Tallahassee Democrat from Tallahassee, Florida • Page 10

1 0AThursday, September 16, 1999 Tallahassee Democrat Florida Oldest city protected from hurricanes Dinner Specials Daily! Delicious Lunch Athby Stiff problem. "And sure enough," said Bradshaw. "Now they're believers." Two hours after Floyd passed off St. Augustine's shore, the sun peeked through the clouds. "Somebody's looking out for us," said Vernon Davis, who lives across Matanzas Bay from the city's old section.

Davis was walking along the walls of the old fort, the Castillo de San Marcos, watching the water spill from the inlet over the sea wall into the city's historic district. Davis remembers Dora, which flooded the city even worse. "You couldn't see the sea wall then," he said. This time "we got off pretty easy." protecting the city. It was erected after Dora blew through in 1964.

"We have not been hit since," said resident Karen Johnson. Others said it was the Hurricane Lady who delivered St. Augustine from another storm. Sometime last century, a ship was foundering in a storm off the coast near here. A crewman found a Madonna statue and the captain promised the Virgin that if she delivered the crew to safety they would give her to a good Christian family.

The crew landed at St. Augustine and the statue has been passed down through the generations. It is now at a local convent. Some locals still pray to it when the winds start howling, as Carol Bradshaw did before telling co-workers at the St. John's County Emergency Management office that Floyd wouldn't be a which came with a glancing blow Wednesday.

The narrow streets in the city's old section were flooded by the storm surge, but there was little structural damage to the historic buildings and homes in this northeast Florida city. No one was injured. "The city of St. Augustine really dodged a bullet with our historic buildings," said Wayne Sims, a spokesman for the city. The oldest wooden school house in the country looked none the worse for wear.

Already aged and weather-beaten, the tiny 1778 building remained anchored to the ground with hulking though rusty ship chains. The school's roof, made of hand-split cypress, didn't lose a shingle. Some residents credit a cross standing about 200 feet high with Residents of St. Augustine say the city is blessed with the Virgin Mary and a cross. By David Royse THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ST.

AUGUSTINE North America's oldest city has withstood another threat. Watched over by a 300-year-old Spanish fort, a cross built after the last hurricane and a mysterious statue of the Virgin Mary, the residents of St. Augustine can add Hurricane Floyd to the list of troubles they've weathered. Nothing has uprooted the tidy little village the oldest continuing settlement on the continent. Not the English, who bombarded the fort twice in the 1700s; not Hurricane Dora, which blew through in 1964; and not Floyd, Great Food and Quality Service in a Family Atmosphere.

Art work exhibited by Bill Rollo. For Take-out Orders Call Ahead 894-9866 or Fax Your Order to 894-9868 Man settles claim for $500,000 i im spokesman, said Wednesday. He said Pizza Hut was concerned about Miller's children and pleased that they didn't have to endure a lengthy public trial. "After the first trial, this one would have been a totally different ballgame," Miller said Tuesday. Now 33, he lives in St.

Petersburg with his three children and his new wife. "From a personal standpoint, I had no fear," he said. "If anything, more people could see the truth again." The truth, Miller has said, is he drove to the restaurant to check on his wife when she didn't come home from her shift as a night waitress. Inside the restaurant, he found her face down on the tile floor. Snow was slumped in a sitting position, a note signed "Front of Colombia Liberation.

Viva Carlos Lehder" on his head, he said. Both had been shot in the head. The note said the writer would keep killing unless a one-time izza Hut He wife, a waitress at the restaurant, was killed during a robbery in 1992. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS TAMPA A man acquitted of killing his wife and her manager at a Pizza Hut restaurant has settled a claim against the company for failing to provide adequate security and protection for $500,000. In 1994, Richard Miller took the stand to persuade a jury he did not kill Nancy Marie Miller, 25, and Steven J.

Snow, 35, at the Brandon restaurant in May 1992. Miller, who faced the death penalty, was acquitted by jurors who later criticized the prosecution's Investigation as shoddy. He filed a civil lawsuit against the Dallas-based company three months later. The case had been scheduled for trial next week. Pizza Hut resolved the case confidentially without admitting fault, Jay Allison, company herry 2599 "fit.

Tallahassee Memorial Family Practice Residency Program is pleased to announce that Joseph Mazziotta, M.D. is joining as a faculty member. Please call 681-5430 to make an appointment. -ir Tallahassee Memorial Family Practice Residency Tallahuur Htmonal HnlACan www.tmh.org 1- (A Sale $469 $599 $899 Sale Twin Set $569 FuD Set $699 KingSet $999 aci aa1 Wade Auction YOU'RE CAREFUL BEHIND THE WHEEL, 1. ARE YOU AS CAREFUL CHOOSING YOUR CAR INSURANCE? Don't trust just anyone to insure your car, see me: BILL BEATY 2727 Capital Circle NE Tallahassee, FL 32308 385-9563 I good neighbor, I State Farm in.ui.nci I Stale farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Coiroanv (not in NJ) Sate Farm indemnity Company (NJ) Home Otfice Bloomington, Illinois QuniM Sale Twin FuUSet $359 King $549 Ul .1 III Twin King yiv 0 against South American cocaine kingpin was released from jail.

Investigators said Miller killed his wife and Snow in a jealous rage and then staged the robbery, taking more than $800 from the safe. But a defense witness testified she saw two people matching the descriptions of Ms. Miller and Snow in the restaurant doorway the night they died. They appeared to be arguing with a man who was not Miller, she said. No one else has been charged with the killings, and the investigation ended after Miller's acquittal, sheriffs officials said.

Donald Snow, father of Steven Snow, the slain assistant manager, previously settled a similar lawsuit against Pizza Hut. He said Tuesday, however, he has never wavered in his belief of Miller's guilt. "He's got more reason to celebrate than ever," Snow said. Pizza Hut is owned by Tricon Global Restaurants, which also owns KFC and Taco Bell. www.tallahassee com JjICo-oP nt M)vt irrisimi 3143 West Thorpe Street Tallahassee, FL 32303 575-8585 Saturday September 18th at 7:30 Special Hauler from Miami bringing Japanese style furniture, Rosewood carved tables, folding screens, new ABC merchandise, household items, tools, gold silver jewelry, collectibles, glassware, other furniture and table items available.

Qmm Twin Full Set KingSet -x Sale $299 $599 This is a uniaue auction, start vour Christmas shopping early. I 1 9 CMlgMi (ffi Auctioneer Marvette Retherford AU 0000 384 AB 000 1 598 Keeping you Co-op Advertising can stretch your advertising doliarS A well planned advertising program, using co-op dollars will help you, our advertiser, get the most out of your advertising irrvestment Call Mandy Mims, our co-op specialist for further Information 599-2239. TXllaiiassee Democrat Keeping you in touch' A Little Out of the Well Worth the Trip" A SOMERSET FURNITURE I ri-f- 629 West Brevard Tallahassee 222-8474 Lb Cffl Mnn. thru Sat Q.fi jim a.