Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 32, Number 115, Decatur, Adams County, 12 May 1934 — Page 1

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EVEN PERSONS KILLED IN ACCIDENTS

I|M YAGER ■HE SELECTED ’■t?LEADERS ■H —— IkiV Attorney Heads! I Draocrats; Ralph il Yager Reelected IlJltions MADE BbJSx chairmen of the "sttnojß l ' Republican' rt‘ elected at ineetL (rs |h’ I >'■< l iiiel coillllliliX m en |> Id in lllls eitv this iJ'jtLr Nelson, Decatur. attoi-nev, L e | led Democratic tohßliairnian. «Jb-. Nel " a - elected over (' TTmiU®’ : of Herne. publish |Ehhßl Review The vot ■ fc 4# to Nelson. 27 for Mussel K, W '’'inis was by ballot. - K plait ' liairinan : Almost n .ii d - Efr3| Hooi townshiti K£|M< i■ \ i hail man liis ■pita w s by acclamation. ■rs. ■'.’SJ Burkhalter of I • Jllt'jr*. Their elections were Mt .seeds Pick Hell 1 > • He Inis been to L ''""" " Clifford Btr Hal> ' piesided at the D<’mED ON PAGE FIVE) Ready /■ ■wr*w i.-'-s have been set up house to be used for b county museum. The ■es wer| donated by Decatur nteriftttMr the purpose. ■ of the county who are I tnwtflin the project are asked set in tjourh with Fred Kolter in in the Western Union Hlngj |n South Second street, lihita n collection of relics lel in the cases next ek. IH will be provided to in- * afe keeping. / —- Hurl This Morning Sntiior Johnson, 4 year old eon of' Johnson, sustained a fP gash in his forehead this morn r *k«Bhe fell downstairs at his pie at '234 North Third street. were required to close S' — File Expenses I ' 1 1 ibdee ot Hartford town J>• <1 (' Moser, democrat!.' I for trustee of Monroe I the first to file their I ■■■' mints with county clerk 1 spent $8.87 and Moser ■ ’he law candidate.' Title . their expenses. mH I H To Hear Concerts ■BH three years an orc.in F- " Wayne at ’ olu et'ts ot t lie W Ol Id artists, to the great ■ entertainment of good ' S simplieit >’ ttself; it is " ,g I l<> w , 'r I'l'oiiyh !l " mi lsical field. The the assoeiat ion. rlass concerts. Onb II he ” 11 None Hie concerts, but any mne an i <-m i 11; ><ni |i.i small tee of *’ vt ' dollars F®Wf udes admission to all the ' , 'b^B. U ' U fier h (>r and Mrs. Dan J *ya4all of this city have been a committee to accept here and they will be any information desirtJM expected that a number j will take advantage or < F f s opportunity to hear these con !

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN ADAMS COUNTY

Vol. XXXII. No. 115.

Kidnaped a. > _» A’ ' > William F. Settle, a retired oil millionaire of Arcadia. Cal., who I was kidnaped by two gunmen. Gettle was host at a swimming I party at his baronial five-acre estate at Arcadia, a suburb of l.os Angeles. After the guests had left, two masked men burst in and seized hint and a friend with a warning that it was a kidnaping. Gettle’s friend. James I*. Wolf, was Ifet behind tied to a tree.

MURDER CASE SAID SOLVED Confession of Widow Clears Up Murder of Fort Wayne Man Fort Wayne, May 12 <U.P> - Confession of a 24 year old widow and impli.ation of her alleged paramour in secret intimacies are believed by police here today to have solved the mysterious "natural" death of Rrhfn Schmitt. 27. last March. Mrs. Louise Schmitt, mother of I one small child, related to Fort i Wayne police a bazaar story of having fed her husband about a tea- ' spoon of “cyanide of potassium", ; the result of her self confessed i three-year period of intimacy with Charles Howenstein. 57. Both are being held in the county j jail here on charges of first degree murder charges, arrested last night. Schmitt’s body was exhumed at a I New Haven cemetery this morning and while last bits of the woman’s istatement were being taken, police ‘surgeons were performing an auti opsy to find traces of poison. Schmitt was reported to have 1 died the night of March 23. followI ing a sudden violent illness. ! Relatives of the alleged murder; I victim asked the police to exhume ' the body for investigation after they became dubious. In her statement to Fort Wayne authorities the widow said that during the three years she had known Howenstein he had made repeated requests that she kill Schmitt. She said he gave her the poison she used. COOL WEATHER AIDS INDIANA Little Crop Damage Is Reported From Heavy Frosts Indianapolis, Ind . May 12 - (U.R) Cool northwestern winds, which dropped temperatures to below freezing in the northern part of the: atate. today gave Indiana relief from unseasonably hot weather I that has prevailed for nearly three , w s. No relief from the drought that has prevailed since April 15 may be expected before tomorrow. J. H. Armington, U- S. meteorologist here,; said- , i The lowest temperature recorded ■ last night was 29 degrees above ze-1 ro at Wheatfield. Other reports of' below freezing temperatures came from South Bend, with a reading of i 30, and Angola, with 31. Water in open receptacles in Kosciusko county lowlands were covered with a thin layer of ice when the . mercury dropped to around 32. Heavy frosts covered virtually the entire northern half of the state but little crop damage was report- : I The forecast for Indiana today was fair and slowly rising temper|ature with light showers probaible . Sunday.

Mnt*. Nntlonal And luleruuUouHl Nr»>

RELIEF FROM LONG DROUGHT IS PROMISED Skies Filled With Rain Hang Over Inland States Today WHEAT PRICES IN QUICK DROP I Chicago, May 12 <U.R> —Skies fillI ed witli rain hung over the inland states today with a promise of relief for parched farmers and dusty cities suffering from the worst drought ot a generation. Downpours were predicted for almost half the area where the drought is taking a $2.000,00U daily toil of crops. Farmers who have watched sprouting crops burn in the baking ground and fertile top soil whirl away in choking dust clouds received for the first time In 45 days a weather bureau promise of rain. What a soaking rain would mean ,to the world’s richest farm territory was indicated dramatically as grain speculators scrambled to I cover yesterday at the first intimation that an end of the drought . was in sight. May wheat futures, which sold at 93 cents in the morning after an 18-cent advance in two weeks, to- ; bogganed in an hour to 88% cents. Across a third of the country news of the spreading storm area brought joy in isolated homes where a resigned despair had beI come the dominant feeling. To the wheat region of Kansas, Nebraska. and the Dakotas, the corn belt of lowa and Illinois, the dairy sec- ; tlons of Wisconsin and Indiana and the cotton fields of the south the promise of rain meant succor from threatened ruin. Relief from an unprecedented May heat wave and the gigantic dust storm of Wednesday, Thunsday and Friday added to the spirit (CONTINUED ON PAGE FIVE) CLAIMS PETERS IS DEFEATED State Administration Forces Claim Candidacy Is Blocked Indianaupolis, Ind., May 12 — (UP) —Definite defeat of R Earl Peters. Fort Wayne, candidate for ithe Democratic United States Senate nomination, was claimed today l>y state administration forces as to i the two opposing groups continued to issue contradltictory statements regarding outcome of Tuesday’s primary election. Delegates to the state convention here June 12 which will select the Senate nominee, candidates for several state offices and draft the party platform, were elected in the primary. Frank McHale, administration 1 leader, said after a canvass of the state’s 92 counties that Peters de- ; finitely had been blocked. Although the administration’s i slate of convention delegate candidates were defeated in many counties, those elected are not neces- ; ** CONTINUED ON PAGE SIX) Lawrence Braun Is Named Committeeman The precinct committeeman today decided the tie between E. Foreman and Lawrence Braun in South | Washington for committeemanI Each received 63 votes in the primary. The contest was decided in favor of Mr. Braun and he partici-1 pated in the election of a county chairman this afternoon. •—o—Program Copies Are Received Here Copies of the program of the Indiana state convention of Lions International. which will ibe held at Marion, have been received here. The convention opens Sunday, June 3 and continues over to Tuesday afternoon with the election of officerslAmong the candidates for national office is Robert Phillips, proffessor of political economy, Purdue university. Members of the Decatur Lions club are planning to attend the state convention at Marion.

Decatur, Indiana, Saturday, May 12, 1934.

Tri-County Meet Held At Tocsin The Tri County meeting of the Pythian Sisters was held Friday at Tocsin. A pot-luck luncheon was I served at noon and the afternoon session was opened with the song. "America” and prayer by Mrs. Sam Shamp ot this city. The flag salute was given and a short busl Iness session followed. The next county meeting of the! beiges in Blackford. Wells and Ad I ams counties will be held in August I in Montpelier. Representatives at the meeting were from Bluffton, 1 Ossian, Roll, Decatur and Tocsin The program for the afternoon j . consisted of readings, instrumental I music, vocal selections and a play-1 , let by the Tocsin temple. NORM AMSTUTZ FOUND GUILTY ! Jury Sentences Young Man To Four Months For Contributing After deliberating approximately! i four hours, a jury in the .Adams cir- > cult court returned a verdict of guilty against Norman Amstutz on :la charge of contributing to the dei llnquency of a minor girl. The jury fixed .sentence for the i' defendant as four months in the Adams county jail. The case went to the jury at 4:3ft o’clock Friday afternoon and the jurors completed their deliberations shortly after 8 i o’clock Friday night. The case opened before Judge Hui ber M DeVoss and a jury Thursday , . morning, with the first day devoted to obtaining a jury and opening ■ arguments by atorneye for the state | and defense. . Testimony was presented Friday i, with the minor girl. nTSTNin inmate of the (Indiana girls t r scl/, as chief I 1 witness for the pro" se/ion. After ■ i considerable difficulty?;Jie prosecu- . tion obtained testimony from the i girl which substantiated the state’s allegations. Amstutz, taking the stand in his own behalf, admitted the charges preferred by the state. He said that j he was willing to marry the girl but a license was refused them at Fort i I Wayne. I The girl, when arrested several' : weeks ago by Sheriff Burl Johnson, i admitted numerous acts of deliquency. She had been on probation to the Adams county probation officer for some time prior to her resto— — - Local Legion Post To Conduct Services The local American Legion post I , will again have charge of the Memorial Day program in the city. Wed-1 nesday, May 3<K The Legion will i also conduct memorial services at ithe United Brethern church Sunday, ■ May 27. I o COLD WEATHER HINDERS CROPS Cold Has Done More Damage To Crops Than Drought. Is Report The cold weather more than the. drought is hindering the crops in the majority of the land in the! county because of the packed clay soil which has a tendency to : hold the moisture, according to L. E. Archbold, county agent. The part of the county which ! was greatly damaged by the dry cold wind this week was the 1,090 acres of muck land east of Berne which had its top soil blown away. The most important crop in that section is onions, which were literally blasted from the ground. It is expected that the hay crop and pasture lands will he below average because of the dry spell. May is the month in which pasture makes its most important growth. Wheat, oats and similar crops are not growing fast. However, a good rain in the next several days would make the crop only a little below normal. The cold, weather has affected these more than the lack of moisture. The sugar beets in the county, planted several weeks ago, have not come up yet. The seed for this must be planted so shallow , ** CONTINUED ON PAGE SIX)

TAX PAYMENTS DISTRIBUTED I County Auditor Makes Distribution Os State Excise Taxes County auditor Glen Cowan has J ma le the distribution of the May ' payment of the state excise tax. I A lams county's share of the fund which was realized from the tax on I al’oliol over the state is J6.207.3t1. j The money is applied to the county I tuition funds. A total ot $887,870.70 was colI lected by the state during the secI end six month period, the law hae I been in effect- The money is pro- ' rated according to the numiber of I students in the public schools in the states. This figures $1.35 per pu- ’ pil. The number of students is based 'on the average attendance in the I schools taken from the 1933 attendance records. (Adams -county had an average of 4,598 children attending schools during 1933. Each of the 12 townships and the school cities of Berne I and Decatur receive a portion of the $6,207-30 apportioned by the 1933 report filed by county superintendent of schools Clifton Striker. The amounts each township will receive are: Blue Creek, $245.70; French $276.75; Hartford. $287.55; Jefferson. $240,.30; Kirkland, $309.15 Monroe. $619 65; Preble. $298.35; Root, $325.25; St. Marys. $290.25; I Union $251.10: Wabash, $656.10 and Washington, S4BO-60. i The school city of Berne will receive $529.20. The school city ot ! Decatur will receive the largest (share, $1,397.25. —o Three Diphtheria Cases Reported There were three cases ot measles and one case of diphtheria in Adams county for the week ' ending Saturday, May 5. according Ito the morbidity report of the In- : diana division of Public Health. —o — CENTRAL GRADE WILL GIVE PLAY Annual Eighth Grade Play Will Be Presented Tuesday Night The three act play, “An OldI Fashioned Mother" by Walter Ben Hare, has been chosen as the ani nual eighth grade play to be pre | sented in the Decatur high school I auditorium Tuesday night at 8 o'clock. The play cast has been ' chosen from the eighth grade of i the Central school. The presentation is a dramatic parable of a mother’s love and is in keeping with Mother’s Day. Admission will be 10 cents for children and 20 cents for adults. The play takes place in the village of Canton in northern New I York. Following is the play cast: Deborah Underhill, a mother in Israel Imogene Bright Widder Bill Pindle. leader of the choir Lena Teeter Miss Lowizv Loviny Custard, plain sewing end gossip Dorcas Hoagland Isabel Simpscott. the village ], e ll e Naomi Ward I Gloriana Perkins, as good as j g o |(j Janet Shrock Sukey Pindle, the widder’s m ite Hilda Williams John Underhill, the prodigal I son Ma” od,e I Charley Underhill, the elder brother Richard Jackson Brother Jonah Quackenbush, a whited sepulchre Donald Death Jeremiah Gosling, "Jerry." a merry heart . Jay Alton Enoch Rone, an outcast and a wanderer Doyle Gay Quintus Todd, the count y sheriff Art Merriman Yager Brothers Receive Medal The Yager Brothers of this city have received from Me C- Stoops of Petersburg, Ind., one of the official medals given out at the 100th anni- ’ versary of the Vincennes Cathedral, which was observed May 6. The medal contains replicas of the old cathedral anil a likeness of bishop of Vincennes. Mr. Me Stoops Bishop Simon Brute de Remur. first attended the celebration which was observed by the state.

II y l ulled !’!*«*■«

REPORTS ADD I I CONFUSION TO NEGOTIATIONS Series of Telephone Calls Mess Up Kidnaped Man’s Release ! ATTORNEY SAYS MONEY IS READY r i Los Angelas. May 12. — (U.R) A - j series of anonymous telephone ■ calls, purportedly from the kidnap-, 1 es of William F. Gettle, Beverly ' - Hills millionaire, and two conflict ‘ f ing ransom demands today threw ; i into confusion efforts to gain the! • abduction victim's release. Ernest E. Noon, attorney, and in I termediary representing the Gettle • family, said ransom negotiations - -1 were in a turmoil as a result of | conflicting demands for $40,000 f tnd $75,000 ransom. i Noon remained at his office - throughout the night in a hope that • the real kidnapers would clarify J the confusion. 1 Five anonymous telephone calls • came to Noon’s office yesterday, and last night while he was out. • Each time the caller insisted on j ■ talking only~with Noon. When his ■ I secretary replied that he was not I ’ in, the conversation was abruptly (UONTINURn ON PAGE SIX) i 0 Toledo Man Held For Intoxication ‘ I - 1 William Grady of Toledo was ar- ■ rested Friday evening by chief of police Sephus Melchl and locked up in the Adams county jail. He was 1' arrested upon complaints from residents on Oak street. Charges of public intoxication will probably he a ! filed against him. t.' ———■ o ■ - Hight School Class Visits School Today The sociology class of the Decatur high school visited the State Feeble Minded School at Fort . Wayne today as a part of the field ' work in the study. The attendants of the school sho-, wed the pupils every building of the institution. The education ot the ab- > normal children was explained and Illustrated to the class by visits -to to the study rooms. Among those who made the trip were Robert Magley. Martha Erma - Bittier, Helena Rayl. Gerald Eady, i Mildred Acker. Charles Ehinger. - Joyce Ricker. Vera Jane Schlickman, Marie Teeters, Marjorie De--1 Voss. Milton Huffman. Ruth Fough- ? ty Virginia Dolch, Rosalind Forei man. Marcella Williams. Barbara f Krick. Mary Cowan, Thelma Whit-. right. Ida May Steele and Margaret ’ Campbell < W. Guy Brown, principal of the • high school, and social science in- • structor, was in charge of the trip, OFFICERS HALT ! ROBLES SEARCH i Kidnapers of Young Arizona Girl Are Given Free Hand Tucson, Ariz., May 12— (U.R) —! ( : Tile kidnapers of June Robles. 6, ' were given a freer hand to negof! tiate with her distracted family | ! today by the withdrawal of all , ' but tvA-o department of justice j ' agents and by a diminution of all police activity. 1 Ten federal agents were ordered back to Los Angeles to take up j 1 a new hunt in tracking down the I r kidnapers of William F. Gettle.! Peace officers returned to their ! regular duties. ' The almost complete cessation 11 of police activity inspired Fern- ' ando Robles to new hone that the kidnapers of his daughter would I answer his plea for them to ac- 1 cent SIO,OOO instead of $15,000 ran-1 ’ ' som money. An authoritative ’ f source said the father was more J 1 hanefv.l than ever that negotia- i • tlons now could be carried out t , without interference. > The same source said Robles! f believed the kidnapers would l j I communicate with him within the t i next 24 hours, convinced of his t t sincerity in saying in his public i i appeal that .SIO,OOO was all the < (CONTINUED ON PAGE FIVE), C

Price Two Cents

Elected Fred Egan. Indiana state senator, who defeated Robert G, Estill for the Democratic nomination fori prosecuting attorney of Lake ; County, Indiana. Estill's defeat was blamed on a picture used by ' his opponent, showing him in a friendly pose with Dillinger, the notorious bandit.

MUSIC PUPILS PLAN PROGRAM Musical Playlet Will Be Presented At I). C. IL S. Auditorium The music pupils of the sisters ; of St. Agnes will present a mother's day recital at the Catholic i high school auditorium Sunday ; afternoon at 3 o'clock. The feature of the program will be a musical playlet. “The Wed- j ! ding of Daisy and Buttercup." Desirous that the wedding of their favorites. Daisy and Butter-, cup. should be celebrated amidst the prettiest possible surroundings. the Breezes sent forth, on I the morning of the nuptials a tender message to all the flowers : asking them to be present at the ceremony, and thus make the scene one of special loveliness. Their invocation is overheard by the Butterflies Bees and Birds, who. each in their turn, express their love for Daisy and her bride-; groom, and their wish to be allowed to join the assembly. This being gladly granted, the result ; is that the wedding takes place under circumstances the beauties and delights of which have never been surpassed in the annals of | Flowerland. Characters In order of their appearance: Forget-me-not Barbara Jane Lose Pansy Phyllis Ann Lose Red Rose Mildred Wemhoff Primrose Marjorie Lose Bumble Bee Robert Laurent Violet Rose Marie Kohne 1 Poppy Mary Marbach Poppy Margaret Hancher j I Cowboy Joseph Daniels ' Roses Helen McMaken and Esther Meyer Worm James Kohne Daisy Yvonne Smith Carnation Elizabeth Graliker I Love My Mamma Best of All Little Tots j Morning Glory Grace Flaugh I Morning Glory Lucile Kohne Lily Honora Schmitt Bachelor Button Leo Alberdingl Orchid Maxine Girard Bridal Couple enter Daisy Katherine Voglewede Buttercup Nancy Daniels j Jack-in-the-pulpit James Brennen Mocking Bird . Germaine Faurote j Apple Blossom Norma Meyer Firefly Leo Miller! * ICONTINUED ox PAGE ETVEY O Annual Convention At Garrett Monday The thirty-sixth annual conven-1 tion of the Women’s Home Missionary Society of the Methodist church will be held at Garrett. Monday. May 14. at 10 a. m. DST. An interesting program has been planned for the entire day. There j will be no evening session. The! meeting will be held morning and I afternoon in the Methodist church,! and national, conference and district speakers will address the; meeting. A noon luncheon will be served.' After the adjournment at 4 o'clock,! the Decatur people will be enter- i tained at a tea at the home of Rev. and Mrs. B. H. Franklin. It is j earnestly requested that a large I delegation from Decatur be present.

. MMOURIMN .

THREE WOMEN, 3 MEN DIE IN TWO ACCIDENTS Wrecks At Michigan City And Toledo Kill Seven Persons ONE OTHER WOMAN IS BADLY INJURED Michigan City, Ind.. May i 12 'UR) I'liree nui-sons ! were killed and nine injured near here today when live trucks and lour automobiles collided in a dense fog that was intensified by smoke from a marsh fire nearby. The dead: Harold Rasmussen. 21. uhicagc Mrs. Helen Johnson, 23, Kala mazoo. Mi<’h. Miss Thelma Malone. 22, Hillsdale. Mich. The injured: Mrs. Thomas Quinn, Kalamazoo, ! Mich. John Eree. Kalamazoo. Edwin Postwick and his wife, ’ Loma, Grand Rapids. Mrs. Mary Shuey, Chicago. Ralph Long. Mishawaka. Ind. Rosetta Scoville, Hillsdale. Mich Arthur and Joe Cooper, brothI ers. Sturgis, Mich. Mrs. Quinn was expected to die. Iler skull was fractured and sevi eral ribs were, broken. The others | were not so seriously hurt. State point' still were trying : late today to determine exactly i what happened in the series of ; smashups. They were informed : that Bree, driving a passenger j car. crashed into a truck that had : been halted in the middle of the road, four miles west of here. This truck was believed to have (CONTINUED ON PAGE FIVE) James Fisher Is Nominated Mayor James Fisher of Logansport, bro, | ther of John Fisher. local grocer, was nominated for mayor on the Democrat ticket in Logansport. Mr. Fisher is well known here, having visited in Decatur with his brother on many occasions. He had a big lead over his nearest opponi ent. Society Members Will Meet Sunday Members of the Holy Name society of St. Mary’s Catholic churc. 'are asked to meet at the K. of C. 'hall at eight o'clock Sunday evenI ing and go to the home of William Colchin on Winchester street to recite the rosary for the repose of the soul of Joseph Colchin. Mr. Colchin died Friday morning at the Irene . Byron sanitorium. Fort Wayne. Re-Check Shows A Change In Board A re-check of the vote In Preble ! township shows that Hermin Stoppenhagen was elected a member of the advisory boar 1 instead of John j Miller The vote east, was Miller, 188; Stoppenhagen, 231. ESCAPE EFFORT FOILED TODAY Youthful Murderer Halted In Effort After Fierce Struggle — Dedham, Mass.. May 12 —(UP) — ■Giggling Irving Millen, playboy ot !the Faber-Millen Trio of alleged kil- ; lerbandits, was closely guarded at | Dedham Jail today after a des-per- ! ate attempt to seize a state troop- ' er's pistol and shoot his waj' to freedom. Two state troopers frustrated the daring attempt and overpowered I the youngest of the three murder ! trial defendants after a wild strugI gle. ‘ll’ve missed again.” said the 21-year-old youth. “I thought you would plug me." Authorities believed that (Irving had planned to deliver himself, hie brother. Murton, and Abe FaberThe trio have been on trial here ! four weeks, charged specifically : with the machine-gun killing of one I of two policemen slain during a $15,000 bank raid on Needham,