Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989, June 13, 1956, Image 1

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Medford mail tribune., June 13, 1956, Image 1

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Newspaper Page TextWit'.', - . . t i ' Tihuii in 7 ' r rx& COHVALLIS BOUND Girls pictured above were selected by local 4-H club members to receive scholarships for attendance at the an nual 4-H summer school at Oregon State col Six Childr lie k Cave-in : ! : - o - Angry Officials Push Investigation To Place Blame New York (U.Ri Authorities angrily pressed a full investiga tion today of an excavation cave- In that snuffed out the lives of six children and critically in jured a seventh. Wrathful, muttering crowds of parents clung until the early morning hours around the Brooklyn construction site where the damp, loose earth tragically ended a game of cowboys and In dians. District attorney's office inves tigators questioned construction company employees most of the night and District Attorney Ed ward Silvers said "If there was negligence, this was criminal negligence, not ordinary negli gence." Silver said one of the prime things he wanted to know was why there was no watch man guarding the site, being prepared for a new auto ex pressway. Whr Was Hr "If they had a watchman, where was he?" Silver said. "If they didn't have one, why not?" Firemen and policemen work ed for nearly six hours Tuesday night, vainly trying to revive the six pathetic bodies, search ing for more possible victims and trying to comfort the hysterical mothers of known victims or missing children. Many rescue workers frantic ally dug into the tons of dirt with their bare hands when there' were no tools available. It was almost midnight when Deputy Fire Chief Edward M. McGarry, In charge of the operation, an nounced that the dirt had been cleared away. "There are no more bodies down there," he said. "We want ed to make sure." -Eiitvr and Brother The six dead children were identified as Ann Ortiz, 8; Lor raine Stanikunas, 5; Michael Stanikunas. 10, Lorraine's broth er; John Kotav, 7; Louis Nitti. 6, and John McKenzie, 9. The injured child, Anatole By- kov. 9, was taken to a hospital suffering shock and a broken arm. Two other children nar rowly escaped the cascading earth. One of them was Mary Stanikunas, sister of two of the victims. Police said the children ap parently waited until workmen left the construction site for the day and then began their game of cowboys and Indians at the base of a 25-foot cliff of dirt. The youngsters decided to dig a cave in the site of the dirt wall and had dug several feet into the soft earth when there was a soft muffled rumbling followed by the cavein. Salem (UR) The State Board of Control has approved calling for bids on a new dormi tory at the Oregon State School for the Deaf. Federal Tax Evasion Case Continues in Court Here Federal court recessed at noon today in the Post Office build ing here with the defense com pleting cross examination of the third witness in the govern ment's case against Noble C. Standley, James Adamek and Wilbur Merchen of Standley Brothers LoEging company in. Powers. They are charged with tax evasion. United States Attorney C. E. Luckey, of Portland, . yesterday introduced witnesses against Standley, Adamek and Merchen, who are charged with evading $300,000 in government taxes during the years 1949-51. AnoUxf member of th eom- zr? lege. The school will last 10 days and feature classes devoted to agriculture, home econom ics and leadership. They will return to Med ford June 22. MF' .(DTRIBUNE I on.- Mum Uuited Press 51st Year D'Auti ont Case Record Is Ordered Corrected by Judge Hugh D'Autremont's chances for release from the penitentiary received a setback yesterday with filing of an order signed by Circuit Judge H. K. Hanna. The order corrects an omission from the court record when Hugh, Roy and Ray D'Autre- mont were sentenced to life im prisonment in 1927. The D'Autremonts were con victed of the widely-publicized Southern Pacific train holdup and murder of four trainmen and railway postal clerk in the Siskiyou tunnel south of Ash land, on October 11. 1923. They were sentenced on June 23, 1927, after a three-year search for the suspects, and a protracted and sensational trial, one of the last criminal procedures held in the old Jackson county courthouse in Jacksonville, now a museum. Omitted Information The order, issued on a motion by District Attorney Walter D. Nunley, is legally termed an order "nunc pro tunc." trans lated from Latin as "now for then." Its purpose is to supply previously omitted information in the record. The entry is de clared effective from the date of the sentencing. Nunley sa4d the order con cerns an agreement on June C3, 1927, between the three D'Autre monts, Tennyson Jefferson, then postal inspector assiened to the case, and Charles Riddiford, an other postal inspector. He explained it was agreed at that time that Jefferson and Rid diford would recommend to the court that Ray and Roy be per mitted to enter pleas of guilty to second degree murder on one of the outstanding murder in dictments and be sentenced to life in the state penitentiary. thus avoiding exposure to a pos sible death penalty on a trial of the outstanding murder indict ments. Convicted of Murder : Hugh had previously been con victed of first degree murder, but had not then been sen tenced. It was explained to the three that under ordinary circum stances, a person sentenced to life imprisonment in Oregon would be eligible for release consideration after about 1h vears. The D'Autremonts agreed. Nunley explained, that they would spend the rest of their natural lives in the penitentiary and that the remaining outstand ing indictments against them pany, Nell J. Hollenbeck, book keeper, pleaded guilty to tax evasion charges in Portland and was sentenced to 18 months to. an institution directed by the attorney general. Attorneys for the defense are George Mead and William Daugherty of Portland and Paul Geddes of Roseburg. The defense is expected to introduce its wit nesses some time tomorrow. The case is expected to end Friday but may continue longer, according to U.S. Government officials. Federal District Judge Gus Solomon i presiding. TO! :DFORD, OREGON, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13, 1956 would not be prosecuted. The in dictments would, however, be kept qending to assure that each of the three men would spend the rest of his life in the peni tentiary and thus not be eligible for parole consideration. After the guilty pleas were entered, the agreement was pre sented to the Jackson county cir cuit court and approved by Judge C. M. Thomas upon the oral motion of Newton Chaney, then district - attorney. The court's action, however, was not reflected in the record. Since then, Nunley said, Roy D'Autremont became criminally insane and is now in the Oregon state mental hospital, and Ray D'Autremont has not been re garded by officials as socially suitable for release. Hugh, who created and edited the prison newspaper, "Shadows," has been considered by parole officers to be rehabilitated.' Three Attempts The district attorney explained that Hugh has made three at tempts to gam his freedom m recent years. On each occasion the district attorney's office has been visited by protesting rela tives of the murder victims, Southern Pacific Railway offi cials and postal Authorities, Nun ley said. , Hugh's most recent effort for release was based on the statute of failure to prosecute and the statute of denial of the right to a speedy trial. The current court action, Nun ley stated, shows that the D'Au tremont brothers have waived further prosecution and the right to a speedy trial. Nunley said before the court could issue the order it was nec essary to obtain an affidavit from Jefferson. The affidavit had to show Jefferson was present at the sentencing of the D'Autre monts and that the court action at that time was based on the agreement, though the agree ment was not recorded. The district attorney said he obtained the Massachusetts ad dress of tr aging and now re tired Jefferson from William Warner, retired Medford post master. He wrote to Jefferson, asking for the affidavit, on March 13 of this year. Jefferson, he learned later, was on a va cation tour of the country when the letter left Medford. Nunley's letter was finally delivered to Jefferson in Enid. Okla. Jeffer son then wired the district at torney that he was en route home and would send the affi davit upon his arrival. When Nunley received Jeffer son's paper, he noted it was written in the third person rather than first person and was therefore unusuable. The district attorney immediately drew up a new affidavit containing the same information and mailed it to Jefferson for his signature. The signed affidavit, dated April 30, was finally received here and Nunley's motion was entered in circuit court on May 3. On that date, the motion for correction of the record was served upon Edward C. Kelly, Medford attorney who has been representing Hugh D'Autremont. Nunley. said no appearance was made or objection filed. Judge Hanna sipneH tho nrripr ax nf J.Junc i. Ymv lrmit '-7 4 -T.' fok: I uvkmmhhmhh W w wwl iii nli mm&mSm r n ''tmUMrittf $WS LOADING UP Glenn Klein (center) and a group of Jackson county 4-H club members pack suitcases and sleeping bags Into the chartered Greyhound bus Tuesday morning "Maybe We'd Better Give This Another Think" Four White Sailors Beaten By Negroes in Interracial Fight at Pearl Pearl Harbor, T.H. U.R) Four white crewmen of a de stroyer stationed at Pearl Har bor were badly beaten Tuesday night in a fight with four Ne groes dressed in civilian clothes, the Navy disclosed. The fight took place about 10:30 p.m. HST near the offi cer's swimming pool. The fight was discovered by passengers on a bus who alighted to go to the aid of the sailors. The" Navy said the Negroes fled into the nearby bushes. Navy police ordered a dragnet. It was the second such inter racial fight at this big naval base in less than a week. Still under investigation was a race riot Fri day between a score of Negroes and Whites, most of them South erners, that resulted in tne latai stabbing of a white sailor. The sailors who were the vic tims of Tuesday night's assault were from the destroyer Erwin. They told naval base police that the Negroes "jumped" Security Guard Posted On Ship at Portland Portland (U.PJ -A security guard was posted at the gang plank of the- British freighter Fernhurst today because she ar rived here direct from the Rus sian port of Vladivostok. Coast Guard regulations re quire posting of guards on boats docking from' Russian ports. The Fernhurst was due to take on a cargo of grain for South Korea. Baseball AMERICAN , Detroit -. . 2 J 1 Baltimore 0-70 Foylack, Gromek (8). and House; Low. Zuvcrnik (7) and Triandos. Smith (1). Home run: Maxwell, Detroit. Kansas City 13 21 0 Washington 4 10 0 Ditmar, Harrington (8), and Thompson; Ramos, Stona (2), Grob (8), Clavanger (9), and Berberat. Home runn Lopes, ZarnlaL Kansas Cirj. for the trip to the annual 4-H summer school at Oregon State college in Corvallis. Klein, . one of the local 4-H club agents, is in Corval lis with the 25 boys and 25 girls today. v Full leued Win Price 5c No. 72 Harbor Base them. The Navy said two of the sailors had lacerations and another apparently suffered broken nose. A witness said he saw blood all over the white uniforms of the sailors. A Navy spokesman said the incident was not a riot. Bounty on Porcupine Noses Offered Here Persons bringing in porcupine noses to either the Jackson county court, the Medford Cor poration or the Elk Lumber company will be awarded 51 effective July 1, the Jackson county court announced today County Judge Rodney Keat ing said noses brought in should be tied on a string and salted The Elk Lumber company and the Medford Corporation are operating independently of the county court, Keating said, ana the $1 bounty will be paid only once. - According to County Com missioner Chester Wendt, in some areas porcupines are de stroying ud to as much as 50 per cent of the timber. Late News Briefs LIBEL SUIT DISMISSED Washington U.PJ Federal Judge F. Dickinson Letts has dismissed a $250,000 libel suit brought against columnist Drew Pearson by Lew Wallace, prom inent Oregon Democratic politi cian. , LOAN BILL APPROVED . Washington ;U.P. The House approved a compromise bill to day to set un a S100.000.000 gov ernment loan program for small water projects in western states, INVESTIGATIONS DUE Washington-(U.FB Chairman John L. McClellan announced to day that tys special Senate Lob bying Committee will investi gate eight national organiza tions, including the Committee for Pipeline Companies and the United Auto Workers. Ike Will Confer With Adenauer In Hospital Room Washington (U.R) Presi dent Eisenhower decided today that he is feeling well enough to confer in his hospital room Thursday with visiting German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer. ' The President, continuing his "satisfactory" recovery from an emergency operation, got a mor ale boost this morning when his doctors removed an "uncomfort able" drainage tube from his nose for two brief periods. All in all, the President spent 30 minutes out of his bed; per formed' his usual walking exer cise, conferred for half an hour with his staff and signed eight routine bills. One provided mon ey for his own $100,000 salary and other-White House expen ses. Condition Satisfactory A medical bulletin at 9:15 a.m. (PST) said the President's con dition continues "satisfactory." It said he still is being fed through his veins but that the irksome drainage tube running through his stomach "is now be ing periodically removed." White House Press Secretary James C. Hagerty announced that the President personally de cided on tile hospital conference with Adenauer. Adenauer will be the first vis itor the President has had out side of his family and White House staff aides since his em ergency operation last Saturday. Hagerty said Mr. Eisenhower will receive the 80-year-old Ger man leader for a "courtesy visit" Thursday -at 10 a.m. (EDT) at Walter Reed Army hospital. Adenauer will be accompanied by Secretary of State John Foster Dulles. In Good Spirits Hagerty said he did not know what would be discussed at the meeting or how long it might last. He said the President's doc tors said it was "perfectly all right" for him to conduct such a conference at this stage of his recovery. ! Mr. Eisenhower's physicians had reported earlier today that he spent a "fairly comfortable night" and was in "good spirits this morning." The President underwent sur gery early Saturday to bypass an obstruction in his small in testine. The surgery was pro nounced successful and his con dition has been reported as "ex cellent." Announcement of the Aden auer visit coincided with a step-ped-up presidential work sched ule this morning. 700 Visit Hawthorne Pool Here Tuesday Attendance at the Hawthorne pool Monday was 623 and Tues day was 700, according to Dar ell Huson, city treasurer. Registration for swimming les sons starting next Monday, is now under way at Hawthorne pool. Registration ' will continue throughout the week. Minimum-age for the lessons is eight, Huson said. Charge will be $2 for 10 lessons. A second series of lessons will be held in . July. Last British Sentry Leaves End 155 Years of Military Port Said, Egypt KU.R) Brit ain withdrew its last sentry from the Suez Canal Zone to day, ending 155 years of mili tary operations in the land of the pharaohs. . . No Drum Beat The last Union Jack fluttered down over a deserted garrison at sundown Tuesday without bugle or drum beat to pace its descent. It was the end of an era which began in March, 1801, when the British drove Napo leon's soldiers out of Egypt. Just before dawn today the fi- oal picket lint of th British Crews Patch Severe Crack In River Dike Portland U.R) A severe crack appeared last night in a water-logged dike which pro tects Portland Meadows race track from floodwaters but workmen hoped they had it plugged. Some 2000 yards of gravel fill were dumped by Army engi nees, ' county employees and civil defense workers along the base of the dike. Thirty tracks and bulldozers worked from 6 pi- yesterday until 6 a.m. to day. New Trouble Spot Workers also were rushed to a new trouble spot atop the levee today when a 10-foot section of the dike top sank about five feet. A bulldozer was put into service to fill in the pit which developed in the dike opposite the horse stables at Portland Meadows. The source of the trou ble was a muddy boil which erupted Sunday. Soon after the hole was filled and packed by the weight of the heavy earth moving machine the boil dried up. The dike, which has been un der close scrutiny since Sunday alter the boil' developed, was one of the few remaining trou ble spots as the Columbia river continued to fall. The river at Vancouver this morning was down another .2 of a foot to 25.3 feet, 18 inches un der last Tuesday's crest. The Willamette at Portland dropped to an even 25 feet. River Fore caster Elmer Fisher said the Co lumbia would continue to fall. Threat Still Remains Army engineers said that the threat of a break in downstream Open Hospital Bids; Board Eyes Offers The board of directors of Rogue Valley Memorial hospi tal took under consideration yes terday five bids submitted for (he general construction contract for the proposed $1,900,000 hos pital to be built at the corner of Barnett and Murphy rds. Board members said a deci sion on letting the contract will be made soon. All five bids were higher than original estimates. A. V. Peterson company, Port land, submitted the low bid of $2,040,040. Other bids were submitted by Donald Drake com pany, Portland, $2,077,000; W. H. Shields company, Eugene, $2 ivu.hhy: smith-Pliillips com pany, Portland, $2,222,638: and J. H. Wise and son, Boise, Idaho, $2,225,000. Structural steel bids were awarded earlier this spring, and delivery and erection is expected to start in September. I Trailways to Start Crater Lake Service Trailways Bus Lines has scheduled one trip a day to Crater Lake National park ef fective June 15. The bus will leave Medford at 7:20 a.m. and arrive at Crater Lake lodge at 9:30 a.m. for about a 30 minute stop over. Destina tion of the bus is Bend. It will stop at intermediary points be tween Medford and Crater Lake Persons spending the day at Crater Lake can return on a bus from Bend at 4 p.m. and arrive back in Medford at 6 p.m. Weather FORECAST: Considerable cloudinets tonicht and Thnrft div with a chance of scat tered light showers over moan tains Thursday after noon. Low tonight 50, high tomorrow 75. Temp. Highest Yesterday 82 Lowest this Mornlnc 47 Our Skies Tonight Sunrise 4:34 n.T Sunset . . ,, , , 7:50 p.t Moon set 11:24 p.r First Quarter June 1 PROMINENT STARS The Twins, set 9:5 p. VISIBLE PLANETS Venus, set S:l .i Jupiter, north of the Moon. Saturn. In the tooth 10:25 p.r Man, rises 1235 a.r garrison went, aboard a British LST (landing ship tank) to join the rest of the garrison for transport to Cyprus, now the last British stronghold in the eastern Mediterranean. Commander Leaves Forerar Brig. John Lacey, the com mander of the Port Said garri son, signed over occupation of Navy House headquarters to Egyptian officials Tuesday night and then drove aboard the LST in a staff car. He returned brief ly to shore today for a final ceremony. He left Suez forever at 6:13 ajn. (8:13 p.m. PST). dikes still remained but thatt lower tides, , the dropping river and the drying effect of sun shine on the dikes was helping the situation. The weather bureau's five-day river forecast issued at 10:45 a.m. called for a drop in the Columbia to 23.2 feet by next Monday. The Willamette at Portland is expected to be 22.9 feet on the same day. Advance N6 Convoy Leaves for Summer Camp at Ft. Lewis Advanced detachments from the National Guard's HQ and HQ company, and Company A. both of the 1st battalion, 186th infantry in Medford, left this morning in an 11-vehicle convoy for Ft Lewis, Wash. Included in the convoy were 16 Medford guardsmen. The Medford convoy will join a Grants Pass detachment and convoy to Ft. Lewis as one unit. They will set up summer train ing camp facilities before other Guardsmen arrive Saturday aft ernoon. To Leave Saturday Medford National Guardsmen will leave by train at 12:01 a.m. Saturday. Friday evening forma tions will be held at the armory about 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. for final instructions and to pack foot lockers. The Guardsmen will be dismissed about 8 p.m. and will return to prepare to board the train at 11 p.m. The encampment will last two weeks. The Medford units will be stationed in the northeast sections of Ft. Lewis, and will arrive back in Medford Satur day, June 30, at about 12:30 p.m. Bulletin Washington 0J.R) Tha United States and West Ger many challenged Russia today to agrae to German reunifica tion if the Soviets really ara sincere about wanting to gat along with in frea world. Scouts Reported in Better Condition Tom Turpin, 14, who suffered a concussion and back injuries when he fell Sunday from a cliff in the Illinois river area while on a Boy Scout hike to Agness, is reported by his at tending physician as In much better condition today. He re gained consciousness. this morn ing. Bruce Blachly, 14, who suf fered ankle fractures and arm injuries in the same accident, is also reported to be improved in general condition. Both boys are at Community hospital. They are sons of Mr. and Mrs. V. A. Turpin, 3533 Jacksonville highway, and Mrs. Ben Blachly, 1121 Spring at. With 35 other members of Medford Boy Scout Troop 9, they left Saturday to hike down the Illinois river to Agnesg and continue down the Rogue river by boat. The rest of the group continued the trip and arrived Tuesday at Agness, where they will camp for several dayi be fore continuing by boat. Dutch Queen Declared . Influenced by Healer London (U.R) Reports cir culated throughout Europe to day that Queen Julianna of the Netherlands and her husband. Prince Bernhard, were divided over the influence of a woman faith healer on the Queen. The London Daily Express, in a dispatch from its Amsterdam staff correspondent, said today that "an elderly woman faith healer has won influence over the deeply religious Queen Jul iana, causing concern to the churches and to the Dutch Cab inet." Suez To Operations 'This is an unhappy occasion for us," Lacey said a he stood on the deck of the ship and gazed at the empty flagstaff at Navy House. "But we agreed to withdraw and our job is done." No Bitterness in Voice There was no bitterness in his tone. His voice was tired. Britain retains the right to re turn to defend the Canal Zone against alien aggression. And British civilians will man the canal facilities. But all remnants of military occupation ended when the last sentry went aboard.