The Times

HALLOWEEN'S A COMIN' and with it fun-hunting for children. For them it's OK to rap on doors, peer around windows and dash lickety split across lawns. And they can be perfectly at ease in their roaming for fun. They know on Halloween the older folks won't scowl at their tricks. But still in all, have some treats ready for youngsters such as, left to right, Lynda Reuter, Stanley Long and Tara Johnson. Monday night they and their witch friends will be coming to see you.

DON'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING you see or hear this Monday night. Your ears and your eyes may be playing tricks on you. Take little Debbie Jordan, for example. She hasn't really submerged her head into this giant glass, though it might appear so. The sixth grader at Coral Gables Elementary School is peering at you from the other side. The pumpkin is to let you know that Halloween is creeping close. And the huge glass, filled with sand and sea relics, is an exhibit she entered in her school's art contest.

In The 'Good Old Days' Spooks, Spectres Once Held Sway In Gables

By JOHN SHAPIRO Halloween, the traditional evening before All Saints or All-Hallows Day, has been somewhat less than saintly throughout its history in Coral Gables. Spooks and spectres have in past years, despite official variations on the date of the haunted eve, always managed to make themselves known. In 1955 city officials moved Halloween ahead from a Monday to a Saturday night. This - was done so that young (and some not so young) goblins could "trick or treat" without staying out late on a school night. Gredy ghosts countered this date switch by proceeding to go haunting not only on Saturday, but on Sunday and Monday nights as well. The candy clutching spooks claimed all three nights as official. Sign Of Times Evidence of particularly "spookish" behavior by Coral Gables ghosts in the past is shown in this excerpt from the TIMES of Nov. 2, 1934. "Maybe 'twas the goblins, perhaps the witches, anyhow several benches ambled into the streets, upon sign posts and up in trees Wednesday night, while signs themselves went wandering into strange places." But sign and bench re-arranging were common place Halloween haunts even for 1934. 1938 brought the "false alarm" to life while one TIMES writer saw fit to lament the goblins failure to see a new angle for the old "out house switch". "Halloween, by the by, went off rather quietly in the Gables with three false alarms being the only casualties. Perhaps the fact that extra policemen were on duty had something to do with it, but somehow we think the kids are slipping. Why, in the whole Miami area, there wasn't a single WPA tool shed turned over," the writer commented. During the war years Halloween pranks and pranksters were virtually non-existant. This led many people to believe that our best tricksters had decided to use their talents against the enemy. After 1945, even though our pranksters were back, they were either too tired or too old for Halloween tricks. In 1948 the TIMES stated: "With but a few exceptions, Halloween pranks in Coral Gables were confined to the harmless 'trick or treat' variety". This, of course, is not meant to encourage wanton vandalism, but it does seem that in recent years the true "spirit" of Halloween has vanished like a ghost in the stuffy closet of commercialism. Today's young witch has abondoned her broom and black cat for the back seat of her mother's car, and the once fine art of "jack-o-lantern" carying has all but lost out to the ready made cardboard pumpkin. Even the costumes have lost their individuality, and their "spookiness" as well. There used to be no limit to the variety of ghosts that an old sheet could assume. Now our dime store spooks all seem to be of the Walt Disney school. No Ingenuity Today's spooks are indeed uninventive. They ring your door bell, parrot "trick or treat", take their loot and scram. But then perhaps they're not entirely to blame. Orange and black jelly beans are a poor incentive compared to the home made caramel corn, licorice cats, and sugared dates that once tempted young goblins. Then, too, WPA tool sheds are not so easy to come by anymore, either. Yes, this is nostalgia, but one can't help thinking that Halloween this year will be pretty tame compared to years gone by.

Citizens Committee Elects William Merriam

Coral Gables architect William H. Merriam has been elected president of the Coral Gables Citizens Committee. Merriam took over his new office Tuesday from C. D. Van Orsdel. Other officers elected were William J. (Buddy) Weissel, vice president; William Gale, secretary; and Connie Arnez, treasurer. The new board of directors will include Van Orsdel, Frank Guilford, Robert Brake, Carl Bloom, Wayne Withers and Ed Berman. Merriam, who lives at 1022 Malaga, has served on various city boards. An Attorney Weissel is an attorney and graduate of the University of Miami Law School. Gale is manager of the Coral Gables Southern Bell Telephone Co. office, and Miss Arnez is assistant cashier at City National Bank of Coral Gables. The Citizens Committee Tuesday discussed two problems, one of which is scheduled to come up for more conversation as the city grows in size and population. Certain Question Although the group took no action, the question of building heights and resulting variation problems appears certain to crop up again under the direction of Merriam, who has had first hand experience with it. The same problem is [?] ng studied by the Board of Architects and has been taken up by the Zoning Board. The other problem discussed by the Committee involved dirty roofs that stain the sides and walls of buildings.

Student's 'Prank' Throws Chill Over Policeman

A Coral Gables policeman came within a hair of being involved in an unfortunate Incident Monday night when he witnessed an apparent shooting of one teenage youth by another. The brief second Officer William Bennett pondered shooting the "gunman" saved him from a horrible fate. The entire incident turned out to be a not so practical joke involving two 18-year-old University of Miami students. Stern Warning The "assailant," Russell C. McWhinney, of 335 University Dr. and Berryville, Va., was let off with a stern warning by Municipal Court Judge Charles Spooner Tuesday after he pleaded when he saw some youths crossing excessive noise. According to Bennett, he was in the area of Salzedo and University Dr. shortly after 10 p.m. when he saw some youths crossing the street. Suddenly, one of the youths pulled out a gun and fired a shot at another youth identified as Warren R. Yorzi. Yorzi fell to the ground holding his stomach and apparently screaming with pain. McWhinney started to walk away Bennett said he pulled o[?] his gun in readiness to shoot, but that McWhinney placed the gun in his belt. Jumped Up Yorzi then jumped up and began to laugh. Bennett failed to see the humor in it and took the boys in. An examination of the "weapon" revealed that it was c[---] of dozens of Italian made [---]nk guns sold by a local hardware store and which have figured in other peace disturbance incidents. Gables police said that University officials have reported confiscating at least 10 of the guns recently. McWhinney told Judge Spooner that he did not r[---]ze the serious implications of the incident. Chief William Kimbrough and other officers have been going around the police station shaking their heads contemplating the reaction that would have followed if McWhinney had been shot and perhaps killed by Bennett.

'Whitewash' Is Charged

(Continued From Page One) th Present Commission and those preceding it have followed Semple's opinion that the hospital is entitled to tax exemption. An audit report completed recently by Paul Gleman, the city's chief auditor, appeared generally favorable to the hospital, but Weksler said that it bears him out and that a complete audit would prove that the hospital is not entitled to exemption. Doctors, established as a profit-making institution, was re-established as a non-profit institution under the Dr. John T. MacDonald Foundation. The original investors are being paid back from hospital income. Weksler maintains that the investors are realizing 314.75 percent on their investment and this constitutes profit which should be taxed. Gleman and hospital authorities, backed by the city attorney, disagree and say the rate is only 6 percent compounded.

Gables UN Group To Meet

The Coral Gables Association for the United Nations will meet at the Wesley Foundation, 1200 Miller Rd., on the University of Miami main campus, at 8 tonight. The meeting will celebrate the 15th birthday of the organization of the United Nations. Hedrick Berns is the principal speaker. His subject is "A Good Look at the U.N." He was associated with the Miami Herald for nine years, and is now editor of the Potsdam Journal in Berlin.

LEGAL NOTICES

NOTICE UNDER FICTITIOUS NAME LAW NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the undersigned, desiring to engage in business under the fictitious name of KAY-P AUTO EQUIPMENT CO., 3511 NW 49th St., Miami 42, Fla. intends to register said name with the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Dade County, Fla. Owner: Furman-Kandel Investment Corp. Oct. 6, 13, 20, 27 NOTICE UNDER FICTITIOUS NAME LAW NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the undersigned, desiring to engage in business under the fictitious name of SUN 'N FUN POOL 'N PATIO SHOP, 8269 SW 124th St. intends to register said name with the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Dade County, Fla. Owner: ALBERT E. ACKERLY Oct. 6, 13, 20, 27 NOTICE UNDER FICTITIOUS NAME LAW NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the undersigned, desiring to engage in business under the fictitious name of ANNE ALLEN INTERIORS at 457 Perusia, Co Gables intends to register said name with the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Dade County, Fla. ANNE ALLEN, Owner Oct 13, 20, 27; Nov. 3

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