Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 35, Number 247, Decatur, Adams County, 19 October 1937 — Page 1

■7v\W No 217.

Nationwide Hunt l/s Underway For I Ross Kidnapers

n Launch NationSearch l or Kid- < hivatfo Man ■ T |jj, Morning. “JHansom paid W.-K W( 19 <U.P) C-men '■ hunt for "i < hat Ins S Ross. , d ruin him after ’ ■ ■ - in from his r :ill expiration of public appeal to .. a * ist fiiimiy r'l.'ived what .2K V ' ‘finite WX; tin t with the, of _ Ross's Sunday.; f or of her husband —'■p militated belief E tot able t.> return their vic-1 Ito-s suffered from %Et' 1,1 *' " as b, ' lievt ‘ (1 KK I ■ M|S 1 , II" ve those respoti- ' E are unable " lrn my bus- ( Ki It this time." Kos; ■ ?tired publisher of greetwas seized Sept. 25 on si: road while motKg -. . his s- rotary. Miss Flor-re-K? : -haue Two men carried KXay after asking Miss Freih- ” Ki'"- family was "good r.gEi -ouch Os half a million." m a statement issued Daniel J. Ladd and Earl ' agents of the the family of Ross had 3 "reasonable length of of re»,rse. < mild not be | the of the ranF ■• ■ handled by the advised, his family of the money wait- ■ fl a reasonable period of time —Km the time the kidnapers apindicated they would reIr. Ross and then made a to the kidnapers for of Mr. Ross as was reby the various papers on afternoon. Oct. 17. 1937. of course, desire that the ■pi-rs give as wide publicity as ■■l to these lists which have distributed to the usual ti. and that you indicate to blii- that it is the desire of K tfc-ral bureau of investigation Kin- public he on the alert for ■■ of these bills, eith- ■ aanow m their possession or n'iv mav be received f f yt h • that anyone finding K 8 ( these bills communicate ■th lln- Clncaao office of the fed-■•buri-ini of investigation, deof just ice. Randolph 6226. in order to furnish us with y it 'intaiion and the details of ■» P>ey obtained it. : '■'> important that any-■-ti.' .rny of these bills imI'm nish this information ■ * in tile reason that should tail to do so and pass same hands of another person i - complicate the of such party as to B* I' originally came into his, ourse, anyone coming into information concern■t tliese bin s in the territory 10-’ ti'-ar to another office of the - bureau of investigation, deof justice should com-. ■J 81 * with the office nearest to e where they are located, list of all offices and (>y PAGE FOUR) o ■. ■Ms To Close For I | Institute This Week school students of the city ' !■' 1 a two-day vacation from on Thursday and Friday of when their instructors teachers' institute at Fort and Indianapolis. Club To See I i Pictures Os Mexico ■■l Hunt, of Van Wert. Ohio,' moving pictures of a trip lexlc °i which he made at the regular meeting of 10 hs chib this evening. who have seen the pictures stated they are very inter-1

DECATUR DALLY DEMOCRAT

League Speaker r* ' ■■Eh T* ■ Sherman Rogers. nationally known writer, will deliver the principal address during the annual ! I convention of the Indiana munici-' pal league, which will be held at I Bloomington Thursday. Friday and . ; Saturday. ALVIN CALHOUN ARRESTED HERE Tennessee Man Arrested On Charges Filed By Bluffton Girl Alvin Calhoun. 23, Irvin. Tennes see. who has been employed at a garage in Fort Wayne, was taken into custody here Monday night by Bluffton city police. Wells county deputy sheriff Jerry Lantis, officers from Fort Wayne, and Adams | county Sheriff Dallas Brown on a warrant charging him with assault and intent to commit rape A Bluffton girl is the prosecuting witness. The officers came here to await arrival of Calhoun when they learned that he planned to meet two brothers here and then complete plans for his escape. The : brothers were also taken into custody for a time but were later ■ released. Calhoun was taken to Fort i Wayne, where he will face charges. Officers reported that under I questioning until an early hour 1 this morning, Calhoun gave a written confession of his guilt. According to the story told by the Bluffton girl and Calhoun’s alleged confession, the girl, in company with some other young people, went to Fort Wayne Sunday night. There she met Calhoun, who agreed to bring her to Bluffton in ’ his csv. Near Waynedale. it is alleged, he i attacked her. After striking her, ■ he choked her almost into unconsciousness. She resisted the at- 1 i tack and he finally pushed her out of the car. Her hat, coat and pocketbook were left in the car. She started walking toward Bluffton and was met by an Ossian resident and his wife, who turned I their car around and took her to 1 , Bluffton. At 2 a m. Monday, the girl and her mother informed the police at Bluffton of the case. They <CONTINUED ON PAGE FIVE) o K, C, OBSERVE GERMAN NIGHT Large Crowd Attends Knights Os Columbus Entertainment Melodists strains fiom the lusty throats of 150 Knights of Columbus fil'ed downtown Decatur last night as the men matched their voices in such popular German ballads as i "Schniltzelbank,” “Vas Vilst Du | Haben” and “Ach Du Lieber Augftine.” , The occasion was the first celebration of the local order in observ-, ing “German Night", a meeting I when everything was planned according to true German style. I As prouf that their appetites were las keen as their voices the men consumed a total of 75 pounds of spare- | ri6s, 25 cans of favorite Dutch saui erkraut and a bushel of potatoes before the festivities tapered off. Included in the 150 present was a large delegation from Fort I Wayne. A short talk was made at the-.'«pening of the meeting by Joe i Lose, member of the committee in i I charge.

ABANDON HOPE OF BALANCING FISCAL BUDGET October Budget Shows Nation’s Eighth Consecutive Deficit Washington, Oct. 19. — (U.R) President Roosevelt abandoned hope today of a layman's balanced budget in this fiscal year but presented the country with alternatives of quick economy or higher taxes to bring expenditurtis within federal revenue. Mr. Roosevelt's October budget report confronted the nation With its eighth consecutive deficit and pointed the public debt toward a new $37,000,000,000 high. Mr. Roosevelt acknowledged that the treasury gold sterilization policy probably would force the public debt considerably beyond the $37,119,858,732 figure indicated in this* budget summation. But sterilized gold Is -rated a prime asset at)d available always to reduce the debt at its face value. Mr. Roosevelt's reference to gold was interpreted to mean that the I treasury would continue to buy all metal offered here at new deal prices. Trimming revenue estimates and increasing his spending schedule Mr. Roosevelt looked at a gross deficit of $895,245,000 on June 30. 1938 at the close of this fiscal year. He estimated the second largest federal income in treasury records. The net deficit, excluding $200,000.000 for statutory debt retirement, will be $695,245,000. Revised budget estimates were made public here last night as Mr. Roosevelt, in a community chest speech from Hyde Park. N. Y., was > saying: “We all agree that unless federal taxes are to be greatly increased. the expenditures have to be brought within the existing tax receipts.” The two presidential statements are expected to arouse an economy storm in the extraordinary sess(CONT'NUED ON PAGE FIVE) FORMtMOCAL RESIDENT DIES Mrs. Caroline Miller Dies Monday; Burial Here Wednesday Mrs. Caroline Miller, 80, former resident of Decatur and Adams | county, died at 4 o'clock Monday afternoon at the Home hospital in Fort Wayne, of infirmities of old ; age. A native of Van Wert county, 1 Ohio, Mrs. Miller lived south of Decatur for a number of years, and also lived in this city at the home of a daughter. Mrs. J. W. Mauller, ! until the latter’s death three years ! ago. Surviving are four children: j Mrs. William Hachmeyer. John W. I and Howard Miller, all of Fort ' Wayne: and Ralph Miller of Knoxj ville, Tennessee: 27 grandchildren and five great grandchildren. The body may be viewed at the Scheumann funeral home in Fort Wayne this evening, and WednesI day morning will be removed to the Hachmeyer residence, 515 1 Colerick street, where funeral serI vices will be held at J p. m. Wednesday. followed by services at the First Evangelical church in that i city at 1:30. Rev. Dauner will I officiate. Burial will be made in the Decatur cemetery, where the body may be viewed before interment rites. — o— Berne Schools Are Dismissed The Berne schools have been dis- ' missed for the balance of the week, I it has been learned here. The dismissal was ;ccasioned iby a breakdown of the heating plant. A vacation was to have started this Thursday due to teachers’ institute at Fort Wayne. ——o - W. A. Lower Funeral Held This Morning Funeral services were held this morning at 10 o’clock at the home on 334 Winchester street for W. A. Lower, prominent Decatur business man, who died suddenly Saturday evening after a heart attack. The Rev. George O. Walton, pastor of the Presbyterian chnrch. officiated, assisted by the Rev. George S. Lozier pastor of the Evangelical church. Ritualistic services were given at the home by the Knights of Pythias lodge. Two vocal solos were sung by Mrs. Dan Tyndall. Burial was made in the Deca , tur cemetery.

ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN ADAMS COUNTY

Decatur, Indiana, Tuesday, October 19, 1937.

Pilots of 111-Fated Airliner Jy ! j 'Ok \ i|i|F TgWir jin., r John B. Adams Earl D. Woodgerd Among the 19 persons aboard the hnge United Airlines plane which crashed 12 miles southwest of Evanston. Wyo.. in the most desolate section of the state, were Earl I). Woodgerd. chief pilot, and John B. Adams, co-pilot, both of Denver. The ship was sighted by a searching party from the air about 12 hours after it had been reported okay by Pilot Woodgerd while 75 miles east of his next stop at Salt laUce City.

JURY SELECTED i TO HEAR CLAIM Action Against William Sellemeyer Estate Is Heard In Court I A jury was selected shortly before noon this morning to hear the $2,250 claim action, brought against the estate of William Sellemeyer by Nina Medaugh in the Adams • circuit court. The evidence was begun this as- ■ ternoon after the presentation of the case by the attorneys. Herman Sellemeyer is executor i of the estate. ■ The amended claim, which seeks ■ $2,250. alleges requested money is for services rendered during the life of the decedent, Mr. Sellemey- ' er. ‘‘consisting of nursing and earing for his ' home, washing and mending his clothing and bedding, and caring for his room from Janu--1 ary 18, 1933 to the date of his ) death, January 21, 1936,” and other services. The itemized account of the ; money due as presented in the ammended complaint is: personal services for 156% weeks at sl4 a week, $2,191; furnishing the house j for the body following the death, SSO. Credit was given for a payi ment made by the decedent of ’ $270, leaving a balance of $1,971.; i Costs, interest and attorney fees I are also asked. This is one of two claim actions which will probably be brought [ against the estate. The other is I filed by O. L. Vance and may be > heard before a jury in the Adams circuit court this term. Both were i set for trial today. Members of the regular panel of the jury who were approved for the case are: John W. Blakey. I n- : ion township; George F. Cook. IVa- . bash township: John C. Fleming, i Union township: William KruetzI man. Union township; Henry C. . Miller and Gottlieb Welling, Preble (CONTINUED ON PAGE FOUR) DENSE FOG IS FELT IN CITY Only One Slight Accident Reported Despite Heavy Fog I A dense, London-like fog settled I over the city late last nigh', follow- | ing the heavy rains early in the day. Adding to the danger o’ slippery streets and poor vision caused by the constant drizzle, the f»g 1 made driving doubly hazardous. Despite the averse driving conditions, only one minor auto accident j was reported for this community. D. F. Human, proprietor of a local store, drove his car into the rear ,-it another last night about 11:45 ’ o’clock. He told police that he was unab’e to see the car until too late, because of the fog. The Suman car was badly damaged, | Late visitors downtown last night were attracted by the unusual number of truck drivers and tourists, I who parked on Decatur streets, evidently to rest their eyes, tired from \ the strain of trying see through the fog. The fog climaxed one of the heaviest rains of the season, which was accompanied by unusually warm temperatures, following the recent advent of colder weather. Thermometers hovered around the 60 de--1 gree mark most of the night.

Joyriders Return Car Within Short Time i “Joy-riders” evidently tired of tneir sport last night and returned i a stolen car a few hours alter it i had been taken. Jim Stonerook reported to pelice last evening about 5:30 o'clock that his car had been ■ stolen from a parked position down- ! : town. After a throrough search by police the car was located on Madison street, between Fourth and Fifth streets. The car was not damaged, examination revealed. o STOCKS BREAK TO LOW LEVELS Stock Market Breaks To Lowest Levels In Two Years New oYrk, Oct. 19— (U.R! Stocks I broke to the lowest levels in two | years today in the heaviest selling since mid-1933. Tickets were more than 20 minutes late as trading' turned into the afternoon. Volume I in the first hour amounted to i 2.210,000 shares, the largest since July 7, 1933, when it was the same amount. Losses ranged to 13 points in allied chemical. Openings were in blocks of 1.000 to 25.000 shares. Investment trust buying came into the market and lifted prices a point or so from the lows. There were reports of foreign buying. Speculators took a hand as the second hour ended. Meanwhile commodities were hammered down. Stocks on foreign markets, notably international issues, weakened. Most of the selling in the share market at the opening was of the necessitous variety — response to margin calls. One broker report- ■ ed margin accounts vanishing and the market getting down to a cash basis. Wheat Prices Crash Chicago. Oct. 19—(U.R!—Wheat prices crashed more than three cents a bushel today on the Chicago board of trade as speculators and traders dumped their grain l holdings on the market as the New York stock market continued to fall. The break on wheat at the opening of the day's trading was 1% to 3% cents a bushel. Sharpest break was in May* futures, which sold at 96% cents, off 3% cents. December wheat was 96%, off 2% cents and July crop sold at 90%, off 3 cents. All of the early selling, without exception, came from traders who feared the New York stock market would continue to lower levels and who dumped supplies in large i quantities. All traders in the pit appeared on the selling side and as the flood of offers grew an almost complete lack of takers became apparent. Weakness in the market at (CONTINUED ON PAGE FIVE) o — TEMPERATURE READINGS DEMOCRAT THERMOMETER 8:00 a. 61 10:00 a. 62 Noon 64 2:00 p. m. ...............- 61 3:00 p. m. .... 58 WEATHER Cloudy and much cooler, rain east and north portions tonight, Wednesday becoming generally fair, cooler east.

CHINA LEADERS ! TO DEMAND AID AT CONFERENCE Chinese Leaders To Demand Material Aid To Fight Japanese — I (Copyright 1937, by United Presel Shanghai, Oct. 19—(UP) China's leaders will demand at the Brussels far eastern conference that they i be given material aid with which to sweep the Japanese from all China, it was asserted today in well informed Chinese quartern. It was said that the government is preparing a program of the strongest sort for the conference, as mediation and leave Japan in its former position of dominance in the north. This decision, informants said, was dne to the success of the Chinese army —of resisting the full might of Japan's war machine. Not ~nly were the Chinese resist- ■ ing more strongly than they had hoped, but Chinese spokesmen here and at Nanking today laid claim to i new victories of major importance and the Japanese themselves ad'mttted tliat here the Chinese were holding fast. Chinese army spokesmen asserted today that their men had retaken I the blood-pooled village of Kechiapai’ou in the W..oeung sector of the Chinese front, where yesterday a ■force of 1,400 Chinese died to the I last man rather than retreat. Japanese at dawn attacked in the Tazang-Mengkaza sector under one of the heaviest artillery barrrges of the entire war. while Japanese planes bombed behind the Chinese i lines. Five hours after this attack started, a Japanese spokesman said that not only were the Chinese holding there and at other points but that they actually were receiving reinforcements an dstarting counter at-; tacks. At Nanking, it was asserted that 1 Chinese had retaken the town cf Ksinkow, in northern Shansi province—the far northwest of the 1 country—and caiptured a great amount of equipment. It was asserted further that th* Bth route army, formerly the Chinese communist army, had won numerous sutcesses 1 pnder Gen. Chu Teh, the "Red Napoleon.” Scattered forces of Guerillas, it was said, had won other eni gagaments against Japanese units, I many them perilously far from ; base. The Chinese say that some Japanese units are receiving food only by airplane. It is such news as this that impelled Chinese leaders in drafting a program for the Brussels conference. Only 11 days remain before the conference opens, and there has been no sign that Chinese resistance was cracking. Hence. United Press informants ICONTINUED ON PAGE FOUR) o Bowers Rites Are Held This Afternoon Funeral services were held this afternoon at 2 o'clock in the home and 2:30 o'clock at the M. E. church for Mrs. John S. Bowers, who died Saturday night. The Rev. R. W. Graham, pastor of the church, officiated. Burial was made in the Decatur cemetery. o HOLD SUSPECT AS MURDERER Suspect In Indiana Girl’s Shooting Held In Illinois South Bend. Ind.. Oct. 19 —(U.R) — , 1 Sheriff William Hosinski today anI nounced the arrest of Dewey Garland of Grace. Ky.. as a suspect ’' in the murder of 16-year-old Melba Moore, slain last Tuesday night in I an automobile on lonely Bitter- , sweet road. Garland, who reportedly fled I Kentucky Oct. 7 after killing a I woman and wounding her daughter, was captured early today in Danville, 111., and is being held in Champaign, 111., Hosinski said. He admitted the Kentucky slaying, according to the sheriff but denied he was connected with the murder of Miss Moore. Garland was arrested after P. H. Fields, of Grace, Ky., noticed the similarity between the Kentucky crime and the slaying of Miss Moore. He notified Hosinski, who broadcast a radio alarm last night. Questioning of the prisoner at Champaign will determine whether he will be extradited here, Sheriff Hosinski said. Meantime, police reported they have found an automobile believed (CONTINUED ON PAGE FIVE)

All Occupants Os Wrecked Airliner Killed By Crash

♦ • NO WADING ALLOWED | laical police failed to sympathize with the wishes of a local I grown man last night in his de- | sire to go barefoot wading on the wet streets of downtown Decatur, with the result that he | was taken home after promising' to leave his shoes on. *1 A number of passersby had become interested in watching i the man doffing shoes and sox as he left a local business | house, when police broke up I the "wading party." LAMB SHOW IN 1938 PLANNED Archbold. Johnson Attend Meeting To Plan For Lamb Show County Agent L. E. Archbold and Everett Johnson represented Adams county at a meeting of agricultural agents, held in the Chamber of Commerce building in Fort Wayne Monday to make plans for the 1938 lamb show. Mr. Johnson is temporary chairman of the lamb program for the county. The 1938 show for northern Indiana will be held July 7 at the Union stockyards in Fort Wayne. | A program for the event was partially formed including listing of the types of exhibits. Four-H club members may display pens of three and five lambs; adult exhibits are to include ten lambs. Educational features will Include the display of choice and cull lambs ready for market and the carcasses of choice and cull lambs as preI (CONTINUED ON PAGE FIVE) MILK DELIVERY RESUMED TODAY Milk Deliveries Are Ordered Resumed Today At Indianapolis Indianapolis, Oct. 19—<U.R)~Milk deliveries to Indianapolis homes and business establishments, sus- : pended for 12 days as result of a stormy labor controversy, were re- | sumed today by all but two struck i dairies. Resumption of deliveries was ordered this morning by Leon C. Coller, Marion county milk admin-1 istrator. Police reported the milk wagons proceeded along their routes without disorder. No requests were made for police protection, they said. Meantime, union officials of the milk wagon drivers’ and dairy employes union called a strike at the Banquet Ice Cream company. Leslie Dobbs, union secretary, said the Capitol Dairies, struck 13 days ago, attempted to deliver five of its routes in Banquet trucks. Thomas R. Hutson, state labor commissoiner. said today no furthef conferences have been sched- > uled to end the long-drawn controversy which has been stalemated time and again following conferences between union officials and representatives of the Indianapolis milk council. "The milk council, which suspended deliveries because of ‘threats of violence’ arising from walkouts at three dairies, presented a new wage scale which officials of the union rejected. The union said the proposed scale would mean reduction of pay for the members. The union seeks a minimum wage of $25 a week for plant employes and S3O a week for drivers. o Reports 15 Pigs Thought Stolen Curt Fritzinger of near this city reported to county authorities this n.-son that 15 head of young pigs had ' I either been stolen or had strayed ' from his farm. I The pigs, weighing about 50 pounds each, have been missing ’ ! since Sunday. Since a thorough 5 search of the nearby community has failed to develope any trace of the missing pige, it is thought probable 11 that they were stolen. Sheriff Dal'las Brown is investigating.

Price Two Cents

Searching Party Finds Passengers And Crew Os Airliner Dead; No Report Os Cause CRASHED SUNDAY Salt Lake City. Oct. 19. —<U.R> —A searching party reached the wreckage of a United Air line transcontinental plane today and found all its 19 occupants dead. The toll actually was 20 because one of the woman passengers, had she lived a few days longer, would have given birth. Ralph Johnson. United Air lines pilot and member of the first party to reach the wreckage, made a hazardous journey back down the I steep slopes of the Unita mountains and reported in Knight. Wyo., that all aboard the plane had been killed. ' Eighteen bodies had been thrown through a hole torn behind the pilot's cockpit and were scattered for 100 feet in front of the plane, reported. They were buried in i the snow, with only arms and legs protruding. One body was found in the cock pit. The intelligence ended the pathetic hope of Dr. Richard M. Boe of San Francisco, whose niece, Mrs. Helen Ferreira, of Cheyenne, Wyo., one of the plane's 16 passengers, had been about to have a baby. ■ I Hoping that she still was alive, either unhurt in the crash or gravei ly Injured, he had flown to Salt : Lake City to join a searching : party, expecting if possible to del liver her child at the scene of the - wreck by a Caesarian operation. Mrs. Ferreira's husband, George, s an employe of the United Air lines, i owners of the wrecked twin-motor-i ed 18-passenger plane, also was a - passenger. The plane struck so hard that eleven seats — all welt fastened to the floor of the cabin —were torn i loose and followed the occupants ; out the front of the plane. Practically everything movable in the i ■ cabin went out the hole in the i nose. j J. W. Myers, a rancher who accompanied the party, said it appeared that most of the snow had ■ fallen since the crash. “There were no traces of the crash in the snow and the bodies were nearly covered." he said. “It was terrible.” Members of the party said that had the plane been flying only about 300 feet to the right it would have gone through a notch in the ridge and cleared the mountain range. Snow was so deep in the wild mountain country that Johnson's searching party was unable to proceed even at the rate of one mile an hour. The drifts ranged from three to six feet in depth. Searchers were able to get within three miles of the scene by automobile, but it was a long, difficult climb from the end of the road to the 10,000 foot level where the wreckage lay. United airlines officials immediately organized a party of about ten ranchers in Knight to start out with a pack train to bring out the 1 (CONTINUED ON PAGE FIVE) DEATH CLAIMS MARY SCHERRER Sister Os Decatur Resif dents Dies At Home ! Near Poe Mrs. Mary Scherrer, 80, a sister «f three Decatur persons, died yes--1 ti rday at her h?me near Poe, Wells ' co'.inty alter m Illness of several ' months. The deceased was » gold 1 star mother and an honorary memc her of the American Legion Auxiliary. Her husband died several years apo. She was a member of the Poe M. E. church. A son, Earl Scherrer, 1 died in France in 1918 Surviving are four sons: Oscar, ' Arthur and Okla, all at home; Clyde • of Fort Wayne: a daughter. FlorI ence, also at home and two grandI chi’dren. The following brothers and sis--1 tors also survive: Mrs Sarah Krick, 1 Noah and Henry Mangold, all of 1 this city. i Funeral services will be held at » the Poe home at 1:30 oJclock Thurs- > day afternoon and at 2 o'clock at • the Poe M. E. church. Burial will Ibe made in the Poe cemetery.