Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 23, Number 92, Decatur, Adams County, 17 April 1925 — Page 1

Vol. XXIII • Number 92.

OFFICER SHOOTS FLEEING PRISONER

hold-up occurs OH STATE ROAD SOOTH OF CITY Otha Lobenstine, Local Undertaker, Robbed By Three Masked Men fiET SMALL “SWAG” Hold-up Occurs At 1:30 A. M. At Cross-roads, Three Miles South Three masked bandits held up and robbed Olha Lobenstine Decatur undertaker, at 1:30 o’clock this morning at the Haines school house, three miles south of here on the Monroe road as he was on his way |o his home in Monroe. About in <‘ash was obtained and the remaining contents of Mr. I.obcnstine's pocketbook were returned. Mr. Lobenstine had been arranging for a funeral in this eilv and had start* <1 home about He noticed the lights of a ear headed west on the crossroads at the Haines school house and as he approached one of the men flashed a light al him signaling for him to slop. At first. Mr. Lobenstine thought that some one was having tire trouble and slowed down his car. The bandits' car was crossed on the road in such a manner that it was impossible for another car to pass. As Mr. Lobenstine came tfl-J. Jitup near the other car. a man who appeared to be working; on the other car. approached him. All three men were masked and jnst before Mr. Ixibenstine drew up he noticed that the man who flashed the stop signal (Continued rr cage Six) FOUR SCHOOLS WIN CONTESTS Contestants For County Literary-Music Contests Are Selected Decatur won three firsts, Monroe two. Kirkland one and Pleasant Mills one in the sectional high school literary music contests, held at the local high school auditorium last night for the purpose of selecting contestants to represent the northern half of the county in the annual county literary-music contest to be held at Berne Saturday evening. April 25. Monmouthh was represented in the contest but failed to win a first. About one hundred persons attended the contest here last night. Three of the four judges in the contests were from Adams county. The judges were: E. V. Shierling. principle of the Pleasant Mills high school; A. J. Bliss, of Geneva; Elizabeth Haskins, a music instructor from Geneva, and a lady from Randolph county, it had been announced previously that there would be two judges from Van Wert, Ohio, and two from Huntington, but the committee in charge of the contests last night claimed that they were notifledd late yesterday that those judges would be unable to be here. The winners of the contests last night were as follows: Orchestra: Monroe (unopposed. Quartet: Monroe, the members being, Cleo Crist, Lucille Oliver, I,elah Bahner and Bertha Striker. Oration: Walter Smith, Kirkland. Vocal solo:- Josephine Anderson, Decatur. Reading: Madge Davis. Pleasant Mills. Violin Solo: Doris Peters, Decatur. Piano solo: Mildred Akey, Decatur. The elimination contest for the schools in the southern half of the county will be held at Berne tonight. The schools to be represented there are Jefferson, Hartford, Genova and Berne.

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT • w

"AMERICANITIS” Chicago, April 17. — (United Press.) Two hundred and forty thousand Americans die unnee-s---1 suriiy every year because t’oy travel the pace that kill.' they work 100 hard and they pl.iy 100 hard, Dr. William S. Sadler of Iho Gorgas Memorial institute. Chicago, holds. Dr. Smiler has Just completed a study of the increase in deaths of Americans between ■in ad 50 years of age. "Anu-ticanltls” is the ii rm lie coined for the malady. — STEPHENSON'S HOME DAMAGED i State Fire Marshal Asked ’ To Investigate Mysterious Blaze Indianapolis, April 17. — (United Press) —The state fire marshal's oflie. w.t.-t requested by police today to in’.estigate the mysterious blaze 'which did heavy damage to the palatial home of 1). (’. Stephenson, former grand dragon of the Indiana K K.K. during the night. | John O'Brien, fire chief, declared positively the blaze was of incendiary origin. Twenty-nine gallons of a mixture of gasoline and kerosene were found in the house. O'Brien said, and gas jets in the house were open but not i lighted when firemen arrived. Stephenson, who is under indict'm< nt for the alleged kidnaping and I assaulting of Miss Madge Oberholtzer. had not lived in the house for several weeks?* Miss Oberholtzer died from poison I taken after the alleged attack by I Stephenson. Her funeral was held I yesterday. The blaze was discovered shortly after midnight by a woman living I next, door to the Stephenson home. She said several autos drove into the Stephenson yard earlier in the night and that, a sharp explosion was heard just before the flames shot up in the dining room of the house. Indications were that a six gallon jean of the gasoline-kerosene mixture had exploded in the dining room, shooting flames all through the downstairs portion of the house, O'Brien said. Several windows in the house were shuttered by the blast. Firemen extinguished the blaze before it had ga'ned great headway. The Stephenson and Oberholtzer homes are in the same neighborhood in Irvington, a suberb of Indianapolis. The coroner's inquest into the (Continued on Page Seven) o MORE WITNESSES ARE HEARD TODAY Defense Introduces More Evidence In Fort Wayne Damage Suit Here Four more witnesses had testified for the defense today in the typhoid fever damages suit against the city of Fort Wayne and the Pennsylvania Railroad company, up until 2:30 o’clock. Tn addition to those four wit nesses, Dr. Van Buskirk, who was on the stand when court adjourned yesterday evening, was recalled to the stand today and examined further A young lady employed by the Fort Wayne city heard of health was called to the stand at 2 o'clock this afternoon by the defense, for the purpose of having her testify regarding tests of the city water, made by her in November, 1923. The plaintiff objected to the evidence and both sides submitted lengthy arguments on the objection. The plaintiff claimed that the samples of water which were tested were not taken from the same place where Mr. Bauermeister for whose death judgement is asked in this case, lived and that they were not secured at the time when Mr. Bauermeister was taken ill.

INVESTIGATION OF OBERHOLTZER DEATH FINISHED Father Os Dead Girl Tells Os Tragedy That Took His Daughter INDICTMENT EXPECTED Grand Jury Expected To Indict I). C. Stephenson For Murder Itnl'aniipolis. April 17. — (United Press) —Speaking in a low trembling voice George Oberholtzer today told. I at the coroner's inquest, of the tragedy that took his only daughter. Miss Oberholtzer died from poison after an alleged attack for which D. I C. Stephenson, former Fain leader. ■ * is under indictment. > Oberhi lizer repeated his daughter's ’’story of being abducted from her ’I home here March 16. and being . assaulted on a train enroute to i Hammond and at a hotel in Ham 1 mond. 1 "Madge asked me if I thought they • could send Stephenson to prison." he said. "I told her I thought we could ‘ and she replied she thought it I I would have to lie done by federal’ t authorities." Madge said. "Stephen-: . son saiil nothing could be done to ii'm because his word was law in Indiana.” Ii Miss Boatitlee Spradley, nurse who' ■I attended Miss Oberholtzer, described ' the wounds on the girl's body. The mother of the girt is suffering t; from a breakdown and was unable to ’ testify. Oberholtzer said her story I would be the same as his. Testimony of the father concluded the inquest (Continued on Page Six) RAVELINGS TO I BE ISSUED SOON 1 Decatur High School Annual To Be Distributed On May 1 » The "Ravelings,” annual magazine I number published by the Senior class of Decatur high school each spring • is in the hands of the printer and will | be ready for distribution May 1. The I book is being published this year under the supervision of Miss Lee j > Anna Vance and Miss Kathryn Hyland, both members of the graduating class. I Miss Vance and Miss Hylapd and |4heir staff, including several niemII bers of the senior class, have been 1 working for several months gathering material and photographs to make the '1925 year book the best publication ever produced by the Decatur high school. The book will contain about 125 pages, including a sport section, social section, class sections and many other features. Photographs of all members of the high school, faculty, school board and events during the year will appear in the book. The cover will be of Molloy Moco material, which has the appearance of flexible leather. It will be old gold color, emblematic of one of the high 1 school colors. The' (over material is a new creation and adds considerably ’ to the beauty of the book. Miss Vance and Miss Hyland have ' been working the last few days on the lay-out of the pages and correction of the articles that were submitted I by the staff. The senior section, ■ which is always the largest part of ' the book, will contain the class his--1 tory, will, obituary, prophecy, songs i and pictures of each member of the • class together witli the four year's i activities in Decatur high school. f This year's annual will be the largest and most complete ever issu- ■ 'ed by a graduating class. Beside the ■(senior section, each class and depart- • ment will have sections. The entire i 'book has the aspect of a college pub- ■ lication and the Misses Vance and . 'Hyland and the senior staff are to he congratulated on their production.

Decatur, Indiana, Friday, April 17, 1925.

Brothers Convicted Os Killing Two Officers Lake Charles, Isi., April 17. (United Press.) Robert and Byron Lunn, brothers, charged with the murder of i Deputy Sheriff San E. Duhon of this city, and Prohibition Agent W. K. Collins, of Shreveport, were found guilty by u jury here early today. The officials arc alleged tn have ' been shot down while reading a search warrant to the Dunn brothers on the night of March 6. Their bodies were found 24 hours after the killing in I an abandoned automobile in a nearby cemetery. ( Another Dunn brother remains to be tried on the same charge. PAINLEVE HAS CABINET PICKED Attention Os France Now Focused Upon Caillaux, Finance Minister By A. L. Bradford, ( U. P. Staff Correspondent) Palis, April 17. —The Painleve cab-' in 'I is complete, and the attention ' ().' France is focused upon Joseph Caillaux. the new finance minister, who was exiled five years ago as a traitor and to whom the nation now looks for away out of its financial I difficulties. The official list of Premier Pain1 ’eve's cabinet is us follows: j Premier and minister of war. Paul '| Painleve. , Foreign minister, Aristide Briand. Minister of finance, Joseph Cail , ' laux. Minister of justice. Theodore Steeg. j Minister of edtH-atioti. Anatoli* tie I Monzie. ' Minister of public works. Pierre Laval. Minister of agriculture, .lean Dur-1 and. Colonial minister, Andre Hesse. Minister of the navy, Emile Borel. I Minister of the interior, Abraham . Schrameck. Minister of labor. M. Ditrafonr, Minister of pensions. Senator Anj terlou. Minister of commerce, Charles j Chaumet. j Overshadowing in interest all other j features of the new ministry, is an- | tii ipation of Caillaux's program, which ■ will be made known soon after the j, cabinet is presented to the chamber , of deputies on Monday. Caillaux has always opposed a levy . on capital, which was the backbone j —under the guise of a ‘‘voluntary loan” —one of the .schemes which (Continued On Page Five) o— FARMER’S LEG IS FRACTURED Albert Roth Breaks Leg In Two Places In Accident This Morning '. Albert Roth, who lives two miles . south of Peterson, was painfully in- . jured this morning when the team of horses with which he was plowing , threw him from the plow and caused . him to fall in such a manner that his I left leg was broken in two places. i Mr. Roth was plowing close to a i fence and one of the horses, in some , manner, got caught in the wire of the fence In an effort to get loose , the horse became frightened and , started to run/ away. Mr. Roth was , thrown from tile riding seat so that I a part of the plow hit his leg. Dr. J. C. Grandstaff, of Preble, was p called and thq injured man was . brought to this city where the injurj ies were dressed. The leg was placed , in a cast, because it had been frac--4 tured in two places. Mr. Rolli was later taken to his home south of , Peterson, where he will be under the . care of Dr. Grandstaff. Weather Unsettled tonight and Saturday; 1 probably showers and local thunderj storms; not much change in temp- „ erature.

ONION OF NORTH AND SOUTH M. E, CHURCH APPROVED Laymen Os Northern Indiana Conference Approve Merger MINISTERS VOTE SOON Laymen’s Association Elects District Presidents; Sen. Watson Speaks Anderson, April 17. —The laymen's association of the Northern Indiana conference of the Methodist church voted unanimously today in favor of merging the churches of the northern and southern states, split since the Civil war'. Ministers of the conference will vote late today or Saturday. The laymen also voted 89-29 in favor of admitting laymen to the conference. Anderson, Ind., April 17. — (United Press.)—The question of ratifying a union of Methodist churches of the northern and southern states was up for vote today at the Northern Indiana conference of the Methodist church. A favorable vote on the part of the laymen at the conference was indicated when the laymen’s association passed a resolution endorsing the plan. The ministerial vote is also expect--1 ed to be for the union which will end I the breach in the church organizai tion by the Civil war. Speaking before the conference i yesterday. Roy A. Haynes, national I prohibition director, declared (but dry i Cont lulled on Pane Six) JUNIORS PLAN FOR RECEPTION Arrangements Almost Complete For Annual Affair To Be Heid May 15 Plans have almost been completed for the Junior Reception, the annual social function given by the junior class of the Decatur high school in honor of the graduating seniors. The affair will be held May 15 at the high school auditorium and will be in the form of a dinne rand dance. It has not yet been decided what orchestra will supply the music, but those in charge say that they are negotiating with several good orchestras. Juniors, seniors, members of the faculty and school board will attend the social event, which is usually the First of a series of events that lead to the commencement exercises the latter part of May. Several commit- ; lees have been appointed and have been working for several weeks to make this year’s party the most successful one ever given. Robert Macklin, president of the ' junior class, is in charge of the reception and by virtue of hiq position ■ will act as toastmaster at the dinner. Several members of each class will 1 deliver short talks and these will be responded to by members of the sac--1 ulty and school board. ' Entertainment for the evening is in charge of a committee of three, head- ■" ed by Miss Josephine Anderson, Miss 1 Helen Farr and Don Leßrttn are the ' other members who will be in charge ■ of the program and other novelty affairs that will occur at the reception. • Katherine Nichols is chairman of ' the decoration committee. Other ’ members are Eleanor Pumphrey, 1 Lloyd Beal and Doyle Johnson. They ' wiil have charge of placing the tables 41 for tile dinner and also decorating f the gym for the dance which follows. - Heretta Elzey is chairman of the committee that will have charge of the food and refreshments. Her assistants are Ruth Johnson, Leia Reffey and Hubert Myers. All commit- • tee members are juniors. The chair ■ men and their assistants have been • busy for several weeks arranging for the reception.

WORK MUST BE SCARCE London, April 17. — (United Press.) — Three women were among Goo applicants who answered the Hungarian government’s advertisement to fill a vacancy in the office of public executioner, the Contra) News Budapest correspondent declared today. One applicant, repatriated from the United States, claimed a leading part in 25 lynchings as qualifications. P. B.—He did not get the job. —. o PLANS FOR BOYS WEEK DISCUSSED Rotarians Make Further Arrangements For Event: French Quinn Talks Plans are going forward for carry- j ing out the seven day program here I in connection with International Boys week and at the regular meeting of' the Rotary club held last evening the various chairmen reported tenta- I tive arrangements for their respective programs. Beginning with Sunday, April 27. the opening day of Boys week, the co-operation of the ministers of the I Decatur churches has been assured and it is planned to deliver a talk to the hoys at the morning services, in the Protestant churches, while in the Catholic church, it is planned to hold a meeting with the boys in the afternoon. (’. E. Bell, chairman, reported. The other chairman. Charles J. Voglewede, Henry Heller, Hugh Hite, j John Carmody. Dr. T.. E. Somers and A. D. Suttles, n'so made reports con- ' corning the observance of the spet ial days during the week and much en thusiasm was shown by the Rotarians. On the final day, Saturday. May 2. the boys of the tilth, sixth, seventh and eighth grades of all the schools in Decatur, together with the Rotarians will hike to Bellmont Park and enjoy their breakfast. This afternoon at three-thirty the i junior convention will be held at the , Central school building and nominations made for three tickets, which, will lie voted on in the junior City j election next Thursday The winners: will serve in the city offices on ! Citizenship day, Tuesday. April 28. Talked On Service French Quinn, well known citizen | of Decatur, gave an excellent talk on j the meaning of "true service." Mr. | Quinn defiined service in four ways, | as follows, first, “A. does B. a kind-1 i Continued on Page Sixi 10(1 KILLED BY BOMB EXPLOSION Infernal Machine Explodes In Sofia Cathedral; 200 Injured London, April 17.—One hundred are | dead and 200 injured in Sofia as a i result of the explosion of an infernal machine in the cathedral yesterday during the funeral services for General Georgehief. murdered conservative leader, according to I lie Exchange Telegraph company’s Vienna correspondent. Those who were killed include the bugomaster of Sofia and former Minister of War Neidenon. wh..e Premier Tsankoff and War Minister Kalkoff were injured. Many arrests have been made. The bomb outrage in Sofia cathedral, timed to kill and wound many conservatives and government supporters. gathered for the funeral services of General Georgehief. is believed part of a general revolution movement. An uprising was to have : begun Wednesday, according to this belief, following assassination of ' Georgehief and King Boris. When the Ling escaped death on the high way outside Sofia, the revolution did not take place.

Price 2 Cents.

MAN TAKEN FROM ERIE TRAIN TRIES TO MAKE ESCAPE Bullet Passes Through Shoulder; Created Commotion On Train BELIEVED INSANE Man Being Held In Jail Here Pending Arrival Os Eric Detectives An Erie railroad detective from Lima, Ohio, arrived here about noon today and proceded to question the man taken from the Erie passenger train here early this morning. After failing to get any further information from the man than was obtained this morning, the detective went to the Erie station and started to follow up what information he had. He called Gary and Fort Wayne for information about relatives • the man claims to have in those cities. Some charge likely will "e filed soon to hold the man while his rscord is investigated further. Jack Wolfinger. 13. and probably insane, who gives his address as 621 Washington si reel. Gary, was taken into custody here early this morning. oil the west bound Erie I train by Night Policeman Senhus Melchi. Sherilf John Baker and a posse of volunteers after four shots, one of which struck Wolfinger, had been firmed in an effort to frustrate an attempted escape. The bullet pierced the man's left shoulder and went entirely through. However, he is not in a serious ; condition. Wclfinger boarded the train at j Lima. Ohio, and shortly after it had pulled out of Ihe station of that city ;he attempted io get conrol of the i train and run the passenger com h tin- way he wanted it run. lie refused <(’<•>:!iioir-d on Page mxi SUGAR BEET GLIB RULES DISCUSSED 1 |Committee In Charge 01 Chih Meets And Interprets The Rules At the call of J. D. Wintoregg, | county chairman of boys and girls j club -work in Adams county this ’ year, the sugar beet committee, con- : s’sting of Fred Blum, of Monroe I township. W. T. Rupert, of Washingion township, and Thomas Griffiths, cf Kirkland township, met at the • county agent's office Thursday evening to discuss details of the boys and girls sugar beet contest being conducted this year. Several questions relative to the interpretation of the rules of the club were brought up i and settled. As each contestant will be given a record book in which to keep complete account of all costs incident to tJie growing of tlie beets as well as other information relative to the crop, it was necessary that the committee arrange the details. Plans ? were made to obtain a supply of the ' | record books immediately and send them to club members sometime be--1 fore the first of May. According to Mr. Winteregg. 45 boys and girls, residing in various parts of the county, are entered in ’ the contest and, accordingly, a spiritFT ed race for the prizes will be seen. >• | According to E. J. Fricke, who will '■ assist in overseeing the plots, sever- '• al of the contestants already have u their ground plowed and preparations e are being made to sow the beets s, about May 1. d | Avon Burk, president of Decatur ii, industaial j Association. , and Geo. i-l Krick, chairman of the agrfcultural d committee, also attended the meeting.