Compiled by Don Hoiness from archived copies of The Bulletin at Deschutes County Historical Society.

100 YEARS AGO

For the week ending

April 28, 1918

Club wants to make all work

There will be no loafers in Bend while men are needed on farms or in other forms of work, if a suggestion made at today’s Commercial Club luncheon is carried out. On the motion of D.G. McPherson, a committee is to be appointed to confer with the city council and attempt to outline a plan for insuring that all men able to work are made to do so.

Mr. McPherson’s motion followed discussion started by County Agent Ward, who stated that the business men of the city might be expected to devote some time every week is aiding the farmers. George Russell, of Prineville, called on for remarks, urged that all pool rooms be closed during the week and their patrons set to work or placed in the Army while the farm boys in the Army be returned to their homes for farm work. Mr. Ward stated that arrangements were now being made to obtain furloughs for soldiers who could help on the farm.

Mr. Ward also reported having for distribution garden seed furnished by Congressman Sinott.

A letter from Adjutant General Williams to Judge Barnes was read informing the club that arms for the Bend Home Guard, recently formed, might be expected from a shipment of Krag rifles coming from Camp Lewis.

To the industries committee was referred the matter of obtaining consideration of Central Oregon in the selection of an aviation camp in the state.

A request from the Pacific Coast Defense League for $100 from the club in aid of its work of obtaining highways on the coast for defense purposes received lukewarm attention and was finally referred back to the directors for further consideration.

Pershing calls for additional Marines

Pershing today called for more Marines, which resulted in the House voting to increase the number of men in the Corps to be sent to Europe from 30,000 to 75,000.

$6,000 business block planned

The erection of a $6,000 fireproof brick and stone business block will be commenced within a few days on Wall Street between Minnesota and Franklin avenues, according to reports from the city building permit office this morning.

The building is to be erected by F.W. Koeppner, owner of the property, and will be used for business purposes. The size of the structure is to be 70×50 feet with 12-foot ceilings. H.O. Koeppner, a relative of the owner, will be the contractor.

75 YEARS AGO

For the week ending

April 28, 1943

Japanese assert enemy raids very remote

The Japanese contended today it would be almost impossible for the United States to carry out another air raid on Japan.

Tokyo radio broadcast the following statement by an unidentified commentator:

“Contrary to the enemies wishful thinking for an air raid in Japan, the possibilities for such a thing must be nullified one by one by the achievements of the imperial forces.

“The Japanese bases in the Aleutians and the southwest Pacific have been daily strengthened and solidified, and any attempt to raid Japan from these directions now belongs to the most remote possibilities.

Jimmy Doolittle warns that U.S. will hit Japanese islands

Major Gen. James H. Doolittle warned last night that American bombers will strike against Japan again soon in a “devastating attack that will be continued until the Japanese empire crumbles and they beg for mercy.”

“Our job is to utterly and completely defeat the Japanese nation and everything her war lords stand for,” Doolittle said, expressing “deep loathing and resentment” at the execution by the Japanese of some of the members of his force which raided Tokyo and other Japanese cities on April 18, 1942.

“This can only be accomplished by striking at the heart of Japan itself,” he said.

All who participated in last year’s raids wish to participate in the next attack, Doolittle said.

“If we are so fortunate,” he said, “we will drop each bomb in memory of our murdered comrades. Our bombs will not miss their mark.”

He suggested Japan officially acknowledged the execution of some of the American airmen in the perverted belief that the American people could be intimidated by such atrocities.

“It is unfortunate that the Japanese psychology permits them to think that Americans would be anything less than fighting mad after such an announcement,” he said. “It only renews our determination to do our jobs promptly and thoroughly. We do not seek revenge, but we do want to have a fighting part in correcting a situation that threatens everything we hold dear.”

Elmer Davis ties to stem angry demands for reprisals against U.S. Japanese

Director Elmer Davis of the Office of War Information appears to be trying to stem the angry demands for reprisals against loyal Japanese-Americans as payment for the execution of some of the Doolittle fliers.

He answered demands heard in Congress to strip American-born Japanese of their citizenship.

Davis said thousands of Japanese-Americans who were born in the United States and educated in American schools are as aroused as the rest of the country about the executions.

Davis pointed out that at Camp Shelby, 3,000 American soldiers of Japanese ancestry put the better part of a month’s pay into war bonds the day after the executions were announced “to show what they thought of the Tokyo performance.”

50 YEARS AGO

For the week ending

April 28, 1968

Military lays down rules for attacking elephants

The Defense Department has rules for nearly everything — including the circumstances under which U.S. forces in Vietnam may attack elephants.

In military jargon, regulations as to when forces may or may not attack are “rules of engagement.”

“The rules of engagement for elephants,” a Pentagon official said the other day, “are that an elephant may be attacked when he is carrying a burden, but he may not be attacked when he is not carrying a burden.”

The rules permit attack only when the unlucky elephant is clearly carrying supplies for the enemy. They are designed to prevent indiscriminate killing of elephants, the official said.

Both the Viet Cong and the South Vietnamese use elephants as beasts of burden, and some elephants have been killed in the war. As with the people involved in the conflict, a Viet Cong elephant and one under friendly control look alike.

Buried alive (editorial)

People will do anything for attention. A 33-year-old Irish bartender emerged from an eight-foot grave in England this week after spending 61 days buried alive.

The former grave digger had himself buried in London under six feet of gravel to break a 55-day world record held by an American from Texas.

The bearded chap got out of the coffin asking for a pint of beer. He said he could have easily stayed down another 100 days.

The way time “flies” today, it won’t be too long before he’ll be staying longer than 100 days.

Large field slated for metric meet

Ten track teams will be on hand Saturday at Bruin Field for the sixth edition of The Bulletin Metric Invitational.

Top performers scheduled for this year’s meet include Jay Fisher and Roger Hall, of Ashland, plus John Oberg, of Bend, in both hurdle events; Doug Sisk, of Thurston, and Bruce Winter, of Bend, in the 100-meter dash; Jim Muckey, of Redmond, and Terry Chase and Roy Sabin, of Thurston, and Bob Morris, of The Dalles, in the 3,000 meters; Leonard Filaseta, of Springfield, in the shot put and the discus; Fisher and Gary Skidgel, of Bend, in the high jump and Mike Bedortha, of Thurston, Jay Maudlin, of Bend, and Rich Strahm of The Dalles in the 800-meter run.

The meet will not run according to usual practices in the United States. All races will be run under the metric system.

The purpose of the meet is to give the high school athlete a chance to perform in a metric meet in order that he may become acquainted to the metric system and to further to develop his understanding of track and field athletics as used by the rest of the world.

25 YEARS AGO

For the week ending

April 28, 1993

Should the city of Bend pilot its own butte? Local landmark, local control

Vince Genna has spent 30 years trying to live down his suggestion that a gondola be built to ferry people up the side of Pilot Butte to a revolving restaurant on top.

“I said, ‘Hey, If Seattle can have one on stilts, we can do it here,’” recalled Genna.

He insists the idea was entirely sarcastic. The intent, he said was to draw attention to the values of fragile pumice slopes under assault from development below.

Over the years, Pilot Butte has survived pumice miners, ski jumpers, the Ku Klux Klan and the American Armed Forces.

Early this century, pumice was mined there for local streets, leaving three nasty gashes around the base.

In 1923, the KKK burned a cross on the summit. In 1927, a golf challenge was staged on its rocky slopes.

During World War II, the military proposed removing the entire mound and spreading it out east of Bend to provide the foundation for an airstrip. However, planners eventually settled instead on a site north in Redmond, which remains the region’s air service hub today.

In 1964, a large ski jump was built on its northern face. The jump was torn down later, but some timbers remain still — reminders of what the landmark has had to endure over the decades.

Memories of bhagwan, by Barney Lerten

Today’s specials at Bend’s Westside Cafe included blueberry poppyseed pancakes, apple-cinnamon oatmeal and a full plate of opinions about the deadly firestorm in Waco, Texas and the cult of David Koresh.

But whether one felt the government waited too long or acted too hastily, everyone mourned for the littlest victims of the blaze.

“The poor little kids don’t even know what’s going on” a waitress said, her smile vanishing as she perused the fiery front-page pictures while filling coffee cups.

The thoughts at one table — beneath a mural of a U.S. flag, Jimi Hendrix and man on the moon — turned to 10 years ago. Back then, Central Oregon struggled to deal with its own controversial cult, the Rajneeshees.

Frank Moore, Deschutes County’s mental health director, said “there was the potential” for big trouble before the cult collapsed in 1985 after the arrest and expelling of guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh.

Moore’s suspenders and argyle socks contrasted with the work boots and more casual attire of breakfast partner Al Dertinger.

Dertinger, owner of Alpine Glass, did business with the thousands of Rajneeshees who took up residence on the Big Muddy Ranch. He said that enabled him to appreciate the many differences between the guru and David Koresh, leader of the Branch Davidian sect.

“The bhagwan was more into a good time — free sex and all that,” he said. “Koresh was more of the hardline, doomsday type.”