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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 21, 1955)
o fetaracsts M Irit in Tree Jury Selection Nearly Completed In Bombing Death Jurors Challenged in Marjorie mith Case " r.i McMinnville (U.R) The jury which will decide the fate of Marjorie Smith of Portland, accused in the car-bomb death of her attorney husband, w expected to be completed today. Defense and prosecution at torneys were rapidly using up their quotas of peremptory challenges and when court re cessed this morning, eight more prospective jurors were excused, live lor cause and three on challenges without cause. Against Capital Punishment . Of the five excused for cause today, three said they were against capital punishment while the other two admitted opinions about Mrs. Smith s guilt or in nocence. Except for white gloves, Mrs Smith was dressed in black. Only a tentative 12-member panel was seated at the first day of the trial. Prosecutor Willis A. West yesterday indicated the state would seek the death penalty for the woman when he asked prospective jurors about their feelings toward capital punish ment. During the first day of the attractive, 35-year-old widow's trial for complicity in the bomb slaying of her husband, 27 prospective jurors were excused, six of them on peremptory chal lenges. Preconceived Opinions Of the 21 veniremen excused for cause, most of them express ed preconceived opinions gen dered by the slaying's wide spread publicity. This was also the basic reason for the change in venue which brought the case from Multnomah county to Yamhill county. Mrs. Smith was implicated in the slaying of her husband, At torney Oliver Kermit Smith, by 45-year-old Victor Laurence Wolf. Wolf has confessed attach ing a homemade dynamite bomb to the starter mechanism of Smith's car, saying he did so at Mrs. Smith's bidding tagain her love. Dinner Honoring Hedrick Planned Salem--(U.R) A dinner hon oring E. H. Hedrick, Oregon educator who retired from the Medford school system in Aug ust, will highlight the annual fall conference of the Oregon Association of District Superin tendents Oct. 27 in Erb memor ial building on tne university of Oregon campus, the State De partment of Education said here today. Leonard Mayfield, . superin tendent, Medford, will represent the superintendent's association on the dinner program and D. A. Emerson, deputy superintendent of public instruction, will repre sent the State Department of Education. Harold Beall, super intendent. Springfield, is in charge of arrangements. The conference- opening at 9 a.m. Thursday will be concerned with findings of the governor's conference on education. R. E Jewell, superintendent, Bend, will preside at the business ses sion. . Presentation of the panel topic will be made by Owen Sabin, su- perintendent, Milwaukie. Faure Calls for December Elections Paris (U.R) Premier Edgar Faure's Cabinet tonight called for general elections in Decern ber to trv to rid the National Assembly of cliques and splin ter groups undermining govern ment authority. The Cabinet introduced a bill by title only in the Assembly this evening. The title calls for new elections in the first half of December and demands ur gent consideration of the measure. A committee of ministers will fill in the text of the bill to morrow. The decision is up to Parlia ment. The call for December elec tions is a break with French tradition. In-the past, elections havp hppn held in the warm months to make it easier for voters in rural areas to get to the polls. Lumber Shippers Receive 57 Per Cent of Car Needs Salem (U.R) Public Utilities Commissioner Charles Heltzel said today lumber shippers were only able to receive 57 per cent of cars they ordered from South ern Pacific railroad -last week, lowest percentage for the year. Medford United Press Full Leased Wire 50th Year 26 Pages MEDFORD, OREGON, "FRIDAY IN GOOD HANDS An unidentified fireman carries an injured man to waiting ambulance after rescuing him from fire which swept through the Adams Hotel on Chicago's Skid Road. Two persons died and 10 others were injured in the blaze. Damage was estimated at $20,000. County Court Gives Approval to Road Financing Plan State - proposed plans for fi nancing a new Medford-Klamath Falls highway were accepted to day by members of the Jackson county court in- conjunction with Paul Rynning, county en gineer. "; Construction on the new road, which will .- provide an easy grade route to Klamath Falls by way of McAllister Soda Springs and Lake of the Woods, will not start until 1957. It would cost an estimated $900,000. Meet with Baldock Rynning and County Commis sioner .Chester Wendt met yes terday in Salem with R. H. Bal dock, state highway engineer, to discuss plans for financing the road. Plans adopted are for Jackson county to furnish 60 per cent of the cost, which would be taken from secondary highway funds received from the federal gov- McCall Out of Race As State Secretary Portland (U.R) Tom Law- son McCall last night took him self out of the race for Republi can nomination for secretary of state and declared his support for . State Sen. Mark Hatfield, dean of students at Willamette University. ; McCall, who opposed Rep. Edith Green for Congress in the last general election, told . a meeting of Multnomah county Young Republicans the GOP must accept candidates who have progressive : ideas and scored those who would oppose Hat field because of his liberal views. McCall had been mentioned as a possible candidate for the job. McCall also urged Young Re publicans to adopt a resolution calling upon the state not to send its employees through picket lines in legitimate labor dis putes. UO Studenfs Fined For Burning Turf Corvallis (U.R) Six Uni versity of Oregon students who admitted burning - the 1 letters "UO" in the turf of Parker sta dium at Oregon State college to day were fined $50 each in Cor vallis district court. The students were formally charged with entering the prop erty of another with intent to injure grass. They were tempor arily suspended at the University of Oregon. . The court today suspended $30 of each of the fines pending good behavior. The students will be required to pay for damages to the turf which Physical Plant Superintendent Dick Adams said would amount to about $92. r State's ernment, and the state to furnish the remaining 40 per cent. - The county "received about $64,000 a year for the secondary highway fund. If this amount were used toward construction of the new highway it would take about eight years to com plete. According to Baldock, however, there is a strong pos sibility that the amount receiv ed from the federal government will be . substantially increased shortly after congress convenes in January. In the past, the federal sec ondary highway funds have been used for construction and repair of bridges in the county. Members of the county court and the county engineer now feel, however, that following the construction of the new McKee bridge next year, the funds may be made available for construc tion of the new Klamath Falls highway. May Reconsider The - Klamath county court voted against the plan recently, but it is believed by the Jackson county court that they may re consider when it is learned vat Jackson county has adopte;" 'ie plan. Only about three miles of the new road will be in Klamath county. A delegation from Jack son county may confer with the Klamath court early next week concerning the highway, accord ing, to Wendt. Oregon Telephone Strike Threatened Portland (U.R) Pacific Tele phone and Telegraph Company today requested help from the federal mediation service in avertings a possible strike of some 5000 CIO workers in Ore gon, whose contracts expire at midnight Sunday. PT&T currently is involved in a strike by Northern California and Nevada workers. ; ; Salem (U.R) Gov. Paul Pat terson has appointed Mrs. Glenn Maxwell of Haines as a member of the Baker County Public Wel fare Commission. Tokyo (U.R) Russia double-crossed the Japanese in the spring of 1945 and went to the Yalta conference , secretly knowing Japan was willing to surrender to the Allies, one of the Allied prosecutors - in the Japanese war criminal trials said today. In an exclusive interview with United Press, this story was told by Roy L. Morgan, who was associate prosecutor durig the trial of war premier Hideki Tojo. Morgan was in charge of investigations for the interna tional prosecution section. "Shigenori-Togo, foreign 4 OouHUGil Clears Way or or Atniinixatioii Electioinis Site of Proposed Hospital, RVCC Included in Area Church Property Annexed by City The Medford city council last night directed City. Attorney Frank Farrell to prepare and submit ordinances calling for elections on annexation of sev eral hundred acres of land south east of Medford. The council accepted a recom mendation from the planning commission that the area be an nexed. The proposed area includes the Rogue Valley Memorial hos pital 20-acre site, Rogue Valley Country club, two cemeteries, and an extensive subdivision plat around Barneburg hill. Two Elections Two elections would be held. One would be in Blocks seven, eight, part of nine and block ten of Siskiyou Heights addition extension, and the other would be in an area east of Bear creek and west of Murray rd. A sepa rate election in Siskiyou Heights addition is necessary, City Man ager Robert Duff pointed out, because those blocks are now a county "island" surrounded by city limits. The "island" was completed last night when the council adopted an ordinance annexing property owned by First Church of Christ, Scientist in. block six ofthe addition extension! The island includes property be tween Richmond and Barneburg rds. on the east and west, and Keene Way dr. and Oakwood dr. on the south and north. No one appeared at a public hearing opposing annexation of the church property. John Pletsch spoke in favor of annexa tion. The area southeast of Medford, exclusive of the three-block is land in Siskiyou Heights addi tion extension, generally includes an area within the following boundaries: From the southwest corner of Hillcrest rd. and Pierce rd. east along a line south of Hillcrest rd. to just west of Foothills rd.; then south along the western edge of Foothills rd. to a line north of Country club dr. ex tension: then westward to just west of Murphy lane; southward to just south of Barnett rd. From there the line follows the old Barneburg property line south. west and north around Barne burg hill to just east of Ellendale dr.; then north along the east edge of Ellendale dr. to a point 300 feet south of Barnett rd then west to Bear creek. The line then follows Bear creek to the present city limits. Opposes Cemetery Annexation Manville M. Heisel, attorney representing Siskiyou Memorial park association, opposed annex ation of the cemetery, pointing out that the non-profit organiza tion would be unable to finance its share of street improvements. He pointed out that if the area is annexed, the cemetery would be surrounded by city- streets, but that the . association would not have-control of more than 50 per cent of the front footage of these streets. , Improvements are made on re quests by petitions representing at least 51 per cent of the front footage: Petitions are submitted by residents desiring improve ments. ' Heisel pointed out that the Doublecrossed minister of Japan in the spring of 1945, -discussed with me Japan's attempts to make peace in the spring of that year, after the big March 10, 11 and 12 raids on Japan," Morgan said. Togo was sentenced to 20 years in prison where he died. "Realizing Japan's inability to carry on the war against the United States further," Morgan said, "Togo with other members of the cabinet met and decided to seek peace.: "After deliberations and many discussions, it was decided by the group that since Russia bad a neutrality pact with Japan RIBUNE United Presi Full Leased Wire Price 5c No. 181 Dulles emievco Washington (U.R) Secretary of State John Foster Dulles today held a strong hand of diplomatic cards to play at next week's Big Four showdown meting at Ge neva on key East-West problems. Dulles, in a whirlwind . finish to preparations for the . confer ence, has lined up support of President Eisenhower and .a group of congressional leaders of both parties for U.S. strategy on the twin problems of Euro pean security and German unity, disarmament and lowering of East-West barriers. Additional support for Dulles' Geneva strategy came late Thurs day from the secretary's own State Department. It suddenly made public an 88-page record of many of Mr. Eisenhower's and Dulles' statements at the earlier Summit . meeting at Ge- association would gain nothing by being annexed, and question ed whether assessments levied for improvements would be bind ing upon the association. Ceme teries, he said, are tax free, but he could not determine whether that included assessments for local improvements. Heisel recommended leaving the cemetery an island, but Councilman John Snider said he did not "want to contemplate leaving an island" in the pro posed annexation area.: 'r ' "'" Representatives of the IOOF cemetery, which also is included in the area, also expressed oppo sition to annexation on the grounds the organization would be unable to finance improve ments. A petition signed by 32 resi dents in the Crestbrook rd.- Modoc ave area opposing annex ation also was reviewed. The petition was submitted Tuesday night just prior to adjournment. Glenn Jackson urged annexa tion of the area in. behalf of Rogue Valley Memorial hospital. He said city sanitary service is a necessity if the hospital is to obtain federal funds to help fi nance construction of the $1, 800,000 project. Others Object Several other residents object ing to annexation were present inquiring as to what would be come of farm land in the area, and whether or not building per mits would be required for con struction of farm buildings. City Manager Robert Duff said per mits would be necessary, and construction standards would have to be followed. The question of whether or not water meters would be re moved upon annexation was dis cussed. Duff said residents would continue to be on a me tered basis if annexed, , but pointed out that city rates are less by 50 to 50 per cent. He said water services both inside and outside the city are now be ing installed on a meter basis. Whether or not children would attend Medford schools also was discussed. Duff pointed out that the county school district boun dary board has jurisdiction. Some of the area in the proposed annexation is in the-Phoenix school district, and children would continue to attend Phoe nix schools unless boundaries are changed by , the county school district boundary board. City Attorney Farrell was di rected to submit ordinances call ing for elections in the areas at the next regular council meeting. Japan Before Yalta, Tojo Prosecutor Claims which had two years to run and because of Russia's position in relation to the Allied "power , Russia should be approached as mediator. "The Japanese ambassador in Moscow was instructed to ap proach the Russian foreign of fice for the purpose of getting Russia to act as mediator. "According to Togo, the Rus sian government accepted the role as arbitrator in a peace be tween Japan and the United States." "Japan's peace terms which Russia was to pass on to the United States were similar to the Weather FORECAST: Partly cloudy through Saturday. Valley fog patches mixed with smoke in . morning. Little temperature change. Low tonight 46. High Saturday 72-74. Temp. Highest Yesterday 73 Lowest this Morning 48 Prec. to 4:30 a.m. Today, Trace Holds- Cards neva last July. ' Strong Determination Shown The document showed the strong determination" of the United States to link European security and German unity to gether a tussle the President won from Soviet Premier Niko lai Bulganin. It also brought out Mr. Eisenhower's -flat pledge 'to nussia tnat . under no circum stances is the United States ever going to be a party to aggressive war against any nation." This was coupled with the President's pledge that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is "purely defensive. Dulles met Thursday with 14 key congressional leaders to ac quaint them with U.S. strategy and to shore up any weak spots in bipartisan backing. The Sec retary of State was reported pleased by the reception his views received from the law makers who met with him for nearly two hours. Several Points Made According to legislators who attended the meeting, Dulles made these points: ; The Allies plan to offer Russia security guarantees based on a five-nation pact which could be expanded to many other nations on each side of the Iron Curtain The plan is designed to prod Russia into a German reunifica tion program. On disarmament, the United States will stand solidly behind Mr. Eisenhower's plan to build trust and confidence by exchang ing -military blueprints and aer ial i reconnaissance rights with Russia. Dulles has high hopes that major accomplishments will be reached on the third and final Geneva problem lowering of East-West barriers. There is no prospect of easing Western bars on strategic trade with the Iron Curtain countries at this time. (See Story on Page 12) Parsons To Speak For Advisory Group Capt. Paul Parson, head of the Medford district of state po lice, will speak at a meeting of the Advisory Committee to the Jackson County Juvenile Court on Monday, it was announced to day. The meeting will be at 8 p.m. in the circuit court room. After his talk, Captain Parson will ask questions from members of the committee. In addition,, it is ex pected that a report will be made on progress in securing a site for a county ' juvenile de tention home. ' v ' The advisory committee is composed of representatives of many of the county's civic, serv ice and fraternal organizations, and is designed to be of assist ance to the juvenile court judge, the juvenile office staff and to police authorities. ' Bulletin . Salem (U.R) Southern Pa cific today filed suit for a dec latory judgment against an or der of the public utilities commissioner directing the railroad to continue passenger train service between Portland and Ashland. The case -will be heard Oct. 31 by Marion Coun ty Circuit Judge Val D. Sloper. terms of the Potsdam declara tion, with three . exceptions. These exceptions were: i.' The emperor system should be re tained. 2. There should be no Allied occupation, of Japan. 3. There should be no prosecution of Japanese leaders. "Several months passed and Japan got no answer from Rus sia as to the progress of its mediation efforts. "Finally the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and the Japanese ambassador in Moscow was again contacted by " Togo. Togo wanted to ascertain the de County Group Seeks To Have Tax Deleted From Roll Writ of Mandamus Asked of High Court Salem U.R) A group of some 180 Jackson county or- chardists have asked the Oregon Supreme court for an alternative writ of mandamus commanding Jackson County Assessor Robert G. Fowler to deliver the assess ment roll for fiscal year 1955-56 to the sheriff of Jackson county and to delete from the rolls all increases in assessments on commercial orchard property. The demand stems from in creases in assessments which fol lowed a reappraisal of all prop erty in Jackson county by the State Tax commission. The or chardists c contend their proper ties are discriminated against, compared to other farm lands of the county. . , , " . . The Supreme court, which re ceived the petition late yester day, directed both sides to sub mit arguments by noon Monday why the high court should or should not accept jurisdiction in the case instead of the usual pro cedure of having such action started in Circuit court. Should the court accept juris diction, the petition asks that it direct the assessor to compute a rate per cent of levy' upon the legally assessed valuation of Jackson county "and the subse quent divisions thereof for said fiscal year, or in default thereof to appear in this court at a time to be named in said alternative writ and then and there show cause why he has not done so.' Elsewhere in Salem, State Tax Commissioner Sam Stewart said that 190 parcels of Jackson coun ty land will have their tax val uation reduced as a result of hearings held there last week. Owners of 473 pieces of land ap pealed previously-set valuations. Stewart said mailing of no tices to orchardists, telling them of the findings following the hearings, started Tuesday. Coun ty Assessor Robert Fowler has been ordered to change the in dividual valuations to conform with . those found by the com mission. ..... : ,-. Stewart said the tax commis sion has done everything in its power to assure a correct and valid assessment roll. Commercial Pear Picking Hears End Commercial pear picking and packing are nearing completion in Jackson county acording to County Horticultural Agent, C. ff. Cordy. Many orchards have finished picking and others are near&gj completion. Pears left to be picked are mainly, winter nelis. No figures are available on the size of the pear crop but it is "big," Cordy says. ' ; . Some orchardists are starting to plant cover crops now. Prun ing will begin as soon as- the leaves are off the trees, accord ing to Cordy. Roseburg Pilot Hurt In Crash in Japan Tokyo (U.R) A Roseburg, Ore., Air Force pilot was one of three men injured today when a B-47 jet bomber crashed during takeoff in northern Japan. One man was killed. . The Oregon ' man, 1st .W. Charles W. Clark, was co-pilot of the bomber, which crashed about 300 or 400 yards off the end of the runway at Misawa air base on the northern tip of Honshu, Ja pan's main island. Clark and the other two in jured men were reported in "good condition." Officials at Mountain Home Air Base in Idaho identified the man killed as 1st Lt. Edward C. Dow of Bishopville, S. C, an ob server aboard the jet bomber. Spokane U.R) Marilyn Gould of Corvallis, - Ore., has been IvTowned homecoming queen at Whitworth college: - . velopments of Japan's offer of peace. "The reply to the Japanese ambassador in Moscow by. the Russian government was "Rus sia is now. at war with .Japan. Troops are crossing the Man churian frontier.' : "Togo told me that up until the end of the: war, Russia who had accepted the role of peacemaker never advised Ja pan as to its mediation efforts. "Togo indicated that Russia had played a most ignominous role in world history in accept ing the role of peacemaker end i TIPS iT OUR WAY Tommy Kono of Sacramento, Calif., flexes his muscles during the Mr. Universe contest at Mu nich, Germany, now an offi cial part of international weigntlifting championships. Five points he won here tipped the victory to the U. S. over Russia, 30-29. Kono also won the light-heavyweight (181 pounds) lifting title. Eight Arrested For Questioning In Chicago Deaths Chicago U.R) Police disclos ed today that eight persons have been arrested for questioning about the slaying of three young boys, but none was regarded as a "good suspect." v Lie detector tests were sched uled for at least two of the eight Edward Rohlfes, 47, and Michael : Chupick, -22 ! . V. V. Rohlfes, a former railroad worker, volunteered the infor mation that he spent all of last Monday night and most of Tue day morning in a forest preserve parking lot near the ditch where the nude and battered bodies were found. Sent To Laboratory Crime laboratory technicians found a crowbar, a clawhammer and a sweatshirt, stained as if it had been used to wipe up some-, thing, in Rholfes' truck. The ar ticles were sent to the labora tory for analysis and to deter mine whether human hair could j be found on the hammer. If the bodies had been there , then, he said, he would have seen them. They were discov ered, by a liquor salesman at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday. Rohlfes said he saw three men in a battered old Ford drive into the parking lot at 10:30 a.m., just as he was leaving. Detec tives said these men could have been the slayers, about to dis- ' pose of the bodies. Rohlfes said he had withheld his information because he did not want to get a forest ranger in trouble for letting him sleep in his parked truck in the" for est preserve. ' x - ' He said he formed the habit of sleeping there because of , marital discord at home. He now is divorced, he said. i Tape in Auto : Chupick was held for a lie test. after police found copper -wire and masking tape in his car. Tape of some sort was used to bind the' victims' eyes and mouths, and Chupick said he fre-: quented a bowling alley where the boys were seen Sunday night. - . . The slain boys, Robert Peter son, 13, John Schuessler, 13, and his brother, Aton Jr., 11, last were seen alive Sunday night. - . Sheridan, Ore. (U.R) The Mc Mormick Lumber and Manufac turing - Company, Sheridan's largest industry, has halted oper ations, idling 70 men. ' ' - ,- then using the information to further their own policies and finally, attacking Japan which they knew already was defeated. .. "It appears the Russians went to Yalta knowing ? Japan was. already to surrender. Their bar gaining there with the ' Allies over a price for their paticipa tion in the war was carried on against this background. - "They had accepted Japan's offer to make peace, apparently kept it to themselves and capital ized on it for the Soviet govern- -ment's benefit." . - a ! . . .... J
