar and gravel nec
essary for paving the drive
ways and parking lot at the
new Chattooga High School,
Chattooga Rep. James H.
Floyd announced this week.
The arrangements were
made with the State High
way Department, he said,
under the county contract
system. Under this system,
the state furnishes the ma
terial and the county does
the work.