™E NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. LVIII No. 88 NOME, ALASKA, WEDNESDAY, JULY 25, 1956 Per Copy—15<*
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Airline President Cross-Examined
By Ex-Wife for Custody of Children
SEATTLE, W1—A wealthy air-'
line president was cross-examined
by his ex-wife, acting as her own
attorney, in another day of a bit
terly contest custody fight in su
perior court here yesterday.
On the stand was Arthur G.
Woodley, 50, president of Pacific
Northern Airlines. Acting as her
own attorney was Woodley’s for
mer wife, Mrs. Letha Greene, 44.
At stake is custody of the pair’s
three sons, John 11; George, 9;
and Gordon, 6.
Though Woodle> and Mrs.
Greene obviously were fighting
to keep calm, there were frequent
clashes between them as Mrs.
Greene cross-examined her for
mer husband and probed into in
cidents of their nine-year mar
riage and four-year separation.
Occasionally, Superior Judge
Lloyd Shorett intervened, but
most of the time both the judge
and Woodley’s lawyers refrained
from interfering in deference to
Mrs. Greene’s inexperience with
the law. Mrs. Greene said she
represented herself because pre
vious legal actions in her marital
troubles had drained her of “tre
mendous sums.”
At times in the emotion-charged
atmosphere it appeared that Mr.
Woodley and his ex-wife were
aware of no one else in the court
room save each other. But at no
time did they address each other
as anything save “Mr. Woodley”
and “Mrs. Greene.”
One such occasion came when
Mrs. Greene demanded to know
if Woodley thought it was good
for children to go from one par
ent’s home to another under such
visitation privileges as Woodley
was allowed by the 1954 divorce.
“I think it is good for them to
be with a parent who dearly loves
them as much as they can possi
bly be,” Woodley answered, lean
ing forward tensely and talking
with slow emphasis.
“Is there an inference there?
Are you making an inference?”
Mrs. Greene cried.
Woodley said he preferred not
to answer. Mrs. Greene pressed
for an answer and before one
could be given walked close to
her ex-husband and in a loud
voice said:
“Why do you think I’m in this
courtroom? Do you think I want
to be? Do you think any mother
would be in a courtroom if she
didn’t love her children?”
At another time Mrs. Greene
complained Woodley had taken
the children to Canada on sum
mer cruises, after the divorce,
without telling her where they
were going.
“How could I?” Woodley said,
flinging his arms out. “You never
spoke to me. Not even to say
goodby. I had to pick the children
up in the street.”
Stassen Accuses
Hall of Limiting
Choice of V.P.
WASHINGTON, UPt— Harold E.
Stassen, counterpunching against
a demand that he quit his White
House job for trying to bump
Vice President Nixon off the Re
publican ticket, accused GOP
Chairman Leonard Hall today of
trying to “foreclose the choice”
of a running mate for President
Eisenhower.
"tassen, presidential disarma
nent aide, took his swing at Hall
in a letter to Rep. Byrnes (R-Wis),
one of 20 congressmen who sent
Stassen a get-out message after
he proposed Monday that Gov.
Christian Herter of Massachu
setts supplant Nixon.
In the face of opposition from
practically every major party fig
ure who had anything to say in
public, Stassen kept fighting in
the letter and in a TV broadcast.
In the TV interview he denied
he had been left “holding the bag”
and strongly implied the idea that
Eisenhower’s personal view on
the issue is yet to be reported in
full.
That was in the face of last
night’s announcement by Hall
that Herter himself had agreed
to make the nominating speech
for Nixon at the San Francisco
convention.
*
I
New Iceland Government
Will Move to Oust
U.S. Troops From Island
REYKJAVIK, Iceland, UP—Pre
mier Hermann Jonassori says his
new government will follow up
Parliament’s move to oust Ameri
can troops and turn maintenance
of the U.S. Keflavik air base and
radar installations over to Ice
landers.
The Progressive Party leader
succeeded Conservative Olafur
Thors in the premiership Tuesday
as an aftermath of Iceland’s June
24 elects on^
Over Conservative opposition,
Parliament adopted a resolution
last March declaring that armed
forces should not be stationed in
Iceland in peacetime. And it pro
posed revision of a treaty under
which possibly 6,000 American
officers and enlisted men are
based in this NATO nation of
160,000 persons.
Prominent Store Official
Killed on Cyprus While
Walking With Fiancee
NICOSIA, Cyprus, UP—Edward
Bonicci, a prominent British ex
ecutive of Nicosia’s biggest store,
was shot dead while walking to
lunch today with his fiancee.
British troops cordoned off all
the inner walled city in a hunt
for the killers.
Two bullets in the back and
one in the head felled Bonicci on
Hippocrates Street, often called
Bloody Alley because of a series
of slayings there officially attrib
uted to gunmen backing the
Greek-Cypriot movement for un
ion of this British colony with
Greece.
His Greek Cypriot fiancee sank
weeping beside the body, crying,
“Why did they do it? What did
he do to them?”
Mass Chest X-Ray Survey
To Start Tomorrow At
National Guard Armory
Through the cooperation of the
Alaska Department of Health and
the U. S. Public#Health Service,
Nome is having another mass
chest x ray survey.
X-rays will be taken at the
National Guard Armory starting
Thursday, July 26 from 10 a.m.
until 12 noon and from 1 to 4
o’clock in the afternoon.
Miss Marian Lovass, x ray tech
nician arrived here Tuesday. She
urges Nomeites to keep up the
record of 100 per cent turn-out.
Mothers are urged to come and
bring the whole family. If there
are some who cannot come during
the day, evening hours will be
announced later.
As Nome residents realize the
importance of this survey, it is
expected that everyone will take
advantage of the opportunity, so
additional volunteer workers will
be needed. All those willing to
help are asked to go to the
Armory or contact the Public
Health Nurse.
Pilot Killed in Jet Crash
FAIRBANKS, Wt—The pilot of
an F-84F jet fighter plane was
killed in a crash near here Tues
day. His name was withheld.
The plane crashed during a
landing attempt at Eielson Air
Force Base. A public information
officer at the base said the air
craft crashefl about a mile from
the runway. The pilot apparently
ejected himself from the plane
but his parachute did not open
in time.
Coast Guard Cutter
Leaves Nome Tomorrow
For Long Arctic Voyage
The Coast Guard Cutter Citrus,
usually stationed at Ketchikan,
will depart from Nome tomorrow
for an extended voyage in the
arctic.
Lt. Cmdr. H. A. Linse, com
manding officer, said the cutter
has been servicing navigation aids
in the Bering Sea and will join
the Navy’s Military Sea Transport
Service operation of carrying
supplies and materials for the
completion of the DEW Line of
radar stations across the top of
North America.
This is a continuation of the
gigantic cargo-hauling assignment
begun last year by the MSTS.
The Citrus participated in the
program last year, too, but was
unable to call at Nome due to
other operations.
Woman Sees Daughter
First Time in 22 Years,
Soon Dies of Heart Attack
YOUNGSTOWN Ohio, WV-Mrs.
Thereas Knebel saw her daughter
for the first time in 42 years yes
terday, and died of a heart attack
a few hours later.
The 70-year-old woman and her
husband, John, embraced their
daughter, Anna Regac, just ar
rived from Yugoslavia with her
husband, Leopold.
They began discussing pians for
a celebration. Seven hours later,
Mrs. Knebel collapsed and died.
McKeon Tried to Hide Vodka Bottle
After March on Which Six Died
Employe Security Critic
Resigns From Subversive
Activities Control Board
WASHINGTON, WV-Harry P.
Cain, recent critic of the adminis
tration's federal employe security
program, resigned today as a
member of the Subversive Activ
ities Control Board. The resigna
tion is effective Aug. 9, when
Cain’s three-year term expires.
The resignation was announced
at the White House, which made
public a brief letter from Presi
dent Eisenhower accepting it, but
expressing hope Cain would con
tinue to serve until a successor
qualifies.
Eisenhower thanked Cain for
his “conscientious and devoted
service” and wished him the best
of health and happiness in the
year’s ahead.
Cain told the President his ev
ery word and act in criticism of
the government’s internal security
machinery “have been founded
on my devotion to the nation and
on respect both for your high of
fice and for you as a man of good
will who believes that every citi
zen is entitled to just treatment
from his government.”
New Law Will Help
Alaska Roads, Schools
With Tongass Money
WASHINGTON, (^V—President
Eisenhower signad a bill Tuesday
designed to help Alaskan schools
and roads through sales of timber
from Tongass National Forest.
The bill authorizes payment of
25 percent of the revenues from
the national forest in Alaska for
roads and schools. Ten percent of
the revenues will go to the De
partment of Agriculture for roads
and trails in the forest.
Under an old law, all revenues
from Tongass forest are held in
escrow. Some $2V4 million have
been accumulated in that fund
since 1947.
Under the new law, Alaska re
ceives 25 percent of the amount
and 25 percent of future revenues.
The bill safeguards the rights
of any Indian claimants to the
forest lands and revenues with
funds available from the remain
ing 65 percent of the revenues.
Britisher Says Washington
Was on Lend Lease to U.S.
ALEXANDRIA, Va., WV—Mrs.
Mary J. Childs, city personnel di
rector, wrote for information on
an Englishman^ who sought a job
with the city of Alexandria.
The British bureaucrat gave
his man a ringing recommenda
tion. He also gave Mrs. Childs a
bit of an argument:
“1 still say George Washington
was born in Durham County,
England, and was only on lend
lease to you people,” he wrote in
a note on the margin of the print
ed personnel form.
STONEMASON, 105, DIES
BROCKVILLE, Ont., UT)—John
Dixie, a stonemason for 90 years,
died yesterday at the age of 105.
PARRIS ISLAND, S.C., Ut—A
bespectacled, blushing marine
guard said today S. Sgt. Matthew
C. McKeon tried to hide a vodka
bottle after returning from the
death march of Platoon 71.
In a voice cracking with ner
vousness, Pfc. Fred A. Magruder
told the McKeon court-martial
the vodka bottle was recovered
from behind a toilet bowl.
McKeon is the 31-year-old drill
instructor who led a 74-man re
cruit platoon on a night disciplin
ary march into a tidal marsh
where six drowned.
McKeon is charged with invol
untary manslaughter, and drink
ing on duty. There is no charge
that when he led the platoon on
the fatal march he was drunk.
There has been previous testi
mony that McKeon had been
drinking vodka the morning of
April 8, a Sunday, and “he raised
a bottle to his lips” just before
setting out on the hike.
Magruder, who is from Jack
son, Miss., testified he had been
told to stand guard over McKeon.
"It was while I was guarding
Sgt. McKeon,” he said hesitantly,
“I noticed Sgt. McKeon darting
into the head (toilet).
“I followed him,” Magruder
recounted, “and saw him place
something behind the toilet. I
called the corporal [unidentified]
and asked him to retrieve it. The
corporal brought out a fifth of
vodka.”
Magruder was followed to the
stand by Cpl. Arnold Lyons, 21,
who said he was the one who re
trieved the bottle.
He reported overhearing Mc
Keon saying plaintively as he sat
shivering in his room after the
fatal march: “What can you say
when two of your men have been
eaten [sic] up?”
Marilyn Monroe Dresses
To Please Men—Not for
British Fashion Expert
LONDON, UF\—Marilyn Monroe
says she never dresses to please
women.
Her reaction came in reply to
criticism from a London fashion
expert—a woman—that Marilyn
is a “dowdy dresser.” Marilyn ex
plained she dresses to please men
—only.
“It seems to me that any wom
an who dresses to please women
is only fooling herself—not other
women,” said the blonde Ameri
can movie actress.
• » »
Miss Monroe declined today to
discuss a report she is studying to
become a convert to the Jewish
religion.
The London Daily Express
quoted a London rabbi as saying
he had received the news from
Rabbi Robert Goldburg of New
Haven, Conn., who officiated at
the religious ceremony following
the Miller’s civil marriage.
“I never comment on religion
or politics. For me, religion is a
personal matter,” Miss Monroe
said through her press represen
tative.