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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 31, 1963)
12 A Til'LHSDAY. OCTOBER 31. 1963 MEDFOKD MAIL TRIBUNE, MEDFORO. OREGON .Thompson, "Lawyer, On Trial For Murder .police said. ' 1:30 a. m. on June 21 at his'est Lake. He has been free on1 Anderson, a marine corps vet-1 erackerjack roofing salesman I Mastrian who has a college I police record, remain in jail ii Thompson was arrested at summer home in suburban For- S100.000 bond. leran of the Korean war and a I between drinking bouts, and journalism degree and a long lieu of $100,000 bond. THIS SALE STARTS FRIDAY AT 9:00 A.M. O.N TRIAL FOR MURDER Lawyer T. Eugene Thompson, a veteran lawyer at 35, went on trial Monday as a defendant. He is charged with the first degree murder of his wife, Carol an heiress whose life was insured for more than $1 million. Thompson is accused of ordering the assassination of his wife, shown in this photo. (UP1) By RICHARD McFARLAND , to a good start and tossed law United Press International business his way. MINNEAPOLIS (UPD Law-1 Thompson became an active yer T. Eugene Thompson, at 35 ; member of the Minnesota Bar a veteran of courtrooms and I Association. At the associa- murder trials, stars in Minne sota's courtroom drama of the decade. Not as a lawyer. Tilmer Eu gene Thompson is on trial on a charge of first degree murder. The state of Minnesota will ask a jury to believe that Thompson plotted, mastermind ed and ordered the assassina tion of his wife, Carol, an tion's convention at Duluth last summer a criminal law com mittee report was read urging greater support of the state crime bureau. 11 was signed 1. Eugene Thompson." Thompson wasn't at the con vention. He had been arrested 1 on a murder charge a short time earlier. The setting for Thompson's heiress whose life 'was insured lria' is a sma11. mohagany-pan for more than $1 million. Thompson, one of Minneso ta's rising young experts on criminal law, will face his ac cusers in a small Hennepin County courtroom in Minneapo lis' towering, 57-year red gran ite courthouse. He will plead innocent. His battle for vindication and the state's battle to prove him guilty could rank with Ohio's Sheppard case and Cali fornia's Finch-Tregoff trial as a classic of courtioom suspense. Slain In Hume On March 6, Carol Thomp son, 34, attractive mother of four children, was beaten and stabbed to death in her home. eled courtroom seating only about 60 persons. One hundred newspapers and radio and tele vision stations have asked for seats to cover the trial, but there are only about 15 seats avail able for reporters. Change of Venue The trial originally was sched uled to be held in St. Paul. But Thompson's attorneys demanded a change of venue. They con tended that publicity of the case in St. Paul made a fair trial there impossible. The state su reme court ordered it be moved to Minneapolis. Key persons in the trial be sides Thompson: County attorney William Ran dall of St. Paul 47, a tall, slen- Thompson is one of three der "Lincolncsque" prosecutor persons charged with murder j regarded as one of the Uepubli in the case. The stale charged can party's chief prospects for Thompson asked Norman Mas-1 state effice in Minnesota. He has trian, 39. his college classmate ; been Ramsey County attorney and a former prize fighter, to : five years. When the trial was line up a killer. Mastrian. it is charged, hired heavy-drinking salesman Dick VV. C. Anderson, 35, to do the job Thompson, then main figure in the case, is boyish - looking and has his blond hair trim med in a crew cut. He had been making up to $40,000 a year. ' He met his wife and Mastri an when he was going to St. Paul's MacAlesler College on the GI Bill of Rights. He got his law degree from William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul. Thompson became a protege moved to Minneapolis, Randall vowed that wherever the trial was held he would prosecute and win a conviction. Hyram Segcll Chief defense attorney. Segcll, 41, 6-2 and 170 pounds, is a graduate of the uni versity of Minnesota and has been practicing law 15 years. He was public defender in St. Paul and worked three years in the U. S. Attorney's office in Min-neapolis-St. Paul before going into private practice. Judge Rolf Fosseen The ! trial judge. He is a handsome, graying, broad-shouldered man who played football in high nf nnn nf Minnesota's must I st'hl sl"ll has an athletic famed criminal lawyers, A. I lu"k- Fosseen was with the Fed .leromc Hoffman. He married i Bureau of Investigation for Carol and the couple settled I cals. tllcn Practiced law down in the quiet, well-heeled ! and was municipal judge from Highland Park section of St. liMB-1'.KO before being appointed Paul across the Mississippi Riv-' he District Bench, er from Minneapolis. ; , , Hutched .loh I'atlicr-lii-l.aw Help ! ? sla'!"B f, Ws; Th'.mp- Thomnson's father-in-law was I """ "' ' J Otto Swoboda, plumbing con tractor reputed to be worth a Korth Nuclear Engines In All Major Ships On the morning of March 6 the youngsters had gone to TI I...., million dollars. Swoboda did his ?;"', " ' "'"'T, Z K best to get his son-in-law w of ,eP Mrs. Ihomp. i son had gone back to bed. The killer apparently had been AnttAlr fr ,lit,in Hie basement. When AUUCQlJ 50!M!i- Thompson was alone, as rr : police figure it, he caught her in her bedroom. She was a hard woman to kill. The killer had planned to dump her, unconscious, into a bathtub filled with water to stage an accidental drowning. Rill Cjirnl hmtihl fnr Km lifn WASHINGTON (UPl) -Retir- a ,1,1ii,. r. , ,:' i.,- v .-.... V....J v..il, . . .7" ' 1111 ,fc ouv, .iu, " " ! killer put a German I.uger pis- Wednesday fervently appealed i ,,,, , u,a( ( wml;m to Congress to provide (or mi- (,.t, sh(1 ran (,mvnslais am) ,,c clear propulsion in all major j hor llm, ,,. ,,,. ,,, warships of the future. : thl, pjsUll lmj bl.()kc Thf n hp He said this country should slabbed her again and again stop "hamstringing our new . with a paring knife from the ships . . with obsolete engines." . kitchen. The blade broke off in "1 can think of no more in-, her throat, gent and important plea 1 could , The killer went to the bath make," Korth said "What you room to wash his hands. Mean decide here will go lar toward while, Mrs. Thompson staggered determining the sie and shape barefooted out into the snow of American soapower tor dee- slip went to a neighbor's house ades to come." , and gasped for help. The killer Korth, who resigned effective ' apparently returned to the liv Nov. 1, made his statements in ! mg room, was terrified to find a last official appearance oicn-' Mrs Thompson gone, and fled, ing congressional hearings on I'istul Revraling the subject before the Joint ; 1'ieees of the German Luger House-Senate Atomic Commit-1 pistol led to the arrests. Police lee. He emphasized that he was learned the pistol had been stub referring to future decisions. He i en from a Minneapolis apart urged against delay of Defense ment. The burglars were cap Secretary Robert S. McNama- tilled and said they sold the gun ra's decision last weekend to to Mastrian and cab driver build another conventional air-1 Sheldon Morris. 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