Fire Association
Revived By Board
(Continued from Page 1)
It was estimated that a sturdy,
roomy and adequate fire station,
erected over a nine foot solid
concrete basement, could be com
pleted for $10,000. Mr. Hagen
pointed out that this sum is not
prohibitive, when considered in
terms of labor and material, as
well as cash.
Need 400 $25
“We have a crying need for a
fire department here,” he said.
“And more than that, we need
a planning organization, and we
need a building for our equip
ment. I believe that there are 400
residents in this valley who are
civic-minded enough to donate
$25 in cash, labor or material for
our fire hall. That’s all it would
take to make the $10,000.”
Some donors already have
made contributions io the
fund. Excavation for the base
ment on. lots donated by the
Alaska Reconstruction and Re
habilitation Corp., has begun.
Bryant & Hartley are in charge
of that work, and they have
agreed to donate equipment
and time, charging only for the
oil used by digging equipment.
That contribution will amount
to $100 worth of work.
Ketchikan Spruce Mills
have offered $100 worth of
material. So has A1 King. Kos
losky's store has promised 25
sacks of cement. The Mata
nuska Valley bank has "given
$50 in cash.
D. M. Freight Lines will do
all local trucking for the pro
ject without cost. Miles Hyland
has offered $50 in cash. Steve
Ward will give cement and
building materials.
Valley Concrete Products
have offered to deliver six
loads of sand and gravel. A. H.
Curtis will run all survey lines
for the project without cost.
Others Can. Give
Other Valley residents will be
New Releases
TODAY
AND MIMI
(Dinning Sisters)
ALMOST LIKE BEING IN
LOVE
(Jo Stafford)
THE BACK WANDS BONG
(Smilin' Ed McCoimel)
I MISS YOU SO
(Lionel Hampton Sextet)
RAGGEDY ANN'S SUNNY
SONGS
. (Frank Luther)
The
RECORD SHOP
423 "D" Street
Hartley Bros. Motor Co.
Alaska Owned and Operated
PRECISION REBUILT ENGINES
FORD V-8 95 - 100
CHEVROLET HI TORQUE
HADEES HOT WATER HEATERS
For Easy Starting Thi^ Winter
Use BARDAHL Oil
—-60 Pour Point
TUNE UP LUBRICATION
OUR -SPECIALTY
VALLEY PEOPLE TESTIFY
IN KEITH MURDER CASE
Dark slightly-built Wilbur E.
Keith, whose chief concern ac
cording to an FBI agent seemed
to be that his mother might get
worried, was still being held in
Ihe federal jail at Anchorage
today on a charge of murder in
the first degree.
Keith allegedly killed Melvin
Beckwith with a hunting knife
nate as they see fit. Those who
given their opportunity to do
wish to give cash to the project
may bring the money to Jack
Maze of the Matanuska Valley
Bank, who will issue duplicate
deposit receipts for the contribu
tion. Donors who wish to pur
chase necessary materials may j
make those purchases either at j
the Trading Post, Ketchikan:
Spruce Mills or at Valley Con
crete Products.
Residents who wish to give la
bor to the project should contact
A1 Hagen for details of the work
program.
It was agreed at the board
meeting on Tuesday that the pro
ject should be pushed urgently
within the next weeks for foun
dation work on the basement
must be completed within a
month.
Plug in Ads
The directors asked that all
businessmen in the Valley do
their part in the campaign by
inserting a boost for the plan in
their newspaper advertising. Ads
carried in local papers will be
gin their fire association adver
tising next Wednesday.
Other methods of financing the
project were discussed. Jack
Maze and Bernie Bouwens were
named as a committee to investi
gate the possibility of fire asso
ciation sponsorship of punch
boards for a percentage of the
returns.
Steve Ward and A1 Hagen
were named to a committee to
look into possibilities of a dance. |
Bingo on. Saturdays
Jack Maze was named to plan
for a series of Bingo games. Mr.
Maze has announced Nov. 1 as
the date of the first game. Bingo
will be played in the Valley. The
atre, and will commence at 9
o’clock.
All show patrons will be clear
ed from the theatre before the
game starts. Admission to the
game will'be open only to those
who purchase Bingo,cards at the
theatre box-office.
The meeting then recessed
until next'Monday evening at
8 -o'clock. Members of the
board of directors of the fire
association will then meet
again in the American Legion
clubrooms. Valley resident/
interested in fire department .
plans are invited to attend.
last Feb. 6 next to Trent’s Re
sort on the Wasilla-Palmer high
way.
The case, discussed at great
length by Palmer and Valley
residents, came to trial this week
in Anchorage. A jury which in
cluded 10 women and two men
debated 24 hours and could not
reach a verdict. The jurors could
have found the young soldier
guilty of murder in the first or
in the second degree or guilty
of manslaughter. Or they could
have acquitted him. Evidently
one or more jurors held out for
acquital and the jury was hung.
Valley Testimony
A new trial must be held. All
the evidence which introduced
must again be heard. This will
include'testimony by Palmer and
Valley residents.
The government had based its
case against the youth on his
confession given to the FBI and
on the testimony of one star
witness, the taxi driver.
Keith had told several persons
that he had slain Beckwith, but
in self defense. He maintained
that he used the knife after
Beckwith had got “him up
against the back of the cab” and
kicked him in the groin with
his knee.
Keith had admitted that he
had knocked Beckwith down
with a punch, kicked him in the
shoe and told him to get up and
continue the fight.
The casualness of Keith im
pressed both Mrs. Walter E.
Huntley and Hubert Gilligan of
the Territorial Highway Patrol.
Testifying at the trial held this
week in the third district court
in Anchorage, Mrs. Huntley ex
plained that the young soldier
had been brought into the com
missioner’s court in Palmer
in the afternoon of Feb. 6 and a
warrant charging him with as
sault with a deadly weapon
sworn out.
There was no indication Keith
had been drinking, Mrs. Huntley
testified. “I just killed a man,”
she quoted him as saying bland
ly
Not Reluctant
Keith’s counsel, Attorney Bill
Renfrew, asked Mrs. Huntley on
cross-examination whether she
meant that he bragged about the
deed.
’Not exactly bragging,” saic
the acting commisisoner, “bul
not reluctant to say so.’*
Gilligan, whose patrol takes
him from Palmer to Tok junc
tion, testified that Keith admit
ted “he had killed a man al
Trent’s place.” “He seemed te
want to talk about it,” the high
way patrolman maintained. Gil
ligan testified that Keith ad
rrtitted cutting Beckwith in thr
throat twice with the knife aftei
they had quarreled over the cat
fare.
“I thought he was cold sober,’
Gilligan said. There was nothing
to indicate that Keith had beer
up all night, he told Attorney
Bill Renfrew of Anchorage
Keith’s counsel.
“Didn’t he ask for a doctor?’
A
FRIDAY. SATURDAY
“GUN SMOKE MESA”
Dave O'Brien Jim Newell
News Cartoon Musical
. SUNDAY. MONDAY
“It All Came True”
Ann Sheridan, Jeffrey Lynn.
Humphrey Bogart
NEWS
SCENIC
Attend Friday's show and-win
a-month's subscription to the
Valley Frontiersman
VALLEY
THEATRE
Valley Visitors
At the Lodge:
Bob Cordiev, Fairbanks; Clif
ford Forsberg, Palmer; Einar
Olson, Eska; John Deck, James
Stikeleather, Fort Richardson;
Harvey Solberg, Palmer; Row
ena Baird, Anchorage; A1 Hays,
Frank Steele, Hal Junso, James
Holman, Anchorage.
Ray Avant, Anchorage; Wayne
Kuoppola, Palmer; R. G. Mc
Kinley, Robert Charolin, Anchor
age; Johnny Teague, Charles Ise
man, Palmer; R. McGee, Shemya;
Joe Nunn, George Tanier, Eska.
dered him to throw the knife
away.
Clubs Soldier
When Keith turned around,
Bloom clubbed the soldier with
the stock of the rifle, knocking
him down and breaking the
stock.
“At least we’ve proved that
Keith has got a hard head,’’ Ren
frew told the jury when he
made his closing arguments.
After Keith had been knocked
down, and Bloom tied him up
with a rope, the cab driver
hailed a passing car. It was driv
en by Mrs. Walter Zeile. She
first drove to Palmer, seeking
the marshal, and then returned
and drove Bloom and Beckwith
to Palmer and the custody of the
local authorities.
Renfrew inquired.
There developed then a con
troversey between Renfrew and
Giiligan over whether Keith had
asked for the doctor, and whe
ther Keith had complained that
he was hurt.
Had Headache
“Are you trying to railroad
the man,” Renfrew accused Gil
ligan . . . “Tell the jury what
happened,” he admonished.
Giiligan said that Keith did
complain of a headache.
A sworn statement taken
from Dr. David Hoehn, formerly
of Palmer, was introduced as
evidence on stipulation of both
sides. The doctor made a brief
examination of Keith when the
youth was under guard in the
Palmer postoffice. His statement
said that in his opinion the boy
was both normal physically as
well as mentally.
Robert Bloom, the taxi driver
who took Keith and Beckwith
to Trent’s Resort, testified that
he ditched the cab deliberately
near George Black’s residence
on the Palmer-Wasilla highway
after Keith and Beckwith had
fought the fatal fight.
Bloom went into the house
and explained that he wanted a
rifle. He was given a 30.06 and
when Keith came up, he leveled
the rifle at the youth and or
Hospital
Ins and Outs •
Recently. admitted patients to
the Valley hospital this week
were
Donna Reberchek, Gloria
Crousore and Mrs. Everett
Yohn of Palmer, Charles Rous
seau of Matanuska and Einar
Johnson of Glen Allen.
Delores McNevins, who recent
ly had her appendix removed,
returned to her home.
Meeting Date Changed
The Riverbend HomemakS's
club has switched meeting.dates,
it was announced this week by
Mrs. Barbee Faurie, treasurer.
The meeting has been advanced
from Oct. 28 to Oct. 23. The
club still will meet at the home
of Mrs. C. J. Collier.
Shower Honors
Mrs. Johnson
Mrs. Rodney Johnson of Sut
ton was honor guest at a stork
shower given last week by Mrs.
Austin Carroll and Mrs. D. W.
Boulter. The shower was held
at Mrs. Carroll’s home on the
Glenn Highway.
Invited guests were Mrs. Har
vey Hiber and Mrs. Robert Tuck
er of Eska, Mrs. Sherman Crosby
of Palmer, and Mrs. William
Gulbranson, Mrs. A1 Brager,
Mrs. James McPherson, Mrs.
John Zetmeir and Mrs. Darrell
Callison.
Revenue Stamps Are Here
Revenue stamps, previously
unavailable in Palmer, are now
purchasable in the postoit'ice,
Mrs. Walter Huntley announced
this week. These stamps must be
affixed to -all land transfer
papers.
Death Takes
Joe Brassel
(Continued from page 1)
low Creek area. At one time he
had filed on a homestead near
Wasilla, but gave it up to return
to prospecting.
Although survived by no liv
ing relatives in Alaska. Mr. Bras
sel leaves many friends in Wa
silla to mourn his passing. His
brother Fred preceded him in
death several years a^o.
In the states, Mr. Brassel
leaves two sisters—Mrs. Ada
Burton of Detroit, and Mrs. Min
nie Murphy. He also is survived
by a niece in Keyspport, Pa.
The body was ta:cen to An
chorage for burial.
FOR THE . .
LATEST and BEST ,
in
HARDWARE, HOUSEWARE, PAINT,
and SPORTING GOODS
SEE...
KENNEDY HARDWARE
Anchorage
Savings Dollar Store
Chlorinated Lime in bulk
Commercial and family size
Electric Refrigerators
Steel Wool in quantity
Savings Dollar Store
Open Daily 10 a. m. — 9 p. m.
5th Ave. at East G St. Green 730 Anchorage