Alortgeges go uP in smoke —See cover story inst'de 1 « MAY 1964 Volume 8 * No. 3 PUBLISHED BY THE FI.ORIDA SHERIFFS ASSOCIATION AND DEDICATED TO THE ADVANCEMENT OF GOOD LAW ENFORCEMENT IN FLORIDA EDITORIAL BOARD Flanders G. Thompson ..... ......... .... .................Ft. Myers Sheriff of Lee County John P. Hall ..... .... .... ...............Green Cove Springs The Story BehinII the Cover Sheriff of Clay County Don McLeod ...Tallahassee Director, Florida Sheriffs Bureau Ed Btackburn, Jr. .Tampa Sheriff of Hillsborough County George Watts .Chipley Sheriff of Washington County Mort0;a0;es Go up in Smoke Treasurer J. L. McMullen bent over, shoved two pieces of paper into a pot of hot coals, and smoke began to rise. It was a simple ceremony —this burning of mort- marked gages —but an important milestone because it the first time the Florida Sheriffs Boys Ranch had been debt-free in its seven-year history. Live Freedoms Foundation Medal presented to The mortgages were originally negotiated with two the Florida Sheriffs Association for fostering Oak banks in 1957 to provide funds to purchase part of a better understanding of the American Way the 737-acre Ranch site. of Life through creation of the Florida Sheriffs Boys Ranch. John A. Adicks (left in cover picture), vice president of the Commercial Bank; and George W. Harmony, presi- EDITOR dent of the First National Bank, were present to witness Carl Stauffer ................................ .......... ...........Tallahassee the wiping out of the debt on April 5, 1964. Field Secretary of the of cere- Florida Sheriffs Association The mortgage burning was one of the highlights monies held at the Ranch to dedicate a $50,000 residence SUBSCRIPTION PRICE: cottage in memory of the late Hugh Lewis, former Sheriff of $2.50 Per Year Suwannee County; (For further details see pages 2 and 3.) 12 Issues —Photo by Dan Stainer, Live Oak MAILING ADDRESS: P. O. Box 1487 Tallahassee, Florida THE FLORIDA SHERIFFS ASSOCIATION DOES NOT SOLICIT ADV ERT I SING Needs More Men Florida's "Men of the Future" to JACKSONVILLE —It's obvious that Duval County 'Sheriff Dale Carson Address Sheriffs' June Conference needs more manpower. The county patrol averages slightly less than one man per thousand population, whereas MIAMI BEACH —Three key men in Florida's future —the Democratic the national average is 1.9 policemen nominee for Governor, the newly-elected Attorney General and the President- per 1,000 persons. Designate of the Florida Senate —will be the featured speakers at the 51st Duval County comprises 1,584 miles Annual Conference of the Florida Sheriffs Association here June 17, 18 and of county and private roads and 284 19. miles of state roads to be patrolled. The Governor nominee, whose identity will not be known until after the There are 229,286 persons for which run-off primary on May 26, will speak at a "Winner's Dinner" to be held in the 146-man patrol is responsible. his honor on June 18; and State Sen. James the man Road Patrol Chief William John- E. (Nick) Connor, next F. in line for the helm of the Florida will ston said his Senate, address a luncheon meeting on men will cover two million the same date. miles in their patrol cars this year. Citing an example to prove the need The keynote address marking the opening of the Conference on June 17, of additional manpower, Carson pointed will be delivered by the Attorney General —Elect. to the phone burglary problem a few years ago when off-duty men were The three-day conference will be held at the Lucerne Hotel, with Dade switched from day shift to night work. County Sheriff T. A. Buchanan and Lee County Sheriff Flanders Thompson as co-hosts. Break-ins of all types were cut 50 per cent, he said. The patrol is expected to ask for more men in the next fiscal year, be- Brief of ginning in October. The last legislature Summary Program Highlights authorized them to hold a strength of 200 men. TUESDAY, JUNE 16 3:00 P.M. —Registration opens at the Lucerne Hotel. Ex-Sheriff Dies WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17 CHIP LEY —Former Washington County 'Sheriff John P. Harrell, 70, 9:30 A. M; —Meeting of the Board of Directors of the Florida Sheriffs of Lynn Haven, died while visiting Association. relatives near here. 11:00 A.M. —Meeting of the Florida Sheriffs Boys Ranch Board of Harrell was a native of Washington Trustees. Sheriffs County and served as sheriff from 1932 3:00 P.'M. —Opening Session featuring keynote address by Florida's until 1940. He was a former Chipley Attorney General-Elect. Police Chief. 6:30 P.~M. —Hospitality Hour and Buffet Dinner. The one-time sheriff was regarded 8:30 P.M. —Professional Boxing Show at the Miami Beach Audi- as an authority on county history and torium honoring an registered conference guests, current events. In recent years he made with proceeds to go to the Florida Sheriffs Boys Ranch. his home at Lynn Haven, but never lost interest in Washington County where he was on a first-name basis THURSDAY, JUNE 18 with most of the residents. 10;00 A.M. —Business session. 12:30 P.M. —Luncheon featuring address by The Hon. James E. 1Vo Inflation (Nick) Connor, President-Designate of the Florida Senate. KISSIM~MEE—The cost per case handled by Osceola County Sheriff Bob 2:30 P.M.—Business session. Buckel's Department has gone up only 7:00 P.M. —The "Winner's Dinner" honoring the Democratic Nomi- $2—from $22 to $24—in the past 10 nee for Governor. years, although the cost of practically everything else has skyrocketed. FRIDAY, JUNE 19 The sheriff's workload has almost 9:00 A.M, —Breakfast meeting. quadrupled in the same period from 10:30 A, M. —Conference adjourns. 1,145 cases in 1953 to 4,426 cases in 1963. Big Mistake Pro Boxing Show to Benefit Boys Ranch PERRY Two wanted — Tampa men MIAMI BEACH —Dade County Sheriff T. A. Buchanan and Miami Beach in connection with armed robberies in Sports Promoter Chris Dundee have completed plans for a top-flight professional Tallahassee and Bainbridge, Ga., made boxing show to be held at the Miami Beach Auditorium at 8:30 P.M., June 17, a big mistake when they decided to with proceeds to go to the Florida Sheriffs Boys Ranch. stroll around the courthouse square Scheduled during the 51st Annual Conference of the Florida SherifFs Asso- here —within sight of the sheriffs office. ciation, the show will honor visiting Sheriffs and their registered conference guests. Alert Sheriff Deputy Branson Fisher It is expected to be the largest sporting event ever held for the benefit of the spotted the two men and he and Sheriff Boys Ranch; and it will mark the beginning of a continuing fund raising cam- Maurice Linton placed them under paign Sheriff Buchanan has pledged to sponsor in Dade County. arrest. MAY, 1964 Cecil Webb, president of Dixie Lily Milling Co. and a trustee of the Florida Sheriffs Boys Ranch deliv- ered the dedication address. With her sons, Dean and Wendell (right) and their wives looking on, lArs. Lewis unveiled a bronze plague dedicating a $50,- 000 residence cottage in memory of her husband. Suwannee County Sheriff Duke McCa llister greeted visitors on behalf af The Florida Sheriffs Association. THE SHERIFF'S STAR This was the day'. That the mortgages went up in smoke. .. And the name of Sheriff Hugh Lewis Was Added to the Boys Ranch Hall of Fame Over 1,000 visitors were fed a delicious Hugh Lewis would have loved it. barbecue prepared by Suwannee County The Florida Sheriffs Ranch Sheriff Duke McCallister prior to the Boys dedication of Hugh Lewis Memorial Cot- was close to his heart, and if he could tage. have been present on April 5 when the burning of two mortgages made the Ranch debt free for the first time in its history it would have been a thrilling moment for him. Hugh, who died August 5, 1963, while serving as Sheriff of Suwannee County, was the man primarily re- PHOTOS BY. Deputy Sheriff Ralph sponsible for bringing the Ranch to Johnson, Leon County Sheriff's De- the scenic Suwannee River Valley. He pa rtmnet. HUGH lewis. ."A good friend sold his fellow sheriffs on the site, and h l d y g p pi, then labored faithfully to nurse the Ranch project through its trying and sometimes uncertain infancy. In 1957, the year the Ranch was founded, he helped to negotiate mortgages with Live Oak's two banks to provide funds needed to purchase a major portion of the 737-acre site; and these were the mortgages Ranch officials saw Guests were introduced by John A. Madigan Jr., at- go up in smoke at the April 5 ceremonies. Baker County Sheriff Ed torney for the Florida Sher- A modest man, Hugh would have been both proud and hum- Yarbrough, Chairman of the iffs Association. burning to see Boys Ranch Board of Trust- ble if he had been present right after the mortgage ees, served as master of a $50,000 residence cottage dedicated in his memory. ceremonies. The fact that this was the highest honor his fellow-sheriffs could bestow would have impressed him deeply, but there would also have been other thoughts in his mind. Hugh Lewis loved boys. He often dug into his own pocket to help wayward youngsters when a less sensitive officer might have tossed them into jail. Once he found a ragged, homeless boy sleeping in an aban- doned school bus, and sent him out to the Ranch because there was no where else for him to stay.