The-Leader_1973-11-08

              FRitPORT
BAlDWIN
ROOSEVELT
MERRICK
FREEPORT^S
oFficini
NEWSPAPER
rftf
38th YEAR NO. 28 FREEPORT/NEWYORKTTO PRICE: 15^ PER COPY
G.O.P. Sweeps Ago/fi
SACRED BEAUTY GONE. Rev.'Tim Peternana Un striped lacket)
I M M dejected al.hi^iti|f^^
Church viiiiiciituftaiiisd haaify damaiS i n a • fir* torly .Monday
morning, / (LEADER Photo^
ir-
Fife Hifs
Presliyteriiins
The Preeport Fire Department
was fighting the fire at 72 Harris
AvenurlseeTiews story) at^:2r
am Monday when IheTalarlipfas^
sounded to go to the Fiirst
Presbyterian: Church on South
Ocean Avenue. When they got
there they found the altar area
ablaze;''" '\]''"''^^' ^^>'/'': \:
. Although the Fire Department
receiyed many calls, it is
believed.thatthe first to spot the
fire was nine-year-old Nancy
Matthews, a resident of IW Smith
Street, adjacent to: the church.
She told THE LEADER that she
was awakened when her dog
began to bark and she heard
sounds of shattering glass. She
looked oiit and saw the flames
coming from the window.
The glass Nancy heard was
that of the priceless stained glass
windows Uiat had been tran­sferred
from the congr^ation's
former site when tt moved into
the present building. The First
Presbyterian Church is one of the
oldest -houses of worship in the
Village.
The altar and Communion
Table were completely charrefc
as were flower stands, linens and
rugs in the firea! While the fire
was contained to the western end
of the building, heavy smoke
damage is appaipit throughout
the Church.' A panshioner said It
was hoped thai the btnlding could
be sufficiently'Cleaned'to allow
services to^be held, thisr Sunday
moming.-^Vi., , \, .-''.
..:/:r/7?.
ONE CHILD DIDN'T JUIMP.
-Shown It the Gold home at 72
Raid Breakis Up
Drug Ring
Nassau County Narcotics
Bureau detectives, headed by
•Captain Daniel Groh, raided the
boarding house at 86 Colonial
Avenue "at %30 am last Friday
and came out with 12 persons who
were subsequently charged" as
• being the prime distributors in
Freeport of marijuana, heroin
and cocaine. Among those
arrested were several who had
been picked up some six months
ago at another house in the area
and were out on bail pending
trial, on probation or on parole.
"Ringleader" of the group,
police say, is Mrs. Johnnie May
Walker who lived in the boarding
hous^, with her ^ornmonrlaw
husband, two Wns, a niece and
her children,: and other relatives.
Mrs. Walker is on public
assistance, A resident In the area
told THE LEADER that the,
Walker family moved in on a
Saturday some months ago and
that burglaries in the neigh­borhood
began the following
Tuesday.
Picked up on Friday, after a
" three-month undercover in­vestigation,
were Mrs. Walker;
Cynthia Powell, 17, and Patricia
Powell, 21, both residents of the
rooming house; Claude Poston,
^"^~5i""Grand Avenue; Nancy
TTiomas, 34, of 43 Queen Street;
Edward Close, 23, 34 Union
_Street;_Jfimmy Worthen, 17, 166
N. Ocean Avenac^—Mmrtair
Staples, 38, and Toni Myree, 23,
(Continued on-Pager2).:r—~
Harris Avenue where an early
Monday morning fire critically
injured eight-year*old Levi Gold
Jr. vtrtien he refused to jump to
safety. He and his father, who
struggle heroically to save him,
suffered burns over 90% of their
bodies. (LEADER Photo)
Father, Son
Badly Burned
A father and his eight-year-old
son -lay near.death at Nassau
County Medical Center as he
went to press with bums covering
90% of their bodies sustained in
the blaze that did extensive
damage to their family home at
72 Harris Avenue at 2:16 am
Monday.
.. li^ccording to a Freeport Fire
Dt^rtment spokesman, the fire
., brok^j^ out In -the. upstoirs .of. the
(twcHStory'dwelling .whe;re Levi
"(Continued on Page 9)
Dr. Caso Not Assffiiated
With (kmnty laii
Dr. George R. Caso, Jr.,
Merrick physician and brother of
County Executive Ralph Caso,
told THE LEADER that, con­trary
to allegations by the
Nassau County Democratic
Comipittee, he is in no way
connected with, nor does he
provide services for a fee to, the
Nassau County Jail.
A paid political ad in last
week's LEADER, prepared and.
provided by the Democratic
Committee, incorrectly listed Dr.
Caso as a paid member of the Jail
staff. Subsequently, the
Democratics publicly apologized
to Dr. Caso for their error.
THE LEADER also wishes to
express its apolo^es to Dr, Caso
for any and all embarrassment
he suffered as a result of our
publishuig the ad,
' ' 1 '•
As we went to press no one hMu^ncedcd, but it was a Republican
sweep according to Freeport results... but no^ as clearly mandated
as in years past. '
Caso earned 4960 votes in his bid to return as County Executive;
Dceley, his Democratic challenger 341S; and independent Biankman;
581, 30 more than Conservatlve-McCloskey; Frceporter Manning on
the Socialist line got 7; and Liberal Harper 119.:
In the Town rare, Republican incumbents Francis Purcell and
Alfonse D'Amato got Identical number of votes for Presiding Super­visor
and Supervisor respectively: 4996. Shulman challcngecTPurcell
on the Democratic line with 3441; Conservative Smith got 414 and
liberal Esrick, ITO. D'Amato's-closest-competltor was Democrat
Mutart with3478; Conservative Harap got 402 and Liberal Dunsay 175.
According to Freeport figures Republicans Bennett, McGinty and
Weisbein won election as Town Councilmen, with votes of 45S5, 4437
and 4254 respectively. Democrats Vlrgona, Kross and Tanner were
next with 3430,. 3584 and 3522. • "
Bennett got 4580 votes to return as Town Clerk on the GOP line.
Democrat Brady got 3489, Conservative Ta880 475 and Liberal Kraus
271. ; -- ' ' .^ '~'y: '--
In the race for Oialrman, Board of Assessors, GOPcr Seldin got
(Continued on Page 12)
ELECTION DAY. Thi^^dl^race to pick Nassau County's Executrvt,'
Hempstead Town's Presiding Supervisor and Supervisor as well as
other county and state-wide positions diid not SMm to be attracting^
a large turnout of Preeporters when-THE-LEAOER^photogropher
visited the Atkinson School polls. „
The mwsday Tapes
From his first appearance on
the. public scene Mayor William
While—adopted an easy-going
"let's^be friends" approach,
which makes him an unusually
candid public official for the local
press. It's worked out well among
Freeport weeklies^ who allow
him • to say much "off the
record," We also understohd that
when he says "I don'lknow," he
isn't being evasive, he really .
doesn't know, but will do his best
to find out from a department
head,'etc,;'.7"\ -v-v-^h-^';-'"';"-;:;:_-';
As we listiBned and fUscussed, ;
with the Mayor for six and a half
hours last Fjiday the three nours
of conversations White had toped
during his recent interview with
New^y, we realized his normal
manner never had a prayer with
Newsday.--•.':-,:;-;-;.'-;,':•: .-y-'^^ V.,
^ e Jeam of reporters had
to Iked with many Freeporters,
including the Mayor's political
enemies, tor over tour months
before tliey requested the in­terview
with him,' They came
equipped with dates and "in­formation"
gleaned from many,.
(At one point in the interview
White said, "It isn't easy when
you fellows know morerthan I
do!") To the local reporters^
listening to the topes last Friday
it was not unlikely that
Newsday's team came with the-articles
already written. What
they needed was a few choice
quotes from him • and t h ^ got
."them. •'.
White, knowing the reporters
were around had even Issued
orders that all Village innployees
were to cooperate i^th them, sat
down with them alone, aplnst
advice, and was never told what
charges ivere being leveled
against him. The topes indicate
that the Mayor was not
misquoted in the Newsday ar^
tides. They do prove that much
that should ha^e been used, in the
interest of fair arid 'accurate
reporting^ was omitted. ;
An example: iSorhe 20 minutes
of the Interview were devoted to
the discunton bf a Ust of local
insurance agents submitted to
the company carryijng the
(Continued on Pa^e 12)
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