The Clinton chronicle. (Clinton, S.C.) 1901-current, September 26, 1963, Image 1
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Cltutnn (Elimtirlf
Vol. 34 — No. 38
Clinton, S. C, Thursday, September 26, 1963
Verdict: Depth by Unknown Forty
Make Plans for Polio Immunization
Only Two Testify At.
Bridges Inquest Friday
An organizational meeting was held
during the past week to prepare for the
forthcoming polio immunization cam
paign to be conducted in School Dis
trict 56. Date for the first of three
doses (to be taken by mouth) was set
for Sunday afternoon, Oct. 27, at six
points in the area. Dr. James L. Walk
er, director of the massive effort in this
section, presided over the meeting.
Committees were set up and other plans
made for the huge task.
Those at the meeting were (from
left, clockwise): Fred Crawford, Earl
Rice, Harry McSween, Marvin Gault,
Samie Pinson, Dr. E. N. Sullivan, Rufus
Sadler, Dr. Walker, Dr. Louis N. Ste
phens, Dr. R. M. Fuller, W. R. Anderson,
Dr. D. 0. Rhame, W. R. Anderson,
Charles Zanone, representative for Phi-
zer Laboratories, Dr. James Macdonald,
and Claude Crocker.—Photo by Dan
Yarborough.
Polio Vacdno Campaign
Set to Begin on Oct 27
A community-wide effort to
wipe out polio in this area will
be launched on October 27. Dr.
James L. Walker, of Clinton, is
chairman of the polio vaccine
campaign for the section em
braced in School District 56.
A similar campaign will also
be conducted in the remaining
area of the county.
Dr. Walker urged all residents
from the age of three months on
up, including older persons, to
turn out at immunization sta
tions on Sunday, Oct. 27, to re
ceive their first dose of the new
Sabin oral polio vaccine. Dates
will be announced for two other
doses.
“While there has been a dra
matic decline in the number of
cases of paralytic polio,” Dr.
Walker said, “the disease is noti at the First Presbyterian Church
yet defeated. In the United States I beginning Sunday and closing
at the following places from noon
to 6:00 p. m. on Oct. 27: Clinton
High School, the Armory, Joan
na School, Woodson School (Jo
anna), Cross Hill School, and
Midway School (Mountville-
Cross Hill).
Further announcements on or
ganization and procedure will be
given from week to week. Com
mittees are now at work arang-
ing for the community-wide
event.
Special Services
At 'Presbyterian
Chare'll Next Week
Dr. Edward G. Lilly, pastor of
the First Presbyterian Church of
Hartsville, will conduct services
there were more than 1500 cases
of polio in 1961. More than 800
of these suffered either death
or some sort of paralysis from
the disease.
“The Sabin vaccine may be the
final answer to the fight against
this dreaded disease. The vac
cine is easy to administer—no
injection; it provides rapid ac
tion—in about one week, and it
helps break the chain of trans
mission by stimulating intestinal
resistance to future infection.
“Recent licensing of the Type
III vaccine,” he added, “means
that the possibility of wiping out
polio as a threat to our children
or to their parents is closer than
ever before. We have the tools.
Now it’s up to the community to
use them.”
Polio is caused by any one of
the three types of virus. The gov
ernment last year licensed an
oral vaccine against Type I and
II and recently granted a license
for distribution of oral vaccine
against Type III. All three of the
oral vaccines were developed by
Dr. Albert B. Sabin of the Uni
versity of Cincinnati School of
Medicine.
Dr. Walker said that the local
organization will purchase thous
ands of doses of each of the
three types of Sabin vaccine
from Pfizer Laboratories. He
added that the vaccine will be
administered at a charge of 25
cents. However, no one will be
turned away for lack of funds.
The vaccine will be administer
ed at six Immunization centers
in strategic locations throughout
this area. The vaccine can be ad
ministered to infants by dropper,
spoon or paper cup. Older chil
dren and adults can drink a mix
ture of vaccine and distilled wa
ter or eat a cube of suger on
which the vaccine has been drop
ped.
The first dose will be dispensed
Wednesday evening, October 2.
The services will culminate Sy
nod Evangelism Emphasis for
the church. There will be two ser
vices daily, one at 10:00 a. m.
and the other at 7:30.
Dr. Lilly is one of the Southern
Church’s leading ministers. He
served for many years as chair
man of the Stewardship commit
tee of Synod.
Rev. LeGrand Adams
Pastor At Leesville
Rev. Legrand Adams has been
assigned to Leesville Southern
Methodist Church and assumed
the duties September 1st. Rev.
Adams comes to Clinton after 3
years at Hebron Church near
Livingston, S. C. He is married
and has a 3 year old daughter.
He plans to attend the Southern
Methodist College this year in
Orangeburg, S. C. He will live in
Clinton on weekends.
Neely Is Reassigned
To S. C. Guard Unit
Airman Joseph F. Neely of
Clinton, is being reassigned to a
unit of the South Carolina Air
National Guard at Eastover fol
lowing his graduation from the
United States Air Force techni
cal training course for account
ing and finance specialists at
Sheppard AFB, Texas.
Airman Neely studied Air
Force payment and collection
procedures, appropriations, and
general ledger entries, with spe
cial emphasis on travel and mili
tary pay.
The airman, son of Mr. and
Mrs. W. Carlisle Neely of 303
W. Walnut St., received his B. S.
degree from the University of
South Carolina.
MOVE INTO NEW HOME
Mr. and Mrs. George B. Brock-
enbrough and family have
moved into their new home in the
Merrie Oaks subdivision.
PC to Meet Lenoir Rhyne
On Local Field Saturday
The Presbyterian Blue Hose, McCranie added 72
will entertain Lenoir Rhyne here
Saturday night, strong in their
determination to maintain the
offensive spark they rekindled
last weekend with a season-open
ing victory against Frederick
College.
It’s the first home game of
1963 for the spirited PC squad
and new Head Coach Cally Gault.
A large crowd of Presbyterian
and Lenoir Rhyne supporters are
expected at Johnson Field for
the 8 p. m. kickoff.
Despite their 19-9 win over
Frederick, the Hosemen will en
ter Saturday night’s game as
25-point underdog in the national
powre ratings. That fact stands
as a real tribute to Lenoir
Rhyne’s potent single wing at
tack which has met defeat only
twice in the past four years.
The Bears gave every indica
tion of their 1963 expectations by
trouncing Wofford, 16-6, in their
opener last weekend.
Both PC and Lenoir Rhyne
showed ground strength in their
first games. The Blue Hose
amassed 241 yards rushing from
scrimmage and 17 first downs as
Halfback Don McNeill scamper-
a 7.2 average, Fullback Randy
ed for 79 yards in 11 carries for
irds and
Halfback Wade Stewart, 55
yards. The two halfbacks are
sophomores and McCranie is a
junior.
Lenoir Rhyne, meanwhile, has
turned up with another outstand
ing tailback in swift Craig Ward-
law. He set the pace against Wof
ford by rushing for 133 yards and
passing for 41 more.
Whether the Presbyterian de
fense can throttle Wardlaw and
his Bear cohorts as well as it
did the Frederick offense is a key
question only Saturday night can
answer. Four three-year letter-
men, all of whom well remember
Lenoir Rhyne’s close 15-14 win
over PC, head the PC forward
wall which limited Frederick to
just four first downs. They are
Guards Randy Fitzpatrick and
Pat Sudduth, Tackle Frank King
and Center Keith Richardson.
Kicking specialist Louis Ridin-
ger of Charlotte led the Hose
scoring in the 1941 victory of last
Saturday. He booted two field
goals, from 24 and 35 yards out,
and added an extra point place
ment to account for 8 points. PC’s
two second-half tourchdowns
came on a two-yard quarterback
sneak by Billy Tyson and a 25-
yard run by McNeill.
Former State Rep. Justin A.
Bridges looked on solemnly Fri
day as a Laurens County coro
ners’ jury ruled that his wife
came to her death as a result of
stab wounds “inflicted by a ‘par
ty or parties unknown.”
Only two persons testified at
the 45-minute inquest which was
held in front of about 400 people
in the Clinton National Guard
Armory.
Mrs. Beaufort C. Bridges, a
prominent grandmother, was
found slain in her husband’s law
office here the night of Aug. 23.
The Bridges are residents of Lau
rens, and Mr. Bridges maintain
ed ^n office here in addition to
his office in Laurens.
The six-man coroner’s jury re
turned its verdict after deliberat
ing for eight minutes. It had
heard oral testimony from police
man Chesley Richards and Lt.
Rufus King of the Clinton Police
Department, the first officers on
the death scene, and a doctor’s
report read by Coroner Marshall
Pressley.
There was no testimony with
respect to hairs which investiga
tors said were found under a ring
on Mrs. Bridges’ left hand. Offi
cers have said the hairs were of
a “Negroid origin.” A Negro
man is being questioned in the
case, but he is in custody on a
jail sentence stemming from an
other charge.
The doctor’s report said Mrs.
Bridges suffered multiple stab
wounds of the face, abdomen and
back. The report said the stab
wounds were probably produced
by a blunt instrument five to five
and one-half inches in length and
three-eights of an inch in width.
No further testimony was offered
as to a more complete descrip
tion of the probable death weap
on.
Both King and Richards testi
fied that they were met by
Bridges near his office the night
of these slaying. The officers had
gone there shortly after Bridges
had called the police station
about 9:45.p.40 afUc finding his
wife’s body.
They said there were indica
tions of a struggle. They said
Mrs. Brdiges’ pocketbook was ly
ing on the floor. King noted that
a number of salted peanuts were
scattered over the floor of the
office.
Richards said he understood
there was blood in the wash ba- 1
sin next to the office, but that it
had been washed away.
He also testified that officers
of the Laurens County Sheriff’s
Department and the State Law
Enforcement Division made ef
forts to obtain fingerprints be
fore the body was removed.
Richards and King were ques
tioned by Pressley and Solicitor
William T. Jones.
None of the statements given
by Bridges to police came out at
the inquest. However, officers
have quoted Bridges as saying
he last spoke with his wife about
2:00 p. m. on the afternoon of the
slaying. He was at his Laurens
office when she telephoned him
from the Clinton office about a
prospective client.
Bridges had gone to the Clin
ton office when his wife failed to
return to Laurens the night of
August 23.
Members of the coroner’s jury
were Ted Anderson, Jr., Dr. J.
W. McCullough and Jimmie
Cooper of Laurens; Truman Ow
ens, Sidney Hartzog, and Melvin
Creswell of Clinton.
Circuit Solicitor Jones of
Greenwood, who assisted Coro
ner Pressley in questioning the
two witnesses called, told those
present that “many questions
will remain in your mind when
the inquest is over.” He empha
sized that only evidence of "how
and by what means” Mrs.
Bridges came to her death would
be presented.
The doctor’s report stated:
“Preliminary examination of
the findings are interpreted as
showing death due to stab
wounds with mutilation injuries
produced by some blunt object
or objects after she had died.
The stab wounds were made with
an instrument of approximately
five to five and a half inches in
length and approximately three-
eights of an inch in width.”
Education Association
In First Meeting Today
The Laurens County Education
Association will hold its first
meeting of the year this after
noon (Thursday) at 3:30 at the
Hickory Tavern High School.
Edwin Culpepper of Columbia,
executive secretary of the South
Carolina Education Association
will be the guest speaker.
Kiwanians To
Present Recording
The regular meeting of the
Kiwanis club will be held to
night at 7 p.m. at the Mary Mus-
grove Hotel. W. R. Anderson,
superintendent of School District
56 will have charge of the pro
gram. A recording made by the
Federal Bureau of Investigation
on “Communism” will be given.
Scene Where Man Was Killed
Pictured above are Laurens County
Sheriff R. Eugene Johnson, Clinton City
police officers and the train engineer,
conductor and other workers viewing
the body of William 0. (Slim) McGee,
who was struck and killed Saturday
night at 6:50 by a train. McGee lived on
Gary Street in Clinton, only a block
from the scene of the accident.—Photo
by Mason Motes.
Chest Drive
Starts Oct.1
The Community Chest of
Greater Clinton will begin its
general drive, Tuesday, Octob
er 1, George H. Coraelson, pres
ident, stated yesterday.
A coffee meeting will be held
that morning at 9:30 in the
ballroom of the Hotel Mary
Musgrove and all division
chairmen, as well as solicitors,
are urged to be present.
Supplies will be distributed
to each participant and a re
port will be given by Reese
Young, Advance Gifts Chair
man, on progress to date.
The budget for the 1963-1964
campaign is 121,672.01.
William 0. McGee Killed
When Struck By Train
L. VERNON POWELL
Powell Is Manager
Of Musgrove Hotel
L. Vernon Powell, well-known
local food service man and res
taurant operator, is the new
manager of Hotel Mary Mus
grove. He tooKover operation of
the community-owned hotel on
Tuesday, Oct. 17.
Powell was for many years
manager of the Presbyterian
College dining hall, and for sev
eral summers was food service
manager at the huge dining hall
at the Baptist assembly grounds
at Ridgecrest, N. C.
For some time he has been
operating Vernon’s Restaurant
here at the intersection of High
ways 72 and 56 at the southern'
edge of the city. That business
will be continued, he stated.
HOME UNDER
CONSTRUCTION
Mr. and Mrs. George H. Cor-
nelson are building a new home
in the Merrie Oaks subdivision.
Construction is expected to be
completed within the next few
months.
To Make Census Of
Children In Area
School District 56
At the last session of the Gen-
; eral Assembly, a law was passed
requiring that a school census be
made of the children between the
ages of 7 and 16 who were not en
rolled in school. The State De
partment of Education is urging
that a complete census be made
of all children between the ages
of 0 and 16, which would be of
great value to the school districts
in determining the future needs
of the school. This census will
be made in District 56 during the
i month of October.
On Monday, September 30, a
census card will be given to ev
ery child in school in District 56,
along with a card for each pre
school age child in the family. It
is very important that the pa
rents cooperate with the school
in filling out these cards and
returning them to the school
which the child attends. After
these cards have been returned
and checked by the teachers in
the respective schools, then a
house-to-house canvass will be
made of the entire district in or
der to register each and every
child. It is hoped that all pa
rents will realize the importance
of getting the cards returned to
the schools in order to facilitate
the work of the teachers in mak-
William O. McGee, 56, was
fatally injured when he was
struck by a train at 6:50 p. m.
Saturday about a block from
^is home on Gary Street,
j City Patrolman George Cor-
I ley, first officer on the scene,
said he found McGee’s body
i on the Seaboard Airline Rail
road right-of-way alongside the
eighth car of an east bound
passenger train.
Laurens County Coroner Mar
shall Pressley said the train’s
engineer, J. O. Long, of Abbe
ville, told him McGee walked
1 directly into the path of the
. train from between two high-
ended pulpwood flat cars stand
ing on a sidetrack.
The coroner quoted the engin
eer as saying McGee saw the
train bearing down on him at
i the last moment and threw up
’ his hands, but made no effort
to move from the tracks.
Long said the train was mov
ing at a speed of 15 to 18 miles
an hour and he applied brakes
but could not stop in time to
avoid hitting McGee.
Coroner Pressley said McGee
apparently died instantly. He
empaneled a jury and said an
inquest will be scheduled later.
Investigation was joined also
Booster Night At
Mountville Grange
“Booster Night” was observed
by the Mountville Grange on Sep
tember 19 at the Grange hall.
The guest speaker was Ray
mond L. Willis, master of the
South Carolina State Grange.
Prior to the program a cover
ed dish supper was enjoyed by
the members and visitors.
ing the house-to-house canvass.
This state law and the work
of the State Department of Edu
cation and the local school* au
thorities is for the purpose of re
ducing the number of drop-outs
and to encourage all school-age
children to attend school.
^ The administration and teach
ers of District 56 urge the loyal
copoeration of each and every
parent in the district.
by Clinton City Officers M. C.
Stewart, W. E. Marse, Wright
Simpson and Chesley Richards,
and by Laurens County Sheriff *
R. Eugene Johnson.
Recommend Three ■
New Members For
Education Board
Laurens — Three carry-over
and three new members were
recommended for appointment
to the Laurens County School
Board of Education in a letter
submitted Friday to Gov. Don
ald Russell.
Two members of the county
legislative delegation, State
Sen. King Dixon and Rep. Mar
shall Abercrombie, signed the
letter, but the delegation’s third
member, Rep. David Taylor,
did not.
Recommended for reappoint
ment for four-year terms were
J. L. Delany of Joanna, J. C.
Thomas of Clinton, and J. M.
Babb of Gray Court. The names
of W. S. Mahon of Rt. 1, Gray
Court, W. L. Patterson and W.
J. Brown of Laurens, were sub
mitted as new members. The
latter three if approved by the
I governor, would succeed Chas.
j Fleming of Laurens, who asked
not to be reappointed, Larry
Weeks of Wattsville, and Roy
j Cain of Rt. 3, Laurens.
The seven-man board also in
cludes County Superintendent of
| Education J. Leroy Burns as
. an ex-officio member.
In a statement Friday, Rep.
Taylor said he did not sign the
recommendation letter "after
some of the board members
now serving were replaced.” He
said that on examining records
in the office of the county su
perintendent of education, he
found that board members now
serving “had attended all the
meetings regularly and I feel
that the progress made in re
cent years would warrant re
appointment of these mem
bers.”
Scenes at Inquest in the Death of Mrs. Justin A. Bridge Held Here Friday Afternoon
At left are Clinton police officers Chesley Richards their testimony Hie next photo shows Solicitor WQ-
and Rufus Kin?, the only two wltneeses to testify st Ham T. Jones of Greenwood (standing), who did most
the inquest in the death of Mrs. Justin A. Bridges, giro of the questioning as he explained the purpoee of the
inquest. Shown with him are Laurens County Coro
ner Marshall Pressley and Mrs. Betty Satterfield, in
quest recorder. The photo at right shows part of the
crowd of about 400 persons who attended the inquest
at the Clinton armory—Photos by Dan Yarborough