Hattiesburg American from Hattiesburg, Mississippi • 1

Beam pleads guilty act WASHINGTON (AP) Ousted White House counsel John W. Dean III pleaded guilty today to conspiring to obstruct the Watergate investigation. Dean agreed to cooperate fully with the investigation being conducted by the special Watergate prosecutor's office. In a letter to Dean's attorney, Charles N. Shaffer, special prosecutor Archibald Cox said that in return for Dean's cooperation no further charges would be brought with the exception of perjury if his testimony proves false.

Dean's wife, Maureen, sat in the courtroom when he entered his plea before U.S. District Court Judge John J. Sirica in a climax to more than six months of behind-the-scenes bargaining with the prosecutors. Dean had held out for total immunity from prosecution before finally agreeing to plead to a single conspiracy charge. The charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Sirica deferred sentencing until after any future Watergate trials at which Dean might be government witness. Dean was a star witness before the Senate Watergate committee in June. In five days of testimony, Dean testified that he and others attempted to limit the investigation of the June 17, 1972 break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters. Dean told the committee it was his impression, after meetings in President Nixon's office, that the President knew of the attempted cover-up of the Watergate affair. Dean's committee testimony was a basis for the subpoena Cox issued demanding White House tapes of presidential conversations with Dean and others about Watergate.

(Continued on page 12) 'rvy, Pi i i i 1 3 Idled in Beirut bank i I- mW 1 jfl, I Hattiesburg By NICK LUDINGTON Associated Press Writer BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) Security forces shot their way into a besieged Bank of America building today, killed two guerrillas and rescued 39 hostages being held for a $10 million ransom, authorities reported. An American hostage was killed in a final gunbattle. Police earlier announced there were 66 hostages in the building, then changed it to 34, and again to 39. They clubbed newsmen with rifle butts, pre High homecoming maids venting them from making their own count as the hostages emerged from the building. Thirty-two of the hostages were I-ebanese bank employes, two were Japanese businessmen, and four were not identified as to nationality.

The American was identified as John Crawford Maxwell, 52, originally from Winnipeg, Canada. He worked in Beirut for the Douglas Aircraft Corp. of Long Beach, Calif. Five gunmen had seized the bank with reinforcements ferried across the canal, Tel Aviv said. Cairo said the Israeli report of a major thrust into Egypt was false and claimed the large-scale attack had been repelled.

Israeli units are infiltrating across the canal at night, Egypt conceded, but claimed they were being surrounded and one unit was wiped out. The Russian Embassy in Cairo said The senior maid who received the most votes in secret balloting will be crowned homcoming queen in ceremonies at 7:10 tonight prior to the Hattiesburg-Moss Point football game at Tiger Stadium. Story on page 9. (Hattiesburg Public Schools photo) Homecoming maids elected by student bodies of Rowan and Blair Centers of Hattiesburg High School are, from left: Seated-Sandra Davis, Rebecca Roseberry and Peggy Griffin, seniors. Standing in back-Kim Freeman and Debbie Sellers, junior maids.

Standing in front-Laura Mann and Pamela Jordan, sophomore maids. New tank battles Hattiesburg AMERICAN Vol. LXXVIII No. 255 Hattiesburg, Mississippi Friday, October 1 9, 1 973 1 0 cents daily; 20 cents Sunday dkr THE 5jLJf WEATHER Israel seems to dominate air war WASHINGTON AP) U.S. military sources say Israeli warplanes apparently have gained dominance in the air over the critical Suez Canal and Sinai battlefront after successful attacks on Egypt's potent antiaircraft missile defenses.

This development could go a long way toward determining the outcome of tank battles now raging there, and perhaps the entire war. Sources said Israeli air losses have been light in recent days after Soviet-supplied surface-to-air missiles took a serious toll in the opening week of the fighting. Reports reaching the Pentagon indicate the Israelis lost 10 planes over '3clr- 1 i fi '-I 1 K- I ft i. i ft hkfk tV building and the hostages Thursday morning. One was wounded critically and the other surrendered, Interior Minister Bahij Takieddin announced.

The fifth guerrilla was wounded and captured Thursday afternoon. The freed hostages, some of them wounded and spattered with blood, were led out of the bank building through a cordon of policemen and troops to ambulances that whisked them to a hospital. Some of their rela-(Continued on page 12) reported Soviet Premier Alexei N. Kosgyin left the Egyptian capital for Moscow after four days of secret talks with President Anwar Sadat on "all questions of common interest." He declined to say whether peace proposals were part of their discussions. Other reports said the Soviet leader might stop off in Damascus on the way home.

(Continued on page 12) (AP Wlrvphoto) Hey there, boo! 0. ah 1) the Egyptian and Syrian fronts in the first four days of this week. Overall, the Israelis were said to have lost 106 planes since1 the fighting erupted Oct. 6. The Arab toll was listed at more than 300 Egyptian, Syrian and Iraqi aircraft.

American military sources said the apparent achievement by Israeli air force of control in the Egyptian theater indicates success for Israeli air and ground assaults on a sophisticated antiaircraft missile system on the west bank of the Suez Canal. One of the objectives of a cross-canal thrust by Israeli armor was to get at the deadly surface-to-air missiles and the (Continued on page 12) tapes subpoenaed by special Watergate prosecutor Archibald Cox. Another option open to the President would be to ask for more time to prepare his appeal. He either could go back to the appeals court with such a request or he could ask Chief Justice Warren Burger to issue an order delaying implementation of the appeals court decision. The appeals court voted 5 to 2 to uphold Sirica's decision.

In an unsigned opinion, the majority said that the President "is not above the law's command." It rejected his argument that the (Continued on page 12) Nixon facing deadline for appeal on Watergate tapes By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Israeli assault forces crossing the Suez Canal have pierced tough resistance 12 to 15 miles inside Egypt proper, the Israeli military command claimed tonight. New tank battles were raging on the Syrian front and in the crucial fight along the Suez Canal as Israel broadened its hold on the western bank Jim Vasselus dies; rites Saturday Services will be at 3 p.m. Saturday at Hulett-Winstead Funeral Home chapel for James Vasselus, 81, of 501 Busch-man who died unexpectedly Thursday afternoon at his home. The Rev. Polycarp Rameas will officiate.

Burial will be in Highland Cemetery. A native of Megalopolis, Greece, Mr. Vasselus had lived in Hattiesburg since 1910. He was founder of California Fruit Stand, now known as California Sandwich Shop. He was a member of Holy Trinity St.

John the Divine Greek Orthodox Church of Jackson. He was a veteran of World War One and a member of the American Legion. Survivors are his wife, a son Spero Vasselus of Hattiesburg; two brothers, Paul of Hattiesburg and Alexander (Continued on page 12) AND ON THE Amusements .....19 Businesspage 16 Classified 20-23 Comics 18 Deaths 14 Editorial 4 house of the week 17 School page 13 Sports 8-11 Women's news on the flashing blue lights of his patrol car and the creature started "running faster than any human I ever saw." Greenham said the creature moved stiffly until he turned on the flashing light on his patrol car. Then, he said, it ran "faster than any human I ever saw." Before it fled, Greenham snapped two pictures with a camera he was carrying because of the rash of UFO reports in Morgan County. "Someone could be playing a hoax on me but it scared me to death," he said.

In Louisiana, two men on an offshore oil platform said an unidentified flying object, making whining sounds and flashing several colored lights, hovered within 100 feet of them and knocked out electrical power on the rig in the Gulf of Mexico. When the vehicle finally sped away and the power was restored, the crewmen put in an emergency radio alarm for a boat to take them off. That was one of multiple Louisiana UFO reports the past several days, A woman telephoned the sheriff's office in Lake Charles to sav she was Official weather report: 7 a.m. temperature 45 degrees. Highest 77 and lowest 43 during preceding 24 hours.

No rainfall. River stage 4.9 ft. Southeast Mississippi forecast: Fair through Saturday mild afternoons and cool again tonight. Highs today and Saturday near 80. Low tonight upper 40s.

Winds variable four to 10 miles per hour. Famous cartoonist dies at 60 LOS ANGELES (AP) Walt Kelly, who created the shy opossum Pogo and other cartoon characters of the Okeefe-nokee Swamp, is dead after a long battle with diabetes. He was 60. Kelly died Thursday at a convalescent hospital. "Pogo" was syndicated in 450 newspapers worldwide.

The strip was peopled with such characters as Churchy LaFemme, the turtle; Howland Owl; Mamzelle Hepzibah, the lady skunk; Albert Alligator; and Beauregard Bugleboy, the dog who constantly reminded readers he was "man's best friend." Kelly's widow, Selby, indicated the comic strip may continue to be published. She said in the last year a group of writers and artists did most of the work, with Kelly having final ap-(Continued on page 12) a UFO encounter was bogus. The man, John Lane, had said earlier that a flesh-colored creature landed and tapped on his windshield with a crab-like claw. Gulfport Police Chief Craig Monroe called a press conference to put a halt to line's report. He said the taxi driver fabricated the story after a practical joke backfired.

He said Lane's tale that a UFO had chased his cab started as a joke within the taxi company, but that Lane felt he had to follow through with it when his cab dispatcher notified police. Monroe said he did not know whether charges would be brought against Lane because of the hoax. The Alabama incident began when Greenham was called to investigate a report of a space ship landing in a pasture. He said he met a metallic looking creature, "He was standing there in the middle of the road," he said. "I got out of my patrol car and said, 'Howdy, but he didn't say a word.

I reached back, got my camera and started taking pictures of him." The policeman said he then switched Autograph from the boss Mrs. Charles Payson, Mets owner, autographs baseball prior to World Series game between Mets and Oakland A's. sightings continue, stories get wilder By DONALD M. ROTHBERG Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) The deadline for President Nixon either to hand over the Watergate tapes or ask the Supreme Court to let him keep them is today. The U.S.

Court of Appeals last Friday gave the President one week to take his case to the Supreme Court. Otherwise, said the court, Nixon must give the tapes to U.S. District Court Judge John J. Sirica so that he can determine if the President's claim they must be kept secret is valid. Sirica said the only way he could determine that was to listen to the nine (ATWIraptiela) UFO or UFO positive she had seen an unidentified flying object.

When a deputy asked how she could be so certain, the woman replied that the vehicle had the letters "UFO" on its side. Gov. Edwin Edwards, asked if he had seen any of the flying saucers reportedly cluttering the skies, replied: "No. I don't drink at all." However, he said, if any outer space creatures enter Louisiana, he'll have them registered to vote. In another Alabama incident, Frank Williams of Fayette said he had to stop his car on U.S.

43 near Tuscaloosa to keep from running into a huge object hovering near the roadway. Williams told Radio Station WNPT in Tuscaloosa that the object was as large as two automobiles and shaped like a Mexican hat with a rim around the bottom. He said he was close enough to see rivets in the silver object. The National Scientific Balloon Facility at Palestine, announced Thursday it had launched two separate (Continued on page 12) JACKSON, Miss. (AP)- "Holy cow, I just don't know what to tell you," said a National Weather Service spokesman when asked about a strange substance which fell from blue Mississippi skies.

Authorities had no immediate explanation for quantities of transparent, thread-like material which fell Thursday in several places in Mississippi and North Louisiana. A spokesman for the Mississippi Air and Water Pollution Control Commission said workers had taken samples of the material and would try to determine what it was. In Falkville, policeman Jeff Greenham said he came face to face with a creature in a silver astronaut-type suit. Greeham said it happened in the middle of a highway and that he photographed the radiant f'gure. (See AP photographs at left and right) Meanwhile, authorities said they were finding that some of the unidentified flying object stories just don't hold air.

In Gulfport, police said a young taxi driver admitted that his bizarre story of.