Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About La Grande observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1959-1968 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 18, 1959)
WEATHER Cloudy tonight and Satur day with light thewert w mow flurries; hlfhs J4-40; lew te night 11-21. LA GRANDE OBSERVER 91t Issue 64th Ytar Ike In France, Hails Strength Of U.S. Allies TOULON, France d'PI "-President Eisenhower declared on ar rival in France today that the al lies are st onger than ever before and prepared to negotiate peace "from a position of strength." Eisenhower landed at France's main naval base on the Mediter ranean enroute to the western summit conference in Paris. With out mentioning current strained French Ame'ican relations, he said in an arrival address deliv ered o,n the red carpeted Quai d'Honneur that "the underlying respect of the two nations (France and America' for each other has never lessened, and be cause of that we are stronger to day. "This nation, under the leader ship of Gen. (Charles) de Gaulle and our nation are stronger for the pursuit of peace than was possible ever in our history. Must Struggle Together 'We are part of a great coali tion," he said, "determined, from a position of strength, to pursue peace with every bit of our strength, every bit of our wisdom and with all the emotion we can. 'In our opinion, if all of us can struggle together in the same way the United States and France have for many decades, we shall Local Kiddies Get Special Treat Tonight A special treat is in store to night for some 50 La Grande youngsters. The occasion will be the annual Christmas shopping tour for under privileged children. Sponsored by the Jaycees with the assistance of the Kiwanis Club, the annual shopping tour will begin at 7 p.m. The youngsters were selected l. 1 1 u 1- j n, c . . i t : Army. A screening committee con sidered the list of names and ob tained .permlsison from parents for the annual event. 5 Oift Purchase . Each chi'd is given $5 with which to purchase gifts for his family and friends for Christmas. Jaycee and Kiwanis couples will accompany the ycungsters through the downtown stores for the gift selections. Stores have agreed to give the chlldern a 10 per cent discount on all items. Following the tour, ice cream will be served at the homes of sponsors where gifts will be wrapped. Refreshments will be donated by Meadow Gold Dairy. THE BATTLE OF Local Man's Platoon In Rest Area When Enemy Drive Began (Editor's note Fifteen years age this week German General Von Runstedt mount ed a huge winter offensive that overwhelmed the work horse U. S. First Army for three critical weeks of the Bulge. Grady Penned of the Observer staff was an in fantrymen inreugneuT me savage winter cempaign along the German-Belgium sector. In today's final enniversary article he describes the hor rors of the Ardennes fighting participated in by several " La Grande men.) BY GRADY PANNELL Observer Staff Writer Dave Damcwood, manager of Service Wholesale here, was a I latcon sergeant with the famous First'tRcd One) Infantry Division during some of the hardest fight ing of the entire Bulge. Before being hit by machine gun fire at Elscnborn, Damc vood's platoon took a heavy toll of advancing enemy ground troops along the northern border of the breakthrough. "We were back at Aubel, Bel gium, for a short rest and reor ganization following some tough fighting in the Huertegen Forest near Aachen,? Damcwood recall ed. Orders came in alerting the di vision on Dee. 16th, the La Grande man remembers as he told of a midnight ride by truck convoy ap near the front. - Near Elsenborn "We moved into defensive po sition along Elsenborn the next one day win through to success." Eisenhower's statement, a reaf firmation of his faith in NATO, appeared to indicate the U. S. aid its allies were prepared to take a firm staid in any nego tiations with Premier N i k 1 1 a Khrushchev in a spring summit conference. And it indicated he was ready to patch things up with De Gaulle in their meeting Saturday in Pa ris where among other things they are to discuss U. S. charges that France has weakened NATO by re fusing to cooperate fully with it. Receives Big Welcome Eisenhower landed here today from the heavy cruiser Des Moines after a leisurely three-day cruise from Athens, marked only by a brief stopover in Tunis. He ap peared well - rested and fit for the three days of negotiations starting in Paris Friday. He received a mighty welcome in this security conscious French naval base as he sped through town. He boarded De Gaulle's pri vate gold and silver decorated train for the nearly nine-hour trip to Paris and a greeting tonight by De Gaulle. The French government set up a special pilot train to run inter ference for Eisenhower's fast ex press into Paris as a precaution against sabotage along the way. Eisenhower was stopping at a number of towns en route but it was not known immediately whether he would make any per sonal appearances. For nearly three days the Pres ident cruised leisurely aboard the Des Moines from Athens on a sea voyage broken only by his nearly four-hour stopover in Tunis Thurs day. Presidential Press Secretary James llagerty said the program had been one of "rest, rest and more rest." Cat Cun Salute The French cruiser Colbert and two destroyers steamed out of Toulon this owning to greet the Des Moines with a 2! -gun presi dential salute -and escort it into Toulon harbor. Units of the French fleet were passing in re view before entering the harbor, while the French air force flcv past in Eisenhower's honor. It was the second salute-at-sea for Eisenhower. Units of the Brit ish Mediterranean fleet saluted Eisenhower off Malta Wednesday afternoon. Eisenhower begins conferences Saturday with British Prime Min ister Harold Macmillan, West German Chancellor Konrad Ade nauer and French President Charles de Gaulle with whom the United States i at odds over NATO policies. THE BULGE day. We were close to a small town named Butenbach. I was in a frontline position until the 22nd (December). That was the day I was hit and evacuated to; . a field hospital," he said. ' Damewood's wounds were sol serious that he was later sent', back to a hospital at Liege and ! ' then to Paris where he arrived by a stretcher on Christmas Eve. I? On New Year's Eve, be recalls, t he was sent to the First General- Hospital outside South Hampton, England. The war was over for Dame wood, but not the memories with the 26th Regiment, Company K, one of the outstanding battle units that had participated in fighting through North Africa and the invasion of Normandy many months before. One of the war's replacements. Damewood's memories of overseas service was nothing but combat. beginning with Aachen, one of f , the bitterest forest campaigns of.f'- JT. W WII, and ending with onrush ing Tiger tanks and snow-suited German field troops near Eupcn. Enemy Spearhead In command of an Infantry K. Damewood and his men had stopped a spearhead of armor and i f infantry, and he was withdrawing !v to a more protected area when; hit. 'He said that machine gun fire from a knocked out German tank caught him and other squad mem bers at the time. Before this hap pened, however, there were the LOCAL Page 1 1 r r II ' i XU A v.l: .;y V i DRAW FOR POSITIONS La Grande service club members draw for "kettle" positions for Saturday's man ning of Salvation Army pots in downtown locations. Lt. Oakley Summers of SA holds bucket while Raema Laurence, Soroptimists, draws for her organization. Oth ers, left to right, Kelly Moore, Lions (post office); Ilobert Nelson, Kiwanis (Gra ham's drugstore); Mrs. Laurence (Penney's); Bob Barnes, Jaycees (PayLess), and Summers. Rotary also will assist, with the members 6t either Glass drugstore or U.S. National Bank. I (Observer Photo) Jake The Barber' Takes Lie Test In Touhy Murder Probe CHICAGO UPI John (Jake tb Barber I Far'-v toHv under he uian t have anything to do with the shotgun murder of Ro;cr Touhy, a man he sent to prison and later sued for libel. Police said an hour before the lie test they had no interest in Factor's desire to face th'.- poly graph because they cleared him previously of any connection with the Wednesday night gangland- style shooting. However, a sergeant was sent Union Paper In t Portland? PORTLAND (CPU- Unions af filiated with the Multnomah Coun ty Central Labor Council voted Thursday night to study a pro posal to start a labor-sponsored daily, newspaper in Portland. Portland carpenters originally proposed that unions piKil their resources to try to buy the Ore gon Journal, but Journal Publish er Wm. W. Knight declared em phatically that the paper was- not for sale. The Council said it would be a tough job to raise money for a newspaper. DAVE DAMEWOOD ""vr r !l.w' " TV? I""' "A ,,'" - "?-"; jftf !f7J I ''&-; ' HONCE SNODGRASS mil , kmm,. M m . akaaol ..'.. is. mm m LA GRANDE, ' T1 to observe the test, held in a pri- 'mu lauurmuty. Police said they don't have much to wurk on in Irvine to solve the am&ish, that also wounded Touhy's bodyguard, Wal ter Miller, 62, a retired police sergeant. Federal officials said the assault was carried out by the Mafia, the notorious international underworld organization, lo seal Tunny's lips ftt ever. j Many Possible Suspects : There sei-ms to be no shortagf of men who coulil have ordered the pint-sized prohibition era boot leg figure murdered. The jdh could have been urranped by heodlui i..j..-on jjuuiiy a ruarmt; 20s past, or by representatives oi the current crime syndicate. The olire lalnir unit was or dered into the investigation under the assumption that criminal ele ments trying lo muscle in on union alfairs might have had a hand in the shooting. Touhy was known as a talented organiser and or.ee sold automo biles lo union business agents. I'o lice thought someone might have believed Touhy might have been ready to use his organizing talents again. There was heipe, but not much, that Miller miiiht be able to h-l in the investigation if he recovers When police a rived on the scene Wednesday night. Miller said he didn't k-iow wno pulled the trig ger. Miller, a longtime friend of Touhy and a defense witness at his parole hearings, was in criti cal condition, but showing some improvement. He had been shot in the legs, buttocks and back. Filed Libel Suit . Factor, a Chicago promoter dur ing Touhy's days as a gang chief tain, was here Wednesday night in connection with a three million FEDERAL JURY DELIBERATING FATE OF HOODS NEW VOI1K il'PH A fed eral jury deliberated nearly ninr hours Thursday night whether 2d men, all of Italian ancestry, were guilty of a conspiracy to keep secret the purpose of a mass gathering two years ago at Apal achin, N Y. The jury was locked up for the night alter falling to reach a ver dict. The dulilM'rations will con tinue tuday. The 20 arc on trial on charges thoy conspired lo keep federal officials in the dark about the purpose of the meeting which the government claims was a gather ing of underworld leaders. Thoe visiting the upstate New York home of Joseph Barbara Sr. in November. I!tr7, have claimed they were visiting a sick friend and stayed for a barbecue. Startle State Police Sixty-three from as far aay as Cuba. California and Florida turned up. Among them they ac counted for police records total i-.g 151 arrests and 74 convic tions. The influx of big. shiny limou sines in the tiny hamlet of Apaia chin startled state police. Sgt. Edg,T Croswell, one of the main witnesses at the trial, call ed in federal agents, set up road blocks and moved in on the Bar bara home. - 111 WttT OREGON. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1959 4 iS2V, .r : i dollar lihel suit he had filed against Touhy for statements made in Touhy's autobiography. "The Stolen Years." Police believed Factor's appear ance here was only coincidental with Touhy's death, but the wealthy Beverly Hills, Calif., real estate operator took a lie test. He also told Chicago police he had received a threat on a post card in l.os Angeles after filing suit against Touhy. The card said: "You gotiiff, you'll be token care of. and t don't mean fur three million dollars. Goniff is a Yiddish word mean ing thief. Factor turned the card over lo postal authorities in Los Angelos. Chicago Has More Than 900 Gangland Killings By Mafia CHICAGO i UPI The execu lion of Prohibition era beer baron Hoger Touhy focused attention to day on unsolved gangland slay- lugs, many believed the work of the Mafia. The year 1959 saw the total of gang killings in the Chicago area alone rise to more than IKK) since the days of the lute At Capone Onlv 17 of these murders resulted in convictions. In recent years several top echelon members of the Black Hand 'Mafia' organization were believed rubbed out by gangsters seeking advancement in the rack ets. One was Albert Anastasia who was shot to death while sitting in a hotel barber shop in New York Anastasia at one time was report ed to be the lord high executioner of Murder, Inc., an organization that specialized in gangland kill ings. Both Hed Records Another was Anthony (Little Augiel Pisano who was shot to death on a city street in New York while riding in his limou- s.ne. Killed with him was Janice Drake, wife of comcdan Alan Drake. The slaying are believed by New York police to be the work of the Mafia. None has been solved. lio'h men had long police rec REPLACES LEWIS United Mine Workers Vice President Thomas Kennedy is to succeed John L. Lewis as presi dent of the union, it was reported in Washington, D C. The report coincid ed with Lewis' decision to resign early next month. Local Phone Company Sets Huge Expansion $145,000 IS EARMARKED FOR IMPROVEMENT HERE West Coast Telephone company will retire miles of ven erable cable while expanding service facilities and modern izing its central office in carrying out six projects planned for the La Grande exchange next year. Details of the company's 1960 construction budeet were announced today by West Coast's La Grande division man-1 ager, Ed Watts, who sata Symphony In Performance Here Tuesday " Featuring the Woilowa County Chorus as special guests, the an nual "Family Concert of the Grande Ronde Symphony Orches tra will be presented Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in the Eastern Oregon College auditorium. The chorus, directed by Mrs. Don Swart, Union, will sing sev eral selicions and will join with the orchestra in "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence." No Admission Members of the orchestra from Pendleton and Baker wal be pres ent for the special concert which is presented as a gift to the com munity by the Grande Ronde Sym phony Association. No admission will be charged. One new member, the Rev. Dwight Williams, I'nion, will ap pear in his first concert with the group. Music for the performance is furnished by the Music Perform ance Trust Funds of the recording industry through the cooperation of Local 560 of the American Federation of Musicians union. "DRENCH" COAT SALE SOUTHEND, England (UPI) Most of the stock was drenched Thursday when a large water pipe burst in a High Street store. The slore specializes in rain coats.- - - . ords and were believed to rank high in the Mafia, a secret Sicili an organization believed to con trol every major racket in the United States. Other recent killings include Jo seph Bronge. 53. a Chicago beer distributor who was ambushed in his suburban beer warehouse. He allegedly had been resisting syn dicate encroachment on his beer business. Kill Collecting Agent Backets musclcman Joseph (Angiei De Marco. 41, of Boston was found shot to death in a sub urban Everett, Mass., dump last Nov. 12. He was described by pp lice as a collecting agent for big time gamblers. Bennie Lazzara. 51, a wealthy Tampa, Fla., produce dealer was shotgunned to death last March in what police believe was a case of mistaken identity. Police said the slaying was the work of a professional who apparently killed the wrong man. Melvin L. Mcinsen, an alleged gang member with a police rec ord in II states, was killed out side his Kansas City, Kan., home last Tuesday by two blasts from a 12-gauge shotgun. None of the killings has been solved. CUBAN COURT COULD GIVE U.S. NEWSMAN DEATH RAP HAVANA (OPlJ-Premier Fidel Castro announced early today that Miami Herald reporter James Buchanan will be tried by a "rev olutionary tribunal" which could sentence him to death. In a four-hour television speech, Castro rejected appeals from the Inter-American Press Association for the release of Buchanan, who was arrested in the hotel room of prison fugitive Austin Young. Authorities in Pinar del l(io province had asked the Supreme Court to decide whether Buchan an should be tried by a court martial or a civil court which could not Impose the death sen tence. Castro said Buchanan will be tried on charges of complicity in Young's escape from Pinar del Rio prison a week ago Tuesday night, 36 hours before he was re captured in the hotel room where Buchanan was arrested about two hours later. , Rejects Appeal The premier rejected an appeal 8 Pag nearly 5145,000 had been ear- maiKed tor the six jobs in the local exchange. Watts said the budget also in cludes 136.0t for routine plant. equipment and building projects and routine station installations in the division next year. La Grande will share in these expenditures which embrace all projects involv ing S2.5U0 or less. Largest of the non-routine con struction undertakings set for I'm will entail on expenditure of $M.630 and 4654 man hours to pro vide underground and aerial cable relief in west La Grande. The underground cable will be placed in the alley between Adams and Jefferson Streets and the aerial along Greenwood Street and vari ous side legs. Feeder Lines The new installations will .supply feeder and distribution facilities for future growth, while enabling the telephone company to replace deteriorating poles and old cable. The cable has been in service a number of years and its replace ment will prevent outages which could occur due to the age of the cable. This project also will make available feeder cable for the Is land City cable relief job for which the 1S60 West Coast budget ear marks $22,250. The undertaking involves placement of cable from Hemlock Street to Island City to alleviate maintenance problems, service held orders and reduce the number of subscribers on 10 party lines. New Cables West Coast Is Tift king a cun certed effort to cut down the line- fill on suburban lines throughout its three-state operating territory. according to Watts. The Island City work will result in rep'accmenl of some cable in use since 1925 which now could become a source of trouble. The budget assigns $22,120 to construction of five manholes and installation of 6 way underground conduit from the central office to Greenwood Street, and 4-way from Greenwood to Hemlock and to Madison Avenue. The project will relieve the .heavy aerial cables feeding south and east oJ the cen tral office Red 'Poison' Head Named MUNICH, Germany UH A Rcd.Creco vice-consul stationed in nearby Austria masterminded last month s unsuccessful attempt to poison employes of Radio Free Europe, the U.S. Army announced today. 'The counter intelligence corps investigation shows that Jaroslav Ncmcc, a vice-consul of the Czech Consulate in Salzburg, Austria, on Nov.l 6 gave a Communist agem salt shakers containing atropine for placement in the KFE cafe teria in Munich," the Army an nouncement said. from William Cowles, editor of the Spokane Spokesman Review and president of the IAPA. who had argued that Buchanan should be freed because he hd commit ted no crime. "How can the IAPA sav from abroad that Ha information shows the newsman is blameless?. . Castro demanded. "We have proof of bis complicity, so the least they (IAPA officials! can expect is that he will be tried llLPHSHTTif CUmttS SEALS i Fiva Cant I. o MRS. W. H. BOHNENKAMP Death Claims Pioneer ' Mrs. W. H. Bohnenkamp ' Dies Here A prominent Grande Ronde Valley pioneer and business woman, Mrs. W. H. Bohnenkamp. died Thursday afternoon at the age of 93. Mrs. Bohnenkamp had been t resident of this city since 1890 and had recently resided at the Sacajawea Annex. She had been in ill health for some time and was a patient at the Grande Ronde Hospital at the time of her death. Here In ltt Mrs. Bohnenkamp came to the va'ley with her husband from Iowa. In 18116 they opened the W. II Bohnenkamp Co., which Is still operated by the Bohnenkamp family. Mr. Bohnenkamp died in iw.n. . .-, . k Mrs. Bohnentuimp remainett ac trvo in the business until a few years ago. She was a member of (ho Eastern Star and the First Presbyterian Church of this city. Civic Interest One of her chief interests wat the development of Riverside Park. She served for, mfny years as a member of the park board oi the city and is credited with making the park development venture a success. Funeral services will be held Monday at 2 p.m. at the Dempsey Funeral Chapel. The Rev. Louis Samson will olliciate with burial in the Summcrville cemetery. She is survived by three sons. Chase. Lynne and Hal: one sister, Mrs. Pauline Osborne of Cin cinnati, Ohio; and 10 grand childnn and 21 great grand children. Claim By Indians Is Investigated WALLA WALLA (UPII Ap praiseas for the government and a group of Indians are going Uf take a lock t southeastern Wash ington and northeastern Orego and decide how much It was worth in 1859. A spokesman for the Confederi ated Tribes of the Umatilla India reservation said today the amoun they decide on will be used ia settling a case before the Indian Claims Court in Washington, D.CJ "This newspaper man will ge before the revolutionary tribunal! . . .The courts will decide accorda ing to the proofs before them, and) then will take rnrrenpnnrtlng ac tinn. Meanwhile, they will have tt wait.'' - Pays Hotel 5 Ml t The premier charged that BiL chanan paid Young's hotel btlf and furnished other aid to the fugitive, who hail been serKenced to serve 30 years in prison foe "organizing an armed anU-gov ernment conspiracy." , Buchanan told army Intelligence; agenis when he was arrested that he paid the hotel bill with money given him by Young. He said 0 only other aid he gave the fug tive was to buy an elastic band) age for his ankle, injured In taa prison break. The Miami reporter cam ti Havana the day after Young ae caped to check a telephoned ti on his whereabouts. Ha In taut viewed Young in the hotel ruse C and filed the story before h wsJ arrested.