} : fa . CASTLEGAR NEWS, January 17, 1982 Mass murderer paid to disclose graves By BARBARA GUNN VANCOUVER (CP) —It is doubtful the murders of 11 young people ‘in southwest- ern B.C. would have been solved if the family of con- victed mass murdered Clif- ford Robert Olson had not been given thousands of dol- lards, a Vancouver RCMP 7 superintendent said Friday. - Lyman Herschel, speakiing at a news conference, sup- ported the move by police to give Olson's family $100,000 in return . for information from Olson about the killings. Insp. Larry Proke — the RCMP officer who led the investigation into the disap- pearances of the young peo- ple — told reporters that police had little in the way of direct evidence when they accepted a CLIFFORD OLSON ++. Mass murderer children were dead or alive.” Kaplan said it appeared the $100,000-was paid from a general policing fund of _ which the federal govern- ment bodies proposition. “We were looking to him (Olson) to lead us to some- - thing that was tangible that would turn out to be evi- dence.” . He said that police did not have enough evidence to convict Olson of first-degree murder when the first charge was laid against him Aug. 14. At best, RCMP felt he could be convicted of second-de- solid case ‘against Olson be- fore ‘they ‘deposited. the money into a trust account for his wife and infant son. “There was no attempt to purchase a plea of. guilty,” Kaplan’ said. “What they were buying. was peace of mind ‘for those families who’ didn’t ‘know whether. their Tanker is strafed by two planes: TOKYO (AP) — The cap- tain of a Japanese tanker g highly inflammable methanol from Libya said hs ship was strafed by two unidentified planes off the ~ southern Philippines. The ship's agent said Sat- urday the attack may have “been prompted because of the: tanker’s painted. ca.ou- The captain said the planes fired ‘more than 100 bulletes at the 5,807-tonne tanker Hegg off the island of Mind- inao on Friday, wounding his cook and leaving seven holes above the ship's water line. The vessel was not disabled and continued its voyage to- ward South Korea. Japan's Kyodo News Ser-* vice said Jaanese Defence Agency officials speculated that Philippine’ Air Fores: Qder to get public money. planes might have mistaken the tanker for a secret supply vessel for anti-government guerrillas because oh its. _ khaki color. Tyodo said the officials gave this theory based on the report of the crew members that the planes were pro- peller-driven, single-engined models, a description that fits the T-28D used by the Phil- . ippine Air Force. WITHHOLDS COMMENT Officials of the Defence Agency were not available for comment and the. Phili- ppine navy said it would have no comment because it had not received a’ report of the alleged strafing. - Capt. Hideo Takakuma, in communication with the ship's agent, Kita-Nihon Oi Kaiun Co., which chartered the tanker, reported that the fighter planes opened fire at the Hegg about 20 nautical miles east of Mindanho is- land. ‘The captain wass quoted as saying he radioed the Phil- ippine. Coast Guard for help but there was no response. The agent quoted the cap- tain as saying the planes were khaki-colored or green- ish grey with no insignia, that they fired several warn- ing shots even thoughttie Hegg was flying Japanese colors and that two hours later — strafed the ship for 16 minutes. z 44 per cent. Earlier, Kaplan defended the payoffs, saying the honor of the crime and the terror gripping families in B.C. out- weighed the ethical dilemma of paying an accused mur- dere. B.C. Attorney General Al- lan Williams could not be - reached to comment on Kap- lan’s statements. Earlier Friday, ‘Williams said the Olson family re- * ceived the money in’ ex- change for information from the mass murderer because there was a “slim likelihood” was appalled that Wiliams had authorized the payments and added : that criminals should not profit from crime. Ontario Attorney General Roy McMurtry. sald he ex- pects the $100,000 to cause | controversy. But he said that because of the magnitude of the crimes, the police may have made the correct de- cision. i Deputy Justice Minister Gordon Gregory. said he was more concerned about the moral issue raised by: the OL son case than about the effect. of the precedent it set. Chief Jack Ackroyd of the Metropolitan Toronto police force said that if the same crime happened in his area he would ‘consider similar pay- ments. - WANTS INVESTIGATION Nova Scotia Tory Elmer MacKay suggested an inves-' tigation be ‘headed by Mr. Justice Emmett Hall, former chief justice of the Supreme Court of’ Canada, ‘or Les Bewley, former. B.C provin- cial court judge. " MacKay described the pay- ments as a perversion of the legal system. he also said Olson would’ - have been in jail instead of free. to kill if people had known about outstanding ~ charges against © him. MacKay sai he has legal it out- Olson would be Williams ‘said police sus- pected last August that OF son was linked to the dis- appearances of the youths. But because they lacked evi- standing charges against ol son between November, 1980, and July, 1881, when the: murders took place. He did not elaborate, dence, the p — sug- gested by Olson — was ag- reed to by police. Williams, who appeared on a..morning television pro- gram, denied that he had claimed earlier that the pay- ments had not been made. “I didn’t deny (Thursday) the payments had been made,” Williams said, “but a member of the press ap- proached me and said that he had information that pay- ments had been made to Mr. Olson with respect to evi- dence, and I said well, 'm afraid that you're inaccur- ate.” Olson, 42, was convicted Thursday of 11 counts. of first-degree murder and sen- tenced to 11 concurrent life sentences. Williams said $100,000 was put into an account -admin- istered by an outside lawyer and withdrawals for Olson's wife were Mp Walter Baker called the payments an “odious prece- dent.” Baker wants a com- mission of, inquiry . estab- lished or the matter referred to the Commons justice com- mittee, i Jean-Pierre Bonin, Que- bee's chief Crown prosecutor, said if he had been in a sim- ilar. position he would: have done the same thing.’ “If. police- came’ into my office and said the only way, tp end an 11-murder crime spree and put the killer be- hind bars is. to pay out $100,000, I'm sure that kind of agrument would seriously inspire my decision to pay.” Professor Ronald , Sklar, who teaches criminal law at McGill University, -said: he doesn't think the payment will have serious effects on criminal justice. Howsver Professor Emer- son -Douyon, who teaches ¢ criminal paychology at the i said each “LU time Olson led police to a body. He said $10,000 re- in the account. He agreed the. situation was unprecedented but dis- the Sateen “confirm to the criminal world that crime does in fact pay.” “From a moral and paycho- leeiea! standpoint, Td say it 32 ‘After. 82: years’ (etyice -with | School“ District \No. ‘9 (Castlegar) Paul °'Drazdoft was bid farewell Friday by employed by Waldie . and Sons Sa It ‘was in the latter part of 1949 that Paul began his em- years, and gave that: aspect up in 1975 Docause of eye problems. ° Paul has a natural mechan: pentry — you name it, Paul=" pean do. it, ukn He schooled | If in oll burners and is Meet oil! . fellow workers, ployment. with ‘School Dis- ical ability, having served his’ burner’ repairman. He does ‘The history of thoee years trict No.9. In April of 1950 he. apprenticeship back on the. this as a sideline, and I feel Y e was hired ona full-time basis farm in.-Thrun safo.in saying that he is the. of service are ‘recorded in aprofile which’ was : printed last March in ‘an’ internal asa bus driver, maintenance man and custodian. It was at ‘uncanny ablilit; problem and sbest oil burner serviceman fn + Line:".The folk ‘convicted ‘Thureday. in © the: ‘home Thursday ‘after’,learn- ‘and‘jsaid Joan was ‘up all 15 years out. of date. She go about tho pairing ‘it; He |has a) good vice, spanning over 80 years. working knowledge. of pra with School District No. 9. tically all:tredes ical, electrical, ph this point that Paul began his Many of his summer. hi news letter \“No., 8‘ News- days hav bee: t been ‘spent; wor! v is taken from that ‘news letter: Paul: Drazdoff was ‘born, raised, and received his elem- entary education in Thrums,, His first: paying job’ was at the Brilliant Dam, working as a truck driver and operating a: gas powered locomotive. He was doing all this work for 62‘. cents per, hour. He next worked in the bush for Kelly Lotze, again as'a truck driver: ‘and: cat’ operator. From 1946 to 1949, he was He drove school bus for 26 Olson’ Ss wife ‘ in living» nightmare VANCOUVER (CP) — For the: wife of: Clifford “Olson, |. murder of 11 young’ people, the ‘shock. and revulsion ‘of her husband's: “acts: has turned her life into a ving : nightmare. In an interview: last fall with’ the Vancouver’ Sun, Joan’: Olson, ‘—" who» has avoided the ‘press since Clif- ford' was charged -with.mur- der Aug. 21 — said, “I'm off in my own little world, my own little dream world, you know?" She spends most of her time at the kitchen table in her parents’ home in’ Kitsi- Jano, and looking . after” her baby, Clifford ‘Jr. ie Olson ‘and his wife were married May 15, shortly after the birth of their son and at a time when Olson was .con- tinuing his string of murders. The family shut the cur- tains on their ‘ Vancouver re. Anne. Porapak Farina atalsh a schoo! ‘t came to Glade which was gine oe by Drarkott: dropped intd avon nanc District'No.. stlepae) noon Fr and memories with Paul. Drazdoff on Hi is last can on + the job os he retires after. $2 years service. With him”. ing. that. Olson had pleaded guilty to 11. murders. Kay: Hale, ‘Joan's: mother refused to answer the doorbell or telephone. -Joan .- wouldn't come to the. door. Early Tursday evening, a man ‘describing himself .as her minister left the house OE night’-Wednesday, but. she had taken the’ news. “a lot better” than we he thous she would... : | GRIES ALOT ~ a Joan, 41, is a tiny woman, first riob S 2 ‘about five feet. She’ wears 5 : . icceeress | gy d ifference strand out of place, in a style 9 - Aiea = eae cries a lot lately, and carries a hanky. within easy reach. .. took around, Some of the most missed that some murderer in the future would commit .acrime in - Willams said legal advice is being sought on whether ;the money can be recovered. Meanwhile, political lead- ers across the country had ind that police made a ser- ious mistake,” he said. Moat of the parents. of the murdered victims expressed. disguat when they learned of the payment. Meanwhile, Olson's | wife, Joan, visited him ‘at: .the to news of the payments Friday. Manitoba Attorney Gen- eral Roland Penner said he Olson's parents have de- parted on a two-week va- cation. Church bulletin’ is used by Olson VANCOUVER (CP) — Clif ford Robert Olson, his. wife and baby son beside him, often bent his head in prayer. . at the People’s Full Gospel Chapel in suburban Surray. And on many occasions last summer those prayers were for the families of murdered children. “It’s quite possible that Olson was sitting in our church when we offered those prayers because: we said them on several Sun- days,” said Rev. Don Car- mont. But Olson, who loudly pro- fessed his Christianity, bed another. use for his church beyond the respectability which he felt it gave him. He used the church bul- letin board in his endless earch for more victims. posted a small ad- veri on this board of; Clif-. fering window- washing jobs to. youngsters. “We. -learned ‘after he'd been arrested that he'd put a solicitation on- our bulletin board,” said the minister. “Luckily no one answered the advertisement. We’ are grateful to God for this. None of the children who were killed had parents in our con- gregation .. .”- SH Carmont, interviewed sev- eral weeks after Olson's ar- rest, was deeply shocked that one of his congregation had been charged (and later con- victed ‘on 11 counts) with murder. “He came to us as a visi-- & tor,” said. the pastor. “We didn’t try to solicit himfor our congregation.” However, Ol- ‘son attended the chapel course ofa year. | organ at church, ‘and bout 12-times during the are at best revealing a ‘con- fused, profoundly: sad wom- i? *. successful people you know \ once newspaper. carriers There's a good reason for th Being o carrier is more than a job: : It's an unforgettable learning @: “I “don't know: anything - perience. It. teaches youn: people about the, uh, criminal, uk, rie use their time deal with at an 5 “ andie money to deal will st crime .:.” she trails off. “At ferent Kinde ct least, I don't think I Know “feelings of confide nd = anything.” accomplishment ‘for Fiokalin an Bhe visits Clifford every ff important responsibility,