The Michigan Daily
Vol LXXXVI1, No. 31-S
Ann Arbor, Michigan-Thursday, June 16, 1977
Ten Cent.;
Twelve Pages
VA victim exonerates nurses;
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A CROWD OF EAGER film fans flocks to The
"Star Wars," the new futuristic-fantasy film wh
breaking attendance records across the countf
Star Wars' a
By DENISE FOX
It hag been called a "fantasy, a combina-
tion.of an Abbott and Costello comedy and a
$ Romeo and Juliet love story, a movie for chil-
dren, "the best picture of the year," "supurb"
a movie for everyone, a "fairytale" and much
more.
Crowds have to be turned away in every city
it has played in. Many say that they will see
it two or three imes.
SO FAR it has made more money in its first
week than any other movie in history, includ-
ing Jaws:
The movie is Star Wars, and the stock in
r 20th Century Fox has soared in value since
this picture was released.
"It was like a sleeper," says the manager
of Briarwood Movies, Steve Klynn where Star
Wars made its debut last night. "It wasn't
expected to do real well."
STAR WARS is a movie that appeals to
everyone from your ten year old daughter to
your eighty year old next door neighbor.
Both science fiction fans and people who hate
the stuff swear by this movie.
At Briarwood, people could only buy their
tickets a half hour before show time to avoid
the long lines. Many had to be turned away, or
get tickets for a later showing. -
"WE SAW THE commercials on TV and
knew it would be great," says "ex trekkfe"
Randy Foley. "People I know wint all the
Daily Photo by ALAN BILINSKY
e Movies at Briarwood to purchase tickets for
hich opened at Briarwood yesterday and is
ry.
it at Briarwood.
way to Southfield to see it," he says.
Another waiting in line, Doug Clinksrales,
said he heard so much about it and could
hardly wait to see the movie. "I'm filled," he
explained.
STAR WARS is a movie about good and evil,
and it doesn't leave you in doubt about who
the good guys are. They, naturally wear white
and evil ones wear black.
The plot is simple enough. The heroes must
rescue -the Princess and save the universe
from Lord Darth Vader and his evil cohorts.
The hero is a cross between Flash Gordon and
Prince Valiant and the Princess departs from
the traditional princess role by doing battle
herself instead of screaming in despair.
The movie is a fantasy, and creatures of
every shape, color, size, and origin imaginable
appear, some speaking with accents, some just
grunting or bleeping.
Throughout the movie, the audience clapped,
cheered and hissed and when the heroes got
into a tight situation, the audience was pulling
frthem, at the edge oftheir seats in anticipa-
tion.
"It was fun, it was delightful," responded
Edie Williams about Star Wars. "We will havew
to bring our five year old. daughter," she said.
Another viewer, Cindy Briggs, who was wear-
ing a Star Wars tee shirt, responded, "It was
really good. Every scene was something new."
About it's universal appeal, she said, "You can .
be relaxed and entertained. They have con-
quered the world."
UEE EKE sVEsEE
By KEITH B. RICHBURG
Special To The Daily
DETROIT - One of the Veteran's Administration
(VA) Hospital patients who Filipina Narciso and Leo-
nora Perez are accused of poisoning said yesterday that
the two nurses are innocent. William Loesch, a Vietnam
veteran admitted to the VA in July of 1975, also told the
court of waking up and seeing a mysterious man in a
green scrub suit standing over him just as he stopped
breathing.
Loesch's revelation would tend to exonerate Narciso
and Perez of his poisoning. Asked if he believed the two
women "ever attempted to injure or harm you," Loesch
replied, "No, I do not."
LOESCH ALSO said he could not recall either Narciso or
Perez "ever injecting anything" into his intravenous (IV) medi-
cation tube.
Narciso and Perez are both accused of poisoning Loesch by
injecting a powerful muscle relaxant called Pavulon into his IV
tube.
Loesch's mother Christine lack
had testified last month as a Bl c S"
government witnessmthat both
Narciso and Perez were in
her son's room minutes before
he stooped breathing. Christine
Loesch said that she saw Perez A rican
preparing an injection while
Narciso started to handle the
IV tube.
MS. LOESCH's alleged "ob-
servations" were open to sharp
criticism from defense lawyers,protest
since she drastically changed °
her story fromhwhat she had
originally told the grand jury
last year. JOHANNESBURG, South Af-
Loesch commented on his rica W) - Railway sabotage,
mother's newest version of his urban terrorism and black stu-
breathing failure: "I would be- dent protests heralded to to-
lieve that she is not reliable," day's first anniversary of the
he said. worst racial upheaval in South
Loesch also told the court that African history.
his mother kept a scrapbook of One black youth was report-
"every little article she could ed killed in a clash with police
find" about the VA investiga- yesterday in the giant black
tion and trial. township of Soweto, outside Jo-
Then the witness gave an ac- hannesburg. The reports were
count of his sudden breathing denied by police.
failure.
SOME STUDENTS
"I WAS AWAKENED by a told reporters Philemon T-
pulling sensation on my IV wane, 17, was beaten to death
tubes," Loesch said quietly, by police in Soweto's Diepkloof
"There was somebody standing district, and others said he had
over me." been fatally shot.
Loesch described the strang- Although students and police
er as "a male in a green out- have fought sporadically for the
fit that they wear when they past 10 days, Soweto was re-
operate." ported generally calm yester-
The unidentified "man in day.
green" has haunted the VA trial But Johannesburg police
since the opening statements, braced for predicted violence
constantly surfacing in testi- during a threatened general
mony as having been seen lurk- strike urged by Soweto students
ing the hospital corridors at to commemorate the deaths of
the time of the mysterious over 600 blacks killed in last
breathing failures, year's nationwide racial dis-
turbances.
WHEN MS. LOESCH testified
last month, she admitted under THE RIOTING a year ago In
cross examination that she too Soweto began as a protest
saw the "man in green" enter against compulsory use of the
her son's room as she herself Afrikaans language in black
was leaving. schools, but soon became a
William Loesch said yester- more general protest against
day that after awakening to see apartheid conditions. The r-
the stranger in the green scrub quired study of Afrikaans, the
suit "It was a short time after language of the dominant Dutch
that that I felt my vision going, community n South Africa, wa
I didn't know what was happen- later lifted, allowing students to
See VICTM Page - SeeBLACK, Page.t1
VA