Journal
THE WEATHER HERE
MOSTLY CLOUDY tonight and
Friday. Little change in temper
ature. Lowest tonight, SO; high
est Friday, 76.
Mailmam yesterday, 1: minimum to
day, St. Total 34-hoor precipitation: trarot
far month: .IW; normal, .09. Sraion pre- M
clpltatlon, 4t.2S: normal, S7.43, Rtaor
tiellhl, -S.4 loot. (Report by V. S. Weather
Bareauuu.)
HOME
EDITION
61st Year, No. 190
Entered u iceond elMf
matter t Sklam, Oregon
Salem, Oregon, Thursday, August 11, 1949
(24 Pages)
Price 5c
aoncai A
Texas Ranger
Here to Probe
Murder Cases
Seeks to Clear Up
Two Slaytngs in Which
McEwen Is Suspect
Bv DON UPJOHN
Texas Ranger Frank Probst
from Amarillo, Tex., here in the
hopes of clearing up the mur
der of Tex Thorn, international
ly known explosive expert of the
nil fields at Amarillo, June 22,
was in cooperation with Sheriff
Denver Young and his deputies
Thursday trying to weave a web
of evidence around Edward
Charles McEwen, in the Marion
county jail also charged with
1 the murder of a rancher at rnoe
nix. Ariz., this year.
Arizona officers are on their
way here to demand return of
McEwen to that state on the
murder warrant.
McEwen landed in jail here
after he had stolen a hearse from
a local mortuary, wrecked it,
and he then entered a plea of
guilty to larceny in district court
But in the meantime Arizona
officials got wind of the ar
rest and advised Sheriff Young
that McEwen is a murder sus
pect from that state.
Susnected in Two Crimes
Ranger Probst also got wind of
it and certain similarities in tne
Arizona and Texas crimes sent
him hurrying to Salem. The
Arizona rancher was found dead
garroted, and wearing only his
shorts and socks. The Texas oil
field expert when found dead
also attired only in his shorts
and socks, with the exception
his own shirt was tied tightly
around his neck and his body
had been pierced by some sharp
implement.
Probst came here with a cir
cumstantial description of the
man suspected of the Texas kill
ing and he says it closely fits
that of McEwen in the mam de
tails. Scan Fingerprints
Scattering bits of finger prints
picked up after the Texas mur
der were placed at the disposal
of state police finger print ex
perts here Thursday by Probst
and Deputy Sheriff William De
Vall for close comparison and
while the first reports from the
prints didn't say they matched,
neither did they say they didn't
and further careful scrutiny will
be given before Probst gets his
final report. In the meantime
Thursday morning McEwen was
hustled into the finger print
room and additional prints were
taken to be turned over to the
state police experts for further
checking.
(Continued on Page B. Column 1)
Science Aiding
Chicken Thieves
Is science coming to the aid of
chicken thieves and gas bombs
being put to use to aid them in
their maraudings?
That is suspected at least by
some Marion county farmers,
according to information de
veloping at a meeting of the
Grange auxiliary held south of
Salem last night.
Reports were to the effects
that there have been a number
of chicken coop forays south of
the city. Steve Mindard on the
t' South Salem road and a number
of chicken owners in the Liberty
, section were said to be victims
of the thieves.
Those discussing it said they
are satisfied that the looters
move in on a chicken coop arm
ed with a small, pratically noise
less gas bomb, dump it under the
sleeping chickens without dis
turbing them, and as soon as the
fowl are overpowered by the
fumes their necks are wrung
without disturbance and the
thieves make their getaway
Turkey flocks in Clackamas
county ana near me iorin iviai-
ion county border also are said
to have been subject to depre
dations in the past few weeks.
Hearing Asked in
Ashland Fire Case
Ashland, Aug. 11 OT Jack
son county juvenile officer John
Richard planned a hearing today
for two boys, 12 and 13, involv
ed in the fire that destroyed a
woodyard and lumber ware
house. Assistant Police Chief Herb
Hayes said the boys had ad
mitted tossing a firecracker into
a tar barrel that exploded into
flame.
The blaze quickly spread
through the Whittle Transfer
and Fuel company yard and
caused damage to the Copeland
Lumber company warehouse.
Confesses to
Brutal Slaying
01 Young Girl
Portlander Leads Po
lice to Body of Stabbed
And Beaten Victim
Portland, Ore., Aug. 11 OT
sallow-faced young man led
DOlice today to the body of a 15-
vear-old eirl who had Deen
beaten, stabbed, 'and hidden un
der a lor Pile near a Portland
bridge.
Detectives Noel Eck and Sgt.
Dan Mitola said the man, picked
up on another charge, voluntar
ily blurted out tne story oi a
brutal slaying that police had
never suspected.
They said a 22-year-old man
with a long criminal record ad
mitted killing the girl after she
refused his advances, because
"she was a good girl and would
make trouble with the police."
"It is the most cold-blooded
case I've ever had," said Chief
of Detectives William Browne
Young Farm Worker
The girl Thelma Taylor, Port
land, a young farm worker
had been reported missing by
her parents last Saturday, but
there had been no previous hint
she had met with foul play.
Sgt. Verne Nicholson arrested
Morris Leland, 22, Portland, this
morning on suspicion of driving
a stolen car.
On the way to the police sta
tion, Leland said he wanted to
talk to homicide detectives, be
cause he knew about a murder.
Detectives Eck and Mitola said
the 22-year-old Leland told them
he had killed a girl last Satur
day, and led them to a log
pile in the brush in North Port
land.
Wore Bobby Sox
There police found the girl's
body, fully clothed in the bobby
sox, plaid shirt, and levis she
had been wearing when she left
her home last Friday morning to
pick beans at Hillsboro.
(Concluded on Page S, Column 6)
Thief Posed As
College Student
A "Notre Dame" man was
plucked off skid row Thursday
by city detectives interested in
questioning him concerning the
sale of a Salvation army horn
to a Salem pawn shop.
Police identified their pris
oner as Frank Rector, Jr. His
suitcase bore several stickers
from the Indiana college, in
cluding one 10-inches tall.
Suspicion was aroused when
a second hand store operator ad
vised police he had purchased
a French horn from a transient
for only $4.50.
Rector was spotted on the
street and brought to the po
lice station for questioning.
There he admitted taking the
horn in a burglary of the Sal
vation army headquarters in
Eugene.
He told police he had request
ed help, but had been turned
down by the charity organiza
tion. He arrived in Salem in tne
wee hours of the morning after
hitching a ride on a truck.
Police also pointed out tnat
Rector's institutional training
had been confined primarily to
a term at San Quentin prison in
California on a burglary charge.
He was not a student at Notre
Dame or at another college pre
viously displayed on his well-
traveled suitcase. The earlier
alma mater's" identification
was virtually obliterated by the
Notre Dame stickers.
ft ' mi m iiimj.mil ki" 41 y"8 - x . jtiis ? 'IT' ?l
War Assets Employe sMote
Called Invitation for Bribery
Senator Mundf
Sears' Store Opens Mrs. Howard H. (Roberta) Heiserman, ;
who was chosen the "Average Sears' Shopper" cuts the ribbon
that officially opened the new Sears, Roebuck, and com
pany store here. At the left of Mrs. Heiserman is Mayor
Walter Musgrave of West Salem and at the right are Mayor
Robert L. Elfstrom of Salem with the key to the city and
the manager of the Salem Sears' store, Jim Mosolf.
Big Crowd Jams Opening
Of Sears' New Store
Salem opened its newest modern department store the Sears,
Roebuck & Co. store in the Capitol street snopping center
Thursday morning at 10 o'clock.
Waiting at the doors to enter the store after the formalities
the hrief ceremonv officially opening the stream-
alined building were at least ouu
persons, some of whom arrived
Ecuador Town
Drops 1500 Feet
Quito, Ecuador, Aug. 11 OT
Witnesses reported today one of
tho most fantastic pranks of
Ecuador's disastrous earthquake
the little village of Libertad
and its surrounding fields sank
1,500 feet straight down into the
earth.
The town, with a population
of about 100 persons, just dis
appeared. Where it once stood
is n eaDine hole half a mile in
diameter and 1,500 feet deep.
The strange tale was told by
military and medical officers
returning from the quake area
south of here near Pelileo, hard
est hit city where thousands
died. They said they were shown
the big sink by Col. Gabriel
Nunez, troop commander in the
region.
Most of the top soil earth in
the sunken area was scrambled
by the sudden drop, but in a
few places crops continued to
grow just as they did Detore.
Shasta Daylight
Crashes Into Truck
Red Bluff, Cal., Aug. 11 U.B
The Shasta Daylight, crack
Southern Pacific San Francisco
tn Portland streamliner, was
held up for nearly an hour here
vesterdav after crashing into a
truck and trailer loaded with 15
tons of heavy lumber.
Driver of the truck, Clarence
Hinkle. 26. Red Bluff, escaped
without injury. He told police
he could not see the train com
ing because of freight cars
which blocked his view of the
tracks at the crossing.
SDeed of the train when the
accident occurred was esti
mated at 30 miles per hour.
shortly after 9 a.m
The crowd that swarmed
through the doors included ev
eryone from babes in arms to
grandfather and grandmother
and by 10:45 the parking area for
the store was filled and a con
tinual stream of people moved
through the doors,
Claiming the attention of the
greatest number of persons was
the main floor of the store where
is found wearing apparel for
youngsters as well as the grown
ups. There was not a depart
ment on that floor that was not
jammed with shoppers as well as
those "just looking."
The opening ceremonies, heard
over loudspeakers ana aiso
broadcast over the radio, were
held just inside the doors of the
main entrance to the store on
Capitol street.
Both Mayor Robert L. Elf
strom of Salem and Mayor Wal
ter Musgrave of West Salem gave
short talks complimenting the
executives of the company on
their choice of Salem for the
new store and welcoming them
Immediately after their talks the
"Sears Average Shopper," Mrs.
Howard H. (Roberta) Heiser
man, cut the ribbon at the en
trance as the doors opened.
Early Start in Hops
Makes Picker Demand
An evppnl innallv pa rlv start for the first hop harvest has re-
,no ;n n urintii chnriaoo nf nir-kers. esDeciallv in the Inde
pendence area, William H. Baillie, manager oi tne aiem biik '
the state employment service, said Wednesday.
Picking of early hops near Independence began Wednesday, and
in some fields as early as July
28, Baillie reported. Early hops
usually are not ready to be
picked until about the middle of
August.
Migratory workers who come
to this section annually for the
hop harvest aren't expected to
arrive until around August 15,
and since the hops came sur
prisingly early this year, a
shortage in help has resulted
Baillie explained.
Persons desiring to work in
hop fields this summer are ask
ed to report to the Independ
ence area as soon as possible.
I A branch office of the employ
3 Groups Probe
Bus Tragedy
Bloomington, Ind., Aug. HOT
Three crews of investigators
studied charred fragments of a
Greyhound bus today in an at
tempt to learn why it carried 16
persons to flaming death yester
day.
An even grimmer investigation
moved slowly ahead at an em
ergency morgue in the National
Guard armory. There weary of
ficials and dazed relatives tried
to identify the last of the bodies
of the victims.
Five remained unidentified.
Investigators for the Inter
state Commerce Commission, In
diana state police and Grey
hound Lines were going through
the wreckage at the Greyhound
garage in Indianapolis.
They would say little, but Su
perintendent Arthur M. Thurs
ton of state police said that, a
preliminary examination had
disclosed "no evidence of me
chanical failure."
Earlier, Driver Wayne Cran-
mer, 25, Indianapolis, had said,
"It seemed like the steering gear
went out."
The tragedy was three-fold in
one family. The list of identi
fied included a mother and her
two children.
House Raises
Minimum Wage
To 75 Cents Hour
Washington, Aug. 11 UP) The
house passed today a bill to
raise the national minimum
wage from 40 cents an hour to
75, as asked by President Tru
man. The measure went to the sen
ate, where a similar minimum
wage bill is pending. The sen
ate has set the measure aside
repeatedly for other legislation,
however, and it is uncertain
when the bill may be called up
for debate there.
The house action was. in a
sense, a victory for the admin
istration. The bill carried the
75-cent minimum advocated by
the president. Secretary of La
bor Tobin, and representatives
of major labor organizations.
Revision Carried
However, it also carried sub
stantially the revision of cover
age pushed by a coalition of re
publicans and southern demo
crats. The bill was introduced
by Rep. Lucas (D., Tex.).
Earlier the house had refus
ed to wash out three days of
heated debate on minimum wage
legislation by sending the whole
thing back to its labor commit
tee for more study.
A motion to do that lost 242
to 41 on a standing vote.
(Concluded on Page 5, Column 8)
-In
ment service has been set up at
IndeDendence.
Baillie also reports that the
quota of bean pickers needed
from day to day in the Stayton
vicinity is not being met. There
are enough beans in the Stay-
ton area now to keep BUU picK-
ers busy for three full days and
trucks are leaving the employ
ment office at Ferry and Cot
taee streets every morning.
Several growers who brought
trucks io the employment oi-
fice Wednesday morning, in the
hope of picking up a load of
pickers for the day, were forced
to return to the fields empty, be
cause not enough workers were
awaiting jobs for the day.
McKay Tours
Basin Project
Yakima, Aug. 11 u.R With
the Columbia Basin Inter-Agency
committee meeting cut short
by Gov. C. A. Robbins return
to Idaho because of the fire sit
uation, Gov. Arthur B. Langlie
of Washington and Gov. Douglas
McKay of Oregon today toured
the vast basin project.
Governors Langlie and Mc
Kay made a field trip to the ir
rigation experiment station in
Prosser yesterday after tne
morning had been taken up with
the discussion of the conserva
tism nt the soil and water re
sources on the Yakima and Col
umbia projects.
Soeaking at the session of the
inter-agency committee, which
is an advisory group on state and
federal development of north
west resources, Governor Lang
lie said:
"People are rapidly becom
ing water conscious. Cheaper
delivery to farming areas com
bined with more efficient pumps
and the improvements in sprink
ler irrigation point to wider use
of the state's ground water sup
ply."
He cited the cooperation be
tween two branches of the state
government the state depart
ment of agriculture and the de
partment of conservation and
development in state's land and
water resources,
He said that A. T. Flagg, an
engineer, had been assigned to
Uphold Label
Of Subversives
Washington, Aug. 11 OT The
U. S. court of appeals today
upheld the government's right
to label certain groups "sub
versive." The 2-to-l decision was hand
ed down in the case of the joint
anti-fascist refugee committee
which had appealed to the
court's after it was included on
Attorney General Clark's "sub
versive list" two years ago.
The appeals court affirmed
the U. S. district court here in
dismissing the refugee commit
tee's suit on a motion by the
government.
A list of alleged subversive
organizations was published by
the attorney general in connec
tion with the loyalty check on
federal employes.
Justices Bennett Champ Clark
and James M. Proctor said the
justice department had acted
for the president of the United
States and that "had the presi
dent performed the task himself
his acts could not have been
challenged legally.'
Justice H. W. Edgerton filed
a sharp dissent,
Randall Sees
Wage Fixing
New York. .Aug. 11 OT-
land Steel company president.
Clarence B. Randall, said today
that President Truman's creation
of a steel fact-finding board was
an "industrial revolution" which
would lead to permanent gov
ernment wage fixing.
The attack on the president's
action was the first made by an
ndustry spokesman as the com
panies Degan presentauun ui
their case before the board. Ran
dall is from Chicago.
Last week the CIO Steelwork-
ers union argued before the
board for a 30-cents-an-hour
package including wage, pension
and insurance benefits.
Randall, who spoke for his
own company but also was the
keynoter for the entire industry,
not only rejected all the union's
demands, but also denounced the
very process of a fact-finding
board Itself.
"When the president announc
ed the formation of this board he
was in fact announcing an in
dustrial revolution in America,'
Randall asserted.
"By doing so, he has declar
ed himself as favoring a new
social orders, and one so differ
ent from that under which our
magnificent production record
has been achieved that unless the
process is stopped, and stopped
at once, there will be no possi
bility of turning back.
"Through this means, wheth
er he knew it or not, he has pro
claimed that wages shall be fix
ed by the government.
"The fixing of profits comes
next, and then when incentive is
killed and production falls, the
final step of nationalization fol
lows.
Paul Henri Spaak
Belgian Heads
Europe's Group
Strasbourg, France, Aug. 11
(fl) Paul-Henri Spaak, Belgian
socialist leader, was unanimous
ly elected today as the first pres
ident of the European consul
tative assembly.
The chunky little Belgian re
signed yesterday as Belgium's
acting premier and foreign min
ister so he could take over the
top job in the newly-created
council of Europe.
Winston Churchill, Britain's
wartime prime minister, nomi
nated Spaak for the assembly
presidency. The 101 delegates
from a dozen countries quickly
endorsed the selection without
opposition.
Delegates in private negotia
tions yesterday gave their sup
port to Spaak, one of Europe's
outstanding political figures and
first president of the United Na
tions general assembly. Actual
voting was delayed until today
Grills Letter
Written Hunt
Washington, Aug. 11 OT
Senator Mundt (R., S. D.) heat
edly charged today that a letter
written by a war assets adminis
tration employe to James V.
Hunt, in August, 1947, was a
"blatant invitation for bribery
or connivance of some kind."
Mundt, a member of the sen
ate investigations subcimmiltee,
spoke out after a committee in
vestigator had read the contents
of a letter which he said was
written by Clarence W. Oehler
to Hunt.
Another letter told of Oehler
obtaining tor Hunt match covers
with "White House" "H. H. V."
and "H. S. T." printed on them.
Match Folders Again
Hunt, now a Washington busi
ness counselor, has been a prime
figure in the committee's inquiry
into activities of "five percent
ers" individuals who seek out
government contracts for others
for a fee.
The committee investigation
previously has developed that
Hunt ordered books of match
folders bearing the imprint
"swiped from Harry S. Truman."
Hunt said then that he was act
ing at the request of the White
House.
'H. H. V." are the initials of
Maj. Gen. Harry H. Vaughan,
President Trumans military
aide, whose name has figured in
the inquiry.
Francis D. Flanagan, commit
tee investigator, said that Oehler
tn Bive Snaak time to deal with was a warehouse specialist for
a Bnvernment shakeun in Brus- the WAA in the western area at
sels in which he resigned his
premiership.
Spaak had been serving as
acting ; premier since Belgian
elections more than six weeks
ago in which his socialist party
lost ground.
The assembly is the deliberat
ive body of the council of Eur
ope which opened its first ses
sions here this week. The guid
ing body of the council is the
ministerial committee, com
posed of the foreign ministers of
the 12 member nations Brit
ain, France, Belgium, Holland,
Luxembourg, Italy, Denmark,
Norway, Sweden, Ireland,
Greece and Turkey.
Farm Program
Wins Approval
Washington, Aug. 11 OT A
compromise farm program for
next year won unanimous ap
proval today of a bi-partisan
senate agriculture subcommittee.
The group struck out all re
maining provisions for produc
tion payments" proposed by Sec
retary of Agriculture Brannan as
part of his overall new farm pro
gram.
Brannan suggested this climl
nation last week-end after the
house previously had killed off
a proposed trial run limited to
a few farm products.
Senator Anderson (D., N.M.),
chairman of the seven-man sub
committee, said the compromise
bill will be considered Satur
day by the full 13-mcmber ag
riculture committee.
Approval by that group ap
pears likely because the subcom
mittee is a majority of the full
measure on to the senate.
I . , i isLmi? imTI&iB-
Fireman Wets Down Blazing Bus Wreckage A fireman squirts water pumped from a creek
on to the blazing wreckage ol a bus in which 15 persons died and 12 omers were injurca hi
represent Dotn aepartmenis 'V ".-,", u, tt kriH. .hutment, turned over and burst
state s grouno Bioominisiuii, mi., nusu", . - .
surveying the
water supply.
into flames. (AP Wirephoto)
the time he wrote letters to Hunt,
formerly a $50-a-day consultant
for WAA in Washington.
(Concluded on Paire 5, Column 5)
Truman Sfifl for
Gen'l Vaughan
Washington, Aug. 11 OT Pre
sident Truman said today his
opinion of Maj. Gen. Harry II.
Vaughan, his army aide, has not
been changed by testimony
brought out in a senate com
mittee investigation of five per
centers.
Mr. Truman also told a news
conference that the secretary of
the navy is not free to relieve
Vaughan from active duty in
the way two other major gener
als have been suspended tem
porarily.
Secretary of (he Army Gray
suspended Maj. Gen. Alden H.
Waitt and Maj. Gen. Herman
Feldman after their names wer
brought out in the senate investigation.
Has anything that has hap
pened on Capitol Hill changed
your attitude toward Gen.
Vaughan? a reporter asked Mr.
Truman.
Not in the slightest, the Presi
dent replied.
Mr. Truman added that he has
not discussed with chairman
Hocy (D., N. C.) of the commit
tee the possibility o vaugnan
testifying.
He said he didn t want to in
fluence Hoey's judgment that
he wanted Hocy to get the facts
and satisfy himself.
He reiterated that Vaughan is
at liberty lo testify at the hear
ings. The President, in what ap
peared to be a strong feeling
about his army aide, commented
on Vaughan's absence from the
news conference by saying:
He's not afraid of you, don't
worry about that.
In response to a question, Mr.
Truman said he didn't know
anything about a deep freeze
which one witness told the com
mittee earlier had been sent to
Vaughan.
Mr. Xruman said he had no
comment to make, that he didn't
know that such a thing occurred.
"I refer to testimony," a re
porter said.
Bradley Nominated
For Staff Chairman
Washington, Aug. HOT
President Truman announced
today he is nominating Gen.
Omar N. Bradley for promotion
to chairman of the joint chiefs
of staff. This would make Brad
ley the nation's highest ranking
military olficcr.