Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 29, Number 25, Decatur, Adams County, 29 January 1931 — Page 1

WEATHER Fair tonight; Fridiy pa.tly cloudy and slightly warmer.

DEATHS IN MINE EXPLOSION NUMBER 29

IMERICA MAKES APOLOGY FOR BUTLER'S TALK Jen. Butler Is Courtmarialed and America Sends Apology to Mussolini ase creates much EXCITEMENT HERE I Portand, Oregon Jan 29 — HUP)—Cla:ence White, general manager of the EllisonWhite Lyceum circuit, said here today that the story concerninq M .ssilini for the telling of which major general Medley Butler was ordered [court marshalled, was told to hutler and a group of men, by Icornd us Vanderbilt, Junior, in Lew York, November 1930. | Presont at the time. White Laid, were Butler. White. Louis [Albert of Cleveland, and eleven [other men. I Washington, Jan. 29. — ( U.R) Secretary of State Stimson Lay made formal apoloary to |aiv for statements made by laj. Gen. Smedley D. Butler Larding Premier Mussolini f Italy, in a speech at Philajelphia last week. The apol■y was made two hours asFr Secretary of the Navy Adins had ordered Butler, one ■ the most distinguished American Marine corps offers. courtmartialed. ■ Stimson personally made th. 1 Irmal expression of regret over le affair to Italian Ambassador Aiaconui de Martino who called at |e state department to receive le apology. ■ Stimson explained to De Marko that Butler's speech was an ■nauthorized action" and inform- ■ the ambassador of the navy's ■tion in ordering the general Burtmartialed. I Hutler, in answer to a demand lom the secretary of the navy, yesIruay had admitted that he had Bid an audience at Philadelphia Bat an American friend had inBrmed him that Mussolini had Bmmented that a single life was kthing compared to the life of the |at?, when Mussolini's automobile Beeedly had run down a child. ■ Butier also was said to have •oken of “mad dogs" threatening •rope and to have commented |iY)NTIN(JED ON PAGE FIVE) ponroe Man To Face I Intoxication Charge ■''■lliani C. Hare, living west of fnroe, was arrested at 6:30 o’Bwk Wednesday evening by night Biiceman Womack and was taken ■’he Adams county jail. Hare was f ße(i t 0 hav e been intoxicated. He ••released on SSO bond today. I. r ” 4re be arraigned before •■‘or George Krick in city court I.' 1 M. Friday on a charge of ■Bite intoxication. W INDIANA WEN SENTENCED [pricks County Audil° r is Sentenced; Police* I Gets Life li'nl 10 ' lnd - Jan ' 29.-LU.Rk-A Bars w ° n ” entenee °f two to 14 Bhner u ?* Ven Whicker, ■ten h Hen(lrlckß county auditor, leaded YT r ' >tnrned and F Yesterday. t 0 “ tharge ° f forg ’ I' returned from Pratt, frmber tugitlve Bince fr’ins his ’ 1928 ’ Whlcker was Iwhen h COnd term as audi.. ■feared 4 est his off ice and dis[tion. tW wrltin S his resig-1 l««S' on ,he ■“« '»>«• ■ nearly $3 sqq 631 ® 11 embezz >ement rid' b 'tj! ier ; tood trlal > U was would ” endricks county ■ted in n ? Uve been implb F ’Aitor's J °’ ftoo overdraf t in showed to rent 01 " 118 ’ Money was |’' as reporte? aCe overdraft|NohlXv l in» nia I n Gets Life l A llfe senteip 1 ’ , Jan ' 29 '-<U.R) fc® Prison v (11*4 m tlle In( Hana | ED ON PAGE THREE)

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT

Vol. XXIX. No. 25.

Celebrate Indian Liberty • * J Jflfl 4. gfl* W JX ■ ' , W’T'- Tv '■] fY' /1 f I 1 ■ iM I bmVm yis HP-? jst f j ]i| Ay#. -J The release of Mahatma Gandhi ironi prison in India coincided with the first anniversary of the fight for Indian independence. Indians in Philadelphia celebrated at Independence Hall, where they are shown adorning the Liberty Bell witli a garland. Dr. Hariada T. Muzumdar, Gandhi’s represehtative in the United States, is shown a' right.

BOARD ID HOLD ROAD HEARINGS Commissioners to Hold Hearings Next Week on Seven Improvements The board of county commissionerg will meet next week in regular session and qjt Tuesday road jna'ters will be disposed of. Hearings on seven petitions for road improvements will be held by the commissioners on Tuesday and it is likely that three or four more petitions will be ordered published and hearings set for tlie March session. The seven petitions wnich come up next week are the William 1 Wyant macadam road in Jefferson township; the Bart Boice macadam road in Wabash township; the Larson road in Blue Creek township the Herman Koeneman road in I Preble township; the William P. Barkley road in Union township and and the Isadore Bernstein road improvement in Washington and Root townships. The Isadore Bernstein road improvement includes the resurfacing ot North Second street from Adams street to the corporation line, branching off to the west at the intersection of Second and Fifth streets. It also includes the resurfacing of Marshall street, Gloss street and other intersections. It is likley that a dozen or more roads will be improved in the comity this year. At the February session the appointment of a county attorney wili also take place. Henry B. Heller is the present county attorney and as far as known he will be reappointed. o Kewanna Church Is Destroyed By Fire Logansport. Ind.. Jan. 29. —(U.R) — The Methodist church at Kewanna. 18 miles north of here, early today was destroyed by fire believed to have started from defective electrical wiring. Loss was $25,000. o — Slayer Charged With First Degree Murder Terre Haute, Ind., Jan. 29. —KU.R) —A first degree murder indictment was returned against Lawrence Johnson, 22, confessed as slayer of his 16-year-old wife, Mildred, by the Vigo county grand jury last night. Johnson is held in jail without bond. He was expected to be arraigned today. o State Pardon Board Reviews Petitions Michigan City, Ind., Jan. 29—(U.R) —Twenty-seven convicted murderers were among the 80 prisoners at the Michigan City state prison whose petitions for pardons, paroles or commutations of sentences were reviewed by the board of pardons here today. Among the petitioners were 30 serving life sentences. The pardone board considered 39 new cases and re-opened 4y.

Faral«hr4 Ry tJaltr.l l*re«e

(Simmons Named To Three Committees According to a dispatch from In‘dianapolis, Virgil M. Simmons of ( Bluffton, newly elected state representative from Wells and Adams counties, has been assigned to service on three important committees Tlie assignments were made by Speaker Walter Myers after representatives Elkenbary, Dem., of Wabash resigned from the committees. The committees to which Rep. Simmons was then assigned are the roads committee, cities aud-Uxcwua committee, and the banks committee. HARTFORD TWP. INSTITUTE HELD Good Crowds Attend Three Sessions at High School Wednesday The Hartford township farmers' (institute was held Wednesday at (the high school building. Sessions I were held in the morning, afternoon and evening. A good crowd was present for all sessions. Addresses were delivered at both forenoon and afternoon meetings by Mrs. L. G. Vannice, of Amo, and C. W. Harlan, of West Lafayette. Entertainment at these sessions was furnished by Thelma Wilson, Warren Munro, and the high school boys quartet and room two of the grads schools. The evening entertainment was under the direction of Ralph S. Myers and John Duff, president and vice- president, respectively, of the institute. County agent Archbold outlined the proposed program of 4-H club work for 1931. The latter part o fthe program was given over to a bog calling contest for the men and a husband calling and nail driving contest for the women. A. C. Munro was elected president of the Hartford township institute for next year. Funeral Services Held This Afternoon Funeral services for Mrs. Belinda Archbold Todd. 93 year-old Tocsin woman, who died at her home Tuesday morning, were held this afternoon at two o’clock at the Tocsin United Brethren church with Rev. F. D. Pugh ofiefiating. Burial was made in the Elhanan Cemetery, four miles north of Tocsin. G. E. Employes Will Have Party Tonight Ail employees of the General Electric Company and their families will enjoy a card party and dance in the Catholic high school auditorium, tonight, beginning at 8 o’clock. Seventy tables will be arranged for pinochle, rlium. and bridge, and forr prizes will be awarded the winners in each event. Music for dancing will be furnished by Dee Fryback’s orchestra, and refreshments will be at a very small cost. All other entertainment is free and every employee is invited to attend. Bert Gage and William Heim are in charge of the affair.

ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN ADAMS COUNTY

Decatur, Indiana, Thursday, January 29, 1931.

Rescuer Describes Mine As A “Flaming Cyclone”

Equipped With Safety Lamps Rescuers Search For Victims in Little Betty Mine. Linton. Ind., Jan. 29. —(U.R> -"A flaming cyclone" was the description placed on the I.Jttle Hetty mine gas explosion here yesterday by Andrew Docherty, Paxton, Ind., leaslex of the first rescue team to I descend the shaft where 28 min|ers lost their lives. I Docherty, hero of many mine rescues during his 37 years' exper- ! fence throughout America an d I Scotland, today told the United Press how eagerly fellow miners sought to risk their lives in a search of the mine passages, filled with poisonous fumes. • Equipped with safety lamps which detect the presence of gas. tlie first crew felt Its way cautious■ly through nearly a mile of nuid and slime of the ill-fated mine floor. “Aside from a flickering of the ■saf ty lamps, which indicated the ' presence of a slight amount of carI bon monoxide gas, there was nothlitig to show that anything had hapi pened," Docherty related, "but as j (CONTINUED ON PAGE THREE) CONTRIBUTIONS | TOTAL $45.41 Red Cross Head Asks For Remittance of DailyDonations I Annie E. Winnes. county I secretary of the American lied Cross, sent a check fcr 145.51 to the national headquarters for imfor the immediate aid of th? drought relief fund. This check represents the total receipts of the Red Cross donations since the call was issued more than a week ago. Miss Winnes stated today that she received a request from John Barton Payne, asking for daily contributions received, to be sent to tilie national headquarters for immediate relief. The message from Mr. Payne is: "The increasing demands in the Drought Area make it imperative that contributions received for Drought Relief be made immediately'available for use in the affected areas. Will you please, therefore, remit promptly to the American National Red Cross, Washington, D. C., all contributions received to date, and daily thereafter." The receipts to date include: Reported Jan. 26 $22.38 Dr. C. C. Rayl 10.00 Mr. and Mrs. B. J. Rice 5.00 J. H. Schug 2.00 Dr. and Mrs. S. D. Beavers 5.00 P. Kirsch ... 1.00 Change in boxes .03 | Total $45.41 WELLS COUNTY OFFICIALS MEET School Men Will Discuss Bills Threatening Athletic Association Bluffton, Jan. 29 —(Special)— High school officials of Wells county will hold a special meeting at tne Bluffton community building arising from the introduction of two bills in the state legislature providing abolishment of the Indiana high school athletic association. The officials will discuss their views on the matter and then pie pare a statement which will be forwarded to association headquarters in Indianapolis. Arthur I. Trester, permanent sec(CONTINUED ON PAGE SIX, Armed Bandits Rob Bank of $5,000 Gorham, 111.. Jan. 29 —(U.R) —Two middle aged bandits, armed with shot guns robbed the First National Bank of $5,000 today. When they entered the bank, they covered the cashier and a customer with guns but told R. C. Knippener, a St. Louis fixture salesman, who was busy with a tape measure, to “go on with your measuring.”

jj —g OWE LIFE TO FATE | j Linton, Ind., Jan. 28. -<U.R)> ‘ | The seven men who cam - out of the Little Betty mine here alive today after spending sev- . , eral hours in the chambers where 26 comrad s perished, i owhl their lives to a successful gamble with fate. , | The seven were fortified in , 1 a small side chamber, where they bratticed themselves from j the deadly black-damp, with enough air for only a few j hours’ existence. They were I near the last of their oxygen II supply when rescue squads [ 11 cleared the entry. The seven were Herman I Brown, Louis Hall. B n Snyder, William Bedwell, Jesse Crouse, and Carl Love, of Linton, and Juie Wellington, Sullivan. They would have p rished toI day, had not rescuers reached | them. HOUSE MEMBERS OPPOSE RELIEF Committee Votes Against $25,000,000 Red Cross Relief Fund Washington. Jan. 29 —(UPl —The house appropriations committee vot- . ed .in effect today against the $25,000,000 Red Cross relief fund in the Interior department appropriation I bill by deciding to disagree on this other Senate amendments and send •’the l»ill to conference. The committee voted 18 to 11 to disagree with the Senate amend- ’ meats. By the same vote, the Committee rejected a proposed amendment by Rep. Bryns. Deni., Tenn., which ‘ would have turned over the $25,1 000,000 to President Hoover to be • administered by some governmental agency in view of the refusal of i tlie Red Cross to accept the fund. The committee was to report to > the house later today on its decision (CONT.NUED ON PAGE SIX) RECORD CROWD HEARSJERMON Decatur Church Auditorium Filled for Revival Service Last Night 1 A record breaking crowd attended 1 the revival services at the Metho--1 dist Episcopal Church Wednesday 1 evening and the auditorium was fill--1 ed to capacity with members of the ' local church and visitors from various other religious denominations in the city. There was also a good representation of the young people of the Sunday school at last evening's service. A special feature of the prelimin- , ary service at the meeting was the program of music furnished by the Young Men's Choir of the Zion Reformed Church under the leadership of Henty Graber and Bob White. Miss Eleanor Reppert accompanied the choir at the organ. The congregation expressed its appreciation to the musical group for its part in the program. The pastor Rev. B. H. Franklin, spoke on the subject, “The Peril of Resisting God" and gave the most earnest and effective plea of pie series of sermons. He will speak tonight on the theme, “The Great Physician", and a cordial invitation is extended to tlie members of other churches to attend. The usual musical preliminary program will begin at 7:30 o’clock. • 0 Three Are Omitted From Exhibit List Three classes were unintentionally omitted from the list of exhibits and prizes to be awarded at ‘he Root township institute, which will be held at the Monmouth commun- • ity building. Wednesday, February 4. Classes-omitted were: Angel food cake, first prize Beavers. Fryback and Beavers, end table: second. SI . cash; third. 50c cash. Women, sponge cake, first, Zwick and Son, ■ ironing board, second, $1 cash; third 50c cash. White bread —First Niblick and Co., blanket; second. $1 cash; third, 50 cents.

Nlate, Nallnaal Aa4 lairraailoaal News

SEVEN BILLS APPROVED BY j SENATE TODAY I I Insurance and Veteran’s Bills Included; House Is Deluged With Bills — 41 MEASURES WERE INTRODUCED TODAY — Inditinapolis, Jan. 29. (U.R) Seven measures were given, linal approval ol the state' | senate today in a dull session occupied with reading ofi nine hil son third reading, j Ampng bills passed were; those providing sinking funds for maintainance of schools j ]in- certain cities’ reducing; number of board members' and changing name of soldiers i I and sailors' home at Knightstown;; empowering judges to commit vet-1 erans to governmental hospitals I for the insane; permitting life inI surance company officials to bori row money on their own policy :.nd preventing beneficiaries from ' breaking terms of a benefactor in , i life insurance policy. House Diluged With Bills Indianapolis. Jan. 29 —(U.R) —With I another deluge of bills again swamping the house of representatives today. Speaker Walter Myer lottnded a warning against supert'lurous measures and instructed all committees “not to be afraid of using tlie axe on bills not worthy of attention.” Forty-one measures were introduced in a single hour today, bringing the total on the calendar to 264. mo.e than half the number introduced during the 1929 session. Foremost among the bills today wjt-re two tax measures, one proma flat tax of 3% on gross income of corporations, and another for levying a tax of 1% on gross sales of retail concerns, both designed to help lift the property tax burden. Law is Upheld Indianapolis. Jan. 29 —(U.R) —Constitutionality of the 1929 act (CONTINUED ON PAGE FOUR) s o Report On Christmas Seals Not Complete — W. Guy Brown, chairman of the Adams County Tuberculosis League who had charge ot' the sale of Christmas seals during tlie month of December, announced today that 65,281 seals had been sold in this county thus far. However, there are a large number of seals unaccounted for, and a final report cannot be made until these are returned. Several schools throughout tlie county have not reported on the sale and it is hoped that the teachers will take care of this matter immediately. It is Mr. Brown’s desire to conclude the report within the next week, so the books can be closed. OGDEN L MILLS BLAMES BONUS Under Secretary of Treasury Says Agitation Caused Market Drop Washington, Jan. 29 —(UP) —Agitation for a cash bonus was blamed for a drop in the government bond market in the last few days by under secretary of the treasury Ogden L. Mills. He apeared today with secretary of the treasury Mellon and Veterans Bureau director Frank T. Hines before the house ways and means committee to oppose bonus proposals. Representative Rainey Dem. ill. pointed out that the bonds had dropped following Mellon’s opposition to the bonus yesterday before the senate finance committee and, asked Mills directly: “Don’t you thing that was a manipulated market?” “No I don't thing so", Mills re plied, “We’ve had a very weak market all the week. That's what you've got to expect when the holders of bonds hear that the government may flood the market with $3,500, 000.0000 of bonds to pay off the soldiers bonus. Naturally they are going to sell these bonds." Mills reiterated to the bo tse committee, which opened hearings today. the opposition expressed yes(CONTINUED ON PAG<S SIX)

Price Two Cents

Surrenders Ml Fl . I i — Congressman Harry E. Row • bottom of Indiana, who was attested at Evansville, Ind., Janii- ’ | ary 27. on a charge of taking j money from applicants far pns‘- ’ office jobs and promising appoint--11 ments. Bond was fixed at $19,000. MOBLYNCiiES SLAYER OF SIX Confessed ’ Murderer Hanged hy Mob at Schafer. North Dakota ( Schafer. N. D., Jan. 29—(U.R)1 Charles Bannon. 22, confessed slayer of a family of six, was 1 lynched last night by a mob which crashed open the county jail with ' a log in defiance of peace officers. 1 The lynching was the first re--1 corded in North Dakota in many ' years. Bannon was to have gone on ’ trail today for the slaying of six ' members of the A. E. Haven family at Watford City, near here. a band of men came to the jail ■ last night and told Deputy Sheriff • P. Hallam to surrender the keys of Ihe jail. Hallam refused. The crowd seized a heavy log and pounded through the jail door. Telephone lines to the city were I cut. Bannon pleaded with the mob not to harm his father who was lodged in the cell next to him. also under suspicion of the killing. . "Save my dad. he’s not guilty,’’ Eannon cried. Mob leaders heeded his plea. They loaded the youth on a truck and took him to the Cherry ■ Creek bridge, east of Schafer where 1 a rope was tied to the railing. The 1 other end was fastened in a slip knot around Bannon's neck and 1 the crowd pushed him over the bridge. Meanwhile Sheriff Thompson was ’ roused and hurried to Watford ■ City for assistance. When police reinforcements arrived the lynch- ’ ers had dispersed. Thompson said apparently none • of the attackers was known, but I that he would question the elder ’ Bannon and other prisoners in an ! effort to identify the leaders. ' Bannon confessed that he had killed the Haven family by luring (CONTINUED ON PAGE SIX) Bill Introduced To Buy Indiana Hotel Washington. Jan. 29 — (UP) — A . bill to autorize the purchase by the , government of the huge Baden Springs hotel, West Baden, inr’., . for conversion to a world war vet- . erans hosiptal, was introduced in the house todaj’ by Rep. Wood, Repn. Indiana. The bill fixed a maximum price of $2,500,000.

YOUR HOME PAPERLIKE ONE OF THE FAMILY

RECOVER BODIES FROM INDIANA COALMINE Explosion of G is Pocket In Little Betty Coal Mine Claims Lives NINE MINERS WERE RESCUED ALIVE Linton, Ind., Jan. 29. >UR> The death 101 l of veslerjdav’s explosion in the Little 11*< llv Coal mine near Linton I was p'aced at 29 todav, after all bodies bad been removed, in an official report from rescue headquarters. Ihe bodv of Fred Reed was the last one removed from the mine, adding one Io the earlier total. Little Betty Mine, Linton, Ind, Jan. 29. —(U.R) The gas-choked lanes of Little Betty mine had given up 18 luxlies at 7 a m. today. : and rescue teams were preparing ;to descend to bring out ten more I victims of yesterday’s explosion, i With 29 known dead, it was not expected that additional bodies would be found. At dawn seven .miners were found alive in a mine-room and were brought to tlie surface. They suffered no ill effects. A preliminary survey by state and federal officials indicated that a gas explosion rent the workings. ' A fall of slate was said to have ■ revealed the porous limerock for- ; mation, from which the gas exj ploded. ; All the bodies were burned black. J When the explosion occurred ■ late yesterday miners from sur- .: rounding fields rushed to the resJ cue, pushing through., tlie congregation of women and children who awaited word from husbands, fath- ': ers and brothers. Survivors described the explos- ■ ion as a "burning cyclone." Charred condition of the bodies bore out | the grim accuracy of the descrip- | tion. It was impossible to make a ' positive identification of the 18 bodies that had been recovered, as they were burned almost beyond recognition. , Those tentatively identified, however, were: O. Hale, Sullivan Jess Templeton, Linton Hubert Butler, Linton Lotus Mitchell, Pleasantville 1 John Letote, Linton Earl Redwell, Linton 1 Andy Winterbottom, Sullivan Homer Robertson, Pleasantville Leo Hosiditz. Dugger Clarence McQueary, Jasonville Jdhn Soutard, Jr., Linton 1 Ralph Enochs, Pleasantville : Six bodies remain even tenta- • tively unidentified. The first body to be taken from 1 the death pit was that of. Lotus Mitchell, which was brought up 1 early in the evening. ‘ Origin of the explosion was at I ‘CONTINUED ON PAGE SIX, . —_ o — WARM WEATHER CONTINUES ; January “H ea t” Wave Brings Out Dandelions, t Peach Trees Bloom > —.— l Chicago. Jan. 29.— <U.R) —A Jann- • ary ’heat' wave continued throughout tlie western half of the coun- ( try today, causing mild alarm in I some states and merriment in oth- ’ ers, especially in tlie cities. With the exception of New England, where it was “normally cold." ’ temperatures throughout the coun- - try were unusually high and had been that way for days. 1 As a result, violets and roses blossomed in Oklahoma, the bears ' refused to hibernate in Glacier Nat- ' ional Park, the first January grass file in history was recorded at Minneapolis, dandelions bloomed in lowa and ducks and getse were, flying northward along the Mississippi river. At Gunnison, Colo., a lake that is fed by glaciers was frozen ov‘t'. but the air was so warm that coeds of Western State Normal school went skating in bathing togs. The real “warm" belt extended from the Mississippi liasin west,CONTINUED ON PAGE THREE)