The Exeter Times-Advocate, 1958-12-18, Page 111
{nnYnm
MO. Mt
Police Find .45 Shell Buf Robbery
Jack Harness, 35 -year-old: na
tive of Exeter who told a news-
paper reporter Monday he hoped
to go to jail because "I don't
want to hurt any snore of the
Jr* I love," was formally
charged with armed robbery in
London court 11'ednesday.
itis ease was remanded until
I' rnday when additional .charges
will probably be read against
!tint.
Harness admitted to Ottawa
Citizen reporter Ted Hanratty
that -he was the "one -legged
bandit" who stole at gunpoint
$125 and a car from two. district
,youths who picked him up in
He is the son of the late Al-
bert Harness and Mrs. lfarness(-
now believed living in Ottawa.
The family moved from Exeter
many years ago.
Harness lost his leg in a bob-
sled accident here when he was
seven and local residents recall
bow he developed amazing speed
on foot"and on a bicycle despite EightY"$econd Year
his handicap.
Rehm is the story which ap-
peared in the Ottawa Citizen on
Harness's confession and the. -
tale of the •two district youths -
who were kidnapped by an
armed bandit.
•
London Saturday night. Add• i ct Tells
I I s
Lorne Dundas, 21.; R.R. 2 /`'1
•Crediton, aed Jim Prout, 21, e
R.R. 1. Centralia, were forcedCrime L f e
by .a hitchhiker with a gun t o
drive to Cooksville. The bandit
took the car ,and the youths'
money.
liarness said his big '45 gun
wasn't loaded when `he threa-
tened the district youths but
police found a shell on him,
Harness, a drug addict, gave
himself up to the Ottawa paper
because "I'ni tired of running."
"I left Ottawa last week know-
ing I was going to do something
that would land me • in jail,
That's• the only place VII be.out
of harm's way," he told • Han-
ratt•;
Lorne Dundas flew to Ottawa
Tuesday with London township
police. Dundas drov.e his car
home; police brought Harness
by air to London and put him
in .fail,
In his confession to the re-
porter, Harness revealed a life
of crime which plit him in at
least five different penitentiaries
in Canada and the U.S..
Car Crashes
Injure Five
One person was hospitalized,
four others received minor.. in-
juries and damages exceeded
$3,000'. in four • accidents during
the week. • • •
Mrs. Alexander.. Turner, the
former 'lean Lavender, of Hen -
sail, suffered a broken .collar-
bone and facial cuts requiring
40 sutures when the car her bus-.
band was driving crashed 'into.
the rear of an airman's car
which had• stopper) on No. 4 to
pick up a hitchhiker.
The accident occurred Friday
night when Mr. and Mrs. Turner,
who live in Hamilton, were tidy-
ing to Hensall for the weekend.
Mr. Turner, 25, suffered minor
facial lacerations..
Driver• of the other car was
Douglas Poison, 18, of RCAF Sta-
tion, Centralia.
• PC Harry Reid estimated dam-
ages at $800.
Seturday, Warren. Sanders, 40,
fewhi, received face cuts when
his car was struck by two others
after it had skidded out o€
co
n
t roton No. 4iighwaY about 1,30
p.m.
The ;Sanders car, travelling
south, had just passed a car
when it skidded into the path pf
vehicles 'driven by Melvin King,
50, R.R. 1, Exeter, and. Gordon
McAlpine, 34, R.R. 6, Parkhill,
who were both. northbound.
Total damage amounted to $1,-
600, according to PC George
Mitchell. •
A London •couple, Mr. and.Mrs.
A. J. Dark, were treated for
minor injuries after their car
struck and snapped a telephone
pole on Main street, just 'north
of the bridge. •
Mrs: Dark, 58, who was driv-
ing, lost central of the south-
bound car on the snow-covered
highway,
Chief C. H; McKenzie said
damage -to the cat was $300.
J. Desmond. Paquet, 32, RCAF
Station, Centralia,. skidded into
the path of Laverne. Heywood,
16, R.R. 3, Exeter,. on. Saturday,
at 8.45 p.m,- Damage teas only
$50,' said Constable John Cowen.
Santa - to Bus
7
On Saturday
Santa Claus will be busier
than a stumping politician Sat-
urday when he'll be present at
tour' community parties in the
district. Here's his 'schedule for
the day:
Exeter --,St. Nick will lead two
parades, one at 1.2.45, the other
at 2,45, up the Main -street to
Lyric Theatre where the chil-
dren •will be • treated to a free
movie and candy. This year's
party, sponsored by three service
organizations, is being organ-
ized by Exeter Legion.
Hensall — Annual Christmas
tree party will start ate 110 p.m.
at the town hall. Free movies,
treats and chocolate milk will
be provided for the children.
Grand Bend—.Legion has in
vited the jolly old gent to pre-
side at the branch's free party
lea. the Aldon, theatre, starting at
1:30. Children will get free treats
here tea. •
Dashwood—St, Nide- will dis-
tribute 'randy to hie admirers at
2:i5 on the Main street.
Lucan Legion and its aux•
illary will. stage their annual
party at the community centre,
Where Tp
Find It
Announcements, 0
Church Notices .,,. 1S
Leming Events. 1S
Editorials 2
Entertainment . 1&
Farm Ne'»s 9, le
Feminine Facts 12
Ftensalt . 1, 1
:Looking 1n `Whit 'Litt 13
Luton
14
$ cwt's 1Mr
S
Snorts ,
want Ads 11
Zurichy.y 5
'NDHS , „,, Y,YiiB,iY YiWF Y/iYYY,.,,
fi
Here is Hanratty's story, in
part;
He was sleepy and friendly. I
identified myself and 'asked him
for the gun he said he had used.
"I had to holdit on those guys
for a long time. It got awfully
heavy after a little while."
Reaching down to. the floor he
picked up a cloth which was
wrapped around the biggest gun
I've ever yeen, It was a .45 cali-
bre frontier army model much
like six shooters featured in
Western movies. I checked it
quickly; all six chambers were
empty.
Jack Harness smiled wearily,
"It's just a• big old gun, 1 could
not hurt anyone, it isn't loaded
and even if it was I couldn't pull
the trigger:I wouldn't point it at'
anyone if it was loaded."
Leaving the car which he said
he had taken from two young
men at London, he came with me
in my cab to the Citizen's news-
room.
Hp revealedhis reasons for
seeming weary. lie handed me
a small box holding a small by-
perdermic syringe, a needle with
a thin tube •containing a small
tablet the slice of a pencil lead.
"I took this dope from in front
of a hospital and 1 had a shot.
The medical ' men say three-
quarters is lethal, I don't know
how much I took."
His story ,of drug addiction
'dates back many years but, as
he said, "I never had any for
eight years until tonight.'
I later checked with Dr. A. V.
Knieser, whose bag was the one
from which the drugs had been
stolen. He revealed that Harness
had taken in excess of two
grains. It was thought that this
dose would not be very dange-
rous for an addict.
. Perhaps the most poignant re-
velation during my talk with -him
was this: "I left Ottawa last
week knowing I was going to. do
something that would land me
in jail. That's the only place
I'll be out of harm's way."
"I don't want to hurt any more
of'the people love.'
He unfolded the tale of his
misfortune whichreached back
.
to his childhood. `At the age .of
seven,he lost his left leg in a
bobsled accident. Ih subsequent
years he was in and out of refor-,
oratories in Canada and the
U.S. Last year, while working,
in a carpenter shop in Winnipeg,1
he lost the tips of four. fingers
of his left hand while operating
a. joiner.
"I did six and one-half years
in Florida, chain gang, I did
three years in Oklahoma, a year
in Kentucky. I spent some time .
—Please Turn To Page 31
1 '11.1111.71 II
►sped Says Gun Wasn't L
ferZones-Abvocafe.
EXETER, ONTARIO, DECEMBER 18, 1958
Pr1ce Per Copy 10 CSP•
EE
ARMED BANDIT VICTIMS—Lorne Dundas, left, and Jim Prout show the position
they were in for three hours Saturday night when a gun -toting hitchhiker held a gun
at their heads. A. 'Jack Harness, 35, a native of 'Exeter, identified himself as the
hitchhiker when.he gave himself up to an Ottawa ,reporter,Monday. Harness said the
large .45 gun wasn't loaded liut police found a btillet on him., T -A Photo
Elizabeth To Split Fund
With Twin Sister Diana
in a letter 'to The Times -Ad-
vocate this week, Elizabeth Knox
says 'she is going to share her
$1,000 trust fund from "Another
Anoth
er
Elizabeth" with her twin sister
Diana,
She also reveals how she will
spend the $50 the unknown Tor-
onto woman sent her for Christ-
mas. gifts this year,
She's going to buy ballet
tights for 'her sisters and herself
anda bow and arrow set for her
.brother. • •
"I'm also going to buy gifts
Youths DFrom Lair
•
Defy Bandit's
_
The two'district youths ended and I met in a nearby bush,
then went to another one before
we felt it was safe. We tried to
flag down a truck but he wouldn't
stop. Then we went td a farm-
house but they wouldn't let us
in, ,I guess we were so excited
they didn't• know what to make
of us. They 'made us stay outside
while they called police,"
The hitchhiker was pretty
quiet when they • picked him up
just north of St, Joseph's Hospi-
tal, London, "We asked him who
he was and where he was
going. He said .he was a dental
technician and wanted to go, to
'Kitchener to see his mother. He
was about 5' 8", 185 pounds,
light complexion.
"Nothing much happened until
we started down the hill at El-
ginfield. He had been leaning
forward with his arms on the
back of the front seat. He leaned
back twice and the second time
lie had the gun. It must have
door open, telling' him about the been in his.coat.
gear shift," stated Lorne. "When Sorry boys', he said, but
he•started to move into the front T have to do this'. Then he or-
seat, I jumped out and clucked
by the side of the cat Where he
couldn't shoot me. Then I fell in
the ditch,"
"When , he drove away, aim
a, harrowing 125 -mile trip at gun-
iloint early Sunday morning when
they dived from their car and
ran to a nearby bush to escape
the armed convict.
Driver Lorne Dunda's defied
the man's orders to drive down
a road leading to a swamp where
he, Dundas, suspected the con-
vict planned to shoot them. They
also defied orders not to notify
police despite threats that the
hitch -hiker would return to, :.ill
them.
They both admit, however, the
gunman had them frightened;
particularly near the end of the
trip when he talked about shoot-
ing them. •.
Jim Prout. jumped out of the
car shortly after it stopped. "I
figured our time had, come," he
said, "so 1 jumped out while he
was asking Lorne how to drive
the ..Car."
"I was sitting there with the
tOWN WELCOME Mrs.
Nantes Earl,_ who moved to
Flaeter from Utsborne about two
months 'ago, received a pleasant
Weiteerie from town merchants
Saturday,
When She won the
.e$100 b
draw the Christmas jackpot.
,Photo
dered us to turn right onto No.
7. "Do what I tell you and do it
quietly', he said.
"He had his gun right next
to my head," continued Lorne,"
and every now and again, .he'd
tap my head with it to remind
me he was still there.
"He told us he'd just got out
of a Texas penitentiary after
eight years, T-te had come to Lon-
don to pick up $19,000 this other
fellow owed him from a rob-
bery but he found the other Man
had invested it in 'a new house,
"He said the other fellow of-
---]:'lease Turn to Page • 3
for other people but I don't .want, sage years ago, It took a little
to enmarass them by telling,
you," she said in her er letter.
Elizabeth received her
flea
Christmas gift from "Another
Elizabeth" three years ago when
the lonely woman spied the
girl's letter to Santa Claus in
The Times -Advocate,
In 1956, the Knox girl received
a "Molly (loo Moo" cow. Last
year it was a check for $110
which .she .sent to leper colony
in India.
This year, through The Lon-
don Free Press, "Another Eli-
zabeth" sent $1,000 as an educa-
tional trust fund and $50 to buy
presents for her family. `
In her letter to The T -A, the
former Exeter girl, now in grade
fiveat La...beth• said:
,.
"I want to buy $5.00 worth of
your paper for my mother. You
know I have $50 which andther
Elizabeth ga✓e me. Thank you
for putting my letter in your
paper three years ago.That's called .Molly Moo -Moo.
how I got all the money.�� Your friend,
"1'm going to buy batty tights Elizabeth Knox."
for Ruth and Diana and myself Gifts Started
because we take billy lessons
now. Peter wants a bow and ar- A few days before Christmas
row set. Tommy and Butch are 1956, Elizabeth received. $10 from'
working inthe post office so •"Another Elizabeth," with in
they can get their own gifts." structions to buy herself: a doll.
' Elizabeth revealed she and her Just before Christmas, 357, a
twin, Diana, will. appear on 1 -Tease Turn to Page 3
CFPL's Panorama show Tues-
day. They will be interviewed
by Pat Murray,
"Diana thinks I'm a million-
aire," her letter continues. "I'm
going to gine her half of My
trust and ety money. We miss
Exeter but we like Lambeth
very much."
Rev. N. D. Knox, former Tii-
vitt rector, said this week that
the trust fund is, being set up
by The London. Free Press.
Elizabeth revealed that the
family's fortune has not all been
good. leer mother is in bed With
a leg fracture,
"Mother broke her leg- so she's
got plenty of time to read news-
papers. She says if she wasn't
so nosey she wouldn't enjoy yours
so much as -you know every-
thing.""
Elizabeth enclosed $5.00 to con-
tinue the" family's • subscription.
Both ,Elizabeths are enjoying
their anonymous friendship.
The lonely Elizabeth, apparent-
ly dying in Toronto, writes
that her giving has brought into
her life "the true spirit 'of Christ.
mas anti the peace which she
had never known before."
"Oh, would .I had got this nits -
FT
PI..LTS
n.:.... Charges against two Tor s to
men over the break, enter' and
Approve War
theft at Jack Smith Jeweller''s...°a here were withdratvir lay tht
crown in magistrate's .court oe
• 14'edev,
Plan One For N Canshsdbaail amounting to $20913§
Council gave approval Monday! Agreed to give all town em -
night to establishing four wards ployees a turkey for Christmas.
in town instead of three. ' Granted building permits to
l''rancistown, that section north t Arthur W iilsmith, for a house on
of the bridge, will probably bei Highway 83, and to J. Henry Ny-
designated a subdivision in the hails, for an extension to the food
reorganization. The rest of the 1 market building at the corner of
town will be divided into three Alain and Wellington.
wards. i Hired Robert Aitken, 4�, Palm -
Of the three wards now estab- ; erston, as a police constable at
lishecl, two would have difficulty ; $3,000 a year after the police
handling the voters if a heavy committee had interviewed a
percentage turnedout in an elec- number of candidates.
tion, said Clerk C. V. Pickard, Learned in a report from
who initiated the move after it: Councillor Ross Taylor that the
has been discussed in council ' recreation committee had ern.
this fall, ployed Larry Heideman as di -
Wards two and three now boast, rector for another year,
over 600 voters each.
Ward two, which includes the
area between Girlies', on the; :Palm�r t� i Mari
north, and James and Anne
streets, on the south, has 662i
voters while ward three, north' Completes Force
of Gidley, has 628. R Exeter's police department
Although there are .only about will soon be at full strength as a
170voters norththas the river, i result of council's appointment
counciladbecause avors ithis would a sepate! of a third man Monday ward eliminate Robert Aitken, 40, of Palmer-
areathe necessity .the votersrin that ston, was engaged at a salary of
crossing bridge.
Council gave the clerk perm's- $3,000. He was chosen from eight
sion to work out boundaries for' applicants.•
the -new wards, based on the die- Constable Aitken ha's over a
tribution of voters. . year's experience on the Palmer -
The provincial government, ston force. He will start his
which originally, allowed the duties here not later. titan Janu-
town only three wards, has ap- ai'Y 15.
proved the addition of a fourth
gone.
New Dog By -Law
Council passed a new by-law
giving police permission to shoot
dogs at large and providing a
penalty' of $50 for owners who
permit dogs to stray.
The by-law, similar to that
passed by other municipalities,
has been recommended by Huron
County Health Unit as a protec-
tion against the rabies epidemic,
In other business, council:
Decided to review its garbage
collection charges for household-
ers outside the town limits. Pres-
ent charge is $14 a yeas which
I appears to be less than ratepay•
-
girl working through the meet! ers are contributing.
child to give me such peace and
contentment, read the letter
which accompanied the little tin earl o n u s
box stuffed with $5, $10 and $20
bills.
The letter, dated Toronto, was
signed another Elizabeth."
Letter To Santa
Work -C
At Pinery Park
l
Garland C. Myers, new super-
intendent of Pinery Provincial
Park said this week approxi-
mately 55 men are currently em-
ployed in the development pro-
ject there.
A hydro line is being cut
through the park and construc-
tion continues on the administra-
tion building. •
Mr. Myers, former supervisor
of five parks at Kenora, has
served with the Ontario Lands Depart-
mentd s Forestsat
e and
Sault Ste. Marie, Kemptville and
Tweed. His home is in Westpoint.
Mr. and Mrs. Myers and their
three children moved into the
superintendent's home at the
Pinery earlier this reepnth.
The fairy godmother first came
into • the, life of Elizabeth Knox,
daughter of Rev. Norman Knox,
three years ago, following a
letter which the little girl wrote
to Santa Claus.
"Dear Santa,
"Is it cold clown north? If it
is be sure to wear your thick
clothing. There are poor chil-
dren who need presents more
than I da. I hope you have plenty
of toys for them. Bring a new
dress' for the little girl on ,TV.
She has no clothes. If you have
anything left I would like' a. cow
TO LEASE BUILDING
Optometrist Norman Martin
has purchased the building which Five extra persons have been
housed the barber shop of the added to the staff to handle the
late Norman Hockey, 11,1 a in load. They include Mrs. • Bill
street. He plans to rent the Smith, Mrs. Aubrey Tennant,
building for some time before he Wilmer Pfaff, Mrs. Glen North -
moves his office there. coat and Donald Taylor.
RETHER WINS — George. E.
Rether won Exeter Council's
sixth seat last week when a
recount gave him 463 to 460 votes
' for incumbent Claude Farrow.
Judge Frank Fingland presided
at the three-hour count which
broke. the deadlock. Rether. is
vice-president of Exeter Kinsmen
Club. —Doerr
Christmas Mail
Reaches Peak
Peak of the Christmas mail
has hit Exeter Post Office and
"it's as heavy. as it has ever
been," according to Postmaster
Harvey Pfaff.
was returned to William Arthrg
Lovejoy, 40, and Ernest Irvin
Courtney, 38, arrested last week
in Stratford several hours after
the store was robbed. •
Crown Attorney /Glenn Bayer!
QC, said the charges were drop°
ped because of "lack of evt•,.
dente." Laboratory tests, he
said, failed to reveal significant
information.
It is not know yet if Stratford
' court officials plan charges.
Recover Jewellery
Jewellery recovered in an old
Stratford barn the same day of
the arrests has been identified
as that taken from the local
store. Seventy-eight watches and:
21 diamond rings, veined et
$6,500, were found in a burlap.
{sack thrown through a hole in
I the barn.
Break-in at the jewellery store
was discovered about 1 a.m. last
Wednesday by owner Jack Smith.
Approximately an hour late;,
Stratford police were attracted
by a car which acted queerly.
when the patrol cruiser camel
into sight.
Investigation revealed fresh -
tracks in the snow to the barn
where the jewellery was found.
Two men, separated, were held
by Stratford police and arrested
by Exeter Constable John Cowen
assisted by PC Hank Reid. :
The two men denied knowinng,
each other or any knowledge ed,
the burlap bag and jewellery.
Clinic Cat
Cuts Caper
One cat played a wild game,
of hockey on the ice, others,
scratched and spat; dogs howl-
ed, cried, whimpered and bark;
ed when -they received "their
anti -rabies "shots" at Exeter
arena Tuesday.
The scene was the same-
throughout the area this week
as clinics sponsored by the.
Canada Departrient :of Agri.cul-
,tare are being held in every -
municipality in the county.
Busy ' Day
In Exeter, over 150 clogs and
75:. eats were treated in the ones
•da_y clinic, One family near
Zurich brought in .over a dozen
cats and two dogs: Frank Hicks,
Centralia, had his nine hunting'.
hounds treated.
One cat escaped its handlers
and raced around the ice sur-
face in frantic efforts to evade
capture. its' antics provided
tree entertainment for spectators
for several' minutes.
Dr. -•H. K, Mitchell, of Sums-
ridge, who is in charge of the
clinic program, said over 2,000
dogs and 1,000 cats have been
treated in the 12 clinics in Huron
to date. -
Locals Assist
Assisting at the Exeter clini
were Doctors R. F. Roelefson,-
Exeter;; W. 13. Coxon, Zurich;:'
t W. D. Schaefer, Kirkton, and J.
M. Mitchell, London, and Dep't
of Lands and Forests fieldman
Roy Bellinger. Clinton.
Mrs. Pete Durand and Mra,
Red Loader assisted with cleri
cal work.
Wednesday, clinics were held •
at Dashwood, Crediton, Grand'
Bend and Zurich.
Yule T.A, 'Packs Features
The Times-Aci'Yee ate's
y Christmas edition -- packed
again this year with special
features - will be in the
mails Tuesday morning next
week,
In addition to a beautiful
front page. Christma;5 illus-
tration in four colors, the
edition will•. be, 'highlighted
by:
An orlgirta1 Christmas
story, entitled "Pokey Bear
and the Singing Sleigh Hells",
written by Lir ioutrhette,
author of The T -A's regular
TV Celtlfltn and editor of
Grand , rend Holiday this
su'muier;
Three prize-winning Christ-
mas stories by SHDI1S. stu-
dents;
A religious message from
the president of South Huron
Ministerial. Association;
'C'rire winning essays mi
"My Christmas Wish", writ -
len by grade sir: students iii
the district;
A special report en the
future et Springhill, NS,
scene of the recent mine dis-
aster, by a weekly editor in
the 'Maritimes.
And a children's fart page,
se,
SANTA W k <S1 -16P AT CENtRALf —Over 1,000 tors
1'e ala• rC .L .i ,l: • e 1_.. e. .- ys RCAF 1Y C
� r, t and painted ti by 17 ,lTlli1C'1� of �.%�.� Station: C.CII-
tralia'S fire department, are being distributed to Children's
Aid Society, Goderich, atul orphanages in London this
Week. Under the leader;ship of Iffttcstaiit are' -L. f.ert4
. .
Gilbert, residents of PMQ donated 'toys for the
project. Fit. Sgt. D. R. ItClnpie and. LAC's Sill iirhols .and, .
w r ,
,l`ohlllrq �I ui�ti�Jl.e work on.'rho gifts, 11CA13 pribttjr