The Sapulpa Herald (Sapulpa, Okla.), Vol. 52, No. 147, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 23, 1967 Page: 1 of 12
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Vigilantes? What Vigilantes?
By DICK FRICKER
Report! of "vigilante" groups
preparing to patrol streets in
Creek county towns came as a
surprise to police officers in
the county’s towns.
And Sheriff Dee Ausmus, the
man about whom the reports
centered, said there was a lot of
misinformation about it.
Statewide newspaper, radio
and television reports Wednes-
day said a "wave of burglar-
ies” In the counties would be
combatted by vigilantes patrol-
ling the streets of Sapulpa,
Bristow and Drumright.
Nothing In Sapulpa
Ausmus said the rirst he knew
of the report was late Wednes-
day. He said he knew of no such
projects for Sapulpa nor Drum-
right, nor had he been in con-
tact with city law enforce-
ment officials of any of the
three towns.
“I have had no part in organ-
ising it,” Ausmus said.
But a project along those lin- eight burglaries were reported
es is under way in Bristow, the
sheriff confirmed.
Ausmus said he talked by
telephone Tuesday with 0. R.
Smith, executive manager of
the Bristow chamber of com-
mercei and later received a let-
ter from Smith asking that 13
Bristow men, some of them
merchants, be deputized.
The action was taken after a
series of burglaries in Bristow
Saturday night, the same night
in Sapulpa.
Authority Questioned
Exact nature of what auth-
ority such a citizens' group
would have apparently was a
source of misunderstanding.
"These people wanted to or-
ganize and sort of help the pol-
ice out,” Ausmus said. "If they
want to do that, it would tickle
me to death.”
But he said he had not talk-
ed to Bristow police chief
Bill Norton about the matter
Ausmus also said he had no
legal authority to let any such
“vigilantes” carry firearms.
“I could only give them hon-
orary cards,” Ausmus said
Thursday. "It would give them
no special powers. If they want
to patrol, these cards won't do
them any good,” Ausmus said;
and the patrol would have no
more authority than any other
citizens.
The cards in question carry
Ipraltt
Vol. 52 — No. 147 — 2 Sections — 12 Pages Sapulpa, Oklahoma, Thursday, February 23, 1967 Price 5c Weekday — 10c Sunday
3L £Jitc
OOi
By ED LIVERMORE
At the expense of sounding
like a stuck whistle, we can’t
get over this Adam Clayton Pow-
ell business.
Here is an elected official who
has willfully cashed government
checks made out to another per-
son fen* an amount in excess of
135,000. This is but one of ex-
amples of his flouting public
trust
So what happens He is to be
seated in Congress and the
amount of money abscounded
will be merely withheld from
his pay. How 'bout that?
Now, turn to the other side
of the picture. How many per-
sons do you know who have
made an unintentional mistake
on their income tax that
amounted to a few lousy dol-
lars? Several, no doubt. Did the
government slap their wrists,
and let them pay as conven-
ient? Not on your life. . .they
paid up, with penalty and in-
terest, and if the amount was
in excess of $1,000 stood the
chance of a trip to the federal
st outhouse.
The federal pen is replete
with persons who have stol-
en and cashed government
checks or otherwise misappro-
priated federal funds But this
will not happen to Powell. He
is a special citizen, with spec-
ial privileges.
Powell said he had done no-
thing but what most other con-
gressmen did regularly. Well,
perhaps we must give Adam
credit for telling the truth. If
congress seats him, as appar-
ently it will, every person vot-
ing for this circumvention of
Justice is probably covering
up his own tracks.
Adam Clayton Powell, and
politicians like him—white, or
black — is the very reason par-
ty loyalty in politics is becom-
ing a thing of the past. It takes
a strong will and a closed nose
to vote any straight party tick-
et which includes guys like
Adam.
Draft Overhaul
Program Offered
WASHINGTON (UPI)-Sen
Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass.,
today offered a five-point
program to overhaul the draft
and announced an investigation
of the Selective Service Sys-
tem’s "discrimination” against
American youth.
In a speech prepared for
Senate delivery, Kennedy
charged that the draft was fail-
ing to meet its national respon-
sibilities.
"Our present system is
neither fair, nor equitable nor
Just,” he said. “It’s policies are
discriminatory."
Kennedy said the Senate
subcommittee on manpower,
employment and poverty would
soon conduct hearings on the
effect the draft has on young
men.
A resolution requesting speci-
fic changes in the draft was
also Introduced by Kennedy. It
would be up to President
Johnsot to Implement the
changes
the title “deputy sheriff" and
bear the words that the holder
is given authority “to serve and
enforce all laws of the state of
Oklahoma and United States of
America.”
Not Stamped
But the cards would have no
legal significance if they were
not stamped by the county clerk,
Ausmus said, and any cards he
would issue the Bristow group
would not have that stamp. Nor
would the men be bonded, Aus-
mus said.
“I haven’t decided yet about
giving them the cards. I don t
know that it would be a bad
idea. They’re good men.”
In any case, Ausmus said he
would not bo present Friday at
a meeting in which Tulsa Police
Chief Jack Purdy had been in-
vited to talk to the Bristow men
Purdy, contacted in Tulsa, said
Smith had asked him to appear.
He said he had asked Smith
to contact Bristow police chief
Norton, and if Bristow police
Regarding the “vigilante” re-
ports, Sapulpa city manager
Charles Pilgrim today issued
the following statement:
"We haven't been contacted
concerning this, but we’re nev-
er against any outside help we
could get. However, Sapulpa has
been fortunate in the past 2 or
3 years in that its burglary rate
hasn't become critical, and so
the situation is under control as
far as Sapulpa is concerned.
“We would prefer that if any-
one patrolled Sapulpa, they do
it unarmed, and that they, as
well as any other citizen, call
the Police Department if they
see anything suspicious, and let
the Police Departmem check it
out."
Civil Defense
School Slated
A Civil Defense radiological
monitoring <ind survival school
is scheduled in Sapulpa during
the month of March, with four
sessions slated.
H. C. Speed, city Civil Defense
Director, said the school will be
open to anyone who wants to
attend. A team of instructors
from the state civil defense or
ganization in Oklahoma City will
teach the course.
Sessions will be held from
7:30 p.m. until 11 p.m. on four
consecutive Thursday nights,
starting March 2. Meetings will
be in the city commissioners’
room of the city hall.
Speed said the only equip-
ment necessary for those at-
tending classes will be pencil
and paper for note-taking.
Purpose of the class is to help
citizens know how to act in
case of a nuclear attack.
US Launches
Fierce Drive
Vietnam
SAIGON (UPI) —The biggest led a battalion—about 800 men
single American combat force
in the Vietnam war drove
through the jungles of the main
Viet Cong stronghold in South
Vietnam today, trying to
squeeze an entire Communist
division into a horseshoe-shaped
trap.
The massive military opera-
tion in War Zone C near the
Cambodian border included the
first large-scale combat para-
chute jump since the Korean
War.
Brig. Gen. John R. Deane Jr.
Heart Campaign
Under Way Here
TUNING UP for tho Mid-Winter band concert to bo given by
the Sapulpa high school band, musicians Joan Childress,
left, Steve Diehl, Kay Donaldson, Trey Gilliam and Karen
Bragg will be among members of the band entertaining Sa-
pulpans Saturday night (Staff Photo)
Kennedy Plot
Measles Can
Suspects Fade Serious Disease
NEW ORLEANS (UPI) -A
former investigatorwho
claimed to know four conspira-
tors in a 1963 plot to assassinate
President Kennedy dropped out
of sight early today, but late;
showed up at Dist. Atty. Jim
Garrison's office.
David Lewis, 26, met news-
men briefly, to say David W.
Feme, 49, former Eastern
Airlines pilot found dead in his
apartment Wednesday, was not
one of the "possible members of
the plot.”
Lewis said previously he had
given Garrison four or five
names of persons invo'vH in
the conspiracy, arJ alt
feared for his life.
He dropped out of sight with
his wife and four children
Wednesday night, but reap-
peared at the district attorney's
office late Thursday morning.
He refused to say anything
other than that Ferrie was not
one of the group he knew.
Ferrie was mentioned in the
Warren Report and questioned
by Garrison in his new
investigation of the assassina-
tion. Garrison called his death
apparent suicide.
George Lardner Jr. a Wash-
ington Post reporter who may
have been the last man to see
Ferrie alive said in a copyright-
ed story that Ferrie told him he
was convinced Lee Harvey
Oswald killed the President
Nov. 22. 1963, in Dallas, and
acted alone.
Lardner told UPI In New
Orleans he thought there was no
mystery about an apparent
discrepancy in the time of
Ferrie’s death. Lardner said
Ferrie was alive when the
reporter left his apartment at 4
a m. Monday.
When county health
ment officials are asked “Is
measles a serious disease?”
they answer yes. While meas-
les is generally regarded as a
minor annoyance or just part
of growing up it can cause
many serious side effects.
Health officials went on to
point out statistics released by
U. S. Public Health Service in-
dicates over 4,000,000 U. S. chil-
dren will have measles this
year. Some 4,000 of these boys
and girls will die and an esti-
mated 1,000 more will be sent
to homes for the retarded for
the rest of their lives.
Many more thousand will suf-
fer from serious side effects
ranging from middle ear infec-
tions to pneumonia or encephal-
itis. in fact measles is a great-
er health problem today than
polio.
Special free measles immun-
ization clinics will be held at
Sapulpa offices of Creek County
Health department Feb. 28,
March 1 and 2 from 9 a m. un-
til 4 p.m.
Health officials stated there
depart-,have had hard measles or im-
munization to be immunized
again. Age limits are from 11
months through third grade.
Those above the age limits or
who do not desire to go to the
clinic should see their physic-
ian.
Johnson Clears
(IA Policy Role
WASHINGTON (UPI) -The
White House released today—
and President Johnson agreed
with—a preliminary finding that
the Central Intelligence Agency
followed national policy in
secretly subsidizing student and
other private groups.
This interim conclusion was
presented to the President
Wednesday by Undersecretary
of State Nicholas Deb. Katzen-
bach, head of a top-level
committee which is reviewing
the CIA’s involvement with the
was no need for children who i private organizations.
Gower Denies
Testimony
Former Sapulpa youth Elzy
Gower took the witness stand
in his own behalf Thursday at
a district court bearing on a
motion to revoke his four-year
suspended sentence.
Gower, who now lives in Ok-
lahoma City, was sentenced in
1965 on a charge of second de-
gree burglary but the term was
suspended
District Attorney David Young
sought revocation of the suspens-
ion after Gower was charged
with knowingly concealing stol-
en property, specifically an elec-
tric shaver which was taken in
a burglary last Nov. 11 at the
Ralph Henderson home, 1414
E. Thompson.
Gower Thursday knowing any-
thing about the razor, and de-
nied selling any such instrument.
Donald Lee Farley. 23. a wit-
ness at the hearing which open-
ed last month and was continu-
ed until Thursday, earlier Ident-
ified a shaver as one Gower and
another youth sold him for $6
Others testifying at the hear-
ing Thursday morning were Bill
Wilson. Bob Martin, Gower’s
father-in-law, and Judy Gower,
who testified that she was mar
ried to Gower Jan. 2 in Bristow.
approved, he would come. But
he said "I kind of frown on
the idea. Officers must be train-
ed and bonded, and we sort of
refrain from citizens' groups of
this type.”
Norton himself said:
“I am pretty well burned up
over this. I have been in law
enforcement for 30 years and I
will quit before I let an un-
trained man handle firearms as
a free-lance officer.”
District Attorney David Young
said he had not been contacted
about any such project.
"It hits me like a bolt of
thunder,” Young said.
Smith apparently understood
the men would be empowered
to carry guns. The Bristow
chamber manager said the
merchants were quite concern-
ed about the increased burg-
laries.” He ^aid the plan was
to put two men in a car and
patrol the streets all night
seven nights a week.
Ausmus said he disliked the
term "vigilantes.” “That's sort
of like the Ku Klux Klan,” Aus-
mus said.
The sheriff said both Sapulpa
and Drumright were already
adequately staffed with auxil
iary policemen and existing
sheriff's posse members.
As to the burglaries, Ausmus
said "we had more that one
night (Saturday) than we have
had in a year.” He listed six
of them he would classify as
major burglaries.
Ausmus said be suspected the
burglaries were pulled by pait
of an inter - state ring, led by
men who recently were releas-
ed from prison. But there is in-
sufficient evidence to make any
arrests, he said.
Sapulpa Police Chief Earl Sel-
lers. who had no knowledge
of any citizens’ group action
said until the Saturday night
burglaries the number of break-
ins was actually lower than at
any time since a 1965 house
burglary ring was cracked.
Now in progress as part of
Sapulpa’s Heart Drive is 1967
Heart-Days -For Business cam-
paign with David McPherson of
Security National bank as chair-
man. His appointment was an-
nounced by Ralph Williams, lo-
cal drive head.
Heart-Days-For-Business will
close Friday and gives business-
men and opportunity to contri-
bute to the annual Heart fund
collection.
McPherson reported some 20
businessmen and women are
serving as volunteers visiting
downtown business offices, stor-
es, professional buildings and
shopping centers for contribu-
tions to the drive.
Special gifts chairman this
year is Lloyd Fulks of Amer-
ican National Bank and Turst
Co.
Fulks and three other mem-
bers to be appointed will form
a committee to solicit contribu-
tions exceeding $25, classified as
Special Gifts, this portion of the
drive will be held next week,
Williams said.
Residential drive chairman
Mrs. George Brite has announc-
ed area chairmen for Sunday's
door-to-door canvas.
Area chairmen, in turn will
appoint block workers, include
Mrs. Lou Stuart, Mrs. Dan Hod-
ges, Mrs. Ike Franklin, Mrs.
Raymond Hayes, Mrs. Melvin
McReynolds, Mrs. Charles Mor-
rison, Mrs. Luther Elliott, Mrs.
Jack Jeffries, Mrs. Nolan Mar-
tin, Mrs. Royce Brown, Mrs. H.
J. Northey, Mrs. Clyde Patrick,
Mrs. Pete Moldrup, Mrs. Bob
Harlow, Mrs. Marvin Law-
son, Miss Marianne Trippet,
Mrs. Robert Baxter, Mrs. Tom
Ritchie and Mrs. Jack Wilson.
Workers will be out beginning
at 1 p.m. and will leave leaflets
containing helpful information
on how to reduce the risk of
heart attacks and what to do
in the event of a heart attack,
and will also accept contribu-
tions.
Bartlett Attacks
Pre - School
OKLAHOMA CITY (UPI) -
Gov. Bartlett issued a 500-word
statement today attacking the
mandatory free kindergarten
bUl but refused to say whether
he would veto it
Bartlett said be favors kin-
dergarten but it should be fi-
nanced with local or federal,
rather than state funds.
He said any local district
which wants kindergarten can
have it now through use of fed-
eral or local funds.
"I strongly favor kindergar-
tens in the public school sys-
tem.” he said. "However, this
does not necessarily mean that
I favor Senate Bill 16 (the man-
datory kindergarten bill).”
He said if the state financed
kindergarten. Oklahoma pro-
bably would lose $2.4 million in
federal funds.
This set off a barrage of
questions including:
“Do you believe kindergar-
tens are as important as the
other 12 grades of school? He
refused to answer.
"Do you believe in leaving to
each district the question of
whether to have kindergarten?”
No answer.
"If you really believe In kin-
dergarten, do you have a solu-
★ The Weather ★
OKLAHOMA — Fair through
Friday. Colder north tonight
Low tonight 18 to 26. High Fri-
day 40 to 50
Indians On Legislative Warpath
OKLAHOMA CITY (UPI) -
The Cherokees, Choctaws.
Chickasaws, "Hacksaws,” and
"Sycamores” went to war
Wednesday in the Oklahoma
House.
A proposal calling for a feas-
ibility studv for locating a
Choctaw - Chickasaw museum at
Lake Texoma touched off the
bloodless battle of the Indians.
“You’re trying to steal our
thunder down in Pushmataha
County,” said Rep. Wayne San- since before statehood.
guin, D-Hugo, to the proposal's
author. Mrs. Pauline Tabor, D-
DuranL
Mrs. Tabor, who represents
Bryan County, said the muse-
um should be located at Lake
Texoma because each year
area.
Sanguin said the Choctaw Na-
tion capitol has been at Tuska-
homa, in Pushmataha County,
Plans already are under way
for construction of a Choctaw
museum at Tuskahoma, and
Pushmataha County has more
Choctaws than Bryan County,
he said.
“I think she has a good idea
about 2 million persons visit the for the Hacksaws.” said San-
guin.
Mrs. Tabor, who is part Cher-
okee, said there were just as
many Choctaws in Bryan Coun-
ty as Pushmataha, and the second mythical Indian name to
have "Hacksaws ”
“Any more of you Indians
want to speak on the bill?"
asked Speaker Rex PrivetL
“I do," answered Rep. Cur-
tis Lawson, D-Tulsa, a Negro.
“You must be one of those
Sycamores," said PrivetL
The war cries finally died
down and the house approved
the resolution on a voice vote.
state is large enough to
two Choctaw museums.
Rep. Charles Vann, D-Pauls
Valley, who said he is part
Cherokee, said he was concern-
ed about possible “discrimina-
tion against Indians” and want-
ed the Cherokees included in
the proposal.
Rep. Lou Allard, D-Drum-
right, suggested the "Syca-
mores" be included, adding a
tion to make kindergarten
available to the 30,000 children
per year who do not receive
it?" He said districts could pro-
vide it by local taxes or feder-
al funds.
“Will you veto the kindergar-
ten bill?” No answer.
“Why would a school lose
federal funds If the state fi-
nanced kindergarten but would
not lose federal funds if a local
district financed it through lo-
cal funds? No answer.
The kindergarten bill has
been passed by the senate and
is expected to pass the house
shortly.
“It has been said that Senate
Bill 16 will be embarrassing to
me if it should pass the house.”
Bartlett said. “This will not be
the case.”
“There are already three
ways by which kindergartens
may be and are being, created
and financed in Oklahoma,
without appropriation of state
funds." the governor said in his
prepared statement.
"ONE - Under the 18 - mill
local support levy, which I au-
thored in the last legislature,
many school districts are al-
ready financing kindergartens.
Any other district can do the
same if there is sufficient local
interest.
"TWO - Title I federal funds
re also available and are be-
ing used for kindergartens. Six-
ty - eight kindergartens with 5,-
722 pupils are now being financ-
ed under this program with fed-
eral funds totaling $476,000. In
addition, $232,000 was available
for kindergartens in Oklahoma
last year, but was not used. If
Senate Bill 16 should become
law, this money would not be
available for kindergartens.
"THREE — There are year-
around Head Start kindergarten
programs in 19 counties, with
2,270 children now being financ-
ed by federal funds totaling $1,-
553.664. In addition, eight coun-
ties have applications pending
under this program for federal
funds totaling $847,269.
—of his 173rd Airborne Brigade
into the operation to clear out
the long-time Communist sanc-
tuary. Known as a fighting
general, Deane was the first to
bail out and the first to land.
A Communist division num-
bers up to 6,000 men.
More than 25,000 combat
troops were thrown into the
action, dubbed Operation Junc-
tion City. They included the 1st
Infantry Division, the 113rd
Ifantry Division, the 173rd
Airborne, the 196th Light
Infantry Division and the 3rd
Brigade of the 4th Infantry
Division.
They were backed by thou-
sands of support troops, artille-
ry and air strike planes.
The infantrymen beat the
paratroopers into the stronghold
by about an hour but the jump
was a spectacular one accom-
plished in about 15 minutes
from Cl30s flying at 1,000 feet
above the jungles Most of the
other units were lifted into
position in the war’s most
massive helicopter assault and
others went in on tracked
vehicles.
War Zone C, northwest of
Saigon is headquarters of the
Viet Cong in South Vietnam.
News of the operation
launched Tuesday was disclosed
as U.S. military spokesmen in
Saigon reported that American
servicemen last week suffered
their heaviest death toll in more
than a year.
They said 172 American
troops were killed but in the
same period there were 2.092
Communist deaths—the worst
loss rate of the war for the
Reds.
The U.S. combat death toll,
reflecting the massive opera-
tions in the ’orthern provinces,
was the second highest for any
one week in the war. It was
topped only by the 248 men
killed during the la Drang
Valley battle in November, 1965.
The spokesmen said another
802 American servicemen were
wounded in action last week
while 10 more were listed as
missing.
Other Allied troops, not
including the South Vietnamese,
lost 40 killed and 76 wounded
last week.
South Vietnamese casualty
figures were not immediately
available.
The paratroop assault was the
biggest of the war—it was more
than four times larger than the
airborne assault several months
ago into the U Minh Forest area
of the Mekong Delta by
Vietnamese paratroopers.
The dense jungles of War
Zone C encompasses the head-
quarters of Communist guerrilla
operations, the Viet Cong radio
and the National Liberation
Front, the political arm of the
Viet Cong. The jungles also are
the southern terminus of the Ho
Chi Minh supply trail from
North Vietnam.
First reports from the area
said fighting was sporadic with
the Americans encountering
mostly sniper fire.
Incidentally
Things were really exciting
around Upshaw's Gibble on
East Dewey Wednesday morn-
ing when LmNr Upshaw's 14
year old son, Keith, locked him-
self in daddy's car. . after
about 30 minutes his daddy and
uncle GsraM Upshaw talked
him into rolling the window
down enough so they could open
the door with a coathanger. . .
Lone Star PTA reminds us its
school carnival it at 6 p.m. Fri-
day ... belated birthday greet-
ings to Charlie Brooks ... we
hear Rov. T. Howard Allan is
finding out all about housework
since his good wife broke her
arm .. ask Mrs. E. W. Redding,
Sr., about that pretty red and
blue bathrobe she received in
the mail . . Happy birthday to
Mrs. Richard Hatfield, Valdosta,
Ga., Feb. 24 .. her mother, Mrs.
Chartes Teel, Is sending her the
ole reliable as a gift. . .Lf. Hat-
field is stationed with the air
force at Valdosta ... you can
ask Mrs. Rhuet WNsen about
those classified results. . and
if you need to buy, sell or trade,
give us a call. BA4-51S5.
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Livermore, Edward K. The Sapulpa Herald (Sapulpa, Okla.), Vol. 52, No. 147, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 23, 1967, newspaper, February 23, 1967; Sapulpa, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc1493899/m1/1/?rotate=90: accessed April 23, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.