The Post-Standard from Syracuse, New York • Page 31

Uncle Sam Alters Pitch on Vets' Schooling JE only two witnesses to the tragic accident J. in which pretty Delia Oliver, bride of four short months, met her untimely end were her 27-year-old husband Claude and his 19-year- old nephew Because of the husband's grief he could not be questioned by Sheriff B. Sulphur, Oklahoma, who had to obtain the story of the accident from young asked Claude to drive her to town and I went along. The Ford hasn't been behaving right lately and we thought we'd have it looked over in town, but as we were crossing the bridge outside Davis the car began to wobble crazily and -suddenly. Claude seemed to lose control.

It headed toward the edge. Claude shouted to us jump out--I flung myself out the back door and when I picked myself up I saw Claude laying on the ground--but poor Delia must have been slow in realizing what was happening. We went down the embankment and tried to pull Delia out of the overturned car, but she was wedged in-she was cold and her heart was, still--" The officer had an aide drive the two Olivers to their home while he headed for the bridge to make 3 formal investigation of the scene. There he encountered two deputies who were guarding the area, while an ambulance waited for the sheriffs okay to remove the body. The young victim's twisted, crimson-covered body lay in the front seat of the old car which rested on its back badly crumpled.

After the photographers, had taken pictures of the body. Sheriff Johnson authorized its removal to an undertaking establishment. The sheriff roped off the section of the bridge where the car had skidded off and got down on his knees to look at the boards. Tire marks led directly to the edge--but here the marks were much stronger, as if the car had paused there before going over the brink. A deputy arrived who was thoroughly famil- iar with mechanics of automobiles and Johnson assigned him to examine the car thoroughly.

When he was through the deputy reported that there seemed to be nothing wrong with either the brakes or the steering wheel. Sheriff Johnson next drove to the Oliver farm to question the widower. Claude was somewhat recovered and his account of the events leading he could furnish no new leads. The sheriff made the. rounds of neighbors who told him that the young couple appeared to be very happily married.

One remark, however, caught the officer's special interest--. "Claude especially kind and attentive to Delia," remarked a kindly old woman. "I never heard him speak crossly to her, and he was asking if he could do anything for herl Marriage seemed to be' a very good influence to him because I hate to say this he used to be rather ill-tempered." other residents in the vicinity it was learned that the husband had always boasted his belief in a bachelor existence; accordingly It was quite a surprise to them when Claude became a benedict, and particularly because it had happened with such suddenness. "What do you mean when you say it happened so suddenly," asked the sheriff. "Well, Claude never gave Delia a tumble until last June, and three weeks later I heard they were "married." The case suddenly broke in the open when a deputy, who had been left to make a wide search of the area near the bridge, phoned Sheriff John.

son to come out there. About a hundred and fifty yards from the bridge the deputy pointed to a blood-stained rock to which adhered several strands of human hair. Also, a short distance away the officer another find--a spot that was heavily matted with gore. "It looks, to me," offered the deputy, "that someone was battered over the head with that rock in this spot--" "Yes, and I think that person was Delia Oliver!" added the sheriff. "The more I've been checking into this case the more it appears that that girl was not the victim of an accident-- she wras The thing that's puzzling me now is 'the motive." spent the next two days searching or the motive.

He was finally convinced he.had- ouhd.it when an insurance company official fold him that as as Claude was married he took out. a $3,000 policy on his wife, with double the amount payable for death caused by accident! The two Olivers were hustled to Sheriff Johnson's office. This time the officer did not treat them 1 as gently with his questioning. The elder man protested against Johnson's accusation that he was responsible for his wife's death. The nep.hew, while in the presence of -his uncle, also maintained an air of 'confidence.

But when the sheriff separated the pair, young George appeared unnerved, so Johnson concentrated on him and fired question question at the youth. Just before -midnight of November 6th, 1932-- three days after Delias death-- the nephew cried out: right-- I'll tell the truth! 'Please don't ask me any more questions and I'll tell you all you'want to know. -'And Sheriff Johnson listened to, details -of most coldblooded crime that ever was. --conceived and executed in the county. "Claude to get money for a new car," sobbed "George Oliver, "but he couldn't save enough from the small farm so he thought up the idea of marrying a girl any girl insuring her and then killing her for the insurance money.

Claude at first insisted, that I marry Delia, but when I objected he suggested we flip a coin to decide who would become the bridegroom. Claude lost so he married Delia, but he told me I xvould have do the actual killing. Last week we decided Delia's time had come so we drove to a spot near the bridge where I asked Claude to stop, the car so I could pick' some flowers for Delia, and I asked her to come out and help me. As she bent down I hit her with a rock a couple of times she fell unconscious. We both then carried her to the car, drove it on to the bridge and pushed it In December the two Olivers were convicted of murder in the first degree and sentenced to death in the electric chair.

A year later, after their appeals were denied, the killers of innocent Delia Oliver were put to death. The tragic aftermath ot a marriage! Copyright, 1919. Syndicate, Ino. By Moj. Thomas M.

Nial HEN Congress amended the GI Bill in December, it definitely had one eye fixed on the education section, giving Title Two of the bill, "Education of Veterans," a new and shiny coat of paint. Formerly, there was that age limit. You know--the part about being 25 when you entered the service- The law said if you were over that age, you could get only one year of education: altho you could get more if your education or training had been impeded or interrupted by entrance into service. Well, that was one of the most misunderstood parts of the GI Bill And evidently it wasn't fair to the eye of Congress, so the new bill leaves out any reference to age. It also forgets -the part about "interfered with or interrupted." Now you don't have to prove your education was interrupted or interfered with to take advantage of the educational setup.

What you have to do is produce a discharge given under conditions other than dishonorabl-j, and show that you had at least 90 days active duty, part of which came after Sept. 16, 1940. Of course, if you were discharged for a service-connected disability you don't have to have even the full 90 days. Elimination of the ags limitation possibly did more to make things clear than any of -the big changes in the new. amended GI BilL How much education or training will a vet get? One year--plus one month for every month spent on active duty That applies to all ex-GI's--from 17-year-old privates to generals of 30 or more.

But no one can get more than four calendar years--208 weeks. ORMERLY, the law said any course of education training had to be started within two years after discharge Or after the end of the war. The amendments doubled this period, making it four years after discharge or after the end of the war. And the amendments also raised to nine years the period during which all GI Bill education has to be finished. This means that, after the war officially is over, ex-GI's will still have nine years to complete any education or training they can get at government expense.

The amendments also increased subsistence allowances. Ex-Joes or Janes with dependents now are entitled to $65 a month instead of 350. A veteran with a dependent rates 90 bucks a month now. But it's $90. no matter how many dependents a veteran maj' have.

I've commented before that ex-service people who can't get along on their subsistence allowance can work on the side for extra money without affecting the allowance. Of course. work on the side must not interfere with their studies. They've got to keep their marks up to the standards of the school they're attending. Ever since the GI Bill went into effect, the VA has been permitted to pay (for a veteran's tuition and books and supplies, etc.) up In a total of SSOO for an school year." An "ordinary school year" 1 was held to be 30 to 38 weeks.

Therefore, if a veteran wanted to take a course which cost $500. but which ran for less than "an ordinary school year." he found the VA couldn't pay all the cost. The amendments change this. Now an ex-service man can take 'a hiah-cost, short, intensive course and still get the entire charges paid by the VA. LJERE'S the pitch on another of the changes in the education section of GI Bill.

First. let me explain how the VA figures what it can pay in the way of tuition for a veteran going to school. When I say "tuition." I mean the cost of supplies, books, tuition, laboratory and infirmary fees. The law allows the VA to pay up to $500 for an ordinary school year. An ordinary school year is 30-38 weeks.

So soniu one says you can gel $500 a year for tuition under the GI Bill, he means that for any course lasting from 30 to 38 weeks the VA will pay up to $500. II A Word of Caution Cartoon. by Rube Goldberg But there are some courses shorter than 30 weeks which cost $500. There's one in New York. It's a photography school, course.

Before the new GI Bill became law in December, the VA could not pay the full tuition of a veteran taking this course. It could pay only part of the tuition, because the law said $500 could be paid only for a course at least 30 weeks long. Now, the Veterans'-Administration can pay the full tuition of that New York school, and other -schools offering short, intensive high-cost courses. But, since the ex-Joe who takes one of these courses lasting less than 30 weeks, or less than an ordinary school year, will be'getting the benefit of $500 worth of tuition, his total period of eligibility will be shortened by an ordinary school year. Toddy's Cover Girl Sings 'Eastertidings' "Lift your voices in on high "For fcsus has risen, and man cannot die" OTENTORIAN MARS, now stilled, Janis -5 Carter, today's cover girl, joins other devout Christians in the joyous celebration of the first peacetime Eastertide since the war began.

Stained glass panels of the church windows provide an inspiring background for the In keeping with the gladness of the Lenten period, Janis, Columbia Pictures star, wears a pink satin suit and black straw cartwheel trimmed with pink roses and pink dotted veiling. Miss Carter, who was in Syracuse for a short visit last week in advance of the opening of her new film "Night Editor," which is now playing at Loew's Strand theater, is starred with William Gargan and Jeff Donnell in a top radio chiller that was made into -a screen play Hers, she admits, is "not a nice role" in this picture, but this fact doesn't faze the, statuesque blonde in the least. She points to the careers of Ida Lupino, Joan Bennett. Gene Tierney and others who skyrocketed to fame when they played characterizations other than that of the conventional heroine. In her latest picture.

Janis has the meaty role of a double-crossing dame who crosses the wrong guy. Janis. like many a Hollywood luminary, has traveled various theatrical and near- thealrical roads in preparation for her success. She was one of the six original Conover models, posing for such magazines as Vogue and Harpers. She sang with Grace Moore on the Nash-Lsfayctte radio hour.

At college, she played leads in several Gilbert and Sullivan operettas and in Noel Coward comedies. Janis was born in Cleveland, O. Her real name is Janis Dremann. Everyone always was mispronouncing and misspelling her last name, so upon entering her professional career she decided to change it. She chose Carter because it was her grandmother's name.

Her parents and grandmother first headed Janis for the career of a concert pianist. But at the age of 8, she switched to singing. The future Columbia player attended grade and high school in East Cleveland. Eater, she wept to Western Reserve university, from which she graduated with bachelor of arts and bachelor of music degrees. During all this time, she was taking part in school and college dramatics.

Deciding to go to New York and make a try for the Metropolitan, Janis supported herself doing solo singing in various churches while awaiting that big moment of the audition. Like many another neophyte, she was so nervous she was unsuccessful. That decided her. however, to get any and all show business experience so that "nerves" never again would spoil an opportunity. She was spotted in the Broadway hits "I Married an Angel." "DuBarry Was a Lady" and "Panama Hatlie." and Hollywood soon claimed her.

Signed by 20lli Couiury-Fox. slie appeared in several of their films and then switched to Columbia. Her recent pictures include 'Together Again" and "One Way to Love" AT and Mike, for example, are en- tilled to four years of GI education each. Four years is 208 weeks. Pat takes a full time course, lasting 34 weeks.

Tha tuition is $500. After the course is completed, he's used up 31 weeks of his total period of eligibility. Since he entitled, as I've said, to 208 weeks (four years) he has 174 weeks left. Mike, meanwhile, takes a short, intensive course of study which lasts only 15 weeks. (It could be 10, or 16, or 20; wouldn't make any difference.) The tuition, however, is $500.

After the 13- week course has been completed, Mike has used up 34 weeks of his total period of eligibility for GI schooling. He has used up the same number of weeks that 'Pat did. That's because the VA, during Mike's 15-week course, paid out S500 for tuition. And the law states that $500 is the top cost for an ordinary school year (34 weeks). Therefore, Mike is charged with 34 weeks of his period of eligibility.

Tm trying not to be technical. But many veterans may want to take courses costing more than the normal rate. They can. And I'm trying to point out they'll pay for it by sacrificing some of the time they've got coming to them for.GI schooling. That's all right because-some ex- service people will want to take only one or two short courses, and then call it a day.

If you are interested in this short- course setup, be sure to check up with your regional Veterans' Administration office before you start on your course. Thai's because there aro some angles to the olan which can't be explained here. The important thing to realize is that these short, intensive courses can now be approved and naid for by the VA under the new GI Bill. Just one more thing. The law goes on to say that no short intensive course may cost more than 500 bucks.

Don't forcet. a "short intensive course" is one which is less than 30 weeks It's less lhan an ordinary school year. emphasize thai point because aui'ulicr change in the law make? it possible for the Veterans' Administration to pay more than $500 for a course which lasts for im "ordinary school year.".