The Daily Alaska empire., 1948-01-28
GEO. MEEKS
 TESTIFIES IN
 OWN BEHALF
Murder Case Is Expected to Go to Jury Sometime
 tomorrow

l George Harrison Meeks took the witness stand this morning in U. s. District Court to testify in his own behalf at his trial for the | first degree murder of 28-year r-old Seattle construction worker Clar- ence J. Campbell in Juneau in December l945.
 l Meeks, who did not testify at his previous trial here in l946 on the same charge, told the court the history of his life and gave a summary ol his activities since ar irving in Anchorage during May. l945. In reply to questions put to him by defense attorney M. E. Monagle, the 34 year old con- struction worker declared that he had never been convicted of a felony.
 The accused man stated he came i from family of three children and was born on a Georgia farm. He left school before completing the third grade in order to assist his father on the family farm and he has never married. Much of his family background testimony was ruled out by Judge George w. Folta as irrelevant and immater- ial. It was inserted in the rec ord, however, during the absence of the jury.
 Meeks stated that he came to i Alaska for work on the Alaska Railroad at Anchorage in May 1 l945. and met John Kalinowski there in June. Meeks claimed that he won $i 400 in June at the Plan- tation near Anchorage. He also said that Kalinowski had been a frequent winner there and had won over $l.00o in one night.
 Explains Gray Suit ] Meeks testified that he quit the ARR in June and went to Gulkana i to work for the Alaska Road Con- mission where he met John Rit- 1 ter. He declared that he remained in Gulkana until october except for v-J Day. At that time, he said, he looked up Jesse Duke in ! Anchorage who owed him some money. He said that Duke gave him a gray suit in payment of i the debt and that the suit was 1 the same as the one being used as. a government exhibit. He stated that he saw Kalinow- ski again in Juneau and that the latter was constantly after money or something from him. During the first part of December. Meeks said that he loaned Kalinowski $60 for transportation to Pasco, Wash, 1 where the latter wanted to look 1 for construction job. Kalinow- ski got drunk, he said. and spent 1 the money and never did make the ] trip. Instead, said Meeks, he came up to his room the next night for more money
 When this happened, Meeks said he told Kalinowski that he tMeeks) would buy the ticket but wouldn't ! give him the money. He then went to the Alaska Steamship Co, to make arrangements and gave the name that he said Kalinowski had written on slip of paper. He did not know what name was on the paper. Meeks stated that he did not seek ticket for himself be- tween the dates of Dec. 9, l945 and January 8, l946. He said he had told Kalinowski that he couldn't spare the money because he knew that the latter wouldn't pay it back
 Meeks testified that it was com.
 mon for his various construction
 worker friends to loan money back and forth to each other. He said
 that he and Ritter had both loan- ed each other money and that Rit-
 ter still owes him small amount.
 Explains s10o Bills
 Meeks said that he came to Ju- neau with seventeen $10O bills and
 two $50 bills of his own, and three
 S2o bills belonging to Eddie Schwaedsdall which the latter had asked him to keep for him.
 I Because he didn't want to break the large bills, Meeks stated that
 he frequently asked for pay ad-
 vances rom his employer Dave Burnett in Juneau. He admitted
 leaving the Alaska Electric Light and Power Go. after only one days
 work but said this was because
 the company put him to work as
 painter instead of giving him the job it had promised
 On Dec. 9. i945, Meeks said that
 he saw Kalinowski inSermittently
 through the day He said the lat- i. ter was in and out of his room : all day long for drink and to borrow money. He stated that he loaned him $3 for breakfast. He said that he saw Peanuts n