The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California • 2

Contractor Denies Africa Base Fraud 2 Part ITHURSDAY, MAY 8, 1 95i gttgtlgg Cftttg Pilots in Crash Killing 29 on Duty 24 Hours, CAA Says Foreign and Domestic Red Tape Boosted Costs, Senate Probe Told BY WARREN B. FRANCIS, Times Staff Correspoadent Company Quits Business; Wants Charges Dropped Last-minute charges that pilots of the North Continent Airlines plane which crashed in the Puente hills last April WASHINGTON, May 7 A web of American and foreign red tape, strengthened by international jealousies and bureaucratic indecision, delayed and boosted costs of building a group of formerly hush-hush air bases in North Africa, top officials of Atlas Constructors, unwilling contractors on the multimillion-dollar job, today told the Senate Preparedness charges of inefficiency have been fired at the builders and said it' i III 5 "it ADMITS SLAYING Mrs. Patricia Moor told police she shot and killed her. estranged husband, Dr. Telford I.

Moore, after he called her vile names, knocked her down. Tlmti phot WIDOW BOOKED IN SLAYING OF DOCTOR Background of Bitter Domestic Wrangling Disclosed by Long Series of Court Filings Dr. Telford I. Moore, a leading North Hollywood physician, Investigating Committee. Firm denials of fraud, mis management or waste in carry ing out the "crash, program" launched after the outbreak of fighting in Korea' were registered by JT.

B. Bonny, chairman of the Operating Committee for the construction syndicate, and Lyman Wilbur, son of the late long-time president of Stanford and North African resident partner of the group. Smear Charged As the Senate committee began hearing the other side of the story of delays and unexpected outlays of taxpayers' money. Chairman Johnson (D) hurled a charge that a construction industry group is trying to smear Congressional units checking on expenditures of public funds and Sen. Stennis (D) induced Bonny to repudiate a Statement critical of the committee printed in the monthly magazine published by Morrison-Knudson of which Bonny is vice-president The first session devoted to getting the contractor's story about the Moroccan base building program produced a long recital of mind-changing by the Air Force and Army Engineers, hostility and lack of co-operation by the French government, poor planning and bad coordination within the.

Defense Department and money-is-no-object thinking on the part of the armed services. Letter Front Pace The hearing also was marked by release of a letter from Army Secretary Pace partially backing' up charges of poor workmanship- and Supervision at one" of the North African bases and a brief flurry over suggestions that representatives of the Soviet government are trying to disrupt completion of the building program. Bonny, whose syndicate stands to collect a maximum fee of over $5,350,000, told the committee he thinks it should broaden the investigation to find out why was slain late Tuesday night against a background of bitter SINGER SUES Marcella Wright, blond night club singer, went to Domestic Relations Court with a plea for $600 a month temporary alimony from her estranged mate, Dr. Charles R. Parrish.

Divorce suit charges cruelty. Court continued the case, pending agreement on property. Times photo domestic wrangling with his wife, who was booked yesterday by police on suspicion of murder. 40,000 NUMBERS CHECKED Auto License Traps Bank Holdup Suspect SLAIN Dr. Telford I.

Moore is shown In his Navy officer's uniform. HOUSE GUEST Miss Pat Silvagni, 16, was in Mrs. Moore's home when tragedy came. Timet photo Won't Contest Tone Divorce Barbara Payton will not con test Franchot Tone's divorce suit after all, it was revealed yesterday by his attorney, Stan ley G-leis. "They have reached a cash settlement that is mutually sat isfactory," Gleis said, "and Mr.

Tone will proceed with the un contested divorce." Filed Cross Complaint Miss Payton had filed a cross complaint to Tone's suit dr divorce, and Tone had applied for permission to amend his com plaint to include Actor Tom Neal as corespondent However, that petition wa never heard. The blond actress recently answered the proposed amend ment by explaining that she had Neal for a bodyguard, to protect her from her; estranged hus band. The two were married last September, 10 days after Neal and Tone were involved in battle for Miss Payton's affections. Tone was so badly beat en that he was hospitalized. Reconciliations Follow He sued her for divorce in November, but there were reconciliations, quarrels and pub licity.

Monday of this week they went to the court of superior Judge Mildred L. Lillie, where a $1500 monthly alimony battle was scheduled. Corridor confer ences resulted in an announce ment that, a settlement agreement might be reached so the case was put over to next Mon day. A1 i 7 -t i Barbara Payton Transit Workers Vote on Bargaining Agency 3000 Employees Choose Beteween AFL and CIO Unions; Results Due Today 18, killing all 29 persons aboard, had been on duty for more than 24 hours were filed yesterday by the Civil Aeronautics Adrninistration as a hearing opened here on CAA allegations that the nonsched-uled airline violated numerous regulations. As the hearing began, the airline pulled a surprise move.

It quit business by voluntar ily surrendering its CAA, certifi cate and moved for dismissal of the CAA's complaint Motion Denied After considerable legal argu ment, the motion for dismissal was denied by Joseph C. Cald well regional bearing examiner for the Civil Aeronautics Board which hears all CAA complaints. Dramatically throwing the air line's CAA certificate to operate as an "irregular carrier" on the counsel table, the airline's attorney, H. A. Blackman, declared: "We voluntarily surrender and abandon our certificate and move for dismissal of the complaint" Glen D.

Woodmansee, CAA at torney, vigorously opposed the motion. Although Blackman previously had argued that surren der of the certificate accomplished the object of the hear ingrevocation of the company's license to operate wooaman- see countered that purposes of the hearing would be circumvented and defeated. Among these purposes, Woodmansee said, are: Proof of unsafe practices, the effect on other airlines and the public interest in learning about such alleged unsafe Adjudication Held Necessary In denying Blackman's motion, Examiner Caldwell said he felt that the CAA's allegations "must be adjudicated." Woodmansee, himself, pulled a surprise when he filed three amendments to the CAA com plaint which already listed and described 26 alleged violations of CAA regulations by the airline. After intermittent legal argu ment throughout the day, Ex aminer Caldwell ruled that Woodmansee's surprise amendments would be accepted- Two of the last-minute Ap pendages allege that Pilot Powell and Copilot a 1 were alerted at 2:30 a.m. April 17 to fly the plane on Its fatal flight to Los Angeles.

Because of me chanical difficulties, however, the pilots had to stall around Kansas City until midafternoon of that day before taking off. Inasmuch as the crash occurred at 3:34 a.m. April 18, the two fliers consequently had been "on duty" for more than 24 hours. CAA regu lations limit pilots to 16 hours of "duty" and eight hours of actual flying in a 24-hour period. Hard to Trace Arguing against acceptance of the late amendments and futilely requesting a continuance to pre pare a defense for the CAA'3 11th hour charges, Blackman in sisted that considerable research would be necessary to learn the activities of Powell and Waldron between the time they were called to duty and when they actually took off some 12 hours later.

In its original complaint, the CAA also alleged that Powell had no business flying passengers in the first place, that at the time of the disastrous crash on April 18 he had a medical certificate (presumably because of a heart illness) which limited his activities to being a check pilot-testing the abilities of other pilots without passengers aboard. The third belated amendment which Woodmansee filed yester day charged the airline with operating one passenger flight Torn to Page 4, Column 4 "However, I'm leaving you (his daughter) no debts. I've put my house in order and balanced the balance sheet" Rogers wrote that he was distressed because "the younger generation is being educated to let the government look after it" "We're producing a nation of dependents on government support," the note said. "That I can't take." The note asked that Rogers' body be cremated and "the ashes returned to the earth from which they came." Beside the body was a revolver. The death was listed as This was disclosed in a lengthy series of court filings in which Mrs.

Patricia Gallagher Moore, 41, of 4106 Fulton now widowed by the slaying, asked for separate maintenance and he asked for a divorce. Flirtations Reported Investigators further learned that Dr. Moore, 44, had been flirting for. the past year with the 31-year-old wife of a San Fer nando valley attorney wnora ne had met at a dancing party. Dr.

Moore was shot at the Fulton Ave. residence where he had gone to talk with Mrs. Moore about a court order served on him only an hour and one-half earlier at his residence, 8040 Fountain Ave. Mrs. Moore admitted firing a 38-caliber police special revolver at her husband after he assertedly chased her around the house and finally struck her, police f.

r---'- Afraid of Him "He had been beating me for the last year and I was afraid of him," Mrs. Moore said. "When he said he was coming over, I brought the gun downstairs and had it in my hand at my side when I opened the door and let him in." The pistol, it developed, was loaned to Mrs. Moore last September by Elton Sawyer, a Los Angeles detective. Sawyer reported to Inspector Hugh Farnham that he had given Mrs.

Moore the weapon after her husband took a separate residence. The doctor's wife, he said, had been afraid of prowlers while living alone. Called Vile Names Mrs. Moore told police her hus band pursued her through the house, calling her vile names. "Then he hit me," she said.

"I remember falling to my knees and getting up and trying to go upstair? to get away from him. When I got to the stairway in the entry hall, he was standing he has asked repeatedly to have the Federal Bureau of Investigation and military security officers check into "sabotage" on the work sites and "subversive activities" hampering ac tivities Fraud Denied The letter from Army Secre tary Pace, saying preaminary in vestigation shows a taxi-way at one base and an apron at a sec ond, field cracked, voiced confi dence that the performance of the construction syndicate "should henceforward be satis factory" since Wilbur, a Stan ford 1921 graduate, has taken direct charge of the North Af rican operations. Speaking oh behalf of the five firms making up the syndicate, Bonny told the Senate group "We categorically deny that At las has in any way been guilty of fraud or graft we deny that mismanagement has exist ed and we challenge the competency of those who have so ac cused us." Bonny and Wilbur related the work accomplished and difficul ties encountered in carrying out the. contract they maintained was thrust upon the construc tion group by the Army Engin eers it November, 1950. Military Urgency "We did exactly- what the (Army) district engineer direct ed us to do," Bonny declared, adding that "the construction operations did not follow nor mal peacetime standards but they were in keeping with the military urgency which set the dates upon which the bases had to be in usable-and operational status." Despite an almost unimagina ble series of difficulties, the syndicate has performed much more work than ever expected.

Wilbur said. In answer to charges that as much as 000 000 has been wasted, he said the total cost of the project to March 31 was only $160,764,000 Turn to Page 28, Column Chief Sworn In at Burbank Sheriffs Capt Hugh McDon ald, recommended Iast by Sheriff Biscailur, took over officially yesterday as temporary Chief of Police of Burbank. On leave of absence from the Sheriffs department, McDonald will serve until a permanent chief Is selected through a na tionwide examination, probably in July or August "Appointed by Manager McDonald's appointment was made by Burbank City Manager Howard I. Stites. He was sworn in by Acting City Clerk Naomi Putnam.

McDonald succeeds Elmer Adams, who resigned shortly after an investigation of his of fice was announced by the Los Angeles County grand jury, act ing on information furnished by the California Crime Com mission. Three a crib in an upstairs oedroom. Then she called Roland Lee, and Benita 3, into the other bedroom and killed them. She told police. She also told officers she had been divorced from her husband, Booker Edwards Of San Pedro, and since then had been on coun ty relief, receiving $139 a month.

As her reason for killing the children, she said she felt she was unable to support them Acting Police Some 3000 employees of the Los Angeles Transit Lines yesterday were casting ballots at 11 polling places to choose between two unions, the AFL Amalgamated Street, Electric Railway and Motor Coach Employees (which now represents them) and the CIO Transport Workers Union (which 4 Police Said $798 cash and a 22-caliber rifle assertedly used in the holdup were recovered from Forster. He was booked in City Jail on suspicion of rob- uery. Truck Kills Child in Alley TRAFFIC TOLL Yesterday's death toll 3 1952 County total 260 Mary Walker, 5, of 7124 Nor walk Norwalk district, was dead on arrival to the Pico Emergency Hospital yesterday after she was run over by a truck as she played in the alley back of her home. The driver of the truck, Robert D. Morgan, 27, of 7203 Cully Whittier, told officers he failed to see the child.

He was not held, Mrs. Ethel Nye, 53, of La Can ada, died early yesterday at White Memorial Hospital of in juries she received in a traffic accident last April 28 on Angeles Crest Highway near Charlton Flat She was a passenger in an automobile driven by her husband William, 53, who is in serious condition at White Memorial Hospital from injuries he received in the crash. Their car collided head-on with an automobile driven by Philip C. Lamarche, 22, of 251 San Marcos San Gabriel. He received minor injuries.

Policeman Glenn Wise, 29, of 2648 Griffin died last night in General Hospital of injuries suffered Tuesday night when the motorcycle he was riding home from work collided with an automobile at Griffin Ave. and Broadway. Wise, who worked on inter section control for the Los Angeles Police Department was appointed to the department Sept IB, 1948. "When the Roosevelt regime began," it said, "my plans for the future went out the window. "Washington made it bo expensive for corporations that they were unable to give work to small contractors.

"Since the start of the New the letter continued, "I have been one of many forgotten men. It was necessary under New Deal policies that I be self-employed because of my age. "During the last two years, I've not had enough work to support myself and have been living off savings. They're all gone now. Painstaking check of 40,000 license numbers by police and FBI agents resulted yesterday in the arrest of a man who as-eertedly admitted the $2000 holdup of the Citizens National Bank at 4117 Pico Blvd.

last Frl day. James A. Forster, 23, of 240 Virgil was seized at his home by FBI agents and menv bers of the police robbery squad when he returned from his work in an aircraft factory. Search Through Files Methodical search through files of the Department of Motor Vehicles began immediately after the robbery on the basis of a partial license number of the getaway car obtained by Raymond Cobb, bank manager and Joe Phillips, an employee in tne neighborhood. The witnesses noticed only that the first three units of the license number were 8S1 Officers learned that there were 40,000 vehicles in that classification.

The search was narrowed to 15,000, however, when witnesses agreed tnat it was one of only two makes of cars. Forster's was the last in the list of 15,000 license numbers checked in the elimination process, police said. Officers quoted Forster as saying he had robbed the bank because he was badly in debt He reportedly told officers that he used $1000 to pay his bills and deposited $300 in a South Pasadena bank near his former home. LA Building Sold in $475,000 Deal Elmer O. Slavik, of the McHale Manufacturing of Los Angeles has purchased the five-story, building on the southwest corner of 2nd St.

and Central in a $475,000 transaction, according to an announcement yesterday by Cold-well, Banker Co. The Class A building which has a five-story basement, was under long-term lease to the Purepac Corp. of New York. in front of me so I couldn't get upstairs. "I was afraid.

So I fired the gun that I had in my hand. I saw him fall to the floor. I ran to the phone and called Dr. Wells. I don't know whether 1 called police or not." She referred to Dr.

J. H. Wells, 3773 Eureka Drive, Stu dio City. He telephoned police and Atty. Fred Dockweiler, who accompanied Mrs.

Moore to the police station. Ordered to Pay Taxes Dr. Moore, a lieutenant commander in the Navy during the last had been served with an order to show cause why he should not pay his wife total of $2830 in support due her. Last Sept 12 he had been ordered to pay all taxes on the $50,000 Fulton Ave. house, plus $150 a month for support of their child, Telford and $650 a month for.

Mrs. Moore's support An hour and a half prior to the shooting, Mrs. Moore, Mrs. Richard M. Jones, a friend, and Johnny Lydon, a private detective, said they had seen Dr.

Moore emerge from his apart ment with Mrs. Betty Blanchard, 3714 Mound View Studio City. Donald H. Blanchard, her hus band, said Dr. Moore had "pestered" Mrs.

Blanchard since they had met at a dancing party a year ago. He said Mrs. Blanchard had gone to Dr. Moore with her husband's knowledge and permission to warn him not to bother her again. Pestered by Telephone "I talked to Dr.

Moore about this before he took a trip to Mexico last November," said "I put him right about his attentions to my wife. But about a week ago he began pestering her again by telephone." Toni Moore, 15, stepdaughter Tarn to Page 4, Column 4 lill 1 I would like to). The polls were kept open un til midnight last night at which time ballots were scheduled to be taken to the National Labor Relations Board headquarters to be counted today. Counting Today An NLRB representative said counting of the ballots will be gin today about 10 a.m. and should be finished by noon.

Both unions are confident of success in the election. The AFL organization has rep resented, the. LATL workers since they switched to it from an independent union in 1941 Recently the CIO union asserted that at least 30 of the com pany's employees had indicated a desire to be represented by the CIO. The CIO petitioned the board to hold a formal election. Contract to Expire The transit company is still under contract with the AFL union, but the contract expires May 31.

Currently, the AFL union is negotiating with the company for a new contract with 35 cents an hour more pay. The company already has pe titioned the State Utilities Com mission for an increase in fares to meet the prospective 'labor cost increase. The counting of ballots in the election will be under the super vision of NLRB Atty, Max Stein- feld. Mother Slays 1 "a 5 Sfit El Monte Painter, 76, Ends His Life, Blaming New Deal Policies for Act Children, Tells Priest In a suicide note left beside Ms body, a 76-year-old El Monte painter yesterdar blamed New Deal policies for hia death, police said. The painter, Frank Rogers, was found shot through the mouth and temple in the bedroom of his home, 3452 Whistler El Monte.

The note was addressed to his daughter, Mrs. Frances Mackley, who shared the house and who discovered the body. The long and rambling document went into Rogers' aspirations to be a painting contractor "so that I might be independent financially and physically in my advancing aga." Mrs. Ruth Edwards, 31, a Ne gro of 205 Pased Valdez, Aliso Village, killed her three children with a butcher knife yesterday and then' called a priest to tell him of her action. Police said the woman freely discussed her crime with them.

after the Rev. Bernard J. Gan non called them, following his conference with Mrs. Edwards. She first killed 7-month-old Rosemary as the infant slept in SYMBOLS OF TRAGEDY Two cereal bowls, a toy and food advertisements remained on table after Mrs.

Ruth Edwards, 31, told police she killed her three children with knife because she couldn't support them on income of $139 a month. properly on that amount.