The Clinton chronicle. (Clinton, S.C.) 1901-current, December 11, 1969, Image 1
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WEATHER
(Week of Dec. 3-10)
High: 48 Low: 20
(Dec. 4) (Dec. 5)
Rainfall: 2.06 ine.
(Dec. 7, 8, 10)
Soil Temp.: 44-45 degrees
®j)c Clinton Cljronttle
Vol. 70 —No. 49 Clinton, S. C., Dec. 11, 1969
INDEX
Three Sections, 24 Pages
Classified 6-A
Deaths ... 8-A
Editorials 2-B
Hospital News 8-A
Society 2-A, 3-A
Sports 7-A
Thank You,
Friendly Clinton
Dear Mr. Editor:
Yesterday I strolled in a chilling rain with my sweet, awkward,
son trudging beside me—I was hunting a Clinton newspaper -
(I like newspapers) but I especially wanted to read something
about those nice folks up there.
I’ve been coming to Clinton for a number of years and would
like to say that even though the people there perhaps do not know
me by name, I know them by sight and they are the nicest, friend
liest, most cordial, and smilingest people I’ve seen anywhera
Perhaps the reason is they have a college, an orphanage, and
Whitten Village. They are accustomed to meeting strangers and
treating them like home folks.
I have a son at Whitten village. I am very susceptible to kind
ness as are the mothers of all such children. You see a child to a
mother is a dream and as the poet puts it, * To see a dream die
is like a thrust of pain forever between my ribs’. *
Today I would like to thank the young taxi driver up there who
once seeing my tears (from his rear view mirror as I turned to
leave this son of mine,) smiled and turned up his radio to a lively
tune. God love him.
Thanks, too, to the folks in the stores who watched the son for me
while I shopped, and to the folks in the cafe who added an extra
little something for my boy -- and the people on the street who
have given me a hand of assistance---but most of all for just
those lovely smiles of understanding.
The list would be endless and perhaps I’m getting a little sen
timental—but why not? It’s Xmas! Merry Merry, Christmas, Mr.
Editor, and a Happy Keep-smiling New year to each individual in
the little city of Clinton, S. C.
Grace T. Hawthorne
410 Columbia Rd.
“Wee Rest”
Edgefield, S. C. 298 24.
Roy Gasque, 66, Dies;
Former CC
James Roy Gasque, 66, of 200
West Maple St., died Saturday.
He was a native of Marion,
but had lived in Clinton for 35
years. He was a son of the late
James Maston and Lula Hamm
Gasque. He owned and managed
the Gasque Buick Co. in Laurens
and he was a member of Broad-
street United Methodist Church.
He was a veteran of the U. S.
Air Corps.
Mr. Gasque owned and operat
ed Royal Cleaners when he first
came to Clinton. He also owned
Royal Cleaner plants in several
other cities. At one time, he own
ed Buick companies in Union and
Newberry, in addition to the one in
Laurens.
Mr. Gasque was a former di
rector of the South Carolina
Chamber ofCommerce and mem
ber of the State Parks Advisory
Board.
He was a former member of the
board oftrusteesof Hunter School
District No. 5 and the board of
stewards of Broad Street Metho
dist Church. He was a former
president of the Clinton Cham
ber of Commerce and former
chairman of the Clinton Red
Cross chapter. He was a direc
tor of the Clinton Community Ho
tel Corporation.
Surviving are his wife, Mrs.
Celia Latimer Gasque; a daugh-
President
J. ROY GASQUE
ter, Miss Celia Gasque of At
lanta, Ga.; two sons, Jim Gas
que of Greenville and Dick
Gasque of Clinton; five sisters,
Mrs. Sarah Ellen Purvis of Co
lumbia, Mrs. Aline Langston of
Timmonsville, Mrs. Grace Har
vey of Cross, Mrs. Alice Bar-
row of Charleston and Mrs.
Eloise Dennis of Newberry; four
brothers, Lanneau H. and Tom
J. Gasque of Marion, F. Lee
Gasque of Orlando, Fla., and
George B. Gasque of Walhalla;
and four grandchildren.
Funeral services were held
Monday at 2 p.m. at Gray Fun
eral Home. Burial was in Rose-
mont Cemetery.
Have you raked up all your leaves? You know,
Santa Claus won’t come to a house that has leaves
in the yard.
The late W. W Harris, publisher of The
Chronicle, once put the late S. Gary Dillard to a lot
of work, all because of a statement like that to a
little girl.
‘Mr. Gary's’ daughter, Jinky, was about five
years old at the time. Mr. Harris jokingly com
mented one day, “You better get all those leaves
raked. Santa won’t come to a house that has
leaves in the yard.”
Jinky (now Mrs. Paul Turner of Decatur, Ga.)
was panic-stricken. She insisted that her father
work feverishly to clear the yard of every leaf.
And Mr. Harris chuckled as he strolled by and
watched ‘Mr. Gary’ clearing the yard.
Local Connections
Lt. Glebe McClary, who gave an impressive
testimony on Billy Graham’s Southern California
crusade which was telecast Saturday has several
Clinton connections.
He and Dick Gasque of Clinton were student
coaches together at Dixie High School when both
were seniors at Erskine.
He is a nephew of Mrs. Gary Dillard of Clin-
on.t
McClary, who has undergone 16 operations
since being wounded in Vietnam, once wrote Clin
ton author Julian Bolick and told him about read
ing his book “Ghosts From The Coast” to his men
in Vietnam bunkers.
HUGH WILLIAMS
Williams
Dies In
Wreck
Hugh A. Williams, 47, of Clin
ton was killed Wednesday morn
ing in a two-car accident on U.S.
76 near Laurens.
Williams, owner of Riddle’s
Jewelry Store in Laurens, was
pinned in his burning car, ac
cording to the investigating State
Highway Patrolman.
PC Slates
Scholarship
Program
Twenty scholarships that pay
up to $7,200 each to qualified
high school graduates are among
the grants included in the 1970
scholarship program announced
today by Presbyterian College.
President Marc C. Weersing
said the 20 grants--known as the
Founder’s Scholarships and the
Alumni Scholarships--are a-
warded to incoming freshmen on
the basis of intellect, leadership,
character and need. They pro
vide for up to $1,800 per year
for the four years of study.
Competent high school seniors
were urged to contact their high
school principal or counselor or
the PC financial aid office to make
application before the Dec. 20
deadline.
In addition, three Presbyterian
College National Merit Scho
larships offer up to $6,000 each
for the four years to National
Merit Program finalists.
President Weersingalsopoint
ed to other types of financial
aid available to qualified young
men and women who wish toenter
PC next fall: Honor Scholarships
for first or second-honor grad
uates, Church Vocation Grants
for students preparing to enter
full-time Christian service, and
various types of grants-in-aid,
loans and work-study oppor
tunities.
We Didn't Hove A Chance'
The accident occured at 7:50
a.m. Wednesday about one-tenth
of a mile east of Laurens.
Williams’ 1965 Chevrolet Cur-
vair was traveling west on U.S.
76 when an east-bound car ap
parently went out of control,
crossed the median and struck
Williams’ car.
The other*car involved, a 1965
Pontiac, was driven by Bobby
Tribble of Route 2, Laurens,
according to the patrolman. Wil
liam Pulley, also of Route 2,
Laurens, was a passenger in the
Tribble car. The patrolman said
Tribble and Pulley suffered
minor injuries.
He said that Williams was dead
on arrival at Laurens Memorial
Hospital. The patrolman said
Williams suffered fatal burns in
the wreck.
Williams, who made his
home on Sunset Boulevard, Route
2, Clinton, managed Hamilton’s
Jewelers in Clinton prior to pur
chasing Riddles Jewelry Store in
Laurens. His wife works part-
time as a dental assistant to Dr.
Marion Lawson in Clinton.
Other survivors include two
sons, Steve and Mike.
Funeral arrangements were
incomplete at noon Wednesday.
Christmas Music
The Youth Choir of Calvary
Baptist Church will present a
program of Christmas music
Sunday evening, Dec. 14 at 7:30
at the worship service.
Servicemen
Have County
Auto Exemption
Laurens County servicemen
are exempt from county property
taxes on one motor vehicle, ac
cording to County Auditor Jennie
V. Culbertson.
Miss Culbertson said that an
act was passed in the last ses
sion of the General Assembly
which exempts any citizen of Lau
rens County who is serving active
military duty. She said the ser
viceman or servicewoman are
exempt from tbg county property
taxes on one motor vehicle re
gistered in the name of the ser
viceman or servicewoman.
She said that anyone which
wishes to take advantage of the
exemption must apply at the
County Auditor’s Office in the
Laurens County Courthouse,
Laurens.
$400 Collected
For Christmas
Stocking Fund
Members of the Interfraternity
Council at Presbyterian College
collected over $400 Sunday for
the CHnton Jaycees’ Christmas
Stocking Fund.
The proceeds will be used to
take needy children on a shopping
trip in Clinton next Tuesday.
Mike Horton, acting president
of the J aycees, said that two areas
of Clinton were not canvassed last
Sunday but if anyone wants to
make a donation they should con
tact him at Piggly Wiggly.
Fire Toll Rises To Eight
The death toll in Clinton’s
most disastrous fire rose to
eight Tuesday morning with the
death of Edward William Walk
er, 27.
Walker’s six children and a
nephew died last Thursday night
when an unvented kerosene heat
er exploded in Walker’s four-
room frame house on East Flori
da Street Ext.
Walker died at 10:20 a.m. Tues
day in a Greenville hospital where
he was being treated for second
and third degree burns on the
upper 30 per cent of his body.
An attending physician in Clin
ton said Walker may also have
suffered internal injuries from
inhaling flames.
Clinton Fireman Carroll Bar
ker said of the seven children
who died Thursday, “We didn't
have a chance to save them.”
“The house must tiave lieen
burning about 10 minutes before
we got the call at about 9 p.m.
There was no telephone in the
neighborhood and whoever called
us had to go up on the hill to use
a telephone.
“I was the first one on the scene
and I got thereabout two or three
minutes after the call All of the
other firemen were at the annual
ladies night banquet and as soon
as the call went out, they got there
within minutes.
“However, when I arrived, the
house was engulfed inflames.We
didn’t have a chance to get to
those children.”
The seven Negro children were
trapped on the second floor of a
four-room frame house on East
Florida St. Ext.
They were Jackie Lee Walker,
9; Andrew Walker, 8; Ezire Walk
er, 7; Edward Walker Jr., 4;
Charlene Walker, 3; Sharon Di
ane Walker, 1 and Runny Ladson,
12.
The Walker youngsters were
the children of Mr. and Mrs.Ed
ward Walker Jr. who had just
moved into the house the day of
the fire. The Ladson youth was a
nephew of the Walkers, visiting
overnight with the family.
***+#++**#+++*+
Funds Started
For Mrs. Walker
A fund to assist Mrs. Mary
Walker has been established by
Mrs. Walker’s co-workers at
Bailey Memorial Hospital.
Anyone who wishes to make a
donation to the fund may do so
by addressing it to "The Walker
Fund, Bailey Memorial Hospital,
Clinton, S. C.
Clinton Policemen Willie Car
ter and Jimmy Jenkins also have
started a fund for Mrs. Walker
and will accept contributions in
her liehalf.
**************
The mother, Mrs. Mary Ann
Walker, 23, said the children had
gone to sleep upstairs and she and
her husband were preparing for
tied when an unvented kerosene
heater exploded.
The father was blown outofthe
house by the explosion and he was
found severly burned in a ditch
near the home.
Barker saTd firemen had to lay
1,800 feet of fire hose to the
nearest fire hydrant which was on
Prather Circle.
He added, “Even if there had
been a hydrant right in front of
the house, we couldn’t have saved
those children. It was too late
when we got there.”
All city firemen reported to the
scene and there were two fire
trucks there.
Barker said he could see no
window on the second floor of the
house. He said, “Actually it was
more like a story and a half. The
upstairs was more like an attic.”
He said the children apparently
suffocated quickly because three
were still in the bed when the bod
ies were found and the others
were found in the other tiedroom.
There was no evidence that they
tried to get to some sort of
opening.”
Mrs. Walker is employed as a
nurses’ aide at Bailey Memorial
Hospital and her husband is em
ployed at Clinton Mills where he
works in the weave room. The
Walkers moved to Clinton a
couple of months ago from Boyton
Beach, Fla.
Mrs. Walker was treated for
shock at Bailey Memorial Hospi
tal and was discharged as a pa
tient Monday.
Walker worked for landscaper
E.E. Cox when he first moved to
Clinton and on Monday, Dec.l, he
went to work for Clinton Mills.
Jackie Lee, Andrew and Ezrie
Walker all attended Martha Dendy
Elementary School.
Funeral services for the seven
children were held Tuesday at
Bethlehem Grove Baptist Church
near Clinton. Burial was in the
church cemetery.
The Ladson child is survived
by his mother, Mrs. Moselee
Rutledge of Clinton and grand
mothers, Mrs. Annie Mae Shields
of Chicago, 111., and Mrs. Rosa-
lee Griffin of Madison, Fla.
Thompson’s Mortuary was in
charge of arrangements.
Two Held For
Grand Jury
LAURENS - A corner’s jury
recommended here Tuesday that
Niles Crowe and Horace Wright
be held for grand jury action in
the Nov. 23 shooting death of
Jimmy Spearman, 20, of Laurens.
Spearman was shot at a club
south of the city limits. Crowe,
26, of Spartanburg, and Wright,
26, of Rt. 1, Moore, have been
charged with murder, assault and
battery with intent to kill and
highway robbery.
Claude Ben Bell Jr. was wound
ed during the shooting incident.
PRIZE WINNING FLOAT—The Whitten Village
float, shown above, won first prize last week in
Clinton's Christmas parade. Second prize went to
the School of Practical Nursing float. The Clin
ton High School band won the band competition.
(More parade pictures on page 1C)
Other Memoirs
BY JOE H. SIMPSON
Sure, we are always happy to welcome new
industries to Clinton and it makes us proud to see
our city grow. However, let us always remember
those older firms which have meant so much to
each of us, and have made CLINTON GROW
GREATER.
One in particular is the Clinton Cotton Mills,
founded by Mr. M. S. Bailey in the year 1896. The
brick to erect the first mill were made behind the
old Academy School and my father was engineer
in charge of making these brick. Then in 1916 I
was paymaster of the first old mill, and in 1916
I founded the present Clinton Mill Store. In view
of these facts, I have of course always been inter
ested in this firm. Do you ever pause to realize
what this and other older businesses mean to Clin
ton? I quote a few facts from the CLOTHMAK-
ER as published by the Clinton Mills at the dedi
cation of their latest plant, the BAILEY PLANT,
on Nov. 6, 1967.
—Provides employment for about 1700 Lau
rens County residents with approxhnately
$8,750,000 annual payroll.
—Total pf $485,000 paid annually in city,
county and state taxes.
—More than 35,000,000 pounds of cotton and
2.5 million pounds of polyester fibers pur
chased each year.
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