The Daily Journal from Franklin, Indiana • Page 1

SATURDAY Ul)LI XIAL FRANKLIN GREENWOOD," INDIANA FEBRUARY 12, 1977 15 Venue Of f' yypl r-' (7 I i I Birthday month for Abe and George School children throughout Johnson county are learning that second graders donned real and substitute "stove-pipe" hats to only a few days early. They are, from centefpi Uie right, Kate February is the birthday month for two of America's most famous celebrate. They are, from left, Brian Marten, Sam Cones and Amy Branigin, Carolyn Moore and Marty Johnson. "tV! students have Presidents Abraham Lincoln and George Washington. With to- Trueblood, who is wearing a real silk top hat.

The three second- been doing special reports on both Presidents for presentation, day being Lincoln's birthday, the three Webb Elementary School graders to the right are celebrating Washington's birthday if (Daily Journal photo by Ric Burrous) his trade morning Good Weather Johnson county residents can expect rain throughout the day with highs reaching the low 50s. Rain should end Saturday night with temperatures dropping to near 30. Sunday's forecast calls for cloudy skies with highs in the low 40s. The extended forecast for Monday through Wednesday calls for highs in the 30s, lows in the teens and little or no precipitation. Forum Johnson county legislators Senator Robert Carton (R-Columbus) and Representative Richard Bray (R-Martinsville) will field questions from voters at the weekly legislative forum today.

The session, sponsored by the Franklin Chamber of Commerce, will begin at 9 a.m. at Franklin's Steer Restaurant. Courts In the last of a five-part series on the court system in Johnson county. Daily Journal staff writers, Bob White and Terry Anderson, report on the Franklin and Greenwood city courts. Page 7.

Lifestyle Home extension agent Gene Weltich reports that homemakers should use caution with frozen home-canned foods due to bacteria. In his column, former Franklin College president Wesley Haines compares his father and President Carter. Page 6. Huckster By SALLY KING Journal Staff Writer Before motor cars made traveling easy and settlements brought stores close by, early settlers depended on hucksters merchants who brought their wares door-to-door for much of their shopping needs. In an era of drive-to convenience markets and grocery chain superstores, Forest Rund of Stones Crossing plies a dying trade driving his grocery store on wheels on a weekly route from Stones Crossing to Glenns Valley, across the White River to Mann road and Fox Hill and Smoky Row.

Even in this worst of all winters, Rund has managed to make it through kneedeep snow and bitter cold temperatures for his 40-mile grocery route every Monday night. A few weeks ago, he drove his 1940 Chevrolet huckster truck, heated with a pot-belly stove, to his regular customers' doors despite 20 bek zero temperatures. "They were sure gbd to see me come," the 70-year-old lifelong grocer remarks. "I go when they don't," he adds. Older residents He points out that many of his customers are older residents, who've shopped with him for years.

One customer has been shopping with Rund, either in his specially-made motorized shopping truck or in his store in Stones Crossing for 36 years. He now has about 15 customers, he says, and he drives 40 or 50 miles every Monday night to serve them. Starting out at 5 p.m. he heads the truck back into his store (where it is kept) at about 10 p.m. "This area is so changed you wouldn't believe it," Rund remarks.

The son of a huckster peddler, Rund has spent most of his life in the grocery change denied By SALLY JCING Journal Staft Writer Special Judge John E. Sedwick of Morgan County issued a speedy decision Friday afternoon denying a change of venue for the murder trial of William G. Webb of Indianapolis. Webb is charged with the bombing of a Greenwood home February 10, 1975, which resulted in the death of 12-year-old Michael Bridges of Greenwood. Sedwick said a trial date would be set next week.

Webb had requested the change of trial sites from Johnson county through his public defender, Larry Combs on the implication that publicity in the Daily Journal surrounding the bombing and death have caused "bias, excitement and prejudice," which would prevent him from obtaining a fair and unbiased trial. Court proceedings in Johnson Circuit Court Friday echoed those which had occurred one week earlier when a continuance was granted after Prosecutor Charles Gantz objected for the State of Indiana that the defendant should be present for the hearing. Gantz made the objection stating that he "didn't want any possibility of error" which might later cause the case to be dismissed. In his summation. Combs charged that the Daily Journal accounts of the case had "sensationalized every fact known about the defendant." He said that the newspaper had utilized "overly bold headlines, editorials and personal and emotional" descriptions of the case which had caused "sustained excitement and have entrenched strong prejudices" in potential jurors.

He contended that the "cumulative effect" of the more than 30 articles which have appeared since the 1975 event have "had a tremendous impact" on the case. "A barrage of newspaper articles, headlines, and pictures have been unleas-ed on this defendant," he said. Combs also questioned the legal Impact of the newspaper accounts since they contained information about arrests and charges against the defendant, as well as information about an alleged confession. "What good is a motion to suppress (such evidence)?" the defender asked when such information has "saturated this county for the past two years." Combs concluded that a fair trial would be impossible with jurors who are "inflamed by passion, warped by prejudice and awed by violence, which was, he said, portrayed in the newspaper articles. Noting that "this is the third time I've had to argue this point," Gantz contended that "people are getting tired of delays and frustrated with the criminal justice system." He argued that the court has the discretion to deal with prejudice, if it should seem evident later in the court proceedings.

"Life goes on," Gantz said, adding that the prejudice in this case has abated by time and that "no bias, prejudice or excitement has been shown in this courtroom with regard to Mr. Webb." The only witness in the motion for a verified change of venue request, which was filed January 21, was, Robert Reed, editor of the Daily Journal. Newspaper articles involving the case were entered as evidence in the trial after Reed identified them as articles which had been published in the Daily Journal since the bombing incident two years and two days ago. An objection by Gantz that six of the ar- tides should not be admitted since they contained no date or page number, was overruled by Sedwick, who contended that it was known that the articles had appeared in the newspaper. I'nder questioning by Combs, Reed agreed that last week's hearing and future court proceedings on the case will continue to receive coverage in the Daily Journal.

In the cross-examination, the Daily Journal editor told Prosecutor Gantz that the coverage would continue even if the case was venued to another county 'and that it would be handled "as a normal matter of public concern" and because it is "going on" and is "current." The newspaper editor testified that, while two other murder cases during the past two years in Johnson county have brought telephone calls and letters to the newspaper, he has not received any such correspondence in the Webb case. He testified that, while a great deal more coverage was given by the Daily Journal in the case of Cindy White, who was charged with setting a fire which killed six members of a Greenwood family, it was his opinion that she had received a fair trial in Johnson county. "Do you realize that there exists In Johnson county such bias, prejudice and excitement such that William Webb couldn't get a fair trial?" Gantz answered. "In my opinion, no," Reed answered. "You believe that he could get a fair trial in Johnson county?" the prosecutor repeated.

"I think so," Reed answered. As a second "offer of proof" that pretrial publicity has prejudiced potential jurors in Johnson county, Combs offered i Continued on back page, col. S) But the business is still lucrative to him, he explains because, "I keep prices low and cater to the customer. "If you treat them (customers) right and don't sell anything too high priced, you still have good customers," he philosophizes. He often stops a moment to visit with his customer friends and.

he also extend credit to them an unheard of situation in this day and age. He used to trade groceries for farm-raised goods, chickens and eggs and he still has one woman who trades about 10 dozen eggs each week for groceries, though he doesn't get chickens any more. Chicken coops When he first obtained the truck he now drives, Rund notes, he built coops on the bottom to accommodate the chickens he received in trade for his wares. Rund bought his present truck "about 20 years ago," to replace one which he had driven for many years before that. It was previously owned by an auto accessories salesman another type of huckster, Rund notes.

With its specially built-in shelves, Rund reasoned that "that would make a good huckster truck." He made a few alterations in the all-metal constructed truck adding an old ice box and the pot belly stove, which came from an old buggy and had heated his previous truck. Though he doesn't "ice down" the ice box, Rund notes that he stores ice cream and other perishables in it throughout the five-hour route and "it always stays cold. "I've had 100 people want to buy it (the ice box he notes. Rund boasts that his motorized grocery 1ST I still plies business. He recalls riding his father's route in Bean Blossom and accompanying him "to the city" on special occasions.

It was "a big treat," the Stones Crossing merchant notes, of the long trips to Indianapolis to trade. In the Rund family, grocering was a family affair. Until 1932, Rund was a partner with his older brother in the grocery business in Stones Crossing. Another brother owned a store down the street. Later, Rund opened his own store, across the street from his older brother's store on the corner of Stones Crossing road and State Road 135.

The three brothers operated their competing stores for many years without a problem, Rund notes, adding, "Business was good and we all had plenty to do." In 1949, Rund's store, which he operated below the K. of P. Lodge building, burned. The K. of P.

rebuilt a one-story building at the site, but Rund moved his grocery down the road to a garage-type building just north of the corner in which he still operates a grocery business. Three routes He used to run three weekly grocery routes, but the advent of the big market has lessened his motor route business. Rund notes. "People think they can save by going to big markets," he explains. "You pass a lot of houses where you don't stop," he muses.

But he points out that most of his prices are the same as large grocery stores and he feels that "people save money because it's cheaper when they don't have to go after them (groceries). "If you started up today, it wouldn't pay." Rund says of the grocery peddling business. Cigarettes) CtGARETTtS I Solo Hem Sou him Huckster still operates Scores Whiteland 61 Columbus North' ...44 Franklin ...72 Connersville 50 Greenwood 72 Avon 62 Speedway ...53 Center Grove 45 83 Edinburg 50 TV Section In today's issue of the Daily Journal is the weekly TV Section which features television news and lists the broadcasts for the upcoming week. On the cover this week is actress Nancy Walker-who will star in "Blanksky's Beauties" on Saturday nights. new details of a booby trap installed by Kiritsis in the apartment.

Officers at first feared he was set to blow up the building with dynamite he purchased recently. Gallagher said a lighted candle was suspended from the ceiling over two gasoline cans tied to the door by a maze of wiring. If the door had been opened, he said, "it would have blown out the whole side of the building." Security was heavy for Kiritsis' first court appearance after he was arrested at the conclusion of the tumultuous news conference and found himself facing nine state charges instead of going free. Guards locked the doors when the room was full and more than 300 persons were kept outside. -Harlor told Kiritsis he would be arraigned Tuesday.

He set bonds covering three of the nine charges $500,000 for armed robbery, $250,000 for kidnaping and for disorderly conduct. Still unanswered was the question of whether federal charges would be brought against Kiritsis in the abduction of Hall, 42, and his imprisonment for 63 hours for allegedly cheating Kiritsis in a mortgage deal. U.S. Attorney James Young said he would review the case in detail. Through Hall's long ordeal, Kiritsis had held off pofice SWAT teams with threats that dynamite would destroy his apartment and the men inside it If police rushed it.

Police found no dynamite only two one-gallon cans of gasoline. Kiritsis faces a variety of charges INDIANAPOLIS (UPI) Anthony Kiritsis stood quietly and unshackled in court Friday without the immunity from prosecution he demanded in exchange for freeing a real estate executive held hostage for three terror-filled days. Kiritsis, who accused the hostage, Richard Hall, of cheating him in a land deal, was ordered held under $850,000 bond on kidnaping, armed robbery and disorderly conduct charges Kiritsis stormed angrily in a half-hour tirade on live television Thursday night before releasing a shotgun wired to Hall's neck and ending the siege at his wesf side apartment. But he was meek before municipal court Judge Frank Harlor for Friday's bond hearing in a packed courtroom. Hall told a news conference later he feared for his life "at all times" during his 63 hour abduction.

"It has been a long ordeal and my family and I are extremely grateful to God. I just figured in my mind God had a plan for everybody. I didn't understand why this was part of his plan but I would just go with what I had. "Survival was very much a part of my thinking. I just thought I would just use my best efforts to I had handcuffs on at all times." Hall ended the brief conference by saying, "I am, very I would rather not face very many questions." Police Chief Eugene Gallagher gave Probably one of the last of the old-time hucksters, The 70-year old Rund also owns an old Stuart truck once Forest Rund of Olive Branch still drives a regular weekly driven by his father, which he believes is the oldest truck grocery route in the White River township area, serving south of Indianapolis.

15 customers from his 1940 Chevrolet motorized grocery. (Dally Journal photo.