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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 8, 1944)
fo) Mfo)Rfnl nn JU nffl m ) Weather Voreutt Partly 1 o n d y to cloudy lonlfbt and Saturday with fog during tht night and aarly morning; litUa cbanga in temperature. Temp. Highest yesterday 40 Lowest this morning 35 Precipitation trace Thirty-ninth Year 1 1 - I I TMBti ij irw HHWiiiMSi i , . ' Ty- y88 '-"I 11111'' Jy" Mem RadioTeU photo) ' French First Army machine gunners and riflemen hug the ground, send replying fire at enemy positions on French side of Rhine River as Germans frantically try to flee Allied Alsatian trap ana cross into Germany. Directly across river Is Switzerland, marked Dy Swiss flags. Signal Corps radio-teleonoto. LAYTON EXECUTED AT STATE PRISON FOR RAPE KILLING Salem, Ore.,. Dec. 8 U.B tpe-Slayer Richard Harry Lay i, former police officer of Monmouth, Ore., today .was ex ecuted in the lethal gas chamber at the Oregon state prison. . Layton was convicted for the murder of 17-year-old Ruth Hil debrand of Dallas, Ore., in June, 1943. He is the seventh man executed by lethal gas in this state. - Layton entered the chamber at 9:05 A. M., the cyanide pellets dropped Into the liquid at 9:09 A. M. and he was pronounced dead one minute later.. The condemned man was calm and apparently not nervous all the way through the proceed ings. As the gas struck his face, he apparently gasped and breathed deeolv and hard for about half a minute before he slumped forward and his head dropped. Three-hour sleep He was clad only in shorts, room slippers and a black blind hnirt. His head was shaved. Warden George Alexander too. in rharee of the execution and reported Layton had slept for three hours trie nigni Deiore. He had a fried chicken dinner last night and this morning ate three boiled eggs, bread, coffee nH mnked a final cigar. A few moments before the execution Layton told the press that he wanted to say it was a "false confession" that was used noinct him. "That girl did not die by be ing knocked into the river, which I am -convicted of," he stated. He wanted the state ment oublished "for my mother." Camo White Rooms Will Be Decorated nnfi hundred feet of garlands, 12 large wreaths and 14 holly festoons will decorate Lamp White hospital rooms at Christ mas time as a gift of the Med tA ClarApn rluh. according to jrMrs. C. C. Sater, president of the organization. The Garden Club made the Christmas wreaths yesterday. Miss May Carlton, Miss Helen Carlton, Frank McKean and Frank De Souza furnished evergreens for the project and R. T. Nickols donated wire for the wreaths. SIDE GLANCES By TRIBUNE REPOBTERS Tenor Bill Adams and ac companist Helen Razum getting their signals mixed during an appearance at the high school bond rally. Harry Duncan waving at a not-fully-recognized friend. Minnie Bryant industriously publicizing her favorite project of supplying Christmas presents for the Children's Farm Home. MEDFORDrRIBUNE Suited Pzui Full Leased Wire : i " ' -United Press Full Luud Wire Bullets Fly Across River Christmas Buying Scramble All-Time Record For Nation By United Press American civilians are spend ing approximately $3,500,000, 000 for Christmas gifts and pil ing up the greatest volume of retail sales in history, a nation ally known retail credit organi zation estimated today. The estimate complemented a United Press survey of Christ mas buying in seven key cities showing a rush for holiday mer chandise unprecedented even in the pre-depression era. ' The retail credit organization estimated retail sales for Octo ber, November, and December would be five to 10 per cent greater for the country as a whole than for those months of last year. The United Press survey con firmed this estimate and reveal ed a much greater percentage of Increase in some sections, par ticularly in areas with many war industries and war workers. In Atlanta, Ga., for example, re tail sales for the week ending November 25 were 31 per cent greater than for the same week of 1943 which was the biggest Washington, Dec. 8 (U.R) Last-minute moves to give House members more money for themselves and for their office help gathered headway today. - The House suspended the rules by a two-thirds vote to be gin immediate consideration of a bill to increase the allowance of each member for office help from $6,500 to $9,500 a year, and Rep. Emanuel Celler, D., N. Y., introduced a measure to increase the salaries of congress men from $10,000 to $12,500 an nually. v Offered by Committee Chair man John J. Cochran, D., Mo., the office help measure was ap proved unanimously by the ac counts committee less than 24 hours after its introduction. Cartaret, N. J., Dec. 84U.R) An immediate trial was in pros pect today for Daniel Molner, 24- year-old ex-serviceman who kill ed four persons and wounded .two others because he wanted his estranged wife to give him their daughter. When Mrs. Anna Molner re fused, police' said, the couple quarreled. In-laws intervened and a wild gun battle began. Be fore it was over two policemen, Molner's father-in-law, and a 12- year-old Negro girl were dead and two policemen were injured, one critically. Rhine week In the history of the re porting stores. From coast to coast, Ameri cans were determined to have a merry Christmas, if money would buy it. Such a demand for luxury goods was reported that there were shortages in some lines, particularly lingerie. Furs . and expensive jjwelry were in demand. There were not nearly enough grand and jpinet pianos' to meet the demand. Shortages existed In many lines but merchants .believed generally there was . enough merchandise to go around If the public would accept substitu tions. One large mercantile or ganization estimated shortage lines as follows: cameras, 30 per cent less than demand; luggage, 33 per cent; umbrellas, 59 per cent; furs, 14 per cent;- domestic rugs, 28 per cent; blankets, 14 per cent; lamps, 10 per cent; china and glassware, 23 per cent. LIEUT. PROCTOR E Second Lt. Raymond L. Proc tor, announced this week as s casualty in the southwest Pa cific area, has recovered from his wounds and has returned to combat duty, according to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. C. C. Proc tor, 134 Portland avenue. Lt Proctor was wounded during a Japanese raid on New Guinea early in September and spent two and one-half months in an army hospital. He has been awarded, the purple heart. The officer wrote during his stay in the hospital to praise the army surgeons who operated on him to remove many shrapnel fragments, stating that he was on an emergency operating table, set up in his photographic dark room, within 20 minutes after the raid. Lt. Proctor, with the 13th A. A.,F has charge of the field photographic labor atory. CHINESEXHASE KWEICHOW JAPS Chungking, Dec. 8 U.R) A Chinese army spokesman said to day that 4,000 Japanese troops who entered Kweichow province had been "routed," eliminating at least temporarily a threat to Kweiyang, the provincial- capital and strategic transport center In southwest China. The Chinese recaptured Pa chai, Hanho, Shiphpanchal and Tushan, and the Japanese now are falling back toward Kwang- si. the spokesman said. "The threat to Kweiyang Is temporarily removed, but the situation continues serious," he said. "We should not be too op timistic." The Chines reported the loss of Tushan two days ago. MEDFORD, OREGON, FRIDAY, DEu liER 8, 4 MORTPLACES Seven Beachheads Now Es tablished Across Water Barrier; Fort Driant Taken Paris, Dec. 8 flJ.R) Ameri can Third Army troops smashed across the Saar river at four places in and southwest of Sar reguemines today, boosting to seven the number of bridgeheads established across the water bar rier and setting pincers around Saarbrucken. Far behind the Third Army front, the stubborn German holdout post of Fort Driant in the Metz Perimeter finally was captured, with .670 German of ficers and men. It was at Driant that the Yanks suffered one of their few clear-cut defeats of the western campaign when an attempt to take the ford by storm failed before. the capture of Metz. 35th In Drive United Press Correspondent Collie Small reported from the .Third Army front that elements of Ma. Gen. Paul W. Baade's 35th "Santa Fe" division storm ed across the Saar to seize the four new springboards on the east bank. At Saareguemlnes, border bastion already two-thirds oc cupied, shock troops swarmed across the Saar on a railroad bridge. - To the southeast, as sault boats carried troops across at three daces. The forces who strucK into the eastern section of Sarregue- mines, ' 10 miles southeast of Saarbrucken, were engaged in bitter house to house fighting. Seizure of : the new bridge heads across the Saar gave the Third Army three northwest of Saarbrucken and four southeast of that capital of the mineral rich Saar basin, and American assault forces already were storming that part of the city west of the river. May By-Pass Bases Shnuld the formidable forti fications of Saarbrucken and the adjacent Siegfried line case mates make a crossing at me citv difficult, lt appeared pos sible that an expansion of the bridgeheads on either side of the city might squeeze out xne uer man earrison., Northwest of SaarDrucnen, and three miles north of Saar- lautern. troons of the 90th div ision who had broken Into the Siegfried line were counter attacked for five hours by Ger man tanks a mile inside the for tified belt. Thunderbolt fUhter-bomDers hit lffht towns inside the Sieg fried belt between Saarbrucken Merzis. leaving them in flames. The planes also launcn- ed rockets against a German tank concentration in the area whwe the 90th division was fighting. LI RESIDENT Mr. Clara Anna Clark of Oak Grove district passed away Frldav morning at a local hos pital. Mrs. Clark was born Sep tember 6, 1878, in Germany and came to this country at the aee of two years. She was united In marriage to Roderick Clark at Cornelius, Oreffnn In 1895. In 1899 the family moved to Jackson County where they have made their home since. Mrs. Clark leaves to mourn her passing, her husband, two sons, Wilson and Lewis warn, both of Medford, two daugh ters, Mrs. Denis Lane of Adel Oregon, and Mrs. Helen Erlck son of San Francisco. She is al so survived by one brother, Emll Wagner, of Seattle, Wn, and one sister, Mrs. Martha Brugger of Portland, Ore., seven grandchildren and one great granchild. Funeral services will be an nounced later by Perl Funeral home pending arrival of rela tives. L OPENED AGAINST LAST LEYTE 96th Division Among Troops Making Progress Against Savagely Resisting Foe. Allied Headquarters, Philip pines, Dec. 8 (U.R) Seven American divisions, '. one of them lashing out from a new west coast beachhead only three miles from Ormoc, stormed the Japanese pocket in northwest Leyte from all sides today and complete liberation of the cen tral Philippines island appeared to be in sight. "We will end it and we don't intend to take too long about It, either," Lt. Gen. Walter Kreuger, commander of the Sixth army, told newsmen as the final offensive to crush the last 40,000 to 50,000 Japanese on Leyte got under way. . Jap Pocket Split . The 77th division of Guam fame already has split the Japanese pocket with i daring amphibious landing just south of . Ormoc, the enemy's main supply and reinforcement gate way. The troops went ashore from a 100-shlp invasion arma da under cover of a hurricane air and sea bombardment yes terday pearl Harbor day. Joining the 77th division In companion all-out drives, the 32nd, First Cavalry, 24th, 96th and Seventh and 17th divisions were making "fair progress" against savage enemy resistance along great siege arc stretch ing from the Limon area, 20 miles north of Ormoc, to Bal ogo, 10 miles south. The Japanese, recognizing that the fateful battle that well may seal the fate of the Philip pines was at nana, maae a be lated attempt yesterday to re inforce their doomed troops on Leyte with a 13-shlp convoy, but all 13 vessels were sunk with a loss of perhaps 4,000 troops. IE ADMIT SEVERE DAMAGE BY EARTHQUAKE By United Press The Japanese admitted today that an earthquake, described by British seismologists as even more .violent .than the 1923 Yokohama disaster that killed almost 100,000 persons, rolled up huge tidal waves and loosed landslides yesterday across a 150-mile belt of central Japan extending through the. teeming Tokyo area. After withholding all word on the tremblor for more than 24 hours, the Tokyo radio finally broke its silence early this morn ing to announce that the most populous center of the Japanese homeland had been hit yester day afternoon.- - - The Tokyo broadcasts insisted, however, that only "slight damage had been caused and that practically - none of the capital district's crowded war plants were affected. The Japanese Dome! news agency said the earthquake cen tered in the Sea of Enshu about southeast of -Tokyo and reported that a great wall of water rolled inland over the coastal areas of Shizuoka dist rict, flooding "some houses." Farther inland and extending up to the Tokyo-Yokohama dist rict landslides caved in streets and houses over a wide area, Domel said. . The agency care fully refrained from mentioning that Tokyo itself had been dam aged. Although its account in dicated strongly that the capital was within range of the shock, ' Washington, Dec. 8 UR)- Publlshers of the San Diego, Calif., Union and ' Tribune-Sun today asked the Federal Com munications Commission for au thority to construct a new FM broadcast station In San' Diego, 1944 Churchill's Policy Upheld By Parliament After Fiery Denunciation Of Mutineers London, Dee. 8 (U.R) Prime Minister Winston Churchill won an easy 279 to 30 parllmentary vote of confidence in his gov ernment's policy in Greece, Italy and Belgium today after he had challenged the American position on Count Carlo Sporza and called Greek resistance forces "rebels and mutineers." - Churchill stood pat on British , policy in the liberated countries of Europe, defending it in one of his most scathing speeches of the war. Then he staked the life of his government on that unchanged policy and won hand ily, as was a foregone conclusion. Stetllnius Unnamed . Churchill did not refer- to Secretary of State Edward R. Stettinius by name but he took up directly Stettinius' state- - Washington, Dec. 8 (U.R) Lord Halifax, British ambas sador to the United States, said today there is "a sub stantlal understanding" be tween the United States and Britain on the issue of Allied policy in liberated territories. After a conference with Sec retary of State Edward R. Stettinius, Jr., during which the Anglo-American contro versy over policy toward re born European governments was the top subject Halifax said the two governments were far from a misunder standing. ment that the United States had no objections to Sporza's pres ence in the Italian, government and iterating a general "hands otf" policy toward ths liberated countries. ' ' ' Churchill referred to the Stet tinius statement as "the Amer ican Press release with which we were confronted a 'tint days ago." The House of Commons was In an uproar much of the time during Churchill's ' 80-rhihute address. Laborltes heckeled him repeatedly and a group of de monstrators carrying banners appeared at Westminster; 'urg ing members to attack the gov ernment's policy. About '50 of the demonstrators were allowed to enter the central lobby where they exchanged heated retorts with members. Churchill Denounced Tom Driberg, Independent, answering Churchill, called the appeal for a vote of confidence an unworthy piece of black- mall," pointing out that Church ill knew that the house would not overthrow him on this issue, The house broke into a storm of applause when Churchill flayed - the Greek Leftists as 'mutineers" against the allied supreme ' command and pro claimed his intention of putting down the revolt by force of arms. "If I am to blame for this action, I will gladly accept dis missal of the house," he said, "but if I am not dismissed, make no mistake about lt, we shall persist in this policy of clearing Athens and the Athens region of all those who are rebels to the constituted authority in Greece." Washington, Dec. 8 (U.R) In three years of war this country has suffered no enemy-directed sabotage, Director J. Edgar Hoover of the Federal Bureau of Investigation said today. Senate Votes Open Hearings On New State Appointments Washington, ' Dec. 8 (U.R) The Senate Foreign Relations committee voted today to start open hearings next Tuesday on President Roosevelt's . disputed new appointments to the state department. Committee Chairman Tom Connally, D., Tex., said Secre tary of State Edward R. Stettin ius, Jr., probably will be the first witness. The four nomin ees Joseph C. Grew to be undersecretary of state and Wil liam L, Clayton, Nelson A. Rockefeller and Archibald Mac Leish to be assistant secretaries probably will come next, he said. President Roosevelt meantime signed a bill creating two new assistant secretaryships and as NO. 220. AT E Athens, Dec. 8 (U.R) Lt Gen, Ronald Scobie reported to day that Greek attacks on Brit ish troops are increasing and that a general strike has hit Salonika with no indications that Elas forces are slackening their resistance. Elas partisans were reported to have opened preliminary ne gotiations with the Greek gov ernment aimed at ending the Civil war but there was no in dication any rapid progress was being made. Elas Filter Back Scobie reported that British troops slowly were clearing the Athens and Piraeus area but that Elas partisans were filter ing back and thaj fighting con tinues. ;. . V More than 900 Elas officers and men have been captured by British troops and turned over to the Greek government, he said. ' "Ninety ' per cent of these were dressed as civilians." Scobie's 'communique said. "A number of women were also captured 'These have' been r leased after being disarmed. A majority of the captured weap ons are German and Italian In origin." Scobie said that "unprovoked attacks on British troops are In creasing , and . the . rebels have declared their Intention of hold ing any. captured British and Greek troops prisoners. Else where In the country there are indications the rebel troops still are concentrating on Athens." Stand Of Alaskan Cypress Trees In Applegate Region One of the few stands of Alas ka cypress trees, -believed in this state, is located on the north and west side of Whiskey Peak in the Upper Applegate near the California state line according to Lee Port of the Star Ranger station. The trees have limbs like the weeping willow, give tortn a faint but distinctive odor, and are a lighter color than cedar. The grove covers about 200 acres, at an elevation of 5200 to 5500 feet, A few grow along the Whiskey peak, and across the state line. Attorney Kenneth G. Denman of this city on a hunting trip came across the grove. He learn ed it was first reported by John Wlnningham, a prospector.. It is thought probable the trees were sown by the wind and wander ing birds years ago. expected nominated James C. Dunn and Brig. Gen. Julius C. Holmes to fill the posts. Dunn now is chief of the department's division of European affairs. Holmes is political affairs offic er of the staff of Gen. Dwight D. Elsenhower Connally said it would be up to the full committee to decide whether other senators who are not members of the foreign re lations committee wll be pet mitted to ask questions of the witnesses. A number of such senators voted earlier this week to send the nominations back to tt committee for hearings be cause they felt that they did not have sufficient information con cerning the individual views of the nominees of current world problems. SUPERFGRTS IN HEAVIEST BLOW AT JAPTARGETS Massive Coordinated Attack Blasts Strategic Base On Approach to Nip Homeland Pacific Fleet Headquarters. Dec. 8 U.R) The U. S. Pacific fleet, Salpan-based Superfort resses and army Liberators and Lightning fighters delivered a massive co-ordinated attack on Iwo island, strategic enemy base on the southeastern approaches to the Japanese homeland yester day, Adm. Chester W. Nlmltz announced today. it was one of the greatest simultaneous assaults ever car ried out against a single target r by combined sea and air units. Heaviest B-29 Blow (Mac R. Johnson, United Press correspondent on Sainan. said the Superfortresses struck their heaviest blow of the war in the Iwo raid. The airfield was the main target, he said. The B-29s were able to carry a tremendous bomb load 'because of the com paratively short hop. Iwo lies approximately 750 miles north west of Salpan about halfway to Tokyo.) A portion of the mlahtv Unit ed States Pacific fleet stood off shore and delivered a, thunder ous bombardment of the volcano group island, 750 ' miles south east of Tokyo. Overhead B-29s roared la from Salpan and dumped great load of bombs on the is land base of Japanese aerial raiders which have attacked the Superfortresses installations in the Marianas. Results Obscured (The war department an nounced, that a "sizeable force" of Superfortresses dropped rec ord liyds of bombs on Japanese) military Installations on Iwo. The bombing was done by: In struments through heavy cloudl and results were not observed. -All the B-29s returned safely o base, without encountering eith er aerial or anti-aircraft opposi tion. For the first time Adm. Nimlt included an announcement of B-29 activity In his Pacific fleet headquarter! communique. Ha described the Superfortress raid as "heavy.' The Superfortress raid follow ed an attack by a "heavy force of Liberators, and Lightning which , swarmed over Iwo before the B-29s arrived. U: S: CASUALTIES REACH 552,018 Washington, Dee. 8 (U.R) U. S. combat casualties for three years of war have reached 552,018, including 121,363 killed, incomplete official tab ulatons dsclosed today on the annversary of Pearl Harbor. The total was 15,068 greater than that announced a week ago. Secretary of War Henry L. Stmson said army casualties through Nov. 22 totaled 474,898, including 91,625 killed, 268,099 wounded, 58,926 missing,- and 56,248 prisoners of war. Of the wounded, 126,440 have returned to duty. Navy casualty figures re leased today for the navy, ma rine corps and coast guard to taled 77,120, including 29,738 dead, 33,469 wounded, 9,427 missing, and 4,486 prisoners of war. MEDFORD BOY IS LISTED MISSING Richard Lee, 14, has ' been missing since noon yesterday from the home of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Lee, at the Fairgrounds, according to a state police report. The report said he is five feet tall, weighs 115 pounds, has dark brown curly hair and was wearing blue jeans. It is thought he may have gone to the home of relatives in Bend. Jackson County tales to date in the Sixth War Loan are "I" Bond $362,494 Total Sale ' 51,703,901
