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By UNITED PRESS
.Ait persons died in Oregon
as the result of week end traffic
accidents and two Astoria duck
hunters were feared drowned.
A skiff belonging to Eugene
Legate and Clarence Bitely,
both 23, was found yesterday
afternoon. The two had gone
duck hunting in bad weather
near the Colunia river mouth
Saturday.
A 53-year-old woman and an
18-month-old girP were killed
last night when a car struck a
pow,er pole two miles north of
Woodburn. The victims were
Mrs. Laura Shalman and Don
i?a Hooe, baby daughter of Mr.
andG)Mrs. William Hooe. Mrs,.
Shalman's husband, Fred, was
treated for non-critical injuries
while Mr. and Mrs. Hooe escap
ed injury.
Strikes Polo
Charle Raid, 17, Mt. Angel,
was killed when the car in
which she was riding struck a
power pole last night two miles
north of Silverton. Ronald E.
Moan, Silverton, was injured.
Lena Ann Hughes, 36, Oregon
City, was killed early Sunday
when struck by a car near Jen
nings Lodge.
W. E. Dutcher, 64, Linslaw,
Ore., was killed early Sunday
when a pickup truck went off a
75-foot embankment and landed
.
Subcommittee To
35tudy Lee's Ouster
Washington (U.P.) Sen. A. S.
Mike Monroney (D-Okla.) an
nounced today that his Senate
Aviation subcommittee will in
vestigate the ouster of Civil
Aeronautics Administrator Fred
erick B. Lee.
Monroney called Lee's forced
resignation "an "attempt by the
Commerce department's ground
minded clique to seize control of
all civil aviation." r?e said Com
merce Secretary Sinclair Weeks
and Undersecretary Louis - S.
Rothschild head the '"ground
minded clique'' and were respon
sible for Lee's "firing."
President Eisenhower accept
ed Lee's resignation Saturday.
Weeks had suggested that Lee,
a Vermont Republican, resign
from the $15,000 a year job as
head of the agency which is re
sponsible for aviation safety.
Charles J. Louwen Jr., Den
ver, former deputy adminis
trator of the CWA, was named
by Mr. Eisenhower to succeed
Lee.
Monroney told reporters that
he hopes the subcommittee can
launch its inquiry before Christ
mas. Chairman Warren G. Mag
nuson (D-Wash.) of the parent
Senate Commerce Committee
had suggested that the Aviation
Subcommittee look into the case.
'(5e want to find out whether
this is an attempt to punish Fred
Lee for telling Congress the
truth about the nation's unsafe
and n obsolete airports," Mon
roney said.
Planning Commission
Meeting Postponed
TThs regular meeting of the
city planning commission, sched
uled for tonight, has been post
poned until tomorrow, Dec. 12.
Th meeting will include ap
pointment of a committee sto
study possible zoning in an area
southeast of Medford which has
beA approved for annexation:
discussion" of a proposed agri
cultural ?one; zoning of a por
tion of the Laurelhurst addition,
and consideration of the Pioneer
subdivision, extension number
one. for final approval.
Also included on the agenda
are three changes of zone.
Dismantling of Historic Merrick Ballroom Starts;
Structure Known AsNatatorium Built In 1910
Work started today on disman
tling Merrick's ballroom, 120
North Riverside ave., one of
Medford's most historic build
ings. The building, formerly known
as the Natatorium, was pur
chased in 1953 by the. Riverside
Investment company, which
t)ms future constriction at the
site. Plans have not' been com
pleted," company officials said,
but both a shopping center and
motel have been considered. .
Clifford E. Schleigh and G. R.
Ford tearing the structure
down. q
Built in 1910
BuiltQh 1910 by A. C. Kent
ner, W. H. Brown, Jesse E. En
yart, and F. E. Merrick, as the
Natatorium Amusement com
pany, the building served as the
Fata
To
Two
on a railroad track 30 miles east
of Florence. His wife was hospi
talized in Eugene. Their son, Or
ville, the driver, was unhurt.
In another pickup truck mis
hap, Wallace M. Mitchell, 23,
Lebanon, was killed Saturday
when the vehicle overturned
Shedd.
Richard C. Norton, 20, Al
bany, died when his car struck
a freight truck Saturday near
Albany.
John Walters, 19, a passenger
in Norton's car, died in an Al
bany hospital this morning from
injuries suffered in the accident.
F. D. Merrill Of
World War II Fame
Dies In Florida
Fernandina, Fla. '(U,R) Re
tired Maj. Gen. Frank D. Mer
rill, famed commander of Mer
rill's marauders in World War
II, died of a heart attack last
night on his way home from a
convention at which he was
elected president of a national
highway group.
Merrill, 52, was stricken with
a heart attack about 11 p.m.,
some six hours after registering
in a local motel. He died almost
immediately, his physician re
ported. Merrill had been to New Or
leans for the convention of the
American Association of State
Highway officials, during which
he was named president. He has
been commissioner of highways
and public works in New Hamp
shire since 1949.-
Merrill assembled three bat
talions and three Texas pack
troops in 1944 to form the Ma
rauders who went into the wilds
of Burma and helped open up
the Burma road, which had
been closed by Japanese troops.
He ended the war as chief of
staff of the 10th Army and was
present . aboard the battleship
Missouri when the Japanese sur
rendered. Merrill's Marauders was a i
3000-man volunteer unit that en
gaged in some of the roughest
and toughest fighting of World
War II, most of the time behind
the Japanese lines.
Five Arraigned
In Circuit Court
Five persons were arraigned
in circuit court and one in dis
trict court today. They were in
dicted by the grand jury last
week.
Kenneth A. Sheldon, Central
Point, appeared on a charge of
rape and sodomy, involving a
minor girl. Jerry Y. Sparling,
26, 724 Oak st., and John B.
Childress, 25, 430 Debarr ave.,
were arraigned on charges of
entering a motor vehicle with
intent to steal.
The two allegedly entered a
sedan owned, by 'R. Reynolds
June 25.
Arthur W. Ellison, 79, Med
ford, was arraigned on a charge
of contributing to the delin
quency of a minor.
Richard D. Akins, Canyonville,
appeared on a charge of grand
larceny, involving the theft of
well drilling equipment from
Goff brothers well drillers.-
All five were given additional
time to enter a plea.
Ralph A. Feenemore, 59, a
transient, was arraigned in dis
trict court on a charge of larceny
from an office. He is charged
with taking a briefcase belong
ing to James Armson, juvenile
probation officer, December 9.
He was bound over to the grand
jury under $1,500 bond.
scene of Medford's cultural and
recreational activities for many
years.
The main ballroom was the
scene of concerts by Nelli Melba,
of Australia, Madame Ernestine
Schumann Heink, of Austria,
and Luisa Tetrazzini of Italy..
The touring New York sym
phony also made an appearance
at the Natatorium main ball
room. Dance Bands
In later years, and up until
World War II, the main ball
room was used for dances.
Among bands which played
there were Paul Whiteman, Jan
Garber, Jack Teagarden and
Phil Harris.
The Natatorium pool, which
has not been used since Camp
White was deactivated as a ma
jor military installation, has
Medford
50th Year 18 Pages
Eisenhower Confers
Vith Congressional
Leaders on Program
First Of Two Meetings
On Legislature For '56
Washington (U.R) Presi
dent Eisenhower met with Re
publican congressional leaders
today for an all-day conference
on the administration's legisla
tive program for the coming
year.
It was the first of two big
White House conferences to be
cleared from the presidential
calendar before Mr. Eisenhower
heeds doctors' orders to ease up
on his work load.
His physicians said, after ex
amining him at Walter Reed
Army hospital Saturday, that he
is still making a basically good
recovery from his Sept. 24 heart
attack, but that he has been
showing some signs of fatigue
from his increased official activ
ities recently.
Today's conference began at
8:30 a.m. and was to run through
the afternoon. The White House
said Mr. Eisenhower would
leave the meeting for two or
three hours at mid-day to rest.
Preview of Program
Mr. Eisenhower called the
meeting to give Republican
House and Senate leaders a pre
view of his legislative plans for
1956 and his State of the Union
Message to be read to Congress
by clerks next month.
The President will meet to
morrow with Democratic as well
as Republican leaders from Cap
itol Hill to discuss foreign policy
and national security aspects of
his program. After the bi-partisan
meeting tomorrow, he will
return to his Gettysburg, Pa.,
farm.
Mr. Eisenhower spent Sunday
resting up for the meetings.
Admit Wishful Thinking
Some Republicans admit wish
ful thinking may be a factor;
others say the President is fac-
tng an unfinished job as a world
leader, others concede they just
have a "feeling in the bones"
that he will run again.
Those who remain uncon
vinced are expressing their opin
ion only in private. Some are
suspicious of a plot among White
House lieutenants, encouraging
hopes of a second Eisenhower
candidacy to discourage moves
by other possible candidates.
On the other side of the po
litical fence, New York Demo
cratic leader Carmine DeSapio
predicted the Democratic presi
dential nominee in, 1956 will re
capture the "Solid South" and
be elected even if Mr. Eisen
hower runs.
The Tammany chief, who is
pushing Gov. Averell Harriman
of New York for the 1956 presi
dential nomination, said Demo
cratic gains in the 1954 congres
sional and gubernatorial elec
tions amounted to a definite re
pudiation of the Republican phil
osophy regardless of who its
leader may be."
Presidential Aide Harold E.
Stassen said President Eisenhow
er can wait as late as June or
Julv to announce whether he
will seek a second term.
He took sharp issue with Sen
ate GOP Leader William F.
Knowland and some other GOP
figures who want the President
to declare himself by January or
February. They say this would
give other GOP candidates time
to build up campaigns if Mr. Ei
senhower does not run
Portland U.R) Multnomah
county officials of the Cerebral
Palsy association estimated that
more than S50.000 was raised
during Sunday's 16-hour tele
thon.
been used for many purposes.
With the pool boarded over, it
was the site of Medford High
school basketball games in the
World War I era, and of many
prize fights.
Battling Nelson, the light
weight champion of the world
from 1903 to 1910, had a train
ing camp on the grounds of the
Natatorium. Bud Anderson. Med
ford's "pride and joy," fought
there many times during the
World War I era.
Bryan Visit
Among politicians appearing
at the Natatorium was William
Jennings Bryan, who later was
secretary of state under Presi
dent Woodrow Wilson.
The first manager of the
Natatorium was the late George
A. Hunt Hunt later operated the
MEDFORD, OREGON, MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 1955
East German Reds
Order Riot Squads
To Demonstrate
Pretext That West
Germans Meet In Cafe
Berlin (U.P.) The East Ger
man Communists ordered riot
squads to demonstrate in the
Western sectors of the city to
day as further proof of the grow
ing might of the "sovereign"
East German state.
The Communist pretext was
that the West German "Stahl
helm" (Steel Helmet) veterans
organization had scheduled a
meeting in a cafe of the French
sector of the East-West city bor
der. '
The cafe owner said no meet
ing would be held there but the
Communists ignored his state
ment and said they would break
up the meeting whether it is
held or not.
Mobilize For Trouble
West German police mobilized
their reserves for trouble and
ordered them to border positions
to beat back the invaders should
they stream across the border
as expected. The cafe is so near
the border the Communists could
send in wave after wave of as
sault teams.
The .last such invasion occur
red in May when 3,000 Commu
nists swarmed across the border
and battled 300 police. The
police won and 68 Communists
were arrested. Thirty-four, po
lice and scores of Communists
were injured.
The new Communist threat
built up despite an apparent
move to slap the Red regime on
the wrists for pressing their
claims to sovereignty too rapid
ly. Reds To Release
Tenneson Tuesday
Hong Kong (U.R) American
turncoat prisoner Richard R.
Tenneson will be delivered to
the Hong Kong border from Red
China tomorrow, British sources
said today.
An American Red Cross rep
resentative, Richard Tomlin,
will meet Tenneson when he is
delivered by the Chinese Com
munists. Tenneson, of Alden, Minn.,
one of 23 American soldiers who
refused repatriation at the end
of the Korean -war, technically
will be in British police custody
until the U.S. consulate general
determines whether he has done
anything to forfeit his Ameri
can citizenship.
Tenneson's arrival in Hong
Kong has been delayed two
weeks.
The Communists tried two
weeks ago to turn him over to
an American official but the
American Red Cross representa
tive present did not have author
ity to receive him.
Diplomatic quarters believed
the Chinees Communists were
insisting on dealing with Ameri
cans as one more step in their
struggle for international recog
nition. Portland (U.R) Dr. George
E. Thomas has been installed as
president of the Oregon Associ
ation of Chiropractic Physicians
here as the group concluded its
annual four-day convention.
Craterian and other theaters
here.
Merrick took over complete
ownership of the Natatorium in
1911, and in the 1920s con
structed the first of the tourist
cabins. The cabins were de
stroyed by a Bear creek flood
of 1927.
The Merrick property includes
three and a half acres. John G.
Crawford is president of the
Riverside Investment company,
and Thomas A. Culbertson Jr., is
vice president. Culbertson man
aged the building after the com
pany purchased the property.
Emerson Merrick, son of one
of the four original owners, lives
at 1432 East Main st. The sale
to Riverside Investment com
pany was negotiated by Fred G.
Swartz of the Thomas J. Hight
agency.
Tribtt
m
, ,F-,. Lift
A REAL WHITE CHRISTMAS Margaret Simone, 20, is
mighty glad her car isn't under all that snow as she stands
near the top of a six-foot high street marker at International
Falls, Minn. Snow, which has been falling daily here since
October 28, has accumulated to a record 35.7 inches. Nine
inches fell in two days. International Falls is located on
the Canadian border.
sgh Court
To Interfere In Utah
I Ma mage Cases
Washington (U.P.) The
Supreme Court refused today to
interfere with Utah court ruling
that parents who teach that
poylgamy is "God s law are
unfit to rear children.
In a brief order, the high
court rejected an appeal brought
by eight children of Mr. and
Mrs. L.onard Black, members
of an excommunicated Mormon
sect, of Short Creek, Utah.
Immoral Environment
The juvenile court of Jackson
county," Utah, held that the
Black home was an immoral
environment for children. It
awarded custody of the children,
ranging in age from 19 to 4,
to the Utah department of pub
lic welfare. The state Supreme
court upheld the finding, last
May.
The Blacks are members of a
small religious sect that prac
ticed polygamy as part of their
faith. The isolated community
of Short Creek, which straddles
the Utah-Arizona border, was
the scene of a large scale police
raid in 1953. About one-half the
town's population of some 250
was arrested by Arizona auth
orities. The men, including
Black, who were married to
more than one wife were prose
cuted. The Short Creek polygamists
consider themselves "true Mor
mons" although they have been
excommunicated from the Lat
terday Saints church for prac
ticing plural marriage, which
the main body ' of the church
has banned for more than a half
century. The Short Creek sect
claims to be following the or
iginal doctrines of the Mormon
faith, as found in the Book of
Mormon handed down by t h e
church's founder, Joseph Smith.
Black had three families and
fathered 26 children. He argued
in appealing to the Supreme
court that the state's taking of
his children was an unconsti
tutional interference with relig
ious belief.
Black agreed that plural mar
riages are illegal and said that
he had no intention of continu
Help Fight TB -
Buy Christmas Seals
Price
aw
spill!
Refuses
ing the practice. But he said
that he had the right to teach his
children that, polygamy is sanc
tioned by God.
The state court, however, held
that where religion conflicts
with the lawj the law must have
priority. It said that teaching
children to believe in polygamy
is in the eyes of the law the
same as instructing them to com
mit a burglary.
Henry Suydam Dies;
Services Held Today
Washington (U.R) Funeral
services will be held today for
Henry W. Suydam, chief State
Department press officer who
died unexpectedly Sunday of a
heart attack.
Suydam, 64, will be buried
Wednesday in Greenmount Cem
etery, Baltimore. Services will
be held today at the home of
Mrs. George Barnett.
The pajama-clad body of the
veteran newspaperman was
found by a maid who entered
his room about 12;15 p.m. Sun
day. Associates said Suydam had
complained recently of not feel
ing too well.
Christmas Eve Mass
Will Be Broadcast
Vatican City' U.R 'The
Christmas Eve mass to be cel
ebrated by Pope Pius XII will be
broadcast to the world, the Vat
ican announced today.
The pontiff will celebrate the
annual midnight mass Dec. 24 in
his private chapel, with only a
few intimates attending. But the
Vatican radio will broadcast the
ceremony to the far corners of
the world.
iBipiilllilllll
General Assembly Starts
Final Week of 55 Session
United Nations, N. Y. (U.R)
The United Nations General As
sembly today started the final
scheduled week of its 1955 ses
sion, its membership split wide
open on three major problems.
No solid-front agreement was
in sight on disarmament, the
election of new members and
the choosing of a country to fill
the remaining seat in the Secur
ity Council that becomes vacant
Jan. 1.
The General Assembly's main
political committee scheduled
two sessions for today in an
effort to force a vote on a reso
lution urging priority in dis
armament discussions for Presi
dent Eisenhower's "open sky"
arms inspection plan.
Russia has expressed opposi
,ather
.tECAST: Chance of s few
iight showers tonight. Foggy
Tuesday morning. Partly
cloudy and cooler Tuesday
afternoon. Low tonight 35.
High Tuesday 45.
Temp.
Highest yesterday 61
Lowest this morning
41
hi
Beirut Dispatch
Says Israelis Raid
Posts Last Night
Attack Made With
Armored Boats, Tanks
Jerusalem (U.R) Israeli and
Syrian armies battled today near
the Sea of Galilee where Israeli
forces killed 50 Syrian soldiers
and captured 30 others in a mas
sive retaliatory raid into Syria.
The bitter fighting in which
big guns dueled throughout the
night appeared to be as big in
scope or even bigger than the
Israeli-Egyptian clash in the El
Auja demilitarized zone on
Nov. 4.
A Beirut dispatch citing the
Damascus radio quoted official
Syrian sources as saying the
Israelis attacked Syrian posts
along the eastern shore of Lake
Tiberias at 10 p.m. last night
in two-battalion strength. It said
the attack was made with infan
try, tanks and armored boats.
25 Killed
The Syrians admitted 25 of
their men were killed and 28
were missing. The broadcast said
the four captured outposts held
only 60 men.
The Damascus radio said the
outposts resisted for four hours
and, when the Israelis attempted
to advance further, they were
driven off.
The broadcast said the Israelis
admitted to casualties of 19
killed and injured. But it added
this number was believed to be
higher because observers had
seen 10 ambulances carrying
dead and wounded off , jor two
hours.
Start Sunday
The fighting started Sunday
night when Israeli forces storm
ed across the frontier into Syria
on a small-scale invasion aimed
at halting Syrian attacks on
fishing boats in the Sea of Gali
lee where men have fished since
the time of Christ.
Fighting also was reported
Sunday between Egypt and
Israel.
Official circles in Cairo said
Egypt was following the fight
ing closely because of the recent
joint defense agreement between
Egypt and Syria. The two na
tions pledged to give each other
all-out military assistance in the
event of any Israeli attack on
the frontiers.
Today's flareup was regarded
in Cairo as the first test of the
joint defense treaty under which
the two Arab states set up a joint
military command.
Four Israelis Lost
Maj. Dan Gov, the Israeli mili
tary spokesman, said Israeli cas
ualties were only four killed and
12 wounded in the clash which
may have been the biggest bat
tle since the end of the Jewish
Arab war in 1948.
Gov said the Israel forces re
turned to their base after cap
turing all the Syrian shore posi
tions which had shelled Israeli
fishing boats and destroying all
fortifications and capturing Sy
rian arms.
DOW-JONES
New York (U.R) Dow-Jones
final stock averages: 30 indust
rials 483.72 off 3.82; 20 railroads
163.74 off 1.00; 15 utilities 65.45
off 0.37, and 65 stocks 172.53
off 1.23. Sales today were about
2,510,000 shares compared with
2,660,000 Friday.
Tokyo -4U.R) A light earth
quake rocked Tokyo today.
tion to the resolution sponsored
by the United States, Britain,
France and Canada, even though
the sponsors revised the measure
to include ideas put forward by
the Soviet Union and India.
The resolution now recom
mends that the Disarmament
Commission's subcommittee com
prising the U. S., Russia, Brit
ain, France and Canada resumes
the secret sessions which twice
proved fruitless last year. It
urges the subcommittee also to
give top priority to the compre
hensive arms reduction plan put
forward by Soviet Premier Nik
olai Bulganin.
The Security Council resumes
its debate on new members
Tuesday.
Hearings Planned
Before Congress On
Al Sarena Pantents
Company Mines Located
In Rogue River Rorest
Washington U.R) Sen.
W. Kerr Scott said Sunday3
that Senate investigators have
heard testimony indicating
that some high-level Interior
Department officials "c o n
cocted a scheme" and improp
erly gave away $500,000 worth
of government properly to a
private firm.
. By A. ROBERT SMITH
Mail Tribune Correspondent
Washington The Al Sarena
mining claim investigation by
Congress has tentatively been
scheduled to open here Jan. 11,
with officials from the Eisen
hower administration being call
led to explain the decision under
which 15 disputed claims in
Rogue River National Forest
were patented to an Alabama .
firm last year.
The investigation, which was
touched upon briefly during
hearings held in Oregqn last
month by a joint Senate-House
committee, has been scheduled
to run through four days of
hearings Jan. 11, 12, 17 and
18.
The case involves an applica
tion for patent to 23 mining
claims in Jackson County locat
ed in Rogue River forest by Al
Sarena Mines, Inc., of Mobile,
Ala. The Forest Service contest
ed 15 of the claims, but had no
objection to the other eight.
The Bureau of Land Man
agement, which decides on pat
ent cases on public lands, held
hearings and determined that
the 15 disputed claims -did not
qualify for patent due to insuf
ficient showing of mineraliza
tion. This 1951 ruling by BLM
was later appealed by the com
pany to Secretary of Interior
Oscar Chapman, who failed to
act on he appeal before leaving
office in January, 1953.
The appeal was acted upon
by his successor, Secretary of
Interior Douglas McKay, who
granted patents to the company
on the 15 claims on the advice
of Clarence Davis, who is now'
undersecretary but was then sol
icitor of the department.
The case has since been the
subject of charge and counter
charge between critics and
supporters of the Eisenhower ad
ministration. The Senate Inter
ior committee began looking
into the case last spring at the
request of Sen. Richard L. Neu
berger (D-Ore.). The forthcom
ing hearings are an outgrowth
of that staff investigation.
In announcing the scheduled
hearings, Sen. W. Kerr Scott
(D-N.C), acting chairman of a
Senate interior subcommittee,
noted that thus far the owners
of the mining company have not
begun any commercial mining
venture on the Al Sarena tract.
"On the other hand, however,
about $100,000 worth of timber
has already been cut from the
disputed claims," said Scott.
"And about another $400,000
worth is standing ready to cut."
He added that the government
obtained $2,355 for the issuance
of patents to the firm an
amount which is the customary
$5 per acre charge stipulated
under the mining laws.
"The purpose of the hearings
in Washington will be to deter- 0
mine why and upon whose
orders good judgment and
normal procedure were thrown
out the window in order to be
stow upon the Al Sarena Corp.,
$500,000 worth of public prop
erty," Scott declared.
A probable witness in the
planned hearings . will be Rep.
Harris Ellsworth (R-Ore.), in
whose district the company's
property lies. Ellsworth inter
ceded in behalf of the Al Sarena
company in conferences with In
terior officials when their ap
peal was pending. Last year,
after the Senate committee staff
began probing the case, the con
gressman said he would welcome
a full investigation.
Ellsworth appearedoas a wit
ness before the same joint'
committee last month in . Port
land when it touched on the Al
Sarena case. He charged then
that ii. was the committee's pur
pose "to dig out and warm over
a completely discarded smear at
tack used last year" (against
Ellsworth in his re-election cam
paign by the Democratic candi
date for his congressional seat,
Charles O. Porter of Eugene.)
Defending the Al Sarena
claims in an issue of his weekly
news letter last spring, Ells
worth said: "The Al Sarenft
claims were filed more than 50
years ago and a part of a long
established bona fide mining op
eration. Having complied with
the provisions of the mining
laws the claimants were entitled
to patents. Secretary McKay, if
he knew about the matter at all,
could not have prevented tha
operation of the law."
V