Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989, March 30, 1950, Image 1

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Medford mail tribune., March 30, 1950, Image 1

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Newspaper Page Text'GUILTY TO '-GROUfiTDIHG 0 SKIFFER PLEADS ill m Medford Unittd Press Full Lease Wire 44th Year 'Strange' Sub Seen Off Coast San Francisco, Mar. 30 U.R) The navy announced today one of its patrol planes has sighted scope ana patrol bombers and a destroyer were dispatched to search an area off Eureka, Cal., near the California-Oregon border. The commander of the western sea frontier said the patrol plane sighted the periscope yesterday about 2 p.m. Early today, a fishing vessel from Trinidad Harbor, near Eureka, reported to the coast guard it saw an unidentified submarine in the area. The navy confirmed an air-sea search was underway. The area where the subsighting occurred is approximately the came part of the California coastline where unidentified subma rines were seen last January by an ex-RAF pilot. The navy announcement said: "Commander of western sea frontier reports that an unidenti fied submarine periscope was sighted yesterday about 2 p.m. by a navy patrol plane roughly 40 miles off Cape Mendocino in northern California. "The navy is maintaining a continuous patrol in that area." "At 1 a.m. today, a fishing vessel from Trinidad Harbor, near Eureka, reported to the Humboldt bay coast guard station the sighting of an unidentified submarine four miles south of Blunt Reef light, close inshore. "The skipper of the fishing vessel, Ray Carpenter, is being Interrogated by navy officials." Three Cities Picked As Key Points for Air Warning System Salem, Ore., Mar. 30 (U.R) The Dalles, Eugene, Pendleton and Portland have been ap proved as key points in Oregon's newly-activated air raid warn ing system. Approval, which came from national civil defense officials in Washington, D. C, was an nounced here Wednesday at a joint meeting of Gov. Douglas McKay's advisory committee on civil defense and the state staff of the Oregon civil defense agency. Louis E. Starr, Portland attor ney and agency director, said personnel at the four key cen ters would notify adjacent indus- V Budget Estimate I r II sessions neanng In County, City Estimates of how much money the city and county govern ments will spend during the next fiscal year may be known within the next few weeks Various governmental agencies have started collecting data from their departmental heads so that tentative budgets can be drawn up to be submitted at hearings and finally to the public through general publications. The county rural school board is farther along in its budget work than any other group be cause the procedure for final approval of that budget is more lonothv than for the others. County School Superintendent C. R. Bowman said today the rural school board has already studied the first budget esti mates submitted by the indivi dual rural districts and mai me first hearings to consider the board's revisions are set for April 12. Bowman said the rural school budget will have to come to a vote since it undoubtedly will exceed the six per cent nmi tation. No Data Set Though the county court has begun preliminary work on its budget, no definite date has been set for hearings or meetings of the budget committee. Depart ment heads of the county gov ernment are due to submit their estimated cash needs soon ana actual work on this year's task cannot begin until all the esti mates are in. in addition to me county court, the county budget committee consists of Arnold Bohncrt, Roger Rath and Thomas Wrav. City Recorder Ralph Wood ford pointed out this morning that there is still ample time be fore the July 15 deadline for the city to begin work on its budget for the coming fiscal year. "We haven't even started on it." he said. The city will hold a series of budget committee meetings but no dates have yet been set. One new member of the com mittee will have to be appointed to fill the vacancvy left by the recent death of David Holmes. Final approval of the citv bud get may be accomplished bv late Mav or .Tune. Woodford said. School Work Beaun Mrs. Rebecca Jensen, clerk of school district 49. said she has started to work out the prelim inary detail' of the budget for Medford schools but her work has not progressed to the point where any definite figures can yet be submitted to the board, All the budgets must be com pleted and approved by July IS. Vancouver, Wash., Mar. 30 UP.' Pinball machines were on their way out today following V. approval of an anti-pmball ma jemne ordinance oy we council. city I 20 Pages an "unidentified submarine peri tries and residents in the event of the approach of enemy air craft. Starr also said an effort is un der way to locate a filter center in the Portland area. He .said the site will be selected with consideration to availability of needed telephone facilities and the security of women volun teers. He mentioned the recent atrocity death of an 18-ycar-old girl who was abducted at Van couver, Wash., as an impetus to ward the latter consideration. Airforce officials from Hamil ton field, Cal., are aiding in the job of finding a suitable site. Starr said five airforce offi cers will be assigned to the filter center during its first "dry run" this summer. They will be with drawn after the test, but the air force will continue in charge of the overall air defense operation in Oregon. A skeleton force of local vol unteers, to man the center has been raised, but other volunteers are needed both for the center and for the scores of observation posts in all parts of the state, he said. Starr said the activation pro gram is "progressing very nice ly and will be ready, I think, ahead of the time Washington wants it." Fair Weather Spurs Search for Airplane Portland, Ore., Mar. 30 U.R) Pilots took advantage of fair weather in north central Oregon today and began combing the mountains for a missing yellow Beechcraft biplane missing nine days with four persons aboard on a flight from Lakeview, Ore., to Portland. George Blakkolb, brother of the missing pilot, Lee Blakkolb, requested pilots who flew yel low biplanes in one of two areas on March 21 to report to the CAA in order to simplify search operations. Blakkolb listed the areas as: 1. Crooked Rriver Bridge-Ter- rebone-Madras, between 2:30 and 3:10 p.m.; or 2. Hood River-Cascade locks in the Columbia river gorge, be tween 4 and 5 p m. Blakkolb said a number of witnesses reported seeing a yel low plane at those times in those areas, but that he wanted to know if any planes other than his brother's also were in the two areas. Blakkolb said a 51.000 reward had been posted for the person finding the missing plane within one week's time, ending mid night, April 4. Mr. and Mrs. Lee Blakkolb and Mr. and Mrs. W. B. Lund strom were aboard the ship Search planes have been operat ing out of Portland, Hood River, The Dalles, Redmond and Lake view. Bartleit Pear Order Reactivated Sacramento, Mar. 30 (U.P The state department of agri culture today announced the re activation of a marketing order for fresh bartlett pears and a new amended order for canning and freezing asparagus. lhe department said B6 per cent of the producers and nan- dlers voting in a referendum on the bartlett pear order favored reactivation. The order has not been in active operation since 1942. It provides for establish ment of minimum grade or size regulations of bartlett pears sold for fresh consumption in Cali- zorm. MEDFORD, OREGON, THURSDAY, MARCH 30, Nine Patients Die By Dense Smoke in Mental Hospital Violent Inmates Saved by Rescuers Philadelphia, Mar. 30 (U.R) Nicholas Verna, 26, a convict ad arsonist, confessed today that he set the fir which killed nine mental patients at a private sanatorium, state police reported. Sgt. Charles Taylor, arson investigation expert for the state police, said that Verna made his confession at Valley Forge General hospital in nearby Phoenixville, where he was taken with 13 other oa tients following the fire at the sanatorium. Philadelphia. Mar. 30 (U.R) Nine men. mental patients, tug ging in terror at the chains wnicn bound them to concrete slabs, died today in a fire in a private sanitarium. The dense smoke which killed them, pouring into their barred cells from a basement fire, felled two other patients in the ward. They were in critical condition at Montgomery hospital in Nor ristown. Pa. Nurse Saves Lives A male nurse. George Lewis, 51, saved the lives of the four other inmates of the violent sec tion. He groped through the smoke and unlocked the leather bound chains which shackled either by the wrist or ankle to an iron ring in their concrete "beds." The cuts and bruises on the bodies of the dead told the story of how they struggled futilely to break the shackles that held them. About 30 other persons, in cluding firemen and attendants, were overcome or sickened by the dense smoke from a rubbish fire. Amid the confusion of smoke, the rescuing of 75 terror-stricken inmates and firemen battering at cell doors, there was heroism. Mrs. Theresa Shaw, a 38-year-old nurse from New York, crawled on her stomach through the smoke to lead firemen to the locked doors of bedridden pa tients. Spectators Aid Heroic firemen carried other patients, naked or clad in night clothes or underwear, to safety down ladders in the chill early morning hours. Spectators, drawn to the scene by smoke and fire sirens, aided in the rescue work. Mrs. Shaw had just returned to work at the Belle Vista sana torium in the exclusive Chestnut Hill section when the flames broke out. "A half hour later. I heard the alarm," she said. "I don't know who gave it." Immediately. Mrs. Shaw went to help her patients. Confined to Basement There was no way and no time to get the ward records, so we could first resells the most feeble." she said. "I just called on memory to aid me. As each patient was led or carried to safety, I called her bv name and assured her that everything was all right and that everyone would get out all right. the blaze, confined to the basement, was discovered at iu:4a p. m. yesterday bv four patients lounging in bathrobes while watching a television show. Elgin Air Force Base, Fla., Mar. 30 (U.R) Funeral services will be held tomorrow at 10:?0 a.m. in Arlington national ceme tery in Washington for Brig. Gen. Dale V. Gaffney. deputy commanding general of the sir force proving ground here. Reasons Reasons which motivated the Medford water commission to propose a bond issue for the con struction of a new city pipeline from Big Butte springs were list ed today by Robert A. Duff, su perintendent of the water depart ment here. They include: 1. The fact that the bond issue can be liquidated without any increase in taxes or water rates to city users. 2. The fact that present wa ter supplies are becoming in creasingly inadequate due to population increases within the city limits. , 3. The fact that a single wa ter line presents a considerable hazard in case of fire. 4. The fact that the present pipeline is beginning to show signs of age and repairs will have to be made upon it with in creasing frequency. 3. the fact that all demands for water in the foreseeable fu ture, both within and without the city limits, will be met with the addition of the proposed new lint. Eli m Pi (ppn p M laUlMiS mesa m IS (Acm Tel f photo) XIVING BUDDHA' PRAYS FOR LATTIMORE - Th "Living Buddha" offers prayers at his home in Baltimore. Md in behalf of Owen Latttmore, expert on Far Eastern affairs who has been called Russia's top agent in America by Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy. The Prince of the Mongolian Buddhist Church. Dllowa Httukhtu, said he is sure Lattlmore, his long-time friend, was Innocent of the charg made against him And was praying for him. Leon Blum, Famed Frenchman, Passes Paris. Mar. 30 (U.R) Leon Blum, president of the French socialist party and three times premier of France, died today just 10 days before his 78th birthday anniversary. The elder statesman who weathered the rigors of two world wars and gave France its new deal in the middle 30s, died at his country home, Jouy en Josas, near Versailles. Blum died of a heart attack. He had suffered for some years from phlebitis, an inflammatory ailment of the views, but showed some improvement after an op eration last year. Blum's famous role In French poD'.ics was his premiership of the popular front government in 1936. The socialists of whom he was the dean had joined forces with the communists after the bloody rioting between left and right in 1934. A wave of sit-down strikes, the first prominent use of that labor weapon, greeted Blum's arrival to power. He refused to clear the men from factories by force and the strikes finally were settled without violence. Blum put through a series of labor reforms which Included the for Water Details Givtn In giving additional details supporting these reasons, Duff cited the emergency water sup ply conditions confronting the city, especially during-the sum mer months. Last year it was necessary to restrict the use of water for lawn sprinkling, but even then water consumed each day was as much as the total ca pacity of the old pipe. Had a serious fire occurred and the pipe broken at the same time, properly loss and suffering could have been severe. Duff said. Reservoir facilities could not meet peak demands for more than a tew hours, and if the si uation continue", fire Insurance rates could be increased sharply. Mad Studies Taking these factors Into con sideration, the board of water commissioners began studies many months ago to determine the most practical method of in creasing supplies Briefly, the re sulting plans call for the "total development" of the Big Butte springs tret, tbt conjunction of Tfabune 1950 40-hour week and a minimum wage. His administration be came known as "France's new deal." As a leading socialist and Jew, Blum was arrested soon after the Vichy regime was established in 1940. His defense of the popular front was one of the features of the Riom trials in 1942. Vichy sought to prove that Blum and his associates were responsible for the war. The trial finally was called off by the Germans. Blum and other French lead ers were taken to Germany, He was welcomed wholeheartedly by his party when he returned to France in the summer of 1945. Mickey Rooney's Dad Dies of Heart Attack Hollywood. Mar. 30 (U.R) Joe Yule, 58, father of Actor Mickey Rooney and old-time vaudeville actor, died today of a heart attack. His pint-sized son reached his father about the time he died, and as an inhalatnr squad tried to save his life. f if i . -r v I Development Cited a dam on Willow creek for sup plemental storage, and the con struction of an additional pipe line of 20-cubic-feet-pcr-sccund capacity. Duff explained that the city's water rights to the water are co extent with an equal right of the Eagle Point irrigation dis trict. Withdrawals are in the ra tio of 100 cubic feet per second to the district, and 30 cfs to the city. With increased usage of water by the city, it would be necessary under the water rights to furnish additional water to the irrigation district. Foraita Dam Use This can be done. Duff said, by a dam on Willow creek to store run-off water for the dis trict. Completion of the development would more than double the present water supply available to the city now 17 cubic feet per second, or 10.986.000 gallons per day. Surplus water made available by the development. Duff said, can be sold to water districts organized by nearby United Press Full Leas Wire mm mm WARRANTS ISSUED FOR 2 BROTHERS Vancouver, Wash., Mar. 30 (UP) Prosecutor Dewitt Jones today issued first degree murder, and kidnaping warrants against Turman Wilson, 20, a con victed rapist, and his brother, Utah E. Wilson, 25, for the abduction-claying of 18-year-old JoAnn Dewey. An all-points bulletin was broadcast for arrest of the two brothers, who, according to Jones have fled the state of Washington. Turman was released from Oregon state prison after serving a sentence for raping a 17-year-old Port land Ore., girl and for escape. Capt. William Brown, chief of the Portland po lice detective bureau, said two abandoned automo biles believed to have been used in the abduction have been found and impounded in Portland. A Pon tiac was recovered early today and a Buick was driven to Portland from Camas by Vancouver police. Both the cars were registered to Grant Wilson, one of five Wilson brothers. Grant Wilson hat no police record. Articles Found by Police in Automobile Capt. - Brown said either a tooth or a small piese of bone, labels off several beer bottles, human hair, blood and a button assertedly from Miss Dewey's coat were found In the Pontiac. Portland police fingerprint ex perts examined a beer bottle found at the scene of Joann's ab duction and announced that one of the fingerprints on it was that of Utah Wilson. Miss Dewey, a plump, attrac tive Portland, Ore., hospital worker, was kidnaped by two men from a Vancouver street Sunday night, March IB. One week later her battered body was found on a gravel bar in the Wind river. Skamania county. Car Gas Fatal An autopsy showed that the primary cause of death was acute asphyxiation resulting from in halation of carbon monoxide gas. "Through the tireless efforts of the Vancouver police depart ment we have developed what I believe to be a very strong prima facie case against Tcrman and Utah Wilson," Jones said. "There was no evidence that these men were seeking this par ticular girl. It is believed that they were waiting for nurses to come out or the (hi. josepn si hospital that night. This girl hap pened to be a victim because she came along at the time they were seeking a victim, we be lieve," Jones said. Seattle. Mar. 30 (U.R) An 18- year-old girl forced into a car early today by two young men, was choked and then raped, snc told police. The girl told officers the youths seized her at a bus stop about midnight. While she was being driven around the city, one of the men, about 19. attacked her. Four hours later they released her near her North End home. communities without cost to Medford, thus reducing costs to city consumers. Any water sold to users outside the city, Duff added, would be sold only on the basis of availability over and above the city's requirements. Plan Bond Eltction Costs of the development, un der the plan, would be met by a bond issue of $2,800,000, which will probably be presented to citv voters at a special election held in conjunction with the pri mary election May 19. The bonds. Duff emphasized, would be retired over a 30-year period without tax or water rate in creases in the city. This can be done, Duff explained, because the Improvements would be com pleted during the summer o' 1951 and existing bonding indebted ness will be paid off by March, 1952. After that date present revenues, plus revenues from sale of water outside the city, will be sufficient to operate the water department and tmortize tbt bonds. WEATHER FORECAST: Fair and continue mild tonlfht and Friday. Temp. Hlghcit Yeitcrday 71 Lowest thli Mornitif 35 NO. 313 McCarthy Repeats Laffimer Charges Washington, Mar. 30 U.R Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy R Wis.) said today Owen Lattimore "is a Soviet agent and is or has been a member of the commu nist party." McCarthy said he can produce a witness who will testify under oath that Lattimore has been a member of the communist party "for many years." Lattimore, a frequent consult ant of this government on far eastern affairs, is director of the Walter Hines Page School of In ternational Relations at Johns Hopkins university In Baltimore. He is flying home now from Af ghanistan where he had been on a mission for the United Nations. He has described McCarthy's pre vious similar charges as "moon shine" and "hogwash." McCarthy repeated and elab orated on his previous charges against Lattimore during a long speech on the senate floor. He promised to tick off specific de tails on his charges that the state department is loaded with pro communists. LighteiTW'Seeii In Portland Skies Portland, Ore., Mar. 30 W:R) Four Portland women were won dering lodav what was floating around southwest city skies last night. Mrs. Francis Wehlitz, and Mrs. Mildred Walker, her mother. Mrs. Eva Hicks, and her sister Lucille Hicks reported seeing lighted "balls" move west across southwest Portland and disap pear over the 1,000-foot high west hills. Mrs. Wehlitz. said the two ob jects had a yellow flickering light and seemed to be circling over the hills. She said an air plane buzzed the objects as If trying to find out what they were. Several air force planes from the Portland air ba.se were sent up after the objects were report ed to the air base by the civil aeronautics administration of fice. Pilots were unable to find the objects. Mrs. Walker said the balls had a humming sound as they moved due west some 2'J miles south of Portland's Sellwood bridge. SOIL MEETINGS TONIGHT The Sams Valley schoolhousc will be the scene of a meeting at 8 p.m. today that may mark the beginning of another cam paign for a soil conservation dist rict in the county, inougn a pro posed district that would have covered most of the county was defeated at a referendum elec tion last week, residents In the Sams Valley area are interested In reviving the Issue for the rural communities of Sams Val ley, Beagle, The Meadows and Table Rock. They will attempt to draw tentative boundaries tonight. Captain Assumes Full Responsibility On Three Charges Court Martial Drops Original Counts Norfolk, Va., Mar. 30 (U.R) Capt. W. D. Brown, former skip per of the battleship Missouri, pleaded guilty today at a navy court martial to charges that ha was responsible for grounding the ship in Hampton Roads Janu ary 17. Brown pleaded guilty speclfi cally to charges of suffering a ship of the navy to be stranded, suffering a vessel of the navy to be hazarded and neglect of duty. Three Counts Dropped The court martial agreed to drop three counts originally charged against Brown, who was skippering the Missouri when it grounded during its first cruise under his command. To each of three charges and four specifications Brown ans wered guilty." i Then he read a statement to the court: "I trust that by my pleas of today and by my statement of a month R0n. whtph hnram. mn. ter of public record, my position iios u mane unmistakably clear. I am not concerned with the leenl tpphnii,oiitias M position. I recognize that I was responsible for the safe naviga tion of the ship. My orders put the Shin namttnrl T'U..... ---- r- . i .i . liltiriUlO, any culpability involved in the kiuimiuiiik is mine, mat Is my position. End Of Road Brown'i counsel stepped be fore th .tarn nnM.knM - t after Brown had read his state ment. "The pleas of guilty which were sincerely made a few min utes ago," Capt. C. C. Wood aaid, "marked the end of a long and difficult stretch of road which Captain Brown has had to tread Since ft'22 An th iYinmlNM -- ..- ...... . i ii i u, January 17. tie feels that the court can not Impose any sentence which Will h Orpolop In nffrt... V, L self-inflicted punishment which litis mit?Hny resulted irom this tragic occurrence. "NppHloia in bv WaJ j, ,,vu win the court, "the scari of this pun- isnmeni win long outlive any action taken by this court." Attempted Rape Trial Goes to Jury Here Today A circuit court Jury retired early this afternoon to decide whether Rex Joseph Coy, 839 Wabash avenue, assaulted an 11-year-old Medford girl with in tent to commit rape, as has been charged In a grand Jury indict ment. The state and the defense both rested their cases yesterday aft ernoon and closing statements to the jury were completed at noon today. District Attorney George Neilson and his deputy, Paul Haviland, had called 17 wit nesses in their attempt to prove that the 28-year-old Medford man, who city police arrested shortly after the crime was com mitted, is guilty as the young victim has testified. Defense Argument ' Two court appointed attor neys, Manville Hcisel and Stan ley C. Jones Jr., who are de fending Coy, implied In state ments to the jury this morning that the three young girls who testified against the defendant were incompetent witnesses be cause of emotion and suggestion. One of the last witnesses called by the prosecution was Dr. Howard Richardson from the state crime detection laboratory in Portland. He had analyzed Coy's clothing and other articles at the request of Medford police. He testifed that he had found soil samples on the knee of Coy's trousers that were similar to soil samples taken from the scene of the crime. If he is convicted, Coy could be sentenced to life in the state pentcntiary or he could be giv en a set term of from 1 to 20 years. Foreign Ministers Will Invite Germany To Council of Europe Strasbourg, France. Mar. 30 (U.R) Western European foreign' ministers voted unanimously to day to invite Germany and the Saar to join the council of Eur ope as associate members. The council representing 13 western European nations, met with Germany's admission top-' ping their agenda. State Gas Station On State Street To Serve State Autos Salem. Ore., Mar. 30 U.R) A state-owned gasoline station to service state-owned cars will open here Monday on State street near the state highway shops. Under the present setup, the state buys Its gasoline from privately-owned stations. Of ficials said the new system will save the state 3.9 cents e gallon on gas and 3.S cents a gallon on oil, The station also will handle tires, tubes, antl freese. tire chains, jacks and ether tulo tccessoiies. i S ?