Muncie Post-Democrat, Muncie, Delaware County, 5 August 1932 — Page 1
POST-DEMOCRAT ‘HEW TO THE BLOCK; LET THE CHIPS FALL WHERE THEY MIGHT.”
VOLUME 12—NUMBER 30.
MUNCIE, INDIANA, FRIDAY, AUGUST 5, 1932.
PRICE: TWO CENTS
Torment
By Helfur Surton
JOURNEY OF i A $100 BILL A traveling salesman registered at a small town hotel and informed the landlord that he would need a room for several days. He handed the landlord a $100 bill and asked him to keep it in his safe until he checked out as it was a large sum to carry around in his
popket- * » *
The next day the garage man presented the landlord* with a statement for $100 and not having that much cash on hand the hotel proprietof used the salesman’s i$100 bill to settle the account, planning upon replacing it before the bill was called for by its owner The garage man paid his grocery account with the same bil, the grocer paid for a debt for clothes with the bill and the clothier paid the ..^.dware dealer an account of $100 The hardware man had borrowed $100 from the hotel man, so he settled by using the same bill. The hotel man put the bill back in the safe. Several days later the salesman paid his hotel account with some money he had in his pocket and the landlord gave him back the $100 bill. The salesman lighted a match and burned the bill, saying that he had found it was counterfeit and must be destroyed. The question is, “Who lost by the transaction?” The answer is “Nothing was lost.”
HOW ‘PUBLIC OWNERSHIP PAYS The good, old Associated Press, which up to date has never displayed any Bolshevistic tendencies, is authority for the following: 'The tax rate for all municipal purposes in lola, Kansas, this year will be seven and a half mills, and next year* the authorities say, they do not expect to levy any tax for city purposes. The explanation, according to the A P., is that lola has owned its utilties—gas, water and electricicity—for more than 30 years, and although the rates are low, the city’s profits are so large they are sufficient to run the city and gradually pay off its indebtedness. According to the same authorityv—fewo etber Kansis cities, Chanute and Colby, are tax free, thanks to the fact that their utility profits are going into the public" treasury instead of into the strongbox of sonm Wall Street controlled holding ’company
HE HAD CLEAR TITLE ) A man, who had not been very good during his early life, died and went below. As soon as he %ot there he began to give orders for changing the positions of the fufciiture, and commenced bossing the imps around. lOne or them reported to Satan how the newcomer was acting. “Say,” said Satan to him, “you act as though you owned the
place.”
said the man; it to me while I
“Sure,”
wife gave on earth.”
my
was
AND STILL' THEY GROW A number of years ago former Vice-President Marshall stated that during his long residence in Washington he had seen many of these government bureaus grow into “full sets of furniture” and he stated that while no one could foretell what would be in the annual reports of any of these bureaus, he could always foretell with accuracy at least two items that would appear in each one them: First, a plea for enlarged jurisdiction and, second, a plea for an enladged appropriation. How true this observation was and how this tendency has inceased is a matter of common knowledge to all informed persons. o —
E5
Roosevelt Flashlights
‘The nation or state is unwilling by governmental action to tackle new problems caused by immense increase of population and the astounding strides of modern science is headed for a decline and ultimate death from inaction. The phrase ‘the best government is the least government’ is a sound phrase but it applies only to the simplification of governmental machinery and to the prevention of improper interference with the legitimate activities of the citi-
zens”.
KHir 10 K t MOMim PHIUKOin
Here, There Everywhere
UNITED STATES WITNESS IS TAKEN FOR “A RIDE”
Claim Death Threat for Evidence—Corbett Johnson Is Kidnap/Victim—Name Reporter—Names Of lawyers Are Mentioned
Plan
“The prisoner will return again to live among us, to become either a useful member of society or a deadly menace to ourselves and our neighbors! It will be in most cases. .Qijir ^aipe if he continues in a criminal career and our credit,
if he quits his _evil life. ?. ‘ • d; • - v * T.
“The Stats' is the duly constitut-
(Press, May 2)
Corbett Johnson, the only one of 13 Muncie men who pleaded guilty when arraigned before the United States District Court at Indianapolis on charges of conspiracy to Violate the liquor law, was “taken for a ride” late Saturday night, by three swarthy-faced strangers and was told, he said, that if he testified against certain others indicted he would be killed. Johnson’s car, a Ford coupe, was crowded into the curb on Burlington Road, just off Tweijity-sixth street, according to his story. Three men leaped from the car. ^clamped handcuffs around his wrists and threw him into their car, a large black sedan. A hangman’s cap, a black sack which completely covered his face, was thrown over his head and he was unable to identify
his assailants.
Oscar Johnson, Corbett’s nrot.her, who lives near Corbett’s home two miles southeast of Muncie on the Inlow Springs Road, became suspicious -when his brother did not return home and came into Muncie in search of him. Corbetts car, with the two right, fenders crushed was found where it had been crowded into the curb. Johnson Frightened. Interiewed by a Press reporter this morning, Johnson declared he had been kidnaped and exhibited his bruised wrists where he said the handcuffs had cut into his flesh. His body also showed many
bruises.
Johnson was obviously frightened and refused to comment on Saturday night’s affair until he was informed that the episode was known. When told that news of his kidnaping had leaked out. Johnson appeared resigned. “Good as a Dead Man.” “I’m as good as a dead mah,” he
declared.
Johnsons story, which he reluctantly told to Hcrschel ‘^Red” Rose and Fred Bohlinger, special In formers for the Department Of Justice, and later to the Press reporter, follows: “I was driving along Burlington Road when I noticed a large car following me. The car came from behind me at a high rate of speed and started around. I pulled oevr to the side to let it pass, thinking it was some joy rider in a hurry. When the care came up even with me the driver turned his front wheels and crashed into the side of my car, pushing me against the
curb.
“Three men piled out. I had a gun with me, having been warned to be on the lookout, but I didn’t have a chance to use it. The men took it away from me and put handcuffs on my wrists. They were so tight they bruised niy wrists. “A hangman’s cap was thrown over my head and I couldn’t see anything. I never got a good look at the-men, hut I think they were strangers. One of them kept punching me with the muzzle of his gun, bruising my stomach. “We drove for hours, I don’t know where. Once we stopped at a house somewhere in the country. We didn’t stay long. All the time they were questioning me and threatening me. I told them everything I Knew and promised everything they asked me. I would rath er serve a stretch in the federal penitentiary than be killed. Talked of Rees, Killing “The men didn’t seem interested in the trial of Mayor George R. Dale, Chief of Police Frank Massey and the other policemen indicted! They talked only about the killing of Francis Rees (son of Detective Captain Albert Rees, who was slain October 20, after being chased several blocks by two policemen) and about a Muncie lawyer and a Hartford City lawyer who have been implicated in statements obtained by the fed-
eral agents.
“If.you say any more about that goner,’ they told me. They said killing or the lawyers you are a thrffc if me or Sims (former Muncie patrolman discharged from the force by Mayor Dale) testified at Indianapolis on May 16, we
PLAN MEETINGS OF SIX REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
Story of Fancied “Kidnaping” of Star Witness in Federal Court at Indianapolis, During Dale “Conspiracy” Trial and Which Muncie Pre;s so Avidly Gulped Down, Shown in Its True Light. TESTIMONY IN CH LD CUSTODY MAKES INTESESTING READING
STORY OF “DEATH RIDE" HELD FALSE BY WIFE
Dale Trial Witness Not Kidnaped and Threatened, Woman Tells Court—Puckett Denies He Was Informed Johnson’s Story Was Untrue.
(Press, August 5)
is to Cover Entire State in Three
Days
MUNCIE, AUG. 20 AT HOTEL ROBERTS
Will Not Be Political Ral
lies—To Unify The
Party
ed representative, of an organized would be shot on the witness society of human beings . . creat- - i -- j "" - ,J ,J — 1 **
ed by them for their mutual pro-
tection and well-being.”
A series of six regional party organization meetings covering the entire state has been announced by R. Earl Peters, chairman of the Democratic State Committee, for the afternoons and evenings of August 18th, 19th and 20th. These meetings, according to Mr. Peters, are for tl^e purpose of strengthening and unifying the party organization for the coming
campaign.
Two meetings will be held daily, one in the afternoon and one at night, thus enabling the state candidates and organization leaders to cover the entire state in three days. The schedule for the meetings is as fpllows: First .Region At Warsaw, City flail, 2:00 p. m. August 18th, the following counties; Steuben, LaGrange, Elkhart, St. .Joseph, Marshall Kosciusko, Noble, DeKalb, Fulton, Miami, Wabash, Whitley, Huntington, Allen, Wells and Adams. Second Region At. Monticello, Court; House, 8:00 p. m. August 18th, the following counties: Lake Porter, LaPorte, Starke, Pulaski, Jasper, Newton, Benton, White, Cass, Howard, Clinton, Carroll, Tippecanoe and
Warren.
Third Region At Greencastle, Court House, 2:00 p. m. August 19th, the following counties: Vermillion, Fountain, Parke, Montgomery, Boone, Marion, Hendricks, Putnam, Vigo, Clay, Owen and Morgan. Fourth Region At Bedford, Court House, 8:00 p. m. August 19th, the following counties: Sullivan, Greene, Monroe, Brown, Jackson, Lawrence, Martin, Davies, Knox, Gibson, Pike, Dubois, Crawford, Orange, Washington, Clark, Floyd, Harrison, Perry, Spencer, Warrick, Vanderburgh and Posey. Fifth Region At Greensburgh, City Hall, 2:00 p. m. August 20th, the following counties: Johnson, Shelby, Rush, Fayette, Union, Franklin, Decatur, Bartholomew, Jennings, Ripley, Dearborn, Ohio, Switzerland, Jefferson and Scott. Sixth Region At Muncie, Hotel Roberts, 8:00 p. m. August 20th, the following counties: Tipton^ Grant, Blackford, Jay, Randolph, Delaivare, Madison, Hamilton, Hancock, Henry and Wayne. 1 In dividing the state into six regions, congressional district lines were not followed but instead the route was worked out with regard to accessibility by both county and district leaders and by the group of state organization leaders and party candidates who will attend the meet-
ings.
Not Political Rallies
These meetings are pjlanned as a forum for members of the party organization and the county, district and state candidates. The state organization wishes to stress the fact that these meetings are not political rallies. There will be
stand. They said there would onlyjample time for that later, the be two policemen there—one at campaign being scheduled to be-
(Continued to Page Three) gin in September.
On May 2 Sheriff Puckett Was “Outraged” at “Kidnaping”—Now, When Chickens Come Home to Roost, He Is Willing to Make an Affidavit-That’s Consistency Personified. Everybody knew that Corbett Johnson was a liar when ,he posed as set-up and boss perjurer in the Dale .case, but who would ever have thought that his perjury would be tossed back to him this soon? Thursday morning, in juvenile court, Corbett’s wife, Katherine, his half brother Gerald and the latter’s wife, branded as a lie his fantastic story, related to the Press May 2, and repeated on the witness stand at the federal trial, in which he charged that he had been kidnaper, kept out all night and threatened with death if l e testified at the federal trial. I ■ , • # Everybody will rosea! 1 the cock-and-bull story printed in the Press, unde*> flag head; The Press runs an entirely different story today. Everybody knew then that Corbett lied. His perjury was confirmed Thursday in Judge Guthrie’s court. He jwas #t the home of his brother Gerald with his wife the entire night on which he declared he was kidnaped. When Mrs. Corbett Johnson so testified in Juvenile court, Judge (Guthrie leaned over and asked her if the story of the'kidnaping was untrue. When she declared it was ,a concocted lie, and the others confirmed it, Judge Guthrie demanded of her why she did not immediately inform officers of it when the story was published in local newspapers. She answered that she did call up Sheriff Puckett and , was told to keep her mouth shut about it. Puckett today told the Press he was willing to make an affidavit that the woman did not call his office. It will be recalled that Sheriff Puckett became very indignant when the news of Johnson’s “abduction” was published. We are running what might be termed the “deadly parallel”—what the Press said May 2 and what it said August 5. It will be observed in the original story, published May 2, just before the federal trial, that Shereff Puckett was outraged at the thought of the “kidnaping,” and called a conference the next morning in his office to demand tha*, Muncie be placed under martial law. When the chickens come home to roost the sheriff is ,ready to ,make an affidavit. It will be recalled that immediately after the publication of the weird story on May 2, that local newspapeers from day to day quoted Puckett as saying that arrests of fhe three “swarthy strangers” was imminent, and then suddenly the man hunt ceased with a statement that Puckett had Washington instructions ,to slow down. The Press in exposing the fake Friday omitted one important bit ,of testimony offered by Corbett Johnson’s wife in juvenile court Thursday morning. ' She testified ,that she ,visited Corbett in federal jail at Indianapolis just before he was taken to Leavenworth, and that her husband told her that if she was -ever in need of anything in the way of food or money while he was away to go to Cliff Cranor or Plug Walburn and they would give her what she needed. . Mayor Dale and others convicted on the perjurd /evidence of ,Corbett Johnson are asking for h special grand jury here to get at all the facts. It was Corbett Johnson who swore that he (Continued to Page Two)
Corbett Johnson’s story of being “taken for a ride,” last May 2, shortly before he was to appear in Federal Court as a government witness in the Dale conspiracy trial, today had been branded as wholly untrue by bis wife, Ethel, and the wife of his half brother.
Mrs. Gerald Johnson.
Johnson pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiring to violate the liquor law and is serving a 15mouths’ sentence in the Federal reformatory at Chillicothe, Ohio. Johnson’s “penny-dreadful" tale of death threats and torture by masked gunmeh was labeled a fabrication ,in Juvenile Court Thursday, in proceedings in regard to the custody of his adopted child.
With Him in Muncie.
According to Ethel Johnso^i, she was with Corbett all -night. May 2, sleeping with him at the home of his half-brother, Gerald, who then lived at 2509 South Madison street. She told the court she and Corbett had separated a s few days before and that she was under the impression, at that time that Corbett had divorced her. Oscar Johnson, Corbett’s brother, at whose home Corbett was staying, disliked her, Ethel Johnson testified, and for that rea-
son Corbett “framed” the kidnaping! offering more than $5,000.00 in story so 05ca£„wouId not know jo ash and prizes to the winners in where he had spent the night. I this contest. Anyone is eligible to Corbett’s wife said she and her'enter. There are prizes for everyhu'sband left Gerald’s home at 6 a.ithtog that can possibly be put into m., on My 3. and took her to Lo-'s^ 98 j ars for future use. There santille, where she was employed aI * e Prizes for canned chicken, by Vernle Freeman. She told Judge J ru ^> vegetables, jellies, jams, and L. A. Guthrie they ate breakfast at ! > res! even Pickled eggs. There are 8 a. m., and Corbett then returned tw0 wonderful scholarships for 4to Muncie clu b g Irls —° ne a $300.00 schol- .. T ’ i i <■ iarship, the other a $100.00.
Mrs. Johnson was released from .
jail two weeks ago after serving a, _ , nn ‘ ngest . Ye ? r sentence for intoxication. a( l ( iition to cash prizes there
are worth while merchandise prizes such as a complete outfit of clothing, over-night hags and
electrical appliances.
This is the “canningest” year in history. Thousands of women and girls, many of them who have
>>a» mu cmius uuumay aim ine never canned an yt hIng before, are day before Ethel Johnson’s birth- now taking aclvanta g e of the plen .
tiful supply of fresh foods at rea-
BIG PRIZES ARE SOUGHT BY MANY
Ball Bros. Offering More Than $5,000 in Cash
Awards
Old Man Depression is being chased out of every town, village and hamlet by thrifty women who are filling glass jars with fruits, vegetables, jellies, jams and pick-
les for next winter’s use.
They say that every cloud has a silver lining, but this' particular depression cloud has a gold lining for over two thousand lucky women, who are doing home canning and sending samples of their wares to the International Can-
ning Xlontest, at Aurora, 111.
To arouse greater interest in the thrift movement to conserve all available food supplies, Ball Brothers of Muncie, Indiana, are
MORE ACTION, LESS BLAH “Wets Are Active.” .Scarcely a day passes when newspapers do not offer some comment on the activities of the wets and ,we often wonder that there are so many unsofisticated newspaper men in the world. Ask any of the old newspaper men who used to visit the larger cities before the Volstead act went Into effect, ahd they will tell you of some real activities of the boys who were wet- That Is one trouble with the country today —there is not enough action, and it might change conditions for the better if there were more wets and more action.
Supported by Woman.
Katherine Johnson, wife of Gerald, 414 1-2 East Jackson street, corroborated the testimony of her sister-in-law. She said she remembered the date distinctly because it was her child’s birthday and the
day. Her baby had whooping cough on the night Corbett was supposed to have been kidnaped, she testified, and she was Ap all night. Corbett and his wife were in bed during the entire night and she saw them several times when she passed through their bedroom,
according to her testimony. Asked Avhy she did not inform
authorities that Corbett’s “death ride” story was false, Katherine said she had. She declared she called Fred W. Puckett and was
told to “say nothing about it.” Sheriff Puckett this morning as-
serted he had received no telephone call from Mrs. Gerald Johnson and was prepared to sign an affidavit to
that effect.
Oscar Johnson testified Corbett told him he.,was kidnaped by foqr masked men, his head covered with a hangman’s cap, and taken several miles .into the country. According to Corbett’s story, he was threatened with death if he testified before the Federal Court in the Dale conspiracy case and warned to “keep his mouth shut about the shooting of Francis Rees.” Oscar
^enable prices, and the low price of sugar, and are canning, canning, canning. Perhaps some long past ancestral hunch is reminding them that this winter may be a hard one, and they’d better be about the business of laying in a goodly supply of foods. Anyway, everything from soup to dessert is being canned. This is very evident from the jars that are being
received now at Aurora. To Find Best Canners
“This Contest” says Grace Viall Gray, Secretary, “is held for many reasons. Of course the first purpose is to find the best canners in the U. S. and foreign countries. The Contest is to the women what the International Live Stock Show has been for years to the man. He has put his cattle up in competition against other men’s cattle, so now the woman has a similar opportunity. She is putting up the work of her hands against other homemakers. There is friendly competition but it is a very stren-
uous competition > too.
Everyone who enters the Con test of course wants to be de-
wil! " t0 / y dared “The Grand Champion Canwas a hoax and that he didn t be-! nei . of 1932” bv 24 outstanding lieve it. Corbett said his kidnapers ; judge3i and thus receive the cash were not interested in the Dale and glory that goes with this hon-
trial. talking mostly about the Rees shooting and a Hartford City casqi William McClellan, one of the attorneys representing Mayor Geo. R. ( Dale and eight others appealing from convictions on conspiracy charges, was present at the Juvenile Court proceedings and directed the court reporter to make a transcript of testimony given. McClellan said he intended presenting the transcript in the United States Circuit Court at Chicago as evidence that testimony given in the
Dale trial was “framed.”
McClellan went to Losantville Friday morning to secure statements from persons who say they saw Mr. and Mrs. Corbett Johnson there on the morning after the purported kidnaping. He declared he had already secured a statement from Gerald Johnsop that the
(Continued to Page Three.)
or.
The great interest is centered on the County prizes—the first of which is $500.00 in cash and a trophy. This goes to the County sending in the largest number of
entries.
Material Furnished Free Through the Contest we try to teach the value of thrift by conserving home canned products, and after the Contest is over, the jars are distirbuted to charity. So we feel the Contest is all worth while, since it encourages more home canning, It offers friendly competition in this fine household act, it awards over $5,000 I &() in cash and prizes to successful ones and it finally feeds the sick, the blind, and the aged.” There is no entry fee and no red tape to enter this Contest. Each contestant receives one free Peri (Continued From Page Three)
THE VOTERS WILL DECIDE Our Republican brethren are setting up the claim, that President Hoover pulled a fast one when he appointed four Democrats as members of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation, thereby making a majority of the board Democratic, in order, so it is said, that the Democrats will be robbed of much campaign thunder, and will be unable to use any arguments against the measure should it be found ineffective, or contrary to the expectations of the president, who sponsored the bill against much strenuous objection. Democrats however, look upon the appointments from another angle and explain the matter in an entirely different way, somewhat to the annoyance of friends of the administration, as follows: Ftor the past three years Mr. Hoover has been president, and during that time the country has been on the verge of bankruptcy, while millions of men have been unemployed and atonk failures have been the rule rather than the exception, and Mr. Hoover realizing the inability of the Republican party to bring the country back to prosperity, and having lost faith in the ability of Republican financiers, after due consideration of the situation, has finally made up his mind that the only hope for a return of prosperity lies in the appointment of Democrats, and has acted accordingly. Should the Democrats be successful in managing this immense fund, and prosperity return, then, of "course, Mr. Hoover would endeavor to have the voters believe, that he alone was responsible and he would be hailed as the saviour of the| country, all of which may be good politica, but which, however, is extremely doubtful, as the vote in Novem'ber will probably show.
PETTY POLITICIANS
PLAY POLITICS
Muncie is the only place in Indiana where the politicians are asking that taxes be reduced and at the same time arc advocating the construction of a $1,740,000, sanitary sewer, which would be assessed against property owners, many of whom are now in a fair way to lose their homes. One individual Is very strong for this sewer and gives as a reason, that it would put all the unemployed )nen in Muncie at work, so that Center Township would not have to feed them. This man might be called a “nut” but this would be a mistake, as he perhaps lives outside the corporate limits of the city and would not be assessed, and Miuncie would foot the bills, and if the sewer furnished work for a few of the unemployed, which Center township is now feeding, it would lessen his taxes in the township. We sometimes wonder how many of these politicians would receive a part of this $1,740,000, if the sewer was built, and how much each would pocket by the transaction? In the first place the estimated cost of engineering on this project is 10 per cent, or $174,000, while the salaries of two sanitary commissioners who serve with the city engineer, would be $3,600 each, and whose services would probably cover a period of four years, together with other incidental expenses, would bring salaries un to about $20,000 a year during this four year period, it looks as though there is not much to this proposition evcept some nice, fat salaries for a few politicians. Men who make these wild assertions in public should be placed on a $10 a year salary with the law amended so that they couldn’t engage in any
other occupation.
Why should not more silver money be coined and placed in circulation, eo that when a poor ’fellow got hold of a few pieces of silver he could jingle it in his pocket and make others believe money was plentiful? All that Is needed now, so we are told, in order to restore confidence and entice’ prosperity from around the corner, is to get people to thinking money is plentiful. Lsnirnh;
eJltip -i.:
The fellow who is always bragging that he is a “self made man,” as a rule doesn’t amount to much but he at least assumes responsi;bility for the affliction.