European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 27, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 6 a the stars and stripes monday january 27, 1992 a firefighter makes his Way through the nibble after a fire destroyed a priceless music collection in Burbank Calif. Irreplaceable music collection destroyed in California Blaze by the los Angeles times Burbank Calif. A priceless manuscripts of works by Puccini Chopin and other composers including scores signed by Beethoven and Mozart were destroyed in a fire that gutted a building where rare Memorabilia of the music world was being preserved. Losses in the fire which broke out late Friday night at the Ledger foundation were estimated at $7.5 million to the building and collection. The collection had been amassed during 40 years by two patrons of opera. A my god i would venture to guess it is the most valuable irreplaceable collection of material on performing arts in Southern California a said a stunned Ernest Fleischmann executive director of the los Angeles philharmonic. The cause of the fire was under investigation although an arson team from the Burbank fire and police departments was on the scene saturday among the items in the 20,000-Souare-foot aluminium and Glass building which still soldered saturday morning were every new York metropolitan opera program dating to 1884, and letters and other documents written by composer Richard Wagner Tenor Enrico Caruso and Chicago up a american atheists Are challenging an Illinois Law that requires children in elementary school to pledge allegiance to a one nation under  Rob Sherman director of the Northern Illinois chapter of the american atheists appeared at a hearing before the . Court of appeals on Friday. He told reporters he had instructed his 9-Ycar-old son not to recite the pledge of allegiance which begins classes each school Day. A a in be instructed Ricky not to participate in the ceremonial condemnation of atheism a Sherman said. How minister charged Bastrop la. Apr a minister who recently had been released from a mental Hospital was arrested for allegedly killing another minister at a funeral Home and cutting off his head. The Rev. Freddie r. Armstrong was charged with second degree murder and jailed on $500,000 Bond after his arrest Friday at the funeral Home in this Small Northern Louisiana town. The decapitated body of retired minister Fred l. Neal 81, was found at Loches mortuary after police received a report of a Man with a knife police chief Alan Freeman said. Armstrong 45, had recently been released from a private mental Hospital Freeman said. A it s a horrible thing Quot said Lee Loche a Morehouse other prominent figures in music history. A a it a the cremation of the history of my life along with that of my associate Lawrence Deutsch a said foundation owner Lloyd e. Rigler 79, who with Deutsch had amassed the collection Over four decades. Also destroyed in the fire were Deutsche sashes which had been kept in the building. Deutsch died in 1977. A the was buried in the building he helped create Quot Rigler said. Ledger foundation executives said the extent of damage to the collection would not be known for Days although one official said a it looks like a total  the collection was so Large that the foundation said it was difficult to list what was housed in the landmark building designed by a student of architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Although not personally penned by the composers some manuscripts and scores were signed by them. Rigler and Deutsch founders of Adolphus ltd., producers of Adolphus meat Tenderizer have been generous patrons of the opera in los Angeles and new York since the Early 1950s. The fire also destroyed the history of their company. Ever the fourth grader at Riley school in Arlington Heights acknowledged that he still said the pledge with his classmates despite his fathers orders. A i say it but in a not saying the a under god part a Ricky said. Sherman said it embarrassed his son not to say the pledge which a showed How much coercion there was in the classroom to say god  an attorney for Wheeling township elementary school District 21 said the state Law did not violate the constitutions guarantees of Freedom of religion. The Federal appeals court is expected to give its opinion in three months to a year in grisly murder Parish official and the funeral Homes owner. A fall of these people arc our friends. The Armstrong family the Neal family. Its a Small  a Armstrong is a Baptist minister but Wasny to working at a Church. Neal a retired methodist minister had gone to the funeral Home to get signatures on some papers Loche said. There were no witnesses to the killing and the motive was under investigation. Neal apparently was stabbed in the Chest Freeman said his body was found propped up in a chair and his head was found in another room Freeman said .firefighters flee Blaze a firehouse in Indiana from wire reports Marietta ind. A members of the Marietta Volunteer fire department not Only had to flee a fire in their own firehouse but they had to break Down the door to do it. Authorities said the electrically controlled door of the firehouse could not be opened As the Blaze burned and firefighters had to drive one of their vehicles through it to escape. The fire began about 7 30 . Friday. It appeared to have started close to an Oil Furnace officials said. One firefighter was taken to major Hospital in Shelbyville but the nature of his injuries was not immediately  exec wins suit new York a american airlines was ordered to pay $7 million for discriminating against a former executive who claimed she was not considered for a top management Job that went to a Man with less experience. A jury in new York state court on Friday added $2.5 million in punitive damages to the $4.5 million already awarded to Barbara Sogg. The jury held several american executives including chairman Robert Crandall personally liable. No breakdown was available of now much each executive was ordered to pay Sogg 53, who stopped climbing the corporate ladder after undergoing heart surgery contended she was denied promotion based on sex age and disability. American based in fort Worth Texas said it would  wreck kills 3 Kentwood la. A an Amtrak train collided with a car and threw it 100 feet killing a woman and two children Friday. The Accident occurred near Kentwood about 60 Miles North of new Orleans said Tangipahoa Parish sheriffs Deputy Chuck Reed. The automobile apparently had crossed the tracks in front of the train. The victims were a 34-year-old woman her 1 i year old daughter and a 10-year-old Niece. The woman a 17-year-old Nephew was in stable condition at a Hospital Reed said. No injuries were reported on the train the City of new Orleans which was headed to Chicago from new  suspect denied bail san Francisco a a Federal appeals court panel overturned a lower court judge s order that granted bail to one of the defendants in the nations largest heroin bust. By a 2-1 vote the judges agreed Friday with . Justice department arguments that Kelly Chen was too great a flight risk. . District judge Vaughn Walker announced the bail agreement Jan. 8, but ruled it would not go into effect until Jan. 20 to give authorities time to Appeal. Under the agreement Chen would have had to Post $1 million surrender her three children a passports and report daily to a designated government agent. Chen is one of five people charged with smuggling a half ton of a China White heroin into the port of Oakland. The others charged Are Chen a husband Mike his brother and sister in Law Jim and Lucy Chen and i Yuen Shing. The five Are expected to go to trial May 4. Thunderbird Davis Dies St. Paul Minn. A blues Singer James a a thunderbird Davis collapsed and died during a performance Friday night. He was 53. Davis had Sung a few songs at the Blue Saloon when he collapsed. An autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of death. Davis who was from in Luisiana was known for his renditions of songs by . Hill and Otis Rush. He had enjoyed a resurgence in popularity since the late 1980s. Atheists fight Illinois pledge Law