Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 21, Number 173, Decatur, Adams County, 23 July 1923 — Page 1

Volume XXI. Number 173.

LARGE CROWD VISITS FAIR ON SUNDAY

MOB PRESENT fISWHITFELD’S TRIAL STARTS Crowd Os 23,000 Rush The Court House At Cleveland As Trial Opens Today SEEK DEATH PENALTY Whitfeld Bases Defense On Accidental Shooting; Call Price Girl (United Press Service) Cleveland, Ohio, July 23.— ( Rpecial I t: Daily Democrat) —A crowd estimated at 23.000 rushed the court. house as the trial of John L. Whitfeld , started here today. Patrolmen and mounted police drove hack the mob that stormed the doors. Whitfeld. the mulatto prisoner, was handcuffed to two deputy sheriffs and surrounded by other deputies. Accidental shooting will be the plea of Whitfeld. who was the object or a most baffling man-hunt by antnori-1 ties of many states of the middiewest and northwest. • The prosecution will demand the | death penalty," declared Prosecutor Stanton as the trial opened. Whitfeld goes to trial .under a new Ohio law which makes killing of a policeman on duty first degree murder without any alternative. Whitfeld is charged with the slaying of patrolman Dennis Griffin, who. arrested him on May 11. for theft of | sparkplugs. Griffin allowed the prisoner to go into his house to say "goodbye to his wife," where, it was learned later, he obtained a pistol. Then the two start-, ; Whitfeld's anfomohile for the. police station. But never arrived at that distination. Three days later the policeman's hody was found with a bullet hole through his neck, buried at the stump of an uprooted tree. The defense today asked continuance in order to locate Peter Milan, friend of Whitfeld. who. they said followed Griffin and his prisoner on the fatal ride. They claimed he would corroborate Whitfeld’s defense that the killing shot was fired from the policeman’s own gun during a tussle in the car. Judge Phillips overruled the motion and ordered examination of veniremen for a jury, started. Marie Price, the Fort Wayne, Ind., school grl, whom Whitfeld took with him on his flight from here to Madison. Wis., was expected to be called by the prosecution. Whitfeld deserted the girl when he made a desperate dash for liberty at Madison after the pair had been there. The mulatto was finally captured at Detroit and returned here. —» o - - Co. B Os 160 I. V. I. To Meet At Anderson The reunion of the IfiOth Indiana Volunteer Infantry will be held this year at Anderson, on Monday. August 20. All veterans of this company are urged to attend and bring their wife Plenty of good eats and a good time is promised for all who attend. Herbert C. Brunt. 1216 Fletcher street, Anderson, Indiana, requests that one of the local veterans send him the known address of all 160th men in this vicinity at once. Hospital Board Meets A meeting of th e board of trustees of the Adams county Memorial Hospital was held this morning at the office of A. J. Smith, the chairman. Matters pretaining to the opening of ♦he hospital next Monday and the dedication on Sunday, July 29th, were disposed of. The board also discussed how the rooms, furnishings for which were donated, would be allotted and a nnouncement of their plan will be niade tomorrow. Practically all the furnitur e in the bed rooms has been Placed in the hospital, and it is thought that everything will be in. shape for the opening next Sunday.

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT

Breaks Arm In 4 Places Willis Bebout, S year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Bebout, was painfully injured at 4 o'clock Saturday afternoon, when be fell from the cement abutment of the river bridge, north of the ctty, a distance of four» teen feet. The lad's left arm was i broken In four places and he was badly bruised. The lad was standing on the abutment when he became over balanced and fell to the river bed landing on.a pile of stones. EIGHT ARE COINS TO CAMP KNOX County Sends Two More Than Quota To Citizen’s Military Training Camp Eight young men of Decatur have answered the appeal of the United States government, through the war department, for volunteers to attend the annual Citizen’s Military Training Camp, at Camp Knox. Kentucky, for thirty days at the government's expense. The quota for Adams county was only six. The fact that the I quota has been more than filled I speaks well for Adams county. The | state of Indiana is far behind in its 'quota of 1.059 anti a final appeal is j being made to obtain this number beI ''--'•’ing of the camp on Ang ' ust 27. The following applicants from this county, all of whom are from Decatur and vicinity, have nassed the pliysieial examination and have been accepted I for admission to the camp: Cecil C. i Bess. R. O. Brandyberry. Merle C, Foreman. Robert L. Mills Hubert F Movers. Bvron M. Reber. R. G. Martin and Frank Merhaugh. There were only two Adams county young men at the camn vast year. The onportnnitv to spend their vacation at the government's expense for thirty davs. together with the ns surance that they will have plenty of good wholesame fond, entertainment, and exorcise should be very annealing to young men. Many parents are Urging their bovs to attend, not only for the phvsicial advantages to bo derived. but also for the moral, mental and recreational side, which plays a most important part in the conduct of a camp. Young men between the ages of 17 and 24 and exservice men up to 35 years of age are invited to avail themselves of the opportunity to spend a n>-ofltabte period of thirtv (lavs at Camp Knox Kentucky at Uncle Sam's expense. Applications for admission to the camp should be made with the county chairman, Joseph C. Laurent. August 26. There will be young at the Post Office, not later than men at Camp Knox from Indiana. Ohio Kentucky and West Virginia. o Man Falls From Barn Monroe Clouse of Willshire fell i from a barn roof which he was painting about noon Saturday, and was unconscious for some time. Clouse was painting the roof of a barn on the Brandt farm east of Willshire when his ladder slipped. He fell a distance of about 30 feet and landed on his neck and shoulders. Dr. W. C. Roller of Willshire, was called and took the injured man to his home. After Mr. Clouse regained consciousness he was able to walk a short distance but Dr. Roller could not determine the extent of his injuries until he had made a more thorough examination. o Man Kills Wife, Two Children And Himself cTTnltoa Hre.«« Service.) Columbia. Tenn., July 23—(Special ’ to Daily Democrat) — Despondent 1 from ill health and inability to get ' work Ophir Dugger killed his wife I with an axe, severed the heads of 1 his two children and shashed his own I throat with a razor at the home of ■ his sister at Carter’s Creek, near i here today. The dead: i Ophir Dugger, 40 : Mrs. Ophir Dugger, 38. ■ Mabel Dugger, 9. Catherine Dugger, 14.

NEW SENATOR-ELECT FROM MINNESOTA AND HIS FAMILY • ! * I ’ j wdK . A. 1 flB - ink . vJ: • ■ i L | f *7—yeah ' - ■ .fPjr. ■ w 1 m Hr "t .— a — J Left to Right:—Florence, 9 years old; Francis, 13 years old; Mrs. Johnson, seated; Victor, 21 i years old; the senator-elect; Agnes, 10 years old, and Lillian, 23 years old. MEEKER COUNTY, Kimball, Minn—Magnus Johnso i (the Farmer-Labor candidate) defeated Gov. J. O. A. , Preus. President Harding’s candidate for senator from M nnesota. by an overwhelming majority at the state elecI tion last Monday (July 16.) The senator-elect owns a 16) acre farm in Meeker county, near Kimball. Mrs. , Johnsen plans to operate the farm during the time her h tsband is in Washington.

LOCAL TENNIS PLAYERS WIN I ’ Defeat Hartford City Players In Both Singles And Doubles Sunday i 1 , Decatur tennis stars won a closely i contested tournament at Hartford City Sunday, taking their opponents ’ into camp in both singles and doubles. The only match lost by the f Decatur team occured in the singles when Dr. Burt Mangold dropped his r match with Harley Knott, after win- ‘ ning the first set, 7-5. ' The Decatur players taking part in I the tournament were. Dr. Mangold. t Hugh Hite, Ed Engeler and Bryce , Thomas. The Hartford City players were Knott. Fred Lewis. Bowen Willj man and Roy Schmitt. Ralph Yager . accompanied the Decatur men and acted as score keeper. The trip was made in an automobile. Following t are the scores of the tournament: Doubles Hite and Mangold defeated Knott ' and Lewis, 6-3, 6-3. I Engeler and Thomas defeated Willman and Schmitt, 6-2, 6-2. I r Singles 1 Engeler defeated Schmitt. 6-2. 7-5. I 1 Knott defeated Mangold. 5-7, 6-2. 6-4. ’ | Hite defeated Lewis, 6-2, 4-6. 6-1. Thomas defeated Willman. 7-5. 6-3. BUSINESS TO : BE SUSPENDED I I Majority Os The Business i Houses To Close On Afternoons Os Fair i i A majority of the business houses 1 and the banks will close on Wednes- • day and Thursday afternoons, begins ning at‘ twelve o'clock and remain closed for the balance of the day. The clothing stores will close on Wednesday. Thursday and Friday afternoons. The banks, dry goods, grocery and l shoe stores will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday afternoon in order to give the proprietors arid employes 1 an opportunity to attend the big fair. ' Hundreds of people visited Bell--1 mont Park yesterday and enjoyed seeling the outlay for the week. Horses and concessions were arriving 1 throughout the day and the beautiful grounds are well filled with tents and r concessions, and the week promises to ’ be one of the happiest and most enjoyable in history. o — The bee meeting at the fair will be on Thursday. If interested, be there. |

Decatur, Indiana, Monday, .July 23, 1924» i

Work Started On New Concrete Road At Geneva Geneva. Ind., July 23. — (Special to Daily Democrat)—Work on the grade for the new concrete road which runs west from this city, a mile and a half I has been started and the road will be | completed within the next sixty to I ninety days. George Penning it Sou, jof New Corydon, have the contract and have a force of men busy on the grade now. The road was opposed by a number of citizens in the north part of the township but was finally secured and the contract let last spring. MANY ESCAPED LUNATICS STILL AT LARGE TODAY Al! Southern Illinois Joins In Man Hunt For Desperate Mad Men 19 OF 42 CAPTURED Body Os 227 Convicts Rush Unarmed Guards At Dusk Last Night I fT’nite 1 Pre®* Service) Chester, 111.. July 23—(Special to the Daily Democrat) — With all southern Illinois in a man hunt, 19 of 42 (correct) desperate lunatics—some of them I “killers,, —who escaped in a wholesale jail break from the Illinois State .hospital for (the criminal insane, had been captured at noon today. I These figures were given the United Press by Dr. Frank A. Stubblefield, managing officer, who was badly beaten when he jonied the guards in an attempt to break up the escape. The 23 mad men, still at large are thought to have made their escape from the environs qf Chester today over all of southern Illinois. Chief of Police John Janny captured four of the maniacs in a garage here as they were attempting to steal an autQinobile. Another was taken from a tree in which he had spent the night. Mrs. Thomas G. Davis was responsible for the capture of another. Seeing him pass her home, she rushed (Continued on page twoi Weather Unsettled tohight and Tuesday, probably local thundershowers, cool|er Tuesday except ini extreme south.

SEVERAL VISIT NEW HOSPITAL I' Building Nearlv Ready To . Be Opened To Public; i. Opening Next Week ‘ A week from todav. Monday July I 30th the people of Adams county will I l>e en loving the blessings and facilities offered by a modern hospital. The : Adams County Memorial hospital will !be opened to the public next Monday and already requests have been received from severa' people to become patients on the opening, and it is thought that ore or two surgical cases will be received. Hundreds of people visited the beautiful hospital Sunday and were shown i through the place bv Miss J’mile C. Christ, the superintendent nurse, and Miss Rowena Shoaff. surgical nurse. The visitors were amazed at the beauty and convenience of the place. The ’ finishing touches in the furnishings of 1 the rooms will he completed this week land it is thought that everything will be in place by next Sunday. I The formaj program, incident to (opening the hospital, will be held next Sunday afternoon at two o’clock. Dr. ' C. H. Good of Huntington, president ! of the Indiana State Medical Associaapolis. will be the principal speakers at the services. The public is invited to attend the program and everyone ' will be given an opportunity to see " the place. II • CONVENTIDNIN NEW YORK CITY . Dan M. Niblick Goes To Attend Meeting Os Dry Goods Dealers ,Dan M. Niblick, local dry goods ' merchant, left early this morning for ’ New York City, where he will attend the annual convention of the ' National Retail Dry Goods Association and the National Retail Garment Association. July 2 to August 3. The ‘ National Merchandise Fair will be I held during the same period. Mr. Niblick, who is a director of the Indiana Retail Dry Goods Association, is a delegate to this meeting. During the convention!, the various ' manufacturers will have on display their differnt ready-to-wear garments, in the 165th Regiment Armory. A fashion show will be held at the Lexington Theatre each evening during the convention. On next Saturday, the vistiing buyers will be entertained at Long Beach. Dry goods merchants and buyers are expected from (Continued on page -four)

Whitfeld On Trial Today (United Press Service) Cleveland. O„ July 23 (Special to Daily Democrat) —John L. Whitfeld went on trial here today for the murder of Patrolman Dennis Griffin. Motion of Whitfeld's attorneys for a continuance of two weeks in order to locate a defense witness, was overruled by Judge Frank C. Phillips, before whom the trial started. 0 _ Mr. and Mrs. Giles Porter, ami fam- . ily motored to Rome City yesterday. CALIFORNIA IS VICTIM OF QUAKE All Southern California Is Shaken By Severe Tremors Last Night (United Los Angeles. Calif.. July 23. — (Sqpi eial to Daily Democrat) —All of southern California, from Santa Barbara to the Imperial valley and the edges of the Great American desert was shaken around midnight by the most severe ! earthquake in three years. Damage was estimated at SIOO,OOO. Following the first shock at 11:28 t p.m.. practically all residents of Southern California cities spent the remainder of the night on streets. Many ■were in night clothes. Tremors conI tinned until 1 a m. Oil operators in the hundred mil--1 lion dollar fields at Santa Fe Springs and Signal Hill, feared the shock may I have ruined some wells or holes now • i drilling. The shock centered along the Fault [line under the huge silt bed phiin, ! upon which Los Angeles rests, and ! was apparently transmitted to the huge Imperial valley rift, running I zero’s the basin of the drv inland sea. below sea level near the Colorado There was no outstanding crash at ’ any point which gave the succession ,' of quakes and air of tragedy. Damage for the most part was confined to , nlaster and crokery breakage and the I shattering of plate glass windows. Bee Meeting At Fair Changed Th Thursday | Word has been received from C. O. ' Yost, chief inspector of apiaries by ’.Charles Brock stating that he will be i unable to he present for a meeting of ' the beekeeners of Adams county at ' the fair on Friday, but be will be here on Wednesday and Thursday. The ' meeting of the bee-ke°ners. which was -I scheduled to be here on Friday morn- ’ I ing, has been changed to Thursday. | The hour for the meeting has not been selected yet. but it will be announced ’ tomorrow or Wednesday. The meetI j ing will be held in the big automobile ') show tpnt along the midway, and Mr. I I Yost will give a talk on bees, which 1 will be of much interest to all per- ■ sons interested in bee-keeping. The i meeting is held under the auspices lof the Adams County Bee Keepers Association, but all people interested tn the subject are invited to attend the meeting. Library Closes While » Improvements Are Made The interior of the Decatur Public Library is being redecorated and the lighting system changed in order to give a better light where needed. I I Peter Gaffer and Son are doing the painting and decorating, while the ■ Schafer Hardware company is ad- : justing the wiring around the book shelves and tables. New books are j being placed on the shelves nearly every day and even in view of the hot summer days, interest in book reading and research continues. The school children make use of the li- , i brary and the circulation of books last month was almost as heavy as j during the winter months. The library will be closed until Monday, (August 6th, during which time the I improvements are being made. 0 Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Terveer and children, Mary, Martha and John, ar- ( rived home yesterday from a two week’s outing at the Kilbourne Cottage at Rome City.

Price: 2 Cents.

EVERYTHING IN READINESS FOR OPENING TUESDAY Exhibits And Attractions In Place Awaiting Opening Tomorrow MANY RACE HORSES More Horses Here Than Were Here Last Year; Three Races Tuesday | The largest crowd which ever vis- . ited the local fairground on the Sunday preceding the fair, was present at Bellmont Park yesterday, according to the managers of the fair today. Visitors were present from as far as one hundred miles, and many 1 cars from Ohio and Michigan were parked on the grounds. Thousands took advantage of the opportunity to I visit the fair free of charge. The concessions on the grounds did a big business yesterday and last night, I it being stated today that several of ! them made enough to pay their concession privilege for the entire week. Although not all of the attractions and exhibits were on the ground Sunday, many were there to entertain the visitors. Exhibits were ar- : riving all day yesterday and today and by tonight everything will be in readiness for the grand opening tomorrow. With fair weather tomorrow, a large crowd should mark the opening day. Children, ex-soldiers. Ford drivers, and Fords will be ad- , mitted free tomorrow. Many Race Horses ' Dan Beery, superintenent of the speed department, stated today that , there were more race horses here this year than there were last year. , Two more barns were being built under large tents today, to accohiodate the horses. Three events are on the speed program for Tuesday namely the 2:30 pace, the 2:25 pace, and the 2:20 trot for three year olds and under. A purse of S3OO is offered in each race. Judge Lew Casky. of ’ Fairmount will be the official starter. Free Attractions Are Here ’ | The various free attractions which will entertain the public in front of ‘ the grandstand each afternoon ami ) | evening, have arrived. Two more i shows for the midway arrived today • and began erecting their big tents. . All space in the big automobile show i tent has been sold and a few dealers I were unable to obtain space. Several automobile agencies from Ft. Wayne ■ i and other surrounding cities took adI vantage of the opportunity to show’ 1 their cars and purchased space in t the tent. A few local dealers were unable to obtain cars for the show. The style show, given by E. F. Gass & Son and Vance & Linn stores of this city, will be held in the automobile tent, also, each nfternoon and evening. Living models will display the fall and winter garments for men women and children. Live Stock Department The live stock department is well filled with entries, many coming in today. One of the biggest attractions in this department wall be a six-horse , team of draft horse which will be exhibited by Meyers, of Galveston, Indiana. These beautiful large horses will be hitched to an attractive wagon. A flock of twelve sheep, from Toronto, Canada, is here for exhibition. Many other sheep are on exhibition. There are many entries in the hog, ’cattle and poultry departments. Ladies Exhibiting Work The ladies of Decatur and Adams county a.:'e exhibiting their fancy arid domestic art work in the Ait hall. Three ladies were at work ' there today, arranging the exhibits. This feature of the fair was added | this year, and promises to prove very interesting. 1 , A special ’’ home feature” has been planned by the Home Economical ’ division at Purdue and will be one of (Continued on pace two)