El Paso Times from El Paso, Texas • 3

mm ULiUUUaUn December 2. 1885 Pise 5-A a.m. roundup Times staff reports Jail house baptism Lucas says he believes his life has been changed -X 0 Men arrested carrying weapons in stolen car Police arrested two men carrying guns into the United States in a stolen car Saturday at the Zaragosa Bridge. Angel Alfredo Chavez Rodriquez, 20, and Carlos Treviso Carea, 23, were held for police at the Ysleta Port of Entry after customs agents discovered the car they were driving had been reported stolen from Dallas, according to police reports. Police allegedly found that both men had guns concealed in 'their and a set of brass knuckles with a razor blade head was found on the seat of the car.

While searching the car, police found another gun that had been reported stolen at North Platte, police said. Rodriquez and Carea were charged with possession of a prohibited weapon, unlawful carrying of firearms and theft. Carea is in El Paso County Jail under of $5,500 bond. Rodriquez, who allegedly was driving the car, also was charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. He is in jail under $10,000 bond.

By Gary Scharrer Times staff writer After acknowledging that no other time in his life will be more important, convicted killer Henry Lee Lucas stepped into a baptism font Sunday afternoon for a spiritual immersion and a new life Lucas was baptized in the simple environment of the El Paso County Jail, chapel by El Paso minister Russell Bone. The interdenominational told Lucas about the prison captivity of the apostle Paul and companion Silas, whose faith impressed their jail guards into asking how to be saved. Paul answered: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." The minister assured Lucas that "the bid Henry Lucas's spirit will die, the Scripture tells us. Your past will wash away as far as the Lord is concerned. You will see a marked change in your life," Bone said.

When Bone suggested that no other time in his life will be more important, Lucas replied: "I believe it." Emerging from the baptismal bath, Lucas wrung out the pant legs of his dripping orange jail uniform. Lucas' personal minister, Clemmie Schroeder, then sang a hymn, "Spirit of the Living God." Schroeder taught Christianity to Lucas two years ago during his confinement in the Williamson County Jail at Georgetown, Texas, and once performed an informal baptism through jail cell bars. She flew to Henry Lee Lucas says he will minister to inmates. El Paso to witness the 30-minutc ceremony along with private investigator Jay Armes, El Paso lawyer Arthur Abraham, Abraham's wife, Lucia Abraham, and three jail guards. Had he been exposed to Christianity earlier, Lucas would not have deceived law enforcment officers into accepting what he now contends were bogus murder confessions, Lucas said during a pre-baptism telephone interview.

"My life now is that I live by what the book says," Lucas said. "I try to uphold the things that I feel is right." Please see Lucas, 6A Times photo by Victor Calzada Western swing Alexander Dvorak of the Tucson Boys Choir jumped over the rope he twirled during the "A Child's Holiday with the Arts" performance Sunday at El Paso Civic Center. The show was good, but was it too much of a good thing? Review, 7-A. Feeding time O'Rourke strikes name from measure on rodeo funding 2 flee after trying to pass bogus $20 bill Two men fled a Central El Paso fast food restaurant Saturday when a clerk told them she would call police about a phony $20 bill they tried to pass, according to police reports. The men reportedly presented a $1 bill to which the corners of a $20 bill had been attached.

When the clerk refused to accept the money, one of the men offered to pay with a real one. But when the clerk said police would have to be called, the pair dashed out the door, police reports state. 4 El Pasoans arrested on intoxication charge Four El Paso men who allegedly were inhaling spray paint were charged with chemical intoxication Sunday night after the stolen car in which they were riding was stopped by police in the Lower Valley. Officer Samuel Reyes arrested Hector Mizcles, 27; Ricardo Duran, 19; George Holguin, 18; and Eduardo Rivera, 17. Mizcles also was charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.

The car was reported stolen Nov. 8 in El Paso. kl ill By Michael Scanlon 1 I J'UV JP" 1 1 MA Terrain keeps severe cold front away from city By Debbie Nathan Times staff writer Thanks to Guadalupe Peak and neighboring mountains, El Paso escaped a frigid front that roared deep into other parts of Texas this weekend. From the Panhandle to the Gulf Coast, the frigid air spawned blustery winds, violent thunderstorms and record-breaking, chill-factored temperatures that plunged as low as 30 degrees below zero. Rick Thorn an, forecaster with the private Accu-Weather service in Pennsylvania, said the mountains east of El Paso blocked the cold front that raged from the Great Lakes to the Plains and eastward past the Texas Panhandle.

"The cold air is very shallow and not deep enough to spill over the mountains," Thoman said. "There were no in-betweens either you got it or you didn't," he said, noting that the frigid air got no farther west in Texas than a line stretching from Pecos to Fort Stockton. Thoman said it is too soon to forecast a white Christmas for the El Paso area. But for the next five days at least, snow is definitely out of the picture. Last year, the closest snow got to Christmas was Dec.

14, when the city measured almost 3 inches. A month later, a storm dropped 4M inches over the area. The next few days in El Paso promise partly to mostly sunny skies and 60-de-gree high temperatures. Today, the maximum will be about 62, with the low dipping to freezing during the night. ''7 was recorded," O'Rourke said.

"I'm going to do anything I can to stop this foolishness. As long as I've got a way to safeguard the generalfund against foolish financing schemes, I'm going to do it. It's gambling." Faced with a Dec. 16 deadline, the county has not yet received approval of the $3.67 million revenue bond issue from the attorney general's office because of a backlog in Austin of pending bond issues. Commissioner Charles Hooten said the state General Land Office wants to close the deal on the land by Dec.

16 so the proceeds can be invested by the end of the year for public schools in the stfltc "I think he's totally wrong," Hooten said. "The (certificate of route was the method recommended by our bond counsel." He said the county's bond counsel, Peter Tart, is associated with a conservative legal firm. "Whenever a bold step is taken, there is an element of risk," Hooten said. "The com- Slex itself is a risk. But by chos-lg this location, I think we've given it its best chance for success.

I'm sorry Pat is becoming such a sore loser." Please see Rodeo, 8A Times staff writer A stop-gap plan to raise money for a rodeo, equestrian and livestock fairgrounds is like shooting craps with tax money, El Paso County Judge Pat O'Rourke said Sunday. At a special meeting last week, Commissioners Court voted 3-2 to publish a notice of its intent to issue certificates of obligation to buy 465 acres of state-owned land near the intersection of Loop 375 and Interstate 10 in the Lower Valley. O'Rourke, who voted against the measure, started to walk out of his office after the special session, but he was called back to sign the notice to reflect Commissioners Court's action. After he signed, the documents were taken to County Clerk Hector Enriquez to be embossed with the county seal. Moments later, O'Rourke appeared in Enri-quez's office.

"He took (the documents), drew a line through his name and wrote Enriquez said. "Then he asked me to attest to it, which I did." O'Rourke said he considers striking his signature a nullification of the notice. "As far as I'm concerned, mv City Council to study proposed annexation A proposed ordinance to annex a 5.8-square-mile area northwest of El Paso will be introduced at Tuesday's City Council meeting and, if approved, will be the subject of a public hearing and a final vote by council Dec. 17. Opposed by many residents in the affected area, the proposed annexation has been endorsed by the city Planning Department but not by the City Plan Commission, which recommended against the move by a 4-3 vote Nov.

12. City Council convenes at about 9:15 a.m. Tuesday in council chambers on the second floor of City HalL I -Timet photo by Victor Ciltadi Remember the old Sing Along With Mitch television show, where the viewer followed the bouncing ball and sang, "Be kind to your web-footed friends, for a duck may be somebody's Gloria Davila seemed to take that song to heart Sunday as she leaned over a railing to feed the ducks and is that Mother Goose? at Ascarate Park. signature was invalid before it A pre-Christmas story, in the land of juggernaut rolls Christmas decorations and carols in And so it goes. In the pragmatic do, destroying the inner city and the cial sections, special layouts, advei nubile Dlaces before Thankscivinc of- 1 A wnriri ir thmcr wnrk it works, and fertile farmlands of the surrounding ine specials.

We had editorials I public places before Thanksgiving of world, if a thing works it works, and do, destroying the inner city and the fertile farmlands' of the surrounding cial sections, special layouts, advertising specials. We had editorials up front by Ed Foster IMH Columnul proclaiming "The Alamo" the greatest epic movie of all time. Voices were raised among those who knew the true story of the Alamo. They said, "Hey, you guys, we don't care how authentic John Wayne looks you're doing this all wrong! The late author Lon Tinkle, after being invited by the Wayne party to go over the script, reportedly found 191 errors, including the naming of the river crossed by Santa Anna's army to attack the hallowed fortress. But Wayne and his movie-makers liked the script the way they had it.

All 191 errors made it onto the screen. A juggernaut is a juggernaut, out, ye troublesome sensibilities! Merry Xmas, everybody. It's never too early for merry Xmas. fended most of us. It happened anyway.

That's how it goes a lot of the time. The mayor and city representatives participated in opening ceremonies. We had the tree aUght and the Christmas music bursting forth in all its ebullience in San Jacinto Plaza before we'd carved the turkeys and pondered our heritage from the Pilgrims. Santa Claus already had appeared in the malls, ho-ho-hoing to the children, and to the mamas and daddies, that the countdown to Xmas had begun. Xmas? Remember when the abbreviation was in vogue, blotting Christ from the commemoration of his birthday? You don't see Xmas much anymore.

To be honest with ourselves, perhaps it is time to bring back Xmas. When the countryside all at the very same time. And just about all of us, I think, in our heart of hearts, realized that it was true, that the course we had set upon was to be a vicious, costly, disruptive and dehumanizing way to go. But we took it anyway. The juggernaut bore down hang the sensibilities! It even happens in the arts.

About the time we got caught up in urban sprawl the early 1960s, if memory serves the late western movie star John Wayne had begun filming his extravaganza movie, "The Alamo." Wayne got financial backing and editorial support from the Hearst Newspapers, The San Antonio Light being one of them, and, Lord, did we support it! Sent news and photography crews out to Brackettville for the filming. Ran copy and pictures in spe sensibilities can go to the devu. It's a part of life, watching these juggernauts roll. From whence comcth their momentum? It's a mystery. You just wake up one morning, and there one of them is, bearing down.

I remember my discovery that urban sprawl was abroad in the land. I'd arrived in a somewhat carefree spirit at my desk at The San Antonio Light to find a message from our advertising de- Eartment. Shopping centers, we news ands were informed, were a-building out along the interstates, transforming suburbia, and upon them rested the future growth and vitality of our newspaper. Voices arose from obscure quarters that, hey, this isn't such a keen thing to season for the commercial world to climb into the black becomes so important the Christmas sales effort is launched before Thanksgiving, we ought to see ourselves for what we are and call our celebration Xmas. Sales do not suffer, it seems, from the offending of sensibilities.

On the contrary. The premature launching of Christmas does what it's intended to do, Christmas buying underway in time or record sales. It's a juggernaut, rolling over sensibilities or anything else that gets in its way..