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
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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