Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (June 16, 1950)
t MM Ml Ul A mm Jl Medford 45th Year. 20 Pages Los Angeles Busses, Trolleys Halted by Strike of Operators Bridges Stripped fif Citizenship ln Court Action Longshore Leader Cites Reasons San Francisco, June 16 (U.R) Federal JudKe George B. Harris today stripped CIO Longshore Leader Harry Bridges ot his American citizenship. Bridges was recently convicted of perjury and conspiracy for lying about his membership in the communist party at his nat uralization hearing in 1945. Sen tenced to five years in prison, his case is being appealed. Presumption of Guilt Harris, after lengthy consid eration of a government motion to cancel Bridges' citizenship, an nounced: "This man stands convicted as a felon before this court. In such instances, the presumption of in nocence vanishes and a heavy presumption of guilt takes its place." "Under the circumstances herein, he should not be priv ileged to retain the fruits of his illegality." No Moral Right "Harry Bridges has no moral or constitutional right to retain the privilege of citizenship, if, by false swearing, an imposition was practiced upon the superior court of the state of California, without which the certificate of citizenship could and would not have been issued." Harris, who received briefs re cently from the government and Slrom defense attorneys for Bridges, handed down his deci sion this morning in the form of a "memorandum, opinion and order." He said his action was based upon the nationality act of Octo ber 14, 190. . Shriners Leave for Convention Sunday Some 300 members of Hillah Shrine will leave by special train Sunday morning for the annual Shrine convention to be held June IB to 23 in Los Angeles. Herman H. Mayberry, Ash land, potentate of the Shrine, said that about a quarter-million Shriners are expected to attend the convention, the largest in the history of the organization. The special train for Hillah Shriners will leave Eugene at 10 p. m. Saturday and will ar rive in Medford and Ashland the following morning. Composed of 15 cars, the train will arrive in Los Angeles at 9:15 a. m. Mon day. The return trip will begin the following Saturday. Shriners will select a new im perial potentate at the conven tion to succeed Movie Actor Harold Lloyd, who has served in the post for the past year. Corvallis. Ore., June 16 !U.R Lawrence Fisher Wooster, 65, retired Oregon State college pro fessor of electrical engineering, died yesterday in a local hospital. Oklahoma Badman Surrenders Peacefully When Captured In Girl Friend s Flat Munich, Germany, June 16 (U.R) Oklahoma Badman Homer Cook, ill with blood poisoning and weak from hunger, surren dered to police without a fight today in the bedroom of his Ger man sweetheart. Two American military police and six German police closed in on the Munich apartment of 21-year-old Anna Sporcr two hours after a German truck driver re ported seeing Cook stagger into the building. . Anna was not at home. Police battered down the door of her flat and found the 6-foot-l, 200 pound Cook sprawled on the bed. He still wore the same fa tigue trousers and undershirt in which he escaped 60 hours be fore from Dachau prison, 10 miles north of Munich. The 27-ycar-old Cook didn't ccm to notice the police until one of them prodded him with . cckcd revolver. "You won't have to use that," Cook said quietly. He appeared to be In great pain, wincing every time he moved his left arm. It was swol len and black almost to the el bow from a wound in his hand. He had ripped his hand when MEDFORD, OREGON, FRIDAY, JUNE 16, Use of Extra Autos Adds To Normal Congestion; Wage Talks Deadlocked Los Angeles, June 16 (U.R) A strike halted busses and street cars of the Los Angeles Transit lines today and one million com muters in this sprawling city of two million used the family car or thumbed rides. While business firms reported some absenteeism due to the walkout of 4,000 transit workers shortly after midnight, most workers who stood on corners were speedily given rides by co operative motorists. Federal conciliators failed to break a deadlock over wages earlv todav and the Amalgamated Association of Street, Electric Railway and Motor Coach Employees (AFL) pulled the yellow busses and street cars into the barns. The red cars of Pacific Electric, which serve many communi ties in Los Angeles county with its population of four million, continued to operate. Its cars and busses were jammed with extra passengers. Police cars cruised through the streets early today to warn persons waiting on some corners that the strike was on. Motor car pools were hastily formed and traffic policemen were put on 12-hour shifts to help keep automobiles moving in the downtown area which normally is traffic jammed. Some parking lots raised prices as the cars streamed down town. Woman Uses Holler Skates To Reach PE Station One woman used roller skates to get to a PE car. The Santa Monica municipal bus lines ran a shuttle service to a PE junc tion in that district. - Taxis did a rush business. But Taxi Driver J. W. Hetzner moaned that some riders felt they shouldn't pay more than they would on a bus. Recalling the 26-day transit strike in 1946, Hetzner said: "In the last strike I went days without a tip." Department stores reported a drop in business. Today was the final day of school. About ju, 000 school children normally use street cars but most of them were having no difficulty hitch ing rides. . The strike came as the city prepared to entertain 100,000 Shriners for their national con vention next week. Mayor Fletcher Bowron had hoped that the strike would have been de layed until after the Shrine con vention. Ed Oliver, international secre tary of the union, said the com pany had rejected an otter oi arbitration and had made no of fer that the union could accept. Transit workers will hold a mass meeting tomorrow morning. Would Boost Farei "Of every dollar paid into our fareboxes." said a company statement explaining rejection of the union's 20-cents -an-hour wage boost demand, "58 cents now goes to the employees in wages, pensions and other related items. Any further increase can result only in some increase in fares." No Serious Damage Caused by Storm Here The electrical storm about midnight last night blew out a large number ot transiormer, line and substation fuses from Central Point to Brownsboro, California Oregon Power com pany reported this morning. Several crews were assigned replace fuses. No large area of any consequence was affected, it was stated. No other damage around the valley has been reported. he scaled a 12-foot wall of the jail and fled into the woods last Tuesday night. He rose unsteadily to his feet, raised his hands in surrender and smiled sheepishly at the two (Arm TefepAeteJ HOMER COOK Dachau Escape Capture! 1 V'- r' ""' V President Vetoes Basing Point Bill; Fear Expressed Washington, June 16 (U.R) President Truman today vetoed the "basing point" bill which would have permitted manufao turers to charge the same "deliv ered price" to buyers in differ ent areas regardless of varying freight costs. In a veto message to the sen' ate, Mr. Truman expressed the fear that the law eventually would "reduce the protection afforded the public by the anti trust laws. Handicap Sean The president also said the bill might seriously handicap the federal trade commission and diminish the effect of the Rob-inson-Patman act which protects small enterprises against price discriminations. It was President Truman's sec ond veto of a major bill passed by this congress. The first was the Kerr bill to exempt inde pendent producers of natural gas from federal regulation. Mr. Tru man in vetoing the Kerr bill said is would not have been in the national interest. Controversial Issue The basing point bill was one of the more controversial bills on which the president acted at this congressional session. He had been under heavy pressure both to sign and veto it. Party lines were split wide when it passed congress. . The act would have permitted manufacturers to absorb freight costs to quote identical delivered prices at different points of de livery to meet the price of a competitor. The manufacturers would have had to act independ ently and the absorption of the freight rate would have had to be done in good faith. American police, Cpl. Albert Levison of Ashland, Ky., and Pfc. Emil Skaggs of Ansted, W. Va. He told police little about what he did during his 60 hours of liberty that followed his third prison break in two months. The former GI from Musko gee, Okla., said he had spent last night in the Nuernberg area but had not heard a radio appeal which his sweetheart made for him to surrender. He said he hoped he would be able to see Anna, who spent the night with friends and had left bv train for Nuernberg. 100 miles north, an hour before Cook was captured in her apartment. Anna's trip north was made in answer to an appeal from po lice, who thought they had Cook trapped in a small woods five miles outside Nuernberg. The police wanted her to call upon Cook to surrender. Anna fainted when told of Cook's capture on her arrival in Nuernberg. When she recovered she said: "I prayed all the way up here. I prayed for just that. I know they would have killed him. You can tell the world I still love Chuck and I will be wait ing tor Mm." Tribune 1950 , NO. 72 Rescue Crews Dig Through Debris For Trapped Men Five Miners Buried By Flood Waters Cadomin, Alta., June 16 (U.R) Tired, muddy coal miners dug through tons of mud. silt and rock today in an effort to save five of their buddies trapped 350 feet underground by river flood waters. They kept working although they had all but abandoned hope for he men imprisoned since Wednesday night behind a deluge from the MacLeod river. Hope Dwindles "We're praying that we'll get them out, one of the 20 spade wielding workers said as he la bored in the narrow tunnel being dug through the blocked mine shaft. "But it looks like onlv a mir acle will get them out." Thirty miners were working deep in the Cadomin coal mine when the flood waters poured into the workings and blocked the shaft with rubble from the sodden ceilings and shaft walls. All but the five escaped. They were believed to have clambered through the rubble bv the light of the headlamps and reached a point about 270 feel from the mine entrance. The rescue crews believed that by now the men probably had drowned or died from fumes after the water cut off the un derground ventilating system. No sound of life came from the nooaca section. But the digging weni on, wim ears ot tne crew cocked for the slightest knocking or scratching that would indicate signs of life. None of the volunteers or mine officials knew just how far they were from the trapped men. Rural School Districts To Name Directors Besides voting for directors of their individual school districts next Monday, residents in the dislricts outside Medford, Ash land and Central Point will be called on to name directors to the county rural school board and to the non-high school board. In the rural school board elec tion. Dr. George B. Dean is seeking re-election to another term as director from Zone 4 which includes Jacksonville, Griffin Creek, Ruch-Sterling, Applegate, Oak Grove and West Side districts. H. F. Padgham Jr. is a candi date for the directorship of Zone 3, comprising Lone Pine, Dewey, Kenwood and Howard districts. There are five directors on the rural school board. Carl Quackenbush has filed for the job as director from Zone 5 of the non-high school district. His zone consists of Lone Pine. Wagner Creek, Pinehurst and Colestine. All school districts in the state will hold their annual elections Monday. Redding Arrest Solves Burglary in Medford A man apprehended hv RnH. ding, Cal., officers has admitted the burglary of the residence of Dr. George S. Jennings here on J u n e 8 and three guns tnken have been recovered Merifnrri city police were informed yes- it-ruay. Redding police said that the arrest of Charles Adam Slawaon, 26, and Velma Coreen Hennin ger, 22 also cleared up four burglaries in that district. An other man, reportedly involved in the Medford theft, escaned capture and was said to have a watch taken from the Jennings' home, Medford officers have ntuceH a hold on the couple but it was mougnt tney will be prosecuted In California. Week-End Log Hauling Banned on Highways State police said today that no log hauling is being permitted on public roads after noon on Saturdays during the summer months. The measure has been decreed by state highway officials in steps to reduce accident peril during the heavy travel on week end. The regulation it effective un- Ul September 8. Owner of Truck Driven by Robber Found Murdered Body of Portland Carpenter Located Oregon City, Ore., June 16 (U.R) The murdered man found near Eagle Fern park about six miles east of Estacada, Ore., was identified today as Walter Lane R u c k e r , Portland carpenter, whose truck Wayne Long drove to a Portland bank in an at tempted robbery Thursday. Identification Made Clackamas County Coroner Ray Rilance says Rucker's moth er, Mrs. Arline Hardy of Port land, made the identification this morning. She said Rucker left home Wednesday night. When Long ran from the bank to find FBI agents waiting for him, he headed for Rucker's truck, parked nearby. The reg istration of the vehicle indicat ed it belonged to Rucker, whose address was given as Seattle. His mother said he had been liv ing in Portland for several months. Seen Together Capt. Wayne Gurdane of the Oregon state police said Long and Rucker were seen together Wednesday going into the area where Rucker's body was found and that Long came out alone. Sheriff Fred Eaksecker of Clackamas county said two boys discovered the body in a clear ing near the county park on an old log road. A gunshot wound behind the left ear caused Ruck er's death, Rilance said. Driver Uninjured In Truck Smashup, Central Point, June 16 Ray mond Arnol Gibson. Trail, escao- ed serious injury about 5:45 p.m. yesicraay wnen me loaaea lum ber truck he was operating was involved in an accident with a Southern Pacific company, switch engine here, according to local police. The truck was carried 90 feet from the point of impact at the Main street crossing and badly damaged, police said. A South ern Pacific official reported some damage to the front end of the engine. Police said the engine was derailed. Ties Torn Up A number of ties were torn up and the track had to be re leveled and relined. The track was cleared in about an hour and a half and the northbound pas senger train was not delayed. Auto traffic was held up about ia minutes. The accident attract ed a large crowd. The truck was owned by John Paudois, Central Point, for whom Gibson was hauling to the Southern Oregon Sugar corpora tion mill. The lumber vehicle was west bound and the south bound engine hit the real wheels, police reported. Otto Layton, Ashland, was train engineer. Patients Move to New County Farm Home Patients at the Jackson county farm home at Talent are now in their new quarters, County Judge J. B. Coleman said today, and the public will be given an opportunity to view the recently completed building as soon as workmen have improved the grounds. The patients have been moved from their dark first-floor and basement rooms in the old farm home into the light and airy rooms in the new 52-bed facility. The staff at the home said the patients were delighted with the new accommodations and equip ment and only one aged man said he was homesick for his room In the basement of the old building. Women patients who have been cared for in private homes during the year-long building program at the farm are now be ing returned to the county's care at the home. BULLETINS Washington. June 16 (U.R) President Truman today ap pointed W. Averell Harriman ai his special assistant en in ternational problems arising from the cold war. - Harriman is now special U.I. representative in Europe for the economic cooperation ad ministration. Cooi Bay, Ore., June II fU.Ri A three-week-old strike Involving some 900 members of the CIO International Woodworkers of America was settled here late Thursday when the Coos Bay Lumber company agreed to a modified union shop. WEATHER r"orrral: Thunder thnweri to night. Pfrllv cloudy with light ffhowrrt Saturday. Little change In temperature. Temp. HtrhMt VMIerdi Is Lowett thlt mornlnc SS Prrr. Ta 4:11 a. m todar .It N 1AJ.. &S!fef if -A- J?f!-"!''.- - - - -. -u-sv. i H.V FAITHFUL FRIEND Pour -year -old Clarence Swope shows the strain of spending a night In the densely woodrd Uuckhorn area near Altoona, Pa., while a search party beat through the brush in a heavy rain to find him. With him is his faithful mongrel dog Teddy, who remained with him and was at his side when searchers found them. Fingerprints Found On Beer Bottle Said To Be Utah Wilson's Vancouver. Wash.. June 16 (U.R) A state witness In the murder-kidnaping trial of Turman and Utah Wilson testified Thurs day that a beer bottle found near the abduction scene oeiinueiy bore Utah's fingerprints. Edwin S. Diss, fingerprint ex aminer for the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Washington, said copies of prints on the bottle mailed to him had been estab- Former Resident Takes Own Life Portland, June 16 Mrs. Lo cille Helen Tharp, 40, Portland. committed suicide in a Portland hospital room Wednesday night. according to Portland police au thorities. She was a victim ot cancer. Mrs. Tharp. the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Albert Smith, Med ford, figured in the recent Port land case where Otto Soles was convicted of practicing medicine without a license. Doctors had testified that Soles "Keystone salve" which he sold as a can cer cure, had been prescribed for Mrs. Tharp, and that the delay in orthodox medical treatment made the difference in her sur vival. Soles was fined $500 and sentenced to six months in jail. He is now free on bond pending appeal. Takes Life Mrs. Tharp took her own life by hanging, using a knotted night bell cord In the hospital. She was born in PhoenU April 8, 1910, and had lived in Port land about eight years. Surviv ors besides her parents include her husband, William M. Tharp: son. William Jr., 13: a daugh ter, Mary. 11; three sisters, Mrs. Audrey Parsons. Medford, Mrs. Shirley Hoskin, Day Creek, and Mrs. Agness Keezee, Klamath Falls, and two brothers, Law rence, Applegate, and Vallcmar, Medford. Mail Tribune Carrier Boy Completes Route Despite Broken Arm There t one Mail Tribune carrier boy who goes the pott office department one belter. The post office has a motto to the effect that "neither rain nor snow nor dark of the night ttays these couriers from the swift completion oi their appointed rounds." The motto says nothing about broken armi. This particular carrier boy Eighth Grader Jimmy Con ner, son of the Rev, and Mrs. John Conner, 342 Mae street broke a left arm bone last night, just after he started de livering papers. Instead of rushing home or to a doctor the youngster called friend of his to help, and the two of them completed the route, with the Injured boy showing hit friend where to throw the papers. Then and only then did the boy go home to have hit arm set and splinted. Salem, Ore., June 16 -U.R) A 84-year-old lifelong resident of Oregon, James H. Simpson, died here yesterday. Pretoria, South Africa, June 16 U,R) Field Marshal Jan C. Smuts, 80, had a fair night with no deterioration In but condition. (Arm TttrphtHoi lished as those oi the 20-year-old defendant. Defense Objects The brothers are charged with kidnaping and murdering 20-year-old Jo'Ann Dewey last May 20. Defense Counsel Irvin Good man objected to the admission of the bottle as primary evidence because the expert had not ex amined the bottle itself. The court overruled the objection. Earlier In the day Goodman vehemently asked a Vancouver detective, Floyd W. Morgan, whether he had threatened either of the defendants during ques tioning. Borgan was one of two officers who went to Sacramento to return the suspects after their arrest. The detective denied that he had threatened the pair. In his cross-examination, Goodman al leged that Borgan had threat ened to reveal to the public cer tain facts harmful to the Wilson family. Most of the other witnesses called were officers who attempt ed to establish the time that Miss Dewey was dragged screaming from the street in front of a Vancouver apartment house Into a black sedan. One officer, Sgt. Adolph Fors beck, was asked by Goodman how many suspects were ques tioned in the Investigation. He said about 10 or 12 had been grilled but that there were no suspects other than the Wilsons for some time. Short Change Artist Said at Work Here Cltv Dolice said that a short change artist was reported in Medford last night. Police were told that a small dark complexioned man pur chased a 15-cent candy bar at a local restaurant with a S20 bill. When an employee handed the man his change, he asked that It be given him In different de nominations. In the exchange the restaurant was shorted $10. Many Contests Scheduled At Catfish Derby Sunday A wide variety of contests for young and old, in addition to the anglers' competition, is planned for the 14th annual Na tional Catfish derby on Sunday, June 18, at TouVelle state park at Bybee bridge on Rogue river. Committeemen of the Medford 20-30 club, sponsoring organiza tion, said today that plans were virtually complete for the derby. They stressed that the derby is a "give-away" affnir. Entrance to contests is free to participants. Old-Style Picnic The program will be In the form of a day-long country-style picnic with families bringing their own lunches. For those who do not wish to take much, the 20-30 club will operate a concession stand. The public is invited to attend the derby. Twenty-Thlrtlans will start registering catfish entries at 1:30 p. m. at the north end of the stage and will continue this until 4 p m. The program and other contests will get under way at 2 p. m. Abby and Jean nie Green. Rogue Valley Country club musicians, will be enter tainers. Variety of Contests There will ba contests with Conspiracy to Deliver Secrets To USSR Charged Accused Worked at Lot Alamos Plant New York, June 16 (U.R) The FBI today announced the arrest of Army Veteran David Greenglass, 28, on spy charges and said he admitted conspiring to give atom bomb secrets to Russia because he believed she deserved them as a wartime ally. Greenglass, who was a tech nical sergeant in an army en gineering detachment at the Los Alamos, N.M., a-bomb assembly plant, was charged with being the third American member of a spy ring that betrayed United States atomic secrets to the Soviets. Gave Papers To Gold He worked on "highly confi dential" matters at Los Alamos, the FBI said. He was charged formally with turning over se cret documents and information to Harry Gold, Philadelphia chemist who has admitted de livering to Russia the atomic se crets stolen by Dr. Klaus Fuchs and other spies. Edward Scheidt. special agent in charge of the FBI office here, revealed that Greenglass was picked up yesterday for ques tioning. Formal charges were filed against him today. Greenglass was taken into fed eral court for arraignment and placed under $100,000 bond pending removal to New Mexico, where he was alleged to have given Gold secret atomic papers. diagrams and other information in the summer of 1945. The FBI said he told its in vestigators: "I felt it was gross negligence on the part of the United States not to give Russia the informa tion about the atom bomb be cause she was an ally." He was the second American arrested in less than 24 hours on charges of giving wartime secrets to the Russians. Alfred Dean Slack, 44, Syracuse, N.Y., was arrested yesterday on charges that he gave data on the secret explosive, RD, to Gold for delivery to his bovlet superiors. Now married and the father of two children, one four yeari old and the other one month, Greenglass has been working here as a machinist. The FBI said he operated a machine in the a-bomb plant at Los Alamos. His family retained O. John Rouge to defend him. Face Death Sentences Greenglass, Gold and Slack all face possible death sentences if convicted of spying in war time. Another scientist, Sidney Welnbaum, 52, a research fellow at the California Institute of Technology, was arrested by the FBI today at Los Angeles on charges he lied when he denied he had been a communist in seeking employment at a secret Jet propulsion laboratory. There was no immediate indication of direct connection with the atomic spy ring arrests. Phoenix Voters Okay . City Budget, 46 to 9 Phoenix, June 16 Phoenix voters yesterday approved the 1950-51 city budget, 46 to 9, according to Mrs. Marie Fisher, recorder. The budget, which totals $24, 282, was larger than last year's, which amounted to $18,685. The new budget exceeds the six per cent limitation on increases by $13,544.81, requiring the vote of the people for approval. Out of the total budget, $11. 610 will be raised by estimated receipts during the year, leaving $13,798.72 to be raised by taxes, For the first time this year, the budget makes provi sion for a police department, and funds will be used to purchase a new police car and construct a city jail. prizes for pie eaters, bald-headed men, freckled individuals, red haired girls and bubble gum blowers. Other awards will go to the boy with the shortest hair, girl with the longest hair, new est married couple, largest fam ily, youngest and oldest twins and oldest man. Additional events may be In cluded as the afternoon program progresses. Actress June Storey will award prizes. In the catfish rivalry awards will go for the biggest fish, larg est number of fish caught by one contestant and the oldest and youngest competitors. A grand sweepstakes trophy will go to the fisherman with best overall fishing ability. Scoring will ba based on number of fish, aver age weight, length and condi tion of fish and originality of entrant's costume. Court Listed Queen' of the 1950 darby la Miss Donna Smith. Princesses are Miss Frances Frazier, Miss Tressa Barr, Miss Wanda Dixon and Miss Bonnie Pruitt. An airplane Is scheduled to drop 10,000 leaflets over the val ley Saturday advertising the derby. 3
