Where There's A Will...

LONDON - A shock hit the antiquities world when the Mallingham hours were sold at Sotheby's for $312,500 to American millionaire Millard Wilberforce Carruthers III. Never before has a sum this large been paid for a medieval manuscript, even one as rare as the Mallingham Hours.

This rare book of hours is complete from Matins to Lauds and from Lauds to Vespers. Nestled in a rectangle of carved ivory, the illumination is florid and the miniatures exquisite. The details of dress and the skill of evoking perspective of the miniatures suggest that the unknown artist began his work at the beginning of the Renaissance.

"It's an exquisite piece of art and from a period we know little about." said Professor Cecil Pennington, the renowned Oxford art historian. "With museums still fighting over every little artifact from Egypt, they really missed a chance with the Mallingham Hours."

The text of these hours refers to an apocryphal incident in the life of the mother of the Virgin Mary. This is unusual, since Saint Anne rarely has more than a minor role in other, more well-known books of hours. The man who has purchased this treasure is Millard Wilberforce Carruthers III, an American who saved his fortune by pulling his investments out of the stock market in the weeks before the Crash. Currently enjoying an extended honeymoon, he has spent the last two years traveling with his wife Emily through out England, the European Continent, and the Middle East. The two Americans have lived in such famous hotels as the Pity in London and the George V in Paris. They have rented two or three room suites for stays that varied in length from a few days to as long as four months, becoming famous for their purchases at auctions and from art dealers.

The couple, tiring of traveling, are planning to return with the Mallingham Hours and their other art treasures to their mansion in Newport, Rhode Island. The mansion, a gift from Emily's well-known father, Massachusetts politician Tyrone Williams, has been undergoing a complete renovation during their absence. With an impeccable sense of taste and sensitivity, Carruthers is turning this twenty-room house (reputed to be complete with ghosts) into a showplace. Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been spent for paintings, sculpture, antique furniture, rugs, and tapestries. He has also installed a stable, three grooms, and nine polo ponies.

The Mallingham Hours will join the other medieval antiquities in the house. Carruthers has agreed to allow scholars to study them by appointment. One wonders who will enjoy studying the Hours more, the ghosts or the scholars?

NEW YORK - Driving in a Dalahaye touring car, the twenty-eight year old Millard Carruthers III may not be the richest man in the world, but that will probably be only a matter of time. In a move considered brilliant by the rest of Wall Street, Carruthers has teamed up with Calhoun Barclay to create their own investment banking company.

The Company, to be known as The Carruthers Group, could not have chosen a better time to arrive on the scene. As tensions escalate in Europe, more and more investment capital is pouring into America, and Carruthers and Barclay have two of the best reputations in the investment world.

Carruthers made his reputation when he invested a modest inheritance in the stock market and pulled it out a week before the Crash. Conservatives estimate that he made six million dollars in under six months, which remained untouched by the market collapse. Since then he has parlayed that amount up to at least ten million dollars.

While Barclay's reputation is less glamorous, it is no less impressive. He is known for an uncanny ability to judge a company's management and the direction that it will take the corporation. Barclay has invested money for some of the wealthiest families on the East coast.

This partnership is being closely watched by the rest of the business world. Already rumors have started that The Carruthers Group refuses to invest in munitions. Considering the strong possibility of war in Europe, investors find this unusual. However they also know that Carruthers and Barclay have made their money and reputations by not following mainstream thinking.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Phoebe Carruthers, eldest daughter of millionaire businessman Millard Wilberforce Carruthers III, has been located after a baffling eighteen month disappearance. Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation were unable to track Miss Carruthers, despite a nationwide search. Only a chance encounter with an observant police officer in Laramie, Wyoming solved the mystery.

"Miss Carruthers is remaining in a hospital, solely for medical observation," said a spokesman for The Carruthers Group, Mr. Carruthers' investment banking firm. "The Carruthers family, and all of The Carruthers Group employees are happy to see Miss Phoebe back where she belongs."

According to the spokesman, Miss Carruthers has "not been able to provide many details of the last eighteen months. We're hoping that we'll be able to trace her movements back from where she was found. Mr. Carruthers would like to reward those people who helped his daughter through a difficult time."

The spokesman said that Miss Carruthers was found with a number of receipts and bus tickets. Investigators are following up on these leads. A reward of $25,000 was announced for any new information that sheds light on Miss Carruthers' missing eighteen months.

Wall Street analysts responded positively to the announcement, sending The Carruthers Group stock up 2 and five-eighths points in moderate trading.

NEW YORK - Dane Enfield is under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission. The wealthy 26 year old is suspected of fraud and insider trading in connection with his attempted hostile takeover of The Carruthers Group investment banking firm.

According to a spokesman from the FBI, Enfield has been trying to take control of the well-known venture capital firm for the past six months. The Carruthers Group (TCG) was founded by Millard Wilberforce Carruthers III and Calhoun Barclay thirty-eight years ago and was always thought to be impregnable to a takeover. Between Barclay's conservatism and Carruthers' flair, their company has amassed net assets of close to 6.5 billion dollars.

During his takeover attempt, it is alleged that Enfield used information from an insider at The Carruthers Group to start runs on the stock of companies TCG was committed to purchasing. According to SEC officials, these types of manipulations "were probably an attempt to put TCG in a debt position that would enable someone to take control of TCG."

"I deny the charges completely," Enfield said, "this is just Millard's way of stalling. I have no idea how he got the SEC to go along with him. If he and his top management are not capable of running their company, then the stockholders have every right to put someone else in there to manage their money."

"I am convinced they [the grand jury] will clear me completely." Enfield went on to say.

If the grand jury returns indictments and Enfield is found guilty, it is possible that the SEC would petition the courts to inflict a jail sentence. At least ten companies' business activities were disrupted due to the stock runs that Enfield is alleged to have masterminded. There is already talk of civil suits being filed against Enfield. Trading of The Carruthers Group stock has been temporarily halted until investigators can sort things out.

"Dane may be considered the Wizard of Wall Street, but he still has a lot to learn when it comes to honorable business dealings." said Carruthers. "If either I or my partner had ever come under even the suspicion of insider trading back when we first started TCG our careers would have been over."

Carruthers went on to talk frankly about the state of business and businessmen today. "It's a different world now, with men like Enfield, who feel that business is no more than a card game. They forget that people's lives depend on a solid economy and stable jobs. They feel no remorse when they disrupt and destroy hundreds of lives so that they can put another million dollars in their pockets. Calhoun and I grew up with the idea that the people and families that depend on our businesses for a living are our responsibility. We would never do anything to jeopardize their security for something as fleeting as money. If we do right by our workers, then they will do right by us. Fortunately, we live in a country that also holds these values. I hope the courts punish Enfield to the furthest extent allowable by law."

Carruthers and Barclay refused to comment on who the insider may have been in their company.

Interestingly, Enfield and Carruthers have similar business histories. Both men made their money while still young. Enfield was given ten thousand dollars at the age of eighteen by his father in order to prove himself. In one year he had turned that stake into over a million dollars. Carruthers inherited a small fortune when he was young. Over a year of investments, he increased his holdings substantially. Carruthers removed his money from the stock market a week before the Crash of 1929, surviving the Depression with nearly all of his fortune intact.

NEW YORK (UPI) 26-year old Dane Enfield was arrested today after a New York grand jury concluded three months of investigation by determining that there was enough evidence to prosecute. Mr. Enfield allegedly profited from the illegal manipulations of several stocks over a period of several months. Enfield, who became known as the "Wizard of Wall Street" for parlaying $10,000 into over $1,000,000 by the age of 19, went along quietly with federal marshals.

Enfield was released on $250,000 bail. He made no statements to the press, remaining mute in the face of hordes of television and newspaper reporters. He was quickly taken to his home in Manhattan, where he refuses all requests for information.

Enfield allegedly manipulated the price of stocks in smaller companies to create wide swings in their prices. Along with inside information, the alleged profits on his dealings are expected to be "in the tens of millions." A spokesman for The Carruthers Group, one of the stocks under scrutiny, said "whoever did this to us is one sharp bastard and deserves to be hung. Those are Mr. Carruthers' words and he asked to be quoted verbatim."

"The Carruthers Group probably suffered the worst of all of the companies affected." according to Diane Macintyre, analyst with Hayward, Holmes and Schechter. "Enfield came within days of taking complete control of a $65,000,000,000 company. There are a lot of people who nearly lost a bundle because of this. This is why we have the SEC and insider trading laws. The only thing that saved the company was Mr. Carruthers' cool."

Mr. Enfield was named to Babe magazine's Hundred Most Eligible Bachelors in America list last year. He was recently profiled on the syndicated television program The World of the Very Rich. His penthouse condominium in Manhattan has been featured in several major magazines, including Fantasy Homes, Modern Architecture, and Lifestyle.

Rhode Island State Representative Daphne Carruthers Forrest is one of the new members of that august Legislature: honest, intelligent and hard-working in her political duties.

Representative Forrest is also an important shareholder and member of the Board of Directors of The Carruthers Group. The Carruthers Group, an investment banking firm, has a diverse set of interests and holdings. How does Daphne Carruthers Forrest the State Representative divorce her political activities from the interests of Daphne Carruthers Forrest the businesswoman? How do the people she represents know that she isn't simply in the government in order to increase the profits of her family company?

Representative Forrest is new to the Rhode Island Legislature. She is being careful in her committee work and has placed much of her wealth into the hands of a blind trust. She has abstained from decisions that directly or indirectly affect her family business investments. We trust that she will continue these efforts.

Nevertheless, for each honest Representative Forrest we hear about, there is a Wyoming State Senator Farlow Hurley, convicted of influence peddling, or a Texas State Representative William "Billy-Bud" Barnstable, with demonstrable connections to real-estate deals directly affected by his votes on key bills.

During these post-Watergate days, who really watches the politicians? Certainly the press plays an important role. Other watchdog groups pry into every vote. Yet, despite all of these observers, corruption, graft, and special interests ply their trade in the halls of power.

This paper supports Senate bill S.787, the Lutz Conflict of Interest legislation. Senator Lutz has crafted a solid piece of legislation that doesn't avoid the hard issues that we face in our democratic society. Write or telephone your Congressmen and Senators telling them to support S.787.

PROVIDENCE - Two years ago, custom computer circuit board maker Infodigitronics reported a loss of over $226,000 - the third losing quarter in a row. A month later, the company was acquired by The Carruthers Group of New York. Along with the new owners came new officers in the company. In two years, president Allen S. Wonchier and vice-president Bob Wallach brought the company into the black, reporting a second quarter profit of $120,000 on sales of $4,210,000.

"The dynamic duo," as Carruthers Group chairman Millard Carruthers described Wonchier and Wallach, "were responsible for turning the company around. We gave them the capital they needed and they did the rest."

"The rest" was a shift in marketing position and a streamlining of operations. "We did it without laying off a single person." Wonchier said. "It was a team effort here. Everyone pulled their weight to get this company back into the black."

They also cancelled some expensive efforts to bid on production of circuit boards for two Army contracts. "The paperwork was killing us." Wallach explained. "Millard [Carruthers] convinced us that it just wasn't worth it. He was right."

Both men were recruited personally by Millard Carruthers. "Millard even asked our bosses if he could talk to us." Wallach said. "That was different. Fortunately, both our bosses agreed that the opportunity here was too important for us to pass up. They didn't want us to leave, but they let us go."

Wonchier had been the vice-president of sales at Talbot Electronics. Wallach had been director of marketing at Triton Development Laboratories.

Wonchier promised further improvements in the company. "Infodigitronics has nowhere to go but up. We've forged a good team."

WILMINGTON, VT - The student body of Magdalene Smith College has voted to retire Chief Skalp-Em, the fifty-year mascot of the Screaming Savages. The MSC Savages will now be known as the MSC Sensitives.

"The image of the Screaming Savage is an insult to all Native Americans," said Muffy Winchester, student-body president. "It's an embarrassment to our fine school."

The players and coaches were stunned to discover that Sensitives was the winning name in the student voting.

"What kind of ... name is ... Sensitives?" sputtered head coach Tyler Calhoun. "For ... sake, we're playing ... football, not some ... touchy-feelie ... psychobabble." The rest of his press conference was unprintable. The livid coach had to be hustled out of the press room by his assistants.

"I could have lived with the MSC Squids, the MSC Brains, or even the MSC Cornish Game Hens," said team co-captain and defensive linebacker Biff "High Society" Milford Jr. "I can't intimidate the other teams when they think I'm sensitive. Why did we have to change in the first place?"

"I know we're a small school, so we don't always win many games," said co-captain and quarterback Scott "Scott-Squared" Scott, "but who picked these names out? I mean Radical Feminists, Snafus, and Burritos? I will always be a Screaming Savage."

"We're a liberal school," said Dean Jenna Hallingford. "We let the students have their say. It was their choice. I'm not fond of it, but they decided."

Several alumni were very critical of the change.

"I've just torn up my check," said well-known ex-NFL star Michael "Dozer" Fuller, who once played for the Savages. "No one their right mind could possibly be insulted by the caricature of Chief Skalp-Em."

Pulitzer Prize winning anchorwoman and MSC alumnus Laura Stone was less vehement.

"They could have chosen something better. After all, they're talking about jocks. Most of the players I knew weren't the least bit sensitive."

Billings, Montana (AP) - Radical supporters of American Indian causes robbed the Billings National Savings and Loan in Billings, Montana yesterday, killing two during the hold-up. Six bandits wearing warpaint smeared ski masks made off with more than $62,000 in cash.

Killed in the vicious robbery were Nathan Hale Wayne, 57, a rancher from Sumatra in Rosebud County and Gus "Buzz" Fuster, 34, an insurance salesman and volunteer firefighter from Rockvale in Carbon County. The two men were shot and killed after Wayne at tempted to calm a distraught teller.

The bandits left fliers proclaiming themselves to be members of the "Native American People's Armed Liberation Movement" or NAPALM. According to the FBI, this group may be responsible for several minor incidents involving defaced monuments in Montana and Idaho. Their "flaming fist and arrow" symbol has been found at the scene of at least three of these incidents of vandalism.

"We thought they were just another crackpot organization," said Bud Greycloud, Indian Affairs specialist with the FBI. "It's clear that they are armed and dangerous, whoever they are. It's important to say that we don't know who is behind this. It may be an Indian group, or it may be others, masquerading behind an Indian name."

Chief Thundering Moose of the Crow Reservation blasted officials in Helena for ignoring the poverty of the reservations. He claimed that indifference by the state and federal governments have "driven the red man to acts of desperation."

The FBI has asked for any information that might aid in the capture of the robbers.

San Francisco (UPI) - Four masked gunmen armed with automatic weapons opened fire in a small, popular restaurant in Chinatown yesterday. According to witnesses, the gunmen grabbed a young woman, dragged her to a waiting van, and drove off, as the restaurant was engulfed in flames.

A message from the radical American Indian terrorist group called NAPALM claimed credit for the massacre. NAPALM, the Native American People's Armed Liberation Movement, also claimed to be holding Samantha Forrest, granddaughter of Rhode Island millionaire Millard Wilberforce Carruthers III, as a hostage. NAPALM, who have also claimed to be responsible for a deadly June 5th bank robbery in Billings, Montana, stated that a list of demands would be "forthcoming."

Firefighters responding to the alarms had difficulty controlling the blaze due to several explosions that rocked the block. According to firefighters, the kidnappers left behind several incendiary bombs. The blaze was not brought under control until late in the evening.

At least fourteen people, including four children, are believed to have perished in the restaurant. Three firefighters were killed when the first of the explosions brought the roof down. One of the gunmen was found dead in the street, shot to death by another of the terrorists, according to eyewitness accounts.

Newport, RI (UPI) - Millard Wilberforce Carruthers III, of Newport, Rhode Island, made public the set of NAPALM demands for the release of his granddaughter, Samantha Forrest. Ms. Forrest was kidnapped at gunpoint during a bloody San Francisco assault that killed twenty and wounded ten others. NAPALM, the Native American People's Armed Liberation Movement, is a radical terrorist group that claims to represent American Indian interests.

"They're crazy if they expect meto come through with these demands," said Mr. Carruthers, from the front door of his palatial Newport estate. "There's no possible way I can or will meet these demands." He asked the kidnappers to release his granddaughter unharmed.

The demands, distributed to the press corps camping at the Estate, ranged from a $5,000,000 ransom, to a demand that all lands owned by The Carruthers Group immediately be ceded to American Indians. Other demands included a vote in favor of pending legislation dealing with Indian lands in Rhode Island from State Representative Daphne Forrest, the mother of the hostage. A number of additional demands were very unusual, such as a demand to ban the singer Cher from singing any further songs about Indians.

One of the demands was that the police not be informed or Ms. Forrest would be killed. Mr. Carruthers refused to be cowed.

"They have two choices," he said. "They can return Samantha unharmed now, and face justice, or they can be hunted down. If they harm Samantha in any way, they can be assured that I will do whatever it takes to bring them to justice. With my resources, that's a threat they'd better listen to."

Mr. Carruthers also announced a $25,000 reward for information leading to an arrest of the kidnappers and the return of his grand daughter.

FBI officials refused to comment on the unusual publicity that Mr. Carruthers has brought to the case.

Newport, RI (UPI) - A spokesman for Millard Wilberforce Carruthers III, grandfather of the hostage held by NAPALM, the Native American People's Armed Liberation Movement, announced that further demands have come from the terrorist group.

"A package containing a picture of Samantha holding Sunday's copy of the American Informant newspaper and a new list of demands arrived at our Thorpe Aerospace offices in Los Angeles," the spokesman said. "As with previous lists of demands, Mr. Carruthers refuses to comply." None of the family was available for additional comment.

The list of demands, given to the press, reiterate most of the earlier demands. In addition, there are four new demands, including one for 5,000 copies of the Abbey Road album by the Beatles.

"These demands are completely irrational," said Dr. Erich von Schtupp, a noted expert on the psychology of kidnappers and their demands. "There is no rhyme or reason behind them."

An FBI spokesman refused to comment on the case, saying that they were "developing all of their leads very successfully."

BOSTON (AP) - A spokesman for the regional office of the FBI denied rumors that Phoebe Carruthers, aunt of kidnapped heiress Samantha Forrest, had been implicated in the crime. Ms. Forrest is being held hostage by a radical American Indian group calling itself the Native American People's Armed Liberation Movement.

Phoebe Carruthers, author of more than forty romance novels, released a book called Heiress Held Hostage in March. The plot of this novel bears several striking similarities to the real-life drama.

"She is not under investigation, period." said the spokesman. "We asked her a few questions just like we asked everyone else in the family."

When asked about Ms. Carruthers' repeated periods of treatment at a New York psychiatric institution, the FBI admitted that that angle had been checked and dismissed.

"Ms. Carruthers is not a suspect." repeated the regional director of the FBI. "We know who is behind this crime, we know where they come from, how many there are, and who their connections are. Ms. Carruthers is not connected to them in any way."

"We've always known Phoebe was a little psychic," claimed Elaine Murphy, spokesperson for Appleton Publishing, who publish most of Ms. Carruthers' works.

Salem, Oregon (AP) - FBI officials and Salem Police are carefully examining every inch of a house near the Cascade Gateway Park today for any evidence that might lead them to kidnapped heiress Samantha Forrest. Police believe that the radical group NAPALM, the Native American People's Armed Liberation Movement, used the house to hold Ms. Forrest hostage after her bloody kidnapping in San Francisco last month.

FBI spokesperson Carla Fong said that police officials in Salem alerted the FBI after witnesses claimed to have seen the missing heiress walking in the back yard.

"They must have been leaving when the witnesses saw them," said Ms. Fong, "because we arrived on the scene in just a few minutes and they were gone. We've alerted the Highway Patrol and they've set up roadblocks to try and catch them. We've also alerted law enforcement officials in four states with some additional information."

A well-placed source in the Sheriff's office believes that the terrorists have already evaded the roadblocks.

"We should have caught them by now," said the source. Other officials remained confident that the kidnappers would be captured before long.

Spokane, Washington (AP) - Eleven year veteran FBI agent Charles Overton and two innocent bystanders were gunned down in cold blood yesterday when Agent Overton unwittingly discovered the most recent hideout of the American Indian terrorist group NAPALM. Agent Overton was killed by members of the Native American People's Armed Liberation Movement at the door of a house near Indian Canyon Park.

According to neighbors, Agent Overton, who was going from door to door investigating a totally unrelated crime, rang the doorbell of the house. When he showed his badge to the occupants, he was killed by several shots from an automatic weapon. Across the street, four neighbors, including two children, were hit by stray bullets.

Witnesses reported that almost immediately after the gunfire, a gray van raced down the street, away from the house, striking a child riding a bicycle. A person on the passenger side of the van fired several more shots at the frightened onlookers. Three more people were wounded by the gunfire, including another child.

Rachel Mercer, 6, and Sharon Hollis, 9, were pronounced dead on arrival at Spokane County Hospital, killed by gunshot wounds. Jeremy Hopkins, 12, is in critical condition after being hit by the gray van during the terrorist escape.

Police officials confirmed that NAPALM literature and a recent picture of kidnapped heiress and hostage Samantha Forrest were discovered in the house. Officials refused to discuss any other things found at the scene.

A spokeswoman for the FBI had no comment when asked how the terrorists could slip through their roadblocks and dragnets at least three times since the Chinatown shootout that left twenty-one dead and Samantha Forrest a hostage.

Pocatello, Idaho (UPI) - Five masked men made a clean escape after a daring robbery of the First National Bank of Pocatello. The bandits, wearing warpaint-smeared ski masks, fled with more than $11,000 in cash. Claiming to be members of the radical Native American People's Armed Liberation Movement, the thieves left propaganda and spray-painted "flaming fist and arrow" symbols of the terrorist group.

After herding everyone out of the bank, the terrorists detonated several bombs, destroying the historical building. They fled in two cars, both stolen. The two cars were found abandoned several miles from the robbery.

Missoula, Montana (AP) - Seven masked men made away with more than $17,000 in cash after a midafternoon robbery of the Missoula Bank and Trust of Montana.

The bandits, wearing warpaint-smeared ski masks, fled after leaving propaganda and spray-painted "flaming fist and arrow" symbols of the radical terrorist group NAPALM, the Native American People's Armed Liberation Movement.

Burlington, VT (AP) - Samantha Forrest, kidnapped granddaughter of millionaire Millard Wilberforce Carruthers III, the object of a nationwide nine month search by the FBI, walked into a 7-11 in Essex Junction, Vermont and called the police early yesterday. Ms. Forrest refused to comment on the Native American People's Armed Liberation Movement, saying that she had promised her silence in exchange for her freedom.

Except for a few minor bruises, Ms. Forrest was unhurt. Two small scars on her wrists were the result of some "weird blood-brother ceremony." Ms. Forrest claimed that she had been well-treated by her captors, but would say little else.

Ms. Forrest had been kidnapped in a bloody incident in San Francisco that left twenty one dead last September. Since that time, NAPALM has been responsible for several murders and bank robberies across the Northwest. There had been no word about Ms. Forrest since November.

"Usually, in a case like this, there is real cause for concern when you don't hear about the hostage," said Dr. Helen Sager, a professor of psychology from the University of Michigan who specializes in the dynamics of kidnapping situations. "In this case, everything worked out all right."

When asked about the reluctance to talk about her experiences, Dr. Sager said that Ms. Forrest "may be physically free, but is probably not mentally free."

"These experiences mark someone for life, very deeply. Her reluctance to talk is only one sign of that. Kidnap victims and hostages often became very sympathetic and friendly with their captors. Proper post-hostage care and treatment is absolutely necessary."

An FBI spokesman said that the Agency was "disappointed" that Ms. Forrest refused to provide additional information about her captors. "We have hope that she'll come around and tell us what she knows."

Slippery Rock, PA - The Magdalene Smith College Screaming Savages are back and have taken out their frustration on the Rockets of Slippery Rock Teacher's College in a 69-7 pounding. For two seasons, the MSC football team had suffered under the student-body-chosen name the MSC Sensitives. During that time, they had labored to a two season record of 4-16, scoring no more than 21 points in any game.

"We were SAVAGE!" shouted triumphant coach Tyler Calhoun to his ecstatic team. "We scalped 'em good! It's good to have our name back!"

Quarterback Jimmy Hallingford threw six touchdowns for 320 yards of offense. Wide receiver Gerald "Little Scott" Scott caught five of those touchdown passes and ran for one more, breaking a school record held by ex-NFL player and MSC alum Michael "Dozer" Fuller.

Not to be outdone, outstanding receiver Stanton Carter III scored another MSC touchdown with a 97 yard punt return. Carter was robbed of a second touchdown when a second 86-yard return was stopped by a desperate Rocket tackle on the one yard line.

The team's name was restored after pressure from the alumni, the fans, and a threatened walkout by the team and coaching staff.

Newport, RI (AP) - Samantha Forrest, the heiress held hostage for nine months by the radical American Indian terrorist group NAPALM, the Native American People's Armed Liberation Movement, has been released from Whitecliffe Retreat, a psychiatric institution in New York.

"It's been a rough year and a half," said Ms. Forrest, granddaughter of Newport millionaire Millard Wilberforce Carruthers III. "I think I'm ready to face the world once again."

When asked about the terrorists who held her hostage, Ms. Forrest refused to talk.

"I promised them [NAPALM] that I wouldn't talk about it if they let me go. I'm going to keep that promise, so please don't ask any thing more."

The FBI refused to comment on any progress they've made on the case. There haven't been any arrests in the kidnapping, or in the two bank robberies that followed.

Newport, RI (UPI) - Heiress Samantha Forrest, granddaughter of millionaire Millard Wilberforce Carruthers III, was arrested today by agents of the FBI. She was charged with armed robbery and murder in connection with the Native American People's Armed Liberation Movement robbery of the Empire State Bank in Watervliet, New York six days ago.

On Monday, five masked bandits entered the Empire State Bank in Watervliet and announced a robbery. After shooting out the surveillance cameras, a security guard grabbed at the war-paint daubed ski mask of one of the bandits and pulled it off. The bandit shot the guard, Peter Glass, 27, of Albany, three times.

Although the ski mask had been removed, the killer was facing away from everyone else in the bank. The long-haired bandit managed to replace the ski mask without being seen, although at least one witness alleges that the killer could be seen in a security mirror. Police refuse to comment on whether the witness has identified the alleged killer as Samantha Forrest.

The bandits collected more than $23,000 in the theft. Several witnesses said that the bandits expected significantly more money. A payroll for a large local firm had been delayed due to mechanical troubles; police are questioning various sources to determine how the thieves could have known that payroll was supposed to be there on that day.

The bandits escaped in a stolen car driven by a sixth confederate after scattering NAPALM literature and spraying the "flaming fist and arrow" symbol of the group. The escape was nearly foiled when the car sputtered and stalled in front of the bank. Three of the robbers got out of the car and pushed it to start the engine according to witnesses.

Three of the alleged robbers, known NAPALM members, were arrested near Wilmington, Vermont several hours after the theft. A local police officer became suspicious of the trio after stopping them for a minor traffic violation. About $5,000 was clearly visible in the back seat of the car, which had been reported stolen in Rutland.

The three, known only as Red River, Wandering Brave, and Wind Reaver were arrested on charges of armed robbery.

An FBI spokesman said that they have developed enough circumstantial evidence from material found in the trio's stolen car to arrest Ms. Forrest and to put out warrants for two other individuals, known as Bloodknife and North Star.

Ms. Forrest had no comment for the press.

Albany, NY (UPI) - Judge Purvis T. Ledbetter ruled today that ex-NAPALM hostage Samantha Forrest will stand trial separately for her alleged role in an armed robbery where a guard was murdered.

"We're very happy with the ruling," said Taylor Williams, one of the two lawyers working to defend Samantha Forrest. "The prosecution doesn't have any real evidence in this case and they know it. By trying our client separately, the prosecution has to prove their allegations - and we know they can't."

"Disappointed" was the only comment offered by Roman Kilkenny, Albany District Attorney. Kilkenny, rumored to be considering a run for US Congress, refused to discuss Mr. Williams' comments to the press.

The attorneys for the defense, Ms. Pamela Garibaldi and Mr. Williams, have taken the unusual tactic to push for trial as quickly as possible.

"We want to clear our client's name as soon as possible. She went through a terrible ordeal last year. She wants to put this all to rest and get on with her life."

Ms. Forrest was kidnapped during September of 1985 and held for nine months by radical American Indian terrorists calling themselves NAPALM, the Native American People's Armed Liberation Movement. She was released apparently unharmed by her captors, and has led a quiet life until her arrest in April.

Jury selection is scheduled to begin today.

Albany, NY (UPI) - A jury ruled yesterday that Albany District Attorney Roman Kilkenny did not prove murder and armed robbery charges filed against Newport heiress Samantha Forrest.

Judge Purvis T. Ledbetter thanked the jury for their considered deliberations and then dismissed the charges against the granddaughter of millionaire Millard Wilberforce Carruthers III. Defense lawyers Pamela J. Garibaldi and Taylor Williams of Weintraub, Anderson, Williams and Garibaldi, were jubilant after the jury's decision was announced.

"It takes evidence to convict someone of a crime. This case should never have come to trial for lack of reliable evidence," said Mr. Williams. The two lawyers hammered at the unreliability of eyewitness testimony, showing that several of the prized state witnesses, including a state policeman, couldn't have seen what they thought they saw.

Expert psychiatric witnesses testified to the mental state of Ms. Forrest, who was kidnapped in September of 1985 and held for nine months by the same radical American Indian terrorists responsible for the robbery. Courtroom observers credit the sharp lawyers with blasting biased testimony provided by the state's "expert witnesses."

Albany District Attorney Roman Kilkenny had little to say about the results of the trial.

"I believed that we had convinced the jury of her guilt," he said in a brief press conference. "I was wrong. I apologize to the family of Mr. Glass." Peter Glass was the guard murdered in the holdup in April.

When asked if he would appeal the jury's decision, Mr. Kilkenny said that he would "review the case" before making that judgment.

"At this point, we also have to consider the trial of the three other defendants who will come to trial very shortly."

Albany, NY (AP) - Defendants Wandering Brave, Red River, and Wind Reaver, avowed members of the Native American People's Armed Liberation Movement (NAPALM), were convicted on charges of armed robbery yesterday.

The jury took less than forty minutes to return a guilty verdict that could result in long jail terms for the three defendants.

Albany District Attorney Roman Kilkenny announced that he would seek "the maximum penalty under the law" for the "heinous and barbarous acts [the defendants] committed in the name of some aberrant and anti-social cause."

Defense attorney Rose Schaeffer blasted Judge Purvis T. Ledbetter for separating the trial of her three defendants from that of heiress Samantha Forrest, who was acquitted of any involvement in September.

"The rich have one set of rules, the poor a different set," Schaeffer said. "This shows America just how easy it is for the rich to buy justice. Meanwhile, the Indian continues to get a raw deal after four hundred years of oppression."

Other American Indian groups around the country have also protested the trial. Members of several tribes native to New England have been keeping a vigil at the courthouse throughout the trial.

Ms. Schaeffer had further words for the ex-hostage held by NAPALM for nine months.

"My clients go on trial-and where is [Ms. Forrest]? Off skiing in Switzerland, that's where." Ms. Forrest had no comment for the press.

Sentencing is set for December 3rd.

Vancouver, British Columbia (UPI) - Astrologer and radio personality Susanne "Starry" Ayes was arrested on fraud charges after two socialites compared notes and discovered that they had been paying for the same prophecies.

Mrs. Martha Bartholomew and Mrs. Gabrielle Fontaine filed criminal complaints alleging fraud. The two have also sworn out a civil suit alleging damages due to fraud, mental cruelty, and other, unspecified reasons totaling over $90,000.

Ms. Ayes refused to comment. She continues her daily "Stargrams" on Vancouver radio station CRBC, despite the charges. Representatives of CRBC also had no comment on the charges.

"She said she had psychic powers. She's a liar. I want all of my money back." said Mrs. Fontaine. Mrs. Fontaine is the wife of Mark Fontaine, owner of the Grand Vancouver Hotel. She alleges that personal prophecies given to her over two and a half years of consultations match "almost word for word" with those of Mrs. Bartholomew.

Vancouver Police Fraud Investigator Harlan Powell said "This case is unusual in that Ms. Ayes provided written transcripts of her 'personalized' prophecies to each of the complainants. While I am not exactly sure of what the eventual charges will be, I am sure that this falls under one of the many fraud statutes."

New London, CT (AP) - Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts government officials, fire, police, hospital, Navy and National Guard units completed two days of intense role-playing as members of the Nuclear Emergency Situation Team (NEST) reacted to a simulated nuclear emergency at the naval base in New London. Converging from three states, NEST team members and officials were confronted with a mock meltdown and simulated atmospheric release of radiation on board the submarine USS Theodore Williams.

The scenario was organized by a team of "disaster planners" from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Working from a command post on the naval base, the FEMA team used phones, computers and Navy officers to direct the exercise. Spokesperson Daphne Carruthers Forrest, a State Representative from Rhode Island, said that "the FEMA team kept us on our toes. I don't think that any of us stopped sweating over the entire 48 hour period."

The USS Theodore Williams started the exercise west of Groton in the Thames River by simulating a problem in the atomic reactor that powers the attack submarine. Within minutes, NEST members and involved officials were on their way to the scene of the "emergency."

"It's a frightening problem to consider. Everyone takes these exercises very seriously. They are not games to us." said Representative Forrest. "The NEST team practices constantly. When they arrived on the scene, they were fast, ready, and professional."

FEMA officials gave high marks to the NEST team and the officials involved in the scenario. FEMA scenario organizer Andrew Montauk credited the teamwork of all the players.

"They handled all of the problems we threw at them, and we didn't make it easy. Everyone pitched in to keep everything under control."

BOSTON - Schuyler Oil Distribution, a heating-oil distributor for low-income households, suffered a major setback when more than nineteen thousand gallons of fuel-oil spilled from a faulty storage tank valve.

The oil, being stockpiled for the winter heating season, worked its way past several safeguards to spill into Boston Harbor. The oil slick quickly spread over three miles of coastline, prompting warnings to bathers, fishermen, and boaters.

"This was a freak accident," said Schuyler Thornton, president of Schuyler Oil Distribution. "Six things that shouldn't have gone wrong did." Mr. Thornton went on to say that "we won't let this affect our winter distribution efforts for the needy."

"This wasn't an accident. This was a certainty waiting to happen," claimed Peter Norton, spokesman for the Boston chapter of Ecosave. "Businessmen should be sent to prison for these ecological crimes. Instead, they get a tax writeoff."

Investigators would not rule out the possibility of sabotage. "Mr. Thornton runs an exemplary facility," said Dana McKinney of the Environmental Protection Agency. "This is the last place I would have expected a spill like this."

Newport, RI (UPI) - An electrical experiment by two wealthy inventors has been blamed for the destruction of millions of dollars worth of electrical equipment within a several mile radius of the inventors' home.

"Everyone thought it was aliens," laughed Newport Police Dispatcher Karen Galanos. "Fortunately the phones were only disrupted for a few minutes. Once they were working, we had hundreds of calls."

"Bedlam, sheer bedlam," said Mayor Wilson Higgins. "None of the police radios worked. Most of our emergency lines of communication couldn't work until we brought in new equipment."

Local officials did not know the cause of the disaster for several hours.

"Then someone noticed that the effect ended in a perfect circle," explained Dr. Ole Svenson, professor of physics at MIT. "Once we plotted the circle, we just looked in the middle. We still don't understand what caused it - but we do know where it came from."

The police arrived at the estate of millionaire Millard Carruthers III. His twin grandsons, Geoffrey and Gerald Forrest, had been "tinkering" in their basement laboratory with something called an "antisynchronous chronoquantic receiver."

The Forrest twins could not explain their invention in terms that this reporter could understand.

Police officials were a bit unsure of what to do with the Forrest twins. No arrests have been made.

"While we are certain that a crime has been committed, we are not sure exactly what statutes apply," said a spokesman for the police.

Attorneys for the Forrest family promised that restitution would be made to all those who suffered damage.

"It was an accident. Neither Geoffrey nor Gerald Forrest ever expected this effect," said a Carruthers Group spokesman.

Experts from the Department of Energy are expected to arrive within the week to mount an investigation.

BOSTON - Dr. Sarah Stanfield, President and founder of Enzyme Processes Ltd. of Cambridge, an nounced a commercially available method for determining paternity with virtual certainty. The test, ex pected to cost less than one hundred dollars, determines the unique genetic patterns in a person's DNA.

"Comparing the genetic patterns of the mother, the father and the child can reliably determine paternity," Dr. Stanfield explained. "Our tests are far more reliable than the older methods, which rarely reach 90% certainty. All we need is a small sample of blood, hair, or semen, a few hours for the test, and we'll know for sure."

Criminal investigators are extremely interested in the Enzyme Processes product. Jeffrey Chalmers of the Boston FBI office explained that "samples of blood from crime scenes have already positively identified two suspects involved in a drug-related shootout last month. The only evidence we had at the scene was the drying blood of two of the gunmen who were hit during the gunfire. The Enzyme Processes test is going to send those two away for a long time."

Enzyme Processes officials are excited over the market possibilities for their genetic testing kit. There are over 400 medical laboratories in the United States that do forensic and paternity testing who might be interested in the DNA tests. As a result of the announcement, Enzyme Processes stock gained one and five-eighth points in moderate trading.

Providence, RI (AP) - First District Court Judge Louise Palermino has ordered doctors at St. Paul's Hospital not to block the transfer of the comatose body of Sophie Messier to another facility. Mrs. Messier, who suffered a catastrophic stroke in September of last year, has been kept alive solely by a bank of life-support machines. Her husband, the head of the household staff for the well-known Newport millionaire and philanthropist Millard Wilberforce Carruthers III, pleaded with the court to "let [his wife] die with dignity."

P.J. Garibaldi, the head of a team of lawyers from the New York firm of Weintraub, Anderson, Williams, and Garibaldi, led the fight for Mr. Messier, in what some are calling a landmark legal case.

"We are grateful," she said, "to the Court for giving us the chance to end the suffering of Sophie Messier. The doctors have to realize that there must come a time when we can do no more for our loved ones except to let them go."

Father Thomas Spinelli, public relations director for St. Paul's Hospital declined to make a statement. Sources for the hospital say that the Board of Directors has not made the decision about whether or not to file an appeal.

Reverend Theodore Small, noted author and founder of the fundamentalist Christian newspaper God's Word, blasted yesterday's decision in a press conference in Boston.

"It's euthanasia. Who's next? Cripples? The retarded? Only God can decide when someone will die. Not doctors or lawyers. This is an abomination."

Regardless of the decision, no local hospital or doctor has come forward to provide a place where Sophie Messier could be allowed to die.