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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 10, 1935)
PAGE TWO MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE. MEDFOKO. OREGON, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1935 HAMMER SLAYER DESCRIBES FIGHT Pudgy Matron Admits Beat ing Elderly Common Law Mate To Death In Course Of Quarrel During Spree, By THUItON WKIUIIT (United Press Stair Correspondent ) LOS ANGELES, Dec. 10. VP) Pudgy, mlddle-eged Prances Mabel Willys, squatting complacently on tne edeg of a Jail cot, aV night blandiy told police how she battered to death her elderly "common law" mate with claw-hammer "because he was got tins too old." With ferocity that rivalled the celebrated Clara Phillips "Hammer murder" case of a decade ao. the plump. 38-year-old matron, welching 190 pounds, slew her anemic, wu wound hue-band. Dr. Walter K. Ham mond, prominent dentist, left the hammer imbedded in hla skull and telephoned the police. "I killed him because he was about throiitfh." she explained "He waa rretty much through and so am I." THIs of Death ll.it He. In rambling, disconnected discourse, the plaln-fooed woman, stringy black hair bound tign;ly In a knot on her neck, calmly described tlw de.un oai tie In which she chased tho 62-year- old dentist around a blocd-spiuwrcd bungalow, cornered him as he stug Cled to crawl to safety under a bed tnd shattered his skuU with blows of a hammer. She was charged with murder im mediately after her con'esMon. Heavy set and phlegmatic, she seemed un disturbed by what had happened, and even urged newspaper reporters to "see that she got as much publicity as Clara Phllllpe." "I beat him to death wlih tlv ham mer, and as I beet him I kept think ing of the Clara Phillips case." she said. Clara Phillips, sentenced to life Im prisonment for slaying Alberta Mea dows, pretty stenographer who she believed stolo the love of her hus band. Armour Phillips, was released , from the state women's prison Techachapl. Cal., lest summer after serving 13 years of her sentence. ruRPther Eight Years. Mrs. Willys said she hnd lived with the bald, frail dentist for eight year as his common law wife. Her ex planation of the wrangle which pre ceded clubbing him to death with the hammer, was Incoherent. At times she indicated It was over a mysterious S.OOO which "he accused me of having burled In the back Sard." Finally she said It was because he waa too old. "At 82 he l pretty much through." she repeated, compressing her thin llpe. "We quarreled frequently, and he beat me. She told In ghastly detail how the quarrel started on the back porch, and she pursued him Into the bed room, sent him sprawling on tho bed with on, blow and then "I hit him Jour or five times when he was on the floor, crawling away." "He was tolklng to me alt the time J was hitting him." she said "Ho crawled back and forth ... Ho waa the hardiest person. It did not seem J-.e had that much energy " She said once her husband wrench ed the hammer away and struck her with It. She got It back and the two fought, both on the floor, the dentist flailing her with his ftsts ani the heavier woman smashing his face with tho claw-hammer Kept Talking to Hrr. "He kt-pt talking to me,' she said Hct got out Into the hall onw and then crawled back towards the bed That was where he died. He kept talking to me right thore while he was crawling around. He aal-i She bit her lip. and stopped. "What were his Inst words?" "You don't have to have that, do you?" she hesitated, then mumbled: 'I told him I could not live with him or without him. I killed him because he was about through." The woman said -he lost mc lous Tiea after she had beaten her mate to droth, and then "woke Tip and aaw what I had done." She "waahed up." sai through the niht and at dawn notified police. She said she and Dr Hammond had been "drinking steady fjr a omit three woks." After freely giving her confe.vuon. and announcing ie war "not crazy not a bit of It," the women begged for a drink. "Come on, you're a pood guv,' she told a detect ive. "One more drink !f I swing tor It." "DEFINITE OBJECTIVE IN MIND" J 1 h 'r lk:4 c i " A, f ' ' ' x " "fJ jsm 1 wyt i f ' '' Vnt, When Washington Interviewers concentrated on getting Senator Borah, Idaho Republican, to say whether he would be a candidate for the presidential nomination, he replied he had a "definite objective In mind" but was not ready to talk about the nomination. (Associated Press Photo l TO PROVE ASSERTIONS ACT BIGS PROTEST ABOUT BIRTH CONTROL AT BALL TONIGHT Advance ale of tickets Indicates a large attendance at the annual char ity ball to be held tonight at Orlentrtl Oardens under sponsorship of tho Fraternal Order of Kntrle. As in pait years, funds rained by the dsnce will be used In providing Christmas baskets for the nvly of Jackson county. Archie Lang's recording orCiestra. which has appeared hre once or twice In the past, will provide music for tonight's dance. This band hit proved a popular attraction wherewr It has played. Fred Powell, general chslrmnn. to day emphasized the Eagles' aim to mike this the most stuveAsful dance ever sponsored by the fraternity bo that no needy famllv mill go in want at Christmas. Ticket may be obtain ed from members of the order or at the gardens tonight. PKIPINO, Dec. 10. f AP) Lieut. Col. Tan Takahashl, Japanese military at tache a?- Pelplng, made strong repre sentations ago Inf. t a demonstration In which 0.000 Chinese students de manded war on Japan and suppres sion of the north China autonomy agitation. Taka-hashl made his protest In a formal call on Mayor Cnln Teh -C mm. Thirty students were arrested and many hurt when the demonstrators clashed with police. Re-forming after being dispersed once, the students matched Into the main shoppina district carrying ban ners and shouting slogans against the separation of north China from Nun-king. They were met with an icy drench ing from fire hoses, and the demon stration was eventually broken v.p. ' Prompt action of the authorities In closing tho city gates preven'd the entry of another 1.000 etudenta who had walked to Pelplng from neighbor ing institutions, - JAPANESE HAVE PLAN SEIZE UNITED STATES NEW YORK, Dec. 10. (JPV Clyde PAivrborn. on'.y aviator to fly both yie Atlantic and P.iclflc non-stop, told the conrfsslonal committee Invest I -t'atlng paten, laws today that both New York and Chicago wens wl'hin cruising distance of Japanese bomb ing pi cues. The aviator, who was arrested by npauc.se for flying over their fortifi cations, testified boron the ecmmlt ee on pitont revising tfcat Japan "has one obJit In view: ( "1. To seize the United States "2. To seize Russia; "3. To seize the rest of the world ' The committee Is concerning ltsdlf with possible handicaps to American aviation through alleged pooling of patents under the present laws. The Japanese have planes capable of from 200 to 300 miles per hour. IMngborn said, placing Chicago with in comparatively abort flying time by way of Alaska, He recommended establishment of a strong air force and ant '.-aircraft base In Alaska. "The day ihe ocean was srnnned by airplane " he said, "waa the day the United States becime vulnerable to a'tack from the air." He told the committee that he 'deflnltly knows" Japan hai devel oped a bomb capable of being con t ml led by s man I iw de the bom b . and that "thousands of Japanese have vohmtoprod for the honor of dying as pilots of these destructive wea pons." V. F. WTlNUALlANCE SET NEW YEAR'S EVE Veterans of Foreign Wars. Crater Lake post No lfl33. will hold their annual Gold Chevron bsll In the Oriental Onidens New Year's eve. Money derived from this event. Com mander Oco. Coddtng point out. la Used for relief and Christmas ex primes for needy veterans. Whipple's elght-piere orchestra will be on hand to furnish peppy mustc and it will be a carnival dance The Veterans of Foreign Wars dsncc lat year was a huge auccass and ie public Is assured by post officers that this year's dance wtjl be bicker and better. IVXcu are now on sale and may be procured from any niemNr t the pt or auxiliary. Fred Knox, senior vice commander has charge of the dsnce. NEW YORK, Dee. 10. (AP) Car dinal Hayes' condemnation of birth control advocates evoked a challenge today from Mrs. Marguerite Benson, executive director of the American Birth Control league. She called upon the archbishop of New York "to prove" his state ments. "The Cardinal," commented Mrs. Benson, "said he dtscuased auch a topic In public reluctantly. "Of course he was reluctant. His church has got Itself into a very difficult situation. As long as 1032 a booklet entitled 'The Sterile Pe riod ln-i Family Life.' discussing a form of birth control, was published under his imprimatur." Cardinal Hayes, occupying the pul pit of St. Patrick's cathedral at pon tifical high mass Sunday, voiced what he termed a "measured, de liberate and emphatic condemnation of the effrontery" of birth control proponents for families on relief. In reply, Mrs. Benson "challenged" the Cardinal to prove statements critical of a birth control mass meeting In New York's Carnegie hall a week ago tonight. OF CONTROL BOARO SAYS SALEM, Dec. 10. (AP) The state board of control henceforth will favor Oregon merchants, manufacturers and Jobbers when purchasing state supplies, the board determined at Itn meeting here yesterdny. Purchases outside of the state will be made only when locnl bids are not competitive or supplies cannot be ob tained from Oregon dealers. To a group of stationers who ap peared before the board and com plained that much state business went to Chicago and eastern and middle-western states. Governor Mar tin declared It was his opinion state purchases should be confined to Ore gon and that "we should not deal with Chicago merchants." Dnn Fry. state purchasing agent, said he had been guided by a state law which provided a differential of only five per cent In favor of Ore gon merchants and manufacturers. "We should get rid of this differ ential," Enrl Snell. secretary of state, declared. State Treasurer Holman agreed. "A splendid Idea.," the governor re marked when evidence was brought In showing that In California and Washington all state business was limited to local merchants and manufacturers. 1 794 BLUE LAVS E ANIA Movies, Sports And Milk Delivery Now Legal But Business, Hunting And Fishing Are Still Taboo. PHILADELPHIA (UP) Pennsyl vania Puritans' "Blue Law" structure, built In 1704, Is crumbling away. The commonwealth that kept the Sabbath for 141 years now has sports, movies and delivery of milk on Sun days. Such violations of the old code were made legal by acts of modern legislation. Parts of the blue law, however still remain In force, or on the stat utes. It Is yet Illegal to patronize a drug store, ride a trolley car, or "do any form of business, except for char ity or necessity of life" on Sunday. But the backbone of the blue law la broken, and the act Itself Is wink ed at to the extent of . permitting drug stores, delicatessens, gasoline filling stations to remain open on the Sabbath. Streets In Philadelphia and Pitts burgh, formerly deserted and forlorn on Sunday, teem with people again. Hotel business over the week-ends Is Improving and the "kids" have been taken off the street corners and plac ed on playgrounds. In theaters or on a sand-lot athletic fle.'d. limiting Still Barred The modified blue law does not satisfy the fisherman or the hunter, however. Fishing and hunting still are barred on Sunday In the Key stone state. Francis J. Walsh, an attorney, who led an organized campaign against the blue laws, traced the history of the fight in an Interview with the United Press. "Before 1926, there, was no con certed effort against the blue laws," Walsh asserted. "It was political aul- c,! for a public official to commit hliuself against the ancient laws, and except for some Individuals we had no organization." Walsh pointed out that advocates of the old laws always were well organized, and "left no stone un turned In their fight to preserve the closed Sunday." He added that re ligious persuasion had little to do In the battle. Playgrounds Opened "Our first aim was to open the public playgrounds and swimming pools for the children," Walsh said. "We accomplished this after showing that country clubs for years had operated their golf courses, tennis courts and swimming pools on Sun day. "Then we went after the law be cause it prohibited delivery of milk after 9 a. m. on Sunday and after 5 p. m. In the evening. All the while we were campaigning to permit Sun day sports." Walsh said one of their strongest arguments was that modification of the law would be most beneficial to the working man. who was employed six days of the week and needed at least one day of recreation. Law Signed In 1033 "As a result, the Sunday sports bill was passed by the legislature and wa had baseball, tennis and other forms of athletics on Sunday." Walsh said. The sports bill became a law on April 25, 1933, when Oov. Oif ford Plnchot signed the measure In the face of protests. By that time, according to Walsh, public sentiment against the blue laws was crystalized, and his organ ization went out of existence. The "wave of liberalism" contin ued on, however, and during the 1935 legislature, a bill providing for referenda In communities for Sun day entertainment waa passed and signed by Oov. George E. Earle. The referenda held In the Novem ber elections resultd In most of the state's larger cities. Including Phll adlphla, Pittsburgh, Scran ton and Erie, approving Sunday movies. Har rlsburg, the sr ito capital, voted "no." Getr Sunday Movies The anciert law had been flouted for more than a year In Erie and residents there voted 10 to 1 for legal Sunday movies. There has been some movement for similar votes on local option for Sun day beer sales, but even the most ardent advocate of an open Sunday believes It has little chance to make headway. However, It does appear certain that a new drive for Sunday fish ing and hunting will be opened and that "liberals" will continue their ef forts until they achieve their ultl. mate goal complete repeal of the 1794 blue law. NDIANS LOSE CLAIM WASHINGTON, Dec. 10. (AP) The Klamath and Modoc Indian tribes of Oregon lost their 92.800,000 claim against the federal ifvernment to day. The reservation tribesmen argued that In 1908 the government took 87,000 acres of valuable timber land from them. 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