INQUEST IN DEATH
OF WARD CHILDREN
HELD HERE TODAY
(Continued from Page One)
at room No. 5 and when the smoke
and flames cleared a little he saw
that the door was partly opened
He said with the door frame, so
badly burned, the force of the water
from the hose could have pushed
the door ajar.
Fire In Unoccupied Room
John L. Johnston, a roomer in
the hotel, testified that he occu
pied room No. 15 at the end of the
hall from the stairhead on the se
cond story of the building, and that
he was awakened by the smell of
smoke in the room and aroused
his roommate Stanley Bower and
asked him whether he had left a
cigarette burning. Stanley, he said,
replied no, that he had no cig
arettes.
Johnson said he then opened the
door into the hall and found it a
mass of smoke. He went up the
hall to the lavatory he said, think
ing someone may have thrown a
lighted cigarette in the refuse can
there. As he passed room No. 10, he
saw through the transom, the win
dow of which was broken, and
streaks of Tames. He opened the
door, which he said was unlocked,
and found the room a flaming mass.
Johnson said he then rushed up the
hall pounding on the doors and
calling to arouse the roomers. He
returned to his room to assist Bow
ers, who is blind in one eye, to the
stairway and started him down the
stairs. He then turned back down
the hall to again pound on the
roomer’s doors. He said the flames
had broken through the w'all of
room No. 10 to the hallway and he
was driven back by fire and smoke.
He went down the front stairs to the
first floor and pounded on the door
of Gladys Stanley, caretaker and
aroused her and then attempted to
go upstairs but was forced back by
the flames which by that time swept
the stairway, so he went out into
the street.
Gladys Stanley, caretaker of the
hotel, said her room was on the
ground floor to the right of the
entrance to the building. She said
she was awakened by someone,
whom she later learned was Louis
Johnson, a roomer, pounding on
1 her door. She said when she en
tered the front vestibule from her
room the stairway was a mass of
flames and smoke and she was
driven back when she attempted
to ascend the stairs to determine
whether all roomers had escaped.
Miss Stanley said room 10 was
used as a storeroom and was kept
locked with a padlock. She said
she knew th'e room was locked at
10:30 o’clock the previous evening
when she made her rounds, as was
her habit each night, to determine
that all unoccupied rooms were
locked. She said, however, that the
locks had often been taken off and
the door frames where they were
secured had been weakened. Rooms
16. 6 and 14 were unoccupied at the
j time of the fire the caretaker said.
Roar of Flames
Sig Aspen who occupied room No.
3, at the front of the building said
he was awakened by smoke and a
sound of roaring and on opening
his door found the hallway filled
with smoke and flames which seem.
ed to come from near the end of
the hall. He said he pounded on
the doors of rooms No. 1, 2 and 4,
and then went down the stairs and
across the Street to the City Cafe
and put in a fire alarm call.
Aspen said he helped Miss Stanley
in the hotel with the cleaning work
and he testified that- the caretaker
kept all unoccupied rooms and No.
10 which was used as a storeroom,
locked. He said he had not noticed
on the night prior to the fire wheth
er or not room No. 10 was padlocked.
Jumped From Window
Otto Larson testified that he oc
cupied room No. 8 and was awaken
ed by the crackling of flames. He
opened his door and saw the hall
filled with flames and smoke. The
flames he said seemed to be con
centrated near the front of the
building around the head of the
stairwell. He said he went to the
back of the building where he did
not find so much fire and escaped
through the window of one of the
I rooms, Jumping to the ground in an
alley.
Tried To Reach Children
Archie Tatum said he occupied
room No. 17, in a wing of the hotel
building. He said Louise Ward,
mother of the dead children, was
in the room with him when he was
aroused by a crackling noise. He
said he aroused Mrs. Ward and then
opened the door and was met by
a rush of smoke which filled his
room, nearly overcoming its tw'o
inmates. Tatum said he made his
way to the window and threw it
open and immediately flames from
the hallway swept through the open
door into the room. .
Tatum testified he said to Mrs.
Ward, “Let’s go get the kids,” and
they both attempted to get into the
hallway but were driven back by the
flames. He said he then went to
the window and worked to loosen
a wire mesh which was nailed over
it. Mrs. Ward still fought to get
through the doorway and was ser
iously burned. Tatum said he freed
the window and fell out then had
to run up an incline alongside the
building and reach in and pull Mrs.
Ward through the window, she be
ing unable by then to help herself.
Tatum said he believed Mrs. Ward
had put her children to bed about
9:30 o'clock the previous evening
He said he did not see her put a
padlock on their door.
Worth Graves who occupied room
No. 2 at the front of the building
said he was awakened by hearing
someone call “fire” and went out
of the room to find the hall full of
fire. He went down the stairs and
also pounded on the door of the
| caretaker he said.
—
JURIES TO BE DRAWN
FOR JANUARY COURT TERM
Clerk cf the Court J W. Leiverr
sa!d today the names fur the grant*
and petit juries for the January
term of court to be held in Ju
neau will be drawn before the
I Court leaves for Anchorage tomor
row afternoon.
FROM SEATTLE
George P. Schmidt cf Seattle if
stopping at the Baranof Hotel.
WANT ADS BRING RESULTS
SE/ .E PICKETS
'H \ND-RUN' IN
1 PHONE STRIKE
SEATTLE, Nov. 14—(Jt—Striking
Western Electric Company workers
continued their "hit-and-run” pick
eting of Pacific Telephone and Tele
graph Company installations today.
But initial reports indicated the
slim force of strikers had shaved
their activity to but a fraction of
Monday's widespread picketing.
Strikers paraded in front of four
exchanges and a repair shop for
mobile equipment in Seattle.
They appeared also at Centralia,
considered to be a key long distance
center.
JUNEAU ROTARIANS
OBSERVE FIFTEENTH
CLUB ANNIVERSARY
Two clever “acts” were offered by
Neil Fritchman, as program chair
man, in celebration of Juneau Ro
tary Club’s 15th anniversary at a
regular luncheon meeting at the
Baranof Hotel this noon.
Bill Ellis gave a humorous take
off on a financial report to the
club in which everything was at
sixes and sevens, winding up with
deficit of “several thousand dollars.”
Dr. Ted Oberman gave a “learned"
discussion as an ex-leader of the
Los Angeles “Temple of Joy,” leav
ing his listeners more confused than
when he began.
Past presidents of the club and
charter members were honored verb
ally. They were: Howard Stabler, Dr.
William Whitehead. Rod Darnell,
Harold Foss, Herb Hillerman, Ed
Keithahn, Charles Carter and Bob
Akervick, and Charter Member
Jack Burford. Past presidents Tom
Dyer and Don Skuse were not pre
sent.
Guests were George Schmidt and
C. H. McDonald of the Columbia
Lumber Co., from Seattle and C. C.
McClain of Fairbanks; Dr. Oberman
and Fred Dunn of Juneau. Carl
Weidman was a junior guest.
Eric Newbould of the traveling
library committee announced that
volunteer help in pasting labels in
the books would be appreciated.
Those wishing to help* are asked
to meet at 7:30 tomorrow night at
the Forest Service warehouse.
DOCTOImHDNAPER
TO PLEAD INSANITY
ALBUQUERQUE, N. M. Nov. 14—
(JD—Temporary insanity will be the
defense plea of Dr. Nancy Camp
bell in the kidnaping of 9-year-old
Linda Stamm, her lawyer said to
day.
The lawyer, former State Supreme
Court Justice A. L. Zinn, told a re
porter this was “the obvious plea in
this case—there is no question about
it.”
His disclosure came as state and
federal agents studied unpaid bills,
growing debts and threatened evic
tion in probing activties of Dr.
Campbell, Yale-trained 43-year-old
physician.
Non-Military Use
Alumnium Slashed
Beginning Jan. 1
WASHINGTON, Nov. 15 — UFl —
The government today slashed the
non-military use of aluminum by
about 35 per cent starting in Jan
uary.
William H. Harrison, administra
tor of the National Production Au
thority announced the order at a
news conference.
He said the order “very likely”
will cause some unemployment in
particular factories but he would
expect that industry would have
seme opportunity to prepare before
January and use some substitutes
for aluminum.
Kansas has had more recorded
tornadoes than any other state
according to the National Geo
graphic Society.
Christmas is nearly upon us, and in
anticipation of your buying needs
and the necessity of s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g
your Christmas Budget, we carry on
an old Stevens custom. Each year
at this time we offer you a super
Pre-Christmas special such as the
lovely Judy Bond blouses. Please
accept our invitation to drop in.
xx
Shopping Pays
Hill Christmas!
Bennett of Oklahoma
Will Head Truman's
Poinf Four Program
WASHINGTON, Nov. 14— UP! —
President Truman today appointed
Dr. Henry Garland Bennett, Pre
sident of Oklahoma A. and M.. to
direct the Point Four program of
aid to under-privileged areas of the
world.
Bennett will be administrator of
the technical cooperation adminis
tration in the Department of State.
That agency handles Point Four and
certain other programs, including
inter-American affairs.
As Point Four head, Bennett will
succeed M. Waynick, Ambassador
to Nicaragua, who has been acting
administrator since May.
The “Point Four” program Is de
signed to provide technical aid to
other nations for development of
their agriculture, health and edu
cation.
War Vel Finds
Hunting Deadly
As Battlefield
WALLA WALLA, Wash., Nov. 14
j — UPl—Jac Thompson, thrice wound
| ed during World War II, was
j knocked down and grazed by two
| bullets from a hunter’s rifle Sat
i urday but noted a difference.
“You don’t figure on getting it
| out here,” said Thompson.
Thompson was stalking an elk
I through brush when the first bul
i let hit his packsack. spinning him
\ around and knocking him down.
! As he started to rise the second
i bullet cut a long, burning scar up
| his left cheek.
The man who fired the shots
was not apprehended.
FRENCH ARE
RETREATING
INDOCHINA
SAIGON, Indo-China, Nov. 14—10
—French forces made further with
drawals today on the far north
west frontier in the face of mount
ing pressure from Communist-lea
Vietminh troops.
Oilicials reported French troops
garrisoning the territory near the
Communist Chinese border have
evacuated the mountain positions
of Phongtho and Binhlu in a gen
eral withdrawal southwestward.
| They are taking up positions on a
! new defense line cast of the Black
I River.
VISITNG DAUGHTER
Mrs. C. T. Rcscoe of Everett ;
Wash., arrived here Sunday to
spend two months with her daugh
ter and son-in-law, Mr. and Mrs.
Pier.neth Kadow of West Juneau.
WANT ADS BRING RESULTS
GENUINE
OLD STYLE
SOUR MACH
KENTUCKY
STRAIGHT
BOURBON
WHISKEY
BONDED
ICO PROOF
WITZE 1-WEllER BISTllURT. INC.. ImIjvum, Kf
Distributed throughout. Alaska
by ODOM COMPANY
SCHWINN BIKES AT MADSEN'S
EYES EXAMINED LENSES PRESCRIBED g
| BR. D. D. MABQUARBT g
OPTOMETRIST ==
~ Second and Franklin Juneau zzz
~ PHONE 506 FOR APPOINTMENTS ~
4 ■ li-'i—in, ' .".~ ~
j ELLIS AUK LINES
DAILY TRIPS JUNEAU TO KETCHIKAN
via Petersburg and Wrangell
With connections to Craig, Klawock and Hydaburg
Convenient afternoon departures, at 2:30 P. M.
FOR RESERVATIONS PIIQNE G12
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: Phone 877 ^