Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 29, Number 241, Decatur, Adams County, 12 October 1931 — Page 1

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WAIN-STORE TAX REHEARING IS DENIED

■complete ifIIRYDAYi fa ERECTED Stand, DecorErected: City IK'oloied I .ights K: Wil l. M Hr I I \I I KK ’ r \ <i< luiis |K. w,,i k. <1 .ml tod.iv K'n, 'ii; (ii:iml>iT of ■ and Cloverleaf ■ - 11,, orations. 'll'’ ’-I'- "I color.'. I bein'! placed along Io M. Park K'm < oiinlrv Club br. . \. ills will be ligli's also have Second street crowds will be enterIW- dnesday night with a and free acts. are planning for the visitors. ■ ' J.iusi: • \ pe. ted to invited to ; ■ - manager Creameries. Inc., ■if til' event. Stated to arrangements had by his committee program and A. R. president of the Deof Commerce statnight program was of the da’y’s events address of Gov. Harry ■of Indiana which will i Memorial Park Wed ■wiiihui at 1:30 o'clock. Leslie will bo the Mm- and Mrs Klepper all Day and Gov. Leslie althe banquet Wed- | <Kht at the Country Club ■talles ulio will attend ■larence Ayres. Detroit; Bi. president Kraft Phenix and many others. is free the entire Bn>n lunch will lie served Bst lO.OOi) who register at ■ The morning program ■ htire afternoon and night ■ events are all free. ■: parade, scheduled after ■ng event at Memorial ■the afternoon, will come ■"nd street, and will be ■y five state motorcycle ■llowod by Mr. Klepper ■ I.eslie and other notables ■ the celebration. • ■ oclock in the afternoon ■d will be entertained in ■iness section with a ■ Hunt and free act clos■ragnm. B»'ere erected at Memorial By. and a number of demfr’ will I*, hep) during jf'ct Is Questioned fr Ind . Oct. 12—(U.R)—AlBcltenridge. 25, was quesfr as a suspect in the robfr First National Bank at B. December IS. 1930. He ►<td at Shelburn. ■infield bank was held up ■ele bandit, who forced fctloyes and customers into f and obtained 15.000. [UABLES OF (ONE CHECKED Finds Spent For P - Shirts, FurnF in £s» Testimony r 1 building, Chicago Oct. 12 $12,500 automobiles Rhone's garages, the $1,298.f' of floor lamps, chaise I and other furnishings in f' ls and. Florida mansion, ■ ll shirts in Ills bureau L ** re cl >ecked off by wit ><• gang leader’s income ll| eves, smartly dressed tor the Jack Niles furChicago where a 0 most of his furniture Judge James H. ’ bench poring over a Ker Identifying entries as Mrchases. ■h’UED ON PAGE EIGHT)

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN ADAMS COUNTY

Vol. XXIX. No. 241.

| Many Attend Festival * ♦ ♦ I The annual Mission Festival and Izwingli commemoration services held at the Zioq Reformed church I I yesterday were attended by large 'audiences and the sermons preach led by the visiting pastors were well received. Delegations were present from P.erne, Vera Cruz. . Magley, Fort Wayne. Lima. Ohio, and New Knoxville, Ohio. The guest speaker. Prof. H. W. Wernecke, instructor in church his-1 tory in Central Seminary, Dayton, i Ohio, gave a missionary sermon in ' lithe morning and the Men's Chorus ‘ lof the church rendered appropriate | musical numbers. A most instruc ‘ 1 tive address was given by Prof.' Wernecke in the afternoon when he ’’I spoke on the subject, “Our Church . 1 Ancestry in Europe," speaking' largely on the life and faith of' ’ Huldreicb Zwingli. the founder of I 'Mhe Reformed church. He also Ilspoke to the Sunday School on the 1 ‘'historical facts of the church. • (CONTIVI'RIt ON °AGE TWO) HOLIDAY HALTS ' DRAIN HEARING . > Discovery Day Ruled Legal Holiday By Special Judge Kister I Judge Henry Kister. acting in the , Wabash drain case, held this morn ing that Columbus Day is a "legal l holiday for all purposes" as sped- 1 tied under the statutes of the: . state of Indiana and that any action ; taken in the cause today might be | . held illegal by the supreme court | It all came about because Major I I McWhirter, one of the counsel for] the petitioners had occasion to call | j the secretary of states office at in- j . dlanapujis early today and was inI formed that this was a legal holi- ; . day for all purposes. He looked up . the statute and found that under its I wording any act performed in court | I conld be termed Illegal. When Adam Bollenbaugh, the witness, was | ; called the major object on the - grounds stated. It surprised the I . court and the attorneys for the' I remonstrators and a friendly dis | : mission covering three hours, fol i lowed. Law books were brought in and the question soon reached a point of "reasonable doubt" in the ■ minds of all. Judge Kister sustainI ed the objection, attorneys for the ■ remonstrators not asking excep- ■ tions and the case was continued ■ until nine o’clock Tuesday morning. I Visits Daily Democrat i Adam Bollenbaugh of Celina. <)., who has been a witness in the big | Wabash Drain Improvement ease j i here the past nine or ten days, ; i dropped in for a visit this morning, i He is a courteous, capable and ex I perienced farmer and land expert 1 and testified as to the present fair cash value and the probable market ’ value if th? improvement should be made, taking the pieces of land one by one. His testimony will be completed in a few minutes tomorrow morning. — o . Officers Are Elected — Lebanon, Ind., Oct. 12. — (U.R) Officers elected by the Indiana , World Wide Guild, a Baptist Young Women's organization, at the dos-1 ing meeting of its convention here were: President, Miss Myrtle White. Marion; vice president. Miss I'anline Ellis. Bloomington; secretary, Miss Beatrice Chitwood, Bloomington, and treasurer, Miss Anne Winnes, Franklin college. District presidents named were: Northeast. Miss Loraine Foster, Fort Wayne; central, Miss Elivia Mitchell, Indianapolis; southeast, xMiss Gaytiell Lyles. Salem, and northwest, Mrs. L» F. Keene, Valparaiso. ■ ■ .o — Is Ruled Insane Kokomo, Ind., Oct. 12. —(U.R) —A ruling by Judge Joseph Cripe that Thomas McCoy was mentally unbalanced resulted in McCoy’s committment to the insane ward at the Indiana state prison. McCoy was being tried here on a charge of plotting to kidnap L. W. Stout, Russiaville, and hold him for ransom. <F Holiday Is Observed The 439th anniversary of Columbus’s discovery of America was celebrated today. The day is a state holiday in Indiana and banks were closed. No special program, except those held in the schools, marked the observance here.

Furnished Ry t nlu-d Preu

DRUGGIST SAYS MRS. SIMMONS BOUGHT POISON Indianapolis Clerk Is Positive In Identifying His Customer — STATE CLOSES MURDER CASE Lebanon. Ind., Oct. 12—(UP)—A dramatic surprise climaxed the i State's r ase against Mrs. Carrie i j Simmons, charged with the strych- ! nine murder of her 10-year old I 'laughter, Alice Jean, when Char--1 les , Friedman, Indianapolis drug--1 gist .identified her from the witness stand today as the woman who purchased 60 grains of strychnine, from him three days before the | girl's death. The court was in a turmoil as ■ Friedman told of the purchase on ' June 18. three days before Alice | Jean and her sister, Virginia, died I of poison eaten in sandwiches at a family reunion picnic here. j Friedman scrutinized Mrs. SimI mons closely as he testified. He ! said lie had seen her twice before — first when she purchased the poison and again in the Boone County jail yesterday. "Look at her, Friedman" Roy Ad ney special prosecurtor, demanded, pointing to Mrs. Simmons. "Do you know her?” A dead silence of a moment en- | sued. "Yes, I know her," Friedman ans- | (CONTINUED ON PAGE FIVE) Will Meet Tonight | The regular meeting of the Holy i Name Society of the St. Mary's I Catholic church will he held this evening at the K. of C. Hall. George ' Phillips of Fort Wayne will deliver I an address at the meeting Mid ' members are invited to attend. The i meeting will be held at eight o’clock. ELLA SPRUNGER FUNERAL HELD Berne Woman Succumbs Friday Night; Sick For Five Years Berne. Oct. 12 —(Special)—Funi eral serives for Mrs. Ella Sprun- | gerger, 53, wit * of Daniel J Sprun--1 ger of this place who died at her j home here Friday evening at 8:40 o’clock were held at 1:30 o'clock i this afternoon at the home and lat 2 o'clock at the Mennonite church. Rev. C. H. Suckau, pastor officiated and burial was in the M. R. E. Cemetery Mrs Sprunger died of tuberculosis and complications, after an illness of five years. She was born in Kansas, April 28 I 1878, the daughter of Christian and ‘ Rebecca Neuenschwander Reusser. I She was united in marriage to Dan I iel J. Sui unger on May 16, 1901. 1 Surviving is the husband; a son Willis Sprunger of Auburn; two daughters, Velma Ruth and Luetta Rebecca Sprunger, both at home; 6 sisters. Mrs. John Leichti, Medford, Okla., Mrs. C. D. Heintzelinann, Mrs. Paul Schroeder. Mound Ridge, Kansas, Mrs. Hubert E. Derter. India, Mrs. Chester Roth, Geneva, Mrs. O. F. Gilliom, Berne; 2 brothers. Walter and Albert Reusser of Berne. One daughter, Luella preceded,her in death. o Baptist Services Are Well Attended Sunday The Rally Day services at the Baptist Church Sunday were attended by one hundred fifty eight persons, and the offering of the individual classes amounted to $175.36. A very interesting program took place during the morning with musical numbers by choruses of children, a solo by Jeanette Winties, and violin duet by Mary Catherine Toney and Raymond Bodie. The Misses Sara Jane Kauffman, Betty Franklin, and Edwina Shroll formed a trio, which sang a vocal selection. Miss Louise Haubold assisteil at the piano. The large attendance at the services was unusual, due to the inclement weather.

Decatur, Indiana, Monday, October 12, 1931.

| To Be Here Wednesday ■■ ■ >f9 I Gov. Harry G. Leslie Gov. Leslie, chief executive of Indiana, will be the chief speaker . at tlie early afternoon program of Dairy Day. to be held at Memorial park, directly across from Cloverleaf Creameries. Governor and Mrs. Leslie will be guests all day of Mr. and Mrs. W. A. Klepper. iNSTALUtION IS ANNOUNCED New Legion Officers To Be Installed By Adams Post, 43 Rev. Harry H. Ferntheil, pastor of the First Presbyterian church will be installed as commander of Adams post, American Legion at Legion hall tonight at 8 o’clock. Rev. Ferntheil, who was elected two weeks ago will succeed Commander Leo Ehinger. 1 j Ofher officers to be instalid to- ! night include: Ernest Stengle. Herne vice-commander; Albert Miller, adjutant and Miles Roop, finance officer also will be announced tonight by the new commander. Starting Tuesday, the annual membership drive will be opened and more than 50 percent, of the present members already have joined for 1932. It is expected that 1932 membership will even be largI er than the 1931 roster. The local post of the Legion has been active for more than eight years, and each year the members take on added community respon- > sibiiities. Adams post is regarded as one of the strongest in the state. o Named On Glee Club Miss Esther Sundermann of this city lias been selected a-m.ember of ■ the ladies glee club of the Ohio i Northern University at Ada. Ohio. She has also been elected president [ of Turner Hall, a girl's dormatory . where she is staying. Esther was graduated from the - Decatur High School in 1930 and received her commercial diploma from the local school in 1931. She is a member of the freshman class at the University. CHICAGO GANG WAR RE-OPENS I Murders Feature WeekEnd At Chicago; Police Work On Clues Chicago, Oct. 12.— (U.R) — The ' guns of gangdom blazed anew and ■ Chicago assumed again today the - appearance it had back in those sensational times before the government stepped in and dragged Scarface Al Capone to the bar of jus- , tlce. One gangster was riddled by machine gun fire. Another was fished from the river, his skull crushed and sprinkled with lead. A grape merchant was murdered in mysterious manner. ' That was Chicago's record for the 24 hours before Scarface Al. stripped of his friends and perhaps , of his power, sneaked back today Into the Federal court where he was on trial. In the background of the news of the day stalked a sinister figure, that of Frank (Madman McErlane, , the fugitive gunman whom the poj lit* call crazy and whom they accuse, among other things of slaughtering his wife and her two pet dogs while on a drinking spree (CONTINUED ON PAGE FIVE)

r T GOOD MORNING, JUDGE Judge D. B. Erwin, of Adams i circuit court today observed ' ! his sixty-first birthday. In spite ‘ ' : of the fact that it was the ! Judge’s birthday and Discov- : i ery Day, court proceeded as ! usual and a number of legal i matters were disposed of. The [ i Judge received well-wishes ' from members of tile bar and | | court attaches. Judge Erwin's j | brother, Daniel N. Erwin, cele- i | brated his birthday Sunday. MANY ATTEND SCHOOL PLAY St. Joseph Pupils Are Complimented For Production Sunday ' I —— ■j A capacity crowd witnessed the 1' presentation of “Happy School Days" by pupils of the St. Joseph Grade School at the Catholic high school auditorium, Sunday evening The play was well presented and enjoyed by the large crowd present. Pupils of the St. Joseph school , I from the first to the eighth grade i participated in the program which included the presentation of the play, together with a number of I other specialities. 1 The program was opened by a piano duet, “Stars and Stripes Forever,” Sousa, by the Misses Alvera and Margaret Vian. Introductory . scenes were given by pupils of the first, second, third, fourth, and , fifth grades. A piano duet, "Yellow Jonquils," Paul Johnnig, was played by the , | Misses Rutli Voglewede and Dor- . othy Lengerich; Scene from Real Life was given by Eugene Smith and James Grennan: "Hats of Qth- , er Days" was given by a chorus of . pupils from the sixth, seventh and . eighth grades, and the Misses Alvera and Margaret Vian played a duet, “Melody in F" by Rubenstein. j.\ one-act comdy, ‘(The Music I (CONTINUED ON PAGE FIVE) WILL ENFORCE RECEIPT LAW > Attorney General Says New Statute To Secure Licenses Is Valid Indianapolis. Oct. 12—(UP) The 1931 statute regarding that poll tax ( receipts must lie presented before tlie state will grant auto ami other licenses is inforceable, according , to an opinion from attorney general James M. Ogden. The opinion was given at the reI quest of secretary of state Frank ( Mayr. Jr., who pointed out that wording of the new statute requiring that poll tax receipts be shown before licenses are granted, had thrown some doubt upon whether it could lie enforced. The attorney general’s ruling, prepared by Joseph M. Hutchinson, held that if state licenses of any l description are purchased betor | May the poll tax receipts from tinprevious year must be exhibited, and after May 1. the receipts for the current year. o Brotherhood To Meet The Men’s Brotherhood of the ' Methodist Episcopal Church will 1 meet in the church tonight at 7:30 “ o'clock. Dee Fryback, chairman of ’ the October section, will have • charge of the program. The Rev. M. Follis of Geneva will be the speaker at the meeting to which the public is invited. o Mourn Too Soon Warsaw, Ind., Oct. 12.—(U.R)—Relatives of Margaret Jenkins gather- , ed at an undertaking parlor here to mourn her death when they were ' told that she had been killed by a train. A few minutes later Miss Jenkins walked into the funeral establishment. The victim was identified as Mrs. Nellie Kinsey, 68. Child Drowns In Lake Warsaw. Ind., Oct 12 -(UP)— Margaret Ann Smith, 6 Chicago, drowned in Secrist Lake after a fall from a pier. Pliny Smith, her father, recovered the body.

State, National And International Nena

ADAMS COUNTY TAXING UNITS SHOW BIG CUTS — All 1932 Rates Lower Auditor’s Table Os Rates Discloses FRENCH HAS BIGGEST CUT Tax rates for 1932 throughout Adams County will be reduced from 13 to 58 cents on the hundred dollars, the table of rates prepared by County Auditor Albert Harolw shows. Decatur’s tax rate, payable next year will be $3.18 on the hundred dollars, a reduction of 40 cents under the rate payable this year. Berne's rate will be $3.14, a reduction of 50 cents under the 1931 rate. Tlie reduction in the county general fund levy from 34 to 23 cents on the hundred dollars and the | county highway repair fund levy, from 25 cents to eig lit cents, applies to all taxing units. The state board of tax commissioners cut the road repair levy from 15 cents to eight cents, making the total reduction in that rate 17 cents on the 1 SIOO. Means Big Saving It is estimated that the 1932 tax bill will be at least SIOO,OOO less than the 1931 total. This year the total amount of taxes to be collected for all^, urposes is about $860,000. Auditor Harlow believes that the lower rates will produce a little more than $740,000. The New Rates Tlie 1932 rates, together with . those in effect this year follow: Unit 1931 1932 Union $2.28 $1.79 Root 1.88 1.65 Preble 1.65 1.48 Kirkland 2.17 1.66 Washington 1.71 1.42 St. Marys 2.24 1.73 Blue Creek 2.54 2.02 Monroe 2.13 1.76 Frciirb 31 1.73 Hartford 2.84 2.47 WabMb 2.13 1.91 Jefferson 2.62 2.08 Decatur-Washington 3.58 3.18 I Recatur-Root 3.64 3.14 Hern.- 3.54 3.09 Geneva 3.16 286 Monroe 2.47 2.10 French township lias the largest cut in rate and Root township the smallest reduction. o Announcement Expected Washington. Oct. 12 —(UP) President Hoover is expected to announce within a few days a plan to improve th? railroad bond situation it was learned authoritatively today At the same time, it was made known that the president is considering plans for relief of other industries to supplement the financial program announced a few days ago. but no decision has been reached yet on any of these. MOONEY MAKES FREEDOM PLEA Thousands Attend Protest Meeting At San Francisco Today San Francisco. Oct. 12. — (U.R) — Gray haired Tom Mooney, imprisoned and branded a felon, saw his 15-yenr battle for freedom climaxed today with a demand for nationwide action against injustice and "framed evidence.” All the public opinion aroused by Mooney's famous case was centered on the man behind San Quentin walls yesterday when Sau Francisco led the nation in acclaiming the house for his pardon. Mooney himself sounded the call for action in a letter advocating a worldwide boycott against California until he is out of prison. An audience of 9,000 at the Mooney anniversary convention arose in a mass to cheer his message urging adoption of the same methods that the Mahatma Gandhi used to “bring the most powerful empire to its knees.” "I suggest that all athletic anil sports representatives refuse to come here in 1932 as long as I, an (CONTINUED ON PAGE FIVE)

Price Two Cents

I BIG TRADE DAY! I I | Dairy Day, Wednesday, Octo- j | ber 15, will be a‘special shopp- i | Ing day in Decatur. Local mer- I | chants have arranged hundreds | I j I of new bargains for the thous- ] j ands of shoppers who are ex- j j j pected here for the big pro- ; I I gram. The stores will be open j I Wednesday night and during | the Treasure Hunt for valu- ' | able prizes visitors are invited j to do their shopping. To- I night’s issue of the Daily Dem- ’ I ocrat contains several pages of I | bargains for Wedensday. SCOUT RODEO IS SCHEDULED Local Boy Scouts To Attend Round-up At Ft. Wayne October 17 Decatur boy scouts and a numi ber of others are planning to attend the Bcj’ Scout Rodeo at ; League ball park. Fort Wayne, ' Saturday, October 17, from two to eight o'clock p. tn. Tickets are being sold by Boy Scouts and Scout executives and at tlie Pumphrey Jewelry store in this city. The event is sponsored by the 1.700 Scouts of the Anthony Wayne Area. Rough riding, jumping and expert troop maneuvers by 32 crack i horsemen will thrill the spectators for two hours. A polo game will be played for twenty minutes. Polo according to experts is one of the most exciting games in existence. A music drill consisting of wheels, circles and maneu- , vers by fours, eights and sixteens ' will be performed to the music of the famed Culver band. A sabre j manual said to be one of the most difficult feats will follow the conj elusion of the music march. The Culver Black Horse Troop ' is known to be the best known \ schoolboy cavalry organization in (CONTINUED ON PAGE TWO) DEATH CALLS IDA B. MARTZ ——— Monroe Woman Expires After Three Months Os Serious Illness Mrs. Ida B. Martz. 62. life long resident of Adams County died at tile Adams County Memorial Hospital at 8 o'clock Saturday t piling I I following an operation she under1 went Friday morning. Mrs. Martz had been seriously ill for the past i three months and was a patient at the local hospital for several days. She was a member of the Friends church at Monroe, where she had- : resided for a number of years. Mrs. Martz was born in Adams County, June 24, 1869, the daughter of Joel and Elizabeth Laughrey. Her husband. Joseph D. Martz, preceded her in death in 1919. Surviving are tlie following children : Harry Martz, Kalamazoo, Michigan.: Mrs. Merle Coddington, I Fort Wayne; Mrs. May Williams. Fort Wayne; Mrs. Vera Whitcomb, Muncie. Roy Martz, at home; 17 ; grandchildren; the following broth ers and sisters: W. H Laughrey. Fort Wayne; G. H. Laughrey, Colfax; F. A. Laughrey. near Hoagland J. S. Laughrey, Alagan. Michigan. Edna Uhrick, Fort Wayne. Three children preceded the deceased in 1 death. Funeral services will lie held Tuesday afternoon at 1:30 o’clock ' at the home in Monroe, and at 2 o'clock at the Friend's church, with Rev. Vffrnon Rliley, pastor, offi-i elating. Burial will be in the Spring Hill cemetery, near Salem. o - .. Asa Keyes Paroled i , San Quentin Prison, Calif , Oct. . 12—<U.R>—The big iron gates of San Quentin prison swung open , today and Asa Keyes, former Los , Angeles district attorney, walked out, a free man. , Nineteen months have elapsed I since imprisonment of the once I famous lawyer on charges of bribery conspiracy in connection with I th ecollapsH of the $100,000,90s Julian Petroleum company. , Keyes, originally sentenced to from one to 14 years, must remain on parole for two years.

24 PAGES TODAY

SUPREME COURT DENIES APPEAL FROM INDIANA 1929 Law Will Become Effective By Latest Supreme Court Rule LAW IS HELI) TO BE VALID Washington, Oct. 12 (UR) — The supreme court today ret used to reconsider its 5 to 4 decision of last spring which upheld the validity of the Indiana law putting a graduated tax on chain stores A rehearing ol the argument in the case was asked bv Chester 11. Jackson, executor of the estate of Lafayette A. Jttekson. proprietor of a large chain of Indianapolis neighborhood shops. Lafayette A. Jackson was killed shortly after the court decided against him in a test case. It is expected the chain store tax law passed by the 1929 Indiana legislature will become effective at once. Since its passage, it has been held up by an appeal to the United States supreme court. Following the first findings of ' the high court which upheld the | Indiana law as legal, machinery was set up to collect the tax. but collections were deferred until final ruling, today. It is believed collections now will be made as of July 1, 1929. o Faces Murder Charge ( charge of murder was expected to be filed today against Hurlan Shafer, 55. a farmer, who was accused , of shooting Arthur Prine. 40. husband of Shafer's adopted daughter. Shafer was arrested on a grand jury indictment before Prine died of gunshot wounds suffered September 29. SJiat'er was reported to have said that he shot Prine at the former's home. He accused Prine of I coming to bis home to rob him of i SIOO he knew to be in the house. Miners Back At Work Scranton. Pa , Oct. 12—(UP)— Twenty-seven thousand miners of the Glen Arden coal company returned to work today after a strike of more than two weeks. In adition to the miners return ing to work, several collieries that had been clos"d during the summerresumed operations today, employing everal thousand men who had been idle for months. o Drum Corps To Play The members of the American Lagion Drum Corps will appear in uniforms Wednesday evening at 7 o'clock to play for the Dairy Day celebration. YOUNG KILLER PLEADS GUILTY Swank Changes Plea When Trial Opens; Gets Life Tenn Crown point, Ind., Oct. 12—(UP) Perry Swank. 15 year old slayer of an elderly filling station attendant changed a not guilty plea to guilty today and was sentenced by Judge Martin L. Smith in Lake county criminal court to life imprisonment. The boy, who had confessed he shot Eugene Duckworth, 70, to d°ath to get $45 and had given $44 of his loot to a young unwed mother and dropped the other $1 in a church collection plate, was uncon- ■ cerned as the brief trial progressed, r He grinned happily at the sen- ( terne, congratulated his attorney, 1 John Haller, and thanked the judge. I "if all murders were electrocuted there wouldn't be so many crimes I j like this." Judge Smith said. The ’ boy's face took on a worried look. ' Then the judge pronounced the I I life Imprisonment sentence. The ' boy will go to the Pendleton State reformatory to remain until he is ’ 34. Then he will be removed to (CONTINUED ON PAGE FIVE)