Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 44, Number 124, Decatur, Adams County, 25 May 1946 — Page 1

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TRUMAN ISSUES ULTIMATUM TO STRIKERS

hi Miners' like Looms I Midnight Brastic Government Kfion Expected In Kt Coal Strike Bb E BULLETIN K oh , nß ton, M ay 26-1 UP)- I ■rttiry of Interior J. A. Krug K scheduled a conference | K u mted mme worker! presi K John L. Lewis in an elev Knour effort to avert another Kniete ehutdown of the natoft coal mines at midK«hiti2i"". May 25 — (UP) KjHit Truman today confront K. threat <d another "strike K. ( iho g<»v<-rnmenf" hy 4<M»,Ki,ft io.il ininers lit midnight Ki from the President's warn Khn hr »«nild use troops, If Keury. i<> break tin* tailroad K th'' miner* could expect ituvt-rnmont art ion tn keep Hmrii'ii u|HTaliliß. unforeseen art ion by Hl. b*l-. unpredictable pre* 1 K of the united niino workers j Kj, a formal work stopiwige Ktr’-'l bu 'italili' In the govern K<>[»-tji.<i bituminous mines wbon tlif current two work intro expires. A eon) Ke would aggravate the nut ■ crisis caused by the rail M walkout. Kd ailiiiirii trator J. A. Krug ■ hold last niinulf conferences ■ Je»i» today. but usually well Kdihl sources Indicated tl»«-r*-' ■ little < hange of a weekend Ketm-nt between the govern■t and the union. Hihout contrary order* from Hu Uli- miner* traditionally ■ He their "no contract. no work" t Hr When the government sdz. Hhr ph* during the war. the ■m refused to work until LewHre the signal. ■ roufrr< in !•* with Krug since ■ Truman ordered seizure of the Hh Tuesday. ia-wis Im* given ■urn that he would ask the ■m to remain at work. B'il the railroad strike was! ■Hi;,,. ~,a | dixpiitp appealed ■tmiii however, fjsiv'eriiilieltt ■ indu-try representative* j ■rkt that the lack of railroad ■ <ars would force a nearly ■flrie shutdown today of thej K’f'*'" 1 " f ,l "' biduMiy depen- ■ on rail service. ■iihoui'h Mr Truman made no Mitin of the coal dispute In hi* j y BB last night, some of hi.si 0!| the railroad stoppage! yt'"d pointed at the millers,' that the rail lines y f* lng o|HT.'ited by the gov-1 y*M. he said the trainmen ■ enitlneerx were on ‘‘strike I"* 1 '•"‘lr government.” The y> also are being operated by Irwernnient. reasons cited hy Mr. Tru-| •<« justify an attempt to hjjeak Nllroad strike might be apb‘ similar fashion to the Mtopute. Railroads. utilities T" f n To Page # C ( .| umn () - — • --OWin Reinking Dies Wayne Home M, former rrai-j '-daiiH county, died Friday me in p oi | Wnyne. where *1 resided for the past nine _ • hrviviiij. are three son*. 1 • a nd Arnold of F.irt ’ Martin of Alien conn-; ’’•“Xblers, Mr*. William J./’** Eleanor • am) Ruth *■ all of Kort Wayne; a »2. .*• “ f F'ort Wayne; Mr *“ a " i > Rre.it- ; service* will h( , hl al i u 5 Sunday at the Rcheu“neral h >me and nt 3.30 m, « Concordia Lutheran '• »•* 'iwm.'. 1 TUHt ««AO»NM ( a.\ « l:0o ....... 64 , *- - m h WtATHCR 17*7* *** Mattered thund- 1 Hr lnd lod, X' Cooler today, < b wjtk e#e,,r <»night. Bunday "”d«rau temperatures. I

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT

Nalion's Newspapers Hard Hil By Strikes Advertising Is Cut By Many Newspapers By United Press Newspaper* throughout the country hard hit today hy a newsprint shortage developing a* a result of the rail and coal strikes. Many papers eliminated adver- ; thing ami redmed the *he of their editions to 11 few pages of news ; anti comics for the duration of Iho I strikes. The Ixis Angeles Times publish* ' ed an eight page edition with no ndvertlaing today and unnotimed j that all future editions would be i curtailed Both the Atlanta constitution and the Atlanta Journal printed eight page editions with no advertislng except funeral notices, news and comics. Their Sunday issues will also be limited to eight pages, except for feature sections already printer). The general business manager of the ScripitN-lloward newspapers Huy A. Huber, announced that the Pittsburgh Press, the Washington Daily News, the Memphis Press Hclmitar and the Indianapolis Time* would all be reduced in size ami have advertising ellmini'alerl starting Monday. Chicago and New York city newspapers were wtill carrying a normal amount of advertising today. but indicated dwindling newsprint stocks may cause curtailment if the strike lasts. In Hi. lumis all three newspaper*. the Star Tino s. the Post IHspatch and the Globe-Democrat. ( r aucelerl all advertising except death notices. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette <lll 'out all ads “except death not ices, 1 matter* deemed of public importance and brief theater listings," I while the Pittsburgh Sun-Tele- ; giaph reported they were not curI tailing advertising but were "not i encouraging any out of the ordin [ ary copy." The Washington Star cut out all advertising except a few class- | Hied ads. The Washington Post obtains its newsprint by waler and will not be affected by the strike, but has announced it will not accept advertising from customers of othvi pa|s'rs forced to curtail. The Washington Times Herald, which gets part of its paper by waler, 1 announced that no action would be taken until Monday. In Connecticut the Hartford ■ Coiiraut has been rationing advertising for two weeks, but drop petl an additional tour pages of advertising from today's edition. The Hartford Times eliminated all advertising except some amuse- ! ments. church and classified, reducing their dally size from 3® to (T iru To I’age S, Column 7) — o Senator Bankhead Is Seriously 111 Wiwhington, May 25 (IP) Sen. John H. Bankhead. D.. Ala.. 73-year-old leader of the senate cotton bloc. WM reported “serioudy | nr at the naval hospital at Bethus-1 du. Md„ Imlay. ' A bulletin issued by Copt. n. r. ‘ Duncan, the examining dot tor. said j that Bankhead suffered a "light stroke" ywlerday during a stormy sedition of the senate hanking commit lee. <> Union Bible School Opens Here Monday Hold Classes For Two-Weeks Period Plana for the union dally vacation Bible school, which will open Monday at the Lincoln school, were announced today by the Rev. F- H. Willard, dean of the school. The achool will cover a two week* period. Monday through t ■ !• day. from May 27 until June 7. School will also be held on Memorial Day. Classes of school day will gin at 8;3O a m. and will be ended dally at 11 a m. Children, aged five to 15 yearn, will be enrolled, the Rev. Willard stated, from all churches. The faculty to being selected and other plans for tb« -chool made ready tor the Monday opening.

Some Shortage Os Foods To Be Evident Here Decatur Likely Less Hard Hit Than Large Cities Os Country As Decatur — and the entire l nation—today entered the second full day of the rail strike, local merchant* were busy attempting to analyze the resultant fool situation. While It is the general concensus of opinion among Decatur merchants that the food shortage hero will be far less critical than in some of the nation's major cities, it Is agreed that some item* will be gone from the shelves for days. One Independent grocer pointed out that since many items such a* potatoes and orange* are shipped in from far distant points in the nation by rail, a shortage in these items — at least for a matter of a few days — is inevitable. The shortage I* not expected to develop until some time next week, when warehouse* of wholesaler* are depleted of slocks, Since most of the foodstuff* delivered to Decatur come in trucks there ha* lieen no shortage—because of the rail strike —to date. As one chain grocer pointed out. however, the shortage wilt come when the warehouse stock ir gone, for this stock Is fed by i rail A truck driver for the same chain grocery outfit said this morning that hi* load of merchandise had not been curtailed. "We will keep going until the warehouse i* empty. Who know* what ‘come* then," he declared. Merchants were not entirely in agreement concerning delivery of perishable item* such us head lettuce, celery, etc. One grocer *uld tlial he would not stock such items for some time after the ’ Strike i* settled. These item* will be held wherever they are Stranded for several day*, he asserted, and will not be in the best of condition to place on the counter* once they arrive here. Another merchant expressed th.- belief, however, that truck* will be sent out to pick up such item* and that until they are brought in Huy will be kept in refrigerator cars in good condition for at least several days. As far as could he ascertained this morning there was no "shopprlng spree" in Decatur— nothing i more than has been customary I the past week or two—brought ion by the strike, despite the fact 1 that the nation's leaders have tearetl suili an occurrence in many cities and have warned against over buying. In other fields the picture today (Turn To Paas i. Column 1) ■ - O — — Dan Holthouse Is Works News Editor I - — Decatur Young Man Appointed Editor Announcement was made in this week's Issue of the appointment of Dan Holthouse of this city as editor cf the GK Fort Wayne Work* News, weekly publication which I* ' distributed to all G. K. employes I in Fort Wayne, Decatur and Kokomo. Mr. Holthouse wa* recently discharged from the 11. H. navy after three and one-half years of service. with the rank of lieutenant. He served aboard the CSS Marblehead and ÜBS Franklin. The new editor is a graduate of Indiana University, where he majored in Journalism. While at the university he served as editor of the Indiana Dally Student, camp u* newspaper, and Is a member of Sigma Delta Chi. national profesMiunal Journalistic fraternity. He succeeds Mr*. Ix«ona Nelson, who has moved to Paterson, N. J„ with her husband. Ted H. Nelson. Mr*. Nelson became editor of the paper following the death of Elmer Baade, who was welk known here. The editorial office of the newspaper Is located tn the G. E Broadway plant in Fort Wayne.

ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN ADAMS COUNTY.

Decatur, Indiana, Satur-day, May 25, 1946.

Speaker • » fl 1 fcl ’s*l* I ;L The Itev Otto Carl Busse, pa* tor of the Preble Lutheran church, 1 will deliver the memorial address honoring war dead during Memortal Day ceremonies Thursday I In charge of the local post of the , American lx*gion. Plan Observance Os Memorial Day Legion To Conduct Services Thursday Plan* for the annual observance of Memorial Day here next Thur* day were well undeiway today. The official portion of the com memoration is being arranged again by Adams Post 43. American la'gion. of this city. Practically all business will lie 1 suspended in Decatur for the day. The Legion program, which will I honor war dead of Adams county, will lie held Thursday morning, with the Itev. Otto Carl Busse,l I former lieutenant-colonel in thei U. H. army, us the speaker. ! The Rev. Busse, pastor of the Preble Lutheran mutch, will speak, during the service* nt the peace' monument on the court house' lawn. The observance will lie opened with Legionnaire* mm-ting at the: | la'gion home at !t a. tn., from where they will go to the Catholic mid Ih'catur cemeteries. Services al Iho Catholic cemetery will lie held at the grave of Norliert Holthouse mid in the Decatur cemetery at the grave of la'Wis Shoe, pout inemltera who died during the past year. Tho iiieuibers will also honor : naval war dead in a ceremony m the lagoon in the Decatur ceinet- , cry and then return to the pout ! home, from where they will again 1 march in formation to the pmee ■ monument. Post commander Floyd It. Hunt'er said today that final plans are j being made for the event. « French Mass Killer Is Executed Today Dr. Marcel Petiot Dies On Guillotine Pari*. May 25 (t'P) Dr. Mar- ; cel Petiot, who murdered 24 per- . sons, flashed a last scornful glance I at the world from the guillotine at j dawn today, and a few seconds: ! later the thundering slash of a' 30-pound steel blade rolled hi* head Into a waiting basket. The hypnotic doctor, convicted proprietor of a mass murder fact ory in the dank basement of 21 Rue Le Sueur, died Mtolblly and defiantly. Until the last Pet lot mocked France, which he believed did not undersUud him. Petiot claimed 1 credit for killing «>3 person*, whom , he called German agents. A French , court convicted him of killing only < 24. for profit and personal re venge. Petiot refused absolution from 1 a priest just before he marched, i unflinchingly to the execution , block In the courtyard of Sante , prison. With a disdainful gest- , tire he brushed aside the eixuret and gla*s of rum France give* her , convicted murderers just Itefore she cuts off their head*. The murderer knew he was to' die ton, but he had not been told the duy. Three days ago he was f reported “gay as a cricket" after 1 .nrjaon official* found an unused , vial of poison o» him. Shortly before dawn today he j was asleep in his cell. Court off- ( (Turn Tb Pag* B, Culuiun I) 1

Indiana Industry Facing Shutdown Situation In State Is Steadily Worse By United Preu Indiana Industry and commerce I 'wore threatened ttsluy with virtu- , ally 11 complete shutdown If the I I railroad mid coal strike* continued. The effect* of the rail strike I developed from Inconvenience to crisis overnight. At first, the chief effect on Hoosiers wu* the Inconvenience In traveling. But. tislay. some Industries employing thousands of worker* were Idle mid many other* faced with Inactivity after the weekend. Bigge*l single development In the *taie wa* the announcement of the Indianapolis citizen* gasj ' mid coke utility that It would cur-i tail gus usage for Industry and' commerce—with few exception* at 7 a. m. tomorrow. The curtailment promised to idle! nearly Um.mm persons by the 1 middle of next week, should the strikes among the railroader* anti miners continue. .Meanwhile, railroads still operated skeleton schedule* through Indlanapoll*. Only a few passcng er* were aide to reach their destinations by rail. They jammed other transportation facilities a* the rail strike continued into the normally travet-lmsy week-end Over the slate, the strike picture was similar. Industrial cities like Evansville Routh Bend. Terre I lame. Fort Wayne and Muncie, as well as the steel-producing latke county area, found the going rough. The Studcltaker corporation plant, manufacturers of automobiles. laid off 9.0041 worker* yestet ‘ day because supplies needed to continue production were tied up • in transit. j A gasoline shortage faced area* depending on railroad tank cars I for their supply. In other*, pipe f Idles continued to furnish an ad (Tarn To Page «. Column Northwest Indiana Is Hit By Tornado Four Persons Hurt In Tornado Friday UtPorte. Ind . March 25 tl’P) Farm,! and small communities be tween Lal’orte and Michigan City hnlay cleared from tormr do which whipped across the northwest section of the state yealerIday, injuring four person*. The wind swept up from Porter county, near the Junction of state road 49 and I'- ». cutting a swath approximately 300 yards wide. It rose into the air a few miles south east of Michigan City and then struck again at Springville. U» mll<M east of Michigan City. Frank Kroop and hi* wife, n«-ar' Aprlngvllle, received minor Injuries. Mrs. William Ifaska. Beatty's Corner, wae hurt by flying storm debris. Rhe was taken to St. Anthony's hospital Io Michl I gan City. Pete Oorska. Michigan I City, uuffered a shoulder wound. Five homes were destroyed. LI ' | large barn* leveled and other | bnlldlnias damaged. Two power i lines were down near Springville. I At Stilesville, in Porter county, a ' gas station was destroyed mid a | trailer camp badly damaged. Two Injured Itl 'omingtoti. 111., May 25 (t'P) j Citizens of Bloomington tod >y began clearing the debris left in the wake of a tornado which etruck yesterday, Injuring two persons and damaging «dx homes, power lines and trees. Mrs. William Knuth and her son, Joseph. 3, were Injured when the , tornado lifted the Knuth home 10 . feet off It* foundations. Mrs. Knuth .(aid she fled to the basement for 1 safety when she felt the walls move. o ! Over Inch Os Rain In 24-Hour Period ———l Herman Meyer, local weather oh- ( server, reported 1.2 Inches of rain- 1 fall for the 24-hour period prevl- < 011* to 7 a.m. today. The St. Mary's river is also rto 1 Ing rapidly, he reported, moving < up from 08 feet Friday morning 11 to 8.85 feut thia morning. ; ;

Serves Blunt Notice To Accept Settlement Plan Or Army To Run Railroads

Army Preparing To Run Trains; Worst Strike In History Hamstrings Nation By United Press The worst strike in the nation's history moved rapidly toward a showdown today as the army prepared Io run the train* and strikers indicated they would wait 1 for their union leaders to act. The only hope of settlement without military operation apparI ently lay in a compromise propos'al Io bo submitted to President I Truman today by the strike leadI ora. From across the nation camo repori* that striking and trainmen were angered by President ‘Pruman'u address to ! the nation last night, and that they would continue a walkout which threatens national disaster Despite mounting pressure for their return, strikers in Chicago. Kansas Chy. Cleveland. Philadelphia. Milwaukee, Denver and other railway centers expressed their determination to continue the strike In vigorous terms. At Philadelphia, Harry Sites, general grievance committee chairnum for l&.Ofm Pennsylvania railroad trainmen east of Pitts burgh, said the president'll speech had made Hie strikers "more militant and determined than (•ver." A* the I p. m (EST) deadline ' for military operation of the road* approached, more factories closed, industrial unemployment soared hourly, and food shortages reached the critical stage in many localities. Coal production' hud dropped off almost to nothing The steel industry was banking more furnaces liy the hour. The shutdown spread to automotive and farm equipment plants. At Chicago, not one of a score (f strikers Interviewed said he would return to work All expressed resentment at the president's speech. One union official. who asked that his name be wlthhell. said strikers would support their leadership ‘ 100 percent." At Milwaukee, local lodges of both the striking brotherhoods rent telegrams to their national lenders. •After listening to President Truman's address to the public we are still 100 percent behind you." the message said. A spokesman for striker* on the Chicago Ar North Western railroad said that "were waiting for word from the heads of our organization. We have nothing to do with strangers. We only abide by instructions from our supreme officers."’ At Cleveland, the New York Central *aid only 22 of 418 engineers contacted responded favorably to a back to work request. Os 72" trainmen contacted. 126 favored ending the strike. "The men don't like It that (Turn T<> Page «. Column 7) o Summer School To Open Here Monday Classes At Public High School Here The annual session of summer school, inaugurated during the war by principal W. Guy Brown of the Decatur junior-senior high school, will be ojmned Monday. Classes will be held at the Jun lor-senlor high each morning, which will permit enrollees to work in the afternoons, if they so desire. Mr Brown, who will act as dean of the school, has previously announced the curriculum of the school. Various subjects may be added, he stated, if a sufficient demand Is shown among tho students. The school is open to all high school students of the county. An especial Invitation has been extended ta ex ervlcemen by principal Brown.

Assault And Battery Charge On Railroader Sidelight Here On Nation Rail Strike A charge of assault •nd battery was placed today agalntt a 225 pound Pennsylvania conductor and former Notre Dame f(*>tl>ail player. who allegedly thrashed n dis- : aided war veteran late Friday a ! sidelight to the city'* portion of the nation wide rail strike. Prosecutor G Remy lllerly said this morning that a charge of sault and battery would be filed In Adam* circuit court before th« clooc of the day ag.Hnd Frank 1 Fluharaty. aged about I", whom It is alleged struck the ex-service-men after calling him a "strike breaker." la»ren 4' Nye. 26. telegraph operator at the local Pennsylvania station and a disabled veteran of the ET44. signed Hie affidavit uxalikd Flaharaty last evening. A warrant for Flaharaty'* arrest wa«< expected to be given police authorities lat<- this morning According to the complainant and witnesses, the former ermy air force* veteran wa* slttlffg in u restaurant m-ar the railroad station when the defendant entered. They »(4«i<l that Flaharaty called Nye a "strikebreaker" and then struck him in the face. Wit tosses said that Nye, "ho weigh* some 7o pounds le*s than the defendant, did not fight track The defendant, it i.< charged, struck Nye several time* more l<efore several other ex-*ervlcemen in the restaurant stopped him. Telegraph operators are not parIticiputing in the present rail strike, which was f ailed by the engineer* and trainmen brotherhood*. It wa* reported that the defendant wa* one of the "s-'Ven mul<v(" who played with the tamed "four horsemen" team coached by the late Knute Rockite hi )fi;| ||. j also a former Central Catholic high. Fort Wayne. (<>a<h. if is reported. Nye was discharged from the army in 1911 after being hospitalized for months so; treatment of war Injuries, it is reported He entered tlie army In 194" at Huntington. where he formerly resided. - o Minnie Hitchcock Dies Last Evening Funeral Services Tuesday Afternoon Mrs Minnie Hitchcock. 84. lifelong resident of Adam* county and Decatur until six months ago. died Friday evening at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Millard llarkles*. 732 East Jefferson street. Fort Wayne, Death followed an Hine** of several years. Iler husband. William Hitch cock, died in 1942 Mrs Hitchcock was a member of the First Methodist church of this city. Surviving are two daughters. Mrs. Darkless and Mrs. Merle Sheets. Ixith of Fort Wayne; two stepsons. Clyde Hitchcock of Decatur and Wesley of New Orleans, lai; two sisters, Mrs. Allee Hodge of Van Wert, O, and Mrs. Belle Bailey of St. Louis. Mo; 14 grand-' children and 19 great-grandchll- ( dren Funeral services will be held at 1.30 p. m Tuesday at the Harkless residence in Fort Wayne, and at 2:30 o'clock at the First Methodist church in Decatur, with the Rev. Benjamin F. Smith, assisted by Dr M. O. Lester, officiating. Burial will be in the Decatur cemetery. The body will he removed from the Black funeral home In this city to the llarkles* residence at 7 p. m today.

Price Four Cenftj

Orders Brotherhoods Return To Work By . 4p.m. Or Troops To Run Railroads Washington, May 25 — (UP) — President Truman served blunt notice on the two striking railroad brotherhood* today to accept hl* settlement proposal on a noP compromise, take-lt-or-leave It basts by 4 p m I Otherwise the army will take over railroad, operations. Mr. Truman ordeted an end or nil mediation efforts with the ‘ striking engineers and trainmen. At the very moment of Mr. Truman's announcement, presidents I of the two striking brotherhood* I were giving secretary of state I I James F Byrnes their own pro‘|posal to end the walkout. ‘ The White House said Byrnes 1 wa* not representing the government, but wa* meeting the two rail chiefs, Alvanley Johnston of the engineers and A F. Whitney of the trainmen, because they 1 were old friends. 1 After receiving the two union ’ chiefs at the State department, Byrnes hurriedly crossed the I street to the White House and - entered tho president's office at I<):sn a. m. 1 Mr Truman said It was useless y for the government to mediate 1 further between the two unions 1. and the railroads since only those two bad turned down the settleI ment proposal accepted by the K other railroad brotherhoods. This settlement provides for a wage increase of IR’i cents an hour 1 "Manifestly." hl* *talement *uld. “these 18 unions should not [ be penalized Cor the failure of the two unions tn accept the compromise proposal" Presidential a**i*tant John R ' Steelman Immediately called a meeting with representative* of 1 the railroad* and the 18 nonstriking union* to complete an agreement on the liasi* of the pi..sj,|,.fi!for 10!ii.i Mr Truman's blunt statement • backed Up the ultimatum he delivered to the strikers In his radio • address last night that the army would move in to protect and operate the railroads If the strike . were not terminated on hits final terms by 4 p m Witney and Johnston m<4 with . Byrnes after a conference with their own wage negotiating com--1 mittees to get final approval of their own settlement proposal. They declined to reveal its terms. Bui It was reported to iall for an end to the strike under a temporary union-govern-ment contract calling for a basic wage raise of 18*i cents an hour and a few changes in working rules. Mr. Truman's proposal, accepted by the other brotheihoods, called for an 18’ 4 cents Increase and no rules changes. Changes In rules would mean additional money for the engineers and trainmen since they define working regulations. The president goes before a Joint session of congress at 3 pm. (CSTi for what the White House described as “one of the most tremendously Important speeches of hl* career." Reliable congressional sources said he was ready to a«k for a law making It a criminal offense to strike against the government. Pepper, leader of a pro-lahor bloc In the senate, said Whitney would submit bls plan tn Mr. Truman in a letter before noon. He (Turn T» Page «. Column 2) o ——— First Band Concert Os Season Tuesday Albert Rellemeyer. director of the Decatur school band, announced today that the first open air concert of the season will Ire presented by the Decatur high school hand at 8 o'clock Tuesday night on the court house ramp. The combined hand, which will play for Memorial Day aervjcM here, will have marching practice at 4 o'clock Monday afternoon and the high school band will practice at 7:15 o'clock Monday evening-