16 Dec 1948
Page 1
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Newspaper
Middletown Journal
Location
Middletown, Ohio, United States of America
Date
Dec 16, 1948
Page
1
Alger Hiss, 44, a former State Department adviser, pleaded innocent to federal charges that he lied about giving secret government papers to Whittaker Chambers. Judge John W. Clancy set January 24 for trial, ordered fingerprinting and photographing, and fixed a $5,000 bail.
The Hiss-Chambers saga moves from Capitol Hill to a New York federal court as Alger Hiss faces two counts of perjury. The House committee says it has uncovered a Soviet espionage ring still active in government and exposes 26 more documents it claims Chambers obtained from Hiss, including top secret items on a possible German treaty and Japanese military plans.
Napoleon Ohio reports pro wrestler Laurence LeBelle age 41 known as Ali Alaba the Terrible Turk died in an auto truck collision nine miles east of Napoleon. Two fellow wrestlers Frankie Hart age 34 of Toledo and Samuel W Nichols age 37 of Medford Massachusetts sustained chest injuries and were hospitalized in Toledo. They were en route from Fort Wayne Indiana where they performed last night to Toledo for tonight’s workout.
American air crews using ski planes and gliders prepare a dangerous Arctic rescue on the Green land ice cap. Nine U S airmen are stranded after a C 47 crash and a B 17 crash attempt failed. Glider tow operations and Arctic supervision lead the plan.
Weather drenched north central West Virginia and Western Maryland with 24 hour heavy rainfall. Roads blocked by water and landslides. A 50 foot cliff broke onto a house. a two year old sleeping inside survived with minor injuries. Bus passengers rescued by boats, power lines downed, and Oakland faces rising flood risk though no fatalities reported.
A chance remark by Pvt. Gerald Roberts at Fort Lewis sparked a Christmas airlift for about 700 soldiers. Seventeen planes with 26 to 50 seats each are reserved, with more likely as travel agencies seek planes. Units across the post joined, planning December 21 departures to New York and New England, contingent on furlough approvals and funding.
Investigators moved toward a site 25 miles west of Bogota where Lansa Airlines DC-3 crashed killing all 30 aboard. Fireworks packages aboard may have caused the crash. The two-engine plane, en route from Bogota to Barranquilla, carried four crew and 26 passengers including eight women and one infant. Two British engineers linked to Shell Petroleum in Bogota were identified among the dead. Witnesses said fog, a hill, and engine trouble preceded the crash. fragments were scattered and bodies mangled.
Guam police reported no lead after checking a bloodstained shirt and a man’s underwear in the case of Ruth Farnsworth, a 27 year old San Francisco civil servant killed after being dragged from the Oriental Gift Shop. Investigators are reexamining all evidence as two African American soldiers provided alibis.
Red forces moved toward Peiping’s suburbs with armored columns approaching the city gates. Cannon were leveled but not fired as intense clashes raised alarms in this ancient capital. Spencer Moosa reports from Peiping amid the chaotic municipal advance.
The defense ministry announced the 12th Army group broke through Communist lines and joined other Nationalist forces northwest of Pengpu about 100 miles from Nanking. A Communist broadcast claimed remnants were destroyed after 22 days of entrapment while attempting a westward breakout.
Amid gunfire a few miles away in the northern China region, the historic capital remained oddly tranquil. Observers noted that despite ongoing fighting, calm appeared to persist and rumors of peace negotiations between Communist forces and Gen Fu Tso Yi grew louder.
Peipings walls faced a shock as northern commander allowed Communist reach to Peiping city walls. Chiang Kai-Sheks advisers urge him to quit and pursue peace talks, while Nanking seeks cabinet formation for Sun Fo as rumors swirl. Telecommunication link remained normal though power and water were briefly cut.
A junta of five young officers toppled President Salvador Castaneda Castro in El Salvador after a brief clash at El Zapote fort. Castaneda was held on a constitutional violation charge tied to his bid for a two year term extension. Maj. Oscar Osorio leads a rightist provisional council with Lt. Col. Manuel De J. Cordova Maj. Oscar Bolanos and two lawyers. Martial law ended after civilians died in fighting and Castaneda surrendered.
London reports say sabotage suspected as British Navy investigates damage to the 14009 ton light aircraft carrier Terrible. An admiralty statement notes main engine damaged by steel bolts found in the engine gearbox oil pit. The ship, to be turned over to Australia, faced guards and crew interviews amid unclear results.
Ellen Peters 21 of Cincinnati says she would sell one of her eyes to clear debts and fund a third child. Her husband Ernest, a $30 weekly painter apprentice, and she describe three years of hardship including medical loans from 1945 and transfusions for their second child in 1947. They fear debt and potential harm to family if they cannot meet expenses. Peters is a World War II veteran with military police service in North Africa and Europe. They live in a three room third floor apartment with minimal heat.
A $500,000 blaze swept a Ford Rouge plant last night destroying materials for 200 cars. Workers moved over twenty Mercury cars to safety as three men and six women were rescued. No injuries reported. About 3,800 workers were temporarily laid off while Ford officials and fire crews investigate the cause and total damage. The fire started in the upholstery department of final assembly line D where Mercurys are built.
Perci val Williams, 48, shot and killed his pet dog before taking his own life yesterday, his wife told police. She said he summoned her to the backyard to witness the fatal sequence.
Berlin — French Brig. Gen. Jean Ganeval says two radio towers near Tegel airfield were demolished to protect Allied airlift, after notifying Berlin Radio on November 20. The Deutschland Sender remains active 20 miles east, and Russia’s control of Berlin’s station has been contested since wartime division.
Kenne Terwilliger 7 was fatally struck by an auto while crossing the highway in front of his rural Waterville home, Toledo AP reports. The deceased child died at the scene with authorities investigating the incident.
The United States urges the Supreme Court to refrain from reviewing or altering the Tokyo tribunal verdicts that sentenced former Premier Tojo and six other Japanese war lords to death. Solicitor General Perlman warns such action would damage peace talks, world law, and international cooperation, urging the court to reject appeals from condemned defendants and others. The high court plans to hear oral arguments today, with a decision likely after closed sessions.
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