Streaking Incident Lands Youth in Jail

March 8-12, 1974

Fayette County saw its first streaker on Saturday night at the close of the dance at Tietjen’s Hall at Swiss Alp. Sheriff’s deputies said a young man approached Constable Atlan Gabler at the dance and inquired what would happen if he streaked through the hall. Gabler told the youth he would not let him in the door, but just as the dance was ending, the streaker made good on his promise, scooting through the hall in his birthday suit. He ran out the door, across Hwy. 77 to the Farm Bureau Hall and then back onto the highway, where he was picked up by Constable Gabler. Charged with indecent exposure, the streaker from Duncanville, Texas, was released from jail after paying a fine and costs totaling $59.50.

Bishop John L. Morkovsky of the Roman Catholic Diocese was severely beaten and robbed at his Houston home on North Boulevard. Detectives said when the bishop answered a knock on the front door, two men forced their way in. They beat and robbed the bishop so severely that his left eye had to be removed. During the beating, a gun held by one of the men discharged and the bullet was later found in a wall. A housekeeper witnessed the assault and called police. Bishop Morkovsky was the brother of Msgr. Alois J. Morkovsky, the pastor of Holy Rosary Catholic Church at Hostyn.

A water tank truck owned by Schwab & Mikes Paving of Shiner was stolen from the construction underway on FM 3233 south of La Grange. A short time later, the red Chevrolet was spotted abandoned on the side of Hwy. 77 in the Hostyn area. Sheriff’s officers said a 20-year-old suspect was jailed in connection with the incident.

With the election right around the corner, several last-minute candidates filed for school and city posts. In the contest for the Fayetteville Independent School board, incumbent Robert J. Kovar Jr. would face Alois Keilers. Place 1 on the La Grange Independent School District’s board of trustees was a race between Mrs. John Edward Morgan Jr. and Joe G. Bargas. In La Grange Ward 1, Raymond Zingelmann was running against Mrs. H.C. Paine, and in Ward 4, Ivan J. Fajkus and Emmett Johnson would face off. Place 4 incumbent Schulenburg city alderman Charles A. Eilers was opposed by United Gas Co. representative Alton Hafer.

La Grange’s Leopards, coupled with Kenny Hatfield’s two-bit, seven-strikeout pitching stint, abetted by several fielding errors by the Bastrop Bears, ended in a 9-2 win for the home team. The Leopards opened fast, plating a pair in the very first frame when Garry Dippel and Marcus Cook strolled and both came in on successive boots on chances by Ronnie Sulik and Hatfield. Steve Kovar and Sulik each poled a two-run double in the second stanza to elevate the score to 6-0.

La Grange Leopard track and field team members placed third in the highly competitive Hearne Replays held Friday at Hearne. With 76 points, La Grange finished behind Navasota with 125 and A&M Consolidated in second with 88. Individual placings included: pole vault, Billy Dunk, first, 11 feet; mile run, Clinton Pyburn, second, 4:55; 880-run, Mike Maxwell, second, 2:06, and Mike Michaels, seventh, 2:09; mile relay, Wayne Zimmerhanzel, Robert Poole, Johnny Johnson and Kenny Hatfield, 3:37; long jump, Kenny Hatfield, second, 21 feet 1 inch and Robert Poole, seventh, 19 feet 8 inches.

Funeral services were held for: William J. Ebner Jr., 62, a native of Waldeck; Mrs. Augustina Havelka, 79, of Cistern; August Toll, 56, a native of Fayette County; Mrs. Annie Prihoda, 78, of Fayetteville; and Theo Kovar, 42, a native of Fayetteville.

Kenneth Zapalac of the Ellinger 4-H Club won the grand champion pen of five broilers at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. The fowl sold to Mrs. Edgar Brown of Houston for $7,500.

Round Top-Carmine’s Cubs, District 57-B cage champs and regional runnersup, placed two lads on the first all-district team, and the Fayetteville Lionettes, 57-B finalists, seated three on the mythical all-conference selections. Named to the boys’ first alldistrict team from RT-C were Larry Birkelbach and Gaylon Mueller. Selected for the first girls’ team from Fayetteville were Delia Kulhanek, Wanda Wecheta and Yvonne Fritsch.

Melvin Hollas, a senior agricultural education major at Texas A&M University, was student teaching in the vocational agriculture department at La Grange High School under the supervision of Lorenza Crosby.

Texas-born Ernest Tubb and his band, the Texas Troubadours, were booked for a dance on Friday, April 5, sponsored by Bishop Forest High School at the KC Hall in Schulenburg. Tubb recorded on the Decca label and was

Below are ads from 1974

a member of the Grand Ole Opry and the Country Music Hall of Fame. Advance tickets cost $3.25 and $3.75 at the door.

Gary Ray Bayer of La Grange was listed as an honor student in the College of Pharmacy at the University of Texas in Austin.

Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Zwernemann of Carmine celebrated their silver wedding anniversary at a party at the Round Top Rifle Association Hall in Round Top. Mrs. Zwernemann chose a floor-length gown in off-white knit with a silver leaf floral design created by her sister, Mrs. Milton Neumann of Round Top.

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