Abilene Reporter-News from Abilene, Texas • Page 42

6-A THE ABILENE REPORTER-NEWS Abikmj.Tex.s.Kri. 30,1977 Officials Try to Pinpoint Cause of Galveston Blast Conference on strangler This wide-angle Icnse view shows the huge forpnte Thursday as he briefed them on the press crowd that attended Los Angeles As- lalcsl information in the Hillside Strangler sisUnl Police Chief Daryl Gates' press con- Case. (AP Wirephoto) Police Questioning Guard Who Aided Murder Victims LOS ANGELES AP Police said Thursday Ihey are questioning a 55-year- old Hollywood security guard who gave refuge to several of Ihe ffillside Strangler's victims before they were killed. Angelo -Michael. Pope, who allowed young girls from Hollywood lo stay at his apartment overnight, is cooperating with the police, Assistant Police Chief Daryl Gates told a news conference.

"He is not charged with anything." Gales said. "We arc questioning him. Thai's all." lie said Pope knew the second stran- victim, Judith Lynn Miller, 15. who was found on a suburban lawn Oct. 31: the ninth victim.

Jane Evelyn King, a 23year-old mode! found in shrubs beside a freeway offramp Nov. 23, and possibly the first victim, Yolonda Washington, 20. whose nude bodv was found Oct. 18 near Criffith Park. "There seems to be some common Ihread there certainly enough of a common thread that we would waul to investigate," Rates said.

King was Ir.sl seen alive Nov. 9 at a religions cpnler across the street from the apartment where the Hth vic- lim, Kimberly Diane a i had been summoned on a prostitution call Dec. 13. The apsrlmcnl proved to vacant, but neighbors heard Miss Martin's cries for help. Her nude and strangled body was found next morning on a hilltop overlooking downtown Los Angeles, Pope also told anllwritics he had seen viclim No.

4, Lissa Kastin, on the street prior her Nov. 5 strangulation. i i i vestigators as "a person who befriends girls on the street," Gales said. The streel scene was a common thread in many of (he dcalhs. in which girls either a prostitution calls or were picked up hitchhiking in the Hollywood area.

The Hillside Strangled Task Force had planned to release composite sketches of two possible suspects in the ease Thursday, but Gates said investigators had located the two men an found they were not connected with the case. "So we're lo square one." he said. Gates said arraignments were to be later Thursday for men already in custody for investigation of (he murders ot Paula Gwen Ward, 13, and Carolyn Hobson, 21, whose semi-nude bodies were found the day before Christmas. Asked whether police were looking for additional suspects in those two deaths, Gates would say only: "We have nol closed that case." Gates said the task force lias learned that both those young women knew the first strangler victim, Yolanda Washing- ion. Police Lt.

Dan Cooke had characterized the Ward-Hobson deaths as a "copycat" imitation of the strangler. Gates nol repeat that characterization, but when isked if he was backing down from tht "copycat" theory, he said: "We never itave been convinced (hat we have one single suspect." The Force is looking at the Miss Washington's murder "particularly in light of the last two," because she was acquainted with the Ward and Hobson women, he said. "Yolanda was one of those right from the ou'sct (hat we were uncertain fit the of Gales said. GALVESTON A Kire department officials Thursday said either a spark from a railroad engine or a short- circuited electric switch triggered the kilter explosion that ripped apart a grain elevator at the Port of Galveslon and lell at leasl 15 persons dead and 22 injured. While investigators sllempted lo pinpoint the origin of Ihe hlasl.

weary, dirty, and rainsoakcd rescue crews dug through Ihe rubble of Iwisled steel and hunks of concrete in an effort lo determine if others had died in the Tuesday explosion, heard 70 miles away. Fire Marshall A.D. Carroll told newsmen. "We are still continuing to remove debris and cleanup the tank areas, bul we have found no additional bodies." Asked about report that three lo five persons may be missing, Carroll said, "We have heard reports, but they arc just reports." The Federal Grtin ItupeUoo Service, who took over the checking of grain on July 1. sain five inspectors were killed in the blast, two hospitalized, and one is missing.

The rescue crews worked for the second day in cold, bluslerj-. rainy weather thai turned the area Jnto a small swamp with water collecting in the deep, gaping holes blasted by the explosion. Howard Doly. .12. an employee of the Farmers Export owners of the grain elevator, said the explosion began in an area where boxcars were unloaded.

Doty said he was moving empty boxcars out of the unloading seclion when the blast hit. He srid the explosion swept down an underground tunnel lo Ihe headhouse. where grain is measured and weighed before slorcd in ihe nearby 40 silos. After Ihe firsl blast. Doly said a chain reaction followed and he heard several more explosions.

Fire Marshall Carroll said the spark from a railroad engine was a possibility, but also said an electric switch a have short-circuited in the top ot the headhouse, causing a spark to ignite the highly volatile grain dusl. The Yugoslavian ship Sutjeska, loading wheat at Ihe lime of Ihe e.xposion. sustained minor damage and was moved away from the whaves by tug boats, Vojin Krivokapic, captain of the Sutjrska, said the blast vibrations from Ihe wharf, up and down and back and forth like an earthquake." C.S. Devpy, i director of Ihc city-owner wharves, said "impact of the explosion upon the wharves' financial position is impossible lo determine at llu's early- a He s.iid the economic poslure of the city would be hurt by the temporary loss of ship calls, labor hours and jobs lost. Devoy said the "wharves are nol out of the bulk grain market.

Elevator B. now under long-term lease to the Bunge has a seven-million-bushel capacity and has operated successfully for many years." The north side of the island resort town was sealed-off to all except rescue crews, construction learns and author- ilies. Survivors of the blast described it as a "ball of a "flash from a gas "Like a volcano." And, Audrey James, wife of Waldren James, one of those killed, said her husband "often told me the least little spark could set off a fire or explosion. He knew il was dangerous working down there." Mrs. is the mother of a 9-year-old boy and is expecting a second child soon.

B-Spring Native Among Missing BIG SPUING (UN'S) Mark Earhart. 24. formerly of Big Spring is one of men still missing in the grain elevator explosion Wednesday in Galveslon. Earhart, a government grain inspector, is the son of Mr. and Mrs.

Glen F.arh.irt of Route Gail. He is a 1975 graduate of Sul Ross and a 1971 graduate of Big Spring High School. Earhart was working the night shift Wednesday when the explosion occurred. national security adviser and a key architect of Carter's foreign policy, emigrated to Ihe United States with his family in 1938 al the age of 10. SMITH MOTMfftS CARPET am tramis mr.

WEI HILT 1 SIUIHT 9 1i ClOSEI SDMII Widow Killed After Guard Called Off COLUMBUS. Ga. (AP) -Special police patrols which had cruised by Kathleen B. Woodruff's home every nighl since Oel. 29 were called off jusl before Christmas because "the i a hadn't killed since October.

The patrols resumed Wednesday, (he day the 74-year- old widow's body was found lying in her bed, (he i middle-aged or elderly woman to be strangled in the same neighborhood jn less (ban four months. Police a i i who is in charge of the special patrols, confirmed they were slopped a week before Christmas. "We're going lo put more of- out there there's no beating around the bush about that," he said Thursday. Mrs. Woodruff, widow of a prominent i i a i and former University of Georgia football slar and head coach, had been beaten and strangled about midnighl Tuesday, according lo Miiscogec County Coroner J.

Donald Kilgore. Kilgore said the killing was no! as brutal as the other four and said Mrs. Woodruff may not have been killed hy the person responsible for the earlier crimes. "I think it was possibily somebody else. There are some similarities, but some real differences." Kilgore said.

"It could be the same assailant. I'm not ruling it out either way." All five women were 60 or older. All lived alone. The first four were strangled with a nylon slocking. i said he no stocking this time and specu- laled that Mrs.

Woodruff was strangled with a scarf she wore around her neck. Kitgore said Mrs Woodruff had only one minor bruise on her neck, while (he other vie- liras had been struck several He said i whether Woodruff was raped would be completed later. If she was, "it wasn't obvious like il was in the oilier cases." The other four were brutally raped or molested in some fashion. Kilgore has said. Only one of four was clothed.

Mrs. Woodruff was wearing a dress. There was "evidence of an intruder" in the Woodruff home, including a cut screen on a rear window, authorities said Wednesday. The homes of three of the four previous victims were broken into, police said. One ivas killed by an intruder police and neighbors believe walked into the house while she was in the yard.

Fern Jackson. 60, was Ihe first victim. Her body was discovered Sept. 16. Nine days later, Jean Dimenstein, 71, was found about half a mile from the first victim.

Both women's cars were discovered about a mile away from their homes. On Oct. 21, the body of 89- year-old Florence Scheible was discovered (wo hours af- she was seen working in her yard. Four days later, police found (he body of Martha Thurmond, 69. The special police patrols were ordered after the fourth sirangling.

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Dolph Briscoc's word lhal the governor's office oppose the establishment of a Job Corps center at the former U.S. Border Patrol Academy in this small South Texas town. But spokesmen for the some 400 residenls here say lhr-j- a to hear Briscoe publicly announce his lo Ihe pro-posed fa- cilily. A Department of Labor press release issued this week staled the federal officials had officiary approved the selection of the Bayview site. Officials at the Dallas regional office of (he department also said Ihcy were ready to pursue the planned center.

The came after months of biller arguing here which led to a long list of local governmental bodies voting to oppose (he center lhal would house 250-300 unemployed, oul of school lft-to-21-year-old youths. Ramon said Thursday that Briscoe "gave me his word" last week that he would oppose the selection of the Bayview site. In Ociobcr, however, Job Corps representatives (old commissioners here (lia( the governor had approved the site. Briscoe was unavailable for comment early Thursday. Ramon said, "At first was jfiainst it bo- uiuat; Lumiumt to efforts to develop a lourisl complex.

But later on a lot lot of us developed opposition to (he manner in wnich certain people were trying to get it done." Hamon casl (fie deciding ballot in a 3-1 county commisoners' vote againsl the proposed center. That vote a healed debate among commissioners and Bayview resi- denls, led by Mayor Phillip Loveless, a re- lirtd mililary man. Commissioner R.H. Fowler of Harlingen favored the Bayvicw site, saying il would akf the area's Bui Nila Dahl, also active in the anti-cen- (er battle, said she feared Ihe facilily would change the "nice, quiet community" she "fell in love with" seven years ago while vacationing from Illinois. Mayor Loveless and (he other Bayview residents were armed with newspaper clippings reporting alJleged violence at other Job Corps ccnlers when they went before Ihe court.

The Gary Job Corps Center in San Marens was the- she of alleged violent racial problems earlier year. Mrs. Dahl said local residenls have con- Ucleri atlorneys aboul seeking court action to halt Ihe establishment of the center here. Judge Ramon added that the commissioners, despite the splil vole, are "commillcd (o do everything can lo slop it." Norlh 1 st. Will is ONLY A SOLID BANK WOULD THINK OF IT.

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