Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 23, Number 265, Decatur, Adams County, 9 November 1925 — Page 1

Vol. XXIII. Number 265.

MORE EVIDENCE AIMED AT STATEMENT

I COL MITCHELL I SETS OUT TO PROVE CHAHGES I Flying Colonel Lays Cards On Table In Court-martial At Washington CITES INSTANCES OF MALADMINISTRATION Washington. Nov. 9.—(United I |> r ess.) —Colonel William MitchI ell today laid all of his cards on I the table and told the court of I generals trying him how he in-j I tended to prove "incompetency, I criminal negligence and almost I treasonable administration of I the national defense by the war I and naw departments.” Through bis counsel. Representa- | tive Frank Reid, republican of 111M inois. the flying colonel set forth a I list of nearly fifty instances of alii leged bungling, maladministration, I coercion of officers and other misll takes of policy and specified the 1 grounds on which he expects to uphold his charges as follows: Incompetency 'That the authorities ordering and I directing the fatal flight of the Shen- ;| andoah and the almost fatal flight of I the PN-9-1 were wholy unacquainted || with the subject of aviation and in- | competent for thMr duties.” Criminal Negligence i “That the Shenandoah trip was I ordered over the protest of the commander. Commander Lansdowne, and that ordering her’ flight at that time over the protest of her iommander constituted 'criminal negligence'. ; That the sending of an airship I over the land without providing parj achates for personnel to he used in I the ease of an emergency constitutes criminal negligence." Almost Treasonable Administration of the National Defense “That the war department was guilty of almost treasonable administartion due to the fact that up to 1923 there were in Hawaii no plans for the employment of the air service in the aeronautical protection of the islands. "That the war department was guilty of almost treasonable administration in that the air units in the Philippines in 1923 were disorganized, scattered, untrained and poorly equipped.” o Rohhers Loot Jewelry Store At Richmond Rirhmond. Ind. Nov. 9—Police today continued their search for the robbers who looted a jewelry store of $3,060, worth of diamonds and other jewels. The man entered the store through a skylight, climbing down an air hose stolen from a gasoline tilling station. Decatur Men Leave On A Hunting Trip Messers. George Flanders. L. L. Franks, E. ('. Clevenger and Louis Mailand left Sunday on a huntnig trip. The men are driving in an automobile and expect to cover the lake region in Northern Indiana. They will return home Thursday. JURIES DRAWN FUR NEW TERM a Grand Jury Likely To Be Called To Convene During November Term Members of the grand and petit juries for the November term of the Adams circuit court were drawn morning by the jury commissioners, KJ. W. Johnson and Martin L. Smith, j The September term closed last? Saturday and the November term will open next Monday, there being one week's vacation between the two terms. Although no definite announcement has been given, the grand jury likely will be called during the No(CONTINUED ON PAGE SIX)

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT

Bengal Tiger Escapes From Cage At Peru I Peru. Ind ? Nov. 9—Circus emI ployes of the Hagenbeck and Wallace shows wintering here, breathed easier today with a big bengal tiger safely back in its ' cage. The tiger made a break for liberty yesterday, killed a camel I and severely clawed aa elephant I before it was recaptured. UNIONSERVICE ONTHANKSGIVING M °et i n <r at C h risti a n C h u rc h; Simultaneous Evangelistic Campaign Planned The Decatur Ministerial Association announces that the Union Thanksgiving services this year will he held at the First Christian church on Thanksgiving morning, from 6:30 to 7:30 o’clock, The Rev. Somerville pight, pastor of the Methodist church, will deliver the message. A special program will be arranged for the occasion An offering will be lifted and will be used for some worthy cause. The Association also announces that a simultaneous evangelistic campaign will be held during the month of January. The services are scheduled to begin on Sunday, January 10, and last at least two weeks in all of the churches. The Association, therefore, recommends and requests that all other organizations, such as lodges, clubs, societies and grade and high school activities- be arranged accordingly so that there may be the fullest co-operation. If any organizations have arranged for any activities from the 10th to the 24th of January they are asked to set the time of their meeting for 8:30 p. tn„ so that the churches may have the undivided attention of all during the campaign. Plans have been made so that, in every church cooperating, subjects of great importance will be discussed from the pulpits on the same night so that the same subject may he Imnressed upon the church people as a whole and thereby creating and strengthening a unity of thought and responsibility of th® people as a whole. The people of the city and ON PAGE TWO) Fort Wayne Girl Is Victim Os Assault Fort Wayne, Ind., Nov. 9 —Mildred Kern. 18. today is recovering from injuries and exposure resulting from an attack made on her by an unidentified man. REHEARSALS FOR “CHEER IIP” OPEN Director From Bock Producing Co. Here To Direct Elks Production Rehearsals for "Cheer Up. the big musical revue to be given by the Elks lodge. Tuesday and Wednesday nights. November 17 and 18. will start at the Elks home on North Second street at 7 o'clock Ihis evening. Miss Lillian Forgey, a director for the Bock Producing company, arrived in Decatur Saturday evening and will have charge of the reharsals. Miss’ Forgey met with the show committee Sunday and most of the cast was selected. The show will be staged 'in the auditorium of the new Catholic school budding. The product'on does not I have a plot, but is a combination of ! musical numbers, dam es, carnival scenes and other features which are i guaranteed to produce a variety of entertainment. It is patterned after , the big musical revues. Georgeous costumes ate furnished by the Bock Producing company. Rehearsals will' be held in the lodge room on the third floor of the ElkS home. The cast will include about 150 Decatur persons.

TRIBUTES PAID TO C. S. NIBLICK 'Hundreds of Friends Attend Memorial For Departed Decatur Banker Tributes to the life and character of Charles S. Niblick, president of the Old Adams County Bank and beloved citizen of Decatur, whose death oe cut red October 28, were paid by the several speakers puttleipating in the pitbl'c memorial services held for him Sunday afternoon from 3 to 4 o'clock . in the auditor'um of the new Catholic . school building. I The large auditorium was filled with friends of the deceased and an appropriate program was given. C. I E. Bell, tgell-known manufacturer of this city, presided as chairman and presented the speakers. Attorney Clark J. Lutz spoke for the community anil on the unselfish life lived by Mr. Niblick in the inter--1 est of the community. He read sev--1 oral paragraphs tront a letter recelv- ’ ed by Mr. Niblick from an inmate of • a prison in which he appealed to Mr. Niblick for aid. He brought out in 8 his address that everyone went to 8 “Charlie Niblick for aid.'' a Judge J. T. Merryman addressed '■ the audience on "< harl.e Niblick as r a neighbor.” bringing out bis noble qualities when it came to being of s service to a neighbor. s French Quinn delivered an excels lent tribute on Mr. Niblick's kindly ’ attitude to all and his desire to serve • in his lodge or civic organization. i John Carmody spoke on his example . in the. church and how he set a good s example for others to follow. Mr. s Niblick was chairman of the board 1 of trustees of the Catbolich church 1 and served iff many capacities in » church affairs. :- Mrs. Daniel Tyndall and Mrs. L. A. ■ Holthouse sang beautiful solos during f the program and Mrs. Carrie Haubold • acted as pianist. , Rev. Father J. A. Seimetz. pastor > of St. Mary's Catholic church, gave ; 'he benediction. All the lodges of which Mr. Nib--1 lick had been a member were repref sented at the meeting and the ex--1 pressions of love and tributes paid to the deceased banker were marked ■ with sincerity on every hand, i COLD HINDERS 1 BEET LIFTING With Supply On Hands, Factory Likely Will Not i Have To Shut Down I i Although the cold wave which struck ■ Adams county and surrounding Vicinity Sunday night provides a great handicap to the laborers who are lifting the sugar beets, there is a large supj)ly on hands at. the local factory of the Holland-St. Louis sugar company and the officials of the company believe that the supply will keep the 1 factory in operation ujitil the weather condit'ons improve anil the beets begin to arrive at the plant again in large numbers. About 100 car loads of beets arrived at the factory here Friday. William Simpson, factory superintendent. stated today that if beets begin arriving at the factory today or tomorrow, the mill will not be forced to shut down. The factory is running better this year than ever in the history of the plant, it is said. About 1.200 tons of beets are finding their way through the mill each day. Previously, the average run per day was about 900 tons, with a few runs of 1.000 tons. The beets are yielding better this year than for several years, it is said. (CONTINUED ON PAGE TWO) i—<> , —• — Inventive Genius Costs Bedford Man His Life Bedford. Ind., Nov. 9.-(United Press)- -The inventive genius of Albert Bryant. 40, cost him his lite. He was killed in the explosion of a compressed air device he was perfecting in a railroad shop here. The top of a metal drum, blown to pieces by the explosion.-struck him and decapitated him.

Decatur, Indiana, Monday, November 9, 1925.

Sets Record ... I • . 1 Sheridan Russell, famous cellist of London, crossed the f icean to New York just to play at a private concert, returning > the morning tiller his engage- > ment. He was in New York less than eighteen hours. 1 ‘ » Detectives Probe Shooting Os Pugilist Indianapolis, Nov. 9. (United ' Press) —Detectives today inevstigated the shooting of Victor Wray, 18, known in the fight world as Jack Dorsey. . The pugilist was l ’ 1 " <'<ty hospital with a bullet wound in bis ' neck, by Oren Mcf'ullock. who said he found Wray lying wounded in the 1 street. 1 The two men told conflicting stories 1 and l»oth were held for questioning after Wray's wound was dressed. o “ONE ARM” WOLFE GOES ON TRIAL Muncie Man, Accused Os i Being Partner Os Dutch Anderson. Is Being Tried Muncie, Ind., Nov. 9. — (United Press)—Although the jury had been tentatively passed by the defense at l the noon adjournment, hopes of seeuri ing a panel within the first several days in the case of “One Arm” Wolfe, charged with the murder of Ben and Mary Hance, failed today. > Wolfe is alleged by the state to have 1 been tlie companion of George “Dutch'' Anderson, slain bandit, in the revenge killings here last August. Mr. and : Mrs. Hance were killed for revenge. ■ the state charges, since it was Hance • who turned informer on Gerald Chap- : man. the bandit price. Twenty-two prospective jifrors were t questioned during the morning ses- ■ s'on and all admitted they had formed - opinions from newspaper accounts of • the double murder. Those who had ■ not formed opinions were permitted to - remain, but under the state's quesi tioning, theye were dismissed, several i admitting being opposed to capital • punishment. Hance and his wife were shot down i on a lonely road on the afternoon of ■ August 14, last. The couple had shel- . tered Anderson and his pal, Gerald Chapman, at their farm home and i Hance squealed, resulting in the arrest , of Chapman, who now awaits execu- ■ tlon in a Connecticut prison. Hance i was a witness for the state in the . Chapman trial and tile minder was be- ’ (CONTINUED ON PAGE TWO) i Sisters Os Providence Take Over Fletcher Estate Indianapolis, Ind.. Nov. 9. (United Press)-- The Sisters of Providence, a I Catholic organization, is to take over immediately the $600,000 Laurel Hall I estate, former property of Stoughton - A. Fletcher, it was announced today. > The land will he used for a Catholic - school. 5 Weather i Generally fair tonight and Tuesday. Rising temperature.

MANY EYES ON | DOCTOR’S TRIAL All Nation Interested In Outcome Os Colorado’s Mercy Murder Trial By Stanley Whitaker, (U. P. Staff Correspondent) Littleton. Col., Nov. !>. — iUn ted Press.) —The quest'on of whether there is any justification in taking the life of u hopeless, imbecile, cripple stands nearer being decided today. In this small town. 12 miles from Denver, defense attorneys are lighting for the freedom of Dr. Harold E. Blazer, who killed his “human ».usk" daughter, and the state is fighting for conviction on the grounds that under no circumstances has anyone the light to take a human life except as prescribed by law. When the state and defense complete their case, 12 jurymen, mostly farmers, will have to decide this question in which all the nation is interested. That Dr. Blazer killed the invalid woman, according to a dictate of his sub-conscious mind may he brought out in testimony here. Blazer has said that he believes in humanely putting hopeless imbeciles out of the world although he insists that never in the long years of care for Hazel did he think of killing her. Tlie aged phys'eian. who chloroformed the girl and then attempted suicide. feels no remorse for his act and now says he remembers nothing of the deed. He may take the witness stand today and tell his story, it was indicated by defense counsel. Early Freezes Costly To Farmers Near Nappanee Nappanee, Ind.. Noy. B.— Thousands of dollars has he-n lost by the farmers of ihis section of the state as the result of the early freezes this year. As a result of putting off the digging of potatoes until the wheat crop had been sown thousands of acres of potatoes were damaged or ruined. Potatoes are now selling at 85 cents a bushel but indications are tlie price will go above the dollar mark in the near future. VEGETABLE AND FRUIT PRICES UP ■ Potatoes Scarce And Costly; Prices Os Other Commodities Move Upward — — I With leaps and bounds. several fruits and vegetables have advanced in prices the last week to the highest values recorded at this time of year for some time. Potatoes lead all commodities in advances. A week ago today, potatoes were selling at 90 cents to 1.00 a bushel. Today, the current retail price in Decatur is $2 00 a bushel. Several causes have been given for the advance in price. Many potatoes were frozen in the ground and the yield was lower than usual this year Most of the local crop was taken from the ground before the heavy frosts, but the yield was below average. in most instances. Prominent grocers predict that navy beans will join with potatoes in the price advance. Today, they are| selling at 8 cents a. pound, but general predictions are that the price will move upward this week. Sweet potatoes are selling at 4 pounds tor 25 cents. Apple prices are about steady, compared with last year's values. Apples are selling at $1.25 to $2.00 a ’ bushel, according to the brand and| size of the apples. Grapes are selling (CONTINUED‘ON PAGE TWO) o ■ Two Indianapolis Men Commit Suicide Sunday Indianapolis. Ind., Nov. 9.—(United Press) -Two men are dead here today as the result of successful suicide attempts. E. G. Russell. 35. St. Louis. Mo., shot himeslf in a downtown hotel and Wal- - ter Kramer. 70, ended his life at his home.

10,000 Citizens Named Violators Os Sunday Blue Laws New Brunswick. N. J . Nov. 9— Between 7.000 and 10.000 residents of Middlesex county will have their names handed to Prosecutor Joseph E. Stricker today as violators. Anyone who walked anywhere | vesterday except to church, who bought a newspaper, tobacco, meals, trolley rides, gasoline, or, in fact, anything else, is eligible | to appear on the list of offenders. So. too. are those who sold anything The law under which the offenses were committed is known as the vice and immorality act, passed in Colonial times. ANOTHER COLD WAVE ARRIVES Twelve-hour Rain Terminates With Freezing Temperature Sunday Cold weather again arrived in this community late Saturday night, after, a driving rain of more than twelve! hours had spent itself terminating with a windstorm about 8 o'clock Saturday night. The thermometer dropped about 15 degrees within a few hours. Sunday morning, the mercury had descended to the freez-' ing mark and yesterday afternoon the cold wave continued. night was one of the coldest nights this fall and a freezing tem-| perature was recorded. Today the thermometer hovered about the freezing mark most of the day and clouds kept the sun from throwing any heat into the air. Auto drivers caused a run on hoi and other non-freezing ingredients yesterday to keep their radiat-j ors from freezing Several people , who drove their cars to town yesterday afternoon were greeted last night with frozen radiators. Weather predictions are to the effect that the cold wave will continue in this region for several days and most people are of the opinion (hat there will be very few warm ■lays yet this fall. —o High Water Causes Delay In Constructing Bridge Petersburg, Ind., Nov. 9. — (United Press) A two month’s delay in construction of tlie new bridge over White river here is in prospect today as a result of flood damage to the false work of tlie new bridge. High waters caried away the false work supporting tlie heavy steel girders and the girders collapsed. Q AUTO ACCIDENTS TAKE SIX LIVES » Twenty-one Others Injured In Week-end Toll Os Mishaps In Indiana Indianapolis. Nov 9 Six dead and twenty-one hurt, three probably I fatally, is Indiana's auto accident toll today for the last twenty-four hours. | Herbert Iztcßridge. 45, Charles i Brown. 15. and Ruth Brown. 12. were, killed at Newcastle when a traction car hit tlie auto In which they were riding. Miss Maude Brown. 45. mother of the two children, is expected to recover from injuries sustained in the l wreck | William J Smith. 55, general agent for the American Railway Express company, died from injuries received in Indianapolis \vben his auto collided with a street ear. Police at Wabash are searching for an automobile which struck and killed Mrs. Ezra Robert, 69, and seriously injured! her husband as the aged couple were walking on a road.. j At South Bend, Claude Jennings, 12(1, was killed by an automobile driven by Ralph Pad*en. of Buchanan. Mfch. i 1 The other injured were hurt in 8 series of minor accidents.

Price 2 Cents.

DISCREDIT STORY THAT STEPHENSON KIDNAPPED GIRL ; Witnesses Tell Os Frequent Meetings Os Couple; Newspaper Men Testify POLITICAL POWER HINTED AT TODAY Noblesville, Ind.. Nov. 9.— (United Press.) —David Giblin, night watchman at the Indianapolis Union station, today furnished further testimony for the defense in its effort to destroy the story of Miss Madge Ooerholtzer that she was kidnapped by D. C. Stephenson, former klan leader. Stephenson and his two henchmen, Earl Klenck and Earl Gentry, have been on trial for a month charged with firs: degree murder for the girl'o death. No outcry or unusual incident occurred at the ticket gate on the n'ght of March 15. tilts year. Giblin testii fied. The nil lit of March 15 was the ' night on which Miss Oberholtxer. in Iter dying statement said she was kidnapped and forced to accompany the men on a train ride to Hammond. Maxine J-lliiott; a former secretary (o Stephenson, told of seeing the girl ' in his office several times last winter. Each visit Madge made to th,- of-. flee was between 4:30 and 5 o'clock in the afternoon and each time she I went into the private office, the secrei tary said. 1 Newspaper men who were present at the autopsy over the body of Miss Oberhoitzer were called as defense witnesses today. Their testimony I was offered by the defense to offset tha of physicians who appeared for ! the state and told of the girl's bruised condition. Herber' Eder, an lud'anapolis reporter. testified that the only bruise | he saw on the girl’s body was a small blue mark under tlie left collar bone. “Otherwise she seemed normal.” Filer said. The state objected so strenuously to tlm remark that it was stricken from the record. Eugene J. Cadott, another Indianapolis reporter, testified he was present at the autopsy and did not observe any bruises or lacerations on tlie body. Intimations of Stephenson's political influence were brought out during tlie questioning of Ralph Rigdon, republican politician. Rigdon said he met Stephenson three years ago during the organization of the Ku Klux Klan, but did not have political connections with him (CONTINUED ON PAGE TWO) ~o — Trial Os Edward I’rator Postponed Noblesville, Ind.. Nov. 9.—(United Press) —Tr'ai of Edward Prater. 16- ! year-old Indianapolis youth charged with slaying an Indianapolis street ear conductor during a holdup, was again delayed today. Judge Hines, who was to have heard the ease, was ill and the trial was postponed. I’rutcr has ben in jail hiinee last spring. 0 GAN BUILD ROADS IN 11 TOWNSHIPS County Will Have $161,277.72 Available ForCon- ( struetion Work In 1926 Eleven of tlie twelve townships In 1 Adams county will have $161,277.72 available for road building next year. Union township being the only one G where the bonded indebtedness is ' is over tlie 2 per cent, limit. Based on a net valuation in the 6 county of $38,841,860. the 2 per cent. L limit will yield $776,837.20, out of '• which must he paid next year’s pay- ’ ment on bonds and interest anti from ’■ which total is deducted the amount already owed by the different towna — (CONTINUED ON PAGE SIX)