The Canadian Record (Canadian, Tex.), Vol. 88, No. 43, Ed. 1 Thursday, October 27, 1977 Page: 2 of 36
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Texas Digital Newspaper Program and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Hemphill County Library.
- Highlighting
- Highlighting On/Off
- Color:
- Adjust Image
- Rotate Left
- Rotate Right
- Brightness, Contrast, etc. (Experimental)
- Cropping Tool
- Download Sizes
- Preview all sizes/dimensions or...
- Download Thumbnail
- Download Small
- Download Medium
- Download Large
- High Resolution Files
- IIIF Image JSON
- IIIF Image URL
- Accessibility
- View Extracted Text
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
2
flk« Ganiutitm RECORD
CANADIAN HEMPHILL CO T1KAS
THURSDAY 27 OCTOBER 1977
L
t
mat
A county employee, whose ouoe we re not r™. ,
Uttensive deienses
M observations in these columns several times in recent yewrtS
ever any visible results.
FOOTBALL COACHES will often tell you that
"the best defense is a good offense." Many
defense attorneys believe the same thing.
Attorneys in the Cullen Davis murder trial in
Amarillo have spent weeks of the court's time
now "trying" witnesses for the prosecution...as-
sailing the character and reputation of almost
everyone connected with the sordid affair except
the defendant himself.
If it succeeds in confusing the jury to the point
of unreasonable doubt, the tactic is often
effective. The end product is not necessarily
"justice", but from the standpoint of the defense,
it is "success."
At Pampa during the past couple of weeks in
District Judge Grainger Mcllhany's district
courtroom, we have watched a spectacle which
carries the concept of an offensive defense to an
offensive extreme. The spectacle has been a
pre-trial hearing for the indicted former treasurer
of Pampa's Highland General Hospital, in which
not only witnesses but the Grand Jurors whc
returned the indictment and the Pampa press
corps which brought on the investigation have
been placed on trial.
Even Judge Mcllhany himself, as the man who
appointed the Grand Jury, has been attacked by
the defense and subjected to questioning as a
witness in his own courtroom...a kangaroo
proceeding permitted by the Judge which has
done nothing to enhance the dignity of his court.
Nor has it done anything to enhance our good
opinion of the defense attorney, John Warner of
Pampa, who unsuccessfully sought election only a
few months ago to the post of district attorney in
that same court.
Putting the press on trial instead of an indicted
defendant is old hat...and while the experience
has been unpleasant enough for Pampa News
co-editor Thom Marshall and his ace reporter
Anna Burchell, the satisfaction of knowing that
they have used their newspaper to perform a
public service for the citizens of Pampa by calling
to public attention what they believed were
abuses of privilege at the county hospital has
probably been compensation enough. For the
investigative press, this sort of harassment is an
occupational hazard.
But putting members of the Grand Jury on
trial, in effect, for bringing an indictment against
a defendant is carrying the offensive defense a bit
too far. The Gray County Grand Jury has been
accused of conspiracy with the staff of the Pampa
Daily News in its investigation of hospital
affairs...an accusation which is unsupportable and
insulting.
The newspaper called public attention to what
it believed were questionable practices in the
management of the public hospital, and the Grand
Jury conducted an investigation and found
evidence to support indictments. The newspaper
people did not sit on the grand jury, although they
may have been called to testify before it and were
obviously responsible for bringing the matter to
the attention of the Grand Jury...but that is not
conspiracy, and it is neither illegal nor
un-American. Such investigations of govern-
mental agencies are a vital function of a free press
in America, and the power to investigate and
indict is at the heart of the Grand Jury system.
Grand jury members are citizens carefully
chosen for their good reputations, and they are
sworn to secrecy about their investigations and
deliberations. To call them into court and require
them to violate that oath of secrecy is, in itself, an
unsupportable attack on both the citizen
jurors and the system.
Grand Jury indictments are not convictions.
The indictment simply declares that the Grand
Jurors have investigated and found evidence
warranting a trial. If the defendant is innocent,
his innocence should be established in open court
on its own merits...not by attacking the integrity
of the Grand Jury which indicted or, for that
matter, of the public press which first brought the
matter to public attention.
In the cookie jar
She writes: "As a citizen of Canadian and a resident of Heoatl
County for most of my life, 1 have always been proud of«
Courthouse. It is a beautiful building, and one of which weomllt
proud.
"However, after climbing the steps from the street «p to lb
Courthouse, I shudder at what the tourists will see ud ujifa I
they begin their tour of Canadian on October 30...tbat beiagtkeAii
of the Foliage Tour, the Tour of Canadian Homes, and thcM)
Show. One can hardly see the steps for the cut grass that huh
left to blow over them. It looks awful. It seems it should be rcml
before the guests wonder why it was left there in the fint pint11
Right on! This writer might also have mentioned the un-cutgns
which clogs every crack in that broken block of sidewalk acrastk
front of the building, and the cracked retaining walls aod tk
generally unkempt condition of those grounds at almost all tiaei
We should be philosophical, we suppose, and eonnder driupt
of the Foliage Tour. It is vegetation, after all...and that's Wnp.ll
it's not beautiful...it's disgraceful, at this or any other tint ilIk
year. And since our County Commissioners haven't enoughpridei
our county seat to order something done about it, and sudliu
don't care enough to demand that they do, we expect tktitiilii
inevitable, and incurable, and only wish it coold also be si*
This is the season of the year when one's thoughts begin to tun*
warm wood fires and the glow of embers on a hearth.-and
firewood peddlers came crawling out of their wood-worksudhp
to prey on un-wary homeowners. Not many of us these js
the time, energy or opportunity to cut wood for our own fTinfW
so we're pretty much at the mercy of those who do- u I
review of the measurements used in selling firew may |
order, so that you'll know what you ought to be getting J"
money.
First, cut firewood sells by the "cord", or by the
truck load ...and "ricks" may vary as much u^
good idea to determine how much wood you re gong to |
lor your many-bucks before you let that J
onto your woodpile. A "cord" is a
long. 4 feet wide, and «eet higb...orI28
of wood. Since few fireplaces •«omn^ 4j^. --
ummlly cut to shorter lengths, but if the
rise] H takes two rows of them 8 feet long snd
"eord".
[From the Perryton Herald]
Enterprising newspaper reporters
who continue to poke their noses into public
business keep finding things of interest
everywhere.
The Corpus Christi Caller-Times recently
published a series of articles calling attention to a
Z7he Qaneutlan RECORD
Canadian (Hcapfcl) Texan
BEN EZZELL Editor
NANCY EZZELL Editor of Women's Pages
1 WANDA CLARK Advertising Manager
Entered as second class matter December 20,'
1945, at the Post Office at Canadian, Texas, under
the Act of March 8, 1879. Published each
Thursday afternoon at Canadian, Texas, by Ben
R. and Nancy M. EzzelL
SUBSCRIPTION BATES
tMOIaHomphUlaad
nice sweetheart deal which has netted a nice, and
quite legal, windfall to some state employees.
Senator Peyton McKnight of Tyler comes on
strong against government extravagance. But he
did a strange thing in August when he wanted his
secretary and an aide to go off the state payroll
while planning "Peyton McKnight Day."
He allowed secretary Peggy Crow and
committee clerk Mark Rose to resign. Each
collected thousands of dollars in accrued siek
leave and vacation time like many other
employees who retired or quit in August.
There was a difference, however. Both Mrs.
Crow and Rose were restored to McKnight's
Senate payroll in October.
Mrs. Crow received $5,923 and Rose got a
$3,384 lump sum payment when they "quit" in
late August.
Several other state employees or officials also
are back on the payroll after leaving state service
and collecting lump sum payments in August.
State Auditor George McNiel and Comptroller
Bob Bullock believe there might be dosens more.
The practice is perfectly legal, but McNiel and
[Cmtimmi en Page S]
A "rick" is a less precise measure. but, ® thi(.h)lDdofa*i*11
that a "rick" is a stack of wood 8 feet long. sticks sverap'
equal to the length of one stick. w,|rf
foot-and-a half long (and they may!) your nek can ao
less than half a cord.
FirawMd parekuM «r« il"**"
U.., .ii.iIMTT- EIU.*« ifen**
u t r MMfWly, r-'n Wi
'-"I
(Continued on Page 4)
.jthouUiOk
•HEN you MEET someone
give them one of yours.
l£ '
R&ffzSnrcKE
iv. •. • • _ t r ' ■' '• (
. , .4, IV i !'. fij ' A* \W, iJ C 1
mm l|
:vf.
Jtw'i
HH
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
Ezzell, Ben. The Canadian Record (Canadian, Tex.), Vol. 88, No. 43, Ed. 1 Thursday, October 27, 1977, newspaper, October 27, 1977; Canadian, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth136511/m1/2/?q=%22%22~1: accessed July 15, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Hemphill County Library.