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About Herald and news. (Klamath Falls, Or.) 1942-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 27, 1949)
HERALD AND NEWS. KLAMATH FALLS. OREGON SATURDAY, AUG. 27, 14 f ACI SIXTEEN Pete Sullivan, A Iter 23 Years In Pen For Standi a Murder, Seeks Pardon By HALE hCARRHOlT.H , Pete bulllvan. who hu spent M o( his M years In Iho Oral on slate I penitentiary at Salem, wanta a pr- j don, and the yellowed files ol a W2& i Klamath Falls murder arc bring 1 probed to ee U the IrUhman de- aerve complete (rredom. The char.ces seem wry slim. I Sullivan was senleneed la life ton- j nrtsonment lor the first degree j gnurdre of Oscar Erickson during ! pokrr ame sUrk-ap In the base- j gnent or the Srandia hall l present i Kafirs fodr ailrl. Nine years latrr be waa released an conditional par- i don. got Into more trouble and was retnrnrd to prison. He's there now and eligible fori fvarole. A few days agio Attorney Ed C. Kelly of Mediord contacted the' county clerk s otice here with a request that he be allowed to look j Into the liles of the old Sullivan j case and the record ol proceedings of the Irishman's trial. A three-inch stack of old ruled stenographic ' notepaper the shorthand notes of trial testimony was dug out of the j courthouse vault and forwarded to ! the Mediord lawyer. 1 Nerer Transcribed The ahorthand notes were made I by Grant Richmond, circuit court reporter In those days, and had I never keen transcribed. Richmond j is reported to be living In Los An- ; (etc now, and Kelly told a report- i er for The Herald and News he would aend the notes dawn there for Richmond to transcribe. Testl- I mony of Snliiran a trial nscd np about sea paxes of atenocraphie pa- 1 per and the transcription after al- j most 25 years Is bound to be ex- ' pensive. I Sullivan himself requested that' the transcript be made and is pay-: lng for It, Kelly said. The convicted slayer has been allowed to make I fishing lues in prison and has saved : up a litlie pile of money from sale j of his product. He reportedly has : had other convicts helping in his fly-tying business. The transcript will be a starting point only in Sullivan's bid for par- don. Maybe it will yield some proof of the Irishman's claim of innocence and maybe it won't. Kel- j ly admits he knows little of the' Scandia hall murder and Sullivan's trial except what he has heard from Sullivan himself. j "But he contacted aw for help ! and wants to go through the ex-1 peine of getting the transcript.' the Medford lawyer said. I'm willing' to help him on the chance that he might have been wrongfully eonvie- ted aw Just on the probability that : I can extend him a little hope and encouragement," It's not as though a man with flawless reputation waa cast Into prison on shoddy evidence, how ever. Klamath Falls was a pretty wild town back In the middle twenties and Sullivan was known as an un- derworld character, a moonshiner and general rounder. The Scandia Killing , The Scandia hall murder story well remembered by older citizens la this: About 12:1 a.m. January i. 192$, alg men were sitting around a pok er table' In the basement of the halt, playing cards. Three armed men came in and reportedly start ed firing almost as aeon as they entered the room. One bullet hit the table top, ricocheted and track U-year-old Oscar Erickson in the cheat. Erickson waa one of the card players. He died a abort time later. The bandits are supposed to have gotten about $400 in the robbery. The slaying was sensational news, of course. Several suspects were Jailed, questioned and re leased before the big break in the Investigation came. On January II. W. K Perkins, news editor of the Evening Herald, got a confession from a young man named John Taylor, the confession naming the bandits aa Taylor him self. Pete Sullivan. Sim Fate, Char ley Smith and John O'Shra aa the bandits. Taylor had been arrsted at a farmhouse 17 miles wrM of Med ford by Fred Morley, an ex-constable, Perkins and T. B. Malarkey, an Evening Herald reporter. Mor ley had been hired ty the news paper as a special Investigator, and he followed an underworld tip to the arrest of Taylor. The young man was questioned for several hours by William Ca nong. then district attorney and now a prominent Klamath Falls attor ney, but didn't break down until. In conversation with Perkins, he suddenly asked: -Tell me, and for Cod's sake tell me the truth, what sort of bullet waa It that killed Erickson?' "It was a ,33-calibre bullet." he was told. "Thank Uod." Taylor murmured. Then he poured out the story of the cardroom robbery , told ot two days of plotting and his own sub sequent horror at the reeollcctwn of the slaying. Taylor declared Sim Pate framed the robbery. At the hall Pate watch ed the door. CShea drove the get away car w hile Sullivan, Smith and himself went into the room. All three were armed but only Sulli van had a i!. Low Captured Sullivan Sim Pate was picked up on the street a few hours after Taylor's confession. OShea was picked up in Cottage Grove. Pete Sullivan waa captured Janu ary 13 nine days after the mur der at a sheep camp in Modoc county. Calif, below Malin. Lloyd Low. appointed special deputy to work oa the ease, and Constable dary Cosad captured Sullivan with out a struggle. Charley Smith, known as an un derworld character, was never cap tured. The four prisoners were Indicted for first degree murder and pleaded not guilty, but Taylor subsequently changed his plea to guilty and was the principal witness against the other three. Judge C. M. Thomas of Medford presided for the trials, and Pate, tried first, was convicted on Taylor's evidence. OShea was tried next and offered defense witnesses who swore he was at a pool room at the tune of the stick-up and murder. He was ac quitted. Trial Sullivan's trial started February 8. and Taylor's testimony was Uie chief instrument against him. j Friends of the Irishman testified he was at a pool hall on the evening , in question, and Sullivan took the stand himself to give a nunute-by-1 minute account of his time the eve-' nlng and early morning of the Scan- j dia hall robbery. j Taylor testified Sullivan was one I ll 1 ...... V 7 In jJbs Wtz&z. ,-K IM i f k f .VY hSS ii I MAIN STREET SCENE Yes, this old-time (1909) picture was taken ot about the site of the present-day Main street un derpass. The Southern Pacific had just built into Klomath Falls at that time, and the woman standing at the end of the sled is Mrs. H. P. Hoey, wife of the S. P.'s chief engineer. Driver of the sled was the lote Fred Wing. Picture belongs to Ed Cross, Klamath Falls. of the bandits and the only one armed with a Si revolver. Pate and Sullivan were sentenced ' to life imprisonment and Taylor ts ; a 15-year term plus a SIM fine The rest is a matter ot prison i record. Both Pate and Sullivan re- j ceived conditional pardons Febru-' ary 9. 1934. and Pate is believed to have been in no trouble suice. He reportedly ts a barber In Los Angeles now. Taylor served his tune and is now living in Jackson county. Sullivan was returned to the penitentiary in June. 1935. after he and a man named Royal Ward were arrested at Sums for robbery of two stores there and the assault and robbery of a Poison Creek rancher named Charles Cronm. He has been behind bars since. ' Since Sullivan asked for a trans- 1 crtpt of his trial. Attorney Kelly has talked with John Taylor, the man whose testimony was instru mental in convicting both Pate and Sullivan. But Taylor insists that his confesion was true and the right men were punished for the Scandia hall murder. Roy all Recommended One Air Force In Final Report the tine the bill ai priuhni. thrrr were rumor that Juhiiaon pUtmrd to tramlrr the marine air arm or pouibly put the marine in the army. Johruon denied it. greetings: OLYMPIA. Aim. 27 Three policemen whined In a prowler car to Sylvester park last night to In vestigate a report that two aotdters were fighting. They said they were old buddies meeting for the first time since leaving home and were only slapping each other on the back. WASHINGTON. Aug 3 7 T Former Secretary of the Army Roy a 11 believes that the air force should be tran&Xenrd to the navy or else It should take over the naval air arm. This was one of the recommen dations for unification con tamed in the report Royall made to Secre tary of Defen5e Johnson when he left the Pentagon April 27. The re port, supplementing his annual one for 1948. m as reiea.'-ed yesterday by the department of defense. Royall said It aemed to him that the erretary of drfen should have the right to prescribe and change the fu nr. ions of the army, navy and air torre. , He said this seemed of frpeci.il importance in regard to the air functions of the air force and the navy. He maid It waa hts "convention that the moat efficient type ol um-1 f ica t ion will come about only when there la one air force. ' If unlimited power to aaign aT functions i not given the head of the drfene department. Royall said then "the air forro should be transferred to the navy or. If not, the naval air arm should be trans fered to the air force." Royall L4dr other recommenda tions to strengthen unification and the powers of the secretary of de fense. Some of Uie.se. such as provision for an under secretary of defeme and avistant secret ne. aere contained in the unification act since pa.wed by emigre. This act specifically forbids sec-' reiary of defence to re ax is n or ' consolidate combat functions. At College Fall Term Dates Announced KITOKNK, Am. 37 IMperlali Fall term college claiutrs at the Institutions of the slate system of hliilier education will brum In Eu ene and Corvallts September 36. and In Ashland, t.aoianrte and Monmouth, September 37. Deadline for registering at the schools Is October I. All will have Thanks, glvlnjr vacations November 3i to 27. and terms will end December 30. Some University of Oregon drills will brum arriving on that campus September II fur rush week. New student week and registration Is set fur September III lo 34. Orraim stnte rollrue will have rrttlstrntniu and nrleulallon week Scptrmbrr 19 in 34. with registration the lust thtee ilv. Klrst rush week la set fur September 33 to 3s. and second rush week September 3 to 31). Southern Oregon college. Ash laud, ami Orritnn College ol Kiluca Hon. Monmouth, hate set September 31 to 3(1 for freshman tluya and rrg 1st i nt lull uf entrrlng students, and Scptrmbrr 36 lor registration of re. turning stuilrnts: Knstern Oregon College of munition, la Oiiimle will have tirsimiiin cluvs and regis nation of eiileiing utiulrnta Sep tember 33 to 34. with September 3d for registration uf returning stu dents only. Vanport extension renter. Port Und. will have a similar schedule, opening aa follow: September IV. placement examinations fur new sludenl.s; September 30. advisement lor new students, and September 31 1" 34. freshman wrek and regis t rat urn. The University of Oregon medical and dental schools, also In Portland, will stait a little later. Ilrglttra lloil at the tlrnlul school Is October 3 lo 4. and classes will begin Oc Inbrr o. The medical school sched ules exniiiinalltiiM fur removal of ilclUieniirs on iHtolier I. registra tion tx tuber 3. and classes, Oc tober 4 llolli will have November 34 as Thanksgiving holiday, and trims ending December i3. TWO KII.I.MI BAl.TIMOItK. Aug. 37 M'l-Two prisons were killed and a third was critically wounded last night III an Fast Uultlmora apartment snooting. Police said Robtrt Nelherland, 41. shot Ilia wile lo death Willi a 31 caliber automatic pistol, woiindrd Mis. Pearl Hold er. 311. then tin tied the weapon on himself. 7e4e Band 0 lite AfantA CHARLIE BURNET MEDFORD ARMORY FRIDAY, SEPT. 2 TICKETS ON SALE Derby's Music Co. Volunteers Sought For Shasta Project Volunteers are needed Sunday to I work on the Shasta community ! building which la being constructed ; entirely by donations of work and ' funds. 1 The Shasta View Building assorla- t lion Is sponsoring a dance at the fairgrounds September 3, the pro- ' reeds from which wifl go Into ron- I strurtion costs of the community ' building. Bases for concrete foundations w ill be dug Sunday and forms built. Vol- I unteers are asked to bring picks. I Miovels and hammers and roll up '. their sleeves. Women of the Suburban league : and the Shasta grange will aerve a I potluck luncheon at noon. About 14 per cent of all nickel! produced ts used for alloyuif pur-1 poses. Give Your Car a Treat.1 SPECIAL fitfoft GREASE & WASH JOB $ H 50 o .11 IN I BOTH FOR TOIMV! ANT CAR ANY MARK ANV HTT. ASHLEY CHEVROLET 41 Sa, lb 1-har.e 4111 INSTALL YOUR Aa- ,m s- Can You Do This? and still have your lawn thoroughly watered at the same time? 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