The La Grange Journal (La Grange, Tex.), Vol. 86, No. 3, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 21, 1965 Page: 1 of 12
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86
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First Traffic Fatality
Recorded For ’65
Fayette County
Has New Asst.
County Agent
Shotgun Blast
Sunday Fatal To
Winchester Negro
F J
All
film
State Bank. A discussion period
aHU be held after rhe film and
material on another type of can*
ithville, and the heating to death
of Mr. Miertschin. According to
Sheriff Nutt, Issac denied any
pan in the actual murder, but
admitted that he was with Green
at the time.
Issac, a 33-year old Bastrop
County farm laborer, has been
charged with murder and att-
empted burglary, and is being
held in the Bastrop County jail
awaiting grand jury action in
June.
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pinning the man beneath the wr-
eckage. He was dead at the sc-
ene. The body was taken to Ko-
enig funeral home where it was
AW®
JM
A Winchester negro man, 36,
was killed Sunday night after he
reportedly threatened the life of
a Bastrop County man. Killed
by a shotgun blast was John Green
who lives near Winchester in Fay-
ette county.
Bastrop county sheriff, Jimmy
Nutt, said Green and another ne-
gro man had driven to the home
of Mr. E. P. Caldwell who lives
near the Pin Oak Community
in Bastrop county and after park-
ing his car Green reportedly app-
roached the Caldwell home and
demanded $50. from Mr. Cald-
well. Caldwell alledgedly declined
to loan the man the money, and
toid him to leave. Caldwell told
officers that Green said he would
return a short while later for the
money and would reportedly kill
Caldwell if he refused togivehim
the cash.
Sheriff Nutt was notified, but
before officers arrived, Green
reportedly returned toCaldwell’s
house with threats, and the eld-
erly Mr. Caldwell shot Green
near his house. Green died in
route to a hospital after officers
arrived and called for an amb-
ulance. The body was taken to
Pendegrass funeral home in Sm-
ithville. Several witnessed the
shooting therefore no inquest was
held.
The incident occurred around
6 o’clock Sunday evening. Sheriff
Nutt has made no arrests, call-
ing the killing “Justified horn-
ocide.”
Number
This
program is for WOMEN only.
^461
W
L ** J
La Grange, Fayette County, Texas Thuriday, January 21, 1965
Service Station Murder
Solved Monday
The murder of HerbertMiert-
schin of Winchester has appar-
ently been solved by the written
confession
M confession of Pierce Issac to
B Bastrop County Sheriff Jimmy
III Nutt on January 18.
al- Issac’s confession came after
R questioning by the Bastrop Co-
pf unty Sheriff’s Dept. concerning
H the shooting of John Green near
H Winchester. Green was shot by
H E. P. Caldwell in justified hom-
B ' ocide, after Greer threatened
■f Caldwell’s life in a demand for
money. Issac was the driver of
the car and a companion of Green
at the time of the Friday evening
shooting of Green.
All of this lead to the quest-
ioning of Issac as a suspect in
the robbery of the Sigmund Sh-
amrock Service Station in Sm-
NEW CHEERLEADERS for La
Grange High School are shown
above. The girls were announced
at the annual Leopardette’s Foot-
.............- .........it
US Supreme Court Denies
Hearing To Edwin Bertsch
The United States Supreme
Court denied Monday a hearing
to Edwin Marious Bertsch, who
is under death sentence in Texas
for the shotgun slaying of his
18-year-old daughter. Rose Ma-
rie Bertsch.
Bertsch was convicted January
29, 1963, in district court of
Fayette County, and the Texas
court of criminal appeals affir-
med the conviction January 29,
1964.
The girl was killed Sunday
evening, October 7, 1962, after
a celebration in horor of the 50th
wedding anniversary of the par-
ents of Bertsch.
*4
THOMAS EDWARD GALLO-
WAY, 23, will assume the duties
of assistant county agent Thurs-
day, January 21.
He graduated Saturday, Jan.
16, from A & M University, with
a BS degree in Agricultural Ed-
ucation.
Mr. Galloway, who is from
Wharton, is married to rhe for-
mer Jo Francis Payne of Sweeny.
They will reside at 325 East
Fannin in La Grange.
■
Bertsch’s appeal to the Sup-
reme Court said he was removed
from the county courtroom dur-
ing part of his proceeding for a
new trial and new testimony was
given during his absence.
Only last Sunday Edwin Bert-
sch received a new stay of ex-
ecution as requested by Texas
state prison director George Be-
to pending a decision by rhe U.
S. Supreme court. Gov. Conn-
ally set the new death date at
March 19, 1965. Apparently all
means to gain a new trail or
commuted sentence has been ex-
hausted. Bertsch is represented
by Houston attorney, Bob Looney.
liter ?
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ball Banquet held Saturday night head cheerleader, Anna Schova-
at the La Grange School. They are jSa and Nancy Jungmichel.
from left to right, Lanice Oelt-
jen, Patty Schultz, Sharon Gebert,
Negro Shot In Attempted
Burglary In Fayetteville
three raced down the road to
where the car had stopped to pick
them up and Mr. Chovanec who
didn’t ralize that he had Mt one
of them called Sheriff Flournoy.
Sheriff Flournoy on hfa way
to the scene radioed Bellville
Deputy Brast to be on the look-
out for the speeding car and
men. Flournoy when arriving
at Fayetteville was notified that
Brast had stopped the car but
only the driver was in it. Fl-
ournoy then drove to die spot
to interrogate the man who was
identified as Willie Hughs Jr. Of
Houston. Meanwhile a Hyptoo
Smithville Family
Hurl In Accident
Near Bastrop
A family of seven from Smith-
ville were injured Sunday night
when their car ran into a horse
about 4 miles North of Bastrop
around 7;30 p.m. An 8th member
of the family riding in the car
Louis Rocha, month-and-a-half
old, escaped injuries.
The seven were treated at a
Bastrop clinic before being tr-
ansferred to Brackenridge Hosp-
ital in Austin. The family was
that of Mr. and Mrs. Louis Rocha
of Smithville.
Most seriously injured and in
critical condition is 6-year-old
Silvero Rocha who suffered a
fractured skull. Mr. Rocha who
was driving has head injuries and
internal injuries; his wife, Ra-
mona, sustained severe face and
scalp lacerations; 5-year-oId
Mary Ann underwent head sur-
gery for severe lacerations, and
she also received foot lacerat-
ions; 4-year-old Phillip has a
broken arm, scalp lacerations,
and head injuries; and 2-year-
old Tina also had lacerations
and head injuries.
Their car was completely dem-
olished and the horse was killed
instantly.
' ■ * - A.
All I
• -4-'
The La Grange Farm Bureau
will hold their regular monthly
meeting Tuesday, January 26 at
8 p.m. at the La Grange State
Bank.
The speaker for the evening
will be Mr. Charles Hoffman.
He will discuss the changes in
the tax law.......-
in Houston.
Apparently there were no wit-
nesses to the accident. Invest-
igating officer, Charlie Prilop Young Homemakers
--Invite Women To
bee Cancer Film
‘ *1 women are invited to a
The La Grange Garden Club film on cancer of the cervex,
will hold their regular meeting spOnsored by the Young Home-
at the First National Motor Bank makers of Texas, La Grange
Clubroom at 3 p.m. Janoary 28. chapter, to be held on Jan. 21
The subject: High and Dry-a at 7.30 p.m. in the upstairs
study in dried arrangements will meeting room of the La Grange
be glVen by Mrs. Kenneth Blas-
chke of the Smithville Garden
Club.
An attempted burglary at the
Lad Hornak Jewelry and Liquor
store in Fayetteville early Tues-
day morning was foiled, and one
of the four suspects was shot.
The incident occurred around
3 a.m. when Ed Chovanec who
lives behind the store went to
Investigate the noise that he and
his wife heard. Meanwhile, four
negro men heard Mr. Chovanec
coming, and ran from the scene,
as one raced off in a car leav-
ing the other three on foot. Ch-
ovanec fired at the three, and
hit one, who was identified as
Charles Green, behind the head
with a 410 shdtgtul 'blast. The rrrwiiMwi <■» ftacfcPt
...........-........
cer will be distributed.
Fayette county recorded its
first traffic fatality of 1965 Sun-
day morning when a 41-year-old
Ledbetter man died in a one-car
wreck on a farm road about a later transferred to Forrest Park
mile west of Nechanltz. .Funeral Home in Houston Sund-
Dead is John L. Poulter, who ay afternoon.
had resided in Ledbetter for the Poulter reportedly had inteat-
past six months prior to living ions of opening an antique shop
J i Fayette County sometime this
year.
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Zapalac, Lester. The La Grange Journal (La Grange, Tex.), Vol. 86, No. 3, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 21, 1965, newspaper, January 21, 1965; La Grange, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1255186/m1/1/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Fayette Public Library, Museum and Archives.