-* •* J 112th Year, No: 17 ST. JOHNS, MICHIGAN - THURSDAY, AUGUST 17, 1967 2 SECTIONS - 32 PAGES 15 Cents Murder-suicide ruled in shooting A homicide-suicide label has been pinned on the deaths Monday morning of an estranged St. Johns couple whose divorce Victims had become, final less than an hour before the fatal shooting. The victims of the marital tragedy were: *Mrs Alice Shivley, 25, who was shot through the heart with a 45-caliber pistol bullet. •Russell L. Shivley, 32, who shot himself with the same gun minutes after shooting his wife. He died at Clinton Memorial Hospital about 1 1/2 hqurs after the shooting incident. The scene of the tragedy was Mrsy Shivley's home at 211 E. en name, Alice Hackett. Lincoln Street, at the corner Police reconstructed the of Oakland Street and across events this way. Lincoln from the Federal-Mo­ gul plant. It happened about AFTER LEAVING court in the 11:05 a.m. Monday. divorce hearing Monday morn­ ing, Mrs Shivley —now Alice POLICE OFFICER Lyle Hackett again—was driven home French said Mr Shivley appar­ by her mother, Mrs Ruth Pat­ ently shot himself just as he terson of 1013 1/2 S. Church (French) arrived at the home Street, Police said Mrs Shlv1 in answer to a call about a ley wanted to pick up some shooting phoned in fromtheFed- papers at her Lincoln Street eral-Mogul plant. He found Mr home. Shivley seriously wounded and She got out of the car and lying on the floor of a garage went in the front door* Mrs MRS ALICE SHIVLEY adjacent to -• the i house on the Patterson got out of-'the car east side. to retrieve some papers blow­ French's call for assistance ing around in the yard, and then when hearingthe gun shot brought she heard her daughter scream Clinton County Deputy Fred Cor­ for her. She then heard a pis­ AERIAL VIEW SHOWS DISTINCT OUTLINES OF NEW ST. JOHNS HIGH-SCHOOL* son, and he' found Mrs Shiv­ tol shot. The spaciousness of the new St. Johns High School on Sickles Street shows up graphically in this aerial view of the con­ ley's body on the floor of the When she ran around to the front room on the southwest front of the house, the door struction site. The camera looks northwest toward Smith Hall and the 4-H buildings a't top right, with Sickles Street approach­ corner of the house. was closed and, she assumed, ing from the middle right. The circular clusters in the lower portion of the picture will be academic classrooms, with the Mr Shivley was taken to the locked, so she ran across Lin­ library to be located in the center of the large center circle. Shop areas are at the extreme left in the rectangular area, with , hospital immediately but died coln Street to Federal-Mogul at 12:50 p.m. to summon help. The police were the gymnasium next to jt across the west end. The auditorium is at the right, with the swimming pool behind it in the far north­ Officer French said Mrs Shiv­ called from there, west area. In the circle at the lower right, part of it is covered with black tarpaper preparatory to pour of the concrete floors ley had been granted a divorce' in circuit court Monday morn­ OFFICER FRENCH said the starting Monday. Workmen are progressing on schedule with the high school, constructing the building in an east-to-west ing. She had also been granted call came in at 11:08, and he manner with the idea of .completing the classroom areas first. (Clinton County News photo from an airplane piloted by Charles permission to drop the name arrived at the scene about a RUSSELL L. SHIVLEY Dickinson) of Shivley and to use her maid- minute later, having been pa­ trolling only a few blocks, away. As he got out of the car he heard a pistol shot and saw Teacher Lots of opening day excitement siding splinter on the garage next to the house. Investigation then led to the pay issue » discovery of Mrs Shivley's body and her seriously wounded es­ unsettled 4-H Fair gets start on 'dry run tranged husband. Mrs Shivley was reportedly Negotiations, between the St. shot through the right collar­ Johns Education Assn. and the bone, with the bullet striking school board resumed last week, - The Clinton County 4-H Club Fairgotoffto a good start Mon­ EXTENSION OFFICIALS SIGHED with relief Monday after­ When the other ribbons were found, six of the clipboards her heart and lungs. Mr Shivley with two meetings being held-but day on what looked like the first "dry run" in several years—no noon when four boxes of prize ribbons which had been stolen from turned up inside the boxes that had been pretty much emptied of was shot through the head. no agreement being reached yet. rain I Smith Hall Sunday af ternoon were found scattered along a hedgerow the ribbons. All of the ribbons were recovered, but some are Clinton County Coroner Van There is a strong possibility But the opening 6f the 30th annualfairwas not without excite­ some distance behind Smith Hall. The ribbons included first-, soiled and wrinkled to the point they are not usable. a labor mediator will be called ment. There was the theft and recovery of prize ribbons and a second- and third-place plus state show ribbons. Hoag termed the deaths homi­ Monday afternoon, about 5 o'clock^four St. Johns fire trucks cide and suicide. in to assist with the settlement Monday afternoon fire to keep the opening day crowds buzzing. Seven boxes of the ribbons were taken from Smith Hall Sunday whizzed up to the fairgrounds, sirens blowing, to put out a fire in between the two bodies. Despite the relatively, violent turn of events, the first day of between 3:30 and 6:30 p.m. along with a dozen clipboards ready a tree stump on the far-southwest corner of the fairgrounds. The negotiating teams for both the three-day fair went well. There was no threat of rain at all, for use in the checking-in process that came Monday. Three of Youngsters had apparently started a campfire, and it burned into the board and the teachers have and the sun shone brightly most of the day. The crowd's were good the boxes were found outside the back door of Smith Hall, but the the tree. each made offers which have been sized, good natured and enthusiastic. ^ rest of them'remained "lost" until Monday afternoon. tentatively turned down. Although ONE HUNDRED .EIGHTEEN horses took part in the horse they* aren't far apart, both sides shows Monday and Tuesday, most of them once to make a total apparently are standing firm. of 343 entries. There were 1,700 entries in all the 4-H Fair The teachers were scheduled to Library begins exhibits, broken down as such: meet Wednesday night to hear Muskegon man tots' story hour Dairy 127, beef 41/sheep 25, swine 3, horses 118, poultry a report from their negotiating 17, rabbits 82, crops 38, vegetable garden 198, flower garden team of Bill Swears, Doug Ja- The annual Summer Story Hour 176, town and country 2, passport 1, tractor 11, dog care 3, plnga and Gordon Vandemark. began Tuesday, Aug 8, in the landscape 2, foods 438, clothing 412, knitting 274, handicraft Swears emphasizeditwas strictly new superintendent Children's room of Bement Pub­ 144, electrical 40, conservation 100, entomology 48, photography an Informational meeting to In­ lic Library, and will continue 45, personal improvement 36j home design 9, family living 30, form the teachers of the various every Tuesday at 1:30 until Aug safety 10. positions. at Sealed Power 29. There were two all-star softball games played Monday No figures were revealed per­ evening. In the Green League game, Tom Bullard's squad tromped Larry Sexton, Plant Manager This program is offered at no taining to the wage offers and charge for children who .have Hewitt Van Velsor's team 27-14. In the mite League Manager counter - proposals. The wage of the St. Johns Division of VanVelsor's team came throught with a 13-11 victory over Sealed Power Corp., announced. attended kindergarten through settlement is the last item yet the third grade during the'past Charles Silm's squad. EARLY MORNING FOG to be agreed on between the board -today that Emil Flermoen will 1 be Joining the St. [Johns plant as school -year. Public librarian Here are the results of contests through early Tuesday At 6:30 a.m. sheets of fog, and the teachers. A spokesman superintendent, replacing Ed­ Mrs Hila Bross will be In charge afternoon: waved-their way through the for the teachers said the negoti­ ward Sulka who has accepted a of the story hours. ^^^^ TRACTOR CONTEST: Bruce Harden first, Ken Eldridge mucklands north of St. Johns. ations are still at a point where second, Mike Rummeil third, they -were -before the fiscal re­ transfer to Mexico. Terry Horak of, 9684 Maple Here it rolls up and out of JUNIOR LIVESTOCK JUDGING: Randy Davis first, Sharon Hayworth Creek along US-27 form package was adopted at the Born in Minnesota( Flermoen Rapids Road, Els'le, reported Foster second, Rita Kissane third. state level. •the theft of a mailbox off its and Colony Road, has been with Sealed Power in* HORSE SHOW (WESTERN): The negotiation team for the various positions since 1941. He post in front of his home"last Fitting and showing: junior boys, Bill Patterson first, "Keith Saturday.