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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
February 18, 1971     Shelton Mason County Journal
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February 18, 1971
 
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O Olympia man is dead and another is in the Mason Jail on a charge of first degree burglary after an at the Lilliwaup Motel and Grocery early Wednesday Mason County Sheriff's office identified the dead Benson, 29, 1501 E. 4th St., Olympia. Sheriff's Office said Benson was shot by Harry {Bud) owner of the motel and grocery. held in Mason County Jail on a charge of first burglary is Robert LaVern Johnson, 23, 1702 N. 1, Olympia. Sheriff's Office said Hays, a deputy with the Mason Sheriff's Reserve, apprehended the two men in the • ordered them to go outside and lie prone on the men Dead Car hal Bessie M. Vermillion, 70, Box 545, Shelton, died after her car left 101 near Potlatch State plunged into Hood State Patrol, the accident, Mrs. Vermillion was iound on Highway 10t miles south of Potlatch when it rail off the went over a 20-foot and came to rest in feet of water about 100 shore. ers from the Mason Office assisted in Mrs. Vermillion's body cause of the accident is investigation, WSP Vermillion was born May in Missouri. She was a clerk and worked in a drug store before her ivivors include two Mrs. Charles Stroad and Herron, both of Mo. body was sent by Funeral Home to rtz Funeral Home in for funeral services and ground until the Deputy Sheriff on duty arrived. Hays' wife was calling the Sheriff's Office while her husband held the two men. Officers said Benson apparently got up from the ground and started coming toward Hays, who fired two warning shots at Benson's feet as he (Hays) backed into the store. The Sheriff's Office said Hays was knocked down in a scuffle between the two men and that Benson apparently hit Hays on the back of the head with a stick of fire wood. After being knocked down and struck with the piece of wood, Hays fired two shots at Johnson at close range. One of the shots in the chest was the fatal one. Officers said among other items which were recovered in the investigation at the scene was the stick of fire wood which showed traces of hair where Hays was struck. When the shots were fired, officers said, Johnson fled the scene in the car in which the two had arrived, first going north and then heading back south where he turned onto the Skokomish Valley road. Officers said Johnson told them he ran out of gas and obtained gas from the small store and gas station in the Skokomish Valley. He was arrested by Sheriff John Robinson and two deputies when he came back out onto Highway 101 from the Skokomish Valley road. Officers said the incident started when Mrs. Hays heard a noise in the grocery store and awakened her husband to check on it. The Hays family lives in an apartment above the Thursday, February 18, 1971 Published in Shelton, Wash. Entered as second class matter at the post office at Shelton, 2 Sections-- 20 Pages Wash. 98584, under act of Mar. 8, 1879. Published weekly, except two issue~ during 85th Year -- Num ber 7 week of Thanksgiving, at 227 W. Cota. $5 per year in Mason County, $6 elsewhere. 10 Cents Per Copy The city of Shelton is continuing to take petitions for the planned summer street improvement program, City Engineer Howard Godat said this week. The city is planning to put asphalt surfacing on streets on which it is requested by petitions from the property owners. The work will be financed through city participation and LIDs to be paid by the property owners. Godat said the estimated cost rvlce to the property owners will be about $3 a front foot. He urged those interested to get petitions from city hall and get them signed. As much work will be done as the city has financing for its share. The streets to be included will be decided on a first come, first serve basis. Commenting on the condition of the streets, Street Superintendent Robert Temple told the city commission at its meeting Tuesday that during the nine days the city crews were able to do patching during January, there were 70 tons of patching mix used. He commented that streets surfaced two years ago with surfacing similar to what will be used in the program this year had stood up very well and had needed little or no repair work. Godat told the commission the water main on Jones Road was complete except for some road restoration work. He on an Shelton School Board a special meeting at in the Evergreen to discuss school Ju Burgess called the Police neatly groomed, wearing a blue Station at 10:l 9 p.ml Sunday and levi jacket and jeans. told them he had been struck on Police said he left the scene the head and the station robbed. .on foot after the robbery heading Officers said the suspect in through the alley. the case was described as between Officers asked that anyone 25-30 years old, between 5 ft. 8 who might have seen someone inches and 6 ft. tall and wearing answering the description to side burns. He was described as contact them. Shelton Police are continuing their investigation of a robbery at Binger's Service Station Sunday night in which the attendant was struck on the head and about $300 taken. Police said the attendant, Rick Burgess, was hospitalized and is in good condition. recommended that 90 per cent of the money collected from the property owners be paid to the contractor, Glenn Parr, and the remaining 10 per cent held until the road restoration work is complete. Godat asked and was given permission to hire an appraiser to appraise property needed for right-of-way for the improvement of San Joaquin Ave. to Capitol Hill. Fire Chief Allan Nevitt reported that a pool table Discussions on annexing all of the area encompassed by Fire District 1 1 are being headed by members of the Fire District 1 1 Commission. A meeting has been scheduled for 8 p.m. Feb. 22 at the Fire Hall. The town hall type meeting is intended to answer questions and present information on annexation° The mayor, city commissioners, police chief, fire chief, city engineer and a representative of the county assessor's office will be on hand to answer questions. The fire commissioners commented that the mill levy after annexation would be. 13 less than the property owners of the area are paying now. If the area were annexed, the property owners would pay the Test Results donated for the fire hall by Simpson Timber Co. had arrived Not and been set up. The fire chief stated he had one additional volunteer fireman and one additional sleeper, which was just about all the volunteer and sleeper crew he could handle. He was grafted approval for the purchase of two additional sets of turn out equipment to be used by the volunteers. He stated that he would start a waiting list of those interested in joining the volunteers since he already had a sufficient number on the active list. :k The results of tests by the University of Washington Toxicology laboratory to determine the cause of the death of Robert C. Johnson, 21, Shelton, have not yet been received, Coronor Byron McClanahan said Wednesday. Johnson was found dead in an apartment at 121 Cedar St. Feb. 5 and an autopsy revealed no organiccause for his death. Samplesfrom the body were taken to the UW toxicology laboratory in efforts to determin the cause of the death. store. When Hays went downstairs, he found the two men in the store, officers said. Benson's body was taken to Batstone Funeral Home where an autopsy was to be performed Wednesday afternoon. Prosecuting Attorney Byron McClanahan, who investigated at the scene, stated there was conclusive evidence that Hays had both the moral and legal right to take the action he did to protect his life. McClanahan added that Johnson was being held on a charge of first degree burglary. The shooting occured about 3 a.m. Wednesday. Johnson was captured about 5:30 a.m. and taken to the Mason County Jail. city mill levy in place of what is now paid for county road millage, the fire district and Timberland Library. The fire district presently is paying about three mills a year to retire bonds which were voted for the purchase of the fire truck and the construction of the fire hall. The property owners would have to complete laying for this bond issue in addition to their regular millage as they are now, the commissioners said. The fire district wraps itself around the city, and, if part of the area were to be annexed, the rest might not have enough assessed valuation to finance the operation of the district. The city has received a request from the Shelton School District for the annexation of the site of the new high school. |S For Dinner Donald Moos Donald W. Mops, State Director of Agriculture, will be the speaker at the Mason County Republican Central Committee's Lincoln Day Dinner at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 24 at Mt. View School. Tickets are on sale at the S.W. VanderWegen CPA office or by calling 426-3252 or 426-8513. Mops was named Director of Agriculture by Gov. Daniel J. Evans in 1965. He served four terms in the State House of Representatives before his appointment to the agriculture post. Mops has been active in RcpuNican party affairs including serving as a precinct committeeman in Lincoln County, as president of the State Young Republican Federation, as temporary and as permanent chairman of the State Republican Convention and as a delegate to the Republican National Convention. A HOME-LIKE ATMOSPHERE for the vulnerable infants of unwed mothers is the goal of a new organization, Ind 3thers of Mason Cour By JAN DANFORD A brainchild is born and a dream is coming true for the many dedicated persons who have labored so long and so lovingly to bring into being the organization known as the Independent Mothers of Mason County. For young unwed mothers who have elected to keep their babies a dwelling will be established wherin they may live in a home-like atmosphere under a stabilizing influence during a traumatic period in their lives and in the lives of their children. The old Collier residence on Hammersley Inlet will house five mothers, each with one or more children. Each girl will live in a private room with cooking facilities, and on the main floor spacious living and dining areas will offer a suitable setting for social hours. In the huge basement, which once served as a hangar for a seaplane, partitions will be removed to provide a winter recreational area for the children. A large lawn, which must yet be fenced for the safety of the youngsters, will serve as a fair-weather playground where mothers can conveniently keep an eye on their offspring. Independent Mothers of Mason County is a non-profit organization whose goal is not only to assist the unwed mothers to function as parents and as members of the community but also to lay the foundation upon which their children may develop their potential worth. There are a surprising number of single mothers and their srnan children who are existing on the fringe of poverty, steeped in despair; public assistance grants are often their only incomeS. Independent Mothers of Mason County believes that the 1¢ssening of the pressures of inadequate funds, poor housing, loneliness, lack of experience, and feelings of rejection will permit these perf..n,s to develop in a worth m' manner. A broad spectrum of the community is represented by dues-paying members of the group, nine of whom compose the board of directors. Chairman S. Gordon Craig explains that the board shall have the legal responsibility for the home, signing the lease and performing the tasks of collection and payment of rent and the maintenance of facilities as well as other required duties. The board will work directly with the Division of Public Assistance for financial and social services and with academic institutions for suitable educational programs. They will also endeavor to develop all possible community resources to secure programs beneficial to the residents, exercising these responsibilities within a framework of respect for the mothers. Other board members are Kay M. Boyd, vice-chairman; Mildred Welch, secretary; Penny Wallen, treasurer; Peter Coleman; Mrs. Alan Harding; Miss Mary Isely; Mrs. Barbara Martin; and Mrs. Carol Westlund. A board member has pointed out that Independent Mothers of Mason County touches Upon an aspect of the situation that has heretofore been sadly neglected. In the past, excellent care has been taken of the girl who relinquishes her baby and excellent care has been taken of the child itself. Attention has been given the prospective adoptive parents; but nothing has been done for the mother who kept her little one. It is also a fact that the father of the child goes unscathed while the unmarried mother is all too often relegated to the gutter. According to Craig, weekly sessions will be held with a WOrker from the Divisionof Public Assistance, who will be available should unusualor Unexpected problems arise. Organizational meetings will develop the concern for one another which will determine the day-to-day operation of the home, thus in turn enhancing the mother's ability to function in a family situation. Other community resources to be utilized by the Independent Mothers of Mason County are many. The Mason County Community Mental Health Organization will be available for consultations; the Mason Thurston County Health Department will serve similarly in the areas of physical health and personal care; Shelton High School will provide regular classes leading to a diploma, or special classes leading toward a job, with the school psychologist offering needed evaluations to those enrolled; a local bank and also Credit Unions have pledged courses in the use of checking and savings accounts, long and short-term loans, credit cards and revolving credit, explaining the costs thereof and the importance of maintaining a good credit reputation; the home economist in the Mason County Extension Office has offered her services to teach nutrition, including the purchase, preparation and serving of food, and to counsel on budgeting, clothing, etc.; a garden club will assist the young women in learning the principles of landscaping, the art of flower arranging and the therapeutic value of gardening. Also expressing a desire to support the project are attorneys; Olympic and Centralia Junior Colleges; the Juvenile Department; the Ministerial Alliance; real estate agencies; Shelton Fire and Police departments, and Washington State Patrol. Monthly grants of the mothers will cover operating costs, making the household self-supporting; however, there are "extras" that the girls themselves cannot manage. "Community response," declares Gordon Craig, "has been most favorable. Many individuals have given freely of their time and talents; donations of money and furnishings have been received." Among those pledging help are Kay's Draperies with the gift of an entire bolt of material and a promise to help the girls in the making of their drapes; Bill Smith, who offers an ironing (Please turn to page 5) KAY BOYD, left, and Lynne Frederickson of Kay's Draperies discuss material to be donated for the making of drapes for the new home of the Independent Mothers of Mason County.