European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 25, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 6 the stars and stripes thursday May 25,1989 japanese women apologize for balloon bomb deaths Klamath Falls. Ore. Dpi a group of Japa Nese women has sent a gift of two dolls and an apology to the relatives of a group of Oregon children who were the Only known victims of a japanese balloon bomb during world War ii. Dottie Mcginnis of Klamath Falls received two Ouchi dolls from women in Yamaguchi. Japan who helped make the 9,000 bombs that were sent aloft to Drift across North America in 1945. On May 5 of that year a pastor s wife and five children were killed when they discovered one of the bombs while on a Church picnic on Gearhart Mountain near Bly. The bomb exploded when one of them tried to pick it up. Some of the bombs drifted into the midwestern states hut the bomb near Bly caused the Only known fatalities. The six victims were also the Only people killed on the . Mainland during the War As the result of an enemy act. Mcginnis is the sister of Dick and Joan Pat be Ages 13 and ii who were killed by the bomb. The other victim1, were Eddie Engan 13. Jay Gifford 12. Sher Man Shoemaker. 12, and Elsie Mitchell wife of the Rev. Archie Mitchell of the Christian Alliance Church of Illy. The apology was sent on May 5. Children s Day in Japan and the 44th anniversary of the incident near Bly the japanese women Learned the identities of the victims in 1987 from John y. Takeshita. A professor at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor who As a teen Ager half been placed in a japanese relocation Center at Newell during the War about 70 Miles from Gearhart Mountain. The women earlier sent 1,000 paper cranes to offer their condolences and apologies for their role in the children s deaths. As High school girls they had been required to help make the balloons to which clusters of bombs were attached. The dolls arc traditional japanese Art objects named after the Ouchi family of Antiquity under whose influence they were made. They have been placed on exhibit in the Klamath county museum. Accompanying the dolls were a children s Book in japanese relating the tragic incident and a letter. We the undersigned humbly offer our prayers from the Bottom of our hearts for the souls of the six who lost their precious lives due to one of the balloon bombs we helped to build the letter said. On the 44th anniversary of the tragic event that took the lives of your loved ones we Send to you these dolls from Yamaguchi As a Symbol of our Earnest re solve never again to go to War and our fervent Hope to bring the people of the world together in genuine love to live in peace and Friendship among us  Mcginnis said she had forgiven the japanese Long ago. We must All learn to forgive and forget she said. Stateside 2 yugoslavs convicted of firearms charges in Ala. Mobile Alabama a a jury has convicted two yugoslav merchant sailors of conspiring to Export firearms to Yugoslavia but has acquitted a third. Acquitted was Vojislav Savic 29. The charge against a fourth Sailor Ljubomir Djurovic 48, was dismissed by the government. Stanko Markovic 31, and Mijodrag Petrovic 23, will be sentenced july 26 by . District judge Alex t. Howard or. The convicted men face a possible 15 year prison sentence and More than $1 million in fines. Markovic and Petrovic were convicted of buying 10to 11 revolvers from undercover customs service agents while in Mobile. Chutis floats 18 floors into arms of the Law los Angeles a Eric Lillie s Parachute opened perfectly after he jumped off a construction Crane on an 18-Story office building Early tuesday but his Landing was rough two police officers were wait ing for him. The officers were just passing by when they saw this Guy jump off the building said sgt. Jeff Hanson. The Only question was whether he was wearing a  the officers cited the 23-year-old Santa Monica Man for trespassing then went Back to the station to Hoover the books to see if Lillie broke any other Laws. It looks like trespassing is it said Hanson. Colossal carcass workers at the Dundalk Marine Ter Minal in Baltimore have a look at the body of a 30 to 40-foot sperm whale. The big mammal s carcass was discovered tuesday in Colgate Creek which is near Baltimore s inner Harbor Texas executes Man for 81 rape slaying huntsv1lle, Texas a a Man was executed by injection Early wednes Day for raping and then helping to Stran Gle a woman who was abducted As she awaited help in her disabled car follow ing a new year s eve party in 1981. Stephen Mccoy gave no final statement although he smiled briefly to four friends he had invited As witnesses. He coughed and his Chest heaved five times As the drugs began to Lake effect then he ult Rcd two Low and Long groans before he stopped breathing at 12 25 . The 40-year-old Houston electrician was the 31st Texas convict and the 110th in the nation executed since the 1976 supreme court ruling allowing states to resume capital punishment. Mccoy lost a final Appeal late tuesday when the court voted 5-4 against a slay. The action which came without com ment was unusual since the Appeal was Mccoy s first to reach the High court. It has been routine for initial appeals to Merit at least one reprieve. The significance of this is the courts very clearly Are indicating impatience with dilatory tactics within the process and they intend to expedite the process said state attorney general Jim Mattox. Mccoy was convicted in the murder of Cynthia Johnson. The 18-year-old con Roc woman was abducted by Mccoy and iwo other men from her car which had broken Down on a Houston freeway As she was returning Home from a new year s eve party. According to trial testimony Mccoy raped the woman and Ihen held her legs Down while James Paster and Gary cd Lane strangled her with an electrical Cord. Paster awaiting death for another slaying received a life sentence for the Johnson murder. Last month he was caught with another death Row inmate in an unsuccessful escape attempt. Leblanc who testified for the stale received a 35 year irm. The deals Penally was made for peo ple like slip Hon Albert Mccoy to protect society from people like him and from people like James Paster said George Lambright who prosecuted the Case. There was no remorse no drugs no alcohol no real explanation for the Vio Lence except they were just mean mat Tox said. Mccoy had Isis cd he was in another room when the woman was slain. I knew what was going on he said last week. I just could t do anything about in. I m right Wilh inc Man upstairs. I know this. He knows i m innocent. It s not that that Bol hrs me Aboul dying. It s to die for something i did t do and to look like a Sicko doing it. Sometimes you make the wrong Deci Sions. That s just the Way in goes. I Happy with myself Happy with the lord. I m at peace with myself. I know i did t do  pen  Noriega has girl s friends impressed Negaunee Mich. A an 11 year old girl has become pen pals with panamanian Gen. Manuel Antonio no Riega and is impressing her schoolmate with letters and gifts from the embattled Leader. Sarah York first wrote Noriega in March 1988 after seeing him on television. She said she wanted to learn More about his country. After a correspondence Noriega paid for Sarah and her Mother Pauline to visit in october. The girl said after the five Day trip that she was writing then president Reagan to say that Noriega is a very Good  Noriega Panama s military chief and do Facto ruler nullified May 7 elections apparently to void the a Cecal of his handpicked candidate for the presidency. President Bush has sent extra troops to Panama and is advocating Noriega s ouster. On monday Sarah received a package from the general containing baseball Caps and to shirts bearing slogans in Spanish copies of three of his speeches and a desk Calendar with a photo of the iwo some taken during Sarah s visit. It also included a Handor Itlen Nolc from Noriega that said you arc always in our thoughts. And we want to Send greetings to your parents and everybody at your  Sarah s classmates were impressed she said adding they want me to bring More stuff to show them Sarah was wearing one of the to shirts on tuesday at no Raunec Middle school where she is in the sixth Grade. It said in Spanish panamanian youth revolution and  no Raunec with Aboul 5,200 Ocsid cols is in Michigan s upper Peninsula near Marque Etc. Train Engineer killed Rochester . A lumber jutting from a moving freight train slammed into the engine cab of a passing Amtrak train killing the Engineer police said. The Force of the collision shattered the lumber and instantly killed Engineer . Sylvester 59, of Kirk Villa said police capt. Robert Dewey