Another Crack at the Machine

Since 1960, when he started sniping from the pages of his weekly Morrilton, Ark., Democrat at the political machine that rules Conway County, wiry Editor Gene Wirges has been beaten up, shot at and haled into court on ten different charges. Repeatedly, juries, which always seemed to include at least one or two friends of Sheriff Marlin Hawkins, undisputed boss of the local machine, found Wirges guilty. Repeatedly, higher courts overturned the verdicts.

This month, after more than a year of litigation, the Arkansas Supreme Court reversed the latest decision against Wirges--a perjury conviction and a three-year prison sentence. The charges stemmed from a libel suit brought against Wirges after his newspaper accused Hawkins' machine of election frauds. During the libel trial, Wirges denied that he had written a certain column; the sheriff's witness swore he had. Hawkins' word, prevailed--at least temporarily.

Once more in the clear, Wirges, who turned the editing of the paper over to his wife Betty three years ago, aims to take another crack at the machine. He now serves as a staff assistant, spending most of his time doing the investigative work he hopes will lead to better government in Morrilton. Wirges can count on some potent moral--and material--support from Republican Governor Winthrop Rockefeller. The Governor, whose 7,500-acre Winrock Farms ranch lies just outside Morrilton, has already provided Wirges with office space in Little Rock, secretaries, financial support and top-drawer legal assistance.

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