European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 30, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 the stars and stripes thursday june 30, 1977 top justices end 1976-77 term after ruling out death penalty for rape As cruel and unusual Washington Upil the supreme court ended its 1976-77 term wednesday with a decision ruling out As cruel and unusual punishment the death sentence for  an opinion by Justice Byron White the court said. We have concluded that a sentence of death is grossly disproportionate and excessive punishment for the crime of rape and is therefore forbidden by the 8th amendment As cruel and unusual  Only Georgia has been including rape of adult women in its capital punishment statute but a decision the other Way Wouldhave left states free to do so. White said that no matter How ugly the medics find remains near Todd s grave Forest Park. Iii. T api medical authorities wednesday confirmed that re Mains found near the violated grave site of Michael Todd Are those of the late movie producer. Robert j. Stein Cook county medical examiner said identification was made through Todd s dental charts the remains of Todd former husband of actress Elizabeth Taylor were reported missing sunday in what was believed to be a grave robbing attempt to find any jewel by buried with Todd. Authorities said later that no rings or other jewelry had been buried with the producer rubber bag containing human remains was found tuesday Forest Park police sgt. Richard Archambault had said he was confident the remains were Todd s and telephoned Michael Todd or. On tuesday with news of the discovery earlier. A Chicago area private Detec Tive with directions from an unidentified source led police to the Brash covered spot just 120 fed from the opened Grav Anthony i a Loicano. A detective not connected officially with the investigation said he had received a Telephone tip to the location after a number of phone Calls with a null it of different people Over the last two Days. Floridian is charged with killing porpoise Tami a. I la. I api a 58-Yuar old Man has been charged with shooting a porpoise in what officials say is the Lisl such arrest under the marnu1  Protection act if 1�"2james Smith of is Ini Noli. L la. Was re leased on  Bond after a hearing Iii s Day the  carries a maximum  of one year in prison and a $20.000 of Lull tin charge stems from an incident last thursday in the  of Mexico off St be Leash org Leach. Kit ral agents said passengers aboard a charter fishing l oat the Kingfisher reported that a Man in a Small boat fired a half do in Rifle shots into a school of porpoises apparently killing at least one of them. The other porpoises rallied around the Herd s injured member trying to raise it out of the water and carry it to safety officials said. Bui the porpoise died authorities said. The Captain of the Kingfisher told authorities that he hailed the motor boat and told its Lone occupant that the shooting and the boat s registration number would be reported but the Rifleman replied he did t care. Circumstances death is too harsh a punishment for a crime which renders life not nearly so Happy As it was. But. Not beyond  the court also vacated an order by . District judge John Dooling of new York blocking Congress ban on Federal funding of abortions except where needed to save a woman s life. Dooling was directed to reconsider his order in Light of recent High court rulings allowing slates full leeway in deciding whether to fund voluntary abortions for medicaid patients. However the justices refused to stay pooling s order so the Federal Money will continue to flow. The term ended with the four justices appointed by Richard Nixon in full control of the voting As they have been for some time. The court continued to wrestle with race questions obscenity religion and de tails of criminal  dealing with women s rights children and family mailers became increasingly prominent. The rape decision produced a variety of views since justices William Brennan and Thurgood Marshall do not believe in Capi Tal punishment for any crime. Justice Lewis Powell s position was Notas rigid As that of the majority. He would have left the Way open for the death penalty in a crime involving extreme brutality and with serious or lasting injury. In other last Day actions the court told Tower courts to reconsider school desegregation cases in Omaha and Milwaukee in Light of earlier rulings this appointed District judge Walter Hoffman who served on the Federal Bench in Norfolk va., for Many years As a Spe Cial master to recommend the Seaward boundaries of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Appointed senior . District judge Robert  Pelt of Lincoln neb., to Lake testimony in a 103-year-old dispute Over the location of the California Nevada Boundary line. Tiny ankle lesion removed Navy affirms lbs had skin cancer Washington api surgeons re moved a Small skin cancer from the out Side of president a Ndon b. Johnson s left ankle almost four years after he look office a Navy spokesman said. The surgery was not announced at the  was never a  the spokesman. Cmdr. Thomas coldwell. Said of the Caneer. From 1965 through Decem Ber 1969. Some 30 to 40 lesions were re moved from the president All were benign except for the one episode in octo Ber 1967." coldwell said wednesday he had received authorization from Johnson Swidow. Lady Bird to make the surgery Public she earlier had denied reports Johnson had a skin cancer on his hand. Surgery at White hous coldwell said the surgery on the ankle was performed in the president s private quarters at the White  into Johnson s skin condition were prompted by a Story in the current Issue of Reader s digest in which i r  Klein a dermatologist an cancer researcher in Noav York says Johnson had skin Caneer. However. Coldwell Aid the lesion Klein refers to in the Story was diagnosed As benign la was removed on Jan 7. L jc7. From the Middle Finger of Johnson s right hand the Navy spokesman said alter or Klein was consulted about treating it with a new ointment. Rejected ointment the former first Lidy had asked about the possibility of using he ointment. Cold Well said after consultation with or Klein on Jan 5 or  coldwell said it was concluded hat while the ointment. 5fu.  a a taxi alternative the treatment would have required twice daily application for 14 Days and therefore was not preferable to the one time surgical procedure Hal was eventually  William m Narva chief of dermal Ingy service at the National n aval medical a gift a in Scarf Yik . My. Per Fin ii in thu surgery that removed the linger lesion. Culdwell said he said that station. Too. Was performed in the  Dent s quarters at the White House. On oct. 18. /. Ten months after the treatment for which or. Klein was Consul Ted. Or Narva observed on the lateral Asj Xvi Lou Sidn of the ankle of the presi Dent s it la foot a Small ulcerated  coldwell  Biopsy was taken and the pre Spura live impression was basal cell Chi Whelin  coldwell said. Basal cell epithet Lamais a common Type of skin cancer that czech train crash kills one Prague a one Man died when the Meridian express train connecting Malmoe and Belgrade jumped the rails in Bratislava the slovak capital the Czecho slovak press Agency reported. Rarely spreads. Microscopic examination the next Day confirmed the clinical diag no  removed additional skin from the lesion area on oct. 18, coldwell said. On oct. 19, histology revealed that the residual basal cell Cpl Helima was adequately  of this information was announced at the time. But coldwell said he had no indication the information was officially classified by the Navy. Johnson died in february 1973 of heart disease. Fatal fall three men and one woman from South Carolina were killed and another woman was critically injured when the tractor trailer in which they were Riding flipped Over a Bridge railing i Pittsburgh and fell 70 feet to the Street below. Police have not determined the cause of the Accident. A photo