Guards acquitted in civil rights trial, City officials welcome railroad
Have you ever wondered what life was like in Jacksonville half a century 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 differences may be, so are the similarities. These are some of the top stories from this week in 1960. The items were compiled from the Jacksonville Public Library’s periodical archives by Staff Writer Max Marbut.
• On Monday, U.S. District Judge Bryan Simpson ordered judgments of acquittal for 14 former guards at Raiford State Prison. The guards had been on trial for violating the civil rights of prisoners by inflicting cruel and unauthorized punishments upon the inmates.
The abrupt conclusion of the six-week proceedings came when defense attorneys Chester Bedell, Frank Scruby and Emory Akerman renewed their arguments for acquittal that Simpson had heard at length the previous Thursday and Friday. The judge’s orders concluded the cases against the guards as the government could not appeal a decision in a criminal case.
The jury was out of the courtroom when the final arguments were heard but Simpson called the panel back and explained the reason for his ruling.
He said first that the issue in the trial was not the brutal treatment of prisoners. The issue, said Simpson, was whether or not such treatment constituted a violation of the civil rights of the prisoners as guaranteed by the 14th Amendment of the Constitution and, if it were a violation, had been done by the guards with knowledge and intent.
“A person does not lose all rights guaranteed him by the Constitution when he is lawfully imprisoned, but cruelty alone is not a violation of the 14th Amendment,” said Simpson.
The government, he added, was required to show the exact right which had been violated.
“So far as I know,” said Simpson, “the cruel treatment of a prisoner has not been defined as a violation of civil rights by any court decision or by the Constitution.”
The judge also said it was unfortunate that his ruling, at that stage of the trial, deprived the defendants of a forum where they could tell their side of the story and give their version of the alleged mistreatments.
Before dismissing the jury, Simpson thanked the members for their patience during the trial and also complimented the attorneys on their “decorous conduct of the proceedings.”
In Tallahassee, Gov. LeRoy Collins said the acquittal of the guards could not be interpreted to mean that the mistreatment of convicts was justified or that the guards were wholly faultless.
“Wrong was committed,” said Collins. “Deplorable conditions did prevail.”
• Mayor Haydon Burns and representatives from the Jacksonville Area Chamber of Commerce officially welcomed the Atlantic Coast Line railroad to the city.
They met ACL President W. Charles Rice in his office on the 15th floor of the company’s new 17-story office building on the Northbank (now the CSX Building). Also in attendance for the railroad were L.S. Jeffords, vice president in charge of operations, and Prime F. Osborn III, vice president and general counsel. The city’s delegation also included Charles Campbell, vice president in charge of the South Central Home Office of the Prudential Insurance Co. of America. He headed a special chamber committee in 1955 that helped convince ACL to move its headquarters to Jacksonville from Wilmington, N.C.
Jacksonville was one of 47 cities included in a study made by the railroad before a final decision was made in May 1956.
“We are delighted to have you in Jacksonville and we are very pleased with the smoothness with which the transition was made,” said Burns.
“We are all jubilant to be here,” said Rice, referring to the 950 employees and their families who had relocated. “Everyone is happy. The only complaint I got was from one secretary who needed more space for filing.”
• Later in the week on a local issue, Burns ordered a “stern crackdown” on parking meter violations by City employees not on official business and local residents using out-of-state license plates. He also promised suspensions and firings of meter inspectors and police officers responsible for enforcing the law if they failed to do their duty.
• Although Jacksonville’s population had declined slightly between 1950-1960, municipal occupational licenses indicated a tremendous growth in the number of business and manufacturing concerns and business people over the same period of time.
Figures compiled by the office of Municipal Inspector J. Ray Permenter suggested that while the population boom was in the suburbs, most of the people living outside the city limits “came to town to earn their daily bread” and procure many of the goods and services they needed.
“There will always be a downtown Jacksonville,” said Permenter. “They may slow it down, but they’ll never kill it.”
• The Center Theatre at 32 W. Adams St. opened its box office for the first time with the North Florida premiere of “Ben Hur,” the $15 million film that had earned 11 Academy Award nominations in 1960.
Formerly known as the “Arcade,” the venue had been closed since June for a complete renovation. It was described as “one of the most modern motion picture houses in the Southeast, with a new wide screen, new seats, a new sound system and redesigned lobby and auditorium.”
The film was booked for an indefinite engagement with 10 performances each week.
• Jacksonville University’s first summer commencement exercises were held Sunday at Swisher Auditorium, when 18 seniors graduated.
Fred B. Noble, a member of JU’s board of trustees, gave the commencement address. Diplomas were presented by university President Franklyn Johnson. The charge to the class was given by Carl Swisher, chair of the board.
The ceremony raised the total number of JU graduates to 221.
• State Road Department officials declared that “several big ifs” would have to be solved if University Boulevard was to be four-laned in the next year.
Although $350,000 had been allocated for the project in the department’s budget for the 1960-61 fiscal year, acquisition of the right of way could be a snag, the officials explained.
• U.S. Rep. Charles Bennett was in Jacksonville and spoke at the meeting of the FBI National Academy Alumni. He advocated the use of troops “if necessary” to carry out provisions of the Monroe Doctrine in Cuba.
“We’ll be in a bad way if we allow communism to seize control of that strife-torn nation,” said Bennett.
• The City Council moved to reduce the auto theft rate by enacting an ordinance requiring drivers to lock their ignition switches and take their keys with them when they parked in a public place.
The legislation, which provided for a $5 fine for offenders, was passed at the request of the Police Department on the basis the law would reduce the number of auto thefts by juveniles going on joy rides.
According to one detective, of 100 cars stolen in September, only one did not have a key in the ignition switch.
• An underground natural gas pipeline leak led to an explosion which blasted seven manhole covers from their places and ripped apart a portion of the sidewalk near State and Laura streets.
The blast blew a manhole cover onto a car in the Allen Used Cars lot, causing about $150 damage. A portion of sidewalk about 10 feet square was ripped up and flew into a window at 135 W. State St.
• An outdoor concert by the Starlight Symphonette, featuring Virginia Atter as soloist, was presented on the terrace of the Prudential Building (now the Aetna Building).
Atter sang “You’d Be So Nice to Come Home To,” “Wonderful Guy” and “The Man I Love.”
It was the next-to-last concert of the six-concert season. The final performance would be Aug 25 with the soloist being C. Carter Nice III, son of the orchestra’s conductor.