Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 29, Number 175, Decatur, Adams County, 25 July 1931 — Page 1

WE‘ TriER , s g-- • W. Eun ' WT-’ |K;< *r' ner -

Pittsburgh fire claims many lives

mihomns lIHIISTSICT ML TO'JSNEY Ifountv Juniors I’pset |L To Beat Muncie ■ |n Finals Here IjON'AL IS ’ ■ atgreensbi RG I Portland American LeEmiorbaseball team wonEighth district tourna-i Band the right to advance Ke regional meet at ( Eburg. August 3, by deEe Muncie Juniors here E afternoon by a score E Kind gained the edge in the ■innins and continued to pile , L, in every frame but the [ E The Muncie team was , ■ off form. In two previous . K this season Mum ie had deE the Portland entry by close ; Ethe winners. Haines pitched I Eho was behind the bat. For Manor and Babb both ■slum at pitching and neither Kedive. Horr did the catchE Muncie aggregation, which Evored to win the sectional E<t had several opportunities . Ere runs, but muffed them in Etui style. The losers showed Eplete reverse of play from < Kevious day when they defeatKcatur and Alexandria to go ■e Inals. ■owing is the box score: Eid (13) R. H. E.| Krt. 3b. 2 1 2 ’ E,c. 0 1* 01 Ess. 4 3 2. Er. 3b. 3 2 0 E. p. 2 4 0 E3b 0 0 0 E.cf 1 2 0 E n i 3 o E if.............. o o il ■ — — ■Nall 13 16 51 ■tie (5) R. H. E. ■Bpbell. as. o 11 ■nit. If. 0 111 |h. rs 0 0 01 |«■ -1 1 3 Bn, 3b 2 1 2 ■. ft- 0 0 0 Ety. lb. o 0 1 fc-ft-— _.... 1 0 0 f r -» 0 0 0 J ll - 2b- —1 2 01 0 0 ' Oi Irobc Death Os Y outh Phen. Ind., July 25. — (U.R) — F er Juday, 21, Goshen, died in PPital here today of a bullet f ll suffered a few hours earlier, p started an immediate investo learn how the wound Wkted. F y »as found lying in his f ailto four miles north of Ben by Thereon Dewey, ElkI »bo stopped to look at the F e 'l auto, it was at first beP ’hat he died of injuries suff in the crash. f a > was said to have been re-1 p here from Bristol. A girl I I wh om he had been earlier in r Ven ng, was to be questioned. IF CLUB TO HOLD PICNIC Ry-Wide Meeting Is Panned For Memorial Bark August 4 r'pi ? r a county wide Lt, C to . be held Tuesday, L „ , al begion Memorial Park I e p'■ a meeUn * < >f the kg u. Prl . day eveni “K- The fschnni 38 i el<t in the Monroe P'l-rlck^J' aS the cha,ge L. k fhtff, president. I, orch? 8 , ,urnilihed by DahL,, , stra ot Monroe and a Lhotn m " Partner ’ s Thre «" Ibis hi Mayor George Krick > mX7s. a Bh ° rt ta ' k M •«r < dur i n CIUI J Picn,c win follow h will ,‘ g the forenoon, and a serial £ pV T ed at the Oa,n,,s **rnoo ß l r enjoyed du ring 1 C| Ub and MemWera of the fe Eeonnmi ’ nemberi ' of all tty ± ClUbs ° f the t™ attend the affair.

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN ADAMS COUNTY

Vol. XXIX. No. 175.

Pupils Build Prize House / 1 Ik I I l3'W' This one and a half story house, built from cellar to roof by Deering Shields. 111., High School students in Highland Park, 111., was awarded til st prize in the National Better Homes in America campaign, sponsored by the Unite* States Department of the Interior. The work on the house, a six-room structure, was done by the students in the voca tional departments, and took the entire school year — approximately nine months. The girl pupils took charge at the interior decorating

WATER WELL IS IN OPERATION New Pumper Added To City’s Water Supply; Pumps 210 j The new water wel lat Water j Works park was placed in operation j this morning and will be pumped from now on, adding to the city's < water supply. A test of the well this morning showed that it was producing about 1 210 gallons per minute. It is believed that the normal producttj'l will simmer down to about 150 gallons per minute The well is electrically pumped I and a smal Imotor room has been ' erected over the motor and other ! apparatus necessary in the operai tion of the pump. O. L. Vance, chairman of -the elec 1 trie light committee of the city i 1 council, stated that he expected the engineers, Froelich and Emery, To- : ledo, Ohio, to file detailed plans for , the changing of the electric distriution system in Decatur with the i council at the August meeting, i There has been a little delay on the II part of the engineers in getting the 1 1 final draft of plans prepared, but .lit is expected that they will be preJared in time so that work can start I this fall. Work on installing the new water mains on North Sixth street. South . Fifth street and West Adams street i will begin in the near future. Orval Haruff, superintendent of the water department stated. Work will not . start until cooler weather. Mr. HarI ruff stated.

— - - ■ — O " —— Will Appeal Ruling Indianapolis, July 25. — (U.PJ —An appeal from the ruling of the state board of education revoking the license of Kenneth Hank, former Merrilville high school coach, will be made in Marion county courts, attorneys for Hauk announced. His license was withdrawn as a result of his conviction in Lake circuit court on a charge of contributing to delinquency of minors. Witnesses wh* appeared for Hauk at the hearing before the state board were not permitted to testify. Attorneys for Hauk said they woul,d have testified that the former coach entered a* plea of guilty as a result oj fraudulent explanation of the charges. The appeal will be based on that point, it was intimated. Hauk spent half of a 60-day term on the state prison farm before befog released upon recommendation of Governor Harry G. Leslie. o Bomb Is Exploded Naples, July 25. — (U.PJ — Many were injured and considerable property damage was done by a bomb which exploded in the crowded Umberto Arcade, in the center of the city today. Curtis Funeral Held Indianapolis, July 25 —(UP) — Funeral services were held at a local mortuary this afternoon for John Jay Curtis, President of the Bobbs-Merrill Printing company, who died Wednesday nightInterment was made in Crown Hill cemetery, Indianapolis.

Furntfthrd By United PreM

I’hil Delts Name Head Louisville, Ky., July 25. — (U.R)— ! Norman O. Neiburger. Lafayette, Ind., was elected national president [of Phil Delta Kappa fraternity at the group's convention here. Other officers were: Vfce president, G. J. Grant. Plymouth, Ind.; Second I Vice President, Clifford Wilson, | Jacksonville. Fla.; Third Vice President, Richard F. Preston, Cambridge. O.; Secretary and Treasurer. Paul F. Deaton, Connersville, fnd.; Master ot Ceremonies. E. T. Mattinly. Louisville: Auditor, Russell Brundige, Dayton, O.; Sergeant at Arms. Ralph Deupree, Shelby--1 ville, Ind.; Inner Guard, Dale i Brown, Winchester, Ind.; and Out- , er Guard, Otio Wilcox, Fort Worth, Texas. . Ilhe site for the next national convention will be selected in January.

DECATURMAN'S MOTHER DIES Mrs. Sarah Hesher Is Found Dead At Home In Bluffton Bluffton, July 25 — (Special) — Mrs. Sarah Elizabeth Hesher, 77. mother of John Hesher of Decatur was found dead at 5:30 o'clock Friday evening at her home east of here by l),er son Charles. Death was caused by heart disease with which she suffered for the past 5 years. Mrs. Hesher was the daughter of John and Mary Peck Rakliff, and was born March 19. 1854 in OhioHer husbanji. Adam Hesher. preceded her in death, May 28. 1928. Surviving are the following children: David Hesher, Bridgeport, 111., John Hesher. Decatur; Frank Hesher. White Pidgeon. Mich.. James Hesher, Detroit, Mich., Charles Hesher. Bluffton; 14 grandchildren 4 great grandchildren, and a brother James Rakliff, Bluffton. Three sisters and a brother preceded her in death The body was taken to the McBride funeral parlors and will later be taken to the home where funeral services will be held at 2 o’clock Sunday afternoon in the charge of Rev. Spear Burial wil lire in the Fairview Cemetery here. Graf Continues Flight Berlin, July 25 —(U.R)—The Graf Zeppelin was bound for Leningrad. Soviet Russia, today on the second lap of its flight to the North Pole. The big German dirigible left Staaken airport outside Berlin at 4:43 a. m„ with Dr. Hugo Eckener in command, and carrying 16 passengers and 30 members of the crew. Lieningrad is about 825 miles northeast of Berlin, but Dr. Eckener said he expected to reach the former Russian capita) late in the day. The Graf was sighted over Gotland in the Baltic Sea at 11:20 a.m. The world-girding dirigible arrived at Staaken airport last night fronT its home port of Friedrichshafen, making the 350 mile flight without incident in about six hours. On the daring flight over the pole, scientists on board plan to gather important material on geographic and meteorological conditions in the Arctic.

Decatur, Indiana, Saturday, July 25, 1931.

HERMAN BANKS TO COOPERATE DOBING CRISIS New Agreement Reached; To Aid Financial Crisis Os Nation REICHSBANK TO LEND AID Berlin, July 25.— (U.R) — A nett- and important agreement under which Germany’s larg-' est banks will work together! for mutual support was announced today. The agreement was designed to stabilize national finances after current emergency measures have been withdrawn, and to prevent recurrence of the recent near-disaster. With a motto of "all for one and I one for all,” the banks agreed to j assure each other all necessary ; financial assistance after the pres I ent partial banking moratorium j has been rescinded and larger outpayments have been resumed. The Reichsbank will back the agreement, which was understood to be intended primarily to protect one of the biggest of the German “D” group banks, known to be in difficulty, but whose safety was understood to be assured by the agreemei\. The “D” banks are several large ; banking institutions, one of the ' most prominent—the Darmstaedter and National, or Danat Bank—hav- * ing already been shut down in the [crisis of a week ago last Monday. o Agents (Jet New Order South Bend. July 25 —(UP)—Prohibition agents in this section of the state today were under orders from enforcement headquarters here to keep their guns in readiness while making all taids and arrestsThe orders came as a result of the fatal shooting near Fort Wayne of agents Walter Gilbert and John Wilson when they attempted to arrest George Adams, a bootlegger I suspect. Gilbert Wilson and their (two companions, were unarmed when the shooting occurred. o • Melletts Plan Divorce Anderson, July 25—(UP)—A suit for divorce as on file here today against J. H. Mellett, Mayor of Anderson. Mrs. Glenna McMullen Mellett, to whom he was married in January of this year, charged cruel- | ty. It was said that a property settlement was reached and that the action would not be contested Oldest Mason Expires Charlton, Mass., July 25—(UP) — Leprelet Miller Logee. America's oldest Mason, died at the Masonic home hefe today in his 106th year.

ECONOMY IS HOOVER ORDER President Writes Warning To All Department Heads Today Washington, July 25. —(U.R)— Stringent economy in every branch of the federal government has been ordered by President Hoover. To the heads of all departments, commissions and boards he has addressed a letter calling on them' to reduce expenses wherever posstitle and to slash to the bone the budget that is now being prepared for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1932. Every governmental activity that can be curtailed “without serious detriment to the public welfare" should be "eliminated or postponed," the president said. The 'federal treasury closed the 1931 fiscal year on June 30 with a deficit of n*trly one billion dollars. Another large deficit is in prospect for the present year. Mr. Hoover characterized the situation as an "emergency.” July 1 estimates to the bureau of the budget showed contemplated expenditures for this fiscal year to be in excess of those in the year just closed, the president said. He requested the heads of (CONTINUED ON PAGE TWO)

Examiners Near End Os Work In County O. A. Hutchens and C. F. Lautzenheiser, field examifiers for the! state board of accounts, who have I been working in this city for the past two months, practically completed their work yesterday. They have gone to Fort Wayne to com-' pile and make out the written reports. They stated that they would return to Decatur after August 1, to audit the books of the Decatur school bbard-and would also go to Berne to examine the school board's books there. With - these two examinations their work will be completed. <y SCHOOL FIRE TO BE PROBED Authorities Say Oil Was Spread On Stairways Os Building Crawfordsville, July 25.—(U.R) — State and county fire authorities have been asked to assist in the investigation of the attempt to burn the Bowers school, north of here. The blaze was checked aftpr it burned a portion of the floor I and stairway. An examination o fthe 390.000 structure showed that gasoline had been sprinkled over the floor. A partially-filled gasoline can was found near the door. Authorities, who obtained fingerprints, said they had no other clues but were taking cognizance of the fact that the fire started shortly after contracts for school bus drivers were let. o Plane Crash Is Fatal Cass Minn., July 25 —(UP) [ A trick maneuver so passengers • could wave a: relatives on the Lake shore or structural weakness in this ship was blamed today for the crash of a monoplane which took the lives of four passengers and the pilot. SEEK PARENTS OF BABY GIBL Child Taken From Gypsy Woman At Rockford/ . 111.. By Officials Rockford, 111., July 25—<U.R>— Mystery today surrounded the identity of a three year old, blue eyed, snub nosed girl whom an aged Indian woman was found taking west in a pushcart to join a circus. While the plump and happy blonde haired baby romped about the Volunteers of America home, unmindful of the excitement she was causing, authorities sought to establish her identity and for a while it was believed she was Mary Agnes Mot*pney, who was kidnaped in Chicago more than a year ago. Mary Agnes’ parents, Mr. and Mrs. Michael Moroney, hurried | here early today in the hope they I could identify the child as theirs. [ Although many months had passed since a self-styled “social workerwalked out of their home with Mary Agnes and- never returned. ■CONTINUED ON PAGE TWO) O — Stephensons Continue Trip Through West Rev. D. T. Stephenson of Newark N. J., formerly pastor of the Methodist Episcopal church of this city, visited several of his friends here last Thursday, enroute to Muncie, Indianapolis, and other cities including Denver, Col. Rev. Stephenson left here for Muncie, where he was a foijnier pastor, to conduct dedicatory services for a baptismal fount in the new High street Methodist Episcopal church, Sunday morning. The fount will be dedicated to the memory of Alma Stephenson, daughter of Revand Mrs. Stephenson who was accidently killed while the Stephensons lived in Muncie. From Muncie the Stephensons will motor to Indianapolis |nd Denver, Col., to visit with relatives. While in this city they were the dinner guests of Mr. ami Mrs. C. L. Walters, Thursday noon, and called on a number of friends during the day. , Rev. Stephenson is at present the pastor of the Down City Methodist church at Newark, N. J.

State, National And International News

OFFICERS VIEW TWO HELD HERE Dixon, Hogston Are Believed To Be Members of Cigarette Gang Many law enforcing officers from Indiana, Michigan. Illinois and Ohio have visited Decatur the last two days to talk with Pearl Hogston and William Dixon, both of Marion, Indiana, who were captured here early Wednesday morning after Sheriff Burl Johnson and his deputies frustrated an attempt to rob’ McConnell and Sons store. The general belief is that the I two men held here were members of a gang of thieves which has been operating in four states, selling stolen tobacco and cigarettes to five or six cigar stores in Indiana and Ohio. Sheriff Johnson and Marion, Indiana officials are working today on several new clues and it is believed that others will be implicat-l ed in the gang. Judge D. B. Erwin yesterday declined to send Hogston to Fort Wayne, where officials there stated he would be returned to the state 1 (reformatory for violation of a pa- 1 role. ' 1 Judge Erwin stated that Hogston [ would remain in custory of Adams Circuit court until bond was furn- 1 ished or until more could be learn-1. ed concerning the case. Dixon maintained his silence to- I day and refused to answer any questions. Hogston has told Sheriff Johnson and Prosecutor Nathan Nelson part of the plans under which the gang operated. A rumor was current in police I circles at Marion today that a third member of the gang was in a hospital suffering with a bullet wound. This led to the belief that probably one of the shots fired into the McConnell building by Sheriff Johnson might have struck one of the ' thieves and that he managed to escape from the rear when the of- 1 fleers were drawn to the front of the building when Hogston at- ' tempted to escape. o Equivalency Test Held High school equivalency examinations were given in the Adams county court room this morning by Clifton E. Striker, county school superintendent. Those who took the examinations were Miss Frieda Inniger of Monroe township; Miss Mathilda Sellemeyer of this city; Charles Kiser of Geneva; Gerhart Geiser of Preble township and Russel Owens of this city. Americans In Plane Crash Istanbul, Turkey, July 25.—(U.R) — Pauline Kast of Ohio and Butgers Barclay of New York were reported today to have been among the six passengers killed in an airplane crash in the Balkans last night. HEAT WAVE IS BELIEVED NEAR — Temperature To Rise In Midwest Soon, Reports Assert Chicago, July 25 —(U.R>— Hot winds from the Rocky Mountain states pushed eastward today, driving the mercury up into the 90’s in states of the middle west. This latest heat wave had .ts origin in unprecedented temperatures in sections of Utah, Idaho and Wyoming, where protracted heat and dry weather have resulted in serious forest fires. The heat probably will lie most intense tomorrow in central west states, according to the weather lAireau. and temperatures are not likely to decline before Monday or Tuesday. Indianaipolis, July 25 —(U.R) — A week-end of clear weather and high temperatures was forecast -for Indiana today by the IT. 8. (CONTINUED ON PAGE TWO) [ o Regular Meeting Called i » ■ The regular meeting of Adams post, American Legion will be held > Monday night at 8:30 o'clock, day- : light saving time, Leo Ehinger, Commander anounced today.

Price Two Cents

Heads Women 'Y' ’ Ik J ' For the sixth consecutive time. Mrs. Bina West Miller (above) of Port Huron, Mich., was elected president of the Woman’s Benefit Association at the association's tenth annual qualrennial conven- i tion held in Chicago. DRIVE PLANNED FOR 1931 FAIR Committee To Solicit Funds From Merchants, And Others Here Members of the Decatur Free Street Fair Association will start their annual financial solicitation Monday morning. All merchants, manufacturers and professional men will be called on by groups of interested persons under the leadership of Paul Graham, general chairman and Elmoe Smith, financial chairman. Those in charge stated today that no quota had been set and that all contributions would be set by the various merchants. It was pointed out by the committee that $3,500 would be spent as premiums in the various agricultural and home economics displays The association also has set aside $2,500 for free acts and Lloyd Baker chairman of the free acts committe stated tha the best acts ever to be presented here have been contracted for. There will be a complete change of program twice during the Fair. No gambling will be permitted on the midway. Space totalling almost twice as much as was sold last year already has been contracted for and the midway will reach from Jefferson street to Jackson street along Second street. Madison, Jackson. Monroe and Jefferson streets also will be used. There will be free acts, band concerts and parades each day of the fair, and those planning the event say it will attract the largest crowds ever to come to Decatur for a similar event--J Publisher Is Injured Louisville, Ky., July 25—(UP) — No change was reported at Baptist Hospital here today in the condition of Ed. J. Hancock, publisher of daily newspapers in Greensburg and Rushville, Ind., who was injured critically in an auto collision near Scottsburg, Ind., yesterday. Mrs. Carl Rogers, Scottsburg, an occupant of the machine driven by Hancock's son, John, as killed in the accident. o Truck Line Is Denied Indianapolis, July 25 —(UP) —The Indiana public service commission denied the petitions of Glen E. Shively, Peru, filed in the name of the Wabash Valley Express, seeking authority to operate motorxfreight lines from Peru to Fort Wayne and from Peru to Fort Wayne via Marion. Schafer Funeral Monday j Rochester, Ind., July 25. —(U.R)— , Funeral services for Dr. Howard Shafer, head of Woodlawn hospital here, will be held in Rochester at . 2:30 o’clock Monday, it was announced today.

YOUR HOME PAPERLIKE ONE OF THE FAMILY

HOME FOR AGED DESTROYED; 26 ARE KNOWN DEAD 188 Are Injured, Many Seriously; All Over 60 Years of Age SPARK START TRAGIC BLAZE Pittsburgh, Pa„ July 25 (UR). Fire from a spark in the basement cobbler's shop of the Little Sisters of the Poor home for the aged roared through the four-storv brick structure during the night hours and left behind todav a toll of 26 dead and 16H injured. Only five bodies of the aged, trapped in the terrible fire, had been identified to shortly before noon, and there was a possibility the death list would rise frou those injured. The fire caused bewilderment and disorder among the 231 inj mates none of them under GO. Many were feeble and some in-valid-trapped with no chance of ; escape. Many tales of heroism came in the wake of the tragedy. Mother Superior Agatha, 80. mustered her 16 nuns and they sought to lead to safety the aged and ailing. Firemen heedless of danger were aided by volunteers, once the fireI men had battered down the wooden gates that led to a high brick wall enclosing the retreat of men and women living out their ebbing years in the calmness of the Little Sisters institution. Fate played ill with them. There was no telephone in the building to give the fire alarm, and rescuers were blocked temporarily by a high wall around the institution. As fire swept upward, canes rapped on the floors. Some inmates shouted. Mother Superior Agatha, vigorous and brave, heard the summons and groped her way to the alarm bell on the first floor. Meantime passersby saw the flames shooting from the roof and summoned fire apparatus. Six alarms were sounded. Firemen were forced to batter down the wooden gates to the high brick wall, losing valuable (CONTINUED ON PAGE SIX) o BULLETIN Montpelier, Ind., July 25—(U.R) —One Montpelier man and four concession stand owners operating at the Montpelier race track are being held prisoners at Fort Wayne. Saturday afternoon on default of bond on federal affidavits charging violation of the liquor laws as a result of operation of federal agents, at Montpelier Friday evening. Those arrested and the amounts of bonds in each case: . C. Cook. Montpelier, charged with transportation and possession of liquor, bond fixed at $2000: Hazel Drumm, wife of Rex Drumm of Ohio, sale of liquor, SSOO bond: Jack Fowler, possession and sale, $2500; Gertrude Fowler, possession and sale, $2500; Charles Truesdale, Ohio, possession and sale of liquor, bond fixed at SIOOO. —o BLUFFTON MAN IN ACCIDENT Frank McDowell Is ReCovering From Injur- , ies Os Mishap • Frank McDowell, manufacturer ot Bluffton, is a patient at the Wells County Hospital where he is recovering from injuries received in ’ an automobile accident, late Thurs--1 day afternoon. Mr. McDowell was returning from r Montpelier to Bluffton whan the ’ automobile he was driving and that ’ driven by Creighton Grubb of south 1 of Bluffton, collided one half mile south of Travisville on the Hoosier highway. Mr. McDowell had planned to r diive to Decatur to attend the Rotary meeting, Thursday evening. He received a fractured knee cap I and several bruises ,and will be 1 unable to walk for about 'two t months Mr. Grubb received two - deep gashes on his head. IBoth cars were considerably damaged.