Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 35, Number 72, Decatur, Adams County, 25 March 1937 — Page 1

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AVoss Releases Uuntington Mayor I From Jail Today

*'Hr Bann> I' fl inl Jail (di "e Has IHupied 262 In JMlity Fight. \l v. ■ ,i-"l I )'•!"' : • 1 ’-my " b a w-xpoi) in their fit-- .. h.i,:l'-'l !<■'■'-' "' il ' ... fixed way mak- ■ K . < .-:n;>1. • t -■ M B< hour all’ li.ok office I. . < to ... Mi.. • \ ■ v•• high spirits wh-n h- ap in ■ Bath claims ■dANZUERCHER Hive Os Switzerland ■ Pies Last Night At ■ Hume In Berne ■ • Zaercher >3. a native of died at his home in B c iatt • -v-ung at 4:30 o'clock, ■ '-■' - 11< Jt.nllb Hr 15 months illness, •ed-oased was in Swit--t February 17. 1<,4 the ! ■•-’and A.n Ztiercher He ’< the eoiiimnnity of Berne ■>J"J'ear? a:..1 had residsince. ■f iaet married to Barbara who precede,] hint in ■J»*wa! years ago. He is stir- 1 4 the widow. Rosita Augs- : Zuercher and the following! ■iteii Mrs. Wilbur Heer, of De-1 Jacob, Nelson. and Fred. oiunty ip.i,. Edward and! ■■ AM,. Baumgartner, of Los B' e * : Phi,Pm on. of Havelock, I ■ Mrs. Dan Augsburger and Kl-! ■.nt Berne; Wil: and Calvin, of | Bb 1 "ajne; Mix Lydia. Goodman I ■* Angeles and Mrs. Jeff Rauch ■Geneva. ■ >ur Mothers and two sisters al■«rvive. Funeral services will be ■ « the home at 1:30 o’clock Sat■>’afternoon and at 2 o’clock at! I h h rM R e f° rn > p d church, of ■« he w as a member. Burial will ■ a ■ 1,1 the M K, e. cemetery. "inter Bounds Back Into Decatur With Snowfall ikl “? his shaggy enow-filled nrAp er Jh e c,t F an( l community. I ’erbial March Lion, bounded ra i’* iMer liar this morning to ith * ®‘ nu f e defiance at warm ® r only a few short days ibe- .“ 8 Bea «wnal departure. «'■ to7»a ed snow ’ sc<x) P«. packed t it,.. he Bea6on - were hastily i othpr^r,* 0 "* ear labs ' K aloßhes ev , , heavy cothing were rerter« J 0 the inner most closet n a „.“ . ag ? in be used as Protec--8 t^'e w ' D^er elementssir bad W citlzens tumbled from follows 118 morni «g, immediateItk , h g three warm days, two tough o BUn Bbinln 8, to Peer lItJL , BWlTlf ng mist of the ’’■'cove t t 0 tlnd a blMke ‘ ° f Temti ng the eartbaegree atUreß rernaine< i near the inX “ ark ’ with the wpatber ' ln ß no immediate rise.

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT

G. E. WORKERS GIVEN ANOTHER WAGE INCREASE Pay Boost Os SI,OOO Weekly is Announced This Morning A payroll Increase of approxiI mutely sl.OOll a week at the Deca- | tur branch of the Fort Wayne I Works of the General Electric, was announced today by E W Lanke- ' nan. superintendent. This will ! l«>ost the weekly payroll from i about $10,500 to $11,500. and Is I part of the $600,000 annual payroll I increase for the Fort Wayne works i announced in Fort Wayne. Through this increase, more than $50,000 will be added to the annual purchasing power of the General Electric employees in and neat this city. This is effective with the week beginning Monday. Tile new wage rate will result in Increases of from two five cents an hour for all hourly paid workers. The local plant is at an all-time high peak in employment with 515 persons working. This makes an average increase in wages of about $2 a week, the exact amount of each individual wage boost is dependent upon the type of work done by the employee. G. E. officials announced that this revision in wage rates has been made as a result of the regt’ lar periodic survey of wages in the communities in which plants are located. This survey has just been completed. Various conditions were taken into consideration am! individual increases will be an- 1 nounced to those affected by the supervisory staff Second Wage Boost The increase is the second pay I roll boost this year. The last in crease was made on January 15 i At that time the Fort Wayne works lof which the Decatur plant is a I part, increased annual wages ' $360,000. ■’fills resulted in an increase here of about five per cent, or a weekly Increase of about S4OU and an annual wage boost of $20,000. The new increase is in addition to the ; wage revision in January. An official of the Fort Wayne. i works made the following statei ment Wednesday evening: "it is the policy of the company to pay wage rates equal to or higher than wage rates paid in community industries for comparable work requiring the same skill and efficiency. To insure that this pol (CONTINUED ON PAGE TWO) GENEVA MAN IS UNDER ARREST — Dick Morningstar Taken Into Custody For Check Forgery Benjamin Harrison Morningstar, alias Dick Morningstar, of Geneva, wae taken to Indianapolis today in the custody of county and state police authorities after being arrested on check-forging charges, according to Marshall Harry Kamman, of that town. Marshall Kamman stated that I Morningstar wae to undergo a liedetector test concerning numerous theftu in the county, for which three men were recently convicted. The check-forging charge against Morningstar al’egee that on October 13, of last year, he issued a check to the local Goodyear Service. Inc., in the sum of $8 in payment for a tire and tube, forging the name of Dan Baker, hie brother-in-law. Morningstar, a present PWA laborer, served a sentence several years ago on a theft charge eimilar to the one now being investigated. Sheriff Dallas Brown and Patrolman Burl Johnson of the state police took the alleged forger to Ind- ! ianapolis. They were the arresting officers on the fraudulent check charge. Marshall Kamman, who stated that there Is a possibility of Morn- . ingetar being linked with the reI cent thefts, also mentioned that another Geneva man is being closely (CONTINUED ON PAGE FIVE) |

DEATH TOLL IN BUS ACCIDENT MOUNTS TO 20 Tire Blowout Is Blamed For Accident Taking 20 Lives Salem. I’l. March 25 (IP) Fatalities in the bus accident near here reached 20 today with the death of Mrs. Emily Thomas. 19, wife of Richard Thomas, driver of (he ill fated machine. The death included seven women and one four-year-old girl. Three others were in the community hospital here seriously injured. The dead lay in mortuaries at Salem and Patoka, awaiting positive identification by relative*. The injured fought for their lives in Salem community hospital. Coroner S. B. Carngan said an inquest woti’d be held, but not until the final death toll had been reckoned. Among the injured was Richard Thomae, driver of the bus and perhape the only one who can tell why the machine nosed into a roadside ditch three milee west of here yesterday afternoon, careened into a concrete abutment, turned over and burst into flame* Dm-tors said Thomas and Don Flannery, another of the injured probably would recover They despaired of saving the lives of the other*. Preliminary investigation show ed a front tire blew out as the bus roared along the highway at 4’) miles an hour. Thomae, apparently wae unable to control the heavilyloaded machine. The death list: Jack Israel. Kansas City, Mo.; Miller Cooper, Villa Park, 111.. Louis Brower. Cincincinati John Britton. St. Louis. Mrs. Erma Caldwell, Chicago; Mrs. Ca'dwell’s daughter, 4; Dr. Henry A Salmon. St Louie; Joseph Kleats. (CONTINUED ON PAGE SIX) JURY RETURNS SANE VERDICT Circuit Court Jury Finds Portland Woman Os Sound Mind After nearly eight hours of deliberation a jury in the Adams circuit court found Mae Rice of Portland of sound mind and capable of managing her estate, appraised at less than $14,000. Miss Rice has had a guardian for more than two years, appointed before she was sent to the state hospital at Easthaven, where she was treated. She was discharged from the hospital as improved and kept under the supervision of the hospital for 15 months. Because of having been declared of unsound mind, she was unable to bring any legal action in her own name. A friend, Mrs. Louisa Jetters of Portland, with whom she lived for a time after returning from the hospital, tiled the complaint and was known as the plaintiff. The suit was brought against her guardian. J. Gordon Meeker, Portland attorney. By this action she was technically the defendant, although she could profit only by a verdict for the plaintiff, which would find her of sound mind. Seven days were required to present the evidence and give the four hours of arguments. Another day was spent in selecting the jury. Opinions Divided Both expert and lay witnesses were called to give their opinions as to her soundness of mind. The opinions were divided although the majority agreed that she was comparatively sane at the present. The question argued was whether the present alleged soundness of mind was of a temporary or permanent nature. At the conclusion of the arguments and the reading of the instructions by Judge Huber M. DeVoss at 6 o'clock last evening, the jury went out for its evening meal, returning to begin the deliberation at about 7 o’clock. The plaintiff also filed an interrogative, a series of 27 questions, which were required to be answered by the jury. As provided by law. in case a verdict was return(CONTINUED ON PAGE FOUR) ’ —o Church Elders Will Meet Friday Night The board of ru'lng elder* of the First Presbyterian church will meet Friday night at 7:00 o’clock at the Presbyterian manse. All member® -of I the session are asked to be present.

ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN ADAMS COUNTY

Decatur, Indiana, Thursday, March 25, 1937.

Martin Speaking at Giant Rally Ik w a I ■> • . ■ V'W’ I'-" ■ I T - iV Ii I ? *<. I z t ’ft 9 r rfz Jf t /’ il JI < I J f /•/ll 1 1 r- £’ L J? / It al V. fii if L i w iH * - J 1/ Jt/fc Martin addressing meeting . ————— Principal speaker at the giant mass meeting of unionists in Cadillac square. Detroit. Horner S. Martin, president of the United Automobile Workers of America, is seen directing his remarks to officials of the city and state, to manufacturers and union workers. Police estimated the crowd at 60,000, but union leaders said about 250.000 were there.

DECATUR WOMAN HURT IN WRECK Mrs. Ed J. Miller Is Injured In Auto Wreck Wednesday Mrs. Ed J. Miller, aged about 45. wife of the Decatur grocer, is in the Adams county memorial hospital after being seriously injured in an auto accident late Wednesday afternoon. Although the extent of her injuries is not definitely known, ex'amination revealed that she has a severely injured chest and right knee. X-rays were taken by hospital physicians to determine the extent of the injuries. The accident occurred about 2:30 ; o’clock yesterday afternoon, as Mrs. Miller was enroute to Fort Wr.yne. , A car. driven by a man whose name was not learned, pulled onto federal road 27. three miles south of Fort Wayne at the Anthony ■ boulevard intersection and collided ■ with the auto manned by the local ■ lady. She was violently thrown against the steering wheel and windshield 1 of her auto. The force was sufflc- ■ iently strong to demolish the steer- ' ing wheel. “ The man and a young boy, who 1 accompanied him, both thought to ! be residents of Allen county, es‘.capted unharmed. Mrs Miller was brought to the ■ local hospital by a Fort Wayne-! . [ (CONTINUED ON PAGE TWO, THREE PERSONS HURT IN CRASH 1 7 Portland Residents Are Injured In Collision This Morning Three persons, one an infant, ■ were severely injured in an autotruck collision on the Fort WayneDecatur road shortly after 9 o'clock i this morning. i The injured are: i Albert Shawver, 44. of Portland. . route three. Jessie Shawver. 42. his wife. i Russell Shawver, their four-year i old son. I The condition of the infant is thought to be the most serious His chief injury resulted from a . blow across the nose that might . have caused a skull Injury, ac- . cording to the attending physician. , He was stunned from the force of the crash. Mr. Shawver. driver of the car, sustained a badly lacerated left . arm and minor bruises and cuts. The lacerations were termed third . degree cuts by the physician in ■ attendance. Mrs. Shawver received a severe • scalp laceration on the forehead and the nose. Several teeth were also knocked out and others loosened. Although only preliminary ■ examinations were able to be made neither of their conditions were thought to be of a critical nature at a late hour this afternoon. D. Burkett, 30, Cleveland. Ohio, , driver of the large semitrailer (CONTINUED ON PAGE FIVE)

(■rand Jury Indicts Five Indiana Bankers Indinapolis March 25 — (UPI — The federal district grand jury today indicted five southern Indiana bankers on charges of embezzle- . ment, misapplication of funds, false entry, and conspiracy in connection with the closing of the banks. Three of the defendants have been arreuted and are free under $5 000 bond, pending arraignment before a U- S. commissioner next Wednesday. Others have not been arrested DEATH CLAIMS MRS. HAMRICK Mrs. Calvin H. Hamrick Dies Wednesday In Blue Creek Twp. Mrs. Fausta I Hamrick. 48, died at her home about one mile north of Sa'em, Wednesday afternoon at 3:45 o’clock of cancer .after an illness 1 of about one year. She had been bedfast since October 3. 1936. Mre. Hamrick was born in Union City, Ohio, September 1. 1888, the I daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Daniel i Skidmore. She had lived in Blue Creek township for the last 17 I years. Mrs. Hamrick was married to Calvin H. Hamrick, November 23, 1 i 1912. .He survives Other survivors are the following ' children: Mrs. Howard Tailentire. Monroe; Mrs. Samuel Brandenburg, ! Van Wert, Ohio; Mre. John Boak, I Blue Creek township; Charlene and Ruth at home; the following broth- ! ens and sisters; Mrs T. A. Barnes, I Ethridge, Tenn.; Ernest Skidmore. I Nashville, Tenn; Mre. A. H. Wright, I Ethridge, Tenn ; Samuel Skidmore, I Oakland, California, and the father, ; Daniel Skidmore of Etridge, Tenn . ! Two brothers nd two sisters are deI ceaeed. She was a member of the Radical U. B. church of Willshire, Ohio. Funeral services will be held at the home at 2:30 o'clock, EST, and at the church at 3 o’clock EST, Friday afternoon. The Rev G. M. Sill will officiate at the services, assisted by the Rev. Lawrence Dillinger. Burial will be made in the Willehire cemetery. The body will be removed from the Zwick funeral home late this afternoon and may be viewed until the time of the funeral. Easter Breakfast At Presbyterian Church An Easter breakfast will be served Sunday morning at 6:30 for all the young people of the Presbyterian church. A special program has been prepared for the occasion. The breakfast will be served in the Sunday School parlors and will be prepared by the ladies of the church. This is an annual occasion and all young people are invited. o K. Os P. To Hold Initiation Tonight AU members of the Knights of Pythias lodge are urged to attend the initiatory rank meeting tonight at 7:30 o’clock.

Sit-Down Strikers Begin March Out Os Chrysler Plants; Start} Lew is-Chrysler Meeting Soon

BUSINESS WILL BE SUSPENDED FOR SERVICES Annual Good Friday Services Will Be Held In Decatur Tomorrow Practically all business will bo suspended in Decatur tomorrow during the period from 12 noon until 3 o'clock, when annual Good Friday services will be held. Public and parochial echools of the city were closed Wednesday afternoon for Easter vacation. Public schools will reopen Monday morning, and the Catholic school Tuesday. Holy Week services at the St. Mary's Catholic church opened I this morning, with the celebration , of the institution of the Holy Eucharist. The procession of the Blessed Sacrament took place during the day. and a prayer hour will be held this evening from 7 to 8 o'clock Nine Protestant churches of the city will hold the annua! Good Friday services at the Zion Reformed church from 12 noon until 3 o’clock. These services will be divided into half-hour devotionals instead of the former 20-minute periods. During the first hour, the Rev. | G. O. Walton, pastor of the First Presbyterian church will preside with the Rev Paul Brandyberry, pastor of the Church of the Nazarene, delivering the sermon. In the second half hour from 12:30 to 1 o'clock, the Rev. George S. Lozier, pastor of the First Evangelical church will deliver the sermon. At 1 o’clock the Rev. H. WFranklin, pastor of the First U. B. church will preside over the second hour with the Rev. H. R. Carson pastor of the First M- E. church, delivering the first sermon, and the Rev. Homer J. Aspy. pastor of the Baptist church, giving the , second During the last hour, beginning at 2 o'clock, the Rev. Kenneth Timmons. pastor of the First Christian church, w-ill preside, with the Rev., Glen Marsha 1 , pastor of the Church j of God, speaking the first half hour. : and the Rev, C. M. Prugh. pastor of : the Zion Reformed church, deliver-1 ing the last sermon. The Three Hours, from 12 to 3 o’clock, will be observed Good Fri-; day at the St. Marys Catholic, church. Public way of the Cross will be made at 12:45, 1:45 and 2:45 o'clock The balance of the time wiil be devoted to devotions and con(CONTINUED ON PAGE TWO) DECATUR UNIT OF ARMY NAMED Officers Os Group Fighting Cancer Are Announced Today i Mrs. Delton Passwater, captain jof the Adams county division of the women's field army for the control of cancer, today announced the appointment of the officers of ■ the Decatur unit. Mrs. Richard McConnell will be the lieutenant. Sergeants will be Mrs. Chester Mclntosh, Mrs. Robert August, Mrs. David Adams, Mrs. Floyd Acker, and Mrs. T. J. Metzler. Any one wishing to join this army may call at the C. A. Douglas store, and pay the enlistment fee of $1 to Mrs. Metzler. Units are being formed at Berne, Monroe and Geneva. The officers of these units will be announced later. The campaign in Adams county is part of a national effort to educate laymen about the causes, prevenatives and cures of the disease. It is approved by many of the women's clubs of the country. The army is sponsored by the . American society for the control of cancer, which, since 1913, has been assisting the medical profession to raise standards in the treatment of cancer, encouraging research and stimplating lay education. All work is to be done by volunteers. The Women's Field army is so called because of its militant purpose. But unlike all other armies, it fights to save human I life.

BOARD APPROVES LOCAIPROJECTS State Tax Board Approves School Bond Issues In County The state board of tax commissioners late Wednesday approved requests for special appropriations, totaling $48,800, io be used on school projects in Adams county. Jess C. Mann, trustee of Wabash township, asked that a previous re- , quest to issue SIO,OOO in bonds be increased to $15,800. Trustee Mann ; stated that a previous request to issue the SIO,OOO was in error and that the larger sum was needed to match a $42,750 grant from the public works administration. This money was used to construct the new school building at J Geneva. The state tax board approved a request of St. Mary's township trustee Ben McCullough, to issue SB,OOO in civil township bonds, and $25,000 in school bonds. This sum would be used to help finance the proposed school and community building, adjacent to the present school building at Pleasant Mills. The proposed building, in addition to an auditorium for community meetings, will house a large gymnasium, and ad ditional school facilities. Total cost of the proposed building has been estimated at $59,000, with a grant of $26,000 sought from the public works administration. This bond issue has been awarded to the First State Bank of Decatur. o BILL HARTING TAKEN BY DEATH Retired Decatur Merchant Dies This Morning Os Complications William Harting, 74. retired Dei catur merchant and well known resident of the city, died this morning I at 10 o'clock at his home on North ! Third street. Death was caused by ! complications. The deceased was born in Mercer : county, Ohio on July 13, 1862, the 1 son of John and Catherine Harting. He was a member of the St- Mary’s ■ church and the Holy Name society. ! For a number of years he operated a restaurant and cigar store in thin city. He retired from active business several yearn ago because of ill health. He had lived in Decatur for ' 43 years Surviving, besides the widow. Catherine, are the following children: Mrs. H. M. Gillig, of this city; : Mrs. C. F. Herber, of Fort Wayne and Andrew’ J. Harting, of Tulsa, Oklahoma The following brothers and sisters also survive: Frank, of St. Henry, Ohio; Edward, of Dallas, Texas; Joseph Harting of Cincinnati, Ohio and Mrs. Ben Heckman, of Miamisburg, Ohio. Funeral services will be held at the St- Mary's church Saturday morning at 10 o’clock with the Rev. Joseph J. Seimetz officiating, i Burial will be made in the St. Jos--1 eg>h cemetery. The body may be viewed at the Gillig and Doan funeral home after 7 o’clock this evening unti time for the funeral. Q Baptismal Service Sunday Morning Opporunity will be given for the baptism of children at the Easter Sunday morning service at the Decatur Methodist Episcopal church, according to the announcement of the pastor, the Rev. H. R- Carson. Families which are uniting w’ith the church are invited to bring their children for baptism at the same time, and any others are invited to do likewise. Those wishing this privilege for their children are reqquested to call the parsonage and report the names, birth dates and other information for the pastor's use. o WEATHER Cloudy to partly cloudy, snow flurries extreme north, colder tonight, moderate cold wave extreme south; Friday fair, continued cold.

Price Two Cents.

6,000 Strikers Ratify Truce Agreement For Evacuation To Make Peace Possible. NEAR UNANIMOUS Detroit, Mar. 25. — <U.R) — Six thousand sit down strikers began to march out of Chrysler corporation plants in Detroit today to clear a path for strike settlement negotiations between John L. Lew is and Walter P. Chrysler at Lansing. the state capital. The nine plants represented $50,000,000 worth of Chrysler property which had been occupied 16 days in a strike affecting 60,000 employes. A truce agreement between , Chrysler and the United Automo ! bile Workers of America required abandonment of the plants. Reachin Gov. Frank Murphy’s office at Lansing last night, its terms were ratified by the sit-downers in a plant-to-plant cruise of U. A. W. leaders early today and through the morning. One by one the plant locals voted acceptance of the truce, although in some plants there was long and bitter argument before the balloting. The result, however, was almost unanimously in favor of ratification. In return for ending their sitdown siege the strikers obtained agreement from Chrysler that he would not resume plant operations during the negotiations, nor transfer machinery. The negotiations would proceed on the union's deman dthat it be sole collective i bargaining agency agency for j Chrysler employes. First to leave was a small detachment from the main Dodge : plant who, through error, marched out behind a 50-piec« band a little before the truce was ratified. After a few hundred had left, strike leaders realized their mistake and : closed the gates, leaving most of the Dodge strikers inside. The band returned after the ratification and began to march I through the four-block plant, pick- ; ing up sit-downers as thousands lined the streets in the vicinity to watch the parade. State and city police tried to control traffic. The last plant to ratify the agreement was Chrysler kercheval. Strikers there said they probably would be unable to- abandon the plant until late afternoon, since they wanted to clean it and leave it in perfect order. With the ratification vote, Homer Martin, president of the U. A. W., raced to a telephone to notify : Lewis at Lansing. Governor Murphy announced there that settlement conferences would be resum- | (CONTINUED ON PAGE EIGHT) ————o Public Library To Close For Services The Decatur public library will i not open Friday afternoon until 3 : o'clock, it was announced today by Miss Ruth Winnes, city librarian. This is in observance of the Good Friday church services being held here from 12 to 3 p. m. HOLY THURSDAY SERVICES HELD Sen ices Are Held Today At St. Man’s Catholic Church ' Holy Thursday services were held at St. Mary’s Catholic church today. At 7:30 o’clock, a high mass w’as celebrated, followed by proces- . sion with the Blessed Sacrament. , | Adorations before the Holy Eu- ' charist took place during the day, the faithful visiting the church to make private devotions. On Good Friday the mass of the pre-sanctified will be held at 7:30 o’clock. During the three hours from 12 to 3 o'clock, public way of the Cross will be held. The closing Lenten sermon will be given Friday ; evening at 7:30 by Father Adrian, • missionary who is assisting in tha Holy week services. The blessing of the pascal candle, fire and Easter water will take place ! at 6 o’clock Saturday morning, fol- : lowed by a high mass and Gloria. I The bells of the church will not i be sounded until Saturday morning I following the high mass.