European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - December 30, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday december 30, 1987 the stars and stripes Page 5 Arkansas gunman suspected in 7 deaths . Ark. A a Man wielding u revolvers killed Wop eople wounded four and briefly took a hostage before surrendering monday and officers later found five More bodies at his House. Authorities said. Authorities were searching for five other relatives still  Rar if the bodies in the Home were tentatively identified. R. Gene Simmons sr., it. Of dry a surrendered in Lac police thief. A trucking to Ernp Joiy and two other businesses he visited during Hie shooting spree a convenience store and an Oil company were All former employers authorities said i quit Hie convenience store Job a week before c Hirs Mas before the five bodies were found. Police chief Herb Johnston said he was charging Simmons with 10 counts of capital murder and four counts of at tempted capital murder. The victims found Al inc House were tentatively identified As members of Simmons in Mcdial family a grown son and daughter and their respective spouses and a grandchild. The four adults had been shot in the head and the child May have been suffocated. An autopsy was ordered five family members were Unac counted for and apparently not among the victims found in rhe House i. Jay Winters a sheriff s do puny identified them As Simmons wife daughters Ages 7, 13 and 17 and a son age 15, a seventh Simmons child apparently lives out of state Winters said. The victims were scattered around the House said Scull Harper Deputy county Coroner and Kussell Villa police detective. Police believe the shootings look place saturday night or sunday morning. Prosecuting attorney John m. I Yum said authorities had not settled on a motive. There re some ideas but thus far h would t be fair to him or anyone else at this Point because the investigation is not  affording to police a Man carrying to handguns opened fire at h i5 . At the office of attorney Richard eel killing Secretary Kathy Kendrick. 24. J.1j. Naffin 33, was killed and another person wounded at Taylor Oil co. Two people were wounded at Sinclair mini Man. .1 convenience More in the Civ s cast Side owned by a Taylor Oil Oft civil and one person  wounded at Wood lint motor freight. Simmons barricaded himself in a com Puter room at Wood inc and briefly held an person hostage before police entered the building and persuaded him to hand Over the .22-Culihcr guns. Simmons was formerly employed at Taylor Oil. Kendrick was a former employee of Wood inc. Johnston said he had not established a motive for the shootings in the Fily of 15,000 in West Central Arkansas. A Hospital spokeswoman said two of those wounded David Salyer 38, Man Ager of Sinclair mini Mart and Joyce Butts. J5, a Wood inc employee were transferred by helicopter to Baptist med ical Center in Little Rock. A Nan Lisl spokesman said so Lycra and bulls underwent surgery and wore in critical condition. Salyer was Shoi in be head and Lutts was shot in the Chest arid also suffered a head wound ural did no Pierce the Skull. Rusty Tayjor 38, of Taylor Oil was in stable condition at the Kussel Vilk Hospi Tal and Kuchna Woolery 46, an employee of the convenience store was treated and released. Taylor owned the convenience store. Simmons quit his Job at the convenience store dec. 18, Winters said add ing we Don t have any reason Why he quit. We Don t know that much about him police Cheek rus Welville Ark warehouse Shikitino scene. . Retailers managed Christmas season profit new York a the Christmas shopping sea son does t deserve rave reviews but it did t turn out to be the bomb for retailers that some feared store officials and Wall Street analysts said monday. It was acceptable to satisfactory certainty not Strong by any stretch of the imagination said Monroe h. Green Stem. A retail Industry analyst with the invest ment firm Bear Stearns & co. Inc. We expect to wind up moderately above last year added Ernest arms a spokesman for scars. Roebuck & co., the nation s largest retailer. Predictions of a retail calamity after the oct. 19 Stock Market crash turned out to be wrong said Fred Sinizer who tracks specially apparel store for the brokerage House ales Brown & sons inc. In Baltimore. I would say Christmas was of relative to the disaster forecasts Winter said. Most people were looking for the Consumers 10 pull m their horns and that did t  after the crash Many retailers and analysts lowered their expectations for the important season which pro Vides up to half the Annua profit of retail stores. But even before the Wall Street debacle no one was predicting a Banner Christmas because Consumers had been spending cautiously All year As they struggled to pay off High debts. Grce Sicin estimated that Overall Christmas sales Rose about 6 percent Over last year s Holiday season an increase of Between i percent and 2 per Cuni when inflation is subtracted. Winder pegged the sales in crease Al about 5 per Cuni. Retailers were still tallying their results monday. How Well they did is not expected to become Public until december sales figures Are. Released. However it is known that business varied from store to store for much of the season with some retail ers reporting brisk sales while others were running be Hind 1986 Levels. We were right on target with last year said in Nis Cooney special events coordinator Al the Sakowitz department store Chain in Houston. It was a slow progression hut right up before Christmas. Ihms started to fall right into  stronger sales than last curl slams also were reported Al California s Broadway stores and Paul Cost cello a spokesman at Marshall Field said his foam s " stores also had a Good Christmas. The lateness of the shopping which is becoming something of a Christmas tradition forced Many retailers to Mark Down their merchandise heavily to attract customers. In so doing the stores won he Battle for sales but Losi the War Oser the Bottom line As lower prices eroded profits. But the Calendar was on the Sci Ailcie Side. Greens twin said referring 10 the Liu i thai there was one More shopping Day this season than in 1986. The Eura Day was Worth As much As 4 percent of total sales he said. The most successful retailers were discount stores such As k. Mart corp. And Wal Mart stores inc. Rol Lowed by department mores Edson said. Sex fugitive agrees to return to new Jersey to face trial new York apr a former new Jersey slate senator who faked his death and spent two years As a fugitive agreed monday to return to new Jersey where he faces jail time for a fraud conviction and additional fraud charges. David a Friedland 50, was taken be fore a Federal magistrate and signed a waiver of a removal hearing allowing his return to new Jersey on tuesday. He was taken into custody by Federal marshals last week in the. Indian Ocean nation of the malaise islands where he operated a successful Chain of scuba div ing shops. Me was formally arrested Sun Day when he armed at Kennedy International Airport. His court appointed lawyer Kevin Doyle said Friedland willingly chose to end his Lime Asa fugitive. Friedland faced a seven year sentence on a i9ho conviction of taking kickbacks for arranging a loan from a teamsters Union pension fund. Friedland was indicted in september 1985 on charges of masterminding a $20 million bilking of new Brunswick. . Based teamsters local 701. In addition to the seven year sentence he already faces Friedland could be sentenced to Iso years in prison if convicted of the 198 5 charge. He disappeared on labor Day 1985 by staging a scuba diving Accident in the Bahamas. In the stars and stripes 40 years ago today. Dec. 30, 1947 millions of people straggled Hack to work in new York f Ity after a devastating snowstorm three Days earlier. I he  toll from the storm Row to 73. 30 years ago  to 1957 indonesian foreign minister Suh Mono said his nation had approached communist countries for arms ivc just a Ching had come from arms requests to the United slates. 20 years ago today. Dec. 30. 1967 sevens Hill men the first i uni Icid of a major nut rights crime in Mississippi were sentenced to three to 1 it sear prison term in the Lynch mob slaying of three civil rights workers. 10 years ago today. Dec. 30, 1077 president Carter s rep mrs i if Rilmer f Burns As chairman if the Federal Reserve Board contributed to the Dollar s Hilling record lows again in Kurnec