Saturday, August 10, 1974
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Page Three
SGC files new suit against
Gill charging fund misuse
Connally pleads
innocent in
milk f case
WASHINGTON -P -- John Connally
pleaded innocent yesterday to charges
of bribery, conspiracy and perjury in
the milk fund affair.
Connally, former secretary of the trea-
sury in the Nixon administration, arriv-
ed 19 minutes early for the pleading.
His wife, Idanell, was present.
PROMPTLY at 11 a.m., Chief U. S.
District Judge George Hart began the
proceedng. He asked Connally if he
had read the five-count indictment and
if he intended to plead not guilty.
"Yes, Your Honor, I do," the gray-
haired former Texas governor said in a
loud voice.
Connally's attorney, Edward Bennett
Williams, asked Hart for four or five
days to- file motions. Hart granted the
request.
THEN Williams asked that Hart not
set a trial date immediately.
"The motions will go directly to that
subject," Williams said.
Hart said, he would be on vacation in
September and wasn't inclined to grant
any motion for a speedy-trial.
"I am not going to move for a speedy
trial, Your Honor," Williams said.
THERE WAS courthouse speculation
that Williams would seek to have the
trial moved from the capital to some-
See CONNALLY, Page 10
By JEFF SORENSEN
Student Government President Carl
Sandburg sos filed another sitl against
his controversial predecessor, former
SGC President Lee Gill, charging Gill
owes the Council nearly $16,01 itt titis-
used f-nds.
The stit, filed Wedlinesday in Washte-
naw Circtit Court by SC Attorney
Tfhotmtas tetntley, follows a similar com-
plaint against (ilt for $71,000 filed last
March in 15th isttict (ourt.
THE- LATEST legal action demitatids
Gill reimburse the Council for $15,834
and charges he "acted in nn improper
manner with regard to SG fatnds with-
out mookintg sufficient accounting there-
of" during hi- eiht itoths a iresident
The coniilait alleged G(il opened ac
counts at five local himks and spent-
or failed to vouch fr -- a huge stiti of
Council motley.
Gill is also charged with olcning an
illicit SGC account at the National Bank
of Ypsilanti by possibly forging Councid
Treasurer Rosemary Mullin's signature
on the account's authorization fort.
Nevertheless, no earing can he set
nor any action taken until Gill is per-
sonally served with a copy of the com-
plaint and a summons, according to
legal sources.
Also, notification must take place in
the state of Michigan
HOWEVER, Gill's lst knowrn address,
according to the il-ittiffs, was at the
St. Clair Hotel in Chicago, Illinots. The
hotel's manager told The Daily Gi
checked out some two months ago and
left no forwarding address.
If criminal charges are pressed, how-
ever, the task of him would be up to the
police-but to far Sandburg hasn't takei
such action, contending SGC only wants
restitution of the funds.
Saindbturg and Bentley were out of
town yesterday and cotldn't be reached..'
Assistant Council Attorney Louis Lessem
who delivered the suit Wednesday to Cir-
cult Judge Ross Campbell, declined
ct-ment on the new action.
The complaint includes all the charges
aimed at Gill in the March stuit as well
as several new complaints.
THE NEW suit specifically charges
that Gill:
-Opened a checking account at the
Huron Valley National Bank of Ann Ar-
bor, signed checks and "created liabili-
ties" for SGC of $2,405 "without account-
ing to the treasurer or the body regard-
ing the purpose for which these checks
were written";
--Began a similar account at National
Bank and Trust's (NBT) campus branch
and "signed SGC checks totalling $1,05!
without authorization;
See SUIT, Page 10
Invisible weights
Michael Filisky and Roy Skinner, a local mime team, entertain crowds last
weekend with their sweaty, muscle-bending performance of "The Weightlifter"
during the Fifth Annual Medieval Festival. The festival resumes for final
shows today and tomorrow at the music school on North Campus.
Local politicos give subdued
reactions to Nixon downfall
Local political leaders reacted in a
subdued, almost conciliatory manner to
the resignation of President Richard
Nixon and Gerald Ford's ascension to
chief executive.
They stressed that the nation has
passed through a grave crisis that at
times strained the governmental ma-
chinery to its absolute limit.
"I THINK everyone regrets the course
of events that made a resignation and
national traumatic experience necessary,
but our concern now is for the best future
course for our country," State Sen. Gil-
bert Bursley (R-Ann Arbor) said yester-
day.
Some local Democrats even sounded a
plea to 'forgive and forget" the problems
Souvenir hunters buy out
N.Y. Times in early rush
By ANDREA LILLY
In the wake of the Nixon resignation, it
seems like the best souvenir you can get
to commemorate this historical event is
a copy of yesterday's New York Times.
All over town, residents roused them-
selves from slumber early to wait in
line outside stores that carried the all-
the-news-that's-fit-to-print paper.
CAMPUS CORNER had 51 copies de-
livered early this morning, twice their
usual stock, The papers were left out-
side as usual. By 8:10 a.m. there were
10 copies left to be sold when the store
opened; the rest had been lifted by
early passersby.
A worker at the store said Thursday's
Ann Arbor News was the first area
paper to come out with the news of
Nixon's probable resignation, and their
100 copies were sold in less than half
an hour.
A spokeswoman at the Union said that
she was amazed at the number of-people
buying newspapers so early. Their 65
copies of the Times were all gone by
8:30 a.m.
RAY COLLINS at The Blue Front said
all 150 copies of the Times were sold out
by 9:00.
Amid rumors that people were buying
several copies of the paper and selling
them at "black market" prices, Collins
said he was selling only one copy to a
customer.
"The phone has been ringing all day,"
noted Collins, "I just pick up the phone
and tell them we are all out of the
New York Times."
AT THE Community News Center, all
45 papers were gone by 8:05 this morn-
ing, 25 minutes before official opening.
Village Corner was not quite sure of
the number of papers they had when
salespeople arrived to open shortly be-
fore 9 a.m. There was a line outside of
about 40 people all waiting for the Times.
The stack of copies was gone in min-
utes.
In the event that you missed your
New York Times collector's item, it's too
late. There are no more copies in the
city and no hope of getting any more.
and scandals of the outgoing administra-
tion now that Nixon has officially stepped
down.
The Democrats also felt that the coun-
try as a whole has had a heavy weight
lifted from its collective shoulders with
the change in presidential leadership.
"I'M RELIEVED," longtime state
Democratic Party leader Neil Staebler
said of Nixon's decision to voluntarily
leave the White House.,
He went on to support immunity from
criminal prosecution for the ex-president
"out of respect for that office."
"I cannot picture the former president
of the United States going through all
the humiliations of the criminal," Staeb-
ler said.
State Rep. Perry Bullard (D-Ann Ar-
bor) took a much tougher line than his
fellow party members.
"Nixon has committed crimes which
have sabotaged democracy," Bullard
charged. And while conceding he "does
not want to see a crucifixion," Bullard
strongly opposed the notion of protecting
the former President from legal liability
for possible Watergate-related crimes.
But University President Robben
Fleming spoke highly of Ford's potential
and the prospects of his tenure in the
executive mansion.
"HIS OWN INTEGRITY is unques-
tioned . . . if he moves to establish a
strong bipartisan support structure, I be-
lieve the country will come together
again with surprising speed," Fleming
said of the University alumni.
He applauded Nixon's decision to re-
sign because "it is now clear that the
President did engage in the obstruction
of justice, and that he did consistently
deceive the American people."
Gaill