Evening star., 1953-08-02
Wounding Of Trucker
Linked byPoIice 10
Turnpike Sayings
BY the Associated Press

PITTSBURGH, Aug. IA
week ago today truck drivers
were highballing over the Penn
sylvania turnpike and adjacent
Ohio roads with little more on
their minds than making a good
run.
Those same truckers now are
relentlessly pushing their We
hicles mile after mile instead
of pulling off the road at night
for occasional catnapS. The
drivers are stopping at service
stations and other brightly light
ed areas.
Many of the drivers are carry
ing jack handles or other weap-
ons in their cabs because a
phantom killer is on the loose.
So far two truckers have been
shot to death while sleeping in
the cabs of their parked vehicles
along the turnpike. Another
driver has been shot and Sc
riously wounded. And two driv-
ers say they were fired at wh:.e
their trucks were rolling.
First Staying on July Is.
This is the gruesome score
card:
July 25-Lester B. Woodward,
80, of near Harrisburg, Pa; shot
to death while sleeping in his
truck near Donegal, Pa. He ap-
parently had been robbed of
about $75.
July 28-Harry F.. Pitts. 80, of
Bowling Green. Va, shot to death
in cab of his parked vehicle near
Irwin, Pa, about 80 miles from
where Woodward was slain. He
had been robbed of about $85.
July 30-Eugene Palm, of Han
over, Pa, reported a motorist
fired two shots at him while he
was driving his truck on United
States routes Ills in Eastern
Pennsylvania about 200 miles
from the scene of the turnpike
slayings. Police say they found
no bullet holes in truck.
July 31-John K. Sheperd, "a,
of West Alexander. Pa. shot in
head while sleeping in his truck
near Lisbon, Ohio, a few miles
from Irwin entrance to Pennsyl-
vania turnpike.
Aug. George R. Willow, In
dianopolis truck driver, reported
motorist in oncoming auto fired
two shots at him while vehicles
passed on heavily travelled road
Is miles west of Pittsburgh. Po-
lice found no bullet holes in
truck.
Wide Inquiry Conducted.
State police of Pennsylvania,
headed by Maj. Andrew Hudock
of GreenSburg, have been con-
ducting an around-the-clock in
vestigation on orders of Com
missioner c. M. Wilhelm at
Harrisburg.
All evidence, police say, points
to the fact that the two mur-
ders were committed with the
same weapon, a .32-caliber auto
matte pistol.
Today, Ohio State highway
patrol officers reported that bal
listic tests also have disclosed
the pistol used in wounding Mr.
Sheperd was apparently" the
same that killed the two truckers.
While police pressed the search
for the phantom killer the
charred body of Ira c. Brown
| jr., 33-year-old Negro, was found
in a blazing auto near Philadel-
phia today. Police said he had
a record of four arrests on gam
bling charges.
An iron bar was found near
the car and an autopsy revealed
Brown had been severely beaten
before the car was set af1re., A
discharged 80 calibre pistol
shell was found near the body
but there was no evidence Brown
had been shot, a deputy coroner
said.
( Consequently, State police ir
Pennsylvania said they saw ab-
solutely no linkup Of the Brown
Staying with the turnpike killer
Many Tips Investigated.
1--WE are running down q
great many tips" said Maj
Hudock. Some people want tc
link up the turnpike killings
with every crime committed
within a 400 mile radius"
Alarmed truckers and unions
have offered rewards totalline
Sill 900 for conviction of the
turnpike killer. Meanwhile, the
Pennsylvania Motor Truck AS
sociation has put its own patrols
on the turnpike to warn out-of-
state drivers of the menace.
Gov. John S. Fine of Penn
sylvania stepped into the picture
i after the second turnpike slay-
ing. He said the State police man
hunt "is one of the most in
tensive" in history.
The truck drivers are high
balling tonight. But they're play
ing it safeguarding only II
lighted areas.
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