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ee Tar Theft. - start. Life s2uentin’s death row July 3,4 1748, has his eighth date with’ deoth in the gas chamber Fri- ‘ay, 11% years later. What's the background of the bizarre cost? What are its most omaz- ing highlights? Here in a two- art series are some of the answers. Sy HAROLD V. STREETER SAN QUENTIN (P) — In 1937, when the United States was shaking off the effects of a depression, a 16-year-old boy's theft of a. car in Glendale, drew not attention beyond. a routine police report. it happened all the time. | But this particolar car theft was the beginning of ta fantastic criminal case. “The thief was Caryl Whit ‘thessman. . ee 6 Lawyers Used Now 38, his last date with death in the gas. chamber yas postponed Oct. 21, 1959, by the Supreme Court of the United States. “The con- demned marauder of Los ‘Angeles lovers’ lanes has: Beaten off seven-execution “dates. Gone through a half do- en lawyers, Some who said the case had.dragged on for so long they couldn't stick ith it. | “Been ia death. row under (Continued Next Page, Col. | CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 three wazdens, Clinton Duffy, Harley ). Teets, and Fred R. Dicksqn. - Done so wellhwith his writ- ing that he'st made more than $150,000 in royalties. Been dunned for back taxes “on income acquired in the death house. Had his first bogk — “Cell 2455, Death-Row” — - made into a movie, Baffled a prison system geared to guard against it by smuggling out ‘manu- scripts of two more, “Trial by Ordeal” and “The- Face of Justice.” tee Cars became a penchant with him. Before he could be brought into’ court for that first Glendale car theft, he stole another. He was sent to a juvenile forestry camp. . Camp Escape Told He escaped and resumed stealing. Sent to ‘Preston School of Industry, he was roled after eight months ‘and stole another car. A year more in Preston, then parole. and again a car theft. le served three months, was released, then got into big troubie?- In February, 1941, when he was 19, Chessman was arrested with two .other youths on charges which in- cluded attempted murder. A : He Flees Chino Transferred to Chino, he “escaped in 1943 end plunged into robbery ang car theft. Another fowt years in prison, then parple in 1947, preceded the ldvers’ Jane terrorism of January, 1948, On the night of Jan. 22 of that year, Mary Alice Meza, 17, was parked in a car with a young man in an isolated spot. A car's red spotlight, flashed sud- denly in their startled faces. Slaying Threat Reported The gunman said he would kill them unless the girl came with him. He re- peated the threat to her out. in the darkness when she protested against demands she perform an act of sex perversion. Only when the gun was pressed against her did she comply. ‘The gunman then forced the girl to disrobe and made a brutal abnormal sexual at- tack on her. Chessman was convicted in the Mary Alice Meza case and also of a similar crime against another young woman. The visla- tion under California's Lit- tle Lindbergh Jaw was held to be kidnaping for robbery in which there is bodily harm. This is punishable by the death penalty——— Ss \ AN DIEGO EVENING TRIBU AN DIBGO,CALIFORNIA IMAL EDITION wb-17-50 . RE: CARYL CHESSMAN INFO, CONCERNING