48 Years Later, Sturgis Man's Death Remains Shrouded in Mystery
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MSU 62, TROY 7 Bulldogs rout Trojans Sports, 1B OTHER SCORES #1 Alabama 31, Colorado St. 6 #6 LSU 35, Auburn 21 #10 Florida 31, Tennessee 17 #9 Georgia 45, N. Texas 21 #5 Stanford 42, #23 Arizona St. 28 #22 Notre Dame 17, Michigan St. 13 ESTABLISHED 1879 | COLUMBUS, MISSISSIPPI CDISPATCH.COM $1.25 NEWSSTAND | 40 ¢ HOME DELIVERY SUNDAY | SEPTEMBER 22, 2013 Eurocopter plant to add assembly line table decrease in work orders U.S. military. With seques- Partial line for AS350 choppers to expand for the UH-72A Lakota heli- tration cuts, those orders are BY NATHAN GREGORY Columbus plant will be up- copters, which the Columbus not guaranteed. [email protected] graded into a full assembly facility also has a full produc- While moves have been line. tion line for. Employees have made to sustain production Eurocopter offi- The upgrade is set to be produced an average of 40 of of the Lakota — such as a re- cials announced Fri- complete late next year. those aircraft for the past sev- cent agreement to manufac- day that the partial The move will preserve eral years but are only con- ture six for the government assembly line for AS350 local jobs. It is also being im- tracted to produce 31 next of Thailand — American helicopters produced at the plemented to offset an inevi- year and 10 in 2015 for the See EUROCOPTER, 3A Resident files complaint with What REALLY happened to state auditor Alleges Noxubee Co. dump truck sprayed Jimmie Lee Griffith slag on private road BY NATHAN GREGORY [email protected] A Lowndes ONLINE County resident ■ COMPLAINT: has filed a com- View the plaint with the resident’s Mississippi Of- complaint filed with the State fice of the State Auditor’s office at Auditor alleg- cdispatch.com ing a Noxubee County employee spread slag on a private road. Al Finch, who lives on Allison Hardy Road in Lowndes County, addresses his complaint to the Noxubee County Board of Su- pervisors. The complaint names supervisor Larry Tate and Bobby Tate, a truck driver for Noxubee county. “Bobby Tate, truck driver for Noxubee County, brought five Courtesy photo loads of gray slag and spread it Jimmie Lee Griffith, right, is shown in this undated photograph with an unidentified man. Griffith, a Sturgis resident, died on Roger Stevenson’s private road on Sept. 24, 1965. His body was discovered on a road and the case has never been solved. which is located off Allison Hardy Road in Lowndes County,” Finch’s complaint states. “Roger Steven- son called and said he gave Tate 48 years later, Sturgis man’s death permission to do this.” Slag is a stone-like by-product of smelting ore, the process of remains shrouded in mystery producing metal. It can react with water when mixed with concrete B Y WILLIAM BROWNING [email protected] Evelett Willis to produce a cementitious surface. talks about her Finch told The Dispatch he STURGIS — late brother, observed the county dump truck Jimmie Lee omething felt wrong. on Stevenson’s property last week Griffith, inside A nagging unrest. A shadow lurking in her hauling the slag with employees her Sturgis mind. She couldn’t figure out what it was. It made spraying it on the gravel road. He S home. Grif- her worry, though, and stayed all day long. said he then approached Bobby fith’s body was This was a Friday nearly a half-century ago. It was Tate and asked him what he was found on a doing before Tate told him he was almost fall, before the leaves turn, and she remembers road on Sept. following his supervisor’s order. her son had a high school football game that night. She 24, 1965. His death has been Finch also noted the driver had a didn’t want to go. Whatever unseen ghost was bother- investigated gate key for the road and that the ing her had not gone away. But she gave in and off they went, a carload of family and friends heading south three times slag was sprayed on two private and has never through Winston County to watch a game. drives. Each Noxubee County been solved. district has its own vehicles and See MISSING, 6A Micah Green/Dispatch Staff See COMPLAINT, 3A WEATHER FIVE QUESTIONS CALENDAR LOCAL FOLKS 1 Larry David’s real-life wife was Tuesday through Saturday, speakers at the 25th annual Eudora named Laurie, but what was her name Welty Writers’ Symposium (Oct. 24- on Curb Your Enthusiasm? Sept. 24-28 26). Bring lunch at 11:30 a.m. and 2 The postman in the film Il Postino ■ Possum Town Storytelling Festi- socialize; iced tea provided. Or join delivers mail to what exiled poet? val: Internationally known storytellers friends from noon-1 p.m. for the pro- 3 What’s the largest of the Midwest’s Len Cabral, Carmen Agra Deedy and gram. For more information, contact “Quad Cities”? Kuniko Yamamoto weave words into the library at 662-329-5300. Maris James 4 Two Arab nations, Iraq and Qatar, magic at the second annual Possum have the letter Q in their names. What Town Storytelling Festival presented Fourth grade, Annunciation two African nations do as well? Thursday, Sept. 26 5 In 1936, who asked a police officer by the Columbus Arts Council. Pro- ■ History and Traditions of SEC High Low at L.A.’s train station, “Is that a gun in grams for all ages will be presented Football: This fundraiser for the 81 53 your pocket, or are you just happy to at the Rosenzweig Arts Center, 501 Mostly sunny and cooler Mississippi State Wesley Foundation see me?” Main St., in Columbus. Ask about the Full forecast on features SEC historian Dr. Mark Wind- storytelling and origami workshops. page 2A. Answers, 6D ham from 6-8:30 p.m. at the First For information, contact the CAC, 662- United Methodist Church. Food and 328-2787 or visit columbus-arts.org. fellowship is 6-7 p.m.; Dr. Windham’s presentation is 7-8:30 p.m. Tickets INSIDE Wednesday, Sept. 25 are $25, available through Sept. 18 ■ Table Talk: Dr. Kendall Dunkelburg, at the FUMC office and Wesley board Larry Cantrell works for Ca- Classifieds5D Obituaries 8A Mississippi University for Women members. Call 662-323-1778 for dence Bank in Columbus. 134RD YEAR, NO. 165 Comics Insert Opinions 4,5A professor of English, previews the more information. DISPATCH CUSTOMER SERVICE 328-2424 | NEWSROOM 328-2471 2A SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2013 THE DISPATCH • www.cdispatch.com DID YOU HEAR? SAY WHAT? ‘The American people don’t want the government shut down, and they don’t want Obamacare.’ Sunday House Speaker John Boehner. Story, 9A. ASK RUFUS AP Photo/AMC, Gene Page This publicity image released by AMC shows Danai Guri- ra as Michonne in a scene from the series “The Walking Dead,” returning for a fourth season on Oct. 13. Danai Gurira reveals little about ‘Walking Dead’ THE ASSOCIatED PRESS many fans are asking whether romance will NEW YORK — Asked bloom for Michonne and about the upcoming sea- Sheriff Rick Grimes (An- son of “The Walking drew Lincoln). Dead,” Danai Gurira goes “We know from the silent. comic books even that When prompted again, these two characters do she breaks into laughter: develop a connection. “I’m thinking. How I’m How exactly that plays going to answer without out — I don’t know — saying anything?” we’ll have to all see,” she The actress, who will says. mark her second full sea- Gurira is also starring son as the machete-wield- in “Mother of George.” ing fan favorite Michonne The film is the story of when the AMC show re- a woman from Nigeria’s turns Oct. 13, is still fig- Yoruba tribe who moves uring out how to dodge Courtesy photo to Brooklyn, N.Y., to mar- A photo of an Army Air Corps dance at the City Auditorium 70 years ago. It was possibly the 1943 graduation questions about what will ry her intended and the dance for pilot class 43-B. The City Auditorium is now known as the Trotter Convention Center and was the site happen so she doesn’t re- hurdles she faces as part of Friday night’s Air Force Birthday Ball. veal plotlines. of the traditional Yoru- Gurira doesn’t let on ba New York community much about the new sea- when she doesn’t become son, although she says pregnant. The 70-year-old roots CONTACTING THE DISPATCH Office hours: Main line: n 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon-Fri n 662-328-2424 of the Air Force Ball HOW DO I ... Email a letter to the editor? riday social activity of the Columbus dances over 70 years. n [email protected] Report a missing paper? night during World even appeared in the While the Air Force War II were n 662-328-2424 ext. 100 Report a sports score? F the Illustrated Magazine Ball was a delightful Trotter dances. in London, England, in n Toll-free 877-328-2430 n 662-241-5000 fun-filled evening there Convention With so May of 1943. It was a n Operators are on duty until remains the realization Submit a calendar item? Center was many of the hoopskirt party and the 6 p.m. Mon.-Fri. and 6:30 - that there are airmen n Go to www.cdispatch.com/ filled with young men photo’s caption read, 9:30 a.m. Sun. from the base in harm’s community our nation’s of Columbus “They danced rumbas way deployed to the enlisted in the Buy an ad? 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