The Greater Avoyelles Journal from Marksville, Louisiana • 1

JJisJ frfttal Patron Local I)tid, Goudeau, Hamtiurgj SERMNG THE PEOPLE OFi Batchelor, Belledeau, Big Bend, Blue Tomi, Bodoc, Borodino, Uord. lonvillc, Bu.ik.r. illc. otlonport, Dupont, ho, Effie. F- fll flier 10803 1 5- Baton ra S3 ASSOCIATION R-IST I Pot-Uge icdmlria, I a.

71501 Permit No, 65 1 Copyright 181 20t 253-5413 June 2, 1981 Greater Avoyelles i la .2 i jj La Bonne Gazette des Avoyelles Vol. 3, No. 32 1 I i I 1. 1 JLI -J I Johnson Settlement, Juneau Settlement, Kleinnood, Ullorth. Longhridge, Mansura, Marks ille.

Monela, Moreau Nonna. Uke Pearl, Naples, North Point, )d. ntmrg. Plau. HeiIle Red Hsh Bexiner.

Simniesport, Vick oorhies, wmwiwpt Plea bargains Journal TP cn ip UAiJJ-IL life ft 4 entence for two si a yin gs 1 vr I i 4 Yi. 'Ms--f. jfoAfcsstfv, iifiliMflifiM it'n'hiwa Firmen battle the blaze which de- Downtown Chief Ned Bor- the two buidlings to save the old pre stroyed the old Cappel-Neck home near delon at left enters between World War One hospital at left. Two men charged with arson and burgulary Avoyelles District Attorney Eddie Knoll made a plea-bargaining agreement with two of the five men arrested in the barroom slayings which has sent them to prison to life, with no chance of parole, pardon, or suspension of sentence. The two Alexandria Black males escaped the threat of the electric chair, as Knoll after talking with the families was going for the death penalty, in exchange for life imprisonment.

George Taylor, 23 and Solomon Williams, 19, pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder, one count of attempted first-degree murder and one count of armed robbery int he slaying deaths of two nightclub empolyees. Three other men were also charged in the slayings, and will stand trial Sept. 7. The five were charged with entering the Point After Club in Gum Ridge North of Marksville andopened fire with shotguns about 2 a.m. on Valentines morning.

Club owner David Jackson was injured and employees Percy Pierite, 43 and Robert Simon, 25 were killed. Some women in the lounge were robbed. Judge James N. Lee sentenced the two men last week to two consecutive terms of life imprisonment for the Wootan new in rf Gene Wootan New Manager of Marksville T.G.&Y. Observations By RANDY DeCUIR By Journal Editor 3rd Avoyelles lost its third historic building due to arson last week in the past two years.

The Chenevert Store in Plaucheville, built in the 1890s and the old Dr. Fox home in Moreauville were also victims of the torch. What makes these type place js so vulnerable is that they are all dried out wood structures, and are 'often vacant. And in the case of the two houses, both would have probably been restored as there were persons interested in each home. Now they are lost forever.

Suprised About 8:30 the morning after the fire, we brought the photos of the fire over to Sookie Roy to get his 'reaction for the front page story. I was in for more of a suprise when I handed Sookie the pictures of his house that had burned. What house? he snapped at me with his eyes wide open. Then I realized he did not know about the fire and told him about it. It seemed ironic.

The night before he had hosted a workshop for geneaology and history buffs in Mansura. And the same night he lost one of the more asthetic homes in Avoyelles. Tin 1 We could have sold a truck load of used tin, we know now, after a classified ad we place in the Journal last week brought in a flood of colls all week long. Th phone began ringing at 7:30 a.m. the morning the paper came out and we lost count aft er about 25 calls on Thursday.

Now I know what the people who brag about our classifieds are talking about. Is published every Tuesday by Randy DeCuir and Associates at 100 North Main St. Marksville, 71351 Phone 253-5413 Subscriptions Per Year On established bulk mail or motor carrier routes in Avoyelles, Point Coupee, St Landry and Rapides. $8.00 Addressed with label in Avoyelles $10.00 Addressed with label outside Avoyelles $25.00 Bunkie Jaycees Ronnie Johns, 31 year old pharmacist of Bunkie, has been elected as State President of the Louisiana Jaycees at their annual convention in Lake Charles. Johns is the first person from Avoyelles to serve as president of the 61 year old state organization.

He won easily on the first ballot as he tallied the 188 votes necessary to win. He won over two other candidates, one from Baker and one from Slidell. Johns easy success in the election came after much planning and hard work. He tried to visit most of the states 170 chapters, covering some 10,000 miles during his campaign, TV O' 4 'K A i two chimmneys soaring some 40 feet high. Two men have been arrested and charged with the burning and a nearby burgualry.

the same time as the fire. Her brother, Willie Ducote inspects from inside. Annie Descant, Amy Childress, Liz Willis, Monica McCoy, Shannon Willie, Mary Stacy, Leslie Lemoine, Joy Fletcher, Landry Carr, Also Scotty Chemino, Livy Dear, Rosie Fanara, Ann Pitts, Michelle LaFleur, Julie Juneau, Jane Britton, Chris Bordelon, Mark Charrier, Brady Kojis, Lee Tracy, Rhett LaFleur, Scotty Nicholson, Derek Descant, B. Tracy, Shannon Willis and Debbie Childress Journal Photos by Randy DeCuir Two Black males have been charged with the arson fire of a historic Marksville home and with the burgulary of a downtown jewelry store. Jerome Thomas, 26, and Lucius Scott Williams, 28, both of Marksville were arrested within hours after flames destroyed the turn of the century Victorian Cappel-Neck home 'early last Friday morning.

They were each charged with simple arson in connection with the fire of the vacant house and with simple burglary and theft of some $500 of merchandise from Ductoes Jewelry, according to Police Chief Earl Greenhouse. The two were booked and placed in the Avoyelles parish Jail Friday under $15,000 bond each. The fire whistle blew at about 2 a.m. Friday to wake up the volunteer fire department staff to the scene of the fire which engulfed the all wooden structure in a large blaze which lit up the lower downtown area of Marksville. At one point, after a broken fire hose hampered volunteers for a few moments, the adjacent building caught fire, but Fire Chief Ned Bordelon ignored sparking power lines and the intense heat between the buildings and walked between them to douse the spreading fire.

Mansura firemen assisted the three Markville trucks in the hour long blaze which they had under control by $3 a.m. The building Bordelon saved was the first hospital in Avoyelles, built about 1919 by a man and wife doctor team -t he Drs. Kiblingers who operated the Markville Sanitariun for several years. The two buildings in recent years had been used as apartments, but had been vacant for about a month, as Roy prepared to sell them, apartments. Proerty owner A.

J. Sookie Roy told the Journal that he was planning to sell the old home to be restored, and there were several interested parties wanting the home. The old home was once a showplace with fine woodwork carvings, intricate designs in the mantel peice and staircase. The old home was budt by the Cappel family near the turn of the century across from the Daughters of the Cross Convent. The Ulrick Neck family lived here for many years after they bought it from the Kiblingers.

Mrs. Neck was featured in the Journal last February when she reached the age of 100. She still resides near downtown. Firmen had the fire under control by 3 a.m. Then the report came from Terry Glory that her store, Ducotes Jewelry, had been broken into.

One of the front planes of glass had been smashed for entry. Just three hours later, police made the first arrest, of Thomas. Williams was picked up about 2:30 p.m. that day. The investigation was conducted by the staff of the Marksville Police Department assisted by State trooper ClTL' i D--ereaux Part of tb L' cotes Jew elry merchandise was recovered.

The investigation continues, Greenhouse told the Journal. murder charges, 99 years for the armed robbery, and 50 years for the attmepted murder. Knoll said the evidence against the two was strong, and there was a very good chancd they would have been convicted and sent to the death chamber. Thats what prompted the pleas, Knoll said. The District Attorney said he consulted with the families of the deceased and they agreed wit the plea bargaining arrangement.

They had originally agreed to seek the death penalty for the two. Motorcycle riders club being organized here The first meeting of the Avoyelles Parish Cyclers Club (APCC) will be held tonight, Thursday, June 27th at Macs Exxon in Marksville. Anyone wishing to join is invited to attend. The group plans to sponsor tours, poker runs, barbecues, picnics and parties for biking enthusiasts. The object of the group is to promote cycle safety on rural and public highways, according to Roy Coleman, organizer of the club.

The group is non-profit. manager at Marksville Gene Wootan is the new manager of' the T.G.&Y. Family Center in Marksville. He comes to Avoyelles from the Baker Store to replace Jack Trahan who has been managing the Marksville store for the last seven years. Wootan took over duties at Marks-villes largest store last week.

He is the fifth manager to run the store since it opened 12 years ago. Wootan told the Journal he was looking forward to living in Avoyelles, close to his hometown of Alexandria. He is a graduate of Bolton High School and his parents now reside in Pmeville. The new manager has a claim to Avoyelles as his wife, Deanna, was raised in Mansura and graduated from Mansura High School. Gene and Deanna have four children, and they are looking for a house to settle in the Marksville area.

crisscrossing the state several times. During his ten week campaign he managed to visit 120 chapters. The Bunkie native has served as president of the Bunkie chapter in 1976-77, and as a district director for the State Jaycees in 1978-79. Johns told the Journal he wished to thank the people of Avoyelles for their support, and added that parish chapters in Hessmer, Marksville, Moreauville and Simmesport also helped. Johns is a pharmacist with Waynes Pharm-a-save and Gibsons Pharmacy in Marksville and Davis Drug in Simmesport.

as a new state. Oklahoma is a first time out for John Bowie of Bunkie who portrays the conniving, romantic character of the peddler. Ricki Tingle, whose hobbies include photography and hunting, also makes his first appearance on stage in Oklahoma as Curleys counterpart in the famous Dream Ballet. Lisa Roy of Marksville is Ado Annie; Steve Pearce of Evergreen is Will Parker. Rusty Lemoine of Cottonport, a veteran of the theatre, is Ike Skid At day break Friday, all that was left of the once grandeur turn of the century showplace home was the burned skeleton of the bay window and man elected state president Oklahoma staged in Bunkie this week Si xr's Ronnie Johns First Avoyelles Jaycee State President Theatre des Bon Tempts.

The opening night performance will be held for the theatre members only. The June 5 and 6 performances will be open to the public. Cast in the main roles for the Rodgers and Hammersteins Oklahoma are Judy Descant of Bunkie as Laurey, and Matt Deshotel as Curley. Matt returns to the stage after his fine performance as Billy Bigelow in Carousel last year. Edmond St.

Romain is Andrew Carne, his wife Betty is Aunty Eller in this toetapping, thigh slapping musical set in the cornfields and plains of Oklahoma Terry Glory points out a chip mark in the glass of her store, Ducotes Jewelry which as burgularized about more, and Art Pitts is the rough and misunderstood Jud Fry. Giggling Gertie Cummings is played by Kathy Glenn and Cord Elam is E. J. Descant of Bunkie. Tickets for the June 5 and 6 8 p.m.

performances are available from any cast member and will be on sale at the Baily Theatre nightly at rehearsals. Admis-wn $55 for adults, S2.50 for children. The chorus group include Ginger Gremillion, Donna Rabalais, Pat Reynolds, June St. Romain, Ginger Hines, By RACHEL LEMOINE Versatility and comraderie are two traits that have always been descrip-' tive of the Avoyelles Little Theatre group and its members. Over the past I two months the group has been diligently preparing for the summer 1 1981 production of Oklahoma.

The June 4 opening night of Oklahoma will be a double celebration, for it will mark the culmination of three years of effort that went into acquiring the old Baily Theatre, under Linda Bordelon's administration, securing grant money, raising funds and renovating the building as a home for Le i.