Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 21, Number 13, Decatur, Adams County, 15 January 1923 — Page 1

Volume XXI. Number 1:1.

FRENCH TROOPS ENGAGED IN BATTLE

MAKE ATTEMPT TOENDCASE GUT OF BOOST Witnesses W ait Patiently i While Attorneys Confer in Big Divorce Case A SENSATIONAL CASE Fort Wayne Attorney Seeks Divorce; Wife Files Cross-Complaint While witnesses patiently waited in the court room for proceedings to surt in the divorce case of Attorney ■ Samuel L. Morris Jr., of Fort Wayne! against Helen G. Morris, set for trial in the Adams circuit court today, attorneys in the case gathered in groups of twos, threes and tours, and attempted to reach an agreement whereby the case would not be submitted to the court. The entire forenoon and a few hours of this afternoon had been consumed by the lawyers in private conferences without any result as far as reaching a compromise was concerned. Several witnesses were present in the court room today ready to take the witness stand. Some were to testify for Mr. Morris and others for Mrs Morris. Many of the witnesses Were ladies, and several of them were! pretty young girls. Families Are Prominent The case, if it is submitted to the court for trial, attorneys say, will be one of the most sensational in the' court annals of northeastern Indiana Owing to the prominence of the tarnfifes, it will attract attentfoirtn-sev-eral counties. In his complaint, supplemented by i a counter showing and an amended! complaint, filed in the local dburt her on January 9. Morris charges his wifi | with cruel and inhuman treatment He alleges that she called him vile names and him in profane . language. He also alleges that she! would strike him with anything that ; she could get her hands on and that when she became angry at the table : the would hurl forks, dishes ami , water at him. He alleges that she, Quarreled continually because ah could not dress like her wealthy friends and that she threatened t< file a croBS-ocomplaint for divorce | against him that would prove s. n sational. narties to the suit are fightin:; for the custody of Samuel L. Morris, HI, age 4. Cross-Complaint Filed Mrs. Morris has filed a cross- complaint in which she asks 120,000 alimony. She alleges that Morris has Iwn quilty of infidelity to his mar riage vows on numerous occasions: that he has had illicit love affairs with numerous young girls and that h« has used his law office as a ren tevous in a number of wild parties. W c! them in daylight. Several depositions have been taken h)' the defense in which young For"ayne girls testified under oath that they had received gifts of money and s -lk lingerie from Morris after they hail been on parties with him. fwo girls testified in the depositions which have been ordered published by the court that they were -orced to accept the attentions ot Moms when alone with him in his ome on Wildwood avenue in Fort while the girls were working a *’•« home as domestics. of the girls, who was 20 years ’'l -it the time and was a student at 1 lnternationa|F Business College, ’“rking at the Morris home for her .’"nrd and room, describes Mr. Morris deposition as a “kissing bug.” on nag» five*

( L\SS OF THIRTY-FIVE CANDIDATES WERE INITIATED BY DECATUR MOOSE YESTERDAY

of (k ' y " as a ,)ig day in t ' le history, of th- etatur ' o< 'ge of Moose. A class - lot ' | rty five candidates was initiated init- 7 ° r d er yesterday. Following the lerv' lt | On an e ' a *’ orate banquet was «at 5 o’clock. D. M. Gillig actSi toastmaster. Mr. L. B. Fretz, of ° hi0 ’ Waß the P rinc ipal We | at *’ le banquet. Other talks Sven by local men. About two

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT

First Forced Vacation in 41 Years of Service Claypool, lml„ Jan 15. —J. F. Newby, who has»l>een employed continuI ously by the Nickel Plate railroad , here for 41 years, is taking his first j forced vacation since he started workI Ing for the railroad.. He is threatened with pneumonia. For thirty years, Newby has had charge of the I Nickel Plate pumping station west of ' Claypool. lecturehere TUESDAY NIGHT General Electric Man to Speak on Interesting Subject at the Gym ' i * I Decatur people will have the opportunity tomorrow night to hear an authority on electricity deliver a lecture of much merit, when Mr. C. M. Ripley, of the Schnectady works of the General Electric company, gives his famous lecture on, “Wonders of Electricity,” in Athletic Hall. The lecture will be free and will be given under the auspices of the General i Electric company of Decatur. It is scheduled to start at 7:45 p. m. Mr. Ripley's lecture will he well , worth while from an educational and entertaining standpoint. No matter , where electricity ranks in importance as an industry, whether it be the ; most important or second or third in I importance in the world, the facts remain that practically nothing in modern enterprise is accomplished without electricity in some form being called upon to function. Without it the automobile could not exist; homes 1 wbflM ho improperly lighted: we could not communicate over a few hundred feet, and transportation on the rails and on the sea would be slow and fraught with untold dangers. | In addition to Mr. Ripley’s lecture, there will be a moving picture film show. The title of the film is "King of the Rails." There will be music by the General Electric orchestra an I ! by a male quartet from Fort Wayne. I The public is cordially invited to atI tend this meeting. Mr. Ripley has requested that the ' employee's night of the General Electric. Decatur works, be made into a family affair. He wants the kiddies, . and he says he wants them all to s.t on the front five rows of seats, so a., to help him give his talk. He wants , them to explain the pictures which ' will be thrown on the csreen during his address. He has found that many school children are just as able to explain the pictures of the Hindus in India and other brown-skinned workers in Egypt, and some other pictures of the ; Chinese people and those in IndoI China as many of the grown ups are, I so he has requested that they sit down in front in order to assist him. o BANNER DAY AT LIBRARY Circulation At Public Library On Saturday Was 195 Books Last Saturday was the banner circulation day at the Decatur Public Li brary. Miss Moses, librarian, said today. The circulation on Saturday was 195 books. Os this number 80 were juvenile books and the remaining 115 were adults. The interest in the library is growing daily and aver- ’ age daily circulation is increasing. New books are being added to the al- ■ | ready large supply, making it one of i the up-to-date libraries. REAL ESTATE TRANSFERS Walton H. Ingham to Warton W. ’ Rogers, 80 acres in Hartford township. sl. Harry Shoemaker to Elmer M. Pie, lot 183 in Geneva, S3OO-

i hundred men were present at the banI quet and initiation. At the meeting yesterday, arrangements for the annual Endowment ball, to be given by the Moose on Febrtiiary 12, were discussed. The plans for : the ball are not definite yet, but furi ther announcements will be made in i the near future.

MORE BIRTHS THAN DEATHS IN YEAR 1922 J Report of Cotinty Health I Officer Shows 315 Births and 131 Deaths INFLUENZA IS CHECKED Report Shows Few Deaths From Influenza and Tuberculosis Last Year I Dr. J. W. Vizard, county health! officer, in his annual report, shows I the number of births in the rural districts, exclusive of those in Decatub, Berne, Geneva and Monroe for the year 1922 was 345, 182 males and 1 163 females. The number of deaths i recorded was 131 and the number of ■ marriages recorded was 163. i Exclusive of the towns in the town- . ships, Monroe township had the largi est number of births, 28 males and 27 ■ females. The report by townships on i births is as follows: Union. 26; Root I 21; Preble 28; Kirkland 16; Wash- ; ington 41; St. Marys 29; Blue Creek 19; Monroe 55; French 25; Hartford I 18; Wabash 42; Jefferson 25; total 345 or one more than in 1921. Twins ■ were born in Union, Root, French, Blue Creek and St. Marys townshipCauses of Death Dr. Vizard's report is interesting in several ways, in that it shows the I causes of death of the 131 people who . died in the rural districts in 1922. Only four people died from tuberculosis, one from diptheria, ten from ; ' cancer and one from typhoid fever. Pueumoulu burned 22 victims and . there was one suicide during the year and nine accidental deaths. The causes as given in Dr. Vizard's I reports are as flolows: Pneumonia 122; heart disease 16; paralysis 11; cancer 10; Bright's disease 10; tuberculosis 4; diptheria 1; cerebro spinal meningitis 3; influenza 2; typhoid; fever 1; suicide 1; accidental deaths! 9. The check on influenza and tuber-■ culosis is one of the outstanding ac-1 complishments within the last year. I I Dr. Vizard also shows the ages of the persons who died, which are as (Continued on nwe» rive) DIiNNSAYSHE' IS INNOCENT Gary City Judge, Indicted by Federal Grand Jury, Tells of Big Ring — (United Pfcmm Service.! Gary. Ind., Jan. 15. —(Special to I Daily Democrat) —The Gary bootleg ! ring is the most powerful in the state I and involves higher officials ’ than any one suspected,” City Judge William |N. Dunn, one of those indicted in con-1 neetion with activities of the ring, I declared today. "Reports from Indianapolis that 81 indictments against high official i in northern Indiana have been returned is just a start,” Dunn declared. Dunn and Rlaz Lucas, his former partner, were the only indicted men whose names have been made public. J "The are making agents of Lucas and me." Dunn charged. “I am blame- ! less. I have no connection with the ring' except to fight it.” Indictments which are alleged to I have resulted from information given i by Agnes Szabo, 16 year old queen of the bootleggers, are expected to be served in Gary Tuesday. Agnes in her squalid home in the Hungarian section of South Bend, bragged of her carrier as a ‘‘flapper bootlegger' but. denied giving formation that resulted in the indictments. "I appeared before the grand jury a month ago but I did not give «ny inI formation on which these Indictments I could be based,” Agnes said. I “I'm through with the game. High • jacket's spoiled it. I made my jack ! carting booze from Chicago to South ■ Rend—-sixteen cases at a time. I've got fine diamond rings, a flock of necki laces and a real Alaskan seal coat land I’m ready to quite.”

Decatur, Indiana, Monday Evening, January 15, 1923.

G. E. TEAMS HAVE GAMES Men's and Girls’ Teams To Play At Home On Thursday Night The General Electric men's basketball team will play the Spencerville, Ohio, five here on Thursday night. On the same night the G. E. girls will play the Super Six girls’ from Fort Wayne, on the local court- The ! General ’ Electric teams have been i playing a fine brand of basketball i lately and their games on Thursday ! night will likely be very interesting. RETAILERS WILL MEET TOMORROW Local Merchant Is Chairman in Charge of Meeting irti Fort Wayne Local retail dry goods merchants are planning to attend a joint meeting of the northern group of the Indiana State Retail association and the Trl-State Retail Merchants’ association, to be held in the Anthony hotel in Fort Wayne, tomorrow. Daa M. Niblick, of the Niblick & Co., is chairman of the northern group of the Indiana State Retail Merchants’ association and is in charge of the plans for the meeting. The meeting tomorrow is a regular meeting of the State Retail Merchants’ association and the Tri State i association decided to hold a joint j meeting with it. The meeting will open at 10:30 o'clock tomorrow morning, with a welcome address by Mayor William Hosey, of Fort Wayne. A dinner will be served to Uie merchants at noon, and an after-dinner speech will be made In the dining room by W. H. Shearer, of Angola. The afternoon session will start at 1:30 o'clock. A number of prominent speakers will discuss subjects of much interest to the retailers, L. C. Steifel, of Angola, president of the Indiana State Retail Merchants’ association, | will attend the meeting. * OSSIAN MEN CLEARED Men And Girl, Charged With Contributing to Delinquency, Are Freed . Because of lack of prosecuting evidence, Roy Strain. Harrold Dishong and Miss Laura Harmon, all of Ossian, charged with contributing to the delinquency of a nine-year-old girl, were given their freedom after a hearing in juvenile court, at Bluffton, SaturI day. The little was said to have witnessed illicit relations between the men and the girl, but convicing evt- 1 | dence could not be obtained. The fourth man charged in the case Ben King, left Ossian early in the i week and his whereabouts are not known. It is said that the state had I a clear case against him. Oscar Reinking, of Union township, was a business visitor here today. DIED AT HOME OF HIS SISTER Clyde B. Dull Expired on Saturday Evening; Had Paralysis of Throat Clyde B. Dull, age 33 years, died at the home of his sister. Mrs. Fred 1 Geier, near Bobo, at 7 o’clock Saturday night. Death was caused by paralysis of the throat. Funeral services will be held from the Green Briar church at 1:30 o’clock Tuesday afternoon, with the Rev. Uriah Miller, officiating. Burial will be held in the Green Briar cemetery. Mr. Dull was bom in Van Wert, Ohio, June 11, 1889. H e was the son of William and Mary Dull. He was a farmer boy by occupation and he lived almost his entire life in the Bobo community. He was a member of the United Brethren church. The surviving relatives are the father; the wife, Winoma Dull; and the following brothers ahd sisters: Otis Dull, of Glemore; Mrs. Fred Geier, of near Bobo, and M.s. Lula Taylor, of Kemp, Ohio.

FARM BLOC IN .! LEGISLATURE LOOMS TODAY I I Big Stick Tactics to Force Farm Legislation Through Is Threatened FARMERS ORGANIZE Agricultural Representatives Cast Aside Politics to (Jet Action »(United Press Service) Indianapolis. Jan. 15. —(Special to Daily Democrat) —The spectre of a (farm bloc in the Indiana legislature I similar to the one which wielded so much influence in congress arose today 1 with the threat of “Trig stick” tactics ■ to force farm legislation through the . assembly. Forty-seven members of the lower I house are farmers, —nearly all of them actual dirt farmers. Organized for ' concerted action, they can dictate the ‘ actions of the house witli the aid of ■ a few members who represent farming constituencies. These farmer members of the house ’ will meet tonight to form a united ■ front. Out of the meeting will emerge the farm bloc, leaders in the movement ! declared. The small farmer member--1 ship of the senate will attend the I I meeting, but the law makers coming from strictly farming communities are ' expected to sympathize with the inov - ■ ment. although individually they fre- ' .qently are listed as lawyers, bankers I or other professional men. : Party politics will be disregarded, lit was said, as the legislators return- ’ ed from a week-end adjournment. Thirty-two of the farmer member's I I of the house are democrats. The ' others are republicans. By working 1 together, however, as a group regard ' less of party, they can obtain legisla , tion beneficial to the farmer particularly, it was said. One of the representatives planning to attend the meeting said the interests of the farmers would be submerged in the general interests of the people. IP (Continued on page five) MANY MliStS <1 IN CALIFORNIA A. H. Sellemeyer Sends Leiter Telling of Conditions in the West We are in receipt of a letter from A. H. Sellemeyer of Los Angeles, former business man and citizen of I Decatur, who sends in his renewal j to the Decatur Daily Democrat and stated that he and his wife enjoy i reading the home paper. The lettei i was written January 9th and Mr. ■ Sellemeyer states that in the morning he was busy working in the Calli Lilly I bed in front' of his home, that the i flowers were blooming beautifully. I and that the lilies were as white as I the snow that covers the ground back |in Indiana. The thermometer registered 82 above at eleven o’clock on January 9th. Los Angeles is crowded with tour ists and a clipping from the Los Angeles Herald states that approxlm- ! ately 5,000 easterners are arriving in »hat city daily. Mr. Sellemeyer stated that he and his wife went up town the othei day and that the stores were so crowded that they could not get in. The hotels in Los Angeles and Pasadena are filled beyond capacity. The I Sellemeyers expect to get back to Decatur sometime during the coming , summer. Their daughter. Esther . Sellemeyer, who is a missionary in i China, has already sent for passport 1 and expects to sail for the United ' States sometime in July and that • they expect to come to Decatur with her fort» visit. ■ Mr. and Mrs. Jess Sellemeyer and I daughter Martha, who went to Los Angeles Jast summer, are reported as I being well and Mr. Sellemeyer states i that they are gradually becoming real Californians.

War Time Premier of France Died Sunday Purls, Jan. 15. —(Special to Daily Democrat) —Alexandre Ribot, war-1 time premier of France, during the ! stormy days from March to September, 1917, died here Sunday at the age of 81. Ribot married Miss Mary Burch of Chicago. He leaves one son, Dr. A. E. Ribot. ME BALS TO BE AWARDED SOON Perdue Man to Present Medals to Adams County Ton Litter Winners A meeting of interest to every hog I ; feeder in the county will be held next Monday afternoon, January 22,' at the county agent’s office. At that. time James R. Wiley, swine extension man from Purdue, will present 1 the medals to the six men in the I county who won in the Hoosier Ton Litter Contest last summer. It is ‘ also planned to have motion pictures. at the meeting, reels having been obtained from the U. S. Department of ; Agriculture and some of the breed associations for the occasion. It is hoped that every man in the county, interested in hog feeding, whether or not he belongs to a breed associaI tion or was entered in the contest last summer, will plan to attend the meeting. Mr. Wiley intends to make up a report of the contest, showing what 1 principles were learned regarding the' care and feeding of hogs and those; who attend are sure to receive in-' formation which will be of practical! benefit to them. Those who will receive medals are as follows: Wilson Banter, Ross Harden, Amos Kirchofer and Chas. W. Stadler, silver medals for litters weighing 1,800 I pounds or over at 1880 days; John E. Eelman, and C. W. R. Schwartz, gold medals for litters weighing over, 2,000 pounds at 1800 days. Mr. Schwartz holds the distinction of having produced a litter weighing 3,040 pounds, the championship of the state. o FUNERAL SERVICES FOR ELIZABETH EHINGER WERE HELD THIS MORNING Funeral services for Mrs. Elizabeth Ehinger whose death occurred last Thursday afternoon at the home of her son, Mr. and Mrs. E. X. Ehinger,' were held this morning at 9 o'clock at the St. Marys Catholic church, the Rev. J. A. Seimetz officiating. Many out of town relatives and friends attended the services. BIG LEAGUE UMPIRE HELD Ollie Chill Being Questioned in Connection With Slaying Cleveland. Ohio. Jan. 15.— (Special to Daily Democrat) —Ollie Chill, veteran American League umpire and two companions, were being questioned heer today in connection with the fatal shooting of Edward J. McGregor, McGregor was found dead in his apartment Saturday night with four bullet wounds in his chest. Chill and two other men were found in the, apartment. Arresting officers say all three were intoxicated. A chauffeur told police that he drove the four men to several saloons after which he took them to Me-! Gregor's apartment. Chill and the others say all they remember is hear- j ing two shots fired.

BISHOP NICHOLSON DECLARES PROHIBITION IS SUCCESS A T END OF ITS THIRD YEAR

(United Press Service) Chicago, Jan. 15. —(Special to Daily i Democrat) —Prohibition is a success,) Bishop Thomas Nicholson, president lof the Anti-Saloon League declared today on the eve of the third anniversary of the enforcement of the 18th I amendment. He predicted a dry United States as soon “as the facts can be brought before the people.” “The success of prohibition is incontrovertable as shown by reports from all parts of the country,” the

Price 2 Cento

DRIVEN BACK BY LITHUANIAN TROOPSTODAY Seek Possession of Memei, Neutral Zone Under the League of Nations FRENCH STRENGTHEN Move on Bochum Today Taking Possession of Great Stinnes’ Plants (By The United Press) London, Jan. 15—(Special to Daily i Democrat) —The German coal commission in Berlin has prohibited Ruhr operators from supplying the French with coal or coke even if paid for and 1 dramatic retaliation by France is expected according to dispatches received here today. Berlin, Jan. 15 —(Special to Daily Democrat) —French and Lithuanian troops battled in the heart of Memei ; for possession of the city today. The Lithlanians, entering the city, drove back a handful of French troops who had entrenched them- , selves before the gates. British and French war ships were i reported Saturday enroute to Memei .to reinforce the French troops. ; Memei is a nuetral zone under the League of Nations. It is on the Prussian border, and is particularly I desired by Lithuanian and whose irregular troops are taking advantage of the Ruhr situation to attack. *» - Berlin, Jan. 15 —French troops in ! the Ruhr moved On Bochum today. The advancing French troops have occupied Dahlhausen and Linden. <ic--1 cording to word from Essen. Reports from the newly occupied zone said French artillery and infantry advanced from the little city of Kettaweg upon the important industrial capital of the interests of Hugo Stinnes. I Occupation of Bochum, even more than seizure of Essen, will give the invaders a grip on one of the main arteries of German industry. I The great plants of Stinnes will I come within the new French line, if Bochum is encircled. France today increased her forces at Essen, and extended the new lino of occupation to include Hartigan and Gelsenkirchen. Last night troops pushed northward to Nupperdreh and Niederwenigern. Paris, Jan. 15 —France will requisition such quanitites of coal as she needs from Germany, In consequence of the German resolution to suspend deliveries. Premier Poincare decided today. The premier conferred with Minister De Lanteyrie regarding collection of forty per cent tax on Ruhr coal production. They also had under discussion a project to create new currency in the Ruhr, to replace the mark, which tumbled today to unprecedented low levels Paris, Jar*. 15—Belgian and French troops today started extension of their occupation of the Ruhr to include Bochum moving forward to a line through Hattingen, Sechtenhausen and Bottrop. Paris, Jan. 15 —Orders have been given to occupy the Ruhr as far as ‘ Dortmund as the result of German refusal to accept the French coal production plan it was announced today, Berlin, Jan. 15 —Bochum where Hugo Stinns steel factories are iocat(Continued on page five) >

bishop said. “Anti-dry propaganda will reach its peak during the I s - < ampaicn :.ml then recede. Atti mpls of the wets to modify c law at state elections isst year W rwh. Inongly defeated. .■.-mm.ttee after committee >-om , Australia, England an* l ° er , (v from city to city p. ,n countries wen I _ h(Wtjofl . '"■dying the effects I the ' :V " ,y ° ne h f its handisuccess of the law, e caps, was remarkable.