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HELD IN EXTORTION PLOT William Clarence Peddicord (left), 38-year-old blind father
of five childreo who once won national praise for his courage, confessed to Portland,
Ore. police that he bombed the Meier and Frank Department store last April 15 in a
$50,000 extortion plot. He implicated bis -ister-in-law, Joyce Keller, 28, shown at right
with Detective Del Sanders, as his "eyes." Both were booked on a charge of injury to
persons and properties by explosives. Boni for each was set at $75,000.
'.
Pair Bound Over
To Grand Jury in
Meier-Frank Plot
Portland OJ.R) William
Clarence Peddicord, 38, and
Mrs. Joyce Keller, 28, yesterday
were bound over to a Multno
mah county grand jury, accused
of the bombing of Meier and
Frank Co., store here last April.
The two waived preliminary
hearing before Municipal Judge
J. J. Quillan. Judge Quillan re
duced bail from $75,000 , to $25,-
000 on each of the accused.
Bomb-Exioriion Admitted
Peddicord, an unemployed
blind chemist, has admitted the
bomb-extortion plan againstthe
department store firm and has
implicated Mrs. Keller, his sister-in-law.
He said she served
es his eyes.
Mrs. Keller has refused to
make a statement to police and
has notobtained counsel. Her
former usbandp Clifford Keller,
30, appeared in court and said
arrangements would be made
to obtain counsel.
' Peddicord was represented by
Attorney James Hafey.
Meanwhile, Peddicord's wife
was reported to have received
treatment at a hospital.
Phoenix Man Renamed
To Sgife Auction Board
' Salem (UR) Gov. Paul Pat
terson said today he has reap
pointed gol. A. H. Dudley of
Phoenix, QDre., as a member of
the State Board of Livestock
Auction Markets.
Kenneth R. Crookham of Port
land and R. L. Fanning of
Gresham vcere reappointed as
members 51 the Multnomah
county Tax; Supervising and
Conservation Commission.
Jordan in Uneasy Truce;
Christmas Curfew Lifted
Ammagj Jordan (U.R) Un
easy peace returned today to
riot-torn Jordan and the new
eare taker government lifted th
Christmas week curfew in the
little town of Bethlehem where
Christ was born.
Caretaker Premier Ibrahim
Hashem soothed the populace
that had risen in inflamed mobs
end stormed the American and
French consulates in Jerusalem
yesterday and burned their flags.
He promised national elections
to determine whether Jordan
shall join the Baghdad pact
"northern tier" alliance against
Communist aggression. The is
sue caused five days of bloody
MEDFORD, OREGON, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1955
Ford Reports Profit
Of $1,536,800,0
Washington (U.R) The Ford
Motor Co., in its first public ac
counting in 52 years, today re
ported net profits of $1,536,800,
000 from 1946 through Sept. 30.
These disclosures were made
in a 39-page prospectus covering
Ford Foundation plans to sell
10,200,000 shares of common
stock in the first public offering
of Ford securities in the firm's
history.
The stock, biggest corporate
offering ever made, is expected
to go on sale some time next
month for about $75 a share.
The actual time and price will
be disclosed later. Par value
will be $50 a share.
The Ford earnings report' was
made in a registration state
ment, a necessary corollary of
the stock offering,' to the Secu
rities and Exchange commis
sion. It showed that current
earnings are at the rate of $5.85
a share. Cumulative earnings
since 1946 have been second in
the auto industry only to Gen-
Dr. Barfels Chosen
President of Staff
Dr. B. Brandt Bartels was re
elected president of the staff doc
tors of Sacred Heart hospital at
an annual banquet Monday eve
ning at hospital dining rooms.
Dr. O. R. Emig was reelected
vice-president and Dr. L. D.
Inskeep was reelected secretary.
Sisters of the hospital were
hostesses, and physicians pre
sented them an album of record
ings. Tables were decorated with
baskets of holly and poinsettias.
Several physcians spoke on
medicine and hospitals.
riots by anti-pact Arabs through
out the country. -
Lifting of the dusk to dawn
curfew at Bethlehem assured
Christmas services for pilgrims
in the town. Planeloads of pil
grims were arriving at heavily
guarded Amman, the capital of
Jordan, for Christmas cere
monies. The 75-year-old Premier, ap
pointed yesterday by young
King Hussein, ordered shuttered
schools to reopen. Civil servants
were told to return to work.
Hussein issued a royal decree
formally naming Hashem as Pre
mier and naming former Pre
mier Fawzi El Mulki as defense
and education minister.
pf.30
eral Motors. ,
The company used this pros
pectus as a vehicle for disclos
ing that it plans to introduce a
new line of passenger automo
biles "within the next ' few
years." It did not describe the
line or say what market it will
be aimed at.
Concerning current business,
the Ford company disclosed that
dealers' stocks of Fords and
Mercurys have increased and
that "there have been reduc
tions in .production and in fu
ture production schedules."
"Rapid changes in demand
can occur in the industry" the
company said "and plans for fu
ture production are subject to
continuous review and to fre-.
quent revision upward or down
ward as circumstances require."
- The financial report covered
the 10 years as required by law,
through the first nine months of
1955. It disclosed that the com
pany suffered net losses in 1946
of $8,100,000.
Thereafter, however, the com
pany made fat profits, although
there was a sag in 1951 and
1952. Output hit a record high
for the firm in the first nine
months of 1955. For that period
the net was $312,200,000, high
er by $84,400,000 than the prof
its for all of 1954, the richest
previous year. ,
(See Story on Page 9)
07 Switch Explosion
Damages Redmond Plant
Redmond, Ore. (U.R) Ex
plosion of an oil switch in the
Pacific Power and light substa
tion here early today caused sev
eral thousand dollars damage to
equipment and interrupted elec
trical service for about 50 min
utes to a large part of the cen
tral Oregon area.
R. L. Clark, PP&L service
man at Redmond, was shaken
up and bruised by the blast that
occurred when he closed an au
tomatic circuit breaker that
opened following interruption
on a 2400-volt line serving down
town Redmond.
Ellensburg, Wash. JU.R)
An airline pilot's report that
he saw a fire burning in the
Teanaway river country
northeast of Cle Elum, Wash.,
spurred hope today that Sgt.
J. H. Horan, a missing para
trooper might still be alive
and awaiting rescue in the
rugged, snow-covered Cascade
mountains.
Bulletin
Tribune
United Press Full Leafed Wire
Price 5c No. 233
Plane Explodes;
Bodies Charred
By Gas-Fed Fire
Craft Barely Misses
Several Residences
Jacksonville, Fla. (U.R)
Seventeen persons were carried
to sudden death early today in
an .Eastern Airlines Constella
tion that crashed and exploded
almost in the back yards of resi
dences bordering Municipal air
port here.
All aboard the Miami to New
York plane 12 passengers
and five crew members were
charred beyond recognition by
gasoline-fed flames that seared
the 199-yard bulldozing path of
the stricken aircraft.
Instrument " Landing
There was also a body on the
plane being shipped to New
York. The passengers were en
route to Washington, New York
and Boston.
The plane was coming into the
Jacksonville airport for a rou
tine instrument landing. Cause
of the crash was unexplained.
John Ingle, local EAL man
ager, said that one of many
rumors and reports that "un
doubtedly will be checked"
came from an unidentified air
lines pilot who said the sound
of jet planes was heard in the
vicinity just before the crash.
The Jacksonville control tower
said it had no: contact with any
other planes at the time.
The four-engine plane was on
air coach service and an airlines
official in Miami said this just
happene.d to be a slack pre
Christmas week for north-bound
flights. Any other week the
plane probably would have car
ried up to 60 passengers.
Clips Off Tree-Tops
The airliner crashed in a
wooded area, clipped off tree
tops at the 25 foot level, then
bored 66 yards through the trees
and hit the ground.
The hurtling wreckage plowed
26 yards and clipped off an oak
tree, skidded another 6,5 yards
where the tail was sheared off
and plowed on for an additional
15 yards 'where the main part
of the fuselage came to a halt.
One motor was catapulted 27
yards beyond that point.
Oregon Court Rules
On School Bus Law
Salem (U.R) A school child
crossing a city street for a pur
pose other than boarding or
leaving a school bus is not with
in the protection of the statute
requiring cars to stop when a
school bus is loading or unload
ing, the Oregon Supreme Court
said today.
And the child's action .there
fore, the high court said in an
opinion by Justice William C.
Perry, was subject to a city or
dinance making it unlawful to
cross streets except at defined
pedestrian crossings.
Gerald M. Burke attempted to
run across a street in Cottage
Grove when he saw his mother
on the opposite side from where
he was waiting to board a school
bus, and was hit by a car driven
by Norris A. 01sont
The boy, through Virgil I.
Burke, brought suit, but a jury
in the Lane county Circuit
Court of Judge William G. East
returned a verdict in favor of
Olson. And in affirming the
judgment, the Supreme Court
said the school bus statute re
fers only to school children who
are crossing a street or highway
either to board or leave the bus
to attend school or reach their
home.
Missionaries Leave
For Philippine Hospital
Hong Kong (U.R) Dr. and
Mrs. Homer Bradshaw, weak
and ill after nearly five years in
Communist prisons, left for a
U.S. Air Force hospital in the
Philippines today under the care
of two doctors and a nurse.
RUSH TAPERING OFF Crowds of Medford
residents still swarmed into the Medford post
office Tuesday for last-minute mailing of
packages, although the height of the rush
Local Post Office
Handles Peak Load
Of Christmas Mail
Workers at the Medford post
office will testify that not all
Christmas presents are deliver
ed by Santa Claus and his rein
deer. The local post office handled
about 600 mail sacks per day
full of incoming parcel post Sat
urday, Sunday and Monday. To
tal weight of packages handled
each day was about 15 tons.
'Splendid' Cooperation
Postmaster Moore Hamilton
said the department has receiv
ed "splendid" cooperation from
the people of Medford in early
mailing of Christmas cards and
packages and by dividing mail
into bundles marked "local" and
"out of town."
Postmen recently distributed
red and white labels to be fast
ened on bundles of Christmas
cards, designating local and
out of town distribution.
Kore Cancellations
The post office had 97,800
cancellations Monday, the peak
day, including parcel post. Only
85,230 cancellations were made
last year at the peak of the
Christmas season.
Incoming mail is as heavy as
it was last year, Hamilton said.
The post office has employed
27 persons as temporary help
for distribution of Christmas
mail.
To make possible the delivery
of parcel post packages, the post
office has borrowed 13 trucks
from other local government
agencies. Most parcel post is pro
cessed and delivered the same
day it is received in the post of
fice. On Japan's UN Bid
United Nation, N.Y. (U.R)
The Security Council withheld
action today on a recommenda
tion for Japan's admission to the
United Nations after Russia made
it clear that it would veto it.
British delegate Sir Pierson
Dixon suggested that the council
postpone action on Japan. He
said he hoped to hear "through
other channels" that Russia soon
would be ready to consider the
Japanese application favorably.
Soviet delegate Arkady A.
Sobolev sought to tie Commu
nist Outer. Mongolia to Japan in
a council recommendation to the
General Assembly to admit the
two countries "soon."
After Russia had used its veto
three times in three days against
Japan last week, Britain pre
sented a resolution declaring that
the council "takes note that Ja
pan is fully qualified for mem
bership of the United Nations
and. expresses the hope that Ja
pan will soon be admitted to the
United Nations."
- Help Fight IB
.Buy Christmas Seals..
DILt n
; .-7Vt .t -
Council Schedules
Hearing On Proposed
Parking Program Here
A public hearing will.be held
by the Medford city council at
its Jan. 17 meeting to sound out
public sentiment toward a muni
cipal off-street parking program.
John G. Crawford, chairman
of the citizens off-street parking
committee, told the council last
night there are three proposed
sources of revenue to pay for
such a plan. The first would be
assessments against property
owners down town, based on
benefits from off-street parking.
Increased Fees
He said other merchants
would contribute their share
through increased business li
cense fees, adjusted on a "more
equitable" basis, which would
compensate for parking meter
revenue used for a public off
street parking area.
The third source, Crawford
said, would be the money from
parking meters in the municipal
lots. " '
Councilman Donald Hansen,
chairman of the council's off
street parking committee, noted
that the committee did not favor
private enterprise, in establish
ing additional parking facilities
because of the expense, and the
possibility that such areas might
be devoted to other private
purposes.
Initial Cost
Hansen noted that the initial
cost of such a proposal probably
would require a bond issue,
either general obligation or rev
enue. Repayment of the bonds
would be from parking meter
revenues. Charter .changes
would be necessary to permit
such financing, he said.
Hansen pointed out that, ac
cording to City Manager Robert
Duff bonding necessary for such
a project would not jeopardize
the city's bonding capacity,
whether general obligation or
improvement bonds were issued.
Crawford explained the plan
calls for a 10-year program and
that expenses are figured on that
basis. He said the committee
considered several possibilities,
and that additional programs
might be suggested at a public
hearing.
Mayor Earl Miller said . the
council should ascertain if prop
Former Wife Kills
Klamath Falls Man
Creswell (U.R) A Klamath
Falls man was killed here last
night when his ex-wife fired a
.25 caliber bullet into his heart
as he tried to force his way into
her home.
Lane County District Attor
ney Eugene Venn said Mrs. Ai
leen Belle Hamilton was not
arrested because of her three
children.
Mrs. Hamilton, 31, admitted
shooting Clarence Louis Hamil
ton, 25, because she-feared for
the safety of her three children,
aged one to eight.
Venn said Mrs.; .Hamilton
would appear before a special
grand jury Friday.
: She said Hamilton . had beat
her in the past and that at one
time she was hospitalized for her
injuries. Hamilton was under a
court order to refrain from mo
lesting his ex-wife.
DOW-JONES AVERAGES
New York (U.R) Dow-Jones
final stock averages; 30 indus
trials 485.49 up 3.65, '20 rail
roads 162.57 up 1.51, 15 util
ities 64.52 up 0.21, 65 stocks
172.10 up 1.27. Sales today were
about 2,540,000 shares compared
with 2,280,000 yesterday.
was reached Monday. Post office personnel
believe this year's volume of Christmas mail
will again set a new record here.
(Brainerd photo
erty owners concerned are in fa
vor of the proposal, and, if the
city is to help finance it, de
termine the opinion of residents.
Recommended Program
In a recommendation submit
ted last summer, the off-street
parking committee suggested a
goal of $600,000 for a 10-year
program. Half the total would be
revenue from "property assess
ment districts" on a benefit-basis
sliding scale of 50 per cent,
35 per cent and 15 per cent. The
balance would be supplied by
parking meter revenue at the
rate of $30,000 per year for 10
years. A revised business license
fee would compensate for funds
used, from parking meters.
(Oiher council stories on
Pages 14 and 15)
An ordinance licensing mer
chant patrolmen and watchmen
was adopted by the Medford
city council last night.
The ordinance, which was
recommended by Medford's po
lice department, defines a mer
chant patrolman or watchman
as a person who is employed to
guard or protect property, pa
trols streets, districts or terri
tory and includes any person
who is employed by another as
a guard or patrolman.
City Manager Robert Duff
pointed out that such an ordin
ance was desired to have a mini
mum of control over authorized
patrolmen or watchmen not em
ployed by the city.
Applicants for merchant pa
trolmen or watchmen will pay
a small permit fee, and an in
vestigation will be conducted
by the police chief, who will
make recommendations regard
ing the employee.
Permits may be revoked by
the chief of police with a pro
vision the merchant patrolman
or watchman may appeal to the
council.
Weather
FORECAST: Rain through
Thursday. Gusty southerly
winds tonight. Continued
mild. Low tonight 45. High
Thursday 55.
Temp.
Highest Yesterday 53
Lowest this Morning : 47
Prec. to 4:30 a.m. Today 29
County Fund
For Salk Vaccine Expenses
Establishment of a $1,000
county fund for administrative
expenses of federally distributed.
Salk polio vaccine was an
nounced today by County Treas
urer Karl Janouch. It was trans
ferred from the county emer
gency fund.
The money, which will be used
between Dec. 1 and June 30, is
for expenses for additional sec
retarial help and other expenses
incurred. The fund will be re
imbursed by the federal govern
ment. Dr. A. E. Merkel, county
health officer, said $30,000,000
worth of vaccine was made avail
able by Congress for distribu
tion to "hardship families with
children under 19 years." Con
gress also appropriated $4,500,
000 for administration.
Streets Covered;
Flood Conditions
Warning issued
Highway 99 Covered
Near Cottage Grove
By UNITED PRESS
Eugene area residents today
battled high water from more
than our inches of rain in 24
hours and the weather bureau
warned Willamette valley resi
dents, to prepare for flood con
ditions. A total of 4?02 inches of rain
was measured in Eugene during
the 24 hours ending at 4:30 m.
today. The river forecast issued
in Portland called for "substan
tial rises in all streams of north
west Oregon and - southwest
Washington wjth considerable
flooding in the Willamette val
ley." Families Leave Home
The Lane county sheriff's of
fice said several families temp,
orarily . left their homes in the
Westward Ho section about three
miles northeast of ugene be
cause of surface water and the
rising McKenzie river. The Mc
Kenzie was expected to go to 14
feet, three feet over flood stage
at the Coburg bridge by after
noon. !
Many crosstown Eugene
streets were barricaded because
of curb to curb surface water
this morning. Amazon creek was
over its banks. Police and fire
men reported dozens of calls r
about flooded basements.
A foot of water was report
ed over Highway 126 at Ren
nie's landing about five miles
east of Springfield near the Mc
Kenzie. State police reported six
inches of water over Highway
99 at Walker airport six mileft
north of Cottage Grove.
Warm temperatures andQ
heavy rain sent streams up. The
Santiam at Jefferson was nearly
two feet over flood stage at 8
a.m. The Willamette at Albany -was
up to 17.1 feet, 2.9 feet un
der flood stage.
North Bend also received
heavy rain, 2.73 inches in 2
hours. Astoria got 1.71 and Rose
burg 1.30.
Other rainfall measurements
included 1.01 at Bend, .65 aH
Portland, .71 at Salem and .28
at The Dalles.
Forecasts called for wind and
intermitten rain with locally
heavy amounts through Thurs
day in western Oregon with.
coastal winds reaching gusts of
50 miles per hour. Occasional
showers were expected east of
the mountains.
Roseburg police reported that
an evacuation had begun along
Curry road in the lower Garden
Valley area west of Roseburg
where the Umpqua river threat
ened to spill over its banks.
Flooding Around Winston
There was local flooding vi
the south fork of the stream and
its tributaries around Winston.
Crest forecast for Winston at 10
p.m. today was for 26 feet, one
foot over flood stage and just
three feet short of the, all-time
high of 29 feet reported in 1950.
The Dry Creek road 10 mills'
above Steamboat was under 2Vi
feet of water this morning and
there was an inch of water on
the Tiller Trail road.
Two slides, one east of Reeds-
port and one at Wells Creek
ranger station, closed Highway
38 between Drain and Reeds-
port. '
Schools in Lebanon were
closed at noon today until after
the holidays because highjvaters
hampered transportation. Most
rural schools had already closed.
New York XU.R The auto in
dustry's "big three," General
Motors, Ford and Chrysler, sdd
101 billion dollars worth of
their products in the nine boom
ing postwar years, a United
Press survey showed today.
Established
The appropriation will cover
less than 25 per cent of that
age group, he said, and it will
be necessary for the majority
to get the vaccine through their
family physicians.
Through a policy set up by
the Jackson County Medical so
ciety, private physicians are ad
ministering the three doses for
a nominal fee, accordingDto Dr.
Merkel. Some public lawvac- '
cine also has been made avail- '
able to private physicians, who
will administer it to hardship
cases and charge only for serv
ices. Since extensive records are
kept on the public law vaccine,
Dr. Merkel said Jackson county
will actually be eligible for
$1,900 during the 'six-month per
iod. .
Medford
Stores
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Oaen for
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Tonigh