EXTENSION HEAD—
(Continued from Page 1)
graduating student. Ho also re
ceived the Atlee Burpee award
for the outstanding agricultural
student. Director Hollist was in
Palmer Monday to help Blue out
line his program of work in the
district.
Four years in the army, spent
mostly in Alaska, preceded Mr.
Blue's academic work at the Uni
versity. He was stationed at Point
Hope above the Arctic Circle
where he worked in a weather
out-post station. His former home'
was near Dayton. Ohio.
Mr. Blue will bring his v.ife
and two-months'-old son to Pal-1
mer as soon as he can locate liv
ing quarters. They are living n
Homer now.
Lester Cagey About Plans
Parker Lester was somewhat j
cagey about his plans for the fu- j
ture. but there were implications 1
drawn from his remarks indicat
ing that he would soon be back'
in the harness of the salaried;
official.
“I’m not even going to think J
about it." he said. “Right now I
want to spend all my time on my ,
own work. I have a house to fin-1
ish here in Palmer which will
take at least a month or two. i
After that there will be plenty
of time to think about something
else.”
Work Here Lauded
Extension Director Lynn Hollist
lauded the work done by Lester
as District Agricultural Agent.
Until March 1 of this year his
district covered all the Matanus- j
ka Valley, Chugiak, Anchorage, |
and Kenai Peninsula areas.
“He has contributed much to
the agricultural progress in the
Valley,” Mr. Hollist said.
His work here has included
projects under the ACP program
including payments for land
clearing, soil building, and ter
racing. Dairy projects and educa-'
tional work in all phases of agri-.
culture have received much of *
his attention during his five-year
stay here. He helped to organize
the Matanuska Valley Planning
Committee, the local representa
tive of the Alaska Agricultural
Planning Committee.
Under Mr. Lester, the Exten
sion Service agricultural program
emphasis turned from gardening
and club work to agriculture on
a commercial scale, coinciding
with the emergence of agriculture
as one of the most important fac
tors in Alaska’s economy. Under
him, also, Field Day and Farm
and Home Week became local
events eagerly anticipated each
year.
Until Miss Lashbrook was add
ed to the local staff three years
ago, Mr. Lester supervised all
4-H clubwork in the Valley. He
worked with 4-H boys in their
projects until this year.
Lew Hanks said that Lester has
always cooperated with the Soil
Conservation Service and helped
in getting the conservation pro
gram into the Valley. “I’m sorry
to see him go,” Lew added.
Before coming to Palmer in Oc
tober, 1946, Mr. Lester worked as
journeyman machinist for the
Alaska Railroad. Previous to that
time he had done Extension work
in Wyoming where he had known
Don L. Irwin and former Exten
sion Director Lorin T. Oldroyd.
Karen Bryant returned Tues
day from her first trip Outside
with the Neal Wrights. She will
start working at the fountain in
Bert’s Drug.
TUESDAY SLAYING
(Continued from Page 1)
local barber shop and Warnei
thought he heard a noise*.
“He started kicking the door
down”, Glenn added.
After that Glenn, according tc
his own statement went in search
of the shop's owner. Unsucccsful
he entered the telephone office
and tried to call the marshal. H(
claimed he called everyone he
thought of and left the telephone
office.
Upon interruption by Bouwens
Glenn admitted that he mighi
have been sleeping part of the
time, that he was somewhat con
fused because he had been drink
ing. Subsequent testimony b>
Bouwens established that he hac
contacted the deputy about 4:3(
a. m. to tell him about the break
in. Glenn stated that he left the
telephone office about 6:30 a. m
and got his car started by bein.£
pushed, and then went out to tht
small house he has made his home
for the past few months.
As he got out of his car and
prepared to enter the back door
Glenn said, Dave Warner called
to him from a shed where he
stood in the open window warn
ing him not to go into the house
that he’d just shot Minnie.
“Then he told me to get the
lav,” Glenn asserted.
Glenn’s car battery was dowr
and the car wouldn’t start, so he
walked to his former home where
George McNeese now lives. Mc
Neese drove Glenn to the home ol
Deputy Marshal Bouwens where
Glenn reported what had happen
ed.
Bouwens, his son-in-law John
Linnebur, McNeese and Glenn
then returned to the Glenn place
According to testimony the men
called for Warner, but received nc
reply
Bill Bouwens entered the
back door of the house first,
followed by Glenn and Linne
bur. According to Bouwens, the
body was lying on a bed at the
right of the door. He told the
others that the woman was
dead.
Asked about guns in the house
Glenn told Bouwens that there
were three: a Winchester 30.0f
model 70 rifle, a 12 gauge shol
gun and a 300 rifle which belong
ed to Gus Schieble. Investigation
revealed that the Winchester 30.06
was missing. Glenn said that i1
had been loaded with five shells
Four shells were taken from the
murder weapon when it was ex
amined in court Tuesday.
Bouwens climbed upstairs intc
the loft bedroom to make sure
that Warner was not hiding there
The bed hadn’t been slept in. Out
side the house Bouwens called
for Warner again. When there
was no answer, the party left th:
place to get more help for a
search.
Rounding up a member of the
Highway Patrol, U. S. Commis
sioner Dorothy Saxton, and A1
Saxton, the group returned to the
house to begin a patrol of the
area in the immediate vicinity.
Residents in the area were warn
ed that Warner might be roaming
about with a loaded rifle.
After the area had been patrol
led the second time word was re
ceived that Warner was walking
down the road near the Victor
Loyer farm.
Warner offered no resistance
when apprehended by Bouwens.
According to Bouwen’s state
ment, he asked Warner what had
happened, did he kill Minnie?
Warner’s reply was somewhat
incoherent. Warner said he didn’t
know, that he’d had no intention
! of killing her. He said he found
himself wandering in the woods
with a rifle. ,
What did you do with the
rifle?'* Bouwens asked. Warner
said he put it next to the house.
Again Bouwens asked Warner,
“Did you kill her?" This time
Warner said he didn’t know, but
he'd intended to. He said if Ted
sard he’d done it. he probably
had; but he didn't remember it.
Warner was picked up about
8:30 a.m. and was brought in
custody of the deputy marshal tc
: the U. S. Commissioner’s office
where Bouwens signed a com
plaint.
This account was corroborated
in statements made by Glenn.
Bouwens, Linnebur, and Tom
Roberts.
After hearing all testimony
under oath the case was held over
to the District Court. Acting U.
S. Marshal Irwin Metcalf took
the prisoner in custody and trans
ported him to the Federal jail in
I Anchorage where he will be held
without bail to answer charges oi
murder in the first degree.
Coroner's Inquest
A Coroner’s inquest by U. S.
Commissioner Dorothy Saxton in
her office followed the court hear
ing at 11:30 a.m. to determine the
cause of death. Hastily summoned
■ as inquest jurors were Lew Hanks,
Mrs. Rusty Dow, Mrs. Frances
Plack, William Head, Delbert An
derson, and Harry Ryan. Acting
U. S. Marshal of the Third Dis
trict Irwin A. MetCalf was pres
ent at the inquest Tuesday.
The jurors heard statements by
Bouwens, Glenn, and Roberts re
peating substantially the same
testimony given in the Commis
sioner’s Court inquiry a short
time before.
With Dr. John E. Perry, who
acted as medical examiner, the
jurors visited the scene of the
crime and examined the body,
the house was a small one-room
structure approximately 18 feet
square with a small loft room
above reached by a stairway. The
shed from which Warner called
Glenn was about 125 feet away.
According to the statement of
the medical examiner, the body
as viewed shortly after noon
Tuesday, revealed that death
occurred about five hours pre
viously. Rigor mortis had not
set in.
His full statement was as fol
lows: “I found the unclothed
body of a white woman approx
imately 50 years of age lying on
her left side with both thighs
in a semi-flexed position, her
left arm lying flat on the bed in a
flexed position, and the right arm
lying across the abdomen—she
was in a sleeping position.
"In this position, the entire
scalp was lying anterior, com
pletely covering her face. The
entire occipital, parietal, and
posterior portion of the temporal
bone were completely avulsed.
The cranial cavity was complete
ly devoid of brain tissue. Cause
of death: a gunshot wound en
tering slightly above the lip at
the left side of the nose. There
was no evidence of powder
burns."
The jurors returned to the Com
missioner’s office about 1 p.m.
Five minutes later, jury spokes
man William Head announced
that the jurors had reached a un
animous verdict. Minnie Hargett
Barnes had met death on July 17
from a gunshot wound in the
head.
After the inquest, Mrs. Barnes’
body was removed to the An
chorage Funeral Chapel.
Mrs. Barnes came to the Valley
several months ago from Tok
Junction, it is believed. Little is
Bicycle Prize Offered 1
In Contest; Open
To All Valley Kids
Contest rules and information
are available to all Valley young
j folk who plan to enter the sub
scription contest, sponsored by
| the Valley Frontiersman.
A complete. Deluxe B. F. Good
rich bicycle, including horn, light,
carrier and other accessories, will
he awarded to some ambitious
youngster at the close of the con
test. September 8, 1951.
Scheduled to start Monday.
July 23. the contest is open to
any high school or grade school
boy or girl living in the Mata
nuska Valley, with the exception
of employees of the Valley Fron
! tiersman or their relatives.
The bicycle will be on display
at the Valley Frontiersman office,
i along with subscription blanks
I and a score card where contest
; ants will be able to watch then
standing in the contest. Come on
in and register now. youngsters.
WHO HIT WHOM
Young John E. Brown took ex
ception this week with a quota
tion attributed to him in last
week’s paper. The statement “If
I’d had time to back up two feet
further, we wouldn’t have hit
him”, if correctly quoted should
have ended “we wouldn’t have
been hit”.
A review of the accident de
tails as related in the story re
veals that John is quite right on
the grounds of ordinary logic. Al
tho|:h it could be assumed that
either driver hit the other in the
case of a collision of two cars
each moving toward the other,
this was not the case. John had
his car moving in reverse when
the approaching car hit him on
his own side of the road.
John showed commendable
presence of mind in the face of an
emergency when he quickly stop
ped his car and threw it into re
verse.
known about her except that she
enjoyed dancing and was as agile
at it as a teen ager. She is sur
vived by a 16-year-old grandson,
Richard Barnes, v.ho lives in the
* Valley.
Copper Center
and Trading Post
Center of Good Hunting and Fishing
Lodging - Meals - Bar and Liquor Store
Home Comforts and Old-Time
Alaskan Hospitality
Mile 103 Richardson Hiway
14 Miles South of Glenn Hiway Junction
OWNED AND OPERATED BY KATHERINE AND
GEORGE ASHBY
ft
I
:iTY WATER
was rejected likewise because of ^
high costs involved. The system
recommended bv Bourne Associ
; ites and accepted by the council
taps Wasilla Creek approximately
one mile west of Brazil Springs
As finally accepted, deep wells
will not be included in the sys
tem.
According to the engineers’ re
port. the cost of the system is
estimated at $587,590. including a
completely rebuilt distribution
system within the incorporated
city limits. Following is a descrip
tion of the water system planned
taken from the above report: k
“The supply system is proposed
to consist of an intake structure
on Wasilla Creek at an elevation
of 425 feet above mean sea level;
a 16-inch diameter continuous
wood stave pipe line, through
which the water would flow by
gravity, leading from the intake
to an impending reservoir of 250,
000 gallon capacity located ap
proximately 6,000 feet from Pal
mer at an elevation of 350 feet
above M.S.L.; and then a 16-inch
diameter continuous wood stave
pipe line carrying the water by i
gravity from the reservoir to the
distribution system in the city
limits. At a point on the transmis
sion line just before it joins the
distribution system, it is proposed
to install a chlorinator; and. for
use at times during maximum
sure than that induced by gravity
fire demand when a greater pres
may be required, it is proposed
to install a combination gasoline
and electric motor driven booster
pump. The transmission line is4
proposed to be installed at a depth
of eight feet below ground level
and to be provided with pressure
release valves and vents where
required.”
Detailed analysis of the initial
construction cost, less the 50 per
cent to be received through APW
funds, revealed that revenues
from the system will amortize the
local share of the cost within a
30-year period.
In addition to the water sys
tem, a plan was accepted to pro
vide for extending the present
sewer system at a cost of $102,
825. The council voted to submit
applications to Alaska Public
Works for funds to finance these 4
projects.