The Franklin Times Published Every Tuesday & Thursday wn off and win dows were smashed and all of the ceiling was blown out of the machine room where the explosion occurred and a large area of the cafeteria ceiling was torn down by the blast, Keeter said. The blast knocked off ceiling boards some 250 feet from the explod ed machine, the fire chief said. T. W. Williams, comptroller for the firm, said the blast forced the firm to close down a portion of the plant. However, he said he expected the plant to be back in full operation this morning. Williams said the machine that ex ploded was a solder leveling machine containing hot salts used to remove excess solder from printed electronic circuits. Gardner Speaks At Opening Congressman Jim Gardner, GOP candidate for Governor, spoke briefly here Wednesday at ribbon-cutting cere monies marking the official opening of his campaign trailer on Bickett Blvd. Gardner told the crowd of approxi mately 100 persons attending the noon affair that "Dan Moore has shown us we can do without a Gover nor for four years" as he hit the "Democratic political machine in Ral eigh". Saying he has "nothing against Bob Scott personally", he added the difference between him and his Dem ocratic opponent is their "political philosophy". "I didn't vote for Hubert Hum phrey in 1964 and he did", Gardner said. "There's not a dime's worth of difference between Hubert Humphrey and Bob Scott," be added. "If I can sell hamburgers for 15 cents ? now 19 cents", Gardner said, "I can certainly solve the fanner's problems". He said farmers are not getting their share in the market place. "We're going to win by a land slide", the Congressman said, "We'll win by over 100,000 votes. You just ought to see the hundreds of people in Charlotte and Greensboro standing in line to register. They are tired and want a change and they're lining up to register." Jesse , Austin, former Democratic State Senator, spoke following Gard ner and urged everyone present to register. "We may never get another chance to honor our responsibility", Austin said. Prior to the address, Gardner joined Archie Bunn, Franklin campaign man ager, In cutting the ribbon. Following the speech, Gardner was presented a check for $1200 by Bunn and Crowell Strickland, county finance chairman for Gardner. FBI Back In Franklin County Investigating School Operation Reliable reports have disclosed that at least five agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation are in Franklin County investigating complaints of segregation on school buses and in the classrooms. According to the reports, teachers of both races as well as student bus drivers are being question ed at their homes, bus drivers. On September 19, 1968, J. Le Vonne Chambers of Charlotte, at torney for the NAACP, a plaintiff in the Franklin County school suit, wrote Board of Education attorneys E. F. Yarborough and Charles Davis request ing that "immediate steps be taken to desegregate the classes within the var ious schools and to eliminate the racially discriminatory practices in the transportation of students to the var ious schools". A copy of the letter was sent to District Court Judge Algernon Butler, who had ordered the schools totally desegregated last August 5. School officials have contended that there is no segregation on buses or in classrooms except where parents have chosen to transport their children privately instead of placing them on school buses and in classrooms, only where ability or chosen subjects place a child in a particular class. It was not learned what prompted the FBI to again enter Franklin County on a school matter, however, an unconfirmed report indicates that the Civil Rights Division of the U. S. - Department of Justice ordered the agents here. School Board attorney E. F. Yar borough told the Board in a special meeting here Wednesday night that the plaintiffs in the case could have taken advantage of procedures open to them under the courts by filing interro gatories seeking information on the two complaints. This, said Yar borough, has been done several times before in the case. On September 11, 1968, U. S. Senator Sam Ervin filed a protest with Attorney General Ramsey Clark over the fact that fifteen FBI agents and two Justice Department attorneys were in the county on the opening day of school to "observe". Sen. Ervin wrote, "I would expect such conduct in a police state but not in a society which is supposed to be free". "For all practical purposes, the use of such a large number of men amounts to the deployment of a nat ional police force on your part....," Ervin's letter to Clark continued'. He also said he felt the FBI could be better used elsewhere in the country "fighting organized crime". The most intensive investigation this week has taken place in the Epsom and Gold Sand School areas, according to reports. Place On Stand Third Day In Murray Trial The trial of former Franklin Ac countant E. Lee Murray is continuing today with Raleigh CPA William Place on the stand for the third straight day. Murray is charged with embezzling funds amounting to $6,360.48 during the period September 30, 1962 to September 30, 1966. The Wake County Treasurer, now on leave, has refunded the loss to the county main taining his innocense but saying that he felt he was responsible for the office during that period. [ Place, a witness for the State, has been quizzed by Solicitor W. G. Rans dell since taking the stand shortly after 3 p.m. Tuesday. Monday and most of Tuesday were taken in the selection of 12 jurors and two alternates, all from a venire from Granville County. The larger portion of Place's testi mony deals with introduction of evi dence by way of forms, checks and vouchers. The process is slow as de fense attorneys find much of these objectionable. A number of sessions between attorneys and Superior Court Judge Leo Carr have been held in the Judge's chambers. A main point of contention in Tuesday's questioning bordered on the use by Place and Ransdell of the word "shortage". It began when Ransdell asked Place, "Did you determine whether or not there was a shortage". Place answered "yes" and attorney Hill Yarborough offered the first ob jection, contending that this was a point the state was required to prove. Following a closed door session in the Judge's chambers, the questioning was continued. Ransdell asked Place what he meant by the term "un explained disbursements" and Placa replied, "From my point of view, there was not sufficient competent supporting matter". Then Ransdell asked, "In your opinion, what does this represent?" Place replied, "I think it's a shortage". Place also told of reporting the "unexplained dis bursements" to the Chairman of the Board of County Commissioners and the entire Board. He testified that he was employed to "extend the audit back two years" from the 1966-67 fiscal year. At one point in his testimony, Place said, "I did not perform an entire audit of the books as such. We examined transactions such as these". This was in reference to earlier testi mony of his audit of Social Security contributions. On Wednesday, the State began introducing various documents which were passed around to the jurors. These were identified by Place Quart erly Social Security forms. The intro duction of these and other forms continued throughout the day Wednes day and were still going on this morn ing. The trial is expected to last well into next week and is being conducted in the Louisburg Armory due to the renovations going on in the county courthouse. Granville County residents selected See TRIAL Page 4 COUNTY MANAGER ARCHIE BUNN AND CANDIDATE JIM GARDNER