San Antonio Register (San Antonio, Tex.), Vol. 25, No. 18, Ed. 1 Friday, June 10, 1955 Page: 1 of 12
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HEGRO HISTORY EVBKY WEEK
KltWARI) W1LMOT BLVltKN (1K12-
3012), African patriot, Muftulat, editor,
diplomat, and Arabic Kbolar, was bora
■t St. Croix, West Indira. He became dec-
retory of MlwrU Id 1804, tnd, In 187T,
J.lberlmi minister to England, where h*
recelTed membership In the lending scien-
tific and literary clubs. He wa« reco(tnlze4
and acclaimed by the "greats" of bl»
time In London, Berlin, Paris, Vienna, aad
Rome.
San Antotvio Register
City Edition 121
RIGHT • JUSTICE • PROGRESS
City Edition 12c
ALU
the SAN ANTONIO and
SOUTH TEXAS New*
While It is NEWS. Coiitf
plete National and WorliJ
.Wide News Coverage, HI
Girl, 6, Crushed to Death as Automobile Runs Wild
THE WINNERS!—Pictured above are the three grand prize winners
ef the second annual Home-Town Carnation Healthy Baby contest, se-
lected at the final Judging, held Inst Friday night, nt Hardeman gymna-
sium of Corinth Haptlst church. They were picked from the 20 flnullsts,
Who had been screened from over 140 contestants.
At left is the first prize winner of $800, Cheryl Hence Winn, six
nonths old daughter of Mrs. Bettye Jean Wlnri, 231 llosack, who Is hold-
ing the "queen." Center is secoinl place winner of $100, Donald Dwlght
Sledge, year and eight months old, shown with his mother, Mrs. Grace
Erelyn Sledge, R38 Gabriel street, and, nt right, is the third place win-
ner of $no. Kevin Eugene Brooks, six and one-half months old, and his
mother, Mrs. Robert E. Brooks, 828 Omaha street.
—Register photo
Fender Benders
In Form, Do
$7,500 Damages
-Sun Antonio's fender benders and
trunk rmnchcm were at their care-
less worst, during the past weekly
"wreck period" with 50 vehicles
being involved In 25 separate mis-
haps with damages of some $7,518
being reported. There were five ve-
hicles for which damage was not
immediately ascertained or not Indl
catted.
Another incident that claimed the
life of a six-year-old child, rcjiorted
elsewhere on this page, also caused
$877 damages, not included In the
$7,500 figure.
Seven drivers "had been drink-
ing," police reported, and two driv-
ers had no operator's license. Three
jiersons were Injured.
Automobiles driven by Iverson
Ellis. 20, 370 Mlcklejohn, and .lohn
A. WIdner, 23, 2021 Pleasanton
road, were in collision, Wednesday,
June 1, at Commerce and Soledad.
The poljcs report Iftdlcajsd no Im-
proper driving by Ellis, winner waa
speeding, and failed to grant the
right of way. Damage to his car
*as $75, to Ellis. $200.
Barbara Mttlefleld, 118 Douglas
way, received cuts about the head,
when the car driven by Allen (?.
Ixiwei 28, 223 I.ena Home, In which
she was a passenger, was In col-
lision with one driven by Willie
Ray Mttlefleld. 10, 220 Toledo, nt
Potomac and Palmetto, early Wed-
nesday afternoon. Lowe, police re-
ported, exceeded both the legal and
n safe speed, and was driving care-
lessly or recklessly. Damage to
lils machine was set at $250, to Lit-
tlefieid's, $300.
'nie one and one-half ton Karot"
kin furniture company truck driv-
en by George Adams, 25, 025 Men-
cbaca, made a short turn from
Colorado, east on West Laurel,
Wednesday, and crashed Into an
automobile, parked nt 1140 West
Jjmrel. owned by William Ken-
neth Market, 20, 440 Lively drive.
Damage to the car was $250, to
the truck, $30.
The cars of Willie Frank Powell,
28, 203 North Walters, and Eze-
klel Haywood, 50, 405 Bluebonnet,
were in collision Wednesday, at
East Houston and Monumental.
Damage to Powell's machine was
$200, while that sustained by Hay-
wood's car was not Immediately In-
dicated.
A pickup truck driven by Dan-
iel Diaz, 27, 835 McMullen drive,
smashed Into the rear of the auto-
mobile driven by A. F. Sams, 42,
114 Cactus, Thursday, June 2, -in
the Anderson road, Just west of
Acme. Baldo Arrliola, 10, riding
in the truck, suffered a split lip.,
Damages were not Indicated to
either one of the vehicles.
Damages of $250 ./here sustained
by the automobile driven by Shelly
Irving, 09, 110 Utah, and $100 by
(See DAMAGES, Page S.)'
HELD ON GUN CHARGE
Lucian Beal, 28, 370 Del Rio, who
was found asleep In an automobile
In the 000 block of East Commerce,
Saturday, with a .38 calibre revolv-
er between his legs, was arrested
by Special Deputy Sheriff Willie
Thompson, hooked for unlawfully
ntrrylng a revolver, and held for
homicide division officer*.
Va. Episcopalians
Ask Racial Bars
Be Lowered
By tlia Aisnciated Negro Press
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. —
A resolution calling for
efforts to remove "all barriers
preventing the free fellowship
in the church's life of people
of all races," was recently ap-
proved by the 160th annual
convention of the Episcopal di-
ocese of Virginia.
The resolution was approved
at the final session at Christ
Episcopal church here by votes
of 59-24 for clergymen, and
54-48 for laymen.
A substitute resolution, which
sought to gloss over the segre-
gation problem in the church,
was defeated by the 300 dele-
gates present.
Stating that racial segregation
within the church has no legal
sanction, the substitute reso-
lution read:
"There is no segregation prob-
lem within the church, except
where Individuals or groups of
Individuals choose to create
such a problem."
Wife of Philly
Pastor Shoots
Self to Death
"By the Associated Negro Press
PHILADELPHIA—The attractive
young wife of a prominent Baptist
minister here, who married less
than a year ago, spelled finiRh to
what she termed "a living hell" by
firing a .32 calibre bullet into her
brain.
Patsy Ann Davis 21, wife of Rev
Harold O. Davis, pastor, Corner-
stone Baptist church, took her own
life In one of,the city's most grue-
some tragedies. She locked herself
in a room in a West Philadelphia
apartment house before ending her
life.
Her body was found lying across
the bed by her brother, Charles
Birdwell. lie told police he had sev-
eral phone calls from his sister re-
lating how she was being "mis-
treated."
Fearing her condition might lead
to something serious, he went im-
mediately to her home after the
third call. Unable to enter, he forced
the door and saw her lying in a
NAACP Sets September Deadline
For School Desegregation to Begin
Boards that Fail to Start
Desegregation Program by
Suit Filed to Outlaw
Tennessee School
Jim Crow Law
M1
By the Associated Negro Press
IEMI'IIIS, Tenn. — Five Ne-
groes last week filed suit
seeking to have Tennessee's
school segregation laws declared
unconstitutional.
The plaintiffs are Elijah No-
el, 31, J. M. Mctiee, Jr., 23,
Maddest Knowles Van Hook, 18;
Kuth Booker, 19, and Nellie
Peoples, 18. All were denied
admission to Memphis State
college.
Itcsides asking the outlawing
of state segregation school laws,
the five seek an injunction to
keep the laws from being en-
forced. Tltey asked that the
Injunction bar education offi
rials from refusing them ad
mittance to .Memphis State
solely because of race.
(See WIFE, Page 3.)
♦
Brothers Battle
Over Paying for
Mom's Medicine
One of two brothers who be-
came Involved In a fight over which
one was to pay for medicine for
their mother, suffered a cut throat,
Sunday.
Boston J. Thomas, 20, 2802 Wy-
oming street, received a two-Inch
slash on his throat In an alterca-
tion allegedly with his brother, An-
drew James Thomas, 43, in the
2800 block of Wyoming.
According to their mother, Mrs. M.
A. Thomas, the slashing resulted
from an argument over which jone
was to pay for her medicine. '
It was not Indicated who said.
OSCAR L. BELL
DIES IN CRASH—Oscar L. Bell,
5,r>, of Houston, grand vice chan-
cellor of the Knights of Pythias,
Texas Jurisdiction, and state presi-
dent of the Dramatic Order Knights
of Omar, was killed, Saturday night,
in a highway accident near Seguin,
as he was en route to San Antonio
to preside over the DOKO stnte
convention, held here, this week.
/ ♦
Texas to Honor
NAACP Legal
Head, Tuesday
(Special to San Antonio Register)
DALLAS, Texas — The Texas
State Conference of Branches, NA-
ACP, is all set to honor Thurgood
Marshall at Corpus Chrlstl, Tues-
day, June 14, at the "Texas for
Thurgood" rally. Marshall Is the
famed head of the NAACP legal
staff. The area around Corpus
Chrlstl, under the chairmanship of
Dr. H. J. Williams, Is preparing to
be host to the other branches aud
persons of the stale who will at-
tend.
The Gulf Stnte Dental association,
which will be meeting In the city
at that time, lias pledged Its support
to this effort.
^ A. Maceo Smith, who will accom-
pany Marshall to Corpus Chrlstl,
says he Is planning to make a very
Interesting announcement about the
Texas NAACP Life membership
campaign.
He and Dr. H. Boyd Hall have
accepted the challenge offered In
Slireveport, La., by Jimmy Stewart
of Oklahoma City.
Stewart said that Oklahoma City
will get more life memberships than
all of Texas prior to the national
convention, and that the winner will
throw the loser Into the Atlantic
ocean on June 22 at the Atlantic
Cltf convention.
Smith said, "It Jimmy knew
what Texas knows, he would go
jump In the Atlantic ocean by hlm-
self." _
S. A, Youth Struck
By Bottle Hurled
Into Automobile
Eddie Green, 17, 224 Melrose, was
treated at Robert B. Green hospital,
Mondny morning, for Injuries re-
ceived when he was struck by a
bottle, thrown Into the cat In which
he was riding, from another auto-
mobile.
Green said that he was riding In
the back seat of an automobile in
the 1000 block of East Commerce,
wben'another machine pulled along-
side, and ordered his car to pull
over.
Green said that one of several
men in the other car threw a bottle,
with Green being struck on the eye.
Fall to be Sued
ATLANTA, Oa.—Fifty-five Negro tenders representing NA-
ACP state conferences and local branches in 16 southern
and border states met in Atlanta in a five-hour emergency
session Saturday, June 4, and devised a plan of action to im-
plement the May 31 opinion of the United States Supreme
court, desegregating public schools in the affected areas.
The conferees, led by Roy Wilkins, NAACP s executive
secretary, and Thurgood Marshall,
special counsel, agreed that federal
court suits should be filed agninst
local public school authorities who
have not started racial desegrega-
tion programs by September, 1035.
Spokesmen for the conference
emphasized thnt "patience and co-
operation" would be extended to lo-
cal and state school boards In the
form of a "period of grace" during
the summer months. They hope that
in this time "a climate of reasonable
acceptance" world develop in most
areas of the South.
A. Maceo Smith, secretary of the
Texas Conference of Branches
NAACP, and U. Simpson Tate, re-
gional attorney for the NAACP, at-
tended the conference as representa-
tives fr<>iu Texas. All southern and
bortftfistates affected by the deci-
sion were represented at the con-
ference. except Kentucky, Smith
served-as chairman of a special com-
mittee* to draft the following emer-
gency conference statement:
"We, the State Conference offi-
cers of the NAACP, representing 10
southern states and the District of
Columbia, met here today, on June
4, 1055. to map a program of action
to make full use of the two historic
deeisfotw of the Supreme court de-
segregating public schools.
"Wef adopt and approve the at-
taehettlstaff memorandum interpret-
ing the .May 31 decision, and author-
(»p DEADLINE. Page 3.)
Baby Contest
Winners Named
ALWAYS smiling, gurgling, happy—even in the face of pop-
ping flash bulbs from a half-doien cameras—six-month old
Cheryl Eenee Winn waa selected the first prize winner of the
second annual Home-Town Carnation "Healthy Baby contest,"
at the final judging held last Friday at Hardeman gymnasium.
Cheryl Eenee is the daughter of Mrs. Bettye Jean Winn,
231 Ho8ack avenue.
Twenty youngsters, from among
more than 140 entrants in this year's
contest, appeared, Friday, with
their parents and friends at the
gym, where they displayed their
charms in exchange for honors be-
stowed on the 20 finalists.
As "queen" of the occasion, Fif6t
(See CONTEST, Page 8.)
ANITA LAYONNE ROBINSON
KILLED BY CAR — Six-year-old
Anita LaVonne Robinson, 002 Bel-
mont, was crushed to death, Thurs-
day, when an out-of-control auto-
mobile crashed through two Cy-
clone fences, and pinned her against
the wall of a house at 105 (irlines
street, where she was playing, In
the yard, with other children.
Richmond Man
Succeeds Slain
DOKO President
Woman Loses Control, Car
7 J
Smashes Two Fences, Pins
Child Against Wall
A six-year-old girl, playing with children in a neighbor'^
- * yard, was crushed to death, early Thursday evening, when
a 38-year-old woman driver lost control of her automobile,
roared through two Cyclone fence®, and crushed the chila
against a wall of a house at 105 North Grimes street. A por«
tion of the wall had to be cut away to remove the little girl.
The child killed was Anita LaVonne Robinson, 602 Belmont^
DOKO Head Killed
En Route to S. A. Meet
DEATH on the highway overtook ft well-known Houston fra-
ternalist Saturday night, when, aa he was en route to San An-
tonio to preside over the bi-annual convention of his organiza-
tion, his automobile struck a truck, then crashed into a bridge.
Killed almost instantly, was Oscar L. Bell, 55, 2513 Blodgett
street, Houston. Bell was the grand vice chancellor of the
Knights of Pythias, Texas jurisdiction, and state president of
the Dramatic Order Knights of
Omar. He was a Houston real es-
tate dealer.
Bell was en route to San An-
tonio to preside over the fourth bi-
annual convention of the state asso-
ciation and grand council, Dramatic
Order Knights and Princesses of
(gee HEAD, Page 6.)
-
DEATH CAR—Shown above la the car,'tint, out of control, plowed
through two Cyclone fences, Thursday, last, week. to crash against the
home of Mr. and Mrs. Charlea Lawson, 106 North Grimes, and crush
to death six-year-old Anita LaVonne B#Mn?««. (>02 Belmont, as the
child played with other children In ttaf-jprd. The terrified little girl,
apparently paralyzed by fright, covered her face with her halids, and
was pinned agninst the wail of the house
Driver of the machine was Mrs. Alm%, FifM" Brown, 88. 821 Poto-
mac, who said 6he lost control when she «ai1c» left turn off Commerce
street, onto Grimes, to avoid another macliue traveling south on
Grimes* , —Register photo
Some 200 representatives attend
od the fourth bi-annual convention
of the stnte association and grand
council, Dramatic Order Knights
and Princesses of Omar, Texas jur
Miction, held here, this week, with
headquarters nt St. Paul Methodist
church.
The tragic death of Oscar L. Bell,
state president of the organiza-
tion, threw a damper on conven-
tion activities. Bell was killed in
a highway accident, near Seguin.
Saturday night, as he was en route
to San Antonio to preside over
the convention.
At the election, held Wednesday,
Dave Fields of Richmond, was
elected state president, succeeding
Bell. Other officers elected were:
Price Hughes, Dallas, first vice
president; Laurence Smith, San An-
gelo, second vice president; Artie
Phelps, Amnrillo, prelate;
J. R. Williams, Galveston, scribe;
Willie D. Mymbs, Dallas, assistant
scribe; Finis Royal, Dallas, treasur-
er.
Elected to the board of directors
were Rol>ert Johnson, (inlvcston,
chairman; Leo Terry, San Antonio,
and James T. Patrick. Houston.
The site of the next biennial con-
vention will not be announced un-
til the grand lodge meeting to be
held In Fort Worth in June, 1950.
Calvert Head
Named toNAACP
Legal Board
NEW YORK—W. W. Wachtel
of New York, president of Calvert
Distillers company, has been elected
lo the board of directors of the NA-
ACP Legal Defense and Education-
al fund, Thurgood Marshall, direc
tor-counsel, announced last week.
Election of Wachtel brings Legal
Defense board to a total of 33 mem
hers, consisting of business, labor
civic, educational and professional
leaders, Marshall said.
Wachtel was recently cited for
his famous Lord Calvert's "Men of
Distinction" advertising series of
which he Is the originator. His com-
pany was the first national adver-
tiser to inject interracial element
in Its advertising campaigns.
A recipient of the George Wash-
ington Carver Gold award for
the promotion of "brotherhood of
man," Wachtel is an honorary mem-
ber of the national Tau Kappa Al-
pha a forensic society In 150 colleges
and universities, a member of the
American Institute of Management,
a member of the board of Brand
Names foundation and member of
the Political Science academy of
Columbia university, ....... '
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Milton
Robinson.
The child's death was the fifth
Negro traffic fatality of the year
for the city and county.
Driver of the accident car wns
Mrs. Alma Fields Brown, 3K, 021
Potomac. She suffered a possible
fractured nose.
Mrs. Ernestine Lawson, 31, and
Charles Lawson, 21), owners of the
house, who were inside at the time
of the accident, were also injured.
Lawson, sitting on a sofa that
was pushed against the wall that
was struck, was hurled some eight
feet across a bed in front of the
sofa. lie suffered a deep, three-inch
laceration of the left tibia, and
multiple bruises, especially of the
right leg.
Mrs. Lawson, in the kitchen,
preparing dinner, wns apparently
struck by flying glnss from win-
dows which were completely shat-
tered. She was cut above the right
eye, and received bruises on the
left leg.
Playing In Yard
LaVonne. and her sister Carolyn
Kaye, were nt the Lawson home,
playing with three of the Lawsou
children.
They snw the car coming, find
all but LaVonne scrambled, scream-
ing, to get out of the way.
COtKRS FACE WITH HANDS
LaVonne, apparently paralyz-
ed by fright, stood still, covering
her fare with her hands. The
automobile pinned her against
Hie Mitiih wait ot tne Lawson
house.
Frederick Brown. 2220 East Com-
merce, carried the little girl to Rob-
ert B. Green hospital in his auto-
mobile. She wns pronounced dead
on arrival.
The Lawsons and Mrs. Brown
were carried to Green by a Hope
ambulance.
Mrs. Brown, driving a 1050 Chev-
rolet, told Officer L. R. Willis that
she made a left turn off Com-
merce. north on Grimes, to avoid a
blue sedan going south on Grimes,
and lost control of her machine.
Her car left the roadway, and
hit a Cyclone fence flfl feet north
of Commerce, continued on an-
other 30 feet, to hit a second fence
Inside the yard, then striking the
child, and crashing into the wall
of the house. Thirty-four feet of
fence wns torn down.
The police report Indicated Mrs.
Brown had been drinking, and ex-
ceeded a safe speed.
Mrs. Brown was booked for neg-
ligent homicide.
Accidental Death
Coroner John N. Ogden, ruled
Friday that the child's death was
accidental.
Damage to the car, which had
not been removed from the yard,
early this week, was set at $1.T0,
to the house, $500, and to the
fences, $227.
Moulin Rouge
Musician Not
Murder Victim
By the Associated Negro Press
LOS ANGELES—An indoor acci-
dent has been announced as the
cause of the mysteriously violent
death last week of Wardell Gray,
34-year-old popular Jazz musician.
What had at first been labeled a
'brutal murder" was scotched when
ray's roommate, Ted Haley, came
forward with a surprising story of
what he says did occur.
Gray's body was found, with the
side of Ills head badly bruised and
neck broken, lying ou the roadway
of Highway 01, not far from the
fabulous new $3 million Moulin
Rouge, where he was to have ap-
peared as sideman In the Benny
Carter orchestra.
Early reports had It that the
talented tenor saxist had been a vic-
tim of (1) gang-killing by white
hoodlums to discourage interracial
activities (2X execution by doj>c
peddlers of a squealer and (3) rob-
bery.
What is claimed to be the real
cause of death came from Haley,
through Frank Terry, Moulin Rouge
publicist, who passed the informa-
tion along to the Las Vegas sheriff's
office.
Haley, In his recital of the
"events" leading to Gray's death—
to the sheriff at Las Vegas—said:
"We were in our, room, in one of
the bungalows alloted to hotel em-
San Antonian's
Truck in Fatal'
Highway Mishap
Truck Hits Car of Formed
S. A. Minister, Then
Strikes Pedestrian
A truck driven by a San Anton-
inn, and an automobile driven by
ii former Ban Antonio pastor, wen
involved in an accident, Thursday^
June 2, on Highway 00, about tw#
and one-half miles west of Sequin,
that resulted in the death of « p«^
desfrian, Daniel B. Arizmendez, C\
of Seguin, a Latin-American.
The Rev. D. Manning Jackson,
."2, former pastor of Mount Zion
First Baptist church, here, now
of S12 Simmons, Beaumont, waf
driving his automobile east on
Highway !K>.
Walter W. Merriwent her. 40. 402
Harney, was driving n semi trailer,
also east, on the highway.
Arizmendez was walking down
the roadway, off the highway, on
the shoulder of the road.
According to a highway patrol
report, Merriweather struck Jack-
son's car, when the latter attempted
to make a right turn.
A wheel of the trailer buckled,
with Merriweather losing control of
his vehicle, which veered off the
pavement onto the gravel slu.ulder,
striking Arizmendez and killing him
instantly.
The dead man carried no identi-
fication, and was taken to Goeta
Funeral home in Seguin where his
identity was established by the
bureau of Identification and rec-
ords of the Department of Public
Safety at Austin.
First Negroes
AwardedDegrees
At SMU Rites
By the Associated Negro Tress
DALLAS, Texas — Five Negroes
received degrees In graduation cere-
monies nt Southern Methodist uni-
versity here last week and thus bo-
came the first of their race to he
graduated from the white Institu-
tion.
The five, all graduate student®
in theology, nre: the Revs. .Tame*
Vernon Lyles. Texarkana, Ark., Ne-
gall Rudolph Riley, Oklahoma CKy*
Okla.; Jan.cs Arthur Hawkins, Jack-
sou. Tenn.; Allen Cecil Williams^
Austin, Texas, and John Westoil
Elliott, Edington. N. C.
Rev. Lyles did his undergraduate
work nt Philander Smith collegef
Rev. Riley at Howard university!
Rev. Hawkins at Lane college; Rev,
Williams at Sam Huston college, and
Rev. Ellio-tt nt Shnw university.
In commenting on their stay al
Southern Methodist, the Rev. Dr.
Allen Lamar Cooper, counselor te
students, said:
"The men have fitted very, very
fine into the totnl life of the schooL
(See FIRST. Pace 3.)
National P-TA
Meet to he Held
InS.A.,Junel9-2l
(See MUSICIAN, Page 5.)
It lias been announced that tht
National Parents-Teachers associa-
tion will meet in San Antonio, Jun*
19-21, with headquarters of the
convention to be Dunbar* Junlo*
school, V. W. Walker, principal.
Mrs. Garland Speaker, general
chairman of convention arrange-
ments, Is, with her committee, now
perfecting plnns designed to make
the San Antonio session one of tht
best In the history of the associa-
tion.
High lights of the session will in*
dude the opening program, Sui*
day morning, June 10, at Greater
Mount Olive Baptist church, th#
Rev. J. N. Byrd, pastor; Snnda|>
dinner at LaVilllta; tour of the
city, Monday, June 20, and the
"Texas night" croffram, Monday!
night. Tuesday night, there will^el
a picnic at Pablo grove.
The two days of business taji
sions will be held at Dunbar* <gj
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Andrews, U. J. San Antonio Register (San Antonio, Tex.), Vol. 25, No. 18, Ed. 1 Friday, June 10, 1955, newspaper, June 10, 1955; San Antonio, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth403789/m1/1/: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UT San Antonio Libraries Special Collections.