ROBBERY NOW
DECISION THEN
S.E.B. WHEN
There had been numerous 211's in Willowbook
that month, so SEB was sent in.
225A NOW
NICKERSON THEN
CRIME WHEN
225A S.E.B. UNIT, The 211 suspects lived in the projects
DRUGS NOW
DETAIN THEN
ARREST WHEN
George & Jimmie obs'd a drug sale and started
to go ten-15
SHOTS NOW
998 THEN
HELP WHEN
One of the suspect's friends fired, from a distance, at
the Deputy's hitting both of them
DEATH NOW
MURDER THEN
JUSTICE WHEN
George died, Jimmie was wounded & recovered;
The suspect was convicted of murder.
 | ||||||
CAPTION;
" A 200car procession for slain Sheriff''s deputy George Barthel"
..WORLD IS WRAPPED UP IN VIOLENCE'
By DARRELL WALKER
Herald Examiner STaff Writer
In one of the largest funerals ever for a Los Angeles conty Sheriff's deputy, services were held yesterday for George Barthel, slanin last week as he and his partner questioned a group of men in a housing project in Watts.
More than 2,000 persons attended the subdued 70 minute ceremony at the St. Simon and Jude Church in Huntington Beach. Lawmen form as far away as Eureka wre present.
Barthel 32, a 10 year veteran and member of the highly-trained Special Enforcement bureau was the first deputy killed in action this year, Lat year, six depuites died in the line of duty, a sheriff's spokesman said.
Mary Barthel widow of the slain officer, remained composed thoughout most of the ceremony in which Father John Dherty who had married the couple delivered a wide-rangin eulogy.
"Let us not limit our concern to this one gunshot(which killed Barthel)" said Doherty. "this is not limited to the ghetto. The whole world is wrapped up in violence."
Doherty made refereceto computer thefts as a example of white collar crime and added "That's violence also".
Mrs. Barthel arrived at the large brown and white brick church in a Seriff's patrol car with her son Edwin, 7, at her side. The couple's only other child a two year old daughter, Camiel was not present at the funeral.
Althought obvioustly emotion-ridden, neither widow nor child wept as they entered the church, followed by about 18 other family members, including Barthel's parents, who also rode in patrol cars.
Riding along with the family was Barthel's long time partner, Jimmie Hollingswoth, who was woundeed in the fatal shooting. The two deputies had been parthers in the SEB; a tactical weapons squad similer to police SWAT teams, for five years.
They had also gone through training together at Firestone Sheriff's station in 1970.
Hollingsworth, who was released from ST. Francis Hospital in Lynwood on Saturday appeared strained and stiff as the escorted the family inot the crowded church.
At the conclusion of the church service the family climbed back into the patrol car which then headed a 200 car- proscession of patrol cars with flaching red lights along Beach Blvd. to the Good Shepherd Cemetery where the siver casket was interted.
An honor guard fired three volleys over the gravite of the fallen deputy, who had also served as an officer-survival instructor. Then bugler sounded Taps in final tribute.
Only when Sheriff Peter Pitchess, who did not speak at the service presented the widow with the American flag that had draped her husband's casket, did the diminutive dark-haired woman sob openly. She tearfully thanked Pitchess and Hollingsworth and slowly led her young son to the car.
A Sheriff's spokesman said the reason for the large funeral was probably because Barthel was the first fatality in the 60 member SEB team, whcih was insitiuted in 1970. "They're so well trained", said a spokesman. "Everybody is just kind of shook up".
NEWSPAPER ARTICLE TEXT
"I created this painting the week following George's murder. I feel the painting and poem captures the place and moment that it occurred. It hangs at the SEB Headquarters." BILL BERNSEN FPK 72-76
APRIL 19, 1979
