The Abilene Reporter-News (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 74, No. 111, Ed. 2 Wednesday, October 6, 1954 Page: 1 of 28
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POSSIBLE
SHOWERS
Th
"WITHOUT OR WITH OFFENSE TO FRIENDS OR FOES WE SKETCH YOUR WORLD EXACTLY AS IT GOES"—Byron
US EVENING
FINAL
VOL. LXXIV, No. 111
Associated Press (AP)
ABILENE, TEXAS, WEDNESDAY EVENING, OCT. 6, 1954—TWENTY-FOUR PAGES IN TWO SECTIONS
PRICE DAILY 5e, SUNDAY 10c
NEWSMAN THWARTS PLUNGE — Reporter John Seigenthaler of The Nashville
Tennessean stretches for Gene Bradford Williams, 55, who threatened to leap into
the Cumberland River 100 feet below the bridge railing at Nashville. Forty minutes
of questioning gave Seigenthaler a chance to inch close enough to grab Williams as the
jobless man moved to jump. (AP)
Cold Front Nears;
Showers, Fog Due
A cold front that had been had extended into southern Kan-
stalled in the Panhandle started
moving south again Wednesday
morning and was expected to
bring drizzle, fog and more scat-
tered showers to the Abilene area
Wednesday night and Thursday.
The front at 12:30 p.m. Wednes-
day was moving slowly southward
35 miles north of Abilene. It was
due to pass through Abilene some-
time during the afternoon, the U.S.
Weather Bureau said.
A weather observer said it will
sas. Temperatures in North Da-
kota had dropped to 25 degrees.
The cold front rolling through
Texas touched -of scattered show-
ers as it traveled southward. Be-
fore* dawn Wednesday, rain fell at
Dalhart and Lubbock. Pre-dawn
showers were also reported at
Corpus Christi and Brownsville
from a dying Gulf squall that
drenched the area the past two
days.
Llano Soaked
take the edge off unseasonable hot Houston Wink, ________
/ weather, but won’t mean any brisk Llano—in southeast, west and west
temperatures. The maximum tem- central portions of the state, re-
perature here Thursday is ex-spectively — had the mo*t rain
pected to be about10 degrees be- | Tuesday, and it was still raining
low Wednesday’s high. ; Wednesday at Wink.
General In Area Rainfall at Llano measured 3.85;
Light to heavy showers were Rankin 1.50, Wink 1.50 and nous-
general over the Abilene area fon 2 86 /
Tuesday, Tuesday night and early
Wednesday morning A total of .94
of an inch of rain was recorded
Houston,
Wink,
Rankin and
spectively — had the most rain
Housing
pecial
Tax Money
Rolling Into
City Coffers
Payment of 1954 current
ad valorem taxes is off to a
city
good
start, Assessor-collector A. W
Curlee reported Wednesday.
During the first five days, Oct.
eals Given
osecuior
wotessdH
BRIDE'S RELATIVES HELD
Honeymooning Texan Shot
20 Hours After Wedding
Bribe Charge
To Be Given
Grand Jury
at the weather station at Municip-
al Airport but readings ran as
high as 1.70 within Abilene.
C. M. Caldwell said rains total-
ing 2.20 had "washed things away"
at his farm three miles northeast
of the city.
The weather bureau said the
cold front stalled Tuesday morn-
ing about 50 miles south of Ama-
rillo, then moved back to 30 or
30 miles north of Amarillo Tues-
day afternoon
Front Gets ‘Sheve’
An outbreak of cold air from
Canada gave the front a "shove"
Wednesday morning, sending it
southward again. It was expected
to reach as far south as Beau-
mont by day break Thursday
The cold air from Canada. actu-
Cloudy skies prevailed Wednes-
day at Abilene, Midland. Fort
Worth. Mineral Wells, Dallas, Aus-
tin and San Antonio. But the sky
was clear at Waco. College Sta-
tion. Lufkin, Tyler. Galveston and
Longview.
Rains in the Abilene area varied
from very light to over an inch.
WHERE IT RAINED
ABILENE
Municipal Airport
Total for Year -----
Normal for Year ...
909 Hickory St. ....
2225 Edgemont ....
14S0 Clinton ........
1829 S. 8th .........
1026 Cedar
, ALBANY
tered Wednesday morning overANSON
North Dakota, but its leading edge | ASPERNONT
ally a second cold front, was cen-
At Least 2
Die in Crash
BALLINGER
BUFFALO GAP .
CEDAR GAP ....
CISCO ...........
CHILDRESS
COLORADO CITY
KNOX CITY .....
LUEDERS .......
FT. BRAGG, N.C. (A A C-119 MERKEL
Flying Boxcar crashed in flames ROBY — --
here today and killed at least two ROTAN ......
SANTA ANNA
men.
Heroic action by the pilot was SAN ANGELO
credited by witnesses with saving STAMFORD.,
the lives of a number of construe- TUSCOLA ....
tion workers in the path of the
WINGATE
WINTERS ....
STATE RAINS
falling plane.
The big plane crashed in a bar-
racks street at this spr awling mill- LUBBOCK
tary reservation shortly after, a
takeoff far Olmstead Air Force
MIDLAND
Base. Pa.
AUSTIN ................
WICHITA FALLS .......
. 12 40
. 18.10
.. 1.19
. 1.50
... 1 TH
... a
... .11
... *1
.... .75
... .70
... .38
50
.....13
.....S3
‘.. SO
.....40
. 2.59
...71
...14
....88
TRIAL BY THICKS
Prankster’s Field Day
Is Rough on Housewife
Mr*. John W. Mayfield, 2134
North 18th St., hopes she doesn't
ever have another day like Tues-
_ day.
She related to city police detec-
tives Wednesday a series of pranks
that were pulled on her.
First, a man came to her home
Tuesday and asked if she was
ready to move. He was from a
transfer company, and said he d
been told she wanted the firm to
move her things She had no in
but the ambulance had been
reeled to that address
di-
Next a man arrived from a serv-
ice station.
“I brought the gasoline
wanted for the
1 you
Cadillac,” he
announced.
Mrs. Mayfield hadn't ordered
any gasoline. She doesn’t have a
Cadillac; she has a Ford
Shortly afterward, Mrs. May-
field’s 11-year-old daughter. Ruby,
took * telephone call from the
Fire Department Firemen had
been notified there was a fire at
the Mayfield home Nope, no fire.
Detective Lt. George Sutton and
Detective Warren Dodson Inter-
viewed Mrs Mayfield Wednesday
morning. They didn't know where
Albany reported a measurement
of 1,89.
Mrs. Loy Jackson said lightning
shattered an REA pole about 8:30
p.m. Tuesday'at the Jackson home
on Abilene Route 5 east of Elm-
dale School.
Only a splintered five - foot sec-
tion of the 25 to 30-foot-high pole
remained standing after the bolt
hit, she said. There were no lines
attached to the pole as it had
served a house that had been
moved
The soaking rains were “just
what we've been waiting for.” Soil
Conservationist J. B Harlan said.
Harlan said the rains won't help
the 'M crops, but will enable farm-
ers to plant soil - building and
cover crops which will be the ba-
sis for successful ‘55 crops.
Only a few small - grain and
cover crops have been sown in the
area. Harlan observed, primarily
because of the dry conditions.
The rains, he said, will permit
farmers to plant wheat, oats, win-
ter peas and hairy vetch as soon
as things dry up.
Good for Grata
Mrs. R. G. Edwards. Reporter-
News correspondent at Eula. said:
“The rain will be just the thing
for a lot of grain dusted in for
small pastures, ft will help, too,
bundle feed — unless we get a
frost in the next to days or two
weeks It will hurt cotton — what
there is of it."
One of nature's first sure signs
that the fall season is at hand was
witnessed early Wednesday morn-
ing by Mrs W A. Boyd, 1741 North
Eighth St.-
Mrs. Boyd reported seeing a
"huge flock” of geese headed
southward over Abilene about 6:45
a.m.
1-5, the collections on the current
roll were $26,218.96 above those
of the same days last year.
The amount paid the first five
days on the 1964 roll was $72,332,-
74, compared with $46,113.75 for
the same period of 1953.
Conlan First to Pay
James A. Conlan was the first
person to pay his 1954 city taxes,
Curlee said. His payment repre-
sented taxes on the personal pro-
perty of Conlan Tractor Co.
The 35,000 tax statements for
the year have been mailed.
Total assessed valuations for
1954 rose about $5 million over
those of 1953
Assessed values within the city
limits this year total $107,526,490,
compared with $102,226,730 in 1953.
The assessed values throughout
the school district (which includes
the city limit area and territory
on the outside; total $110,752,440
for 1954, compared wih $105,315,-
520 last year.
Amount of taxes levied for 1954
is $2,616,121.21. compared with the
$2,487,418.21 of 1953.
Property owners must pay all
of their 1954 tax by Jan. 31. 1955,
to avoid penalty, Curlee said, un-
less they adopt the split - payment
plan.
Those who choose the split-pay-
ment method must pay the first
one-half by Nov. 30. 1*54, and the
last one-half by May 31, 1955, to
avoid penalty ,
An 8 per cent penalty will be
added Feb. 1, 1955, to unpaid 1954
taxes except for those persons us-
ing the split - payment plan. An
8 per cent penalty will be added
June 1. 1955. on unpaid accounts
under the split - payment method.
Interest of I per cent will be added
every two months after the 8 per
cent penalty has been applied and
until an account is paid.
Hurricane Hazel
Heading to Sea
MIAMI, Fla a—Hurricane Hazel
headed out over open waters of the
Caribbean Sea today after whirling
through the Windward Islands dur-
ing the night.
The latest official advisory
placed the storm center about 180
miles north of the coast of Vene-
zuela and 460 miles south-southwest
of San Juan. Puerto Rico. There
are no land areas in its immediate
path.
BECKLEY, W. Va. —A young I Woicehovich, 64, and his son, Joe
ex - army corporal was shot to Woicehovich 31, orally admitted
the shooting. The father and son,
both coal miners, were placed in
Raleigh County jail here last night
after lengthy questioning by state
police.
England said a grand jury would
be asked to indict both on murder
death 20 hours after his wedding
and state police said the father
and brother of the bride would
be charged with murder.
The victim yesterday was An-
drew Garcia Miramontez, 27, of
Lubbock, Tex., who formerly was
stationed near Beckley with the
1420th Army Engineer Co. Mira-
montez and the former Nina Eva
Woicehovich, 21, of nearby Lanark,
were married Monday night in the
First Christian Church here.
State Trooper C. M. England
said the bride's father, Charles
charges.
Investigating officers said Mira-
montez and the Woicehovich girl
wanted to marry while he was still
in the Army but that her parents
objected. The officers said Miss
Woicehovich has a 14-months-old
baby and that Miramontez is the
father.
State police gave this account
of the shooting:
Came te Marry
Miramontez returned here Sun-
day to marry Miss Woicehovich.
After the wedding, the couple
spent the night at the home of
an acquaintance of Miramontez,
While they were packing there
late yesterday afternoon, the
bride's father and brother appear-
ed, state police said. Several shots
were fired and' Miramontez ran
into the street and fell dead.
Officers said be was shot several
times with a 38 caliber pistol.
Related Story
Page 2-A
Group Opposes City’s Plan
To Divert Deadman Creek
Residents and property owners
along Deadman Creek will oppose
the City of Abilene's request to
the state at next Monday’s hearing
for permission to channel that
stream into Lake Fort Phantom
Hill
Nineteen of them have joined in
a protest, which they have filed
with the State Board of Water
Engineers. They claim the diver-
sion project would deprive them
of a water supply.
The board is to hold a bearing
at 10 a.m. Monday, Oct. 11, at
Austin on the city’s application.
Abilene is asking for rights to
Deadman Creek water and permis-
PURLOINED
PANTS CASE
UNDER PROBE
The ease of the purloined
pants was entered on the crim-
nal docket of Taylor County
Court Wednesday morning
A complaint filed against
Clarence Archibald Johnson
and Margaret Johnson alleges
that they stole seven dozen
pairs of pants—all of the
three-cornered variety.
Hugh E. Cosby, who oper-
ates a diaper service, signed
the charge against the John-
sons. The complaint states
that they fraudulently took
seven dozen pairs of diapers
valued at $28 and one laundry
bag valued at 50 cents.
Cosby said he has traced
the Johnsons and learned that
they live in Beaumont
sion to divert it into Phantom Hill
lake for the city supply
The City Commission plans to
open bids Friday, Oct. 15, for
construction of the diversion chan-
nel. T
Opponents of the project filed
their protest through the Abilene
law firm of Bradbury, Tippen &
Brown.
Hearing Monday
It is expected that they will be
represented at next Monday' bear-
ing in Austin.
Going to the hearing in support
of the city's application will be
several persons. Those expected
to go include Mayor C. E. Gatlin,
City Manager Austin P. Hancock.
S. W. Freese and Marvin Nichols
1 consulting engineers planning
Abilene’s water development pro-
gram;. and Howard McMahon, Re-
porter-News publisher.
McMahon is chairman of Abi-
lene Chamber of Commerce's Long-
Range Water Development Com-
mittee.
The opponents stated in their
written objection that the creek
furnishes the only water supply
for domestic and ranching pur-
poses of persons living along the
stream.
They said the creek doesn't have
a normal flow but that water holes
are Filled during flood stages. Wa-
ter from these holes supplies the
people along the creek, the op-
ponents said.
If diverted, the creek won't pro-
vide an adequate water supply,
they said.
Sewage Plant Opposed
Thoee protesting also cited the
city's plans te locate a sewage
disposal plant on Deadman Creek
watershed. They said sewage
would likely escape from the plant
and into the creek.
Making the protest are: Harry
L. Rice, Nugent. Abilene Route;
Mrs. Charlie Smith, Nugent, Abi-
lene Route: Emmet Whatley, Abi-
lene; Robert Manly, Route t. Abi-
lene: J. E. Manly. Route 1, Abi-
lene; Mrs. Dennis Manly, Abilene:
Arthur Betterton, Midland; C. T.
Myall, Route 2, Lueders'; 0. N.
Myatt Jr., Route 1. Abilene: S. R.
Cox Jr., Abilene: Mrs. George W.
Harvey, 818 College Dr., Abilene:
Maxie G. Harvey, Route 2, Lued-
ers: B. B. Manly, Route 2, Lued-
ers; H. C. Harvey. Route 2, Lued-
ers; N. B Harvey. Route 2, Lued-
ers; B. C Harvey, Route 2, Lued-
ers; H. P. Harvey. Route 2, Lued-
ers; Nelson. Myatt, Route 1. Abi-
lene. and C. F Hill, Nugent. Abi-
lene Route.
THE WEATHER
WASHINGTON « — Atty. Gen.
Brownell today created a new unit
in the Justice Department’s
criminal division to handle a
mounting number of cases arising
from scandals in the Federal Hous-
ing Administration.
At the same time, the attorney
general said he is assigning Max
H. Goldschein, a top criminal
prosecutor in the department, to
assist U.S. Atty. Lee A. Rover in
presenting housing matters before
a special grand jury opening here
today.
The department said the special
grand jury will “inquire into brib-
ery and other criminal 'conduct in
the federal housing program, and
specifically into the conduct of
Clyde L. Powell, ousted assistant
FHA commissioner.
Through his attorney, Daniel B.
Maher, Powell filed papers chal-
lenging the validity of the grand
jury. He had been scheduled to
appear before it this morning.
Maher's petition asked the U.S.
District Court to "take judicial no-
tice of countless predictions in
newspapers and political forecast-
ers that there would be political
indictments returned against mem-
bers of the former administration
prior to the November election."
Today’s developments came in
the wake of testimony before the
: Senate Banking Committee yester-
* day that Powell demanded and re-
ceived $10,000 from a Washington
architect before be would approve
an application for increasing an
FHA-insured loan on an apartment
project here.
ABILENE AND VICIMITY—Clear to
partly cloudy with possible showers Wed.
nesday. Cloudy Wednesday night and
Thursday with wet drizzle, fog and scat-
tered light showers. High temperature
Wednesday 80 to 85 degrees. Low Wednes-
day night 60 to 65. High Thursday 70 to 75.
WEST TEXAS: Mostly cloudy with scat-
tered showers and thundershowers this
afternoon, tonight and Thursday. ------
chance -
Tues. P.M.
I:
*.M
7
79
for 24 hours end-
Maximum temperature
ing at 6:30 a.m. 78.
Minimum temperature for M hours end-
ing at 6:30 a.m. 68.
Barometer reading at 12:30 p.m. 26.30.
Relative humidity at 12:30 p.m. 60%.
The committee also heard testi-
mony that Powell banked almost
three times his salary over a peri-
od from IMS through last April,
although he reported only his
salary on federal income tax re-
turns.
Maher, in addition to contesting
the validity of the special grand
jury, specifically asked that a sub-
poena for Powell’s appearance be
quashed.
The new housing scandal unit in
the criminal division will be headed
by Nathaniel E. Kossack, depart-
ment attorney who will have the
assistance of a half dozen ether
n specialists from the criminal di-
7 vision.
- Goldschein, a special assistant
7 to the attorney general, recently
directed a lengthy grand jury in-
" vestigation into labor racketeering
in St. Louis. That investigation
brought several indictments and a
number of convictions in cases al-
ready brought to trial.
Goldschein in recent years has
Final Juror Selected in Trial
For Duval Youth’s Murder
WACO —The jury for the con-
spiracy to murder trial of Nago
Alaniz was completed at 10:50 a.m.
today. .
The state began presenting its
case against the Duval County
lawyer after reading of the indict-
ment which accuses him of being
a conspirator in the death of a
South Texas political leader's
young son.
The jury was completed when
both sides accepted Charles B.
Griffin, 42, a salesman He was
ai the 12th man questioned out of a
special venire of 50 brought to
today to complete the jury.
that two witnesses ere unavailable
The district courtroom was about
three fourths full of people waiting
for the state to begin presenting
evidence against Alaniz,
The former law partner of-79th
Dist. Atty. Raeburn Norris is
charged In the 1*62 ambush slay-
ing of young Jacob S (Buddy)
Floyd Jr., son of an Alice, Tex.,
political leader and arch-enemy of
George B. Farr.
Dist. Judge D W Barlett, bear-
lag the trial which was moved
here from Brownwood on a second
change of venue from Jim Well*
County, had excused 115 of the
original panel and ordered M more
prospective jurors rounded up
from which to choose the 12th
man.
The name & Parr, long-lime
political master of the South Texas
area in which the shooting of
young Floyd occurred, figured
prominently in selection of jurors
yesterday.
One, potential juryman was ex-
cused when he said, '’If George
Parr’s got anything to do with this.
I’ve got an opinion "
Several were excused when they
said they did not approve of drink-
also directed investigation* into
Communists on the federal payroll
in Colorado and California, an In-
quiry into organized crime in Mi-
ami. Fla., which the department
said broke up the greatest opium
smuggling ring in history in 1949,
and also handled a special crime
investigation in Kansas City. Mo.,
which resulted in eight tax indict-
ments in 1*»
SF Train
ALANIZ ON TRIAL—South Texas attorney Nago Alaniz,
42, is shown seated in district court in Waco. Behind him
is defense attorney Percy Foreman. Alanis is charged
on a three-count indictment in the ambush slaying of
Jacob Floyd Jr. at Alice, Texas, Sent 8. 1952. The father
of the slain youth blamed politics for the ambush which
he said was intended for him. The elder Floyd is s South
tention of moving
A few minutes later an ambu-
lance backed into her driveway
“We’ve come to take the pa-
tient to Hendrick hospital." an at-
“% .At may Pidiem there, is hooktor % .uspacLyhey said Texas political leader. (AP) ,
The original venire of 250 men
was used up last night with It men
selected to decide the guilt or in-
nocense of Alaniz. The slaying has
been described previously in court
as a bungled political ambush.
The first U men questioned to-
day were excused because of ob-
jections to the death penalty or
because they said they did not
believe in a suspended sentence
in a murder case. One of them
was Jack Wilson, Baylor Univer-
sity backfield coach, who was ex-
cused because he said he was
against suspended sentences in
it was disclosed that the defense
filed tart night a formal motion
tar a suspended sentence in th*
event Alaniz to convicted. The
judge also announced that he over-
ruled * defense motion for post-
ponement of the trial on grounds
3
les;
“GREATER
ABILENE WEEK"
122 progressive merchants bonded together to give you
Greater I alues
/ Check each issue of
The Abilene Reporter-News
shopping opportunity menits you on every pare!
Just 3 more days!
Derailed
GAGE, Okla. m-An-eastbound
Santa Fe passenger train was de-
railed 2% miles east of hero today,
causing minor injuries to more
than two dozen persons riding in
• chair car which overturned.
Ralph Foster, telegrapher for
the Santa Fa at Shattuck, Okla.,
said as far as he could learn no
one was hurt seriously. He said
the major injuries were broken
legs, suffered by two women pas-
sengers.
Moat of the injured received cuts
or bruises, be said.
| The train was Santa Fa's No 4
1 on route from Albuquerque to Kan-
sas City. It had left Shattuck on
time at 10:10 a m
Roy Stout, a flagman of the train
crew, said a broken rail apparently
caused the wreck. Mare than 110’
yards of mainline track warn tern
up.
Foster said five cars of the train
jumped the tracks, but the chair
car was the only one which over-
turned. All of the injured were in
this car.
The injured were taken in New-
man Memorial Hospital at Shat-
tuck for examination.
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The Abilene Reporter-News (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 74, No. 111, Ed. 2 Wednesday, October 6, 1954, newspaper, October 6, 1954; Abilene, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1649606/m1/1/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Abilene Public Library.