The Courier News from Blytheville, Arkansas • Page 1

BLYTHEVILLE COURIER NEWS THE DOMINANT NEWSPAPER OF NORTHEAST ARKANSAS AND SOUTHEAST MISSOURI VOL. 34 Blytheville Courier Blytheville Daily News Mississippi Valley Leader Blytheville Herald BLYTHEVILLE, ARKANSAS, SATURDAY, MAY 1, 1954 EIGHT PAGES Published Daily Except Sunday SINGLE COPY FIVE CENTg Mundt Sees Effort to Cut Probe Short McCarthy-Army Issues May Be Narrowed WASHINGTON (AP) Sen. Mundt (R-SD) says today an attempt may soon come to shorten the public probe of the flaming dispute between Sen. McCarthy (R-Wis) and his aides and top military officials. Mundt, chairman of the Senate Investigations subcommittee during the televised inquiry, said last night the hour may shortly be at hand for efforts to narrow the issues that have now been pitted before the senators in seven days of underoath hearings without signs of let-up.

Secretary of the Army Stevens, who first took the witness stand the opening day, April 22, w.as still there when the group recessed for the weekend yesterday, although several others have testified for brifer interludes. Stevens was listed for another appearance Monday. Lawton Cooperated As the hearings closed yesterday, -Ray H. Jenkins, special subcommittee consul, drew from Stevens an acknowledgment that when the Army secretary w.as thinking of relieving Maj. Gen.

Kirke B. Lawton from command at Ft. Monmouth, N. he so informed McCarthy "to find out how Sen. McCarthy felt about it." Ft.

Monmouth, a radar research center, was then a target in McCarthy's hunt for alleged espionage. Stevens, under stiff questioning, said that McCarthy wanted Lawton continued in command because the general was "cooperating fully" with McCarthy's investigation, and that in fact Lawton was left in command at Ft. Monmouth and still is. But the secretary said he was "not afraid" of a McCarthy reprisal if Lawton was removed, that he gave McCarthy the information on Lawton as part of his own policy- of-ceoperating with the Senate probe, and that he decided to retain Lawton strictly "on the merits" of his case. Stevens has charged McCarthy and his associates with seeking favored Army treatment for Pvt.

G. David Schine, a former McCarthy ccmmittee non-salaried consultant. McCarthy has accused Stevens and his aides of attempting to stop his investigation of alleged Communists at Ft. Monmouth's radar center. Both sides have denied the others' charges.

Counsel May Confer Mundt said the inquiry group discussed in a closed session yesterday the possibility that opposing counsel could get together to narrow some of the issues in dispute. Asked about the possibility of some compromise, McCarthy said before he left for weekend speaking engagements in Wisconsin that "off hand I wouldn't know of any way it could be done." Army counsel w.as unavailable for comment. McCarthy was also asked about reports that he might try to end the inquiry by claiming that the Army had failed to prove its charges and then walking out. "I will be with the committee until the investigation ends," he declared. "I will be available at time, not only to appear on the" stand, but available for questioning in closed session of the committee, if that is desired." The Wisconsin senator is the subcommittee's regular chairman, but has stepped off the group for purposes of the inquiry.

However both his side and the Army's have the right to question witnesses. Although McCarthy has called the hearings "a waste of time" and other senators have complained at the lack of progress, Mundt denied he had received any suggestion from White House or other high Republican officials for a compromise to end them. President Eisenhower at his Thursday morning news conference expressed hope the affair is concluded quickly. Armorel Student Wins Scholarship Sammy Hughes of Armorel has been named as one of the five students of Northeast Arkansas who have been awarded leadership scholarships given by Arkansas State College and various businessmen. Young Hughes is winner of a scholarship valued at $200 and donated by E.

M. Regenold, Blytheville planter and businessman. Paving District Hearing Slated City Council is due to conduct a hearing on street improvement District No. 5 on May 11. The district is being set up to Include Rollison, Adams, Pecan and Hardin between Highway Ql and 10th.

At the hearing, the Council to consider petitions for forming the district and will listen to property living within fee 20 Injured, 25,000 Homeless In Violent Greek 'Quakes ATHENS, Greece (AP) Greek officials reported today the earthquakes which struck Central Greese yesterday and crumbled whole towns, killed at least 20 persons and injured 130. More than 25,000 were made homeless. Missco Third In IB Incidence 500 Cases in County As of End of 1953, State Figures Show Mississippi County ranked third in Arkansas in the incidence of tuberculosis at the end of last year, according to state statistics received this week by the Mississippi County Tuberculosis Association. As of Dec. 31 last year, there were 500 cases of tuberculosis in this county, including 403 white persons and 97 Negroes.

There were seven deaths from tuberculosis in Mississippi County and 358 deaths in the state in 1953. A total of 57 new cases of tuberculosis were discovered in the county last year. 37 involving white patients and 20 Negro. The Arkansas figure was 1,510. Of tnese county cases, 13 11 white and two Negro were discovered in free chest x-ray clinics conducted last year.

These clinics re vealed 372 of the new Arkansas cases in 1953. Total number of cases throughout Arkansas as of the end of last year was 11,797. As of the end of the year, there were 1,210 white and 129 Uegro patients classified as absent without -leave from the state sanitarium. This means they had reported to the sanitorium for treatment but left against medical advice, according to Mrs. Frances Gammiil, executive secretary of the County Tuberculosis Association.

She also said state statistics showed that housewives led the listing of new cases according to occupation. Unskilled laborers were second, farmers collar" and prof essional men "fourth. She said this probably was to the fact that most women receiving chest x-rays register as housewives, while a similar number of men would list a greater variety of occupations. Moses George Dies Here; Rites Sunday Services for Moses C. George, who died at the home of a daughter here about 5 p.m.

yesterday, will be conducted at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church at 2 p.m. Sunday by the Rev. W. J.

Fitzhugh. Burial will be in Elrnwood Cemetery with Cobb Funeral Home in charge. Mr. George, who would have been 76 in July, was born in Syria in July, 1878. He had resided in Blytheville for the past 17 years, coming here from Cairo, 111.

He had been in ill health for the past 20 years. Survivors include his wife, four daughters, Mrs. James Starrett of Helena, Mrs. Glenn Kemper of Cedar Rapids, and Mrs. Fred S.

Saliba and Mrs. Andy Moses, both of Blytheville; two sons, Earnest George of Memphis and Rene George of Blytheville; and three nephews, Dr. J. A. Saliba of Blythville, Phillip George of Luxora and George Moses of Mounds, nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Active pallbearers will be Louis George of Osceola, Eddie Saliba of Blytheville, G. A. George, and Fred George, both of Luxora, and Joe Saliba and Phillip Koury, both of Steele, Mo. Honory pallbearers will be LeRoy Huddleston, E. R.

Mason, John McDowell, Harry Weedman, W. I. Malin and Dr. I. R.

Johnson, all of Blytheville, Joe Applebaum of Osceola and Moses Sliman of Luxora. Firm Here Sued In Traffic Death JACKSON, Miss. (A A $50,000 damage suit was filed yesterday in federal court here by a Jackson family against a Blytheville, truck firm in the death of Fred Thompson, 31, of Jackson. The suit charges Thompson was killed in March, 1953, when hit by a truck after he was "stricken ill While walking along the highway and fell onto the pavement." The suit charges that the truck driver failed to keep a proper lookout to avoid hitting Thompson. The defendants were Glenn E.

Stroud of Blytheville, identified as the truck driver, and the Crafton Co. truck firm. The suit was filed by Mrs. Fred Thompson, mother of the dead man; Mrs. Nell Guess, his sister; and J.

M. Thompson and H. Quinn Itaocnpaoo, bit Earlier official reports had the death toll as high as 150. Light tremors continued throughout the day after the violent initial shock lasting 20 seconds. The Athens observatory reported disturbances, three of them violent.

King Inspects Area King Paul and Crown Prince Constantine cut short an inspection of army units in Thrace to fly to Volos in the Gulf of Pegasai, where the earthquake destroyed the town hall and split open a section of the quay. From Volos, they will inspect the worst hit areas. The quake disaster was the worst since the shocks that devastated the Greek Ionian Islands last August, killing up to 1,000 persons and destroying the homes of 120,000. Yesterday's stricken area stretched from the East Coast into the Pindus Mountains, where shattered villages could be reached only over donkey trails. Destruction appeared to center around Granitsa, 135 miles northwest of Athens, with the towns of Sofad- hes, Farsala, Karditsa and Domokos hardest hit.

Thousands of persons slept in open because they had no home to return to and others because they were afraid to go back to the towns they had fled. Aid Sent The government sped supplies and medicine to the earthquake victims and dispatched troops to repair communication lines. A religious holiday which had closed down communication and government offices hindered the relief measures. Many telephone and telegraph lines were down, delaying details on the extent of the disaster. Here was the situation according to available reports: Sofadhes, a town of 4,000, was almost destroyed.

One person was killed and several injured. Farsala, about the same size, had 80 per cent of its houses down, leaving 5,500 persons shelterless. Repor-ts on the dead and injured were not in. The town is a historic site, said to be the home of Achilles. It also was the battle ground of Pharsalus, where Julius Caesar defeated Pompey the Great in 48 B.

C. Karditsa, population about 28,000, had 75 per cent of its houses toppled. Domokos was 10 per cent destroyed. Five persons were injured. Twelve persons were injured in Trikkala.

Thirty-four houses collapsed in Volos, and houses were reported destroyed in Agia Marina and Xenadies villages. The 400- year-old monastery of Aghia Athanasios, near Domokos, caved in. Metal Plant Data Due Next Week Complete specifications on the building which is to house Central States Metal here are due in sometime next week, Chamber of Commerce spokesmen said today. Specifications arrived today from Memphis and Jonesboro but do not include certain mechanical Details. Due to the delay in the specifications, there is a possibility that bids opening, originally set for 10 a.

m. May 10, may be delayed. In connection with the $150,000 campaign to erect the building, finance committee Chairman Russell Phillips said this morning that "many persons are reconsidering their investments in view of the fact that our drive is still about $25,000 short." He cited additional contributons received by employes and said that work on winding up the campaign is still in progress. SYMBOLS OF DIVIDED KOREA North Korea's Foreign Minister Nam at left, and South Korean delegates take separate paths as they leave Geneva's Palace Of Nations. In center fore- ground is Korean Ambassador to U.

S. Dr. You Chan Yang and at right is Korean Foreign Minister P. T. Pyun.

Others are not identified. (AP Wire- photo) Dulles, Molotov Have Private Talks on A-Plan Ike's Atomic Energy Pool Is the Subject By EDDY GILMORE GENEVA (AP) U. S. Secretary of State Dulles and Soviet Foreign Minister V. M.

Molotov went into a private huddle today to carry on their talks on President Eisenhower's plan for an international atomic energy pool. Six States Suffer Heavy Toll As Vicious Tornadoes Strike LITTLE ROCK (AP) Tornadoes and vicious winds lashing six state in the Southwest and Midwest left one person dead, at least 56 injured and caused damages estimated in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Texas suffered the most damage 39 injured in 23 towns and communities. Other states hit yesterday included Oklahoma. Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri and Iowa.

Arkansas Feels Vicious Winds Two Injured As Twisters Sweep Through State LITTLE ROCK tleast 14 cities and communities in widely separated sections of Arkansas were struck by small twisters and windstorms yesterday, causing thousands of dollars of damage. Only two persons were hurt and none were killed. The storms struck first at Mineral Springs, sped on to Nashville and Bismarck and then spread across the state to Fort Smith, Hot Springs, Clarksville, Massard and Coal Hill in the west and central portions; Greenland, Goshen, Baldwin in the northwest: and Beech Grove, Hoxie and Portia in the northeast. Part of the Mineral Springs Hibh School wall was blown into a study hall, emptied minutes before by pupils on their way to the gymnasium. Injured were: An unidentified child struck by flying glass when winds blew out a window in the Greenland school, near Fayetteville.

Ben Goad of near Mineral Springs, cut on the chin when his home was damaged by the storm. A northwest producing area- en, Greenland and damage estimated at more than $75.000 by Sheriff Bruce Crider of Fayetteville. Virtually every home in Greenland was damaged, said Floyd Carl Fayetteville Northwest Arkansas Times reporter. At Goshen, Mrs. W.

had walked into a chicken brooder left standing in her tracks as the building disappeared in the swirling winds. Property damage was reported in Fort Smith, Nashville, Clarksville and Hot Springs. Barns homes were damaged at Beech Grove near Paragould and Hoxie and Portia near Walnut Ridge before a cold front pushed the squall line out of the state. Mayor Terral Freeman of Portia said the funnel that struck that area looked like a dense, black cloud of dust. Arkansas poultry -bounded by Gosh- Forfeits Bond Billie Davis forfeited $10 bond this morning in Muncipal Court on a charge of speeding while L.

F. Marse received a suspended fine of $50 and costs on a charge of carrying a weapon. Mrs. Doot Sowell. 73-year-old Negro of Many, was the only fatality reported.

Her body was found draped around a fence post. Six persons in the Sowell home were injured. Eleven separate but small tornadoes struck in eastern Iowa. One twister injured five members of a family near Cedar Rapids when it tossed them about 100 feet into a field. Their farm home was destroyed.

LaFayettc Hit The same tornado swept through LaFayette. wrecking cars, uprooting trees and stripping houses of their roofs. Rain and snow pelted several other sections of the Midwest and the Rockies as colder air pushed into the North Central region. A few showers continued in the West Gulf-area but g-enerally fair-weather was reported in other parts of the country. In the tornadoes that hit across the Southwest, two were hurt in Arkansas, three at Versailles, and one in Oklahoma.

Eleven children were hurt in an east Texas twister that struck the Beulak schoolhouse, 12 miles southeast of Lufkin. West of Lufkin, another tornado swirled past the Grapeland, school building, in which 600 children were attending classes. The school escaped damage, but destruction in downtown Grapeland was estimated at $25,000. Big: Cities Hit Houston, Fort Worth, Dallas. San felt the force of the spring storms that damaged a Negro housing project in west Dallas so extensively that 18 families had to be evacuated.

A protective wall over the state fair auditorium at Dallas was demolished, causing damage estimated at 5100,000. Home, farm building and power line damage was extensive throughout the five-state area. In northwest Arkansas, Sheriff Bruce Crider said loss in the heart of Washington County's major chicken producing section would run above $75,000. The Arkansas storms hit first at Mineral Springs in the southwest, where' a high school building wall was blown into a study hall. The pupils had just left the room to report to the gymnasium.

A few minutes later, Nashville, in Arkansas' jittery tornado-alley, was hit, and the storms hurled on into at least 11 more Arkansas cities. High winds or tornadoes were reported in West Monroe, Hugo, and Linn, and Jefferson City, Mo. Other cities hit by windstorms: TEXAS: Bryan, Tyler, Mineola, Bremond, Eioise, Franklin, Coupland, Kyle, Taylor, Byersville, Gause, Jones, Prairie, Minerva, Tornadoes Also Are Pranksters By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Tornadoes which killed, injured and destroyed also played devilish tricks. Fred Morris' cow was on the receiving end of one. Minding her own business on her Milano, pasture Friday, she suddenly found herself sucked into the air and spinning around and she utter a moo of protest, however, the twister plopped her down on all four legs 30 feet away.

The cow was unhurt. As a black funnel bore down on their Bismarck, farm home. Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth W.

Bergan stood in the living room. Each clutched a small child close. The tornado lifted the children from the arms of their parent- then eased them down in the same room without injury. A brooder house at Greenland, was picked up, carried some 300 yards and dropped intact. An old-fashioned phonograph probably saved the Tom Cuba family from injury when a tornado bashed in a wall of their house at Salty, Tex.

It kept the wall from falling on the family, huddling in quilts on the floor. The army of twisters that cut through Texas spared 111-year-old Walter Williams, one of the nation's last four surviving Civil War veterans. Two tornadoes hit Franklin, not far from Williams' farm, but did not touch the old rebel's homestead. And at San Augustine, Lonnie Jones, 6, knew exactly why he needed medical attention. "I was just sitting in my house when the storm hit me in the head," he told the nurse who doctored a cut in the back of his scalp.

He was one of six injured when tornadoes destroyed three homes near San Augustine. State Highway Traffic Death Toll for '54: 106 LITTLE ROCK GPI Arkansas State police reported yesterday that 106 persons have died in Highway accidents in the state so far this year. The report this compares with 127 deaths for the correspond- See TORNADOES on Page 8 ing period of 1953. By D. HAROLD OLIVER WASHINGTON late Harold L.

Ickes wrote to 1938 that President Franklin D. Roosevelt feared a possible revolution if he followed Democratic advice to halt relief spending and farm aid in an effort to balance the budget. Ickes, secretary of the interior 13 years in the Cabinets of Roosevelt and President Truman, told of this in the second volume of his diary, covering the period from second election in November, 1936 to Hitler's invasion of Poland in September, 1939. The volume, titled "The Inside Struggle," is being published May 4 by Simon and Schuster. Excerpts will appear in the May 18 issue of Look magazine out next week.

Court Battle "The Inside Struggle" traces the happenings of Roosevelt's second term and tells of the New Deal nMncceirfui bftttte to add six justices to the Supreme Court, of Roosevelt's ill-fated at-. tempt to purge anti-New Deal Democrats in 1938, of setbacks in the mid-term elections that year, and of behind-the-scenes White House social doings. Ickes, the self-styled "old curmudgeon," registered strong criticism of his fellow Cabinet officers and of Democratic congressional leaders in this'portion of his diary, which ultimately will run to six million words. Among those who came under his firt was Rep. Rayburn (D-Tex), then House majority leader and now minority floor leader there.

Among other things, Ickes wrote in March 4, 1938, that Roosevelt told him he (Roosevelt) would have read Bernard M. Baruch out of the Democratic party, if he had not needed Baruch's financial help to renominate Alben W. Barkley as senator from post Barkley is again seeking. ft WM A A CM. entry that Ickes related that FDR told hm two "conservatve party leaders" argued the way to preserve party solidarity was to balance the budget by dropping all federal spending for relief and public works, except for 800 million dollars to matcn state, and local funds, and by stoppng all farm benefits.

The two leaders also were quoted as urging against a tax boost. Might Mean Revolution "The President remarked," Ickes' diary said, "that this would mean calling out the troops to preserve order. It might even mean a revolution, or an attempted revolution." Ickes said that when the President asked these leaders if they would be willling to have it announced that they were in favor of luch a program, "both hastily demurred they did not want to take any responsibility." Ickes said Roosevelt did not name Indira But lokcc certain one was Vice President John Nance Garner and that the other probably was James F. Byrnes, then a senator and now governor of South Carolina. The entry about Baruch was written shortly after the New York financier and presidential adviser appeared before a Senate committee studying the unemployment situation.

Ickes said Baruch blamed the New Deal for the business recession then existing. "He seems to think, like other rich men," Ickes said, "that it is all due to the taxes on undistributed profits and the attempt of the government to prevent income tax evasions by the very rich." Ickes said it was clear that FDR did not like "this line of Baruch's." The President said, Ickes added, "the only reason that he had not read him out of the Democratic party was because he hopes that a practical idealist like Baruch will help to finance Alben KXfft tween tna two top East-West diplo mats since they came here for last Monday's opening of the conference on Far Eastern questions. A communique issued after the hour-long Dulles-Molotov meeting said the two statesmen discussed the "reply of the Soviet government of April 27 to the United States note of March 29. 1954." "This reply will be further considered by the United States in Washington," the communique from American delegation headquarters here said. From the wording of the brief communique and from American sources, it was apparent that Dulles and Molotov reached no firm conclusions in their discussion on Eisenhower's plan for a world pool of atomic enqrgy for peaceful purposes.

These talks between the Americans and Russians have been going on behind the tightest cloak of secrecy since Eisenhower proposed an international pool of atomic energy raw materials and know-how for peaceful uses in his address to the U. N. General Assembly last Dec. 8. There is nothing that would prevent Dulles and Molotov from going over other problems, including the currently bogged-clown discussions on Korea and the projected talks on Indochina here at Geneva.

Dulles has a full weekend schedule before he leaves Monday to return to Washington. This includes a meeting with Undersecretary of State Walter Bedell Smith. who is arriving today to head the U. S. mission at Geneva after Dulles departs.

On his way to Washington, Dulles first will stop off in Milan, Italy, to confer briefly with Prime Minister Mario Scelba on mutual U. Italian problems. Although the formal meetings on Far Eastern questions here at Geneva have been recessed during the weekend, there was the usual amount of behind-the-scenes diplomatic activity. Among other meetings scheduled was a conference of the 16 nations which fought in Korea under the United Nations banner. This group is working out its strategy for the remainder of the Korean discussions here.

a subcommittee to draft a resolution outlining plans for free elections in Korea designed to unify the war-torn peninsula. Members of the subcommittee are the United States, Britain. France, South Korea, Thailand, Australia, Colombia, the'Philippines and Turkey. There still was no definite indication when the talks will get started on the 7-year-old war in Indochina between the French Union and the Communist-led Vietminh. If the delegates agree the Korean and Indochinese talks can go on simulteneously the Indochina question could begin next week.

A major obstacle in the makeup of the conference was removed when the Viet Nam chief of state, ex-Emperor Bao Dai. agreed his representatives would sit in a meeting with the Vietminh. Manilan Faces Jury Trial in Traffic Death Glennis Hill, 23, of Manila It had been feared he might order a boycott of the conference if the rebel representatives were in- vitd. Troop Aid To Indochina Is Opposed Three Solons Say Congress 'Not in Mood' By EDWIN HAAEINSON WASHINGTON Democratic senators said today Congress is in no mood to approve involvement of U. S.

fighting units in the Indochina war. A Republican, Sen. Flanders (Vt), agreed that the thought of direct American intervention is unpopular in Congress. he said the United States and the United Nations may be forced to take direct actio, if the Communists threaten to overrun Indochina. Sen.

Edwin C. Johnson (D-Colo) took note of President Eisenhower's news conference statement Thursday that this country will not get into a war except through the constitutional process, involving a declaration of war by Congress. "If the President waits for Congress to give him the go-ahead on sending U. S. troops to Indochina," Johnson said, "he will wait for a long, long time, there is no sentiment in the Senate for intervention in Indochina." Sen.

Monroney (D-Okla) said in a separate interview that "no case has been made as yet for the use of American troops" in Indochina and he added: is little likelihood that Congress give such authority now." Sen. Holland (D-Fla) said he would have to know much more "about the immediacy of the situation i'in before Id consent to sending our combat troops there." In taking his somewhat different position Sen. Flanders said: "We can't pass off all our dangers and troubles to our children and grandchildren. We must face them." Flanders is member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Earlier in the week, the House defeated 214-37 a proposal by Rep.

Coudert (R-NY) aimed at barring use of American combat forces in Indochina without prior congressional assent. The Indochina War has been a critical issue in the Geneva Conference, from which Secretary of State DuHes is preparing to return early next week. Diplomatic sources here expect that Dulles' return will bring to a crisis a cleavage of opinion within U. S. government over how strong a policy the United States ihould adopt toward Indochina.

Dulles and Adm. Arthur W. Radford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs from Muncipal Court of Staff, slaughter in connection with the death of Mrs. A. S.

Sees of Etowah last Saturday in an automobile accident three and a half miles south of Manila on Highway 77. Two witnesses, A. S. Sees of Etowah, husband of the dead woman, and Gene Mabrey, state policeman, were called to the stand to give testimony bfore Municipal Court Judge Graham Sudburry. Hill was ordered held without bond.

The accident occured when the Hill pick-up truck struck a bridge and crashed into the rear of the Sees pick-up, which was parked on the shoulder of the road with a flat tire. The Sees were' in front of their truck when it was knocked into them, killing Mrs. Sees and seriously injuring her two young daughters. Mr. Sees received a sprained back and lacerations.

Baptist Hospital officials in Memphis said this morning that the condition of Shirley Sees, 13, suffering from internal injuries and e. fractured pelvis, was somewhat improved, while Wilma Jean, 9, suf-1 fering from a skull fracture, has there are others in and out of Congress who are not as ready as they for direct steps, Weather cloudy with scattered thunderstorms this afternoon, tonight and Sunday. No important temperature changes. MISSOURI Mostly cloudy through Sunday. Occasional rain tonight and Sunday except scat- this afternoon or tonight.

Colder today and tonight. Low tonight Maximum Minimum this Sunset Sunrise Mean temperature (midway between hlgn and Preclpltaton last 24 bourg to 7:00 a.m. Preclpltatloti Jan. 1 to This Date Last Year Maximum Minimum this Precipitation January 1 21.88..