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Letter to the editor

1948: WWII veterans warned about drinks

By TERESA BLACKWELL, Times Staff Writer
Published October 14, 2007

Oct. 9, 1948

CLEARWATER - Three veterans of World War II were given another chance by Circuit Judge John U. Bird in criminal court here yesterday to extricate themselves from the toils of alcoholism as probation officers pointed to the need for corrective treatment by the veterans administration to save ex-GI's with combat experience from turning to booze to ease battle-twisted nerves.

Each of the three ex-servicemen has seen much battlefield service, two in the south Pacific and the third in the European sector. Two were paroled on charges of passing bad checks, the third for stealing a watch from a friend. Judge Bird lectured the veterans sternly before meting out mercy, warning the defendants, all men in their 20s, that continued drinking will mean revocation of paroles.

Parole commission investigators report the number of veterans falling afoul of the law because of alcoholism seems to be gaining steadily. Interrogation of the ex-servicemen usually shows them to be survivors of tough fighting.

Whether the condition now existing in Pinellas County law enforcement circles is present in other sections of the nation cannot be determined. However, officers said recent bulletins from other parole boards show a sharp rise in convictions caused by excessive drinking.

"Inasmuch as alcoholism is a disease," said a Florida parole commission investigator," it would seem that the U.S. veterans administration could establish hospital wards in which these youngsters could be treated before they get into trouble."

Oct. 8, 1936

Pastor: Communism, socialism No. 1 menace

DUNEDIN - Communism and socialism are the most menacing of all evils today, existing "in the very bloodstream of the nation," the Rev. Dr. W.A. Thurston declared at a meeting in Dunedin.

Dr. Thurston, pastor of Central Baptist Church, addressed the Pinellas County Baptist Association on "the tangled mass of moral, civic and social issues."

"Civic righteousness, the saloon, the one-armed bandit, the social evil, the degradation of the cinema and the invasion of the Lord's day by the motion-picture show - none are more menacing than socialism and communism," he said. "Communism is more than a boil or carbuncle on the body politic. It is not a superficial malady. It is in the very bloodstream of the nation. Our children are being taught the ideals of revolution."

Oct. 8, 1924

Parking problems cause conundrum

CLEARWATER - "We must do the best we can, and put up with some inconveniences while the roads are being finished," County Commission Chairman E.H. Beckett declared at yesterday's meeting, in answer to complaints about detours in northern Pinellas County.

Mr. Peacock, representative of interests at Oldsmar, asked that lights be placed on the bridge across the head of Old Tampa Bay. The board appeared to be favorable to the idea of lighting the Seminole and Safety Harbor bridges and asked Mr. Peacock to submit his proposition in writing.

Then Chairman Beckett burst out with the declaration that fishing from bridges should be prohibited. He told of an incident at Tarpon Springs in which an angler left a large catfish on the deck of a bridge and a passing motorist suffered a puncture from the horns of the "cat." The fish fastened itself to the tire, so there could be no argument about the matter.

This brought up the question of parking on bridges. Assistant Engineer Evans said there should be no parking anywhere on paved county roads. The commissioners seemed to think that flappers and their companions should turn their cars out on the "berm" when parking for long periods, as is their wont. Signs warning of these rules will go up in the engineer's office.

Headlines through the years

A look back at the events, people and places that made North Pinellas the unique place that it is. The information is compiled from past editions of the St. Petersburg Times.

[Last modified October 13, 2007, 20:14:23]