Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989, March 29, 1957, Image 1

Historic Oregon Newspapers

Medford mail tribune., March 29, 1957, Image 1

Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR

About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (March 29, 1957)

Page of 20 Next Prev Issue Next Text PDF JP2 (3.8 MB) Clip/Print Image

Return to Top

Page of 20 Next Prev Issue Next

Newspaper Page Texto O ck to Stand. Trial otmci o o M-CIO B2nd Year Medford United Press futl L-ad Wire 20 Pages o chrank T Portland Mayor Is Indicted by Grand Jury on Bribery Portland, Ore. (U.R: Mayor Terry D. Schrunk of Portland said today he will demand an immediate trial on bribery and perjury charges filed against him by a grand jury. "I m convinced that I will be acquitted of these ridiculous charges," Schrunk said. The Multnomah county grand jury returned a total of seven indictments Thursday against Schrunk, District Attorney Wil liam Langley, Clifford O. Ben nett, ex-night club operator here, and police officer Richard Sutter. Schrunk, Langley and Ben nett recently appeared in Wash ington 9s witnesses before the Senate Rackets committee. Mayor Potts Bond Schrunk surrendered to two indic'gients specifically charg ing him with receiving and agreeing to receive a bribe, and with Pjrjury. He posted $1,000 bond on each charge. Langley was accused of con- O spiracy to commit the felony of receiving and agreeing to re ceive a bribe as an executive of ficer, conspiring to hinder and obstruct justice, and for incom petency, corruption, malfeasance posted $1,000 bond on each of the ifcree charges. Langley ' had been indict ed previously but has remained in offsjp- because there is no Oregon law calling for removal of officials under indictment. However, ie attorney general's offic has been handling the local Grand Jury investigation in3k it was ordered to do so ytr by ex-Gov. Elmo Smith. pveitl witnesses testified be fore the Senate committee that Schrunk, when he was sheriff of Multnomah County, had ac cepted a $300 bribe from Ben nett during the course of a sambling raid. Schrunk denied under oath that he had taken any bribe. The indictment did not specify any amount. Bennett invoked the Fifth Amendment when the Senate committee questioned him about the matter? The grand jury ac cused him of perjury as a result of its own investigation. Sutter Charged Similarly The grand jury also charged Sutter with perjury. The officer testified about the alleged bribe before a grand jury last summer. In November, he signed an affidavit recant ing his testimony that he had seen Schrunk pick up an en velope supposed to contain the $300. Langley was quizzed by the Senate committee about an al-.-iyged tie-up with Teamsters union officials and racketeers to "take over" gambling and other vice operations in Portland. He invoked the Fifth Amendment. The grand jury handed down four other indictments, but they were not immediately disclosed. Police Block Highway After Yreka Alarm An eight-hour road block was maintained on Highway 99 near the California border last night after state police here received an alarm from the Siskiyou county sheriff s office. Sheriff's officers at Yreka called state police at 10:42 p.m. Thursday, saying a car believed to be occupied by George Cole, a California man wanted in con nection with the recent slaying of a San Francisco police offi cer, was believed to be headed in this direction. They said the man had been tentatively identi fied by photographs. Eariy this morning. Siskiyou sheriff's officers reprtcd thex had located the car and learned the occupant was no Cole. The road block was lifted at 7:15 a.m. today. DOW-JONES AVERAGES New York (U.P. Dow-Jones final stock averages: 30 industri als 474.81. off 0.20: 20 railroads 144.05. off 0.38; 15 utilities 71.47, off 0.11; and 65 stocks 168.00, rJ 0.19. Sales today were about l.$50.000 shares compared with 1,930,000 shares Thursday. "Do You Think We've 7 a . t -i i I.. ri - i Oregon Senate Passes Key District Plan Salem (U.R) The Oregon Senate voted 17 to 13 today in favor of Senate bill 64. known as the key district plan to intro duce a new system of distribut ing state basic school support funds. Opposition to the .measure was led by senators from Portland and from large sections of east- President Leaves For Week End Rest Washington (U.R) Presi dent Eisenhower left by automo bile today for a restful week end at his Gettysburg Pa., farm. He was accompanied by Col. Walter Tkach, assistant White House physician. The President is still bothered somewhat by a cough. Before leaving, the President met with his Cabinet, held an extended conference with a group of Republican and Demo cratic congressional leaders, kicked off the annual financial drive for the American Cancer Society, and spoke briefly to several hundred members of the National Press Photographers association. In addition to getting a rest the President will have a re union with Mrs. Eisenhower who has been at the farm for two weeks. She went to Gettysburg at the time Mr. Eisenhower left by Navy cruiser for the Bahamas and Bermuda. Workman Faces Suit for Damages Lawrence Alvis Workman, 25. Seattle, appeared in circuit court Thursday afternoon for pre-trial deposition. A complaint has been filed by Robert R. Dickey, administrator of the estate of John E. Engler, asking for $20,000 damages. Workman was held by police earlier this week as the driver of a vehicle which struck Engler, 25, of Seattle, as Engler was pushing his stalled vehicle north on Highway 99 at Talent Sunday evening. Engler died 3V. hours later in a local hospital. Charges of negligent homicide against Workman were dropped Wednes day after a preliminary hearing in district court because of in sufficient evidence. Workman is represented by James Main with Manville M. Heisel, attorney for the Engler estate. Nehru Reelected Leader Of Governing Congress New Delhi. India U.R) Jaw- aharlal Nehru was reelected leader of the governing Congress party today, insuring his contin- uation as Prime Minister it: i;i ..--it- If4 rtut ! . k by Congress party memoers chosen to Parliament in the re- cent general elections. -, -:,KSEn3 iuvutn c ic seek Gotten Any Closer?" ern and southeastern Oregon. Arguments for the measure were voiced by' senators from western Oregon outside of Mult nomah county and from southern Oregon. Voting for the measure, which now., goes - to the House, were Sens. Belton, Cameron, Chap man, Chase, Dimick, Francis, Gill, Hare. Husband Leth, Lowry Naterlin, Ohmart, Schle singer, Swcetland, Thicl and Ziegler. Voting against the measure were Sens. Boivin, Brady, Cook, Corbett, G 1 e a s o n, Hopkins, Lewis, Musa, Pearson, Quiring, Wilhelm, Yturri and Overhulse. A motion was made by Sen. Ward Cook of Portland to re refer the bill to the Senate Edu cation committee on grounds that it contained defects that had to be corrected. But oppon ents to the motion said the de fects could be ironed out in the House. That motion lost and the main question was put. Speaking for Bill Speaking for SB64 were Sens. Monroe Sweetland of Milwau kie, chairman of the education committee; Donald R. Husband of Eugene, Philip Lowry of Med ford and Dan Dimick of Rose- burg. Speaking against the measure were Sens. Rudie Wilhelm Jr. Jean Lewis and Cook, all of Portland. The bill was taken up as a special order of business at 10:15 a.m., and a packed gallery heard the debate which lasted until after the noon hour. The Senate recessed until 2 p.m. with several measures still to come up for third reading and final Senate action. Under the measure, Portland would be the key district and needs of other school districts throughout Oregon would be based upon a scale using Port land as the standard. Provision for Areas Removed by House Salem (U.R) The House bill 535 removing a provision in the law for setting up timber market ing areas on state land passed the House 41-13 yesterday. Rep. W. O. Kelsay, Roseburg Democrat, said the marketing areas had never been used and that the state board of forestry did not intend to use them to limit processing of timber to local areas. Marketing Areas . Kelsay said there are market ing areas now only on bureau of land management forest lands, but he said the bureau was con siderine abandoning them. ! Rep. Clarence Barton. Coquille Democrat, opposed the bill on grounds it might open up some 6.000 acres of Coos county land now managed by the state to 'raiding by other counties who managed their timber less effectively. Barton's move to have Coos county excepted from the act n urch 29, 1957 OmmedrateTirrafl Convoy of Ships Starts Through Suez Canal Today By WALTER LOGAN United Press Correspondent A convoy sailed through the Suez canal today for the first time since the triple invasion of Egypt five months ago, but a Jordani machine gun attack on an Israeli freight train ended hopes the period of Mideast cri sis was over. However, a sandstorm halted the convoy in the Great Bitter Lakes, about halfway up the canal on its way to the Mediter ranean. Officials said that it would continue Saturday if the weather permits. An Israeli military spokesman said machine gun fire was opened on the train Thursday night from the Jordan strong point of Talkarem, 10 miles north of Qalqilya on the Israeli frontier, scene of a major Is raeli retaliatory raid last Oct. 10-11. No casualties were reported, but the attack north of Jerusa lem where Jordan bulges into former Palestine territory was expected to inflame Israeli feel ings, already tense because of recent ambushes and minor Fe dayeen attacks. The Israeli raid on Qalqilya, which came less than a month before invasion of the Sinai des ert, killed 66 persons. Ten ships entered the 101-mile-long Sueza canal at Suez shortly after Egypt suddenly de clared the canal open to big ships. The action was timed to come before the West could or ganize opposition to Egypt's de mand for payment first and passage later. Egypt demanded and received full dues from each ship before it was allowed to sail from Suez into the canal. In other Mideast develop ments: ' Informed sources in Cairo said the $20 million to pay for the UN salvage operation prob ably would be collected by im posing a special surcharge on canal tolls. Jerusalem dispatches said the Israeli cabinet had decided to recall Ambassador Abba S. Eban from Washington. This would be Israel's admission of failure in agreeing through Eban to withdraw from the Gaza strip, sources there said. Auditing of School Budgets Under Way Auditing of the school dis trict budgets by the rural school board has gone into (the third day, according to county school officials. During the audit any neces sary changes are made in the budgets that have been compiled by the individual districts. Be fore April 10, the board will notify the districts of any changes and they may request a hearing. Notification of final action on the budget by the board will be AprU 20. Marketing failed after Rep. George Annala. Hood River Democrat, said the Coos timber was on small tracts that would not be of interest to large operators because of the expense of hauling it out of the county. Counties Affected Annala said 16 counties would be affected by removal of the marketing restrictions. He said the only objection was from Coos county and that the county's timber amounted to only about 1 per cent of the total affected. Some 647,000 acres of timber are now managed by the state forest service. Barton and Rep. Robert Klem sen, St. Helens Democrat, dis agreed over whether a repre sentative should be primarily interested in representing his own district or the whole state. Barton contended he was obliged to place the position of Coos county before tha House. 1RIBUNE Committee Proposed A proposed budget of $2,807, 146.59 for 1957-58 has been sub mitted to the Jackson county budget committee. It will be considered at a meeting of the committee late next week. The proposed budget exceeds the approved 1956-57 budget by $161,877.52. The current budget is $2,645,269.07. Guy Cramer Found Innocent by Jury In Klamath Falls Klamath Falls (U.R) Ac quittal of Guy Earl Cramer, 76, of a first degree murder charge because of insanity left a legal snarl in its wake today. A Circuit Court jury here yes terday found Cramer innocent of the slaying of Fred Peterson, County Welfare commission chairman, on Jan. 4. The jurors adjudged Cramer insane at the time he shot up a welfare com mission meeting, killing Peter son and wounding two others. The jury 'decided Cramer was insane as of Jan. 4. Since Jan. 4, a Klamath county medical exam iner ruled Cramer was sane. The result has left officials uncertain as to legal procedure, but Judge David R. Vandenberg ordered the county clerk to proceed to call a jury for Monday to try Cramer on a charge of assault to kill Mrs. Altha Urquhart, county welfare administrator. Judge Vandenberg said pres ent law does not specify proced ure for committing Cramer to an institution nor the institu tion to which he should be held. Cramer attorneys based their plea by saying their client suf fered from hallucination and that he claimed that his guard ian angel instructed him to "cast fire on thine enemies. Peterson was. killed and Mrs Urquhart and Jerry Rajnus were wounded during a welfare meet ing. , Youth Pinned Under Vehicle in River "Rogue River A badly skinned leg was the only injury suffered by Ray Hilton, 19, of 2599 Lone Pine rd., Medford early Wednesday morning after the car he was operating plunged into the Rogue river at Fots creek, trapping him under the water. Hilton barely escaped death when his car was submerged in 18 to 20 feet of wate.r after he lost control of the car and it swerved across Pacific highway into the river. The 19-year-old boy was re ported as saying, "I had to push with all my strength to get the door open against the current- He was slightly injured when water pressure forced the door against his leg. Once free of the door, he swam ashore and went for help, it was reported. He was picked up by a Calif ornia-Oregon-Nevada freight run on a pre-dawn run to Medford. The car was pulled from the river by Dick's Wrecker service of Medford Wednesday night. The youtii lives with his par ents, Mr. and Mrs. Floyd Hilton, Medford. Trial Set April 12 On Assault Charge The trial date of an Ashland man and a Medford couple was set for April 12 at 10 a.m.. by District Court Judge Rawles Moore Thursday afternoon. The three had pleaded inno cent in district court earlier to charges of assault and battery in connection with a reported beat ing of Mrs. John Drager, " 272 Orange St., Ashland, in Ashland Sunday. Released on $500 bond each are Guy Fred Witham, 62, of route 1, box 101, Ashland, and Mr. and Mrs. Lorren Cecil Keck, 2645 South Stage rd., Medford Harbison and Piazza law firm lis representing tha three. Price 10e United Press Full Leased Wirt) No. 7 Receives Budget Individual county department heads have made requests total ing $1,158,599.20 for the 1957-58 budget. Other proposed expendi tures, including those for gen eral road, county library, emer gency, civil defense, courthouse construction and county school purposes, total $ZU7,3ZU. out side of the 6 per cent limitation are the Jackson county Histori cal fund, $18,864, and the juven ile detention home operation and maintenance fund, $12,500. Estimated receipts for the 1957 - 58 budget year total $2,807,146.59, the same figure as the proposed budget. No tax levy would be required if the proposed budget were to be adopted, according to committee members. Ask Funds Request by individual county departments and comparisons with 1956-57 budget allocations are as follows: county court, $24,021.40 (3.7 per cent in crease); circuit court, $21,540.40 (10.5 per cent increase); district court, $12,252.50 (12 per cent increase); justice court, Ashland, $7,336 (3.4 per cent increase); justice court, Gold Hill, $2,680 (1.3 per cent decrease); sheriff, $101,305.64 (9.2 per cent in crease); clerk,' $70,871.20 (13.6 per cent increase). Election, $29,815.55 (no change); treasurer, $10,703.40 18 per cent increase); school super intendent, $26,902.66 (41.9 per cent increase); assessor, $118,329 (31.5 per cent increase); (Court house, $35,834.85, (16.4 per cent increase); jail, $22,160 (0.6 per cent decrease); county farm, $74,755 (5.3 per cent increase); care of poor not at county farm, $229,846 (4 per cent increase); miscellaneous relief, $14,000, (133.3 per cent increase). County compensation, $360 (no change); Red Cross, $1,500 (no change); indigent veterans, $1,500 (no change); coroner, $1,200 (no change); juvenile, $32,504.62 (81.5 per cent in crease); health department, $96, 341.40 (0.02. per cent decrease); mosquito control, . $8,500 (41.7 per cent increase); surveyor, $9,635.40 (no change); water mas ter, $16,805 (7.3 per cent in crease); district attorney, $19, 021.40 (7.4 per cent increase). Other Requests Fruit inspection, $1,550 (12.3 per cent increase); county agents, $19,662 (no change); miscellane ous general county, $119,540.78 (5 per cent decrease); veterans service officer, $8,285 (14 per cent increase); board of equaliza tion, $650 (35 per cent decrease); constable, $8,190 (0.7 per cent decrease); and planning commis sion, $11,000 (10 per cent in crease). Requests for other services in clude: general road fund, $1,286, 841.72 (0.2 per cent increase); Jackson county library fund, $30,000 (25 per cent increase); emergency fund, $50,000 (25 per cent increase); civil defense fund, $8,021.67 (8.5 per cent decrease); and courthouse construction, $35,000 (40 per cent increase). McKennon Appointed Acting Ag Director Salem (U.R) Frank McKen non, chief of the division of plant industry since 1935, was named by Gov. Robert D. Holmes today to serve as acting director of the state department of agriculture. McKennon will serve in the interim period between April 1 and the end of the 1957 legisla tive session, at which time Rep. Robert Steward, Keating Demo crat, is scheduled to take over the post. McKennon succeeds J. F. Short, who had agreed to remain on at the request of Gov. Holmes. Last week he asked to be per mitted to leave at the earlier date to take another position. The acting director was named to the plant industry post May 1. 1935 after being engaged in farming and land bank apprais ing in Union county for several years. Washington (U.R) The United States and Iran were reported ready today to put up ransom if Iranian kidnapers of Mrs. Anita Carroll demand money for her safe return. DAVE BECK Trial Date Set Beck's Heir Pleads Innocent to Trying To Bribe Prober Washington (U.R) Pudgy James R. Hoffa, heir apparent of Dave Beck as president of the giant Teamsters Union, pleaded not guilty today to charges of trying to bribe a Senate Rackets committee investigator. Miami attorney Hyman I. Fischbach, a codefendant, also entered a plea of innocent. Federal Judge Richmond B. Keech fixed the date of trial for both for May 27. Hoffa's attorney, Edward Ben nett Williams, said he would prefer a date during the first week in June. Keech said he should take up the possibility of a postponement with the assign ment commissioner. Declines To Comment The judge gave Williams three weeks in which to present motions which the attorney de scribed as of transcendent and overriding importance." Keech continued Hoffa's $25, 000 bond and directed Fischbach to post a local bond of $10,000 The attorney previously posted bond in Miami. Questioned by newsmen after the arraignment, the pint-sized teamsters official said: "I have no comment whatever. This is legal matter, and not one to be tried in the papers. I'm sure you understand." He did tell newsmen, how ever, that "Nobody has been af ter our records." He made the statement when asked if the Rackets committee has been seeking his records in the Cen tral States Teamsters Confer ence. Williams, asked for comment on the "very complex" motions he intends to offer, said he could not comment on them at this time. Williams, a noted young trial lawyer, defended Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy (R-Wis.) during Sen ate censure hearings in 1954. A Grand Jury -returned the three-count indictment against Hoffa and Fischbach March 19. The jury was hastily called March 14 less than 24 - hours after FBI agents arrested the chunky labor leader in a plush Washington hotel. The government charges that Hoffa, a ninth vice president of the teamsters, passed $3,000 in bribe money to Senate investiga tor John Cye Cheasty to filch committee documents on him when he was arr ited. Jacksonville Man Enters Guilty Plea Alan John McBelh, post office box 152, Jacksonville, pleaded guilty in district court Thursday to charges of driving while un der the influence of intoxicat ing liquor. McBeth, who was arrested by Oregon state police Aug. 14, 1956, has previously pleaded in nocent to the charge and trial was set for March 28. He was fined $250 plus $5 court costs and given a 30 days suspended jail sentence during good behavior by District Court Judge Rawles Moore. McBeth also had his driver's license sus pended for 90 days. Visiting Off icials View Local National Guard Armory About 12 officials from Mar ion and Polk counties, Salem and the state military department were in Medford yesterday to inspect the new National Guard armory, now nearing comple tion in south Medford. Among them were Col. Paul Kliever. director of armories and facilities for the state mili tary department. Salem; Col. Robert Irving, regismental com mander of the Oregon National Guard; and Salem City Manager Kent Mathewsbo. Salem city councilmen and chamber of commerce members also at tended. The inspection was in connec tion with a new National Guard armory planned for Salem. The Group Suspends Teamsters' Boss; Union Probe Called Extraordinary Meeting Lasts About 2 Hours Washington UB The AFL CIO Executive council today or dered teamsters boss Dave Beck to stand trial May 20 on charges of "bringing the labor move ment into disrepute." In an extraordinary meeting lasting less than two hours tha council also: Suspended Beck as an AFL- CIO vice president. Ordered an investigation- of the 1,540,000-member Teamsters Union to determine whether it is substantially dominated or controlled by corrupt influ ences." Beck, a vice president of the AFL-CIO, has refused -2 grounds of possible self incrimi nation to tell the Senate Rackets committee whether he "misap propriated" more than $322,000 of teamsters funds. He did not attend today's council session. The actions were announced after a meeting at AFL-CIO headquarters that lasted less than two hours. The council is made up of AFL-CIO President George Meany, Secretary-Treasurer Wil liam Schnitzler, and 26' vice presidents, including Beck. The council directed Meany to file charges against Beck as a vice president of the federa tion for his action in bringing the labor movement into disre pute and his failure to explain the many charges brought against him regarding the mis handling of union funds." Beck was suspended pending the disposition of these charges. -he council also directed the AFL-CIO's Ethical Practices Committee "to investigate the situation in the teamsters to determine whether or not the Teamsters Union is substantially dominated or controlled by cor rupt influences." The action against Beck was unprecedented in the AFL and CIO in that the action involved an officer so high in the labor movement. The Teamsters Union is the fourth to be investigated by the AFL-CIO Ethical Practices com mittee on charges of corruption. Suspension Possible If the Ethical Practices com mittee and the Executive council should find the teamsters to be dominated by corruption, it could lead to suspension of the union from the AFL-CIO Three small unions, the Dis-. tillery Workers, the Laundry Workers, and the Allied Indus trial Workers Unions, are pres ently on notice to "clean house" or be thrown out of the AFL CIO on corruption charges. Upon a finding that a union is dominated by corruption he council has authority to direct it to take certain steps to clean house and to suspend t from the AFL-CIO if it fails to do so. Meany called today's meeting last Tuesday shortly after Beck refused on grounds of possible self incrimination to answer Sen ate Rackets Committee charges that he "may have misappropri ated" more than $322,000 in teamsters money. Beck protested in Seattle that Meany called the council meet ing with such little notice that he was deprived of his right to attend. Weather FORECAST: Partly cloudy to cloudy tonight and Saturday -with decreasing shower activ ity. Cooler. Low tonight it. High Saturday 62. Temp. Highest Yesterday Lowest this Morning at Prec to 10 a-m. Today .06 Our Skies Tonight Sunrise 6:00 a.m. Sunset 6:34 p.m. Woonrise Saturday 5:23 p.m. New Moon March 31 PROMINENT STARS Sirius. in the south west 9:22 p.m. Procyon. well above Sirius. PROMINENT CONSTELLATIONS . Orion, in the southwest 7:34 p.m. Leo, high in south 9:47 p.m. proposed Salem armory would serve National Guard troops there and house offices of state National Guard officials, Med ford City Manager Robert Duff reported. The Salem officials were ac companied on their inspection by Medford and Jackson county officials, including Duff, Mayor John Snider, City Councilman Stanley Jones, County Judge Rodney Keating, County Com missioners Chester Wendt and Ralph James; architects Jack Edson and Bob Keeney; and one of the contractors of the build ing, W. McLoughlin. The visiting officials arrived from Salem by plane about 12:45 p.m. and left Medford about 4 p.m. Thursday.