Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 33, Number 73, Decatur, Adams County, 26 March 1935 — Page 1

9B W t ~ther M ... reg'”’ K»g"' or T UM A a-“'" Kc^—> ■ ' " ' '

tHIEVES OBTAIN S4OO LOOT MONDAY

■DIRECTORS Ke selected KoNDA Y NIGHT Igrl Peter- Speaks At End Chamber Os I ■ommere Banquet ■ nhl < b"'k ! ' llk uv *' r a p< ’'’ ■ „ (~»■ var- i ' get « 'rue rs . which is hunger ■csaid It. E:ul Peters a' th'' annual ban|Hf th, |i..,at'ir Chamber of rre held Monday evening hall. . the evening directors for 1535 to replace wli.se terms expire this new dire, tot- are: Ros ■ U P Schmitt and retning directors ■ A R 11 d'li.ei . , Theodore ■erand Ferd Litterer. K„ . :u ti.- direc tors will a pre<i'ient and seefor 1935. ]. . ecu ■ final" ial report organization. Tyndall, the president, dis- ■ brrty tlie possibilities of K 1: ...c nig t.. the city. an open meeting of before ■r. -. weiii.l '.ikon, binding Efe factory is a metal tubing I :. r wlii. it the interested made five trips to the | Tyndall stated that all asked •' came, would Krent of the old Gerber Lad- ■ -y biidd.ng for one year ■z option on the plant at the i that time. In return the, to ban- a pay roll Knnz ' "* LUU" K ,ii canning fact iries are locating in the One desire. -1... old Decatur B ar ‘ l ’ Filler company build Ml* this con. ales lie) e Mt .'dia'-y contrac's acres of : imaroes, Mr. TynM. Tyndall then called upon L. the county agent, to the 441 club and agricul-I to be held in Itecatur dur ■he-first week in August. Mr. Bold stated that the 111 club I the gold medal cult clubs and economic clubs shows I been held every year. The i Rnty district and the Jersey i ish shows have bee . invited f city for the last several . A. Klepper, general manager I he Cloverleaf Creameries, Inc., i called u, on to exp'ain Dairy | ’hich will be one of the sea- I l o' the event. Mr. Klepper (d _ that two years ago 35,000 I •ttenjed Dairy Day at Hun'-1 and the year before that j • had atended a similar day | ' a " lr . Both of the records • broken at the affair next i F* 1 - Mr. Klepper promised. F’ Tyndall then called upon i l" M. Krick, county FHA the P r,n ‘ iOyriyPED p\- PAGE SEVEN) ICES FARMERS SIGN C ONTRACTS '°' fici,l,ur 9« Indiana farmers ' !n Corn ' ho 0 Contracts to Maintain Prices Ind - Mapth 26-(UP) Un thep Indlana fanners t 0 'X a^ era l COrn - hOR prod- > comm^- 80 that price ® forthe *>nuev^. tlf * wln remain at el-ord aa . Wa ’. niade by Claude f ickard fn/^' 81 here today»chief of th o mer 'I' B'® 8 '® senator 'i Aaa ? e corn section of I offl'cut ” Brred with e,a,e -corn-1 “Mlgn h\ ° n the menn ’erHhip C ° nducted a ™>ng| U annii?.i' S(i ~lnt a " farmere Bk'fA? ton for contracts bills I iMI i u eadllne for applications! »' 1 *■ he said. hey want mUSt Bisn t,le cont ra;-tH “in’e 7“” nd hog prk es to B tU ” h< ‘ aaM - "Un‘he t>rn» wbolelwart ed support W elump next fa “-" * th*’ lnd ‘ ana counties !n «isn»dM' o "V lpplicati<)ns had !«XS? 23Atotal 0f65 -. ’ deadline ° slgn ’ p<l before M next week, Wiokard

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN ADAMS COUNTY

Vol. XXXIII. No. 73.

Chase Is Guilty ■? 5 ■1 SKMMKiiBOa John Paul Chase, former California bootlegger, was convicted . of murder hy a federal jury < i Chicago Monday night. Chase was convicted of complicity in the murder of Samuel P. Cowley, de- I partment of justice agent. STRIKETHREAT LESS CRITICAL Labor Leaders Minimize Possibility Os General Strikes Washington. Mar. 26 XU.RT —Th*' i threat of strikes, which has hung i ominously over the' administrnI tion'e recovery program for weeks, appeared today to be passing. An industry-labor truce, earn- ' estly sought by President Roosevelt, came closer of realixation as labor leaders minimized possibilI ity of strikes in several key industries this spring. American federation of labor heads, whose relations with the administration were strained al ‘most to the breaking point a month ago. have received assurances of support for strengthen- | ing of section 7-A of NRA and passage of the Wagner labor disputes bill by congress. Concessions were made by both ' sides, it was learned, to maintain Home semblance of peace in induetry as the new deal prepared to ' use the $4,880,0**0.000 work-relief bill to give work to 3.500.000 unemployed in a supreme effort to ' break the backbone of the depresI sion. In the soft coal industry, one of the danger points of friction I there was substantia! reason to I hope disorders would be averted, j Contract* affecting 350.000 united i mine workers expire April 1 Reports from Akron indicate I there still is possibility of a ser- ! ions strike among tire factory workmen. Such a walkout probably would provoke sympathy strikes in automobile factory centers. in the steel industry there is internal strife in the Amalgamated Association of Iron Steel and Tin ! workers. A “rank and file" cortj mittee of local union leaders has i broken away from conservative policies of the union leader. Michael Tighe, but apparently has made little progress. Texti'e workers are restive "nder leadership of Francis J. Gorman, united textile workers vice president who organized the national strike last September. — o — Truck Hijacked Near Fort Wayne Monday Fort Wayne, Ind.. March 26 | (UP)—lndiana State police from the Ligonier barracks are eear. hing northern Indiana today for f ur i four men wuo hi-jacked a large I truck loaded with 560 cane of egg | yolks valued at S4OOO on U- S. j Highway 30, near here last night. The hi-jaokers halted the truck driven by Henry Becklairt. Hammond, about four miles north of her?, commandered the vehicle and held Beckhart captive all night. Beckbart was released by 'the I :nen near Bourbon early thus m .rnI ing He eaid he w> is held for about two hours in a barn somewhere | n.ar Bourbon and was driven ] around in an automobile the reet of I the night.

JOHN P. CHASE CONVICTED OF KILLING AGENT Given Life Term For Murder Os Department Os Justice Agent Chicago, Mar. 26.— (U.PJ —John Paul Chase, young California bootlegger who joined the John Dill-1 inger gang just in time to see It wiped out around him, was sentenced to life imprisonment by a : federal court jury last night for murder of a justice department ! agent. The jury found him guilty and, agreed on the prison sentence in I three hours, 45 minutes. Death by hanging would have 1 been mandatory Had the jury not, recommended the lighter sentence. | The crime of which Chase was , i convicted was the slaying of Sam ' uel P. Cowley, inspector of the jus-' tice department's bureau of investigation. Cowley and Federal Agent Her-' , man E. Hollis were shot to deatli I last November in a highway battle I near Barrington, 111., with Chase and George (baby face) Nelson. Nelson, too. was fatally wounded in the fight. Chase and Nelson's young wiuI ow, Mrs. Lester Gillis, escaped but ! were captured later. Mrs. Gillis is serving a reformatory sentence in Milan, Mich. Chase took the verdict without a j visible flicker of emotion. Almost as the jury foreman finished reading his few words Chase leaned carelessly downward to brush a bit of lint from his sharply creas(t’ONTINUEn ON PAGE SKVEN) ' ——o TORNADO KILLS ILLINOIS MAN Storm In Metropolis, Illinois. Causes $200,000 Damage Metropolis, 111., Mar. 26. —(U.R)--Wrecking crews and w’orkmen today began clearing away debris over a downtown area three blocks square where a tornado struck late yesterday, killing one man and injuring several persons. Streets were cleared during the night and crews were concentrating after dawn today on several of the buildings that were razed. Although no official estimate of damage was made it is believed it will amount to about $200,000. The swirling winds, which dipped into the heart of the business , section at 3:40 p. tn. yesterday,: lifted after spending their fury for five minutes. The finger dropped I again at Brookport. 8 miles south of here on the Ohio river, unroofing several houses at the north- i east edge of the town. The dead man was Sam Ambell, garage proprietor, who was pinned : under a steel girder when his gar- j OCONTINUBD ON PAGE THREE) Barn Is Damaged By Flames Today Fire caused damage of about $lO 1 this noon to a barn on the property | of Mrs. John Hill on South 10th street. The city fire truck mode a run and extinguished the blaze be-! fore it caused more serious damage. o More Corn-Hog Checks Received A second group of corn-ihcg ■ checks was received this afternoon . by county ugent L. E. Archbold. I . This will bring the total of the third L and last payment to approximately $69,000. ■ All the checks have now been re- , calved except those delayed in the : second payment. Mr. Archbold said that persons who did not receive their second payment checks will not receive their third payment . checks iht this time. -i Thursday the county corn-hog I control committee will nr et in One Bank of Berne with checks for , French, Monroe and Blue Creek . t wnships. Friday the committee will meet at the Briggs garage with * checks for Hartford, J fterson and l Wabash townships. Other growers T may obteiin their checks at the I county agent’s office.

Decatur Indiana, Tuesday, March 26, 1935.

JAY COUNTY MAN THOUGHT KILLED □avid L. Whaley it Believed to Hve Been Burned to Death In Fire This Morning Portland. Ind, March 26—(UP)— | David L. Whakey. 6b, a bachelor, 1 was Ibelieved to have perished to-1 day in a fire whlclh' destroyed his I 1 farm home six miles west of here. The fire was dicovered by neigh-1 brrs early today. Whitley was not' found and bones were discovered in : the ruins. He was a veteran of the Spanish- | American war. Foul play is suspected to have had a port in the fire. Mr. Whaleyreturned to his home from a neighboring community, about 9 o'clock Monday night. He lived alone. Tie bones found in the debris are ! thought to have been the body of Whaley. Hie life had been ; threatened on several occasions. ! hie friends stated. He is said to have kept a consid- ■ erable amount of money about ths- | house and it was suggested that i Whaley was probably killed during I a robbery tind that the bouse was ' set fire. RENEW SEARCH FOR GANGSTERS State’s Attorney Courtney Presses Search For Three Gunmen — Chicago, March 26 —(U.RX-State's Attorney Thomas K. Courtney plied his own search behind a screen of secrecy today for three gunmen who attempted to assassinate him Sunday morning in gang i land's “on the spot” style. Declaring forthrightly that “we I L know who was responsible" and j that "the heat will be turned on 1 I w hen we have everything set." the ; athletic prosecutor still withheld the anticipated grr.nd scale roundup of police characters. He made several unexplained excursions from his office during the night, accompanied each time ■ by his augmented I odyguard of four detectives. His last errand I held him until 3 a. m., when h? | went home to snatch a nap. He. had been active almost continually eince 3 a. m. Sunday, when the attempted assassins fired upon him. Aiderman Harry E. Perry, and two detectives in Courtney's car. Three known gangsters were I questioned about the shooting at police headquarters. Two. their Identities concealed, were released. The third was Edward (Spike) O'Donnell, cartorially magnificent I "beer baron” of prohibition dayn ■ who says he has eschewed his: former ways in the conviction that crime doesn’t pay. Courtney said he had no idea that O’Donnell had a hand in the attempted assassination, but ord(CONTINI'ED ON PAGE SEVEN) O TWO WISCONSIN MEN IN WRECK Automobile Is Struck By Freight South Os Decatur Monday Two Wisconsin men fortunately escaped death about 7 o’clock Monday evening when the automdbile in which they were riding wan struck by a freight train at the Pennsylvania railrctid crossing oouth of Decatur on U. S. highway 27. H nry Hornstein, Racine, Wiscon-! sin, is confined to the Adams I county memorial hospital, suffering numerous bruises and lacerations. He is also suffering from possible internal injuries but his condition is not regarded as critical. Henry L. Watt. Milwaukee, driver of the car. escaped with only minor bruises. Botilr the automobile and train were traveling north. Watt failed to note the freight but Hornstein warned the driver. Watt stopped his car and attempted to back up but the train caught the right rear wheel of the automobile. The right side of the car was badly damaged and the frame apparently twisted. The train was manned by J. A. DeWald, conductor, and J. B. Buck-1 ley, engineer, both of Fort Wayne. I

HEAR TALK ON FHA PROGRAM R. Earl Peters Talks To Local Men Interested In Housing Program R. Earl Peters, state director of ! the FHA program in Indiana, addressed about 25 men allied In the building trades, at a meeting held in the city hall Monday afternoon. The meeting was called to order by George M. Kriok, county chair- \ man of the FHA (program. Mr. Peters stated that a year ago the government made a survey of housing conditions in America. The ' report showed that there are 29,000.000 homes in the country, and of this number 16.000.000 are badly In need of repairs. The values in these houses are fast disappearing. The report also showed that there are 5.000.000 in the building trade ' wil’.o are unemployed but are willing to work. The FHA is making an : effort to combine these factors. | He said that the bmks have been I hesitant in making the loans. However. he stated that the government | had at its command hundreds of millions of dollars of national lending institutions’ money which cun be applied to any community where t. e local banks refuse to make these loams. The New York Life in- ' surance company alone has S4OO, 000.000 to invest in FHA loans. He said that the government does not desire to bring this money to communities where the kxul banks ar--cooperating. He said that last week he wrote letters to the 78 approved banks in the state and in 72 hours reteiv- ■ ed letters from 25 of them, stating 1 that they had over six million dollars available for FHA loans. FOUR GERMANS ARE SENTENCED Given Death Penalty For Plotting Against Lithuania Kovno, Lithuania, Mar. 26. —(U.P.) —Four men were sentenced to I death today in the court verdict on cases of 122 Germans of the Memel territory charged with plotting to separate Memel from Lithuania. Eighty-three of the defendants j were given prison terms. Thirtyfive were acquitted, most of them youths. 1 The verdict was calculated to rouse bitter resentment in Germany Adolf Hitler was believed to have mentioned the Kovno trial to Sir John Simon yesterday. It was re- • ported that Hitler also complained generally of treatment given to Germans in Memel. which was taken from Germany after the World War and allotted to Lithuania. Those sentenced to death were found guilty of murdering Georg Jessutis. He was alleged to have been one of the plotters — all of ! Nazi leanings—but to have exposled the plot to Lithuanian author-1 (CONTINUED ON PAGE SEVEN) I io School Heads Hear Rev. Baumgartner Rev. Walther Baumgartner, Low-' ell, Wise., Hpoike nt the monthly I meeting of the Adams county school j principals and superintendents, held at the Kirkland high school Monday evening. R?v. Baumgartner, a native of Switzerland and educated in the schools of that country delivered an interesting discourse on "The s hool system of Switzerland.” o Robert Coffee Is Contest Winner Robert Coffee of the Decatur high school will represent the junior division of the district Latin contest in the state contest to be held, April 5 at Bloomington. Mr. Coffee won first place against two contestants to win the honor of making the trip. Other winners announced by Mias Bertha Thornburg of the Columbia City high school, who conducted j the district contest, are: Freshman. Ler:y Rediger. Woodburn, first and 1 Norman Brenniske also of Wood-' I burn second; sophomores, Elmer I Dehne, Warren, first and Ina Seller j Fremont, second, senior division I division John Hickman, first.

THOMAS SILVER RIDER TO WORK BILL DEFEATED House Votes To Send Relief Measure To Senate For Conference Washingion. Mar 26 -<U.R> —The ! house beat down an attempt *o . force retention of the one billion i dollar silver-inflation rider in the i S4.BBO.(Xk),{MM) work relief bill, and voted to send the measure to conference with the senate. The teller vote was 186 to 78 to send the bill to congress. The victory for administration forces came on adoption of a rule which automatically sent the bill to conference without instructions to the conferees to accept any of the 31 senate changes in the bill. Previously on a test vote, the I ! house, 263 to 108, had defeated a j 1 move designed to force immediate ■ house acceptance of the senate | bill and complete congressional action on it. Warnings that the bill faced a presidential veto unless the Thomas silver-rider is taken out in ! conference, strengthened administration forces. The inflation rider was put into 1 . the bill last Saturday so it could be passed by the senate. It was expected that the rider would be i eliminated in congress. Four Officials Washington. Mar. 26--XU.R)- The broad outlines of how President Roosevelt will spend his $4,880.000,000 work relief fund took shape today on the eve of his i mighty effort to lift the nation out of depression. First indications were given of ! the government directorate which ! the President will set up to adi minister the program to spend the I largest lump sum of money ever appropriated. While congress I struggles to get the bill in final shape for Me. Roosevelt’s signature. the President, in the seclusion of his much delayed fishing trip, is expected to complete last details of his plan. The names of four government officers were presented today as (CONTINUED ON PAGE SEVEN) Mrs. Laura H. Bass Dies At Fort Wayne Funeral services for Mrs,. Laura H. Bass, widow of the late Jehn H. Pass, w.ho died at her home at Brookside, west of Fort Wayne, Monday, will be held Wednesday afternoon at 2:30 o’clock at the residence. The services will be privateMrs. Bass was a member of one of Fort Wayne's beet known families. She had resided there since her marnage in 1865 t John H. Bass, prominent Fort Wayne industrialist and business man. who died in 1922. PRESIDENT DN VACATIDN TRIP — Roosevelt Outlines Legislative Program Before Leaving Today Aboard Roosevelt Special, en Route Jacksonville, Fla., Mar. 26. i_ (U R) — President Roosevelt sped southward today for a two weeks ! vacation in Bahama waters. Before leaving Washington he outlined to congressional leaders a legislative program which he wishes congress at least to consider before it adjourns. Legislation which he wishes given preferred consideration includes: Social security as it relates to both old age pension and unemployment insurance. Federal elimination of utility holding company abuses. Increased capital for the Home Owners' Loan Corporation. Transportation legislation affecting aviation, shipping, buses, trucks and railroads. Two-year extension of NRA. Banking legislation to strengthen authority of the federal reserve over currency and credit. Tightening up of pure food and drug laws. The president's wishes were made known in last-hour conversations with senate majority leader (CONTINUED ON PAGE SEVEN)

Price Two Cents

Astor Heir at Work t J; ' £ a j d ■ 1 John Jacob Astor HI. heir to mil-1 ! lions, traded his hereditary silver I spoon for a pencil when he took a $25-a-week clerking job with a New York shipping organization in which the Astor family is interested. He in expected to advance rapidly. SOLONS ACT ON AUTO VEHICLES 1935 Legislature Passed Fifteen Laws Governing Motor Vehicles Indianapolis, Mar. 26— (U.R) —' Fifteen new laws governing motor: ■ vehicles were passed by the 1935 ' legislature. One of the most important acts will bring truck* and motor vehicles operating outside cities and towns under jurisdiction of tlie public service commission. Contract and common carriers must pay an annual registration i fee of sl2 and obtain certificates of public convenience. Drivers of common and contract carriers are prohibited from working more than eight consecutive hours or 16 in the aggregate in 24 hours. The act exempts school buses, mail trucks, taxicabs, federal, state or locally owned government vehicles, livestock and farm produce carriers and household goods movers. The legislature re-wrote the 1933 truck weigh tax law to lower . the tax from $1 a 100 pounds to 60 cents. The law declares void all taxes levied since the original act was passed two years ago and . provides for refunds to those persons who paid the original tax. Privately owned trucks are exempt from the new law. A bill providing that motor vehicles be equipped with safety glass was enacted. The law will apply to all cars sold, manufactur-1 ed or assembled in Indiana after Jan. 1. 1936. I : Another important bill enacted I | provides for the licensing of used j car and automobile parts dealers, i This law is aimed at automobile ' thieves and “strippers.” The used : car or parts dealers must keep a i record of all cars and parts they I receive, together with the numbers and other identification marks. Another bill intended to curb . automobile thefts provides that ell dealers must report their sales • within five days to the bureau of motor vehicles. ‘ Persons against whom a judg- ■ ment of $75 or more has been ob- ' tained as the result of an automo-' bile accident will be 'permitted to pay the judgment in installments,' under another law passed. The I person against whom the judg1 ment has been obtained also will ■ be permitted to continue driving (CONTINUED ON PAGE EIGHT) : o Lodge Endorses Health Project 1 Adams lodge No. 1311 of the Loyal Order of Moose, is among the organlza'i. is in this city to ' endorse the health and sanitation : project, sponsored by the city lx>ard of health. The lodge went on record at its last meeting endorsing the pro- ! gram and assuring health officers " and Albert Gehrig of the FERA sanitary department, full support of the lodge.

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MAJOR PART OF LOOT IS TAKEN ATMUTSCHLERS Safes At Local Packing Company Are Smashed Open With Hammers Three thefts in Decatur Monday night or this morning yielded ' thieves approximately S4OO, The j city police were working today on a number of clues gleaned from I examinations of the damage done by the thieves. Approximately S4OO was taken from one of the two safes at the Mutschler Packing house office building at the corner of Oak and IFortiax streets. The locks from the safes were broken off with j equipment stolen from the Frank i Schmitz blacksmith shop and the Al Schmitt Motor Sales company, both on' First street. Officials of the Mutschler Packing company wsre unable at 2:30 o’clock this afternoon to give the exact amount of money stolen from their safe because of their inability to open a second safe ' containing the records and books ; of the concern. The combinations wore probably broken off with heavy sledge ! hammers and the doors then opened with the tools stolen in the earlier robberies. The tools were left near the safes and were returned to their owners this momI ing. i One safe containing the money at Mutschler’s was a heavy iron ! one. The other, which the yeggs could not open, was of lighter construction. Entrance was gained at the Mutschler building through a basement window. Evidently the thieves were in no hurry because at the Al D. Schmitt Motor sales building an empty bottle of w-hisky was found this morning on a ransacked desk. Papers and recoids were found there this morning strewn over I the floor. About $2 in cash was missed. A number of tools were taken but it is believed that all were recovered at Mutschler’s. The thieves entered this building through a coal chute. Only two maul* were missed at Schmitz’ blacksmith shop. These were found at Mutschler’s. The yeggs broke a window to enter this building. Chicken Thieves Escape Gun Battle Noblesville, Ind.. March 26 —(UP) Hamilton bounty officials today sought two chicken thieves who raided a farm near here, and escaped in a gun bittie with Mark Passwater. farmer. Passwater discovered the thieves leaving his coups with a dozen chickens and opened fire upon them with a shotgun. The thieves returnd the fire, but escaped. Fifteen Hamilton county farmers have been victims of chicken thieves within j the i. i st three weeks. j GRAND JURY TO PROBE TRAGEDY Chicago Night Club Fire Which Claimed Six Lives Will Be Probed By Jury Chicago, Mar. 26.— (U.R) — Fire which took six lives Sunday in a suburban night club was slated to- ! day for grand jury investigation. Incendiarism took a new place iin speculation on causes of the i fire as a result of inquest testimony of a state policeman who said he heard Elmer Cowdrey, own- ' er of the club, shout at the height of the blaze, "well, they finally got | me." Cowdrey denied making the remark. Deputy State Fire Marshal Frank Doherty nevertheless orderied a transcript of inquest testi- ! mony given io the state's attorney's office. The granl jury probably will be asked, too, to investigate reported, violations of state and county fire ordinances. Many of the approxiI mately 80 persons who escaped from the little club reported that the fatalities were due to existence of only one exit, a door that opened inward and fastened with a snap latch. The inquest was continued until April 8 to permit further investigation.