Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 20, Number 297, Decatur, Adams County, 19 December 1922 — Page 1

Volume XX. Number 297

MAN FATALLY WOUNDED BY GUN SHOT

WEST JOINS IN HUNT FOR MINT BANDITS TODAY Authorities Os Eight States Seek Bandits Who Made The $200,000 Holdup YEGGS’ WORK CLEVER 1 " Bandits Believed To Have Separated; Underworld At Denver Searched I nltrd Prrxw Stuff < <»rrrN|><>mh»nt Denver, Col., Dec. 19 —(Spe- ( clal to Daily Democrat) —Officials of the federal reserve hank here today asked that a sharp watch be kept for new $5 bills, which made up the $200,000 stolen by bandits from in front of the mint here yesterday. The serial numbers of the bills are from 20,852,001 to 20,876,000 and from 20.940,001 to 20.956,000. By A. E. Snyder ( nit cd Pre mm Staff ('orrraponiirnf Denver, Colo., Dec. 19. —(Special to Daily Democrat) —Authorities of eight states today joined in the hunt for the seven bandits who yesterday hep; up and robbed the United States mint here of >200,000 in currency and fatally wounded Charles Linton, ban!: guard. No trace of the bandits had been found early today although pollca in Colorado, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico. Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma were.watching all transportation routes. Authorities here frankly admitted thev had no clues. Radio was used to broadcast destriptions of the men and state and forest rangers were asked so join in the»hunt. Shortly after “the battle of the mint" occured authorities were delug ed with hundreds of telephone calls telling of a “spelling *>uring car". Efforts to locate the car failed Believe Bandits Separated Police believed today that the bandits separated within a few minute after the daring hold-up was staged. Chief of Detectives Rinker declared he believe Eva Lewis, member ot the : notorious Lewis gang which operated | in Missouri a few years ago. was con . nected with the hold-up. Eva was released from the state prison three weeks ago after serving a sentence for her participation in a hold-up and gun battle near Colorado Springs two years ago when twe officers were slain by members of the Lewis gang. She was questioned late yesterday at her home near Denver, i If the bandits made their way into | the mountains, pursuit will be diffiult and their chances of escape extremely good, official said. The city’s underworld was searched , by police and secret service operatives in the hopes of running down the par- , ticipants in the boldest day light robbery in the history of Denver. Officers Follow Three Leads Officers have three leads to follow in their efforts te find the men. One is the fact that one of the ban dits as he clung to the running board of the car as it roared away from in front, of the mint, was seen to slump 1 in a heap with blood pouring from a 1 wound in his cheek. His companions [ dragged him into the car. Another is a bloody sowed off shot , gun used by the bandits and left lying on the curb after Linton had been (Continued on page eight) ] BLACKMAILERS AIDED IN _ I - - ' — ———— — United Press Stuff Correspondent < Los Angeles, Dec. 19—(Special to , Daily Democrat) —Blackmailers aided ; in precipitating the final breakdown of Wallace Reid, movie star, it was asserted today by his friends. I j When he was fighting to break ( himself of the drug habit, certain men in Hollyywood and Los Angeles attempted to obtain money from him to suppress the printing of an expose it was charged. This expose was to have been pi ini’

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT

I Stores Remain Open Each Night This Week A large number of the Decatur stores are open during the evenings this week o n account of the Christmas rush. The clothing and jewelry stores, the toy stores, and a number of others nre keeping open so that all who care to shop for Christmas will have the opportunity. The stores are filled with splendid stocks ami those who cannot shop during the day time may look after it in the eve i nings all this week. —o— LINKER FUNERAL NEXT THURSDAY — Body Os Accident Victim Removed To Home In Hoagland This A. M. Funeral services for John Linker, jof Hoagland, who was killed yesterday afternoon when an interurban car struck his automobile neat* Monmouth, will be held from the Flat Rock Lutheran church at 1 o’clock. Standard time, Thursday afternoon. The body was removed from a local morgue to the home in Hoagland this forenoon. John Linker was born in Ohio, February 15, 1876- He has resided at Hoagland for the past five years and was engaged in poultry buying business. He is survived by a wife; one daughter, Miss Irene Linker, at home; his mother. Mrs. Sophia Linker, of Yoder; and the following brothers and sisters. Clarence and Andrew Linker of Yoder; Lewis Linker, ot Sidney, Ohio; Mrs. Martin Springer, of Yoder; Mrs. Mele Speun aid Mrs. Martha Keck, of near Fort Wayne. Holland-St. Louis Field Men Meeting Field men of the Holland-St. Louis Sugar company met at office of the company today, with local manager, John Carmody. About twenty-five were in attendance at the meeting, coming here from all parts of th< state and Ohio and plans for next year and the securing of the 1923 acreage were discussed. o BIRTH Howard Lewis is the name given! [to the eight and one-half pound boy ( 'born to Mr. and Mrs. .Tillman Gehrig, of Walnut street, this morning. I Mother and babe are getting along I nicely. The mother was formerly Annabelle Shockley. This is their first child. Meat Markets Closed Sunday And Christmas The proprietors of the meat markets announce that their places of business will be closed on Sunday and on Monday, in observance of Christmas. Patrons are asked to take notice and to purchase their two-day meat supply on Saturday. o — Agreement Reached On Pension Bill Today I nllcd IT.-HX Staff « <>rre»i>».i<l<nt Washington, Ded. 19- (Special to. Daily Democrat) —Senate and house , conferees reached an agreement on | the Bursum-Fuller pension bill early today. It is planned to press for an early ratification vote in both houses as a Christmas remembrance to sol-j diers and widows of the Mexican, Civil and Indian wars, and also forj the maimed soldiers of all wars—including the world war. “WALLY’S” BREAKDOWN ] | ed without names but would have instantly labeled Reid as the man referred to, according to Mrs- Alice Davenport, the star’s mother-in-law. | Reid steadfastly refused to play! into the hands of the blackmailers but their scheme worked to such an, extent that it worried him greatly, Mrs. Davenport said. Coming just at the time when he was fighting to break himself of the. habit, these threats were> largely r-, sponsible for hid breakdown, she believes. — I

MORBID STORIES TOLD IN HERRIN MASSACRE TRIAL — 1 Eye Witnesses Tell Details Ot How 20 Non-Union Miners M ere Killed CLIMAX IS REACHED Witness Points Out Defendants As Members Os Firing Squad (I nlted l*r?NN Service.) Marion, 111., Dec. 19. (Special to Daily Democrat)—The drilling, grill-1 I ing of state's witness in the first Her rin massacre trial today, brought out more of the morbid details of the "reign of terror" that enveloped Wil- • liamson county last June. Eye witness stories, telling how 20 1 non-union coal miners met their deaths at the hands of a. mob of 500 angered union men, formed a recital of horror. ' brutality and atrocities. ’ One by one the witnesses answered I the call of state's attorney, Delos I Duty, and came forward to add their bit to complete the chain of events as they occured on the "bloody 22nd., of ' Juno". The five defendants, brought to trial , on the charges of murdering Howard Hoffman, were accused of other acts I of violence in an attempt by the prosecution to prove that they were party[ to the conspiracy. The climax of state’s case was be-1 lieved to have been reached when Dr. | , I. F. Shipman, an eje, ear. nose ami throat specialist of Herrin, 111., took the witness stand. Shipman pointed to the defendants —Leva Man and Joseph Carnaghi—as members of a firing squad that shot down the last six] survivors of the day’s rioting. Howard I Hoffman was in this group of victims. Shipman, according to his testimony met the grim “death march” on its way from the mine to Herrin. At the time C. Ifc MeDowel superintendent of] the mine had been led away from the I crowd and had been murdered, 14 nont union men'had been shot down in a forest along the line of march, and four of the men who had escaped the (Continued on page seven) 0

(J COSTLY FIRE IN PORTLAND STORE Damage Placed Between $25,000 And $30,000; Torch Blamed Portland, Ind., Dec. 19. —Fire, thought to have started from a plumber's torch being used to thaw out a frozen xyater pipe, gutted the Frank Smith & Son department store here yesterday evening, entailing a loss estimated between $25,000 and $30,000. The fire was discovered about 8 o’clock. The Smith store carried about a $75,000 stock, only recently having added a $22,000 stock from a store in Mendon. O. Insurance carried by the Smiths will not cover the loss, they said. The building, a three-story brick block structure, owned by Fred and Mose Mossier, of this city, and for- < ntei’ly the old Cartwright. & Hefid[ington store, is insured for $20,000. The damage to the building is estimated at SIO,OOO. When first discovered the fire was smoldering on the third floor of the .building. Firemen were hampered in [their work by frozen water plugs and by weak water pressure, which would not break through the glass in the windows on the third floor. Revolvers , were used by police to shatter the 'glass in the third story windows. I The dental offices of Dr. Lee F. Foster, which occupied the second [floor cf the building were airtiost deIstroyed by lire with a heavy loss to Dr. Foster. It was in the Foster offices. where the plumber was at work 'thawing out a frozen water pipe, which is thought to have caused the | fire.

Decatur. Indiana, Tuesday Evening, December 19, 1922.

O- L— o BUSINESS IS GOOD — Christmas business is good In Decatur. Last Saturday was one ' of the biggest days in the history 1 of local merchants and one clothing store did the largest business In its history, while another store hud the biggest duy in two years. The local stores are well filled with Christmas gifts and the live merchant is advising the ! trading public what can be found in his store through the I advertising columns of the De- I ] catur Dally Democrat. If you ' have not completed your shopping, pick up the paper, read the ads, select your gifts and then go to the stores and make your | purchases. For the convenience of shoppers, a majority of the stores are open evenings this | | weekd * 6 BIPPUS FIVE TO PLAYD.H.S.TEAM Strong Team Coming For Game Here Friday Night; Winchester Cancels Bippus high school’s basketball team comes to Decatur Friday night to meet the D. H. S. five. Winchester was originally scheduled for next Friday night bnt owing to a difficulty in obtaining a hall to play In. the team representing that school has disbanded and the date here was cancelled. Bippus comes here with a clean slate for this season. For three years they held the championship of the Huntington district but were beaten out in the tournament last spring by the Huntington team. They have a fast team this year and the Purple and Gold five will be pushed to put over a win Friday night. Coach Moore is working the locals hard this week to correct the faults which were evident in the game at Portland last Friday night. It is likely that a few shifts will be made in the lineup in an effort to bolster the defense of the team’s play. A curtain-raiser game will be played Friday night between two local teams, it was announced today. The preliminary game will start at 7:30 o’clock and the big game at 8:15 o’clock. ABOUT THE SICK Miss Leona Hunsicker, who has been confined to her bed for the last

few days with indigestion, shows i slight improvement today, but is not ] able to be up. e ♦ ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦ ♦ WEATHER 4 *♦♦♦♦•>♦ + + ++ ♦♦♦♦ INDIANA —Generally fair tonight land Wednesday, except possibly light snow in extreme north portions: rising temperatures. SEEKING JUDGE TO TRYKOHLER No Judge Selected Yet To Hear Case Os Adams County Man A new list of five Bluffton attorneys was named yestfcrday morning by Mayor Frank Thompson, of Bluffton from which will be selected a judge to try the case of Fred Kohler, Adams county farmer, charged with violations of the liquor laws. The defense and the state will each strike off two names. From the first list, appointed last week, R. W. Stine was selected but he declined to assume jurisdiction. On the new list are M. W. Walbert, John Decker, C. E. Vaughn. Walter Hamilton and John Edris. Assuming that the same names will be struck off as before, the choice will lie between Mr. Vaughn and Mr. Edris. ■ $ DAIjS <TO g <CHRISTMAW $

ILLNESS AGAIN DELAYS ACTION IN COURT HERE r— 1 Attorney L. C. DeVoss 111 Today; State Case Postponed Until Later TAX REPORTS FILED One Large Estate Docketed Today For Inheritance ’ Tax Purposes Illness again prevented proceedings in the circuit court when the case of . tile state against Ivan Smith came up for trial today. Attorney 1* DeI Voss, consul for the defense, was confined at his home on account of illness, making It necessary to continue • the case until a later date. The jury was excused and ordered to re-appear in court tomorrow morning. Yesterday morning it Was necessary ! to postpone the ease of the state on relation of Deriekson against Vinton Ray. when witnesses for the defense were unable to attend court on qccount of illness. This case was reset tor trial on December 30. but Mr. De- ( Voss' is attorney for the defense in that case also and unless he has sufficiently improved by that time, it L may be necessary to continue the case . until a later date, Mr. DeVoss’s 111- , ness was not considered dangerous toi day. Large Estate Docketed t The estate of Daniel D. Jlabegger . of Wabash township, was docketed today for inheritance tax purposes only. The petition to determine the amount i of inheritance tax due from the estate i shows that the value of the estate is >33,532.00 and that the estate was in--1 herited by the wife and three children. ' Attorneys McGriff, Schwartz, and Benchdolt, of Portland, are councel for the heirs. In the partition care of Ida Martz and others against Glennis Martz and others, the court found that the plain--1 tiffs and defendants are the owners in fee simple of sixty acres of real estate in Monroe township, and ordered the land sold. The land is to be sold for one-third cash, one-third in twelve (Continued on page eight) —■ ■ ■ •

' DEATH AND FIRE WITH COLD WAVE Crime Wave Adds To Discomfort Os Extreme Weather In Chicago (By Charles R. Lynch, United Press staff correspondent) | Chicago, Dec- 19—(Special to Daily | Democrat) —Death, fire and crime stalked with the cold wave which j continued to hold Chicago in its grip I today. Zero temperatures which prevailed over the city for the past three days caused deaths, thousands of dollars ; damage from fire and hundreds of , minor robberies. Two murders were reported in the , last 12 hours. The bullet riddled body of "Crap Shooter” Rosario di Mario was found in front of his borne. Police believ ed the murder was the result of a era# game in which Di Mario won $30,000. Policeman Ralph S. Sanders was shot when he attempted to arrest a lone bandit who was robbing a grocery store. The bandit escaped. With freezing weather coming just! before the holidays the crime and fire 1 wave was one of the worst in the history of the city, police declared. Acute suffering was reported among the poor in several sections of the city and relief societies were rushed with work. Four men were found frozen to death last night. Another man was killed when he slipped on the Icy pavement and fell in the path of a skidding automobile. The fire department has had hardly a moment's rest in the last three days.

Joel Miller May Not Recover From Burns Bluffton, Dec. 19. —The condition of I Joel Mailer, 30 years old, who suffered terrible burns about th«« face and arms ’ when he poured gasoline Into a stove Saturday morning at the Frank Heckler garage, is very critical this after noon, and his recovery is doubtful, uc- | cording to the attending physician, j Mailer commenced vomjting blood ' Sunday morning, and it has been impossible to alleviate this condition. .He is kept constantly under the in- ’ fluence of opiates. 1 berneTankTas REORGANIZATION — New Charter To Be Obtained For Peoples State Bank There Attorney Henry Heller, of Decatur, ' and Rudolph Schug president of the Peoples State Bank, of Berne, will go to Indianapolis tomorrow to meet with the state charter board relative I to obtaining a new charter for the said bank. The twenty years granted to the bank under the old charter will expire within a short time, making it ! necessary to obtain a new charter. Mr. Heller is attorney for the bank. ’[ A very esthusiastic meeting composed of about seventy-five Stockholm ers of the bank took place at the Community Auditorium in Berne Friday afternoon for the purpose ot re-organ-izing the bank and to dispense with ] other matters concerning the general [welfare of this institution. ’ l Due to the phenomenal growth ot this liank and the increasing demand 1 for stock, it was voted to increase the ’ capital of the new institution from ’ >50,000 to $60,000. Scarcely had this been done when every dollar of stock ' was subscribed for, composed ot eM 1 stockholders and many new ones, who had expressed their desire to acquire stock. One unusual feature and ' something which especially marks ilia I, high standard and general satisfaction of the manner in which this liank had 1 been conducted in the past, was that there was not a single member of '[over eighty of the old stockholders 1 j who did not express his intention of j having an equal or even a greater i portion of stock in the new institu- | tion.

To Change Name the name of the institution will hereafter be known as "The Peoples i' State Bank” instead of "Peoples State I Hank", and its business will be eon- ■ i ducted in the present commodious [quarters, with practically the same ■ personnel of officers. . A general approval was expressed by the many stockholders present at [the meeting and many talks were [made both by local and outside parties regarding the present condition of the bank and the flourishing outlook for the future. After the general talks it was voted • to have seven directors to manage the 11 affairs of the bank as in the past. The J balloting resulted in the re-election of the entire old board of directors, which consisted of Rudolph Schug, E. C. Bierie, O. F. Gilliom, Nicholas Rich, Noah Luginbill. Isaac Lehman and . Jacob B. Steiner. After the business was dispensed witli every member was treated to some fine refreshments, which only [indicated the splendid fellowship and spirit that existed among everyone that was financially interested and present. New Officers Elected Immediately after this meeting the (Continued on page eight)

KIDDIES WANT FOOD AND CLOTHING THIS XMAS

Uuitecl PreMM Stuff Corr«*N|»on<l«*nt Chicago, Dec. 19 —(Special to Daily] Democrat) —Food and clotting, and not toys, are the Christmas demands of children who are writing to Santa Claus this year. They plead for coinforte instead cf luxuries. "It is a bad year for kiddiefi,” said Santa Claus, as personified by John T. McGrath, assistant general postmaster of Chicago, in an interview i today. "Letters piling up by the hundreds

Price 2 Cento

FRANK JOHNSON IS ACCIDENTALLY KILLED BY SON Decatur Man Meets Untimely Death In Hunting Accident Yesterday VICTIM DIES INSTANTLY Shot Enters Right Side Below Arm; Wife And 7 Children Survive ~~~~~ Willis Franklin Johnson, age 49 years, resident of Deeatur, was fatally shot at 4:15 o’clock yseterday afternoon when a shot gun in the hands of his son, Chauncey, age 22 years, was accidentally discharged. The shot penetrated Mr. Johnson’s right side below the arm and death was almost instantaneous. Mr. Johnson and his son had been cutting timber in a woods owned by Jesse Daley, just across the river north of the city. They were returning to their home on Harrison street and the son was carrying a shot gun in the hopes of shooting a rabbit for supper. As the father and son reached thu site of the old Schafer Saddlery in the north-west part of the city, a rabbit jumpod up in front of thorn. "There goes one,” shouted the father to his sou. The son made ready to fire at the rabbit when his foot slipped on a piece of tin left on the site when the saddlery burned a few years ago. The gun was accidently discharged Shot at Close Range Owing to the close range at which the shot was fired, the shot did not scatter before entering tile man's body, but it did scatter after it had penetrated the flesh and his internal organs were badly wounded. A portion of the shot penetrated his heart. A physician was summond but Mr. Johnson was dead when the physician reached his side. The body was removed to the Black morgue. County Coroner L L. Mattax conducted an inquest yesterday evening and his verdict stated that the shot was acciden-

tally discharged. Mr. Johnson was born in Mercer County, Ohio, on October 22, 1873. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Johnson. The father is a resident of this city, living on High street, but the mother preceded her son in death. The deceased has resided in Decatur for the past nineteen years, coming here from Monroe where he lived for four or five years. The Johnson family resides at 903 Harrison street. The wife and seven children survive. The children are Hurl Johnson, of Decatur; Chauncey Johnson, of Decatur; Mrs. Pearl Kreischer, of Wren, Ohio; Clyde Johnson, of Rockford, Ohio; Nellie Della, and Ermin, all at home. The following sisters and brother also survive: Mrs. Belle Schott, of Celina, Ohio; Mrs. Tillie Cline, of Bluffton; Mrs. Pearl Ady, of Decatur; Mary and Christopher Johnson, who live with their father. Funeral Wednesday P.M. Funeral services will be held from the Methodist church, of which Mr. Johnson was a member, at 2 o'clock Wednesday afternoon, the Kev. IT. S. A. Bridge, pastor, officiating. Burial will be held in the Decatur cemetery. Short services will be held from tho (Continued on page eight) —i ■ .I ■■ .I.- 11 .i. i q

' almost inveriably sound pathetic pleadings for the necessities of lifel| "In other years a large per centi. age of the letters asked for toys and i candies. This year It is different.” Santa Claus delved into a huge pile [ of letters from Chicago kids. Many asked for clothes so that I they could go to school. Others wanti ed fuel or food. “People are not as ready to help r carry out the reques tof the children as in previous years,” Santa lament- ’ ed ' . .