Herald and news. (Klamath Falls, Or.) 1942-current, January 01, 1948, Image 1

Historic Oregon Newspapers

Herald and news., January 01, 1948, Page 1, Image 1

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

About Herald and news. (Klamath Falls, Or.) 1942-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 1948)

Page of 14 Next Prev Issue Next Text PDF JP2 (2.7 MB) Clip/Print Image

Return to Top

Page of 14 Next Prev Issue Next

Newspaper Page Text,i BULB r mmm mm 1 : . k N , i .. WEATHER TT0C1 V Vs. rrSi. i nr frank jknkinm IN Jlueharcat ttuiiiuiim'a capital) Couiinunlal Premier Polru Oruia lays una iiiuriilng: "Tlio roalgnatloii u( Klnu Mlhal and tlio proclamation of itunmnlun republic imvo made ihla country mi HL'tlyn factor In tho aiitl-liiiicrullsl ami deinocrutlo camp III tlio buttle tor I lusting peuce and popular democracy." TIIOBK art tine words. But words depend on Uiclr MEANING. In tlio cuiiitnuiilat dictionary, "popular democracy" la a CUM MUNIHT country. A "losllnu peace'' la a peace entorced by unlveraul communist rule. Un lint New Year morning, a piolraalonul yruu "nil houae-bioakor uniilit any piou!y. "I'm going lo work hard end have a goHi ycur in ' ima." 11 would aouud nice. iJut lie would MKAN : "I'm going lu rob your house and atcul wlml you have wurked ao hard to accumulate." One of our great handicaps la the turn that there la a..iuch DoUlll.li- 1'ALK III the world. r IN our own counuy, lor example, Ulcxe haa been a lot ot douolc talk about apcmllug and H'iuing and apcmllug and using aim luxuia and uxlng and ao muling everybody rich and Happy and Irce Hum work. We're learning in tne liuru achool 01 tuierlence Uml all Uml moana la PAYING AND PAYINU AND I'AY 1NU 111 the form ol higher prlcra tor everything we get. I ETI' H cut back lor a moment to King Mihal. In the cautluiu wording ul Uie dlsputchca, he "ab dicated ' hia Uirone. Aa Old Tinier, In the Fibber and Molly program, would put it: "That ain't the way I heard It, alatcr." Jblllial la in the aame boat wlUi the cagey workman who upon be ing InlurmeU Ulal he waa about to be aeparated Irum Un payroll chirped up: "You caul fire alb, you ao-aud-ao. 1 MUIH" IN Uie Uucharcal dlapatchca thla niomlug. there la au nucleating and rather informative little aide play. Our old friend "inluruied aourcea" i meaning aumcbody m the know who Ilkoa to talk but doeau I want to go out on the limb by be ing quoted by name) tella Uie cor respondent the "young ex-king had hiumUad to leave Itoinaiila yuater Day, but the trip waa poalpoucd by the neoeaalty of dlacuaalng FINAN CIAL. QUESTIONS will) nicmbera ot .' the government." THAT at putting It delicately and laoUully. Let a approach Uie Utile more brutal . Sranknaao. What Mlhal wanta lo know la WHtR 18 THE DOUGH COMINU FROM TO KEEP ME GOING? ; Whan klnga abdicate, Uicy aeldom , put on overalla and go out and get a Job driving a truck. They want to take It wiUl Ulein preferably In lane bund lea. Ilutory Mils ua that la Uie way it la usually handled. BEAUTEOUS Prlnceaa Anne of Bourbon-Parma, whose uame haa been linked WlUi Miliar In Uie In . lemaUonal gossip coluuuu, opena up her heart and tella all in Copen hagen Una morning. She aaya: "It waa love at first aignl with Mlhal and me ... 1 have had no word from him, and I don't know anything about hie plana lor Uie future . . . liul wherever he goes 1 will follow him." iKuth ui the lllljlv.: "Whither thou gocal, I will go alto.") Tou hlug, isn't It? Romantic. Love conquer nil. IT wuuld be a little more IM- PKUttHlVK, however. If Mlhul wore going out lo run a aervlco station in a Uink town and Anne were go ing to don her apron and go along to do Uie cooking. THESE cx-kluga are pathetic per aonngca. Especially the abdicated ', ones. They would be more USKPUL, ihoUKh. If they grabbed a pick and went lo work. Take even the Duke of Windsor, who la a glamorous figure and ac cording lo those who know hhn . well a right guy. He'd lie doing fur more for the world It he supported the wife tor whom he guve all by running a sawmill Instead of doing It nut ol Ills ancestral patrimony.. Retail Volume In Klamath Hits New High During 7947; Economic Forecast For Basin Area Bright Willi the outlook good for con tinued strong demand for lis major ' Industrial and ' agricultural com modities, the Klamath country on this New Year's Day moves from one banner year Into what may well prove to be another economically speaking. Thai's the view of several business and financial leaders, who tempered ' their rosy prognostications with a warning that Inflationary prosperity Isn't always what It appears to be and no matter how strong a local area's situation may be. It will gel 1 alrk If there Is national and Inter national sickness. Retail volume here In dollars and cents was probably the highest In ; history In 11)47. That's because . money was plentiful, employment was good, business was belter Htip- ' piled with niercliiiiHll.se, and there 't were more people In the area than j ever before, '.'ho Christmas shopping season, i whllo porhnps disappointing hero I and thero In the business commtin j lly, was generally "terrific," and one bunker pointed out that business has , held tip surprisingly well In tlio few r days since Cluistmns, : . it i rilICK HVK f'KNTH Flying Fort Disappears In Northland ANCHOIIAdK, Ala.ka, Jan. 1 Ml Fear that a mlaalng H-i Huper forlresa and Ita nine crewmen may hav. fallen Into the waters of Cook Inlrt were eaprraaed today by a vet eran Alaska construction engineer. ('lilt l.enlhan, who said he was sitting with his wife In (he lobby of a downtown hotel when the sky lighted up "like the glow from a Neon sign," placed the origin of the I. ah aa dlreellr west of the rl(y ' about over mld-rhsnnrl of the In-I 'nor kii.co lamea aviaior i ex tannin anu rwo roomum uuMi t uj.. .... -7 irt 'to moke 1947 the record year for sensationol news of violent death in this area since the Modoc war ot I8-J. "It was snowing at the time, but! These three incidents occounted for o total of 12 fatalities, and easily lead off the "big ten" list of news events Uie sky was so bright that buildings j 0f the year in the Klamath region. on the atreet were lighted up," he c jrmn, u,r th. kr. mnlrr .tr.ric thni the HMniU ore etched on the memories of manv Klamath county Deo- aald. The missing plune vmirshed with in two nilnulea of Its Uikeoff from Klmeildorff field yesterday morning. It waa en route to Fairfield. Cnlll., army air base on a routine weather observutlon and reconnal a a a n c e (lluln, Uie army transport command aiinouiirrn in nun rrnnnsro. i u....k i.v..iitM. launched Immediately after ob- aervers In the field lower reported l ie flush on the planes line of tllght. It came only momenta after V:" ""i1- '". 'm"u'ncr Ulat the No. 2 engine was out. A ground party also art aut by army weasel on a round-about trip la the area SO miles to Palmer and eross-ronntry about 40 miles to the Point MrKenile area. It found no trace of the eraft. The apparent disaster raised lo 14 the total of men missing, and probably dead. In two B-2 mlahapa In the final week of 1947. The pilot and navlgaUir of an other plane. Lis. t ern II. Arnrlt and Frederick hiheeta. are being sought! by dog sled and aerial search 600 miles to the northeast, 85 miles north of Nome. They have been missing since Christmas Day, two days alter their men crew crashed, when they set out afoot for an Isolated Ksklmo village, , h t. .,, Three parachutisUi alio dropiied to aid Uie crew victims also are be lieved dead. Bush Pilot Bill Muns. who Joined In the aerial rescue ol six members of Uie crew, has re ported sighting what he believes are the bodies of two of the trio, and possibly the third. Crash Victim Said Better Mrs. Ladrna Wlnrgar, whose hus band was killed Instantly shortly before noon yesterday in an auto mobile accident north of Merrill, regained consciousness at Klamath Valley hospital this morning and her condition was described ss somewhat improved. Also In Klamath Valley hospital Is the driver of the car, Walter Taft "Red" Moore. All three occupants ot the sedan which went out of con trol on a straightaway, are residents of Merrill. Moore's condition was not reported today but he Is not thought to be seriously Injured. Slate pollre snld this morning they thought the accident was caused by either a flat left front tire or a locked steering genr. The car was demolished In its wild ride across the highway, overturning ss It went. AID A8KKD WASHINGTON, Jan. 1 At Rep. Brooks iO-La.) appealed today to President Truninn to make federal nsslstnnce "Immediately available" to tomado-strlckcn areas of south western Louisiana and southeastern Arkansas. The big three of Klamath region commodities that rode strong mar kets In 1947, and seem likely to keep riding them In 1048, were lumber, catlli and grain. Mitchell Tlllotson, manager of the First National bank, pointed out that Klamath "sits In the golden chair" because lis major production Is In these things that appear almost certain lo be In a continued strong position In 1948. Klton Thompson, manager of the l ulled Hlatrs Na tional bank, agreed with this con clusion, pointing lo the American policy toward Kiirnne aa a major factor In the outlook for strong de mand for the products of an agri cultural area such as this. Tlllotson remarked Unit the lum ber price may slide oft, but certainly not enough to stop product Ion. The Klamath country Is fortunate, he added, In Hint vlrtunlly all of Its lumber operators are In a most strong position financially, their plant Investments are liquidated, and much of the Industry's long anticipated "shrinkage" has already taken place without serious injury to the community. Lumber operations will continue In use all the available stiimpage, Tragedy Marks H-deadlines As EClamaf-h Region Passes Through Big News Year By MALCOLM EPLEY Big news fhot ron sensationally to tragedy flashed across the local and regional scene in 1947. For the first time in years, perhaps in all time, o story originating in this orea the Snell-Cornett plane crackup topped the yeor's major news events in Oregon, and received nationwide attention os on incident without parallel in the onnals of any state in the Union. The other multiple-fatality tragedies the Evans apartment fire that snuffed out five lives and the plane smosh . I III J i . T n I I 11 . U . . U ; I A InjUiu rtncA fr Ua kealc rsf Ua K!s 1 ttnm Rebel Attack On Konitsa Beaten Back By Greek Armv ATIIKN8, Jon. 1 mv-The Greek i ttar ministry declared today that , the battered city of Knnltsn h I oecn releasee irom siege oy omni i rr.mmtililat DiiffrrlllnH U'hn have I ; b,c hammering at the town since Christmas Day. I A ,,,' lrf nnnul relief i elemenu entered the embattled city : ibbi iiixill. I lie wrnry iuiiu-iiihii gsrrlson was being evacuated to-, I Green Predicts Labor Trouble WASHINGTON. Jan. t afl! President William Oreen said In a ' Nt" Yc" Pr"c" ")' Ulat the i nianaacmcnv rciauoiis uuc uj u.o isiv-iiariiey aci. Oreen malnuilned that Ihc labor law "contributed to a breakdown in long standing peaceful labor-management relations In Important In- I duslrles" during JD47 Jind, said:, j j "I fear even worse consequences In 1948. "I know that many casual ob- aervers are beginning to Uilnk that j jcttered along line of approach, maybe Uie Taft-Hartley act has i pRrtcularlv on the road from Kala bcen a success because Uiere are paK to Bouromnl brtdgc. It was fewer strikes In progress at Uils estimated that 2000 to 4000 gucrrll llme than at similar periods In past , Us tried to keep this vital corn years. munlcatlons artery closed while "However, they do not rcallM Uiat I 'vea of shock troops smashed un- a large number of unions signed new contracts Jtut before the Tall - Hartley law went Into effect and Uiese contracts are exempt from the law's provisions. "The blow-off will come at the expiration oi uiese conuacis in 1948. Oreen, along with CIO President Philip Murray, also said that a de cision on controlling inflation must come early In Uie new year. Revers ing his previous opposition to peace time restrictions, the AFL chief declared that "some form" of gov ernment price control now "seems Inevitable." 1,500,000 Jam Rose Tournament PASADENA, Jan. 1 (J-r-Colorado streei became a gigantic floral won- derland today. ' ine oniii luuriiuiuem ui hibcj parade also found Uie famous street Jammed by 1.500.000 persons at , Bfter , Ia , a service station park parade time. They began arriving : mg iot .hen , jar backed toward lost night and In Uie pre-dnwn chill him, but that did not occur on the to stake claim to choice vantage points along the two-mile route. Blankets, camp chairs, thermos bot tles of coffee and sandwiches were standard equipment with the early birds. and will continue to reach out for logs. Farming Good Farm conditions arc generally good. While Klamath's 1947 potato crop was smaller than It has been for a long time, tho price has been high and the market situation is especially strong right now. There is agreement that the potato In dustry here, having "come of age" faces some problems that will take constructive policy and good farm ing to overcome. Farm and lumber values In the area. Incidentally, have about bal anced off, having come closer and closer together In a trend In evidence several years. The total was prob ably something around $60,000,000 In 1947. Another Important business de velopment that deserves attention at this time is Klamath's rising place as a wholesale distribution center. Tlllotson pointed out that "the things that have been talked about for so long by such local peoplo as George Davis are materializing" In to A substantial wholesale Industry that may bo expected to continue to expand. As evidence of the general finan KLAMATH FALLS, OHKGON. THI'ltHI) A Y, dny. The relief column entered the city from the west after dislodging rebel forces and "Inflicting heavy , losses in a orivc irom siraieKic , Rmirtivfinl hrlHif. th rnmmlltllnllB sold. rh. nhcu ,h lcUKht diancrate- ...e..?r.r l.0.u?"i?I?. . ...lv nroci,limed Greek communist fctntj. nrpKiimtiblv retreated into the . 0rfcmmot moullt'aln!, Thewarmln- m.niim nf th. Hirer- tlon of retreat. Previous reports , m. id some of the rebels fled into AI- j oanui, norm oi rwonusa. Capture of the Bourozanl bridge. I 1 miles west of Konitsa. was an i nounred by the government yestcr : day. The rebels took the brldRC. one ol the key points to the defense of .... .1.- fl . ,1,,,. nf Ih-lp . ... "Tr L , MimilrT MUrcM had no informa tlon concerning the progress of a , .cond ,!, ( government troops which last night was re - j ,xirted only a mile and one-hall lani rtoimsM uuc m i un uuuiiu .i- t.or; with the garrison. Seml-of f Iciul reports said approxl n.ately 10.000 suerrtllas took part" inr""1' P Ti.w III lJJWMI Koe.,., nrc a"' I "WERW CITY Up, to J s:gned the task of forcing way Into town. The remainder were avamngiy at is.aiin.sa ! Violently a V t a c k I n g national "wees, nowever. xnocxeo our oe- i .Pwltlons covering the rood . ormorci CBrs supported them from 10 nana lignung wnne miiM anu, i the highway proper. Klamath Has Top Record Klamath Palls and only two other cities in Uio 10,000-36.000 populaUon class went through 1B47 without a traffic fauillty. The others are Palo Alto. Calif, mid WesUleld, N. J., rc- I crding to Uie national safety coun- ' ell. Th, 1... n,nl tfattin HMM-I nn the 5trcels of KlamRth Fb11s currcd , ,te jRuary of 1946 mak. jllg mcuu ti)e Cjty has not had . fatality resu tlnir from traffic. T1)i5 summcr an aged man died .... ... i street or as the result of traffic. , officers who Investigated the inct dent said that Uie car did not strike the man although it may ha e caused him to stumble back and fall. cial health of the community, Thompson pointed out that repay ment of loans Is routine here now. Thero are few delinquencies and virtually no foreclosures. Finances Good The financial situation of local political subdivisions is excellent, with bonded Indebtedness of the city, county, and school districts virtually a thing of the past. But one financier pointed out that it doesn't make much difference Just where the public debt is located if Its a big national debt Instead ot n local debt, as It Is, It's still a seri ous obligation to be reckoned with. Although the overall picture Is one of prosperity, there are some uncertainties. ' "With steers at 40 cents In OiIchro and the bond market Inexplicably down and some consumer goods showing Inclinations to decline, one has to agree It's a mixed picture," said Tlllotson, But the two bunkers and others held tlm view that If there Is pros perity and business to be had In 1948, the Klamath country ought to get a good slice of It. JANUARY 1, IMI Telephone gill pie and hordly need recounting 1. Top state officials die In four-fatality plane crash. 2. Evans apartment fire kills five. 1. Plane amash killa Tex Kankln. Jack Elle and Cy Wallan. 4. High prices highlighted by record bida for barley and atumpage. 5. Klamath reservation liquidation battle. 6. LilUe Miss X. the beaten child found at Weed. 7. Deputy Sheriff M. J. Barnes shoots escaping prisoner. 8. Marine Barracks becomes Oregon Vocational School. 0. Kan Quentln escapees shoot it out with officers here. 10. Klamath grid teams tie tlUe games but take statistical beating. r ,. 1 he nel,rne" P ne crosn. m,anr ro 5K ' V A list of all-time hia local stories if one were to be compiled. This trogedy occurred on the night of October 28, ond took jne jves 0f Governor Eorl Snell, Senate President Marsholl Cornett. Stote Secretary Robert L Farrell and Pilot Cliff Hogue. They crashed near Dog loke on a night flight to Adel in Lake county on a bird-hunting trip. Local significance of the crash was re-doubled by the fact it removed a colorful Klamath public figure who appeared likely to make a bid for high political office, and a well-known local aviator both men held in warm affectie D.. a large circle of friends. (Continued on Page (1 I . ... , ; TuaIwa KlllPf1 - - - - - - - Tas MlecAiiri TfiiJnc Tfti'lflW killed and an undetermined num ber Injured today in a rear end collision of two Missouri Pacific trains during a blinding snowstorm near Syracuse. Mo.. 95 miles east of Kansas City. Col. Hugh H. Waggoner, super intendent of the Missouri highway nstrol. reported that II bodies i were found in the wreckage of on ,he flret section of , M!ssourl paclfC-a -Missourian.' , fiZuL su ta Kansa. ,j.,,,ifi i P G. Gearhart. about 35. died at a Scdaltn. Mo., hospital Waggoner said the body of the Pullman conductor was found crushed in Uie vestibule of the Pullman, the last cor on the train. He reported the engine of Uie sec ond section, a mail and express train, had telescoped all but four feet of the Pullman coach. Reports from the scene were be- Graham Sticks To Story WASHINGTON. Jan. 1 iP Brig. Gen. Wallace H. Graham held fast today to his contention that he unsiran ti anv irrnin nmnmra In his name until weeks after they had been bought for him by his broker. President Truman's personal i physician thus took direct Issue with a statement Issued in New York by the brokerage house of Bache and company. Taking note of Graham's asser tions after his name appeared on an agriculture department list of grain traders Monday, the New York and Chicago firm snld yes terday "It Is essential for the rec ord" to show Uiat: "All transactions made for Uie general's account In both securities and commodities were at all Umes made on his instructions and the customary written confirmations were sent to him." Graham had said he simply had turned money over to his broker with InstrucUons to use his own Judgment In investing It. He snld he didn't know he owned any grain until he made Inquiries last Oc tober and ns soon as he learned of his holdings he ordered the grain sold. Assassination Try Foiled TECUCIOALPA. Honduras. Jan. 1 lift Pollco said they frustrated an attempt by Antonio Costcjon yester day to assassinate President Tlburclo Cnrlns after Cnstejon fatally stabbed one man and wounded a policeman. Authorities quoted Cnstejon as saying he came from his home in nearby Tatumbla expressly to kill the president. They said he ran through the president's house before he was subdued. There was no ex planation of his motive. No. -aaM4 here. Lt i. I a av If! W rPffK Ur - - - - - I, I 1 lilr relayed .here by radio epped of the patrols. Communica tions In the area were badly dis rupted by a 24-hour sleet and snowstorm, which left highways In a perilous condition. The engineer, fireman and brake man of the second section were re ported seriously injured and taken to a Sedalia hospital. Waggoner said the accident ap parenUy was the result of icy con ditions disrupting the block signal system. A mail clerk on the first section said the train was travel ing about 10 to 15 miles an hour when Uie crash came. Three cars in the second section were derailed but did not overturn. The highway patrol said a troop er walked through other coaches of the first section and reported he found no major Injuries among the other passengers. He said several had bruises and lacerations. They were treated at the scene by physi cians rushed from Sedalia and Jefferson City. About four hours after the acci dent, which occurred about 8 a. m., a bulldozer pulled the parts of the telescoped coach away from the locomoUve. Blow torches were taken to Uie scene from Sedalia to cut the tangled wreckage. Taken to a Sedalia hospital were J. B. Rogers, Kansas City, conduc tor ot the second section, who suf fered a broken left shoulder, and Mrs. Ora Siegel, Jefferson City, a passenger. She suffered a back in jury. The wreck took place during the season's first snowstorm which swept Kansas and Western Mis souri leaving a blanket of ice cov ered with snow. Both sections of the train were running behind schedule. The first section, which left St. Louis at 11:50 last night was due in Kansas City at 7:30 a. m. Record Ban Up In Arms NEW YORK. Jan. 1 iiP James C. Petrlllo's "never again" ban on Uie making of recordings and trans criptions by members of his Amer ican Federation of Musicians si lenced recording studios across the nation this New Year's Day and posed the question: "What happens now?" No one ventured to answer for sure. In the hectic rush to beat the ban that lasted In some studios right up to the strike ot last midnight, record and transcription firms built up a backlog they estimate will last from one to five years. Industry leaders doubt that home record users and radio listeners will notice any effect of the ban before six months at Uie earliest, except possibly for the overnight success of some yet unwritten tune which couldn't be reoorded. As for the length of the ban, Petrlllo Insists that It's for all time because records and transcriptions throw musicians out of Jobs a con tention recording officials dispute. Ranch Woman Has Lots Of Firsts Today SEATTLE. Jan. 1 oF Paradoxi cally, Mrs. Ralph Turney chose the last day of 1941 for a number of first in her life. Before she reached Seattle yes terday on her honeymoon, Mrs. Tur ney, toe former Irene Olafson, had never Used an electric Iron, vacuum cleaner or telephone. 8he ate her first banana spilt, had her first per manent wave and went on her first department-store shopping spree. Mrs. Turney has lived In the re mote Caribou district of British Co lumbia since she was a small child. Home for her and the groom Is the Bar K 3 guest ranch 30 miles north east of Vancouver, B. C. Turney and her father are partners In the ven ture. The nearest settlement Is Lone Butte, where the Pacific Great East ern mall train stops three days a week on lu run from Squamlsh to Quenesl. She didn't think, said Mrs. Tur ney, she would care to live In the city. Too many unexpected things happening like a slice of toast jumping at you out of a shiny metal box Holiday In Europe Rough LONDON, Jan. 1 (PV Europe had a hangover today, too. but with Scotch at $16 a fifth In Glasgow, champagne $22 a bottle In Paris, the welcome to the new year was not as cordial as it might have been. There were many is the ill clothed, poorly fed chilly nations of Europe whose New Year headaches were hangovers from a war which ended more than two years ago. Facing an uncertain future amid a widening chasm dividing the East and Uie West, they looked hopefully toward economic aid under the Marshall plan. Germans received 1948 In a mood of dull despair. Their trampled country, wrecked by war. was split in two and there was no prospect for peace or prosperity. Fighting continued in the moun tains of Greece and on the bloody plains of Palestine. The communists of Italy greeted Uie new year with threats of vio lence In Uie event their demands were not met. Britons were asked to work harder and Russians were asked to fulfill their latest five- year plan in tour years. 8outh African Prime Minister Jan Ohristian-mutlr said ta" a'Wew-i Year's broadcast: "We are living In times of. great change almost of world order moving from one stage to another. Baby Dies Of Exposure BAINBRIDGE, Ga, Jan. 1 Wl A seven-months-old baby girl died from exposure in a remote swamp near here after she was abandoned by her parents whom police were seeking. Sheriff R. A. Stephens re ported today. Her three-year-old brother sur vived two days and nights in the swamp, but suffered severely, Ste phens said. The sheriff said E. C. Cook and his brother. Eugene, are charged with robbing and shooting a negro taxi driver Monday night In the presence of Mrs. E. C. Cook and her children. All fled in the taxi. The taxi was abandoned at the edge of the Flint river In Southwest Georgia and the five persons took to a boat, the sheriff said, but the boat overturned. T ey took refuge on a bank in the midst of a desolate swamp. The two Cook brothers left to obtain food. When they did not return by Tues day afternoon. Mrs. Cook also aban doned the children. Stephens said. She was later taken into custody. 16-Year-0ld Kills Parents YORK. S. C Jan. 1 PShertff C A. Moss said today that a -16-year-old Winston-Salem. N. C. high school boy had admitted shooting his father and mother to death yes terday after Uie father had accused him of stealing a wallet. The stocky youngster, Tommy Lee Phillips, was picked up by police here today in company with his 16-year-old girl friend Bessie Ruth Jenkins, as they waited in hopes of being married by a probate Judge. Sheriff Moss said the youth signed a statement saying he shot his father with a rifle after the parent accused him of taking the purse containing $100 In cash and a $132 pay check. The signed statement said the wounded father tottered into his wife's bedroom and collapsed and that as Uie mother sprang from her bed the son shot her. The statement added that when Mrs. Phillips stag gered to a telephone, the youth shot her again. Three Burn To Death In House SYRACUSE, N. Y Jan. 1 tPi - mother and her two small sons were burned to death and two other chll dren were carried to safety when fire swept a three-family home to day. The victims were Mrs. Francis Mc Laughlin, 29, occupant of a second floor apartment, and her sons, Michael, six, and Patrick, four. Rain, Ice Add To Peril Of Refugees 8IIREVEPORT, La., Jan. 1 (flV Freeilng winds and rain added Derll and discomfort todav aa reseat workers counted a mounUnf loll of Urea and property In the wake of scattered southern tornadoes. The toll of known dead reached 19. The cotton and oil belt of north western Louisiana and southwestern Arkansas was, hardest hit, with It bodies counted In the almost de molished community of Cotton Val ley. La. Three were dead in the Memphis, Tenn., area from another twister, and one fatality each was counted in Leton, Dykesvllle and Haynes Tille, La, In Village and Althelnner, Ark, and m Mantee, Miss. Hundreds were homeless and scores were Injured. The Intensive weather disturbance moved Into Uie Ohio river valley with rain, sleet, or snow and pro ceeded northeastward at a 35-mlle-an-hour clip. Three Killed Haze). Marie and Wtlntu Becton were killed when their farm home collapsed 10 miles north of Mem phis. A woman was fatally injured at Dykesvllle, La., and an unidentified negro was killed at Haynesvllle. At Village. Ark., a school superintendent was killed when a high school gym nasium was demolished. A twister also struck Gilmer, AriL, destroying one house, but there were no deaths or Injuries reported there. The fnnnel-shsped twister waa first sighted south of Vaneeville, La., by Herman Jones of Bossier City. He said he saw tho funnel dip toward the earth as he drora along a highwsy. He abandoned his automobile for the comparative safety of a roadside ditch, he aald, ' and watched as the funnel sncked up a house from nearby woods. At that time. Jones said, the tor nado was cutting a swath about 60 feet wide. Hit Valley Romping across wooded and swampy sections of Bossier parish, Uie twister struck Cotton Valley from the southwest, damaging much of the business district. Then It came back to strike the little town again, this time from the northeast, and demolished man; ijjrjrfigs-ai ; jtai.llJ't; Mayor sam uoyie estimate sou persons are homeless and that the list of Injured In Cotton Valley ' alone will reach 200. ' A check of hospitalism- the stricken area showed at least 170 persons have been treated for storm Injuries. The storm .roared on through Le ton and Dykesvllle, Lsv, before In vading HaynesrUle where it struck the western and northern edges of the town, doing major damage to the business section. More than 39 buildings were destroyed or serious ly damaged. Sixty persons In Haynesvllle were Injured and treated at hospitals there. One-third of Cotton Valley waa flattened, witnesses said. Dr. M. S. Browning, retired Cot ton Valley doctor, said the tornado "sounded as if a huge flight of B-29 bombers was coming . . . then hit It." "The storm was over about five minutes after It hit," he aald. "I looked out of the window and saw debris flying through the air and littering the streets," U.S. Traffic Deaths Drop By The Associated Press The nation's motorists apparently steered away from wild driving in celebrating Uie arrival of the New Year. An unofficial survey across the country today showed that 18 per sons were killed In traffic accidents since 6 p. m New Year's Eve as compared to 37 fatalities In the same period on Christmas a week ago. (The total includes one each In Oregon and Washington). The national safety council esti mated that 176 persons may be kill ed in traffic accidents in the 30 hour period ending at midnight to night. In the similar period on Christmas the violent death toll was 288, Including 179 in traffic mis haps and 109 from miscellaneous causes. There were 116 violent deaths In the 1947 New Year's holiday, Including 80 In motor accidents. Inclement weather apparently was a big factor in holding down the traffic toll last night and early to day. Driving was hazardous In many sections of Uie country. Reds Say China Victory Sure SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 1 W Mao Tse-tung, chief of the Chinese communists, declared In a statement broadcast by the communist radio today that his forces now were con ducting a nationwide offensive and confidently predicted defeat of th Chiang Kai-shek government despite United States aid. The communist radio, using a North Shensi Province dateline, de scribed the statement aa the first part of a 10,000-word report by Mao In a meeting of the Chinese com munist central commutes on De cember 26.