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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 15, 1972)
esday, Nov Page 8 College Station, Texas Wednesday, November 15, 1972 THE BATT/ Smith Innocent Of ‘Fragging* Resonance by Steve Gra FT. ORD, Calif. (/P) — A mil itary jury Tuesday found Pvt. Billy Dean Smith, the first sol dier brought to trial in the United States in a “fragging” in cident, innocent of charges he killed two officers with a grenade in Vietnam. Smith, a 24-year-old black from Los Angeles’ Watts sec tion, was acquitted of six counts of murder, attempted murder and assault but was found guilty of assaulting a military police man who arrested him soon after the fragmentation grenade ex ploded. The conviction on the single assault charge carried a maxi mum penalty of one year at hard labor, dishonorable discharge, forfeiture of all charges and re duction to lowest enlisted rank. The jury of five whites and two blacks, all career officers, was to begin deliberations later Tuesday in the “penalty phase” of the trial, in which the defense can argue for leniency. Smith has been in custody for 20 months. Smith had pleaded innocent to all charges. If convicted of the murder charges, he faced a man datory sentence of life imprison ment. Smith showed no emotion when the verdict was read. He stood and saluted the president of the court, then embraced members of his family and his attorney, Luke McKissack. The jury’s decision automati cally will be reviewed by Maj. Gen. Harold G. Moore, com manding general of Ft. Ord, and can be appealed to the U.S. Court of Military Appeals. The private had been accused of detonating a grenade that killed Lts. Thomas A. Dellwo of Choteau, Mont., and Richard Harlan of Dallas, Tex., on March 16, 1971, at Bien Hoa air base near Saigon. He also was accused of at tempted murder of his command ing officer, Capt. Randall Rigby of Ft. Sill, Okla., and a sergeant, Billie E. Willis of Big Stony Gap, Va., who the prosecution con tended were Smith’s intended victims. The jury began deliberations Monday. It returned its verdict after hearing again parts of the testimony given by W. O. Otis Hensley, an Army crime lab tech nician. Hensley had linked a grenade pin found on Smith with a grenade lever found near the scene of the explosion. ELTON JOHN bangs out the rock-and-roll at last week’s concert. His enthusiasm often lifted him out of his piano chair during the course of the night. $1,000 Service Awards Given William B. Averyt and Robert ice awards at the opening session L. Reed, both of the Texas High way Department’s Austin offices, received $1,000 outstanding serv- Soviet Union here Tuesday of the 46th annual Highway Short Course. Averyt, assistant right of way engineer for THD’s Right of Way Division, was awarded the 1972 After the Elton John concert, someone wrote in saying A&M should bring more quality groups like John’s bunch to G. Rollie. This is a thought shared by many. The only problem is, there just aren’t many groups as “qual ity” as Elton John. I read recently that a reporter asked John why he was so crazy on stage. Elton John answered, “I play pop music.” That’s the key to his popular live perform ances, he knows what his music is and happily accepts it as pop. He doesn’t attach importance to his songs individually, as Bread so pitifully did, but rather concentrated on the effect his songs had collectively. An Elton John concert is of such high quality that comparisons are al most unfair. just barely good enough, they can find a few moi along the lines of “Feel Looking Glass might fun. Dewitt C. Greer Award. Reed, bridge design engineer for the Bridge Division, received the 1972 Gibb Gilchrist Award. TWO WEEK THEATRE TOUR 8 Theatre Performances London — Moscow — Leningrad The latter award honors the former state highway engineer and former A&M president who died May 12. The Greer award honors the man who has served for the past two years as chairman of the Texas Highway Commission and also is a former state highway engineer. Greer was one of the opening session speakers. Under the direction of Dr. Peter Zwick, Noted Russian Specialist \. * • * • • • DECEMBER 28 - JANUARY 11 $699 From Dallas Round Trip Jet Flight Including first class hotel accommodations, most meals, escorted sightseeing in all cities, and transfers Beverley Braley Tours, Travel Memorial Student Center 846-3773 Townshire Shopping Center — 823-0961 Averyt was honored for de veloping’ administrative policies and procedures for the purchase of right of way when the Right of Way Division was formed in 1956. Due to his efforts, the department established a working program compatible with design and construction requirements for the Interstate program. Reed was selected for his work as lead design engineer on a spe cial project which developed a new design analysis concept to prevent deterioration of concrete slabs in bridge construction. His new design procedures are ex pected to significantly reduce the cost of maintenance resulting from bridge slab deterioration throughout" the United States, t This Friday, Looking Glass comes to town. They have one album and a single, “Brandy,” which needs no introduction. It was a giant hit for this quartet from Rutgers, which first got together in the summer of ’71. The album is simply called “Looking Glass.” It’s not bad for a premier effort. It has a lot of piano, tight drumming and some original material. The strongest point of “Look ing Glass,” however, is the vo cals. Three of the members sing, even alternating at the lead posi tion. As expected, “Brandy” is the best cut, but there are some close seconds. “Jenny-Lynne,” the al bum opener, is a lively number with a good chorus. Like most of the record’s songs, it tells a sim ple little story, which fits in fine, musically. “Don’t It Make You Feel Good” makes me feel good enough to look forward to their concert just to see if they have anymore stuff like it. It is a real rocker with a couple of chicks singing back-up that sound too good not to be black. Hopefully, they will be along with the rest of the group. Looking Glass is a good enough album to be worthwhile without having “Brandy” on it — though John Denver is now known figure in today scene. So far, neither tij or records show it, but»t out if he still has the smiling freshness he star Tuesday night at G. Roll Coliseum after the bonfire Denver has put out sis to date, the most financial! cessful being "Poems, and Promises.” It was strength of this album tlu| ver made last year’s m tour, during which he stojj A&M. As many of youn her, his show was wan friendly, one of the yeari Now his “Rocky Mountain! LP is selling and he is4 again. John Denver is on tkc of the stardom his adva agency has been claimingfi last two years. His thr# television special last surprised everyone by in a large audience in the a “dead” post-midnight ti« The variety show was oriented, urging registratia election interest in genera Undent came across warm andfri l,ur,s ' The only mistake he mi allowing Argent to perfona ..TT 1 . v IT J „ „he Newest Hold 'lour Head Up’fns ||lldent P i al Set [ Indent Rat rurity Gui Denver gave his "Leath a Jet Plane” away to Pi aind Mary and recently food on Arlo Guthrie's tai donating “City of New Oil to Woody’s boy. So, hail! only had a better original of his own songs, he mi|i ready have the stardom her destined for. FOR BEST RESULTS TRY BATTALION CLASSIl M0ND, SI BROII W1 MOCK F GERIV PO Ch(