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Newspaper
Middletown Journal
Location
Middletown, Ohio, United States of America
Date
Dec 26, 1958
Page
1
A holiday lull marked Christmas as nations sought quiet amid Cold War tensions. U N and Western Allied troops kept watch while Americans shared meals with orphans and refugees. Notable moments included Pope John XXIII’s Christmas ceremonies and Queen Elizabeth's radio address.
Hope faded for 16 mushroom farmers trapped in Belgian cave networks near Bolder as rescue teams persist in recovery efforts. Seven bodies have been recovered since a cave-in on December 23.
In London, the annual fight with dustmen and carolers ends with a call to dodge Boxing Day. The article notes households face the head dustman on December 24 and fear overflowing garbage cans as they hand over a tip of 10 shillings.
A neighborhood scene unfolds as children aged 9 to 11 sing Noel at doors. After paying half a crown, panic and a vow to dismantle the doorbell follow. Peace briefly returns until the eldest son inquires if it is Christmas yet at 9:45 p.m.
In Hartsdale New York a Christmas mystery unfolds as three bottles of champagne left outside Mrs. John Blake’s doorstep disappear. The missing bottles suggest a possible local tradition of giving sanitation workers a holiday treat.
Warner Grimsley, 19, leaped 20 feet into the Tallapoose River to escape a Central of Georgia freight on a railroad trestle near Alexander City Alabama. He survived. three companions Jean Huggins Sara Thomas and Dwayne Hodge were killed.
Moscow reports Andrei Gromyko warns Western insistence on staying in West Berlin could trigger a nuclear war that reaches America. He urges a ban on unregulated nuclear tests and says Russia is ready for trouble, while Khrushchev demands U S Britain and France pull troops from West Berlin by June 1.
A southerly air flow is expected to lift temperatures in the Miami Valley. Today and tonight aim for partly cloudy skies with a high near 40 and a low around 32. Saturday and Sunday look cloudy and mild with highs near 45. Middletown reports Christmas Day high of 35 at 4 pm and a 7:30 am low of 15 above.
The first four days of the Christmas weekend saw traffic deaths rise toward a holiday record. Safety officials warned the toll could top all records unless drivers change behavior. The National Safety Council estimated 40 million vehicles would travel, with homeward trips potentially worse. Several fatal crashes occurred across multiple states amid favorable travel weather.
In Rome the Pope visited Regina Coeli on the Tiber, meeting 1,500 inmates who cheered Viva il Papa as guards toned down restrictions. He toured the infirmary and cell wings, shaking hands through bars, while one prisoner tearfully called the visit unforgettable.
The pontiff and party departed the jail an hour and a half after entry. Pope John reportedly provided prison authorities several million lire to buy Christmas presents for inmates at Regina Coeli, valued at about 1.6 million lire per roughly $1,600.
In Richmond Virginia Horace A Gray Jr 49 director of West Virginia Pulp and Paper Co and his wife Catherine 47 plus three of their four children died in a three story mansion fire. The 23 year old son Horace A Gray III returned home to find the family dead. A second item from Auburn Washington reports nine members of a 12 person family perished in a farm home blaze and Washington DC notes President Eisenhower appointing William L Mitchell to run the Social Security system.
Moscow reports the U S Embassy issued a three month diplomatic visa to Deputy Anastas I Mikoyan for a planned January visit to the United States. Officials expect a two week trip by commercial air. The move accompanies a broader thaw in Cold War exchanges.
By midnight Christmas ten people had died on Ohio highways during the long holiday weekend. The tally began 30 hours earlier with eight fatalities in crashes on Christ Almost and elsewhere. A Dayton mother is reported killed near Xenia, the first holiday death nationwide.
The report notes 225 people killed on highways during the Christmas holiday last year, with 27 others dying in fires and 26 in various accidents. Total violent accident deaths reach 278.
A middle aged man used polite greetings to obtain a Christmas bicycle from two women loading it into a car in Atlanta West Virginia. He offered help, the bike was loaded, the women left the area, and both the bike and the man were gone when they returned.
Heavy Army helicopters planned a hazardous landing near the wreckage of a four engined C54 cargo plane on Mt Kliamna Alaska. Don Sheldon, veteran bush pilot, reported no sign of life and confirmed the wreckage location at 7 600 feet amid volcanic fumes and severe turbulence. The Air Force called the scene extremely inaccessible and earlier helicopters had to retreat due to air turbulence.
In central Cuba Las Villas province, government forces rush reinforcements as Fidel Castro rebels menace Batista troops. Rebels claim control of Cabaiguan and Sancti Spiritus and threaten lines between Las Villas and Oriente, where Castro maintains mountain HQ. Army dispatches about 3,600 men with 18 armored units to counter attacks.
A light exchange from Chuckle St. Peter and Newly Arrived American features a joke about a golden harp and a question on the first payment. The vignette captures a tone of curiosity and whimsy in a dated period setting.
In Cairo President Nasser intensifies action against the Syrian Communists while maintaining a consistent stance toward allies and foes. The shift follows Western influence waning in the Arab world and internal pressure over Arab unity. Bakdash in Syria calls for dissolving the United Arab Republic as Nasser sets up a potential showdown.
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