Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 33, Number 298, Decatur, Adams County, 18 December 1935 — Page 1

K XXXII I. No. 298.

MSOVINE IfSTIEIES AT ■EVERETT TRIAL M, th is Third Witness Kled By State In I Murder Trial ■ ; Marv Werlinn. widow of B[ ' werlmg. testified this asKon Sue gave Werling's age K e time of the slaying as 27. ■ stated that she now has two ■ „ Judoe Mills upheld a K o n by defense attorney Walt- ■ to not permit her to answer Hjestion propounded by Prose- ■ r Eomond A. Bosse as to ■ her there was an unborn K a t the time of the slaying. H,e next witness was Ben MeHiugh. farmer and trustee in township. Mr. McCul- ■ s sw Werling as he was Hl from his wounds. He was ■"present '* hen Sheriff Burl Haon arrested Joseph Everett Height of the slaying. ■ked what Everett sa.d after Hehe'iff arrested him and asked His he had shot Werling. MeHuoh quoted Everett as say■^"Yes I did. Leak what he ■to me." Hiher Sovinc. one of those Kent when Doras Werling was ■e.i to have been slain by Eph Everett, on June 29. 1931. ■ put on the witness stand at ■) o'ckxk this morning. His ■t examination was completed ■re court recessed for noon, Halberstadt, the state's ■nd witness, completed his ■stony this morning. ■e versions of the sieving told ■he three boys has ixeen simi- ■ The slaying is alleged to ■ occurred at the St. Mary's r near Pleasant Mills. pen an order issued by Special fe Hanson Mills and bv agreeit of counsel, the witnesses B been segregated and have been permitted to hear the feedings of Everett's second The state's witnesses have i stationed in the conSultattrm’ uat the rear of the court s and the defense witnesses I > remained in the sheriff's hrougliout the trial so far, rett has appee.red unworried has occasionally smiled as he terrivuEn ok pmg THREE) —Be A Good Fellow— IS, DOERMER IS CONVICTED Wayne Woman Faces jfe Term For Killing Step-Daughter >rt Wayne, Ind., Dee. 18—(UP) I rs. Laura Doermer, 43, was coned on a second degree murder je by an Allen circuit court lest night in connettien with poison death of her 13-year-old -daughter, Bernadene. he jury of ten men and two wot deliberated five hours. pedal judge Lloyd S. Hartzler I he would pronounce sentence t Monday, Dec. 23- The second ree verdict may carry a sen;e of life imprisonment. etense counsel indicated they •Id make no move toward a new d- Mrs. Doermer broke into ’)' sobs when the verdict was d It was her first show of emoi during the trial. he was charged with mixing arte into cottage cheese eaten by oadene and her 16-year-old sisImogene during a meal at the ’’ter home April 1. oth girls became violently ill, I Bernadene died at a hospital 10 ’> later. Irs. Doermer testified she was at home when the meal was Pared and mixed only sugar into cottage cheese when the girls II it “tasted funny.” —Be A Good Fellow — Good Fellows Club — ——♦ he Good Fellows club received Aubetantlal ’boost today with a g ® contribution from the Mutter Packing company. Anyon■ tele to make a cash donation but hng to help the club, is asked to te articles of clothing or toys to » club. Cash donations may be ‘ in special boxes at the Daily Tnocrat. Rice hotel or First State ®it’ while other contributions 1 be called for by club members the donors notify Miss Helen dthouee. Previous total 8168.03 { “utschler Packing Co 25.00 ! friend .15 ( r °w $193.18

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT

SIO,OOO Damage Suit Ig venued To Local Court A suit for the ’Collection of $lO- - damage f or the “wrongful” death of Galen R. Hopkins against! Lawrence F. Hoeltje was venusd I here from the Allot, superior court The suit was tiled by Katherine H-pkins. administratrix of the I Ute of Galen R. Hopkins. According to the complaint, Hopkins was injured when he was struck by an automobile driven by Hoeltje on Goshen road In Fort ayne on May 10. As the result of the injuries he died three days later in a Fort Wayne hospital, it is alleged. H? was an opiomctrtet, capable of earning S3O u week at the time and was 50 years old, the complaint states. —Be A Good Fellow— RELATIVES OF KIDNAP VICTIM READY TO PAY Ready To Pay $50,000 But Unable To Arrange Any Contact Philadelphia, Dec. IS - -4U.fi)— Relatives of Caleb J. Milne 4th have . $50,000 ready to pay kidnapers for his freedom hut are unable to arrange a contact, it was reported authoritatively, today. Four days after the handsome 24-year-old heir to a textile fortune I disappeared from a New York rooming house no word had come from him directly and one of two ransom notes reportedly received at the palatial home of his grandfather was stained with blood. Friends and relatives of the' youth here, in New York City and , in Woodstock, N. Y„ said they had no trace of him beyond that offered by notes purporting to be from kidnapers. But activity in Philadelphia and the suburban ueTiftantown home of his father and grandfather and the home of an aunt in Wooqgtocn indicated they hoped for his return at any moment. Au authoritative sertree saM ■ Caleb Milne Jr., wealthy retired grandfather of the missing man. drew $50,000 from a bank yester-; day in small bills. Twice ho and other members of the family made , mysterious sortlesf rom his Germantown mansion, taking care to elude 'railing automobiles before ! reaching their destination. Caleb Milne 3rd. father of the missing | i youth, spent two hours in the house after driving from Boston and then i departed with a young woman I He did not return. Agents and police went in and lout of the Milne mansion in Germantown constantly. The federal I agents imposed silence on every one around the establishment, i While the government men kept icontact between New York. Phila ! delphia and Woodstock, home of I young Milne's mother, a 14-year-old brother and an aunt, New York state police searched hudreds of summer cottages in isolated nooks of the Catskill mountains. Board- , ed up for the winter and located on trails off the highways, the cot tages might afford ideal hiding places for kidnapers Holding a cap tlve. Persons at the Milne home re- . fused to discuss reports that they (CONTINUED ON PAGE SIN) —Be A Good Fellow— PARK BEAUTIES TOI.D TO CLOB Howard Michaud Discusses State Parks At Lions Meeting Howard Michaud. Fort Wayne formerly of Berne, was the speaker at the weekly meeting of X Decatur Lions club Tuesday evening a.t the Rice hotel. Mr .Michaud, a school teacher, who io a guide at the state parks , during summer vacation, used natural colored slide P* e^ s , illustrate his lecture on .he state | -parks. discussed i the marvelous sceuuy ror miles in the region of the i "speaking of Brown county, Mr. Michaud said the sta^ e °’"ely ; in 000 acres ana apin'CCC workers. The game, including aeet ■ , n i, QV pn for artist** THREE) '

HARRY OFFETT FIRM AWARDED CONTRACT HERE Indiana Engineering Given Contract For Co. Plant Addition 3he contract for the construction of the addition to the City ■ Right and Power plant building, which will house the new turbine and other machinery to be installed. has been awarded by the public i works administrator to the Indiana Engineering and Construction company of Fort Wayne. The Fort Wayne linn, of which Harry Offett is president, was the | low bidder on the project. The bid was $9,459. Yost Brothers of Decatur were next low with a bid of $9,490. PWA officials informed Decatur .officials that it was the policy of the department to accept the lowest bid on any project. The bids ! on the machinery did not vary. Proposals on the building, 2,000 | KW. turbine, condenser, exciter i and switchboard panel were received Friday. December 13, by the council. The proposals were forwarded to F. M. Logan, state PWA director and official notice of the award was received yesterday by Mayor A. R. Holthouse and read to the council in session last evening. The PWA has made a grant of 15 per cent of the entire cost of the building construction and new machinery and conracts cannot he awarded without the approval of the state director. The low bids :on the several projects totaled $86,272. which do not include piping from the boilers to the turbine and condenser and foundations under the turbine and condenser. It is estimated the entire job will toj tai at least $100,009. Bevington and Williams, consulting engineers of Indianapolis are engineers on the project. Charles M. Houck of Muncie is the architect for the building. The bulging will be ITTWt ’W inches long, extending north and south in the southeast corner of I the present building and running (CONTINUED ON PAGE TWO) —Be A Good Fellow— FORMER LOCAL WOMAN KILLED Mrs. William Trim Fatally Injured In Accident Tuesday Mr-’. Ella Mary Trim, 53, Fort Wayne, - hterof Charles, George and Henry Hill of Decatur, was killed alm.st instantly in an automobile ! collision in Huntington county Tuesday afternoon. Hr daughter, Mrs. Lucile Smitley. near Rsanoke, i mfferid rib fractures and numerous cuts and bruises. Cars driven by Marshall Smitley, on in-law of the dead woman, and Walt r Farrar, Rockcreek Center, colided, overturning the SAnitley auto. Smitley and Farrar were unini jured. Also riding in the Smitley auto were Mrs. Luella Trial and her three-months old daughter, neither of whom was badly injured Mis. Trim was born in Decatur .Hid had resided in Fort Wayne for j several years- Survivors include the husband, William; four sons, Ber-i nard, at home, and Virgil, Warren | land Joseph of Fcrt Wayne; three! | daughters, -Mis. Smitley, Mrs. Leota, ! Zegula of -Salanionie township, I Huntington county and Miss Mar-i | jorie Trim at home; a sister, Mrs. Anna Case of Marion; five brothers Charles, George and Henry Hill of Decatur and Daniel and Grover Hill of Fort Wayne. Funeral services will be held at Klaehn and Sons funeral home at (CONTINUED ON PAGE FIVE) ( —Be A Good Fellow— Tri Kappa Sorority Plans Annual Dance The Tri Kappa sorority lias secured Woodrie Neff's orchestra for the annuan New Years Lve dance at the Decatur Country Club. This is on ’ of the best orchestras in this part of tli’> state and was formerly Charlie Davis' band Th’ following committees have, -been appointed: general chairman, Ml . rf [ W. Macy; decorating committee, Kathryn Kauffman, chairman Helen Ilaubold. Gertrude Brown and Vivian Burk; favore, Mrs Don Farr and Miss Mary SutUc , j; tickets, -Mrs. Lois Black and Mrs- Herman Myers. ‘ Tickets may be purchased from any member of the sorority for $1 50 The public is urged to attend.

ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN ADAMS COUNTY

Decatur, Indiana, Wednesday, December 18, 1935.

Calles’ Return Creates Crisis -a v Ta Ji I ’j -:W I ! — ■ Return of Gen. Plutarco Calles, former president of .Mexico, to r Mexico City after his political exile In Los Angeles created a tense f situation in Mexican polities and resulted in the removal from office , of several high officials who were on hand to welcome Calles home. Calles is reported a virtual prisoner of military guards because of fear ‘ ■ oi the present regime that the former dictator will provoke a crisis.

IMPROVEMENTS ARE PROPOSED Fire Chief Proposes Attic Os Engine House Be Improved A proposal by Charles Robenold, ■ city fire chief, that the attic of the , ngine house be improved so that it could be used as a meeting and ' recreati .n rocm for the regular and I volunteer firemen was referred to ' ths board of public works and I safety at the regular meeting of the I city council Tuesday night. 1 1 The second floor of the engine house was not finished when the '! building was constructed The fire- ! men have offered tc furnish part of j tha labor if the city furnishes the ' i material. Chief Robenold gave an i ...it: r ate to the city of $301.56 as the ! co.-' of the material. Fred Engle, a member of tb >’ voluntier fire department, appeared I :efore the council, and asked that I ’ the matter of exemption from city’ , | taxes, >:f volunteer firemen be in,l . cstigated. Members of the department who serve without pay were entitled to receive the exemption !! tnder the old law, which has been ! hanged. The .ratter referred I '.o City Attorney Herman H. Myers ! I 'or investigation. A contract between the city of ! Decatur and C. E. Sullivan and others was approved iby the city council. The contract is for an ex- ! tension of the rural electric lines. ! The customers will 'pay $309.12 as the cost of constructing the line. A lease to the city from Ben Eiting for S3O for five years was approved. Tho city lias rented a piece j of land 20 feet long and 11 feet wide ! where transformers and other equipment is set to maintain the (CONTIffUED ON PAGE FOUR)

Help Make Kiddies Happy; Give To Good Fellows Club

One week from today is Christinas! Would you make your Christmas ni.re enjoyable, more soul satisfying? For many yearn the Good Fellows club has brought joy to the less fortunate kiddies of Decatur at holiday time, happiness that these kiddies could not have not know'n were it not fcr this splendid charitable organization. The Good Fellows club of Decatur sponsored annually by the members of the Delta Theta Tau sorority, a group of ycung ladies who give freely of their time, efforts and money to spread the true Christmas spirit. To date, the club has raised approximately S2OO, in addition to some articles of clothing and toys. Members of the sorority on the 1 committee Investigating worthy falilies report that more funds are needed than have so far been donated. i

Limberlost Site To Be Placed On Maps | In compliance with a suggestion | made by French Quinn of this city. James 1). Adams, chairman of the Indiana state highway commission ; will have the oiTfcinal Limberlost home of the late Gene Stratton Porter at Gt-ueva listed on the state highway maps. The new maps will be printed about the tirst of the year. The hieltfiTOn bT'TTfn former Porter home will attract many visitors through Decatur and to Geneva who wish to see the log cabin of the famous novelist. * 1 1 —Be A Good Fellow — MA PROGRAM IS UNDERWAY ■ ■ —-——■■■ - Over Six Million Dollars Awarded PWA Projects In Indiana Indianapolis, Dec. 18.-(U.PJ— With the deadline for awarding contracts passed, Indiana’s heavy building , program under the direction of the public works administration today went info high gear. •Contracts have been awarded on 57 projects having an aggregate ( estimated cost of $6,364,310, Clarence E. Manion, director of the Indiana emergency council, announced. A number of projects already were under way when the Dec. 15 deadline for awarding contracts arrived. Other projects, delayed by courts and other agencies, and which have been recommended for extension by state PWA officials, will start soon. Simultaneously with Manion’s announcement, Forrest M. Logan, state PWA director, said practical ly all of tho 146 projects alloted to I (CONTINUED ON PAGE FIVE)

■ i True, conditions in Decatur are j far better than the average com-1 ;; munity in the country. However, the ■ 1 breadwinners in many of these fa-1 milies make no more than enough 1 to provide the necessities of life , . and are unable to sp“nd what they ■ would like to provide a happy Christmas for their families. As y>:u gather — with your family — around the gaily-decorated ! Christmas tree, listen harpily to j .! the shrill cries of glee from the kiddles as the joys of Christmas are 1 revealed before their eyes; as you sit at a table heavily laden with . the delicious foods that are a tra- , i ditional part of the Christmas spirit in this land; would your happiness ■ not be doubled, even trebled, if you knew that in some other home in . Decatur, other children have Ibeen mad 1 happy through the assistance you have given the Good Fellows , ; club? Don't say, “Let John do it," make ; I your contribution today-

GOVERNOR HAS DOOBTS KIDNAP CASE IS SOLVED New Jersey Governor Doubts If Case Is Completely Solved Trenton, N. J., Dec. 18—(U.R)—— Sometime between Christmas and New Year's the state court of pardons will hear Bruno Richard Hauptmann's plea for a commutation of the death sentence passed on him for the murder of Charles A. Lindbergh, Jr., it was indicated today. Allentown. Pa„ Dec. 18.—<U.R>— Gov. Harold G. Hoffman of New Jersey “has some doubts" that the Lindbergh kidnaping has been I solved completely, he said in an interview last night. "I have not yet found a person who feels positive thal the last ! chapter in that crime has been written," he said. "Nor have I I found a person who is wholly without doubt that the entire story has been told. ! "I say that without any reflection upon the able court and jury . that tried Bruno Richard Haupt- ! mann, found him guilty and sentenced him to die in the electric chair. “The point is .there still is much lo bo cleared up. 1, in common with just about everybody 1 speak to, wold like to see uit cleared up. "What is going to be done about it? Well, 1 do not know. Moreover. if 1 did. I would not tell you." Surprise Witness Trenton. N. J., Dec. 18.— <U.R>--Bruno Richard Hauptmann may have a surprise witness before the court of pardons, the condemned man's spiritual adviser, the Rev. John Matthlesen of the Trinity Lutheran church, said today. The surprise witness is a lawyer whom the Bronx carpenter consulted long before his arrest as the Lindbergh baby kidnaper, the pastor said. Hauptmann asked the attorney how he should go about disposing of the effects of his friend Isador Fisch, who died in Germany. i "I did not ask Hauptmann who the lawyer was,” the Rev. MatthiI essen said. “I am his spiritual advisor, not an investigator.” Defense counsellors will visit the condemned man today to confer with him about his plea for a “lie detector" test. "There i? no precedence for this sort of thing in New Jersey," C. Lloyd Fisher, chief defense counsel, said, "and we must decide how it is to be done, if at all." Hauptmann will plead for a commutation of sentence before the court of pardons. This means his attorneys must fill out a questionnaire of 34 queries which will give the prisoner’s complete life history, criminal record, the status of his case, and what, it' any. new evidence exists. Fisher estimated it would take two weeks to complete the questionnaire. —Be A Good Fellow— * VICTOR CORSON RITES THURSDAY Former Monroe Resident Will Be Buried At Valparaiso Thursday Funeral services for Victor Cordon, former Monroe resident, who was killed in an auto accident early Tuesday morning at a state road intersection near Valparaiso, will be held at 2 o’clock Thursday afternoon in that city. Mr. Corson, who lives in the country, was returning from Vai- 1 paraiso, where he accompanied his I son. Howard, who was going to | Chicago, when the fatal accident occurred. The accident took. place at a state road intersection east of Valparaiso. Three automobiles figured In the collision. One other was injured. The deceased was born in Ohio, 56 years ago last September. He lived in Monroe township before! moving to Valparaiso. Mr. Corson is survived by a wife! and three children. Two brothers, Rose of Valparaiso and Frank, I who lives in the west, also survive. Besides the father, J. B. Corson, age 88. who lives west of Monroe, three sten-sisters, Mrs.! Ma.ry Tabler. Mrs. Frank Coppess ( and Mrs. Merl Essex also survive. Relatives left todsv for V"’nnr-I also to attend the funeral. Burial will be made in that city.

Britain, France Willing To Drop Peace Proposals

CORONER CALLS INQUEST INTO STAR’S DEATH Police Badly Baffled By Mysterious Death Os Thelma Todd , I Hollywood, Calif.. Dec. 18—(UP) L ■ —Police authorities) responsible for ! explaining the etrange death of Thelma Todd admitted tacitly toi 1 day that they were dissatisfied with results of their investigation. They ' worked in a maze of conflicting evidence that would do credit to a ' Hollywood mystery scenario. Coroner Frank Nance called an inquest for 9:30 A. M. today to re- ' view all the ’known facts relating to Miss Todd's death and last hours. She was found slumped in her automobile in a garage near her beach ’ case on .Monday. Nance isued the order when a ' partial autopsy by county surgeon 1 1 A. F. Wagner revealed that Miss T dd was not intoxicated at the ti ne of her death; that heart disease was not the cause, that her , iclood showed a 70 to 80 per cent I saturation of fatal carbon monoxide gas. Still promin nt in the police investigation was a "Ghost telephone call,” which .Mrs. Wallace Ford, i wif of a prominent screen actor, . said she received from Miss Todd at 4:10 p. in- Sunday, some 12 hours aft.’r polite said the blonde film ac-tres must have been dead. In ths face of i.dice hints that the telep’.* ne call (might have been , I made on an extension linelty some I prankster among the 471 guests at ' Mrs. Ford's cocktail iparty, the ac--1 tor's wif? held her ground and re- > Iterated her ’belief tho call was (CONTINUED ON PAGE TWO) —Be A Good Fellow— SEWER PROJECT HERE APPROVED WPA Approval Given For Federal Grant Os Over $20,000 Approval of a sewer project has been received from the works progress administration by the Cityl !of Decatur, covering a. grant of | $20,131 from federal funds and! dependent on the city's contribution of $8,752.64. Ralph Roop, city engineer re- ! ceived the approval of the project I and notified the council last eve'inlng. The grant was received | through the district WPA office in j Fort Wayne. The project is entitled "repairs to present sewer system and construction of new storm sewer to relieve present combined storm | and sanitary sewers." Tho government's grant of • $20,131, includes only SI,OBO for material, while the city’s contribuI tion totals $8,752.64 for material. | The government's grant covers all ; labor costs, estimated at $17,868 and $1,183 for equipment rental and operation. The original plan was to use the grant for the construction of an 18 inch or 24 inch storm sewer on Monroe street and if funds were available to connect the Jefferson street sewer at Seventh street to the Monroe main. Decatur needs a more adequate sewer system, but to build a combined sanitary and storm sewer { above the 24 inch size, the cost for material runs up in the thousands of dollars. It is estimated that a four foot sewer from Seventh street east to the river on Monroe street and a connecting branch along Seventh street, connecting with Jefferson street, would cost , about $13,999 for material. The building of sewers is regulated by state law relative to the I assessing of benefits on the property within the district benefited. No petition has been filed for such a project and action cannot DN »*(!«; six) —Be A Good Fellow— WEATHER Mostly cloudy tonight and Thursday; not much change In temperature. u

Price Two Cents-

General Resentment To Plan Causes Nations To Abandon Proposals To End Conflict. 3-DAY BATTLE By United Press Latest war developments: Rome — Official announcement says 272 Italian troopu and moro than 500 Ethiopians were killed in 3-day battle on Takkaze river; Mussolini makes defiant speech. Geneva — Franco-British peace ' plan apparently completely dead. London — France has promised to aid Britain if her fleet is attacked in the Mediterranean, Premier Baldwin tells parliament. Abandon Plan Geneva. Dec. 18— (U.R) —Great 1 Britain and France, confronted with general resentment of their 1 "peace" plan giving about half of ' Ethiopia to Italy, informed tho council of the league of nations ■ today that they aro willing to ' abandon it. 1 ('apt. Anthony Eden of Great Britain and Premier Pierre Laval 1 of France said tha.t if Italy, Ethioi pia, or the league objected to it. 1 they will not push the plan. Both ' suggested that the council pro- ■ ceed with some other form of ' settlement to avert spread of tho African war to Europe. ’ E<len said explicitly: "It has always been in tho ■ minds of the two governments as ’ an essential condition before pres- , sing any terms of settlement on , the parties concerned, these I terms should be approved by the i league on behalf of league rneuii bers, who are bound to respect and do their utmost to apply the » covenant." i Premfer Pierre I-aval of France • made n speech srnrtiar- ttr Eden's, t showing that Britain and France . ere in agreement. Both argued . that the council should continue i its efforts for conoiliation, indicating (something other than th.i Franco - British proposals should be considered. Eden said that if Italy, Ethiopia, or the league fail to agree to the proposals, Britain would not continue to “recommend or support them.” The league published an Ethiopian note cajling the Franco- , British proposals "disguised demand’s" infringing on Ethiopia's territorial integrity and violating the covenant. The Ethiopian note did not reject the proposals outright, but riddled them with legal objections. thereby avoiding the onus ' of killing the plan. The Ethiopian note concluded | witli an indirect appeal to small (CONTINUED ON P*GH FIVE) —Be A Good Fellow— Regular Meeting Os Elks Tonight The regular semi-monthly meeting of the B. P O. Elkts lodge will be held at the home on North Second street at 8 o'clock tonight. All members are asked to be present. —Be A Good Fellow— DOUBT McNUTT TO BE NAMED Discount Report McNutt To Be Named Post-master-General Indianapolis, Ind., Dec. 18 —(UP) —High officials of the state Admin- . istration today discounted reports . from Washington that Gov. Paul • V. McNutt is being considered as a successor to Postmaster General James A. Farley, who reportedly will resign Jan. 8. Gov. McNutt declined to comment on the report, but added that ho “was interested in fulfilling the job as Governor to which I was elected by the people of Indiana." His term does not expire until January, 1937. The report that he would take Farley’s position was accompanied by the rumor that Pleas Greenlee, state adminstration ipatronage director. would 'be taken to Washington when the change was made Greenlee would be removed from the patronage ’position in order to clear a prospective factional tight within the party over the nomination of Governor, the report concluded.