SOCIETY
OREGON HISTORICAL
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Volume 58, Number 14
Heppner, Oregon, Thursday, June 5, 1941
Subscription $2.00 a Year
Morrow County
100 Pet. For Quotas;
Nation Passes Plan
Wheat Price Re
sponds Favorably;
85 Pet. Loan OK'd
Every single vote cast in Morrow
county totaling 414, was cast in. o
favor of the wheat marketing quotas
at last Friday's election, while re-j
ports from the remainder of the 40
states participating in the referen
dum shows a better than 80 percent
favorable vote to have been cast. Of
the 414 votes cast here 41 were chal
lenged. Coincidental with passing of the
marketing quota comes word from
Washington that President Roose
velt has signed the "85 percent of
parity loan value for wheat" meas
ure" that already has had the effect
of boosting the market.
Though profit taking has held back
advances wheat prices had1 climbed
6 cents in Portland this week, with
cash white wheat quoted there this
morning, 83c at -85c.
Rainfall, coming in general gentle
showers throughout May and total
ing 2.37 inches at Heppner, 2.06 at
Gooseberry, has made prospects
bright for one of the heaviest stands
of wheat Morrow county has ever
had. If the yield expected material
izes, and with the strengthened mar
ket, local growers are hopeful of
having one of the first profitable
years in the last ten.
Harvesting in the lower country
is expected to start about the mid
die of this month, and it will be on
generally in July.
A matter of concern to local grow
ers at this time is the securing of
labor, which has been depleted' by
defense industries and military ser
vice. Sacks are also being held dear
ly around 17 cents, with a shortage
predicted, and a considerable trend
toward bulking has been evidenced.
Theodore Thomson
Wins Golden Wings
Theodore E. Thomson of Heppner,
a recent visitor here on furlough,
has completed the aviation flight
training at the Naval Air station,
Pensacola, Florida, and was awarded
the coveted "Navy Wings of Gold,"
it was announced today by Com
mander Bert H. Creighton, senior
member of the Naval Aviation Cad
et Selection board of the 13th Naval
district , t
Thomson has been commissioned
as an ensign in the United States
Naval reserve and has been ordered
by the bureau of navigation to re
port to the Naval Air station, Pen
sacola, Florida, for duty as an in
structor of cadets.
Ensien Thomson, who is a grad-
uate of the University of Oregon
with a B.S. degree, received his
elimination flight training beginning
last July at the U. S. Naval Reserve
Aviation base in Seattle and upon
his being appointed as a Naval Av
iation cadet, was transferred to the
advanced base at Pensacola.
Commander Creighton, who has
ffis at the U. S. Naval Reserve
Aviation base in Seattle, announced
that similar opportunities for this
valuable course in flying are open
to other college men between the
ages of 20 to 27 years with two years
of college credits. Letters of inquiry
for additional information should
be addressed to him.
CORRECTION
In last week's Chit-Chat it was
mistakenly reported that Dorothy
Warden had been selected to repre
sent the local American Legion aux
iliary at girls' state school at Silver
Creek falls, Silverton, Oregon. The
name should have been Doris Wor
den. She will leave" June 22.
Billy McCaleb was among OSC
students returning home this week.
JAMES L. YEAGER
TO COUNTY IN 1883
Pioneer Furniture Man, Carpen
ter and Community Worker
Passes; Rites Being Held Today
James L. Yeager, one of the oldest
residents of Heppner and one who
as a carpenter contributed much to
its construction, passed away Mon
day at the home of his daughter,
Mrs. Burton H. Peck, near Lexing
ton. Death followed a several mon
ths' illness resulting from infirmities
agj bringing to an end a life that
had been active up to the time of!
the last illness.
Funeral rites are being held from
the Church of Christ this afternoon
under auspices of Willow lodge No.
66 of which Mr. Yeager had been a
members for 52 years, Rev. James
Wilkins officiating. Interment is in
Masonic cemetery.
James Labon Yeager was born m
Indiana, August 15. 1855. He passed
awav in this county June 2, ID 41,
being aged 85 years, 9 months and
17 days.
He married' Loretta S. Aimer in
St. Maries, Illinois, March 4, 1880.
To this union were born nine chil
dren, of whom five survive. Mrs.
Yeager preceded him in death on
March 29, 1920. .
Mr. Yeager came to Morrow coun
ty in 1885. and following the car
pentry trade he helped to build
the older residences and
.
business properties in the town of
Heppner. He and Jeff Jones built
the old schoolhouse which on.e stood
on Morrow hill but gave way to the
newer structure completed in 1917.
In later years he was engaged in
the furniture and undertaking bus
iness for a number of years.
He was a member of the Baptist
church, also a 52-year member of
Heppner I. O. O. F., . of which he
remained treasurer until failing
health forced his retirement in Oc
tober, 1940. He was also secretary
of the local Woodmen for many
years.
Those surviving are Myra F. Peck,
daughter, Lexington; Ora M. Yea
ger and Ralph A. Yeager, both of
Yakima, Wash.; Harvey, A. Yeager,
Spokane, Wash., and James W. Yea
ger of Dunsmuir, Cal.; besides a sis
ter residing in Kansas and 19 grand
children and 15 great grandchildren.
City Plunge to Open
Middle of Next Week
Unless the weather warms up fast
mighty soon, swimmers will net
need to . suffer long from the heat
this summer, says Dr. L. D. Tibbies,
director of the city plunge, for open
ing is scheduled for sometime the
middle of next week.
Dick Davis, Red Cross swimming
instructor and University of Oregon
student, has been retained to man
age the pool this season.
FOUR GENERATIONS VISIT HERE
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jr 'j yfg,fm'M
IVvjs (i J' i
lfet WM jf i v.
When little Miss Lillie Bette Crumrine visited her great grandmother,
Mrs. Lillie Aiken, last week, coming all the way from Los Angeles, she
'was the firrt of the fourth generation of the pioneer Aiken family to visit
the city. Naturally, her mother, Mrs. Bonita Cmmrine. accompanied the
young lady, and her granddaddy, Cyrus W. Aiken of Boise, Idaho, joined
the group Saturday to make possible the four-generation picture above.
Final Chapter Set
In 22-Year John Day
Irrigation Story
District Dissolution
Election, June 30,
Called by Directors
What many taxpayers hope will
be the proper dose of aspirin to elim
inate a 22-year headache is the dis
solution election of John Day Irri
gation district, slated for June 30th.
Three voting places have been set.
At the residence of Neil Doherty,
at the Roy -E. Hurst hall in Cecil,
and at the Smyth Shuttler Sheep
camp. Ballots may be cast between
the hours of 8 o'clock in the morn
ing and 5 o'clock in the afternoon.
Th vote will be simply for or against
dissolution.
The election was called by dis
trict directors on presentation of pe
tioh of a majojity of electors resid
ing within the district. The petition
asked that the district be dissovled,
its indebtedness liquidated, and its
assets distributed, first to the treaS'
urer of Morrow county to redeem
and pay all outstanding district war
rants, together with accrued interest
upon presentation, and the balance
to assessment payers m said district
upon the last assement roll in the
proportion in which each has con
tributed to the total amount of said
district.
First organized in 1919, the John
Day Irrigation district proposed to
take water from the John Day rier
and by tunnel and ditch place it
upon thousands of dessert acres in
the north ends of Gilliam and Mor
rW county. The organization steps
struck many litigation snags, and
after years of assessments upon the
land intended to be benefitted, no
actual development work, other than
the survey, ever took place.
Taxpayers in the district have had
a big headache since the district
was started, and, as signified by the
dissolution petition, are now in hopes
of closing the books.
300 Mongolians Freed
In Morrow Fields
Three hundred Mongolian Chinese
pheasants came to Morrow county
Tuesday to make their home, an
nounces J. Logie Richardson, pres
ident of Morrow County Hunters
and Anglers club. Or at least they
will reside until they are taken into
the hunters' bags in the next open
season.
The birds are now nesting and will
hatch another crop before open sea
son, Richardson said. They were
released along the lower reaches of
Willow creek and on Butter creek.
CIO STARTS WORK
IN LOCAL PLANT
International Woodworkers of
America Organizer Starts
Local Unit of CIO Affiliate
First invasion of Heppner by an
industrial union came last Sunday
when Ben C. Garske of Bend, or
ganizer for International Woodwork- j
ers of America, CIO affiliate, signed
up workers in Heppner Lumber
company for organization of a local
union.
Air the sawmills and logging .
camps in this locality were said to
be well represented.
Emory Moore was elected tempor
ary president, and Fred A. Ross,
temporary secretary and treasurer.
Temporary trustees are Glen Lock-
ard, Laurence Miles and Cleo Gard -
Questionnaires Go to
25 More Registrants
Twenty-five registrants under the
selective service act were sent their
questionnaires this week for purpose
of classification. With order num
bers and address, they are:
314 Donald Edwin Turner, Hepp
ner; 315 Jasper Edmond Myers, Ec
ho; 317 Verner Eugene Troedson,
lone; 318 Claude Charles O'Connor,
lone; 320 Alden Henry Blankenship,
Heppner; 321 Vernice William
Crawford. lone; 322 Vernon Eugene
Partlow, Boardman; 323 Elmer Law
rence Palmer, Heppner; 324 Vernon
Edgar Munkers, Lexington; 325 Roy
Orwick, Heppner; 326 Everett Roos
evelt Barlow, lone; 327 Lawton
Llovd Hamblin. Boardman; 328
Herbert Zane McDaniel, Heppner;
329 Delbert Wendel Emert, lone;
330 Ladd Sherman, c-o School of
Physical Education, University of
Oregon, Eugene; 332 Bruce Brocel
lies Botts, lone; 333 Lester Lee Kirk,
Heppner; 334 Lloyd 'William Mor
gan, lone; 335 Echo Bassil Neal,
Hardman; 336 Lewis Edward Hal
vorsen, lone; 337 Elwood Louis An
tone Hartfield, lone; 338 Wilfred
John Osier, 2957 Pine Street, Ever
ett, Washington; 339 Elmer Lee
Baumgardner, Hardman; 340 Cleo
Edward Harness, Irrigon; 341 George
Clarence Gordon, c-o M. E. Gordon,
lone.
FFA Calves Leave
For Union Show
Six Heppner FFA boys left Hepp
ner yesterday to seek honors with
their fine calves at the Eastern Ore
gon Livestock show at Union. Or
rain Wright took the boys and the
stock in his truck.
Boys making the trip are Merle
Burkenbine, Jack McLaughlin. Earl
Bailey, Howard Gilliam, Dean Gil
man and Hugh McLaughlin. It was
expected the animals would be sold
after the show.
Three Selectees to
Report June 23
Three more Morrow county selec
tees will report for duty in the U.
S. army at Portland on June 23. ac
cording to call made this week.
The three with order numbers are
36 Marvel Ray Connell, 49 Douglas
Renoe and 51 Robert Ruben Med
lock. TO ATTEND BEAVER BOY STATE
Tom Starkey was this week an
nounced as Lions club representative
at Beaver Boy State camp to be
held in Corvallis next month under
auspices of the state American Le
gion. Jackson Cantwell was named
as alternate. The local legion post
and Elks lodge who are also spon-
j soring an attendant from here have
not yet announced their represent
atives. BENEFIT CARD PARTY SET
A benefit card party for both men
and women will be held tomorrow
(Friday) evening at 8 o'clock at the
home of Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Mill
er. Pinochle and contract will be
in play, and proceeds will benefit
the local American Legion auxiliary.
Successful Fugitives
Chase Arouses
Mountain District
California Youths
Wanted for Car
Theft Caught Here
rni w h arlv
Tuesday morning with two young
r,,, fm ar, ionrU in
lawlessness that made a lively time
in Morrow county for a few hours
was closed.
The fugitives, Arthur fl. Duncan
and Eugene Bradford, each 16, were
taken into custody in the vicinity of
Wilson prairie after an all night
chase by state police, sheriffs of
at least three counties and a num
ber of special deputies who num
bered more than twenty. With the
boys were taken two girls, Dolores
Jane Clyde, 17, and LaVonne Mae
Prior, 14, from the Louise home at
Portland, who were returned to that
place Monday by a matron of the
home.
The fugitive boys were wanted at
Susanville for theft of an automo
bile in which they rode north to
Redmond where they took a second,
automobile and exchanged the Cal
ifornia plates on the first car for
the Oregon plates on the second car.
They had come through Klamath
Falls, where they had picked up the
two girls, who had been seen trying
to hitch-hike a ride" by John O Con
nor of Klamath Falls as he was on
his way to Heppner to load out
sheep. Mr O'Connor was at Hepp
ner hotel the next, day as the girls
were brought in by officers follow
ing the chase, and he immediately
recognized them as the ones he had
seen near a mill just outside of
Klamath Falls the morning before.
From Redmond, the quartet turn
ed on to the Ochoco highway, the
alarm having preceded them. The
marshal at Mitchell recognized the
"hot" license plates, and jumped on
the car's running board only to be
thrown off as the car was started.
It was reported that the youths also
sold a rifle at Mitchell.
They were next seen by Sheriff
Hazeltine of Grant county who wad
standing watch with his car at the
junction of the John Day and Hepp-ner-Spray
highways, having been
joined there by Frank Nickerson
and Sid Zinter of this county, who
had been hailed as they were pass
ing by. It was about 8 o'clock Thurs
day evening, when the fugitives' car
rounded the turn to the road toward
Heppner, going at a speed Nickerson
estimated to be at least 60 miles nu
hour. The fugitives' car was driven
with two wheels high on the bank
to miss hitting the Zinter car, and
looked as if it would surely turn
over, but the momentum carried it
to level ground before it became
overbalanced. In making the turn
it struck a large rock that mashed
in the oil pan.
So rapidly had been the approach
that the waiting men had little time
to act. They were some distance up
the road by the time Nickerson got
a small bore rifle into action and
shot at them (he had been told thc-y
were desperate characters), and two
bullet holes were later found in the
back of the car. Sheriff Hazeltine's
car in which chase was given could
not catch the fleeing car, and it went
out of sight The men next saw it
abandoned in the ditch near the
Fairview forest camp.
The fugitives took to the woods
afoot from there, and the all-night
chase, with the large posse in pur
suit followed. It ended about 9 o'
clock the next morning when all of
the four gave themselves up, tired
and cold from the night's exposure
in clothing unsuited for it.
Mr. and Mrs. Alva Jones and
Bobby spent several days last week
visiting at the Jess Deos home near
Hood River.