Trio Arrested for Daring Daytime Carmine House Break-In
Three Oklahoma men were apprehended and placed in the Fayette County Jail on Saturday afternoon following a burglary at the home of Carmine Mayor and Mrs. Jerry Dean Jacob. The trio, aged 30, 21 and 18, were charged with burglary in Judge A.C. Smith’s Justice of the Peace court. A bond of $10,000 each was set. The chain of events started on Saturday when the subjects drove into the yard of the Jacob’s new home about a mile west of Carmine just off Hwy. 290 at about 2 p.m. The Jacob’s daughter, Sheila, was home alone. When she saw the men get out of the car, she dashed to the bathroom with her telephone, locked the door and called her father, who had just returned from delivering a load of eggs to Houston. Mayor Jacob rushed to the house and shouted that whoever was in the house needed to come out. The three trespassers did, one carrying an almost new automatic sawed-off shotgun. After they rushed to their car and drove off, the trio was pursued by a nearby neighbor, Gary Mueller, who lived with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Elwood Mueller. Meanwhile, Mayor Jacob called the sheriff’s department in La Grange and Deputy Sheriffs C.J. Prilop and Walter Chernosky soon brought the subjects to justice.
Harris County Sheriff’s deputies arrested the security chief of Joske’s, a major Houston department store chain, after a robbery, car chase and shootout on Monday. The suspect, formerly of La Grange, was charged with attempted capital murder of a police officer, murder of a police officer, two counts of aggravated robbery and auto theft. Bonds totaling $61,000 were set.
Salary increases effective the first of the year of 10% across the board for Fayette County officials were approved by commissioners’ court. This included: tax assessor, $10,175, plus $250 annual title fund pay; county judge, county clerk, county attorney, district clerk and county sheriff, $10,175; and county treasurer and county commissioners, $8,900. The new salaries for the justices of the peace were: Precinct 1, $6,563; Precinct 2, $1,827; Precinct 3, $2,559; and Precinct 4, $5,953.
When the Newton Eagles defeated the La Grange Leopards 17-7 at Conroe’s Tiger Stadium the previous Saturday, the Leps’ long-held dream of a 1974 state championship ended. The Eagles advanced to the Class AA high school football finals against Spearman. It wasn’t an easy victory for the number one ranked Eagles, but considering the advantages they had, the miracle was the score was not more one-sided.
Funeral services were held for: John E. Horak, 72, of La Grange; John Cufr Sr., 85, of Fayetteville; Russell Dean Pietsch, 18, of Winchester; Willie E. Stavinoha, 78, of Ammannsville; Walter E. Jacob, 78, of Carmine; and Mrs. (Epay) Gottlieb Pfeifer, 80, of Weimar.
Bruce Williams, Adolph Matocha Jr. and Thomas Matocha were new members of the Arrow – Tonkawa Lodge 99, Boy Scouts of America.
La Grange area farmer Marvin L. Moerbe was reelected for another three-year term on the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service committee. Elmo Pietsch of Warda-Winchester was elected as first alternate and Elton Treybig of Fayetteville as second alternate. Holdover county committee members were: Jerome J. Hrachovy of Hostyn, who was chosen as vice chair, and Roy Lehmann of Warda-Winchester.
La Grange Chamber of Commerce President John W. Bouldin reminded merchants and employees to please park off the Square during the busy Christmas shopping days. Parking areas such as the two banks’ conveniently located lots were available.
The barking of their dogs interrupted Mr. and Mrs. Arnold Kilian of the Winchester community while eating their lunch. When he went to investigate, Mr. Kilian saw the dogs had treed a bobcat in the backyard that weighed 25 pounds and measured 27 inches in length.
A fire destroyed a large barn containing 2,000 bales of hay on the farm owned by the Daniel B. Johnsons of Houston, the former property of R.C. Meiners at Winchester. Although a cow and calf were released from an adjoining pen, the barn’s contents could not be saved. The fire burned throughout the night Sunday.
The children of Mr. and Mrs. Willie Schroeder honored their parents with an open house to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. Willie Schroeder and Miss Hulda Brandes were married at Trinity Hill Lutheran Church on Nov. 27, 1924, by the late Rev. A.E. Moebus. The Schroeders resided in Prairie Valley for many years before moving to La Grange.
John Mode, the son of Mr. and Mrs. W.G. Mode of La Grange and a 1971 La Grange High School graduate, was a member of the United States Military Academy’s championship Lightweight Football Team, which had won its 20th straight victory and fifth consecutive Eastern College Athletic Conference championship.
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