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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 10, 1957)
FOURTEEN MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE Sunday, November 10, 1957 O O DsKiyoiui 4t v 1 "1 4 0 '7 '-ill I ' Jyf -J- r ! yl -2 iLJC . flaw Forest Researc f o Je B HYBRID FIR TREE? Dr. Kim Ching shows Pearl Tucker how a Douglas fir is being hand pollinated with California Big Cone spruce to create hybrid fir in a new laboratory, the Oregon Forest Research Center, at Corvallis. Corvallis Can a hybrid Doug las fir tree be developed that wil' double present tree growtn such as hybrid corn has done for Agriculture? Intense young geneticists and ether scientists are seeking this answer (fed many more at a (lcientific laboratory recently completed at Corvallis. Called the Oregon Forest Re qsesch Center, this $500,000, all wood structure will be formally dedicated Saturday, Nov. 16, hen there will be an open house for (ihe general public (f'-om 10 to 12 a.m. with dedica Ijon ceremonies at 11 a.m. 9Qrch Programs Th structure houses two dis tinct research programs: forest lnnds research under Dick Berry, director, and foreg) products re Fearch under John G. Grantham, o director, and is the outgrowth of state forest research programs (parted back in 1941. Supervising the two separate tat programs is R. M. Kalland iministrator of the state's fhur-year-old forest protection gl n d conservation committee. Revenue to support the exten research programs aimed at developing more products ftcm wood, and maintaining maximum yield from all of Ore gon's forest land, comes from a forest products harvest tax of 4 cents fit each thousand feet O of logs harvested. In addition, the fund is augumented by by money from the state's gen eral fund and from donations from private firms for coopera tive research projects. "It is possible," Grantham, di reor of the forest products re search center said "that as many as 25,000 new jobs may come f'-om this laboratory. We are working to find new products (I O How "Easy" Are Easy Payments? TH& Y ADO UP TogucageC c)a total th4$ you thii They may look easy hen you buy your car, but the sometimes extra gioney you pay for Chancing really mounts up over the course two or three years. You may be able to cut $150 off the total price of that car by using the State Farm "Bank Plan". Call soon for details. D IN5UNCI MeOTord Agents: JOHN A. CARTER VIRGIL R. WILKES 133 So. Central Tel. SP 2-9322 DONALD E. DAY 1671 Grand Tel. SP 2-5038 n net- ITATf FAIM 4 sTv A r t - ' - t Wi edicated in that can be made from wood and bark, especially from wood leftovers at sawmills and ply wood plants." Already Developed Already developed by the 13 man staff of technical experts, Grantham said, are means of extracting waxes, tannin and other materials from bark and wood. Research has been going forward on processing residues tc make hardboard, particle board" and related products. Sea soning, gluing, treating and test ing of wood and wood structures to improve service ability and sales values plus work to expand the use of local hardwoods are parts of the program to benefit Oregon forest landowners and workers in forest products in dustries.. The 16-man staff of technical men engaged in forest lands re search has an equally challeng ing job, according to Dick Ber ry, director. "Some of our men are working on forest fire stud ies, especially in nre weather forecasting. Others are working on better insect and disease con trol. Several are developing im proved methods of restocking cutovers and managing young timber stands. ' 'Genetics opens an exciting end immensely valuable portal," Berry said, "but takes the long est to make a showing. Undr the direction of Dr. Kim K. Ching, we are hydridizing the Douglas fir and the California big cone spruce. We may get a hybrid fir with .a growth and yield potential like hybrid corn. You never know on these pro jects." Speaker Listed Speakers at the formal ded ication include Governor Robert D Holmes; Freeman Schultz, State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company Home Office, Bloomington, Illinois. x ; vs? X :V x x . I ' - X imgs 1 ,7s , h Center Corvallis Increased volume of improved timber for Oregon industry may result from studies made by Dr. Ching and other geneticists and scientists at the $500,000 laboratory. who will represent the forest in dustries; President A. L. Strand oL Oregon State college; and Al bert Powers, senior member of the state board of forestry will be master of cermonies. The Forest Research Center, al though not connected with Ore gon State college carries on a number of cooperative projects with members of the college staff. Over-all direction of this re search work, so vital to the long-range economy of Oregon, rests with the forest protection and conservation committee, which includes Chairman Free man Schultz, Eliot Jenkins, Fred Brundage, W. F. McCullock and Dave Epps. An advisory committee for the lands research program N. 3. Giustina, W. D. Hagenstein, Ernest Kolbe, R. W. Cowlin, Robert Furniss, Virgil Heath, D. L. Phipps, L. L. (Doc) Simp son, and Chairman Fred Brund age. Advisory Committee The advisory committee for the forest products research is made up of William Swindells, Nils Hult, R. W. Cowlin, Charles Fox, William West, Fred Sohn, S". J. Robinson, Carl Rasmussen, L. L. Simpson, D. L. Phipps and Governor Holmes, who is an ex officio member and chairman. "We can double forest growth under "management," Director Berry stated. "There are many facts we hope to learn and pass along toprivate landowners of our state." "The aim of forest products research," Director Grantham pointed out, "is, through re search, to develop complete utilization of our forest resource. This goal should add at least 5250,000,000 per year to the value of Oregon's forest pro ducts without increasing the present rate of timber cut." Both men stressed they want ed ideas and suggestions from industry for research projects which are timely and have long range significance and import ance. Jacksonville Schools Schedule Open House I Jacksonville The Jackson- ville schools will hold open j house Wednesday, Nov. 13, for ! parents and friends of students. ! Primary grade classrooms will be open at 6:30 p.m. in the new j building, and the high school will open at 7 p.m. Refreshments i will be served at 8 p.m. in the i high school gymnasium. j Lee Harter, high school indus- j I men oi la msuuiiur, wui ieaa a j discussion concerning homework j during the refreshment hour, i Parents also are invited to vis i it classrooms during the day I Wednesday to observe classes in : session. VARIETY TREE Red Wing, Minn. OP Alfred Swanson can pick any one of 25 ; varieties from a single apple ; tree in his backyard. Swanson's j tree was planted in 1911, and ! over the years he grafter cut tings from branches of other trees to provide the varieties. Swanson's apples have won many prizes at the Minnesota state fair. Argentina's two oldest cities, San Juan and Mendoza, were founded in 1561 and 1562 by the colonists who came in from Chile. Were Attempted Robbery Of Train Resulted In Four Deaths A brief announcement in many of the state's newspapers mentioned that the state supreme court Wednesday upheld a Jackson county circuit court re fusal to dismiss five indictments pending against Hugh D'Autre mont. The comparatively modest headlines with this story are in sharp contrast with the bold black banners topping the murd er trial stories on Hugh, Ray and Roy D'Autremont nearly 30 years ago. The trio was sentenc ed to the state penitentiary for life for the killing of train crew members during the attempted robbery of a Souther Pacific mail car in a Siskiyou tunnel south of Ashland Oct. 11, 1923. Roy D'Autremont is now re ported to be in the state mental hospital. Ray is in the state pen itentiary and has never appealed for a parole. The trials of Hugh and his two brothers were among the last to be held in the old court house in Jacksonville before the county seat was shifted to Med ford in 1928. Famous Murder Case The D'Autremont story quick ly became one of the most fam ous murder cases in history. Per iodicals of the day quickly hop ped on the tale of the three broth ers, their attempted hold-up of the passenger-mail train, the re sulting four murders and the trio's conviction. As one detective magazine of the day wrote, "On an October day in 1923, murder grim and terrifying, lurked high in the rugged Siskiyou mountains." On that October day in 1923 the crew aboard Southern Pac ific train 13 on the Portland to San Francisco run had no idea of pending events. They were Sidney Bates, veteran engineer, Marvin Seng, fireman, and Coyl O. Johnson, brakeman, taking a free ride, Elvyn E. Dougherty, postal clerk, and Conductor J. O. Marrett. Entered Tunnel The three day-coaches had just entered the tunnel when those on the other cars heard the roar of an explosion. Even the experienced railroad men on the train thought the locomo tive had exploded. E. O. Joers, medical student and passenger, rushed down the tracks to aid any injured persons. Bending over Brakeman Johnson, he dis covered he had been shot four times in the stomach. Engineer Bates and Fireman Seng had each been shot through the head and Postal Clerk Dougherty had been blown up.' The U. S. Post Office Inspec tion service then swung into ac tion and rushed such men to the scene as Postal Inspector Charles Ruddiford, S p o k a ne. Pacific Northwest division, and Postal Inspectors Arnold O. Brunner and George E. Houghen in Ashland at the time. Special agents of the Southern Pacific railroad system also ar rived from Seattle and Portland. A crack investigator and chief of the railroad special agents, Dan O'Connell, captained this crew. , Find Revolver Swarming over the scene of the tragedy, the investigators found a .45 caliber Colt revolver with the serial number filed off. just outside of north end of the tunnel. On the hillside near the track at the other end of the tun nel they found a DuPont blast ing machine, a length of insulat ed wire, a pair of greasy overalls, six footpads made of gunnysacks soaked with creosote and fuse wires running along the track at the south end of the tunnel. Investigators determined too much of a charge was used. In stead of trapping the train in the tunnel as probably was intended, a number of cars were wrecked and the train caught fire. Then started a painstaking f ul 1 - s cale investigation and search which eventually covered years of constant effort and reached around the world. First step was to call in Edward Oscar Heinrich, professor of chemistry at the University of California, widely known scientific detec tive. Worked In Camp Thrbugh his research the pro fessor determined that one of the bandits was brown-haired, left handed and 26 years old. He was estimated to be 5 feet, 8 inches tall, heavy set and neat. Since the overalls found had pitch on them Professor Heinrich decided the man must have worked in a lumber camp. Microscopic examination of the faded registry receipt found in a pocket of the overalls pro1 duced another clue. It was stamp ed with a Eugene postmark and dated Sept. 14, 1923. A check with the post office revealed it was for a registered letter from Roy D'Autremont to Vern D'Au tremont at Lakewood, N. M. Further clues turned up when We a search of two abandoned camps not far from the tunnel revealed cooking utensils, a knapsack, like one found near the blasting machine, black travelling bag with an Ameri can Railroad express tag on it, and sheet-iron straps. Tracking Mail Tracking the registered letter further, investgators discovered Vern D'Autremont was an elder ly barber who had three sons twins Ray and Roy, 26 year old, and Hugh, 18. All three had worked in logging camps at Sil verton, Ore., they learned from the father. He had not seen them since late September. He described Roy as left-handed, being 5 feet, 8 inches tall. RECEIVES MEMBERSHIP Edrogan Huseyin Arsan of Ankara, Turkey, receives a certificate of honorary member ship in the Medford Junior Chamber of Commerce from Hal Gardner, Jaycee president. Arsan is in the United States under the International Cooperation administration. He is chief engineer of the rationalization section of the Electrical Research commission of Turkey. He has been in the Medford area since September. While in the area he has been studying operations of the California Oregon Power company. Arsan has left Medford for the Oakland, Calif., area. He will return to Turkey next year. (Kenn Knackstedt photo). Changes Suggested in County Agricultural Conservation' Program The Jackson county agricul tural conservation program for 1958 will be almost the same as this year, according to a decision by the committee at a program meeting last week. A few changes were suggested. One of these is to utilize land along stream-banks in the county for planting timber to prevent erosion. It was also suggested that pay ment for seed-bed preparation be omitted. It was pointed out that the 1958 program money is now being used for this year's pro gram. If all of this money is used only about $32,000 could be used in next year's operation, committee members pointed out. Continue Payments It was voted to continue the 50 per cent payment for the seed going into grass seeding and 50 per cent for liming payment, plus nitrogen and phosphorous for soil test needs. County Ex tension Agent W. B. Tucker said. This does not include the payment for use of potash, he added. Only about 6 per cent of the soil tests made in the county to date show a shortage of that element in the soil. In contrast, Tucker said, 74 710 per cent of the land tested during a three year period showed that more lime is re quired. This represents . 6,247 acres of a total of 8,355 acres tested. During the past 12 months, 94 farms in the county representing a total of 2,283 acres have had soil samplings made. An esti mated 65 710 per cent of 1,500 acres showed more lime was re quired. Main Practices Main practices to be carried out next year in the agriculture conservation program for the county include seeding land to grass crops, liming, land-levelling and drainage, development of ready water supply by reser voirs or sumps, and forestry practice. The latter category includes the encouragement of tree farms, care and management of forest tree reproduction, Tucker ex plained. Open drains as well as tiled drains are needed on farm land in the county and should be encouraged, he said. A tremendous amount of mois ture occurs during the winter months and varying soil types restrict the free flow under ground of surplus waters, he said. Open or tile drains can aid in leading the water off more rapidly. This problem is expected to be intensified with the completion of the Talent irrigation project. Eighteen people attended last week's meeting in the county ex tension office. Representing the various governmental service in clude E. M. Denny, Farm Home administration; Carol Brown, forest service; Bob Lonzway, Soil Conservation service field man; Harry Martin, Agriculture Stabilization and Conservation program; and county ACP corn- mittee members Charles White His son, Ray, he said, was once convicted for IWW criminal syn dicalism during .World War I. Ray was said by his acquaint ance to have a mind inflamed against society after staying a year at the Oregon state refor matory at Monroe, Ore. He was reported to have a strong influ ence on the other two. A check at a camp near Silver ton revealed the trio had worked there until Aug. 31 and quit. While there they had lived in a cabin and had a large wooden box reinforced with sheet-iron straps. Spent Time Shooting Fellow loggers reported the box contained guns, and the trio had spent considerable time of Rogue River, Ray Vogel of Central Pc:t, and Otto Nieder meyer of .Jacksonville. Ray" Vo gel acted as chairman of the meeting, since Otto Niedermey' er, Jacksonville, chairman of the county ACP committee was un able to attend. Tucker repre sented the county extension of fice. Ashland Land Suit Settled, SOC Says Ashland A total of $5,500 has been agreed upon for prop erty needed by Southern Oregon college in Ashland adjacent to the college campus, college offi cials have reported. The suit involving the state vs. Lawrence and Pearl Lovaas and Gail S. and Mildred Brewer was settled out of court Thurs day, it was reported. The Brew ers had entered into agreement for purchase of the property from Lawrence and Pearl L&vaas. The land in question involves a house and lot. According to the complaint filed in Jackson county circuit court the defendants had wanted $6,500 for the property and the state had offered $5,000. Another condemnation suit involving land needed by South ern Oregon college in its expan sion program is expected to be filed soon again Lora Childress, of Ashland, for a house and lot on Melody lane, according to Dr Elmo Stevenson, Southern Ore gon college president. The house and lot is in the center of the science building site, Dr. Steven son said. Vacation of a portion o " Melo dy lane for the college expan sion in return for an easement across college property at the head of Melody lane is expected to be considered by the Ashland city council soon, Dr. Stevenson said. Meetings Scheduled To Explain Manor Five meetings have been ;cheduled this month to explain the aims and purposes of Rogue Valley Manor, Medford retire ment home, in west coast cities, it was announced Saturday. M. N. Hojjan, president, and Walter Higgins, executive secre tary of the non-profit corpora lion working on the home, will meet in churches with persons interested. The schedule includes the following dates: Nov. 15. First Methodist church, Corvallis; Nov. 19, First Presbyterian church. Portland; Nov. 20, St. Michael and All An gels' Episcopal church, Portland; Nov. 25, First Methodist church, Bend, and Nov. 29, St. Mark's Erjiscopal church, Palo Alto, Calif. About one-half f the Presi dents of the U. S. have been col lege graduates. luwesftDCiiofted shooting in the woods. Marks on the trees and empty shot-gun and rifle shells proved this. The human blood-hounds then traced the three men from Sil verton to Eugene to Ashland. The D'Autremonts had bought a car in Portland. A hardware store was located near the hotel in which they stayed where they had brought the utensil found in the burned camps. The store keeper's descriptions checked. In Eugene the trio bought the knap sacks. Then garages and gas sta tions were checked along the route from Eugene to Ashland until one was found in which the car .had been repaired. The at tendant gave a description which checked with that of Hugh. Then started an even more de tailed facet of the search for the fugitives. Investigators conduct ed thorough interviews with all those who knew the three broth ers. Using this information they compiled wanted bulletins de signed to cover every detail of the brothers' lives. They learned that Hugh was, a devoted athlete, they obtained description of the watches worn by the twins, data on the dental work of the trio, their hand writing and prescription of the glasses worn by the twins. First Circulars During May, 1926, the first batch of circulars were sent out. Before the case ended some 2,265,000 copies were mailed and were translated into Spanish, French, Portuguese, German and Dutch. These circulars were also placed in rooming houses, apart ment houses, lumber camps, em ployment offices and with den tists, jewelers, pawnbrokers, opticians, optometrists. However, two people recognized- the wanted men, and one was partly blind. A returning soldier from over- This Week 's HISTORY MStx AXM fc.. .... i. , . J . .: m . Identify This Coin ' and Its Significance CLUE: In 1845, among the clusters of log cabins en the banks of the Willamette, two men who had come .West from Maine and Massachusetts used this coin to determine the fate of old Stumptown. M-Auuaj puejfioj,, euira eij. sni 'sso sm uom OAOjBAaj s.asnipesse 'uojsog Jatye peujeu 41 pauPM AolaAo-j pup 'suipjaj 'pucjoj JStyP pauieu 41 pajueM 9aoj6A43j humo4 duinjc,,, joj eiupuM3u e uodn eppep 04 XoIsacj pue 9A0jB3j Aq passo; woo eu spm mAuu(j pup -jojm eui ,,-Auuej pueujoj,, s siuj aMSNV For a 13 picrur calendar depicting beautiful scenes from , Oregon history send $ 1 .00 to the OREGON HISTORICAL SOCIETY PORTLAND, OREGON Finest of Modern Facilities , Conger-Morris continually strive to provide the finest of facilities. Here, to make your a beautiful Memorial, you will find the Orchid, Gold Green, Rose Room Private Business Offices Arrangement Rooms Pallbearer Room Family Room Chapel FUNERAL DIRECTORS W. MAIN AT SIXTH s e a s reported to a postal in spector .in San Francisco that Hugh was in the U. S. Army at Manila, P. I., using the name of James C. Price. A wire to Army authorities asked them to arrest Hugh if he should try to obtain a discharge. The next year, In spector Fred Smith checked the suspect, and his Army records. When arrested the fueitive readi ly admitted he was Hugh. How ever, he insisted he did not know where his brothers were. He was returned to San Francisco on March 17, 1927. Sent To Jacksonville On March 25, Hugh was sent to Jacksonville under heavy guard. He was charged wit'a a hold up and four murders. How ever, it took two trials before the guilty verdict was finally returned. The trial had opened on May 2. A juror died nine days later. The second trial started June 6 and wound up in 17 days. The jury took less than an hour to deliberate and returned a ver dict of guilty of first degree murder. Meanwhile, Albert Collings worth, a cripple with one eye, read the story in his hometown paper at Portsmouth, Ohio. He told his wife he was sure he had worked with the twins. He said one was blonde and the other had black hair. The information was passed on to a friend who reported the suspicions to Special Agent L. C. Schilder of the FBI stationed in Columbla0Ohio. Both twins were taken with out a shot being fired in Steu benville, Ohio. They arrived in Jacksonville the same day as Hugh received his life sentence. The twins pleaded innocent at first and the trial was set for Aug. 29. Five days later they changed their pleas and were sentenced -to life imprisonment in the state penitentiary with their younger brother. - MYSTERY
