Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 21, Number 303, Decatur, Adams County, 24 December 1923 — Page 1

Volume XXI. Number 303.

CITY IS READY FOB COMMU'dITY XMMSPROGRAM Gifts Distributed To Poor; Public .Joins In Celebration Tonight SHOPPERS END TASK Everybody Is Prepared For Opening Os Christmas Tomorrow is Christmas Day, the first and best of all holidays, in preparation for this day of days, nil Decatur has for weeks been taking count of finances, rushing hither and hither front store to store, writing letters to Santa Claus or gift list, com j plaining and planning, concealing and prying, telling and knitting little fabri. cations and doing one thousand and one things no one would do or dare to do in any one of the other 11 months of the year. The community Christinas celebration will be held around the beautiful evergreen tree which has been erected on Liberty Way. beginning at five o'clock this evening. Every school child in the city has been invited to attend the celebration and take a part in the singing of Christmas carols which will be led by Dr. Fred Patterson. Candy will be distributed anong the children, every child present receiving a treat. The celebration was planned by the Woman's Club. The big tree was donated by the Old Adams County Bank; The Confer Ice Cream Company donated

a truck and men to haul the tree into the city; and Martin Mylott, superintendent of the city light plant, assisted by hie force of workmen, donated tbeir services in erecting and decorating the tree. The Woman's Club is very grateful to these parties for their assistance and donations. Good Fellow* C**»a The Good Fellows Club, sponsored by the Delta Theta Tau sorority, began the task of distributing gifts of clothing, toys candy, nuts and other articles among the poor and needy children of the city at 4:30 o'clock this evening. Ten automobile* were donated to the aorority to be used in distributing the articles.. Four local business men played Ranta Claus and aided in distributing the gift*. More than 3275 was donated to the Good Fellow* Club fund during the last few weeks by local citizens. Basket* of food for Christmas dinnera, provided by the local Elks lodge were also distributed among the needy families of the city by the Good Fellows' Club this evening. The Elks, also donated *SU to the Good Fellows' club to be used in purchasing clothing and toys. The baskets of food contained a chicken each, and all other goodies necessary to make up a first class Christmas Today, the day before Christmas brings the reul slimax in the brief reign of Kris Klngle. This is the occasion for the eleventh hour shopping in stores already quite denuded of their alluring and intriguing holiday attire. “Early Christmas Shopping.'' i* being done in all circles, but people Just can't foil-It that Hast lingering round of the stores. I hut bidding farewell (u the friend who comes but once u year. As long as the Mhopn an* o|M*n on ChFlttwiM **ve, which Is the evening, there will be ■ hoppers.

Everybody Will Give And Get Everybody has been Chriatmss shopping this yenr end everybody will observe Christmas tomorrow in very much the eeniv manner. Rich end |mor alike ere going to «iv* and rt *’ reive, differing from oach other only !n that which to given and re< rived In come families perhaps Santa Clauß will be a little old fashioned end make hie annual visitation thia even Inn after the family dinner and under the benevolent warmth of the brilliant < handellrra. Then attain ihr (tod of •lifts will enter by the chimney pla« •• during the still hours after midnight. •hat hla young worshipper* may view I hia work* In the subdued light of dawn and with the freshness of ••*•. new day. -Just What I Needed" Tomorrow la the day when fathers brotharn, son* and lovera ar* afford"d that great privilege and pn-oitatlvr ( given to men only. The right to res rally exclaim •Jimt (Continued on Pag* elx)

BECATUR daily democrat

1 1 red Ahr Loses Finger In Sausage Grinder er' r?'l if'"' k "° Wn y ° U "* fiU nl ' r siding just east of the Monroe S'teet bridge, had the misfortune of ofing the third finger on his right I hand in an accident hist Thursday. •Mr. Ahr was engaged in grinding | sausage when his linger became eu--1 tangled in the meat and caught In knives. The second finger was damaged M tne, also, but the physician was able to save that member, rite injury has caused Mr, Ahr great Pain and today was the first time since the accident that he has been able to rest.

DOCTORS GIVE ENCOURAGEMENT Say Mark Noble Can Be Partially Relieved Os His Affliction Hope for at least a partial recovery and that, he might walk with the aid of crutches within a year has been extended by physicians ami sur peons who examined Mark Noble, 10 year old son of Mr. and Mrs. Karl Noble of this city, who was taken to Indianapolis Saturday by H. F. Worthman. superintendent of city school. The surgeons said that they thought they could do the Noble* lad some good and felt that they could relieve his cripbd condition some what, but that he should return home with Mr. Worthman and his father and come back to Indianapolis after the first of the year. He was given a thorough examination. Several years ago the Noble J boy was a victim of infantile paraly sis and was left helpless, the paraly sis destroying the hack bone ami the use of both legs. He has not walk ed for several years. He will lx admitted to the James Whicomb Riley Hospital for crippled children nt soon aa that institution opens ar.cl previous to that time will be given a lied in the* Robert W. I-or.g Ho-pi tai. at which place he was examin ed last Saturday. Kick From Horse Is Fatal To Edgar Rohr Word has been received here of the* death of Edgar Rohr, which occurred Saturday at lainsing. Mich., due to injuries which Mr. Rohr received when be was kicked by a horse The body will be taken to Van Wert. Ohio, where funeral services will be held Wednesday morning from the Catholic church. Mr. Rohr wus about 45 years of age* and was a bro-ther-in-law of Henry Heidvmun. of this city. Mr. Heldemen will attend the funeral.

Christmas Dinners For Chicago’s Poor People Chicago. Dec. It—(Special to Daily Democrats— Sit thousand Christmas dinners -enough for 20.0'W personswere distributed tn Chicago's poor today while the Wlcboldt foundation announc'd ll» Christmas present would be the distribution of 3153-d* io i li.' .c' charities. GOO!) FELLOWS ( LI B Sponsored By Delta Theta Tuu Sorority For Purpose of Bringing Chrlstmns Cheer to the Poor Kiddles. A few contributed Io the Good HI lowa fnrnl by placing small amounts In the boxes this morning. The total fund at noottwa* 3775 54. aard to give the poor kiddles a happy Christmas. The distribution will be made this evening. Harla h.vlng ..... twum. Announced Friend ‘. Ear I Shaikh-.* Kynt Viiglewrde Total ........... Tenth (mmeculive Christmas In Chicago. Dec. 84—" In ami out" James Pablo will spend his tenth consecutive Christmas In Jail This lime Palttio wan arrested while attempting to hold up a man.

— ——V T t < V - w t V . VTV.CTTVV' i The Night Before Christmas j ....j.... < ..;. ++++++ 7 ♦ e- TT ■Ljr* \ W I JPr ■ W I *-■ -j-ssj ’ £ I I SWwNFfi' v I rc T'-nr v I > UK. ?k v |-l nr. t «* * SJM ’ r i (By Clement Clark Moore) 'Twas the n : ght before Christmas, when all through the house Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse; The stockings were hung by the chimney with care. In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there; The children were nestled all snug in their beds. While visions o.* sugar plums danced through their heads; And mamma in her kerchief, and I in my cap. Had just settled our brains for a long winter's nap. When out on the lawn arose such a clatter, • >P r «U&_X£Am ruy bed t» see what was the matter. Away to the window I flew like a flash. Tore open the shutters, and threw up the sash. The moon cn the breast of the new-fallen snow Gave a lustre of mid-day to objects below; When what to my wondering eyes should appear, But a miniature sleigh, anj eight tiny reindeer, With a little old driver, so lively and quick, I knew tn a moment it must be St. Nick! More rapid than eagles his coursers they came. And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name: "Now. Dasher; now. Dincer! now. Prancer! now. Vixen! On, Comet! on. Cupid! on, Donder and Blitzen! —- To the top cf the porch, to the top of the wall! Now. dash away, dash away, dash away all!" As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly, When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky. So up to the housetop the coursers they flew, With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too. And then in a twinkling I heard on the roof The prancing and pawing of each little hoof. As I drew in my head, and was turning around. I ii’ontii»ued on Pace s|*t

MANYATTEND I VAIL FUNERAL M. E. Church Filled With | Friends And Relatives Os John W. Vail One of the most largely attended funeral* held In Decatur for some < time, was that of John W. Vail, prom Inent Decatur manufacturer, which was held from the First Methodist j church Sunday afternoon The large church auditorium, the Sunday School room and the balcony were filled with , friend* who mourned the l»»* of this , widely known mid highly respected citizen. , The Hey. 15. S. A. Bridge, pastor of the First Methodist church, had ' charge of the services and preached the funeral sermon The (lev. John ' C. White. pastor of the Simpson M. E. churi h. of Fort Wayne, and a for mir pastor of the Imai .M, K. church. J was present and offend prayer, word* of comfort to the bereaved family and his appreciation of the dacnaaed. The 1 Bluffton Commund'-ry of Knights Templar, of which Mr Vail was tr I member, .ondmted their beautiful ; rlfusllsile services at th* < him h and i at Maplewood cemetery, where burial occured. Many relatives and friends from a dUtancq attended the funeral. Includ ,lng brother* umt sister* nf the de ceased, tine brother, the Hev, Col omoa Vail, of Washington. D. C.. was | unable to b« present on account of Illness.

Decatur, Indiana, Monday, December 24, 1923

BUSSE FINED FOR SPEEDING Kirkland Township Resident Fined In City Court This Morning; Fred Busse, of Kirkland township, was found guilty on a iharge of speeding, by Mayor H. M. De Vos*. In city court thia morning He was fined fl and cost" Busse was summoned to appear in court Saturday afternoon, a* the result of an accident which occured last Thursday, when Busse's isr collided with a car driven by a Mr. Bredllng er. also of Kirkland township, nt the interne* tlon of Monroe and Seventh streets. He entered a plea of nut guilty when arraigned In court Saturday afternoon. Durlnr the trial thin morning, four witnesses were used by the state and four by the de fenne Busse did not have an attorney engaged, however. (Imrlra Vndlewedu made a •'«*•■ nr** trip tn Fort Wayne thl* mornIn*. ■ - ————— l Christmas JlXi] At Handjfej

GIANT AIRSHIP WITH MANY ON BOARD IS LOST French Dirigible With Crew Os 57, Drifting Helplessly At Sea STORM WRECKS SHIP 200 People Believed To Have Been Drowned In Mediterranean Purls. Dpi- .24.—At 4 pm. the mln istry of Marine was still without word ■ from fli> dirigible Dixmude, which is I drifting helplessly in the grip of Med I Iterranean storms near the gulf ot ■ Gabes, unable to land. The ministry regards the situation ' as disquieting. Reports from last 1 night from the Dixmude were to the effect that her commander would try j to land at Medenine. The storms which whirled the giant | airship from her course and kept her I aloft since Tuesday are the most se- . vere in years. Many shipping vessels have been tossed ashore ami it is feared more 1 than 200 persons have been drowned. One hundred anil elghty-six persons crews of fishing am! other vessels, are missing from Barcelona alone. Fifty-seven On Board Tunis, Dee. 24.— Prisoners of the sky—held aloft, the plaything of tern I tests for four days. 57 members of | the crew of the giant French navali dirigible Dixmude attempted desper-; ately to tiring their huge craft to earth in northeast Africa today. With its fuel exhausted and Its I crew, many of whom are ill subsist-1 Ing on crumbs of rations that gave out several days ago. the former Ger man airship, handed over since the war. had been hovering helplessly over the Gulf of Caltes. The Dixmude flew from Toulon. France, on a sixty hour cruise of the northern coast ul Africa last Tuesday For two days all went well. Then winter gales, roaring from the northwest, whirled the dirigible from its <our.se. DAUGHTER OF CITY’S FOUNDER EXPIRED TODAY Pneumonia Fatal To Mary Johnson, Daughter Os Thomas Johnson LIVED WITH SISTER Father Donated Site For County Seat; Helped Plat The City Mary Johnson. 57. daughter ot Thomas Johnson who was one of the founders of Decatur. died at the home of her sister, Mrs George Crist, on Eleventh street, at 9:2# o'clock Sun day evening The Immediate cause of death was pneumonia, although j Miss Johnson had suffered with got ; tre for some time. She* was taken i 111 with pneumonia about a week ago. , Miss Johnson was born In Adam I: county, December 22, IsfiS She was | a daughter of Thomas and Elisa John-1 •on. Her lather and Samuel L. Kugg I cut down the timber and laid off the lota where the City of Decatur now stands, tn the year 18'18. more than righty-seven years ago The popula tlon of Decatur at that time was about liai Mr. Johnson donated the site for the county seat here. He was one of the Brin ami energetic pion eer» of this section of the alate, Mixa Johnson spent prat ticallj h<*r entire life In Decatur and Adatns conn ty. She was a member of the First MethodM church of |a*<attir and wa»| a highly respected Indy. lie-side** the, •later nt whose home sh>* died. Miss

Johnson Is survived Ity the following brothers and Matora: Mrs, t'harlra Chaney. I’lymmith. Indiana. Abner Johnson. Kansas City; Jacob Johnson |n«attir. and liarton Johnson, Kansas City. Funeral servb es w 111 be held from th* First Methodist <hor<h at two o’tlm-h Wednesday nfternmm. the Iley. If. H A. Undue. pa dor oltlclat log Hhnrt services will be held nt the Crist home on Eleventh street at I j;M n'ctoch, Burial will he mad* in '.th* Maplewood cemetery.

Pennsylvania Kills A Family Os Four Hartsdale, Ind.. Dec. 24 —(Special to Daily Democrat) An inquest was started today Into the death of u fam- ' Uy of four, killed near here lute Saturday night when u Pennsylvania passenger train demolished their car. The dead: Michael Somelove, 30, land his young wife; Theresa. 4. and Albert 6. their children. j Somelove attempted to beat the train to the crossing, police were told. The car was hurled fifty feet. They were enroute to Oak Glenn. Ind., to spend the holidays with rehl- | lives TREAT INMATES OF INFIRMARY Tri Kappa Sorority To Distribute Annual Treat Christmas Dav Christmas cheer will lie dlslrlhnt I ed by the memliers of the Tri Kappa sorority on Christmas day among the i inmates of the County Infirmary. Following their usual custom the girls will take individual treats to th» men and women, who although they are served a Isxindiful dinner on Christmas day by Supt. ami Mrs Harry P. MFountala. always appreciate the candy, oranges and other little delicacies that the girls glvt them including cigars for the men Thitry-three men and women an 'inmates at the Infltmary and th* (visit from of the Tri Kappa girls is ;always looked forward to with much anticipation. The Tri Kapjias' have been treating the Infirmary Inmates for ten years or more. TO AID ORPHANS AND SUFFERING Two-fold Collection To Be Taken At The Catholic Church Christmas A twofold eollectlon for < hartty will be taken up at the St. Mary's Catholic church am! throughout the | Catholic dioretes in the Fort Wayne district on Christmas day. In connection with the usual Christ mas collection for the Catholic or phanage at Lafayette ami Ft. Wayne all money received over the total of last year's collection for the orphan I liomea will be sent to Germany t<>. the relief of the twenty million men. women an<l children of that destitute < ountry who are starving tor the want of food, or freexing for the need of clothing. The Christmas collection last year in the Fort Wayne dtm-eaoa totalled *34.479.00, of which the local St Mary's Catholic church <ongregatlon uave 11.11385 At the masses Sunday tb<* appeal transmitted to this country from III* Hidinesa Pop** Plus XI. to the apo* toile delegate In this country, was road hv Rev Father Helmet* and Rev, Father Otto Peters The Rt. Rev. I Bishop Herman J Alderlng also •*» hodi* d the appeal for aM for the Ger i man p<*o|de In his annual Christ maI mea«ng<- and urged the faithful to give not only to the orphans, but for I th.- relief of the suff<-rlng and war j ridden gaapb*. aa well Father Seim |<*t» In Iw-autlful and touching words ■old <>f the suffering of the German I iwoplc and stall'd that it waa an «p portunity to help suffering humanity. Nine masses will )••• celebrated at the Hl Mary's Catholic chureh on Christmus. lh<* three regular masse* being at five, seven thirty and nine forty-five. The other six musses will tee said In between and the members of the congregation Will also receive Holy Communion during the early .11 asses

....... . - - II *■ I —-e - ----- Woman, K 6, Killed On Way To Xmas Gathering UPorte. Ind. Hee H (Kpoctal to Italh In-mocrall Mrs William Is Pay. M. «a* killed and four other members of her family were slightly injured tn an auto a< tWent near here yesterday. Th* auto skidded M the slipper? toad and fumed over an embank meat Th* aged unman was pinned beneath the ear and Instantly killed Other members of the party were bruised and < lit They had started tn Chicago to spend Christmas with relatives.

Price: 2 Cents.

SAY CUSTOMERS OF BOOTLEGGERS WERE OFFICERS Customer List Said To Bear Names Os Cabinet Members And Others LIST DISAPPEARS Dry Leaders Demand That List Be Published; Grand Jury To Act rVnltsd Press sniff correspondent) Washington, Do< 24—(Special to Datlv immocrat) —Mystery surrounding the whereabouts of a list of 1400 customers of a well organized bootleggers syndicate here today roused laith wets and dry* to new demands, that the list be produced and mnd<* public. The customers list. Boiled when headquarters of the syndicate in a downtown office building were raider. contained the namea, according to police, of cabinet members, congressmen. other government officials and hundreds of |» rsons socially well known. Deinanda for Ils publication follow•d as local authorities prepared to submit to the grand Jury the cases of thirteen persons arrested In connection with the syndicate's operat ons. Senator Six ppard of Texna. try leader; Wayne II Wheeler, of the Xnti Saloon league-, and Colonel Wiliam A. Staiton. b*ad ot the Association Against the Prohibition Amendnent. a!! demanded that the list be made public- to disclose whether it waa true government officials were violating prohibition laws. laical police who cooperated with imhibltlon agents in making the ar.ests. said they turned over a cuatomers list to the Internal revenue* bureau. Revenue officials denied they had such a list and called it a myth, if the icat u not prcxluced or Its '■■esession admitted. Senator Sheppard will ask the senate to Invest! cate Its concealment. That such a list existed, whether •t was captured or not. was well snown in Washington, where the syndicate Is understood to have- o|x-rat-d for three years or longer An Ingenious system of numbers for customers and letters to dxaignalr varieaiH aorta of beverages was employed by the syndicate. Mexican Federalist* Fear Rebel Move In South Mexico City. Dae. 24.— Fearing a teleel thrust from the- south, Pretsl-de-nt Obregon today dispatched Gen oral Arnulfo Come*, military com mand<-r of the capital, with I.s’ifl me n. to Cuernavaca, state of Morelos. General Figueroa's rebel force occupied Puente Ik- Ixtla. just south of that c ity, Faturday In the east fe-derala were busy eonMdldating their victory at Puebla, which they captured Saturday after toxin not earlier a* crronnusly reported Fire Destroys Masonic Temple At Auburn. Ind. Auburn lud . Ite-e 24 ißpecial to Daily Democrat t Fire e-arly today destroyed th'* Masoolc temple here with a loss eMctlmatrd at 240.000 A grocery, a cafe*, and two offices located on the ground floor of th<> stmt turn suffered heavy loss. Tlx* bulge room occupied the entire second flex*r Il is beltevcd the fire starte<l from ' » defective furnace. —— —' Weather

Partly cloudv tonight and Tuesday; somewhat tmaettled In north portion; not uni'll change In temperature. CHRISTMAS APPLES Fred Rchnrger. well known ah strailnr and attorney of this city, brought a dnara fin* ap| les to this office this morning picking them from th* tree this morning They are of the Gloria Monday variety and sure ate good. No use to go south when you can pick Juhy apples in Indiana In tfeermber. Those who lasted them will vouch hey were good and Fr*d »wes.rs that he pithed them today