Philadelphia Daily News from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania • Page 8

1 1 1 tt rr wjwi sir JsT" nn inn 3T Vf Jl Photography by W. R. Evrly 3d "The House" 7 By HOAG LEVINS At the corner of Burmont Pd. and Berkley Ave. in Upper Darby, they just call it "The House" now.

The sightseers, the newsmen, the motorcycle gangs and marauding teenagers cruise by asking to see "The House." They are directed to 3437 Berkley the three-story house that has become the focal point of turmoil that has raged across this corner for nearly a week. The house, now boarded up, was heavily damaged by a mob that smashed windows and doers, attempted to set it afire and battered down 18-inch sections of stone wall rather than let a young black couple move in. The story of 3437 has been one of hurled stones, sheuted death threats and racial slurs. HOWEVER, behind the battlefield atmosphere surrounding the house, is another story of two families who have not met each other but whose destinies collided last week to transform 3437 Berkley Ave. into "The House" all Upper Darby is talking about.

For the last six years, the house had been the home of Edward Follett, his wife and three children. A machinist, Follett now lives in Media and refuses to discuss his personal life. However, other persons close to the family indicate that the 35-year-old Follett "can't seem to get a break." His life in recent years had been one of tragedy and misfortune. Last year, after a long illness, Follett's wife died. Her care caused Follett to go deeply into debt.

'TmS1 THING with the colored is just the latest bit of bad luck in my life," explained Follet who speaks with the tone of a man who is numb or wear or both. Earlier this year, Follett had a buyer lined up for the house at 3437. Creditors also were pressing him for money. The sale would have bailed him out. At the last minute, the sale fell through when the buyer's credit request was refused by a bank.

A few months ago, his mortgage company threatened to foreclose because Follett was behind in his house payments. A real estate agent handling the property wrote the mortgage company asking that Follett be given a little more time because a new buyer had just been lined up for the house. THAT NEW PARTY was Stephen Carr and his wife, a black couple who had owned a home in Mount Airy for six years and now were interested in buying a larger one. Both Stephen and Jacqueline Care were raised in relatively affluent families. Stephen Carr, 27, grew up in Ambler and was graduated from Ursinus College before going to work as a state social worker in Philadelphia.

Jacqueline Carr, 25, was raised in New Britain, Bucks County. Her parent's spacious split-level is just a short distance away from the well known Polish shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa. Her father is a postal worker and a career Army At the last minute, the sale fell through when the bu-Reserve officer. Mrs. Carr now works as a part-time counselor at Temple University and is also a full-time student in her junior year at Temple.

A WEEK BEFORE moving into 3437 Berkley the Carrs sold their Mount Airy home and were able to use the money to put the necessary $2,500 down cn their new house. In a lengthy interview, the couple expressed a sense of optimism and idealism as well as a certain naivete about the racial tensions the Upper Darby area. z. It i "I expected to hear a few nasty names. I didn't think this violent sort of thing happened any more," said Carr.

"We weren't asking for anything. You don't like me, fine. I won't bother you; you don't bother me. But what happened just shocked me." TOMORROW, the Carrs and Follett were scheduled to meet each other for the first time. At issue was the $2,500 down-payment the young people deposited on the house and which Follett insisted he did not intend to give back after the Carrs were driven from the new home by a howling mob.

By had the option to keep the money because the Carrs officially had defaulted on their promise to purchase out of fear for their lives, Follett also had the option to return the money and waive the default procedure. FOR THE LAST five days, Follett has been tongue-lashed by both blacks and whites whites cursing him for selling to blacks and blacks cursing him because be wouldn't return the Carrs'. money. Last night, Follett announced that he just "wanled to be left alone" and gave the $2,500 down payment back to the Carrs through a real estate agent. At the same time, Follett declined to appear in court today at the hearing against two neighborhood men who were arrested during the rock-throwing melee that damaged 3437.

Police said Follett could sue for damages, but that he had decided not to. SO WHILE CHARGES and countercharges continue to fly throughout Upper Darby in the wake of the incident, the principals have parted without ever laying eyes on each other. The Carrs, still picking glass and rocks from their boxes of belongings, have $2,500 to hunt for a more peaceful neighborhood in which to recover from what has been the most severe emotional trauma of their young lives. Edward Follett, on the other hand, must go back to vthe market place with a ruined bouse he can't afford to fix and a flock of creditors chasing after him almost as doggedly as his bad luck. iv Elwocct P- Smiii Theresa Marcbese offers an opinion ilh inscripition on cbest Parents Rally at Southern To Shout Down Bus Plan What Can It Page 16 Hundreds of cheering, whistling parents attended an anti-busing rally in South Philadelphia last night, som vowing to keep their children cut of school rather than let them be bused.

Busing Hearing Set for Aug. 12 The heated issue of busing will come to a boil once again at 10 a.m. Aug. 12 in City Hall when Commonwealth Court holds a hearing on two plans to desegregate Philadelphia public schools. One plan, drawn up by the State Human Relations Commission, would require busing 53,000 students attending 185 schools.

The second, proposed by the Board of Education, is an undetailed suggestion city schools be merged with 10 suburban- school 'districts to achieve integration. The busing fight was tossed back into the courts when the State Senate earlier this month failed to override One white mother said she and others would teach their children at home. Even the handful of blacks in the audience of more than 600 at South Philadelphia High School spoke out against busing, which still is under consideration in Comonwealth Court in Harrisburg. "I WA.NT MY CHILD to stay in his neighborhood -school," said a black woman, Mrs. Mildred 44, of North Philadelphia, whose son, Steven, 6, could walk a block from his home to first grade at the Kearny School at 6th St.

and Fairmount Ave. Mrs. Bates said busing would take him to a school in the Northeast, and she feared be would be "harassed" REPUBLICAN mayoral candidate Thomas Foglieita attended the rally and told parents during the l'-i-hour meeting be was firmly opposed to Chased Black Family Gets Back Down Payment They are sending copies of the letter to churches in the area and asking people who wish to add their names to the letter to send a postcard to them in care of the Lans-downe-Upper Darby Fair Housing Council, Box 161, Drexel Hill 19026. milies living in Upper Darby, most of them are renters, said Caroline Isard, of the Lansdowne Upper Darby Fair Housing Council. Mrs.

Isard said she knew of only "five or six" black homeowners in the entire township. A GROUP of about 20 residents have composed a letter of apology to Continued from Page 4 and the Police Department's Protestant chaplain, said he hoped the "Christains would come out of the woodwork" and show their opposition to racism. "Maybe this will make us face reality," be said. Anyone who wants to help defray tne carrs, saying they were shocked Jh5W6 -fey i a spokesman said..