Denton Record-Chronicle (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 76, No. 93, Ed. 1 Sunday, November 19, 1978 Page: 1 of 52
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Denton Record-Chronicle and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Denton Public Library.
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Unlocking the mind:
1
Hypnosis may help
dice battle crime
35 Cents
76TH YEAR OF DAILY SERVICE — NO. 93
DENTON. TEXAS, SUNDAY MORNING, NOVEMBER 19, 1978
64 Pages in 7 Sections
good morning
Congressman
reported shot
Inside
they don't work hard enough.**
United Way
100%
. $215,000
$183,009
85.1%
uPl Telephoto
Snowbound
Weather outlook
would have something coming in."
Court begins at 10 a.m. with Watt
Solomons, who was just licensed
states, such as California, and his
own experiences point to its value.
Rep. Ryan, 12 .others
may be dead in Guyana
By CAROLYN BARNES
Staff Writer *
There is no hocus pocus, no
magical potions or mysterious
incantations. —
Once under a hypnotic trance,
you won’t mimic a chicken, reveal
your innermost secrets or, in fact,’
do anything you don’t want to do
Even in the depths of a trance, you
are always in control.
Denton municipal judge takes role seriously
What you may do, however, if
you are a victim of, or a witness to,
a crime, is remember details about
the incident which you were unable
to recall consciously. If you're a
strident with study or test-taking
problems, you may find that
concentrating on those tasks
becomes easier after undergoing
hypnotic sessions aimed at •
correcting your difficulties.
comes down to a matter of they say
they didn't speed and the officer says
they did. -------------——-
“I caution each person about
defending himself. I use the example
that I might have a friend who is sick
and I might perform" open heart
"The Los Angeles Police
Department has done some fant-
astic cases (using hypnotism),” he
said, citing the use of hypnotism on
the bus driver in the Chowchilla
kidnapping case. In that instance,
Robinson said, the driver, under
hypnosis, was able to recall the
He took the job, generally ranked in
popularity by the public (Mi the same
level as the dogcatcher, in July 1977 at
a time when he was wanting to
establish a private practice. \
"I had been working for the district
attorney for a few years, but was
ready to have my own practice. The
municipal Judge position came
available and the pay, though part-
Cold fronts are making winter weather a reality in some Northern
cities like Minneapolis where nine inches of snow fell over the
weekend. Colorado and parts of the Northwest have also felt the icy '
blasts. Snow in Texas has been confined to the Panhandle area.
of investigative hypnotism in six
criminal cases, on both victims
and witnesses. In addition, he is
also using hypnosis to help a group
of NTSU students with exam-
taking and study problems.
Although the use of hypnosis in
criminal investigations in Texas is
in a legal quandary, Robinson
believes the successful use of in-
vestigative hypnotism in other
remain objective in all cases and
answer only to the City Council.”
Partly cloudy through Monday with temperatures a little
cooler in the north and west Sunday. Lows Sunday night will
range from 40 in the northwest to 50 in southeast. Highs from 58 to
68. High Saturday was 68, low 39.
does not rush through the explanation,
but patiently continues with business
of the court only after each defendant
has acknowledged an understanding
of testimonies, cross examinations
made. That makes me feel like I’m
being pretty objective and fair in my
decisions." |
For the trials, most defendants
choose to try their own cases rather
ter." ,
Then there are those exceptions —
the people who have a knack for the
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But by volume of cases, the low
court handles more trials than any of
its superiors and persons who will
never see another courtroom may
quite possibly find themselves at
some time facing Denton’s municipal
judge; Howard Watt
He has no gavel; he wears no black
WASHINGTON (AP) - The State
Department said late Saturday it has
been told Rep Leo J Ryan, D-Calif.,
and a number of reporters have been
shot and killed after an attack on the
congressman’s fact finding mission at
the airport in Port Kaituma, Guyana
Ryan was leading a 13-person
delegation investigating a con-
troversial American religious set
tlement at Jonestown in the South
American country 4
the U S embassy in Guyana, formerly
a British colony Reston said the
shooting and Ryan’s death have not
been confirmed
Reston said the report was relayed
by a pilot who was flying Ryan, a
' group of reporters and a Ryan staff
worker, to the People's Temple, a
settlement of about 1,200 Americans
are set for the week following
arraignment.
They may plead their cases before
Watt, or they may request jury trials
Juries of six persons are drawn from
Denton residents for the trials, though
Watt said only about 50 had been held
in the time he has been on the bench
"Of that 50, about two of the
decisions made by the juries were
different to the decision I would have
young attorneys.
"It is a place where you can get
good experience and still afford to
Americans (in the Jones settlement)
who, I have been told, are working
from,dawn to nightfall, with terrible
time, was enough security for me to
leave the district attorney’s office and
Microfilm Center, Inc.
P. 0. Box 45436
Dallas, Texas 75-35
robe. His court is held Thursdays, in leave the district attorney’s office and
the less-than-judicial-looking City start a practice. I knew at least I
Council Chambers at City Hall
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State Department spokesman Tom
Reston said the report reached- mental and physical punishments if
Washington by a flash message from they don’t work hard enough.”
The State Department said it is
unclear when the shootings occurred
Jeff Dieterich, of the department’s
Latin American desk, said the pilot,
who has not been identified by name
or nationality. reported it appeared an
entire NBC-TV crew headed by
correspondent Don Harris, was shot
See CONGRESSMAN, Page 2A
In short, the use of hypnosis is
coming out of the magician’s
repertoire and into the real world.
As a trained hypnotist, North
Texas State University Police
Chief Robby Robinson is an ad-
vocate of the change. Since
completing a course in hypnotism
at the North Central Texas Council
of Governments police academy,
Robinson has used the techniques
The Sunday ----------------—-———-----------
DENTON Record-Chronicle
NT 41-MS 24
After Saturday night’s 41-24
victory over Memphis State,
NTSU Coach Hayden Fry
said his team still has hopes
for a bowl bid.
See Story. Page 1E
"Denton is not the town it was when
the municipal court was established.
There are more people and more cars, -
See JUDGES, Page sa
established in Guyana a year ago by
Jim Jones, a former San Francisco
city official
The pilot escaped by flying away
from the attackers in one of two
planes on the landing strip near the
settlement.___
Before leaving San Francisco five
days ago Ryan said:. "I am going to
investigate the conditions of
surgery on him to make him, better, and serves as prosecuting attorney in
But without the training, I’ll probably the court, finds the lower court a good
kill him instead of making him bet- training ground, as. do many other
The Lewisville Farmers
claimed the "Denton County
Football Champion" trophy
in a 31-7 victory over the
Denton Broncos. The
Farmers had already
clinched the District 6-4A
title and will face Odessa
Permian in bidistrict action
next Saturday in Abilene.
The trophy was presented “"
by the Denton Publishing
Company. See story. Page .
1E.
I’m a product of the
’60s. That’s when I
went to school, and I
saw the decline in .
respect and faith in
our legal system.'
—Judge Howard Watt
time defending a client, so I could asfind you guilty anyway,” a teen-ager
easily be biased toward them. I try to cited for speeding said.
Outside forces, particularly
population and legislation, are
making it increasingly more difficult
for -Watt’s court to function, he said.
the prosecuting attorney and the : the speed limit, their opinions of the
4 p.m. each week. Their trial times would charge them. policemen who come to testify. But I judge vary.
"It looks easy handling a case in do not associate with the police much. "He seemed fair. He explained the
here, but few laymen do a very good except for the bailiff, or with Burt law,” said one diappointed co-ed who
job of it. They pursue the wrong Solomons (assistant city attorney). . was found guilty of going 50 miles per
questions and 75 percent of the time it “1 know half of the lawyers in hour in a 35 mph zone.
license plate number of the vehicle
driven by kidnappers.
Working on a hit-and-run ac-
cident case with an area police
department in which a child was
killed, Robinson hypnotized the
brother of the victim, a witness to
the accident, enabling the boy to
recall details about the vehicle
involved. ,
See POLICE, Page 5A
Despite the inferior level and ap
- pearance of his court, Watt, scarcely 5 carefully explaining the procedures of
- feet tall, feels the proceedings in his a trial to the waiting defendants He
chambers are more important than
those on any other level of courts
"Many people, because they will
— never see another court, will form
their opinion of the whole judicial
system by what they see and ex- and pleas,
perience in my court," he said, taking "Many of these people are in court
time from the private law practice he for the first time, and they're scared
operates four days a week in the It doesn't hurt to take the time to be
Scripture Building. . sure they understand what is involved
"I'm a product of the ‘60s. That’s in the trial." •
when I went to school, and I saw the The persons awaiting trial are those
decline in respect and faith in our who want to tell their side of the case
legal system. I guess I’m committed to the judge rather than plead guilty
to trying to restore some of that faith, during the arraignments held at I and . than pay the $75 or so an attorney
By JESS BLACKBURN “If people are treated fairly in my
Staff Writer court, if they know they've been
, By jurisdiction, the municipal court treated fairly, it may give them a
ranks lowest in the judicial system for positive view of the entire justice
severity of crime. Only Class C system.’’ .
misdemeanors pass through the one
day-a-week court - traffic citations,
disorderly conduct, public intox-
ication and thefts of less than $5.
Denton and many are close friends. "I don’t know " doesn’t seem to
They appear in the court from time to matter what you say, they're going to
courtroom and, without experience, make a few mistakes,” he said.
do a good job of defending themselves. He echoes Watt's sense of justice for
"Sure, I get a kick out of seeing the lower court.
someone go in there and present a “No one in the court is out to get
good case. You tend to root for the anyone, but many of the cases come
underdog. I had one high school down to the, arresting officer’s word
student in there once who did such a against the defendant’s. If the case is
skillful job of cross examining, I ruled against the defendant then he
recommended he consider law as a probably feels cheated,'’ he said,
career. He is in college now and, the “I see return offenders, people who
last I heard, was planning to go to law have gotten tickets before, go through
school." 1 - - - the arraignment instead of just
,__Watt fights the image of the paying their fine because they know
municipal court as a kangaroo court, from experience Howard will listen to
running traffic violators through to their side. He is good about hearing
maintain a steady revenue source for both sides of a case.”
—the city.----------------———-—— As for the unfortunate persons who
"It’s easy to see conflicts of interest decided to rush the yellow light or
in the court. I’m a city employee, so is, drive a few miles per hour faster than.
Capital murder trial
to start on schedule
By CAROLYN BARNES plication, Wood said he presumes the
Staff Writer \ trial would come to a halt, adding that
. The capital murder trial of John he and co-counsel Rusty Duncan may
William MeCrory will begin as consider filing a motion for a con-
—scheduled. Monday in Wichita Falls—finuance in the trial, until the high
while the defense awaits a ruling from court acts.
the United States Supreme Court on McCrory is charged with the June 3
an application for a stay in the trial rape-strangulation death of Lewisville
The high court will hear the ap- teen-ager Jeans Melissa Walker. Miss
plication Wednesday, defense at- Walker’s partially nude body was
torney Bill Wood said Saturday The discovered around 1 am near her
court had been scheduled to make a stalled automobile on FM 407 just
decision on the stay Friday, but failed inside the Highland Village city
to do so when a session of the entire limits
court could not be arranged. Wood /The a orneys are asking for the
said, > * " %
Should the court grant the ap See ATTORNEYS, Page 2A
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Denton Record-Chronicle (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 76, No. 93, Ed. 1 Sunday, November 19, 1978, newspaper, November 19, 1978; Denton, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1655259/m1/1/?q=1966+yearbook+north+texas+state+university: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Denton Public Library.