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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 16, 1956)
TWO MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE Specks O'Keefe Names As 'Brains' Boston flJ.E) Joseph (Specs) O'Keefe, confessed Brink's band it who escaped a machine gun murder atteampt. named defend ant Joseph McGinnis Friday as the "brains" behind the S 1.2 18.- 211 looting of Brink's. Inc., six years ago. McGinnis and the seven other defendants accused of the Jan. 17, 1950 holdup the nation's largest cash robbery stared sullenly as O'keefe turned to face them from the witness stand. O'Keefe said the robbery con spiracy began in 1947 when de fendant Anthony Pino asked "if I'd be interested in getting In a holdup bigger than the Sturtevant iob." This was In reference to the $107,000 holdup of the Sturt evant Mill in Boston's Hyde Park section a few months earl ier. Gang Named O'Keefe said he told Pino he'd have to know, who was going to be in on the holdup before male Ing up his mind. Later in 1948. he said he met Pino again and he named defendants Michael Geagon, Sandy Richardson, Adolph Jazz Maffie and Vin cent Costa as the men who would work the job. "Pino told us there would be a "Mr X' brought in to plan the robbery. All of us objected," O'Keefe said. "We told him we didn't want any part of 'Mr. X.' " O'Keefe said that same night Pino brought in McGinnis. The witnesses testified that it was he and Costa who searched along the dingy row of north end tenements for a vantage place from which the Brink's money operations were watched through a high powered tele scope. O'Keefe said that McGinnis Joined the gang in 1949 after they abandoned plans to hold up Brink's at the old Federal Street building. During O'Keefe's testimony the eight defendants watched restively. Pino mopped his face with a handkerchief. O'Keefe's eyes occasionally flicked to wards them, his expression con temptuous. Planned At Plno's House The witnesses said that in the summer of 1948 Pino told him he had found the building into which Brink's was going to move. He quoted Pino as saying it was on Prince Street and "workmen were still getting it ready." "Most of the planning took place at Pino's house," O'Keefe said. "We agreed it would be safer if all of us didn't get to TO BE GIVEN AWAY OCT. 27 r WOOD WORTH ENTER NOW! Ask for Your Free Tickets NOTHING TO BUY . ENTER AS MANY TIMES AS YOU WANT S , f ft 24 HOUR THERMOSTATIC jjTlM Jjj I DOWNDRAFT WOOD HEATERS SEE PROOF OF ASHLEY CLAIMS AT YOUR DEALERS Exclusive, Features ft 1 1 i-lj WObD HEATERS 1 if I 1 I THE M0ST jUf MODERN J EVER DEVELOPED U yw4rtoly 4i? PARTS AND REPAIR SERVICE Open Daily 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. - Sundays 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Brink's Holdup gether et one time. So once in a while I would meet Pino at a movie." O'Keefe said Pino ordered that none of the gang was to use his own weapon for the robbery, that the guns and cos tumes would be provided by him. The witness, whose criminal record dates back 20 years and includes 70 arrests, described dozens of nighttime visits to the Brink's counting house in the Investigation Opens Into Charges That Recruit Was Slugged Parris Island, S C. OJ.R) Officials at this sprawling Ma rine Corps boot camp Saturday investigated charges that a supply-room corporal slugged a young recruit just receiving his first field pack because he didn't "have sense enough to say 'sir'." Pvt. Donald Hamisfar. 20. of Norwalk. Ohio, Friday night told United Press in an exclusive in terview that the non-commissioned officer, who has not been identified "hit me in the ribs. just above the stomach." Navy doctors said mey louna a "bruised spot" on Hamisfar's abdomen when they operated on him Aug. 28 for groin hernia. The doctors said the hernia, which was congenital in origin, could have been aggravated by the blow. The young recruit said that the tnr-iHent haoDened only two days after he had enlisted. Immediate Probe Begun Officials at this boot camp, whore nnlv two months ago S- Sgt. Matthew McKeon was found guilty of negligence on me "death march" drowning of six recruits. Immediately launched an intensive investigation of the Hamisfar affair. Hamisfar. from his hospital bed gave this account of the incident: Dn Ami. 53 the platoon was taken hv our drill instructor to the supply room to check out gear. We were issued a pacx, a bucket and swab. A sergeant (the Marine Corps identified him as a corporal) picked up my pack and carried it out in the middle of a semi-circle. "He raised it above his head and said 'Now do all of you have one of these?' I didn't know that he had my pack so I said 'No, I don't have one." "He came up to me and said A FAMOUS HEATER $134.95 LOOK! If you hive purchased an Aihlty Wood Heater from BIG Y SEED t SUPPLY line. August 1. 1936, YOU WILL RE CEIVE DOUBLE PUR CHASE PRICE of Heater you bought! Patented1 Make ays ft m n IS lis Sunday- September IB. 19SI McGinnis months before the cans' set out for the holdup." "We familiarized ourselves with everything," O'Keefe said. "We went through all the desks and files. We also copied a list of Brink's customers." O'Keefe said another of Mc Ginnis' brainstorms was to burn the Brink's money vaults. "He told us he knew a burning pro cess that would not create too much heat and maybe set off an alarm." 'Don't you have sense enough to say 'sir when you're talking to a non-commissioned officer?' "I said 'yes sir and he hit me in the ribs, just above the stom ach." Hamisfar, who at first refused to talk to a reporter but told his story at the urging of Maj. Gen. Homer L. Litzenberg, command ing general of this training base. said that the non-com didn't hit him as hard as he could have, but "it was a very painful blow and I still feel it when I sleep on my back." Hamisfar's hernia was discov ered the following day when the recruit received his first physi cal examination here Hamisfar had not reported the incident un til the bruise as discovered dur ing his operation. Students Examined At Vision Clinic More than 135 Medford stu dents in grides one through 12 were examined during the re cent visual screening clinic sponsored by the "Medford Lions club. The clinic was held Sept. 7 in cooperation with the Vision Conservation Institute of the Northwest. Reg istration and screening were handled by the Medford Lady Lions under su pervision of vision specialists. Students were identified only by number and statistical infor mation gathered will be used by the institute for research pur poses, according to the Lions club. However, results of each child's test will be made avail able to his parents. Herb Seitz. president of the Lions club, said that response to the clinic has prompted plans for a return visit on an annual basis. Austin Flegel Dies After Long Illness Portland (U.R) Austin F. Flegel, Portland industrialist, 1 ionner siaie senator ana econom ic adviser to Thailand, died at ' his Portland home Friday night ' after an extended illness. He was ;. Flegel. an attorney and presi , dent of the Willamette Iron and ' Steel corporation, serv ed for 28 months as chief of the United States technical and economic , mission to Thailand. He was at I one time the Democratic nom j inee for governor of Oregon and 1 was defeated by Douglas McKay. He was best known recently as a benefactor of the Portland zoo, sending it numerous ani mals from Thailand. Survivors include the widow, five brothers and two sisters. Engineers Schedule , The Dalles Meeting Salem (U.R) The Associa tion of Western State Engineers will hold its 19th annual con- ; vention in The Dalles Sept. 17- 19, State Engineer Lewis A. Stan ley announced Saturday. j Stanley is president of the as- ' sociation. I The meeting will be attended by some state engineers of 17 western states and representa tives of several federal depart ments. Discussion of federal - state relations in water rights control i will be among topics to be dis- ! cussed. Mill Workers Defeat Proposal to Join IWWA Ashland Employees of the Mistletoe Planing mill and Mistletoe Wholesale company turned down by a vote of 25 to 19 a membership in the Interna tional Wood workers of Amer- i.. aprnrrlinff in Arthur M. Peters, owner and manager of the two businesses. A petition for staging an elec tion was presented by the IWWA with signatures of 30 per cent of the 45 Mistletoe employees. Su pervisors, clerical and sales per sonnel were excluded from vot ing. This was the first such elec tion for Mistletoe businesses, Peters said. It was directed by Arthur Hedges. Portland, of the National Labor Relations Board. Cynthia Ruofolo Killed Same Day She was Kidnapped Hamden, Conn. (U.PJ Six-week-old Cynthia Ruotolo was killed Sept. 1. the same day she was kidnaped from a department store, county detective Edmund Flanagan said Saturday. The cause of death was asphy xiation." he said. "Upon all av ailable information death occur red five days before the body was discovered." The babv's body was found in Lake Whlt nev Sept. 6 by three boys. Flanagan's announcement had come after Investigators confer red with Yale pathologist Dr. Averill A. Liebow. who had been called to Interpret findings of an FBI laboratory report on the vital organs of the child. The report was not released. Flanagan refused to say whether it would be. A bruise on the baby's fore head, r lanagan said, was sus tained before she was stolen from her carriage inside the store and did not contribute to the death nor did it cause a ser ious injury. Elaborating, he said "the head injury was sustained sometime before Sent. 1 but no definite date has been ascertained." Asked whether "asphyxiation" was regarded as the same as "suffocation," he answered; "Riaht." "Does that mean she didn't drown?" he was asked. "We're not saying that. When you drown you suffocate, too,' he replied. Flanagan said he had not seen the autopsy report, and could not tell whether the baby might have been suffocated by some material prior to being placed in a plastic potato sack and dropped into the lake. As to how long the body had been in the water, the detective said. "I can't say. I don't know. While the interview was go ing on, Stephen Ruotolo. the father of the baby, appeared at headquarters and told a group of newsmen and photographers. "you guys are crucifying my wife. You guyt haven't been very fair." Flanagan said the investiga- tion would continue. Miller Proclaims Constitution Week Mayor Earl Miller has pro claimed the week of Sept. 17-23 as Constitution Week in Med ford. In issuing the proclamation. Mayor Miller said, "Whereas the United States of America is constitutional republic consist ing of federal and state govern ments. No powers can be exer cised by any individual or group unless by a written constitution. federal or state, or laws enacted thereunder. Ours is a govern ment of laws, not by men . therefore, I urge all Medford citizens to observe this week as Constitution Week." The M a y o r's proclamation came as a result of a proclama tion by President Eisenhower complying with a Congressional Resolution. Iowa Man Dies After Falling Off Train Baker (U.R) Charles F. Coff man, 74, Chariton, Iowa, died at midnight Friday night in Baker hospital of injuries suf fered when he apparently fell from a streamliner train Thurs day night as it passed through Pleasant Valley near here. Coffman was not discovered missing until the train reached LaGrande, about 55 miles from the scene of the mishap. A rail road section crew hunted for him and he was located at 3 a.m yesterday and rushed to the hos pital. He was unconscious when found. The Iowa man was en route to Portland, Ore., when the acci dent occurred. i No More Laxative Drugs for Me If constipation due to lack of bulk is bothering you. read what All-Bran did for Mrs. C Ferguson. Ft Worth. T. "All kmds of haxalaa foot mt cnl? temporary niirf. But Att-Brm vorktd wonders. -Vo mort Lczatin Vu:s immt." Good-ustme Kellogg's All-Bran has helped millions. It (jets at a common cause of constipation (lack of bulk). All-Bran, made of whole wheat grain, provides the natural laxative bulk you need daily for regularity. Kellogg's the origi nal, ready-to-eat bran cereal. Enjoy gentle, natural regularity within 10 days or return the empty carton and get double your money back. ALL-BRAN Bat CW h miQiota Around Hollywood Hollywood ru.R! The usual movie star's mother is content to retire and bask in her child's glory, but one parent of mov ledom is a lo cal celebrity in her own right. In the realm of interior dec orators, M r s. Gladys Belzer is as much a success as her Aline Motor daughter Lor- etta Young is in show business. In Hollywood, land of fads and trademarks, it is considered chic to be able to say you take Mil towns, buy your clothes from Don Loper or have "my home done by Mrs. Belzer." In fact, some mansions are advertised in the motion picture trade papers as simply "for sale home decorated by Mrs. Bel zer" no first name even neces sary. Decorators Thrive The Los Angeles area is decor ator-crazy, with more decorators per capita than in any other city, apparently because show folks and other owners of new wealth need guidance. One can't even Oregonian Named In Libel Suit Portland (U.R) The Oregon ian Publishing Company yester day was named defendant in two libel suits asking damages totalling 3300,000. Action was filed in Multnomah county circuit court by Circuit Judge Frank B. Reid of Eugene who charged that the newspaper published a "libel, wilfully, ma liciously and without just cause, and statements in the article are false." Also named a defendant in Judge Reid's complaint was R- Harlow Schillios. a Eugene free lance writer and photographer. The article in question was published in the Oregonian Aug. 12 and concerned statements al legedly made by Lane County District Attorney Eugene C. Venn at a public meeting. The Oregonian and Venn were also named defendants in two suits filed by William Huey, a Eugene attorney who asked $150,000 damages in each suit. Judge Reid's complaint said he has made a written, request to the newspaper for a retraction but that the Oregonian had fail ed to publish a retraction. Venn commented after being notified of the action against him, "I welcome the opportun ity to prove in the court of law the truth of my statements." CONTRACT AWARDED Portland (U.R) The Corps of Engineers has awarded a $113,405 contract to West Coast Steel Works of Portland for re moval and salvage of one aban doned highway and four rail road bridges in The Dalles dam area in Wasco and Sherman counties. WHO CAN HELP YOUR HEARING? R. ADAMSON District Manager I Can! I am o trained Senofena Htaring Aid Consultant By training and xparlanc with many different kindt af hearing leit, I have been able to bring bet ter hearing to hundredt. Now I have another wonderful new hear ing aid to help break through that Iron curtain of deafness This ii the Sonotone with no cords down the neck, nothing on the body all worn af the ear. It's not a gadget deiigned to at tract by just being imall. This is a real aid to HEARING, with tradi tional built-in Sonotone quality. When you do buiineis with Sonotone, you invest in a complete hearing tervice and join thouiandi of happy users in a proven better hearing program. SONOTONE C. R. ADAMSON DISTRICT MANAGER B39 East Jackson Phone 2-5904 P33 1 - x 4 1 r ay;, L -Y " I t, ALINI MOSBY United Pre II Correspondent get into most of the numerous furnishing stores unless a decor ator accompanies him. In that realm of antiques and lamp shades, Mrs. Belzer reigna su preme. She has decorated homes and apartments for such personali ties as Ray Milland. Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, Audrey Hepburn. Leslie Caron and Joan Caulfield. She has owned as many as 12 rentable homes, one apartment building and several apartments. "So many women my age say. 'Oh, I'd give anything to work as you do,' " smiled Mrs. Belzer, who strongly resembles daugh ter Loretta. "But I didn't have anything to do I made this job for myself. You have to make your own way nobody will come to you and offer you something. "I've been a decorator since 1932. My daughters think I work too much but once you're in the habit of working, you get to running down the hill and you can't stop. I love my work." Mrs. Belzer began decorating as a hobby when her daughters entered motion pictures. After they married, she took it up as a full-time job. The homes of daughters Lor etta (Mrs. Tom Lewis). Sally Blane (Mrs. Norman Foster), Pollyanna (Mrs. Carter Herman) and Georgianna (Mrs. Ricardo Montalban) were decorated by mama and are show places in the movie colony. Big D'Anjou Crop Expected This Year A "big D'Anjou pear crop is expected for the Rogue valley this year according to Clifford C o r d y, county horticultural agent. Pear sizes are larger than many previous years, he said. Orchardists will begin full scale harvesting of Bosc variety the first of next week as D'Anjou picking slacks off, Cordy said. Picking of Hale and Elberta variety peaches is near comple tion in valley orchard and Rio Osa Gems are scheduled for har vesting next week. Penitentiary Warden Files Libel Complaint Portland (U.R) A $225,000 libel suit has been filed here by Clarence T. Gladden, warden of the state penitentiary. The suit was directed against publication of an article in the November, 1955, issue of the publication "Headquarters Detective." Gladdens complaint alleged the article contained false and malicious references to him. WEATHER 1 Br United Press Northern California: Fair Sun day; local fog on coast night and morning. MILK and MARIGOLDS... i9W- fJOjW WIJellJIJl.il 1 - lfVvi ! Milk, marigolds, eggs o variety of nature's products ' fill the lives of Mr. and Mrs. Martin Heitkamp of Medford. Milk, however, is their main in terest, and the run a herd of 65 milking cows on their 220-acre farm. The Heitkamps, who are members of the Milk Producers' league of Jack son County, came to America from Germany in 1923. In 1929 they moved to the Rogue Valley and helped establish the Crater Meat Company and Southern Oregon Nursery. They established their dairy in 1945, and have since de veloped one of the largest dairy farms in the area. In addition to her work In the dairy Mrs. Heitkamp runs a small poultry enterprise and cultivates the prize-winning flowers in her garden. Mar tin, Jr., is studying agriculture at Oregon State College. ' MILK producers league mm Candidates Plan To Attend Fair All but two candidates have accepted invitations from the League of Women Voters to the nonpartisan Candidates' Fair to be held Saturday, Oct. 27, at 8 p.m. in the McLoughlin Junior High school boys' gymnasium. At a meeting of the league s voter service committee this week, Mayor Earl H. Miller an nounced that a city official will be present at the fair to explain traffic problems, storm sewers. sanitary sewers, off street park ing and fluoridation. Mrs. Eugene Peterson of the county elections department stated the department will also have a booth at the fair to ex plain how ballots should be marked, the advantages and dis advantages of write-in votes and absentee ballots. Participants in the coming Candidates' Fair who attended the meeting were Don McNeil, manager of the' Jackson County Chamber of Commerce, repre- Th dependable electrical contractor soys "INSIST ON THE IEST M CLASS PANEL RADIANT HEAT!1 I OUTSELLS f I ML ALL OTHER BRANDS fK Building a home? Renovating? Adding a room? only BERKO GIVES YOU ALL THESE... WtWJA ttmptrca heat-mutant Klra 'FULL COVttlCE" HEATING CLEMENT fttat traM ovtry squin Inch i glus CARBON PIESSUIC CONTACTS tor NO STAJtTINC fOWEI SURGf t Am Hffttt NO MIDDEN EXT1AS CrM tadudttf n. AprtDVCD ftecoamtftota by rttilttcts and otslfntn 10 INITIAL COST Eiiy t install. No chimney, tints. luntKt, fte. FULLY AUTOMATIC EVEN TEMPERATURE wall to will, Door to etiMnc Dial tin temperaturt you want In tadi room. WARMS T0U DIRECTLY lik tht son. No wnfTtcetury heating of ols to dry out noso and throat. CLEANE. No tmott. athts, carton, soot, Mis, flamt or glow. YEAR ROUND SAVlttt. No cttanmg. maintenonct, or npoosivt repairs. No moving parts. TAKES LESS ROOM. No special fool storage space neeoeA. Call your electrical a free estimafe of i?tr Dairying is Second Largest Iff ft . o Drink 3 glasses of J. EDGAR HOOVER FINED Indianapolis (U.RI J. Edgar Hoover was given a suspended 10-day sentence and fined $67 for drunkenness, reckless driv ing and profanity. Hoover, 35, is not related to the FBI chief. sentatives of the American Asso ciation of University Women, Jaycees. Jaycettes. child guid ance clinic, Jackson county Democrats, Jackson county Re publicans, Business and Profes s i o n a 1 Women and Toast mistresses. Sundays 10:1S A.M. bitter rHHctency, longer Acc)ii4 k tot contactor today for Berto Heating Units "Jif Jackson 'County's Agricultural Industry at least milk every day l SCIENCE J Station KWIN 1400 K.C. Itfo J I
