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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 5, 1945)
Weather Forwent: Clonijr with ihewm tonlfht and Imturday. Uttlt Chang In Kmperatur. Hlgheit yesterday , 31 Lowest this morninf t Thirty ninth Year Yanks Shrink (Qennn were reported pulling out of 4 J " ' ,.' JJTBELGIUM C ' f-" l v fWll.jUMH , J V A lux. MWgmSXmSII- ' ThtMvlItt ej -. . H , ' 0 , 10 20 3D Jj xop speed as American rnira Army lorces crushed a Nazi counter-attack on Bastogne and wheeled northward into the sagging enemy flank on a front of mora than 15 miles. Germans made united advance against ' U. S. Seventh Army In Bitche sector. Port of Akyab Is Occupied As Pacific Offense Blazes Br United Press - The Pacific offensive blazed from the. Asiatic continent to the Japanese homeland today as British empire troops Invaded and occupied the port of Akyab In convoys,, according to Tokyo, sailed through the Philippines below invasion-marked Luzon, where Japanese ships. . . . FOLKES EXECUTED AT STATE PRISON DESPITE PROTESTS Salem, Ore., Jan. 8 flJ.B With a cheerful cry of "So long everybody,"' Robert E. Lee Folkes, 23 -year -old convicted Negro murderer of the pretty bride of a naval officer, died in the state lethal gas chamber at 9:13 a. m. today. ' The convicted murderer of Mrs. Martha Virginia James, of Norfolk, Va., in the "Lower 13" Pullman car murder, protested his innocence to the last. A blindfold was put over Folkes' eyes and at 9:07, the gas struck his face. He gasped, Jerked back and breathed deeply and heavily for several minutes. He was prqnounced dead six minutes later. Less than an hour before the execution, Gov. Earl Snell, who ' had been kept awake all night by "literally hundreds" of tele phone calls pleading for clem ency, issued this statement: "I have before me evidence, Information and confessions which convince me beyond any question of doubt of the guilt of Robert Folkes of the slaying. Furthermore, he was tried in circuit court, the case was ap pealed to the state supreme court, and then to the United States supreme court. Another appeal was made be . fore the state supreme court, thence to federal district court, and finally back to the circuit court in Marion county. ' "In view of all circumstances Involved, I do not see how I could possibly interfere." San Francisco, Jan. 5 (U.R) Commercial fishermen in Cali fornia broke a 24-year-old rec ord for salmon landings during 1944 by bringing in more than 10,203,000 pounds, the State Fish and Game Commission re ported today. SIDE GLANCES TRIBUNE REPORTERS Margaret Hulen reviewing the Portland housing situation and reporting she might be In the market for a cozy tent. Pat Farrell having trouble in assuming the role ot honored guest. Navy-bound Art Cannon re fusing to set a price on his "civvies." "Dime" flynn gazing learned ly at the M-T ceiling. Medford United Prat-Mi German Bulge western half ot Ardennes salient at Burma and one or more American U, S. warplanes sank another 35 At the same time, enemy broadcasts reported that four B-29 Superfortresses from the Marianas made lone nuisance raids on Japan yesterday and early today,- two of them drop ping bombs and the other two apparently on reconnaissance. The southeast Asia command sent the largest combined oper ations force ever launched against the Asiatic continent to seize Akyab, Burma's third largest port, without opposition. The force Included cruisers, de stroyers, transports and planes, which were prepared to unloose a mighty bombardment of the port, but BBC said the landing was made without firing a shot. Akyab, a small island at the mouth of the Kaladan and Mayu rivers, is 75 miles south of the Indian border and 300 miles northwest of Rangoon. It is ca pable of handling ships up to 8,000 tons. In the Philippines, Tokyo re ported Japanese planes had in tercepted one or more convoys and a big naval task force south of Luzon and sank an aircraft carrier and two battleships or cruisers. The Japanese said the convoys had penetrated the bay of San Jose, southwest of Mindoro island, and the waters west of Panay, just southeast of Min doro. The reports followed In creased Japanese speculation that an American landing on Lu zon is imminent. IN BUS SLAYING San Francisco, Jan. S. (U.R) Homicide bureau detectives to day questioned three Negro sus pects in the brutal slaying of Winnefred Cecil, 25-year-old navy bus driver, who was found shot to death and robbed In her bus yesterday. Special police details, conduct ing a house-to-house manhunt through four square miles of the city's industrial section, brought in the suspects after a pickup order had been issued for a Negro believed responsible for criminal assault against a woman and a 14-year-old girl In the area recently. Another navy driver, Maleta Drake, told investigators that three days ago she found a Negro hiding in her bus when she picked it up at the Pacific Greyhound garage. He escaped when she ran to notify attend ants. FORESTER CHANGE . Sacramento. Jan. 8. (U.R) Di rector Warren T. Hannum of the natural resources department to day announced appointment of DeWitt Nelson as temporary state forester, replacing M. B. Pratt who recently retired after more than 30 yean' service. LMwd Wit Russia Yanks, T OF BRIT CHIEF ermanerrev or Tranter Not Revealed; War Develop ments Reason for Change Washington, Jan. 8 (U.R) President Roosevelt said today that the transfer of the Ameri can First and Ninth armies to the command British Field Mar shall Sir Bernard L. Montgom ery did not mean that Mont gomery was to become a deputy commander to Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower. The President said the change in commands was a regular field operation by Gen. Elsenhower. He said further Information should come from Supreme Al lied Headquarters. Permanency Unrevealed Meanwhile it was learned at the War Department that over all command of the two Ameri can armies was given to Mont gomery because sudden military developments the German of fensive cut them off from the group headquarters of American Gen. Omar Bradley, their for mer over-all commander. Weth er the shift will be permanent is entirely ur) to Eisenhower; it was said. - - Montgomery at the time of the invasion last June was com mander of all ground forces un der Eisenhower. Paris, Jan 5 J.R) Marshal Sir Bernard - L. Montpnmprv commander of the British 21st army group, has been given over-all command of the Amer ican First and Ninth armies and is directing the assault against the Ardennes bulge from the north and west, it can be re vealed today. Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, supreme commander, shifted the over-all command of the two armies from Lt. Gen. Omar N. Bradley, commander .of the American 12th Montgomery after the German ouensive disrupted communica tions between them and Lt. Gen. George S. Patton's Third armv south of the bulge. HANNA REPORTED El Today's report on the condi tion of Circuit Judge Herbert K. Hanna, confined in a Portland hospital with a serious malady, was to the effect that there is no change. Earlier reports this week were to the effect that the Judge was slightly Improved, with the periods of normal con sciousness increasing in length. Tuesday's United Press bulletin stated that the Medford Judge was in a semi-comatose state. The judge's illness has now extended to two 'weeks and he has been in St. Vincent's hospital in Portland ntore than a week. Capt. Beard Home From Duty in India Returning after 15 months In India, Capt. W. G. Beard has ar rived in Medford on a three weeks leave. Capt. Beard, who has been serving with the China-Burma-India command as a transport . pilot, .holds the Dis tinguished Flying Cross and the air medal with one oak leaf cluster. He als6 holds' a Presi dential citation. . The. captain .has been in the army nearly three years. He Is the son of Mr. and Mrs. W. G. Beard; Fern Valley, and is spend ing his leave at the family home. Washington. J a n. 5 (U.R) President Roosevelt said today that the United States and Great Britain have' agreed on a pro gram for feeding Italy and that more food is now going into that country Montg MEDFORD. OREGON, FRIDAY, JANUARY 5, 1945 and Allies Break on Polish Policy; British &lug Forward Under Fire: ornery Col. Jackson Photo Seen With Story in ' National Magazine Col. Glenn L. Jackson of Med ford is shown in a picture used to illustrate an article in this week's issue of the Saturday Evening Post. The colonel is shown with Lt. Gen. Ira C. Eaker, commander-in-chief of the Mediterranean allied air forces, the picture having been made while Gen. Eaker inspect ed one of the Astra-Romano oil refineries at Ploestl, Rumania. following one of the allied bomb ing raids. , The Medford colonel Is one of Gen. Eaker's staff officers and last fall accompanied the gen eral on a brief trip back to the united States, flying to the west coast to spend a few days with Mrs. Jackson and their daugh ter, Cynthia. ANNUAL MESSAGE Washington, Jan. 8. (U.R) President Roosevelt will sum marize his annual message to congress In a Saturday night broadcast over all major net works from 7 to 7:30 p. m., (PWD. ...,l ..v .;... Mr. Roosevelt told his news conference- that he was prepar ing a message of about 8,000 words to be delivered to con gress tomorrow afternoon. The broadcast version will be less than half that long. . The message will touch on sev eral foreign policy matters, as well as on possible manpower arait moves, Mr. Roosevelt cold his news conference. Oiie foreign policy issue to be discussed, he said under persist ent questioning, will be the ship ment of additional war materials to France, which has indicated consistently that it desires to play a greater part in the war. BR!TISHTRDOPS CLEAN OUT ELAS Athens, Jan. 8. (U.R) British forces have cleared nearly three- fourths of Athens, it was re vealed today as they smashed into the last rebel strongholds in the capital against heavy ELAS resistance. The British had their most successful day in a fortnight yes terday, with one column strik ing into the strongly-held north ern outskirts to rout ELAS units from the northwest suburb of Peristeri. At the end of the day, 224 ELAS troops had been killed 101 wounded, and 752 captured. (A BBC broadcast said the British had recaptured half of the Averow prisoh, which fell to a strong ELAS attack last month.) PLANS STRUCTURE M. K. Shook applied for a building permit at the city super intendent's office today to erect a new building at 802 North Fir for the OK Poultry business, The new building will cost approximately $15,000 and is to be a one-story concrete structure 100 by 100 feet, according to Shook. C. E. Borg is contractor and Frank Clark is architect. Work on the project will be gin Monday, Shook Indicated and he hopes to occupy on or about March 15. Spokesmen here said there would be no finer poultry plant in southern Ore gon than the OK upon its com pletion. Present location of the busi ness Is Fourth and Fir streets. to Head Two GAIN OVER MILE E ARDENNES AREA Point-Blank Artillery Fire and Heavy Snowstorm Fall to Halt Allied Forces. Paris, Jan. 8 (U.R) American and British forces of Marshal Sir Bernard L. Montgomery's newly expanded command ground for ward another tough mile or more today in the teeth of a point- blank artillery fire from the slowly" yielding German posi tions along a 21-mile stretch of the north rim of the Ardennes salient. Lt. Gen. Courtney H. Hodges' 1st army and Lt. Gen. George S. Patton's 3d army, battering toward each other from the op posite sides of the salient, were tightening an inexorable Brio on its waistline already compressed to a width of 12 miles or less. Toughest Campaign "The heaviest fighting con tinues on the snowstorms shroud ing what has become one of the toughest campaigns fought in western Europe In this war, United Press Correspondent Ronald Clark reported from Montgomery's 21st army group sector.. . rtton'g -forces of the Bastogne spearhead again were wrestling the Initiative from the Germans after beating off 17 counter attacks in 24 hours. One division was on the march again, gain ing 4UU yards east of Bastogne. Supreme headquarters an nounced that the Germans had "activated .the. front" at Graven macher, nine miles south of Ech ternach at. the southern base of the Ardennes bulge, but gave no details of the fighting. Air Forces Busy Although still dirty, the weather was somewhat better to day, the third of the offensive against the north side of the Ger man salient. Both the British and American air forces were batter ing the nazi front lines and com munications directly behind them in some strength by. noon. Montgomery's British 2d army. flanking the U. S. 1st on its right, and attacking . between Hotton and Marche, gained more than a mile to the approaches of Rendau, three miles southeast of Hotton. The British, many wear ing white for, camouflage against ine snow, also were clearing out the Hampteau forest in the same area. . In that area the Germans had been driven back about 15 miles from the high water, mark of their westward penetration at Cincey. It was revealed belated ly that the British co-operated with the Americans in wiping out the Cellcs and Cincey pene trations 10 days ago. They de stroyed 81 tanks, 405 mixed ar mored vehicles, 74 field guns Censors Charged With Giving Americans Distorted Picture Of German Situation By James F. McGllncy United Press War Correspondent Paris, Jan. 8 (U.R) Indigna tion of American war correspon dents at the Supreme Allied Headquarters press policy boiled over today both at Shaef and at the front with charges that Su preme Headquarters Allied European Forces policy is giving the American public a distorted and confused picture of the situa tion. The outburst was touched off by two fresh mixups on news of the western front. Army Shift Bottled The first concerned reports of the shift of the American first and ninth armies to the com mand of Field Marshal Sir Bern ard Montgomery under 21st army group, rather than undr Lt. Gen. Omar N. Bradley of 12th army group. The second concerned the re Tribune United Pr en full REDS FIGHT OFF E ON EAST FRONT Foe Hurls Waves of Armor' In Effort to Cut Siege Line About Budapest. Moscow, Jan. 8. (U.R) Out numbered Russian troops today fought off a powerful German tank army striking down from the Danube against their siege lines around Budapest, where tens of thousands of Nazis were being cut to pieces in the blood iest street battle of the war. Going .all-out in their attempt to rescue the trapped Budapest garrison, the Germans hurled wave upon wave of armor and infantry against the Soviet de fenses some 30 miles northwest of the capital in their first big counter-offensive in the eastern front in more than a year. The German onslaught, after gaining as much as six miles along the south bank of the Dan ube Tuesday and Wednesday, broke against stubborn Russian resistance yesterday and field dispatches said the Nazis had been halted all along the attack front. PLACED IN MAILS Jackson County Civic Music association membership cards were put Into the mail Wednes day of this week, officers of the association stated today. This year's membership numbers 1,026, a substantial increase over last year s list, it is stated. Due to the Increased mem' bershlp, the association was able to select outstanding talent for the year's concert series, officers point out, including the world renowned violinist, Joseph Szi- geti, who appears in Medford the evening of Jan. 11 for the first concert. It was stated that extra seats would be placed in the auditor ium to care for the Increased at tendance expected for the con certs and that due to the en larged membership of the asso ciation, it will be impossible this year to allow two students to at tend on one adult membership ticket, as was done last year. and seven self-propelled guns. "The blunt truth is that the weather and stiffening resistance have slowed down the counter- offensives so much that progress is now measured in yards, and it should be stressed that progress is likely to be on the same scale until the weather Improves, either on the ground or in the air," Clark reported. lease of news on the allied counteroffenslve. Both Supreme Allied Headquarters and front correspondents protested bitter ly that British Broadcasting cor poration broke a security black out on news of the offensive, pre senting the news 11 hours be fore a previously fixed deadline. Despite publication of the Montgomery shift by Time maga zine Shaef correspondents were told today by Brig. Gen. Frank A. Allen, chief of Shaef public relations, that the story could not be written from Shaef until an official chronology of the German attack, now being pre pared, has been made public. Swedes First Previously, when the Mont gomery report first appeared in print in Stockholm newspapers and later in various British pub lications Shaef correspondents were told they could not be al LMttd Wire U. S. Missing Skipper Picked Up in L. A. Los Angelea, Jan. 8 (U.R) Capt. Edward Crabtree, 42, of Lomita, Calif., skipper of a mer chant marine tanker, was picked up today by FBI agents on a Portland, Ore., complaint charg ing him with embezzlement of $39,426 ot war shipping admin istration funds. A merchant seaman for 28 years, Crabtree will appear later before U. S. Commissioner David B. Head for removal proceedings. E C OF C PRESIDENT AT ANNUAL MEET Herb Grey, advertising man ager of the Mail Tribune,-was elected president of the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce at a meeting of the newly-named 1948 board of directors at the Holland hotel' this noon. -He succeeds Karl Janouch. Grey has previously served on the board as a director. H. S. Deuel was named vice president, George T. -Frey was elected treasurer and Frank Hull was named to serve again as manager. ' Routine matters were handled during the meeting and Janouch presented a complete resume of post-war plans for Medford and the county. He has been serving as chairman of the postwar plan ning committee named about a year ago. - A. M. Cannon, newly elected director, attended his first and last board session, submitting his resignation during that meet ing. Cannon leaves tonight for Seattle where he reports to. the navy, having been recently com missioned a junior-grade lieu tenant in that branch of the serv ice. Sisters Perish in - Blazing Residence Redding, Cal., Jan. 5 (U.R) Two sisters, Margaret Hill, 20, and Peggy. 7, were burned to death early today and other members of a family of seven were injured when their home at Viola, 45 miles east of here, was destroyed by fire. Inez Hill, 19, received burns expected to be fatal while Mr, and Mrs. William Hill, the par ents, and a son, Cody, 16, were burned less seriously. A month old baby, Ross, escaped injury, Mass Plane Attack On Enemy Supplies London, Jan. . 8 (U.R) Almost 2,000 American and British planes, resuming the heavy air offensive against Germany, ham mered more than a score of vital enemy supply points behind the front today and Nazi radios re ported other allied aerial forces over the Reich early tonight. lowed to speculate on this sub ject from Shaef but that corres pondents In London, farther from official sources, would be allowed more freedom to specu late." Presumably, any Shaef correspondent could have flown to London and written an accur ate "speculative" story. Despite evidence that the Montgomery story had been pub lished in the United States, Shaef censors today still refused - to pass the full United Press story ot the command changes which is on file with them. Shaef correspondents futllely pointed out to public relations officers that the news blackout policy followed since the Ger man counteroffenslve was bound to lead to exactly the type of leaks which have occurred and to confusion in the mind of the American public. Front reporters said that press restrictions were a bad there. Dm The MAIL TRIBUNE? Want Ad Way Quick Results At Small Cort NO. 242. Armies OF LUBLIN SETUP BREAffiUNITY Britain and United States Adhere to London Poles; London Officials Irked. Washington, Jan. 8 flJ.R) . The big three meeting be tween President Roosevelt, Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Premier Josef Stalin will be held sometime after Jan. 20. Mr. Roosevelt said today. London, Jan. 8. (U.R) -Prime Minister Winston Churchill returned today from France, where during a short visit he met Gen. Dwight D. Elsenhower and Marshal Sir -Bernard L. Montgomery, It was announced officially. London, Jan. 5. U.W Russia, In a major policy break with the other big powers, today recog nized the Lublin Poles as the provisional government of Po land after Britain had Informed the Kremlin that she would not abandon the Polish government In London. On Washington, the United States . government . reaffirmed Its recognition of the Polish gov ernment in London, and revealed that Moscow had served notice) in advance of its Intention to recognize the Lublin committee.) Britain Stands Firm A British fcrelgn office state, ment said Britain - and Russia had consulted on the matter of Polish recognition, and Britain had refused to concur In the Rus sian decision. - The Russians had Informed the British that they were going to recognize the Lublin setup, and the Moscow radio announcement of the recognition today came as no surprise in official quarters. Britain and the United States were understood to have been in close consultation on the Polish problem, and probably will con tinue to take parallel action on lt until the forthcoming meeting of President Roosevelt, Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Premier. Josef Stalin. The blow to trlpower unity was underscored by the coinci dence that the Soviet announce ment of the Lublin recognition came almost simultaneously with Mr. Roosevelt's report that ha was meeting with the British and Russian leaders some time after Jan. 20. Displeasure Manifest, High quarters here made no secret of their displeasure over the fact that-Russia chose to pre cipitate the crisis when the con sultation of the three govern ment heads was only a short time away. The London Poles had been expecting the Soviet recognition of the Lublin committee. Many of them fell that lt would strengthen rather than weaken the position of the London gov ernment, since they professed to feel that Russia's action would rally opinion behind them. RE-TRlATSOUGHT E Hollywood, Jan. 8. U.R)-Bushy-browed Joseph E. Scott today asked superior court to set the earliest possible date for retrial of Joan Barry's suit seek ing to have Charlie Chaplin named the father of her 13-month-old daughter, Carol Ann, In his request for a retrial. . Scott Miss Barry's attorney noted only that the first trial Jury had been discharged yester day after a hopeless deadlock. Chaplin's attorney, Charles E. "Pat" Mllllkan, has five court days to answer the motion. Both parties will make their next ap pearance on Jan. 11, before the presiding judge, to have the date set tor a new trial. : RED RECOGNITION
