Wednesday, March 6, 1985/1 he Battalion/Page 7
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TYLER — Almost nine years have
passed since Thomas Martin Eliason
dropped out of sight.
Yet detectives from the Tyler Po
lice Department, who have warrants
charging Eliason with the April 4,
1976 slaying of a local businessman,
say they get occasional reports of the
elusive fugitive’s wanderings.
“We’ve heard he’s been in Hous
ton, Dallas, Colorado, and even paid
a visit to Tyler a few years back,” said
Sergeant Nelson Downing of the
Tyler Police Department. ‘‘But the
information has always been just a
little bit late to catch him.”
This week Eliason has been added
to the Texas Most Wanted list. A
$1,000 regard is being offered for
information leading to the capture
of the 41-year-old fugitive.
Until tnat fateful April night in
1976, Eliason had only minor
brushes with the law. He nad been
arrested for burglary and some mis
demeanor assaults.
But on April 4, investigators say
the ex-soldier tried to force his way
into his former girlfriend’s second-
story apartment. When that failed,
investigators noted in their report.
the suspet climbed up a gutter pipe
and entered the apartment through
a window.
Eliason’s ex-girlfriend was inside
the apartment with a male visitor she
had recently met. The woman and
her visitor tried to flee the apart
ment. The visitor was shot twice in
the side as he ran down the stairs.
The victim managed to make it to
his car, but was shot six more times
with a .45-caliber automatic as he
tried to start his car. Eliason’s ex
girlfriend saved herself by hiding in
some nearby bushes.
Eliason’s pickup truck was found
abandoned by police at a dump site
near Tyler. His motorcycle was left
at his apartment. But after calling
and threatening his former girlf
riend a few times, Eliason dropped
out of sight.
He is described as a white male, 5-
9, 165 pounds, with blue eyes and
brown hair. Detectives say that until
the late 1970’s, Eliason’s hair was
very long and he wore a beard. But
recent sightings indicate he has cut
his hair and has gained about 20 to
30 pounds.
The fugitive has worked in the oil
Thomas Martin Eliason
fields, for a tree service and also was
a retail salesman. Investigators say
he can pass himself off as a “profes
sional type” of a businessman.
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Walsh
jumps
parties
Associated Press
AUSTIN — Williamson
County District Attorney Ed
Walsh jumped to the Republican
Party Monday and indicated he
might be interested in being his
new party’s candidate for attor
ney general.
“It is an office that would inter
est me,” Walsh said, “but I have
made no decision to seek that of
fice.”
Walsh said he abandoned the
Democrats because “our country
needs a strong defense, a strong
free enterprise system and a re
turn to the basic values that have
made us a great nation.
“The leadership of the Demo
cratic Party either does not know
how to achieve these goals, or
even worse, in many cases no
longer cares about them."
Walsh said he has never voted
for a Democrat for president.
Among the “awards and recog
nitions” listed on Walsh’s resume
is this line: “The only prosecutor
in the United States to have ob
tained a death sentence for
Henry Lee Lucas."
Lucas, a confessed mass mur
derer, was sentenced to die in the
slaying of an inidentified f emale
hitchhiker. Lucas remains housed
in the Williamson County Jail in
Georgetown, where he has coop
erated with police who have
linked him to hundreds of slay
ings around the nation.
Walsh’s party switch brought
quick reaction from Newton Hol
man, Williamson County Demo
cratic chairman. He said Walsh
was “turning his back” on the
people who elected him as a Dem
ocrat last November.
Holman also questioned why
Lucas remains in the Williamson
County Jail months after his con
viction.
“Is Mr. Walsh exchanging Lu
cas's present notoriety for a fu
ture statewide race at great cost to
the Williamson County taxpay
ers?” Holman asked.
Citizens happy
takeover fails
Associated Press
BARTLESVILLE, Okla.-— After
three months of fending off Phillips
Petroleum Co.’s unwanted suitors,
Bartlesville citizens were ready Mon
day to “smell the roses for a few
hours,” a community leader said.
Hours after Phillips officials an
nounced a company recapitalization
plan had failed, the company and Fi
nancier Carl Icahn said Monday that
Icahn had agreed to drop his hostile
bid to buy the Bartlesville-based
company.
“I think it’s a good day,” said Sam
Cartwright, executive vice president
of the Bartlesville Chamber of Com
merce. “Certainly we feel relieved, at
least for the time being.”
The oil company, eighth-largest
in the nation, apparently has weath
ered its second unwelcome takeover
attempt in less than three months.
Bartlesville residents, citing the
importance of a company employing
7,700 in a city of 38,000, battled
Icahn’s $8.06 billion takeover as they
had Texas oilman T. Boone Pickens
Jr.’s attempt to buy the company.
Pickens abandoned his efforts in De
cember.
Residents held rallies and prayer
vigils, marched in protest, baked
Valentine’s Day cookies and donned
“Boone-buster” T-shirts in support
of Phillips.
Cartwright said Monday that no
celebration is planned.
“We’re going to smell the roses for
a few hours,” he said. “It has been so
frustrating for this town. We’re get
ting kind of used to bad news. We’re
getting a little gun-shy.
“We hope tm
prises.”
iere are no more sur-
Cartwright, who met informally
with local businessmen Monday, said
the community mood appeared opti
mistic after Icahn’s announced with
drawal and Phillips’ $4.5 billion of
fer to buy back nearly half its stock.
The company announced Sunday
that shareholders had rejected an
earlier recapitalization plan.
“Phillips management is to be con
gratulated,” Cartwright said. “They
certainly have demonstrated they
want to remain in the community of
Bartlesville and the state of Okla
homa.
“I’m certain that Mr. Icahn is
happy with it,” he said. “He’s going
to get his money out of it.”
Upder the settlement, Phillips will
pay up to $25 million of Icahn’s ex
penses.
Icahn refused to comment on his
profit from the transaction, but ana
lysts estimated he earned between
$50 million and $60 million Tefore
taxes.
Pickens’ takeover group nego
tiated a settlement that produced
pretax profits of at least $89 million
for Mesa Partners.
Icahn agreed to withdraw his of
fer of $60 a share for 70 million
shares of Phillips. He also said he
would not try to unseat Phillips’
board and agreed to stay away from
Phillips for eight years.
Drexel Burnham Lambert Inc.,
Icahn’s financial adviser, agreed not
to finance any takeover attempt
against Phillips for the next three
years, Phillips said in announcing
the settlement. Both Phillips and
Icahn agreed to dismiss lawsuits
filed in the takeover attempt that be
gan Feb. 4.
Phillips has begun an offer to ex
change 72.5 million shares of its
stock for securities with a value of
$62 a share. It also said it planned to
increase the dividend on common
stock from $2.40 a share to $3 a
share, and to issue $300 million in
preferred stock to the holders of the
remaining 73.1 million shares of
Phillips’ common stock.
Phillips said it would seek share
holder authorization at the annual
meeting April 30 for issuing more
common stock to implement a 3-for-
1 stock split for each share remain
ing after the stock buyback.
Phillips dropped plans for selling
a controlling interest in its stock to
employees, although it said it still
planned to sell $2 billion of its assets.
School prayer
Representative pushes vote on resolution
Associated Press
AUSTIN — A young lawmaker
upset some veteran House members
Tuesday by trying to force a vote on
a resolution involving school prayer
— an issue that many legislators view
as political poison.
Rep. Robert Earley, 25, D-Port-
land, wanted to skip the committee
process and get House support for
nis measure calling on Congress to
convene a constitutional convention
on school prayer.
The constitutional amendment
Earley favors would allow states to
rule on school prayer. Earley’s reso
lution said federal courts have “in
hibited and abridged the right of re
ligious freedom by invalidating
numerous school prayer practices.”
The U.S. Supfeme Court has
banned open prayer in public
schools.
“The decision needs to be made
by the states, not the courts,” Earley
said.
During a portion of routine
House proceedings when members
traditionally pay little attention, Ear-
ley won approval to suspend the
rules requiring committee review of
legislation,
When Earley explained his resolu
tion, several House members went to
the back microphone to challenge
the measure. Rep. Juan Hinojosa, D-
McAllen, complained that the con
troversial measure had not gone to
committee.
He later told reporters that it
would be senseless to force a quick
House vote on a resolution that
probably has little meaning — ex
cept possibly to some political fu
tures.
Congress usually pays little atten
tion to what the Texas Legislature
says, Hinojosa said, while voters tend
to remember how their representa
tives voted on school prayer.
“It allows the members to get
themselves cut up and it doesn’t
serve any useful purpose,” Hinojosa
said.
The McAllen lawmaker said he
supports the Supreme Court deci
sion on school prayer.
“With the diversity of religions in
this country we can’t pass this kind
of amendment,” he said.
Rep. Smith Gilley, D-Greenville,
said the Earley move was an attempt
to slip something past the House.
“It smacks of an ef fort to subvert
the committee process,” he said-
“These types of resolutions are
usually done for pure demagogu
ery.”
Earley said he spoke to Speaker
Gib Lewis before bringing the reso
lution to the floor. Lewis said he
gave Earley permission to make the
effort, but said he would send the
measure to committee if there ap
peared to be any controversy.
Lewis said he told House mem
bers to listen up before he asked for
the vote on allowing the resolution
to come to the floor without commit
tee review.
Alter Gilley and Hinojosa ob
jected, the speaker sent the bill to the
House State Affairs Committee.
“Personally, I feel there is a need
for voluntary school prayer,” said
Earley, a Catholic who said his reso
lution was not pushed by any orga
nized pro-school prayer group.
Rep. Jack Vowell, R-El Paso, said
the Earley move caught him by sur
prise.
“Members need time to peruse
things like this, not just shoot from
the hip,” he said.
Have a great SPRING BREAK . .
And if you drink v
be safe
and don't drive.
Alcohol Awareness Program
Dept, of Student Affaire
845-5826
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You’re invited to a
Spring Break
Dress Rehersal
Where: Casa Tomas
i When: Thursday 4-7 pm
press: your newest Beach Styles
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Is there life in politics
November 6?
MSC Political Forum says “yes” with the
following programs:
Wed. March 26 -- State Representative Richard Smith
How the budget cuts affect us.
601 Rudder
Wed. March 27 -- Lane McCotter Deputy Director of TDC
Prison Reforms in Texas.
Thur. March 28 — State Senator Kent Caperton
Tue. April 2 -- John Goodner, Houston City Councilman v.
Gara La Mouche, Director of Texas CLU.
Gay Rights Debate
Rudder Auditorium
Wed. April 3 -- Political Awareness Day
Over 50 special interest groups electrify
the Memorial Student Center
Tentative programs:
April 16 or 23 -- His Excellency Carlos Tunnerman Berheim
Ambassador from the Republic of Nicaragua
Thur. April 18 -- Congressman Joe Barton
Come discover the vitality that creates politics
with MSC Political Forum.
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