Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 22, Number 307, Decatur, Adams County, 27 December 1924 — Page 1

Volume XXII. Number 307.

LICHT CONTRACT SETS APPROVAL OF COMMISSION Contract Between City And Preble light Company Is Renewed CHANGE IN RATES Reduction Made In Price |.'or Current In Excess Os 1,000 K. W. Tlio Public Service Commtss,lon of Indiana han approved the renewal of tli,. contract between the City of pecatnr and the Preble Light and power company, whereby the city of Decatur will furnish electric current io the Preble company and its pa irons living at Preble. Magley and Psterson and territory belonging to the company. According to the terms of the con tract the Preble Light and Power company will pay five cents per K. W. for the first 1.000 K. W. per month, and three cents per K. W. for all over the first 1.000. The old contract was written on a flat price of five cents for all current used The contract is effective January 1, 1925. and Is for one year only. The city of Decatur has been furnishing electric current to the Preble Light nnd Power company for several years and practically every home and film yard In the territory covered hy the company is wired for elec trinity The power is sold to the! Preble Light and Power company at the switchboard kx-aled at the west end ot the city limits. The city of Decatur maintains the right to cut off the power at any time the local plant, is not able to furnish it. With the signing of the contract by the officers of the Preble Light and Power company, it is taken for granted that the company will nego (late for the sale of the Hnwr-to the Insult Utility interest, it being under stood that the company had an offer similar to that made to the Pleasant Mills Light and Power company ■ o Illiteracy Greatly Reduced In Indiana • UNITED PREPS SERVICE) Indianapolis, Ind., Dec. 27.—Illiter acy in Indiana has been greatly reduced during the past four years, according to Miss Blanche Merry. State Attendance Officer today, who has been making an extensive investigation along this line in connection with her annual report to the State Department of Public Instruction. Passing her report on the findings of ninety attendance officers of the state, Miss Merry reports that the amount of Illiteracy in Indiana is only about four-fifths as much as It was in 1920. In the ninety districts who found 9,525 illiterates as compared to 43,310 in the same districts according to the 1920 IT. S. census. Although Miss Merry was unable to secure reports from all of the officers, she beieves that the reports dre representative of conditions throughout the state. Miss Merry found 2.007 feebleminded children and 2.451 feebleminded adults; 355 deaf children and 678 deaf adults; 161 blind children and 553 blind adults; 71 insane children in correctional schools; 3.076 adults in prison; illiterates not listed, 4 SO7 making a total of 17.397. “In justice to the state the feebleminded the insane should be counted" says Miss Merry. “The blind, deaf and dumb and the children in correctional institutions are in school therefore this group should be counted out.” A total of 6.520 children are not capable of instruction and 1,252 are in special schools, making 7,772 that should not be counted. From the 17.397, then there are only 9.625 illiterates? in the ninety districts where as ihe same districts in 1920 were tabulated at a total of 43.310. Cases Dismissed The cases of the state of Indiana vs. Melvin Hirschy and Albert Kirchofer for disturbing a public meeting and for public intoxication were dismissed by the court on motion of the prosecutor, following acquittal of the two defendants on a grand jury indictment charging the same offense.

SECATIJR DAILY democrat

Oral Davidson And Wife Visiting Relatives Here Mr. and Mrs. Oral David on, of Berne, are visiting in the city with I Mrs. Davidson's mother, Mrs. Myrtle I Wise, of North Eleventh street. Mr. I Davidson is the man who lost the SiKht in his one eye several weeks lago While working at the Decatur II Casting company plant. The sight in bls other eye was destroyed several yoars ago and he is totally bllnd Qow | It. was stated that the specialists who | examined his Other eye are very hopeful of restoring his sight REATH LIST IN FIRE TOTALS 35 r —— — Residents Os Hobart, Okla., Continue Task Os Burying Victims (UNITED PRESS SERVICE) ' Hobart. Okla., Dec. 27.—With the death list increased to 35 this morning. grief-stricken residents of Bobb's Switch continued their sombre task of burying the victims of the inferno which engulfed their community school house and its occupants during a Christmas Eve party. Mrs. J. P. Noah, 55, died in a hospital here during the night from burns and injuries received when trampled on by the panic-stricken throng of 250 persons fighting madly to escape from the small one-story frame building. Four sisters were laid to rest in one grave yesterday afternoon by j the solemn procession which wound its way down the icy road from Hobart Io the little eemtery in a near- . by valley. They were Gladys Clemens. Mary Lois Clemens, Juanita Clements, Stevens and Mary CleI ments. i On the casket bearing the body of ' Gladys Clemens was a wreath which bore the natne of Claude Bolding, ' who was to have become her husband 1 ! on Christmas day. lie Is in a critical i condition from injuries received in the holocaust. Paid In Full At Last (UNITED PRESS SERVICE) Mason City. lowa, Dec. 27—J. J. Clark, Judge of the district court, reiceived five dollars in the mail in payment for legal services performed 24 years ago for a man who moved to Peoria, ill. The fee was $2. "I am sending you my check for |5." said the client. "This is done to satisfy an original debt of $2 for legal services about the first week ol June, 1900 and simple interest at 6 per cent for the 24 years and six months time which has elapsed." TO RIVE PAGEANT SUNDAY EVENING I Methodist Sunday School To Present Pageant, “Joy to the World" The Methodist Sunday School will ' present the pageant, “Joy to the ■ World," by O. G. Herbreeht, at the church al 7 o'clock Sunday evening. 1 The episodes will protray the story ' of the Christ child and its meaning to ; the world from the time of early pro- • phesy to the birth of the Saviour. The nictures are as follows: ’ cornet 9010-“ Silent Night" Lloyd A Hr Processional— “Hark, the ~' r a' l l ' Angels Sing"-Class of Miss 1 Mrs. Beery, Mrs. Uwton, Miss Brown. "Redemption”—Doris ?® ter . ’ Choir—“ln the Cross the Christ. I k f - Robert Passwater, , ’ H TXXm I<S « «'■ * ’ So "war 1 ”-Mer t le r chrisman, Frank De- . Von David Heller. Robert Passwater, John Wilson Beery. -OP,. t,„ a..,. •• - Mr, Dan Tyndall, class of Mis, 1 Poling. Harry Magner. Avon B-triu '■ “The Annunciation’ - • Vlaiy ■ oX AnE-l. — a 1 Shimp. q. ar “_wise "The Rising of the ■ • f Men,-Charles Downs. Lloyd Ahr, f Harold DeVor. j "(Continued On Page Four)

INTENSE COLD MOVING SOUTH AND EASTWARD Severe Drops In Temperature Reported In Minnesota And Canada FAR BELOW ZERO Eastern States Due For Cold Wave Tonight And Tomorrow — (UNITED PRESS SERVICE) Chicago, Dec. 27—(Special to Daily Democrat I—lntense cold I, sweeping the northwest today, and ’ moving eastward and southward. Severe drops in temperature were reported from northern Minnesota and northern Canadian provinces. Duluth. Minn., experienced a drop of 54 dgeree, in 24 hours. The thermometer there stood at 28 below today. In the twin cities it. was 20 below against 30 above yesterday. Minnedosa. Manitoba, renorts 34 below aero. Other temperatures were: Calgary 30 below; Medicine Hat 32 below; Winnipeg 28 below: Moor head, Minn.. 26 below. The Dakotas, Nebraska and lowa. also reported big drops in tempera ’ t tires. The middlewest is still suffering; severely from demoralization of wire facilities from the storms of ten days! ago. Illinois and Nebraska are par ) ticularly hard hit. Central Illinois remains practically isolated from out side telephone and telegraphic serv ice. Northern Illinois and Indiana al so report great difficulty. Thousands of poles were smashed down in the storm and repairmen have been hampered by the extreme cold- Hundreds of new wire breaks are being reported. The wires snap to pieces from the great cold. Although no new deaths were reported today scores of persons were frostbitten. Train, are running far behind schedule. Great Northern train No. 2 from the west coast to St. Paul is 24 hours late. Number four pulled into St. Paul last night 24 hours late. Washington. Dec. 27—(Special to Daily Democrat) —A drop la temperature of at least twenty degrees tonight an<l tomorrow was forecast for most of the eastern states by the weather bureau today. The cold wave which has gripped tlie middlewest for the past 24 hours is advancing on the cast and cold wave warnings were ordered out by the bureaus in all states except those of tlie south Atlantic and gulf regions. These will receive freezing temperatures but without the sharp plunge of the thermometer scheduled in the north. Snow flurries will accompany the cold wave in the mountainous regions of the east but the weather will be fair in other sections- Strong northwest winds will hamper shipping along the Atlantic coast. o — furtherst north for corn Edmontion. Alta—Fartherest north for corn has been achieved at the Ft. Vermillion expermental farm. 650 miles north of the international boundary, according to a report of the Dominion department of arglculture. Seven commercial varieties of field corn were successfully grown at the farm this year. They were Wisconsin No. 7, White Cap, Yellow Dent, Bailey, Ixmgfellow, Northwestern Dent, Quebec No. 28 and Canada Yellow. The yields ranged from 151-2 tons to the acre on the Wisconsin variety to 24 1-2 tons on Longfellow. o— Wanted Thrill Os Death (UNITED PRESS SERVICE) Cleveland, 0., Dec. 27.—A sixteen year old girl who police wanted to "experience the thrill of death,' died here early today. The girl, Ruth Williams, drank poison in the home of a neighbor. Her parents say they believe she took the poison by mistake. “I'd love to experience the thrill of death,” Ruth said, Mrs. Anna Staon, the neighbor the girl was visiting, told police. A few minutes later the girl swallowed Ihe poison. She died several hours later.

Decatur, Indiana, Saturday, December 27, 1924,

WILLING TO DO HIS SHARf Muncie. Indiana, Dec. 2? 1924 Frank M. Schirmeyer, Decatur, Ind. bear Friend: — 1 notice in the dally paper I received from Decatur that there Is some "agitation” going on over . the question of another "home i coming" at. Decatur this year. It I is hardly fair for the one who has i wandered away from the old home to urge the holding of ouch a meeting, as the work falls only on I the local people. But I assure you I that If your committee decides to , have the meeting we "furrlners" j will try by our presence to make j It a success. It doesn't mean Io I me the meeting of many old friends like it did in 1912. Most I of the people J knew have slipj ped away, yet I will be glad to i return and greet the few I formi erly knew so well. I hope to hear that a home coming will be held i this year. The seasons greeting to you and the Mrs. Sincerely, .1. FRANK MANN. ALLEGED BANDIT ARRESTED TODAY — Elwood Fry Arrested On Grand Jury Indictment; Locked In Jail I Elwood Fry, Adam, county youth. «bo was errested several months ago with Cletho McCleater on a charge of holding up and robbing H. P. (.'rum, Honduras storekeeper, was arrested today on a grand jury indictment charging him with robbery and autoobile banditry, in connection with the same offense. As Fry did not give bond for his release he was committed to the county jail. The bond has been fixed at $2,000. The robbery at Honduras occured last July. McCleater pleaded guilty to the charge and is serving a sentence at the state reformatory for the crime. The former cases against Fry have been set for trial on January 7. — 0 **Uncle” Joe Bremerkamp 1 Is Visiting Old Friends “Uncle” Joe Bremerkamp camo here from the Soldiers' Home at Dan vllle, Illinois, to spend Christmas and New Years with old Decatur friends. He is stopping at the Hotel Murray as the guest of Dan Beery. "Uncle" Joe is a veteran of the Civil War and is a former newspaper man. —o SAMUEL BAKER EXPIREB TODAY Retired Farmer Died At Home Here After Illness Os Cancer - 1 I' Samuel Baker, age 69 years, retired farmer, died at his home, 314 North Ninth street ,at 10:15 o'clock tills morning, following an illness of cancer. Mr. Baker was a son of Solomon and Catherine Baker and was born August 28, 1885. He resided in Adams county practically all of his life. He was a member of the United Brethren church. Mr. Baker is survived by his wife, Mary Jane Baker; three sons, Ira 1., of Fort Wayne, Roy and Ves, of Decatur; one daughter, Mrs. Pearl Regey ,of Decatur; six sisters. Sarah Anna Wagoner, of Monroe; Manda E. Manu, of Geneva; Eileen Dickerson, of Geneva; Matilda Sherer, of Monroe; Frances Mousey, of Merrie Michigan, and Altneda Moore, of Beach, California; and two brothers, Jonathan Baker, of Sturgis, Michigan, and Isaac. Baker, of Minor, North Dakota. Funeral services will be held from the residence at one o'clock and from the Winchester Church near Monroe at 2 o’clock Monday afternoon, the Rev. Chupp officiating. Burial will be made in the Ray cemetery. Weather Fair and much colder tonight; Sunday fair and continued cold.

STUDENTS ARE ARRIVING FOR AUCTION SCHOOL Annual Mid-Winter Term Convenes On Next Monday Morning ENROLLMENT IS LARGE 'First Student To Arrive Is Col. Vilhouer, Os Tyndall, S. D. The Reppert Auction School will convene Monday morning for the mid-winter term, in (he former Old Adams County bank rooms in the Niblick block and indications are for one of the most interesting terms since the school opened. The enrollment is one of the largest for several years and the instructors and man ageinent are anticipating a lively session. The boys began reporting this morning and will all be here by • Monday afternoon it is expected. The first to register this morning was Col. William Vilhouer, Tyndall. Routh Dakota. “How's the weather out there?" yelled Col. Reppert. J “Twenty-four below," replied Col Bill, "and headed for forty.” The next one in was Robert C. Smith, Jackson. Tennessee, who reported the mercury twenty above • and the violets about ready to bloom Then in came Stafford Wimberley, Kearney, Nebraska, who raised Vilhouer a "white check” when he re- . ported the temperature twenty-five > below and a “cold wave” coming, f And so on through the day. The boys had a good time getting acI quainted and located today. They i are all anxious to get into the school work and to make every moment of , the three weeks' session count. , Many of the previous students of the school are making good over the ( country and every student can do so if lie applies himself and follows the I instruction given by Col. Reppert and his assistants o . Average Os One Workman Killed In Indiana Daily (UNITED PRESS SERVICE) Indianapolis, Ind., Dec. 27 — An average of one workman Is killed in Indiana industries for each ten hour working day. 8 Those are injured during each . working minute, or 144 a day. I This was announced today in ths annual report of slate Industrial board for the fiscal year which ended • September 30. The average was hasI ed on the totals for Hie nine years and one month that the board has been in operation. During that period 2.508 fatalities have occurred in the various branches of Industry, accidents reported . totaled 374.112. ’ Workmen and families of workmen during that time have received a total of $13,068,505.16 in awards made by the board for compensation as a ret suit of the deaths and injuries. During the fiscal year on which the report was based the number of accidents fell off 846 from tlie total of I the previous year. During the latter j year 49,000 accidents occured which , resulted in 274 deaths nnd 739 dismemberments. j The mining industry reported the j largest toll with fifty-two dead and 4 5,475 injured. The casualties in , other leading industries were; railroads, 4,556 injured, 20 killed; 2.732 injured, 3 killed, and iron and steel 2.192 injured and 35 killed. The average weekly wage of working men, women and children was reI fleeted in the wages of those injured and killed during the year. The , wage of men average $27.14 a week, '' for women $13.75, and for children under sixteen years of age, $14.41. The wage of the men an increase a f over $26.68 a week for the previous i year. During the year 1,565 women were injured and 377 children. During its organization the board i has adjusted the compensation for 23,096 killed and injured. During the past fiscal year the board hoard 2.067. cases. O J Marriage Licenses Tillman T. Lehman, furniture maker, Berne, to Edna Emma Spichlger, Geneva. Palmer Moser, mechanic, Berne, to Edna lydunan, Berne.

Pupils Os District School Give Program Tim patrons of district school. No. 2, in Monroe township, were entertain ed Wednesday afternoon when the pupil) of that school gave a Christmas program. In addition to a number of songs and recitations, tlie Rev, S. I. Zechlel, of Monroe, gave a talk ! on "The Birth of Christ.” The Christmas presents were then exchanged and Christmas candy was distributed among ail present. o VOTE AGAINST EVACUATIONNOW Conference Os Ambassadors Agree Not To Evacuate Cologne (UNITED PRESS SERVICE) Paris, Dec. 27 —(Special to Daily Democrat) —The conference of am i bassndors. in session here today, 1 agreed not to evacuate Cologne The conference will send a codec ' tive note to G ‘rmanv on the question The ambassadors met. at noon. ■ with M. Cambon of France presiding., Marshal Foch and a number of mill-. tary experts were summoned. At the same time German Ambassador; Von Hoesch was received by Marshal Foch in his bed chamber, where he is confined by illness. o — Delphos. Ohio, To Have No Street Lights After Jan. 1 Delphon, Ohio, will have no street lights after January 1. The Delphos Herald says after that time lanterns will come into vogue with pedestrians. This action comes as the result of the refusal of the voters to erant financial relief at the election in November when the proposed ad-; ditional levy of nine-tenths of a mill was voted down. The city owes the Northwestern Light Co., $3,282.29 for ( street lighting. No bills having been paid since last May. The sum of $467.39 will be saved each month by doing away with the street lights ! At present there is no relief in sight 'and unless some means of pajiug the light bill lanterns will be the order! of the day. o — LONDON’S DANGERS London. Dec. 27—The streets of this city are becoming increasingly perilous. During the first ten months of 1924 more than six hundred persons were killed and 61.964 Injured in street accidents. This is an average of 100 deaths per annum more than 1923. Due to this increasing traffic danger, Londoners nre becoming more interested daily in safety first measures. SPECIAL SESSION OF CITY COUNCIL 'Allowance Os Bills And Discussion Os 1925 Program On Docket A special meeting of the city coun- . cil will be held Tuesday night at the city hall and City Clerk Katherine ' ; Kauffman requests that all bills against the city be filed not later I than Monday for allowance Tuesday . night. Several matters in addition to allowing of . bills will be discussed by the council at the special meeting. ' The proposed purchase of a new boiler at the city light and power plant will come up and other important business will be transacted. The city government, and tlie municipal light plant operated under control of the city council, has made wonderful strides within the year. The ornamental street lighting program was continued and carried out during the year, the lights erected on several streets and Improvements made and completed at the city plant. Tlie councilmen will discuss the program for 1925 and hope to be able to I continue in a progressive way during ! 1925. I — CHICAGO GRAIN CLOSE Wheat: Dec $177%. May $1.80%, July $153%. Corn: Dec. $1.26% May $1.31%, July $1.32. Oats: Dec 61%c, May 66c, July 64%C-

Price 2 Cents.

M’COY’S FATE STILL HANGING IN BALANCE Jury Appears Deadlocked In Murder Case In Los Angeles STAND SEVEN TO FIVE Stood 6 To 6 Throughout The Night; Expect No Verdict Soon (UNITED PRESS SERVICE) Ix)s Angeles, Cal., Dec. 27—(Special to Daily Democrat)—The Kid I McCoy jury stands 7 to 5 which way no one but the Jurors know. Called before Charles F. Trail at 11:30 a m. the four men reported that the 6 to 6 standing of last night ; had changed to the other figure. I After the report the jury filed back Into the council room to continue Its deliberation "That Is encouraging,” Judge Crall said, commenting on the jurys rej port. He and the attorneys In the ca<ve : went to lunch. McCoy was led back to his cell The jury’ will dllbergte until it decides to go to lunch but nd verdict is believed possible for a time If at all. After an hour’s deliberation the Jury sent for the rubber apron which the prosecution claimed Mrs Mors was wearing at the time of her death. This was taken to mean that the jurors were discussing the creditability of McCoy's suicide story, related on the witness stand. The state claimed that two big j holes in the apron correspond in location to stab wounds on Mrs. Mors j body. The prosecution also alleged that McCoy did not explain how the apron came to be Ln the kitchen of ; the apartrn’-nt where It was found FIGHT POSTAL RATE INCREASE Publishers Say Increase Would Exclude Newspapers From Mails (Special to Dally Democrat) Washington, Dec. 27.—Daily papers would be excluded from th" Ynall by any legislation increasing present rates on second class matter representatives of American newspapers publishers association told the joint congressional committee. During the hearing on the $68,000,000 postal salary increase bill It was contendeed that records of the post office department show the inadvislbility of raisi ing rates on second class mail. It was pointed out that past increases have driven large quantity of newspaper ’ circulation from the malls and further increases would do likewise. The publishers renewed their protest that they had not sufficient time to study the report of the post office department r>n which the proposed increases are based. They also protested against any legislation affecting the malls which is coupled directly with the postal salaries increase hill” o ■ ■—- ■ — Says Manv Ex-Soldiers Are Afflicted With Fear Battle Creek. Mich., Dec. 27 —‘.‘Mental sickness” afflets more than 10,000 World War veterans In government hospitals in this country today ( Colonel Frank E. Leslie, in charge of ' Hospital No. 100 at Camp Custer here said. "Os the 25.000 ex-soldiers being cared for in government hospitals more than 10.000 are mentally sick,” I Col. Ijeslle said. “Possibly 25 per , cent of these cases would have occurred regardless of a call to war service. The remaining 75 per cent, , are the direct result of the late cont Act.” "Fear was the greatest factor in breaking down nervous systems of men in the army during the World War,” he said. "Country boys had the greatest difficulty in readjusting ( , themselves to peace time. City boys : , readjusted themselves quickly, due to the speed of living In the city.