Polk County Enterprise (Livingston, Tex.), Vol. 102, No. 19, Ed. 1 Sunday, March 4, 1984 Page: 1 of 34
thirty four pages : ill. ; page 24 x 15 in. Digitized from 35 mm. microfilm.View a full description of this newspaper.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
GOOD
MORNING!
VOLUME 102
NUMBER 19
Polk County
ENTERPRISE
The dominant news and advertising source in Polk County, since 1882
4 SECTIONS 34 PAGE$
MipiiW Gm*? * C
!•>(»»
Wbt. Tr. '■>*•*»
SUNDAY,
March 4, 1984
USPS 437-340
PRICE: 25 CENTS
Local man pinned
in tractor rollover
LIVINGSTON - A 71-year-old Liv-
ingston man was reported to be in
stable condition Saturday at Houston’s
Herman Hospital following a tractor
accident off Hwy. 146 and the Exxon Oil
Field Road Friday.
The victim, dlison Henry, was
reportedly dragging some cut-down
trees when his tractor overturned, pinn-
ing him beneath the machine. Henry
was apparently trapped under the trac-
tor for 1^-2 hours before the accident
was discovered and help was called, ac-
cording to Polk County Sheriff’s Deputy
Dennis Clifton.
“Jaws of Life” equipment from the
Livingston Volunteer Fire Department
was brought to the scene, but rescue
personnel eventually used a wrecker to
raise the tractor and free Henry, Clifton
In tragic house fire
Wood heater blamed
Driver pinned
ENTERPRISE PHOTO BY RICKY TAYLOR
Rescue personnel work to free Ellison Henry, 71, from under a
tractor which overturned while dragging timber Friday after-
noon. Henry was taken by Lifeflight helicopter to Hermann
Hospital, where he was reported to be in stable condition
Saturday morning.
SEGNO - Investigation into the cause
of a house fire which claimed the lives
of three children early Tuesday morn-
ing has revealed the blaze stemmed
from a wood heater, according to Segno
Volunteer Fire Department Chief Bud
Carr.
Filing deadline Wednesday
Local races heating
LIVINGSTON - The battle for control
of the board of supervisors of Polk
County Fresh Water District No. 2 is
drawing the largest number of entrants
With three days to go before the filing
deadline for local elections.
As of bn day evening, nine candidates
had filed for the five at-large seats on
the board.
Seeking re-election to the board are
President Grant Blackledge, Carl 0.
Wolf Jr., Gus Timmerman and George
Clark.
The incumbents are being challenged
by James Burns, Art Hoover, Dee
Francis, Ernest G. Hanvy and Jim L.
James.
Although no coalitions nr slates have
been publically announced, the race is
expected to become a battle between
the majority of the incumbent board
and Concerned Citizens of Fresh Water
District No. 2.
The Concerned Citizens group lias
long been critical of the present board’s
personnel practices.
Onalaska is also producing the con-
tested city election in Polk County with
Mayor Robert Goodson facing a
challenge from William (Bill) Sanders
and three candidates running for the
two at-iarge council seats.
Councilman Ray Carlson is seeking
re-election. Irene Hamann and Wayne
Prince are also seeking council posts.
Contests have developed in three of
the six school board elections in the
county.
Four candidates are running for the
three at-large seats at stake on the Liv-
ingston School Board.
Incumbents Martha Watson and Ken-
ny Holsberry are seeking another term
. on the board. Also filing are Benny R.
Evans, Mike Dabney and J. K. (Butch)
Johnson.
Incumbent Clark Evans has not an-
nounced Ids plans yet.
In the Big Sandy district, Incumbent
Jim McWhorter is running for re-
election. Emery W. (Buddy) Cain and
Myrtice Driskell have filed for the
board.
Big Sandy voters will fill two at-large
seats.
Three candidates are seeking to fill
the open Position 2 seat on the
Corrigan-Camden School Board. In the
race are Wayne Yankie, John Paul Pur-
vis and W. E. Walker.
Position 1 Incumbent Quinton King
and Position 3 Incumbent Johnny
Powell are unopposed in their bids for
re-election.
In contrast to the contested races, the
other three school districts do not have
enough candidates for all the seats open
this year.
Rufus Ibison, seeking his second
term, is the only candidate to file for
one of the two open seats on the
Goodrich School Board.
Ibison holds Position 1. Position 2,
currently held by Q. R. (Cooter) Duff,
has not attracted any candidates.
In the Leggett School District, two
candidates have filed for the three at-
large seats.
Incumbent Felder Dubose is running
for re-election and Bill Bergman has fil-
ed for a seat on the board.
Lewis Vail is running for the unex-
pired portion of tiie Position 1 seat on
the Onalaska School Board.
Terry Stepan has filed for the Posi-
tion 4 seat currently held by Robert
Lantron,"while no one has filed for the
Position 7 seat held by Georg%*
Allemang.
Goodrich is still short one council
candidate and in Corrigan and Liv-
ingston the incumbents have no
challengers.
Mayor Miller Moffett and Position 4
Councilman Marcell Smith have filed
for re-election.
The other Goodrich council seat at
stake this year is Position 5, currently
held by B.E. (Slim) Speights.
In Corrigan, Mayor M. C. Reily and
Councilmen T. P. Crain and Robert
Smiley are unopposed in their bids for
re-election.
Livingston Mayor Joe Pedigo is unop-
posed as are Councilmen Beamon
Davis and Ben R. Ogletree.
Deadline for filing in the non-partisan
local elections is Wednesday. The elec-
tions will be held Saturday, April 7.
Sheriff’s Deputy Dennis Clifton, who
conducted the investigation along with
State Fire Marshall Mark Chaney and
Livingston Fire Marshall Wayne
Keller, said the fire started around the
vent pipe which led from the wood
heater through the floor of the upper
story. The pipe apparently got too hot
and ignited the wood around the vent,
Clifton said, adding the vent pipe was
not properly insulated.
He said a fan was located near the
pipe vent, which may have been used to
draw the hot air into the room. The fan,
if it was on at the time of the fire, would
have also pulled smoke into the room
once the fire began. “A $12 smoke
detector might have saved their lives,”
Clifton said.
The fire started in the upper portion
of the lVstory house, an area in which
the three victims were sleeping.
Killed as a result of the fire were
9-month-old twins Erica and Monica
Conklin and their 4-year-old brother,
Brandon. The children’s parents, Barry
and Charlene Conklin, escaped with
minor injuries.
Although the children did suffer some
bums, Clifton said he believed the ac-
tual cause of death was probably smoke
inhalation.
The Segno VFD has established a
fund at First State Bank, in Barry Con-
klin's name, to aid the family.
Parker plea denied
by federal judge
HOUSTON - A plea for a reduced
sentence made by former San Jacinto
County Sheriff James C. “Humpy”
Parker was refused Thursday by UJ5.
District Judge James DeAnda. Parker
has been sentenced to 10 years in prison
for violating the civil rights of prisoners
by using water-torture.
In making his plea for a reduced
sentence, Parker told the Judge, “After
ft
SI
East Texas on way
to new fire record
LUFKIN - Forest fires in East Texas
have already burned two-thirds of the
annual average acreage, the Texas
Forest Service says.
TFS Spokesman Mahlon Hammetter
said fires have burned 19,230 acres in
fires reported to the service in January
and February.
The annual average is 30,000 acres,
Hammetter said.
I^ast year, with the wet conditions in
the spring, 11,000 acres were burned.
Hammetter said the worst month of
the year for forest fires is usually
March, so the year’s total may exceed
the average.
For the first two months of 1984 there
have been 17 fires for a total of 389 acres
reported in Polk County, 12 fires for 174
acres in San Jacinto County and 11 fires
for 214 acres in Liberty County.
said.
Henry, who suffered fractures, possi-
ble internal injuries and bums, was
taken to Livingston Memorial Hospital
by Cochran Ambulance Service and
was later transferred by Lifeflight
helicopter to Hermann Hospital.
The accident occurred at approx-
imately 3 p.m.
Three suffer injuries
in Hwy. 146 crash
LIVINGSTON - A two-car collision
Tuesday on Hwy. 146 in Livingston sent
three persons to Livingston Memorial
Hospital with possible injuries.
According to the Livingston Police
Department accident report, a 1984
Ford LTD driven by Thelma Galloway,
76, of Livingston failed to yield right-of-
way to a 1978 Chevrolet driven by Clif-
ton G. Goodman, 78, of Rye.
Galloway, Clifton Goodwin and
77-year-old Mattie Goodwin were taken
to the hospital by Cochran Ambulance
Service.
The accident occurred at 4:32 p.m.
For commissioner's post
Murphy announces
Fire danger
ENTERPRISE PHOTO BY RICKY TAYLOR
The number of forest fires in East Texas Is already on the way
to a record and the number of grass fires is also on the rise.
Livingston firemen responded to this fire shortly before noon
Friday. Fire from a burning dumpster spread to the surroun-
ding grass off Old Israel Road, resulting in little damage.
LIVINGSTON - Mitchell Murphy, a
27-year-old native of Polk County, has
announced his candidacy for commis-
sioner of Precinct 1.
A graduate of the Big Sandy Indepen-
dent School District, Murphy is mar-
ried and has one child, who is currently
attending school.
He serves as pastin' of Magnolia Hill
Baptist Church in Segno. He has ex-
perience with heavy equipment and in
the logging industry and is currently
employed by Roy King Logging.
Murphy said he is running for the
commissioner’s post in order to work
for the public interest and to work
toward improving the county.
"Your support would be greatly ap-
preciated,” he said.
j
m
MITCHELL MURPHY
. Pet. 1 commissioner candidate
four months of solitary confinement,
you can be sure you won’t see me back
in court.”
DeAnda replied that he had no doubt
that he would not see Parker back in his
courtroom but said he felt the former
sheriff should serve as an example to
others. “This was not an isolated situa-
tion,” DeAnda told Parker. “It (water
torture) was a custom."
Parker has been undergoing 90 days
of psychiatric testing, ordered by
DeAnda, which indicated the former
sheriff may be suffering from the ef-
fects of drug and alcohol abuse and
depression. He was, however, found
competent to stand trial.
He was sentenced in October to serve
10 years in prison and fined $12,000 for
conspiring with at least three deputies
to violate the civil rights of six
prisoners. All six prisoners were hous-
ed in the San Jacinto County Jail for
short periods between 1976 and 1980. Six
former prisoners testified that they
were handcuffed to chairs and had
towels tied over their noses arid
mouths. They said officers then poured
water into the towels until the prisoners
felt they would suffocate.
In addition to refusing to reduce
Parker’s sentence, DeAnda also refus-
ed to lower the former sheriff's $150,000
bond, despite a plea by his attorney that
he needed time to prepare for the
sheriff’s next trial, tentatively schedul-
ed for Monday.
Parker faces federal charges for
allegedly directing a highway trap to
extort money and take property from
motorists.
Prosecutor Scott Woodward told
reporters Thursday that Parker is ex-
posed to serving up to 70 years in
prison.
i
v
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.
White, Barbara. Polk County Enterprise (Livingston, Tex.), Vol. 102, No. 19, Ed. 1 Sunday, March 4, 1984, newspaper, March 4, 1984; Livingston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth810957/m1/1/: accessed June 21, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Livingston Municipal Library.