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About The news-review. (Roseburg, Or.) 1948-1994 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 19, 1957)
8 Th New-Rview, Roieburg, a i SOURCE OF RIFLES shown in the back of the pickup truck is revealed to Undersheriff Carl Smith by Steve Solovich. He said he had taken them from the John Ham mond home on Cow Creek on May 22. He led deputies to the place where he had hidden the guns. They were care fully wrapped in oily rags, covered with plastic and hung in a tree. In the barrell in the foreground food, clothing and other items were preserved against the elements. Self-imposed Exile Kept Busy In 31-Month Sojourn By LLOYD ROGERS Staff Writer, Ntwi-Riviiw The 31 - month saga of "Big Steve" Solovich becomes more and more incredihlo as the story unfolds. The unfolding is slow not becuase of any reluctance on his part to talk, hut because of the many strange details and Steve's thick Yugoslavian accent. One doesn't have to urge him to talk about his self-imposed exile to the mountains of Southern Oregon after leaving the confines of the Knscburg Veterans Hospital. He talks incessantly as though he were trying to make up for lost conversation. His accent and veer ing off on conversational tangents is what makes it difficult. What did he do all by himself in the months of his freedom? Travel ed (on foot, of course) and worked, Steve says. That kept him occu pied from the time he decided he no longer liked the hospital until he was taken into custody by Douglas County sheriff's deputies at one of his camps near Canyon ville last week. 11 Camps Scattartd His travels took him to all parts of Douglas County and into Jo sephine and Jackson counties. He built camps and stayed where his fancy told him to. In all, Kig Steve says he had 11 such camps scat tered about the three counties. Must of them were in Douglas County, his map reveals. This was found in the one near Canyonville and the locations are shown on a school child's map of Oregon. Some, student has indicated the county seats and county names, but Solo vich has marked in his camps. In his lonely sojourn, Solovich worked hard. "Oolla work, keep busy," ho says. Kven in the winter lie 'worked around his hcadqiiar- II M I CAREFULLY PREPARED civet cat polts found in bolovich's Cunyunviue cunip unu lit id by Sm'nff liu C. L3yrd. Tne skins show skill in preparation and aie on display at the sheriff's office in the couithouse along with other items of the woodsman's ingenuity. The civet cats were trapped dur ing Big Steve's 3 1 -month soiurn in the mountains He said he had hoped to get some of the youngsters in the area to take them to town and sell them for him. It's Iht? BALANCE of mgfedi enls in bAkmg ponder Kl go ems Ms leavening action. Only when those are scientifically btiinced can you be lure of urn tor m action in the mutng bowd plus that final, baHnctd rue lo light and fluffy tnture in the oven. ClABRCt Ore. Thuri. Sept. 19, 1937 r"- 8fe - Iters on Nickel Mountain. Here, Steve tells listeners, he kept occu pied gathering nickel ore. He says he has two or three tons of it cached. Cold panning on Cow Creek and prospecting in other areas kept him busy, too. He had a bottle filled with gold dust and small nuggets, Solovich told his captors, but isn't sure where it is now. Ralitd Own Food To hear Solovich tell it, one wouldn't think obtaining food was much of a challenge. He lived off the land. Steve raised grain and vegetables in small gardens in the high country. He killed what game he needed for meat and he trap ped predators and -fur-bearing ani mals. This industry paid off. He says he has enough food cached away around the country to last him several years. "Seventeen bar rels of grain, hcans and corn I got," Steve claims. Samples of this food supply have been gathered by deputies in visits to hideouts. Steve willingly takes them on these tours and shows lliein where articles have skillfully been hidden. Many of the woods man's implements and food arti cles are now on display at the sheriff's office in the courthouse. The hermit of the hills made flour from grain he grew. This was laboriously pounded out in a five gallon can with a pestle he made from a gear fixed to lite end oi a i handle. By this method, he tells questioners, he could make about I five pounds of flour in eight hours. His flour, he says, is a mixture of wheat and barley. The grain was grown in plots planted in the full lat higher altitudes "Hadda get, high. Cattle, sheep eat otherwise," Sieve points out. He couldn't fence Ibis gardens, he explains, because i CBS Dismisses Writer On Duchess Program NKW YOKK Tin I'olum i liia Hro.vli'iistinn System h;n riis I mixri author I'lewliind Amory a?t liu writer of a tclcMsion pro 1,1111 itlxiul thr lukc ii ml Mtirhoss of Windsor in the wake of diflt r (lives ln'iwtM'n hint and thr duih ivss nvi-r hor anlolnoniaphv . A V IIS spokesman said: "Tin step was taken in ie of vudevpreait eommenl on the b.uk i; it nind of Mr Aimr s siippoiMl ddltienee w ith the duke and diiclies, wlurh wp feel hat erealed a climate of opinion pieiudu-ud to liu program " i After the diNimssal w a an- nmineed yesterdax , Ainory said : " 'US couldn't hae been nicer in 'uninviting nie lo a parly They ottered to pav me in lull for the seiipl, althoiiLih I haven t written a line. 1 have no ill feehm: toward 'I'llS. The only explanation they !K'ae me was that the ehane re- milted from 'p r J mi r p from ountain Traveler HEADQUARTERS of all Solovich's camps he had 11 of them was this one located on Nickel Mountain near Jerry Flats. Big Steve and Undersheriff Smith stand between the two "buildings'! of the camp. On the right is the workshop Solovich used. The structure on the left was his living quarters. Deer antlers can be seen hanging from one of the trees which support the workshop roof. Solovich says he killed but two deer during his entire stay in the woods. That meat, properly dried, was enough to take core of his needs, he claims CANYONVILLE QUARTERS were well stocked with items salvaged from a nearby dump ground where the wandering woodsman finally was captured by deputies. Plenty of fire wood was on hand ready for the small stove seen at lower right. The camp also con tained a sizeable supply of food Solovich had grown and prepared for winter months. Reading matter, clothing and utensils were obtained by frequent trips to the dumpground. he didn't have a permit to cut trees. Locks Were Barrier Sieve's ideas of property rights seem a hit eonfusinK. Me wouldn't enter a place if it were locked hut fell welcome if the door was un latched. He readily admits taking things such as rifles, clothing and some food but left notes ex plaimnK the situation. Such notes probably puzled property owners more than did I lie a bsence of persona I jjoods. Sieve writes with an accent, too. One of his notices posted at a So lovich camp was interpreted for ot fleers. It followed simply enough then, and reveals an msiylit into Ins ideas of property rights. The notice states: Notice: Temporary Camp 11 Do not disturb or remove any thing. Proposal if you are the owner of these grounds 1 appreci ate continue to use. t will pay for the rents and the assess ment. Soon as rains become made I like to plant wheat, bar ley, corn, cabbage and vege tables for the coming season. At his camp near Olalla. Solo viee took another tack Here he warned anyone uho stumbled on Ins place that it was government property. He identified himself as a government trapper for the Stale Warren Olney Resigns Criminal Division Post NKWTOUT. HI Warren Olnev resigned Wednesday as chief of the Justice Department's crim inal division, effect i e Oct. l.i President Kisenhower praised him for dedicated service in the civil nfils field. Olnex 's resignation as an assist ant attorney e n e r a I was an , nounred at the President's vaca tion headquarters In the Kisenhower -Olney ex-chaiu-e of correspondence made public by the White Mouse. Olney cave no spent u' reason for re Mumm: and said nothing about Ins plan for the future Unt tn accepting th resignation with deep lecret. the President said he appreciated that Olney i leaving for "couipelliuc personal reasons" which were not spelled out MILLWORKER KILLED SPHIN(;l'li:i,D. Ore. ..P A fall m-,' load of lumber killed Harry II Kritch. .VI. Kuuene, at the W eyerhaeuser Timber lo. plant here Tuesday. The load spilled from a power lift onto Kritch, w ho wa helpint! put lumber on a truck He leaves a widow and two children. . Vp fmvi mM t- , J of Oregon and signed the notices "t'aseye Johns." (sic). lie apparently played the part of trapper seriously. Steve says he set out traps lor bob cats and other animals preying on young, lambs. Hikinu miles through the mountains tending Ins traplines, Steve claims he caught many wild cats Hit around Olalla, he says.1 He didn't know there was a boun ty so didn't bother with their hides. Skunks and civet owls were treat-, ed differently ami their pelts were carefully prepared for marketing if he ever found an outlet. Rattlesnakes also were on Big Steve's outlaw list. He claims to have killed scores of them. Also., he says, he was on the receiving end of rattlers' wrath three times. Once was almost fatal, he tells. Solovich says the serious snake bite occurred near Dixonvilte and that he was nearly finished be- j cause he couldn't reach water. Recovers From Venom An obhmnu porcupine came near one night, the woodsman re-; Kites, and was kilted and torn1 open for the moisture and strength, the liver afforded. After this. So-; lovich declares he was able to. Lone Passenger Attacks Pilot t'l 'TCI IOC l K. N Y. i A for mer Air Force pilot was attacked without warning by his lone pas senger Tuesday but managed to . bring a single - engine chartered plane down m a potato field near a golf course. The passenger, identified as Ar-. thur V. Miller. 21. New Koehelle.. leaped from the plane, crossed a 1 wooded area, stripped to the waist and waded across a brook. Police found hi m semi-conscious, with his wrists cut, among reeds near Peeonie Hay The pilet. Itoger l.oncteaux. Wt l ake Mahopac. N V . said Miller bail paid for a plane (rip from Westchester County Airport, near White Plains, lo Kast Hampton on the eastern end of Long Hand They were ;t ihhi feet over the bjv ami Hearing their destination. I one teaux said, when Miller suddenly struck him on the head from be hind with a pair of pliers. l.oncteaux. who served with the Air Force during World War 11 and the Korean War and won the Distinguished Klyiny Cross, threw the plane into a dive. The passen ger, thrown off balance, dropped the pliers. He spoiled the North Koi k Coun try Club here anil came down. Miller was charged with felont ou assault and sent to Central Ishp State Hospital for psychiatric examination i 5tVT3"-i'-,V LIS make it to a stream where he could drink and rest until recover ed from the effects of tlie venom. Deputies found a sizable supply of lard snow white and packed in cans in Solovich's camps. "Save all Rrease," says the hermit. He claims he made his soap from such grease rendered from animals and made the necessary lye from ashes. Laundry and baths vvero daily tasks for the woodsman, he informes his captors. One of the first things he requested when brought to jail was to be allowed to take a shower. Razor blades he obtained from dumpgrounds and was shaven when taken into custody. He does wear a heavy mustache. Handiwork On Display K.xamples of his handiwork may be seen at the sherilf's office.' A .22 rule, for example, blew up while he was shooting it and was carefully repaired and copper sights made for it. A sheath knilc was made from a table knife and was worked to a fine edge. An ingenious sheath which keeps the knife from falling out but al lows it to be easily drawn was made from scraps of leather. A pair of calked boots has been ov erhauled to make them satisfac tory for hiking and quietly mov ing through the forest. Leather cleat have been stitched to the bottoms so most of the sharp calks are covered but so the boots still grip slippery footing. Atomic Test Shot Again Postponed Wednesday ATOMIC TKST SITK, Nov. if The Whitnry atomic tit shot was postponed aeain Wednpsdny beciuisp of unfavorable weather conditions. The Atomic Enercy Commission did not indicate immediately when it will try to file the shot next. The Whitney, first scheduled lo Co off last Wednesday and to be lired from a .Vfl-foot tower, is about half normal in strength. A nominal bomb has the force of 20.000 tons of TNT. Roberts Mountain Fire Burns Acre Of Crass A fire al the b;ise of, Roberts Mountain aloui; HiKhwAv 93 hurtl ed aliout an acre of rass Tues day betore it was extinguished by the Dounlas Forest Protective Assn. The I'KI'A said I lie fire was lie hex ed to have been caused by a ciouetie thrown from a passinK auto. According lo the DKI'A the tue started about 9:30 a in. the OKP pumper truck and crew ar rived at 10 and had the fir out in half an hour. Slowly Unfolding Js i-k Item " W fjw I iff HERE'S HOW I made flour, Steve Solovich explains to Douglas County deptuy sneriffs whom he led to this headquarters hideaway on Nickel Mountain. He holds in his hands a pestle made from a gear placed on the end of a stick. With this, he said, he pounded groin he had grown and made flour. Hanging on the tree-support at the right of his "workshop" are traps he used. The beat-up guitar? For entertainment, naturally. tAALLA HIDEAWAY is shown to deputies by the obliging prisoner. Wnile ne explains notices he had tacked to the "wall" to Deputy Louis Suiter, another deputy, Gail Cor nine, examines contents of storage barrels in the foreground. The notices proclaimed the camp to be one belonging to a government trapper and warned against disturbing or re moving anything. This camp was equipped with a sheetiron stove found in an abandoned cabin and packed up the steep mountainside to the lean-to. (Paul Jenkins Photo. Others on poqp courtesy Sheriff Ira C. Byrd). w&rc .-.-$ . HOME GROWN corn was o favorite food item for the mountain man His home was, trie hills ond that's where he grew his crops. This garden is located on a rather steep side hill and was irrigated with water taken from a creek. The water was carefully steered 'from one garaen paten 10 anorner so every oir was usea. mis corn crop was harvest I ed last season so only the dried stalkj remain. The canny woodsman grew wheat, barley, ! beans and vegetables. Super Highway Work For 1 56 Miles Awarded WASHINGTON Nearly 76 million dollars worth of contracts for construction ot tsfi miles of super highways were awarded last month, the Bureau of Public . Hoads reports. The hichways are part of the ll.ooomile network of interstate and defense hichways which will span the nation and link 90 per cent of all I S. cities of 50.000 population or more. Also last month, contracts were advertised for 24fi miles of con struction, to cost an estimated IDS: million dollars. Another 72 million dollars was authorized for sur-j veys, preparation of plans and ac quisition of nvhts-ot-way. As of Aug 31. H months after passage of the 19.S6 federal Aid llishway Act. more than $2,700,-; ooo.ooo has been programed for improvements to the interstate system. All but about 400 million 1 ! dollars of this was federal a i d funds, colleced from motorists in the form of special excise taxes on gasoline, tires, etc. "Programme" is one of the fi nal steps before contracts are ad vertised. Antibiotics For Cows May Adulterate Milk CORVAl.I.IS '.r Antibiotic given sick cows may adulterate their milk, Oregon State 'ollege said. It cautioned dairy farmers to follow strictly the rule to discard all milk from a treated cow tot al least 72 hour after the last antibiotic treatment. Most of the difficulty is with cows fl'ven large doses of peni cillin for mastitits, the college said. Construction of 3.161 miles n( the federal network had been pro gramed as of the end of last month. In the West, figures fur various states include: For Oregon, total cost of proj ects where construction contracts have been advertised or awarded or where work is undcrwav sio . 0.19.000: federal funds. $17.576 000; total mileage. 73 4 miles. Washington, 517.644.000; $15 115 000: 63 2 ld;o. $4,324,000: S3.O76.0HO. 15 7. California. S95.2S3.0o0; $87,009 -000; 100 9. ASKS FOR AID TAIPKI f Premier O K Yui said Tuesday Nationalist China has asked for 98 million dollars in economic aid from the 1 nited States for the 1948 fiscal year.
