18 Dec 1953
Page 1
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Newspaper
Cedar Rapids Gazette
Location
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States of America
Date
Dec 18, 1953
Page
1
Carl Austin Hall and Bonnie Brown Heady were executed in Missouri for the Bobby Greenlease kidnapping and murder. Witnesses noted a final embrace and shared cigarette as they faced the gas chamber, with questions lingering about $300,000 of ransom missing.
Jefferson City reports Carl Hall's final confession as he faced execution for the Bobby Greenlease kidnapping murder. He claimed his death evangelized by Christ saved five men he would have killed, and spoke of repentance, whisky, and a shared love with Bonnie Heady.
The Senate elections subcommittee recommended by a 2-1 vote that 30 000 votes cast in the New Mexico senatorial election be thrown out for lack of ballot secrecy. About 20 000 were for Democrat Chavez and 10 000 for Republican Hurley, Chavez leading 122 000 to 117 000. The proposal could shift the result by roughly 5 000 if upheld pending further precinct surveys.
Milwaukee dispatch reports that Railway Express Agency employees resumed work after an extended strike that began in October, ending a work stoppage that disrupted package deliveries and rerouted shipments across the region. The return followed negotiations and settlement talks with labor leaders and company officials.
Cedar Rapids merchants announce a special extended shopping night. The Cedar Rapids Chamber of Commerce reports stores will stay open until 9 PM on Monday, following already scheduled Saturday and next Wednesday openings.
Cedar Rapids stamp and parcel post windows will reopen tonight from 7 to 9 o'clock for convenience of Christmas mailers. The bureau notes the extra night is optional and aimed at those delayed by bad weather and icy roads. The schedule also states windows stay open until stores close Saturday and from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, with no extra hours after the weekend as most mailing should be finished.
Detroit police report Bernard S. Skop 40 died after his car struck a safety island while he was finishing a second job shift. He worked as a welder and a fishing station attendant to earn extra money for Christmas. witnesses say he appeared fatigued and may have fallen asleep at the wheel.
Fog and a major blackout shrouded London causing two sizable fires to burn unseen for some time before responders were alerted. Fire crews faced heavy smoke and delayed alarms as streets grew silent.
El Paso Herald Post cites a report alleging teenage enlisted men with scant training caused a B 36 crash near Mt Franklin during zero visibility on a ground controlled approach. Brig Gen Reynolds calls the report false as the bomber crashed on its second landing attempt. Authorities monitored radio with CAA operators tracking the $3.5 million aircraft.
City hall reaches an initial plan to house the new municipal court on the fourth floor with the court clerk, two municipal judges, and visiting nurses sharing space. Bailiffs will use a corner of the large courtroom or a third floor room near the mayor and city attorney. If workload grows, further changes will be made.
Government approves a compatible NTSC color system but sets remain scarce and expensive. Early color receivers may cost around $1000 with mass production reducing prices later. Broadcasters plan color telecasts while networks prepare special events and programs in color. FCC study shows stations face up to $187,850 for full color equipment or $24,500 for network-only setups.
President Eisenhower and congressional leaders met to discuss taxes the national debt limit atomic energy foreign affairs and social welfare programs. Secretary Humphrey would cover taxes and debt while Strauss would discuss atomic energy amendments with lawmakers and Dulles and Stassen would join foreign affairs talks. The agenda included agriculture housing and labor law changes with a pledge to continue cutting federal expenditures and avoiding new spending authority.
The missing U S Navy Neptune plane with nine aboard was sighted on a glacier near Keflavik Iceland. Rescue pilots reported evidence of survivors, and the aircraft had disappeared during a training flight from Keflavik airfield outside Reykjavik.
Carl Austin Hall and Bonnie Brown Heady shared a final meal at the Missouri State Penitentiary seven hours before they were executed. Heady sat outside Hall's cell as they talked quietly over fried chicken meals, their last time together since their Novity entry to the penitentiary.
In Bondurant Iowa a lone bandit robbed the Farmers Savings bank branch in mid afternoon taking between 5000 and 8000 dollars. The man 25 wore a green jacket and cap fled in a green top Buick with a black top and yellow body. Cashier Iona Blake and Velma Mendenhall were inside the bank during the robbery which lasted under two minutes. Police set road blocks and chased a suspect car toward Collins then halted a traveling salesman. No accomplice was seen and the district awaits leads from state officers.
James L. Cooper, president of National Oats Company, was elected the 1954 president of the Cedar Rapids Chamber of Commerce. He succeeds L. W. Van Nostrand of WMT. Cooper also becomes first vice-president of the board, with B. L. Anderson, John B. Turner, and L. W. Struesky filling other officers roles. Robert H. Caldwell was reelected executive vice-president and secretary.
U N secretary Dag Hammarskjold aims to invite Prime Minister Churchill to address the General Assembly in January or February. Hammarskjold plans to reconvene the Assembly to tackle the Korean stalemate and believes Churchill’s statement on the cold war and atomic energy would be highly effective.
A playful quip notes Adam and Eve as Soviet citizens with no clothes to wear except an apple, living in paradise. The line leverages wordplay on national labels and imagery.
Swedish defense officials ordered a full investigation after Capt Ulf Christiernsson and his mechanic reported a wingless circular object 300 miles from Soviet bases. Radar data and detailed drawings were requested as Sweden notes possible intensified Soviet rocket production and nearby Baltic tensions.
Ozark Airlines asked the Civil Aeronautics Board to grant Chicago Sioux City Route 106 with two daily round trips between Chicago and Sioux City and between Sioux City and Des Moines. The plan lists stops via Rockford Dubuque Waterloo Mason City Fort Dodge and other corridors. The hearing continued the next day as United Air Lines and North Central Airlines also sought the route.
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