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