Banner Graphic, Volume 10, Number 114, Greencastle, Putnam County, 17 January 1980 — Page 1

Continued Unseasonably mild temperatures have prolonged outdoor activity in Putnam County this January, enabling youngsters like these Miller School students in Greencastle to kick up their heels at recess. Normally this time of year the merry-go-round has ground to a halt, covered by a blanket of snow. But who's complaining? (Banner-Graphic photo by Andy Booz).

Big Walnut, child-sale bills pass committees

From Staff, Wire Dispatches Two bills packing significant local interest have won unanimous approval from Indiana House committees. A bill deauthorizing state approval of the proposed Big Walnut Reservoir in Putnam County won passage of the Natural Resources Committee by an 11-0 vote Wednesday afternoon. THURSDAY MORNING a bill designed to impose felony penalties on persons who sell children for profit won unanimous approval of the House Human Affairs Committee. The legislation was prompted by a child-selling episode in Danville this summer involving a rural Greencastle couple. The Big Walnut deauthorization bill, sponsored by District 48 State Rep. John Thomas (R-Brazil) and Donald Lash (RParke County) would withdraw all cooperation between the Indiana Depart-

Chamber event to fete 25-year members group

If you’re planning to attend the Greencastle Chamber of Commerce annual dinner Tuesday in the DePauw University Union Building Ballroom, time is running out to make reservations. The deadline is 3 p.m. Friday, Jan. 18. Persons may call the Chamber office at 653-4517 to make reservations. TICKETS FOR THE dinner affair, which begins at 6:30, are $6.75. The featured speaker is Indianapolis TV critic Richard K. Shull. The dinner is planned to honor 47 local businesses and individuals who have been Chamber members for 25 years. Chamber members to be honored include: Books Plus, The Bootery, Black Lumber Co., Cannon’s Clothing, Cash Concrete, Central Insurance Agency, Central National Bank, Coan Pharmacy, Dr. J. F. Conrad, DePauw University, Dr. F.

Cold air return? Mostly cloudy through Friday. Low near 30. High Friday in the mid to upper 30s. Indiana Extended Outlook Mild with a chance of rain Saturday or Sunday. Turning gradually colder beginning Sunday. Highs in the 40s Saturday. Dropping into the 20s and 30s by Monday. Index Abby A 4 Calendar A 4 Classified 82,83 Comics A 5 Crossword f* 2 Family Living A 4 Heloise A 4 Horoscope Obituaries A 8 Sports 81.82.84 Supermarket Shopper A 5 Theatres A 6 Worry Clinic

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Putnam County, Thursday, January 17,1980, Vol. 10 No. 114 20 Cents

ment of Natural Resources and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in regard to the federal flood control project proposed originally in 1963. Rep. Thomas said earlier this week that the Big Walnut project has been on the books “long enough for any action to be taken.” A SIMILAR deauthorization bill passed the Natural Resources Committee unanimously Jan. 26, 1977, but in effect was killed when it was not called down by Speaker Kermit Burrous for a full House vote. Thomas was unavailable to comment Thursday on whether the deauthorization bill have a better chance for a full House vote during this short session of 30 House working days. The child-selling measure is also ready for a full House vote. Sponsored by Rep.

R. Dettloff, Eitel’s Flowers, First Citizen’s Bank, France Stone Co. and General Telephone Co. Also included are: Greencastle Federal Savings & Loan, Greencastle Production Credit, Handy’s Dairy, Headley Hardware, High Point Oil, Home Laundry, HopkinsRector Funeral Home, Attorney David Houck, HBG Insurance, Charles W. Hymer, Indiana Gas, IBM, Dr. James B. Johnson, Horace Link, Lone Star Cement, Lyon and Boyd and Mac’s Clothing. ALSO, MONTGOMERY Ward, Moore’s Shoes, G.C. Murphy, J. C. Penney, Poor & Co., Prevo’s, Progressive Printing, Public Service Indiana, Putnam County Ban-ner-Graphic, Putnam County Hospital, Putnam Motors, Shetrone Real Estate, Todd’s Ace Hardware, Stop and Shop and Edward Wood and Co.

Former Putnam resident faces Owen theft charge

By BECKYIGO Banner-Graphic Area News Editor SPENCER - A former Putnam County resident was ordered back to Indiana to face a series of theft charges which were pending against him for more than a year at the Owen Circuit Court at Spencer. Steve Trent, 22, who now resides at Route 3, Clayton, was ordered to pay for his return to Indiana, court costs and faces a 10-year sentence. TRENT WAS FOUND to be involved in a series of thefts from a home at Jordan Village located in northwest Owen County. Owen County Sheriff Steve Cradick said Wednesday that Trent had been located in Texas. “His brother was arrested there,” Cradick added, “and the Texas authorities thought we had a warrant out for his brother’s arrest.” Cradick said Owen County authorities informed the Texas police there was a warrant out instead for Steve Trent. “When he (Steve) came into the Texas • jail, they held him,” Cradick said THE OWEN COUNTY Sheriff revealed

Richard A. Thompson (R-North Salem), a former Putnam County resident and exprincipal of Tri-West High School, the bill stems from the incident involving Mark Smith 25, Route 5, Greencastle, and his then-roommate Lori L. Smith, 16. MARK SMITH WAS scheduled to face charges of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, failure to report child abuse, possession of marijuana and placing a child without a license in Hendricks County Superior Court at Danville Thursday afternoon. “There is presently no law that would prevent a parent who has custody of a child from selling that child,” Thompson said Thursday. “This bill does speak to that problem. It also speaks to the problem of possible profiteering in the adoption process.” Hendricks County Prosecutor Dave

Chain letters continue to cause local reactions

By G. PATRICK GRIMES Banner-Graphic Staff Writer With the price of mailing a letter at 15 cents and threatening to go even higher, you might surmise that people would be reluctant to participate in “chain letters.” But such is not the case, and in fact, the letters are becoming more popular than ever with some cropping up daily in Putnam mailboxes. Some of the letters invite you to submit recipes, others promise to bring you good luck if you participate, and still others -

Student survey seeks local perception of DePauw

A team of eight DePauw University students will spend the better part of this week and part of next conducting a survey among several Greencastle area residents. ' The survey is aimed at obtaining residents’ perceptions of the university, whether there is a need for expanded academic programs for the community, how campus-community relations can be enhanced, whether private education is

Trent was involved with thefts at the Jordan Village with four other persons in 1977. Stolen, according to police records, were coins, a stereo, guns and a Lincoln Continental Mark V. Cradick said the stolen goods were valued at approximately SIO,OOO and only one gun and the vehicle were recovered. Sheriff Cradick said Trent first faced the theft charges in Owen County Circuit Court in the fall of 1978 Trent reportedly left Indiana after promising to provide evidence for the prosecution. TRENT WAS ORDERED by the Owen Circuit Court to pay $43 in court costs and the $423 it cost the county to have him returned to Indiana. Cradick said Trent will be sent temporarily to the Terre Haute Department of Corrections until he can be permanently placed at an institution to serve the 10-year sentence. Cradick confirmed that Trent had lived in Putnam County approximately three or four years ago, but did not have information concerning the exact location.

Coleman noted that when it came time to charge the couple, he learned that there was no provision in the revised penal code to cover child-selling. “WE CHARGED HIM with contributing to the delinquency of a minor, the mother being the minor, and placing the child in a neglect situation,” Coleman said. “What we did have to work with was not adequate as a penalty.” The Smiths, unwed at the time but now married, allegedly sold their newborn daughter for $2,000 last July to Det. Sgt. Frank Love, an undercover state policeman working out of the Putnamville Post. Mrs. Smith, 16 at the time of the incident, was treated as a juvenile and court proceedings against her have not been made public.

the most dangerous kind -- threaten you if you don’t send money to total strangers with a promise of getting money back. “ANYTHING WHERE they ask you to send, or send you anything of monetary value. And any type of lottery,” Postmaster John Bergen of the Greencastle Post Office said in defining illegal chain letters. After being shown copies of “good luck” letters obtained by the BannerGraphic, Bergen said he has had a number of complaints about chain letters recently.

considered important, and how residents feel about DePauw students. THE QUESTIONNAIRE includes about 25 short questions and will be administered in town on a person-to-person basis. Residents who live on rural routes will be interviewed by telephone. About 200 names have been selected randomly for the survey that is being sponsored and coordinated through the Office of Public Relations. Participation in the

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Flower Shop has new owners, new location

The Flower Shop, operated by John, Carolyn, Susan, Nancy and Sarah Carson for the past four years at 1117 Indianapolis Rd. in Greencastle, moved to its new location and opened for business Jan. 2 All nestled in its new quarters, the shop is located at the first house on the right through the covered bridge on Dunbar Road.

County likely to appeal decision on Humana suit

By BECKY IGO Banner-Graphic Area News Editor Almost six years of legal differences, which resulted in a $24.6 million suit between Putnam County and Humana Inc., may be temporarily halted as a U.S. District Judge has ruled in favor of the Louisville-based corporation. Putnam County Attorney Jerald Calbert informed county officials this week by letter that, “It is with great regret that I must advise you that to my complete and total shock, the Honorable James E. Noland presiding, has sustained Humana’s motion for summary judgment ” THE LETTER ALSO stated the court found that “our (Putnam County’s) complaint fails to state an issue upon which we may obtain relief.” But the tone of the letter also suggests the county would not go down without a fight as he added, “Since receiving a copy of the order, we have been in the process of preparing the appeal to the Seventh District Court of Appeals in Chicago. “After the record is completely transmitted to the District Court of Appeals in Chicago. I will have 40 days in which to file our brief to set aside the lower court’s action,” Calbert’s letter concluded. PUTNAM COUNTY’S lawsuit with Humana stemmed from a 1974 contractual agreement between the two parties for the company to build a proprietary hospital in the county. Construction was to begin in 1975, but Humana decided to drop the project in 1976 mainly because the firm was unable to secure a participatory contract with Blue Cross-Blue Shield. Such a contract was necessary before the insurance company would work in connection with the hospital.

“The “Good Luck Prayer,” which supposedly “originated in the Netherlands” and has “been around the world nine times,” is currently making the rounds in Greencastle. Bergen assures this particular letter is legal, but warns it “borderlines” on breaking postal law when it suggests harm would come to anyone not continuing the chain. “THE PART THAT bothers me is if the right person gets one of those letters it could be very upsetting,” Bergen pointed out. r

survey is optional, of course, and all responses will be kept confidential. Students conducting the survey will identify themselves, according to Tim Casady and David Hellmich, DePauw senior and sophomore respectively who are coordinating the project as a Winter Term assignment. They are being assisted by John Wright, associate director of the Bureau of Testing.

THE NEW OWNERS. Judy and Jim Ross, are no newcomers to the floral business. Judy was graduated from the Chicago School of Floral, designing and owning and operating her own floral business for 17 years. The Flower Shop will continue to provide the same services as in the past, quality flowers for funerals, weddings, hospitals

Instead, county officials believe Humana voided their contract after realizing a privately owned hospital would not have been as profitable. Humana operates other profit-making hospitals in the country. DIFFERENCES IN THE conflict have been continually volleyed back and forth bv both sides. The county asked for actual damages of $4,680,000 and punitive damages of S2O million. The suit alleged the county suffered financial losses, in relation to if the hospital were built in 1974, due to rising construction, equipment and materials costs. Also the county stated Humana did not meet a contractual agreement when they decided not to build the hospital. The county attorney also argued Humana had misstated the terms of the contract and was attempting to ask the court to rewrite an already existing contract. HUMANA COUNTERED BY saying Putnam County did not submit terms and conditions of the hospital development agreement to public vote and did not advertise for bids before signing a contract with the corporation. Humana said the contract was neither legal nor binding. As a result of the need for hospital construction to begin, Putnam County constructed the public-owned $9 million facility by utilizing tax-supported bonds. In an attempt to settle the dispute. Humana later offered the county $50,000. but the county quickly denied the offer and requested a $1.25 million out-of-court set tlement. Humana just as quickly rejected the county’s proposal and the suit was then filed.

He spoke of a recent complaint in which an older woman, recently widowed with severe family problems, received the same “Good Luck Prayer” letter and was quite upset by its threat. The letter says: “Gerald Velen lost his life six days after he received this letter, he failed to circulate the prayer” implying that the reader might meet with the same fate. Postmaster Bergen explained that some people are emotionally upset by any threat, veiled or not. . Col. 3, back page, this section

THE RESULTS OF THE program may be used to assess community needs that the university might fill, to determine generally the present state of campuscommunity relations and to reoommend future actions, to provide an informal channel for community residents to offer both positive and negative points of view on several topics, and to give students some practical experience in interviewing techniques.

The Flower Shop has new owners and a new location on the Dunbar Road north of Greencastle. Pictured for the opening are (front, from left), new owners Jim and Judy Ross and Clindy Sanders. At rear (from left) are: Carolyn Carson, John Carson, Nancy and Susan Carson. Not pictured is Sarah Carson. (Banner-Graphic photo by Agnes King).

and any other occasion, in fresh-cut flowers, planters, potted plants, silk and artificials. Susan and Nancy Carson will continue to work in the shop, which will be open 9a.m. to 5 p.m Monday through Friday and 9 a m to 4 p.m. on Saturdays. The phone number is 653-5&11.