European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 8, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Magazine South Carolina town resist bearer of badness by Dudley Clendinen new York times his dreams shattered editor Ken Fortenburry has put the weekly Mccormick messenger up for  Tutor Pam thus is the South Carolina town of Mccormick in the county of Mccormick i is the place that an editor . And his family decided to make of Weir Home theirs was i he dream of Many who live in the featureless sprawl of suburban America a dream of returning to a place of smaller scale and traditional ways to a Small Lown with a town Square surrounded by neighbors who know each other who live in houses with deep porches and shaded larts where children play i did l want my oldest daughter to grow up thinking that tile is us which shopping mall to go to  Fortenberry said a was the executive editor of the news chief in Winter Haven Fla Andin the pages of the Trade Magazine editor Ana publisher he found what he was looking for the Mccormick messenger an 64 year old weekly paper was or Sale in a county of 7.800 in the stale of his ancestors where his wife s family still lived a place of Limber farms and some textile Mills it had Long been known As having the smallest population and poorest Economy of any county in the state. What we liked about it Wes that it was on the Bottom in every respect Fortenberry Sard. It could go no place but up. We made several trips up Here and the first thing that struck us was the Southern  after buying the paper Fortenbery his wife and three children moved to town. They arrived in july 1985, and the Good feeling lasted for about two weeks until Fortenberry went to the sheriffs office to ask to see the Gaii log a list he thought would be Well read. The retired sheriff. J. Preston Gable who was Here told him in was none of his business Fortenberry said the next Day when the editor went Back after checking the Public records Law with the stale attorney general s office the sheriff Jimmy Gable the former sheriff s son told me he did l give a Damn what the Law was. He said there s the door. Go out it or i la put you out the door " Fortenberry who had not anticipated becoming a crusading editor became one. He printed an article about the refusal and began Locking into the operations of the sheriffs office. He demanded various Legal documents found an audit critical of the financial operation of the office wrote Aboul it people began to calf him Wrin tips one thing led to the next and this last oct. 16, the messenger printed Yel another frontage article about the sheriff. This one with a Banner headline Gadle guilty " a Federal jury in Aiken had convicted him of stealing two  government checks and converting the Money to his personal use when it developed that the chief Deputy George Froid had an old grand larceny conviction Fortanberry printed that nows. Loo. When Jack Keown the replacement sheriff appointed by the governor was arrested by agents of the state Law enforcement division and charged with offering Reid $1,000 0 withdraw from the race. Fortenberry printed Hal As Well some of the townspeople have appreciated the editor s efforts. Fortenberry is the Besl thing that Ever happened to this Little town says 0.5. Billy Sexton who retired irom the construction business in Houston and returned to Tho Hometown he left 28 years ago to invest in real estate and development. Not everyone in Mccormick has appreciated the bad news. Hate idlers have flowed in his children have been threatened and harassed and his oldest daughter Leslie s car was bumped by other teen age Drivers the whole press run of 2,300 papers was stolen Ona night. He has suffered re oath threats eggs on North Carolina the House nails in the driveway an acetylene bomb thai exploded Down the Street in november and one in his backyard in december. Four Young men from an adjacent county one of whom Dales the daughter of forme sheriff Jimmy Gable have been arrested and charged in the bombings. Qut none of his earned Tho editor of the messenger much sympathy All Fortenberry s problems he brought on  said Tom minor the democratic county chairman most of whal he printed was Cor oct. Mistakes were made by elected officials but i think you can carry in too far and i think that s where he made his  Chuck Deal who works in a Gas station in Mccormick said of tha editor me looked for All the negative stuff he could find. Of he praised the development of the Lake Over Here but personally i Don t like the development on the Lake. There Are too Many people in the county now to suit  Mccormick county has been losing population for decades however Ami Fortenberry Sexton and others look at the vast undeveloped Shoreline of Claris Hill Lake As the potential economic salvation of the county. Tha Lake was created by a Federal hydroelectric dam on the Savannah River and the Federal government has agreed to release title to More than 3,000 acres on the Lake to the stale for a residential resort keyed to the sort of affluent retired people who locked to the Island of Hillon head n when it was developed. We d like that i mean we re in the position of needing All the help we can get says minor. He worries that negative publicity will keep people from moving there but he is somewhat heartened that the editor has decided to leave Fortanberry listed the paper with a broker Lor Sale alter the first bomb and the special election on dec. 30. Confirmed his belief thai this is no place thai welcomes new people a retired Florida Law enforcement officer. Don near was outvoted by Kec in and held who had been pardoned by Tho governor s office. A Runoff would Execl either a former convict or a Man who faces felony charges As the new Sherd. As soon As he can find a buyer for the messenger. Fortenberry said the family including a new set of twins will go. The Small town is just Noi what it s cracked up to be he said at least not around Here sunday february 1967 the stars and stripes Page 13