Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 45, Number 43, Decatur, Adams County, 20 February 1947 — Page 1

j ViJXLV. No. 43.

lOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES ROCKED BY BLAST

10. P. Wins ■t House Budget Test Incite Committee ■pproves Bitt To Ktlow Pay Suits Feb. tl’l’i — H.ubliean today won the LKw-l '4 tit.-it- floor fittht to i I', i from i" mHB I ■ I-<..>ll'- bmU'-t estimateQK d.t. j'.-d ,i fl.-mo. r.itic mav>-.-ni-ndc-ni- to a resolution on o.m,mm (111 ceil- ! gMi, .1 expenditures. an a J v. Irimati'rt ♦ •'!'.'.im.mm.miO [,K,, | ... utisuc < ■ ssflll dem||K, - ... 0..11.1 hav.- paved the budget cut |Y : . >li ..ti itb-d house was to ram through the big by mztltfail. But the CIOP i in >h.- house probably will A group of 22 resenators and an almost r - trout were geared - ..try a i4.stm.oiHi mu; ill) the tomoirow - mgrettsional develop* llKitjl p.,y a H.-nale judiciary approved a hill to all portal pay suits-past, ..ml future. SuiK'ommittee EigHtni.m Menander Wiley said . -I th.- full committee to bill Monday, with the nett up the measure by the next week. |gk Pi-sidc-nt Truman told . otifeiem e h- probably ng to nay t 6 con within .t week about whether SK.it.'- li. draft law extended I law i« M-hednled to expire I Mi Truman scid he will I 4k • mnnic-ndations to congress JM. ut universal military train|Hk lot 'lairman Fled A HartI H li piedii ted that his hoitee I < oimiiittee will vote to ban I ifoycottH. He Mid such prac I ■* -•>• pi t' ti< ally rackets " SenI ■ and h.iiiHe labor committee# I Mot i mifiii ting testimony alxiut to drastic labor reform ition that the crenate would I Hl tai nomlna- ! <>f Davj.l K Lilienthal to lie •Airman of the atomic energy He said lie Mill was j ■ I’ei.ein b.-himt Lihenthal. I B'd- ti.-' i.eiml !p,uh ■ Republican "ti the proposed 34.900,i budget slush wart accotnby a warning to army and My chiefs to <-ut their expend!by 15 percent or resign. The ■num! wa« Hounded by Rep Aly Knitel. R. Mich. Engel la |Bfr ir :iiaii o' the house war departtV*' ~|,ri.iHous subcommittee, rejected argument# that a proI® I! Tati,mm,non cut in military would "Invite disaster" ti.e rats fought hard, but In IB*" to open tne resolution to iyhH.dn l eni« They < hatred the UptMhanH with “gag" rules I ■>«•>-Ib-mo. rati, h leader Sam Ray |M n ‘ '"ld th.- Republicans that you | I f«e this day His warning wax | •tine, tion with the proposal to military funds deeply K’” th.- I.ilienthal fight. Mr Tru JS 11 reiterated bis complete supiß "•* former TVA .hairman f < s «®- Styles Bridges R. N. H. |»rgest»q l(ut f ( , rnier secretary of folk Os Hour Club Here Tonight H ' "--ting „f the officers of The M 'n the Hour Club, sponsors M . '’lesmun has been called K. the junior sen KanZl ‘ hnildlng hy Gordon chairman I* cfHr** 1 Wom ’‘ n representative M tU “t»d eocial groups w a be * R laT ««d to M>«!u *' lhe «»■* wUI th

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT

Daniel Sprang Dies Wednesday Evening 11 * Funeral Services Saturday Afternoon Daniel Sprang. 02. prominent j i here for mure than a half-century | in retail, manufacturing and banking circles, and a leading layman in the First .Methodist church, died at f»:15 o'clock last night at the Van Wert (Ohio) county hos* ■ pital of uremic poisoning Mr. Sprang had made his home t at the Castle Convalescent home , in Van Wert for the past two . years. He was removed to the hospital on Tuesday. Born in Ashland County. Ohio. > I rtf ancestry that migrated to the 11 I'nlte.l States front Alsace Lor* . I raine. France, in 1R22. Mr. Sprang . | moved with his parents. Mr. and r Mrs. Chrirttian Sprang. Jr., to Allen county. The family < ngaged , in farming on a tract of land near Poe He completed his education there and then engaged In teach , Ing school < In 1871*. Mr. Sprang came to De 11 catur and entered the dry goods business. Three years later he • formed a partnership with Charles I F. True ami the firm name was changed to Sprang and True He 1 retired from the retail business in 1888. Early in the century he 'became associated with the late I A. T. Vail of Fort Wayne, In the I manufacture of barrel hoop>> and ’ staves. They operated several ■ mills In Ohio and Pennsylvania. ’ later purchasing plants in Arkan--1 saw an:l Missouri. Mr Sprang was * also associated with the late John " W. Vail of this city In similar ’ manufacturing enterprises. For more than 50 years. Mr. 1 Sprang was a director in the First ' National Bank, now the First I State Bank During this period ' he served 15 years as chairman of the lioard of directors, and is t still a member of the board. I Mr. Sprang was thrice married tiHis first wife. Alice Llchtenwalter •Idled In 1885. He married Miss * Lucy J. Vail of this city, who • Idled In 1829. He later married i Mm. Paul Hooper of this city, i i whose death occurred in Decern ' her. 1943 A daughter. Ella, wife of C. It I i Wilcox, died in June. 1916 A I I i granddaughter. Mrs Willard RohII rer of petrolt. is the nearest sur i viving relative A great-grandson i and a great great granddaughter I also survive. Several nephews . and nieces in Indiana and Ohio , survive. . Fraternally. Mr Sprang was a . member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows anl served tha' , organization as noble grand. He was a member of the Masonic lodge and the Fort Wayne ConI slstory. He served as a trustee and former treasurer of the First Methodist church The body will be brought to the I (Turn T n P»r» 9 Column S> , O Forger Is Taken To : Stale Prison Today Zumbrink Taken To Prison By Sheriff > E A. “Andy" Zumbrink. 35. i went back to prison today — this time to Iwgin serving a 2-14 year sentence for forgery He was taken to Michigan City state pris I on today hy sheriff Herman Bowman Judge J. Fred Fruchte imposed , the sentence along with a 125 , and costa fine in Adams circuit court here Wednesday morning, after previously accepting the ( Fort Recovery. Ohio man's plea | of guilty I Zumbrink. a big fellow, whose ( congeniality police said was par , Ocularly helpful In gaining confl dence of victims of his forging racket," Is an old ofender. , With a record of several impels- ( ouments since his first offense in | 19N. Zumbrink Is wanted in five Ohio counties. Texas and other ( mates, police anM Mercer county. Ohio. In particular has placed i retainer warrant at Michigan I City against Mm they mW.

Great Britain To Turn India Over To Natives I Attlee Announces Change Not Later Than June, 1948 Feb. 2 n . - fl’Pl — Prime minister Clement R. Attlee told the house of commons today that the government intends to hand India over to the Indians not later than June. 1948. Attlee told the house that Viceroy Viscount Wavell has resigned and that I .ord Ixmis Mountbaten, wartime chief of the southeast Asia command, has been named to succeed him. Attlee said Mountbattfen would take over in March. An Earldom has been conferred on Wavell. he said. Mount batten will remain on the active list of the Royal Navy, in keeping with hi* wishes to preserve his seniority. It will be Mountbatten's task, said Attlee, to accomplish the transfer of India to the Indians and achieve the establishment of an Indian constitutional regime. The present state of affairs In i India. Attlee said, is fraught with danger and cannot be allowed to J be prolonged indefinitely. “His majesty’s government.” he said, “wish to make It clear that it is their definite intention to take the necessary steps to affect the transference of power Into responsible Indian hands by a date not later than June, 1948.” Attlee said that tile British government "‘agreed to recommend to parliament a constitution worked out in accordance with the cabinet mission's proposals by a fully representative constltutent assembly. “If it should appear that auch a constitution will not have been reaehed by such an assembly before June. 1948. the government would have to consider to whom the powers of the central govern(Turn To Page *, Column 2) Shortage Os Coal Reported In Cily Situation Growing More Acute In City With continued cold weather In the offing the coal shortage situation is becoming more acute daily, a survey here disc losed today. The supply of stoker < oal among Decatur dealers U practically exhausted, the survey disclosed Most dealers reported "dear out” on this type. One said he had a carload at his yard but that It was “far oversold ” Two dealers said that their sup plies of almost all types of coal had dwindled to nearly nothing, while-one dealer reported a fair ly ample supply of furnace egg. lump and cook stove coal—but no stoker coal. Many residents expressed concern over "keeping the home fires burning.” These, all users of stoker coal, reported supplies of a few weeks down to a few days left In their coal bins The city is not the only place to be affected, the survey shows, since neighboring cities and towns re|w>rted the same conditions. Colder Waatbor Seen The cold weather -along with lhe lack of reserve supplies due to the strikes—which are blamed for the preaent shortage- aeems destined to make conditions at 111 worse The weatherman, in his early mxning import today, forecast colder weather tomorrow night and not much of a rise in the interim. Temperatures Io Decatur early thia morning wore reported dowa arouod lhe 19 above mark -although a biting wind of yesterday

ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN ADAMS COUNTY

Decatur, Indiana, Thursday, February 20, 1947

Constellation Noses Out Stork ‘i* ' Hk ® 'Ek S « i ju ‘ i ; * - -*<**-— ■— ■ - - —am * *»* '»<■» rtw.o .«*,«» « m <i awO* * «

—« ■.hmO'' RESTING COMFORTABLY in Frederick Bautin hospital at Gande r. Newfoundland. Mrs Irene De Maderios. 32-year-old Czech wife of an American ex-soldier, shows her newly-liorn twins in Stewardess Eileen Wilson. On her way to the- I'. S. aboard a Pan Americ an Conatellation. the- young mother spent the last two hours on the floor of the- plane, while- pilot won race with stork •

Program Listed For World Day Os Prayer Plan Joint Service Here Friday Night The complete program for observance of the world day of prayer, to be held Friday night at 7:39 o'clock at the Zion Evangelical and Reformed church in Decatur has lieen announced by the committee in charge. The services are being sponsored hy the missionary societies of the yariotts Protestant churches of . Dec-atur. and the public Is Invited I to attend. The program is as follows: Organ prelude Mrs Fred Fruchte Hymn—"ln Christ There Is No (Turn Tn Page 2. Column St

UtecUfatioM (R«V. I Vlchuras. assistant, St Mary * Catholic i “PROBLEM OF PAIN” ‘ Why. O laird. hast thou retired afar off? Why dost thou slight us in our want*, in the time of trouble?" (Ps 10:It The dawn of each day to millions la just another day of hard labor and weary drudgery. the monotonous task of assuming a never ending tound of toil IMstress in even greater for those In search of employment, or food and shelter There are those in large numliers who lie prostrate and helpless on a bed of sickness and suffering Why the cross? Why Calvary? Why this valley of tears' Why so much soarow and suffering for the children of men' Moments of bliss are few and brief; lamentation is prolonged Why is the heart of man. made for happiness and craving joy. so seldom thrilled with It? These questions have l<een ashed for time immemorial As a prelude to the answer ponder on one consoling fact with the loss of Men and the suliseiuent tnrmoil that followed, one thing has not been lost (with tha' saved, the be t has been saved', and thst Is love The whole of literature, sacred and profane, asserts loudly and proudly, the fact and omnipotence of love Even though the whole world Is enveloped in the black night of sadness, what does It matter, providing the ted hearted flame of love glows in the breast of man? Life is not all sorrow an I suf sering. Nothing is gained by picturing life darker than it is The chief causes of pain and suffering may !»• reduced to three* factors; first, to save men from falling into sin. because few men can lie rich without luxury, successful without conceit, learned without pride, good-looking without vanity, pleasure loving without impurity, few can use the pleasant world without misusing it Accordingly, God who wishes to save men from sin. withhold* from the majority of them objects of pleasure and honor which would occasion lheir spiritual ruin. The second purpose of suffetlng is to restore men to grace if they have sinned If a law has iw-en broken, justice requires that It lie restored: restore I by hint who broke It: and restored by the endurance of pain. Every restoration involves pain Throw a joint out of its socket. You must suffer to have II reset Also, opposiles counteract each other. Cold destroys beat Heat destroys cold. Sinful pleasure ami virtuous pain are opposiles Therefore, the pleasure of breaking God's law Is counteracted by the pain of atoning for the infraction. The third purpose of suffering la to confirm the penitent in a virtuous life. Virtue contains strength, beauty sympathy with our fellow men and iikenees to Chrlrf crucified These four qualities are unaiiaiuabiv without sufferin'!. I! all these motives are not potent enough to Induce one to aecwpt a lite of trials, sorrow and paia. consider thst they mn«t he ace •??.-.•? whether one wishes to. or not. The cross is s physical you just cannot get awny from It Why not make a virtue of SMoaritr and carry u jtttis fraee? M-wm ealur

a County Officials Back From Capital Auditor Thurman I. Drew and Frank Kitson. superintendent of the Adams county home, returned , late Wednesday from iudiamtpolia. where- they attended the state legislature sessions for two days - o Decision On Sugar Ration Due Friday Washington. Feb 20 tl'PlHousewlves may learn tomorrow whether they will be riven n new augur ration increase in addition to the- five pounds they have already been prom'e-cl The International emergency food council, which allocates the world supply of sugar to importing nations, said Its sugar committee e-xpeetc-d to reach agreement tomorrow on apportionment of available supplies

Plating Works Smashed By Explosion; At Least 13 Dead, Over 200 Hurt

— Crazed Slayer Is Killed By Police Milwaukee Trolley Car Killer Trapped Chit ago. Feb 20. H’Pl Elmer; H>-nry Pierce, the c razed Mllwuu-, kee trolley car slayer, wax trapped' and killed hy police machine guns when his egotism led him to contact a man Whose family he hail terrorized for five hours < Pierce, named as the streetcarj slayer of his nie<e. Miss Virginia ggemeref. 21 In Milwaukee on Jan. 7. was cut down by officers as he «teppi-<l from an elevated train in suburban Westchester last night, on the west side of Chicago. The trap wa* laid after Pierce, who boasted to bis dozen or mote, holdup victims In Chicago and Milwaukee that he was a "killer." had made an appointment with Roy I’ranknin. 30 to meet him at the We-t< hv»tcr elevated station Pranknin. with whom Pierce had boarded before his latest crime spree began, notified police I that Pierce called him shortly after 8 pm and made an appoint-, ment for 11 o'clock at the dimly lit "e|" station. "This is the man you want," | he told police "This Is the man who went her serk Jan 25 and held mv wife and I and our two children at pisttdJ point for five hours while he raved. "He boasted and boasted al>out killing the girl in Milwaukee and about all the men |>e had held up "I don't know why lie didn't | kill ns but he left " Two KquadK of detectives were aeiil to the station Two other Chicago detective ser-, geants Idtarded an elevated train! width they believed I’iercH might! take to Wes< hester. but Pierce was (Turn T» I’.ige 7. Column 1» I Two Home Nursing Classes Planned i 38 Now Enrolled In Home Nursing Mrs. Roy Price. Red Croita home titirslng chairman for Adams conn-, ty. recently appointed t»y chapter chairman C. E. Bell, announced today that two classes in home' nursing are scheduled to la-gin s.Mtn in Decatur. Already then- are* 38 enrolled in the two classes ami a few more enrollmenea can be accepted, she said Mrs Harold Hoffman registered, nurse, has been secured as the! Instructor Khe will teach leith classes in Ibs-.itiir each class coll-1 vening two nights each week for » six weeks period Mrs. Hoffman >tated the teaching nixlits will be Tuesday. Wedneaday. Thursday and Friday of each week Mrs. Price also announied that the organization meeting of the] two classes will lie held Wedneadaj ’ evening at 7:39 p m at Red Cross I headquarters on Madison street. All students enrolled and unable to attend this meeting, should con tact Mis. Ruth Hollingsworth, exexcutlve seerteary at Red Cross headquarter* stating their desired evenings or which evenings would he most lonvenlent for them to attend classes Mrs Price is also •umtemplatlag a class in Red Croaa home naraing to be held In Berne, ia the near tuta:e An authorized Inst ruts oi will be employed from iterae to teach end direct this rlcaa Chopel Program At

Fund For Wolf Lake Park May Be Transferred I Liquor-Politics Bill Is Ready For Study By Assembly Indianapolis. Feb. 2" il'Pt - There were Indications In the Indiana legislature today that tinWolf latke Park fund, now ear marked for a park along the Kan kakee rivet may be transferred to a third unrelated project An amendment was reported i floating around the house of representatives. which. if adopted, would shift the money <-olh-ct»-d for a Hammond park to n fund for the pur< base of the Shades priv- ' ately owned beauty spot neat Crawfordsville The Kankakee bill which mov» I i out Io the house floor this Week I while the Wolf laike measure died in a ways ami means committee 1 pigeonhole, was expected to be I called up for second tending to 1 day At that Hine amendments i may be offered One of the amendments report I ed ready to offer would set aside 1 the |579,01W> fund <olleil«d for Wolf Lake by a state property i tax the last 10 years. It woul I transfer the money to a fund to buy the Shades, a I.3tm a< re tract of wiHMlland containing ;< largi j stand of virgin Hmlmr For several days, since It wu« learned that the eight heir- of the fortm-r owner of the Shades were dickering to sell It. the Hint department hns | been studying ways to get the I tract ami save It from the wo .d ■ man's axe. It was not known if the pro • posed atm-mlrm-nt stemmed from I eoltsei valionists. but ob-e' vei* saw the possibility th.it •• Islat oi« who split on tin- Wolf Like Kankakee controversy might ar cept the Shades project as a s >rl | of compromise Meanwhile, lhe governors li<i Uor polities divorce bill was K-mly for prseenlatlon to the houst The public morals committee completed work on It in lime for an afternoon session today I" irii To P.l«<- « ■'..lu-en <I "■ ■■ ■ -t»- —— Four Juveniles Are Brought Info Court Charged With Theft At Freight House Four youths, aged 11 and 12. were brought before Judge J. Fred Fntchte in the closed chambers of bi- juvenile court this morning j to answer to chirge* of p<-tit' larceny. The four wen- arre-led by police chief Ed Miller and Pennsylvania railroad police Monday after they allegedly slide |2.5 worth of ehoco late candy from the Pennsylvania freight house The lads are charged with ns Inga small sb-dge and crowbar to pry up flooring from underneath the structure to gain entrance. Numerous other minor cort ar ; tion* t<M>k place late Wednesday and thia morning. In the suit of Harold T. and Mary Markland against JoMph H. Miller, lhe de fendant was ordered to answer ou or before March i. In the damage and personal isjury complaint of Maxine Moser

Price Four Cents

Worst Explosion In History Os City As Buildings Damaged Within Whole Block lais Angeles. Feb 2<> tl'Pi - An explosion today demolished a downtown plating works. shat« ( tered hiiildlngs throughout an ent tire block and killed and Injured I many |H-rsons At least 13 persons were killed ami more than 2*m injured Fire chief John H. Alderson said it was the city's worst explosion. 1 Twenty-one persons killed when the Los Angeles Times building wa. dvnamited on Oct. 1. I9I« A solidly built six story building across the street absorbed most of tlie com iihsloii. he said, preventing tlie blast from levelling the en- ' tire block tlderson said some of the bodies ! were burned so badly It wa# Impossible to determine sex I The people- In-Ide Were almost ■ .Hiked alive by the terrible heat ” be said I One of the dead was Identified as Frank B Bertrand about 40. I At least one of the victims was a woman . Tly explosion ripped apart the one-story brick building housing the- OTonner Plating Works. Authorities -aid at least 35 per sons were in the building when tha explosion cH-c iirrecl at 9:45 ani PST Tlx- explosion wa- reported tc» I have- cH-ciirred in an acid tank nt i the- o't’cintmr plant Police sqtl cl c ars were pressed into service- hauling injured tev hospitals a- available- ambulances wer- till.-d Police care and 1* ’ I ambulances with -Irens screaming ' r. ced in relays between the crum* 1 pled building and nearest hos* i pitals Officers said about 35 people w ere In Hie bii lld Itig w hen the blast shre-i|d> <1 the interior sent, the roof fly’nv »ky high and then burie-d survivors "flu- remaining injured were in in- irlit buildings, or were passing the building when it blew up Father Arthur, priest at nearby St Tiiribiii. Chtir- h. gave extreme- unction to 12 people- within the- first half-hour \ll off duty police were recalled and a 15 man motorcycle squad wa- escorting private cars to hospitals Twenty five police- radio earn on the scene, trying to preserve* order in the milling moli of injured Most of the injured were cut hy flying glass. Many were hurt ax they walked along the- street The blast sent a -hoe-k wave- rolling over the city, and within minutes, all public telephone lines were jammed with calls. First sign- of the blast for moat of the city, was a flicker In lhe power system All lights in tho downtown area winked out briefly. atwl then < ante on Seconds j later the explosion rumbled over I the- city, accompanied by the shock ' waveS< orc-, ccf iM-rwona rushed from 1 buildings Mocks away in belief there had been an earthquake <> " Youth Is Killed On Railroad Crossing North Judson. Ind . Feb. 2<> : Funeral rhea were planned today for Ralph Murray. 21. killed at a i ailreud grade encasing near Denham yesterday A track driven by Marray was strack by a Penasyl* vnnia freight tram o Chicago Hog Prices Equal High Record