Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 46, Number 203, Decatur, Adams County, 27 August 1948 — Page 1

Vol. XLVI. No. 203.

WESTERN ENVOYS MEET AGAIN AT KREMLIN

Heat Wave Death Toll Mounts I c .

59 Attributed To Heat, No Relief Seen [Temperatures Soar 1 ““Toward 100 Degrees In Much Os Nation By United Press ■hie intense heat which haa moot of the nation for a week took a mounting ■Tof heat death* today, with no ■Kef in sight. soared toward AM degrees In parts of the mid gKat and east for the sixth ■■tight day. JI survey showed 59 deaths alBKuted to the heat. They in elided 12 drowning* and 47 cases and heart attack faimiced by the heat. reported 18 heat deaths. Mm highest total in the nation were heat-induced heart at11. In Chicago, fire departrescue squads had revived ersons since Sunday. New York. Mayor Willaim tyer gave city employes, exng firemen and policemen, a day off. iw Yorkers were evidently i impressed by the present than they were by the record -fall last winter. The New l wea'her bureau yesterday ved the most telephone calls dwtory -185.772. The snow a record was 149.888 calls reid In a 24 hour period Fitchburg. Mass., the post » wi 1 have to change Its o. the one that boasts (her snow, nor rain nor heat Yesterday, when the tern lure reached 101. Fitchburgs r carriers were sent home. San Francisco, the postmen a prouder record. They donheavy coats and groped their through a cold dripping fog _*llver the mail- Kan FrancisSr* high temperature was expectto tie 66 Haven. Conn., firemen Kned bridgetenders because of ■ heat wave. A drawbridge, ex■titled by the heat would not until the firefighters doused co d water and shrank it to normal size. ■l L Percy, forecaster at the weather bureau, said the Hrr> ury would not rise as high ■ yesterday But he salt! the hu■dity would be higher, making weather just as uncomfortHKle—"and maybe more so" ■a drought ranger was increas ■g rapidly In the Great latkes No appreciable rainfall had recorded in more than two ■seks ■Eleven forest fires were burn through parched Wisconsin and chief forest ran ■r Neil Le May asked conserve ■n director Ernest Swift to de an emergency condition ■ The high temperatures were industry and commerce thousands of persons took time from work to try to keep cool. ■ Sluggish trading on the New ■ork stock exchange »e»terd»v ■as blamed on the fact that trad■s were too busy trying to Iwat heat to worry much about ■ More than 40.98® auto workers ■a'ked off their jobs' or were ■nt home from Detroit plants The walkouts affected ■ckard. Ford. Dndge Plymouth, and Briggs body plants. ■ Columbus 0.. building cont rar ■r* sent worker- home early and ■nnnec icut factories c’osed at ■non Many government offices el «d at Washington for lack of ■r conditioning I But cold weather affected com ■erce too. A sudden frost in the ■tnadian wheat fields tumbler] ■rices on the Winnipeg grain ■arket ■ **Cool Colorado" lived up to Ps ■sme Three inches of snow tell Mount Evans and the temper ■ure dropped almost to freezing ■ Frasier and Alamosa I Officials In charge of the sn ■ml watermelon festival at Pek ■> IL. were caught short by the ■eat wave. They had only 10.000 ■o<tnds of melons on hand and ■nd to round up 30.000 pounds ■ere to satisfy the thlrcty ■rowds

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT

Decatur Pupils To Register Next Week Registration Plans Listed By Officials Registration plans for the De | calur public schools, which open Tuesday. Sept. 7. were announced today by school official*. Students of the junior-senior high school will register next week. Seniors will register Monday from 9 a. m. until 3 p. tn. at the office of W. Guy Brown, prin- < .pal. Juniors will register Tuesday during the same hours. No registration will be conducted Wednesday because of the annual teachers’ institute at the Lincoln school. Sophomores will register 1 hursday from 9 a. nt. to 3 p. m. and freshmen on Friday during the same hours. Registration for eighth grade students will be at 9 a. m Saturday and for seventh grade students at 10 a. m. Saturday. Lincoln School P. Bryce Thomas. Lincoln school principal, announced a change in the practice of preyhuts years at the grade- school. Formerly, pupils reported on the morning of opening day and were then dismissed to purchase necessary books and supplies. This has been changed this year, however. and a full schedule of claw ces will be maintained on the opening day. Sept. 7. Book slips will lie given out •nd room assignments made Thursday and Friday. Sept. 2 and T. according to the following schedule: Sixth grade. Thursday. 9-10 a. m.; fifth grade. Thursday. 10-11 i. m.: fourth grade. Thursday. 1-2 p. tn.; third grade, Thursday. 2-3 p. tn.: second grade. Friday. 9-10 i. m.; first grade, Friday. 10-11 ». tn. Children are to report to the -M-hool auditorium at the above hours for book lists and room ssslgnments. Children entering the Decatur chools for the first lime this nor are asked to report at the Lincoln school auditorium Friday from 1 to 2 p. m to have enrollment blanks fil ed, and receive their luiok slips and room assignments. This Includes children who were not in kindergarten last vtar and who wish to enter the trst grade, and those who wish to -nter kindergarten this year who were not enrol ed during the roundup last fall Children must be Ove years old before Sept. 15 to enter kinder garten and six years old before Sept. 15 to enter the first grade. Mrs. Leah F. Sheets Dies Thursday Night Funeral Services Sunday Afternoon Mrs. l-eah Ferne Sheets. 56, a resident of Decatur for 30 years, died at 10:35 o'clock Thursday night at the Adams county memorial hospital. She had been in failing health for the past 13 months. Bom In Glenmore. 0., Sept. 2L 1891. she was a daughter of (Tiristonher and Glara Belle Mwls-Walters She was married July 10. 1913. at Van Wert. O„ to Raymond Sheets, who died Ort. 5 1032. Surviving are one son. Carl D. Sheets of Decatur: three brothers Hugh Walters of Ohio City. 0.. William of IJma. 0.. and Donald of Delphos. O.; one slater. Mixa Give Walters of Fort Wayne, and three grandchildren. Sharroa Kay. Garv Warren and Dennis Raymond Sheets. One daughter, two brothers and four slaters are deceasFuneral services will be held at 2:3® p.m Sunday at the Zwlck funeral home, with the Rev. F. H Willard officiating. Burial will be in the Decatur cemtery Friends mtv call at the funeral home after 7:3® o’clock thia evening. WEATHER Partly cloudy tonight and Saturday; continued warm and humid.

Jilted Suitor Wounds Girl And Kills Self Fort Wayne Girt Is Critically Wounded Along Highway 27 'BULLETIN Lutheran hoapltal authorities described the condition of Betty Ann Berkos as "still critical” shortly before 3 o’clock this afternoon. They said the 19-year-old shooting victim was In a conscious state. An attractive 19-year-old telephone operator was in critical condition at Fort Wayne's Lutheran hospital this afternoon, and the body of the 37-year-old suitor she spurned was at the Wilson funeral home, a 25 caliber bullet lodged in his skull, the tragb- outcome of a roadside lovers' quarrel just north of Adams county. Betty Ann Berkes. of Fort Wayne, an employe of the Home Telephone and Telegraph company, was shot In the head, arm and breast by Alfred Me Sprat ley. also of Fort Wayne, after she “told him off,' and refused to date him further. Miss Berkes gasped her story to Allen county sheriff Harold Zeis. She told how Spratiey, a truck driver with whom she had had dates before, forced himseM into her car and made her drive along IT. S. 27. There It was that she refused to see him further About two and onehalf miles north of Adams county he suggested that they turn Into a country road and "talk It over.” She refused He brandished a 25 caliber automatic and pumped three shells Into her body. After she fell from the auto to the pavement he stepped outside the car and cahnly shot himself In the head. State tropper John Morgan, deputy sheriff Arnold Dicke ami sheriff Zeis of Allen county investigated the shooting. Several Adams county residents, on their way to Fort Wayne, came upon (Tw— I’wwe wtvet Extreme Heat Wave Continues Unabated Warning Is Issued By Fire Department Decatur was still in the middle oi a merciless heat wave today late this afternoon the Democrat thermometer <-limbed to the 190 --egree mark, equalling yesf»r day's peak temperature And weather forecasters held little hope for immediate abatement of the scorching spell. The fire department today Issued a warning to residents on i the perils of the hot. dry weather , If i.otne owners must burn traah. - weeds, or leaves the department urged them to use the greatest i of care. I “If you have something to burn." the statement said, "please call fire headquarters and we will > come down to see that nothing , roes wrong Any sort of fire, no ( matter how well supervised, is ex-1 , rcmely dangprous right now.” Fire department authorities also cautioned against burning paper In furnaces, as sparks or M-raps of lighted material might easily fly to dry leaves or grass ; and cause considerable damage Meanwhile, many once beautl ful lawns throughout the city ' were taking on a new look of scorched brown And residents 1 (ontlnued to flock to nearby lakes and swimming places in an attempt to beat the heat. In the words of one cititen. "It's great weather all right—great for fry Im eggs on the sidewalk .” Following are the day's unoffi I dal hourly temperature readings i from the Daily Democrat ther ■ mometer: 3 a m. us... 72 » a m 74 10 S m.................. 32 It a. m. ts 11 noon ................. 39 1 P- m 92 » P ■- - W •

ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN ADAMS COUNTY

Decatur, Indiana, Friday, August 27, 1948

‘Closed As Os Now,’ Consul Says U LT 1 Ik a w ■L*b. . ..... LOOKING PLEASANT, Soviet Consul Konstantin A. Efremov (hatlevs* tells San Francisco, Cui . reporters that the consulate there is "closed as of now." The group Is outside—he wouldn't let them in. The shutdown Is outgrowth of Kosenklna case.

Tropical Hurricane Headed For Florida Southeastern Coast May Be Threatened Miami. Fla. Aug. 27-(UPI-A tropical hurricane whirling acron* the south Atlantic toward the U. S. mainland nhitted «H«htly today and headed in a more went- • erly direction S6<t mile* due east of Miami The great wind* roaring counter-1 clockwise around the "eye” of the *torm were e*tlmated at 115 mile* per hour. 15 mile* per hour faster than the estimate Issued before dawn thia morning It* direction, according to an 11 am. advisory from the hurricane warning service, shifted slightly from northwest to west-northwest, pointing it more directly st the southeastern coast The storm was traveling at about 15 miles per hour. A high pressure area north of its present location was funneling the hurricane down a weather trough toward the coast. The hurricane warning service still declined to predict Its ultimate direction. A complete report from a hurricane hunter plane hovering over the storm was prevented by severe static. The Florida east coast was alert ed and many storm wise resident* were preparing for the blow, although chief forecaster Grady Nor ton of the warning service said iTwrn Te I’ag* Sisi Call Handwriting Experts Into Case Spy Probers Call Experts For Help Washington. Auk 27 — (UP) — House Investigators called in handwriting experts today to help check <liarge* that ex state department I official Alger Hi*" once donated an auto to the Communist under ground The specialists moved Into the case as Hiss was < onfronted with a second charge of secret Red »ym pathle*. this time by Ixtuis Itudenz. former Communist editor who renounced the party to join the Catho lie church. He told the bouse unAmerican committee he had heard of Hiss as the “equivalent" to a party mem tier The committee summoned the, handwriting esperts to check the signature on a transfer of title of a second-hand automobile In HM The car was allegedly turned over to the Communist bartv by Hiss Committee records show the car finally found Its way Into the hands of a “William Rosen ' A local buslnoewmaa of that name was quee turned late yesterday. Rosen refused to disease the trap section oa grounds his answer* might be eeM-tneriminaiing But be i gave the committee IC sample* of (Tara Te Face Ms*

BULLETIN WatshinKittn. Aug. 27 —(IP) — Ketired Chief Justice Charles Evans Hußhes, H 6. is suffering from “gradual weakening of the heart” and is sinking, it was announced today. Retail Stores Sales Decrease Is Noted Prices, However, Still Increasing lly United Pres* Government report* on retail sides Indicated today that the re distance of housewives to highpriced consumers item* miglht be ■ educing sales But other reports showed that wholesale and retail price* were still climbing or at least remain Ihg at high level*. The commerce department reported today that retail store Sale* dropped |l»5.000.00< from •10755.0<m>.<>00 in June to lift.5M.000.000 during July However, the lalutr department reported that average wholesale price* Increased one-tenth of onepercent last week to reach the all time high set three week* ago At the end of the week, aver age wholesale price* were 10 2 alaive mid August. 1947, and the wholesale index stood at 169.2 of the 1926 average. The department said that the increase was led mainly by advancing prices on food. Meanwhile, government eco-, nomists agreed that the co t of living proltably will continue to rise during the election cam paign I .alter, commerce and agriculture department *poke*m«-n waid the high cost of living probably will be the biggeKt problem facing the next president. Meat prices, particularly, will <ontlnue to rise, thev said. Beef price* may level off before the elec'lon but pork price* will keep right on t limbing No real price relief is in sight before next spring, they said Commerce department and fed eral reserve Itoard officers said iTiri I’aar Tw«i Arrest Adams County Man For Questioning Sheriff Herman Rowman and three representatives of the Fort Wayne police department Thursday arrested Karue Allen, of Berne route 2. for questioning In connecion with the murder of diaries Shepard, who died In Fort Wayne Auglust IS. The Fort Wayne officers were Robert Bank*. John Carpi no and detective sergeent Max Cleveland Fort Wayne authorities have been seeking Ixirenso White for the Shepard murder for two week*, and It I* believed the arrest of Alien may provide new tact* on the case.

Confer Three Hours With Soviet Officials; Refuse Statement On Progress

Registrants Must Have Identification Peacetime Draft To Open Here Monday When Adams county men com* to the Chamber of Commerce office in the library building beginning Monday they must have positive identification on their persons. Mrs. Elmer Chase, draft board clerk, announced today. Vet were urged to bring proof of military service with them in order to save lime and simplify classification. Veterans who served honorably a year or more between September 20. 1940 and June 24. 1948. are not Hable for service, according to the selective service law Neither are those who served lion oralily for more than 90 days between December 7. 1941 and September 2. 1945. Those who served honorably between September 18. 194® and June 24. 194* for more than 90 days are conditionally deferred subject to their enlistment or appointment in one of the organized reserve units. All must register, however Mrs. Chase added that any outof town resident who may lie In Decatur on the dale selected for his registration may sign up for the draft here, giving his home address to the registrar likewise. Decatur residents who are called away oil the dale specified fur their registration may regie ter at the board nearest them at the time, and their records will be transferred Io Adams county board I. Following are the registration dales for lhe various ages: I. Those born In 1922 after Aug. 30 will regi-ter on Monday. Aug 30. T Those born In 1923 will reg <Turn T<» I’nsr Fieri Central Soya, Union Sign New Agreement Hourly Increase Os 18 Cents Granted The Central Soya Company. Im ~ has announced the successful conclusion of negotiations with IxM-al 44 of lhe Food. Tobacco. Ag rl< ultural and Allied Workers Union of America. <(' I. O t of an amendment to the agreement be tween them, which will assure the continuation of lhe friendly rela tionl that have existed In the past. The new agreement provides for an hourly increase of 18 cents on the basic wage rate. and. in add! lion, the company agreed to con linue to pay a cost-of llvlng adjust meat based on lhe consumer price index for moderate income fami Iles, as published hy lhe I' S department of lal>or, Washington D. C This cost-of living wage adjust inent Is entirely separate from lhe basic wage rate, and provides that the company will pay an addi tional one cent per hour for ea> h 1.1 point Inc rease in lhe consumer price index alarve the basic figure of 1708 The 1947 conlnut expired on June 3t*. and negotiations were car rind on from that dale Employes are already In receipt of retroactive pay covering the perhsl of the contract negotiations. It was annoutx ed. Dr. Gerald H. Jones Is Rotary Speaker Dr Gerald H Jones, pastor of the First Methodist church in rills city, was the guest speaker at the week ly meeting of the Daeatur Rotary elate Thursday evening The Metho diet minister, cutting his address short because of the extreme heat, •tressed the Importance of the tbarx-h in solving Ike world s prob lews Cal E Peterson was chairman of the program.

German Reds Demand Rule Over Berlin Second Scheduled Assembly Meeting Prevented By Reds Berlin. Aug. 27 tUl’i — Communist leaders demanded lliut a special nine-man commission lie set up to rule Berlin today after I.uihi demonstrators broke up the second scheduled meeting of the city assembly within 2«> hours. The scheduled assembly meeting was postponed indefinitely when Communist action Miuads smashed down iron gates and stormed into the city hall, threatening to break down inner doors with a battering ram. More than I,Bo® of them jammed the city assembly chamber, which has a capacity of 150, to hear a spee< h by Karl Littke. Communist leader In the city assembly Littke ridiculed the city assembly for tailing off the meeting and de- , manded that it resign to make way , for a special nine man commission r of "Berlin citizens" to operate the . city administration , The Communists h<dd only 28 of 130 seats in the city assembly. , Littke told the demonstrators, I mostly workers from Soviet sector factories who were let off work for the day. tiiat Soviet zone currency was the only one they should a<cept for their lalsirs He said any plant that tried to | pay off in western marks would lie dosed down He urged the workers to strike rather than accept western marks Communist leaders were report ed to have tailed for another dem onstration later today in Potsdamer Platz. where the American, British and Russian sectors meet Acting mayor Ferdinand Frleden sburg immediately alerted all polite In the three western sectors against Communist efforts to provoke In t idents similar to the reign ofter ror ami kidnaping* last weekend. More than I.uihi well-organized demonstrators stormed the city aall this morning within 45 minutes after Karl Littke. Communist lead er In the assembly, called for new demonstrations against the city government They smashed down the gates in front of the building and broke the lock on a rear door. Once inside they threatened t.i break down in ner doors with a battering ram. As sembiy leaders then post [Hilled the I Tara Ta Psae » Jaycees Swim Meet Here Monday Night 75 Boys And Girls Are Signed To Date Seventy-five Itecatur boys and - girls have signed up for the Jay tees swim meet, to be held at the municipal pool next Monday eve i nlng at 7 o'clock C I. Finlavson. Miss Huth Holt ' house and Mayor John M Doan have been named judges at fixmeet. They will award first and second place medals In each of > three events — speed swimming, underwater swimming and diving ! These events will in turn be subi divided according to age groups, with 12 to ISyearolds competing in the junior division, and 16 19 year igids tn the senior division implicate competitions will lie held for boy* and girls. Featured event of the meet. «c- > cording to a Junior Chamber of Commerce spokesman, will be the . first appearance In northern In r diana of an internationally known professional diver. This figure of I repute whose name could not be revealed at thia time, will demon > strata the diving technique which - haa won him world wide fame The t'public is invited, and there will be no admission charge.

Price Four Centi

Stalin Not Present Today; Preparing Reports On Parley For Governments Moscow. Aug. 27— (UP! — Envoys of the western powers conferred for nearly three hours tonight with Russian officials at the Kremlin. but the meeting ended with no indication us to whether any progress was made toward an agreement. U. S. ambassador Walter Bedell Smith said after leaving the Kremlin that Soviet foreign minister V. M Molotov and deputy foreign ‘ minister Andrei Vlshinsky attended for Russia Premier Josef Stalin was not present. Smith answered all other queries with a terse "no comment.” British spe«-lal envoy Frank Roberts said there would be no communique regarding the negotiations to- ’ night. There have been reports that a communique might_ be issued tomorrow. Smith. Roberts and french am- ( l>assador Yves Chatalgneau went directly from the Kremlin meeting the British embassy to prepare reports for their governments on the latest meeting In the series , seeking agreement on the Berlin .■crisis and on a four-power confer- . ence to decide the future of Geri' many. The latest meeting In the series which began July 30 lasted two r I hours and 55 minute* It was one iof the longest except for the nearly five hour session the®western envoys had with Stalin and Molotov - ■ Monday night. No Indication was given by any lof the western envoy* or by the Kremlin as to whether another > meeting might be expected latet Earlier reports had suggested that i If Stalin failed to attend today's conference, there probably would be at least one more talk, at which he probably would appear Molotov has conducted most of the negotiations tonight's was the I I seventh meeting In which he lias participated but It has been plain throughout the conferences that ’ Stalin was actively directing Russian policy The Soviet premier attended one of the first meetings, that of Aug. 2 He Stepped in again last Monday night when it had begun to appear that the discussions might break down and apparently shifted the Russian position enough to make It appear worthwhile to continue negotiations It seemed logical, observers here felt, to suppose that he would attend the final meeting of the series, at which the negotiators presumably would lav plans for any publication of the resulta to the world A qualifiml American sonree warned before today's meeting that excessive optimism should l>« avoided, and had referred to one dispatch published in the United States after Monday's meeting aw 'misleading." That dispatch said that a "wide area of agreement haw l»een reached.” American sources also had indicated that Smith was somewhat dismayed by some of the iuterpre- < Twrw Ta !•■»» six i Branch Employment Office In Decatur Closes On Sept. 3 Announ<-ement was made today from the Fort Wayne area office, that the branch employment compensation office maintained at the city hall ome a week would be f lowed beginning Septemlter 3. ' For several years a representative visited the Decatur office and processed claims with the department After September 3. unemployment cfMiipvnsation and veteran ad ' just men' allowances must be filed ■ with the Fort Wayne office. Ill® South Barr street Dismissal of personnel was forced ' upon the M*n<'y becauee congreet refused to appropriate funds to maintain the service, the dlvisioa i manager said of fives at i Bluffton. Auburn. Columbia City, * Huntington and Kendallville, were also ordered dosed