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Page 10 THE BATTALION
TUESDAY, JANUARY 16, 1979
Grass smuggler had fun until caugh
United Press International
RICHMOND, Va. — Robert Eby
was a member of the Young Repub
licans and the owner of a Ft.
Lauderdale, Fla., sailboat company
in 1972 when friends offered him
$12,000 to smuggle six tons of
marijuana into the United States.
F.by was initially hesitant, but
was persuaded by his friends, whose
marijuana-laden ship had run ag
round in the Caribbean.
I figured I d do it just once,” said
Eby, 32, who flew the pot to the
Midwest in his twin-engine plane.
“But I had so much fun the first
time, I kept doing it. ’
Eby was finally grounded March
22. 1977, when he was caught be
hind the controls of a vintage DC-4
plane loaded with three and a half
tons of pot at the Hanover County
Airport near Richmond.
“As far as I’m concerned I’m out
of the business for good,” Eby said
in an interview at the Richmond
City Jail, where he is serving a 15-
year sentence on his December
1977 marijuana bootlegging convic
tion.
“But there are plenty of other
people still in the business and I
think federal officials are only kid
ding themselves if they think they
can stop them,” said Eby.
Eby agreed to an interview, but
was careful not to name specific
dates or places or any of his former
associates.
He said he made about 30 trips
smuggling marijuana, mostly from
Colombia to the Midwest.
As a high-flying smuggler, Eby
claims he was fired upon by South
American military police, chased by
Cuban planes while flying over that
country and shot at by other
smugglers when he nearly landed
by mistake at the wrong clandestine
airstrip in Colombia.
“It was a thrill, a challenge,” he
said. “I never smoked pot, I got
high smuggling it.”
Eby said he was paid an estimated
$1 million — “all in cash in fives,
tens and twenties” —for smuggling,
but that he squandered the money
as fast as he made it.
He was captured when the air
craft he was piloting got stuck in the
mud at Hanover Airport, drawing
the attention of authorities.
Oki wow man, vja+Ta bum men
A co-pilot was also convicted, al
though federal authorities were
never able to determine who owned
the aircraft or where the marijuana
was to be delivered.
Authorities admit it is difficult to
stop the trade, but they are spend
ing several millions of dollars trying.
At best, they intercept only two of
every 10 marijuana shipments.
“I doubt they are catching that
many, said Eby. “There are all
sorts of people out there smuggling
and they are making big money
doing it.”
Ebv said he was a freelance
smuggler specializing in piloting
airplanes, mainly DC-4 s like the
one he was captured in.
He said he contracted his services
to smugglers in the need of a pilot,
earning a standard fee of $10 per
pound of marijuana transported into
the United States.
Blizzard in ‘Windy City’
may be worse than ’67 storm
United Press International
CHICAGO — With Chicagoans
reeling from more than a week of
sub-zero temperatures followed by
the heaviest snow since the “Bliz
zard of 67” and then more subzero
readings, it seems the worst that
could happen would he more snow.
The National Weather Service
‘ id Sunday a snowstorm in the
cockles could pass through the city
as early as this morning, adding to
the record 29 inches already on the
ground.
A weekend snowstorm accom
panied by 40-mph winds devastated
the area, dropping more than 20 in
ches. Auto travel was hazardous if
not impossible, roofs collapsed
under the weight of the snow.
parked ears were buried from view,
mass transit w 7 as partially shut down
and O’Hare International Airport —
the world’s busiest — was closed for
only the sixth time in its history.
The temperature in the city got
down to 15 below zero early Mon
day, and a stiff breeze brought the
wind-chill factor down to 37 below.
The surrounding suburbs were even
more frigid.
Mayor Michael A. Bilandic, heav
ily criticized for slow action in re
moving snow from a major New
Year’s storm, went to mass Sunday
night “to pray for no more snow,” as
he put it. Work crews will work 12-
hour shifts until the snowremoval
job is done, city officials said.
“You know it’s bad when the
mayor goes to church to pray for a
break in the weather,” said Barry-
Glace, a North Side resident.
The weekend blizzard also bat
tered the rest of the northern third
of the state, prompting Gov. James
R. Thompson to declare it a disaster
area.
At O’Hare, which officials said
would probably reopen sometime
today, all available snow-removal
equipment was busy clearing the
runways.
“This blizzard is much worse than
1967’s,” Bilandic told a news con
ference Sunday night, “because be
sides the heavy snows, we are en
countering sub-zero temperatures
and high winds.
“Activities within Chicago will be
slow, but operating. Fortunately,
our forces worked steadily through
the storm, allowing us to stay open,
unlike many of the cities around
Chicago.”
Two helicopters, one from the
Coast Guard and one from the
Chicago Fire Department, battled
45-knot gusts on Lake Michigan
early Sunday to rescue four crew
men from a wooden fishing boat
caught in the ice.
But not everything about the
blizzard was bad. Police reported an
80 percent drop in crime over the
weekend, attributing it to the harsh
weather.
Test tube baby boy
is in excellent health
United Press International
GLASGOW, Scotland — The world s third test tube baby and the
first boy conceived outside the womb of his mother was reported in
excellent health Monday.
Grace Montgomery, mother of 5-pound 12-ounce Alastair is also
doing well. The 32-year-old cookery teacher once had given up hope
of ever having a baby.
A health board spokesman told a news conference the mother and
baby were in “excellent health more than 24 hours after Alastair s
birth. Dr. David Maekay Hart, delivered the elnld Sunday morning.
Gynecologist Patrick Step to and physiologist Robert Edwards,
who pioneered the testtube technique, told the news conference they
would present details of their clinical findings to th< Royal C ollege of
Obstetricians and Gynecologists at a meeting in London Jan. 26.
The parents were elated.
“We wish to express our deep gratitude to Dr. Steptoe and Dr.
Edwards for everything they have done on our behalf, the
Montgomery’s told reporters.
“To think at one time we were convinced we would never have a
baby and now we are in the marvelous position of having a child of
our own. We look forward to the time when other couples can have a
child in this way.”
Alastair is Britain’s second test-tube baby and the second triumph
for Steptoe and Edwards who were responsible for the birth last July
26 of Louise Brown, the first baby conceived outside the womb of its
mother, in Oldham, England. ___________________________
“I don’t have any real regrets,
other than I got caught,” said Eby', a
1969 graduate of Flordia Institute of
Technology. "I knew what I was get
ting into and while it lasted, 1 en
joyed it.
Jail officials describe Eby as a
near model prisoner who obeys or
ders, is congenial and assists other
inmates.
He teaches math at the jail school
and works in the law library . He is
also writing a hook about his
smuggling adventures and dreams
of it becoming a movie.
Last July, he testified before the
House Subcommittee on Coast
Guard and Navigation about inter
national marijuana smuggling.
Eby will be eligible for parole in
1980 and he says he’s been told his
chances of being freed would be en
hanced if he told authorities who
else was involved in his last smuggl
ing operation.
He has refused.
Eby estimates he made nearly
three dozen trips smuggling
marijuana and another 100 smuggl
ing artifacts from South America.
Bootlegging artifacts was a spinoff of
his pot trade, he said.
“I wasn’t the ty pe of guy y ou
would expect smuggling,” he said.
“1 was very conservative, a Young
Republican, a Richard Nixon fan. I
don t smoke or drink, but I guess I
enjoy excitement and that s one of
the big reasons I did it.
“Part of the thrill was the chal
lenge of smuggling and being the
pilot of a plane without bas ing any
regulations to follow.”
He talked about some of his c lose 1
calls.
"I think it was 1974 when I was
making one of my tripsin
bia, ” he* said. "1 was land®
of these makeshift airstrips:
the ones set up by the stg
themselves, and all of: .
they started shooting at mel
f quickly realized itijj
wrong airstrip and got out®-
Another time, while appil
another airstrip, Ebyflewal
omhiau military policeseanll
smugglers. They opened
were apparently attemptirt|
him as he waited for the p|
loaded.
“My body was pmnpinjii]
as 1 waited for about 30 u
them to load the niarijujl
could get out of there,”he®
was a great feeling takingoIk
Onspreturn trips fromOM
he occasionally cut througlH
space over Cuba, a routel
did not appreciate. 0nce||
chased by Cuban planes, v
I don’t think they real
intention of shooting medol
said. “They just wanted nl
dove into a cloud coveringJj
them.”
Eb\' said in 1976 he
Arizona where he bought a |
land and a log cabin. At the
figured his smuggling das
over.
Then, in spring of 19"
smugglers contacted him si
bootlegging trip that events
to his arrest.
“Someone knew som«
they asked me if I would n
trip
si
1
V
DEN
problem
for them, Eby recall n n , ia ! <t
girlfriend tried to talk me are c >
but I 1 ' ;, more th
trip.
decided 'Why no ^ f or |
Annuity may pay millions
GirFs accident settl
United Press International
FORT WORTH — In the year
since Rita Kaye McDonald was car
ried unconscious off a softball field
she has relearned to stand, to walk
and even to run a little.
And late last week, in one of the
largest settlements ever in Texas,
the Texas Electric Service Co. ag
reed to payments totaling up to $4
million to help assure Rita s prog-
“The t
the deat
It’s dov
ijj “The c
when I
now it’s
(WOO w
things.
ress on her artificial leg. impact o
On April 18, 1978, the U j
old was waiting with
high school friends total J et . ora t e
tion at shortstop.
“Then I heard a buzzingflp
Rita said. “And I saw a fk
As she turned, she was
to see a power line hurtlii
her head. More than 7,
Museum exhibit in New Orleans
most prestigious since King Tut
United Press International
NEW ORLEANS — It may never
draw the crowds the King Tut
exhibit attracted a year ago, but the
New Orleans
1 be the second
the citv s his-
latest exhibit at the
Museum of Art conic
most prestigious in
tory.
More than 2,000 persons filed
through the museum Sunday during
the first day of a three-month show
ing of golden treasures from five an
cient Peruvian indian tribes.
“It is kind of ironic that it is al
most exactly one year ago that the
King Tut exhibit said Richard Dre-
zen, volunteer coordinator for the
museum. “But this is a very diffe
rent sort of exhibit and we re trying
to play down the comparison with
the Tut show.’
Drezen said public interest in the
Peru s Golden Treasures’ has been
increasing steadily recently, but the
show was not expected to draw
anywhere near the 870,595 visitors
that saw the Tut display.
“1 can t give you a figure, but
we cl like to get between 200,000
and 300,000 people, maybe about
75,000 to 100,000 a month, Drezen
said. “That s an ideal.
Economic experts said the Tut
exhibit brought more than $70 mill
ion worth of tourist trade into New
Orleans.
Drezen said there were no ad
vance tickets on sale for the Peru
vian show, but tickets could be
purchased at the museum.
she 3
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surged through the young4
ing massive bums on her!
legs.
“I realized instantly*
happened,’’ she said. Till
consciousness.
In the intensive care roon
Peter Smith Hospital, (fed
putated her right leg andFi
mered numerous, skin grail
attempt to save her.
Following a recovery that
called remarkable, Rita w
the witness stand Friday
Judge Clyde Ashworth
to accept the $4 million am
tlement — a decision
both parties and even the
TESCO agreed to pay Wi
set up the annuity. Througlj
unity, Rita will receive
year at the outset.
“The payments will ii
she grows older,” a spoke
“She could he receiving
year at the end of 10 y
$36,122 annually in 20 y
50 years, the payments w
$87,678 a y'ear.”
Assuming she lives at!
more years, she will havet
$4.1 million.
The annuity guarantee!!
minimum of $537,000, vv
go to her estate should
fore collecting that amount
Rita showed only a tracei
when she went to testify.
“I’m doing fine, she I-
judge. Tin attending schi
larly and I’ve gotten to
where I can run some with
ficial leg.
“1 still have what they
tom pain. There’s alsosoi
fort where my wounds hei
there is no severe pain a
Ashworth praised the set
“Without it (the annuil
would have received a
almost a half million
her 18th birthday,” he
“I know that when I w
wasn’t ready to handle
money. But this arrange®
assure her of an income the
her life.”
19<
gel
$7,
shel
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