Aged Convict
May Be Home
For Christmas
WALLA WALLA, UPi — Guido
Grassi, aged convicted murderer
who gambled the last years of his
life for a pardon, may be home
for Christmas.
Home to the 78-year-old Grassi
is Italy, a country he left 48 years
ago as a penniless immigrant.
The last 35 of those years Gras
si has spent in the Washington
State Penitentiary for murdering
three men in Aberdeen in 1923.
Grassi had been sentenced to
hang after his conviction. But the
execution was postponed after he
was judged insane.
Last September, in a bid to re
turn to his homeland, Grassi went
before a court and was declared
sane. The old death sentence was
automatically reset, this time for
12:01 a.m. tomorrow.
The move was necessary in or
der that Grassi might petition the
Governor for a pardon.
Yesterday, Grassi, who speaks
only a few words of English, was
led from^his death row cell to a
meeting with prison warden Bob
Rhay.
“Explain to him,” Rhay told an
interpreter, “that he will get a
pardon from the Governor after
three stipulations are met.”
Tears welled in Grassi’s eyes
and a smile spread over his lined
face as he heard Rhay’s words
translated.
He was told Governor Albert
D. Rosellini had commuted his
death sentence to life imprison
ment and had left the door wide
open for a pardon.
The Governor said if Grassi is
found by psychiatrists safe to be
at large, then a request for a par
don may be granted on condition
Grassi remain in custody until he
leaves this country, returns to
Italy at no expense to the state
and never again enters the United
States, its territories or posses
sions.
Grassi said nothing until he was
told he must return to his home
land at no expense to the state.
“Where are they going to get
the money?” he asked.
His fellow convicts say they
have the answer.
They have pledged the neces
sary funds to return Grassi to
Italy, where he has three sons.
Grassi’s wife died there eight
years ago. Another son was killed
during World War I.
“I know you will be disap
pointed you are not going home
tomorrow,” Rhay told the old
man, “But let’s hope for Christ
mas.”
Grassi, who was known as the
prison’s “forgotten man,” and who
seldom spoke to anyone, answered
with two of the several English
words he knows:
“America good!”
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Russia Is Close To
Shooting Moon Rocket,
Says U. S. Scientist
HUNTSVILLE, Ala., UP) — The
Soviet Union is reported very
close to shooting for the moon, a
scientist writes in the magazine
Space Journal.
The Soviet attempt could be a
fancy one — to put a 110-to-220
pound probe into orbit around
the moon, taking movies and TV
pictures.
A Soviet scientist way back in
February, outlined just such a
plan, calling it “cosmic boomer
ang,” says Ronald C. Wakefield,
diPector of research of the Na
tional Research and Development
Corp., Atlanta, Ga.
“It is believed that this pro
ject has been actively pursued
since its inception and that it is
currently approaching the hard
ware stage,” Wakeford says.
Space Journal is the magazine of
the Rocket City Astronomical As
sociation, organized by scientists
at Redstone Arsenal with Dr.
V/ernher von Braun as one of
the leaders.
Letter-size and legal file folder*
available at The Nome Nugget
Lutherans Will Organize
70 New Churches In 19^9
ATLANTIC CITY, N. J„ (41 —
The Board of. American Missions
of the United Lutheran Church
has set up plans to organize 70
new churches next year.
This announcement was made
Wednesday night pfter the board
approved a record expenditure of
$4,300,000 for 1959. This amount,
a million above this year, will go
to support 700 churches in the
United States, Canada, Alaska,
Hawaii, the Virgin Islands and
Puerto Rico.
New churches afe slated for two
undisclosed Alaskan cities. Ju
neau and Sitka already have mis
sions. Seventy-six churches were
organized this year, reported Dr.
Donald L. Houser of New York,
the board’s executive secretary.
Summer Heat In L. A.
LOS ANGELES, (41 — The tem
perature reached 80 degrees here
Wednesday, making it the hottest
December 3 in 80 years. Nearby
San Gabriel, with a high of 96,
was the warmest spot in the na
tion. Long Beach had 95. The pre
vious record for December 3 in
Los Angeles was 88 in 1878.
■
J
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