The El Reno Daily Tribune (El Reno, Okla.), Vol. 63, No. 71, Ed. 1 Friday, May 21, 1954 Page: 1 of 6
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The El Reno Daily Tribune
igle Copy Five Cents
(U.R) MEANS UNITED PRESS
El Reno, Oklahoma, Friday, May 21, 1954
UP) MEANS ASSOCIATED PRESS
Vol. 63, No. 71
:ormer Officer
|n Army Named
is Ax-Murderer
Bodies of Victims
Burned by Slayer;
Warrant Is Issued
RANKFURT. Germany, May 21
►UP)— The U. S. district attorney
I Germany issued a warrant today
the arrest of former Army Cap-
In James M. Leech for the ax-
jtrder of three American officers.
strict Attorney William D. Can-
did of Springfield, Mass., charged
ech with three counts of mur-
three counts of Intentional
nslaughtrr and one count of ar-
growing out of the grisly ax-
lyings on Jan. 7. 1946. He called
Leech's extradition from the
lilted States.
he three victims were Major
lerett S. Cofran (whose wife is
Iw believed living in Seattle i.
Lptain Adrian L. Wessler, and
jrst Lieutenant Stanley Mac A.
Jwewater (parents lest known liv-
|; in Omaha. Neb.).
Two Burned Alive
|The three officers were killed or
|mned by six to 10 ax blows and
en cremated after being saturated
|th gasoline. The triple slaying
pured at Passau, Germany, on
Danube river, in the luxurious
| la occupied by the army officers.
Canfield said an autopsy report
lowed Rosewater died from the ax
pws. Smoke and soot found in the
ngs of the other two indicated
ey were burned alive.
-ofran was military government
kicer for Passau and lived in the
Ilia Roller. Wessler and Rosewater
led some miles away in Regens-
|rg and unexpectedly dropped in
visit Cofran on the night of
murder.
No Official Word
[In Lima. Leech, now an oil re-
hery employe, said the charges
[ought against him in Germany
"all news to me."
le said he was stationed at I
au, Germany, where the alleg-
crime was committed, at the
ne the three army officers were
und dead in a burned-out, luxur-
Jis villa. "I was there then,” he
jid, "but I don’t want to talk
out it.”
ech said he has heard “noth-
official” about the charges I
lought against him. “I don't know |
|l will hear anything," he added. !
he triple slayings have been one |
the great unsolved mysteries of !
Istwar Germany. At the time of
le crime, a gigantic manhunt was
Wd. More than 1,000 persons
fcre interrogated and at one point
le army announced a U. S. army
If leer probably would be arrested.
Tit the investigation petered out
lid the crime never was solved.
*W
I .. # A]
CLOWNS—In Indianapolis for personal appearances,
comedians Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis clown with racing
car and saddle at Indianapolis Motor speedway. (NEA
Telephoto.)
Huge U. S. Surplus Grain Stocks
Offered for Export Overseas
WASHINGTON, May 21—(UP)—The agriculture de-
partment today offered up for sale its huge surplus stocks
of corn, barley, oats and rye for export at cut-rate prices
sharply below U. S. levels.
Department spokesmen said the new export program for
feed grains—which goes into effect today—is expected to
open “new outlets” for government stocks by boosting com-
mercial exports.
The government will lose money on the program since it
will sell the grains at world market prices which are at less
than it paid for them under
FW To Hold
iPoppy Sales
I Members of the Charles c. "Son-
Kegelman post No. 482 of the
Jeterans of Foreign Wars and its
lixiltary will conduct their annual
luddy Poppy day sale in El Reno
Lturday, assisted by members of
ne highschool Squaw pep club.
I Jim Fouts and his sister, Miss
■ary EUen Pouts. have been named
liairmen of the project for the post
lid auxiliary, respectively.
I Two first, second and third place
Lards will be given to Squaw
lembers for their part in the sales
log ram and luncheon will be
■•rved for members of the pep club
noon in the national guard
nory on North Rock Island,
leadquarters for the project, by the
luxiliary.
I Fouts said the greater part of the
loney contributed through Poppy
ay sales will remain in El Reno
i be used by the post and auxUiary
br local welfare work.
Big Spending
In Campaigns
May Get Test
OKLAHOMA CITY, May 21 —fT)
— John B. Ogden, Oklahoma City
lawyer seeking the Democratic nom-
ination for governor, declared today
he will seek a grand jury investi-
gation of political campaign spend-
ing in the Oklahoma primaries.
Ogden explained the state elec-
tion board has said it didn't have
jurisdiction to investigate campaign
spending and Ogden added "then
the courts mast have jurisdiction.”
He said his action if successful
"will determine once and for all
whether the law governing political
campaigns means anything at all.”
Ogden said he has prepared the
grand jury petition and will have
the necessary 100 signatures by the
first of next week to present to an
Oklahoma county district court
judge who will rule whether to call
the inquiry.
$631 Damage Suit Is
Filed Ovei; Accident
A damage suit asking $631.77 and
costs has been filed in district
court by the Thornhill-Craver com-
pany, Inc., against Amass Weatherl,
in connection with an accident Nov.
IS of last year.
The plaintiff asked the money for
alleged damage to a car driven by I
the price support law.
Combined stocks of corn, oats and
barley on April 1 totalled 66.500.000
tons, a record high for the date, and
ten percent more than supplies a
year ago, the department reported.
Prices Will Vary
The export prices for these grain,
plus rye will be the cash price on
the U. S. feed market minus an
"export allowance” of 15 cents a
bushel for corn, barley and rye, and
10 cents a bushel for oats.
Thus, the actual export prices
will vary from day to day as the
domestic market changes. The ex-
port subsidy itself will remain un-
changed until further notice.
The agriculture department pre-
viously threw its big stocks of wheat
and dairy products on the world
market by offering what amounted
to export subsidies for those pro-
ducts. It has been denied that the
action constitutes "dumping" of U.
S. surpluses abroad.
New Record Set
More than a third of the total
•supply of corn, oats and barley as of
April 1 was tied up in the price sup-
port program—held under support
loans or in government ownership.
Nearly 2,000,000,000 bushels of corn,
I a new record for the date, were in-
| eluded in the April 1 combined
stocks.
Consumption of the three animal
feed grains was expected to be about
the same as a year earlier, result-
ing in an increased "carryover" sur-
plus at the end of the feeding year
next Oct. 1.
The total feed grain carryover
French Brass
Huddle While
Foe Closes In
Top Generals Meet
At Hanoi; Strategy
Change Is Foreseen
HANOI, Indochina, May 21—(U.R)
—A massive French air assault
halted four onrushing Communist
divisions today 75 miles west of
jittery Hanoi.
The situation was so serious that
three senior French generals flew
from Hanoi today to Saigon en-
route to Paris with a secret report
urging drastic changes in French
Indochina strategy.
The changes were believed to in-
clude replacement of General Hen-
ri-Eugene Navarre as supreme com-
mander in Indochina and the rush-
ing in of 30.000 reinforcements to
save the rich delta area.
May Change Strategy
General Paul Ely, French chief
of staff sent here to survey the
worsening crisis, was reported ready
to tell the French government the
entire Indochina strategy must be
radically revised if anything in the
north is to be saved.
General Raoul Salan, former
commander in Indochina, and dep-
uty chief of staff General Pierre
Pelissier, commander of the French
airforce in the north, seconded his
emergency plan.
Roads Bombarded
While the generals held their top
level meetings French pilots drop-
ped a curtain of bombs, machine-
gun bullets and blazing napalm
across highways leading from Dien
Bien Phu to the Red river delta.
Returning air patrols said the
advance had been halted at Moc
Chau where advanced units of the
four Red divisions which con-
quered Dien Bien Phu arrived yes-
terday.
Some military observers said the
furious air attacks might prevent
the Communist from pressing their
offensive on the Delta immediately.
Delta Imperiled
But they pointed out that an at-
tack by even one of Red General
Vo Nguyen Giap’s divisions, to-
gether with a widespread rising of
the 100.000 rebel troops and guer-
rillas within the delta, would im-
peril France's hold on the entire
area.
The three French generals—Ely,
Salan and Pelissier—left Hanoi to-
day for Saigon and planned to leave
from there for Paris on Sunday.
McCarthy Will Return
For Hearing Monday,
Slaps at White House
Point of Order!
Jj§§
“Too Much Time
Kenneth Craven, agent of the [ was expected to reach about 32,400,-
000 tons and the corn carryover
about 950,000,000 bushels—both fig-
ures setting new records.
plaintiff, in an accident with a car
driven by Weatherl on U. S. 81,
three miles north of Union City.
I'
I H-Bomb Traces
I Found in State
1 NORMAN, May 21 —UP)— Dr.
orge Reid, University of Oklaho-
ma civil engineering and public
ealth specialist, said today he had
bund evidence radioactive particles
lad arrived in the state from the
f-bomb testa in the Pacific two
honths ago.
1 He tested a water sample from a
[tin-filled stagnant creek near Nor-
an and found the radioactive con-
bnt 35 times greater than normal.
Reid said the increase is still
Jreatly below any possible danger
|oint.
LIVING COST DOWN
| WASHINGTON. May 21 —UP)—
he government reported today liv-
|ig costs declined slightly in April,
he drop, the third in three months,
|as almost entirely due to lower
Xcise taxes effective April 1.
RHF.E PARTY WINS
| SEOUL. May 21—UP\—President
yngmnn Rhee’s liberal party today
ched control ol the South
iorean national assembly by win-
109 of 203 seats in the one-
legislature.
Heterogeneous GroupofWords
No Obstacle To Champ Speller
WASHINGTON, May 21 —(U.R)—
Pharisaical, heterogeneous. Ichth-
yology, uncinated, apocalypse, ac-
crete, empiricism and neologism
proved no spelling problem to on
eighth grader from Center Square,
Pa.
William Cashore. 14, breezed
through these tongue twisters to
capture the 1954 national spelling
championship yesterday.
"Study hard after school and
think before you spell," was his
advice to future contestants in
spelling bees.
The tell, dprk-haired youth
clinched the title by getting all
the letters right in “transept” (the
transversal part of a cruciform
church.) He admitted he guessed
a little on some words. He had
never heard of "accrete" (to be-
come attached by accretion), but
managed to spell it right any-
way.
First prize in the contest, spon-
sored by the Scripps-Howard
newspapers, is $500 and an ex-
pense-paid weekend in New York.
Second prize of $300 went to
William Kelley, a tiny 11-year-
old Missouri farm boy who trip-
ped over “uncinated." He put an
"s” where the “c” should be. The
new champion got it right and ev-
en knew what it meant—"hooked."
Third prize ol $100 went to Pa-
tricia Brown. 14. of Birmingham,
Ala. Like young Kelley she was
retired by an "s.” She put one
where the “c” should be in "mis-
cible" (mixable).
The winner and the runner-up
bolstered the morale of the na-
tion's schoolboys. Twice as many
girls as boys have won the title
since the first bee was held in
1925, and the boys were outnum-
bered 39-18 by girls in yesterday's
contest.
The day-long event climaxed
local contests across the country
in which more than 5,000,000
grade school youngsters compet-
ed. Each of the 57 finalists re-
ceived at least $40.
/
City Youths
Take Honors
With Studies
Two El Reno highschool seniors
have been awarded $132 scholar-
ships at Oklahoma A. and M. col-
lege. while other El Reno students
already enroled at the college also
have been among those awarded
special honors.
The scholarships, for one year,
beginning in September, will go to
Ina Nadine Lott, 235 North Foster,
and Frances Arlone Moyer, 1210
East Cavanaugh, selected on the
basis of scholarship and leadership.
Payment of the grants will be in
two equal parts by semesters, with
the second payment dependent
upon the student's having com-
pleted the first semester with a
grade average of C or better.
El Reno residents also were
among Aggie band students who
received awards based on the num-
ber of years participation in one
or more of the four bands at the
college.
The students, their awards and
the schools in which they are en-
roled, are as follows:
Gerald McCulley, band crest for
three years service, arts and sci-
ences junior: Jackson Reynolds,
band crest for three years service,
arts and sciences junior.
Another El Reno resident, Charles
E. Norman, a junior, and ROTC
cadet in the airforce, also received
an award as the top honor junior
in his branch at the spring mili-
tary convocation at the college.
He Wronged Me ,
First Wheat
Is Harvested
RANDLETT, May 21 —UP)— Five
loads of 1954 wheal reached eleva-
tors in southwestern Oklahoma
yesterday to launch the annual
grain harvest which is expected to
be in full swing by next week.
T. L. Spurlock who sent his com-
bine over about 40 acres of wheat
won the mythical title of being the
farmer to bring the first wheat to
market. Spurlock sent four loads
here and at Temple and Burkburn-
ett, Tex.
Cotton County Agent Jasper Harl
said that Vernon Frlels, another
farmer in this area, also delivered
a load to Walters after Spurlock al-
ready had reached the Randlett el-
evator.
Hunted Man
Listed Among
Most Wanted
WASHINGTON, May 21 —UP)—
The FBI today added to its list of
"10 most wanted men" Otto Austin
Loel, 43-year-old former sailor
charged with stabbing a woman to
death in an Oklahoma City motel
last Jan. 10.
The FBI said the victim, Mrs. El-
izabeth Jeanne Henderson, had ar-
ranged with the assistance of her
husband, to travel in Loel's car on
an expense sharing basis from
Compton, Calif., to Newark, Ohio.
Three days after they left Califor-
nia, her half-nude body, slashed
with 19 stab wounds, was found.
Loel had disappeared. I
After the killing in Oklahoma
City, his automobile was found
abandoned in Dallas and he was
traced to Shreveport, La., but then
dropped out of sight.
Senator Says Administration
Takes Fifth Amendment' By
Issuance of Secrecy Orders
WASHINGTON, May 21— (AP)— Senator McCarthy blast-
ed at the administration’s secrecy order today as "taking
the fifth amendment,” but said “I’ll be there Monday” when
senate hearings resume on his row with army officials.
The Wisconsin senator left open, however, how long he
might remain. And there were reports he might be trying
to lay the basis to block any attempt to subpena his accused
staff aides as witnesses if he and they decided they should
not testify.
McCarthy has repeatedly said during this week’s recess
that he didn’t see how the hearings could go ahead if Presi
dent Eisenhower kept in force his order banning testimony
on talks among government
officials about the army’s
differences with McCarthy.
Talking with newsmen. McCarthy
referred to this order as “taking the
fifth amendment"—the constitu-
tional provision invoked by many
accused subversives when refusing
to testify before the McCarthy sub'
committee. Under the provsion, i
witness may not be compelled to
give incriminating testimony against
himself.
Essential to Case
McCarthy contends it is essential
to his case to get testimony from
government officials about their
talks and the development of the
charges against him.
"I don't see why the president
should be afraid to let them tell the
tiuth,” McCarthy said.
McCarthy’s Btand led to specula-
tion he might walk out on the
hearings. He told reporters that
while he would be there Monday
"I make no promises" about how
long he would stay.
Sources close to the senator said
he had told associates he now
planned no walkout of his own but
that his mind could be changed.
Status Is Problem
The question of whether Mc-
Carthy could block subpenas to his
staff aides turns about the status
of the senate Investigations subcom-
mittee as a subsidiary body to the
government operations committee,
headed by McCarthy.
McCarthy was reported to have
been inquiring of parliamentarians
whether as chairman of the parent
body he could squelch subpenas is-
sued by the subcommittee or its
temporary chairman Senator Mundt
(Republican, South Dakota).
Marine Captain
Slays Children
Man Takes Own Life;
Wife Is Hospitalized
JACKSONVILLE, N. C„ May 21
—(A1)— A Marine corps captain
hacked his three small children to
death with a hatchet last night,
wounded his wife, and then, police
reported, took his own life by jab-
bing a butcher knife into his throat.
Coroner Talbert Jones of On-
slow county identified the officer as
Captain Michael P. Carroll of Aug-
usta. Ga. He was stationed at near-
by Camp LeJeune.
Youngest Is Beaten
Jones said the youngest of the
three children, Michael Philip, jr„
about 4, was savagely beaten to
death at the Carroll home on the
outskirts of Jacksonville in an out-
burst of brutality that began about
9 p.m.
Two daughters, Mary Katherine,
7, and Sara Beth, about 5, died
shortly afterwards at the U. S. nav-
al hospital.
Mrs. Carroll, cut several times on
the head, was described by hos-
pital attendants as in a serious con-
dition.
No Motive Known
Jones said no motive had been
established for the slayings.
Carroll attacked his family after
the children had gone to bed—all
were in night clothes—and appar-
ently assaulted his wife first, the
coroner reported.
A civilian neighbor. S. J. Hutch-
inson, said he ran into the Carroll's
home and sought to restrain Car-
roll, whereupon the officer seized a
butcher knife and stuck it into his
throat. He said the captain's face
had "the wildest look I had ever
seen."
Weather
State Forecast
Mostly fair tonight. Scattered
thundershowers extreme west to-
night. Saturday partly cloudy with
scattered thundershowers, mostly
west and central portions. Warmer
east and central portions tonight
and Saturday. Low tonight 55 ex-
treme southeast to 60 elsewhere.
High Saturday 85 to 95.
FFA Selects
New Officers
Earl Kortemeier was elected pres-
ident of the El Reno highschool
chapter of the Future Farmers of
America Thursday night at a meet-
ing in the highschool FFA room,
to succeed Wayne Cooksey.
Kortemeier, who served during
the past year as sentinel for the
chapter, will head a slate of offi-
cers who will serve during the
1954-55 school term which opens
next fall.
Other officers elected Thursday
night are Darrel Cooksey, vice pres-
ident; Jimmy Jensen, secretary:
Gary Borneman, treasurer: Donnie
Gappa, reporter; Steve Biller, sen-
tinel, and Gary Evans, parliamen-
tarian.
Other business at the meeting in-
cluded planning of a trip to Spring
Lake amusement perk May 28 for
chapter members, their dates and
parents, and plans for two sum-
mer meetings set for June 21 and
July 26.
Nuzum Is Sentenced
For Liquor Possession
Frank J. Nuzum, accused of un-
lawful possession of intoxicating
liquor in a case filed in county
court April 5, withdrew a plea of in-
nocent before Judge Roy M. Faublon
Thursday and entered a plea of
guilty to the charge.
He was fined $150 and costs and
ordered confined in the county jail
for 30 days.
Aggie Alumni
Plan Meeting
LL former students
k homa
of Okla-
A. and M. college liv-
ing in these parts are being told
this week of the big steak fry
next Wednesday night at Fort
Reno.
J. B. “Ears" Whitworth, the col-
orful Cowpoke coach, will be on
hand for a bit of talking and con-
siderable eating, and possibly he
will make a few predictions on
the Aggie football this fall.
Roy Stafford, president of the
Canadian county chapter of the
A. and M. alumni association, is
sending special invitations to all
former students of the “cow col-
lege” to attend. Things will start
moving about 6:30 p.m.
Stafford said special precautions
would be taken to keep any stray
OU people from wandering into
camp.
Big Three Plan
Compromises In
Asian Conflicts
Communists To Hear
West’s New Offer In
Secret Conference
GENEVA, May 21 —(U.R)— The
western Big Three today drafted
new compromise plans for ending
the Indochina war and bringing
stable peace to Korea.
Both will be offered Russia and
the Communist bloc at today’s sec-
ret far eastern conference session.
The plans are:
For Indochina—A choice between
starting work at once on a cease-
fire for Vietnam—largest and most
important of the three associated
states of Indochina, or creation of
three separate committees to work
out separate armistice plans for
each of the three states.
For Korea—A plan for new gen-
eral elections in all Korea to unify
the country.
Proposals Pushed
All 16 nations which fought un-
der the UN banner in Korea ap-
proved the latest Korean compro-
mise plan at a morning session.
The new proposals for both major
areas of danger and tension in the
far east were rushed before the
conference in view of broad hints
by Soviet Foreign Minister V. M.
Molotov that he will leave Geneva
late this month or in early June.
Today’s secret session was orig-
inally to have concerned Itself pri-
marily with Korea, for which the
new election proposal was made.
The new plan calls for nation-
wide elections supervised by the
united nations but only after with-
drawal of Chinese Communist
troops from North Korea and
amendment of the South Korean
constitution to permit new elec-
tions.
Rhee Is Agreeable
South Korean President Syngman
Rhee has agreed on this proposal
with the understanding it wiU be
presented to the Communists as a
"take it or leave it" proposition.
Rhee had refused to approve all-
Korean elections, arguing that the
southern half of the country with
6 7ths of population has had UN-
supervised elections, the most re-
cent being yesterday's balloting for
the national assembly, while North
Korea has had no free elections.
Therefore Rhee left open 100
legislative seats for North Korea
and insisted that the North Ko-
reans vote to fill the vacancies
under UN supervision.
Red China's Chou En-Lai and
South Korean Foreign Minister
Pyun Yung Tae are scheduled to
speak tomorrow at what may be
one of the last sessions. Foreign
Minister Chou previously turned
down UN supervision on the ground
that the world organization had
been an aggressor in Korea.
Kidnap Heroes
Get Prison Terms
KANSAS CITY. May 21 -UP)—
Two St. Louis policemen who cap-
tured little Bobby Greenlease's kid-
napers were sentenced to prison to-
day for lying to a federal grand
jury about what happened to a rec-
ord $600,000 ransom.
Former Lieutenant Louis Shoul-
ders. a veteran of 27 years on the
police force was sentenced to three
years. Rookie Patrolman Elmer Do-
lan was given two years.
District Judge Albert A. Ridge,
who sentenced the pair on charges
of perjury, said he made the distinc-
tion because Shoulders was the
dominating man, who had the direc-
tion and supervision over Dolan in
the case.
18-Year Old
Vote Plan Hit
BULLETIN
WASHINGTON. May 21—UP)—
The senate today killed Presi-
dent Eisenhower's request for
lowering the voting age from 21
to 18 years.
WASHINGTON. May 21— (U.PJ —
Senator Richard B. Russell today
ripped Into President Eisenhower's
proposal to give 18-year-olds the
right to vote as an "inexcusable"
attack on state rights.
The Georgia Democrat, his dander
already up over the supreme court's
anti-segregation ruling, promised to
take the floor to fight the proposed
constitutional amendment when it
comes before the senate today.
President Elsenhower called for
the 18-year-old vote proposal in his
State of the Union message. It
would simply forbid any state to
deny voting rights to anyone who
is 18 years old or older.
The measure has strong backing
from other administration leaders,
including Vice President Richard M.
Nixon. But senate GOP Leader
William F Knowland said he has
cot “counted noses" on support for
the amendment.
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Dyer, Ray J. The El Reno Daily Tribune (El Reno, Okla.), Vol. 63, No. 71, Ed. 1 Friday, May 21, 1954, newspaper, May 21, 1954; El Reno, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc924745/m1/1/: accessed March 29, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.