Hero of 54 Days in
Sierras Files Suit
Friday, December 27. 1937
. MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE SEVEN
o
Against Magazine
Trumbull, Conn. 0? Lt. Da
vid A. Steeves, who came out of
the rugged wilderness of Cali
fornia's High Sierra as a hero
and then became a controversial
figure, said today his lawyers
are filing a law suit against the
Saturday Evening Post.
Steeves, 23, a former jet pilot
on inactive duty since Nov. 30
at his own request, said the
breach of contract action is
being filed against the magazine
in Los Angeles.
Te magazine allegedly can
celled its story contract with
Steeves because of "a number of
discrepancies" in the story of
how he survived 54 days in the
O mountains after his jet trainer
crashed.
Steeves said he was offered
$10,000 for the magazine article.
When the article was cancelled,
he said, a planned book also was
called off.
Wan Francisco Affair
Ha also said there was a possi
bility of a movie offer about his
Experience before the magazine
jid there were "discrepancies."
Steeves, meanwhile, com
mented on a Redbook magazine
'Article saying that he and his
jretty wife, Rita, 21, were "de
G itrmined to start fresh, to put
their marraige on a firmer ba-
This was believed the rea
son for his request to be put on
inactive status.
The Redbook article said
Steeves had a serious relation
ship with a San Francisco wom
an for lmost a year before his
disappearance and had broken
promises to his wife to end the
affair. Steeves' wife filed for di
vorce but they were later re
united. The couple have a daugh
ter, Leisa, 2.
Today he said his relationship
with the woman on the West
Coast "was all in the past."
Plane Never Found
Steeves disappeared May 9
and the Air Force subsequently
listed him as dead. His plane
was never recovered.
On July 1 the bearded pilot
crawled into headquarters of Sequoia-Kings
Canyon National
Park near Fresno.
He told a story of stumbling
through icy wilderness living on
fish, reptiles and deer.
He was acclaimed a hero and
the Post planned to publish his
story.
The Air Force said it conduct
ed a routine investigation to
find the plane and said Steeves
had given valuable information
on survival techniques.
He reported he has had no job
offers since his release from
active duty.
' "V
ACCIDENT VICTIMS CONSOLED Rev. Father L. Stype
omforts Mrs. Augustine Papillion, 40, trapped in wreck
age of pickup truck where three of her children lie
crushed to death by a semi-truck trailer which rolled
over on the smaller vehicle near Opelousas, La. Behind
Mrs. Papillion is her son, Linus, 16, who suffered multiple
lacerations.
STILL FIGHTING after trying to lead four other prisoners
to freedom in jailbreak at Oklahoma City, George Jernigan,
28, convicted bank robber, is being subdued by Charley
Hollis, seriously beaten jailer. (International Soundphoto)
Navy Seeks $3,777
Paid by Mistake
Washington (IP) The Navy
said today it is trying to get back
$3,777 in retirement benefits
paid to an ex-officer convicted
of manslaughter.
President Eisenhower last
March ordered the name of
Cmdr. Robert B. Rueger stricken
from the Navy retired rolls be
cause he was convicted of killing
a man after his retirement.
But someone made a book
keeping error arid Rueger con
tinued to receive monthly re
tirement checks delivered to his
Richmond, Va., jail cell. He en
dorsed them and turned them
over to his wife to pay family
bills.
The Navy discovered its error
last month. When Rueger left
jail on parole Dec. 19, he was
handed a copy of a letter saying
he owed the government $3,777.
The letter said the Navy Fin
nance Center at Cleveland
would try to collect the money
from Rueger "as soon as pos
sible." A Navy spokesman said that
if the finance center was unable
to collect its money, the normal
procedure would be to turn
over the case to the General Ac
counting Office. The GAO could
file suit against the former com
mander, i
Leukemia Claims
Little Idaho Girl
Spokane (IP) An eight-year-old
girl who celebrated two
Christmases within a month be
cause she was stricken by leu
kemia died at a hospital today.
Diane Kay Siler, Lewiston,
Idaho, had opened her presents
at an early Christmas party Dec.
10 because doctors feared she
might not live until Christmas
day.
But on Christmas her doctors
said she was "doing as well as
can be expected." Her family
and friends gathered at her bed
side to wish her a merry Christ
mas and present more gifts.
Her condition worsened, how
ever, and her parents remained
at her bedside until she died this
morning.
EMERGENCY
NUMBERS
FIRE SP 2-2333
POLICE SP 3-3636
MONEY SP 3-5308
A DrVtStON OF PAClftC ntJWet
(PACIFIC ,
iriBUSTMAt"
16 S. CENTRAL
O
dm you find the "guarantee"
in this picture?
o
You buy a refrigerator only two or three timea
In your lifetime.
Yet you don't hesitate to buy one without
getting so much as a look at the intricate "works"
that makes it run.
How do you dare make such an important
purchase without having an expert check it over
tor you? What makes you so sure you're getting
your money's worth when you say, "I'll take
that one"? .
The answer's obvious. You look for the brand
memo on the refrigerator your "guarantee."
You're learned to follow this first rule of safe
ad sound buying:
A food brand is your best guarantee
Jf nutter what kind of product you want to
buy, you know a good brand won't let you down.
You know the maker stands back of it guar
antees it. And so, when you buy a good brand
you know you're right.
Read this newspaper to find out which are
the good brands (and the stores that sell them.)
The more good brands you know, the surer you
are about all your shopping.
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Medford Mail Tribune
v