Valley Newi
Eighty correspondents for
The statesman located in all
mid Willamette valley, com
munities write newt of
event In their area.
(iPI iiMlttiii tti
POUNBDO 1651
The Weather
, Unsettled today and Sat
nrday, occasional showers.
Little change In tempera
tore. Max." Temp. Thursday
55, Hln. 44. River -.7 feet.
SSW wind.
EIGHTY-EIGHTH YEAR
Salem, Oregon, Friday Morning, December 30, 1938
Price Sc; Newsstands St
No. 238
Youi
TTN O J P TTh o
After
Amazing
Airline Route
To Open Salem
Service Today
Daily Passenger Service
on Oregon Air Lines
Is Announced
1st Plane From South Is
Due at Airport Early
- This Mornin
Dally passenger and express air
transport service will be institut
ed for Salem today on the Marsh-field-Portland
run of Oregon Air
Lines, Leo Arany, associate of the
-firm and. lessee of the municipal
airport here, announced las'
night. '
The local air service, which has
been In operation with stops at
' Marshfield, Eugene, Albany and
Portland for two months, is ex-
' pected to be the forerunner of the
. city's first direct air connection
with Pacific coast and eastern air
mail routes.
First Plane Dae
At 9:35 o'CIock
The first plane from the south.
will reach Salem at 9 : 3 5 o'clock
this morning and Arany, flying his
Fairchild four-passenger cabin
monoplane, will start the Marsh-
field run at 2:30 this afternoon
The line's present schedule calls
for daily departures from Harsh
field at 8 a. m., arriving at Eugene
at f,T Albany at 1:25, Salem at
9: 35 and Portland at 10:15, ane
from Portland at 2 p. m., reach
ing Salem on the southbound trip
at 2 i 30, Albany at 2:40, Eugene
at'3:15 and Marshfield at 4:10.
Arany said. Swan island airport
is, being utilized at Portland. . .
t Arany', ; who has been work in g
with a chamber .of commerce com
mittee here to secure a direct air
mail connection for Salem, said
last night the effort's success
seemed 'almost certain.".
4th Man Is Held
In Coster Probe
Michael Petrella j- Among
Four Accused of Plot
to Blackniail
.NEW YORK, pec. 29-pV-The
government late today announced
the arrest of Michael Petrella. 40,
the fourth suspect accused of hav
ing systematically- blackmailed
the late F. Donald Coster-Musica
.through knowledge of his past as
convict Philip Musics.
Petrella was described by fed
eral agents as active "in a small
way'" in local politics. They said,
too, he had succeeded Coster-Mu-slca.
. the indicted head of the
187,000,000 drug firm. of McKes
son Robbies, as a partner of
Joseph Brandino in a small drug
company formerly doing business
in Brooklyn. . - ; T -. v
He was booked on a charge of
conspiracy to blackmail Coster, an
identical complaint having
already been made against Bran
dino. his sister, Mary, and Walter
H. Cragg, disbarred lawyer, who
are held in bail. Federal law pro
Tides a maximum penalty of 20
years Imprisonment &, v- f
-Police Lieut James Pyke said
Petrella admitted writing letters
to Coster-Musica in behalf of
Cragg, Brandino and Ben Simon,
the other defendants charged with
general conspiracy. The letters, he
said, referred to the manufacture
of an electric cooker.
Detectives Sleuth
For Bombing Clue
PORTLAND, Dec. 9-)-Two
Portland detectives who were
leading figures in the labor ter
rorlst investigations earlier this
year, today were assigned to the
Job of Solving the attempted ex
tortion and bomb-threat made
against the Sears, . Roebuck A Co.
store last Saturday. - - "
. They were Detectives C..E- San
ders and Paul 'Mumpower. They
drew the assignment when they
told Detective Captain J. J. Kee-
gan they had "uncovered a few
leads."
The department store was clos
ed at S p.m. Sautrday after a
note demanding 32500 and threat
ening a bombing 'was received.
The bombing failed . to material
ize and no money was paid, but
the store management evacuated
the building of 5000 customers
and SM employes. . -
r ' - M.l I II
Timberline Lodge
Has Snow Blanket
PORTLAND. Dee. 2 9-ff-3now
fell at Timberline lodre on
Mount Hood today, but Portland
continued to enjoy comparative
ir mild weather ' with the tem-
rerature rar ging tout degrees
tpward from a low of 69. .
Only .05 of an inch of rain
fell in 12 hours. At Timberline,
62 Inches of wet snow covered
the-ground. - - .-..- -
CHINESE AERICANS JOIN TO STOP WAR
T
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Y TrivfT0R!s;r f ;
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STOP
ss)
ST0R
mm
Negri
o Confesses
Slayings of Five
25-Year-Old Man Captured
With Victim' Clothes
in Possession
SAVANNAH. Ga., Dec. 29-(4V
Sollcitor General Samuel A. Cann
said tonight Marion Hunter, 25-
year-old negro, confessed the slay
ing of .five persons here on De
cember 21 in a robbery in which
he obtained ouly dimes, nickels
and pennies from slot machines, a
shotgun and bits of clothing.'
Special Deputy John G. Miller
said Hunter was captured in the
negro section of the city today
with clothing in his - possession
that belonged to the victims.
J. S. Tillman, his wife and two
young daughters were bludgeoned
to death with an iron pipe as they
slept In their two room home.
Thomas Chester, watchman at a
nearby filling station, Vas 'found
shot to death. : -
Deputy Miller said Hunter took
officers to the scene of the crime
following his arrest and reenacted
the mass murder.
Police said the negro was given
a four year sentence on a robbery
charge in 1932, later served two
years for automobile theft.
OPart of the group of 27 Chinese from Portland and nine Salem per
sons wno Joined forces on the streets here yesterday and got nearly
8500 signatures on their petitions protesting against shipment of
war materials and arms to Japan. The local group will seek more
signatures here today and Saturday.
Ross States Path
- Cleared for Line
PORTLAND, Ore., Dec. 29-(,ip)-Bonneville
Dam Administrator J.
D.' Ttos3 said the path had been
cleared for immediate construc
tion of a power transmission line
to Salem, Albany and Eugene with
the signing in federal court today
of an authority to use Oregon
Electric Railway right of way.
The action assures Willamette
valliy communities power by early
fall, Ross said. He deposited a
check for $104,092.80 with Fed
eral Judge James A. Fee for the
privilege.
Applications for blocks of pow
er already have been made by
Canby, Monmouth and Eugene for
distribution over municipally-
owned systems, Ross added. Right
of way clearing in the Salem and
Albany districts has been started.
"btop waif Appeal Gets
3500 Signers in Drive
Governor Martin's Name Leads Signatures Asking
Cessation of Shipment of Munitions
From US to Japanese
Nearly 3500 Salem citizens, including Governor Charles
H. Martin, yesterday affixed their signature to petitions in
circulation here protesting against shipment of war materials
and arms from this country to Japan. The petitions will be
f orwarded, together with signatures gained today and tomor
row, by air express ta President Franklin D, Roosevelt and
the department of state. . . O- . -
The large number of signatures
came with united efforts of Chi
nese and Americans, 27 Chinese
from Portland Joining with nine
Protest new,
For Sewage Plant
PORTLAND, Dec. 2-P)-Ma-jor
industrial water users here
told the city council today that
they could' not afford to pay an
additional water levy to finance
a sewage disposal system. T
' Portland voters in - November
approved a plan to charge a third
of the Normal water bill to fi
nance the sewage system. The in
dustrialists complained that such
heavy water users as sawmills
would find It impossible to meet
the extra cost. - . .
Representatives of packing
plants, ice plants, laundries,
woolen mills,; milk distributors
and hospitals also protested.
local people in circulating the
"Stop War'; call on the streets of
Salem. , - - ' .
The local people will carry the
work on , here today and Satur
day while the Chinese group, fur
nished by the Chinese Society of
Portland with Dr. T. D. Lee as
chairman, will go to Oregon City
and Portland for. circulation of
similar petitions. " ;
Local sponsor for the move is
Richard Adlard, student - who
spent part of last year in Canton.
China, and saw the horrors of the
undeclared war In that land. The
International Relations class
which meets at the TMCA each
Tuesday night has assisted Ad
lard in the petition work. -
Abandon all Hope
FoTrapped Pair
KIRKLAND LAKE, Ont., Dec.
29-(Canadian Press)-R e s e u e
workers tonight abandoned vir
tually all hope for" two miners
entombed since Tuesday behind
a rock wall a half mile under
ground in the Lake Shore gold
mine here.. ft : ,
- Despite the slim hancesv of
finding the men alive 'drilling
crews, working in half-hourly
relays, dug frantically into piles
of debris in an effort to reach
them. "'-y'" - r '
4The miners, John Houlbec, 33t
and Vito Claisevgevich, 40, were
imprisoned Tuesday ' night when
an air blast caused v the collapse
of shaft wbere they were work
ing. ; s ""
Train Shears off
Rear End of Auto
ALBANY, Dec 29-flVL. .C.
Baldenweck of Cottage Grove re
vealed to police today a close,
call with an electric locomotive
last Tuesday.
. He said the locomotive sheared
the spare tire,' tall light and li
cense plate from the rear of his
car as It rolled over the crossing.
Back-Firing Furnace Causes
Fire at: Allen's Fruit Plant
Damage estimated at from
$5000 to 18000 occurred to the
W. G. Allen Fruit company's plant
at-Front and" Chemeketa streets
shortly after noon yesterday when
fire, presumably starting from the
backfire of an oil-burning boiler,
burned Its way up the walls to
almost destroy the roof.
Prompt action by. the Salem fir
department had what first ap
peared to be a dangerous blase
under control within 45 minutes.
? The fire started within five
minutes of the time wniiam
Weaver, employe, had started the
main, v first-floor boiler ; from
which the flames spread. After
starting the burner Weaver "went
to the basement to attend to an
auxiliary, booster boiler. . When
he returned the first floor, around
the main floor, was In flames.
Yesterday's preliminary check
revealed little damage to the
$20,000 worth of equipment, and
W. G. Allen said he believed the
insurance sufficient to cover the
loss. The building, owned by the
Southern Pacific Railway compa
ny, was fully Insured.
Homer Smith, sr., insurance
man. estimated the loss at , be
tween fSOOO and $8000.
K The city building ordinance un
der which buildings in nre tohe
number one must be rebuilt to
conform with building restrictions
if damaged 20 per "cent by fire
does not apply to the AUen build
ing, as was thought possible yes
terday. The ordinance concerns
wood frame buildings, while the
Allen building Is of concrete wall
construction - w 1th interior of
wood. ...
Midwest Readying
For:2d Cold Wave
Loyalist Lines
Break Bef pre
Rebel Offense
Threat to Strong Point
in Northeast Spain
; Becomes Great
French - Italian Friction
Continues to Occupy
Attention
(By the Associated Press)
Spanish Insurgents were report
ed, last night to have Increased the
threat to the government strong
hold of northeastern Spain by
breaking through government
lines on the center of the Cata-
Ionian front and rolling back the
right flank.
Insurgents were credited In dis
patches 'reaching the border with
opening a gap at the Balaguer
Bridgehead on the Segre river
front and capturing Granadella,
to the south. Whether they could
use the Balaguer opening to
break down the entire front re
mained to.be determined.
French-Italian . ,
Friction Grows ? -
French-Italian friction over
north African colonies, mean
while, continued to occupy the
center of attention In Paris, Rome
and London. A person close to the
French government said France
was willing to grant some colonial
concessions to Italy without actu
ally yielding land.
Italians Insisted that British
Prime M 1 n i s t e r Chamberlain
would be unable to avoid the role
of mediator between Franco and
Italy when he visits Rome Jan.
11 to 14. -
The French declared, however.
that French-Italian problems
must be settled by direct negotia
tions between ' Rome and Paris.
France put. np a strong military
front to discourage fascist ambi
tions for territorial expansion at
hf expense of the French empire.
Loyalists Warship Goes
Aground in Try to Run
Gauntlet for Freedom
Fire From Insurgent Cruiser and Shore Batteries
Force Destroyer to Give up Attempt j
to Leave Gibraltar '
GIBRALTAR, Dec. 30 (Friday) (AP) The Spanish
government destroyer Jose 'Luis Diez was forced aground
near here early today after attempting a desperate dash for
freedom through a gauntlet of insurgent warships.
Seven of her crew were killed and 11 wounded.
Before running aground, it was reported here., the vessel
rammed and sank the 1500-tonO .
Insurgent, mine-layer Jupiter. titt.ii ra
Insistent gunfire from insur- J I , l.a., IV- II Jn,r
gent land batteries at Ceuta and J lUlUCiS W AAA A rt V
arias and other insurgent vessels NJ99J, 9ft in 'TflYAC
stroyer aground on eastern beach.
roughly fifty yards from shore.
She had been undergoing re
pairs in the haven of this British
port ever since last August 27,
when she limped in after a pun
ishing battle in the straits with
insurgent warships. Thirty - two
men, including 26 insurgents held
aboard as prisoners, were killed
In that engagement.
A British destroyer was dis
patched to investigate the short
lived firing In the inky blackness
of Europa point. It was believed
the Jose Luis Dies had attempted
to reach her naval base of Carta
gena, more than 200 miles to the
northeast, on the Spanish govern
ment coast.
Insurgent shells struck two
houses of villagers living on Cata
lan bay. Injuring some of the occupants.
The houses, which were in Brit
ish territory, were destroyed.
Thirty Deaths Attributed
to Cold and Exposure
Through Nation
(By The Associated Press)
Middle westerners stoked up
furnaces and tossed more blankets
on their beds last night as the
second cold wave in four days
spread out of Canada.
By the time the chilling spell,
part -two of the wave, that came
earlier in the week, reaches New
England - and the Atlantic sea
board, probably over the weekend,
light snow win bring rising tem
peratures to the midwest, fore
casters said. ' .
At least 30 deaths from expo
sure or other causes attributed to
the week's cold were reported.
Fatalities occurred as far south
as Georgia and North Carolina.
The subzero spell that struck
the plains states and Minnesota
yesterday morning was expected
to overspread the north central
states this morning and continue
eastward. "
Warroad, Minn., a Canadian
border town and Icebox of .the na
tion this week, reported 45 below
yesterday morning. Readings un
der 30 below were taken else
where in Minnesota and North Da
kota. ' Farther west, a sleet storm
changed to heavy rain near the in
ternational boundary in Washing
ton state after disrupting power
and telephone lines.
" The Canadian Press at Vancou
ver, BC. reported a thaw of heavy
ice coating cut all Canadian Pa
cific telegraph lines east and
south of Port Coquitlam and Mis
sion, BC, but that service was re
stored partly. z
v7 t Xew Map Change
I Possibility
In Belgrade, the possibility of
another change in the map of
Europe, involving Italy, Hungary
and Yugoslavia, was discussed
with ' the announcement that the
ItaUan foreign minister. Con at
Galeazzo Ciano, would go there
Jan. 1) on an official visit.
Diplomats said Yugoslavia was
being won over to the Idea of
making a "symbolical cession" of
a few border villages to Hungary
and would receive in compensa
iton the Italian port of Zara, on
the Dalmation coast. Hungary
would be expected to give up for
ever her demands for territorial
revision at Yugoslav expense.
Italy, diplomats said, would gain
close cooperation with both coun
tries, perhaps based on a Yugo
slav-Hungarian pact.
In Shanghai, the international
relief committee received a report
that "armed chaos" existed in the
Nanking region, which Japanese
occupied Dec. 13, 1937. The re
port was made by M. S. Bates,
American professor of history in
Nanking, university, who investi
gated conditions for the commit
tee.
Rider Is Crushed
When Horse Falls
EUGENE. Ore.. Dec. 2$-JPi-Miss
Elizabeth McMah: n. 46, was
killed instantly late today when
a horse she was riding shied at
a passing log truck and fell on
her crushing her skull.
' The - accident occurred nine
miles east of Springfield on the
McKenrie highway. State Po
lice Sergeant Lowell Hirtzell,
who investigated, said the truck
driver, John ' Stafford,, reported
he passed the horse and rider,
saw the 'animal rear up. When
he looked back he saw the horse
lying on , the : highway with the
Tider underneath. The horse's
hind, legs were caught beneath
the log trailer wheels and were
broken. ;
Late Sports
PORTLAND, Ore., Dec 2HfP)
-Portland -Buckaroos hammered
six goals into the iet here to
night to -beat Vancouver, 6-3, and
win their 15th Pacific Coast
league Ice hockey game of the
season. The Bucks scored three
goals in each, of -he first two
periods. -
Wreckage Cleared
From Rail Tracks
PORTLAND, Ore., Dec. 28-
-Splintered wreckage -of 26 cars
and a locomotive was cleaned np
today and the Union Pacific rail-
read resumed service over a sec
tion of track ripped ont by the
derailment 32 miles east of here
about midnight Tuesday.
. - The wrecked cars were part of
an 86-car freight train derailed
when it struck a 6000-pound
bculder which smashed - down
from the towering Columbia riv
er gorge walls. .
. Wrecked cars contained most
ly eastern Oregon and Washing
ton wheat. Road officials were
busy compiling cargo and equip
ment losses.
Two members -of the highway
patrol .averted a more serious
wreck by. sighting, the rock and
warning the engineer with
flare. .
Prodigy Is Going"
Strong at Mature
Age of 9 Months
PORTLAND, Dec 2MV-Pht
lip David D e v 1 n , Portland!
"wonder .'baby" .who walked
spoke four ' words - and - drank
without aid from a - glass at. the
age, of six months, . Is keeping
his gtrlde. :
- Now : nine " months old. Philip
wearing a snow salt' sized for i
three-year-old, pumps around on
sturdy legs, unlaces his own
shoes, brushes his. teeth, eat
spinach., and raw carrots, and
sleeps only a half-hour - during
the- day. -
He makes' himself easily 'un
derstood, pronouncing the names
of persons he knows and saying
many words. He has four teeth
end three or four more are com
ing through. ;. : ' . , ; , .
,eap
Woman Takes I
From Gate Bridge
Fishermen ee Body Drop
200 Feet From Span
Across Bay
SAN FRANCISCO. Dec, 29.-P
A slender, brunette young wom
an Identified tentatively as Rath
Nathlngheimer died in a 200-foot
plunge from the Golden Gate
bridge, today. Authorities sought
further Identification.'
Deputy Coroner Tom Gavin de
scribed the . case as a suicide the
tenth death leap from, the bridge
since its construction.
Two fishermen saw the body
plunge into the waters of the har
bor entrance at a spot about 100
yards off the Fort Point rocks, di
rectly beneath the bridge.
Fog Obscures View
They said afterwards their vis
ion was so obscured by fog they
were not sure of what they had
seen until the body floated to the
surface.
. Deputy : Coroner Gavin said
partial identification of the wom
an was established by the name.
Ruth Nathlngheimer, on an arch
support in one of her shoes, and
was further corroborated by the
Initials, R. N., on her sweater.
"I have no doubt that the wom
an was Ruth Nathlngheimer, but
mat is about all I know now,'
said Gavin.
"She was about 23 years-old,
wore a dress that might have been
a house dress or a waitress uni
form, and on her ring finger she
had a gold band wedding ring."
,4 -1
Second Death 1 Blamed
On Canned Food Poison
MEDFORD, Dec. I9-(Pr-Law
lence Grant, ; 72, died - today, the
second death in two days from
what an attending physician said
was food : poisoning caused by
eating home-canned vegetables.
: His sister. Miss Maggie Grant,
92, died Tuesday.
Qty of Salem and Salem
School District Are
Beneficiaries
Public utilities will pay $224,
238.74 in property taxes in Mar
ion county in 1939, Assessor R.
"Tad Shelton announced yester
day. Largest beneficiaries of -the
utilities' tax bill, aside from the
county Itself, will be the city of
Salem, which win receive 1 35,
38.41, and the Salem school dis
trict, which will share to the ex
tent of $34,283.86.
The Portland General Electric
company will continue in the roll
of largest utility taxpayer in the
county, with a biU for $73,245.-
87 facing It next year. Of this
sum. $12.61&.55 will go to the
city of Salem and 412,601.57 to
the local school district.
Other utilities' taxei were
listed as follows:
Southern Pacific company, to
tal $67,735.84; Salem, $5172.75;
Salem schools, $5S31.$7
Paelrie Telephone Telegraph
tompany, total-' $43,708.81: Sa
lem, $12,807.44; Salem schools.
$11,437.36. ;VV;
Portland Gas A Coke company,
total $16,590.01; Salem, $4021.
28; Salem schools, $3745.78. ;
Oregon Electric Railroad com
pany, total $9329.58; - Salem,
$748.25; Salem schools, $863.49.
Removing Pinballs
In Clatsop Asked
ASTORIA, Dec. 29-flVCnrift
Paul Kearney and District Attor
ney Garnett L. Green fell into line
with other Oregon counties today
by ordering removal before mid
night, December 31, of all plnball,
slot' machines and punch boards
from Clatsop county. :
The devices were outlawed by a
state vote in November.
The city of Astoria, which asked
a restraining order several months
ago to prevent confiscation of city
licensed devices "for amusement
only," announced It would co-operate
in law ' enforcement and
would issue no new licenses..
Buchanaii Granted
New Appointment
Governor ! Charles" - H. ' Martin
Thursday reappointed , Roy : Bu
chanan, Pendleton, a member of
the state Industrial accident com
mission for the four-year " term
ending January 2, 1943. '
Buchan an originally was ap
pointed a member of the accident
commission December 1, 1937,' to
succeed Albert Hunter, who re
signed because of ill health. He
previously served as district aud
itor" for the commission with
headquarters at Pendleton. '
-Buchanan is a democrat.
Teachers to Ask 40 Percent
Increase for State Minimum
PORTLAND, Dec. ' 2 ?-(ff)-The
state legislature will be asked to
give, Oregon teachers , drawing
minimum pay a 40 per cent raise.
State Superintendent of Education
Rex Putnam disclosed before dele
gates to the state teachers', asso
ciation convention today. '
The minimum now is $600. A
bill Increasing the base pay to
$1000 a year will be introduced.
"It's high time we start going
to town on this thing," Putnam
said, pointing out that Washing
ton's minimum ? was ,$1200 and
California's $1350. t . - - .
. .. Putnam. : also , advocated ade
quate teachers' retirement, legis
lation, a reorganisation. bUl to fa
cilitate consolidation of. school
districts and equalization of school
tax- revenues by pooling school
funds ' within ' separate ; counties
and re-allocating them' on the ba
sis of classroom units. v
These proposals already have
association endorsement. - "
Putnam emphasised that1-neither
the equalization nor reorgan-
ixatlon : bins Involve the contro
versial county unit plan, which at
present is an optional feature of
the state school system.
He called the proposed teach
ers' retirement bill an ideal one
and said "We know the answers,
and we're prepared to present
them in a way the legislature will
understand."
J. E. Edwards, assistant super
intendent of Portland schools, ad
dressing the social science teach
ers, declaredthat "formulas of
the ' past won't solve America's
problems of the . future" and
charged the schools were spend
ing "too much time teaching the
history of our country-and not
enough time teaching what we
believe to be a. sound economic
and social theory v .. ,- the future
Is not to be decided to any extent
on our past. '
.Dr. David Snedden, professor
emeritus . of teachers! college, Co
lumbia university, "New. - York
branded --contemporary training
for ',. citizenship - as ."childishly
idealistic a n d naively . goody-
ooj.".; . .
Ml
Pair Abducted;
Killing Threat
Made Officer
Silverton Boy Dies in
Hospital After He's ;
Found by Police "
Tells Deputy They Will
Both Die as He Draws
Loaded Gun
Robert Thomas, about IS, ot
Silverton, djed a self-inflicted
death by pc'son in a local hos
pital at 11: i0 o'clock last night
to close a night In which he ab
ducted a young Silverton couple,
forced them to drive him to Sa
lem, held up the sheriff's office
and threatened to kill Special
Deputy Wayne Parker.
He died less than three hours
after he had accosted Joseph
Erpelding, 23, Silverton route
two, and Velma Hopfer, 21, ML
Angel, who were sitting in a
sedan parked near the Silverton
theatre at. 8:25, and demanded
at gun point that he be brought
to Salem, City Patrolman Claud
Litchfield declared. .
"You're going for a ride," be
curtly advised as -he pointed a
.45 calibre army revolver at th
pair, Erpelding told Salens police.
Announces He'll .- .
Take His Life
Approaching Salem, Thomas
announced he was "goJ.ng to
commit suicide." When the cou
ple -parked the car on Stat
street near the courthouse at hit
direction, th youth gulped dow
four red capsules and water from
rwo bottles he pulled front his
pocket, and left them, heading ...
across the conrthouse lawn, Er
pelding said.
While Erpelding and Miss
Hopfer were driving hurriedly to
city police headquarters, Thomas
entered - the sheriff's -office torn
tfce second ; floor - ot the' court
house and poked - his . revolver
across the counter at Deputy
Parker. - r ryf '
"I'm going- to die In about It
minutes and you might as well go
with me,", he told Parker.
The officer, stalled.
"Just a minute, wait a minuta
and then you can shoot." Parker
said he , told the youth.;. "What
about: that man ' over y there?" .
pointing toward ' Night Deputy
H. H. Daniels seated at a desk. .
Stall Diverts
Boy's Attention
The stall diverted Thomas' at
tention while Parker b a e k 4
away, drew his own revolver and
demanded his assailant lower they
big army weapon, Parker said.
But Thomas, -refusing to drop tao
gun to the floor, backed out of
the office and fled down the halt.
He had left the courthouse by the"
east door by the time the two dep
uties reached the corridor.
-A few minutes later Parker
and City Patrolmen Litchfield;
Harold Deacon, Herman Done ,
and W. M. - Overgaard tosnd
Thomas sitting, violently ill,, oa
ine city nau steps, tie mane ne
move to resist as they remove
his still cocked weapon from his
belt. - '
Yonth Removed
TO Hospital " - .
- First aid officers and a physi
cian called -by" police , removed
Thomas to the Deaconess hospit
al at f :30 where he was given ox
ygen and artificial respiration ta '
an unsuccessful attempt to save
hit life: " : : '
A partly Indecipherable letter
found scrawled on a piece of not--paper
In Thomas' pocket Indica
ted, he had been despondent for
some time and "looking for am -excuse
to commit suicide," Police
Sergeant J. L. Cutler announced.
The note, part of which apparent
ly had been written after he left .
the courthouse, also contained ,
confessions of having some year
ago set fire to a barn, stolen mon
ey from the Silverton ball park
and put poison in milk ; at a Sil
verton house. Cutler was inclined
to question some of the material
in the note. .-:-:-
State police were notified of the
note's contents.; v :-- y,v
-Also in Thomas, pockets were
43 spare revolver cartridges. "
The attending physician was un
able to Identify the poison taken
by the youth. First Aid Captain .
Percy L. Clark of the fire depart-:
ment report ed.t midnight. Thom
as' actions mav have been caused
by a brain injury. Indicated by
depression, as from a blow suf-
fered long ago, noted In the back -of
his skulL Clark said.
Thomas was the son of A. IL
Thomas, f 10 Oak street, on Sil
verton route two. The father, with
whom Sergeant Cutler talked by
telephone before the boy died,' ax
pressed -a belief the red caps a lea
were "cold medicine."
Portland Holiday Safer
This Year Than Before
" PORTLAND, Dec. . 29-AV
Hugh E. Rosson, state director
or traffic safety, said today
Portland ' traffic , accidents dur
ing the two-day Christmas hoik
day totaled -224, compared to'
275 for the same . "period V la
1937. . Accidents Involving in ju- -rles
numbered 51 to 61 last
Christmas. .... "