Transcribed by Keri Luiz
Assistant Editor

From the Desk of Publisher Arthur W. Gluckman

Sowing Seeds For Victory

MONTHS AGO, WHEN GOVERNMENT AGENCIES were laying their plans for the evacuation of Japanese and other enemy aliens from strategic zones in the event of war, it was realized that the evacuation would bring about a serious shortage of farm produce.

Japanese have for many years been the largest operators of truck farms in California and their removal would present the problem of keeping the produce farms going to supply the needs of the consumer.

But there seemed to be no answer to it. Where could labor be found to operate the truck farms — and produce as much as did the Japanese?

The answer has not yet been found, and probably will not be found. But in the meantime the government has suggested that everyone who has a bit of ground near his home start a “Victory” garden of his own.

Everyone listened to the suggestion but only a few persons have taken it seriously. Only a few persons have realized that they might actually have to do without tomatoes and peppers and lettuce, carrots, radishes, squash, cucumbers, broccoli, peas and string beans and all the other fresh vegetables — unless they could pay extremely high rices for what little produce is reaching the market.

This Victory garden business is serious now and it will continue to be serious. So, if you have a little space in your back yard, plant it in corn, carrots, tomatoes, eggplant, or any variety of vegetables your family prefers. Plant it now in order to have the fresh garden things so necessary to good health.

And if you haven’t got a yard of your own make arrangements with the owner of that vacant lot near you for use of his land to raise vegetables. Perhaps you can even persuade some of your friends and neighbors to make a community project of it — no matter how you manage it, get those gardens planted!

Coming Events Cast Their Shadows …

“We have been asked for the impossible. Let us do it, as usual.”

That’s what the president of one big company said to the employees; that’s what he told them about the enormous war production job that his firm must do.

He’s right about it, too. Like thousands of other companies, this one has done the impossible in peace time. That’s been the history of American industry — doing things that couldn’t be done. Radios, airplanes, movies — every one of the modern inventions that we accept so casually now was “impossible” at one time. Yet we Americans did them.

And now in wartime we’re still doing things that couldn’t be done. We’ve got a long way to go, it’s true, but we’re off to a flying start. Since Pearl Harbor airplane production has gone up more than 50 percent, and that’s only the beginning. One plant reports that it is now building huge bombers on the same kind of moving assembly that made it possible for our automobile companies to turn out millions of cars a year. Steel production has reached an all-time high. Daily production of crude oil is about 20 percent over what it was a year ago. One company is making more cartridges in one year than all the American plants together did in the World War. Another is already doing everything that Donald Nelson asked for recently — and more — in its war production program.

In the grim news that fills our papers today facts like these are important. They’re straws in the wind — the production wind that’s growing into a hurricane that will smash the axis. There’s a lot of “impossible” work that we must do before that happens. No matter. We’re used to “impossible” work. When we Americans make up our minds, pitch in and work together, nothing in the world can stop us.

New Clues Are Hinted In Wilken Slaying

Ninety-year-old Tom Wilken died at Solano County Hospital last Saturday night, the victim of what Chief of Police J.E. Ackerman asserts was a vicious attack by a person or persons as yet unidentified.

The reason for the attack, which occurred in Wilken’s tiny cabin on West K Street on the night of March 13, is shrouded in mystery. The old man had no money — or at least none the public could know about — and lived quietly in his small place on the edge of the water, bothering no one.

New Leads

Chief of Police Ackerman just before leaving for Fairfield this afternoon to confer with the doctors at the county hospital, hinted that he may uncover important facts behind the case in the next two days as the results of two leads which have developed since the start of the investigation after Wilken’s death. He declined to state the nature of the leads, however.

On Saturday morning, March 14, Tom was found tottering dazedly about his quarters, attempting to dress himself. According to a report made to police two days later, his face and mustache were caked with blood and he was severely bruised about the head and chest, and he was suffering from a broken shoulder.

He was discovered by Mrs. Howard Arneson who had gone to the Wilken place to bring Tom some food. Some years ago when Tom’s wife died she willed her property to Mr. and Mrs. Arneson, and they have been caring for Tom since that time. Mrs. Arneson was in the habit of visiting the old man every day to see if he was in need of anything.

According to the police report Mrs. Arneson said she wanted to call the authorities immediately but was asked not to by Tom because, she told police, Tom said it would “result the same way it did last time.” He was referring to a similar beating he received about ten years ago.

Mrs. Arneson reported to Chief Ackerman that there was a large pool of blood near the front door of the cabin, and that the rest of the room was blood spattered. The front door was standing open about two or three inches when she arrived at the cabin, Mrs. Arneson reported to Chief Ackerman.

Took Clothing

The bedroom was in disarray, with furniture out of place, a chair overturned and the bed clothing in a tangle, according to the report. A radio which usually sat on a small table near the bed was on the floor, and other articles were misplaced.

Wilken told her, Mrs. Arneson’s report said, that “they took my clothes away from me” and that “it was cold in here all night.” Tom couldn’t tell her who “they” were, Mrs. Arneson said.

Any clues which might have led police to the attackers of Tom were erased when the cabin was set to rights and washed down before Chief Ackerman was notified and called in to investigate the strange case.

Tom was taken to the County Hospital at Fairfield for treatment. Physicians there discounted the theory that the old man had received his injuries in a fall. They said he could not possibly suffer such severe injuries in falling. The old man lingered in a semi-conscious condition for a week and died last Saturday. Funeral services were conducted from the Chisholm and Passalacqua Chapel on Monday this week.

Former Benicia Man Signs For Air Patrol Duty

A former Benicia man, a veteran aviator of World War I and now a resident of Oakland has signed for duty in the Civil Air Patrol and may be placed in charge of C.A.P. landing fields in the Oakland area.

He is Royal U. St. John, son of a former Congregational church pastor here. Mr. St. John visited with friends in Benicia three years ago and is quite well known here.

Mr. St. John served under the famed Brig. Gen. William “Billy” Mitchell in 1917-18. Among his fellow pilots were Raoul Lufbery, the French ace; Capt. James N. Hall, who later became a famous author; Major Davenport Johnson, now a major general; the famed balloon busting Frank Luke Jr., Captain Eddie Rickenbacker, and the late Quentin Roosevelt.

St. John continued in aviation after his overseas service, and became active in the construction of airports all over the nation. He was in charge of design and construction of the old Sacramento Municipal Airport and the San Francisco Bay Airdome at Alameda.

The Civil Air Patrol in which Mr. St. John has enlisted is an organization of civilian pilots who will be on call for non-combat flights for the military during the war. The group to which he belongs covers eight north bay counties, with Geo. A. Messing of Oakland as chief.

Benicia Police in Drive on Drunks

During the past week 11 persons were booked by the Benicia Police Department for being drunk and disorderly. The 11 cases were disposed of in the court of Police Judge C.A. Springer. Several fines were meted out, three of the men were given “floaters” out of town, and the rest were sentenced to short jail terms.

Housing Program Speeded by Federal and Private Firms

Alleviation of Benicia’s housing problem should be felt within the next four months as government and privately financed homes costing approximately $1,700,000 now in the preliminary stages of planning reach the point of completion.

This was indicated today as reports of progress in the plan to construct 500 temporary homes by the Federal Housing Authority, and the erection of dormitories to accommodate 260 single persons was made public.

A tentative location for the 500 home units is an 85 acre area near T Street on East 5th and East 6th streets. The dormitories, according to the tentative plan, will be located near the N Street end of the area.

Actual starting date of work on the government homes and dormitories has not been announced, pending completion of surveys of essential utilities and other facilities in the district.

Surveying of the 50-acre site of the private home construction project of the Millbrae Highlands Company is now being done north of the city, and contour maps of the district, showing the new streets and situation of the lots will be submitted to the City Engineer soon.

Approximately 300 homes of the $4200 class will be built in this district by the Schultz Construction Company.

The Gilbert Plov Construction Company of San Francisco has under construction at present some 14 homes in the area immediately west of St. Dominic’s Church, and is making ready for others east of the church.

A total of more than 12 homes, some of which are started, is planned for a site near the old McKay Tannery property between West 5th and West 6th, and between G and I Streets. these are being built by B.A. Roberts.

Air Watchers Needed, Defense Report Reveals

Aircraft observation stations in this vicinity may be abandoned soon unless more volunteer observers offer their time to the work.

That was the warning given at last Monday night’s meeting of the civilian Defense Council in City Hall by Rudolph Quandt.

Quandt said that observers now working at the posts are putting in more hours than they can spare and are carrying much of the burden which should be shouldered by other residents of the city.

George Westerberg, acting as chairman of the council in the absence of Mayor Charles Clyne, said that a house-to-house canvass is to be made soon to register new civilian defense workers, and it is believed that a number of aircraft observers may be registered in this manner. The survey is to be conducted by Chief of Police J.E. Ackerman and his assistant.

Other business during the meeting included reading of a letter by Mike Fitzgerald from the Standard Oil company. The letter told of the intended visit here next Monday of J.C. Acton who will lecture and show motion pictures at Benicia High School Monday morning, and present virtually the same program at the Kiwanis Club meeting.

Paul Wetmore has offered the use of a truck for the distribution of sand on Sunday; six fire extinguishers are needed for the Red Cross hospital, according to a report by Fire Chief William Davena, and they are to be purchased; medical supplies amounting to $200 are on order for the emergency hospital, Dr. Lewis H. Sanborn reported.

Present at the meeting were Mr. Westerberg, S. H. Beetem, Dr. Sanborn, Mr. Fitzgerald, Paul Wetmore and Chief Ackerman.