Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 43, Number 106, Decatur, Adams County, 4 May 1945 — Page 1

jl Else Is Chores!

I XIIH. No. 106.

GERMAN RESISTANCE ENDED IN HOLLAND

lies Battle I Borneo Oil | Inter; Davao [Americans Advance L Okinawa Island; Lp Islands Raided Lila May 4,-(UP)-Australia E battled through the outskirts looking Tarakan city on Tara■island off Borneo today against Ely resisting Japanese forces, like same time American troops ■ Mindanao, in the southern Inpines, brought their campaign ■lie climactic phase by driving ■ Davao, last major occupied ■of the island. lastal guns and ammunition ■p- were seized intact by the ■ division in entering the port ■he head of Davao gulf. The Jncsr who have put up little Stance during the Mindanao [paign, were reported retreating |i of Davao, indicating the city ■ be quickly occupied L Tarakan, rich oil center 400 |s southwest oi Mindanao, Aus|;;:i forces ran into tough refence as they pushed into the Erts nf Tarakan city and drove |he edge of the airfield, three Is to the northwest. liiited press correspondent H. D. feg reported from Tarakan that | Japanese were fighting tenliisiy to hold the city, even fir[from positions atop derricks in IPeomesian oil fields. ■kyo radio reported that three Id cruisers and about 10 deters were continuously shelling ■ Japanese lines from Tarakan lie Australian drive was harnpIby an elaborate system of | mines and booby traps, which ft reports described ae equalllor surpassing that used by the ■inese in any other Pacific operI Storm Defenses ■ram. May 4.—(UP)-—Fresh delta of the first Marine division lined through strong Japanese Inses on the west coast of OklaI today to within a mile from k, capital of the island. I sizeable force of B-29 SuperIresses raided southern Kyushu I Shikoku, Japanese home isiIt again today in an attempt to itralize bases for Japanese suiI planes which sank two more lerica'n light fleet unita in the hawa area last night. The atprn To Page 5, Column 4) I ~———o koi Man's Nephew [turns To Company pil Sauer iwas notified this h'ng that hie nephew, Staff Sgt. |' I’i 1 ’i Schumm, son of Mr. and ■ Wai. J. Schumm of Schumm, p reported missing in action in FW on April 13, was now back company in the American F Schumm wa„ with the 84th i pion of t]) e Ninth army when it ' RW to cross the Elbe river. I*as reported missing and yes- ' R l‘is mother received a letter L ' J ™ Btat ‘ng that he escaped F a " aera pocket by the Ger- 1 pand was with his company I'ui'ch Board Asks Lester Return LT, o!fiete 'l board of the First ' C churcn of this ci ‘y haa L tL an invitation for the rek i °’ Lester “ P*stor ’ L J^ 1 . c,hurch - The appoint- ' lann lß | llll6teni wi!l be made at 1 L* 1 Confer - nce - t 0 be hekJ 1 L | at Huntington. me<ting laat n * bt - ' ition to n *J* Solut ton of appre- 1 itt s«Perlnt’ V r W ‘ H o * s ’™ 011 . dte- 1 MeAk nr endent ’ wbo « expectMce. h ' sed t 0 another field of 1 1:00. ATUr E READING Noon -.--...A0 ’ We *ther I : mirtk #ht r,in * *«- t'- '«"«•>' tl 8 c bana» in 1 «ur».

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT

Polish Question Is Conference Concern Tonight Deadline For Amendments San Francisco, May 4—(UP)— The Polish question again dominated the United Nations conference today with reports of a sufficient change in Russia's attitude to raise Anglo-American hopes for real progress toward a solution. Russia apparently had abandoned her position of arguing the interpretation of the Yalta agreement on Poland and was now discussing who the Polish commission should consult in its efforts to reorganize the Soviet-backed Warsaw Polish regime. Soviet Premier Josef Stalin reportedly agreed to bring Stinslaw Mikolajczyk, former premier of the London exile regime, into the discussions. Mikolajczyk has Anglo-American approval and his presence in the negotiations would be counted a good sign here. Stalin also was said to be amendable to admission of two other London Poles in the talks— Tadeusz Rover, former ambassador to Moscow, and Stainslaw Grabski, former spokesman for this London government who withdrew from that group after a disagreement. The Russians have not agreed to take those men into the Warsaw government. The agreement, if any, is that they shall be brought into the talks about reorganizing the regime. For that reason, American officials qualify their optimism with the awareness that a deadlock can again Occur. The technicians of the 46 nations on world organizations meet today in committees which will study various sections of the Dumbarton Oaks proposals and consider amendments. The committees will be the working bodies of the conference. Tonight is the deadline on submission of amendments to the proposals drafted at Dumbarton Oaks. Scores of amendments will be in the hands of the secretarygeneral by midnight and distributed to the appropriate committees for study. o Lt. Vincent Tanvas Is Rotary Speaker Officer Makes Plea For Permanent Peace A plea for permanent world peace and support of the Dumbarton Oaks principles as a foundation to maintain world order was made by First Lt. Vincent Tanvas, of this city, one of the nation’s foremost aces in World War 11, who recently returned from Europe after completing 50 successful bombing missions over Germany and Nazi-held countries, before members of the Rotary club last evening. “We of the service today want peace in the future,” the noted flier, who was awarded the Air Medal with three Oak Leaf clusters, said in his opening remarks to the Rotarians. Lt. Tanvas said members of the air corps overseas, had read the Dumbarton Oaks plan and also the Bretton Wodds plan for stabilization of world currency, and that 90 percent of them felt it was a step in the desire to set up a world organization to maintain peace. “We cannot fail this time to give peace to the world,” he said. In discussing his bombing flights, Lt. Tanvas painted one of the most dramatic pictures ever presented by a speaker on the work of the air corps. He was attached to the Fifteenth Air Corps, based in Italy, and flew on bombing missions that bombed a half dozen -countries. He participated in the bombing of the railroad yards in Rome, where American fliers and bombardiers carried out the strategic achievement of destroying the railroad yards and not firing a shot into a building in Vatican City, about a quarter of a mile •way. Other targets included the great PloesU oil fields in Roman(Turn *• Ooiumn 8>

Supposed Site Os Hitler Death Found In Flames Berlin Chancellery Engulfed In Flames On City's Capture i Moscow, May 4.—(UP)—A Rus-j eian war correspondent reported today that after the capture of Berlin he found the chancellery—where the Nazis said Adolf Hitler died—engulfed in flames which drove him from Hitler’s office after a quick survey. (If the correspondent’s reported visit to the chancellery shed any light on Hitler’s fate, the Soviet censorship apparently was not ready to pass it since Moscow has issued no official report on what was found at the chancellery —if anything—that would bear on the German version of Hitler’s death.) Lt. Col. Pavel Troyanovsky, in a dispatch to the Soviety army organ Red Star, described the fire-hasten-ed visit to the chancellery soon after the last resistance in Berlin ended. Troyanovsky said the windows of the burning chancellery were clogged with thick books used by the Nazis to throw up barricades in the last hours of resistance. Dead German gunners were everywhere, their breasts decorated with iron crosses damaged in battle, he said. “We approached the main entrance of the chancellery,” the dispatch said. “It doors were barred by large boxes. “Our soldiers could penetrate only through a narrow passageway between red boxes filled with crosses and oak leaves. “Hitler’s office was not very hot. The flames were seeping nearer to us. The floors were shaking and about to callapse. We donned gas masks and ran to a window, the heat penetrating the thick soles of our boots. Nothing was visible thr.ough the smoke and heat.” Troyanovsky said an old man found sitting on a suitcase in the street conducted his party to Hermann Goering’s air ministry, which also was burning so brisky that entry was impossible. “Such is Berlin immediately after the occupation — all in smoke and flames and ruins,” he wrote. An Izvestia dispatch said the remnants of the Berlin garrison first offered to negotiate for a surrender Tuesday—May day, the Soviet holiday on which many per-i sons here expected an announcement of the capture of Berlin. It came a day later. The surrender terms were agreed upon the next day, but some groups held out and it was night before the (Turn Tn Page 2. Column K> -25 25 More Enroll In Civil Air Patrol CAP Membership In Decatur Is Now 80 Twenty-five new members enrolled in Decatur flight of the CAP at the Lincoln school last evening, bringing the membership tn 60, Dr. Joe Morris, flight commander, announced today. The class is now temporarily closed to permit the instruction of members, which will extend over a 10-week period. Capt. Don White, of Group 523 of Fort Wayne, started the instructions last evening in military courtesy and discipline. Instruction in foot drill was also given by Capt. White. • Much interest was shown by the men and women members and plans were made for the continuing of the CAP school each Thursday evening at tjie local school. A call was also issued to members for voluntary help on Sunday morning to clear a runway on the Mutschler farm, northwest corner of U. S. roads 224 and 27, so that the field could be used as a temporary landing base for the trainer plane. It was explained that underbrush and a few trees had to be cleared from the field so that a runway could be laid out and developed for landing of planes.

ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN ADAMS COUNTY

Decatur, Indiana, Friday, May 4, 1945.

Old, New Postmaster General

--1 ■ lb; ty-Wll

PRESIDENT TRUMAN has nominated Robert E. Hannegan, chairman of the Democratic national committee, to be the new U. S. postmaster general, replacing Frank C. Walker, who has resigned, effective July 1. Walker is shown, left, with Hannegan.

Tokyo Says Marcus Island Is Attacked By United Press Tokyo radio reported today that about 20 B-29 Superfortresses and B-24 Liberators raided Marcus island, 1,500 miles southeast of Tokyo, -in daylight Wednesday. The broadcast, recorded by the FCC. said -two of the planes were damaged. 0 Adams Post Is Host To District Meeting 4th District Meets Here Last Evening Four hundred and fifty Legionnaires and auxiliary members attended a district meeting of the American Legion, held Thursday evening at the Legion home of Adams poet 43 in this city. Tillman Gehrig, of this city, fourth district commander, conducted the meeting, which opened with a dinner. William Brown, commander of the Indiana department of the Legion, was the principal speaker. He spoke on the duties of the American Legion to veterans of the present world-wide conflict in regard to service work, gainful employment and bringing them back to normal home life. He discussed what the national government is doing in the different hospitals iu the state for wounded veterans. The state commander strongly urged Legion posts throughout the state to give wholehearted backing to the war bond drive. In closing, the Indiana department leader said, “We must not celebrate victory until the final defeat of both Germany and Japan, but keep on working for a speedy victory.” Walter Firestone, of Columbia City, presented the Carl Graham membership trophy to the fourth district, which again this year

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Retail Stores Os Decatur Will Close On Victory Announcement

Local retail stores will close immediately upon the receipt of a. word that Germany has surrend- m ered, and will also observe the so following day with closing of their stores, the merchant’s com- w: mittee of the Chamber of Com- as merce has announced. st< The signal to close the stores de will be the sounding of the fire M siren at the city plant, which will be ordered by Mayor John Stults. ar A three-minute long blast follow- ho ed by a final whip of the wildcat nr siren, will be sounded. ha The following schedule for closing has been prepared by the no merchant’s committee: ho If the word of surrender comes mi before 11 o’clock a. m., the stores re will close for the balance of ttye wt day. th

Lowell Smith Given Highest Scout Award 1 Silver Beaver Award To Local Scoutmaster i Lowell Smith, Decatur high school teacher and scoutmaster of Decatur Boy Scout troop 62, sponsored by the Lions club, has been presented the Silver Beaver award, the* highest adult award made by the national council of the Boy Scouts of America. The award was presented at the annual appreciation dinner of the Anthony Wayne council, held Thursday evening at the Fort Wayne Chamber of Com- . merce. Mr. Smith has served for 13 years as scoutmaster of the ' Lions troops, one of the outstand- - ing camping troops in the area, and well represented at the Big , Island camp each year under Mr. - Smith’s personal leadership. He 1 has served as faculty member for many training courses, and has [ served in some capacity on every . major council activity. He was awarded the scoutmaster’s key . in 1940. ■ The presentation of the Silver ■ Beaver award to Mr. Smith and • to Frank Kelsey, of Huntington, : was made by R. Nelson Snider, commissioner of the Anthony ; Wayne council. i Clarence L. Schust, of Fort. . Wayne, was elected president of • the Anthony Wayne council last ■ night, succeeding A. W. Kettler, president for the past six years. E. W. Lankenau and Carl C. , Pumphrey, both of Decatur, are members of the council’s board of directors. Decatur Scout leaders in attendance, in addition to Mr. Smith, Mr. Lankenau and Mr. Pumphrey, were: Bryce Thomas, Richard I Rathman, Lloyd Cowens. Syivesj ter Everhart, Harold Daniel and

If the word is received after 11 . m., the stores will close imlediately and remain closed the blowing If the surrender and ertd of the r ar in Germany is announced fter 11 o'clock on Saturday, the tores will close for the remainer of the day and all day on louday. Under state regulation; bars nd taverns will close for a 24our period, following -announcement that the conflict in Europe as ended. Sometime ago, the churches anounced services and prayer ours following the announcelent of victory in Germany. No svisions of these former plans ■as announced today by any of le churches.

Denmark Fall To British Army Imminent; Report Negotiations Underway

Mystery Flash Os Light Puzzles East Flares Across Six East Coast States Philadelphia, May 4. — (UP) —A mystery flash of light, accompanied by an’ earth and building shaking explosion that roused thousands us seaboard residents, flared across the eastern sky today over a sixstate area. The sky lighted brilliantly for one to three seconds, and buildings in the Philadelphia, southern New Jersey. Delaware and Maryland areas were shaken. The unexplained flash was visible from Brooklyn, N. Y.. to Richj mond, Va„ and westward off the r coast upward to 200 miles, y Police, plane pilots, weather observers, military and naval instal- • latione, and just plain John Citizen were witnesses to the dazzling display in the heavies at 3:35 a. ra. Newspapers and the police were deluged with telephone calls from excited persons who wanted to know whether war plants were sabotaged, or whether an earthquake were in progress. The explosion was heard and felt , in various sections. Most of those who felt the jar that caused buildh ings to tremble did not see the b j flash. Many saw the flash but did j. not hear the explosion. n At the Fels planetarium of the r Franklin Institute, director Roy K. 4 Marshall said the mystery flash in f all probability was a bolide, or detonating meteor. t Although he did not observe the . flash, Dr. Marshall said information I given him from the hundreds of g points queried led to the meteor theory. Dr. Marshall described the bolide meteor as one progressing at a 3 rate up to 20 miles a second, faster e than sound. Its speed, however, disturbs the air in advance, earnsl ’ ing a roaring sound. 5 o ; Plan Campaign For »War Bond Purchases I Rural Workers Meet Here This Evening 'f More than 300 members of the farm war bond organization at- • tended the county meeting of f rural workers at the junior-senior t high school last evening and • completed plans for the irnmed- • iate canvassing of their territor- • ies within the next 10 days. 3 The seventh war loan drive 1 does not officially open until May 14, but as it comes during the • farmer’s busiest season, it was » agreed last night that the canvass ■ should begin at once and that the I job be gotten out of the way be- " fore the middle of the month. 1 Orville Maxfield, area war bond ’ chairman and Austin Tomey of Washington, Ind., a farmer, were the principal speakers in outlining plans for the sale of bonds. Two films were shown in coni nection with the program, one ■ of a troop ship and the other on Jap propaganda, in connection . with the Pacific war. French Quinn, local historian, made a plea to the audience to ( ’ support the war drive and urged each individual to purchase all . the bonds he could in support of . the men from Adams county who ( ! are serving their country. There is no farm quota in the 1 present drive. The quota is based ■ on E bonds and purchases by in(Turn To Page 5, Column 6) 1 O < 1 Ask C. C. Solicitors To Report Saturday The mem'benship committee of i the Decatur Chamber of Commerce I ; today equested all solicitors in the i ' memibeTSliip drive to turn in their 1 reports by tomorrow.

Resigns * . 4k.... * Wlsel s Albert Miller, superintendent of the Decatur cemetery, has resigned to accept a similar position at the Washington National Cemetery, Washington, D. C. Albert Miller Quits As Cemetery Head Accepts Position At National Capital Albert (Abe) Miller, for the past eight years superintendent of the Decatur cemetery, has resigned his post effective June 1, to accept a position as superintendent of the Washington National Cemetery. Washington, D.C., it was announced today. The cemetery trustees will meet this evening at the office of Earl B. Adams, secretary, to select his successor. Mr. Miller will be in charge of the Washington cemetery, which is of the no monument type. He will have direct supervision of all landscaping and beautification of the 67 acre, tract, which is about one-third developed, Mr. Miller said. The cemetery is located three miles southeast of the capital at 4101 Suitland road, and is owned and operated by the Washington National Cemetery Association. A veteran of World War I, Mr. Miller is a former city councilman. During his eight years as superintendent of the Decatur cemetery he has supervised the laying out of two new sections, the planting of about 800 evergreen trees and developed the sacred area into a high state of beauty. There are approximately 3600 burial lots in the local cemetery. (Turn To Page 2, Column 5) o Farm Districts Lead In Red Cross Drive Complete Report Is Made By Secretary The township divisions contributed the largest amount in the 1945 Red Cross war fund drive last month, final compilation of the totals reveal. The industrial group, including plant employes, was a close second. The campaign ended last month with a total of $23,649.37 donated, as compared to the county’s quota of $16,700, an excess of nearly $7,000. The report, prepared by Mrs. Ruth Hollingsworth, home service secretary, shows the following contributions in the different divisions: Industrial, employes and plants $6i240(2t« Business houses, Decatur 1.921.82 Residential, Decatur —- 2,198.15 Towns outside of Decatur 4,305.29 Special groups, churches. 284.00 Organizations 2,300.71 Farm districts, townships 6,399.20 Total $23,649.37

Buy War Savings Bonds And Stamps

Price Four Cents.

Germans Reported As Surrendering By Thousands; Mutiny Told In Copenhagen BULLETIN London, May 4 — (UP) —The German armies of Northwestern Germany, Denmark and Holland have surrendered unconditionally to British field marshal Sir Bernard L. Montgomery, leaving Nazi resistance isolated in the two doomed pockets of Norway and- Czechoslovakia. The surrender is effective at 8 a. m. British time tomorrow (1 a. m. CWT). London, May 4 — (UP) —Nazi spokesmen said German resistance had ended in Holland today and the fall of Denmark to the onrushing British second army appeared imminent. Unconfirmed reports from Paris and Stockholm said Field Marshal Sir Bernard L. Montgomery and leaders of the Nazi regime were meeting somewhere in Denmark to negotiate the unconditional surrender of what is left of the German armed forces. The Nazis themselves said the cease fire order had sounded in Holland and that British troops were sweeping unopposed through . Denmark. But a heavily-censored front dispatch from United Press war correspondent Richard D. McMillan gave even more conclusive evidence of the German collapse on the northern front. “The German army facing the British —which includes the Ger- , man high command —is out of control,” McMillan cabled. “The Germans are throwing away their arms by the hundreds of thousands, refusing to fight, trying to get home, or struggling ■ to give themselves up as prisoners.” McMillan said high German staff officers, most of them prisoners, admitted that Denmark was lost. In Hamburg, McMillan reported, armed German soldiers were directing British tanks, armored cars and supply convoys through the bomb-battered streets, indicating their acceptance of the fact that they are beaten. Swedish reports told of spreading mutiny in the German army barracks at Copenhagen, and the Nazis’ own radio at Wilhelmshaven said the “last hour of the war” had arrived. McMillan reported that the entire German high command had assembled opposite the British forces in the north. Norway and Czechoslovakia appeared to be the remaining areas of Europe where German resistance still was possible. Czechoslovakia was almost surrounded by American and Russian troops which now were only a few miles apart in the Linz area of northeastern Austria. The Nazis Bavarian redoubt, where German leaders may have planned a last stand, collapsed. The U. S. seventh army captured Salzburg, keystone of the redoubt, and rolled on unopposed toward Berchtesgaden. 11 miles farther south. Vanguards of the seventh army (Turn To Page 2. Column 3) CLEAN-UP WEEK MAY 7 Let’s Make Decatur SHINE!