20 years ago – 1996
Two juvenile males are lodged at the juvenile detention facility and are accused in two burglaries that took place on Wednesday morning. An alarm company called police to report a silent alarm had gone off in a business in the Cascade Square area. Later, employees at Fred Meyer reported two subjects had entered the store through a freight door and were running through the store and breaking windows. They also got into a fight with a store employee. Police said a number of video cassettes were taken from one of the stores. The pair are charged of two counts of second degree burglary and single counts of fourth degree assault.
40 years ago – 1976
The first bad grass fire of the year in The Dalles covered over 15 acres near the Jerry Davis orchard on Orchard Road, damaged a barn, several outbuildings and some cherry trees, and took firemen five hours to extinguish Friday afternoon. The fire was reported at 3:13 and at first was thought to be a structure fire. It quickly spread up the hill behind the Davis residence, jumped Orchard Road and raced up the hillside toward another residence. A third residence, located up Orchard Road from the Davis residence, was also threatened by the advancing fire, but none was damaged.
Oregon contestants are leading most events in the 12th annual Ft. Dalles Days Rodeo. Lonnie Shoemaker of The Dalles was the only hometown leader with second in bulldogging.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (UPI) – A federal court jury Friday acquitted two American Indian Movement members of the shooting deaths of two FBI agents on a South Dakota Indian reservation last summer. The innocent verdict from the eight man, four woman jury came as a surprise to defense attorneys who expected a hung jury. The U.S. attorney’s office, which prosecuted the case, refused comment. Darelle Butler, 34, and Robert Robideau, 29, both of Oregon, were each found innocent of two counts of murder after about 38 hours of deliberation over five days.
60 years ago – 1956
Voting places in Wasco and Sherman counties for the wheat marketing quota referendum to be held Friday, July 20, have been designated by Leslie Fredrickson and Ralph Busse, office managers of the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation agencies in Wasco and Sherman counties, respectively. Growers eligible to vote in the wheat quota referendum are all those who will have more than 15 acres of wheat for harvest on a farm in 1957. These farms have been notified of their wheat allotments. Quotas do not affect those farmers who harvest 15 acres or less of wheat for grain on a farm. If quotas are approved by at least two-thirds of the growers voting in the wheat referendum, the quotas will remain in effect for 1957. Price support will be available to farmers who have complied with their farm wheat allotments at a level between 75 and 90 per cent of parity.
Unauthorized collecting of Indian artifacts belonging to the National Park Service has developed on a bigger scale than anticipated, it was discovered by B. Robert Butler, archeologist in charge of Wakemap project, when he learned yesterday vandals have stolen a large rock bearing petroglyphs. The suspected vandalism in Petroglyph canyon was first noticed as the spring flood waters receded from the canyon. Butler verified his suspicion that some of the hundreds of petroglyphs (figures carved in rock) were missing by producing a picture of the section of the rock showing the drawings in place. Marks that could have been made by a prying bar were found in the socket that used to contain the rock, which the archeologist estimated weighed 500 pounds. The remainder of the rock was located about 20 feet below at the bottom of the small cliff. Marks on the piece of basalt indicated someone had been chipping it in an effort to break it so all the animal figures would be on a smaller piece. The attempt failed when the rock broke leaving half of the drawing of a mountain goat on the remains. The piece has been definitely identified as part of the original rock.
LOS ANGELES (UP) – Hard-working safecrackers who broke into the Coberly Car Co. here have good reason to know that crime doesn’t pay. After lugging a heavy safe down a flight of stairs to a workshop and burning it open with an acetylene torch, they found it contained $52.
Resignation of Harry Hogan, The Dalles, as executive secretary of the state central Democratic organization has been accepted by the state committee.
80 years ago – 1936
W. H. A. Todd, member of the state bakery board, who represents eastern and southern Oregon bakers, returned to The Dalles Thursday after attendance at a joint meeting of the board with representatives of the state board of health, bureau of weights and measures and the state department of agriculture. Violations of the state bakery law were laid before the board, and warnings transmitted to several bakers. Following discussion of sanitary conditions, it was decided by the board to hold bakery proprietors or managers responsible for the health of their employes, with city and county health officers to interoperate closely with them in maintaining public safeguards.
LONDON, July 17. (UP) – Special Constable Anthony Gordon Dick, 36, traveling salesman and former navy stoker, became a national hero today, officially affirmed as the man to whom King Edward owes his life. It was Dick who first saw George Andrew McMahon, 34, eccentric journalist, aim a pistol at King Edward as the young monarch led a parade of his foot guardsmen down Constitution hill. Dick sprang unhesitatingly on McMahon, knocked the pistol from his hand with a backhand blow, and grappled with him, facing the gaping muzzle of the assassin’s weapon. It took Scotland Yard nearly 25 hours to get the real story of the attempt to kill the most popular king in the world. But today Dick was lionized throughout the United Kingdom. This morning he went to work and hurried out on his sales rounds to avoid questioners.
LONDON – Expectation that babies will be among the targets for aviators in the next war has led the government to develop gas mask covers for baby buggies, it was reported today. Attached to the covers will be filters through which air can be pumped to the babies by their gas masked nurses during air raids.
100 years ago – 1916
WASHINGTON, July 17. – The Southern railroad today practically suspended traffic south of Washington. Reports continued to pour in, telling of disaster from floods in North and South Carolina. A second bridge on the Charlotte division went out at 3 a.m.
LONDON, July 17. – Heavy guns have shaken up the east coast of England so badly that all the chicken breeders have been compelled to abandon their incubators, as the concussions kill the unhatched chickens.
BALTIMORE, July 17. – The German merchant submarine, the Deutschland, plans to slip down the Patapsco river into Chesapeake bay tomorrow night, a member of the crew told the United Press today. The loading will be finished tomorrow. No visitors will be permitted after tonight. The Bremen is expected to arrive within a few days, either here or New York. Vigilance has increased with the fear of spies. Even the police have been barred from entrance to the pier. Powerful searchlights on the tug Timmins played nervously over the waters last night.
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