The Charlotte News

Tuesday, April 22, 1958

THREE EDITORIALS

Site Ed. Note: The front page reports that the Civil Aeronautics Board had discussed this date the problem of air space control, while at the same time in the Nevada desert, the wreckage of an airliner had provided dramatic evidence of the problem. A United Air Lines DC-7, carrying 47 persons, had collided with an Air Force F-100 jet on an instrument training mission near Las Vegas the previous day at 20,000 feet in clear weather. Two men were in the F-100 and all aboard both planes had perished. On the airliner had been a number of prominent businessmen, plus an inventor whose creation had been designed to help prevent the very thing that had caused the crash. The airliner had been bound from Los Angeles to New York, and the F-100 was on a 1.5-hour mission out of Nellis Air Force Base near Las Vegas, with an instructor and a student pilot aboard, the latter sitting toward the rear under a hood, where he could fly the plane by instruments with no outside vision. The F-100 had been given permission by Nellis to make its descent on instruments. About two minutes later, the planes had collided. Just after the collision, Nellis picked up the aviator's distress call, "mayday". A frantic call had also been received from the airliner, indicating an imminent collision over Las Vegas. No more was heard from either craft. The commander at Nellis said that an investigation had revealed that one pilot of the F-100 had ejected, but apparently it was too low for the parachute to have opened. He said that investigation would determine whether the flights would now be stopped.

In Roanoke, Va., new Senator B. Everett Jordan of North Carolina, just appointed by Governor Luther Hodges to succeed deceased Senator Kerr Scott, said this date that he had no idea of going to Washington to keep a Senate seat warm for the Governor, that he was not going just for a short stay. He had been asked about newspaper criticism that the Governor had appointed him with the idea that he would step aside in the 1960 campaign and leave the way open for Governor Hodges to seek the Senate seat. He said that his current intention was to stay if he could. He also denied that there had been any deal made between him and Governor Hodges, and denied ever knowingly making a campaign contribution to a Republican candidate, indicating that he had never knowingly contributed to the late Wendell Willkie or any other Republican in his life, that he had probably given some money to a Democrat and he had probably used it to support Mr. Willkie, presumably in the 1940 presidential election against FDR. He was in Roanoke attending the annual convention of the National Hosiery Manufacturers Association. He said he believed it was absolutely wrong that he had been appointed by the Governor so that the Governor could run in 1960 for the Senate, saying that it had not been discussed at all with him and he did not think it had been considered by the Governor. As indicated, Senator Jordan would continue as Senator until being defeated in the Democratic primary in 1972 by Congressman Nick Galifianakis, who was then defeated in the general election by Jesse Helms, the first Republican elected to the Senate from the state since the turn of the century. Governor Hodges, unable to run again for the state at the time not permitting more than one elected gubernatorial term, the Governor having served longer at that point than anyone else as Governor for the fact of his succession in November, 1954 at the death of Governor William B. Umstead, would be appointed by President Kennedy to be Secretary of Commerce in 1961, in which capacity he would serve for four years, through the end of the remainder term served by President Johnson before starting his own elected term in 1965. (Incidentally, to get from here to here is 15 years, and not quite four miles. Go figure...)

Vice-President Nixon had accepted an invitation to visit North Carolina in June, presently intending to be the honored guest at the annual Roan Mountain Rhododendron Festival on June 21. He would also visit Tennessee, as the Festival occurred on the border. He said that he would release his travel plans and details of the duration of the visit at a later time.

Secretary of Defense Neil McElroy argued this date that modern weapons and war techniques required the Pentagon organizational changes which had been proposed by the President.

The President believed that a Democratic-sponsored expansion of unemployment benefits would seriously jeopardize historic Federal-state relations, according to Republican Congressional leaders this date who had met with the President.

In Bangkok, Thailand, five nations of SEATO this date launched week-long war games aimed at repelling a simulated invasion of Thailand.

In Jakarta, Indonesia, the Sumatran rebel regime had fled from its mountain capital of Bukittinggi to the village of Batusangkar, 28 miles to the southeast, according to a Government Army spokesman this date.

In Accra, Ghana, the Conference of Independent African States had called on all colonial powers to set definite dates for granting independence to their African colonies.

In Pendleton, Ore., women and children had been removed from a housing development the previous night as floodwaters from a creek had swirled into the area.

In Knoxville, Tenn., a criminal court jury this date had convicted two Teamsters Union officials of shooting at two trucks driven by non-union drivers in 1955.

In Dana Point, Calif., it was reported that a ten-year old boy, his father and a deputy sheriff had died in a strange gun duel the previous night. Authorities said that the sheriff's office had received a telephone warning that a deranged man was driving a battered old school bus, converted to family travel, through the picturesque resort city and that he had threatened to harm his children. Two deputies had overtaken the bus and as they approached, the 39-year old carpenter of Tucson, Ariz., and his older son, 14, had opened fire from the bus, the father using a .22-caliber pistol and the son using a rifle. Spectators heard the man order his son to shoot anyone who tried to stop the bus and not to allow them to take them. A sheriff's lieutenant said that the bus had more than 30 bullet holes in it after the shooting ended, with the man and his youngest son, 10, having been killed almost instantly. The two deputies had fallen to the pavement wounded, and one of them had died before reaching a hospital. The other deputy and the 14-year old boy had been taken to a hospital, where attendants said that the boy's condition was critical and the deputy was expected to recover. The warning telephone call had come from the father's sister-in-law who lived in nearby San Juan Capistrano, where the family had stopped briefly, the man's wife having confided to her sister that she was concerned about her husband's mental condition.

In Dallas, Tex., two bandits wearing Ivy League clothes had forced some 20 women to strip at a reducing salon, before taking $150 the previous night. The manager complained that it had been awful, that they had walked in like they owned the place, herding two or three women ahead of them from the entrance hall. She said that one of the men told them that it was a holdup and started pushing everyone toward the back of the studio, hitting one female attendant in the face with a pistol. She said that the gunman had forced the women into a steam room, shut the door and had stood outside, ordering everyone to disrobe and throw out their clothing, had then ordered the manager, still dressed, to proceed to the front office and hand over all the cash. He had then marched her back to the steam room, opened the door and shoved her inside, then entered with her and made her take off her clothes. She said that all of the women had been sitting on benches without anything on and all of them had been scared to death. The gunman said he would kill the first woman who opened the door and told them to remain inside for 15 minutes, which they had done.

In Richmond, Va., Federal judges from throughout the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals had gathered this date to attend memorial services for the late Judge John J. Parker, the chief judge of the Fourth Circuit for 27 years. Chief Justice Earl Warren was present at the ceremonies. Judge Parker had died on March 17 in a Washington hospital of a heart attack after serving on the Court of Appeals for 33 years.

In Albemarle, N.C., a Baltimore man had survived being impaled on a two-by-six bridge railing in a predawn automobile accident. Rescuers had to remove the railing to take the man to a local hospital, where he was reported in serious condition. A Highway Patrolman investigating the accident said that the man's car had gone out of control as he rounded an "S" curve.

John Borchert of The News reports that the eighth annual Evangelism Conference of the Southern Presbyterian Church would begin the following day in Charlotte, preceding the official opening of the 98th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, U.S. on Thursday night at Covenant Presbyterian Church. The piece is accompanied by the schedule for the conferences.

John Kilgo of The News reports that the 33-year old mother of the three-year old boy who had died early on Sunday in a local motel room which he shared with his mother and her boyfriend, had been escorted from the county jail by police to Belmont to attend her son's funeral. Both she and her boyfriend were being held without bail pending a coroner's inquest scheduled for Friday. When interviewed by a News reporter this date, she said that the boy had always been a sick baby, but had seemed all right on Saturday morning. She indicated that the doctor had taken him to the hospital when he was only two weeks old and given him up for dead. She did not know what his trouble was, but that he was sick a lot. On Saturday morning, however, he had not been sneezing or coughing and she did not know that he was sick. He had drunk some milk, was still feeding on a bottle, and would not take much of anything else, would not sometimes even take the bottle. She told reporters she did not remember anything about the motel, not even checking into the place, that the last thing she remembered was that she was drinking with her husband on Saturday morning and that her boyfriend had some Red Devils in his pocket, that she was foolish enough to take them until she was knocked out, did not even remember separating from her husband. When she came to, she was in jail. Police said that she was in such a condition on Sunday when they brought her into custody that they were not able to question her. She had three other children, ranging in age between four and 11. She said that she started taking barbiturates when she was in the hospital being treated for tuberculosis. She said they had to operate and remove seven of her ribs, which was when she had started taking the Red Devils. She said they were powerful, that two of them would knock "you right out of your senses". She said that she would not hurt a hair on any of her children's heads. She wondered how long it took to make an autopsy and believed that they should have finished their assessment by the present time. She said she had caused her family a lot of disgrace and was shaking inside and out, unable to eat or drink much of anything since her son's death.

In London, it was reported that retirement was a tough problem for a 68-year old man, wondering who of two wives with whom he should settle down. For 12 years, he had spent most of his spare time with one of the wives in Berkshire County, and every other weekend would visit the other wife in London. Upon retirement, he had suggested to the woman in Berkshire that he should spend alternate weeks with her and with his "sister" in London. But she would not hear of it. He decided to confess to both women, according to the prosecutor of the man on a charge of bigamy. He was freed on the equivalent of $140 bail awaiting trial. He said he would plead guilty.

On the editorial page, "Local Colleges Must Have Tax Support" indicates that ten years of desire and devotion had erected in Charlotte the foundations of an institution which could make Mecklenburg County a center of higher education for its own youth and those of the entire Piedmont area. To be determined in a day was whether Charlotte College would become that center or have its rich potential rejected by the community which it had served so well. On Saturday, there would be a vote on the question of making county-wide the two-cent tax presently levied by the City for support of Charlotte and Carver Colleges.