Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 21, Number 10, Decatur, Adams County, 11 January 1923 — Page 1

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT '

Volume XXI. Number 10.

GERMANS AROUSED BY FRENCH TROOPS

threats made A6AINST LIVES OF WITNESSES Anonymous Letters Sent to State Witnesses in Herrin Massacre Trial FARMERS__OR«ANIZEI) Form Society to Prevent Violence Feared From Williamson Co. Miners (United Press Service) Marion. Hl., Jan. 10—(Special to j Daily Democrat)— Four witnesses for, the state in the Herrin massacre trial i were threatened with death today. The threats were made in anony mous letters. Two of the missives contained a' strand of rope designated as a "hang- ■ man's noose. . The letters were received by R P. Poole. Herrin real estate dealer; R. 0. Greer, former mayor of Herrin, and George Harrison and Georg* Nelson, farmers. Poole, who testified he saw Leva Mann and Percy Hall, two of the defendants. in the "death marchthrough the streets of Herrin on June 2! received the first letter. Left on Front Porch It was left on the front porch of his home. Beside it was a heavy rope four feet long and an inch in circumference. The rope was tied in a slip knot. "I heard your testimony in the court house,” the letter said. “Unless you go back there and testify you lied, look out for yonr life. We don’t need any damned—like you in Her rin. “The other letters were similar," C. W. Middlekauff. assistant attor ney general declared. “The substance of all of them was to warn the witnesses that if they did not go before .the jury and say they lied they would be killed or their homes blown up." The letter and rope received by Poole were turned over to the United Press by Mrs. Poole. The letter was scribbled in pencil and badly mis spelled There was no signature. A large drawing of a skull and cross bones was inscribed at the bottom of the page. “We have been alarmed ever since finding these on our front porch," Mrs. Poole said. “My husband is insulted on the streets and his business has dropped off to practically nothing. “1 never leave the house without being the object of insulting remarks by neighbors.” Boycott Greer’s Grocery Greer owns a grocery store in Herrin and declared since testifying his business had suffered from a general boycott’ Harrison, who testified to seeing one of the defendants fleeing from •be woods where four bodies were luter found received two letters. Nelson, the fourth man to receive * letter had testified to seeing Otis Clark, defendant, leading C. K. MeHowell, mine superintendent along •he read where his body was later «mnd. .following admission by state atiorneys that death threats had been n ' ade it was reported Williamson M| inty farmers had organized a se're( 90 «ety to combat violence they eared from miners as a result of •’‘stimony given at the trial. The lives of ten miners for every armer injured because of his testlat the Herrin trial" was allegto be the slogan of the organizen Bpecia l state investigators, jhe defense resumed its calling of 11 witnesses today and declared e case would be finished bv Fri bay night. Leaves Friday To Bring Troops Home PrM » Service.! Dail ’ n Bt ° n ' J aU ’ t 0 Dort'o Domocrat) -The army transtn /' Mihlel, which will bring back *lll saii eriCan troops froni Germany, a i f° r firemen from New York Week° n tolnorrow . Secretary of War 5 Hnnounced today.

MR. AND MRS. BRIGGS TO VISIT IN THE WEST A. G. Brigs, prominent Geneva bunk er and business man. ami his wifewill leave the fore part of next week I on an extended trip through the western and southwestern states. During the course of their travels they expect to visit with a great many form ier Geneva people who are now residing in Oklahoma. Arizona and California. They will be gone for about two months going to Phoenix Arizona, and from there to Los Angeles, Cal., i visiting and taking in the interesting sight enroute. They expect to spend | some time in Los Angeles, the guests iof the Uncle Jimmie Hardison family. ] who are former Geneva residents. usenew'plan OF EVANGELS Visitation Evangelist Adopt ed by M. E. Church Here for Campaign A new evangelistic plan, known as 1 visitation evangelism, will be operI ated in the campaign now being cor. ducted by the First Methodist church of Decatur. The plan was first developed by the Rev. Guy M. Black, now of the department of Evangelism of th e Board of Home Missions, o the Methodist Episcopal church, while he was pastor of the Fir." Methodist church of Gary. He is now active in carrying out the plan throughout the church. The plan has been described as layman’s movement directed by the pastor.” As yet it has not been exI tensively used. Only a few church--in Indiana have adopted the. plan, bus invariably with very gratifying r ■ suits. Some months ago th e Rev. Black conducted a union campaign In South Bend, Indiana. Eleven denominations received a total of 1,191 ne.v members. Two weeks of the present campaign in Decatur will be given exclusively to this type of evangelistic activity. Laymen in teams of two each call upon prospects in their homes o.’ wherever they may be found and talk to them about their religious life and relationship with the church. Thi matter, second to any other human in- ! terest, will be presented in a frank straightforward business-like manner. Laymen representatives of the church will present for the favorable consideration of men. religion, the most im portant and valuable of products. The Rev. O. T. Martin, pastor of the First Methodist church in Winchester, Indiana, will assist in the • movement here. He has been through ' several campaigns, one of which was 1 the largest Methodist church in IndiI ana. All of his campaigns have been I very successful. The manner and degree in which the members of the 1 local church respond to the call for 1 personal workers forecasts a successful campaign in Decatur. ’ Three excellent addresses were givl ! en at the meting last night, and they ', were heard by a good sized audience. |A. L. Walters spoke on “The Nations /and their Rulers.” No nation, as yet. he said, has been founded on love. \ Love, he continued, is higher than J law upon which the nations have been | built. They must be based on love if . they will be Christian and in order , that there may be universal brotheri hood and peace, Mi’. Walters de-’ J dared. The Rev. R. R. Elliker, pas , tor of the Reformed church made an f able and effective representation of the theme, "Young Folks Winning Young Folks.” O. L. Vance spoke on -'•■Jesus and the Pleasures of Young • People.” It was a thoughtful and in ■ forming message. | A strong and interesting program, f will be given at the services tonight, | 1 beginning at 7 o’clock. The public lis cordially Invited. BIRTH REPORT k John H. Carmody, Jr., is the name of an eight pound son born yesterday morning at 8:30 to Mr. and Mrs. John ’ Carmody. All concerned are getting '■ along nicely. Mrs. Carmody is a pa- | 1 tient at the St. Joseph hospital, Fort ' Wayne. I o — r Willis Lee, of Portland, was a busi ness caller here yesterday.

WOMAN SEEKS DIVORCE AND FORMER ’NAME j Mrs. Ellen Troutner, of. St. Marys Township. Files i Complaint Here ALLOWANCE GRANTED Mrs. Effie B. Straub Gets Allowance; Auto Lien Is Foreclosed Today A complaint for a divorce was filed in the circuit court yesterday eve- ! ning by Ellen Troutner against Daniel Thoutner, of St. Mary’s township. L. C.. Devoss is attorney for Mrs. Troutner. The complaint states that the couple were married on December 11. 1920. and that they separated on May 15. 1922. The plaintiff states that she abandoned the defendant on May 15. 1922 on acount of the cruel treatment accorded her by the defendant. She charges that he continually nagged and scolded her. and that he failed to provide necessary clothing for her. In addition to asking for a divorce. Mrs. Troutner prays-the court to j restore her former name of Ellen Roe. Allowance Granted In the divorce case of Harry A. Straub against Effie B. Straub, the law firm of Lenhart and Heller appeared today for the defendants. The defendant tiled an application for an allowance and the court ordered the plaintiff to pay the sum of $5 per week, beginning January 15, and continuing until further order of the court, for the support of the ’defendant. Thi* ’court further“or(lerod i the plaintiff to pay the sum of $25 for the defendant's attorneys. Ac.to Lien Foreclosed The case of Klink and Miller against Herd Bleeke, suit to forelose an automobile lien, was submitted to the court this morning and. the court found for the plaintiffs. The court granted judgment that the plaintiffs recover the sum of $216.35 from the defendant, and that the automobile be sold to satisfy the judgment. HOLD SCHOOL FOR BEET MEN Local Sugar Beet Men Go; To Lansing, Mich., for Three-Day Course John H. Carmody, manager of the Decatur plant of the Holland-St. Ixmis .... will leave here Monday with the fourteen field superintendents employed by the local company, for Lansing. Michigan, where they will attend a three days school given by the Michigan Agricultural, college for sugar beet men. L. A. Thomas and Ed Boesse will represent this immediate territory. The school will be held for the fourteen Michigan factories and the one in Indiana and will be attended by 150 beet men. Discussions which will acquaint the field men with the best /agreed methods for handling, growing and curing beets will be given. The first day will be devoted to the subject “Diseases of beets;” the second day to field problems, and the third day to a discussion of the proper method of growing beets. The object is to better prepare the men that they may help the powers of beets, that being the idea of those back of i the special school. Speakers from Washington. D. C.; | j Michigan colleges, and from western states, where the beet industry is large, will be on the program. “Make the sugar factory of the greatest ben-j efit to beet growers," is the slogan | land there is no doubt the school will prove very beneficial to the men. — —o basketball results West Virginia, 24; Waynesburg, 22. Navy, 28; Knox, 22. Army, 43; Lehigh, 13. I Columbia, 43; Wisconsin, 20.

Decatur, Indiana, Thursday Evening, January 1!, 1923.

+ 4*+ + + <• + + ♦♦♦ + + + ♦ 4- THAT COLD DAY * <. 4 •> Remember five years ago to- + + night when the thermometer + + started to slip and by the morn- + + ing of the twelfth registered + + from twenty to thirty degrees + + below and a snow thrown in for + 4 good measure? It will be five 4* 4- years tomorrow. January 12, 4* 4* 1918 that this record breaking 4* ' + storm and cold wave hit the 4> . country. Business in Decatur 4* I 4- and throughout the country was 4* 4* at a standstill for several days <• •I* and it was several weelfs before 4* 4* the rural mail carriers could 4* + cover their routes. ❖ 4>***** + ** + + + + ** ENROLLMENT IN SCHOOLS GROW Attendance Records at High and Central Schools Are Broken Enrollment in the high school and Central schools for the second semes-, ter have already surpassed all previous records, Superintendent Worthman stated today. The enrollment at the high school at noon today was 256. This is an increase of several ■ pupils over the enrollment of th j ' first semester which ended this week.. and as the second semester does not oper. (jeMl 1:15 o’clock Friday afternooa, i’u-re is a possibility that the' enrollment may be larger. While the enrollment figures al the Central schools was not given o.it today, it was stated that there would be between forty and fifty more pupils I there during the second semester than during the term just ertd**d. The last of the semester examin.” tion were given this afternoon. A majority of the pupils completed their , examinations o n Tuesday evening and have enjoyed a vacation since' then, but a number of irregular pupils were less fortunate. All pupils are requested to be at their respective school buildings ready for classes at 1:15 o’clock Friday afternoon, at which time the second semester will be started. A number of youngsters will make their start in the public schools at that time. , six years of age on or before FebruParents of all children who will be, ary 15, 1923, are requested to have • those children at their proper school building at 1:15 o'clock Friday afternoon. o 4*.4- 4.4 >4 .4.4. + 4.4. +4 + 4.u ♦ WEATHER + *+++4++* + + + + + + '’ INDIANA —Unsettled tonight: prob- j ably rain in south and rain or snow in north portion; warmer in extreme i east portion: Friday generally fair, except rain or snow in northeast portions; colder in south and west portions; fresh to strong shifting winds o Mrs. Glen Cowan and Mrs. Fred , Ashbaucher were Fort Wayne visitors I yesterday. BIXLER NAMED BY OPTICIANS Local Man Elected President of Indiana Optometric Association N. A. Bixler, of Decatur, was elected presiderit of the Indiana Optometric Association at the annual conven tion of the association at the Hotel Lincoln at. Indianapolis Tuesday afternoon. A unanimous vote was cast for the 'following officers: Mrs. May Johnson, Huntington, first vice-president; H. A. McDaniel. Lebanon, second vice-president; James L. Wolf. FrankGin, third vice-president; A. L. Her’riot, Muncie, fourth vice-president; 1 Mark Hazeltine, Kokomo, fifth vicepresident. H, E. Woodard, of Indianapolis’, was reelected secretary and William Hazeltino, of Kokomo, was re-elected treasurer. John H. ■Ellis, South Bend, and James H. Hammond, Vincennes, were named delegates to the national optometric con i vention in Chicago in June.

PRIMARY LAW REPEAL BILLS REPORTED DEAD Friends of Law Say Public Opinion Has Crushed Measure Decisively MORE BILLS TODAY Legislature Continues Routine of Receiving and Considering Bills Indianapolis, Jan. 11. —(Special to The Democrat) —Whispers in the columned halls of the state house today said the two bills to repeal the primary election law are dead. The steam roller of public opinion was said by friends of the primary system to have crushed the repeal bills definitely and decisively. Leaders in both Republica i j and Democratic parties who approved the measure threw up their hands when law-makers whom they prodded to the point of drastic action against the primary, showed them letters from the folks back home saying in . substance that the primary system I must stay In the senate, it was said the rei peal bill will die in the committee ■ and that if the house bill is passe I and is sent over for consideration, it likewise will be smothered. Some members of the assembly talked of amending the bills to provide for a referendum before a change in the election system would take I place.. This meet favorable response in spine quarters but generally wat ! opiK>se«t.—became* many legislators say they know the attitude of their constituents and don’t see why they ■ should burden them with the cost of a referendum. While the primary battle waged ia ■ the inner circles and in committee rooms, the legislature continued in its routine work of rec eiving and coni sidering bills. Indications were that both houses ' would be swamped with proposed (Continued on page three) DISMISS CASE AT PORTLAND Diehl Damage Case, 'Venued From This County, Is Ended in Jay Co. The $5,000 damage suit ot Charle I Diehl by his next friend. Adam Diehl vs. Walter L. Ross, receiver for the : Toledo, St. Louis & Western railroad company, or Clover Leaf railway. , venued here from the Adams circuit I court to the Jay circuit court,, which | was set for trial before a jury at PortI land Wednesday morning, was dis-1 missed for want of prosecution after a motion for a change of venue, filed Iby the plaintiff, was overruled with I exceptions. Judgment was rendered •against the plaintiff for costs. In the motion for a change of venue it was set out that Judge R. D. Wheat warbiased and prejudiced against the I plaintiff and a fair trial of the cause would not be had there. The plaintiff was represented bv Attorneys Smith & Parrish, of Ft. Wayne, and S. A. D. Whipple of Portland, and the defend ant by Attorneys Lutz. Van Brunt and Harker. The Diehl boy was struck and badly! injured by a train on the Clover Leaf road at Decatur sometime ago while walking along the railroad right-of-way. o CHICAGO MARKET CLOSE Wheat: May, $1.20%; July, $1.13Set., $1.09%. Corn: May, '72e; July, 72%c; Set., 72%e. Oats: May. 45%c; July 43c. Attorney J. C. Sutton was at his office an hour or two this morning but decided to go home and'take it easy • for a day* or two. He is m.tci imI proved but not quite able to resume j duties.

CLARENCE M. WINTERS IN JONESBORO, ARK Mrs. George Winters received b large photograph this morning showing her son, Clarence M Winters who Ills’ a member of fire company, num- [ ber one, at Jonesboro, Arkansas. The picture shows the two big trucks, , members of the fire fighting squad , and the mayor and other city* officials' Charles Korspeter who put iu the big trolley wires here for the traction company a number of years ago is the city electrician. Mr. Winters who was with the G. E' at Fort Wayne for nearly eight years, went , to Jonesboro about the middle ot November. He is making good there and likes it fine. ADD TWO GAMES TO H. S. NET CARD I , I Noblesville and Young America Scheduled; I B. C. i Plays Tomorrow Night i Two more basketball games have , been added to th e schedule of the i Decatur High school team, to be 1 played at home, it was announced today by Principal Paul W. Linton. Noblesville high will be played here on the night of Saturday, January ( 20, and Young America will meet the D.. H. S. five here on the night of February 23. Noblesville high school will make a trip through the northern part of the state during the week of January 15 and they asked for a date in this city. Noblesville has a stronger team than usual this year, it is said, and are almost certain of winning their . district. The Young America high quintet has a habit of winning the , Logansport district and has been represented by a strong team for several years. The 1923 team is no exception. The addition of these two games will add greatly to the at home schedule of the D. H. S. five. Game Tomorrow Night The International Business Colleg“ team will play Coach Moore's tossers here tomorrow night. The I. B. C. five is going good this season, winning a majority of its games in the Fort Wayne Commercial League, Jonas Tritch, former Decatur man. is principal of the Business college and he sent word that he has chartered a special car for his team and rooters to come to Decatur on tomorrow night. The curtain raiser game tomorrow night will be played by D. H. S. girls and the Lancaster township high school girls from Wells county. The Lancaster girls have a strong team this year. They defeated the Kirkland township girls by a narrow margin as did the D. H. S. girls, and comparative scores show that the two teams are evenly matched. The D. H. S. girls have not lost a game ’ yet this season. o BULLETIN Mrs- Elizabeth Ehinger, age 82, beloved and highly respected woman of this city, dropped dead at 3:30 this afternoon al the home of her son. Edward X. Ehinger, corner Monroe & Third streets, as she was walking from the hall into the bath room. j Mrs. Ehinger had been suffering from a cold for about a week, but was able to be up and around in the house and apparently seemed to be somewhat better this morning and her ■ sudden death comes as a shock to her many friends. She fell to the floor in the bathroof and before anyone could reach her was dead. A complete story of her life’s history and further details concerning het death will be given tomorrow. MinneapciJs—After annual voting contest. Pinkey iMtehell. Mi,waukee, has been awarded a be’J by the Na- 1 tional Boxing Association as the jun-. ior welter-weight champion <l4O pounds) and he has been ordered to defend it under the rules of the association.

1 Price 2 Cents

IN UGLY MOOD AS INVADERS OCCUPY ESSEN J — i French Troops and Artillery Occupy Heart of City of Essen Today 1 DECLARE MARTIAL LAW t ■ French Occupy Ruhr; Engineers Begin Work in German Coal Mines (United Press Service) Essen. Jan. 11—(Special to | Daily Democrat) —French cavalry, tanks and machine gun detachments occupied the center of the city of Essen at two o’clock this afternoon. ■ Trains and teams were halted, and comm unicat ions temporarily closed. Crowds of Germans in the , streets near the railroad station and postoffice were in an ugly mood. ‘ Martial law was declared in I Essen this afternoon. Berlin, Jan. 11 —(Special to Daily Democrat) —Germany today planned to notify the allies that coal seized by them in the Ruhr will be considered as having been requisitioned and ■ that the allies must pay for it. French Cheerful Paris, Jan. 11 —(Special to Daily Democrat) —Frantic cheers of depu- ’ ties standing on their seats greeted 1 Premier Poincare's announcement of 1 the Ruhr seizure today to the eham--1 , ber of deputies. 1 Tlie premier declared France in- ’ vaded the Ruhr "only to exact our rights, to make them respected, and 1 to defend our common interests.” Referring to withdrawal of Ameri- ’ can troops, Poincare said it would be ‘ in-exact to interpret this as a slur. It was only a coincidence that it happened now. he suggested’ No Further U. S. Steps > Washington. Jan. 11 —(Special to : Daily Democrat)—Whether the Amer : ican government will take an\ furth ’' er steps in the European crisis fol- ■ I lowing the orders for withdrawal of s j American troops from Germany is i' problematical and depends on develi!opments and circumstances. Further action by the United States is made extremely difficult • i because of official knowledge that . France is now determined to carry i out her great experiment of occupa- . tion of the Ruhr to make Germany i pay and that nothing will swerve the . government at Paris. Plans continued to be rushed forward at the war and state depart , ments for the immediate evacuation . of the small American army of occupation from the Rhine, ordered with dramatic suddenness yesterday. Germany Apoeals to U. S. Washington, Jan. 11. —Germany has decided to appeapl her case in connection with the French occupation of the Ruhr directly to the United States government, it w; s learned toi day. Dr. Otto Wiedfeldl, (''-man ambassador. tomorrow will present to Secretary of State Hughes a npte which is understood to have been received from the Berlin government setting forth the position of Germany in face of the French march into the Ruhr. (United Press Service) Paris, Jan. 11— (Sp.s • to Daily Democrat)—France, I:h ked by Belgium. took the first P today to punish Germany tor ■ .ifation defaults. A little French army, small in numbers but equipi” ■■ as no war machine ever was befri' moved into the rich Ruhr valley md occupied territory in the heart of .he coal mining region. With ini.intry, cavalry, tanks, field ■'i ■ces an I airplanes throw in a steel trap around the wealthy industrial . ity of Essen as a guarantee of Gerr :n good behavior, French engineers iwill now supervise the mining and distribution of Germany’s coal. Word came back from the army of (Continued on page three)