Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 23, Number 102, Decatur, Adams County, 29 April 1925 — Page 1

||u. XXIII. Number 102.

GENEVA MAN KILLED IN PHILADELPHIA

PROGRESSIVE ’ ■STEPSTAKENBY I SOY COUNCIL Koys Favor Memorial Park, I Swimming Pool And Ornamental Lights ■now much ability Ritizenship Day Os Boys’ I Week Program Is A Big Success ■ The hov council, in session Tups--1 afternoon. passed a resolution Khiny the regular city council to Hkc itie necessary steps toward Hiunging tlie old cemetery on WinB ‘ster street into a public memorial Ha k; the building of u municipal Brimming pool at the water works Hunt; the placing of ornamental ■gilt posts around all the school Biddings in the city, and voted that Be cooperation and assistance of the leaned should he extended to the ■pi vie Section of the Woman's club B its effort to put across Clean-Up ■RVek. The report in favor of the Bumming pool will be sent to the Btv council next Tuesday evening. ■ The session of the junior council Bus held in observance of “CitizenBlip day" of Boys' Week, being sponsored here this week by the Rotary ■dub and others assisting. ■ Frederick Schafer, son of C. C. ■chafer, who was elected hoy mayor ■>i Decatur on the Red ticket, presided in a capable manner. He disposed of routine affairs with a de■ermination and called for reports ■turn the courted committees and ■non his appointees. I James Kngeler filled tUa-aCcae—oi ■ ily clerk and. upon roll call, every ■number of the junior council answer led" present." I An ordinance was also passed by ■ (CONTINUED ON PAGE THREE) (urges teaching I OF CHRISTIANITY L. C. Ward Speaks At Session Os Evangelical Church Conference 1.. C. Ward, superintendent of the [Fort Wayne schools, was the prinIcipal speaker at the Educational Night [services of the seventy-third annual [conference of the Evangelical [churches of Indiana at the Crescent Avenue Evangelical ctfurch of Fort Wayne last night. Mr. Ward talked to the delegates and visitors on the [necessity of teaching old-time Christianity in the schools. The choir of the First Evangelical church of Fort Wayne furnished the music for tlie evening’s program. This morning at nine o'clock the session of the Indiana Conference Missionary Society was held at the Crescent Avenue church. Rev. E. (!. Johnson, of South Bend, president of the society, presided, and an interesting session was held. The formal opening of the genenal conference took place this afternoon at 2 o'clock. Bishop L. M. Seager, of Y aMars, lowa, chairman of the conference, presided. , Reverend Robert Little, pastor of the First Presbyterian church of Fort Wayne and president of the Ministerial Association of that city, delivered the welcome address. He was introduced by Bishop LaMars. Tonight Reverend 1-a Mars will address the conference on “A Glimpse Into Our Work In Eprope.” Tonight will he designated as Missionary night. Yesterday afternoon Reverend D. 0. Wise, of Celina, Ohio, conducted three examinations. They were for junior pastors, deacons and elders. The examinations were held at the First Evangelical church in the afternoon and were completed before the evening session. The conference will continue in session the remainder of this week, ending Saturday with the distribution of pastors and election of conference , officers for the ensuing year.

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT

Plans For Dirigible’s Trip Again Postponed l.akehiirst, N. J„ April 29.—(United Press.)-Plans for Ihe dirigible Los Angeles’ trip to Porto Rico were again tentatively postponed today liecause of weather conditions and that Die airship fabric was wet as a result of yesterday’s rain. While Captain Gporge W. Steele, executive officer of the airship, said several hours of sunshine might put Ihe Los Angeles in shape, he was doubtful from weather reports if it would be feasible to start the long voyage before tomorrow. The Los Angeles will carry 200 pounds of mail to Porto Rico. Thirtyseven officers and men will lie aboard when the airship sails. The itlner ary covers about 2,000 miles. STRAUB GETS' PRISON TERM Gets Sentence Os From One To Eight Years For Robbing: Store Here Harry Straub, who broke into Fred Fullenkamp's soft drink parlor and pool room on the night of March 21, and stole more than s:’>so in money and checks, pleaded guilty to a charge of petit larceny in circuit court this afternoon, and was sentenced by Judge Jesse C. Sutton to serve from one to eight years in the state penitentiary at Michigan City, iue court aiso fined Straub and cos.x and disfranchised hint for a period of four years. Straub was charged with burglary and grand larceny in the affidavit filed against him, but upon his plea today, he was permitted to plead guilyl to a charge of petit larceny. i-W—mw** y him i hwcks -stolen —by Straub were recovered t)ie morning following the robbery by Night Policeman Sephus Melchi. who placed Straub under arrest. Straub will lie taken to prison within a few days He has been confined in the county jail since his arrest.

Explosion Kills Two Workmen At Canton, O. Canton. 0., April 29—(Special to r>a ily Democrat) —Two men were killed and one was seriously injured when an explosion destroyed the oil distilling plant of the K. and S. Oil coutpfau* vioAuy. ' • ’*•■•• ■.'< The dead are: John A. Young. E. I). Hunsbarger. At. L, Beck was hurt. Hansbarger was plant manager and Young a truck driver. f MOTORISTS GET FINAL WARNING State Highway Policeman Says He Will Enforce New Law At Once State Highway Policeman Hal Ayers, of Portland, was in this city yesterday and conferred with local police authorities in regards to the newstate motor laws. He has issued warnings to all towns and cities in this district and says that the new laws will be enforced immediately. He has received orders from State Headquarters stating that the new ordinances bear down hard on all violators. Cut-outs must be closed, lights must be lit and must comply with the new requirements, speeders will receive larger fines and all other violations will be closely watched. Automobile drivers are asked to obtain a copy of the new motor laws and familiarize themselves with the changes. Excuses will no longer be accepted, the state officor said, and violators will not get off easy. The entire state is starting on a campaign to make the roads safer for travel, it was stated, and the present warning is all that will be given. The new laws became effective yesterday, when Governor Jackson declared the acts of the legislature legal and pronounced them laws of the state of Indiana.

SEEK TO EXTEND RAILWAY MERGER TO PENNSYLVANIA Extension Os Nickel Plate Merger Sought In Application Filed Today WANTS THROUGH LINE Plan Direct Connecting Line From St. Louis To New York Harrisburg, Pa., April 29. —(United Press.) — Extension of (he Nickel Plate railway merger to Pennsylvania territory was sought by the New York, ' Chicago and St. Louis railway today I in an application filed with the state j public service commission. it asked authorization to take over the Erie and the old Nickel Plate system, both of which roads have Pennsylvania charters. it was understood Die plan under which the application was tiled contemplates absorption of the Cheasapeake & Ohio, Hocking Valley and Pere Marquette and the building of a direct connecting line to facilitate handling traffic between New York and St. I,on is. The state commission will take no action until the interstate commerce commission passes on the Nickel Plate merger p.'au which is to lie heard in Washington, May G. Joint H. Agate, assistant general counsel for the Nickel Plate, filed the application here. BEET WORKERS GOMiNff FRIDAY First Shipment Os Foreign Laborers Consists Os About 800 The first car of beet-field - laborers, for the local branch of tlie HollandSt. Louis Sugar company, will arrive in ttiis city Friday over the Erie from Chicago, according to John Carmody, local manager, who went to Chicago today to complete the plans for transporting Die laborers. YW'fci «WB>CWJ sist of seventy-live. About 800 have been contracted for and they will be sent to this city in special Erie cars. They were hired early in the spring, but the sugar company has been housing them in Chicago instead of bringing them to this city sooner. It is expected that all the men contraded for will be in Decatur and this vicinity within the next few weeks. The laborers, who will assist the farmers in planting and weeding their beets are mostly of Slavish and Bohemian nationalities. Many of them, it. is said, will move their families to this city and vicintiv during the planting and weeding campaigns. The local Sugar company has almost completed its annual drive for beet acreage in this territory. The goal was set for 10,000 acres and at noon today it was reported that 9,950 acres had been contracted for. Each fanner will be furnished with men to assist him in planting and taking care of the tieets. Predictions are that this year's beet yield will be the largest ever had in this teritory, because more acreage is being used and the hiring of the 800 laborers will make it possible for all the fields (o be well taken care of. There will be wort for the laborers during the entire summer and they ’will be housed in the small houses, commonly known as “hunky shacks ’, by the sugar company. The houses can he moved from one place to another as the laborers are needed to care forth fields. The local beet territory takes in a radius of about one hundred miles around this city, extending Into Ohio on the east. If the weather is good for the fields this summer it is predicted that the factory run next, fall wii be the largest In the history of the local factory.

Decatur, Indiana, Wednesday, April 29,1925.

Springer Lad Has Paralysis Os Leg A letter received here from Robert L\ Neff, administrator of the James Whitcomb Riley hospital for children at Indianapolis,-states that a thorough examination has been made of Thurman Springer, Adams county lad who was sent to the hospital for treatment a few weeks ago, presumably suffering from a dislocation of the right hip. However, Mr. Neff states that "an X-Ray was taken immediately following the admission of the patient to the hospital, and it show-pd no dislocation of the hip joint. The hip is in good position. There is a partial paralysis of the right leg and it has been advised by our surgeons that teuotomines of the right tendo achilles and sartorlous muscle be performed.” FARMERS START COHN PLANTING Several Field Are Planted; Good Seed Corn Reported To Be Scarce Due to the fact that the spring season is fully three weeks ahead of time, it is said that several farmers in Adams county already have small fields of corn planted. Although ft is not known as yet whether (his is advisable, several have chosen to lake a chance on the weather being such as to make it unnecessary to re plant such fields. According to reports, considerable difficulty has been experienced in obtaining suitable seed corn. Although probably twice the usual number of farmers selected seed corn from the field last fall as the result of a campaign carried on through Purdue University and the county agent, never tUeless, in many cases, improper precautions were taken in drying Ihe corn antC* as a result, much of it froze due to excessive moisture con tent. Some have said that corn which was supposedly of strong germinating power proved practically worthless upon a germination test. Accordingly, it would seem advisable that all corn he tested before plant ing. A list of farmers having a surplus of seed corn for sale has been kept at the county agent's office. As a result of this a large number of farmers needing seed corn have been informed as to places where the same be from that source now indicate that practically all the corn listed has been sold. It is desired that all those farmers having seed corn in any amounts for sale inform the county agent so that other farmers may be assisted in obtaining it.

LADIES BACKING CLEAN-UP WEEK Civic Section Os Woman’s Club Urges Co-operation In Movement _ The Civic Section of the Woman’s club urges the citizens of Decatur to join in the clean-up movement and to co-operate with the city officials during Clean-Up Week, beginning May 4. Every public spirited citizen wishes to see the city looking spick and span and during Clean-Up Week an effort will be made to clean the alleys of tin cans and other rubbish. The public is asked to gather up the old tin cans and bottles or other rubbish front the alleys, burn what they can, then place the cans and other similar material in a box or barrel so that the city trucks can haul it away. Nothing helps to make a better looking city than well kept lawns and clean surroundings, and during clean-up week a special effort should be made to co-opearte with the city in seeing that the alleys and premises are cleaned up. Let’s all work for a better, cleaner and attractive looking city and do our part in seeing that our alleys and lawns are cleaned of all rubbish and the like. —The Civic Section of Woman’s Cltth.

MOTION FOR NEW TRIAL EXPECTED IN DAMAGE SUIT Typhoid Fever Damage Case Expected To Be Taken To Supreme Court NEW POINTS AT ISSUE Case Is First Os Kind Tried In State; Trial Lasted 29 Days A motion for a new trial is expected to lie the next step in the typhoid fever damage case of the Lincoln Trust Company, administrator of the estate of Herman Batiermeister, against the Pennsylvania Railroad company and the City of Fort Wayne, in which a verdict, awarding judgment for $9,000 to the plaintiff, was returned at 4 o’clock Tuesday afternoon. The court gave the defendants thirty days in which to file a motion for a new trial. Attorneys for the defense stated last night tiiat they would file a motion for a new trial. In case a motion for a new trial is filed and is overruled by the court, it is expected that the defendants will pray an appeal to the supreme court, since this is the first case of its kind ever tried in this state and the opinion of the supreme court is desired. This was the first of GO suits filed against the Pennsylvania Railroad company and the City of Fort Wayne, as a result of the typhoid fever epidemic in Fort Wayne during the fall of 1923. The disposition of the remainder of the cases depends greatly upon the final out ■onie of the Bauermeister case. The ■otal amount of damages asked In the GO suits is approximately $130,000. It is said that 427 cases of typhoid fever occured in the infected area at the time of the epidemic. The plaintiff in the case alleged that Mr. Bauermeister's death was caused by typhoid fever, developed from germs in the city water. it was alleged that the germs entered thi> city mains from the railroad company's mains, through a faulty check valve connecting Ihe two mains, when Die water pressure in Die railroad mains was greater than that in the city mains. Tile plaintiff could not furnish direct evidence that the water contamination ' ihe cau»e ( *6{ tin case by an attempt to eliminate epidemic. They had to prove their other possible causes. The defense attempted to show that the klan picnic held in Memorial park in November, 1923, might leave been the cause of the epidemic. It was suggested that flies carried the epidemic from the wastes left by the crowd. The plaintiff had to try to eliminate the milk and grocery supply as a oossible cause. They introduced evidence to show that the persons who suffered from typhoid used groceries and milk from widely different sources. It attempted to establish the ruct that all of the victims did use city water which came from the mains near the place where the Pennsylvania Railroad company's mains were connected with the city mains. Each defendant tried to escape from the blame. The city alleged that it was not liable because it claimed that it sold the water service to tlie Pennsylvania and that the connection through which it was alleged the polluted water came was erected on the property of the railroad company. The railroad company claimed that it was not liable' because it was purchasing water service from the city and that the city was responsible for keeping the connecting valve in repair. The trial of the case brought out many unusual points in law and this, together with the great volume of (CONTINUED ON PAGE FIVE) Weather Probably rain tonight and Thursday, except generally fair Thursday afternoon in southwest portion; continued cool; frost tonight in southwest portion if skies clear.

Samples Os IVnmanship Work Placed On Display Samples of penmanship work done | by the pupils of the Central school, | were placed on display In the show windows of the Peoples Shoe Store , last night. The .samples show that ! plendld work is being done in pen- j tnanship ut Die Central building. The regular school exhibits will ' not lie held in the city schools this | spring. The Central school has hit 1 upon the plan of exhibiting samples [ of the regular work done by the pit-, plls, in show windows up town at vur • ions times during the year, in order! that parents and the public in gen-1 oral may see the kind of work being j done. Samples of art work were placed in a window of Die Schafer hardware store yesterday. HARMONS TELL ABOUT ROBBERY Aged Couple Testify In Trial Os Harry Zimmerman At Van Wert Van Wert, Ohio. April 29— (Special to Daily Democrat) — A verdict of not guilty was returned at 1:20 o’clock this afternoon in the case of the state against Harry Zimmerman, charged with participating in the rnbhery of Mrs. John Harmon, of near Wren. The jury received the case at 10:45 o’clock this morning. Van Wert. Ohio. April 29 Mr. and! Mrs. John Harmon, of near Wren.' testified Tuesday in the trial of Harry j Zimmeiman. who is charged with be-i ing one of the five men who bound; and gagged Mr. and Mrs. Harmon at their home about a year ago and ! robbed them of more than S2OO in money. Zimmerman's Dial opened yesterday morning, in common pleas ; court. In making the opening statement! "or tlie defense, Attorney William Fosln.anght stated that the defense will attempt to prove that Zimmerman was not in Die vicinity of the! Harmon home al the time of the rob bery, that the prosecuting witness, Mrs. Harmon, had made conflicting statements as to the persons who! •ohhed her. that Zimmerman was a nan of good moral character and I hat authorities were negligent in prosecuting certain persons, who uc-j cording to evidence in their possession, were tlie robbers of 'the Harmons. Harmon First on Stand John Harmon, aged 75, the husband of Eliza Jane Harmon, was the first witness who testified for the state. He testified that on the morning of June 14, 1924, a man came to his (CONTINUED ON PAGE SIX) SAMUEL LOTT DIED TODAY Resident Os Decatur For Many Years Dies At County Infirmary Samuel F. tx>tt, GS, for many years a resident of this city, died at tlie Adams County Infirmary at ten o'clock this morning, of complications. He was G 3 years of age last February. Mr. Lott was taken to the infirmary a few days ago, so that lie could be better cured for during tiis illness. He was born in Illinois, in 1X62, and later motfed to this county where lie engaged in farming for several years. For the last several years Mr. Lott has been living in this city by himself. He is survived by one sou. Cheater Lott, of Fort Wayne. The body of the deceased man was brought to this city this afternoon. No arrangements have been made I for the funeral, awaiting words from the son at Fort Wayne. o Snow At Muncie Today Muncie, Tnd., April 29—(United, Press) —Snow began falling in Muncie at 9:43 this morning.

Price 2 Cents*.

FALLS BETWEEN TWO CARS OF A PASSENGER TRAIN Julian Guyot Loses Life While Enroute To Old Home In France HAS FAMILY HERE Wife, Son And Foster Daughter Near Geneva; Left Last Monday (United I're-sM Servlko) Philadelphia, April 29 (Special It» Daily Democrat) A mm) believed It* In 1 Julian (itiyot, ol (ieneva. Ind., was killed when lie I'ell between cars of ;t passenger train al the station here today. A ticket from (ieneva to New York, found on the dead man, and an express cheek for SSOO, made out to (itiyot, caused police to communicate with authorities al (ieneva. Geneva, April 29—(Special to Daily Democrat! Julian Guyot resided four miles west and one fourth mile south | of Geneva. |(e has a wife, one son, ; age 13 years, and a foster daughter. age 19 years, al, of whom are at the I home southwest of Geneva. The dead mans family knew nothing of tin j fatal accident until informed by n I representative of tin* Daily Leniocra j tiiis afternoon. Guyot. who lias been employed in the oil fields in this vicinity for sev- | erul years, had started on his way ! to France, his native country. He left Geneva on the (1. I!. & I iruin MonI day afti moon. Ai that lime he bail , iin exjuess draft for SSOO and a hank draft for sl,(ioit, (he local station agent stated (hit afternoofi. lie wa~, fain ili.arily known her.- as "Hunky" He j had worked here steady until about I a year ago when lie went to Ohio I hnma. where lie stayed for nearly a j year, returning to Geneva recently. SUNDAY SCHOOL | MEETING AT 8080 Annual Convention Os Sunday Schools In St. Marys Township May 3 The annual Sunday school convention of St. Marys township will be held Sunday, May 3, at the United Brethren church of Bobo. There will lie an afternoon session at 2 o'clock land an evening session at 7:39 o'clock 1 All Die Sunday schools in the township wall join in the annual conclave, under the leadership of E. C. Bierie, county Sunday school superintendent. During the afternoon session officers for the ensuing year will be elected, together with an interesting I program consisting of talks, sermons land special music by tin* various I schools of the township, in the evenI ing devotional services will lie held, j and the minutes of the previous meetings will be read by Miss Inda Sprunger, county secretary. The program for both sessions is ns follows; Afternoon Session —2:00 P. M. Song Congregation Devotionals . Rev. (i. F. Spyker Song Bobo United Brethren S ,S. Address—“ Teacher's Training" Rev. V. A. Shipley Song Baptist S. S., Pleasant Mills Address- "Discovering Our Resources" Rev. R. W. l»ose Song Methodist S. S. Pleasant Xlills Business Sessiona ltd Nomination of Officers. Song ..Methodist S. S., Robo Minutes of Last Meeting and Collection. Song Calvary S. S. Evening Session—7:3o I Song Congregation bevotionals Rev. O. J. Briggs Song Baptist S. S.. Pleasant Mills Talk Henry Heller Song Methodist S. S., Bobo Talk C. L. Walters I Quartette Calvary S. S ■ | Announcements and Sollection. j Song Methodist S. S.. Pleasant Mills