James “Ned” Roubique, left, is pictured with Mrs. Lisa Sepulvado, Many Post Office Rural Route 3 carrier. She did Ned a big favor when she found him on the ground unable to get up.
Mrs. Lisa Sepulvado, Rural Route 3 carrier for the Many Post Office, was delivering mail as normal on her route on June 25 when she noticed she had missed a package for Camp Katy Road.
Call it fate, coincidence or the grace of God, but when she passed back through the area to deliver the package, she noticed an older gentleman down on the ground. It was Mr. James “Ned” Roubique flagging her down.
Ned had been pulling limbs and ended up falling down. He could not get himself back up. When the mail truck came back through, he had a handkerchief in his hand and was waving it to get the carrier’s attention.
Mrs. Sepulvado managed to help him back to his house, get him some water and call 911. Another Many carrier, Mrs. Julie Ducote, was on an HC route. Mrs. Ducote happens to be Mr. Roubique’s neighbor. She finished her route and followed the ambulance to the hospital.
Mrs. Ducote and her husband Frank brought James, or “Ned” as he is called, home from the hospital. It is reported he is recovering well but suffered a broken arm in his fall.
Ned later told Krystal Gray, Many Postmaster in Charge, “I’m glad she passed by and helped me. I want to thank Lisa and my neighbors, Julie and Frank, for helping me.”
So, Mr. Roubique was very blessed that day when Mrs. Sepulvado went back for her “missed” package. Otherwise, who knows how long he could have been out in the heat waiting for help? Without question, the Post Office “delivers the mail.”
Thanks to Mrs. Gray for her assistance with this article.
Jeff Morrow, SCOA Executive Director, recently spoke to a gathering of the Vultures Club in Many.
Jeff Morrow, Executive Director of the Sabine Council on Aging (COA), was guest speaker at the Many Vultures Luncheon Club on Tuesday, Aug. 20.
He explained to the group that the budget last fiscal year was about $2 million, with one-half million coming from the Federal Government and $1.6 million coming from the one-quarter per cent parish sales tax. He said that amount will be lower for the present fiscal years.
The Council operates 10 vans which take senior citizens to various places and also deliver meals. Morrow said transportation expenses are a large part of their budget.
Four sites are operated by the Council, the largest being at Toledo Bend. Their others are in Many, Florien and Converse. He said currently a storage building is being constructed at the Many site to house the busses.
All the sites have walking tracks, except Converse. These are also open to the general public. The services of the COAs are open to all seniors aged 60 and older. Exercise and game equipment are available as well, and there are two mini bowling lanes at Toledo Town.
A relatively new COA program also provides care for seniors in need. The program was started last July, and two persons are currently on staff. They provide sitting services up to four hours at a time, give baths and offer other needed care.
Louisiana Kids Matter recently recognized Senator Alan Seabaugh with a nice mailer informing the public of his hard work on behalf of Louisiana students. He will be honored in Baton Rouge on Oct. 2 by the Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools (LAPCS) as an "Education Champion."
The Senator's efforts helped provide additional options for student success across the state, including scholarships for school tuition and fees, tutoring, educational therapies, textbooks and curriculum, and dual enrollment courses.
The group commended Senator Seabaugh on his work to ensure that students are trained and ready to work in high-demand, high-paying jobs; for expanded parental choice in choosing the best school for their children; and "high dosage" tutoring for students who have fallen behind in their studies.
The Senator serves District 31, comprised of 10 parishes: Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, DeSoto, Natchitoches, Rapides, Red River, Sabine, Webster and Winn. His area includes all of Red River and Sabine parishes and portions of the other eight parishes.
His office may be reached at (318) 676-7990 or by email to sen31@legis.la.gov.
We wish all of our faithful readers a very happy Labor Day, this Monday, Sept. 2. The celebration, which started in Oregon in 1887, became an official federal holiday in 1894.
Labor Day is held to recognize and honor the American worker and the contributions of hard workers over the years to the United States’ development and achievements.
May everyone whose dedication and commitment are the building blocks of this nation’s prosperity enjoy this much-deserved day off from their labors.
Carrie Beth Hough is Senior Vice-President and Marketing Director of the Bank of Montgomery Operations Complex in Natchitoches. She has been with the bank for 17 years.
Carrie volunteers in the community with St. Mary’s Catholic School Parent-Teachers Organization, the St. Mary’s Foundation, Tri Sigma Sorority and she loves supporting the Northwestern State University Demons.
Sisliegh Anne Jameson is the 2024 Baby Miss Zwolle Tamale Fiesta Queen. She is the daughter of Chloe Ann Eliesse Leone and Slade Jameson.
Sheriff Aaron Mitchell announces a church security class will be hosted next month by the Sabine Parish Sheriff’s Office.
The class will be held Thursday, Sept. 26, at 1 p.m. at Siloam Baptist Church, 35480 Hwy. 191, west of Many.
Security leadership members from all local churches are invited to attend. At this time, the Sheriff’s Office is asking participants to limit attendance to the top two people in charge of each church’s security program.
The A.L.I.C.E. model will be taught, and the Sabine Parish Sheriff Special Operations Group (SOG) will be in attendance.
Please contact Lt. James Campbell at (318) 315-0716 to register for training. Those who have already reached out to Lt. Campbell are asked to call him again to officially sign up for the church security course.
The long-awaited, anticipated work on Taco Bell in Many got underway Tuesday morning, Aug. 20, with the clearing of their lot on San Antonio Ave. across the street from Walgreens.
Glenn Clary of Zwolle took this interesting picture on Thursday, Aug. 15, at about 10 a.m. He was traveling on Hwy. 171 midway between Zwolle and Many when he noticed this interesting pattern in the sky. You will note the jet trail clouds form an A and an X. His interpretation is that the A stands for America, and the X indicates how our country is headed.
ARRESTED: Jerry Bryant Vines Jr.
Sheriff Aaron Mitchell on Tuesday morning reported the arrest of Jerry Bryant Vines Jr., age 60, of Converse, for sex crimes against children in Sabine Parish.
The arrest resulted from an investigation which began some three weeks ago, on Aug. 6, by Sabine Parish Sheriff Detectives in response to allegations of Vines sexually touching an 11-year-old female. Detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Vines, and he was arrested on Friday, Aug. 16, for Sexual Battery.
After Vines’ arrest, four more victims came forward to disclose different incidents of sexual abuse perpetrated against them by Vines over the last 25 years. The ages of the victims at the time of the reported abuse ranged from 5 to 13 years old.
Upon his arrest on Aug. 16, Vines was incarcerated at the Sabine Parish Detention Center, where he has remained since.
Vines’ charges to date include:
Sexual Battery (victim age 11),
Six counts of First Degree Rape of a Child under age 13,
Oral Sexual Battery of a Child under age 15,
Indecent Behavior with a Juvenile (victim age 13).
As of publication deadline, no bonds had been set.
Sheriff Mitchell said all reports of sexual abuse against children are thoroughly investigated by Sabine Parish Sheriff Detectives. If sufficient evidence is obtained and probable cause exists, suspects will be arrested and prosecuted.
(Special thanks to Det. D. W. Seegers for the above information.)
Shown above is an early rendering of the Fish-n-Fuel project at the intersection of Highways 6 and 191 in Toledo Town west of Many. The development has since expanded to include a pond surrounded by cabins and more.
Blake Byles of Earthmovers Construction reports that this week the Fish-N-Fuel development project on Toledo Bend got final approval on their pond layout, and it should be finished by the end of August. He also noted that final plans for the store should be finished this week, and that construction will be underway before long.
Noteworthy News of the Past:
The First Man Executed in Sabine Parish
In 1877, Judge Pike Hall presided over the trial of Porter Brown, who was charged with the murder of Dr. H. W. Evans. Brown later became the first man to be executed in Sabine Parish.
Brown did not act alone in this crime, but decided to join Ben Goodloe on a vigilante mission. Whether it was a crime committed due to his falling in with bad company or in cold blood, it resulted in the unfortunate death of the well-respected Dr. Evans. The following account of the events that led to the murder are paraphrased from “History of the Killing of Dr. H. W. Evans by Porter Brown” which ran in The People's Vindicator newspaper on May 18, 1878:
Porter Brown and several others were at the home of Mr. Leon Brown (Porter’s father) when Ben Goodloe showed up and informed everyone he intended to arrest Dr. H. W. Evans, and he wanted help doing so. After the question was raised whether or not Goodloe had any authority to arrest Dr. Evans, and the answer was no, Porter Brown was the only one willing to go and help arrest the innocent man.
Brown and Goodloe, each armed with their own double-barrel shotgun, left to continue their fatal mission. The men arrived at the Evans household, and Goodloe approached the house alone where he was greeted by Mrs. Evans, his sister. It is important to note that Dr. Evans had just recently married Goodloe’s sister, and a day after the wedding, the doctor had been arrested on the charge of bigamy. Shortly thereafter, he was tried and honorably discharged.
When Goodloe arrived that fateful day, Dr. Evans was off taking a stroll up the creek, so Goodloe told his sister to call him. After the doctor didn't respond to her call, Goodloe became angry, then grabbed his gun and mounted his horse.
It was Brown who happened to come upon Dr. Evans first. He immediately pointed his gun at him telling the doctor not to move or he would kill him. Goodloe even threatened to shoot his own sister if she tried to go to Dr. Evans. The two men marched Dr. Evans off and about a half-mile from the ferry in Sabine bottom, murdered him. They dragged his body away from the main road, robbed him and then rejoiced.
Apparently Brown was caught and arrested, but Goodloe was not. A trial took place, and the jury reached a verdict of guilty. The jury was comprised of Arch Murray, Benjamin McGee, J. P. Corley, Enoch Holloway, W. H. Sherwood, C. P. McDonald, John Dillard, John Tyles, G. J. Smith, Thomas Smith, Samuel Lucius and John McCormac.
Each juror was called by name and asked if "guilty" was their verdict, and each affirmed. Brown was told that he would be taken back to jail by Sheriff Alfred Lout until Gov. Francis T. Nicholls set a date for his execution.
After his conviction, Brown gave a statement that told his side of the story. The following is an excerpt of “Gone to Glory via the Scaffold” from The People's Vindicator, also published on May 18, 1878:
“Goodloe told me that Evans had two or three wives, and that his real name was Sidney Cook. On entering the Sabine bottom, I was a little behind Goodloe, when he [Goodloe] shot Evans in the back, who immediately fell to the ground. Evans tried to rise, when Goodloe called to me to shoot him, which I did, the load of buckshot taking effect in the face. Goodloe tried every way in the world to get me to help drag Evans out into the woods, but I refused, Goodloe then took him by the feet, and dragged the body himself some fifty yards from the road.
"I could die satisfied if Goodloe was caught, or if I could see him and know that he, too, was to pay the penalty which I am about to pay. I acknowledge I helped kill Dr. Evans, and I say it is right that I should die for it; and I want Goodloe to suffer the same as myself. I fired the second shot, and I am willing to suffer for it.”
The true circumstances of the tragic event may never be known, but the crime was certain.
Wearing white pants, a vest and a black coat, Brown was hanged on May 10, 1878, at precisely 12 p.m. He was hanged by Sabine Sheriff Alfred Lout and pronounced dead by Dr. Curtis and Dr. Cade. His body would be cut down at approximately 12:15.
Porter Brown’s finals words were, “Gentlemen, I have been fairly tried and condemned. I hope you will forgive a dying man. I put my soul in the trust of my God.”
History was made that day, and at the same time, a young man lost his life due to poor decisions. Just as Brown trusted, may God have mercy on his soul.
(Special thanks to former Observations intern Lauren Ray for her research and interesting article above.)
[Editor's note: The People's Vindicator was a newspaper founded in Natchitoches in 1874 by Confederate Army veteran James H. Cosgrove. On April 19, 1881, a large portion of the Natchitoches business district, including the newspaper offices, was destroyed by fire. Phanor Breazeale, who later was a U.S. Representative for Louisiana, succeeded Cosgrove as editor and owner in 1882. The paper went out of business a year later when Breazeale sold the press and type to Charles Vernon Porter, who was publisher of another Natchitoches newspaper, the Democratic Review, which preceded The Enterprise, issued in 1888 by H. P. Breazeale. The Enterprise was purchased by The Natchitoches Times in 1965.]
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