B6 CASTLEGAR NEWS, April 8, 1981

MAX HAINES

The name Billy Cook has little meaning for us
today, but during the first two weeks of 1951 the
infamous name crackled across the telegraph wires
of two countries, Details of his exploits were front
page news in the U.S. and Mexico,

Billy was born on Dec. 23, 1928, in Joplin, Mo, He
was a thin, sickly baby, one of a brood of eight
children born to Will and Laura Cook. Billy had one

dominant birth defect. It was an ugly growthofskin .

which covered his right eye. The growth didn’t
impair his eyesight, but he had to phystcally lift the
plece of skin in order to see,

Billy and his brothers and sisters lived in a one
room shack on the edge of town. The Cook famlly
was as poor as you can get. Will, a transient miner,
was out of work more frequently than he was
employed. The family went hungry most of the

bad eye oj

excess ski

eyelid, which gave him a sinister appearance for
the rest of his life.

By the time he was 11, Billy was recognized as a

roblem child who ran away from his foster home
Frequently, and stole money and toys from school
chums. In 1941, at 13, he was sent to the State
Training School for Boys at Booneville as a juvenile -
delinquent for a year. Two years after his release
he was arrested for pistol whipping a cabby and
robbing him of $11.

At 22, he had spent most of the preceding 11
years in reform schools and prison. Billy was a
fardened criminal, without the slightest compas-
sion for his fellow man.

Unable to obtain employment, Billy hung around
Joplin visiting with his father. Becoming bored, he
wandered into Texas, Then, on the morning of Dec.
29, 1950, Billy hitched a ride outside Lubbock, Tex.
The pecnpant of the Buick convertible was 58-year-
old Lee Archer, an auto mechanic on his way to
Oklahoma City. It was a long, lonesome drive and
Archer welcomed the companionship of the young
hitchhiker. Archer tried to make conversation, but
his passenger proved to be uncommunicative, and
so the pair drove for hours through the darkness in
sitence. As the Buick approached the outskirts of
Oklahoma City, the bi th the droopy eye oulled
out a nickel plated automatic and forced the aston-
ished Archer into the trunk of his own car.
Terrified, and firmly believing that the sinister

oung man would kill him, Archer found a screw-
driver in the trunk and managed to undo the screws
holding down the lock mechanism. He then threw
the trunk door open and hurled himself onto the
ig Scrambling to his feet, he ran into nearby
shes as he heard the squeal of brakes and knew
that the boy who had commandeered his car had
heard the trunk fly open. Billy was now on the
highway screaming, ‘Come back, you sonofabitch,
or Ili kill you.” But Billy didn’t shoot, and Archer
got away.

Billy raced down Highway 66 in Archer’s car.
Approaching him in their Chevrolet sedan was the
Mosser family: Carl, 33, his wife Thelma, and their
three children, Ronald, 7, Gary, 5, and Pamela Sue,
3. If ever a family was in'the wrong place at the
wrong time, it was the Mossers. They came upo:

ym ..
Billy Cook standing beside the Buick he had stolen

m Lee Archer. Carl Mosser pulled up to see what
was wrong. Billy drew out his .32-calibre handgun
and forced Carl back into his Chevvy.

As pieces began to fall in place for the authorities,
the search for the desperate gunman intensified.

On the night of-Jan. 2, the Mossers’ abandoned
Chevvy was found two miles outside of Tulsa, Okla.
Next morning the contents of the car were exa-
mined. The interior of the car was bloodsoaked.
Cc 's was over the floor.
Many pieces of apparel had bullet holes in them.

When it was ascertained that the Mossers had
been trans,

him immediately
Li

k asked. ‘You have my car and
money, give me a break.” “Why should I, no one
ever gave me a break,” came the terse reply.

As Cook tied the officer's hands behind bis back
with the blanket strips, Waldrip prenared himself
for death. Cook placed the automatic squarely

Province of
British Columbia

issued in July, 1980.

scheduled as follows:
April 9,1981 Prince George
April 13, 1981  Kamloans
April 15,1981 Nelson
April 22, 1981

April 28, 1981

7:30 p.m.
7:30 p.m.
7:30 p.m.
Willams Lake 7:30 p.m.

Victoria 7:30 p.m.

May 7, 1981 Vancouver

May 12, 1981 Prince Rupert

agalnst Homer Waldrip’s skull. Involuntarily tears
flowed out of the deputy’s eyes and he prayed,
Later, he was unable to explain why Billy didn’t
pull the trigger. Certainly he intended to, but for
some unknown reason he changed his mind at the
last minute. Waldrip had no trouble freeing himself
from the blanket strips and walked six miles before

Nuclear reactor
sales look good

OTTAWA (CP) — Canada

eign sales of nuclear reactors

londe said.:

Lalonde said he remains
‘bas good prospects for for- optimistic.
About a year ago, Prime
and shouldn't let an internal Minister Trudeau ordered a
government review of the in- government review of the
dustry. hamper the effort, nuclear industry because of
Energy Minister Marc La- the lean times it had hit. One
aspect of the review said

iY

hifacking ca|
him at gunpo!
and threatened to throw him in. St
Billy $2 to spare his life and then hi

wn,

Upon hearing thls story, the FRI swooped down
on the deserted mine shaft near Billy's hometown of .
Joplin, They uncove! ie les of the five
members of the Mosser family. The search for Billy

The car belonged to ©

=

two Americans.

Police Chief Kraus Morales of Tijuana received
word that three suspicious Americans had been
spotted in the tiny hamiet of Santa Rosalia. Morales
travelled to the smail town. On Jan. 15, accom.
panled by Luis Rodriguez, the chief of police of

janta Rosalia, Morales peered through a plate
glass window at the back of the most wanted man in
two countries. Entering the restaurant, Rodriguez
placed the barrel of his .45 service pistol against

illy Cook’s neck and took him into custody.

Di n and Burke had been held captive for’
eight days. Although both were experienced out-!
doorsmen, they were amazed that the cunning Cook’
never once gave them a chance to overpower him.

_ Their ordeal was over.

Billy Cook confessed to his crimes and had his
lawyers plead insanity in an attempt to save his life.
It didn’t work. On Dec. 12, 1952, after refusing the
spiritual comfort of the prison chaplain, Cook con-
sumed a fal sours shicken eloner. He was then

an ¥ ay ro
As only a half hour had passed since Waldrip’s strapped into Quentin's eas chamber ant

experience, the stticers tried to pick ue nounced dead in a matter of minutes.
in the stolen police car. Within minutes eee

@ BILLY COOK
being picked up by border patrélmen from Yuma.

(se reey ay

4

: oP 05 By BRED MERRIMAN
|, Bobby Blob stood timidly at the receptionist’s desk.

"May | help you, sir?"

“Blob is.the na

“lam sorry, Mr; Blob.

me, Maam,". ant

id the young man transferred the large
- package to his left and extended his hand to the pretty blonde waiting with’
smite‘and patience for the nervous youth to ex;

this rather pleasant Wednesday morning. ©‘
“Would It be possible tor me to get an

plain the purpose of his visit on.

: with your pr

The lic relations ‘diractor. Is the only person

instead?

with the p

“Yes, Miss, la rather desperate and would like

who inight beable tohelp.”.. : a
- "what sort of help do you need, Mr. Blob?”
ay Bobby placed @ large rectangular parcel on ¢!

the knott

twine, lifted a

Would you be willing to see him

speck to mostanyone |

he desk and carefully untied

framed oil p

sInting ofan
mountaln gorge.

side the folds’ ot

“Did you paint this, Mr. Blob?”

“Yes,’Miss, and | was.

paper and proudly. displayed ‘a

leep ina.

, if
the company buy it for his office?” St RO

nt would have

. "Alice, this Is

3 g Can yo nge for an appoint
man'named Mr. Blob? He has the most.gorgeous oil landscape. 1am sure, Mr.

J. would be interested," .

“It was.really that easy. Bobby was
president called In his pales

"How much, Mr. Blob?

3200, sir." -

will give you $500," said the c
_ Now wait a minute, Jack," ordered Mr: J:
painting for hanging in my office.” : i
“How long did it take to paint the picture, Mr. Blob?
ith sketching, field trips and other |

low many pictures do you paint a year, Mr. Blob?”

‘enor. twelve, Mr. J." teas see
:'Well, young man, 1 con:

an investment.

hipps, have accounting issue a cheque to R: Blob for $2,000. *-

. "Sorry, Jack, you see |, also, am a connoisseur of t “ :

. Dear. readers, this has been a fictitious: anecdote.

teer.supporters, like the Castlegar District Arts:Council,
ly not that easy. Even those artists

q fate of appreciation .. . and money.

d almost

for a young

4
ant and then the action started.

c , ‘for my p r

ediately: The:

he
"

ie man intonded tos
jer travel about a Toorak 1%
sider your picture a genuine vote art :
he arts."!:.

‘Artists and their volun.)

with astounding alent; go unnoticed for

now. that life is si

The Candu reactor, which AECL was doing a poor job

uses natural uranium, is one
of the best and safest sys-

tems in the world, he said. ,

“We should certainly mer-
chandise it and market is ag-
gressively,” Lalonde told re-
porters.

In the Commons, he told
Gary Gurbin, (P-C, Bruce-
Grey}, that Mexico and Kor-

of marketing Candus abroad.

Lalonde said he hopes to
make the review, or at least
the bulk of it, public before
Parliament rises for the
summer, :

The minister emphasized
international competition
among countries selling re-

s Buick

ue was

itive remained one

step ahead of the law. The Buick was later found on

ae Heserted road. Who else had picked up the mad
ler’ 5

Distributed by Canada Wide Feature Services Limited

I owe an apology to, federal Minister of Indian
Affairs and Northern Development John Munro, In
which I listed how MPs stand

questionnai:
confused his name with that of B.C, MP Donal
Munrds John Munro is against capital punish-
ment.

Public Information Meetings *
Alternatives for Crown Timber Pricing (White Paper No. 9)
The Ministry of Forests will hold public Information

meetings to hear discussions relating to the white paper
No, 9 on altemative methods of pricing Crown timber

Allinterested persons are invited to attend the meetings

Deita’s Inn of the North
770 Brunswick Street
The Dome Motor tna
S55 W. Columbia Street
Lord Netson Hote!

616 Vemon Street
Overlander Motor [nn
1118 Lakeview Crescent

721 Govemment Street
730p.m. Holiday Inn

711 Broadway Avenue
730p.m. Rupert Hote!

2nd Ave. and 6th Street

actors was stiff,
ea look like good bets for .
Candu sales this year.
Korea has already taken
one Candu, now under con-
struction, and Mexico invited
Canada earlier this year to
bid on tworreactors it plans to

build. os:
” Giirbin‘Hoied that the fed-”
eral government had to write
off $695 million it advanced to
Atomic Energy of Canada
Ltd., a federal Crown cor-
poration, for heavy water
plants in Nova Scotia and
Quebec.

Heavy water is used as a
coolant in Candu reactors,

Gurbin wanted to know the
future of Canadian firms
manufacturing reactor com-
ponents,

Daffodil tea

to fight cancer

In its continuing efforts to
gather funds for the fight
against cancer, Minto Chap-
ter No, 79, Order of the
Eastern Star, is organizing
its annual daffodil tea.

The event will be held in
the Legion Hall this Satur-
day, from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m.
Admission is seventy-five
cents. This entitles toa cup of
tea and some‘light refresh-
ment and, in addition, gives
you a chance at winniii Hh *
doorprize. > [ea
. ‘There will also be a bake
table witha variety of-cakes
and cookies, soine of an ex-
quisite nature, for sale.

g

WHY WE ARE ROT BARGAINING PENSION ADIUSTMENTS

Cominco is bargaining with the USWA to reach an agreement on
conditions of employment for employees working at Trail and
Kimberley. The Unions want to place on the bargaining table the
matter of increasing pensions to current pensioners.

" Many of the Company’s pensioners were not members of the

Unions at Trail and Kimberley: some worked at Bluebell, HB,
Benson Lake, Pinchi Lake, Pine Point, Yellowknife, Vanscoy,
EIKford, Tulsequah or Calgary. A large-number did not belong to
any union. . .

Further, the B.C. Labor Relations Board has determined that
retirees are not employees under the province’s Labor Code.

For these and other reasons, the Company does not accept the
proposals of the Trail-Kimberley Unions. :

Accordingly, Cominco is telling the Union at Trail and Kimberley
that the Company's pensioners are not a proper part of this
bargaining process. : :

The cost of a bargained settlement at Trail-Kimberley has to be
carried by these two operations. If money Is forced to go into
pensions, less is available for wages. .

Cominco is not saying that existing. pensions should not be
reviewed. It has adjusted pensions five times in the past, the last
being in 1979, and it will do so again. Cominco has given con-
sideration to all pensioners when these, adjustments were made
and all will be considered again when another adjustment is
made. . .

We believe the Company's position is both correct and fair.

— City,
Sarid dh

The

bas hapemed ae on
strata title conversions,
exi

month ‘a

“Council. was told the ‘last’
survey by the Canada: Mort

gage .and Housing: Corp. in: 3
f -1980,

the: fall ! <
ment vacancy rate‘o!
pet.cent in the city. Council’
lannin; r

plexes. :
Council : imposed nin

at ind

month ‘mori

‘of. al

grou]
ai

bazaar h
raising activities. In addition,
a generous donation was re- ‘

ce

e fi trip "
“ mination :: ofan ‘intensive

in-class study of the South %
festern Regio) ‘British

‘ ns of f
+> Columbia : with the: ynder-;
: e rich

of Premier Bennett: x brief