•* THE VOICE May I5. 1972
Fourth Week Of Davis Trial
Angela’s Fingerprints Not On Yellow Van
The fourth week of the An-
gela Y. Davis trail began with
the tediousness of the prosecu-
tor and defense examining and
cross-examining witnesses,pre
senting new and old evidence
(e.g., photographs, weapons, bul
let slugs, etc.) in an effort to
leave no stone unturned.
Fred H. Wymbrant, Chief of
Ballistics Investigation in Marin
County, was questioned for one
and one-half days describingbul-
let holes in the yellow Ford van
used in the escape attempt. Wym-
brant, in a recapitulation of the
shoot-out scene, with the aid of
photographs, told the court that
when Judge Haley was slain, the
muzzle of the shotgun was ex
tremely close to the Judge’s
face. Wymbrant noted that all
others shot on August 7, 1970
were at least three feet away
from the muzzle of weapons that
inflicted wounds.
It was brought out by the shrewd
Defense Counsel, Howard Moore,
Jr., that Wymbrant had previous
ly solicited business through
Gary Thompson (Marin County
D.A. paralyzed in the shoot-out)
before becoming a servant of
the state.
Wymbrant has been assigned
as the exclusive criminologist to
this case and hence has been
appointed Chief of the Marin
County Ballistics Bureau, as of
April 3, 1972. “I thought the
traumatic death of a judge as
very important, so when the call
came into the lab--I, as super
visor of the lab, decided to han
dle the case myself.”
The state’s next witness was
a deputy sheriff from Monterey
County, Calif., who testified that
he came to recognize by sight
Jonathan Jackson and Mrs. Davis
during the Soledad Brothers trial
in May and June 1970. Defense
Attorney Leo Branton countered
by the question, “As a matter
of fact more spectators than the
courtroom could hold were pre-
sent at many of those hearings?”
The deputy answered meekly,
“Yes there was.”
On the afternoon of April 18,
court resumed after a short re-
cess without the jury for a voir
dire examination of four pro
secution witnesses for Richard
Arnason, trial judge, to rule as
to the admissability of their tes
timony.
Co-counsel, Ms. Doris B. Wal
ker, cross-examined James Mc
Cord, former FBI agent from
Los Angeles. McCord testified
that on August 17, 1970, a search
of Ms. Davis' LA Apartment was
conducted by the FBI to secure
evidence which would lead agents
to her unknown whereabouts, but
items of other nature were con
fiscated. As McCord stated,
“What we were looking for and
what we found were two different
things.”
The FBI found during the
search two photocopied letters
and two other letters, addressed
“Dear George” and signed, “An
gela.”
Ms. Walker shook the former
agent upon quizzing, “Were you
discharged from the FBI?” Mc
Cord retorted, “No, I resigned
and I resent the implication,
counsel.” At which time Ms.
Walker heightened the exami
nation with, “Did you take doc
uments 120 and 121 (letters) to
Ms. Davis’ apartment?” “No,
I did not,” shot back McCord.’
Q. “Do you know how 120 and
121 got into Ms. Davis’ apart
ment?” asked Ms. Walker, Me-
Cord stated, “No, I do not.”
And the day’s proceedings end
ed.
Mary Ann Brown, deputy she
riff of Marion County told the
court on the evening of Aug.
26, 1971 (during Ms. Davis’ con
finement in Marin County Jail)
she entered Ms. Davis’ work
room and removed an IBM se-
lectric typewriter without Ms.
Davis ever knowing. Brown sta
ted, “I was instructed to go into
Ms. Davis’ workroom (previous
ly no one was allowed to enter
because Ms. Davis was and is
acting as her own attorney) by
the under-sheriff of Marin Coun
ty, who was under instructions
(Continued From Page 1)
at FSU. Also during her junior
year she won a $100 scholar
ship award for having earned the
hipest grade average in her
class. “It has been a very, very
full year for me and I’ve enjoyed
all of it. If I had a chance to
re-construct my life I would not
change anything.”
from the state attorney general’s
office,”
Defense Counsel Branton later
s tated that Ms. Davis’ workroom
was confidential quarters, main
tained as a law office. In a motion
to suppress this evidence, Bran
ton stated, “I don’t think the
law should be any different in
this instance than if the attorney
general went into my office with
out my knowledge or without
a search warrant.” Ms. Davis’
confidential files were kept in
this workroom.
It was also learned via the
testimony of Charles Moody,
Captain Correctional officer at
Soledad Prison, that a letter was
intercepted by Soledad authori
ties signed with the signature,
“Angela.” The letter was mailed
to George Jackson under the en
velope heading of John Thorne,
Jackson’s attorney. Moody stat
ed “the letter was removed from
Chicago--Youth’s determina
tion to create their own life
styles is playing havoc with the
traditional line-up of liquor fa
vorites, and distillery resear
chers have labeled it as the
“Second Whiskey Rebellion.”
What it amounts to, accord
ing to research just released
for Barton’s QT, (Quiet Taste)
the first domestic lighter-tast
ing whiskey, is a dramatic shift
away from bourbon and spirit
blends to light alcoholic bever
ages. This means that in 1979,
when young adults outnumber ol
der adults for the first time in
two decades, an historic change
will take place in the market
place.
Just what, in fact, accounts
for youth’s swing to milder and
lighter drinks is unclear and a
favorite source of speculation
in distillery board rooms.
“Certainly, it’s easier to ac
quire a taste for less potent
drinks since they are closer to
a neutral flavor,” offered Bar
ton vice president, Jerry Ad
ler. “Also offered as evidence
is the fact that young people have
more sensitive taste buds than
oldsters and so are more inter
ested in liquor smoothness.”
“There’s a good deal to be
said, too, for the argument that
young people seem determined
to create their own life styles,
substituting their own distinc
tive values for those of their
elders.”
No one has been more sur
prised by the change than the
distillers themselves. When the
decade of the 1960’s opened,
they could comfortably rely on
bourbon and spirit blends to com
mand 57 percent of the market
for hard liquor. Spirit blends
alone outsold the li^t alcoholic
beverages of vodka, Scotch and
Canadian whiskies combined.
Then came the Rebellion, or
what distillers call the “trend
to lightness.” With the arrival
of the 1970’s, Scotch, vodka and
Canadian more than doubled their
sales. Purchases of Scotch alone
were 165 percent above that of
1959. Bourbon and blends reg
istered increases, too, but rea
listically considering the popu-
Jackson’s mail because no one
was on Jackson’s approved mail
ing list named Angela.”
The first paragraph of that
letter was read in court, as
follows:
“Dear George,
What activities am I supposed
to take time off from? Since
that day described to you, my
life, all my life efforts have
gone in one direction, free Geor
ge Jackson and the Soledad Bro
thers. Man, I have gotten into a
lot of trouble, but I don’t give
a damn. I love you. I love my
people. That is all that matters.
Liberation by any means nec
essary. Those means are deter
mined by the nature and inten
sity of the enemy’s response.
The American oppressor has re
vealed to us what we must do if
we are serious about our com-
mitment. If I am serious about
my love for you, about Black
lation expansion, fell behind in
consumption rates.
A potent reason for the change,
discovered by distillery industry
researchers, is a preference for
lighter-tasting, milder bever-
ages among young people, and a
new willingness to follow those
tastes. Once upon a time, the
21-to-34-year old was known by
the Industry to be reluctant to
experiment in his choice of al-
cholic drinks. He’d order fa
miliar, traditional drinks--the
martini, the bourbon and ginger
ale--because that was the proper
thing to do. It was not until
he’d reached his mid-thirties
that he had enough self-confi
dence to obey his own tastes.
Liberated young adults, the
industry concluded, broke out
of that pattern in the 1960’s.
Besides that, they also increa
sed in number by comparison
with older adults. In 1959, there
were 33.6 million in the 21-to
34-year range and 44.6 million
in the 35-to-54-year group, an
edge to the seniors of 11 mil-
lion. In less than ten years from
now there will be more young
adults for the first time in two
decades, 53 million compared
with 49 million. Since about the
same portion of both age groups
drank whiskey--roughly half--
the historic change should be
decisive.
In-depth interviews and con-
sumer taste tests show that blen-
ded whiskies will pay the cost
of that new superiority in num
bers. Bourbons will lose their
long-time sales leadership pos
ition to Scotch, and the large
blended-whiskey market will be
further threatened by the other
fast-advancing, light-tasting li
quors.
Distillers predict that 17 mil
lion cases of light whiskey—
9 percent of all hard liquor--
will be sold each year by 1979,
with the young consumers lead
ing the way.
Barton’s QT has prepared an
illustrated booklet describing
light whiskey. For a free copy,
send your name and address to:
Dept. C. Post Office Box 3376,
Merchandise Mart, Chicago, m.
60654.
people, I should be ready to go
all the way. I am. Hence, a my
riad of problems which I must
talk to you about at some point.”
“I love you, Hasta la Victoria,
Angela,”
Branton made four motions to
suppress evidence which he con
tended was illegally seized. All
but one of the four motions were
later denied by Arnason. The
one motion approved by Arnason
was the illegal seizure of Ms.
Davis’ typewriter. Nothing that
the letter which was allegedly
typed on this typewriter bore
Ms. Davis’ latent fingerprint.
In closing the fourth week of
the trial, Howard Moore, in
cross-examining Spiro Vason,
latent fingerprint expert, point
ed to the fact that Angela Y.
Davis’ fingerprints were never
found on the yellow panel truck
used in the Aug. 7, 1970 shoot
out, escape attempt.
Builder Seeks 25
Entreprenuers
TAMPA, FLA.-“YEA!”stan.
ds for Youth Enterprise Awards,
a year-long search for young en
trepreneurs to celebrate the 25th
Anniversary of the Jim Walter
Corporation, Tampa-based na
tionwide building industry com
pany.
“Yea!” also is sl cheer for
the free enterprise system and
for young people who are invol
ved in constructive enterprise;
who are doing their thing and
making it...within the system,”
said Jim Walter, founder and
chairman of the Corporation that
bears his name.
Noting that 25 is a great age-
for a person or a corporation-
Walter announced that the Com
pany is looking for 25 entre
preneurs between the ages of
18 and 25. Each youns person
selected will receive a check;
for $1000, a silver statue and
scroll, and a trip to Tampa for
the Corporation’s stockholder
meeting in December 1972.
Calling for participation by
young people throughout the cou
ntry, Walter stressed that he ho
ped the winners would reflect
many kinds of business activity
in all parts of America. “Per
haps to some,” he noted “$1000
is not a lot of money, but I be
lieve that recognition can often
make the difference between ma
king ideas work and settling for
something less. I hope these
awards will be valued because
they mean that somebody recog
nizes that working hard within
the great traditions that have
made this nation strong is still
a desirable, Important and hon
orable thing to do.”
Any young person between the
ages of 18 and 25 is eligible for
a Youth Enterprise Award. Fur
ther details and an Entry Form
can be obtained by writing direc
tly to: Mr. James W. Walter,
Chairman, Jim Walter Corpora
tion, 1500 North Dale Mabry,
Tampa, Florida 336 j7.
This is the 2 nd of a series of f i rs t hand arti- :
cles on the trial of Angela Davis to appear in ;
the Voice. The wri ters are members of the |
College Voice, a Palo A I to ^ California based
student staff that is covering the trial from a
student's perspective. The Voice is the only |
paper in North Carolina receiving this service.
I
Youth’s Lighter Whiskey Choice
Causing “Second Whiskey Rebellion”
V