Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 34, Number 199, Decatur, Adams County, 21 August 1936 — Page 1

■

lISESOS lIIIIION TO ■fILLINDON V | () ( oiilcreiu *' 9 ()n Drought ■ , .'him •" Umlm. and of lowa. OklaNebraska. also * lll (jriiiwli' IHnntaiioii !■..„ pi.-bably know. 1 am not «0.-k to got at the infoi tnation 1 (, an , to the situation in the W. plan 'o arrive IKio ; T! " s first, and I would Kueminh it you lould find l>n t to meet us there for LIS' USSioll Ot tile SltU Herring, to advise you as to K 4 plans fm tie- confer- ■ Cs v B Park ot Missouri K jit ii as a . oliteree at n , s mid an invitation has ■b bin. similarly wor de d dispatch‘d. the White to Gov. Paul V. Me™its:;,i,.i Albeit 1! Chandler. K(ty. Martin 1.. Davey. Ohio; Kg Frzo-r.ihl Mi. l.iuan; for - ImlianapI to '.ng Govs. & \'.'"l h.k and Holt. tor a i imlerem at BisKTn Dak.. August 27. to Gov Berry. South Dakota. M*iie i. M.ii-r. W yoming, at Hliptst 31 the piesident will Rochester. Mimi, to visit Mfeyd Olson al his sick bed ■rv s\ f'.vii- sBVHX) b DENIES n CHARGE ■ro On Trial For Life Says Confession Forced Mie, X. (’.. Aug. 21—(U.R)— Moore. lanky n-gro hall boy,. Wtrout the witness stand to-' {finial dial lie murdered pretfen Clevenger, New York co- •« 4 Ufl ■t. on trial for his life, teet!tecrateaseil the brutal slaying Ik was beaten by officers. He it admitted the crime because B afraid they would whip tne 'Bill be had given a gun which • charged was used in the kill-! ill Roddy, negro be l ! -hop at •yPark hotel where the young •» murdered, before the killlt did not get the gun ibaCk •ter Mies Clevenger was kill-' t testified. w *as called as the first wit- j ® hk own defense. btate closed its case today af-y-Clevenger, elderly father 'Mtn girl, told how she came Carolina on a recreational ■cational trip. r ««aid that on the night Mias was killed he was at * M - Gilliam's house” where “ lnM until about 2:05 a. m. ex .P«rte testified that the tew York co-ed was slain a«»i«ht that night, solicitor 1 read to the negro the conteaaion obtained by sher“ceE. Brown. Judge F. Don arr ed the confession as evidence after k, 58 . tlle stleritf promised to pime * if he confessed ' each sentence- was read u. „ e con ' eß sion, the negro in- ' T! '«b right." i? Continues To Swelter In Heat •— . ithX Wte today •to„„ u me heat in which the 1 f ° r ‘ SeVeral dayB ' •mutt., thls af ternoon the wiJh Bted at 97 <kgreee 111 ’did a „„ Sotne P ros Pects that ’veuJ. rOBCh th * 100 mark belt ci |.^ r adfi to the discomfort ° f I have o ? e city 63011 evening. S fJ\ ered house « and cov- ' * ir eete.

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT

Berne Woman Named Recording Secretary Mrs. Mary E. Hartley of Berne was named recording secretary of the Women’s Missionary society of I the Northern Indiana district. Church of the Nazarene, at the annual convention held in connection with the district ministerial meeting held this week at Hammond. Mrs. Lena Burch of Hammond was elected president. The 80 ministers voted to raise $25,000 for home and foreign missions next year, an increase of SI,OOO. SIO,OOO SUIT IS FILED HERE Max Odle, Blue Creek Dairy Sued For Fatal Accident A suit to collect SIO,OOO damages has been filed by Stella Nelson, administratrix of the estate of Otis Fletcher, for the "wrongful death” of the deceased against Max Odle and the Blue Creek Dairy, Inc., noth of this city. Otis Fletcher of near Plymouth died as the result of an automobile accident on June 6. 1936, when he was struck by a truck driven by Max Odje and owned by the Blue Creek Dairy, tine. His truck bad stopped on the highway and he stepped from behind it in an effort to flag down approaching automobiles and trucks. An inquest was conducted into his death after the accident by Coroner Robert Zwick, who returned a verdict of accidntal death. Four alleged offenses are included in the damage suit filed in the local court. These are: First: the defendant was driving on the left side of the highway. Second: The defendant was driving in excess of 55 miles an hour. Third: The defendant failed to keep and maintain a lookout ahead for parked trucks and pedestrians. Fourth: The defendants failed to equip their automobile with suitable and sufficient brakes. The complaint further alleges "that the injury to the decedent , and hie resultant death were due to each of the negligant and careless acts on the part of the defendants.” The complaint states that at the time of the death of Otis Fletcher, his sole heir was his sister, who was receiving financial aid from him. Summons was ordered issued for the defendants, returnable September 7. o __ No Settlement Os Newspaper Strike Seattle, Aug. 21—(U.R)—The Seattle chapter of the Newspaper Guild, whose strike has (prevented publication of the Seattle Poet-Intel-ligencee during the past eight days, announced today It will publish a morning newspaper here. The newspaper, guild officials eaid. will be "free of propaganda." The announcement came after strike leadens expressed the belief there was little chance of immediate settlement of the controversy because of refusal by Post-Intelligen-cer to arbitrate. o DR. TOWNSEND CASE MONDAY Hearing On Accounting Os Founds To Be Resumed Chicago, Aug. 21 — (U.R) —The battle over Townsend old age pension plan records shifted to Cleveland again today with attorneys for both sides Issuing conflicting statements. Charles H. Hubbell, attorney for Dr. Francis E. Townsend, indignant when Benjamin F. Sacharow fajled to show up at an appointed time on three successive mornings, closed the Townsend books to further examination. Sacharow is counsel for the Rev. Alfred Wright of Cleveland, who is seeking an accounting of $1,000,000 in Townsend funds. "Each of the past three mornings I hurried through breakfast to meet Sacharow at 9 a. m. but he didn't show up until at least 10 o'clock,” Hubbell said in a telegram to Judge George Kerr of Cleveland, in whose court the siut was brought. “I am returning to Cleveland.” "Don’t believe anything Hubbell sayis," Sacharow countered. "He's just locking for publicity. "My examination of the TownI send books has confirmed my sus--1 (CONTINUED ON PAGE TWO)

22 MEMBERS OF i BLACK LEGION ARE INDICTED 1 _ Indicted On Criminal , Syndicalism Charge At Detroit Detroit, Aug. 21—(U.R)—Circuit Judge James E. Chenot announced today that 22 members of the , Black Legion have been indicted , on-charges of criminal syndicalism t growing out of his exhaustive oneman grand jury investigation of I I the hooded and robed vigilante [ band. The indictments were handed down almost at the same time that two other memliters of the subversive order were sentenced ’ to prison ter me in another court ■ room. ’ "I cannot reveal the names of those indicted until they are in ‘ custody," Judge Chenot said. , "However, four of the men already are in custody on various char1 ges. They are Harvey Davis. ' Clarence Frye. William Guthrie • and Roy Hepner.” ' Davis is the so-called "Colonel" ‘ of the Black Legion who wurt 1 charged by the order’s "trigger s man,” Dayton Dean, with having I participated in the slaying of Charles A. Poole, WPA worker, and other subversive activities. > Roy Hepner was named as a r "brigadier-general" of the order. - while Guthrie was known to have printed much of the literature put • out by the Black Legion. s Judge Chenot. appointed by Attorney-general David H. Crowley - to act as a one-man grand jury -1 investigation of the Black la»gion in Wayne county, conducted his - inquiry behind cloved doors. Aid- . ing him was assistant attorney > general Chester P. O'Hara. 1 The grand jury considered care- . fully all of the acts of violence 1 attributed to the hooded ord ,j r i since it was disclosed two months ■ (ago with the Poole elaying. Wit- ’ (CON rINI’ED ON PAGE SEVEN* MRS. SWAIM DIES TODAY ) 1 Wife Os Bluffton News- ' paper Publisher Taken By Death Mrs. E. May Swaim, 73, wife of David H. Swaim, publisher of the M News-Banner at Bluffton, died at ' her home in that city early this morning after an extended illness of several months. 1 Mrs. Swaim was born near Os--1 sion. a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Gorrell. She graduated ’ i from the Ossian high school in 1 1880 and taught in the Bluffton schools for several years. 3 Her marriage to the Bluffton newspaper publisher was solemnr ized September 15, 1885. f Surviving are the husband, one 5 son, Roger Swaim, editor of the - News-Banner; and four grandchil- - dren. Her daughter-in-law is a of Mrs. Agnes Andrews of this city. Mrs. Swaim was a member of the First M. E. church at Bluffton. Funeral services will be held at the residence, corner of Wabash and 1 Oak streets, Sunday afternoon at 3 ' o'cl ck. The Rev. P. B. Smith, pastor of the church, will officiate. BurI ial in the Elm Grove cemetery. • Murdered Woman’s Son To View Negro Suspect Chicago, Aug. 21—(U.R)—Preco- ' cious eeven year old Jimmy Castle, ? who saw a “wig dark man” kill his ’ mother, Mrs. Florence Thomipson ’ Caet’e. returned to Chicago today ' to view a husky negro who has confessed killing another woman. Similarity of the two hotel room murders led police to euspect that I Rufo Swain, 27, who has confessed killing Mrs. Mary Louise Trammel ' last Saturday, may -be implicated in the slaying of Mrs. Castle. , Jimmy was brought back to Chicago by a newspaper man and was p expected to be turned over to police for questioning later today. He was . said to have identified photographs t of Swain as the man who killed his : 1 mother. t . — o Dempsey’s Ex-Wife Is Injured By Auto ’ Chicago, Aug. 21.—(U.R)—Estelle Taylor, screen actress and divorc1 ed wife of Jack Dempsey, was 1 bruised about the hips today when a hit-and-run driver knocked her ' to the paevement. She was re- ’ | turning to her hotel from a night | club engagement.

ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN ADAMS COUNTY

Decatur, Indiana, Friday, August 21, 1936.

Reveals Amazing Robbery Plot W\. .Qf J MiLji An amazing story of a bank robbery plot, which he obtained "from 1 crime story", was revealed to authorities at Flint, Mich., when Floyd A. Nunn. 28-year-old factory worker, left, walked into a police station and confessed because, “my wifie was out having a good time while I wa.s working down there.” Nuun told authorities he had worked nightly for three months digging a tunnel to the bank’s underground vault. Incredulous police descended the sewer indicated by Nunn and found a 20-foot tunnel. Nunn’s 20-year-old wife was held with him after he said eha had gone with him to inspect his progress and knew about the plot. He said his wife had driven 4.000 miles while he was engaged in his underground labors.

BERNE SCHOOL TO BE REPAIRED School House And Auditorium Will Be Repaired The Berne school house and auditorium will be repaired immediately. it was announced today by school authorities. This action will be taken because of the refusal of PWA officials to grant an appropriation for the construction . of a new building in the town. Among o improvements to be made is the reflooring of the combined auditorium and gymnasium. rThe present floor is a cement-like composition. Visiting teams have i complained against the lack of resilence in the floor, which they state causes their players to tire more rapidly than the Berne team, which is used to the floor. ' The new floor will be of hardwood of the best quality. Other plans call for the repairing of the roof, which has been , leaking. Some of the ceilings will be replastered. , Other minor improvements will be made. The repairing has been delayed ' pending the decision of state PWA ’ officials on the granting of a 45 per cent donation to the erection of a new building. ' The request was denied because of the lack of a sufficient appropri- ' ation for Adams county and be--1 cause of the small number of unemployed persons in the county. 1 A bond issue for $29,263 had been approved with no complaints or objections filed by citizens of ' the school city. The preliminary 1 plans for the new building had been completed. 1 o i Church Os God Plans Annual Picnic Sunday The Church of God will hold its ; annual Sunday School picnic at . Legin Memorial park Sunday. Regular church services will be held in the morning, and a basket dinner will be held at the park at noonr All Sunday School children and their parents, and all members ■ of the school are invited.

Story Os Holdup Leading To Huge Man Hunt Only “Hoax”

The biggest manhunt Adams | county has seen for years was hastily organized last night to hunt i (three armed bandits alleged to] have held up a local man. After I the hunt had continued in widening circles for more than five hours the "victim" admitted his story was a hoax. The man came to this city last spring and has since been employed in a local factory. He may be prosecuted. The man told local officers about 9:30 o’clock Thursday night that a short time before he had been held up and robbed by three armed and masked bandits, whom he was sure he could identify. The I theft was alleged to have occurr J ed four or five miles east of Decatur on the Van Wert, Ohio, road. He said that he was driving home from Van Wert at a speed :of about 65 miles an hour when | the bandit car came up behind him

Dayton Physician Talks To Rotarians Dr. E. H. Cosner, physician of Dayton, Ohio, father of Mrs. C. M. Prugh of this city, delivered an interesting discussion of “Health" at the weekly meeting of the Decatur Rotary club at the Rice hotel Thursday evening. Terming health as our greatest asset, Dr. Cpsner gave some interesting observations on conserving our health and aLso gave some interesting tips on methods of improving the health. A. R. Ashbaueher was chairman of the program. Members of the club voted to hold a stag picnic at the H. P. Schmitt grove, south of Decatur, as the regular meeting next Thursday. LITTLE RELIEF IS PREDICTED Cloudiness Only Relief In Sight For Indiana i Indianapolis, Aug. 21. — (U.P.) — Cloudiness in the northern sec--1 lions was the only relief promised today by J. H. Armington, U. S. ’ weather bureau meteorologist, as the state sweltered in scorching . heat. Indianapolis was experiencing its 14th consecutive day of 90-de-gree heat and it was predicted that the mercury would rise to 100 bei fore the day was over. The southwestern Indiana coun- ! ties sweltered under temperatures . recorded as follows: Vincennes, i 104; Paoli, 102; Evansville, 100; and Columbus. 105. It was cloudy in the northern sections, where South Bend reported a temperature of 86 and Angola .! 88. There was a slight prospect of rain in the northern section. Arm- ' ington said. ; i o WEATHER Fair south, mostly cloudy north portion tonight and Saturday; not much change in temperature.

and struck his bumper. Pulling I up beside him? he said they forced | him off the road onto the berm i and into the ditch. Each of the three men had guns, ihe said, and they forced him to give over his money. He said that r they then tied his hands behind his back and then pulled one leg nip and tied his ankle to his hands. After they left, he was able to free himself by sawing off the I ropes on his rear license plate. He drove into town and notified authorities of his misfortune. Although suspecting his story, because of numerous discrepancies ,an immediate search was inI augurated by city and local authI orities. The state police were notified and the alleged crime broadcast over the state police radio at Columbia City. Officers of near-by towns barricaded their roads to capture the bandits. As (CONTINUE® ON PAGE FOUR)

RESCUE EFFORT IS DELATED BY CAVE-IN DANGER Danger Os Another CaveIn Hampers Rescue Work BULLETIN Moberly, Mo., Aug. 21—(U.R) — Two miners were rescued alive r today from the coal mine near here In which they had been trapped 72 hours. Their two companions are dead, it was announced. Those saved were A. W. McCann and George T. Dameron, negro mule driver. The two co- , lessors of the mine, Ed Stoner, Jr. and Demmer Sexton, were 1 dead. ; (Copyright 1936 by United Press) Moberly. Mo.. Aug. 21 — (U.R) — I The danger of another cave-in and ' piled timbers today forced a heartbreaking delay in the task of cutting through to the tomb or prison of four men deep in the Esry coal mine. Rescue workers stopped their burrowing towajd the tunnel leading into the 110-foot level of the mine, where the men were believed to be, and cribbed the walls of their newly-made main shaft. Arnold Griffiith, state mine inspector in charge of rescue work, announcer! the cave-in danger past, but added that piled timbers, jammed into the entrance into the tunnel, now hampered work. It would be ak least five hours before the goal would be in sight, Griffith said. Another delay came ’ when canvas tubing forcing air to the tired, determined workers ’ was drawn up and lengthened. The work halted completely until that was finished. The res?uers and hysterical relatives around the mine mouth hoped the men. entombed by a ’ fire and a cave-in more than 60 hours ago. still were alive. Their hopes were baaed on the assump- : tion that the four, all experienced miners, had blocked themselves off in one of the sloping tunnels at the 110 foot level, thereby protecting themselves from deadly white and black damp —gases with which the mine abounded. The slow, painstaking task of purifying the gas-filled tunnels remained. so that the reecuers may search them and the entomberl, if they still live, will not be killed on the way to the surface. The rescuers, working in shifts of three in the narrow shaft, reached the top of the cage that had dropped from the surface ’ and had been buried beneath the cave-in, after 60 hours of weary , digging through muck and debris. The entombed men are Demmer Sexton, part owner of the mine, I Edward Stoner, Jr., eon of the other owner, A. W. McCann, a.nd George T. Dameron, negro mule driver. At the mine mouth, thousands ringed the makeshift tipple. All available state highway paI trolmen. CCC camp workers, peace officers and volunteers were held ready to control the crowd when the men, or their bodies, are brought out. 0 CONDEMN TRIAL BY NEWSPAPERS American Bar Association Committee Criticizes Press Indianapolis, Aug. 21. —(U.R) 1 —Citing the Thomas Mooney and Bruno Richard Hauptmann cases as examples, a report of the committee I of criminal procedure of the Amer- ■ ican Bar Association today charg;ed the press with “hippodroming" . criminal justice. . I The report, prepared by Attor- ’ ney Gneral Philip Lutz, Jr., of Indiana, chairman of the committee, I and Joseph Robinson, of the Indi- : ana university law school, will be . submitted to the national conveni tion of the bar a-ssociation at Boe- > ton next week. "The most serious criticism of I American criminal procedure today is that the judges of the courts per- . mit newspapers to usurp the cort’s • i own functions and duties,” the re- • port said. “Newspaper interference with i' criminal justice always appears i: most flagrantly in the most cele- ■ brated criminal cases. i “The two most famous American • criminal cases of the present genII eration are the Mooney caee in I (CONTINUED ON PAGE SEVEN)

Britain Warns Os J Her Intention To ' Protect Property

AUTOS COLLIDE NORTH OF CITY Occupants Uninjured As Both Cars Are Badly Damaged No one wa« injured in a head-on collision occurring near the Alien county line, south of the St. John's church on U. S. highway 27 this morning at 10 o’clock. One of the cars was driven Iby Harold E. Koehlinger, an employee of the Fort Wayne General Electric company enroute to the Decatur plant. The other car was driven by Mias Alma Simcoke of Lakeland, Florida, wha was accompanied by her sister. Mary Elizabeth. Mine Simcoke passed a car on an elevation in the road. She failed to see the approaching Koehlinger automobile. Mr. Koehlinger drove . off the road in a vain effort to avoid . being struck by the Florida car. His car wae turned over, while the Simcoke automobile remained on its wheels. Both cans were badly damaged ana were taken to Fort Wayne tor repairs. o Two Are Treated For Poison Spider Bite Tell City, Ind., Aug. 21—(U.R)— Mrs. Lamra Scott and Will Eger, living in the same neighborhood here, were treated for poisoning resulting from the bite of a black widow spider. Mrs. Scott was taken to Deaconnee hospital at Evansville. 0 SCHOOL LEVY TO BE LOWER Cut Os Three Cents Thought Likely In School Levy WaPer J. Krick, superintendent of Decatur public schools, stated today that the school city levy for 1937 would probably be reduced three cents on the SIOO. Further reductions may ibe made . following a final draft of the .budget next Monday, Mr. Krick announced. The school city tax rate this year is $1.15 on the SIOO. The bond levy is seven cents; the tuition levy. 48 cents and the special school tax, 1 60 cents on the SIOO. The 1937 rate will be $1.12 or lower. ' The additional money to ibe receiv ed next year in the distribution of 1 the gross income tax from the state will enable the school city to cut the levy at least three cents, Mr. 1 Krick predicted. The school board will meet Monday to draft the budget and prepare the totals. The budget will be published next week. o — ■ « French Township Teachers Named Edwin Beer, trustee of French township, today announced the French township school teachers tor the coming year, they are as follows: Dist. No. I—Lester1 —Lester Reynolds. Diet. No. 2—LaMar Shoemaker Diet. No. 3 —Florence Bierly. Dist. No. 4 —Myron Lehman. > Dist. No. s—Marcella5 —Marcella Robin. Dist. No. 6 —Nellie Coppese. ! 0 Praises Record Os Postmaster Farley Indianapolis, Aug. 21. — (U.R) — Charges that Postmaster General ■ James A. Farley has "shattered the morale of the postal department,” was denied yesterday by Harlee Branch, Washington, assistant postmaster general, in an address before the 33rd annual cons vention of the National Rural Letter Carriers Association. “No other postmaster ever has ’ taken such a direct, personal interest in the post office department as Mr. Farley,” he stated. 1 “Evefy effort has been made to ’ give the best possible postal service at the lowest possible cost and a genuine desire has been 1 shown by the administration toward using highly trained men to 1 , fill all important appointments in '' the service,” Branch concluded.

Price Two Cents.

Warns Both Sides In Spain Revolt; Germany Expected To Take Firmer Course In Warship Action. REBELS RETREAT (By United Press) Spanish war developments; London: Britain warns both sides in Spain she will protect her merchant ships and fire on planes if they persist in flying over Gibraltar. Berlin: Germany, incensed by search of German ship, may take firm course towards Spain, regardless of neutrality proposals. Rome: France and Italy come closer to agreement on common attitude toward Spain. Vera Cruz. Mexico: Shipment of 39 carloads of war materials, reported to include 50,000 rifles, arrive for Spanish government. Iran: Asturias miners, fighting with dynamite, drive on north coast rebels. Madrid: Loyalists driving back rebels southwest of capital. Issue Warning (Copyright 1936 by UP.) London, Aug. 21. — (U.R) —Great Britain sternly warned Sprnish loyalists and rebels today that it will protect its ships from any illegal interference and will fire on any airplanes that persist in flying over Gibraltar. If Spanish airplanes fly over Gibraltar, British guns will fire three warning shots. Then, if the airplanes have not made off, the British will fire at them. The order, by a government that it is understood would regard a victory for loyalists as a lesser threat to peace than a Spanisn fascist state, was regarded as dramatic evidence of the grave alarm Britons feel. The stoppage of a German steamship by loyalist warships, and a consequent warning by Germany that it would meet force with force to protect its ships in Spanish waters, brought to the urgent point fear that there may be an international explosion. So great was the alarm that it was understood the government would urge Spain to apologize at once for stopping the German ship and that France might join in the appeal. It was evident that Britain's warning was closely in line with Germany’s — an indication that Britain refuses to recognize the Spanish government's right to proclaim a blockade. Firmer Course Berlin. Aug. 21. —(U.R) —Germany may alter her attitude toward a neutrality agreement in the Spanish revolt, it was believed today, and take a much firmer course. So vehement has been the protest against stopping of a German ship by a loyalist cruiser that neutral observers believe Germany would consider any regime which might be called a communistic one a potential enemy if its power (CONTINUED ON PAGE SEVEN) O MONROE CHURCH RAISING FUND Monroe M. E. Church Members Seek New Church Home An intensive drive is being made by members of the Monroe M. E. church to build a new church. All the classes in the Sunday school have pledged their support. Saturday the young married people's class will hold a bake and food sale at the Schafer Store here and the funds raised will be applied to the building money, First money in the fund was obtained about five years ago when Oliver Hndricks left the church S3OO in his will for the purpose. Because of the depression it was impossible to continue the drive at that time. The present church was built, more than 50 years ago. It has not been remodeled for 35 years. As an alternate plan should insufficient funds be raised at this time to build a new church, the money obtained will be used to remodel the existing building. The Rev. Elbert 8. Morford is now completing his third year as pastor of the church.