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 1965. The items were compiled from the Jacksonville Public Library’s periodical archives by Staff Writer Max Marbut.
A petition was filed in Circuit Court seeking to remove County Commissioner Bob Harris on a charge he did not report expenses incurred during his 1964 campaign for re-election.
Harris denied the claim and labeled the petition as a political smear disguised as a legal action intended to discourage him from seeking office in 1966 as state treasurer and insurance commissioner.
“The timing comes as no surprise to me,” Harris said.
The petition was filed by attorney John Duss on behalf of John Johnson Jr., a Post Office Department employee, and William Watkins, who identified himself as office manager for a firm dealing in portable toilets.
Named as respondents were Harris and his brother, John Harris, the commissioner’s campaign treasurer.
The petition said the Harris brothers reported $13,500 in contributions for the primary and general election and $13,465.23 in expenditures. It went on to claim there were additional expenditures totaling $13,986.37 that were not reported.
If the court were to determine the law on campaign expenditures was violated, the certificate of the officeholder would be revoked. In such a case, however, the officeholder would continue to serve until an appeal was decided by the state Supreme Court.
The alleged unreported expenditures were for campaign booklets and advertising placed in The Florida Times-Union, Jacksonville Journal, Florida Star and Chronicle and for advertising on billboards and buses.
“This is nothing more than a cheap, tawdry and unethical attempt to use the courts as a sounding board for a political boondoggle and discourage me from seeking higher office,” Harris said.
“The records of my campaign expenditures are open to public inspection and have been since last year. If there had been any wrongdoing, I’m sure our very competent and honorable state attorney, Mr. William A. Hallowes, would have taken an interest and done something about it during the year since the 1964 political campaigns were completed,” he added.
The suit was assigned to Circuit Judge Charles Scott for disposition. No hearing date was set, pending a formal response from Harris and his brother.
• A man convicted of rape in Jacksonville who was facing the electric chair lost an appeal to the state Supreme Court when justices agreed the prosecutor’s description of him as a beast and a vulture were correct.
James Collins was convicted in Circuit Court of raping a 12-year-old girl in her home on June 25, 1964. The Supreme Court said the evidence of guilt was overwhelming.
Records showed Collins, while his victim’s mother was attending night school, broke a screen door to gain entrance to the house. He forced the child to cook food for him, then forced her into a bedroom, tore off her clothes and assaulted her, including choking the child when she began to scream in addition to raping her.
The opinion, written by Circuit Judge C. Pfeiffer Trowbridge of Stuart, said the sole point on appeal involved the effect of certain remarks of the prosecutor in his final argument to the jury.
Those included the phrases “cruel human vulture,” “vile creature” and “beast,” which defense counsel did not object to at trial but urged as fatal error in the appeal.
“Certainly the form of securing sexual satisfaction demonstrated here is cruel, is vile and is that of beast, not man. And certainly, too, a beast who rips and tears in the satisfaction of a hunger may well be characterized as a vulture,” Trowbridge wrote.
• Jacksonville residents who supported U.S. actions in Vietnam would have an opportunity Thanksgiving morning to express their feelings in a “Victory in Vietnam” parade.
Mayor Lou Ritter signed a Junior Chamber of Commerce resolution urging people to join the march at 9:30 a.m. in the city parking lot.
Jaycee President Jake Godbold said the short parade would end in Hemming Park where Catholic, Jewish and Protestant prayers would be offered for members of the U.S. armed services.
He urged marchers to wear suits and carry Bibles.
“There will be no bands or shouting — just a simple march to give thanks to our men in Vietnam. A color guard will lead the way,” Godbold said.
He and Ritter said the parade could serve as a response to the “small percentage” of Americans who were protesting U.S. involvement in Vietnam.
The Jaycees also announced plans for a “Freedom Train” leaving Miami on Dec. 3 headed for California via Philadelphia.
Jaycee organizations along the route would collect toys, food and clothing to send to Vietnam by Christmas so soldiers could play Santa Claus, said Godbold.
The project was a joint undertaking of the Jacksonville, Jacksonville Beach and West Duval Jaycees.
• The Local Government Study Commission of Duval County went into action by hiring a director and appointing an attorney.
Named director of the organization was Lewis Hester, a former investigator for the U.S. Department of Labor. He would be paid $1,000 per month during the life of the commission, which would expire in April 1967.
Jack Chambers of the law firm Mahoney, Hadlow, Chambers and Adams was appointed attorney for the commission. He would serve without compensation.
J.J. Daniel, commission chair, set Dec. 13 for the first meeting of the 50-member commission.
• City Utilities Commissioner J. Dillon Kennedy was concerned over the depth of the St. Johns River channel for tankers carrying fuel oil to serve the new $30 million Northside Electric Generating Station.
The commission approved a letter to Col. Robert Tabb, district engineer of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, expressing hope that the old 30-foot channel would be maintained to navigable depths.
Kennedy said it was his understanding that the proposed 38-foot channel deepening project approved by Congress included a provision the Corps would maintain the old channel at navigable depths.
Maj. George Harmon, deputy district engineer, said the project did not provide for maintenance of the old channel. He also said the 38-foot project was authorized by Congress, but funds had not been appropriated.
• The Federal Aviation Agency announced the radar at Cecil Field Naval Air Station was obsolete and would be replaced in 1966 with a better system.
The new equipment was one of 20 Airport Surveillance Radar systems purchased under a $2.6 million contract with Texas Instruments Inc. of Dallas.
An agency spokesman refused to comment on the “obsolete” designation given the Cecil Field system, but said the new equipment would have a 60-mile range and provide more effective tracing of moving objects.