NIGHT CLUBS SHOULD NOT BE OPEN AT 2 A.M.
(The Daily Chronicle September 26. 1977)
Appellate Court Judge Mr. Victor Crane has said that night clubs should not be open at two o’clock in the mornings.
This is the time that people should be asleep.
The remarks from the Justice of Appeal were being directed at a 22-year-old man who claimed that he had just come from a night club one night when he became involved in a fight that led the police to put him on a robbery charge.
Michael Anderson was before the Court of Appeal arguing that he was wrongfully convicted for the offence of robbery with aggravation on February 2 last and urged the Judges to quash the conviction and set aside the eight-year prison sentence.
But Justice Crane who presided said that there was no merit in the grounds of appeal and told Anderson that he was fortunate at not receiving a whipping.
The Judge added: “If I had the power, I would certainly impose a whipping on you in addition to the eight-year prison sentence.
Justice Crane told Anderson that at that time of the morning when he was, as he said,  wrongly charged with a crime , he should have been in bed rather than being on the streets molesting passersby.
The Appeal was dismissed; conviction and sentence were affirmed.
Other Judges were Mr. Keith Massiah and Mr. Justice Jhappan.

RATS A SERIOUS PROBLEM
(Daily Chronicle February 2, 1977)
A community effort is needed to rid the City of a high rate of infestation by rats.
Education Officer of the City Public Health Department Dhanpaul Persaud has called on citizens to get involved at the community level since a single infested house could lead to reinfestation of homes that are free of these pests.
The Public Health Officer was speaking on the “Rat Problem” at a public lecture that was organized by the Bel Air’s Lion Club at the Campbelville Government school.
Persaud pointed out that it was impossible to keep out rats and mice by sealing off one’s home because they can enter through a hole that is half an inch in diameter and some of them were so clever and so skilful that they could climb lamp posts, travel along power lines and enter homes.
So that a cooperative effort involving an entire neighborhood was needed.
Persaud explained that destroying the breeding places of these household rats and cutting off their food supply was a more effective way of routing them than poisoning.
He said that rats and mice are so clever that they can detect when poison or a rat trap is set for them.
It is important that homes and their environs be cleared of junk, rubbish heaps piles of old paper or cloth and old shoes in order to destroy breeding places and discourage the establishment of these.
These provide the necessary warmth and protection by the rats and mice for their nests.
Food scraps no matter how little should be disposed at in a way that these pests cannot get to them.
Persaud said that a single female and her offspring can breed as much as 2000 of their kind and that there are about five to six hundred species.
Unlike humans the teeth of rats keep growing and they have to gnaw on wood and other hard materials to wear them down.
If the teeth becomes too long the creature is unable to feed properly and die.

FOUR MAN SQUAD KILLS THOUSANDS OF STRANGE AND DREADED BEES
(Daily Chronicle March 8, 1977)
Swarms of bees which have been attacking persons in several parts of the country, especially Berbice in recent weeks.
A four man squad from the Central Agricultural Station at Mon Repos yesterday rushed to Tuschen on the West Coast of Demerara and killed thousands of  strange bees believed to be of the Africanised variety.
A number of beekeepers who are members of the Guyana Beekeepers Association met and discussed the marauding bees which are said to be dangerous since they attack in large numbers.
This development is likely to be discussed once again in two weeks time when the Association holds its annual meeting.
Africanised bees  were brought from Africa to Brazil to increase honey production but  are believed to have been  disturbed but since then they have been moving in a northerly direction also making visits to French Guiana and Suriname.
It is believed that the bees will soon be moving across to the Caribbean.

BOY WITH DEMON CURED
(Daily Chronicle February 23, 1977)
Tony was seventeen but he was also possessed.
He would suddenly become erratic screaming and throwing things around. But when it was all over he couldn’t remember having done any of the things his family related.
They took him to the spiritualist  Gwendoline De Freitas and her verdict: he was indeed possessed.
She agreed to organise a service for him to cast the spirit out.
That evening the altar was prepared with lighted candles  and the customary glass of water.
Before the altar was the canvas which protected the floor from the Olive oil and Saint oil which were usually used..
Tony was placed in the circle of lighted candles with Gwendolin standing before him.
In the room there were three other men to help restrain him.
It was always necessary to restrain the possessed as Gwendolin knew so well or they would attack and beat her-tearing her clothing.
With Tony it was not different.
The service had just begun when he lashed out at her.
It took seven hours to bring that demon under control. Then it happened. A candle from the altar fell onto the canvas on the floor.
The demon fled Tony’s body but he left his image behind.
There on the canvas on the floor the melted wax from the candle had taken on the form of a shadowy figure.
At the sight of this shadowy figure Tony screamed and fled the house before anyone could restrain him.
A successful Gwendolin De Freitas came to the Guyana Chronicle bearing the canvas with the strange figure on it.
In all her years of “curing the sick” as she termed it, she had never seen anything like it.
“The demon called himself Thompson,” she said, “He said that he had been sent by a man who believed that Tony had used his daughter. When I threatened to capture him, he begged me not to. He said all he wanted to do was return to his peaceful rest.”
I believe my ability is a gift from God.”
Gwendolin who belongs to the A.M.E Zion Church said she realised her ability since she was quite young .
She would have visions of figures  rising from beneath the water telling her what food she shouldn’t eat.
She eats neither shrimp nor pork.