Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 15, Number 87, Decatur, Adams County, 12 April 1917 — Page 1

** DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT ww

Volume XV. Number 87.

UNOFFICIAL GERMAN PEACE OFFER?

IMPORTANCE RESTS ON THE CONCESSIONS COPENHAGEN DISPATCHES AFFIRM THAT GERMANY IS MAKING UNOFFIGIAL OFFER OF PEACE TO THE UNITED STATES-OENIEO HERE.

(By Arthur E. Mann. United Press Staff Correspondent i Copenhagen. Apr. 12—(Special to Daily Democrat)—Apparently positive reports were received here today that the German foreign office was making overtures to the United States. It was understood these negotiations sought peace between the two nations. No further details were available here. Official circles manifested the most intense interest in the re- . port. It is understood that Secretary of State Lansing has already received the overtures through unofficial mediaries. The proposition as reported here, is for the United States to send Col. E. M. House to The Hague for a secret “unofficial conference.” Germany's terms were not specified in the reports here, but it was hinted there had been no change in her position as outlined by the German embassy in Washington early in December. At that time Germany hinted that the question of indemnity j for Belgium would not be an insurmountable obstacle to peace, but plainly insisted on a return to the status quo before the war—inculding return of all her colonies, or a rearrangement of all belligerents’ colonial possessions. I Several weeks ago it was re-, ported that another peace prop-J osition was to be made by the central empires. The report at j that time said Emperor Carl of Austria-Hungary would act as spokesman for the leutons. | Germany has frequently sent out unofficial peace "feelers in the past, in addition to the official proffer made early last December. The importance of the pres- ( ent peace overture —if thev are, in progress—would depend entirely on the concessions announced by Germany. BULLETIN Washington. 1). C., Apr. 12 * (Special to Daily Democrat)— .The state department declared ” today it had received no peace • overtures from Germany and had no reason to believe any ’.vere enroute. It added that | this government is not ready ioi anv such overtures and the department inferred that the administration view is against a | separate peace Copenhagen, Apr. 12—(Special to Daily Democrat)—A report was current in official cirJ ; des here today that the German foreign office is making over-

' ■ - * ""* program for patriotic meeting at court , HOUSE. FRIDAY EVENING APRIL 13. AT 7:3(L Band Music ■■■■'■■' ’‘. Men’s Chorus Song ’ Rev. F. F. Thornburg Address Hon. D. E. Smith Address .. .*. Men’s Chorus Song Hon. John C. Moran Address Quartet Song H on . D. B. Erwin Address Men’s Chorus Song R e v w Paul Marsh ' <l ' l All ministers <if this city, and county, are invited In J Quinn will act as chairman of this meeting.

tures to the United States, looking toward the possibility of peace negotiations. BULLETIN. ..Washington. I). C., Apr. 12— (Special to Daily Democrat) — Recruiting of the national guard up to 100 a company and probably later to 150, will continue, the war department said today in answer to inquiries as to whether recruiting had ceased. BULLETIN. San Francisco. Apr. 12—(Special to ■Daily Democrat)—The U-boats are operating, or are about to operate in the Pacific, was the warning flashed to all vessels at sea today by the naval radio stations on the Pacific coast following the receipt of a warning to that effect from the navy department at Washington. Washington. D. C„ Apr. 12 —(Special to Daily Demoeratj—The first week of the war ended today with the United States government still lacking means for raising a great army and no action was in sight. Increased opposition to the conscription measure has caused a growing belief that a compromise may be I necessary whereby the volunteer system will be given a try-out before draft is put into effect. The president. however, continues firm in his determination to press the general staff bill. Meantime. th<( war department tried to stimulate volunteering for the national guard, issued a state- , inent declaring that the purpose was , to recruit all present units up to one hundred a company with the expectation of increasing this to one hundred fifty later. Under yesterday’s orders eliminating from the guard all men with dependents, it is estimated that present war strength of the guard will be reduced from ten to fifteen per cent. Committees in both branches of congress were in conference on war ( measures and peace propagandists were at work on the committees — particularly the house judiciary committee which is considering five bills. The house military committee will report out the general staff bill early next week, probably with an amendment to give the volunteer system a try-out before drafting the five hundred thousand men necessary, it was said, following a meeting of the committee. Secretary McAdoo conferred with the senate financial committee and outlined the administration's views on raising the two billion dollars in general taxation. War Bulletins. Washington. D. C„ Apr. 12—(Special to Daily Democrat) —America and Japan, it was indicated this afternoon, will join hands in suppress(Continued on Hags SJ

Decatur, Indiana, Thursday Evening, April 12, 1917.

ITS YEAR I Is One .Just Closing for the k Presbyterian Congregation—Reports Given | FROM ALL SOCIETIES At .|nnual Meeting Last , Night—Dr. Fred Patter- ‘ son Moderator. The annual congregational meeting' of the Presbyterian church last eve-1 ning saw the large assembly of the members with their families for a six I • o’clock dinner and good-fellowship, gathering, preceding the opening of. the business session. The supper was a delicious one pr?-’ pared by the ladies and served on plates to the assembly in picnic style. Attorney D. B. Erwin retired as moderator and Dr. Fred Pattersen, who was elected last evening, succeeded him for a year, taking the chair for the business meeting wli n 1 reports frofn all the departments <f. tlie church were heard The report from the trustees was given by Carl Pumphrey; from the session by E. S. Mosesj from the Sunday school by C. H. Shafer; from the Ladies' aid by Mrs. W. A. Lower; from the missionary societies by Mrs. Paul Baumgartner and the secret a y, Mrs. Charles Teeple. Each one showed that its society is free from indebtedness of any kind, and with a good balance remaining in the treasutv. The reports showed that the year just closing is the best'in the history of the church. 1 H.S.Michaud was re-elected trustee for three years, this being his third term. ' Talks by various members of the congregation closed the meeting. o | COMPANY IS NOW ASSOREO I First Infantry Company from Adams County ill be Ready for Muster i BY END OF THE WEEK List of Seventy-five Men Who Have Placed Names on Roll so Far. Charles Dunn and Robert Peterson, who are organizing the first company of infantry volunteers in Adams county, report good success, the en- ( rollment sheets this morning showing , a total of seventy-five men. They expect to bring the number up to more than a hundred by the end of I the week and to then send for an offiI cer to muster them in. Announcei ment is made this morning that the officials at Washington have practically decided to accept 500,000 volunteers before starting any drafting or 1 conscription and it is expected that 1 the Adams county company will be among the first called. The list, of, volunteers up to this time follows: Charles Dunn, Robert H. Peterson, ' Fred Gay, Lawrence Garard, M. L., Watkins. Fred Weber, Jesse L. Cole, I Joseph C. Laurent,, G. D. Cassady. Charles Foreman, Ed Weisling, R. C. Dull, Floyd G. Enos, Adrian F. Wenthoff„ Elmer Darwechter, Anthony H. Hackman, Carlisle Flanders. Donald C. Patterson, Lohnes Mclntosh, I Chalmer Porter, Harry Cavanaugh, Leo Bogner, Dallas Brown. J. Mark ' Macklin, William Johnson, Virgil Cross. Murrill Dull, Fred Buress, Jos'»ph J. Didot, Forest Watson, Alvin Egly, Clarence Staltfer. J. J. Helmrick, E. F. Jaberg, E. W. Dettinger, Edward Kreutzmann, William Murtaugh, Glenn Venis, Alfred Jaberg, Adolph Kolter, Hubert Miller, Ralph Fuller, Paris Vizard, Dewey Hooker, Edward Yahne, I. Talbott, M. M. Knavel, L. D. Berry, Hershell Reynolds,

| E. D. Colter, Frank Bacon, Chris I Andrews, Jolm 11. Deßolt, Clarenct Stevens, Leon Gass, Burt Hower Harry Parr. Lloyd Wolf. James H Ward, Bernard Smith, Weis ' Loo Ettinger. Otto F. Miller, David H. Teeple, Cass Bacon. Lloyd Shack ley. Glenn Johnson. Joseph Metzger Charles Keller. Brook Markley, Clar ence Weber. Ralph Roop, Forest R Murray. Russell Sunday, Bernard i Keller, Leroy Cable. YEOMEN TO CELEBRATE The local Yeomen homestead will celebrate their tenth anniversary oa Saturday night. April 14th, when the Fort Wayne homestead will come down to help them do so. There will be a large class adoption in comnieI inoration of the event and the team |is to meet tomorrow night for pr.ici tice. REV.JIWISE DEAD Former Decatur Pastor and Presiding Elder Died in Florida. ON TUESDAY NIGHT I Had Been 11l Long of Anemia—Burial Will be at Kokomo. Rev. J. H. Rilling received word of I the death of Rev. J. J. Wise, former Decatur pastor and presiding elder of the Evangelical conference. His death occurred Tuesday night at his resi i dence in Florida where he had gone last fall in the hope of recuperating. Death was due to anemia. The wife and four children are living. Rev. Wise war. pastor here more than twenty years ago, and later be came presiding elder, being at one time elder of this district. He was lately presiding elder of the Elkhart district, resigning at the conference held recently at Markle on account of ill health. His late residence was in Indianapolis. The deceased was a brother of the Rev D. O. Wise, who was pastor of the Decatur charge a few years ago and who has just been assigned to the Berne church. The funeral will be held at Kokomo Saturday morning at ten o’clock. DIEDAf ELKHART Mrs. Elizabeth Crist Shafer, Wife of John Shafer, Died at Elkhart WEDNESDAY EVENING i Former Adams County Woman—Resided Here Until 23 Years Ago. Mr. and Mrs. Fred Schafer will leave tomorrow for Elkhart to attend i the funeral of their sister-in-law, Elizabeth Crist Schafer, wife of John Schafer. Her death resulted last night from cancer of the bowels. She was sixty-five years of age. Mrs. Schafer formerly lived here, this being the county of her birth. She i was a sister of the late Elias Crist After her marriage to John Schafer, they resided here, going to Elkhart 'about twenty-three years ago. The husband and three children survive: Mrs. Fred Gross, Jennie, at home, | and Milton, of Dallas, Texas. Miss I Sarah Schafer, the teacher who was I murdered at Bedford, so mysterious , ly several years ago, was a daughter ~EVANS—EVANS John Evans and Mrs Anna Evans the last named of Berne were married here this morning at 9:30 o’clock by ( tlje Rev. T. H. Harmon at the United Brethren parsonage. They left at - noon for their future home at Spen , cerville, Ohio.

•THE DEATH TOLI ‘:i d iProf. Charman Attends Fu i. neral of Father—State Normal Instructor <i AT TERRE HAUTE, IND 11 Mother of Mrs. A. 1). Mose set is Dead—Former ‘i Decatur Resident. [1 Mr. Charman, of Fort Wayne, for nier instructor in the Decatur High school, has returned from Terrt I Haute where he attended the funeral of his father, Prof. Charman, an instructor in the state normal school who died Thursday. Prof. Charman | was also a member of a state board in charity and correction work, and had visited here on official business, as well as socially with his son. Decatur friends of Susan Neumeyer Alverson, who visited here with her daughter, Mrs. A. D. .Moffett, during their residence here, while Mr. Mot- ■ sett was superintendent of the Decatur schools, will be grieved to hear of iter death which resulted March 2", at her home at Elwood. The body was laid to rest in the family lot in the cemetery at Spencer. She was seventy-seven age. After tb“ ' death of her husband in 1899. she made her home with her daughter, at Elwood. MEETING POSTPONED. The<breception announced for the Christian church Friday evening, has been postponed on account of the patriotic meeting to be held at the court house. Rev. Marsh will make a short address at this meeting. UNHAPPY TIME Was Married Life of Belle , Wolfe Who Asks for Divorce from MR. SOLOMON WOLFE Husband Extremely Jealous is a Charge, and Was Unkind and Cruel. As a result of her husband compelling herself and three children, aged eleven, seven and five, to leave their home in Blue Creek township, April 5, and go to the home of her parents in St. Marys township, threatening to do her injury, so that she considered it unsafe aud improper to live longer witli him. Belle Wolfe filed suit for uivorce from Solomon Wolfe. She also asks for the custody of their five children and for twenty dollars a month for tlfeir support. The children are: Clifford, aged fifteen; Sherman, aged thirteen: Leonora, aged eleven: Bertha, aged seven; and Lulu, aged , five. She also asks that her li be enjoined from visiting her at her father’s home or molesting her in any ■ way. The couple was married in May . 1900. She charges that he was very ' unkind and cruel. He was possess ed of a high temper, she says, called , her vile names and swore at her. Thai t he was vgry jealous and objected U e her talking with other men, was an ■ other charge. !. That-he struck her, choked her am s pushed her out of the house, telling s her to go, was another charge. Ai s- another time, when lie became intex r. icated and came home and behaved ■very unseemly in the presence ol others in the house she says he got a s, butcher knife and threatened to cut d her. y| At a time prior to their separation d says he prevailed upon a neight bor to file a charge against her charg i- ing her with assault and battery up in . him. This charge was filed in this

Lefty and an officer to whom a warrant had been issued went out late'at night and arrested her, which action she says the defendant took to humiliate her. t I* The affair was a most successful her of intimacy with other men, is another allegation. R. C. i’arrish is her attorney. OFFICERS FOR°MOOSE LODGE. ). At the regular stated meeting of the Independent Order of Moose held last evening one candidate was init- - hated, a good time had and the following officers for the ensuing year installed: A. W. Tanvas, past dictator; Fred Gall, dictator; Sam Wilkinson, vice dictator; Leo Bogner, prelate; Abe Sprunger. inner guard; Carl Bacon, outer guard; Harry Fike, sergeant at arms; H. M. Gillig, trustee h , . for three years. ' JOINFOR' RED CROSS WORK ,1 Campaign Started for Red i Cross Workers in Adams County Auxiliary. HOW TO JOIN r ,1s Told Herewith—Classes i in Instruction Will Soon be Started. What Red Cross Work is. The American Red Cross asks the • eo-o|M>ralton of every man. woman and child in the United ■ States in increasing its memberi ship to a million. The Red Cross is the only organization for relief of war or civilian disaster authorized by the United States government by act of congress and presidential proclamation. Its accounts are audited by the war department. 1 It is non-sectarlan and non-polit- , ical. I It is organized to furnish aid to , sick and wounded of armies in time of war and to devise and < carry on measures of relief for t those suffering from great djsas- ■; ter in time of peace. I Japan, with a population of j 40,000,000, has 1,800.000 Red , Cross members. Germany, with a population of 67.000,000, has 1.400.000 Red Cross members. France. England and Russia have more than a million each. The United States and.its dependencies with a population of 100.000.000 have less than 300,000 members. Patriotic Americans are eiar- . nestly requested to join and to urge members of their families and their friends to join. WILLIAM TAFT. . 1 Chairman Central Committee. Adams county is rallying to th” ’ call of the United States for more Red Cross workers who may be need--1 ed in the existing war with GertContmued on Page 3.)

' PROCLAMATION—PUBLIC HEALTH AND ( LEAN-1 P r WEEK. The custom of spring cleaning is good business. J he | community effort for spring cleaning is also goo u n "Public • connection, it is weh We7e Health is Public Wealth, and also that o * ' "^earnestly‘"commend that al. state, county, township, city and earnes X „ r „ f . ss ional and business men, farmers, women, chdd/en'anVa'citLns. organize,n their respective locai.ties to make Indiana clean. Thinking it approprate, I have » ele ® t ® d d Sunday. April 22. g as the first day of public health and clean-up week, and I suggest to .t the churches that special services emphasizing the moral and rehgS - ious importance of health and cleanliness, be arranged and appointd ed for that day. . . f Therefore, as governor, I proclaim the week beginning Sunday, April 22nd, as Public Health and Clean-up Week in Indians. In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused to dianapolis, this third day of April, 1917. dianapolis, his third day of April, 1917. 11 J. P. GOODRICH, Governor. ' By the Governor: ED JACKSON, Sec’y of State, n 8 - - -

Price, Two Centl

DANCE A SUCCESS , j “Star Spangled Banner” Played for Grand March of Dance. AT K. OF C. HALL Charity Dance Given by St. •Vincent de Paul Was Successful One. Patriotism and the spring-time both breathed their spirit into the decorations at tlie Knights of Columbus hall last evening for the St. Vincent do Paul society's charity dance. flags formed a background for the front of the hall, and others floated above the corner where the Franklin orchestra from Fort Wayne played. The hood of each of the five large chandeliers was formed of the petals of a jnamouth single yellow jonquil, from the center of which, like the floral stamens, there fell a shower of ‘due birds, the spring birds of happines-,. In tlie corners of the rooms and massed about in a pretty way, were lar;e branc hes of pussy willows and maples the latter with their lovely blossoms of red and soft yellow and greens The preludes played by the orchestra while the guests were arriving burst into a patriotic paean at 9:10 o'clock when the grand march began, lead by Bob and Agnes Meibers, Norwood Markey and Agnes Kohne. Tic” gloridilk strains of “The Star Spangled Banner." "Dixie Land," ami others of the medley for tlie opening number created the spirit that characterized the entire series of the dancer, and the evening was a most enjoyable one. The dance was a very informal one without programs, and the very t in-‘ formality of the affair, added to the enjoyment of the guests. Card tables were reserved for those whl did not dance. In the dining room, a supper menu of sandwiches, cake, coffee, ice cream and other good things, refreshed the guests between the dances. The blue bird scheme of decoration prevailed in the buffet appointments also. In charge of the supper were Mrs. C. L. Meibers, chairman; Mesdames Rolert McMahon. Anna Droppieman, Joe Tonnelier. Philip Luley, C. S. Clark, W.- A. Kuebler , James Q. Neptune, Sophia Johns, Mary Fullenkamp tad Andrew Miller. Misses Agnes Weber and Bertha Kohne were in charge of the cashier department of the supper. Mrs. A. Kohne. as president of the society was in charge of the entire event having a most able corps of assistant in the various committees. Th' se on decorating were Mesdames L. N. Holthouse, Wai Wemhoff. Lawrence Klpinhenz. Arthur Mangold, Raluh Amrine. Horman Gillig. The acair was a most successful one. The proceeds will be used in local charity, this society being mist kind and helpful in all cases where need exists.