Both Sides of Family Contending
For Custody of Marquam Wells,
Orphaned by Mother’s Suicide
Two Navy Planes
Attacked by MIG
Near Czech Border
MUNICH, Germany, UP)—T w o
American Navy carrier-based
planes were attacked by a Com
munist MIG near the Czech-Ger
man border Friday. Czechoslo
vakia charged immediately that
they had flown over its vital ura
nium-producing center at Jachy
mov, 35 miles inside the Iron Cur
tain and fired the first shot.
The Navy said one of the two
American propeller driven planes
was damaged but both pilots man
aged to bring their aircraft safely
down at Neuberg airbases in the
American zone of Germany near
Munich.
A Navy spokesman in London
said an investigation into the
shooting was ordered by the U.S.
Sixth Fleet. He said first reports
showed empty aviation ammuni
tion cartridges were found on
German soil after the attack. One
American spokesman in Munich
said, however, the planes had “in
advertantly" crossed into Czech
territory. Clouds covered much of
th frontier area over which they
we fly in .
The Czech broadcast said one of
that country’s jets intercepted the
American aircraft and demanded
that they follow it to a landing
inside Czechoslavakia.
“Howevr, the American planes
refused to follow this demand and
attacked the Czech plane,” the
Prague radio report claimed. “The
Czech plane then used its weapons
in self-defense.”
The Navy said the two planes
were on a routine training flight
off the Essex-class carrier Ran
dolph. The Randolph is attached
to the Sixth Fleet, which is the
backbone of the NATO naval de
fense system.
Canadian Appeals to U.S.
To Reject ‘Continentalisnr
WASHINGTON, I# — Canadian
Foreign Secretary Lester B. Pear
son has appealed to the United
States today to reject what he
called “entrenched continental
ism’’ as a concept of defense
against world Communism.
The announcement by Secre
tary of State Dulles Jan. 12 that
the Eisenhower administration
has decided to rely on instant
application of massive retaliatory
power for security of the United
States and the free world was
viewed with concern in a speech
Pearson prepared for the National
ress Club.
Pearson said Canadian-Ameri
can relations will be threatened if
the United States reverts to a
defense policy narrower than that
ol the North Atlantic Treaty Or
ganization.
Coast Guard Planes Take
> Sick Man To Hospital
JUNEAU, tW—The Coast Guard
reported Friday a plane finally
succeeded Thursday in taking a
seriously ill man from Ivanoff
Bay on the Alaska Peninsula to a
hospital at Kodiak.
The man, John Kristensen, had
suffered a stroke. Two previous
attempts to rescue Kristenson
failed because of bad weather.
} LOS ANGELES, UP>—-Both sides
I of the family of little Marquam
Wells, orphaned by suicide of his
mother, Mrs. Diane Wells, after
the slaying o'f his wealthy father,
contended Friday for the child’s
custody.
On one side was the 3V£-year
old boy’s maternal grandmother,
Mrs. Yvonne Ward, San Francis
co, who petitioned superior court
for guardianship over his person
and property.
On the other was Mark’s pater
nal aunt, Mrs. Edna Westbrook,
Fairbanks, who has asked only for
custody of the boy. Superior Judge
Roy K. Herndon has set a hearing
for March 22. The boy is staying
with Mr. and Mrs. Allan Mans-i
field, Los Angeles, friends of Mrs.'
Wells.
Mrs. Ward in her petition Fri
day said that if Mrs. Westbrook
were given custody the boy would
be taken to Fairbanks, whereas
Mrs. Ward feels he should remain
in California.
In one suicide note Mrs. Wells
asked that Mrs. Clara Tarte, Seat
tle, raise Mark as her own son.
Mrs. Tarte is the wife of Reuben
Tarte, trustee of the^estate of the
boy’s father, Cecil M. Wells, 51,
automobile dealer and president
of the All-Alaska Chamber of
Commerce. The estate lawyer,
Wallace Aiken, also came here
from Seattle in the case.
Wells was fatally shot in his
home last Oct. 17.
Mrs. Wells, 31, and Johnny War
ren, 33, Negro jazz drummer,
were charged with murdering
Wells.
Aiken issued a statement to
deny reports in California papers
that there might be a fight be
tween the Tartes and Mrs. West
brook over custody of the child.
Aiken said:
“The Tartes, Mrs. Westbrook
and myself all want to' make clear
that we are in complete agree
ment that the provisions of the
wills be carried out. Mrs. West
brook has filed a petition . . . for
appointment as guardian of Mark.
In another development, Mrs.
Ward’s attorney, Oscar Z. Wise
man, sought to file Friday for
probate a will of Mrs. Wells,
signed in Seattle Nov. 16, 1951,
but found he needed the original,
which is believed to be in Mrs.
Westbrook’s possession.
Wiseman said the copy showed
provision for bequests of $2,500
each to Mrs. Wells’ daughters by
a previous marriage, Sandra, 14,
and Bonnie Walker, 11, living in
Ogden, Utah, with their father,
and placed all the rest in trust
| for Marquam. He would get the
principal when he is 22.
Private funeral services were
conducted Friday for Mrs. Wells
in a Los Angeles mortuary chapel,
with Mrs. Ward and a few close
friends present.
BUT THEY DON'T FLY CARS
PHOENIX, Ariz., UR—Airplane
type safety belts have been in
stalled in Arizona highway patrol
cars as a safety precaution. Supt.
Greg O. Hathaway said the belts
| offer better chance to survive a
i crash.
Arctic Sanitary Service
Phone RED 181
Bill Would Exempt
Alaskans from
Income Taxes
WASHINGTON, (ff)—Sen. Smath
ers (D-Fla) announced in the Sen
ate Friday he is introducing an
amendment to the excise tax bill
to exempt residents of Hawaii and
Alaska from paying federal in
come taxes.
Smathers, an opponent of state
hood for both territories, said “the
problems of Alaska are economic,
not political.”
He declared exemption from
income taxes would do more to
develop Alaska than almost any
thing else, since it would be an
economic incentive.
“The people went to Alaska in
the gold rush days not because
they expected it to become a state
but because they hoped for econ
omical gains,” he said. ,
Smathers noted that residents
of Puerto Rico, a U.S. possession,
do not pay federal income taxes. |
“This would give residents of
Hawaii and Alaska the same sta
tus as residents of Puerto Rico, he
told the Senate.
S.E. Alaska Hoop Tourney
SITKA, Iff) — The Southeastern
Alaska High School Basketball
Tournament resumes here today
after a Sunday layoff with Juneau
meeting Petersburg.
Juneau hung its second defeat
in a row on Ketchikan Saturday
night, 48-34. Undefeated Sitka
trounced Petersburg, 55-37.
The winner of the tourney en
tertains, on its home floor, the J
winner of the Anchorage touraa- ■
ment for the All - Alaska Prep !
championship.
FREE!
YOUR CHOICE OF
COSTUME JEWELRY
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PURCHASE WE WILL GIVE
| OUR CUSTOMERS THEIR
CHOICE FROM A RICH
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COSTUME JEWELRY!
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