York Daily Record from York, Pennsylvania • 3

I SATURDAY A York County link with Abscam FBI agent once here represented 'sheik' By LINDA WEINER SELIGSON Of the Daily Record September 12, 1981 Howard Criden ushered the well-dressed businessman into Criden's Philadelphia law office. The visitor was Mike Cohen. He had lived and worked in York County for several years, but nobody knew him as Mike Cohen. In fact, he wasn't Cohen until Abscam came along. That's when Mike Wald, an FBI agent who had lived in Fairview Township from 1973 to 1979, became Mike Cohen.

As Michael Cohen, he seated himself in Criden's office, a and said he represented a wealthy Arab sheik who wished to build a $34.6 million hotel in the City of Brotherly Love. He was a stranger in Philadelphia, the potential client said, and he was seeking Criden's help in smoothing the way. Perhaps the lawyer should have questioned why an Arab sheik would chose "Michael Cohen, a nice Jewish boy from New York" to represent him. But the personable guy with twinkling blue eyes and a chin cleft deeper than Kirk Douglas's, said he was an old school chum of the sheik's American-educated nephew. Criden not only accepted his visitor's story, he also accepted Sheik Yassir Habib's money in exchange for "expediting" potential license and zoning problems.

The lawyer's "expediters" were Philadelphia's four Civil War cabin is returning home Vandals, termites nearly spelled doom of structure moved to Pa. PHILADELPHIA (AP) The log cabin where Gen. Ulysses S. Grant plotted the end of the Civil War is being returned to Virginia before vandals and termites do what the Confederate Army failed to do. The rotting, grafitti-scarred 117- -old structure, brought here in 1865 after Grant took Richmond, was dismantled piece-by-piece Friday by the National Park Service for the trip back to its original home at City Point, near Hopewell, on what is known as Appomattox Manor.

It's been called one of the most interesting relics of the Civil War. "We had to throw a lot of rotten stuff on the trash heap," said Henry Jonas Magaziner, a historical architect who is supervising the dismantling by a crew of nine men borrowed from Independence Hall and Valley Forge national parks. He will direct the reconstruction. "We'll have to put new lumber in the roof, and some on the outside walls. Not everything in it is original now.

It's been repaired a lot over the years but is still in surprisingly good shape." SUNDAY AT THE FAIR 8 a.m. Gates open. 10 a.m. Ecumenical worship service. Exhibition buildings open, with the exception of poultry.

11:30 a.m. Demonstration of antique wheat thresher. NOON Entertainment: "Cove-. nant Open class sheep breeding show of natural colored sheep. Demonstration of straw baling.

LOCAL BRIEFS The 25-by-27-foot, in, with a brick ney dividing its by Grant and his months of the North and South. "There were sands of log Army during the is the only one survived," said carefully numbered piece of wood, the tedious "This cabin history, and we stroyed. And used by Grant, president, and Abraham Lincoln, more important Lincoln spent Grant's Virginia viewing war days before he "It was very was served tea general's wife," The room now dates carved into "Grant had 12:30 p.m. Pennsylvania Angus Show.s 12:45 p.m. Sawdust." 1:45 p.m.

2 p.m. Judging mer and Company." market lambs. antique wheat dancing exhibition. 2:30 p.m. Judging fitting contest.

straw baling. Mother, son sue Boys Club A York youth and his mother have filed suit, each seeking damages in excess of $10,000, against York Boys' Club as a result of a fall the boy took last May 24 at the club's swimming pool, 542 N. Newberry St. Jeffrey Albright and his mother, Paula, both of 413 W. King brought the complaint in York County Court on Friday.

The youth seeks damages to compensate for his injuries, pain and suffering and limitations placed on his daily activities. The mother's damages are sought to cover medical expenses of the past and future. The complaint alleges that the boy slipped and fell from a wet plank platform atop the sliding chute at poolside, claiming negligence because the club failed to place anti-skid materials on the painted planks. In the fall to concrete below, young Albright suffered fractures of the skull and right wrist, severe tongue lacerations, cuts of the forehead and other injuries, the complaint states. Halloween parade marshal sought Plans for York's 1981 Halloween Parade on Oct.

25 are moving along, but the Halloween Parade tee still needs a grand marshal for the Sunday afternoon Commitevent. The committee met Wednesday night at York Miss Recreation Commission and briefly discussed inviting Miss Pennsylvania, Jill Shaffer of York, to be grand marshal. Shaffer, former Miss York County, will participate in the parade anyway, according to committee chairwoman Julia N. May. 3A York Daily Record most powerful city councilmen: Ozzie' Meyers, George Schwartz, Harry Janotti and Lou Johansen.

They met Sheik Habib's representative at Philadelphia's ritzy Barclay the only real hotel involved in the negotiations. Although the Barclay's $400-a-night Royal Suite has housed such I luminaries as John Wayne and the king of Sweden, the rooms are now most famous as "The Abscam Suite." "Sheik Yassir never negotiated with the Philadelphians in person. The now- politicians thought he was home tending to his oil wells. In fact, his duties as FBI Agent Richard Farhart kept him busy elsewhere. allegedly jetting between Philadelphia and London, was in fact driving home most nights to a house in South Jersey.

Living at the Barclay and being driven around in chauffeured limousines was a lot more fun than chasing an armed bank robber through a York County cornfield, the 38-year-old agent said in an interview this week. Wald, who was bugged during his meetings in Philadelphia, denies that the Philadelphians were entrapped. called consentual monitoring. I he said. The FBI agent said, "I told Criden the sheik foresaw zoning and licensing problems and that I wanted to handle them before we broke ground.

"Criden said, 'I can do it for And he offered to bring the president of city council in. "I asked. 'How much will it cost "He could have said, 'The city needs the project. He'll do it for the good of the city. That's what they tried to claim at the trial.

But instead he said, 'Schwartz T-shaped cabfireplace and chimtwo rooms, was used wife for the last 10 war between the hundreds of thoucabins built by the Civil War, and this known to have Magaziner as he and coded each and each brick, for reassembly. is part of American can't let it be dethe fact that it was who later became also by President makes it even for preservation." two weeks at headquarters restrategy, just seven was assassinated. likely president in the cabin by the Magaziner added. has initials and the old planks. the cabin built in Livestock Show of Invitational Junior Sawdust." Entertainment: "Chips Entertainment: "Kra- class Demonstration of thresher.

Aerobic of special beef Demonstration of Last year, bandleader shal for the York check with the to see what celebrity be tapped to lead the at 3 p.m. The committee has this year, a Presidential float constructed by this year will total To beef up licenses by vendors discussed the need Committee members The Fire Babies of this year as collectors tors. Mounted units various points in the own clean-up detail. the end of the parade. A Workmen begin to dismantle cabin used by Ulysses S.

Grant. 1864 near Petersburg, on the road Richmond which was the capital the Confederacy," Magaziner "He knew if he could take burg, Richmond would fall and would mean a quick end of the and he was right." After Grant took Richmond, Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered, cabin was abandoned by the and given to George Stuart, a delphian who was then president 2:45 p.m. Entertainment: "Rainbow." p.m.

Entertainment: Bluegrass Festival. Demonstration of wheat. Square dancing exhibition. 3:30 p.m. Entertainment: "Covenant Players." Livestock show junior special Herford show.

p.m. Demonstration of grinding corn meal. Aerobic dancing exhibition. 4:45 p.m. Entertainment: "Chips Sawdust." p.m.

Sheep to shawl contest. Fred Waring was grand parade, and the committee said it Strand-Capitol Performing Arts Center may be in town Oct. 25 who could event. The raindate is Oct. 26, created a new float category Award for the best registered a professional group.

Prize money $1,200. enforcement of needed permits selling at the parade, the committee an off-duty police officer. said enforcement last year was lax. Springetts Fire Company will serve of donations from parade spectawill be permitted to participate parade if the units provide their Otherwise, horses will be kept Harry James concert sold out Harry James concert, scheduled for 3 p.m. Oct.

4 The at David the Strand-Capitol, is now sold out according to Phillips, executive director. "The last two tickets were sold Sept. 10, and we expect the other Big Band performances to follow Fifty standing-room-only tickets will be sold the day of the performance for $4 each. The sellout of Harry James means subscriptions to the Big Bands are no longer available. The Big Band series also includes Guy March Lombardo's Royal Canadians Nov.

1, Tommy Dorsey, 28 and Glenn Miller April 18. Individual tickets for these three concerts are still available. There are plans to book the Big Bands again in the future. (Council President George Schwartz) will be I got him down to all, Wald said, the government forked over $80,000 to the five men in building its case. And another $100,000 was promised.

didn't entrap anyone," he said. "I didn't even know who the president of Philadelphia City Council was. I had never heard their (the councilmen's) names. was a Harrisburg kid." (He worked out of the Harrisburg office while living in York County.) Philadelphia's Abscam sting has been heralded as the death knell of The Machine in that city. Wald doesn't agree.

"There will always be a machine," he said. "They get people He also believes there will always be graft and corruption. "Why would anyone, unless they were a Rockefeller, spend million for a job that pays Wald doesn't think politicians are paid enough. He adds that that's no excuse for taking bribes. They chose to run office, he said.

If money is more for important than public trust, "they should stay in private life." The FBI agent said Abscam and other such undercover operations have resulted in the conviction of 200 Pennsylvania politicians in the past decade the majority of them in the post Watergate era. Because of all the media attention paid to Abscam, he doubts the pace can be kept up. In addition to the five Philadelphians, six U.S. representatives and a U.S. senator were among those convicted by Abscam films and tapes.

The FBI's fake sheik couldn't even speak Arabic. On the few occasions he actually showed up, "Sheik Habib aka Agent Felker" just looked inscrutable and grunted a few times. "The next one will be tougher." said Wald. to the U.S. Sanitary Commission, of forerunner of the American said.

Cross. Peters- Stuart brought the cabin to it mount Park here where it has war, off an on, a tourist attraction also the home of birds, and yellowjackets and, recently, the termites. Army The Park Service acquired it Phila- year with plans to return it to of original Virginia site, but almost Demonstration of antique tractor. 5:15 p.m. Entertainment: flail "Soundtrack." 5:30 p.m.

Judging of 4-H steers. 6 p.m. Judging of 4-H livestock of judging contest. Demonstration antique wheat thresher. 6:15 p.m.

Entertainment: "Kramer and Company." 6:30 p.m. Demonstration of baling. 7 p.m. Judging of 4-H goat show. mar- Big Band fans who may have will the sellout can still be satisfied concert featuring Margaret Whiting Friends" 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 11. The also songfest of many composers of the been disappointed by with the upcoming in "Maggie and evening features a Big Band era. Two new polling places designated lost the cabin to vandals. The fence that surrounded and some of the original Virginia' pine logs were removed last week by vandals and apparently burned in the fireplace.

"Somebody warmed himself on 19th Century wood," Magaziner said. "Speed was urgent. To save it we had to move it now." Magaziner said it will take more than two months to reconstruct. 7:15 p.m. Entertainment: "Rainbow." 8 p.m.

Shawl auction. Entertainment: "'Covenant 8:45 p.m. Entertainment: "Chips Sawdust." 9 p.m. Poultry building closes. 10 p.m.

All other buildings close. 10:45 p.m. Entertainment: "Soundtrack." I Record Photo by Lisa M. Griffis Mike Wald agent Thornburgh eyes meeting on TMI plan HARRISBURG (AP) Riding the momentum of a $192 million pledge from the electric utility industry, Gov. Dick Thornburgh asked Friday for a meeting with federal officials to discuss financing the Three Mile Island nuclear plant cleanup.

Thornburgh said in a letter to federal budget director David Stockman that he wanted the meeting "in view of the urgent need to get the cleanup fully underway." He cited a resolution Thursday by the electric industry to foot $192 million of the estimated $1 billion cleanup bill as "a major advance of our efforts to move the cleanup forward." the Red Fairbeen, and last its farm of straw New polling places for voting districts in Monaghan and Newberry Townships were approved Wednesday by York County Board of Elections. The new polling places will be used for the Nov. 3 general election. Monaghan Township voters will vote at Monaghan Township Fire Co. building at Dillsburg RD 3.

Several township residents favored moving the poll from the building to the fire hall to gain better parking, telephone and indoor rest rooms and to eliminate a hazardous vehicular entrance. The board designated Newberry Township building, at York Haven RD 2, as the polling place for the township's newly created Third District. The court has approved the division of the First District, establishing the Third District for township residents. Three youths hurt in accident Three teen-agers were treated for injuries Thursday evening at York Hospital after their car went over a bank on Springfield Road in Springfield Township. State police said a small sedan driven by Teresa L.

Helmick, 18, Glen Rock RD 1, went out of control on loose stones on a newly stoned road before it went over the 30-foot bank. Injured also were Roy Kenneth Helmick 16, Glen Rock RD 1, and William Glenn Russell, 15, Glen Rock RD2 Glen Rock and Seven Valley ambulances took the injured to the hospital. The Edison Electric Institute, the trade organization representing 200 investor-owned electric utilities, recommended at a meeting in Kansas City that the industry expend the money during a six- period. Thornburgh has proposed a costsharing plan to pay for the cleanup, which has been hamstrung by the poor financial condition of the plant owner, General Public Utilities Corp. The federal administration has agreed to pay $37 million toward a research and development project involving removal of the damaged reactor core.

However, it has not committed any more funds toward the cleanup. In a related development, an antinuclear group, the Three Mile Island Public Interest Research Center, issued a statement Friday criticizing plans by the electric industry to pass the cost of the cleanup onto ratepayers around the country. "We believe that ratepayers in the Three Mile Island area and around the country should not be held responsible for the mistakes of an industry," the statement said. 'Leisure Learning' courses at college York College of Pennsylvania is offering 12 noncredit courses for personal and professional development during the fall semester. Through its "Leisure Learning' program, courses are offered in the evenings or on Saturday mornings, beginning in October and ending either in late November or early December.

Interested persons may register for the courses by mail using the application form provided in the Leisure Learning brochure, or in person in the Special Programs Office Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mail registration should be received by Oct. 15. To receive the brochure listing the courses and giving detailed information of their content, write the Special Programs Office at York College of Pennsylvania, York, 17405, or call at 846-7788.

Volunteers needed for building survey Volunteers are needed next month by Accessibility York to help survey buildings and businesses in the Greater York Area. The survey will lead to publishing a guide of buildings and facilities accessible for the handicapped. Volunteers are also need to type the information obtained. Interested persons are invited to a training session Thursday, Oct. 1, at 7:30 p.m.

at the Ramada Inn. No reservations are necessary. Norma Bear at 854-3845 can provide further information. Police want to return bicycles York Township Police have several bicycles which were recovered during the summer. Police ask owners to claim them at the township office between 9 a.m.

and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday..