The Times and Democrat from Orangeburg, South Carolina • 5

rMrwvw'M i ''wiiitiiiMi'iiMW'r 'mininnniiwuii1' mo mm Stye taiea anil) 'eurocrat Continued from 1A Orangeburg, S.C., Sunday, September 18, 1994, Page 5A Caffey Hugo destruction brought 'mini-boom' in economy who did this (committed the murder) may get away with it. But they are not going to get away with it in God's plan!" he said firmly. He asked for information from anyone who might know something, something definite and provable, to come forward. "For the longest time," he said, "I have felt a lot of grief, a lot of agony. I would like these people found so I can put this behind me." O'Neill and Ross, who did a fine job of questioning in a calm, controlled voice, said they would be looking at possible areas in Orangeburg to do some filming later in the day, and then, on Sunday and Monday, they will be filming the murder scene at a location outside of Columbia.

They said they could not film at the actual location on Interstate 26 because of the heavy traffic and the need to film for hours at a time "to get it right," so they have been allowed to film at an area where a road has not yet been opened. They said only the actual personnel needed and the security people will be allowed at the filming site. Caffey said a great deal of information on the crime will be used in the film, and Munn was expected to deal with information gained through the SLED investigation. He said he hopes that this show will jar someone into coming forward and giving some solid information. "My father didn't have the chance to see me graduate from college, to see me marry and to see his grandchildren." Someone, he said, should pay for that.

year ago', I would have cried on your shoulder. I'm not crying today. I see the light at the end of the tunnel and it's not a train, it's sunlight!" Hugo caused $6 billion to $7 billion in damages, making it one of the costliest storms in U.S. history. The damage resulted in nearly $4 billion in insurance claims in South Carolina an amount so staggering that at least two insurance companies folded their tents in South Carolina after paying their obligations.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency established Disaster Application Centers in Santee and in the Charleston area, then due to tremendous response, repeatedly extended the application deadline. The last of the DACs finally closed in mid-January 1990. In Santee alone, 1,452 people sought grants or loans. Disbursements eventually edged toward the half-billion-dollar mark, although one Holly Hill businessman interviewed last week was critical of the process. He said the federal government asked small businessmen to put up too much additional capital, have too much patience and provide too many records which were lost in the storm.

Some banks were a little easier to deal with than the federal government. At least two area banks extended payment deadlines for some loans, and at least one offered special rates on relief and recovery loans. Counting the insurance payments, federal payments and loans, Hurricane Hugo "pumped a lot of money here," contributing to an economic mini-boom for one or two years in the Lowcountry, Brown said. "Contractors from all over creation" stayed busy, Brown said, and retail sales were brisk as people bought repair materials and replaced lost and damaged items. Often unnoticed, Mother Nature has been nurturing the healing process, too.

The other day, almost five years after that terrible night, Billy Johnson returned to his father's 30 acres and found one of the most encouraging signs of recovery: Little pine seedlings pushing their way through the underbrush. "What few trees were left reseeded most of (the property)," Johnson said. By LEE HENDREN Staff Writer Billy Johnson will never forget what he saw on Sept. 22, 1989. The morning after a killer hurricane blasted through South Carolina, Johnson went out to take a look at his father's 30-acre stand of pine trees near Harleyville.

It was gone. "I'd bet there weren't 10 trees left standing," Johnson recalled this week. Scenes like this were repeated throughout the state on that fateful day five years ago. Economically, Hurricane Hugo's "biggest impact was on the wood industry," said Gerald Brown of Holly Hill, vice president of the First National Bank of South Carolina. Hugo damaged 36 percent of the state's forestland, a loss assessed at $1.4 billion.

A lot of the felled timber was saleable, but much lost some or all of its value anyway due to the lack of enough people and facilities to store, ship and process the timber before the insects and bluestain fungus got to it. Too, the felled timber posed a severe fire hazard. Tourism South Carolina's second-largest industry -also suffered a body blow. One of the area's most popular resorts, Rocks Pond Campground near Eutaw Springs, was denuded of nearly all of its trees. Initially, people stayed away in droves, fearing another storm or preferring campsites with an abundance of trees.

But "a lot of the peopie that truly enjoyed Rocks Pond years ago keep on coming down," said owner Rut Connor. And just as surely as the new saplings are growing, so is business at Rocks Pond. Repairs are "98 percent complete now and we're looking to bring more and more tourist dollars into this area," the newly optimistic Connor said. "I'm happy with the way things are going. More people are coming.

More boats are in the marina. There are more campers. Things are looking much better," Connor said. "A crimes actually occurred. He was born in Charleston, S.C., he said, then grew up in North Carolina.

"We have had very good cooperation from people in the smaller towns and cities. They get things arranged for us without hassling, and we appreciate that. "Most of the actors who will be portraying people involved in the Caffey case will be from the Columbia area. One is from Charlotte, and the man who will play the role of Roy Caffey is actually a police officer, Aubrey Osteen of Roswell, Ga. No, he doesn't look a lot like Caffey, but he is about the right age and, being a police officer, he knows the procedures." Ross and O'Neill said they are not just sure when the segment will be scheduled and probably won't know until after the film is edited and it is decided how much of it to use.

Then, he said, they will notify The Times and Democrat at least two or three weeks ahead, so local audiences can be alerted to watch the finished product. Caffey did an excellent job as he was interviewed and will be impressive on the finished product. It was hot under those powerful lights, and he also got a bit emotional as he talked about his father, about his mother who, he said, "died of a broken heart, because there was nothing physically wrong." Every 10 minutes or so, sometimes more frequently as Caffey's emotions showed, they stopped filming and the film was changed on the camera. Peterson said they do this frequently, at least every 10 minutes. Then all this film is taken and edited to provide the finished product.

As Ross, the director, sat out of camera range and asked questions of Caffey, the young First National Bank vice president told about his father. He was born in Texas, was a veteran of the U.S. Navy and served with the SCHP for 25 years. "My father's life was the Highway Patrol," Caffey said. "He enjoyed working with people.

I think my father was an excellent policeman." "Why do you think so?" Ross asked. "Because he cared for people, cared what happened to them. Everyone respected my father," he said, and reached for a tissue to mop his face and then picked up a glass of water. The fan came on, the camera shut down and they had a bit of a break. More questions, more answers and there were about eight "takes" in all before Ross got the performance from Caffey he wanted.

Caffey spoke firmly and eloquently and did an excellent job. He should be very impressive in the finished product as he urges anyone knowing who killed his father to come forward. Ross asked how Caffey handled losing both his parents. "It changed my values," Caffey responded. "I had to grow up and do things by myself, including going to college and so forth.

It was extremely hard after my mother and father died. I had no one, no support, to help me know what to do. "My father, if I have to say it, was a great man. I considered my father a great man. He had strong values and the power to keep going and going.

"I understand that the people Continued from Page 1 A wasn't just "a good man; he was a great man" and said he has dedi- cated himself to finding the per- son, or persons, responsible for I jjng "taken away a part of my Doing a TV segment isn't easy. First, you move a lot of furniture such as pianos, or big recliners, gingerly edged through doors. Then you set up lights, big reflectors, camera, sound equipment, micro-; phones and don't forget a fan to be turned on at intervals to relieve the "hot seat" feeling the interviewees get. All this occurred Saturday at the home of Mr. and Mrs.

Robert Caffey as "Unsolved Mysteries" descended on the charming Robin Street home with two huge vans loaded with equipment. These people don't trav-i el small. Or cheap. They carry with them everything from ladders to strange looking metal rods, to heavy lighting equipment and very expensive cameras and stacks of film. I The event Saturday was to do in-.

terviews of some of the people in-; volved in the investigation into Caf-; fey's death, and they were to check in at 10 a.m. It took a bit longer than that to get the group together. The TV crew had to make it down from Columbia, as did one of the in- terviewees, Hugh Munn, spokesman for the State Law Enforcement Division, which did the investigation into Caffey's murder. Another person to be inter- viewed, Orangeburg County Deputy Sheriff John Stokes was scheduled for interview later in the I day. On hand to keep things in line and to give any information neces-r sary were Capt.

David Deering and Lt. George Jones, of the South Car- olina Highway Patrol. "We will interview Robert Caffey 'first," said the director, Richard Ross, who added they weren't sure whether or not to let a reporter sit in on the interview as sometimes it does upset the person on camera to have others watching, especially I during an emotional scene. I As the producer, Jeannie O'Neill, very young and pretty but also very efficient, prepared to handle the card which marks the beginning of each "take," Ken Peterson, the eraman, took his place behind the carefully placed camera and sound engineer Jim Mansen settled behind the reels of tape on the recorder. It had taken about an hour just to move into the CafFey's small, formal front living room and set that up as a spot to film CafFey's interview.

There was discussion among the crew about whether or not they needed something on the small wall table in the foyer, and a light was adjusted, then adjusted again, to be sure the lighting from the back was just right. Nothing moves fast when you're filming a TV show! The larger family room was taken over for filming Munn's por-: tion of the show and some of the furniture was moved out to the en-, closed porch area. Ross said he had enjoyed working in the local areas where the "it mm himmti Mmmmmmmmmi A tarn- a. 1 1 i it I i LI Save 50 off the regular price of selected 4 I Referendum tax bills. Here is the unofficial vote tally by precinct: North Eutawville, 93 for, 74 against; South Eutawville, 308 for, 13 against; East Holly Hill, 215 for, 43 against; West Holly Hill, 129 for, 175 against; Vance, 87 for, 116 against; Providence, 66 for, 48 against; Santee, 70 for, 105 against; absentee, 7 for, 3 against.

current season merchandise. Save an extra 50 off selected clearance priced merchandise. Only merchandise designated by signs will be eligible for this sale. Sale prices honored Sunday, September 1 8th only! No layaways on this sale merchandise. MB LSI Continued from Page 1 A When the realignment takes place, probably in the 1996-97 school year, Vance-Providence Primary, St.

James-Gaillard Elementary and Holly Hill Primary will serve children in kindergarten through fifth grade. Froin those schools, students will move into Holly Hill Middle School for sixth, seventh and eighth grades, then move to Holly Hill-Roberts High School in the ninth grade. After the sale of the bonds later in the year, county property taxes are expected to go up about 23.8 mills. That would increase the property taxes on a $100,000 residence by approximately $95.20 in the 1995-96 school year property I Single Rooms Sunday Thursday $20.00 Cable, H.B.O., Refrigerator in Rooms. Lowest Weekly Rates.

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