MEDFORDeJllSiT
Weather
C T5r
Want Ad Way
OaieSt 8tit
' At Small Cst
forecast Bundty and Monday!
Northern California lacreis
ins cloudiness Sunday, fol
lowed by rain, Oregon
Cloudy, oecBhional rain on
coast, light snow in norifceia
portion.
RIBU
-full Lmm4 Wlra
ttaitad Pri FuU Lti fi
Thirty ninth Year
MEDFORD, OREGON, SUNDAY, DECEMBER 31, 1944
NO, 23&
NE
United Prata-
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run m i i iiiiiaupa 1 . . i . . i n. - f
tNtlt LAUNUtS 5-forces Again Toke Over Montgomery Word . SIAK Wfl NH.N ft! ffl R VFR Ml "!5 2" WIM UK
2-WAY PUSH i
BASTOGNFRONT
Third Army Narrows Bel
gian Salient In Critical
Battle.'
Paris, Sunday, Dec. 31 (U.K
A critical new battle is raging
around Bastogne where German
forces have launched a two-way
attack against the U. S. Third
army's corridor through the city
but. thus far have failed to stem
Lt Gen. George S. Patton's
troops in their drive to cut off
the enemy salient into Belgium,
' dispatches said today.
(The Luxembourg radio, heard
in London, said that the U. S.
First and Third armies had taken
between 16,000 and 20,000 Ger
man prisoners since the start of
the German offensive on Decem
ber 16.) .
Patton's men were reported in
censored field dispatches to have
smashed five miles northwest of
Bastogne, narrowing to 12 miles
the waist of the enemy salient,
although a contradictory an
nouncement from supreme head
quarters said the width of -the
gap was 16 miles.
American tanks and the dough
boys at the same time were re
ported storming the road center
of Rochefort at the apex of the
bulge street by street in an ef
fort to throw the Germans into
complete reverse after knocking
back panzer spearheads 11 miles
from the highwater mark of
their drive, r ,
The German attacks from east
and west against the Bastogne
salient were reported mounted
in strong force, but Patton's
armor and infantry had previous
ly widened the corridor to nearly
eight miles just south of Bas
togne. '
Late reports said that the
Third army had entered La
Vaselle and Chenogne, adjoining
villages five miles west and
slightly south of Bastogne. These
gains not only bulwarked the
corridor but .drove a wedge
across the communications of
German troops still trying to
hold their advance penetration
to St. Hubert,. 15 miles west of
Bastogne.
The Germans still held a foot
hold on the Arlon-Bastogne high
way leading into city from the
south but Patton from the incep
tion of his drive had employed a
parallel secondary road and at
last reports here, 38 hours old at
last midnight, the corridor was
still firmly held.
Whether measured from 12 or
16 miles across, the waist of the
German salient could be inter
dicted by two-way artillery fire
from Third army troops on the
south and the First on the north.
Such shelling of roads within the
salient already had "most likely"
been undertaken, it was said in
authoritative quarters.
Late dispatches said that the
Third army had captured Not
hum, 2V4 miles southwest of the
Luxembourg center of Wiltz, in
line straightening operations on
the center of its 40-mile front.
(German broadcasts asserted
that the allies had thrown in 25
divisions, with the bulk of their
armor concentrated against the
base of the salient where the
First and Third armies, in simul
taneous assaults, were reported
trying to slice off the German
bulge.
(Since mid-December, the
enemy broadcasts asserted, the
Americans have lost more than
100,000 men, fifteen of their
divisions, including seven of
armor, have been "badly
mauled," the broadcasts added.)
Using six divisions, Lt. Gen.
George S. Patton's Third army
still was hammering relentlessly
against the southern side of the
salient, widening its front from
35 to 40 miles and sending one
spearhead to a point five miles
northwest of relieved Bastogne,
front dispatches said.
GOLF MEET OPENS
Los Angeles, Dec. 30 U.R)
Golfers will swarm over three
Courses Wednesday in a qualify
ing round to win the right to
play in the four-day Los An
geles open toumamT-i starting
Friday, when ihr. gold golf rush
will be for 3,333 in prizes
over the Riviera course.
U, S. Forces
1 gw?m
mi
r ft .:
tAcm Jelephato
As striking employes look on, Lt. Edward Caeser of the Sixth Service Command, tacks up notice ol Uovera
meat's seizure of Montgomery Ward and Co. properties outside company's Chicago headquarters. For tin
second time this year. Sewel! Avery, chairman of the firm's board ol directors, refused to accept the execu
tive order.
RUSSIANS CRASH
BUDAPEST INNER
DEFENSES. CLAIM
London, Dec. 30 QJ.R Red
army tanks and infantry, crash
ing through a powerful inner
defense ring, today for the first
time broke into the streets of
Plat, ' industrial ' Pest, eastern
half of Budapest, while on the
Danube's west bank Soviet
shock troops hurled Nazi sui
cide units from additional
blocks of houses in flame
scarred residential Buda,
Radio Moscow said tonight
that Soviet emissaries sent into
German-held Budapest under a
truce flag yesterday were killed
by the Germans. The emissaries
carried an ultimatum to the
Germans to surrender and re
ply to Red army terms by to.
day at noon.
The grim, hand-to-hand strug
gle for Budapest rapidly be
coming a German - Hungarian
"Stalingrad reached a new
pitch of activity today as Berlin
reported that far to the north,
the Red army's long-inactive
front 20 miles inside East Prus
sit had "returned to life."
Marshal Rodion Y. Malinov-
sky's 2nd Ukrainian army,
which two days ago was report
ed one to three miles east of
the ' outskirts ' of Pest, today
broke into the streets of the cap
ital's borough on the east bank
of the Danube and captured sev.
eral important blocks of streets.
How far the Soviets in both
Buda and Pest were inside the
city and how far they were from
its center, fronting both banks
of the Danube, was not disclosed
in Moscow's nightly war bulle
tin. IBGElifFORD
TO LOCAL BENCH
The eai simreme court has
assigned Circuit Judge James W.
Crawford of Portland to hold
court in Jackson and Josephine
counties, during tne umess m
Herbert K. Hanna. the
county clerk's office reports.
Judge crawtora win noia
nttrt f r.Tnni Pass. Monday.
Jan. 8, and as soon thereafter as
possible, hold circuit court ses
sions here, according to present
plans.
Th m-iinn will nrevent con
gestion of legal matters in this
judicial district, juage crawiora
will also have power to transact
county court business, due to the
illness of County Judge 3. B.
(Blin) Coleman, who was report
ed as improving.
BOMBER CREW KILLED
Victoria. Kan.. Dec. 30 !U.8
Ten of 13 crewmen were killed
today when a four-engined bomb
er crashed on a combat training
mission about 12 miles north of
the Walker army air field, it was
announced tonight.
Again Toke Over Montgomery Word
30 GERMAN SPIES
N YANK UNIFORM
CAUGHT I PAIS
Paris, Sunday, Dec. 31 (U.R)
Thirty German spies were
rounded up in one band and a
number of others also captured,
many of them in American uni
forms, when French police and
American military authorities
searched the capital for German
agents, it was disclosed today.
It was also disclosed that
troops quartered in the French
capital had been severely re
stricted since Field Marshal Gen.
Kalr Gerd von Rundstedfs drive
into Belgium opened two weeks
ago:
Civilians and allied soldiers
alike were halted constantly and
checked for identification papers
in the effort to round up Ger
man parachutist spies and
enemy agents who had infiltrat
ed behind allied lines to obtain
information, disrupt communi
cations and otherwise aid Rund
stedfs drive.
The story of the spy-hunt was
disclosed by the French per
f ecture of police, which said
that a "considerable number" of
enemy agents had been captured
in a number of raids conducted
during the course of the allied
investigation.
Edward Pisanl, assistant pre
fect of police, said that some of
the Germans had been in hiding
in Paris since September, wait
ing to come(out unitl their ac
tivities could coincide with the
opening of the German counter
offensive. ABSENTEEISM IN
WAR PLANTS
By United Press
Heavy absenteeism in .vital
war production centers was re
ported Saturday as the war pro
duction board campaigned with
spotty success to keep factories
producing to supply the western
front. ,
Absenteeism up to 50 per cent
for the Christmas-New Year
week was reported in such in
dustrial centers as Me York,
Philadelphia, Detroit and west
ern Pennsylvania. Indications
were that absenteeism would be
very heavy the day after New
Year, as it was the day after
Christmas.
The WPB's "work as usual
drive was having only halfway
success in the Detroit area,
where approximately one-half of
the war plants will be ciosea
New Year's day.
BACK TO BONNEVILLE
Portland, Ore., Dec. 30 OiiO
After two years absence in
Washington, Barclay J. Slicker
will return to his post t the
head of the sales and service for
the power management branch
of the Bonneville power adminis
tration January 8.
1
CHAPLIN CASE IN
JURY'S HANDS BY
WEDNESDAY, PUN
Hollywood, Dec. 30 !UJ5 A
jury of seven women and five
men may deliberate next
Wednesday the question. of
whether Charlie Chaplin is the
father of 15-month-old Carol
Ann Barry, daughter of the
aging comedian's former pro
tege, Joan Barry.
A New Year's recess in the
bitter paternity suit brought
against Chaplin will end Tues
day when Chaplin's attorney.
Charles E. (Pat) MiUikan, wiii
have his inning before the jury
in Superior Judge Henry M.
Willis' court.
Millikan Is spending the holi
day adjournment m preparing
his final argument a plea that
Chaplin be cleared, and that
Joan's baby be held the child of
some other man.
His argument will be in con
trast to the scathing denuncia
tion fired against Chaplin Fri
day by 77-year-old Jpseph Scott,
attorney for the baby. In a two
and a half hour address, Scott
branded Chaplin as the father
of Carol Ann, and then went ra
to characterize the multimillion
aire comedian as a "debaueher
. . . who lies like a cheap cock
ney cad ... a lecherous hound
, , , a gray-headed old buzzard."
. After Millikan completes his
arguments Tuesday, Scott will
be given an opportunity for re
buttal. Judge Willis' instructions
wilt be given, to the jury, Wed
nesday morning, it was indi-cated-Nine
votes of the jurors
in agreement are sufficient in a
civil case for a verdict.
NEW SHOE STAMP
DELAY. F(
Washington, Dec. 30 J.fi
The Office of Price Administra
tion said tonight that present
indications point to a delay In
validating a new shoe ration
stamp until "sometime next
summer," thus forecasting a fur
ther tightening of rationing on
the home front.
Such action would extend for
at least two months the period
the current ration stamp would
have to last before another is
declared valid, putting the ra
tion on a basis of three pairs
per person every two years In
stead of the present rate of two
pairs a year.
In a joint announcement with
the War Production Board, the
OPA said that cancellation of
outstanding shoe stamps is not
considered.
Paris, Dec. 30 (ii.fi Morton
Downey, radio and stage tenor,
was reported by physicians today
to be "rapidly recovering" from
a throat infection which has con
fined him to the American hos
pital here for week, ,
FATAL TO 1
FIGHT WITH m
Benjamin F. Hershberger, 48,
is dead as st result of self-inflicted
stab wounds suffered
about 8:40 p. m. Friday in an
altercation with his estranged
wife, Etta Hershberger, 38, of
3ilii Genessee street.
The 'couple had been separat
ed about two months and Hersh
berger bad been spending most
of that time with his parents in
Twin Falls, Idaho, according to
Deputy Coroner Carlos Morris.
He returned, to Medford Fri
day and ate a meal at a North
Riverside cafe, where his wife
is employed, Morris said. At
Hershberger's request, they ar
ranged to meet to discuss their
marital difficulties when she
was completed with her work.
According to Morris, Mrs. Hersh
berger agreed to do so but stat
ed she would bring her son, Al
bert, 17, and three smaller chil
dren with her..
Hershberger met them In
front of the cafe where they
started to discuss their troubles
He suddenly drew a fishing knife
from a pocket and cut his wife
over the right shoulder, Morris
stated. Mrs. Hershberger fled
and bs her husband started to
pursue her, he was caught from
behind by his son, Albert, who
held him, Morris said.
Hershberger then stabbed
himself lust below the heart and
in the stomach, according to the
deputy coroner's report, and was
rushed to a hospital in the Perl
ambulance, where? he was pro
nounced dead on admittance.
Mrs. Hershberger was taken
to a local hospital by city po
lice and was released today, po
lice stated.
-Morris said no inquest will be
held. The body is at Perl's
funeral home and funeral ar
rangements will be announced
later.
EXPECT GERMANS
TO OPEN ALL-OUT
ITALIAN ATTACK
Rome, Dec. 30 (y,R) Stepped-
up German activity all along
the Italian front, pinpointed by
small-scale attacks along the!
western Ligurtan coast and ag
gressive enemy patrol action
west of Faenza, indicated to
night that the Germans soon I
may launch an all-out attack
on the American 5th and Brit-1
ish 8th armies. . .
Renewed enemy assaults In!
the Serchio river valley, com-j
biaed with active patrolling inj
the 15-mite stretch between the
Serchlo and the sea, resulted ini
what 5th army headquarters!
spokesmen termed "very' fluid":
fighting. Negro troops of the;
92d division remained in pos-i
sesson of commanding high
ground south of Galileans and;
the spokesmen emphasized that:
such positions were more easily:
defended than ground occupied:
earlier, American forces pre-;
viously were forced to with-;
draw from Gallicano and Bargai
In the first phase of the Ger
man offensive launched four
days ago.
In central Italy a German pa-i
trol, exhibiting unusual aggres
siveness, crossed the Senio
river in the area of Casale, tour
miles west of Faenza, after e
heavy shelling of a British posi
tion on the river's east bank.
5TAR WITNESS
ATTACK TO Wl
Hollywood, Dec. 30 SMS
Caprice Capron, 18-yesr-old
showgirl end star witness against
Capt. Morrison Wilkinson, Jr., at
hit court martial in Santa Ana
last June on morals charges, will
marry Edward G, Howard, 33,
"very soon," It was disclosed today.
ACTION
ON JAPS
IRKS PA1
GS's Rescued By Sip-Yank
Troops on Western Front
Indignant,
With the U. S. 7th Army, on
the Western Front, Dee. 30 ai.S
Hundreds of veteran American
soldiers were indignant tonight
over an item la the army news
paper Stars and Stripes, which
said that an American Legion
post in Hood River, Ore., had ad
vised Americans of Japanese an
cestry to sell any property they
own ana leave town.
The dispatch, which moved
dozens of G. I.'s to prepare to
write letters of protest to Presi
dent Roosevelt and congressmen
said the Legion pest bad adver
tised in local newspapers that
Citizens of Japanese ancestry
were unwanted.
There was violent local reac
tion among doughboys of Lt.
Gen. Alexander Patch's original
divisions the 36th and 45th
who know the gallant record of
the 442nd infantry regiment.
composed mostly of loyal Japan
ese-Americans, and with which
the 38th division fought in Italy
Reaction was nartieularb?
vluperatlve against the Legion
post's action, among the first
battalion of the 141st regiment
of the 38th division a battalion
which just two months ago' to
day was rescued from a German
trap near Bruyeres by Japanese-
-Amersean troops -who slashed
through' German lines to the
isolated battalion at great, cost
to themselves.
There were 81 men on that en
circled feUSton when they were
rescued and 23 of those same
men still are with the company,
including Lt Joseph Kimble,
Seranton, Pa., and ,Sgt. Hiler
huh, ssaa Antonio, Tex.
Hull already has started writ-
ing a letter. Kimble said he also
would write one but was an.
decided whether to address it to
President Roosevelt, some con
gressman, or the Legion post In
noon River.
San Francisco, Dec. 33 0S3
Harry Bridges, west coast la
bor leader, today filed suit for
divorce against his wife, Agnes,
charging "extreme cruelty."
Bridges said he regretted the
"necessity" of the action which
was "not Intended as any public
reflection on my wife." The com
plaint stated that the cc-uple.
married December 2, 3823, in
Oregon, have been separated
since August 1842. Both are 44.
The longshore leader asked
custody of the couple's 20-year
old daughter, getty Jacqueline.
Mrs. Bridges has a son, Kenneth
McCisy, 28, by a former mar
riage.
The suit followed by a few
days Bridges' appeal to the U
S. suprme court to set aside a
deportation order on grounds
that he is an undesirable alien.
Seattle, Dec, 30 JJ9 Kath
erina McManua, 38, waitress
from Kansas City, Ho., was re
covering in a, hospital tonight
rem a severe beating she said
she received at the hands of a
Jealous suitor who followed her
to Seattle.
Declining to identify the man,
whom she said was from St
Louis, iha waitress told police
she moved to Seattle because she
was afraid of bins.
Ml VETS
Loudon, Dec 93 SiS Tfc
Motcow radio anaouacad ia
night that t&t iOTfii-p-onoi-d
Hungarian serarssmeot fees
declared war es Germany,
and asfcad th allied nation
and Rania for pac tarmt.
The provisional gevanuneni
waa tonaad last Satorday is
Dlei, Hungary's second
city, and H hadd by Coi
Ctas. Bala Mifciet, format eeof
roander of the Hungwiaa lit
army, Th savarmnani feaa
feaaa ferowd la lh liberated
psrtie-ns of Hungary.
Ashland, Dee. 38 Special)
Fire beginning about S o'clock
this morning completely destroy
ed the ChstesB, night cuia lo
cated about three miies north of
here on the Pacific highway.
All furnishings and equipment
Jit the building were a complete
less, which was estimated con
servatively at about $12,005, In
cluded in the loss were the large
mirrors, plana, band instruments
and furnishings.
The building had recently
been purchased by Ciub Cha
teau, Inc., a corporation compos
ed of Mrs. Terry Coiiee, Ass
isted, and Louia Freeland an?
Richard 3. Cox, of Los Angeles,
and was to open soon.
Three persons were asleep in
the building at the iiroe the fire
was discovered and. bad. to be
removed through the roof. All
thesr clothing- and personal ef
fects were tost in the blaze. The
building was covered by about
one-sixth its insurance value, it
was stated.
Ruins were still smouldering
late this afternoon and eight pii
iars and the fireplace were all
that remained standing,
No plans st the proprietors
were announced today.
WIRE LEFTIST!
Athens, Dee, 38 SJ.53 Brit
ish, and Creek troops fought
through a driving rain today is
an ell-out offensive to clear
Athens of ieftwing ELAS forces,
who were officially charged with
maltreating British prisoners in
violation of the Geneva conven
tion. At ieBst one-naif of Athens
was in Greek and British hands
after the first day of the offen
sive Friday to which it was re
ported reliably that 308 roent
bers of the ELAS armed forces
ot the EAM National Liberation
Front) were killed and 80S cap
tured. In what was described as
"the best single day of hosiiil
ties," the British and Greeks oc
cupied a mile of southeastern
Athens.
Friday's operations cleared all
of the Kaisariani working dis
tricts o Athens, despite stiff op
position from the ELAS forces.
Fighting was reported raging to
day In the southern areas as weii
as around the cemetery south oi
Ardittos hili, where there were
clashes involving tensmyguns
and hand grenades.
London, Bee, 38 8i.fi The
London Evening News asserted
today that Important changes
were imminent is the organiza
tion of the aiiied supreme com
mand on the western front.
An official statement of the
regrouping of ailled commands
and armies is expected shortly
The Evening News said without
elaboration.
Military sources ia London
had no comment en to report,;
ALLIED OOlllliiim
Tokyo Mms 1? Ships Last
Enemy Losses at Leyte
ToiaJ 116,770.
Allied Headquarters, Levis,
Philippines, Sunday, Dee. Si
Siffi Gen. Douglas MacArthur
announced today that eight Ja
panese planes were shot dowa
while attacking American ship
ping; in She Sola sea off the is
land of Panay, and that enemy
losses is the battle of Leyie feasf
reached 118,773
MaeArihar'a dally bulletin
said thai several planes attack
ed the American vessels but did?
not specify the size of the fores
under attack or Its destination,
(Tokyo broadcasts eiairae-1
ihat a 58-sfeip convoy sighted is
the Salu sea had been attacked
for three days and ihat 17 of 11
siips were sunk or damaged be
fore.it reached the American
base on Mindsra, ISO miies south;
of Manila, presumably with ssip
plies and reinforcements).
Another Japanese plane- was
shot down during a night raid;
on Minders which caused
damage to American festalis
itona. U. S. planes harassed;
Clark airfield, 4? miles soria
west of Manila, and Bsilan air
field on southern Luzsn,
V. S, heavy 'Bombers attacking
far to -the south set fire to a,
small freighter ia the . lessee -Sundas
islands at the eastern
end of the Netherlands East In
dies, white Japanese airfields
aiso were battered on Kegro
and Cebu islands, in the central
Philippines. . - . , . v
MacArthur's bulletin, review
ing the 88-day Leyte campaign
which ended when ail organized
Japanese resistance was crushed;
cn Christmas day, revealed that
the Japanese had suffered S,549
additional casualties in meppica
up operations during the past
week, The overall figure of its,
778 included Japanese killed e
captured on Lcyte, as weii as
troops and sailors lost during
attempts to reinforce the be
leaguered island.
In yesterdBF's fighting, la
which the Americans were driv
ing against the enemy's rem
ananis pinned to the mountains
of northwestern Leyte, 651 Ja
panese were killed and 13 were
captured, KbveS units on night
patrol destroyed four Jap barges
off Leyte.
The bulletin said ihat the Ja
panese 35th army was destroyed;
on Leyie. It comprised the 1st,
16th, 28th and JS2sd divisions,
Sb;e 8SiB brigade and major ele
ments of the 8th and SSia. di
visions, Those divisions were all vet
erans. The first came from Toky
and saw service in China is
I , ,,...1 t . -
churia is November, after ifca
American. invasion. It was deci
mated to the northern Grmoe
corridor. The 3Eth was a yetersa
of China and also comprised the
"Butchers of Balsas," The 2ta
came from Japan after being
stationed in torth China and
Luzon while toe 152nd was ac
tive to the Philippines.
David Strang, sea of Mr. an4
Mrs. ffohert Strang of Sens, has
been killed ia line of duty at
Saipaa, according to word re
ceives; here yesterday. He wa
born and reared in Medford and
attended Sooseveit grade school
before moving ta Reno.
Strang was the aepfesw cf
Virgii and Fred Strang and a
grandson of Sirs. Charles Strang,
ail of Medford.
'WILSOH- PHOTHAYER WEDS
Hollywood, Dee. S3 m
William Alexander Knojc, 37,
Canadlan-borji actor- who por
trayed the title rote ia the film,
"Wilson," was married tonight to
Doris Nolan, 15, fcloaa stage
and screes actress.