Santa Cruz Sentinel from Santa Cruz, California • Page 1

Guaranteed Paid Circulation of The Sentinel-News yesterday was WEATHER REPOHT Temperature tor 24-hour perled ended at i a. id. today Maximum 67, minimum 47. Monterey Bay Area Fog or overcast night and morning, otherwise fair Friday. 12,551 MISSED PAPER? If ou phone 3600 before 630 p.

m. a special messenger will deliver a Sentinel-News to you if you live within the city limits. 99th Year-No. 113 SANTA CRUZ, CALIFORNIA, THURSDAY, MAY 13, 1954 5c Sunday and Daily Excepting Saturday TWENTY PAGES ru vi ir i 11 ii ri n7 a TP fl WMSL Veteran Of Korean War To Be Here Saturday tl At Ca paeity Crow Three Local Women Slightly Hurt When Chartered Bus And Truck Collide On The Bayshore mmi Fr art! CaitcIMa the intersection of the highway and Embarcadero road, jammed the Mumf Fr Mental Patient Sacramento (AP). The governor's office disclosed today a death threat to Gov.

Knight in the same handwriting as one sent to Mayor Elmer Robinson of San Francisco. "You are doomed to die," the missive read. "Let this be a warning, it's the last you will ever receive." The envelope carried a May 7 San Francisco postmark and was received in the governor's office Monday. Immediate steps were taken to guard the state's chief executive. An armed highway patrolman was assigned to accompany him at all times.

The governor normally has a highway patrolman escort but he ordered the system curtailed while he is on campaign trips. The letter was referred to the state bureau of criminal identification and investigation where handwriting tests showed it was written by the same person who sent a similar threat to Mayor Robinson. Newton Stearns, Knight's pres secretary, said both the state Legion Pilgrimage members Saturday and Sunday. The vessel is currently attached to Destroyer Flotilla Three at San Diego. (US Navy photo) Set for the official observance of Armed Forces Day Saturday and to salute the 1954 American Legion Pilgrimage will be the 2250-torf destroyer, USS John R.

Army Counsel Penies Tried To Avert For Subversives Three Santa Cruz women were slightly hurt and 37 others narorw-ly escaped injury this morning when their chartered bus was in collision with a pick-up truck on the Bayshore highway near Palo Alto. The driver of the Montgomery Ward pickup truck, John D. Mc-Intire, 20, of San Carlos, received a basal skull fracture in the accident and is in the Palo Alto hospital in critical condition. Injured in the accident were Mrs. Lena Cohen of 121 Sylvar street, wrist inurp; Mrs.

Ellen Milhouse, 65, nose injure, and Mrs. Frances L. Liles, 69, 428 Walnut avenue, possible fractured nose. All were taken to the Palo Alto hospital for treatment and were scheduled to be released following treatment. The collision, which occurred at 5 Units Hii Parade ay Pointing towards one of the largest Armed Forces Day-American Legion Pilgrimage spectacles in recent years was the announcement last night by Parade Chair man Ted Harbert that over 50 units would participate here Saturday evening in the parade.

Time for the colorful martial procession has been set for 7 o'clock with the parade originating at the head of Pacific avenue travelling to the beach Casino. Harbert has signed up eight great marching bands representing 500 musicians. Not since the spectacular Elks state convention parade in 1948 has Santa Cruz played host to so many musical organizations of this type. Sparked by the famous U. S.

Navy marching band from Treasure Island the grouping includes the Merced, Santa Cruz, Tranquility, Dos Palos, Gustine and Campbell's Fremont high schools in addition to the Merced County Junior high school band. Augmenting the bands are nine drum and bugle corps. Emil J. Nelson, president of the Santa Cruz County American Le gion Pilgrimage, has announced that total prize money and trophy awards for the 1954 parade are in excess of $1000. Judging for the events will be handled by the American Board of Contest Judges.

Special judges are assigned to the comic and horse entries. Will Start Work On Laurel Street Re-paving Monday Work on Laurel street will get under way Monday by the Granite Construction company, City Manager Robert N. Klein said today. Klein said the street first must be aeriated before the repaying can begin. The street will be closed starting Monday, but it is hoped to have it open by the weekend, from Chestnut to Blackburn streets.

The repavement job started before the winter rains began, and only the first block from Pacific avenue was completed. clt large percentage of the queries were directed 10 rouguau. AcUoH it ho fpH the bond elec tion failure indicated a no confidence vote, Croughan said he was not prepared to state. Hamilton Gronen. who served with Croughan on the Citizens' Advisory committee to the school board, asked him now ne leit aooui rehabilitation versus new build ings.

Croughan replied that at the moment it had been proven more economical to build new buildings. He said he would take the advice of experts, who were expected to know their business. He said, also, that he believed in upholding the laws of the state. If, he said, the experts decided later that it would be more economical to rehabilitate, he'd go along with them, but not until he had questioned them "down to each nut and bolt" He qualified an expert as one who had training; comparing an expert and an unqualified person in the same way as a doctor would compare with suggested hope remedies in case of illness. "I don't intend to become a member of the board of education with the pre conceived notion of lopping off someone else's head," he stated at one time in answer to a question relative to the present administration.

Questioned by Gronen again on the reabilitation issue, Croughan ststcdi 'I'm in favor of eliminating those buildings and building new ones. I'll abide by the qualified advice from the state department of architecture, providing I agree with them." Eugene Magee, a painting contractor, with three children, took issue with the painting jobs on the warehouse and the Gault kindergarten. He said that 176 hours were spent in painting the warehouse and 200 at the kindergarten. In addition, he said, the. painters were paid $1.50 per hour when the existing wage scale was $2.50.

He said it cost 401 to paint the warehouse which he would have painted for $183 at contract. In addition, he said, the schools, from a painter's point of view, had received little maintenance in the past. "Gross neglect has been very expensive to the taxpayer," he said. George Castleberry, business manager for the city schools, from whom Magee had obtained the painting figures, said he would give the board of education a complete breakdown at its meeting Monday night and "disprove any statements Magee made." Mrs. Reed, a housewife with two children, said that spending $1V2 million, the amount of the school budgets, should be of interest to everyone.

She said that one of the most important things was to do away with half-day sessions Dy using empty classrooms, auditoriums and the iike. She said she was in favor ot sal aries large enough to retain teach ers who have proven their ability. "Divorce is easier to obtain than to eliminate a teacher undesirable to the system," she stated. She said that lethargy growing out of indifference was more to be feared than difference of opinion. Orin Howard asked Mrs.

Reed if she was in favor of encouraging some areas outside the city to establish another high school dis trict. He was referring to the Capi- tola-Soquel-Live Oak area. She said she was and felt that it was a very good idea. Last candidate to speak was Ste phen Wyckoff, local attorney and former district attorney. He said the school system wras on the spot at this time and he felt that perhaps he could help out in the situation.

He stated he thought that his experience as district attorney would be of value because the DA is the advisor to school district in small counties like this. He said that he felt he knew nothing about the school board job itself, but that he was willing to learn and apply intelligence to the problems at hand. "The last election was to a large extent a protest vote," he stated. I don't think the people were against the school bonds deep in their hearts, but were protesting what had been going on. I feel that some housecleaning should be had," he said later.

He said he believed in tenure for teachers but felt that it had been made a little too strong in California, that could only be altered by the legislature. He opined that it was his feel-t In that the Field act was not as hard and fast as some persons believed, saying it was not as inflexible as statutes. With the population growing the way it has, he said he was in favor of a compromise in school building problems at issue in other words, repair s5me buildings and build some new ones. "If you don't elect me, that's okay, too," he said, "because it's a tough job." Later, under questioning by Mrs. Helen Weaver, Wyokoff admitted that his daughter was in a private school because of the broken session which existed, and that two other children were in Scotts Valley school.

year he said, he had been Six candidates far two posts on the Santa Cruz city board of education took part in a lively candidates' forum last night at the Laurel school, and some of them came up with outspoken opinions re-igarding existing school issues. The political forum was sponsored jointly by the county P-TA council and the Santa Cruz branch of the American Association of University Women. A near capacity crowd turned out to hear what the political aspirants had to say, and then put them through nearly an hour's question and answer period following their talks limited to 10 minutes each. None of the candidates used up the alloted time. First to be presented by Carl Conelly of Boulder Creek, the moderator, were two aspirants for the one high school position from outside the city.

They were Max Caldwell of Sequel, former child guidance and welfare officer of the Santa Cruz school system, and current operator of a children's camp, and Mrs. Gretchen Meek of Capitola, a retired teacher. Caldwell was in favor of a change in administration, didn't want to discuss the current school building issue, and was distressed about the existing junior high 6chool program. Mrs. Meek recited her background as a high school teacher for 21 years and stressed the need for good, well paid teachers.

"I feel that we're in serious trouble in our school system," Caldwell stated. "The morale of the schools in Santa Cruz has reached an all time low. We have a dissatisfied teaching staff and good people are leaving. I feel like a ship without a rudder." "We have to have a change in administration," he continued. "I think some people who have been with the school system a long time should be replaced." lie said he didn't think the building program should be an issue and he was not in favor of remodeling some old buildings built 40 vears ago.

"I think we're entitled to a bet ter program than we are enjoying, as we are not considered a poor school district, he stated. He said he wasn't satisfied with the current junior high school system, which provided for eight grades in the rural school districts while city students had a seventh, eighth and ninth grade junior high. Later, during the question pe riod, he said he favored the 8-4-4 plan with eight years of elementary school and four of high school "We need an aggressive person to come into this community and get behind these schools," he opined. "Let's forget the mistakes of the past and start all over Mrs. Meek repeated her qualifi cations as a teacher for three years in high school in Oregon and for 18 years in Vallejo.

She said she and her husband retired to Capitola in 1949. He was recently elected to the city council there. She listed the teaching and other organizations to which she belonged and stressed the point that she knew high schools from a teacher's point of view. "I have school in my system yet and could serve the community from my background and knowledge," she declared. "I realize that this is going to be a task, but anything that is worthwhile is a task," she said.

Asked later during the question and answer period what she thought about rehabilitation versus new school buildings, Mrs. Meek replied that if the board felt the old rooms could be used, fine, but that she felt there would be a need, also for new buildings. She said she would go along with rehabilitation until both money and time were available to rebuild. Four candidates for the one position for the elementary and high school district within the city presented their platforms. They were C.

M. (Pete) Crough-" an, Eugene J. Magee, Mrs. Margaret Reed and Stephen Wyckoff, in order of their appearance. Croughan, who is a life insurance agent, with four children, said that he believed that providing an adequate educational system was the most important job the community had.

He said he was in favor of those programs which would do the job but that he was not in favor of expensive expedients for long-term problems with long-term programs. He said he was a licensed engi neer, and used to work for Coast Counties Gas and'Electric company. Now, in the insurance business, he has more time to devote to his family and the community, he pointed out. During the question period, a Index Pase Amusements 5 Classified Section 16-17 Comics 15 Cooking Cruise 12 Editorial Features ,19 Food Section 6-20 Markets 18 Radio and TV Programs 18 Society, Club News 3 Sports 4-5 vital Statistics 18 Yaterfront --------10 door of the Santa Cruz Transit company bus and the women were trapped in the vehicle tem porarily. The local bus company immediately dispatched a relief bus to the scene of the accident.

The women, members of the Malta White Shrine and Order of the Eastern Star, were on their way to Sin Francisco for a tour of the bay city when the accident occurred. Bus officials said the tour went on after the replacement bus amved. T. E. Hollingshead of 222 Sea- view avenue, told officers the ac cident took place while he was travelling on the highway and Mc- lntire pickup truck was crossing the intersection.

While the front window of the bus was completely shattered, Hol- lmgsnead was shaken up, but un injured. Cancer Crusade Meets 75 Per Cent Of Quota Campaign Chairman John E. Nicholson announced today that Santa Cruz county's Cancer Crusade has raised $3002 of its $4000 quota since the drive began on April 1. Although the campaign officially ended on April 30, he said contributions still are being received. Nicholson stated that the "Neigh- bor-to-Neighbor" experiment in fund raising was a success.

This system, in which collection packets were passed along from neighbor to neighbor, was responsible for $1000 of the funds contributed for cancer research, education and service. Thanks and commendation were given all volunteer workers by Chairman Nicholson. "The time and effort given by them to the campaign were vital in its progress," he said. He also expressed gratitude for the "generous cooperation of radio station KSCO and the Sentinel-News in contributing time and space in behalf of the Cancer Crusade." The public was reminded by Nicholson that contributions still may be mailed to Cancer, care of Postmaster, Santa Cruz. Area Girl Scouts To Stage Annual Campfire Saturday Nearly 70 Girl Scout troops in the Santa Cruz-Watsonville area are expected to participate in their traditional ceremonial campfire Saturday evening on the Santa Cruz beach near the mouth of the San Lorenzo river.

According to Miss Betsy Davidson, council field director, the girls will arrive with their leaders around 4 p.m. and cooking is scheduled to be under way by 5 o'clock. The main campfire will be lighted at 6:30 o'clock, with Girl Scout songs to be the feature of the evening. Branciforte junior high school Troop 13, under the leadership of Mesdames Endre Aadland, Marcella Lee and David Reynolds, will be in charge of building the main campfire. Families and friends interested in Girl Scouting are invited.

which featured informative work shop sessions at the Casa del Rey hotel. Mrs. Spencer addressed the general session at the Cocoanut Grove in the forenoon, speaking on the "Whys and Wherefroms" of P-TA policy. Craig, a battle proven veteran of the Korean War. The 450 officers and enlisted personnel of the Craig will hold open house to Santa Cruzans and visiting subcommittee, pressed questions which turned largely about these contentions.

Jenkins climaxed this phase of his cross-examination by asking whether Adams was saying the Army had "no desire, however slight" to stop the McCarthy in vestigation. Jenkins asked for a yes or no answeri Adams hesitated. He asked that the question be read back to him by the stenographer. When it was read, he said "the answer is in the negative" and went on to make an explanatory statement as to the desire for an end to the "type of hearings." Reject Plea For Clemency For Chessman Sacramento UP). Gov.

Knight rejected anew today an appeal for clemency for Caryl Chessman, San Ouentin convict-author who is scheduled to die in the gas cham ber tomorrow. The governor issued a statement saying he has once again reviewed the record in the case of the Los Angeles kidnaper-rapist and found i i no oasis ior sparing uts me. Knight said: "This is a case of a man who was convicted of a series of vicious attacks on girls and young women. He had a fair trial and he has taken advantage of every avenue of appeal. "Our laws do not provide for the governor to sit as a 'super su preme The people ot tnis state enacted these laws and I have no right to oppose their will unless it is apparent that there has been an unfair trial or a mis carriage of justice.

In my considered opinion, there is no basis whatsoever for the granting of a commutation or reprieve." Knight announced his decision even as the mother of one of Chessman's victims demanded in Los Angeles that the death penalty be carried out Mrs. Ruth Meza, whose daughter has been in a mental institution since she was kidnaped and subjected to sexual perversion in 1949, told an interviewer: "The only way I know to restore Mary Alice's sanity is to tell her that Chessman is gone. I hope the knowledge will release her from the fear that she has been under." As time ran out for the 32-year- old Kidnap-bandit, who wrote a fast-selling book while in Death Row, a series of last-minute moves was under way to prevent or delay his execution. But for the first time since he was sent to Death Row six years ago, Chessman was taking no part the campaign to save his life. He spent yesterday working on his will.

Chessman was sentenced to death under California's "Little Lind bergh Law" for the kidnaping of Mary Alice Meza and another young woman. Execution is scheduled for 10 a.m. tomorrow. Speaking of her daughter, Mrs. Mezo said: "Fear haunted her.

Mary Alice kept asking where Chessman was. even tfcough I told her repeatedly that he was in prison. You know he threatened to kill her if she revealed to police what occurred "I know some people would like to have his death sentence com muted, but if those people had been exposed to Chessman and faced him, they might think differently." Superior Judge Charles J. Fricke, who presided at Chessman's trial also spoke in opposition to leniency. He said: "If we are going to grant leniency solely because a man who deserves the penalty he got from the jury was able to write English and got a book published, we might as well throw the criminal law into the ashcan." Destroyer Craig To Hold 'Open House7 Official recognition by the navy to the city of Santa Cruz in the 1954 observance of Armed Forces Day will be expressed with the arrival of the USS John R.

Craig, a 2250-ton destroyer, which will drop anchor off the municipal pier Saturday morning. Highlighting Armed Forces Day Saturday along with saluting the American Legion Pilgrimage the Craig will hold open house to Santa Cruzans and visiting Legionnaires. The schedule for ship visitation is from 9 to 11 a.m. and 3 to 6:30 p.m. Saturday with the Sunday hours set from 3 to 6:30 p.m.

The 391-foot vessel is under the command of Commander Richard H. Cochrane. It has a complement of 450 officers and enlisted personnel. The Craig was built at Orange, Texas, and was launched in April, 1945. The destroyer is a veteran of the Korean War and its log shows the ship to have been under heavy shore fire on several occasions in which the craft silenced enemy batteries without any damage being inflicted on the shin.

The Craig is the first ship of this name. It was named in honor of Lt. Commander John Rich Craig wno was commanding officer of the USS Grampus when that ship was lost in the southwest Pacific in 1943. Commander Cochrane assumed command of the Craig last January. He is the son of Vice Admiral E.

L. Cochrane and graduated from the U.S. Naval academy in 1940. Locnrane wears the Secretary of the Navy Unit Commendation, the American Defense Ribbon, World War II Pacific Theatre ribbon with seven stars and the Japanese Occupation and China Service ribbons. POICE APPREHEND MAN IN GUN BATTLE San Francisco UP).

A policeman was wounded and others sickened by tear gas in a wild gun battle today with a man who barricaded himself in the basement of a Ber-nal Heights home until smoked out. The man, who staggered from the basement with tears streaming from his eyes, was identified as Charles Lassiter. State P-TA Principals in the regional conference of the California Congress of Parents and Teachers held here yesterday wer.e (left to right) Mrs. A. Kenneth Spencer of Pasadena, state president; Mrs.

Paul Wettstein of Pasatiem fx a bureau and San Francisco polk are working on the case. The governor is in southern California to deliver a series of campaign addresses. Unlike the letter to Robinson, there was no demand in the letter to the governor for money. In San police sought an escaped mental patient they believe may have sent separate extortion notes to Mayor Robinson and a San Francisco woman. Both the mayor and Mrs.

G. Madelaine Crow, 55, were threatened with death if they did not place the money in a bus station locser. A citv-wide search was nnrfprwa for Bing Perry, 34, a former street car conauctor wno escaped from Agnew State hosDital Anril 11. George Golde, 19, who escaped with Perry but later surrendered, 1 i mi torn police "inis sounds line something Perry would have done." Golde himself was not completely free of susDicion. He wac one.

tioned because police noted a similarity between handwritin? in th extortion notes and letters in their files written by Golde. The notes were not In Perry's handwriting. Golde denied writing them. Four Face Charges Criminal Investigator Gary Smith announced today that four men were arrested yesterday and have been identified by the victims as implicated in the two armed robberies in the county last Saturday night. Three of the men have admitted their part in the hold-ups, Smith said.

The two armed robberies occurred at George Nord's place on Bear Creek road, where the thugs made away with about $200 in cash and several guns, and the Mobile service station at 137 Plymouth street, where the bandits walked away with about $70 in cash. In both instances the attendants were threatened at gun point to produce the cash. Those arrested were Marshall Cobb, 22, Soquel; Bob Webb, 21, and Milton Siefken. 32, both of Campbell; and Leerie Joe Maxey, 24, Cupertino. Smith said all four men were picked up simultaneously yesterday and brought to the county jail where they were booked for armed robbery.

He said the men were traced through a partial license number obtained at the scene of one of the robberies. Three of the men have past records, the investigator stated, covering car theft, burglary, strong arm tactics, but no armed robberies. All four men were identified by their victims as being at one or both of the scenes of the hold-ups last Saturday, Smith explained. HUNT MISSING YOUNGSTER Fresno Sheriff's officers were dragging an irrigation ditch north of town today for the body of 6-year-old Robert Martinez, who has been missing since 8:30 last night. NATIONAL LEAGUE St.

Louis 000 001 0203 10 1 Brooklyn 110 006 02x 10 12 0 Chicago 100 002 0003 9 0 New York 230 000 lOx 6 10 2 Cincinnati at Philadelphia: Milwaukee at Pittsburgh, night games. AMERICAN LEAGUE Washington 103 03 Cleveland 010 00 Philadelphia ...000 0 Chicago 100 0 New York at Detroit; Boston at Baltimore, night games. A Washington VP). Army Coun-1 selor John G. Adams today hotly denied that he tried to divert the McCarthy subcommittee from its i quest of Reds in the army to a hunt for "homosexuals and subversives" in the navy and air force.

Under oath before senators investigating the McCarthy army row, Adams declared there was no truth in this charge by the McCarthy camp. "I never made such an offer," Adams swore. "I wouldn't make such an offer. I had no such information to offer." All the principals in the controversy have been warned their testimony is going to the justice department for scrutiny as to possible law violations, including perjury. Later, the McCarthy camp presumably will be called on to produce witnesses to support its charge.

In the morning session, Adams insisted the army had no desire to stop the McCarthy subcommittee's investigation of Ft. Monmouth, N. although he conceded it was pleased when the prospect of a suspension arose last fall. And he denied the army ever engaged in "trading favors" for Pvt. G.

David Schine in an effort to get the investigation stopped, or sought to "appease" Sen. McCarthy, Wis. Adams said any special consideration for Schine stemmed only from the McCarthy subcommittee's picturing him as essential to its work, and that any special deference for McCarthy was a matter of trying to avoid "open hostility." Adams was back in the witness chair at the McCarthy-army hearings for the second day this time for cross-examination. At the outset, he swore that Army Secretary Stevens never instructed him to try to halt the McCarthy inquiry into alleged security irsks at Monmouth and that he never attempted to stop it. But he said, as Stevens did earlier, that they wanted the "type of hearings" ended.

Stevens had characterized those hearings as "hammering" the army on the head. For the rest of the forenoon ses sion, Ray H. Jenkins, special counsel to the senate investigations Final Services Held Today For Stanford G. Smith Private funeral services were held this afternoon at the Wessen dorf chapel for Stanford G. Smith, prominent local attorney, who died suddenly Tuesday night.

Smith gained state-wide recognition as a trial attorney and for his work as district attorney from 1922 to 1929. Today his associate, Raymond Goodrich said. "No words could pos sibly express the deep sense of personal loss which I feel in Mr. Smith's passing. He had the love, respect and admiration of all who knew him well.

I consider it a very great privilege to have been associated with him for the past four years. I shall endeavor, to the best of my ability, to carry on our practice in the same high traditions which he established." The rites were conducted this afternoon by Rev. Ed Cunningham with private interment the lUOF cemetery. ADMITS SETTING SCHOOL FIRE Hanford W. Kings County Sheriff Orvie Clyde reported today Has kell R.

Hunter, 22, a laborer, nas admitted setting fire to the Avenal elementary school last September The blaze destroyed the building at an estimated loss of $200,000. told children of Pasatiempo resi dents would have to go to Santa Cruz schools. Conelly terminated the meeting with a short resume of the activi ties bringing about the junior col lege election May 2. President Meets District Heads Mm po, 20th district president, and Mrs. George D.

Robertson of Los Altos, 6th district president. Over 400 P-TA members from Santa Cruz, Monterey, Santa Clara and San Benito counties attended the one-da conclave,.