The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California • 2

2 a H03 3n0tlc Cimw Youthfu Parts of Gangs Active in City for Many Years i i i i i 4 yl- i I iS: -i I i I A I 1 ii 1 ii mr 1W LETHAL ASSORTMENT Some of weapons seized by police during searches of juvenile gangsters ore displayed by Lt. R. R. Merchant, left, and Sgr. H.

E. Nuttmon. Tlmei phots MAN FOUND HANGING LOCKED IN CHAINS Weird Death of Engineer Called Suicide; Body Garbed in Woman's Bathing Suit A 111 Jllllll I TIT" SHAKEDOWN Police Dets. Robert Herrara, extreme left, and Michael Lepore, extreme right, check up on members of the Lower Alpine gang, gathered at their customary hangout corner, Cleveland and Alpine Sts. Shakedowns aid in control effort.

Tlmtt photo New Crimes by Youth Gangs Bring Boost in Police Force Thefts and Fights Often End in Deaths Editor's Not This Is the first of a series of articles deal ing with youthful gangsters in the Los Angeles area and their activities, such as the hoodlum attack which recently was followed by the death of a businessman at 7th St. and Broadway. Today's article outlines the juvenile problem in general. Tomorrow's second of the series, will dis cuss the gangs' organization and their methods of operation. BY BOB WILL During the last 10 days juvenile gangsters have thrown a challenge directly into the teeth of the citizens of Los Angeles.

A middle-aged businessman died in the midst of gang vio lence that occurred at an inter section that Is popularly regarded as the center of the city 7th St. and Broadway. And one day this week a 19- year-old youth was stabbed to death and brutally mutilated in a fresh outbreak of gang vio lence. The first occurrence took place at 6 p.m. Sunday, Dec.

6, when a trio of trouble-hunting youths provoked a fight with a young marine. They ganged the serviceman. Tries to Intervene Nearby stood the businessman, William D. Guff, who was about to keep a dinner date with his wife at a downtown restaurant. He tried to intervene and stop the fight.

Instead, he was embroiled in the battle and at the height of the violence Cluff was felled. He died at the scene, of a mas sive cerebral hemorrhage, and the youthful attackers fled. In this week's carnage, it was a fight between members of rival gangs. Two young Loma gang members ventured into Clanton gang territory and went to a bar on Olympic Blvd. One of the Loma boys, Ed-mundo Pacheco, danced with a girl in the bar and became involved in a fight with a man who had been dancing with her.

They went outside and Pacheco was stabbed in the heart, beaten and slashed with beer bottles and kicked in the head as he fell. Face Cut With Claw To aggravate matters, the attackers, believed to be members of the Clanton gang, broke several beer bottles and savagely ground the jagged bottles into the fallen youth's face. All Los Angeles was shocked by the deaths the latest In a long series of such occurrences and by the arrogance of the young hoodlums who prowl downtown streets In search of victims for their overflowing thirst for violence. From all sides came demands that something be done immediately to stop juvenile gang activity here. The death of Cluff was the latest In a long, long series of deaths and injuries resulting from gangs here.

Such things have been happening for a good many years. There was the shooting to death in an East Side driveway of a young man who, only moments before, had stepped from the gaiety of a birthday party at the home of a friend. There was the shooting that felled a pretty teen-age girl as she walked along the street. A group of youths, shooting at members of a rival gang, fired a bullet that went wide. It struck the girl in the spine, paralyzing her.

She's still hospitalized and still paralyzed. There was the 16-year-old Japanese boy who was shot in the head, not fatally, luckily, near the Evergreen Play ground. The youth who fired! CITYSIDE with GENE SHERMAN You'd be surprised how much big business ii done at "luncheon conferencea." Or at scmlsoclal dinners. Or maybe over canapes the cocktail I hour. And a busy man like' Mr.

Don May, the design counselor, can get Into a giddy round of gastronomlcal engagements. Which Mr. May pointed up the other noon while lunching with Mr. Joe Alvfai. "You know, Joe," he mused as he poked Idly at his breaded veal cutlet, "I'm fed up with THIS'LL KILL YOU It's a tragedy, Indeed, that each year In the holiday happiness hundreds die needless deaths on the highways.

I guess It's soma sort of demonstration of man's determination to destroy himself. Fortunately, there are some who try to save us from our careless Belves. Slogans won't do it, of course. But sometimes they help drive home a point and a celebrant. The' Greater Los Angeles chapter of the National Safety Council comes up this year with a warning.

"Don't Be a Yule Fool." They want a "Sanity Claus" in Christmas driving. They point out that "bar" rhymes with "car" but they don't mix. And they are distributing "Yule rules" throughout the city. Have fun-nbut don't drink and drive. Have a good time but let someone else take you home if you're in bad enough shape to prompt the suggestion.

And the council concludes: "Have everything in readiness, Including such things as identification, bail bond, last will and testament, wings, halo, or whatever, and other paraphernalia helpful in these instances should you take alcoholic or other leave of your senses." Let's be present for our presents, shall we? AXGELEXOTES Two peanuts went for a walk through a particularly rough section of town, muses H.S.W. fancifully. One was a salted Which brings up, obliquely, to be sure, the case of Det. Bob Herrera. For the last five years Mr.

Herrera has been assigned to the gangster detail of the LAPD homicide squad. And during all that time he kept his pistol loose In the holster, expecting anything. But not once wa3 ha threatened In any way or forced to draw his weapon. Then last week he was transferred to what he was assured was a soft touch the juvenile detail. First crack out of the box he and his partner, Det.

Frank Tsarikos, get Involved with a couple of young hoodlums during a routine investigation and on his first night as a juvenile officer Mr. Herrera is forced to shoot a young suspect who tries to Bnatch his partner's gun. Making Mr. Herrera kind of nostalgic about that dangerous homicide duty. RED CROSSED Mr.

Cecil Davis, the Red Cross disaster director for the eight Western States, was here from San Francisco last Thursday when the Malibu brush fire broke out. Perfect opportunity for the L.A. chapter to show its efficiency in emergencies. Accordingly, 10 sleepy-eyed volunteer canteen workers and two first-aid rescue teams were routed out of bed at 3 a.m. and rushed to the scene.

Everything worked fine except the fire was out by the time they got there. Causing Mr. Pavis to be as impressed fire fighters as he was with the Red Cross people. THE; LOCAL LINE My teen-agent reports this as the latest Dragnet story in his set: There are only six days in a week now Friday is out on a case In the film, "War of the Worlds," invaders from Mars who wreak futuristic havoc on L.A. finally begin to die off because they cannot stand the earth's atmosphere.

Other day a voice in a back row observed: "That'3 our smog for you." Collapsed the audience Did I read that ad correctly? "No charge for labor, at Union Auto Repair" Angeleno has an unusual pair of 15x60 Zeiss binoculars. They were made especially for the man whose name remains on a little silver plate attached to the instrument Hermann Coerlng Catch that line in Friday's paper? "Babies were born in a maternity hospital they built for themselves." If more babies had this foresight they wouldn't have to be born In taxicabs, ribs K. C. 8Sth California Gift Show at the Alexandria next month will have a room where buyers can get a quick glance at the best of each exhibitor's line. To be called the Bird's Eye Room People who know they don't allow dogs In that big apartment development between 3rd St.

and Wil-Fhire because they don't want it to become known as Bark La Brea. Boff. laboratory to determine their age. Police in San Pedro yesterday reported additional gang activities the attempted robbery of a service station at 340 Pacific Ave. in which the attendant and his wife were terrorized by four young hoodlums.

Gasoline Taken The station attendant, Virgil Prince, 28, of 2722 Normallin Drive, Torrance, said the four 1 V1' i i held the keys to the three padlocks. In a corner of the room a candle was burning on an end table. The spool from which the thread had come and a par. ing knife were beside the candle. Det.

Lt. Don Grant said It appeared the thread had been led across the room and over the candle so that when It burned through the keys would fall out of reach. Beside the body was a chair. But strangest of all the strange aspects of the case was the body's garb. Clad in Bathing Suit On the head was a bathing cap.

On the feet were a woman's rain bootees. On the body was a woman's clinging black bathing suit. Lt. Grant said it appeared Felhofer had nearly failed in his suicide attempt because of the length of chain from the ceiling beam. Apparently the toes touched the floor and the neck later stretched enough to permit the body to appear to stand flat-footed.

Bannon told officers that Felhofer had been normal in all his behavior during the three months the four had shared the house. He said Felhofer had been cheerful and normal in manner. Pelhofer came here about a year ago from Marshfield, Bannon said. He named the other two young men in the house as John Herceg, 30, and Carlton Klrst, 29. Indictment of Three Youths in Gang Death Continued from First Page when he saw the fight start, and did not participate at alL Marine Privates 1st Class David Kurth and John W.

Moore, both 18 and both of Camp Pendleton, were also called to testify. Moore was the marine who, according to his earlier state ments, was approached by Marques and Jostled. When Jhe turned to face the youth, he said, another of the trio struck him and he was knocked into the street. Brawl Witnessed He came up swinging a metal no-left-turn sign at about the time that Cluff tried to Inter vene and was embroiled In the fight. Kurth was not Involved in the fight but saw the brawl.

A Navy storekeeper 3rd class, O'Dell Love, 21, testified before the grand jury that he recog nized Mata, Marquez and Vene- gas as the trio who attacked the marine. He also said that "the two smaller guys," Mata and Marquez, struck Cluff several times before the older man crumpled to the pavement and died. A long list of policemen, headed by Homicide Det. Sgt. Gil Encinas and Det.

Sgt. Toby Medina of the antigang squad, also were subpoenaed to testify in the case as to methods of in vestigation and as to state ments made by the arrested suspects. Housekeeper Proposal Wins Wife Divorce Mrs. Winifred Earnet, 31- yearold fashion model, received a decree of divorce yesterday after testifying that six weeks after their marriage her hus- from his beloved to his house' keeper. Superior Judge Kenneth C.

Newell granted her the decree from Leonard Barnet, 26, a suede cutter, to whom she was married here Nov. 21, 1952. Early Happiness "For the first six weeks I was very happy, with him," said Mrs. Barnet, known professionally as Totty Ames. "Then one day he brought another wom an to our home and the two of them announced they were in love." "Did he say he was leaving you?" asked her attorney, Bent-ley M.

Harris. "Oh, no," she replied. "He wanted me to continue keeping tiAiiBA Vilm an4 ralclncf Vile Chief of Police Parker yesterday ordered additional police into duty to combat Juvenile' gangs, as detectives in tne latest gang slaying faced the "si lent treatment" from witnesses and were unable to locate two other vital witnesses. Mean while, more youth gang crimes were reported here. Chief Parker announced that, settlement of the North Amer-I ican Aviation strike made it! possible for him to assign mem- bers of the Metropolitan detail to duty within the heaviest gang concentration areas.

"The strike settlement," he said, "will enable the release of these personnel to prevent op erations of youthful gangs. Aids to Regulur Force "These officers will supplement the regular field force and will be sent to troublesome areas with Instructions to give full attention to the individuals or groups that may be involved in gang activities. "They will be further instructed to take action whenever and wherever it is warranted." Meanwhile, detectives investigating the Sunday night gang Ktnhhinc nf IS-vpar-old FVlrmm- rin ParWn had hnokpd two' mpn on susnirion of murder but! had been unable to locate two men who may be able to iden- a if a stabbed, slashed and kicked checo to death outside a bar at 1305 Olympic Blvd. Bar Operator Missing Det. Sgts.

C. R. Rothert and R. W. Wise have been unable to l-i'itrt AvmiimiU Pnntrovie An.

named Hector who reportedly! it a t) BOOKED Louis J. Garcia, held on suspicion in gang killing case. TlmM phot group associated with the Clanton gang. This fight was stopped by Contreras, police reported, but when Pacheco and Cevallos left the bar they were ganged by five men who had lain in wait for them outside. Stabbed Through Heart Pacheco, besides being What police called the weird-! est death in the history of the1 Hollywood area was discovered last night in a house shared by four young men at 8640 Wonderland Hollywood Hills.

The Coroner termed the death a suicide. Dead was James (Jack) Fel-hofer, 27, electrical sales engi-ner. His body was found by police and John Bannon, 30, alse an engineer and Felhofer's roommate, when Bannon found the doors locked, the front door peephole covered and the living room drapes drawn. Inside they found Felhofer's body in the sunken living room which has a. 14-foot-high beamed celling.

The furniture and rug had been pushed back. Swathed in Chains Felhofer's body stood flat-footed and swathed in pad-: locked new chains in the mid-! die of the room. One chain led from his neck to a heavy screw eye in one of the ceiling beams. The hands were chained together with another length of the chain, and the chain was padlocked. Another piece of chain shackled his ankles.

It, too, was padlocked. A third padlock was on the chain about the neck. The chain link around the wrists and neck had been taped, officers said. Dangling from the screw eye was a piece of thread which it? IIIIMH i .1 Xf I youths drove into the station at about 1:30 a.m. and "helped themselves" to gasoline.

Prince said that when he told the youths to get away from the pumps they shoved him violently and tried to sur round him. He and his wife 1 23, an expectant mother, locked themselves in the station. Then, he said, the young hoodlums tried to break down the door of the station to get at him and his wife but were frightened away when a police radio car drove by. One of the four, a 17-year-old boy who fled on foot as the others roared away in their car, was captured in the back yard of a home at 400 O'Farrell St. He was booked on suspicion of robbery.

Both Prince and his wife said the youths appeared "wild eyed" and "hopped-up." Fisherman Beaten A 24-year-old fisherman from Astoria, reported to Long Beach police early yesterday that he was beaten and robbed by a group of six youths who accosted him and demanded money. The fisherman, Eric W. Erickson, a crew member of i 1 stabbed through the heart, had hnifaf, Won anH the fishing boat Astorian, saidjhand proposed demoting her r'V'i v-''iv- tfc i 1 witnessed the slaying. ihave been aided by Det. Sgts.

Pacheco and a 17-year-old Robert Hidalgo and Toby Me-companion, Pablo Cevallos, of the Police Department's members of the Loma gang, had special antigang srjuad, said gone to the bar together andi that no one who was in the bar Pacheco was involved In a fight i will admit he knew who at- Tnrn to Page 24, Colnmn ljbeen dancing with members of kicked. His assailants also had broken a beer bottle and ripped his face to shreds with the Jagged edges. Cevallos was knocked uncon- elrilie Vint fopniinrnH -nitiL-tf v.m.:,J. Sgts. Rothert and Wise, who tacked the two Loma gang boys.

Booked on suspicion of murder in the case are Raymond Gonzales (Wiilo) Romero, 24, of 124fi Grand and Louis J. Garcia, 23, of 354G'i Brooklyn Ave. Denies Being There Romero, the detectives said, admitted being in the bar but refused to identify the men who fought there with Pacheco. He told officers that Garcia was there, too, but Garcia denied this Garcia, a former said he was at home with his; wife all Sundav evening and re- tired at about 11 p.m. Police said that bloodstains found on the rear scat of Gar- Ex-Officer Begins Term he had alighted shortly before) midnight from a bus at 7th St.

and Pico Ave. in the beach city and was walking to his ship, which is in drydock at 1109 7th St. He told Officer If. L. Wlck-strom that a dark sedan drove up and stopped and six youths clambered out of the car.

They approached him, he said, and one of them demanded to know if he had any money. "It's none of your business," the fisherman replied. Robbed of $8 Erickson said that the six youths, all of them in their late teens and wearing distinctively long hairdos, attacked him. He said they beat him with their fists until he fell to the ground and then kicked him several and then kicked nim several times. They escaped after ing SS from his pockets, he added.

Erickson win severely; beaten in the face, with both ryes swollen shut and large when he danced with a young; woman who previously had Prisoners Edwin L. Jefferson's court, of tnree counts of assault by eans of force likely to pro- duce great bodily injury. Wlth the ast of hj3 appeais from the conviction and sen-j itence denied, he surrendered in Judge Jefferson's court. He, was sentenced to one year in the County Jail on each of the- three counts but Judge Jeffer for Beating Former Policeman Roy A. I Lantz, 25, the last of four of- fleers convicted of mistreating prisoners at central station and City Jail on Christmas Day of 1051, yesterday was com- mitted to the County Jail to begin serving a two-year sen-1 tence.

Lantz, indicted along with I child by a former marriage, he made It clear that he 'wished to carry on this love af- if.ilr on the side." Mrs. Barnet said she never- theless tried to keep her mar- riage together but that she and with the other woman. six other officers, three of son ordered that two of the. cia's 1011 sodan said by Garcia lumps on his head. Police said, Harnet finally parted last March whom were acquittals in jury; terms be served to he his own blood, spilled in jhe suffered possible fractures 21 because he Insisted on spend-trials, was convicted by a jury making a total of two years inja fight two months aso will be i of the jaw and nose.

He was! ing most of his time and money WINS DIVORCE Mrs. Winifred Barnet, fashion model, told court her husband, Leonard Barnet, 26, wanted to demote her from his wife to his housekeeper. Tlmtt ht Oct 20, 19-L2, in Superior JudgejalL analyzed by the police crlmejtreated by a private physician,.