Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 37, Number 26, Decatur, Adams County, 31 January 1939 — Page 1

XXXVII. No. 26.

■creased Budget appropriation To I Face Legislature

I —" . I ■ r( cll l Reduction In ■ le Salaries. 'I ax On Karette- \nionK I’m- ■ B) CONFERENCE ■napulis. J-" 1 (URI ■, Cilfl.u.l ToWllSrlui nilK today that th- 1939-41 K hu.lf-t ■-ntn.'t-d at Bt;.'*' | b . sii.l. 'his is 'h■l „ n uln.li m-ml’-is “* ■Ltur- ami bud K.-t ■.., «-ih aixl ii>< ht<n-« reduction. ■ app! n|nimmns -I th- !■'•<■• and s-tn- menses ■ . la» will Hat- to b- 111- ■ in the budget ■ figure repit'seiiis -u' 111 ■ „ t ' a i„„a -1 ’ lh " ■ approved ay th- I'.'- leg- ■. »hi.h I! "’ r HV '' l suit! that at a inec'-afti-iniatb -I ni-tnbers -i ■al, budg-i < ■'• ■.< Rrniibii-an m-niimrs of ■gislat.b" anti himself, the I" pel '• nt I> ‘I■!« tarn in id will be governor also said that the ■ fll;; . ; i has <1- . id--d ini a two-c-nt tax -n cigar ' '' J""’" 1 ’ ■ sail! that th- stat- is oper-j ■ u! : i msist-iuly i|. ininishwhich "somewill have to be done.” said that expenses ■ are ir.-vitabi- $1.772,nn0 ext, as a re- ■)!' the buildutt ami improve■program: SI.II'J.GOO for aid teavllris anil jl.Sdtl.O'"'| ■is' ■ reasrd [■th- , •-:-.d today. ■ wt.iam J-m.-i Republican leader, introduced a stipulating that the new ■ contain appt ipriations BK-is of 90 percent of those ■e IK7-lß|i budget. amount■d a 10 per cent cut. resolution would exempt us for the- slate’s peu■enevui,:.' amt educational ■utiotis and also public wel-■ayn.-nts tin- indigent and Stein. Democratic mi■r leader of the house, esti■l that with a IP per cent sal- ■ ' iti salaries and -per- ■ expenses the new budget ■be reduced approximately under th- last one. or ■lug that stat- government ■he next two years starting ■ 1 Would total about $79,000,-' ■uwhile. the historic Ameri- ■ phrase "taxation without ■actuation'' was expected to ■nd through the legislative ■as a joint resolution which ■1 give more populous counrepresentation in the came before the house. [ ■* resolution provides for a ■totional amendment to re■tioti the legislature on the s nt ltle total vote cast for of state in the general ■““ The 1937 legislature apthe amendment and if it ■» Hiis assembly will go be- —. ■“tTINVED ON PAGE FIVE) f l. IS In -SET FRIDAY I Damage Suit To Be lr, ed In Justice Os Peace Court ?• u ,r^ a l °f ,he 175 damage "’obHess against the Erie lin W T Was t 0 have been ' “ John T. Kelly's fustice .. c t _ ourt * h,s morning was 1 ( <>r Friday. •Itrnan jury in the same court XiTta after hearinK •waa u tbe case and was h y Justice Kelly. 688 has filed the suit for iT P ' U ’ talned t 0 his 1934 I all.. l,’ edan laßt December I It nT ly hit by an ETie tcrosX at Wincheßter | diaagreed after about' lta l beratlOn ' Th e reL Frida- ( du ed t 0 etart at 10 l on South Jußt,ce of peace s °ith Second street. ]

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT

TWO MORE HELD I INROBBERIES Galbreath’s Landlady And Husband Taken Into Custody With Decatur. Van Wert, St. Mary's and several other cities still Tying to get Stanley Galbreath, confessed St. Mary's robber, for temporary questioning in regard to robberies in their respective comniunties. two more persons have been tangled in the long string of thefts allegedly committed by the Ohio man. Mr. and Mrs. Clarence “Pick” Williamson, the latter Galbreath’s landlady, have been arrested in Wapakoneta. Ohio on charges of receiving stolen merchandise. Mrs. Williamson entered a plea of guilty and Williamson plead not guilty when arraigned before a Wapakoneta justice of peace. Both are being held pending action of the Auglalae county grand jury. Galbreath recently confessed to Sheriff Ed P. Miller of Adams county to robbing abont 20 Decatur homes and public buildings. Sheriff Miller is endeavoring to ge' Galbreath here for questioning !u a effort to clear up a number ot I robberies that have been commlttIcd in this community during tho I past two years. Although no definite word has been received from the Ohio authorities. it is understood that Adams county will be given temporary custjaay of Gahbreath before he stands trial there. FARM BANQUET SETMARCH? Fifteenth Annual Banquet To Be Held At Monmouth School The fifteenth annual Adams county farmers banquet has been definitely set for Thursday eveRoot township home economics nlng, March 2. at Monmouth. The club will prepare and setve the banquet meal. Professor Robert Phillips, head of the divis'on of government of Purdue university, will be the guest speaker. It has been previously announced that the banquet would be held at Berne, but a committee of Berne business men, namely Elmer , Baumgartner, C. T. Habegger and Roy Girod, found that the only available building for such an affair, that is, the community building at Berne, was booked solid and there was no possibility of securing its use until too late in the season for this banquet. The extension committee in its last regular meeting set the price of the tickets at 75c and they will soon be placed in the hands of a ticket committee who will be announced in a later news story. o Red Men To Install Officers Wednesday Newly elected officers of the local Red Men lodge-will be Installed Wednesday night /it 8 p. in. in the regular meeting of the organization. IW. E. Brown will be installed as sachem of the order. J. M. Bremer will act as Installing officer. c Father Os Former Decatur Man Dead H. Elmer Campbell, 77, father of David Campbell, of Bluffton, a former Decatur resident, died Sunday at the home of a daughter, Mrs. E. E. Wheeler, of Vivian, La. The deceased formerly resided at Bluffton. Funeral services were held at Vivian this afternoon. o Two Names Omitted From List Os Jurors — In the list of grand and petit juries, published in Monday’s Daily Democrat, names of two jurors ! were unintentionally omitted. In the grand jury list, the name of Harold Schindler of Berne was omitted and Lawrence Kleinhenz ot Decatur was omitted from the petit jjyy liat.

ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN ADAMS COUNTY

Ah! Do You Remember The Good ol’ Summer Time? i -kifg w* Jmt : Emphatically, we wish to state that the above picture was not taken today. It shows the landscape grounds at th- City Light and Power plant on North Third street. The picture was taken last summer when the shrubb-ry and flowers were at their best. The grounds were beautified by the last city administration. On the north side of the plant there is a rose arbor, which today is covered with a myriad of icicles and sparkling crystals, almost blinding to the eye and proof that summer is yet to come.

GEORGE BURNS IS GIVEN FINE, SUSPEND TERM Comedian Fined SB,OOO On Plea Os Guilty To Smuggling New York. Jan. 31 — (U.P> — George Burns, stage, screen and radio comedian and member of the team of Burns and Allen, received .a suspended sentence of a year and a day and an SB,OOO fine in federal court today on his plea of guilty to smuggling jewelry. He was placed on probation for a year and a day. His case disposed of. Burns will be available as a witness against his radio and film rival, Jack Benny, federal authorities said. Benny, Indicted a month after Burns, was accused of “possessing, concealing and transporting $2,131 worth of be-diamond jewelry" for his wife and partner, Mary Livingstone. Refusing to follow Burns’ suit, Benny pleaded not guilty and said he would stand trial. His trial is tentatively set for Feb. 14. Burns was accused of smuggling $4,885 worth of diamond-studded bracelets and rings for his wife and radio partner, Gracie Allen. Had he paid the duty, federal authorities said, it would not have . come to much more than SI,OOO. Had Burns received the maximum penalty possible under the nine counts to which he pleaded guilty last Dec. 12. he would have been fined $45,000 and sentenced to 18 years in prison. The comedian, born Nathaniel Birnbaum, has an estimated weekly income of SII,OOO. He arrived here early today after being snowbound in Chicago and went (CONTINUED ON PAGE FIVE) COLD WEATHER FREEZES SLUSH Colder Weather Makes Conditions Here More Favorable Decatur residents breathed a genuine sigh of relief this morning when they awoke to find weather conditions none the worse despite a general tightening of the situation in northern communities. With the exception of a decided ! drop in temperatures, the weather here today was much more favorable than on Monday. Driving today was still extremely hazardous, however, as ice and snow remained on city streets and the highways. Scores of cars were temporarily stuck on Decatur streets last night as spinning wheels failed to move the autos from parked positions 1 along the curbs. Deep rows of cut-up snow hardened late Monday when the temperature started falling, and tires sank into the furrows, thus causing no end of trouble to motorists when they attemp-ed to pull away. Local residents, however, received a bit of satisfaction fi om the lower temperatures today, as snow and water, especially at it meant relief from wading slushy street crossings. The temperature at 8 a. tn. to-. ( day was 19 above.

Decatur, Indiana, Tuesday, January 31, 1939.

♦ I “Feed The Birds” Is Plea Made To Decatur Citizens "Feed the birds” was the plea . of Decatur humanitarians today. “A bird can stand a temperature I of far below zero, if it only has i food." one local person recalled, 11 "but it must have food. A bird can j eat its own weight in food daily, but if food is not forthcoming it must perish.." Lower temperatures causing an icy crust over the snow have practically eliminated any chances the I birds might have had in securing . food, it is said. Bread crumbs tossed nut upon ; the snow will at least temporarily • I keep them alive, it is said. o NORTH INDIANA HIGHWAYS OPEN Main Highways Through Northern Indiana Are Opened Fort Wayne, Jan. 31 — (U.R) — I State police today reported that i main highways through storm lashed northern Indiana were ; I open, and road crews were con- j I centrating on digging out isolated ■ rural areas still blocked by four to six foot drifts. I All buses in and out of Fort ; Wayne were running on schedule, terminal officials said this morn- ■ ing. ■ No serious accidents were re-' I ported. In Wabash, the sleet that acI companied the storm, froze on the hands of the court house clock I and stopped it at 11:30. The sleet interupted communication over rural telephone lines in most ; of the area. Parties in honor of the president's birthday were postponed in Warsaw, Huntington. and elsewhere because of the difficulty of getting through snow-filled roads. . Most rural schools were closed yesterday, but many reopened today. Forecaster B. B. Whittier in ■ Fort Wayne said today there! would be little or no additional snow. Temperatures were down to 16 degrees this morning. Warmer Weather Indianapolis, Jan. 31 — <U.PJ — The northern half of Indiana fought snowdrifts in freezing weather today, attempting to reI turn to normal following a paralyzing blizzard that began sweep- ■ ing down on the state over the weekend. Effects of the year’s most severe storm were felt all the way to the Ohio river valley, where snow and rain choked small streams and sent them over their banks. Four roads in the southern districts were reported under water. Federal meteorologists said there was no flood danger unless (CONTINUED ON PAGE FIVE) Service Clubs Hold Joint Meet Tonight The Decatur Lions and Rotary clubs will meet In joint session at the Rice hotel at 6:30 this evening to hear an address by Earle Albert Rowell, nationally known narcotic, chiefly marihuana. Mr. Rowell spoke at a joint meet- ’ ing of the public and Catholic high j school students this afternoon at the auditorium of the new junior-, ‘ senior high school building.

DEATH TOLL OF MORE THAN 50 FROM BLIZZARD Clear And Colder Weather Forecast As Storm Abates By United Press A storm which swept the eastern half of the nation, generating blizzards and gales which left at least 52 persons dead, was wearing itself out over New England today while a secondary storm, part of the same general disturbance, was churning up the Atlantic from Cape Hatteras northward. Snow continued to pile up in I Maine and to fall locally as far west as Illinois and Ohio, but the storm which was centered over I Scranton, Pa . last night appeared to have exhausted itself as it moved northeastward over New ; England. The secondary storm, which i originated in the middle Atlantic area, was centered 200 miles east I of Nantucket. Mass., and was moving rapidly east northeastward, menacing small craft in the coastal steamer lanes and producing discomfort for passengers on vessels bound to or from Europe. Clear and colder weather, with local exceptions, was forecast for much of New York state and New England promising opportunities to clear blocked highways and restore bus, airplane and train schedules. Resumption i of coastal steamer service, interrupted by yesterday's gales and ' today's new storm, was expected by tomorrow. Snowfall ranged from four inches throughout most of Connecticut to 23 inches at Greenville. Maine, and 37 inches at Franconia Notch. N. H. Addition(CONTINUED ON PAGE FOUR) JAIL SENTENCE FOR LOCAL MAN Ed Gaffer Is Fined $1 And Given 60-Day Jail Sentence Ed Gaffer, local painter, who' was arrested Sunday at midnight. on a charge of assault and bat-! tery, filed by Ethel Gaffer, was fined $1 and costs and sentenced to 60 days in jail when he plead ed guilty before Mayor Forrest Elzey in city court this afternoon. Gaffer was arrested by Officers Adrian Coffee and Roy Chilcote, after he had allegedly gone to the home on Ninth street Sunday and beat Mrs. Gaffer. Mrs. Gaffer, in a written state- i ment to the newspaper today, recalled that she had been granted a divorce from the defendant some time ago. The statement follows: “I want a correction on the item in last night's Democrat, in which Ed Gaffer had come homo and naming me his wife. His visit here at the home was to see his children, but coming here in an intoxicated condition I refused I to let him in, so he gained en- > trance through a window. “Before 1 got iny children and i myself ready to go, he was in a rage and struck me. And the I charges were filed Monday." Signed, “Ethel Gaffer.” |

Chamberlain Tells Commons Nations Resources Assure Victory In Event Os War

WILL ORGANIZE LOCAL COONCIL Council To Be Formed To Aid In Welfare Program Here The organization of a "community coordinating council'' will be launched here February 13 in a meeting sonsored by the Adams county federation of women's | clubs, Mrs. Faye Smith-Knapp an- j nounced today. Presidents and representatives of' all religious, educational, service ' and civic groups will be invited to attend the meeting, which will , be held at the Masonic home. The purpose of the council will be to strengthen present organized efforts and stimulate further interest in the welfare of the youth and children of the community and to broaden the entire social welfare program hero. All club women are invited to attend the affair, which will be in the form of a dinner meeting at 6:30 p. tn. on that date. L. B. Shackleford, welfare ex-1 tension representative of Indianapolis, will be the principal speaker. Mrs. Knapp announced. Mr. Shackleford recently appeared before the Decatur woman's! club in their last meeting. Councils similar to the one to be formed here have been organized and are now operating in various cities throughout the state 1 and nation. Mrs. Knapp will be in charge of the meeting. o NATION SLASHES ACCIDENT TOLL — Reduction Os 10,200 Accidental Deaths Reported In 1938 Chicago, Jan. 31.—<U.R>—The nation sliced accidental deaths to 95.000 during 1938, a reduction of 10.200 from 1937 and the greatest improvement ever recorded in a single year, the national safety council announced today. The provisional figure was the lowest since 1933. Accident prevention programs were successful everywhere except in the home. For the first time in a decade home accidents exceeded the nation’s traffic I deaths. The council said home accidents increased 2 per cent from 32.000 in 1937 to 32,500 last year while traffic fatalities dropped 19 per cent from 39,643 in 1937 to 32.000 during 1938. This represented a saving of 7,640 lives. “The traffic death decline was not due to less travel, for motor | vehicle mileage was as great in 1938 as the year before,” the council explained. Only 35 persons were killed last year in accidents involving scheduled domestic air flights compared with 57 in 1937, a 33 per cent reduction. PassengQr deaths totaled 25. a rate of four deaths pet--100,000,000 passenger miles. Deaths from steam railroad acI cidents during the first 10 months last year amounted to 3,752, a decrease of 18 per cent from the 1937 total of 3,580. The council said the only increase in deaths was for passengers on trains. These (CONTINUED ON PAGE THREE) o Frozen Brake Stalls Auto At Crossing About a score of persons were at -! traded to the corner of Second and Madison street this morning when a car operated by Miss Thelma Conner of Indianapolis was unable to make the slight grade up the Madison street approach to Second street from the west. After Miss Conner, her lady companion and a man. who volunteered, all failed to get the car past j the slippery approach, Llold Shackley of this city backed the car up for a running start and finally pulled It into second street. A frozen emergency brake was offered by Mrs. Shackley as the reason for all of the trouble. Traffic ! was momentarily tied up during I the incident. |:

I Comedian Fined Geoige Burns, noted radio and 1 screen comedian, today was fined SB,OOO on bis piea of guilty to a smuggling charge. A prison sentence of a year and a day was suspended. MOVE DEFEATED I TO STUDY TEXT House Votes Down Plan To Have Clerics Study Textbooks Indianapolis, Jan. 31. — (U.R) — Democratic lines in tht> house broke today when a proposal to have one ot the state school textbooks studied for its moral CUiess l>y a Catholic priest, a Jewish rabLie and a Protestant minister was defeated, 56 to 43. The house battle today was the aftermath of a resolution introduced yesterday by Rep. Paul S. Brady. Muncie Republican, commending the state senate for Its , textbook inquiry and urging it to widen the probe’s scope to include not only the textbook contracts ; but also the textbook material. Brady said that the book “Ad- | ventures in Appreciation" used in I high school literature courses is filled with •’filth" and commuhist propaganda. Today Rep. Edward Stein, Democratic floor leader, entered a resolution to have a special committee composed of a priest, rabbi and minister read the book and i report on its character. Rep. Glenn Markland. Zionsville Republican, started the debate when he said that the play “Yellow Jack" contained in the bookin question was “communistic propaganda." He quoted two passages in the I play from a character named Busch, one saying “1 get my ideas out of reading Karl Marx” and the other “I’d sooner be back in Chicago leading a radical movement.” Stein closed the debate by re- ! marking that “there is a political j flavor to this thing.” Addressing the Republicans he added: “I get tired of seeing you folks forget everything except that you are Republicans." He said he is going to vote in favor of the Brady resolution but (CONTINUED ON PAGE FIVE) RELIEF CLAIMS FIGURES GIVEN Figures Announced On Relief Claims Paid In December Poor relief claims in the county for December. 1938. which were paid in January of this year were < announced today in the offices of ’ County Auditor Victor H. Eicher. I Preble was the only township , in which no claims were filed. A marked increase was noted in Washington township. Washington township paid $3,154.76 for December poor relief, I whereas $2,655.44 was pai dthe previous month. Claims totalling $2,677.02 were paid in Washington township in December of 1937. The 12 township and the claims paid by each follows: Union, $22.35; Root, $199.01; Preble, none; Kirkland, $124.51; Washing ton, $3,154.76; St. Mary's, $397.43: Blue Creek, $9.50; Monroe, $73.50; French, $93.82; Hartford, $16.23; Wabash, $251.65; Jefferson, $98.65. The total for the 12 townships I Is $4,511.44. I

Price Two Cents.

I Alliances, Friendships With Other Countries Pointed To As Victory Assurance. REFERS TO HITLER London, Jan. 31—(U.R)—Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain called on European nations tonight to consider a halt in the building of arms race and hold a general conference to insure peace. In a speech to the house of commons in a reply to Adolf Hitler's speech of last night, Chamberlain told the house that the "huge resources" and the alliances and friendships which Great Britlan has with other countries, especially France, would assure victory in the event of a new European war. Although the foreign exchange reacted unfavorably to the prospects in Europe, there was a generally more hopeful tendency as Chamberlain defended his pro gram of "appeasement” against a sharp attack by the laborites and other oppositionists. “It is untrue to say that the policy of appeasement has failed." he declared In welcoming peaceI ful expressions by Nazi Fuehrer I Adolf Htller and Italian Premier Benito Mussolini. "On the contrary I maintain that the policy of appeasement is steadily succeeding.” In a significant reference to Hitler’s speech before the Reichstag yesterday, Chamberlain said: “I very definitely got the impression it was not the speech of a man who is preparing to throw Europe into another crisis. There are many passages in the speech which indicated the need for peace for Germany.” The opposition, he believed, has felt out ot account “our huge resources which would assure us of victory again if we were engaged in a life and death struggle. They do not take Into account alliances and friendships we have with other countries." Chamberlain did no! mention other nations although Britain has frequently taken parallel action with the United States and France in recent international developments. “We are beginning to see the results of our long preparations for building up our armaments,” he added while the commons cheered and the laborites laughed because of recent charges of inefficiency in re-armament. “Our prestige abroad never stood higher than it does today. Never was there a time when our friendship was more eagerly de(CONTINUED ON PAGE FIVE) o Dr. M. L. Wilson Visits Homestead Dr. M. L. Wilson, assistant to secretary of agrictuleure Wallace, of Washington, D. C. and R. C. Smith, regional director of the resettlement Administration and his assistant, Philip Beck of Indianapolis, were visitors in Decatur yesterday for a short time on their way to Bluffton, whee Dr. Wilson spoke to a meeting of over 600 Bluffton business men and Wells county farmers at the community building. Dr. Wilson was the first director of the subsistence homesteads dl vision and was responsible for locating the homesteads project in Decatur. Dr. Wilson had never seen the project and was hoping to stop over for an inspection of it on his i way to Bluffton, but due to the icy roads he was delayed in reaching Decatur and had only time to drive through the project. He stated in an interview with Ferd L. Litterer. : manager of Decatur homesteads i project, that he was pleased with I wnat he saw and hoped at another ;,time to return to Decatur for a ' more thorough Inspection of the project. TEMPERATURE READINGS DEMOCRAT THERMOMETER 8:00 a.m 19 2:00 p.m. 30 10:00 a.m 23 3:00 p.m. . 32 i Noon 28 WEATHER Mostly cloudy tonight and Wednesday, snow in north, rain or snow in central, rain in extreme south beginning Wednesday or Wednesday night; slowly rising temperaI ture.