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About Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 7, 1957)
C apital AJonrnal THE WEATHER MOSTLY CLOUDY with showers tonight and Tuesday ; some snow mixed with showers tonight. Low tonight, 32; high Tuesday, 38. 2 SECTIONS 20 Pages 69th Year, No. 6 Salem, Oregon, Monday, January 7, 1957 ."sZoZZL Trice 5e Lebanon Man Held as Slayer Of Stepmother First Degree Murder Charge Filed Against Reppeto; Woman Beaten To Death With Stove Wood By VICTOlt B. FRYER I Capital Journal Writer The brutal murder of a 72-year-eld Lebanon woman brought the arrest o her 21 year-old stepson at the county jail here Monday. Mrs. Mary Hattie Reppeto died In an ambulance en route to Portland about two hours after she was beaten savagely about the head with a piece of stove Wood Saturday afternoon. , , Killing Denied ' Charged with first degree mur der is Thomas Richard Reppeto, who lived in the neat white frame house with his father and ttepmother just outside the northeast city limits of Lebanon. Linn county District Attorney Courtney Johns said evidence justified the filing of the first degree murder charge even though the youth denies know ing anything ot the death. Mrs. Reppeto was found lying en the blood-spattered floor of Hatfield Takes Office as 16th Sec. of State Assistants on Hand for i Swear-in Ceremony 'At Capitol State Senator Mark Hal field be eame Oregon's 16th secretary of Mate Monday when he took his oath of office administered by Supreme Court Justice William McAllister. Immediately following the simple ceremony, a reception in the sec retary oTstate's office was held at Which state officials and personal friends of the new secretary of fered congratulations and good Wishes. Staff Members Present Members of Hatfield's staff were also present at the reception. They include Warne Nunn. whp resigned as director of motor vehicles to .become assistant secretary of state; Travis Cross, who has taken a year's leave from the chancel lor of higher education s office to fc Koine an assistant to Hatfield; JSiaS Leolyn Barnett and Mrs. Laurence Siegmund, office secre taries. Miss Barnett served as assistant to the late Earl Sncll, when he was secretary of state and moved "up--stairs" when Snell became govern or. She has served under five gov ernors, Snell, John H. Hall, Doug las McKay, Paul L. Patterson and Elmo Smith. Senate Secretary on Staff Mrs. Siegmund served as secre tary of Hatfield in two sessions of the state senate. Nunn in his letter of resigna tion to Gov.-elect Robert D. Holmes, said he would be willing to remain in that position after Jan. 14 to assure an orderly tran sition of the office to the new director if Holmes so desired. Holmes is expected to name a suc cessor to Nunn shortly after he as sumes office. Ore. Senators Offer Harbor Millions Bills WASHINGTON (UP) A multi- million dollar harbor development program for Yaquina Bay and Siuslaw Harbor on the Oregon coast was proposed today in legis lation introduced in the Senate by Oregon Senators Wayne Morse and Richard L. Keuberger. The harbor project proposals, both with modifications approved by the Board of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors, were con tained in separate bills. The V quina Bay development would au thorize construction of the 119. 800.000 channel improvement ii the Toledo - Newport area. The Siuslaw Harbor project calls for authorization of $1,693,000 of bar and channel deepening work in the Florence vicinity. The plan proposed for Yaquina calls for extension of jetties, deep ening the entrance channel across the bar from 26 to 40 feet, the in aide channel from 20 to 30 feet. and deepening and enlarging the turning basin. Recommended improve ments for the Siuslaw harbor include deepening the channel entrance to IB feet and the inside channel to 16 feet, anl improvement of turn ing basin areas. Weather Details Minimum vmterdtv. 43; mlnlmom todiv, 15. foul 24-hour pr-ripir-tton. .; for month. .4; nnrmil. 1.1 J. Bn precipitation, 11 M: norma !.. RtTpr height, .1 of a foot. (Re port by t. S. Weather Bureau. the kitchen about 4 p.m. by her husband, James K. Reppeto, when he returned from a short walk, he told Sheriff George Mil ler. He was so overcome by the shock, he was unable to use the telephone to call for aid, he said. He called to his son and sent him to a neighbor's home to call a doctor and then called police himself, he said. City Police Stand By Since it was outside the city. Lebanon police stood by until county and state officers arrived to handle the investigation. Reppeto told officers he was gone about 20 to 30 minutes on a daily exercise walk (he is recov ering from a hip injury) when the murder occurred. His wife was lying on the floor and Tom my was working in the woodshed and back yard, he told debuties and state officers Harris Kirby ana jerry layior. Officers said Mrs. Repneto had been beaten so savagely about the head and face that her false teeth and glasses were shattered and her head was a mass of cuts and bruises. Blood spattered the floor and the wall several feet away, they said. The youth's clothes were spat tered with. blood when he came in from the yard where he had been chopping wood, according to otlicers. Stove Wood Weapon A piece of stove wood appar ently was the murder weapon. Sheriff Miller said. The bloody, sharp-edged piece of wood was found in a woodbox in a back room at the home. The youth charged with the crime is mentally retarded, offi cers said. According to the fam ily he spent about four years in the state's Fairview home for the mentally retarded but was re leased about 10 years ago to live witn nis lamny. He is not able to read or write but has no difficulty speak ing and "has a pretty good mem ory." He had given no previous indication nt dangerous tenden cies, according to friends and relatives. Former Fairview Employe Mrs. Reppeto was employed at Fairview home when she met Repetto when he visited there about 10 years ago, it was re ported. They were soon married and moved to Lebanon to live. Reppeto has lived there since about 1040 and worked at the Crown Zellerbach paper mill un til he fell from a roof and frac tured his hip about two years ago. According to Capital Journal's Lebanon correspondent, Doris (Continued on Page S, Column S) Ed Armstrong To Join Bank Edwin H. Armstrong, executive assistant to three Oregon govern ors, will join the Salem branch of First National Bank of Portland on Jan. 21. C. B. Stevenson, president of the statewide banking institution. said that Armstrong would serve the entire Marion county district as business development repre sentative lor tne nanK. A graduate of the University of Chicago. Armstrong served as di rector of development at Willam ette university between 1949 and 151. In January, 1952 he succeeded Thomas Lawson McCall as execu tive assistant. to Governor Doug las McKay. He continued under Governors Paul Patterson and Elmo Smith with administrative responsibilities for liaison be tween all state departments and the governor. Iii Bank Post Edwin Armstrong, administra tive assistant to Governor! Doug las McKay, Paul Patterson and Elmo Smith, has been named as business development represen tative of First National Bank of Portland for the Marios county area. Charged With Murder ALBANY (Special) Tommy Keppeto, 21, Is shown with Sheriff George Miller in background, en route to courtroom of District Judge Wendell Tompkins Monday for arraignment on a charge of murder in the fatal beating of his stepmother, Mrs. Mary Hattie Reppeto, at Lebanon Saturday. The arraignment was continued until 1:30 p.m., Tuesday, (Capital Journal Photo by Mike Forbes) mi Mrs. Mary Hattie Reppeto, 72, was bludgeoned to death Satur day at her Lebanon home. Her stepson Is charged with the mur der. Bandits Grab $35,000 From Florida Club MIAMI BEACH, Fla. I Two hooded gunmen held up the Cotton Club, prominent Miami Beach night sot, Monday and escaped with $35,000 in cash. They left the owner and manager bound with cords from a Venetian blind. George Weinger, 43, owner of the club, and Jerry Hirsch, 46, the manager, untied themselves a few minutes after the robbers left and called police. Weinger told officers he and Hirsch went t- a nearby restau rant for coffee after closing the club at 5 a.m. When they re turned, the robbers were inside. felt a big gun at my headi302 Daccs as eomnared with 372 and a voice said, 'Don't move, Weinger related. Hirsch said the other robber jammed a pistol into his side. Weinger was forced to open the safe. It contained about $35,000, he said. THE FBI STORY $200,000 Paid Urschel Kidnapers fVAinr'm tint' Pvarvnn Lnniri lh 17 D I hut -1.1 ... 'f.M 1 (Editor's note: Everyone knows people know how It operates, guarding national security, tracking down criminals, protecting civil rights. For the first time the story Is told In all its detail by Don Whitehead In his new book, "The FBI Story" (Random House). The Capital Journal begins today a 30-part serialization of highlights from this outstanding book.) Copyright 1957 y Don Whitehead Shortly after midnight on July 23, 1933, a light flashed on the FBI's switchboard, signaling a call on the special kidnap line NAtional 8-7117 set up as a part of an intensive effort to cut down the alarming increase in kidnapings for ransom. The operator quickly switched ector J. Edgar Hoover. i Mrs. Charles F. Urschel of Okla homa City spilled out to him the story that her husband, a wealthy oil man, and a friend. Walter R. Jarrett, had been kidnaped only a few minutes earlier. Playing Bridge She told Hoover that she and her husband were playing bridge with Mr. and Mrs. Jarrett on the urscneis screened porcn wnrnjio or 12 mtles northeast or the two men, armed with a machine : city, took $.V) from him, put him gun and a pistol, opened the door and stepped onto the porch. "Which one of you is Mr. Ur schel?" one of the gunmen asked. When neither Urschel nor Jar rett replied, the kidnaper said, "Well, we'll take both of them." Hoover immediately tf' -honed the Oklahoma City FBI office and ordered agents to the Urschel home. He tnld his men to be sure the Oklahoma City police were alerted. Within an hour FBI spe - cial agents were converging on Oklahoma City from other points. Let Family Decide They were under orders to co operate with the family, and to do nothing that would jeopardize the Blast Wrecks Powder Plant; 3 Die, 8 Hurt EMPORIUM. Pa. Wl An ex plosion tore through a dynamite manufacturing plant in this norm em Pennsylvania community early Monday, demolishing at least two buildings and setting fire to a dozen others. Three men were reported miss- ing and believed dead. None of the victims was immediately iden tified. Eight others were hospitalized. The blast rocked the Pennsyl vania Powder Co. plant on the outskirts of Emporium at 7:15 a.m. Reports said the blast occurred in the mixing plant shortly after the change of shifts. The mixing plant and the cotton plant were demolished. Another large building housing the pack ing house was severely damaged. At least a dozen other build ings, protected on three sides by earth barricades, felt the concus sion and the effects of a roaring fire. "Everything in the plant was torn to hell," said William Smith, a stationary fireman at the plant. "It about shook the town off its hinges," he said. The fire was checked three hours after the explosion. New Issue of Blue Book Out A 1957-58 Oregon Blue Book came off the press Monday and will be ready for distribution Tuesday, Secretary of State Earl T. Newbry said, just before re linquishing his office to State Senator Mark Hatfield Monday. Tkn 1.1..- . : pages in the 1956 book. A num ber of tables, including election statistics have been omitted from the new issue. The cover is in blue and white showing an early morning pano rama ot mi. nooa. CHAPTER 1 the FBI, but surprisingly frw the call to the home of Dir safe return of the oil man. It was and still is the policy of the FBI not to advise a family whether ransom money should or should not be paid. These were decisions for the family to make. Jarrett returned to the Urschel home, disheveled and shaken, about two hours after the kidnap ing. He said the kidnapers drove out of the car and then headed south with Urschel, Four days later, a friend of the Urschels received a package de livered by a Western Union mes senger. The package contained four letters, one in Urschel 's hand writing. Another was a typewrit ten letter addressed to K. E. Kirk- ; patrick of Oklahoma City. This letter demanded $200,000 for the oil man's safe return. There were . instructions to place an advertise- moot in the Daily Oklahoman's classified ad columns if the kid napers' price was going to be met The innocent - looking ad appeared: (Continued on Page 6, Sec J) Heltzel to Exit From PUCPost ResignationLctter Sent Holmes by Commissioner. By JAMES D. OLSON Capital Journal Writer Public Utility Commissioner Charles H. Heltzel Monday sent a letter of 'resignation from his $11,300 post to Governor-elect Rob ert D. Holmes, effective upon the lattcr's inauguration as chief exe cutive Jan. 14. Heltzel is the second top flight Republican officer to resign, the first being Warne Nunn, director of motor vehicles, who announced his resignation several weeks ago to accept the post of assistant sec-' rotary of state under Secretary of State Mark Hatfield. In his letter Heltzel said that he felt Holmes and the public were entitled to know his plans "parti cularly so that you as governor elect may arrange your adminis trative program for the orderly transfer of responsibilities." Returning to Law Practice Heltzel said it has been his de sire and intention for some time to return to his law practice in Salem with his brother, John A. Heltzel. 1 He also told Holmes that he had disposed of all pending matters wherever it was-possible to do so. Heltzel was appointed to the of fice by former Governor Douglas McKay on December 10, 1951 to succeed George Flagg, who be came manager of the Oregon Truckers association. He continued to serve under the late Paul L. Patterson and Elmo Smith. He has served as chairman of the Oregon commission on inter state cooperation and on the Gov ernor's Oregon Traffic Safety com mission. lleltzcl's planned departure from his present post also carries with it resignation as vice president of the National Association of Rait ruad and Utility Commissioners. his position on the executive com mittee of that association, as chair man of its corporate finance com mittee and as a mombcr of its special committeo to study rail road car snoriages. (Continued on Page 5 Column 2) 12 Re mam on Hunger Strike Twelve inmates of the segreca- tion section of the state peniten tiary were still on a hunger strike Monday, although Prison Warden Clarence Gladden said they "ap peared to be in a more concilia tory mood.1 The hunger strikers numbered 20 when they started refusing to accept prison food on Dec. 31. Three of the strikers began eat ing Thursday and another yielded Saturday and four more on Sun day. Warden Gladden said one con vict quit the strike Thursday "hut went back to striking again after he had downed a couple of meals." Gladden also said that nine of the remaining strikers are in iso lation cells for making disturb ances. The four who gave up Sun day are also in the isolation sec tion. Some arc of the opinion that the rebels hope to continue the strike up to next Monday when the legislature opens, thus draw ing it to the attention of the new administration. ft v ill U I .-. "" m -!i George (Maehine Gnn) Kelly, flanked by polire and a G-man with a submachine gon at the ready, beads for plane la Memphis after his arrest Mid-E-tPhu Will Add To Tec:cut Prevent World War, Says Dulles Grass for Worn-out farmland in Greece will be benefited next year from 100 pounda of alta fescue grass need being icnl by (tlie North Salem Klwanli club. Here Ted Ilob.irt (left), chairman of the club's agriculture committee, and Fred Montgomery, flub presi dent, load the five-pound bags of blue tag seed for shipping. The club's donation was the result of a talk given by Arthur King, OSC conservation specialist, about farm conditions he observed during two years In Europe and Africa. (Capital Journal Photo) Grand Jury to Probe Marie's Kidnap Story LOS ANGKI.KS (Al Dist. Atly. William B. McKesson said Mon day the county grand jury will in vestigate the Marie McDonald disappearance case. He said the beautiful blond actress' story of kidnaping will be presented to the grand Jury. The jury, then, will decide wheth er it should take any action. The district a 1 1 o r n e y's an nouncement came as top police investigators went into, a huddle in an attempt to unravel the mystery. Los Angeles Chief of Police Wil liam II. Parker called Chief of De tectives Thad Brown and others into conference to coordinate their investigation of the actress' story Greece Project of being kidnaped and beaten by two swarthy men. Detective Lt. Ernie Johnston, who has been working on the case since Miss McDonald disappeared from her home here late Thurs day night, said he was "still skeptical" of some aspects of the case. Johnston said Miss McDonald, who appeared on a desert road 150 miles from her home nearly 24 hours after vanishing, "very definitely" would be questioned again. Miss McDonald, known as "the body" because of her striking fig ure, told her slory of kidnaping to newsmen for the first time late Sunday. (See .Story on Page 2) in kidnaping of Charles F, I'richrl. Kelly, with hli plea, "Oon't Shoot, G-Men!" (ave FBI agents name that quickly caught the public fancy. Completed o4 SoilBankNot Fairly Tested, Benson's View WASHINGTON W Secretary of Agriculture Benson told Con gress Monday the soil bank pro gram should be used to cut crop surpluses and conserve soil re sourcesnot "for drought relief, flood relief or credit needs.-' In testimony prepared for a public hearing of the House Agri culture Committee, Benson said he intends to administer the $1,200,-000,000-a-ycar program so it ful- liu.s us prune aims. The committee called Benson so members some of whom have been critical of the way the pro gram was operated Inst year- might question him. Benson said list year's opera tions did not provide a fair test for the program because the legis lation was "long delayed" in Congress and the program was not made available to farmers until fully three weeks after the normal ending of cotton, peanut and tobacco planting seasons and well inlo the corn planting season Anticipating committee Ques tions, Benson said it has been stated the program helps only large farms since the small ones cannot afford to give up produc tion on any of their limited acres. The truth is that the acreage reserve program helps all farms. large and small, those that come into the program and those which stay out," he said. "The belter balance of supplies and markets which results from the program will strengthen prices and be helpful to all of agriculture." Ik 1 crnian ifcds, Kuss Ink J 'act On Troop Slay HEItl.lN (i Leaders ol East Germany and the Soviet Union in Moscow Monday ignored an agree ment setting up regulations for Russian troops stationed in East Germany, the East German Radio announred. The broadcast said the Soviet Union reached an agreement on economic aid for its East German satellite also, and declared re moval of West Germany from NATO was a pre-condition for German unification. The broadcast gave no details nf the military . agreement, but said it emphasizes that Russian troops are stationed "temporari ly" in East Germany. About Hon,, ono Soviet troops are in the Com munist zone. Earlier, the official East Ger man news agency said the agree ment would provide that Russian troops will not interfere with East German internal affairs. Approval Seen Despite Hot Criticism WASHINGTON (fl Secretary of State Dulles testified Monday President Eisenhower's Middle East manifesto would increase tensions with Russia but would "slop World War III before it starts. Dulles appeared before a jam packed hearing of the House For eign Affairs Committee. He spoke from a nreDared statement nnH then submitted to questions from commiuee memoors. The secretary appealed for con gressional approval of "a rounded program of economic and military assistance" including advance authority for the President to use U. S. military forces against any "overt armed aggression" spawned bv communism in th Middle East.- First of Many Witnesses He was the first of a parade of administration witnesses called to detail the proposal which Pres ident Eisenhower presented at a special joint session of Congress Saturday. In an exchange with Chairman Gordon (D-Ill), Dulles said the Soviet Union is socking to make "an area of turbulence" out of the Middle East, and he added: "I think, Mr. "bairman, we must recognize that this action mav temonrarilv at tenet in. t crease tensions with the Soviet Union. But he said the purpose of the President's proposal is "to stop World War 111 before it starts." Referring to the n r o n o s a l's fight-if-we-must proviso. Dulles said he has no doubt what Con gress would do "if international communism set out on a piece meal conquest of the world by war." May Be Doubt In Russia "But unlil the Congress has actually spoken." he said, "there is doubt in the Middle East and there may be doubt in the Soviet Union." In the Senate, Republican lead ' Knowland of California said that despite sharp criticism of the President's proposal he is confi dent Congress will approve "a statement of policy making it clear the country will not permit Soviet aggression in the Middle East." Dulles noted that in the Middle East "there is suspicion against any outside force lest it be a de vice to re-impose colonialism." This and the other discords and difficulties in the area make it hard for the United Slates "to help in one direction without creating suspicion in another," he said. To Make Policy Clear But, he added, the administra tion plan would "first of all make unmistakably clear that it is the policy of the Ignited States, de clared by the Congress and the President, to cooperate with the nations of the Middle East to maintain their independence." lie noted that the United Stairs would commit its troops only on the invitation of a nation under attack. And he emphasized that any U. S. usenf force would he consonant wilh the actions and recommendations of the United Nations. Dulles told the committee the geographical area to be served hv i he Eisenhower plan had been deliberately kept vague in public discussion of it. He said he would be happy to tell committee mem bers on confidence what countries (Continued on Page 5. Column 41 News in Brief For Monday, Jan. 7, 1957 NATIONAL Dulles Defends Mid-East Plan Before Congress ... Sec. 1, P. 1 Explosion Wrecks Dynamite Plant ... Sec. 1, P. 1 LOCAL Bate.son to Head Democratic Central Committee Sec. 2, P. 6 STATE Hatfield Sworn in as Secretary of State . Sec. 1, P. 1 Heltzel Resigns as PUC Commissioner Sec. 1, P. 1 FOREIGN Arab World Views Ike's Plan With Misgivings Sec. 1, P. 1 SPORTS Salem Bowlers Lead Five Events Sec. 1. P. 1 New PCC Athletic Code Viewed As Professional Step Sec. 2, P. 2 REGULAR FEATURES Amusements Editorials .. Locals Society Comics .... Television . Want Ads . Markets Sec. I, P. 2 Sec. 1, P. 4 ... Sec. 1. P. S ....Sec. 1, P. 6-7 8 Sec. 2. P. 4 Sec. 2. P. S Sec. 2, P. 8-9 Sec. 2, P. 8 .Sec. 2, P. 7 .Sec. 2, P. 4 Personal Problems Crossword Puzzle, J.