THE WEATHER HERE
CLOUDY, SLIGHTLY WARM
ER with rain tonight; becoming
partly cloudy with showers Sun
day. Lowest temperature to
night, 35; highest Sunday, 53.
Maximum yeiterday, 54: minimum today,
SO. Total St-honr precipitation: 0: for
month: .S3; normal, .48. Season precipita
tion, 9.77; normal. 11.2.1. River beliht, 4.S
feet. (Report by U.S. Weather Bnrcan.)
G aoital.
HOME
EDITION
6 1st Year, No. 288
Entered u Jond elut
mUei tvt tSmlem, Oregon
Salem, Oregon, Saturday, December 3, 1949
Price 5c
.jit kl
Claims Hopkins
Sped to Russia
A-Bomb Secret
Congress to Probe
Sending of Uranium
By Soviet Airplanes
Washington, Dec. ? VP) A for
mer lend-lease officer's story
that planeloads of V. S. atomic
and other secrets were sped to
Russia with the late Harry Hop
kins' help set off a congressional
inquiry today.
Chairman M c M a h 0 n (D.,
Conn.) of the joint senate-house
atomic energy committee said
the committee's staff had been
instructed to look into the ac
count. His announcement followed a
statement from Senator Hicken
looper (R., Ia.), ranking repub
lican on the committee, that he
would insist that the group make
inquiries.
And Senator McCarthy (R.,
Wis.) told a reporter that if the
atomic committee did not act he
would urge that the senate in
vestigating subcommittee headed
by Senator Hoey (D., N.C.) go
into the story.
Air Captain's Story
Senator Edwin C. Johnson (D.,
Colo.), an atomic energy com
mitteeman, also joined in the de
mand for clearing up what he
called "very serious charges."
These expressions of congres
sional concern followed a broad
cast interview last night in
which former Army Capt. G.
Racey Jordan related experienc
es as a lend-lease inspector at
Great Falls, Mont., on the route
over which planes for Russia
were flown in 1943 and 1944.
He said he saw suitcase after
suitcase full of state department
and other documents in Russian
baggage.
He said he saw references to
"energy produced by fission or
splitting," to "neutrons and pro
tons" and "walls five feet thick
of lead and water to control fly-,
ing neutrons."1
Orders From Hopkins
AH that was long before any
. body but a select few in the Unit
ed States had been let in on the
secret that there was such a thing
as an atomic energy project.
(Concluded on Page 5, Column 51
Turkey Signing
U.S. Alliance
Istanbul, Turkey, Dec. 3 VP)
The Istanbul newspaper Tan
said today Turkey is signing
a military alliance with the
United States. Foreign Minis
ter Necmeddin Sadak's own
newspaper, Aksam, quoted
Sadok a short time later as say
ing the Tan story was unfound
ed "from end to end."
Tans story was published a
day after George McGhee, U.S.
assistant secretary of state, spent
two hours with Sadak and one
hour with President Ismet Inonu
at Ankara.
Tan said political circles re
ported an understanding be
tween the two countries had
been reached along the general
lines of Turkey's alliance with
Britain and France "and prelim
inary documents already are
drawn."
Tan said the alliance would
provide these three points:
1. The United States will au
tomatically intervene if Turkey
Is invaded.
2. Turkey will protect and
help the United States when the
latter's interests in the eastern
Mediterranean and Middle East
ar endangered.
S. The pact will be valid as
soon as ratified by congresses of
both countries.
Turkey, together with Greece,
already is receiving U.S. funds
and aid under the Truman doc
trin. Fog. Cloudiness and
Freezing Weather
Foe and cloudiness, and below
freezing temperatures were the
weather offering for the Salem
area. Saturday morning. The
mercury slid down to 30 degrees,
two below freezing.
Prospect for the week-end is
for cloudiness, some rain and
lightly warmer temperatures.
The weather officials reported
this morning storm warnings
again are hoisted along the coast
with the more severe storms
due to the north along the Wash
ington coast.
Idanha Again
Seeks to Stop
Incorporation
70 Residents Storm
County Court
Protesting Election
The effort to stop by injunc
tion the election on the incorpor
ation of Idanha set for Decem
ber 9 came into circuit court
again Saturday under a new
guise with Edison Vickers and
about 70 others appearing as re
lators the state of Oregon being
in the complaint as plaintiff by
E. O. Stadter, Jr., district attor
ney. The county court and H. A.
Judd, county clerk, are named as
defendants.
The case will be heard at 10
a.m. Tuesday, Dec. e. A preced
ing case instituted by Edison
Vickers alone as a taxpayer and
citizen has been dismissed by
Circuit Judge Hex Kimmell on
the grounds that the plaintiff
did not have legal capacity to
sue and such suits must be insti
tuted in the name of the state.
That case never got past the de
murrer stage and only one ele
ment in the demurrer, that the
plaintiff had no legal capacity to
sue, was passed on by the court.
(Concluded on Page 5, Column 8)
New Order for
Ward Expulsion
Washington, Dec. 3 VP) A
new Chinese communist order
"expelling" Consul General An
gus Ward from Mukden raised
hopes today for the early release
of four other American prisoners
in the Far East.
Ward and his aides, including
15 Americans, are now expect
ed to start home early next
week by way of the North China
port of Tientsin. After trying
to leave for months, they were
finally ordered to depart by 8
a.m. Wednesday by the Mukden
municipal government.
The state department mean
while hopefully awaited word
from Moscow on the prospects
for freeing two ECA shipping of
ficials who were taken to Soviet-supported
North Korea on
September 22.
Russia agreed nearly three
weeks ago, after two American
requests, to take up the matter
with the communist "people's
republic."
The United States turned to
Russia for help because it does
not recognize the North Korea
regime and has no representa
tives at Pyongyang, its capital.
The North Koreans neverthe
less have demanded "official
correspondence' presumably t
direct request from the U.S.
Officials hope Moscow's in
fluence will suffice.
.prospects remained cloudy for two abstentions, to go to the spe
two American servicemen who ciai political committee for fur
have not been heard from direct- thcr study.
Iy since they disappeared more Israel, with the hope of some
than a year ago on a routine --cr support, promises a
training flight in the vicinity of bitter fight against international
Tsingtao. (rule for Jerusalem
0'Hara Compiles New
Book of Election Laws
By JAMES D. OLSON ,
Thirty-seven new election laws and amendments to present
statutes, enacted by the 1949 legislature, have been incorporated
in a new election law volume by
tions in the secretary of state's office
The new booklet will be distributed to county clerks and elec
t?nn officials.
Three of the new amendments
were passed to remove technical
obstacles to the merger of Sa
lem and West Salem, being agi
tated at the time of the legisla
ture but since effected by the
vote of citizens of both commun
ities. .
Another trio of amendments
changes the form of petitions for
nomination at primary elections
to include a statement that for
180 days prior to filing his
petition, the candidate has been
a duly registered member of the
political party by which he
seeks to be nominated.
Aimed at Switches
These amendments were pass
ed to prevent last minute party
switches by candidates, emphas
ized by the change in party of
former Sheriff Mike Elliott of
Multnomah county who changed
his registration from republican
to democratic just a few days
before he filed for democratic
nomination as sheriff.
One important amendment to
the election laws provides that
meeting for voting additional
I
i J - i -v . r i
'F't 1 , ,' 1 , I."-'' A V . 1
UK Near Vote
On Jerusalem
Lake' Success, Dec. 3 (P) The
United Nations ' neared the de
cisive stage1 today1 on the prob.
lem of Jerusalem's future. The
Holy City now is occupied by:
Hashemite Jordan and Israel j
both-of them opposed to inter-!
national rule and determined to
hold their respective parts of it.
But before taking up the issue
of Jerusalem, the general assem
bly's special political committee
is scheduled to review the
Dutch-Indonesian question. This
may delay its start on the Jeru
salem question.
The special committee last
night approved a $54,900,000 relief-works
project program for
nearly 1,000,000 Palestine war
refugees. Final adoption by the
assembly was assured by the lop
sided vote of 48-0 in committee.
A 17-nation subcommittee put
final touches to its draft of an
Australian-Russian-El Salvado-ran-Lebanese
resolution to inter
nationalize Jerusalem and its
holy places under a UN trustee-
It was adopted 9 to 6 with
Dave O'Hara, registrator of elec
taxes in road districts must be
held in the month of May, in
stead of in November as in the
past.
.Nine sections of a new act
authorizes incorporation of
county or a part of a county as
a municipal corporation as a!
hospital district for the purpose
of supplying its inhabitants the
facilities for the care of sick and
injured persons. j
The question of establishing
such a hospital district is to be
by the county court submitted to
the voters at a special election,
when a legally sufficient peti
tion seeking such district has
been filed with the county clerk.
Voting Restrictions Removed
The new compilation includes
an amendment to Section 6, Art
icle VIII, of the Oregon consti
tution, adopted by the voters at
the last general election, nulli
fying an existing statutory prop
erty ownership qualification for
voting on school bonds and
taxes.
(Concluded on Fage S, Column 6)
'We're Lucky to Be Alive' Top, Tom Smith, left, at
tendant on Ward 31 and Ed Rollins were garrotcd by four
dangerous criminally insane inmates who escaped from Ore
gon State hospital last night. "We're lucky to be alive," they
said. Smith is shown examining the knotted bed sheet used
by Marion Watson to tie Ed Rollins who entered Watson's
cell alone in criminally insane Ward 38 to relieve his feigned
attack of appendicitis. Below are, from loft, Robert Melvin
Burr,; considered most desperate of the escapees; Marion.
-Watson,' who led 'escape; Walter Chamberlain and James
WUliarjx;.Cameron. Burr and' Watson are stiil at large. -' :
Taxi Driver Hoffert
Gets 5- Year Probation
John Hoffert, ex-taxicab driver, recently sentenced to 16 months
in the state penitentiary on a charge of contributing to the de
linquency of a minor in connection with the taxicab vice ring
cases, won a five-year probation from the sentence from Circuit
Judge George R. Duncan, after
Navy Plans Use !
Of A Weapons
Annapolis, Md Dec. 3 VP)
Admiral Forrest P. Sherman has
disclosed that the navy is snap-:
ing new strategy calling for the
use of atomic weapons and guid-'
ed missiles in submarine war
fare. The chief of naval operations
outlined the new concept in an
address at the naval academy.
His comments obviously were
directed at navy critics as well
as the future admirals.
Without mentioning Russia by
name, he said another power
has a submarine force larger
than ours." This, he asserted, "is
a potent argument for the Unit
ed States to possess, not an equal
number of submarines, but anti
submarine na'val elements of
greater effectiveness."
Of the type of vessels needed
for the new anti-submarine stra
tegy, the admiral said it might
include:
A) Fast carriers in conjunc
tion with surface and submarine
guided missile ships for attack
ing bases, (b) Special raider
amphibious units for demolition
of bases, (c) Hunter-killer teams
of submarines, surface ships,
airplanes and blimps, (d) Pow
erful convoy escorts and coastal
defense against submarines fir
ing guided missiles into our ci
ties.
It was Sherman's first speech
since he was named to replace
Admiral Louis E. Denfeid in the
navy's top uniformed post as an
aftermath of the navy row over
Pentagon policy, and he had
some comments on that matter.
Storm Warnings Posted
Seattle, Dec. 3 W The wea
ther bureau today ordered south
east storm warnings hoisted at
9 a. m. from Cape Blanco to
Tatoosh and through the strait
of Juan de Fuca. The forecast
was for increasing southeast
winds off the coast and east
winds through the strait, reach
ing 40-50 miles per hour off the
coast, and 30-50 miles per hour
through the strait by tonight.
an extended hearing Saturday
smormng. Hoffert is to forfeit
his licenses o any kind for dnv-
ing passengers for hire, is to
obey all laws, and is to remain
the county 3ail until the
parole board authorizes suit
able employment for him.
Hoffert, two-time loser at the
state penitentiary, when sen
tenced before was not granted
probation because of his prison
record and Bruce Williams, his
attorney, asked for an opportu
nity' to make .a showing.
Appearing on behalf of Hof
fert as character witnesses were
Allan McRae, city juvenile of
ficer; Howard Maple, local bus
mess man; Earl Mootry, Holly
wood druggist; Ross Miller, de
fendant's father-in-law; Wil
liam H. Johnston and Waller
Cline, Jr., proprietors of the
Greyhound bus depot restau-
rant, and Mrs. John Hoffert,
wife of the defendant. An af-:
fidavit also was submitted from
Rev, James ' A. Scott, pastor of
a church at Whittier, Calif., who
had visited Hoffert in jail and
was familiar with his situation.
Burden of the testimony of
the character witnesses was that
aside from this one slip Hoffert
had maintained himself as a
good citizen during the five
years since he was last released
(Concluded on Paffe 5, Column 8)
Vefs Planning for
$55 Million Bonus
Portland, Dec. 3 &) The
American Legion and the Vet
erans of Foreign Wars laid plans
today for a SJi5.G0G.000 bonus
for Oregon World War II vet
erans. The veterans' group will cir
culate initiative petitions, to
place on the Nov. 1950 ballot
a constitutional amendment pro
viding for the bonus,
i The bonus wou Id be pa id
through state-issued bonds,
which would be retired by a
state tax on real property. It
would go to veterans who ser
ved during the period from
Sept. 16, 5949 to June 30, 1946,
on the basis of $10 for each
month of stateside service and
S15 for each month of foreign
service or sea-duly.
4 Criminal insane Inmates
Escape Hospital; 2
Fiery Lava Flow
From ML Etna
Slowing Down
Catania, Sicily, Dec. 3 UP)
Fiery lava from erupting Mt. Et
na today threatened the little
Sicilian town of Maietto but an
official source at noon 6 a.m.
EST) said the burning flow had
"slowed down" considerably se
veral kilometers from the town
of 3600 inhabitants.
The police chief at Catania,
who reported on this most ad
vanced of several flows from Mt.
Etna, said the pressure of the
eruption appeared to have de
creased because new craters
were acting as "safety valves."
He estimated the "pent-up'
lava now was flowing from at
least ten openings in the moun
tain's side.
Blast and Quake
At dawn, exactly 24 hours af
ter Etna began its new eruptions,
monstrous flames shot toward
the sky from the main crater. A
four-second earthquake jolted
the area with a terrifying roar,
witnesses reported.
The flow advancing on Maiet
to appeared no longer to threat
en Bronte, a town of 18,000
southwest of Malctto. The lava
stream came from one of three
new craters which Europe's
highest volcano pushed open
yesterday.
One witness said the lava had
reached a point three miles from
Maietto destroying outlying
Concluded on Pace 5, Column 6)
Truman to Push
Civil Rights Bill
Key West, Fla., Dec. 3 1
President Truman moved ahead
loday with plans to ask congress
for a strong civil rights pro
gram while this country specu
lated on the range of his new:
anti-discriminating policy in
federal housing.
The White House gave full
endorsement to a statement by
Solicitor General Philip B.
Perlman in New York that fu
ture housing projects can not
expect federal aid if (hoy write
clauses against tenants of any
color or creed.
The full extent of this ruling
awaited further clarification.
Meanwhile, the president re
sumed work on the "state of the
union" message he will deliver
to congress in January in which
he will renew his demands for:
.1, A federal anti-lynching
law.
2. Repeal of the poll lax as a
requirement for voting for fed
eral officers,
3. A whole series of other
laws designed to ban discrimina
tion against Negroes and other
minority groups.
This same message, io be de
livered in person, also will call
for repeal of the Taft-Hartley
act and the passage of measures
Mr. Truman advocated in his
1948 election campaign.
X-Ray Microscope
Shows Inside of Things
PhiladelDhia. Dec. 3 VP) General Elettrie company today dis
closed production of an X-ray microscope that can show 1he in
side of things through which light cannot pass.
In other words: It can look
candy.
The new instrument was
shown for the first time at ai
meeting of the American Society
for X-ray and electron difirac-
tion.
Charlys M. Lucht of the G-E
research laboratory told the
group the X-ray microscope is
still in the laboratory stge of
development.
But Miss Lucht pointed out it
"may result in much sharper
images . and higher magnifica
tions than are possible using
visible light.
"The instrument may compete
with electron microscopes in the
future."
Right now, iiectron micro
scopes are the most powerful
magnifying instruments in use.
These use team of electrons
rather than light to form an
image of materials under study.
Miss Lucht said the X-ray
microscope doe not need to be
if-'
Henry Schrimpf
Says Red Tactics
Used by Bridges
San Francisco, Dec. 3 WR)
Henry Sehrimpf, a walking boss
member of Harry Bridges Inter
national Longshoremen's and
Warehousemen's union, faces a
gruelling c r o s s-examination
from his union chief's attorneys
next week. 1
Sehrimpf, a government wit-:
ness at Bntigcsr perjury- con-:
spiracy trial, testilied that com
munist strategy and tactics
guided San Francisco's bloody
three-day waterfront strike in
1934.
The burly walking boss said
he Joined the communist party
shortly before the' 1834 strike
on the urging of Henry Schmidt,
one of Bridges' two co-defen
danls.
Shortly afterward, he said, lie
attended meetings "I consider
ed them communist meetings"
at which Bridges and Schmidt
were present.
Then he went on lo describe
three meetings, two of which
were mentioned previously in
testimony by government wit
ness John Schomaker one to
discipline Norma Perry, Bridges'
ex-sccrclary, and another to
meet Earl Browder, then chief
of the U.S. communist party,
Another Typhoon
Drives on Philippines
Manila. Dec. S fft Another
Pacific typhoon loday cocked
an 85 mile an hour punch at the
central Philippines' Visayan re
gion, whore two storms have
claimed 1,442 lives since Octo
ber 31.
The Philippine weather bu
reau's latest forecast, based on
U.S. aeriai reconnaissance, said j
the blow would be about 295
miles due cast of Surigao early
tomorrow. Surigao is on the
northern tip of Mindanao, south
ern Philippine island.
into a bar ol sieel or a nar oi
used in a vacuum like the eioc
t'on microscope.
"Because ol this advantage,'
she said, "It may be possible to
examine living materials at
much higher magnifications
than ever before." I
She reported that "clear, sharp
X-ray images, magnified 10
times have been produced in the
laboratory, and these images:
have been magnified 10 times
further by photographic enlarge-:
ment without serious loss of de
tail."
So far the X-ray microscope
ha,, been used only to study the
insides of line mesh screens. And
Mis Lucht says the instruments'
abiliiy to reveal tiny details has
been excellent.
The microscope operates on
the principle that X-rays can be
r.-tfh'ctod from polished sur
faces, as can visible light, pro
vided that the rays strike the
surfaces at very small angles
Captured
2 Regarded As
Most Dangerous
Still at Large
Four inmates of Ward 38, de
tention quarters for the crimin
ally insane at Oregon State hos
pital, escaped Friday night after
beating and choking two attend
ants into submission.
The two most dangerous are
still at large. They are Marion
Watson, 21, who engineered the
break, and Robert Mclvin Burr,
21, considered the most desper
ate of the four. The two had
fled together once before when
Burr was an attendant.
Returned to custody are Wal
ter Chamberlain, 19, caught
near the city soon after the
escape, and James William Cam
eron, 25, taken on the highway-
near Woodburn Saturday morn
ing.
While Watson started the
break, it may have been inspired
by Burr, who two days before
had been transferred to the
mental hospital from Oregon
State penitentiary after feign
ing insanity. He once was em
ployed at the hospital as an at
tendant, and knew his way
about. So his pretense of insan
ity doubtless was a clever plot to
escape.
Story of Escape
It was just before 7 o'clock
Friday night that the break oc
curred. In charge of the crim
inally insane Ward 38 with its
51 inmates was Attendant Edwin
K. Rollins. In charge of the
adjoining Ward 31 was Atten
dant Tom Smith. Both wards'-
arc on the third floor.
Alone In his cell was "Watson.
Also ceiled alone was Burr, and
he was In handcuffs, for he was
still under observation after
transfer from the prison. Cam
eron and Chamberlain and oth
ers were in the same cell.
Watson suddenly called to tiie
attendant. He was sick, he said.
and in great pain. He feared
an attack of appendicitis.
Attendant Rollins entered the
cell alone, which, according to
Dr. C. E. Bates, superintendent
of the hospital, is a violation of
rules. However, he wasn t
severely critical of the atten
dant for giving this attention to
man he thought was sick.
Rollins found Watson on the
floor and started to help him to
liis bed. Watson grabbed him
by the throat, knocked him out
momentarily and entangled him
sheet. He took the atten
dant's keys and locked Rollins
in the ceil.
Watson then went to Burr'i
cell and unlocked the door. H
removed the gyves from Burr's
Safer Housing
Need Stressed
The speaker of the stale house
of representatives and Ihe slate
mental hospital superintendent
today cited last night's mass es
cape by four inmates as an ex
ample of why Oregon needs safer
housing for lhc criminally in
sane. House Speaker Frank Van
Dyke of Mcdford and Supt. C. E.
Bales said last night's escapes
"points up the necessity of hav
ing a separate cell building at
the state hospital or at lhc slate
penitentiary for the criminally
insane."
In lhal way, (he two men slat
ed, the inmates could he held
with greater safely to the pub
lic. The present criminal ward is
in the main building at the state
hospital. Adminislralion offficos
also are boused in the main
building. Dr. Bales said several
states provide separate ceil
buildings for the criminally in
sane in order to prevent such
incidents as occurred here last
night.
Van Dyke, who was in Salem
at the time of the break, agreed
with Dr. Bales that "a separate
building for the criminally in
sane eventually will have to be
erected."
"We have among the crimin
ally insane," said Dr. Bates,
"about a dozen old-timers who
have committed murder. But
they arc not ihe dangerous ones.
"The dangerous inmates are
Ihe young men who classify as
rriminally insane, the auto
, thieves, sex criminals, etc."
4