The Battalion
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Vol. 73 No. 107
12 Pages
Friday, February 22, 1980
College Station, Texas
USPS 045 360
Phone 845-2611
^Rabies threaten
&fet students
exposed to cow
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By ANDY WILLIAMS
Staff Writer
An estimated 65 people may have been
posed to rabies this month through two
imals which were under observation at
xas A&M University’s veterinary school.
A state agency in Austin told Texas A&M
|lcials Thursday that the head of a cow
lich had been at the school’s large animal
|nic showed the animal had been rabid,
t ^school workers had sent the head to
istin on the suspicion that the animal had
Dies
The case was the second the school
irned of this week. Texas A&M officials
jre told Monday that a horse which was
DUght here Feb. 10 had been rabid.
Both animals had been brought to the
nter by their owners for observation.
Dr Claude Goswick, director of the
:utcl Health Center, said the center is
ing to trace the vaccination records of
? people who may have been exposed.
“These people are in various stages of
reasonable immunity,” he said. He said
most of those being screened are third-year
vet students.
Most of the students have been vaccin
ated, but some may require boosters. Gos
wick said if there is anyone who had not
been vaccinated, he would require a series
of shots.
Robin Parker, a secretary in the necrop
sy, or animal autopsy, division of the clinic,
said the cow’s head was removed and sent
to Austin last weekend.
She said the about 25 people who are
being checked are suspected of being ex
posed to the horse, and between 40 and 50
to the cow.
Dr. Leon H. Russell Jr. said it is unusual
for two rabies cases to be reported in one
week at the school.
“It really depends on the occurrence of
the disease in the state” how many cases
Texas A&M encounters, Russell said. “In
1979, we’ve had more than we had before
for about 20 years.”
Israel reported
$o have N-bomh
United Press International
^ NliW YORK — CBS News has reported
^UkI exploded a nuclear bomb off South
rica last fall with Pretoria’s “help and
operation,” a move that would make the
m - wish state the seventh nation to test a
TMl iclear device.
The network also said on its evening
R program Thursday Israel called the
^ Kgrt “complete nonsense,” and South
^^^Ra termed it ridiculous. U.S. officials
puld neither confirm nor deny it.
O The State Department said: “The only
formation we have is the repeated Israeli
ielaration that they will not be the first to
itroduce nuclear weapons into the Middle
last.”
Informed sources in Rome told CBS the
^Kbli test was carried out with the “help
id cooperation” of South Africa. The two
H fions have friendly relations and a history
'cooperation.
The television network cited as a source a
/gm ;t-unpublished book by two Israelis, Ely
1 pher and Amy Dor-On, who said Israel
■ fisted the device in September 1979 in the
tlantic Ocean.
The report said South Africa first offered
Ktest site to Israel in 1966, but the
Al w e ^ s d ec hned. In 1979, however, Israel
ianted to see if the bomb worked and
|R» ccepted the offer.
MJk No publication date was given for the the
■JJ pk, which has not yet passed Israeli cen-
But CBS said it “confirmed” Israel
^pRessed an atomic bomb and had carried
>uj the test.
A successful nuclear test by Israel would
BR'pse it the seventh nuclear power, joining
3 he United States, Soviet Union, China,
Iritain, France and India as nations that
I lave exploded a nuclear bomb,
j , The Israeli book says Israel has several
y ^ J ozen atomic bombs and some H-bombs,
which would give it more nuclear weapons
than India and put it just behind China.
CBS said a U.S. satellite detected the
blast in September off the southern African
coast, but could not confirm it was a nuclear
test.
It said the bomb probably was built at a
plant in Dimona in the Negev Desert and
the reactor was built by France, with South
Africa supplying the uranium.
Three years after the 1973 Middle East
war, diplomatic reports surfaced some
Israeli American-made F-4’s aircraft were
capable of carrying atomic weapons and
were prepared to do so.
Build a fence
to keep people
out of prison?
United Press International
ORANGE — Remember the joke about
the cemetery and all the people dying to
get in? That’s somewhat the situation at the
new Orange County jail.
Commissioners declared an emergency
this week and set a meeting for Monday to
reconsider bids for a fence around the jail to
keep people from breaking in.
Their haste was caused by a proliferation
of incidents in which people slipped up to
the jail’s windows, loosened putty and pas
sed contraband inside to prisoners.
County Judge Pete Runnels termed the
fence proposal “the most ridiculous thing in
the world” and said the structure would
detract from the appearance of the new
building.
‘Unequivocally the best’
After receiving five standing ovations from an appreciative Texas A&M
University audience Thursday night, singer Anne Murray proclaimed it
was “unequivocally the best” crowd she’d ever performed before. Ironic-
Fire service
ally, circumstances almost prevented Murray from singing for that audi
ence. For details, read The Battalion’s review of the concert, page 3.
Staff photo by Steve Clark
Brazos volunteer units improve efficiency
3 Hostage situation
• Kke Camp David
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United Press International
WASHINGTON — White House
aides compare the current ups and
downs in negotiating freedom for the
U.S. hostages in Iran with the Camp
David summit, a cliffhanger that finally
ended with agreement two years ago.
Carter was to confer today with his
top foreign policy advisers on develop
ments in the prolonged efforts to bring
the American hostages home.
Despite a stiffening attitude on the
part of Iran, press secretary Jody Powell
said Thursday he knew of no snags in the
diplomatic process under which a U.N.
sponsored commission of inquiry, now
waiting in Geneva, will go to Tehran.
Another aide said the commission had
spent “two productive days” in prepar-
|. ing for its work. He cautioned, howev
er, that negotiations “are like a roller
coaster” and there will be ups and
downs.
Aides find the situation similar to the
Camp David summit when it was touch
and go between Israel and Egypt before
a Middle East accord was reached.
On the social side. Carter planned an
afternoon reception to honor Pitt
sburgh’s championship teams, the
Steelers and the Pirates, and other Pitt
sburgh personalities.
Afterwards the fatigued president
was to go to Camp David, and will be
joined by his wife Rosalynn on Saturday
for a weekend of rest in the Maryland
mountains.
Carter’s family, Vice President Wal
ter Mondale and the president’s surro
gates have blanketed New Hampshire
in the past few weeks to drum up votes
in the contest with Sen. Edward M.
Kennedy, D-Mass. The president has
been doing his campaigning from the
White House, and probably this
weekend from Camp David, by tele
phone.
Carter indicated Thursday he will
approve the oil windfall profits bill —
including $136 billion in individual and
corporate tax cuts — Congress is ex
pected to pass shortly.
The president also said he was not so
happy with the work of a House-Senate
conference working on legislation to set
up an energy board to speed selected
projects through the state and federal
systems.
Carter said the conference members,
who have met about 10 times and still
have major differences to settle, “have
not acted responsibly and our nation
waits, and waits and waits.”
By RICHARD OLIVER
Staff Writer
Volunteer fire units in Brazos County
have long been condemned for their lack of
communication and organization. Now,
however, some progress is being made to
ward solving that problem.
Although negotiations on a new firefight
ing contract between College Station and
the county are still in progress. College
Station City Councilman Homer Adams
said improvement in the county is notice
able.
“Everything’s the same, except the
county has gained on their volunteer ser
vices,” he said. “They’ve got some equip
ment now .., the county’s still trying to get
their act together. ”
The present firefighting contract calls for
the county to pay the city every time the
city fights a fire outside the city limits. The
city has claimed, however, that the county
has not paid for several calls made over the
past few years.
For this reason, the county and city are
reevaluating the present contract and
working to upgrade the county’s volunteer
services.
The present contract was due to have
expired last Dec. 1, but the expiration date
has now been extended until July 1.
Bryan does not have a contract with the
county, but still responds to rural fires
when asked.
Adams said the original complaint by
College Station was a move to bring the
county to the bargaining table.
“We’re not being unreasonable or any
thing, we just wanted to get their atten
tion,” he said. “As long as we did what they
wanted us to do, there was no use for them
to talk. We were doing it (fighting county
fires) as an accommodation.”
College Station Fire Chief Douglas
Landua said the situation has not changed.
“If we get a call in the county, we go
ahead and run it,” he said. “I imagine
they’re running (fighting) quite a few fires
themselves, but I would never know, be
cause then we don’t get the call.”
Landua said he believes the volunteer
units are much better organized than in the
past, however.
“At a lot of the structure fires we’ve been
fighting, we do what we can and the volun
teer units are showing up. If we’ve done all
we can, we give it over to them,” he said.
The College Station Fire Department
has fought slightly fewer fires outside the
city limits, Landua said, but added this may
be due to the higher humidity recently and
the overall weather, which cuts down on
grass fires.
Paul Philbin, Bryan fire chief, said he
also feels the county units are better orga
nized.
“We feel they’re a little better equipped
now,” he said. “They have better organiza
tion and equipment. We’ve noticed they’re
showing up a little faster at the fires, and at
some instances, they beat us there.”
Philbin said the Bryan Fire Department
has donated two pumper trucks to the
volunteer units, along with some hose and
breathing equipment.
Philbin said he believes the volunteer
units will work out their problems.
“I think they’re going to come up with a
viable system. We’re just waiting on a little
organization, training, etc.,” he said.
Adams agreed, saying, “I think the coun
ty is basically going to take over the fire
fighting.”
Adams added he feels no drastic changes
will be made in the contract by the July 1
deadline.
Brazos County Judge Dick Holm green,
who is representing the county in negotia
tions, was out of town and unavailable for
comment.
Suspected drug trafficker Chagra
arrested in Vegas with $180,000
United Press International
LAS VEGAS, Nev. — A five-month
manhunt for highstakes gambler Jamiel
Alexander (Jimmy) Chagra, a suspected
“Columbian connection” in international
drug traffic who jumped bond in Texas,
ended under the glaring lights of the Las
Vegas strip.
Chagra, 34, was arrested Thursday night
by federal drug agents and Las Vegas police
who moved in as he drove along the casino-
lined boulevard in a car loaded with
$180,000. The cash, mostly in bundles of
$100 bills, was found in a cardboard diaper
box.
Authorities confiscated the money.
Chagra refused to explain why it was in his
possession.
Elizabeth Chagra, his wife, was taken
into custody at a nearby hotel and later
released. Two children at the motel were
turned over to the couple’s private nurse.
Chagra was immediately taken before
U.S. Magistrate Joseph Ward for a late
night court hearing. The fugitive was
ordered held on $3 million bond pending a
removal hearing scheduled Feb. 29. Ward
said Chagra would be returned to Texas
after the court received a certified copy of
the warrant.
Chagra had been on the run since last
September when he jumped a $400,000
bond rather than appear for sentencing in
Austin, where he was convicted of con
tinuous criminal enterprise and conspiracy
to distribute cocaine. The Texas jury took
only two hours to decide Chagra was re
sponsible for a network of drug smuggling
from 1974 to 1978.
“I can’t run anymore ... I wanted to turn
myself in,” Chagra was quoted as saying to
arresting officers. Defense attorney Steven
Stein emphasized in the hearing before
Ward that Chagra was not arrested by fed
eral Drug Enforcement Administration
agents but rather surrendered to officers in
a black and white police unit.
Chagra offered no resistance and was not
armed. Authorities said he had phony Wis
consin identification in his possession.
Prior to Chagra’s indictment in Texas, he
frequented Las Vegas casinos and played
highstakes poker. He was indicted last year
in Midland, Texas, as part of a sweeping
federal narcotics crackdown related to
grand jury investigations in six states.
The killing of his brother, El Paso attor
ney Lee Chagra, in December 1978 step
ped up a series of federal investigations into
international drug trafficking. Three men
were arrested as suspects in the killing of
Lee Chagra, a lawyer known for defending
narcotics cases.
The slaying sparked a series of grand jury
investigations into interstate racketeering,
gambling, prostitution and narcotics traf
ficking in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona,
Florida, Nevada and Washington. Grand
juries in El Paso, Midland, San Antonio
and Seattle conducted simultaneous prob
es. The indictment of Jimmy Chagra re
lated to his activities in Texas, Florida and
Colombia, South America.
U.S. District Judge John Wood, who was
to have presided over Chagra’s trial, was
assassinated in San Antonio before the trial
started.
During Chagra’s Texas trial, co
conspirator Henry Wallace, an El Paso dirt
farmer, testified he went to Colombia in
late 1977 and arranged cocaine and mari
juana smuggling deals for Chagra. Wallace
acknowledged participation in 20 drugs
muggling episodes.
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