Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 46, Number 25, Decatur, Adams County, 30 January 1948 — Page 1

Vol. XLVI. No. 25.

MOHANDAS K. GANDHI IS ASSASSINATED

First Whack I ls Taken At 101 „ Jjuman Budget I | House Committee jgkssails Delay In Personnel Jan. .30.- (UP) goiiree Republican economy lead[took their first whack at fjldent Truman’s new budget today by chooping $56,215,313 from ’ re Q ues ts for some 19 independent government agencies. .■'Th* house appropriations com‘'■S 'Mfe o recommended $991,583,551 toiftin the agencies in fiscal 1949 — a ent of about five percent from Preeident Truman's budget request ■K.047,798,864. Th. committee said it also reclaimed $3,092,758 in unspent futMls from various agencies, ■brllging its total savings in the $59,308,071. At the same time, the committee l»ed out at the budget bureau Which it accused of "delaying actto|” in working out some way of reducing the “large number” of '.■‘JK personnel officers on the federal .ft said the government in some '"■B-IJltes had one personnel officer for ever 18 employes. In private business. it said, the ratio ranges up iijphigh as one to 3,500. mß'lic committee's reductions tore’’JM d*y little more than nicked Mr. HLnar.'s total budget request of $39,668,000,000 for the fiscal year starting July 1. Republican economy leaders have promised to trim hjg estimates anywhere from $3.#■,000.000 to $5,000,(TOO,000 before they are through. hairman John Taber, R.. N. Y„ _ said the initial cuts would have JED bce’i much sharper except that the IflHimittee virtually was bound by previous congressional committments to appropriate $817,316,952 total. .‘ The committee justified its cuts grounds that "unprecedented apnands” both at home and abroad require every possible government economy. ®Despite this, it added, the bill is 3 | tiiout $196,686,974 larger than ap- ’ Bopriations for the same pur‘■“W 9es t ' lis y ear - sa *d this stems almost entirely from a mandatory increase of $195,588,854 in public ' reads funds. jßriie committee voted an over-all ait. of $496,965 in federal trade commission funds but Increased its iOti-monopoly account by $473,390 Il total of $1,364,481. dually, the committee's bigsavings—s3s,ooo,ooo—was the lit of a resurvey by the board ictuaries that showed that the ernment will be able to get by i a smaller contribution to the >ral retirement fund. he committee trimmed the prent’s emergency fund by $300.cut his council of economic Isers SIOO,OOO, lopped another, 04.000 from the civil service mission, cut the interstate merce commission $409,683 <Tiim Tn Pae’p ” Column o deran Taken To irion Hospital Monroe Man Taken To Vets' Hospital II A 26-year old World War II vetwho had been held in jail here Wednesdaj' morning, was adlate last night to the Veterhospital ‘at Marion. I His admittance was gained by Herman Bowman and local . of Foreign Wars members > Ew n an emergency action, when it Bias feared that he might attempt j.?° take his own life. | The ex-soudier was taken in the ■Black ambulance. VA officials had ■declared there was no room in the ■hospital and placed hfe name on a ■waiting list. ■ The young man, a resident of HMqnroe, who worked at the local ■General 'Electric plant, went ber■serk at the city hall Wednesday, to jump from a second ■story window after barricading hlmM«elf jn a washroom. Since that time he had been conBfined in the jail under constant

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN ADAMS COUNTY •

Canadian Scientist Given Prison Term Montreal, Jan. 30 — (UP) — Prof. Raymond Boyer, former McGill University scientist today was sentenced to two years in prison for conspiracy to supply secret information to Soviet Russia. Boyer remained free on bail, pending hearing of an appeal. I’he weathy former assistant professor of chemistry served the federal government in explosives research during the war, and this service was mentioned by justice Wilfrid Lazure as he passed sentence. Boyer was convicted in December at his third trial on the charge, which arose out of Canada's espionage exposure. o—29 Persons On Plane Feared Lost As Sea War Commander Os Allied Tactical Air Force Aboard London, Jan. 30 —(UP) — Air marshal Sir Arthur Coningham, wartime commander of allied tactical air forces, and 28 other persons were missing today aboard a trans Atlantic plane believed down about 400 miles east of Bermuda, the British South American Airways announced. The BSAA, operators of the tudor transport, said Coningham was among the 23 passengers and six crewmen aboard the plane. It last was heard from at 11 p.m. (6 p.m. est) yesterday. The passenger complement was made up of 16 Britons, one Swiss, two Czechs and four “stateless” persons, according to the records of the line. The transport was piloted by Capt. D. Colby. Coningham was the only prominent Briton aboard. He commanded the first tactical air. force in French north Africa in 1943, and the second tactical air force in 1944-45. He was made air marshal in 1946. Ten American superfortresses from Bermuda were shuttling over the area east of Bermuda where the transport was feared down, the BSAA reported. Numerous ships in the area were diverted to join in the search, it added. No sign of the plane had been found this afternoon. The plane was flying from the Azores to Bermuda.

Sixth Arrest For Passing School Bus West Virginia Man Arrested Thursday The sixth arrest of the month on charges of passing a school bus, while the latter vehicle was discharging passengers, was made last evening by sheriff Herman Bowman. Robert S. Brown, Clarksburg, West Virginia, was charged by the sheriff with passing a bus one mile northwest of the Pleasant Mills school on U. S. 33. When arraigned before justice of peace Floyd B. Hunter, Brown pleaded guilty and was fined sls and costs, totalling $24.50. Brown's arrest is another made in a campaign being conducted by the sheriff’s department in an eiffort to eliminate this type of traffic violation, which endangers the lives of school children. Robert Ebersole, Rockford, 0., arrested Wednesday on a charge of (Turn To Page 8. Column 8) Dance To Be Held Tonight At # Den A dance will be held at “The Den” tonight immediately following the Yellow Jackets - Auburn and Commodores - Kirkland basketball games. All members are invited to attend. oWEATHER Partly cloudy north and mostly cloudy south portion tonight and Saturday. Somewhat colder north and east central portion tonight. s

Three Guests Are Missing In Hotel Fire Hotel In Vermont Destroyed By Fire Early This Morning St. Albans, Vt„ Jan. 30 —(UP) — Three guests were missing and feared dead today in a $200,000 fire that destroyed the 136-year-old Jesse Welden Inn. A dozen others were injured, five seriously, while nearly 50 escaped lightly clad into sub-zero weather. All hotel records were lost in the flames, which raged too briekly to permit firemen to hunt for bodies. Fire chief Richard H. Sweeny listed three persons as unaccounted for and feared dead. A fourth originally listed as missing later reported to fire officials. Georges St. Laurent, owner of the hotel, escaped serious injury when a hot-air blast hurled him across the front porch as he opened the door of the cocktail lounge, where the fire started at 1:15 a.m. Cauise of the blaze remained undetermined. The fire also swept the inn 50 years ago, partly destroying the 75-room structure. Sweeny said that there might have been a heavy loss of life if all the guests had been in their rooms. He said many of them were at a banquet celebrating the 50th anniversary of the St. Albans council. The fire chief estimated that the fire caused $200,00 damage. The hotel was valued at SIOO,OOO and the guests lost most of their possessions. Only five firemen were on duty to fight the flames, and the handful of men were unable to lift the heavy rescue ladders to the sides of the building. (Tur- To Paef 3. Column 7 > 0

Louise Schroeder Is Taken By Death Funeral Services Sunday Afternoon Mrs. Louise Schroeder, 92, died at 4:25 o’clock Thursday afternoon at her home nine miles south of Fort Wayne on the Decatur road. Death was attributed to complications following an illness of three weeks. Mrs. Schroeder was born in Adams county in the St. John s community, and was a member of the pioneer Bultemeier family. She was well known in Decatur and community. She was the eldest member of the Suburban Trinity Lutheran church and its ladies aid society. Her husband, August Schroeder, died 32 years ago. Survivors include two sons, Henry, at home, and Herman of Fort Wayne; five daughters, Misses Sophia and Lena Schroeder, both at home, Mrs. William Krueckeberg and Mrs. Henry Conrad, both of Adams county, and Mrs. August Lubkenan of Fort Wayne; 12 grandchildren, including Herman Krueckeberg of this city, and four great-grandchildren. Four children preceded her in death. Funeral services will be held at 1:15 p. m. Sunday at the home and at 2 o’clock at the Suburban Trinity Lutheran church, the Rev. Werner Schmidtke officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery. Friends may call at the home after 5 o’clock this evening. — oTons Os Friendship Food Are Destroyed Paris, Jan. 30 — (UP) Fire sweeping through a warehouse destroyed 2,000 tons of food from the American friendship train today and the French government immediately opened an inquiry into suspected sabotage. The food was destined for the Paris area. It was stored in a warehouse of the French welfare organization Entre’alde Francais. Officials said the food include® sugar, milk and chocolate. Damage was eetlmated at more than 1,000,000,000 Francs.

Decatur, Indiana, Friday, January 30, 1948

Saint Os India Is Assassinated ,r ~• ? &S «♦ 4210 r ' Ak < I" \iw JirK ’Wv"' .. ..>.~asaai Mohandas K. Gandhi

Woman And Three Children Burned Young Widow And Children Victims Morristown, Ind., Jan. 30—(UP) —A young widow and three of her five children were burned to death today in their rural home in a tragedy that authorities said may have been caused indirectly by the fuel oil shortage. The victims were Mrs. Norma Burtch, about 35 years old, and her children, Judy, 6; David, 3 and Jimmy, 1. Neighbors found their six-room house enveloped in flames late this morning. The charred bodies, all except one huddled together, were found in the smoking ruins. The children’s father died only a few weeks ago. Cause of the fire was unknown, but neighbors told police that the family had set up a coal-burning heating stove recently when they were unable to get fuel oil for an oil-burning heater. The coal burner was found toppled over in the debris of the living room ,anxl authorities (Turn Tn Paern 2. Column 4) Margene Bauer Is Oratorical Winner Winner Os Contest In Decatur School Margene Bauer, a junior ,at the Decatur junior-senior high school, this morning was acclaimed winner of the school’s elimination in the annual American Legion oratorical contest. By virtue of winning today’s contest, Miss Bauer will represent her school in the annual Adams county oratorical contest and the opportunity to advance to the district, zone and state events. The local events are sponsored by Adams post 43, American Leg ion. and the later contests by the state department of the veterans' organization. Edward Jaberg. county clerk, is county chairman of the contests. Members of the school faculty served as judges of today’s contest. Miss Karlann Striker, last year’s winner at the school, won county, district and zone contests and placed second in the state event. She was also a contestant today. Others were: Sue Harper, Jack Heller and Medford Smith. All contestants, except Miss Bauer, are seniors at the school. Miss Bauer is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ed Bauer, of this city. Deane Dorwin, speech instructor at the school, under whose tutelage the participants trained for tl& contest, was not present. He and Mayor John M. Doan were in Indianapolis today, attending a governor’s recreational meeting.

Dr. Esperson World Day Os Prayer Speaker Dr. Andrew Esperson, of Fort Wayne, will be the guest speaker for the World Day of Prayer services being planned by the Decatur council of church women for Friday, February 13, at 7:30 o’clock. The service this year will be held at the Trinity Evangelical United Brethren church. Q — Hobart Creighton Is Governor Candidate Warsaw Man Enters Republican Battle Warsaw, Ind., Jan. 30 —(UP) — Hobart Creighton of Warsaw announced his candidacy for governor of Indiana today and thereby craated the first open contest of the year on the state ticket of either political party. Creighton, the flying poultryman from Kosciusko county, made it a race with Lt. Gov. Richard T. James of Portland for the highest spot on the 1948 Republican state ticket. He seeks to advance in state government from his present legislative post as speaker of the house of representatives. Creighton’s announcement for governor was the second in 24 hours. Yesterday. Harry McClain of Shelbyville came out in the open with his long-rumored intentions to seek the gubernatorial nomination at the Democratic state convention next summer. Creighton’s intentions likewise were known long before he actually announced. Both James and Creighton entered the pre-convention battle while they and other Republican politicians waited anxiously to learn whether U. S. Sen. William E. Jenner of Bedford was coming home from Washington to run for governor. Jenner, the politically powerful young attorney who once headed the GOP state committee, thus far has successfully ducked efforts to smoke him out on his Hoosier political intentions. Creighton’s bid came as he arrived in Indianapolis ft> address the annual council meeting of the Indiana Federation of Clubs at noon today. Creighton first sought political office in 1932, the year Franklin D. Roosevelt led the Democratic party to its sweeping victory over the GOP all over the nation. In November, Hoosier voters elected 21 Democrats and nine Republicans to the lower house of the gen eral assembly. Creighton was one of the minority group. Since then, Creighton was reelected seven times and is now in his 16th consecutive year as a member of the house. In 1943, he was elected speaker of the house. He was re-elected again in 1945 and 1947. Near Warsaw, Creighton and his brother, Russell, own and operate the biggest leghorn chicken Turn To Page 2. Column 6)

Beloved Leader Os India Slain; India Is Plunged Into Sorrow And Fear

Northeast States Again Hit By Cold Cripples Industry In Many Sections By United Press A fast-moving cold wave swept across the northeastern states today, crippling industry in many sections and cutting still deeper into diminishing fuel supplies. The new cold front moving down from the Hudson Bay area sent temperatures in New York State far below zero. It was 22 degrees below zero at Utica. N. Y„ 16 below at Syracuse, N. Y.. and 11 below at Albany, N. Y. U. S. weather forecasters said Pennsylvania, where steel production has been curtailed because of fuel shortages, will get still colder tonight. Pittsburgh reported 10 above early today. Approximately 25,000 workers were laid off in Pennsylvania in industrial shutdowns caused by gas shortages. More than 20,000 of the idle were employed in the Pittsburgh steel producing center. About 30,000 Ohio workers were idle, and nearly 2,000 were out of work at Buffalo, N. Y. But the huge automotive plants of Detroit were hardest hit. with 200.000 men laid off. Meanwhile, the mid-west continued to enjoy a temporary respite from the winter cold and the west coast had some local rains which relieved its long drought in one or two localities. The weather bureau said that the extreme cold gripping the nation from the eastern Great Lakes region to the Atlantic coast probably would ease over the weekend. But in the meantime, officials said they wtiuid continue restrictions on fuel oil consumption. The Michigan Consolidated Gas company which supplies the De(Turn To Pae-p 2. Column 5) 0 Carl Centlivre Dies At Hospital Friday Fort Wayne Leader Is Taken By Death Carl Oentlivre, 58, prominent Fort Wayne business man and well known in Decatur, died at University hospital. Ann Arbor. Mich., at 10 o'clock last night, three weeks after an operation to relieve hypertension. Mr. Centlivre never regained consciousness. A son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Centlivre, he was born in Fort Wayne February 15, 1889. He attended Notre Dame and Michigan Universities and played professional baseball several seasons before becoming connected with the Centlivre Brewing Corporation. At the time of his death Mr. was secretary-treasurer of the brewing corporation bearing the family name, and also secretarytreasurer of the Centlivre Realty company. He was a member of the Elks lodge, Holy Name Society and the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception. Five brothers, four sisters, a son, Robert of Fort Wayne, a granddaughter and the widow, Leah Ehinger Centlivre, survive. The body- was returned today to Fort Wayne but funeral arrangements have not been completed. 0 Stolen Automobile Recovered Thursday An auto, reported stolen from the south side of the courthouse last night at midnight, was recoyered by city police about an hour later on Jackson street near the Moose lodge. The motor of the vehicle, a 1937 green Oldsmobile owned by Oscar Coe, Fort Wayne, was still running, when located by police.

Plane Seeking Missing Plane Reported Down Unofficial Reports State Flying Fort Crashes, 10 Dead Frankfurt, Jan. 30.— (UP) — Semi-official reports on the search for a missing American plane said today it had been found wrecked in the French Alps, that a flying fortress engaged in the search crashed and killed 10 crewmen, and that the wreckage of still another transport was found. Ground parties moving through the mountains of southeastern France toward the crashed flying fortress found wreckage believed to be that of a C-47 transport which disappeared with2o persons aboard while flying from Pisa, Italy, to Frankfurt last month. The Milan air traffic control center, in reporting the discovery of the third wrecked plane, said that according to the ground party, all aboard the flying fortress—four officers and six- enlisted men—were killed. Other reports said the C-47 which disappeared Tuesday with fivje American children, three women and four crewmen had been spotted on a mountain slope near Digne, France. Forty-two lives would be accounted for if the reports of the three crashes were borne out. Dispatches from Grenoble reported the crash of the flying fortress against the mountainside near Digne, in the region where wreckage believed to be that of the missing plane had been sighted. Air searchers said there W'ere no signs of life about the plane, which was carrying three wives and five children of American soldiers in the Trieste area in addition to a crew of four. (Turn To Page 3, Column 5) State's Cold Wave Eases Up Further Indianapolis, Jan. 30 — (UP) — Indiana’s cold wave eased up fur'ther today and the weatherman promised temperatures would range well above zero for the weekend. Evansville industries, closed a week ago because of a natural gas shortage, w’ere authorized to reopen today. Warmer weather was due tonight and scattered snow flurries were predicted for extreme part of Indiana. Assessors Meet At Fort Wayne Feb. 6 Special Meeting Called By State Assessors and their deputies from the various townships of Adams county will attend a special meeting, called by the state board of tax commissioners at Fort Wayne on February 6. Announcement of the meeting was made today by Adams county assessor Albert Harlow, who will head the delegation from here. Each of the 12 township assessors and their deputies will be expected to attend the meeting, during which suggested prices and schedules, well as changes in assessment forms, will be discussed and explained. Representatives of the tax board will conduct the meeting, which will be held in the Moose building, 820 Webster street, two blocks west of the courthouse. The meeting will open at 9 a.m. Those attending may secure lunch in the building.

Price Four Cents

Hindu Extremist Murders Gandhi; Rioting Breaks At Once In Bombay New Delhi. Jan. 30 — (UP) — Mohandas K. Gandhi was assassinated today by a Hindu extremist whose act plunged India into sorrow and fear. Rioting broke out immediately in Bombay. The 78-year-old Indian whose people had christened him the “Great Soul of India” died at 5:45 p. m. (6:15 a. m. CST) with his head cradled in the lap of his 16-year-old granddaughter, Mani. Just half an hour previous a Hindu fanatic, Ram Naturam, had pumped three bullets from a small caliber revolver into Gandhi’s frail body, emaciated by years of fasting and asceticism. Tonight in response to the insistent demand by a throng milling before Birla house for one last look at Gandhi, his body was shown to them. The balcony window of the palatial house opened. Out of it was borne the body. The crowd gasped and surged forward as it was placed in a chair, facing them. A brilliant spotlight blazed on the wrinkled brown face. The eyes were closed, the face peaceful in repose. A white sheet covered the bloodstained loin cloth. Gandhi was shot in the luxurious gardens of Birla House in the presence of 1.000 of his followers whom he was leading to the little summer pagoda where it was his habit to make his even ing devotions. Dressed as always in his homespun, sack-like dhoti, and leaning heavily on a staff of stout wood, Gandhi was a few feet distant from the pagoda when the shots were fired. Gandhi crumpled to the ground instantly, putting his hand to his forehead in the Hindu gesture of forgiveness to his assassin. Three bullets penetrated him at close range, one in the upper right thigh, one in the abdomen and one in the chest. He spoke no word before he died. A moment before he was shot he said —some witnesses believed he was speaking to the assassin—“you are late.” The assassin had been standing beside the garden path his hands folded palms together before him in the Hindq gesture of greeting. But between his palms he had concealed a revolver with which be shot Gandhi at a range of a few feet. He fired a fourth shot in an attempt at suicide but the bullet merely creased his scalp. The shots from the pistol sounded like a string of firecrackers going off and it was a moment before Gandhi’s devotees realized what had happened. Then they turned on the assassin savagely and would have torn him to bits had not strong police guards in tervened with rifles and drawn bayonets. Gandhi quickly was borne back to Birla House and placed on a couch with his head in his granddaughter’s lap. Within a few moments she spoke to the strick(Turn TO Page S, Column 7) 0 Rev. Otto Busse Is Rotary Speaker “Lincoln” was the topic of an address delivered last night at the regular meeting of the Decatur Ro’ary club by the Rev. Otto Busse, of the Preble Lutheran church, and veteran of two world wars. The Lincoln day observance was held at this time, because the Rotarians and Lions will hold a joint ladies’ night meeting the week of Lincoln’s birthday. Rev. Busse gave a brief summary of the nation’s Civil War president from his humble birth to his death, and emphasized the fact that the nations today need “more Lincoln decisions and philosophy." He also scored those people and nations leaning toward communism. The speaker was introduced by WIIJ Schnepf, club member.