Have you ever wondered what life was like in Jacksonville half a century ago? It was 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 differences may be, so are the similarities. These are some of the top stories from this week in 1962. The items were compiled from the Jacksonville Public Library’s periodical archives by Staff Writer Max Marbut.
• An armored car containing $88,269.96 was hijacked by “two bold, unmasked gunmen.”
The crime, which was probably the largest armed robbery in Jacksonville history at the time, came when receipts from the Jacksonville Kennel Club were being transferred to the Guy Marvin Inc. armored car service center at 122 Jefferson St.
The 15-minute trip had just been completed when the vehicle was hijacked.
The robbery was the first by hijacking in the firm’s history, said T.L. Bush, vice president and general manager.
The driver of the armored car and a guard were unharmed but were bound by adhesive tape and placed in the rear of the bullet-proof truck.
The driver, C.E Griswold, said he got out of the truck when he arrived at the service center to use a telephone to tell an alarm company that the vault was about to be opened.
Griswold said that’s when he was struck from behind, knocking him to the pavement. He said he lost his eyeglasses and was momentarily stunned.
Meanwhile, a second gunman moved in on the guard, Edgar Strickland, and forced him to open the storage compartment of the vehicle. He said he was then bound and placed on the compartment’s steel floor.
After taking Griswold’s pistol, the gunman who had struck him forced Griswold into the driver’s seat. He was ordered to drive along Houston Street to Jefferson Street. At Adams and Jefferson streets, Griswold said the gunman leaned across and honked the horn twice, apparently giving a signal to an accomplice.
Thereafter, as they rode to Forest Street, Griswold said they were followed by an automobile.
The vehicle stopped in front of 2091 Run St., where nine bags of checks, currency and coins were removed from the armored car.
Griswold said he then was ordered to the back of the vehicle and his hands bound, but the robbers couldn’t secure his feet because they ran out of tape.
A few minutes after the thieves had departed with the loot, Griswold and Strickland were able to free themselves and make their way to a telephone near the crime scene, where they called police.
The FBI was called into the investigation because police believed the amount of money stolen was so great it might be transported across state lines.
After two days of round-the-clock investigation, five people were arrested and charged with the heist.
Police recovered $46,167.90 and accounted for another $5,700 which involved stolen checks and the purchase by one of the suspects of a new automobile. The remaining money was not found.
Key clues to the theft included a fingerprint found on a piece of tape used to bind the driver and the discovery of the cash purchase of the car. In addition, Griswold and Strickland identified two of the suspects in a lineup as the men who hijacked the armored car.
• Small Claims Judge W. Shannon Linning walked out of a County Commission meeting when Commission Chairman Bob Harris charged that Linning didn’t have the facts in a dispute over the expansion of Mayport Naval Station.
The walkout came after the disclosure the County didn’t actually own an 18-acre tract was part of 139 acres the Navy was seeking through condemnation proceedings in federal court.
Prior to a meeting of the commission a week earlier, Linning in a letter asked the commission whether it intended to give the Navy an 18-acre tract described as a County park and playground, which the government wanted for expansion of housing facilities at the base.
Linning told the commission he had petitioned the federal court to allow him to intervene in the condemnation suit to oppose taking of the land.
Linning also asked that he be given notice of any hearing at which the commission would decide whether it would donate the land or ask compensation from the government. He said the County owned the land since 1942 and its value was more than $29,000.
The commission had previously confirmed its traditional policy of donating County-owned land the Navy wanted for expansion purposes. Nothing was said about the 18-acre tract not being County property.
At the meeting the day Linning made his unexpected departure, Charles Boyd Jr., attorney for the owner of the 18 acres, said his client had deeded the tract to the County in 1955 for park purposes with the provision the land would revert to his client if the County did not develop a park on the site.
Boyd said the County made no move to establish a park, so in September 1957, the County Commission by resolution reconveyed the land to his client.
Boyd said his client was negotiating with the Navy for exchange of the land but the talks were disrupted when Linning filed his petition to intervene in the court case.
Boyd asked the commission to authorize County Attorney J. Henry Blount to join in a motion to throw out Linning’s motion in order to clear the record and allow negotiations to resume.
“The petition has no basis in fact so far as we are concerned. If anybody had taken the time to look, Duval County is not listed in the public records as the owner of the property,” said Boyd.
Blount suggested that Linning be asked to appear before the commission and when he did, Boyd repeated his statements, which were confirmed by Blount.
Linning acknowledged he was mistaken about the length of time the County had owned the land. Blount said the judge also was mistaken in the statement that the County was the current owner of the tract.
Linning said that public records showed the County still owned the land and that property taxes had not been paid on it for the past three years. That brought a comment from Commissioner C. Ray Greene Sr. that it was not the commission’s duty to see that a property owner recorded his deed so that property could go on the tax roll.
“Judge, you make all sorts of accusations here and you don’t get the facts. I wish you would get the facts,” said Harris to Linning.
Boyd took the floor immediately to resume his discussion but Linning from his seat was heard to ask Harris: “You want me to answer that or get out of here?”
Boyd continued to talk and then Linning walked quickly out of the room.
Later, Blount declined to join Boyd in any motion to throw out Linning’s petition to intervene. Blount said he would not become involved in the suit unless the court decided to permit Linning to intervene and that no hearing date on the petition had been set.
Linning had led a campaign to give the public more access to oceanfront areas of Duval County. Boyd stated the 18-acre tract in question was about a mile from the ocean.