Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 21, Number 128, Decatur, Adams County, 29 May 1923 — Page 1

Volum* XXI. Number 128.

BLAST IN POWDER FACTORY KILLS]FIVE

EXPECT RECORD ATTENDANCE AT SPEED CLASSIC Estimated That 150,000 People Will Witness Annual 500-Mile Race THOUSANDS ON HANI) Hotels Filled Already; Twenty-two Cars Have Already Qualified (United Press Service) WEATHER FORECAST Indianapolis, May 29. — The weather man, perched high in his kiosk on the top of a tall office building and unmindful of the racing crowds swarming below, today issued a pessimistic outlook for weather conditions for the auto classic at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway tomorow. It may rain on the Speedway races and on Memorial sevices tomorrow he said. The forecast was ; for partly cloudy tonight and Wednesday with probably an oc casional thunder shower. Indianapolis, Ind., May 29. — (Special i 10 Pally Democrat) —One hundred and I fifty thousand persons, it is estimated, will witness the eleventh renewel of the Indiana Speedway automobile race tomorrow. This is the greatest crowd that has ever witnessed the annual 500-mile (lassie. Throngs have been pouring into Indianapolis lor several days by train and automobile, and the peak of the racing flood will be reached today. Hotels are jammed and appeals have been issued for rooms in private homes to aecomadate the visiting automobile race fans. Special police arrangements have heen made to handle the great crowds that will pour to the Speedway. Sev eral fortunes will be represented in the thousands of automobiles which will be parked around the track. Governor McCray has refused the offer of a box in the stands. The governor will follow bis usual custom of participating in the Memorial Day exercises at his home town of Maryland. A bill was introduced in the last legislature to prevent running of the annual race here on Memorial Day. 11 was vetoed by the governor but the governor’s refusal of a box is said to have no connection with this incident. Race fever reached its height in Indianapolis today. Twenty-two cars were qualified for the International 500-mile sweepstakes race tomorrow and four others were to make the test run of ten miles at a speed of not less than 80 miles an hour. Thousands, increasing hourly, poured out to the Speedway to watch the drivers working feverishly on “leventh hour changes in their cars and then burning up the bricks for one more test just to see that everything was all set for the starling bomb. — - — -o - — Ku Khix Klan Meeting In Berne This Evening Bills were distributed in this city today announcing a public meeting of the Ku Klux Klan in Berne, near the auditorium, this evening. The speaker for the meeting was announced as Hon. Gibson A. Gibson. Swoveland Brothers Are Still Improving Bluffton, May 29.—The condition of the Swoveland brothers vicitims of an accident at Uniondale, continues to improve. It is now probable that Jacob will be in the hospital longer than Jamea, who has a featured skull, for a thorough examination of the former shows him to be suffering from a slight fracture of the spine, and this will necessitate quietude tor a while.

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT

Aged Brother Died In Fort Wayne Yesterday Christ Nahrwold, aged 81 years, a brother to Mrs. Charles Wlegman, of , Adams county, died nt his home in Fort Wayne, last night. Mr Nahrwold . was hit by an automobile a year ago | last November while going to work j and he never fully recovered from | the injuries. He had resided in Fort | Wayne since 1870, coming to that | city from his native country, Ger ' Wlegman, the deceased is survived by iiie wife, two sons and one daughter. ANNUAL SALE OF HEREFORDS Third Annual Sale Os Herefords At Fonner Stock Farm Next Tuesday "Out where the beef steaks grow" the Fonner Stock Farms —everybody I is busy this week, getting ready for I the third big annual sale of Hereford*, which occurs next Tuesday afternoon. [ beginning at one o'clock. Indications | from the number of catalogues asked. I for and reservations made are that the ! crowd will be large and will include I a number of notable* men interested i in the Hereford business. Senator Thomas of Indianapolis, several west ! i ern senators and governors are expected to be here or send represent.-!- ; I fives, and both Messrs, Taggart and! McCray are expected to be on hand when Col. Fred Reppert and Col. Earl Garten starte the event. The sale will be held in a large tent, arranged to seat 1.000 people, near the first barns, just north of the city. The Fonner Farms are becoming famous for their herd of Hereford* and every buyer is more than pleased. The herd includes 130 head with the famous Richard Fairfax, Jr., as the | herd bull. At the barns on the east side of the road. Herdsman McNeal is getting a dozen head of the cattle ready for the fair season, in every field one finds a herd of twenty to thirty Hereford* and in the big barn, I No. 1. a forte of men are getting the cattle in shape for the sale. They will offer forty head, all registered and all perfect, including four bulls, ten two year old heifers, 11 yearlings and 12 cows with calves at foot. No better herd can be found atty where and the offering this year is exceptionally fine. Farmers of this county are urged to come to the fine sale whether they buy or not. You can make mon ey buying these cattle for they will add to the pound average yeild of calves on your farm and yon can do ' it this year at a very low price. Come to the sale next Tuesday at one o'clock. They are especially anx ions to have as m»ny farmers there j as possible. _ ’ Presbyterian C. E. I o Hold Social Thursday Eve. The Christian Endeavor society of the Presbyterian Church will welcome all who care to attend their program and social at the church, Thursday evening, at 7:45 o'clock. A number of announcements have been sent out. stating that a cent to the inch for each individual's waist measure will be accepted at this event, as a contribution to the Winona Conference fund. The public is urged to attend regardless of whether personal announcements have been received or not. The program under preparation is sure to please all. The first part is composed of miscellaneous instrumental numbers, a vocal solo by Dr. Patterson, and reading by Mrs. Knapp. Miss Helen Kocher, as "Ma Sweet," with her talented (laughters will all perform during the second part of the program. During the social hour light refreshments will be served. Do not forget the date, May 31st at 7:45 P. M. BAKED POTATOES Baking potatoes uses up considerable gas. You can lessen the time by boiling the potatoes for 15 or2o minutes and finishing them in a hot oven

SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER TO BE SELECTED SOON City Council To Name Successor To R. I). Myers . Whose Term Expires TO MEET TUESDAY Myers Will Not Seek Another Term; No Avowed Candidates For Office One of the important acts to be performed by the city council in regular | : session next Tuesday evening will be | 'the election of a member of the! i Decatur School board. R. I). Myers, president of the board I whose term expires this year, stated I in an interview, this morning: "I am not a cantidate for re-election. I have been on the board for nine years and during that time I think I have seen accomplished those things that I endeavored to do when I became a member; namely the buildinug of a new high school. However, if there are no other candidates and the council elects me I will serve another : term.” Mr Myers was elected to the school board in 1914 and has served as treasurer and secretary, and for the past seven years has been president of the board. He has at all times been an earnest worker. TJie ether two members of the board are John S. Falk, secretary, and Mrs. Carrie Thomas-Haubold, treasurer. Abe- iettsm being the repubMean member of the board. The state law concerning the qualifications for members of the school board provides that at least one member be of opposite political faith and a graduate of the high school. As far as known the council has not received the applications of any avowed candidate for the place. ACTIVITIES IN BUILDING HERE Work Progressing On K. Os C. Building; Everett & Hite To Build Soon Work is progressing nicely on the excavation for the under ground coal pit to be constructed under the side walk alongside of the Knights of Columbus building. When completed, a re-inforced glass and concrete top will be placed over the excavation, the coal pit being about forty by fifty feet. All coal used in firing the boil ers will be unloaded on Madison street, man holes being provided sot the purpose. Work on the remodeling of the Knights of Columbus hall is well tin der way. the ceiling in the lodge room having been raised 32 inches. Other improvements, including ladies and gentlemen's rest rooms, a kitchen and the changing around of certain partitions will be made. Work on the re-arranging of the second floor rooms and tlm installing of the heating sys tern in the building has not started vet. When all the improvements are made the K. of C. building will be one of the most modern and convenient buildings in the city. An electric elevator will also be installed in the building, the location of it being where the present stairway on Madison street is located. Everett & Hite Building Architect Oscar Hoffman is now drawing the plans for the two story and basement building to be erected hy the Everett and Hite Wholesale Grocery company at the corner of Adams and Seventh streets. The building will have a frontage of 50 feet on S' enth street, uud Mr. Everett, who Is looking after the. details of the building stated this morning that is was hoped that work on the excavation for the basement could be started within the next month. The company hopes to occupy the building by fail.

Decatur, Indiana, Tuesday, May 29, 1923.

+♦♦♦♦♦♦+♦♦+♦♦♦ + DECORATION DAY ♦ + PROCLAMATION ♦ + ♦ + In accordance with the proc- ♦ + tarnation issued by the Presl- ♦ + dent of the United States, and ♦ ♦ the Governor of the State of + ♦ Indiana, naming May the thir- ♦! ♦ tleth as Memorial Day, we ♦ + would respectfully call your at- ♦ ♦ tention to these proclamations, ♦ + to the end that this day may ♦ ♦he observed in away fitting ♦ + and appropriate to the mem- + + ory of those men who gave ♦ ♦ their lives, that the spirit of + ♦ freedom might not perish from + \ + the earth. ♦ + The day will be observed in ♦ + Decatur w'ith formal exercises + ♦ commemorating the deeds of + + our brave heroes. Let as many ♦ ♦ as can take part in these exer- ♦ + dues, both by decorating their ♦ + homes and places of business. + + and hy attending the cere ♦ ♦ monies. ♦ + Given this twenty-ninth day + of May, 1923. +j + Respectfully, + + HUBER M. DeVOSS, + + Mayor. + + ♦♦♦ + + + ♦♦♦♦ + ♦♦ + WILL NOT HOI D PICNIC JULY 4 County Sshool Officers Vote Against Annual Picnic This Year At a meeting of the Adams County Sunday School Association and the presidents of the township organizations at Berne Sunday afternoon, it was decided that there would be no county Sunday School picnic on the Fourth of July this year. For a number of years such a picnic has been held on Independence day. Delegates to the state Sunday School convention at Indianapolis next month were also chosen yesterday. Adams county will be repre-1 sented by two official delegates, they j being Kenneth Shoemaker, of Gene-1 va. and Miss Ida Sprunger, of Berne. | Mrs. Clara Anderson, of Geneva, and A. F. Baker, of Linn Grove, were appointed as alternates. It Is expected that a large number of Sunday school workers will attend the state convention this year. Some of the best talent which has ever appeared at a state convention, will be on the program ~ The county council has also made preliminary plans for the county Sunday school convention to be held at Geneva sometime this fall. The exact date for the convention has not been announced. The executive meeting Sunday was attended by representatives of different parts of the county. Those present were John M. Gibson, Decatur; Mr. and Mrs. Fred Lindsey, Geneva; A. F. Baker and J. H Duff. Linn j Grove; Kenneth Shoemaker, Mrs. ; Clara Anderson and S. H. Hale, Gene j va, and E. C. Bierie, C. O. Lehman and Miss Ida Sprunger, Berne. o Knights Os Pythias Went To Fort Wayne Fifty members of Kekionga Lodge of the Knights of Pythias were at Fort Wayne last evening where they were the guests of the Knights of Pythias in that city. The local team conferred the third rank on two candidates, the work being in charge of Jos Linn, master 'of the work. Visitors were also present from Auburn and New Haven and an enjoyable time was had by all. A majority of ihe Decatur Knights of Pythias made 'he trip by motor. o ■ CHICAGO MARKET CLOSE Wheat: May $1.12%; July $113; Sept. $1.12. Corn: May 77%c; July 77%c; Sept. 75%c. Oats: May 4u%c Julv 40%c; Sept. 38%c. Weather Partly cloudy tonight and Wednesday; probably thunder showers in south portion; not much change in temperature.

BUSINESS WILL BE SUSPENDED HERE TOMORROW Decatur People To .Join Nation In Observance Os Memorial Day TO GIVE PROGRAM War Veterans And Women Auxiliaries To Join In Giving Program Business houses closed all day. Postoffice closed. No issue of Daily Democrat. No rural or city mail deliveries. Memorial Day program at court house in afternoon. All business will bo suspended in Decatur tomorow while everybody joins in the observance of Memorial Day. Many local people are planning lo spend the day in other communities, several going to Indianapolis lo ee the annual 500-mile races at ihe Speedway. A program for the obsevance of the I holiday in Decatur has been prepared by the G. A. IL. W. R. C„ Spanish American veterans. American 1-egion and Auxiliary lo American Legion. In the forenoon the veterans will go o the cemetery to decorate tile graves of departed soldiers. The Decatur General Electric band has been obtained to accompany the veterans to the cemetery and play patriotic airs. Local citizens have been asked to donate their automobiles to lonvey the veterans to the cemetery. In the afternoon a fitting program will be given. A centaph exercises will be held on the court house lawn at the monument. Following this a program will be given in the circuit (Continued on page six) BIRI r scion' BEGINS MONDAY Presbyterian Church Announces Annual Daily Vacation Bible School The second annual Daily Vacation Bible school of the Presbyterian church will begin next Monday morning at nine o'clock. A splendid faculty of ability and experience has been secured, which makes success a surety. Those who know something of the work of these schools realize their | immense value. Consecutive religious ' instruction is given which supplements that which is given on Sun l days. This year approximately fifty hours of instruction will be given, which is almost as much as the child receives in a year of attendance at Sunday School. Children of the ages of six to fourteen are eligible as pupils. Special features of the school are Bible memory work, Bible story-telling and habit talks. The kindergarten and primary divisions will have sand table work, while the older girls will do sewing and the older boys will bft kept busy with handi-craft work. This year the school will be in session from June fourth to June twen-ty-ninth, from nine o'dock until elev-en-thirty a. in. Registration day will be May thirty-first, at two o'clock. Every child who intends to be a pupil is urged to come prepared to enroll at that time. Parents are asked to see that their children enroll early and attend consistently. Every effort is being put fortli to make the Decatur school the banner sdiool of the state, in point of regularity of attendance and punctuality. This is the only announcement you will receive of registration day. Remember it is on Thursday at the Presbyterian church, at two p. m. All the business houses will be closed tomorrow, Decoration Day.

Return From Convention Os Knights Os Columbus E. X. Ehinger, grand knight, and I M. J. Mylott have reurned from I Michigan City where they attended the annual state convention of the Knights of Columbus. When Messrs. Ehinger and Mylott left for home the I convention was still In session and the election of officers had not been I held yet. A report on the Gibault , Boys Home al Terre Haute was made and It was announced that fifty boys wen* now making their home there. TOTAL OF 167 | GET DIPLOMAS Eighth Grade Graduating Class In County Smaller Than Last Year i A total of 167 pupils will receive diplomas at tin* annual Adams connI * ty eighth gratae c«>mmencemnnt to be held at Monroe on Thursday, June 14. Fifty-seven of these made . a successful grade on the third and ' final examination held on May 19. I : Fifty-nine pupils failed to make the 1 I necessary grades on the final examI (nation. The class this year ',s much smal'er than last year's class, which was the largest in the history of Adams county schools. A total of 225 pupils were graduated from the eighth grade in Adams county last year, outside the city of Decatur and the, I towns of Berne and Geneva. There was a much smaller number of pupils ' taking the diploma examination this year. Monroe townsh'p led this year In the number of graduates, there being a total of 28 pupils who were successful. 1 The Rev. C. W. Whitman, of Sey- ’ mour, Indiana, will deliver the class 1 address. Rev. Whitman gave the ' commencement address at the county commencement last year and has spoken in the county on other occasions. Last year the commencement was held in Decatur and the year previous In Geneva. Following are the numbers of sueI cessful and unsuccessful pupils in each township for the three exam inn- | Hons held this spring: Township Successful Unsuccess. Union 13 7 , Root 14 10 Preble 17 9 Kirkland 12 14 Washington fi 10 St. Marys 12 7 French 13 9 Monroe 28 3 Blue Creek 6 10 Hartford 24 6 Wabash 18 fi Jefferson 4 12 • Total 167 103 • To Hold Horse Races At Van Wert July I In response to an earnest appeal hy lovers of horse racing, the board of directors of the Van Wert County Fair have decidled to hold a racing nrogram July 4 at the Van Wert track. There are fifty horses in training al >he tr:i(k and the oval at Van Wert is reported to be in Ideal condition due to daily workouts by the horses in training there and daily work by trackmen working under supervision of the fair management. Work Progressing On New Factory Building Work on the Gerber ladder plant is progressing. The debris lias been cleared away and the tile blocks are now being laid. The building has been increased in size over the original plans and will cover the entire space formerly occupied by the Schafer company, in addition to this Gerber & Sons yesterday purchased ' a tract of land south of the site, sufficiently large to build another unit as iarge as the one now under construction which they hope to do in a short time. o Mr. and Mrs. Owen Davis spent lust evening in Fort Wayne visiting friends.

Price: 2 Cents.

ILLINOIS CITY ROCKED TODAY 81 EXPLOSION Blast Occurs In Gelatine Packing House Os Aetna Powder Company PROPERTY DAMAGED Cause Os Explosion Not Determined; Noise Heard For Many Miles Fay ville. Hl., May 29 I Special to Daily Democrat) Five men were k'Jled and three seriously injured in tin explosion in the Gelatine packing i house of the Aetna Powder company here today. Tlte blast, which shook every home in Fayvllle, was heard in every surrounding town in tlte extreme southern portion of Illinois and in scattering towns in Missouri and Kentucky. Tlte dead: i Harry Gammon, 35, married. Cletas Gammon. 21, single. Dave Hamilton. 23, single Lawrence Gimper. 23, married Wade Griegs. 28. married Three other men. including the superintendent of the pacikng house were injured. Griegs' home is in White Water. Mo., the others being residents of the Thebas. Illinois. I Property damage was estimated by officials of the company at llo.tmo with slieht damage to private residents in FayviHe. The caa-*e *4 the blast wns not determined. _o —. — .Political Eyes Focused On Gov. Al Smith Today t’ntfe.l Pwm sih(T Correveendent ‘ Washington. May 29. (Special to Daily Demm rat) —Governor Al Smith • of New York, a political Hamlet, holds tin spotlight while politicians of both parties try to guess which horn , of the dilomma he will choose. To sign or not to sign -that is the question Smith must answer, with re-suei-t to tlte law repealing the New I York state prohibition enforcement code. The choice is not simple. Smith ■ will get in trouble whatever hi* does. Politic ians here believe he will sign. , That way they say. lies his only hops ol continuing as an important figure in his own state. •_ Clara Phillips Arrives In United States Today (United Service' New Orleans, La., May 29 —(Special to Dally Democrat) —The steamer Copan carrying Clara Phillips, hammer murderess, warped in its dock here today greeted by a crowd of approximately 200 curiosity seek ers. Mrs. Phillips was seen standing on the deck of the vessel apparently unconcerned over her return to the country from which she fled after a sensational escape from the Los Angeles ja'd. No demonstration occured when the vessel (locked. About a dozen police were on hand to escort the “tiger woman." - Epworth Leaguers Plan Meeting Here Thursday All of the Epworth Leagues in the Decatur sub-d'strict will join in a big meeting to be held in this city Thursday afternoon. In the afternoon tile Leaguers will meet at Bell niont Park at 2:30 o'clock for a social time. In the evening they will meet at the First Methodist church where a program will be given. Following tlte program at the church, another social hour will be enjoyed. Following is Ihe program to be given nt the church in the evening. Song, by the congregation; special number by Decatur league; talk, by Mrs. Frank Downs; violin solo. Miss i Bliss; selection by Monroe orchestra; and an address on, "The Epworthian's Job." by the Rev. Williams. of Geneva The public is cordially invited to the meeting.