Obituaries: Calvin Marion Robinson, 1957, Winn Parish, LA. Submitted by Greggory E. Davies, 120 Ted Price Lane, Winnfield, LA 71483 ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** From: December 5, 1957 Winn Parish Enterprise and January 16, 1958 Winn Parish Enterprise Article No. 1 Death Of Former Sheriff Shocks Parish Thursday A five-man coroner's jury ruled Friday that former Winn Parish Sheriff Calvin Marion Robinson "died of a bullet wound in the head," in an inquest into the fatal shooting which shocked this area last Thursday morning. The former sheriff, 49, was found shot to death at about 10:30 a.m. Thanksgiving day, just seconds after his wife, Mrs. Ora Robinson, said she had left the room after talking to him. Robinson was seated at his desk in their bedroom "figuring a bill of lumber" when she went in to speak to him prior to leaving to take her mother to Lake Charles, Mrs. Robinson told the coroner's jury. After hearing a shot, she returned to the room to find him lying backward across the bed, shot to death. Deputy Coroner Dr. John R. McElwee told the jury that from the physical evidence he observed at the scene, the fatal wound appeared to be self inflicted. No official ruling was made on this, however, and District Attorney Sam Wells said the coroner's jury is not legally delegated the responsibility for determining intent or guilt in such cases, but only for assigning the cause of death. AUTOPSY MADE An autopsy was performed by Dr. Maxwell, pathologist at St. Francis Cabrini Hospital in Alexandria, to remove the bullet from Robinson's head. The bullet, along with the .38 caliber revolver found at his feet, was sent to the State Police laboratory in Baton Rouge for ballistics and fingerprint tests. Sheriff R. S. Jordan said reports from the tests will be back here sometimes this week or next week. FAMILY DISCOUNTS SUICIDE "I can't believe it was suicide," Mrs. Robinson said. "He had too many plans," she told the jury, composed of Joe Bevill, Clyde Taylor, Russell Tullos, Fred Lovell, and Elmer Weeks. District Attorney Sam Wells conducted the questioning of witnesses, who included Mrs. Robinson, her daughter, Yvonne Hines, 19; Robinson's brother, Julanna Robinson; J. P. McManus, a truck driver for Robinson; Deputy Coroner Dr. John McElwee, and Sheriff R. S. Jordan. Describing the last few moments before the fatal shot, Mrs. Robinson said she and her mother were preparing to leave for Lake Charles, where her mother was returning after a three weeks' stay with the Robinsons. Mrs. Robinson's mother had gone to get in the car, and Mrs. Robinson stepped into their room, which opens onto the front screened porch, just prior to leaving. "I told him it would be late when I got back," Mrs. Robinson said. She said he answered, "That's all right. I won't be here, I've got a trip to make," referring to a load of lumber which was to be hauled. She asked if he had any money in case she needed funds on the trip. He handed her a check for $ 41, which he said was all he had at the moment. She returned the check, saying it was more than she needed, and told him she would "make this do," referring to a small amount of money she had in her purse. She turned and walked onto the porch, starting toward the car. He was seated at his desk, figuring a bill of lumber as she left, and the desk drawer was open, Mrs. Robinson testified. "I didn't see any gun", she told the District Attorney. "I hadn't gotten more than two steps away when I heard him move his chair. Then I heard the shot." Mrs. Robinson's daughter, who was in the bedroom in the back of the house, heard the shot, screamed, and turned in time to see Robinson fall backward across the bed, looking through a small room which joined hers and Mr. and Mrs.Robinson's rooms. Mrs. Robinson ran back into the room and saw her husband on the bed. "I called him. I screamed 'Calvin, what have you done', and he wouldn't say anything", Mrs. Robinson said, overcome by emotion as she testified. Unable to get an answer, she ran into the kitchen to telephone a doctor. Her daughter called the ambulance from another telephone in her bedroom, after going partway into the room and seeing what had occurred. WAS IN GOOD SPIRITS Discounting any motive for suicide, Mrs. Robinson said her husband was in good spirits right up to the last. "He talked about the weather. He was proud to see the sun shining," she related. He had been discouraged about the prolonged bad weather which hit the woods industry hard in this area, "but we all were", she said. He had recently gotten orders for hauling, and was making plans for the day's work. There had been no family quarrel, she said. "He was good to mother. He insisted on helping her, and wanted her to stay on longer." Mrs. Robinson's mother had suffered a stroke, and had been with them three weeks. Robinson had recently suffered a setback when his sawmill in LaSalle Parish burned. "I had helped him finance the mill", Mrs. Robinson said. He was making plans for overcoming the loss, saying he "wanted to make it up to me", she said. Robinson was heavily in debt, but was meeting his obligations, she stated. Robinson's brother, Julana Robinson, had been at the Robinson home earlier that morning getting a truck ready. Robinson had helped him with the truck, and "seemed hoped up" about an upturn in business prospects and the weather, his brother said. His brother left, and later called back to invite Robinson to eat lunch at his home that day. About five minutes later, the family called and told him of the tragedy. J. P. McManus drove up to the Robinson home just as Julana was leaving, and stopped only "about two minutes" to discuss a matter concerning the lumber hauling. He left Robinson outside, and he seemed normal and in good spirits, McManus said. APPEARS SELF INFLICTED Dr. McElwee stated that Robinson was shot just over the left ear. Powder burns were noted on the skin immediately around the wound, but were not on the ear or on any large area around the wound, indicating the barrel was against his head when the shot was fired. "If the gun had been as much as a half inch away from the head, there would have been powder burns on his ear," Dr. McElwee said. The deputy coroner said Robinson's right hand was holding a small piece of tissue paper, with black marks appearing to be powder marks as if drawn through a gun barrel. Mrs. Robinson said her husband had not been cleaning the gun during their conversation just prior to his death. Robinson was left handed. The jury deliberated about 35 minutes before returning its report, stating Robinson died of a "bullet wound in the head." WAS PREACHER, SHERIFF Robinson served as Sheriff of Winn Parish from 1948 through 1956, being elected for two terms. He was unsuccessful as a candidate for a third term, against the present Sheriff R. S. Jordan. At the time of his election in 1948, Robinson was pastor of the Downtown Assembly of God Church, now disbanded, and ran on a platform pledged to cleaning up bootlegging in the parish. Before his election he was employed by American Turpentine and Tar Co., engaged in buying and hauling pine stumps in this area. Since going out of the Sheriff's Office, Robinson was in the lumber and tie business, and owned a sawmill at Olla which burned recently. It was during "Preacher" Robinson's administration as Sheriff that this area gained national headlines in the triple slaying of Mrs. Lucy Neal, Joseph Neal, and Werner B. Kraft. His office conducted investigations throughout several states in the case, during a period of more than a year. During his administration the first short-wave two-way police radio system was installed in the Sheriff's department, and his department gained an early reputation as being "tough" on illegal liquor selling. His election campaigns were of the typically "hot Winn Parish politics" type. He won his second term of office in a landslide first primary victory over three other candidates. FUNERAL HELD SATURDAY Funeral services for the former Sheriff were held Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Laurel Heights Baptist Church. Officiating were Rev. Eugene Langford of Pineville and E. D. Roach of Winnfield. Burial was in Antioch Cemetery near Calvin, under direction of Hixson Brothers Funeral Home. Robinson was born March 5, 1908 in Jamestown, La., and had lived in Winnfield 21 years. He was 49 years old. He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Ora Robinson; one son, Calvin M. Robinson, Jr., of Salt Lake City, Utah; three daughters, Mrs. Inez Collins of Winnfield, Mrs. Carrie Sandifer of Dry Prong, and Miss Jessie Robinson of Winnfield; two brothers, J. L. Robinson and George G. Robinson of Winnfield; three sisters, Mrs. Lois Reeves and Mrs. Iuria Fogger, of Winnfield, and Mrs. Tom Cathey of Shreveport; and his mother, Mrs. C. S. Robinson of Winnfield. Pallbearers were L. L. Brewton, Sr., Norman Smith, Clyde Taylor, Lloyd Trawick, Earl Baxley, and Troy Kyson. Article No. 2 Coroner's Jury Hears Testimony In Robinson Case Additional testimony in the death of former Sheriff Calvin M. Robinson was presented to the Coroner's Jury last Thursday, by representatives of the State Police laboratory and doctor performing the autopsy. There was no change in the findings originally made by the Jury, according to Sheriff R. S. Jordan. The finding in the first hearing held last November just after the Thanksgiving Day death of Robinson was that the former sheriff died "of a bullet wound in the head." No cause or intent was assigned by the Jury, although the original testimony was that the wound appeared to be self inflicted.