Prison guards on trial in federal court, new presiding judge for Fourth Judicial Circuit
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.
• Fourteen former guards at Raiford State Prison went on trial in federal court in Jacksonville on charges they violated the civil rights of prison inmates by inflicting cruel and unauthorized punishments upon them. Twenty-three indictments alleging such violations were returned against the guards by a U.S. grand jury in December and two of them, charging conspiracy, named all the guards as defendants. The others charged specific guards with inflicting unauthorized punishments on named prisoners.
The cases were presented to the grand jury by John Murphy, chief of the litigation section of the civil rights division of the U.S. Department of Justice. He would direct the prosecution of the cases, which had been consolidated for trial.
The government was expected to call 70 witnesses, including 50 prisoners who were being held at Raiford or in road camps in various sections of the state.
James Henry Dunn, the former guard captain, was represented by attorney Emory Akerman from Orlando. Dunn’s former lieutenant, Earle Leslie Chesser, was represented by Frank M. Scruby of Orange Park, Chester Bedell had been retained by the state to represent the other defendants.
• Circuit Court Judge Edwin L. Jones succeeded to the presiding judgeship of the Fourth Judicial Circuit, taking over the duties from Judge Charles A. Luckie, who had served as presiding judge for 12 months. The circuit’s presidency alternated among the circuit’s eight judges.
Jones was elected to the circuit court bench in 1950 and had served in that post without opposition. He was a Duval County Criminal Court judge from 1946 until his election to the circuit bench.
A native of Cordele, Ga., Jones was admitted to the Georgia Bar in 1933 and the Florida Bar in 1935, when he began practicing law in Jacksonville. He received law degrees from the Atlanta Law School and the University of Florida. Jones also served as a tax attorney for the City of Jacksonville from 1935 to 1938.
• Also from the Circuit Court: The impending appointment by Gov. LeRoy Collins of three new Circuit Court Judges was predicted to create a financial crisis for the Duval County Commission.
Word from the governor’s office of the planned appointments combined with recent action by the Budget Commission to cut appropriations for courthouse expansion in 1960-1961 created the problem of where the money could be found to build additional courtrooms and office space for the new jurists.
A special committee headed by County Attorney J. Henry Blount was instructed to appear before the Budget Commission to request as much as $250,000 in the new budget for the expansion work.
Blount had already told the commissioners the first call on County funds was for carrying out governmental functions and the courts were a major part of those activities. He also said it was “incumbent on the commission” to provide for the new judges.
When the tentative population figures derived from the 1960 U.S. Census were released, it became apparent that three new judges would have to be appointed for the tri-county circuit. Florida’s Constitution required that a circuit judge was to be appointed for each 50,000 of population or major fraction thereof.
In a letter to the County Commission, William Durden, the governor’s executive assistant, stated, “I do agree, as does the governor, that such a development as we have here may require legislative and possibly constitutional revision, but so long as the provisions referred to are in the books, we feel that they should be followed.”
Collins would leave office in January and was empowered to appoint the new judges. If he did not, it was noted, the appointments would be made by his successor, opening up the political implications of the timing of the appointments.
• City Council member Ralph Walter strengthened his already powerful role in City government by taking over leadership of the City Council and the City Pardon Board.
As the newly elected and installed council president, Walter appointed himself chair of the Laws and Rules Committee. He also named himself a member of the Public Service and Motor Transportation Committee, which dealt with the Jacksonville Coach Company, which had a monopoly on local bus service.
Walter took over the gavel from outgoing president Clyde Cannon, who received a set of silverware from the other council members.
Also taking office were W.O. Mattox Jr., vice president; Brad Tredinnick, floor leader; and James Peeler, chaplain.
In a statement following his installation as council president, Walter said he hoped the line could be held on City taxes in the next year.
• A man who police said had been despondent for a long time leaped to his death from the Mathews Bridge. His body was recovered about five hours later.
James Palmer Mattox, 51, of 1755 Southside Blvd., was the first person known to have committed suicide from the bridge. Police reported only one previous attempt after the bridge was dedicated in December 1952.
Sgt. J.M. Parker of the City homicide squad said a station wagon with its lights burning and motor running was found about 4 a.m. just east of the steel grating near the center of the bridge. Following a check of the vehicle’s ownership, it was determined Mattox had borrowed the car from a relative.
• The population of the Jacksonville Zoo increased when a white-tailed deer and a fuzzy white elk were born there.
Parents of the elk were purchased in 1959 in California from the ranch of the late William Randolph Hearst for $1,350. The California herd was the only one in the United States.
A 4-year-old puma also arrived at the zoo. It was formerly the pet of a Daytona Beach resident, who sold it for $175.
• The Argyle Line inaugurated a weekly sailing from Jacksonville to the Bahamas. The merchant vessel “Hester” would make the run from Jacksonville each Monday with stops in Miami and Nassau and Freeport in the Bahamas.
The ship would not carry passengers, according to representatives of Kaufmann Shipping Company, local agents for Argyle.