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The Kenai Peninsula
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OCTOBER 13, mi
10c PER COPY
_NUMBER 50
querying of Witnesses in
Soldotna Bar Owner’s
Murder to Take Place Sat.
T— A.— -
“‘cmuKuuun oi several wit
nesses and suspects in the mur
<ier death of Jack Edward Grif
fiths, 39, Soldotna, will take
place Saturday according to
Wa.vne F. Morgan, Alaska state
trooper.
During the interrogation these
suspects and witnesses will be
given polygraph tests, more com
monly known as lie detector
tests, Morgan said. The trooper,
stationed at Kenai, is one of the
state police investigators current
ly working on the case.
Griffiths was co-owner of Cir
cus Bar situated two miles east
of the Soldotna “Y” on the Ster
ling highway, whose bludgeon
cieath was discovered Sunday in
his quonset hut home behind the
oar.
I irst reports of the crime were
that Griffiths had been shot but
^ate police say those reports
were erroneous and that Griffiths
was beaten to death. Tt appar
ently was homicide, officers stat
ed, although the possibility of
death by accident has not been
completely ruled out.
In a telephone conversation on
Friday with Sgt. Ed Dankworth,
who is in charge of the Investi
gation Section, Western Div., Al
aska State Police, at Anchorage,
the Cheechako News was inform
ed that no apprehensions have
been made to date and no charges
filed.
Sgt. Dankworth said that Jim
Bush of Soldotna, who was
picked up on another charge and
who was reportedly in the vicin
ity at the time of the homicide,
was questioned and his statement
taken. He was later released
with no charges being filed
against him the officer said.
Persons in the area of the
Circus Bar said that Griffiths
objected to Bush’s attentions to
one of Griffiths’ daughters and
that the two men had an argu
ment.
Early reports of the slaying
also were that Griffiths’ body
was discovered by Arvin Diggs,
a customer who is said to have
told police that Griffiths was to
have installed a heater in Diggs’
car the previous day. Griffiths,
who came to Alaska in 1946, had
worked as an automobile body
and mechanics man most of the
time since his arrival in the
state.
According to a recent report,
the body was found by Steve
Henry King, pa/if owner in the
( ire us Bar. King said he found
the body at 12:40 p.rn. Sunday
and the victim was lying in his
bed_ in his quonset hut home.
King is reported to have said
Griffiths had been drinking the
previous night and that he (King)
had taken Griffiths’ wife and
children to his own home in Ke
nai.
According to Morgan, Grif
fiths is belived to have been
dead in excess of six hours at
the time his death was discov
ered. His body was taken to An
chorage where an autopsy re
vealed he died as result of a
blow or blows of great force
which caused multiple fractures
of his skull. The presumed mur
der weapon has not thus far
been discovered.
Griffiths was born on Nov. 7,
1922, at Salt Lake City, Utah.
He was married on June 3, 1942
at Santa Ana, Calif., to Alice E.
McDonald, who survives him at
the home near Soldotna.
Other survivors include the
couple’s five daughters and one
son, who are Mirs. Rhoda Den
brock of Big Delta, and Teela,
Delores, Lou Ellen, Jacqueline
and John Griffiths, all of the
home address.
Funeral services for the vic
tim were still pending at noon
Friday. Tentative arrangements
are for the rites to be sometime
Saturday or Monday, place of
services not as yet announced.
Keith Fuhriman, branch pres
ident of the Kenai branch of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Lat
ter Day Saints and the Alaskan
Canadian Mission, will officate
at. the services.
Questioning Underway
In Kenai Burning Case
Investigation into the burning
of Agrafina (Mrs. Grover) Laf
flee of Kenai on Sept. 30 is
continuing under direction of Ke
rrii Chief of Police Charles “Red”
Peavley. Mrs. Lafflee died ear
ly Oct. 4 in the Alaska Native
Service Hospital in Anchor
age without revealing how she
received the burns for which she
had been hospitalized.
Peavley said Friday that re
sults of an autopsy performed in
Anchorage gave cause of death
as being “from a blood clot which
caused heart failure.” Whether
or not he believed the heart fail
ure to be connected with the
burning, the officer declined to
comment.
“At this point,” Peavley said,
“There were only two other per
sons in the house at the time of
Mrs. Lafflee’s burning, as far as
cun be determined. Both claim to
have been too drunk to rememb
er what went on. There are sev
eral breaks in their stories.”
“Mrs. Lafflee’s burning could
have been accidental and it could
have been a deliberate attack
upon her by someone in a drunk
en stupor,”' the chief said.
Peavley said he had several
more people to interview in con
ncction with the case. Due to re
spect for the bereaved family, he
has not completed his question
ing of (relatives of the victim. He
also intends to check further into
any information friends or neigh
bors of the dead woman may
have, as it is thought that Mrs.
Lafflee may have disclosed to
someone how she was burned.
Dist. Attorney George Hayes
of Anchorage has been fully ad
vised of the facts in the case,
Peavley said, and further infor
mation will be forwairded to him
as obtained. Prosecution will de
velop if so indicated from fur
ther investigation.
Sgt. Ed Dankworth, in charge
of Investigation Section, Western
District, Alaska State Police, at
Anchorage Friday quoted the
deputy commander of the state
police as saying that the Laf
flee investigation is being car
ried on completely by Chief of
Police Peavley.
“The state police will offer as
sistance only as requested,” said
Dankworth.
Alaska Timber
In value of timber cut in na
tional forests in I960, Alaska
ranked 21st, value being $786,241.
casino fh RfCLN 1 ,JARGE unloading 1350 tons of oilfield
casmg at the Arness Terminal, located 17 miles north of Kenai
on Nik,shka Beach Road. The Terminal was built this summer,
cutting hauling costs for oilfield equipment. Arness, Jhe opera
tor, will have another barge in soon and expects to operate all
winter. Weaver Bros. Trucking Co. hauled this pipe from the
Terminal to the oilfield. Due to the fact the North Road has not
been extended, the trucks travelled 126 miles round trip where
it would have been only 28 miles round trip had the North Road
been extended.
Farmers Meeting Saturday
Drawing Good Response
Much interest is being shown
in the farmers’ meeting to be
hpld Saturday night at the Riv
erside House under sponsorship
of the area development commit
tee of the Soldotna Chamber of
Commerce, it was reported on
Thursday.
Approximately 80 reservations
from central and northern Kenai
Peninsula have been received and
more are arriving daily, accord
ing to Bertha Midyett, Chamber
secretary, and Bud Bennington,
Riverside House proprietor. At
least 100 persons, including farm
ers, their wives, and other inter
ested persons are expected to at
tend.
The dinner meeting, at $2 per
plate, is for the purpose of
forming a co-operative associa
tion and for possible establish
ment of a grain dehydrating
plant, a pelleting mill, and a com
plete feed mill for area farmers.
Leo Rhodes of Homer, state
representative for this area, and
Mrs. Rhodes will attend as guests
of Mr. and Mrs. Dick Hall. Ed
Liebenthal, district agricultural
agent from Homer, is also ex
pected. Other reservations have
been made to date from Sterl
ing, Ninilchik, Homer, Kenai,
Soldotna, Funny River Road and
Cohoe.
Officers and a temporary board
of directors are to be selected at
the meeting. Clarence Goodrich
is spearheading the C of C de
velopment committee. Homer
Swires is serving as temporary
chairman for the farmers with
Glen Moore also on the commit
tee.
Dick Midyett is chairman of
the Chamber’s committee on rur
al housing loans under the Farm
ers Home Administration and
has application blanks in his of
fice at M-K Realty for conven
ience of farmers. These rural
housing loans are vitally import
ant to the area the Chamber
feels and are issued at 100 per
cent of the loan by the govern
ment at an interest rate of 4
per cent.
A. Q. Stine, agricultural ag
ent for FHA, is coming from
Palmer on Nov. 4 to explain in
detail about these loans at the
Chamber’s luncheon.
Reservations for Saturday
night’s dinner meeting may still
be obtained from Bertha Midyett
at M-K Realty or at the River
side House.
Mrs. Midyett and Mrs. Beatrice
Lynch will be at the door as
early as 6 p.m. Saturday to issue
tickets to those making reser
vations. The meeting is set for
7 p.m.
REN AI PLANNING PROJECT
Money made available to Al
a-ba under the Urban Renewal
program since January totals
$610,407 and includes $16,001 for
advance planning in Fairbanks
of the so-called Barnette project;
$304,198 as a loan and $234,198
as a grant for the Northern
l ights project in Anchorage; $11,
310 ot the Alaska State Housing
Authority to study development
planning for Kenai and Kodiak;
and $14,700 to the same agency
for similar plans for Anchorage.
Beef Cattle
Raisers Forming
Stockmen’s Assoc.
A Peninsula-wide association
of persons interested in building
beef cattle ranches is being
formed and membership is sol
icited.
The purpose and main object
ive of this organization, w h i c h
is being called the Kenai Stock
men s Association, is to promote
ami provide ways and means for
development and marketing of
grazing resource of the Penin
tuhi. This resource, association
spokesmen point out, is almost
i<K) per cent unharvested today
as it has been year after year
in the past.
To convert this resource into
animal products all of which can
be consumed within the state, it
is proposed that members and
associate members will work to
ward this goal. Membership in
the association may be held by
producers and feeders of live
stock or by any individual who
gains hi? livelihood from the
feeding, breeding and caring for
livestock, or those interested in
cattle raising.
All persons engaged in live
stock production of any kind, or
interested, are asked to contact
the association at once, by writ
ing Homer D. Smith, Kenai
Stockmen’s Assoc., P.O. Box 1233,
Homer, Alaska.
Civil Defense
Funds Allocated
To Alaska
Under President Kennedy’s re
cent transfer of a portion of the
civil defense responsibility to the
Defense Department, the secre
tary of defense has approved $12
million in allocations to the
states for personnel and admin
istrative services.
Alaska has been allocated $44.
300, the Alaska delegation h a s
been advised. The funds are to be
matched by the state on a 50-50
basis.
Officers Elected
Kenai Power Corporation held
a meeting Oct. 5 to elect new
officers. Frank Rowley remains
president, and I.arry Lancashire
vice-president. Albert M unso n
takes the place of Helen Stetzer,
who lesigned, as secretary-treas
urer. Mr. Munson was elected
from his post as one of the di
rectors. The directors are Billy
McCann, I.eo Oberts and Louie
Nissen.
FIRST AID
MEETING NOTICE
Wednesday, October 18th
8:00 p.m.
at the Soldotna School
FOR THE PURPOSE OF ORGANIZING
First Aid Classes and an
Ambulance Corps
All interested persons in the North Kenai. Kenai.
Soldotna and Sterling areas are invited. We hope to
see each community represented.
Increase in accidents in the area has made it es
sential we have more trained first aid people.
With this training YOU may save somebody’s life.