The Abilene Reporter-News (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 73, No. 190, Ed. 2 Wednesday, December 23, 1953 Page: 1 of 26
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COLD
The Abilene Reporter-
ring
"WITHOUT OR WITH OFFENSE TO FRIENDS OR FOES WE SK ETCH YOUR WORLD EXACTLY AS IT GOES" — Byron
EVENING
FINAL
VOL. LXXIII, No. 190
Associated Press (AP)
ABILENE, TEXAS, WEDNESDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 23, 1953 EIGHTEEN PAGES IN TWO SECTIONS
PRICE DAILY 5e, SUNDAY 10€
Low of 17
Chills City;
Cold Lingers
Yanks Stay in Re
Hand
ilks Over
Winter’s icy fingers held Abilene in a frigid grip Wed-
nesday morning as the temperature at the Municipal Airport
dropped to 17 degrees for two hours starting at 6:30 a.m.
The 17 degrees was the coldest December temperature
recorded by the U.S. Weather Bureau here since 1951. It
was the coldest temperature here for any month since last
January.
The mercury likely will set more cold records here tonight
when a 15-20 degree freeze
is expected, the weatherman
said.
No immediate warmup is expect-
"ed. although the air mass will
gradually lose He cold since north
winds are expected to die down
during the day. An expected 30-35
maximum for Wednesday probably
will be replaced by a 40-degree
maximum Thursday. .
The freeze to the Abilene area
was emphasized Tuesday and early
Wednesday by icy north and
northeast winds ranging from 20 to
30 miles an hour. Gusts continued
to chill the checks of area resi-
dents after sunup Wednesday.
A chance for snow flurries had
been seen here, but diminished
Wednesday morning after no flur-
ries were observed during the
night, the weatherman said.
The freeze began in Abilene early
Tuesday and continued for
10 straight hours, with a brief in-
terruption when the mercury crest-
ed at 33 degrees at noon Tuesday.
24 Hours Straight
Shortly after noon Tuesday the
mercury again dipped below freez-
ing. Up to 12:30 p.m. Wednesday
and after 24 straight hours, the
mercury had not regained an above-
freezing point, be said. At 9:30 a.m.
the temperature at the airport was
a chilly 19 degrees.
The 17-degree law here made
Abilene one of the coldest spots in
Record-Cold
Norther Hits
All of Texas
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Numbing cold held on to Texas
Wednesday.
At mid-morning temperatures
still were 13 degrees st Amaril’o,
15 at Lubbock, 24 at Waco, 29 at
Ban Antonio, 32 at Corpus Christi
and 38 at Brownsville.
Highways from Pecoe to El Paso
still were closed by ice, sleet and
frozen snow, but the snow had
stopped falling in that area.
The chill spread to the lower
Rio Grande Valley, but a heavy
cloud layer from Mexico held off
a freeze, prevented frost and saved
the winter vegetables and citrus
trees from damage.
The whistling norther entered
Texas late Monday and chill north
winds swept the state. They dimin-
ished Wednesday but still were
blowing 20 to 30 miles an hour in
South Texas.
Lows Are Records
Not so cold Thursday was the
forecast for the whole state.
Overnight lows at many cities
were the chilliest of this winter
sesson so far. Dalhart bad a 7-
degree reading. Amarillo (, Paris
13. Marshall 18. Electra 17, Corsi-
cana 19, Kilgore 20. It was 18 de-
grees in Dallas at 5 30 a.m., the
coldest there since Dec. 21, 1951,
When 14 was recorded.
Snow fell all night at Maria and
stopped at daybreak.
Rain er know was forecast for
North Central Texas and a few
snow flurries were expected in
some West Taxes areas Wednes-
day. Rain was predicted Thursday
in South Central Texas.
Warm Up Due
There was a chance, the Weath-
er Bureau indicated, that the state
might yet get some mild weather
for Christmas. A slight warm-up
with diminishing winds, shifting to
the northeast, was expected to be-
gin Christmas Eve. 1
Besides the snow at Marta, up
to two inches fell to the area be-
tween El Paso and Wink and
closed busy Highway 00 between
Kent and Toyah.
Other highways in the area were
also snowbound.
Temperatures before down
ranged from 0 above at Dalhart
to 41 at Brownsville.
Except for the West Texas snow,
no moisture was reported.
the state.
Other temperatures reported by
the Abilene weatherman Wednes-
day morning are: Dalhart, 6; Ama-
rillo, 9; Lubbock, 10; Midland,
Wichita Falls and Dallas, all 19;
San Angelo, 21: Austin, 24; Hous-
ton. 28; Corpus Christi and Alice,
both 33; College Station, 22; Lar-
edo. 36; and Del Rio, 29.
The previous temperature
this year colder than 17 degrees re-
corded here was a 16-degree freeze
on Jan. 16. A 12-degree freeze was
recorded on Dec. 21. 1951.
"It looks like a return to the old-
fashioned winters here,” the weath-
erman concluded.
Swiss Elect
BERN un—The Swiss Parliament
elected Rodolphe Rubattel presi-
dent Tuesday.
Cotton Men Elect
PALESTINE (—The newly or-
ganized Anderson County Cotton
Producers Assn. has as its primary
aim increased cotton planting quo-
tas. The group was organized yes-
terday to push for incressed quotas
by the Agriculture Department to
growers taking part in the price
support program. Walter Sussdorf
was named president.
SMOOTH NEWLY-WEDS—Actress Hedy Lamarr smooths
the hair of her fifth husband, Houston oilman W. Howard
Lee, as they prepare to board a plane at Idlewild Airport,
New York, for California, following their double-ring court.
house wedding. ______________________________________
FOOD PRICES DOWN
Living Costs Drop
1st Time in Months
WASHINGTON UP—The govern-
ment reported today that living
costs declined in November, re-
versing a steady eight months ad-
vance to record levels.
The Index, compiled by the Bu-
reau of Labor Statistics, declined
three-tenths of one per cent to
115 per cent of the 1947-49 average.
This is six-tenths of one per cent
higher than November, 1952, and
13 per cent above the June, 1950,
start of the Korean War.
But it was the first drop since
February, and indicated aome
stabilizing of the economy.
The index decline knocks about
1.100.000 railroad employes out of
the penny-an-hour wage, increase
they would have received had the
index stayed at its 115.4 October
figure. Their wage rates are
geared by contract to index
changes.
A rather sharp 1.4 per -cent de-
cline to food prices was mainly
responsible for the drop in the
living cost index. s
This encouraging word to Amer-
ANY HELPFUL IDEAS?
Now Chief to Try
To Save Pup in Well
CARLSBAD, N. M. (—Bolstered
by a multitude of suggestions, Eire
Chief Ira Stockwell today took his
turn at trying to rescue a 2-month-
old pup from the bottom of a dry
water well.
Ideas by the dozen were offered
by newspaper readers and radio
listeners.
It all began nine days ago when
5-year-old Teresa Curtis pushed
two pups into a hole in her back
yard. It's about 10 inches wide at
the top and 38 feet deep.
MAYOR GATLIN URGES
Be Carefree but
Careful on Holiday
If all of Abilene's 54.000 citizens’
work together to keep Christmas
not only merrily but safely, they’ll
have a happier New Year, Abilene
Mayor C. E Gatlin said. 1
"I've got 54,000 friends to this
city, and I don’t want to lose any
of them to holiday mishaps,” he
said. .
Abilene’s police force will be on
the job during the holidays, but they
can’t do all the work of keeping
the streets safe.
May Be Too Leto
And the lire department won't •
take a holiday, but when a Christ-
mas tree goes up to smoke. it may
be too late for them to help.
“Everybody's got to assume the
responsibility for keeptag the holi-
days safe,” Mayor Gatlin stressed. I
“Not just port of us. but everybody,1
Brill have to be on guard against
accidents" |
Statisticis on accidents always
seem to jump at Christmas. Mayor
Gatlin said.
•Christmas always puts every-
body into e carefree spirit. But you
run be carefree and careful at the
Her cousins, Dan Hardin, 15, and
Poe Hardin, 12, rescued one of
the pups. They lowered a burlap
sack and the pup walked Into It.
But the other little mongrel shied
off.
Scouts Unsuccessful
The Hardin boys have been keep-
ing the trapped pup alive by low-
ering bowls of milk and cereal.
Yesterday a couple of Boy Scouts
tried unsuccessfully to drop a rope
loop over the pup and haul him to
safety.
New Mexico newspaper and wire
service offices were beseiged with
suggestions for rescue. One of the
plsns came from a woman who
said:
-Send the other puppy down in
a basket. The trappea puppy may
be so glad to see him he'll climb
in the basket too.”
These Are Ideas?
A fisherman: "Drop a piece of
net the site of the bottom of the
hole to the bottom with ropes tied
to the four corners. When he
reaches for the piece of meet in
the center, Jerk him out like a
eatfish.”
One man asked, "Why ell the
fuss ?—kick the hole tn on top of
him.”
Another offered, "Fill the well
to e depth of two or three feet
with corks. Do it slowly so the
pup can crawl on top. Then fill
the well with water so he'll float
to the top.”
“Lower • little boy In 8 stout
pair of coveralls on a rope,” sug-
gested ■ women, “and let him
bring the puppy back."
An elderly lady suggested build-
ing a lattice work ladder and let-
ting the pup climb out
ican housewives was tempered
somewhat, however, by Indications
that December prices may be a bit
higher.
Food Going Up
The labor statistics commission-
er, Ewan Clague, said be has
advance indications that food
prices are advancing, mainly pork
prices. He said this may prevent
I further living cost decline for
December when the bureau re-
ports the December living cost
level late next month.
"We’ve had a little firming in
foods in December.” Clague said,
“and the expected lower clothing
prices won't come until the Janu-
ary and February sales."
Transportation Off
The Index figure announced to-
day reflects living costs as of mid-
November.
Between October and November,
transportation costs declined one-
half of one per cent primarily
because of decreases to prices of
used automobiles and lower gaso-
line prices.
Many groups of consumer items
rose slightly to November. They
included housing, medical care,
personal care, reading and recre-
ation, and even a slight rise to
the price of beer.
It was the third straight month
that food prices declined. There
had been slight declines in Sep-
tember and October.
The meats, poultry and fish
category of prices declined 3.7 per
cent in the single month between
October end November to reach
their lowest level since February
1949.
Bacon ‘Way Down’
An average decrease of over 7
per cent in pork prices, with bacon
declining about 11 per cent, was
accompanied by smaller drops In
beef end veal, lamb and other
meat and poultry
Only last month, when the liv-
ing cost index rose to set a new
record for a fifth straight month.
Labor Statistics Commissioner Ew-
an Clague, whose agency compiles
the index, said he felt the nation's
period of Inflation had reached an
end.
Clague said living cost declines
during the next few months may
be expected since food prices nor-
mally fall seasonally in the winter-
time.
The steady living cost rise has
been marked by successive month-
ly increases to costs of rents and
other services, while fqpd prices
have remained fairly steady even
though farm prices declined. Ap-
parently the farm price drop in
now reaching the grocery store
level.
THE WEATHER
U.S. DEPARTMENT or COMMERCE
WEATHER BUREAU
ABILENE AND VICINITY - Clear, to
partly cloudy Wednesday afternoon, W
nesday night and Thursday; high Wednes-
day 30-15; low Wednesday night 15-20;
high Thursday 4.ILL
WEST TEXAS Partly cloudy, continued
cold through tonight Not so cold Thursday.
Lowest 10-30 tonight.
NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS: Partly
cloudy to cloudy, continued cold through
tonight. Not so cold Thursday. Lowest 15-
De
T TEXAS: Partly cloudy,
trough tonight. Not so cold
Mat rain in south Lowes
Last Chance
Dies as All
Slay Inside
PANMUNJOM <*—Time ran out
at midnight Wednesday on efforts
to change the minds of 22 Ameri-
can war prisoners who stayed with
the Communists.
The 90-day period for explana-
tions to war prisoners expired
hours after the Americans sod
other pro-Red captives chanted
songs, shouted and linked arms to
a wild dance to drown out last-
minute broadcast appeals to re-
turn home.
An Indian spokesman said that
as midnight passed there was no
request for repatriation from pris-
oners in the pro-Red north camp.
The Communists, who have
pressed repeatedly for an exten-
sion of the explanation period.
Baked to interview more Chinese
prisoners from the anti-Communist
South Camp tomorrow.
But the Neutral Notions Repatri-
ation Commission ruled that the
explanations had ended.
To Meet Newsmen
The commission approved a re-
quest from the pro-Communist
Americans and the Briton to meet
Allied and Red news correspond-
ents inside their compound tomor-
row.
Loudspeakers outside the barbed
wire enclosure broadcast 12 times
during the day—four appeals each
to the 22 Americans, 1 Briton .and
77 South Koreans who had not been
interviewed Individually. All of the
250 South Koreans interviewed
earlier elected to stay with the
Communists.
The broadcasts were greeted by
wild demonstrations as the prison-
ers danced, sang, shouted and
cheered in unison.
17 Americans Counted
Only 17 Americans were counted
inside the compound. The Indian
command said three were in a
nearby hospital and did not bear
the broadcasts. Two ethers appar-
ently remained inside the huts
where the prisoners live. The In-
dian command said 11 were inside
the compound.
News correspondents standing
outside the wire identified from
pictures Sgt. Richard Corden of
East Providence, R. I., striding
about the enclosure with a short
coat thrown over his shoulders as
be led the demonstration.
Corden and British Marine An-
drew Condron previously had been
identified as leaders of the non-
Korean prisoners.
3 Men Sick
Correspondents also identified
from photographs:
Claude Batchelor, Kermit, Tex.;
Richard Tenneson, Alden, Minn.;
William C. White, Plummerville,
Ark.; R. E. Douglas, San Angelo,
Tex.; Howard C. Adams, Corsi-
cana, Tex.; and L. V. Skinner,
Akron, Ohio.
Indian guards said Otho G. Bell,
Olympia, Wash.; W. A. Cowart,
Monticello, Ark.; and Larance Sul-
livan, Omaha, were in the hospital.
Tenneson’s mother, Mrs. Portia
Howe, flew to Tokyo to try to per-
suade him to come home. Tenne-
son wrote hit mother that he was
not going to return.
Batchelor recently wrote hit Jap-
anese wife that be wee going to
remain with the Communists be.
ciuse "I here the ideas of a Com-
munist.”
To Be Deserters
With the end of the explanation
period all of the Americans be-
come absent without leave. In an-
other N days they will be listed
as deserters.
Under terms of the armistice all
unrepatriated war prisoners are to
be held to the neutral aone until
Jan. 22, when they are to be re-
leased as civilians. During the 30-
day period they can still ask for
repatriation.
The Communists want the pris-
oners kept to custody until a peace
conference decides their fate, but
the Allies have refused to agree
A few miles from the compound
where the Allied broadcasta were
made Communist explainers won
back 11 of 250 Chinese and 1 North
Korean out of 41 interviewed on
the final day of explanations.
It was the ninth day that the
Communists have tried to change
the minds of some 22.500 Chinese
and Korean prisoners.
5 CHILDREN DIE IN SLEEP
AS HOME BURNS TO GROUND
MARINETTE, Wis. (AP—A raging fire took the lives
of five children early today when the home of the Rob-
ert Degayner family burned to the ground.
The children were sleeping on the second floor of the
house when the fire started at about 6 a.m. The father,
Robert, left the house to call the fire department.
When he returned the fire spread too rapidly for him to
enter the house and save his children.
A woman watching the fire said she saw the father try
to enter the house by climbing to the roof and entering
through a window, but heavy smoke and flames forced
him back.
The children were identified as Michael, 6; Patrick, 5;
Gary, 4; Daniel, 3; and Steve, 2.
The father, Robert, 39, and his wife, Rose, 27, were
hospitalized with first and second degree burns on the
face and hands. Mrs. Degayner also suffered a possible
cerebral concussion, hospital authorities said.
Packers
Of Beef
Cleared
WASHINGTON (The Agricul-
lure Department reported today it
has found no evidence of wide-
spread. above-normal profit mak-
ing by beef and cattle processors
and distributors in the past two
ay
in
ast tonight.
S: Mostly
MAYOR c, E. GATLIN
.. "be safe, stay happy
rain in extreme south through tonight.
Lowest 20-30 in north and 28-38 south to-
night. __________
TEMPERATURES
Ta AN 4:0 %“
FROM GOODFELLOWS
Neglected Children
Get Clothing, Toys
years.
The report culminated an inves-
tigation started in September at
the direction of Secretary of Agri-
culture Benson. He said there had
been consumer end producer com-
plaints that beef prices had not
declined to proportion to sharp
drops in beef cattle prices in
1952-53.
One of the little-known works of
the Abilene Goodfellows had been
completed Wednesday morning.
Clothing and toys for neglected
or abandoned children, those who
are the chargee of the Abilene-Tay-
lor County Child Welfare Unit,
were distributed as a portion of the
1953 Goodfellow work
the one from a little boy who
suddenly found his mother in the
hospital and his father ill and noth-
ing for Christmas for him and his
little sister, still must be taken
care of.
And the hope of caring for these
last-minute pleas is not as bright
Pood and clothing also was dis-
tributed to the aged and the sick.
However, last-minute pleas, like
PERSONALITY!
3GalsClaim
Same Spouse
LOS ANGELES bll - Three
women all claim one man la their
husband and one of them says she
discovered the situation when be
used her as a baby altter for the
child of another.
Two of the women are pregnant,
police reported.
A warrant charging bigamy waa
issued yesterday against Clifford
E. Burton, 28. Las Vegas, Nev.,
welder, after the second wife be-
came suspicious of the first, the
district attorney’s office said. Po-
lice are looking for Burton. The
three women identified him from
as it wss Tuesday. Tuesday it look-
ed as if the Goodfellow needs would
be met and that the minimum of
$5,500 would be given by generous
Abilenians.
Then, the flow of contributions
slowed down.
But the report, prepared by the
department’s Bureau of Agricul-
ture Economics, which made the
Study, declared:
Reflected Decline
“It appears that retail prices of
beef have generally reflected the
declining prices for live cattle in
1952 and 1953.
"There were scattered examples
of very depressed prices on some
of the lower grade cattle sold in
the local livestock markets. There
were also a few cases of extremely
wide margins on lower grade meat
sold in retail meat stores. But this
was not the usual situation. In gen-
eral. the margins picture appeared
to be fairly stable.”
Marketing margins were defined
as returns for marketing services
performed, such as labor, rent,
supplies and equipment, as well
as management and profits.
Distress Sales Hurt
Wednesday’s contributions were
the lowest of any day since the
Goodfellow appeal baa been in full
swing.
There is still time to give to the
Goodfellows. The address is: Good,
fellows, c-o The Reporter-News.
Abilene.
Wednesday’s donations were:
Previous total $5,218.91
Mrs. Childress’ 8th. Grade
Room. South Jr. High ■ 10.88
St. Paul Junior High Dept. 10.00
Anonymous
Bob H. McDaniel
Arthur G. Harker
City Street Dept. Bosses
and Employes
Anonymous
Anonymous
Hattie Grisham
Total
10.00
10.00
10.30
500
$5,304.21
Christmas spirit, spirits, and gaso-
Ine," he said. ‘They just don't go
well together.” >
If everybody does their part to
keep the holidays safe, Christmas
will be a much happier time. May-
or Gatlin said.
"I remember a sign up in the
Ozark Mountains that says, ‘Drive
carefully. You may meet a fool,”
the mayor said. “That’s a pretty
same time."
He urged that drivers not take a
holiday from sale driving princi-
P Watch for Children
Watch Intersections, look out for
children playing with new toys
keep your mind on your driving, be
courteous and watch your speed, he
urged.
all, don’t try to mix good philosophy, you know."
A
YLEF
22 .,-
Sunset
ry 1.37
S0Y CHRSTMAS SENS
7 FIB.; Sunrise to-
s *‘%
1 12:30 PM 29%.
" for the * Noun
re for the a hours
Army Bank Robbed
Of Over$39,000
FORT MEADE. Md * - FBI
agents, trying to solve the second
bank robbery on this big Army
post within 10 months, today
sought a heavily bearded gunman
who herded three women tellers
into a vault and escaped with
more than 828.888.
Dressed to Army clothes, he
posed as a customer, pulled off
the daylight holdup yesterday end
eluded state and military police
alerted within minutes of the
crime.
“4250
photographs.
Police said wife No. 2, Ellen
King Brown, 19, of suburban North-
ridge, said she married Burton In
July, 1952, and last summer he took
her to his Burbank home to be a
baby Bitter. She then discovered
that the child's mother, Mrs. Hel-
en Geraldine Burton, now of near-
by Venice, married Burton in 1946.
Police eaid wife No. S was Claire
G. Lawrence, 17, Van Nuys, who
married Burton last April.
Youths, 19, Admit
Holding Up Murrays
NEW YORK (—Police said two
19-year-olds have admitted taking
part in the $25,00 holdup of dance-
master and Mrs. Arthur Murray at
their Park avenue apartment Dec.
8.
The youths were listed as Ear!
Hickson and Joseph Gioia, both
of the New York area.
The bureau said it appears that
falling prices for cattle, especially
for the lower grades, were caused
by an increase in slaughter as beef
cattle population soared to new
peaks. It said the heavy slaughter
was aggravated to some extent by
distress sales from drought areas.
"Prices of retail beef, wholesale
beef carcasses and live cattle gen-
erally followed parallel trends,”
the report continued. "Certain lags
in the adjustments of these prices
from month to month resulted in
erratic month-to-month variations
in margins, but such variations
have not been unusual In the past
and are not at all peculiar to the
recent situation."
Used Survey Teams
The bureau said that in making
its study it used basic records al-
ready in its files, as well as infor-
mation gathered by survey teams
sent Into retail meat markets in
Boston, Buffalo, Jacksonville. Fla.,
Dallas, St. Louis, Los Angeles.
Seattle, Minneapolis, St. Paul and
Montgomery Ala.
It said it also obtained records
from M national and local chain
store groups which sell through
about 4,000 outlets in IT major
metropolitan areas and date from
industry associations.
The bureau said the price de-
clines were sharpest for the lower
grades of cattle.
AHEAD OF HIMSELF — Old Santa Clang get out before his usual time to bring presents
to the Bonham School party for exceptional children Tuesday. That was just fine with
Tonya Childs, in wheelchair at left; Doug Musick, and Jimmy Allan. Shirley Sowell, left,
special education teacher, and Mrs. Guy Shaw, volunteer worker, were happy too. (Staff
photo by Don Hutcheson) ..cuannmixyon
23P
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The Abilene Reporter-News (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 73, No. 190, Ed. 2 Wednesday, December 23, 1953, newspaper, December 23, 1953; Abilene, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1649385/m1/1/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Abilene Public Library.