News-Palladium, The (Newspaper) - February 22, 1974, Benton Harbor, Michigan WEATHER FORECAST tonight smiy 1 Michigan's Biggest Buy for Reader And For Advertiser FINAL EDITION BENTON HARBOR MICH FRIDAY FEBRUARY 22 1974 PAGES iSc TEMPERATURES MM Fit 11 p.m p.m 12 m 3 12 n High 47 al 2 Law 34 at p.m Boyle Column Ends Today Hal Calls It Quits NEW YORK AP Hal Boyle a byline byword for a generation in w and peace closed out his regular column today for The Associated Press Boyle a Pulitzer Prize winner and a chronicler of the laughter tears in the family of man announced in a column I have to become an intermittent columnist Like an old he wrote I will lay fewer eggs and spend more time brooding Seven paragraphs later the poor man's philosopher said the biggest reason I decided to cut down on my regular output of columns is that I became the first guy on my block to acquire a rare and little known malady amyotrophic lateral sclerosis He identified this rare and little known disease for which there is no cure as Lou Gehrig's which felled the durable first baseman of the New York Yankees after an unprecedented string of consecutive games Boyle wrote JO after an equally unique record columns in 30 years more bylines than any other writer in AP history Both men are remembered not only for their attendance but for their home runs Boyle who was born 63 years ago Thursday in Kansas City the son of a butcher began his career with The Associated Press as a copy boy moved on as night city editor for the AP in New York and went off to war He won a Pulitzer in 1945 as a war correspondent He covered two more wars after that Korea and Vietnam In between which was most of his time he wrote with a gentle simplicity about himself whom his readers embraced as everyman Wes Gallagher president and general manager of The Press said of Boyle's retirement from regular Hal's last regular column today low-keyed and self ing reflects far more eloquently than 1 can the inner strength and courage of one of the finest journalists of our time His journalistic talent has spoken for itself for 35 years in bylines from every corner of the in war and peace His escapades kindness unfailing good humor and wit in adversity are legendary not only in The Associated Press but with fellow journalists at home and abroad Hal's writing to his career today after fighting the ravages of his disease for months leaves us and countless readers who piled his desk with letters with a deep sense of loss Ransom Waiting In Atlanta ATLANTA AP tives of Atlanta Newspapers Inc waited word today on how they should pay the ransom demanded by the abductors of editor Reg Murphy He said in a taped message that he was be- ing held by the American Revolutionary Army William H Fields executive editor of the Atlanta tion and the Atlanta Journal said the ransom would be paid as soon as he is apprised of the method and time Murphy 40 editor of the Constitution said in the taped The American Army as I understand it feels that the American news media have been too leftist and too liberal They intend to do something about that That's the cause for my ab- duction They also tell me that they have representatives in the major American cities that they are quite strong and that they are determined to return the American government to the American people Addressing his message to Jim Minter managing editor of the Constitution Murphy said Jim the demand that they have is a ransom of They understand that I don't have that kind of wealth and they don't make it personally they make it toward the cor- Murphy said that someone in the Atlanta area would be called at random by the kidnapers They will be given the kinds of demands that we're talking about here and they will expect the person who is called to call Murphy said He said kidnapers wanted the money in and denominations packaged in plastic bags They tell me it should not be new currency and it shouldn't have any particular sequence to the serial Murphy See back page sec I col U HAL BOYLE Time To Slow Down I Says Nixon Set Bad Example WASHINGTON AP President Nixon's tax case will cost he U.S government substantial revenue perhaps SI billion because unhappy taxpayers will claim any questionable deduction this year a former Internal Revenue Service chief says Johnnie M Walters who resigned as IRS commissioner last May to practice tax law here said in an interview that public disclosure of Nixon's tax deductions and payments are adversely affecting the system INDEX To Inside Pages SECTION ONE 1 Twin Cities 3 Woman's Section Pages 4 5 Ann 12 SECTION TWO Area 13 14 Farm 17 Comics TV 20 21 Weather 21 Classified Ads Pages 22 23 24 Rare Malady Fails To Dim Famed Wit By HAL BOYLE NKW YORK AP There are times when a man should go full speed and there are limes when he should slow down Uler writing some columns in mure than years it seems to me the time has come to slow doun So from now on 1 have decided to an intermittent columnist Like an old hen 1 will lay fewer eggs and spend more lime brooding Several factors impelled me to this decision First if 1 have failed to make u better world in 30 years perhaps I've tried to rush things unci now need to plan for a more systematic attack Second unlike a dairy cow a daily philosopher is not valued directly by his output Overproduction is undervalued The oracle is best remembered who speaks least If Socrates had not babbled his wisdom like a fountain at every street corner in Athens he'd be better known today as a thinker and drinker of bourbon not hemlock When you bore em you lose em can destroy anybody Think how popular Santa Claus is on Idn 1 Thirdly my conscience began to bother me It takes a lot of pulpwood In print nearly columns in several hundred papers over three decades and my dreams have been haunted by visions of countless denuded hills bare and Am I the kind of man who wants to deforest his native No Nor do I want America left without a tree for lovers to carve heir initials in Finally the biggest reason 1 decided to cut down on my regular output of columns is that I became the first guy on my block to acquire a rare and little known malady lateral sclerosis This is often called Lou Gehrig's disease because it benched a generation ago the famous Iron Morse the first baseman for the New York Yankees It is a mysterious affliction of the spinal cord which cripples a body through atrophy of the voluntary muscles The disease is progressive and terminal within two to five years after onset Its cause is obscure and there is no treatment for it Only two nice things can be said about it It doesn't affect the mind and it is more fatiguing and uncomfortable than painful The irony of it to me is that after surviving three wars without a scratch I come down with an ailment that on the average strikes only one out of every people It is so rare you couldn't a reunion of its sufferers I hate to relinquish my daily column because writing it has been more than bread and butter to me It has been a magic adventure that enabled me to meet thousands of people 67 countries and every continent but the Antarctic I turned 63 yesterday I am somewhat abashed that my wordage output is four times that of William Shakespeare But I savor the fact that it enabled me to have more bylined stories on the main wires of The Associated Press than any other writer in its 126 years I guess this is the place to express my deeply felt thanks to all the readers who through all the years made the journey with me and shored up my spirits with kind letters of cheer suggestion and See vou later REVEALS RANSOM William H Fields right executive editor of the Atlanta Constitution wears a serious expression as he tells of a ransom demand for the newspaper's editor Reg Murphy left I have been kidnaped by the American Revolutionary Murphy said on the tape that was played for the news media Thursday night Fields said the newspaper will pay the ransom as soon as it is appraised of the method and time AP Wirephoto Dr A F Bliesmer Of St Joseph Dies Ready To Launch Food Program Facing New Demands Dr August F Bliesmer re- tired St Joseph physician and a member of the first Lake Michigan college board of DR BLIESMER Civic Leader Williams Jewelers will close tomorrow only at 4 P.M Boot Sate Save to Tacy Saddle Shop Adv Dining Dancing at The Derby South Haven Sat special BBQ Back Ribs with salad bar Adv tees died at 6 today at his home Dr Bliesmer was 70 years old and lived at 2727 drive St Joseph Dr Bliesmer practiced medicine in the Twin Cities 38 years before retiring in October 1972 He also made a mark in education serving eight years on the St Joseph board of education including seven as president and later five years on the board that started Lake Michigan college His other past affiliations included president of the Berrien County Medical society and the St Joseph Kiwanis club membership on the surgical staffs of the Memorial and Mercy hospitals and chief of staff at Memorial board member of the county chapter of American Cancer society the YWCA and Economic Club of Southwestern Michigan Dr Bliesmer was born Sept 10 1903 at New Buffalo He at- tended Michigan State sity and was graduated from University of Michigan Medical school in 1929 He served his in- and residency at University hospital Ann Arbor and his surgical residency at St Luke's hospital Chicago He practiced in Saginaw two See tack page l cd 7 HILLSBOROUGH Calif AP The Hearst family is ready to launch an unprecedented program in the face of new demands from the terrorist kidnapers of their daughter Patricia There was no assurance that the 82 million free food dis- plan starting today would satisfy the Liberation Army which claims to hold the girl as its prisoner of war In a tape recording received late Wednesday and released Thursday the SLA denounced Hearst's effort as throwing a few crumbs to the people The group demanded that another million be pumped into the program to feed needy Californians Only if all its complex new demands are met will the way be cleared for actual tions for Patricia Hearst's freedom the SLA said The SLA leader who calls himself Cinque set a deadline of today for Miss Hearst's father newspaper magnate Randolph A Hearst to set the million food program into motion There was no immediate ponse from Hearst president and editor of the San Francisco Examiner and chairman of the Hearst Corp After pledging the initial million he said there was no more money in the kitty Cinque however accused Hearst of holding back vast sums of the family and Hearst Corp fortune which he claimed amounted to hundreds of RANSOM FOOD PILES A lift truck operator takes a load of food into the storage area of a distribution center in San Francisco Thursday getting it ready for the mass distribution of free food to the needy The food distribution plan was put into operation in an attempt to win the freedom of kidnaped newspaper heiress Patricia Hearst Lift truck is product of Clark Equipment company headquartered at Buchanan Mich AP Wirephoto millions of dollars There was new militancy in the message after a more con- communication last Saturday that raised family hopes for an early release of Miss Hearst The pretty University of California coed was dragged from her Berkeley apartment Feb 4 by two black men and a white woman who fired shots at witnesses A long message from Miss Hearst at the end of recording convinced the top FBI official on the case that she is alive I'm sure she's alive and just hope and pray that she's released safely some time said Charles Bates special agent in charge of the FBI in San Francisco Bates added We have nothing to go on at this point The ninth of 10 specific demands in the carefully read message from Cinque That the total amount of million be allotted to your designated peoples in need or charily organizations within 24 hours of receipt of this order and thai food be available lo the people within one week of receipt of this order Hearst remained in his sion 15 miles south of San Francisco for the second consecutive day Thursday without making a public The manager of the food distribution plan speaking for himself said he was confident the million in food and more would be ob- Washington Secretary of State A Ludlow Kramer added This is in no way implying Mr Hearst will or will not meet the demands The decision has been made to carry out the food bank program he authorized Kramer said he had enough food on hand today to feed persons at four locations in the San Francisco Bay San Francisco Oakland Richmond and East Palo Allo Three more food giveaway stations will be opened over the weekend he said responding to another Cinque demand The SLA repeated its request that anyone seeking food get worth of quality groceries See back page sec 1 ctl 4 NEW RANSOM Abductors of paper heiress Patricia Hearst pictured here in Corfu Greece during a trip last year have sent a new communication to the girl's family according to a spokesman for the family AP Wirephoto
