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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 1974)
I Probe asks aides to explain conduct in Mills milk fund r WASHINGTON (AP) — A Watergate grand jury has ques tioned three current and former aides to Rep. Wilbur D. Mills about milk-fund money used in the Arkan sas Democrat s brief 1972 presiden tial campaign. In recent weeks the Watergate prosecutors have summoned Mills’ administrative assistant, Oscar Eugene Goss, and two former cam paign officials, Charles Ward of Conway, Ark., and Betty Clement Bullock of Little Rock. Goss said he appeared voluntar ily, without a subpoena, and was questioned about links between the Mills campaign and Associated Milk Producers Inc., the big dairy cooperative that recently pleaded guilty to donating $5,000 illegally to Mills. Goss said the questions con cerned the $5,000 cash gift, which allegedly passed through his hands, and the use of corporate money by the co-op to pay salaries and ex penses of Mills campaign workers. Use of corporate money in federal election campaigns is prohibited by law. Mills, reached by telephone at his suburban Virginia home, said he has not been called to testify by pro secutors. Earlier this year, Mills de clined two requests by the now- disbanded Senate Watergate com mittee to appear for questioning. Mills, asked for comment on the summoning of Goss and the other witnesses, said only: “I don’t know anything about it. I just know they’ve been up there, that’s all.” Mrs. Bullock, who received a subpoena, confirmed in a telephone interview that she had been ques tioned for about two hours last Tuesday. But she added: “I’d just rather not comment on it.” According to Watergate commit tee testimony, Mrs. Bullock worked as a secretary for the Mills campaign for several months while receiving salary and expenses from the corpo rate funds of the milk producers’ co-op. Ward, who headed the early “draft-Mills”efTorts in 1971 and early 1972, was not immediately av ailable for comment. Concerning the $5,000 cash gift, Goss said he had testified that he has “no independent recollection” of having handled the money. He said he testified that if he had received such a gift, he might well have failed to ask whether it came from corporate funds, because he knew that the milk producers had a legal political trust for making dona tions to candidates. Goss said he was questioned about Mrs. Bullock and two other campaign workers, Joe P. Johnson and Terry Shea, who allegedly were paid corporate salaries by the dairymen while working on the Mills campaign. Johnson, who worked as Mills’traveling campaign aide and who succeeded Ward as campaign manager, declined to testify about the matter to the Watergate com mittee earlier this year on grounds of possible self-incrimination. Goss said he had testified that he was unaware of who was paying salaries for Johnson, Bullock and Shea. This contrasts with testimony given to the Watergate committee by David L. Parr, former special counsel for the milk producers. Parr said he believed Goss was aware of the co-op’s payment of salaries. “I am sure they knew it. We didn’t try to hide it,” Parr testified. Parr pleaded guilty on J uly 23 to charges including donation of $5,000 in corporate money to the Mills campaign, a gift he said he had sent to Goss. Parr is awaiting sentencing. The co-op itself also pleaded guilty to similar charges and was fined the maximum $35,000. "\ Today in the Bait House fire p. 3 SGexec p. 3 Cancer p. 5 V Che Battalion Weather Fair and mild today and tomorrow. Easterly winds 5-10 mph. High Tuesday 79°; low tonight 57°; high Wednesday 83°. Vol. 68 No. 17 College Station, Texas Tuesday, October 1, 1974 $500,000 malpractice suit filed A Heame couple filed a $500,000 suit Friday in district court against St. Joseph Hospital and Dr. Leon W. B. Rasberry, a local private prac titioner, following the death of their son. The suit, filed by Gary and Carol Broadus, alleges gross negligence by the defendants and uncontrolled conditions at the hospital while Mrs. Broadus was giving birth Jan. 6. According to the suit, the baby, Jason Lloyd Broadus, was allowed to fell on the floor on his head in the delivery room shortly after birth. The child was rushed to Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston where he died 23 hours later. Mike Strohowski, assistant hospi tal administrator at St. Joseph’s, said, “I had no knowledge of the suit being filed and have no comment to make at this time. ” A hearing date on the suit has not been set. Faculty groups attack LeMaistre for Spurr firing ENTERTAINMENT was provided by Pete Seller at the Basement Committee presentation on Friday night. (Photo by Chris Svatek) AUSTIN, Tex. (AP)—University of Texas system Chancellor Charles LeMaistre was attacked on several faculty fronts Monday for firing UT-Austin President Stephen Spurr last week without public exp lanation. The School of Humanities faculty voted 85-1, with six abstaining, to express lack of confidence in LeMaistre and to call for his im mediate resignation. In another action, three commit tees met jointly to adopt a no confi dence resolution against the chan cellor. Strachan gets separate trial A general faculty meeting Tues day, chaired by acting President Dr. Lorene Rogers, will take up the no-confidence resolution, which has no binding force against Le Maistre. Passing the resolution were the local chapters of the American As sociation of University Professors and the Texas Association of College Teachers, along with the executive committee of the Faculty Senate. “The chancellor’s failure to con sult with the faculty and students in dismissing President Spurr, and his refusal subsequently to provide reasons for his summary and unilat eral action, have again shown the chancellor’s complete contempt for the academic community and the people of Texas. We therefore ex press our lack of confidence in Chancellor Charles LeMaistre, ” the resolution said. An attempt to bring the resolu tion before the full faculty Senate fizzled Monday after several mem bers said it would make no sense to act before the full general faculty had a chance to act. In another development, 16 deans issued a statement expressing confidence in Spurr and asserting that his firing “has done severe damage to the university. The his tory of interference in the academic functioning of the University is widely known.” Watergate cover up trial begins WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. District Judge John J. Sirica will begin the Watergate coverup trial Tuesday with five defendants in stead of six. With 4 hours to go before the start of jury selection, Sirica granted Monday a request from Special Pro secutor Leon Jaworski that former White House aide Gordon Strachan be given a separate trial. . The renewed request from Strachan’s lawyers that the conspi racy, obstruction of justice and per jury charges against him be dismis sed was turned down by Sirica. Among the five remaining defen dants are three of former President Richard Nixon’s closest advisors, H. R. Haldeman, John D. Erhlichman and former Atty. Gen. John N. Mitchell. Meanwhile, Sirica tried in a closed hearing Monday to clear up remaining legal issues. Among those apparently called to testify at the closed hearing was former White House chief of staff Haldeman, whose lawyers are ques tioning the accuracy of transcripts of White House tapes prepared by the special prosecutor’s office. Another issue is whether the 33 presidential tapes the prosecutors want used as evidence can be au thenticated without an appearance in the courtroom by Nixon. While the transcripts question is likely to be cleared up before Sirica begins questioning a pool of 1,000 prospective jurors, the authentica tion issue is likely to be held off for a week or 10 days. Also on Monday, Sirica decided that half the public seats in the cour troom would go to spectators who are expected to line the halls of the U.S. District Courthouse in hopes of getting a seat. The order sharply limits the number of news organizations which can be represented full time in the courtroom. Inside the courtroom, techni cians were busy placing finishing touches on the listening system which will allow the jury and everyone else to hear the White House tapes on individually instal led earphones. CS employes suit dismissal denied Ford will personally testify about pardon WASHINGTON (AP) — Presi dent Ford told a House subcommit tee he will personally appear to tes tify on why he gave former Presi dent Richard M. Nixon a pardon. The President told Chairman William L. Hungate, D-Mo., of the House Judiciary subcommittee in a brief letter Monday that he would personally respond to the 14 ques tions raised by two resolutions be fore the subcommittee. Ford said he would like to arrange the personal testimony within the next 10 days, Hungate said. Hungate said it would be the first personal testimony by a sitting pres ident before Congress since that of Abraham Lincoln. The chairman said White House research shows that only Presidents Lincoln and Washington testified before Congress while they were in office and that Theodore Roosevelt testified before Congress after he left the White House. The questions Ford agreed to answer are on details of whether White House Chief of Staff Alexan der M. Haig Jr. suggested the par don for Nixon, what agreements were made in connection with the pardon and whether Ford’s granting of it was based on any knowledge of Nixon’s mental or physical health. Before the subcommittee are so- called resolutions of inquiry intro duced by Reps. Bella S. Abzug, D-N.Y., and John Conyers Jr., D-Mich., which, if approved by the House, would demand the answers within 10 days. In a “Dear Bill” letter, delivered to Hungate’s office shortly before 8 p.m. EDT, the President said: “This is to advise you that I expect to appear personally to respond to the questions raised in House resol utions 1367 and 1370. “It would be my desire to arrange this hearing before your subcom mittee at a mutually convenient time within the next 10 days.” Rep. Abzug asked for details on when and who first mentioned the pardon to Ford, whether it was Haig during the week Nixon resigned as President and what promises or conditions were set for Nixon’s par don. Her resolution also asks whether Ford consulted with Atty. Gen. William B. Saxbe, Special Water gate Prosecutor Leon Jaworski, Vice President-designate Nelson A. Rockefeller or any other attorneys or law professors before deciding to grant the pardon, and if so, what legal authority they cited. Her resolution asks whether Ford or his aides asked Nixon to give a confession or statement of criminal guilt and whether the statement Nixon did make when he received the pardon was cleared in advance with Ford’s White TIouse. Finally it asks, “Did you receive any report from a psychiatrist or any other physician stating that Richard Nixon was in any other than good health? If so, then please provide such reports.” Charges on Sparkey will not be dropped By STEVE GRAY Staff Writer Two assault charges filed against Malcolm “Sparkey” Hardee on July 24 by The College Station, 109 Wal ton Dr., will not be dropped, County Attorney Roland Searcy said Monday. Hardee, former candidate for state representative and owner of Sparkey’s at 120 Walton Dr., was charged with two counts of assault after allegedly fighting with John Morris, owner of The College Sta tion, and-Carl Khuen, a bartender at the night club. The squabble occurred July 24 when circulars were distributed contending the club treated its cus tomers better than Sparkey’s. Morris told The Battalion, Wed nesday, that the charges would be dropped since Hardee had apologized. However, Searcy said Monday he had talked with Morris and decided not to drop the charges. Searcy said once charges are filed in the county attorney’s office it is up to him to decide whether or not charges can be dropped. “The charges were filed and we intend to go through with the tiral. He (Morris) did not understand that he did not have the option of drop ping the charges after they were filed. That is the county attorney’s policy,” Searcy said. Morris would not comment on the matter when contacted Mon day. Hardee’s assault trial is set for Nov. 21. U.S. District Court Judge Wood- row Seals denied a defense motion Monday to dismiss a $400,000 law suit by Ralph Bobbitt, owner of Bobbitt Trailer Park, against 12 pre sent and former College Station city officials. The motion to dismiss the suit was heard in Houston Sept. 23. Originally, a suit was filed Aug. 8 by Bobbitt requesting $50,000 in damages, but was amended to $400,000 Thursday in the U.S. Dis trict Court for the Southern District of Texas. In the original and amending suits, Bobbitt claims that he was de nied due process and equality under the law when the city closed his mobile home park at Farm Road 60 West in January of 1973. The city contends the park did not meet electrical standards. The amending suit says that the defendants, J. B. Hervey, former mayor; James H. Dozier, former city attorney and currently a city councilman; and city employes Ran Boswell, L. P. Dulaney, D. B. Jones, Walter J. Coney, W. E. Johnson, and R. M. Williams, did not give Bobbitt the specific re quirements, if the park did not in fact meet city’s requirements. Bobbitt claims in the amending suit that the defendants tried to drive him out of business. Bobbitt said he suffered physical and mental pain, anguish, distress, public humiliation and ridicule, and is demanding $100,000 compensat ory damages and $300,000 exemp lary damages. The plaintiff also asks that his court costs be bom by the City of College Station. The suit says that Bobbitt has been denied his rights under the Fifth, Ninth, 10th and 14th Amendments of the U.S. Constitu tion and under civil rights statutes. The City Council has Sears & Burns, a Houston law firm, handl ing the case. The council has passed a resolu tion defending both past and pres ent city officials and employes, stat ing that all the defendants were act ing as city agents enforcing city or dinances. Councilman Dozier abs tained from voting on the resolution and the retainment of the Houston law firm handling the case because of his involvement in the suit. ACTIONS AND REACTIONS bring life to the Aggie Players’ production of “Lovers and Other Strangers.” The play opens October 7 in the Rudder Center Forum. B. J. Strode and Kent Brown practice their roles as Johnny and Wilma in the section of the play by the same name. (Photo by Douglas Winship) A&M ranked fifth in the nation—see Page 6