Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989, March 16, 1959, Image 1

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Medford mail tribune., March 16, 1959, Image 1

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Newspaper Page TextD'Autremont 53rd Year Price 10 Cents Medford MEDFORD, OREGON, MONDAY, MARCH 16, 1959 No. 206 nAlT TRIBUNE' In Hospital Critically III Parolee Appreciates Prayers (Editor's nole: Th nam D'Autremont is well known in soulhern Oregon. Usually is brings up connolations of the Irain robbery and murder in Tunnel 13 in Ihe Siskiyous in the early 20s. and ihe trial of Ihe three D'Autremont brothers in the Jackson county courthouse in Jacksonville in 1927. But what of the human beings behind the name? Hugh D'Autremont, youngest of the three brothers, recently was paroled from the Oregon stale penitenlairy after 31 years. He found a job in the bay area, was planning to get married to a girl he first met while still a prisoner, and who had waited for him for 12 years. Then he was stricken by illness, and .remains on ihe serious, perhaps "incurable." list. A poignant picture of the man is painted in the following inter view. The writer is Mrs. Edward C. Kelly of Medford. who visited Hugh in San Francisco and prepared this article for ihe Mail Tribune. As Mary Greiner she covered the D'Autre mont trial nearly 32 years ago for the old Medford News, and laier wrote many "follow-up" stories about ihe D'Auire monts lor the Mail Tribune. She met her future husband, now a circuit judge, when he was a young attorney watching the trial. They have been friends of Hugh D'Autremont since thai time.) (Copyright. 1959. by Medford Printing Company) By MARY GREINER KELLY San Francisco-"I still have hope ... I appreciate the prayers of my friends." Hugh D'Autremont, a thin sliver of a man with greying hair, large, intense blue eyes, skin almost transparently pale from his violently painful and critical illness, forced a wan smile of welcome as he lay beneath the rumpled coverlet of a two-bed ward in San Francisco General hospital. It was the latest stop in a series of wards (mostly larger) to which. he had been transferred following exploratory ex aminations, x-rays, biopsies and temporary treatments pre liminary to possible surgery. ' The incredibly large hospital, serving both the city and county of San Francisco, consists of several tall buildings, staggered in and out along an entire city block, a half-hour bus ride from downtown San Francisco. Although news of his critical illness reached the newspa pers only a week ago, Hugh D'Autremont has been a patient there since he was suddenly stricken nearly a month ago. It came a month after he was paroled from the Oregon peniten tiary after serving 31 years-a week after he had landed a job as linotypist on a big city newspaper. He was planning to get married as soon as he saved enough from his first pay checks, to a girl who has waited for him for 12 years. At First, Bitterness and Pain "I guess I was bitter at first . . . the pain . . . the vicious cruelty of the timing . . . after the first smile of fate upon me in 31 long years." His thin hand smoothed out the worried furrow of his coverlet. He stared at it silently for a long moment. "We were so happy, so hopeful, planning our mar riage . . . the fellows on the job, so understanding, so helpful and kind ... future looked so bright. Then this struck sud denly, without warning. The date? Let's see . . . February 14 . . ." His. breathing was labored. , Two young interns came into the room, smiling brightly, . warmly, joshing the two patients. They were going to remove the draining tube. It should make him more comfortable. No need for the visitor to leave the hospital . . . just take a seat out in the hall. It 'would be over in five minutes. It was. They came out, smiled and waved, went into the next ward. In the brief interval the other patient in the ward had been moved out. Hugh D'Autremont's bed had been rolled up ao that he was in a semi-reclining position. He looked brighter. "I can move a little now, with that thing out," he said. The doctors are young, but they work hard-they're doing their best." ' Reminiscences of 31 Years There were reminiscences over the 31 years to incidents at the famous trial in the little court room at historic Jack sonville. He mentioned his defense attorneys-Fred Smith of Eugene and his young partner Dave Evans; the famous John Collie of Portland, who had been a prosecutor for many years, only to become one of the most successful defense trial attorneys in the northwest; Medford's colorful Gus Newbury who couldn't resist quoting Shakespeare. All are dead now. There was the prosecution-U.S. Attorney George Neuner with his thundering voice; Medford's vigorous George Rob erts . . . "Once George noticed I was out of cigarettes . . . came over in a recess to offer me one of his . . . talked to me a little . . . I've never forgotten." . . . Jackson County's Dis trict Attorney, Newton Chaney, Deputy George Neilson . . . Dr. E. O. Heinrich, famous criminologist from Berkeley, California, real star of the prosecution. Neilson and Heinrich are dead. There were the endless parade of county and city police, special investgiators, postal inspectors. Most dogged of all were the Southern Pacific inspectors-two of whom came up to the penitentiary periodically over the years ostensibly to visit Hugh, but "actually to check my greying hair, the lines in my face ... to be sure I was paying my debt to society." A wry smile. There was poignant little Jack Vick, 16 year old from Russelville, Arkansas, who had lied about his age to get into the Army. He landed in Hugh's outfit over in the Philippines, and worshipped the ground he walked on. Later, when Hugh was taken into custody, following a tip from a discharged soldier who had returned to the states, Jack Vick confessed his true age, came back on the ship that carried Hugh out to Aicatraz prison. Stood By 'My Buddy' The Arkansas lad went home to his parents. Later, deter mined to "stand by my buddy" he hitchhiked across the coun try, arriving in crowded Jacksonville wearing khaki trousers, a blue denim jacket, his scuffed shoes worn through. Fright ened, suspicious, grim, the teenage boy nevertheless took the stand as a "character witness." (Postscript. A few years later, Jack, restless, lonesome, on his way again across the country to visit Hugh again in the penitentiary, attempted to ride the rods on a freight train, dozed and fell. His legs were severed. As he was dying he told the nurses: "Hugh will be so disappointed not to see me. He was the best friend I ever had.") A small boy wistfulness and a hint of tears came with the mention of his mother-Bell D'Autremont. She had come up from Lakewood, New Mexico, as soon as he was brought back from the Philippines. She had been brought to Aicatraz prison by investigators to persuade him to "confess." She stood by him during the trial-took the stand. Later Belle, whose husband earlier had deserted and di vorced her, sold her home and small store in Lakewood, moved to Salem to be near her son. She ran a rooming house. Did pretty well too. Then business fell off and she was going to lose the property. Hugh, who had managed to save $1,000 from running the printing for the penitentiary and other state institutions, gave this to his mother to pay off the mort gage "I've always been grateful for that," he said. Fiancee Had Waited 12 Years Today-every day-down the long, winding corridors of the lare impersonal hospital, walks a slight, pretty, gentle voung woman who wants to marry Hugh D'Autremont-make a home for him. She is well educated, sensitive gifted. She has waited for him for 12 years. She had first met him while he was running the prison print shop, and she was doing pub lication work for another state institution. Two months ago she thought their dream had come true. On January 9 of this year, Hugh was paroled from the (Continued on Page 11) ill ft yf yf- fe , ,., mr.,i yf ft M , ( .A.. , rmrrmiMmfltr nf (. VERY CLOSE SHAVE This truck stalled on a railroad crossing at Willoughby, Ohio, and had the front of its cab sliced off by a passing train. The driver, Richard Sny der, sat there while 56 railroad cars passed School District Consolidation Vote Date to be Set Soon Election date for voting on the proposal to consolidate five school districts with Med ford may be set this week, Alf B. Mekvold, county school superintendent, said today. Mekvold said he is contact ing the officials of Lone Pine, Griffin Creek, Jacksonville and Ruch districts and the remaining portion of Howard district, to see when an offi cial vote in each of the dis tricts, including Medford, may be taken on the consolidation proposal. The county bound ary board, of which Mekvold is secretary, would have to set the date after the various districts affected concur, he explained. Petitions from the various districts are in and have been checked as to legality, Mek vold said. ' Meeting Tonight Meanwhile, a meeting has been scheduled for 7:30 o'clock this evening in the Phoenix grade school gymna sium by those people in the Phoenix school district who favor consolidation with Med ford. The meeting was called to explain the issues involved to Phoenix; district teachers and members of the Parent Teacher association. However, a number of those opposed to the consolidation also plan to attend, it was reported. Midwest Staggers Under Heavy Snow By United Press International The snow -weary Midwest staggered today in the wake of a near blizzard which stalled trains, marooned thou sands of persons and cut com munications. The week-end storm, pow ered by 50 to 80 m.p.h. winds, piled up paralyzing snows frc n Nebraska northeastward through Michigan. It roared into eastern Can ada during the night, but strong winds continued to batter the lower Great Lakes region and eastern Upper Michigan, where snow depths averaged 40 to 50 inches. Bond Election Date Expected Tonight Ashland Election date for the proposed junior high school bond issue will be set tonight, said Stanley Jobe, Ashland school district super intendent. He said, today that the Ash land school board will meet with architects tonight to learn of estimated cost of the building. Previously, Jobe had said the bond election would probably be held sometime between April 1 and 10. The school would be locat ed on a 22-acre site east of Walker ave. and between the Southern Pacific tracks and East Main st. DOW-JONES AVERAGES New York -ttiPD- Dow Jones closing stock aver ages: 30 industrials 808.88, off 6.81; 20 rails 162.62, off 1.63; 15 utilities 93.97, off 0.31; 65 stocks 210.07. off 1.99. Sales today were about 4.420.000 compared with 4,880.000 Friday. Petitions have been drawn up and are being circulated throughout the district today by those citizens in the Phoe nix district favoring consoli dation with Talent or having Phoenix remaining as it is. A request for official petitions from the county school super intendent's office was re ceived this week end, Mek vold said. He said he is for warding the request to mem bers of the county school dis trict reorganization commit tee since it has officially gone on record favoring regroup ing Phoenix with Medford. - Unreported Facts Given by Father Doyle G. McCall, 523 Hav en st., father of Jane Sue Mc Call, 5, who was struck by a city police car last Thursday afternoon on Summit ave., said today that some facts re garding the incident had not been reported. The father said that the child was crossing Summit ave. from east to west at the time of the accident. With the police car traveling south on Summit, he said that his daughter on her bicycle had partly crossed the street at the time of the incident. Skid Marks He also stated that skid marks made by the patrol car were clearly visible on the pavement, Patrolman Donald Lee Pursel, who was driving the police car, reported in a signed statement that the child emerged suddenly from behind a parked car which blocked his view. He said he was traveJing between 20 and 25 miles per hour. McCall also stated that there were two other witnes ses to the accident in addition to Mrs. Dorothy Cordelia Stuart, 2650 Beall lane, who gave a statement to police. The girl suffered a broken right leg and facial lacera tions and is in fair condition at Sacred Heart hospital. Washington -(UPD- Gen. Air Force Chief of Staff, Thomas D. White, believes U.S. ground forces in Europe should be brought up to full strength but doubts there is any real need for reinforce ments because of the Berlin crisis. Hatfield Denies Plans To National Guard Fighters Salem -(UPD Gov. Mark Hatfield says he has no plans to move Oregon's Air Nation al Guard jet fighters from Portland to Salem. Said Misunderstanding Hatfield said a report from Washington, D.C., which in dicated plans were being con sidered to move the air guard to Salem was a misunder standing. He said a plan un der discussion was for trans fer of the rest of the Army aviation unit of the Army Na tional Guard to Salem under current revision of the Army National Guard. The governor said the Air National Guard which flies jets would have to remain within inches of his face, but he was not injured. Here he demonstrates the posi tion he found himself in. The crossing gateman was charged with negligent operation. Measure Gives Motorists More Protection Salem - (UPD - The Oregon House today passed and sent to the Senate the so-called "uninsured motorist" " bill after about an hour's debate. Vote on the measure was 36-21 with all but two of the negative votes coming from Democrats. The measure is designed to give motorists more insurance protection by requiring insur ance companies to include a clause in their liability insur ance policies protecting the driver from injury or death received at the hands of un insured - or hit-run. drivers; The plan was favored by Gov. Mark Hatfield in his in augural address. Another type of insurance compulsory insurance also is being studied by the legis lature. It would require all auto owners to carry liability insurance. Most Drivers Insured This type of legislation was favored by ex-Gov. Robert D. Holmes. Rep. Harry Eliott (R-Tilla-mook) presented the bill on the floor. He said all Oregon insurance companies favored it, although some out-of-state companies opposed it. Elliott said 94 per cent of Oregon drivers were insured, but that the remaining six per cent had to be dealt with. Also covered in the bill would be injuries caused by out-of-state or stolen cars, Elliott said. He said compulsory insur ance has never worked 100 per cent, that states that now have it are also, considering the uninsured motorist clause and that the clause would be more effective than compul sory insurance. Cost Said Small Cost of the plan would be small, Elliott said, adding that 65 per cent of the policies written by Oregon companies already had the clause. Rep. Al Flegel (D-Roseburg) opposed the bill on grounds it was a form of the "welfare state." He said 800,000 motor ists would be involved, 50, 000 of them now uninsured. Flegel said the great ma jority of motorists would be compelled to pay the insur ance for those who didn't have it. He said the average yearly cost of such insurance would be about $4.80. where there are adequate fa- cilities. The Army guard unit have light, liaison planes. Hatfield visited President Eisenhower Saturday to dis cuss an assortment of prob lems involving Oregon. He said he invited the president to dedicate The Dalles dam on the Columbia river next sum mer but the president made no commitment. Urged Green Peter Support Hatfield, who also attended the Gridiron dinner, told newsmen he urged the Presi dent to support a start on Green Peter dam on the San tiam river. No funds have been allotted for the dam. Hatfield also discussed a re Three Children Perish in Flames At Halfway Home Bodies Discovered Huddled in Closet Halfway, Ore. (UPD Three tiny children perished Sunday in a fire at their home.' The children had gone into an up stairs closet to try to escape the flames. The victims were identified James Warren Yardly, 10 months; Kittatina Kay Yard ley, 2 years, and John William Yardley, 3 years. They were the children of Mr. and Mrs. Warren B. Yardley. Police Chief Ellis Makison said the children had been put to bed in the upstairs of the home. He said they may have been playing with matches. Huddled in Closet The children were found huddled in the closet. One had been burned and the others overcome. Firemen worked on them for 2Vi hours with resu scitator equipment. A 16-year-old brother, Ken neth, had put the children to bed and then gone into the yard to paint a bicycle. A neighbor women noticed the fire and she and Kenneth tried to enter the home but were driven back by the flames. The parents were not home at the time. Halfway is about 50 miles east of Baker. Army Engineers Begin Work on Summit Stockade All preliminary work at the Centennial stockade on the Siskiyou mountains was com pleted Sunday by members of the 417th Engineer Brigade, Army reserve, according to Brig. Gen. William H. Pren tice, commander. The work completed Sun day made way for the laying of concrete forms and plumb ing construction for the in terior building, it was report- ed. Volunteer personnel from the local carpenters and plumbers unions will work at the site during the next two weeks, General Prentice said. April 5 the reserve mem bers will construct the frame of the stockade. The stockade, the first built by the Army in more than 60 years, will be a replica of an early-time fort, complete with lookout posts. The ten-foot high walls will have a peri meter of 150 feet with a cat walk around the walls' in terior. Forty members of the local unit worked at the project Sunday, with reserve mess personnel cooking and serv ing dinner at the site. The structure will serve as a welcome booth for tourists during Oregon's Centennial year. Move Air To Salem port on a proposed program providing for exchange of power between the Bonne ville Power administration in Oregon and a steam generat ing system in California. The governor said he re ported to E i s e nhower on steps taken to revitalize the Republican party in Oregon. Talks with Solons Hatfield also spent 90 min utes discussing Oregon prob lems with Reps. Edith Green and Al Ullman, Democrats, and Walter Norblad, Repub lican. He had breakfast with Sen. Richard L. Neuberger. Sen. Wayne Morse and Rep. Charles O. Porter were not in Washington. ISENronaai. : -1 "Aloha" Strong Support for Foreign Aid Funds Urged by Herter Washington (UPD Acting Secretary of State Christian A. Herter told Congress today U. S. foreign policy will be come "ineffective" unless President.. Eisenhower's $3,' 929,995,000 foreign aid pro gram gets strong support. He made the statement in opening the administration's drive to sell the program to a reduction-minded Congress. Testifying as the first wit ness at House Foreign Affairs Committee hearings, Herter said the mutual aid program is "fundamental to the peace of the world, our own future welfare aid progress, and in the years ahead the survival of our American nation and our American way of life as we know it." Bids on Project Are Above Estimate R. A. Heintz Construction company was apparent low bidder on revised plans for the proposed Eastover terrace sanitary sewer when bids were opened at city hall this morning. But the Portland firm's bid of $10,003.25 is well above the engineer's estimate $8,190. Other bidders' are F. L. Somers, Medford, $11,771, and H. W. Houston, Portland, $11,102.75. Plans for the project were revised previously when bids on the original plans were considered too far above the engineer's estimate. The earlier plans called for installation of a pumping sta tion at Eastover Terrace dr. and Hillcrest rd., while the present plans call for a grav ity line from Eastover terrace to a line on the Rogue Valley Country club's property. The city council is expected to consider the bids Thursday evening. Mission Dedication Planned for Tonight Dedication of the Medford Gospel Mission will be held this evening at 7:30 o'clock at Hedrick Junior High school cafeteria. The Rev. Jimmy Wahlbrink, superintendent of the Yakima, Wash., Mission, and president of the North Pacific district of the Interna tional Union of Gospel Mis sions will be principal speak er. Prior to the service a pot luck dinner will be held. All interested persons may attend the event. Also present will be superintendents of Missions in Klamath Falls, and Bakersfield, Fresno, and Sacramento, Calif. Open house was held at the Mission at 33 South Front st. Sunday afternoon and today from 2 until 5 o'clock. " His statement was made in the face of open and veiled threats by Democrats to try to cut the program by tip to $1 billion. : An even' deeper cut-of $2 billion-was recommended on the eve of Herter's appearance by the recently-organized "citizens foreign aid commit tee." Herter told the House group that the foreign aid program, representing but 5 per cent of the national budget, would contribute as much to the achievement of the great ob jectives of our national life as comparable expenditures for any other activity . . ." He said approval of the re quested funds would be "tan gible proof" of U.S. concern for other countires threaten ed by the Communist bloc. The 'Shield' "Militarily it supplies the shield," he said of the aid pro gram. "Politically it promotes freedom and stability. Eco nomically it improves condi tions of life. Psychologically it displays our determination to continue a role of leader ship in the fight for free world objectives." Proposed Ordinance Provisions Aired Provisions of Medford's pro posed ordinance for licensing and regulating private detec tive and merchant patrol agen cies were discussed at city hall this morning by city offi cials and agency representa tives. City Attorney Joel B. Reed er discussed various sections of the ordinance and heard recommendations for changes. Representing the city police department were Chief of Po lice Charles P. Champlin, De tective Lt. Lyle Perkins, Lt. Orlo McGee and Sgt. Leo Mitchell. Representing the agencies were J. H. Tizekker, Western Detective; L. A. Starkey, Ore gon Detectives; E. R. Taylor, Alliance Detectives; Ted Cul ver, Pacific Confidential In vestigators; Ray Koch, Forest Green Detectives; and Gene Hugo, self-employed private investigator from Eagle Point. Medford Man Killed In One-Car Accident Grants Pass -IUPD- Elmer Bert Estelle, 78, of route 2, box 209N, Medford, died in Josephine General hospital here Sunday night from in juries suffered in a one-car accident Sunday morning. State police said Estelle's pickup, truck left Highway 99 about six miles north of here and rolled down a 130-foot embankment into a gulley. Police said they could not de termine cause o the accident. Soviet Premier Says Annexation;! Of Iraq Sought Russian Interference Claimed Not Intended Beirut, Lebanon -(UPD- So viet Premier Nikita Khrush chev accused United Arab Re public President Gamal Ab- del Nasser today of trying to annex Iraq into the UAR, add ing fuel to a new Mideast crisis. The charge was made in Moscow at a celebration mark ing the signing of a new So viet-Iraqi technical aid agree ment. Khrushchev's remarks were broadcast by the official Soviet Tass News Agency. They came at a time when the steadily deteriorating re lations between the UAR and Iraq hit a dangerous new low with violent anti-Iraqi demon strations m Cairo. Sacrifice Blood The UAR war minister told a crowd of 300,000 shouting demonstrators there today that the people of his country are ready to sacrifice their blood for the sake of the Iraqi people." Earlier, the Cairo news paper Al Ahram reported from Damascus that Iraqi au thorities had ordered all UAR citizens to get out of that country within 24 hours. In his Moscow speech, Khrushchev was quoted as saying that "President Nasser is insisting on the unification of the Iraqi Republic with the TTAU " Willi.. Headded that the question of unification "must be de cided by the peoples of the countries concerned." Russia Won't Interfere "The Soviet Union has not interfered and is not inter fering in such affairs," Khru shchev said. "However, the Soviet Union is not indifferent to the situation which is grow ing up in a region not far from its frontiers." Khrushchev specifically at tacked a speech last week in which Nasser charged that Communists were behind re cent troubles in Iraq. "We are all pained by Presi dent Nasser's recent speech in Damascus," Khrushchev said. When the President of the UAR talks about Communism and Communists he arms him self with the language of the imperialists." He said, however, that So viet relations with the UAR will continue "as heretofore." "We know all about the anti-Communist view of Presi dent Nasser," he said. "We hope that common sense will prevail and that everything will be done to get rid of this conflict and not give the imperialists the chance to use it in their own interests." Local Stations for Air Sampling Set Up Fourteen air sampling sta tions were set up in the Med ford area last week and are now in operation on a trial basis, city officials reported today. The stations are to be sup plemented after the two-week trial period by high velocity samplers, these officials said. The air sampling is being undertaken along with smoke surveys under a joint pro gram of the city and the state air pollution authority. State engineers set up the stations last week in company with a city hall employee. WEATHER FORECAST: Considerable high cloudiness tonight and Tuesday. Mild temperatures. Low tonight 33. High Tuesday 70. TEMP. Highest Yesterday 68 Lowest This Morning 31 Our Skies Tonight Sunset today 6:18 p.m. Sunrise tomorrow 6:22 a.m. Moonset tomorrow 1:17 a.m. First Quarter March 17 PROMINENT STAR Pigel. in the southwest 8:21 p.m. VISIBLE PLANTS Mars, north of the Moon. Venus, in the west 7:27 p.m. Jupiter, rises 12:14 a.m. Saturn, low in southeast 3:47 a.m.