Mahon asks Maness to rule magazines obscene, how Blount Island got its name
Have you ever wondered what it was like in Jacksonville 50 years ago? It may have been a different era of history, culture and politics, but there are often parallels between the kind of stories that made headlines then and today. As interesting as the similarities may be, so are the differences. These are some of the top stories from the week of Sept. 7-13, 1959. The items were compiled from the Jacksonville Public Library’s periodical archives by Staff Writer Max Marbut.
• County Solicitor Lacy Mahon Jr. filed a civil suit against the operator of Jake’s Newsstand at 116 Julia St. asking Circuit Court Judge William H. Maness to declare 26 magazines obtainable at the newsstand obscene.
A new legal provision required that Circuit Court declare a publication obscene before a criminal prosecution could be undertaken against the vendors or distributors. Mahon cited the language of the new obscenity law amendment which said the state law “shall not apply to any periodical or printed matter which may be legally sent through the United States mail until such time as such periodical or printed matter has been determined by a court of competent jurisdiction of this state to be obscene.”
In his petition Mahon said that the 26 magazines named “are in fact obscene but the plaintiff (Mahon) is unable to determine whether the above mentioned magazines may be legally sent through the United States mail within the meaning of the new state law.” As a result, Mahon’s petition said, he was unable to proceed with the prosecution of the defendant until and unless a declaratory decree was entered.
It was reported the magazines listed in the suit contained “numerous photographs of women in a variety of nude and semi-clothed poses.”
• A delegation from the Jacksonville Area Chamber of Commerce returned from a seven-day trip to Russia. The group made the journey to show and get Russian reaction to the film “The Jacksonville Story” which was presented as part of the program at the American Exhibition in Moscow.
They shared some of their impressions of Russia:
Mechanical engineer George R. Register commented, “Construction techniques are very sloppy. Although they are now constructing apartments to house 10,000 people outside Moscow in an effort to provide long-needed facilities, I doubt, after a close inspection, that they’ll be anything but a shambles within five years. The hotel we stayed in was eight years old and looked 30 years old. Many buildings have nets around them at low level to catch crumbling concrete so it won’t hit pedestrians.”
St. Regis Paper Company executive Robert E. Phillips said, “Life magazine has misled the American public with pictures of Moscow streets with no cars on them. This is a fallacy. We were all surprised at the number of privately owned cars and traffic jams and we were totally unprepared for them.”
Physician Emmet Ferguson had the opportunity to tour some Russian medical centers. “Their hospitals are under budgeted and clinical medicine is suffering. All of their money is pouring into research and experimentation. The food is heavy and greasy and there is an extreme shortage of fresh fruit and vegetables,” he said.
“They believed everything we showed them, were friendly and showed little skepticism,” said R. Millard Oliphant of the Gulf Life Insurance Company of Florida. “However they couldn’t believe that our voting booths are really secret. Some also expressed a belief that you have to have $200,000 to qualify to vote in the United States. They also were sure that a hidden camera probably took your picture while you were in the voting machine.”
• Jacksonville Mayor Haydon Burns announced at a press conference in Largo that he planned to enter the 1960 race for governor of Florida.
He said he had been “all over the whole state” in recent weeks and “I’m not moving around for nothing.” When no date for a formal announcement was made available, Burns was asked specifically whether he would enter the race. He replied, “I cannot conceive of a negative answer to that question.”
• The Duval County Commission paid tribute to County Attorney J. Henry Blount for his service to the county and voted unanimously to name the site of the county’s proposed port and industrial area after him.
The name of “J. Henry Blount Island” was given to the land in the St. Johns River formerly known as “Goat Island.” The 1,500-acre property was deeded to the county by the state in May, 1958.
Noting the difficulties in acquiring the land, the resolution stated, “As a result of the acquisition of these islands after a long, discouraging, but victorious, battle Duval County today stands on the threshold of unlimited horizons for port and industrial development.”
Blount had been County Attorney for more than 20 years and was cited for his “outstanding ability, integrity and keen perception of justice” in guiding the legal affairs of the county.
• Jacksonville Beach was offered $100,000 for 41 lots adjoining the new municipal golf course by John Hanna, a realtor, at a public auction at City Hall. The bid was accepted by the Beach City Council.
Hanna was the only one to bid on all of the lots in the new subdivision. His offer figured out at almost $2,440 per lot which also was higher than bids submitted by any of the other nine bidders.
• An Attorney representing Lawrence H. Sunbrock said there was “no Florida law on which to base a misleading advertising charge” on the Orlando promoter.
The claim was made by attorney Harry H. Martin in motions filed in Criminal Court to quash two charges brought against the 48-year-old Sunbrock by the Duval County Solicitor’s Office.
The charges against Sunbrock alleged that on the past Dec. 30 he caused to be published in local newspapers advertisement of the public performance of a rodeo which contained “untrue, deceptive and misleading assertions.”
Sunbrock was arrested the night of Dec. 31 shortly before his widely advertised “national championship rodeo” was slated to open a four-night run with three afternoon performances at the Gator Bowl (now Municipal Stadium).
Local authorities did not allow Sunbrock to present the show whose performers were to include Dennis Weaver, who played “Chester,” Marshal Dillon’s sidekick, on the television series “Gunsmoke.”
Martin’s motions to quash included a ground that the charges were not founded on any Florida criminal law. In other words, he explained, there was no Florida statute covering the situation alleged in Sunbrock’s case by the County Solicitor. Martin also said the charges written by the solicitor failed to allege what claims in the newspaper advertisement were false.
• The City sealed some holes that had developed on Willowbranch Avenue following spring rain of historic proportions but motorists were advised to continue to exercise caution in the area.
In July a woman was driving on the street when the pavement collapsed under her car. The hole measured 16 feet deep. In August a concrete truck was backing into a driveway just a few feet from the site of the woman’s accident when a new cave-in turned the truck on its side.
City Engineer Bill Bryant said the ancient sewer outfall underneath the street would “continue to cause cave-in after cave-in” until the structure could be rebuilt “from scratch.” He added, “And the City doesn’t have the money to do anything about it now.”
Damage to pavement, sewers and drains was estimated at more than $600,000. City maintenance crews worked overtime for more than 12 weeks to patch the pavement and repair 825 sewer cave-ins including the two on Willowbranch Avenue.
• Sixteen-year-old Nicky Lauwaert struggled through a mile of rough surf in 39 minutes and 9 seconds to win the sixth annual Jacksonville Beach Women’s Ocean Marathon Swim sponsored by the Jacksonville Beach Recreation Department.
She crossed the finish line just 10 seconds ahead of Mary Sydenham who was attempting to record her third consecutive first-place finish in the event. Lauwaert finished second behind Sydenham in 1958. Third across the line was Nancy Robinson in 44 minutes, 15 seconds. It was her second third place finish in as many years.
Lauwaert said the surf and current were much stronger than during the 1958 race and added, “I couldn’t see the buoys very well and I kept getting off my course. Otherwise I believe the race would have been faster.”
• A lone bandit escaped with $148 in a holdup at Soutel Drive Supermarket at 3701 Soutel Dr.
George Bajalia of 1239 Belverdere Ave. told Lt. H.R. Hansen of the Duval County Road Patrol that a man who appeared to be about 30 years of age walked into the store and asked to use the telephone.
Bajalia, a clerk at the store who was working alone at the time, said the man lifted the receiver and then pulled an automatic pistol and demanded the money in the cash register. The man jerked out the phone wires and fled the scene in an ivory and red automobile, Bajalia said.
James Russell, a refrigerator repair man who was working in the back of the store, pursued the fleeing vehicle in his truck but lost track of it at New Kings Road and Soutel Drive.