Looking Back to 1940: Youthful 14-year-old charged with murder

Excerpts from the Wednesday, July 24, 1940, Paso Robles Journal

Youthful slayer of girl bound over to court

Jack Harris, 14-year-old youth, who is charged with murder of Gayle Jones, 8, Morro Bay, near the Rancho Descanso school on July 9, was bound over to the Superior Court Tuesday following preliminary hearing in a San Luis Obispo justice court.

Witnesses who testified at the hearing included Dorothy Bowden, cook at the school, who found the body of the dying victim in a ravine near the school; Arthur Peterson, employee of the school, who took the victim to the Atascadero hospital; Dr. Harry McGarvey, physician and surgeon at Atascadero hospital; Grace Olson, hospital superintendent, and Sheriff Murray C. Hathway, who investigated the crime.

Sheriff Hathway testified that Harris said that he planned to attack the girl soon after she arrived at the school

On May 22. While Harris was hoeing weeds in the school garden on the afternoon of July 8, Gayle Jones is said to have passed by and the two engaged in conversation. Following the conversation Harris is said to have chased the girl and committed the attack and crime.

Harris, originally remanded to the juvenile court, was turned back to the justice court when it was revealed that he had an extensive record of juvenile delinquency. While at the Rancho Descanso school for delinquents, he was a charge of the Los Angeles probation department. He was turned over to Sheriff Hathway and ordered held without bail.

Ballert held to Superior Court for shooting

Ed Ballert, Paso Robles, who is charged with attempted murder on the early morning of July 5, when he is alleged to have shot at Mrs. Katherine McDonald as she sat in the bar at a Pine Street café, was held over to the Superior Court following a preliminary hearing before Judge Roy Fanning Friday. Bail was set at $2000.

When questioned by Assistant District Attorney Jack Kaetzel, Mrs. McDonald testified that after a trip to Atascadero which included the fireworks and stops in two Atascadero bars, that the party which included Ballert, herself and several others went to the Pine Street café.

“After we had been in the café for some time Mr. Ballert asked me to go home. I said no. After the fourth time he asked me to go home and I refused he slapped me. After that I didn’t see him again until I heard a buzz-buzz go by my head. I either fell or was knocked off the stool and 10 minutes later someone took me home,” Mrs. McDonald said.

Charles Sigon, Paso Robles, testified that he heard a shot and turned around to see Ballert with a gun in his hand pointing in the general direction of Mrs. McDonald. “I grabbed Ballert’s wrist and the gun fell to the floor,” Sigon said.

Albert Dellaganna, ranch worker 10 miles west of Paso Robles, said that he heard a shot and saw Sigon taking the gun away from Ballert. “Someone dropped the gun in my car and I took it home with me,” he added. Later he told of turning it over to a deputy sheriff the next day.

Identification of the gun was made by Geo. G. Martin, deputy sheriff, Paso Robles, who said that he got the gun on July 5 from Dellaganna.

Finding of bullet marks and the bullet was told by Chief of Police Claude Azbell. Sigon was then recalled to the stand and when asked to identify the run as the one that he took away from Ballert said that he wasn’t sure, but thought the handle was a different color.

Chick Levitt, Paso Robles, who was tending bar at the time of the alleged shooting said that he was no gun during the evening.

Celeste Castaganni of the Pine Street café testified that he went to grab Ballert, but didn’t see the gun and didn’t know what Ballert was doing. He testified that Ballert left the bar room about 10 to 15 minutes before the shot was fired.

Robert Wilson, Paso Robles, said that he had been talking to Dellaganna and as soon as the shot was fired he left the building.

A mild sensation was created when Mrs. Winnie Terry, gave her address as 1515 Pine Street, Paso Robles, fainted as she was being sworn. After being revived she said that she heard the whine of a shot, that Mrs. McDonald fell to the floor and she knelt down beside her. While still on the floor, she looked up and saw Ballert facing her and Mrs. McDonald with a gun in his hand and being held by two men. Mrs. Terry’s testimony concluded the hearing.

Council for the defense was Andrew Renetzky of San Luis Obispo.

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