In
ory
1 , 111
•
APRIL 16. 1947 -
Kareem Abdul-J bb r,
b as k e b a l l player. was
born. 192·3 - Bennie
Green. saxophonist. was
born.
Was Black religious
worship ever banned
from plantation life?
APRIL 11, 1820 -
First tree U.S. Black ar­
rived in Liberia, We t
Africa. 1856 - Booker
T. Wa hlngton,
educator, reformer, was
born. 1890 - Johnny
St. Cyr, ban­
joist/guitarist, was born.
What' is the largest
Black-owned company in
the United States?
'APRIL 18, 1941 -.
Jackie Robin on'
stroked his first major
league home run against
the New York Giants.
1915 - James B. Par-
on became first Black
chief judge of ·the
Federal Dis trier Court in
Chicago, 1915. 1811 -
Victor.' Sejour,
dramatist, was born.
Who was the first
president of the African .
nation, Liberia?
APRIL 19, 1972 -
Stationed in Germany,
Major Gen. Frederic E.
David on became the
first Black to lead an
army division. 1905 -
Tommy Benfor-d, drum­
mer, was born. I
Who was the p;incipaL
founder of, Provident
Hospital and its school
of nursing?
APRIL 20, 1866 -
Fisk University opened
in Nashville, Tenn. 1914
Lionel Hampton,
bandleader, was born.
1921 - Clarence' W.
Blount, educator, was
born.
What is the name of
the Black goalie of the
Edmonton Oiler, ?
ANSWERS TO QLACK
HISTORY QUESTiONS
14th - About $1,400.
15th Esquire
Magazine.
16th - Yes, especial­
ly during the time of the
Turner revolt in the
1830s.
11th - Motown In-
du tries.
18th - Joseph J.
Robert, in 1847 a man
of mixed blood who
looked whi te.
19th The
physician, Daniel Hale
William.
20th - Grant Fuhr.
merch nt were fleeing to newer
facilitie in the uburb of thi
outhwe tern Michig n town.
Their b ence opened door
apartheid h d long ept clo edt
The hy teri of the erald
headline reflected the whi t�
co munity' re pon e to thi
evolution in the area' large t
city, the Blackening of Benton
Harbor.
For a Black gunman to ttac
a white of(icer in broad daylight
in downtown Benton Harbor
pumped racist fears hastening
the flight to the city's rim. It also
explains the need for authoritic
to get omebody, anybody to
take the blame for the ac. It'
a tory of beserk police
authority.
ch ng for fingering
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This photo of Det. Tbom s Schadler and the accompanying
picture c ption ere publl hed In the Dec. 11, 1973
Helald-Palladlum account of the shooting. Schadler w .. home by
Chrl tm and back to work In t 0 weeks.
FTER TWO years of no
leads, no arrests, no su peer and
, no evidence, the police turned to
a drug user, Wilbur Gillespie, of. Carter on the Schadler shooting,
fering him a deal he couldn't Gillespie was to get no more
refuse. Gille pie's perjured af- than one year in the county jail.
fadavit dropped the mantle of Gillespie Signed an affadavit
b l me on the houlder of for Edwards and Massengale,
. Maurice Carter, an unemployed and Car!er w . d n
Gary, Indiana b -driver. Gary hi ho to n
Wi thou t any physical • Carter and Gillespie did know
evidence or motive to link Carter each other. Carter had been in
to the shooting, the police Benton Harbor in 1973 for about
needed a witness to put Carter at two weeks looking for work and
the scen,e of the crime. Gillespie during that time had met Gillespie.
gave the police what they On the day and time of the shooting,
needed. Carter said he was asleep in his
III 1971, from a prison cell in hotel room, two blocks from the
Jackson, Gillespie told the story Record Shop. �
of bow Carter was linked to the Within the hour of the shooting,
Gillespie came knocking and woke
Schadler shooting. him up, Carter testified at the trial.
Gillespie said he was arrested Police were in the hotel at the time
and charged with delivery of checking out residents as they
heroin in November of 1975. A''c- searched for the gunman.
cording to Gillespie, two Benton Later that same afternoon,
Harbor detectives paid a. visit to Carter was in the Ponderosa Bar
him in-the Berrien County jail a when the police picked him and
couple of days following his ar- took him to the Record Shop for an
rest. He said, in an affadavit improptu "line-up."
repudiating his original finger- Neither Carter, nor the police
ing of Carter, that Detective AI officers involved know which
the Herald-Palladium photog­
rapher was there to take Carter's
picture. The next day's paper had
Carter's picture on page one. top
left hand.corner long with the
r gina poll the '
sailant a d nner headline
that read, "Gary Man Accused As
Officer'S Assailant."
Det. Schadler, who spent two
days in the hospital after the
shooting, picked Carter out of a
police line up.
It was a different story the day
of the shooting. December 20,.
1973, Schadler told the police he
could not identify tbe gunman.
His back' wa to the assailant
during the attack, and though
Schadler chased the gunman out
of the door with his own gun
blazing, he saw only the fellow's'
back.
DID THE photo in the
newspaper help Schadler? For
two years, the Scbadlers" bad
passed over Carter in the mug
Focus o� Mary Criddell,
Curator of Black History
by VERA WHITE
Corr�spondent
THREE RIVERS - Mary Crid­
dell was born and raj ed in
Greensboro, Ala., and attended
schools there. She is the oldest of
four children, having one sister
and one brother living.
Mary has been married to her
husband lame for 15 year and
they have no children.
Mary moved to Three Rivers
in 1975 from Chicago where he
had worked for 3] year as a
psychiatric coun .e lor at a
Veterans Administrative Hospi­
ral. .
Her love for Black History
began following one of the
famous marche led by Dr. Mar­
tin Luther King Jr. After that he
began. avi n g.: clipping and
preserving materia} relating to
Black history. It got in her blood.
and now it is a vital part of her
life.
Mary i a Master Curator, and
has a vast experience creating
Blac History.
In 1986, she provided nd
prepar d the Blac Hi tory e -
hibit that was di played t the
George Wa hington C rver
Community Center in Three
Rivers for Black History Month.
During that time, she wrote the
theme, "Uni ty In The Com­
munity" and u ed it in her ex­
hibit.
In 1987, she provided and
presented a Black Hi tory ex­
hibi t and gave a peech in
Chicago, at the Veteran Ad­
ministration Retirement A -
sociation.
In 1988, he prepared tbe
NAACP exhibit for Bl ck Hi -
tory that wa di played t the
Three Rivers Public Library.
In 1989, she provided and
prepared a Black History exhibit
in Detroit at the Mt. Eliott
Union Hall #56 and gave a
speech on Black Hisoty.
This year, she provided the'
Black History exhibit displayed
at the Three River Public
Library for the Three Rivers
1991 Black History Festival. She
repeated the theme she wrote in
1986, "Unity In The Com ..
munity".
Mary ba everything to work
wi th and continue to add to her
per onnal collection which in­
cludes collage of Black inven­
to�s, politician and entertainer.
She bas numerous magazine.
new papers, art piece , statue ,
and books» .
She has al 0 ere ted three
volume of books entitled, "My
People" and prepared a book
about 0 n .F. Kennedy.
Mary is a very congenial lady
with a glowing per on lit at
i exemplified in everything that
he does.
She aid, "To me, Bl ck Hi -
tory mean the uni ty of getti ng
to ether." Tho e word coin­
ided ith her theme, "Unity In
The Community."
I,
cting all nerve
nd kept ing for
WOUNDED DETECTIVE: u-r. Thomas Schadler,
:1:1, of Benton Harbur pnllCt' clt'partm('nt. sustalncd
multiple gunshot wounds to hr ad , neck, and
shoulder yesterday In wanton attack. Schadler,
Iather of four children. was Ii ·ted in "fair" condl­
tion today at Men'.)' hospital. Police are still eeklnl
gunman. This photo was taken in 1970.
T Is plctue 0: aurlce Carter (rlgbt) wa taken I 197' In t
Benton Har P�llc Dep rtment before C rter arral ned
for tbe shooting of Det. Schadler. The compo I drawing of the
u pect wa made by a police artl t In 1973. were printed
on the front pa e of the d Uy new p per. Followln tbe
publication of the picture, Det. chadler picked Carter out of a
line-up. . chadter aid he could not Identify hi' ·sall.nt.
record that we did not have,"
Mrs. Baird told this newspaper.
"The man appeared to have been
drinking. "
But, as God is my witness,
Maurice Carter is not the man
who shot Officer Schadler, fl.
Baird say to this day.
She testified at trial that
Carter wa not the man wbo shot
Schadler. It distresses her, she
says that an innocent man is in
jail for the Schadler sbooting ...
She has offered to do anything,
go anywhere to see justice done
in the Carter case.
Wben the jury in the Carter
trial went into deliberations,
they requested transcripts of the
testimony of two witnesse ,
Gwen Baird and Nancy
Butzbach,
Had they believed Baird,
Carter would not be in jail.
NEXT WEEK, a look at the
woman whose testimony the jury
did believe. .